Daily Archives: October 3, 2016

Feminism

US Chess Champion: I’d Rather Sacrifice My Career Than Be Forced to Wear a Hijab | Heat Street

Nazi Paikidze, one of the nation’s best-ranked players, swore to boycott the 2017 contest, which is being held in Iran and will have an enforced Islamic dress code.Paikidze admitted that the decision will harm her career, but said that doing the bidding of an oppressive regime in order to compete is not a price worth paying. In an interview with the founder of My Stealthy Freedom, a campaign against Iran’s hijab laws, she said: “I will NOT wear a hijab and support women’s oppression. Even if it means missing one of the most important competitions of my career.”

Source: US Chess Champion: I’d Rather Sacrifice My Career Than Be Forced to Wear a Hijab | Heat Street

Fail!, human rights, Profiteering

Google’s Decision To Sponsor Visa Of Anti-Gay Kenyan Activist Creates Internal Conflict: SFist

Ezekiel Mutua is the head of the Kenyan film classification board, and in that capacity has repeatedly condemned homosexuality and worked to ban music and film that depict it. “Kenya must not allow people to become the Sodom and Gomorrah through psychological drive from such content,” he told Mamba Online in reference to a cover of the Macklemore song “Same Love” which addressed the queer community in Kenya.In a country where homosexuality is punishable by up to 14 years in prison Mutua’s words carry weight, and the KFCB outlawed the music video in question.

Source: Google’s Decision To Sponsor Visa Of Anti-Gay Kenyan Activist Creates Internal Conflict: SFist

Fail!, Feminism

Wow, Can You Believe This Report That Trump Was A Sexist Pig On ‘The Apprentice’?: Gothamist

The AP spoke with more than 20 people associated with the show, including crew members and former contestants, about Trump’s lewd and lascivious behavior, and painted a portrait of an overgrown horny frat boy who had created the perfect atmosphere to indulge his own petty desires.Eight crew members all recalled that Trump “repeatedly made lewd comments about a camerawoman he said had a nice rear, comparing her beauty to that of his daughter, Ivanka.” Multiple cast members said Trump had female contestants twirl for him so he could ogle them; contestant Gene Folkes said Trump demanded female contestants wear shorter dresses that also showed more cleavage.Former producer Katherine Walker said Trump was obsessed with discussing women’s bodies during her five seasons there, and would speculate about which contestants would be a “tiger in the bed.”Another crew member who signed a non-disclosure agreement recalled that Trump asked male contestants whether they would sleep with a particular female contestant, then jumped in with his own responses: “We were in the boardroom one time figuring out who to blame for the task, and he just stopped in the middle and pointed to someone and said, ‘You’d f… her, wouldn’t you? I’d f… her. C’mon, wouldn’t you?,'” the crew member said. “Everyone is trying to make him stop talking, and the woman is shrinking in her seat.”Randal Pinkett, who won the program in December 2005, said Trump frequently discussed which female contestants he wanted to sleep with: “He was like ‘Isn’t she hot, check her out,’ kind of gawking, something to the effect of ‘I’d like to hit that.'”Accusations of sexism have followed Trump throughout his presidential campaign. Hope Hicks, the Trump campaign spokeswoman, issued a blanket denial to the AP’s report without getting into detail: “These outlandish, unsubstantiated, and totally false claims fabricated by publicity hungry, opportunistic, disgruntled former employees, have no merit whatsoever,” she said. “The Apprentice was one of the most successful prime-time television shows of all time and employed hundreds of people over many years, many of whom support Mr. Trump’s candidacy.”It seems like the overwhelming evidence of Trump’s casual misogyny may finally be catching up to him. After last week’s debate—in which Hillary Clinton brought up Alicia Machado, the former Miss Universe winner whom Trump called “Miss Piggy” (because she didn’t fit his beauty standards) and “Miss Housekeeping” (because she is Latina)—Trump has seen a dip in his poll numbers. Politico writes that Trump’s inability to let Machado go, continually mocking her as the week went on, got through to voters:The episode broke through — 74 percent heard of Trump’s comments about Machado — and it appears to have hurt Trump’s standing with women. Fifty-five percent of women said it gives them a less favorable view of Trump, and 43 percent of voters said the incident makes them less likely to support Trump.Of course, there’s still the terrifying thought that 45 percent of female voters in their poll are okay with Trump’s disparaging of that woman.

Source: Wow, Can You Believe This Report That Trump Was A Sexist Pig On ‘The Apprentice’?: Gothamist

Apartheid, Fail!, Feminism

Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Arrested At LAPD Press Conference: LAist

“It was a closed-door press conference where the public was not allowed to have access,” Melina Abdullah told LAist, adding that many of her group were still able to listen to the press conference on the radio while gathered outside.Abdullah said she became “aware of how they were engaging in this process of double assassination—first killing the body of Carnell Snell, and then assassinating his character. And so it was really, really important that we uplifted the stories of the community, pushed back against the posthumous character assassination of Carnell Snell, and gave our own narrative. We know that LAPD continues to kill our people and then justifies the killings with whatever they think makes those murders justifiable. That’s why we were there.””They demanded that we leave, but it’s a public building and we have the right to make our voices heard. As they issued the dispersal order, they kept shifting where they wanted us to disperse from and where they wanted us to disperse to,” Abdullah said, adding that at one point they were directed to move next to an arbitrary tree. “We’re not going to just submit to the will of the police that continue to kill us.”

Source: Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Arrested At LAPD Press Conference: LAist

Apartheid, Gun-violence, Hispanic, human rights, Just strange, racism

′We′re living in an occupied country′ | Americas | DW.COM | 03.10.2016 – Why is it that most of this talk is from Arizona and not California and Texas?

 

It’s hard to get an overview of things around here; the many canyons offer excellent cover for the smugglers with their heavy rucksacks, weighing up to 30 kilos (66 pounds) and full of marijuana, cocaine or heroin. In addition, Jim explains, the cartel has set up sentries everywhere, and they have top-of-the-range equipment. They guard the area, and warn the smugglers. Once, he says, he came across one of these scouts, who dropped his radio telephone as he ran away. “It was worth more than $2,500. They’re better equipped than our border patrol guards.”The Sinaloa Cartel has assumed complete control of the land. “When I’m out here, I feel as if I’m in an occupied country,” says Jim. He stares down at his feet in their hand-stitched cowboy boots.For decades, he and his wife were staunch Democrats. After university, Jim even worked for Democratic Senator Carl Hayden. This year, Donald Trump will get the Chiltons’ vote. “We don’t agree with everything he says and does. But he’ll take care of us. Hillary Clinton’s Washington gave up on us long ago.”

Source: ′We′re living in an occupied country′ | Americas | DW.COM | 03.10.2016

environment, healthcare, human rights, pandemic, planetkillers, Profiteering, Zika Virus

More Zika mosquitoes found in Miami Beach | CIDRAP – When will governments care more about health than tourist dollars?

Traps show mosquitoes still in Miami BeachDespite more than a month of ground and aerial spraying, officials in Florida reported that a trap in Miami Beach showed Aedes mosquitos harboring the Zika virus over the weekend. This was the sixth Zika-positive mosquito pool found in Miami Beach since Aug 19, and the first to show Zika-carrying bugs in the Mid-Beach neighborhood (the previous five mosquito pools were found in South Beach), according to the Miami Herald.The trap was located at 575 W. 49th street, near the La Gorce Golf Course. More than 64,000 Florida mosquitos have been tested for Zika virus since May; only the six pools in Miami Beach have tested positive for mosquitos carrying Zika virus.This was the first time health officials released the location of the traps as soon as samples tested positive, a move promoted by the Herald’s Sep 28 lawsuit that demanded the state release the location of traps that tested positive for Zika.The news comes after Florida Health, the state’s Department of Health, reported five more cases of locally acquired Zika virus on Sep 30 and nine more cases today. All nine cases were in Miami-Dade County; seven people had exposure in Miami Beach, and exposure in the other seven cases is currently under investigation.Also, Florida Health reported one more infection in an out-of-state resident who was exposed to Zika in Miami-Dade County and three new cases in those who traveled to both Miami-Dade County and countries where the virus is circulating, so exposure location can’t be definitively pinned down.The state now has recorded 133 local cases, 16 in out-of-state people, and 4 of undetermined exposure source.

Source: More Zika mosquitoes found in Miami Beach | CIDRAP

Fail!, human rights, Just strange

Trump Criticizes Veterans Suffering From PTSD: IAVA Founder Responds | Hollywood Reporter

One of the most forceful critics of Trump’s comments was Paul Rieckhoff, CEO and founder of Iran and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), a group dedicated to supporting the interests of post-9/11 veterans. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rieckhoff was emphatic that his objectives are not political. “It’s a teachable moment for Mr. Trump and for America,” says Rieckhoff. “When political leaders talk about things like PTSD and suicide, they need to be responsible and precise. And unfortunately Trump is not a precise person.”When asked to explain why Trump’s comments would harm his constituency, IAVA’s founder cited three primary issues. “When people in power use terms like ‘killing yourself’ and ‘mental problems’ it perpetuates the stigma, it compounds the impression that these veterans are broken, and it can discourage them from seeking help,” says Rieckhoff. “And also, he assumed that no one in the audience has PTSD, which is a really unlikely assumption in a room full of war veterans.”Rieckhoff says he doesn’t expect Trump to apologize (“I know better than that”), but hopes that the controversy will sharpen the candidate’s awareness of the issue. “Obama is extremely careful and nuanced with his language about veteran suicide and PTSD, but it didn’t happen overnight,” he says. “There’s a steep learning curve and maybe Trump will master it.”Curiously, the IAVA CEO feels that the entertainment industry can speed up the curve. “The last time there was a conversation like this in the public, it was started by American Sniper and before that, Hurt Locker,” says Rieckhoff. “Hollywood can communicate about these issues in a visceral way that politics can’t. The end product is the public has an elevated conversation about these problems.”What does he hope that Trump and others in need of education will learn? “Getting help for a mental health injury is not a sign of weakness,” says Rieckhoff. “It’s a demonstration of strength.”

Source: Trump Criticizes Veterans Suffering From PTSD: IAVA Founder Responds | Hollywood Reporter

Fundamentalism, ghetto, human rights, Palestine, Profiteering, racism

Facebook-Israel agreement could change face of social media – IFEX  – Money before people and freedom

The spectre of violent extremism is being used to repress legitimate dissent. In Israel, the agreement with Facebook appears to legitimize an Israeli policy that in recent months has resulted in an estimated 400 arrests of Palestinians—both in Israel and the Occupied Territories—for “incitement” in social media posts, primarily on Facebook. Posts have included acts as simple as writing a poem. States pressure private companies to engage in such agreements through shaming or “demonizing,” as well as threats of blocking, fines, or even imprisonment of company executives. They often justify this pressure by citing the companies’ own voluntary and proprietary terms of service and community standards, whose definitions of permissible speech are narrower than those encoded in their own constitutions or in the International Covenant on Civil Political Rights (ICCPR). For instance, the Israeli announcement of the agreement with Facebook came amid reports of “proposed legislation that seeks to force social networks to remove content that Israel considers to be incitement.” Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)—to which Israel is a party—permits states to limit an individual’s freedom of expression only under select circumstances, including to protect the rights or reputations of others, national security, public order, public health, or morals. These limits, however, must first meet a three-part test as defined by the ICCPR: the limits must (1) be defined by law, (2) have legitimate aim, and (3) be truly necessary. Not only does strong-arming a social media company to censor its users according to its own policies meet no such test, it also precludes real accountability of either the company or the government to its users or citizens. Israel is not alone; agreements between social media companies and the European Commission and government of Germany have made headlines and have been widely criticized by human and digital rights organizations. Nevertheless, social media companies also have an obligation to stand up to such pressuring and to make public when they are being asked to contravene the law.

Source: Facebook-Israel agreement could change face of social media – IFEX

Viva!

Trump courts Adelson, flip-flops on Israel-Palestine

The candidate who claimed he was immune to influence from large donors has done a complete 180 on Israel-Palestine since securing the support of pro-Israel mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.

By Eli Clifton

Donald Trump has been accused of misogyny, racism, and Islamophobia as well as shifting his positions on key issues such as the Iraq War and abortion. But despite his slide to the right, he has stuck doggedly to many positions since announcing his candidacy. He still claims Mexico will pay for a wall on the U.S. border. He even continues to remind voters that he called Rosie O’Donnell “a fat pig,” even when…

Source: Trump courts Adelson, flip-flops on Israel-Palestine