text:
Die Wahl zur 19. Bremischen Bürgerschaft fand am 10. Mai 2015 statt. Die Bremische Bürgerschaft ist das Landesparlament des Zwei-Städte-Staates Freie Hansestadt Bremen. Die stadtbremischen Abgeordneten bilden in der Regel (Ausnahmen siehe Abschnitt Wahlberechtigung) die Stadtbürgerschaft – die kommunale Volksvertretung der Stadtgemeinde Bremen. Außerdem wurden in der Stadt Bremen die Beiräte und in Bremerhaven die Stadtverordnetenversammlung gewählt. Trotz Verlusten bildete die SPD mit den Grünen zum dritten Mal in Folge die Regierungskoalition.

Wahlberechtigung
Wahlberechtigt zur Wahl der Bürgerschaft ist jeder Deutsche, der seit mindestens drei Monaten seinen festen Wohnsitz in Bremen hat. Das Alter für die aktive Wahlberechtigung beträgt seit der Bürgerschaftswahl 2011 16 Jahre. Das passive Wahlrecht wird mit dem Erreichen der Volljährigkeit erlangt. Bürger aus Mitgliedsstaaten der EU sind nur für die Wahl zur Stadtbürgerschaft und zu den Beiräten zugelassen. Daher kann die Stadtbürgerschaft in Bremen anders zusammengesetzt sein als der stadtbremische Teil des Landtags. Das war nach dieser Wahl wie in der 16. und 17. Bürgerschaft wieder der Fall.

Wahlsystem
Die Städte Bremen und Bremerhaven bilden zwei getrennte Wahlbereiche mit verschiedenen Wahllisten und separater Anwendung der Fünf-Prozent-Hürde. Eine Partei oder Wählervereinigung zieht daher in die Bürgerschaft ein, wenn sie mindestens in einem Wahlbereich mindestens fünf Prozent der Stimmen erhält. Seit 2011 gilt in Bremen ein Wahlsystem, bei dem jeder Wahlberechtigte fünf Stimmen auf Listen bzw. darin verzeichnete Bewerber verteilen (Kumulieren und Panaschieren) kann.

Modellprojekt in leichter Sprache
Die Wahlbenachrichtigungen für die Bürgerschaftswahl 2015 wurden auch in leichter Sprache verfasst. Ebenso wurden Musterstimmzettel mit einem Begleitschreiben in leichter Sprache verschickt. Zur Begründung sagte Innensenator Ulrich Mäurer (SPD): "Alle klagen über die niedrige Wahlbeteiligung, aber wenn man daran etwas ändern will, muss man auch was tun". Im Jahr 2012 hatte die CDU ein Modellprojekt zur Einbindung von Menschen gefordert, für die "auch Texte der Bremischen Bürgerschaft schwer zu verstehen" seien. Das "Büro für Leichte Sprache" der "Lebenshilfe", das außer den amtlichen Wahlunterlagen auch die Wahlprogramme von SPD und Grünen entsprechend übersetzt hatte, verkündete ein "wegweisendes Projekt, mit dem Bremen in die Annalen der Geschichte eingehen" werde. Ebenso legte die Linkspartei eine Wahlbroschüre in leichter Sprache vor.

Ein Bildungsexperte der Universität Bremen bewertete den Ansatz dieses Projektes als "bildungsfeindlich". Hinter dem Dienstleistungsangebot – vom "Büro für Leichte Sprache" übersetzt wurden etwa Webseiten für Bürgermeister, Rathaus und Statistisches Landesamt – verberge sich "Klientelismus". Die vorgenommenen "verfälschenden" Vereinfachungen führten "in die Irre", läsen sich "wie Parodien auf behinderte Menschen" und seien damit "schlimmer als Realsatire". Arbeitslosenvertreter kritisierten, es liege nicht an "Bildungsferne", wenn insbesondere Hartz-IV-Beziehende sich ausgegrenzt und schlecht vertreten fühlten und nicht mehr zur Wahl gingen. Der Senat dürfe aber nicht "erst bei der Bildung sparen, dann den Staatsbürger mit Deppendeutsch ansprechen". An der "historisch niedrigen" Wahlbeteiligung gab Kanzlerin Merkel SPD und Grünen die Hauptschuld. Bürgermeister Böhrnsen trat nach dem "schlechtesten Wahlergebnis der SPD aller Zeiten" trotz knapp verteidigter Mehrheit zurück.

Ausgangssituation

Mit der Bürgerschaftswahl 2011 wurde die seit 2007 bestehende rot-grüne Koalition fortgesetzt. Die SPD kam insgesamt auf 38,6 % (Wahlbereich Bremen: 39,3 % und im Wahlbereich Bremerhaven 34,3 %) und verzeichnete einen Zugewinn von 1,9 Prozentpunkten. Die Grünen konnten ihr Ergebnis mit Zugewinnen von 6,0 Prozentpunkten auf 22,5 % steigern. Einen Stimmenrückgang von 5,2 Prozentpunkten verzeichnete die CDU. Sie erreichte 20,4 %. Die Linke konnte die Fünf-Prozent-Hürde nur im Wahlbereich Bremen überschreiten und kam insgesamt auf 5,6 %, bei Verlusten von 2,8 Prozentpunkten. Auch die BIW konnte mit 3,7 % erneut in die Bürgerschaft einziehen, bei einem Zugewinn von 2,9 Prozentpunkten. Sie überwand die Fünf-Prozent-Hürde wie bei der vorherigen Wahl nur im Wahlbereich Bremerhaven, wo sie auf 7,1 % kam. Die FDP verzeichnete einen Stimmenrückgang von 3,6 Prozentpunkten und kam auf 2,4 %. Sie verpasste den erneuten Einzug in die Bürgerschaft in beiden Wahlbereichen. Den Einzug in die Bürgerschaft verpassten die erstmals angetretene Piratenpartei mit 1,9 % und die NPD mit 1,6 %. Alle übrigen Parteien kamen auf jeweils weniger als 1 % der Stimmen.

Die SPD verlor 2013 einen ihrer ursprünglich 36 Sitze durch den Wechsel von Martin Korol, Nachrücker für die verstorbene Renate Möbius, zu den BIW, die dadurch einen Sitz hinzugewannen.

Die Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) trat erstmals zu einer Bürgerschaftswahl in Bremen an. Bei der Bundestagswahl 2013 waren auf die AfD im Land Bremen 3,7 % der Zweitstimmen entfallen, bei der Europawahl 2014 hatte sie 5,8 % der Stimmen erreicht.

Kandidaturen

Wahlvorschläge konnten von Parteien und Wählervereinigungen eingereicht werden. Folgende Parteien wurden zur Wahl zugelassen:

Parteien und Wählervereinigungen, die nicht im Deutschen Bundestag oder in der Bürgerschaft aufgrund eigener Wahlvorschläge vertreten waren (alle außer SPD, CDU, Grüne, Linke und BiW), mussten ihre Beteiligung bis zum 2. Februar 2015 beim Landeswahlleiter anzeigen. Sie mussten weiter bis zum 2. März 2015 die Unterstützungsunterschriften von 1 Promille der Wahlberechtigten vorlegen.

Die Kreusel Partei Hude-Wüsting hatte eine Beteiligungsanzeige eingereicht, wurde aber aus formalen Gründen nicht anerkannt. Die vier Tage verspätet eingereichte Beteiligungsanzeige der Sustainable Union (SU) wurde zurückgewiesen. Bündnis 21/RRP, NPD und Arme Leute Wählervereinigung (ALW) wurden als Partei bzw. Wählervereinigung anerkannt, reichten aber für den Wahlbereich Bremen keinen Wahlvorschlag ein. Neue Liberale und ÖDP haben vor der Entscheidung des Wahlbereichsausschusses für die Stadt Bremen ihre Wahlvorschläge für die Bürgerschaft (Landtag) zurückgezogen.

Themen

Schwerpunkte der Wahlprogramme

SPD, Grüne, CDU, Linke, BIW, FDP und AfD setzten in ihren Wahlprogrammen unterschiedliche Schwerpunkte.

Für die SPD stand die Stärkung des Wirtschaftsstandortes Bremen und der Hafenwirtschaft an erster Stelle. Dabei war die Weservertiefung ein wichtiger Baustein für die SPD. Außerdem sollte der Bau eines Offshore-Terminals die Stellung Bremens in der Windenergie sichern. Mit einem "Masterplans Industrie" wollte die SPD die Rahmenbedingungen für die Wirtschaft weiterentwickeln. Daneben standen der Kampf gegen "Dumpinglöhne und prekäre Beschäftigung" sowie die Förderung von sozialer Teilhabe, soziale Stadtentwicklung u. a. durch mehr sozialen Wohnungsbau und eine "gute Bildung für alle" im Mittelpunkt des Wahlprogramms. Des Weiteren forderte das Programm eine bürgernahe und leistungsfähige Polizei und die Weiterentwicklung der Bürgerbeteiligung.

Das Leitbild des Programms der Grünen war die "sozial-ökologische Stadt". Durch einen weiteren Ausbau des öffentlichen Verkehrs sowie der Fahrradwege sollte Bremen vom Autoverkehr entlastet und eine "Verkehrswende" eingeleitet werden. Mit Maßnahmen zum Lärm- und Klimaschutz sollte die Lebensqualität verbessert werden. In der Bildungspolitik wurden eine Qualitätssteigerung im Bildungswesen, eine Verbesserung der Inklusionsangebote an Schulen und mehr Bildungsgerechtigkeit angestrebt. Die Förderung der Windenergie durch den Ausbau der Offshore-Technologie sowie die Unterstützung kleinerer und mittlerer Unternehmen standen im Mittelpunkt der Wirtschaftspolitik. Eine Vertiefung der Weser wurde abgelehnt.

Die CDU setzte in ihrem Programm die Schwerpunkte in den Bereichen Wirtschaft, Finanzen und Verkehr, Bildung und Armutsbekämpfung. Sie wollte durch neue Gewerbeflächen und eine Förderung Öffentlich-Privater-Partnerschaften die Investitionsquote erhöhen. Sie unterstützte das Transatlantische Freihandelsabkommen und die Weservertiefung. Im Bildungsbereich stellte das Programm den Kampf gegen Unterrichtsausfall und den Erhalt der Vielfalt des Schulwesens in den Mittelpunkt. Bei der Bekämpfung der Kriminalität stellte die CDU Opferschutz vor Täterschutz und forderte eine Ausweitung der Videoüberwachung, mehr Stellen für die Polizei und präventive Angebote bei der Jugendkriminalität. Sie setzte sich für spezielle Programme für Schulabbrecher und Alleinerziehende sowie ein verpflichtendes Vorschuljahr ein. Damit sollten die Bildungschancen verbessert und die Armut eingedämmt werden.

Die Linke trat für einen "demokratischen Sozialismus" ein und sah in einer sozialen Spaltung und einer hohen Armutsquote das Hauptproblem. Sie wollte sich auf die Bekämpfung von Armut als Querschnittsaufgabe konzentrieren, besonders in den Bereichen Bildung, soziale Infrastruktur und öffentliche Daseinsvorsorge. Sie wollte die Privatisierung kommunaler Aufgaben und Einrichtungen rückgängig machen und befürwortete die weitere Förderung des sozialen Wohnungsbaus. Sie wollte eine aktive Arbeitsmarktpolitik durch die Schaffung öffentlicher Beschäftigung und die Einhaltung bzw. Ausweitung des Mindestlohns. Zudem sollte mehr Personal in sozialen Einrichtungen eingestellt werden. Die Partei forderte die Abschaffung von Sanktionen beim Arbeitslosengeld II ("Hartz IV") und eine "repressionsfreie Grundsicherung" von 1.050 Euro.

Die BIW forderten eine "geistig-moralische Wende" zur Bewahrung konservativer Werte und bürgerlicher Tugenden. Ihr Schwerpunkt lag bei der Verbrechensbekämpfung. Die Kriminalität sollte mithilfe einer "handlungsfähigen Polizei" und verstärkter Videoüberwachung sowie durch eine rasche und konsequente Sanktionierung von Straftätern eingedämmt werden. Die Zahl der Polizisten sollte deutlich aufgestockt werden. Außerdem sollten "freiwillige Sicherheitswachten" Täter abschrecken und Verbrechen verhindern. Im Bildungsbereich wollte die Partei zu einem gegliederten Schulsystem mit Haupt- und Realschulen sowie Gymnasien zurückkehren. Die Abschaffung von Klassenwiederholungen sollte rückgängig gemacht werden, und Schülerinnen und Schüler sollten einheitliche Schulkleidung tragen. Auf dem Gebiet der Wirtschafts- und Finanzpolitik bekannten sich die BIW zu einer gezielten Förderung des Mittelstandes und zur Einhaltung der Schuldenbremse.

Die FDP forderte die Einführung eines "Bürgergeldes" als Grundsicherung und die Abschaffung des Bremer Mindestlohngesetzes. Arbeitseinschränkungen für Zuwanderer sollten gelockert bzw. aufgehoben werden. Die FDP trat für Bürokratieabbau und eine investitionsfreundlichere Politik ein. Sie begrüßte die Schuldenbremse als finanzpolitisches Instrument. Im Bereich der öffentlichen Sicherheit forderte die FDP eine Personalaufstockung der Polizei, lehnte dagegen Waffenverbotszonen und Videoüberwachung ab. In der Bildungspolitik sprach sie sich für ein leistungsorientiertes Schul- und Bildungssystem aus, bei dem Gymnasien weiterhin das Abitur nach der zwölften Jahrgangsstufe ermöglichen sollen. Die FDP wollte zudem die Inklusion in der gesamten Gesellschaft fördern. Hochschulen sollten in ihren Entscheidungen über Forschungsschwerpunkte und Personal frei sein.

Die AfD setzte ihre Schwerpunkte in den Bereichen Innere Sicherheit, Migration und Bildung. Bei der Kriminalitätsbekämpfung setzte die AfD auf eine konsequentere Strafverfolgung sowie die Rückführung straffällig gewordener Ausländer. Sie lehnte Asylmissbrauch ab und trat für klare Regeln in der Zuwanderungspolitik ein. Dabei sollten sich Zuwanderer an der "deutschen Kultur als Leitbild" orientieren. In der Bildungspolitik befürwortete die AfD die Beibehaltung des gegliederten Schulsystems. Weitere Forderungen waren die Schaffung von bezahlbarem Wohnraum, insbesondere für Familien, eine mittelstandsfreundliche Wirtschaftspolitik sowie eine Stärkung direktdemokratischer Verfahren. So sollte es bei Volksentscheiden kein Mindestzustimmungsquorum geben.

Staatsverschuldung
Das dominierende Thema der Bremer Politik waren die Finanzen des Landes. Das Bundesland hat mehr als 21 Milliarden Euro Schulden. Ab 2020 gilt die Schuldenbremse auf Länderebene. Die SPD will die finanzielle Grundlage Bremens durch höhere Spitzensteuersätze, Erbschafts- und Vermögenssteuern und der Finanztransaktionssteuer verbreitern. Die Grünen setzen auf erfolgreiche Verhandlungsergebnisse für Bremen beim Länderfinanzausgleich, die Einführung einer Straßenreinigungsgebühr und den Erwerb von Steuersünder-CDs. Die CDU unterstützt einen Altschuldentilgungsfonds. Gleichzeitig sieht sie in der Abschaffung von Doppelstrukturen in der Verwaltung weiteres Einsparpotenzial. Die Linke lehnt die Schuldenbremse ab. Stattdessen fordert sie höhere Ausgleichszahlungen aus dem Länderfinanzausgleich, eine Altschuldenregelung, eine Vermögensabgabe und höhere Steuern für Unternehmen und einkommensstarke Bürger. Die BIW will u. a. auf "Prestigeprojekte" verzichten, neue Einwohner aus den benachbarten niedersächsischen Kommunen anwerben und Steuer- und Sozialbetrug härter bekämpfen. Um öffentliche Ausgaben zu senken, strebt die FDP Kürzungen im Haushalt und die Privatisierung von staatlichen Einrichtungen wie Flughäfen und Parkhäusern an. Durch flexiblere Ladenöffnungszeiten möchte sie außerdem den Tourismus stärken. Die Piratenpartei lehnt die Schuldenbremse ab und fordert eine Vermögensabgabe. Um zusätzliche Steuereinnahmen zu erzielen, möchte sie den Besitz jeglicher Rauschmittel und den Verkauf von Cannabis legalisieren.  Die AfD will die Verschuldung Bremens durch Teilprivatisierungen von öffentlichen Einrichtungen, die Kürzung von Personalausgaben und die Ausgabe einer Bürgeranleihe senken.

Bildung
Für die Schulen in Bremen wurde 2009 parteiübergreifend ein Bildungskonsens vereinbart, der bis 2018 gilt. Dies bedeutet, dass zum Beispiel die Gymnasien erhalten bleiben. Traditionell ist die SPD für die Abschaffung der Gymnasien. Die CDU sieht sie als unverzichtbar an. Die Grünen haben sich dabei nicht festgelegt, sondern wollen eine Bewertung der Entwicklung in den vergangenen acht Jahren vornehmen. Die SPD will den muttersprachlichen Unterricht und die Mehrsprachigkeit fördern, das Ganztagsangebot ausbauen und interne Unterrichtsqualitätsprüfungen vornehmen. Die Grünen wollen die Sprachförderung verbessern, ein Qualitätsmanagement einführen und einen gemeinsamen Bildungsplan für Kindergärten und Grundschulen erstellen. Die CDU will eine Unterrichtsgarantie einführen, mehr Ganztagsschulen und mehr Sprachförderung in den Kindergärten.

Die Linke beabsichtigt in ärmeren Stadtteilen den Unterricht mit zwei Lehrkräften durchführen, die Sprachförderung ausweiten und Oberschulen und Gymnasien zu einer Schule zusammenlegen. Die BIW will eine Kindergartenpflicht für Kinder mit Sprachdefiziten, die Oberschulen zugunsten von Haupt- und Realschulen sowie Gymnasien auflösen und Kopfnoten in Grundschulen. Die FDP will längere Kindergartenöffnungszeiten, handwerklichen und wirtschaftlichen Unterricht stärken und moderne EDV für Schulen. Für einen höheren Bildungsetat, kleinere Klassengrößen und mehr Sonderschulpädagogen an den Schulen will sich die Piratenpartei einsetzen. Die AfD befürwortet die Beibehaltung des gegliederten Schulsystems, eine "Entideologisierung der Erziehung" sowie eine stärkere pädagogische Hinwendung zur "deutschen Identität". Durch eine einheitliche Schulkleidung soll das Gemeinschaftsgefühl in den Schulen gestärkt werden.

Umfragen
Für die Sonntagsfrage gaben die Meinungsforschungsinstitute folgende Ergebnisse (Angaben in Prozent) an:

Zur Frage, wen die Bürger direkt zum Bürgermeister wählen würden, gaben die Meinungsforschungsinstitute folgende Werte (Angaben in Prozent) an:

Wahlergebnis

Land Bremen gesamt

Nach dem amtlichen Endergebnis lag die Wahlbeteiligung bei 50,2 %.

Ergebnisse in der Stadt Bremen nach Stadtgebieten
Alle Angaben in Prozent nach Angaben des Statistischen Landesamts Bremen.

Ergebnisse in der Stadt Bremerhaven nach Stadtgebieten
Alle Angaben in Prozent nach Angaben des Statistischen Landesamts Bremen.

Ergebnisse nach Stadtteilen
Alle Angaben in Prozent nach Angaben des Statistischen Landesamts Bremen.

Kartografische Darstellung der Ergebnisse nach Stadtgebieten

Fehler bei der Durchführung und Auszählung der Wahl
Nachdem Unregelmäßigkeiten bei der Stimmenauszählung bekannt geworden waren, klagte die Partei Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) erfolgreich vor dem Verwaltungsgericht und dem Oberverwaltungsgericht Bremen auf Einsicht in die Wahlunterlagen (OVG: 1 B 135/15). Bei der Durchsicht von 20.000 der 34.000 abgegebenen Stimmzettel bestätigte sich der Verdacht auf eine fehlerhafte Auszählung und falsche Eintragung mancher Stimmen. Daraufhin legte die AfD am 28. Juli 2015 beim Bremer Wahlprüfungsgericht Einspruch gegen die Gültigkeit der Bürgerschaftswahl ein (Az. 14 K 1330/15). Das Wahlprüfungsgericht, das beim Verwaltungsgericht Bremen angesiedelt ist und aus zwei Verwaltungsrichtern und fünf Bürgerschaftsabgeordneten besteht, überprüfte im Dezember 2015 alle strittigen Stimmzettel und stellte fest, dass einige Stimmen für die AfD anderen Parteien zuerkannt wurden. Ähnliche Fehler geschahen zu Lasten anderer Parteien. Bei der Bewertung der Gültigkeit oder Ungültigkeit von Stimmzetteln kam das Wahlprüfungsgericht teilweise zu anderen Schlüssen als die auszählenden Wahlvorstände, die mit wahlberechtigten Gymnasialschülern im Alter zwischen 16 und 18 Jahren besetzt worden waren. Zum Beispiel wurde ein abgegebener Musterstimmzettel mit Kreuz bei den Grünen fälschlicherweise als richtig gewertet und eingetragen. Das Wahlprüfungsgericht sah aber keine Anhaltspunkte für absichtliche Manipulationen, die Einspruchsführer haben auch keine konkreten Umstände geltend gemacht. Der Vorsitzende Richter, Verwaltungsgerichtspräsident Peter Sperlich, sagte während der zweitägigen Verhandlung, es könne passieren, dass Wahlhelfer beim Eintragen von Stimmen in den Auszählungscomputer "in die falsche Spalte geraten". In der Verhandlung vor dem Wahlprüfungsgericht kamen auch mögliche Fehler bei der Durchführung der Wahl zur Sprache. In einem Wahlbezirk waren Wahlberechtigte, die nur ihre Wahlbenachrichtigung vorwiesen, aber nicht den Personalausweis, zurückgewiesen worden. In der Verhandlung blieb aber offen, ob die Abweisung tatsächlich rechtswidrig war. Nach Ansicht von Landeswahlleiter Jürgen Wayand war sie zulässig. Durch die Korrektur des Wahlprüfungsgerichts hätte die AfD die Fünfprozenthürde in Bremerhaven überschritten und einen weiteren Sitz im Landesparlament erhalten, Petra Jäschke (SPD) hätte ihr Mandat verloren. Gegen die Entscheidung legten der Wahlleiter Jürgen Wayand, Jäschke und die SPD Einspruch ein. Der Staatsgerichtshof der Freien Hansestadt Bremen korrigierte die Entscheidung und ordnete eine erneute Auszählung der Stimmen im Wahlbezirk Bremerhaven an. Der Staatsgerichtshof entschied nach der Prüfung der Neuauszählung am 13. September 2016, dass das ursprüngliche Wahlergebnis Bestand hat. Die AfD verfehlte in Bremerhaven mit 4,99 % knapp die Fünf-Prozent-Hürde.

Bei der parallel durchgeführten Wahl zur Bremerhavener Stadtverordnetenversammlung war es ebenfalls zu Fehlern und in einem Fall zu einer Manipulation gekommen. Wegen der Fehler werden auf Betreiben der Wählervereinigung Bürger in Wut (BiW) alle Kommunalwahlzettel im Januar 2016 noch einmal ausgezählt. Das Wahlergebnis änderte sich dadurch jedoch nicht, die BiW verlor sogar einige Stimmen.

Weblinks

 Landtags- und Kommunalwahlen im Land Bremen
 Bürgerschaftswahl in Bremen 2015 auf dem Informationsportal zur politischen Bildung

Einzelnachweise

2015
Bremen Burgerschaftswahl


text:
Islam's Non-Believers is a 2016 documentary produced by Fuuse Films, and filmed and directed by Deeyah Khan. The film documents the lives and experiences of ex-Muslims: people who have left Islam to become atheists, and who often face discrimination, harassment, ostracism and violence for leaving Islam, both in the UK and abroad.
The documentary was first shown on the ITV's current affairs series Exposure.

Synopsis

Islam's Non Believers explores the experiences of ex-Muslims worldwide through following the work of Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, a support and campaigning group founded by Iranian-born human rights activist Maryam Namazie.

The film portrays dangers and difficulties faced by people who have renounced Islam. Interviewees, several of whom appear incognito, talk about the risks of suicide and self-harm, and the experiences of physical and psychological abuse from family members. Many are terrified of being shunned or abused if their beliefs were to become known to their families and communities. The film shows that many young British ex-Muslims hide their true beliefs, running huge risks if they 'come out' as atheists within their communities.

The documentary also states that the danger for ex-Muslims who live in Muslim-majority countries can be higher. Apostasy from Islam carries the death penalty in many countries. Atheists may face persecution by their own governments, and the risk of violence at the hands of extremist gangs.

Special attention is given to the situation of atheist and secularist activists (writers, bloggers, publishers, scientists) in Bangladesh, where public machete attacks by Islamic extremists have claimed dozens of lives since 2013, and large public protests in Bangladesh and in the Bangladeshi community in London have called for atheists and apostates to be killed.

Cast
 Bonya Ahmed (from Bangladesh)
 Nadia El Fani (from Tunisia)
 Sadia Hameed (from Britain)
 Imad Iddine Habib (from Morocco)
 Fauzia Ilyas (from Pakistan)
 Maryam Namazie (from Iran)
 Arif(ur) Rahman (from Bangladesh)
 Rayhana Sultan (from Bangladesh)
 Usama al-Binni (from Jordan)
 "Safiyya" (pseudonym)
 "Sameera" (pseudonym)
 "Zainab" (pseudonym)
 Several unidentified ex-Muslims from around the world were interviewed using videotelephony.
 Omer El-Hamdoon, president of the Muslim Association of Britain, was also interviewed to give a Muslim perspective on ex-Muslims.

Reception

Writing for The Guardian, Jonathan Wright labeled the documentary "austere", and the part about Bangladesh "especially disturbing", and that it makes clear that many apostates require support after leaving Islam. Spiked writer Hardeep Singh called the film "excellent", strongly recommending it to anyone "left with any doubt about the courage required to come out as an ex-Muslim", whom he considered to be "among the most courageous people living in Britain today".

On 23 July 2017, director Deeyah Khan received an Award from the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain for raising awareness about the fate of ex-Muslims. Namazie thanked her for making a film on this taboo subject, and although Khan is a Muslim herself, she was seen as a friend and ally of the CEMB. Khan herself was not present at the award ceremony, so Sadia Hameed, who featured prominently in the film, accepted the prize on her behalf, and explained why the film was so important for her and others sharing her fate: "Ex-Muslims, atheists, freethinkers, we've all been persecuted throughout history, in all periods. We were nameless and faceless and voiceless. Deeyah gave us a voice, she gave us a face, she made us human again."

See also
 Among Nonbelievers (2015)
 Non-believers: Freethinkers on the Run (2016)

References

Norwegian documentary films
British documentary films
2016 television films
2016 films
Films directed by Deeyah Khan
Films with atheism-related themes
2016 documentary films
British television documentaries
Apostasy in Islam
Atheism
Documentary films critical of Islam
Articles containing video clips
2010s British films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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1.5b -> Fixed drawer name, IT MUST BE CALLED "ikir"
-Doubleclick on "ikir theme" to try the theme.
-It is made for at least 1280x1024 resolution and i suggest a 32bit screenmode.
-Shadows requires a 32bit screen mode.
programs paths will be different.


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Die Birnie Kirk, ehemals St Brendon's Church, ist ein Kirchengebäude der presbyterianischen Church of Scotland nahe der schottischen Kleinstadt Elgin in der Council Area Moray. 1971 wurde das Bauwerk in die schottischen Denkmallisten in der höchsten Denkmalkategorie A aufgenommen. Ihr Pfarrhaus ist separat als Kategorie-C-Bauwerk klassifiziert. Der umgebende Friedhof mit seinen Grabsteinen ist hingegen als Scheduled Monument geschützt.

Geschichte
Zweifelhaft ist, ob es sich um einen frühchristlichen Standort in Schottland handelt. Einen Hinweis gibt die Widmung der Kirche an den Heiligen Brendan, einen irischen Missionar, der im 6. Jahrhundert wirkte. Archäologische Untersuchungen konnte jedoch keine Belege hierfür liefern. Es wird jedoch darauf hingewiesen, dass aktuelle Bauwerke frühchristliche Spuren überlagern könnten. Auf der anderen Seite findet sich auf dem Areal ein piktischer Symbolstein der Klasse 1, der auf eine heidnische Nutzung des Standorts hindeuten könnte.

Die Birnie Kirk wurde im Laufe des 12. Jahrhunderts errichtet. Vermutlich war sie der früheste Sitz der Bischöfe von Moray, eines heute nicht mehr existenten Bistums. Simon de Tosny, der im Jahre 1184 verstorbene vierte Bischof von Moray, liegt auf dem Friedhof der Birnie Kirk begraben. Mit dem Bau der Elgin Cathedral im Jahre 1224 endete sicher die mögliche Nutzung als Bischofssitz. Heute handelt es sich bei der Birnie Kirk um den ältesten, durchgängig genutzten Kirchenstandort der Region.

Im Laufe der Jahrhunderte wurde die Birnie Kirk zweifach signifikant überarbeitet. 1734 wurde unter anderem der Westgiebel neu aufgebaut, wobei auch das Langhaus verkürzt wurde. Mit der umfangreichen Überarbeitung im Jahre 1891 wurde der schottische Architekt Alexander Marshall Mackenzie betraut. Zuletzt wurden die Fenster an der Südfassade im Jahre 1975 überarbeitet.

Beschreibung
Die Birnie Kirk steht isoliert im Tal des Lossie rund vier Kilometer südwestlich des Zentrums von Elgin. Die längliche Saalkirche ist schlicht romanisch ausgestaltet. An das 14,45 Meter lange und 7,40 Meter breite Langhaus schließt sich an der Ostseite der schmalere, 5,85 Meter lange Chor an. Das rundbogige Hauptportal befindet sich an der Südseite. Die drei Rundbogenfenster entlang der Fassade sind neueren Datums. Eine kleinere, zum Chor führende Türe ist mit mittelalterlichen Fenster umgeben, die im Laufe einer Überarbeitung an diese Stelle versetzt wurden. Die Nordfassade mit einem verschlossenen Spitzbogenportal ist mit Ausnahme eines Lanzettfensters am Chor fensterlos. Auf dem westlichen Giebel sitzt ein kleiner Dachreiter mit offenem Geläut. Das abschließende Satteldach ist mit Schiefer eingedeckt.

Pfarrhaus

Zunächst als Kategorie-B-Bauwerk klassifiziert, wurde das Pfarrhaus mit der Stallung 1988 zum Kategorie-C-Denkmal herabgestuft. Das Haus stammt im Wesentlichen aus dem 19. Jahrhundert, ältere Fragmente sind jedoch in die Struktur integriert. Die ostexponierte Fassade des zweigeschossigen Gebäudes ist fünf Achsen weit. Sein Bruchsteinmauerwerk ist mit Harl verputzt und gekalkt, wobei Natursteineinfassungen abgesetzt sind. Es sind vier- beziehungsweise zwölfteilige Sprossenfenster eingesetzt. Das Dach ist schiefergedeckt.

Friedhof
Der ursprüngliche Friedhof umfasst ein leicht elliptisches Areal mit einem Durchmesser von rund 50 Metern. Um eine Erweiterung zu ermöglichen, wurde die umfriedende Bruchsteinmauer an der Nordseite entfernt. Ein nahe der Kirche befindlicher piktischer Symbolstein der Class 1 besteht aus Granit. Der Stein ist 1,07 Meter hoch und jeweils 60 cm tief und weit. Er zeigt einen Z-Stab, einen Adler sowie eine rechteckige Struktur.

Einzelnachweise

Weblinks

 Netzpräsenz der Kirchengemeinde

Kirchengebäude in Moray
Kategorie-A-Bauwerk in Moray
Kategorie-C-Bauwerk in Moray
Kirchengebäude der Church of Scotland
Presbyterianisches Kirchengebäude in Schottland
Erbaut im 12. Jahrhundert
Erbaut in den 1730er Jahren
Brendanskirche
Romanischer Kirchenrest
Piktischer Symbolstein
Scheduled Monument in Moray


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Home Resources Weekly Highlights Myanmar's Prisons: Torture, COVID-19 and the Chanting Protests of Pr...
Weekly Highlight 587 Views
Myanmar's Prisons: Torture, COVID-19 and the Chanting Protests of Prisoners
July 30th, 2021 • Author: Progressive Voice • 10 minute read
"The National Unity Government (NUG) has made it clear that the military junta is weaponizing the COVID-19 pandemic to punish political prisoners, through not stopping the spread of the deadly virus and denying access to healthcare completely or until inmates are unable to breathe."
The outside world is blocked from knowing the full situation of conditions inside prisons in Myanmar in the aftermath of the illegal coup d'etat attempt by the Myanmar military. There are rare glimpses provided by those arbitrarily detained and later released, detailing the excruciating and sickening torture. Accounts by released Japanese journalist Yuki Kitazumi and editor-in-chief of Kamayut Media Nathan Maung, tell of the junta inflicting beatings, sleep deprivation, cigarette burns to the body, denial of food and water, sexual assualts, threats of rape and forced into solitary confinement called 'dog kennels' for days at a time. As part of their vicious campaign of terror, and in the vein of an Orwelian police state, the military junta has been scouring the country finding dissidents to their regime. Since the coup, 5,360 remain in detention, 1,963 outstanding warrants to arrest, and 65 people have been sentenced to death, often in absentia. As of 11 June, at least 22 people have been killed as a result of torture in prisons or interrogation centers since the coup, with some being detained under the cover of night and then lifeless by morning returned to families with signs of torture, and the Myanmar military shamelessly claiming natural cuases or COVID-19 were responsible for these deaths.
While the threat of violence against detainees is ever present, so is the overcrowding and despotic conditions of the prisons themselves, now a breeding ground for the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. At Myanmar's most infamous prison, Insein Prison in Yangon, there are around 10,000 inmates in a facility built during the colonial era, unfit to house this many prisoners – especially during a deadly global pandemic. On 16 July, media reported 50 inmates at Insein Prison have contracted COVID-19, including National League for Democracy (NLD) party members, doctors in the Civil Disobedience Movement, Danny Fenster the Editor of Frontier Myanmar and Australian economists and advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi, Sean Turnell who is presenting with symptoms. The military junta's media mouthpiece Myawaddy TV announced that 566 prisoners have been infected with COVID-19 since the third wave began in prisons throughout Myanmar, but actual numbers of COVID-19 are likely to be much higher, especially if the conditions are analogous to those inside Insein Prison. Many of those infected at Insein Prison remain there, and those being detained in a large cell can often contain around 80 other prisoners, with little space and inadequate means to mitigate the spread. The conditions are unhygienic, cramped and the attitude of those in charge is one of indifference to who lives or dies, only to push forward with oppressing dissidence among the populace – a gross affront to the most basic human rights, such as the right to life, freedom from torture, and freedom from cruel, degrading and inhumane treatment. The National Unity Government (NUG) has made it clear that the military junta is weaponizing the COVID-19 pandemic to punish political prisoners, through not stopping the spread of the deadly virus and denying access to healthcare completely or until inmates are unable to breathe.
On Friday, in courageous defiance, prisoners staged a protest at Insein Prison, with chants being heard outside the walls of the prison, with demands for an end to the military junta, adequate COVID-19 protections, overcrowding and access to healthcare which is often denied. One example is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's personal lawyer U Nyan Win who died of COVID-19 while in detention last Tuesday. Six truckloads of soldiers were brought in to quell the protest, but not much more is known about the incident. Inmates at Shwe Bo Prison in Sagaing Region and Obo Prison in Mandalay Region have also staged protests, spurred on by the protest at Insein Prison.
Meanwhile, the junta is conducting murderous military offensives in ethnic areas, resulting in mass displacement during a deadly global pandemic, in direct contravention to the UN Security Council Resolution 2532 which calls for a global ceasefire to combat the pandemic, with the UN having a key coordinating role in responding to COVID-19. This should include the UN assisting a coordinated response with the newly established COVID-19 Task Force, formed by the NUG, Ethnic Health Organizations and spearheaded by leading border humanitarian healthcare provider Dr. Cynthia Maung of the Mae Tao Clinic, which provides constructive solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar that by-passes the junta, through local healthcare providers.
People on the ground and in prisons are in desperate need of oxygen, medical treatment and a cohesive and safe vaccination programme, which requires international support of local actors and recognizing the NUG. Echoing the call for an international humanitarian response to address COVID-19 and the conflict is the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M), which is urging the UN Security Council to step in and mandate a humanitarian intervention. Former Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar and SAC-M Co-founder and member, Yanghee Lee, strongly asserts that "The junta is not a partner for the delivery of aid. That is why a humanitarian presence on the ground is needed. Assistance must be delivered through international medical personnel, and international protection given to Myanmar's own medical professionals who are desperate to come out of hiding and work to save their country. No one will trust anything from the junta now."
The treatment of prisoners can be extrapolated out to the country as a whole, as in all spheres the junta is weaponizing COVID-19, withholding humanitarian aid and blocking civil society organizations and INGOs from assisting those in need – including prisoners. Decades of impunity, fueled by stagnant accountability and justice at the international level, has reinforced the Myanmar military to act with carte blanche authority over the people of Myanmar and arbitrarily detain them inside hellish prisons, without any regard for human rights. To bring about an end to international atrocity crimes committed by the junta, the perpetrators must be prosecuted through a referral by the UN Security Council to the International Criminal Court or the establishment of an ad hoc tribunal. The international community, bound by obligations to protect and promote human rights irrespective of state boundaries, is utterly failing the people of Myanmar in this now unfolding human rights, humanitarian and COVID-19 crisis – with States like Australia and New Zealand who have not joined their allies in the EU, US and UK to place targeted sanctions on the junta, rather shifting the responsibility to the unresponsive ASEAN to take the lead on the Myanmar crisis. It has been three months since the ASEAN Summit on Myanmar, and nothing has been achieved, in fact the humanitarian situation and the COVID-19 crisis are markedly worse. Nothing less than a collective global response, led by the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly through the leadership of the UN Secretary-General, can assist the pro-democracy movement of people of Myanmar to defeat the junta and realize genuine federal democracy.
[1] One year following the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, the former military junta changed the country's name from Burma to Myanmar overnight. Progressive Voice uses the term 'Myanmar' in acknowledgement that most people of the country use this term. However, the deception of inclusiveness and the historical process of coercion by the former State Peace and Development Council military regime into usage of 'Myanmar' rather than 'Burma' without the consent of the people is recognized and not forgotten. Thus, under certain circumstances, 'Burma' is used.
Resources from the past week
နိုင်ငံအဝှမ်း မတရားဖမ်းဆီးခံ ရဲဘော်များကြုံတွေ့နေရသော ထောင်တွင်း ဖိနှိပ်မှုများနှင့် စပ်လျဉ်းသည့် သဘောထားထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာချက်
By All Burma Federation of Student Unions
Joint statement from Ambassadors to Myanmar
By Ambassadors to Myanmar (Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, United Kingdom, United States)
COVID-19, COUP AND MEDICS
By Assistance Association for Political Prisoners
Urgent Diplomatic Release on Insein Prison Strike
Joint letter on prison conditions and COVID-19
By ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, International Federation for Human Rights, Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, Union for Civil Liberty, Manushya Foundation and Thai Lawyers for Human Rights
CDF(Matupi) သဘောထားထုတ်ပြန်ချက် ၂/၂၀၂၁
By Chinland Defense Force (Matupi)
Chin National Organization ၏ အထူးသိပေးထုတ်ပြန်ချက်
By Chin National Organization
လူသားချင်းစာနာထောက်ထားမှုဆိုင်ရာအကူအညီများ ကူညီဆောင်ရွက်ပေးရန်ကိစ္စ
By Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw
နိုင်ငံရေးအကျဉ်းသားများအား အမြန်ဆုံး အကူအညီပေးရန် ကိစ္စ
COVID-19 Task Force Statement from the COVID-19 Task Force of Ministry of Health, NUG & Ethnic Health Organisations
By COVID-19 Task Force
လူ့ဘောင်သစ်ဒီမိုကရက်တစ်ပါတီ၏ နိုင်ငံရေးအမြင် သုံးသပ်ချက် ၃/၂၀၂၁
By Democratic Party for a New Society
U.N. Member States: Form Emergency Coalition to Respond to COVID Outbreak and Coup d'état in Myanmar
By Fortify Rights
The Human Rights Foundation of Monland Expresses Concern Over Junta's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in latest briefing paper, "Running Out of Air"
By Human Rights Foundation of Monland
Myanmar: Junta Tribunals Impose 65 Death Sentences
By Human Rights Watch
ICRC Statement
By International Committee of the Red Cross
IFEX calls on Myanmar junta to drop all charges under new censorship legislation, free all protestors and journalists, and restore media licenses
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Tokyo Olympics tainted by sponsorship from companies financing the Myanmar military's terror
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KHRG's Statement on Mass Killing in Dooplaya District
By Karen Human Rights Group
MAP condemns the Myanmar junta's attempt to usurp ambassador posts in the UK and the UN, and calls on the British Government and the UN General Assembly to refuse accreditation
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Provision of oxygen concentrators for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in Myanmar
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Myanmar: Human rights defenders under siege, say UN experts
By Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
အနီရောင်အဆင့် Covid-19 ကပ်ရောဂါတားဆီးကာကွယ်ရန်အတွက် Stay Home နေထိုင်ကြရန် ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာခြင်း၊ ထုတ်ပြန်ချက်အမှတ်( ၃/၂၀၂၁)
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Myanmar Critically Needs Massive UN-Mandated Humanitarian Intervention to Fight COVID
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University of Yangon Students' Union Announcement (4/2021) – Emergency Announcement Regarding Protests inside Insein Prison
By University of Yangon Students' Union
ရက္ခိုင်အမျိုးသားအဖွဲ့ချုပ် အမှတ်၊ (၃/၂၀၂၁) ရခိုင်ပြည်အတွင်း State Home ကိုယ့်အိမ်တွင်ကိုယ်နေထိုင်ရမည့်ကာလအား ရက်သတ္တပတ် (၂) ပတ် သတ်မှတ်ကြောင်း ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာချက်
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UN Country Team in Myanmar Steps up COVID-19 Response Efforts
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Protests Persist Across Myanmar Despite Ongoing Arrests, Torture and Killings by Junta
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Running Out of Air How the Junta is Abandoning Civilians in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Bi-weekly Situation Update: Summary of SAC Violations in Karenni State and Pekhon Township
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Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (13 – 19 July 2021)
By United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
The Situation of Human Rights Amid the Military Coup in Burma
By Women's League of Burma
Progressive Voice is a participatory, rights-based policy research and advocacy organization that was born out of Burma Partnership. Burma Partnership officially ended its work on October 10, 2016 transitioning to a rights-based policy research and advocacy organization called Progressive Voice. For further information, please see our press release "Burma Partnership Celebrates Continuing Regional Solidarity for Burma and Embraces the Work Ahead for Progressive Voice."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Posts of: milo
Posts by: milo
Your abuela swore he saw the future, and while Walter Mercado passed away last year, a Netflix documentary about his life – Mucho Mucho Amor – has been streamed on repeat in every Cuban house since its release in July.
But how can you succinctly explain Walter Mercado to your sorority sisters before they come over for your family's 'coronavirus can't happen to them' party?
Here are some quick answers you can give to Rebecca and Hillary so they don't make a fool of themselves by confusing him with Blanche from the Golden Girls when they see your Abuela watching VHS tapes of his show she has had since the 80's.
Who is Walter Mercado?
Walter Mercado was a TV astrologer who owned a lot of capes. He has been on TV since it was invented and could predict the future in a vague sort of way.
What is an Astrologer?
An astrologer is, generally speaking, a con-artist. Not to be confused with an "astronomer," which is a scientist. Neil Degrasse Tyson is an astronomer, but that lady who your Tia Larissa gives $40 to once every month that told her to break up with her boyfriend is an astrologer.
So Walter Mercado was a con-artist?
You shut your mouth. Walter Mercado was a national treasure who has brought untold joy and entertainment to Cuban matriarchs for more than 50 years.
Oh okay, so your grandma likes him because he is Cuban?
No, Walter Mercado is a proud Puerto Rican. But every Spanish speaking country has basically claimed him as their own, so you're sort of right.
Are you sure he isn't one of the Golden Girls?
Pretty sure, but I wouldn't want to bet money on it.
Con mucho, mucho amor.
What's that mean? Why do you guys eat so much pork? Your cousin Pedro just kissed my cheek but like shouldn't we be social distancing? Wait he just gave me his number, but like isn't that his girlfriend in the corner? He's asking me if I want to go outside and see the rims he just put on his Acura. What do I do?
Just go with it, Hillary. But if you do want to learn more about Walter Mercado, there's a documentary debuting on Netflix July 8, 2020, that was made by a group of documentarians from Miami.
The Arnez family of Pinecrest wants you to know they are struggling just like the rest of the world. Since the pandemic, the family of four was forced to upgrade to a larger house because their Coral Gables home started to feel "a little too crowded." Things only got worse when the sale of the Coral Gables home only came in at 10% above their asking price. But it wasn't until all of their tenants in their Redlands investment property lost their jobs and they found out local restrictions made it damn near impossible to evict them for non-payment that the Arnez family decided they needed to be proactive about their finances.
"This Coronavirus is just so inconvenient," said Zachary Arnez, an insurance litigator. "On top of everything else, because I make several hundred thousand dollars a year, we didn't even qualify for the stimulus money. Once again, the Federal Government leaves the upper-middle-upper class people like me out to dry."
Mr. Arnez told the Plantain that "instead of complaining about things like those liberals in Congress," he decided to call his colleague Brett, a corporate tax lawyer, and had him incorporate his family as a limited liability corporation. "It's one of the best financial decisions I've ever made outside of my uncle having founded Bacardi."
"We're technically a regional airline now" laughed his wife as she poured a 2PM glass of wine. The Arnez Family Airline, LLC, is now set to receive $4.6 million in government subsidies, which they plan to help pay for food and shelter…on their upcoming winter vacation in Fiji, as well as pick up several distressed properties once the housing market collapses.
We asked Mr. Arnez how he and his family could just call themselves an airline all of a sudden. "We're an airline, you can check the records," he told us. We asked him if he were really an airline then where did he fly and where are his planes. "We have no planes or flights scheduled," he said before reasoning "that's why this bailout is so important for us."
The Plantain tried to speak with Zachary's colleague, Brett Wilkinson, himself a Panamanian chartered cruise vessel receiving over $2.5 million in government bailout money, but he refused to sit down with us without a retainer. He did tell us, however, that because he is technically flagged in Panama, he is in the process of applying for several grants set up for Hispanic businesses.
Author's Note: Shortly after turning in this article, I was fired from this job without severance. Thankfully, I make less than $75,000 a year and would be eligible for an additional one-time payment of $1,200, assuming Congress will pass such help, which they won't. My rent is $2,400 a month.
Author's Second Note: On the advice of counsel, I have incorporated as the Kennedy Center for The Arts.
Raining Iguanas From Sky Evidence Of Plague, Say Religious Leaders
Rabbi Mordechai Shalomberg-Deckchair of Temple Beth Um told his congregation that reports of iguanas raining down from the sky is indeed a sign that the people of earth were experiencing a new plague from god."What many so-called "scientists," mostly goyum, say is just a consequence of the cold weather freezing the cold blooded reptiles' central nervous systems into immobilization is actually, according to the Talmud, evidence that Hashem is very angry at us and wants us to repent.
"Aw, come on!" said synagogue attendee Benja Saferstein, who only went to this morning's services because he's visiting his parents from his home in San Francisco. "What could god be so angry about again? The guy has everything?"
Rabbi Shalomberg-Deckchair contemplated the young Juden's question for a moment before responding, "Mostly the shellfish, Benja! As they say at Yeshiva, 'If you eat shellfish, you're being selfish!", said the Rabbi to his congregation who chuckled politely.
Rabbi Shalomberg-Deckchair said the apocalypse is expected to last a few more weeks, with high chances of dead oxen, boils, and several nights of intense darkness. He said that some of the more nasty plagues may be avoided through a healthy donation to the Temple's B'Nai Brit Youth Drive.
Miami-Dade Government Shuts Down Due to 50 Degree Weather
Miami-Dade government suspended all government operations this morning and announced it would do so until the weather reached at least 70 degrees. "It's just too damn cold to do anything," said Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava from underneath three blankets in her bed while The View played in the background. The Mayor says once the Government reopens, she plans to enact legislation that would prepare the County for future cold fronts by providing educational services to the community to teach people how to dress for the weather and how to use their home's heater.
Residents around South Florida are reacting to the cold weather change by shivering uncontrollably. Except Dave, who insists he isn't cold and even wore shorts to work today to prove the point. "It isn't so bad. I don't know what people are complaining about," said Dave as he brought a cup of iced coffee to his blue lips.
Breaking News: Hugo Chavez is Still Dead
Breaking news out of Venezuela: Hugo Chavez is still dead.
Despite conflicting reports, the A.P. confirms that dictator Hugo Chavez is still dead, although he is feeling better and better each day. The news, which is still developing, has been confirmed by several independent sources who report that they have spoken to Hugo Chavez since his death and can confirm that he is, in fact, still dead.
The Plantain attempted to ask Hugo Chavez about accusations set forth by Donald Trump's lawyers today that he conspired to steal the election for Joe Biden, but has not been able to reach him for a statement on account of he's dead.
More as this story develops.
The Plantain's Official Guide to the Worst "Give Miami Day" Nonprofits
It's GIVE MIAMI DAY! This means you're being pressured to donate your hard-earned money to a bunch of charities and non-profits who want to selfishly spend it on making the community you live in a better place. Those jerks.
Last year, Give Miami Day raised over $14.4 million for local non-profits, and this year, the communists behind that plot expect to raise even more. To get to the bottom of this, the Plantain searched through the more than 900 nonprofits raising money through Give Miami Day to find the worst ways you can spend your money:
1) Zapatos para pata sucios – Established in 2014, this non-profit shovels money to popular Miami nightclubs and less popular gas stations, and provides shoes to pata sucias. "This is like a super important issue," said a bunion on the bottom of a very attractive redhead's left foot as she stumbled across Alton Road at 1:30 AM.
2) Tyler's Herros – This organization goes into high-income areas of Miami and replaces old Lebron Heat Jerseys with bootlegged Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro jerseys. "This is great, I really needed a new jersey," said Insurance broker Xavier Alvarez from the Miller's Ale House in Pinecrest. "Thank you so much, this really helps our family," added his wife, Camilla, telling us privately that the Lebron jersey didn't actually fit Xavier anymore on account of all of their trips to Miller's Ale House.
3) Sweaters for South Florida – This nonprofit was established by your coworker who insists anything under 77 degrees is "sweater weather." Founder Luca Johannson says that though SFSF will do absolutely nothing at all (so don't even ask) to help reduce South Florida's homelessness problem, they will make sure that all of the homeless people that line South Florida's streets are balmy and never even the slightest bit cold.
4) The Gloria Estefan Medical Fund – The Miami Icon and Stage-4 Conga survivor has set up a fund to help those diagnosed with the fire of desire turn the beat around and get back on their feet.
Want to donate? Great! Head to the Give Miami Day Nonprofit Finder and find the one you'd like to donate to.
We promise the ones we mentioned are totally in there. You can't find them? Keep looking. Actually – go make some coffee – there are over 900 nonprofits participating in Give Miami Day 2020, so this might take a while.
DONATE TO GIVE MIAMI DAY!
Florida Woman Insists Low of 71 Is "Sweater Weather"
Abigail Braman woke up Monday morning at 7:45 AM and spent several minutes staring at the ceiling contemplating her life decisions before preparing herself for another day of work. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she reached over to grab her cell phone from her nightstand and deleted the seven to 40 pieces of junk mail (mostly from Williams Sonoma and the Democratic Party) that accumulates in her inbox every night. After doom-scrolling through the President's latest effort to steal the election, she noticed something unusual. "Oh my god!" said Ms. Braman out loud to herself as she stared at her home screen. "It's sweater weather!"
The 27-year-old paralegal jolted out of her bed and ran outside to see if it was true. As soon as stepped outside, the crisp air smacked her face. She took a deep breath before getting nervous and putting on her mask. Still, she enjoyed the sounds of birds chirping. Had they always sounded so beautiful? It was 71 degrees in Miami. Today was going to be a wonderful day.
Ms. Braman could hardly contain herself as she searched for the perfect outfit. As she reached toward the back of her closet to search for her winter clothing, she thought about how bad this year had been. The election and the pandemic was bad enough, but Miami also had six months of unbearable heat that brought a deluge of feminine dampness, hair frizz, and mosquito bites with it. But not today.
Abigail dressed in a sleek black long sleeve thermal from Banana Republic that she layered with an opened red flannel jacket from H&M and a green camouflage army jacket, also from Banana Republic. Before she left for work, she grabbed a gray checkered scarf a knitted American flag beanie she bought several years ago for a "girls trip" to New York. As she took one last look at herself in the mirror before she left, she smiled. "You look cute!" she said to herself before taking a selfie of her outfit and texting her mother in Virginia.
On her way to work, she stopped at a Starbucks for a celebratory Peppermint Hot Chocolate. It was 75 degrees. Abigail stood in line and admired the very expensive Canada Goose jacket worn by the woman in front of her. "Starbucks always tastes better in a red cup!" she posted to Twitter while she waited an unreasonably long time for her drink. They had forgotten to put peppermint in it. She considered asking them to remake it but didn't want to be difficult.
When she arrived at her downtown Miami office at 9:00 AM, it was 79 degrees. The lawyers in the office had been allowed to work from home since March, but since she was only a paralegal she was still required to come to the office.
"Can you believe this weather?" asked a lightly sweating Abigail to the office assistant Nancy Randazzo as she removed her scarf and beanie.
"This is why I live in Miami!" said Abigail through her mask before returning to her desk and pondering, as she often does, whether she should have moved to California with Heather and David after college. "What's so great about San Francisco anyway?" she thought to herself before scrolling through Heather's Instagram for 11 minutes.
At noon, Abigail joined Nancy and Javier, one of her firm's office service workers, for lunch at a nearby Greek restaurant across. They had agreed that the three of them would be a "pod" so they could eat together, but Javier didn't seem to be taking his pod responsibilities seriously and had developed a sniffle. Still, Abigail didn't want to be rude and say anything.
During lunch, Nancy gave Abigail and Javier a comprehensive update on the difficulty she was having homeschooling her son and Javier gave a detailed account of the latest infection rates before coughing for several seconds into a napkin and blaming it on his allergies.
The restaurant itself was decent, although more expensive than anticipated. They charged for soda refills, which Abigail felt should have really been mentioned at some point. As she, Nancy, and Javier walked back to their office, it was 84 degrees. "Still sweater weather," she said to herself as she wiped away a few beads of sweat that developed on her upper lip.
For the next several hours, Abigail alternated between proofreading a long brief for one of her firm's partners and scrolling through Pinterest for pictures of architecturally significant gingerbread houses. At 3:15 PM, she received a phone call from a lawyer named Steven who asked that she leave the office to pick up a docket of files from the Circuit Court. She redressed in her winter outfit and began to walk the six blocks to the Court. It was 88 degrees.
When she arrived at the courthouse steps, she was out of breath and could feel sweat dripping down her back. Entering the Clerk's office, she removed her beanie to reveal a mess of oily hair that was half tamped to her head. By the time she left the Court for the return trip, it was 91 degrees. It started to rain down on her when she was a block away from her office.
The rain had dampened the papers she had retrieved from the Court. When she returned to her office, she had a message from Steven: "Abi, it turns out the files were online so I didn't actually need you to go," said the message without a thank you or apology. As she settled back at her desk she noticed her own smell. Luckily, she kept a travel-size bottle of baby powder to combat groin sweat, a remedy she was worried may cause cervical cancer but willing to risk it today considering the odor that had developed.
At 5:00 PM she left her office. The temperature had dropped to 89 degrees. As Abigail sat in traffic, she started to once again thumb through Heather's Instagram. "I can't believe she didn't ask me to be a bridesmaid," said Abigail to herself as she turned her car's air conditioning higher. "It's so god damn hot," she defeatedly admitted.
After an hour and fifteen minutes, Abi arrived at her home. She removed the soaking thermal and flannel she had on all day and placed her jacket back into her closet. As she resigned herself to her couch for the night, she started watching a documentary about the murder of JonBenet Ramsey before deciding to see what The Walking Dead was all about. After two episodes, she didn't see the big deal and put on a TBS marathon of a Friends re-runs. She fell asleep about halfway through "The One Where Joey and Rachel Kiss with a lollipop in her mouth."
She woke up at 1:45 AM. aAfter washing a few dishes, she returned to her bed at 2:20 AM. She briefly considered showering but was too tired and decided she would just wash her armpits, neck, thighs, and knees with a wet terrycloth in the morning.
As Abigail Braman plugged in her phone for the night and laid back in her bed she checked the next morning's weather report:
Low of 87 degrees/High of 92.
Man Killed For Unforgivable Comma Splice Error, Family Distraught
Freelance journalist Jason Ireland was killed in his home Tuesday for reportedly publishing an article that contained several comma splice errors, authorities confirmed.
"We're all very sad to hear about Jason", his editor, Nathanial Masserati, told the Plantain. "But he was always putting commas on the outside of quotation marks like a real twat and was also inconsistent with how he used commas to set off proper nouns, so he deserved it."
Mr. Ireland is survived by his wife, Evangeline, and son Oscar. He enjoyed watching baseball which was his favorite sport and leaving commas out of sentences with non-restrictive elements.
Mr. Ireland was killed by a longtime fan of his writing who noticed several grammatical errors in his latest article as well as an incorrect factual statement that arguably undermined one of the article's premises. When his killer, let's call him Carl with a K, discovered these errors and learned he could not cancel any subscription because Mr. Ireland wrote for free he decided to murder him. "Your writing doesn't always read like you think it sounds in your head", were reportedly the last words Mr. Ireland heard before being killed.
"His writing could be sloppy", Nathanial also noted, telling this Reporter, that he occasionally would also add unnecessary commas, too. "I would send him primers on basic comma usage but he kept saying he was too busy to read them on account of all the writing I needed him to do since he was our only writer."
When asked how he thought Mr. Ireland wanted to be remembered Nathanial said as someone extremely passive-aggressive that was willing to write an entire article using pseudonyms just to prove a point even though he had a pile of more pressing work he should be doing."
Why So Many Cubans Went For Trump According To This White Guy
When my editor tapped me to find out why Miami Cubans overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in the 2020 election, I was confident I already knew the answer. As a non-Latinx man living in Miami, I consider myself an expert on the Cuban community. Since graduating from Penn State in 2017 (Go Nittany Lions!) to take a job with The Plantain, I have come to truly understand the Cuban-American experience. I live in a condo on West Brickell (only a few minutes from Little Havana), love authentic Cuban cuisine (vaca frita, YUM!) and even took a salsa lesson at Ball & Chain before the pandemic. So, while it's true I am technically not actually Cuban, I've kissed enough Yanelys and Usnavies on the cheek over the last three years that I now consider myself an honorary member of that community free to criticize and stereotype the entire group without self-reflection. And that's why I know the reason Cubans overwhelmingly went for Trump is because of Castro or something.
You see, Castro was…a dictator (like Trump!) who was mean to his people after promising them healthcare, I think, so Cubans started to leave for Miami. To be honest, I don't know all of the details about the Cuban Revolution but I do know for sure that because Castro was socialist, all of the Cubans who moved to Miami are very anti-Socialist and also not to tell anyone that I had a Che Guevara poster in my dorm room at Penn State because he's sort of their Hitler. Oh, and Castro is also their Hitler, too. They have two Hitlers. Anyway, since Castro was really bad and also socialist, all Republicans have to say is that something is also socialist and every Cuban will start to hate it. It's sort of like how if I hear a song in a TJ Maxx, I might like it until I Shazam it and find out it's the Eagles. Socialism is basically the Eagles in Miami – once you find out it's them, it makes it impossible to like it anymore.
After turning in the previous paragraph to my editor, I was surprised to find out that he was actually a pretty big fan of the Eagles and also felt my understanding of the Cuban-American experience was incomplete and lacked nuance. "C'mon, do you really think Miami's entire Cuban population is so gullible that all you need to do is say something is socialist and they're all going to automatically hate it?" he asked me over lunch at a Cuban restaurant near my home in West Brickell. I was caught off guard by the question and didn't even have time to swallow the vaca frita (so good) before responding that yes, I did in fact believe Cubans in Miami would instinctively hate anything labeled socialist.
As our meal went on, my editor told me that my view of Miami's Cuban population is rooted in a stereotype that does not represent the entire community and fails to appreciate why the socialistic scare tactics are effective against some Cuban-Americans. "I just don't think you could ever really understand the trauma experienced by Cubans under Castro and how that still impacts how some of them react to U.S. politics," he said. "I totally do understand, because my brother's wife's family was in the Holocaust," I told him. "And that was way worse." He gave me a frustrated look.
"My point is that sure, there is a small, overwhelming majority of the Cuban population in Miami that is triggered by the socialist label, and politicians love to exploit that group. But to say all Cubans reflexively oppose all things labeled "socialist" is undermined by the fact that Cubans in Miami support the Affordable Care Act, derided as socialist.
"So why did they vote for Trump then? Are they just prone to supporting dictators…because of Castro?" I asked, lowering my voice so no one else in the restaurant heard me use the C-word.
"No!" he chortled, spitting a bit of mojo pork across the table and into my mouth. "Cubans in Miami hate Castro! You see, it's these lazy arguments that Cubans are somehow predisposed to support autocrats that allow the Democratic party to throw their hands up and not reflect on why they lose elections down here that they should be winning. Maybe the Democratic party is just not offering Cuban-Americans a platform that addresses the needs of their community? Did you ever think of that?"
"Then what does Miami's Cuban-American community want?" I asked, eagerly anticipating the insight that my editor was about to reveal but also starting to worry that the mojo pork he accidentally spat in my mouth was going to give me Covid.
"There isn't one answer! Cubans in Miami are not a monolith. But every four years, a plane full of consultants fly down here from D.C. and treat them like they are. So, every four years the left comes down here and puts on events featuring some old white guy dancing in a guayabera and handing out free cafecitos while talking about how strong of a capitalist he is, while on the right they host events featuring some old white guy dancing in a guayabera and handing out free cafecitos while talking about how much of a communist the guy on the left is. The result is Democrats hoping to court Cuban voters are too afraid to be labeled a socialist to present an economic platform that addresses the inequality and low-standard of life that plagues the vast majority of Miamians regardless of origin, while the Republicans play to the stereotype that Cubans will vote against anything they call socialistic. But doesn't the fact that many Cuban-Americans voted for Obama and support Obamacare contradict that narrative?"
"I thought Cubans hated Obama though. Because they're all racist, right? That's why they like Trump so much," I asked. "No! All of them are racist?" he responded. "There are white Cubans that are racist and white Cubans that aren't. There are also black Cubans that have a completely different experience. To say that all Cubans are racist is like saying that all Americans are racist: It fits a narrative and there are too many that are, but it doesn't tell the whole story. So, while yeah, sure, there is a problem of colorism and white supremacy within Cuban culture, as there is within any colonized culture, to say all Cubans are racist and therefore voted for Trump because he is also racist is just lazy and an attempt to explain away why Democrats keep losing winnable races in Miami."
As I thought about everything my editor told me over lunch, I felt embarrassed about how little I understood about the majority culture that surrounded me in Miami and how vocally critical I was about their role in last week's election. This instinct to blame Cubans generally for Biden's failure to win the state undermines the efforts of progressive organizers like Cubanos Con Biden that tried to reach out to Miami's Cubans but who, from an outsider's perspective at least, seemed to suffer from a lack of support and long-term voter engagement movement that should have been a priority of the Democratic Party long before the 2020 election.
I thanked my editor for lunch and apologized for lumping all Cubans together. "Don't mention it. I remember when I first came to Miami from Dartmouth in 2012 and thought the same thing. But after eight years here, you really start to understand the Cuban-American experience and how nuanced it can be," said my editor, Wyatt J. Wellingsworth-Corduroy-Smithfash III. "At this point, I now consider myself an honorary member of the Cuban community," he said before telling me that I really should try the mojo pork next time since only white people order vaca frita.
"¡Dale!" I told him. "I'll definitely get it next time, Wyatt."
Dixie Highway To Be Renamed "Javier Ortiz Highway" After Prominent Black Police Officer
The name "Dixie Highway" has long angered members of the African American community who view it as celebrating America's slave-owning confederate history. But that may now be changing following a proposal to rename the highway after self-described black man Javier Ortiz.
"Racism proliferates through symbols, so as a black man I'm happy to see this symbol of Miami's racist past upended," said Javier Ortiz, a man who is not actually black and who is himself a symbol of Miami's racist present.
As I stood in front of Officer Ortiz and listened as he touted his ethnicity and said "negro" an uncomfortable amount of times, I interrupted and asked him to clarify: "I'm sorry, you are suggesting that you are a black man?" I asked.
"Yes, I identify as a black man. I am a negro, my brotha," said Javier Ortiz before pulling out a pack of Kools to emphasize the point.
"But aren't you also the same Javier Ortiz who has for years been accused of racist and anti-black behavior and who is also widely known to have a very small penis? If you are black then why are you so racist and how come your dick is so small?" I asked. Mr. Ortiz responded that he was offended by my stereotype and noted that some black men, like himself, have very tiny micro-penises and also that it was not my place to criticize his years of attacks against African Americans which he now views as "black-on-black" crime that should be dealt with from within the black community.
The Plantain spoke to the head of Miami PD's internal affairs about Mr. Ortiz's comments but they just laughed and said they weren't fuckin' snitches and don't investigate their own. As I disappointedly left the internal affairs office I was stopped by an officer who politely told me to "stop resisting" before knocking me in the head with a billyclub. "Blue Lives Matter, MAGA 2020, my father never loved me," said the assaulting officer before leaving me to bleed out.


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Roarback
Echoes of Pain
(Mighty Music)
I wasn't expecting much from this, the debut of Denmark's Roarback. I mean the moniker, the cover art all screamed old school thrash, which really isn't my cup of tea. However, the old adage about books and covers came into play, as Echoes of Pain ended up being a kickass little old school death/thrash record.
Though comprised of competent 19-20 years old, the band's elder statesman vocalist Dennis Ullehus really carries the band. His old school voice is a mix of Glen Benton (Deicide), Jan C (Gorefest), Hal Shore (Burnt Offering) and Kyle Symons (Malevolent Creation/Hateplow) . And the band's music is equally old school mic of thrash and death metal culling from the likes of Slayer, Sepultura, Possessed and early Death metal like Benediction and the young Florida scene. It all comes together for a high energy, enjoyable release that's a nice break from everything brootal, clinical or techy.
The whole affair sits confidently astride death and thrash metal with equal parts white top sneaker, chunky, canter and a dash of extremity here and there to keep it a little more aggressive and certainly much more enjoyable for me. Though 19-20 old kids, the players certainly know their way around old school riffs, structures, production and lyrics, as all the songs have this musty but meaty 1988-1990 aura that's not forced or piece meal retro. These kids have done their home work, and found a vocalist who cements the sound they are going for perfectly.
The likes of "Voices of Deception", "Manor of Hatred", "Systematically Murdered","Face the Sun", "Echoes of Pain", chug, groove and gallop with aplomb and an affable presence that's simple and easy to listen to and enjoy. It isn't trying too hard to be retro or nostalgic, but it hits the mark with a natural presence and delivery that's hard not to like of you like the old school.
[Visit the band's website]
Written by Erik T
Find more articles with 2014, E.Thomas, Mighty Music, Review, Roarback
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We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Dr. Sara Grimes, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information, Director of Semaphore Lab, and Fellow in Book and Media Studies at St. Michael's College, as the new Director of the Knowledge Media Design Institute (KMDI) – Semaphore. KMDI and Semaphore are currently amalgamating to produce a broader spectrum of research.
Professor Grimes's work is centered in the areas of children's digital media culture(s), play studies and critical theories of technology, with a special focus on digital games. Her published work explores the commercialization of children's virtual worlds, the articulation of a critical theory of digital game play, discussions of intellectual property and fair dealing in digital game environments, as well as the legal and ethical dimensions of marketing to children online. She is Principal Investigator of the Kids DIY Media Partnership, a cross-sector, interdisciplinary research collaboration aimed at supporting children's cultural participation through the creation and sharing of digital media.
To learn more about Dr. Grimes, visit her website.
Be sure to follow Dr. Grimes on Twitter, @smgrimes.


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General Motors shares details on GMC Hummer EV
January 12, 2021	0	By autotimesnews
At the virtual exhibition CES 2021, taking place these days, the concern GM spoke about its new car Hummer EV.
As part of the exhibition, the American automaker revealed details about the revived GMC Hummer EV electric pickup, presented in the fall of 2020. Actually, we were told the basic data back then, but this time the company representatives focused on the details.
The newest car is based on the new scalable architecture Ultium Drive, which allows engineers to change its size and use the "trolley" to create full-size SUVs, mid-size crossovers and even compact cars and sports cars. General Motors' Ultium batteries provide the electric vehicle with extra range through greater energy density, low center of gravity and modularity.
As an option, the GMC Hummer EV will receive the ability to install 37-inch wheels with off-road tires, which, together with air suspension with a travel of 150 mm, makes the car a full-fledged SUV. For the same purpose, the electric car is equipped with powerful underbody protection and additional steel protection for battery packs.
In addition to all of the above, the Hummer EV will receive up to 18 cameras that can be installed not only on the body, but also under the bottom of the car. Speaking of batteries, the car supports all existing fast charging standards – the electric car independently determines the type of charging station and mechanically switches the batteries from parallel to sequential charging mode. Thus, a 350-watt station in 10 minutes can recharge a Hummer EV battery 150 kilometers.
In addition to all of the above, the Hummer EV received the Launch Control system, which allows the huge pickup truck to accelerate from zero to 100 km / h in less than 3 seconds, and the latest generation Super Cruise autonomous control system, which is capable of automatically changing lane.
CategoryCES News
Cadillac Lyriq showed at CES 2021
Volkswagen has recalled 56,000 Golf cars


are the present and past causes of pain and suffering.
evolved than men on Earth (us).
attain perfection, when they will enjoy unalterable bliss.
speed of their intellectual and moral progress depends on the efforts they make to attain perfection.
tendency towards evil, and by their inferior passions.
us in life's trials, and help us bear them with courage and resignation. The Imperfect Spirits induce us towards error.
for all human problems and the objective to be attained by Humankind.
the idea of the existence of the Creator is innate.
Spirits to assist them. This assistance will never be denied when requested with sincerity.
Bezerra de Menezes Kardecian Spiritist Center > WEBLOG > Articles > What is Spiritism?


Removing old VirtualBox pci kernel module ...done.
Removing old VirtualBox netadp kernel module ...done.
Removing old VirtualBox netflt kernel module ...done.
Removing old VirtualBox kernel module ...done.
Last line is interesting. Do i need to add 32-bit arch support to 64 bit Ubuntu? Newer Linux kernel changed some interface and deprecated maybe.
Last edited by khatkarrohit on 24. Apr 2016, 18:49, edited 1 time in total.
I even added the 32 bit support.
Package libsdl1.2debian is not installed.
After this operation, 483 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Typing virtualbox in the terminal opens the GUI and seems to work. I would run apt-get install -f and see if it finds missing packages that you missed.
Selecting previously unselected package virtualbox-5.0.
addgroup: The group `vboxusers' already exists as a system group. Exiting.
Ran VirtualBox and tried to start a VirtualMachine and got error. Please see attachment.
Maybe a clue? Is it an apt key?
I tried one from Ubuntu repositories and its asked me to disable UEFI and choose a password instead. Is this happening because of UEFI boot on host machine.
Well I don't use UEFI on a Linux so nothing more I can tell you. If I find time I will try and see but as I posted it works for me.
- I run then "monprobe vboxdrv". No error!
Unfortunately, once back with UEFI, the issue is bak again!
Last edited by hrobache on 24. Apr 2016, 22:12, edited 1 time in total.
I do like a challenge so I made time to install with EFI.
Brand new install of 16.04 using EFI and it works as advertised. See information below. If anything it might be the upgrade to 16.04 that is causing an issue.
Apr 24 13:08:37 ubuntu-16 systemd: Mounted /boot/efi.
Package libqt4-opengl is not installed.
Need to get 468 kB of archives.
After this operation, 1,735 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Selecting previously unselected package libqt4-opengl:amd64.
Selecting previously unselected package libsdl1.2debian:amd64.
VirtualBox kernel modules (vboxdrv, vboxnetflt, vboxnetadp, vboxpci) are loaded.
I ran into this issue today with a co-worker's laptop and the issue was SecureBoot. Seems if SecureBoot in enabled in the machine's BIOS then Ubuntu enforces the signing chain of bootloader, kernel and kernel modules. This, I assume, is what is causing modprobe to fail when installing the virtualbox kernel modules.
Check out the Ubuntu's SecurityTeam SecureBoot page for more information including potential workarounds. I would post the link but I just signed up and can't post links yet. Should be the first result in google for ubuntu SecurityTeam SecureBoot.
We took the easy way out and just disabled SecureBoot and everything works fine now.
I am thinking to disable secure boot completely. Does secure boot is of any use on a linux machine? No such thing exists that will hurt linux kernel like viruses.
Actually I solved my issue by going to BIOS settings and completely disabling Secure Boot and enabling the legacy boot option. Ubuntu still boot in the same way. Virtualbox started to work fine now but have to reinstall the Windows 10 VirtualMachine, no issues windows needed to be reinstalled after every few months for better performance.
And then you'll realize what the problem is, modprobe is complaining about required key not being available. Which actually means that the module is not signed and therefore cannot be loaded.
Now that you know what the problem is, the solution is quite simple; you just need to sign the module and make sure that the system recognizes the key as valid. If you already have a X.509 key you can skip the key creation part and go directly to signing the module and enrolling the key But if you don't, you'll need to generate a key to sign any third party module you want to install or any custom module you use.
user@localhost:$ openssl req -new -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout MOK.priv -outform DER -out MOK.der -nodes -days 36500 -subj "/CN=Akrog/"
In the above command, replace MOK with the name of the file you want for the key and Akrog with the Common Name you want to use. It's usually the organization that signs it.
Now you just need to sign the driver, but where's the driver located?
We have confirmed that the module has been signed.
To enroll the public key in the MOK (Module owned Key) your UEFI partition must have MokManager.efi installed.
Now you just need to reboot and follow the screen menus that will appear during the UEFI boot to enroll the new key (on ubuntu 16 it's automatic it seems).
This is a persistent operation, so you'll only need to do this once.
Now vboxdrv should be loaded and ready to run your VMs.
Thanks Fayce66 for a perfect solution.


text:
Blog, News, Rail
Globalism Retreat Reduces Freight Traffic
"Economic Nationalism"
The President's September 24th address to the United Nations promoted 'sovereignty' above international relations. "The future belongs to sovereign and independent nations, who protect their citizens, respect their neighbors and honor the differences that make each country special and unique."
His favorite themes? Unfair trade, imbalanced defense spending, illegal immigration, creeping socialism, and China's "embracing an economic model dependent on massive market barriers, heavy state subsidies, currency manipulation, product dumping, forced technology transfers, and the theft of intellectual property and trade secrets on a grand scale".
Many call this 'economic nationalism', an ideology that promotes domestic economic growth and opposes globalization, free trade, and immigration.
Impact on Air and Rail Freight
Since 2016 the retreat from Globalism has had a significant impact on levels of air and rail freight traffic. It has resulted in the Global economy growing at its slowest pace since the 2008 financial crisis (2.9% this year, the smallest annual rise since 2009) .
FedEx recently reduced its 2020 outlook pointing to trade tensions and the 'weak' global economy due to the absence of a trade deal with China. The Dow Transportation Average which tracks 20 of the nation's largest airlines, railroads and truckers (including FedEx) is down 8.8% over the past year. The index of freight shipments maintained by Cass Information Systems Inc. has been falling every month this year with negative volume nine months in a row. The loss of traffic points to a growing downside risk to the economic outlook.
The Shifting Economy
The U.S. expansion has put people back to work. Economists agree the nation is at or close to full employment. But the economy is now dominated by high skill high wage jobs, and low skill low wage jobs. Middle wage jobs are gone. It's this loss of 'middle American' manufacturing jobs that is driving our Nation's political polarization.
Republican districts hold a growing share of agriculture, mining and low-skill manufacturing jobs while Democratic districts dominate the most productive parts of the country. People have jobs, but they're not good jobs. Even with our labor markets upended by global trade (and technology) our economic fundamentals remain nearly double that of other developed countries (Europe, Japan, or Britain).
Acting to support continued growth the Fed lowered interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point on September 18th, its second cut since late July, and suggested it was prepared to move aggressively if the economy showed signs of weakening. In Europe the ECB cut its key interest rate and put into place a package of monetary stimulus highlighted by bond purchases. Trade policy remains a question mark and freight traffic continues to be impacted by the lack of a trade deal with China. Energy prices remain volatile as Iranian threats to Saudi Arabia's oil production continue and shale oil production slows.
Partisan politics may make headlines and political theatre, but our economy is built on principles that encourage enterprise, diversity, individual rights, and fair elections. For now, the economy remains resilient and confidence in the expansion continues. When thinking about transportation investment risk consider the range of possibilities. To be prepared, call RESIDCO.
Has Traffic Bottomed?
The first half of 2016 has seen its share of volatility. Globalization, central bank actions,…
Rail Traffic - Simple Answers?
Rail Traffic Landscape AAR statistics demonstrate rail freight traffic volumes correlate closely with changes in…
Robust Growth Drives Traffic – Belies Trade Tensions
Transportation plays a fundamental role in global market integration. The traffic flows of trading nations…
Adapting To Declining Traffic
Weak international trade is hurting international airfreight. Global airfreight volume has fallen for 10 consecutive…
Technology, Tariffs, and Trade Impact Traffic
Transportation equipment investment is a long-term play. While the Conference Board's index of leading economic…
October 3, 2019 /0 Comments/by residco
https://residco.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/RESIDCO-RetreatfromGlobalism.jpg 720 1280 residco https://residco.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/RESIDCO_Logo_225x72.png residco2019-10-03 07:09:422019-11-06 02:15:18Globalism Retreat Reduces Freight Traffic
Implementing ASC 842 New Lease Accounting Proves Complex & Significant Republic Airways and the Sanctity of Contracts Validly Formed


Radio Television Slovakia (RTVS) has deployed STRYME's ultra-slim 2U 12 HD channels GENESIX VideoServer V8 and new mobile storage solution GENESIX 2GO to speed up and simplify its OB-Van productions.
Eight input and four output channels add flexibility to Multi-Cam Ingest and the user-friendly AutoNaming function makes post-production work easier.
RTVS's live HD productions require maximum flexibility when it comes to on-location multi-camera setups and OB-Van systems.
STRYME's eighth generation ultra- slim 2U GENESIX VideoServer with 12 HD channels (8 ingest, 4 output) is ideal for the confined spaces in OB-Vans and ideal for managing workflows with simultaneous Multi-Cam Ingest. Synchronised recordings from several camera settings are copied in parallel to an external mobile storage, using the time-saving Transfer While Capture function. Edit While Capture keeps up the suspense of live moments, delivering the right clips in an instant. STRYME's AutoNaming function automatically names and categorises clips and camera settings in logically structured directories and sub-directories. Cutters with individual user profiles can easily retrieve and reuse the clips they need for editing, re-sequencing, post-production highlight cuts, and more.
GENESIX 2GO is the latest addition to STRYME's innovative range of solutions. Weighing less than 3kg, GENESIX 2GO is a powerful portable high-tech storage/backup solution – perfect for mobile productions. Protected by a hard case, it is sturdy, easy to use and guarantees fast data transportation right after recording. Its high bandwidth enables rapid video content transfers in real time for up to 16 channels (XDCAM HD 422).
GENESIX 2GO and the GENESIX VideoServer have full ingest functionality, including the Transfer Manager & MAM. All data (clips, video footage, etc.) can be transferred and stored simultaneously on the ultra-slim 2U GENESIX VideoServer and on up to two portable GENESIX 2GO storage devices, each with a capacity of up to 6TB. A cable connects each backup unit with the video server. After recording, the units are simply unplugged, and the data stored can immediately be passed on to post production.
STRYME CEO Goce Zdravkovski said: "We wanted to come up with a truly mobile solution. GENESIX 2GO is a small, yet powerful lightweight with a huge storage capacity. Coupled with our ultra-slim 2U 12 HD Channels GENESIX VideoServer and Multi-Cam Ingest it is just perfect OB-Van productions, outdoor or freelance work. What's more, we made sure that like every other solution made by STRYME, it goes easy on the budget.
"Once again, we were very happy to work in tandem with ELVIA-PRO. Thanks to this mutually beneficial collaboration Slovakia's public broadcaster now operates a sophisticated, all-in-one failsafe solution that ensures uninterrupted live broadcasting when their studios are on the move."


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text:
Image Credit: Kevin Dooley via Flickr
Chinese Grads Shunning Government Careers?
Apparently a career in public service has become less enticing from Xi Jinping's corruption crackdown.
By Nona Tepper for The Diplomat
At a time dubbed "the worst year in history to graduate" by Chinese students, there's one job Chinese grads aren't interested in: becoming a government official. According to China's Ministry of Human Resources (article in Chinese), compared to 2013, 360,000 fewer graduates signed up for the civil service exam during the first quarter of 2014, apparently uninterested in a career that guarantees health benefits, a pension, and the opportunity to advance within the Chinese government.
"The drop is due to rising political cost and lowered expectation of economic return to be an official," Shen Dingli, vice dean of Fudan University in Shanghai, wrote in an email.
Ever since president Xi Jinping vowed, in a January 2013 speech, to crack down on powerful "lions" and lowly "flies" involved in graft, the luxurious lifestyle associated with government life has become a thing of the past, perhaps deterring future talent from joining the service. During Xi's year in office, reportedly 40,000 cadres have been disciplined for graft violations and another 10,000 have lost their jobs, allowing the government to recoup $65 billion in illicit "rent" funds, an extra fee charged to perform one's job. Certain sectors of the global luxury industry have also been hit hard by Xi's corruption crusade, especially those traditionally associated with gift giving, such as premium spirits and watch brands.
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"Those who were joining the civil service for their own personal gain surely have to think twice about it," David Zweig, chair professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said. "As the risks are much higher, and the benefits are much lower."
Prior to Xi's campaign, whenever Zweig went out with friends from China's Ministry of Personnel, they attended lavish banquet parties, with separate courses dedicated to hot and cold, meat and fish, and dessert dishes. Since the president's austerity drive, Zweig's crew now hold their own tongs at self-serve buffets.
Indeed, in 2012, government officials apparently attended 18 banquets per week according to Communication University of China in Beijing, but in 2013 the weekly number of banquets dropped to an average 12.2.
The rents, rewards and extravagant routine once enjoyed by Chinese officials have diminished, while the chances of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of China (CDIC) catching those engaged in graft have increased.
Previously graft claims against party members were directed to party secretaries at the same bureaucratic level as the members being probed, essentially inviting individuals to bury the case, lest they throw one of their own under the bus. But the CDIC recently reformed its reporting process, so now all corruption cases must be passed to the committee ranked above the individual being investigated, to avoid friends probing friends.
For those opting out of China's civil service exam this year, the rewards of government work aren't high enough and the number of arrests aren't low enough. But what about the honor of serving one's people?
Survey spokesperson Li Zhong attributed exam disinterest to problems within the service, such as nepotism, unstandardized exam formats, and subjective test scoring. But these are all variables that remained unchanged between 2012 and 2013. Rather, could the drop in prospective officials be a sign that China's educated class is becoming disillusioned with its government?
Research recently published in Political Science Quarterly actually found an extremely high level of public satisfaction with the Chinese Communist Party. Based on responses from a national random sample of 3,763 Chinese, the average person's support for the government in Beijing was about 8.0 out of a 10-point scale. Surveyors found that government responsiveness was the main reason for the high level of political trust in China.
Although a responsive authoritarian regime might sound like an oxymoron, since most leaders are not publicly elected, the CCP is paranoid about every protester on the street. Whenever possible the government feels compelled to respond to public demand.
This is the basis of Xi's anti-corruption campaign—weeding out cadres whose indulgences have already tarnished the party's reputation among its people. But what if the anti-graft drive has really dissuaded Chinese grads from becoming government officials? For a party whose basis of approval is its ability to represent its people, a decrease in civil servant applicants could be a good thing.
Nona Tepper is a freelance journalist based in Beijing.
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Oryzias luzonensis är en fiskart som först beskrevs av Herre och Ablan, 1934.  Oryzias luzonensis ingår i släktet Oryzias och familjen Adrianichthyidae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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