#and the fact that such an earth shattering change to the legal system could come from phoenix wright?

[eleccy]

no but the way one of my favorite things about the krisnix dynamic is the way that apollo is such a blank slate at the beginning of aa4 and the way phoenix and kristoph are both trying to convince him to their respective “side” it’s so funny

like, they’re out here waging ideological warfare and kristoph is trying to steer apollo to follow his training and just be the calm, logical lawyer he trained him to be and phoenix is just like “but what if something something chaos” and it’s JUST enough to plant the seed of curiosity and doubt into apollo’s little mind and apollo’s like “ooooooh i just gotta know now sorry mr. gavin this is about the truth!!” and phoenix just gives kristoph that shit-eating grin like “haha kristoph you trained him for months maybe years all it took me was like five mins” and kristoph can’t fucking stand that shit. and of COURSE apollo is going to be curious, he has inborn perceive for god’s sake, and phoenix is the only one who knows that. even giving apollo a SHRED of an idea that there might be more to finding the truth of the case has apollo on the scent like a bloodhound and because of that, phoenix is able to play apollo against kristoph perfectly even when kristoph thinks he has full control of all of the pieces on the board (he doesn’t, phoenix has been eating the pieces while he wasn’t looking. metaphorically)

also why the fuck do two veteran lawyers care so much about what one rookie thinks. is it just the fact that apollo’s the only attorney in the room who has the power to do anything during 4-1 so they both have to play kingmaker in their game of chess to win, or are they just that petty that they have to “win” apollo as well

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 17, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

One hundred and fifty nine years ago this week, in 1862, 75,000 United States troops and about 38,000 Confederate troops massed along Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland.

After a successful summer of fighting, Confederate general Robert E. Lee had crossed the Potomac River into Maryland to bring the Civil War to the North. He hoped to swing the slave state of Maryland into rebellion and to weaken Lincoln’s war policies in the upcoming 1862 elections. For his part, Union general George McClellan hoped to finish off the southern Army of Northern Virginia that had snaked away from him all summer.

The armies clashed as the sun rose about 5:30 on the clear fall morning of September 17, 159 years ago today. For twelve hours the men slashed at each other. Amid the smoke and fire, soldiers fell. Twelve hours later, more than 2000 U.S. soldiers lay dead and more than 10,000 of their comrades were wounded or missing. Fifteen hundred Confederates had fallen in the battle, and another 9000 or so were wounded or captured. The United States had lost 25% of its fighting force; the Confederates, 31%. The First Texas Infantry lost 82% of its men.

That slaughter was brought home to northern families in a novel way after the battle. Photographer Alexander Gardner, working for the great photographer Matthew Brady, brought his camera to Antietam two days after the guns fell silent. Until Gardner’s field experiment, photography had been limited almost entirely to studios. People sent formal photos home and recorded family images for posterity, as if photographs were portraits.

Taking his camera outside, Gardner recorded seventy images of Antietam for people back home. His stark images showed bridges and famous generals, but they also showed rows of bodies, twisted and bloating in the sun as they awaited burial. By any standards these war photos were horrific, but to a people who had never seen anything like it before, they were earth-shattering.

White southern men had marched off to war in 1861 expecting that they would fight and win a heroic battle or two and that their easy victories over the northerners they dismissed as emasculated shopkeepers would enable them to create a new nation based in white supremacy. In the 1850s, pro-slavery lawmakers had taken over the United States government, but white southerners were a minority and they knew it. When the election of 1860 put into power lawmakers and a president who rejected their worldview, they decided to destroy the nation.

Eager to gain power in the rebellion, pro-secession politicians raced to extremes, assuring their constituencies that they were defending the true nature of a strong new country and that those defending the old version of the United States would never fight effectively.

On March 21, 1861, the future vice president of the Confederacy, Alexander Stephens, laid out the world he thought white southerners should fight for. He explained that the Founders were wrong to base the government on the principle that humans were inherently equal, and that northerners were behind the times with their adherence to the outdated idea that “the negro is equal, and…entitled to equal privileges and rights with the white man.” Confederate leaders had corrected the Founders’ error. They had rested the Confederacy on the “great truth” that “the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition.”

White southern leaders talked easily about a coming war, assuring prospective soldiers that defeating the United States Army would be a matter of a fight or, perhaps, two. South Carolina Senator James Chesnut Jr. assured his neighbors that there would be so few casualties he would be happy to drink all the blood shed in a fight between the South and the North. And so, poorer white southerners marched to war.

The July 1861 Battle of Bull Run put the conceit of an easy victory to rest. Although the Confederates ultimately routed the U.S. soldiers, the southern men were shocked at what they experienced. “Never have I conceived of such a continuous, rushing hailstorm of shot, shell, and musketry as fell around and among us for hours together,” one wrote home. “We who escaped are constantly wondering how we could possibly have come out of the action alive.”

Northerners, too, had initially thought the war against the blustering southerners would be quick and easy, so quick and easy that some congressmen brought picnics to Bull Run to watch the fighting, only to get caught in the rout as soldiers ditched their rucksacks and guns and ran back toward the capital. Those at home, though, could continue to imagine the war as a heroic contest.

They could elevate the carnage, that is, until Matthew Brady exhibited Gardner’s images of Antietam at his studio in New York City. People who saw the placard announcing “The Dead of Antietam” and climbed the stairs up to Brady’s rooms to see the images found that their ideas about war were changed forever.

“The dead of the battle-field come up to us very rarely, even in dreams,” one reporter mused. “We see the list in the morning paper at breakfast, but dismiss its recollection with the coffee. There is a confused mass of names, but they are all strangers; we forget the horrible significance that dwells amid the jumble of type.” But Gardner’s photographs erased the distance between the battlefield and the home front. They brought home the fact that every name on a casualty list “represents a bleeding, mangled corpse.” “If [Gardner] has not brought bodies and laid them in our dooryards and along the streets, he has done something very like it,” the shocked reporter commented.

The horrific images of Antietam showed to those on the home front the real cost of war they had entered with bluster and flippant assurances that it would be bloodless and easy. Southern politicians had promised that white rebels fighting to create a nation whose legal system enshrined white supremacy would easily overcome a mongrel army defending the principle of human equality.  

The dead at Antietam’s Bloody Lane and Dunker Church proved they were wrong. The Battle of Antietam was enough of a Union victory to allow President Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary emancipation proclamation, warning southern states that on January 1, 1863, “all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State,” where people still fought against the United States, “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the…government of the United States…will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons....”

Lincoln’s proclamation meant that anti-slavery England would not formally enter the war on the side of the Confederates, dashing their hopes of foreign intervention, and in November 1863, Lincoln redefined the war as one not simply to restore the Union, but to protect a nation “conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

To that principle, northerners and Black southerners rallied, despite the grinding horror of the battlefields, and in 1865, they defeated the Confederates.

But they did not defeat the idea the Confederates fought, killed, and died for: a nation in which the law distinguishes among people according to the color of their skin. Today, once again, politicians are telling their followers that such a hierarchy is the best way forward for America, and today, once again, those same politicians are urging supporters to violence against a government that defends the equality before the law for which the men at Antietam—and at Gettysburg and Cold Harbor, and at four years worth of battlefields across the country—gave their lives.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[rilakoya]

No Place Like Home

A Perspective! and Reality!AU

Word Count: 2.2K

Warnings: Raw honesty and social justice themes

A/N: Personal experiences ahead. I call it an AU because sometimes we’re so into escapism that reality feels like the fantasy. 

6:20 pm

“OMG, social media is so dead today!”

It’s Tuesday after the protests have begun, and my roommate is bitching and demanding his privilege. I like to believe that he means well, but he’s also a diva, and complaints are his forte.

“Well, it’s Blackout Tuesday-” I begin, but he cuts me off, eager to make his point, true to form.

“No, look, I get it. Really I do. But all I keep seeing is a black screen. I keep my phone on dark mode for a reason. I don’t want to have to keep downloading games because I need something to occupy my time today.”

Need. That’s definitely a feeling I’m familiar with. I need a sense of false security in order to leave my house and interact with others in a way that meets social expectations. I need a keen sense of self and social awareness and nimble cultural reflexes in order to ensure that I’m not perceived as angry or bitter in my responses to the way the world treats me. So what if I actually am, in fact, angry. Society has taught me that it deems my anger irrelevant, unworthy of notice, and I have been conditioned to recognize that showing it doesn’t get me what I want or need. Which makes me think again about my roommate’s commentary. He needs social media to be more lively, despite the fact that entire people groups are protesting unjust and inhumane treatment. And I need hope that my brothers won’t occupy body bags simply because they exist today.

I guess each person has their own struggles.

I’m a fiction writer. And at the risk of sounding boastful, I’m pretty good at it. But that’s just because good fiction requires a healthy dose of imagination, and I’m a master.

I have to be.

Every day since I was a little girl, I wake up and imagine that the fair rules of engagement apply to me. I imagine that I may expect the same level of courtesy and respect as my fairer-skinned counterparts.

In school, when my teachers would unspokenly expect me to work twice as hard to receive the same level of acceptance, I imagined that they did the same with all the children. When my scores indicated that I was a highly gifted student, multiple grade levels above my peers, but was frequently accused of cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty because my superiors were unable or unwilling to accept that a little black girl could have possibly produced such results, I imagined a world where education systems were tailored to students and where teachers and administrators saw the value in children rather than just their preconceived notions about them because of the color of their skin.

When people granted me interviews because of the “normal” name on my resume and the professionally “white” sound of my voice, only to thank me after minimal interviews and promise to call once they saw me, I imagined that they recognized that my professional experience and qualifications were worth more than the wage that their budget permitted, instead of acknowledging that they often chose to hire someone who was less qualified but whiter than me, and when they paid said person more, I imagined that I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed doing that type of job anyway or working at that company anyway. Even though it was the same at many companies.

When people tell me that I am “pretty for a Black girl,” or “too pretty to ‘just’ be Black,” as though being Black isn’t already the most blessed form in creation, I imagine that what they’re really saying is, “you’re so fucking gorgeous that I don’t even know how to compliment you properly, so please forgive me while I babble like a moron and potentially insult you. I’m so awestruck that I just can’t help myself.”

I wrote my first smut during one of many unjust police stops, when the only purpose of the detainment was to harass me and remind me who was in control. I imagined that it was really a sexy roleplay and that I liked it. And when the trauma and anxiety of constantly wondering if I’m about to be stopped once again for Driving While Black threaten to be too much, I imagine that I’m really just in my house, writing it all down for a story. Even though the stories carry too much shame for me to comfortably share. I imagine that’s all just part of the process.

When I interact with the world, and no matter what, am told that I’m either “too much” or “not enough,” sometimes both at the same time, I imagine that what they’re really saying is that because I originate from the beginnings of creation, because I have both the secrets of the Earth and royalty in my blood, I don’t fit the mold, and they don’t know how to process my greatness. And this enables me to smile when I feel like shattering into a million pieces, when I’m reminded of how I don’t meet the social standard, how I don’t fit in.

Most of all, every day I imagine what it would be like to feel like I truly have a place on this vast Earth that I can safely call home. Home is where we are safe, where we are welcomed, where we belong.

I was born in Germany, but I don’t belong there.

I’ve lived in Mexico and Guatemala, but it’s not safe for me there.

Some of my ancestors were from Africa, but it’s a large continent, made up of many countries, all foreign to me because of cultural eradication, so I could visit, but really I don’t belong there.

My forebears were brought to the Americas as slaves, worked like dogs, and treated as less than animals, and although early settlers were considered “Americans” relatively quickly, after four centuries, I still don’t belong here.

I’m not even 40, but I was born during the Cold War, in a country that has successfully recovered from antisemitism, but not from antiblack sentiment.

Both of my parents were born before the Civil Rights Act was passed, in the middle of the Civils Rights Movement.

My grandparents were born near the end of the Great Depression and lived under Jim Crow law. My grandparents. The ones who told me stories while holding me on their knees, the ones who spent their lives sweating and striving for me to have better.

My grandma’s grandma was a slave. My dad remembers an aunt (a great-aunt) coming to his school in elementary to talk about the fact that she had been born a slave.

I think that people forget that it wasn’t that long ago, forget that the tyranny and oppression has gone on for so long.

They forget that Europeans have been enslaving Africans since the 15th century. For those who hated school, that means the 1400s. Slaves were brought to the Americas as early as 1503. The only reason we didn’t reach the country we now call the U.S. until the early 1600s was because it took England that long to decide to colonize the area.

They forget that in my great-great-grandparents’ time, in my great-grandparents’ time, in my grandparents’ time, at the time my parents were born, I could have been beaten, raped, falsely accused, cheated, ignored, taken advantage of, or killed just for the color of my skin.

They forget that, 401 years later, 155 years after the Civil War, 157 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, 152 years after the 14th Amendment, 57 years after MLK marched, 56 years after the Civil Rights Act was passed, nothing has changed.

They forget that it is our American right to speak out, to decry our oppression.

The First Amendment says that we have the right to freedom of speech and press, that we have the right to peaceably assemble and ask the government for a solution to our complaints of unfair treatment. But we are silenced, gassed when we protest peacefully, and our cries for justice have been ignored for generations.

The Second Amendment says that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Yet time after time, legally armed, law-abiding Blacks are arrested or shot just for being a person of color in possession of a gun, while white gun owners can brandish their weapons freely without fear of being shot or unjustly detained.

The Fourth Amendment says that citizens may not be subject to unreasonable search and seizure. It’s where the concept of a search warrant comes from. Yet Blacks and other people of color have been subject to racial profiling and racially motivated searches, frisking, and seizure of property for as long as we have been citizens of this country.

The Sixth Amendment says that citizens have the right to a public and speedy trial, by an impartial jury, to know what we’re being accused of, to be confronted by the witnesses against us, and to have the opportunity to gain witnesses in our favor, and to have the right to an attorney in our defense. This is one of the biggest jokes. People of color remain in cells for weeks and months before trial, and are often coerced into plea bargains for crimes they didn’t commit in the first place, just so they can get out of jail sooner rather than run the risk of being remaining in jail for months, only to face a courtroom that is predisposed against you because of stereotypes and shady police records, with a public defender that is overworked at best and disinterested or corrupt at worst, resulting in extremely long sentencing with little to no account for the time the individual has already been incarcerated, seemingly as a penalty for refusing to take the fall and essentially “wasting people’s time”.

The Eighth Amendment says that “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” I could laugh if it weren’t such a blatant lie. Bail is disproportionately higher for people of color than for whites, as are the fines, and while cruel and unusual punishments may be subjective, I would argue that legalized slavery for a criminal population that is disproportionately comprised of Blacks and people of color AND murder by law enforcement before even reaching a judge BOTH qualify as cruel and unusual, particularly since it’s extremely notable how many white people, even accused or convicted of especially heinous crimes do not meet this fate, while a Black person could do so for merely moving wrong during a traffic stop.

The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except as a punishment for crime. However, the only thing this changed for Blacks was the beginnings of racially motivated mass incarceration, starting from 1865 until the present.

The Fourteenth Amendment says that anyone born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen of the USA.  It also says that “no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

There are 20 other Amendments as of 2020, but this Amendment alone is the root of the problem. Black Americans are just that- Americans, and yet, we are DENIED equal protection under the law. We are DEPRIVED OF LIFE, LIBERTY AND PROPERTY, without due process of law.

But people seem to forget that Blacks are American citizens, too. And so, they seek to preserve their peace and forget to care.

So, as I turn up my headphones to tune out my roommate’s irritatingly ironic assertions of oppression, I turn my attention to the places where I have a voice, to remind people that this movement is more than just a lofty idea or the overreaction of a group of people that’s too sensitive or hung up on the past. I remind them that the problem is that the actions and attitudes, the injustices and imbalanced systems are still happening NOW, in the present, mid-2020. That’s why we can’t stay silent. Why no one can. I use my influence to remind the world what those who came before me died to obtain:

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. The Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the [blatant racist or the white supremacist] but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., excerpted out of order from sections of a letter from Birmingham Jail, Alabama, 16 April 1963

I remind those who care to listen that I exist in this world, hated and unwelcome. My very existence is one of danger and risk, especially if I choose to be myself. For me, there is no place like home.

I remind the world that I can’t breathe, and that for me that’s not just a catchphrase; it’s not just a concept to use for merit mongering or fitting in. It’s the fear that chokes me, the anxiety that suffocates my hopes and dreams. For me, it’s a reality.

[your-dietician]

Twenty Years Later | Postpartum Support International (PSI)

New Post has been published on https://depression-md.com/twenty-years-later-postpartum-support-international-psi/

Twenty Years Later | Postpartum Support International (PSI)

Twenty Years Later – The story behind the Yates Children Memorial Fund

Written by: Vanessa Park Told by: Mary Parnham

When Noah, John, Paul, Luke and Mary Yates woke up in their Houston, TX home on June 20, 2001, they did not know it was to be their last day on earth. But it was. The events of that day ripped through countless lives, hearts, and homes, leaving a trail of mourning and disbelief. In the 20 years since, much has transpired. 

What I know, and what others in the legal and mental health professions understand, is that the children’s mother, who ended the lives of Noah, Paul, Luke, and Mary, loved her children more than her own life and truly believed she was saving them. 

Andrea Yates was not, and is not, a monster. The only monster in the house that day was postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness but one with distinct warning signs and symptoms, though few recognize them, even many medical and mental health clinicians. 

The tragedy—for tragedy it was—could have been avoided. Here’s the story. 

Twenty years ago, when word of this tragedy was released by news outlets in Houston and across the country, most people, including those of us in the local criminal justice system, were horrified and numb. Really? Were we hearing this correctly? That mother must be pure evil to have done such a thing. Some people even called for Andrea’s immediate execution—without a trial. She didn’t deserve one.

That brings us to the second monster in the story. Ignorance. 

The law firm my husband George Parnham and I operate in Houston was contacted on official business regarding the Yates murders. Would George take Andrea’s case? That momentous day, he said yes. George had heard the story on the news already, and, like any red-blooded defense lawyer, he hoped he’d get the call. Let’s be honest—it was obviously going to be a huge case. Little did any of us know it would be a groundbreaking case, as well. 

As eager as we were to dig in, neither George nor I took what we’d agreed to lightly. Andrea’s case was already being tried ruthlessly in the media, a situation that dogged us throughout and certainly did not help. Within a day of George’s name becoming linked with Andrea’s as her attorney, our office received over 150 media calls in one weekend. That was our first reality check. Life, as we knew it, would never be the same. 

Houston had experienced a devastating tropical storm just prior to June 20. Our jail and courthouse systems had been displaced by flooding and other consequences of the storm. As we prepared our case that summer, this fact just made things a little harder than they already were. 

The competency hearing was scheduled on September 11. The timing and circumstances guaranteed this was a recipe for disaster. Oil companies in downtown Houston were abandoning their offices and buildings that day, while the media from all over the country were camped out to witness the hearing. Mass transit was at a halt, and the countless reporters who needed to get back home, to New York or LA or wherever they were from, quickly realized they might be stranded. Houston that day was a full-fledged hot, humid, immobilized big-city nightmare. 

Looking back, I’d say that post-storm Houston evacuation coinciding with our competency hearing foreshadowed the challenging journey that lay ahead for us all. 

Despite strenuous efforts to develop a robust insanity defense for Andrea, when we went into the first trial early in 2002, we still knew too little about the facts of postpartum psychosis (as we later realized). The jury found her guilty of capital murder, entirely rejecting our defense. The State had sought the death penalty. Fortunately, the jury chose to spare her life. 

It’s worth noting that, once her psychosis was treated and had abated, Andrea was fully aware of her actions, their consequences, and had to live every day of her life with the unbearable pain of knowing she had killed her own children—who gave her life meaning and provided her with what little joy she found in an otherwise lonely life.  Regardless of her illness, the verdict, and any facts that came to light after June 20 of 2001, Andrea Yates would never forgive herself. 

In the aftermath of the shattering verdict, there was one idea that George and I could not let go of—there must be a way to avoid these tragedies in the future. There must be a way to educate and bring awareness to an oblivious public—the people who sit on our judicial benches and make up our juries, the new moms and dads bringing children into the world, medical practitioners who likely have never seen a case of this rare mental disorder in their careers. 

Knowledge is power. The public has to be made aware that misdiagnosed and untreated mental illness was the culprit here—not mom.

We found our way to Mental Health America of Greater Houston and the Yates Children’s Memorial Fund (YCMF) was created. Our mission was “to raise awareness about postpartum illness for the benefit of mother, child, and family.” We flourished for some time in the greater Houston area and our list of milestones was impressive. We were also successful in having Andrea’s case reversed in the appellate process. We were granted a new trial—a second bite of the apple, so to speak.

We knew from the start of the second trial that the State could not seek the death penalty this time around, since it was rejected by the first jury. So, thankfully, that part of the trial was not in dispute. Almost five years had passed since the tragedy. YCMF had been circulating in the community and we truly believed that this time we would have a more aware, more educated jury pool. This trial was long, as the first was, but the difference was the amount of time the jury spent in deliberation. There was no hours-long rush to a verdict as there was the last time. The jurors took two and a half days to deliver a reasoned verdict: Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. 

Wow. It worked! We did it! 

Interestingly, Andrea hadn’t wanted us to try her case a second time. She had little recollection of the first trial due to her mental state at the time. Five years later, she was perfectly sound of mind and painfully aware, so that the presentation of all evidence, day in and day out, was bound to be very hard on her. (And it was.) But George convinced her. He helped her believe in herself, and that she was strong enough to do it. He also convinced her it would be worth it. All the work, learning, interviews, research, and planning that he had done over five years to prepare for this moment made him confident we would prevail this time around. 

And he was right. 

Andrea, of course, still suffers the loss of her children, the weight of which none of us who have not experienced such a thing can ever imagine. However, rather than languishing as a felon in prison, she is being well cared for in a clinical setting. She keeps as busy as she can and waits for the day when she will be reunited with her children. 

Andrea has become our dear friend. As close as we are to her, George and I fully realize that, to Andrea, everyday life is a kind of living nightmare. But her faith, fortitude, and desire to be reunited with her babies keeps her going—keeps her alive.

But justice for one is not justice for all. We realized more and more that we needed to expand our efforts and advocate, educate, and engage on a broader scale. As if someone overheard our prayers, we were able to do just that, but in the strangest of ways.

Weather disasters are part of living in the Gulf Coast Region, and three years ago we were directly impacted by Hurricane Harvey. (The worst flooding Houston has ever seen.) As part of its aftermath, Mental Health America was moving in a different direction with post-Harvey grants. In other words, our funding dried up. YCMF lay virtually dormant. But Postpartum Support International (PSI) took up the reins and welcomed YCMF to its family as the PSI Yates Children Memorial Fund Justice and Advocacy Program. A mouthful, yes—but music to our ears. The direction has shifted a bit from YCMF’s first iteration, but the fit with PSI is indeed perfect.

The PSI Justice and Advocacy Program was developed out of the need to provide education and awareness of the plight of mothers who were implicated in the criminal justice system for infanticide or filicide. The goals of the program are to provide support to families and resources for professionals involved with cases concerning perinatal mental illness in the legal system. The list includes law enforcement, first responders, attorneys, maternal mental health expert witnesses, and psychiatric providers.

We’ve all heard it—tragedy begets change. But change is still too slow to suit me. 

Andrea was not the first mother suffering from PPP to be unjustly convicted of murder, nor, unfortunately, was she the last. Twenty years later, the headlines keep coming and moms keep suffering and children are still victims. And yet, in spite of everything, we do believe our efforts have made a difference. But we have only scratched the surface of this problem in the US justice system, which falls far behind other developed nations in terms of its legal handling of maternal mental illness. 

Until these tragedies become extinct, our work is not and will not ever be concluded. 

We ask you to renew your commitment to make change—to educate—to reach out—to encourage—to shatter the awful stigma around mental health—and to speak up for change. We know so many who advocate for change in the world of maternal mental health have had their own experiences. And to all of you, we see you, we hear you, and we thank our lucky stars that you made your way to PSI and work to encourage and engage in our mission. We couldn’t do this work without you.

    PSI provides support, resources and referrals for those who suffer from Postpartum Psychosis and other Perinatal Mental Health Disorders.  If you want to learn more about Postpartum Psychosis, or need help for yourself or a loved one, you can find more information about symptoms and resources here or contact the PSI HelpLine at 800-944-4773.

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[neoduskcomics]

Steven Universe Review: Seasons 4 and 5 (PART 2)

STEVEN UNIVERSE SPOILERS

READ PART ONE HERE.

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Honestly, I don’t have a lot to say about this one? I guess the episode is supposed to be about Steven struggling with this idea that he has some kind of magical destiny—that Rose made him with a specific purpose in mind—and then it turns out that he’s just supposed to be a normal kid. On the one hand, I kind of get it because the show has sort of felt like it’s treated Steven like this all-important anomaly. But on the other hand, I don’t feel like Steven ever has really been given reason to think that he’s got some sort of grander purpose beyond maybe being a Crystal Gem.

Maybe he just assumes that he does because of how he’s seen that Rose Quartz is such a big deal, but I dunno, I wasn’t super feeling the emotional conflict in this one. I can get that he’s desperate to find answers to mysteries, but I’m not sure this is one where I felt like there was a real sense of urgency. Even if he did have some kind of destiny, it didn’t seem like it was something he needed to know, like, right away or else everything is meaningless. I’m sure there are different ways to look at it, but I just didn’t really connect with this one.

I’m not shitting on the episode, though. I think it works fine. Steven’s desperation is still believable and I did share in his desire to get some answers. Plus it was also sort of an unspoken mystery the whole series, like “Did Rose have a higher purpose for Steven?” and this episode kinda puts that question to rest.

I said I didn’t have a lot to say and then I talked endlessly about it.

Doug Out

This episode is about the closest thing to filler that you can get in this show. We learn a little about Connie’s dad and the relationship she has with him. It’s not very dramatic and it’s not very funny. There’s a tease at the end about a foreboding threat. I don’t have anything else to say other than wow it sure is irresponsible to just leave Onion alone in a closed, deserted amusement park at night when you were specifically there to get rid of trespassers.

The Good Lars

I like this one. You know Lars has always been a problematic character. He was flawed, but it was like, he was so flawed he was almost unlikable (or just plain unlikable for a lot of the fans). We got character progression, but it was incredibly incremental, and took place over the course of four seasons. In this episode, we finally get Lars earnestly making an effort to change and be a better person and stand up for himself. We also learn that he’s actually good at baking, and that he’s actually somewhat passionate about it. It’s refreshing, redeeming, and endearing. Sure, he chickens out in the end, but this time it feels not like a step backward, but a struggle forward. Lars fails at the end of the episode, but it’s also the first time he’s ever failed because it feels like the first time he’s really ever tried in the first place. It was also nice to sort of see the more relaxed and non-stereotypical-teenager side of the cool kid crew. This episode was the real jumpstart of Lars’ ongoing character arc, and it was a really good place to start considering the crap he does in the next couple episodes.

Are You My Dad? / I Am My Mom

I’m reviewing these two episodes together because they really are just one story split into two halves. Plus, while it’s an eventful part of the story and everything and there is sort of this weird mystery they’re trying to unravel, there’s actually not a whole lot of substance to these episodes in terms of character development or progression. But they’re not bad episodes. Topaz and Aquamarine are pretty intimidating gems. I really like their designs, and I like how posh and condescending Aquamarine is. The mystery is also pretty enticing, though, if I’m being honest, the payoff of “My Dad” being a name from “the list” was a teensy bit on the weak side. I mean it’s neat and everything, but I wasn’t like “GASP. OH MY GOD. IT’S THAT THROWAWAY LINE OF DIALOGUE FROM THAT ONE EPISODE. IT TURNED OUT TO BE A MEANINGFUL PLOT POINT.” Maybe that’s because it feels like something that didn’t have to be planned—like someone could’ve just looked at that episode and been like “oh hey we can retroactively make this a plot twist thing.”

Feel free to disagree with me. I think it’s fun and all, just not, like, the mind-blowing revelation Steven made it out to be. Also the fact that he feels like he has to take responsibility for the situation because he said some dumb shit a year ago feels a tiny bit forced. Maybe if they were there specifically looking for Rose or something, and then Steven feeling like he has to specifically own up to Rose Quartz’s crimes, I’d buy it a little better. But it’s sort of just a means to getting Steven to admit to Homeworld that he’s Rose and to set up the next set of events that unfolds. Still, it’s a pretty intense moment when he reveals his identity and they fly off with him and you don’t know what’s gonna happen. It’s a pretty cliffhanger-y cliffhanger, possibly the biggest one that the series has had yet.

Stuck Together

Not a whole lot happens in this one, but I enjoyed it all the same. We get some more character development and progression for Lars, which is nice. He finally really opens up to Steven and Steven in turn opens up to him. It’s a touchy-feely moment where they bond over and in spite of their dire situation that falls just short of going overboard. What really sells this episode is when you find out that Topaz has been listening the entire time and is actually a delicate, soft-voiced softy, which was amazing. When she turns on Aquamarine at the end, it’s actually kind of tense. You almost believe she’s actually gonna do it. But then Aquamarine gets her to come to her senses and the pair of humans is taken off in separate directions. I’m actually kinda sad Topaz didn’t come back, and I hope we see more of her in the future. Overall, though, good, heartfelt episode for right before shit officially hits the fan.

The Trial

Our first episode that fully takes place on Homeworld and boy is it a doozy. First of all, we find out that Homeworld has a judicial system resembling ours and they have Gems who function as lawyers? Gem culture did not strike me as one that held trials allowing Gems to persuade the presiding officials with legal rhetoric. But okay, whatever, I can buy it, and it makes for a more interesting episode anyway than Steven just breaking out of prison (actually, why was he so ready to accept punishment at first and then suddenly he got cold feet?).

The courtroom stuff was pretty neat and incredibly tense. I love how Yellow and Blue Diamond enter the room, and how Steven’s lawyer is just like “I literally have to defend the Gem who shattered Pink Diamond. What the actual fuck”. And then by some twist of plot, she actually comes up with a plausible case for the defendant. Seeing her put it together that “Hey, could Rose have actually shattered Pink Diamond?” was pretty intense. It actually felt like one of those scenes in a detective show where the guy is putting together how the crime was committed—fitting, considering Rebecca Sugar claimed that she wants season 5 to be like a murder mystery.

So this episode was fun and intense and had interesting stuff happen and you learned things and it’s all around a good episode. Seven out of ten. Would watch again.

Off Colors

Hey, look at that, Homeworld has its own batch of misfit, deformed, defective, or otherwise inappropriate Gem lifeforms. And we always thought they were specific to Earth. While I do like the off-color crew, I do feel as though I did not like them quite as much as the show wanted me to? I mean they’re nice, I’d be sad probably if they got captured, but I don’t feel any particularly strong attachment to them. Of course, they’ve only been in two episodes thus far, so hopefully that changes over the course of the season.

That being said, Lars was definitely the star of this episode. He finally gets a pair and starts being the hero that Homeworld deserves. Or the one it needs. Whatever. Lars was cool in this episode, and it is pretty amazing how much they were able to turn around his character in the span of a few chapters. And not just turn it around, but do it in a way that actually felt believable. I think that you could probably retrospect the old Lars episodes where he’s all annoying and jerky and probably now see the very gradual (maybe too gradual) arc that they had been building this whole time. And when he dies at the end of the episode, I did think for a moment, like “Oh my god. Did they actually just kill a character on screen?” But, no, of course, Steven brings him back to life with his now magical tears. I mean, I’m, not saying I would’ve preferred that Lars be dead, and the tear thing makes sense I guess. It’s just one of those moments, you know, where it’s like “oh, right, kids show.” NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT, AND IF YOU INSINUATE THAT I’M BELITTLING CHILDREN’S ENTERTAINMENT, THEN YOU’D BETTER WATCH YOUR MOUTH, BUSTER. BECAUSE I WATCH MORE CHILDREN’S CARTOONS THAN ADULT PROGRAMMING AND I SHOULD PROBABLY try to grow up.

But yeah, good episode. Good character progression. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

Lars’ Head

So, Lars is dead, Lion is dead, Rose is dead, Pink Diamond is dead. Everyone is dead. And now we have to find out who killed them. I mean, we already know who killed Lars—character development. Also Rose was killed by Greg and indirectly by Steven and indirectly by Pearl not being woman enough for her HA. Joke at Pearl’s expense (I like Pearl and hope she’s happy with her new girlfriend, don’t get started with me).

The whole episode is basically just Steven and Lars trying to figure out exactly what the sweet holy honey biscuit is going on now with Lars and his new hue. Turns out he’s got a slow heartbeat and magic hair. Only time will tell if he also farts space portals, or whatever. The fact that his hair actually teleports Steven to the same dimension as Lion’s mane was a pretty interesting tidbit, and it really does kinda make you wonder just what is going on with that business. The show is really starting to build up a lot of intricately connected mysteries, and I really hope that the payoff is worth all this tension and foreshadowing. But, fortunately, in the meantime, the characters are still enjoyable and interesting and the animation is pretty, so it’s still a good watch.

Don’t actually have a ton else to say about this one. It was nice seeing Lars determined to make whatever sacrifices necessary to help with the cause (whatever that cause was) and Steven return home to his family. I’ve complained before about ending heavy episodes with Steven and his mates hugging or smiling, like we have to end it on a happy note no matter what, and while I did get a twinge of that, I think here it felt sorta justified. Steven had just been missing for like days and they were happy and relieved to see each other. It was a good way to temporarily end the show until the next million year hiatus is over.

Closing Thoughts

Steven Universe is still kicking and it’s still got some cool and meaningful character moments and some painfully intriguing mysteries to be resolved. Season 5 is only a couple episodes in, and it’s already got a whole lot of new questions, concerns, and stakes set up. I can only imagine how things will go from here. As for the quality of the show itself, I can’t really say that there’s been an episode lately that’s affected me quite as deeply as, say, Jail Break or Rose’s Scabbard or Sworn to the Sword or anything like that. But it’s still a damn good show and I really want to keep watching it to see where the characters go next and what they’re gonna get into (and subsequently out of). Solid show, and I hope to see more soon.

PLEASE NO SPOILERS/LEAKS ABOUT FUTURE EPISODES IN THE COMMENTS/NOTES. THANK YOU.

[bespectacledbellman]

The Great British Shake-Off

Why the Brexit Betrayal was Inevitable 

Politically, this week has been, depending on who you are, wonderful, blunderful or the latest episode of the comedy-drama Get the Bloody Hell on With It! What it hasn’t been is boring, and anyone who tells you so probably shouldn’t be entering political discussions very often. And from what I can see and hear, vast numbers of so-called Brexiteers are raging about what they term the Brexit Betrayal. But this doesn’t come as a shock to me, and I believed, almost from the start, that it was inevitable that MPs would vote against the result of the referendum. 

Here’s why: Brexit is based on one lie, that 52% of the people voted to leave the European Union. I mean, it’s not a total lie. It just depends on what you mean by “the people”. I’m not a lawyer so I couldn’t provide a legal definition in any sense, but essentially most of us would assume “the people” to include everyone in the country. This simply isn’t true. Only 52% of those who voted actually voted to leave. If we dig deeper, we find another truth. 

It’s an undeniable fact that only 37.5% of the electorate voted to leave the European Union. It is equally true, however, that this is more than the number that voted to remain, 34.7%. Yet what this means is that only 37.5% of all adults eligible to vote, given the choice, decided to change things. On the other hand, 62.5% thought that either remaining in the European Union was actively worth voting for, or wasn’t so bad to bother voting at all. They favoured the status quo. And this is important. 

In many constitutions there’s such a concept as “supermajority”, which specifies that a simple 51+% of voters is simply not enough to effect change. In the U.S., if an amendment is made to their Constitution, two-thirds of votes in Congress or two-thirds of states must propose it, and then be ratified by three quarters of states. This is an in-built mechanism designed, one presumes, to prevent a simple majority from making earth-shattering changes to the status quo. Nearer to home, the only supermajority I can find is that two-thirds of MPs must vote to dissolve the House of Commons and call for a general election before the end of its fixed term – again, favouring the status quo. In a constitutionally baffling move, there was no provision for such a supermajority in the referendum, even for a simple 51+% of all eligible voters. And that is why the situation is as it is. 

Therefore, although the Brexiteers may harp on about the death of democracy and the people’s will, MPs must be mindful of the 62.5% of people in the UK who did not vote to leave. Just because someone didn’t vote does not mean they no longer deserve rightful representation in parliament. 

And it’s this representation that makes the referendum an overblown opinion poll. The United Kingdom is not a direct democracy – we don’t go and vote weekly on things. We simply do not have the time to read through every piece of legislation, suggest amendments, liaise with each other and then vote. We instead vote for MPs once every now and then, who do all of that for us, and do so in our best interest. What that means, to give an example, is that although very few of us would vote to increase our own income tax, MPs do so as they know that the increase would help pay for vital services that we need, and is therefore in our best interest. In many ways, MPs are seemingly (and weirdly) in loco parentis, guardians of our wellbeing whether we agree with them or not.  

Of course, “best interest” is highly subjective, which is why parties create manifestoes to present what they believe is in our best interest. If we agree, they get our vote. If we don’t, they don’t. Although this doesn’t satisfy everyone, the system has been adopted by nations across the world and tends to work. 

Until now. The reason why the House of Commons seems to be tearing itself up like a sadomasochistic cannibal is because of the effrontery of the referendum – “direct democracy” thrust into the mechanism of “representative democracy”. It’s like putting a microchip to replace a cog of a grandfather clock: it’s not going to work. Not because one is better than the other, but because they are completely different forms of the same function. 

And for this reason, the Brexit Betrayal was bound to happen. How can MPs, elected to represent the best interests of the people, vote in favour of something that 62.5% of “the people” didn’t actually choose, but a simple majority did choose in a referendum. 

Don’t get me wrong, I voted to remain, but I’m no massive fan of the EU. It has loads of issues and there are legitimate reasons to want to leave. But there are lots of things that have problems – but walking away isn’t always the answer. The United Nations has corruption, but I’ve not heard anyone saying we should leave the UN. People complain about the amount of money that footballers receive, whilst fanning themselves with a season ticket. This is also why many people didn’t want to make the effort of going out to vote to remain. The EU doesn’t stoke passions in the same nationalistic way that being “an independent country that makes its own laws” does (as if the EU enforces hateful laws: I always point out the EU’s Working Time Directive that forced onto all British people 5.6 weeks of annual leave. Those bastards!). 

And the irony is that after all is said and done the issues that Brexiteers voted for: regulation, immigration, political independence, will still be there: regulation will have to be as tight to ensure that British goods can compete to the same high standards as those from other countries; immigration was higher in 2016 from outside the EU than from within, so leaving the EU cannot change that, and any political independence gained from leaving the EU will fade away as the UK bends to the economic might of the U.S. and China. True, they won’t be able to legislatively introduce laws, but lobbying from their governments to reduce, for instance, food standards to allow trade, could be a cold reality. 

In conclusion, I can understand why those 17-odd million who voted to leave feel that they are being betrayed, but it was probably inevitable. Referenda don’t work with parliamentary democracies all that well, and the numbers themselves just don’t add up. The fact that Parliament has proceeded with the result of the referendum for so long has surprised me, as it seems that none of the parties have the political strength, will or courage to stand against the result – not on the grounds of democracy (though an argument in favour of the 62.5% could easily be made), but on the grounds that people don’t always know or do what’s best for their own wellbeing. 

Go to any A&E department on a Saturday night and you’ll see what I mean. 

This doesn’t mean that the people who voted to leave don’t have legitimacy and legitimate issues that must be addressed. But as leaving the EU wouldn’t resolve most of them, surely it’s time that Parliament concentrates its efforts on those key, underlying problems, rather than crafting them into a European bogeyman.

I hope I’m wrong and that leaving the EU proves a panacea for the British. Something tells me that it won’t. 

[robininthelabyrinth]

If you don't already have plans for the rest of dragonweek, could I request a sequel for seeing eye human where mick is kidnapped by eobard as revenge and Len has to rescue him?

As it happens, I do not in fact have any more plans for the rest of the week, so here you go! :)

Will only make sense if you've read part 1 here (tumblr) or here (ao3)

ao3 link

—————————————

It’s a very good thing that Len knows the flight path to STAR Labs by heart, because he flies it now, alone and at top speed.

“I need your prototype,” he says abruptly, bursting into the Accelerator lab through the dragon entrance.

“Uh, dude, rude much?” Cisco says. “No hello?”

Cisco was Lisa’s beloved, and so he did not fear Len.

That is a mistake.

Len bares his teeth and mantles his wings, full-on threat display, and he might not be able to see the picture he makes anymore but he can feel the slick layer of mud and drying blood that sticks to his scales, and no one ever found him less than terrifying before his blindness.

Cisco’s frightened gasp of air indicates he hasn’t lost his touch.

“I need,” he says levelly, albeit through a mouth full of sharp points, “your prototype.”

“It’s not ready yet!” Cisco says, and shrieks when Len swings his snout towards him threateningly. “It’s not, man, I swear!”

“Lenny, what’s crawled up your ass?” Lisa says, poking her head in from one of the other rooms and hurrying over to hover over her human protectively.

“He took from me,” Len rages, though his voice stays as cold as ever. Colder. “He took from me, and I need to make him pay.”

“That seems a bit hypocritical,” Barry says, jogging out to the main room, Caitlin shortly behind him.

“I’m going to take your prototype,” Len says, “only because I need it for what I’m going to do.”

“And what’s that?” Barry asks.

“I’m gonna murder him.”

“You can’t!” Caitlin exclaims.

“Watch me,” Len says, huffing through his nostrils. He can feel the fire licking at the back of his throat. “I’ll even make it legal and challenge him first, but one way or another, I’m gonna have his throat in my claws -”

“Len, you steal so many other people’s stuff, it seems a bit much for you to be this upset,” Cisco says.

“And we can’t let you take the prototype if you’re going to murder someone,” Barry adds.

“Especially over a theft,” Caitlin says. “I thought dragons didn’t care much about property that isn’t their hoard?”

“Len,” Lisa says, ignoring the humans. “Len, where’s Mick? Why isn’t he with you?”

“Because he took him from me!”

“He stole Mick?” Cisco says indignantly, sympathies changing in the flash that was the laboratory’s mascot. “That’s just wrong, man. You can’t take…people’s people. Just no taking people at all, really.”

“We still can’t let Len go murder a person,” Barry objects, but it’s a bit weaker.

“It’s not a person,” Len says. “It’s Eobard Thawne.”

“On second thought, let’s go a-murdering.”

“Barry!” Caitlin exclaims.

“He deserves it and you know it,” Barry says. “He’s deserved it for a long time. Cisco, the prototype?”

Cisco digs out a pair of goggles large enough to wrap around even Len’s head. “They’re not ready,” he warns. “You won’t get your vision back, and it may even make things worse in the long run, especially if you’re not careful putting them on and taking them off again. They tap into your nervous system.”

“We’re talking serious damage here,” Caitlin adds, looking worried. “You put these on, you may never be able to see again.”

“But I’ll see while they’re on?” Len asks.

“For the short term, yes,” Catilin says.

“Good enough for me,” Len says grimly. “Let’s get to it.”

—————————————————————————

“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Mick observes, settling himself in for a wait. “Also, seriously, a cage hanging from the ceiling? How medieval are you?”

“I know exactly what I’ve gotten myself ‘into’, as you put it,” Eobard says crisply. “Mr. Snart has stolen from me one too many times, but until now he has not be sufficient attached to any given item in his collection to consider it a hoard-item, something worth keeping. Not until you.”

“I thought you dragons respected each others’ hoards?” Mick asks, not without curiosity. “Len’s always real good about keeping his hands off other dragons’ personal stuff when we break into their caves. It’s all the rest we take.”

“Mr. Snart’s sentimentality does him credit, I’m sure,” Eobard says. “Hoards are irrelevant in the modern age. Utility is what’s important.”

“Huh,” Mick says.

Eobard turns and squints at the human. “That sounded remarkably thoughtful for a human such as yourself, not that I find many examples of true ingenuity in the mammalian species. What is it that you think you’ve understood?”

“You don’t got a hoard at all, do you,” Mick says, not bothering to make it a question. “You don’t feel the connection that a dragon ought to have to it.”

“How I feel is irrelevant,” Eobard says, but the spines along his spine stiffen.

“You’re a sociopath,” Mick concludes. “Human or dragon, it’s all the same. You can’t or won’t form connections to the outside world, and you’re inclined to destroy it, too.”

“As I said,” Eobard says, his voice hovering just above a snarl. “Irrelevant. Mr. Snart has fixated on you, for some reason, and there is no doubt that he will come charging in here to rescue you. With his physical impairment, defeating him will be of no moment.”

“You shouldn’t underestimate Len like that.”

“You should be less concerned about your master,” Eobard says, “and more concerned about yourself. Once Mr. Snart’s heart has beat its last, ownership of your contract immediately transfers to me as the rightful victor.”

His smile is filled with terrible, jagged teeth and his eyes with terrible, jagged ideas.

“I don’t particularly like humans,” he says, “but I can think of some uses for them.”

He turns away.

“Lenny,” Mick murmurs to himself, “for once, I really hope you keep your cool.”

———————————————————————————

“What on earth are you wearing?” Eobard exclaims.

Len snorts. “A fashion statement,” he says bitingly. “Vision corrective goggles, what do you think, you moron? That I’d be so upset that I’d run in here blind?”

“In the middle of a goddamn fight, Lenny?” Mick’s voice floats down. “You really can’t resist, can you?”

Len flicks his eyes upwards, identifying the hovering lump of heat-signature and the cold-signature lines of the metal around him. The goggles don’t actually restore his sight, working instead by accessing the optic nerves to put him on the infrared spectrum, but it works well enough for what he needs it for.

And what he needs it for is distraction.

As he expects, when he speaks the Words of Challenge, Eobard leaps straight for his face, claws out, teeth bared, aiming straight for the goggles.

Eobard is older, bigger; his breed is more known for power than Len’s, and he’s damned fast, too. But goggles make for a small, tricky target, and Len’s able to get in some serious hits – a leg, an elbow – before Eobard finally brings his claws down on the goggles, shattering them.

Something in Len’s brain goes abruptly and dazzlingly white in pain for just a second as the connection is snapped off abruptly.

That was probably his optic nerve frying.

Len hopes not, but, well, he knew what he was getting into.

He snakes out of Eobard’s grip.

“I think,” Eobard says, his bulk heaving with the need to breath deep after the effort, but his voice filled with satisfaction, “that the match is mine. If you lay your neck at my feet and beg for mercy, I may spare you.”

May being the key word.

Barry Allen’s mother begged, for the sake of her son, which she had stolen back from Eobard’s laboratory of horrors, the trespass justification enough for a Challenge, and Eobard crushed her beneath his feet anyways, an ignoble battle – a Challenge against a human, of all things; unknown before then and outlawed since.

“Yeah,” Len says, and he’s barely winded: Eobard’s been doing all the heavy lifting of this fight so far, focusing as he did on the goggles. The assumption that once the thing that brings him back to the standard is gone, he’s helpless, is as irritating as ever, but for once, it’s quite useful. “I don’t think so. Mick?”

“I got you,” Mick says, his voice warm and strong.

Len attacks.

Mick shouts out suggestions and Len follows them, the two of them working together seamlessly, months of practice kicking in, their mutual trust in their partnership flawless.

Len doesn’t need his eyes, as long as he has Mick.

It’s not long before Eobard is hacking up blood, his wing bent wrong, his blood splattering the floor, and the softer scales of his neck beneath Len’s claws.

“Mercy,” he rasps, glaring up at Len. He’s still not scared: he’s annoyed. Like this was one of his horrific experiments, twisted creations and genetic monstrosities, attempts to graft together draconic abilities and human ingenuity, one of the ones that didn’t go quite as he hoped. One of the ones that he thinks: better to discard now, cut the losses, and try again another time. Rely upon the laws and conventions of dragonkind to win himself another day to plan another way to hurt.

But Len’s no fool, and he’s no hero, either.

“Barry Allen sends his best wishes,” he says instead, and Eobard’s eyes go wide in understanding just a half-second before Len strikes.

—————————————————————-

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Barry says, sounding a little dazed.

“He never stood a chance against our Lenny,” Mick says happily, patting Barry on the shoulder.

Barry smiles at him. “It’s nice to meet you,” he says. “Sorry I didn’t say it earlier.”

“Nah, you had other things to worry about,” Mick says dismissively.

“Still, thanks. I’ve been wanting to meet you ever since Lisa started talking about you – Len doesn’t like anybody, and then there’s you. He loves you.”

“I wouldn’t say it quite like that,” Mick objects, flushing a little.

“I would,” Barry says firmly. “Do you…?”

Mick rubs the back of his head awkwardly. “Okay, yeah,” he says. “It’s mutual. No need to make a big deal out of it or anything.”

“Lisa’s going to make a big deal about it,” Barry says, shaking his head. “As soon as she stops beating Len up after Caitlin lets him out of his check-up.”

“Even if his eyes are shot for good, I’ll take care of him,” Mick says firmly.

“They’re not,” Caitlin calls, coming out of the medical bay with Cisco and pointedly ignoring the sounds of feisty draconic play-wrestling happening behind her. “He hurt them, yes, and he’s going to need quite some time to heal up before we can even think of making him a new set of goggles, but I think the risk of permanent damage is low.”

“Good,” Mick says. “Need to protect that beautiful brain of his. God knows Lenny isn’t going to do it.”

Barry snorts. “Too true,” he says, grinning. “Want some help with that? Can’t be easy, keeping him out of trouble.”

Mick studies Barry thoughtfully. “I don’t know,” he says. “How do you feel about stealing…?”

[goarticletec-blog]

AP FACT CHECK: On break, no break by Trump in twisting facts

New Post has been published on https://www.articletec.com/ap-fact-check-on-break-no-break-by-trump-in-twisting-facts/

AP FACT CHECK: On break, no break by Trump in twisting facts

WASHINGTON (AP) – Displaying a thin grasp of science, President Donald Trump questioned the reality of global warming because it was cold outside. Then came a federal report laying out the severe consequences of climate change and rebutting the notion that a frigid snap means it isn’t happening.

Sizing up the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump declared he had closed it this past week and mandated that “no one’s coming in.” Actually, one crossing from Mexico, among dozens that stayed open, was partially closed before rush hour and pedestrians still had access to the U.S. during that time.

Before and throughout his Thanksgiving vacation in Florida, Trump took no holiday from twisting facts across a broad front – on Saudi Arabia, the recent election and the 2001 terrorist attacks among the topics.

A look at some of his rhetoric:

CLIMATE

TRUMP: “This is the coldest weather in the history of the Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC, and one of the coldest Thanksgivings on record!” – tweet Thursday.

TRUMP: “Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS – Whatever happened to Global Warming?” – tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Trump is conflating weather and climate. Weather is like mood, which changes daily. Climate is like personality, which is long term.

The climate is warming, which still allows for record cold spells.

On Friday, the White House produced the National Climate Assessment by scientists from 13 Trump administration agencies and outside scientists. It amounted to a slap in the face for those who doubt the climate is changing.

“Climate change is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us,” the report says. It details how global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas is hurting each region of U.S. and different sectors of the economy. The report also projects increased deaths and disease.

The White House report swept aside the idea, already discredited, that a particular plunge in temperatures can cast uncertainty on whether Earth is warming. It says more than 90 percent of current warming is caused by humans: “There are no credible alternative human or natural explanations supported by the observational evidence.”

“Over shorter timescales and smaller geographic regions, the influence of natural variability can be larger than the influence of human activity,” the report says. “Over climate timescales of multiple decades, however, global temperature continues to steadily increase.”

In other words, there are cold days in a warming climate.

The federal climate assessment is mandated by law every few years.

___

IMMIGRATION

TRUMP: “Two days ago, we closed the border. We actually just closed it. We’re saying, nobody is coming in, because it was out of control.” – remarks to reporters Thursday.

THE FACTS: By no means did he seal the border.

On Monday, the U.S. closed northbound traffic lanes for a few hours at the San Ysidro, California, crossing to install new barriers. It’s the busiest of more than 40 U.S.-Mexico crossings. That work was completed and the lanes reopened before the morning rush of commerce and commuters who work legally in the U.S. Officials also closed one pedestrian crossing facility at San Ysidro and left the other open, so it’s not true that everyone was blocked from coming in, even at that one crossing. U.S. authorities acted out of concern that migrants gathered on the Mexican side might bolt for the U.S.

Trump is threatening to seal the border if Mexico doesn’t properly “control” people trying to get into the U.S. He claimed “I’ve already shut it down, for short periods.” When pressed about whether he meant only that one border crossing, he said: “No, no. Yeah. I’ve already shut down parts of the border.”

___

THE COURTS

TRUMP: “Justice Roberts can say what he wants, but the 9th Circuit is a complete & total disaster. It is out of control, has a horrible reputation, is overturned more than any Circuit in the Country, 79%, & is used to get an almost guaranteed result.” – tweet Thursday.

TRUMP: “It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an “independent judiciary,” but if it is why … are so are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned. Please study the numbers, they are shocking.” – tweets Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Trump is wrong in suggesting that rulings by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco are reversed by the Supreme Court more frequently than those of any other federal appeals court. His description of the “shocking” number of overturned cases in the 9th Circuit belies the nature of the appeals system.

When the Supreme Court hears a case, it is more likely to overturn it than not. It does so about two-thirds of the time.

In the last term, the Supreme Court overturned 100 percent of the decisions of the 1st Circuit in Boston, the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia and the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati. For the 9th Circuit, 86 percent were overturned.

Over the past five years, the Supreme Court overturned a greater percentage of rulings from the 3rd Circuit (92.3 percent), the 6th Circuit (85.1 percent) and the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit (81.8 percent) than from the 9th (77.4 percent), according to The Associated Press’ analysis of statistics from the legal website Scotusblog.

The 9th is by far the largest of the 13 federal courts of appeals, covering Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. That means that in raw numbers, more cases are heard and reversed from the 9th year in and year out. But that does not make it the most frequently overturned.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar, who’d been nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, temporarily barred the Trump administration from refusing asylum to immigrants who cross the southern border illegally. That set off Trump’s ire. Any appeal is likely to go to the 9th Circuit.

Trump’s tweets took issue with an unusual rebuke from the U.S. chief justice, John Roberts. Roberts spoke up for the independence of the judiciary after Trump branded Tigar an “Obama judge” and said “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.”

___

THE ELECTION

TRUMP, on his impact on the midterm elections: “Look at Florida. I went down to Florida. Rick Scott won and he won by a lot. I don’t know what happened to all those votes that disappeared at the very end. And if I didn’t put a spotlight on that election before it got down to the 12,500 votes, he would’ve lost that election, OK? … They would have taken that election away from him.” – interview with “Fox News Sunday.”

THE FACTS: Trump is exaggerating the vote margin of Scott’s victory as being “a lot” and suggesting without evidence that his own efforts prevented Democrats from engaging in voter fraud.

Scott, Florida’s Republican governor, edged out Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in the closest Senate race in the nation in the midterm elections – by a margin of 10,033 votes, or 0.12 percentage points. It also was the closest Senate race in Florida since at least 1978, according to the Florida’s Division of Elections website. It required two recounts – by machine and by hand – as mandated by state law due to the razor-thin margins.

Trump asserts without evidence that the attention he brought to the Senate race prevented Democrats from “taking” that election from Scott, hinting at voter fraud by suggesting votes “disappeared at the very end.”

Despite Trump’s repeated claims after the Nov. 6 election of Florida races being potentially “stolen,” the state agencies charged with investigating potential fraud have said no credible allegations exist. It’s not uncommon for vote tallies to change in the days after Election Day as local officials process remaining mailed and provisional ballots. In Florida, Scott saw some of his lead dwindle after the Democratic strongholds of Palm Beach and Broward counties continued to count votes.

___

SYRIA

TRUMP: “The country of Iran, as an example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, trying to destabilize Iraq’s fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, propping up dictator Bashar Assad in Syria (who has killed millions of his own citizens), and much more.” – statement Tuesday.

THE FACTS: He’s inflating the already staggering number of Syrians killed in more than seven years of civil war. Syrian government forces, led by President Bashar Assad and backed by Russia and Iran, have retaken most of the territory rebels seized during a war that has killed nearly 500,000 people, according to estimates by United Nations and human rights groups.

___

SAUDI ARABIA

TRUMP: “After my heavily negotiated trip to Saudi Arabia last year, the Kingdom agreed to spend and invest $450 billion in the United States. This is a record amount of money. It will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, tremendous economic development, and much additional wealth for the United States. Of the $450 billion, $110 billion will be spent on the purchase of military equipment from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and many other great U.S. defense contractors. If we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries – and very happy to acquire all of this newfound business.” – statement Tuesday.

THE FACTS: He’s greatly overstating the value of expected Saudi investments in the U.S.

The arms package, partly negotiated under the Obama administration, mixes old deals, some new business and prospective purchases that have not been worked out.

The Pentagon said last month that Saudi Arabia had signed “letters of offer and acceptance” for only $14.5 billion in military purchases and confirmed Tuesday that nothing further has reached that stage.

Those letters, issued after the U.S. government approves a proposed arms sale, specify its terms. Much of that $14.5 billion involves a missile defense system, a contract that appears to have advanced more than other significant investments but not been completed.

Moreover, the State Department estimated last year that if the full $110 billion in prospective arms business is fulfilled, it could end up “potentially supporting tens of thousands of new jobs in the United States.” That’s a far cry from the 500,000 to 600,000 jobs that Trump has said the arms deal is worth.

Details of the package have been sketchy, with no public breakdown of exactly what was being offered for sale and for how much. The government’s Congressional Research Service has described the package as a combination of sales that were proposed by President Barack Obama and discussed with Congress and new sales still being developed.

Meanwhile, there has been no verification from either country that “the Kingdom agreed to spend and invest $450 billion in the United States,” as Trump put it in his statement. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters did not respond to a request to explain the figure.

___

TRUMP: “Oil prices getting lower. Great! Like a big Tax Cut for America and the World. Enjoy! $54, was just $82. Thank you to Saudi Arabia, but let’s go lower!” – tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Merely thanking Saudi Arabia for lower oil prices is a gross oversimplification. Oil prices, which peaked Oct. 3, have been falling on the realization that U.S. sanctions against Iran would not create a shortage and on fear that slower economic growth internationally will depress energy demand.

Although the U.S. is now the world’s biggest oil producer, Saudi Arabia remains the biggest exporter, and as a so-called swing producer with the ability to adjust production up or down relatively quickly, it can indeed influence the price of crude. But the market is far more complex than Trump suggests. Canada is actually the leading source of U.S. oil imports, for example, with Saudi Arabia second.

___

TRUMP: “Saudi Arabia would gladly withdraw from Yemen if the Iranians would agree to leave. They would immediately provide desperately needed humanitarian assistance.” – statement Tuesday.

THE FACTS: This seemingly benign view of Saudi intentions in Yemen does not square with reality on the ground. A Saudi-led blockade is at least partly responsible for widespread starvation in a country where three quarters of the population needs life-saving assistance. It’s the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The U.S. has scaled back support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed rebels and is pressing for a cease-fire.

The international aid group Save the Children estimated Wednesday that 85,000 Yemeni children younger than 5 have died of hunger and disease since civil war broke out in 2015. The United Nations says more than 1.3 million Yemeni children have suffered from severe acute malnutrition since the coalition went to war against Houthi rebels.

___

TERRORISM

TRUMP: “Of course we should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did. I pointed him out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center. President Clinton famously missed his shot. We paid Pakistan Billions of Dollars & they never told us he was living there. Fools!” – tweet Monday.

THE FACTS: There was nothing original or clairvoyant in the reference to bin Laden in Trump’s 2000 book. As part of his criticism of what he considered Bill Clinton’s haphazard approach to U.S. security as president, his book stated: “One day we’re told that a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Osama bin Laden is public enemy Number One, and U.S. jetfighters lay waste to his camp in Afghanistan. He escapes back under some rock, and a few news cycles later it’s on to a new enemy and new crisis.”

Trump’s book did not call for further U.S. action against bin Laden or al-Qaida to follow up on attacks Clinton ordered in 1998 in Afghanistan and Sudan after al-Qaida bombed the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The U.S. attacks were meant to disrupt bin Laden’s network and destroy some of al-Qaida’s infrastructure, such as a factory in Sudan associated with the production of a nerve gas ingredient. They “missed” in the sense that bin Laden was not killed in them, and al-Qaida was able to pull off 9/11 three years later.

In passages on terrorism, Trump’s book correctly predicted that the U.S. was at risk of a terrorist attack that would make the 1993 World Trade Center bombing pale by comparison. That was a widespread concern at the time, as Trump suggested in stating “no sensible analyst rejects this possibility.” Trump did not explicitly tie that threat to al-Qaida and thought an attack might come through the use of a miniaturized weapon of mass destruction, like a nuclear device in a suitcase or anthrax.

___

Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein, Robert Burns and Josh Boak in Washington, Jill Colvin in Palm Beach, Florida, and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.

___

Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck

Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC.

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AP FACT CHECK: On break, no break by Trump in twisting facts

WASHINGTON — Displaying a thin grasp of science, President Donald Trump questioned the reality of global warming because it was cold outside. Then came a federal report laying out the severe consequences of climate change and rebutting the notion that a frigid snap means it isn’t happening.

Sizing up the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump declared he had closed it this past week and mandated that “no one’s coming in.” Actually, one crossing from Mexico, among dozens that stayed open, was partially closed before rush hour and pedestrians still had access to the U.S. during that time.

Before and throughout his Thanksgiving vacation in Florida, Trump took no holiday from twisting facts across a broad front — on Saudi Arabia, the recent election and the 2001 terrorist attacks among the topics.

A look at some of his rhetoric:

CLIMATE

TRUMP: “This is the coldest weather in the history of the Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC, and one of the coldest Thanksgivings on record!” — tweet Thursday.

TRUMP: “Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS – Whatever happened to Global Warming?” — tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Trump is conflating weather and climate. Weather is like mood, which changes daily. Climate is like personality, which is long term.

The climate is warming, which still allows for record cold spells.

On Friday, the White House produced the National Climate Assessment by scientists from 13 Trump administration agencies and outside scientists. It amounted to a slap in the face for those who doubt the climate is changing.

“Climate change is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us,” the report says. It details how global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas is hurting each region of U.S. and different sectors of the economy. The report also projects increased deaths and disease.

The White House report swept aside the idea, already discredited, that a particular plunge in temperatures can cast uncertainty on whether Earth is warming. It says more than 90 per cent of current warming is caused by humans: “There are no credible alternative human or natural explanations supported by the observational evidence.”

“Over shorter timescales and smaller geographic regions, the influence of natural variability can be larger than the influence of human activity,” the report says. “Over climate timescales of multiple decades, however, global temperature continues to steadily increase.”

In other words, there are cold days in a warming climate.

The federal climate assessment is mandated by law every few years.

——

IMMIGRATION

TRUMP: “Two days ago, we closed the border. We actually just closed it. We’re saying, nobody is coming in, because it was out of control.” — remarks to reporters Thursday.

THE FACTS: By no means did he seal the border.

On Monday, the U.S. closed northbound traffic lanes for a few hours at the San Ysidro, California, crossing to install new barriers. It’s the busiest of more than 40 U.S.-Mexico crossings. That work was completed and the lanes reopened before the morning rush of commerce and commuters who work legally in the U.S. Officials also closed one pedestrian crossing facility at San Ysidro and left the other open, so it’s not true that everyone was blocked from coming in, even at that one crossing. U.S. authorities acted out of concern that migrants gathered on the Mexican side might bolt for the U.S.

Trump is threatening to seal the border if Mexico doesn’t properly “control” people trying to get into the U.S. He claimed “I’ve already shut it down, for short periods.” When pressed about whether he meant only that one border crossing, he said: “No, no. Yeah. I’ve already shut down parts of the border.”

——

THE COURTS

TRUMP: “Justice Roberts can say what he wants, but the 9th Circuit is a complete & total disaster. It is out of control, has a horrible reputation, is overturned more than any Circuit in the Country, 79%, & is used to get an almost guaranteed result.” — tweet Thursday.

TRUMP: “It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an “independent judiciary,” but if it is why … are so are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned. Please study the numbers, they are shocking.” — tweets Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Trump is wrong in suggesting that rulings by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco are reversed by the Supreme Court more frequently than those of any other federal appeals court. His description of the “shocking” number of overturned cases in the 9th Circuit belies the nature of the appeals system.

When the Supreme Court hears a case, it is more likely to overturn it than not. It does so about two-thirds of the time.

In the last term, the Supreme Court overturned 100 per cent of the decisions of the 1st Circuit in Boston, the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia and the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati. For the 9th Circuit, 86 per cent were overturned.

Over the past five years, the Supreme Court overturned a greater percentage of rulings from the 3rd Circuit (92.3 per cent), the 6th Circuit (85.1 per cent) and the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit (81.8 per cent) than from the 9th (77.4 per cent), according to The Associated Press’ analysis of statistics from the legal website Scotusblog.

The 9th is by far the largest of the 13 federal courts of appeals, covering Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. That means that in raw numbers, more cases are heard and reversed from the 9th year in and year out. But that does not make it the most frequently overturned.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar, who’d been nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, temporarily barred the Trump administration from refusing asylum to immigrants who cross the southern border illegally. That set off Trump’s ire. Any appeal is likely to go to the 9th Circuit.

Trump’s tweets took issue with an unusual rebuke from the U.S. chief justice, John Roberts. Roberts spoke up for the independence of the judiciary after Trump branded Tigar an “Obama judge” and said “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.”

——

THE ELECTION

TRUMP, on his impact on the midterm elections: “Look at Florida. I went down to Florida. Rick Scott won and he won by a lot. I don’t know what happened to all those votes that disappeared at the very end. And if I didn’t put a spotlight on that election before it got down to the 12,500 votes, he would’ve lost that election, OK? … They would have taken that election away from him.” — interview with “Fox News Sunday.”

THE FACTS: Trump is exaggerating the vote margin of Scott’s victory as being “a lot” and suggesting without evidence that his own efforts prevented Democrats from engaging in voter fraud.

Scott, Florida’s Republican governor, edged out Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in the closest Senate race in the nation in the midterm elections — by a margin of 10,033 votes, or 0.12 percentage points. It also was the closest Senate race in Florida since at least 1978, according to the Florida’s Division of Elections website. It required two recounts — by machine and by hand — as mandated by state law due to the razor-thin margins.

Trump asserts without evidence that the attention he brought to the Senate race prevented Democrats from “taking” that election from Scott, hinting at voter fraud by suggesting votes “disappeared at the very end.”

Despite Trump’s repeated claims after the Nov. 6 election of Florida races being potentially “stolen,” the state agencies charged with investigating potential fraud have said no credible allegations exist. It’s not uncommon for vote tallies to change in the days after Election Day as local officials process remaining mailed and provisional ballots. In Florida, Scott saw some of his lead dwindle after the Democratic strongholds of Palm Beach and Broward counties continued to count votes.

——

SYRIA

TRUMP: “The country of Iran, as an example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, trying to destabilize Iraq’s fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, propping up dictator Bashar Assad in Syria (who has killed millions of his own citizens), and much more.” — statement Tuesday.

THE FACTS: He’s inflating the already staggering number of Syrians killed in more than seven years of civil war. Syrian government forces, led by President Bashar Assad and backed by Russia and Iran, have retaken most of the territory rebels seized during a war that has killed nearly 500,000 people, according to estimates by United Nations and human rights groups.

——

SAUDI ARABIA

TRUMP: “After my heavily negotiated trip to Saudi Arabia last year, the Kingdom agreed to spend and invest $450 billion in the United States. This is a record amount of money. It will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, tremendous economic development, and much additional wealth for the United States. Of the $450 billion, $110 billion will be spent on the purchase of military equipment from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and many other great U.S. defence contractors. If we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries — and very happy to acquire all of this newfound business.” — statement Tuesday.

THE FACTS: He’s greatly overstating the value of expected Saudi investments in the U.S.

The arms package, partly negotiated under the Obama administration, mixes old deals, some new business and prospective purchases that have not been worked out.

The Pentagon said last month that Saudi Arabia had signed “letters of offer and acceptance” for only $14.5 billion in military purchases and confirmed Tuesday that nothing further has reached that stage.

Those letters, issued after the U.S. government approves a proposed arms sale, specify its terms. Much of that $14.5 billion involves a missile defence system, a contract that appears to have advanced more than other significant investments but not been completed.

Moreover, the State Department estimated last year that if the full $110 billion in prospective arms business is fulfilled, it could end up “potentially supporting tens of thousands of new jobs in the United States.” That’s a far cry from the 500,000 to 600,000 jobs that Trump has said the arms deal is worth.

Details of the package have been sketchy, with no public breakdown of exactly what was being offered for sale and for how much. The government’s Congressional Research Service has described the package as a combination of sales that were proposed by President Barack Obama and discussed with Congress and new sales still being developed.

Meanwhile, there has been no verification from either country that “the Kingdom agreed to spend and invest $450 billion in the United States,” as Trump put it in his statement. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters did not respond to a request to explain the figure.

——

TRUMP: “Oil prices getting lower. Great! Like a big Tax Cut for America and the World. Enjoy! $54, was just $82. Thank you to Saudi Arabia, but let’s go lower!” — tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Merely thanking Saudi Arabia for lower oil prices is a gross oversimplification. Oil prices, which peaked Oct. 3, have been falling on the realization that U.S. sanctions against Iran would not create a shortage and on fear that slower economic growth internationally will depress energy demand.

Although the U.S. is now the world’s biggest oil producer, Saudi Arabia remains the biggest exporter, and as a so-called swing producer with the ability to adjust production up or down relatively quickly, it can indeed influence the price of crude. But the market is far more complex than Trump suggests. Canada is actually the leading source of U.S. oil imports, for example, with Saudi Arabia second.

——

TRUMP: “Saudi Arabia would gladly withdraw from Yemen if the Iranians would agree to leave. They would immediately provide desperately needed humanitarian assistance.” — statement Tuesday.

THE FACTS: This seemingly benign view of Saudi intentions in Yemen does not square with reality on the ground. A Saudi-led blockade is at least partly responsible for widespread starvation in a country where three quarters of the population needs life-saving assistance. It’s the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The U.S. has scaled back support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed rebels and is pressing for a cease-fire.

The international aid group Save the Children estimated Wednesday that 85,000 Yemeni children younger than 5 have died of hunger and disease since civil war broke out in 2015. The United Nations says more than 1.3 million Yemeni children have suffered from severe acute malnutrition since the coalition went to war against Houthi rebels.

——

TERRORISM

TRUMP: “Of course we should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did. I pointed him out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center. President Clinton famously missed his shot. We paid Pakistan Billions of Dollars & they never told us he was living there. Fools!” — tweet Monday.

THE FACTS: There was nothing original or clairvoyant in the reference to bin Laden in Trump’s 2000 book. As part of his criticism of what he considered Bill Clinton’s haphazard approach to U.S. security as president, his book stated: “One day we’re told that a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Osama bin Laden is public enemy Number One, and U.S. jetfighters lay waste to his camp in Afghanistan. He escapes back under some rock, and a few news cycles later it’s on to a new enemy and new crisis.”

Trump’s book did not call for further U.S. action against bin Laden or al-Qaida to follow up on attacks Clinton ordered in 1998 in Afghanistan and Sudan after al-Qaida bombed the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The U.S. attacks were meant to disrupt bin Laden’s network and destroy some of al-Qaida’s infrastructure, such as a factory in Sudan associated with the production of a nerve gas ingredient. They “missed” in the sense that bin Laden was not killed in them, and al-Qaida was able to pull off 9-11 three years later.

In passages on terrorism, Trump’s book correctly predicted that the U.S. was at risk of a terrorist attack that would make the 1993 World Trade Center bombing pale by comparison. That was a widespread concern at the time, as Trump suggested in stating “no sensible analyst rejects this possibility.” Trump did not explicitly tie that threat to al-Qaida and thought an attack might come through the use of a miniaturized weapon of mass destruction, like a nuclear device in a suitcase or anthrax.

——

Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein, Robert Burns and Josh Boak in Washington, Jill Colvin in Palm Beach, Florida, and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.

——

Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

Follow https://twitter.com/APFactCheck

EDITOR’S NOTE — A look at the veracity of claims by political figures

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The Traffic Machine Gun - Building Streams Of Free Traffic To Your Webpages

When aiming to start an online service, the majority of us get on a shoe string budget. This means the majorly of paid traffic as well as heavy advertisement experiments are out of grab a great deal of novices. So creating web site traffic (at least to start) should primarily be from cost-free resources. Since doesn't indicate that you can't obtain excellent web traffic free of cost. You can! Free targeted traffic that converts. If you know precisely what to do. I will note 5 means of how you can tackle securing free website traffic for your business/website. I would certainly likewise prefer to suggest that also if you are already at a factor where you like utilizing paid web traffic, you will certainly still find these methods functioning well for you in addition to your paid sources. Anyways, what's cost-free is incredible (I enjoy the * totally free * stuff!), so why not assert it for yourself? So, let's get right to it, shall we: # 1: EMAIL SIGNATURES Okay, the less complex source first. Currently I know individuals are going - "Oh no! Not those ...". Below's a little understanding: People make use of email trademarks the upside-down! That's why they backfire. I'm not speaking about e-mail you send out from your auto-responder. Use this in mails that you would certainly send to a typical person, not on your listing. Every e-mail you send is a traffic generating possibility. Don't squander it! People on earth send and receive millions of emails a day utilizing their cost-free email service. But keep in mind, it's a traffic getting tool, not a difficult marketing device. What the majority of people believe of when they utilize e-mail trademarks is a timeless calligraphy of their name or text based contact details and business cards at the base of an email.

No no no. Avoid those. Most likely to your internet site as well as grab your logo design. Usage that as your signature. An image!! It's stylish as well as professional. After that after it's in your email, utilize it as an active web link, i.e. a click-able email signature picture. By doing this, they come straight to your website from their inbox. And also it amasses interest and interest. I understand that you don't wish to offer stuff to your mother, or make your friends seem like you're eying their wallet. So you can always get rid of a signature from an email at the click of a switch. Now when you do send mails with your image trademark in them, people keep in mind that photo! And later on if someone they understand requires a solution like yours, they state it. " Oh you need that. I have a friend ... who I think does exactly that ... well I saw in his e-mail there was something relevant to it." Voila. There's your traffic, with social proof. Trademarks will certainly function more on such social engineering. Yet they do lots of a times send instant website traffic also, gradually. # 2: FORUM LINKING This is a traditional as well as olden technique that is proven to work. At discussion forums relating to your market, begin answering inquiries and supply out assistance completely free. Yeah, aid others. This WILL take work however it builds trust. Then, once individuals begin to describe you, place a recommendation or web link down at your avatar. They'll be wishing to inspect out just what you discovered or just what it is you supply. This is likewise powerful for SEO objectives as it passes some web link value to your website. # 3: FORUM PARTNERING This develops on forum connecting. Inside the online forums, locate individuals with greater rankings as well as "thanked proportions" by looking up their profiles. This informs their level of respect as well as the amount of times their recommendations has been valuable to others. Such people with high regard have effective companies as their guidance originates from functioning down in the field. Connect with them as well as develop a link. Then, take a look at their characters and the places they recommend. It's bound to direct to among their very own organisations also. So take a look at those businesses from your particular niche that compare with your very own as well as would be intriguing to take a look at for people on your checklist. Now here's where PARTNERING with them comes in. Your list is going to obtain fed up with you if you constantly pester them with your own website and also it's links. But you cannot just hand out cost-free web content at all times as well as have it go waste (which is what occurs a whole lot of the time). So after every few emails, have your partner from the online forum treat your listing to a special incentive e-mail session, and allow them go ahead and also connect to their item as opposed to your own. And also inform them to do the very same for their checklist. As in, YOU be their visitor for a change. Examining has shown that these emails get higher open-up proportions and greater click-backs. So where earlier, you were just sending cost-free material, you currently have unique visitor material and also you get to take advantage of fresh website traffic from your companion's listing. # 4: iTunes-TRAFFIC Well that's just what I call direct iTunes traffic . If there's two valuable decisions that have actually truly helped my on-line job, it's these: > Buying a Mac > Exploiting iTunes - to the max If you're not tunes into iTunes currently, see to it you do that as soon as you complete reviewing this. It is THE area for the coming generation - of children, of internet newbies, of BUYERS !! You could share your point of views and also web content as both free and also premium details on iTunes. It's called podcasting. As well as in contrast to preferred misconceptions, you can put anything in your podcast - songs, audio messages, video clip, pdf files, files, zip documents - practically whatever your mind intends to produce - so long as it's legal content. Exactly what's great concerning podcasts is that iTunes will immediately update individuals who're signed up for your podcast, unlike RSS feeds where you're entrusted to the rate of interest of the customer. iTunes produces that interest for you, many thanks to it's exceptional format and also sophisticated content delivery. I've attempted also setting up mumbo jumbo on iTunes one or two times and still procured some traffic. No initiative at all. # 5: SEARCH ENGINE TRAFFIC, ANYONE ?? Okay, I maintained the bomb for the end. Fighting internet search engine and also aiming to place well in Google lacks a darkness of an uncertainty the very best form of totally free web traffic out there. But, unlike just what a number of us want to hear, it's a pain in the butt!! It's a pain not just for the ordinary on the internet business owner, but also for experienced computer system engineers and IT geeks that're tired of Google behaving like their ex-girlfriend who maintains providing hopes and afterwards shatters them all at the critical moment by releasing an unwanted upgrade. Not very, huh? Fact be told, if you were a top quality boyfriend who understood just how to provide top quality content every once in a while, without there being many spammers that mess up the ready you, Google would certainly never ever dispose you! Yet alas, jerks always make it hard for the bad great man, so until Mr. great person could locate his real feeling of manliness he's mosting likely to end up nowhere. Sorry ... I digress. Well here's a secret few people are speaking about: Google acknowledges streaming web page ranking. You could utilize that to your advantage. Exactly what I suggest is, if there's a website with a high Page Rank worth (higher than 5), it has authority in Google's eyes. And you have to discover a website that has high web page ranking in addition to allows others to obtain that Public Relations. This happens when a new sub-domain made on that particular website will certainly have the ability to share the PR (because of rel='dofollow' connecting in it's HTML code ..."dofollow" implies the Google crawler does adhere to linked web pages and also ratings them on a comparable Public Relations value). So basically, develop your web pages on a site that has dofollow connecting as well as allows you to create subdomains on it, or include your personal domain names on it, without having to possess the whole site. I'll conserve you the difficulty on this. I discovered an area called webstarts.com, where you can build your very own internet site as well as it'll have a webstarts subdomain if you're using it free of cost. Now, webstarts has high web page rank, so your web pages on webstarts will crush your competition as well as hit the top of Google rather swiftly, in some cases following a meal. currently if you desire to possess your web pages on that site, it does set you back a tiny charge, but hey ... you could use the complimentary web pages first as well as after that make some loan off it. after that, opt for the paid domain. I wish you appreciated these complimentary web site traffic generation approaches. Now it's up to you to go out, apply them, construct your traffic, as well as earn money from all that complimentary targeted website traffic! BEST OF LUCK.