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Tag Archives: Fox News
law, Police, slut shamers
Woman takes pill on live television to de-stigmatize abortion…
January 27, 2022 knottyabortion, abortion pill, already born people, Charlie Langton, Fox News, Jessica Kent, Jex Blackmore, moxie, Nicolae Ceausescu, pregnant in prison, Rebecca Kiessling, Romania 2 Comments
Things continue to get weirder and weirder in the United States. A few months ago, Texas lawmakers passed a draconian bill that practically bans all abortions after six weeks' gestation. Others states have jumped on the anti-abortion bandwagon, doing their best to outlaw what many women consider an important and fundamental right to have dominion over their own bodies. And yet, 49 years after Roe v. Wade allowed pregnant women to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction, some people are still trying so very hard to rescind that right.
I have never made it a secret that I am pro-choice. I'm grateful that I've never been in a situation in which I've needed to consider having an abortion. At this point in my life, my need to be concerned about abortion on a personal level is pretty much over. I won't ever be pregnant. I doubt I would have chosen to have an abortion, but I can't say for certain that I wouldn't have. I know women who are wonderful, loving mothers who have made that choice. I don't think any less of them for choosing abortion. It's none of my business. And as someone who has often felt unwanted and unwelcome, I might even say that given a choice, I might have even preferred it if my mom had made that decision when she was pregnant with me. I do know for a fact that I wouldn't have been any the wiser. I simply would not have existed.
This morning over breakfast, Bill and I were talking about a news story that made national headlines yesterday— it was about a woman who took an abortion pill as she was debating abortion on Fox News. I suddenly realized that not only am I "pro-choice"… I could say that I'm actually rabidly pro-choice. I feel like it's a personal decision that should always and only be made by the one "already born" person who will be directly affected by the pregnancy in question.
Pro-choice activist, Jex Blackmore, stuns when she takes a mail order abortion pill during a debate.
Detroit area pro-choice activist and former Satanic Temple spokesperson, Jex Blackmore, was squaring off with pro-life activist and attorney, Rebecca Kiessling, on Fox News 2's segment, Let it Rip, when she took the little white pill that she said would "end a pregnancy." Blackmore said, as she was arguing for the safety of mail order abortion pills, "I want to show you how easy it is, how safe it is, by taking it myself." She held up the small white pill– mifepristone– which, when combined with a second pill– misoprostol– is used to end pregnancies before ten weeks' gestation.
Blackmore stammered a little bit as she explained the pill to the host of the show, Charlie Langton, telling him that the pill is very safe and allows people to end their pregnancies in private. Then, Blackmore casually took the pill on live television, swallowing it with water.
Langton looked shocked and bewildered as he asked, "You're not pregnant, are you?"
To that, Blackmore said, "I would say that this is going to end a pregnancy. This would be my third abortion."
Take that, Rebecca.
The camera then panned to lawyer and pro-life activist, Rebecca Kiessling, whose eyebrows raised and face registered shock and disgust. Then, Rebecca started talking… her part of the video is not very clear, like she didn't have a good Internet connection. It's funny to me that Kiessling's part of the debate was muddled, while Jex Blackmore's part came through clear as a bell. It's almost as if there was a divine intervention. Then, at the end of the debate on Fox News, Blackmore shared a Web site where viewers can access the abortion pills, which were recently and permanently approved for mail order by the Food and Drug Administration.
Blackmore later said that she decided to take the pill on television to help de-stigmatize abortion. Frankly, given that this was her third abortion, it's clear that she doesn't want to be a mother right now. I think that forcing someone like Blackmore to give birth would be ill advised. She is very nonchalant about taking the pill on television, which tells me that if she got pregnant, and was forced to remain pregnant, she would likely be just as cavalier about safeguarding the health of the developing fetus. And what would pro-lifers choose to do about that? Is it humane to a developing fetus to force it to grow in the womb of an unwilling person? Especially since the personal choices pregnant people make have a direct and potentially disastrous effect on the development of the fetus?
We can't even offer affordable and accessible healthcare to people who have already been born. How can we force people like Jex Blackmore to take care of themselves in support of a developing baby? The answer is, we can't… at least not without depriving them of their civil rights. I truly hope the United States doesn't go down that dark, dystopian, Handmaid's Tale road. What would stop Jex Blackmore from doing things that would harm the developing fetus? And do we really want to live in a country where people who are pregnant have different civil rights than everybody else does?
I'll be honest. It does disturb me a little bit to hear that this was Blackmore's third abortion. Personally, I would be trying not to get pregnant in the first place. Obviously, she doesn't see pregnancy the way I might see it. Given that she is so relaxed about the process of taking the abortion pill, I think it's best that she doesn't gestate against her will. I also want to make it very clear that I'm not judging her, either. I don't know anything about her or what her life is like. This absolutely should be her choice, and it should not be anyone else's business. When I look at the outrage and disgust on Rebecca Kiessling's face as another woman makes a personal choice with which she disagrees, I wonder if she even cares about Jex Blackmore as a person, rather than just a vessel for a developing fetus. Below is a screenshot of Kiessling's public Facebook post:
Except it wasn't yet a "baby", Rebecca. At under ten weeks gestation, it was still an embryo… and it was not at a stage where it looked like a baby. And given your clear distaste for Jex's "satanic" proclivities, why would you want to force her to bring a baby into the world? You obviously find her disgusting.
Let's be real. The "abortion pill" is a hell of a lot safer than a coat hanger is in ending pregnancies. If people are really "pro-life", they should absolutely care about the health, safety, and well-being of already born people ahead of potentially born people. And they should consider the potential consequences of trying to force someone who doesn't want to be pregnant to gestate that fetus that they pretend to care so much about. I think it's much more humane for everyone involved to allow safe and early pregnancy terminations, than deny abortions to those who want them and will stop at nothing to get them.
I care more about people who have already been born and are living outside of the womb. Of course, I would prefer it if people who don't want to get pregnant could just avoid getting pregnant. But that's not always possible. Sometimes people get pregnant against their wills. Sometimes people want to be pregnant, but need to have an abortion for medical reasons. Sometimes the developing fetus has a condition that would make being born cruel. There are so many life situations that people find themselves in that would make them consider terminating a pregnancy. None of those situations are my business, since I am not directly affected by them. I don't think it's right to judge people for making such a personal decision.
So, while I don't think I'm like Jex Blackmore, and I don't think I would make the choices she's made, I stand for her to be able to safely end her pregnancies if she chooses. And while taking the "abortion" pill on live television may seem callous and cavalier to many people, when it comes right down to it, all she did was take a pill. She might as well have been taking aspirin. It's a non-issue. I'd much rather see her do that, than throw herself down a flight of stairs, or see some back alley butcher, or have someone punch her in the stomach a few times… or use a coat hanger.
I do think it's interesting, though, that so many people who are against abortion are Republicans. Do they not realize that Romania, a notoriously communist country banned abortions during the Ceausescu era? The end result of that campaign was a lot of sick babies, horribly neglected in orphanages, tragically some of whom could not bond with other people because they were not properly cared for when they were infants. The babies grew up to be adults who, if they were lucky, simply couldn't love others. If they weren't lucky, they ended up criminals. It also resulted in very high maternal mortality rates, and people facing prison sentences if they dared to even try to get an abortion or aided and abetted in someone getting one.
So many Republicans are totally against paying for social welfare safety nets. Do they not realize that forcing people to give birth will contribute to poverty? Would they really like to see more people needing government assistance? Or are they thinking that a woman who is poor should be forced to give up her baby to a more affluent, cisgender adoptive couple, again, a la Handmaid's Tale? Who gets to decide that for them? I thought Republicans were for smaller government and more personal freedom. Apparently they don't necessarily like less government interference if the person wanting freedom is a woman in her childbearing years.
Also… what should we do with pregnant people who either can't or refuse to properly take care of themselves? Arrest them and put them in jail? Have Republicans considered how jail and prison affect the health and welfare of pregnant women and their developing fetuses? For those who wonder what it's like to be pregnant while locked up– in the South, no less– have a look at Jessica Kent's video below.
Prison is not a safe place to be pregnant.
Or this shorter video about a woman in Minnesota who had to give birth while incarcerated…
Jeez… this is so sad. But at least she got out of jail sixteen days later.
Granted, these two women were not incarcerated because they were wanting abortions. But if we criminalize abortion, their stories could become a lot more common.
So… count me among those who is in favor of the abortion pill, and allowing people to make these choices safely and uninhibited by "big brother" governments run by anti-women politicians. And while I might not necessarily agree with someone's choice to have an abortion, I also realize that it should be the pregnant individual's decision alone, since it's their body, and they will be the one who is most affected by the choice they make. I think Jex Blackmore showed tremendous chutzpah, taking that pill on live television… especially given that it was Fox News. And the savage part of me delights in watching Rebecca Kiessling figuratively clutching her pearls over that decision, as she asks people to "pray". Obviously, her opinions are mostly formed by religion, which is yet another thing that not everyone embraces. And thank God for that. 😉
healthcare, politicians, politics, rants
The Party of Family Values, my ass!
October 16, 2021 knottyabortion, Chasten Buttigieg, conservatives, family values, Fox News, homophobia, Jesse Watters, Joe Biden, LGBTQ, Mama Doctor Jones, parental leave, Pete Buttigieg, Republicans, Senate Bill 8, Texas, Todd Piro, toxic masculinity, Tucker Carlson 7 Comments
Last night, I read a New York Times article about how the Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to block the Abortion Law in Texas. The Biden administration is planning to challenge the law, giving the Supreme Court Justices the opportunity to take another look at it.
Not surprisingly, there were a lot of people commenting about the article. Quite a few comments came from conservative white men, many of whom wanted to know why women didn't simply "abstain" from having sex. I had to have a laugh at that. In my experience, it's usually not the women who are wanting sex the most. I mean, yes, there are lots of women who enjoy having sex, but I think men are the ones who are mostly driven to have it.
As we all know, when a woman gets pregnant, she's usually pregnant for nine months. A man, on the other hand, can do his part in creating babies with a woman, then do the same thing with another woman the next day… and the day after that… and the day after that…
So why are we so focused on women when it comes to stopping abortion? Why aren't we more focused on the men?
No… I don't support forced vasectomies, just as I don't think women should either be denied or forced to have abortions (and when I was a social worker, I did have a minor client who was forced to have an abortion she didn't want). But I do think a lot of men need to be shaken up a little bit and reminded that if they're so against abortion, there are things that they can do to stop them. For one thing, they can stop having sex for fun. Do you think that's extreme? It's what the men often tell women when this issue comes up. So many of them seem to think pregnancy should be punishment for what they deem as immoral, "slutty", behavior. They don't seem to think of the aftermath of what happens to the poor child who could be born into that situation.
A lot of men want to blame women for "getting themselves pregnant". But no woman gets pregnant by herself. I've never seen a man's name on a medical bill for a pregnant woman's care, though. And I've never head of a biological man having to be on bed rest during a pregnancy. And when the baby is born, the man often has an easier time of going back to work. There's no healing involved… no breastmilk coming in… no postpartum health issues.
Anyway, I managed to restrain myself from commenting too much on that particular piece, although I did comment that sometimes abortions are medically indicated. I added that at no time is it anyone's business when someone else chooses to have one. A lot of women were adding their thoughts, and one guy was taking them on, one by one. He asked me what medical conditions might require a woman to have an abortion.
Seriously, guy? My response was that I wasn't wasting my Friday night to teach this dude about obstetrics and gynecology. Instead, I directed him to the excellent video by Mama Doctor Jones that I've already shared in this blog more than once. She very clearly spells out why this new law, Senate Bill 8, is very bad news. Here's the video again for those who missed it.
As Mama Doctor Jones pointed out, people who are pregnant are always at a higher risk than people who aren't.
But, in short terms, someone who is pregnant and happens to have any kind of chronic disease, like diabetes, or lupus, or cancer, or someone who has mental health or addiction issues, or someone who can barely support themselves… those are all people who might benefit from having the choice to have an abortion. And there are other situations that may make someone consider terminating a pregnancy. At no time is it anyone else's business.
I finally navigated away from the infuriating comments from the men on that thread and went to sleep. Then this morning, I woke up to this headline from the Washington Post— "Republicans fault Buttigieg for time off with newborns. Democrats say he's showing the need for paid parental leave.". Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, became parents of two newborns in August. They spent over a year trying to adopt the babies, often coming close to success, only to have their hopes dashed. They finally got their wish, and now the couple is rightly taking parental leave.
Republicans, who often refer to themselves as The Party of Family Values, apparently don't think it's cool that Buttigieg is taking time to bond with his new babies. Tucker Carlson, of Fox News, actually mocked Buttigieg for taking paternity leave, saying
"Pete Buttigieg has been on leave from his job since August after adopting a child. Paternity leave, they call it, trying to figure out how to breastfeed. No word on how that went…"
So… basically, the Republican Party is all for family values, as long as they're "traditional". All of these Republican men are so against abortion, but then they mock two dedicated parents for taking time off to nurture their new families? Republicans want to force women to give birth, but they object to allowing new parents time to actually care for their babies? That doesn't seem very "family friendly" to me.
Many Republicans probably just don't like the idea of homosexuals raising families. That's a real shame, since most of my homosexual friends and relatives are some of the finest people I know and are wonderful parents. They certainly understand the importance of a loving and supportive family. Too many of them have been cast out of their families simply due to who they choose to love.
Now… I'm not saying that all Republicans are homophobes. I'm sure there are plenty of people who identify as conservative, but aren't actually homophobic. The trouble is, too few of them are in public office. The United States is unusual among developed nations for not recognizing the need for parents–both male and female– to be able to take family leave. Slowly, things are changing. Bill told me this morning that even the Army is allowing new dads to take leave. I'm sure the positive effects of that policy will become apparent in the future.
President Biden is trying to introduce new policies that will make the United States a more family friendly place. Maybe if we had more policies that made having babies and raising children easier, there would be fewer abortions. Just a thought.
Republicans want women to have babies no matter what, but they don't support allowing parents to actually take care of those babies. So what does that mean? The baby goes to a child care facility while the parent goes right back to work? Aren't these the same people bitching about socialism and government overreach? Okay, so maybe the child care facility is privately owned and run… and super expensive! Wouldn't it be better if we allowed the parents of babies to actually take care of their babies when they're super young?
Recently, Buttigieg has been more present on the job. He recently commented about his new role on MSNBC's "Morning Joe":
"It's been wonderful," Buttigieg said during that appearance. "It's everything people tell you to expect and more. I think the biggest thing that has surprised me is just how much joy there is, even sometimes in the hard parts. Don't get me wrong — it's the most demanding thing I think I've ever done, that Chasten and I have ever taken on, but it's just amazing."
He sounds like a good dad to me. A good, and present, dad makes for a healthier family.
Even Fox News gives new parents six weeks of leave– which is not enough, in my opinion. But, in March of this year, "Fox & Friends" co-host Todd Piro took six weeks of paternity leave after his daughter's birth. Piro was grateful for the time to spend with his new baby girl.
"I cannot thank Fox enough for providing all fathers who work here with such a generous paternity leave," Piro wrote in an op-ed in April. "This experience has changed me in a profound way and in ways I won't fully comprehend until my daughter is older. But for now — that smile coming from the crib each morning, immediately followed by morning snuggles — is what I will cherish the most."
And other Fox hosts have also praised having the chance to take leave. When his third child was born in April 2021, Fox News host Jesse Watters admitted that he now supports paid paternity leave.
"Now I am pro-paternity. I used to mock people for taking paternity, I used to think it was a big ruse, but now, you know, I wish I could take six weeks," Watters said.
But Republicans are still bitching about Pete Buttigieg's "gall" at taking parental leave. They're criticizing his leadership potential and making personal insults instead of working with him to make policies that actually benefit American families. They're trying to force women who aren't ready to have babies to stay pregnant, while denying them any assistance that would help them have healthy babies and actually raise those babies into well-adjusted and well-prepared adults.
Meanwhile, Democrats are lauding the idea of parental leave, as well as leave that would allow people to care for their sick and aging parents. Bill and I are in the "sandwich generation"– that stage of life in which we might have been really squeezed if we'd had children. So far, we aren't affected the way many of our peers are– I have friends who are caring for their children, as well as their elderly parents. It really puts a strain on middle aged people and, frankly, makes them vulnerable to chronic diseases themselves.
I don't think Republicans actually are the The Party of Family Values. I think they are The Party of Greed, Sexism, and Racism, and trying to control women's bodies. There's much more to living than working and making money. The conservative men, many of whom are drunk on their own toxic masculinity, ought to step aside and think about this for a minute. They say they're against abortions because it's an assault on the "sanctity of life". They say adoption is a better choice. But Pete and Chasten Buttigieg have adopted two babies, and now they're getting their chops busted by Republicans who mock them for wanting to have a family…
I guess "family values" for Republicans only apply to traditional couples. What a shame. I think Pete and Chasten Buttigieg are going to be fabulous parents. I wish them well, and I'm glad they took some time to adapt to their new life roles. All Americans should have that opportunity. Republicans should embrace the idea, especially if they're serious about wanting to curtail abortions. Stop the slut shaming and moralizing and actually make some policies that would make the prospect of having children more workable and feasible.


By Binoy Kampmark - posted Friday, 29 July 2016 Sign Up for free e-mail updates!
Then came the deeply personal portraits of a man of the permanent grudge. Wayne Swan, former Treasurer, and troubled friend for a period of 20 years, spared nothing in his memoir, The Good Fight. "Kevin," he suggested, "was prone to vengeful behaviour" and distinctly unstable.
The issue in Australia has also descended into farce. The conservative Liberal-National government has found itself at odds as to what to do with Rudd, a person many would rather not see at the UN's top job. For Rudd to even be considered for the UN required him to be put forth by his sponsoring country.
The Treasurer, Scott Morrison, begged to differ, making the issue entirely in partisan terms. As Labor did not push the candidacy for former treasurer Peter Costello's bid to succeed Dominique Strauss-Kahn as head of the International Monetary Fund five years go, it was time to return the favour.
Ditto the right of right South Australian liberal senator Cory Bernardi, who sought to convince colleagues not to back an individual "dysfunctional", "vengeful", "unstable", and a "megalomaniac".


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Q: Can I parse the directory listing of an external webpage? Is it possible to parse the directory listing of a webpage which is external given the webpage is accessible and it shows a list of the files when I access it. I only want to know is it possible to parse the files dynamically in PHP and how? -thank you
Sorry for being not clear. I mean a directory listing such as:
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/ (Index of /..) and ability to read the content as array or something easy to manipulate in my script

A: You can use preg_match or DomDocument
For your case:
$contents = file_get_contents("http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/");
preg_match_All("|href=[\"'](.*?)[\"']|", $contents, $hrefs);
var_dump($hrefs);

If you want to take a look at a working demo.

A: If you're getting a directory listing back that is full of links in a proper XHTML document you can use DOMDocument, and code such as the following to get back a list of files:
$doc = new DOMDocument();
$doc->preserveWhitespace = false;
$doc->load('directorylisting.html');

$files = $doc->getElementsByTagName('a');

$files is now a list of DOMElements that you can iterate through and get the href attribute to get a full path to the files in the listing.
Note that this approach requires a properly formed directory listing returned from the server. You cannot, for example, do a request on stackoverflow.com and get a directory listing of the files.
If this doesn't work (perhaps malformed HTML) you could use Regular Expressions (eg. preg_match_all) to find <a tags, like such:
preg_match_all('@<a href\="([a-zA-Z\.\-\_\/ ]*)">(.*)</a>@', file_get_contents('http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/'), $files);
var_dump($files);

$files would still be matched elements, just a set of arrays.

UPDATE, I tested with your URL (http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/) and it works fine (the preg_match_all method).

A: Yes it is very possible.  I'm not quite clear what you mean by directory listing but you should research website crawlers.  This is essentially what you're asking about but written in PHP.

A: PHP file_get_content will do the trick for you.
(Assuming your http request for this page returns the listing of files, as you have mentioned)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home Opinion CSR
Stamping out modern slavery in Asia
It is a topic that is traditionally under-covered due to the clandestine conditions surrounding trafficking, but if you look carefully, slavery in its modern form is everywhere, affecting the world's most vulnerable people.
Panelists at Trust Forum Asia, including Cambodian Longdy Chhap (second from left), sharing their stories of modern day slavery. Image: Trust Forum Asia
By Jessica Cheam
Cambodian Longdy Chhap was just five years old when he was struck with polio and lost the use of his legs. When he was 10, a broker convinced him that instead of being a family burden, he should go to Thailand to work, promising good money and living conditions. He agreed, but the reality was different.
When he arrived, he was forced to beg on the streets. For six years, he was abused, beaten, faced starvation and arrests, before he was finally rescued and sent to Hagar Cambodia, an organization working on human rights abuses.
While telling his story at a recent event in Singapore last month – the Trust Forum Asia, hosted by Thomson Reuters and its Foundation – Longdy, now 25, choked and broke down a few times on stage, bringing a stiff silence to the room. I was blinking back tears – and I wasn't the only one in the 200-strong audience doing so.
To continue reading this story for free
Londgy's story was one of many shared that day on modern day slavery – a growing trade that the International Labour Organisation estimates is generating illegal profits worth over US$150 billion a year from human misery.
It is an issue that is traditionally under-covered due to the clandestine conditions surrounding trafficking. But if you look carefully, slavery in its modern form is everywhere, affecting the world's most vulnerable people. These include forced or bonded labour, people trafficking, descent-based or child slavery, and early or forced marriages.
Globally, about 36 million people live as modern day slaves, according to anti-slavery non-profit Walk Free, and 60 per cent of them are enslaved in Asia.
Human trafficking in Asia has been in the global spotlight in recent years since the Associated Press ran a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of stories exposing rampant corruption and slavery in Thailand's billion-dollar fishing industry.
Apart from the fact this is morally wrong, research has shown that forced labour has broader social and economic costs in terms of hampering development and perpetuating poverty.
The increased scrutiny has since forced the Thai government to implement reforms, businesses to relook at slavery in its supply chains, and a tightening of laws in the UK and US that will punish those complicit in trafficking.
This progress is long overdue in an era of globalization where the rising affluence of the growing global middle class has been driving the mass production of cheap goods and services made possible only with low-cost or forced labour.
There is also a strong link between slavery and environmental degradation. In certain industries that face high environmental risks such as agriculture, fishing, logging and mining, the use of forced labour is often documented. The exploitation of both people and environment is even more likely when these activities take place in areas where monitoring and legal enforcement are weak.
This is why it is important that we look with a critical eye at these supply chains and at loopholes in legal systems to stamp out slavery in all its forms.
Spotlight on Singapore
Singapore does not house these particular industries, but forms of exploitation of foreign workers do take place here, including deceiving workers into sex work, forced labour or servitude, which by some international standards constitutes human trafficking.
In clear-cut cases, Singapore's new Prevention of Human Trafficking Act provides some legal recourse for victims.
Still, there are many practices that fall into grey areas. These include charging foreign workers unreasonably high fees to enter the country, then making them work long hours for little pay, giving them no days off, or threatening them with repatriation if they wish to leave their jobs. Some foreign workers also have to endure squalid living conditions, poor-quality food and verbal or physical abuse, and have little or no medical support.
Such exploitation of workers - even if not illegal - goes against Singapore's aspirations to become an inclusive and vibrant global city.
The Government has in recent years made significant progress in addressing the work conditions of migrant workers, including instituting a weekly rest day for foreign domestic workers, written employment terms and itemised payslips. There is also a law requiring large worker dormitories to meet minimum living standards.
Even so, there remains much to do.
A 2014 survey by local charity Transient Workers Count Too following the new rule showed that the number of helpers that get a regular day off per week remains at a low 41 per cent.
Some other less obvious forms of control that violate international standards - including keeping a helper's passport, confiscating her phone, "safekeeping" her wages - are still widely practiced in Singaporean households. When questioned, these employers offer up excuses such as "the agency said she agreed" or "I'm doing this for her own good".
Meanwhile, there are still regular reports of contractors providing poor, cramped, infested accommodation to foreign workers, and even of doctors colluding with them to give workers less sick leave than they deserved.
We need to take a stand against these practices.
If we don't, other countries will. Indonesia said on May 18 that it will stop sending new live-in maids abroad from as early as next year. Its authorities want domestic workers to live separately from their employers in dormitories, work regular hours, and get public holidays and days off.
The Singapore Government can take the lead by first regulating recruitment fees so workers can avoid debt bondage. The law should require employers to pay for a worker's transport and recruitment fees, and errant local and overseas recruiters should be barred from bringing migrant workers into Singapore.
Workers should also be given the right to change employers. Currently, they can only do so with their employer's consent. The system can be designed such that, for example, the worker's new employer pays an administrative fee to the previous employer to cover costs incurred.
This is a cause that StopTraffickingSg, a local campaign led by HOME - a local non-profit serving migrant workers - and other NGOs are advocating. It has been lobbying for the inclusion of victims' rights in Singapore's anti-trafficking legislation, and for the state to adopt a victim-centric approach to handling trafficked cases.
In the private sector, businesses - such as property developers here - should be looking deep into their supply chains for signs of forced labour among their contractors and rectify the situation. It is insufficient to say that because these workers are not direct employees, they are not its responsibility.
On a personal level, we can help by educating ourselves on the issue in order to hold businesses and government to account. And although we might not be able to solve these complex issues overnight, we can all start with our own actions. This includes choosing only to buy products that are responsibly-produced; and also, by treating our own helpers with dignity and respect.
Modern slavery in all its forms needs to be tackled not only because - in the words of Martin Luther King Jr - injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, but also because it has no place in the society that we all aspire for.
A version of this column was first published in The Straits Times.
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Former President Lee Myung-bak filed an administrative lawsuit against the prosecution over its use of presidential office documents in the investigation into corruption allegations involving him.
During a raid of DAS, an auto parts manufacturer owned by Lee's brother, in late January, prosecutors seized documents from Lee's presidential office found in the basement storage. The prosecution has been looking into allegations that DAS ran slush funds for the former president.
As the presidential files should have been stored in the Presidential Archives by law, the prosecution was issued an additional search warrant for a possible violation of the law on management of presidential records.
Leaking or hiding of presidential records is subject to a jail term of up to seven years.
Lee's aides said the presidential files got mixed up with Lee's personal belongings by mistake during packing at Cheong Wa Dae at the end of Lee's term. They requested the prosecution to send the documents to the National Archives.
Lee's aides claim that the prosecution violated the law by not sending the presidential files straight to the Presidential Archives to use them as material for investigation.
The administrative lawsuit filed last week calls on the court to confirm the illegality of the prosecution's nonfeasance.
"The warrant the prosecution received from the court was related to the investigation of DAS," Lee's aides said in a press release in early February.
The prosecution rejected their demand, saying that the fact the presidential files were kept in the storage of DAS, which Lee claims had nothing to do with his presidential office, shows that they have significance as evidence.
The documents were found in the basement of a Seoul building owned by Lee's Cheonggye Foundation where DAS rents office and storage space. Prosecutors reportedly found records of Lee's hidden assets and transactions between Lee and DAS in the storage.
Prosecutors on Thursday interrogated the former president's elder brother and DAS chairman Lee Sang-eun over various suspicions surrounding DAS.
Lee Sang-eun denied any connection between DAS and his brother in response to reporters' questions as he left the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office Thursday night.
The former president is expected to be summoned for questioning later this month.


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John Brennan's anti-Donald Trump tweets scream 'Deep State!'
Washington Times | Apr 6, 2018 | Fresh Ink | 0
John Brennan, former director of the CIA
And you wonder why conservatives in America, particularly the pro-President Donald Trump crowd, believe in the existence of a Deep State.
John Brennan served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2013 through 2017, a period which brought him under the leadership of Trump's White House.
He's supposed to be country first, politics — not.
Check out his Twitter feed. It's both eye-opening and discomforting.
"I served 6 Presidents, 3 Rs & 3Ds," he wrote, just this week. "I directly supported Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama. While I didn't agree with all their policy choices, I admired and respected all of them, as they put country above their personal interests. Not so with you [Mr. Trump], as your self adoration is disgraceful."
He made that remark in context of retweeting this, from Trump: " 'Still Rising: Rasmussen Poll Shows Donald Trump Approval Ratings Now at 51 Percent,' " alongside a link to a Breitbart article about the same.
As if Obama wasn't the king of hubris?
Anyhow, that's not Brennan's one and only anti-Trump snippet.
When Trump tweeted about Andrew McCabe's firing, Brennan retweeted and wrote this in response: "When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America … America will triumph over you."
These are the words of a CIA operative, former as he is, to a sitting president of the United States?
Deep State conspiracists unite. And remove those tin foil hats. They're hardly needed.
Yet wait, there's more.
When Trump tweeted about the loss of manufacturing that began in this country under George H.W. Bush's administration, Brennan retweeted and responded: "You show an amazing albeit unsurprising ignorance of how technology, automation, and the attendant evolution of economics and societies have transformed the world. Your simple minded policies — imposition of tariffs — have the potential to seriously damage our future prosperity."
In other tweets, Brennan attacked Rep. Devin Nunes and other House Republicans for allowing an "absence of moral and ethical leadership in WH" to sway them toward a partisan way of thinking while, in another tweet, praising the "consistent political courage, integrity, and intestinal fortitude" of Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, somehow setting these two Republicans-In-Name-Onlys as the standard for the GOP-run Cabinet and GOP-dominated Congress. Right.
Brennan's an American citizen and therefore, automatically worthy of the same God-given rights of free speech granted everyone else in this country.
But seriously, is the man not possessed of any mental filters at all?
With all the Deep State talk being slung, all the anti-Trump text messages of the supposed nonpolitical, nonpartisan law enforcement community that have come into the limelight, all the anti-Trump accusations being bandied about, it would seem simple common sense for those perceived as part and parcel of the anti-Trump, Deep State movement to stifle, if only for a bit. If only for a little.
Brennan's gone a different path, it seems.
And in so doing, he's only adding fuel to the politically charged fires. That he's a former CIA guy, with the kind of behind-scenes access and closed-door alliances that average Americans can't even fathom — that are, in truth, the stuff of plots of high-drama spy novels and government-gone-amok movie intrigues — only make his partisan attacks all the more disturbing.
After all, if Brennan, as a CIA guy, can't even keep from publicly and openly attacking his own president, what would he or others of his ilk, others of his Deep State brand, do to those with countering, contrasting views who serve in positions of lesser prestige? It's chilling to wonder.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
© Copyright (c) 2018 News World Communications, Inc.
This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.
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← Frontier Week Review: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Review: When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle →
Frontier Week Review: Caroline by Willo Davis Roberts (A Sunfire Novel)
Posted on August 10, 2012 by Sarah
Caroline by Willo Davis Roberts. Scholastic, 1984. No longer in print.
Genre: Historical Fiction / Romance
Face Value: It's terrible of course, but it evokes a certain nostalgia for me. All the Sunfire covers looked like this, basically – a girl in historical garb looking off into the distance with the men vying for her attention looking surly in the background. Nevermind that Caroline spends the majority of this book disguised as a boy, and that she actually only has one love interest on the horizon (unusual for a Sunfire romance, if I remember correctly). But it's the tagline that really sells the story – "Her disguise would keep her safe. But not from love." How can you not be a strange mix of excited and horrified for that?
Does it Break the Slate? It kind of does! Sure, it's a kind of surface value feminism – Caroline is just as competent as a boy! She's strong! She can swim! She can shoot! But once her secret is revealed, everyone agrees – she was always just "too pretty to be a boy." But it is kind of great, the way that Caroline acknowledges liking both the freedom and respect she gets for her skills when disguised as a boy and the more traditional feminine experiences, like wearing pretty dresses and dancing in them. When her secret is revealed, Caroline gets to live the best of both worlds because Dan Riddle loves her just the way she is. It's surprisingly satisfying, from a feminist POV, even if it's all resolved far too easily.
Who would we give it to? Hmm, that's a good question. This romance looks and feels pretty dated, and I'm not sure that it would hold up for a contemporary YA reader without the nostalgia factor. The writing is appealing, but also totally cheesy. And even a frontier book written in the 1980s (more than 50 years after Laura and Caddie) has painfully racist elements. So I probably won't be recommending it to anyone who isn't seeking out a nostalgic look back at the Sunfire series.
Review: Caroline Hoxie is, of course, a spirited young woman, determined to make her way in the world. Her mother died when she was young (of course) and raised by her father and brothers, she has grown up with many of the skills a boy would – hunting, swimming and the like – but thanks to the influence of her grandmothers she also possesses many traditional feminine skills like cooking and sewing and liking dresses. But when her brothers set out west in a covered wagon to seek their fortune gold mining in California, they leave her behind with her father and grandmothers. Not to miss out on the adventure and the promise of a new life, Caroline disguises herself as a boy and sets out on her own, hoping to meet up with her brothers in Independence (which we all know, was the last major town before setting out on the Oregon trail). She doesn't find them there, but she meets up with the Roericks, a family who takes her under their wing and is hired on by the handsome Dan Riddle to help with his wagon. As Caro (it's a family name, she tells everyone), she proves herself on the trail as a boy. But when she finds herself falling in love with Dan, she knows her secret will be exposed eventually…
I think that the most distinctly Slatebreaking element of this book is how legitimately Caroline is allowed to like both being a boy and being a girl. She disguises herself as a boy out of necessity, but finds that she appreciates the freedom she gets in boys' clothing and the way she actually gets to use her skills. But she also still finds value in being a girl. I like that, that this character isn't ashamed to want access to both worlds. Once her secret is revealed and she and Dan are engaged, she is overjoyed about dressing up like a woman again, but still has every intention of being Dan's partner in the work of the frontier.
Plus, Caroline actually manages to avoid the "extraordinary girl" trope, where all the other girls we meet are simpering weaklings but she is "different" than the rest of them. Just as Roberts doesn't trivialize Caroline's longing for a pretty dress once in a while, she doesn't trivialize female friendships. Before she leaves for the west, Caroline is saddest about leaving behind her best friend Nancy, and even while disguised as a boy she seeks out friendships with other women on the trail, who are, for the most part, presented as capable humans
Of course it's not all broken slates. Sunfire is a series of romances, and falling in love with Dan Riddle is pretty much the only reason that Caroline gets to maintain all of this awesome feminism once her secret is revealed. And even the progressive Dan has lines like this once Caro is Caroline again:
"She felt dainty and feminine and lovely, and when Dan turned toward her, she knew that he saw her the same way.
'I'm horrified, seeing you like this,' he told her, ' to think how I've worked you for months. Driving a team of oxen, working a sluice box. You don't look strong enough to do either one. No wonder you were a mass of blisters.'"
Also, Caroline and her companions might have had the easiest trip down the Oregon Trail in all of literature. Seriously. Only one death, and it's a minor character. Who was already old. No disease and hardly any bad weather, no one is accidentally poisoned to death by hemlock or pitted against the elements because a late arrival lead to getting stuck in a snowstorm or running out of badly needed supplies. They easily find themselves in California by August, where Caroline immediately strikes gold and then finds her brothers, all building up to a practically Austen-esque triple wedding. The simplicity of the journey and the ease with which Dan, the Roericks and everyone else accept that Caro was a girl all along do a disservice to the challenges and gender stereotypes that Caroline would actually have to face – and thus keep us from an actual dialogue about gender roles.
And, unfortunately, as we have seen with so much of the frontier fiction we loved as children, the depiction of Native Americans in this story is uncomfortably racist, and, like in Caddie Woodlawn, plays heavily on the notion of the white savior. Native Americans feature only briefly in this story, but when they do, these characters have names like "Old One Who Speaks Truth" and offer sage wisdom and useful gifts to our white protagonists for saving their lives. Add that to the fact that Caro and Dan name their horses Chief and Papoose because they think it's funny. And this book wasn't written all that long ago either. Yeah, it's old, and we've gotten more culturally progressive since 1984. But it wasn't written in 1890 and it wasn't written by people who actually lived it. So we cannot talk about the racism in this book as a product of its time. It is unacceptable, and it devalues the things that are good, and enjoyable in this book.
Reviewed from a copy I owned as a child and salvaged from my parents' house a few years ago.
This entry was posted in Reviews, Theme Week, Young Adult and tagged California, disguise, Frontier Week, Gender, Historical Fiction, Oregon Trail, pioneers, Romance, Sunfire. Bookmark the permalink.


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GameStick's GDC Debut Brings Mobile Games to Your TV
By Adam Gauntlett Legacy Author March 19, 2013
The GameStick developers' kits will ship soon after GDC 2013.
GameStick, the mobile console that spectacularly conquered Kickstarter earlier this year – earning 648% of its funding goal – is now a reality. But if you want to see it, you'll need to be at GDC 2013, where PlayJam intends to debut its little console that could.
"The demonstration will provide attendees with a first look at the GameStick User Interface," says PlayJam in a press release, adding that the display will also show off the "controller and some 30 titles due to form part of the initial line-up." Developer kits will be on their way out the door to Kickstarter backers soon after GDC shuts down. PlayJam's CEO, Jasper Smith, will also show his face at The Future of Mobile Gaming panel, on Thursday 28th March.
The GameStick, for those of you who somehow missed the Kickstarter is a mobile console on a stick, intended to plug straight into the HDMI slot of your TV. It's Android operated, and will cloud store its games; the intent is to create a plug-and-play for mobile titles, or "big screen gaming without the clutter," as its website has it.


I`m different. I have a rather harmful character but it is worth nothing in comparison to my charm. I would stop here but then you might have been confused thinking that I want to be seemed unreachable. Well, in some cases and for someone I am but please do not write any standard sample-letters and do not be boring. My mind has lots of space to understand the other cultures and to learn from other people. Do not underestimate my age as I am a good philosopher and analyzer. I am interested in movies especially of Spanish directors and Hollywood actors. I love reading. My favorite writer is G.G.Marces. I love dancing very much. I have danced and gone in for sports since I was a child. I like Salsa. I enjoy attending the tournaments on sporting dances. I am not a fan of night-clubs and noisy activities. I love music. My music interests are varied: from reggae to blues. Also I like theatre very much.


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Warlock is based on the 1989 movie of the same name. When the sun aligns with the moon once every millennium, druid guardians summon their magic of their runestones to prevent the rebirth of the Warlock. The runestones are scattered through time and across the continents and you must find them before the Warlock does.
The gameplay is simple. You go through different stages fighting off creatures and then finding the runestones. You fight off enemies by simply blasting them with this energy, using this orb you have with you, or you can use a spell to kill them. There are some puzzles in the game too. Some of the battles with the tougher enemies require some strategy to defeat them.
In the SNES version, all blood and gore effects were removed.


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Why savvy Republicans are finally ditching Trump—but they're still to blame for enabling him
Tana Ganeva
Nick Ayers and Mike Pence (Twitter)
On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that John Kelly, his chief of staff, would depart the White House before the end of the year.
The next day, Nick Ayers, Mike Pence's chief of staff and reported favorite to take Kelly's job, announced that he was resigning and returning to his native state of Georgia. That Ayers, a savvy operative with high political ambitions, would turn down the powerful post is a clear indication that many Republicans seem to realize being associated with Trump spells doom for their political future.
Writing in the Washington Post Monday, columnist Paul Waldman observed that many mainstream Republicans are starting to distance themselves from Trump—but that it's too late.
Waldman notes the absurdity of the current moment, where no one seems to want the job of chief of staff—one of the most powerful posts in Washington.
"Why is that? It isn't only that anyone tasked with running this White House and managing this president is destined to fail," he notes.
"It's also that if you care about your future in politics, it's never too early to start distancing yourself from Trump. Because once he's no longer president — perhaps in 2021, or perhaps even sooner — everyone who worked for him, supported him, or stood by him is going to be in an extremely uncomfortable position."
"In Washington, where "former administration official" can be a ticket to lifelong employment and status, "former Trump administration official" or even "former Trump supporter" could well wind up being a scarlet letter," Waldman says. "It might not ruin your career, but it could come to be seen as an indicator of poor judgment and questionable integrity."
Of course, Waldman notes, anyone who's used the Trump administration to advance their career should have to face the consequences. "In a just world, every last person who voluntarily entered the employ of this president would be forever subject to the scorn and contempt of all their fellow citizens. But that probably won't happen."
The likelier scenario is that once the Trump administration ends, Republicans will attempt a white-washing project to pretend it wasn't that bad for the party and the country. The public should hold them accountable.
"Every Republican who works for Trump, who supports him, who defends him, who justifies him, who excuses him — all of them are responsible," Waldman notes.
"All of them are implicated in his misdeeds, not least because it was obvious before he was elected what kind of president he'd be. If when this is all over they don't pay a price for what they did, we should all be ashamed."


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Home > News > Wizkid, Davido, And Burna Boy Are At The Top Of Spotify's Year-End Charts
Wizkid, Davido, And Burna Boy Are At The Top Of Spotify's Year-End Charts
'Feeling,' by Ladipoe, is the most streamed song in Nigeria this year.
Spotify today presented Wrapped, an annual round-up of the year's best artists, albums, songs, and playlists as voted on by Spotify users across the world.
What was Nigeria's soundtrack in a year when we were adjusting to the new normal.
In the new normal, who still has staying power, and how do our local artists stack up against the world's top hits and worldwide hitmakers.
Here are the 2021 Wrapped findings, which define how Nigerians seek to keep amused, educated, and connected with their favorite local and worldwide music artists in a first for the area.
Nigerians are the most streamed artists in the country, with Wizkid topping the list. Burna Boy is next, followed by Davido. Drake, who is the fourth most streamed artist, is the only foreign performer in the top five. The top five are completed by Olamide.
Tems is the most streamed female singer in Nigeria, demonstrating the continued popularity of Nigerian music. The second most streamed female musician is 19-year-old Ayra Starr, who is also the November artist for Spotify EQUAL. Doja Cat, who comes in third, is the only overseas performer in the top five. Tiwa Savage is the fifth most streamed female artist, while Teni is the fourth.
LADIPOE's Feeling was the most streamed tune in Nigeria, followed by Peru by Fireboy DML and Ruger's Bounce. Understand by Omah Lay is the fourth most streamed single in Nigeria, with Monalisa by Lojay rounding off a Nigerian-dominated top five.
Naturally, Wizkid's craze of the moment Made in Lagos (Deluxe Edition) is the most streamed album in Nigeria, while the original Made in Lagos is the second most streamed album, topping worldwide sensation Justin Bieber's Justice, which is third. Davido's album A Better Time comes in fourth, while Drake's latest release, Certified Lover Boy, rounds out the top five.
Hot Hits Naija is the playlist that Nigerians demonstrated the most affection for, proving that Nigerians like indigenous music.
Spotify has given a customized Wrapped experience to its Nigerian users to offer them a more personalized feel. It includes fun features like:
The personalised Wrapped experience includes features such as: data stories to express a user's year in audio – In addition to a user's top artists, genres, songs, podcasts, and minutes listened, the personalised Wrapped experience includes features such as: data stories to express a user's year in audio 2021: The Movie, Your Audio Aura, and 2021 Wrapped: Blend are all movies set in the year 2021.
Fans may post their Wrapped cards on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, among other social media platforms.
Top fans have access to exclusive events – More than 170 artists and artisans have made films thanking people for including them in their Wrapped. If fans have a song by one of the participating artists in their "Your Top Songs 2021" or "Your Artists Revealed" playlists, these thank you videos will display. Spotify Clips for Podcasts will be available soon, and listeners will be able to see personalized thank you notes from some of their favorite podcast presenters simply visiting the website of a participating show on the platform.
The top lists are broken down in detail below.
Most streamed artists in Nigeria
Most streamed female artists in Nigeria
Most streamed tracks in Nigeria
Feeling – LADIPOE
Peru – Fireboy DML
Bounce – Ruger
Understand – Omah Lay
Monalisa – Lojay
Essence (feat. Tems) – Wizkid
Dimension (feat. Skepta & Rema) – JAE5
Ginger (feat. Burna Boy) – Wizkid
Rock – Olamide
High – Adekunle Gold
Most streamed albums in Nigeria
Made in Lagos (Deluxe Edition) – Wizkid
Made In Lagos – Wizkid
Justice – Justin Bieber
A Better Time – Davido
Certified Lover Boy – Drake
Twice As Tall – Burna Boy
Carpe Diem – Olamide
19 & Dangerous – Ayra Starr
Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon – Pop Smoke
Donda – Kanye West
Most streamed playlists in Nigeria
Hot Hits Naija
African Heat
Gbedu
Today's Top Hits
Traffic Jams Naija
RapCaviar
Party Dey!
New Music Friday Naija
Bubblin
Nigerians clearly like the material produced in the country, and artists are taking use of platforms like Spotify to share their culture with the rest of the world through music.
Apple Music's Year-End Lists Include Artists, Songs, Albums, And Shazam's Top Songs And Artists
Tonto Dikeh Says She Will Never Regret The Love She Gave Anyone
Buhari To Leave Behind A Debt Of ₦77 Trillion For Next President – DMO
'Squid Game' Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Reveals Which Characters Are Returning For Season 2
Ogranya Named Apple Music Up Next Artist In Nigeria
Burna Boy, Adekunle Gold, Tems, Rema, Asake, and Oxlade, Nominated For MOBO Awards
Portable Releases New Album, 'Ika of Africa'
Bella Alubo Drops Music Video For Her Song "Unstoppable"


The purpose of the MiFID resource hub is to bring together the output from TISA's many MiFID Working Groups which has been created to address issues and provide good and best practice to financial services firms.
TISA hosts a number of working groups, bringing together member firms to address particular issues and explore areas where industry good and best practice or other relevant templates and guides may be useful.
In this informative one-day course participants will learn about the documentation and processes needed need to safeguard clients and demonstrate high standards to the regulator. For details of scheduled training dates, please click here.


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Соглашение Хора — Лаваля, также пакт Хора — Лаваля, — секретное соглашение Франции и Великобритании о плане урегулирования Абиссинского кризиса. Оно было достигнуто в рамках политики умиротворения, в данном случае фашистской Италии. Не было реализовано в результате сопротивления Эфиопии и протестов во Франции и Великобритании.

История
В 1935 году в ходе Абиссинского кризиса началась Вторая итало-эфиопская война. В Великобритании и правительство, и официальная оппозиция, и доминионы поддержали санкции Лиги Наций против фашистской Италии. Правительство надеялось, что жесткие санкции против Италии могут отбить у нацистской Германии охоту к подобным действиям, и победило на ноябрьских всеобщих выборах с платформой сторонников Лиги.

Однако уже 8 декабря 1935 года министр иностранных дел Великобритании сэр Сэмюэль Хор обсудил со своим французским коллегой Пьером Лавалем (который был одновременно премьер-министром и министром иностранных дел) пути прекращения войны. По условиям достигнутого между ними соглашения Эфиопия должна была передать Италии части областей Тигре, Данакиль и Огаден (около 150 тысяч кв. км), выделить для Италии значительную зону «экономической экспансии и колонизации» в южной Эфиопии. В обмен Италия бы уступала Эфиопии узкую полосу территории Южной Эритреи с выходом к морю в Асэбе (около 8 тысяч кв. км).

Впоследствии Лаваль так вспоминал об этом:

«Мы сразу же пришли к соглашению относительно исключения военных санкций, непринятия никаких мер морской блокады, относительно отсутствия необходимости рассматривать вопрос о закрытии Суэцкого канала, — одним словом об исключении всяких мер, могущих привести к войне.»

9 декабря британские газеты обнародовали просочившиеся подробности соглашения о передаче части Эфиопии Италии для прекращения войны. Британский кабинет министров не одобрил предварительный план, но решил поддержать его, чтобы не ставить Хора в неловкое положение.

Содержание соглашения было разглашено прессой и вызвало осуждение по всему миру.

Реакция

Великобритания
Пакт был встречен волной морального негодования в Великобритании. 10 декабря оппозиционная Лейбористская партия заявила, что если сообщения в прессе о содержании пакта были правдой, то курс правительства противоречит политике сторонников Лиги, с которой оно только что победило на выборах 1935 года.

Консерваторы доминировали в правительстве и мало заботились о мнении левых. Однако они не могли больше игнорировать недовольство пактом, когда атаки начались справа. Архиепископ Кентерберийский Космо Лэнг осудил пакт в письме в The Times, и многие другие епископы написали напрямую Стэнли Болдуину, чтобы выступить против пакта.

Дафф Купер, государственный секретарь по военным вопросам, позже писал:

Но прежде чем Дуче успел заявить о себе, народ Великобритании поднял вой негодования. За время моего политического опыта я никогда не был свидетелем столь разрушительной волны общественного мнения. Даже спокойные избиратели из дивизии имени Святого Георгия были глубоко тронуты. Почтовая сумка была полна, и письма, которые я получал, были написаны не невежественными или эмоциональными людьми, а ответственными гражданами, которые трезво обдумали этот вопрос.

Главный кнут консерваторов сказал Болдуину: «Наши люди этого не потерпят». Сэр Остин Чемберлен в речи перед консервативным комитетом по иностранным делам осудил пакт и сказал: «Джентльмены не должны так себя вести». Гарольд Николсон позже писал, что после заключения пакта у него были бессонные ночи, когда он беспокоился, сможет ли он сохранить свое место.

Франция
Когда  обсуждала пакт 27 и 28 декабря, Народный фронт осудил его, а Леон Блюм сказал Лавалю:
«Вы хотели получить свой кусок пирога и съесть его. Вы отменили свои слова своими делами, а свои дела своими словами. Вы все испортили интригами и хитростью.... Будучи недостаточно восприимчивым к важности великих моральных проблем, вы свели все к уровню своих мелких методов.»

Другой член Народного фронта Ивон Дельбос заявил:
«Ваш план мертв и похоронен. Из его провала, который является настолько полным, насколько это возможно, вы могли бы – но вы этого не сделали – сделать личный вывод. Отсюда вытекают два урока. Во-первых, вы оказались в тупике, потому что расстроили всех, не удовлетворив Италию. Во-вторых, мы должны вернуться к духу Пакта [Лиги Наций], сохранив соглашение с нациями, собравшимися в Женеве.»

Поль Рейно обвинил правительство в пособничестве Гитлеру и разрушении англо-французского союза. По предложению о вотуме недоверия против французского правительства проголосовало большинство в 296 голосов против 276, при этом 37 членов Народного фронта проголосовали за правительство.

Итог
Переданное по дипломатическим каналам эфиопскому правительству соглашение не было принято Эфиопией, как ведущее к упразднению её независимости. Британское правительство отозвало план, и Хор подал в отставку. Во Франции на волне возмущения пактом пал кабинет Лаваля. В начале 1936 года Италия начала новое, более масштабное наступление, используя отравляющий газ, и 5 мая 1936 года вошла в Аддис-Абебу.

Оценки историков
Британский историк Алан Джон Персиваль Тейлор утверждал, что это соглашение «убило Лигу [Наций]» и что пакт «был совершенно разумным планом, в соответствии с предыдущими актами Лиги о примирении от Корфу до Маньчжурии», который положил бы конец войне, удовлетворил Италию и оставил Эфиопию с более значимой для нее национальной территорией, но что «здравый смысл плана был, в обстоятельствах того времени, его жизненно важным недостатком».

Британский военный историк Коррелли Барнетт отмечал, что для Британии важно было не допустить ситуацию. когда Италия «стала бы потенциальным врагом на главной линии имперских коммуникаций Англии в то время, когда она уже находится под угрозой со стороны двух существующих потенциальных врагов на противоположных концах линии [Германия и Япония]. Если – что еще хуже – Италия будет сражаться в будущей войне в качестве союзника Германии или Японии, или обеих стран, британцы будут вынуждены покинуть Средиземное море впервые с 1798 года». По мнению Барнетта, было «крайне опасной глупостью провоцировать Италию» из-за военной и военно-морской слабости Великобритании, и поэтому пакт был разумным вариантом.

Примечания

См. также
 Франко-итальянское соглашение (1935)

1935 год в Эфиопии
Международные договоры Италии
1935 год в политике
1935 год в Италии
Договоры по алфавиту
История Парижа
Договоры Франции периода Третьей республики
Декабрь 1935 года
1935 год во Франции

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The meaning of the spear dream, dreaming that the spear has realistic influences and reactions, and also the subjective imagination of the dreamer, please see the detailed explanation of the dream spear that I helped you organize below.
The spear in the dream represents principle, strength, and also has a masculine meaning.
Dreaming about the image of a warrior holding a spear, it means that the dreamer subconsciously perceives the strong aggressiveness of the man, suggesting that he may encounter contradictions and conflicts.
Dreaming about the scene of putting a spear on the ground is a symbol of defending your own interests, and it indicates that someone may want to damage your rights.
Dream that you throw a spear, indicating that you will actively take measures to resolve conflicts or strive for self-improvement.
The dream saw that the spear was broken, indicating that the dreamer would encounter a setback in life.
Dream description: The spear in the dream represents the male principle, so it is also a symbol of male genitalia and life-giving power. If the dreamer sees a warrior holding a spear in his dream, it means that he is aware of the aggressiveness of the male. Put the spear on the ground to indicate his territory. If the dreamer throws a spear, it means that he must recognize the part of his character that has not yet developed.
Psychoanalysis: In terms of psychology, spear is a created and active part of self-concept. It enables the dreamer to distinguish between necessary and secondary content, to avoid detours and reach the destination directly.
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The Right to Last Rites
Before Terri Schiavo there was Nancy Cruzan
Published in 2005 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers magazine
By John Rosengren on October 24, 2005
ill Colby didn't know what he was getting into when a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon asked him to take on a seemingly obscure pro bono case in 1987. The 31-year-old Colby, five years out of University of Kansas Law School, thought this simple probate case might result in, at most, a half-day trial. Instead the case took him to the U.S. Supreme Court, inspired him to write a book and transformed him into an expert on the ethics of dying. In short, the Nancy Cruzan case shaped Colby's career.
At 25, Nancy Cruzan had been in a car accident that left her in a persistent vegetative state. After keeping Cruzan alive for five years, her family sought guardianship rights to remove Cruzan's feeding tube. The hospital refused. Cruzan's family turned to Colby, who filed a lawsuit seeking permission to remove the feeding tube.
He won a probate court ruling in Carthage, a small town in southwestern Missouri, but the Missouri Department of Health and the Attorney General appealed the ruling, and the state supreme court overturned the lower court's decision. Colby appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The nation's top court had turned down the case of Karen Ann Quinlan and would later decline to intervene in Terri Schiavo's case, but it agreed to hear Nancy Cruzan's case in 1989. Colby, then 34, became — and remains — the only attorney in America to argue a right-to-die case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Colby lost and won. The Supreme Court backed the Missouri court ruling 5-4 but allowed for an opening if evidence of Nancy Cruzan's wishes to die surfaced. That happened. A woman who had worked with Cruzan at a school for handicapped children recalled a time when Cruzan was feeding a severely brain-damaged girl with a syringe-like instrument and said she wouldn't want to live like that. The Court accepted this as evidence of Cruzan's wishes, and in 1990 her family was able to honor her wish to die.
After nearly four years on the Cruzan case, Colby spent three more years on another right-to-die case that went to the state supreme court and which he won. But the idea of a book on the Cruzan case stayed in his mind. Colby had discussed such a possibility with Nancy Cruzan's father, Joe, who was enthusiastic about the idea. In 1996, Colby decided he would "give the book a try."
No small task, he discovered. He had to find the story line and supporting details amid tens of thousands of pages filed on the case and two tall bookshelves stacked with videotapes of television coverage. "The model I used for writing a first nonfiction book will not be used in any writing classes," he laughs.
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The risky proposition paid off — happily, if not as handsomely as his law practice. In 2002, Hay House, one of the country's top independent publishers, published Long Goodbye: The Deaths of Nancy Cruzan. Colby is now considered an expert on the ethics of dying and talks at 40-50 events annually, some of them law conferences, most of them medical. He's at work on a second book with the working title Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right to Die in America After Schiavo. "I feel blessed that I get to do what I'm doing," he says. "It's not as lucrative as the practice of law, but I can cover the grocery bill."
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Prairie Light Mennonite Church is located in LaGlace, Alberta, Canada. The church originated in 1999.
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Mennonite Church Directory 2014. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, Inc., 2014: 109.
Thiessen, Richard D. "Prairie Light Mennonite Church (LaGlace, Alberta, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2015. Web. 23 Apr 2019. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Prairie_Light_Mennonite_Church_(LaGlace,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=131755.
Thiessen, Richard D. (February 2015). Prairie Light Mennonite Church (LaGlace, Alberta, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 April 2019, from http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Prairie_Light_Mennonite_Church_(LaGlace,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=131755.


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text:
Q: Using SwiftUI ForEach to iterate over [any Protocol] where said protocol is Identifiable In a ViewModel I have:
public var models: [any Tabbable]

And Tabbable starts with
public protocol Tabbable: Identifiable {
   associatedtype Id
   var id: Id { get }
   /// ...
}

In Swift in my ViewModel I can use the Array.forEach to:
models.forEach { _ in
   print("Test")
}

But in SwiftUI I can't use ForEach to:
ForEach(viewModel.models) { _ in
   Text("Test")
}

Due to:

Type 'any Tabbable' cannot conform to 'Identifiable'

Any suggestions?
This is with Swift 5.7. Do I need to go back to making something like AnyTabbable?
Thanks in advance.

A: Consider this example in the form of a Playground:
import UIKit
import SwiftUI

public protocol Tabbable: Identifiable {
    associatedtype Id
    var id: Id { get }

    var name : String { get }
}

struct TabbableA : Tabbable{
    typealias Id = Int

    var id : Id = 3
    var name = "TabbableA"
}

struct TabbableB : Tabbable {
    typealias Id = UUID

    var id : Id = UUID()
    var name = "TabbableB"
}

struct ViewModel {
    public var models: [any Tabbable]
}

let tabbableA = TabbableA()
let tabbableB = TabbableB()
let models: [any Tabbable] = [tabbableA, tabbableB]

struct ContentView {
    @State var viewModel : ViewModel = ViewModel(models: models)

    var body : some View {
        ForEach(viewModel.models) { model in
            Text(model.name)
        }
    }
}

In this case, we have the type TabbableA where each instance has an id property that is an integer (for the sake of the sample they only use "3" but it's the type that is significant).  In TabbableB each instance's id is a UUID.  Then I create an array where one item is an instance of TabableA and another is an instance of TabbableB.  The array is of type [any Tabbable].
Then I try to use ForEach on the array.  But some elements in the array use Int ids and some use UUID ids. The system doesn't know what type to use to uniquely identify views. Ints and UUIDs can't be directly compared to one another to determine equality. While each item that went into the array is Tabbable, and therefore conforms to Identifiable, the elements coming out of the array, each of which is of type any Tabbable, do not conform to Identifiable. So the system rejects my code.

A: You can provide a KeyPath to the id (or any unique variable): parameter which specifies how to retrieve the ID in ForEach. It is because all items in ForEach must be unique. You can create a structure, which conforms to your protocol. At that moment it should work. The second option is to remove Identifiable from the protocol and then you can use that directly.
    public protocol Tabbable {
        var id: String { get }
        /// ...
    }

    public var models: [Tabbable]

    ForEach(viewModel.models, id: \.id) { _ in
       Text("Test")
    }

or
    public protocol TabbableType: Identifiable {
        associatedtype Id
        var id: Id { get }
        /// ...
    }

    struct Tabbable: TabbableType {
        var id: String { get }
        /// ...
    }

    public var models: [Tabbable]

    ForEach(viewModel.models) { _ in
       Text("Test")
    }


text:
'Westerners should leave UAE immediately': Gulf warning as British troops put at greater risk in Iraq after US kills Iran military chief
Qassim Soleimani, the powerful head of Iran's Quds Force
Charles Hymas, Home Affairs Editor
Amy Jones, Political Correspondent
Charles Hymas
British troops in Iraq are at greater risk after the US airstrike that killed Iran's military chief, a former Foreign Office minister has warned, as the US embassy in Baghdad urged Americans to leave Iraq.
As one leading Iranian figure urged western citizens to "leave the UAE immediately" for their own safety, former Middle East minister Alistair Burt said the US airstrike which killed General Qassim Soleimani was "extremely serious."
Asked whether UK troops based in the region are in danger, Mr Burt told the BBC Radio Four Today programme: "Any of the actions that have been taken in the region could have had a consequence of starting a direct confrontation, and therefore military personnel in the region could have been at risk.
"But there's no doubt that risks and consequences are much greater this morning than they were before, but they're unknown on all sides, but the United States would no doubt say that personnel was at risk already from action taken by the Iranians.
"The question is to what extent have any of those consequences been satisfactorily resolved by this action. And it would seem, at this stage, very unlikely that there's a positive answer to that."
He added that the airstrike could cause "a huge potential escalation" of the conflict, of which "the consequences are unknown."
Mr Burt said that it is "very important now to concentrate on what happens next, and for everybody involved diplomatically to do everything they can to try and defuse the situation".
He added: "It's extremely serious."
Asked whether the UK Government would have been told about the US government's airstrike plans before they happened, Mr Burt added: "I doubt it.
The US embassy in Baghdad released statement urging American citizens in Iraq to depart immediately following theU.S. airstrike at Baghdad International Airport which killed Soleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.
The Foreign Office said it was reviewing the situation but had yet to change its travel advice. "There is no update at the moment but travel advice is under constant review," said a spokesman.
Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, appealed for calm: "We have always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qassim Soleimani. Following his death, we urge all parties to de-escalate. Further conflict is in none of our interests."
There are around 500 British soldiers in Camp Taji, which is about 40 miles outside Baghdad, on a training and mentoring mission with the Iraqi forces. The Ministry of Defence said there was no immediate plan to change deployment.
Iran's ballistic missile range
Seyyed Mohammad Marandi, professor of North American Studies at the University of Tehran, said: "If I was a western citizen I would leave the UAE immediately. I would leave the whole region.
"The whole region's future is unclear because of the terrorist attack carried out by the US.
Tom Fletcher, the UK's former ambassador to Lebanon, warned that Iraq could retaliate with assassinations or proxy wars in the region.
"The strategic response if they're feeling rational is probably to consolidate their position in Iraq, but elsewhere they have many more dangerous options including assassinations themselves or proxy wars or asymmetric attacks like the ones against the Saudi oil facilities."
He said Qassim Soleimani was a "much more powerful figure than Osama bin Laden or Baghdadi, where at the moment of their own deaths, their power was in decline," adding that it was "hard to overstate the potential impact of this moment."
Qassim Soleimani drone strike | Read more
Leading Labour figures including potential leadership hopefuls Jess Philips and Clive Lewis criticised the US action.
Ms Philips, who is today set to declare her bid to replace Jeremy Corbyn as party leader, said: "Reckless foreign policy does not show strength. It's not a game.
"The consequences of the escalating tensions between the US and Iran are not to be underestimated, not just once again on the civilians in the region but on the whole world."
Mr Lewis: "This violent escalation in an already volatile region is a mistake & should not be compounded by UK govt support. I call on the PM to condemn this cowboy action and turn immediately to our international institutions to try and de-escalate any war with Iran."
Mr Corbyn said the US "assassination" of Soleimani was an "extremely serious and dangerous escalation" of conflict in the Middle East with global significance.
"The UK government should urge restraint on the part of both Iran and the US, and stand up to the belligerent actions and rhetoric coming from the United States," he said.
"All countries in the region and beyond should seek to ratchet down the tensions to avoid deepening conflict, which can only bring further misery to the region, 17 years on from the disastrous invasion of Iraq."
Iran and the West | Comment and analysis
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is detained in Iran, also expressed concern at the implications for his wife: "Things are getting much worse again between the US and Iran, but also between all of us and Iran."
He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I sit here partly worried for what that means for Nazanin, partly worried what that means for my in-laws, sat in their ordinary living room in Tehran where they're all really worried."