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Published on 23 June 2022 News release The Bank of England will be withdrawing legal tender status of paper £20 and £50 banknotes after 30 September 2022. After this date, paper £20 and £50 banknotes will no longer be legal tender. So we are encouraging anyone who still has these to use them or deposit them at their bank or a Post Office during these last 100 days. It is also exactly one year since we issued the polymer £50 banknote featuring the scientist Alan Turing, on what would have been his 109th birthday. The Turing £50 completed our family...

Butter is essential for pastry baking and cuisine cooking. The Consumer Council in Hong Kong has undertaken tests on 28 samples of butter, margarine, and spreads and found over 80 percent of margarine and spreads contain toxic 3-monochloroproanediol (3-MCPD). One even contains the highest amount allowed, 1,200 micrograms per kilogram. Fortunately, none of the samples exceeded the upper limit of the European (EU) Standard. Normal consumption should not pose a health risk. Results found that the 12 samples of butter are not contaminated with chemicals but total fat, saturated fatty acids, and trans fatty acids are relatively large in amount....

It is a positive mitzva to hear the blast (teru’a) of a shofar on Rosh Ha-shana, as it says, “In the seventh month, on the first of the month…. You shall observe it as a day of blasts (yom teru’a)” (Bamidbar 29:1), and “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts (zikhron teru’a)…” (Vayikra 23:24). The primary theme of the prayers on Rosh Ha-shana is crowning God as our king. For this reason, the third berakha of the Amida concludes with “ha-Melekh ha-kadosh” (the holy...

An energy crisis the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades is unfolding around the world.The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of this year created a ripple effect in global markets. Western nations that once relied on energy supplies from Russia—the world’s second largest natural gas producer and third largest petroleum producer—condemned the invasion by refusing to buy Russian energy, or were cut off by President Vladimir Putin.Nowhere is this crisis more pronounced and more dangerous than in Europe, where a long-standing gambit on cheap Russian gas has backfired. At the onset of the war, the European Union’s...

For those who are familiar with this author, you would know that I would never, EVER get praise from the New York Times as I have named it in the past “Jason Blair Media”. That is, until now.If only we had the resources to produce such a 30 minute video. Many of you have probably seen excerpts on Steve Bannon’s “War Room”, but that doesn’t do justice.Actually, I’m surprised they haven’t pulled this video by now.With that said, if you folks want a detail road map on how to win future elections (not to mention how the VA governor won...

Planned concerts in Poland by Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters have been cancelled amid outrage over the musician's stance on the Ukraine war. The concert's promoter, Live Nation Poland, confirmed the cancellation but gave no reason for it. The controversy was triggered by an open letter Waters wrote to Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska. In it, he said, "extreme nationalists" in Ukraine "have set your country on the path to this disastrous war". He accused her husband, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, of failing to fulfil his election campaign promises to bring peace to the Donbas region and and made no...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is being accused of election interference after threatening to use “tools” if the wrong election result is achieved in Italy’s national elections, set to take place this Sunday, Sept. 25. She added that those same tools are already being used against Hungary and Poland. “We will see the result of the vote in Italy,” said von der Leyen. “If things go in a difficult direction — and I’ve spoken about Hungary and Poland — we have the tools.” Von der Leyen made the comment while responding to a journalist after a talk she...

What are the implications of purchasing an electric vehicle (E.V.)? Let's find out. A new full-size E.V. capable of traveling about 300 miles with a single charge currently sells for about $60,000. Typical E.V. battery replacement after 3–5 years of normal use sells for $10,000–$15,000. This type lithium battery replacement is handled only by an authorized dealership. On the other hand, a new full-size gas vehicle (G.V.) sells for approximately $40,000. Typical battery replacement for the same normal use sells for $100–$150 and can be replaced and installed by the individual owner. Let's consider the cost of ownership of driving...

A clip of former President Donald Trump arguing that the election of President Joe Biden would lead to a plummeting stock market circulated online on Friday after Wall Street saw a bloodbath.The Federal Reserve increased targets for the federal funds rate by 0.75% on Wednesday afternoon, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which tracks 30 of the most prominent companies on American exchanges, tumbling more than 500 points. After stagnating on Thursday, the index fell another 500 points by early Friday afternoon to 29,400. On January 20, 2021, the day of Biden’s inauguration, the Dow had closed slightly above 30,900.“They...

Prime Minister is expected to lift the 40,000 cap on seasonal workers who can come to Britain for work Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss is braced for her first Cabinet row as she looks to unfurl measures on Britain's post-Brexit immigration system. Just weeks after entering No 10 Downing Street, the new Conservative leader is tipped to expand the government shortage occupation list to help businesses attract overseas workers to fill vacancies. EU immigration plummeted after Britain voted to leave the bloc in 2016. The open borders policy that comes with membership was cited as a concern among many voters...

The southern border of the United States is wide open to millions of persons per year, equivalent to the entire population of Northern New England annually, for those of you excited about abolishing the electoral college and having a straight up-or-down vote for president. However, if you like selective application of the law, you'll be thrilled to hear that in recent days two foreign visitors headed to Steyn HQ to tape a couple of interviews were both fingerprinted by the crazed fanatics of US Immigration. Fingerprinting is something you do to criminals. My guests were traveling for business on passports...

BREAKING: Senator @RandPaul “There will be a Special Counsel for Dr Fauci”

I've been saying this for years. Judging pre-industrial man on his survival from the air conditioned comfort of Starbucks on your 1000 dollar smartphone sipping on 6 dollar coffee is ludicrous. Language Warning: some crude graphic descriptions,no profanity.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Friday that would remove the word “squaw” from all geographic place names in California, declaring the term to be a “racist and sexist slur” — and leaving the town of Squaw Valley in an uproar. AB 2022 declares: “The term ‘squaw’ is a racist and derogatory term that has historically been used as an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur, particularly for indigenous women.” It says the word must be removed from over 100 names in the state.

BRUSSELS, Sept 23 (Reuters) – European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned Italy of consequences should it veer away from democratic principles, issuing a barely veiled threat ahead of Sunday’s election which a rightist bloc led by Giorgia Meloni is strongly expected to win.“My approach is that whatever democratic government is willing to work with us, we’re working together,” she said in response to a question at Princeton University in the United States on Thursday.“If things go in a difficult direction, I’ve spoken about Hungary and Poland, we have tools,” she added.Matteo Salvini, the head of the League and...

I want to keep my '08 Mazda CX-7. But it lacks one feature I would like to have. When I get into my '16 Soul and turn it on the console automatically links with my simple flip phone. Thats flip phone, not a smart phone. Smart phones are way too smart for me and unnecessarily expensive, monthly wise. So is there a tablet I could put into the Mazda and do that same function. Pair with the phone. Then display incoming calls and and answer or deny by touching the screen? And if I answer, talk to the tablet/person?

Italy’s election on September 25th is likely to result in a right-wing coalition government made up of Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini’s League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia. This right-wing alliance has a very large advantage in opinion polls, and its victory seems assured. Given that Brothers of Italy has become by far the largest party of the right, Italy’s next prime minister will probably be Meloni. Her popularity is partly due to her straight-talking style, which helps her connect with many voters. Brothers of Italy also benefits from having been in opposition for the past decade, unlike...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Small arms, ATGMs, MANPADS, loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles, trailers and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When the...

The Kremlin appears to have sent soldiers to force Ukrainians to vote in its staged referendums at gunpoint, according to residents who say troops came to their homes in occupied territories to enforce the 'vote'. 'My family was just forced to vote at gunpoint in Russian cosplay of a "referendum” in southern Ukraine,' said Maxim Eristavi, journalist and co-founder of Hromadske International, a broadcasting station in Ukraine. The Ukrainian journalist posted a video purporting to show armed soldiers entering the hallways where his family live and forcing them to vote in favour of joining Russia. Western countries have accused Russia...