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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 8:39:20 GMT -8
I went to a seafood disco last week - and pulled a mussel.
That's the Sound of the Men Slaves Working on the Chain Gang
It's 157 years since the US constitution banned chattel slavery - in which one person is the legal property of another - but left in place an exemption for convicted prisoners.
Throughout most of the US, slavery or involuntary servitude are still legal as punishment for a crime.
But on 8 November, voters in five states - Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont - will decide whether to remove these exemptions from their state constitutions and ban slavery entirely.
The outcome could enable prisoners to challenge forced labour. Some 800,000 currently work for pennies, or for nothing at all. Seven states do not pay prison workers any wage for most job assignments.
Supporters of change say it's an exploitative loophole that must be closed.
But critics argue that the move is unaffordable and could lead to unintended consequences in the criminal justice system.
The roots of the modern system originate in the centuries of enslavement of African-Americans, human rights researchers say.
In the years after slavery was outlawed, laws were passed that specifically aimed to suppress black communities and force them into prisons where they would be required to work.
Now, some imprisoned black Americans are still forced to pick cotton and other crops on the southern plantations where their forefathers were kept in chains.
"The United States of America has never had a day without codified slavery," says Curtis Ray Davis II, who spent over 25 years serving hard labour in a Louisiana prison for a murder that he did not commit, before he was pardoned in 2019.
Mr Davis held a variety of jobs at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary - nicknamed Angola after the country from which many of the African slaves in the area were brought.
"I worked for 25 years and came home with 124 dollars," says Mr Davis, who was never paid more than 20 cents per hour for his work, which he says was "against my will and at gunpoint".
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 8:44:14 GMT -8
Brazil Rejects Their Home-Grown Version of Previous Guy
Brazil has taken a turn to the left as former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the presidential election.
After a divisive campaign which saw two bitter rivals on opposite sides of the political spectrum go head to head, Lula won 50.9% of the votes.
It was enough to beat Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters had been confident of victory.
But the division which this election has highlighted is unlikely to vanish.
It is a stunning comeback for a politician who could not run in the last presidential election in 2018 because he was in jail and banned from standing for office.
He had been found guilty of receiving a bribe from a Brazilian construction firm in return for contracts with Brazil's state oil company Petrobras.
Lula spent 580 days in jail before his conviction was annulled and he returned to the political fray.
"They tried to bury me alive and here I am," he said, kicking off his victory speech.
I Asked Him His Name and In A Guttural Voice He Said, "Lula". L-U-L-A, Lula.
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 8:46:35 GMT -8
Turkey and Grain Sound Good Together
Turkey says it is determined that Ukraine continues its food exports despite Russia announcing its withdrawal from a UN-brokered grain deal, a move that has heightened concerns for nations desperate for food assistance.
Russia pulled out of the deal on Saturday after what it said was a major Ukrainian drone attack on its naval fleet in annexed Crimea. Despite Moscow’s decision, cargo ships set sail carrying 354,500 tonnes of grain, the most dispatched in one day since the programme began in August.
Turkey, which helped broker the agreement, remained committed to the deal.
“Even if Russia behaves hesitantly because it didn’t receive the same benefits, we will continue decisively our efforts to serve humanity,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Amir Abdullah, the UN official coordinating the programme, said: “Civilian cargo ships can never be a military target or held hostage. The food must flow.”
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 8:59:23 GMT -8
Whoever Repaired this Bridge is in Deep Doo-Doo
The death toll from the collapse of a colonial-era suspension bridge in India’s western Gujarat state has risen to 132, according to officials, as rescue workers worked through the night, combing the Machhu River for survivors.
Harsh Sanghavi, Gujarat’s home minister, told reporters that the death toll rose from 68 on Sunday to 132 early on Monday as search operations continued.
Gujarat’s Information Department said about 177 people had now been rescued, while 19 were receiving medical care.
The bridge in Morbi, a town some 200km (120 miles) west of Gujarat’s main city Ahmedabad, was built during British colonial rule in the 19th century and had been closed for renovations for nearly six months before it was reopened to the public last week.
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:03:07 GMT -8
Who's Put Out Their Last Tweet? It's a Start.
Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has some in Hollywood heading for the exit.
"Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes and others in the entertainment industry say they plan to quit the platform now that it is owned by Musk, a self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist" who has vowed to make sweeping changes — including potentially reversing the ban on former President Donald Trump.
"Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye," Rhimes tweeted to her nearly 2 million Twitter followers on Saturday afternoon, two days after the billionaire tycoon closed his $44 billion deal to purchase the service.
Here's a running list of other folks from the overlapping worlds of television, movies, music and sports who say they plan to leave.
Sara Bareilles
The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter tweeted to her nearly 3 million followers on Sunday: "Welp. It's been fun Twitter. I'm out. See you on the other platforms, peeps.
Toni Braxton
In a tweet to her nearly 2 million followers on Friday, the Grammy-winning R&B star decried the content she said she had seen on Twitter since Musk's takeover, writing in part: "I'm shocked and appalled at some of the 'free speech' I've seen on this platform since its acquisition."
Brian Koppelman
Koppelman, the co-creator of the Showtime dramas "Billions" and "Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber," recently tweeted: "Y’all’s, for real, come find me over on instagram and the tok. Gonna really try to take a breather from here for a minute or a month come deal close time."
The screenwriter and producer has since locked his tweets, meaning that only approved followers can see what he posts.
Téa Leoni
Leoni, an actor best known for starring on the CBS political drama "Madam Secretary," tweeted to her roughly 124,000 followers on Saturday: "Hi everyone. I’m coming off Twitter today—let’s see where we are when the dust settles."
Alex Winter
Winter, an actor and filmmaker best known for playing Bill in the "Bill & Ted" film series alongside Keanu Reeves, locked his Twitter account sometime after Musk's acquisition. His bio on the site now says "Not here" and links to his Instagram profile.
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:05:04 GMT -8
Stupid Human Tricks
Two women glued themselves to the handrails around a dinosaur exhibit at Berlin’s Natural History museum on Sunday in the latest protest by climate activists, calling on the German government to scale up measures to fight climate change.
The two activists glued themselves to the handrails around the skeleton of a dinosaur that lived millions of years ago, holding a banner that read: “What if the government doesn’t have it under control?”
“The dinosaurs became extinct because they couldn’t withstand the massive climate changes. The same threatens us,” said one of the women, Caris Connell, 34.
If People Don't Respond to Hurricanes, Floods, Fires, and Drought, Do They Think a Couple of Idiots With Glue Will Change Anything?
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:12:32 GMT -8
Worst Recruiting Pitch Ever: "You Are Not Cannon Fodder".
A Russian Wife Is Happy
While Putin Passes Stricter Anti-Gay Laws, ...
Cages for Drunks
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:14:23 GMT -8
Violence? Wink, Wink, Nod, Nod.
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:18:32 GMT -8
Nobody Really Knows What Will Happen Next Week, Because We Don't Know Who Will Turn Out
Republicans today remain in good position to win a majority of seats in the House. However, voters' current intentions suggest anything from a sizable GOP majority to a bare Democratic one possible. Our latest model indicates a range of possibilities, which you can explore using the interactive tool below.
So what, politically, does the scenario look like in which Democrats manage to hold the House? We ran our estimates through a turnout model in which younger voters turn out in much higher numbers than our baseline model indicates, bailing Democrats out late in the game. This would run counter to what we've seen in recent weeks, both from what young voters tell us in surveys and from early ballot returns, but it isn't impossible.
It's more akin to what happened four years ago, with voters under 45 and people of color voting in droves. Since they are heavily Democratic groups, matching 2018's record setting turnout would stem Republican gains, turning House control into a toss-up around 218 seats. Were this scenario to materialize, it would take days or weeks into November for a handful of close races to settle and reveal the new balance of power.
New Poll Numbers
I’ve been alerting you good folks to the fact that RW pollsters like Trafalgar, InsiderAdvantage and Cygnal have been flooding the averages and the news cycles with poll after poll in order to (successfully) push the narrative that republicans are surging and Dems are toast. Well, have I got some good news for you. The A+ rated NY Times/Siena poll is out with some important numbers, and Dems are doing well:
PA: D+6 (with rounding)
AZ: D+6
NV: tied
GA: D+3
They caution that most of the PA poll was taken before the debate, but a) that means that some was taken after, and b) it also means that Fetterman was leading by more beforehand than Trafalgar et al. were trying to push. I would also caution (obviously) that it’s just 4 polls from 1 polling outfit. But that said, it makes a fair amount of sense given where other non-partisan pollsters have put the races this cycle. I would expect to see a few more nonpartisan polls put out early this week and with it, I
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:21:18 GMT -8
The Smoking Guns for Previous Guy's Lawyers
The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol has obtained eight emails from late 2020 that a judge determined show Donald Trump and his lawyers planning to defraud courts and obstruct the congressional vote on the presidency.
A new court filing from Trump’s then-attorney John Eastman disclosed that the House said it had accessed the emails on Friday.
The House probe has been fighting for the records for months, and a federal judge cleared the way for the committee to receive them in recent weeks, calling them possible evidence of the planning of crimes on Trump’s behalf.
Eastman had tried several last-ditch attempts to hold off the committee. The panel declined to comment to CNN.
The emails that the committee finally has accessed include four communications between Trump attorneys that appear to indicate they knew details they submitted to courts to challenge the election were false, and four emails that reveal them discussing filing lawsuits as a way to hold off congressional certification of Trump’s electoral loss, Judge David O. Carter previously revealed.
One of the emails describes concern the lawyers had about submitting a declaration signed by Trump himself in a lawsuit challenging the election, which said the election fraud allegations it presented to the court were true, the judge’s previous opinion revealed. The Trump-signed statement was sent to court, even though the lawyers knew the allegations within weren’t sound, according to the court record.
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:23:34 GMT -8
Abolish Ted Cruz!
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:25:20 GMT -8
Piece of Shit Junior Strikes Again!
In the aftermath of the attack on Paul Pelosi, amid rising concern over rightwing figures stoking violence against political opponents, Donald Trump Jr posted online a crude meme featuring a hammer, the weapon used to attack the husband of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, on Friday.
“OMG,” the former president’s son wrote next to the picture, which also had the caption “Got my Paul Pelosi Halloween costume ready”.
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:27:26 GMT -8
QOP Reject the Future, Embrace the Past
Heading into next week’s midterm elections, many Republican candidates are seeking to capitalize on voters’ concerns about inflation by vilifying a key component of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda: electric vehicles.
On social media, in political ads and at campaign rallies, Republicans say Democrats’ push for battery-powered transportation will leave Americans broke, stranded on the road and even in the dark. Many of the attack lines are not true — the auto industry itself has largely embraced a shift to EVs, for instance, and some Republican lawmakers are quick to cheer the opening of EV battery plants in the U.S. that promise new jobs.
I Hear They Want to Bring Back the Horse and Buggy
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 31, 2022 9:29:04 GMT -8
While the QOP Act Like Asses, the White House Acts Like Adults
The White House is bringing together three dozen nations, the European Union and a slew of private-sector companies for a two-day summit starting Monday that looks at how best to combat ransomware attacks.
The second International Counter Ransomware Summit will focus on priorities such as ensuring systems are more resilient to better withstand attacks and disrupt bad actors planning such assaults.
A senior Biden administration official cited recent attacks such as one that targeted the Los Angeles school district last month to underscore the urgency of the issue and the summit. The official previewed the event on the condition of anonymity.
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