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Syrian activist believes Aleppo Twitter girl Bana is the 'ultimate propaganda stunt'


Sputnik
Sat, 17 Dec 2016 19:46 UTC
Bana Alabed Read more: https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612161048599179-aleppo-bana-twitter/
© AFP 2016/ Thaer Mohammed
Syrian Bana al-Abed is filmed by her mother as they prepare to post on Twitter in English about life in the besieged eastern districts of Syria's Aleppo, on October 12, 2016
A Syrian activist Maytham Al Ashkar contacted the 7-year-old Twitter star, Bana Alabed, on November 27, offering to evacuate her family from eastern Aleppo. After a month, someone who identified herself as Bana's mother responded. "What happened after, convinced me that Bana's account is the ultimate propaganda stunt," Maytham told Sputnik.

Bana's account, designated by Twitter as "verified", was set up three months ago, and has since gathered over 310,000 followers. The tweets, written by both Bana and her mother, Fatemah, who says she taught her daughter to speak English, depict life under siege in east Aleppo.
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Bulb

End of faithless electors? Judge orders electors in Colorado to vote for Hillary in accordance with state law - same in Alaska


Sputnik
Thu, 15 Dec 2016 13:56 UTC
trump hillary
© AFP
A federal judge has ordered presidential electors in Colorado to vote for Hillary Clinton, after they filed a lawsuit seeking the right to vote for someone else, in an attempt to block the election of Donald Trump.

Colorado electors Polly Baca, a former state Senator, and Robert Nemanich, have campaigned for the right to vote against the will of the people, seeking to choose a candidate they think would be a better president. The duo filed a lawsuit arguing that presidential electors have a constitutional right to cast their vote for any qualified candidate, regardless of the November 8 election outcome.

Laws regarding electors vary from state to state, but in Colorado they dictate that an elector must vote for the presidential ticket that receives the most votes during the election. The penalty for breaking this law can include a $1,000 fine or up to one year in prison.

Though Baca and Nemanich are both Democrats, they were willing to vote for a Republican candidate other than the President-elect, if electors bound to him also switch, in an attempt to deny Trump the 270 electoral votes required to win. Only one Republican, Texas elector Chris Suprun, has agreed to go along with their plan.

Comment: (Link to the text of the lawsuit here.)

A federal judge in Seattle, Washington, and another in San Jose, California, also rejected attempts by electors to avoid being fined for disregarding the state's presidential popular vote. Thankfully the judiciary system is not bending to the attempts of so-called Hamilton electors to go against federal law because they are precious snowflakes who aren't able to handle losing. Also, it is part of Congress' duty to ensure a peaceful transition of executive power after an election:
Sec. 2. The Congress declares it to be the purpose of the Act to promote the orderly transfer of the executive power in connection with the expiration of the term of office of a President and the inauguration of a new President. The national interest requires that such transitions in the office of President be accomplished so as to assure continuity in the faithful execution of the laws and in the conduct of the affairs of the Federal Government, both domestic and foreign.

Any disruption occasioned by the transfer of the executive power could produce results detrimental to the safety and well-being of the United States and its people. Accordingly, it is the intent of the Congress that appropriate actions be authorized and taken to avoid or minimize any disruption. In addition to the specific provisions contained in this Act directed toward that purpose, it is the intent of the Congress that all officers of the Government so conduct the affairs of the Government for which the exercise responsibility and authority as (1) to be mindful of problems occasioned by transitions in the office of President, (2) to take appropriate lawful steps to avoid or minimize disruptions that might be occasioned by the transfer of the executive power, and (3) otherwise to promote orderly transitions in the office of President.
Update (December 16): The Colorado challengers appealed on Friday.
The Tenth Circuit on Friday evening denied the Colorado electors' request for an injunction. A three-judge panel found that the electors failed to point to specific provisions of the US Constitution that supported their argument, and didn't show how they would suffer irreparable harm if the court denied their request for an emergency injunction.
A similar lawsuit in Alaska, brought by a Clinton supporter, has been righteously squashed:
A federal judge in Alaska has thrown out a lawsuit brought by a Hillary Clinton supporter seeking to prevent the state's three electoral college voters from casting votes for President-elect Donald Trump.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess said the electoral college is spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. He said in a written order that Janice Park's remedy rested not with the courts but with the constitutional amendment process.

Park, of Anchorage, claimed that electors casting votes for Trump would violate her Fifth Amendment right of equal protection and deny her the principle of one person, one vote. She based her claim on the fact that Clinton is winning the popular vote but will lose the electoral college.


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People

Polish police use force as thousands block parliament protesting new media restrictions law


RT
Sat, 17 Dec 2016 19:25 UTC
Polish people protests
© Wojtek Radwanski / AFP
People shout slogans during an anti-government demonstration by opposition supporters and Committee for the Defence of Democracy movement (KOD) outside the Polish parliament on December 16, 2016.
Police have demanded that thousands of protesters blocking the Polish parliament building in Warsaw to disperse, warning that otherwise force may be used. The opposition initially blockaded the parliament building in protest at new media restrictions on covering its work.

The protests were triggered by new proposals put forward by the ruling Law and Justice party to limit media access to parliamentary debates. According to the new rules, only five TV stations will be permitted to cover the sessions. The proposal also envisaged limiting the number of reporters allowed in the premises.

The move has drawn strong criticism from independent media and opposition MPs, who attempted to block the key vote on budget by occupying the parliamentary podium in protest against what they see as a clampdown on the media.

Comment: 'Democracy' in question: How stable are western democracies? Not very, according to researchers

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Attention

Violent Russophobia in modern Ukrainian newspaper: "Daddy, kill Russians!"

Natalia Lapina (translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard)
Stalker Zone
Sun, 06 Nov 2016 19:22 UTC
daddy kill russians
Much is said about the violation of the Constitution and human rights, frankly Goebbels propaganda deployed today in Ukraine. And here is one more confirmation.

It is such a printed newspaper that is distributed to children on the territory of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, controlled by the government in Kiev.

This little rag is called "Kropivach". Such a low-budget publication with black-and-white images and articles for which parents have to pay with their own money. After reading this trash there is a desire to wash your hands and put the authors up against the wall, editors and distributors of this "highly spiritual" masterpiece of Ukrainian thought.

Now to the point. Each article of this abomination deserves a separate study. But I will briefly tell you about each one.

The first column flaunts a photo of a Ukrainian girl in a wreath and the inscription in Ukrainian: "Daddy, kill Russians!"

And underneath is written the word "attention" in three languages. English, German (how can the "non-fascists" omit it?) and Ukrainian. Further is some description of what will be discussed.

Comment: As if that isn't enough, just check out these billboards. Ironically, the Ukro-nazis don't realize how Stalinist they actually are:

ukraine billboard
"A "Domestic" separatist:
- Mocks national symbols
- Awaits the coming of the "Russian world"
Punishment: 7-12 year prison sentence
See, hear - phone 0 800 501 482"
ukraine billboard
"Do you speak the occupier's language? [i.e.: Russian] Undoubtedly you are helping the occupier!"
ukraine billboard
"Domestic separatist? We are coming for you! Punishment: 7-12 year prison sentence"
ukraine billboard
"How to identify a separatist? [From bottom left clockwise]
- Talks about how life was better in the past [in the USSR]
- Wears a St George's ribbon [symbol of Russia's victory in WWII]
- Believes the Russian media
- Believes that power in Ukraine was seized by fascists
- Blames America for everything
- Uses the following vocabulary: "Junta", "Maidanites", "Russians are our brothers", "Crimea is ours"
- Shouts that Ukrainian gangs created a war in the Donbass"


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Bullseye

Precious snowflakes can't take a joke; close down popular cafe over job posting seeking a 'slave'

Greg Mercer
The Star
Fri, 16 Dec 2016 18:24 UTC
Sandor Dosman
© Mathew McCarthy/Waterloo Region Record
Sandor Dosman, the operator of the popular Veritas Cafe at Wilfrid Laurier University, has apologized over the 'slave' joke in a job ad. 'I wouldn’t have done it if I knew this was going to happen. I have no job now,' he says.
Students and faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University are slamming the graduate students association after its sudden decision to close a popular campus café this week.

The apparent reason? A tongue-in-cheek help wanted ad that asked for a "slave" to help run the café.

On Monday, Veritas Café operator Sandor Dosman was brought into a boardroom and told the recent advertisement he'd posted online had ruffled some feathers.

In the ad, he joked he wanted "a new slave (full-time staff member) to boss (mentor) around Veritas Cafe." The ad was clearly intended as to be humorous, with jokes about man-buns, tattoos and food safety because "we try to not kill our customers."

But Dosman says he was told his contract with the student group was being terminated as a result, and soon he was being escorted off campus by two security officers.

"This came completely out of left field. I'm still in shock," said Dosman, who had run the café for four and a half years. "It was just black and white, 'You are done.' Now I'm out of the job and I have no idea what I'm going to do next."
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Info

The Great Crimea Debate: An ideological dispute, not Russian aggression

Eric Zuesse
Strategic Culture Foundation
Fri, 02 Oct 2015 18:00 UTC
Crimea
© Sputnik. Sergey Malgavko
Part I

GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE TWO SIDES

Whereas Obama's case (though it's unstated, only implicit) presumes that this is essentially a dispute about property, and enforcing property-rights, Putin's case presumes the exact contrary: that this is fundamentally a dispute about people, and human rights (versus property, and property-rights). Putin is saying simply that the people who reside in Crimea should determine the government in Crimea, and that owners of the land there (whatever and whomever those owners might happen to be) should not.

That constitutes a fundamental ideological dispute between them. Instead of a dispute between communism versus democracy, this «new cold war» is thus a dispute between libertarianism versus democracy, where Obama takes the libertarian (or in Europe, the «liberal») position; and Putin takes the democratic position. Instead of America's being on the side of democracy this time around, Russia now is for, and America now is against, democracy (because, among other reasons, democracy in Crimea would inevitably defeat Obama's aim here — his aim being to coerce the Crimeans to accept Ukraine as being their government, or else die).

Comment: The EU recently extended sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, so it's worth revisiting what the real issue is. As Zuesse makes clear in the article above from last year, for the West, it is a matter of property (and domination). For Russia, it is a democratic, human-rights issue. Plain and simple. It's self-evident once you look into it. Case in point, these to videos, the first of which covers the Korsun massacre in Crimea prior to reunification, and the second of which documents U.S. support for real Nazis in Ukraine.





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People

National Geographic puts a transgendered 9 y.o. on its cover

Charles Pulliam-Moore
National Geographic
Fri, 16 Dec 2016 17:38 UTC
Avery Jackson
As part of its January 2017 issue exploring our evolving understandings and definitions of gender, National Geographic is featuring nine-year-old transgender rights activist Avery Jackson on its cover—the first time a trans person has made the cover of the magazine.


Comment: For more on the current transgender trend and its societal implications see:

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Wedding Rings

Italy: Married couples will no longer have to pledge fidelity if new bill passes


The Local
Thu, 15 Dec 2016 17:28 UTC
marriage ceremony
© Pexels
Married couples in Italy will no longer have to promise to be faithful to each other, if a new bill is approved.

The proposed amendment to Italy's Civil Code would remove the word "fidelity" from Italian marriage contracts.

The promise not to cheat is a "cultural legacy from an outdated and obsolete vision of marriage, family, and the rights and duties of spouses", according to the senators who have signed the bill.

They cited a previous ruling from Italy's top court, which declared that judges could not legally place the blame for a marriage separation "on the mere failure to observe the duty of fidelity".

Instead, the other party has to prove that their spouse's infidelity led to the irreconcilable breakdown of the marriage.

The bill, which was presented to the Italian Senate last year and has now been passed to its Judiciary Committee, goes on to argue that there is an element of sexism in the current wording. It was originally included to refer to the woman's sexual fidelity, in order to determine whether children were "legitimate", they noted.
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Gear

Largest lake in Florida slowly being poisoned, victim of politics as usual

Alex Pietrowski
Waking Times
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00 UTC
Toxic water Florida
Water is life, unless said water has been poisoned and is toxic, then water kills life.

As the Standing Rock movement enters the next phase of their struggle against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the world has for once mustered en masse for an environmental cause, many incredibly important battles for water and life are being lost around the nation, in want of attention and action, yet kept off the radar of public consciousness.

Take for example, the ongoing disaster at Florida's largest inland body of water, Lake Okeechobee, which is now a poisoned wasteland spreading deadly algae blooms from coast to coast. This event is the direct result of man-made activity, primarily the policies, politics and practices of surrounding sugar cane farming, although cattle ranching, suburban development, and golf courses are also major factors.
"How many more marine animals must perish before we make a change in our water management programs? How many more ecosystems must be permanently damaged before our heads turn? How many communities must suffer from inadequate water conditions before we decide that enough is enough? The answers to these questions still remain unclear." [Source]
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Attention

Eva Bartlett: 'If I write in line with Russian media, it's because we both tell the truth'


RT
Sat, 17 Dec 2016 14:32 UTC
buses evacuating people
© Abdalrhman Ismail / Reuters
Men react as they stand outside buses evacuating people from a rebel-held sector of eastern Aleppo, Syria December 15, 2016.
A Canadian journalist who blasted the mainstream media's coverage of the Syria crisis at the latest UN event, told RT how her own reports have been accused of being biased on the side of the Russian and Syrian governments.

Eva Bartlett, a freelance journalist and human rights activist who has her own blog on RT.com recently sparked debate by giving an emotional speech at the UN. During a press conference arranged by the Syrian mission to the UN, she blasted the Western mainstream media's coverage of the Syrian war as "compromised," saying that their local sources are "not credible" and, in the case of Aleppo, not even real.

The journalist, who has been covering events in Syria during the years since the civil war first broke out there, noted that while there are "certainly honest journalists among the very compromised establishment media," many respected media agencies simply seem to avoid fact checking. The harsh response she has drawn for her unforgiving criticism of fellow members of the media is quite baseless, however, Bartlett told RT.

Comment: More on Eva Bartlett's reporting: Watch Bartlett's RT debate with Dilly Hussain below:



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