Everyone’s favorite Tonga flag bearer qualifies for Tokyo Olympics

 

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A post shared by Pita Taufatofua (@pita_tofua) on Feb 25, 2018 at 6:09am PST

Pita Taufatofua of Tonga has successfully managed to qualify again for the Olympics.

Taufatofua, 36, made international headlines when he represented his country in the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Taufatofua stood out as the country’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony, when he paraded around Maracana Stadium, shirtless and glistening with oil, in a traditional Tongan outfit.

He represented the country in taekwondo but went on to lose in the first round.

 

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Time for stronger training equipment… – #athletelife #olympian #trainingTips #motivationDaily #man #gymfails

A post shared by Pita Taufatofua (@pita_tofua) on Feb 13, 2019 at 1:16pm PST

Related: Pita Taufatofua (a.k.a. the Shirtless Tongan) is back at the Olympics and everyone’s fainting 

Undeterred by this setback, Taufatofua then set out to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, successfully retraining and qualifying for Tonga as a skier. He went on to come 114th out of 116 in the 15km cross-country ski event. He again carried the Tonga flag during the opening ceremony, shirtless despite considerably colder temperatures!

Despite cracking a rib during training a month ago, on Friday he took to social media to share the news that Tonga was again set to go to the games in Tokyo this summer.

 

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Looks like we’re going to need more coconut oil – Tonga is going to Tokyo Just qualified for our third straight Olympics in my beautiful sport of Taekwondo! #NextStopKayak #ButFirstACoconut

A post shared by Pita Taufatofua (@pita_tofua) on Feb 29, 2020 at 12:04pm PST

“Looks like we’re going to need more coconut oil – Tonga is going to Tokyo Just qualified for our third straight Olympics in my beautiful sport of Taekwondo!”

A Tonga Olympic official later confirmed to NBC Sports that the country had successfully qualified for two spots at the Olympics: “One [female qualifier] and Pita.”

Related: He’s BACK! Everyone’s favorite oiled-up Tongan heartthrob just qualified for the Winter Olympics

Not content with competing in taekwondo, Taufatofua is also currently attempting to qualify for the kayaking competition in the Olympics. If he manages to qualify for the kayak, he will be the first athlete since 1924 to take part in three different sports in three consecutive games.

“I just love being out on the ocean, being out at sea. It’s a sport that excites me. I haven’t learned it yet, but it excites me at the same time,” he told CNN last year.

Go, Pita!

 

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A post shared by Pita Taufatofua (@pita_tofua) on May 9, 2019 at 11:08am PDT

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John Oliver Warns Against Extreme Reactions to the Coronavirus: WATCH

John Oliver did a deep dive on the coronavirus on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, looking at the extreme reactions of some people to the outbreaks such as avoiding Chinese restaurants, and drinking bleach.

But first, Oliver gave the basics: “Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, and preliminary estimates are that is has around a 2 percent mortality rate. The good news is that around 80 percent of those who get this virus have mild symptoms, the bad news is that means they are more likely to spread it without even realizing. That is one of the things that makes this so dangerous, and why, even though its mortality rate is much lower than that of SARS or MERS, this virus has already killed three times as many people.”

Added Oliver: “So if the stock market is tanking and people are considering gargling bleach, we thought tonight might be a good time to talk about the coronavirus: how we got to this point, what’s currently being done, and how this virus has exposed governmental vulnerabilities as it has spread around the world.”

Said Oliver: “I don’t want to be alarmist here, but I also don’t want to minimize what we could be facing. If you’re drinking bleach to protect yourself right now, you should probably calm the f**k down. If you are, say, licking subway poles because you’re certain nothing can hurt you, maybe don’t do that.”

Taking viewers around the world to show off ways different countries are reacting to the virus, Oliver noted the current lockdowns in China, where loudspeakers on street corners are telling residents not to go outside.

Said Oliver: “Holy sh*t. A talking box that tells you you can’t leave your house feels pretty dystopian. To be honest I much prefer our dystopia where a talking box listens to all our conversations and then tells Jeff Bezos when I’ll need underwear next. It’s such a convenient way to give up everything.”

Of course Oliver finally got to the United States response, noting that Trump aide Larry Kudlow was on TV telling the public that the containment was “air tight” or “pretty close to air tight.”

“Well which is it?” screeched Oliver. “Because airtight vs. close to airtight is a pretty crucial distinction. It’s the difference between having a working submarine and a cool metal tube to die in.”

Oliver also hammered Trump for putting Mike Pence in charge of the crisis because “he’s got a certain talent for this.”

“Does he? Does he though?” asked Oliver, rattling off a list of things Pence does have a talent for like “avoiding off-leash women.”

Finally, Oliver had some advice, warning people about liars trying to profit from the pandemic, like Jim Bakker, who is hawking a silver solution to kill the virus. He also warned against drinking bleach, licking subway poles.

“Don’t be complacent, and don’t be a f**king idiot.”

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John Oliver Warns Against Extreme Reactions to the Coronavirus: WATCH

HRC Endorses Sen. Jeff Merkley for Reelection

Today, HRC announced its endorsement of  Sen. Jeff Merkley in his bid for reelection to the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Merkley has been a steadfast ally for the LGBTQ community throughout his time in public service and his tenure in the U.S. Senate. Merkley is the lead Senate sponsor of the Equality Act, crucial federal legislation that would finally guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people under our nation’s existing civil rights laws. Senator Merkley has joined Senate and House colleagues in sending amicus briefs to the Supreme Court in support of marriage equality in both the DeBoer v. Snyder and Obergefell v. Hodges cases. In July 2019, he served as lead Senate amici on an amicus brief opposing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the cases of Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda, and R.G.& G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

“Senator Jeff Merkley has been one of our community’s strongest advocates in the United States Senate, and we’re proud to stand by his side as he runs for reelection,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “As a lead sponsor of the Equality Act, his work for our community has been indispensable. The Human Rights Campaign is committed to mobilizing the more than 1.1 million Equality Voters across Oregon to send Jeff Merkley back to the U.S. Senate to continue moving equality forward for all Americans.”

“It is outrageous that the doors of opportunity are still slammed shut for LGBTQ Americans in states all across our nation,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley. “I am determined to work with HRC to throw those doors wide open. I was honored to lead the successful fight for the Oregon 2007 Equality Act and equally pleased to do the same for the 2013 Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the U.S. Senate. After working with HRC to craft the Equality Act, I was thrilled to see the House pass it last year. But we can’t rest until it is also passed by the Senate and signed in the Oval Office. I’m looking forward to working with HRC to win the fight for equality and opportunity in every aspect of American life. Such opportunity is the very definition of justice and freedom. Let’s never let up until we can ring the bells of freedom long and loud for all Americans!“

In the 2018 midterms, HRC helped register more than 32,000 voters and recruited more than 4,200 volunteers, who worked over 8,500 shifts and clocked more than 30,000 volunteer hours. In the critical final four days of the campaign, HRC staff and volunteers in get-out-the-vote efforts alone knocked on more than 80,000 doors, and held 36,400 conversations with voters at their doors and by phone on behalf of our endorsed candidates. HRC’s unprecedented grassroots mobilization represented an investment of approximately $26 million to recruit volunteers, mobilize constituents, register voters and grow the organization’s grassroots army in an all-out effort to pull the emergency brake on the hateful anti-LGBTQ agenda of the Trump-Pence administration and elect a Congress that would hold them accountable.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-endorses-sen.-jeff-merkley-for-reelection?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Coronavirus Update: Second Death Confirmed in U.S. as More States Announce Cases

The coronavirus has been confirmed in 64 countries and several states in the U.S. including New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Oregon, California, and Florida

WASHINGTON STATE. A second person has died: “The number of confirmed cases in the county jumped to 10, while health authorities warned it would likely rise, and new research indicated the novel coronavirus may have been spreading undetected in the region for weeks. … Local health officials announced a total of seven new cases Sunday. One of them — a patient in his 70s at EvergreenHealth — died, and the remaining six, ranging in age from their 40s to their 90s, were in critical condition. Four of the new cases, including the second fatality, involved residents from Life Care, a skilled nursing facility in Kirkland.”

NEW YORK. The first case in New York City was confirmed on Sunday:

FLORIDA. Two people in the Tampa Bay area have tested positive for the coronavirus. “One patient is an adult in Manatee County. According to the Department of Health, the patient does not have a travel history to countries identified for restricted travel by the CDC. The patient is being treated at Doctors Hospital in Sarasota. The second patient is an adult in Hillsborough County with a history of travel to Italy. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials.”

RHODE ISLAND. The state announced its first case over the weekend.

IRAN: A senior aide to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died of the virus and Iran is refusing U.S. help with its ,1501 confirmed cases: “Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said Monday that the U.S. is seeking to use the virus outbreak as part of its propaganda campaign against Iran to undermine national unity. ‘Since the outbreak of the virus in Iran, we have been observing the U.S.-led anti-Iranian propaganda campaign and know about the measures the Americans have taken to reduce Iranian nation’s morale,’ Mousavi told reporters, according to the Mehr News Agency.”

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Coronavirus Update: Second Death Confirmed in U.S. as More States Announce Cases