Barack Obama launches a full-throated defence of America’s open immigration policies, hailing them as the country’s “oldest tradition” ahead of today’s Republican debate.
Monthly Archives: December 2015
Radio Interview, 1939 · James Naismith’s Life and Legacy: Celebrating 150 Years · KU Libraries Exhibits
This excerpt from a January 31, 1939, broadcast of the radio program “We the People” hosted in New York by Gabriel Heatter is believed to be the only known audio recording of Naismith. In the roughly three-minute clip, Naismith, who had traveled to New York for a basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden, discusses setting up the first basketball game with two peach baskets in a gymnasium at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts in December 1891.This recording was discovered by Dr. Michael J. Zogry, Associate Professor, Religious Studies, and Director, Indigenous Studies, University of Kansas, in the audio and manuscript archives of radio station WOR-AM that were donated to the Library of Congress by RKO General, Inc. Dr. Zogry obtained permission for the University to include the recording in its archives and to use it for educational purposes.
Documenting Rape in India – The New York Times
In recent years, disturbing and widely publicized accounts of several gang rapes have begun to make the subject of sexual assault somewhat more visible in Indian society. But in her research, Ms. Sharma found that most of her subjects had either been accused of bringing dishonor upon their families or blamed by the police and neighbors for provoking their rapes.“The problem is not how women dress but how women are objectified by a patriarchal and feudalistic mind-set,” she said. “First the father owns them and then a husband owns them. They’re not treated as equals but second-class citizens.”
GRACE & FRANKIE & OTHER NEWS
So much going on. Since we wrapped Grace & Frankie mid-November, Lily has been nominated for a Golden Globe both for her role as Frankie and for her lead performance in “Grandma” and I’ve been nominated for a Golden Globe for my role in “Youth.” “Youth” is the film I travelled to Switzerland and Italy to make last year. An incredible experience working with Paolo Sorrentino. The film just won “Best European Film” and Paolo won “Best European Director”. The film is a feast for the eyes and a sort of meditative exploration of life, aging and passion.
To top it off, the same day the Golden Globes were announced, we got an official Season 3 renewal for G&F! Such great news all around. We really found our groove shooting Season 2, so I’m thrilled we will get an opportunity to do more. Don’t have our air date yet for Season 2 but of course I will keep you posted.
Let’s see, what else? There’s been such a great reception to the Box set of my Original Workout Programs on AMAZON. I’m finding out that it’s become a popular gift item this season. Amazon has it as part of their deal of the month, so check them out here, if you haven’t already.
Then there’s been the Paris Climate Conference. Here’s a link to Bill McKibben’s Op Ed piece in the New York Times.
http://nyti.ms/1P6sG5a
I agree with Bill. If we’d passed the accord that has come out of Paris back during the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 (I was there), the weather disasters that are occurring at an ever increasing rate could have been at least partly avoided and we’d have been given a much better chance today of achieving the newly adopted goal of 1.5 degree Celsius (above pre-industrial levels). This is the level at which climate scientists say we can avoid the worst catastrophes that could make parts of the planet uninhabitable. The goal set by the Paris accord, if implemented, is more than twice that. Achieving the 1.5 degreeC goal requires leaving most of the remaining fossil fuels in the ground. That is why people like the Koch brothers and their ilk have spend $100s of millions funding Climate-denying “research” . . . making the world safe and habitable would hurt their bottom line. They’d rather die rich than help save the world –God’s creation, as Pope Francis says. Since the coal and oil and fracking industries fund so many political campaigns, most prominently the Republican Right Wing, if we elect a Republican we’re selling ourselves and our children’s children down the drain.
What is to be done (besides turning out next Nov in large numbers and voting for the planet)? As Bill McKibben says, ” . . . we need to build the movement even bigger in the coming years, so that Paris turns into a floor and not a ceiling for action. We’ll be blocking pipelines, fighting new coal mines, urging divestment from fossil fuels—trying, in short, to keep weakening the mighty industry that still stands in the way of real progress.”
And, trust me, I’ll be dragging these old bones and young heart to every rally and protest I can get to (when I’m not filming) and financially supporting the worthiest of climate efforts because I think it’s all worth saving and I have grandchildren.
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Heroin overdose cure Naloxone to be available over the counter
Naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of opioid drug overdose, will soon be available over the counter in Australia.
Microcephaly – Brazil
On 8 December 2015, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Brazil provided PAHO/WHO with an update regarding the unusual increase in the number of cases of microcephaly among newborns in the northeast of Brazil.
As of 5 December, 1,761 suspected cases of microcephaly, including 19 deaths, have been identified. The cases are distributed across 422 municipalities of 14 federal units. Pernambuco and Paraíba are the most affected states with 804 and 316 cases, respectively. Fatal cases were reported in Rio Grande do Norte (7), Sergipe (4), Bahia (2), Rio de Janeiro (2), Ceará (1), Maranhão (1), Paraíba (1) and Piauí (1). Investigations are ongoing.
Kim Jong-un ordered his girl group home after learning Xi Jinping wasn’t planning on attending their performance
Reasons for the abrupt and shocking cancellation of the official DPRK girl group’s performances in Beijing may now have come to light. Reportedly, the Moranbong Band’s visit to China was terminated once North Korea learned that Chinese President Xi Jinping would not be attending their concert.
Sounds so sweet
Video: Israeli settlers blast “Muhammad is dead” song at Palestinians | The Electronic Intifada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obH84k46g_k
This video shows a group of Israelis from the Kiryat Arba settlement “playing hate songs through a loud speaker to residents of the Hebron neighborhood of Jabal Johar,” according to Israel’s B’Tselem human rights group, which published it last month.The song heard in the video, filmed by Mai Dana on 11 October, includes the repeated refrain “Muhammad is dead” – disparaging the prophet. Its lyrics say:He is no prophetJust another ArabHe has a moustache with fleasAnd he eats goat cheeseHe is a construction laborerEven when he’s fasting on RamadanAnd he has an orange ID cardMuhammad is gay and the son of a prostitute.The video shows many settlers, including young children, laughing, singing and pumping their fists as the music blasts.The song refers to the Israeli-issued ID – which used to come in an orange-colored case – carried by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank which restricts their movements, in contrast to settlers who can go where they please.In other words, the settler song celebrates apartheid.
Source: Video: Israeli settlers blast “Muhammad is dead” song at Palestinians | The Electronic Intifada




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