bonginoreport--2020-05-10--The Real “Lord of the Flies”

The Real “Lord of the Flies”

For centuries western culture has been permeated by the idea that humans are selfish creatures .
That cynical image of humanity has been proclaimed in films and novels , history books and scientific research .
But in the last 20 years , something extraordinary has happened .
Scientists from all over the world have switched to a more hopeful view of mankind .
This development is still so young that researchers in different fields often don ’ t even know about each other .
When I started writing a book about this more hopeful view , I knew there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It takes place on a deserted island somewhere in the Pacific .
A plane has just gone down .
The only survivors are some British schoolboys , who can ’ t believe their good fortune .
Nothing but beach , shells and water for miles .
And better yet : no grownups .
On the very first day , the boys institute a democracy of sorts .
One boy , Ralph , is elected to be the group ’ s leader .
Athletic , charismatic and handsome , his game plan is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 ) Survive .
3 ) Make smoke signals for passing ships .
Number one is a success .
The others ?
Not so much .
The boys are more interested in feasting and frolicking than in tending the fire .
Before long , they have begun painting their faces .
Casting off their clothes .
And they develop overpowering urges – to pinch , to kick , to bite .
By the time a British naval officer comes ashore , the island is a smouldering wasteland .
Three of the children are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the officer says , “ that a pack of British boys would have been able to put up a better show than that.
” At this , Ralph bursts into tears .
“ Ralph wept for the end of innocence , ” we read , and for “ the darkness of man ’ s heart ” .
This story never happened .
An English schoolmaster , William Golding , made up this story in 1951 – his novel Lord of the Flies would sell tens of millions of copies , be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hailed as one of the classics of the 20th century .
In hindsight , the secret to the book ’ s success is clear .
Golding had a masterful ability to portray the darkest depths of mankind .
Of course , he had the zeitgeist of the 1960s on his side , when a new generation was questioning its parents about the atrocities of the second world war .
Had Auschwitz been an anomaly , they wanted to know , or is there a Nazi hiding in each of us ?
I first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teenager .
I remember feeling disillusioned afterwards , but not for a second did I think to doubt Golding ’ s view of human nature .
That didn ’ t happen until years later when I began delving into the author ’ s life .
I learned what an unhappy individual he had been : an alcoholic , prone to depression ; a man who beat his kids .
“ I have always understood the Nazis , ” Golding confessed , “ because I am of that sort by nature.
” And it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-knowledge ” that he wrote Lord of the Flies .
I began to wonder : had anyone ever studied what real children would do if they found themselves alone on a deserted island ?
I wrote an article on the subject , in which I compared Lord of the Flies to modern scientific insights and concluded that , in all probability , kids would act very differently .
Readers responded sceptically .
All my examples concerned kids at home , at school , or at summer camp .
Thus began my quest for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After trawling the web for a while , I came across an obscure blog that told an arresting story : “ One day , in 1977 , six boys set out from Tonga on a fishing trip ...
Caught in a huge storm , the boys were shipwrecked on a deserted island .
What do they do , this little tribe ?
They made a pact never to quarrel.
” The article did not provide any sources .
But sometimes all it takes is a stroke of luck .
Sifting through a newspaper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year incorrectly and there it was .
The reference to 1977 turned out to have been a typo .
In the 6 October 1966 edition of Australian newspaper The Age , a headline jumped out at me : “ Sunday showing for Tongan castaways ” .
The story concerned six boys who had been found three weeks earlier on a rocky islet south of Tonga , an island group in the Pacific Ocean .
The boys had been rescued by an Australian sea captain after being marooned on the island of ‘ Ata @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the article , the captain had even got a television station to film a re-enactment of the boys ’ adventure .
I was bursting with questions .
Were the boys still alive ?
And could I find the television footage ?
Most importantly , though , I had a lead : the captain ’ s name was Peter Warner .
When I searched for him , I had another stroke of luck .
In a recent issue of a tiny local paper from Mackay , Australia , I came across the headline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Printed alongside was a small photograph of two men , smiling , one with his arm slung around the other .
The article began : “ Deep in a banana plantation at Tullera , near Lismore , sit an unlikely pair of mates ...
The elder is 83 years old , the son of a wealthy industrialist .
The younger , 67 , was , literally , a child of nature.
” Their names ?
Peter Warner and Mano Totau .
And where had they met ?
On a deserted island .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ car in Brisbane and some three hours later arrived at our destination , a spot in the middle of nowhere that stumped Google Maps .
Yet there he was , sitting out in front of a low-slung house off the dirt road : the man who rescued six lost boys 50 years ago , Captain Peter Warner .
Peter was the youngest son of Arthur Warner , once one of the richest and most powerful men in Australia .
Back in the 1930s , Arthur ruled over a vast empire called Electronic Industries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radio market at the time .
Peter was groomed to follow in his father ’ s footsteps .
Instead , at the age of 17 , he ran away to sea in search of adventure and spent the next few years sailing from Hong Kong to Stockholm , Shanghai to St Petersburg .
When he finally returned five years later , the prodigal son proudly presented his father with a Swedish captain ’ s certificate .
Unimpressed , Warner Sr demanded his son learn a useful profession .
“ What ’ s easiest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Arthur lied .
Peter went to work for his father ’ s company , yet the sea still beckoned , and whenever he could he went to Tasmania , where he kept his own fishing fleet .
It was this that brought him to Tonga in the winter of 1966 .
On the way home he took a little detour and that ’ s when he saw it : a minuscule island in the azure sea , ‘ Ata .
The island had been inhabited once , until one dark day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeared on the horizon and sailed off with the natives .
Since then , ‘ Ata had been deserted – cursed and forgotten .
But Peter noticed something odd .
Peering through his binoculars , he saw burned patches on the green cliffs .
“ In the tropics it ’ s unusual for fires to start spontaneously , ” he told us , a half century later .
Then he saw a boy .
Naked .
Hair down to his shoulders .
This wild creature leaped from the cliffside and plunged into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screaming at the top of their lungs .
It didn ’ t take long for the first boy to reach the boat .
“ My name is Stephen , ” he cried in perfect English .
“ There are six of us and we reckon we ’ ve been here 15 months.
” The boys , once aboard , claimed they were students at a boarding school in Nuku ‘ alofa , the Tongan capital .
Sick of school meals , they had decided to take a fishing boat out one day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Likely story , Peter thought .
Using his two-way radio , he called in to Nuku ‘ alofa .
“ I ’ ve got six kids here , ” he told the operator .
“ Stand by , ” came the response .
Twenty minutes ticked by .
( As Peter tells this part of the story , he gets a little misty-eyed . )
Finally , a very tearful operator came on the radio , and said : “ You found them !
These boys have been given up for dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s them , this is a miracle !
” In the months that followed I tried to reconstruct as precisely as possible what had happened on ‘ Ata .
Peter ’ s memory turned out to be excellent .
Even at the age of 90 , everything he recounted was consistent with my foremost other source , Mano , 15 years old at the time and now pushing 70 , who lived just a few hours ’ drive from him .
The real Lord of the Flies , Mano told us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protagonists were six boys – Sione , Stephen , Kolo , David , Luke and Mano – all pupils at a strict Catholic boarding school in Nuku ‘ alofa .
The oldest was 16 , the youngest 13 , and they had one main thing in common : they were bored witless .
So they came up with a plan to escape : to Fiji , some 500 miles away , or even all the way to New Zealand .
There was only one obstacle .
None of them owned a boat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one from Mr Taniela Uhila , a fisherman they all disliked .
The boys took little time to prepare for the voyage .
Two sacks of bananas , a few coconuts and a small gas burner were all the supplies they packed .
It didn ’ t occur to any of them to bring a map , let alone a compass .
No one noticed the small craft leaving the harbour that evening .
Skies were fair ; only a mild breeze ruffled the calm sea .
But that night the boys made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A few hours later they awoke to water crashing down over their heads .
It was dark .
They hoisted the sail , which the wind promptly tore to shreds .
Next to break was the rudder .
“ We drifted for eight days , ” Mano told me .
“ Without food .
Without water.
” The boys tried catching fish .
They managed to collect some rainwater in hollowed-out coconut shells and shared it equally between them , each taking a sip in the morning and another in the evening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they spied a miracle on the horizon .
A small island , to be precise .
Not a tropical paradise with waving palm trees and sandy beaches , but a hulking mass of rock , jutting up more than a thousand feet out of the ocean .
These days , ‘ Ata is considered uninhabitable .
But “ by the time we arrived , ” Captain Warner wrote in his memoirs , “ the boys had set up a small commune with food garden , hollowed-out tree trunks to store rainwater , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ badminton court , chicken pens and a permanent fire , all from handiwork , an old knife blade and much determination.
” While the boys in Lord of the Flies come to blows over the fire , those in this real-life version tended their flame so it never went out , for more than a year .
The kids agreed to work in teams of two , drawing up a strict roster for garden , kitchen and guard duty .
Sometimes they quarrelled , but whenever that happened they solved it by imposing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ended with song and prayer .
Kolo fashioned a makeshift guitar from a piece of driftwood , half a coconut shell and six steel wires salvaged from their wrecked boat – an instrument Peter has kept all these years – and played it to help lift their spirits .
And their spirits needed lifting .
All summer long it hardly rained , driving the boys frantic with thirst .
They tried constructing a raft in order to leave the island , but it fell apart in the crashing surf .
Worst of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off a cliff and broke his leg .
The other boys picked their way down after him and then helped him back up to the top .
They set his leg using sticks and leaves .
“ Don ’ t worry , ” Sione joked .
“ We ’ ll do your work , while you lie there like King Taufa ‘ ahau Tupou himself !
” They survived initially on fish , coconuts , tame birds ( they drank the blood as well as eating the meat ) ; seabird eggs were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got to the top of the island , they found an ancient volcanic crater , where people had lived a century before .
There the boys discovered wild taro , bananas and chickens ( which had been reproducing for the 100 years since the last Tongans had left ) .
They were finally rescued on Sunday 11 September 1966 .
The local physician later expressed astonishment at their muscled physiques and Stephen ’ s perfectly healed leg .
But this wasn ’ t the end of the boys ’ little adventure , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ alofa police boarded Peter ’ s boat , arrested the boys and threw them in jail .
Mr Taniela Uhila , whose sailing boat the boys had “ borrowed ” 15 months earlier , was still furious , and he ’ d decided to press charges .
Fortunately for the boys , Peter came up with a plan .
It occurred to him that the story of their shipwreck was perfect Hollywood material .
And being his father ’ s corporate accountant , Peter managed the company ’ s film rights and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tonga , he called up the manager of Channel 7 in Sydney .
“ You can have the Australian rights , ” he told them .
“ Give me the world rights.
” Next , Peter paid Mr Uhila £150 for his old boat , and got the boys released on condition that they would cooperate with the movie .
A few days later , a team from Channel 7 arrived .
The mood when the boys returned to their families in Tonga was jubilant .
Almost the entire island of Haʻafeva – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welcome them home .
Peter was proclaimed a national hero .
Soon he received a message from King Taufa ‘ ahau Tupou IV himself , inviting the captain for an audience .
“ Thank you for rescuing six of my subjects , ” His Royal Highness said .
“ Now , is there anything I can do for you ?
” The captain didn ’ t have to think long .
“ Yes !
I would like to trap lobster in these waters and start a business here.
” The king consented .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his father ’ s company and commissioned a new ship .
Then he had the six boys brought over and granted them the thing that had started it all : an opportunity to see the world beyond Tonga .
He hired them as the crew of his new fishing boat .
While the boys of ‘ Ata have been consigned to obscurity , Golding ’ s book is still widely read .
Media historians even credit him as being the unwitting originator of one of the most popular entertainment genres on television today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reread Lord of the Flies , ” divulged the creator of hit series Survivor in an interview .
It ’ s time we told a different kind of story .
The real Lord of the Flies is a tale of friendship and loyalty ; one that illustrates how much stronger we are if we can lean on each other .
After my wife took Peter ’ s picture , he turned to a cabinet and rummaged around for a bit , then drew out a heavy stack of papers that he laid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he explained , written for his children and grandchildren .
I looked down at the first page .
“ Life has taught me a great deal , ” it began , “ including the lesson that you should always look for what is good and positive in people.
” • This is an adapted excerpt from Rutger Bregman ’ s Humankind , translated by Elizabeth Manton and Erica Moore .
A live streamed Q & A with Bregman and Owen Jones takes place at 7pm on 19 May 2020 .

For centuries western culture has been permeated by the idea that humans are selfish creatures. That cynical image of humanity has been proclaimed in films and novels, history books and scientific research. But in the last 20 years, something extraordinary has happened. Scientists from all over the world have switched to a more hopeful view of mankind. This development is still so young that researchers in different fields often don’t even know about each other.
When I started writing a book about this more hopeful view, I knew there was one story I would have to address. It takes place on a deserted island somewhere in the Pacific. A plane has just gone down. The only survivors are some British schoolboys, who can’t believe their good fortune. Nothing but beach, shells and water for miles. And better yet: no grownups.
On the very first day, the boys institute a democracy of sorts. One boy, Ralph, is elected to be the group’s leader. Athletic, charismatic and handsome, his game plan is simple: 1) Have fun. 2) Survive. 3) Make smoke signals for passing ships. Number one is a success. The others? Not so much. The boys are more interested in feasting and frolicking than in tending the fire. Before long, they have begun painting their faces. Casting off their clothes. And they develop overpowering urges – to pinch, to kick, to bite.
By the time a British naval officer comes ashore, the island is a smouldering wasteland. Three of the children are dead. “I should have thought,” the officer says, “that a pack of British boys would have been able to put up a better show than that.” At this, Ralph bursts into tears. “Ralph wept for the end of innocence,” we read, and for “the darkness of man’s heart”.
Golding had a masterful ability to portray the darkest depths of mankind
This story never happened. An English schoolmaster, William Golding, made up this story in 1951 – his novel Lord of the Flies would sell tens of millions of copies, be translated into more than 30 languages and hailed as one of the classics of the 20th century. In hindsight, the secret to the book’s success is clear. Golding had a masterful ability to portray the darkest depths of mankind. Of course, he had the zeitgeist of the 1960s on his side, when a new generation was questioning its parents about the atrocities of the second world war. Had Auschwitz been an anomaly, they wanted to know, or is there a Nazi hiding in each of us?
I first read Lord of the Flies as a teenager. I remember feeling disillusioned afterwards, but not for a second did I think to doubt Golding’s view of human nature. That didn’t happen until years later when I began delving into the author’s life. I learned what an unhappy individual he had been: an alcoholic, prone to depression. “I have always understood the Nazis,” Golding confessed, “because I am of that sort by nature.” And it was “partly out of that sad self-knowledge” that he wrote Lord of the Flies.
I began to wonder: had anyone ever studied what real children would do if they found themselves alone on a deserted island? I wrote an article on the subject, in which I compared Lord of the Flies to modern scientific insights and concluded that, in all probability, kids would act very differently. Readers responded sceptically. All my examples concerned kids at home, at school, or at summer camp. Thus began my quest for a real-life Lord of the Flies. After trawling the web for a while, I came across an obscure blog that told an arresting story: “One day, in 1977, six boys set out from Tonga on a fishing trip ... Caught in a huge storm, the boys were shipwrecked on a deserted island. What do they do, this little tribe? They made a pact never to quarrel.”
The article did not provide any sources. But sometimes all it takes is a stroke of luck. Sifting through a newspaper archive one day, I typed a year incorrectly and there it was. The reference to 1977 turned out to have been a typo. In the 6 October 1966 edition of Australian newspaper The Age, a headline jumped out at me: “Sunday showing for Tongan castaways”. The story concerned six boys who had been found three weeks earlier on a rocky islet south of Tonga, an island group in the Pacific Ocean. The boys had been rescued by an Australian sea captain after being marooned on the island of ‘Ata for more than a year. According to the article, the captain had even got a television station to film a re-enactment of the boys’ adventure.
I was bursting with questions. Were the boys still alive? And could I find the television footage? Most importantly, though, I had a lead: the captain’s name was Peter Warner. When I searched for him, I had another stroke of luck. In a recent issue of a tiny local paper from Mackay, Australia, I came across the headline: “Mates share 50-year bond”. Printed alongside was a small photograph of two men, smiling, one with his arm slung around the other. The article began: “Deep in a banana plantation at Tullera, near Lismore, sit an unlikely pair of mates ... The elder is 83 years old, the son of a wealthy industrialist. The younger, 67, was, literally, a child of nature.” Their names? Peter Warner and Mano Totau. And where had they met? On a deserted island.
My wife Maartje and I rented a car in Brisbane and some three hours later arrived at our destination, a spot in the middle of nowhere that stumped Google Maps. Yet there he was, sitting out in front of a low-slung house off the dirt road: the man who rescued six lost boys 50 years ago, Captain Peter Warner.
Savagery in the 1963 film adaptation of Lord of the Flies. Photograph: Ronald Grant
Peter was the youngest son of Arthur Warner, once one of the richest and most powerful men in Australia. Back in the 1930s, Arthur ruled over a vast empire called Electronic Industries, which dominated the country’s radio market at the time. Peter was groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps. Instead, at the age of 17, he ran away to sea in search of adventure and spent the next few years sailing from Hong Kong to Stockholm, Shanghai to St Petersburg. When he finally returned five years later, the prodigal son proudly presented his father with a Swedish captain’s certificate. Unimpressed, Warner Sr demanded his son learn a useful profession. “What’s easiest?” Peter asked. “Accountancy,” Arthur lied.
Peter went to work for his father’s company, yet the sea still beckoned, and whenever he could he went to Tasmania, where he kept his own fishing fleet. It was this that brought him to Tonga in the winter of 1966. On the way home he took a little detour and that’s when he saw it: a minuscule island in the azure sea, ‘Ata. The island had been inhabited once, until one dark day in 1863, when a slave ship appeared on the horizon and sailed off with the natives. Since then, ‘Ata had been deserted – cursed and forgotten.
It didn’t take long for the first boy to reach the boat. 'My name is Stephen,' he cried. 'We've been here 15 months.'
But Peter noticed something odd. Peering through his binoculars, he saw burned patches on the green cliffs. “In the tropics it’s unusual for fires to start spontaneously,” he told us, a half century later. Then he saw a boy. Naked. Hair down to his shoulders. This wild creature leaped from the cliffside and plunged into the water. Suddenly more boys followed, screaming at the top of their lungs. It didn’t take long for the first boy to reach the boat. “My name is Stephen,” he cried in perfect English. “There are six of us and we reckon we’ve been here 15 months.”
The boys, once aboard, claimed they were students at a boarding school in Nuku‘alofa, the Tongan capital. Sick of school meals, they had decided to take a fishing boat out one day, only to get caught in a storm. Likely story, Peter thought. Using his two-way radio, he called in to Nuku‘alofa. “I’ve got six kids here,” he told the operator. “Stand by,” came the response. Twenty minutes ticked by. (As Peter tells this part of the story, he gets a little misty-eyed.) Finally, a very tearful operator came on the radio, and said: “You found them! These boys have been given up for dead. Funerals have been held. If it’s them, this is a miracle!”
In the months that followed I tried to reconstruct as precisely as possible what had happened on ‘Ata. Peter’s memory turned out to be excellent. Even at the age of 90, everything he recounted was consistent with my foremost other source, Mano, 15 years old at the time and now pushing 70, who lived just a few hours’ drive from him. The real Lord of the Flies, Mano told us, began in June 1965. The protagonists were six boys – Sione, Stephen, Kolo, David, Luke and Mano – all pupils at a strict Catholic boarding school in Nuku‘alofa. The oldest was 16, the youngest 13, and they had one main thing in common: they were bored witless. So they came up with a plan to escape: to Fiji, some 500 miles away, or even all the way to New Zealand.
There was only one obstacle. None of them owned a boat, so they decided to “borrow” one from Mr Taniela Uhila, a fisherman they all disliked. The boys took little time to prepare for the voyage. Two sacks of bananas, a few coconuts and a small gas burner were all the supplies they packed. It didn’t occur to any of them to bring a map, let alone a compass.
The boys had set up a commune with food garden, gym, a badminton court, chicken pens and a permanent fire
No one noticed the small craft leaving the harbour that evening. Skies were fair; only a mild breeze ruffled the calm sea. But that night the boys made a grave error. They fell asleep. A few hours later they awoke to water crashing down over their heads. It was dark. They hoisted the sail, which the wind promptly tore to shreds. Next to break was the rudder. “We drifted for eight days,” Mano told me. “Without food. Without water.” The boys tried catching fish. They managed to collect some rainwater in hollowed-out coconut shells and shared it equally between them, each taking a sip in the morning and another in the evening.
Then, on the eighth day, they spied a miracle on the horizon. A small island, to be precise. Not a tropical paradise with waving palm trees and sandy beaches, but a hulking mass of rock, jutting up more than a thousand feet out of the ocean. These days, ‘Ata is considered uninhabitable. But “by the time we arrived,” Captain Warner wrote in his memoirs, “the boys had set up a small commune with food garden, hollowed-out tree trunks to store rainwater, a gymnasium with curious weights, a badminton court, chicken pens and a permanent fire, all from handiwork, an old knife blade and much determination.” While the boys in Lord of the Flies come to blows over the fire, those in this real-life version tended their flame so it never went out, for more than a year.
Mr Peter Warner, third from left, with his crew in 1968, including the survivors from ‘Ata. Photograph: Fairfax Media Archives/via Getty Images
The kids agreed to work in teams of two, drawing up a strict roster for garden, kitchen and guard duty. Sometimes they quarrelled, but whenever that happened they solved it by imposing a time-out. Their days began and ended with song and prayer. Kolo fashioned a makeshift guitar from a piece of driftwood, half a coconut shell and six steel wires salvaged from their wrecked boat – an instrument Peter has kept all these years – and played it to help lift their spirits. And their spirits needed lifting. All summer long it hardly rained, driving the boys frantic with thirst. They tried constructing a raft in order to leave the island, but it fell apart in the crashing surf.
Worst of all, Stephen slipped one day, fell off a cliff and broke his leg. The other boys picked their way down after him and then helped him back up to the top. They set his leg using sticks and leaves. “Don’t worry,” Sione joked. “We’ll do your work, while you lie there like King Taufa‘ahau Tupou himself!”
They survived initially on fish, coconuts, tame birds (they drank the blood as well as eating the meat); seabird eggs were sucked dry. Later, when they got to the top of the island, they found an ancient volcanic crater, where people had lived a century before. There the boys discovered wild taro, bananas and chickens (which had been reproducing for the 100 years since the last Tongans had left).
When they arrived home, they found the police waiting to meet them. They were arrested and thrown in jail
They were finally rescued on Sunday 11 September 1966. The local physician later expressed astonishment at their muscled physiques and Stephen’s perfectly healed leg. But this wasn’t the end of the boys’ little adventure, because, when they arrived back in Nuku‘alofa police boarded Peter’s boat, arrested the boys and threw them in jail. Mr Taniela Uhila, whose sailing boat the boys had “borrowed” 15 months earlier, was still furious, and he’d decided to press charges.
Fortunately for the boys, Peter came up with a plan. It occurred to him that the story of their shipwreck was perfect Hollywood material. And being his father’s corporate accountant, Peter managed the company’s film rights and knew people in TV. So from Tonga, he called up the manager of Channel 7 in Sydney. “You can have the Australian rights,” he told them. “Give me the world rights.” Next, Peter paid Mr Uhila £150 for his old boat, and got the boys released on condition that they would cooperate with the movie. A few days later, a team from Channel 7 arrived.
The mood when the boys returned to their families in Tonga was jubilant. Almost the entire island of Haʻafeva – population 900 – had turned out to welcome them home. Peter was proclaimed a national hero. Soon he received a message from King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV himself, inviting the captain for an audience. “Thank you for rescuing six of my subjects,” His Royal Highness said. “Now, is there anything I can do for you?” The captain didn’t have to think long. “Yes! I would like to trap lobster in these waters and start a business here.” The king consented. Peter returned to Sydney, resigned from his father’s company and commissioned a new ship. Then he had the six boys brought over and granted them the thing that had started it all: an opportunity to see the world beyond Tonga. He hired them as the crew of his new fishing boat.
While the boys of ‘Ata have been consigned to obscurity, Golding’s book is still widely read. Media historians even credit him as being the unwitting originator of one of the most popular entertainment genres on television today: reality TV. “I read and reread Lord of the Flies ,” divulged the creator of hit series Survivor in an interview.It’s time we told a different kind of story. The real Lord of the Flies is a tale of friendship and loyalty; one that illustrates how much stronger we are if we can lean on each other. After my wife took Peter’s picture, he turned to a cabinet and rummaged around for a bit, then drew out a heavy stack of papers that he laid in my hands. His memoirs, he explained, written for his children and grandchildren. I looked down at the first page. “Life has taught me a great deal,” it began, “including the lesson that you should always look for what is good and positive in people.”
This is an adapted excerpt from Rutger Bregman’s Humankind, translated by Elizabeth Manton and Erica Moore. A live streamed Q&A with Bregman and Owen Jones takes place at 7pm on 19 May 2020.


bonginoreport--2020-05-10--What Will Grocery Stores Look Like in a Post-Coronavirus World?

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As America looks toward life beyond coronavirus , one essential activity may never be the same .
The `` biggest question facing anyone in retail across the country '' right now is what will stores look like post-coronavirus , Stew Leonard ’ s CEO , Stew Leonard Jr. told FOX Business .
Stew Leonard 's opened its doors a little more than 50 years ago and has grown to be the `` World 's Largest Dairy Store '' and thriving grocery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 500 million , according to its website .
Based in Norwalk , Connecticut , the family-run supermarket chain also has several locations in New York and New Jersey .
It 's not an ordinary shopping experience .
Before the coronavirus struck , customers meandered their way through huge one-way aisles decorated in an amusement-like atmosphere .
Animated costumed characters sang and danced while people munched on samples of freshly baked cider donuts , pretzels and cheeses .
People ordered juicy burgers right off their grill in the summer or chowed down on one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids celebrated birthdays at one of their themed parties .
Now , `` Chiquita Banana '' and all the displays have been `` put on vacation . ''
Popular areas of congregation , like the deli counter and bagel bins , have pivoted and the buffet has been shut down .
Looking ahead , Leonard Jr. believes excitement will be key to unlocking the consumer shopping experience .
`` I would say that the retailers that make it exciting to come in there with all sorts of new fresh fruits and cherries from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know , you see them making stuff right in front of them , like the mozzarella .
You see the butchers cutting meat , '' Leonard Jr. said .
`` I think those stores are going to do better than the ones that do n't have any show to them . ''
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE '' I think everybody loves going to a farmers market .
They are exciting and fun , '' he said .
`` That 's not going to go away .
... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people . ''
Home delivery and curbside pickup could also fare well .
Stores are now seeing between a 15 and 25 percent boost in the home delivery category .
At one time , it only accounted for five percent of sales .
`` The question really is , is how sticky will this be post-coronavirus ? ''
Leonard Jr. said .
`` And I think it 's definitely not going to go back to five percent .
So it could be a 10 or 15 percent after this . ''
CLICK @ @ @ @ @ @ @

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As America looks toward life beyond coronavirus, one essential activity may never be the same.
The "biggest question facing anyone in retail across the country" right now is what will stores look like post-coronavirus, Stew Leonard’s CEO, Stew Leonard Jr. told FOX Business.
FOOD, LOCAL RETAILERS COULD ‘REVITALIZE’ CORONAVIRUS-HIT SHOPPING CENTERS
Stew Leonard's opened its doors a little more than 50 years ago and has grown to be the "World's Largest Dairy Store" and thriving grocery business with annual sales of nearly $500 million, according to its website. Based in Norwalk, Connecticut, the family-run supermarket chain also has several locations in New York and New Jersey.
It's not an ordinary shopping experience. Before the coronavirus struck, customers meandered their way through huge one-way aisles decorated in an amusement-like atmosphere. Animated costumed characters sang and danced while people munched on samples of freshly baked cider donuts, pretzels and cheeses. People ordered juicy burgers right off their grill in the summer or chowed down on one of their notorious frozen yogurts. And kids celebrated birthdays at one of their themed parties.
Now, "Chiquita Banana" and all the displays have been "put on vacation." Popular areas of congregation, like the deli counter and bagel bins, have pivoted and the buffet has been shut down.
Looking ahead, Leonard Jr. believes excitement will be key to unlocking the consumer shopping experience.
SUPERMARKET DONATES MILK DURING CORONAVIRUS CRISIS TO NEEDY FAMILIES
"I would say that the retailers that make it exciting to come in there with all sorts of new fresh fruits and cherries from California and exciting new products and, you know, you see them making stuff right in front of them, like the mozzarella. You see the butchers cutting meat," Leonard Jr. said. "I think those stores are going to do better than the ones that don't have any show to them."
Leonard Jr. also believes farmers markets have a bright future.
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"I think everybody loves going to a farmers market. They are exciting and fun," he said. "That's not going to go away. ... Food is too big of an item for people."
Home delivery and curbside pickup could also fare well. Stores are now seeing between a 15 and 25 percent boost in the home delivery category. At one time, it only accounted for five percent of sales.
"The question really is, is how sticky will this be post-coronavirus?" Leonard Jr. said. "And I think it's definitely not going to go back to five percent. So it could be a 10 or 15 percent after this."
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bonginoreport--2020-05-10--Twitter Adds “Manipulated Media” Label To Jimmy Kimmel’s Misleading Video of Pence

Twitter added a `` manipulated media '' label to a video of Vice President Mike Pence that appears to show him delivering empty boxes of personal protective equipment to a hospital .
`` This Tweet was labeled based on our Synthetic and Manipulated Media policy , '' a Twitter spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement , linking to a tweet of the clip that went viral with nearly 100,000 retweeted and more than 260,000 likes .
Media that qualifies as manipulated or synthetic under the social media site 's policies must be `` substantially edited in a manner that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ timing , or framing '' ; contain audio that has been edited , added or removed ; or depict a real person in a fabricated or simulated format , popularly known as a `` deepfake . ''
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE The video went viral after comedian Jimmy Kimmel aired it on his `` Jimmy Kimmel Live ! ''
show , which he has been doing from home during the coronavirus pandemic , on Thursday night .
`` Here [ Pence ] is with no mask on , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care center and doing his best to lift them .
What a hero , '' Kimmel said on his show as the clip played .
`` Since it was going so well , and also because he didn ’ t realize he had a mic on , magic Mike decided to keep it going , listen in closely here . ''
The video then cuts to a clip of the vice president joking with a staffer about carrying empty boxes into the hospital `` just for the camera '' after all the supplies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the joke .
`` Mike Pence pretending to carry empty boxes of PPEs into a hospital is a perfect metaphor for who he is and what he ’ s doing .
A big box of nothing , '' he said .
Once the clip gained traction on social media , users went to the original source of the video on CSPAN and discovered a nine-minute long video of Pence delivering boxes of PPE that had been clipped and shown out of context for Kimmel 's show .
Kimmel apologized for sharing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` [ It ] would appear that [ Pence ] was joking about carrying empty boxes for a staged publicity stunt .
The full video reveals that he was carrying full boxes for a staged publicity stunt .
My apologies .
I know how dearly this administration values truth , '' he wrote .
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Twitter added a "manipulated media" label to a video of Vice President Mike Pence that appears to show him delivering empty boxes of personal protective equipment to a hospital.
"This Tweet was labeled based on our Synthetic and Manipulated Media policy," a Twitter spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement, linking to a tweet of the clip that went viral with nearly 100,000 retweeted and more than 260,000 likes.
Media that qualifies as manipulated or synthetic under the social media site's policies must be "substantially edited in a manner that fundamentally alters its composition, sequence, timing, or framing"; contain audio that has been edited, added or removed; or depict a real person in a fabricated or simulated format, popularly known as a "deepfake."
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The video went viral after comedian Jimmy Kimmel aired it on his "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show, which he has been doing from home during the coronavirus pandemic, on Thursday night.
"Here [Pence] is with no mask on, wheeling boxes of PPEs into a health care center and doing his best to lift them. What a hero," Kimmel said on his show as the clip played. "Since it was going so well, and also because he didn’t realize he had a mic on, magic Mike decided to keep it going, listen in closely here."
The video then cuts to a clip of the vice president joking with a staffer about carrying empty boxes into the hospital "just for the camera" after all the supplies were delivered. Kimmel then condemned Pence for the joke.
"Mike Pence pretending to carry empty boxes of PPEs into a hospital is a perfect metaphor for who he is and what he’s doing. A big box of nothing," he said.
Once the clip gained traction on social media, users went to the original source of the video on CSPAN and discovered a nine-minute long video of Pence delivering boxes of PPE that had been clipped and shown out of context for Kimmel's show.
Kimmel apologized for sharing the clip on his show after backlash.
"[It] would appear that [Pence] was joking about carrying empty boxes for a staged publicity stunt. The full video reveals that he was carrying full boxes for a staged publicity stunt. My apologies. I know how dearly this administration values truth," he wrote.
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bonginoreport--2020-05-10--Half of “Gulf Cooperation Council” Seeks Partnership With Israel to Fight Coronavirus

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Three Gulf states have reached out to Israel in recent weeks to receive information and assistance in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 . The three make up half of the countries that are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).Bahrain and another Gulf state reached out to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, expressing interest in the hospital's response to the pandemic, and the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to the United Nations said publicly that her government would be willing to work with Israel on a vaccine.“I have heard leaders in the Gulf say over and over, ‘with our resources and wealth and Israeli innovation, we can create a vaccine and a cure’…They have seen this pandemic as an opportunity for cooperation between themselves and Israel,” said Rabbi Marc Schneier, who has extensive ties in the Persian Gulf as president of the interfaith dialogue organization Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. “There’s an opportunity to join forces here. So many issues transcend politics in the Middle East.”Schneier and Yoel Hareven, director of Sheba's International Division, said that Bahrain and another Gulf state, which they declined to name, have taken an interest in telemedicine or remote medicine innovations in Israel and the ways the Jewish state has responded to the coronavirus pandemic.“We offered them any help they need, even if it’s connecting doctors or nurses, or sending teams to them, sharing logistical knowledge,” Hareven said. “Whatever help we can give our neighbors – we will do it happily.”Hareven said the unnamed country is “central and different” in the Gulf and is “not one we’re used to hearing about,” adding that Israel is not known to have ties with it, which is why they are keeping a low profile.“There are a lot of things happening above and below the surface,” Hareven said, noting that the governments in that region are very centralized, which means the contact with Sheba took place with the leaders’ approval. “They believe very strongly in the connection with Israeli medicine and Israel generally.”Hareven, recounted that the hospital took part in the US-backed conference in Bahrain last year meant to promote investment in the Palestinian economy with an eye towards peace. At the time, Schneier connected Sheba’s director, Prof. Yitzhak Kreis and others with leading figure in the Gulf.“Since then, we have been in touch with some of the people we met there. They plan to come visit us,” in Israel, Hareven said. “We’re trying to see how to promote medicine in the Gulf states and how medicine can be a bridge between what is happening here and there.”Hareven called medical matters “the only non-political issue we can agree on.”UAE AMBASSADOR to the UN Lana Nusseibeh said on Tuesday during a webinar hosted by the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Insider that she is unaware of any current cooperation between her country and Israel, but added: “Our perspective on science and tackling this pandemic is that it shouldn't know borders or boundaries... I’m sure there's a lot of scope for cooperation; I don't think we'd be opposed to it.”Nusseibeh referred to Israeli scientific research on treatment for COVID-19, calling it “very exciting” and saying there is “potentially room for cooperation here.”The ambassador said, responding to questions from Channel 13 reporter Barak Ravid: “I think public health space should be an unpoliticized space where we all try to pool our collective knowledge of this virus to improve the lives of many people around the world.”Talk of cooperation with Gulf states on fighting coronavirus comes after years of closer ties between Israel and those countries, in light of their opposition to Iran and encouragement from the Trump administration.Last week, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said he’s “very optimistic” about stronger ties between Israel and Gulf states in the coming years, and that they will likely come collectively, from a group of countries, rather than one making the first step.“Allies with America could also be allies with each other; that’s the natural progression of the relationships,” Friedman said.The public peak of these growing relations was a workshop titled "Peace to Prosperity" in Bahrain last year, meant to encourage investments in the Palestinian economy, but there have been reports - confirmed by Schneier - that Gulf leaders would be willing to meet with Israel's leadership.


bonginoreport--2020-05-11--President Trump Triggers “Kung Flu” Reporter

Doubtlessly implying some kind of racist motive , Asian-American reported Weijia Jiang dropped her face mask and screamed at President Trump this afternoon in the White House Rose Garden , forcing an early ending to the press event .
Towards the end of the presser – the first in a week – President Trump called on CBS ’ s Weijia Jiang who asked the President why he was treating coronavirus testing as a competition between countries .
The President had never implied it was a competition , but had repeatedly put the U.S. ’ s number one in testing status @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jiang – the same reporter who alleged a White House staffer used the phrase “ Kung Flu ” but quickly went silent when she was asked to reveal who – attempted to excoriate him and the White House Task Force for daring to place the U.S. at # 1 .
“ Why is this a global competition to you when Americans are losing their lives every day ?
” asked Jiang .
POTUS rebuked her : “ Maybe that ’ s a question you should ask China , ” he began to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hidden the outbreak of the coronavirus early on , leading to many unnecessary deaths in the West .
Jiang , however , chose to deflect from China and instead have a meltdown on the White House lawn .
“ Why are you saying that to me , specifically ?
” she cried , to which the President responded : “ I ’ m saying it to anybody who would ask a nasty question like that.
” At that moment the President tries to move on , only to be told by CNN ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waiting for Trump to answer to Jiang ’ s outburst .
At this point Jiang dangerously dropped her face mask and began shouting across the lawn in the President ’ s direction .
It was at this point the presser was brought to a close .
Thanks victim-wannabe Jiang , and of course a special mention for CCPNN .

MELTDOWN: Asian-American CBS Reporter Drops Face Mask, SCREAMS at Trump for Telling Her to ‘Ask China’ About the Coronavirus
Doubtlessly implying some kind of racist motive, Asian-American reported Weijia Jiang dropped her face mask and screamed at President Trump this afternoon in the White House Rose Garden, forcing an early ending to the press event.
Towards the end of the presser – the first in a week – President Trump called on CBS’s Weijia Jiang who asked the President why he was treating coronavirus testing as a competition between countries.
.@weijia: Why is this a global competition to you when Americans are losing their lives every day? TRUMP: Maybe that's a question you should ask China. WEIJA: Why are you saying that to me, specifically? TRUMP: I'm saying it to anybody who would ask a nasty question like that. pic.twitter.com/hokJOXASh8 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 11, 2020
The President had never implied it was a competition, but had repeatedly put the U.S.’s number one in testing status into context with other countries.
Nevertheless, Jiang – the same reporter who alleged a White House staffer used the phrase “Kung Flu” but quickly went silent when she was asked to reveal who – attempted to excoriate him and the White House Task Force for daring to place the U.S. at #1.
“Why is this a global competition to you when Americans are losing their lives every day?” asked Jiang.
POTUS rebuked her: “Maybe that’s a question you should ask China,” he began to reply.
China is known to have hidden the outbreak of the coronavirus early on, leading to many unnecessary deaths in the West. Jiang, however, chose to deflect from China and instead have a meltdown on the White House lawn.
“Why are you saying that to me, specifically?” she cried, to which the President responded: “I’m saying it to anybody who would ask a nasty question like that.”
At that moment the President tries to move on, only to be told by CNN’s Kaitlin Collins that she too was waiting for Trump to answer to Jiang’s outburst.
At this point Jiang dangerously dropped her face mask and began shouting across the lawn in the President’s direction.
It was at this point the presser was brought to a close.
Thanks victim-wannabe Jiang, and of course a special mention for CCPNN.


bonginoreport--2020-05-11--Tara Reade’s Attorney Calls for Biden to Open Senate Archives

The law firm representing Tara Reade sent a letter to Joe Biden calling on him to open up his University of Delaware archives for a search of all records related to Reade 's alleged sexual harassment claim .
The letter , which was obtained by the Washington Examiner , was emailed Monday by attorney Douglas Wigdor to Biden 's presidential campaign and says that `` Reade ... is entitled to the process she deserves . ''
Biden has unequivocally denied Reade 's allegation that he sexually harassed and assaulted her in 1993 when she worked as an aide in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riddled with `` inconsistencies '' and has `` changed repeatedly in both small and big ways . ''
`` We hereby request that you immediately open up your Archives at the University of Delaware and authorize a search to determine whether they contain any records related to Ms. Reade , including , but not limited to , Ms. Reade 's Request for Counseling and/or documents related thereto , '' the letter reads .
The University of Delaware has denied all access to the archives , which were donated in 2011 by Biden , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until two years after the former vice president and 36-year Delaware senator `` retires from the public eye . ''
Despite that provision , members of the Biden campaign reportedly accessed the archives after he announced his presidential run .
In his letter , Wigdor attacked the secretary of the Senate for refusing to disclose any documents related to Reade 's time in the Senate due to confidentiality provisions , calling the rules `` draconian . ''
Earlier this month , Biden asked Senate record-keepers to release any files related to Reade 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with MSNBC 's Morning Joe .
`` If that document existed , it would be stored in the National Archives , where documents from the office she claimed to have filed a complaint with are stored , '' Biden said .
`` The Senate controls those archives .
So I 'm asking the secretary of the Senate today to identify if any such document exists .
If it does , make it public . ''
But on May 4 , Secretary of the Senate Julie Adams said the office has `` no discretion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an incorrect interpretation of the statutes , according to Wigdor .
`` We hope your apology to Professor [ Anita ] Hill and public statements about your shortcomings during Justice Thomas 's confirmation hearing do not ring hollow , and that you do not block a fair and diligent search of your Archives for records collaborating Ms. Reade 's allegations , '' Wigdor wrote .
Wigdor , who has worked on a number of high-profile sexual misconduct cases , including claims against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein , began representing Reade on May 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christine Blasey Ford in her allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and also supported President Trump in the 2016 election .
`` Her harrowing account is credible and supported by numerous 'outcry ' witnesses from decades ago , '' a press release from the firm on Thursday said of Reade 's claims .
`` We at Wigdor LLP firmly believe that every survivor of sexual assault has the right to competent legal counsel , and we will represent Ms. Reade zealously , just as we would any other victim of sexual violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mistreated by Biden in spring 2019 but did not say he forcibly kissed her or penetrated her with his fingers until March of this year .
In an interview with Megan Kelly released last week , Reade called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race .

The law firm representing Tara Reade sent a letter to Joe Biden calling on him to open up his University of Delaware archives for a search of all records related to Reade's alleged sexual harassment claim.
The letter, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner, was emailed Monday by attorney Douglas Wigdor to Biden's presidential campaign and says that "Reade ... is entitled to the process she deserves."
Biden has unequivocally denied Reade's allegation that he sexually harassed and assaulted her in 1993 when she worked as an aide in his Senate office and said her story is riddled with "inconsistencies" and has "changed repeatedly in both small and big ways."
"We hereby request that you immediately open up your Archives at the University of Delaware and authorize a search to determine whether they contain any records related to Ms. Reade, including, but not limited to, Ms. Reade's Request for Counseling and/or documents related thereto," the letter reads.
The University of Delaware has denied all access to the archives, which were donated in 2011 by Biden, saying they won't be made public until two years after the former vice president and 36-year Delaware senator "retires from the public eye." Despite that provision, members of the Biden campaign reportedly accessed the archives after he announced his presidential run.
In his letter, Wigdor attacked the secretary of the Senate for refusing to disclose any documents related to Reade's time in the Senate due to confidentiality provisions, calling the rules "draconian." Earlier this month, Biden asked Senate record-keepers to release any files related to Reade's alleged sexual assault complaint during an interview with MSNBC's Morning Joe.
"If that document existed, it would be stored in the National Archives, where documents from the office she claimed to have filed a complaint with are stored," Biden said. "The Senate controls those archives. So I'm asking the secretary of the Senate today to identify if any such document exists. If it does, make it public."
But on May 4, Secretary of the Senate Julie Adams said the office has "no discretion to disclose any such information," an incorrect interpretation of the statutes, according to Wigdor.
"We hope your apology to Professor [Anita] Hill and public statements about your shortcomings during Justice Thomas's confirmation hearing do not ring hollow, and that you do not block a fair and diligent search of your Archives for records collaborating Ms. Reade's allegations," Wigdor wrote.
Wigdor, who has worked on a number of high-profile sexual misconduct cases, including claims against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, began representing Reade on May 4. He was a vocal advocate for Christine Blasey Ford in her allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and also supported President Trump in the 2016 election.
"Her harrowing account is credible and supported by numerous 'outcry' witnesses from decades ago," a press release from the firm on Thursday said of Reade's claims. "We at Wigdor LLP firmly believe that every survivor of sexual assault has the right to competent legal counsel, and we will represent Ms. Reade zealously, just as we would any other victim of sexual violence."
Reade first alleged she was mistreated by Biden in spring 2019 but did not say he forcibly kissed her or penetrated her with his fingers until March of this year. In an interview with Megan Kelly released last week, Reade called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race.


bonginoreport--2020-05-11--MLB Owners Approve Proposal to Start Season in July

FILE - In this July 4 , 2019 , file photo , Atlanta Braves ' Ozzie Albies rounds first base after hitting a three-run home run during the third inning of the team 's baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Atlanta .
Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday , May 11 , 2020 , to making a proposal to the players ’ union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans , a plan that envisioned expanding the designated hitter to the National League for 2020 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ FILE - In this July 4 , 2019 , file photo , Atlanta Braves ' Ozzie Albies rounds first base after hitting a three-run home run during the third inning of the team 's baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Atlanta .
Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday , May 11 , 2020 , to making a proposal to the players ’ union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans , a plan that envisioned expanding the designated hitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( AP Photo/John Bazemore , File ) NEW YORK ( AP ) — Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday to making a proposal to the players ’ union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans , a plan that envisioned expanding the designated hitter to the National League for 2020 .
Spring training could start in early to mid-June , a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press .
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MLB officials are slated to make a presentation to the union on Tuesday .
An agreement with the players ’ association is needed , and talks are expected to be difficult — especially over a proposal for a revenue split that would be unprecedented for baseball .
Players withstood a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 to fight off such a plan .
“ If you do anything that resembles a cap , that smells like a cap , you ’ ve given too much , ” said Dave Stewart , a four-time 20-game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spent two years as Arizona ’ s general manager .
“ A salary cap has been a non-starter for the players as long as I ’ ve been in baseball , ” said David Samson , president of the Expos and Marlins from 2002-17 .
“ I think when MLB is proposing a revenue split , it is with the full knowledge that the players ’ union will automatically reject that.
” Each team would play about 82 regular-season games : against opponents in its own division plus interleague matchups limited to AL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vs. NL Central and AL West vs. NL West .
Postseason play would be expanded from 10 clubs to 14 by doubling wild cards in each league to four .
Teams would prefer to play at their regular-season ballparks but would switch to spring training stadiums or neutral sites if medical and government approvals can ’ t be obtained for games at home .
Toronto might have to play home games in Dunedin , Florida .
“ We ’ ll see where we will be in July , ” said California Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ home of five MLB clubs and who has talked with baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred .
“ We certainly look forward to Major League Baseball and all sports resuming .
But again , the question is when and that will be determined on the basis of public health and public safety and the spread of this virus.
” The All-Star Game , scheduled for Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on July 14 , likely would be called off .
Medical issues will be at the forefront of talks along with economics .
“ Bear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ve zoomed past the most important aspect of any MLB restart plan : health protections for players , families , staff , stadium workers and the workforce it would require to resume a season , ” Washington pitcher Sean Doolittle tweeted .
“ What ’ s the plan to ethically acquire enough tests ?
... What ’ s the protocol if a player , staff member , or worker contracts the virus ?
” Teams will propose that players receive the percentage of their 2020 salaries based on a 50-50 split @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and postseason , which likely will be among the most contentious aspects of the proposal during negotiations with the players ’ association .
“ These concepts are beyond the spectrum of what players have both fought for and derived from the CBA from inception : salary caps , methodologies like this are something far afield from our working relationship with Major League Baseball , ” said Scott Boras , the sport ’ s best-known agent .
“ You certainly know why they would suggest it.
” That proposal would take into account fans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some point , perhaps with a small percentage of seats sold at first and then gradually increasing .
Baseball players have refused to consider even the frameworks for the type of revenue splits that have been agreed to by unions in the NFL , NBA and NHL .
Active rosters would be expanded from 26 to around 30 .
With minor leagues shuttered , there likely will be the addition of about 20 players per club akin to the NFL ’ s practice squad .
Teams would have the option of holding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at their facilities in Florida and Arizona .
Most teams based in Florida appear to be leaning toward that option , while Arizona-based clubs are inclined to work out at home rather than deal with June heat in the Phoenix area .
Players and teams agreed to a deal on March 26 that called for each player to receive only a portion of salary , determined by what percentage of a 162-game schedule is played .
As part of that deal , if no season is played each player would receive 2020 service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 .
But that deal is contingent there being no restrictions on mass gatherings at the federal , state , city and local level ; no relevant travel restrictions in the U.S. and Canada ; and Commissioner Rob Manfred after consulting the union and medical expects , determines there is no risk to playing in front of fans at regular-season ballparks .
Players and teams committed to “ discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators or at appropriate neutral sites.
” Manfred has said about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to gate , including concessions , parking , ballpark advertising , luxury suites and programs .
Union officials and players have cited the March 26 agreement as setting economic terms and say they have no inclination for additional cuts .
Players are more interested in medical protocols and testing designed to protect them from and detect the new coronavirus .
The proposal will detail the plan for dealing with players and staff who test positive .
Because players accrue salaries for the regular season only and not for spring training or the postseason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for more regular-season games during negotiations that could significantly alter or possibly even scuttle the restart plan .
The DH was adopted by the American League for the 1973 season but has been resisted by National League owners .
The players ’ union has favored it because it would create more jobs for high-paying hitters in their 30s , by MLB has looked at it as an economic issue .
Money , however , has disappeared as a DH issue at this stage for 2020 because nearly all veteran players have agreed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notable exception .

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday to making a proposal to the players’ union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans, a plan that envisioned expanding the designated hitter to the National League for 2020.
Spring training could start in early to mid-June, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the plan were not announced.
MLB officials are slated to make a presentation to the union on Tuesday. An agreement with the players’ association is needed, and talks are expected to be difficult — especially over a proposal for a revenue split that would be unprecedented for baseball. Players withstood a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 to fight off such a plan.
“If you do anything that resembles a cap, that smells like a cap, you’ve given too much,” said Dave Stewart, a four-time 20-game winner who is now an agent and spent two years as Arizona’s general manager.
“A salary cap has been a non-starter for the players as long as I’ve been in baseball,” said David Samson, president of the Expos and Marlins from 2002-17. “I think when MLB is proposing a revenue split, it is with the full knowledge that the players’ union will automatically reject that.”
Each team would play about 82 regular-season games: against opponents in its own division plus interleague matchups limited to AL East vs. NL East, AL Central vs. NL Central and AL West vs. NL West.
Postseason play would be expanded from 10 clubs to 14 by doubling wild cards in each league to four.
Teams would prefer to play at their regular-season ballparks but would switch to spring training stadiums or neutral sites if medical and government approvals can’t be obtained for games at home. Toronto might have to play home games in Dunedin, Florida.
“We’ll see where we will be in July,” said California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose state is the home of five MLB clubs and who has talked with baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. “We certainly look forward to Major League Baseball and all sports resuming. But again, the question is when and that will be determined on the basis of public health and public safety and the spread of this virus.”
The All-Star Game, scheduled for Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on July 14, likely would be called off.
Medical issues will be at the forefront of talks along with economics.
“Bear with me, but it feels like we’ve zoomed past the most important aspect of any MLB restart plan: health protections for players, families, staff, stadium workers and the workforce it would require to resume a season,” Washington pitcher Sean Doolittle tweeted. “What’s the plan to ethically acquire enough tests? ... What’s the protocol if a player, staff member, or worker contracts the virus?”
Teams will propose that players receive the percentage of their 2020 salaries based on a 50-50 split of revenues MLB receives during the regular-season and postseason, which likely will be among the most contentious aspects of the proposal during negotiations with the players’ association.
“These concepts are beyond the spectrum of what players have both fought for and derived from the CBA from inception: salary caps, methodologies like this are something far afield from our working relationship with Major League Baseball,” said Scott Boras, the sport’s best-known agent. “You certainly know why they would suggest it.”
That proposal would take into account fans being able to return to ballparks at some point, perhaps with a small percentage of seats sold at first and then gradually increasing.
Baseball players have refused to consider even the frameworks for the type of revenue splits that have been agreed to by unions in the NFL, NBA and NHL.
Active rosters would be expanded from 26 to around 30. With minor leagues shuttered, there likely will be the addition of about 20 players per club akin to the NFL’s practice squad.
Teams would have the option of holding the resumption of spring training at home or at their facilities in Florida and Arizona. Most teams based in Florida appear to be leaning toward that option, while Arizona-based clubs are inclined to work out at home rather than deal with June heat in the Phoenix area.
Players and teams agreed to a deal on March 26 that called for each player to receive only a portion of salary, determined by what percentage of a 162-game schedule is played. As part of that deal, if no season is played each player would receive 2020 service time matching what the player earned in 2019.
But that deal is contingent there being no restrictions on mass gatherings at the federal, state, city and local level; no relevant travel restrictions in the U.S. and Canada; and Commissioner Rob Manfred after consulting the union and medical expects, determines there is no risk to playing in front of fans at regular-season ballparks.
Players and teams committed to “discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators or at appropriate neutral sites.” Manfred has said about 40% of MLB revenue is tied to gate, including concessions, parking, ballpark advertising, luxury suites and programs.
Union officials and players have cited the March 26 agreement as setting economic terms and say they have no inclination for additional cuts. Players are more interested in medical protocols and testing designed to protect them from and detect the new coronavirus. The proposal will detail the plan for dealing with players and staff who test positive.
Because players accrue salaries for the regular season only and not for spring training or the postseason, the union may counter by asking for more regular-season games during negotiations that could significantly alter or possibly even scuttle the restart plan.
The DH was adopted by the American League for the 1973 season but has been resisted by National League owners. The players’ union has favored it because it would create more jobs for high-paying hitters in their 30s, by MLB has looked at it as an economic issue.
Money, however, has disappeared as a DH issue at this stage for 2020 because nearly all veteran players have agreed to contracts. Yasiel Puig is the most notable exception.
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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


bonginoreport--2020-05-11--Huh? Gov. Cuomo Calls Coronavirus the “European Virus”

New York ’ s increasingly overexposed Governor Andrew Cuomo today confused and angered China-hawks by referring to COVID-19 as a “ European virus ” .
Speaking at his daily press conference , Gov .
Cuomo bizarrely declared : “ Yes we have more cases than anyone else .
Yes we had this European virus attack us and nobody expected it .
But we ’ re not only going to change our trajectory , we ’ re going to change the trajectory more dramatically than any place else in the nation.
” It ’ s true .
Cuomo did help to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dramatically than anywhere else in the United States : upward .
Cuomo ’ s work in forcing nursing homes to take in coronavirus patients no doubt led to needless deaths .
Regardless , his stance in calling it the “ European virus ” will confound even the most neutral of observers .
The coronavirus – otherwise known as the ‘ China virus ’ , or ‘ CCP virus ’ – emerged from Wuhan , in the Hubei province of China .
It did not emerge in Europe .
Despite these clear facts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation where journalists would demand Cuomo stop using such evidently fake claims , as they did when President Trump made the correct claim that the virus came from China and should therefore be called the Chinese virus .
Responding on Twitter , Republican National Convention spokeswomen Elizabeth Harrington declared of Cuomo ’ s misnomer : “ And this victory lap Democrat Gov .
Cuomo is doing is odd given the reporting last week that 65 % of the outbreaks across the country came from New York And after he waited months to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No doubt Cuomo will hide behind messaging behind promoted by his office for weeks : that most of New York ’ s cases can be traced back to travelers entering the city from Europe .
Still , that doesn ’ t make it a European virus .
No more so than a layover in Detroit makes someone flying LHR-LAX a Michigander .
The virus came from China .
Maybe even from a lab .
Which is what the media should really be investigating .
Don ’ t expect them to pick up on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re still trying to figure out how they can lie about Secretary of State Pompeo and get away with it .

New York’s increasingly overexposed Governor Andrew Cuomo today confused and angered China-hawks by referring to COVID-19 as a “European virus”.
Speaking at his daily press conference, Gov. Cuomo bizarrely declared: “Yes we have more cases than anyone else. Yes we had this European virus attack us and nobody expected it. But we’re not only going to change our trajectory, we’re going to change the trajectory more dramatically than any place else in the nation.”
https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/1259922387451215872
It’s true. Cuomo did help to change the trajectory of the virus more dramatically than anywhere else in the United States: upward.
Cuomo’s work in forcing nursing homes to take in coronavirus patients no doubt led to needless deaths.
Regardless, his stance in calling it the “European virus” will confound even the most neutral of observers.
The coronavirus – otherwise known as the ‘China virus’, or ‘CCP virus’ – emerged from Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China.
It did not emerge in Europe.
Despite these clear facts, it’s hard to see a situation where journalists would demand Cuomo stop using such evidently fake claims, as they did when President Trump made the correct claim that the virus came from China and should therefore be called the Chinese virus.
Responding on Twitter, Republican National Convention spokeswomen Elizabeth Harrington declared of Cuomo’s misnomer: “And this victory lap Democrat Gov. Cuomo is doing is odd given the reporting last week that 65% of the outbreaks across the country came from New York And after he waited months to stop sending Covid patients into nursing homes.”
"European virus"? And this victory lap Democrat Gov. Cuomo is doing is odd given the reporting last week that 65% of the outbreaks across the country came from New York And after he waited months to stop sending Covid patients into nursing homespic.twitter.com/JPEPIOPQ6r — Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) May 11, 2020
No doubt Cuomo will hide behind messaging behind promoted by his office for weeks: that most of New York’s cases can be traced back to travelers entering the city from Europe.
Still, that doesn’t make it a European virus. No more so than a layover in Detroit makes someone flying LHR-LAX a Michigander.
The virus came from China. Maybe even from a lab. Which is what the media should really be investigating.
Don’t expect them to pick up on this anytime soon, though.
They’re still trying to figure out how they can lie about Secretary of State Pompeo and get away with it.


bonginoreport--2020-05-11--Liberty University Reports No Coronavirus Cases Despite Early Reopening

Despite some 750 media reports that Liberty University was writing COVID-19 death sentences for some 1,100 students returning after spring break , the Virginia Christian college recorded no cases with students on campus and is now holding itself up as the “ model ” to follow in the fall .
After the students left for home at the end of the college school year last week , President Jerry Falwell Jr. said , “ We finished this year strong — maybe even stronger than ever before because of the hard work of our administration , faculty , staff , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this pandemic caused and never quit safely serving our students.
” He added : “ Liberty University created the model that other universities should follow for pandemics by protecting its students , faculty , and staff from COVID cases in the local community .
We are thankful to God that nobody who lived in a campus residence hall or who worked in a campus office tested positive for the virus.
” The campus 's clean bill of health , ignored by the media after hyping the potential for infection , wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It shows how one-sided the American media has become , that they sound the alarm on the false narrative that there are COVID-19 cases at Liberty , and then when they find out that there were none , total silence , ” Falwell told Secrets Monday .
While some other schools locked the doors to dorms after spring break and as the pandemic spread , Falwell said he let 1,500 students return to dorms under strict rules of social distancing .
Most returned because they had elderly parents at home they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t have internet , or they were international students .
They learned online , and eagerly , as the school logged its 100,000th “ distance ” student .
They ordered out as the school restaurants turned to takeout meals .
Still , some , especially in the media , raised alarms that little was being done to prevent infection .
But the state health department conducted two surprise inspections and found everything in order and in compliance with Gov .
Ralph Northam ’ s rules .
“ All operations appeared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s emergency order , ” said Jim Bowles , a state health manager before critical stories in the New York Times and ProPublica appeared .
So alarmed , the New York Times tweeted , “ Jerry Falwell Jr. , president of Liberty University , reopened the school 's campus last week .
By Friday , nearly a dozen Liberty students were sick with symptoms that suggest Covid-19.
” But there was no there there , and colleges that also let some students return to dorms were ignored by the critical media that ripped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his plans to sue those two , the New York Times and ProPublica .
“ We ’ re an easy target , we ’ re conservative .
But it ’ s sad that they would use something as grave as the virus that ’ s killing people to push their political agenda , and we decided that enough is enough , ” he said .
Now , as he looks to reopening the school for classes in the fall , Falwell said that Liberty should be the model for others .
He credited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Lynchburg , Virginia .
He also said that students who returned were spread out around campus and that large academic buildings were kept open for students to study in at a big social distance .
Falwell also said that being in the distance-learning business for years helped to make learning online easy while some bigger schools and public education systems , notably in northern Virginia 's Fairfax County , fumbled with the process .
Asked about beating back the criticism of his plan made as the virus crisis was unfolding , Falwell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say , ‘ I told you so .
’ ”

Despite some 750 media reports that Liberty University was writing COVID-19 death sentences for some 1,100 students returning after spring break, the Virginia Christian college recorded no cases with students on campus and is now holding itself up as the “model” to follow in the fall.
After the students left for home at the end of the college school year last week, President Jerry Falwell Jr. said, “We finished this year strong — maybe even stronger than ever before because of the hard work of our administration, faculty, staff, and students who pushed through the challenges that this pandemic caused and never quit safely serving our students.”
He added: “Liberty University created the model that other universities should follow for pandemics by protecting its students, faculty, and staff from COVID cases in the local community. We are thankful to God that nobody who lived in a campus residence hall or who worked in a campus office tested positive for the virus.”
The campus's clean bill of health, ignored by the media after hyping the potential for infection, wasn’t a surprise for Falwell and his team.
“It shows how one-sided the American media has become, that they sound the alarm on the false narrative that there are COVID-19 cases at Liberty, and then when they find out that there were none, total silence,” Falwell told Secrets Monday.
While some other schools locked the doors to dorms after spring break and as the pandemic spread, Falwell said he let 1,500 students return to dorms under strict rules of social distancing. Most returned because they had elderly parents at home they wanted to keep safe, or they didn’t have internet, or they were international students.
They learned online, and eagerly, as the school logged its 100,000th “distance” student. They ordered out as the school restaurants turned to takeout meals.
Still, some, especially in the media, raised alarms that little was being done to prevent infection.
But the state health department conducted two surprise inspections and found everything in order and in compliance with Gov. Ralph Northam’s rules. “All operations appeared to be in compliance with the governor’s emergency order,” said Jim Bowles, a state health manager before critical stories in the New York Times and ProPublica appeared.
Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, reopened the school's campus last week. By Friday, nearly a dozen Liberty students were sick with symptoms that suggest Covid-19. https://t.co/dmgBQ27pdZ — NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) March 29, 2020
So alarmed, the New York Times tweeted, “Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, reopened the school's campus last week. By Friday, nearly a dozen Liberty students were sick with symptoms that suggest Covid-19.”
But there was no there there, and colleges that also let some students return to dorms were ignored by the critical media that ripped Liberty.
Another illustration of why the lying @nytimes and other mainstream #FakeNews publications are failing financially and have lost the public’s trust. ZERO COVID cases on campus @LibertyU and the campus just closed for the semester @NYTLiz ! https://t.co/bY8oXqKsl4 — Jerry Falwell (@JerryFalwellJr) May 7, 2020
Falwell later told Secrets of his plans to sue those two, the New York Times and ProPublica. “We’re an easy target, we’re conservative. But it’s sad that they would use something as grave as the virus that’s killing people to push their political agenda, and we decided that enough is enough,” he said.
Now, as he looks to reopening the school for classes in the fall, Falwell said that Liberty should be the model for others.
He credited the small-town environment of Liberty, based in Lynchburg, Virginia. He also said that students who returned were spread out around campus and that large academic buildings were kept open for students to study in at a big social distance.
Falwell also said that being in the distance-learning business for years helped to make learning online easy while some bigger schools and public education systems, notably in northern Virginia's Fairfax County, fumbled with the process.
Asked about beating back the criticism of his plan made as the virus crisis was unfolding, Falwell said, “It’s good to say, ‘I told you so.’”