There has to be a story behind this Coca-Cola outfit.

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If this thread generates enough interest, I plan to add a poll on each of Trump's 10 planned changes.

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Fantastic
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The U.N. agency for Palestinian affairs said Friday it was terminating the contracts of several staff members after Israel alleged agency workers had participated in the Hamas attack Oct. 7 that left 1,200 people in Israel dead and triggered the current fighting in Gaza.

“Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution,” Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, said in a statement. He said he had ordered an investigation “to establish the truth without delay.”

UNRWA did not say how many employees had come under suspicion; the United States put the number at 12. The agency employs around 13,000 people in Gaza, where it provides food assistance, health care and education.

The State Department said it was pausing new funding for the agency while it reviewed the allegations and the steps the United Nations was taking to address them.


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Israel-Gaza war​

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The United States is UNRWA’s largest donor; Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described the agency’s mission as “essential.” Any suspension of U.S. aid, even if only contemporary, could weaken the agency’s ability to respond to what aid workers have described as dire humanitarian need. More than 93 percent of the population faces “crisis levels of hunger,” and 1.9 million people have sought refuge in UNRWA shelters.
“These shocking allegations come as more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on lifesaving assistance that the Agency has been providing since the war began,” Lazzarini said. “Anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world.”

Israel’s campaign to eradicate Hamas from Gaza has caused the deaths of more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza ministry of health. Most were civilians.


Aid officials say their personnel have been targeted while conducting lifesaving activities. One hundred and fifty-two UNRWA staffers have been killed, the agency says, and at least 357 displaced civilians have been killed while sheltering in its facilities.

The agency made the allegations, the termination of its workers and the investigation public hours after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to do more to prevent the deaths of civilians in Gaza and allow more aid into the besieged enclave.

A State Department spokesman said the United States was “extremely troubled” by the allegations and welcomed the investigation. “The United States has reached out to the Government of Israel to seek more information about these allegations, and we have briefed Members of Congress,” spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement. “We will remain in close contact with the United Nations and Government of Israel regarding this matter.”


A spokesman for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it expected an “urgent examination” of the allegations. He did not provide further information.
“It is crucial that UNRWA conducts a thorough internal investigation into the activities of Hamas operatives and other terrorist elements within its ranks to ensure that the humanitarian activities of the organization are not exploited for malicious purposes,” spokesman Lior Haiat said.

The Biden administration has been Israel’s most important ally throughout the war. It has expedited the transfer of American weapons while urging Israel to do more to limit civilian casualties. Critics of Israel’s military operation noted the timing of the U.S. statement, which arrived on a day when the ICJ’s ruling would otherwise have dominated the news from Gaza.


The U.S. has provided UNRWA with more than $1 billion total since 2021. In November, an National Security Council spokesperson said that the State Department maintained “rigorous oversight” over the agency’s policies, programs, and finances.
Risk-mitigation measures, he said, included closely monitoring the organization’s activities through partner vetting, anti-terrorism certifications, and close cooperation with Israeli authorities.
“UNRWA is an essential component to any plan that seeks to maintain stability in the region and protect civilians,” he said.

I'm back from paternity leave and coming in with some measured takes on Ohio State's victory over Iowa women's basketball. Normal column format returning next week, I hope.

***

The Hyball: In The End, It Was Still Pretty Good​

Bobby Loesch • Go Iowa Awesome
Staff Writer Edit
@bobbystompy

The Hyball is a weekly basketball column.

Listen.

You never want to lose that unblemished conference record. You never want to blow a decent-sized fourth quarter lead on the road. You hate to lose in overtime. You don't want to let your rival catch you. You don't even want your rival to think they are good enough to be considered your rival. You don't want to be on the wrong side of a court rush. You don't want to get rocked during said court rush. You don't want to maybe-flop-while-getting-rocked in said court rush.

But all of these things did happen -- and I still think things are doing pretty great.

READ MORE HERE: https://iowa.rivals.com/news/the-hyball-in-the-end-it-was-still-pretty-good

Welcome to June in January and record-shattering winter warmth in Washington.
Temperatures surged about 35 degrees above normal Friday, as highs well into the 70s to near 80 across the region, breaking records that stood for decades.

Fast, informative and written just for locals. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning.

Through early afternoon, Reagan National Airport, the official observing site for Washington, had reached at least 80 degrees, the highest observed in January since records began in 1872.

Friday’s temperature reached 80 degrees earlier than any other year by several weeks. The previous earliest 80-degree temperature in Washington occurred on Feb. 21, 2018. In an average year, Washington doesn’t post its first 80-degree high until March 28.

Because of human-caused climate change, temperatures in the 70s or higher have become much more common in recent decades in the Washington region.


The surge of warmth pushed temperatures about 45 to 50 degrees higher than a week ago when it snowed 3 to 5 inches.
Dulles International Airport also set a January record high Friday, soaring to at least 79 degrees. Records there date to 1963. Only five days ago, the airport dipped to a frigid 7 degrees amid a siege of Arctic air which has since been displaced by a surge of warmth from the Gulf of Mexico.
Then there’s the humidity. Dew points — a measure of the moisture in the air — climbed into the mid-60s, which is close to unheard of during the middle of winter.
Wednesday: D.C. area could hit 70 in January for first time in 4 years on Friday
It’s unusual to reach 70 degrees in January in our region, happening about once every few years on average. To hit 80 degrees is unprecedented.

At Reagan National Airport, the highest January temperature on record was previously 79 degrees, reached on this date in 1950.

The last time it hit at least 70 in January in the region was in 2020. Highs this warm are more probable in December and February, especially in recent decades because of the long-term increase in temperatures.

Clemson has opened an NIL complex within their football facility. Link also has an interview with their NIL Coordinator? Does IOWA have that position? That's different from the head of the Swarm Collective, I'd think.

https://clemsontigers.com/branding-institute/

Where a university reached out to the fanbase to hire coaches🤔 I’ve been on 50 plus fan boards and they pretty much ALWAYS know what’s right or wrong and yet it has never, EVER happened…..🤷‍♂️

Odd, don’t you think…..😳

A bill filed by Iowa Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate would prevent any legal challenges attempting to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment, handing the former president a victory as he faces those efforts in other states.

Trump won the Iowa caucuses last week and the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. He has faced several lawsuits and challenges to remove him from the ballot under a section of the 14th Amendment disqualifying those who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office. The decisions to remove him from the ballot in Colorado and Maine are on pause as the Supreme Court reviews the former's case.

Other states, such as Michigan, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, as well as Florida and New Hampshire, have rejected attempts or ruled against lawsuits seeking to kick him off the ballot. Some states are currently reviewing challenges.

Current Iowa law allows Iowans to challenge both primary and general election candidates' eligibility to appear on the ballot on a variety of grounds.

Pate's bill, which appeared on the Iowa legislature's website on Jan. 18, would limit the grounds for challenges to just a presidential candidate in the general election, according to the Des Moines Register. The bill has not been assigned a number or to a committee.

In Iowa, political parties must produce a certificate with the names of the presidential and vice presidential candidates to Pate's office. The new bill would restrict challenges to presidential candidates and would apply only to those whose certificates meet the legal requirements.

Pate spokeswoman Ashley Hunt said that the standing law presumes that the paperwork candidates file to run for office is valid and limits what issues are eligible for objection.

"This simply extends that same standard to all candidates explicitly," Hunt said, adding that the bill would clarify the objections process.

"To the best of our knowledge, in 2015 Mr. Trump met the constitutional requirements to be president and continues to do so," Hunt continued. "Mr. Trump has not been convicted of anything that disqualifies him to be president. This bill simply helps clarify the objection process for Iowa."

The bill would also restrict challenges to include just the candidate's age, residency, citizenship, and whether their nominating papers meet the legal requirements — effectively removing the felony ban as a grounds for disqualification for candidates running for president or Congress. Trump currently faces 91 felony charges across four legal cases at the federal and state levels.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Hunt said the Constitution lays out requirements for members of Congress and the president, so states do not have the authority to place additional requirements for running for office.

Sounds like Ladji is recovering quickly from the sprained ankle he sustained against Purdue.

Fran said this morning on a Zoom call with the media that he's progressing well, practiced yesterday and is expected to be good to go tomorrow against Michigan.

This isn't anti-semetic. In fact, Bibi doesn't give a shit about his citizens. He let his citizens get massacred. He is a power hungry person.

I don't support the government of Israel until he goes.

I see a lot of people saying it'll be Budmayr.

So, other than him -- do any names come to mind with Chryst and Philbin (per Leistikow) expected to be out of the race?

Enjoy Arizona.

In an era where eco-consciousness and fuel efficiency dominate the automotive landscape, hybrid cars have emerged as a seemingly perfect solution to address both concerns.

With promises of lower emissions, better gas mileage, and a reduced carbon footprint, it’s no wonder that hybrids have gained popularity among environmentally-minded consumers.

However, beneath the glossy exterior of these eco-friendly vehicles lies a web of complexities and trade-offs that often go unnoticed.

1. Higher Initial Investment
2. Compromised Performance
3. Increased Maintenance and Insurance Costs
4. Expensive Battery Replacement
5. Environmental Impact of Battery Production and Disposal
6. Limited Variety and Model Availability
7. Inconvenient Charging for Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs)
8. Decreased Highway Fuel Economy
9. Accelerated Value Depreciation
10. Competition from Emerging Technologies
11. Complex Repair Processes
12. Limited Driving Range in Pure Electric Mode

The long drought is over!

It's great watching these fellas Bear Down. Ed McMahon, Refrigeration Perry, Dick Dent ... what a team.

Nice to hear Marlin Perkins doing the color commentary, too.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Apparently, according to my family, I have a weird habit of not closing door and drawers, leaving them open constantly about an inch or so.

I also cannot stand anything to be crooked or out of place. It was so bad on active duty, people would constantly jack with me, slightly moving stuff on my desk to see if/when I'd notice. Our senior civilian LOVED to tilt a picture in our conference room right before a staff meeting. I'd walk in, sit down and eventually see it during the meeting. One day I interrupted the Commander to get up and straighten it. He asked what I was doing, so I pointed to Kevin and said, "Ask him." My OCD was pretty well known.

Man Josh Allen is just very good, excellent almost. Late in the game he made some really good deep throws that the receivers dropped. But the Chiefs did it to them again.

Chiefs DC Spagnola just tighteded the screws in the 4th qtr and forces punts and a big stop on a fake punt.

Did any of you see the late field goal try by the Bills that missed way right. they showed a couple of grown men but youngish who were just losing it, I mean it looked like they were crying hard. Must have bet a ton on the game.

Mahomes was a little off in the first half but he played a great 2nd half.

Chiefs at Ravens; we will see if the Chiefs offense can figure out that junk yard dog raven's defense

My wife's grandpa is a car guy in Oklahoma and I have been fortunate.

66' 327, 4 speed side pipe vette.

(I think) 70.5 definitely early 70s 396 camaro

42 Ford flathead

69 nova with a built ass 350 ( if you live in the quad it's the dude who owns the "crazy" cars "Chevy kevie" Kevin spreit.

2004(?) M5

72 c10

Uh-oh

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Great interview with Hanks on NPR's Fresh Air today. Terry Gross has such a natural talent for getting a lot out of a person. Hanks was talking about the goofy roles he played, and that just as he started to get a few credible roles he told his agent no more goofy comedies. He wanted serious stuff only. Luckily for him he got Apollo 13 right at this time.
You do see a lot of actors get typecast, but it's a rare thing to see someone like Hanks go from Bosom Buddies, Bachelor Party, and Joe Versus The Volcano to Oscar winning roles.
He talked a lot in the interview about his father's nomadic life and multiple marriages. How he had something like 10 homes in one 11 year stretch as his dad moved from woman to woman, and all the religions he was exposed to as he moved around. He had no anger towards his father, but I wondered as he spoke of how he had to be creative and entertain himself if this helped to form his acting abilities. You can find the interview on NPR's site if you want.
Can you think of other actors who made such dramatic strides as an actor?