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Of all of Metas current offerings, its Horizon Worlds VR creation platform provides the most indicative view of its future metaverse plans.

And starting this week, more people will be able to share in that vision, with Horizon Worlds being launched to users in the UK, in addition to the US and Canada.

As shown in the video above, Horizon Worlds enables users to create their own virtual spaces, with a range of 3D objects and tools that they can use to build interactive environments.

Meta launched Horizon Worlds with all users in the US and Canada in December, and its now expanding that to the UK, before opening up access to all EU users in the coming months.

As per Meta:

From the very beginning, weve envisioned Horizon Worlds as a creator-friendly VR environment featuring top tier social world-building tools. And by developing those tools and listening to and incorporating feedback from creators, thats just what it is. But were always working to make it even better. For example, last month we launched our first asset library, a collection of pre-made items that creators can use any time they want. Plus, weve also committed $10 million USDto help creators get their worlds off the ground.

The asset library will play a big part in the next stage of the metaverse, with Meta looking to help brands build 3D models of their products, for improved eCommerce display, which can then also be made available in Horizon Worlds for usage in user projects.

That will provide new promotional opportunities in this emerging digital space, which, as noted, gives us the clearest indicator of what the metaverse will be like, in Metas current vision at least, as a consumer tool.

Weve already seen some indications of the marketing implications in this respect, with brands like Wendys creating their own, branded environments in Horizon Worlds, inviting users to come and engage with their virtual products and activations.

That, again, is where the metaverse is headed, with individuals and brands alike able to create Minecraft-like interactive spaces, where users can be fully immersed in VR or potentially via other means as well into their creations.

Though its fairly basic right now, in its early stages of its development. Eventually, as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shown, the metaverse will incorporate a wide range of fully-immersive and interactive environments, that will enable you to create and explore all manner of new worlds, beyond anything that youve ever experienced.

Were not close to that yet, in terms of fully functional, interactive, avatar-led engagement in these VR worlds. But eventually, thats where Meta is headed, and if you wanted to get a taste of whats coming, and what Meta views as the next evolution for brand Pages, Horizon Worlds is your best current indicator on this front.

But VR engagement also opens up new forms for harassment and abuse, in an even more enclosed and immersive space. Which is another element that Meta needs to address.

On this front, Meta has also announced the addition of Voice Mode in VR, which will enable users to choose if they want to hear other users speaking within he VR environment.

As explained by Meta:

[Voice mode] will allow you to choose how you hear people who arent on your friends list, including the option to not hear unwanted conversations at all. By default, youll hear all nearby users at the same volume, but with Voice Mode, you can easily switch to Garbled Voices, in which non-friends voices come across as unintelligible, friendly sounds.

As shown in the above image, when a user selects Garbled Voices, strangers will see an indicator that you cant hear them in the space. Users will be able to change this setting at any time, but it provides another safety measure to help protect users in VR, where already there have been some disturbing instances of abuse, even in its early, rudimentary state.

Late last year, a beta tester for Horizon Worlds reported that she had been groped by a stranger in VR, while another experienced gang rape by male users in the space, which she described as feeling very real.

Those incidents prompted Meta to add a new personal boundary feature, which enables users to keep others at a distance from their avatar.

Metas also now added new pop-up warnings which are displayed to people who behave disruptively in the VR space.

So there are measures in place to mitigate the risks, to some degree. But it does seem like this could become a far bigger concern for the platform moving forward, and one that Meta needs to ensure is fully addressed before implementing a broader roll-out of its metaverse push.

Will that actually happen? Meta doesnt exactly have the best history in regards to addressing potential problems like this before they become bigger concerns, and it would surprise no one if Meta pushed ahead with the expansion of its metaverse vision over anything else, including the safety of users.

Which, in some ways, seems to be already happening, with the expansion of Horizon Worlds to the next stage though Meta will be hoping that its developing safety tools will be enough to provide adequate protection for users in the virtual space.

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Meta Expands Horizon Worlds Access to VR Users in the UK - Social Media Today

Republican Party congressional caucus

The Tea Party Caucus (TPC) was a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. The Caucus was founded in July 2010 by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in coordination with the Tea Party movement the year following the movement's 2009 creation. Bachmann served as the Caucus's first chair.[10]

From July 2012 to April 2013 the Tea Party Caucus neither met nor posted news on its webpage, leading observers to describe it as "dead," "inactive," and "defunct."[11][12] In April 2013, Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina filed paperwork to create a new Tea Party Caucus, but found that Bachmann intended to continue the caucus, starting with an event on April 25, 2013.[13] On June 19, 2014, Tea Party Caucus member Steve Scalise of Louisiana was elected as the House Majority Whip.[14] The Caucus was reconstituted in the 114th Congress in January 2015.[15] Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas became the chair in February 2015.[16] Huelskamp lost party primary election in 2016. The Caucus is now largely inactive. Though the primary functions of the Caucus have varied from year to year, its members have promoted budget cuts, including significant cuts in non-defense spending and adherence to the movement's interpretation of the Constitution. The caucus's members have also advocated socially conservative legislation, supported the right to keep and bear arms, and promoted limited government.

The idea of a Tea Party Caucus originated from Rand Paul (KY) when he was campaigning for the U.S. Senate in 2010.[citation needed] The Caucus was approved as an official congressional member organization by the House Administration Committee on July 19, 2010,[17] and held its first meeting and public event, a press conference on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, on July 21.[18] A similar informal Caucus was formed in the Senate by four Senators on January 27, 2011.[2][note 1]

While there was no official announcement, the Tea Party Caucus appears to be defunct since approximately late 2016 and most of its members are now caucusing with either the Freedom Caucus or the Liberty Caucus. Although the Tea Party is not a party in the classic sense of the word, research has shown that members of the Tea Party Caucus vote like a third party in Congress.[19]

Michele Bachmann(20102015)

Tim Huelskamp(20152017)

The Tea Party Caucus grew out of the Tea Party movement, a conservative populist political movement that emerged in 2009 in the United States, generally opposing excessive taxation and government intervention in the private sector while supporting stronger immigration controls.[20] On February 19, 2009,[21] in a broadcast from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, CNBC Business News Network editor Rick Santelli loudly criticized the government plan to refinance mortgages as "promoting bad behavior" by "subsidizing losers' mortgages", and raised the possibility of putting together a "Chicago Tea Party in July".[22][23] A number of the traders and brokers around him cheered on his proposal, to the apparent amusement of the hosts in the studio. It was called "the rant heard round the world".[24] Santelli's remarks "set the fuse to the modern anti-Obama Tea Party movement", according to journalist Lee Fang.[25]

The following day after Santelli's comments from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, 50 national conservative leaders, including Michael Johns, Amy Kremer and Jenny Beth Martin, participated in a conference call that gave birth to the national Tea Party movement.[26][27] In response to Santelli, websites such as ChicagoTeaParty.com, registered in August 2008 by Chicago radio producer Zack Christenson, were live within twelve hours.[28] About 10 hours after Santelli's remarks, reTeaParty.com was bought to coordinate Tea Parties scheduled for the 4th of July and within two weeks was reported to be receiving 11,000 visitors a day.[28] However, on the contrary, many scholars are reluctant to label Santelli's remarks the "spark" of the Tea Party considering that a "Tea Party" protest had taken place 3 days before in Seattle, Washington[29] In fact, this had led many opponents of the Tea Party to define this movement as "astroturfed," but it seems as if Santelli's comments did not "fall on deaf ears" considering that, "the top 50 counties in foreclosure rates played host to over 910 Tea Party protests, about one-sixth of the total".[29]

An article in Politico stated that many Tea Party activists see the Caucus as an effort by the Republican Party to hijack the movement. Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz refused to join the Caucus, saying "Structure and formality are the exact opposite of what the Tea Party is, and if there is an attempt to put structure and formality around it, or to co-opt it by Washington, D.C., its going to take away from the free-flowing nature of the true tea party movement."[30]

In an attempt to quell fears that Washington insiders were attempting to co-opt the Tea Party movement, Michele Bachmann stated "We're not the mouthpiece. We are not taking the Tea Party and controlling it from Washington, D.C. We are also not here to vouch for the Tea Party or to vouch for any Tea Party organizations or to vouch for any individual people or actions, or billboards or signs or anything of the Tea Party. We are the receptacle."[31][32]

Additionally, Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Marco Rubio of Florida, all Tea Party supporters, refused to join the caucus.[33][34] Toomey said he would be "open" to joining, and spoke at the first meeting, but did not ultimately join.[35] Johnson said that he declined to join because he wanted to "work towards a unified Republican Conference, so that's where I will put my energy."[36] Rubio criticized the caucus, saying "My fear has always been that if you start creating these little clubs or organizations in Washington run by politicians, the movement starts to lose its energy."[37]

The Tea Party Caucus is often viewed as taking conservative positions, and advocating for both social and fiscal conservatism.[38] Analysis of voting patterns confirm that Caucus members are more conservative than other House Republicans, especially on fiscal matters.[38][39] Voting trends to the right of the median Republican, and Tea Party Caucus members represent more conservative, southern and affluent districts.[39][40] Supporters of the Tea Party movement itself are largely economic driven.[41][42][43]

Despite the Caucus members differing degrees of economic and social conservatism, they generally work to promote positions within the House of Representatives that are to the right-of those of the House Republican Conference.[44] Caucus members are an important swing vote on spending bills and as a result have gained influence in Congress out of proportion to their numbers.[45][46] They are frequently sought after to broker compromises amongst the Republican leadership, generally lending a more right-wing character to U.S. politics.[47] Since the advent of the Tea Party Caucus in 2010, party-line voting has increased for both Democrats and Republicans.[48]

According to OpenSecrets, the top contributors to the Tea Party Caucus members are health professionals, retirees, the real estate industry and oil and gas interests. The Center said the contributions to Caucus members from these groups, plus those from Republican and conservative groups, are on average higher than those of House members in general and also those of other Republicans. The average Tea Party Caucus member received more than $25,000 from the oil and gas industry, compared to about $13,000for the average House member and $21,500for the average House Republican.[49]

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Is this Caucus still in existence, and if so, who are its members in the 114th Congress?. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2015)

The Caucus chair was Michele Bachmann of Minnesota between 2010 and her retirement in 2015. Tim Huelskamp was elected as the Caucus' second chair in January 2015, but was defeated in the 2016 Republican primary by Roger Marshall.[15] Of a possible 435 Representatives, as of January 6, 2013, the committee had 48 members, all Republicans.[50] At its height, the Caucus had 60 members in 2011.

Several members of the Tea Party Caucus were part of the Republican leadership. Tom Price served as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, making him the seventh ranking Republican in the House, John R. Carter was the Secretary of the House Republican Conference, ranking him the ninth ranking Republican, and Pete Sessions was the number six Republican as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Other former members of the Tea Party Caucus held committee chairmanships such as Lamar S. Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Arizona

California

Colorado

Florida

Louisiana

Michigan

Mississippi

Missouri

Nebraska

South Carolina

Texas

West Virginia

The Senate has an informal Tea Party Caucus,[note 1] founded in 2011.[53][54]

Ideological caucuses in the United States Congress

Caucuses with no known membership as of the 117th Congress do not have memberships listed.

Originally posted here:
Tea Party Caucus - Wikipedia

TAYLOR COUNTYJune has become known as a time to celebrate diversity, as it has been chosen as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month.

To celebrate the month, Taylor County Pride recently held a Pride Picnic in the Park event, that organizers revealed was not only a great time, but it was a smashing success.

The group wanted to do something fun to kick off our celebrations this year, so we began brainstorming, said Taylor County Pride organizer Matteo Martines. Holding a tea party was actually the idea of Ashlie Clark. She asked if I would be interested, and I, of course, was!

Through their conversations, the two decided that the theme of the gathering would be none other than Alice In Wonderland.

Ashlie, who was previously a Disney cast member, brought the tea party to a whole other level. She had these wonderful topsy-tipsy serving dishes and snack trays that went perfectly with the theme, he explained. And Gigi Collett helped add to it with decorations and hats for everyone to wear.

Martines revealed that Collett also lent a helping hand with the partys music selections.

During the afternoon celebration, guests enjoyed a tasty selection of tea sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, cookies, cupcakes, scones, tarts, salad, pasta salad and mixed fruit. They were also privy to a story reading by none other than the White Rabbit, Miss Sophie Martines.

Sophie read the book Pink Is for Boys, and she did a fantastic job, expressed Martines.

Attendees, in addition to enjoying one anothers company, were also treated to a craft that will hopefully help put smiles on the faces of community members.

For the craft we painted rocks, and Lisa Wotring was a great help with that portion of the day, Martines disclosed. Everyone who painted one is taking them home to dry, and then they will hide them around Taylor County to be found and hidden again.

And while Taylor Countys Pride group is new to the scene, only forming last year, they have already made their mark on the town and their presence known.

After noticing that the LGBTQ community had little to no representation, Martines sought to make a difference with the creation of a group designed specifically for those who wanted to celebrate the special community.

He began conversations with some family and friends, and before long, a group was created on Facebook to discuss options for celebrations locally, as communities across the nation celebrated Pride Month.

Last year, the organization held various gatherings including a potluck dinner, book readings, participation in the Christmas parade, and they even held a small-scale Pride parade of their own.

We will be holding another Pride parade this year, and are really excited about that. It will be slightly different than our caravan parade held last year, Martines revealed. We really hope that supporters and allies will come out to help us celebrate!

The 2022 Pride March is slated to hit the streets of downtown Grafton on June 25, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

We will meet up at the Taylor County Public Librarys parking lot, then walk through town with signs and pride flags, he explained.

Following the conclusion of the parade, participants and guests are welcome to gather in Toad Hall for further celebration.

According to the Library of Congress, the designation came as a way to honor and commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, New York, deemed as the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement across the nation.

Common celebrations during the month include Pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia, concerts and special memorials held for those who fell victim to hate crimes or lost their lives to HIV or AIDS.

LGBTQ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world, and now Taylor County will join those ranks with their own celebrations.

Martines shared that to learn more about Pride, please visit the LGBTQ Foundation (https://lgbt.foundation), a charitable organization that provides acceptance, support and advice. Additional information can also be found from sources such as GLADD at, https://www.glaad.org or The Human Rights Campaign at https://www.hrc.org.

To find more information about the Taylor County Pride group, please contact Martines via Facebook messenger.

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Inclusion and acceptance the name of the game at recent tea party - Mountain Statesman

The Queen's Tea at The Cottage Cafe and Tea Room

What better way for those of us in the states to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee than with a tea party? The opening of The Cottage Cafe and Tea Room in Central run by Loretta Foreman, who owned Country Emporium until 2012 is a welcome addition for tea lovers in the Baton Rouge area.

The Cottage Cafe and Tea Room served four types of sandwiches with "The Queen's Tea," along with a few mini quiches.

Our Queen's Tea included two scones, a cup of gumbo (we're still in Louisiana and not the U.K. after all), four tea sandwiches, two mini quiches and two mini desserts. The Earl Grey cream tea was delicious, and the staff kindly refilled pot after pot for us. Foreman and her granddaughter run the shop together, and Foreman told us they wanted it to feel like you're at somebody's house, enjoying an afternoon together. We hope they don't mind frequent house guests.

The Cottage Cafe and Tea Room, 10443 Joor Road, Baton Rouge, 70818. (225) 478-2766.

The Cottage Cafe and Tea Room is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Reservations are required for lunch, and high tea is served on weekends only and requires reservations one day in advance. Afternoon tea is available without reservations from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. (Andrea Gallo, staff writer)

If you've never had pho, a Vietnamese soup with meat, herbs and rice noodles, this is a great place to try it. And if you're a pho-lover like me, it's a a prime candidate to become your go-to.

A bowl of steak pho from Bao Vietnamese Kitchen in Baton Rouge.

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The bone broth is some of the most intensely flavorful liquid you're likely to find anywhere. It's a top-notch meal anytime, but it's a particularly sublime meal if you're ever feeling under the weather. A lage bowl is exactly the right amount of food to leave you stuffed but satisfied.

Try it with a salted lemonade for a "fire and ice" contrast.

Bao Vietnamese Kitchen, 8342 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, 70810. (225) 960-1293. Bao is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and is closed on Sunday. (Matthew Albright, assistant metro editor)

Pork schnitzel at City Pork

Confession: I was not the one who ordered the pork schnitzel. That wise human would be my husband, who 28-years-into-marriage understands what will happen when he makes the better menu choice than I do. Fortunately, he is a generous soul -- as that panko breaded pork cutlet, brown bacon gravy, creamy orzo and pickled redcabbagewere delicious.

City Pork's pork schnitzel is served with creamy orzo and pickled red cabbage.

The schnitzel itself was thin and crispy. The gravy was good, and I loved the pickled red cabbage (a throwback to the amazing sauerkraut I developed a taste for during the time I lived in Slovakia). In fact, the red cabbage dish was more similar to Eastern European sauerkraut than any I've had outside of...Eastern Europe. All that said, the creamy orzo (which I would describe as an orzo risotto) was the star of the show.

The contrast between the crisp schnitzel, the tangy cabbage and the creamy orzo created high perfect-bite potential. Most of my favorite meals are centered around getting the right ratio of different flavors and textures in a single bite. City Pork's schnitzel is an excellent opportunity to do just that. The only problem was I didn't get many chances -- since it was my husband's plate. If you're curious, I ordered the BLT, a personal favorite. It was good, but I like mine with a significant slathering of Duke's mayo and just the right dash of oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. Fortunately for me, my husband knows just how I my BLTs -- and makes them for me to welcome summer. Sufficeth to say, next time we go to City Pork, we'll both be ordering the schnitzel.

City Pork has two locations. 7327 Jefferson Highway (225) 615-8880 and 18143 Perkins Road E (225) 998-0744. Check individual locations for hours. (Jan Risher, features editor)

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The Queen's Tea, steak pho and pork schnitzel: Best things we ate this week - The Advocate

The trash situation will get a revamp ahead of next years Oak Bay Tea Party, says lead sorter Noreen Taylor.

Every year during the largest public event in the community, a small team of volunteers sorts each piece of trash into four categories compost, soft plastic, hard plastic and garbage headed for the landfill. This year there were roughly equal amounts, seven bags of each.

They were almost equal, but I believe three-quarters of it is garbage, Taylor said, fearing many plastics they sorted into recycling may have been too dirty. For example, a coffee cup, lid and sleeve each go in a different bag and all three can be ruined by an ice cream cone or half-full mustard container dumped on top.

RELATED: Heading to Oak Bay Tea Party? Dont be a litter bug

Rainy weather didnt help this year, Taylor said, noting their piles included bags of soggy, dirty clothing. As always, dirty diapers topped the list of trash.

With no way to close the venue to outside trash, Taylor believes the event may never achieve zero waste. She approves all vendors on-site to have compostable containers and cutlery, but all outside food appeared to have some form of non-compostable element.

Taylor plans to work with municipal staff to review the methodology ahead of the 2023 party.

Were going to look at how we can upgrade or adapt our recycling efforts, Taylor said, noting things have evolved even since the last Tea Party in 2019. Theres more products out there that are more complicated to recycle, more involved to recycle.

c.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca

oak bayRecycling

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Wet weather fouls up Oak Bay Tea Party trash sorters - Oak Bay News