APRIL 27, 2018
NEWS AND VIEWS
A NEW DEAL FOR THE NEW PROBLEMS. SOUNDS A LOT LIKE THE OLD NEW DEAL, AND AS SUCH, LIKE A WINNER!!
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/04/24/fox-friends-has-total-meltdown-over-sanders-plan-guarantee-every-american-decent
Decrying the plan as a "vote-buying operation," the Fox panel was particularly appalled by the idea that the rich might be required to pay a bit more in taxes to fund the jobs program
byJake Johnson, staff writer
Outside of Fox News, a federal jobs guarantee polls "stunningly well" nationwide, including in red states, according to recent surveys. (Photo: Fox & Friends/Screengrab)
Expressing disbelief that a politician would deign to embrace a widely popular idea that could bring massive numbers of voters to the polls and drastically reduce inequality, President Donald Trump's favorite show "Fox & Friends" ran a segment on Tuesday sliming Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) plan to guarantee every American a decent-paying job as a mere "vote-buying operation."
"That's what it is," grumbled Fox News host Stuart Varney. "Fifteen dollars an hour, a government job with benefits guaranteed by the government."
In addition to scoffing at Sanders' desire to give unemployed Americans jobs and pay them decent wages, the "Fox & Friends" panel was particularly appalled by the idea that the rich might be required to pay a bit more in taxes to fund the program.
"Who's going to pay for it?" asked host Steve Doocy.
"I'm sure it will be, 'tax the rich because the rich because the rich will be paying their fair share,'" Varney said. "It's a nonstarter."
Watch: “A VOTE BUYING OPERATION.”
The "Fox & Friends" segment comes less than 24 hours after the Washington Post's Jeff Stein reported that Sanders is planning to introduce a federal jobs guarantee that would "fund hundreds of projects throughout the United States aimed at addressing priorities such as infrastructure, caregiving, the environment, education, and other goals."
"The plan's authors envision millions of Americans getting hired under the proposal," Stein noted.
Fox News panelists are hardly alone in opposing Sanders' ambitious proposal, which polls "stunningly well" nationwide.
In an interview with the Post, Ernie Tedeschi, an economist who served in Obama's Treasury Department, worried that the plan "would be extremely expensive."
Progressives, however, argue that the idea is hardly radical or unprecedented, pointing to the New Deal's public employment programs as evidence that federal job initiatives can be both extremely effective and a good investment.
"This is an opportunity for something transformative, beyond the tinkering we've been doing for the last 40 years, where all the productivity gains have gone to the elite of society," Darrick Hamilton, an economist at the New School in New York, concluded in an interview with the Post.
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IF IT’S AN IMPROVEMENT, FOX HATES IT. WHAT CAN I SAY!!
https://www.commondreams.org/tag/bernie-sanders?gclid=CjwKCAjwlIvXBRBjEiwATWAQIuKAWP80F7vA1vLv4RXWxBXTNQ9eHGOiW3G8DNahV5seB1m93HCs4RoC8_gQAvD_BwE
Bernie Sanders
'Fox & Friends' Has Total Meltdown Over Sanders Plan to Guarantee Every American a Decent-Paying Job
Jake Johnson, staff writer
Published on
Friday, April 20, 2018
byCommon Dreams
Embracing 'the Sort of Bold Thinking We Need,' Sanders to Introduce Plan to Guarantee Every American a Job
PHOTOGRAPH -- "Proponents trace the idea back to the New Deal Era, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt pitched a 'Second Bill of Rights' to Congress in 1944. First on the list: the 'right to a useful and remunerative job.'"
PHOTOGRAPH -- While noting the possibility of a wave big enough to take back the House,...
PHOTOGRAPH -- "Every night on CNN they're talking about Stormy. The most pornographic thing that's happened in this country is the illicit relationship between the Supreme Court and big business that created Citizen's United," said Rev. William Barber. (Photo: Mary Helen Wood/The Duke Chronicle)
PHOTOGRAPH -- Citing Working Class Pain 'That Doesn't Make CNN,' Sanders and Rev. Barber Call for Building Truly Moral Economy
Jake Johnson, staff writer
Coinciding with the launch of a new Poor People's Campaign that plans to bring mass action and a radical anti-poverty agenda to over 40 states in the coming weeks, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined Rev. William Barber at Duke University Thursday night to discuss the deep inequality and working class pain "that doesn't make CNN" and how to confront these crises on the way to building a truly moral economic system.
"Every progressive policy today that we hold dear was seen as impossible 100 years ago. And then a few people said, we're gonna believe, and we're gonna fight for what we believe."
—Rev. William Barber
"When we talk about a moral economy, we talk about justice and we talk about the gross immorality of three people in this country owning more wealth than the bottom half of the American people," Sanders told the audience gathered inside Duke's Chapel. "A moral economy is one that says, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, all of our people should be able to live with dignity and security."
Titled "The Enduring Challenge of a Moral Economy: 50 Years After Dr. King Challenged Racism, Poverty, and Militarism," the discussion featured a wide range of topics, from the struggle for a living wage to voting rights to big money's influence on the Supreme Court—issues that Barber and Sanders argued are almost entirely ignored by the corporate media.
"Every night on CNN they're talking about Stormy," Barber, a leader of the new Poor People's campaign, said Thursday night. "The most pornographic thing that's happened in this country is the illicit relationship between the Supreme Court and big business that created Citizen's United."
Watch:
Highlighting Martin Luther King Jr.'s insistence that militarism is deeply connected to the crises of racism and poverty, Sanders and Barber also pointed to endless U.S. led wars overseas that have cost trillions of dollars as the poor in America lack healthcare and other basic necessities.
While much of the discussion Thursday night was centered on the systemic racial and economic inequities that continue to oppress vast swaths of the world's wealthiest nation, Sanders concluded his remarks at the event on an optimistic note, arguing that "when we stand together, we can do beautiful things for our country and for the world."
"Every progressive policy today that we hold dear was seen as impossible 100 years ago," Barber added. "And then a few people said, we're gonna believe, and we're gonna fight for what we believe."
Watch the full event:
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POLICE LINEUPS ARE GREAT ON TV, BUT SUBJECT TO SERIOUS ERROR ON THE PART OF REAL LIFE WITNESSES. THERE IS AN ATTITUDE IN THE USA, WORSE IN SOME PLACES AND TIMES THAN IN OTHERS, OF ASSUMING GUILT BEFORE ALL THE EVIDENCE IS IN, MUCH LESS THE MANDATORY “TRIAL BY A JURY OF THEIR PEERS.” LOOK AT THIS BBC NEWS VIDEO. FOR AN INTERESTING ARTICLE ON JUSTICE, READ THIS. TRUE, IT'S BRITISH, BUT IT'S VERY SIMILAR I THINK TO THE US SYSTEMS.
http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/43900546/how-us-police-line-ups-jail-the-innocent
How US police line-ups jail the innocent
More people identified by witnesses from a row of suspects are having their convictions overturned.
27 April 2018
I DON’T REALLY BELIEVE THAT THIS PEACE WILL BE CREATED AND MAINTAINED, BUT THEY DO SEEM TO BE MAKING HEADWAY. THE FOLLOWING FROM THE ARTICLE MAKES ME HAPPIEST: “AFTER PLANTING A PINE TREE, A SYMBOL OF PEACE, THEY SAT ALONE FOR A FULL 30 MINUTES IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-south-korea-denuclearization-agreement/
CBS NEWS April 27, 2018, 8:24 AM
What North and South Korea agreed to, and what's next
In a historic overnight meeting, North and South Korea agreed to work toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, and declaring a formal end to the Korean War by the end of this year. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raised their arms in a show of unity. They promised to pursue peace, but left many of the details for later talks.
Expectations were relatively low for the summit, but CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy says it appears the meeting was one of both style and substance. Kim said what the two leaders agreed to on Friday was just the tip of the iceberg, and he said he intends to live up to this agreement.
It's a moment no one could have predicted just a few months ago: After signing their agreement, Kim and Moon were clearly pleased with what they had accomplished. The South Korean president declared a new era of peace on the Korean peninsula.
The two Koreas agreed to officially end the Korean War by the end of the year, resume reunions of families separated during the conflict, and to turn the Demilitarized Zone into what they call a "genuine peace zone." Moon will visit North Korea for a second summit this fall.
The two leaders seemed to have an instant rapport the minute Kim made history by becoming the first North Korean leader to step foot in the South. In a brief diplomatic dance, he invited Moon to cross the military demarcation line back into the North.
South Korea literally rolled out the red carpet for its long-time nemesis, and the two men were often seen smiling and even laughing together. After planting a pine tree, a symbol of peace, they sat alone for a full 30 minutes in what appeared to be an in-depth conversation.
But North Korea agreeing to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was the ultimate goal of this summit. So far there are no specifics as to how or when that might actually happen, or what Kim wants in return.
"The devil is in the details," said In-Bum Chun, a retired lieutenant general of the South Korean Army. He's been surprised by Kim's pivot towards peace.
"Are you buying what he's selling?" Tracy asked him.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
6h
Is everybody believing what is going on. James Comey can’t define what a leak is. He illegally leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION but doesn’t understand what he did or how serious it is. He lied all over the place to cover it up. He’s either very sick or very dumb. Remember sailor!
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States, and all of its GREAT people, should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea!
6:55 AM - Apr 27, 2018
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"I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt -- with a certain dose of caution -- so I'm gonna wait and see, and I don't think I'm going to have to wait too long," Chun said.
It is important to bear in mind, says Tracy, that North Korea has agreed to denuclearize before, and then not followed through, so you can expect that U.S. negotiators will be looking to fill in the details of these promises when President Trump sits down for his planned summit with Kim in late May or early June.
CBS News senior national security contributor Michael Morell, a former CIA deputy director and acting director, suggested caution, calling the summit, "all aspirations."
"South Korea can't end the Korean War," Morell said. "South Korea can't get North Korea to denuclearize. Only the United States and the United Nations can do that. So the real work has yet to come."
Mr. Trump, however, appeared optimistic, tweeting Friday morning, "KOREAN WAR TO END!"
He said the people of the United States should be "very proud" of the emerging peace process.
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394922/ IS A WONDERFUL TV MOVIE ON THIS SUBJECT, CALLED "MURDER AND THE ANDROID." I’M PUTTING THIS IN HERE BECAUSE IT IS A TRUE STEP FORWARD SCIENTIFICALLY, BUT I DO NOT LIKE IT, SAM I AM! WE HAVE PLENTY OF HUMANS WITHOUT ANY ARTIFICIAL ONES.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robots-replacing-humans-cbsn-originals-preview/
CBS NEWS April 27, 2018, 7:57 AM
"A new kind of human": Robots step into everyday life in Japan
Watch the new CBSN Originals documentary, "Replacing Humans: Robots Among Us," on CBSNews.com starting Sunday, April 29. The full hour streams on CBSN Monday, April 30, at 8 p.m., 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. ET.
Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro is known as the godfather of humanoids for his years of work developing uncannily lifelike robots. He's succeeded in creating robots that look and move like people, and not only that, he's giving them a full range of capabilities that help them behave and learn like we do.
But it's not the machines themselves that fascinate Ishiguro — it's us.
"People think my motivation is to build a robot. But it's not true. My motivation is to understand what a human is, by developing humanoid robots," he says in the new CBSN Originals documentary, "Replacing Humans: Robots Among Us."
He draws an analogy to athletes in the Paralympic Games with high-tech prosthetic limbs.
"They don't have arms and legs, but they are using prosthetic arms and legs. Are they 100 percent human, or 80 percent human or 70 percent human?"
He answers his own question. Of course they're fully human.
And then he takes a leap. "That means that a flesh body is not a requirement to be human. …They can be a new kind of human, right?"
It's a compelling idea, especially in Japan, where a rapidly aging population and declining birth rate is creating a workforce crisis. Without enough people to fill jobs and care for the elderly, could robots step up to fill the gap? Could they even become, as the robotics engineer Dylan Glaas put it, "better than people"?
CBS News' Adam Yamaguchi traveled to Japan to explore why that country is on the leading edge of robot development and the many different ways these increasingly intelligent creations are being incorporated into everyday life.
Creepily human-like robots
35 Photos
Creepily human-like robots
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
I'M SO GLAD THAT THE EU HAS DECIDED TO TACKLE THE ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS FOR THE LAST 6 OR 8 YEARS (OR MORE?) THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT REPUBLICANS JUST DON'T WANT TO DO, NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT IT IS. OF COURSE, THE RICH ARE SO CUT OFF FROM THE REAL WORLD THAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF A MERE LINK IN THE EARTH'S CHAIN OF LIFE. "CHAIN OF WHAT??"
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2167537-the-european-union-has-decided-to-ban-bee-killing-pesticides/?cmpid=ILC|NSNS|2018_webpush&utm_medium=ILC&utm_source=NSNS&utm_campaign=webpush-Roost-EUbees
DAILY NEWS 27 April 2018
The European Union has decided to ban bee-killing pesticides
PHOTOGRAPH -- Pollinating insects like bees are harmed by neonicotinoids
Pollinating insects like bees are harmed by neonicotinoids
Owen Humphreys / PA Wire
By New Scientist staff and Press Association
Campaigners have hailed a decision by European countries to bring in a near-total ban on pesticides linked to declines in bees as a “major victory”.
European Union member states have decided on a ban on the outdoor use of “neonicotinoid” pesticides, after an assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed in February the dangers they posed to bees.
Use of the three pesticides is already restricted in the European Union on crops such as oil seed rape, because of the concerns they have “sub-lethal” effects such as harming the bees’ ability to forage and form colonies.
Member states have now endorsed proposals by the European Commission to completely ban the outdoor uses of the three active substances, meaning they can only be used in greenhouses.
However, how farmers replace the pesticides will be crucial, says Dave Goulson of the University of Sussex, UK. “If these neonicotinoids are simply replaced by other similar compounds such as sulfoxaflor, cyantraniliprole and flupyradifurone (all new systemic insecticides), then we will simply be going round in circles,” he says. “What is needed is a move towards truly sustainable farming methods that minimise pesticide use, encourage natural enemies of crop pests, and support biodiversity and healthy soils.”
Anti-bee chemicals
The EFSA assessment, which looked at the impact on wild solitary bees and bumblebees as well as honeybees, confirmed that most uses of the chemicals pose a risk to the insects.
Last year, UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove had said the UK would back a ban on the neonicotinoids, saying new evidence indicated the risk to bees and other insects from the chemicals was “greater than previously understood”.
Emi Murphy, bee campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “This is a major victory for science, common sense and our under-threat bees. The evidence that neonicotinoid pesticides pose a threat to our bees is overwhelming.
“It’s great news that Michael Gove listened to the experts and backed the ban – he must now give farmers the support they need to grow food without bee-harming pesticides.”
Indoor use only
Antonia Staats, senior campaigner at Avaaz, which had led a petition backed by five million signatures to ban the chemicals, said: “Banning these toxic pesticides is a beacon of hope for bees.
“Finally, our governments are listening to their citizens, the scientific evidence and farmers who know that bees can’t live with these chemicals and we can’t live without bees.”
European Commission spokeswoman Anca Paduraru told reporters in Brussels that it was hoped the ban will enter into force by the end of the year.
She added that there would be exemptions for the indoor use of neonicotinoids.
“We are banning all outdoor uses, so under strict conditions they might still be used in greenhouses,” she said.
NOW THIS IS WHAT COURTS SHOULD BE DOING IN THESE CASES. OF COURSE, VERMONT IS BERNIE SANDERS’ STATE.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vermont-teen-accused-of-planning-school-shooting-released/
By CRIMESIDER STAFF AP April 27, 2018, 12:19 PM
Vermont teen accused of planning school shooting released
MONTPELIER, Vt. - A Vermont teen accused of plotting a shooting with mass casualties at his former high school in a case that led to the first significant limits on gun ownership in Vermont was released Friday into the custody of his father.
Jack Sawyer, 18, was released on conditions after posting $10,000 bail. The state's defender general said he was being placed in a treatment facility on Friday, but would not say where.
Sawyer was arrested the day after the Feb. 14 Parkland, Florida, shootings that killed 17 people after a friend reported him to authorities. He was charged with attempted murder, accusing him of planning a shooting at Fair Haven Union High School that prosecutors say was outlined in his diary "Journal of an Active Shooter."
Prosecutors on Monday dropped the most serious charges against him after the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that preparation didn't constitute attempted murder. He has pleaded not guilty to lesser charges of criminal threatening and carrying a dangerous weapon.
His defense team has argued that he didn't take concrete steps to commit the crime.
jack-sawyer-in-court.jpg
Jack Sawyer WCAX
Gov. Phil Scott on Friday outlined what the state is doing to enhance the safety of the Fair Haven school and community.
Prosecutor Rose Kennedy used one of the new gun restrictions, obtaining an extreme risk protection order that said Sawyer poses an extreme risk of physical harm to himself and others and is barred from having any firearms.
The Vermont State Police is assisting the local police department by providing personnel, state police cruisers to be periodically posted at schools, as well as a plain clothes trooper periodically posted in and around the school, Scott said. Seven other law enforcement agencies in Vermont and New York are prepared to provide resources if needed, he said.
"As I've said, I am extremely concerned and frustrated that our current laws have allowed for the release of an individual who - as the court record shows - intended, and may still intend, to carry out a horrific crime," Scott said.
He said his administration would continue to work with the legislature to change Vermont's law to criminalize substantial steps to commit mass violence against schools and other public locations.
The state Senate this week approved a new domestic terrorism law that includes that change.
"I want the Fair Haven community to know we stand with them, and I personally share their frustration with the system," Scott said. "I promise, we are doing everything we can to keep the school and community safe."
© 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
GREAT IDEA! WALMART DOES HAVE A GOOD SELECTION, BUT THEIR HELP, TRAINING AND POLICIES LEAVE A VERY GREAT DEAL TO BE DESIRED.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kentucky-mans-video-goes-viral-after-he-uses-walmart-intercom-to-ask-for-help/
By CAITLIN O'KANE CBS NEWS April 26, 2018, 2:53 PM
Kentucky man's video goes viral after he uses Walmart intercom to ask for help
VIDEO – Forrest Hunter asked for help over Walmart's intercom and video of his antics went viral. FORREST HUNTER/FACEBOOK
Forrest Hunter was shopping at a Walmart in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, and need assistance. After getting tired of waiting for an employee, Hunter decided to take matters into his own hands. He picked up a phone on the counter in the sporting goods section, which was connected to the store's intercom, and simply asked for help.
"Customer needs assistance in sporting goods please," Hunter said. "I'm the customer," he added at the end, for good measure.
Hunter, who was in the sporting goods department trying to buy a hunting license, says the intercom trick worked and he shortly got help.
"A guy walked up and asked if I️ needed any help. I️ said, 'How'd you know?' Then I️ bought my hunting license," Hunter told CBS affiliate WKYT.
Hunter said the Walmart associate was a little embarrassed when he came over, but he did not get in trouble for using the store's intercom.
What seemed like a silly tactic to get help at a busy store ended up going viral. Becca Robinson, Hunter's partner, filmed him taking over the intercom for a few short seconds. Hunter posted the video to Facebook on April 20. A week later, the video had more than 3.3 million views and about 58,000 shares.
Hunter says he didn't realize the video struck a chord until Monday. By that time, it had been shared more than 32,000 times. A few days later, and the internet still cannot get enough of Hunter's Walmart antics.
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
WHY ARE PEOPLE SO INFLEXIBLE, DOGMATIC AND UNCARING? ALL MY EARLY YEARS, UNTIL 1994, THERE WAS A HORRIBLE STREET TO STREET WAR IN NORTHERN IRELAND DAY AFTER DAY WITH CAR BOMBINGS AND OTHER TRULY HEARTLESS BEHAVIOR. THE IRISH PEOPLE ARE OFTEN BRILLIANT. WHY CAN’T THEY[WE] BE SANE AS WELL? SEE THE FOLLOWING HISTORY OF “THE TROUBLES.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_peace_process
FOR AN INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL AND MOVING MOVIE ON THE SUBJECT, GO TO AMAZON AND RENT OR BUY “IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-43914051
Lady Sylvia Hermon warns of 'violence' over hard border
By Gareth Gordon
BBC News NI Political Correspondent
26 April 2018
PHOTOGRAPH -- Lady Sylvia Hermon made the claim in the House of Commons
Northern Ireland MP Lady Sylvia Hermon has said a hard Irish border after Brexit will see the return of violence.
The Independent Unionist made the claim during a House of Commons debate.
The debate motion urged the government to include "an effective customs union between the two territories" as an objective in Brexit talks with the EU.
The motion was passed, but the vote is unbinding which means the government's aim of leaving the customs union is not affected.
UK leaving customs union, says No 10
Government 'confident' of border deal
All you need to know about Brexit
Lady Hermon told the Commons it was a "very dangerous strategy" for politicians to support the idea that "no deal would be better than a bad deal" between the UK and the EU in the Brexit negotiations.
"If we have no deal, we will inevitably have a hard border in Northern Ireland and we will see the return of violence in Northern Ireland," she said.
Image caption
Ken Clarke told MPs a hard border would "outrage" Irish nationalists
The former Conservative chancellor Ken Clarke told the debate it was obvious no-one had considered the Good Friday Agreement during the referendum debate.
He accused Brexiteers of addressing the 1998 agreement "as if it's all over now" - something he said was "very, very dangerous".
Mr Clarke said the return of a hard border would "outrage" nationalists and republicans and he claimed it would be "grossly irresponsible".
But the Northern Ireland-born Labour MP Kate Hoey accused the EU of seizing on divisions over Brexit to make "unreasonable demands" over the Irish border.
She said claims about violence returning were "blackmail".
Image caption
Vauxhall Labour MP Kate Hoey is originally from County Antrim
None of the DUP's 10 MPs were present at the debate. The party's deputy leader, Nigel Dodds, said the vote was of no significance whatsoever.
He told reporters at Stormont that most pro-Brexit voters think the UK staying in EU customs union is the "worst of all worlds", as it will not allow the UK to benefit from its own trade deals.
However, Mr Dodds clarified that the DUP's fundamental red line is not membership of the customs union, but that Northern Ireland must stay in "lockstep with the rest of UK" after it leaves the EU.
The government is facing three more votes over the next month which will be binding and could force it to change course over leaving the customs union after Brexit.
HERE IS ANOTHER SAD PROOF THAT THE HUMAN BEING CAN’T EVEN BE IMPROVED VERY MUCH, MUCH LESS PURIFIED. THIS IS ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE A CASE ABOUT THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO IN INDIA. OH, THOSE TEMPTING, TEMPTING WOMEN! IF MEN AND WOMEN WOULD SIMPLY HAVE A NORMAL AND HEALTHY DEGREE AND TYPE OF SEXUAL INTEREST, MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS WOULD BE SOLVED. THE WOMEN WOULDN’T BE DEPRIVED BY MALE IMPOTENCE, AND THE MEN WOULD HAVE LEARNED TO MAKE SEX A COOPERATIVE ACTIVITY DESIGNED TO SATISFY BOTH.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43924171
Viewpoint: Spain rape case highlights enduring machismo
27 April 2018
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43896880
Spain 'wolf pack' gang jailed for San Fermin sex attack
26 April 2018
PLAY VIDEO -- The verdict was met with anger by some as protests erupted outside court
A Spanish court has jailed five men for sexually abusing a young woman during the famous San Fermin bull-running festival but acquitted them of rape.
All five were sentenced to nine years in prison for their part in the attack, which they filmed, during the festival in Pamplona in July 2016.
The 18-year-old victim's ordeal caused a national outcry, and protests continued outside the court.
Both the woman and the defendants say they will appeal against the verdict.
"It's rape, not abuse," demonstrators said outside the court. Rallies have been called in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Alicante and more than a dozen other cities across Spain against the verdict and in support of the victim.
The five, in their late 20s and originally from Seville, and the victim, from Madrid, were not present when the judgement was read out after a five-month trial, which was held behind closed doors to protect the woman's identity.
'Wolf pack' gang rape trial angers Spain
Under Spanish law, the charge of sexual abuse differs from rape in that it does not involve violence or intimidation.
But senior politicians and human rights groups questioned whether a prolonged sexual assault involving intercourse by five men could be anything but intimidation or rape.
The men, who have been in custody since 2016, have also been ordered to pay the woman €50,000 ($61,000; £43,500) in compensation.
Prosecutors had asked for sentences of more than 20 years.
However, one judge had argued that the men should have been acquitted of all charges except stealing the victim's phone.
What was the case against them?
Videos of the late-night encounter between the men and the young woman showed how the five men had wandered the streets among other drunken revellers before two of them led her into a basement by the hand.
According to a police report, the men - who belonged to a WhatsApp group called La manada (wolf pack) - surrounded the woman in a small alcove, removed her clothes and had unprotected sex.
Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
A picture of the accused is seen on screen in the courtroom
Some of them filmed the sexual act on their phones - there were seven videos, totalling 96 seconds. One of the men posted messages in a WhatsApp group celebrating what they had done and promising to share the recording.
According to the police report, the victim maintained a "passive or neutral" attitude throughout the scene, keeping her eyes closed at all times. Her phone was then stolen.
She was found in a reportedly distraught state by a couple in the street outside the scene of the attack. She told the trial she was still having psychological treatment to deal with trauma.
Some of the men were found to be in a video in which they apparently abused another woman, who seemed to be unconscious.
Spain's #MeToo moment
By James Badcock, Madrid
The "wolf pack" case has been Spain's #MeToo over the past two years, with thousands of supporters of the victim uniting under the slogan Yo te creo (I believe you).
That the two majority verdict judges have chosen to see shades of grey by not interpreting the criminals' acts as violent or intimidatory will fuel indignant criticism from feminist groups.
Several leading left-wing politicians have already questioned the verdict. The apparent certainty of an appeal hearing means the debate over whether the law protects women will continue.
Who are the men?
José Ángel Prenda, 28: considered the leader of the five, wrote a message in the WhatsApp group about the video showing them having sex with the woman. He had been sentenced to two years in prison in 2011 for theft with force
Antonio Manuel Guerrero: a Civil Guard police officer, born in 1989, is thought to have recorded six videos. He also admitted to stealing the victim's phone
Ángel Boza, 26: his criminal records include theft with force and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs
Alfonso Jesús Cabezuelo, 29: a military officer, is thought to have recorded one video
Jesús Escudero, 27: a hairdresser
What has the reaction been?
Supporters of the victim gathered outside the courthouse for the verdict, and were furious when it was read out.
Some donned red gloves in protest.
Women's rights groups and many politicians reacted angrily, with Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría calling on officials to analyse the verdict so that similar cases could be avoided.
UN Women programme director María Noel Vaeza said this was a "lost opportunity", El País newspaper reports (in Spanish), urging an end to the "social impunity [in cases of] rape".
Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Dozens of people gathered outside the court ahead of the verdict, some wearing red gloves in protest
Altamira Gonzalo, vice-president of Themis, a Spanish organisation of women jurists, told Efe news agency: "It should have been a courageous sentence. The courts can't be so distant from society".
Socialist party leader Pedro Sanchez tweeted his outrage (in Spanish): "If what the 'wolfpack' did wasn't group violence against a defenceless woman, then what do we understand by rape?"
The victim's lawyer said he was "disappointed" while lawyers for the five men said they would appeal, calling the verdict "unfair".
I’M GLAD THEY PUT “ARTHUR” IN THE NAME. EVEN IF HE IS AT LEAST 50% MYTHOLOGICAL, HE IS STILL THE PROTOTYPE FOR A BRITISH KING.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/royal-baby-name-announced-as-prince-louis-arthur-charles-2018-4-27/
CBS NEWS April 27, 2018, 8:14 AM
Royal baby name announced: Prince Louis Arthur Charles
The brand new royal baby has a name. Prince William and Kate, or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they are formally known, announced Friday that they had named their third child Louis Arthur Charles.
His full formal title is His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.
The announcement was made in a tweet from Kensington Palace, the Cambridges' official residence -- not long after one of Britain's major betting firms stopped taking bets on what the name would be, and amid rampant speculation that the royal couple had chosen "Albert."
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Kensington Palace
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@KensingtonRoyal
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles.
The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.
6:00 AM - Apr 27, 2018
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The duchess gave birth Monday morning, and emerged from St. Mary's Hospital in London about seven hours later alongside her husband, holding the baby wrapped in a white blanket. The trio posed for photographers before going back inside.
Prince Louis is fifth in line to the British throne, after grandfather Prince Charles, father William, Prince George and sister Princess Charlotte. He is Queen Elizabeth II's sixth great-grandchild.
The British royal family is set for a big year, with Prince William's brother Prince Harry set to marry American actress Meghan Markle on May 19 at Windsor Castle, outside London.
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