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ACLU files lawsuit claiming immigration officials have illegally detained 10yo girl with cerebral palsy

Taylor Dolven
Vice News
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 17:31 UTC
Rosa Maria Hernandez
© Leticia Gonzalez
Rosa Maria Hernandez, 10, at a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas with her cousin.
Federal immigration officials have illegally detained an undocumented 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy in Texas for the past seven days, hours away from her parents, a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Trump administration alleges.

Border patrol agents physically removed the girl, Rosa Maria Hernandez, from her hospital bed as she recovered from gallbladder surgery one week ago, according to court filings. The agency had flagged her as undocumented when her ambulance passed through a federal checkpoint on the way to the hospital. The officers then followed her ambulance from the checkpoint to the hospital and waited for her to have the surgery before taking her into federal custody, as the video below shows.

The lawsuit, filed by ACLU against Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement in federal court, claims the girl's detention is unlawful. The Office of Refugee Resettlement is processing Hernandez as an unaccompanied minor - which requires inspecting her home - even though she has lived in Texas with her family since she was three months old.

"I've never seen a case as outrageous as this one, and I've been doing this a long time," said Michael Tan, an attorney with the ACLU. "The idea that her parents would be forced to apply to get their child back is ridiculous. They shouldn't have to do this. She's their child. She should be returned to her family."
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Star of David

Um Abed: A Palestinian woman who has endured a century of the Balfour legacy

Mohammad Arafat
Mondoweiss
Thu, 02 Nov 2017 17:35 UTC
balfour personal impact

Um Abed
Um Abed's 55-year-old son, who serves as her caregiver, just had surgery on his foot and couldn't help her go to the bathroom or change her clothes, so he called me. I knew he needed my help, so I visited their house. (In Palestinian culture, women often are called "Um"-mother-and then the name of their oldest son.)

This wasn't the first time I had dropped by to see the refugee family, but this visit was different. I entered the home that was empty of kids' screams, unlike other Palestinian families who have a lot of children living in one house. Abed, her son, was lying on his bed moaning with pain, but he smiled when he saw I came. His wife was busy baking bread and didn't have time even to say hi; she wanted was rushing to finish baking before the power shut off.

Abed asked me to see what his mom needed, so I went to her room. She was holding onto her walker while sitting on the edge of her bed. Silence filled that room. She seemed deep in thought, with no one to share what occupied her.

Although she didn't know me well, she asked me to come and sit in front of her.

"I came here to see how I can help you, my grandma." I said. (We Palestinians call all elderly ladies grandma and old men grandpa.)

She thought before replying, then said, "I want someone to talk to!"
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Clipboard

Five facts about Protestant Christianity 500 years after the Reformation

Neha Sahgal
Pew Research
Fri, 27 Oct 2017 16:08 UTC
Martin Luther
© Sean Gallup/Getty Images
A statue of Martin Luther in Market Square in Wittenberg, Germany. In 1517 Luther nailed his 95 theses to a door of the nearby Schlosskirche, helping to spark the Protestant Reformation.
This year, Protestants will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation. While the exact date of the anniversary is debated, it's conventionally commemorated on Oct. 31, when Martin Luther publicly posted his criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church in Wittenberg, Germany, precipitating an eventual schism with Rome throughout much of Northern and Central Europe.

Five centuries later, global Protestant Christianity looks very different than it did at its inception. Here is a look at some key facts about Protestants around the world through data collected over time by Pew Research Center:

1. Globally, Protestants made up 37% of Christians in 2010.

That's a smaller share than Catholics, who comprised 50% of Christians around the world, but substantially larger than the percentage of Orthodox Christians, who represented 12%.

While the Protestant Reformation began in Germany, in 2010, nearly nine-in-ten (87%) of the world's Protestants lived outside of Europe, particularly in countries that make up the "global south," that is, developing nations mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, there were more Protestants living in Nigeria that year than in Germany. The largest share of Protestants around the world (roughly 20%) lived in the U.S., which was, during the colonial era, largely settled by Puritans and other Protestants from Europe.
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Wolf

As sexual assault allegations grow, Kevin Spacey 'seeks treatment'

Anna Codrea-Rado
The New York Times
Thu, 02 Nov 2017 17:21 UTC
Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic Theater
© Samir Hussein/Getty Images
Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic theater in London in 2015, when his 11-year run as artistic director came to an end. The theater has invited current and former employees to file confidential complaints about inappropriate behavior by Mr. Spacey or anyone else.
The publicist for Kevin Spacey has announced that the Oscar-winning actor is seeking treatment, as reports emerged that the London theater where he was the longtime artistic director turned a blind eye to allegations of sexual misconduct.

More men have come forward accusing Mr. Spacey of behaving inappropriately toward them. This week, the actor Anthony Rapp accused him of sexual misconduct years ago, when Mr. Rapp was 14.

Many of the accusations regarding Mr. Spacey involve behavior that would have taken place when he was artistic director of the Old Vic theater in London, a position he held for 11 years, until 2015.

Comment: See also:

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Info

Doctor testifies Sgt. Bergdahl suffering from PTSD, schizophrenia-like symptoms

Elizabeth McLaghlin
ABC News
Wed, 01 Nov 2017 17:23 UTC
Bowe Bergdahl
© AP
Former Taliban captive Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has symptoms similar to schizophrenia and is suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a forensic psychiatrist who testified in the soldier's trial on Wednesday.

Bergdahl's lawyers called upon forensic psychiatrist and professor Dr. Charles Morgan, who specializes in working with prisoners of war and examined Bergdahl in 2016, in the trial's third day of witness testimony.

Bergdahl, 31, faces up to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for abandoning his Army post in Afghanistan in June 2009.

The closing arguments in the trial could occur as soon as Thursday, military judge Army Col. Jeffery Nance said today. The emotional six day sentencing phase of the trial has included testimony from Bergdahl's fellow soldiers who were injured or killed in the aftermath of his disappearance.

Bergdahl's lawyers hope that the accounts of their witnesses will help reduce his punishment.

Comment: See also:

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People 2

Trump voters actually aren't a gaggle of deplorable racists: Here are the 5 types of Trump supporters

Matt Vespa
Townhall
Tue, 17 Oct 2017 14:36 UTC
trump voters
We've all read the stories, heard anecdotes, and seen it spewed over the media-that Trump voters are all the same. They all have the same motivations, right? Not really. In fact, the Trump coalition's views on economics and government are quite diverse. You notice GOP consternation about Trump bashing congressional Republicans from time to time-that's not by accident. Most voters view Trump as an independent rather than the head of a major party. In fact, new polling shows that Trump is actually more popular than the GOP leadership in some key counties for the 2018 midterms. Not really a shocker to some, I know-but it undercuts the argument that Trump is a cancer to the party. So, who are these voters that back the president?

In June, the Cato Institute's Emily Ekins found 8,000 voters to participate in the Democracy Fund Voter Survey and found that there is no such thing as one type of Trump voter. In fact, a good chunk of the Trump base is made up of economic progressives. The breakdown on Trump's coalition is broken down into five groups: free marketers, staunch conservatives, American preservationists, anti-elites, free marketers, and the disengaged; 31 percent are staunch conservatives, 25 percent are free marketers, 20 percent are American preservationists, and 19 percent are anti-elites. Five percent are described as part of the Disengaged.

Comment: Who would have thought that within the US population - which is comprised of 325 million people (the third largest in the world) - there could be such a wide spectrum of beliefs and perspectives among Trump supporters. Crazy, isn't it! Liberals would prefer that everything be explained in the oversimplified view that Trump supporters are just a bunch of racists and bigots.

High expectations were built within the Clinton camp, in no small part due to a corrupt media distorting reality. When reality didn't conform to their expectations, resentment set in. Liberals have directed their vitriol onto their fellow countryman instead of directing that energy into understanding the situation, the lies they've been told, and the corruption of their leaders. That too is a huge mistake.

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TV

Interesting timing: Outrage as Dutch TV show 'Raped or Not?' invites young panelists to decide if woman is victim of sexual attack

Maryse Godden
The Sun (UK)
Thu, 02 Nov 2017 16:14 UTC
'Raped or Not' TV show
© Central European News
A controversial Dutch TV show that invites a panel to decide if a woman has been raped or not is set to air next week.

"Rape or Not", which will make its debut on November 7, has sparked outrage in the Netherlands with the recent sexual abuse scandals involving Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and actors Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Spacey.

The show by Dutch broadcaster BNNVARA will feature several real-life court cases of sexually transgressive behaviour with alleged rapes re-enacted by actors.

A panel of 14 youngsters will then discuss the final ruling of the judge.
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Clipboard

Pew Research: 5 facts about Muslim Millennials in the U.S.

Jeff Diamant and Claire Gecewicz
Pew Research
Thu, 02 Nov 2017 16:28 UTC
yuong muslims america
© Pars Times
The Muslim population in the United States is younger than the U.S. population at large. In fact, while Millennials make up 32% of all U.S. adults, they account for roughly half of American Muslim adults (52%).

Muslim Millennials were born from 1981 to 1999 and generally came of age after 9/11. Most have transitioned to adulthood, and attended or graduated college. Some have embarked on careers or begun raising families.
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Red Flag

Rise in violence, self-harm as UK inmates struggle with tobacco ban

Richard Ford
The Times (UK)
Thu, 02 Nov 2017 12:01 UTC
Prisoner smoking
© Alamy
Record levels of violence and self-harm among prisoners are feared to be being driven partly by a smoking ban in 66 jails in England and Wales.

More than half of prisons in England and Wales forbid prisoners from smoking in a move that has led to tobacco being sold on the black market inside for as much as £150 an ounce.

The new psychoactive substance Spice, which has swept through the prison system, is said to be much cheaper for inmates to buy than tobacco in no-smoking jails.

Prisoners have also turned to Christianity after discovering that pages from the Bible are perfect for rolling cigarettes made of tobacco or mixtures of other substances including tea leaves.
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Palette

Racist and sexist is the new PC: DNC staffer under fire over job ad which said 'don't forward to white straight males'

Olivia Beavers
The Hill
Wed, 01 Nov 2017 16:22 UTC
DNC staffer gender hysteria racism politically correct discrimination
A Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffer is under fire for voicing a hiring preference for nonwhite, male candidates in an email about job openings.

"I personally would prefer that you not forward to cisgender straight white males, since they're already in the majority," Data Services manager Madeleine Leader said in an email that urged colleagues to forward open job positions to interested parties, The Daily Wire reported Wednesday.

The DNC denied that the email was "authorized" in any way by the organization.

Comment: Here's an idea: Why don't employers forget about the color of the skin, gender and sexual orientation of their applicants and hire them instead exclusively based on their skills and suitability to perform the job they are being considered for? Just saying.

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