Patricia Ange's Blog, page 6
August 25, 2018
Spike Lee Responds to Boots Riley’s Criticism of ‘BlacKkKlansmen’ | IndieWire
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The “Sorry to Bother You Director” took issue with Lee’s film for making a cop a hero against racism.
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Spike Lee has responded to criticism of his latest film, “BlacKkKlansmen,” from “Sorry to Bother You” filmmaker Boots Riley. In an interview with the UK publication The Times, Lee said he would not comment on the matter before issuing a response. Last week, Riley took to Twitter to criticize the film, writing that it was “being pushed as a true story and it is precisely its untrue elements that make a cop a hero against racism.”
Lee said he wasn’t going to comment on the charges, but then he elaborated. “Look at my films: they’ve been very critical of the police, but on the other hand I’m never going to say all police are corrupt, that all police hate people of color,” he said. “I’m not going to say that. I mean, we need police. Unfortunately, police in a lot of instances have not upheld the law; they have broken the law.”
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August 24, 2018
Here’s The Story Behind That Trump Tweet On South Africa — And Why It Sparked Outrage : NPR
Why land reform is a big deal in South Africa
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The roots of the controversy reach back well into South Africa’s colonial past, when a small white minority held power. One crucial way the white government preserved that power was the 1913 Natives Land Act, a law that banned Africans — the vast majority of the population — from acquiring agricultural land beyond a few reserves that made up roughly a tenth of the land.
The effects of this and other laws can be felt still today, long after South Africa became a majority-black government in 1994. Black South Africans, who make up about 80 percent of the population, own just 4 percent of the country’s farms and agricultural holdings, according to government data published earlier this year.
Since the collapse of apartheid, the brutal system of segregation that reigned in South Africa for half a century, redistribution of land has been a key — if elusive — pillar of policy for the ruling party, the African National Congress.
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The laws established under colonial rule and apartheid were “about destroying the humanity and the personhood of black South Africans,” political analyst Sithembile Mbete told journalist Peter Granitz. “So when people say they want land, part of it is also about wanting ancestral belonging and dignity.”
What Are My Strengths? Self-Esteem Help After an ADHD Diagnosis
“I wish I had known 20 years ago!” This is reaction of many adults diagnosed with ADHD after a lifetime of confusion, frustration, and punishment for symptoms beyond their control. To begin repairing your beaten down self-esteem, follow this strengths-based exercise built by an ADHD coach.
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An ADDitude reader recently wrote to me, “I was diagnosed with ADHD at 45 years old. I struggled with my ADHD through adolescence, and didn’t understand what was wrong with me. I had to take lots of mental tests in grade school, only to determine that I was higher functioning and ‘normal.’ My parents did not know that I had ADHD, and they struggled along with me. They punished me when I acted up or seemed defiant. This left me with mental scars and low self-esteem. I lack confidence. That affects me at the job and in social relationships. Can you give me tips and strategies to help me feel more positive about myself — to discover my strengths?”
Sex scandals fester at unhealthy organizations, experts say
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Sex scandals fester at unhealthy organizations, experts say. These unhealthy organizations are collegiate, academic, intelligence (spy) organizations, judicial, police, religious, media, sports, military, relief organizations, government, etc.. :
These sex scandals appear to fester in mainly male dominated cultures even in instances when females may have some leadership roles. Coupled with the male dominated culture is a Goliath like power these organizations have in scripting any narrative they want about the accusers and the almost guaranteed potential for retaliation as well as the fact that most of these organizations have been given the freedom to police themselves with little oversight from local law enforcement or the government.
Below are a few news reports related to other sex scandals and efforts for cover up that have made the news recently;
https://apnews.com/e08628ef60ef40c283b296642f6d1a4c
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Amid allegations of sexual abuse by United Nations peacekeepers in the world’s conflict zones, humanitarian aid workers are speaking out about what they describe as a culture of sexual misconduct within the UN and other major international humanitarian organizations.
FRONTLINE recently investigated abuse by peacekeepers in the documentary UN Sex Abuse Scandal. Since the early 1990s, more than 2,000 young women and children have been allegedly sexually exploited or abused by UN peacekeepers in missions across the world.
But allegations of sexual misconduct have also emerged from within the ranks of the UN and other aid organizations, according to multiple experts and former humanitarian aid workers. They describe a male-dominated sector where workers frequently move from post-to-post and are often placed in high-stress environments with little oversight and inadequate reporting mechanisms.
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Thirty current and former employees of CBS told me that such behavior extended from Les Moonves to important parts of the corporation, including CBS News and “60 Minutes,” one of the network’s most esteemed programs. During Moonves’s tenure, men at CBS News who were accused of sexual misconduct were promoted, even as the company paid settlements to women with complaints. It isn’t clear whether Moonves himself knew of the allegations, but he has a reputation for being closely involved in management decisions across the network.
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Federal authorities have opened a civil rights investigation into how Ohio State University officials responded to allegations of sexual abuse by a now-deceased doctor who worked for its athletic department, the school said.
The investigation by the U.S. Department of Education will focus on what school officials knew about alleged crimes by the late Dr. Richard Strauss, OSU said on Thursday in a statement.
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Six years after the Sandusky scandal rocked Penn State, university leadership is still fighting a civil war over the case, a conflict fueled, in part, by weaknesses that have developed in investigations that concluded top Penn State officials covered up for the convicted child molester.
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As the nation focuses on allegations of a cover-up in the Nassar case, and state officials and media — including the Free Press — continue to examine reports of sexual assaults involving athletes, the California student and scores of others like her don’t want their stories forgotten.
MSU’s problems with handling sexual assaults — covering up accusations; not responding to cries for help; attacking survivors’ credibility — aren’t just limited to one department. They are the systematic failings of a university, many say.
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This is the story of two small boys who fell through a system rife with cracks, where the evidence suggests most authorities charged with protecting them failed to do so. It’s the story of a flawed military justice system that has members of Congress asking the Air Force questions. It’s a story where every fact is supported by court documents, Air Force memos and verified emails. It’s a story of how children are left at risk when official agencies don’t cooperate and lack sufficient training in child sexual assault cases. It’s a story of the persistent refusal to believe victims.
The boy and his twin brother told multiple witnesses how their father allegedly hurt them over several years. The boys repeatedly returned from visits with their father with bruises, lacerations and genital injuries that research suggests are unlikely to have been accidental during usual child play.
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In this era of uncertainty, the Time’s Up movement has not yet provided guidance on how to evaluate alleged misconduct — absent criminal charges — or what consequences are appropriate for those whose behavior has crossed a line. “We are processing the truth that there are varying degrees of misbehavior, making a blanket response to each instance
of wrongdoing impossible,” the group says in a statement to THR. “It’s complicated, messy
and often painful. But we can’t let pain and confusion keep us from hearing women’s voices and fighting to change a status quo that has historically silenced women.”
Amazon employs people to tweet positively about warehouse conditions
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Amazon says it has employed workers from its fulfillment centers to tweet positively about working conditions.
A small army of Amazon employees are tweeting nice things about the working conditions in the company’s warehouses.
The Twitter accounts have a standardized format, all bearing the Amazon smile logo as their background.
Amazon says these employees are called “FC Ambassadors” who have experience working in the order-fulfillment centers.
It follows a series of horror stories about working conditions, including workers peeing in bottles over fears that using a restroom would cause them to miss performance targets.
A small army of accounts have popped up on Twitter to tweet positive things about the working conditions at Amazon’s warehouses.
TechCrunch discovered 15 accountsfollowing a standardized format after the Twitter user Flamboyant Shoes Guy drew attention to them.
August 22, 2018
Bail set at $5 million for Mollie Tibbetts murder suspect
I can’t agree with the bail/bond being set at $5 million cash-only in this case. While my prayers go to the family of Mollie Tibbetts as I have lived through this exact situation, my sister was also murdered; to charge a farm worker that amount of money is beyond excessive and appears to be only an attempt at pandering “Trumpism,” America’s irrational fear of brown/black skin and immagrants as well as a premeditated effort to use the news and social media to prejudice any future jury regarding the defendant. This excessive amount of bail almost surely guarantees that the defendant will experience the cruel and unusual punishment of most likely solitaire confinement until the trial.
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A judge has ordered a man charged in the kidnapping and murder of an Iowa college student to be jailed on a $5 million cash-only bond.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera had been held since Tuesday on a $1 million cash-only bond after being charged with first-degree murder in the death of the college student.
At a hearing Wednesday, Magistrate Judge Diane Crookham-Johnson granted a state prosecutor’s request to raise the bond amount to $5 million.
Assistant attorney general Scott Brown noted that Rivera is suspected of being in the country illegally, and is charged with a “heinous crime.” He says the higher bond amount would protect the community.
Rivera’s lawyer, Allan Richards, said he plans to ask for a bond review hearing at a later date. He said his client is a young man who has no prior criminal history and has worked for a prominent local farmer for years.
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The Eighth Amendment (Amendment VIII) of the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause also applies to the states.
The English Bill of Rights, from which the Eighth Amendment is based, did not determine the distinction between bailable and non-bailable offenses. Thus, the Eighth Amendment has been interpreted to mean that bail may be denied if the charges are sufficiently serious.
The Supreme Court has also permitted “preventive” detention without bail. In United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739 (1987), the Supreme Court held that the only limitation imposed by the bail clause is that “the government’s proposed conditions of release or detention not be ‘excessive’ in light of the perceived evil.” In Stack v. Boyle, 342 U.S. 1 (1951), the Supreme Court declared that a bail amount is “excessive” under the Eighth Amendment if it were “a figure higher than is reasonably calculated” to ensure the defendant’s appearance at trial.
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Eighth Amendment: Banning Cruel and Unusual Punishment
august 18, 2014 by david j. shestokas
The Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights.
Along with the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments it recognizes procedural rights for persons accused of crimes. The purpose of these procedural rights is to protect an individual’s inalienable natural right to liberty. When originally ratified in 1791, the Bill of Rights protections applied only to the federal government. The Fourteenth Amendment’s “Due Process Clause” extended these protections to individuals accused of crimes by state governments as well.
1641 Massachusetts Body of Liberties & 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights
In 1641, The Massachusetts Bay Colony adopted a Body of Liberties with a right to bail and a prohibition on cruel and inhuman punishments. The Eighth Amendment’s language is virtually identical to the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights.
The Eighth Amendment reads as follows:
“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
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A defendant’s pre-trial detention is affected by the excessive bail clause. Excessive fines remain waiting a Supreme Court definition. Cruel and unusual punishment has been a major subject of Eighth Amendment litigation.
The Excessive Bail Clause
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A person accused of a crime is presumed innocent until found guilty at a trial or pleads guilty in open court. It is difficult to prepare a defense and consult with counsel while in custody.Bail is excessive when set at an amount higher than necessary to achieve a legitimate government purpose. If the purpose is to ensure a defendant’s appearance at trial, and if found guilty serve the sentence, then bail may not be set higher than needed to meet those ends.
To contest bail as excessive a defendant must ask for a reduction and if denied, appeal that decision. The Supreme Court has found that bail may be denied when it has been demonstrated that the defendant is a danger to the community.
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Factors Judicial Officer Must Take Into Consideration Regarding A Defendant’s Eligibility For Release:
When making a determination regarding the eligibility of a defendant for pretrial release (whether personal recognizance , unsecured appearance bond, or release on conditions), the judicial officer must consider the factors listed in Section 3142(g), including:
the nature and circumstances of the offense (in particular whether it is an offense which is violent or nonviolent in nature, or involves narcotics);
the weight of the evidence against the person;
the history and characteristics of the person —
character — including physical and mental condition), family ties, employment, financial resources, length of time in the community, community ties, past conduct history relating to drug or alcohol abuse, criminal history, record of court appearances; and
whether, at the time of the current offense or arrest, the person was on probation, on parole, or on other release pending trial, sentencing, appeal, or completion of sentence for an offense under Federal, State, or local law; and
the nature and seriousness of the danger to any person or to the community that would be posed by the person’s release.
18 U.S.C. § 3142(g). In addition to considering evidence of the factors set forth above, the court may upon its own motion, or upon the motion of the government attorney, conduct an inquiry into the source of any property to be designated for potential forfeiture or offered as collateral to secure any bond. 18 U.S.C. § 3142(g)(4). If the court determines that any such collateral or property, because of its source, will not reasonably assure the appearance of the defendant as required, the designation or use of the collateral or property as security for a bond shall be refused. 18 U.S.C. § 3142(g)(4).
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Innocent Until Proven Guilty, But Only If You Can Pay
How America’s bail system traps poor people in jail
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US’s Largest Organization of Lawyers Agrees That Courts Must Stop Treating People Like ATMs
Alleged massacre of Amazon tribespeople: what really happened? | Dom Phillips | Global development | The Guardian
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Until last year, Costa, 53, sold his catch and prey to the crews of illegal gold dredgers – known as garimpeiros – who used this town as a support base before heading deep into the reserve, sucking up gold from the Jandiatuba River and pumping poisonous mercury into its muddy waters.
Last year, however, Costa was at the centre of an inquiry into the alleged massacre of up to 10 tribespeople from an uncontacted group in the reserve. The case made headlines around the world, and forced the Brazilian government – who had already been alerted about the garimpeiros’ mining activities – into action.
For isolated tribes, the presence of outsiders nearby is potentially fatal, as they have no immunity from even common diseases like flu.
Why women should gamble on dating apps and pick the hottest men | Nichi Hodgson | Opinion | The Guardian
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hroughout the history of dating, it’s been a truth universally acknowledged that a smart woman trades up socioeconomically but down when it comes to youth and looks – to ensure that the gentleman in question remains forever “grateful” to secure such a “prize”. And let’s face it, before the Married Women’s Property Act of 1870 right up until women could sign for their own mortgages in 1975 (not to mention buy themselves a beer with their own money in 1982), it was a pretty useful, if depressing, piece of advice – a trade of “erotic capital” as the LSE academic Catherine Hakim has called it.
But the DMs they are a-changin’. Research from the University of Michigan has now revealed that both men and women on dating apps send opening gambits to people of a higher “desirability” ranking than themselves – and at a nearly equal rate – 26% for men and 23% for women.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/10/women-pick-hottest-men-dating-apps-study
August 21, 2018
The Prison Industry in the United States: Big Business or a New Form of Slavery? – Global Research
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According to reports by human rights organizations, these are the factors that increase the profit potential for those who invest in the prison industry complex:
Jailing persons convicted of non-violent crimes, and long prison sentences for possession of microscopic quantities of illegal drugs. Federal law stipulates five years’ imprisonment without possibility of parole for possession of 5 grams of crack or 3.5 ounces of heroin, and 10 years for possession of less than 2 ounces of rock-cocaine or crack. A sentence of 5 years for cocaine powder requires possession of 500 grams – 100 times more than the quantity of rock cocaine for the same sentence. Most of those who use cocaine powder are white, middle-class or rich people, while mostly Blacks and Latinos use rock cocaine. In Texas, a person may be sentenced for up to two years’ imprisonment for possessing 4 ounces of marijuana. Here in New York, the 1973 Nelson Rockefeller anti-drug law provides for a mandatory prison sentence of 15 years to life for possession of 4 ounces of any illegal drug.
The passage in 13 states of the “three strikes” laws (life in prison after being convicted of three felonies), made it necessary to build 20 new federal prisons. One of the most disturbing cases resulting from this measure was that of a prisoner who for stealing a car and two bicycles received three 25-year sentences.
Longer sentences.
The passage of laws that require minimum sentencing, without regard for circumstances.
A large expansion of work by prisoners creating profits that motivate the incarceration of more people for longer periods of time.
More punishment of prisoners, so as to lengthen their sentences.
Who is investing?
At least 37 states have legalized the contracting of prison labor by private corporations that mount their operations inside state prisons. The list of such companies contains the cream of U.S. corporate society: IBM, Boeing, Motorola, Microsoft, AT&T, Wireless, Texas Instrument, Dell, Compaq, Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, Nortel, Lucent Technologies, 3Com, Intel, Northern Telecom, TWA, Nordstrom’s, Revlon, Macy’s, Pierre Cardin, Target Stores, and many more. All of these businesses are excited about the economic boom generation by prison labor. Just between 1980 and 1994, profits went up from $392 million to $1.31 billion. Inmates in state penitentiaries generally receive the minimum wage for their work, but not all; in Colorado, they get about $2 per hour, well under the minimum.
And in privately-run prisons, they receive as little as 17 cents per hour for a maximum of six hours a day, the equivalent of $20 per month. The highest-paying private prison is CCA in Tennessee, where prisoners receive 50 cents per hour for what they call “highly skilled positions.” At those rates, it is no surprise that inmates find the pay in federal prisons to be very generous. There, they can earn $1.25 an hour and work eight hours a day, and sometimes overtime. They can send home $200-$300 per month.
Flint Water Crisis Deaths: Michigan Health Director Nick Lyon Faces Manslaughter Charges
Michigan’s state health director Nick Lyon will stand trial on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter in connection with two men who died from Legionnaires’ disease during the Flint water crisis.
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Nick Lyon was accused of not acting quickly enough in response to the outbreak of the disease, which had been linked to the deaths of 12 people. District Court Judge David Goggins of Genese County described officials who kept the public in the dark as “corrupt,” reported The Associated Press.
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Some experts said the deaths of Robert Skidmore, 85, and John Snyder, 83, from Legionnaires’ disease were a direct result of having drunk contaminated water. In 2014, the city chose to tap water from the Flint River instead of getting it from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to save money. The water had not been properly treated to reduce corrosion and began leaching lead from the water pipes,contaminating the supply.
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Governor Rick Snyder and Lyon announced an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in January 2016, although Lyon admitted he had been aware of cases that were reported many months before then.
