Mediaboss Marketing

Libya faces considerable hurdles in the drive for a more durable economic recovery following the resumption of oil production and exports. The countrys political leaders must address three short-term challenges in the policy agenda. First, the National Oil Corporation and the Central Bank of Libya must reach an urgent solution on the oil revenues held offshore at the Libya Foreign Bank. While fiscal transparency is a worthy objective, the impasse over

oil revenue deposits risks damaging government activities and fiscal operations. Second, the GNA in the west and the IG in the east must cobble together not only a unified but, more importantly, a reasonable budget for the remainder of 2021 that is consistent with the countrys development priorities and aligned with its institutional capacity. While they have struck an agreement for a unified budget for January-February 2021, they have left budget unification plans for the remainder of the year in limbo. Third, the competing branches of the Central Bank of Libya should advance the second generation of monetary reforms after the devaluation of the official rate in January. The next items on the agenda are the unification of the two branches of the central bank; the integration of the payments systems in the west and the east, and the resolution of liquidity problems both in the banking system and in the wider economy.

Read the original post:
Libya Economic Monitor - Spring 2021 - worldbank.org

Republicans in Tennessee have boldly demonstrated how to take on one of the biggest problems America is facing: drag shows.

While liberals and public opinion polls and people who have not lost their minds naively believe things like school shootings, the economy, crime and poverty are more pressing issues, Tennessees Republican-led state government and a number of conservative lawmakers across the country, have remained laser-focused on great-ifying America by demonizing drag performers.

On Thursday, the Volunteer (As Long As Youre Not Volunteering At A Drag Show) State became the first to restrict drag performances. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that bans drag shows in places where minors might watch them and on public property.

The bill was, I assume, in direct response to the zero people who have been killed by drag shows and the nones of people who have witnessed a drag performance and then been emotionally or psychologically ruined.

Addressing the point of legislation that some might consider several steps beyond stupid, the governor waved to a nearby elementary school and said: I think that the concern is whats right there in that building. He was presumably referencing children and not, you know, desks and lockers and administrative staff and whatnot.

Lee, who has apparently never seen the internet or a TikTok video, continued: Children that are potentially exposed to sexualized entertainment, to obscenity, and we need to make sure that theyre not.

Indeed, the nonexistent epidemic of drag shows in this country presents a real and present danger to our children, as it is the only avenue by which they might be exposed to sexualized entertainment, aside from television, streaming services, YouTube, movies, video games, music, advertisements, casual conversations with friends and the entirety of the electronic world available to them on the powerful hand-computers they keep in their pockets.

Story continues

My son died after being cyberbullied: Congress must hold social media giants accountable

Things like school shootings apparently do not pose a threat to children, as the Tennessee governor in 2021 made it legal for people to carry handguns without a permit. So, to be clear: drag show = danger, carrying a gunwithout a permit = safe, and patriotic!

According to the Washington Post, at least 26 bills have been introduced in 14 states by Republican legislators taking aim at drag events this year. Along with the fact that the bills are just weird and puritanical, opponents fear the broad wording in them could effectively outlaw drag performances in some parts of the country.

Human Rights Campaign Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said in a statement that laws like Tennessees drag ban along with an even more pernicious bill Lee signed into law last week banning gender-affirming care are not about protecting youth, they are about spreading dangerous misinformation against the transgender community; they are about doubling down on efforts to attack drag artists and transgender youth.

Advocates who oppose a bill that would restrict where certain drag shows could take place march from a rally outside of the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville on Feb. 14, 2023 to the Cordell Hull legislative building.

Warbelow is right. Republicans are using drag performers and transgender people as a bogeyman to fire up the dwindling number of Americans who will fall for that kind of mean nonsense.

What's wrong with you?: Anti-transgender rules, rhetoric and legislation are a shameful stain on America's soul

Tennessee is ranked 36th overall for child well-being, according to the 2022 Kids Count Data Book put out by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. You know what didnt cause that? Drag shows.

Tennessee ranked 44th out of the 50 states in the 2022 Americas Health Rankings report by the United Health Foundation. Drag shows didnt hurt anyones health.

The state ranks 14th in the country for infant mortality, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And not because of drag shows.

Based on crime statistics from the FBI, Tennessee was ranked the fourth most violent state in the country in 2021. Drag shows had nothing to do with that.

One in five children in Tennessee live in poverty. But yeah, definitely go after those drag shows.

Is LEGO's toy diversity 'woke'?: There's nothing wrong with visibility for disabilities

It would be possible, I suppose, for Tennessee lawmakers and politicians in any of the states eyeing bans on drag performances or busily attacking things like gender-affirming care and transgender rights to focus on insignificant matters like the health of their constituents, crime or the conditions children experience.

TikTok star Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas are the new "Dancing With the Stars" champions. This would be OK for Tennessee Republicans, but not drag shows.

But then, who would tackle the scourge of drag shows? Who would protect the youth from something that isnt threatening the youth? Who would make a small subset of citizens lives miserable in order to make a point thats both incorrect and wholly unnecessary?

Kudos to Tennessee Republicans for being too dumb to realize what theyre doing is a bad idea, and too cruel to care.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tennessee drag show ban attacks LGBTQ community, doesn't protect kids

Read the original post:
Tennessee Republicans target America's greatest threat: Drag shows ...

The GOP's fractures were put into sharp relief at this year's Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), with Republican strategists and activists simultaneously mourning and praising the transformation of a once-seminal event.

Party operatives who spoke to ABC News lamented the makeover of the annual conservative event from a headquarters for broad debate into a confab seemingly hostile to ideas that deviate from former President Donald Trump's "America First" populism. But conferencegoers, decked out in "Make America Great Again" hats and Trump paraphernalia, were content with the conference's narrow focus -- and, in some cases, eager to taper it more.

"It is a broad cross section, but that's kind of a bad thing, you almost don't want that," Joe Walters, a 24-year-old attendee from Westchester County, N.Y., said, claiming that the "establishment" had "turned its talking points into something that sounds more Trumpian."

"I wish it were more Trumpian in some sense."

Guests listen as former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 4, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Founded in 1974, CPAC became known as "Woodstock for conservatives," drawing in a broad cross section of Republican activists and lawmakers looking to jump up the political ladder, including Ronald Reagan, who debuted his "city on a hill" vision at the inaugural conference.

And while CPAC often followed emerging attitudes among the grassroots, it regularly featured speakers from across the Republican spectrum. However, the conference in recent years began shunning those who didn't espouse the populism that has engulfed the grassroots since Trump's 2016 campaign.

That trend was laid bare at this year's meeting, with several likely presidential candidates choosing to not even come, and a hostile reception waiting for those who did.

Prospective candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and more chose to spend their time elsewhere -- including, some, at a donor retreat in Florida hosted by the anti-tax Club for Growth, a powerful group embroiled in a feud with Trump.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 4, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

And while former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who launched her presidential campaign last month, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is actively mulling a campaign, made the trip, they were met with only tepid applause during their red-meat-packed speeches.

After leaving the ballroom following her speech, Haley was accosted by attendees shouting Trump's name before aides escorted her away.

"Ten years ago, it was an opportunity to test your messages to conservative leaders and influencers all over the country and to have a big audience get to know you from the podium and everything else that was included. And I don't think that's where it is today. I think it's a narrow, small tent," said one aide to a possible 2024 contender. "I think last time I was there, it almost felt like a college crowd than it did a serious thinker crowd."

"As somebody that's been involved in the movement for 20-plus years, it's sad, because it was at one time the premier event for conservatives to come together."

When asked if they thought CPAC could expand its focus to the broader GOP tent rather than on one tentpole, the person was pessimistic.

"I think there's a lot of people that hope so. But there's gonna have to be a wholesale change over there, and I don't see that coming anytime soon," the source said. "Sometimes you just have to have a hard reset."

At CPAC, though, such a "reset" seemed unlikely.

Trump's imprint on the party was apparent across the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center outside of Washington, with a mockup of his Oval Office set up and clothing stalls seen in the conference's shop and allies like Steve Bannon holding court in the hallways.

And while years ago, conspiracy theorists were kept away from the event, this year, Kari Lake, the 2022 Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee who attributes her narrow loss to widespread election fraud, was picked for the keynote address at this year's Ronald Reagan dinner.

"I had a feeling that after this week at CPAC, with all of the patriots that we've seen come on stage, we have that fire stirring in our belly. We have that DNA rising up in us -- that founding father kind of patriots stuff -- and we're ready to go out there and fight these people," she said.

When over a dozen conferencegoers were asked by ABC News who they were planning on voting for in the 2024 GOP primary, all but one said they were backing Trump, with the lone dissenter saying he's planning on voting for DeSantis.

"Trump forever. It's always Trump first before anybody else," said Adam Radogna, a 33-year-old small business owner from Cleveland, Ohio. "I'm sick of hearing all these other candidates. It's always Trump unless he's not on there."

And when asked whether they'd like to see other would-be contenders speak at CPAC, some scoffed at the prospect of people like Pence addressing the MAGA faithful.

"He will get booed. No, nobody wants Pence," said Melissa Locurto, real estate broker from Long Island, citing Pence's refusal to overturn Trump's loss in 2020. "I'm glad he's not here. I'm not a supporter."

Nikki Haley, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and 2024 presidential election candidate, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., March 3, 2023.

Sarah Silbiger/Reuters

The event represents a potent reality check as the 2024 primary gets underway.

Speculation outside of the halls of CPAC has run rampant over the power Trump's continued sway in the GOP, with strategists forecasting a competitive nominating contest while conceding that the former president remains the frontrunner.

But this year's conference underscored the fact that the former president maintains immovable support among a section of the GOP grassroots, as highlighted by the results of this year's straw poll.

"Feels like MAGA country," Donald Trump Jr. said in his speech Friday.

In CPAC's famed straw poll, 62% of respondents said they want to see Trump as the 2024 GOP nominee, while DeSantis, thought to be the former president's toughest rival, came in second with 20%.

And in his speech, Trump sounded a defiant tone, indicating he'll try to bulldoze any opponent, Democrat or Republican, and "throw off the political class that hates our country."

"We will route the fake news media, we will expose and appropriately deal with the RINOs," he said, using the slur for Republican in name only. "We will evict Joe Biden from the White House. And we will liberate America from these villains and scoundrels once and for all."

With Trump's sway at CPAC, even attendees looking for alternatives to the former president in the next election sounded doubtful.

"I haven't talked to anyone that's a DeSantis supporter. I've only really seen Trump people," said Ben Kelley, a 23-year-old DeSantis supporter. "Maybe if I ask around, more will be for DeSantis."

See original here:
Republicans torn over reduced CPAC, party divides - ABC News

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has repeatedly told Congress that the "border is secure," and the White House continues to insist that this is true. However, facts on the ground demonstrate otherwise.

It is difficult for many Americans to accept President Biden's refusal to take straightforward and simple steps to stop illegal immigration, and the reality of the unprecedented and ongoing border crisis is painfully evident. Almost 2.4 million illegal migrants were apprehended at the U.S. border with Mexico in fiscal year 2022. This is a historic high that doubled the previous record number of apprehensions from 2021.

Apologists for the Biden administration have argued that the unprecedented number of "encounters," as they call them, at the border indicate a get-tough approach to illegal immigration coupled with a compassion for asylum seekers.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS RENEW PUSH TO REIMBURSE TEXAS FOR 'OPERATION LONE STAR' BORDER SECURITY PUSH

The "system is broken," they tell Americans, because of actions taken by the previous administration. But policies put in place by President Trump proved extremely effective at deterring illegal immigration. President Biden rolled back most of these policies as soon as he took office while putting in place others that have encouraged the massive waves of illegal immigration we are witnessing right now.

If the Biden administration were returning illegal crossers back across the border or to their home countries, or detaining them while they wait for immigration hearings as is required under current law, there would be much less outrage at the situation. Instead, the administration has released over a million illegal immigrants into the United States knowing full well that they are overwhelmingly economic migrants, not legitimate asylum seekers.

Then there is the issue of so-called "got-aways," illegal aliens who take advantage of Border Patrol agents overwhelmed with the processing of millions of other illegal entrants. In fiscal year 2022 alone, the Border Patrol was able to reliably estimate that 600,000 people had evaded apprehension and successfully made it into the United States illegally. We have no idea who these people are, or where they are now, or what they are doing.

The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives is promising to address the border crisis with oversight and legislative reforms. A serious step toward that end is the Border Safety and Security Act (H.R. 29) recently introduced by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.

WHITE HOUSE FIRES BACK AT GOP OVER CALL TO FUND TEXAS BORDER SECURITY EFFORTS

The bill creates a non-pandemic-related authority for DHS to turn away illegal aliens at the border. DHS would have the option to either detain asylum seekers pending their hearings, return them to the country from which they entered to await their hearings -- as was done under the Remain in Mexico program -- or return them to their home countries.

House leadership should move quickly to get Roy's bill passed. The longer they wait, the worse the border crisis will become as the Biden administration grows more emboldened in its flouting of the letter and intent of existing immigration laws by claiming its discretion to admit illegal immigrants -- or to disguise them as legal by abusing parole authority -- is unlimited.

A handful of House Republicans are standing in the way of getting Roy's bill passed, arguing that it would totally prevent foreign nationals from making asylum claims.

This is completely false. It would only require DHS to comply with existing law and detain asylum seekers until they have a hearing with an immigration judge.

Right now, the Biden administration is using the asylum system as cover to release hundreds of thousands of individuals into the United States who make frivolous or fraudulent asylum claims, in many cases granting them work authorization.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTER

If Roy's bill clears the House, it will put pressure on the Democrat-controlled Senate to take it up. Last year, nine Senators in the Democrat caucus voted to extend the use of Title 42, the measure put in place by the Trump administration that enabled Customs and Border Protection to quickly expel illegal border crossers.

As Secretary Mayorkas becomes increasingly defiant of Congress and with an eye toward the 2024 election, with voters already heavily favoring Republicans on immigration, will vulnerable Democrats reject a commonsense approach to stemming the border crisis?

Much damage has already been done andRoy's bill will stem the bleeding at the border, but there remain other remedies that must be applied. Congress should prohibit migrants who have passed through a safe third country from claiming asylum in the United States.

No doubt many who are arriving at our southern border are seeking a better life, and many are hoping to escape poverty or other deplorable conditions back home -- but these are not legal conditions for asylum.

Congress must respect and reiterate the original intent of the asylum system to prevent future abuses by the executive branch.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

There is no good reason for members of Congress who say they want to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the United States to oppose Roy's border bill.They should enthusiastically promote and support it.

The Biden administration will not secure the border on its own initiative, no matter the cost to the American people. Congress must act now.

Lou Di Leonardo is a resident of Fairfax County, Virginia, who served as a founding member of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Read more here:
Republicans say they want to secure the border. Then why are they ...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Every time I speak to entrepreneurs and brands, they always seem to complain about a lack of reliable and skilled social media managers. A quick glance at your social media feed will show you how even 8- and 9-figure companies are lost when it comes to posting online.

This is why, if you have a Wi-Fi connection, a phone, and you know how to write and schedule a few Instagram posts, you could easily replace your current 9-5 job with something that allows you to work from anywhere, whenever you want.

Related: 12 Tips and Tools for Managing Multiple Social-Media Accounts

The first thing you should do is create a portfolio that shows potential clients your skills when it comes to managing social media accounts.

If you don't have any experience yet, you could reach out to friends or family members who have a social media account and ask them if you can manage it for them for free. You only need to do this for three months to have a substantial portfolio that will put you ahead of anyone who has a degree in communication, social media management or marketing but no practical experience.

Another way to build a portfolio is to apply for beginner paid gigs. The best platforms to do this are Upwork or Fiverr. Sure, the pay might not be the best in terms of compensation, but you'd be building a portfolio in no time and get testimonials that you can use once you start approaching bigger clients.

Once you have gained some experience managing social media accounts, it's time to attract clients that can pay you $500-2000 a month to manage their accounts.

Here, most aspiring social media managers will usually resort to cold emailing or cold calling to find potential prospects and initiate a conversation. And while this approach might work for some, it puts you in a weaker position and makes negotiating a higher rate more difficult.

That's because, when it comes to negotiating, you always want to come from a place of authority. Contacting a client that has never heard of you can work if you're already an established figure. But if you're just a beginner, it will just show that you're desperate to work.

So, what's a better approach to finding those clients that pay you premium fees?

Related: How This 18-Year-Old High School Student Built a 6-Figure Social Media Consulting Business

One way is to keep using platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. If you started there, it'll be easier to keep searching for clients there, as you'd have collected good reviews and will have built a reputation as a trustworthy professional.

But a better way is to post on social media platforms to build your authority. This has two advantages. First, it will show potential clients that you aren't just claiming you can manage a social media account. You are practicing it, which is the strongest form of social proof you can have. Second, it will help you attract potential clients that will see you as an expert in your field and will happily pay you your fee without any hassle.

Once you have attracted four to five clients this way, it's time to turn them into repeat customers. The simplest way to do it is to overdeliver so much that they'd be crazy to not continue working with you. If you do so, you simply need to create an offer to manage their social media accounts that can last between three to nine months that gives you some predictable revenue.

The goal when working with a client on a retainer basis is to keep communications tight and constantly remind them of the wins you are providing them (like increasing their followers or monetizing their platforms). Doing so will also help you routinely raise your rates without losing too many clients and can even make those clients refer you for more work.

On top of maintaining good relationships with your existing clients, you should still actively search for new clients by posting on your pages (or using other lead-generation methods). This will put you in a stronger position when it comes to raising your rates or negotiating different packages.

Still, there is always a cap on how much money you can make working 1-1 with a client. This is why every smart social media agency will eventually package the solutions, frameworks, templates and any other assets they use with their clients in a format that can be sold to many people at the same time.

Related: 6 Tips to Start Your Million-Dollar Business From Scratch

If your clients all share the same struggles, and you have a solution for it, you can easily turn that into an ebook, a video course or anything else that can be sold digitally. This will allow you to break through the freelance income barrier and scale to a million dollars a year.

It might take some time to get there, but these are the steps that 99% of successful social media agencies have followed. The earlier you begin building your social media agency, the sooner you will reap the benefits.

See the rest here:
How to Build a Million-Dollar Social Media Agency