Chargers’ Okung Issues Call to Action for N.F.L. Players – The New York Times

 

Some players have reacted scornfully on social media to the suggestion they might be forced to stand. But Okung’s letter is a rare example of a player trying to unite all his peers in defiance of the league, and it sheds light on the frustration many athletes have only privately expressed regarding recent events.“Things have clearly gotten out of control,” he wrote. “As a pragmatist, I will admit, I initially doubted the merits of Colin Kaepernick’s protest and questioned the strategy. I was wrong.“There is now no doubt that what he started was a courageous, prophetic, self-sacrificial act that has captivated a nation and inspired a powerful movement,” he added. “If I had his cell phone number, I would tell him that.”Players routinely speak to teammates and to friends on other teams. Last year, players on several teams coordinated via text messages how to approach the anthem on the first Sunday of the season, which fell on Sept. 11.Broader conversations across multiple teams, though, have not been possible, Okung wrote, adding that the N.F.L. Players Association was ill-suited to facilitating larger discussions because the players are also competitors and “the system is designed to keep us divided and stifle our attempts to collaborate.”Okung said in the phone interview that his immediate goal was to identify players across the league who want to do more, then discuss their next steps.320COMMENTSIn his letter, Okung invited players to contact him on Twitter and when they do he will send them instructions on how to communicate as a larger group. He said he hoped that his letter reached as many players as possible, and that it “acts as a catalyst to convene a conversation among those of us who are uncomfortable having these important decisions made without us in the room.”“While I don’t have all the answers as to how to ensure we are not robbed of this moment, I am convinced that we will never make progress if we do not find a way to come together and take action that represents the will of the players,’’ Okung wrote. “What we have is strength in numbers.”

Pink: ‘Monogamy is work. You have times when you haven’t had sex in a year’ | Music | The Guardian

Does she anticipate that people might object to … “Him calling me a whore?” she interrupts. Well, yes, that. She bats it away. It’s her mother’s favourite track on the album, she laughs. “The reason I love Eminem is, number one, I think he’s a lyrical genius, I think he’s one of the best that ever did it. I think he’s funny as shit. I don’t think he believes in any of the shit he says. Otherwise, why would he respect a woman like me? Which he does. And I think he’s one of those people that likes to take the piss out of all the shit we hold so precious and so dear. I think all of us get a little too serious at times and that’s why I think it is hilarious that he says, ‘You’re a whore, you’re a whore, this is war.’ I’ve called Carey a whore like 50,000 times.” Does he mind? “I don’t care!” she cackles.Parents may no longer be worried that Alecia Moore is a bad influence on their kids, but Pink is still happy to cause a bit of trouble every now and then. “Look,” she says, “there’s a part of me that’s a fucker, and this is that.”

Source: Pink: ‘Monogamy is work. You have times when you haven’t had sex in a year’ | Music | The Guardian

Penguins starving to death is a sign that something’s very wrong in the Antarctic | John Sauven | Opinion | The Guardian

The awful news that all but two penguin chicks have starved to death out of a colony of almost 40,000 birds is a grim illustration of the enormous pressure Antarctic wildlife is under. The causes of this devastating event are complex, from a changing climate to local sea-ice factors, but one thing penguins, whales and other marine life don’t need is additional strain on food supplies.

Source: Penguins starving to death is a sign that something’s very wrong in the Antarctic | John Sauven | Opinion | The Guardian

Trump celebrates ‘shared and timeless values’ with Christian evangelicals

Cheating on your taxes, friends, and wives! Always wins among those who hide their lies behind faux-religious shields.

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The first sitting president to address the Values Voter Summit, Trump said he shared their agenda – despite his history of divorce, harassment and reality TV

Donald Trump rallied the faithful on Friday in a speech that aimed to shore up support among religious conservatives as his popularity haemorrhages elsewhere.

Related: Trump won’t kill off Iran nuclear deal but calls on Congress to stiffen its terms

Continue reading…

Yes, Donald Trump can be removed from the US presidency. Here’s how | Jonathan Freedland

Sooner or at least before a nuclear war or other type of meltdown caused by his action or inaction.

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There are a lot of people hoping he’ll be turfed out of office soon – but first the Democrats have to start winning elections

The bar is set so low for Donald Trump that every day he doesn’t trigger a nuclear confrontation with a distant adversary is seen as a bonus. Today was one such day, as Trump signalled that he would not, after all, tear up the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, as many – including his closest lieutenants – once feared he would.

Sure, he disavowed the accord, slamming Tehran as a “rogue regime”, imposing fresh sanctions on the Revolutionary Guard and refusing to certify that Iran has complied with its terms, but he did not feed it into the shredder. Instead, he kicked the decision on its future over to Congress. That certainly puts the deal’s survival in jeopardy, but it does at least live to see another day..

Continue reading…

Women Are Boycotting Twitter for a Day and Their Silence Is Louder Than All Their WordsThe Ladies Finger

Twitter has been under fire for the way it has treated McGowan and women before this. Remember when The News Minute editor Dhanya Rajendran was attacked online by trolls and fans of Tamil actor Vijay for criticising his film? Twitter took no action till the trolling took a surmounting toll on Rajendran. But it’s disgusting how easy it is to jump the gun on women like McGowan who speak up against abusers like Weinstein. Many may argue what this silent protest is even going to achieve. If you’re protesting being silenced then why go silent, they may say. But the ironic nature of the protest is it’s very point. Maybe this one day protest won’t change anything on Twitter or affect the way it treats harassment online, but it’s still a start. Sometimes, silence does speak louder than words.

Source: Women Are Boycotting Twitter for a Day and Their Silence Is Louder Than All Their WordsThe Ladies Finger

Avian Flu Diary: Madagascar: Pneumonic Plague Update From the MOH

We’ve a new update from the Madagascar MOH on their ongoing plague outbreak – that while dated the 13th – is a summary of activity through the 12th. The trajectory of the outbreak continues to be concerning, with 561 cases now reported across 35 districts Remarkably, of those, 415 (74%) are pneumonic plague, which is normally a relatively rare presentation which spreads as a respiratory illness. Updates from the MOH are in French, and are often presented in formats that make machine translation difficult, but we can piece together the gist from the following PDF file.

Source: Avian Flu Diary: Madagascar: Pneumonic Plague Update From the MOH

Puerto Rico needs help & support, not threats & insults hurled from the White House – Latina Lista: News from the Latinx perspective

Mr President, you seem to want to disregard the moral imperative that your administration has been unable to fulfill. Your replacement of the FEMA Coordinator in Puerto Rico is an admission that things are not going the way they should.Your tweets and comments just show desperation and underscore the inadequacy of your government’s response to this humanitarian crisis. It is not that you do not get it, it is that you are incapable of empathy and frankly simply cannot get the job done.Ever since this ordeal began, San Juan has had over 300 sustained volunteers from the United States. Good, hard working people from New York, Florida, California, Texas and many others who embody the fundamental values of compassion, ingenuity and hard work that you are certainly unable to express.These men and women, most of them union workers, have literally taken care of our bodies and souls. They did not come for a photo op or to throw paper towels and insults at us. They came to help, something you seem to be unable to grasp.These volunteers have seen the horror that you continue to want to dismiss. They embody the true spirit of the American values that you dismiss with every inappropriate and derogatory action and comment.Tweet away your hate to mask your administration’s mishandling of this humanitarian crisis.While you are amusing yourself throwing paper towels at us, your compatriots and the world are sending love and help our way. Condemn us to a slow death of non-drinkable water, lack of food, lack of medicine while you keep others eager to help from reaching us since they face the impediment of the Jones Act.I ask every American that has love, and not hate in their hearts, to stand with Puerto Rico and let this President know we WILL NOT BE LEFT TO DIE.

Source: Puerto Rico needs help & support, not threats & insults hurled from the White House – Latina Lista: News from the Latinx perspective

A Disaster in the White House for Puerto Rico – The New York Times

Americans have gotten into the uneasy habit of wondering how low President Trump might go each day in his multiple tirades against those he imagines as enemies, critics and easy targets. But did he really have to pick on the storm-ravaged American citizens of Puerto Rico, of all defenseless people, and reveal such a cold-hearted lack of empathy for their plight?Mr. Trump’s salvo of tweets on Thursday as the island struggled with devastation — suggesting people were ingrates responsible for much of their suffering — set a new low, even meaner than his usual harangues and self-aggrandizement. It called into question whether Mr. Trump grasps and accepts the responsibilities of his office when he imperiously suggested that federal emergency aid and workers could not be maintained on the island “forever.”In his rant, Mr. Trump made it sound as if the island’s 3.4 million residents were at his executive mercy. But in fact the federal emergency process, backed by congressional funding, typically stations workers on site for years to help communities recover from natural disasters.

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