May 31, 2020

Peaceful Coral Gables protest against police brutality ends with prayer

Just south and west of downtown Miami there was another protest held...

(Local 10 News) CORAL GABLES, Fla. – While the protest in Coral Gables comes after the death of George Floyd, the people gathering Saturday said the reason they showed up was because of something larger. They say this is all about people of color in this country.

Chanting "I Can't Breathe," large crowds gathered near Coral Gables City Hall then hundreds of people marched down Miracle Mile with signs reading "Black Lives Matter" and "Justice for George."

"I think enough is enough," protester Libby Stone said. "Our country has to stand up together and say 'We respect each other's lives and we won't tolerate this injustice.' "

They are calling for justice for Floyd and all four Minneapolis police officers, but more importantly, to stop the the senseless killings of black and brown lives.

"It is not just about George Floyd; it is about all black people. It is about all people of color in this country," Kelcy Grant, one of the Coral Gables protesters, said.

While in downtown Miami, the protest started off peaceful and turned destructive, Coral Gables had no reported incidents.

(video at link below)

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/05/31/coral-gables-protesters-demonstrate-without-incident/

May 31, 2020

Kind words from folks in Canada....

Just found this tweet, kinda broke my heart and soothed it at the same time....

To the United States of America. I know you are going through a lot right now. Thinking other Countries are watching you and laughing. Right now, we are not. Right now we are worried, sad, and scared for you. Right now, we are thinking, how can such a great country be going 1/



through this. Your Government failed you, Politics failed you, money failed you but we will not fail you! We will stand with you and support you and carry you as far as you need. We are your friends we are your cousins, we are here for you. Your voice is our voice your fear is 2/

·

our fear. Canada and the US have been beside each other for everything. This is no different You are fighting a war, a war within your own country, in your home land We have seen other countries around the world do the same. We were there for them, and now we are here for you. 3/


I know people are feeling hopeless, that the cloud of doom surrounds them. But, I am here to say, you are not alone in this fight. This will get better because Americans are strong, and Americans are brave! Americans are not alone. We stand with you.

https://twitter.com/CanadianReports/status/1266555513715605504

May 29, 2020

Trayvon Martin's mother running for local office in Miami-Dade County: 'It took my son being shot

Trayvon Martin's mother running for local office in Miami-Dade County: 'It took my son being shot down in order for me to stand up'

She says she wants to turn her "family's tragedy into something positive."

Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, announced over the weekend she is joining the race to become a Miami-Dade County commissioner, following suit with other mothers who have lost their sons to gun violence and sought public office.

"My time as a public servant began 30 years ago at Miami-Dade County. Since 2012, I have advocated tirelessly to empower our communities and make them safer. But the work is not done. I am proud to announce that I will run to represent District 1 on the county commission," Fulton wrote on Instagram Sunday.

"At first I didn't want to be the voice for Trayvon after he died but I decided I have no choice," she says in a video posted to her Instagram Monday. "Now, I'm called to act and called to serve. It became clear to me there's an opportunity to turn our family's tragedy into something positive for many other families. It took my son being shot down in order for me to stand up. But I'm standing now."


(read more) https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trayvon-martins-mother-running-local-office-miami-dade/story?id=63152592

May 29, 2020

How to Safely and Ethically Film Police Misconduct

*When a friend sent me this article, I was surprised to see it came from Teen Vogue - good on them!



The human rights organization WITNESS provides guidance on exposing violent and discriminatory policing.

snip

At the human rights organization WITNESS, where I work as the senior U.S. program coordinator, we’ve learned that video has a greater chance of making an impact when it’s filmed ethically and strategically, and released in coordination with advocacy and legal efforts. Using the camera in your pocket can be a valuable way to ensure the world bears witness to abusive policing and systemic racism, help hold authorities accountable, and advocate for the real safety of our communities. To help you film safely, ethically, and effectively, see the guidance below:

1. Safety first
The most important thing to consider when filming a police interaction is safety — your own and of the person you are filming. Filming or witnessing can escalate a situation, and sometimes bystanders become the target of police violence. The risk to your safety can depend on your identity — your background, race, gender, ethnicity, and so on — so it’s important to think about whether or not you feel comfortable filming before you press record. There are important ways to bear witness even if you don’t film, including standing in solidarity to let the person being targeted know they are not alone, or by taking notes. No footage is ever worth your safety.

2. Know your rights
In the United States, you have a 1st Amendment right to record law enforcement in public spaces as long as you don’t interfere — even during COVID-19. But remember:

Whether or not you are interfering is totally up to the police officer in the moment (and later up to a judge or jury), so it’s best to keep at least six feet of distance (or a car’s length) between you and the incident while filming, especially during social distancing.

If the police officer tells you to back up, comply with their orders. You can even film your feet as you’re backing up and say aloud, “I’m complying with orders.”

If the police officer tells you to stop filming, you can assert your right to film if you feel comfortable doing so.

You can stay safe and still film critical footage from a distance, like from a window, balcony, rooftop, or fire escape.

(Many more tips at link) https://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-to-film-police-safely

May 29, 2020

I keep hearing Sublime....

May 27, 2020

Ted Lieu has the best words!

Ted Lieu
@tedlieu

US House candidate, CA-33
Dear
@realDonaldTrump
: The First Amendment stops the government—that’s you—from interfering with free speech. That means you can’t stop
@Twitter
from fact checking your false tweets.

And the fact that we’re reading your excrement on Twitter shows it is not stifling your speech.
Quote Tweet

May 19, 2020

At least 238 writers and intellectuals were detained for their work last year, advocacy group says

(Washington Post) At least 238 writers, academics and intellectuals around the world were detained in connection to their work last year, according to a report released Tuesday by PEN America, a freedom of expression advocacy group.

The imprisonments and detentions occurred in 34 countries, although the majority took place in just three — China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Those same countries are also among the top jailers of journalists worldwide, according to the 2019 Committee to Protect Journalists prison census.

snip

PEN America, which tracks threats against writers worldwide, said it launched the index and a new Writers at Risk database to illustrate a growing trend of government leaders clamping down on creative thinkers and intellectuals in an “attempt to quash criticism, clamp down on independent voices and gain control of cultural and historical narratives.”

Through their work, writers and intellectuals often offer new perspectives and pave the way for “citizens in repressive societies to envision a different future,” the report said.

They are also often among the first to be “targeted when a country takes a more authoritarian turn,” Lopez said. “We felt this was kind of a missing piece of this advocacy work on behalf of writers and I think having that number can be very powerful.”

(read more) https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/05/19/least-238-writers-intellectuals-were-detained-their-work-last-year-advocacy-group-says/

May 9, 2020

My Parents Finally Got a Dog. All It Took Was 30 Years and a Pandemic.

(Vogue via MSN) “Dad says we can get a dog!” I see these words pop up on my iPhone in mid-March and crack a wry smile. “Sure he does,” I think, knowing full well it will never happen. “I can have a husband, or a dog” has been my Mom’s party-line for their entire marriage. Five years after our last cat passed away, my dad had declared the pet-ownership phase of his life over–– after all, who can resist the golden-age unshackling of no kids, no pets, no mortgage.

When I recently told my parents (as a joke) that I’d move home if they got a kitten, I was accused of blackmail, so it’s hard to take this sudden change of heart seriously. “Great!” I text back nonchalantly before returning to yet another episode of Schitt’s Creek. “Let’s do it.”

snip

Here in New York City where I’ve been socially distancing for the past 57 days, it’s hard to imagine what life will be like at the end of this. Which gets to the heart of my, and so many other people’s anxieties at this current moment: What comes next?

In her brilliant 2019 book, Maybe You Should Talk To Someone, Lori Gottlieb writes: "We tend to think that the future happens later, but we are creating it in our minds every day. When the present falls apart, so does the future we had associated with it. And having the future taken away is the mother of all plot twists." There are millions of presents falling apart right now, and that means a lot of futures disappearing along with them. But what if there’s a way to add something wonderful into the future that never would have been there otherwise?

snip

I may be 30, single, and living with my parents, but I also have my first dog, which never would have happened had 2020 not been the year that hell froze over. There is so much uncertainty right now, so much we don’t and can’t know. I am still terrified of what lies of ahead–– of getting sick, my parents getting sick, losing my job, not finding another apartment I can afford, not seeing my friends for months or years, not knowing when I’ll be able to date again; a future in front of me that is a lot less filled-in than it was seven weeks ago. But that future now includes a goofy three-and-a half-year-old lab-mix who rescued us as much as we rescued her. How wonderful is that?

(Read More) https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/my-parents-finally-got-a-dog-all-it-took-was-30-years-and-a-pandemic/ar-BB13NAf4

May 7, 2020

Sinclair Broadcasting will pay $48 million civil penalty to FCC

New York (CNN Business) Sinclair Broadcasting will pay the largest civil penalty involving a broadcaster in the Federal Communications Commission's history.

The FCC said in a news release Wednesday that Sinclair agreed to pay $48 million, as well as "abide by a strict compliance plan in order to close three open investigations."

Those investigations include Sinclair's (SBGI) disclosure of information with regard to its ill-fated acquisition attempt of Tribune Media stations in 2018. That deal — valued at $3.9 billion — was scrutinized at the time by FCC commission chair Ajit Pai, and the agency formally referred the proposed acquisition to an administrative judge hearing. They also called into question whether some of Sinclair's divestments in the deal were a "sham."

Tribune Media eventually terminated its merger agreement with the conservative-leaning Sinclair, the largest owner of local television stations in the US. Had the acquisition gone through, Sinclair stations would cover a majority of the country.

On Wednesday, the FCC indicated the agreement "also closes investigations into whether the company has met its obligations to negotiate retransmission consent agreements in good faith and its failure to identify the sponsor of content it produced and supplied to both Sinclair and non-Sinclair television stations."

In the news release, the FCC said that Sinclair admitted to violating the FCC's sponsorship identification rules.

(link below to article and CNN video)


https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/06/media/fcc-sinclair-broadcasting-civil-penalty/index.html

May 1, 2020

Anderson Cooper announces the birth of his son Wyatt: 'Our family continues'

*a happy story, for a change

(CNN Business) CNN's Anderson Cooper is the proud father of a newborn baby boy.

Wyatt Morgan Cooper was born on Monday weighing 7 pounds 2 ounces.
Cooper, 52, shared photos of Wyatt at the end of Thursday's televised weekly global town hall on the coronavirus pandemic.

"It has been a difficult time in all of our lives, and there are certainly many hard days ahead," Cooper said. "It is, I think, especially important in these times of trouble to try to hold on to moments of joy and moments of happiness. Even as we mourn the loss of loved ones, we are also blessed with new life and new love."

That's how he introduced his own joyful news: "On Monday, I became a father," he said. "I've never actually said that before, out loud, and it still kind of astonishes me. I am a dad. I have a son. And I want you to meet him."

Cooper, who is gay, said in his on-air announcement that "I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I am so grateful for all those who have paved the way, and for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in my son's birth."

"Most of all," he said, "I am eternally grateful to a remarkable surrogate who carried Wyatt, watched over him lovingly, tenderly, and gave birth to him."

The news came as a big surprise to CNN viewers, as Cooper had not spoken publicly about his plans to have a baby.
Cooper's father, who died when he was 10 years old, was named Wyatt. Now Cooper is passing the name to a new generation. "I hope I can be as good a dad as he was," he said during the announcement.

His son's middle name, Morgan, is a name from the family tree of his mother Gloria Vanderbilt. She died last year.
"I do wish my mom and dad and my brother, Carter were alive to meet Wyatt," Cooper said, "but I like to believe they can see him. I imagine them all together, arms around each other, smiling and laughing and watching, looking down on us. Happy to know that their love is alive in me and in Wyatt... and that our family continues. New life and new love."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/media/anderson-cooper-father/index.html