Podcasts about Legislative assembly

Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian former politician who served as the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party from 1982 to 1989 and from 1991 to 1999, and the Member for Burwood from 1976 to 1999. He is currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, from 2005 to 2011 and again from 2017 to 2022. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national mental health advocacy organisation. Early life The son of Kenneth Munro Gibb Kennett (1921–2007), and Wendy Anne Kennett (1925–2006; née Fanning), he was born in Melbourne on 2 March 1948. He attended Scotch College; and, although an unexceptional student academically, he did well in the school's Cadet Corps Unit. He also played football (on the wing) for the school.  His failure to rise above the middle band academically almost led him to quit school in Fourth Form (Year 10 – 1963), but he was persuaded to stay on. His Fifth and Sixth Forms were an improvement, but he was still described in school reports as "[a] confident and at times helpful boy. Sometimes irritates. Sometimes works hard" (1964), and "[a] keen, pleasant, though sometimes erratic boy" (1965). After leaving school, Kennett was persuaded by his father Ken to attend the Australian National University in Canberra, but lost interest and left after one year of an economics degree. He returned to Melbourne and found work in the advertising department of the retail giant Myer – kindling an interest for advertising that would one day earn him his living. Kennett's life in the regular workforce was cut short when, in 1968, he was conscripted into the Australian Army.[9] Kennett was selected for officer training and graduated third in his class from the Officer Training Unit, Scheyville (OTU), near Windsor, New South Wales, outside Sydney. He was posted to Malaysia and Singapore as Second Lieutenant, commander of 1st Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR). This military career (and his earlier experience in the Scotch College Cadet Corps) has been noted by many biographers as an essential formative influence on the adult Kennett's character. His sense and regard for hierarchical loyalty, punctuality, and general intolerance of dissent or disobedience may be traced to this period. Kennett returned to civilian life in 1970, reentering a divided Australian society, split by the Vietnam War, of which Kennett was a firm supporter. Having returned to Myer, Kennett became impatient with his work, and so with Ian Fegan and Eran Nicols, he formed his own advertising company (KNF) in June 1971. Thereafter, in December 1972, Kennett married Felicity Kellar, an old friend whom he had first met on a Number 69 tram on the long trips to school. Their first son was born in 1974, followed by a daughter and two more sons. Political career Kennett was elected as a Liberal Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Burwood in 1976, having had an interest in local politics since the early 1970s.[14] His preselection for the seat reportedly irritated then Premier Dick Hamer, who disliked Kennett's campaigning style, and had endorsed the sitting member, Haddon Storey. However, by 1981, Kennett was promoted to Cabinet as Minister for Housing and Minister of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. He was one of several younger MPs whom Hamer promoted to Cabinet in a bid to renew his government. Kennett retained his post when Hamer was replaced as Liberal leader and Premier by Lindsay Thompson in June of that year. Following the defeat of the longstanding Liberal government in 1982, Kennett was the leading candidate to replace Thompson despite being the youngest member of the outgoing government. On 26 October, he was elected leader of the Liberal Party and hence Leader of the Opposition. He took an aggressive posture against the Cain government, and was often criticised for his "bull-in-a-china-shop" style and his anti-government rhetoric. Under his leadership, the Liberals were heavily defeated by Labor in 1985. Afterwards he faced a challenge to his leadership of the party from Ian Smith. Kennett survived easily, but increasingly, he was seen as an erratic and unapproachable leader. He faced two more challenges to his leadership in 1986 and 1987. In 1987, in one notable incident Kennett referred to the Federal Liberal leader John Howard as a 'cunt' in a mobile telephone conversation with Howard rival Andrew Peacock. The car-phone conversation damaged both Howard and Kennett politically, but aided Peacock in his push to return as Federal Liberal leader (1989). Toward the end of its second term the Cain government had lost support and the Liberals were expected to win the 1988 election. The Liberal vote indeed rebounded strongly – they won a majority of the two-party vote – however much of this margin was wasted on landslide majorities in their heartland. As a result, the Liberals took only one seat from Labor in the capital, and were left four seats short of a majority. Failing to become premier, Kennett was again criticised within his own party, and in 1989 he was deposed in favour of a little-known rural MLA, Alan Brown. Kennett's performance during his first stint as Liberal leader is a matter of debate. Economou sees his 1985 and 1988 election campaigns as weak, while Parkinson believes he was a significant asset in pushing the Labor government of John Cain in several key seats. First term as premier Kennett publicly pledged never to attempt a return to the Liberal leadership. However, when Brown proved unable to challenge the government effectively, he allowed his supporters to call a spill in 1991. Brown realised he didn't have enough support to keep his post and resigned, allowing Kennett to retake the leadership unopposed. With Victoria facing billions of dollars of debt, Kennett was seen as "Premier-in-waiting" from the moment he retook the leadership. Cain had resigned a year earlier in favour of Deputy Premier Joan Kirner, who was unable to regain the upper hand despite being personally more popular than Kennett. The Liberals' advantage was strengthened by an important decision taken during Brown's brief tenure as leader—negotiating a Coalition agreement with the National Party. The Liberals and Nationals have historically had a strained relationship in Victoria; they had sat separately for most of the second half of the 20th century. It had been believed that Kennett had been denied victory in 1988 due to a large number of three-cornered contests in rural seats. The Coalition went into the October 1992 state election as unbackable favourites, having been ahead in opinion polling by large margins for almost two years. They stoked the voters' anger with a series of "Guilty Party" ads, targeting many Labor ministers and highlighting concerns in their portfolios. In the second-largest defeat that a sitting government has ever suffered in Victoria, the Coalition scored a 19-seat swing, attaining a 16-seat majority in the Legislative Assembly. The Liberals won 52 seats, enough for a majority in their own right. Nevertheless, Kennett supported his coalition partner, retaining the Nationals in his cabinet. State school closures In the first three years of office, funding for public schools and the Department of Education was substantially reduced. 350 government schools were closed, including every Technical High School ("Tech") in Victoria, and 7,000 teaching jobs eliminated. The Tech School closures had a widespread, delayed effect two decades later when a skilled labour shortage in the state was declared by the government, attributable largely to the generation of children who were denied a trade-focused high school education, significantly reducing the number of school leavers commencing trade apprenticeships. The few who did so were insufficient to counterbalance the number of retiring tradespeople in the coming years. This directly resulted in the number of Skilled Migrant (subclass 190) visas being made available each year increasing to 190,000 from 2012 and an active campaign to entice migrants with trade qualifications to Victoria. Public transport Other controversial moves included the sacking of 16,000 public transport workers in a major technological upgrade of the system, and the initiation of a major scheme for privatisation of state-owned services, including the electricity (SECV) and gas (Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria) utilities, the ambulance service, as well as several prisons and other minor services. The sale of the Totalisator Agency Board raised $609 million. Between 1995 and 1998, $29 billion of state assets in gas and electricity alone were sold to private enterprise (for statistics, see Parkinson, Jeff, 1999) In the wake of these changes, investment and population growth slowly resumed, though unemployment was to remain above the national average for the duration of Kennett's premiership. While the benefits to the State budget figures were indisputable in the short term, the social and longer-term economic cost of the Kennett reforms have been questioned by many commentators, academics and those who suffered economically through the period of reform. This campaign of privatisations and cutbacks led to governmental acts of privatisation by splitting up Melbourne's rail (Hillside, Bayside, V/Line and West Coast Rail) and tramways (Yarra and Swanston) or budget-cutting becoming popularly known as being "Jeffed". He also cut back many regional rail services including The Vinelander (ran to Mildura, services later restored to Maryborough as a regular V/Line service in 2011) and services to Leongatha, Bairnsdale (returned in 2003), Dimboola (services later returned to Ararat in 2004). The largest public protest in Melbourne since the Vietnam War Moratorium occurred on 10 November 1992, with an estimated 100,000 people marching in opposition to the retrenchment of many workers and the large State budget cutbacks. Kennett was undeterred by this protest, and famously commented that though there were 100,000 outside his office at Parliament that day, there were 4.5 million who stayed at home or at work. High-profile capital works projects This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) The Kennett government also embarked on a series of high-profile capital works projects, such as the restoration of Parliament House, construction of a new $250 million Melbourne Museum and IMAX theatre, and a new $130 million Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Other projects included a $160 million expansion of the National Gallery of Victoria; $100 million for refurbishment of the State Library of Victoria; $65 million for a new Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC); and $130 million for the construction of a new civic square on the site of the old Gas and Fuel Buildings, to be known as Federation Square. The relocation of the Formula 1 Grand Prix from Adelaide in 1993 was a particular coup for Kennett, who had worked hard with his friend Ron Walker, the Chairman of the Melbourne Major Events Company, helped deliver Melbourne the hosting rights for the event from Adelaide in 1993. The most controversial project of the Kennett era was the $1.85 billion Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex, a gambling and entertainment centre on Melbourne's Southbank. Initial plans for a casino had been made under the Labor government, however the tendering process and construction occurred under Kennett. A$2 billion project to redevelop Melbourne's derelict Docklands area to include a new football stadium was also undertaken, in addition to the large CityLink project, a project resurrected from the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan, aimed at linking Melbourne's freeways, easing traffic problems in the inner city, and reducing commuting times from the outer suburbs to the CBD. Macedonian name dispute Kennett speaking at a event In the mid-1990s, Premier Kennett backed the Greek position over the Macedonian question in his attempts to shore up local electoral support. Kennett's stance gained him supporters from the Melburnian Greek community, whereas he was referred to as "Kennettopoulos" by the Macedonian community. At Kennett's insistence, his state government in 1994 issued its own directive that all its departments refer to the language as "Macedonian (Slavonic)" and to Macedonians as "Slav Macedonians". Reasons given for the decision were "to avoid confusion", be consistent with federal naming protocols toward Macedonians and repair relations between Macedonian and Greek communities. It was accepted that it would not impact the way Macedonians self identified themselves. The decision upset Macedonians, as they had to use the terms in deliberations with the government or its institutions related to education and public broadcasting. The Macedonian Community challenged the decision on the basis of the Race Discrimination Act. After years of litigation at the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), the Federal Court and High Court, previous judicial rulings were upheld that found Kennett's directive unlawful as it caused discrimination based on ethnic background and was struck down from usage in 2000. Second term as premier Kennett's personal popularity was mostly average to high through his first term, though that of the government as a whole went through peaks and troughs. Without a by-election in the previous four years, the 1996 state election shaped up as the first test of the 'Kennett Revolution' with the electorate. The Coalition was expected to win a second term at the 30 March election, albeit with a somewhat reduced majority. At the federal election held four weeks earlier, while Labor was heavily defeated, it actually picked up a swing in Victoria. However, to the surprise of most commentators, the Coalition only suffered a two-seat swing, allowing it to retain a comfortable 14-seat majority. The Coalition actually picked up modest swings in Melbourne's outer suburbs, which have traditionally decided most state elections. Several negative trends (for the Liberals) were obscured somewhat by the euphoria of victory. The government's sharp cuts to government services were particularly resented in country Victoria, where the Liberals and Nationals held almost all the seats. The loss of the Mildura seat to independent Russell Savage was an indication of this disaffection, and when in February 1997 independent Susan Davies was elected to the seat of Gippsland West, this trend seemed set to continue. However, the verdict of many was that the 'Kennett Revolution' was far from over – indeed it was seemingly set in stone with the opening of the Crown Casino in May 1997. Kennett's profile continued to grow as he became a major commentator on national issues, including urging the new government of John Howard to introduce tax reform, and actively opposing the rise of the One Nation Party of Pauline Hanson. In this last case, Kennett did not shy away from criticising the media, but also the decision of the Howard government to not actively oppose Hanson's agenda. Kennett was influential in Melbourne bidding for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Three cities initially expressed interest in hosting the event; Melbourne, Wellington and Singapore. Singapore dropped out before its bid was officially selected by the Commonwealth Games Federation, leaving only two candidate cities. In the weeks prior to the announcement of the 2006 host, Wellington withdrew its bid, citing the costs involved with matching the bid plan presented by Melbourne, which became the default host without members of the Federation going to vote. The government lost ground over the next few years, with high-profile disagreements with the Director of Public Prosecutions Bernard Bongiorno, and Auditor-General Ches Baragwanath fuelling criticism of Kennett's governmental style. Kennett's perceived antipathy to Baragwanath led to 1997 legislation to restructure the office of the Auditor-General and set up Audit Victoria. While Kennett promised the independence of the office would be maintained, many saw his government's actions as an attempt to curb the Auditor-General's power to criticise government policy. Widespread community debate and substantial public dissent from Liberal MPs and Party members ensued, with MLA Roger Pescott resigning from Parliament at the height of the debate; citing his disagreement with this Bill and Kennett's style in general. The Liberal Party lost the by-election in Mitcham. Further scandals involving the handling of contracts for the state emergency services response system damaged the credibility of Kennett in 1997–1998, while rural dissent continued to grow. Personal difficulties also began to affect Kennett and his family. The strains of public life led to a trial separation between Felicity and Jeff in early 1998 (patched up by the end of the year), while earlier in Kennett's first term, public scrutiny had led to the forced sale of the KNF Advertising Company, despite all Kennett's involvement having been transferred to his wife's name. There were rumours in 1998 that Kennett might retire from politics; these were mostly centred around Phil Gude, his party deputy. These eventually came to nothing. In July 1998, Liberal MP Peter McLellan, Member for Frankston East, resigned from the party in protest over alleged corrupt Liberal Party Senate preselection, changes to WorkCover and the auditor-general's office. Again, Kennett failed to pick up the warning signs of declining support for his style of leadership. Labor leader John Brumby took care to capitalise on each of Kennett's mistakes over this period, though his absences in rural electorates were misunderstood by many Labor MPs, and led to his replacement by Steve Bracks in early 1999. Bracks, who came from Ballarat, was popular in rural areas and was seen as a fresh alternative to Brumby, who nevertheless remained a key figure in the shadow Cabinet. 1999 election loss Despite Bracks' appeal, Kennett entered the 1999 election campaign with a seemingly unassailable lead, and most commentators and opinion polls agreed that the Coalition would win a third term. However, in a shock result, the Coalition suffered a 13-seat swing to Labor. While there was only a modest swing in eastern Melbourne, which has historically decided elections in Victoria, the Coalition suffered significant losses in regional centres such as Ballarat and Bendigo. ABC elections analyst Antony Green later said that when he first saw the results coming in, it looked so unusual that he thought "something was wrong with the computer." Initial counting showed Labor on 41 seats and the Coalition on 43; a supplementary election had to be held in Frankston East following the death of sitting independent Peter McLellan. The balance of power rested with three independents-Russell Savage, Susan Davies and newly elected Craig Ingram. Negotiations began between the Coalition and the three independents. While Kennett acceded to all but two of their demands, his perceived poor treatment of Savage and Davies in the previous parliament meant that they would not even consider supporting a Coalition minority government headed by Kennett. On 18 October, two days after Labor won the supplementary election in Frankston East, the independents announced they would support a Labor minority government. The agreement entailed Labor signing a Charter of Good Government, pledging to restore services to rural areas, and promising parliamentary reforms. Kennett's supporters urged the Coalition to force a vote of 'no confidence' on the floor of the parliament in a last-ditch effort to force Savage, Davies and Ingram to support Kennett. However, with the Liberals divided on Kennett's future role, Kennett retired from all of his offices, saying he wished to have no further involvement in politics. Labor won the ensuing by-election in Burwood. Rumoured returns to politics Following the Liberals' second successive defeat in the 2002 election, rumours began that Kennett was planning a comeback to politics. The issue came to a head in May 2006 after the sudden resignation of Kennett's successor, Robert Doyle, when Kennett announced he would contemplate standing in a by-election for Doyle's old seat of Malvern and offering himself as party leader. His stance was supported by Prime Minister John Howard, who rated him as the party's best hope to win the November 2006 state election. But within 24 hours Kennett announced he would not return to Parliament rather than running against Ted Baillieu, whom Kennett had been grooming for the top post since 1999. John Howard was reported to have been "embarrassed" by having publicly supported Kennett before his decision not to re-enter politics. In 2008, it was rumoured that Kennett was planning to stand for Lord Mayor of Melbourne. Despite endorsing future Lord Mayor John So in the 2001 mayoral elections, Kennett was quoted as saying "I think the city is ready for a change". Kennett claimed he had been approached by "a range of interests" to run for the position, but in the end did not do so. Former Liberal leader Robert Doyle ultimately won the election. 2020: Indigenous voice to government On 15 January 2020, it was announced that Kennett would be one of the members of the National Co-design Group of the Indigenous voice to government. Life after politics Kennett at the 2018 VFL Grand Final In 2000, Kennett became the inaugural chairman of beyondblue (the National Depression Initiative), a body that was largely formed by the efforts of the Victorian State Government. On 24 June 2008, he announced that he would be stepping down from his role at beyondblue at the end of 2010. This did not happen. After 17 years as the chair of beyondblue, he stood down in 2017, handing the reins to former PM Julia Gillard. He stated "beyondblue is part of my DNA, outside my family, it has been my most important role. Kennett has previously served on the boards of Australian Seniors Finance, a reverse mortgage company, and SelecTV, which was a satellite television group. Kennett has said in an interview that he rarely thinks about the media or "bloody history", though he regrets the "disastrous" introduction of the Metcard ticketing system for trains and trams. Kennett angered gay rights groups in July 2008 when he supported the Bonnie Doon Football Club in their sacking of trainer Ken Campagnolo for being bisexual; and compared homosexuality to pedophilia. Anti-discrimination campaigner Gary Burns pursued an action in the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal against Kennett for making the following statement: "The club felt that once this had been pointed out and you had this gentleman there who was obviously close to young men – massaging young men – it ran an unnecessary risk, and that's why it decided it was best that he not perform those duties again. So the club was trying to do the right thing," The case was dropped due to Gary Burns' lack of funds to pursue the case. Hawthorn FC presidency On 14 December 2005, Kennett was made president of Hawthorn Football Club, taking over from Ian Dicker. Following the exit of the St Kilda Football Club from the Tasmanian AFL market in 2006, Kennett was president when the Hawthorn Football Club negotiated a five-year sponsorship deal with the Tasmanian state government. The sponsorship deal was worth an estimated $12 million for which the Tasmanian government bought naming rights to the club's guernsey, and the HFC committed to playing an agreed number of pre-season and four regular season "home games" at York Park.[56] Kennett was instrumental in Hawthorn's 2007 5-year business plan titled "five2fifty", the core idea being that in the next five years the club will target to win 2 premierships and have fifty thousand members. As part of the plan, the football club wants to be seen as the most professional club in the AFL, and places great emphasis on the welfare of the people associated with the club. Following Hawthorn's 2008 AFL Grand Final victory over Geelong, Kennett claimed that the Cats "lacked the mentality to defeat Hawthorn", this being in reference to the Cats' inability to counter-attack the running game of the Hawks in the aforementioned Grand Final. Kennett's comments led to the subsequent eleven-match losing streak for Hawthorn against Geelong becoming known as the "Kennett curse". He stepped down at the end of his second three-year term in 2011, he also changed the club's constitution so that presidents could only serve two 3-year terms. Second stint Kennett at an AFL Women's match in 2023 In what Fox Footy described as a "stunning return",[59] Kennett was announced as the president of the Hawthorn Football Club on 4 October 2017 following the sudden resignation of the incumbent president Richard Garvey. Garvey had taken criticism on the hiring and later sacking of club CEO Tracey Gaudry. Kennett subsequently appointed Justin Reeves as the club's new CEO. On 4 October 2017 he announced that he would serve the position for a full 3-year term. Soon after his re-appointment, Kennett and the club released a vision statement outlining the future of the club up to 2050. The first five-year strategic plan titled 'Dare to be Different' will drive the club's priorities from 2018 to 2022. Kennett said: "Hawthorn we aren't ones to sit back and wait, we work hard to achieve and deliver exciting results, on and off the field. Our vision for our strategic plan, "Dare to be Different", encapsulates this as we continue to strive for excellence. "We have set ourselves some ambitious targets but all are within our grasp if we continue to innovate, grow and forge new frontiers within the AFL industry." On 6 July 2021, Kennett and the Hawthorn board announced that they would not be renewing head coach Alastair Clarkson's contract following its expiry at the conclusion of the 2022 AFL Premiership season. It was announced that Box Hill Hawks and Hawthorn development coach, former player Sam Mitchell had been chosen by Kennett and the board to become the Hawthorn coach at the end of Clarkson's reign. Chairman of The Original Juice Company On 12 December 2022, The Original Juice Company announced that it would appoint Kennett as Chairman and Non-Executive Director. Honours In the Australia Day Honours of 2005, Kennett received Australia's then highest civilian honour, when he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). The honour was for "service to the Victorian Parliament and the introduction of initiatives for economic and social benefit, to business and commerce, and to the community in the development of the arts, sport and mental health awareness strategies." In May 2000, he was also awarded an honorary doctorate – DBus (Honoris Causa) – by the University of Ballarat. Media work For a brief period during 2002, Kennett was a radio presenter for Melbourne station 3AK, continuing an interest in mass communication which was also a feature of his premiership. Since 2010, Kennett has been a regular contributor to Neil Mitchell's 3AW radio program every Thursday, as a social commentator. On 28 March 2013 it was announced that Kennett had joined the Seven television network as national political commentator which will involve him appearing on breakfast show Sunrise every Tuesday and on Seven news as required. On 12 February 2017 Jeff Kennett engaged ex-Seven West Media employee on Twitter over leaked documents potentially breaching the company's own gag order on Amber Harrison.  

Nina was elected to the Legislative Assembly in November 2022, and is the Parliamentary Secretary for Education. She previously served as a member of the Legislative Council from 2018-22, where she... LEARN MORE The post Saturday 17th, May, 2025: Richard Keane – CEO, Living Positive Victoria & Nina Taylor-ALP, State Member, Albert Park appeared first on Saturday Magazine.

Why does BC need to reform its Police Act? Guest: Adam Olsen, Member of the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act and Former Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saanich North Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does ‘woke' actually mean? Guest: Dr. Valerie Fridland, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada and Author of “Like, Literally, Dude” Which federal party has the most viable health care plan? Guest: Lindsay Hadden, Applied Health Services Researcher, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar, and a Principal Investigator for the Health Systems Research Lab at SFU Can burger sales predict the new Prime Minister? Guest: Chris Geib, Manager at Burger Heaven in New Westminster What would living on Mars do to the human body? Guest: Dr. Kelly Weinersmith, Adjunct Faculty in the BioSciences Department at Rice University and Author of “City on Mars” Should the US ban artificial food dyes? Guest: Dr. Kathleen Melanson, Nutritional Scientist at the University of Rhode Island Why does BC need to reform its Police Act? Guest: Adam Olsen, Member of the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act and Former Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saanich North Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 22 - the Water Crisis in Northern Ontario Indigenous Communities with Sol Mamakwa What - In Canada, there is a water crisis on many Indigenous communities. There are 35 Long-Term Boil Water Advisories in Indigenous communities across Canada, as well, as of March 18, 2025, there were 29 short-term drinking water advisories in place in First Nations communities south of 60, excluding those in the British Columbia region. Join Keepers of the Water as we explore the Water Crisis in Northern Ontario Indigenous Communities with Sol Mamakwa, a Member of Provincial Parliament for the Kiiwetinoong riding in Ontario. Who - In episode 22 we hear from Sol Mamakwa, a Member of Provincial Parliament for the Kiiwetinoong riding and is the Official Opposition Critic for Indigenous and Treaty Relations. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 2018 and is the first MPP to be elected for this riding. The Kiiwetinoong riding was created prior to the Ontario election in 2017, and the population is 68 percent Indigenous, making it the only riding in Ontario with a majority Indigenous population. Sol is a Kingfisher Lake First Nation member and a resident of Sioux Lookout. His first language is Oji-Cree, and he strongly advocates for Indigenous language protection, equity in healthcare and education, and treaty rights. Music - 'Phase Shift' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Derek Fildebrandt talks to Randy Hillier, former MPP of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, on the recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision to overturn a lower court ruling that had dismissed his case.

Host - Sharon Hurd;Seg 1 & 2 - Kiel Giddens, Legislative Assembly of British Columbia,Seg 3 to 5 - Anna Duff, Community Futures

rWotD Episode 2892: G. Narayanasamy Naidu Welcome to Random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia’s vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Friday, 4 April 2025 is G. Narayanasamy Naidu.G. Narayanasamy Naidu Kamma was an Indian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly from Mayuram constituency as an Indian National Congress candidate in 1957, and 1962 elections. He was one of the two winners in 1957 election, the other being P. Jayaraj from Congress party. He was elected as an Indian National Congress candidate from Aduthurai constituency in 1952 election.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:53 UTC on Friday, 4 April 2025.For the full current version of the article, see G. Narayanasamy Naidu on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Danielle.

Meeting of The Legislative Assembly March 27th 2025 AUDIO by FITV

Acknowledgement of Country//News Headlines//Avery Howard, Vice President of the Australian Unemployed Workers' Union (AUWU) and JobSeeker recipient, speaks with us on the 5th anniversary of the COVID-19 supplement about the drastic and immediate impact that it had to alleviate poverty for nearly a million people across so-called Australia. The Morrison Government's subsequent decision to end the supplement plunged welfare recipients back into poverty, sparking widespread condemnation by anti-poverty activists. The AUWU, Anti-Poverty Network South Australia, Antipoverty Centre, Anti-Poverty Network Queensland, and Nobody Deserves Poverty are commemorating the anniversary with a press conference today at Parliament House, as well as an online event on Monday the 24th of March reflecting on the impacts of the COVID-19 supplement and its significance for welfare recipients.//Last Saturday the 15th of March, a vigil was held outside the State Library of Victoria on the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque massacre in 2019, honouring the 51 lives lost in this tragedy. We hear singing and words of cross-community solidarity shared at the rally by Jasmine, Zari, and other members of the local Māori community, with speakers introduced by MC Sara Baarini.//We hear a speech by Nina, a member of Formerly Incarcerated Girls Justice Advocates Melbourne (FIGJAM), at the snap action for Poccum's Law held on Parliament steps this past Tuesday the 18th of March to condemn the Victorian Labor Government's new ‘tough on crime' bail bill. Nina was introduced by Maggie Munn, proud Gungarri advocate, who is the First Nations Justice advocate at Human Rights Law Centre. During the rally, attendees learned that the Bail Amendment (Tough Bail) Bill 2025 passed the Legislative Assembly with only three votes against. The bill inserts significant restrictions to bail access and has been widely condemned by Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, the community legal sector, family violence prevention organisations and youth support organisations for its regressive approach that will increase rates of incarceration for both children and adults in Victoria. Read the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Services' 'Bail Saves Lives: Poccum's Law is the Way Forward' statement here, and Flat Out's media statement on the bail laws here.//Dr James Martin is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Director of the Bachelor of Criminology at Deakin University. He's a leading researcher in the field of black markets, cybercrime, and the dark web illicit drug trade, as well as a Tobacco Harm Reduction Advisor for Harm Reduction Australia. In this interview, Dr Martin breaks down where law enforcement clashes with proven harm reduction approaches, how the dark web functions, and lays out australia's approach to vaping. He also discusses what's going on with vaping regulations, enforcing this law, changing societal perceptions of nicotine, and moral panics.//

On this weeks program Chris talks to Mark Donnellon from Streets People Love Hobart about how they created the group, what actions they've taken since December 2024, how the campaign grew from passionate debate about improving Collins Street, showing community support for active transport in nipuluna Hobart, being guided by their fun-loving mascot, Perci the Platypus, supporting Hobart City Councils Argyle and Campbell Street bicycle connections and getting people involved with a public meeting about the Collins Street improvement trial on Tuesday 25 March at 5.30pm at City Hall, 57-63 Macquarie Street.Local news includes the Victoria Parliament finally tabling the final report of the inquiry into vulnerable road users that was tabled in the Legislative Assembly last year, you can read the report here, especially Recommendation 31: 'The Department of Transport and Planning continue to promote the installation of protected bike lanes in inner and middle Melbourne'. Most of the recommendations are supported 'in principle' which is fairly lukewarm response to be honest. Critical Mass Boroondara is coming up on Friday 28 March, Yarra and Boroondara need a new river crossing! Infrastructure Victoria has just released their 30 year plan, and it supports a cycling link from the city through to the Hawthorn - Box Hill trail. This link would need a new pedestrian and cycling bridge between Richmond and Hawthorn.And don't forget to sign our petition: Don't risk our safety in 2025 - tell Yarra Council not to remove safe cycling lanesProgram musicKing Stingray, Camp dogCamp Cope, How to socialise friends and influence people

Today's poem features a simple but satisfying sleight of hand. Happy reading.Richard Henry Horne (1802-1884), poet, was born on 31 December 1802 at Edmonton, near London, the eldest of three sons of James Horne (d.1810), quarter-master in the 61st Regiment; his grandfather was Richard Horne, secretary to Earl St Vincent. Richard was brought up at the home of his rich paternal grandmother and attended John Clarke's School where John Keats was also a pupil. In April 1819 Horne entered Sandhurst Military College but left in December 1820. In 1823 after reading Shelley's Queen Mab, he decided to become a poet.In 1825 Horne sailed as midshipman in the Libertad to fight for Mexican independence. After two years in America he returned to London, where in 1833 he published his first book Exposition of the False Medium and Barriers Excluding Men of Genius from the Public. In the next decade he published three poetic dramas, contributed prolifically to literary magazines, edited the Monthly Repository in 1836-37 and served on the royal commission on child employment in factories in 1841. His most famous year was 1843 when he published his epic Orion at a farthing a copy to show his contempt for public taste. It ran to six editions in a year and made him a celebrity. During the Irish famine he was correspondent for the Daily News. In 1847 he married Catherine, daughter of David Foggo.In 1852 Horne faced a crisis: his marriage was failing; he was impoverished; he was discontented in his work on Charles Dickens's Household Words; and he was torn between the practical and poetic sides of his nature. Tempted by dreams of fortune on the Australian goldfields and a chance to escape, Horne arrived at Melbourne in September. He soon became commander of the private gold escort and in 1853 assistant gold commissioner at Heathcote and Waranga. He was erratic in both posts and was dismissed in November 1854. By 1855 his English ties were severed, his wife having requested a formal separation. In Melbourne he became clerk to (Sir) Archibald Michie, and lived with a Scottish girl; their son, born in 1857, died after seven months. In September 1856 as a radical Horne contested Rodney in the Legislative Assembly but lost. As a commissioner of sewerage and water supply in 1857 when Melbourne's new reservoir was under public attack, he did little to appease the critics. By 1860 he was again unemployed and living at St Kilda with a female companion. He was well known at Captain Kenney's swimming baths, lectured at Mechanics' Institutes on 'The Causes of Success in Life' and failed to win the Belfast (Port Fairy) seat. He helped to found the Tahbilk vineyard on the Goulburn River. In 1862-63 the Royal Literary Fund assisted him.In June 1863 Horne was made warden of the Victorian Blue Mountain goldfield near Trentham: 'my Siberia'. Again he began to write seriously and found tranquillity. On visits to Melbourne he held court at Henry Dwight's bookshop, and became friendly with George Gordon McCrae and Marcus Clarke. In 1864 he published a lyrical drama, Prometheus the Fire-Bringer, and in 1866 for the Melbourne Intercolonial Exhibition a masque, The South Sea Sisters; it contained a rhythmic representation of an Aboriginal corroboree which brought acclaim. In 1867 he celebrated the arrival of the Duke of Edinburgh with a cantata, Galatea Secunda, signing himself Richard Hengist Horne, the name by which he was henceforth known. In Australia he produced no significant poetry but some good prose: Australian Facts and Prospects(London, 1859), and an essay, 'An Election Contest in Australia' in Cornhill, 5 (1862). Disillusioned, he sailed in June 1869 for England where he became a literary doyen, producing many new works all artistically worthless. His poverty was relieved in 1874 by a government pension, and he died at Margate on 13 March 1884.-bio via Australian Dictionary of Biography This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

pWotD Episode 2850: Rekha Gupta Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 498,111 views on Wednesday, 19 February 2025 our article of the day is Rekha Gupta.Rekha Gupta (born 19 July 1974) is an Indian politician from Delhi who will be serving as 9th Chief Minister of Delhi from 20 February 2025. She is fourth woman to hold this office. Gupta is Member of Legislative Assembly from Shalimar Bagh and previously served as General Secretary and President of Delhi University Student Union, belonging to Bharatiya Janata Party, She is also Member of National Executive and General Secretary of Delhi state unit of the party.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:27 UTC on Thursday, 20 February 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Rekha Gupta on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Joanna.

State elections for WA happen every 4 years on the second Saturday in March so be prepared! Here's a handy explainer about how filling in the ballot for the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council works, what the two chambers are, and a brief explanation to the changes made after the previous election.Learn more about WA elections and find your local candidates at https://www.elections.wa.gov.au/ Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplainedLike Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

pWotD Episode 2839: 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly election Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 311,571 views on Saturday, 8 February 2025 our article of the day is 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly election.The 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections were held in Delhi on 5 February 2025 to elect all 70 members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly. The counting of votes and declaration of result took place on 8 February 2025.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won in 48 out of 70 seats, thus winning the Delhi assembly elections after 32 years. The incumbent Aam Aadmi Party, which was in power for the previous ten years, lost the election, with several prominent leaders and cabinet ministers including national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Somnath Bharti, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Durgesh Pathak losing their seats. The Indian National Congress did not win any seats for the third straight election, although it increased its vote share compared to the last election.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:29 UTC on Sunday, 9 February 2025.For the full current version of the article, see 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly election on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Aditi.

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Brian interviews George Smitherman. George is a former Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayoralty of Toronto in the 2010 municipal election. He is is one of Canada's most distinctive and impactful politicians in the past decades. George Smitherman will talk about the Liberal Leadership contest, Trump tariffs and Canada.

This episode was recorded during the session “International Instruments on Migration” at the Hemispheric Interparliamentary Gathering on Migration in the Context of Socio-Environmental Challenges, organized by ParlAmericas, FOPREL, and the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, and held in San José from October 23 to 25, 2024.Listen to Lindsay Jenkins, Senior Advisor for Migration at the U.S. Department of State, discuss  the key pillars of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. She explains how this framework is driving collaborative efforts across the Americas and Caribbean to address this hemisphere's migration challenges and opportunities.Ms. Jenkins also explains the collaborative approach underpinning the Declaration, emphasizing the importance and role of various stakeholders in finding innovative solutions and actions to fulfill its objectives. She highlights examples of initiatives undertaken by endorsing countries to promote safer and more humane migration governance.

In this episode of 'Talking Couch Potatoes,' hosts Matt and Mel welcome special guest, Lisa Baker, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, and a strong advocate for animal welfare, LGBTQIA+ rights, climate action and the empowerment of women and vulnerable communities worldwide. Lisa shares her journey into politics, highlighting early challenges and incredible achievements. Her dedication to social justice and animal welfare is evident as she discusses her ventures into greyhound welfare reform and the establishment of the WA Parliamentary Friends of the Greyhound group. Lisa also speaks about her passion for the future of food, focusing on alternative proteins as a sustainable complement to animal-based diets. Despite facing criticism and pushback, Lisa emphasizes the importance of remaining in the room to influence policy and create positive change. A fascinating interview with a truly inspiring local hero for Free The Hounds. Dont miss it!! Learn more about Lisa's new project on the Future of Food here https://www.youtube.com/@lisabakerfutureoffood

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with Canada's Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Dan Williams. They discuss how Canada became the epicenter of the world's opioid crisis, the federal approach that only enables further addiction, the demoralization of Canadians as the country's future continues to destabilize, and the efforts needed to right the ship — before it is too late. Dan Williams was sworn in as the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction on June 9, 2023. He was first elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Peace River on April 16, 2019, and was reelected on May 29, 2023. Minister Williams has been tasked with implementing Alberta's mental health and addiction strategy, known as the Alberta Recovery Model. This policy model focuses on the fact that recovery is possible, no matter what addiction or mental health challenge someone may face. Under his leadership, Alberta is building 11 recovery communities across the province, a record-breaking expansion to long-term addiction treatment. He has connected with communities, First Nations, and families dealing with the addiction crisis. Alberta has now established a new mental health and addiction agency, Recovery Alberta, which is funded and overseen by the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction. The province, under Minister Williams, is also investing in mental health services, especially for children and youth. Partnerships with service providers are expanding services across the entire province and connecting families with the mental health support they need. This episode was filmed on October 31st, 2024.  | Links | For Minister Dan Williams: On X https://x.com/DanWilliamsAB On Youtube https://youtube.com/@danwilliamsab?si=b5IvXW7t-XHDo285 On Facebook https://m.facebook.com/DanWilliamsPeaceCountry/

Sally Housser grew up in Newfoundland, but she's about to take her seat in Saskatchewan's Legislative Assembly after an election win earlier this week. She joined us on the line to talk about it.

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals hears arguments in Turtle Mountain Chippewa Indians v. North Dakota Legislative Assembly, No. 23-3697, on October 22, 2024. The case is consolidated with Turtle Mountain Chippewa Indians v. North Dakota Legislative Assembly, No. 24-1171.

Turtle Mountain Chippewa v. N. Dakota Legislative Assembly

pWotD Episode 2729: Lidia Thorpe Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 190,378 views on Monday, 21 October 2024 our article of the day is Lidia Thorpe.Lidia Alma Thorpe (born 1973) is an Aboriginal Australian independent politician. She has been a senator for Victoria since 2020 and is the first Aboriginal senator from that state. She was a member of the Australian Greens until February 2023 when she quit the party over disagreements concerning the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and became a leading figure in the "progressive No" campaign for the Voice referendum in October 2023. She had also served as the Greens' deputy leader in the Senate from June to October 2022.Thorpe has previously been a member of the Victorian Parliament. On winning the Northcote state by-election on 18 November 2017 she became the first known Aboriginal woman elected to the state's parliament and served as the member for the division of Northcote in the Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2018.Thorpe has received media attention for her support of the Blak Sovereign Movement and her criticism of the legitimacy of Australian political institutions, which she views as stemming from colonialism.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:20 UTC on Tuesday, 22 October 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Lidia Thorpe on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Nicole.

pWotD Episode 2716: 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly election Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 199,549 views on Tuesday, 8 October 2024 our article of the day is 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly election.The 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly elections were held in Haryana on 5 October 2024 to elect all 90 members of the Haryana Legislative Assembly.The tenure of the 14th Haryana Assembly was slated to end on 3 November 2024. In the previous Assembly elections held in October 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party and formed a coalition government with Jannayak Janta Party. Before the elections, Nayab Singh Saini of the BJP was the incumbent Chief Minister.The schedule of the election was announced by the Election Commission of India on 16 August 2024. The ballots were counted and the results were declared on 8 October 2024. A majority of the exit polls predicted a victory for the Indian National Congress-led alliance. However, contrary to the predictions, the BJP again emerged as the single largest party, winning 48 seats, enough for a majority, although the popular vote totals between the two were close, differing by less than one percentage point.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:40 UTC on Wednesday, 9 October 2024.For the full current version of the article, see 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly election on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Salli.

fWotD Episode 2686: John Rolph Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Wednesday, 11 September 2024 is John Rolph.John Rolph (4 March 1793 – 19 October 1870) was a Canadian physician, lawyer, and political figure. As a politician, he was considered the leader of the Reform faction in the 1820s and helped plan the Upper Canada Rebellion. As a doctor, he founded several medical schools and incorporated new teaching techniques and medical procedures into his lectures. However, his actions against rival medical schools decreased public confidence in the ability of medical professionals to regulate themselves.Rolph grew up in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, and was educated in medicine and law. He immigrated to Upper Canada in 1813 and lived on his father's farm in Port Talbot, where he practised law and medicine concurrently and opened a medical school called the Talbot Dispensary. In 1824, Rolph was elected to the Parliament of Upper Canada and returned to England to petition the Colonial Office to allow the naturalization of American citizens in Canada. He was elected as an alderman to Toronto's first city council, though he resigned after his council colleagues did not select him to be the city's mayor. William Lyon Mackenzie persuaded Rolph to support the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837. When the rebellion began, Rolph did not join the rebels at their headquarters and the Lieutenant Governor appointed him as his emissary to deliver the government's offer of a truce. Rolph fled to the US after the rebellion and focused on practising and teaching medicine. The Canadian government granted him amnesty and he returned to Canada in 1843, later creating a new medical institution called the Rolph School in Toronto. In 1851 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and focused on his political career; upon the formation of the Morin-MacNab administration three years later, Rolph's priority returned to running his school. He retired as dean of his medical school in 1870 and died later that year after suffering a stroke.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:01 UTC on Wednesday, 11 September 2024.For the full current version of the article, see John Rolph on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Amy.

Episode 62: Ontario Lumber Kings - John Egan Up until recently, I'd always thought that anyone who cared about Algonquin Park human history was already familiar with J. R. Booth and so never put any energy into building an episode around his life experiences. However, last summer I stumbled upon a 2018 biography by Michael McBane on John Egan.. In so doing, I discovered a whole new aspect of lumbering in the Ottawa Valley that I knew nothing about. The end result is this multi-part series about two of the most well-known of the Ottawa Valley Lumber Kings, namely John Egan and J. R. Booth. In my view both are tightly connected in history because as you all know J.R, Booth made his fortune by buying at auction Egan's timber limits in 1867. In this episode I'll focus on the life of John Egan. I think though I have no proof that, though of different generations, Booth may have seen Egan as a role model in the lumber industry The musical interlude for this episode is called Below a Towering Pine and comes from Dan Gibson's Solitudes Breaking Through the Mist CD. It is brought to you with the approval of Digital Funding LLC. Solitudes music can be found wherever you get your music streaming. Key References: Michael McBane's John Egan: Pine & Politics in the Ottawa Valley, published in 2018 H. T. Douglas'1969 talk to the Gatineau Valley Historical Society called An Irishman in Canada: John Egan R. Morgan's 1926 article in the Ottawa Journal History of the Early Ottawa Stephen Banks' A Polite Exchange of Bullets: The Duel and the English Gentlemen 1750-1850, published in 2010 Debates of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada 1849 John McGregor‘s British America published in 1832 Roderick MacKay's Sprits of the Little Bonnechere 2nd Edition, published in 2016 David Lee's Lumber Kings and Shantymen, published in 2006 Dictionary for Canadian Biography, - John Egan search term Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Ancestors, 2020 discussion Robert Grace's The Irish in Quebec: An Introduction to the Historiography, published in 1993

Across the world, interest for universal social protection mechanisms has skyrocketed, in particular following the pandemic and its transversal effects on the poor, vulnerable and not so vulnerable populations. Social assistance mechanisms such as child benefits or elderly pensions have already had a history of encompassing the entire group with universal mechanisms in some countries; however, universal basic income (UBI) schemes are still in the stage of theoretical and policy discussion, without having been set up. In this context, Brazil is an interesting case: in 2004, Brazil adopted a law that establishes a “Renda Básica de Cidadania” (Basic citizenship income). That effort was pushed by its rapporteur, Mr. Eduardo Matarazzo Suplicy, who was a senator at the time and a vigorous UBI advocate to this day. In this podcast episode, we will talk about how the Basic citizenship income came to be, the possible advantages of adopting an UBI, the main challenges and what lessons have been learned with the recent discussions on the theme. For our Quick Wins segment, we are joined by Jurgen de Wispelaere, discussing his recently launched publication at the International Social Security Review, a Specia Issue called ‘Emergency basic income: Distraction or opportunity'. Meet our guests: Eduardo Suplicy, State Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo Jurgen De Wispelaere, IPR Policy Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath   Episode Resources: Publication: Special Issue: Themed double issue: Emergency basic income: Distraction or opportunity

The massive wildfire near Jasper keeps growing .The fire, thought to be the largest in the near 117-year history of Jasper National Park, continues to burn out of control and increased in size to cover an area of 39,000 hectares. The lingering question is: 'Why and how did this happen? GUEST : Douglas Todd Loewen ECA MLA is a Canadian politician and the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Central Peace-Notley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Jordan Peterson sits down with the Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith. They discuss Bill C-59, the detrimental effects of the Green Party, the destruction of Canada's wealth by Justin Trudeau, and the modern message of the Conservative Party. Danielle Smith is a proud Albertan. As leader of the governing United Conservative Party, she was sworn in as the 19th Premier of Alberta on October 11, 2022. She represents the riding of Brooks-Medicine Hat in the Legislative Assembly. Ms. Smith has had a lifelong interest in Alberta public policy, finding the right balance between free enterprise and individual freedom, and the role of government.  - Links - For Premier Danielle Smith: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanielleSmithAB/ LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/abdaniellesmith Info Page: https://www.alberta.ca/premier.aspx

Canadian journalist Nora Loreto reads the latest headlines for Friday, May 17, 2024.TRNN has partnered with Loreto to syndicate and share her daily news digest with our audience. Tune in every morning to the TRNN podcast feed to hear the latest important news stories from Canada and around the world.Find more headlines from Nora at Sandy & Nora Talk Politics podcast feed.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcastReferenced articles:Story 1 - Edmonton police say that have evidence that a serial killer operated in the 1970s. He's dead. Story 2- Speaker of Sk's Legislative Assembly tears up membership card and makes serious allegations of harassment against the incoming speaker. Story 3 - Loblaw agrees to voluntarily sign the Grocery Code of Conduct. Walmart is still holding out. Story 4 - Half of telcos in Canada are not compliant in alllowing people to make complaints on their websites. Story 5 - Phoenix rose from the ashes only to be finally killed. Story 6 - Mahamet Deby has been elected president in Chad though election watchers are concerned about how free and fair the process was. Story 7 - 700,000 Palestinians flee Northern Gaza as Israel lays seige again to the region and also prepares for ground invasion in the south.

Daily News for May 17, 2024Story 1 - Edmonton police say that have evidence that a serial killer operated in the 1970s. He's dead. Story 2- Speaker of Sk's Legislative Assembly tears up membership card and makes serious allegations of harassment against the incoming speaker. Story 3 - Loblaw agrees to voluntarily sign the Grocery Code of Conduct. Walmart is still holding out. Story 4 - Half of telcos in Canada are not compliant in alllowing people to make complaints on their websites. Story 5 - Phoenix rose from the ashes only to be finally killed. Story 6 - Mahamet Deby has been elected president in Chad though election watchers are concerned about how free and fair the process was. Story 7 - 700,000 Palestinians flee Northern Gaza as Israel lays seige again to the region and also prepares for ground invasion in the south. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melanie Mark, also known by her Nisga'a name Hli Haykwhl Ẃii Xsgaak, is a difference-maker who believes strongly that the changes we need to inspire and support future generations, require all of us to get on board and paddle together. Elected in 2016, Melanie Mark, is the first First Nations woman Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia's history, representing the riding of Vancouver-Mount Pleasant. During the 41st Parliament, she was appointed as the Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. Today, Melanie remains the only First Nations woman to have served in cabinet and served as Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. Melanie is Nisga'a, Gitxsan, Cree and Ojibway. She was born and raised in East Vancouver and has deep roots in Northern B.C. and Manitoba. Melanie is unapologetically passionate about social, environmental and economic justice; and she entered politics to disrupt the status quo. Within two months as Minister, she paved a new path by creating the first provincial tuition waiver program for youth from the foster-care system and removed all fees for adults accessing Adult Basic Education. She is most proud of her work as Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training to address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, namely supporting Indigenous teachers and language fluency, and in 2018 launching the world's first Indigenous Law program at the University of Victoria. Melanie firmly believes that education is the great equalizer and often says, "a rising tide, lifts all canoes." Melanie's work is inspired by her daughters Maya and Makayla and the desire for them to have greater access to education and opportunities as they grow up. Family is very important to Melanie, and her time with Maya, Makayla, and her extended family keeps her grounded and motivated. Melanie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Simon Fraser University. She holds a Criminology Diploma from Douglas College/Native Education College and an Advanced Executive Certificate from Queen's School of Business.

Karnataka elects 28 members to the Lok Sabha and is considered a crucial swing state (to borrow a term from American politics) in the forthcoming elections as the INDIA Alliance is hoping to make major gains here. But if history is any indicator, then the BJP has an advantage. In the past four parliamentary elections since 2004, the BJP has managed to win more seats than the Congress. In the elections of 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019, the BJP won 18, 19, 17 and 25 seats respectively. In the 2019 elections, the BJP, riding on a national wave that favoured the reelection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, secured a staggering 51.7 percent of the vote share in Karnataka. The lone independent MP who was elected also subsequently extended her support to the BJP which means that the party now has 26 seats in Karnataka. While the electoral history of the past two decades favours the saffron party as Karnataka gets ready to vote in two phases on April 26 and May 7, the Indian National Congress is hoping to regain its past glory in Karnataka. The party which won a thumping majority in the Legislative Assembly elections last year is banking on two issues; its successful implementation of its five guarantees and the injustice done to the State in the devolution of funds from the Union government. The panel that has been curated carefully will discuss whether Karnataka will follow the same pattern that it has set in place from the past 20 years of preferring the BJP or will it witness a change and provide a boost to the INDIA Alliance. The panel will also dwell on other salient themes such as why Karnataka remains an outlier in south India as far as support to the BJP is concerned and the significance of the BJP's alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular). Leading up to the elections, both the main parties in the fray have witnessed factional wrangles accompanying the selection of candidates while they have also been accused of perpetuating dynastic politics. In this episode of BIC Talks, Professor of Public Policy & Governance, Azim Premji University - A Narayana; Senior Journalist at The Hindu - Rishikesh Bahadur Desai and Senior Journalist at The News Minute - Pooja Prasanna are in conversation with Journalist, Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in April 2024. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible and Amazon Music.

Independent MPP Sarah Jama refused to remove her Keffiyeh in Ontario's Legislative Assembly, leading to her being banned from participating. Host Alex Pierson is joined by Rahim Mohamed, a political columnist National Post, The Line, and the Calgary Herald on why MPP Jama is clearly making this a political issue, and why we shouldn't even humour it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Youth Sport: Kyle gets to know a minister better. In 4 parts, by oolonroosevelt. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Kyle McQuary, newest research fellow at the John Burfitt Institute, and the Very Honorable May H. Van, MLA, CSS, Minister for Youth and Sport for the Province of Deltaland, drink tea in a café across from the provincial capitol. [[MORE]] Forward: Sexual Equity is a philosophy that is the foundation of of government in the Pacific island nation of New Dorset. Sexual Equity is based on the notion that while men and women have equal value and should be equally free, fundamental differences make complete sexual equality impossible, and that it is equity (fairness and justice) that should be sought between the sexes. The adherents of Sexual Equity note the differences in male and female sexual drives, as well as differences in the ways men and women typically view hierarchy, status, and a culture of honor. Origins of Sexual Equity In a 1975 speech, Wanda Barnes, then the leader of the Women's Caucus in the New Dorset House of Representatives, laid out the principles of Sexual Equity. She noted that New Dorset had been a leader in sexual equality: the first country in the British Empire to grant equal suffrage to women and also to elect a female member of its legislature, and the only country in the world that established dual constituencies, with one male and one female legislator elected from every constituency, guaranteeing equal numbers of men and women to Parliament. Despite this nominal equality in government, she noted that continuing control by men in the political party system and in spheres outside government had stymied attempts at substantial reform. Despite the recent session had been concerned mainly with issues around independence: whether to become a republic instead of sharing the British monarchy, and how to reform the Senate and the system of honors. She claimed that these were issues of honor and status, of interest primarily to men, without addressing the important issues affecting women's daily lives. Hearkening back to difference between “dignified” and “efficient” parts of parliamentary government (see The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot), Barnes proposed a male monarchy and House of Lords, which would be symbolic and deal with issues such as honors and national symbols, and a female House of Representatives, which would form the executive and make the laws. Adoption of Sexual Equity in New Dorset Barnes' proposals caused an uproar; she was accused of being sexist against men, and several male-led political parties took the opportunity to propose eliminating dual candidacies and repealing some of the previously passed women's rights legislation. The turning point was an overheard remark by the Minister for Home Affairs, Jason Campbell, saying that he would gladly give up the power to government in return for sexual favors. Although he quickly apologized, Wanda Barnes gave another speech (Second Sexual Equity speech of Wanda Barnes) pointing out the prevalence of female prostitution and the different sexual needs of men and women as exemplifying their differences and the need for equity rather than equality. Saying that she believed Campbell had nothing to apologize for, Barnes declared that she was proud of having been a prostitute in her youth (prostitution was particularly common in New Dorset: see Prostitution in New Dorset), that giving men pleasure was nothing to be ashamed of, and that sexual service is something women should be able to provide to men, if men can provide what women need as well. After the speech, Barnes and some of her followers in the Women's Caucus had a series of one-on-one meetings with Campbell and several other members of parliament, about which much has been rumored but little is known for certain. After those meetings, a constitution for New Dorset was adopted incorporating Barnes's proposals, and also mandating that sexual service is mandatory for members of the House of Representatives and the various provincial legislatures (see Sexual Service in New Dorset). Campbell became New Dorset's first king, and other male MPs who voted for the new constitution became the first dukes of the provinces. “So, Mr. McQuary, now you've seen the centers in person. What did you think? "Minister, I was very impressed. Back in the capital, we weren't able to find funding to open youth centers more than three days a week. But here, you have care five days, plus classes and activities, even on weekends. The centers themselves are very nice, but it's the level of funding that I can hardly believe.” “Well, much as I'd like to, I can't take credit for that. The last government worked out a grand bargain between all the cities and the provincial youth and senior citizens ministries to share staff and resources: all the ancillary support staff like cleaning, procurement, and personnel, and even things like using the same music instructors for youth and senior programs. Reducing redundant functions allowed us to redirect what funding we had toward front-line staff. We disagreed in a lot of other ways, but the last senior and youth ministers made a great accomplishment here.” “It's laudable of you to give so much credit to people you opposed.” “Well, we're all here to serve the public good. We can't do our best for our constituents if we get caught up in squabbles.” “Still, I find it admirable.” “Well, thank you, Mr. McQuary.” The minister takes a last sip of her tea. “Is that everything you need for your report?” “Yes, but there is something else I wanted to ask, Minis— is it OK if I call you May?” The minister tenses up. She wasn't expecting this. “Oh-kay,” she pronounces slowly. “May, I've really liked working with you over the past few days, and walking around seeing your centers today was just wonderful. I really enjoyed it, and I think you did too. I'd like to take you out and spend some time together, see if we can get to know each other. You saw they're doing ‘Once' at the community theater here? I think you'd like it.” “You want to go on a date. With me.” Smiling, he says, “Yes, that's what it's called. Will you come?” “Mr. McQuary—Kyle—you're a nice guy, but I'm in the Legislative Assembly and a minister in His Highness's government. You know what that means. I don't go on dates.” “What? Why not? I know your responsibilities. That doesn't bother me.” “They don't bother you… We're not just talking about long hours in committee hearings and late nights in the Ministry offices, right? You know what this job requires of me.” “Yes, May, I know about your service obligation. That's not a problem.” “Not a… look, you might think you know, but there's no way you could say that and really understand what it means.” She pauses and stares at him for a moment before getting her phone out of her purse and concentrating on it for a minute. “Ok, let's go.” She stands up and takes a step. “Well, come on.” Kyle stands and May leads him into the capitol and down a back stair. They come to a security desk. “Hi, Faith,” May says to the guard. “I have a perk booking for number three?” “I wasn't expecting… oh, I see you just made it. Of course, Minister. I'll need to see both your IDs before I buzz you in.” They show their IDs and are buzzed through the first door; May uses a key card to let them through a hallway and then into a small room with a divan and a closet. May opens a connecting door wide, using her purse as a doorstop to make sure it doesn't close. She ushers Kyle through it and says “You wait in here, I'll be just a minute.” Kyle walks into the room, which has a bed, nightstand, tall chair, and a low stool. “May, wait a minute, this isn't —” “Kyle, you wait in there and then we can talk, okay?” “Um, okay…” May slides opens the closet and begins removing her clothes: first her shoes, then skirt. Kyle says “Um, May…” and looks away. “No, I want you to look.” He looks back at her as she places the skirt in the closet, and proceeds to do the same with her blouse, stockings, and underwear. She then dons a perfectly sheer robe from the closet, and walks into the room with Kyle. “Go on, have a seat.” Somewhat bemused, he gets up on the chair, and she brings the low stool in front of him and kneels on it, so her face is on a level with his pelvis, and then looks up at him. He stares down at her breasts, clearly visible through the robe. “Twenty times a month, Kyle, I come down here, just like this, and say 'Hi, my name is May. May I serve you with my hands, my mouth, or through intercourse?' That works out to about once every work day. I usually take a morning appointment, which means that every day before work, I'm in here having sex with some man whose name I'll never know and who I'll never meet again. "I can see I'm turning you on. That's sweet. It's not fair of me to bring you down here, get you all hot, and then leave you hanging. Come on, let's get those pants off.” She reaches up and unbuckles his pants, and pulls them and his underwear down. Kyle rises to let the clothes fall, but otherwise is too shocked to say anything. “Let me work on this a little,” she says, and takes his cock into her hands, running her hands up and down it, squeezing and massaging. “Do you know why I met you at nine-fifteen today? It's because between eight and nine, I was in the room next door, sucking some guy off. He was big, too, my jaw's still a little sore from it. "And I did the very same thing yesterday with a different guy, and the day before that, I was lying face-down on the bed while another guy fucked me from behind. And I'll be here doing something just like that tomorrow, and Friday, and every day next week.” “Here, let me see if I can get you off.” She kisses his glans and then licks it, and brings it into her mouth, moving up and down with lips and tongue. It isn't long before his body stiffens and he ejaculates into her mouth. “Mmm, yours isn't bad,” says May. “Pineapple juice?” Kyle can't do more than shake his head. “So, Kyle, I hope you enjoyed yourself. I'm flattered you found me attractive. But I do this every day with a different man every time. I can't have this job and still be a regular girl and go on dates and be in a relationship and meet the parents and go to Christmas holidays and… I just can't do those things. "Can I just say, 'Thank you for allowing me to serve,' and then we can go back to being colleagues? I still want to help with your research.” Kyle stares down at her. “May… that was amazing. Maybe the hottest thing that's ever happened to me. But 'Thank you for allowing me to serve' isn't my idea of pillow talk from someone I care about.” May just looks up at him. “I wasn't going to get into this till later… but OK. Part of the reason I took a job out here was because I had a bad breakup with my fiancée. We were teenage sweethearts, and I thought we'd be together forever. But we had a problem. I couldn't help… look, I'm a man, I'm attracted to women. We'd go out together, and I'd see a woman, and I'd look. Not crazy staring look, but just… notice her. And Ruby would catch me noticing, and she'd be mad. And jealous. And I'd feel like I was hurting our relationship. Eventually even when I was out by myself and I'd see an attractive woman, I'd feel like I was being disloyal just by noticing. And I couldn't stop.” “Well, yeah. Men notice women. Women notice men, too, for that matter. Your fiancée didn't know that?” “Maybe she did. I don't know. But she made me feel that I was dishonoring our relationship just by noticing. And eventually I met someone who noticed me back, and since it felt like if I was already being unfaithful, what the hell… we did more than notice each other. Ruby couldn't forgive me for it, and I don't blame her. We broke up after that. "I've thought about it a lot since. I know some men get into exclusive relationships and, maybe they notice others, but for them it's not a big deal. But for me, it has to be,, after that. I don't want to be in a relationship where I have to try to hide who I am or what I want. I need to be with someone who can let me explore that side of myself, without my being afraid of dishonoring the relationship. And that means I need to be with someone who doesn't need me to be exclusive. "So someone like you, with a service obligation – well, that's just the perfect thing for me. Because I need someone who also doesn't want to be exclusive. Either because she also wants to explore her other wants and needs, or because her career means that exclusivity isn't an option. So May I really like you, but I'm also interested in you because you are what I'm looking for, that way. For me, your being in politics doesn't mean you're not a person I can date – it means you're the only kind of person I can.” May looks down and shifts uncomfortably. “May, we will never be the only ones for each other, in terms of sex. I'm going to look at other women, and more than look, and I am going to sign up to receive service from other politicians, which I do appreciate for what it is. And maybe you'll find someone else you want to have a fling with, and you're definitely going to be here every morning, giving service to whoever is next on the waiting list. And for you and me, that's a good thing. "I want to go on dates with you, and get to know you. I can imagine… I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but you're a person I can imagine holding close, sharing good and bad times with. It doesn't bother me that you have sex with other guys. What bothers me is the thought of them leaving you alone afterwards.” May tears up, just a bit. “You know, it's not just down here … I mean, the duke, he likes having me. I get an audience summons at least once a week, sometimes a few times.” “What? I thought he wasn't supposed to repeat audience summonses, at least not often.” “Well, he's not, but that's not a rule, it's just something not usually done. He's supposed to, you know, 'allow the honor of service to be shared,' that kind of thing. But he's been asking for me a lot. I mean, up until now, I haven't minded… too much… he's pretty gentle, most of the time, and it's nice to feel wanted… even if it's just because I look like the girls he knew overseas.” “Well if it's OK with you it's OK with me. If I were the duke I'd want to have you too. I just wouldn't want to send you home afterwards.” May can't help herself and sniffles. “But that is what he does… sends me home in the back of a car, all by myself… and I get home and…” Kyle gets off the chair and kneels down next to May. He holds her hands, and she pulls herself together, just a bit. “Kyle, you need to know… I've never… I mean, I've been with hundreds of guys, but it was all service. We came to this country with nothing when I was just a baby, and then my dad died, and Mom was really poor. She never had the money to give me the things all the other girls got… I was the only one with crooked teeth when everyone else got braces, the only one with small boobs when everyone else got implants, the only one who had to shave because she couldn't afford hair removal treatment. And I looked different… nobody wanted me. The only way I could get those things was to borrow, and I went into commercial service to pay it off, where I was the exotic one… and then I graduated and went straight into politics. I never had a boyfriend, even a real date.” “May, please, I can't imagine anything better than being the man who could give you those things. You've had sex, but you've never had a lover. Can I be your lover?” May nods. “Ok. Yes. I want to. So much. Yes. And I really do like you, Kyle, I had a wonderful time today too. I mean, outside, looking at the youth centers.” Then she pauses, and her eyes crinkle just a bit. “There's only one more thing you need to know.” “May, you can tell me anything.” “All right. I saw a VIP preview of that production of 'Once'. It was awful. Truly terrible. If I could have walked out without causing a stir, I would have. Maybe we could see a movie instead?” by oolonroosevelt for Literotica

Youth Sport: Kyle gets to know a minister better. In 4 parts, by oolonroosevelt. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Kyle McQuary, newest research fellow at the John Burfitt Institute, and the Very Honorable May H. Van, MLA, CSS, Minister for Youth and Sport for the Province of Deltaland, drink tea in a café across from the provincial capitol. [[MORE]] Forward: Sexual Equity is a philosophy that is the foundation of of government in the Pacific island nation of New Dorset. Sexual Equity is based on the notion that while men and women have equal value and should be equally free, fundamental differences make complete sexual equality impossible, and that it is equity (fairness and justice) that should be sought between the sexes. The adherents of Sexual Equity note the differences in male and female sexual drives, as well as differences in the ways men and women typically view hierarchy, status, and a culture of honor. Origins of Sexual Equity In a 1975 speech, Wanda Barnes, then the leader of the Women's Caucus in the New Dorset House of Representatives, laid out the principles of Sexual Equity. She noted that New Dorset had been a leader in sexual equality: the first country in the British Empire to grant equal suffrage to women and also to elect a female member of its legislature, and the only country in the world that established dual constituencies, with one male and one female legislator elected from every constituency, guaranteeing equal numbers of men and women to Parliament. Despite this nominal equality in government, she noted that continuing control by men in the political party system and in spheres outside government had stymied attempts at substantial reform. Despite the recent session had been concerned mainly with issues around independence: whether to become a republic instead of sharing the British monarchy, and how to reform the Senate and the system of honors. She claimed that these were issues of honor and status, of interest primarily to men, without addressing the important issues affecting women's daily lives. Hearkening back to difference between “dignified” and “efficient” parts of parliamentary government (see The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot), Barnes proposed a male monarchy and House of Lords, which would be symbolic and deal with issues such as honors and national symbols, and a female House of Representatives, which would form the executive and make the laws. Adoption of Sexual Equity in New Dorset Barnes' proposals caused an uproar; she was accused of being sexist against men, and several male-led political parties took the opportunity to propose eliminating dual candidacies and repealing some of the previously passed women's rights legislation. The turning point was an overheard remark by the Minister for Home Affairs, Jason Campbell, saying that he would gladly give up the power to government in return for sexual favors. Although he quickly apologized, Wanda Barnes gave another speech (Second Sexual Equity speech of Wanda Barnes) pointing out the prevalence of female prostitution and the different sexual needs of men and women as exemplifying their differences and the need for equity rather than equality. Saying that she believed Campbell had nothing to apologize for, Barnes declared that she was proud of having been a prostitute in her youth (prostitution was particularly common in New Dorset: see Prostitution in New Dorset), that giving men pleasure was nothing to be ashamed of, and that sexual service is something women should be able to provide to men, if men can provide what women need as well. After the speech, Barnes and some of her followers in the Women's Caucus had a series of one-on-one meetings with Campbell and several other members of parliament, about which much has been rumored but little is known for certain. After those meetings, a constitution for New Dorset was adopted incorporating Barnes's proposals, and also mandating that sexual service is mandatory for members of the House of Representatives and the various provincial legislatures (see Sexual Service in New Dorset). Campbell became New Dorset's first king, and other male MPs who voted for the new constitution became the first dukes of the provinces. “So, Mr. McQuary, now you've seen the centers in person. What did you think? "Minister, I was very impressed. Back in the capital, we weren't able to find funding to open youth centers more than three days a week. But here, you have care five days, plus classes and activities, even on weekends. The centers themselves are very nice, but it's the level of funding that I can hardly believe.” “Well, much as I'd like to, I can't take credit for that. The last government worked out a grand bargain between all the cities and the provincial youth and senior citizens ministries to share staff and resources: all the ancillary support staff like cleaning, procurement, and personnel, and even things like using the same music instructors for youth and senior programs. Reducing redundant functions allowed us to redirect what funding we had toward front-line staff. We disagreed in a lot of other ways, but the last senior and youth ministers made a great accomplishment here.” “It's laudable of you to give so much credit to people you opposed.” “Well, we're all here to serve the public good. We can't do our best for our constituents if we get caught up in squabbles.” “Still, I find it admirable.” “Well, thank you, Mr. McQuary.” The minister takes a last sip of her tea. “Is that everything you need for your report?” “Yes, but there is something else I wanted to ask, Minis— is it OK if I call you May?” The minister tenses up. She wasn't expecting this. “Oh-kay,” she pronounces slowly. “May, I've really liked working with you over the past few days, and walking around seeing your centers today was just wonderful. I really enjoyed it, and I think you did too. I'd like to take you out and spend some time together, see if we can get to know each other. You saw they're doing ‘Once' at the community theater here? I think you'd like it.” “You want to go on a date. With me.” Smiling, he says, “Yes, that's what it's called. Will you come?” “Mr. McQuary—Kyle—you're a nice guy, but I'm in the Legislative Assembly and a minister in His Highness's government. You know what that means. I don't go on dates.” “What? Why not? I know your responsibilities. That doesn't bother me.” “They don't bother you… We're not just talking about long hours in committee hearings and late nights in the Ministry offices, right? You know what this job requires of me.” “Yes, May, I know about your service obligation. That's not a problem.” “Not a… look, you might think you know, but there's no way you could say that and really understand what it means.” She pauses and stares at him for a moment before getting her phone out of her purse and concentrating on it for a minute. “Ok, let's go.” She stands up and takes a step. “Well, come on.” Kyle stands and May leads him into the capitol and down a back stair. They come to a security desk. “Hi, Faith,” May says to the guard. “I have a perk booking for number three?” “I wasn't expecting… oh, I see you just made it. Of course, Minister. I'll need to see both your IDs before I buzz you in.” They show their IDs and are buzzed through the first door; May uses a key card to let them through a hallway and then into a small room with a divan and a closet. May opens a connecting door wide, using her purse as a doorstop to make sure it doesn't close. She ushers Kyle through it and says “You wait in here, I'll be just a minute.” Kyle walks into the room, which has a bed, nightstand, tall chair, and a low stool. “May, wait a minute, this isn't —” “Kyle, you wait in there and then we can talk, okay?” “Um, okay…” May slides opens the closet and begins removing her clothes: first her shoes, then skirt. Kyle says “Um, May…” and looks away. “No, I want you to look.” He looks back at her as she places the skirt in the closet, and proceeds to do the same with her blouse, stockings, and underwear. She then dons a perfectly sheer robe from the closet, and walks into the room with Kyle. “Go on, have a seat.” Somewhat bemused, he gets up on the chair, and she brings the low stool in front of him and kneels on it, so her face is on a level with his pelvis, and then looks up at him. He stares down at her breasts, clearly visible through the robe. “Twenty times a month, Kyle, I come down here, just like this, and say 'Hi, my name is May. May I serve you with my hands, my mouth, or through intercourse?' That works out to about once every work day. I usually take a morning appointment, which means that every day before work, I'm in here having sex with some man whose name I'll never know and who I'll never meet again. "I can see I'm turning you on. That's sweet. It's not fair of me to bring you down here, get you all hot, and then leave you hanging. Come on, let's get those pants off.” She reaches up and unbuckles his pants, and pulls them and his underwear down. Kyle rises to let the clothes fall, but otherwise is too shocked to say anything. “Let me work on this a little,” she says, and takes his cock into her hands, running her hands up and down it, squeezing and massaging. “Do you know why I met you at nine-fifteen today? It's because between eight and nine, I was in the room next door, sucking some guy off. He was big, too, my jaw's still a little sore from it. "And I did the very same thing yesterday with a different guy, and the day before that, I was lying face-down on the bed while another guy fucked me from behind. And I'll be here doing something just like that tomorrow, and Friday, and every day next week.” “Here, let me see if I can get you off.” She kisses his glans and then licks it, and brings it into her mouth, moving up and down with lips and tongue. It isn't long before his body stiffens and he ejaculates into her mouth. “Mmm, yours isn't bad,” says May. “Pineapple juice?” Kyle can't do more than shake his head. “So, Kyle, I hope you enjoyed yourself. I'm flattered you found me attractive. But I do this every day with a different man every time. I can't have this job and still be a regular girl and go on dates and be in a relationship and meet the parents and go to Christmas holidays and… I just can't do those things. "Can I just say, 'Thank you for allowing me to serve,' and then we can go back to being colleagues? I still want to help with your research.” Kyle stares down at her. “May… that was amazing. Maybe the hottest thing that's ever happened to me. But 'Thank you for allowing me to serve' isn't my idea of pillow talk from someone I care about.” May just looks up at him. “I wasn't going to get into this till later… but OK. Part of the reason I took a job out here was because I had a bad breakup with my fiancée. We were teenage sweethearts, and I thought we'd be together forever. But we had a problem. I couldn't help… look, I'm a man, I'm attracted to women. We'd go out together, and I'd see a woman, and I'd look. Not crazy staring look, but just… notice her. And Ruby would catch me noticing, and she'd be mad. And jealous. And I'd feel like I was hurting our relationship. Eventually even when I was out by myself and I'd see an attractive woman, I'd feel like I was being disloyal just by noticing. And I couldn't stop.” “Well, yeah. Men notice women. Women notice men, too, for that matter. Your fiancée didn't know that?” “Maybe she did. I don't know. But she made me feel that I was dishonoring our relationship just by noticing. And eventually I met someone who noticed me back, and since it felt like if I was already being unfaithful, what the hell… we did more than notice each other. Ruby couldn't forgive me for it, and I don't blame her. We broke up after that. "I've thought about it a lot since. I know some men get into exclusive relationships and, maybe they notice others, but for them it's not a big deal. But for me, it has to be,, after that. I don't want to be in a relationship where I have to try to hide who I am or what I want. I need to be with someone who can let me explore that side of myself, without my being afraid of dishonoring the relationship. And that means I need to be with someone who doesn't need me to be exclusive. "So someone like you, with a service obligation – well, that's just the perfect thing for me. Because I need someone who also doesn't want to be exclusive. Either because she also wants to explore her other wants and needs, or because her career means that exclusivity isn't an option. So May I really like you, but I'm also interested in you because you are what I'm looking for, that way. For me, your being in politics doesn't mean you're not a person I can date – it means you're the only kind of person I can.” May looks down and shifts uncomfortably. “May, we will never be the only ones for each other, in terms of sex. I'm going to look at other women, and more than look, and I am going to sign up to receive service from other politicians, which I do appreciate for what it is. And maybe you'll find someone else you want to have a fling with, and you're definitely going to be here every morning, giving service to whoever is next on the waiting list. And for you and me, that's a good thing. "I want to go on dates with you, and get to know you. I can imagine… I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but you're a person I can imagine holding close, sharing good and bad times with. It doesn't bother me that you have sex with other guys. What bothers me is the thought of them leaving you alone afterwards.” May tears up, just a bit. “You know, it's not just down here … I mean, the duke, he likes having me. I get an audience summons at least once a week, sometimes a few times.” “What? I thought he wasn't supposed to repeat audience summonses, at least not often.” “Well, he's not, but that's not a rule, it's just something not usually done. He's supposed to, you know, 'allow the honor of service to be shared,' that kind of thing. But he's been asking for me a lot. I mean, up until now, I haven't minded… too much… he's pretty gentle, most of the time, and it's nice to feel wanted… even if it's just because I look like the girls he knew overseas.” “Well if it's OK with you it's OK with me. If I were the duke I'd want to have you too. I just wouldn't want to send you home afterwards.” May can't help herself and sniffles. “But that is what he does… sends me home in the back of a car, all by myself… and I get home and…” Kyle gets off the chair and kneels down next to May. He holds her hands, and she pulls herself together, just a bit. “Kyle, you need to know… I've never… I mean, I've been with hundreds of guys, but it was all service. We came to this country with nothing when I was just a baby, and then my dad died, and Mom was really poor. She never had the money to give me the things all the other girls got… I was the only one with crooked teeth when everyone else got braces, the only one with small boobs when everyone else got implants, the only one who had to shave because she couldn't afford hair removal treatment. And I looked different… nobody wanted me. The only way I could get those things was to borrow, and I went into commercial service to pay it off, where I was the exotic one… and then I graduated and went straight into politics. I never had a boyfriend, even a real date.” “May, please, I can't imagine anything better than being the man who could give you those things. You've had sex, but you've never had a lover. Can I be your lover?” May nods. “Ok. Yes. I want to. So much. Yes. And I really do like you, Kyle, I had a wonderful time today too. I mean, outside, looking at the youth centers.” Then she pauses, and her eyes crinkle just a bit. “There's only one more thing you need to know.” “May, you can tell me anything.” “All right. I saw a VIP preview of that production of 'Once'. It was awful. Truly terrible. If I could have walked out without causing a stir, I would have. Maybe we could see a movie instead?” by oolonroosevelt for Literotica

An orientation continues, in the crib. In 4 parts, by oolonroosevelt. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. After a few more seconds of staring, Rebecca says “Thank you. In a minute we'll go into the crib. See the code by the door? You'll need to remember it. You type that code on the keypad inside the crib to open the door to come back here again. If you type anything else security comes.” “Ok, follow me into the crib.” [[MORE]] The crib is similar to the one in E2, but like the waiting room, is much larger. Here the bed is kingsized, with a nightstand on both sides. Some undulating couches line the walls. Several of the very low stools are stacked against one wall. Rebecca enters, picks up a stool and puts it in the middle of the floor. “This is a kneeling stool. You sit down with most of your weight on the seat, but it's angled so your knees rest on the ground. Then you swing your legs underneath he stool again.” She demonstrates, kneeling, facing them. “See how I don't sit on the robe, but directly on the seat. The seat pads are changed out after each appointment, with the other linen. "Take a stool, and kneel, lining up in front of me.” The other women take stools and kneel on them, facing Rebecca. “You will sometimes end up kneeling on the floor, but for long periods, most women find that the stools are more comfortable. The rest of the orientation will be in this room and you'll be kneeling for most of it. Kneeling helps remind us to be humble before the men we serve. "When you're kneeling before a man, you should keep your arms at your sides or behind you, never hiding yourself with them. And when you are addressing him, smile so he knows you are happy to serve. Remember to be happy, grateful, and humble before him. "OK. Before we bring the instructors in, there are a couple things for us to talk about. First, I do need to mention feudal service. As you know, as elected officials you owe service to citizens here in the cribs, but just as important is the service you owe the king and the duke of your province. Sophie, since you're an MP you're not required to provide service to your duke, unless you want to. "In theory, the King or your duke can come up to you on the street, say ‘Fuck me now,' and you either have to do it or quit your job. That never actually happens. Almost always, what happens is that his scheduler calls your scheduler, they work out a time when you're both available, and then he sends you a summons to an audience with him at that time. This is usually in the palace, or the duke's apartments. There's an audience room that is usually used, which is basically just a fancy crib, and you perform service, and go home. "But you should be aware that this is just a convention and the feudal right to service is in theory unlimited. As long as he gives you enough time to do your official duties in the legislature, he has a right to service any time, all the time, and your only recourse is to quit your job. "Although it hasn't happened very often, there have been times when a king or a duke used their power to pressure officeholders to do things they wouldn't have otherwise; sometimes official things, sometimes things in their personal lives. So just be aware it can happen. Kings and dukes have more power in our system than we sometimes give them credit for. "Having said that, while federal ministers all provide feudal service at least once, many MLAs and backbench MPs, and most local government officials, are never summoned.” “OK. Now let's talk about your personal lives. I assume if you're here, you've at least begun to explore how the people you love are going to handle your new obligations. Obviously we have the biggest challenge with husbands and other romantic partners, but our parents and children also often have issues with service. The Service Office has counselors who can help you and the people in your lives work through it. If you're married or partnered, you should know they have a lot of experience with adapting relationships to the reality of service, by working with you both to redefine fidelity and establishing new ground rules for your marriage. Contact the Service Office at any time for a counseling appointment. "The last thing I want to talk about is pregnancy and disability. Is there anybody here who hasn't had their contraceptive implant?” Lucy raises her hand. “I wasn't going to get mine unless I actually won, and I haven't had time since yesterday. I thought, if I lost, I might want…” Rebecca says, “Sure. We'll just make sure you don't do anything today that would be a problem. You should also consider getting an antimenstrual. Although it's possible to plan your service around your period, a man is not required to accept service from a woman who is actively menstruating. And if you'd really rather try to just plan around it, you should still maintain your contraceptive implant. Unwanted pregnancies can happen, and if it does you'll probably never know who the father is; we're not allowed to disclose anything about any of the patrons, under any circumstances. "Of course, you might want to get pregnant; this is not discouraged. But there is always some confusion about pregnancy and service. Being pregnant does not excuse you from providing service. We've had MPs who were nine months pregnant in here providing service. What is true is that if your doctor says that because of the pregnancy, sex is contraindicated during pregnancy or immediately after the birth, your inability to give service during this time can be excused, and you can still participate in government. That's different than other kinds of disability. If you have any other kind of injury and are unable to meet your service obligation, you cannot vote or act as a minister. MPs have 90 days to get a clean bill of health and meet their service obligation, or their seat is deemed vacated. Each province has different rules about disability vacancy, and I don't know them all, but providing service is considered an absolute prerequisite for governing. Some people justified the excusing of pregnancy related disabilities based on the idea that 'pregnancy is another kind of service,' but that's a very limited exception. "Any questions?” Holly says, “What happens if I'm menstruating and the man refuses?” “Good question. If for any reason service isn't performed successfully, whether because of menstruation, or the man doesn't feel satisfied, or you miss an appointment, or whatever, it doesn't count as meeting your obligation, and you will also have to add an additional service obligation before the end of the next month. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. There's a process if there's a dispute about whether service was performed successfully, or if either a man or woman has ongoing issues, but it's almost never needed. "OK, anything else? If not I'm going to bring the instructors in.” Rebecca rises, presses a button on the wall marked Ready, and returns to the stool. She turns it so she can see both the women and the door marked Men's Exit. After a minute, Mr. M and Mr. V walk in from that door, wearing their wraps. Rebecca smiles, looks up at them, and says “Hello. My name is Rebecca. May I serve you by continuing the orientation?” Mr. M replies, “Yes, Rebecca. Please carry on.” Rebecca says “Thank you, sir.” Addressing the women, she says, “In this room, above all else, we women are here to serve. Outside this room, Mr. M and Mr. V are under my authority as the head of the Service Office. In this room, I serve them, and I must get their permission before continuing.” Again addressing the instructors and smiling, she asks, “Sirs, may I remove your wraps?” “Yes, Rebecca,” says Mr. M. Rebecca rises, walks to the instructors and removes each of their wraps, placing them on hooks by the door. Again, a few of the women can't help but giggle. Rebecca returns to her stool and again addresses the women. “Again with the giggling. Remember, as MLAs, over a typical four year session, you'll provide service to almost five hundred men, a thousand if you're a provincial minister or an MP. You'll get all kinds; young, old, fat, skinny, tall, short. And you'll see, and touch, all kinds of cocks; big ones, little ones, hopefully mostly hard ones but not always. The thanking ritual we're about to do is something we do in orientation, to get you used to seeing and touching them in this context.” She turns to the men, smiling once more, and asks. “Sirs, may we thank you properly for our service?” Mr. M says “Yes, Rebecca,” again. Rebecca says to the women, “I'll go first. Follow my lead: do as I do.” Rebecca rises, walks over to Mr. M, and kneels on the ground before him. Taking his penis lightly in both her hands, she kisses the glans, then looks up into his eyes, and smiles. “Thank you, sir, for this opportunity to serve.” She then releases the penis, rises, and kneels before Mr. V. Again, she takes the penis, kisses it and thanks him. Then, she rises again and returns to her stool. “All right. Eva, you're first. Stand up, go to Mr. M, and kneel before him. Take his cock in your hands; no, both hands, hold it loosely, and then kiss it. Good. Now look up at him, smile, and say 'Thank you, sir, for this opportunity to serve.'” Eva repeats it. “Good. Now let go, stand up, and kneel before Mr. V, and do it again. One by one, each of the women performs the ritual for each man. "Thank you, sir, for this opportunity to serve.” “Thank you, sir, for this opportunity to serve.” Holly can't get through it without laughter, and so Rebecca makes her repeat it four times before Holly finally manages to thank both men properly. After the last woman returns to her stool, Rebecca again kneels before Mr. M, takes his penis and kisses it before smiling and looking up at him. This time she says “On behalf of the Parliamentary Office for State Service, I thank you for this opportunity to serve. I bid you farewell until your next service.” At that, Mr. M says “Thank you, Rebecca,” dons his wrap, and exits the room. She repeats the process for Mr. V, and he also leaves. Rebecca returns to her stool and addresses the women again. “We'll call them back shortly, but first, think about how it feels to do what you've just done. Think about who you are now that you've done it. State service isn't mainly about how it makes the men feel, although it is about that. It's mainly about the way it makes you feel. It's about reminding you that even though you have the power to make law and run the government, and in some cases you may even have the power of life and death, you exercise that power as servants of the people. "You, as officeholders, are the embodiment of the government. The men in this room are, in turn, the embodiment of the people, who are sovereign over this country and from whom your power derives. These roles you embody are acted out by your actual bodies. "In serving these men you are manifesting democracy itself: the principle that it is the government that serves the people, and not the people who serve the government. And as that principle is so fundamental to democracy, we must manifest it fundamentally: by serving in the most visceral, instinctual way possible. There is no surer way to break through the crust of our conscious mind through to our emotional, instinctual selves than through sex. While the immediate object of what we do is the pleasure of the patrons, its more important purpose is to use our animal natures to shape ourselves into responsible stewards of the nation. I hope you can remember that. Every time you give service, you should remember. "Now, we've each thanked Mr. M and Mr. V for the opportunity to serve, but as I said, that's a ritual we do just in training and counseling sessions. Actual service consists of pleasing the man to the point of climax. The patron has the right to request service by hand, mouth, or by intercourse, and you're required to make a good faith effort to pleasure him enough to bring him to orgasm. "So, we will complete today's orientation by actually going through with some sexual acts, although because these are Service Office instructors, they can't count toward your service obligation. Unfortunately we don't have the time, nor our instructors the stamina, for all of us to provide service today, but we will give pleasure to both of our instructors. "Before we do that, I'll teach you the traditional greeting and farewell. When the man first comes in, you greet him by saying 'Hello, my name is' and then your first name, and then "May I serve you with my hands, my mouth, or through intercourse?'” Let's try it, one by one. Eva?“ "Hello, my name is Eva. May I serve you with my hands, my mouth, or through intercourse?” “Good. Holly?” They each repeat it, one after the other. After the last one, Rebecca says “That's great, you're all stars. Remember that no woman in here uses anything but her first name—when the prime minister comes in, she says 'Hello, my name is Judy' like anyone else. And we never ask the name of the men we're serving, and even if they say it, we never use it. It's always 'Sir.' Also, although the patrons can talk about whatever they want, you mustn't discuss or answer questions about anything other than your service here. "Now, the farewell statement is slightly different depending on your role, but it is basically 'On behalf of' whoever you're part of, 'thank you for this opportunity to serve. I bid you farewell until your next service.' Lucy, you'll say 'On behalf of the City of Poole,' and Sophie, you'll say 'On behalf of the House of Representatives.' The rest will say 'On behalf of the Deltaland Legislative Assembly,' There will be more to learn if you ever become a minister. "Ok, so let's start with Sophie and Lucy. Sophie?” “On behalf of the House of Representatives, I thank you for this opportunity to serve. I bid you farewell until your next service.” “Good. Lucy?” “On behalf of the City Council of Poole” Rebecca interrupts. “Just the City of Poole.” “Right. On behalf of the City of Poole, I thank you for this opportunity to serve. I bid you farewell until your next service.” And then, Eva, what do the rest of you say? “On behalf of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Deltaland, I thank you for this opportunity to serve. I bid you farewell until your next service.” Rebecca asks each of them to repeat it in turn, and when this is satisfactory, says “Once you bid him farewell, you rise and return to the lounge. As you rise, you again become the self you are on the outside, the leader, the decision maker. That is when you should allow yourself to feel proud of all you've accomplished, proud of what you've done in the world and most of all, proud of the service you've just provided. Be humble until then, but as you rise, be proud. "Ok, we'll call the instructors back now, one at a time. Can I have two volunteers? Lucy, this is what you shouldn't do at the moment.” After a pause, Brooke raises her hand. “No one else?” asks Rebecca. “I can do it, but it's really better for you to step up.” Elizabeth slowly raises her hand. Rebecca says, “Great. Brooke, you go first. At this point, you should take my place at the front. We'll each keep our own stools. I'll tell you what to do and say, but you'll be the one performing service. Okay? You sit here.” They switch places. “When you're ready, press the button on the wall, and then come back to your spot.” Brooke does. A few moments later, Mr. M. walks through the door. Rebecca shoots a look at Brooke, who remembers to smile and say, “Hello, my name is Brooke. May I serve you with my hands, my mouth, or through intercourse?” Mr. M says “Brooke, I would like you to serve me with your mouth.” Rebecca says “OK, Brooke. We usually perform oral service using the chair. He sits in the chair, and you use your stool to sit before him. You can say 'Would you like to sit in the chair, sir?' But there's not really a script for this part. He might also prefer to lie in bed and have you fellate him there.” Brooke says, “Sir, would you like to sit in the chair?” Mr. M says “Yes, Brooke, I would.” Mr. M sits in the chair, and Brooke moves her stool in front of him. “I think I know this part,” says Brooke, and first opens Mr. M's wrap, and then begins kissing and then licking Mr. M's penis, while massaging his testicles with her fingers. As the penis stiffens, Brooke takes it fully into her mouth. “Look at Brooke,” says Rebecca to the rest of the women. “Imagine that it's you, because soon it will be. Imagine what it feels like to be down there, kneeling before this man, holding him in your mouth, acting only for his pleasure.” Mr. M strokes Brooke's hair as she moves her mouth up and down his penis. Soon Mr. M is moaning softly, and it is not long before he gasps, his body stiffens, and his eyes roll upward. From Brooke's reaction it's clear he's ejaculated down her throat. She then pulls away from him. Rebecca says “Wait just a minute or two while he recovers, and then thank him.” After a moment Mr. M comes back to himself, and Brooke smiles and says, “On behalf of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Deltaland, thank you for this opportunity to serve. I bid you farewell until your next service.” Mr. M says, “Yes, Brooke, it was very good. You should ask before removing the wrap, but I haven't had many first timers do that well.” He closes his wrap, stands up and leaves. Rebecca says, “All right. Elizabeth, you're the next volunteer. Please bring your stool up to the front, and then Brooke, take Elizabeth's place. Elizabeth, before you press the button, I have some questions for Brooke.” They settle in, and Rebecca asks, “Brooke, how do you feel?” “Well tired a bit, and a bit sore. I don't do that very often.” “I see. I meant, what's your emotional state? What are your feelings right now?” Brooke looks pensive. “I guess I'm pleased with myself. Mr. M seemed happy and I feel like I did a good job of giving pleasure. It felt great to have him come, like I had accomplished what I set out to do. I can't say it makes me feel like the embodiment of democracy, though.” Rebecca chuckles. “No, of course not. But think about it this way. You just got elected to be one of the leaders of your province. You'll be sitting on committees, making important decisions about new laws and programs, representing your people in the legislature. Somebody might say that someone in that situation might feel she was too good to lower herself before a man and give him carnal pleasure. And yet you said you felt great about it, you got a lot of satisfaction. Right?” Brooke says “Well, yes.” Rebecca says “So this experience has taught you that you can get satisfaction from service, even this, which might be considered menial or vulgar. You should get satisfaction from service in governing, too. It's easy to imagine someone in the legislature getting caught up in utopian dreams, or consumed by hunger for power. But your experience here powerfully reinforces that service gives satisfaction. And you'll be reminded of this over and over, ten times a month as a backbench MLA, and even more if you become a minister. You will feel the value of service, and because it's sexual service, with that direct line to the visceral and instinctual, you'll feel it not just in your conscious mind but on the deepest level. And as these men represent the people, your strong, instinctual attachment to the principle of service will extend to your work as officeholders. And you'll be a better leader and make better decisions because of it.” Brooke nods and looks thoughtful. Rebecca says, “Elizabeth, if you're ready, you can press the button.” Elizabeth does, and returns to the stool. Mr. V enters. Elizabeth says, as she was taught, “Hello, my name is Elizabeth. May I serve you with my hands, my mouth, or through intercourse?” Mr. V says, “I would like to have intercourse, please. Can you lie on the bed, face up?” Elizabeth responds “Yes, sir,” and begins to lie down. Rebecca says “Elizabeth, for intercourse, you'll want to remove your robe, since it can get tangled. You can put it on the hook there.” “Ah, right,” says Elizabeth. She's a bit flustered. She stands up, takes off her robe nervously and hangs it from the hook. Now completely nude, she lies on the bed. Rebecca says, “Let's all stand up so we can see better. Remember to imagine that it's you on the bed instead of Elizabeth. Imagine it's you about to present your open body to him.” Mr. V says “Here, I like to be off the edge of the bed.” He takes hold of Elizabeth's leg and slides her, rotating her body, so that she's lying sideways, with her legs partly off the bed. Mr. V stands between her legs. “Oh! Oh,” squawks Elizabeth, taken aback. Mr. V reaches down and begins to stroke Elizabeth's nipples, one in each hand. Now she relaxes just a bit, and moans slightly. Mr. V, aroused, brings his hardening penis up and touches the entrance of her vulva. Elizabeth spreads her legs and Mr. V enters, but roughly. “I guess I'm pretty dry down there,” she mumbles. “Oh no! I forgot!” says Rebecca. “I should have told you, there's lube and other supplies here in the nightstand.” She gets up, walks to the nightstand and fetches a squeeze bottle of lubricant. Elizabeth reaches out with her hand and Rebecca passes it to her. She takes the bottle, squeezes some on her fingers, and reaches down to rub them over Mr. V's penis. Mr. V yelps. “Cold! and that tickles!” Elizabeth pulls her hands away, and Mr. V withdraws, his penis shrinking. Elizabeth just lies on the bed, unsure what to do. Rebecca says “OK. Sir, I think we should start over.” Mr. V says “Yes. Okay. Elizabeth, this is your first time giving service, right?” Elizabeth has trouble speaking. “Yes. I've been with boyfriends, but we always talked before… they were gentle…” Rebecca says, “Well, you have a right to expect service recipients to be respectful, but they're not always going to be gentle and they're certainly not always going to want to discuss what's going to happen. I know this is partially my fault for not telling you about the lube. Let's start over. Sir, if you would put your wrap back on, and Elizabeth, if you could return the lube and then take your place on the stool again. Don't bother putting your robe back on. The rest of us should kneel again, too.” They do, and Elizabeth says her line: “Hello, my name is Elizabeth. May I serve you with my hands, my mouth, or through intercourse?” but this time with a catch in her voice. Mr. V says “I'd like to have intercourse with you on the bed and me standing on the side. Can you lie on the bed, with your legs toward me?” Elizabeth relaxes a bit; she knows what's going on now. She says “Yes, sir. Let me get myself ready for you, sir.” She looks through the items in the nightstand drawer, finds the lubricant once again, lies back on the bed, rubs the lube on her fingers, but this time uses her fingers to put the lube inside herself. “I'm ready, sir,” she says. Mr. V again removes his wrap and approaches the bed, and again reaches down to stroke Elizabeth's nipples. She moans louder this time. She touches his arm with her hand. “Are my hands cold now, sir?” Mr. V says “no, they're fine.” Elizabeth reaches down and takes his penis in her hand, lightly brushing it. Soon it is erect, and Mr. V again brings it up to enter Elizabeth. This time there is no difficulty, and Mr. V thrusts himself into her. She reaches down and strokes her clitoris as Mr. V moves in and out. After some time where Mr. V thrusts while stroking her breasts and her nipples, Mr. V stiffens, has an orgasm, and ejaculates. Elizabeth realizes he is finished and stops rubbing herself. After Mr. V pulls out and steps back, Elizabeth gets out of bed and kneels before him. “On behalf of the Legislative Assembly, I thank you for the opportunity to serve, sir. I bid you farewell.” “Close enough for now,” says Rebecca. Mr. V puts his wrap back on. “Well, Elizabeth, it would probably be good for us to work together to smooth this out for next time. Most patrons won't stop everything to start over. Still, I think the second time went pretty well. You should let me be the one who rubs your clit, though. Rebecca can put us in touch.” He exits. As the door closes, Elizabeth gets up and goes back to the nightstand drawer. “I'm sorry.. I'm so close… just a minute,” she says. She pulls out a bullet vibrator from the drawer and turns it on. She lies back on the bed and rubs it against her clitoris, as the other women in the room look on. It takes less than a minute for her to begin moaning and experience an orgasm of her own. Rebecca gives a sly smile. “All's well that ends well?” After a few seconds Elizabeth sits up. “I… well I needed that. I'm surprised nobody else wants to.” Brooke says “Well, for me, it can be fun to do blowjobs but it's not arousing in that way, and you know, a bunch of naked girls is actually kind of a turnoff for me, no offense. I'm into guys. But I'm glad you had a good time. I kind of wish I'd been the one on the bed.” Elizabeth says, “Well next time…” Rebecca says, “Ok, so Elizabeth, after all that, what are your feelings? I know you had an orgasm, but that's not what I mean.” Elizabeth says, “Right, I know. To be honest, I feel kind of bad for messing it up the first time. And then from what he said, I'm not sure touching myself is what you'd consider 'the spirit of service.'” Rebecca says, “Well, it can be. Sometimes the man wants to see you get off. Just like watching men come can be a turn on for us, watching women come can be a turn on for them. That's why vibrators are provided. But it wasn't a turn on for Mr. V, and in any event you weren't thinking of him when you did it. So you're right, it wasn't in the correct spirit of service. You may need practice with that. "You know that when Mr. M and Mr. V aren't doing orientations, they are instructors here in the Service Office. We have classes and private lessons to help you perform well, both in keeping the right frame of mind around service and also in techniques for increasing the man's pleasure. "Although the main purpose of service is to guide the women's mindsets toward better decision making, we do want to give the men we serve the best time we can. Also, of course, even if they don't want to formally complain, it doesn't help anybody's reelection campaign to leave a constituent unhappy with service they've received. Our instructors can help. "Mr. M naturally specializes in fellatio, and Mr. V in intercourse. Elizabeth, Mr. V was suggesting you do some work with him, and I think that's a good idea. If after this experience, you're not comfortable with Mr. V, there are other instructors as well, although Mr. V usually receives very good feedback from his students.” Elizabeth says “These are, um, practical classes?” Rebecca chuckles. “Usually. Certainly if you take private lessons, you can assume you'll be practicing service to your instructor. Some group classes are hands on, some aren't.” Elizabeth looks down. “At this point, more practical experience with Mr. V sounds pretty good, actually.” Rebecca says, “Great; I'll get you information about our offerings. Usually they're here, but we do sometimes offer classes in the provinces, so that might work better for you. In the meantime, I still want to hear more about what your feelings are.” Elizabeth says “Well… as I said, I felt pretty bad about doing so poorly the first time. But the second time was nice… I don't feel that sense of satisfaction that Brooke talked about, but even though he was kind of rough the first time, I still think I can do better for Mr. V. I might take lessons from him.” Rebecca says, “So you feel positive toward Mr. V. You want to feel like you've served him well. You want him to be satisfied with you. You want to please him.” Elizabeth nods. “I think you'll find it's often the case that you feel that way about the men you have intercourse with. Intercourse, even more than other sexual experiences, can break through your conscious mind and reach down into your deepest emotions. If you're having intercourse with a man, you're having him put his most intimate private part literally inside your most intimate private part. And both of these are parts that in our public lives we don't even mention, much less let others see. Precisely because we don't talk about them, experiences with them sail right past the thinking parts of our brains and straight into our deepest feelings. That's why nonconsensual encounters are so painful. But aside from situations like assault, intercourse makes a man and a woman feel closer, even if they started off, as you and Mr. V did, as strangers. "This is especially true for women, because a woman literally takes a man inside herself. The man puts himself inside the woman, which for him is a vulnerability that requires trust, and this does bring him closer to her. But for him, she is always on the outside of him, close but still other. For her, there is a literal incorporation of his body into hers. And for that moment he is part of her. For her, they are one. His pleasure is her pleasure, his satisfaction is hers. And this feeling can persist long beyond the sex act itself. "But then, if she were to abandon him, she'd be abandoning part of herself, and if she hurt him, she'd be hurting herself. "This is the source of the inequity between men and women that has lasted through most of history. It's not because women are weaker. There is a difference in physical strength, but that doesn't explain why women don't run away or band together to fight individual men. The reason is because for a woman to have a conflict with her man, that conflict becomes an internal one, a conflict with herself. That's not to say that women never leave men or come into conflict with them, obviously. But in general and over time, women suffer from their internalization of the conflict. Men do not have this handicap, so over time they have been able to prevail and establish patriarchal society throughout the world.. "The Sexual Equity system changes this calculus; makes a strength out of weakness. We give men something they want — sexual service. In return, they allow us exclusive authority over the practical side of law and government. Since the establishment of Sexual Equity, women have used law and government to change society to eliminate the vestiges of male dominance. Yes, in order to placate men, we allow them the trappings of patriarchy — the honors system, the figurehead roles of the king and dukes. But in ordinary life on our streets, in our workplaces and in homes —we have more egalitarian relations between men and women than in any country ever. We also have the least corrupt, least scandal ridden governments in history. And this is because we have been able to use the experience of providing sexual service to make ourselves better decision makers, and better people. "This is why it must be women who control government: because it is women who incorporate men's bodies into their own, which in turn incorporates men's feelings into their own. And so only women can use those feelings to provide the fairest government for everyone. Women can do that for men; men cannot do that for women. It does not mean that women are inherently better people, or that men are inherently worse people, But we must never again let them govern, to allow them to reimpose the patriarchy we lived with for so long. "As for Mr. V, Elizabeth: he is a professional. Sex, and intercourse specifically, is part of his work. If you let yourself fixate on him personally, you'll be disappointed, although the instructors and counselors know how to help you through that. "But if you can take these feelings of wanting to please Mr. V and turn them into a general desire to please all your patrons, then that will eventually ripen into a general desire to serve all the people those patrons represent, and that would be a positive result. "I did forget to tell you about the supplies. The drawers in each crib are supplied with lube, and a selection of toys: usually vibrators, prostate massagers and cock rings, sometimes other things, depending. There's usually a wedge pillow, and there's a blanket if you want to use this room to rest, although most women find the lounge more restful; there's are blankets and vibrators in the closet there, too. When you're done in here, leave out anything you've used so that housekeeping knows to clean and replace it. They clean in the cribs between every assignment, but not the lounges; if you leave the lounge unready for the next woman, press the button for housekeeping before you go. There's a hamper in the closet for your robes. "So that's the end of the orientation. I hope you feel prepared to begin fulfilling your service obligation. We'll need to clean this room for the next appointment at 12:45: until then I'd encourage you to stay and use this time to get used to seeing and being seen in just your service robe, and to discuss your experiences. When you're done with that, feel free to use the shower or the whirlpool bath in the lounge. Security will buzz you when time is about up. If the door between the crib and lounge closes, remember today's code to open it is 2701: please press the Finished button in the lounge before you leave. "I'll leave you now, but if you'd like to talk with me or a counselor, or want information on further instruction, you can come to the Service Office and we're happy to help. Thanks for coming to orientation, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your service.” To be continued in part 4, by oolonroosevelt for Literotica

An orientation to the obligations of Sexual Equity. In 4 parts, by oolonroosevelt. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Forward: About New Dorset. New Dorset is an island, and nation-state, in the northeast Pacific. Located 450 km southwest of the Baja California peninsula, it is the largest territory (other than Antarctica) to have no native population when first discovered by Europeans. It was first discovered in 1533 by Spanish explorers, but no Spanish presence was ever established, and it was disputed between Spain and Britain until Spain withdrew its claim in 1815. It was colonized by the British beginning in the early 1800s, and given its independence along with other British dominions in 1931. [[MORE]] New Dorset is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government, with a constitution in broad terms similar to that of the United Kingdom and many former British colonies, but governed under the unique principles of Sexual Equity. New Dorset has 8,671,074 inhabitants. and the capitol is Dorchester. The Duchies, or provinces are: Bathurst, whose capitol is also Dorchester, has 832,092. Wilmot-Horton, whose capitol is Portsmouth, has 2.046,189. Goderich, whose capitol is Poole, has 1,100,280. Deltaland, whose capitol is Stafford, has 1,195,146. Alicia, whose capitol is Taylorville, has 1,024,764. Helenia, whose capitol is Jenkins, has 1,040,141. Louisia, whose capitol is Kibblewhite, has 537,428. Beatricia, whose capitol is Packman, has 895,034. Orientation begins: Twelve women in the their twenties and thirties, dressed in pantsuits or blazers and skirts, file in to the conference room and sit around the table. At first, they talk of their journeys here to the capital; soon he discussion turns to constituency office staffing and committee assignments. Finally an older woman, about fifty, comes in, wearing a “State Service Office” badge on a lanyard. “Hello. Welcome to State Service Orientation. I'm Rebecca Upston, the Parliamentary Commissioner for State Service. Angela, who usually does new officeholder orientation, is off today, so you get me; I'm the head of the program. Thanks for coming on time. I know this seems uncomfortable and frightful for some of you, but don't worry, for almost everyone orientation, and service generally, turns out to be a good experience. Can you introduce yourselves? Just first names here. You can call me Rebecca.” They go around the room, and each says her name. Rebecca makes a point of repeating them back. “Georgia.” “Eva.” “Lucy.” “Holly.” “Bella.” “Brooke.” “Samantha.” “Jasmine.” “Sophie.” “Madison.” “Summer.” “Elizabeth.” Rebecca says, “Great. And most of you are new members of the Legislative Assembly from; which province was it, Deltaland, right? Except Sophie, who won the federal by election in MacVicar, and Lucy, who is the newest city council member in Poole. Her election was just two days ago. Thanks for coming down so quickly. “Congratulations to all of you on running for and winning office, on being chosen to represent and lead your people. What we are here for today may not seem like it has much to do with what you do in the legislature, but you'll see that it does. “I was an MP for twelve years and on my city council for four years before that, so even before this job, I did my share of state service. A lot of women come in with ideas about service that are pretty far off, so even though we provide you with written materials, we have everyone do an in-person orientation. You've all read the ‘Your Service Obligation' booklet, right?” A series of nods. “All right. Let's begin he orientation by letting me show you through your part of the selection process. Servitrixes , that's what we call women who have a service obligation, go online each month and sign up for service room assignments. By the way, in real life nobody ever calls them ‘service rooms,' they're always called ‘cribs,' except in the paperwork. Anyway, the Service Office will send you the date each month when you're eligible to select times and places. You get a different date depending on whether you're a minister, an MP, an MLA, or what. If it's available, you're allowed to choose any crib, anywhere. Usually, you'll want to pick one near where you work, but it's up to you.” She calls the web site up on the projector and goes through a sample assignment selection process. “You pick the number of appointments you need each month for your obligation. Each appointment time lasts an hour. Ten minutes at the beginning is for preparation and fifteen at the end is for clean-up, so if you have two crib assignments in a row, you'll have a twenty-five minute break in between.” “What if we forget to sign up?” asks Georgia. “Well, you can always sign up late, and be limited to whatever crib spaces are available. We'll try to accommodate you if we can. Ultimately, it's your responsibility to make sure you can fulfil your service obligation. If you don't, you can end up before the Joint Disciplinary Committee, and ultimately lose your seat. So don't do that. Sign up early, get convenient crib assignments, do your service, and then go back and run the country. That's how service is supposed to work. All the details are on the help pages online.” “OK, so that's how you'll sign up. I want to give you a a general idea about how patrons (men who receive service) sign up too. Patrons sign up on a weekly basis instead of a monthly basis, and select their preferences from the service room assignments you've chosen. They select their preferred times and servitrixes, and the system matches them up. There are a lot more men who want to receive service than servitrixes to provide it, so there's a complicated system for building the waiting list. Patrons get priority firstly on how long they've been waiting, then on whether they live in the constituency of the woman in question, and last on whether they've received any honors – lords, knights and members of the various orders of merit all have their own priority levels.” “I thought earls and lords could get service anytime they wanted,” asked Lucy. “No, just the duke of each province and the king. Nobles get some preference, but if a regular man with no honors has been waiting longer than an earl, he will get service even if the earl has to wait. Where the honors make a difference is in whether they get their first choice of servitrix. Samantha asks, "Why do we sign up monthly when men sign up weekly?” “It just works out better that way; it allows women to establish their schedules in advance, which is especially important for women like the foreign minister, who has to make sure she squeezes in her service obligation in between foreign trips. For men, it's easier to pick appointment times closer to when they'll actually go, and weekly signups allow the waiting lists to shuffle more often, which gives a sense of progress, even if the wait isn't really any different in the long run. As long as you sign up on time for your assignments, the difference won't affect you. "Oh, one other thing you should know: if a crib isn't being used, servitrixes can sign up to use it for whatever they want; either take a friend down there, or just use the lounge to take a nap or something. Perk bookings open up at the beginning of the week, after any late assignments. "Any other questions? OK, they should be ready for us in the cribs now.” Rebecca leads the women out of the conference room and into the hall. They pause in the Grand Hall on the way to the stairs. “Parliament House is a beautiful place to work. State service reminds us of our responsibility to the citizens, but the building reminds us how glorious our country is and what a privilege it is to lead it. We who work here are fortunate, especially the MPs. State service might seem like an heavy burden at times, but it's a small price to pay. I don't regret a day of it.” They descend a stairway and travel down another hall, and come to an alcove marked Service Rooms; East, where two athletic men in their twenties are standing. “Hello, Ms. Upston.” “Hello, gentlemen,” says Rebecca. “These are two of our instructors. We don't use names for our patrons, so for now we'll just call them Mr. M and Mr. V.” They exchange a round of greetings. Rebecca addresses a woman in a security uniform sitting behind a glass window in the back of the alcove. “Hi, Harper,” says Rebecca. “Harper here is our first line of security. We know you are in a vulnerable position with you don't know, so we take security very seriously at the Service Office, especially here at Parliament House. We show you this side during orientation so you can feel confident in your safety. You've all gone through body scanners to get into Parliament House. Security's even tighter down here. No man can get into the cribs until the guard gives them a key and buzzes them in. Harper, can you check in Mr. M and Mr. V?” Harper checks their IDs and then passes two plastic rings through the window, and the two men each take one. Mr. M puts the ring on a finger, then presses the ring to a badge reader next to a door; Harper presses a button and the door opens. A short hallway is visible, with another door at the other end. Rebecca says, “The door opens only when guard buzzes the doors at the same time the key is used. Every entrance and exit to the cribs is protected by a set of double doors, which can't open at the same time, so nobody can sneak through.” Mr. M leads the others through the hallway, and they find themselves in a room with a bench, a row of lockers, and a stack of what look like towels on a shelf above a hamper. There are doors marked To Exit and Washroom/Showers, and a hallway marked To Service Rooms. Rebecca says “There are twenty cribs in Parliament House: seven in the south wing, ten in the west wing, and this the smallest set, with just three. Usually all the Parliament House cribs are pretty busy. Backbench MPs usually do service in Parliament House, as do ministers of the major departments like the Foreign Ministry and Defense, since those offices don't have their own cribs. Ministers whose offices are in the North and South Executive Buildings generally use the cribs there. "This is the locker room for the east cribs. Men can't take anything into the cribs with them from the outside, anything at all. No clothes, no jewelry, nothing except their ring key. They have to take off everything and leave it here. Gentlemen, will you demonstrate?” The instructors remove their shoes, pants, and shirts and put them in lockers. Mr. V removes a gold chain from around his neck; Mr. M removes a piercing from his ear, a gold ring from his finger, and a wristwatch. All go in the lockers. Finally, they remove their underwear, and turn around, facing the officeholders totally nude except for the plastic ring keys on their fingers. Rebecca says, “Please, take a good look,” and the two instructors pause as the women examine them.. A few titters escape the women's mouths. Rebecca says, “We always get a few gigglers here at orientation. But you'll have to get used to seeing men like this. We'll talk more about that later. First, let's finish seeing security. Meanwhile, Mr. M takes one of the cloths that look like towels. "These wraps are all patrons are allowed to wear,” he says. “It's not much, but having something makes most of us more comfortable while we wait.” He puts it around his lower torso and presses it closed. “There's no pockets or anything, so you can see why the keys are made like rings; we don't have to worry about losing them. We need the ring to open our locker and get our clothes after service.” Mr. V also takes a wrap and puts it on. They continue on into the hallway marked To Waiting Room. In the hallway is another security checkpoint with a fullbody scanner, with entry and exit doors; a male security officer stands behind a glass wall. Rebecca says, “We're always extra careful. We know you're in the public eye and we don't want anything to happen to any of you. So we have another checkpoint here. Lucas here does a visual inspection, and then the scanner verifies that the man has left absolutely everything in the locker room.” The scanner door opens, Mr. M steps inside, and the door closes behind him. Lucas says, “Please remove your wrap, sir.” Mr. M does, and the guard makes a point of examining him thoroughly. “You may put it back now, sir,” says Lucas. Mr. M does so, and then Lucas operates the scanner, which is silent. “Thank you, sir,” says Lucas, and the rear scanner door opens. Mr. M goes through the door, and it closes behind him. Lucas goes through the same procedure with Mr. V. Rebecca says, “Only patrons are allowed in the waiting room, so we will be heading out now.” Bella says, “Is there something special in the waiting room that we can't see?” “Yes, actually. Official portraits. At one point, it was decided that the old practice of displaying portraits of past and present ministers and officers of Parliament was one of the honors women would renounce. Instead, it was decided that official portraits would be made in the act of giving service, and they would be displayed in the waiting rooms to help patrons get in the proper mood.” Lucy is alarmed. “But they said service was private, that nobody got to see us.” “Well, nobody gets to see except the patrons. This is why you're not allowed in there. The waiting room is highly restricted. Nobody is ever allowed in except men waiting for service. Even I've never seen any of the official portraits except my own.” Sophie says, “I'd like to know about that.” Rebecca laughs. “Maybe later. Anyway, don't worry, only ministers and a few others are required to have their portraits posted, and in any case only the men actually waiting for service can see them. We can have no expectation of privacy from our patrons. And the portraits do an important job, of helping patrons get themselves ready for what is about to happen. It's just another kind of service.” “Anyway, when the woman in the crib signals that she's ready to begin, there will be an announcement in the waiting room. The man then uses his key to access the hallway that leads to the crib, and then the crib itself. The main security office has a door to the hall, to come if you call, and the hall is also used by housekeeping staff who wipe up and change the linens after every appointment. "For now, our instructors will stay in the waiting room while we go around to the women's entrance.” Rebecca leads the women out through the locker room and a series of hallways with doors back to the service room entrance alcove. She counts the women, and says “Harper, we're all clear.” Rebeca leads the women back to the stairwell. “We actually have to go up and over to get to the women's entrances. We don't want any mistakes.” Lucy asks, “Are all cribs this secure?” “Well, mostly. No matter what, we always have separate men's and women's entrances, and there's always a guard on the men's side who makes sure patrons can't bring anything inside, monitors who enters the cribs, and who is there to help if called. But all security is stronger for our national leaders. The truth is that we've never had a problem where somebody who wasn't supposed to be in a crib tried to get in to hurt someone, not even here in the capital.” Rebecca leads them up the stairs, back through a set of hallways, and down another stairway. At the bottom, a woman in a security uniform sits at a counter, behind another glass window with a locked door. Rebecca says, “Matilda here will check your IDs and buzz you in.” Matilda checks each ID before allowing the group through another set of double doors into another hallway, this one with doors labeled E1 through E3. Rebecca says, “We're going to do most of the rest of orientation in E1, but that's an extra-large crib we use for orientations and other special occasions. Before we go there, I want to show you E2, which is a regular crib. The first room is your lounge, where you can freshen up. There's a small washroom with a toilet and shower, and an area where you can rest and change clothes. Then after that is the crib itself, which has a bed, a chair, and a stool. I'll explain that in a bit, but go on into E2 and see what it's like.” Rebecca opens the door with her badge. Each goes into E2 and looks around. The lounge has an area rug covering most of the floor, a daybed and a small clothes closet with a mirror on the door. The washroom is small but well stocked with toiletries. Next to the door to the crib is wall decoration reading “Happiness / Gratitude / Humility” and a small whiteboard marked “Today's code: 2701”. Inside the crib is a full-size bed, made up with just a fitted sheet. It's pressed up against the wall on one side, and on the other side there's a low chest of drawers. Across from it there's also a chair with a seat raised off the ground, and a very low stool in front of it. This room has a rug on the floor also. On the far wall is a door marked Men's Exit. Next to the door back to the lounge there are some pushbuttons and a keypad. After each has a look, Rebecca reaches into the E2 lounge, presses a button on the wall marked Finished, and exits the room, closing the E2 door behind her. Then she shows the officeholders into E1. The lounge here is similar, but much larger, with two couches and a large closet, and mirrors lining the walls; the washroom has a toilet and shower but also a whirlpool bath. It has the same decoration and whiteboard next to the crib door. Rebecca says, “This is the biggest crib we have, which is why we use it for orientation: there's no way this many women could fit in E2. At the same time, E2 is much more like the cribs you'll be using. This room is booked up quickly. "Now is when you will be first introduced to what State Service is really like. The first step is to change your clothes. You should remove everything: clothes, jewelry, hair bands, whatever you have on, and put on a service robe. Let me know if your robe is too long; it shouldn't go down to your knees.” She opens the closet and hands each woman a garment bag and a thigh-length, very sheer robe. Eva looks at the robe and asks, “What's the point of wearing this thing? There's not even any lace. They can see everything anyway, we might as well just be naked.” Rebecca says, “Yes, Eva, it doesn't hide anything, but that's not the point of wearing this. We provide service not only in what we do but in how we look, and not only in how we look to the men but how we look to ourselves. Nudity isn't necessarily sexy; it can be pretty ordinary. We're all nude when we take baths, or change our clothes. These robes are a reminder, partially to the men but mostly to ourselves, that we are here in their service. In here, we reveal ourselves in every way, even If we wear a robe, even if we do what usually conceals. So we're more nude than nude in these. And before you ask, yes I'll be wearing one too. Out there, I'm a Parliamentary Commissioner; when I come in here, I'm a woman providing service, like any of you. Counselors and managers in the Service Office are the only women other than elected officials who have a citizen service obligation. "So, please place your clothes in the garment bags; we'll put them in the closet.” Each of the women begins to remove her clothes and place them in the garment bag. As they do, Rebecca says, “Don't be shy about looking at each other. Servitrixes need to get used to being looked at.” Each woman puts on her very thin and sheer robe, and hangs the bag in the closet. “Sophie, your robe is a little long; can you exchange with Bella? You don't want it to get caught on your knees.” They exchange robes. Rebecca says, “We're going to do an exercise to help get in the proper mindset. This room is just large enough for you all to stand in a circle, facing each other. Please do that, and hold hands.” The twelve women stand in a circle, arms spread so they can hold hands, wearing nothing but the sheer robes, bodies completely visible; Rebecca wears the same but stands outside the circle. “OK, now I want you to close your eyes,” says Rebecca. “OK? Good. I want you to think about the path you took to get here. You were victorious in your election campaign. You won! And now you can begin the great work you set out to do when you decided to run. Be happy in your victory, and in the opportunity you have to do good. But remember the many other people who worked to get you here, who gave you their time, money, and resources, and who cheered you up when thinks looked bad and were there to celebrate with you at the end. Remember also the many people who raised you from a child and taught you what you needed to know. Be grateful to them. Also, remember that the reason you are here is because the voters chose you to be here. For all you did to get here, it was they, not you, who made the decision. And they have put their faith in you, entrusted you with power over their lives, with the responsibility to represent them to the greater commonwealth. Be humble when facing the great challenges before you and when thinking of the great trust placed in you. "Before opening your eyes, concentrate on feeling happy, grateful, and humble. "Now open your eyes. Look at the other women in the circle. Those are the other women who won their elections, who succeeded, just like you. They are happy: smile at them and see them smile back at you. And they are also grateful to those who supported them and humble before the great work in front of them. That is what women who are entrusted with leadership look like. And you are one of them. "These women are in this room, revealing themselves, baring all, more nude than nude. Look closely at them – at their heads, faces, necks, arms, breasts, nipples, bellies, hips, mounds, pussies, thighs, legs, feet. These women show all of themselves, and will hold nothing of themselves back, because that will keep faith with the people who supported and chose them. And you are one of them. "Each woman you're looking at will use her body to serve men by offering herself for their pleasure. And all are happy to do it. Smile again, and see them smile again in return. They are happy for the opportunity to prove their loyalty, grateful to the men they serve for that opportunity, and humble before the men who symbolize all those who have trusted them with leadership. And you are one of them.” Rebecca steps into the center of the circle. “For just a moment, I want you to look directly at me. You can see I'm not a young woman. Even though I take pretty good care of myself, still, my breasts sag and my belly droops. But I also am humble, and grateful, and happy to keep faith with those who entrusted me with my duties. And so I serve men. And I promise you, when I go in to give service, men aren't focused on any imperfections in my body. What men see is a woman who is prepared to give completely of herself to them, to serve them, for their pleasure. "Now I want you to let go of each other's hands, and turn to face one of the mirrors with your hands at your sides Take a good look at yourself. Some of you may be hard on yourselves, thinking you don't look as good as the others. Others of you may take pride in your appearance. But your appearance really is not important. What matters is your ability to open yourself, reveal yourself, humbly give of yourself to service. "Think about what you are when you're here. Outside this room you may be a professional, a scholar, a leader, a powerful person ready to govern the country. But in here, when you reveal yourself, uncover yourself, you're a woman, humbly serving a man by using your body to give him the pleasure he desires, in order to keep faith with your people. Remember that. Take a good look at the woman who will be serving that man. You won't ever know who the men are who come to you for pleasure, who will find fulfillment in your body: your mouth, your breasts, your ass, your pussy… It doesn't matter. He's a man, and you're a woman, and you're here to serve him, whoever he is. You are humble to have been chosen by those who sent you here, and you are grateful to have the opportunity to show that their trust is justified, and happy to be able to do that by serving that man, giving all of yourself to give him pleasure. Look at that humble, grateful, happy woman.” After a few more seconds of staring, Rebecca says “Thank you. In a minute we'll go into the crib. See the code by the door? You'll need to remember it. You type that code on the keypad inside the crib to open the door to come back here again. If you type anything else security comes.” “Ok, follow me into the crib.” To be continued in part 3, the crib, by oolonroosevelt for Literotica

When an MLA talk-sings a song in the Legislative Assembly...this show has a responsibility to undertake. So when Yellowknife Deputy Mayor Garett Cochrane follows suit during a council meeting...well, you all know what's coming.

In February 2020, Nayib Bukele's dramatic entrance into the Legislative Assembly marked a turning point. Amidst his consolidation of authority, Ivette Toledo, a mother searching for her missing children, makes a courageous defiance against a system that revictimizes her search and her children. This symbolizes a pivotal moment in El Salvador's history, where the voice of the oppressed begins to challenge the grip of power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.Greetings, all you intrepid Herle Burly-ites! Great day on the pod because we've got a Premier in the house! And not just a run of the mill, pick-any-one-of-10 Provincial Premiers … but one whose voice represents a part of the country I've long wanted to learn more about myself.Premier R.J. Simpson of the Northwest Territories is our guest today!Premier Simpson is a lawyer by training. He was first elected in 2015, representing Hay River North, to the 18th Legislative Assembly. Acclaimed for a 2nd term in 2019, Mr. Simpson served in Cabinet as Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Minister of Justice, and Government House Leader. Just last December, after winning re-election a 3rd time, he was chosen by his MLA colleagues to serve as the 14th Premier of the Government of Northwest Territories.So today, a primer of sorts on the Northwest Territories. What are its key issues? Provincial and Territorial distinctions? What are the key components of, and health of, the economy? And then, the Territories' relationship with the Feds. What does the Federal government do, or not do, for the Northwest Territories. How relevant is the national debate to the region? Finally, we'll get the Premier's take on most of the major contemporary issues: Climate Action and the Carbon Tax. Healthcare. Affordability and Housing. Education and Reconciliation.Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

Alex Pierson speaks with Selina Robinson, Member of the Legislative Assembly, Former B.C. minister of post-secondary education, who recently resigned from the B.C. NDP caucus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode focuses on the relationships that underlie the buying and selling of food (and wine), including the ways in which trust is built up through exchange and communication. We start off with some sounds of feedback—but not the awful screechy kind. That's followed by conversations with Nicolas Fabien-Ouellet of the Montreal Public Markets and Tania Perreault, from the wine bar L'aPéro Buvette. (This conversation is in French—see transcript for English translation.) Both talk about the relationships, cycles, and feedback that make their businesses thrive, while also keeping the commercial aspect as humanistic as possible. The ‘Stick This in Your Mouth' segment gets pretty cheesy, as David and Maxime do some dances with dairy, and this episode's Food Questionnaire respondent is politician and environmental champion, the Honorable Sheila Malcolmson.Guests:Nicolas Fabien-Ouellet is the Director General of the Marchés publics de Montréal, a network that includes the Jean-Talon, Atwater, and Maisonneuve food markets, as well as six neighbourhood markets and three Solidarity markets in Montreal. He earned his master degree in Food Systems from the University of Vermont in 2017, and is the author of several articles, including “Poutine Dynamics,” a socio-political examination of the iconic québécois dish.Tania Perreault is an interior designer and co-owner/operator, with her partner Melisande Lefebvre, of l'aPéro Buvette, a natural wine bar in Montreal. During the day, the space doubles as Tania's design studio and office, Pero studio.Sheila Malcolmson was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada (for Nanaimo, BC) in 2019. Her work has included improving mental-health services and addressing the ongoing toxic drug crisis, as well as protecting the environment and clean up coastal waters. Previously, she served as a federal member of the Canadian parliament for Nanaimo-Ladysmith in BC. As an MP, she was a leading advocate for solutions to vessel abandonment, oil spill prevention and women's equality. Sheila lives on Gabriola Island with her partner, Howard.Host/Producer: David SzantoMusic: Story ModeStock media: soundsvisual / Pond5@makingamealpodcastmakingamealofit.com

Ontario Canada's government is all in on nuclear technology as it stakes out a global leadership position in small modular reactors (SMRs). In this episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg talks with Todd Smith who is the Ontario Energy Minister.Rapid population and economic growth, coupled with the province's long reliance on nuclear technology, prompted its decision to pursue SMRs. “We felt very comfortable in moving forward with the technology we'd chosen which is a 300-megawatt boiling water reactor from GE Hitachi,” said Smith. “We're partnering with U.S. Technologies on this and other U.S. and international partners to develop the first-of-the-kind SMR, small modular reactor, here in Ontario.”“It's baseload power, it's there when you need it, it's there and able to be relied on 365 days a year.”The province expects to add five million residents over the next decade.“That's going to require a lot of electricity.” Todd Smith has been the Ontario Energy Minister since June of 2021. Smith has served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for more than a decade. He is a graduate of Loyalist College.

The Alberta Premier has a UCP leadership election this year, and apparently she needs transphobic voter support more than she cares about keeping the government out of classrooms and kids' pronouns. And invitations for Nazis, cancellations for Jews - we analyze the shameful takedown of NDP MLA Selina Robinson and try to figure out where exactly the line for cancellable offence is.Correction (Feb. 8, 2024): This episode originally described Susan Kim as a member of British Columbia's Legislative Assembly, suggested that Premier David Eby allowed her to continue in her role after she apologized for casting doubt on the use of sexual violence by Hamas. Kim is in fact a Victoria city councillor who added her name to a late-October open letter that made reference to “the unverified accusation that Palestinians were guilty of sexual violence.” While Municipal Affairs Minister Anne Kang called on Kim to apologize (which she subsequently did), and declined to call for Kim's resignation, Premier Eby himself did not weigh in.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: Jess Schmidt (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)Guest: Rachel Matlow Further reading: Danielle Smith's “Preserving Choice for Children and Youth” announcement video on XOpinion: Danielle Smith's sex-ed policy changes are putting all Alberta teenagers at risk - John Ibbitson, The Globe and MailThe influence of conventions in the SCC's decision re: Ford's ministerial mandate letters - Emmett MacfarlaneJoni Mitchell performs at Grammys, 50 years after 1st win - CBC News Sponsors: Douglas, Squarespace, Ecojustice, oxio, Article, Athletic Greens, BetterHelp, Canva, Peloton If you value this podcast, Support us! You'll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You'll also get our exclusive newsletter, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you'll be a part of the solution to Canada's journalism crisis, you'll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody. You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we talk about Bukele, Naboa, and the war on gangs.We also discuss emergency powers, authoritarianism, and the cocaine trade.Recommended Book: Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-StaceTranscriptNayib Bukele is the 43rd president of El Salvador, and he's an unusual leader for the country in that he's young—born in 1981, so just 42 years old, as of the day I'm recording this—and in that he's incredibly popular, having maintained an approval rating of around 90% essentially since he stepped into the presidency back in 2019.He's also unusual, though, for his policies.He has, for instance, made the crypto-asset Bitcoin legal tender in the country, buying up a bunch of them using government funds, developing a crypto wallet for citizens to use for storing and paying for things with their own digital assets, and he even announced the construction of what he called a bitcoin city, which would be built at the base of a volcano and would use geothermal energy to mine bitcoin, which basically means powering a bunch of powerful computers using the energy produced by the geothermal activity in that region.That gamble hasn't turned out as planned—Bitcoin has experienced a resurgence in recent months as some governments have passed somewhat favorable policies, including the SEC's recent decision to allow the sale of Bitcoin ETFs to everyday investors in the US—but he bought into the asset when the prices were high and lost a lot of the government's money on the gamble; it was estimated in late 2023 that El Salvador has lost something like 37% of the money it invested in this way, equivalent to around $45 million; though that's based on external estimates as the country doesn't provide transparent figures on this matter, so it could be more or less than that.Bukele has also caused a stir with his freewheeling approach to politics, which some local and international organizations have labeled authoritarian, as he's shown no compunction about trampling democratic norms in order to get things he wants done, done, and that has included sending soldiers into the Legislative Assembly to pressure them into approving a loan necessary to militarize the National Civil Police force, he and his party booted the Supreme Court's justices and the country's attorney general in an act that has been described as an autogolpe, or self-coup, a move by which the president takes full authoritarian control of his country while in power, he instigated widespread arrests and allowed all sorts of police abuses during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, and he and his party have been accused of all manners of corruption—though the attorney general who was investigating twenty such instances of corruption was fired, as I mentioned, so there's no longer any watchdog in the country keeping tabs on him and his cronies as they seemingly grab what they can— and that's led to a shift in the country's corruption perception index ranking, dropping it to 116 out of 180 ranked countries in 2022, with a score of 33 out of 100, higher being better on that latter figure; for comparison, that puts it on equal footing, according to this index's metrics, with Algeria, Angola, Mongolia, the Philippines, Ukraine, and Zambia.All of which is to say, after taking control of El Salvador, Bukele has rapidly reinforced his position, grabbing more of the reins of power for himself and firing or disempowering anyone who might be in the position to challenge the increasingly absolute power he wields.Despite all this, as I mentioned, though, he is incredibly popular, and the primary reason for this popularity seems to be that he has aggressively gone after gangs, and that has apparently dropped the homicide rate in the country precipitously, from around 103 murders per 100,000 people in 2015 down to just 17.6 per 100,000 in 2021; and the government has said it fell still further, down to half that 2021 that number, in 2022.So while there's reason to question the accuracy of some of these numbers, because of the nature of the government providing them, the reality on the ground for many El Salvadorans is apparently different enough, in terms of safety and security and fear, that everyone more or less just tolerates the rapid rise of a 40-something dictator because he's a dictator who is killing or jailing the bad guys who, until he came into power, functioned as a second, even more corrupt and violent government-scale power in the country.This crackdown has come with its own downsides, if you care about human rights anyway, as there are abundant allegations that Bukele's government is using this war against the gangs as an excuse to scoop up political rivals and other folks who might challenge his position, as well—basically, some of the killed and imprisoned people aren't actually gang members, but because of the scale of the operation, this is overshadowed by all the actual gang members who are also arrested.This effort has rapidly earned El Salvador the distinction of having one of the largest prisons in the world, which holds about 40,000 prisoners; a necessary investment because, as of early January 2024, more than 75,000 people who have been accused of having gang connections have been arrested as part of this effort, and as of 2023, El Salvador had the highest incarceration rate in the world, arresting people three-times as fast as the also notoriously arrest-happy United States.What I'd like to talk about today is a recent series of happenings in Ecuador, and why some analysts are wondering if this might point at a spread of Bukele's approach to dealing with gangs—with all its associated pros and cons.—In November of 2023, Ecuadorians elected a 36-year-old president named Daniel Naboa who ran on a promise to reform the country's prisons, which have in recent years become vital to the country's gang-run drug trade.In 2016 the government of Colombia signed a peace deal with the FARC, a guerrilla group that was at fighting odds with the government for more than 50 years, and that led to a period of relative stability in Colombia, but led to the opposite in Ecuador, which until that moment had been fairly peaceful, most of the gang stuff happening in neighboring Colombia.But the FARC entering a state of peace and the consequent end of their de facto monopoly on cocaine trafficking from Colombia into Ecuador, where a lot of the drug is shipped around the world from Ecuadorian ports, caused a flare-up in violence as local, previously connected but relatively small groups, rose up to fill the power-vacuum.So Mexican and Colombian cartels and the Albanian mafia and other local gangs that were tied to various aspects of the FARC-led cocaine network in the region were all suddenly scrambling to grab what they could grab, and Ecuador's road infrastructure, its use of the US dollar as its official currency, and its lack of visa requirements for foreign nationals made it a highly desirable location for building out assets for producing and shipping drugs, especially cocaine, globally.The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and a drop in oil prices, oil being Ecuador's main legal export, amplified this rush, as a slew of now job-less and prospect-less young people were funneled into various gangs, these gangs being the only real economic opportunities in town, and over the past few years this has created a state of near-constant inter-gang warfare, which in turn sparked a series of prison massacres in 2020 carried out by competing gangs.In the wake of those massacres, gangs more or less took over about a fourth of the country's prisons, using them as bases of operation for their drug- and inter-gang-warfare related efforts.The country's president from 2007 through 2017 did a pretty good job of keeping gang activity in Ecuador to a minimum by basically allowing gangs to become cultural institutions and leaving them alone, so long as they stopped with all the violence. But this hands-off policy was part of why the government was unprepared when things went sideways beginning in 2016 and even more so in 2020.Ecuador's social safety net fell apart in the wake of that peaceful coexistence period, as well, and organized crime was able to accumulate more wealth and influence than the government in many regards, because of how lucrative the drug trade was becoming, which allowed it to fill in some of the blanks left by those diminished safety nets and the government's new austerity policies.This also allowed them to insinuate themselves throughout the government, grabbing control of some of the country's mega prisons, but also a whole lot of military-grade weaponry and people in positions of power throughout the justice system.Entire regional governments have been captured by local gang leaders, a whole generation of youths has been incorporated into their ranks, and though the previous president, before Naboa, seemed to understand the growing issue with gangs in the country, he was unable to do much to fight them and his meager efforts in that direction were defeated before they could be implemented: possibly, allegedly at least, because some members of his inner-circle were co-opted by the Albanian mafia and other local gangs.So Naboa coming into power was both a big deal and not a big deal: big in that he seems keen to do something about these gangs and their violence from the get-go, but less big in that other politicians have tried and failed to do the same, and there's a good chance his efforts will fail just as completely as those that came before.Then, in the wake of Naboa's formal ascension into office, during which he reiterated his vow to respond to the threat of these gangs with violence is necessary, and following several months of political assassinations, the blowing up of bridges and the killing and kidnapping of prison guards and police officers, on January 7, 2024 a drug lord nicknamed Fito who leads the Los Choneros gang escaped from prison, ostensibly because of Naboa's intended prison reforms, and the fact that until this point he'd been sort of running his gang from the prison where he was technically detained.A series of riots shook-up prisons across the country, a bunch of guards were taken hostage and a bunch of other inmates escaped, as well. Some more bombs went off, too, creating a general sense of carnage across Ecuador.President Naboa announced that the country was now in a state of internal armed conflict, sent the military into the streets and the prisons to search for Fito and to reestablish order, and 22 gangs were officially classified as terrorist organizations.A few days later, on January 9, a group of masked, gun-wielding men attacked a local TV station and broadcast, live, their taking the station staff hostage, telling viewers that they were doing so because the government was trying to mess with the mafias.The government announced they arrested 13 suspects in that TV station attack, and that they freed those and other hostages that were taken across the country, but the big outcome of that attack and that general carnage that surrounded it is that Naboa announced a state of emergency and a declaration of war on the gangs operating in the country.This state of emergency is scheduled to last for 60 days, and grants the government additional, temporary powers meant to help them combat heavily armed and well-connected gangs.But there's some concern that this temporary suspension of some people's rights and the ability to go hard and brutal against these gangs, bringing the full force of the country's police and military to bear against them, might end up being less of a temporary thing and more of an initial justification for a new status quo in which the government wields more, and more absolute power so they can do difficult things, but at the expense of human rights in the country.And folks worry about this because something similar was done, and seems to have worked really well, by some measures at least, in El Salvador.Officials from across the political spectrum, far-left to far-right and everything in between, from Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, and Chile have publicly expressed admiration for the model that's working, for some value of "working," in El Salvador, at times suggesting or outright saying they would like or intend to replicate the so-called "Bukele Plan" in their own countries.The sense here, amongst some analysts who know the region and the players well, is that the popularity Bukele enjoys is desirable for politicians, and so far it's the only proven way to deal with gangs that are this powerful: you have to grab all the power, do away with human rights, and basically just go completely sociopathic against them, giving everyone the sense that the government is the biggest and most violent beast around, not the gangs, and anyone who steps out against the government will be killed or imprisoned for doing so.This sort of approach, of course, often leads to what's sometimes euphemistically called "democratic backsliding," and in this case what's sometimes called "hustle-bro populism" serves as a foot in the door toward outright dictatorial, if very popular rule.And there's no shortage of concern from the international community, in particular, but also political opposition within these countries, that the presence of strongman leaders, no matter how popular they are, will degrade the rule of law and democratic norms in these countries, which in turn often leads to corruption, more violence—justified by gesturing at the common enemy of the people, in this case, at this moment, the gangs—and that then goes on to justify all sorts of other abuses, as well.The big issue here, though, is that most of the other attempts to control this gang problem in South and Central America—which in this part of the world is fueled by the drug trade, and thus, secondarily, by wealthier countries—those attempts haven't worked. And this approach, though flawed in many ways, does seem to work.And people living in El Salvador, thus far at least, seem to be willing to suffer those negative consequences if it will make their day to day lives less dangerous and violence-prone.What we're seeing in this relative success of what we might think of as an illiberal democratic model in Central America, then, isn't the traditional issue of a populism-powered, corrupt politician grabbing control, because not having a powerful and popular dictator who's willing to use violence in this way in control would seem to be, in some ways at least, worse.And that would seem to represent a failure of the many alternatives that have been tried and proposed, and the entities—including the world's many liberal democracies—that continue to support them.There's a chance these not-uncommon variables and outcomes spark a wave of Bukele lookalikes through Latin America, then, though it's also possible that Bukele's own antics will catch up with him, and he, like many authoritarians throughout history, will crumble under his own weight and ambition before his movement can expand and really take off.It may also be that this model isn't replicable, is an El Salvador-specific thing, or that politicians like Naboa will figure out a way to make use the concept on a temporary basis, serving as a more traditional version of the dictator, taking on more power in order to put the whammy on the gangs, but then beneficently stepping aside, handing that power back in order to reassert the primacy of democracy; it's not a common outcome, but it's possible.There's no way to know which way things will go yet, but we'll probably have a better sense in a few months, when this state of emergency in Ecuador is set to lapse, and other leaders throughout the region will have had the chance to assess the benefits of a shorter-term play, and will thus have a more complete sense of how to structure their platform and pitch for the many elections being held throughout the region in 2024.Show Noteshttps://www.cfr.org/blog/surge-crime-and-violence-has-ecuador-reelinghttps://www.americasquarterly.org/article/ecuadors-crisis-a-long-road-ahead/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadoran_gang_crackdownhttps://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/incarceration-rates-by-countryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nayib_Bukelehttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/7/could-el-salvadors-gang-crackdown-spread-across-latin-americahttps://archive.ph/49KLphttps://www.democratic-erosion.com/2022/10/14/el-salvador-is-objectively-becoming-safer-but-at-what-cost-to-democracy/https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/nayib-bukeles-growing-list-of-latin-american-admirers/https://archive.ph/S78X5https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/10/ecuadors-narco-gang-violence-a-timeline-of-the-recent-crisishttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/14/ecuador-prison-staff-held-hostage-by-inmates-all-freedhttps://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ecuador-cracks-down-prisons-restore-order-after-hostage-crisis-2024-01-14/https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-02/two-years-of-bitcoin-in-bukeles-el-salvador-an-opaque-experiment-with-a-little-used-currency.htmlhttps://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022 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Article: https://www.realnewsnow.com/reporter-to-hunter-what-kind-of-crack-do-you-normally-smoke-mr-biden/ Hunter Biden, son of US President, Joe Biden, unexpectedly showed up in the nation's legislative halls on a recent Wednesday, culminating in a flurry of activity as journalists flocked around him. It happened during a House Oversight Committee assembly, where his appearance quickly became the day's breaking news. His abrupt decision to leave the facility post-event saw a frenzy of inquiries being hurled towards him, as news specialists scrambled to garner a reaction. Hunter's legal counsel, Abbe Lowell, endeavored to bring a sense of calm among the crowd, assuring them that his client would address their queries, should they provide him the space to speak on his behalf. The melodrama was palpable amid the crowd of reporters, each trying to outdo the other in terms of securing the prized response from the star of the day, Mr. Biden himself. As can be expected, the Oversight Committee assembly was equally intense, with frayed tempers and soaring passions evident at nearly every turn. Representative Nancy Mace of North Carolina took center stage in the jousting of words between the opposing sides. Mace left no stone unturned to question the reasoning behind Hunter's sudden appearance at the hearing, asserting that his presence warranted an explanation. Amid the disagreement ensuing from her dialogue, Hunter's legal counsel found himself in an active spar with Mace, a testament to the unwavering determination on both ends. This tension-filled scenario saw Biden making an abrupt departure from the heated proceeding. Commenting on his hasty exit, Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene did not mince words, prompting her to voice out her disappointment by labelling him as 'a coward'. This judgement didn't go unnoticed and resulted in a dramatic wrap-up as Greene continued her commentary on Biden's sudden vacating of the venue. Her stern words resonated with her fellow conservative audience, demonstrating her commitment to her values and political stance. Throughout the dramatic proceedings of the hearing, there was one undeniable fact - Hunter Biden had become the focal point of the event, attracting the spotlight in a legislative assembly typically characterized by rigid decorum and measured exchanges. His unexpected presence not only stunned the assembly but also arguably turned it into an emotionally-charged discourse. Each parties' representative fiercely protected their political interests, reflecting the classic dynamics of our nation's controversial political landscape. Events like these only underline the fervor of the country's diverse political climate, where polarized views lead to fiery debate sessions and grave accusations are thrown into the mix, often leading to sensational media coverage. The dialogue on this day was a reminder of how these exchanges of viewpoints contribute to shaping nationwide discourses and inform the democratic dialogue. It served as a display of passion, commitment and also the battle of political wills that inform such discussions. Indeed, this incident focused on Hunter Biden can be seen as a microcosm of the ongoing political tension prevalent in our nation today, further highlighting the divide that exists between political ideologies. Nevertheless, one thing remains clear - that in the chaos and disparity of opinions, the process of voicing concerns and anxieties, of questioning and being questioned, remains integral to the functioning of our democracy. And so, these events, much like this recent spotlight on Hunter Biden, while stirring extensive media coverage and nationwide debates, are an inherent part of our nation's Democratic discourse, reflecting the political diversity and vibrancy alive within the United States today. Follow RNN on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealNewsNowApp/ X Twitter: https://twitter.com/realnewsapp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realnews/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@realnewsnowapp TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realnewsnowapp Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@RealNews Video: https://youtu.be/snuDM3Qssnk Real News Now PodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dear listeners, before we start today's show, a quick announcement. Today we have published the ninth episode of our podcast series, The Early Childhood Project. Indian Express in collaboration with the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF), has brought you this 10 part series where our host, Anuradha Varma speaks to experts, parents, and caregivers about the critical development of children, and how to lay the foundation for good health and learning, in later childhood and adulthood. In the latest episode, we hear from the talented actor and devoted mom, Soha Ali Khan, to discuss the unique challenges of raising children in a post-Covid world. So don't miss out on the episode, and the series which is available on our website indianexpress.com and everywhere you get your podcasts.Now, on with the show.This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It's the 19th of December and here are the headlines.49 Lok Sabha MPs, including NC leader Farooq Abdullah, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Karti Chidambaram and NCP Supriya Sule were suspended for disrupting House proceedings today. With this, a total of 141 MPs have now been suspended in this Winter session of the Parliament – 95 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha. Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm today as Opposition MPs continued their protests over their suspension and pressing for a statement from PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach. The Bombay High Court allowed an appeal filed by Gautam Navlakha. He is the accused in the Elgaar Parishad case and had challenged an order of a special NIA court which rejected his bail application in April this year. On the request of NIA, the HC stayed implementation of its order by three weeks for central agency to approach the Supreme Court. Navlakha, who was arrested on April 14, 2020, has been incarcerated since then; and has been under house arrest in Navi Mumbai since Supreme Court order of November last year. The first session of the 16th Madhya Pradesh Assembly witnessed controversy regarding a portrait of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru being replaced with that of Dr B R Ambedkar. Congress leaders said that while installing an Ambedkar portrait was a welcome move, the removal of Nehru's amounted to a “conspiracy of the BJP to change history”. Government officials said the portrait had been removed because it was in bad condition, and that later it was decided to install an Ambedkar portrait there.Former chief minister of Chhattisgarh Raman Singh was elected as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly today. Outgoing speaker and present Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant moved the proposal for the election of Singh as the Speaker and former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as well as other MLAs gave their mandate to the BJP leader.Over a 100 people have been killed in China after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck two northwestern provinces of the country Monday night. Local authorities said that as many as 105 people have been killed and 397 injured in Gansu province, while in neighbouring Qinghai province, 13 people have been killed and 182 injured.The epicentre of the quake was in Jishishan county.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

Coco and her special guest Femi Oluwole pore over the bin fire that was the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. Was Sunak strengthened or weakened by the whole HS2 fiasco - and what was the thinking behind wheeling out his wife for a surprise appearance? With the likes of Braverman, Truss - and even Farage - being feted by the party faithful, Coco and Femi discuss the party's lurch to the right. Plus Femi on playing real-life Pokemon Go in Manchester…only with Tory Ministers.What's it like for the people of Northern Ireland to be without a functioning government for the last 18 months? The SDLP's Matthew O'Toole explains the real world effects of the collapse of power sharing - including on the country's drinking water. He also tells us why being in Stormont right now is like being on the set of The Shining.Plus Femi has some tips for budding activists, and reflects on the personal toll of putting himself in the firing line by calling out Brexit lies. You can find Coco and Femi's Hero and Villain of the week on our social media channels.Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukWhatsApp: 07514 644 572 (UK) or + 44 7514 644 572Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld Guests:Femi Oluwole, journalist, political commentator and content creator Matthew O'Toole, SDLP member of the Legislative Assembly for South Belfast, and Leader of the Opposition in the Northern Ireland AssemblyUseful links:Find Femi on X: @Femi_Sorry / or YouTube: FemiFind Cariuma x Lovett Or Leave It at crooked.com/storeAudio credits:@Femi_SorryConservatives