#5 months of unspeakable crimes against humanity

[patchyourbrokenwings]

Good morning, just want you to know I am absolutely not enjoying having to unfollow so many blogs I've been following since forever. But I can't ignore your blatant ignorance & silence any longer. I wish you well and I hope you turn out to be a decent person eventually 🫶🏻

[stardatextoday]

RE:Village Headcanon

So, obviously it doesn’t fit perfectly into canon but I’ve had this in my head for months. 

Mother Miranda is a class-5 manipulator. She knows that if the four Lords worked together, she could be overpowered. So, to keep them at arm’s length, she gives each Lord what the other wants. 

Lady Dimitrescu wanted nothing more than to rule her land and have a family. Miranda, knowing full well that Alcina’s beauty was a huge reason people regarded her, rendered her unable to have children due to her size. She also made it so she physically towered over anyone she could have feelings for. Yes, she was given children, but they were hung over her head as bargaining chips and unable to leave the Castle. So, in essence, Alcina went from being a famous singer with a life, to a large woman trapped in a Castle with her daughters.

Donna Beneviento wanted nothing more than company. The grave outside of her home? It’s her child that passed away quite young. When she asked Miranda to reanimate the girl, Miranda refused and gave Alcina daughters instead. Donna, who was young, beautiful, and filled with grief, took the essence of her daughter and put in and a Cadou into Angie. So, while the doll is alive and can speak, she sounds and has similar features to Donna’s dead daughter. Similar to Alcina, Donna is disfigured by Miranda to only further perpetuate her reclusive tendencies.  

Salvatore Moreau just wants to love and be loved. Miranda, knowing full well that he desperately craves her attention, instead gives it (and many other things) to Heisenberg. As a normal man, he wanted nothing more to be a fisherman who travelled with a wife. Instead, he’s manipulated into doing unspeakable crimes against humanity and is rendered almost immobile by his pain and physical suffering. 

Karl Heisenberg is a ladies man, a bro. He’s strong, able-bodied, and kind of a pig. He’s also gay. All he ever wanted was to run his land with a castle full of red-blooded men. So, during his transformation, the Cadou implants itself in his brain, making him unable to form physical connections with people - a mechanical castration of sorts. Instead of him with the castle of men, the permission is given to Alcina, who is encouraged to keep a gaggle of maidens at her dispoal for anything she could imagine. 

Miranda, unable to come second to anything in life, constantly pits the Lords together and refuses to grant them anything that could provide them happiness. 

[hissyreviews]

September Reads!

Sooooo, who’s 12 days late to show all the books I read last month?

This bitch!

So here’s how I decided to do this end of the month wrap ups. I’m going to add a read more, give the back of the book summary, my snap thoughts, and then a rating. That way, if you don’t care for long posts you don’t have to suffer.

You’re welcome.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

A young FBI trainee. An evil genius locked away for unspeakable crimes. A plunge into the darkest chambers of a psychopath’s mind- in the deadly search for a serial killer. . . .

Thoughts: MMMM yes, this is the good shit. Hell to the bells yes. This is my shit. One of my faves. Top ten books read ever.

Rating: 10/10 would recommend

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is a profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which a father and his son, “each the other’s world entire”, are sustained by love.

Thoughts: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This book is rough. This world is absolutely horrifying but the relationship that McCarthy crafts between the father and son is so emotional. I have heard that this is one of McCarthy’s least rough books to read in both emotional trauma and philosophical nihilism. (Also I think there was a Jesus allegory in the son. I don’t know why but it felt like he was the future religion. Look, I was too busy crying. I don’t think I could handle reading another McCarthy, alright?)

Rating: 4/10 I didn’t really like it but I think it’s like Pulp Fiction. Everyone should read it once.

The Beguiled by Thomas Cullinan

Wounded and near death, a young Union Army corporal is found in the woods of Virginia during the height of the Civil War and brought to the nearby Miss Martha Farnsworth Seminary for Young Ladies. Almost immediately he sets about beguiling the three women and five teenage girls stranded in this outpost of Southern gentility, eliciting their love and fear, pity and infatuation, and pitting them against one another in a bid for his freedom. But as the women are revealed for who they really are, a sense of ominous foreboding closes in on the soldier, and the question becomes: Just who is the beguiled?

Thoughts: This is one of those books that I came into with high hopes. The story itself was good. I liked the overall story. I was not fond of the writing style. It’s the 1960′s trying to emulate the 1860′s. Overall, it went over like a lead balloon.

Rating: 5/10 Take it or leave it. You’ll either like it or you wont. (Check it out at the library.)

The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson

It’s the summer of 1854, and London is seized by a violent outbreak of cholera that no one knows how to stop. As the epidemic spreads, a maverick physicians and a local curate are spurred to action, working to solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time. Ina a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, Johnson illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry, offering both a thrilling account of the most intense cholera outbreak to strike Victorian London and a powerful explanation of how it has shaped the world we live in.

Thoughts: I loved this. I know that history can be dry and dull but this had a dynamic way of speaking about the past. The writer is a journalist not a “true” historian so it makes for good reading. No shade, but many historians just write like dust. Sooo dry. Mmm, book good, much education. I feel illuminated.

Rating: 9/10 would recommend

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, they rode in chauffeured cars and lived in mansions.Then one by one, the Osage began to be killed. Mollie Burkhart watched as her family became a prime target. Her relatives were shot and poisoned. Other Osage were also dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who investigated the crimes were themselves murdered. As the death toll rose, the case was taken up by the newly created FBI and its young, secretive director, J. Edgar Hoover. Struggling to crack the mystery, Hoover turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White, who put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent. They infiltrated this last remnant of the Wild West, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American History.

Thoughts: This is a book that will make your blood boil. It shows the blatant racism with an unapologetic stare. As an Irish Cherokee living in Oklahoma, I was biting my fist in rage throughout this entire book. These crimes, these absolutely disgusting crimes should be taught in history books. If you have no idea what this is about. Read the damn book. If you have an idea of the events. Read the damn book. If you live in Europe. Read the damn book. Events like this should never be forgotten. And God bless Mollie Burkhart. Read the book and you will feel that way too. Just read the book.

Rating: 10/10 read the damn book

The Circle by Dave Eggers

When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime - even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.

Thoughts: Holy shit. This is why I don’t own a smart phone. Read this book and you will second glance at every piece of technology that you own. In thrillers I try to guess what is going to happen and I was wrong about the ending of this book. Which, to tell the truth, made me happy but I was paranoid about the ending. Like it feels like life is moving towards this kind of universe and I don’t like it. May I just say that I am Mercer.

Rating: 8/10 would recommend

Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich

On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl and contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. Voices from Chernobyl is the first book to present personal accounts of the tragedy. Journalist Svetlana Alexievich interviewed hundreds of people affected by the meltdown - from innocent civilians to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster - and their stories reveal the fear, anger, and uncertainty with which they still live. Comprised of interviews in monologue form, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucially important work, unforgettable in its emotional power and honesty.

Thoughts: This book  will take you through every possible emotion known to man kind. Alright. Do not read this if you are in an emotionally compromised state. It will make it worse. That said, I truly believe that this is a pivotal piece to understand the Chernobyl disaster from the ground up instead of the top down view that much of the western world understands. Also, with that Chernobyl series this seems an apropos time to read this.

Rating: 9/10 Everyone should read this once.

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

Every Tuesday mornign for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisi’s living room risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. In this extraordinary memoir, their stories become intertwined with the ones they are reading. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny and a celebration of the liberating power of literature.

Thoughts: You know a book that makes you frustrated with the author when they did something you know that they would regret in the past? I felt that. I won’t spoil it but I did say on multiple occasions “You asked for this!” This book is living proof of the old adage “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” Yeah, that’s what I felt and pity. There was some pity going on.

Rating: 8/10 Read it if you are interested in Middle Eastern history or women’s studies. I don’t think it’s everyone’s cup of tea.

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

Juliette loves Nate. She will follow him anywhere. She’s even become a flight attendant for his airline so she can keep a closer eye on him. They are meant to be. The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing. Because Juliette has a plan to win him back. She is the perfect girlfriend. And she’ll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants. True love hurts, but Juliette knows it’s worth all the pain. . .

Thoughts: This book is an easy read. It’s a day and a half for someone who reads a lot. Easy to get into, easy to understand, but it doesn’t act like it thinks you’re stupid. Creepy in the same way You was creepy. If you liked You you will like this book. If stalkers aren’t your thing avoid this one. I will say that I found the ending underwhelming. It felt like the author was tired of writing and just wanted to end the freaking book. Other than that, it was fine.

Rating: 6/10 Like You? Read this one.

The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson

When Andy and Abby Borden were brutally hacked to death in Fall River, Massachusetts, in August of 1892, the arrest of the couple’s daughter Lizzie turned the case into international news and her trial into a spectacle unparalleled in American history. Reporter flocked to the scene. Well-known columnists took up conspicuous seats in the courtroom. The defendant was relentlessly scrutinized for signs of guilt or innocence. Everyone - rich and poor, suffragists and social conservatives, legal scholars and laypeople - had an opinion about Lizzie Borden’s guilt or innocence. The popular fascination with the Borden murders and its central, enigmatic character has endured for more than a hundred years, but the legend often outstrips the story. Based on transcripts of the Borden legal proceedings, contemporary newspaper articles, previously withheld lawyer’s journals, unpublished local reports, and recently unearthed letters from Lizzie herself, The Trial of Lizzie Borden is a definitive account fo the Borden murder case and offers a window into America in the Gilded Age, showcasing its most deeply held convictions and its most troubling social anxieties.

Thoughts: I have always been fascinated with this case. It is one of the first nationally publicized cases and as such everyone knew. Can you imagine never being able to go anywhere without being recognized as the one woman who got away with murder? In America we still sing “Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, gave her father forty-one.” No one alive in America doesn’t know who Lizzie Borden is. If you like true crime and history you will like this. I think you probably would even if you aren’t a connoisseur of those genres. P.S. I still think Lizzie did it.

Rating: 9/10 would recommend

Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly

An illuminating reassessment of the life and work of Jane Austen that makes clear how Austen has been misread for the past two centuries and how she intended her books to be read. In Jane Austen, the Secret Radical, Helena Kelly, dazzling Jane Austen authority, looks a the writer and her work in the context of Austen’s own time to reveal this popular, beloved artist as daring, even subversive in reaction to her roiling world and to show, novel by novel, how Austen imbued her books with radical, sometimes revolutionary ideas - on slavery, poverty, feminism and marriage as trapping women, on the Church, and evolution. We see that Austen was writing in a time when revolution was in the air (she was born the year before the American Revolution; the French Revolution began when she was thirteen). England had become a totalitarian state; Britain was at war with France. Habeas corpus had been suspended; treason, redefined, was no longer limited to actively conspiring to overthrow and to kill. It now included thinking, writing, printing, and reading (Tom Paine was convicted of seditious libel in 1792 for ideas considered dangerous to the state), the intention being to pressure writers and publishers to police themselves; those who criticized the government or who turned away from the Church of England were seen as betraying their country in its hour of need. In this revelatory, brilliant book, Kelly discusses each of Austen’s novels in the order in which they were written. Whether writing about the fundamental unfairness of primogeniture in Sense and Sensibility (influenced by Mary Wollstonecraft’s 1792 A Vindication of the Rights of Women) or about property and inheritance, war, revolution, and counterrevolution in Pride and Prejudice (Kelly describes the novel as a revolutionary fairy tale written in response to Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France) or about Mansfield Park, with its issues of slavery and the hypocrisy of the Church of England, we see Austen not as someone creating a procession of undifferentiated romances but as someone whose novels reflect back to her readers the world as it is - and was then - complicated, messy, and filled with error and injustice. We see a writer who understood that the novel - seen as mindless “trash” - could be a great art form and who, perhaps more than any other writer up to that time, imbued it with its particular greatness. And finally we see Austen - the writer; the artist; the serious, ambitious, clear-sighted woman “of information” - fully aware of what was going on in the world around her, clear about what she thought of it, and clear that she set out to write about it and to quietly, artfully make her ideas known.

Thoughts: Damn that synopsis. Advice for publishers: create an engaging synopsis in one to three paragraphs. That being said this was a fascinating read. I love Austen so I enjoyed having more context to the stories. Great for women’s studies, english literature and a perspective of slavery rarely mentioned (at least in my readings).

Rating: 9/10 will enjoy if you enjoy Austen

[fastworldnews1]

PM Imran assures to provide all possible support to Kashmiris and urges world to stop India’s atrocities in Kashmir

Reaffirming Pakistan’s continued support to Kashmiris in their just struggle for the right to self-determination, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that they stood shoulder to shoulder with their Kashmiri brethren.

In his message on the eve of Kashmir Black Day, PM Imran said, “I reassure my Kashmiri brothers and sisters that Pakistan will continue to provide all possible support and stand shoulder to shoulder with them till the realization of their legitimate and inalienable right to self-determination.” Even after seven decades of brutal rule by Indian occupation forces, the will of the Kashmiris remains strong, said the PM.

He urged the international community to play its role in pressing India to stop forthwith its human rights violations in IOK, and let the Kashmiris decide their own future in accordance with the UNSC resolutions.

Referring to the Kashmir Black Day, the prime minister said it was also a day to commemorate the countless sacrifices Kashmiris had made and continue to make as they resist inhuman occupation and subjugation by India against their will.

“India's illegal occupation was meant to suppress the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people to freely determine their future,” he added.

'Kashmiris are an inspiration for all freedom-loving people' PM Imran said, “We salute Kashmiri men, women and children for their resolve, courage and determination. Kashmiris are an inspiration for all freedom-loving people in the world.”

He said, "Today’s India is ruled by the RSS ideology whose extremist worldview has no place for Muslims or other minorities."

India, on August 5, 2019, took unilateral and illegal action and for the last 815 days, has put Kashmiris under military siege while resorting to a media blackout and other restrictions, he said.

The prime minister said fake encounters, rape and severe violations of human rights and extra judicial killings were among the unspeakable crimes against the Kashmiris.

Pakistan had raised the Jammu and Kashmir issue at every forum, including the UN, OIC and bilaterally with important world leaders and capitals, the prime minister added.

PM Imran said, “For the first time in 55 years, the Jammu and Kashmir dispute has been deliberated upon by the UN Security Council.”

"The dossier on India's human rights violations in the IOK that Pakistan unveiled last month should be an eye-opener for the world. It has irrefutable evidence of India's rogue behavior."

The UN Security Council had the responsibility to take steps to ensure the implementation of its resolutions, enabling the people of Jammu and Kashmir to realize their right to self-determination, said the prime minister.

The just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, is imperative for durable peace and stability in South Asia, the PM added.

https://ift.tt/3bgejeQ

[socialjusticeartshare]

Op-Ed: The crime against migrant children that Biden needs to repair

More than 5,400 children have been detained and separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration since 2017. Many families remain separated, and the violence of this policy has been compounded by the government’s failure to keep track of the families it tore apart as it sent children to shelters all over the country and then deported their parents.

The parents of 628 children still have not been found. Just recently, it was revealed that the Trump administration withheld critical contact information for the parents, which could have been used to help locate them.

Even as the country prepares to transition to a new administration that has promised to end family separation practices and to reunify children with their parents, the details remain uncertain at best. President-elect Joe Biden has not yet committed to allowing the reunions — once the parents are found — to occur within the U.S. or, critically, to grant the reunited families asylum here.

It does not take an expert to recognize that forcible separation of families at the border is a severe human rights violation. Images of children screaming as they are pulled from their parents by border patrol officers, as well as the narratives of their experiences, have haunted people across the world since news of this unspeakably inhumane practice broke in 2018. Even more horrific, nearly 20%of the children whose families cannot be located were under the age of 5 at the time of the separation.

As clinical developmental neuroscientists, we know that traumas like these, no matter when they occur in life, drastically increase both short- and long-term risks of mental and physical health problems. But severe trauma has especially harmful effects in early childhood. This is because early childhood is a time of rapid brain development, and the experiences of young children set the stage for what the body’s stress response system expects to encounter in the future.

When the body enters fight or flight mode in response to toxic stress during childhood, it is preparing for a lifetime of more stress. Compounding this effect, separation from caregivers is especially deleterious in early childhood, as children rely solely on their caregivers to cope with stress. At the neurobiological level, the mere presence of a caregiver can regulate children’s stress systems by damping reactivity in the amygdala, a region of the brain that responds to stress.

Years after suffering childhood trauma, adults still show lasting alterations in the brain’s networks that govern fear and emotion regulation. Such biological changes can result in debilitating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. There is also compelling evidence for a dose-response effect: The detrimental effects of exposure to trauma are worse for children who experience longer durations of trauma. Psychological treatment can sometimes lessen the impacts of these events, but time is of the essence.

The new administration must immediately reunify and provide mental health care services to affected families. Clinical intervention for young children exposed to trauma can help them reestablish a sense of safety in primary attachment relationships with caregivers, learn about their bodies' response to trauma, and create narratives about their experiences through talking and playing.

Every day of separation from caregivers matters in the life of a young child, and even a few months�� delay while the Biden administration decides how to proceed is enough to intensify the adverse effects of trauma on emotional and neurobiological development.

Much of the notoriously difficult work of finding parents and reunifying families has fallen to nonprofit immigrant rights groups. Full reunification for all families will be an enormous and time-consuming challenge for the incoming administration. This work needs to begin immediately.

The new administration must also grant the parents and caregivers of separated children asylum in this country so that families can be reunited as expeditiously as possible. Deporting children to countries from which their families fled — and where they are likely to experience additional trauma — places them at an even higher risk, because past exposure to trauma heightens the likelihood of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder — such as flashbacks and hypervigilance for signs of danger in the environment — can severely undermine a child’s ability to grow, learn and thrive in all domains of life.

The Trump administration’s immigration policies were designed to inflict the greatest possible suffering on migrant families. In Biden’s first speech as president-elect, he vowed to “marshal the forces of decency, the forces of fairness … the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time.”

Thousands of children are waiting for the Biden-Harris administration to make good on its promise, and every day matters.

Emily Cohodes, Sahana Kribakaran and Dylan Gee are clinical developmental neuroscientists at Yale University. They study the effects of early-life trauma on brain development and mental health.

Article Source

[trunewsofficial]

President Trump Hosts ‘Religious Freedom’ Event at UN General Assembly

President Donald Trump hosted an event on the opening day of the UN General Assembly titled “Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom,” but many observers note the program’s agenda was promoting something else entirely: religious pluralism. According to the White House’s talking points following the event stated: “President Trump is hosting the Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom event, calling on the international community and business leaders to work to protect religious freedom. The President is calling on all nations to act to bring an end to religious persecution and stop crimes against people of faith. “The State Department has hosted two Religious Freedom Ministerials, during which more than 100 governments and religious leaders committed to fight religious persecution. The Administration is spearheading the International Religious Freedom Alliance, an alliance of nations dedicated to confronting religious persecution around the world. “The Administration has taken steps to protect victims of all faiths from religious violence. The Administration will dedicate an additional $25 million to protect religious freedom and religious sites and relics. “The Department of Justice hosted its Summit on Combating Anti-Semitism in July. The United States has provided humanitarian aid to help Christians and Yazidis who suffered at the hands of ISIS and to help Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing persecution.” Both Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump spoke at the event. First, the vice president said: “There’s no better time for a meeting like this on the world stage. As we gather here at the United Nations, more than 80 percent of the world’s population live in nations where religious freedom is threatened or banned. “The regime in Iran brutally persecutes Christians, Sunnis, Bahai’i, and Jews. “In Iraq, Iran-backed militias terrorize Christians and Yazidis who were nearly wiped out by ISIS’s recent campaign of genocide. “The Communist Party in China has arrested Christian pastors, banned the sale of Bibles, demolished churches, and imprisoned more than a million Uighurs in the Muslim population. In our hemisphere, the regime of Daniel Ortega is virtually waging war on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua. And in Venezuela, the dictator Nicolás Maduro uses anti-hate laws to prosecute clergy, even as his media cronies spread anti-Semitism by trivializing the Holocaust. Communities of faith across the wider world have also faced unspeakable acts of violence in places of worship, shocking the conscience of the world. “In October, 11 Jews were murdered in the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In March, a gunman killed 51 Muslims at prayer in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. And just a month later, suicide bombers murdered more than 300 Christians during Easter services at three Christian churches in Sri Lanka. “These attacks strike at the heart of everything free peoples hold sacred. And the threats of religious freedom and the attacks on people of faith underscore why President Trump has taken such decisive action, since the very first days of our administration, to build and promote our nation’s proud tradition of advancing religious freedom. And that continues today. “At the President’s direction, the United States created the Genocide Recovery and Persecution Response Program, and we’ve provided more than $370 million to aid ethnic minorities in faith communities persecuted by ISIS in Iraq and throughout the region. “Earlier this year, at the President’s direction, the Secretary of State held the second annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, inviting more than a thousand civil society and religious leaders, in 100 different nations, to the largest event of its kind in the world. “And last year, at the inaugural ministerial, at the President’s direction, we established the International Religious Freedom Fund, which already has received nearly $5 million in pledges and given over 435 Rapid Response Grants to those persecuted for their deeply held beliefs. And to date, this effort has helped some 2,000 victims of religious persecution around the world.” When it was his turn to speak, the president touted his efforts to “obliterate” the Johnson Amendment. He also said: “The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government; they come from God. This immortal truth is proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions. “Regrettably, the religious freedom enjoyed by American citizens is rare in the world. Approximately 80 percent of the world’s population live in countries where religious liberty is threatened, restricted, or even banned. And when I heard that number, I said, “Please go back and check it because it can’t possibly be correct.” And, sadly, it was. Eighty percent. “As we speak, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Yazidis, and many other people of faith are being jailed, sanctioned, tortured, and even murdered, often at the hands of their own government, simply for expressing their deeply held religious beliefs. So hard to believe. “Today, with one clear voice, the United States of America calls upon the nations of the world to end religious persecution. “To stop the crimes against people of faith, release prisoners of conscience, repeal laws restricting freedom of religion and belief, protect the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed, America stands with believers in every country who ask only for the freedom to live according to the faith that is within their own hearts. “As President, protecting religious freedom is one of my highest priorities and always has been. Last year, our Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, hosted the first-ever Ministerial to Advance International Religious Freedom. “In this year’s ministerial, Secretary Pompeo announced plans to create the International Religious Freedom Alliance — an alliance of likeminded nations devoted to confronting religious persecution all around the world. “I’ve appointed a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism. We’re standing up for almost 250 million Christians around the world who are persecuted for their faith. It is estimated that 11 Christians are killed every day for the following — I mean, just think of this: Eleven Christians a day, for following the teachings of Christ. Who would even think that’s possible in this day and age? Who would think it’s possible?” The president also mentioned Pastor Andrew Brunson, the former missionary to Turkey who was released last year following years of persecution and imprisonment. The pastor was in attendance and later spoke with TruNews correspondent Edward Szall (see tonight’s God-cast for that interview). Also in attendance was the Rev. Franklin Graham, as well as a number of evangelical faith leaders from across the U.S. The White House used that opportunity to once again tout its stated commitment to religious liberty in the U.S.: “In 2017, President Trump signed an executive order to advance religious freedom, restoring the ideals that have undergirded our Nation since its founding. The President took action to ensure Americans and organizations are not forced to violate their religious or moral beliefs by complying with Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate. “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established a new Conscience and Religious Freedom division to help direct the agency’s efforts to protect religious freedom. HHS took action to protect the right of healthcare entities to act according to their conscience. “This year, the Administration finalized a rule providing more flexibility for Federal employees whose religious beliefs require them to abstain from work on certain days. The Administration has unequivocally stood for religious freedom in the courts.” The TruNews team will be in New York City for the opening of the UN General Assembly through Thursday, providing updates for each evening’s God-cast. (Photo Credit: The White House) source https://trunews.com/stream/president-trump-hosts-religious-freedom-event-at-un-general-assembly

[hermanwatts]

Fantasy and Adventure New Releases, 17 August 2019

Pre-Flood Giants, superhero brawlers, and Monster Hunters fight it out in this week’s fantasy and adventure new releases.

Cain (Lost Civilizations #8) – Vaughn Heppner

Fallen angels came to earth seeking the most beautiful women, having children by them, the Nephilim. The fallen angels left, but their demonic offspring remained, thirsting to conquer the Pre-Cataclysmic World so they could rule as gods.

One of the most oppressive is Gog the Oracle, a pitiless monster. He has gathered his galleys and enforcers to crush those who have risen up to resist him. He also seeks Cain, the deadliest swordsman in existence, the first murderer and ageless wanderer. Cain will be his hidden blade to strike at his enemies.

Lod leads those who have thrown off their Nephilim shackles. He has vowed to break into Gog’s swamp-city and end the creature’s reign of terror.

Now the hour of retribution is at hand as Gog’s enforcers sharpen their swords and as men train mammoths for the battlefield. Now the plans of demon and human clash head on, winner take all.

From the Ashes – edited by Chris Kennedy and Christopher Woods

In the late 2020’s and early 30’s corporations managed to render the major governments of the world obsolete. The big corporations owned most of the territories as well as the majority of the world’s wealth. While many of the old traditions were still observed in various parts of the world, the true power was with the corporations.

In the late 30’s, what would be known as the Corporate Wars began as larger companies initiated hostile takeovers in a whole new fashion. Employees, armed with corporate weapons, warred for dominance. It was a bloody time, and many small corporations were destroyed, as were a lot of civilians in the wrong place at the wrong time…as well as those who’d been buying the wrong products.

On May 1st, 2067, it all ended in nuclear fire.

Sixteen outstanding authors have come to this Fallen World with stories that take place from the islands off the coast of Washington to the plains of central Europe; from the swamps of Florida to the streets of Philadelphia. These stories document the fall…and introduce you to people who might just drag civilization back from the ashes…

Gemini Warrior (Heroes Unleashed: Gemini Man #1) – J. D. Cowan

The night shift at a science lab sounds like the break Matthew White has been waiting for. A steady paycheck. A simple job. Absolutely no contact with another human being.

It’s perfect.

But Matthew gets more than he bargained for when he accepts a different position with the company. A job that is highly paid – and highly bizarre. He is plunged into the terrible machinations of his new boss, Mrs. Stohl, and a sullen teenaged boy named Jason is along for the ride. The fact that Jason is practically his twin only makes it all creepier.

Dragged through a mirror into an alien dimension, Matthew is in way over his head. He should have known the job was too good to be true. To escape, Matthew and Jason must brave the wilds of this new universe and learn to control their new powers.

And hardest of all, Matthew must learn to be a hero.

Will they escape Mrs. Stohl’s terrible plans for them? Can they make it home to their world, or will they be trapped in the mirror dimension forever?

Mad God’s Muse (Sins of the Fathers #2) – Matthew P. Gilbert

The fate of the world rests on his shoulders. Will he crumble?

Ahmed’s faith is strong, and so is his sword-arm, but as for details, those were for his fallen master. Now, he must somehow rise to the task of leading his men and, by Ilaweh’s grace, thwart the Dead God’s apocalyptic prophecy.

But how can he command hardened veterans of war, men with much blood on their hands, when he has accomplished so little in his young life?

If Ahmed can earn their respect, there might still be time to do as his master had hoped–ally with the sorcerers of Nihlos. They are dangerously unpredictable and capricious, perhaps even mad, but their power is undeniable.

Ahmed will need that power. For he knows something even his master never guessed: their ultimate destination is the true heart of darkness. An ancient city of evil and death that none survive.

A Mark of Kings (The Shattered Reigns #1 Audiobook) – Bryce O’Connor and Luke Chmilenko

Despite his youth, Declan Idrys knows of the evils of the world. He knows of the bastards and brigands who plague the King’s lands, of the monsters skulking in the wooded depths of the realm. Together with his companion, Ryn – a beast of rather peculiar talent – he has spent the last decade of his life beneath the bloody banners of a half-dozen mercenary guilds, hunting precisely such festering wickedness within the borders of Viridian.

Unfortunately, fate is quick to pull on the leash of its favorite children. When one particularly troubling contract goes sideways, Declan and Ryn find themselves thrust into a war thought legend and long-ended, a conflict so old it is synonymous with a time in which dragons still ruled the western skies. Now, as dead men rise from their graves and the terrible beasts of the northern ranges descend into the kingdom with an appetite for savagery and flesh, Declan is faced with a profane choice. He can turn, can flee an ancient rising horror that would see the realms of man left as shattered death and wind-blown ash.

Or, Declan can face this mounting threat, can come to terms with the fact that his oldest friend might just be more than he appears, and learn to wield an ageless power all his own.

Centuries pass, after all, but the Blood of Kings does not fade….

Monster Hunter Guardian (Monster Hunter International #7) – Larry Correia and Sarah Hoyt

When Owen Pitt and the rest of the Monster Hunter International crew are called away to mount a month’s-long rescue mission in a monster-infested nightmare dimension, Julie Shackleford—Owen’s wife and descendant of MHI founder Bubba Shackleford—is left behind. Her task: hold down the fort and take care of her new baby son Ray. Julie’s devoted to the little guy, but the slow pace of office work and maternity leave are starting to get to her. But when a routine field call brings her face-to-face with an unspeakable evil calling itself Brother Death, she’ll get more excitement than she ever hoped for.

Julie is the Guardian of a powerful ancient artifact known as the Kamaresh Yar, and Brother Death wants it. In the wrong hands, it could destroy reality as we know it. Julie would die before giving it up.

Then Ray goes missing, taken by Brother Death. The price for his safe return: the Kamaresh Yar. If Julie doesn’t hand over the artifact it means death—or worse—for baby Ray. With no other choice left to her, Julie agrees to Brother Death’s demands. But when you’re dealing with an ancient evil, the devil is in the details.

To reclaim her son, Julie Shackleford will have to fight her way through necromantic death cults, child-stealing monsters, and worse. And she’ll have to do it all before Brother Death can unleash the Kamaresh Yar.

It’s one woman against an army of monsters. But Julie Shackleford is no ordinary woman—she’s one tough mother!

The Spirit Binds (Elemental Academy #5) – D. K. Holmberg 

The Inquisitors have been stopped, but the one who leads them remains at large.

Tolan discovers a dangerous plot against the Academy—and all of Terndahl—the Inquisitors have planned for far longer than any have suspected. The power involved is unlike anything ever encountered by those within the Academy. Tolan isn’t sure he’s capable of understanding what has happened, but with his connection to the elementals, he might be the only one able.

The key to what’s happening is tied to something in Tolan’s past. For him to stop the one who leads the Inquisitors, and to understand what they’re after, requires him to know more about where he came from and why his parents left him in Ephra.

Stopping the Inquisitors is only the beginning, not only for Tolan to save Terndahl, but to finally know himself.

StoryHack Action & Adventure #4 – edited by Bryce Beattie

StoryHack, Issue Four is finally here! Featuring past favorite and new authors, all penning works of furious adventure. The lineup includes:

Island Rescue

by Spencer E. Hart

College-age Frank Mason accompanies his father to the private island of a reclusive billionaire and his lovely, yet lonely daughter. When armed men storm the house, what can they do to rescue their fathers?

My Foe Outstretched

by Misha Burnett

In a future world two men fight a duel in the ruins under the city. The rules are simple–two men enter the tunnel, one man leaves.

Alpha Equation

by Julie Frost

A young werewolf, an abusive alpha, and a new pack–in space.

The Bouncer’s Tale

by Jon Mollison

Trapped in a life as muscle for a crime syndicate, Robert “Bomber” Robinson struggles to maintain his humanity during the second worst night of his life.

Retirement Plan

by John M. Olsen

A retired military veteran settles down on a distant planet away from his old life only to find that violence is a universal trait. Old habits resurface as he is forced to step up and defend his neighbors.

Fantasy and Adventure New Releases, 17 August 2019 published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[itsnelkabelka]

Statement to Parliament: Minister for Asia makes a statement to the House on the Rakhine crisis in Myanmar

I am grateful to the Hon Member for Warrington North (Helen Jones) for chairing this debate, and I pay tribute to all her industry and patience as Chair of the petitions committee.

Today’s debate has been inspired by a number of petitions which attracted hundreds of thousands of signatures, demonstrating the British public’s heartfelt concern at the desperate plight of the Rohingya.

The intensity of this domestic concern was something I saw for myself last month. I met representatives from the British Rohingya community and the British Bangladeshi community, at an exhibition of photographs from the refugee camps held in Spitalfields. Some of those present had family in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. Others had themselves been brought up as refugees from previous waves of Rohingya flight over the decades. They were close to despair.

As I reassured them that night, I reassure Parliament today:

Our Foreign Office and Department for International Development will not forget your plight.

I shall set out what action we have taken so far in response to this crisis, and what we plan to do from here.

Many of the petitions called for an end to the violence. Needless to say, this is what we want to see too.

I have been personally horrified by the survivors’ accounts of what they experienced at the hands of the Burmese military in Rakhine State. This unspeakable violence including rape and savage assault is appalling and must end.

It is also obvious that while the violence continues, there can be no hope of reassuring the Rohingya that they would be able to return safely, voluntarily, or with dignity.

As I said in my statement to the House last month, the violence that broke out in August 2017 was only the latest episode in a long-running cycle of persecution suffered by the Rohingya in Rakhine.

We have been urging the Burmese civilian government to take action to stop the situation deteriorating since it took office two years ago.

The UN estimates that since last August, more than 680,000 people have fled from Rakhine into Bangladesh.

The UK Government has repeatedly condemned the violence, as have the British people.

We shall and we must continue to work tirelessly with our international partners to seek a lasting solution to this terrible situation.

Last September the Foreign Secretary convened a meeting of Foreign Ministers in New York, calling on the Burmese authorities to end the violence against the Rohingya community.

In November the UK proposed and secured a UN Security Council Presidential Statement on Burma, which called on the Burmese authorities urgently to stop the violence, create the necessary conditions for refugee returns and hold to account those responsible for acts of violence.

I continue to discuss the crisis with counterparts across Asia, including in Malaysia and Japan last week.

Tomorrow the Foreign Secretary will co-chair a meeting on the Rohingya crisis with fellow Commonwealth Foreign Ministers. We shall explore how to support Bangladesh, and how to ensure Burma responds to international concerns.

The Foreign Secretary will then discuss the crisis at next Sunday’s G7 Foreign Ministers meeting, which I expect will send a strong and united message to the Burmese authorities.

At the end of this month, the UK will be co-leading the visit of the UN Security Council to Burma and Bangladesh. We are confident that visiting the camps in Bangladesh, and seeing the situation in Rakhine, will further strengthen Council members’ resolve to find a solution to this crisis.

I also hope the visit will prompt the Burmese authorities to accelerate the implementation of the Presidential Statement’s call for action.

A number of the petitions referred to the violence as genocide.

The UK Government has recognised that there has been ethnic cleansing, and indeed that what occurred may amount to genocide or crimes against humanity.

However, genocide is a legal definition that can only be declared by a court of law, not by politicians or governments.

As Burma is not a party to the Rome Statute, the International Criminal Court would only be able to consider a case of genocide if Burma refers itself to the ICC or the UN Security Council refers Burma to the ICC.

The UK has, with EU partners, already called on Burma to refer itself to the ICC. So far it has not.

We continue to judge there to be insufficient support amongst Security Council members for an ICC referral – though we keep this judgement under review.

However, I can report today that there is some movement on accountability.

Bangladesh has ratified the Rome Statute. The ICC Prosecutor last week asked the Court to rule on whether it would have jurisdiction over the forced displacement of Rohingya from Burma into Bangladesh, which if proven would constitute a crime against humanity.

We await the International Criminal Court’s ruling with keen interest. The UK stands ready to support the Court should it decide it has jurisdiction.

Also last week, the Burmese military announced the conviction of seven of its soldiers for killing Rohingya villagers at Inn Din. They have been sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment.

The Burmese military do not have a good record of prosecuting and convicting their own. I believe this judgement shows that international pressure for accountability is having some effect.

We have been clear with the Burmese authorities that they must do more. The international community needs to see a full, independent and transparent investigation into all of the human rights violations in Rakhine.

In the meantime, we shall continue to support efforts to collate and collect evidence for use in any future prosecution, and continue to press for the release of the two Burmese Reuters journalists facing trial for investigating the Inn Din massacre.

Ultimately, we want the Rohingya to return to their homes voluntarily, safely, and in a dignified manner. This was one of the issues the Foreign Secretary raised with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi when he visited Burma in February.

He also called on Burma to allow the involvement of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in this process.

Since then I can report some further progress: the Burmese Government has proposed a Memorandum of Understanding, to agree how UNHCR will be involved. UNHCR are preparing their response. If and when it is finalised, the UK will push for the swift implementation of this agreement once finalised.

We shall also be examining in detail how we can support the longer-term change in Burma that the Rohingya and other persecuted minorities so desperately need to see.

I am overseeing a review of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s Conflict, Stability & Security Fund for Burma. We are planning to launch new pilot projects this year to help catalyse the democratic transition and strengthen the laws and protections the Rohingya and other minorities in Burma so urgently require.

Turning to the question of sanctions, another issue raised in the petitions: we have not advocated sanctions on particular sectors or entities in the Burmese economy and its financial system. It can be difficult to predict or control the effect of financial sanctions on other parts of the economy.

We do not want inadvertently to make the lives of ordinary Burmese people more difficult.

However, this does not mean that we should rule out sanctions altogether: far from it.

We have been proactive in advocating sanctions that restrict the finances and freedom of movement of senior military commanders who were directly involved in the atrocities in Rakhine last August and September.

We have secured agreement on this from all EU member states, and expect implementation over the next month.

We should remember that this crisis is above all a human catastrophe. Once again I commend the generosity of the Government and people of Bangladesh in providing refuge for so many people in desperate need.

The UK is, and will remain, a leading donor to the humanitarian effort in Bangladesh. We have committed an additional £59 million since last August, including matching £5 million of public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal.

With the monsoon and cyclone season nearly upon us, we are doing everything we can to support Bangladesh’s efforts to improve their disaster preparedness and protect the refugees.

My Right Honourable Friends the Foreign Secretary and International Development Secretary last month wrote to Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, to reiterate the UK’s offer to help, and call on her as a matter of urgent priority to release more land for refugees.

The UK is supplying:

reinforced shelter and sandbags for 158,000 people,

safe water for 250,000;

and 5,000 toilets.

We continue a dialogue with the Bangladeshi authorities to ensure that aid can get through during the rainy season, by improving drainage, maintaining access roads, and reinforcing embankments and walkways.

We are working with UN agencies to make site improvements to the refugee camps, in preparation for heavy rainfall.

We also actively engaged in vaccination campaigns against cholera, measles and diphtheria, and UK aid is training healthcare workers to vaccinate as many children as possible before the rainy season.

To conclude, the petitions have demonstrated the strength of feeling of the British people about the plight of the Rohingya. I hope this debate and my response have provided some reassurance to petitioners that their MPs, their Parliament and the Government feel equally strongly.

We are doing everything we can to keep the refugees safe in the camps, while also keeping up the pressure on the Burmese authorities to end the violence, hold perpetrators to account and enable the safe return of the Rohingya to their homes.

I cannot deny that progress is much slower than any of us would like, but the British public – and indeed the Burmese authorities – should be in no doubt of our determination to stay the course.

Note that this version has not been checked against delivery. The full statement and debate can be viewed on Hansard

from Announcements on GOV.UK https://ift.tt/2qFwG55 via IFTTT

[themastercylinder]

At the time, Arkansas had arguably the worst prison system in the country. “Trusties,” themselves prisoners, policed the grounds. Many inmates were tortured and abused, while others suffered from unspeakable sanitary conditions, lack of food, and woeful medical treatment.  In the late 1960s, despite many calls for politicians to usher in a tough new era of “law and order,” Cash believed in treating convicts humanely. “Prisoners are people,” he said. “They’re alive. And they can change.” Cash donated $5,000 to construct a chapel at the Cummins prison, while Governor Rockefeller contributed $10,000. “He can afford it,” Cash teased the governor, though Cash was also a wealthy man who lived in a 13,000 square foot mansion in Tennessee. Even so, Cash’s poor upbringing in rural Arkansas and his songs about drunks, criminals, and outlaws, made him popular with blue collar audiences. For them, Cash’s music had a directness and honesty. At Cummins, Commissioner Sarver announced on stage that Cash had said “some things I’ve been afraid to say.” Sarver then proceeded to give Cash an honorary life sentence. The show concluded with Cash and the governor mounting a mule-drawn cart that carried them around the prison yard, much to the delight of the inmates.

Three weeks after Cash’s visit to Cummins, the Arkansas legislature gave the governor unprecedented funding for the state’s prisons. Up until that time, places like Cummins had been self-supporting, which, while pleasing fiscal conservatives, contributed to the corruption in the system. Johnny Cash certainly helped promote Rockefeller’s efforts at prison reform, and the governor returned the favor. In the fall of 1970, in honor of men like Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell, “who have won the hearts of all Americans,” he declared October “Country Music Month.

Conditions became so bad for inmates that in 1970, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, citing the Eight Amendment’s probation against “cruel and unusual punishment,” ruled the entire state system unconstitutional. Governor Rockefeller had made prison reform one of the cornerstones of his administration. To help him, he had appointed Robert Sarver, who had previously worked in West Virginia, as the commissioner of corrections after the dismissal of controversial reformer Thomas Murton (whose exploits became the basis of the film Brubaker). Not long before Cash played at Cummins, more than two hundred skeletons were unearthed on the prison grounds, most of which officials could not identify. Murton’s discovery created another public relations nightmare for Rockefeller, who was up for re-election.

(Original Caption) Singer Johnny Cash as he chats with some of the inmates and guests during his visit to Cummins Prison in Arkansas. April 10, 1969.

As Rockefeller struggled with the prisons, Johnny Cash was riding high from the success of his Folsom live album and new marriage. Long known as a rebel with a dark streak, who popped pills, wrecked cars and trashed hotels rooms, Cash seemed to have vanquished his personal demons. With June Carter at his side, he seemed happier than ever. But in early August, tragedy struck Cash’s band. On Aug. 5, Cash’s longtime guitarist, Luther Perkins, died after falling asleep with a lit cigarette, setting fire to his Tennessee home.

File Name: WRC1439.Tif File Location:DVD # WR 034 University of Arkansas Ottenheimer Library Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid Reference: B1, F5 Digital Archive Ownership: The Winthrop Rockefeller Center, University of Arkansas System Petit Jean Mountain 38 Winrock Drive, Morrilton, Arkansas 72110, 501.727.5435 Digital Image Usage: This image may not be used without the express permission of the Winthrop Rockefeller Center, University of Arkansas System Location of Original Photograph: The original photograph is archived at the University of Arkansas Ottenheimer Library Archives and Special Collections, Little Rock Arkansas. Description: Key Words:

Cash played his only concert ever for Arkansas inmates. It proved one of the highlights of Rockefeller’s second term. Unfortunately, neither he nor Cash could win the public relations battle over the prisons. In January 1970, Tom Murton published “Accomplices to the Crime,” a blistering indictment of the prisons and the Rockefeller administration. Without Johnny Cash to help him, however, Rockefeller appeared before much smaller crowds. In November, with the prisons again in the headlines, Dale Bumpers crushed Rockefeller in a landslide.

REFERENCES and SOURCES

https://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/when-johnny-cash-campaigned-for-winthrop-rockefeller/Content?oid=3489017

https://www.ualrexhibits.org/rockefeller/when-i-get-out-of-cummins/

Johnny Cash @ Cummins Prison Concert Arkansas 04.10.1969 At the time, Arkansas had arguably the worst prison system in the country. “Trusties,” themselves prisoners, policed the grounds.