Another Woman in Chennai Faced Death By Stalking and We’re Tired of Yelling Hoarse About How Serious It Is

Beyond sad – denial and self-delusion is killing too many.

By Shruti Sunderraman

Photo courtesy: Reuben Strayer via Flickr CC2.0

‘He’s not doing anything, let it be’ is the reaction women often have to hear when they confide that they’re being stalked by someone. It’s this assumption that keeps stalking from being taken seriously, isn’t it? That the stalker is simply looking at the woman, following her every move, but never making contact  – how is this thought reassuring? And what about cases where he does make contact and we still don’t take it seriously?

Look at what happened with 22-year-old Induja in Chennai. She was being stalked by an ex-classmate for a month, according to a report. When she spurned his advances, he turned up outside her home demanding to speak with her. When she let him enter her home to talk, he poured petrol over her and set her on fire on November 13. When her mother and younger sister rushed to help her, they caught fire too. Induja died due to burn injuries while her mother and sister are in critical condition.

According to the report, Induja’s mother and uncle were aware of Akash (the stalker) and that he was pestering Induja for a month. But they decided to not help Induja file a police complaint because they feared for her ‘reputation’.

This is generally a pattern of behaviour with us. We either don’t take cases of stalking seriously till it escalates severely or we turn it into a drama with blame-games and political muscle displays, like it happened with Varnika Kundu. As for the former, in April this year, Shobha, a Bangalore resident, was stabbed to death by her stalker Girish, who worked as a painter and was furious that Shobha had not only rejected him but was also planning to get married to someone. There was an entire ruckus in the media about how insensitively it was reported and dismissing media channels were about her murder, almost as though her murder was an unfortunate consequence and not a dangerous act of violence. It’s only been months since her murder and already her name has disappeared from the public sentiment, even with a campaign titled #JusticeForShobha trying to forcefully steer the conversation towards the seriousness of stalking. But she’s forgotten. Gone. Zap. The same thing happened with Induja. Akash learnt that Induja’s family was scouting for suitable grooms and Akash could wait no more to establish power over her by burning her to death. How long till we forget what happened to her too?

In earlier cases, another woman from Bangalore, Jyothi was murdered by her stalker in December last year. Pinki Devi, a beautician in Gurgaon was stabbed to death by her stalker at a metro station in Delhi in October 2016. S Swathi, an Infosys employee, was hacked to death by her stalker at Chennai’s Nungambakkam railway station in June 2016. In these cases, their deaths have occurred in public spaces where the perpetrator can easily escape in a crowd. But with Induja’s case, the gravity had descended more heavily with Akash murdering her in her own home.

News about Induja broke my heart, it really did. Women are told often to rush to the safety of their homes in scary situations. Imagine having that safety violated too? It’s terrifying to me, and to families of stalked victims. But clearly, this fear and sadness isn’t enough for stalking to be taken seriously for the violent crime it is.

The post Another Woman in Chennai Faced Death By Stalking and We’re Tired of Yelling Hoarse About How Serious It Is appeared first on The Ladies Finger.

Linux Now Runs on All of the Top 500 Supercomputers

“Top 10 fastest supercomputers in 2017

China has still got the fastest supercomputer in the world. Sunway TaihuLight, developed by China’s National Research Center of Parallel Computer Engineering & Technology (NRCPC), maintains this position for last two years.
China also has the most number of supercomputers as it owns 202 out of top 500 supercomputers. The USA falls in second place with 143 entries in the top 500.
Japan is in third place with 35, followed by Germany with 20, France with 18, and the UK with 15. India and Saudi Arabia have 4 each while Russia has 3 supercomputers.
Out of the top 10 fastest supercomputers, USA has 5, Japan and China have 2 each while Switzerland has 1. Top 2 positions are held by supercomputers from China.

Linux might be struggling for a decent desktop market share but it is definitely ruling the world of supercomputers.

Supercomputers love Linux

As per the latest report from Top 500, Linux now runs on all of the fastest 500 supercomputers in the world. The previous number was 498 as remaining two supercomputers ran Unix.

Top500 is an independent project that was launched in 1993 to benchmark supercomputers. It publishes the details about the top 500 fastest supercomputers known to them, twice a year. You can go the website and filter out the list based on various criteria such as country, OS type, vendors etc.

Don’t worry. I am going to list some of the most interesting facts from this report.

Some interesting facts about top 500 supercomputers

Top 10 fastest supercomputersTop 10 fastest supercomputers in 2017

  • China has still got the fastest supercomputer in the world. Sunway TaihuLight, developed by China’s National Research Center of Parallel Computer Engineering & Technology (NRCPC), maintains this position for last two years.
  • China also has the most number of supercomputers as it owns 202 out of top 500 supercomputers. The USA falls in second place with 143 entries in the top 500.
  • Japan is in third place with 35, followed by Germany with 20, France with 18, and the UK with 15. India and Saudi Arabia have 4 each while Russia has 3 supercomputers.
  • Out of the top 10 fastest supercomputers, USA has 5, Japan and China have 2 each while Switzerland has 1. Top 2 positions are held by supercomputers from China.

There was a time when Unix was the most used operating system on supercomputers. By mid-2000’s Linux started outnumbering Unix.

The main reason for this growth is that Linux is free and easier to customize. Supercomputers are devices built for specific purposes. This requires an operating system customized ed for those specific needs.

Unix, being a closed source and propriety operating system, is an expensive deal when it comes to customization. This is why Linux gains the upper hand here.

Do share this article on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels. It’s an achievement for Linux and we got to show off 😀

Video Games Are the Latest Additions to Russian Infowarfare

Collage by Christopher Moldes. Used with permission.

On November 14, 2017, the latest efforts in the information war appeared on Twitter, when The Russian Ministry of Defense published “irrefutable evidence” of US – ISIS cooperation. The tweet purported to show drone footage of ISIS convoys moving under US protection. There was just one problem — none of it was real.

As investigative search network, Bellingcat, and the Conflict Intelligence Team point out, four of the five pictures were from Iraqi military aerial footage, and the fifth…from the computer game, “AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron.”

The @mod_russia uses images from a computer game as evidence the US is working with ISIS https://t.co/8uv2vbEHeQ http://pic.twitter.com/EvqP1Id5pR

— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) 14 ноября 2017 г.

The Russian Ministry of Defense swiftly deleted the tweets, but not before Russian users presented their own mocking evidence of American wrongdoing in Syria:

Министерство обороны РФ предоставило неоспоримые доказательства того, как военные США минируют жилые кварталы в Алеппо http://pic.twitter.com/WIb5tzsMn2

— за сингулярность (@the_outreach) 14 ноября 2017 г.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation presented irrefutable evidence of American soldiers mining residential areas in Aleppo. [screenshot: Bomberman]

Presidential hopeful Alexey Navalny weighed in:

Извините, тоже поучаствую во флэшмобе.

Минобороны РФ предъявило неоспоримые доказательства использования американцами специального вируса, меняющего сексуальную ориентацию солдат: http://pic.twitter.com/Wxv72sERK1

— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Sorry, I’m also going to make a meme.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation presented irrefutable evidence of Americans using a special virus that changes soldiers’ sexual orientation. [the picture is of Trevor Philips from Grand Theft Auto V]

Others helped the Ministry of Defense by hailing the actions of Russian forces in the area:

Минобороны опубликовало уникальные кадры спецоперации ССО РФ в Сирии http://pic.twitter.com/2uQqMkOLn7

— Д///ИХАД (@tvjihad) 14 ноября 2017 г.

The Ministry of Defense published exclusive photos of Russian Special Operations’ covert ops in Syria [the picture is from the controversial “No Russian” mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]

This last Twitter account, TV Jihad, is a well-known satirical Twitter personality lampooning the liberal, independent news channel TV Dozhd. In a typical tongue-in-cheek fashion, they jokingly broke the news that ISIS had claimed responsibility for the Ministry of Defence’s post:

Исламское государство наконец-то взяло на себя ответственность за фейки Минобороны http://pic.twitter.com/TFAKiLQOw0

— Д///ИХАД (@tvjihad) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Relying on Allah, brother Vanka Erokhin, also known as Abu Al-Kukhul Ar-Rusi, posted video game screenshots to the Ministry of Defense’s Twitter, so as to debase the kafirs (non-believers) and shatter their reputation. All glory to Allah!

Although the original tweets were deleted, many were left wondering how anything like this could have been given the go-ahead by the Russian ministry in the first place:

General: What are you doing soldier, playing a computer game!?

Corporal: No sir, it’s, uh, um … footage of the Americans protecting ISIS!

General: Excellent! Get that to the media department ASAP! https://t.co/HLquaNKnsV

— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Even pro-Kremlin bloggers were outraged. One said:

Минобороны выдало скриншот из игры за “неоспоримое доказательство” сотрудничества США с ИГ https://t.co/FNqCXxqBgs

Лавры Захаровой кому-то не дают покоя (

— Илья Ремесло (@iremeslo) 14 ноября 2017 г.

The Ministry of Defense passed off video game screenshots as “irrefutable evidence” of US cooperation with ISIS. Zakharova’s [Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, known for her blunders and gaffes] laurels aren’t leaving someone in peace. This speaks to the recent dispute about Zakharova’s “honest mistake.” This is what happens when “honest mistakes” are forgiven. Do you like it? For some reason the bots are silent, downright surprising.

Others saw this as another move in Russia’s continuing eleven-dimensional chess in the information war with the West:

Love our @bellingcat commenters. Russia’s Defense Ministry shares photo of a video game saying it’s the US helping ISIS, and our beloved commenter says… https://t.co/mDv03uAv4g http://pic.twitter.com/OMKWQOe9mi

— Aric Toler (@AricToler) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Despite backlash against the fake photographs, Rossiya 24, a Russian state-owned TV network, aired a news segment about the “irrefutable proof” anyway:

Russian state TV regurgitated the Defense Ministry’s videogame-based “evidence” that America is working with ISIS. http://pic.twitter.com/99JeuKfpVS

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) 14 ноября 2017 г.

“We begin with a message from the Russian Ministry of Defense: the US-led international coalition is supporting ISIS terrorists and working together with them. This is confirmed by photos taken on November 9th by Russian drones during the liberation of Abu Kamel. The pictures show armed ISIS formations running from Russian airstrikes in kilometer-long convoys, heading towards the Syrian-Iraqi border. To ensure the safety of the retreating fighters, the coalition’s air forces tried to run interference against Russian warplanes in the area. These facts are irrefutable confirmation that the US is providing cover for ISIS units and is using them to promote American interests in the Middle East.”

The Ministry of Defense later put out a statement:

Минобороны России проводит проверку в отношении гражданского сотрудника одного из подразделений, ошибочно прикрепившего фотоматериалы к заявлению военного ведомства о взаимодействии возглавляемой США международной коалиции и боевиков ИГИЛ* в районе аль-Букемаля (Сирия)

Russia’s Defense Ministry is conducting a review in relation to a subdivision’s civilian employee, who mistakenly attached photographic materials to the military administration’s statement on cooperation between the US-led intenational coalition and ISIS fighters in the Abu Kamel region in Syria.

The Defense Ministry went on to say that the US’s refusal to carry out airstrikes on the convoy and interference against Russian warplanes is a fact borne out by official transcripts. This is not the first time tensions have arisen between US and Russian forces over whether or not to carry out attacks on convoys.  Earlier in September, during a weeks-long standoff with a convoy transporting not only ISIS fighters, but also fleeing civilians, Russian officials had requested that their American counterparts pull their air assets back, apparently standard procedure so the Russian planes could carry out strikes. This was the deconfliction process at work, whereby both the US and Russia could ensure their forces do not strike one another in the fight against ISIS. American drones and warplanes had been harassing the convoy from the get-go, but as the conflict drew on, the Americans acquiesced and pulled all air reconnaissance units out. Since this particular convoy was crossing into Iraqi territory from Lebanon, it seems that a deal had been struck between the Assad government and the respective governments. As Assad’s allies, the Russians were perhaps using the deconfliction process to facilitate the convoy’s movement. No Russian airstrikes took place. By pulling back their air assets, the Americans therefore let the convoy reach its destination.  This is not the first time a deal of this sort has been struck; the BBC wrote an exposé about a secret deal with coalition forces that allowed another such convoy to leave Raqqa with thousands of ISIS fighters and their families.

As for the latest Russian tweet, the Russian Defense Ministry eventually posted a new one with the “correct” images. Some commentators were still doubtful that they amounted to much, however:

Российские беспилотники в Сирии умеют делать гораздо более качественные фотки с таймстампами, а «неоспоримое подтверждение» 2.0 — это нарезка с видео, причем непонятно когда снятого (таймстамп обрезан). http://pic.twitter.com/5iUH7tu96b

— Содомский лайк (@Mortis_Banned) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Russian drones in Syria can take much higher-quality photos with time-stamps, but this “irrefutable evidence” 2.0 is a still from a video and it’s not clear when it was shot (the timestamp’s been cut out).

Social media users may have had some fun with this, but others wondered if this is the kind of intel the commander in chief himself, Vladimir Putin, is getting from his agencies. Because there are definitely reasons to believe that this might be the case.

Written by Christopher Moldes · comments (0)
Donate
· Share this: twitter facebook reddit googleplus

Video Games Are the Latest Additions to Russian Infowarfare

Collage by Christopher Moldes. Used with permission.

On November 14, 2017, the latest efforts in the information war appeared on Twitter, when The Russian Ministry of Defense published “irrefutable evidence” of US – ISIS cooperation. The tweet purported to show drone footage of ISIS convoys moving under US protection. There was just one problem — none of it was real.

As investigative search network, Bellingcat, and the Conflict Intelligence Team point out, four of the five pictures were from Iraqi military aerial footage, and the fifth…from the computer game, “AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron.”

The @mod_russia uses images from a computer game as evidence the US is working with ISIS https://t.co/8uv2vbEHeQ http://pic.twitter.com/EvqP1Id5pR

— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) 14 ноября 2017 г.

The Russian Ministry of Defense swiftly deleted the tweets, but not before Russian users presented their own mocking evidence of American wrongdoing in Syria:

Министерство обороны РФ предоставило неоспоримые доказательства того, как военные США минируют жилые кварталы в Алеппо http://pic.twitter.com/WIb5tzsMn2

— за сингулярность (@the_outreach) 14 ноября 2017 г.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation presented irrefutable evidence of American soldiers mining residential areas in Aleppo. [screenshot: Bomberman]

Presidential hopeful Alexey Navalny weighed in:

Извините, тоже поучаствую во флэшмобе.

Минобороны РФ предъявило неоспоримые доказательства использования американцами специального вируса, меняющего сексуальную ориентацию солдат: http://pic.twitter.com/Wxv72sERK1

— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Sorry, I’m also going to make a meme.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation presented irrefutable evidence of Americans using a special virus that changes soldiers’ sexual orientation. [the picture is of Trevor Philips from Grand Theft Auto V]

Others helped the Ministry of Defense by hailing the actions of Russian forces in the area:

Минобороны опубликовало уникальные кадры спецоперации ССО РФ в Сирии http://pic.twitter.com/2uQqMkOLn7

— Д///ИХАД (@tvjihad) 14 ноября 2017 г.

The Ministry of Defense published exclusive photos of Russian Special Operations’ covert ops in Syria [the picture is from the controversial “No Russian” mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]

This last Twitter account, TV Jihad, is a well-known satirical Twitter personality lampooning the liberal, independent news channel TV Dozhd. In a typical tongue-in-cheek fashion, they jokingly broke the news that ISIS had claimed responsibility for the Ministry of Defence’s post:

Исламское государство наконец-то взяло на себя ответственность за фейки Минобороны http://pic.twitter.com/TFAKiLQOw0

— Д///ИХАД (@tvjihad) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Relying on Allah, brother Vanka Erokhin, also known as Abu Al-Kukhul Ar-Rusi, posted video game screenshots to the Ministry of Defense’s Twitter, so as to debase the kafirs (non-believers) and shatter their reputation. All glory to Allah!

Although the original tweets were deleted, many were left wondering how anything like this could have been given the go-ahead by the Russian ministry in the first place:

General: What are you doing soldier, playing a computer game!?

Corporal: No sir, it’s, uh, um … footage of the Americans protecting ISIS!

General: Excellent! Get that to the media department ASAP! https://t.co/HLquaNKnsV

— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Even pro-Kremlin bloggers were outraged. One said:

Минобороны выдало скриншот из игры за “неоспоримое доказательство” сотрудничества США с ИГ https://t.co/FNqCXxqBgs

Лавры Захаровой кому-то не дают покоя (

— Илья Ремесло (@iremeslo) 14 ноября 2017 г.

The Ministry of Defense passed off video game screenshots as “irrefutable evidence” of US cooperation with ISIS. Zakharova’s [Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, known for her blunders and gaffes] laurels aren’t leaving someone in peace. This speaks to the recent dispute about Zakharova’s “honest mistake.” This is what happens when “honest mistakes” are forgiven. Do you like it? For some reason the bots are silent, downright surprising.

Others saw this as another move in Russia’s continuing eleven-dimensional chess in the information war with the West:

Love our @bellingcat commenters. Russia’s Defense Ministry shares photo of a video game saying it’s the US helping ISIS, and our beloved commenter says… https://t.co/mDv03uAv4g http://pic.twitter.com/OMKWQOe9mi

— Aric Toler (@AricToler) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Despite backlash against the fake photographs, Rossiya 24, a Russian state-owned TV network, aired a news segment about the “irrefutable proof” anyway:

Russian state TV regurgitated the Defense Ministry’s videogame-based “evidence” that America is working with ISIS. http://pic.twitter.com/99JeuKfpVS

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) 14 ноября 2017 г.

“We begin with a message from the Russian Ministry of Defense: the US-led international coalition is supporting ISIS terrorists and working together with them. This is confirmed by photos taken on November 9th by Russian drones during the liberation of Abu Kamel. The pictures show armed ISIS formations running from Russian airstrikes in kilometer-long convoys, heading towards the Syrian-Iraqi border. To ensure the safety of the retreating fighters, the coalition’s air forces tried to run interference against Russian warplanes in the area. These facts are irrefutable confirmation that the US is providing cover for ISIS units and is using them to promote American interests in the Middle East.”

The Ministry of Defense later put out a statement:

Минобороны России проводит проверку в отношении гражданского сотрудника одного из подразделений, ошибочно прикрепившего фотоматериалы к заявлению военного ведомства о взаимодействии возглавляемой США международной коалиции и боевиков ИГИЛ* в районе аль-Букемаля (Сирия)

Russia’s Defense Ministry is conducting a review in relation to a subdivision’s civilian employee, who mistakenly attached photographic materials to the military administration’s statement on cooperation between the US-led intenational coalition and ISIS fighters in the Abu Kamel region in Syria.

The Defense Ministry went on to say that the US’s refusal to carry out airstrikes on the convoy and interference against Russian warplanes is a fact borne out by official transcripts. This is not the first time tensions have arisen between US and Russian forces over whether or not to carry out attacks on convoys.  Earlier in September, during a weeks-long standoff with a convoy transporting not only ISIS fighters, but also fleeing civilians, Russian officials had requested that their American counterparts pull their air assets back, apparently standard procedure so the Russian planes could carry out strikes. This was the deconfliction process at work, whereby both the US and Russia could ensure their forces do not strike one another in the fight against ISIS. American drones and warplanes had been harassing the convoy from the get-go, but as the conflict drew on, the Americans acquiesced and pulled all air reconnaissance units out. Since this particular convoy was crossing into Iraqi territory from Lebanon, it seems that a deal had been struck between the Assad government and the respective governments. As Assad’s allies, the Russians were perhaps using the deconfliction process to facilitate the convoy’s movement. No Russian airstrikes took place. By pulling back their air assets, the Americans therefore let the convoy reach its destination.  This is not the first time a deal of this sort has been struck; the BBC wrote an exposé about a secret deal with coalition forces that allowed another such convoy to leave Raqqa with thousands of ISIS fighters and their families.

As for the latest Russian tweet, the Russian Defense Ministry eventually posted a new one with the “correct” images. Some commentators were still doubtful that they amounted to much, however:

Российские беспилотники в Сирии умеют делать гораздо более качественные фотки с таймстампами, а «неоспоримое подтверждение» 2.0 — это нарезка с видео, причем непонятно когда снятого (таймстамп обрезан). http://pic.twitter.com/5iUH7tu96b

— Содомский лайк (@Mortis_Banned) 14 ноября 2017 г.

Russian drones in Syria can take much higher-quality photos with time-stamps, but this “irrefutable evidence” 2.0 is a still from a video and it’s not clear when it was shot (the timestamp’s been cut out).

Social media users may have had some fun with this, but others wondered if this is the kind of intel the commander in chief himself, Vladimir Putin, is getting from his agencies. Because there are definitely reasons to believe that this might be the case.

Written by Christopher Moldes · comments (0)
Donate
· Share this: twitter facebook reddit googleplus

The Russian Ministry of Defence Publishes Screenshots of Computer Games as Evidence of US Collusion with ISIS

On the morning of November 14th 2017 the Russian Ministry of Defence published multiple posts in Russian, Arabic, and English on their Twitter and Facebook accounts, claiming to show “irrefutable evidence” of collusion between the US and ISIS combat units:

Unfortunately for the Russian MoD, eagle-eyed Twitter users immediately spotted some problems with the images. One image claimed to show an ISIS convoy leaving Abu Kamel on November 9th, 2017:

What this in fact showed was a cropped screenshot from the mobile phone game AC-130 Gunship Simulator, specifically a screenshot from a promo video for the game:

A side by side comparison of the Russian MoD image and the mobile phone game screenshot shows they are identical, with even part of the text from the promo video reading “DEVELOPMENT FOOTAGE. THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. ALL CONTENT SUBJECT TO CHANGE.” visible in the cropped image used by the Russian MoD as their “irrefutable evidence”:

Left – Russian MoD Evidence; Right – The mobile phone game

The other images are also not from the dates and locations claimed by the Russian MoD, but from videos filmed in Iraq in 2016. The Conflict Intelligence Team highlighted one of these videos, showing the Iraqi Air Force bombing ISIS in 2016:

Another alleged @mod_russia drone image accusing US of cooperating with IS was taken from a June 2016 Iraqi MoD video showing Iraqi Air Force bombing IS near Fallujah https://t.co/ybRbuAxA6w
(via @uckuduk1) http://pic.twitter.com/MtzjqAAStW

— CIT (en) (@CITeam_en) November 14, 2017

Other Twitter users identified footage from Iraq 2016 reused by the Russian MoD as part of their “irrefutable evidence”:

The other footage is from this old video of Iraqi airforce destroying an ISIS convoy in 2016 https://t.co/4kIeGR5VWu http://pic.twitter.com/jnpWmHveVA

— Gerards (@GerardsScw) November 14, 2017

The Russian MoD is now in the process of removing the social media posts, but this not the first time the Russian MoD has been found using false footage. During Oliver Stone’s documentary on Vladimir Putin, Putin is filmed showing Oliver Stone footage of what he claims are Russian forces in Syria, but what in fact turned out to be old footage of US forces in Afghanistan:

Update: The Kremlin insists the very fake footage that Putin showed Oliver Stone is real https://t.co/iO8D1iIT50 http://pic.twitter.com/fpIRo1zkdj

— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) June 22, 2017

When this was brought to the attention of the Kremlin they claimed the Russian MoD had provided the video. If the Russian MoD is willing to pass off fakes to President Putin it seems somewhat unsurprising they would try to fool the world with video game footage, but, unfortunately for the Russian MoD, it seems the world, unlike President Putin, isn’t so easily taken in by fakes.

 

The post The Russian Ministry of Defence Publishes Screenshots of Computer Games as Evidence of US Collusion with ISIS appeared first on bellingcat.

The History of Braceros Comes Alive

By Mario A. Cortez

Jose Ulloa Trujillo with his family

Logan Heights residents and historians documenting the Mexican-American and Chicano experience in San Diego gathered to share and collect stories from a significant period in U.S.-Mexico relations.

Through an educational program titled “Braceros: Capturing History Through Our Stories,” the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center shared the story of Jose Ulloa Trujillo, a bracero worker who would eventually settle in the Tijuana-San Diego area, and also collected stories from relatives of other bracero workers.

The Bracero Program was an initiative from the United States government to import temporary workers from Mexico in an effort to alleviate agricultural worker shortages in the 1940s. The 22-year-long program is estimated to have granted over 5 million worker contracts over its existence, making it the largest foreign worker treaty in U.S. history.

Ulloa Trujillo, born in the central Mexican state of Zacatecas, was working in the mines of the border state of Chihuahua when he became involved in the Bracero Program in 1946. He worked in the pea farms of Idaho for one year before returning to Chihuahua. Years later, he and his family would relocate to our border region.

The story of his travelling worker was one which Armando Pulido, a historian and professor at USD, and Rigoberto Reyes, a longtime activist and community leader, came across while doing research for a book on the history and cars of San Diego’s lowrider scene.

Reproduction of a ticket envelope which Jose Ulloa Trujillo carried on his travels

“We met the Ulloa family and it turned out that Mr. Ray Ulloa’s grandfather was a bracero and had documents which were rare,” Pulido shared with La Prensa San Diego.

Attendees to the historical event could see reproduced versions of documents which Ulloa carried such as a bracero worker identification card and a ticket envelope. An original worker contract issued to Ulloa Trujillo by the United States Department of Agriculture and photos of Ulloa were also on display.

Other components of this program included a screening of scenes from the film “Harvest of Loneliness,” the presentation of a publication narrating Ulloa Trujillo’s odyssey, and a special recognition to the Ulloa Trujillo family.

“We wanted to highlight the family that we documented and was part of the Bracero Program,” said Josephine Talamantez, chair of the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center. “This year the braceros are being recognized throughout the nation for the work which they contributed during World War II and beyond.”

During the event, Pulido and museum staff recorders were also able to scan more documents belonging to braceros and collect more stories about these workers.

“We found a lady whose dad was a bracero and there were a few more people here to share stories,” Pulido said. “We are in the process of collecting more information and today’s event was a call out to those names in the Bracero Program and have them be here and present in history.”

According to Pulido, through the process of gathering testimonials, conducting research and making calls for stories and documents, it could take anywhere from five to seven years to put together a finalized and comprehensive final product given the complexity of the Bracero Program.

In the meantime, the museum and its researchers will continue to seek out more stories of the braceros, especially those who are still alive.

“Many members of the program are going away, so what better way to document those members of the Bracero Program in our community,” Talamantez asserted. “We want those histories.”

Russia used 419 fake accounts to tweet about Brexit, data shows

4371.jpg?w=300&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&f

Researchers find that accounts run from a St Petersburg troll farm tried to sow discord between Britons over the referendum

Concern about Russian influence in British politics has intensified as it emerged that more than 400 fake Twitter accounts believed to be run from St Petersburg published posts about Brexit.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh identified 419 accounts operating from the Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA) attempting to influence UK politics out of 2,752 accounts suspended by Twitter in the US.

Continue reading…

Second Look Behind the Headlines – News you can use…

Baldacchino di Perla

"Luce di parole, ombra di sogni."

Northern Desert Photography

Living on the Edge of the Sagebrush Ocean

Susana Cabaço

Spiritual Insights & Personal Empowerment

Barbara Picci

Artist & Art Blogger

craft journey

Furnicraft, woodwork, and art

musings corner

reveries and rants

Japão para Românticos

Bem Vindos a este espaço onde compartilhamos um pouco da realidade do Japão à todos aqueles que desejam visitar ou morar no Japão. Aqui neste espaço, mostramos a realidade do Japão e dos imigrantes. O nosso compromisso é com a realidade. Fique por dentro do noticiário dos principais jornais japoneses, tutoriais de Faça você mesmo no Japão e acompanhe a Série Histórias de Imigrantes no Japão. Esperamos que goste de nossos conteúdos, deixe seu like, seu comentário, compartilhe e nos ajudar você e à outras pessoas. Grande abraço, gratidão e volte sempre!

Leben als Mensch

Willkommen auf Elke´s Glücks-Blog

Sharpshot Nature .Com

- Specializing in the great outdoors, capturing nature at its finest!

Diane Ravitch's blog

A site to discuss education and democracy

Expansão e Percepção

Seu Guia de Inspirações e Reflexões Diárias

noga noga.

my-health-and-beauty.com/

Uğurcan'ın Ütopyası

Benim Gezegenime Hoş geldiniz !!!

AKILS

Blog de viajes y lugares

Ed Mooney Photography

The official blog of Ed Mooney Photography. Dad of 3, Photographer, Blogger, Powerlifter. Exploring the historical sites of Ireland.

everything Explored on the earth

It has new aidias,news, about education , motivation, social, historical, culture, marketing creation new aidias education of language science culture and history

Born to die

L'unico modo sensato di vivere è senza regole

Early Morning Memories

by Anuran (A) & Sayoni (S)

My thoughts

Fun for the Brain

Neo Vision College

An exemplary learning community.

Anthony’s Crazy Love and Life Lessons in Empathy

Loves, lamentation, and life through prose, stories, passions, and essays.

Episodic Squalid Rants

public tantrums by a non-two-year-old

The Street Art Directory

Public, street and urban art worldwide

Artie & Stu

all the rules of free form

Everyone read that they fell in love first

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-2937106805202763" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

davidscottmoyer

Lapsed Painter, Occasional Photographer, Compulsive Writer

Health & Fitness

Health Blogs

Buildings Tell Tales

Exploring the hidden architectural heritage of Budapest

Divit kalem

Yaşamdan

Roy's Weblog

The third incarnation...

Thought Pukes

More than a thought less than a question

"بوصلة الحياة"

"بوصلة الحياة: مدونة متعددة المجالات، من السياسة إلى الرومانسية، ومن تطوير الذات إلى الأدب وأكثر!" بقلم مشاعر بنت عبدالرحمن

parallax

The view from here ... Or here!

ClearingSpace4Joy

Bringer and seeker of joy

Belladonna’s Flashlight

The One Where She Stumbled Through Her 40's and Faced Her Demons

~ Trivial Music Silliness ~

Baw wit da baw. Just sayin'.

mo mnsoor blog

Website storys

Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

Welcome to the Anglo Swiss World

gnaddrig ad libitum

Querbeet und ohne Gewähr

Peace & Truth

KINDNESS IS FREE, sprinkle it all over the world, and 😁 smile

Ética de la vida diaria

Nuestra ética de todos los días...

Elizabeth Gauffreau

Fiction Writer in Poet's Clothing