「身体の9割はうどん粉」年間500杯食べる“うどん女子”ライター・井上こん

（20代前半から月数回の頻度で粉から麺を打って食す。お気に入りの麺切り包丁は、浅草の「かっぱ橋道具街」で購入）

井上さんが自身のブログ「うどん手帖」を通じ、うどんの魅力を発信し始めたのは2016年。「あまり知られていないのですが、私の出身地である福岡県は小麦粉の生産量が全国でもトップクラスのうどん県（平成29年度11月公表、農林水産統計によると北海道の608,000ｔに次ぐ49,400ｔ）。小さい頃から母の作る澄んだダシとふわふわの柔らかい食感に慣れ親しんで、成人後も1日3杯、4杯は当たり前のペースで食べ続けていたら、ある編集者の方に『割とオーバー気味だよね』と指摘され……記録と発信のためにブログを書き始めました」。

ある時は1日に10食の「1人うどんリレー」を行うというが、31歳になり悩みも出てきた。「次第に代謝が落ち、リカバリーが追い付かなくなっています。体重もがっつり4～5㎏増えました。最近ではグルテンフリーという言葉も聞かれますし、『身体の9割がうどん粉』を自負する私としては、食物アレルギーには気を付けたいけど、止められそうにない。今では、うどんの為なら『少しくらいハゲてもいい』と腹をくくっています(笑)」と、確かなうどん愛と強い覚悟を語る。

最後にうどんの魅力を尋ねてみると、「蕎麦がサッと作って、パッと食べる刹那的な世界観だとしたら、うどんには麺をじっくり寝かせる熟成の深みがある。風味、押し返し、艶やかさなど、幅広い楽しみ方ができる総合芸術です。2016年秋には福岡の名店、うどん居酒屋「二〇加屋長介」が中目黒に出店。蕎麦が日本酒の肴なら、薄味のうどんは、ラーメンならぬお酒のシメに最適です」。雑誌やウェブ、テレビやラジオなどマルチに活躍する井上さん。今後も、うどん女子の活動に注目だ。

◇井上こん（いのうえ・こん）1986年生まれ、福岡県出身。雑誌やウェブメディアで執筆するフリーライター。自身でも打つほどのうどん好きで、各地での食べ歩きや取材の経験をテレビやラジオなどでも紹介する。過去の出演番組は日本テレビ「誰だって波瀾爆笑」、テレビ東京「車あるんですけど．．．？」、「J-WAVE SEASON」など。自身のブログ「うどん手帖」でも情報発信中。

（C）AbemaTV

▶マジでヤバいモノが手に入る！買えるAbemaTV社 #2

（2018年2月9日「AbemaTIMES」より転載）

www.huffingtonpost.jp/abematimes/udon-jyoshi_a_23358422/

4 Big Events and 54 Great Things to Do This Winter in Provincetown

VALENTINE’S DAY, Feb 14

Love. Love. Love. Ptown is a great winter getaway to share with a true love or to find a new one…

With Valentine’s Day in the middle of the week this year, consider an extended stay  through President’s Day weekend. Why rush? No one ever says they had too much Provincetown. Set aside some intimate and casual alone time to reconnect, celebrate, or focus on where you’re headed next. Spend some of your stay outside, hiking in the national seashore and on a beach; and why not explore some of the nearby towns and attractions you may have missed on other visits. Truro and Wellfleet are nearby and different worlds.

Provincetown in Winter has skies as spectacular as the town’s fireplaces.  You can choose to dine finely…or more casually with all kinds of places open. Just check to see which are open different weeknights. There are bars and lounges if drinking is your thing. And many guesthouse and restaurant hosts would be thrilled to help you plan a surprise or special recognition for you and a longtime partner, a sexy new stranger, or best friend.

On the 14th, Mac’s Fish House is hosting one of their popular Winter to Spring wine dinners, a pre-fixe treat which on Valentine’s Day is a tribute to chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in NYC. And The Pointe restaurant is opening for the season. At Napi’s, Provincetown’s own accordionist Terri Conti will be playing jazz standards, songs from around the world, your requests, and old memories.

Cozy world-class dining will be available at  Joon, Mac’s, Fanizzi’s, Liz’s Cafe, Canteen, The Pointe, Central House at the Crown, The Mews, Jimmy’s Hideaway, Blackfish Pub, Napi’s, Spindler’s or one of the other restaurants open this time of year – Reservations are especially recommended for  for Valentines Day/ Presidents Day weekend.

PRESIDENTS 3-DAY WEEKEND Feb 16-19

(Many activities available other winter in Provincetown Weekends)

The  three-day break is a great one for a  little road trip or to catch one of the 20 minute Cape Air flights from Boston…as is any other weekend this winter and spring.

Hike Beech Forest, the dunes, hang out at Race Point beach with an eye out to spot a snowy owl. They are around this year, and it’s an amazing thing to see one of these white predatory birds…usually  already checking you out.  PLUS, our right whales have returned already. Much bigger than the owls, but harder to spot.

Don’t know about you, but US Presidents make us think of spas. (OK, actually that’s recent. )

Resist what a year like this can do to your well being, attitude and optimism with some spa time.  Shui Spa at 82 Bradford Street reopens for the season.  All treatments include complimentary use of the Steam Room Sauna and soaking Tub.

Namaste Spa at Carpe Diem has been redone and just reopened this fine winter in Provincetown. The affiliated practitioners are attuned to healing arts including Reiki and Cranio Sacral, making each session a journey beyond the usual massage experience.

Still want more? Run the pool table or the trivia game and take in the extensive vintage gay art collection and masterful tenders of the Porch bar up at the Gifford House. (Up the street from Keihl’s, also open this winter, with Kohi Coffee open for your caffeine needs across the street.)  And just about every night is a good night to head to Crown & Anchor Inn for something good including Bobby Wetherbee, Ptown’s most beloved piano man, doing the standards in a way that can only be called “standard” in Provincetown.

Want to move a little more? Why not make your way to the bass-pumping, cozy confines of the Atlantic House, America’s oldest gay bar, where there will be drinks and dancing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with music by DJ Wayne Michael. Other nights the Little Bar is open.

And for a different vibe, great beer list, dance floor, sound system and great hosts check in at The Underground, not surprisingly one level down across the street from Shop Therapy…

Shipwreck Lounge at the Brass Key will be open for the holiday weekend as well, serving fireside craft cocktails, although though the official Showgirls have flown the coop and headed south, if you’re around on a Thursday, join the locals for a RuPaul’s Drag Race hosted by Bang the Queen and guests. It’s at the latest iteration of the oldest place to drink and dine in town, Sage Inn and Lounge at Pilgrim House, until the April coronation.

Any theater, um… aficionados out there? Presidents are sharing the weekend with the 24 Hour Theater Festival. Performances are Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2pm, both at The  Provincetown Theater. And while you may have folks in your community who do something similar– heck, you might have  Broadway–there’s nothing like the seriously talented, eccentric, creatives doing their thing, honing and performing at the tip of the earth with a time constraint. Playwrights write, actors act and the usual things happen, but very very quickly and by the time it’s over a new short play has been birthed and presented, if you get a ticket Saturday evening. Unless you happen to be an actor, writer or director who wants to participate. Then show up for the kickoff meeting Friday the 16th from 5-8 pm. All this is an even bigger deal under the ostensible direction of the Theater’s new creative director and cat herder, David Drake.

Winter also means the Fine Arts Work Center, known for its acclaimed writer and artist residencies, is in full swing with weekly  readings and exhibitions. NYC-based Jarrett Earnest, the author of What it Means to Write about Art, a collection of thirty in-depth interviews with major critics, historians and writers, is giving a talk on Saturday, February 17th at 6:30 pm at 24 Pearl Street. Earnest’s criticism and long-form interviews have appeared in the The Brooklyn Rail, The Village Voice, Los Angeles Review of Books, Art in America, San Francisco Arts Quarterly and many other publications.

SNOWBOUND MATES LEATHER WEEKEND Feb 23-25

Late February in Ptown means it’s also time for Snowbound Mates Leather Weekend, where you can get out of the cold and into the heat. Sponsored by The Watership Inn, The Atlantic House, Bayside Betsy’s, The Crown and Anchor, Gifford House Inn and produced by Mates Leather Weekend and Full Kit Gear, this is the northeast’s best winter opportunity to get your leather on.

The weekend kicks off with a Beer Blast at the Watership Inn from 6-8 pm on Friday, February 23. Come have a beer or two by the fire and connect with the men that are here for the weekend. Cast your vote for your favorite Mr. Snowbound 2018 contestant with a $5 (or more) donation to the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod. The dude with the most money raised will gain the title, a cash prize, a free MLW pass and will be featured in all Snowbound promotions for 2019.

On Saturday, fill up at the Snowbound Brunch at Bayside Betsy’s, where you can again vote for Mr. Snowbound 2018  All proceeds benefit ASGCC. Also, get 10% off their regular breakfast menu (alcohol excluded).

Full Kit Gear is offering gear education workshops which are way sexier than the kind of school you’re used to. Registration is required in advance for the two workshops, which are limited to 16 people. Sign up via email at [email protected] (no phone calls please). Be sure to state which time slot you would prefer either 12:30 pm or 2pm and if you are willing to attend either time period. Slots will be handed out on a first come first served basis.

And there are parties up and down Commercial Street (but mostly right in the middle).

On Friday, February 23, you can choose between the Snowbound Cock Party at Paramount at the Crown & Anchor where you should wear your thermal shirts, long johns, or less. There’s a clothes check available. With Bootblack Jay Falcon on duty and music by DJ Chris Racine. Or you can head over to the Atlantic House for the Winter Jock party with music by DJ Wayne Michael.

Saturday, hit the Atlantic House for the Snowbound Leather Dance, after you get your chaps and jocks on for Chaps & Straps at the Vault during the afternoon (3-7) at Crown & Anchor where there’s also a clothes check available.

Sunday don’t miss the Farewell Brunch at Central House where you’ll find out the results of the Mr. Snowbound 2018 contest. It’s an $18 brunch (alcohol and gratuity not included).

Most of the winter in Provincetown events in the section above continue through March and April.

And if you need a culture break on Saturday, Fine Arts Work Center visiting artist Liz Glynn is giving a talk at 6:30 pm at 24 Pearl Street. Glynn creates sculptures, installations, and participatory performances using monumental architecture, cultural artifacts, and epic historical narratives to explore the potential for change in the present tense. Her work seeks to explore the position of the human within complex superstructures in the face of technological acceleration and an increasingly abstract economy. Photo: David Dashiell.

Bears: OUT OF HIBERNATION March 16-18

On March 16-18, the bears will be waking up from their long winter’s nap at Out of Hibernation Weekend at Crown & Anchor sponsored by Northeast Ursamen. But it’s still winter in Provincetown.

A weekend full of activities includes Friday’s Meet-N-Greet at the Wave Bar, Tough Drag Bingo on Saturday from 2-4 at the Paramount hosted by CT Cruisers, and on Saturday night the Bears N Boxers party (again at Paramount) where you should get into your underwear (free clothes check available) and get intimate to the music of DJ Chris Racine.

There’s a farewell brunch on Sunday from 10-1 at the Central House.

Winter in provincetown: STAY ?

You can find hotel deals all winter long at 8 Dyer Hotel, Admiral’s Landing, Aerie House & Beach Club, Benchmark Inn, Carpe Diem, Crowne Pointe Hotel is open 2/14 with great spring specials on stays longer than 2 nights, The Gaslamp Bed & Breakfast, Gifford House, Howards End Guest House, Land’s End, Moffett House Inn, Sage Inn, and Somerset House Inn.

Other wintertime events include the long-running (27 years!) Coffeehouse at The Mews from 7-9:30 pm on Monday nights, an open mic for writers, playwrights, poets, singers, songwriters, comedians with host and co-founder, singer songwriter Peter Donnelly. The other co-founder is Mews owner and radio/television personality Ron Robin. You can listen live HERE.

There’s also a Film Art Series sponsored by Provincetown Art Association and Museum – PAAM and Recent Gifts Part II, an exhibition at PAAM.

Oh, and all this and everything great in the winter…not to mention this coming prideful summer culminating in our 40th annual Carnival is brought to you by the good members and community at the Provincetown Business Guild. The Guild works for you.

Winter in Provincetown Photo Credits: Top image: Kissing by Salty Broad; Love is Love by Dan McKeon; Oysters by Stephen Hooper. Art, Drink, Seagull by Michael Goff. Canteen interior and Atlantic House exterior, Art sign, Line Dancing at Governor Bradford, Anchor Inn, and Sunrise over MacMillan and Marina by Michael Goff. tt Ernst and Liz Glynn via FAWKS. Shipwreck and Shui courtesy Crowne Pointe. Crown and A House club invites.

The post 4 Big Events and 54 Great Things to Do This Winter in Provincetown appeared first on Towleroad.

4 Big Events and 54 Great Things to Do This Winter in Provincetown

북한 응원단의 ‘가면’에 대한 통일부의 해명이 나왔다

www.huffingtonpost.kr/entry/mask_kr_5a7f1d2be4b0c6726e13dfd1

コインチェックが日本円の出金再開を正式に発表　2月13日から

今朝から一部報道で伝えられていたが、コインチェックは2月9日、日本円の出金を2月13日より再開することを正式に発表した。

同社ではNEMの流出騒動があった1月26日の16時30分すぎから、顧客の資産保護と原因究明のために日本円を含むすべての通貨の出金を一時停止していた。

今回の発表内で「日本円出金機能につきまして、外部専門家による協力のもと技術的な安全性の確認を完了いたしました」と説明。現在顧客の日本円の資産は金融機関の顧客専用口座内で安全に管理されている状況で、2月13日より出金を再開するという。

仮想通貨の出金や出金以外の機能についても技術的な安全性などの確認ができ次第、順次再開するとしている。

なお共同通信によると、流出したNEMは匿名性の高い「ダーク（闇）ウェブ」のサイトを介して、ビットコインなど他の仮想通貨に交換された疑いがあることがわかったという。現時点で交換された疑いがあるNEMは5億円分を超えたと報じられている。

（2018年2月10日TechCrunch日本版「コインチェックが日本円の出金再開を正式に発表、2月13日から」より転載）

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www.huffingtonpost.jp/techcrunch-japan/coin-check-restart_a_23358006/

一式9万円の「アルマーニ標準服」　泰明小の校長「価格の条件付けず、交渉もしなかった」

高級ブランド「アルマーニ」がデザイン監修をした服を、公立小学校が標準服にしたことが波紋を広げている。その「アルマーニ標準服」を率先して導入した区立泰明小学校の和田利次校長が2月9日夕、中央区役所で記者会見した。

和田校長は、アルマーニ側に「価格条件を出さなかった」と語り、いくら以内で作ってくれといった具体的な条件・要望を出していなかったことを明かした。着替えやベストなども合わせて一式そろえれば9万円、という価格が判明した際にも「高いと感想は伝えたが、値下げ交渉はしていない」と語った。

保護者から異論が出ていることについては、「きちんと話を進めてくればよかったのかなと、いまは、反省している」と述べた。しかし、「後付けではございますが、少しずつご理解をもらっている」として、導入を見直す考えはないと和田校長は語った。

そもそも、「アルマーニ標準服」は、どんな風に誕生したのか。

もともと、「名の通ったブランドと協力したほうがいい」と考えていた校長は、2015年の夏から秋にかけて、銀座にある一流ブランドに声をかけ始めた。

最初に話をもちかけたのは「おそらく……バーバリーさんかと思います。相談というより、電話をして…。学校の標準服を請け負ってくれるような組織はありますかと、そんなような依頼をしたと記憶しているんですけども…」。

「バーバリーさんとシャネルさんに連絡したかなあと思う。エルメスさんにも連絡したかなという気がしています」。

そう、校長は語った。

いずれも、世界に名だたる高級ブランドだが、交渉は校長が直接電話をかけたのだという。こうしたブランドからは「お話しとしてはわかりました。お待ちくださいといって、そのままのところがほとんど」だったという。

また、松屋や三越にも相談。三越には「できませんと、お断りされました」と話した。

アルマーニはどうだったのか？

ただ、アルマーニについては、知人を通じて紹介を受けた社員に連絡。この社員が学校を訪れたことから、交渉が始まったそうだ。

交渉は、校長が「一人でやっていた」という。

アルマーニとの交渉は、日本の支社が本社（ミラノ）にひとつひとつ確認を取りながら進めるため、「ダメになるかと思うぐらい時間がかかった」と校長は語る。

校長はしかし、2017年の夏前までは、教育委員会に事態の経緯を報告しなかった。PTA役員などに説明したのも、「おおよそのことが決まってから」（校長）だった。その理由については、「アルマーニから、ハッキリしない話は外には出さないでくれと言われていたので、話ができなかった」と、校長は釈明した。

価格「条件出さず」

校長はアルマーニとの交渉で、「具体的な価格の条件は出さなかった」と話した。

「現行の価格表をお示しして、あまり高くない方がいいという話はしました。そのため、価格がどのぐらいになるかは、わかりませんでした」

いざ、現在の価格が示されたとき、どう感じたのか。

校長は「価格が示されたとき、正直、安くないな、高いと思いました」と語る。

「もう少しなんとかならないのかな」と要望したが、「アルマーニのデザインとしては、妥当な価格だ」と言われたという。

校長は「アルマーニのデザインで、素材や色合いが現状の標準服よりはるかによい。トータルでみたときにこのぐらいするのかな」と語った。

ただ、デザイン料や素材の原価など、金額の内訳については「聞いていません」という。

アルマーニとは、どんな契約を結んでいるのか。

「アルマーニさんとは、契約はございません。アルマーニの名前を標準服以外には使いませんとか、そういう覚え書きはございます」と語った。この覚え書きには、アルマーニと校長のサインがあるという。

また、販売元である松屋については、「松屋さんとは長い付き合いです。契約書も覚え書きもあったのかどうかも…。いまはもうないと言った方がいいのかもしれません」と語った。

「非常識なことはしていない」

記者からは「価格の条件を出さないというのは、公立校の交渉としては、手順が違うのではないか」という質問が。

これに校長は「こちらからこれぐらいの価格でやってくれと言えればいいが、今回はアルマーニさんにすべてデザインをお願いした。製造販売のルートも含めて松屋さんにお任せしたので…」と回答。

「非常識なことをしたとは思っていない」と語った。

保護者の負担になるのでは、という質問には「各ご家庭の経済状況を把握しているわけではありません」「どの程度の負担になるのかわからない」としつつも、「本校の保護者の方なら、それぐらいは出せるんじゃないかと思っております」と回答した。

会見では、ほかのブランドと交渉する手もあったのではないかという指摘も出ていたが、「私には思い浮かばなかった」と話した。

また、ある記者が「公立校の標準服は、貧富の差を学校現場に持ち込まないという側面もあるのでは。高価なアルマーニの標準服が、本当に適しているのか」と質問すると、校長は次のように帰した。

「私は適していると思ったからこそ、話を進めてきました。非常に生意気な言い方をさせていただきますが、泰明小でなければ、私はこういう話は進めません。銀座の街にある学校だからこそ進めてきたんです。アルマーニデザインの標準服が、泰明には合っている」と語った。

ちなみに…校長は「アルマーニの服は、一着も持っていない」そうだ。

www.huffingtonpost.jp/2018/02/09/wada-kouchou_a_23357510/

Catholic High School Boys Shout Racial, Homophobic Slurs at Opposing Team

The hateful slurs went on until nearly the third quarter of the basketball game before referees shut it down. 

www.advocate.com/sports/2018/2/09/catholic-high-school-boys-shout-racial-homophobic-slurs-opposing-team

HRC Mourns Loss of Celine Walker, a Transgender Woman Murdered in Florida

HRC is saddened to learn the loss of Celine Walker, who was fatally shot in a hotel room in Jacksonville, Florida.

Transgender advocate Monica Roberts writes on her TransGriot blog that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was called to the location after Walker’s body was discovered at a local hotel on Sunday evening.

Sadly, Roberts also reports that police misgendered Walker because they claim to not refer to victims as transgender. As a result, Walker was not identified as trans until several days after her death was reported. A friend of Walker’s also made a plea on Facebook for media and police to stop misgendering transgender victims.

Investigators are still looking for a suspect in Walker’s death and urge any witnesses to call Crimestopper at 866-845-TIPS (8477) with any information.

Walker, 36, is now the fourth known transgender homicide victim reported this year.

HRC Foundation and the Trans People of Color Coalition released a report documenting the senseless acts of violence that made 2017 the deadliest year on record for transgender people, particularly for trans women of color.

To learn more about HRC’s transgender justice work, visit hrc.org/Transgender.

*Photo credit from Naomi Michaels’ Facebook page.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-mourns-loss-of-celine-walker-a-transgender-woman-murdered-in-florida?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

HRC Endorses Rep. Nickie J. Antonio for Ohio State Senate

Today, HRC announced its endorsement of State Representative Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) for Ohio State Senate District 23. Rep. Antonio’s extraordinary work and leadership in the Ohio State House and during her time on Lakewood City Council has prompted the Human Rights Campaign to take the rare step of endorsing a candidate ahead of the primary election.

“Rep. Antonio has been a relentless champion of equality and fairness in Ohio, leading efforts to ensure that every Ohioan can live safely and freely without fear of discrimination,” said HRC Ohio State Manager Shawn Copeland. “Her leadership continues to be instrumental in the fight to move equality forward in the Buckeye State and we look forward to having another pro-equality voice in the Ohio State Senate. HRC is proud to endorse Rep. Antonio’s candidacy to represent Senate District 23.”

Said Rep. Antonio, “I am honored to receive this endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign at this critical time, as we work to move Ohio forward to be competitive in the global economy. The HRC knows how important equality for all is to our Ohio economy, our businesses and the members of the LGBTQ community. Having a seat at the table, and working on positive policies that improve the lives of all Ohioans is the reason I am running for the Senate.”

First elected to the Ohio State House in 2010, Antonio is the first and only openly LGBTQ member of the Ohio State Legislature, and would be the first woman elected to serve Ohio Senate District 23. She has been a staunch advocate for LGBTQ Ohioans and is the primary sponsor of the Ohio Fairness Act, crucial legislation that would bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of employment, housing and public accommodations in Ohio. Last month, Rep. Antonio joined representatives from the Human Rights Campaign Ohio, Equality Ohio, TransOhio and other LGBTQ advocates for an event highlighting the importance of this legislation and the need to protect all Ohioans. The Fairness Act had its first committee hearing in almost 10 years on January 31.

HRC recently announced a bold, proactive grassroots expansion with the launch of HRC Rising — a campaign to accelerate progress in states from coast-to-coast, resist the politics of hate, fight anti-LGBTQ legislation, and fuel pro-equality candidates and initiatives. The expansion is the biggest strategic investment in the organization’s 38-year history and will include significant investments in Ohio. HRC has identified more than 1,550,000 Ohioans as likely Equality Voters, meaning they are strong supporters of progressive LGBTQ policies including marriage equality, adoption by LGBTQ people, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
 

 

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-endorses-rep-nickie-antonio-for-ohio-state-senate?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Grenfell Tower Fraudster Anh Nhu Nguyen Jailed For 21 Months For Claiming Family Died In Blaze
A serial conman who pretended his family died in the Grenfell Tower blaze has been jailed for almost two years for pocketing £12,500 from the victims relief fund.

Anh Nhu Nguyen appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Friday where he was sentenced to 21 months in prison, having earlier admitted two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of making an untrue statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport.

The 53-year-old, who has 17 aliases, claimed his wife and son were killed in the 14 June disaster last year and was photographed beside the Prince of Wales when he met survivors.

As part of his deceit, Nguyen told family liaison officers a detailed story about how he had lost sight of his family in the smoke-clogged stairwell during the fire, which claimed 71 lives.

But while a major recovery operation was under way on June 15, the fraudster was actually nine miles away at a housing charity, prosecutors told the court.

Nguyen posed as a victim of the blaze for almost two weeks and was given about £12,500 by charities and Kensington and Chelsea Council.

Nguyen was born in Vietnam, has been in the UK since the 1980s, is a British citizen and has 17 aliases, the court heard.

He has 28 previous convictions for 56 offences spanning more than 30 years, including theft, dishonesty offences, arson and grievous bodily harm.

Nguyen’s sentencing was originally adjourned until December by Judge Philip Bartle to allow pre-sentence and psychiatric reports to be compiled.

However, at a hearing shortly before Christmas, Southwark Crown Court heard there had been a “failure” by probation services to make contact with the defendant and provide a report.

Judge Bartle said a psychologist had prepared a substantial 21-page report but had said it was “essential” to have access to Nguyen’s medical notes before making any final conclusions.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/grenfell-tower-fraudster_uk_5a7dc15ee4b08dfc930374c3

HRC Responds to Passage of Senate Budget Deal and Urges Congress to Protect Dreamers

Today, the Human Rights Campaign responded to the House’s passage of the Senate budget and called on Congress to get to work immediately in protecting over one million young people from potential deportation and violence, including 75,000 LGBTQ Dreamers:

“While this budget agreement includes vital funding for health care, especially for people living with HIV and AIDS, we remain deeply concerned that millions of Dreamers are still at risk each day that Congress fails to protect them. Mitch McConnell must follow through on his promises and quickly allow a vote on the Dream Act in the Senate and Paul Ryan must do the same in the House,” said David Stacy, HRC Government Affairs Director. “More than one million Dreamers, including 75,000 LGBTQ young people, face uncertainty in the only country they’ve ever known. We will not rest until Congress protects them.”

The budget deal passed on Friday morning ends the sequester caps on domestic discretionary spending for two years, preventing devastating sequester cuts to essential HIV/AIDS programs. It includes more than $7 billion in total funding for Community Health Centers (CHCs), which are critical to HIV prevention. Because of the Trump-Pence Administration’s inaction, a fifth of the total funding for 9,800 CHCs had been in jeopardy before the agreement. LGBTQ seniors, particularly those living with HIV will benefit from elimination of the Medicare Part D “donut hole.”  

In September, Donald Trump ordered an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. While Trump and congressional leaders have continuously put off finding a resolution and protecting the fate of more than one million Dreamers, the Human Rights Campaign and coalition partners have spent the past five months demanding action to save DACA.

HRC has signed on to numerous letters in support of Dreamers and the DREAM Act and members of HRC placed thousands of calls to Congress. Following Trump’s announcement in September that he intended to end DACA, HRC produced several videos of LGBTQ Dreamers to put a human face on the inhumane consequences facing over a million Dreamers.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-responds-to-passage-of-senate-budget-deal-and-urges-congress-to-protect?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed