#current affairs September 2022

[theculturedmarxist]

Immediately after Joe Biden announced that he would not seek re-election and instead endorsed Kamala Harris, she was anointed as the Democratic Party presidential nominee with little analysis of her record or her program. In fact, her website, KamalaHarris.com , makes no mention of a political program at all. While foolish debates about whether she should be considered Black garner media attention, questions about policy are largely ignored. Black Agenda Report has been writing about Harris for some time, and we share what we and others have noted about her record over the years.

Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report, July 19, 2017 Kamala Harris and America’s Oligarchs Briahna Joy Gray, Current Affairs, September 3, 2017 How Identity Became a Weapon Against the Left Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report, January 16, 2019 Kamala Harris Destroyed Black Lives Teodros Fikre, Ghion Journal, January 16, 2019 Evoking Muckrakers: Hannah Giorgis’s Devastating Critique of Senator Kamala Harris Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report, January 24, 2019 Bernie Sanders vs Kamala the Jailer and Her Corporate Backers Danny Haiphong, Black Agenda Report, January 30, 2019 The U.S. is a Political Prison, Kamala Harris is a Prison Guard Teodros Fikre, Black Agenda Report, January 30, 2019 When Politicians Use Marginalized People As Human Shields

Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report, February 20, 2019 Kamala Harris: The Fix Is In Marjorie Cohn, Black Agenda Report, July 10, 2019 Kamala Harris Has a Distinguished Career of Serving Injustice Danny Haiphong, Black Agenda Report, July 24, 2019 Kamala Harris Embodies the Most Dangerous Myth of American Exceptionalism Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report, August 14, 2019 No Racism, Just Russians

Erica Caines, Hood Communist, August 13, 2020 Political Copaganda and the November Elections

Ahjamu Umi, Black Agenda Report, August 19, 2020 Kamala Harris: Class Struggle and the Illusion of Identity in Capitalism Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report, August 19, 2020 “Feet to the Fire” and Other Lies Nelson Maldonado-Torres, Black Agenda Report, August 26, 2020 Obama, Harris and the Ruse of Racial Representation

Julie Kuttapan, Black Agenda Report, August 26, 2020 "Kamala Auntie": On the Vulgarity of Bourgeois Identity Politics in 2020

Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report, October 15, 2020 The Useful Tool: Kamala “Heartbeat Away” Harris Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report, November 11, 2020 The Real Resistance Begins Tye Salandy,Trinidad and Tobago News Blog, November 13, 2020 Biden-Harris and the Diverse Faces of U.S. Imperialism

Erica Caines, Hood Communist, February 21, 2021 The Caribbean Diaspora Has a SOUTHCOM Problem

Erica Caines, Hood Communist, June 10, 2021 Kamala Harris and the Americas Ready for Revolution, Hood Communist, January 27, 2022 Biden Harris and the Never Ending Commitment to War Gyasi Lake, Black Youth Project, August 8, 2022 There’s No Such Thing as a “Progressive Prosecutor” In a System Designed to Criminalize Blackness Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report, April 7, 2023 Ajamu Baraka Discusses the Zone of Peace and Kamala Harris’ Trip to Africa | Black Agenda Report Salifu Mack, Hood Communist, July 6, 2023 More Than Meets the Silk Press: Kamala Harris and U.S. Imperialism Peoples Dispatch, March 25, 2024 Puerto Ricans Take to the Streets Against Kamala Harris Visit

Ajamu Baraka, Black Agenda Report, July 24, 2024 War, Genocides, and Coups: Biden/Harris and the Irreversible Crisis of Neo-Liberal Fake Democracy Jacqueline Luqman, Luqman Nation, The Coup for the Democratic Nomination, July 26, 2024 Darker Than Blue 7/26/24: The Coup For The Democratic Nomination

[xpuigc-bloc]

Toni Hamel

Born (1961) in Italy. Lives and works in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Toni Hamel describes her work as “an illustrated commentary on human frailties“. Rooted in story-telling, her art practice draws from personal experiences and outward observations to create thematic bodies of work that reflect on and interpret the psychological unease of this anthropocentric age. Virtues and vices, the holy and the profane, the good and the bad all share equal weight in her work and supply an infinite source of material for her investigations. Pointing to historical references, popular culture and our current conceptual standing, Hamel’s satirical narratives ultimately seem to question our behaviour while alerting us about the repercussions of our current thinking models.

Hamel is the recipient of three Ontario Arts Council grants (2011, 2012, 2014). Her work has been exhibited in public and commercial galleries in Canada and abroad, and is included in the art collections of J. J. Abrams, Whoopi Goldberg, the Government of Ontario, the Omer DeSerres Corporation, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and many other private collections around the world.

Hamel’s work is regularly featured in Arts & Culture publications including Colossal (March 7, 2023 – September 16, 2020), My Modern Met (April 24, 2022), CBC-Arts (Canada, short-doc; Season 3/Episode 20, 2018), Hi-Fructose (September 16, 2017 / August 8, 2015), Lowdown (Germany, Issue #98, 2018; print and online); Courrier International (France, October 2017; print), Colossal and BOOOOOOOM (digital), Frankie (Australia, October 2018; print), The Affair (Taiwan, July 2018; print), Efflorescence Culturelle (France, September 2016), Mud Season Review (USA, Issue #28; print – online see art and interview) and many other print and digital outlets.

Hamel holds a BFA from the Accademia di Belle Arti of Lecce (Italy, 1983), a post-graduate Certificate in Computer Graphics from Sheridan College (Canada, 1991), the Golden Key National Honour Society Award from the University of Toronto (Specialist Programme in Psychology, 1997). She is the recipient of the Lubiam Prize (Milan, 1983) and many other awards.

New works for a solo exhibition titled “In lieu of better days” at CK Contemporary in San Francisco, CA USA. Opening July 6, 2024

#Toni Hamel #ilustration painter

#original art #artist painter #art

#xpuigc

[world-cinema-research]

The 400 Blows/Les Cuatre Cents Coups (1959)

By Cris Nyne

The directorial debut of pioneering French filmmaker, François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, left a lasting imprint on the timeline of international cinema. To know Truffaut’s history before becoming director makes the film even more of a remarkable achievement. His life began as a troubled youth, engaging in petty crimes and was well on his way to a path of self-destruction. It was in his late teenage years when recognized film critic André Bazin would take Truffaut under his wing and give him a job as critic for the film magazine Cahiers du cinéma. During this time, Truffaut would become recognized as a brutal critic of French films. His infamy stretched to Festival de Cannes, where he would be denied accreditation in 1958. The following year in 1959, Truffaut would get his revenge by being crowned Best Director for The 400 Blows at Cannes. This all by the age of 27. Truffaut would continue to turn the film industry on its head and help pave the way for what today is known as French New Wave.

“If the New Wave marks the dividing point between classic and modern cinema (and many think it does), then Truffaut is likely the most beloved of modern directors -- the one whose films resonated with the deepest, richest love of moviemaking.” -Roger Ebert August 8, 1999

The 400 Blows is a semi-autobiographical tale that follows the young star Jean-Pierre Léaud as the mischievous Antoine Doinel. Antoine is humiliated by his teacher, skips school, steals, and smokes cigarettes while contemplating a better life A life away from his father’s failures and his mother’s affairs. Both parents find themselves exhausted of all options for their son (or the lack of attention they care to provide) and send him off to a school for troubled children. From the beginning of the film, his parents seem to have other priorities in filling the hole in their marriage, and Antoine is essentially a victim of having too much unsupervised time on his hands. By the end of the film, Antoine is contemplating his life outside of the observation center for delinquent youth. He makes a dash for it.

Source: Blu-ray.com

“The movie is full of actual incidents from Truffaut’s childhood, including his fabricating his mother’s death as an excuse for truancy. Few movies have been so personal.” -J.Hoberman, The New York Times September 21, 2022

The movie was well received by audiences and critics alike. He won Best Director at Cannes in 1959, as well as a nominee for the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at Cannes. The French regional newspaper Nice-Matin claimed The 400 Blows to be “A Masterpiece”. The chemistry between Léaud and Truffaut was strong. They would go on to make three more feature films with Léaud revising his role as Antoine Doinel, Stolen Kisses (1968), Bed and Board (1970), and Love on the Run (1979). Currently, Rotten Tomatoes lists The 400 Blows with a rating of 94%.

Original Movie Release Poster

The film is in black and white and is shot in a very personal manner. There are lots of close-space encounters that make you feel as if you are squeezing into the room with them. The house that Antoine lives with his mother and father is very small. During one scene as Antoine is sleeping, his mother, Gilberte Doinel (played by Claire Maurier), comes home after a long night and cannot open the door all the way as it is stopped by the mattress that Antoine sleeps on. There are many fun street scenes shot from different angles- subterranean, street-level, and roof tops, that portray Antoine and his friends plotting and scheming around the streets of Paris. There are a few scenes that follow the main character along a stretch of blocks, and I found myself thinking about how smooth the camerawork was.

During its filming and release date, The 400 Blows took the idea of conventional filmmaking and shredded the blueprint. The director was only known as a stubborn critic and the main star of the film was completely unknown. The script was a unique story, one that, for the most part, Truffaut had lived and had made it through to tell the tale of a rebellious and delinquent child on a bad path. A child that by today’s standards would probably be diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder and prescribed medication. What was once an extremely unconventional approach to filmmaking has now become a standard in delivering a storyline. Truffaut’s confidence in leaping from critic to auteur has left a rippling effect that you can still see over 7 decades later.   

[pagansheep]

Iplier Appearances by Date

Welcome to all of the Iplier Ego Appearances from the very first to current!

YouTube Playlist Here

2012

June 19th, 2012: Don’t Blink

July 4th, 2012: Don’t Move

November 9th, 2012: The Fall of Slender Man

2013

January 23rd, 2013: King of the Squirrels

February 7th, 2013: Danger In Fiction Part One [Feat. Markiplier]

June 12th, 2013: The Warfstache Affair

July 23rd, 2013: Mr. Kitty Saves The World

July 28th, 2013: Raspy Hill

August 20th, 2013: Danger In Fiction | Chapter II

October 16th, 2013: Warfstache Plays Slender

October 31st, 2013: Are Jumpscares Scary?

2014

June 3rd, 2014: Super Infidelity 

August 26th, 2014: The Ned Affair [feat. Markiplier]

October 31st, 2014: Google in Real Life | ft. Markiplier (Matthias Ending)

October 31st, 2014: Google IRL (Markiplier Ending)

December 10th, 2014: Hire My Ass [feat. Markiplier, Danny Sexbang & Matthias]

2015

March 7th, 2015: Five Nights at Freddy’s Interview 

March 24th, 2015: Ed Edgar Adoptallott's Baby Bulk Buy

March 26th, 2015: King of the Squirrels Returns

September 8th, 2015: Worst News Doctor

September 13th, 2015: Warfstache Interviews Markiplier

2016

August 13th, 2016: Relax

August 24th, 2016: Now We’re Cooking

November 13th, 2016: MAKING LOVE FOR SENPAI | Yandere Simulator #12

2017

February 14th, 2017: A Date With Markiplier

April 1st, 2017: 360 Video | Let’s Play Minecraft | Part One

April 16th, 2017: Don’t Play This Game

May 5th, 2017: Markiplier TV

May 20th, 2017: Google Gets an Upgrade

June 29th, 2017: The Voice of Darkiplier | Markiplier Remix

October 10th, 2017: Who Killed Markiplier? - Chapter One

October 11th, 2017: Who Killed Markiplier? - Chapter Two

October 12th, 2017: Who Killed Markiplier? - Chapter Three

October 13th, 2017: Who Killed Markiplier? - The Final Chapter

October 14th, 2017: Corpse Abduction?

October 14th, 2017: Suspect With A Shooty?!

October 14th, 2017: Demons Jim, Demons!!

October 14th, 2017: Dummy Jim Reenacts Grisly Scene!

November 19th, 2017: Don’t Remember

November 20th, 2017: Big MOOD?

 November 21st, 2017: THE ANIMATRONIC IN THE SHADOWS | POPGOES - Part 6 (ENDING)

December 23rd, 2017: A TOTALLY NORMAL GAME... NOTHING SUSPICIOUS AT ALL... | Doki Doki Literature Club - Part 1 (Description Only)

December 24th, 2017: SO MANY BEAUTIFUL WOMEN | Doki Doki Literature Club - Part 2 (Description Only)

December 26th, 2017: EVERYTHING IS SO... NORMAL | Doki Doki Literature Club - Part 3 (Description Only)

December 30th, 2017: THE PERFECT DATE w/ ThE ̸̗͍̮̼͙P̏͂̈́ͦ͂̂E͆̈́ͧͮͣ̍̄Ŕ̓͋F̿̒ͦĒͫ̑ͧCT̓ ͏̪̜̗͔̻̘GiRL | Doki Doki - Part 4 (Description Only)

December 31st, 2017: WARNING... THINGS GO VERY VERY WRONG... | Doki Doki Literature Club - Part 5 (Description Only)

2018

January 1st, 2018: BE WITH ME FOREVER | Doki Doki Literature Club - Part 6 (ENDING) (Description Only)

January of 2018: A Compromise (Tumblr)

August 15th, 2018: Wilford “MOTHERLOVING” Warfstache

August 20th, 2018: Go Back To Sleep…

December 10th, 2018: SANTA SPILLS THE TEA

2019

May 12th, 2019: DAMIEN

December 21st, 2019: CyberMark (Facebook, THIS HAS ENDED)

October 30th 2019: A Heist With Markiplier 

2021

February 11th, 2021: Cooking Simulator #2

February 11th, 2021: The Best Kind of Love Story… (Instagram)

March 7th, 2021: The Warfstache Automated Interview Automaton

August 24th, 2021: MY WORST NIGHTMARE | Mannequin House

September 3rd, 2021: Everything has to End

December 11th, 2021: Everything has to Begin

2022

March 4th, 2022: In Space With Markiplier | Official Trailer

April 4th, 2022: In Space With Markiplier Part One

April 11th, 2022: Ë̸̼R̴̢̼̂R̵̡̙̚͜Ǫ̸͙͚̈R̶̦̮̝͗

April 13th, 2022: We Went Back

April 15th, 2022: Try Not to Crash Simulator | Drive Time Radio

April 18th, 2022: P̴̮̌̓A̵̧͌͜R̶̰̀A̶D̶O̵X̴͓́͗͗͊̆̀͝ ̵͙̈̚D̴̖̍E̷T̷E̵̩͑͜ͅC̵̻͊T̸̺͎̾̾È̷͕Ḓ̴̵̛̊͗̔̃̌̅̀̓̂̕͝

April 25th, 2022: The Multiverse Is Littered With the Corpses of Your Failures

May 2nd, 2022: In Space With Markiplier Part Two

2023

September 16th, 2023: 3 Scary Games #102

Tags

@thequietdoll

[onlyalive41throwaway]

Would I be the asshole if I waited even longer to tell my dad mom cheated

This is a throwaway account. I (18) have been on a 7 week trip with my mom (55F) with me for the majority of it. My dad (48M) and younger sister (16F) arrived last week, on the 6th a Saturday. I found out about my mom having had at least three affairs from 2022-to April of this year. I found this out during our second week of the trip.

Now because I was not at home and this trip was for me to take a class and to visit family. I decided that it wouldn’t be wise or safe for me to tell dad until after the trip ended. That has been my plan. However, now I’m thinking that it would be better to wait a bit longer. But I’m unsure how selfish that would be.

I know I need to tell him soon as they have been talking about buying a house at the place we’ve taken this trip. Having been buying expensive jewelry and being quite frivolous. They’ve also been incredibly lovey dovey with each other. I know and have accepted that telling them will most likely ruin the marriage and quite possibly hurt my relationship with both of them. But I feel sick seeing mom be like this with dad knowing what she’s done. The text messages I saw were incredibly graphic. I have video evidence of those messages on my phone incase mom grows a tech brain and deleted the messages. So there’s no worry about proving it to dad.

It’s just. I still need them. I still need them to help me pay for college, to teach me to drive, to help me pay for my dorm. They’re always so busy. Dad has always worked a job that starts early and ends really late. I used to resent him for that but now I understand. Mom is currently working a night job and a day job as well. They don’t have time to teach me these skills. I don’t have friends who’d be free to help me with this. All my family lives pretty far away, is busy, and/or too old to be able to be of much help. I would have to rely on my parents for this. However, we rarely ever get stuff done on time. I highly doubt they’d be able to make time for me to teach me these skills.

I feel I’m being selfish in wanting to have my parents teach me instead of the internet. I fear they’ll be too busy fighting to teach me once I tell dad.

TLDR: I still need my parents and don’t want to tell dad mom cheated until I’m confident in being able to be a bit more independent. However, I’ve already waited 5-6 weeks and don’t know if I’d be the asshole to put it off longer. Knowing them, this longer could be as late as end of August/early September.

[mariacallous]

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stepped down from his role on Wednesday following the resignations of several other members of the cabinet amid a wide-ranging reshuffle of the Ukrainian government, the largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion more than two years ago. 

The shake-up comes at a critical juncture in the war, as Ukrainian forces seized a chunk of Russia’s Kursk region in a surprise cross-border offensive last month and as Moscow continues to strike energy facilities across Ukraine, leading to rolling blackouts and sparking fears of a grim winter ahead. 

On Tuesday, at least 51 people were killed in a Russian strike on the central Ukrainian city of Poltava. 

“Fall will be extremely important for Ukraine. And our state institutions must be set up in such a way that Ukraine will achieve all the results we need,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Tuesday evening address. “To do this, we need to strengthen some areas in the government—and personnel decisions have been prepared.”

Zelensky is expected to travel to the United States this month to attend the United Nations General Assembly and has said he intends to present U.S. President Joe Biden as well as presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris with a “victory plan” to win the war. 

Ukrainian lawmakers said they expect another round of firings and resignations—which have been rumored as part of a major government shake-up for some time—to continue Thursday. David Arakhamia, the head of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party in Ukraine’s parliament said in a Telegram message that as much as 50 percent of the cabinet of ministers could be reshuffled. 

In a meeting with his party in the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday, Zelensky said the reshuffle was intended to reenergize the government and increase efficiency in certain areas, according to Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

Rumors of a reshuffle have circulated in Ukraine for months. Almost a quarter of cabinet posts have been held by acting ministers following previous resignations, said Andrii Osadchuk, a member of the Ukrainian parliament with the opposition party Holos. 

Ukrainian analysts struggled to explain the logic of the reshuffle, noting that some of those who have tendered their resignations are expected to remain in senior government posts.

“I don’t think anyone can explain why most of the changes are happening,” said Andrii Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine. “We cannot say that this is a new team in the government,” he added, noting that many of the new appointees currently serve as deputy ministers or as officials in the Presidential Office. 

Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and elections, which are typically held every five years, have been postponed indefinitely.

But with much of Ukraine’s foreign policy already being run by Zelensky and Andriy Yermak, the head of the Presidential Office, former U.S. officials and experts saw the moves as a reshuffling of the deck chairs in Ukraine’s cabinet instead of a full-on personnel makeover.

“These are Ukrainian decisions to make and indeed the president’s decision to make,” said former Ambassador William Taylor, who led the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv in an acting capacity until January 2020. “I don’t anticipate this being a problem in relations with the United States.”

In the past year, Zelensky has taken a firmer hand with personnel changes. In September 2023, he swapped out then-Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov for Rustem Umerov and followed that up by replacing the popular Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi as the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces with Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi in February. With the new moves likely to continue to see power centralized in the hands of Zelensky and Yermak, some lawmakers chafed at the changes.

“President Zelensky does not believe in institutions—he believes in people,” said one Ukrainian lawmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about the ongoing changes. “But institutions should work, and institutions should have strategy. That’s not how it’s happening in Ukraine.”

In the wake of Kuleba’s resignation, Andrii Sybiha will be nominated as Ukraine’s foreign minister, two people familiar with the decision said. Sybiha was a deputy to Yermak in the Presidential Office until earlier this year and previously Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey. 

“He’ll have a different style from Kuleba,” Taylor said. “He’ll probably instill a little more discipline in the [Ministry of Foreign Affairs]. He’s more formal.”

As part of the changes, the portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olha Stefanishyna is expected to be folded into the Justice Ministry, with Stefanishnya tipped to lead the ministry in an expanded role as the country pursues accession talks with the European Union, said Alyona Getmanchuk, the director of the New Europe Center, a Kyiv-based think tank.

Oleksandr Kamyshin will be promoted to become a strategic advisor to the Presidential Office, two Ukrainian officials said, putting the former Ukrainian railroad and arms czar much closer to the powerful president. 

“For me, it’s time for new challenges,” Kamyshin said in a post on X on Wednesday after Ukraine’s parliament voted through his resignation. “I will remain part of the team and continue doing everything possible to bring our Victory closer. I will keep building the Arsenal of the Free World.” Herman Smetanin, the head of Ukroboronprom, the Ukrainian state defense conglomerate, is expected to take over the Ministry of Strategic Industries.

Ukrainian officials said Kuleba may take an ambassador role in Africa, where he has championed boosting Ukraine’s diplomatic footprint to counter rising Russian influence in the global south, or at a major European institution, such as NATO or the Council of Europe. 

Ukraine has been trying to move ahead with anti-corruption reforms. It has moved up 40 places in Transparency International’s scorecard on addressing corruption over the past decade, despite two Russian military invasions. And experts don’t expect the shake-up to further delay those efforts. 

“Let’s be fair: There’s still this ongoing war, a very serious situation in the east. They’re still scrambling to get the weapons and support that they need in Ukraine from the United States and other partners in the west,” said Jonathan Katz, the senior director for the anti-corruption, democracy, and security project at the Brookings Institution. “Certainly some consolidation of power is seen in scenarios like this where you have an ongoing conflict.”

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Brice Laemle

Published: Sep 5, 2023

Charlie Hebdo is back on crusading for freedom of expression. While the Danish government presented a bill to Parliament on Friday, September 1, banning public defacing of religious objects, the secular satirical French weekly is criticizing Copenhagen's decision to reinstate the crime of blasphemy. The subject will feature on the front page of the Wednesday, September 6, issue.

The newspaper is launching an appeal to "warn citizens committed to democratic values" alongside eight Scandinavian media outlets. Among them, seven Norwegian newspapers and online sites and one Danish media outlet are criticizing the return of this 334-year-old law, which was repealed in 2017.

In recent months, there has been one controversy after another in northern Europe, with Iraqi political refugees repeatedly burning Qurans in front of the press. The Scandinavian far right is exultant at other similar degradations carried out within its ranks. The emotion that swept through the Muslim world at these images of book burning led, for example, to a hundred people attacking the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on July 20.

'An outrageous law'

Against this backdrop of heightened tensions, Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard has championed a law designed to "prohibit the inappropriate treatment of objects of significant religious significance to a religious community." Anyone publicly desecrating a Bible, Torah, Quran or religious symbols such as a crucifix will soon face a fine or up to two years imprisonment.

For the editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo, who were targeted by an Islamist attack on January 7, 2015, this "ad hoc legislation" is worrying. "It's serious that a European country should decide to reinstate a medieval offense," warned the publication's director, Riss, who sees it as all the more symbolically important given that Denmark was the scene of the Muhammad cartoons affair in 2005.

"In doing this, the Danish government is bowing to pressure from Muslim countries," complained Gérard Biard, the weekly's editor-in-chief. "With this scandalous law, the Danish government is being dictated to by authoritarian regimes such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Taliban Afghanistan. The vagueness surrounding this bill, which in reality concerns only the Quran, leaves the door open to all interpretations and therefore all penalties," even though the Danish minister of justice has assured that the law will not cover cartoons.

By embarking on this new battle, and at the risk of being accused of encouraging book-burners, Charlie Hebdo will surprise neither its supporters nor its detractors. "We're not trying to export French-style secularism but to support freedom of expression, which is threatened by this law. Everyone has the right to practise their religion, it's not about the Quran, it's about fighting religious fundamentalism," Riss said. The newspaper is currently in difficulty. Only 17,000 copies were sold on newsstands per week in August, compared with 20,000 in January 2023 and 25,000 in May 2022. Subscribers still hover around 30,000, but this is 3,000 fewer than nine months ago, and 7,000 fewer than in May 2022.

[ Via: https://archive.is/TsBUi ]

==

Never set a precedent of complying with religious demands.

Unless it's a demand for secularism.

[humanrightsupdates]

VENEZUELA: VENEZUELAN DETAINEES’ LIFE AT RISK

Emirlendris Benítez is a 42-year-old mother and tradeswoman who was arbitrarily detained in August 2018 and subjected to torture. Guillermo Zárraga is a 59-year-old engineer and former oil industry unionist arbitrarily detained in November 2020 and tried for crimes for which there was no evidence. They both suffer from grave health conditions, because of acts of torture, in Emirlendris’ case, and inhumane prison conditions. Both individuals are currently unfairly detained in prisons under the responsibility of the Minister for Penitentiary Affairs. We call on her to protect their lives and health and ensure they receive immediate and adequate medical attention

Emirlendris Benitez is a Venezuelan mother, sister, and tradeswomen. On 5 August 2018, Emirlendris was arbitrarily detained on fabricated grounds. Authorities falsely linked her to acts of violence committed against high-profile political leaders in Venezuela; an accusation for which there is no evidence and which she has consistently stated that she had no part in. In custody, she was subjected to torture while pregnant. A few weeks after her arrest, she was forcibly transferred to a medical facility and her pregnancy was terminated without her knowledge or consent. The torture she was subjected to left her needing the long-term use of a wheelchair for mobility. In 2022, she was sentenced to a 30-year prison sentence by a partial and politically motivated court. Emirlendris should have never been detained, as it is believed the charges are politically motivated. Furthermore, the draconian sentence against her should be revoked and she must be immediately released.

Guillermo Zárraga is a Venezuelan engineer who worked as an operator technician for Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company) at the Cardón Refinery in the Catalytic Complex located in Coro, Falcón state. He was also a leader in the Sindicato Único de Trabajadores (Unique Workers' Union) within that organization. On 14 November 2020, at 3:00 am, he was detained at his home by officers from the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM). According to the indictment by the Public Prosecutor's Office, he has been accused of providing national security information to an American man who had been arrested in September and was believed to be a CIA agent attempting to sabotage the oil industry complex. In addition to his role as a union leader, Guillermo Zárraga had been photographed with Juan Guaido, a prominent opposition leader. This photograph was included as part of the accusation, serving as evidence of Zárraga's alleged intention to support the sabotage. Despite the fact that Nicolás Maduro’s government has released the alleged CIA agent, Guillermo Zárraga remains arbitrarily detained.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Spanish You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 1 December 2023

[dealgemeneverwarring]

De Algemene Verwarring #97 - 18 September 2023

The ninety-seventh episode of De Algemene Verwarring was broadcast on Monday, September 18, 2023, and you can listen to it by clicking on the link below that will take you directly to the Mixcloud page:

First of all, yes I know I am a bit late with this one as episode #97 was already broadcast a week ago. Apologies, shit happens. Let's get down to business. Pictured below is the New Zealand trio The Strange Girls, consisting of Clayton Noone, Kaaterama "Motty" Morehu and Jon Arcus. Fördämning Arkiv from the mighty Göteborg released a compilation of early work from the band last year, and lately I have been listening to this record a lot. The band was unknown to me before, and that's not that weird because they released mainly cassettes, cd-r's and very limited lathe cut vinyl, so obviously not very easy to find back in the non-digital era. Some, if not most, of those releases are now on the Bandcamp page of the band, but of you want some nice black vinyl, this is the record that you must buy. It's an absolute wonderful record that I forgot to mention in my "best of 2022" list. Atmospheric downer shoegaze folk or something. It's the third time I played a track from the record in the show and I wouldn't be surprised if that was not the last time yet.

There's some intriguing new records in the show by Nusidm, The Sheaves, The Toads, Loopsel and Current Affairs, and the regular older crackers, this time coming from i.a. Drunks With Guns (wow, that was long ago!), The Drags, The Pupils, and Anika! And unfortunately we have to close the show with a Stars From The Lid track, in memory of the gone-too-soon Brian McBride. And beneath the photo you can find the playlist for the show. Enjoy!

Playlist:

The Drags: Slick Livin' It Up At The Bottom Of The Sea (split 7" with The Peechees "Radio Disappears" on G.I. Productions, 1996)

The Apostles: Hello, You Bastard (2LP "Best Forgotten - Early Demo, Live & Practice Tapes 81-83" on Horn Of Plenty, 2022, originally released on "Topics For Discussion - 4th Demo" on Scum Tapes)

Utopie: Dents De Scie (12" "Seconde Figure" on Lada Records, Dans Le Vide, Don't Trust The Hype, Les Choeurs de l'Ennui & Symphony Of Destruction, 2022)

Current Affairs: No Fuss (LP "Off The Tongue" on Tough Love Records, 2023)

The Toads: Nationalsville (LP "In The Wilderness" on Upset The Rhythm, 2023)

The Sheaves: Hit Silly (LP "Excess Death Cult Time" on Minimum Table Stacks, 2023reissue, originally released on tape by Moone Records in 2022)

Religiöus Overdöse: Control Addicts (LP "Strung Out On Heavens High 1980-1982" on Optic Nerve Recordings, originally released on a 7" in 1981, on Glass Records)

Noir Boy George: Quand Tu Marches Dans La Rue (LP "Gloire A Satan" on Attila Tralala, Animal Biscuit, Eurochoc Production & Poussière d'Epoque, 2023, originally released on cassette in 2011 on Tanzprocesz)

Anika: Naysayer (LP "Change" on Invada Records, 2021)

Nusidm: Arm Unemployed (LP "The Last Temptation Of Thrill" on Bruit Direct Disques, 2023)

Drunks With Guns: Wonderful Subdivision (CD "Second Verses" on Intellectual Convulsion, 1990)

The Pupils: It's Good To Have Met You (CD "The Pupils" on Dischord, 2002)

The Strange Girls: Satan (LP "It's Ok To Be Happy (1999-2001)" on Fördämning Arkiv, 2022)

Warm Currency: Winter Advertisement (10" "Returns" on Horn Of Plenty, 2022)

Loopsel: Poison Tree (LP "Öga för Öga Eye For An Eye" on DFA Records & Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox, 2023)

Stars Of The Lid: Apreludes (in C Sharp Major) (3LP "And Their Refinement Of The Decline" on Kranky, 2007.

[holocephal1]

I posted 1,917 times in 2022

That's 1,317 more posts than 2021!

61 posts created (3%)

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Blogs I reblogged the most:

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I tagged 1,634 of my posts in 2022

Only 15% of my posts had no tags

#<3... - 223 posts

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#tlt - 61 posts

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#sandman - 35 posts

#im so. tlt - 34 posts

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#starwar - 32 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#which is made of copper and rust. you are from a war-ridden planet and the cause of your first death was a starship crash. you sing and pla

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

overthinking kitty's "she hit me!" "she can't!" "well, she wanted to!" interaction about lucy again.

i think its a really good reflection of her experiences and how she's learned to handle things tbh, because its something she says to try and make the others listen to how she's feeling. and i figure a lot of her life was not being listened to about her feelings or experiences, so she resorts to last-ditch exaggerations to try and get her point heard.

102 notes - Posted November 17, 2022

#4

im obsessed with just how much of the captain is about theatrics. because when it comes down to it, he's not... put together. like at all. the flashback we see is meant to be his Element, (and you can put this down to gay panic, or the Everything Else if you like), but he sucks at it, a bit. more than a bit, a lot. he's completely flustered, and doing completely arbitrary things, and its very clear that Havers is the competent one in that situation, especially because he gives functional orders and then is like 'go on listen to your CO.' and its something that comes through with Cap all the time. as much as he's continually reasserting his rank, he's so clearly not in charge. at all. and he's continually trying to prove the Cool and Powerful Leadership part of his identity to the other ghosts- eg. him interrupting in The Thomas Thorne Affair to basically just be like 'look how cool and functional id be if this were me'. and in insisting that he'd wear his uniform even if given the chance to do literally anything else. being The Captain is so integral to the false existence he puts up, and i'd guess he probably used it in life to hide other aspects of his reality from both himself and others, to prevent any sort of questioning. how dare they suspect their CO, and how could he possibly be 'that kind of person' when he's a well respected, high ranking officer?

157 notes - Posted September 21, 2022

#3

thinking about the fact julian died with a wedding ring on and pat didnt..

pls ignore the photo quality in favour of the amout of sad this makes me

195 notes - Posted November 9, 2022

#2

totally unfounded ghosts theory

SO . i was thinking about this image:

a little too hard. and about people saying the thing in the captain's hand might be a tissue. and the idea of cap dying at his medal ceremony has been bouncing around my brain for a while, but i THOUGHT, what if the captain died at a funeral/memorial service? it would explain why he's in uniform, and at button house (given the people stationed there) despite the war likely being over and all by the time of his death. i cannot justify this at all, because my brain isnt working enough to research it without just getting current war memorial events, but! its an idea.

222 notes - Posted September 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

i feel like we as a fandom don't talk about pat referring to himself as 'the big bad butcher man' enough

270 notes - Posted November 5, 2022

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[piratespencil]

I posted 4,139 times in 2022

That's 2,342 more posts than 2021!

204 posts created (5%)

3,935 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

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Longest Tag: 137 characters

#i saw a post at one point that was like ‘what if all of bell’s hells are ruidis-born?’ and honestly at this point i wouldn’t be surprised

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Liam created Derrig for the express purpose of setting up Orym years in advance??? Incredible.

430 notes - Posted July 28, 2022

#4

Sam: Are Keyleth and Percy having an affair??

Marisha: Ew no. Also it wouldn’t be an affair, Vex would totally be in on it, let’s be real.

Taliesin: Vex would’ve instigated it.

491 notes - Posted November 1, 2022

#3

I’m obsessed with Ashton “never take copper, that’s kicking someone when they’re down” Greymoore.

Ashton “that’s not a waste of space, that’s a person going through something” Greymoore.

Ashton “gives most of my gold to my found family” Greymoore.

Ashton “let’s get breakfast sandwiches for our new friends” Greymoore.

Ashton just keeps making statements/decisions that I completely didn’t expect from this character and I’m Living for it.

598 notes - Posted February 15, 2022

#2

While I don’t know that it was necessarily intentional, I do think it’s interesting that by the end of the episode, Ashton was the only one who successfully managed to run away from the fight.

Ashton, whose family ran and left them for dead when things went south.

Ashton, who straight up told Bell’s Hells early on that he would’ve done the same.

Ashton, who looked at everyone dropping and decided to run and just keep running, who ended up doing exactly what they said they’d do.

They ran.

732 notes - Posted September 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Quick recap of all of the big character reveals from C3E17, because we got SO MUCH in this episode and I want to remember who said what to who. BIG SPOILERS below!!

Chetney

His tattoo apparently stands for “Recognize the Alpha” (told to Imogen)

He’s only been a werewolf for a few months!! (told to Orym)

Laudna

She was one of the people killed by the Briarwoods and hung from the Sun Tree as a warning to Vox Machina - they cut her ears to look half-elven, so she was presumably the Vex or Keyleth effigy (told to Orym)

FCG

They have some sort of current of (arcane?) energy running through them that might explain their odd behaviour in C3E16, but Milo couldn’t explain much about it or how to dispel it (told to FCG by Milo, Ashton and Orym were present)

Milo also said that FCG’s joints had very old wear and tear, possibly implying that FCG is older than two years?

FCG and Imogen were able to mind-meld by both casting Detect Thoughts at the same time, but Imogen wasn’t able to learn much more than what we already know about FCG’s backstory - but it was implied that there is more that Imogen wasn’t able to access

Imogen dreamed about the scent of fresh grass after sleeping with the Shade Mother’s stone - could be nothing? Could be something?

Fearne

Her parents left the Feywild many years ago (possibly when she was in her forties?) and have been sending her postcards from many places ever since, including from Aeor most recently (told to the whole party I think?)

Her parents are named Birdie and Oleander/Ollie, and her grandmother’s name is Morrigan/Morri (also told to the whole party?)

Imogen

She feels drawn to the stone that she took from the Shade Mother, and sleeping with it changed her reoccurring dream - she wanted to run into the storm (told to Laudna and possibly the rest of the party I think?)

She acquired a feywild shard that will allow her to roll on the wild magic table once a day

Imogen was able to mind-meld with FCG but he wasn’t able to learn much more about her backstory, either

Orym

Orym had a half-elf husband named Will who died six years ago during the attack on the Air Ashari - his tattoo represents him and his husband as “big moon and little moon” (told to Chetney)

Fearne and Dorian already knew about Will (told to Chetney)

He acquired a blue chromatic rose that will protect him from lightning damage - it was a blue flower found in a storm and it reminded him of Dorian

Orym put a bunch of yellow flowers on FCG when they were in stasis (this isn’t a character reveal, it’s just really cute)

Ashton

Ashton was born flesh and blood (presumably human) but started turning into their rocky earth genasi form sometime around the age of ten to twelve (told to Fearne)

As far as he knows, his skin and organs are made of stone (told to Fearne)

I think that’s everything? Please reblog this with anything that I missed because this episode had so much.

1,197 notes - Posted March 18, 2022

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[duskodair]

I posted 9,755 times in 2022

That's 3,253 more posts than 2021!

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Blogs I reblogged the most:

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I tagged 9,179 of my posts in 2022

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Longest Tag: 139 characters

#he was more popular when the lyceum went on american tours (he wanted to see walt whitman) bc of the irish diaspora in america welcoming he

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Dracula protagonist breakdown

Capable bitches:

- mina

- van helsing

Tasty snacks:

- lucy

- johnathan

Helping (tm):

- seward

- quincy

- arthur

- mrs westenra

Renfield:

- renfield

592 notes - Posted September 24, 2022

#4

Great news! Anything cursed in modern Exandria (fcg's flat earthing, campaign two hospital heist) can now be happily marked down as 'the ring of brass died for this'

1,006 notes - Posted June 19, 2022

#3

I don't for one second believe that that's Sam's BIG twist for this campaign. We called that one from episode one, episode two. No, i think this is lulling us into a sense of security so that the next thing knocks us out entirely. Who are you, fresh cut grass? What have you done? Where were you stationed when the cities fell and the betrayer gods rose? How many apogee solstices have you seen?

1,381 notes - Posted August 20, 2022

#2

oh. lucy was so scared. she was so scared but she was still helping. her mother died on top of her, she lost her garlic safety blankets and she was still trying to comfort the maids even with a broken window and a house full of horrors. and then the maids went down and she was alone and so she wrote out a final goodbye and hid it on herself, determined, like the captain, to finish her story on her terms. oh lucy

3,591 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Ok ok ok, imagine the game of telephone that's happening rn. Orym calls Keyleth and says it's the Cerberus Assembly. Keyleth goes, fuckin wizards, and calls Allura. Allura goes, oh those bastards, calls Caleb and goes get ur fuckin wizards and Caleb, exhausted, ambles up the road to beau's house, bangs on the door at 9pm and just goes 'ludinus'

5,345 notes - Posted August 20, 2022

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[bllsbailey]

What the Media Neglect to Mention About the Politician Who Murdered a Journalist (He was a Democrat)

This week, a jury found former Nevada politician Robert Telles guilty of assassinating investigative journalist Jeff German over articles he had written about him exposing the Clark County public administrator's alleged misconduct in office. German's investigation, which aired internal allegations accusing the local official of corruption, bullying his staff, and having an affair with a subordinate, led to Telles stabbing the dogged reporter to death in retaliation.

The two-week Telles trial made national news, given the gruesomeness of the crime and the motive underlying German's premeditated murder.

However, the media, for the most part, neglected to mention that the now-convicted murderer was a Democratic official. 

The New York Times, NBC News, ABC News, Rolling Stone, and The Hill all made no mention of the killer's party affiliation when covering his conviction.

German's series of stories critical of Telles, who was seeking a second term, ultimately cost the then-incumbent candidate the Democratic primary in June of 2022.

Prior to German's slaying, Telles had publicly railed against the reporter on his official campaign website, calling the accusations "false" and "another" "manufacture[d] scandal." Under the site's subsection titled "The Truth," Telles claimed German was conspiring with his Democratic challenger, assistant public administrator Rita Reid, to publish the pieces probing his handling of the county office, which oversees the estates of those who have died. Reid, the top supervisor under Telles, was one of the whistleblowers, among a half-dozen current and former employees German interviewed, who sounded the alarm on Telles's toxic behavior in the workplace.

"Jeff German and John Cahill [who was Telles's predecessor] may not be done trying to drag me through the mud," Telles wrote of German's findings. "To ensure that Democrats rally around Rita, they would have to turn most Democratic voters against me even now when I should be irrelevant. Don't be surprised if the articles keep coming."

After losing his re-election bid to Reid, on September 2, 2022, the deadly Democrat repeatedly stabbed The Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter outside his home, where Telles was "lying in waiting," and then left the 69-year-old victim to die.

German, who suffered seven fatal stab wounds, including four to his neck and one that cut his carotid artery, according to the autopsy report, was working on a follow-up article at the time Telles murdered him, his own outlet revealed.

German had recently filed a new round of public records requests for emails and text messages exchanged between Telles and three other county officials, including a coroner, Reid, and estate coordinator Roberta Lee-Kennett, the subordinate staffer allegedly involved in an "inappropriate relationship" with Telles.

Co-workers, who said the affair was used to "secure power and privileges above others in the office," videotaped the two in the backseat of Lee-Kennett's vehicle. Videos of the clandestine meetings, copies of which German obtained, showed Telles and Lee-Kennett secretly canoodling in her car parked across the street from the Clark County Government Center.

Scandalized, the Telles staffers said it was "unacceptable" and "disgusting" to see of a public servant in a public place. Both were married, though Telles said they were only hugging and talking strictly about important office-related issues while Lee-Kennett said she just wanted Telles to hear her concerns face-to-face. At trial, Telles admitted they had an affair.

"He did it because Jeff wasn't done writing," the prosecution told jurors.

When he was slain, German had an outstanding request for government records involving Telles. Within hours of his assassination, German was texting with a Telles staff member, who had informed him that several workers were resigning.

"Thanks. I'll be back at work on Thursday. That may be a story," German, who was starting a week of vacation, said.

In court, the jury learned that Telles was alerted about the release of those records just before he slashed German.

Telles was wearing a white hazmat suit when Review-Journal reporters attempted to question him at his house as law enforcement closed in.

He was eventually identified via surveillance footage, which captured Telles in disguise donning a neon-orange shirt and an oversized sunhat.

While executing a search warrant on Telles's residence, authorities discovered a wide-brimmed straw hat that had been sliced into pieces in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence. DNA found under German's fingernails also matched that of Telles.

Telles was convicted of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon on a person 60 years or older and sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years served. The jury also unanimously found the murder committed by means of elder abuse.

German, author of the true crime book "Murder in Sin City," centered his intrepid reporting on crimes perpetrated by politicians, government malfeasance, and political scandals. The veteran journalist's award-winning work exposing wrongdoing and the city's criminal underbelly spanned four decades.

In the lead-up to his murder, German had spent months documenting the turmoil surrounding Telles's oversight of the public administrator's office. The first installment of German's investigation spotlighted a 19-page confidential retaliation complaint filed with the Clark County Office of Diversity claiming Telles fueled a hostile work environment and mistreated his workers.

"The county has failed to protect employees from a mentally and emotionally abusive situation that has continued now for two years-plus, and the mental and physical health ramifications have been felt by most of the full-time employees in this department of only eight full-time employees," the complaint read.

Telles denied the allegations of office abuse and blamed the unrest on a handful of disgruntled "old-timers" left over from Cahil's administration.

"They are unhappy with the way the office has been taken out of their control," Telles said. "All my new employees are super-happy and everyone’s productive and doing well. We've almost doubled the productivity in the office."

On X, a paranoid Telles lashed out at German, fearing he was preparing "lying smear piece #4." Believing that German was "obsessed" with him, Telles even called the reporter a "Typical bully."

"I think he's mad that I haven't crawled into a hole and died," Telles tweeted.

The defense described Telles's reaction to German's reporting as a "reasonable response to criticism, which comes from the job."

Prosecutors said Telles had hundreds of photographs taken of German's home in his possession, stored on his cell phone and computer.

Telles was still complaining about German's coverage days before his death, Reid told the Review-Journal.

"You have not had truly bad bosses if you think I tortured you," Telles texted Reid in an August 28, 2022, message shared with the newspaper. "You've ruined my life's path and damaged the office." The district attorney's office said German's reporting “ruined his political career, likely his marriage."

On the witness stand, Telles admitted that he thought German's reporting would prevent him from ever working as a lawyer again in Las Vegas.

"Unequivocally, I'm innocent. I didn't kill Mr. German," Telles insisted. "Somebody framed me."

As for the knife cut on his fingertip, which prosecutors suggested must have happened mid-murder, Telles claimed it was from making chicken fried rice.

An attorney by trade, Telles testified in defiance of his defense lawyer, who had strongly advised against his client taking the stand and risking answering questions under oath. The judge then allowed Telles to testify "by way of narration" instead of a standard question-and-answer format.

Telles has a violent past documented in criminal court. In 2020, about a year after he entered office, Telles was arrested during an alcohol-fueled domestic violence dispute involving his wife and children.

"He just won't leave us alone," his wife said on a 911 call recording acquired by the Review-Journal. "He had too much to drink tonight, and it's just ... me and my kids are scared."

Telles had grabbed her around the neck as they were driving home, the police report said, and he hit the steering wheel as well in a fit of rage, causing the car to swerve. As responding officers tried to place Telles under arrest, he resisted by flexing his arms and collapsing onto a chair. Body-worn police cameras showed a drunk Telles taken out of his house in handcuffs.

"You guys just wanna take me down because I'm a public official," Telles said repeatedly, slurring his words as he was put in a police cruiser.

However, the domestic battery charge filed against Telles was dismissed "per negotiations," and he received a suspended sentence on the resisting police charge. As a result, he was required to attend a "Corrective Thinking" class, which focused on anger management. Telles completed the behavior-modification course, and the case was dismissed.

Ordered to "stay out of trouble," Telles obviously did not.

German was the only journalist killed in the United States in 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Review-Journal executive editor Glenn Cook said in a statement: "Jeff was killed for doing the kind of work in which he took great pride: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and empowered voters to choose someone else for the job."

"Robert Telles could have joined the long line of publicly shamed Nevada politicians who've gone on with their lives, out of the spotlight or back in it. Instead, he carried out a premeditated revenge killing with terrifying savagery," Cook stated.

[sa7abnews]

EU state’s FM accused of ‘preparing to flee country’

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/16/eu-states-fm-accused-of-preparing-to-flee-country/

EU state’s FM accused of ‘preparing to flee country’

Lithuania’s Gabrielius Landsbergis is suspected of buying a villa in Greece just before the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict so he could escape if the hostilities spilled over

Lithuanian opposition MPs have accused the country’s foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, of making preparations to flee the country right before the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022 in the event the hostilities were to spill over, several news outlets have reported. The accusations come after Lithuanian media reported last week that in February 2022, just before the fighting between Moscow and Kiev broke out, Landsbergis’ wife made an advance payment of €250,000 ($273,000) on a luxury villa on a Greek island. According to the news outlet Lietuvos rytas, the property in question includes a 313 square-meter house with two terraces and a 23 square-meter guest house. Both Lithuanian and Greek flags have reportedly been seen on the grounds of the villa, which is said to be hidden from prying eyes behind a tall fence. “It was clear that war in Ukraine was inevitable. It is obvious that Landsbergis, in the face of a difficult geopolitical situation, was ready to sharpen his skis,” opposition MP Agnes Sirinskiene told Delfi, adding that she was shocked by the timing of the purchase.

Read more

Baltic state backs sending NATO troops to Ukraine

Landsbergis himself has yet to comment on the accusations as he is currently on vacation and is expected to return to work only in September. In the meantime, the news outlet Respublika has reported that opposition MPs are preparing a series of questions for the foreign minister that will be asked at the next plenary session of the Lithuanian parliament. “If some other family had bought real estate somewhere on the island just before the war, it might not have raised much suspicion. However, when the minister of foreign affairs, who probably has the most information about the possible war in Ukraine, behaves in this way, it requires explanations,” Lithuanian MP Aidas Gedvilas said. Landsbergis, who has been one of the most vocal supporters of Ukraine, has repeatedly claimed that Russia could attack another European country if it were allowed to win in Ukraine. He has also called for regime change in Moscow and has urged NATO to give the Ukrainian military “everything we have.” Russia has repeatedly condemned Landsbergis’ comments, describing his “extremist” ideas as “unacceptable behavior for the head of a foreign ministry.” Moscow has placed personal sanctions on the minister and threatened him with criminal liability for his calls to overthrow the Russian government.

[mariacallous]

Welcome to shutdown watch 2023, where the House and Senate try to fund the federal government before the fiscal year 2024 before funding runs out at midnight on September 30th — or else, the government shuts down. 

There are precious few legislative days left for both chambers this month, and none of the appropriations bills that need to be signed into law to stave out a shutdown have passed both chambers (in fact, just one, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, has passed the House). 

Right now, there are three scenarios in play: 

Congress does nothing and shuts down the government at midnight on September 30th;

Congress passes one or more continuing resolutions (“CR”) that extend FY2023 funding at current levels until a certain date, moving a potential shutdown date further down the calendar, likely around the Christmas holiday. 

Congress passes some or all of the 12 separate appropriations bills to fund the government through September 30, 2024, averting a shutdown for some or all of the federal government.

Here’s a look at more about each of the those possible scenarios: 

No appropriations bills pass by Sept. 30

This one’s easy: if Congress doesn’t pass any funding bills, the government shuts down at midnight on Sept. 30 until they reach an agreement to fund all, or some, of the federal agencies that require Congress to appropriate funds. 

Congress passes some, but not all, its appropriations bills

This path is relatively straight forward too — in this case, there is a partial government shutdown. The agencies that have been funded remain open and begin operating at their funding levels for the 2024 fiscal year. The agencies that haven’t been funded shut down. 

One wrinkle here is that Congress can sidestep a shutdown by passing a continuing resolution that takes those unfunded agencies and extends their funding at 2023 fiscal year funding until full appropriations bills pass, or those continuing resolutions expire. 

Congress passes a full continuing resolution for the federal government

This is an effort to kick the can down the road, with the government remaining open at previous funding levels while Congress works to pass the full year appropriations bills. 

A “clean” CR: This would be a continuing resolution that continues FY2023 funding with zero changes. This is what Democrats (as well as many Republicans) would prefer and vote for. But some House conservatives say they won’t support a CR to extend FY2023 funding because they don’t agree with the current government funding levels. Just 9 House Republicans voted in favor of the last government funding bill in December 2022; 200 voted against.

A “conditional” CR: Some conservatives plan to use the leverage of a narrow Republican majority to demand policy changes to FY2023 funding levels in return for averting a government shutdown. This would likely alienate House and Senate Democrats, and potentially Senate Republicans as well. But if the House and Senate cannot agree on one version of a CR by midnight on September 30th, the government will shut down.

How long would a CR last?: This is still undecided; the House and Senate leadership have to get together to hammer out a deal. A CR can last for a few days, weeks or months. In previous years, congressional leaders have passed a CR in late September that expires just before the holidays to increase pressure on rank and file lawmakers to agree to a broader funding deal and avoid a pre-Christmas shutdown. McCarthy has publicly vowed not to do that.

It’s possible that Congress can’t agree to a permanent funding bill after one continuing resolution, forcing them to either agree to another one or prompting another government shutdown. Additionally, if all 12 appropriations bills are not signed into law by the end of 2023, there will be an automatic 1 percent cut to all discretionary spending (this does not include mandatory spending programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security). The automatic cut was included in the agreement reached earlier this year to raise the debt ceiling. 

And here are some other frequently asked questions that could arise during the funding debate: 

What happens during a government shutdown? 

Agencies are minimally staffed by employees who have been deemed “essential.” They work without being paid, while all “non-essential” employees will be sent home — though in previous shutdowns, Congress has passed legislation to give back pay to workers. Typically, law enforcement and prison employees, TSA employees, Border Patrol, Forest Service Firefighters, and Weather Service forecasters are deemed essential and work without pay. Most automatic government benefits like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are paid out (they have a separate funding stream), though some benefits like WIC and school meals that are funded through the appropriations process will be cut off. The various litigation efforts targeting President Trump would continue. Congress historically has been unable to issue subpoenas during a shutdown, but that guidance is still being developed for this year.

What about funding for Ukraine and disaster relief? 

In mid August, Biden sent a request to Congress for an additional $40 billion dollars in additional money for Ukraine ($24 billion), ongoing federal disaster relief ($12 billion), and border security ($4 billion). At the end of the month, following Hurricane Idalia, he said he was going to request another $4 billion. This kind of money is called a “supplemental appropriations request” and is usually passed outside of the normal funding process. Several more conservative House and Senate Republicans have expressed hesitation or opposition to continued Ukraine funding.

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From Business to Power: The Career and Assets of Mikhail Karpenko

In 2021, "Group of Companies AVA" LLC exited from the ownership structure of "Cascade" LLC, a specialized developer established in January of the same year in Krasnodar. In September 2022, the list of individual owners of the asset included a certain Mikhail Karpenko, whose share is held in trust. This scheme is often used by officials to transfer their assets during their time in public office. Karpenko was no exception. The co-owner of the construction company is the full namesake of the former deputy head of the department for coordinating the activities of administrative bodies of the Krasnodar Territory, former chief state inspector, ex-head of the state housing inspection of the Krasnodar Territory, deputy chairman of housing and communal services of the Krasnodar Territory, and deputy general director of BTI Krasnodar Territory. From 2015 to 2018, he was the deputy head of the administration of the city of Goryachy Klyuch. During his time away from public service, Karpenko held a top management position in a construction company.

It is indirectly confirmed that Karpenko from "Cascade" and the official are the same person by the fact that another co-owner of the asset and director of "Cascade" is Ruben Khurshudyan, who from 2017 to 2019 was the head of the property and land relations department of Goryachy Klyuch.

After leaving the Goryachy Klyuch administration, Karpenko managed to become the head of the Novorossiysk interdistrict department of the Southern Interregional Directorate of Rosselkhoznadzor. Currently, Dmitry Karpenko holds the position of deputy head of the Tuapse district administration, managing affairs. This territory's administration has been headed by Sergey Boyko, a co-founder of the Sochi water polo federation, since January 2023. Not only is it noteworthy that Karpenko, who received a share in Vagan Arutyunyan's former company through an intermediary, managed to work in Novorossiysk, but also that his trustee is Svetlana Stoyanko. Stoyanko previously had a business in Novorossiysk—"Novorossiysk-Agro" LLC (bankrupt), and her former business partners, such as Alexander Puchko, also attempted construction projects in Novorossiysk.