James L. Paris's Blog, page 94
April 9, 2017
Hillary Says that ���Misogyny Played a Role��� in Her Election Loss
Hillary Clinton has apparently decided that the reason ��� or, at least, a very big reason ��� for her loss to Donald Trump in the 2016 general election is because voters (mostly men, presumably) couldn���t abide seeing a woman in the White House.
That���s right; according to Hillary, she lost because of misogyny. As reported by The Hill, she even used that very word Thursday during an appearance at the Women of the World Summit in New York.
���Certainly, misogyny played a role,��� said Clinton, ���I mean, that just has to be admitted. And why and what the underlying reasons were is what I'm trying to parse out myself.���
Sigh.
So, it���s this again; and again, and again, and again.
���I think in this election there was a very real struggle between what is viewed as change that is welcomed and exciting to so many Americans, and change which is worrisome and threatening to so many others,��� Clinton continued. ���And you layer on the first woman president over that and I think some people, women included, had real problems.���
What���s particularly striking ��� frightening, really - about Clinton���s notion, is that she remains more committed than ever to the idea that the only reason she lost the election is that she was a victim of gender bias, and that her well-documented dishonesty, the very real questions about her health, her characterization of basically half the country as ���deplorables,��� Benghazi, email server mess, etc., not to mention her opportunistic, dangerous pandering progressive political positions���had basically zero to do with her rejection by the voters.
Delusional. That���s really the only way to put it. And dangerously so.
Keep that in mind, should you feel the need to vote for Clinton���any Clinton���ever again.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
April 7, 2017
Skin Care Company Nivea���s ���White is Purity��� Ad Campaign Goes About as Badly as You Might Expect
Talk about awkward.
Skin care company Nivea saw one of the brand���s latest advertising campaigns come to a most inauspicious end when a deodorant ad promoting the slogan ���White is Purity��� came under attack for what many saw as its racist overtones.
According to The Washington Post, the ad, which actually appeared in a Facebook post, was for a Nivea product called ���Invisible for Black and White,��� and depicted the image of a woman, dressed in white, shown from behind. All you could see is the woman���s long dark hair contrasting against the all-white dress she is wearing. There is a small image of the product in the lower right-hand corner, but what really stands out is the caption that reads, in all caps, ���WHITE IS PURITY.���
You can probably guess what happened next.
Those who saw the ad as racist went apoplectic, crushing Nivea on social media; example: ���What the HELL is this? White Purity?��� said one person in a tweet. ���Shame, Shame, Shame on you. Fire your marketing person and anyone who approved this ad.���
Then there were those who also saw the ad as racist, but ���in a good way,��� as some might say. Here���s a sample of one of those comments, made at Nivea���s Facebook page by a white supremacist group:
���We enthusiastically support this new direction your company is taking. I���m glad we can all agree that #WhiteIsPurity.���
Charming.
For its part, Nivea immediately engaged in a variety of damage control measures (as you, again, would expect), including to issue a statement to The Washington Post that read:
���That image was inappropriate and not reflective of our values as a company. We deeply apologize for that and have removed the post. Diversity and inclusivity are crucial values of NIVEA. We take pride in creating products that promote beauty in all forms. Discrimination of any kind is simply not acceptable to us as a company, as employees, or as individuals.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Norway Evangelicals Reportedly Boycotting Franklin Graham Appearance over His Support for Trump
It was clear from the 2016 presidential election that there was great division inside the Christian community when it came to the question of whether to back Donald Trump.
Well, as it turns out, that controversy was not limited to those folks actually living in the United States.
According to The Christian Post, word has it that high-profile evangelicals from Norway have decided to pass on a revival to be held later this year in Oslo that���s being headlined by Franklin Graham. The reason? Graham���s outspoken support for Donald Trump during his campaign, as well as his own historical statements about Islam, seen by many as discriminatory in orientation.
In an editorial published separately by the Post, Stefan Fisher-H��yrem, a historian at the University of Agder, Norway and instructor of Christian apologetics at Norway's evangelical NLA University College, wrote:
���It is precisely because these conservative Evangelical leaders care about the Christian witness and the importance of conservative Christian values in society that they are saying they cannot be associated with Franklin Graham. While they all agree that the Christians should pray for political leaders and that God can use the worst leaders for his purpose, they have said Franklin's increasingly unChristian rhetoric and claim that God intervened to ensure Trump won have undermined Franklin's credibility and witness.���
Fisher- H��yrem���s reference to divine intervention refers to a statement Graham made just after the election in which he said that ���I believe that God���s hand intervened... to stop the godless, atheistic progressive agenda from taking control of our country.���
Viktor Hamm, replying on behalf of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said, ���The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is holding the Franklin Graham Festival in November at the invitation of local church leaders. We are excited about the opportunity to share the hope-filled message of Jesus with the people of Norway. This will be a positive event that focuses on one thing only: Jesus Christ. The festival is free and all are welcome, so our hope is that everyone in Oslo will come see and hear it for themselves.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
April 6, 2017
Trump: ���I Don���t Want to Be the President of the World���
Donald Trump took an opportunity, while speaking at a conference for the National Association of Business Trade Unions, to publicly double down on his sentiment that his presidency is all about prioritizing the interests of the United States; ���America first,��� as Trump has said repeatedly.
A noteworthy line from his comments, one that captured the attention of media outlets everywhere, including MRCTV, went like this: ���I���m not, and I don���t want to be, the president of the world. I���m the president of the United States.���
Trump added that ���from now on, it���s going to be America first.���
President Trump campaigned on a largely-populist narrative during his run for the White House, and has taken numerous opportunities in the first months of his presidency to reiterate that it is the well-being of America���s citizens that are his utmost concern, not the well-being of the citizens and governments of other countries.
Acknowledging the professional orientation of the group he was addressing, Trump told the assembled that builders are ���artisans��� who represent ���the backbone of America.���
���With the talent in this room,��� Trump said, ���we can build any city at any time and we can build it better than anyone.���
Trump made the subject of America���s old and often-failing infrastructure a recurring theme during his campaign, and, presumably as a part of his ���America first��� agenda, announced back in October an ambitious $1 trillion plan to rebuild it.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Article Gets Slammed for Saying Wealth Can Be Created on Minimum Wage
Regardless of how you feel about the federal minimum wage, including how much it should be, or even if there should be one at all, there are likely few of you out there of the opinion that wealth can actually be successfully built if one is earning no more than the currently-stipulated $7.25 per hour.
As CNBC.com is reporting by way of an article over at their site, a few folks got themselves in a bit of a jam with readers when they appeared to suggest that very thing.
It started with an infographic that appeared a few days back on the usually-solid website InvestmentZen.com, a personal finance site based out of San Francisco that serves as the platform for a lot of interesting articles offering up quality information. The image is meant to serve as an illustration of how people earning minimum wage could actually do pretty well for themselves.
To really get the full effect, you���ll want to head over to the CNBC.com article embedded here to see it for yourself, but the high points include illustrated suggestions that people earning $7.25 per hour who are willing to relocate from expensive locales to places where the cost of living is exceedingly low, get roommates, commute to work on bicycles, eat all their meals at home, and only do free things for recreation���can actually make out pretty well.
Anyway, the infographic was picked up by Business Insider and republished on their site, leading to anyone who had anything to do with putting this curious analysis together the target of some backlash on social media. Among the criticisms of the graphic and accompanying article was one person on Twitter who went to the trouble of accurately pointing out that the image did not account for taxes at any level (state, county, etc.) other than federal.
It���s just a bit of a ���hot mess,��� as the kids would say.
The bottom line is that no one is building wealth earning a minimum wage if they are having to fully cover regular expenses, even if those expenses are able to be minimized. They���re just not. It might be possible if that���s what you���re making and your spouse happens to have a truly great job, or your situation is characterized by another odd wrinkle that insulates you in a ���false economy��� that does not demand you abide by a straightforward, correlative relationship between what you earn and how you live.
If that���s not you, however, then the strategies outlined will afford you the possibility of getting by ��� not getting rich.
For his part, Jeff Desjardins of Visual Capitalist, under whose name and banner the infographic was republished over at Business Insider, told CNBC that ���after re-publishing the infographic [from InvestmentZen], we ended up retracting it from our site,��� adding that ���in hindsight, we realized the tone of the piece was wrong and we removed it after receiving many fair criticisms.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
April 5, 2017
Ordeal of Alabama Kidnapping Victim Illustrates Need to Be Prepared for Anything
An Alabama woman made headlines recently when she effected a daring escape from the trunk of her in order to flee a kidnapper.
Brittany Diggs, 25, was confronted outside of her Birmingham apartment on March 14 as she was returning home. The suspect pulled a gun and demanded money, but when she replied that she didn���t have any, he forced her into her Nissan Altima, eventually stuffing her into the trunk.
The suspect then drove to various ATMs in an effort to withdraw cash using her bank card. At one point, while he was stopped at a local gas station, Diggs managed to use the light on her insulin pump to locate the trunk���s internal latch, which she used to free herself.
Speaking to NBC���s TODAY show about the harrowing experience, Diggs said, ���The whole time he���s driving, he���s like, just, he���s yelling at me from the front seat, ���You're lying. I know you have something. Give me your money.������
About the moment she made her escape: ���I feel the car reversing, and he's pulling out pretty fast, so I'm like, oh shoot - I better get out of here."
About a week later, Manuel Towns was arrested on a variety of charges in connection with Diggs��� abduction and robbery.
This young lady���s quick thinking quite possibly saved her life. Would you able to react as smartly and as quickly as she did? The sad reality is that the kind of trouble that befell Brittany Diggs could reach out and touch any of us, which underscores the need for you to be as well prepared as possible to deal with any similarly dangerous situation.
To that end, one of the best, most interesting resources available now to help keep you safe is a training that demonstrates many of the tradecraft techniques used by intelligence professionals to stay alive while they move about in their exceedingly dangerous worlds.
The training is called Spy Escape & Evasion, and it is taught by former CIA officer Jason Hanson.
Yes, the name is rather exotic, but don���t be misled. Although this product is every bit what it says it is, the techniques, and the manner in which they are taught, make this training highly useful to ���regular folks.���
Jason Hanson���s Spy Escape & Evasion training course is packed with great information to help keep you and your loved ones secure as you all go about your business in a world increasingly fraught with a variety of risks.
Here���s just a small sample of what you���ll learn:
The #1 way to create an improvised weapon if you don���t have any other way to protect yourself during an emergency survival situation.
Lock picking secrets that will allow you to quickly defeat doors and padlocks.
How to escape zip ties, duct tape, rope, even handcuffs in 30 seconds or less���without having to use a knife or sharp object.
How to create an escape and evasion kit, and the 23 critical items to include in it.
How to become a human lie detector, and the simple ways you can tell if someone is trying to deceive you.
How to avoid being the victim of a deadly home invasion.
And more���MUCH more:
The two most important items you need when planning to disappear.
How to use a ���break phone��� to ensure you stay several steps ahead of your pursuers (the secret of the break phone is one of the highest-level security measures you���ll ever hear about).
The 3-step process that must be followed if you want to remain off the grid for good���even out of the reach of the government.
How to create decoys to throw people off your tracks so they eventually give up trying to locate you.
How to easily set up a secret email account that vanishes after just one hour.
The simple method of making untraceable phone calls.
How to find a ���safe house��� to use until it���s time to make your next move (this won���t cost you any money and will keep you safe, warm, and out of sight).
Even with all that, you���ll learn TONS more great information on how to stay safe and secure.
The Spy Escape & Evasion training course is available right now for just $27. What���s more, it comes with an ironclad, 60-day money-back guarantee. If, at any time during the first two months following purchase, you decide it���s just not for you���just ask for a refund; simple as that!
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By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Grandfather of Teen Killed in OK Self-Defense Shooting Says ���They Did Not Deserve to Die���
You may have heard about the recent, terrible incident in which three Oklahoma teens who attempted to commit an armed robbery inside of a residence were gunned down by homeowner Zachary Peters, just 23 years old himself.
Peters was awakened at the sound of a break-in, and, using his AR-15 in an act of what the police are now calling a clear case of justifiable self-defense, shot and killed 19-year old Maxwell Cook, 16-year old Jake Woodruff, and 17-year-old Jacob Redfern.
The three teens wore masks, and were armed with a knife and brass knuckles when they entered Peters��� home.
Now, as reported by a large number of outlets, including Rare.us, Leroy Schumacher, the grandfather of Redfern, is crying ���foul,��� claiming that while what the ���boys did was stupid,��� that they should have not had to pay for that moment of stupidity with their lives.
���What these three boys did was stupid,��� said Schumacher. ���They knew they could be punished for it but they did not deserve to die. Brass knuckles against an AR-15, come on, who was afraid for their life?���
���There���s got to be a limit to that law. I mean he shot all three of them; there was no need for that,��� added Schumacher.
It is likely difficult for most of us to relate to the grief Schumacher is experiencing right now. That said, his reaction, while understandable ���in the moment,��� is off-base. His grandson and the other two teens wore masks and armed themselves with deadly weapons when they broke into Peters��� home with the intention of robbing it. These were not cat burglars ��� these were young men clearly prepared to dispense violence in the course of committing their crime, a reality Schumacher is conveniently ignoring to suit his personal narrative.
The issue is not that they ���deserved,��� or did not ���deserve,��� to die. The matter of deservedness is not relevant here. What is relevant, and all that is relevant, is that when a person seeks to commit a violent crime, they vastly increase the chances that they���ll be killed in the process. That is, simply and brutally, what happened here. A grieving grandfather may have our sympathy, but giving it is not tantamount to saying that what Zachary Peters did was wrong. It wasn���t.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
April 4, 2017
Study Says 20 Percent of Millennials Are LGBTQ
Well, THAT can���t be right���can it?
NewsBusters.org is reporting on a recent online survey conducted jointly by Harris Polling and GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) that has determined 20 percent of millennials are at least one of the letters that forms LGBTQ���as in, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.
20 percent? That just seems like a lot of people. I read somewhere that the definition of a millennial, such as it exists, is anyone born between 1982 and 2004. So, one in every five people born in those years is really an L, G, B, T, and/or Q?
As the NewsBusters piece suggests, the legitimacy of the results from an online survey are justifiably suspect, but that did not stop some from cheering the apparent numbers. Dan Avery, editor over at NewNowNext.com, an LGBTQ pop culture news site, could hardly contain his excitement, writing, ���we are indeed everywhere,��� and that ���more of this generation is comfortable identifying outside traditional binaries such as ���gay/straight��� and ���man/woman.������
Avery included a quote in his article from GLAAD���s Sarah Kate Ellis about the survey results, who said, in part, the study ���shows a remarkable new era of understanding and acceptance among young people, an inspiring indication of the future.���
Citing 3.8 as the true percentage of the American population that���s actually a member of the LGBTQ community, the Newsbusters article says that ���flimsy construction, ���phony survey numbers,��� ���wishful thinking,��� and a ���propaganda assist from Hollywood��� are at the root of the 20 percent figure from the Harris-GLAAD survey.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
$25 Million Settlement Approved by Judge to Settle Trump University Claims
As reported by The Washington Times, a U.S. District judge has brought an end to the years-long legal wrangling over the controversial real estate success school known as Trump University, by approving a deal in which now-President Donald Trump will pay $25 million to settle a civil lawsuit initiated by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, as well as two class action lawsuits.
Trump University was not an actual university (it was not accredited, did not confer degrees, etc.) but, rather, the name given to a training program that sought to show enrollees how to successfully invest in real estate. As with many programs like it that are associated with showman-entrepreneurs, Trump University���s ���M.O.��� was to offer a free introductory seminar, and then urge those attendees to pay for additional, premium trainings, some of which went for as much as $35,000 a pop.
The basis of the lawsuits, simply put, was that Trump University couldn���t deliver on the promises made that it would turn paying customers���many of whom forked over thousands of dollars to access what they believed to be privileged, ���insider��� information���into winning real estate investors.
Typical of the kinds of complaints lodged against Trump University by dissatisfied students are those of Sherri Simpson, an attorney from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, whose request to opt out of the settlement was denied by Judge Gonzalo Curiel. Simpson paid over $35,000 with a partner to be enrolled in the school���s ���Gold Elite��� program, but said there was nothing particularly insightful about the information she received, and her designated mentor did not return calls or emails.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Nutrition Expert And Pharmacist Ben Fuchs Joins Jim Paris Live
Nutritional pharmacist Ben Fuchs discusses all aspects of nutrition, including low carb diets (and Tim Ferris slow carb diet), why you should eat egg yolks and not just egg whites, how to reverse diabetes, the healing power of bone broth, intermittent fasting, supplements, weight loss strategies, and ways to lower blood pressure without medication.
