Jilly_in_VA
Jilly_in_VA's JournalMarina Ovsyannikova: Protesting journalist says Russians zombified by propaganda
A Russian journalist who interrupted a live TV news programme to protest against the war in Ukraine says Russians are "zombified" by propaganda.
Speaking to the BBC, Marina Ovsyannikova said Russians should stop listening to state media coverage.
"I understand it's very hard... to find alternative information, but you need to try to look for it," she said.
Ms Ovsyannikova, an editor at state-controlled Channel 1, was detained after her protest on Monday.
She ran onto the set of one of Russia's most-watched news programmes, Vremya, holding a sign reading: "No war, stop the war, don't believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here."
She could also be heard repeating the words "no war, stop the war".
"I was aware that if I went to protest in [Moscow's] central square I would be arrested like everyone else and thrown into a police van and be put on trial," Ms Ovsyannikova said on Thursday.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60778554
Lia Thomas and the long tradition of 'gender policing' female athletes
In a February 1937 issue of Look magazine, a photo of American Olympic runner Helen Stephens appeared below the caption “What Do You Think? Is This a Man Or a Woman?” The image and the accompanying query were part of a larger feature titled: “When Is a Woman Actually a Woman? Today’s Chief Worry Among Athletic Officials.”
In the aftermath, Stephens — a two-time Olympic champion who never lost a race — lost valuable career and scholarship opportunities, said Sharon Kinney-Hanson, the author of “The Life of Helen Stephens: The Fulton Flash.”
“You think about what feminine standards were in her era: It was the glamor, you had to be gorgeous, you had to be big-chested and curvaceous, and Helen was not interested in that,” Kinney-Hanson said. “She was interested in sports, making a career of it.”
While much has changed for female athletes since Stephens’ day, suspicion surrounding their gender and sexuality — from offensive remarks to sex verification tests — remains. Several historians argue that the heated debate surrounding transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas, whose record-breaking season has thrust her unwillingly into the national spotlight, is a continuation of that century-old legacy.
“Historically, there’s just been a concern that sports would masculinize women or that women might either feminize sports or that you would lose gender distinctions that many people valued,” said Susan Cahn, a history professor at the University of Buffalo and the author of “Coming on Strong: Gender and Sexuality in Women’s Sport.”
She added that trans and intersex athletes — those who are born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit the typical “male” or “female” categories — further blur boundaries and raise questions about how separate and distinct sex and gender really are.
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/lia-thomas-long-tradition-gender-policing-female-athletes-rcna20091
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Interesting that the article does not mention Brittney Griner, whose gender has been questioned a LOT.
'Incels' are a rising threat in the US, Secret Service report finds
A new US Secret Service report details a rising threat from men who identify as “involuntary celibates” or “incels”, due to their inability to form intimate relationships with women.
The report released on Tuesday and prepared by the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) highlights behavioral threat assessment themes identified in years of research examining targeted violence.
Themes include concerning and threatening communications, concerning online content, chronic and acute stressors, elicited concern in others, interpersonal difficulties, history of being bullied, financial instability, failed life aspirations and lack of consequences.
As a case study, the Secret Service examined a 2018 shooting at a yoga class in Tallahassee, Florida, in which a man killed two women and wounded six.
“The attacker was motivated to carry out violence by his inability to develop or maintain relationships with women, along with his perception of women’s societal power over men,” the report said.
The gunman, 40-year-old Scott Paul Beierle, exhibited numerous warning signs including a history of inappropriate and criminal behavior toward women and girls.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/16/involuntary-celibates-incels-threat-us-secret-service
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Lotta man-babies out there....and they're armed
Police strip-searched a 15-year-old black girl at school. When will these abuses end?
The revelation that a black schoolgirl was strip-searched by police at school in Hackney, east London, after teachers claimed that they smelt marijuana on her, is shocking. But the details of the search, the indignities inflicted on a 15-year-old girl, are truly distasteful.
She was made to strip naked, to spread her legs, to use her hands to spread her buttock cheeks and then to cough. She was menstruating. According to family members, the police insisted that she take off the bloody pad and would not let her go to the toilet to clean up. Then they made her reuse the same pad.
No drugs were found, yet the rumour spread around the school that this perfectly innocent girl was a drug dealer. Her mother told the local child safeguarding review that the experience had left her daughter traumatised. Her aunt added: “I see the change from a happy-go-lucky girl to a timid recluse that hardly speaks to me.” She said the girl was now in therapy and that she self-harms.
It would be easy to dismiss the 2020 incident as an aberration, to believe that the police officers involved were the proverbial “bad apples”. After the damning review, the Met has voiced public contrition, calling the strip search “truly regrettable” and apologising “to the child concerned, her family and the wider community.”
But there is a deeper truth here: although senior Metropolitan police officers are better media trained than ever, the racism and misogyny that has always characterised and blighted the force is still very much present. Recent incidents make that clear.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/16/police-strip-search-black-girl-school-east-london-racism-misogyny
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It's not just the US, y'all
Is breeding bulldogs cruel? Animal groups debate how to make them healthier
Wrinkled, jowly faces. Squat legs. Prominent underbite.
Bulldogs and French bulldogs are among the most popular breeds in the U.S. But according to a growing body of evidence, that distinctive bulldog look also leads to serious health problems for many dogs.
In late January, a court in Norway banned the breeding of bulldogs, after an animal welfare group argued that chronic inbreeding and an exaggerated body shape was causing suffering for many dogs. Their flattened face and shortened airway can cause respiratory issues, sometimes requiring surgery. The dogs are also prone to skin and spinal problems.
The court ruled that breeding the dogs should stop, unless it's to improve the health of the breeds or to bring in new genetic material. The ruling is being appealed currently, but it's sent shock waves across the world, including the U.S.
Some veterinary and animal rights groups argue that bulldog breeders should be required to use genetic and health testing, so dogs with serious problems aren't bred. They say breeding to change the body shape of bulldogs, like making their snouts longer, could also alleviate some health issues.
Bulldog breeding groups adamantly oppose changes, arguing that irresponsible breeders are causing health issues for dogs. Still, recent genetic studies show that bulldogs are so inbred, there may not be enough genetic diversity in the breed to eliminate some health problems. Under purebred dog rules, bulldogs can only be bred with other bulldogs, limiting the overall gene pool.
"We say that the dogs are our best friends, but we are not the bulldog's best friend at all," says Ashild Roaldset, CEO of the Norwegian Society for the Protection of Animals. "If this was your best friend, you wouldn't want it to have all these conditions. You would want it to have a better life."
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/15/1085173405/bulldogs-health-breed-ban
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I agree 100%. There is a "breed" (not "recognized"
called the American Bulldog that is absolutely delightful and doesn't have these problems. One of my grandsons has one in his family. She's a sweetheart.
Russian Billionaire's Superyacht Mysteriously Vanishes
It’s a 230-foot superyacht with room for 28 guests and crew—and yet, in the last week, it has seemingly vanished, just as other vessels belonging to Russian billionaires have been frozen or seized.
The Galactica Super Nova, owned by Lukoil CEO Vagit Alekperov, sailed in recent weeks from Barcelona to Tivat, Montenegro, arriving on March 1. But just a day later, the boat departed, according to data from the ship-tracking company MarineTraffic.
An official at the port in Montenegro confirmed that the yacht was no longer there.
Soon after it left, Galactica’s automatic tracking system, also known as AIS, stopped pinging out signals, reports MarineTraffic and its competitors VesselFinder and VesselsValue. As of Wednesday afternoon Central European Time, the boat had yet to update its location.
It is legally required for all yachts of Galactica’s size to have their AIS turned on “at all times,” said Sam Tucker, head of superyachts at VesselsValue. “For the past 12 months, we have had a very reliable signal coming from this vessel, so after seeing it [leave] Porto Montenegro, we are very surprised that there has been no signal received from either our satellites or ground stations.”
Duncan Bateson, a marine lawyer based in London, said it was likely that “if captains of Russian-linked boats are turning off their AIS tracker, then it's because they're trying to evade being tracked.”
Lukoil did not respond to requests for comment.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-billionaire-vagit-alekperovs-superyacht-galactica-super-nova-mysteriously-vanishes?ref=home
'We all will be judged:' Russian POWs voice disquiet, shame over war in Ukraine
"I want to tell our commander-in-chief to stop terror acts in Ukraine because when we come back we'll rise against him."
Russian President Vladimir Putin "has given orders to commit crimes. It's not just to demilitarize Ukraine or defeat the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but now cities of peaceful civilians are being destroyed."
"The crimes that we committed; we all will be judged."
These are the voices of Russian prisoners of war now held by Ukraine.
Nearly a dozen have appeared in news conferences held by the Ukrainian authorities, just a few of the 600 that Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky says have been captured.
Their public appearances may be questionable under the Geneva Conventions, which forbid states from causing unnecessary humiliation to prisoners of war. And it is possible that they felt pressure to express views sympathetic to those of their captors.
But three captured Russian air force pilots who spoke to CNN did not suggest they were speaking under duress.
CNN requested access to speak with the prisoners with the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. That request was made prior to a press conference that took place in Kyiv on Friday. CNN spoke with the three men immediately after that press conference.
CNN were the only journalists in the room and at no time did Ukrainian Security Services, who were in the room throughout, interject or direct CNN or the prisoners to ask or answer specific questions. The interview was conducted in Russian.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/15/europe/ukraine-russian-prisoners-of-war-intl/index.html
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It is apparent that Russian Army morale sucks
'It is unbelievable': Francis Kr becomes first black architect to win the Pritzker prize
Few architects have experienced such a meteoric rise, against such odds, as Francis Kéré. Born in a remote village in Burkina Faso without running water or electricity, he began his career by building a mud-brick school for his community, before being selected to design the country’s national parliament less than 15 years later. Now he continues his unparalleled trajectory, named as the winner of the 2022 Pritzker prize, architecture’s highest international accolade.
“It is unbelievable,” said Kéré, speaking from his office in Berlin. “I don’t know how this all happened. First of all I am happy and overwhelmed, but the prize also brings a great sense of responsibility. My life is not going to be easier.”
He is the first black architect to be recognised in the prestigious award’s 43-year history, reflecting the profession’s overwhelmingly white, male, middle-class bias – a product of systemic discrimination that still plagues the industry.
“I don’t want to talk about racism directly,” he said, “but this is a field where you need a lot of resources. You really need to be strong and be lucky, as competitions are not always so open. I hope that young people in Africa will see me and know that this is a possible path for them too.”
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/mar/15/it-is-unbelievable-francis-kere-becomes-first-black-architect-to-win-the-pritzker-prize
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His buildings are amazing! See to believe!
Mug shot: Republican Josh Hawley told to stop using January 6 fist salute photo
The Republican senator Josh Hawley must stop using an infamous picture of him raising his fist to protesters at the US Capitol on January 6 on campaign merchandise, the news site Politico said.
The shot was taken on 6 January 2021 as Hawley, from Missouri, made his way into the Capitol for the certification of electoral college results in Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump.
Supporters Trump told to “fight like hell” in defense of his lie about electoral fraud attacked the Capitol. The attempt to stop certification failed but Hawley was one of 147 Republicans to lodge objections regardless.
A bipartisan Senate report connected seven deaths to the riot. Trump was impeached.
In February, Hawley’s campaign started selling $20 mugs featuring the picture, with the caption “Show-Me Strong”, a play on Missouri’s “Show-Me State” nickname.
The picture was taken by E&E News, which Politico bought in December. On Monday, Politico said it had sent a cease and desist letter and said: “We do not authorize [the picture’s] use by the Hawley campaign for the purpose of political fundraising, which the campaign has been put on notice of by legal counsel.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/15/josh-hawley-january-6-fist-photo
QAnon Thinks Trump Says 'Chy-na' to Send a Secret Message About Ukraine
QAnon followers are boosting an unhinged new conspiracy theory that claims former President Donald Trump was purposely mispronouncing the word “China” for years, as part of a secret plot to alert the world that COVID-19 was manufactured in Ukraine.
The latest conspiracy theory being spread among QAnon adherents ties in with the wider conspiracy about U.S. biolabs in Ukraine and suggests that QAnon may be shifting its longstanding perception of China as the enemy.
The new conspiracy theory, first flagged by disinformation expert Marc Owen Jones, has been bubbling up on QAnon channels on Telegram for the past week.
First, some enterprising QAnon sleuth claimed to have “discovered” that there was a place in Ukraine called “chy-na” and further claimed that Trump’s distinct pronunciation of “China” was the former president’s attempt to signal to his followers that what he was talking about was “chy-na” in Ukraine, and not China.
In recent days, the theory has grown, and many QAnon followers now argue that when Trump referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus,” he was secretly referring to the Ukrainian chy-na, and trying to tell the world that the virus was manufactured in Ukraine, a claim that ties in with the broader belief that Ukraine is home to some “deep state” plot to control the world.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/88gbax/qanon-thinks-trump-says-chy-na-to-send-a-secret-message-about-ukraine
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Your daily dose of disinfo/laughter
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