Category Archives: Rock on-Peace Out

The Iran agreement is a disaster for Isis | Federica Mogherini | Comment is free | The Guardian

this is not just about Isis. The whole Middle East is in turmoil. Sectarianism is on the rise. We need to restart political processes to end wars. We need to get all regional powers back to the negotiating table and stop the carnage. Cooperation between Iran, its neighbours and the whole international community could open unprecedented possibilities of peace for the region, starting from Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

The sceptics will argue this is very unlikely, or impossible. The pessimists will warn of the dangers. The negotiations in Vienna showed no brain-teaser is too hard to solve as long as there is the political will to overcome the difficulties. Travelling to Iran is an obvious choice for me; as years of negotiations have come to an end, our common work is definitely not over. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

via The Iran agreement is a disaster for Isis | Federica Mogherini | Comment is free | The Guardian.

Dutee Chand, Female Sprinter With High Testosterone Level, Wins Right to Compete – The New York Times

The final appeals court for global sports further blurred the line separating male and female athletes on Monday, ruling that a common factor in distinguishing the sexes — the level of natural testosterone in an athlete’s body — is insufficient to bar some women from competing against females.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland, questioned the athletic advantage of naturally high levels of testosterone in women and therefore immediately suspended the practice of “hyperandrogenism regulation” by track and field’s governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations. It gave the organization, known as the I.A.A.F., two years to provide more persuasive scientific evidence linking “enhanced testosterone levels and improved athletic performance.”

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RELATED COVERAGE

Sports of The Times: Sprinter Dutee Chand Challenges Ban Over Her Testosterone LevelOCT. 6, 2014

Gender Games: The Line Between Male and Female Athletes: How to Decide?JUNE 18, 2012

I.O.C. Sex-Verification Rules Are Flawed, Critics SayJUNE 25, 2012

The court was ruling on a case, involving the Indian sprinter Dutee Chand, that is the latest demonstration that sex is part of a spectrum, not a this-or-that definition easily divided for matters such as sport. It also leaves officials wondering how and where to set the boundaries between male and female competition.

via Dutee Chand, Female Sprinter With High Testosterone Level, Wins Right to Compete – The New York Times.

Umatilla Shoni Schimmel Scores 13 Points in WNBA All-Star Game

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Shoni scores 13 points and leads team with 6 assists

UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT— Atlanta Dream guard Shoni Schimmel donned an Eastern Conference jersey and brought her “Rez Ball” style of play Saturday afternoon in the 2015 WNBA Boost All-Star Game played at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Western Conference won 117-112 over the Eastern Conference.

A 5’9” guard, Schimmel scored 13 points and had a team-high six assists. Schimmel shot 5-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range. She played 25:39 of game time in her second consecutive start in an all-star game.

Schimmel, who is a tribal citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla, is a “rock star” among American Indians. The former Louisville Cardinal is in her second year of her professional basketball career.

She is also popular among non-Natives for her skills. Schimmel, who was the most valuable player of the 2014 WNBA All-Star Game, was second among all Eastern Conference guards with 8,881 votes in online voting among fans, which ranked sixth amongst WNBA players overall.

“I just play my own game, and for me to do that, it’s fun,” Schimmel told the media after the game. “To go out there and play with the best of the best, they might catch (unique passes), they might not. But everybody else sees it. It’s fun.”

“Just going out there and having fun – that’s what it’s all about,” Schimmel said.

via Umatilla Shoni Schimmel Scores 13 Points in WNBA All-Star Game.

“I was the stereotypical kid from Harlem. I was a good student…

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“I was the stereotypical kid from Harlem. I was a good student until 4th grade, but then I started going down the wrong path. My friends started making fun of me for raising my hand too much, so I stopped participating in class. Instead of playing on the playground, I followed my friends and went to steal bikes. I had no direction by the time I finished high school. So I decided joined the army. To my surprise, I placed in the 96th percentile on the entrance exam. My superior officer recommended that I stay late and study for advancement, so I did. Then he recommended that I go to City College, so I did. I just finished twenty years of service, and now I want to go to law school. Sometimes I look back and think that the army took the young years of my life. But I was going nowhere. If the army hadn’t taken my youth, I wouldn’t have these older years.”

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“Serving in the army, you can say that I was a pawn in another…

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“Serving in the army, you can say that I was a pawn in another person’s game. But you can say the same thing about someone that works at JP Morgan. Sometimes it seemed like the elites were playing chess with our lives. They trained me to jump out of planes and kill people. I didn’t have anything against the Iraqis. I wasn’t fighting against them. I was fighting to get home to my family. So was I a pawn? Maybe. But if it weren’t for the higher-ranking people in the military who saw potential in me, and encouraged me to get an education and become a leader, I’d never even have achieved broad enough horizons to ask these types of questions.”

via “Serving in the army, you can say that I was a pawn in another….

misscladwell:The role of Hedwig is ‘‘everything I’ve ever…

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misscladwell:

The role of Hedwig is ‘‘everything I’ve ever wished for,’’ he said. Then he turned, in what seems unusual for him, ferocious: ‘‘This is me telling myself, ‘O.K., bitch, put your money where your mouth is. You’ve been telling agents and your best friends — I told Idina — ‘I want a chance to show everybody everything. I can dance and I can sing, and everybody knows I can act.’ ’’ (<a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/magazine/how-taye-diggs-is-transforming-the-role-of-hedwig.html?hp

via misscladwell:

The role of Hedwig is ‘‘everything I’ve ever….

“I graduated college early because I was eager to get into the…

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“I graduated college early because I was eager to get into the real world, but the job search is tougher than I imagined. I think people are afraid to hire me because I’m young. I’ve probably applied to over two hundred jobs. I’ve found that for every ten applications, I get one call back. And for every five call backs, I get one in-person interview. I’ve had seven of those so far.”
“Do you wish you hadn’t graduated early?”
“I try not to think about it. I could apply to ten more jobs in the time I spent thinking about that.”

via “I graduated college early because I was eager to get into the….