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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:13:54 GMT -8
'Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once.'
Not Everything Needs to Be Made Into a Musical
A new musical production based on Anne Frank's diary has hit the stage in The Netherlands, with the producer and star convinced the story needs telling now more than ever.
"Je Anne" ("Yours, Anne") sticks faithfully to the account of the Jewish teenager whose story of hiding from the Nazis in war-time Amsterdam has become famous around the world.
The stage consists only of a concrete Star of David divided into sections representing the rooms in the "secret annex" where the Frank family and four others hid for more than two years.
The eight characters rarely leave the star, perching on bits of luggage, their only worldly possessions, creating a tense sense of claustrophobia throughout the production.
We Don't Need "Mein Kampf - The Musical". We Don't Need "The Art of the Deal - The Musical".
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:15:47 GMT -8
Remember Jon Stewart?
Jon Stewart returned to "The Daily Show" on Monday, kicking off a new show since host Trevor Noah left. "Now, where was I?" Stewart asked at the top of the show. "Why am I back? I have committed a lot of crimes, and from what I understand, talk show hosts are given immunity." Remember Desi?twitter.com/TheDailyShow/status/1756762979041763460Remember the Alamo!
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:18:17 GMT -8
Arrest Everyone! Arrest Yourself!
Although Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has been taking some Moscow-friendly votes lately, that apparently hasn't been enough to get him off of Russia's "most wanted" list.
Vice reports that leaked Russian Internal Affairs Ministry records show that Graham is one of several foreigners who have been singled out for arrest by Russian prosecutors, who have also issued warrants against Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Piotr Hofmański, the president of the International Criminal Court.
Interestingly, it appears that Graham's indictment relates to his strong support for the government of Ukraine in its war against Russia, despite the fact that Graham voted against an aid package for the country on Tuesday morning.
"Russian investigative reporters Mediazona found the database of 96,752 suspects could be accessed from the internet, then built a search tool to allow searches by name and discovered a large number of indicted foreigners," writes Vice.
"These included foreign fighters supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion, officials with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Ukrainian officials and lawmakers in Baltic states that voted to remove Soviet memorials from World War Two."
In fact, the warrant for Estonian PM Kallas relates to her decision to support taking down a monument of a Russian tank that had been in the capital city Tallinn two years ago.
In addition to the arrest warrants for foreigners, the database also contains warrants for more than 31,000 Russian citizens.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:20:44 GMT -8
Gun Owners Have Super-Human Powers of Self-DefenseFueled by right-wing politicians and the powerful gun lobby, nearly three-quarters of firearm owners in the United States believe the enduring myth that a gun at the ready will keep them safer—but a new analysis offers the latest hard evidence that guns simply make life more dangerous and deadly for everyone. The Center for American Progress (CAP) joined gun violence research group GVPedia to release an issue brief debunking the falsehoods pushed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other pro-gun groups, which, looking to "counter the horrors of everyday gun violence in America... masterfully constructed a narrative based on the myth of a 'good guy with a gun' using their weapon defensively to stop an armed assailant before harm can be done." Listening to former NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre and the right-wing lawmakers who count on the gun lobby's endorsements, one could hardly be blamed for conjuring an image of a "good guy with a gun" who frequently stops a violent attack from happening—but the analysis shows how faulty research in the 1990s underpinned such claims. Surveys at the time, including a widely-cited study by Gary Kleck and Matt Gertz, estimated that between 760,000 and 2.5 million defensive gun uses (DGU) occurred annually. But the Harvard Injury Control Research Center found two years later that fewer than 550,000 burglaries occurred in gun owners' homes annually, while Kleck and Gertz had estimated that "guns were used for self-defense during burglaries approximately 845,000 times." "Burglary victims would have needed to use their gun defensively in more than 100% of cases, which is, of course, impossible," the issue brief reads. Debunking the ‘Guns Make Us Safer’ MythAre They Counting Suicides as Self-Defense?
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:23:28 GMT -8
Apparently Rich Gentiles Always Return Their Sledges
Swiss police have opened an investigation into a ski hire shop's announcement it would no longer rent skis and sledges to Jewish customers.
The shop, in the famous resort of Davos, has now reversed its decision.
It has taken down the signs, translated into Hebrew, which informed customers of the ban.
But many have argued the case is a clear violation of Switzerland's laws against discrimination and incitement to racial or religious hatred.
The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities has launched its own legal action, condemning the signs as clearly discriminatory.
Posters in the sports shop window informed customers that, because of incidents, including theft, "we no longer rent sports equipment to our Jewish brothers".
The shop in question, part of the Pischa mountain restaurant, said in an initial statement that equipment was often not being returned, and its staff no longer wanted "the hassle" of scouring the mountain sides trying to find abandoned sledges.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:25:56 GMT -8
Will He Appoint Kimberly Guilfoyle to Head the Federal Reseve?
Former US President Donald Trump has endorsed his daughter-in-law to head the Republican National Committee (RNC).
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:29:37 GMT -8
It's Déjà Vu All Pver Again
Republicans hope the second time will be a charm.
Exactly a week after failing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border, House Republicans will try again Tuesday to send articles of impeachment across the Capitol to the Democratic-led Senate.
They have zero room for error. Last week, a trio of skeptical Republicans — Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Tom McClintock of California and Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin — teamed up with all Democrats to force a 215-215 tie, tanking the impeachment vote and delivering an embarrassing blow to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and his leadership team.
Will the Second Time Be a Charm?
Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann on Monday expressed his surprise at what he described as an “incredibly inappropriate first sentence” in Donald Trump’s filing to the U.S. Supreme Court in which the former president’s lawyers argued he should have “total immunity” for potential criminal acts committed when he was in the White House.
“This application is ‘déjà vu all over again,’” the filing for a stay in the case from Trump’s legal team began, citing and crediting a so-called “Yogi-ism” from the late New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra.
“If you were going to be snarky, they might as well have cited Yogi Bear,” Weissmann told MSNBC’s Alicia Menendez.
“I mean, that is just a bizarre way to start on something they are asking the Supreme Court,” he added.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:31:29 GMT -8
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:36:06 GMT -8
They Don't Need to Make a Musical Out of This, Either
The Chesebro Docs - Two Weeks of ChaosDonald Trump’s months-long effort to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election culminated on a single, now-infamous day: Jan. 6. But there was an alternate scenario gamed out by Trump’s lawyers — one that would have expanded the hours of indecision caused by the Trump campaign’s efforts and stretched out the process for weeks, all the way until Jan. 20, 2021, the Constitution’s ironclad deadline for the transfer of power. If their scheme succeeded, these lawyers hoped, Joe Biden would never take office. The details of this scheme are being revealed here for the first time. They are drawn from a trove of documents provided to Michigan prosecutors by Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro, including thousands of pages of emails among Trump’s lawyers, some containing information that has never before been published.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:39:36 GMT -8
Passed!
The Senate on Tuesday passed legislation providing U.S. aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after days of fierce intra-party Republican debate over pushing back against Russian President Vladimir Putin and maintaining America’s standing around the world.
The vote was 70-29, with 22 Republicans bucking former President Donald Trump in favor of the bill.
The dispute pitted the old guard of the Republican Party against Trump-era conservatives and populists, whose growing influence was able to slow but ultimately not stop the bill in the upper chamber. Its passage in the House is in doubt, however, after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) poured cold water on it on Monday.
In a speech Monday evening ahead of the vote, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the GOP’s 2012 presidential nominee, cast the issue in stark terms, calling it “the most important vote we will ever take as United States senators.” He argued that allowing Putin to win in Ukraine would have far-reaching consequences in Europe and around the globe.
“If we fail to help Ukraine, Putin will invade a NATO nation,” Romney warned. “He may delay his next invasion until he rebuilds his decimated military. But let’s be clear-eyed: Ukraine is not the end; it is a step.”
Discharged?
In United States parliamentary procedure, a discharge petition is a means of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee by "discharging" the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution. he discharge petition, and the threat of one, gives more power to individual members of the House and removes a small amount of power from the leadership and committee chairs. In the U.S. House, successful discharge petitions are rare, as the signatures of an absolute majority of House members are required.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:41:36 GMT -8
Taylor Wrote This In May 2020
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:43:06 GMT -8
Note to Mass Shooters: Leave Your Kids at Home When Committing Suicide By Cop
A 7-year-old boy who was shot in the head during a shooting Sunday inside Pastor Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch has been identified as the son of the deceased shooter, according to police.
The child, previously described as a 5-year-old, remained in critical condition on Monday following an exchange of gunfire between two law enforcement officers and the child’s mother, 36-year-old Genesse Moreno, who was armed with two firearms, the Houston Police Department said at an afternoon press conference.
Moreno, who had a known history of mental illness, entered Lakewood Church with the child shortly before 2 p.m. and “immediately” started firing an AR-15 rifle inside a hallway. A second gun, a .22-caliber rifle, was also in her possession but not fired, said Police Commander Christopher Hassig of the city’s homicide division.
“Multiple shots were exchanged by all three,” said Hassig, who added that it’s not yet clear from their investigation who shot the child. Moreno, who is believed to have acted alone in the attack, was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.
A motive was not immediately known, though police did mention that a sticker was found on the AR-15 rifle that said “Palestine.” The woman also left behind some anti-Semitic writings and had a family dispute with her ex-husband and some of his Jewish family members, Hassig said.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:46:21 GMT -8
Good Guys With a Gun Shoot a Good Gal With a Gun
Sheriff’s deputies in Houston repeatedly shot at a woman after mistaking her for an intruder inside her friend’s apartment, body camera footage released over the weekend shows.
The woman, Eboni Pouncy, was shot five times during the February 3 confrontation and her attorney, Ben Crump, has since called for the release of the two deputies’ body camera footage. Authorities say Pouncy was holding a gun when they opened fire.
Following the release of the edited footage by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, Crump said the video is “evidence of the unnecessary and excessive force used against her.”
On the night of the shooting, the sheriff’s deputies responded to an east Houston apartment complex, where a tenant called 911 to report someone was inside her apartment, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.
“At approximately 2:14 a.m., the first deputy arrived to the scene and cleared the apartment,” the release said. “There was no intruder located.”
A second deputy had arrived to assist, but before they left the scene a person living in a neighboring apartment “flagged the deputies down and reported that someone had broken into another nearby apartment.”
At the second apartment, the deputies noticed a front window screen had been removed, the glass was broken and the blinds were raised, the sheriff’s office said in a video statement when releasing the footage.
The footage shows a deputy knocking on the apartment door and announcing,“sheriff’s office.” Both deputies then move away from the door and stand next to the windows.
“One deputy saw a female approaching the door holding a firearm,” the release said.
“Someone is coming,” a deputy is heard saying, followed by “Gun!” Immediately, both deputies begin firing their weapons repeatedly, reload and then continue shooting.
Shoot First and Ask Questions Later
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:47:43 GMT -8
The Big Squeeze
Egypt is boosting its security presence at its border with the Gaza Strip, wary of a spillover of Israel’s war on Hamas onto its territory should the Israeli military begin its ground assault on the enclave’s southernmost city, Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population is sheltering just steps away from the frontier.
The fortification by the border with Gaza is a “precautionary” measure ahead of an expected Israeli ground operation in Rafah, Egyptian security officials told CNN. As part of its security buildup, the officials said, Egypt has deployed more troops and machinery in North Sinai, bordering Gaza.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza may be putting its almost half-a-century-old ties with a key Arab partner at risk. Egypt has already condemned Israel’s move to push Palestinians southward in the enclave, suggesting it is part of a plan to expel Gazans and that it would spell the end of the Palestinian cause. Now, Egypt is sounding alarms again as Israel pushes more than a million Palestinians toward its territory and prepares for a military operation in Rafah.
Checkpoints leading to the Rafah border crossing on the Egyptian side were boosted with more soldiers and the areas around the main road were being prepared for the deployment of tanks and military machinery, an eyewitness told CNN.
Egyptian military helicopters were also seen flying on the Egyptian side this week, according to an eyewitness in Egypt and social media videos shot from the Gaza side of the border.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 13, 2024 9:49:01 GMT -8
Who Could Have Possibly Predicted That Health Care Professionals Wouldn't Want to Work There?
The Oklahoma State Department of Health announced the launch of a state loan repayment plan last week for healthcare professionals in shortage areas.
The program, called the OK Health Corps, will award $35,000-$50,000 to healthcare professionals in exchange for a two-year service commitment at certified community-based facilities, according to a press release.
OSDH's program is hosted in partnership with the Office of Primary Care, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the National Health Service Corps.
“We want to support the health workforce and increase access to health care in Oklahoma,” Jana Castleberry, director of the OSDH Primary Care Office, said in a release. “We hope this program provides incentives for health care providers to practice in areas of the state that experience significant shortages of health professionals.”
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