Is America a ‘Nation of Immigrants’? Immigration Agency Says No – The New York Times
Jeezus Christ… IS this country’s soul gone for good???!
Myanmar bulldozes what is left of Rohingya Muslim villages
First, their villages were burned to the ground. Now, Myanmar’s government is using bulldozers to literally erase them from the earth — in a vast operation rights groups say is destroying crucial evidence of mass atrocities against the nation’s ethnic Rohingya Muslim minority.
…Myanmar’s armed forces are accused not just of burning Muslim villages with the help of Buddhist mobs, but of carrying out massacres, rapes and widespread looting. The latest crisis in Rakhine state began in August after Rohingya insurgents launched a series of unprecedented attacks on security posts.
Myanmar bulldozes what is left of Rohingya Muslim villages – ABC News
State sponsored evil. Cue the Israeli-like propaganda about racist facism being all about safety for its citizen in 3,2,1…
NRA backlash: Major bank and car-rental giant are ending partnerships
Companies may be starting to rethink their ties to the National Rifle Association in the wake of last week’s massacre at a Florida high school, with a major bank and car-rental giant announcing Thursday they were dropping partnership programs with the NRA.
…First National Bank of Omaha, the nation’s largest privately owned bank, said Thursday it will not renew its contract with the NRA for a branded Visa card.
…Later Thursday, privately held Enterprise Holdings Inc. — the parent company of the Enterprise, Alamo and National car rental brands — said it will end its partnership with the NRA, which gave NRA members discounts. In tweets, Enterprise Holdings said that program will end next month.
NRA backlash: Major bank and car-rental giant are ending partnerships
hmmmm
Meryl Streep Fires Back at “Pathetic” Weinstein for Quoting Her in Legal Defense
“Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys’ use of my (true) statement—that he was not sexually transgressive or physically abusive in our business relationship—as evidence that he was not abusive with many OTHER women is pathetic and exploitive,” Streep wrote in a statement, per ABC News.
The statement continues: “The criminal actions he is accused of conducting on the bodies of these women are his responsibility, and if there is any justice left in the system he will pay for them—regardless of how many good movies, made by many good people, Harvey was lucky enough to have acquired or financed.”
Meryl Streep Fires Back at “Pathetic” Weinstein for Quoting Her in Legal Defense | Vanity Fair
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Brendan Fraser Says He Was Groped by H.F.P.A. Member in 2003: “I Became Depressed”
Fraser said that one of the reasons he pulled away from Hollywood was because of an alleged incident in 2003 in which, he alleged, former Hollywood Foreign Press Association president, Philip Berk, groped him.
…Fraser said the alleged incident affected his sense of self and his career. However, he has been watching as the #MeToo movement swept Hollywood, and applauded women like Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, and Mira Sorvino for speaking out. “I’ve worked with them,” he said. “I call them friends in my mind. I haven’t spoken to them in years, but they’re my friends. I watched this wonderful movement, these people with the courage to say what I didn’t have the courage to say.”
…“Am I still frightened? Absolutely,” he said. “Do I feel like I need to say something? Absolutely. Have I wanted to many, many times? Absolutely. Have I stopped myself? Absolutely. And maybe I am over-reacting in terms of what the instance was. I just know what my truth is.”
Brendan Fraser Says He Was Groped by H.F.P.A. Member in 2003: “I Became Depressed” | Vanity Fair
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Florida Panthers pay tribute to Parkland high school shooting victims, Roberto Luongo gives emotional speech
Before the game, the arena video screen showed the names and faces of each of the 17 students who were killed on Valentine’s Day in nearby Parkland. The darkened ice was then illuminated with 17 circles of light, with a student’s name inside each one.
Players from both teams stood for the ceremony, some wiping tears from their eyes.
Luongo followed with an emotional address about how he has lived in Parkland for 12 years with his wife and children and how much he loves the town. He lauded the bravery of those who lost their lives trying to save others and spoke about how inspiring the students have been in coping with the tragedy.
…Florida players will wear Marjory Stoneman Douglas logos on their helmets and MSD uniform patches for the remainder of the season.
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Republicans can’t quit fake news
A recent Knight News/Gallup survey found trust in media and views on what is or isn’t fake news was increasingly viewed through a partisan lens. Whereas liberals and Democrats get their news from more mainstream media outlets, conservatives increasingly rely on only right and far-right sources in their news consumption. News sites — run by the GOP about the GOP — risk shrinking that filter bubble even further. If this trend continues, and phony GOP news sites increase in popularity, conservatives could reach a point where much of the political news they consume would come directly from the Republican Party and associated campaign committees.
Republicans can’t quit fake news
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The Curious Case of Men and Women’s Buttons
Women’s and men’s shirts and jackets differ not just in terms of how they’re cut, but also in how they’re oriented: To the person wearing them, men’s dress shirts have their buttons on the right, while women’s have them on the left.
This is not a big thing, but it is a weird thing: Every day, millions of people are walking around with these little reminders of gender inequality emblazoned on their chests. There are different theories as to why the discrepancy exists in the first place, but all of them come down to this: The Button Differential is a relic of an old tradition that we have ported, rather unthinkingly, into the contemporary world.
The Curious Case of Men and Women’s Buttons – The Atlantic
hmmm
With no state funding, Hope for N.H. Recovery announces it’s closing 4 of 5 resource centers
In the past, any progress [Stephanie Barry] made in drug rehabilitation facilities was quickly undone when she returned to the real world and found herself re-immersed in the social circles that had fueled her addiction in the first place.
…Now, Barry comes during her lunch break from work to go to meetings and volunteer. She said part of staying sober for her is more than just getting clean – it’s creating a new life and social identity.
Through Hope for N.H. Recovery, she’s been able to find peer supports who helped her craft her resume when she was looking for a job and helped her find affordable housing when she needed to find a place to live.
With no state funding, Hope for N.H. Recovery announces it’s closing 4 of 5 resource centers
Sigh….
Ahed Tamimi’s trial gets under way behind closed doors
Ahed Tamimi, 17, was arrested in December after a video of her slapping and hitting two Israeli officials outside of her house in the village of Nabi Saleh went viral. Her mother, Nariman, was arrested soon after.
Court proceedings began on Tuesday at Israel’s Ofer detention centre, with only family members allowed into the hearing after the judge barred reporters despite a request for a public trial by Gaby Lasky, the lawyer of the Tamimis.
…Amit Gilutz, spokesperson for Israeli rights group B’Tselem, said all of the practices being used against Ahed and Nariman “are completely routine” for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
“The military courts themselves are one of the most injurious mechanisms of the occupation and are not designed to seek justice or truth, but to maintain the occupation,” Gilutz told Al Jazeera.
…Ahed has since become an icon for the 330 Palestinian children currently held in Israel’s prisons, and rights groups have demanded her immediate release.
“As an unarmed girl, Ahed posed no threat during the altercation with the two Israeli soldiers who were heavily armed and wearing protective clothing,” Magdalena Mughrabi, deputy director for Amnesty International’s Middle East and Africa programme, said in a statement on Monday.
Mughrabi said Ahed had not done anything that could justify her continued detention and “the long, aggressive interrogation sessions she has been forced to endure”.
“Yet again, the Israeli authorities have responded to acts of defiance by a Palestinian child with measures that are entirely disproportionate to the incident in question,” she added.
…The village has also faced rising threats from settlers residing in Israel’s illegal Halamish settlement, located adjacent to the home of the Tamimi family.
Earlier this month, locals said Israeli settlers had snuck into Nabi Saleh in the middle of the night and sprayed graffiti around the village, including slogans such as “Death to Ahed Tamimi” and “There’s no place in this world for Ahed Tamimi”.
Ahed Tamimi’s trial gets under way behind closed doors | Palestine News | Al Jazeera
Not sure which is worse, being black in the US justice system or Palestinian in the Israeli court system. Either way, you’re pretty much fucked.
Military Trial Opens For 17-Year-Old
For many Palestinians, Tamimi is a symbol of resistance to a half-century military occupation that stands in the way of Palestinian independence and shows no sign of ending.
For many Israelis, Tamimi is a provocateur who goads soldiers on video and champions rock-throwing, influenced by relatives who have been involved in protests and attacks against Israelis.
Tamimi was arrested and indicted after a public outcry in Israel when a video of an altercation with the soldiers, posted by her mother, went viral.
…The altercation with soldiers happened shortly after Tamimi’s cousin was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during a demonstration as he climbed a wall of a complex that Israeli soldiers had commandeered, according to Bassem Tamimi, Ahed’s father, who is a well-known leader of protests in his village.
Military prosecutors say Ahed Tamimi’s slapping, kicking and punching of soldiers was assault. Bassem Tamimi recently told NPR that his daughter’s confrontation is a natural reaction to a life of watching her relatives being arrested and killed.
…Human rights advocates, including Human Rights Watch, have criticized Ahed Tamimi’s pre-trial detention – now at more than 55 days. “Her case raises concern that Israel’s military justice system, which detains hundreds of Palestinian children every year, is incapable of respecting children’s rights,” the rights group stated.
Military Trial Opens For 17-Year-Old Palestinian Activist : The Two-Way : NPR
The United States isn’t perfect but at least awe aren’t Israel….
Sessions Praises Sheriffs For Upholding ‘Anglo-American Heritage’ Of Policing
Sessions Praises Sheriffs For Upholding ‘Anglo-American Heritage’ Of Policing – Talking Points Memo
Good lord, where does this backwards little elf think he is? America 1818? Is he going to start spouting off about the dangers of Catholics or something? What a fucking reject.
Florida Survivor: Don Jr. ‘Disgusting’ For Twitter Like
A Florida shooting survivor has slammed Donald Trump Jr. as “disgusting” after the president’s son liked a tweet suggesting the teenager was speaking out on gun control as a “cover” for his FBI father.
…The president’s son liked the online conspiracy theory that was posted by several people on Twitter about teenage survivor David Hogg, who has also been forced to defend himself against a conspiracy that he is a “crisis actor.”
Florida Survivor: Don Jr. ‘Disgusting’ For Twitter Like
What a mindbogglingly asinine, heartless, and out of touch thing to say. I mean….
Inexcusable. Idiotic. Absolutely without humanity, redemptive qualities, or (apparently) a soul. What a complete waste of oxygen that ugly little turd is. It’s like he wants people to enjoy as much Schadenfreude as possible when he finally reaches his inevitable come-down.
Kentucky Democrat wins state House seat in Trump stronghold
Democrats claimed a landslide victory in a special election for a Kentucky House district that voted heavily for Donald Trump in 2016.
…Johnson is the widow of Republican state Rep. Dan Johnson, who narrowly defeated Belcher, then an incumbent, in 2016 and committed suicide late last year. The lawmaker had been accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2013 in a report by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. He committed suicide a day after he denied the allegations.
Trump won the district with 72% of the vote in 2016. Belcher’s win is the 37th Republican-held state legislative seat that Democrats have picked off since Trump took office.
Kentucky Democrat wins state House seat in Trump stronghold – CNNPolitics
hmmmm
…Oh and teenage girl? Not just sexual assault but sexual assault of a minor? Jeesh, what a piece of scum.
Trump Jr. says missing out on India deals because of father’s self-imposed curbs
Trump Jr. says missing out on India deals because of father’s self-imposed curbs
Godd lawd, Junior. Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? Those limitations were about as voluntary as membership in a press gang.
…And stop your snivelling for gawd’s sake, it beyond unbecoming all the way to embaressing.
Bill Would Ban Saggy Pants in South Carolina
wltx.com | Bill Would Ban Saggy Pants in South Carolina
Now that’s some backwards ass shit, right there.
Conservative Twitter users complain of massive follower losses
Conservative Twitter users claim they woke up to find thousands of followers were gone and accused Twitter of secretly stripping away like-minded accounts
…Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office said the accused used a “troll farm” to push propaganda through thousands of accounts, to which celebrities and even President Trump appear to have responded.
Twitter previously purged more than 1 million accounts in late January, amid pressure to address the fake accounts as well as reports of people buying followers to boost their brand.
Conservative Twitter users complain of massive follower losses – NY Daily News
hmmmm
The slaughter in Syria should outrage us. Yet still we just shrug.
Sure, the government of Bashar al-Assad may have pounded the rebel-held area so hard that it killed 194 people in 40 hours, many of them children. It may have targeted seven hospitals in two days, repeatedly hitting medical workers as they sought to rescue the injured and dying. And yes, this may signal the escalation of a siege that has denied supplies to a population of 390,000 for months, squeezing them between bombardment and starvation. All that may be meticulously documented by the UN.
This bloodletting has gone on for seven years now, and for most of that time most of us – politicians, media, public – have looked the other way.
…What explains this global indifference? Partly it’s because those of us far away have our own, legitimate preoccupations. Trump and Brexit are not mortal threats on a par with the barrel bombs of Damascus, but they have convulsed America and Britain alike. In recent days, it has not helped that the very aid organisations we might ordinarily expect to sound the alarm about an emergency such as Syria have been shaken by scandal and forced to look inward.
Part of it, surely, is that it has just gone on so long. For seven years we have known that a civil war is raining horror on Syria, and we’ve got used to it. The sound of Syrian children choking to death has become the background noise of this decade. And, crucially, we don’t know what to do about it.
Sigh….
New charges filed in Manafort-Gates case
Last week, prosecutors told the court they’d received new evidence that Manafort took part in “a series of bank frauds and bank fraud conspiracies” in connection with a loan he sought in 2016. Mueller’s team said Manafort obtained the loan using “doctored profit and loss statements” that overstated “by millions of dollars” the income of his consulting business.
The bank fraud allegations were disclosed in a bail-related court filing made public on Friday that did not contain any indication of what action, if any, Mueller’s team planned to take over the alleged fraud.
New charges filed in Manafort-Gates case – POLITICO
hmmm
New sealed charges brought in case against ex-Trump campaign manager
Last Friday, Mueller’s office revealed in a court filing that it had uncovered “additional criminal conduct” by Manafort in connection with a series of “bank frauds and bank fraud conspiracies” related to a mortgage on his property in Fairfax, Virginia, a Washington suburb.
…Last year, U.S. intelligence agencies found that Russia had meddled in the election and that its goals eventually included aiding Trump who won a surprise victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
…Mueller on Tuesday stepped up pressure on Manafort and Gates to cooperate in his investigation, unsealing a criminal charge against a Dutch lawyer, Alex van der Zwaan, for lying to Mueller’s investigators.
The charge arises from work that van der Zwaan, the son-in-law of one of Russia’s richest men, did on a 2012 report about the trial of Ukraine’s former prime minister while he was employed as a lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
The report was used to justify the pre-trial detention of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko by her rival, and Manafort’s client, pro-Russian former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Manafort and Gates lobbied in connection with the rollout of the report, and are accused by Mueller’s office of facilitating secret payments for the report through off-shore bank accounts.
New sealed charges brought in case against ex-Trump campaign manager
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