We love ourselves too often and need reach out much more often. It is a social responsibility and it effects the environment also.
It looks so bad, that all I can say is yuck, may God have a word with you while you are in bed. On Wednesday, following CNN's report that 10 to 12 performers in the current touring company of Les Miserables plan to sit out the night Donald Trump attends, the Kennedy Center boss is calling out the actors' form of protest. "We haven’t heard this rumor," read a statement from Richard Grenell, whom Trump appointed as the interim Kennedy Center director back in February as part of a broader purge of the performing arts center's board. "But the Kennedy Center will no longer fund intolerance." "Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed," Grenell's statement continues. "In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn’t hire — and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience."
Please: A person can't seem to make a dent in the world even when the world could use some help, but we as good people want to see a better world when it is not well. There is a paradox. That paradox is one of the deepest struggles of human nature—the desire to create change versus the feeling of insignificance in the grand scheme of things. It’s frustrating when the world seems to be spinning out of control, and no single action feels big enough to fix it. But sometimes change isn’t about making a massive impact all at once—it’s about consistent effort, small shifts, and the ripple effect of kindness, truth, or courage. A better world doesn’t come from just one person—it comes from a collective of good people who refuse to give up on the idea that things can improve. Even when the odds feel stacked against them.
China on Wednesday said its position on #US tariff levies "remains unchanged" but reiterated that it is open to dialogues with the US. Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the remarks during a regular briefing in #Beijing in response to a media inquiry about Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng's visit to #Switzerland, where he will have a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "The US has recently repeatedly expressed its desire to negotiate with China, and the meeting takes place at the request of the US," Lin told the conference. "As we've said many times, China is open to dialogues with the US, but any dialogue must be based on equality, respect and mutual benefit," Lin said, stressing that no form of pressure or coercion will work on China.
Columbia University Columbia University © Seth Wenig NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University said Tuesday that it will be laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to President Donald Trump's decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Manhattan college's handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices Tuesday represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said in a statement Tuesday. 4 Shocking Reasons America's Dollar Dominance May Be Crumbling Fast Ad 4 Shocking Reasons America's Dollar Dominance May Be Crumbling Fast Goldco Learn more call to action icon “We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,” the university said. “Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.” University spokesperson Jessica Murphy declined to say whether more layoffs were expected, but said Columbia is taking a range of steps to create financial flexibility, including maintaining current salary levels and offering voluntary retirement incentives. Research will also be scaled back, with some departments winding down studies and others maintaining some level of research while pursuing alternate funding. The work impacted ranges from a project to develop an antiviral nasal spray for infectious diseases to various scientific studies on maternal mortality and morbidity, treatments for chronic illnesses such as long COVID, caring for newborns with opioid withdrawal syndrome and screenings for colorectal cancer, according to the university. Related video: Harvard DEFUNDED: Trump Admin Cuts Billions Over Gaza Protests, Demands University Surrender Control (Oneindia - Video) Oneindia - Video Harvard DEFUNDED: Trump Admin Cuts Billions Over Gaza Protests, Demands University Surrender Control The layoffs, while expected, were “dispiriting" for faculty, said Marcel Agueros, secretary of Columbia’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration arguing the cuts are unlawful. University officials say they’re working with the Trump administration in the hopes of getting the funding restored. But Agueros, an astronomy professor, said it will take years to undo the damage already inflicted. “When there’s an interruption in funding, people have to leave, new people can’t be hired, some initiatives have to be put on hold, others need to be stopped, so research stops moving forward,” he said. In March, the Trump administration pulled the funding over what it described as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Learn Portuguese Phrases - Learn Portuguese On The Go Ad Learn Portuguese Phrases - Learn Portuguese On The Go go.babbel.com Learn more call to action icon Within weeks, Columbia capitulated to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration as a starting point for restoring the funding. Among the requirements was overhauling the university's student disciplinary process, banning campus protesters from wearing masks, barring demonstrations from academic buildings, adopting a new definition of antisemitism and putting the Middle Eastern studies program under the supervision of a vice provost who would have a say over curriculum and hiring. After Columbia announced the changes, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the university was “ on the right track," but declined to say when or if Columbia's funding would be restored. Spokespersons for the federal education department didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday. Columbia was at the forefront of U.S. campus protests over the war last spring. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of similar protests nationally. Trump, when he retook the White House in January, moved swiftly to cut federal money to colleges and universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism.
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