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NEW YORK - In addition to a tidal wave of clergy abuse cases that were filed as New York’s “look back” window took effect on Wednesday, this week also brought about new scrutiny for three members of the American hierarchy. A court spokesman said that 427 new suits were filed by the close of business on Wednesday from victims taking advantage of the Child Victim’s Act, which lifts the statute of limitations for a yearlong period for abuse claims against the Church and other institutions. By the time the window closes next August, that number is estimated to be over...

Job seekers have the upper hand in today’s labor market — so much so that employers are beginning to be more flexible in order to bring on new talent. In the last year, nearly 40% of companies have eased their job requirements in order to fill vacant roles, according to a new survey from Adecco USA. The recruiting and staffing firm for temporary workers asked over 500 hiring managers about what efforts they’re using to widen their candidate pools. About half of respondents represented employers in manufacturing, industrial, call center or transportation fields, while the remaining respondents came from all...

"I am betting that in comparison to the previous internet conflict, this will be a slow-boil low-intensity fecal-flinging fiasco." "I believe that the Meme War 2.0 will also be a war of accelerationism."

Video at link.

Prince Andrew has defended his former friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, saying "at no stage" did he "see or suspect" any criminal behaviour. Epstein, 66, took his own life in a jail cell this month while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In a statement, the Duke of York said he wanted to "clarify the facts" around his "former association or friendship" with the US financier.

Some Austin business owners say the homeless problem is now a homeless crisis. One downtown business owner says he may start closing early to keep employees and customers safe...In June, the Austin City Council changed the homeless ordinances to allow sitting, lying and camping in more public spaces, including sidewalks. Staley says that's when one homeless man moved in. “All his belongings are right here up against our patio and we can't do anything about it. We can't. The police can't,” said Staley. The patio on Congress Avenue was designed as a shady spot for tourists and locals to grab...

Jesuit Chief: No Country Has the Right to Turn Away Migrants ROME — The superior general of the Jesuits declared this week that no country has the right to turn away migrants, claiming the land belongs to everyone. “The challenge for a country that receives migrants is not only reception, but integration, which means receiving the contribution that immigrants bring,” said Jesuit Father Arturo Sosa Abascal in an interview with Tempi.it.“They come to make a contribution, which is greater than what they receive from the host country,” he claimed, seemingly without evidence.

Bonjour, FLOTUS! Melania Trump arrived Saturday in France wearing one of her brightest ensembles yet. The first lady — disembarking from Air Force One in the city of Biarritz with President Donald Trump for the G7 summit, where he'll convene with world leaders — looked radiant in a tie-dye midi dress from Calvin Klein. The canary yellow smock, priced at $530.16 according to Net-a-Porter, is made from denim and features white and pink scalloped patterns that resemble flowers, blossoming at the right shoulder and the opposite hip. Melania completed her look with oversized sunglasses and bright pink stiletto heels, which...

In what was probably the most enjoyable book I've read on the subject, two economists drink their way through the "unfree world" to prove that socialism, well, sucks. Economists Robert Lawson and Benjamin Powell traveled all around the world quaffing some of the world's worst beer to prove that socialism "is an economic system that has led to more poverty, less freedom, and really, really bad beer for millions of people." As you might have guessed -- the more socialistic a country is, the worse the beer. Lawson and Powell are sort of like the conservative version of the guys...

Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden is facing more campaign issues this week; with analysts saying his fundraising efforts have “tumbled” since a series of gaffes on the campaign trail. “Joe Biden raised $4.6 million online on his first day in the 2020 presidential race, surprising doubters who thought the former vice president couldn’t run a modern campaign. But since then Biden’s online fundraising has tumbled — looking more like flash-in-the-pan opponent Beto O’Rourke than top-tier rivals like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren,” reports Politico. “More than 60 percent of the $13.2 million Biden has raised online came in the first week...

It doesn’t get much more Northern Virginia than this. Traffic woes and construction delays are daily gripes on the local Facebook group, “Western Prince William Chatter.” Then Steve came along -- and brought joy to the group's 20,000-plus members. "It seems he is the light at the end of the tunnel when you're STUCK in that horrible traffic! Thanks for entertaining us Steve and for those calling him Bob, just no," one Facebooker wrote. Before WPWC members gave him a name, Steve was simply known as a rubber tire crane. He came to the Manassas area to lift 10 concrete...

Recently, Austin City Council members proposed using up to $150,000 of Austinites’ cash toward funding abortions. Your money would cover associated costs such as rides to and from an abortion facility, lodging, and ironically, childcare. In the past, council preferred to give your cash directly to abortion businesses, such as the special $1-a-year lease deal they give Planned Parenthood on a downtown plot of land. However, a new state law (Senate Bill 22) now protects citizens’ money from being funneled directly to organizations that kill pre-born babies. Austin City Council, however, is determined to sidestep that new law. Council members...

Rep. Eric Swalwell of California might have left the presidential race, but his signature issue is still on the primary ballot. After the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton earlier this month, Swalwell’s proposal for a mandatory buyback of all assault-style weapons was embraced by the congressman who represented the Texas border city, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke — giving the idea its highest-profile platform yet. Swalwell has been actively advising presidential candidates to follow his lead, telling them in conversations that “the moms will have your back,” even as critics denounce the plan as gun confiscation that would turn...

The official said Brazil's comments and policies over the last few weeks showed that Bolsonaro did not intend to respect obligations on climate change and also did not want to commit on concrete proposals to maintain biodiversity French President Emmanuel Macron believes his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro lied to him on Brazil's stance on climate change, and France will now block a trade deal between the EU and South American nations. "Given the attitude of Brazil over the last weeks, the president can only conclude that President Bolsonaro lied to him at the Osaka [G20] summit [in June]," a French...

Houston-area transportation officials are not going to lose southern segments of the Grand Parkway without a lot of fuss. Members of the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council on Friday unanimously approved a resolution urging the Texas Transportation Commission to keep Grand Parkway segments B and C and other related projects in Texas’ 10-year transportation plan. The segments represent the southern portion of the Houston area’s third ring road, carrying the tollway from Interstate 69 near Sugar Land south through Fort Bend, Brazoria and Galveston counties, intersecting with Texas 288 and Interstate 45 near League City. Texas Department of Transportation...

An international organization of Catholic exorcists said Thursday that the existence of Satan as a real and personal being is a truth of Christian doctrine. “The real existence of the devil, as a personal subject who thinks and acts and has made the choice of rebellion against God, is a truth of faith that has always been part of Christian doctrine,” the International Association of Exorcists said in an Aug. 22 press release. The organization’s release came in response to recent remarks on the devil from Jesuit superior general Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, which the organization called “grave and...

At a time when Republicans are starting to contemplate what their party will look like after Donald Trump leaves office, a rivalry has developed between the two politicians who cut markedly different profiles — and signs of strain are bubbling to the surface. The Pence team has recently asked senior Republicans for updates on Haley’s outreach to donors. And with Haley embarking on a national fundraising tour and promoting a new outside political group, top Pence advisers blame her for persistent rumors that she will replace him on the Trump's ticket in 2020. Tensions flared after Haley chose not to...

[If you have plans near/after Labor Day, they may be impacted as this storm that may hit the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico, especially Florida] Possible affected areas: Florida, Florida Keys, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Mexico, and theUS Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama) NOAA/NHC link to Storm System

When a school district deems its region’s main thoroughfare unsafe for school buses, that highway’s problems need fixed. Lots of Wabash Valley residents fear driving on the local stretch of Interstate 70. And with good reason. Fatal accidents — several involving semi tractor-trailers crashing into stopped or slowed traffic — have become frequent on I-70 between the Illinois-Indiana border and Indianapolis. Accidents along that 68-mile path outnumbered those on the 66-mile portion east of Indy to the Ohio border in 2016 and 2017, according to the Indiana University Public Policy Institute’s statistics. Distracted driving has been cited as a factor...

A high-speed transit system through the mountain corridor could serve as a major economic boon to communities on the Western Slope, according to a new study recently published by Development Research Partners. A high-speed transit system — likely in the form of a train that would carry passengers and light freight between Denver International Airport and Eagle County Regional Airport — was listed in the 2011 Record of Decision issued by the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Federal Highways Administration as a potential long-term solution to dealing with congestion on Interstate 70. Late last year, stakeholders — including the...