Tag Archives: OddBox

“The first time I was offered a journalism job in Nigeria, the…

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“The first time I was offered a journalism job in Nigeria, the newspaper owner suggested that I supplement my income with bribes.  He told me: ‘I’m giving you a platform.  Use what you have to get what you need.’  I knew then that the rumors were true.  Journalism in this country was corrupted.  There was no idealism.  Reporters were writing stories for money.  And even more damaging, they were killing stories for money.  I didn’t want to participate.  I felt it would be more ethical to just find a corporate job.  But in 2008, I was given the opportunity to manage a new paper founded by Nigeria’s only Pulitzer Prize winner, Dele Olojede.  The paper was called Next.  And we tried to change things.  We hired young people who were untainted by the culture.  Half of them were women.  We paid them well and we trained them well.  Ethics came first.  Accepting gifts was absolutely forbidden.  Our paper survived for three years.  During that time, we broke major stories every single week.  We exposed all sorts of corruption.  But we were targeted for our success.  Our reporters were detained.  Our board members were threatened.  The government leaned on our advertisers, and they withdrew one by one.  Eventually we were forced to close.  But for three years we set the pace.  We created a mold.  And I believe we changed the media landscape.  Investigative journalism is stronger now.  Many of our journalists have gone on to start amazing publications of their own.  The paper may have been short lived, but I know it had an impact.  Revolution is too strong of a word, but we definitely shook the table.”
(Lagos, Nigeria)

Kavanaugh Lied to the Judiciary Committee—Repeatedly

Kavanaugh Lied to the Judiciary Committee—Repeatedly:

phroyd:

On Thursday, after listening to testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, several Republican senators said they would vote to confirm the nominee because it’s impossible to determine which witness—Ford or Kavanaugh—is telling the truth. Actually, it’s easy. We don’t know for certain whether Kavanaugh sexually assaulted Ford. But we do know that Kavanaugh lied repeatedly in his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Here are some of his lies.

1. “It’s been investigated.” The White House has ignored multiple requests from Democratic senators to authorize FBI interviews with the alleged witnesses in the case. In particular, there has been no FBI or Judiciary Committee interview with Mark Judge, Kavanaugh’s accused accomplice in the alleged assault. In fact, Judge has fled to a hideout in Delaware to avoid being called to testify.

During the hearing, several Democratic senators pleaded with Kavanaugh to call for FBI interviews so that the truth could be resolved. Kavanaugh refused. When Sen. Chris Coons pointed out that the FBI had needed only a few days to complete interviews in the Clarence Thomas–Anita Hill case, Kavanaugh said even that was too much, because the Judiciary Committee had already examined his case. “It’s been investigated,” he told Coons.

No honest judge would say that. None of the alleged witnesses, other than Ford and Kavanaugh, has been interviewed. Instead, the alleged witnesses have issued short statements of non-recollection and have asked not to testify. The committee’s Republican majority, eager to brush the case aside, has accepted these statements and has refused to ask further questions. In his testimony, Kavanaugh falsely claimed that FBI interviews would add nothing. Agents would “just go and do what you’re doing,” he told the senators.

Kavanaugh claimed that a vague statement of non-recollection from Judge’s lawyer was sufficient “testimony.” He dismissed calls for Judge to appear before the committee, arguing that his own testimony was adequate. But Kavanaugh also mocked the committee’s Democrats, who lack the power of subpoena, by telling them to go talk to Judge. When Sen. Patrick Leahy asked whether Bart O’Kavanaugh, a drunken character in Judge’s book, was meant to represent Brett Kavanaugh, the nominee passed the buck to his testimony-evading friend: “You’d have to ask him.”

2. “All four witnesses say it didn’t happen.” Each time senators pleaded for an FBI review or a more thorough investigation by the committee, Kavanaugh replied that it wasn’t necessary, since all the people Ford claimed had been at the gathering where the alleged assault occurred had rejected her story. Eight times, Kavanaugh claimed that the witnesses “said it didn’t happen.” Three times, he said the witnesses “refuted” Ford’s story. Four times, Kavanaugh claimed that “Dr. Ford’s longtime friend,” Leland Keyser, had affirmed that the gathering never occurred.

That’s a lie. Keyser has stated that she doesn’t recall the gathering—she was never told about the attack, and she was supposedly downstairs while it allegedly occurred upstairs—but that she believes Ford’s story. That isn’t corroboration, but it isn’t refutation or denial, either. During the hearing, Sen. Cory Booker pointed this out to Kavanaugh, reminding him that in an interview with the Washington Post, Keyser “said she believes Dr. Ford.” Kavanaugh ignored Booker’s correction. Ninety seconds later, the nominee defiantly repeated: “The witnesses who were there say it didn’t happen.”

3. “I know exactly what happened that night.”  Kavanaugh made several false or widely contradicted statements about his use of alcohol. This is significant because Judge has admitted to drunken blackouts, which raises the possibility that Judge and Kavanaugh don’t remember what they did to Ford. During the hearing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal asked about Kavanaugh’s participation in a night of drunken revelry at Yale Law School. Kavanaugh assured Blumenthal, “I know exactly what happened the whole night.” Later, Booker asked Kavanaugh whether he had “never had gaps in memories, never had any losses whatsoever, never had foggy recollection about what happened” while drinking. Kavanaugh affirmed that he had never experienced such symptoms: “That’s what I said.”

These statements contradict reports from several people who knew Kavanaugh. Liz Swisher, a friend from Yale, says she saw Kavanaugh drink a lot, stumble, and slur his words. “It’s not credible for him to say that he has had no memory lapses in the nights that he drank to excess,” she told the Washington Post. And in a speech four years ago, Kavanaugh described himself and a former classmate “piecing things together” to figure out that they’d “had more than a few beers” before an alcohol-soaked banquet at Yale Law School.

4. “I’m in Colorado.” As evidence that the charges against him were ludicrous, Kavanaugh told the committee that he had been falsely accused of committing an assault more than 1,500 miles away. He claimed that according to his accusers, “I’m in Colorado, you know, I’m sighted all over the place.” But a transcript of Kavanaugh’s Sept. 25 interview with Judiciary Committee staffers shows no claim of an offense in Colorado. The transcript says that according to a woman from Colorado, “at least four witnesses” saw Kavanaugh shove a woman “up against the wall very aggressively and sexually” in 1998. But Kavanaugh was specifically told during the interview that the scene of the alleged incident was in D.C., where he was living at the time.

Kavanaugh also told other whoppers.* He claimed that his high school yearbook reference to the “Beach Week Ralph Club” referred in part to his difficulty in holding down “spicy food.” He claimed that the entry’s jokes about two sporting events he and his high school buddies had watched—“Who won that game, anyway?”—had nothing to do with booze. And he defended his refusal to take a polygraph test on the grounds that such tests aren’t admissible in federal courts—neglecting to mention that he had endorsed their use in hiring and law enforcement.

Maybe Kavanaugh is an honest man in other contexts. Maybe he’s a good husband, a loving dad, and an inspiring coach. And maybe there’s no way to be certain that he assaulted Ford. But one thing is certain: He lied repeatedly to the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Some of his lies, about the testimony of witnesses and the integrity of investigations, go to the heart of our system of justice. Any senator who votes to put this man on the Supreme Court is saying that such lies don’t matter.

Update, Sept. 30, 2018: This article originally said that Kavanaugh “claimed that his beer consumption in high school was legal because the drinking age in Maryland was 18.” Kavanaugh’s exact words were: “The drinking age, as I noted, was 18, so the seniors were legal, senior year in high school, people were legal to drink, and we—yeah, we drank beer.” These words could imply that his beer drinking at age 18 was legal, which would be false, since the drinking age in Maryland was raised to 21 before he turned 18. Alternatively, they could imply that his drinking at age 17 was understandable, if he was with 18-year-old seniors who were legal at the time. In keeping with the standard applied to others, it’s incorrect to report that Kavanaugh “claimed” his beer consumption that summer was legal. Therefore, the sentences have been removed.

Phroyd

Mahmoud Abbas’s Historical Speech! Disgraceful as a norm!

As much as the word Historical could resemble some critical moment that could be recorded for history, Mahmoud Abbas’ speech gave a speech that was more of historical like him, something that has been repeatedly said and outdated.

History, however, will record a shocking moment that was witnessed by the international community, in a place that saw the recording of brutal Israeli violations since the creation of the united nations assembly.

It sounds as much as it feels pathetic to read and hear people who still follow Abbas’s troops of interest announcing that the speech was “moving,” “historical,” “explosive” a powerful!!! Can these people be serious?  What did they hear that was moving or historical or powerful?

The announcement of the failure of the talks with Hamas? The direct declaration of assault and threat to Hamas and Gaza?

This declaration of the official fragmentation fo a nation is a historic announcement to those who liked the speech?

Or is it the almost begging for negotiation with Israel that was moving?

Does he think that we believe a word of what is said about Jerusalem in his plea for a state?

Palestinians realize after 25 years of Oslo, that Abbas was the primary designer of its contexts, that the state of Abbas does not exceed his presidential block and the access to the money he and his flock pumped on behalf of people.

Today , we Palestinians know that Oslo marks the final phase of the Zionist project that was facilitated by the mandate period in preparation for the  Zionist state, and was finalized by liquifying the Palestinian cause into an authority that serves the security of Israel and facilitated the expansion of the settlement ,the Israelization of Jerusalem , the continuation of occupation in a permanent apparatus of oppression and control.

 

The cause of the Bedouins in the Naqab

Since the occupation of Israel to Palestine , bi place was left without ambitions and greed to grab more of land and expel as many people.

The Naqab desert was no exception , but a determination. From the 1.25 million Dunums of land that was registered for Arab Bedouin during the mandate period . The struggle of the Bedouin’s today does not exceed the demand of 125 thousand Dunoms of ownership . A systematic policy of expulsion continued, in 1951 the Bedouin’s were expelled , later new laws were designed to keep them away . The absent present law, the un recognition of villages ….. today 45 villages with more that 56 percent of the population of the Naqab live in unrecognized villages…

One can only imagine what this mean… no services, schools, healthcare, hygiene, ……

Yet…. the struggle to survive continue with inspiration

P.s we are talking about Israeli citizens here!img_7011.jpg?w=1170img_7007.jpg?w=1170img_7008.jpg?w=1170img_7012.jpg?w=1170img_7004.jpg?w=1170img_6998.jpg?w=1170img_6992.jpg?w=1170img_6990.jpg?w=1170img_6985.jpg?w=1170img_6980.jpg?w=1170img_6969.jpg?w=1170img_6960.jpg?w=1170

Destroyed villages of jerusalem (national parks and attractions) is : an eye on Sar’a

District:  al-Quds (Jerusalem)

Population 1948:  390

Occupation Date:  14/07/1948

Military Operation:  Danny

Occupying Unit:  Har’el (palmah)

Jewish settlements on village own land before 1948:  None

Jewish settlements on the built-up area of the village own after 1948:  None

Jewish settlements on village own land after 1948:  Tarum

Sar’a, was a Palestinian Arab village located 25 km west of Jerusalem, depopulated during the Nakba in 1948.

In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Sara’a had a population 205, all Muslims, increasing in the 1931 census to 271, in 65 houses.

In 1945 the population of Saris was 340, who owned 4,967 dunams of land according to an official land and population survey. Of the land, 194 dunams were plantations and irrigable land and 2,979 were for cereals, while 16 dunams were built-up (urban) land.

Sar’a was captured by Israel’s Harel Brigade on July 13–14, 1948, during Operation Dani in 1948. Many of the inhabitants had already expelled, as the village had been on the front lines since April. Those who had remained expelled when the mortar barrages from the approaching Harel columns began; the few that stayed throughout the assault were later expelled. The village’s inhabitants fled the village towards various West Bank refugee camps, including Qalandiya.

The Israeli settlement of Tarum was established on the north-eastern part of village land in 1950, while Tzora was established about 2 km southwest of the site, on land belonging to Dayr Aban.

According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land were in 1992:

Stone rubble and iron girders are strewn among the trees on the site. A flat stone, surrounded by debris and inscribed with Arabic verses from the Qur’an, bears the date A.H. 1355 (1936). On the western edge of the site stands a shrine containing the tombs of two local religious teachers. A valley to the northeast is covered with fig, almond, and cypress trees

( info from Zochrot iNakba )img_7021-1.jpg?w=1170img_7022.jpg?w=1170img_7025.jpg?w=1170cf3d0750-d1fd-48c6-819d-8078ecfb63ca-514d2f4b8bc-b5df-4a50-abd4-c0c24374978d-514

Diplomats Say They Were Definitely Laughing At Trump At The UN

Diplomats Say They Were Definitely Laughing At Trump At The UN:

buzzfeed:

Donald Trump’s speech to the UN was met by widespread laughter, and diplomats have confirmed that their delegations were laughing at — not with — the US president.

“Sometimes, when we see a behavior or listen to arguments or notions that seem so far-fetched, unreasonable, or insane, there is almost natural reaction of laughing,” one Latin American diplomat said, speaking anonymously so he could speak freely.

The diplomat added, “It is not laughing at a good joke, but a nervous laugh, or a bad joke turned laughable precisely because the guy who tells the joke doesn’t realize how bad it is.”

Laughter filled the UN General Assembly room on Tuesday after Trump said his administration “has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.”

Vivaldi browser launches 2.0

OSLO, Norway – 26th Sept 2018 – Today Vivaldi launched the new version of its browser, Vivaldi 2.0, making it the most essential productivity tool for everyone.

The vision of Vivaldi is simple – users should be in control of how the browser looks, feels and works. This new upgrade allows users to browse with features that adapt to them, a style that fits and the values that they can stand by.

Download Vivaldi

Vivaldi 2.0 is a big leap forward in achieving that vision. Working closely with its users every step of the way, Vivaldi has made over 1,500 improvements since launching its first version in 2016.

Sync between computers, enhanced side panels, resizable split-screen tabs and much more underscore Vivaldi’s strength in robust feature-set and customization options. And, they are easy to use too.

“A browser is used by everyone, everywhere – making it the most important tool on your computer. It used to just be a way to show static pages, now it’s a portal to the way we live, learn, work and play. Vivaldi helps you do more of everything you love faster, easier, and safer,” says Vivaldi CEO Jon von Tetzchner.

 

What’s new in Vivaldi 2.0?

Vivaldi is driven by the real needs of users today and ensures that they have the best tool to browse and do the job.

Welcome Page

By far the most Customisable User Interface

With a sleek user interface, revamped theming options and a refreshed onboarding experience, users can truly create a browser that reflects their interests, passions, and personality right from the start.

Users can tailor the browser to their needs by modifying not only how the browser looks, but the layout of its elements. There is no limit to the customization on offer here. Vivaldi’s Settings provides a huge variety of adjustments, such as:

  • Position the tab bar vertically and display the address bar at the bottom (or not at all)
  • Adjust default zoom levels and view clutter-free web pages using Reader View
  • Toggle adaptive Themes that change color in tune with the website being viewed
  • Schedule Themes to change throughout the day
  • Customise Speed Dials and Window Background Image

A very popular browser kept crashing on my PC. Couldn’t handle it anymore and decided to switch. Vivaldi was one of the very first browsers that met my needs. Using it for over 2 years. Love the customization options and the option to tile your websites. ❤

— Marco – TechTime ⚙️ (@MarcoHazendonk)

 

Private and Secure Syncing across Computers

Vivaldi can now seamlessly and securely sync a user’s data between multiple computers, including their Bookmarks and Speed-Dials, saved passwords and autofill information, History (with only typed URLs), extensions and uniquely, Notes.

All synced data, including users’ passwords, is protected with an end-to-end data encryption and never shared in the clear with Vivaldi.  To keep the user data safe, no third-party servers are used but only Vivaldi servers.

The much-awaited Vivaldi Sync can be activated through Settings or the new cloud icon in the browser’s Status Bar.

Have switched from Chrome to Vivaldi as my default desktop Web browser. It’s fast, highly customisable, supports Chrome extensions, and tab management is excellent. Just missing syncing, but that’s coming in the next release. Think I’ll be sticking with it https://t.co/QJaIVvtz9C

— Duncan McLeod (@mcleodd)

Effective Tools for Smarter Browsing

To make better use of screen real estate and improve workflow, Panels — an expandable, multi-tasking dashboard in Vivaldi’s sidebar — includes go-to tools like Downloads, Bookmarks, History, Web Panels, Window Panel and Notes.

 

Twitter Web Panel

Web Panels allow users to display their favorite web apps or sites in a split-screen alongside the primary window. What’s more, they can now “float” them over the page, rather than resizing their main window. In version 2.0, users also get suggested Web Panels of sites that they visit the most and help them check their messaging apps, news and social feeds a breeze.

I’ve noticed a lot of websites use fixed widths. Web Panels are a great way of using the rest of the screen – and I find them a lot less disruptive to my workflow then changing tab (and having to find the other tab again).

— John (@Hi_Im_Sarno)

Extensive Tab Management

Second to none, Vivaldi’s tabbed browsing lets users group(stack), rename and even search in addition to pin, drag, hibernate and mute tabs if needed. Users are also given multiple ways to access these features. Adaptability is at the forefront in Vivaldi’s role as daily driver.

I actually have 253 tabs in my Vivaldi open right now! 😅 The best tab management feature is definitely the relatively new Window view in the sidepanel, it makes managing tab groups so much easier than fiddling around with them in the tab bar!

— Stefan (@_____stefan)

A fan favorite, Tab Tiling — creating a split-screen view of tabs — can now be resized by simply dragging a tile’s borders. Even better, the adjusted layout remains the same after restarts and loading of saved sessions.

 

Resizing browser tabs in split screen with Vivaldi

A list-style view has been added to the ever-popular Tab Cycler. Users can find and view a list of open tabs and even change them – a visually appealing way to view and search entries instantly.

Stuff that attracted me are the tab management features. Grouping, split screen and also panels. Definitely, can’t live without them as it has become an integral part of my browsing life. It saves me so much time and increases productivity.

— Bala Yogesh (@Yo_Bala)

Flexibility on Fingertips with Easier Navigation

The most overlooked tool in a browser today is browsing History. Vivaldi gives it the love it deserves. Users can explore their own browsing habits with statistics and visual clues that are only visible to them through a reimagined, in-depth History.

 

Browsing history in the Vivaldi browser

Vivaldi’s intuitive default UI gets work done at a lightning speed with customizable Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Gestures. The latest update allows opening of a recently viewed page by clicking the Back or Forward button using a modifier key (cmd or ctrl) or via middle-clicking the mouse.

I started using Vivaldi when the first betas dropped. Since then I haven’t looked back. One of THE best browsers out there and brilliant ethics to browse by! I can’t live without the mouse guestures, I find myself trying them in other apps to my dissapointment.

— Stanley York (@stanleyyork11)

Users can stay one step ahead and access their favorite sites and bookmarks instantly through Speed Dials and Quick Commands or easily jump through search result pages with Fast-Forward/Rewind function. They can assign nicknames to search engines and switch between them on the fly.

Quick Commands

Raise the Productivity Bar

Vivaldi’s built-in tools help users get more done, faster. Users can instantly capture and share screenshots with Capture, research and annotate websites with Markdown-supporting Notes, and get in-depth with photos using the Image Property tool.

I’ve used Vivaldi since the first release. I can’t live without mouse gestures because it’s powerful for browsing. Screenshot button also very helpful, no need for any extension for that simple task. Tab stacking & page tiling also rocks!

— Yeni Setiawan (@sandalian)

Privacy is Paramount

Vivaldi has a straightforward privacy policy – it does not track users. Full stop.

Vivaldi’s flexible options to search the Web let privacy-conscious users browse in Vivaldi’s Private Window using search engines that share similar ideologies.

“Our goal since we started developing Vivaldi was to listen to our community of users and provide them with new ways to experience the Web and express oneself like never before. Vivaldi 2.0 does that!”, continues Vivaldi CEO Jon von Tetzchner.

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Ugly reality of occupation :touring around gush etzion

We start the tour from the entrance to Bethlehem . But we will not enter Bethlehem because the route to non Palestinians is of course different .

It starts from these images … you are received with a welcoming flowery pot of artistic work , a Palestinian worker beautifying the separation wall. Enter g from a very clean road of a settlement . Surrounded by nice blocks of a settlement that you will no longer perceive as one.:./ Gilo… img_6817.jpg?w=1170img_6816.jpg?w=1170img_6815.jpg?w=1170img_6814.jpg?w=1170img_6813.jpg?w=1170img_6812.jpg?w=1170img_6811.jpg?w=1170img_6810.jpg?w=1170img_6809.jpg?w=1170img_6808.jpg?w=1170