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In any case, we in the UK don’t come up smelling of roses when we examine the inequality between the sexes either. A UN human rights inspector recently declared the sexism in the UK to be more ‘pervasive’ and ‘in your face’ than any country she has ever visited and that included some Muslim countries.
What I find totally abhorrent is the fact that since concern for Muslim women is so often cited, how come they are the targets of so much abuse in today’s society?
'Anti-Muslim hate'
A report from the University of Birmingham, 'Maybe we are hated: The experience and impact of anti-Muslim hate on British Muslim women', says Muslim women are repeated victims of anit-Muslim hate. It cites verified figures from Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), which show attacks on Muslim women account for 58 per cent of all incidents reported to it. Of those, 80 per cent were visually identifiable (wearing hijab, niqab, or other clothing associated with Islam).
I have witnessed some of it first hand. It ranges from petty microaggressions to full blown physical attacks. I was told of a pregnant Muslim woman who was pushed down and stomped on last week. She was too scared to go to the police.
“Racist rhetoric from the likes of the EDL and Ukip is definitely making things worse,” Zab continues. “I am definitely feeling more hatred towards Muslims as a result. I went to the police but they failed to investigate, let alone take any action. This was the point, that an EDL supporter was threatening to come and ‘teach’ me a lesson simply because I am a Muslim woman. I have been called many things such as hummus eating, camel shagging, Paki Muslim slut. No joke.”
One lady that preferred to remain anonymous told me: “I was in London, and on the Tube and a group of three well dressed white men were sitting opposite me. One was looking at me singing 'Kill them all. Kill them.' His friend pointed out that I could hear him. The guy singing said ‘I don't give a f**k.’
"On the same day a man in a business suit told me to ‘f**k off’. I was with a white male friend at the time. We both stopped in our tracks and the white guy who swore turned around, pointed at me and said, ‘yeah you!’
"I feel unsafe, my husband told me not to go into London, both of us were worried that I may be attacked or have my hijab pulled etc. He was also really angry with me when I didn't tell the police, as he said they ought to know that Muslim women are being harassed. I was just shocked because it wasn't the expected type that you see on EDL marches. It was ‘educated’ people.”
Akeela lives in North West London but when she lived in Hull she often felt that she had to remove her hijab for her own safety. A lot of women have had their hijabs pulled off. She said that she has suffered a full range of abuse from the ‘v sign’ to being called a ‘Muslim bastard’. She also receives a steady stream of Islamophobic tweets.
What's going on?
Henna suggests a reason for these attacks: “It seems to me this flavour of violence is almost accepted as a 'cruel to be kind' compliment to integration to the British way of life, like bullying fat people to help them get healthier. I'm a South Asian looking woman, not obviously Muslim, I don't wear a hijab or any symbols. I'd consider myself culturally Islamicate or a secular Muslim. The fact that I get Islamophobic street harassment seems in itself a testament to the magnitude of the problem and degree of perpetrators' ignorance.
"In my experience it has been constant since 9/11 - at school I had my white friends rounding on me asking me why, by being a Muslim I supported OBL [Osama bin Laden]. To which I had to provide some self-denying murmuring excuse in order to quell their fears even though I was barely conscious of Islam beyond using fasting as an excuse to avoid PE.
"I've had a man pull up his Transit van in the street to scream ‘Afghan terrorist’. In Trafalgar Square, I had a guy walk in front of me to obstruct my path and then follow me down the street asking why ‘my people’ wanted to destroy the West and telling me I needed to go home. No one in the crowded square felt compelled to intervene.
"It’s the constant and wearing rhetoric that is most difficult. Always having to be on the backfoot - apologetic - because otherwise you're on Team Evil. And that's now prevalent in even progressive circles, certainly with people I know as friends.”
Her friend Annabel agrees, saying: “My Muslim identity would be defined very similarly to Henna's, except non-Muslim people rarely assume I'm a Muslim. This puts them in a supposedly safe space for making bigoted comments [like:]
'And obviously when I got on the plane I checked no-one looked like a terrorist.’
‘They could have anything under those veils. I'm not gonna get killed in the name of political correctness.’
"A guy I know wrote as his Facebook status that he changed Tube carriage when a bearded man was reading a book written in Arabic script and speaking under his voice.
"I should stress that it's not even solely white British people who make these comments - it's also fellow ethnic minorities, though from my experience the really angry rhetoric has come from white British people. Islamophobia is rampant - I must deal with multiple comments every week. It now exists as a social norm that provides a clear context for verbal or physical attacks on Muslims because racists create safe spaces for themselves to validate their own racism - which I see on a near daily basis.”
Sadly with so much Islamophobic rhetoric being used, in some cases by politicians looking to score points by feeding people’s fears, this problem may get even worse. We should be ashamed to live in a society that treats people this way on a daily basis.
The Ice Light is “a portable, dimmable, daylight balanced, continuous LED light source with a built in battery” that costs $450. In this post I will show you how I made a DIY version for less than $30.
Parts Used
You’ll only need to pick up 6 things to build a DIY ice light:
Defiant 700 lumen focusing LED flashlight ($19.88 from Home Depot. Model #: HD14Q406) 24″ PVC pipe, 1.5″ diameter (~$2) 1.5″ PVC coupler (~$1) 1.5″ PVC cap (~$1) 48″ Fluorescent bulb shield (~$2. This slides over a fluorescent bulb to prevent it from shattering) Small piece of aluminum foil. (Had it in the house, because we’re civilized)
The Steps
I redesigned the PVC pipe and made it about 5″ shorter. It was too long and unwieldy. I took a little more care in marking off the space to cut out. The blue tape worked perfect to keep a straight line.
Cut the opening in the PVC pipe. This can be whatever width you want. Mine is a little less than halfway through.
Cut the flourescent shield to the same length as the pipe. Then use a utility knife to cut it longways.
Sand the inside and outside of the fluorescent shield to create a “smoked glass” look and set aside. This shows how I got the fluorescent shield to stay large enough to snugly fit into the pipe. Just a simple slit on one side and the other side slides in. Also you can see how the once clear plastic looks after sanding it:
Remove the “crown” off of the bulb end of the flashlight. You will still have the reflector cone and clear focuser inside the light.
This takes a bit of sanding for adjustment but the 1.5″ coupler almost threads perfectly onto the end of the flashlight. Sand as needed and test fit.
Push 24″ PVC into the unsanded coupler end. PVC Cement can be used if desired.
I shoved a wrinkled disc of foil in the end cap to reflect light back. Don’t make it too thick or the PVC pipe wont go in all the way.
Cut a piece of aluminum foil slightly bigger than then end of the PVC pipe, shiny side toward the flashlight. Fit it over the pipe and slide the PVC Cap about half way on. If there’s any foil sticking out, trim with utility knife. Then press Cap on fully.
This step is optional: Using the leftover flourescent shield, insert it into the PVC pipe. This will be the paint shield so black paint won’t get on the inside of the light pipe.
Place hose clamp around end of PVC coupler and snug tight. (this is only for paint purposes so it will be in place for paint and won’t scratch if you try to put it on after painting.
I used Krylon matte black spraypaint that was specific for plastics. It bonds well and only takes about 15 minutes to dry. Several thin coats will work better than one thick coat. This is after a couple coats of paint (the paint shield keeps the inside clean and white):
After its dried, its time to fit it onto the flashlight. Replace the painted fluorescent shield with the sanded white shield.
For the Coupler I used, I had to cut a small (2 cm) piece of PVC pipe to fill in the gap on the flashlight side of the coupler. The clear plastic for focusing the flashlight falls out if there’s nothing there. This is a trial and error step. It will take some trimming to get a good fit.
Once the coupler is fit and the focuser is in place, tighten the hose clamp.
That’s it. The focuser on the flashlight acts as a dimmer for the light. When its set to wide beam it is dimmer since less light is reflecting off the foil at the end. This light also has two brightness settings so it dims down pretty well.
Here’s a photo showing how dispersed the light from the DIY Ice Light is:
Here’s an unedited photo of my unimpressed wife at 1am:
Finally, here’s a video in which I demonstrate how this DIY Ice Light works:
About the author: Justin Barr is a professional photographer based in Florissant, Missouri and serving the St. Louis area. You can visit his website here.
One of King of the Cage's champions is currently in a dispute with the promotion, with Lowen Tynanes saying he is currently stuck in a 3-year deal contract he did not sign. Although not specifically named by the talented prospect, KOTC representative Bobby Burguland did state Tynanes' former coach, Kai Kamaka, as the person who signed the deal for him.
Shortly after the report ran on this site, Kamaka has decided to release an official statement. He maintains that while he did sign the dotted line, it was done with Tynanes' consent.
"I asked if he was able was able to email back the contract to KOTC and he replied "No, because I don’t have a scanner". I asked him if he wanted me to sign for him and email it back for him and he replied, "If can coach", meaning yes," Kamaka tells Bloody Elbow as part of his statement, "I told Lowen that I would do it since I had a scanner."
Kamaka also disputes that this was all done without his fighter's knowledge, alleging that Tynanes' contract with KOTC was discussed with him on numerous occasions. As for motivation for bringing up this forgery issue, Kamaka speculates that Tynanes may simply be looking to "capitalize on the moment" after breaking out as an MMA star.
"I would like to see Lowen in the cage as well. I believe he has the potential to be the next BJ Penn for Hawaii and I have said this time and time again. I honestly believe things just moved a lot faster then he expected and now that it has, he is trying to capitalize on the moment."
"If it were not for KOTC opening up opportunities for Lowen, he would still be fighting in small amateur shows. KOTC kick started his career by giving him the URCC fight and the ONEFC contract to represent KOTC. With that being said, I wish Lowen all the best for his future."
More details from Kamaka are available on full statement below where he airs his side of things:
There is a lot of missing pieces to this story. The only part being exposed is that Mr. Lowen Tynanes is the victim and had no knowledge of the contract and so forth. I want to clarify that Terry Tribelcock and I are very close and our relationship is not only based on fights, though it started that way. It is through my relationship with Terry that all my fighters get to fight across the US and abroad. So our relationship was well known to my fighters, including Lowen; as far back as when Lowen competed as an amateur for KOTC. I want to take you back to square one from where this all started.
Terry called me with a URCC fight opportunity in the Philippines against Eduard Folayang. Terry asked if I had a 155 lber that could take the match. Terry asked me to take a look at the fighter’s profile and to let him know what I thought, and if I could give him a name of whomever I chose to take this fight. I initially offered Ray "Bradda" Cooper, my nephew, as he is THE best 155 lber I know in Hawaii. After discussions with Ray, it seemed that he was going in another direction. I then called Lowen to offer him the fight as this opponent was perfect for Lowen’s style and the opponent had a name that would boost Lowen’s career if he fought him. I went on to tell Lowen that URCC was offering $2000 to show, and an additional $2000 to win, including flight and hotel. His response was "Shoots coach, let’s do it". Lowen wins this fight and his fight purse totaled $4000.
The day after the URCC fight, Terry took both Lowen and I to the other side of the Philippines to do some shopping. Terry checked us in to a fully paid 5-Star hotel suite that included room charges, and then headed to eat lunch. During lunch, Terry informed Lowen and I that there was another fight opportunity, but Lowen needed to be "on the team" and if he didn’t want to, it would still be "cool". Basically, Terry wanted a fighter that would represent KOTC well in this organization. At the same time, Terry told Lowen and I the terms of the KOTC contract in full detail, the plans and steps we would take to make Lowen a MMA star and what was expected from KOTC. After beating Eduard Folayang like we knew he would, Lowen became an instant STAR in Asia. Then Terry continued to tell Lowen and I that we got an offer from One FC but didn’t have the full details at the moment but they really wanted Lowen to fight for their circuit. Lowen’s response was "I’m down for whatever, I just like fight".
Back in Hawaii, Terry emails me the KOTC contract which I forwarded to Lowen. Couples of weeks go by and Lowen still has not returned the contract. During this time, an interview form from a MMA website was sent with the contract. I received an email from KOTC regarding the status of Lowen’s contract. It stated that we couldn’t move forward until this is done. I called Lowen regarding the interview form and Lowen tells me that his girlfriend, Logan, was finishing the up the interview. He then asked if I could finish filling up the rest of the interview because he didn’t know how to respond to some of the other questions. I told Lowen that I could finish up his interview for him. I asked if he was able was able to email back the contract to KOTC and he replied "No, because I don’t have a scanner". I asked him if he wanted me to sign for him and email it back for him and he replied, "If can coach", meaning yes. I told Lowen that I would do it since I had a scanner.
Next was the OneFC contract, which Lowen initials and signs during practice, which was about 9 days later after sending the KOTC contract. In the contract, there was a section KOTC put in there that stated that OneFC contract will not conflict with the KOTC contract which I explained to him in detail. While we went over EVERY PAGE, he initialed that section and continued through the rest of the ONEFC pages. Since we were at our training facility (Powerhouse Gym Aiea) I e-faxed it from the gym office. Lowen was given a copy of that contract and took it home. Then the bout agreement for the Colossa fight came in (which was Lowen’s FIRST OneFC fight). Lowen signed it, we emailed it back. Lowen wins the $2000 to show, $2000 to win, and an additional $1000 finish bonus. Victor Cui was so impressed with his performance; they sent Lowen an additional $1000 " locker room" bonus when he got home. This was a total of $6000 in his 3rd pro fight.
During this time I referred him to a manager, Jason Karpel, of Elite Management. I told Lowen that he would need a manager because "I know you will blow up and these guys can help you get more sponsorship money and into the big shows". At this point, Lowen is going into his 2nd OneFC fight against Felipe Enomoto making $2500 to show, $2500 to win, with a finish bonus of a $1250 and a 20% increase off the whole sum for every win. Lowen wins and purse totals $6250. I told Lowen that I have taken him as far as I could and at the next level he would need a manager. So Jason Karpel talks with Lowen and his father, Myles, and begins to work on Lowen’s behalf in good faith that Lowen will sign with Jason Karpel. Karpel then went on to get Lowen sponsored by Jaco Clothing and some other main sponsors. I was able to land him a local sponsor (Pound 4 Pound), which paid for Lowen’s gym membership as well as travel money when he fought. Lowen VERBALLY agreed to sign with Karpel. He ended up NOT signing with Karpel after he already received sponsorship and gear for his first OneFC fight. It was 9 months later and well into both contracts that Lowen finally signs with Karpel.
Meanwhile, during this time Karpel is still working on behalf of Lowen with only a verbal agreement. Lowen then fights in California for the KOTC World Title; again signing a contract IN FRONT of the California Commission at weigh-ins acknowledging his commitment and fulfillment of his KOTC contract. Lowen wins the title, his KOTC purse is $1000 to show, $1000 to win (after California commission taxes and licensing, he walks away with $1600). We all go out to dinner with Terry Trebilcock. There is about 8-10 of us on the dinner table (Kai Kamaka, Lowen Tynanes, Logan Garcia, Kaleo Kwan, Nathan Thorell, Ian Dela Cuesta, Myles "Boonie" Tynanes, Hawaii Promoter Jay Bolos). Terry once again is explaining the plan for Lowen and the rest of the team for their KOTC fights. This is when we learn about Lowen’s next fight, which was setup for OneFC versus Felipe Enomoto.
So, as you can see there were numerous occasions when Lowen and Terry had discussions about his contract. So the next morning we were driving from LA to Las Vegas for Ian Dela Cuesta’s tryout for the 135lb Ultimate Fighter. On our way to Las Vegas, Terry calls and informs me that he arranged and paid for our group have 3 rooms paid by him for 3 days so we could all be comfortable and have fun.
Two months later, we head to back to Manila for the Enomoto fight.
Next fight was scheduled for July 5, 2013 in KOTC in Manila, which Lowen unexpectedly pulled out due supposedly to a nose injury and needed surgery. This info was given to my by his teammate at the time, Ian Dela Cuesta. LOWEN DID NOT TELL ME AT ANY TIME that he did not want to fight for KOTC. On Saturday, 6-22-13, Lowen’s father contacted me to say that Lowen didn’t want to fight for KOTC because "KOTC is cheap". I immediately scrambled to find him a replacement and did with Kaleo Kwan, another teammate at the time. Since that day Lowen has not trained with the 808 Fight Factory.
All Tynanes brothers are great athletes and very humble kids. I would like to see Lowen in the cage as well. I believe he has the potential to be the next BJ Penn for Hawaii and I have said this time and time again. I honestly believe things just moved a lot faster then he expected and now that it has, he is trying to capitalize on the moment. In conclusion, if it were not for KOTC opening up opportunities for Lowen, he would still be fighting in small amateur shows. KOTC kick started his career by giving him the URCC fight and the ONEFC contract to represent KOTC. With that being said, I wish Lowen all the best for his future.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Cindy Sui speaks to Taiwanese students holding a rally to demonstrate their support for the protests in Hong Kong
In January, 13 groups from Hong Kong and Taiwan gathered in Taipei for a weekend conference. The meeting attracted little attention, but it marked the first time democracy advocates, including representatives from Hong Kong's political parties and students from both sides, had met in an organised fashion.
Despite their proximity, the two sides previously worked little together. Taiwan has enjoyed full universal suffrage since 1996; but a year later, Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule. It seemed they had different fates.
Growing worries about Beijing have drawn the two sides closer, however, culminating in mutual support for the Occupy Central movement in Hong Kong and an Occupy Parliament movement in Taipei earlier this year.
"Taiwan's democracy and Hong Kong's democracy have the same threat - the Beijing government," said Lai Chung-chiang, a Taipei-based lawyer and long-time activist.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Students present John Leung, director of Hong Kong Trade Office in Taipei, with a protest letter on 29 Sep
Now the two sides feel they share similar goals and they are working together more closely, something that will surely worry Beijing.
Hong Kong supported us and now we're supporting them Karen Cheng, Taiwanese activist
After all, Taiwan could be seen as a bad influence - it's had decades, and some would say more than a century, of experience fighting for democracy. Some of its people are deeply anti-China and want independence, and its protesters have been bolder and more defiant than Hong Kong's.
Many believe the success of Taiwan's movement greatly encouraged Hong Kong activists.
Two months after the January meeting, Taiwanese students occupied parliament for 24 days and didn't leave until the legislature agreed to pass a law allowing stringent public supervision of agreements signed with China.
"Because Taiwan's occupy movement was successful, Hong Kong people felt it was also possible for them," said Mr Lai.
Many Hong Kong students came here then to learn, including how to disseminate information online in timely manner and co-ordinate supplies and donations.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Student activists organised a protest at the Hong Kong office in Taipei on Monday
'Support each other'
In recent days, Taiwanese activists have flown to Hong Kong to lend support.
One of them, Karen Cheng, has just returned.
"We strongly care about Hong Kong because we really cherish our freedom and democracy," said Ms Cheng. "We're worried that today's Hong Kong will be tomorrow's Taiwan (if it one day reunifies with the mainland)."
Beijing should have foreseen these fears as it worked in recent years to woo Taiwan - the next on a list of territories China feels were unfairly taken away when it was weak and wants to take back, to unify the "motherland".
Beijing had hoped that allowing Hong Kong to prosper economically after the 1997 handover would convince Taiwan to reunify.
But whether or not it grants Hong Kong democracy will directly affect whether the Taiwanese trust China, much less want to reunify.
Image copyright EPA Image caption The protests in Hong Kong have seen thousands of people take to the streets
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Some protesters slept on the streets overnight to enforce a blockade of key areas
Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent statements that Taiwan should accept the same "One Country, Two Systems" formula under which Beijing rules Hong Kong, following his refusal to allow Hong Kong people to directly elect their leader, indicate he may be clueless about what Taiwanese people care about the most - self rule.
Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has rejected Mr Xi's suggestion, saying: "We fully understand and support Hong Kong's demand for universal suffrage." Giving Hong Kong people the right to choose their own leader would be a "win-win" situation for Hong Kong and China, he added.
But he's limited in how much more he can say.
Mr Ma hopes to meet Mr Xi at the Apec leaders' summit in Beijing in November and he doesn't want to jeopardise future negotiations with China.
For Beijing, it now has to reckon with two issues it dealt with separately being linked, said Arthur Ding Shu-fan, a research fellow at National Cheng-chi University's Institute of International Relations.
"They will have to figure out how to reassure Taiwan to not to support Hong Kong," said Mr Ding.
It will also likely build a long blacklist of Taiwanese activists to keep out of Hong Kong. Already, student leaders Lin Fei-fan and Chen Wei-ting have been denied entry.
But besides them, there are many more people who now feel connected to Hong Kong - no longer seen as just a place for flight transfers or shopping.
"They supported us (back in March and April) and now we're supporting them," said Ms Cheng. "Supporting each other will help both sides."
There is no shortage of things to protest when it comes to this small Middle Eastern country. From the raging war next door, to its repercussions, to the rampant corruption, human rights abuses, the disappearance of elections, rising unemployment, emigration, crippled institutions, and pollution -the grounds are endless. However, when one looks at Lebanon, protests are virtually non-existent on a large scale at least, not since the 2015 garbage-fueled summer demonstrations -which were an exception to the rule- died out.
At every turn of events we witness as those directly impacted take to the streets in small numbers. It is a rarity to see any significant form of consequential solidarity on the advent of crises. Take the kidnapped Lebanese soldiers debacle and the resurfaced waste management disaster for instance. The only protests that occurred related to these issues were those organized by a handful of citizens even though the repercussions of said crises are wide-reaching.
In a bid to better understand what has been repeatedly described as a self-induced state of perpetual sleep, I revisited some studies pertaining to cognitive behavior in high stress environments. While I may not be an expert in the field, these models that I am about to present certainly struck a chord.
Dissociation: The Hidden Epidemic

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