Article content Every politician – every successful one, anyway – has a turn. Recommended Videos For Jean Chretien and Brian Mulroney, it was coming up short in their 1984 and 1976 leadership races, respectively. For Dalton McGuinty and Doug Ford, it was losing their campaigns to be Ontario premier or Toronto mayor in 1999 and 2014. There are other examples. After those losses, all of those leaders made a turn. They made changes to their staff, they revised their strategy, they modified their approach. All then went on to massive and successive wins. But executing a turn in politics is easier said than done. It requires a willingness to take a hard look at oneself, and do what the Russians call samokritika: self-criticism. It isn’t easy. Pierre Poilievre has executed a turn, and it accounts for most of the considerable success he now enjoys. He has jettisoned the bumper sticker populist stuff for which he was once known – pro-convoy, anti-vaxx, volume and rhetoric always dialled up to 11 – and a different sort of politician has emerged. There’s been a turn. At one point, this writer thought he was awful, even pestilential. I wrote a column in this newspaper excoriating Poilievre , calling him a joke. Like other members of Jean Chretien’s circle, we were livid about how Poilievre had treated Chretien’s former chief of staff Jean Pelletier. Pelletier was dying of cancer and a shadow of his former self when he was hauled before a Parliamentary committee in 2007. Despite his obvious illness, Poilievre mocked Pelletier and accused him of being a liar. “Did you lie in front of the committee the last time you appeared, or are you lying now?” Poilievre asked Pelletier, who was gaunt and thin. Pelletier himself was stoic about how Poilievre treated him as he left the committee hearing room. “I am 72 years old, I am fighting cancer. So it was a good day,” he said, just months away from his death. But Chretien’s loyalists were not as willing to forgive. Poilievre continued like that for some time, voting against gay marriage, voting against abortion, voting with the hardcore conservative fringe. Always angry, always seemingly against everything. And then, something changed. After he became Conservative Leader in 2022, the turn started to reveal itself. Poilievre reversed his position on abortion and equal marriage. He gravitated away from the extremes of the conservative movement. He looked different, too: he dispensed with the glasses and he looked beefed up. He started to smile more. Poilievre could still indulge in rhetorical overkill – Canada isn’t “broken,” sir, our politics are – but not as much as before. Most notably, Poilievre started to sound like a prime minister. Since Oct. 7, Canada has become one of the worst places in the world for antisemitism. Synagogues and Jewish schools have been firebombed and shot up; Jews have been targeted in the streets and in their homes. For his part, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to please both sides, and ended pleasing no one. His ministers, too, sounded indifferent to the atrocities of Hamas and its murderous cabal. Not Poilievre. The Conservative Leader condemned the antisemitism and the hate without obfuscation, without qualification. His voice, alone among the federal leaders, became one of absolute moral clarity. It was not without risk for him – there are many, many more Muslim than Jewish voters in Canada – but he did the right thing. This week, too, when president-elect Donald Trump made his imbecilic promise to slap a 25% tariff on everything Canada exports to the United States, Poilievre did not do what some conservatives have done. He did not attack his own country, and say that Trump was somehow justified. He said the opposite – he said Trump’s threat was “unjustified.” He said he’d “fight fire with fire.” He said he’d respond with tariffs of his own, if need be. Unlike too many conservative partisans, Poilievre did not cravenly seek to justify Trump’s threat. He condemned it, clearly. That is what we expect of our prime ministers: to always put the country, and its people, first. To be a fighter, and make important decisions on our behalf. Without fanfare, without hoopla, Poilievre has evolved into a different sort of politician. More mature, more moderate, more measured. It looks good on him.
What I love about Williamsburg is that we are a community of stories. We embody the stories we tell through dramatization and performance every day. We tell these stories because they explain the legacies we inherit, just or unjust, and define our sense of truth and self-understanding. Stories are how we make sense of the things that happen to us. Stories are our way of describing our lives. When we know the story, we can discover where we’ve been and where we are going. We understand the logic behind why we see the world the way we do. Stories help us make sense of ourselves and our place in society. We are the stories we tell ourselves. In over two decades of working with neighbors living through houselessness, I have heard the story of homelessness told many different ways. I’ve heard about it through the story of what is called the “Housing Ready” approach. It says to the neighbor that once they secure a job, address their substance use or locate their own housing possibilities, they can get the funds needed for housing. I was told it was the most sustainable approach to housing because only when neighbors have a job and are sober can they sustain the rent long-term. It is how we foster responsibility and accountability and better use taxes. I used to believe this story. Then I heard the story of “Housing First.” It tells the neighbor that they’ll get housed immediately — first — especially if they are particularly vulnerable, and after that, they can get a job and address their substance use. But I had heard this story told in a way that seemed expensive to the taxpayer and lacked accountability for the neighbor. But then I realized that housing first wasn’t housing only. But then, on my journey to becoming a trauma professional, I learned the story of how traumatic stress works in brains, bodies, nervous systems and stories. I learned that when traumatic stress is at work in the brain, body and nervous system, the ability to make integrated decisions becomes disintegrated as parts of the brain (pre-frontal cortex) go “offline” until the traumatic stress is processed or resolved. I learned that trauma, which means “wound,” twists the story we tell about ourselves. Traumatic stress can be understood as lacking any means of effective power when one’s well-being feels vulnerable, destabilized or threatened. In shorthand, it is when my ability to cope is overwhelmed because something has come at me too fast, too soon, for too long, and feels like too much. Traumatic stress will negatively impact our sense of self-worth (identity, purpose and belonging), our ability to govern our emotions and decisions thoughtfully and slowly (self-regulation), and disconnect how we relate to ourselves and others. Left unprocessed, it can eventually provoke cycles of harm and prevent sustainable rebuilding. Side note: you cannot think your way out of trauma any more than you can think your way out of stress headaches. You can only treat it or practice your way through it. Second side note: let the concept of stress producing headaches, muscle tension, stomach issues, etc., remind you that stress has a physiological impact and appears in our bodies. Now imagine if that stress is associated with trauma. So, what is more stressful, vulnerable, destabilizing or threatening than not having a consistent place to wake up to and come home to or to run to when everything feels too much? What is more stressful and disempowering than not knowing if or where you’ll take your next shower, wash your clothes, or clean your uniform if you get that job? Where will you keep your food or store your possessions? Traumatic stress happens in houselessness because it is a form of social displacement. Not only does a neighbor lose a place to sleep safely, they feel out of place in society. There is a sense of abandonment and despair that comes together in a loss of worth, identity and belonging. Social displacement is a state of being without any sense of place or effective means of orientation and is an all-consuming displacement and traumagenic experience. When we understand houselessness as social displacement we know they need a house, but they also need a home. By home, I mean something more than a house. A house is a building; a home is a dwelling place. A house is made of wood or brick; a home is made of stories, relationships and memories. Houses can be bought and sold, but a home is never up for sale. Home is a place of inhabitation where life is oriented toward a life-giving narrative and where restoration from the wounds of traumatic stress is made possible in every human dimension — socially, emotionally, cognitively, spiritually and physically. Housing First is more than providing a house. It is a form of advocacy that, along with stable housing, coordinates a system of care and services that align with an individual’s self-determined goals. Rightly practiced, Housing First is based on the belief that individuals possess inherent dignity and should be empowered to facilitate agency, meaning their capacity and power to make decisions and take action toward recovery. It also recognizes that all humans have bodies, brains, nervous systems and a need for healthy relationships, and needs time to process and resolve the wounds arising from traumatic stress. Yet, some legislators would like to see Housing First end despite two solid decades of evidence. For example, in 2020, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, a collective of 19 different federal agencies working to address homelessness, published a critique of the Housing First approach the federal government has used as a “one-size-fits-all approach.” They claim Housing First “has not worked to reduce homelessness for all populations and communities”. Instead, the plan calls for addressing the root causes of homelessness with an emphasis on trauma-informed care. Ironic. Because although I believe the piece offers fair critiques, it (oddly) denies the evidence and (oddly) demonstrates a lack of understanding of how trauma works (after all, a clinical psychologist named Dr. Sam Tsemberis was the first in our nation to articulate Housing First as a model clearly in the 1990s). When Housing First is tethered to a coordinated system of care that includes the option of a network of relational support where resilience is promoted, a sense of physical and emotional security is provided, support is felt, and where they are empowered to use their voice and exercise the power of choice, neighbors can move away from survive as they stabilize and eventually thrive. I believe Housing First is the only (actual) trauma-responsive approach to houselessness, because it helps neighbors living through houselessness find a home. Home is where a new story can be written. The Rev. Fred Liggin is one of the pastors at Williamsburg Christian Church and founder & co-executive director of Faith Community Development & Training with 3e Restoration Inc.
Despite his failure to complete the challenge in the way he had envisioned, the man emerged from the experience with a newfound sense of self-awareness and resilience. He learned that true self-discipline is not about perfection, but about the willingness to struggle, to fail, and to keep trying, no matter how many times we fall.In an alarming case of privacy violation and illegal data collection, a man has been arrested for allegedly acquiring personal information from over 400 cellphones and using it to profit by selling lucky bags online. The suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed by the authorities, reportedly earned a monthly income exceeding ten thousand dollars from his illicit activities.
The prospect of snow always elicits mixed feelings among Beijingers. On one hand, the sight of snow blanketing the cityscape invokes a sense of nostalgia and wonder, transforming familiar sights into winter wonderlands. The snow-covered rooftops of traditional hutongs, the ancient architecture of the Forbidden City dusted with white, and the modern skyscrapers of the CBD shimmering under a fresh coat of snow – Beijing truly becomes a magical place when winter arrives.
Democrat Bob Casey concedes to Republican David McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate contest
As Shi Yuqi looks to the future, he remains focused on his goals and aspirations in badminton. He hopes to continue improving his skills, mastering new techniques, and challenging himself to be the best player he can be. With the support of his team and the backing of his fans, Shi is confident that he can overcome any obstacles and achieve even greater success in the sport.
Why an innocent photo of a bag at the airport has thousands 'freaked out' right now A simple photo has freaked out thousands of people READ MORE: The one mistake with Carry-On By BELINDA CLEARY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA Published: 23:09 GMT, 23 December 2024 | Updated: 23:09 GMT, 23 December 2024 e-mail 10 shares View comments Thousands have been left 'completely freaked out' after a woman posted a photo of a suitcase sitting by a table at the airport. The small hard-shelled black case had been left for a moment by its owner. But the stand-alone suitcase wasn't the only 'scary' thing about the bag. It also had a little red ribbon. And it looked just like the suitcase bomb from the new Netflix drama 'Carry-On'. The timing of the lone-luggage only added to the hysteria. The movie is set on Christmas Eve and was released on December 13. The luggage was pictured on December 18, with many agreeing it felt 'too real'. In the movie a young airline security guard is blackmailed by a mysterious passenger who threatens to smuggle a dangerous package onto a plane. This simple snap of a suitcase has left thousands of people terrified The woman's post which was captioned: 'In the airport and I see this. I can’t make this up. If you know, you know'. It had attracted 7,000 likes and 1600 comments at time of writing. 'I watched this movie three days ago, definitely going to head out,' one woman said. 'Watched this last night - scrolled past and immediately scrolled back up again because PTSD,' added another. 'See something say something or post something.... if you're reading this its too late for those at the airport,' added another. But some were less afraid. 'We low-key all learned how to disarm it,' said another. And others were having none of it. 'People use ribbon all the time to distinguish their luggage from everyone else, be real,' one woman said. The case looks like the one on Carry-On - the new, explosive Christmas movie centered around an airport (stock image) 'Someone did this on purpose to scare people,' another said. The rest were confused. 'Can someone explain this,' one asked. 'I have no idea what movie this is,' said another. 'Why is this blowing up? I don't get it,' a third cried. The movie, which stars Taron Egerton, has an 86 per cent approval rating on Rotten tomatoes. Some are describing it as the new 'lethal weapon', an alternative, dark Christmas movie. Facebook Netflix Taron Egerton Share or comment on this article: Why an innocent photo of a bag at the airport has thousands 'freaked out' right now e-mail 10 shares Add commentOne of the key benefits of having clear standards for evidence of domestic violence is the increased credibility and validity of victim testimonials. Often, victims of domestic violence face skepticism and disbelief when recounting their experiences, especially if there is a lack of physical evidence or witnesses to corroborate their claims. With standardized criteria for evaluating evidence, victims are more likely to be taken seriously and their accounts given due consideration in legal proceedings.China's Foreign Trade Expected to End the Year Smoothly
DT Midstream Announces Pricing of Offering of Senior Secured NotesPITTSBURGH — Clairton entered Saturday’s WPIAL Class A championship game against Fort Cherry having allowed 21 points in 13 games. The Rangers matched that total to win back-to-back WPIAL titles following a 21-20 victory at Acrisure Stadium. Fort Cherry improved to 14-0 this season and won the second district title in program history. The Rangers join McDonald (1951 and ’52) and Chartiers-Houston (1971 and ’72) as the only teams in Washington County to win two straight WPIAL championships. “I think that we knew coming into this game that we have a pretty potent offense,” Fort Cherry coach Tanner Garry said. “We were aware of what they had done all year, and we looked at it as a challenge. We preached to our team all week that we have to play a full fourth quarters.” Fort Cherry will play District 9 champion Port Allegany (13-0) in the state semifinals. The Rangers advanced to the state final last year, and are definitely battle tested heading into next week’s game, which will be played either Friday or Saturday. “On the defensive line, they (Clairton) were strong,” Fort Cherry senior lineman Joey Klose said. “They were the second seed and 13-0 for a reason. It was the first time all year I was on the ground a couple of times. “Nobody thought we could do it, and we did it, and that’s huge for the underdog mentality for me. McDonald and Fort Cherry picked us.” The Bears’ season ends at 13-1, but not without playing in an instant classic in search of the program’s 15th WPIAL title. “I just told my kids in the locker room, ‘They have nothing to hang their heads about,'” said Clairton coach Wayne Wade. “We gave it all we had. We were a little banged up the last couple of weeks. It kind of made us play a different way tonight. I guess it got the best of us. I just want to thank our school administration, and everybody that has supported this year.” The Bears held Fort Cherry quarterback and Penn State recruit Matt Sieg in check, but the junior was able to rush for two scores and threw the game-tying touchdown pass to Ryan Huey with 2:34 left in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-five. Sieg used his athleticism to avoid being sacked on the pass to Huey, as he found his teammate in the flat. The sophomore was wide open and raced down the right side of the field into the end zone. “I just back pedaled, looked to my right, and a credit to Ryan, he was open,” Sieg said. “This result is a testament to everybody. We have put in a lot of hard work, and my parents really pushed me when I was growing up.” Nik Massey connected on the third of three extra points, which was the game winner. Garry was ecstatic with the result of the play, but admitted it wasn’t something he drew up. “That one is called, ‘Run around in a circle and find someone,'” said Garry. “It was a bad call by me. Our idea was to try and give them a similar look on what we had just converted the fourth down on. “Matt was actually supposed to keep that one. It was supposed to be a fake reverse, but he turned around and made a play. Ryan did a great job staying alive on the play. It was a very impressive play all the way around.” Huey had a 360-degree turn of emotions in one play, as he fumbled before scoring the biggest touchdown of his life. The Rangers converted on two fourth-down conversions earlier in the drive when Huey caught a 20-yard pass on a reverse from Shane Cornali with four yards to go that took the ball to the Clairton 29-yard line. “My teammates were telling me all day to remain focused and stay the athlete that I am,” Huey said. “It felt like it was in slow motion coming down. It was a great feeling getting into the end zone.” The Rangers went 82 yards on 13 plays on their game-winning drive that took 4:56 off the clock. Huey caught two passes for 33 yards and Cornali pulled in four receptions for 65 yards. Evan Rogers had one catch for 44 yards. Massey not only made three PATs, but he also pulled in one reception for 34 yards. Massey’s contributions were not lost on Garry, as kicking in Class A football can be a tossup. Clairton attempted two-point conversions on its three touchdowns, and went 1-for-2. “We start every single practice by kicking 10 extra points, and we count it out all the way up to 10,” Garry said. “It’s Matt’s (Sieg) job to constantly hound Nik (Massey) and just try and get in his head so he’s not mentally weak. I’ll be honest, most days, Matt kind of wins that exchange, but Nik has built up a whole lot of confidence, and for him to make those extra points today was huge.” Sieg was 8 of 15 for 161 yards with one touchdown. He rushed for 87 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. The Bears couldn’t utilize their passing game with quarterback Jeff Thompson unable to throw, but still used their speed to take a 6-0 lead with 2:58 left in the first period when Mike Ruffin raced 79 yards for a touchdown. “The last few weeks we just grinded out some games against some good football teams without being able to throw,” Wade said. “That shows the heart of a champion of our team to lose our quarterback, and not really have a backup guy.” Fort Cherry responded on its next possession and Sieg scored from four yards out to finish a four-play, 62-yard drive, and the Rangers had a 7-6 advantage with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter. Sieg powered through from one-yard out with 19 seconds left in the second quarter, and Fort Cherry took a 14-6 lead into halftime. Drahcir Jones’ 58-yard run and Ruffin’s three yarder gave Clairton a 20-14 lead after three quarters. Ruffin’s two-point conversion run tied the game at 14-14 with 10:57 left in the third quarter. Ruffin gained 162 yards on 14 carries and Jones rushed for 90 yards on 10 carries. Teammate Deon Pompey added 59 yards on eight attempts. Darren Pinson led the Bears in tackles with 10, including one for loss. Clairton’s Jaece Booker had an interception. Blake Sweder led Fort Cherry’s defense with 12 tackles, including one for loss. Teammate Tyler Wolfe made 10 stops (3.5 for a loss). The Bears were penalized 11 times for 90 yards, while the Rangers were called for infractions seven times for 45 yards. “We probably had six or seven holding penalties called against us, and they were at big moments in the game,” Wade said. “I don’t want to get in trouble with that kind of stuff. I just wanted to point that out because that type of thing in a championship game shouldn’t happen.”SC grants Centre four weeks to decide on Rajoana mercy plea
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings waived cornerback Akayleb Evans on Saturday in another setback for their beleaguered 2022 draft class. Evans started 15 games last season, but he had been relegated to a special teams role this year after the Vikings added veteran cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin. Evans was a fourth-round pick out of Missouri, one of three defensive backs among Minnesota's first five selections in 2022. Lewis Cine (first round) was waived and Andrew Booth (second round) was traded earlier this year. One of their second-round picks, guard Ed Ingram, lost his starting spot last week. Evans was let go to clear a roster spot for tight end Nick Muse, who was activated from injured reserve to play on Sunday at Chicago. The Vikings ruled tight end Josh Oliver out of the game with a sprained ankle. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — RJ Johnson scored 23 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, Daylen Berry added two clutch free throws and Charleston Southern surprised Miami 83-79 on Saturday. The Buccaneers led for the last four minutes of the first half and deep into the second half before a 3-pointer from Austin Swartz gave Miami a 76-75 lead with 3 minutes left in the game. A three-point play by Lynn Kidd gave the Hurricanes a 79-75 lead with 2:11 remaining. Berry hit a 3-pointer to make it 79-78 and Johnson followed with a 3 that gave the Buccaneers an 81-79 lead. Kidd missed in the paint for Miami but came up with a steal a few seconds later. With 15 seconds left, Swartz missed a 3-pointer and the Buccaneers rebounded. Miami put Berry on the line and he made both free throws for a four-point lead with 11 seconds remaining. Miami's Jalen Blackmon missed a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left, the Hurricanes' A.J. Staton-McCray grabbed the rebound and he missed a 3 as time ran out. Taje Kelly had 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Buccaneers (2-7), who snapped a five-game losing streak and defeated a Division I opponent for the first-time this season. Thompson Camara made five 3-pointers and scored 21. Brandon Johnson made six 3-pointers and scored 23 for Miami (3-4). Swartz scored 15 points off the bench and Staton-McCray had 13 points. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballThe outgoing head of the nation’s top public health agency urged the next administration to maintain its focus and funding to keep Americans safe from emerging health threats. “We need to continue to do our global work at CDC to make sure we are stopping outbreaks at their source,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “We need to keep that funding up. We need to keep the expertise up. We need to keep the diplomacy up.” Cohen, 46, will be leaving office in January after about 18 months in the job. President-elect Donald Trump on Friday night said he picked Dave Weldon, a former Congressman from Florida, to be the agency’s next chief. Cohen said she hasn’t met Weldon and doesn’t know him. She previously voiced concern about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine advocate and CDC critic nominated to oversee all federal public health agencies. The CDC, with a $9.2 billion core budget, is charged with protecting Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats. The staff is heavy with scientists — 60% have master’s degrees or doctorates. The last eight years have been perhaps the most difficult in the agency's history. The CDC once enjoyed a sterling international reputation for its expertise on infectious diseases and other causes of illness and death. But trust in the agency fell because of missteps during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, political attacks and resistance to infection-prevention measures like wearing masks and getting vaccinated. The CDC has four political appointees, out of about 13,000 employees. The rest serve no matter who is in the White House, with civil service protections against efforts to fire them for political reasons. Trump said during the campaign that he wants to convert many federal agency positions into political appointments, meaning those employees could be hired and fired by whoever wins the election. There’s also a proposal to split the agency in two: one to track disease data, and another focused on public health but with a limited ability to make policy recommendations. And then there’s a current budget proposal in Congress that would cut the agency’s funding by 22%. It would also eliminate the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, which works on topics like drownings, drug overdoses, suicides and and shooting deaths. Cohen said there’s reason to be proud of the agency’s work in recent years. The CDC has built partnerships to improve the availability of testing for different infections and to watch for signs of disease outbreaks by monitoring wastewater. There are emerging threats, as always, but no new, full-fledged public health emergencies, she said. The day after the Nov. 5 election, Cohen emailed CDC employees to urge them to keep going. “While the world may feel different with changes ahead — our mission has not changed,” she wrote. She said she’s not aware of any wave of worried CDC scientists heading for the doors because of the election results. “There is a difference between campaigning and governing,” she said. “I want to go into this in a way that we’re passing the baton.” Cohen said she doesn’t know what she’ll do next, other than spend time with her family in Raleigh, North Carolina, where her family maintained its residence while she ran the agency. Next year, for the first time, the CDC director will be subject to Senate confirmation, which could make for a gap before Trump's pick takes the helm. CDC Deputy Director Dr. Debra Houry has been assigned to help manage the transition. Aside from administration transition, the CDC has to face several looming threats. Officials this month confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo. There’s also the ongoing stream of bird flu cases, most of them mild illnesses seen in farmworkers who were in direct contact with infected cows or chickens. CDC officials say they believe the risk to the public remains low and that there’s no evidence it’s been spreading between people. “I don’t think we’re yet at a turning place. But does that mean it couldn’t change tomorrow? It could,” she said. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.In conclusion, the call for Pony's return is more than just a plea for a familiar face to reappear. It is a reflection of a yearning for connection, understanding, and justice in a world that is constantly evolving. Pony's legacy reminds us of the power of authenticity, empathy, and the importance of using our voices to advocate for a better tomorrow. The world may change, trends may come and go, but the impact of those who inspire us always lingers. The call for justice is not just about Pony, but about the values she embodies and the hope she represents.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China's Consistent Position on China-South Korea Relations Respecting South Korea's Internal Affairs
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Shi Yuqi, the talented badminton player from China, recently expressed his surprise and gratitude upon being awarded the title of Best Men's Singles player. In a humble and heartfelt statement, Shi shared his feelings of astonishment at receiving such a prestigious accolade and emphasized his determination to continue striving for excellence in the sport.
