All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Alaska Native Lydia Doza will Sit with First Lady for State of the Union Address

Lydia Doza

Lydia Doza

Published January 11, 2016

WASHINGTON — The White House announced Sunday that Lydia Doza, 24, an Alaska Native woman from Anchorage, will be seated with the First Lady Michelle Obama for State of the Union on Tuesday night.

Each year, the White House selects citizens to sit in the First Lady’s box during the annual State of the Union address. Doza is one of two dozen chosen to sit with First Lady Obama.

Doza is a participant in the Administration’s Generation Indigenous initiative and a college student, who is pursuing a degree in software engineering technology at Oregon Tech, where she’s also an event organizer for Engineering Ambassadors, which focuses on outreach to kids as young as three years old through high school to encourage a career in engineering.

Originally from Anchorage, Doza was brought up in three Alaskan tribes – Inupiaq, Tsimshian, and Haida – as well as her grandmother Joanne’s influence taught her the value of an education and the importance of mentorship.

She discovered her passion for engineering early on through her high school robotics team. She’s engaging with rural youth in disciplines across the STEM fields to apply their skills and education.

After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, Doza hopes to work full time as a software engineer while continuing her involvement in the community to promote the importance of STEM and higher education. She ultimately hopes to pursue a master’s degree in data science and encourage more women to go into STEM. Her mother, Maria Graham, and two brothers, Dorien and Leland, live in Wasilla, Alaska.

 

 

 

 

The post Alaska Native Lydia Doza will Sit with First Lady for State of the Union Address appeared first on Native News Online.

Imam “under investigation” due to a fatwa against Christmas greetings to Christians – Fides News Agency

Social tension and the risk of sectarian conflict have recently occurred in the Egyptian city of Damietta, since the imam of a mosque in the port city, addressed to the faithful Muslims, issued a fatwa, containing the prohibition of direct greetings and messages of congratulations to Christians on the occasion of the Solemnity of Christmas. Precisely for this reason – inform Egyptian sources such as the Copts United site – the same imam is under investigation on behalf of Awaqf, the Ministry for Religious facilities (Waqf), which also has functions of monitoring the activities of mosques.In the last year (see Fides 24/06/2015), the Egyptian Waqf has increased monitoring initiatives in bookstores and libraries of mosques throughout Egypt, to withdraw all books and materials of extremist and fundamentalist propaganda from the circulation which had been widely disseminated especially at the time of the government led by the Muslim Brotherhood.On the eve of last Easter, celebrated by the Copts in Egypt on 12 January (see Fides 10/01/2015), certain public statements of recognized Salafis Islamic leaders had sought to set aside the recurring controversy in Islamic environment with regards to the lawfulness to address messages of good wishes to Christians on the occasion of their liturgical solemnities. In particular, the Salafist preacher Osama Qusi stressed that no rules and Islamic prescription forbids Muslims to congratulate Christians, and therefore all the fatwas that claim to prohibit such practices must be considered as invalid.

Source: Imam “under investigation” due to a fatwa against Christmas greetings to Christians – Fides News Agency

SUV Driver Who Killed Woman On Fort Greene Sidewalk Gets To Keep His License: Gothamist {RIP and who is paying off the prosecutors and judges?}

A report issued last month by Transportation Alternatives found that drivers who failed to yield caused 5,966 crashes resulting in death or injury—excluding DWIs—in 2015. Fewer than 40 of them were prosecuted for it.Mayor de Blasio signed the Right of Way Law in 2014, which makes failing to yield and striking pedestrians and cyclists a misdemeanor. According to the Mayor’s Office on December 9th, 24 drivers had been charged with misdemeanor failure to yield for injuring or killing pedestrians in 2015.Transportation Alternatives director Paul Steely White said of today’s decision, “Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson and Judge Marguerite Dougherty are both failing to keep this demonstrably dangerous and deadly driver from killing more innocent people.”Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo told mourners at a recent vigil for Nicodemus, “We cannot tolerate little fines, a slap on the wrist. That is not appropriate, that is not relevant to the crime that happened at this corner. This crime destroyed a life.”

Source: SUV Driver Who Killed Woman On Fort Greene Sidewalk Gets To Keep His License: Gothamist

Police: Cologne gangs attack foreigners | News | DW.COM | 11.01.2016

Cologne tabloid “Express” reported on Monday that a group of “bikers, hooligans and bouncers” had used Facebook to plan a “human hunt” to “clean up” Cologne’s city center. Early on Monday, a police spokesperson was unable to confirm the reports.On Sunday afternoon, police had received tipoffs about “groups,” which were “specifically looking for provocation,” police said. Officers were deployed in the city center and Cologne’s “Altstadt” quarter in large numbers. As the result of several identity checks, four people were briefly detained, reported a police spokesman. Whether they were among the attackers is yet to be determined. Two people also faced criminal charges.

Source: Police: Cologne gangs attack foreigners | News | DW.COM | 11.01.2016

Who benefits when the police allow white German and “immigrant” thugs to take charge of law and justice? Anyone buying brown shirts in bulk?