Category: Domestic Affairs,

‘It’s About Power’: D.C. Students Seek To Remove Bias In School Dress Codes

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Media and Culture,, Race,, Schools,Leave a comment

“Too many dress codes are rooted in really dangerous sex stereotypes about what we think a girl should look like, and what we think a boy should look like,” says Nia Evans, lead researcher of the report. “And those are really outdated binaries that we’re moving away from as a culture.”

…“Dress codes aren’t even meeting the goals that they’re intended to meet: to limit and reduce distractions or foster a sense of professionalism,” Evans says. “Students that we worked with have said, ‘I’m actually not learning either of those things. I’m just getting punished for the fact that I have a curvy body or I’m wearing my hair in a head wrap.’

…The study also found a correlation between how strict a school’s dress code is and the racial makeup of the student body. High schools with majority black students (schools where African American students make up more than 50% of the students enrolled) have more dress code restrictions than other high schools. Majority black schools also suspend girls at nearly double the rates of other schools, according to the study.

Researchers found that black girls in the District remain 20 times more likely than white girls to be suspended, despite no evidence of more misbehavior.

“Black girls deserve to bring their authentic selves to school, and we should hold our schools accountable to that,” Evans says.

…“Girls felt creeped out by their classmates and teachers commenting on how they looked and it empowered students to scrutinize each other, which makes them feel even more self-conscious,” Zerwitz said in the report.

… Many took aim at the stereotypes embedded in dress codes, rules that deny girls class time, and the “culture of harassment that paints girls as distractions.” [emphasis: Peanut Gallery]

‘It’s About Power’: D.C. Students Seek To Remove Bias In School Dress Codes | WAMU

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Amazon-owned Ring doorbell shares user info with Facebook, report says

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,, Privacy,Leave a comment

The Electronic Frontier Foundation published its findings after closely examining the Android version of the Ring app.

The non-profit determined that the app is “packed with third-party trackers sending out a plethora of customers’ personally identifiable information.” And this is done “without meaningful user notification or consent and, in most cases, no way to mitigate the damage done,” the EFF said.

…The EFF notes user data can be amalgamated to create a profile of a user’s digital habits. Third-party companies can use that profile to surveil what people are doing across other apps and websites.

…Ring collects information like names, private IP addresses, mobile network carriers and sensor data on the devices of paying customers, EFF said. The personal data then goes to four primary recipients including Branch, ApplsFlyer, MixPanel and Facebook, EFF said. Google-owned Crashanalytics was also named as a recipient.

“The danger in sending even small bits of information is that analytics and tracking companies are able to combine these bits together to form a unique picture of the user’s device,” EFF said in the report. 

…Reports also surfaced revealing that some of Ring’s workers had been fired for spying on users. In November, the Mozilla Foundation, which created the Firefox browser, said Ring was among its worst privacy offenders. Mozilla claimed the company’s doorbells have bugs that could enable hackers to “go Big Brother on you in your own home.”

Amazon-owned Ring doorbell shares user info with Facebook, report says

mmhmm

How to Pronounce “Scallop”

On By peanutgallerynhIn Boston,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

Bay scallops in particular achieve perfection during the cold months, when their meat is pumped with the sweetness of stored glycogen. 

…Bays live only 18 months to two years (as opposed to the sea scallop’s maximum of 30 years), so the failure of one year’s class has devastating consequences. Furthermore, although both sea and bay scallops are sensitive to environmental disturbances, including variations in water salinity and temperature, the bay scallop inhabits shallow water and is susceptible to the added pollution of coastal development.

How to Pronounce “Scallop” | New England Dialect – New England Today

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Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib regrets booing Hillary Clinton

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

As Ms Jayapal and Ms Omar laughed, Ms Tlaib added: “You all know I can’t be quiet. No, we’re going to boo. That’s all right, the haters will shut up on Monday when we win.”

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib regrets booing Hillary Clinton – BBC News

If only ALL the haters would shut up, Congresswoman, then maybe we wouldn’t have to deal with all of the dumpster fires your ill-considored words start.

Rashida Tlaib on Doing a Trump Imitation And Booing Hillary Clinton: My Disappointment ‘Got the Best of Me’

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

Rashida Tlaib on Booing Hillary Clinton: My Disappointment ‘Got the Best of Me’

Oh Really? Because the Peanut Gallery thought it was because you’re ignorant, short-sighted idiot who doesn’t understand strategy and think things through….

Either way, you’re not doing Bernie any favors.

…And it was a pretty Trumpian thing to do.

For your own sake, hope you never need the support of the Democratic rank and file, dear….

Travel ban expanded to six new countries

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Race,Leave a comment

The Trump administration on Friday announced an expansion of the travel ban — one of the President’s signature policies, which has been derided by critics as an attempt to ban Muslims from the US — to include six new countries.

Immigration restrictions will be imposed on: Nigeria, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar (known as Burma), with exceptions for immigrants who have helped the US.

Travel ban expanded to six new countries – CNNPolitics

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What’s in your water? Researchers identify new toxic byproducts of disinfecting drinking water

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

“That process of killing potentially fatal bacteria and viruses comes with unintended consequences. The discovery of these previously unknown, highly toxic byproducts, raises the question how much chlorination is really necessary.”

…Phenols, which are chemical compounds that occur naturally in the environment and are abundant in personal care products and pharmaceuticals, are commonly found in drinking water. When these phenols mix with chlorine, the process creates a large number of byproducts. Current analytical chemistry methods, however, are unable to detect and identify all of these byproducts, some which may be harmful and can cause long-term health consequences, says Prasse.

…Their experiment found the compounds 2-butene-1,4-dial (BDA) and chloro-2-butene-1,4-dial (or BDA with chlorine attached). BDA is a very toxic compound and a known carcinogen that, until this study, scientists had not detected in chlorinated water before, says Prasse.

…”In other countries, especially in Europe, chlorination is not used as frequently, and the water is still safe from waterborne illnesses. In my opinion, we need to evaluate when chlorination is really necessary for the protection of human health and when alternative approaches might be better,” says Prasse.

What’s in your water? Researchers identify new toxic byproducts of disinfecting drinking water

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Ring’s Neighborhood Watch Feature Is Bringing Out the Worst in Boston

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Boston,, Media and Culture,, Privacy,Leave a comment

“I’m all for technology and keeping your castle safe, but geez, can’t a guy just stop by to say hello anymore?”

…I am currently obsessed with—and horrified by—the Neighbors app, a niche but growing social network that’s become a dumping ground for videos captured by Ring cameras. Boston has embraced it with gusto, despite the fact that crime statistics show that we’ve never been safer. The app touts itself as a “new neighborhood watch,” that helps users harness “the power of your community” to keep you “safe and informed.” Police are so confident in Ring’s usefulness that many departments have even partnered with Amazon to promote the product in Massachusetts.

…Local users haven’t just been uploading videos of crimes in action—they’ve been using the app to post just about anything that seems mysterious or untoward. In other words, the app has become a cesspool of paranoia and aggression, where even looking suspicious is grounds for inclusion on the app’s ceaseless stream of updates.

…Delivery drivers and city workers …flagged as potential robbers and scammers. …Two guys dressed in business-casual attire strolling across a driveway—none of whom appears to commit any crimes—and deemed them worthy of inclusion on the app.

…Tensions that often simmer under the surface in Boston—specifically those around race and class—are laid bare in text on the app. People who are poor, non-white, or both are often unfairly labeled by Ring users as ‘dangerous.’

…“A lot of it is really gross., …people posting really just derogatory, heartless, cruel things about these folks who are obviously at a really low place in their lives, struggling with substance abuse and poverty.”

… There are countless examples of the benefits of the Neighbors app, including identifying hit-and-run drivers, helping to find lost pets, or, in one case, providing crucial evidence of a kidnapping underway in Las Vegas. Still, a review of the videos on Boston’s section of the Neighbors app reveals many doorstep moments aren’t even crimes at all. The unintended result, though, is a growing army of Bostonians who have engineered a vast network of private surveillance cameras and unwittingly volunteered their services to broadcast anyone who steps near their front door.

Ring’s Neighborhood Watch Feature Is Bringing Out the Worst in Boston

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The consolations of rail travel

On By peanutgallerynhIn Europe,, Infrastructure and Transportation,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

Trains may once have accelerated life but in our digital world they have the opposite effect: they slow one down. To see the landscape rolling by, or at night to see the lights passing and feel the wheels turning beneath one, is to travel consciously, mindful of the distance one is covering. 

…Trains can be fast, but there is nonetheless a meditative quality to travelling by them. Not always, of course: a train laden with boozy commuters is no one’s idea of a sanctuary. But take a long-distance train. …Wait for the hubbub of people finding their seats and storing their luggage to die down. Gaze out of the window as the landscape, dull or beautiful, moves by and you will find yourself in a tranquil middle space: the hills, roads and fields outside stimulating enough to provoke thought without being so distracting as to interrupt it.

The consolations of rail travel

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Trump to allow use of landmines, reversing Obama-era policy

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Military,Leave a comment

The US will end its moratorium on the production and deployment of landmines, in another reversal of Obama-era policies and a further breach with western allies.

…Rob Berschinski, who was in charge of US landmine policy in the Obama White House said that the weapons were not only a humanitarian threat but also militarily obsolete.

“The main point is that they’re not only massively harmful to civilians after war’s end, but they’re also of very negligible military utility,” Berschinski, now at Human Rights First, said on Twitter. “In fact, [defence department]-commissioned studies have shown that during the Gulf war they mainly served to limit US ground forces’ maneuver capability.”

Trump to reportedly allow use of landmines, reversing Obama-era policy | US news | The Guardian

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

‘There was always a “but” ‘: How Kamala Harris’s staff and supporters see her exit from the presidential race

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Race,Leave a comment

 

‘There was always a “but” ‘: How Kamala Harris’s staff and supporters see her exit from the presidential race – The Washington Post

Amittedly, as a self-avowed criminal justice voter(s) who is less than in love with Kamala’s record in Law Enforment the Senator had a tough road to haul if she was ever going to earn the Peanut Gallery’s primary vote. …But for many reasons (liking her as a person, not to mention how important it is that our representative government actually looks likes our population) the Peanut Gallery was really rooting for her to go further into the process than she did. I think that’s why the Peanut Gallery was so pissed about about how awful her campaign was. Her ground staff deserved better, she deserved better, and the public deserved a better chance to get to know her than any of us got.

#1 – There never is a “next” anybody. Never ever ever. It’s just not real. Plus, it hampers the new persons ability to define themselves.

#2 – If they were better than what came before, attacking previous administrations of ones own party will always come back to bite you or the party i the ass. (Like say, a bruising primary that labelled a candidate destined to become the nominee in following contests as untrustworthy and dishonest. Ahem) Every. Single. Time.
#3 – There is no denying the difficulties presented to a candidate who is a woman or a POC. There is also no other way to surmount those challenges than a good organization. She had some good people but her organization was amateur-ish, unrealistic, and generally ill-suited to run for anything anywhere but California.

She. Never. Had. A. Shot. A better organization, one that was realistic about the different ways one must campaign in different parts of the country, could have given her one but in the absence of that? She never had a shot.

And quite frankly? If one can’t even field an organization that is able to speak to people in different regions, how could one ever hope to carrying on foreign affairs?

Can Elizabeth Warren’s Ground Game Lift Her to Victory in Iowa?

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

“Elizabeth Warren has the best ground game in the state right now. She’s been building that up for a year,” says Sean Bagniewski, chair of the Democratic Party in Polk County, who hasn’t endorsed a presidential candidate. “She has the most staff who are the most ingrained in the most Democratic communities in Iowa.”

…Warren’s campaign has been notable for the depth of its engagement in local communities.

When a local animal shelter needed a boost, Gomez brought Warren volunteers to help. When a neighborhood in Des Moines needed help with their community garden, Hines organized Warren volunteers to pull weeds and till the soil. “I said, ‘Great, we’ll be there every Saturday,’” he recalls. “We fed folks in the community where there are no grocery stores around. We went door-to-door handing out vegetables to people.” Hines says the area near the garden now has several Warren signs that weren’t there before.

…Hines and Gomez say they tell their volunteers never to bash Warren’s opponents when they encounter a supporter of a different candidate. “We say, ‘That’s fine, I like them too, what do you like about them?” says Hines. “We never speak negatively about another candidate.” That’s especially important in Iowa, where the caucus process allows supporters of less popular candidates to switch to another as the caucus goes on if their first choice flops.

“We know that we’re a lot of people’s second choice, and we know that if we start playing divisive politics that’s not going to help us,” Gomez says. “No matter who you’re caucusing for, we’re always going to be polite, respectful, kind. We know that’s going to win us delegates on caucus night for sure.”

…Schumann started off knocking doors twice a week, Gomez says, then graduated to four times a week.

“I’m very impressed with his dedication,” says Gomez. “He thinks it’s the last campaign he’ll be able to knock doors for, and what better way to end his canvassing experiences than by trying to elect the first woman president.”

Can Elizabeth Warren’s Ground Game Lift Her to Victory in Iowa? | Time

We’ll see on caucus/election day how much but approach and organization does matter.

Santa Cruz decriminalizes magic mushrooms and other natural psychedelics

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Drugs & Drink,, Local Interest,Leave a comment

The Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to approve a resolution that makes investigating and arresting people 21 and older for using or possessing psychoactive plants and fungi among the lowest priorities for law enforcement.

Tuesday’s resolution doesn’t necessarily make it legal to use or possess natural psychedelics, but it does mean that the city won’t be using resources to investigate or arrest people for doing so. People could still face penalties for the sale or cultivation of those substances.

Santa Cruz decriminalizes magic mushrooms and other natural psychedelics – CNN

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Trump’s impeachment trial is being tuned out by America because no one thinks it matters

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

Most Americans are motivated not by the propriety of our politics but by its effects on their lives. In the impeachment and attempted removal of Trump, they’ve been given little reason to panic — or even care.

…The conclusion seems foreordained.  …The members of the House largely voted along party lines to impeach Trump. …We’ve been given no reason to think things will go much differently in the Senate, where the president’s party holds a majority.

Jeremy Lott: Trump’s impeachment trial is being tuned out by America because no one thinks it matters

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Pence aide who testified in impeachment inquiry to leave VP’s office

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

Williams was one of the few White House officials who listened to the July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that led to Trump’s impeachment. She said that Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political opponents were “unusual and inappropriate,” and “shed some light on possible other motivations” for the president’s order to freeze military aid to the U.S. ally.

She also provided investigators with a firsthand account of Pence’s Sept. 1 meeting with Zelensky, and testified that the very first question Zelensky asked Pence was about the military aid.

Williams also submitted additional classified evidence to House impeachment investigators about a phone call between Pence and Zelensky, according to House impeachment manager Adam Schiff.

…Schiff (D-Calif.) asked the vice president to declassify the supplemental testimony last month, asserting that “there is no legitimate basis for the Office of the Vice President to assert that the information … is classified.”

Schiff brought up Williams’ supplemental testimony again on Wednesday, confirming that it contains information about Russia’s role in promoting the unsubstantiated theory that Ukraine rather than the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election.

Pence’s office has so far refused to turn over a slew of documents that investigators requested in October.

Pence aide who testified in impeachment inquiry to leave VP’s office – POLITICO

When Pence is done in jial, his embarressment to Christianity and Jesus ass wil rot in hell.