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Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
What Israel's Anti-African Pogroms Tell us About Zionism
A week ago, on the night of Wednesday 23rd May, South Tel Aviv erupted, becoming the epicentre of an attack by an angry, violent mob against members of the city's African migrant population, deliberately targeted because of no other reason than their ethnicity.*********
African-owned businesses and homes were destroyed and looted. There were no fatalities but many were injured. Social media was alive with images and information regarding the attacks, pointing out the absolute apathy, even complicity, of the authorities.
This attack on the African minority in Tel Aviv is not an isolated event. Wednesday night's violence was the culmination of a series of racist attacks, including the firebombing of homes and a kindergarten in south Tel Aviv neighbourhoods. In fact, these attacks illustrate the prevalent high level of racial tension within the city and in Israel as a whole.
One cannot fully understand the events of Wednesday without an understanding of the various contexts at play, historical, political and ideological. Steven Salaita writes in The Electronic Intifada that Zionism is 'an ideology that can accommodate liberal and humanistic discourses, (but) cannot be practised without a concomitant abrogation of the rights of those who are not Jewish.'
Zionism, in other words, dictates racial and religious supremacy. Israel, a state built on ethnically cleansed land, thus operates under the veil of a democracy in which the Jewish population is the exclusive beneficiary of the democratic process.
However, Israel's Jewish population is itself stratified within an ethnic hierarchy, where the prosperous Ashkenazi (white Jews of European descent) dominate the economy, media and politics. In comparison, the Mizrahi and Sephardi (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent) suffer socio-economic hardship.
Ethnic and religious minorities are uniformly oppressed, from Palestinian Muslims and Christians to African migrants. The disparity is well-documented. Human Rights Watch states that in Israel's segregated school system 'Palestinian Arab children get an education inferior to that of Jewish children, and their relatively poor performance in school reflects this.'
Jonathan Cook wrote an extensive piece for The National, an English language newspaper, published daily in Abu Dhabi, that examines Israel's treatment of Ethiopians. Cook writes that 'Health officials in Israel are subjecting many female Ethiopian immigrants to a controversial long-term birth control drug.' He further states that '57 per cent of Depo Provera users in Israel are Ethiopian, even though the community accounts for less than two per cent of the total population.'
The drug has a wide range of damaging side effects and was used by the South African apartheid government to limit the fertility of black women. Yali Hashash, a researcher at Haifa University said similar practices were used against Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews in the 1950s and 1960s because 'Israel's leading gynaecologists regarded Arab Jews as 'primitive' and incapable of acting 'responsibly'.' The evidence is difficult to refute and presents a compelling conclusion: the preservation of Jewish identity in the eyes of the state appears only to encompass white Europeans.
Although oppression takes on many guises, the language of oppression is universal. From the top down, prominent Israeli parliamentarians have fanned the flames of racial hatred and undoubtedly incited violence. In a cabinet meeting last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described African migrants in Israel as 'illegal infiltrators flooding the country … threatening our existence as a Jewish and democratic state … our national security and our national identity.'
Posted by LJansen at 9:53 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Dronetopia -- by Mark Fiore
Posted by LJansen at 3:14 PM 0 comments
Monday, May 28, 2012
Deir Istiya's Farmers Pray for Their Olive Trees
Last month, Israel's Civil Administration (ICA)—the deceptive title allotted to the governing body running its occupation of the West Bank—handed nine of Deir Istiya's farmers orders to uproot over 1,400 olive trees by May 1st or face the consequences.
Last month, Israel's Civil Administration (ICA)—the deceptive title allotted to the governing body running its occupation of the West Bank—handed nine of Deir Istiya's farmers orders to uproot over 1,400 olive trees by May 1st or face the consequences.
from Amin Odeh,
Posted by LJansen at 6:46 PM 0 comments
Red Onion State Prisoner Hunger-Strike
On May 22, brave prisoners at Virginia's Red Onion State Prison began a hunger strike. Their decision to starve themselves in an effort to be heard is the latest in a recent series of prison strikes, one of the very few forms of peaceful recourse available to prisoners to protest intolerable conditions.
The series started Dec. 9, 2010, with a sit-down strike by thousands of prisoners in Georgia, tired of being forced to work for free like slaves, followed by Lucasville prisoners' hunger strike at Ohio State Penitentiary in January 2011 and the mass hunger strikes in California beginning July 1, 2011, that involved 12,000 prisoners in 13 prisons simultaneously refusing food at their peak. Hunger strikes worldwide, from Palestine, where prisoners acknowledged being inspired by their peers in California, to Kyrgysztan, where prisoners literally sewed their mouths shut, have followed.
Red Onion State Prison in rural Virginia sits in the barren crater of a formerly lush green mountain whose top was blown off to remove the coal that used to be mined the old-fashioned way. Built in 1998, it's the new economic development model for Appalachia: mountaintop removal covered by prisons and Wal-Marts, now the only job options for out-of-work miners and their families, according to JJ Heyward, a veteran activist who volunteered at the Bay View before moving to the East Coast.
Posted by LJansen at 5:40 PM 0 comments
My Patriotic Memorial Day Slideshow -- by Elliot Stoller
May this spirit live on to the day when we can rejoice in its peaceful results! Thank you, Elliot.
May this spirit live on to the day when we can rejoice in its peaceful results! Thank you, Elliot.
Posted by LJansen at 1:25 PM 0 comments
Sunday, May 27, 2012
AFRICOM Expands Mission In Africa -- The Real News Network
Posted by LJansen at 9:46 AM 0 comments
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Shilling for NATO (Selling Death & War)
Tweet http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_05_22/75580792//
$37 million, in the lead up to the NATO Summit in Chicago this is the amount that corporate sponsors and they are many, have publicly admitted to having gathered to promote NATO to the American public. Who are these sponsors? Well the list is long but here are a few of the smaller ones and you may be surprised: Chicago Young Republicans, the National Strategy Forum, the Arab-American Business Association, the Turkish-American Chamber of Commerce, Human Rights Watch (yes, the same one), the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater (What!?!).The big corporate sponsors include: General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, United Technologies, the Atlantic Richfield Company, Xerox, IBM, Security Pacific Bank and State Farm Insurance.With an annual budget of what some sources calculate at being close to half a trillion dollars ($500 billion) from the US side approximately $400 billion, this is a hugely profitable cash cow for all of these companies, never mind that their business is death and destruction… That is also good because there are slew of American companies waiting in the shadows to make billions on reconstruction and lucrative business deals on the new "democracies' they install.
And that it what it is all about after all promoting the US position. Advancing US global domination, securing unfettered access to the world's oil and natural resources, resources needed desperately by a country that consumes more than 48% of the world's total.
Posted by LJansen at 10:13 AM 0 comments
Israeli Military Leaders Speak Out Against Iran Strike -- The Real News
Posted by LJansen at 9:26 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
From Wadi Hillweh Info Center -- Silwan "The Naqba 'Right of Return' march begins from Damascus Gate"
|Link to original article: http://silwanic.net/?p=26639
Posted by LJansen at 8:40 AM 0 comments
Sunday, May 20, 2012
From Shahd Abusalama's Blog: "My Father's Memories of His Release from Israel's "Graves for the Living'"
Shahd Abusalama's Parents
Twenty-seven years ago, my father's eyes saw the sun after being in the dark of Israeli prison for 13 years. On 20 May 1985, my father regained his freedom.
"I was sentenced for seven lifetimes plus 10 years and I thought that this prison, Nafha, would be my grave. Thank God I didn't stay that long there, and I was set free to marry your mother and to bring you to this life," my father told me, smiling. He considered the 13 years of misery as not that long. Yes, it's not that long if compared with the life sentence to which he was bound if the deal to exchange Palestinian and Israeli prisoners didn't happen.
No regret
I can't recall that Dad ever showing any regret or sorrow for how the precious years of his youth were stolen from him. His prison experience is instead his song of life. He believes that it is his treasure, the reason behind his rich culture and beliefs, his strong character, his intimate friendships, and the reason why he values life. I've always been proud that I am my Dad's daughter, and I'll always be. He is a mix of experience and knowledge.
The story of the exchange deal all started when Ahmad Jibril of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine captured three Israeli soldiers (Yosef Grof, Nissim Salem, Hezi Shai) in revenge for thousands of Palestinian prisoners kidnapped by Israel without any apparent reason. After a long process of negotiations, both sides struck a deal that Israel would release 1,250 prisoners in return for the three Israelis that Jibril held captive. My father was included in the deal, and fortunately, he was set free. Among the prisoners released were the Japanese freedom fighter Kozo Okamoto who had been sentenced to life imprisonment, and Ahmed Yassin, the leader of Hamas who was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment in 1983.
History repeats itself
History repeats itself. On 18 October last year, we experienced a similar historical event with a swap deal involving the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was arrested by the resistance in Gaza while he was on top of his war machine (an Israeli tank). Just like what happened with Shalit, the capture of three Israelis caused uproar in the Israeli public opinion and international media at that time, but the thousands of Palestinian prisoners behind Israeli bars were not noticed, except for by the resistance fighters that have always forced Israel to meet some demands regarding the Palestinian prisoners.
When I deeply think about these events and the way the international media reacts, I get angry at how unjust this world is. Why did the world make a big deal of Shalit and the three soldiers when they were attested by the "terrorist" Palestinians while thousands of Palestinian political prisoners are left behind in Israeli jails enduring all forms of violations and torture and the world chooses to look away?
My father told the story with tears struggling to fall. He was staring at a picture stuck on the wall of his room; a painting that my father drew during his imprisonment of flowers blooming among barbed wires. "I cannot forget the moment when the leader of the prison started calling off the names to be released," he said.
Mixed emotions
Among the prisoners was Omar al-Qassim, a leading member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Al-Qassim was asked to read the list of the names loudly. He was so excited at the beginning hoping that his freedom would be restored. Every time he said a name, a scream of happiness convulsed the walls of prison. Suddenly, his face's features started to change. He became reluctant to speak because he noticed that his name wasn't among the names. This was another incident of psychological torture that the prison's manager committed against him. But he left him no chance to make fun of him. He withdrew himself silently and went to his prison to continue with his resistance. Sadly, he died in a horrible narrow cell after 22 years of resistance, pride and glory.
The tears of happiness and sadness mixed together. The freed prisoners were happy to regain their freedom but they were upset at leaving the other prisoners in that dirty place where the sun never shines. "We were like a big family sharing everything together. We all handled the same issues that we were united to fight for," my father said. "Although I am free now, my soul will always be with my friends who are still suffering in there."
My father has always said that "prisoners are the living martyrs." He also described Israeli jails as "graves for the living." Let's unite and use all the means available to help 4,653 Palestinian political prisoner have fewer years of suffering. We share this responsibility as we can't leave them as prey for those criminal jailers. Their freedom will be a triumph for humanity.
Posted by LJansen at 1:12 PM 0 comments
Saturday, May 19, 2012
In Chicago, Nurses Rally for "Robin Hood" Tax
Posted by LJansen at 10:06 PM 0 comments
Madeleine Albright and Iraq Genocide Memorial Day -- Felicity Arbuthnot
Tweet http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/madeleine-albright-and-iraq-genocide-memorial-day/
One politician with whom [Madeleine Albright] had sparred did take a stand in vast contrast. Robin Cook, Britain's Foreign Secretary resigned in protest two days before the invasion. His resignation speech in Parliament on 18th March 2003 was a searing indictment of stark double standards on dealing with Iraq. Deliberate selective perception which could now equally apply to threats to Iran:
"I have heard it said that Iraq has had not months but twelve years in which to complete disarmament, and that our patience is exhausted", he began.
"Yet it is more than thirty years since (UN) Resolution 242 called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories.
"We do not express the same impatience with the persistent refusal of Israel to comply."
He talked of: " … the strong sense of injustice throughout the Muslim world at what it sees as one rule for the allies of the US and another rule for the rest."
Britain's credibility was not: "helped by the appearance that our partners in Washington are less interested in disarmament than they are in regime change in Iraq.
"That explains why any evidence that inspections may be showing progress is greeted in Washington not with satisfaction but with consternation: it reduces the case for war.
And as Iran now, he pleaded that: "Inspections be given a chance (that the UK was) "being pushed too quickly into conflict by a US Administration with an agenda of its own.
He asked for the halt of: "commitment of troops in a war that has neither international agreement nor domestic support" and ended: "I intend to join those tomorrow night who will vote against military action. It is for that reason alone, and with a heavy heart, that I resign from the government."
On the first anniversary of the invasion he stated in Parliament: "It seems only too likely that the judgment of history may be that the invasion of Iraq has been the biggest blunder in British foreign and security policy in the half century since Suez. "In truth we would have made more progress in rolling back support for terrorism if we had brought peace to Palestine rather than war to Iraq."
Posted by LJansen at 6:54 PM 0 comments
Outraged Fullerton Citizens React to Kelly Thomas Beating Tape
In a recent presentation I saw in my town, a touring Israeli "Defense" Forces soldier frequently states the U.S. & Israel share the same values. Watching the above tape which includes footage of the Fullerton police beating a man to death and then comparing it with the videos of the IDF in the story linked below, I would have to say, it is hard not to agree with him on that one thing.
com/2012/05/19/a-look-back-at- break-the-bones-policy/
In a recent presentation I saw in my town, a touring Israeli "Defense" Forces soldier frequently states the U.S. & Israel share the same values. Watching the above tape which includes footage of the Fullerton police beating a man to death and then comparing it with the videos of the IDF in the story linked below, I would have to say, it is hard not to agree with him on that one thing.
Posted by LJansen at 4:28 PM 0 comments
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Excuse Me, But Israel Has No Right To Exist -- Sharmine Narwani
Tweet http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/sandbox/excuse-me-israel-has-no-right-exist
The phrase "right to exist" entered my consciousness in the 1990s just as the concept of the two-state solution became part of our collective lexicon. In any debate at university, when a Zionist was out of arguments, those three magic words were invoked to shut down the conversation with an outraged, "are you saying Israel doesn't have the right to exist??"
Of course you couldn't challenge Israel's right to exist – that was like saying you were negating a fundamental Jewish right to have…rights, with all manner of Holocaust guilt thrown in for effect.
Except of course the Holocaust is not my fault – or that of Palestinians. The cold-blooded program of ethnically cleansing Europe of its Jewish population has been so callously and opportunistically utilized to justify the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian Arab nation, that it leaves me utterly unmoved. I have even caught myself – shock - rolling my eyes when I hear Holocaust and Israel in the same sentence.
What moves me instead in this post-two-state era, is the sheer audacity of Israel even existing.
What a fantastical idea, this notion that a bunch of rank outsiders from another continent could appropriate an existing, populated nation for themselves – and convince the "global community" that it was the moral thing to do. I'd laugh at the chutzpah if this wasn't so serious.
Even more brazen is the mass ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Palestinian population by persecuted Jews, newly arrived from their own experience of being ethnically cleansed.
But what is truly frightening is the psychological manipulation of the masses into believing that Palestinians are somehow dangerous – "terrorists" intent on "driving Jews into the sea." As someone who makes a living through words, I find the use of language in creating perceptions to be intriguing. This practice – often termed "public diplomacy" has become an essential tool in the world of geopolitics. Words, after all, are the building blocks of our psychology.
Take, for example, the way we have come to view the Palestinian-Israeli "dispute" and any resolution of this enduring conflict. And here I borrow liberally from a previous article of mine…
The United States and Israel have created the global discourse on this issue, setting stringent parameters that grow increasingly narrow regarding the content and direction of this debate. Anything discussed outside the set parameters has, until recently, widely been viewed as unrealistic, unproductive and even subversive.
Participation in the debate is limited only to those who prescribe to its main tenets: the acceptance of Israel, its regional hegemony and its qualitative military edge; acceptance of the shaky logic upon which the Jewish state's claim to Palestine is based; and acceptance of the inclusion and exclusion of certain regional parties, movements and governments in any solution to the conflict.
Words like dove, hawk, militant, extremist, moderates, terrorists, Islamo-fascists, rejectionists, existential threat, holocaust-denier, mad mullah determine the participation of solution partners -- and are capable of instantly excluding others.
Then there is the language that preserves "Israel's Right To Exist" unquestioningly: anything that invokes the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and the myths about historic Jewish rights to the land bequeathed to them by the Almighty – as though God was in the real-estate business. This language seeks not only to ensure that a Jewish connection to Palestine remains unquestioned, but importantly, seeks to punish and marginalize those who tackle the legitimacy of this modern colonial-settler experiment.
But this group-think has led us nowhere. It has obfuscated, distracted, deflected, ducked, and diminished, and we are no closer to a satisfactory conclusion…because the premise is wrong.
There is no fixing this problem. This is the kind of crisis in which you cut your losses, realize the error of your ways and reverse course. Israel is the problem. It is the last modern-day colonial-settler experiment, conducted at a time when these projects were being unraveled globally.
There is no "Palestinian-Israeli conflict" – that suggests some sort of equality in power, suffering, and negotiable tangibles, and there is no symmetry whatsoever in this equation. Israel is the Occupier and Oppressor; Palestinians are the Occupied and Oppressed. What is there to negotiate? Israel holds all the chips. They can give back some land, property, rights, but even that is an absurdity – what about everything else? What about ALL the land, property and rights? Why do they get to keep anything – how is the appropriation of land and property prior to 1948 fundamentally different from the appropriation of land and property on this arbitrary 1967 date?
Why are the colonial-settlers prior to 1948 any different from those who colonized and settled after 1967?
Let me correct myself. Palestinians do hold one chip that Israel salivates over – the one big demand at the negotiating table that seems to hold up everything else. Israel craves recognition of its "right to exist."
But you do exist - don't you, Israel?
Israel fears "delegitimization [1]" more than anything else. Behind the velvet curtain lies a state built on myths and narratives, protected only by a military behemoth, billions of dollars in US assistance and a lone UN Security Council veto. Nothing else stands between the state and its dismantlement. Without these three things, Israelis would not live in an entity that has come to be known as the "least safe place for Jews in the world."
Strip away the spin and the gloss, and you quickly realize that Israel doesn't even have the basics of a normal state. After 64 years, it doesn't have borders. After six decades, it has never been more isolated. Over half a century later, and it needs a gargantuan military just to stop Palestinians from walking home.
Israel is a failed experiment. It is on life-support – pull those three plugs and it is a cadaver, living only in the minds of some seriously deluded foreigners who thought they could pull off the heist of the century.
The most important thing we can do as we hover on the horizon of One State is to shed the old language rapidly. None of it was real anyway – it was just the parlance of that particular "game." Grow a new vocabulary of possibilities – the new state will be the dawn of humanity's great reconciliation. Muslims, Christians and Jews living together in Palestine as they once did.
Naysayers can take a hike. Our patience is wearing thinner than the walls of the hovels that Palestinian refugees have called "home" for three generations in their purgatory camps.
These universally exploited refugees are entitled to the nice apartments – the ones that have pools downstairs and a grove of palm trees outside the lobby. Because the kind of compensation owed for this failed western experiment will never be enough.
And no, nobody hates Jews. That is the fallback argument screeched in our ears – the one "firewall" remaining to protect this Israeli Frankenstein. I don't even care enough to insert the caveats that are supposed to prove I don't hate Jews. It is not a provable point, and frankly, it is a straw man of an argument. If Jews who didn't live through the Holocaust still feel the pain of it, then take that up with the Germans. Demand a sizeable plot of land in Germany – and good luck to you.
For anti-Semites salivating over an article that slams Israel, ply your trade elsewhere – you are part of the reason this problem exists.
Israelis who don't want to share Palestine as equal citizens with the indigenous Palestinian population – the ones who don't want to relinquish that which they demanded Palestinians relinquish 64 years ago - can take their second passports and go back home. Those remaining had better find a positive attitude – Palestinians have shown themselves to be a forgiving lot. The amount of carnage they have experienced at the hands of their oppressors – without proportional response – shows remarkable restraint and faith.
This is less the death of a Jewish state than it is the demise of the last remnants of modern-day colonialism. It is a rite of passage – we will get through it just fine. At this particular precipice in the 21st century, we are all, universally, Palestinian – undoing this wrong is a test of our collective humanity, and nobody has the right to sit this one out.
Israel has no right to exist. Break that mental barrier and just say it: "Israel has no right to exist." Roll it around your tongue, tweet it, post it as your Facebook status update – do it before you think twice. Delegitimization is here – have no fear. Palestine will be less painful than Israel ever was.
Posted by LJansen at 4:15 PM 0 comments
"Our Olympic Hell: A Militarised, Corporate, Jingoistic Disgrace" -- Andy Worthington
Tweet http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=88094&s2=17
In Athens, the $300m "super-panopticon" CCTV and information system built for the Games following intense US pressure remained after the event, along with the disused sports facilities. In fact, the system has been used by Greek police trying in vain to control the mass uprisings responding to the crash and savage austerity measures in the country.
It is important to remember that all this is ostensibly designed to secure the spectacle of 17,000 athletes competing for 17 days. Even if London's overall security budget remains similar to that of Athens, that works out at the startling figure of £59,000 of public money to secure each competitor or £3,500 per competitor per day. In 2004, the cost in now-bankrupt Athens was £90,000 per competitor (for a smaller number of athletes than are likely to attend London). This was a major contributor, as part of the overall £10bn costs, to Greece's subsequent debt crisis. How can we make sense of this situation? Four connected points need emphasis here. The first is that, amid a global economic crash, so-called "homeland security" industries — a loose confederation of defence, IT and biotechnology industries — are in bonanza mode. As this post-9/11 paradigm is being diffused around the world, the industry — worth $142bn in 2009 — is expected to be worth a staggering $2.7tn globally between 2010 and 2020. Growth rates are between 5% and 12% a year.
The UK, long an exemplar "surveillance society", is especially attractive to these industries, especially when hosting the Olympics. Recent security industry magazines have been full of articles excitedly extolling the Olympics as a "key driver of the industry" or as "keeping the market buoyant".
Nation states, and the EU, are struggling to ensure that their corporations get a piece of the action in markets long dominated by US and Israeli firms. Ramping up surveillance is thus now as much a part of economic policy as a response to purported threats.
Crucially, though, as Naomi Klein points out in her book The Shock Doctrine, the security boom also involves attempts to diffuse the technologies honed in counter-insurgency and colonial war in places such as Gaza, Kabul and Baghdad — drones, helicopters, data mining, biometrics, security zones, so-called "non-lethal weapons" (devices used to disperse crowds) — to the domestic "global" cities of Asia and the west.
Particular glee that Israeli-style security arrangements are now being widely implemented is evident among the CEOs of large Israeli security and defence contractors, which are doing especially well in the security boom. Leo Gleser is president of ISDS, a company that proudly proclaims that it was established by ex-Mossad agents and which was involved in £200m worth of security contracts for the Athens Games. He talks of "growing tsunamis of violence, criminal acts, and global insecurity triggered by the 9/11 events" which made the "the western world finally understand that measures had to be taken".
Olympics are especially important opportunities to cement the security boom still further. They are the ultimate global security shop windows through which states and corporations can advertise their latest high-tech wares to burgeoning global markets while making massive profits.
It is important to remember that all this is ostensibly designed to secure the spectacle of 17,000 athletes competing for 17 days. Even if London's overall security budget remains similar to that of Athens, that works out at the startling figure of £59,000 of public money to secure each competitor or £3,500 per competitor per day. In 2004, the cost in now-bankrupt Athens was £90,000 per competitor (for a smaller number of athletes than are likely to attend London). This was a major contributor, as part of the overall £10bn costs, to Greece's subsequent debt crisis. How can we make sense of this situation? Four connected points need emphasis here. The first is that, amid a global economic crash, so-called "homeland security" industries — a loose confederation of defence, IT and biotechnology industries — are in bonanza mode. As this post-9/11 paradigm is being diffused around the world, the industry — worth $142bn in 2009 — is expected to be worth a staggering $2.7tn globally between 2010 and 2020. Growth rates are between 5% and 12% a year.
The UK, long an exemplar "surveillance society", is especially attractive to these industries, especially when hosting the Olympics. Recent security industry magazines have been full of articles excitedly extolling the Olympics as a "key driver of the industry" or as "keeping the market buoyant".
Nation states, and the EU, are struggling to ensure that their corporations get a piece of the action in markets long dominated by US and Israeli firms. Ramping up surveillance is thus now as much a part of economic policy as a response to purported threats.
Crucially, though, as Naomi Klein points out in her book The Shock Doctrine, the security boom also involves attempts to diffuse the technologies honed in counter-insurgency and colonial war in places such as Gaza, Kabul and Baghdad — drones, helicopters, data mining, biometrics, security zones, so-called "non-lethal weapons" (devices used to disperse crowds) — to the domestic "global" cities of Asia and the west.
Particular glee that Israeli-style security arrangements are now being widely implemented is evident among the CEOs of large Israeli security and defence contractors, which are doing especially well in the security boom. Leo Gleser is president of ISDS, a company that proudly proclaims that it was established by ex-Mossad agents and which was involved in £200m worth of security contracts for the Athens Games. He talks of "growing tsunamis of violence, criminal acts, and global insecurity triggered by the 9/11 events" which made the "the western world finally understand that measures had to be taken".
Olympics are especially important opportunities to cement the security boom still further. They are the ultimate global security shop windows through which states and corporations can advertise their latest high-tech wares to burgeoning global markets while making massive profits.
Posted by LJansen at 12:18 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Eight Arrested Outside Obama Chicago Campaign HQ As NATO Protests Begin -- Chicagoist
It's NATO week here in Chicago and already we have our first arrests related to protests of the May 20-21 summit.
Eight protesters were arrested at the Prudential Building this morning after they refused to clear out of the lobby. The Prudential Building also happens to house the Chicago headquarters of the Obama re-election campaign. Around 8:30 a.m. this morning, dozens of protesters organized by the Catholic Worker movement picketed on Prudential Plaza, then attempted to enter the building. Building security locked the revolving doors, but protesters pushed past a guard at a side door.
A dozen uniformed Chicago police officers entered the building as the protesters read a prepared statement. The protesters then left the building except for the eight who were arrested; they were thanked by their fellow protesters as they were led away in handcuffs. they'll likely be charged with criminal trespassing.
Catholic Workers groups from at least 10 states are in Chicago for the NATO summit to protest what they're calling a "Week Without Capitalism:" nonviolent protests of the summit and the G8 summit at Camp David, Md. Later this afternoon, members of Occupy Chicago are expected to protest in support of more public school funding, and a protest for immigration reform is currently in progress. The increase in protests has already led to a greater police presence along Michigan Avenue.
Posted by LJansen at 12:09 PM 0 comments
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Nakba, the Ongoing Catastrophe of the Palestinian People, Remembered in Seattle. May 13, 2012
Their homeland continues to be stolen by Israel with the aid of the U.S. and European nations, but the people of Palestine and their land are sumoud [steadfast] with each other.
During the course of the day,
Adameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support organization and Samidoun, Canadian support network. Pictured at right is Hana al Shalabi, who was deported from her home in the West Bank to Gaza after her 43-day hunger-strike. Over 1500 prisoners are now on strike, with a handful over 70 days into the strike.
Their homeland continues to be stolen by Israel with the aid of the U.S. and European nations, but the people of Palestine and their land are sumoud [steadfast] with each other.
During the course of the day,
Adameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support organization and Samidoun, Canadian support network. Pictured at right is Hana al Shalabi, who was deported from her home in the West Bank to Gaza after her 43-day hunger-strike. Over 1500 prisoners are now on strike, with a handful over 70 days into the strike.
|Please join Voices of Palestine-Seattle at our vigils near Westlake Park on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month. Sign up for info at voicesofpalestine.org. Free Palestine!
Posted by LJansen at 8:48 PM 0 comments
Solidarity with Mothers of Palestinian Hunger-Strikers! Carlos Latuff
Tweet http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/91216/?utm_medium=OP&utm_source=Ocuppiedpalestine
Posted by LJansen at 10:23 AM 0 comments
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Nakba Day in Beit Omar Village
Posted by LJansen at 3:19 PM 0 comments
"Friday day of Anger" in Support of Palestinian Prisoners By firstname.lastname@example.com
via Mondoweiss "Scorched Earth in Bi'lin"
via Mondoweiss "Scorched Earth in Bi'lin"
Posted by LJansen at 9:28 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Strong Demonstrations of Support for Hunger-Strikers; Also Explanations of Reasons for Hunger Strikes
For English speakers, Real News Network has very good coverage of Palestine. Hope you'll support it if you can. ;) Linda
For English speakers, Real News Network has very good coverage of Palestine. Hope you'll support it if you can. ;) Linda
Posted by LJansen at 4:44 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Long-term Hunger Striker Not Backing Down -- Viva Palestine & The Hunger Strkers
This article was originally published by the Ma'an News Agency and is republished with permission.
A Palestinian hunger striker who has gone without food for 70 days said Tuesday he had no plans to back down despite suffering severe medical complications.
Thaer Halahla, 33, from Hebron, wrote in a letter published by a prisoner rights group that he was suffering rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, and bleeding from the nose and gums.
"My weight today is 55 out of 83 kilos before the strike, and my hair is falling out along with muscle atrophy," he added, according to the Muhjat al-Quds group which distributed Halahla's letter.
The detainee, one of over 300 Palestinians held by Israel without charge or trial, called for more support as hundreds of prisoners refuse food in Israeli jails in a bid for better treatment.
"We did not go into the battle because we love to be hungry or in pain, but for our dignity and the dignity of our nation," Halahla wrote.
He also thanked supporters who showed up for his latest court hearing.
Israel's Supreme Court on Monday rejected Halahla's appeal along with that of Bilal Diab, 27, from Jenin. Both detainees have been on hunger strike since Feb. 29.
Hundreds of prisoners joined a group of hunger-strikers on April 17 protesting detention without charge. Around 2,000 are now taking part in the strike, rights groups say.
ICRC: Imminent danger of death
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned Tuesday that Halahla and five others on hunger strike were in "imminent danger of dying" and called on Israel to transfer them to hospital and allow visits from their families.
The six have refused food for between 47 and 70 days and are in prison under Israel's long-standing policy of detaining people without charge or trial. Prison terms for "administrative detainees" are renewable for six months at a time.
"We urge the detaining authorities to transfer all six detainees without delay to a suitable hospital so that their condition can be continuously monitored and so that they can receive specialized medical and nursing care," said Juan Pedro Schaerer, head of the ICRC delegation in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said there would be serious repercussions if any of the prisoners died.
"The most tragic thing is if you look at the list of demands they have presented Israel ... they are generally related to the basic rights of prisoners," he said in the West Bank city of Ramallah. "There is a clear violation of the Geneva conventions."
The ICRC's Shaerer stressed that the strikers' right to fast is protected by international conventions.
"While we are in favor of any medical treatment that could benefit the detainees, we would like to point out that, under resolutions adopted by the World Medical Association, the detainees are entitled to freely choose whether to consent to be fed or to receive medical treatment," he said.
"It is essential that their choice be respected and their human dignity preserved," he said.
The office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also voiced concern on the strikers' fate.
"International law is clear: administrative detention should only be used in exceptional cases and only for imperative reasons of security. Administrative detainees have the right to challenge the lawfulness of the detention," spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a news briefing.
Independent UN investigators and UN rights bodies have raised concerns about Israel's frequent and extensive use of administrative detention, including of children, infringing on detainees right to a fair trial, Shamdasani said.
Posted by LJansen at 11:09 PM 0 comments
PALESTINE: STOLEN HOMELAND -- Yet Palestine Lives!
"Stand up for what is right, even if you are standing alone"
Westlake Park, Nakba in 2009
An outdoor installation/display that will cover Westlake Plaza, visually suggesting both a refugee camp of tents and a cemetary for the 500 Palestinian villages destroyed 1947-49. All the village names will be on the markers, along with references to other key events such as the massacres at Tantura and Deir Yassin, the recent assault on Gaza, and the ongoing settlement movement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian territory.
There will also be music, cultural displays and a booth sponsored by Mothers Against Ethnic Cleansing (honoring Mother's Day this year.)
12-5 pm
Westlake Plaza, 4th & Pine
Presented by Palestine Solidarity Committee and Voices of Palestine
Amin Odeh
"Stand up for what is right, even if you are standing alone"
Posted by LJansen at 10:44 PM 0 comments
Monday, May 07, 2012
New French President Says Boycott of Israeli Goods "Illegal," But Paris Court Acquits More BDS Activists
Tweet http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/new-french-president-says-boycott-israeli-goods-illegal-paris-court-acquits-more
French president-elect François Hollande has told a Jewish community publication that he opposes the boycott of Israeli goods, even apparently from Israeli settlements in occupied territories, and considers such boycotts "illegal."
Hollande also promised to visit Israel as president and echoed hardline Israel lobby rhetoric about Iran.
His statements published Tribune Juive (Jewish Tribune) on 1 May contrast sharply with the decisions of French judges who on 3 May acquitted another group of French activists on charges related to calling for the boycott of Israeli goods.
In a significant victory for the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement in France, the criminal court near Paris ruled that it cannot be deemed "incitement to discrimination" to call for the boycott of a state, as opposed to a specific population group.
On 6 May, Hollande defeated incumbent French President Nicholas Sarkozy, and will take office on 16 May.
Hollande "totally opposed to the boycott of Israeli goods"Hollande's comments came in an interview with Tribune Juive relevant sections of which I've translated:
Tribune Juive: Jean-Luc Mélenchon [leader of the Left Party] calls for the boycott of Israeli products that come from "occupied" territories, which would ruin the Palestinians that grow or make them and goes against the law. Are you going to make an alliance with all the parties of the left in order to achieve victory?
François Hollande: My project has been known since January, it has not changed, it is not modified to the circumstances and it will be applied. All voters who want to join me, all who want change are welcome, without negotiations, without bargaining. As for the rest, I am totally opposed to the boycott of Israeli goods, which is illegal and does not serve the cause of peace.As for his approach to the situation in Palestine in general, Hollande offered a bland restatement of the failed peace process and two-state consensus, a clear indication that just as Obama followed Bush's pro-Israel policies, Hollande will almost certainly follow those of Sarkozy and the EU in general.
Tribune Juive: You have still not traveled to Israel. If you are elected, will such a trip be part of your plans? What initiative can you suggest to revive the peace process?François Hollande: Yes, this trip will be part of my plans. Everyone has known for decades the contours of peace between Israel and the Palestinians: two neighboring and sovereign states, where each respects the legitimacy of the other. The only question is to know how much time, that is to say how much suffering, how much mourning. In addition to the Israeli-Palestinian question, we must be very firm with regard to Iran whose nuclear program represents a life-threatening danger to Israel and to world peace.
Not "discrimination" to boycott Israel, court rulesMeanwhile, in contrast to Hollande's claim that boycotting Israeli goods is "illegal," four French BDS activists have been acquitted on charges of "incitement to discrimination, hate or violence" because they had participated in peaceful actions calling for such boycotts.
A 3 May email from Campagne BDS France said that on 15 March the prosecutor in the Paris suburb of Bobigny had "scandalously" requested sentences against the four ranging from suspended sentences of four months in prison and fines of 2000 euros.
However, the activists were acquitted. Agence France Presse reported on 4 May (my translation):
The Bobigny prosecutor said today that it has appealed the acquittal of four pro-Palestinian activists on trial for actions to boycott Israeli products in 2009 in supermarkets of the Paris suburb.
The four defendants were charged with "incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence." They were acquitted today by the Bobigny criminal court. In its judgment, the court held that incitement to discrimination could only be applied to a population or a population group, and not to a state or the products of that state. This analysis is disputed by the prosecution, a judicial source said.This legal victory follows a similar acquittal of 12 activists in the eastern French city of Mulhouse last December.
However, it is only the lastest in a series of trials aimed to suppress the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement in France. Three more activists face trial in the southern city of Perpignan on 24 May.
French activists have developed a distinctive form of protest, undertaking deshelving actions at supermarkets all over the country to protest the sale of Israeli goods, especially those from illegal colonies in the occupied West Bank.
Posted by LJansen at 9:29 AM 0 comments
Israeli Court Rejects Appeal of Palestinian Hunger Strikers
Tweet UPDATE: for more information about the hunger-strikers, read Linah Alsaafin's article in Electronic Intifada -- Dying to Live: The Stories of Our Hunger-strikers: http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/linah-alsaafin/dying-live-stories-our-hunger-strikers
via Aletho News
via Aletho News
Israel's Supreme Court has turned down an appeal requesting the release of two Palestinian prisoners, who have been on hunger strike for more than two months.
According to their lawyer, judges on Monday ruled that their hunger strike was not a reason to release them from administrative detention despite their being in life-threatening condition.
Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahla began refusing food on February 29 in protest to their administrative detention, a controversial practice used by Tel Aviv, which allows Israeli authorities to hold people, mostly Palestinians, without charge or trial indefinitely.
Diab has been in custody for nine months while Halahla has been detained since June 2010.
"I believe what the court is doing here is trying to break the will of both prisoners so they will back down in their hunger strike," said their lawyer Jamil Khatib, adding that the two men, however, intend to "continue their strike to the end."
"Israeli courts do not handle administrative detention in a positive way. It shows that the intelligence services have the final word," he added.
The Israeli group Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has condemned the court's decision, describing it as "a death sentence" for both men.
An estimated 1,600 to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, who began an open-ended hunger strike on April 17 to protest against Israel's administrative detention rules, the use of solitary confinement, maltreatment of sick detainees, and difficulty in securing family visits and strip searches that are imposed on visitors.
According to an April 1, 2012 report published by the non-governmental Palestinian prisoner support and human rights association, Addameer, at least 4,610 "political" Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli jails.
Addameer figures show 322 of the Palestinian prisoners are administrative detainees.
Independent sources, however, put the number of Palestinian inmates in Israeli jails at 11,000.
Posted by LJansen at 9:16 AM 0 comments
Sunday, May 06, 2012
U.S. Financed Military Crushes Sit-in -- Shows Resiliance of Resistance
Posted by LJansen at 12:24 PM 0 comments
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Seattle Voices of Palestine Spreads Word & Demands Freedom for Palestinian Political Prisoners -- 5/4/12
TweetJoin our educational vigils every 1st & 3rd Saturday, near Westlake Park, 4th & Pine, Seattle.
And please join us next Sunday, May 13, 2012, from noon-5 p.m. at Westlake Park for Nakba Commemoration, Palestine Stolen Homeland. For info, email: email@example.com
And please join us next Sunday, May 13, 2012, from noon-5 p.m. at Westlake Park for Nakba Commemoration, Palestine Stolen Homeland. For info, email: email@example.com
Posted by LJansen at 5:22 PM 0 comments
Friday, May 04, 2012
US Should Return Stolen Land to Indian Tribes, Says United Nations -- Chris McGreal, Guardian
Tweet http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/04/us-stolen-land-indian-tribes-un/print
A United Nations investigator probing discrimination against Native Americans has called on the US government to return some of the land stolen from Indian tribes as a step toward combatting continuing and systemic racial discrimination.
James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, said no member of the US Congress would meet him as he investigated the part played by the government in the considerable difficulties faced by Indian tribes.
Anaya said that in nearly two weeks of visiting Indian reservations, indigenous communities in Alaska and Hawaii, and Native Americans now living in cities, he encountered people who suffered a history of dispossession of their lands and resources, the breakdown of their societies and "numerous instances of outright brutality, all grounded on racial discrimination".
Posted by LJansen at 7:04 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Medea Benjamin Demands Apology for Victims from War Criminal Brennan As He Defends Drones
ABC News "coverage" [no pun intended]: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/brennan-defends-drone-strikes-pakistan-protestor-object/story?id=16244896#.T6BfRL-zgTk
ABC News "coverage" [no pun intended]: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/brennan-defends-drone-strikes-pakistan-protestor-object/story?id=16244896#.T6BfRL-zgTk
Posted by LJansen at 3:11 PM 0 comments
Orwell Lives! Obama Converts May Day into Loyalty Day via Proclamation
The White HouseOffice of the Press SecretaryFor Immediate ReleaseMay 01, 2012
Presidential Proclamation -- Loyalty Day, 2012LOYALTY DAY, 2012BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAA PROCLAMATIONMore than two centuries ago, our Founders laid out a charter that assured the rule of law and the rights of man. Through times of tranquility and the throes of change, the Constitution has always guided our course toward fulfilling that most noble promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve the chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. America has carried on not only for the skill or vision of history's celebrated figures, but also for the generations who have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents. On Loyalty Day, we reflect on that proud heritage and press on in the long journey toward prosperity for all.In the years since our Constitution was penned and ratified, Americans have moved our Nation forward by embracing a commitment to each other, to the fundamental principles that unite us, and to the future we share. We weathered the storms of civil war and segregation, of conflicts that spanned continents. We overcame threats from within and without -- from the specter of fascism abroad to the bitter injustice of disenfranchisement at home. We upheld the spirit of service at the core of our democracy, and we widened the circle of opportunity not just for a privileged few, but for the ambitious many. Time and again, men and women achieved what seemed impossible by joining imagination to common purpose and necessity to courage. That legacy still burns brightly, and the ideals it embodies remain a light to all the world.Countless Americans demonstrate that same dedication to country today. It endures in the hearts of all who put their lives on the line to defend the land they love, just as it moves millions to improve their communities through volunteerism and civic participation. Their actions help ensure prosperity for this generation and those yet to come, and they honor the immutable truths enshrined in our Nation's founding texts. On Loyalty Day, we rededicate ourselves to the common good, to the cornerstones of liberty, equality, and justice, and to the unending pursuit of a more perfect Union.In order to recognize the American spirit of loyalty and the sacrifices that so many have made for our Nation, the Congress, by Public Law 85-529 as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as "Loyalty Day." On this day, let us reaffirm our allegiance to the United States of America, our Constitution, and our founding values. [UPDATE FROM A FOUNDER: According to James Madison, the purpose of the American State is "to protect the minority of the opulent against the majority." Feeling any loyalty to that?]NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2012, as Loyalty Day. This Loyalty Day, I call upon all the people of the United States to join in support of this national observance, whether by displaying the flag of the United States or pledging allegiance to the Republic for which it stands.IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.BARACK OBAMA
Posted by LJansen at 2:51 PM 0 comments
Israel Killed 5, Incl. 4yo Child & Kidnapped 285 Palestinians in April
Tweet Via Saed Bannoura at IMEMC
& Aletho News
& Aletho News
Israeli soldiers shot and killed five Palestinians, including a 4 year old child, and kidnapped more than 285 Palestinians in April 2012 according to The International Solidarity Foundation for Human Rights (Tadamon).The child, Aseel Ara'ra, 4, from Anata, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, was shot in the neck on October 25, 2011, and was left in a quadriplegic state before dying of her injuries last month.
The army shot and killed Hashem Misbah Sa'ad, 17, from ash-Shujaeyya neighbourhood, east of Gaza city, and separately Bilal Yousef As-Sa'ayda, 20, claiming that both young men approached the border fence.
Two more Palestinians were killed in the West Bank. One of the dead men, Rashad Shoukha, 28, was seriously wounded after the under-cover forces of the Israeli army broke into his home in Rammoun town, near Ramallah, and died of his wounds a week after he was injured. Fadi Zeitoun, from Beta village, near Nablus, was killed after a group of extremist settlers of the Yitzhar illegal settlement south of Nablus chased him with their guns while he was driving his tractor.
Israeli soldiers conducted dozens of invasions into the occupied territories in April, and kidnapped more than 285 residents, including dozens of women and children, and a number of former political prisoners who had previously spent years in Israeli prisons and detention centers. In the West Bank, soldiers kidnapped 45 children, and three female university students from the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Tadamon attorney, researcher Ahmad Tubassy, strongly criticised the ongoing and escalating Israeli violations against the Palestinian people, especially the continuing violations against the political prisoners currently holding an open-ended hunger-strike and demanding their legitimate rights which are guaranteed under international Law.
He stated that targeting civilians, especially women and children, violates all international regulations, and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
Posted by LJansen at 1:05 PM 0 comments
IDF Skunk Tank Crushed Under Feet of Palestinian Woman -- Solidarity w/Prisoners Outside Ofer Prison -- 5/1/2012
Flagwoman Rana Hamadeh climbs on top of an Israeli "skunk truck" during a protest outside
Flagwoman Rana Hamadeh climbs on top of an Israeli "skunk truck" during a protest outside
Ofer prison, May 1, 2012. (Photo: Abir Kopty)
Posted by LJansen at 11:34 AM 0 comments
May 1 Ofer Demonstration of Solidarity with Prisoners; IDF Attacks
Link to article: http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/palhunger-ofer-demonstration-of-solidarity-with-prisoners-may-1-2012-video-by-haithmkatibgmail-com/
Link to article: http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/palhunger-ofer-demonstration-of-solidarity-with-prisoners-may-1-2012-video-by-haithmkatibgmail-com/
Posted by LJansen at 10:53 AM 0 comments
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text:
Stop the Web server and any other programs before beginning the upgrade process.
If Appeon Server Web Component is installed to multiple Web servers, repeat the upgrade steps for the Appeon Server Web Component on each Web server.
Upgrade instructions
There is no Setup program for upgrading Appeon Server Web Component on Unix\Linux. You can directly copy the Appeon Server Web Component source files to the Web root (or document root) of the Web server on Unix\Linux.
Step 1: Locate the AppeonWebComponent.tar file in the AppeonWebComponent folder on the Appeon installation program.
Step 2: Decompress the AppeonWebComponent.tar file into the Web root (or document root) of the Web server. For example, the document root of Apache 1.3 is $Apache/htdocs.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Your home has become uninhabitable due to an emergency and you must initiate your contingency plan. This isn't the plan you imagine in your mind on a whim, but one that you have carefully thought out, written down and placed in a readily accessible location.
Imagine that you need a full tank of gas in order to get to your safe haven or retreat location that is 125 miles away. Unfortunately, the event has also left the gas stations within a 100-mile radius of your home out of service.
- RELATED STORY: Plan Your Escape During A Disaster
Enter Plan B. While you had enough fuel storage at your house to get you to your retreat, once again that blasted event has relieved you of most of it. Now you only have a portion of a 5-gallon container to put in your vehicle to get out of the immediate area and to a nearby friend, who also happens to be part of a mutual assistance group that you have formed for incidents such as this. After the short detour, a little bit of creative packing of supplies and people, along with fueling up the vehicles with the extra stores from your friend, you make your way without incident to your contingency outpost.
Safe Haven
By planning and investing with a group-based approach, an emergency retreat can be a true home away from home with many of the creature comforts that you enjoy on a daily basis. More than just a pot and a window, a safe haven that is worthy of weathering an extended relocation must be planned and constructed with longevity in mind.
- RELATED STORY: Disaster Evacuation Tips and Guidelines
Having a nationwide, regional or statewide network of contacts with extra room in their homes is an ideal and cost-effective solution for scenarios such as this. Such networks can be established by networking at conferences and conventions, online forums or through other types of organizations. Make sure to take operational security measures and properly vet any potential associates if this type of arrangement is an option for you and your family. If possible, friends and family are a safer and more secure option for scenarios such as this.
On the shelter aspect of the equation, something with a hard shell is the most prudent type to obtain. This can be in the form of an RV-style camper, a converted cargo trailer or a site-built cabin, tiny-house or home as opposed to a tent. Most tents won't withstand day-to-day living during an extended amount of time.
- RELATED STORY: Bug-Out By Boat: Urban Waterway Evacuation Plans
If those options don't fit into your budget, then having the proper tools to enable you to harvest wood, such as chainsaws, axes and ancillary items, along with a stockpile of surplus materials, such as tin for roofing and pipe for plumbing, are a good alternative. Tents, tarps or ponchos are good for shelter in the short term (a couple of weeks to a month) and they are very portable until you either get to your alternate location or can construct a more secure and permanent structure.
Plan To Prevail
Depending on the extent of the emergency you're facing and your projected length of stay away from your home, having pre-staged items in multiple locations is a good idea, as it may take longer than expected to get to your support group and/or retreat location. Room for shelter, food, water and related supplies will be limited based on the size of your vehicle.
Food and shelter are of equal importance, and they can be planned for accordingly and similarly depending on which alternate location strategy you implement. Having food and water caches along with the aforementioned tools and equipment for constructing shelter are good ideas. Arranging to store some of your gear or supplies in a secure and enclosed area, such as a garage or a detached shed, at the stops you've scheduled on the way to your contingency locations is another viable option. The key to food storage is to stockpile food that you can easily incorporate into your daily diet in order to prevent appetite fatigue.
Training is key when you're implementing a contingency location plan. Whether it is with friends, family or an outside group, the worst time to find out that you and your family members are incompatible with your co-habitants is during a catastrophic event. Prepare now to prevail later.
- RELATED STORY: Urban Evacuation: Tips to Escape a Disaster
This article was originally published in the SURVIVOR'S EDGE™ Spring 2016 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions here.
Stop The Outbreak: Tips to Avoid Infectious Viruses and Bacteria
Safeguard against deadly viruses and bacteria!
by Will Dabbs, MD / Feb 9, 2016


text:
View maps and facts on Cusco here
Homestay accommodation (half board) with 20 lessons
1 week language course - £365
2 week language course - £630
3 week language course - £899
4 week language course - £1,105
6 week language course - £1,650
8 week language course - £2,199
Hostel accommodation (single room) with 20 lessons
1 week language course - £360
2 week language course - £650
3 week language course - £930
4 week language course - £1,195
6 week language course - £1,735
8 week language course - £2,279
**Further prices can be offered for longer programs and different accommodation options. Please contact the office**
Arrival on Sunday and departure on Saturday
You have the option to start every Monday year round (excluding holidays).
Our language schools offer a variety of accommodation options for you to choose from. Whether you want to experience life with a local family or live in an apartment with students of a similar mind, there is something for you.
Host family - Single or shared rooms available in safe homes close to the school. Half board is included in the price.
Hostel - basic accommodation in shared room in a shared bathroom
Hotel - private room and bathroom in a 3-star hotel
Private apartment - fully equipped accommodation available for minimum of 4 week stay
You have the option to choose between the following language courses at the language school in Cusco:
The language school in Cusco is one of the most recognised in the area, and it receives language course students from around the world. The language school is located just a 3-block walk from Plaza de Armas. It is in the historical centre and is just across the street from Q'oricancha - the holiest site in the entire Incan Empire.
Teaching at the language school in Cusco, like any other of our Language Travel programs, is of the highest quality, and this creates the right environment for learning in small international, level segregated classes. All teachers have extensive experience in teaching foreign students. The first day of the course, your Spanish level will be tested, and then you will be placed in the language class that best suits your level.
The Adult language course allows you to choose from several accommodation options giving you the best experience for you needs and budget.
Host family:
You may choose to live with a host family in a single or shared room with half board. All host families are carefully selected and are regularly visited by the language school staff in order to ensure a high standard and quality of the accommodation. All homes are located 10-25 minute walk from the school or a 5-10 minute taxi/bus ride. Residences are in safe neighbourhoods with 24-hour security.
Hostels are clean and safe but basic accommodation. Shared bathrooms are standard for all room types in hostels.
The school works with very comfortable 3-star hotels. Breakfast is included and all rooms have a private bathroom.
Private apartment:
Minimum 4 week stay required. Apartments are comfortable and fully furnished with equipped kitchens. Apartments are centrally located within easy walking distance of the school.
The language school in Cusco organises numerous exciting social activities. Thus offering a unique opportunity to form social relationships with other students at the language school.
Certain activities and excursions may be free, but you must expect a cost for most of the activities. We recommend that you take part in the program. All activities and excursions can be purchased after arrival at the language school.
On arrival at Cusco airport we can organise for you to be met by one of the language school staff who will take you to the accommodation, and back again on departure.
This service is included with most course options with our language school.
If you have further questions about the program, you may want to take a look at our FAQ page with frequently asked questions and answers. Registration is done by filling out our Booking Form and pay a deposit - see our booking and payment conditions. You can also read about the process from registration to departure here.
If you have more questions about our exciting language travel opportunities, please feel free to contact us by phone on 02380 970 924 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
See other destination options for Adults or 50+ , by following these links. Want a customised language travel? Then read more here.
Wessex House,
Upper Market Street,
Eastleigh, Hampshire,
Contact info
Main office number: +44 (0) 2380 970 924
Email address: email@example.com
social media
Find us facebook
Follow us on Twitter


text:
Fresh And Alive 2G Budget Water Ionizer Membrane 4-Pack
Four replacement membranes for the 2G water ionizer. Typical life of a single membrane is about 2 years if properly used and cared for. Installs on the pipe connecting the two ionizer tanks by simply sliding the old membrane off, placing the new membrane over the pipe opening, and sliding the retainer band back over the membrane and pipe. Retainer ring not included.


text:
Visionary Realms did another live stream with @CohhCarnage detailing the design, implementation, and staging process for city building with a preview of many grey boxes in the capital city of Thronefast.
Also teased with this city preview was the announcement that Pre-Alpha is about to begin.
Pre-Alpha has been removed from the pledge levels for VIP level pledges. You can still get the rest of the rewards and Alpha access, but Pre-Alpha is closed for now. Details will be limited and much of it locked behind Non-Disclosure Agreements.


text:
Contact us and volunteer whatever you can.
These Starving Kids Need Your Help, They are Homeless children, some orphans, very hungry, sick, totally helpless and in need of your any help you can give. No drinking water. Poor poor conditions with little hope. No medical help or clothing. No money or financial help. The worst homeless kids pictures ever. Starving boys and girls with no home or food.
The photos you see at Real Bad Hunger were taken in a poverty stricken area that was built down in the flood plane of a nearby river because it is the only land available for homeless people to live since it floods quickly and regularly. Kids die they need money, clothing, water, medical supplies and help. Very sick children need clothes and medical supplies. Please help needy kids from death.
Please Help Them
Volunteer your help in anyway. Children in bad need of everything.
Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake, and is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation (in excess of 1-2 months) causes permanent organ damage and, eventually, death. The term "inanition" refers to the symptoms and effects of starvation.
The overwhelming majority of them are under 5, and there is evidence to suggest that the death toll could be much higher, the aid workers say.
Children dying in the streets, kids roaming the streets for food and starving Filipinos dying of hunger and tarp and paper houses soaked in mud. A real ghost town.
No lights, no water, no clothes, no food. Children and people in hunger lying in the streets some fighting for a bag rice in the store. Some got sick and there are no medicine. Would you like having a piece of noodle for the whole family?
Real Bad Hunger In the Philippines you will find;
hunger, homeless, disease, children, kids, misery, parentless, virus, epidemic, ill health ,illness, famine, child craving, underdevelopment, sickness, starvation, helpless children poor, worst, poverty, hopeless kid, crying kids with no parents.
At Starving kid need your help you will see children that their parents abandoned. Left alone to die with real bad hunger. These kids die one after another. The government nor the people of the Philippines care. They are not their kids. Children need HELP - NOW.
Real Bad Hunger thanks you for your help.


text:
Educational Specialist – Educational Leadership
Program Director: Dr. Steve Bounds
Degree Admission
Applicants for admission to the Educational Specialist Degree program must submit an on-line graduate application form and arrange for official complete transcripts of all graduate and undergraduate course work to be sent directly to the Arkansas Tech University Graduate College office. Applicants must also:
- Hold a Master's degree or equivalent in Educational Leadership.
- Have a graduate GPA of at least 3.00.
- Hold a Standard Teaching License.
- Hold an Administrative License.
Unconditional Admission
Students are eligible to apply for unconditional admission to the Educational Specialist Degree Program if they meet the requirements listed above.
Conditional Admission
Applicants who fail to meet the grade point criteria specified for unconditional admission may be admitted to earn a maximum of twelve semester hours. To remove this condition, the student must earn a "B" average on the first twelve hours of graduate work attempted at Arkansas Tech University. Applicants who have satisfactory academic records at unaccredited colleges are also eligible for admission under these conditions, although in some instances transcript might be declared deficient. In such cases the applicants would be assessed a maximum of thirty hours to be completed before being admitted to graduate college.
Academic Advisors
The Director of the CLL program will assign a faculty advisor to each student admitted to the degree program. The advisor will assist the student in the program of study that leads to the fulfillment of degree requirements. Subsequently, the academic advisor, the Department Graduate Committee, and the Office of Graduate College monitor the student's progress as they progress through the program. It remains, however, the student's responsibility to understand and to satisfy all degree requirements.
Admission to Candidacy
Students who have been granted conditional admission are eligible for admission to candidacy for the degree upon the completion of twelve hours with a 3.00 grade point average and completion of all deficiencies. Students who have been granted unconditional admission are eligible for admission to candidacy upon completion of twelve hours with a 3.00 grade point average. Students who do not submit an "Application for Admission to Candidacy" prior to the end of the semester in which the student becomes eligible will not be allowed to register for subsequent graduate classes.
Program Requirements
Candidates for the Educational Specialist Degree program must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours (all at the 7000 level), including the completion of the following courses:
- EDLD 7003 Seminar in Systems' Issues
- EDLD 7013 Superintendency and Central Office
- EDLD 7022 Building a Leadership Community
- EDLD 7023 School Board Relations
- EDLD 7033 School Personnel and Business Management
- EDLD 7101 Administrative Internship in Educational Facilities
- EDLD 7112 Advanced Legal Issues
- EDLD 7113 Seminar in Current Issues
- EDLD 7122 Educational Facilities
- EDLD 7132 School Finance for District Level Administration
- EDLD 7143 School Accountability Systems
- EDLD 7201 Administrative Internship in District Level Finance
- EDLD 7202 Administrative Internship in School Accountability Systems
A candidate for an Educational Specialist in Education Leadership must complete a portfolio as part of the program of study for the degree of Educational Specialist. This portfolio is an edited, integrated collection of an Educational Leadership candidate's evidence that competencies reflective of the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) have been acquired. It is not merely a file of course projects nor is it a scrapbook of professional memorabilia. It is a collection of a student's best work as an educational leadership candidate, that demonstrates the student's understanding of the principles and standards for a district administrator.
Special Conditions of Graduate Credit
Graduate Credit Taken Prior to Admission to Arkansas Tech University
A maximum of six semester hours of graduate credit with a grade point average of "B" or better may be transferred from an accredited graduate school if deemed appropriate to the graduate program by the head of the student's major department and the Dean of Graduate College. Students must send a written request to the head of their major department to petition an acceptance of the transfer credit prior to requesting admission to candidacy to the graduate program. Graduate credit earned six years prior to the completion date of all degree requirements may not be applied toward the degree without the approval of the appropriate department head and the Dean of Graduate College. Credits earned by correspondence courses or for remedial purposes will not apply toward the graduate degree. No undergraduate course may be repeated for graduate credit.
Graduate Credit Taken After Admission to Arkansas Tech University
If after admission to graduate college at Arkansas Tech, a student wishes to take a course at another institution to count toward degree requirements at Arkansas Tech, the student must (in advance of enrollment) obtain written approval from the head of the student's major department and the Dean of Graduate College.


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PIE (Position Independent Executables) are binaries that are made entirely from position-independent code. This allows for address space layout randomization, increasing security and making some attacks much more difficult. In Fedora 16 and later there are macros to easily enable compiling a package with the compiler and linker flags needed for PIE.
- Binaries are more difficult to attack/compromise.
- You can no longer use prelink on your binaries, resulting in a slower startup time.
Compiler flags
Compilers used to build packages must honor the applicable compiler flags set in the system rpm configuration. Honoring means that the contents of that variable is used as the basis of the flags actually used by the compiler during the package build.
For C, C++, and Fortran code, the %{optflags} macro contains these flags. Overriding these flags for performance optimizations (for instance, -O3 instead of -O2) is generally discouraged. If you can present benchmarks that show a significant speedup for this particular code, this could be revisited on a case-by-case basis. Adding to and overriding or filtering parts of these flags is permitted if there's a good reason to do so; the rationale for doing so must be documented in the specfile.
There are certain, security related flags that are commonly allowed. These flags may degrade performance slightly but the increased security can be worthwhile for some programs.
PIE adds security to executables by composing them entirely of position-independent code. Position-independent code (PIC) is machine instruction code that executes properly regardless of where in memory it resides. PIE allows Exec Shield to use address space layout randomization to prevent attackers from knowing where existing executable code is during a security attack using exploits that rely on knowing the offset of the executable code in the binary, such as return-to-libc attacks.
To use this in your spec, add:
%define _hardened_build 1
This adds
-fPIC (if
-fPIE is not already present) to the compiler flags, and adds
-z now to the linker flags.
FESCo maintains a list of packages that MUST have PIE turned on. Other packages may enable the flags at the maintainer's discretion.
If your package meets the following critera you should consider enabling the PIE compiler flags:
- Your package is long running. This means it's likely to be started and keep running until the machine is rebooted, not start on demand and quit on idle.
- Your package has suid binaries, or binaries with capabilities.
- Your package runs as root.
- Your package accepts/processes untrusted input.
There are some notable disadvantages to enabling PIE that should be considered in making the decision:
- Some code does not compile with PIE (or does not function properly).
- You can not use prelink on PIE enabled binaries, resulting in a slower startup time.


text: ZitatCHICAGO — Two people were killed and 19 others were wounded over 20 hours in Chicago from Tuesday through early Wednesday, the equivalent of someone shot every 58 minutes.The period was more violent than the entire previous weekend _ when one person was killed and 14 wounded — and ranged across the city.The burst of violence included three shootings in the area of 63rd Street and Sacramento Avenue within two hours that left a man dead and three others wounded, including two 16-year-old boys. Five miles away, in the Gresham neighborhood, four people were shot in three incidents.The number of shootings and homicides in the city is more than double what it was the same time last year as Chicago experiences its most violent start of a year since the late 1990s. More than 500 people have been shot since the first of the year, and more than 100 of them have been killed.


text:
This lovely old hymn was a favorite of my mother's. She often told of how she ran the words through her mind while she was laboring to have my brother. Thanks for pain. It's something I'm thinking about a lot these days.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers. You encourage me!


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Parisian beat maker Keor Meteor began making beats in 2005 having been influenced by Gang Starr, Group Home, Nas, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang, & more from that golden era making listing more names unnecessary . Keor Meteor has been a presence on Pragmatic Theory since its start with the Curtis beat tape and has been a recurring patron to both the comps & with independent releases with VA native emcee Cor Stidak, GA mc Kal-L and last, but not least, the dually talented NY beat maker and emcee jondis.
Recent projects :
The Highest Order on YNR Productions
Generation Gap on Goldie Records
Deleted Scenes on Pragmatic Theory
99 cents on HRS
Keor Meteor Links : Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp / Soundcloud


text:
The findings may lead to new therapies for high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, or improved vascular health in people at risk for cardiovascular disease. When blood vessels lose the ability to dilate properly, it can lead to hypertension, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, vision problems, and erectile dysfunction. Hypertension and cardiovascular disease affect 81 million Americans and cause more than 830,000 deaths each year.
The research was published in a recent issue of the journal Nature.
"The exciting thing is that by flipping this molecular switch, we could go from a diseased state to a normal state," says principal investigator Jay L. Zweier, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Ohio State. "There are not many opportunities in which a molecular trigger causes such a direct effect."
Zweier and his colleagues discovered a molecular modification that switches the function of a key enzyme in endothelial cells, called endothelial nitric oxide synthase, or eNOS. Under normal conditions, eNOS produces nitric oxide (NO), a gas that acts as a cellular signal and leads to dilation of blood vessels. NO signals also discourage the adhesion of cells along the interior of vessels that leads to atherosclerotic plaques.
But if a cell has a buildup of oxidative stress, the eNOS enzyme switches from making NO to pumping out a molecule called superoxide, an oxygen molecule with an extra electron and a negative charge. Superoxide is a reactive oxygen species that has the opposite effects of NO and causes blood vessel constriction and the sticking of cells that form atherosclerotic plaques.
"Superoxide flips the biology of cell signaling and vascular function and causes the reverse effect," explains Zweier. Until now, it was unclear how molecular modification of eNOS causes it to switch from producing nitric oxide to making its harmful twin, superoxide, he says.
Working at Ohio State's Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, Zweier's team discovered that during periods of oxidative stress, the eNOS enzyme is modified by the addition of two glutathione molecules. This bulky addition uncouples an enzymatic site critical to NO production and leads instead to superoxide generation. The researchers could reverse the modification, called S-glutathionylation, by adding the chemical reducing agent DTT.
Zweier's team showed that the same S-glutathionylation modification of eNOS occurs in the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels of animals, and that the change caused vessels to remain constricted instead of relaxed. Adding DDT reversed the effect, causing the vessels to dilate.
Finally, the team showed that vessels from rats with hypertension had much higher levels of S-glutathionylation of eNOS relative to healthy animals. In these vessels relaxation was impaired but it was restored to normal after reversal of this modification.
The oxidative stress that leads to the modification of eNOS can occur in a variety of other conditions, associated with inflammation, such as following a heart attack or stroke, atherosclerosis, diabetes and cancer treatment, Zweier says. In these conditions cells can develop an excess of reactive oxygen molecules such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide that trigger a vicious cycle that produces even more superoxide.
"A small oxidative stress can trigger a bigger oxidative stress, acting like an amplifier," says Zweier. "But reducing agents similar to DTT can potentially flip the eNOS switch back and ameliorate cardiovascular diseases."
His group will focus next on identifying drugs or vitamin-like compounds that might work as effectively as DTT and also be safe for animal and eventually human use. "The next step will be finding the best, most effective and least toxic therapeutic to see if we can reverse or ameliorate hypertension and other cardiovascular disease in animals and patients."
David Crawford
Public Affairs and Media Relations
[email protected]


text:
Jim has provided legal counsel to various Blackhawk real estate entities for over 20 years. His legal expertise in real estate development, construction, and insurance matters has resulted in many successful solutions to complicated matters. His straightforward, efficient, business-minded approach to difficult situations always represents his client's best interests. *
Earl J. Callison, Chief Financial Officer, Blackhawk Services Company, Inc., Danville, California
The buyer of a single-family residence in Union City was represented by a real estate broker who acted as a dual agent in the transaction. The broker and the sellers misrepresented and concealed material facts from the buyer relating to roofing deficiencies and leaks, other serious construction defects, and the rentability of a detached cottage on the property. The broker failed to comply with several important professional obligations, including the failure to provide the required Transfer Disclosure Statement. The buyer retained MLF, a lawsuit was filed, and the matter was settled at mediation with the client recovering $391,500 in damages.
When the main sewer line servicing the Blackhawk Country Club backed up as a result of tree root infiltration, forcing raw sewage into two large homes and their outbuildings, MLF represented the homeowners in a lawsuit against the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District and recovered $150,000 for one homeowner and $265,000 for the other homeowner, as well as an additional $180,000 in homeowner's insurance benefits, for a total recovery of $595,000.
When a landslide below an Oakland home immediately adjacent to Highway 13 caused damage to the homeowners' lot, deck, foundation and landscape improvements, MLF represented the homeowners in a lawsuit against the original developer. CalTrans repaired the slide and the homeowners recovered a total of $372,500 in damages from the developer and other responsible parties.
The property of an Oakland homeowner was situated at the base of a high cliff which in heavy winters delivered waterfalls of water that would overrun the City of Oakland's storm drain system and flood her property. MLF litigated with the City and negotiated a settlement agreement whereby the City agreed to and did design and construct a new storm drain system adjacent to the homeowner's property.
A homeowners' association in Lafayette retained MLF to negotiate a license and access agreement with a large homebuilder, enabling the homebuilder to enter onto the association's property and repair ancient landslides (at an expense exceeding a million dollars) that posed a hazard to both the association's property (including several homes) and the homebuilder's adjacent multi-home development, all at the sole expense of the homebuilder.
MLF obtained a defense verdict after trial on behalf of a Walnut Creek homebuilder accused of failing to disclose geologic conditions upon and near a Walnut Creek home site, including a judgment against the buyer-plaintiff for all of the attorney's fees and costs incurred by the homebuilder in successfully defending the disclosure claim, in the amount of $85,000.
I am delighted to give Jim Matson my highest recommendation as a litigation attorney! He handled an extremely difficult case for me in a very professional manner, from consultation to our trial before a judge in Contra Costa County. With his expertise at trial, we prevailed, for which I am forever grateful. *
Clancy Becker, Architect, Developer, and Homebuilder, Walnut Creek, California
* The testimonials and endorsements on this page arose from the unique factual and legal circumstances of the endorsing client, and do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.


text:
THE GOSPEL OF THE BODY AND THE LITTLE WAY: Living St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body with the Help of St. Therese of Lisieux (Spring 2017)
"Brace yourself! If we take in what [John Paul II] is saying in his Theology of the Body, we will never view ourselves, view others, view the Church, the Sacraments, grace, God, heaven, marriage, the celibate vocation...we will never view the world the same way again." -Christopher West
St. Therese School of Faith and Mission in Bruno, Saskatchewan, is pleased to present "THE GOSPEL OF THE BODY AND THE LITTLE WAY: Living St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body with the Help of St. Therese of Lisieux" with well-known speaker and author, Christopher West. Join the students of St. Therese for a transforming journey that opens the heart to deeper intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- What it means to be made in the image and likeness of God
- Why God created us male and female
- How the physical union of man and woman is innately oriented toward life and love, and how this union is the essential foundation for a life-affirming society.
- How we can come to an understanding of human existence only through a proper understanding of human sexuality
- How the Theology of the Body can enable us to live wholly integrated lives
- How seeing the world through the lens of the TOB is a key to happiness
- How to proclaim this liberating message to others
- St. Therese Institute exclusive: How St. Thérèse recognized and lived these truths in her life.
- and much, much more…
Printable & Sharable POSTERS and POST CARDS:
- ToB Conference 2017 - POSTER - 11"x17" - tabloid (3.1mb PDF)
- ToB Conference 2017 - POSTER - 8.5"x14" - legal (2.4mb PDF)
- ToB Conference 2017 - POSTER - 8.5"x11" - letter (2.4mb PDF)
- ToB Conference 2017 - POST CARD 4"x 6" - fold & glue (1.5mb PDF)
- ToB Conference 2017 - POST CARD - Shareable Image (0.25mb JPG)
Event Details
|Event Date
|Sun. Apr. 30, 2017 @ 5:30 pm
|Event End Date
|Thu. May. 04, 2017 @ 3:00 pm
|Online Registration Cut-Off
|Fri. Apr. 28, 2017 @ 4:00 pm
|Christopher West
|St. Therese Institute
Group Rate
|Group Size (# of people)
|2 +


text:
Drag is an art and act of resistance that our culture largely accepts as a male donning the physical cues of a woman in order to call into question our ideas of constructed gender identity.
But in our generation who seem happier than ever to abandon binary modes of thinking about gender, it leaves us with the question is a drag performer's 'authentic' gender of any bearing on their practice? Mother of the modern drag behemoth RuPaul ignited yet another discussion on female drag performers yesterday after replying to a fan question on his twitter.
That show already exists. It's called #MissUniverse https://t.co/3iz1B09bzC— RuPaul (@RuPaul) March 31, 2016
Rupaul's assertion that Miss Universe is already a pageant for bio queens is, to be blunt, more of his pseudo-intellectual psychobabble. It seemed to me that he was trying to pointedly critique the rather camp performativity of beauty pageants, however it's an extremely condescending and limiting remark to make when the majority of bio queens are warping their appearances to an even greater extent than many of the queens who have featured on Rupaul's show. Many bio queens like Cherdonna Shinatra, Boo Sutcliffe, Eppie, Amber Cadaverous, and Lacey are doing something completely cool, refreshing and absolutely valid with their drag, which certainly seems to fit the stage of a gay bar rather than beneath a pageant crown. When I asked performance shartist and sewer angel Rodent Decay for her thoughts on the potency of female drag, she responded 'They're drag queens. It's ridiculous that a person's biological sex or gender identity should prohibit or inhibit their participation in an art form that mocks gender. If you're policing the genders of the performers you're completely missing the point of drag.'
Which leads to the question why is the validity of bio queens consistently called into question? There is a widely-accepted belief that bio queens have it easier; they don't have to tuck, they don't have to pad, they don't have to use make-up to feminise their face. But I think that excuse merely distils drag down to simple female impersonation, when drag (British drag in particular) is a vast, fluctuating organism that swallows gender, and by codifying it in this way we're placing it within some extremely small parameters. Every drag queen is different. Some have super femme faces and only need a lash and lipgloss, some of us need to pile on paint, some queens pad, some queens don't, some queens glue shit to their faces, some queens distort their bodies beyond anything recognisable as human, let alone female. Our drag and the tools we employ changes with our intent, and our intent is not always to use pads and wigs and paint to embody a western ideal of feminine beauty, and the point of interest shouldn't always be 'oh my god I can't believe shes so beautiful shes actually a dude!' Drag is post-gender. If your only experience of drag is that of an easily-digested gown-and-crown aesthetic, you probably shouldn't be critiquing any drag queen, bio or not.
Another widely accepted assertion is that these women are somehow impinging on the queer scene or diluting it. No. My drag family includes bio queens, and their understanding of the nuances of gender and how to dismantle it is what makes them good queens.
Lacey, my bio drag sister and mother of genderfuck club night Glittershit commented: "I see many female queens contributing and shaping the gay communities they are part of alongside the rest. It saddens and confuses me to see the recent talks about female drag and many negative backlash.'"
I am equally upset by this backlash- When I am stood with Lacey in our home bar and an ignorant or curious bystander sidles up to ask "what are you?" and we look at each other, bemused, trying to find a way to vocalise what the big silly genderfucked hodgepodge in front of them is, I know the formula is right. We can only get rid of labels if we collectively shirk them.
I understand the initial protectiveness of this cool underground thing that queer people have made for themselves. I was initially against the idea of bio queens myself, they seemed to impinge. As with most queer people, I was bullied and belittled as a child and it took me years to reconcile with my femininity and find an outlet to empower others to feel the same. I felt that it was an integral experience of the drag queen, that women didn't have to go through, until I realised that femininity is probably a very cruel stricture to be under for women as well. For women, if you look too ostentatious you are ironically vilified for looking "like a drag queen", and if you choose not to adorn yourself you're plain and boring. It must be very freeing to use make-up, clothing and all these other tools labelled 'female' to distort and dismantle the very concept of femininity.
Birmingham bio queen Amber Cadaverous has been using the Birmingham gay village as a stage for her strange and beautiful drag looks for a year now.
"I originally started drag as an extension of my art, and my studies in fine art led me to discover performance art, queer theory and gender politics, which is a big part of why I do my drag now. Female drag is presenting another challenge to the way we see gender and deconstructing the binary. Everybody is valid and every artist who creates and loves their craft and passion is important regardless of gender. Starting drag I have been adopted into this amazing community and family of fabulous queer people who are constantly pushing and encouraging me to grow and develop not only as a drag artist but as a person which is helping to combat my social anxiety. I consider myself very lucky to be surrounded by my family of creatives who uplift me and each other constantly."
Women approach me all the time in bars and clubs and lament how they wish they could apply makeup like me, dress as crazily as me, be as outgoing as me, and my response is always DO IT! It seems so nasty to tell the women whose artifice and sense of beauty that I am appropriating that they can't do it themselves? Who am I to be the gatekeeper of who can and cannot express themselves through the medium of drag?
Drag artists have always been a pillar and a voice for the queer community, and in my community I see women contributing creatively and adopting my medium of drag to better my local queer scene, and it is a medium I am happy to share. Of course, I don't expect bio queens to be shoehorned onto RuPaul's Drag Race season 9 at the behest of a handful of disappointed fans, nor is this piece a request to, however I do think that Ru should practice what he preaches and reread his own pull quotes on gender. If his philosophy truly is that 'we're all born naked and the rest is drag!', surely he also understands the falsehood of the gender binary. That falsehood upholds the towering monolith of gender, which can only be dismantled by people of all genders using drag as a mode of self-expression and as a political tool. People of all genders should be welcome in drag, as it strengthens the collective cry of 'fuck you' to identity and gender, whether that is ever exemplified on Drag Race or not.
Words – China Dethcrash
Images – Antony Collins


text:
Child custody is always determined by what is in the best interests of the child. There are two types of custody, legal custody and physical custody. A legal custodian has the ability to make decisions for the child such as school, religious or medical issues. Often parents are granted joint legal custody of the child(ren). Physical custody refers to who the child(ren) will primarily live with. The noncustodial parent will be granted parenting time.
Parenting Time/Visitation
In Indiana, there is a presumption that parenting time will be granted in accordance with the Indiana parenting time guidelines, however there can always be deviations when it is in the best interests of the child. Deviations could include joint custody where the parents work out different timesharing arrangements, or supervised custody, when there are concerns about the ability of the non-custodial parent caring for the child alone. In Kentucky, some jurisdictions have visitation guidelines; frequently cases will be referred to mediation or a parenting time coordinator if the parties cannot agree on parenting time.
Step Parent Visitation
Typically only those who are related by blood can get court-ordered visitation with a child. However in some circumstances a step parent can be granted visitation with the child. These types of situations are when a step parent has raised the child as if he or she was their own, and, of course, it is in the best interests of the child.
Grandparent Visitation
In both Kentucky and Indiana, grandparents can petition the court for visitation with their grandchildren. The Court will grant this if it is in the best interests of the child(ren).
Modifications to Child Custody
After a custody order has been made, a Court typically does not like to see this disturbed for at least two years for purposes of maintaining stability in the lives of the children. However, if there is a substantial change in circumstances, a modification can be requested. Ultimately, any modification will be determined based on the best interests of the child(ren).