July 29, 2021

Facebook Post About Simone Biles and Kerri Strug

*A friend of mine re-posted this (not sure who the original author was) about Simone Biles and Kerri Strug, it made me weep as I thought of them.

This realization I had about Simone Biles is gonna make some people mad, but oh well.

Yesterday I was excited to show my daughters Kerri Strug's famous one-leg vault. It was a defining Olympic moment that I watched live as a kid, and my girls watched raptly as Strug fell, and then limped back to leap again.

But for some reason I wasn't as inspired watching it this time. In fact, I felt a little sick. Maybe being a father and teacher has made me soft, but all I could see was how Kerri Strug looked at her coach, Bela Karolyi, with pleading, terrified eyes, while he shouted back "You can do it!" over and over again.

My daughters didn't cheer when Strug landed her second vault. Instead they frowned in concern as she collapsed in agony and frantic tears.

"Why did she jump again if she was hurt?" one of my girls asked.

I made some inane reply about the heart of a champion or Olympic spirit, but in the back of my mind a thought was festering: *She shouldn't have jumped again*

The more the thought echoed, the stronger my realization became. Coach Karolyi should have gotten his visibly injured athlete medical help immediately! Now that I have two young daughters in gymnastics, I expect their safety to be the coach's number one priority. Instead, Bela Karolyi told Strug to vault again. And he got what he wanted; a gold medal that was more important to him than his athlete's health.

I'm sure people will say "Kerri Strug was a competitor--she WANTED to push through the injury." That's probably true. But since the last Olympics we've also learned these athletes were put into positions where they could be systematically abused both emotionally and physically, all while being inundated with "win at all costs" messaging. A teenager under those conditions should have been protected, and told "No medal is worth the risk of permanent injury." In fact, we now know that Strug's vault wasn't even necessary to clinch the gold; the U.S. already had an insurmountable lead.

Nevertheless, Bela Karolyi told her to vault again according to his own recounting of their conversation:
"I can't feel my leg," Strug told Karolyi.
"We got to go one more time," Karolyi said. "Shake it out."
"Do I have to do this again?" Strug asked.
"Can you, can you?" Karolyi wanted to know.
"I don't know yet," said Strug. "I will do it. I will, I will."

The injury forced Strug's retirement at 18 years old. Dominique Moceanu, a generational talent, also retired from injuries shortly after. They were top gymnasts literally pushed to the breaking point, and then put out to pasture. Coach Karolyi and Larry Nassar (the serial sexual abuser) continued their long careers, while the athletes were treated as a disposable resource.

Today Simone Biles--the greatest gymnast of all time--chose to step back from the competition, citing concerns for mental and physical health. I've already seen comments and posts about how Biles "failed her country", "quit on us", or "can't be the greatest if she can't handle the pressure."

Those statements are no different than Coach Karolyi telling an injured teen with wide, frightened eyes: "We got to go one more time. Shake it out."

The subtext here is: "Our gold medal is more important than your well-being."
Our athletes shouldn't have to destroy themselves to meet our standards. If giving empathetic, authentic support to our Olympians means we'll earn less gold medals, I'm happy to make that trade.

Here's the message I hope we can send to Simone Biles: You are an outstanding athlete, a true role model, and a powerful woman. Nothing will change that. Please don't sacrifice your emotional or physical well-being for our entertainment or national pride. We are proud of you for being brave enough to compete, and proud of you for having the wisdom to know when to step back. Your choice makes you an even better example to our daughters than you were before. WE'RE STILL ROOTING FOR YOU!

July 22, 2021

Michael Cohen thinks Jared Kushner already flipped on Trump

(Salon) Former Trump "fixer" Michael Cohen made a bold declaration on Wednesday when he tweeted that he thinks that Jared Kushner has already flipped on his father-in-law in conversations with prosecutors. Cohen referenced a 2017 CNN report about Jared Kushner being the so-called "secretary of everything," because Trump handed everything off to him to accomplish.

"Interesting how Jared Kushner (#SecretaryOfEverything) name appears to be absent from all the controversy, indictments and arrests. Is he next to fall or a cooperating witness? Knowing what a snake he is, I bet the latter!" tweeted Cohen.

Tom Barrack's indictment will potentially lead to other indictments, as former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade explained on MSNBC earlier this week.

Meanwhile, rumors have been swirling that both Kushner and Ivanka are distancing themselves from the former president. Kushher, according to reports, wants to focus on his book and continue to pat himself for his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East -- including some initiatives that benefited the government of the United Arab Emirates, which Barrack is accused of illegally lobbying for.

Read More: https://www.salon.com/2021/07/22/michael-cohen-thinks-jared-kushner-already-flipped-on-trump_partner/

July 15, 2021

This family's 24-year search for their abducted son inspired a movie. They've just been reunited.

Hong Kong (CNN) The abduction of 2-year-old Guo Xinzhen in eastern China in 1997 sparked a desperate, seemingly never-ending nationwide search by his parents that inspired filmmakers to bring their story to the big screen.

But this week -- 24 years after his disappearance -- the search for Guo finally came to an end.

Police in Liaocheng City, Shandong province, said Monday they had found Guo, now an adult living in neighboring Henan province -- and had reunited him with his parents. Video footage of the reunion on Sunday, released by police, shows the family in tears and embracing tightly, crying out, "We found you, you've come back."

Police said they had arrested two people who confessed to kidnapping and trafficking Guo. Guo had been abducted near his home by an unfamiliar woman, his parents told police in 1997. Authorities collected blood, DNA samples and other evidence -- but with limited technology at the time, the case remained unsolved, the police said on their official social media account on Tuesday. The case was never closed, and police say they continued investigating throughout the 24 years.

snip

Child abduction and trafficking has long been a rampant problem in China, with many parents never finding their missing children. Activists and experts say the problem was exacerbated by China's one-child policy, which has been relaxed in recent years. In May, the government announced it would begin allowing couples to have up to three children. But for decades, because of the strict policy and China's patriarchal society, it was common for couples to desire a boy -- driving a black market for trafficked infant boys, while girls are often sold to foreign adoptive parents, falsely labeled as orphans.

(Read More) https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/14/china/china-abducted-child-reunited-intl-hnk-scli/index.html

July 8, 2021

Comfort dogs from several states arrive in South Florida to help Surfside rescue workers

(Local10News) NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – First responders in Surfside are getting some four-legged support.

Nine comfort dogs from several states have been brought to South Florida to help with mental health. The golden retrievers are similar to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s therapy dogs that are already on site.

They have the same important job: to help rescuers cope with the extreme emotional toll of the collapse.

“These dogs are here for you,” said Bonnie Fear with the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry. “A lot of times they come up, they’ll fall to their knees, they’ll start crying or they’ll smile. We try not to say anything, we let the dog be the bridge for those people to grieve the loss, whatever they’re feeling.”

(Read More and Watch Video) https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/07/comfort-dogs-from-several-states-arrive-in-south-florida-to-help-surfside-rescue-workers/

July 7, 2021

Eric Adams wins Democratic primary in NYC's mayoral race

(Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City after appealing to the political center and promising to strike the right balance between fighting crime and ending racial injustice in policing.

A former police captain, Adams would be the city’s second Black mayor if elected.

He triumphed over a large Democratic field in New York’s first major race to use ranked choice voting. Results from the latest tabulations released Tuesday showed him leading former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia by 8,426 votes, or a little more than 1 percentage point.

“While there are still some very small amounts of votes to be counted, the results are clear: an historic, diverse, five-borough coalition led by working-class New Yorkers has led us to victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York,” Adams said in a statement.

(Read More) https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-nyc-state-wire-ny-state-wire-government-and-politics-eric-adams-9c564828a29831747f9c2e6f52daf55e