#National Commision For Women

[hardynwa]

We’ll not accept repeat of history in Adamawa - Women in Politics Forum

The Women in Politics Forum, WPF, said Nigerian women will not allow history to repeat itself in the ongoing gubernatorial election in Adamawa State. The WPF, a non partisan Organization for women with membership across the 36 states and FCT, stated this in a statement on Tuesday. The group said Nigerian women are aware that results from 20 local government areas have been collated, giving the APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Aishatu Binani an early and consistent lead.The WPF advised the Independent National Electoral Commision, INEC to ensure the results are not manipulated and that Senator Binani be given her mandate and declared as the winner of the election.In a press release signed by the National President of the women forum, Ebere ifendu, the forum noted that there was great misconduct in the election results collation center which she said followed the refusal by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa, to collate governorship results from Fufore local government area. Ifendu said, “We will not accept a repeat of history. In 2011, Her Excellency Dame Pauline Tallen contested for the Plateau State Governorship election and was cruising to Victory when announcing results suddenly stopped, and when it was finally announced, they had stolen her mandate. This was exactly the fate of Senator Aisha Al Hassan ( mama Taraba). Her victory was also stolen. We can no longer watch our collective mandate stolen from us.“Nigerian Women have worked hard and waited patiently for this victory and woe betide that person that will be used against the wishes and aspirations of Adamawa people and Nigerian women.“We can confirm from our agents in Adamawa State that Senator Aishatu Binani is having overwhelming lead in Fufore Local Government.“We are aware of the manipulation going on in the state and the role of Governor fintiri who had earlier used his state powers to frustrate Senator Binani’s campaign and has further gone ahead to tamper with the figures coming from Fufore LGA; “…which undoubtedly is Senator Binani’s strong hold ,and originally in favour of the APC candidate, and using the state INEC officials and media to fabricate stories and raising false allegations against her . “This is a grossly condemnable act and we are raising our voices as Nigerian women to seek immediate intervention to prohibit and abort the manipulation against senator Binani as we see this as a daylight robbery of her mandate and an affront to Nigerian Women.“Nigerian women are calling on INEC to ensure that the results are not manipulated and that Senator Aishatu Binani is given her mandate and declared the winner of the election.“We are also using this medium to call on security agencies to be more effective in protecting the public against attacks by political thugs. “We have received reports of violent attacks on innocent citizens of the state. We demand that the perpetrators of violence should be arrested and prosecuted while the police is more vigilant and proactive to prevent violence.” Read the full article

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review VI (Victoria 2022): Family First Victoria

Prior reviews: federal 2013, VIC 2014, federal 2016

What I said before: “If you want to see your freedoms wound back and expert opinion dismissed so that a small group of people can entrench their conservative religious views as the limits of what is permissible, then this is the party for you.” (federal 2016)

What I think this year: Which party actually is this? Leo Puglisi over at 6 News got plenty of mileage earlier this year out of the battle between Family First Victoria and Family First Victoria. One of those two Family Firsts gave up, while the party on the ballot is the party whose national director is currently “Eat Shit Lyle” Shelton (formerly of the Australian Conservatives and the Christian Democratic Party).

Let me—try to—explain what has happened here. You might recognise the name Family First. They were active from 2002 to 2017, with representatives in the Senate (Steve Fielding, Bob Day, Lucy Gichuhi) and some state parliaments. This was usually a result of defections or exploiting the anti-democratic Group Ticket Voting system to harvest preferences and win seats ahead of more popular parties. Steve Fielding infamously became a senator in 2004 because Labor’s group ticket placed Family First above the Greens, a preference contrary to the wishes of most Labor voters whenever they can express their own preferences (as they can now federally, or in Victoria’s lower house, but not on the larger ballot for the Legislative Council, which still uses GTV).

In 2017, Bob Day lost his seat—he ran afoul of section 44(v) of the Constitution—and the party dissolved and donated its assets to the Australian Conservatives, the now-deregistered vehicle of ex-Liberal senator Cory Bernardi. Day's replacement in the Senate, Lucy Gichuhi, became an independent and later joined the Liberals. Day recently founded the Australian Family Party, but because his former party’s assets went to the Australian Conservatives, he didn’t get them back. Rather, two former Labor MPs from the South Australian parliament (very socially conservative types associated with the Shop, Distributive, and Allied Employees Association, the most regressive trade union in the country) got hold of the Family First membership database and registered the party name with the Electoral Commision of SA. They did so with the blessing of some former Family First and Australian Conservatives participants, but certainly not all of them. This new incarnation is the one that has successfully registered with the Victorian Electoral Commission.

If your impression so far is that Protestant fundamentalist “family values” micro-party politics in Australia is a dysfunctional rabble, then you’d be spot on. If you also suspected that Family First's policies are hyper-conservative nonsense that most Christians do not support (especially those outside evangelical Protestantism), let alone most other people, then you're correct again.

This year, Family First are wasting ballot space across Victoria with candidates who oppose marriage equality, trans rights, women’s reproductive autonomy, and even anti-discrimination and equal opportunity laws. You'd think equal opportunity would be uncontroversial but these are the sorts of extremists those laws were designed to stop, so of course they're upset that they can't just summarily sack a staff member with a same-sex partner. It is non-stop bigotry and it infects their entire platform. They are even directing preferences away from Liberal leader Matthew Guy and shadow equality spokesperson James Newbury because those two are insufficiently anti-trans for Family First. Put it this way: if you are not a cisgender heterosexual individual who is waiting until marriage to have sex and then will have as many children as physically possible, then Family First thinks you should be.

This theocratic authoritarianism is not simply an inappropriate basis to govern a large and diverse community; it is riven with hate and should be repudiated loudly and thoroughly. For a party whose policies would require very strict legislation and policing, it is ironic that Family First are mad about lockdowns and pandemic powers. Furthermore, they talk a big game about the unborn, but they don’t seem to care an awful lot about your health once you’re alive. They are hypocrites and bigots and hopefully they will struggle to eke more than a handful of votes.

My recommendation: Give Family First Victoria a weak or no preference. Remember to vote below the line on the large ballot for the Legislative Council so that your preference goes where you want it to go; all ballots with 5 or more preferences marked below the line are valid votes.

Website: https://familyfirstparty.org.au/

[afictionalwhore]

Light as a Feather (Oh Baby pt 2)

A/N: There’s been a lot going on, but I finally got it! This was the original plot of “Oh Baby!”, that cuteness that was inspired by my little ones at the daycare, but I got sidetracked by smut. Alas, no smut in this one today, but you can find smut here in pt 1!

Pairing: Hawks x fem Reader

Word Count: 2.5k

TW: yandere Hawks, a bit of angst with a happy (?) ending

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

It was a clear night, where despite the hazy glow of the street lamps, Keigo could still make out the stars above. The full moon shone down on him, glimmering against his brilliant red wings. It was the perfect temperature: cool, but just warm enough that if Keigo were home with you, he’d have insisted you leave the window open for the crisp night air to breeze. 

As he made his way down the empty street, Keigo pouted. He didn’t understand why he had to be out on night patrol. Hawks can’t see at night. His avian eyes were useless at night. His mind wandered to you and your son at home, where he’s much rather be.

Keigo was determined to be the best father for his son (he just knew you would give him a son as soon as you told him you were expecting). He took a whole week off to spend time with you. Of course, the rumors flew about where the great Hawks was during this time, the most popular of them being that he was off having a secret love affair. The commission was able to shut them down almost as fast as they appeared. Hawks had a reputation as Japan's most eligible bachelor to uphold. If only they knew. 

When he begrudgingly returned to work, Keigo had grown paranoid about your safety. He knew, rationally, that no one would be able to find you. The most skilled hikers of Everest wouldn't be able to find their way to and from your secluded haven. He knew, rationally, that you would never leave him. You loved him too much for that, and now with your son on the way, you didn't just love Keigo, you needed him. 

Prior to his return from his "staycation", as he told the commision, Keigo had plucked a feather from his wings and fashioned it into a necklace. 

"Here," Keigo said as he sat you in front of your vanity mirror. He stood behind you to clasp the necklace around the back of your neck. The soft red feather lay tenderly on your collarbone. "I'll be able to sense where you are with this feather. Keep it on at all times. If you need anything, just squeeze it, and I'll drop whatever I'm doing for you."

To test his theory, you carefully ran your fingers over the feather, feeling every babule that made up the vane. Keigo shivered, and stretched out his wings. 

"That feels really nice, baby," he said, a pleasant smile stretching across his face. "Like you’re petting my wings. Do it again."

You caught a glimpse of him behind you in the mirror. His eyes sparkled with excitement, and he reminded you of an overgrown puppy. For a second, you could forget he ever kidnapped you in the first place.

Despite the lightness and softness of the feather, it felt heavy, like one more thing to chain you to Keigo, as though a baby weren't enough. For Keigo, however, not only did the feather help set his mind at ease (he didn't tell you he could sense vibrations and know when you were moving), filled him with a sense of pride to see you wearing his feather, as though it were a collar that declared him as your owner. You really were his, and nothing brought him more joy.

The sound of sirens blaring brought Keigo out of his reminiscing. Fire engines and an ambulance whizzed by. Hawks opened his wings, briefly stretching them out before flying after them.

He didn't have to follow for long when they came to an apartment complex on fire. Perhaps a small kitchen fire got out of hand. Smoke poured out the windows of the upper floors, some ten stories above. Firemen and ambulances lined up, and Hawks got to work scouring the apartment for trapped citizens.

Naturally, reporters were drawn to site. As the realization that Hawks was on the scene grew so did the amount of reports. The presence of Japan's Number Two bringing in all the news crews, both local and national. 

As Hawks carried out an elderly woman, he was overcome with pain. A pain so sharp, he thought he was dying. He felt as though something was squeezing his chest. A heart attack, maybe? He had never felt such pain in his life. A haunting revelation crossed his mind: the squeeze wasn't just coming from him, it was from you and your feather. There was only one other time you had squeezed the feather Keigo gave you, and that was when baby Takami was on the way.

You weren't exactly sure how you survived the birth. There was no way Keigo would allow a doctor, or even the old village midwife, to come up the mountain to visit you, much less allow you to go down yourself. 

It was the longest day of Keigo's life, an excruciating 20 hours as he watched you bring his child into the world. It was all worth it, as he gazed down at the tiny copy of him crying in his arms. Kiego turned to look down at you, your sweat sticking your hair to your face, chest heaving to gather air. Your voice, hoarse from the screaming, whispered the gentle command for Keigo to hand you your baby. Silently, he obeyed. Who was he to deny you the right to hold the child you gave him? 

Keigo's heart seized. He didn't think he could be any more in love with you as he was as he watched you with his son, brilliant red wings, a miniature version of Keigo’s own red wings, folded against your baby’s tiny back to fit in the crook of your arm and nuzzle against you. His feathers shifted and shook as he snuggled into you, gazing up at you with honey eyes full of awe. 

With all your screaming the excruciating labor, you were for sure your fate as Keigo's wife locked up was sealed. There was no way anyone would come to your rescue, as your cries only served to further prove the local myths of the haunted forest. This, of course, brought Keigo a sense of ease, despite the agony he was in watching you writhe in pain. 

"Are you okay, young man?" the elderly woman Hawks was still holding asked. Keigo realized he must look as bad as felt. He smiled his signature Hawks smile and shook his head.

"I'm alright, ma'am," Hawks said. "Just some bad chicken for lunch. Are you okay?" Hawks set the woman down and flew off before giving her a chance to answer his question. He had to get to you. He had to get to his son. This pain was nothing like he'd felt before. Everything else could wait.

He heard the distant voices of reporters behind him.

“Where is Hawks going?”

“Why is Hawks leaving the scene?”

“That isn’t very hero-like of Hawks.”

Keigo was grateful for the woman asking how he felt. She would be a handy alibi in case the reporters asked around the scene before the commision was able to speak up about Hawk's sudden disappearance from the scene. 

"It wasn't like there were any villains around," they would say, "Just a small apartment fire and he happened to be in the neighborhood. Heroes are just like the rest of us. They can eat bad chicken too."

Keigo flew through the forest, branches brushing harshly against his face. Every possibility ran through his mind. The “what if”s assaulted him as he raced to reach you. 

What if there was an accident?

What if you fell and hurt yourself?

Hurt the baby?

What if someone found you?

Keigo’s heart froze. Your disappearance was gaining some fame on the news once again. It had been nearly a year ago that Keigo plucked you out of your dirty apartment in the dangerous part of town. You had no way of knowing the date, thanks to Keigo’s lack of calendars, and lived telling time passed solely based on the growth of your baby.

What if you left? 

Keigo shook his head. You didn’t really want to be rescued anymore, did you? Keigo didn’t think that was the case at all as he recalled the way you stare in wonder at your son, his son, the son that he gave you. You loved your baby, and you loved Keigo.

Keigo slowed as he approached your front yard, a small clearing, fenced in with thin logs that appealed to Keigo’s nesting aesthetic. Inside the fence, your garden proudly stood.

As time passed, Keigo noticed you grew restless. Keigo almost felt bad, grooming you into craving his affection. You didn't get much company outside the cardinals outside the window and the deer that roamed your forested backyard. You must have been so lonely during his long work hours. 

Keigo thought that coming home to a nice meal cooked by you, his beautiful, doting wife, was all a man could ask for. That was until he got the bright idea of giving you a garden to grow the food you cooked for him. Keigo battled with the garden, he saw how some of the women at his agency fawned over their plants, and while he wanted nothing less than your constant affection and couldn't stand the possibility that your garden would also earn your care. But he also thought you could use the company during his long and irregular work hours. His rationale was that the more of the groceries you grew the less time he would have to spend away from you at the store getting your weekly groceries. 

Keigo slowly made his way through your yard. On closer inspection, there was nothing amiss in your garden, save for the usual deer damage. He couldn’t relax yet. 

He walked through the front door, which was closed, he made note of, and was met with unnerving silence. Tucked away in the corner of your living room was the small, upright piano, a chip on the top corner from when Keigo hit the doorway while maneuvering the piano into your living room. The piano was closed, keys covered. Your sheet music was laying on the floor. A sign of struggle?

A vegetable garden wasn't going to last the winter, so Keigo decided to find other hobbies for you to take on while he was gone for an agonizing eight hours minimum. You sleepily waddled into your living room one morning on one of Hawk's rare days off to find him dragging a piano through your front door. 

"Do you like it?" Keigo beamed the moment he saw you and your round form from around the piano. "Your garden won't last the winter up here. So I thought you could pick up a few more hobbies indoors." Of course the fact that if you had things to do to keep you indoors and safe while Hawks was out at work would help ease his pain of having to leave you on your own remained unspoken. You knew, but you couldn't be mad. Music would be good for the baby.

Keigo cried out at the thought of never hearing you play again, never coming home to the sounds of your choppy notes as you learned new pieces. The window was open and a slight breeze blew through, billowing your curtains and ruffling your papers on the floor. Ah, just the wind. This revelation did nothing calm Keigo. Why was the window open on a night he had patrol?

He ran to the kitchen. Empty. A plate of food and a small rice bowl sat on the table, all wrapped in foil. A pair of chopsticks laying neatly beside them. Keigo’s heart fluttered. You had set a place for him. Dishes from dinner were stacked in the sink, waiting to be washed as you always stayed up for Keigo to finish with his before setting to washing. The faucet dripped slowly. Plink. Plink. Plink. The sound grew louder, ringing in Keigo’s ears until he screamed. The painful squeezing still holding on to him.

Keigo flew about your house, banging against the walls. He checked every room.The bathroom? Nothing. The bedroom? Nothing. Keigo groaned as he made his way to your neatly made, shared bed, falling on to it. Keigo wept. His head fell into his hands, and his wings trembled with every sob that wracked his body. 

After a few minutes, he realized there was only one place left to check. The throbbing pain had never subsided but was only overshadowed by his fear. Keigo felt his heart beat against his chest as he turned slowly to look at the one room he avoided searching out of fear: the nursery. The nursery was directly across from your bedroom. The door was cracked slightly, just enough to let the light inside filter into the hallway. 

 Keigo was afraid his heartbeat was too loud, that whatever was potentially in the room waiting for him would hear it. His muscles ached as he made his way to the door. As he approached the nursery, his heart grew louder until he was right outside the door. He held the knob in his grasp, clammy and slightly trembling, before giving a push. Keigo wasn’t ready for the sight that greeted him.

There you sat in the rocker with your baby in your arms, his chubby cheek pressed up against your breast. Both of you were fast asleep, the light rise and fall of your chests in sync. Milk dribbled off your baby’s chin like he had just finished drinking. In one pudgy hand, he held a vise grip on your finger. In his other hand, he held Keigo’s feather, as tight as he could as though it was just as much his lifeline as your milk.

Keigo ran to you and dropped to the floor, sobbing into your knees as he clung to your legs. You jumped awake at the weight of Keigo nearly collapsing on you, startling your baby.

You gently shushed your baby, holding him against you to calm him while running your hands through Keigo’s hair to soothe him. 

“Keigo, honey,” your crystalline voice rang. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought you were gone. I thought—” Keigo’s cries cut him off. He clutched at his chest, your baby still squeezing his feather hanging from your neck.

“Oh. Oh, Keigo. I’m so sorry,” you said as you realized what had happened. “Here.”

You pried your infant’s fingers off Keigo’s feather. The little red plumage slightly ruffled from being bent into the shape of the baby’s fist. You shook Keigo off you and stood up, adjusting your baby in your arms and turning to the door.

“Let’s go get you something to eat, okay?” You looked back at Keigo and smiled before turning back and walking out the door towards the kitchen. He hurriedly wiped his tears, in a fashion similar to a small child who had scraped their knee, and followed you.

Unseen by Keigo was the glow in your eyes. The first time you used his feather you were too distraught by labor to realize the power you held over Keigo. Rather than heavy chains binding you to Keigo, the feather acted more like a leash tied around his neck. The originally weight lifted, and the red feather hanging gracefully from around your neck finally felt as light as a feather.

[errgative]

Japanese Literature Essentials

This is a list of five classic Japanese books and short stories that I feel are essential reads for anyone interested in Japan. I’ve chosen these books not only because they are excellent literature in their own right, but because they offer unique insight into Japanese culture and showcase the differences between Japanese and Western literature. Whether or not you are studying Japanese, I think you can gain something valuable by reading them. I know there are many great books I’ve left off this list, but Japanese literature is just too expansive to be summarized in one post - feel free to reblog with your own favorites if I didn’t include them!

Murasaki Shikibu: The Tale of Genji (源氏物語)

Recommended Translation: Royall Tyler

The Tale of Genji is one of the most iconic and foundational works in the history of Japanese literature. Written at the peak of the Heian period, it combined aspects of Chinese literature with traditional forms of Japanese storytelling, resulting in an 1100 page (written almost entirely in kana!!) epic that follows Genji through his adventures and romantic pursuits while giving insight into Heian court life. I feel that Tyler’s translation brings the beautiful Classical Japanese prose to life while preserving the original aesthetics of the tale.

The author, Murasaki Shikibu, was a lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Court. Although women were traditionally not taught Chinese, she was able to study it due to her immense talent. Her mastery of literature is shown in that Genji was greatly praised even at the time of its release, despite her being a woman. 

Soseki Natsume: Kokoro (こころ)

Recommended Translation: Edwin McClellan

Soseki is often regarded as the founder of modern Japanese literature. His works are informed by his life experiences, as well as issues salient to Meiji-era Japan, such as the westernization of Japan and conflicts between modern and traditional culture. 

Kokoro takes place during the transition out of the Meiji era. The central characters are a young student and the man he idolizes, called Sensei. Through the young man’s relationship with his parents and Sensei, Soseki explores the boundaries between urban and rural values, as well as what it means to receive an education. The third and final part is in the form of a letter from Sensei, and deals with themes of guilt, isolation, and the egoism of youth, as the reality behind the student’s idealization of him is revealed. 

In the interest of full disclosure, this is my favorite book on this list and definitely in my top five books of all time - it has only a spare, basic plot, but manages to convey the feeling of an entire nation in a time of transition, while not sacrificing beautiful language or complex, nuanced characters.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke: Hell Screen (地獄変)

Recommended Translation: I actually don’t know who translated the version I’ve read, since it’s a pdf that doesn’t include the title page. Contact me if you want it, or pick a translation that sounds good to you.

Akutagawa was one of the most influential Japanese writers of the twentieth century. Japan’s most prestigious literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him. He is probably best known outside of Japan for his story Rashomon, which inspired Kurosawa Akira’s film of the same name. Much of his work deals with what he perceives as the corruption and spiritual anxiety of modern life, as well as themes of obsession, isolation, and illusion. 

Hell Screen is a short story set in an ambiguously medieval Japan, potentially the late Heian period. It centers around the painter Yoshihide, who is the finest painter in the land, but hates everything except for his art and his daughter. He is commisioned by a lord to create a screen painted with the Buddhist hell. Through Yoshihide, Akutagawa explores the nature of artistic obsession and the conflict between art and moral behaviour, all while creating a sense of uncertainty around the truth by choosing an unnamed courtier who is devoted to the lord as a narrator. The end result is a wonderfully disturbing story that subtly critiques modern ways of thinking in the guise of a Buddhist parable.

Warning for implied rape.

Mishima Yukio: Forbidden Colors (禁色)

Recommended Translation: Alfred H. Marks

One of the most well-known postwar Japanese authors, Mishima wrote about themes such as beauty, gender, sexual desire, and patriotism, and his work has been equally praised and criticized for its long, flowing descriptions and decadent prose. Today, Mishima is known almost as much for his gruesome death by ritual suicide as for his literary accomplishments.

Some of you might wonder why I chose to include Forbidden Colors on this list rather than the better known and less disturbing Confessions of a Mask. While it’s true that both of them feature gay protagonists and involve similar themes, I feel that the viscerally disgusting nature of Forbidden Colors makes it a much more powerful read. It is by no means enjoyable, essentially being 400 pages of nothing but hatred and vitriol. Both the protagonist, Yuichi, and his ‘mentor,’ Shunsuke, are amoral, manipulative, and hopelessly misogynistic. The plot is based around Shunsuke’s quest to get revenge on the entire female population by using Yuichi’s good looks as his weapon. Yuichi starts out as somewhat naïve and afraid, thinking he’s the only man to ever be gay, but begins to become more and more like Shunsuke, adopting his misogynistic habits and using his experiences in Tokyo’s gay scene to learn how to weaponize his beauty. The horrifying story of what Yuichi does and experiences provides a harsh, angry critique of Japanese society without any moments of hope or levity.

While I do highly recommend this book, please know that it is highly disturbing and if you cannot read books that contain rape/dubious consent, graphic violence, extreme misogyny, or homophobia, it might be a good idea to skip it. 

Enchi Fumiko: Masks (女面)

Recommended Translation: Juliet Carpenter

Enchi is probably the most well-known female Japanese writer from the Showa period. She drew attention to the plight of women in an increasingly militaristic and patriarchal Japan, and achieved success after World War II despite the male-dominated Japanese literary establishment. Her works explore gender and the nature of power.

I had a hard time deciding whether to include Masks or The Waiting Years; both are powerful explorations of female forms of power, and both are quintessentially Japanese in nature. Ultimately Masks won out because of its direct ties to The Tale of Genji, which opened this list. Masks draws on countless layers of Japanese culture, from Genji to traditional shamanistic practices to Noh theatre and art. The story is told from the perspective of men, but as the novel goes on, it becomes clear that the men are being manipulated by the crafty Mieko, whose schemes quickly ensnare the narrators. Central to the story is an essay Mieko wrote on the role of the Rokujo Lady in Genji. Ultimately, Masks is about power, how it can be subverted, and the results of those subversions, while simultaneously exploring the nature of gender, revenge, and legacy. It’s hard to summarize the genius of this book - the way Enchi weaves together differing sources and plot threads into a cohesive, indictive whole - in one paragraph, but I hope you all will read it. 

Once again, I’m including warnings, this time for graphic sex, dubious consent (in that one party does not know who the other is), graphic descriptions of blood, and death.

More Recommendations:

Soseki Natsume: I am a Cat; Botchan

Akutagawa Ryunosuke: Spinning Gears; Kappa

Oe Kenzaburo: The Silent Cry; Hiroshima Notes

Enchi Fumiko: The Waiting Years

Tanizaki Junichiro: Naomi

Kawabata Yasunari: The Old Capital; Thousand Cranes

Mishima Yukio: Death in Midsummer - Onnagata, Patriotism

Murakami Ryu: Almost Transparent Blue

Abe Kobo: The Woman in the Dunes

Yoshimoto Banana: Kitchen

[rvtalksmedia]

Faizal Siddique Ne Di Safai, Viral Video Ko Leke

Faizal Siddique Ne Di Safai, Acid Attack pe Viral Video Ko Leke

Jaha Dekho vaha Tik-Tok Vs Youtube trend chal Raha tha. Itne me hi ek aur Naam ubhar ke aya Faizal Siddique. So Faizal Siddique, Amir Siddiqueke hi Bhai hai. Ji ha vo hi Amir jinka Carry Minati ke sath controversy chal raha hai. So baat karte hai Faizal Siddique ki to ye bhi TikTok pe videos banate hai. And Tik-Tok ke kaafi popular creator bhi hai. Lump-Sum 13.4 million yaani ki almost 1 crore…

[accuratenewsng]

NHRC Trains Kwara Police Officers On Human Rights Issues

NHRC Trains Kwara Police Officers On Human Rights Issues

National Human Rights Commision(NHRC) today organised a training programme for police officers in Ilorin, Kwara State on human rights issues. Declaring the training open, the executive secretary of NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu ably represented by the Director Women and Children National Human Rights Commision Mr.Harry Obe said that the programme was important because of the frontline roles the…

[salam2050]

Press Club Demands Dropping Of Cases Against 2 Women Journalists In Tripura

Press Club Demands Dropping Of Cases Against 2 Women Journalists In Tripura

Press Club of India has demanded the case to be dropped. New Delhi: The Press Club of India (PCI) on Tuesday demanded that a case filed against two women journalists by Tripura police, allegedly for creating hatred between communities, be dropped. Condemning the police action against the journalists, the Press Club of India also urged the National Human Rights Commision (NHRC) to take cognisance…

[architectnews]

All Architects Must Be Covid-19 Architects

How the Georgia Senate January 5th election will affect global architects, President Biden Architecture, US Building News

All Architects Today Must Be Covid-19 Architects

Historic US Election Review of Architectural Aspects: Architectural Column by Joel Solkoff, PA, USA Dec 21, 2020

Architecture under President Biden Part III

Joel Solkoff’s Column Vol. VI, Number 6

Reproduced by permission toybox tech; available as a poster https://ift.tt/2J9bkdV

“You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” — Abraham Lincoln

Representative Marcia Fudge, Democrat, Eighth Congressional District of Ohio. Photo in the public domain

No New Housing: Impact of the Trump 2020 HUD Budget

On March 11, 2019, the Trump Administration released its Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Summary. The White House is proposing more than $9 billion in cuts to critical housing programs. The House of Representatives FY 2020 Spending Bill would increase the funding levels of those programs by more than $3 Billion.

Selected ProgramsFY19 FinalFY20 Trump ($/% Change)House FY20 ($/% Change)Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)$3.365 B$-3.365 B / -100%$0.235 B / 6.98%Public Housing Capital Fund$2.775 B$-2.775 B / -100%$0.08 B / 2.88%Public Housing Operating Fund$4.653 B$-1.79 B / -38.47%$0.1 B / 2.15%HOME Investment Partnerships Program$1.25 B$-1.25 B / -100%$0.5 B / 40%Housing Choice Voucher Renewals$20.313 B$-0.197 B / -0.97%$1.087 B / 5.35%Section 202 Housing for the Elderly$0.678 B$-0.034 B / -5.01%$0.125 B / 18.44%Section 811 Housing For Persons with Disabilities$0.184 B$-0.027 B / -14.67%$0.075 B / 40.76%Project-Based Rental Assistance$11.747 B$0.274 B / 2.33%$0.843 B / 7.18%Total For Select Programs$44.965 B$-9.164 B / -20.38%$3.045 B / 6.77%

Thank you www.affordable housing.com

DATELINE Saturday December 19, 2020. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. I have moved to New York City, where I was born. to escape the inpending death toll rural Lycoming County will experience within the next few weeks. After the virus is controlled, I will return to beautiful Williamsport Pennsylvania and its architectural treasures on February 14th. I am currently in the hospital to take care of a series of too long neglected health problems anticipating that I will receive the coronavirus vaccine shortly.

I took this self portrait in June 2015 of the less than friendly disability entrance to Trump’s International luxury hotel and apartment condominium complex at Columbus Circle. Following the principles of unversal design would have been preferable if Trump’s de facto instructions were not based on stairs and hoopla.. I waited an unnecesryily long time for the elevator and became soaked as a consequenc. Hell of a way to treat a cancer patient returning to my friend’s place after therapy. This is how The New York Times described the building in April, 1996:  “Fancier than Trump Tower. Glitzier than the Trump Taj Mahal. Pricier than Trump Palace or Trump Parc. Its glossy brochure trumpets Trump International as ‘the most important new address in the world.’

How the outcome of two senate races in Georgia will affect global architecture commisions

Let us start the analysis of the Georgia January 5th election with the big picture.

The big picture: As of yesrerday, 313,797 children, women and men have died from the crnavirus according to the Centers for Disease Control base in Atlanta. On the glass is half filled for architects, take joy from President elect Joe Biden’s selection of Rep. Marcia Fudge to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Here is Rep. Fudge from her official website: “Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge is a committed public servant who brings a hard-working, problem-solving spirit to Congress and to the task of creating jobs, protecting safety net programs, and improving access to quality public education, health care and healthy foods.  First elected in 2008, she represents the people of the 11th Congressional District of Ohio.

Congresswoman Fudge serves on the Committee on House Administration, House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Education and Labor.  She is the Chair of the Committee on House Administration Subcommittee on Elections and Chair of the Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations.  She serves on the Subcommittees on Conservation and Forestry (Agriculture), Civil Rights and Human Services (Education & Labor) and Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (Education & Labor). In the 115th Congress, the Congresswoman served on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions.  She also served as Ranking Member on the House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry and a member on the Subcommittee on Nutrition.  She is a member of several Congressional Caucuses and past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. ++++

++++ Congresswoman Fudge consistently fights for voter protection, equitable access to a quality education from preschool through post-secondary programs, child nutrition, food stamp (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients, access to locally grown, healthy foods, fair labor practices, and civil and human rights, among other issues. Additionally, she remains a steadfast advocate to strengthen and preserve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Congresswoman Fudge has served the people of Ohio for more than three decades, beginning with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.  She was later elected as the first African American and first female mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, where she led the city in shoring up a sagging retail base and providing new residential construction. Congresswoman Fudge earned her bachelor’s degree in business from The Ohio State University and law degree from the Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. She is a Past National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and a member of its Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter. Congresswoman Fudge’s work ethic, problem-solving approach, and ability to build collaborative relationships have earned her a reputation among her colleagues in Washington and at home as an insightful leader and knowledgeable legislator. As a dedicated public servant, she begins each morning with a firm promise “to do the people’s work.” It is this simple philosophy that defines Congresswoman Fudge as a Member of substance and character who always keeps her promise.” ####

Our Delusional President Trump flew to Georgia this week to campaign for Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler

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Senator David Perdue, Incumbent Republican

Wikipedia – David Alfred Perdue Jr. (/pərˈduː/; born December 10, 1949) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he has served as the senior United States Senator for Georgia since 2015.

After 12 years as a management consultant, Perdue became the senior vice president for Reebok. He later joined PillowTex, a North Carolina textile company.[2][3] He subsequently served as CEO of Dollar General.

Perdue ran for U.S. Senate in 2014, defeating Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn. He is running for reelection in 2020 against Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff. As neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the November 3 election, they face each other in a January 2021 runoff election. After the November election, Perdue called for the resignation of Georgia’s top elections official and claimed without evidence that there were unspecified “failures” in the election. He later supported a lawsuit by Trump allies seeking to overturn the election results.[5]

Perdue was linked to the 2020 Congressional insider trading scandal for allegations of STOCK Act violations. The allegations arose after he sold stocks before the 2020 stock market crash using knowledge speculated to be from a closed Senate meeting After reviews by the Senate Ethics Committee and the U.S. Department of Justice, Perdue was not charged with any crimes. The Justice Department closed its inquiry in mid-2020.

Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff

N.B. Two years ago I doanted $18 to Jon Ossoff’s campaign for the House of Representatives from Georogia. The election was to fill a vacant seat that happened when Re. Azar left thye House to become a an awful Secretary of Health and Humman Services for President Trump. The number 18 has spritual signifcance because the Herew alphabet applies numbers to lwtters. The Hebrew word for life [chai] is 18. In synagogues, i ndoners add 18 to their conytibutons to their synagogue. Also works for causes. In 1952 and 1956 my mother donated $18 to the Presidential campaigns of Adkai Stervenson.Photo in the public domaine.

Wikipedia: Jon Ossoff: “Thomas Jonathan Ossoff (/ˈɒsɒf/; born February 16, 1987) is an American politician and investigative journalist. He is the Democratic Party nominee for the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Georgia, running against Republican incumbent Senator David Perdue. Neither candidate reached the 50% threshold on the November 3 general election, triggering a runoff election on January 5, 2021.

Ossoff was the Democratic nominee in the historically expensive 2017 special election for Georgia’s 6th congressional district, which had long been considered a Republican stronghold. After finishing first, but without a majority in the all-party primary election, he lost the runoff with 48.2% of the vote to Republican Karen Handel‘s 51.8%. Since 2013, Ossoff has been managing director and chief executive officer of Insight TWI, a London-based investigative television production company that works with reporters to create documentaries about corruption in foreign countries. ####

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e-architect’s Architects for Change Webinar Sereis resumes Valentine’s Day February 14 2021

Stay tuned to our calendar for details

Coming soon to Joel’s problem, further analysis of the Georgia senate race and the impact of its outcome on the country at large.

My editors beckon: “All right, stop writing, Joel.”

Isabelle Lomholt and Adrian Welch, Editors at e-architect Joel Solkhoff, PA, USA: Selfie, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, USA Please feel free to phone me at US 570-772-4909 or send an e-mail jsolkoff@gmail.com Copyright © 2020 by Joel Solkoff. All rights reserved.

The firm produced BBC investigations about ISISwar crimes and death squads in East Africa. Ossoff was also involved in producing a documentary about the staging of a play in Sierra Leone.

’Joel’s previous article Nov 12, 2020 Architecture under the Biden Presidency Sen. Kelly Loeffler And Raphael Warnock Face Off In Georgia Senate Runoff Debate – NBC News NOW – YouTube The election is on January 5, 2020.

Architecture Columns

Architecture Columns – chronological list Special Wooden Floors for Renzo Piano’s Whitney in New York New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Queens Library Renzo Piano’s Whitney Neighborhood Detroit Dying Special Report Disability-Access Architecture

US Architecture

American Architecture American Architects Joel Solkoff’s Column Vol. IV, Number 2 Joel Solkoff’s Column Vol. IV, Number 1 Special Wooden Floors for the Whitney Detroit will be a Trendy City Belt and Suspenders Routine – Joel Solkoff’s Column Joel Solkoff’s Column Volume II No. 6 Joel Solkoff’s Column, Vol.II, Number 7 Comments / photos for the Architecture under President Biden – page welcome

The post All Architects Must Be Covid-19 Architects appeared first on e-architect.

[newsyaari]

'Love jihad case rising'; national women commision's Rekha Sharma's tweet creats controversy | 'ലൗ ജിഹാദ് വർധിക്കുന്നു';ട്വീറ്റിൽ രേഖ ശർമ്മയ്ക്കെതിരെ വിമർശനം,പിന്നാലെ പഴയ ട്വീറ്റുകളും മുക്കി

‘Love jihad case rising’; national women commision’s Rekha Sharma’s tweet creats controversy | ‘ലൗ ജിഹാദ് വർധിക്കുന്നു’;ട്വീറ്റിൽ രേഖ ശർമ്മയ്ക്കെതിരെ വിമർശനം,പിന്നാലെ പഴയ ട്വീറ്റുകളും മുക്കി

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India

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'ലൗ ജിഹാദ് വർധിക്കുന്നു';ട്വീറ്റിൽ രേഖ ശർമ്മയ്ക്കെതിരെ വിമർശനം..പിന്നാലെ പഴയ ട്വീറ്റുകളും മുക്കി,വിവാദം -->

Published: October 21 2020, 13:43 [IST]

ദില്ലി; ലൗ ജിഹാദുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട പരാമർശത്തിൽ ദേശീയ വനിതാ കമ്മീഷൻ അധ്യക്ഷയ്ക്കെതിരെ സോഷ്യൽ മീഡിയയിൽ രൂക്ഷവിമർശനം.…

[trivantahospital]

Women’s Mental Health

Covid-19 has  clearly shown that our Public Health infrastructure  must be fortified, and this time, women’s mental health  should be a priority.  Because of different social,cultural and economic factors, women are facing  less opportunity, space, or financial security.

Lockdown and self-isolation over the world have increased women’s workload as more individuals are home-headed for a long period of time. . Because of the Covid-19 lockdown many women  are working at home. Women in leadership positions are  more likely to suffer from “depression, social tension and isolation” due to negative perceptions about  women in power.This is critical again in light of the fact that individuals in authority positions have better salary control and better financial status, these factors are bound to make them more stressed.

Women  entering the working environment is a generally late wonder and social mentalities are yet to square with this move. For several women, work environments can be an immense encouraging feedback for their intellect,independent identity and financial independence.

Home is tragically not a sheltered space for everybody. One of the most grievous unfriendly impacts of self-isolate has been that numerous ladies are confined at home with harsh life partners. China, and a few different nations, have detailed a flood in aggressive behavior at home cases after the viral episode. In India also, the National Commision for Women (NCW) has raised a caution about an expanding number of abusive behavior at home  since the nation wide  lockdown started.

The WHO expresses that ’women' wellbeing is inseparably connected to their status in the public arena. It profits by fairness and experiences segregation. Today the status and prosperity of an endless number of ladies overall remains shockingly low".

Source-http://trivantahospital.com/

[naijaboi]

Pleasure to meet the fellows, strong hearts & activist of OutRight pushing the UN to include us. About last night.. Queer/Trans/ LBTQI Religion & CSW: the Commision of the Status of Women at the UN with OutRight Action International Human Rights for LGBTIQ People Everywhere  CSW – the Commission on the Status of Women – will be taking place in the United Nations. OutRight will be offering the necessary queer voice to these SOGI delegations along with our fellows: Lua Da Mota from Brazil, Yvonne Oduor from Kenya, Katlego K Kolanyane-Kesupile from Botswana, and Ifáṣínà Efunyemi from Belize.  #outright #lgbtqia #afrobrazilian #yoruba #afromystic #queerafrica #qtpoc #genderdynamic #transisbeautiful #transjoy #osun #queerjoy #humanrights https://www.instagram.com/seyiadebanjo/p/BvNNhLWhNWq72WYJWt_Drt1S8WYDpL-5gHQVHw0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1r4sd44zby006

[paul75ranger]

A refugee and my fight for his freedom

The recent travel and immigration ban imposed by Donald Trump had me reflecting, quite a bit, about the circumstances which brought my friend Khalil Ibrahim Yasin, an English major from Mosul University, in Iraq, and his wife to Michigan in 1992. He was my interpreter for 7 months in the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq, where I was involved in humanitarian relief operations (as well as no fly zone enforcement) starting roughly a month after the liberation of Kuwait City.

Humanitarian assistance was needed, in part, due to a statement made by President Bush, after the war, explaining why he and General Colin Powell had decided not to push forward into Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein. I’m paraphrasing, as I don’t recall the actual quote, but he said he wanted the Iraqi people to rise up and overthrow Saddam. We were there to liberate Kuwait.

The Kurdish people, who, if you’re not familiar, are a very proud group of people bound by their own ethnicity and language, but without a homeland. They reside in parts of Northern Iraq, Southeastern Turkey, Iran, Syria, and the Soviet Azerbaijan Region.

According to Khalil, The Peshmerga, a Kurdish military group, took what President Bush said to heart. They launched a heavily undermanned and under equipped offensive against the Iraqi government and military. Armed only with small arms weapons they were no match for the Iraqis. Iraq responded with helicopters and fighters. Entire towns of people fled into the mountains with only the clothes on their back. It wasn’t long before they were hungry, sick and cold. According to Khalil they thought President Bush would “have their back,” and assist.

They hunkered down in place, thousands of women and children, near death. Weeks went by with no help until the French responded with the first air drop of supplies. Eventually the coalition forces involved in the Gulf War, imposed a no fly zone in Northern Iraq for Iraqi helicopters and planes, and launched an operation to save the Kurds. They called it Operation Provide Comfort. Within a short time, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), coalition forces and dozens of NGO groups, such as Medicines Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders), came to their aide.

I had just finished a mission, in southern Iraq, where I was returning dead and wounded Iraqi civilians to their village, from U.S. Army field hospitals in Kuwait when I volunteered to assist in Northern Iraq..

When I arrived, I was initially was tasked to help with the construction and running of a massive refugee camp in Zakho, Iraq.

Later, I was assigned to be a part of a 4 man team, required to perform a Civil Affairs assessment of the Kurdish town of Dihok. The team consisted of Lt. Steven Chung, myself (a Staff Sergeant), and a Specialist E-4. The 4th member of the team was a civilian interpreter, Khalil Yasin.

The assessment included an in depth analysis of infrastructure to include roads, bridges, sewage, water and electricity, to things, such as schools and entertainment.

It was very in depth. As the Kurdish town was still being run by government forces loyal to the Iraqi government, Khalil was noticeably nervous and scared throughout many of the interviews we conducted with various leaders. I recall a few times where he actually told me there was no way he would be able to ask some of the questions I wanted him to, of these leaders, due to being frightened. Often times, we ordered the Iraqi officials, through Khalil, to help and assist. He told me of the death threats they were giving him and his family because of the situations we put him in. Many of these people were very high ranking Iraqi’s. When coalition forces leave, he’s dead, they said to him.

After the assesments were complete, the CA company deployed back to the States but both Lt. Chung, and I, felt there was far too much work left to be done to leave at that time and volunteered to stay as part of a much smaller group of “stay behind” forces. At one point, I was the highest ranking Non-Commisioned Officer in theater, and was given the title of J-5 (Civil-Military) Non-Commisioned Officer in Charge. A position normally filled by a Sergeant Major, three pay grades higher than mine.

The Peshmerga, with U.S. and coalition assistance had, in one night eliminated and removed all Iraqi security forces from Dihok in multiple deadly, and quick night time attacks. Lieutenant Chung, Khalil, and I were right in the middle of the fighting and upon returning to the base camp (a fortified hotel in the city), I was actually relaying details of the assault directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington through secured communication channels.

Khalil had asked Lt. Chung and I, daily to get his wife and him out of the country, as he would be dead after we left. He also stated that he knew of several people who worked at the compound who were assured that they would be granted status as a high risk refugee and given passage to America. The workers he identified were low level employees that assisted the U.S. Brigadier General in charge of the Operation. They served merely as his cook and a cultural affairs assistant. Neither had left the compound with the General at any time. Compared to Khalil, they were hardly high risk, except for their affiliation with working for the American forces. To me, Khalil was the epitome of high risk.

I Needed to go to Incirlik Air Force Base in Turkey for supplies, so I hopped a helicopter being used by the General. While in flight, I had a discussion with him in regards to the high risk refugee status and the situations with which Khalil was put into. He stated that the list was finalized and that only 30 refugees who worked with the U.S. and their spouses and children could get assylum, and each and every employee who got paid by us felt entitled. No, was his short answer.

I think most soldiers of my rank would simply go back to their interpreter and tell them they tried, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. I couldn’t live with myself if indeed Khalil was tortured and killed when we left.

I didn’t mince words. I said, I thought it would be an injustice to have a General’s cook who was never seen interacting with any Iraqi government official to be given a high risk status and an interpreter who was responsible for the data in the assesment, that made the Civil Affairs Community stand out, and influenced how the entire relief operations of Dihok was carried out was simply sent home to his death.

He said he would make some calls to the State Department from Incirlik, and he’d get back to me. Several days passed without any information, and I had returned back to Dihok. I was probably a few hours away from tearfully telling Khalil that I had indeed tried my best, when a British Colonel approached me in the Tactical Operations Center and said the General wanted to speak with me on a secure phone. He summoned me to Incirlik and didn’t say why.

A chopper picked me up the next morning bound for Incirlik, and I went to see him. He told me to get to Ankara and go to the U.S. embassy and a meet with an assistant to the deputy ambassador to detail the reasons for granting the status to Khalil and his wife. He also stated I would be best served to find a stateside sponsor that could house him and offer him employment. Lieutenant Chung called his Father who owned a small business in Michigan, and said to use his name, and he’d be awaiting any calls.

I went to an AF payroll office and took out a travel and payroll advance, rented a car from a Turkish car rental agency, at the base, and drove from Incirlik to Ankara on my own dime. I laid out the case for Khalil to the official and waited for what seemed an eternity at the embassy the next morning.

He came out with a stack of papers and instructions for Khalil. He was granted the request. I leaped up and hugged the man, as if my own life was spared.

Just 7 days later, I had Khalil and his wife dress in U.S. Military uniforms (to avoid any border conflicts with the Turkish Border Patrol and soldiers) and drove them up to Ankara. I watched, with tears in my eyes as they boarded a Turkish Air Flight.

About a week later, I redeployed back to the States and watched Khalil and his wife make a new home for themselves. He now owns a BP franchise gas station, owns a home, has 2 children, one who was a star football player for Saline High School and Khalil took, and passed, his citizenship test.

Khalil is an Islamic refugee, immigrant success story.

[htstalybridge]

Thought for the day: 13th May

Good afternoon church,

Today’s thought comes from Heather Shepherd. Enjoy!

 Last week I started writing my thought for the day. When I got to 4 pages of A4 and was still not done I realised it was becoming more ‘essay of the month’ than ‘thought for the day’ and stopped to think it through a bit more. Then on Sunday something Gary said in his sermon got me thinking and I totally changed direction with it. It is still quite long. Sorry. Ask my family, I talk a lot. 

Gary mentioned that at the moment we are fighting two things: disease (the physical symptoms of Covid 19) and dis-ease (the uneasiness that many of us are feeling with the current situation, mentally and spiritually). It really resonated with me and got me thinking about several things:

·       where we are each positioned in this, and

·       how we feel whilst we are waiting to be in a different position.

I was reminded of a talk given at Renew (the New Wine Women’s Day in October ’19) by Rachel Hughes, looking at Esther. I love the story of Esther. It is one of my absolute faves. Anyone else find that when we are feeling a bit uneasy and unfamiliar God takes them back to a place we are comfortable with to teach us something new? In the talk, which I would highly recommend to you and can be found here: https://www.new-wine.org/resources/podcast/715293208, Rachel talks about how Esther was POSITIONED and COMMISIONED. In other words she was placed strategically in the right place at the right time and also specifically called and given authority there.

Having re read through the account of Esther I am struck by how she was thrown into a situation she quite possibly didn’t want to be in. She was basically pulled from her home, picked to be the King’s property, he could decide to do with her as he pleased, could make her Queen if he wanted to (or not), all with the backdrop of him getting rid of the previous Queen when she didn’t do what he wanted, not exactly the Disney fairytale eh?

How many of us feel like we have been thrown into a situation we perhaps didn’t want to be in at the moment? Maybe we are at home a lot of the time. Wishing we could be outside or working or doing what we were doing before this began. Or maybe we are working, desperately wishing we weren’t working in the conditions and situation we find ourselves. Maybe we are struggling with where we are placed right now. If I am truly honest, I know to some degree I am. Whilst I am certain that God has placed me where I am for a reason, I am also battling with the fact that I think I should be somewhere else (because obviously I know better yeah?) Many of you will know that I was a microbiologist for 16 years. I have the exact, specialised skill set and training needed at this time and yet, despite the NHS return to work scheme, I haven’t yet been asked to return. I don’t know why? Part of me is desperate to use that knowledge and experience at the moment. But God clearly wants me here. God has clearly positioned me in this place, at this time for a reason. Are you feeling like you should be somewhere else? Do you think God has got mixed up? He hasn’t. He knows where you are and He knows why.

The second thing I am struck by is how long Esther had to wait to get ‘her moment’. Ages. Are you sick of waiting? Ready for this whole period to be over and we can move on? Again, if I am honest, in many ways I am. The Bible repeatedly talks about waiting. Apparently it is good for us to wait patiently (note to self…), we might not like it but we need it. James 5:7 says “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient.” Cathy Madavan in her book “Living on Purpose” says this about these verses:

“Just as a farmer waits for seeds to germinate and grow, we are all expected to wait patiently for new life and hope, knowing it is on its way. As we faithfully tend the ground we have been given and wait with purposeful perseverance, we do together and with God, believing that a breakthrough is coming soon.”

Esther waited until the right time. She did what she had to do. She just got on with it. Because of this she was prepared when the time to move came. When God repositioned her (to a face to face meeting with the king) she was ready. She had to choose to be patient and she had to choose to be obedient. Her waiting was preparation. I once read a quote which said that waiting time is never wasted time. God is working in the time we are waiting. We might wish he would work faster but that’s a whole different issue!

Over Lent I did a devotional study looking at the wilderness. One of the days posed the question “What if God takes us into the unknown so that His promise can be made known?” The accompanying notes looked at Abraham and the downline of his obedience in the wilderness. In other words, what happens down the line in history because of Abraham. What is the downline of our obedience at this time? The downline of our staying in position? The downline of us waiting patiently? The downline of Esther’s obedience was that the Jewish people were saved. The downline of Abraham’s obedience blessed all the nations on Earth and saw him in the lineage of Jesus.

Even when it doesn’t look the way we thought it would or should, we can trust in the character of God. Oswald Chambers is quoted as saying “Faith is the deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time” It is rooted in our knowledge that Gods’ character doesn’t change. I guess both Esther and Abraham felt life didn’t look the way they thought it would at times. We all probably feel similar at the moment. This wasn’t part of the plan for us. It certainly wasn’t part of my plan. But what if God is taking us unto the unknown so that His promise can be made known. To us. To others. To the future.

I’ve seen lots of things on social media over the past few days saying that we are living through history and suggesting that future generations will ask “What did you do during the time of Covid 19?” Surely the best answer to that is “What God positioned me to do” That is a different answer for each of us. We are each where we are for a reason. One day we will find that out. It might be clear already or it might become clear down the line. For now I am trying to have confidence that God had positioned me deliberately and he wants me to wait patiently, be obedient and trust in the character of God.

I want to leave you with some of the words from a song, Take Courage by Kristene DiMarco:

“Take courage my heart, Stay steadfast my soul. He's in the waiting, He's in the waiting. Hold onto your hope as your triumph unfolds. He's never failing, He's never failing.”

Heather

[sambsaf]

A little about The Commission on the Status of Women

An organization mentioned in Chapter 35 of The Oxford Handbook for Transnational Feminists is the Commission on the Status of Women, often referred to as the CSW.  An aspect of the CSW that is commonly seen in today's media society is social media movement that takes place online that works to promote women’s rights and expose those who threaten these daily. Movements such as the #MeToo movement, the #TimesUp movement that the #NotOneMore campaign are well known internationally and have made a substantial impact on working to promote human security, especially for women who are discriminated against sexually. This commision was formed by the United Nations in 1946, and sought to promote human security for women and support women’s rights worldwide and continues to do so to this day.  By viewing their interactive webpage, anyone can join the campaign. https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw

[phgq]

POPCOM-1 intensifies family planning programs, honors outstanding LGU partners 

#PHinfo: POPCOM-1 intensifies family planning programs, honors outstanding LGU partners 

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Oct. 30 (PIA) -- There is an immediate and intensive need in the implementation of the family planning through the  National Program on Population and Family Planning (NPPFP), an official from the Department of Health (DOH) said. 

In his visit in La Union as guest during the regional awarding of the Kaunlarang Pantao here, DOH Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III, also executive director of the Commission on Population (Popcom), stressed the importance of family planning towards socio-economic development. 

“Our goal in the next three years is to achieve the demographic dividend wherein there is no more unmet need in family planning, those who need to avail of the family planning must be provided services,“ Perez said.

He shared that at present, only 40 percent out of 70 percent of married women avail of the modern planning methods.

"There is a gap, which is about four to five million Filipino women, thus we hope to reach them in the rural areas and urban poor communities," said Perez. 

USec. Juan Antonio Perez III in a media interview explaining the NPPFP and other programs of the Commision on Population and Development. (JDS/PIA La Union)

  In Region 1, Pangasinan was identified as priority province in the region because of its population.

Under the NPPFP, the Popcom aims to reach the grassroots and communities through the mobilization of barangay volunteers and local population officers.

Personnel can assist in providing family planning services and resupply pills and condoms to those who need them through community-based distribution.

Popcom will also help the DOH in the distribution of these family planning commodities in the different local government units. 

Meanwhile, in the 2019 Regional Kaunlarang Pantao Awarding Ceremony, most of the awardees are from Pangasinan, bagging the awards on Most Outstanding Provincial Population Office, Outstanding Municipal Office taken by Alcala town, and San Carlos City as Most Outstanding City Office. 

Barangay Volunteer Josephine Lacambra from Mangaldan, Pangasinan was recognized outstanding barangay population awardee by the Commission on Population and Development during the awarding ceremonies held on October 25. (JDS/PIA La Union)  

  Meanwhile, Josephine Lacambra from Mangaldan, Pangasinan was confered the Outstanding Barangay Population Volunteer award.

“We hope to continue the strong partnership with the different local government units in the intensification of our efforts towards our goal in achieving the NPPFP,” USec. Perez said.  (JCR/JNPD/JDS/PIA La Union)

***

References:

* Philippine Information Agency. "POPCOM-1 intensifies family planning programs, honors outstanding LGU partners ." Philippine Information Agency. https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1029473 (accessed October 31, 2019 at 05:07AM UTC+08).

* Philippine Infornation Agency. "POPCOM-1 intensifies family planning programs, honors outstanding LGU partners ." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1029473 (archived).

[christineamccalla]

Restrictive Treasury Management processes and consequences to delay in payment, by McCalla, Christine Ann

From: McCalla, Christine Ann and all variations thereof

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Re: Restrictive Treasury Management processes and consequences to delay in payment

Interpol has refused to pay my earnings and is using it as a bargaining chip and leverage to coerce numerous services from people. I want my money and has not been shy given my homeless state and the number of people who have attempted to murder. The current status is the comingling of my money with that of Meridian and all variations thereof which was some heist from Interpol where other client's accounts are being comingled and loaned without permission. This include various sectors including life insurance and death benefits, nations treasuries, incomes and revenues from transactions, inheritances and holdings, and simply plain treasuries for the business of commerce.

Furthermore, there is the dynamic of disbursing my funding to nations, states, agencies, and anyone but me including relationships as far back as seven years, landlords, affiliates, friends, classmates, etc.. Let us review the conduct of Terri McKnight. It is alleged she was authorized by the EU, EU commision, and EU Council and their various representatives to abuse me in the manner she has. Allegedly, she is encumbered $5 million dollars of my earnings and disrupts any initiative I have pursued including entrepreneurship, earnings, credentials, and education. She has been in receipt of my diplomatic documents multiple times in this fashion, my accounts, and my net worth. She has been made homeless and has used my efforts and industry that I cannot benefit from to erect herself into solvency. Remembering her gratitude of contacting every potential prospect I could seek including that of Pennsylvania employment and lessor to ensure I remain in default and in deficit.

Resolved, for every dollar disbursed, encumbered, promised, and / or given to Terri McKnight, alternate, or substitute, McCalla, Christine Ann and all variations thereof shall benefit $525, to no maximum.

Resolved, in the event the criminal, Terri McKnight, alternate, or substitute, is unable to fund the penalty, fine, and jeopardy, their collateral, securitization, guarantor, related and similar, shall equally, equitably, and measure for measure, dollar for dollar, fund the compensation in the measure of for every dollar disbursed, encumbered, promised, and / or given to Terri McKnight, alternate, or substitute, McCalla, Christine Ann and all variations thereof shall benefit $525, to no maximum.

Given that I am Barony at birth although the Barony preceding me was still alive, and I have never received any documentation in this regard. Then again, the Barony is an inheritance. My earnings and incomes are significant and substantial and EARNED. I am entitled to them. I have retained by contract Yazziz al-Chayeb (husband and all variations thereof, and husband by marriage by proxy) to retrieve my incomes and present them to me in my name. Rumor has it, Interpol put Yazziz al-Chayeb before the war crimes tribunal, attempted to dissolve the marriage, and nullified the contract in an attempt to sell it. All null. Let me take the opportunity to remind you, I took Business Law at Montgomery College, Maryland, a school you have attempted to corrupt and close. My CPA exam, partially complete thanks to your weaponized attempts at disruption also contained business law that I excelled at although not certified which included business/contract law. My technical experience included procurement and contract negotiation and navigation which I have actually done through paid employment. Also, remember my state funded vocational completed course Introduction to Paralegal studies which have served me beyond monies can pay. This included contract negotiation, cease and desists, courthouse and investigation services, do not abuse, and the general know how of approaching the law and responding to antagonism.

I must now turn to alternative methods of ensuring that my compensation is not frivelled away to murderers, prositutes, confidence games, and the like. As a result,

Resolved, Interpol must auction the crown jewels of any nation including its own agency to cover indebtedness of the stolen funds to make McCalla, Christine Ann and all variations thereof whole. In the event there are deficits, adequate collateral and guarantors are required to "true up" the amount to cure the crime, et al.

Resolved, Interpol must secure five senior government officials of the nation borrowing to approve the monies to be heisted in advance of the event to prevent unauthorized access, et al.

Resolved, Interpol must ensure that changes to treasury management must be executed by owner of the treasury. In this case, McCalla, Christine Ann and all variations thereof.

Resolved, the most advantageous of the yields of Libor or other interest rates applied to the central banking system in the nation Interpol resides in will be reduced by 60% for the duration the compensation due to McCalla, Christine Ann and all variations thereof is stolen / fraudulently withheld. The 60% shall be increase McCalla's compensation to compensate the burgled treasury for the inconvenience.

Resolved, these treasury management measures are IN ADDITION TO AND DO NOT SUPERCEDE THE PRIOR MEASURES ALREADY ACTIVE. The measures  are already active, but are in need of reinforcements.

EIU ViewsWire (2012) presented a risk assessment portfolio addressing the numerous risks treasuries face. EIU ViewsWire (2012) risk assessment elements are sovereign risk, currency risk, Banking sector risk, Political risk, Economic structure risk, and Country risk. No nation, agency, or Interpol who do not meet the ratings described above quantified as greater than or equal to Aa shall retain the payments / assets, resources, and liabilities due to McCalla, Christine Ann and all variations thereof. Her assets, resources, and liabilities shall be disbursed immediately to her. Failure to do so result in penalties, fines, injuries, and jeopardy of no less than ten times (10) the amount of interest in the fair market value of the assets, resources, and liabilities transacted and no greater than 3,500 times (three thousand five hundred times) given the fraudulent transactions which has occurred in which Interpol has withheld payments from her leaving her destitute and homeless while farming out loans to her family who has abandoned her, enemies, her academic institutions, its faculty, and staff, and any one who enquires with the approximately 2/3 of the note for accommodations and the entirety due within two days of issuance of the note as was the alleged case of Winsome Dawes. Furthermore, the practice of withholding funding / compensation from McCalla, Christine Ann and all variations results in making her a target from criminals including WhiteHall UK gang, Felelina/Felina X / Christina Bock (Northcentral Academic Advisor), Task / Tusk from European Commission / Counsel who has alleged recruited his sons, Whitehall UK gang, US Department of Defense (on a long term basis), the Arab race both within the United States of America and out who have accosted her directly including Ansari who has infringed on Pittsburgh Institute where he was a dental student and allegedly ejected. Ansari who is unknown to her previously encountered McCalla, Christine Ann at a bus stop and began calling her whore, prostitute, the whore, the prostitute for approximately five mins or so and then he began describing her acts of giving felatio. McCalla now replied with a lip-licking motion and said this is how it's done. She walked over to Ansari and introduced herself immediately after and he looked at her in a condescending fashion and snapped, what! McCalla replied how are you? He said fine. McCalla continued, I am Christine McCalla and its nice to meet you. The harassment and lewdness stopped and Ansari immediately boarded a bus. There is also the allegation of Barbara McKulskey paying Arabs in the USA to harrass McCalla and it has resulted in numerous Arabs accosting McCalla by amplifier with intimidation, you are a whore, you a prostitute, I am terror, I will bomb you, you are homeless, I know where you sleep and I will stab you. I will tox you and stab you. This was done in person by a petite Arab woman. Furthermore, McCalla is homeless and Arab women in the habit of prostitution wake McCalla at night to get up and PISS so they can piss. Sometimes their clients PISS in them and won't get off and McCalla must get up so she can PISS. Wake her up so I can PISS! We must wake her up so she must find a place to PISS so she can get raped. There is also the matter of identity theft and intellectual infringement where everyone was granted permission and financed access to my life. There  were  also the  cases where they called  numerous citizens within the USA with promises of weapons trading and trafficking and prositution.  There is also the matter of the women in Pittsburgh who want to become prostitute and believe they can become prostitute through me as they reach more clients, publicly and openly over amplifiers. Eventually they reached enterprises located in the Europe who are willing to employ them. Then at the homeless outreach program where allegedly a man was employed to sell stinger missiles and did not know how to use them and deployed them by accident Wednesday August 23, 2017. There were also the matter of alleged heat seeker missiles with nanotechnology directing the stingers, alivening them up, and waking them up. This man was told by US Department of Defense that McCalla needs a murder. He was also told that the rep had debts and he could get paid if he killed me. At lunchtime today and for no reason, the person begun at lunch to accost me in an aggressive tone with amplifiers talking about I am in a gang, this is Pittsburg, I am by myself. Previously he and several of the clients there including DHS workers reached out to Chicago Mafia and told them I am the one who turned in their daughter Christina Bock, they then went to terrorists, then HAMAS and MUSSAD. I responded by saying I run with HAMAS and MUSSAD you don't frighten me. The Arabs are my enemies, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I am the one who kiss HAMAS to death. There were responses we have nothing to do with Pinty and this is Pinty's fight. Then there were complaints there are gangs in the locale and I have shown no interest in safety.  There is also the matter of the denizens who financed my death and expect that my estate can see them financially settled. Some are Extremely aggressive in this where I am told leave Pennsylvania, pay and stay in Pennsylvania, DHS case workers have been calling various housing authorities to find out the status of my application. They have threatened to interrupt my employment opportunities once they arrive. Being homeless I have considered taking on a part time job, and the general public has mentioned they will take it from me. they have been paid by numerous personnel to ensure I cannot have a lease and I must live with a man. This includes the federal government employees.  Then a woman in a burkha through the use of technology appeared and said she would bomb me this morning around 5:15 am. She removed her clothing and I began saying tic, tic, tic and hit my leg with my water bottle. The tic is how they called their weaponized anaconda who has the technology to manage explosions and blasts. The anaconda landed in front or on top of the woman and the blast ruptured behind her and away from me. There is also the matter of US Department of Defense who constantly has mutations of the varying anatomy including skin and tongue who grants accessibility to devices to people to execute me. The devices are like lights that be used in the home when there is power outage, round and flat and have the lit globe. When they punch it, GPS access is  granted and the people can interact including crocodiles and their venoms.      

There is also the matter of Task/Tusk who has been allegedly been waiting for my prostitution has been recruiting people and the gangs of Whitehall are now active and can extend to my environment. I have been told my contractual services are worth almost $800 million plus profit shares. Task / Tusk who has made me a target by his direct refusal to pay is murdering me and this needs to stop.

Requests, inquiries, deposits, loans, advances, or any transaction of an unauthorized nature requires secured collateral, guarantees / guarantors in the amount of no less than ten times (10) the amount of interest and no greater than 1,500 times (one thousand five hundred times). It is expected the interested party is one of good faith and as a result is making a request of good faith. Once the transaction has been completed, the national treasury of the nation the petitioner must be notified and be made aware the distribution must be made immediately to avoid further penalties.

References

USA: Country risk summary. (2012, Oct 19). EIU ViewsWire Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/1113395894?accountid=28180