Sunday Open Thread

Have a BLESSED SUNDAY, Everyone.

Because I can’t get enough of this rendition of “Blessed Assurance”…..

60 of The Most Iconic Moments of the 1960s

Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll defined the 1960s. But the decade was also a time of pivotal change — politically, socially and technologically. Check out 60 of the most iconic moments of the decade.

1. The ‘Greensboro Four.’ On February 1, 1960, four African-American college students made history just by sitting down at a whites-only lunch counter at a Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina. Service never came for the “Greensboro Four,” as they came to be known, and their peaceful demonstration drew national attention and sparked more “sit-ins” in Southern cities.

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African Americans stage sit down at Woolworth Store’s lunch counter, in which service was refused to them.  (Photo by Donald Uhrbrock//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)


2. Elvis discharged from the military. Elvis Presley’s musical heyday was in the 1950s, but he remained a major star in the 1960s. Here, Presley, 25, is pictured with his future wife, Priscilla, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army in 1960. Presley served two years in the Army.

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Elvis and Priscilla leave the house he and his family occupied in Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960.

3. Sharpeville massacre in South Africa. Wounded people in South Africa’s Sharpeville township lie in the street on March 21, 1960, after police opened fire on black demonstrators marching against the country’s segregation system known as apartheid. At least 180 black Africans, most of them women and children, were injured and 69 were killed in the Sharpeville massacre that signaled the start of armed resistance against apartheid.

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Wounded people lie in the street, 21 March 1960 in Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, where at least 180 black Africans, most of them women and children, were injured and 69 killed, when South African police opened fire on black protestors. (Photo credit should read OFF/AFP/Getty Images)

4. The laser is born. Theodore Maiman pours liquid nitrogen into a cooling unit around one of the first experimental lasers in his laboratory in Santa Monica, California. Maiman’s ruby laser, created on May 16, 1960, is considered to be one of the top technological achievements of the 20th century. It paved the way for fiber-optic communications, CDs, DVDs and sight-restoring surgery.

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Scientist and inventor of the laser Dr. Theodore Maiman pours liquid nitrogen into a cooling unit around one of the first experimental lasers in his laboratory in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 9, 1964.  (AP Photo)

5. FDA approves birth-control pill. On June 23, 1960, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Enovid, the first birth-control pill for women.

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Controversial `enovid bith control’ pills recently investigated by the FDA.  (Photo by Art Rickerby//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

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Diné woman Qualifies for Upcoming Olympic Trials

Linnabah-Snyder

Linnabah-Snyder

Published January 10, 2016

WINDOW ROCK, ARIZONA—Navajo marathon runner Linnabah Snyder took the first step toward her running pedigree not on a track, not on a course, not even on a team.

She first unlocked her running potential at the ranch of her grandfather Juan Yazzie Jr. as the family rounded up cattle.

“My responsibility in going after the cattle was to go after the calves,” she said.

She said she preferred to do the work on foot and one day ran about 15 miles chasing calves.

“As a 10-year-old that’s kind of a lot,” she said.

When she walked into the hogan at the end of the day, her grandpa let her eat first from the meal prepared for the family, cleared the bed for her to take a nap, and gave her words of encouragement.

“He said, you should be a runner, you’re a runner,” she recalled. “I think that gave me the confidence to run.”

Today, the 35-year-old is preparing for the Olympic Trials, to be held in February, after she qualified with her performance at the California International Marathon on Dec. 4.

Snyder is Yucca-Fruit-Strung-Out-On-a-Line Clan and born for Zuni Clan. Her maternal grandfather is Towering House Clan and her paternal grandfather is Water Flows Together Clan. Raised in Chinle, she now lives in Colorado with her husband.

Snyder said her mother recognized her potential at a young age and encouraged her to run each morning to greet the day and later as she took it up as a sport and a hobby.

“My mom always says that I completely skipped the walking phase during my toddler years, and I went straight from crawling to running,” Snyder said. “She’s really serious, I asked her about that.”

Editor’s Note: This article was first published in the Navajo Times. Used with persmission. All rights reserved.

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Suppression of Expression..coming soon home

نادية حرحش

There is an ultimate state of Freedom in Writing.

It is a real gift that liberates ones mind, soul and hence, being.

I have been feeling like this lately …

I always say that I am a woman who tried to be free. To taste freedom in anything that surrounds me living in state that doesn’t have any freedom. Being under occupation is no luxury when it comes to such feelings.

You are always surrounded with that ceiling that is not the sky. Like walking and living in an open jail. Like animals within a wired safari.

I just closed a novel under the name Guantanamo for the Egyptian novelist Youssef Zeedan, and I couldn’t but think, of the state of being indulged in the inner mess of yourself when you live in the worse situation that can possibly be. Jailed in the unknown hollows of Guantanamo. Surviving or not…

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BDS: Airbnb is present in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank

PNN/Bethlehem

Airbnb* is enabling anyone to rent rooms and vacation homes in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

According to an article published by the +972 Magazine last week, the list of places to rent, some of them even luxurious cottages, make no mention of the fact that they are in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

Almost all on the list claim to be in “Israel” – despite the fact that they are in the occupied West Bank.

“Exploring the Airbnb website turns up dozend of cheap rooms and homes with pastoral views and many just a short drive from Jerusalem – all pretty enticing. Especially if nobody tells you that you’re paying to be a settler for a few days” – +972 M. reported.

Tekoa, Ma’ale Adumim, Nofei Prat, and Kfar Eldad — Airbnb gives its users the opportunity to rent a room in West Bank settlements. (screenshot from Airbnb.com).Illegal settlements of Tekoa, Ma’ale Adumim, Nofei Prat, and Kfar Eldad (screenshot from Airbnb.com).

 

The Magazine made a test: they created a fake profile of an American citizen of Palestinian descent who want to come to visti and :enjoy the quieter and cheaper option of staying in an Israeli settlement” and started making reservations at dozens of listings and contacting dozens of Airbnb hosts – settlers.

The result: they only received one positive answer back, while all of the others stated that due to the political situation it wouldn’t be possible, or even did not replied them.

 

“Someone making a reservation on Airbnb has no way of knowing that the outpost was — at least partially — illegally built on Palestinian land. There is no mention of the fact that more than one resident of Havat Gilad have been convicted of violent “price tag” attacks against Palestinians and their property”, +972 M. stated.

The major problem for people that are not familiar with the Palestine situation, is that Airbnb’s website does not differentiate between rooms in Palestinian cities towns and those in Israeli settlements — its maps of the occupied West Bank display no differentiation between areas under Israeli control, and those under Palestinian control.

A photo from the Airbnb listing in Havat Gilad (Screenshot)A photo from the Airbnb listing in Havat Gilad (Screenshot)

By charging for listings in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, Airbnb enables Israelis and foreigners alike to financially support the settlement economy and even profits itself off the theft of private Palestinian land.

+972 Magazine tried to contact Airbnb in California, but it didn’t receive any answer. When they contacted them with their fake profile, the company immediately answered saying that they were very upset with the situation.

* Airbnb was founded in August of 2008 and is based in San Francisco, California. In their website they are describe as: “A is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world — online or from a mobile phone or tablet.

Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions”.

Taos Pueblo 16-Year-Old Demetria Maestas Missing

Demetria Maestas, 16, missing since last Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016

Demetria Maestas, 16, missing since last Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016

Demetria Maestas

Demetria Maestas

Published January 9, 2016

TAOS PUEBLO — Demetria Maestas, 16, of the Taos Pueblo, has been missing since last Sunday, January 3, 2016. Family members of Demetria are concerned about her safety and are asking to public to help them locate her.

Demetria was last seen Sunday at the Railrunner station in Bernalillo, New Mexico where she was to board a train at 4:46 p.m. to Santa Fe. From Santa Fe, she was due to board a shuttle to the Taos Pueblo, which she never did.

The 4 ft. 11 in. teen was wearing a pair of gray jeans, a faded gray sweater and a pair of black boots. Demetria wears glasses and was carrying a neon green backpack. She weighs 160 pounds; has brown eyes and hair is dyed orange.

“She is very close to her mother,” says Christina Loretto, a family cousin. “If she was a run-away, she would have contacted her friends by now.”

Demetria has not been on any social media since her disappearance, according to Loretta.

Demetria  had stayed behind to spend more time with her extended family for an extra day after a birthday party for her little sister, who turned one-year-old. Her mother and other five siblings returned to the Taos Pueblo.

Please contact police is you know about Demetria's whereabouts.

Please contact police is you know about Demetria’s whereabouts.

Because there were no witnesses when Demetria went missing, law enforcement will not issue an Amber alert, according to Loretto.

Anyone who may have seen suspicious activity involving Demetria last Sunday at the Railrunner station in Bernalillo or on the train to Santa Fe are asked to contact authorities. Additionally, anyone with information about the whereabouts of Demetria are asked to contact the Taos Tribal Police at 575-758-8645 or the New Mexico State Police at 575-758-1466.

 

 

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