‘I Would Do Anything For Her’: A German Dad’s Search For His Daughter, Taken By ISIS : NPR
Sigh…
Category: Media and Culture,
Memphis protesters hurl bricks and rocks at police in outrage over a man’s death
What started as a protest over the death of a Memphis man devolved into chaos after demonstrators threw bricks at police and vandalized squad cars, officials said.
At least 36 officers and deputies were injured in the melee Wednesday night, police said Thursday. All those hospitalized have been released. Three people have been charged with disorderly conduct and one of them also with inciting a riot.
“For some reason, they turned their anger toward the Memphis Police Department.”
“Some reason,” indeed.
The article attempts to make it sound like the officers just stood there and peacibly allowed protestors to throw things at them. I find that hard to believe.
36 officers and deputies, how many civilians were injured?
Iran will get the blame, but the Gulf of Oman truth is likely a lot murkier
Inevitably, similarities have been drawn between Thursday’s attacks and events a month ago, when four ships were targeted near the Emirati port of Furajah. For that, officials in Washington and beyond pointed the finger at Iran.
But Thursday’s incident is significantly more blatant. Yet the same officials will doubtless blame Tehran again. If and when that happens, we should remember US national security advisor John Bolton promised to present evidence to the UN Security Council backing up those previous claims, but has yet to do so.
…There are few easy facts here, as there are few easy culprits. But the sense of uncertainty stokes rather than dampens the fears of mismanagement and conflict.
Iran will get the blame, but the Gulf of Oman truth is likely a lot murkier – CNN
hmmm
Elon Musk vs. Jeff Bezos: How their space plans are different, similar
Musk, the tech mogul behind Tesla and the founder of SpaceX (a now-$33-billion rocket company), wants to establish a permanent, self-sustaining city on Mars.
Meanwhile, Bezos — the founder and CEO of Amazon — has his own space company, Blue Origin. Its work so far focuses on building a “road to space” with new rockets that could ultimately pave the way for floating colonies.
Elon Musk vs. Jeff Bezos: How their space plans are different, similar – Business Insider
hmmmm
We still don’t know the full story about the ballots destroyed in Broward County
I had concerns, as did others, and as a result, I asked to inspect the ballots cast. Election officials refused my several requests to see the ballots, and after months of delay, we filed a lawsuit under Florida’s public-records laws. Three months later, Broward County election officials simply destroyed all of the thousands of ballots cast in my race. The Circuit Court subsequently ruled in my favor and found that the ballot destruction violated state law, Florida administrative regulations and federal law.
The destruction of those ballots was a federal crime, and the destruction of public records during a public-records lawsuit is a crime under state law. Yet, not one state or federal law-enforcement agency has conducted any investigation into Broward’s illegal destruction of the ballots cast in my election.
…Now we have learned that two Florida county election offices apparently were hacked, but federal officials insist on making any information concerning the hack top secret. One important defense against a cyber-attack is paper ballots — so that an audit can take place to verify the results. Given the hacking incident and the surrounding secrecy, it is even more imperative that the paper ballots themselves are maintained according to state and federal law.
The public should be able to see the basis for the claim that hackings did not alter the results of any elections in Florida in 2016. At this point, it is unclear which law-enforcement agency is even making such a claim.
…Federal and state officials are now spending a lot of money in cyber-security grants to the software vendors that run the electronic machines. But such additional spending will not reduce the inherent vulnerability of our electronic election systems — from the voter registration rolls that enable targeted and mass electronic purging of voters, to the electronic scanners that count the ballots at the local voting precincts.
…“If the software is tampered with, what do you think is going to happen if you rescan the ballots? You’ll get the same answer back,” Sancho said. “The presumption that the voting machine is already correct is a silly presumption to begin with. It guarantees you won’t find the problem, if there is one.”
We still don’t know the full story about the ballots destroyed in Broward County | Opinion | Miami Herald
What tha… fa…..
F’ing Florida.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Whistleblower doctors decry immigrant family detention
“Detention of innocent children should never occur in a civilized society, especially if there are less restrictive options, because the risk of harm to children simply cannot be justified,” they wrote.
…”Each passing day of continued detention of children — and no acknowledgment of the risk that we have reported — alarms me even more,” Allen told CNN in a recent interview.
…Allen and McPherson say they documented their concerns numerous times in reports filed with the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama administration, and felt like the people in power were listening. But they say two things prompted them to speak more publicly about the matter after Trump took office: the spike in family separations at the border and moves to increase family detention rather than scale it back.
- Significant weight loss in children that went largely unnoticed by the facility medical staff, including a 16-month-old baby who lost nearly a third of his body weight over 10 days during a diarrheal disease but was never given IV fluids or sent to an emergency room.
- A 27-day-old baby who had a seizure from bleeding inside his skull that was missed by the facility on arrival.
- Numerous children who suffered severe finger injuries while confined in a facility that was designed as a medium-security prison for adults.
“This is not a story about people in these facilities not caring about children. … It is about good people trying to keep children safe in an environment that’s very dangerous to them by design, if not intent. And they’ve been asked to execute deeply flawed and I would even say mean-spirited policies, and to do so in such a way that minimizes harms to children,” Allen says. “It’s an impossible task.”
“Even if you could pour money and resources into properly staffing these facilities and giving them programming,” Allen says, “the simple act of detaining and indefinite detention … is irreparably harmful to children.”
…And while they’ve been lauded by colleagues and friends, there are two things McPherson and Allen say haven’t happened since they wrote their first letter to Congress.
The doctors haven’t been asked to inspect any family detention facilities again.
And the government’s family detention policies haven’t changed.
…In budget requests, officials have repeatedly outlined plans to increase family detention capacity. The White House’s proposed 2020 budget includes a plan to expand capacity to 10,000 family detention beds, a request that would quadruple the number of beds currently funded.
…”The practice of detaining children and families is no longer an issue of policy dispute,” they wrote in their March letter to Congress. “It is a willful policy that knowingly inflicts serious harm to children, including risk of death.”
The doctors say the problems detailed in their letters illustrate how difficult it is to provide care to vulnerable children in relatively small detention facilities.
“Now you take that, and you try to rapidly upscale it. This is going to be a disaster,” Allen says.
…Because of policy decisions, Allen says, children and families are placed in confinement first, with appropriate triage and medical care occurring later.
“That’s exactly the wrong way to do it,” he says. “As doctors, we say, triage them, make sure they’re safe, make sure they’re healthy, and then put them through the process of asylum.”
… “Our goal is to protect children. But if we fail them, we sure as hell want to leave a written record for history that documents who is notified of an impending harm to children — and who did nothing about it.”
Whistleblower doctors decry immigrant family detention – CNN
sigh…
Federal officials lost – yes, lost – 1,475 migrant children
Federal officials lost – yes, lost – 1,475 migrant children
Aaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhhhhh
Toxic Stress Affects How Kids Learn
Children with low family income—children with a family income of $20,000 or less—are more likely to encounter threatening experiences and the “toxic stress” that accompanies it. They also find black children generally have more exposure to these experiences than white children.
…These threatening experiences cause particular physiological reactions: When these reactions happen too often, the body’s responses can become chronic and disrupt normal processes.
…Schools can be a hindrance, the report notes, if they have unsympathetic or threatening adults—or they can help, providing mental-health services that enable children to process trauma and improve their academic performance.
Toxic Stress Affects How Black and Poor Kids Learn – CityLab
hmmmmmmmm
Tackle Poverty’s Effects to Improve School Performance
Not enough food on the table or erratic housing can cause children to lose focus, increased anxiety and damaged mental health. Other common challenges for these students include more school absences and less parental support.
In sum, external factors, particularly poverty, matter more than other issues in shaping students’ academic success.
…State lawmakers can improve outcomes for impoverished students and the schools where they are concentrated with a coordinated set of strategies that respond to both external and internal factors.
- Foster socioeconomic integration in schools
- Invest adequate resources in low-income students and schools
- Build a statewide principal pipeline
- Enhance teacher compensation
…A review of schools’ 2016 grades by their poverty concentration highlights the connection between poverty and student outcomes.
…Of the 2,135 schools included in this analysis, 100 are counted as extreme-poverty, 446 are high-poverty, 969 are moderate-poverty and 620 are low-poverty.
None of the extreme poverty schools earned a grade of A or B, and all but one earned a D or F.
…Of Georgia schools where fewer than 25 percent of students live in poverty, about 70 percent received either an A or B. And in schools where fewer than 10 percent of children are poor, nearly 94 percent got an A or B.
Schools where the majority of students are low-income are also the schools with the most black and Hispanic students. Nearly all of the students in extreme poverty schools are black or Hispanic.
…When children are exposed to significant or constant stress, the architecture of their brain adapts to functioning in that state. They struggle to differentiate between normal stress sources and greater threats, often reacting strongly to minor problems or disagreements. Their working memories can be impaired, making it harder to complete multi-step assignments or activities. They often have difficulty controlling impulses and emotions and are at heightened risk of mental health problems. All of these make focusing on learning tasks and working collaboratively with peers harder.
…A child who is hungry is a child focused on finding something to eat, not learning.
…Low-income children often are not ready to learn when they enter the classroom, from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The issues causing them to struggle need to be addressed for children to master the knowledge and skills expected in K-12 schools and move on to postsecondary study and the workforce. At the same time, K-12 schools need to make all children feel safe and welcome and ensure they get the educational support needed to be successful learners.
[GA School] District officials also said a lack of instructional resources is a problem. Some said they are unable to provide teachers with materials and tools, including technology. Others reported an inability to provide intervention services to students who are behind while others said they lack resources to provide the variety of courses they would prefer, including STEM and enrichment.
…Several districts said the scope of material teachers are required to cover is difficult to squeeze into the allotted time. Two expressed concern that students are moved ahead before they are ready as a result.
…Students are expected to know and do far more today than 30 years ago. The state is not offering resources to match these elevated standards.
…Educating high-poverty and historically-marginalized students to high levels of academic achievement costs more. The state must match its expectations of these students with a renewed commitment to provide the additional resources they need to reach them—it is accountable for that.
…Eleven percent of responding districts said a lack of community resources is a problem, including enrichment programs and mental health services. Rural communities also lack transportation, an access barrier even where community organizations are in place.
…Squeezed districts also cut student programs, including elective courses like art and music, and intervention programs for low-performing students. A recent national review showed these cuts led to declines in student achievement, particularly in districts with more low-income students.
…The magnet schools are more racially and economically diverse than traditional schools, and their students do better academically than their peers in traditional schools.
…The district is creating magnet-like schools but without admission standards, with the aim of enrolling students from different socioeconomic groups. The initiative is too new to offer student achievement data but the schools are more economically diverse than traditional schools.
Tackle Poverty’s Effects to Improve School Performance
hmmm
Rajai Davis’ weird trip to NY Mets, Citi Field ends with a home run
“Well,” Davis says, “it was a normal day when it started.”
…At about 5 p.m., manager Tony DeFrancesco pulled him aside.
…The New York Mets needed him that night, and their game was set to begin in about two hours.
…Coca-Cola Park, where the IronPigs play, is about 109 miles from Citi Field. The drive takes around two hours.
Davis showered and hopped in an Uber with Jason.
…“Me and Jason, we got to know each other,” Davis said.
He became the 11th player in Mets history to homer in his first at-bat with the team. Robinson Canó did it on opening day.
In 2016, Callaway watched Davis launch another big home run. That one came in Game 7 of the World Series, and it tied the game. A reporter that asked Callaway about Wednesday’s home run led with: “Obviously not the same stakes as tonight …”
“It felt like it!” Callaway responded.
Rajai Davis’ weird trip to NY Mets, Citi Field ends with a home run
Hell of a baseball story.
How Walking Fosters Creativity: Stanford Researchers Confirm What Philosophers and Writers Have Always Known
Walking, Jabr writes in poetic terms, works by “setting the mind adrift on a frothing sea of thought.” (Hear Dr. Oppezzo discuss her study in a Minnesota public radio interview above.)
Oppezzo and Schwartz speculate that “future studies would likely determine a complex pathway that extends from the physical act of walking to physiological changes to the cognitive control of imagination.” They recognize that this discovery must also account for such variables as when one walks, and—as so many notable walkers have stressed—where.
“The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature” …documents a study in which, writes Jabr, “students who ambled through an arboretum improved their performance on a memory test more than students who walked along city streets.”
hmmmm
The surprising benefits of talking to strangers
Humans are inherently social animals, who are made happier and healthier when connected to others. Feeling isolated and lonely, in contrast, is a stress factor that poses a health risk comparable to smoking and obesity.
Having positive social relationships has been put forward as a key ingredient for happiness, more significant even than how much we earn.
The surprising benefits of talking to strangers – BBC News
hmmmm
Tennessee detective who preached gay people are ‘worthy of death’ having cases reviewed for bias
Knox County Sheriff’s Det. Grayson Fritts said during a sermon last weekend that gay people are “freaks” and “reprobates” who are “worthy of death” and should be tried and executed by the government.
…”When any potential witness in a criminal proceeding expresses an opinion of hatred and/or bias towards a class of citizens, I am ethically bound to explore that witness’ credibility. Accordingly, I am reviewing all pending cases involving Mr. Fritts to scrutinize them for any potential bias.”
Tennessee detective who preached gay people are ‘worthy of death’ having cases reviewed for bias
hmmmm
Pope says indigenous people must have final say about their land | Environment | The Guardian
In the 15th century papal bulls promoted and provided legal justification for the conquest and theft of indigenous peoples’ lands and resources worldwide – the consequences of which are still being felt today. The right to conquest in one such bull, the Romanus Pontifex, issued in the 1450s when Nicholas V was the Pope, was granted in perpetuity.
How times have changed. [Pope Francis] said publicly that indigenous peoples have the right to “prior and informed consent.” In other words, nothing should happen on – or impact – their land, territories and resources unless they agree to it.
…The UN’s Declaration – non-legally-binding – was adopted 10 years ago. Article 32 says “states shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.”
Pope says indigenous people must have final say about their land | Environment | The Guardian
hmmm
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