Team Trump is hurling accusations as Georgia recount stays on track to confirm Biden’s win
– Advertisement – Donald Trump’s refusal to admit that he lost fair and square has Georgia in the middle of the largest hand recount ever in the United States. President-elect Joe Biden won the state by 14,000 votes, a much larger number than is likely to change in a recount. So far, 48 counties have finished counting, with only very minor changes. Four of the counties didn’t find even a single vote changed.The state has a deadline of 11:59 PM Wednesday for finishing the recount, which is being done county by county—with the counties stuck absorbing the cost. In DeKalb County, that cost will be $180,000. If we were talking about a couple hundred votes statewide, it would be worth spending the money, because counting every vote is important. But of 31 statewide recounts conducted in the U.S. between 2000 and 2019, just three changed the results of an election. The most famous case, of course, put Al Franken in the Senate after a recount moved him from trailing by 215 votes to winning by 225. Those numbers, though, show how big Biden’s 14,000-vote lead is when it comes to the possibility of a recount changing the result.- Advertisement – 
May 5, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – The Ivory Coast government this week confirmed the presence of H5N1 avian influenza in birds, making it at least the sixth African country confronting the virus, according to news services.Laboratory results from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) revealed that seven chickens, nine ducks, and a sparrow hawk found in Abidjan—the country’s largest city and its economic center—were infected with the H5N1 strain, according to a May 3 Agence France-Presse (AFP) report.Officials identified three separate outbreaks in different parts of the city in late April. The government had been awaiting test results from an OIE reference lab in Padua, Italy, since then.Starting next week, officials plan to slaughter all poultry sold in Abidjan, a city of 5 million people, according to AFP.The Ivory Coast ministry for animal production said that $11.7 million has been earmarked to reimburse poultry vendors and to develop a system for identifying disease-free chickens. The government also plans to improve how it informs and advises the public about avian flu.Other African countries that have confirmed H5N1 avian flu since February are Nigeria, Egypt, Niger, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso. Sudan has reported an H5 virus in birds, but H5N1 has not yet been confirmed there, according to the OIE. Egypt is the only African country with human cases so far (13 cases with 5 deaths).In related news, experts warned European countries and the United States not to let their guard down against H5N1, even though the spring bird migration from Africa appears to be waning, according to a Reuters report today.Thus far there have been no recorded cases of avian flu transmitted by migrating birds from Africa, according to the story. France, for example, reported that none of its 60 wild bird cases has come from Africa.Some European countries have begun easing bans on keeping domestic poultry outdoors.Some conservation groups, according to the Reuters article, deny that bird migration plays the major role in the spread of avian flu, saying that the international trade in poultry is more to blame.Some animal-health experts, however, contend that migration is key. Christianne Bruschke, DVM, PhD, head of the OIE avian flu task force, said, “My firm belief is that the migration of birds carries the virus over big distances.”In Indonesia, which has been criticized for not responding aggressively enough to avian flu, officials announced this week a 3-year pilot project to fight the disease in Tangerang, a municipality outside Jakarta, according to a May 4 AFP report.The idea is to apply the national plan to a local area and measure results. The $5 million project in an area of 3 million people includes bolstering epidemiologic surveillance of animals and humans, increasing poultry vaccinations, and rapidly responding to outbreaks with quarantine and movement controls, AFP reported.The project would also enhance biosecurity by restructuring the traditional “wet markets” where live birds are sold, often under unhygienic conditions, the story said.Indonesia has reported the second most human H5N1 fatalities worldwide, after Vietnam, according to World Health Organization data.
The cases in England occurred about the same time as the Scottish nursery outbreak. The English samples were received for testing between April 25 and May 4 in conjunction with cases of HUS. Typing showed the isolates to be the same, and the BBC reported that investigators from Scotland and England were working together to determine whether any common factors link the cases from the different regions. The outbreak strain grows on sorbitol-containing agar (SMAC) and does not grow on the selective media (CT-SMAC) usually used for Shiga toxinproducing E coli (STEC) O157. Thus, illness cases caused by this strain, called a sorbitol-fermenting strain, could be missed in laboratories unless other testing methods are used. Jun 8, 2006 (CIDRAP News) An unusual strain of Escherichia coli O157 that standard laboratory culture methods cannot detect has been identified in a disease outbreak associated with a nursery in Scotland and in other cases in Scotland and England, according to recent news reports. In a BBC story, Dr Cowden said, “This unusual strain reacts differently in the laboratory from other types of E coli O157, and this is why we are interested in finding out more about it. It produces the same symptoms as other strains, and our advice to reduce the possibility of becoming infected with any type of E coli remains the same.” Four unrelated adult cases of infection with the same strain have been identified elsewhere in Scotland, as have four cases in Yorkshire and the Humber region in England, according to BBC News reports. Sorbitol-fermenting Vero cytotoxin-producing E coli O157 (VTEC O157). CDR Weekly 2006 May 25;16(21) [Full text of the issue] UK health authorities have issued revised guidelines to laboratories and specialists to address possible cases involving this strain, according to a report in the May 25 Communicable Disease Report Weekly, published by the UK Health Protection Agency. They recommend that when clinical symptoms suggest STEC, especially in children younger than 15 years and adults 65 or older, and presumptive sorbitol-nonfermenting E coli O157 colonies are not observed on SMAC or CT-SMAC, then sorbitol-fermenting colonies should be tested for agglutination with E coli O157 antiserum. Colonies that have positive agglutination tests should be identified as E coli and sent to the proper health laboratory for confirmation, phage typing, and detection of Shiga toxin genes. The disease outbreak began at a nursery in Dunfermline, Scotland, on May 9, and had involved 13 cases of gastrointestinal illness in children and adults by late May, according to BBC News reports. Four children were hospitalized for treatment for hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), physicians at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow told BBC News. Health Protection Scotland stated that the sorbitol-fermenting strain has been rare in the United Kingdom, the BBC reported. The strain had first been identified in Germany in 1988 and was thought to be restricted to continental Europe until 2002, when it was identified in Australia and the UK. See also: Dr John Cowden, a Health Protection Scotland consultant, said clinicians had been urged to ensure that this unusual strain of E coli was not missed when screening samples from patients suspected of having any type of E coli O157 infection.
Each of the approximately 2.000 buildings located in the protected city center of Šibenik should soon have its own publicly available ‘identity card’ with all the relevant information, photographs, and guidelines for restoration. It is a unique project, not only in Croatia, but also in the world.That is one of the goals of the new great project “Information system of the cultural and historical ensemble of Šibenik”. conducted by the Šibenik Citizens’ Association Society for the Preservation of Šibenik Heritage Juraj Dalmatinac.”We are actually working more actively on this project for a long time, and it was formally started after a meeting we organized two years ago and gathered representatives of the City of Šibenik, the city department for property and legal relations, utilities, the Tourist Board, the Association of Architects and Conservators. Our wish was to do something to preserve the core of Šibenik, the city’s greatest value, as efficiently as possible, and to protect it from devastation and inappropriate construction.”Points out Nikola Grubić, president of the association.As a first step, careful registration of all buildings in the city center was imposed, so in cooperation with the Society of Architects Šibenik, ie the youth section of the Society of Architects Šibenik (ROOM) started recording the first 300 buildings in accordance with guidelines and recommendations of the Conservation Department. After six months of work, with the help of a donation from the Adris Foundation in the amount of HRK 50 awarded to them in the tender, the Juraj Dalmatinac Society and DAŠ collected all the necessary data for the first 300 buildings. “Nine members of the Society of Architects Šibenik participated in the project, and in addition to the records of the current condition of the buildings, information was collected on guidelines for potential renovation. Otherwise, the content of the identification card of the building, which can also be called the ‘personal card of the building’, contains general information: the number of the cadastral parcel, the area, the address and the house number. Then there are data on protection with markings of cultural property and protection system, and a description of the building with a prominent time of construction, purpose, number of storeys, data on the roof, etc. ” Grubic points out.In addition to the above, on the website for public use with a simple click of the mouse for each of the buildings will be able to find valid provisions from the GUP of the City of Šibenik, photos of all street facades, the so-called cadastral situation, and, most importantly, guidelines for restoration. Namely, once these basic guidelines are readily available, potential renovators of buildings in the core should not violate conservation guidelines by using unsuitable renovation materials (roofs, facades, windows, doors, etc.), or by otherwise damaging protected buildings.The Juraj Dalmatinac Society is satisfied because this project is the first of its kind in Croatia and beyond, and could become applicable to other cities in the country and abroad, and it is a special pleasure that in cooperation with other professional associations (DAŠ) what at first seemed like an impossible task. ”This is just the beginning. There are still about 1.700 buildings that need to be treated in the same way. We launched this project solely to protect our core, and to help our citizens have as few problems as possible during reconstruction. ” Grubic concludes.I constantly emphasize that the very essence of tourism is authenticity, and that I have to start respecting our culture, heritage, identities… because that is exactly our greatest tourist value. The stone heart of Šibenik is what makes the city of Šibenik, ie a tourist destination, unique, and this is an excellent example of sustainable development and preservation of our tradition and heritage. If we look at the bigger picture, it is unfortunate that under the prism of development we are constantly copying others, and we have exactly what others want – a unique and authentic story. take a look around and ask yourself how hotels are built on our coast, I mean design them? Do they fit into our unique space and ambience? Do we have any guidelines on how many floors and widths they can have, what material…President and vice-president of DJD Nikola Grubić and Gustav Červar with the president of DAŠ Dario Crnogač and project manager Iva Petković Pavić.This is not about banning investments or hotels, private capital looks exclusively at its own interest and dances within the framework we set for it. This is about sustainable and strategic development. We are irreversibly destroying our destinations with wild construction in the past, and now at the same pace without any framework and care, we allow the construction of hotels without any rules of the game, ie to follow the guidelines to better fit into the space.A copy is a copy, and the original will always have its value as well as the motive for coming. And that is why this example, both as a project and as a Society for Heritage Preservation, is one of the most important projects in Šibenik. Because if we turn into copies, the question arises as to why people would travel. Do not forget that the very motive of tourism, ie travel, is to get to know new ways and cultures of living.It is up to us, and the biggest responsibility is not on the Ministry of Tourism or the CNTB, but on the cities and the local population, which are themselves most responsible for the development of cities and tourist destinations.Let us respect ourselves, so that others may respect us. It’s all up to us. &lt;br /&gt;<br /><br />
According to the eVisitor system, which includes tourist traffic realized in commercial and non-commercial facilities and nautical charter (eCrew system), in the period from January to the end of May, 3,6 million arrivals (+ 19%) and 11,6 million overnight stays were realized in Croatia. (+ 24%).Out of that, foreign tourists realized 2,9 million arrivals (+ 22%) and 9,9 million overnight stays (+ 27%), while domestic tourists also recorded increases in arrivals by 10% and in overnight stays by 7%.During the first five months, the highest number of overnight stays was realized in Istria (3,4 million overnight stays), while 1,8 million overnight stays were realized in Kvarner and Split-Dalmatia County. They are followed by Dubrovnik-Neretva County with 1,4 million overnight stays, Zadar County with 925.000 overnight stays, Zagreb with 820.000 overnight stays, Šibenik-Knin County with 498.000 overnight stays and Lika-Senj County with 243.000 overnight stays. On the continent, not including Zagreb, there were 334.000 arrivals (+ 17%) and 693.000 overnight stays (+ 15%), and looking at the counties, most overnight stays were realized in Krapina-Zagorje (132.000 overnight stays), Karlovac (102.000 overnight stays), Osijek Baranja (73.000 overnight stays), Međimurje (65.000 overnight stays) and Vukovar-Srijem County (64.000 overnight stays).”We are happy with the results of this year’s pre-season, where we achieved high double-digit increases in tourist traffic. This confirms that our digital campaigns, marketing and PR activities placed on foreign markets, conducted with the aim of positioning Croatia as a year-round destination, are very well received. We will continue to cooperate with key foreign and domestic partners in attracting guests outside the summer part of the tourist year, which is one of our strategic goals. ” said the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Stanicic.At the national level, during the first five months, most overnight stays were realized from the markets of Germany (2,5 million overnight stays), Austria (1,1 million overnight stays), Slovenia (913.000 overnight stays), the UK (643.000 overnight stays) and BiH (421.000 overnight stays). , and looking at the accommodation segment, most overnight stays were realized in hotels (5,6 million overnight stays) and in household facilities (2,2 million overnight stays).30% more guests in May than last year In May, there were 1,7 million arrivals and 6,5 million overnight stays in Croatia, which compared to May 2017 represents an increase of 30% in arrivals and 39% in overnight stays.In May, the highest number of overnight stays was realized in Istria (2 million overnight stays), Split-Dalmatia County (1,1 million overnight stays) and Kvarner (1 million overnight stays), while on the continent in May 104.000 arrivals (+ 19%) and 189.000 overnight stays (+ 16%), of which most overnight stays were realized in Karlovac, Krapina-Zagorje, Osijek-Baranja, Zagreb and Vukovar-Srijem counties.During the extended Weekend weekend, more than a million overnight stays were realized In the period from 30 May to 3 June 2018, ie during the extended Corpus Weekend, 380.000 arrivals and 1,5 million overnight stays were realized in Croatia.During Corpus Christi, the majority of tourist traffic was registered in commercial accommodation facilities, while non-commercial accommodation facilities participated in the total traffic with a share of 6% in overnight stays and 2% in arrivals. Hotels were the main carrier of traffic, with a share of 36% in overnight stays and 46% in arrivals, while campsites were in second place, with a share of 25% in overnight stays and 20% in arrivals. During the extended weekend, most overnight stays were realized from the markets of Germany (445.000 overnight stays), Austria (260.000 overnight stays), Croatia (129.000 overnight stays), the UK (101.000 overnight stays) and Slovenia (73.000 overnight stays).”Croatian tourism has achieved a growth of over 35 percent of tourist traffic compared to the same period two years ago and everyone in the tourist system should be proud of that. This is proof that our activities so far have yielded excellent results, but also that tourism does not happen by itself, but that with continuous work to increase quality and through the creation of new offers, great strides can be made very quickly. I believe that these results will have a positive impact on the continued growth of revenues in tourism and will be an incentive for all to continue to build the success of Croatian tourism. ” concluded Tourism Minister Gary Cappelli.
According to the choice of the specialized cruise travel portal “Cruise Critic”, Dubrovnik was named the best cruise destination in the Eastern Mediterranean category for the second year in a row.Significance of the award “Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards“It is even bigger if we know that it is the choice of the users of this popular web portal and cruise travel enthusiasts who, with numerous positive comments, describe Dubrovnik as a desirable cruising destination with an extremely rich cultural and historical heritage. Behind Dubrovnik, in the mentioned category, were Kotor, Venice, Santorini and Rhodes.Specialized web portal for cruising trips “Cruise Critic” represents a key point of exchange of information and knowledge on the topic of cruising travel. It is the world’s most popular cruising portal launched in 1995 by The Independent Traveler, a subsidiary of TripAdvisor. The portal is intended for fans of this type of tourism, contains more than 350.000 reviews of cruises and hosts the world’s largest online cruising community in which passengers exchange information and share their experiences and opinions related to cruising trips.”Dubrovnik, as a globally recognizable Croatian tourist brand, from year to year manages to be the best in several different segments of wider regional competition, from cruising and nautical to congress and incentive offer. Special attention is paid to the joint action of numerous participants in the tourist offer, as well as relevant city and other services, so the recognition of Dubrovnik as the best cruising destination is a recognition to all who responsibly and diligently make the tourist image of the city. said the director of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board Romana VlašićThe status of Dubrovnik as a desirable cruise destination is further confirmed by the hosting of the fourth Festival of Tourism and Strategy to be held in November, where the main topic will be cruise tourism, ie the challenges and opportunities faced by popular cruise destinations.In the previous part of the year, there were 9,8 million arrivals and 47 million overnight stays in Croatia, which compared to the same period last year represents a growth of 6 percent in arrivals and overnight stays, while in Dubrovnik more than 650 thousand arrivals (+ 7%) and 2,2 million overnight stays (+ 5%).
Work on the project began more than a year ago when it was established in Croatia VisitUSA Croatia. VisitUSA Croatia is an advisory board that works to promote travel to the United States. This weekend, VUSA Croatia organized a B2B workshop for tour operators, travel agencies, airlines and the media interested in organizing trips to the United States or promoting US destinations as part of the PLACE2GO tourism fair in Arena Zagreb. Cover photo: Pixabay.com, Illustration: HrTurizam.hr Workshop partners VUSA Croatia, from left: Ivo and Tanja Pilat owners of MONDO TRAVEL, US Ambassador to Croatia – W. Robert Kohorst, President of VisitUSA Croatia – Goran Rihtarić, Alida Bubanko-Ralić – Air France KLM Croatia, Sanja Pangracije and Alida Bolarić – Work & Travel Sunčana Vura, Vlado Šestan – TravelAdvisor, Nina Čerkez – Advisor, US Commercial Service According to the eVisitor system, in the first 11 months of last year, 578 thousand arrivals and 1.6 million overnight stays were made from the US market, which is an increase of 23 percent in arrivals and 18 percent in overnight stays compared to the same period last year. Top destinations for American tourists by overnight stays are Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, Hvar and Rovinj. Related news: On the occasion of the workshop, the first direct flight to the USA, Philadelphia-Dubrovnik, was announced, the first of its kind since the independence of the Croatian state, which will start in June this year. ”A direct flight between the US and Croatia sends a strong, positive message to the tourism sector. I hope that all direct flights this summer will be full and that they will lead to the introduction of new direct flights, creating additional tourist and business trips.”Said the US Ambassador to Croatia, W. Robert Kohorst. FROM 2019 DIRECT FLIGHTS FROM DUBROVNIK TO THE USA VUSA Croatia’s performance at PLACE2GO this year was attended by National Geographic Croatia magazine, ski destinations Aspen and Vail presented by TravelAdvisor, as a tour operator Mondo Travel, Sunčana Vura – Work & Travel, Air France KLM as currently the most affordable airline for many destinations in the USA . W. Robert Kohorst, US Ambassador to Croatia: A direct flight between the US and Croatia sends a strong, positive message to the tourism sector This flight is only a seasonal type, and VisitUSA Croatia is working on establishing a permanent air connection between Croatia and the USA, primarily on the Zagreb-New York route, because only this line will significantly encourage travel from Croatia to the USA. “At the moment, we have the announcement of an immediate year-round airline that would connect the United States and Croatia, and this will only happen. We are optimistic about this project and if a larger number of partners with the same vision gather around this idea. Croatia is definitely a regional tourist superpower and we must use this circumstance to impose ourselves as a leader in the outgoing offer with a regional origin in Croatia. The first B2B workshop of VisitUSA Croatia under the auspices of BRAND USA seems like a small step in that direction, but all travelers know that even the longest journey begins with the first step”Concluded Goran Rihtarić, Executive Chairman of the Board of VisitUSA Croatia. For the first time, Croatia is in the plan of activities of the umbrella tourist organization of the USA – BRAND USA, and for the first time in Croatia, a business workshop VisitUSA Croatia was held. EUROPEAN UNION INTRODUCES VISAS FOR THE EUROPEAN SCHENGEN AREA – ETIAS / US citizens traveling to one of the European Union countries will need to have a visa
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has published its latest estimates of the likely impact of the coronavirus on international tourism. Given the unprecedented introduction of travel restrictions around the world, the United Nations Specialized Tourism Agencyexpects international tourist arrivals to decrease by 2020 to 20% in 30 compared to 2019 data. “Tourism is one of the hardest hit of all economic sectors”, stressed UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, adding that tourism has joined forces to find a solution by working together to mitigate the impact of the crisis, especially on employment, and to support broader recovery efforts by providing jobs and economic prosperity around the world. The expected decline between 20 and 30% could translate into a drop in international revenues from tourism (exports) of 300-450 billion US dollars, which is almost one third of the 1,5 trillion US dollars that were realized in 2019. Taking into account past market trends, this would mean that COVID-19 will lose the growth achieved between five and seven years. Putting this in context, the UNWTO notes that in 2009, on the back of the global economic crisis, international tourist arrivals declined by 4%, while the SARS epidemic led to a decline of only 0,4% in 2003. Source: UNWTOPhoto: Pixabay It is clear that millions of jobs in the sector are at risk, and according to UNWTO estimates, about 80% of all tourism businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition to this new assessment, the UNWTO emphasizes historical resilience and the ability to create jobs in post-crisis situations, while emphasizing the importance of international cooperation and ensuring that the sector becomes a central part of recovery efforts. However, the UNWTO emphasizes that these numbers are based on the latest developments facing the global community. These are unprecedented social and economic challenges that need to be interpreted with caution given the extremely uncertain nature of the current crisis.
This is a great country, and its greatness is greatly increased when we are one.The past is history and there’s nothing that we can do about it. Today, we should maximize that which unites us and minimize that which divides us.We cannot change history, but the future is in our hands.George SummersellSaratoga SpringsMore from The Daily Gazette:Foss: Should main downtown branch of the Schenectady County Public Library reopen?Schenectady, Saratoga casinos say reopening has gone well; revenue down 30%EDITORIAL: Beware of voter intimidationEDITORIAL: Thruway tax unfair to working motoristsEDITORIAL: Find a way to get family members into nursing homes Categories: Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Each day, Trump and his spokespeople insult our intelligence and our history.Each day, he finds a way to strip the presidency and the American people of their dignity.Each day, the president of the United States makes us smaller through petty, bullying tweets and offensive theatrics.All so an aggrieved, thin-skinned Queens-born builder can stick it to those who he believes think they are better than he is.The proud party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan is dead.Jonathan T. Capehart writes for The Washington Post’s PostPartisan blog and is a contributor for MSNBC.More from The Daily Gazette:EDITORIAL: Find a way to get family members into nursing homesEDITORIAL: Beware of voter intimidationEDITORIAL: Urgent: Today is the last day to complete the censusFoss: Should main downtown branch of the Schenectady County Public Library reopen?EDITORIAL: Thruway tax unfair to working motorists Categories: Editorial, OpinionNever in a million years did I think the president of the United States would debase the Oval Office with such a flagrantly racist display as President Donald Trump did on Monday.It was bad enough that he invoked his deliberately demeaning and intentionally pejorative put-down of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as “Pocahontas” during a ceremony to honor World War II Navajo code talkers.That he did it all under the glare of President Andrew Jackson takes gall to a whole new ugly level.Quite a feat for a man who extolled the virtues of the “very fine people” who marched on Charlottesville in a shocking display of white supremacy.Quick refresher: Jackson was the slave-owning seventh president of the United States whose Indian Removal Act led to the “trail of tears and death.”And Trump has praised him on several occasions.So, Trump having Native Americans pictured with Jackson is more than a humiliating slap in the face. It is rubbing that face in their ancestral horror.