text:
Q: Second WAN/LAN in office, want to share printers between them My business is growing so I've decided to purchase a second DSL line, to separate two departments to allow for more bandwidth usage.
Previously I had a network printer that served both departments. With the addition of the second DSL line, I'm potentially going to have two separate LANs.
How can I set it up so that the new LAN still has access to the Network Printer, but ensure that they are still using the new DSL line?

A: Using a couple of VLANs with separate default gateways but sharing internal routes could accomplish this.  You can use a couple of routers with DD-Wrt installed to create the VLANs.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


MOUNTAIN VIEW (AP) — Mountain View has declared a water shortage emergency as the San Francisco Bay Area city faces the statewide drought.
The San Jose Mercury News reports (http://bit.ly/Odep9K) the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday for a "Stage 1" declaration, the lowest emergency level.
It authorizes city staff to ramp up efforts to educate the public about conservation programs. Nonessential water uses — such as serving water in a restaurant except upon request — are prohibited.
Before the vote, Councilman Mike Kasperzak noted that while it was raining outside, it would do little to make up for the region"s severe water shortages.
The newspaper says the Sierra Nevada snowpack, a critical source of water, was 32 percent of average Tuesday, the lowest level on April 1 since 1988.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought state of emergency in January.


text:
Q: Mysql To Xml output on page I'm trying to output various tables from my database but I can't seem to figure out how to perform what i had in mind.
I want to output my data like this.
<locations>
    <destination>
       <name>A</name>
       <address>B</name>
    </destination>

    <destination>
       <name>C</name>
       <address>D</name>
    </destination>
</locations>

so far i have this as output.
 <Locations>
<destination name="burlo"/>
<destination name="Raymund"/>
<destination name="Bacolod City"/>
<destination name="Victorias"/>
<destination name="Sipalay"/>
<destination name="Ambot"/>
<destination name="aweawea"/>
<destination name="ilo-ilo"/>
<destination name="ilo-ilo"/>
<destination name="Hinobaan"/>
<destination name="heart"/>
<destination name="heart"/>
<destination name="heart"/>
<destination name="heart"/>
<destination name="heart"/>
<destination name="Daddy"/>
<destination name="aguisan"/>
</Locations>

This is how i generate them.
// Start XML file, create parent node

$dom = new DOMDocument("1.0");
$node = $dom->createElement("Locations");
$parnode = $dom->appendChild($node);

// Select all the rows in the markers table

$query = "SELECT  * FROM tbl_locations where status='active'";
$result = mysql_query($query);
if (!$result) {
  die('Invalid query: ' . mysql_error());
}

header("Content-type: text/xml");

// Iterate through the rows, adding XML nodes for each

while ($row = @mysql_fetch_assoc($result)){
  // ADD TO XML DOCUMENT NODE

  $node = $dom->createElement("destination");

  $newnode = $parnode->appendChild($node);
  $newnode->setAttribute("name",$row['name']);

}

echo $dom->saveXML();

?>

Would appreciate any help.

A: Change this line to
$newnode->setAttribute("name",$row['name']);

To these lines
$nameNode = $doc->createElement('name');
$nameNode -> appendChild($doc->createTextNode($row['name']));
$node->appendChild($nameNode);

$addNode = $doc->createElement('address');
$addNode -> appendChild($doc->createTextNode($row['address']));
$node->appendChild($addNode);

As you need to construct the tree.

A: Do this
$node = $dom->createElement("destination");
$newnode = $parnode->appendChild($node);
$node1 = $dom->createElement("name");
$newnode = $parnode->appendChild($node1);
$newnode->insertData(0,$row['name']);

A: Hope this helps,
<?php
$xml          = "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?>";
$root_element = "locations";
$xml         .= "<$root_element>";
$sql ="****  YOUR QUERY  ****";
if (!$result = mysql_query($sql))
   die("Query failed.");

if(mysql_num_rows($result)>0)
{
   $i = 0;
   while($result_array = mysql_fetch_array($result))
   {
    $xml .= "<destination>";
    $result[$i]['name']=$result_array['name'];
    $xml .= "<name><![CDATA[{$result[$i]['name']}]]></name>";
    $result[$i]['dea']=$result_array['address'];
    $xml .= "<address><![CDATA[{$result[$i]['address']}]]></address>";
    $xml.="</destination>";

    $i++;
   }
}
//close the root element

$xml .= "</$root_element>";

//send the xml header to the browser
header ("Content-Type:text/xml");

//output the XML data
echo $xml;

Let me know if you have any doubts


Der William Hill Kundendienst steht Ihnen das dass dieses Buch voller hchst praktischer Ratschlge und wunderschner Gedanken ist, die die Seele.
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Did you get a last minute invite to a fiesta? Or did you decide to throw your own?
We're here to help! We love Mexican food and couldn't pass up a good margarita if we tried (which we don't!) So here are a few recipes, cocktails and attire fun to bring your fiesta level up from spicy to caliente!
Who could resist these tapas? So easy to make and so easy to eat!
And don't forget to dress the part! Here are some fun pieces to spice up the occasion!
Our Cinco de Mayo board on Pinterest is overflowing with more fun ideas!


While interior designers' love of concrete has not diminished, they are now looking to soften the industrial look. So Stonini is offering its Pitted Concrete panels in five colourways plus basic concrete.
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Like all Stonini wall panels, Pitted Concrete panels are lightweight, handcrafted, eco friendly and non-combustible. Plus, installation is simple. Panels can be cut to size with a panel saw with a tungsten blade and are affixed with a good industrial adhesive.
Contact us today for samples of the new shades of Pitted Concrete.


Japanese Monastery is a part of the rich culture of Buddhism, located in the outskirts of Rajgir town of Bihar. This was the place, which was under the rule of powerful Magadha ruler King Bimbasara, during the time of Lord Buddha. The Japanese Monastery is also known as Nipponzan Myohoji Temple and was built by the famous Zen sect of Buddhism. After the passing away of Lord Buddha, a number of sects were formed such as Theravada, Tantrayana, Mahayana and Zen. The one which is present near Rajgir, near to Bodh Gaya had been built by the Zen sect and the rituals are practised as per their philosophies, although these are in accordance to the teachings of Lord Buddha.
The Zen sect of Buddhism, basically believed in meditations and devotional practices and hence, the Japanese Monastery conducts a number of group meditations as well as individual meditations, for the monks as well as general people. the aim of such meditations was to aim for the purification of one's Soul and attain nirvana. Inside the Japanese Monastery, there are certain festivals held, which mark the important days of history of Buddhism. Buddha Jayanti is one such festival which is held with lots of meditations and sermons, and is celebrated every year during the month April-May during the full moon night. Another festival which is markedly held during the period of Hiroshima Day is on the 6th of August.
Airport is located in Gaya, which is 12 kms away from the Japanese Monastery and from Gaya, one can reach the monastery by travelling through private taxis and buses. Regular transportation facilities are found from Patna, which is about 108 kms away. Gaya is having the nearest railway station, which in turn is connected with major cities all over the country.


text:
iguanas in the keys
How to live with the iguanas.
In fact, today iguanas are considered an invasive species that is causing harm to critical plants, insects and the burrowing owl. Iguanas. A Florida man's Friday was ruined after an iguana appeared out of nowhere and caused him to crash his bicycle in the Florida Keys, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. (Official Web Site of The Iguanas) The Iguanas are a New Orleans based Roots Rock Band and this is their home on the web. There's only one surefire way to get rid of them, and it is exactly what you'd expect. Now they are common in waterfront subdivisions in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
The large reptiles native to South America now are classified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as an invasive species that poses an …
The big lizards hardly offend me at all, in their natural habitat. According to the Sun Sentinel, iguanas arrived in Florida as pets, first appearing in Miami-Dade County in 1966, then in the Keys in 1995 before making a home of … And of course, other residents feel that having the iguanas around really isn't as bad as others make it seem. In the '80s and '90s, iguanas became popular pets, but many people couldn't deal with those that grew bigger than their family dog. "Green iguanas were first reported in Florida in the 1960s in Hialeah, Coral Gables and Key Biscayne along Miami-Dade County's southeastern coast." — FWC. Green iguanas have a row of spikes down the center of the neck, back, and upper portion of the tail, and have dark black rings on the tail. A Florida Keys man was injured Friday after an iguana darted in front of his bicycle and got caught between the front tire and wheel fork, causing him to crash.
In captivity they can live over 15 years. Naturally, some residents of the Florida Keys do not enjoy the company of the iguanas because they tend to feed on the flowers and fruits in people's gardens. FLORIDA KEYS — Iguanas have joined lion fish and pythons as a public enemy to be eradicated from the Florida Keys. State wildlife managers have upped efforts to battle invasive green iguanas in the Florida Keys by hiring a trapper for the first time. "Plenty of great opportunities for pictures and shooting movies of these animals, many of which are actual hams, and will identify you if you have a camera and keep swimming by you for great shots." At some point, they were spotted in the Keys.
A vibrant orange iguana soaks in the sun in the Florida Keys Orange iguana from Florida. He has patented a line of products to repel or eradicate iguanas. They are primarily herbivorous , feeding on leaves, flowers and fruits of various broad- Temperatures dropped into the 30's and the locals tell the story of hearing thud sounds of iguanas dropping dead out of trees. Green iguanas are invasive exotics and in South Florida, their numbers have exploded into an Iguana Invasion.They eat vegetation and sometimes bird eggs.
They combine Chicano Rock, R and B, Conjunto, and various latin styles into a deep groove that is exotic and mesmerizing.
And they dig into the ground, destabilizing canal banks, bridge pilings — and at the Key West cemetery, grave sites. Orange Iguana in the Florida Keys.
Believed to be stowaways on ships from Central and South America, Green Iguanas are most prevalent in the Middle Keys. "The staff is happy and engaging and the natural, waterfront setting is a wonderful way to enjoy the Keys weather and get up close to dolphins, sea lions, iguanas and even some free range chickens!" Iguana Control has offices and workers all over South Florida, including a storefront in Key West on Fleming Street. Key west , Florida`s orange big iguana Orange iguana from Florida. In addition to green iguanas and tegus, nile monitor lizards, water monitors, spiny-tailed iguanas and rhinoceros iguana appear to be spreading. Key west , Florida`s orange big iguana, relaxing in the sun close to a lake Large Iguana in Florida. They aren't vicious or the attacking type, but they can be a little unsettling because of their size, powerful tails and teeth. I have nothing against iguanas, personally.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Bioshields: Old Tools for a New Climate
March 27, 2018 By Skye Niles
Natural bioshields—wetlands, forests, and urban green spaces—are critical tools for reducing the impacts of disasters on vulnerable communities. Between 1994 and 2014, nearly 7,000 natural disasters occurred worldwide, causing an average of almost 68,000 deaths each year. Climate change, growing populations, and widening economic inequality are all expected to increase the impacts of disasters. Bioshields—nature's own solutions to natural hazards—can help protect people from these dangerous floods, storms, and heat waves.
Bioshields help build resilience, not just resistance to hazards. Unlike single-purpose interventions such as seawalls, bioshields provide diverse ecosystem services that help support healthier and stronger communities, including air and water purification, increased biodiversity, food, and other livelihood resources. And unlike built environment fixes, which are often more rigid and can weaken over time, bioshields are flexible and adaptable.
To help us adapt to climate change, we should preserve and expand bioshields—but only in consultation with the local communities, or we risk increasing the vulnerabilities that we hope to resolve.
Extreme Heat and Urban Green Space
Deadly heat waves are becoming increasingly common
Deadly heat waves are becoming increasingly common as more people move to cities and climate change increases global temperatures. Cities concentrate and magnify heat in what is know as the "urban heat island" effect, making heat waves even more lethal.
Urban green spaces can help reduce the effects of urban heat islands. Urban parks, green roofs, and gardens produce a cooling effect due to evaporation and transpiration, converting heat that would normally be released into the environment. Large parks have been shown to provide a cooling effect of nearly six degrees Celsius. Other smaller-scale interventions, such as street trees, can also have significant effect: on a sunny day, a single tree can have cooling power equivalent to 10 air conditioning units.
Wetlands and Forests
Sea-level rise, urban development, and population growth are increasing the vulnerability of coastal communities. According to statistics from the most recent U.S. census, 123 million people, or 39 percent of the U.S. population, live directly on the coast. More than 50 percent of the population lives in coastal watershed counties, which border directly on the ocean or are considered high-risk coastal areas by FEMA. Coastal populations are growing, and the number of people living in coastal regions of the United States is predicted to rise to 134 million by 2020, putting even more people at risk of coastal hazards.
Coastal wetlands protect against flooding by acting like natural levees
Coastal wetlands protect against flooding by acting like natural levees. Marsh vegetation and roots capture sediment that helps to stabilize coastlines and increase the height and volume of protective wetlands—further increasing their effectiveness against flooding and sea-level rise.
Prairie wetlands also mitigate the impact of floods by acting like a sponge to soak up and attenuate floodwater. The destruction of Houston's Katy Prairie was one reason the August 2017 floods did such enormous damage.
Forests along the coast also block storm surge, floods, winds, and debris. In tropical and subtropical areas, mangroves are particularly effective. During the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, mangroves reduced the strength of the tsunami waves, and areas located behind robust mangrove forests experienced less structural damage and destruction. And in the 1999 Orissa Indian super-cyclone that killed more than 10,000 people, coastal areas with dense mangrove forests experienced fewer deaths. While the degree of protection that mangroves may have offered is debated, some research suggests that had been more intact mangroves along the coast, as many as 90 percent of the deaths may have been prevented.
Mountain and hillside forests can also reduce destructive landslides by limiting erosion, regulating soil moisture, and stabilizing soil with their root networks. Landslides cause billions of dollars of damage and thousands of deaths each year. Globally, between 2004 and 2010, more than 32,000 people were killed by landslides, excluding those triggered by earthquakes. Forested lands have been shown to have 5-10 times fewer landslides compared with landslide rates in the same areas after significant deforestation.
The Downsides of Bioshields
Despite their benefits, bioshields can also have negative consequences. Green interventions can have socio-political impacts in addition to ecological ones, and the development and conservation of green spaces is often contested.
Urban greening can contribute to environmental gentrification
Urban greening can contribute to environmental gentrification by increasing the desirability—and housing prices—in greener neighborhoods, thus displacing lower-income residents. In post-Katrina New Orleans, the city's plans to convert flood-damaged and predominantly African-American neighborhoods into green space spurred outrage because similarly damaged but mostly white neighborhoods were left in place.
As some neighborhoods become greener and less polluted, other areas may bear disproportionate toxic burdens. Shifts in zoning and development can concentrate industrial pollution in areas that are disproportionately populated by low-income communities and communities of color.
Internationally, bioshield projects have also caused harm to marginalized communities. On the eastern coast of India, for example, coastal tree-planting projects intended to protect against tsunamis have appropriated land used by indigenous people, resulting in displacement and disruption of many fishing communities who depend on coastal access for their livelihoods.
Furthermore, research on natural disasters has shown that social inequities also determine the impacts of disasters, not just their ecological or physical causes. For example, households and communities with less financial resources are more vulnerable to disaster impacts and face more barriers to recovery. Solutions to disasters must focus on reducing social disparities, not only on addressing environmental risks. Bioshields can be part of making whole communities stronger, if implemented as part of a broader disaster prevention plan.
Healthier and More Sustainable Communities
Bioshields offer a useful path for increasing disaster resilience
As we grapple with climate challenges, bioshields offer a useful path for increasing disaster resilience in communities across the globe. Beyond climate, bioshields can support healthier and more sustainable communities. But their implementation must be informed by current research and by lessons of the past.
Local communities must be included in development processes to ensure context-specific and equitable ecological interventions. Affordable housing measures can help keep long-time residents housed and reduce environmental gentrification. Special attention should be paid to protecting historical and customary land rights and to ensuring sustainable livelihoods. And more research should focus on appropriately managing bioshields so that they most effectively address hazards within the context of changing social and meteorological climates. As the United States recovers from one of the worst years on record for natural disasters, the restoration and conservation of wetlands, forests, and urban green spaces should be integrated with community input into the recovery process.
Skye Niles is Graduate Research Assistant and PhD candidate at University of Colorado Boulder.
Sources: AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment; Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters; City and Society; CNN; Conservation Biology; Conservation Letters; Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Journal of Planning Education and Research; Nature; Nature Climate Change; The New York Times; Ocean & Coastal Management; PLOS One; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; Resources, Conservation, and Recycling; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Geological Survey; U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat; Washington Post;
Photo Credit: Urban wetland, February 2010, courtesy of Flickr user La Citta Vita.
Topics: adaptation, climate change, development, disaster relief, environment, extreme weather, featured, flooding, Guest Contributor, Infrastructure, risk and resilience
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In this edition of Wilson Center NOW we examine the outcome of Italy's general election in which populist parties surged to power, but none held enough seats to build a government.
The border region between Austria, Italy and Yugoslavia has been the focus of ethnic strife as well as political and diplomatic debate for much of the twentieth century. All countries comprising this unique area had differing interests and international ambitions. The settlements of 1945 and the Cold War shaped the "Alps-Adriatic" region and made it a hotspot of the early Cold War. While Italy quickly gained the status of a key strategic partner of the West, Austria was hampered in its policies by quadripartite occupation and an uncertain future.
Will the U.S. Act on IMF Reforms?
A widely-agreed upon proposal to reform the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been on the table since 2010. It is supported by the Obama Administration, but requires Congressional action and so far the US Congress has resisted calls for action from the White House and various advocates inside and outside the country. Some have even considered procedures that would allow certain elements of proposed reforms to proceed without Congress.
The Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program and the Fondazione Istituto Gramsci (Rome) are excited to announce a joint project aimed at describing, digitizing, translating, and disseminating the records of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) related to China from 1969 through 1989.


text:
Dieda scuticornis är en fjärilsart som beskrevs av Diakonoff 1955. Dieda scuticornis ingår i släktet Dieda och familjen Plutellidae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Fjärilar
scuticornis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Baseless Conspiracy Theory Targets Another Election Technology Company
By Saranac Hale Spencer
An unfounded conspiracy theory of widespread election fraud claims that an election technology company called Smartmatic switched votes in the 2020 election. But Smartmatic provided ballot-marking machines to only one U.S. county in the election.
The Trump campaign's legal team increasingly has been leaning on conspiracy theories in its effort to blame the president's reelection defeat on widespread voter fraud, for which there is no evidence.
In court, the team has brought largely unsuccessful lawsuits that lack evidence. In public, they have been spouting unfounded claims and conspiracy theories.
The most recent example is aimed at a company called Smartmatic, which has said it supplied voting equipment to one U.S. county.
Despite Smartmatic's relatively small share of the U.S. voting apparatus, Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, and Sidney Powell, who had appeared with the Trump campaign's legal team until recently, have suggested that it is the source of nationwide fraud.
Powell claimed at a Nov. 19 press conference that Smartmatic had switched votes away from Trump and gave them to President-elect Joe Biden using technology supposedly developed for former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who died in 2013. Previously, Powell had advanced a similar conspiracy theory that a secret supercomputer was used to switch votes. We already debunked that one.
As of Nov. 25, Biden held a more than 6 million vote lead over Trump, according to the Associated Press.
Giuliani also pushed the claim about Smartmatic on Fox Business, saying on the Nov. 18 episode of Lou Dobbs Tonight that the company was "founded in 2005 in Venezuela for the specific purpose of fixing elections."
But Smartmatic was actually founded in 2000 in Boca Raton, Florida. It is now headquartered in London, England.
Smartmatic's founders are Venezuelan, though, and the company's first election contract was in Venezuela, so those connections may have contributed to confusion about the company's origins. However, the claim that it created a voting system that could be manipulated at the behest of Chávez lacks any support.
Breaking Down the Claim
Most references to this claim are vague, but one version that offered some specificity came from Powell at the lengthy Nov. 19 press conference. There, she said that Smartmatic's voting systems "were created in Venezuela at the direction of Hugo Chávez to make sure he never lost an election after one constitutional referendum came out the way he did not want it to come out."
Powell promised an affidavit in support of that claim and she quoted heavily from a letter Rep. Carolyn Maloney, of New York, wrote in 2006 detailing concerns about Smartmatic's purchase of another election technology company.
Neither of those documents proves her point, though.
We'll start with the affidavit, which was submitted anonymously in a federal lawsuit challenging the election results in Georgia. The suit was brought by an Atlanta-area lawyer, not by the Trump campaign.
The statement is eight pages long with several redacted portions. It was made by someone in Dallas, Texas who described himself as having been on Chávez's "national security guard detail."
According to the affidavit, the person "was a direct witness to the creation and operation of an electronic voting system in a conspiracy between a company known as Smartmatic and the leaders of conspiracy with the Venezuelan government." That scheme involved Chávez and other high-level Venezuelan officials working in 2009 to "create and operate a voting system that could change the votes in elections from votes against persons running the Venezuelan government to votes in their favor in order to maintain control of the government."
The statement is thin on details.
It mostly describes what the anonymous affiant claims to have seen happen during elections in another country a decade ago.
He suggested that the same nefarious things — namely vote switching — might have happened in the 2020 U.S. election because vote counting stopped at some point on election night and resumed the following day, with dwindling returns in Trump's favor.
We've written before about similar claims, but there is nothing unusual about counting mail-in ballots after Election Day. It's normal. In fact, most states don't start counting mail-in ballots until Election Day, as we've previously reported, and mail-in ballots take longer to count.
As for the 2006 letter from which Powell borrowed heavily at the press conference, it's moot for several reasons.
Maloney, the New York Democrat who wrote it, was urging review of Smartmatic's purchase of another election technology company called Sequoia Voting Systems. She was concerned about Smartmatic's Venezuelan connections and the potential for vote tampering in the U.S., since, according to her letter, Sequoia machines had been used to record more than 125 million votes in the 2004 presidential election.
Here's why that letter is moot 14 years later:
Smartmatic sold Sequoia in 2007.
Sequoia filed for bankruptcy in 2014.
Smartmatic no longer operates in Venezuela.
Smartmatic in the 2020 U.S. Election
Apart from the dubious support for this conspiracy theory, the company it's targeting doesn't do much work in the United States. Smartmatic says it provided voting equipment to only one U.S. county in the 2020 election.
Los Angeles uses the company's VSAP touchscreen machines, according to the California Secretary of State's list of certified voting equipment used in each county.
Biden held 71% of the vote in that county, as of Nov. 20 (with just over 40,00 ballots left to be counted) compared to Trump's 27% of the vote, according to the tally from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder.
That result is similar to the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, in which Hillary Clinton received 72% of the vote and Trump received 23% in Los Angeles.
Those outcomes also reflect the partisan make-up of the largely Democratic county — 50% of registered voters in Los Angeles are Democrats, 17% are Republicans, 31% aren't affiliated with any party, and the remainder belong to third-parties, according to the most recent report on statewide party affiliation from the California Secretary of State.
According to Smartmatic's website, the company also sold voting equipment to Cook County, Illinois (which includes Chicago) in 2005, but those machines have since been replaced and Cook County now uses equipment made by Dominion Voting Systems, according to the Illinois Secretary of State's list of certified voting equipment used in each county.
Samira Saba, a spokeswoman for Smartmatic, has confirmed that Los Angeles is the company's only client in the U.S., according to the Associated Press. Saba didn't respond to our requests for comment.
So it's unlikely that Smartmatic could have orchestrated a nationwide vote switching scheme considering that its only involvement in the election was providing ballot-marking devices to Los Angeles, California.
Broadening the Theory
Peddlers of this conspiracy have made it seem more plausible by tying it to another, similar theory aimed at an election technology company that has a bigger presence in the U.S. That company is Dominion Voting Systems, which has about 30% of the U.S. voting machine market, according to ProPublica. After the Nov. 3 election, Dominion also was baselessly accused of vote switching, but we've already debunked that claim.
One example of this combined conspiracy theory came from Powell and was amplified by Dobbs.
On Nov. 19 Powell claimed on Dobbs' Fox Business show, "The fact is, the Dominion machines run the Softmatic software." That's false. Regardless of the facts, Dobbs' show shared a clip of that interview on its social media channels, which have garnered tens of thousands of views.
Both companies have issued statements denying that kind of agreement. Dominion said, "Dominion does not use Smartmatic software." Smartmatic said, "Smartmatic has never provided Dominion Voting Systems with any software, hardware or other technology. The two companies are competitors in the marketplace."
Separately, and more importantly, regardless of the type of software that might be used in any voting system, the agencies and organizations that oversee U.S. elections said in a joint statement, "There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."
That said, there is enough of a history between the two companies for conspiracy theorists to sew together a story. So we'll explain that history here.
The perception that Smartmatic and Dominion are connected comes largely from their separate dealings with a third company, Sequoia Voting Systems.
As we said, Smartmatic's 2005 purchase of Sequoia caused some concern in the U.S., as described in Maloney's 2006 letter. In light of those concerns, Smartmatic sold Sequoia in 2007 to a holding company called SVS, which was made up of Sequoia's existing leadership.
Sequoia continued using some of Smartmatic's intellectual property in its voting machines, according to a lawsuit between Smartmatic and SVS over another issue. The 2008 court opinion that revealed the IP issue didn't explain what kind of IP, specifically, Sequoia was using or whether or to what extent it was related to software.
In 2010, Dominion purchased all of Sequoia's assets, including its "inventory and all intellectual property including software, firmware and hardware, for Sequoia's precinct and central count optical scan and DRE voting solutions," according to a press release Dominion issued at the time.
Dominion didn't respond to our request for comment, so we don't know whether Dominion used the IP or software that it purchased in that deal or, if it did, in what way. But, it's worth noting that this happened 10 years ago and any software that was purchased in the deal is likely outdated.
Another factor contributing to the perception that the companies are connected is a 2009 licensing agreement that allowed Smartmatic to use Dominion's technology related to "precinct count optical scan" machines in markets outside of the U.S. and Canada. The issue was made public in a lawsuit that followed a disagreement between the companies about which one could sell the technology to Puerto Rico.
But that's not proof of any kind of secret software sharing that would have an effect during this year's U.S. election, and it certainly doesn't prove anything about election fraud.
In fact, the joint statement from those who oversee U.S. elections said that "[t]he November 3rd election was the most secure in American history."
Editor's note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here.
This fact check is available at IFCN's 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here for more.
Kiely, Eugene, et al. "The Facts on Trump's Post-Election Legal Challenges." FactCheck.org. Updated 22 Nov 2020.
"TRUMP CAMPAIGN STATEMENT ON LEGAL TEAM." Donaldjtrump.com. 22 Nov 2020.
Press conference. Trump campaign legal team. 19 Nov 2020.
Fichera, Angelo and Saranac Hale Spencer. "Bogus Theory Claims Supercomputer Switched Votes in Election." FactCheck.org. 13 Nov 2020.
Smartmatic Corporation. Incorporation records. Florida Department of State. 11 Sep 2000.
Ellsworth, Brian. "A Crucial Vote for Venezuela and a Company." New York Times. 20 Jul 2004.
Wood v. Raffensperger. 1:20-cv-04651. U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Affidavit. 17 Nov 2020.
Kiely, Eugene. "Nothing Untoward About Counting Ballots After Election Day." FactCheck.org. 29 Oct 2020.
"Venezuelan Constitutional Referendum." Center for Strategic and International Studies. 12 Feb 2009.
Resolution on the results of the presidential recall referendum held in Venezuela on August 15, 2004. Organization of American States. 26 Aug 2004.
"Observing the Venezuela Presidential Recall Referendum — COMPREHENSIVE REPORT." The Carter Center. Feb 2005.
Smartmatic. Press release. "Smartmatic announces cease of operations in Venezuela." 6 Mar 2018.
Smartmatic. Press release. "Smartmatic Statement on the recent Constituent Assembly Election in Venezuela." 2 Aug 2017.
Maloney, Carolyn. Letter to Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. Maloney.house.gov. 6 Oct 2006.
Smartmatic. Press release. "Sequoia Voting Systems and Smartmatic combine to form a global leader." 9 Mar 2005.
Smartmatic. Press release. "Smartmatic announces the sale of its subsidiary Sequoia Voting Systems." 8 Nov 2007.
Maloney, Carolyn. Press release. "Smartmatic Announces Sale of Sequoia Voting Systems." 8 Nov 2007.
In re: Sequoia Voting Systems, Inc. Bankruptcy Case No.14-11360. Filed 11 Feb 2014.
VOTING TECHNOLOGIES IN USE BY COUNTY. California Secretary of State. 15 Oct 2020.
Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder/County Clerk. LA County Election Results. General Election, November 8, 2016. Accessed 24 Nov 2020.
Huseman, Jessica. "The Market for Voting Machines Is Broken. This Company Has Thrived in It." ProPublica. 28 Oct 2019.
Rieder, Rem. "Trump Tweets Conspiracy Theory About Deleted Votes." FactCheck.org. 13 Nov 2020.
"JOINT STATEMENT FROM ELECTIONS INFRASTRUCTURE GOVERNMENT COORDINATING COUNCIL & THE ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR COORDINATING EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES." Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. 12 Nov 2020.
Smartmatic Corp. v. SVS Holdings, Inc. and Sequoia VotingSystems, Inc. No. 3585-VCL. Delaware Court of Chancery. 24 Mar 2008.
Dominion Voting Systems. "Dominion Voting Systems Corporation Acquires Assets of Sequoia Voting Systems." 4 Jun 2010.
Smartmatic International Corporation v. Dominion Voting Systems International Corporation. C.A. No. 7844-VCP. Delaware Court of Chancery. 1 May 2013.
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Tag Archives: Mikhail Beketov
by hecksinductionhour | May 7, 2011 · 6:15 am
The Battle for the Khimki Forest (May 2011)
An appeal from Yaroslav Nikitenko (Movement to Defend the Khimki Forest):
Russia's Khimki Forest is not the peaceful place it used to be, back when it was a 200-year-old oak forest known for its ecological importance to the Moscow region.
Today, it is filled with the roar of bulldozers, and the screams of activists at night. For the last week, the Khimki Forest defenders, many of whom I have been corresponding with for 2 months, have been taking turns camping out to defend the forest from illegal cutting. Each night, they put their lives at risk and every day they have experienced escalating violence, including violent attacks by private security forces and unknown thugs. There have been injuries too—broken noses, head traumas—but it is not for naught. They have been somewhat successful in stopping the logging, at least temporarily. But that can change day by day.
It is a disturbing scene, as you can tell from news articles describing the violence published this week in outlets including AFP, Radio Free Europe, and The Moscow Times. I also encourage you to read Yaroslav Nikitenko's account of just one night in the forest, published on the Save Khimki Forest blog. The dramatic account begins:
"Dear all, as I suspected, many bad events happened. When it got dark, they turned on the harvester. They moved fast into the dip of the clearing. We ran after them from the camp. The securities did not let us go, they caught us by clothes and pushed us. But we went further and further, though slower. Then the harvester started to fell down the trees. We rushed through the guards to it. On a narrow place the guards stopped us again. We called Russian media, the members of the President Council, the deputies, and of course the police…."
More than 20,000 people have signed the Save Khimki Movement's petition in solidarity with these brave activists. If you have not heard about it already, you can read more about their background, their recent progress here, and then sign their petition.
They are targeting Vinci, the translational corporation that heads the construction concession that is working to destroy this forest to build a toll highway. Currently, in its demand for 100,000 Euros as a fee for construction delays, the company is directly contributing to the violence and attacks happening this week. As Mikhail Matveev, one of the movement's leaders says, "Thus, Vinci directly motivates perpetrators of the project to use all measure of pressing activists."
Please watch the video appeal filmed this week in the video section to learn more and sign and share the petition immediately.
Blog by Jess Leber on change.org
themoscownews.com
Khimki campaigners go to Paris
by Lidia Okorokova, 05/05/2011
The battle over the Khimki highway took a new turn this week as environmental activists petitioned French company Vinci's Paris headquarters and demanded that the FSB investigate who really owns the Russian contractor tearing down the forest.
Meanwhile, in Khimki Forest, a new summer protest season is now underway, as campaigners were attacked by private security guards, and one Greenpeace activist was beaten up. The demand for an investigation into possible corruption came as the Defend Khimki Forest campaign and international NGO Bankwatch published a report questioning who will profit from the $8 billion Moscow-St. Petersburg highway, which is one of Russia's first public-private partnerships in infrastructure.
The leader of the environmental campaigners, Yevgenia Chirikova, took a petition to the Paris headquarters of Vinci, the French company overseeing construction, and passed on the Bankwatch report to the Federal Security Service with a request that it investigate the web of offshore companies that stand behind the main Russian contractor, North West Concession Company.
The FSB's press service said it had "no such information" about a request from environmental activists. Vinci's Paris press office did not answer e-mailed questions by press time.
French-Russian joint venture
The complex structures surrounding Vinci's joint venture with Russian contractors are aimed at hiding the true beneficiaries of North-West Concession Company's lucrative contract, Pippa Gallop, a researcher from Bankwatch, told The Moscow News.
According to the report, North West Concession Company is 100-per cent owned by Vinci Concessions Russie SA Rueil Malmaison.
Vinci Concessions Russie SA Rueil Malmaison, together with Russian company N-Trans, established NWCC after the road was commissioned by the Russian government in 2008.
NWCC has recently reshuffled its top managers, with previous CEO Viktor Saveliev making way for Frenchman Pierre-Yves Estrade.
"We are in the transition period now and we are changing our CEO," NWCC spokesman Sergei Ilinsky told The Moscow News on Thursday.
Opaque ownership structure
According to Gallop, NWCC is linked to a series of opaque privately-held companies, several of which are registered in tax havens such as the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands and Cyprus.
Activists claim that this means large sums of Russian taxpayers' money, funnelled into the public-private partnership, are ending up in offshore accounts – with no reliable way of knowing who the ultimate beneficiaries are.
Environmentalists have been fighting against the project to build a highway through Khimki Forest since 2004, and see Bankwatch's report as more ammunition in their ongoing struggle.
But the Russian government insists that the highway is desperately needed to improve road infrastructure between the country's two biggest cities – and says the road should go ahead, regardless of whether it is destroying environmentally sensitive forests.
Petitioning Paris
Chirikova flew to Paris on May 2 to deliver Bankwatch's report and a petition of 20,000 signatures against the road's construction to a meeting of Vinci's shareholders.
She told The Moscow News that Russian eco-activists were now spreading their campaign internationally with the help of their European counterparts.
"The French are using our country to get even richer – it's clear that the law doesn't work here, therefore Vinci has all the means to receive even more money from this project," she said.
New protest camp
Chirikova said that, after half a year of trying to persuade authorities to change the route of the highway, she and other campaigners were now determined to fight on through a new protest camp at the construction site.
The camp was joined by local residents, representatives of Greenpeace, activists from the Left Front and Just Russia State Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov.
Activists managed to stop further works at the site with the help of Gudkov, who joined the campaigners and asked contractors for their permit papers, RIA Novosti reported.
Since the camp was set up this week, two activists were beaten up, with one having his nose broken, Chirikova told The Moscow News.
State highway company Avtodor had a complaint about the activists, however, alleging that "some of the activists set expensive tree-harvesting equipment on fire, which damaged it greatly," RIA Novosti reported.
Filed under activism, film and video, international affairs, open letters, manifestos, appeals, protests, Russian society
Tagged as Change.Org, Khimki Forest, Mikhail Beketov, Movement to Defend the Khimki Forest, Save Khimki Forest Movement, VINCI, Yaroslav Nikitenko, Yevgenia Chirikova
Vinci: Get Out of Khimki Forest!
"Ultimate Fighting in Khimki Forest," 19 April 2011, Khimki Forest, Moscow Region. Video by Oleg Kozyrev, special for Echo of Moscow Radio
Russian Anti-Corruption Movement, Backed By 20,000 Worldwide, Demands Major EU Corporation Pull Out of Illegal Forest Clearing
Before its annual shareholders meeting, individuals in 161 countries call on Vinci, one of the EU's largest corporations, to end its involvement in Moscow-St. Petersburg Highway project until human rights abuses and environmental destruction are addressed.
27 April 2011 — Russian activists leading one of their country's biggest protest movements in years are accusing Vinci, a Paris-based global construction firm, of complicity with human rights abuses and corruption perpetuated by government officials.
More than 20,000 people from 161 countries have signed their petition, started on the online social action platform Change.org, to denounce Vinci's involvement in the toll highway project through Khimki Forest. Supporters plan to present the petition at Vinci's annual shareholders meeting in Paris on May 2. They are asking Vinci to end its involvement in the project, unless Russian officials will reconsider several available alternative routes that go through industrial areas and would spare the legally protected forest land.
Police arrested and temporarily imprisoned 11 members of the Save Khimki Forest Movement last week as they peacefully protested ongoing illegal clearing in Khimki. Four days later security officers beat and robbed a local journalist on the scene. The ancient forest in the outskirts of Moscow is the site of an unlikely four-year battle to stop construction of a €1 billion toll highway through this forest.
Vinci, the only foreign firm involved in the concession deal to build the highway, is party to a new agreement that could allow construction of the controversial Khimki segment to proceed within weeks or even days.
The Save Khimki Forest Movement's campaign has, in just one month, become one of the most popular global petitions on Change.org and has garnered additional support from Avaaz, the largest activism community in the world, as well a number of civil society organizations throughout Europe. This week, protest actions are being held by supporters around the world, including in Moscow, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Bremen, Prague, Mexico City, Klin, and Khimki, before Vinci's shareholders meeting.
So far, Vinci has washed its hands of responsibility for the litany of documented abuses surrounding the project. In just one example, two journalists who exposed the corrupt officials involved were beaten badly in 2008 and 2010; one, Mikhail Beketov, is today in a wheelchair and unable to speak.
"We are asking Vinci to demand President Medvedev spare the forest and seriously address the abuses that have occurred. There are many alternative routes available. By doing nothing, Vinci will destroy a more than 200-year-old forest against the will of the Russian people,"said Khimki resident Yevgenia Chirikova, the leading figure of the movement. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden personally awarded her a "Woman of Courage" award in his visit to Russia this year.
"Sixty six percent of Russian citizens are against the project. But no one hears them. Vinci is also supporting outrageous corruption among our government officials that led to this selected route," said Yaroslav Nikitenko, one of the leading activists.
Their work to save Khimki Forest gained national momentum as it became symbolic of larger issues of corruption, human rights abuses and environmental degradation in Russia. Last summer, about 5,000 protesters demonstrated in Moscow, spurring President Medvedev to halt the project until he approved it again in December.
French MEP Michèle Rivasi, a member of Green-EFA Group, also called on Vinci to take action this week. "The battle for Khimki forest in Russia is a symbol for the green movement. Russian activists are not only fighting to protect their forest and their environment, they are also fighting against corruption, censorship, violation of laws and human rights, oppression against civil society… Since the beginning, this project has been done without any real public participation, what is going against essential and basic rules of democracy. The Green-EFA group in the European Parliament has supported them since the beginning, and it's particularly shocking to see a French company – Vinci – participating to this harmful project. I ask Russian authorities to stop violence against activists and Vinci to withdraw from this project," she said.
Vinci is holding its annual shareholders meeting in Paris on May 2, and this effort is timed as a last-ditch appeal to the corporation to take a stand before the old-growth Khimki Forest—an area ecologists say is crucial to the environmental health of Moscow—is lost forever.
Save Khimki Forest Movement (MOSCOW): Yaroslav Nikitenko
+7-916-743-3759, metst13@gmail.com, (Russian, English)
Save Khimki Forest Movement (MOSCOW): Yevgenia Chirikova
+7-925-500-8236, ecmoru@gmail.com, (Russian, English)
Change.org (WASHINGTON, D.C.): Jess Leber, Environmental Editor
+1-516-658-9606, jess@change.org (English)
Contact for French MEP Michèle Rivasi, Group of the Greens/European
Free Alliance (BRUSSELS):
Michele.rivasi@europarl.europa.eu
Contact for Vinci (PARIS):
Tel.: +33-1 47 16 45 39, +33-1 47 16 35 00
"The Police and Its Laws in Khimki Forest," 23 April 2011, Tolstoy Park, Khimki (Moscow Region). Video by Oleg Kozyrev, special for Echo of Moscow Radio
Filed under activism, film and video, open letters, manifestos, appeals, protests, Russian society
Tagged as Change.Org, Khimki Forest, Michèle Rivasi, Mikhail Beketov, Movement to Defend the Khimki Forest, Save Khimki Forest Movement, VINCI, Yaroslav Nikitenko, Yevgenia Chirikova
Save Khimki Forest: Stand with Russia's Human Rights and Environmental Activists
Take action to save Russia's Khimki Forest today.
Russian activists and journalists have survived beatings, arrests and intimidation during our campaign to save one of Moscow's last old-growth forests from destruction. Our movement to reroute the toll highway that would cut through Khimki Forest has become Russia's most inspiring and largest activist movements in a long time.
It is about more than just a forest.
We are fighting a legacy of corruption and bribery among government officials, law enforcement and industry that has allowed this project to move forward. Last year, after thousands of citizens protested in Moscow's center, we won a huge victory when President Dmitry Medvedev temporarily halted construction. One of our lead organizers, Yevgenia Chirikova, is a mother of two who lives in Khimki and who has bravely spearheaded this campaign since 2007 at direct risk to her family's safety.
Now construction is set to begin again.
As soon as this month, the French multinational construction company Vinci is authorized to begin the first phase of the highway.
This is the best chance for us to stop the project before construction crews arrive. We are turning to you to increase our international support.
Since the Russian government has failed us, we are targeting Vinci, which could make a huge profit from this project. It is the only Western company involved in the construction.
We are asking Vinci to end its involvement in the Moscow to St. Petersburg highway until an alternative route can be found that spares Khimki Forest.
We are also organizing an international week of action from April 24th to April 30th. We hope cities around the world will participate in demonstrations in solidarity. One action you can take to stand up for the environment and human rights in Russia is to support this petition.
Please sign now. You may also leave a personal message when you sign. And for more information on how to get involved email ecmoru@gmail.com or follow this Facebook page. Please tell us if you represent an environment or human rights group and want to sign a coalition letter of support.
Thank you, Save Khimki Forest Movement and Campaign for the Release of the Khimki Hostages
Petition Letter
Save Khimki Forest
I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with Vinci for its involvement in destroying Russia's Khimki Forest.
We are asking Vinci to live up to its UN Global Compact commitments. By joining the Compact, Vinci has committed to "support and respect internationally proclaimed human rights" and to make sure it is not "complicit in human rights abuses." One glance at the list of human rights abuses against Khimki Forest activists, and it is clear that Vinci is violating its compact with its involvement in the project.
Ecological nihilism and human rights abuses, including beatings, attacks on the forest defenders by people wearing Nazi symbolics, who were officially hired by the construction company, and unlawful arrests and intimidation, have occurred against activists who are protesting the plans.
As the only Western company involved in the highway building, I ask that you pull out of the project or refuse to begin construction until the Russian government chooses an alternative route and addresses the human rights abuses that have occurred.
Please go to www.change.org to sign the petition now!
Posted at 04:23 PM ET, 03/24/2011
One woman's fight to preserve a Russian forest
By William J. Dobson
Last summer I wrote an op-ed describing the unlikely battle between Yevgenia Chirikova and the Kremlin. Yevgenia is a young mother of two with no background in political activism, but over the past three years she has become one of Russia's most outspoken — and effective — environmental activists. This morning I received an e-mail from a member of her team telling me that Yevgenia's fight is now taking another nasty turn.
The fight is over the future of Khimki Forest, a dense oak forest that is supposed to be an environmentally protected green space under Russian federal law. Nearly 10 years ago, Yevgenia and her husband moved to Khimki — a small suburban community outside of Moscow — to raise a family. While on maternity leave with her second daughter, Yevgenia unexpectedly found signs posted in the forest indicating that the oaks were to be clear cut. She later learned that the minister of transportation, Igor Levitin, along with local officials, intended to bulldoze the forest — in contravention of Russian law — in order to build a motorway that would connect Moscow and St. Petersburg, with a loop to Sheremetyevo Airport. These officials stand to benefit handsomely from the road's construction. (According to a Russian anti-corruption group, new roads in Russia cost roughly $237 million a kilometer; in the United States, it is about $6 million for the same distance.) When Yevgenia raised objections to the project, Russian officials told her to mind her own business.
She didn't. Instead, she began to talk to people in her community, organize rallies and stage protests. The authorities did not welcome her involvement. Members of her group, In Defense of Khimki, were threatened, harassed and intimidated. Mikhail Beketov, a local journalist and member of the movement, was brutally attacked outside his home. Left for dead, Beketov suffered permanent brain damage and is now confined to a wheelchair. But, at this moment, because of Yevgenia's efforts and those who have joined the fight, Khimki Forest remains.
But the regime is now employing new tactics. If it can't scare Yevgenia into submission, then it will put pressure on the people she loves. This morning I received e-mails from Yaroslav Nikitenko and Ivan Smirnov, members of In Defense of Khimki. They described how the new pressure point for the regime has become Yevgenia's family — specifically her husband and two daughters.
Recently, representatives of the municipal department of guardianship "dropped by" to check on Yevgenia's apartment. The officials alleged that they had received a letter from one of her neighbors claiming that she "beats" and "starves" her daughters, Liza and Sasha. The charges are absurd. Afraid that they would attempt to take her children from her, Yevgenia refused to open her door. Later, the department admitted that none of her neighbors had written such a letter, brushing off the whole encounter as simply their "duty" to check on the children.
On March 16, one day after Yevgenia led a protest calling for the minister of transportation's removal, officials paid a visit to her husband's company, en electrical engineering firm called EZOP. Her husband, Mikhail Matveev, founded the company years ago. Even though the police brought no charges with them, they raided his office, interrogated him and several of his employees, and seized company documents and paperwork. Mikhail had already learned that the authorities were calling his clients, alleging that there was a criminal case against him (when there is in fact none). Nor was the raid a complete surprise. A few days earlier, someone had left a comment on the In Defense of Khimki Web site, writing, "We'll raid your company EZOP in the nearest future, prepare your papers!" It is clear to Yevgenia and her husband that this harassment is payback for her unwillingness to stop fighting.
The battle to save Khimki Forest may be about to enter another chapter. The government and business interests behind the construction project claim that they will begin cutting down the oaks in late April. In the meantime, Yevgenia and her supporters intend to hold protests and rallies to raise awareness that the construction crews are coming. They also intend to put public pressure on the French construction company Vinci, the only Western business group that supports this highway project.
Last April, when I first met Yevgenia, she took me on a walk in these woods that she is fighting to protect. It was clear to me that she now sees her activism as something much bigger than simply defending Khimki Forest; she sees it as a struggle against an authoritarian system that runs roughshod over its citizens. While we were walking through the forest, I asked if she was ever afraid that the authorities would try to harm her. After what had happened to Mikhail Beketov, it was an obvious question. She told me that if she thought about it too much she would go crazy. "My tactic is complete openness," she told me. "Whatever I undertake, I try to somehow to reflect it or publish it in all kinds of media." Yevgenia believes that the more people know about her and her fight, the harder it will be for the authorities to strike out in violence. It isn't a guarantee, but she knows that it is easier for the regime to harm those who remain in the shadows.
If you are curious to know more about In Defense of Khimki Forest, you can find them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/khimki.forest). Also, look for the petition they plan to issue on Change.org next week.
Near the end of our walk, she said, "If something bad happens to me, then my activity was not useless. Other people will continue, and it will be impossible to make people shut up." Hopefully, people will raise their voices sooner, not later.
Filed under activism, open letters, manifestos, appeals, Russian society
Tagged as Campaign for the Release of the Khimki Hostages, Igor Levitin, Khimki Forest, Mikhail Beketov, Movement to Defend the Khimki Forest, VINCI, Yaroslav Nikitenko, Yevgenia Chirikova
by hecksinductionhour | January 9, 2011 · 4:36 pm
January 19 Committee: Call for Antifascist Demonstration, January 19, Moscow
http://19jan.ru/
Call for Antifascist Demonstration, January 19, 2011, Moscow
January 19, 2011 will mark the second anniversary of the murders of two antifascists, lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova. They were murdered in Moscow in broad daylight, shot in the head by a gunman.
The murders were brazen and demonstrative. Although from the outset various explanations were given for the murders (as a lawyer, Markelov had handled cases in Chechnya, both against the federal forces who tortured and murdered Chechen civilians, and the Chechen leadership, who are suspected of kidnapping and murdering people; he had also represented journalist Mikhail Beketov, who was nearly beaten to death in autumn 2008, in his court battle with Khimki mayor Vladimir Strelchenko), Stas and Nastya's comrades in the antifascist movement assumed that neo-Nazis had been involved. For it had been Stanislav Markelov who had pressured law enforcement authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the murder, in the spring of 2006, of the young antifascist Alexander Riukhin. It was thanks to Markelov's efforts that the authorities were unable to sweep this case under the rug or drop it altogether. It was thanks to his persistence that police investigators not only came up with a list of suspects, but also brought the case to court. Half of the people involved in Alexander's murder were arrested and convicted for the crime, while the rest were placed on the federal wanted list.
Today, we have almost no doubts that law enforcement authorities have Stas and Nastya's real murderer in custody, along with his female accomplice. Their court trial should begin soon. These two people are neo-Nazis, and one of them is in fact one of the people who was involved in the fatal attack on Alexander Riukhin but was not found by the authorities after being placed on the wanted list.
The murderers have been apprehended, their trial will soon begin. Does that mean society can breathe a sigh of relief?
No, it does not.
Dozens of less publicized racist murders take place in our country every year. The victims of these murders are Russian citizens of non-Slavic appearance as well as immigrants from former Soviet republics and former Soviet allies. S0viet-era international solidarity (whether fictitious or real) has been replaced by ethnic intolerance, by hatred towards people who are different, who speak a different language, whose eyes are differently shaped, whose hair and skin are a different color.
As a rule, we don't remember the names of these victims of neo-Nazi terror. Often we don't even learn their names: the press merely informs us that someone has murdered a citizen of Uzbekistan, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, an Azerbaijani, an Armenian, an immigrant from Vietnam, a refugee from Afghanistan. We do not see their faces or the faces of their grieving relatives. It as if they pass anonymous into nonexistence, inhabiting our consciousness for the several seconds it takes us to read this terrifying news on our computer screens or in the pages of a newspaper.
But in fact none of the people who have died at the hands of neo-Nazis murderers is nameless. None of these people was born in a test tube, bereft of pain, reason, love, attachments, and hope. All of these people were brought into this world by mothers. Each of them had families and friends, people whom they cared about and who cared about them.
This problem, which was long ignored both by Russian society and the Russian authorities, was raised only by the local ethnic communities of the murder victims and by young antifascists, the same people whom lawyer Stanislav Markelov had befriended and defended, the same people in whose ranks journalist Anastasia Baburova (who herself had immigrated from Simferopol, in the Crimea, to Moscow) had stood.
A year ago, on the eve of the first anniversary of Stas and Nastya's murders, people who had known them united together in the January 19 Committee to commemorate their lives and deaths in a worthy manner, and say a decisive "no!" to neo-Nazi terror. The members of the committee belong to different parts of the Russian social movement, and they have different views of our country's present and future. And yet on January 19, 2010, they joined around 1,500 other people in an antifascist demonstration in downtown Moscow, braving minus twenty degree weather and active interference on the part of the Moscow police. The demonstrators included both people who frequently protest against the authorities and people who might not have taken part in public protests since the perestroika era. These people were joined by folks who had never participated in a demonstration before: society had begun to recognize the problem of neo-Nazi terror, and caring people were moved to act whatever their age, social status, profession, sex, and so on. The march was joined by students and pensioners, confident middle-aged professionals and poor people who had lost hope of making it, members of the intelligentsia and young workers, all kinds of different people. What united them was a troubled conscience, an intolerance of neo-Nazi murders, and shame for their country and city, a city in which such medieval monstrosities have nearly become a norm of daily life.
As we see now, a year later, this protest was more than timely. It is possible that it happened too late. In any case, the events of December 11–15 in Moscow and other Russian cities have proven that neo-Nazism has not been cowed. Extreme right-wing ideas have struck a chord with large numbers of young people, and these masses of young people, who were badly educated and poorly brought up during the years of the Yeltsin-Putin stagnation, are willing to engage in violence. The half-forgotten, moth-balled Russian word pogrom was heard again: the crowd on Manezh Square was on the point of starting a genuine pogrom, and the crowd that gathered outside Kiev Station four days later was prepared to engage in fighting, stabbing, beating, and shooting.
During those same days, people also asked where the antifascists had been. Why hadn't they tried to confront the raging neo-Nazis? There are several possible answers to this question. First, why don't you try to stand in the way of a crowd like that yourself? Second, try organizing resistance to an aggressive crowd of neo-Nazis, people who think nothing about murdering and beating other people, when you have become the target of a harassment campaign (if not a witch hunt) on the part of the authorities. These were the conditions faced by Russia's youth antifascist movement during the second half of 2010. Police searches, police dragnets at concerts, arrests, and violent interrogations by police who wanted to force testimony from them: this was what being antifa meant in 2010, not educational work amongst young people, cultural events, publishing literature, and even the martial arts and football tournaments that young antifascists had still been able to organize in 2009.
Sensing that the young antifascists were a rising force, the state has thrown the entire weight of its police apparatus against them. Meanwhile, neo-Nazis have been holding their legally sanctioned Russian Marches, convening round tables and posing for journalists in expensive hotels, and continuing to murder the defenseless – janitors, petty laborers, teenagers. While the state was unleashing its dragnet against the antifa, the neo-Nazis were trying to go respectable, to show the authorities and the business world that they could be a source of "order" during a complicated economic and political situation, that they were capable both of doing the dirty work and putting on a fashion show in well-ironed shirts and ties.
This fashion show crystallized on Manezh Square in early December. Judging by the absence of real measures to find and punish the people who organized that riot, certain high-ranking Kremlin officials found it to their liking.
Given this situation, the January 19 Committee declares the need for all people opposed to Russia's slide into the abyss of nationalism to unite and organize solidarity actions. We live in a huge country, and we are all different. Our country is divided by contradictions, arguments, and discrepancies, and at the end of the day we aren't obliged to like each other. But we are united on one point: Nazism, which in the twentieth century brought incalculable suffering to our country and other countries of Europe, Asia, and the Americas, is once again blazing a bloody trail. It is too late to say that it must not rise again. It is already rising again, and now we have to talk about how to stop it.
We call on all honest people, people who value the ideals of freedom and justice and just plain normal life in our country, people of different nationalities, religious confessions, convictions, and guiding principles, to join us in an antifascist demonstration in Moscow and other Russian cities.
This will not simply be a memorial action to remember the dead – Stas Markelov, Nastya Baburova, and many, many others. January 19, 2011 must become a day of determination, a day of protest, a day of struggle against the fascist threat in Russia.
Demonstrators in Moscow will gather at 7:00 p.m. on January 19, 2011, at the Timiryazev Monument (near the Nikitsky Gates at the beginning of Tverskaya Boulevard). We will have more information about the route of the demonstration and slogans in the coming days. Check for updates at the January 19 Committee web site: http://19jan.ru.
Stop neo-Nazi terror! Save Russia from the ultra right-wing threat!
As long as we're united we can never be defeated!
—The January 19 Committee
Filed under activism, anti-racism, anti-fascism, open letters, manifestos, appeals, protests, racism, nationalism, fascism, Russian society
Tagged as Alexander Riukhin, Anastasia Baburova, January 19 Committee, Manezh Square, Mikhail Beketov, Moscow race riots, neo-fascism, neo-Nazism, political terror in Russia, Russian antifa, Stanislav Markelov
by hecksinductionhour | November 25, 2010 · 8:47 am
Flowers for Mikhail Beketov
Editor's Note. Below, you will find a call made by a friend of our platform, artist Nika Dubrovsky, to participate in a very worthy initiative in support of Mikhail Beketov, the independent Khimki journalist who was left severely crippled after he was attacked by unknown assailants two years ago. Nika's initiative has been under way for a while and formally wraps up on Saturday, but everyone should feel free to write to her (at her blogs, listed below) to express their support or, better yet, donate money the Beketov assistance fund to pay for a rose or for his continuing medical treatment.
http://nika.x-31.com/blog/2010/11/19/tsvety-dlya-mikhaila-beketova
http://nikadubrovsky.livejournal.com/783642.html
Friends!
At 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 27, we are going to give roses to Mikhail Beketov. The flowers will be given to him by Rada (Rada & Ternovnik) and several LiveJournal users (if anyone wants to join them, write! For the time being we have only two people who are in Moscow).
After long deliberations and conversations, it has been decided that the money should be sent directly to the account of the Fund to Assist the Journalist Mikhail Beketov. For the time being, the fund only has a bank account (in rubles and euros) and a Yandex Money account ( 41001783925783 mbeketov-fond).
Over the course of the next two days, the fund's volunteers will add a Web Money account and will also add a special page where the names (or usernames) of all users who participate in the flower action will be entered daily.
Therefore, when you send money, don't forget to immediately send a letter to the fund's e-mail address: spravdoy.pressa@gmail.com. The volunteer handling this is named Vika. She has informed us that she will reply to all letters; if you do not receive a reply, send your letter again.
While the fund still does not have a PayPal account, I will provide my own: paypal.de@x-31.com. I will account for the payments made and publish the nicknames (or surnames) of the people who support Beketov. You should also send me an e-mail (nika@x-31.com) with your surname or username.
All the money collected will be taken to a flower shop that has agreed to roses from suburban Moscow at the cost of one euro per rose.
Each flower will bear a little name tag ("To Mikhail Beketov from…"). For us, the principle one rose-one person is important.
Our action is first and foremost an expression of our disagreement with the court that ruled that the crippled Beketov was guilty of slander. The flowers are signatures on a petition to the authorities, as well as a sign of respect and support for Beketov.
After my first post, some people offered their help in organizing the action, while other, indignant users demanded that the money be gathered not for flowers, but for food or a wheelchair.
It is my opinion that the Beketov fund definitely needs money. Beketov will soon be visited by a German doctor, who will arrange to continue Beketov's medical treatments in Germany.
Everyone who feels that one euro for a flower is a blow to their budget can transfer one euro to the fund's account with the note "not for flowers." But, since we are on the topic, you could also send one euro for a flower, along with another ten euros for food and to pay for medical treatments.
However, we should remember that Beketov was not crippled by random hooligans. While we worry about how to spend our hard-earned euro, the people who commissioned this crime not only are still at large, but they also continue to engage in robbery. Even a superficial search in the Internet turns up evidence about the millions of euros received through kickbacks, bribes, and threats to foreign and Russian companies.
It's a good thing that the Union of Journalists has awarded Mikhail Beketov a medal for bravery, but why can't the authorities give him a worthy pension for the rest of his life and pay all his current and future medical bills?
A thousand roses at one euro each might give voice to this demand. That same thousand euros, if spent on his medical treatments, will disappear almost instantly.
Please donate one euro and (or) link to this post and (or) write your own post.
If you do not have money or a way of sending money, but you are also in solidarity with Mikhail Beketov, leave your username or name in the comments. I am certain that people will come forward who will send in 2, 3, 5 or 10 euros and will be glad to inscribe you at their own expense. That is the point of "one euro, one flower": so that we can pay for each other.
This is how we will win.
Filed under activism, open letters, manifestos, appeals, political repression, protests, Russian society
Tagged as Flowers for Mikhail Beketov, Khimki, Mikhail Beketov, Nika Dubrovsky, repression of journalists Russia
by hecksinductionhour | November 13, 2010 · 3:21 pm
Bring the Noise! (November 14, Moscow, Chistye Prudy)
Two years ago a wave of terror against social activists and journalists rolled over Russia. Newspaper editor and activist Mikhail Beketov was severely beaten in Khimki. In Moscow, persons unknown attacked sociologist and activist Carine Clément. In Vsevolozhsk (Leningrad Region), independent trade union leader Alexei Etmanov was also attacked by unknown assailants on multiple occasions. In Yakutia, trade union activist Valentin Urusov was framed by local police on a drugs charge, tried, and sentenced to several years in prison. In response to this terror, social activists held a demonstration at Chistye Prudy in Moscow that was attended by a few hundred people.
Two years have passed. Police have still not identified and arrested the people who assaulted Beketov, Clément, and Etmanov. Valentin Urusov is still serving time in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Today we are witnessing a repeat of the events of two years ago. Environmentalist Konstantin Fetisov has been severely beaten in Khimki. Unknown assailants have attacked and severely beaten journalist Oleg Kashin. The authorities are trying to frame antifascist activists for crimes they did not commit. In Zhukovsky, thugs beat up journalist Anatoly Adamchuk.
We believe that these new tragedies are the result of apathy in our society, which two years ago was unable to force authorities to find and punish the guilty parties in those dark events. The time has come to put an end to this, for if this time the criminals are not found, the atmosphere of impunity will untie the hands of all other scumbags once and for all. Instead of being shocking exceptions, these acts of terror will become a matter of everyday practice.
At 2:00 p.m. on November 14 we ask you to come join us at Chistye Prudy in Moscow. We realize that there is no point in long speeches. It is unlikely that anyone can learn something new, something that has not been published in the Internet. And so we suggest that you bring with you anything that can make a lot of noise as a symbol of your rage and indignation.
Silence and calm is exactly the reaction aimed for by those who jail, cripple, and murder people who disagree with the existing order.
http://khimkibattle.org/
http://www.ecmo.ru/
Filed under activism, film and video, open letters, manifestos, appeals, political repression, protests, Russian society, trade unions
Tagged as Alexei Etmanov, Alexei Gaskarov, Anatoly Adamchuk, Carine Clément, Konstantin Fetisov, Maxim Solopov, Mikhail Beketov, Oleg Kashin, political terror in Russia, Russian police state, Valentin Urusov
by hecksinductionhour | October 31, 2010 · 2:04 pm
Global Action Days 2.0 in Solidarity with Gaskarov and Solopov
November 12–15, 2010: New International Days of Action
We Demand that the Russian Authorities Close the Khimki Case and Drop All Charges against Alexei Gaskarov and Maxim Solopov
In late October 2010, Russian social activists Alexei Gaskarov and Maxim Solopov were released from police custody on their own recognizance by the Khimki Municipal Court. They had been arrested a day after a protest in defense of the Khimki Forest on July 28, 2010. Now they are free pending trial, but the criminal case against them has not been closed. They have been formally charged with disorderly conduct, and if convicted, they could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison. The dates of their trials have not been set, but meanwhile prosecutors are demanding that Alexei and Maxim be returned to police custody. Aside from Alexei and Maxim, there are two other people who have been charged in the case, and prosecutors might bring charges against even more people in the very new future. Since Alexei and Maxim were arrested in late July, police investigators have been stubbornly fabricating arrest protocols, evidence, and eyewitness testimony and using force to extract statements from the hundreds of people they have hunted down and detained. What will happen to all these thick case files filled with fabrications? They will form the basis of the prosecution's case in court. And so the fact that Alexei and Maxim have now been released from jail is not the end of the battle but a signal that we must continue to act decisively on their behalf. We will not allow the authorities to cover up the illegal destruction of the forest and the persecution of its defenders with the soiled robes of counterfeit justice. We will force the authorities to close the Khimki Case and drop charges against all activists!
Alexei Gaskarov
Why do the Russian authorities insist on turning activists into criminals and demanding prison sentences for them? For the same reason that they have either not launched or halted investigations into the near-fatal beating of journalist Mikhail Beketov, the murder of newspaper worker Sergei Protazanov, and the numerous attacks on Khimki residents. The policemen who beat up environmentalists defending the forest and arrested people participating in legal pickets have not been punished. The police investigators who tortured witnesses in the Khimki Case have not been punished. Can we expect fair trials for Alexei and Maxim when we have witnessed lawlessness and injustice so many times? Khimki judges have on numerous occasions shown all of us that we cannot count on their respect for the law and common sense. We demand that the case be closed!
Maxim Solopov
The protest action that took place in Khimki on July 28, 2010, was a response to the lawlessness and violence perpetrated against local residents, journalists, and activists. It was a highly emotional response to the fact that all previous protests had not just been ignored by the authorities but had been cruelly suppressed. As a result of this protest, the Russian authorities began heeding the voice of the forest's defenders. The campaign to defend the forest caught this gust of hot July wind and continued to act using other means. The authorities must end their persecution of the people who took part in this protest and the forest defenders. All charges against Alexei Gaskarov, Maxim Solopov, and other activists must be dropped.
1. During the international days of action on November 12–15, 2010, hold eye-catching protest actions in your cities at official political and cultural events organized by the Russian authorities as well as outside Russian Federation embassies and consulates. Demand to meet with official Russian representatives and give them your petitions. Any Russian company, product or event can be a successful occasion for your protests.
2. Send faxes to the Khimki Municipal Court (+7-495-572-8314), the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office (+7-495-621-5006) and the President of the Russian Federation (+7-495-606-2464), demanding that the case be closed and all charges against Alexei Gaskarov, Maxim Solopov, and other activists dropped.
3. Continue to send letters to such international organizations as the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, and the UN, asking them to investigate the abuses by Russian authorities and intervene in the case. You can find contact information for these organizations here: http://khimkibattle.org/?p=650.
4. Work to get articles published in your local and national media that will inform the broader public about the case of the Khimki hostages and the new threats to civil liberties and the rule of law in Russia. Invite neighbors, friends, and colleagues to your solidarity actions in support of Alexei and Maxim, and ask them to join you in demanding that this fabricated criminal case be closed.
Send information about your solidarity actions as well as copies of letters, faxes, and media publications to our e-mail address: info@khimkibattle.org
Campaign for the Release of the Khimki Hostages
E-mail: info@khimkibattle.org
Website: http://khimkibattle.org
*Photos courtesy of Anna Artemieva (Novaya Gazeta), via Vlad Tupikin.
Filed under activism, anti-racism, anti-fascism, open letters, manifestos, appeals, political repression, protests, Russian society
Tagged as Alexei Gaskarov, Khimki Forest, Khimki Hostages, khimkibattle.org, Maxim Solopov, Mikhail Beketov, Movement to Defend the Khimki Forest, Russian police state, Sergei Protazanov


text:
S. Illinois
9:36 PM PT10:36 PM MT11:36 PM CT12:36 AM ET5:36 AM GMT1:36 PM 北京时间10:36 PM MST12:36 AM EST, Nov 24, 2018
Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada Attendance: 3,400
The Latest: S. Illinois tops Tulsa 79-69
(AP Photo/Chase Stevens)
LAS VEGAS (AP) The Latest on the Las Vegas Invitational (all times local):
Eric McGill scored 14 points and Aaron Cook added 13 to lead Southern Illinois to a 79-69 win over Tulsa in the consolation game of the Las Vegas Invitational on Friday night.
Sean Lloyd had 11 points for the Salukis (3-3), who shot 57 percent from the field, including 11 of 18 from 3-point range.
Martins Igbanu led Tulsa (4-2) with 15 points and five rebounds. Scott Curran had 11 points.
Neither team built more than a six-point lead for the first 30 minutes before the Salukis took charge with a 61-51 lead with 6:32 left. The Golden Hurricane cut it to five later on two occasions, but came no closer as Southern Illinois' lead grew to as many as 12 with 2:09 remaining.
There were eight lead changes and four ties as Southern Illinois earned a split in their two Las Vegas games and Tulsa went 0-2.
This was part of a second Las Vegas Invitational on Friday at the Orleans Arena. Nevada won the championship game over Massachusetts earlier.
Caleb Martin scored 29 points, Tre'Shawn Thurman added 22 points and eight rebounds, and No. 6 Nevada beat Massachusetts 110-87 in the Las Vegas Invitational's second championship game on Friday.
Martin, who was named the tournament MVP, finished 9 of 15 from the field and 6 of 10 from 3-point range.
Cody Martin had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Wolf Pack (6-0), and Jordan Caroline had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Nevada shot 62 percent from the field, including 11 of 22 from 3-point range.
Luwane Pipkins led the Minutemen (4-2) with 30 points and seven rebounds, while Keon Clergeot added 12 as five Massachusetts players reached double digits.
Massachusetts hung tough in the first half as Nevada could only build a five-point lead in the first 13 minutes. The Wolf Pack stretched it out to 56-49 by halftime and built their largest lead by game's end.
The tournament featured separate brackets and crowned two champions. No. 11 Michigan State beat Texas in the other title game.
Joshua Langford scored 29 points, Cassius Winston had 20 points and 10 assists, and No. 11 Michigan State beat Texas 78-68 in the Las Vegas Invitational championship game on Friday.
Langford was 5 of 6 from 3-point range. Winston, who was named the tournament MVP, also had five rebounds for the Spartans (5-1), who trailed 25-6 eight minutes into the game.
Texas' Kerwin Roach II, the hero in Thursday's upset of No. 7 North Carolina, led with 15 points and five assists. Dylan Osetkowski and Matt Coleman III each had 13 points for the Longhorns (5-1).
After that early Texas lead, the Spartans cut it to 44-36 at halftime. Michigan State took the lead for the first time on Langford's 3-pointer with 15:26 remaining and went ahead for good on a 3-pointer by Winston 1:19 later.
Michigan State slowly built its lead to 71-59 with 3:32 remaining. The Spartans shot 55 percent from the field in the second half.
Coby White had 19 points and eight assists, Luke Maye added 16 points and eight rebounds and No. 7 North Carolina beat No. 17 UCLA 94-78 in the consolation game of the Las Vegas Invitational on Friday.
Kenny Williams scored 15 points as five Tar Heels reached double figures and North Carolina (6-1) settled for a split in its Las Vegas trip.
Kris Wilkes led UCLA (4-2) with 22 points as he converted 7 of 10 from the field.
Thanks to 57 percent shooting in the second half, North Carolina, which trailed early, took the lead for good on a dunk by Nassir Little with 11:58 left in the game that made it 63-62.
UCLA freshman center Moses Brown fouled out with 7:40 left. He finished with seven points and four rebounds.
North Carolina now leads the all-time series 9-3 in a game between teams that have combined for 18 national championships.
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25


Professional money turning bearish. But the smart money...?
WITH stock markets rising this New Year, it's natural for gold prices to struggle, writes Adrian Ash at BullionVault.
Bond-market interest rates have also crept higher, just about offering a positive yield after you account for inflation.
But as the latest Gold Investor Index from BullionVault shows, a growing number of self-directed investors continue to lose patience with central-bank policy. It's hard to see that changing with household deposit rates near zero and the debt crisis still so far from resolved.
The Gold Investor Index measures the balance of buyers and sellers on BullionVault, the online exchange where live trading in physical gold is settled instantly in the user's choice of New York, London or Zurich vaults.
A reading of 50 would a perfect match betweent the number of people buying and the number of people selling. The index peaked at 71.7 in September 2011.
And last month it dropped from 54.9 in January to 54.4 – virtually the same level as in February 2012.
So despite an increasingly bearish outlook amongst professional money managers, private individuals are continuing to feel positive about gold as an investment option. Nor did February see any reduction in BullionVault users' combined holdings, still at 32.9 tonnes and larger than the gold reserves at most of the world's central banks.
In short, households across Western Europe and North America – where 89.6% of BullionVault's 45,000 users live – show less confidence in the wider economy than Wall Street or the City.