All posts by nedhamson

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

Candidate Who Blamed Gays for Disasters Wins Ill. Congressional Primary | Advocate.com

Political newcomer Atanus made news in January during an interview with the editorial board of the Daily Herald, another suburban paper, in which she said gay activism and legalized abortion are responsible for phenomena including tornadoes, dementia, and autism because they have aroused God’s wrath.

“God is angry,” she said. “We are provoking him with abortions and same-sex marriage and civil unions.” Party leaders quickly called on her to quit the race, but she refused.

via Candidate Who Blamed Gays for Disasters Wins Ill. Congressional Primary | Advocate.com.

Continued Intimidation of Sri Lankan Civil Society

Continued Intimidation of Sri Lankan Civil Society.

The United States is concerned by intensifying pressure on Sri Lankan civil society and human rights activists. We are especially concerned by the detention of well-known human rights defenders Ruki Fernando and Father Praveen Mahesan after they made inquiries regarding the arrest of another activist. While it is encouraging that Mr. Fernando and Father Mahesan have since been released, they continue to face harassment by security forces. We are also aware of reports that additional human rights groups are being targeted for investigation by security forces.

Caribbean States Want Reparations for Western Europe Slave Trade – SPIEGEL ONLINE

Can countries be held responsible for crimes they committed hundreds of years ago? That’s a question on the minds of some legal experts following an agreement last week between the heads of 15 Caribbean nations to hold former colonial powers, including the United Kingdom and France, accountable for the “lasting damage of slavery.”

via Caribbean States Want Reparations for Western Europe Slave Trade – SPIEGEL ONLINE.

Happy Lebanon on #HappyDay

Happy Day After Happy Day!

Hummus For Thought

Yesterday, I announced on Facebook and Twitter the following:

Today's International Happiness Day (Yes, it's a thing). A group of young Lebanese will be in Hamra today at 5pm to spread some joy. Here's their message: Fear has taken over our Lebanese life. A rational fear of war. A rational fear of death. A rational fear of getting severely injured walking down the street. A fear of explosions, sniper bullets, stray bullets, all sorts of bullets really, knives too, and whatever home appliance our violent minds have been able to turn into deadly weapons (a pressure cooker if used "right" can also take away a human life we've learned). These rational fears have developed over years of being fed the news about the tragedy that surrounds us. But also irrational fears have surfaced. A fear of phone-calls (announcing a tragedy), a fear of beards (and what's hidden underneath them), a fear…

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B15 Bus Rider Fatally Shot When 14-Year-Old Fires ‘Wildly’: Gothamist

Witnesses said the 14-year-old was shooting “wildly” as he hit Angel Rojas, 39, in the back of the head. Rojas, who died at Woodhull Hospital, had been going home between his two jobs to say hello to his family. His wife told the Post, “He was a man that just worked for his family.”

via B15 Bus Rider Fatally Shot When 14-Year-Old Fires ‘Wildly’: Gothamist.

Erdogan’s great patriotic war – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Erdogan’s great patriotic war – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East.

Dead give away that someone has not more ideas to make government work for people – become super patriotic: The film begins dramatically: A Turkish flag flies beautifully, high above Istanbul from atop a colossal pole. A scary-looking man in a black suit and black gloves walks menacingly toward the pole, takes out a metal bar and breaks the mechanism for raising and lowering the flag. The flag begins to fall in slow motion as citizens watch in shock and horror. At that moment, Erdogan’s voice is heard reciting a passage from the Turkish national anthem:

Friend! Don’t let scoundrels into my country!
Shield with your body, let this shameless invasion stop.
Days which God has promised to give you will dawn;
Who knows, maybe tomorrow, maybe sooner than tomorrow.

Woohoo! Like It’s 1849: Latinos Are the Majority in California | TakePart

This month, 39 percent of residents—more than 14.5 million people—identified as Latino, making them the most populous racial or ethnic group in California for the first time since it became a U.S. state in 1850. That’s slightly more than the 38.8 percent of residents who identify as white. Latinos significantly outnumer Asian Americans (14.9 percent) and blacks (7.2 percent) in the Golden State.

via Like It’s 1849: Latinos Are the Majority in California | TakePart.

Breaking: Army General accused of sexual assault gets reprimanded

Frankly, I can’t believe Sinclair got off so easy — I mean, the judge even ruled he could remain in the military if he wanted to! – based solely on what he copped to. He admitted to harming his mistress, saying, “I failed her as a leader and as a mentor and caused harm to her emotional state.” He admitted to having improper relationships with multiple other female officers. Again, in his own words: “It was my responsibility to ensure that these officers were protected and promoted and I failed them as a leader.”

And he clearly created a hostile environment. During testimony, a lieutenant recounted a party where soldiers in Sinclair’s unit mocked the affair in a raunchy skit where a character who was clearly supposed to be his mistress offered Sinclair’s character oral sex. There’s a reason that having a relationship with a subordinate is considered to be a grave abuse of power in the military — though you wouldn’t really know it from this outcome. As the captain’s lawyer said, Sinclair not only hurt her and her career but “did great harm to his unit’s good order and discipline, morale, and cohesion.”

You’ll recall that a couple weeks ago, Senator Gillibrand’s legislation that would have moved the decision to prosecute cases of sexual assault from the chain of command to an independent prosecutor was fillibustered. Senators claimed that they’d done enough on this whole military rape epidemic and the Pentagon could handle it. This case was seen as a litmus test for that — and frankly I’m unconvinced.

via Breaking: Army General accused of sexual assault gets reprimanded.

Simple, elegant dessert uses that ‘other banana’ | Repeating Islands

But plantains can be so much more than crispy, salty snack food. The riper they get – like bananas, they continue to ripen after they’ve been picked – the moister, tenderer, and sweeter they are. They never become as sugary or creamy as bananas; they always retain a hint of that unique savoriness. But soft plantains can be caramelized in the delectable and memorable side dish called platanos maduros, which literally just means “ripe plantains.”

via Simple, elegant dessert uses that ‘other banana’ | Repeating Islands.