Category: Media and Culture,

Of Arab and Ajam

On By peanutgallerynhIn Middle East,, Religion,Leave a comment

But the fresh tension in the relationship of the two states practically means that this year Iranians wouldn’t be able to perform Haj, which is one of the fundamental elements and institutions of Islam. The row started with a strong statement by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei with severe criticism of “incompetence of Saudi royal family” in the administration of Haj. The response to his statement came from the Saudi grand mufti who declared the Iranians to be out of Islam. As if this was not enough he also labeled Iranian leadership to be “enemies of Islam”. The gulf between the two countries was never wider than it stands today as both sides are using religion to promote their own hegemony.

Of Arab and Ajam

hmmmm

Hillary Clinton Exposed The Emotional Tightrope Women Constantly Walk

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

The reason this particular interview with Clinton rings so true to so many women is that even women who never go into political or public life of any kind learn to do a carefully choreographed emotional dance.

…Women know that to receive respect in a professional setting means being articulate and assertive, but not aggressive or angry or b*tchy; warm and inviting, but not fake or emotional; passionate, but not threatening. Essentially you have to demand a seat at the table, while making those around you feel like they pulled that very seat up to the table for you.

This outward emotional modulation matters because it’s something all women must learn to navigate, and then keep up forever. And it feels damn satisfying to hear a presidential candidate articulate what that feels like. 

Hillary Clinton Exposed The Emotional Tightrope Women Constantly Walk | Huffington Post

Sigh…

Hajj Prep: Search Soul, Buy Sturdy Shoes, Pay the Dentist – The New York Times

On By peanutgallerynhIn Middle East,, Religion,Leave a comment

“You may get shoved out of the way by a burly Turkish woman,” my brother continued. “A man might think it is his God-given right to pee in front of you. Just be patient and know why you are there in the first place.”

He called a few days later: “Listen, I forgot to tell you something.”“Do your business before you go anywhere,” my brother said, describing how he once had to wait two or three hours to move perhaps 50 yards to a hotel. “Toilets, toilets, be very conscious of where they are and how you can get there.” Diarrhea is an ever-present threat. “You might need to find a quick escape route to a bathroom.”

My father chimed in: “Buy your dates in Taif,” a Saudi city near the holy sites. There, he said, “they only cost a couple of dollars a kilo. If you buy them in Mecca or Medina, it’s around $35 a kilo. Everything is more expensive there.”

And then, Arwa, who made the journey in 2004, refocused me.“The spiritual feeling overtakes” these earthly issues, “the people that rip you off, the men that are sexually assaulting people in front of you,” she wrote on WhatsApp. “It takes over all of that. It’s beautiful and unforgettable.”

Hajj Prep: Search Soul, Buy Sturdy Shoes, Pay the Dentist – The New York Times

Wild.

R.I.P. Political Journalism (1440-2016) 

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

A candidate who wallows in bigotry, who incites violence, who verbally abuses his critics, who is a self-avowed threat to the free press, who trashes U.S. generals while praising Vladimir Putin, who demeans Gold Star families, gets less negative coverage than his opponent, a lifelong public servant who is one of the most accomplished and admired women on the planet.

It is an unfathomable reality.

…Within weeks of her presidential campaign announcement in 2015, the terms used to describe her in major “non-partisan” publications included “slithering, imperious, musty, petulant, paranoid, stale, scornful, regal, devious, deceitful, robotic, and abnormal.” 

During the course of 2015, it was obvious that actual reporting on her policies would take a back seat to toxic narratives about her character. Many of those corrosive narratives have their roots in carefully tested message frames concocted in …opposition research shops funded by conservative[s]…

  • A male candidate is smart, while Hillary Clinton 
    is “calculating, scheming, crafty, manipulative.”
  • A male candidate values privacy, while Hillary Clinton
    is “secretive, suspicious, paranoid, uncommunicative.”
  • A male candidate takes strong positions, while Hillary Clinton
    is “polarizing, divisive, alienating.”
  • A male candidate deserves the benefit of the doubt,
    while Hillary Clinton is “untrustworthy, dishonest, unethical.”
  • A male candidate is an achiever, while Hillary Clinton
    is “over-ambitious, will do or say anything to win.”
  • A male candidate is diplomatic, while Hillary Clinton
    is “inauthentic, disingenuous, fake, unlikable, insincere.”
  • A male candidate is solid and unflappable, while Hillary Clinton
    is “machine-like, robotic, abnormal, cold.”
  • A male candidate is a confident leader, while Hillary Clinton
    is “inevitable, defiant, imperious, regal.”
  • A male candidate is experienced, while Hillary Clinton
    is “old, out of touch, represents the past.”

…Lauer held Clinton and Trump to entirely different standards, aggressively grilling her on her emails while letting Trump dishonestly claim that he had never supported the Iraq War. He repeatedly interrupted Clinton as she was speaking, while treating Trump with sheepish deference. Lauer’s segment with Clinton looked like an antagonistic debate; his segment with Trump looked like a polite conversation.

Lauer spent so much time on Clinton’s emails …that he later had to rush her through her response on ISIS, a real national security crisis.

R.I.P. Political Journalism (1440-2016) – Shareblue

hmmmm

Joint Statement from the Department of Justice, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior Regarding Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Race,, The Americas,Leave a comment

The Department of Justice, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior issued the following statement regarding Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

“We appreciate the District Court’s opinion on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act.  However, important issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other tribal nations and their members regarding the Dakota Access pipeline specifically, and pipeline-related decision-making generally, remain.  Therefore, the Department of the Army, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior will take the following steps.

The Army will not authorize constructing the Dakota Access pipeline on Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe until it can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions regarding the Lake Oahe site under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other federal laws.  Therefore, construction of the pipeline on Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe will not go forward at this time.  The Army will move expeditiously to make this determination, as everyone involved — including the pipeline company and its workers — deserves a clear and timely resolution.  In the interim, we request that the pipeline company voluntarily pause all construction activity within 20 miles east or west of Lake Oahe.

“Furthermore, this case has highlighted the need for a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects.  Therefore, this fall, we will invite tribes to formal, government-to-government consultations on two questions:  (1) within the existing statutory framework, what should the federal government do to better ensure meaningful tribal input into infrastructure-related reviews and decisions and the protection of tribal lands, resources, and treaty rights; and (2) should new legislation be proposed to Congress to alter that statutory framework and promote those goals.

Joint Statement from the Department of Justice, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior Regarding Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | OPA | Department of Justice

Well, alright….

Well done, bureaucrats! Good on ya!!!!

The “human computers” behind NASA’s rocket launches 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Race,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

America’s triumphs in space exploration were made possible by a hidden group of employees the country didn’t see reports CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford. They were called “human computers,” women — many of them African-American — hired by NASA to hand calculate propulsion, lift, thrust and trajectory.

The “human computers” behind NASA’s rocket launches – CBS News

cool

White S.C. Deputy Will Not Face Criminal Charges For Tossing Black Student 

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Race,Leave a comment

Former school resource officer Benjamin Fields was captured on video last October flipping a student onto the floor. The videos were later posted to social media and sparked widespread outrage.

White S.C. Deputy Will Not Face Criminal Charges For Tossing Black Student : The Two-Way : NPR

WTF?

Sufficient evidence? He fucking threw a child across a room.

Before ‘The Powerpuff Girls’ or the ‘Ghostbusters’ Remake, the ’80s Kids Show ‘She-Ra’ Fought Against Male-Centric Cartoons 

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

A short-lived 1980s kids show tried—and failed—to subvert the male-centric cartoons that ruled the decade.

Before ‘The Powerpuff Girls’ or the ‘Ghostbusters’ Remake, the ’80s Kids Show ‘She-Ra’ Fought Against Male-Centric Cartoons – The Atlantic

hmmm

Colin Kaepernick sits for national anthem at 49ers game | The MMQB with Peter King

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

“When we adopted him, I bought some books from the library on raising children from another race, but what it all came down to was common sense more than anything,” Teresa said then. “You want him to feel really good about the race he is. You’re not trying to make him white.”

In junior high school, Teresa drove Colin an hour to Modesto to have his hair corn-rowed like Allen Iverson. From the beginning, they taught him to embrace his heritage.

“I remember very well, he was just a couple years old, him putting his arm next to mine and saying, ‘Look, I’m brown! How come I’m brown?’” Teresa recalled. “And I said, ‘Yeah, that’s not fair, you’ve got that pretty brown color, and look at me, Mom looks like paste! You look great.’ And he would just beam.”

…In the end, for the kid from Turlock, the words and guidance from his parents who so prepared him for life in the spotlight as a black athlete, compelled him to risk his livelihood for what he believed was the truth—that a country which calls itself free has a great deal of unimpeded racial inequality.

Francis Scott Key wrote about the land that breeds this sort of citizen: The home of the brave.

Colin Kaepernick sits for national anthem at 49ers game | The MMQB with Peter King

hmmmm