Antigay Catholic Newsletter Threatens to Out More Priests via Grindr

Giulio Napolitano/Shutterstock
ADVOCATE: The Pillar has suggested in reports it could out several people using the hookup app, including some within the Vatican.

The Vatican is concerned that The Pillar, a newsletter-based publication run by anti-LGBTQ+ members of the Church’s hierarchy who outed a priest using Grindr data last month, is just getting started.

In its initial report, the newsletter claimed that Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, the highest-ranking American cleric who is not a bishop, was likely having sex with men he met through Grindr and had been doing so for years. Burrill resigned as general secretary shortly after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was informed of the coming report.

In subsequent reports, the newsletter alleged that it has obtained further online dating app data that implicates high-ranking officials in the Catholic church as engaging in gay sex. Although it has stopped short of outing anyone specific, the concern is that the reports go beyond leaders here in the U.S. (a second report claimed the publication had data showing dating app use within the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J.) but potentially to the highest ranks of the Vatican.

According to a third report, “at least 16 mobile devices emitted signals from the hookup app Grindr” and “16 other devices showed the use of other location-based hookup or dating apps, both heterosexual and homosexual” from “within the non-public areas of the Vatican City State” in 2018, The Pillar alleges. » | Rachel Shatto | Monday, August 23, 2021

Puttin’ on the Style

Many thanks to Charlidos on Pinterest and Tumblr for this great and stylish photo of Tom Hardy.

Just Married !

With thanks to Marriage is so gay. on Pinterest.

Juste une expression d'amour

Nur ein Ausdruck der Liebe / Just an expression of love
With gratitude to Brian Trevor on Flickr for this wonderful and expressive photo.

Michel Barnier to Run in French Presidential Election

Michel Barnier said that limiting immigration would be a key policy pledge. Photograph: Reuters
The EU’s former chief negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, plans to stand as a right-wing candidate against Emmanuel Macron in next year’s French presidential elections, saying that limiting immigration would be a key policy pledge.

“In these grave times, I have taken the decision and have the determination to stand … and be the president of a France that is reconciled, to respect the French and have France respected,” he told the evening news show of TF1 television in a live interview.

Barnier, who is entering an increasingly crowded field on the right, cited his long experience in politics as giving him an edge in the race including the “extraordinary” negotiations to find a deal on Britain’s exit from the European Union. He said during the years-long process he had to work “with heads of state and government to preserve the unity of all the European countries”.

Asked why he wanted to challenge Macron – with whom he had worked closely in the Brexit process – Barnier replied that he wanted to “change the country”. » | Agence France-Presse | Thursday, August 26, 2021

Michel Barnier: «Je veux être un président qui respecte les Français et fait respecter la France» »

Bombs Strike Kabul Airport, Killing at Least 12 US Troops and Dozens of Afghan Civilians

The Defense Department said 12 U.S. service members were killed and 15 wounded in an ISIS suicide bomb attack near an airport gate on Thursday. Many more Afghan civilians were killed and wounded. Credit: Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Two suicide bombers struck a packed crowd outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least 12 American service members and scores of Afghan civilians, officials said.

In the final days of its 20-year presence in Afghanistan, the U.S. military sustained one of the highest single-day American tolls of the war.

“Today is a hard day,” said Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., head of the United States Central Command. And he warned that the danger was not over.

“We have other active threats against the airfield,” General McKenzie told reporters at a news conference in Washington.

The bombs were set off near a crowd of families at the airport gates who were desperately hoping to make one of the last evacuation flights out. Gunfire was reported in the aftermath of the explosions.

The Islamic State released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. » | Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, Megan Specia, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Jim Huylebroek, Matthieu Aikins, Victor J. Blue, Fatima Faizi, Najim Rahim, Fahim Abed and Sharif Hassancontributed reporting. | Thursday, August 26, 2021

Michael Bolton : Soul Provider

Provided to YouTube by Columbia. Views on YouTube: 726,563

Daniel Barenboim – Chopin: Étude Op. 25 No.1 in A flat Major (Live from Pierre Boulez Saal, 2020)

May 15, 2020 • Musical moments are moments of memories, reflection, as a retrospect of the past and anticipation of the future. These are moments that enrich our lives with music that we already know or get to know in the moment of listening. Every two weeks, starting on 15th May, a new Musical Moment will be released by the yellow label performed by prestigious artists like Daniel Barenboim, Yuja Wang, Nadine Sierra, Avi Avital, Albrecht Mayer or Hilary Hahn just to name a few.

The first 'Musical Moment' to be released is performed by none other than conductor, pianr />ist and Chopin connoisseur Daniel Barenboim. Enjoy this first Musical Moment and watch Barenboim's interpretation of Frédéric Chopin's Etude Op. 25 No. 1, recorded in a currently empty Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin.

Barefoot Contessa Makes Beef Bourguignon | Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten | Food Network

Ina's Beef Bourguignon is just about the comfiest meal ever!

Get the recipe here.

Tote bei Anschlagsserie am Flughafen von Kabul | DW Nachrichten

Aug 26, 2021 • 00:00 Anschläge am Flughafen von Kabul Nach mindestens zwei Explosionen vor dem Airport der afghanischen Hauptstadt sind mehrere Opfer zu beklagen, unter ihnen US-Soldaten. Der Sprecher des US-Verteidigungsministeriums, John Kirby, schrieb auf Twitter, eine der Detonationen habe sich am Abbey-Tor des Flughafens ereignet. Zudem habe es eine zweite Explosion in der Nähe des Hotels Baron gegeben, das nicht weit entfernt liegt. Durch die "komplexe Attacke" sei eine bislang unbekannte Zahl an Opfern zu beklagen.

Unter den Toten sind auch US-Soldaten, wie das Pentagon bestätigte. 03:10 Interview Franz Marty Journalist Franz Marty berichtet live aus Kabul. 07:29 Frauen in Afghanistan bangen um ihre Rechte Bisher geben sich die Taliban liberal im Vergleich zu früher. Sie versprechen, Frauen könnten sich frei bewegen, selbstbestimmt leben, arbeiten gehen. Doch Beobachter sorgen sich, dass die Taliban zur Brutalität gegenüber Frauen zurückkehren werden, für die sie während ihrer ersten Herrschaft traurige Berühmtheit erlangten. 10:10 Interview Magdalena Kirchner, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

Afghanistan - Les talibans à Kaboul | ARTE Regards

Aug 20, 2021 • Le 15 août 2021, Kaboul tombe aux mains des talibans. La mission des forces de la coalition en Afghanistan s’achève, 20 ans après, dans le chaos. Elle laisse derrière elle d'innombrables personnes désespérées et encore plus de promesses non tenues.

Chassé du pouvoir par les États-Unis et leurs alliés en 2001, le mouvement islamiste radical a profité du retrait des derniers soldats américains pour reconquérir le pays à la vitesse de l’éclair. Quel avenir attend la population, et plus particulièrement les femmes ? Alors que ceux qui ont cru à la liberté et à la démocratie risquent d’en payer le prix fort, les personnes qui le peuvent fuient en masse le pays. ARTE Regards a suivi deux hommes et une femme tout au long de l’avancée des talibans : Nasrin Nawa, ex-journaliste pour la BBC ; Wahed Sadad, qui était traducteur pour la Bundeswehr, l’armée allemande ; et Shafic Gawhari, devenu PDG de la plus grande entreprise de médias du pays, Tolo News.

Reportage (Allemagne, 2021, 32mn)
Disponible jusqu'au 20/08/2022

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — August 26, 2021

Mary Trump: Donald Is Desperate for the Truth to Remain Hidden

Aug 26, 2021 • Mary Trump, Donald Trump's niece, says the former president will do everything he can to avoid coorperating with the House panel investigating the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

Machtwechsel in Afghanistan: Mindestens 13 Tote nach Selbstmordattentat vor dem Flughafen Kabul, Zeitfenster für Evakuierungen schliesst sich immer mehr

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: In Afghanistan haben die Taliban die Macht übernommen. Durch den internationalen Truppenabzug herrscht im ganzen Land Chaos. Einzig der Flughafen in Kabul verbleibt als letzte Ausreisemöglichkeit. Zehntausende Ausländer und Afghanen wurden bisher ausgeflogen.

Trotz der Machtübernahme der Taliban sollen Mädchen und Frauen in Afghanistan weiterhin Schulen und Universitäten besuchen dürfen. Laut Uno-Berichten haben die Taliban dieses Versprechen an verschiedenen Orten aber bereits gebrochen. | Stringer / EPA
Vor dem Flughafen Kabul hat sich ein Selbstmordattentäter in die Luft gesprengt. Die neuesten Entwicklungen » | NZZ-Redaktion | Donnerstag, 26. August 2021

The Guardian View on Empty Shelves: A Crisis Made in Government

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The pandemic disrupted supply chains, but that issue is being used as political camouflage to disguise the failings of Brexit

Sparsely stocked shelves and unfilled orders cannot be hidden from consumers, nor will it be feasible for the government to pretend they are accidents of nature.’ Photograph: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images
Most of the system that puts food on the 21st-century table is a mystery to the consumer, who is usually happy in ignorance. If the complex logistics – picking, processing, packing, and distributing – make headlines it is because something has gone wrong.

Currently, two very big things have gone wrong, leading to gaps on supermarket shelves. One is the pandemic, which has slowed the movement of goods and people across borders, while raising shipping costs. Any broken link in global supply chains causes a cascade of disruption which affects many countries. But Britain has a second, aggravating condition to contend with – Brexit.

Being outside the EU single market and customs union imposes bureaucracy and friction at borders that British businesses did not previously face. Ending freedom of movement for EU nationals has drained the labour pool from which many industries recruited. Without agricultural workers, food rots before it can get to market. Without hauliers, goods sit unshipped in depots. » | Editorial | Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Gee thanks, BoJo! You got the star prize: you got the keys to Number 10; the rest of us got the booby prize: we go hungry! A clown with a posh accent is still a clown! – © Mark

Nawalny klagt über »psychische Gewalt«

SPIEGEL: In einem Gespräch mit der »New York Times« äußert sich der inhaftierte Kremlkritiker erstmals über seine Haftbedingungen – und erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegen die russischen Behörden.

Kremlkritiker Alexej Nawalny (Archivbild) | Foto: Moscow City Court Press Service / TASS / picture alliance/dpa
Erstes Interview aus der Haft
In seinem ersten Interview aus der Haft in Russland hat Kreml-Kritiker Alexej Nawalny den russischen Behörden schwere Vorwürfe gemacht. Der Oppositionsführer verglich in dem am Mittwoch veröffentlichten Gespräch mit der »New York Times« seine Strafkolonie in Pokrow 100 Kilometer östlich von Moskau mit einem chinesischen Arbeitslager und sprach von einer Art Gehirnwäsche, der er unterzogen werde.

Die Zeiten von auszehrender Arbeit in sowjetischen Gulags sei vorbei, sagte Nawalny der »New York Times«. Stattdessen werde nun »psychische Gewalt« gegen die Häftlinge ausgeübt. So werde er gezwungen, täglich acht Stunden Kreml-treues Staatsfernsehen zu schauen. Lesen und schreiben dürfe er hingegen nicht. Außerdem weckten die Aufseher Häftlinge, wenn sie einschliefen. Seine Mithäftlingen piesackten ihn hingegen nicht, sagte Nawalny. Er habe sogar »Spaß« mit ihnen. » | nek/AFP | Donnerstag, 26. August 2021

The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard? An Atheist.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The elevation of Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” reflects a broader trend of young people who increasingly identify as spiritual but religiously nonaffiliated

Greg Epstein has been Harvard’s humanist chaplain since 2005. Credit: Cody O'Loughlin for The New York Times
The Puritan colonists who settled in New England in the 1630s had a nagging concern about the churches they were building: How would they ensure that the clergymen would be literate? Their answer was Harvard University, a school that was established to educate the ministry and adopted the motto “Truth for Christ and the Church.” It was named after a pastor, John Harvard, and it would be more than 70 years before the school had a president who was not a clergyman.

Nearly four centuries later, Harvard’s organization of chaplains has elected as its next president an atheist named Greg Epstein, who takes on the job this week.

Mr. Epstein, 44, author of the book “Good Without God,” is a seemingly unusual choice for the role. He will coordinate the activities of more than 40 university chaplains, who lead the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious communities on campus. Yet many Harvard students — some raised in families of faith, others never quite certain how to label their religious identities — attest to the influence that Mr. Epstein has had on their spiritual lives.

“There is a rising group of people who no longer identify with any religious tradition but still experience a real need for conversation and support around what it means to be a good human and live an ethical life,” said Mr. Epstein, who was raised in a Jewish household and has been Harvard’s humanist chaplain since 2005, teaching students about the progressive movement that centers people’s relationships with one another instead of with God. » | Emma Goldberg | Thursday, August 26, 2021

Renaud Girard: «Rétablir l’axe géopolitique Paris-Londres-Berlin»

Renaud Girard.. Jean-Christophe MARMARA/Le Figaro
LE FIGARO : CHRONIQUE - La France, l’Allemagne et la Grande-Bretagne sentent, qu’elles ont des intérêts politiques communs et que, de leur union approfondie, peut naître une force respectée dans le monde.

Décidé par le peuple britannique lors du référendum de juin 2016, le Brexit est une décision de sortie d’institutions européennes à vocation essentiellement économique. Ce n’est pas un divorce du Royaume-Uni avec ses alliés militaires européens. L’alliance et la fraternité d’armes de Londres et Paris est plus que séculaire. Cette coopération militaire opérationnelle entre les deux puissances les plus combatives du continent européen se poursuit admirablement - y compris dans le domaine nucléaire - grâce aux accords de Lancaster House, signés par Nicolas Sarkozy et David Cameron en novembre 2010. Aucune contingence économique subalterne ne réussira jamais à détruire l’union des âmes qui existent entre Français et Anglais. Les Français n’oublieront jamais que Londres fut la capitale de la France libre.

L’amitié franco-allemande est sans doute plus fragile. Mais elle a quand même derrière elle quelque six décennies. Le 2 septembre 2021,nous fêterons le cinquante-neuvième anniversaire de la visite triomphale d’une semaine que fit le général de Gaulle en Allemagne. Deuxième monnaie de réserve et d’échange du monde, l’euro est directement la fille des couples Giscard-Schmidt puis Mitterrand-Kohl.

Les liens germano-britanniques sont également profonds, fondés aujourd’hui sur une même passion pour le libéralisme et pour l’allié américain, et nourris depuis toujours par un substrat culturel proche, remontant au-delà du XVIIIe siècle et de la dynastie des Hanovre. » | Par Renaud Girard | lundi 23 août 2021

Les Occidentaux appellent à quitter l'aéroport de Kaboul en raison de «menaces» terroristes

Des Australiens, escortés par l'armée, embarquent à bord d'un Air Force C-17A Globemaster III pour quitter Kaboul. Australia's Department of Defenc / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : Une demande qui intervient alors que des milliers de personnes s'y massent toujours dans l'espoir de fuir le pays tombé aux mains des talibans.

Les États-Unis, l'Australie et la Grande Bretagne ont appelé leurs ressortissants à s'éloigner au plus vite de l'aéroport de Kaboul en raison de menaces «terroristes», alors que des milliers de personnes s'y massent toujours dans l'espoir de fuir le pays tombé aux mains des talibans.

Les trois pays ont émis simultanément des mises en garde très précises et presque identiques dans la nuit du mercredi 25 au jeudi 26 août. Les personnes «se trouvant actuellement aux entrées Abbey, Est et Nord devraient partir immédiatement», a indiqué le département d'État américain, invoquant des «menaces sécuritaires». La diplomatie australienne a pour sa part mis en garde contre une «menace très élevée d'attentat terroriste». Londres a émis une alerte similaire, ajoutant : «Si vous vous trouvez dans la zone de l'aéroport, quittez-la pour un endroit sûr et attendez d'autres instructions. Si vous êtes à même de quitter l'Afghanistan en sécurité par d'autres moyens, faites-le immédiatement».

Aucune précision sur la nature de la menace n'a été apportée dans ces avis, mais le ministre australien de la Défense, Andrew Hastie, a expliqué que «le risque de la présence d'un kamikaze est si élevé que la menace augmente», dans une interview avec la radio australienne 6PR. Le secrétaire d'État britannique chargé des forces armées, James Heappey, a pour sa part évoqué une menace «très sérieuse» et «imminente». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | jeudi 26 août 2021

En France, l’impossible expulsion des réfugiés afghans «à risques» »

USA, Großbritannien und Australien warnen vor Terror am Flughafen: US-Bürger sollen die Gegend um das Abbey Gate, das East Gate und das North Gate „sofort verlassen“. Großbritannien spricht von einer hohen „Bedrohung“, die deutsche Botschaft warnt vor Schießereien und Terroranschlägen. »

Western countries begin to pull out of Kabul airlift amid terror threat »

No Guns to Shoot? Shoot a Few Kisses Instead!

L’intimità e l’affetto dei soldati.
Mille grazie a Gay.it per questa bellissima foto.

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs: Coming Out in Germany in the Nineteenth Century!

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, a lawyer and journalist, helped forge the concept of sexual identity as an innate human characteristic in pamphlets he wrote from 1864 to 1879.
Quote: “I am proud, that I found the courage to deal the initial blow to the hydra of public contempt.” – Karl Heinrich Ulrichs
Karl Heinrich Ulrichs is known as one of the first gay men to publicly announce his sexual identity. Born in Germany in 1825, his coming out was a historic and brave moment. During his lifetime, Ulrichs wrote numerous essays discussing homosexuality and asserting that non-heterosexual orientations are natural and biological. Despite being arrested numerous times, Ulrichs stated in the above quotation that he was proud of the work that he did for the LGBTQ community. [Source: Human Rights Careers: 20 Powerful LGBT Quotes that made history

Overlooked No More: Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, Pioneering Gay Activist: Before the word “homosexuality” existed, he argued that same-sex attraction was innate, and that those who experienced it should be treated the same as anyone else. »

Handsome Arab

!هذا الرجل جميل جدا! حلو
Many thanks to Scott for this great photo on Pinterest.

Just Because!

With many thanks to Haseeb for this great, expressive photo.

Go for It, Dubya!

Many thanks to Olwen on Pinterest for this photo.

The Swim Was Great; the Kiss Is Even Better!

Many thanks to El Chulo Dominicano on Pinterest for this delightful photograph.

Tranquillité et satisfaction.

Photograph : Adobe Stock
Tranquillity and satisfaction. / Ruhe und Zufriedenheit.

Reporter's Fiery Interview with Taliban Leader after Afghanistan Devastation | 60 Minutes Australia

Aug 23, 2021 • The utter capitulation of the Afghanistan government and its incompetent army is one thing. More shocking has been the humiliation of the American military and its commander-in-chief, President Joe Biden, accused around the world of being weak and indecisive. But what's most disturbing is the plight of millions of Afghans, especially women and girls, who are abandoned and now staring at futures more reminiscent of the dark ages. It's a frightening time except for the Taliban, who've likely even surprised themselves at the ease with which they've regained control of this deeply troubled country. | Views on YouTube: 1,283,503

The abandonment of Afghanistan and the Afghan people by Biden and his administration is truly disgusting. In fact, it’s a disgrace! History will not be kind to America for this débâcle. Americans have gone from being led by a clown to being led by a fool. Doesn’t anyone in the American administration, either in the administration itself or in the military, understand the nature of Islam? This is not just about the Taliban, actually; it is about the very nature of Islam itself. Our rulers are clearly deluded!

Can anyone seriously believe that America is fit and able to be the world’s leader after this? Don’t these people realize that this is just the start of the re-igniting of Islamic terror all over the civilized world? Fasten your seatbelts, folks! The nightmare has only just begun!

I have had years and years of experience with Islam and its inherent nature; in fact, I foretold, to anyone that would listen, that a disaster lay ahead for the West. A long time before it happened, actually. Then, 9/11 happened!

If the so-called leader of the free world, America, needs any help understanding Islam and the dark future that lies ahead for us all, then please, they should not hesitate to contact me. My email address is above. But just in case, here it is again: markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com . You need my services more than you might realize! – © Mark

Frédéric Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 9: No. 3 in B Major | Arthur Rubinstein

Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment | ℗ Originally Recorded 1965. | All Rights Reserved by Sony Music Entertainment

NastassjaCanCook: Uzbek Soup, Mastava, with Meatballs and Rice. The Art of Uzbek Cuisine.

Aug 21, 2021 • In general, Mastava Soup is sometimes called a "liquid plov" - suyuk osh - because the process of preparation is very similar. This soup is very rich in flavor and prepared all in one pot.

INGREDIENTS:

Soup:

1 large onion(cubed)
2 large carrots(cubed)
3 large roma tomatoes(cubed)
2 bell peppers, different colors (cubed)
2 large potatoes (cubed)
1 cup garbanzo beans, soaked overnight, washed and drained
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ cup rice, soaked, washed and drained
fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley and dill

Spices:

1-2 tbsp salt
1 tbsps black pepper
1 dry or fresh hot chili pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 tbsp cooking oil

Meatballs:

1.5 lb ground beef [UK: minced beef]
1 large onion (minced)
½ tsp each of chili powder, coriander and cumin powder
1 tbsp salt
½ tbsp black pepper

METHOD:

Make meatballs, cover and refrigerate until you make soup. Soak rice for 30 minutes in cold water, wash and drain (set aside) Soak Garbanzo beans the night before, then wash and drain (for dry ones) If you are using the ones from the can, just wash them with cold water and drain and set aside.

In a large heavy-bottom pot, or cast iron pot, (I used a 7 quart pot), heat up 3-4 tbsp of cooking oil (I used sunflower oil). Add onions, bell peppers and carrots. Fry up quickly until vegetables are soft. Add tomatoes and cook for couple minutes. Add tomato paste and mix, cook for 1 minute. Add spices. Add enough water. This is a soup, not a stew, so you have to have enough water for it not to be too thick and also not to be too thin. Add chili pepper and a bay leaf. Add Garbanzo beans. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat, and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Form approximately walnut-sized meatballs and put on a plate. Add all the meatballs at the same time to the soup and mix right away, so that they don't stick to each other. Add rice and potatoes and cook on a low heat until the rice and potatoes are ready,, which is about 20-25 minutes. Add fresh herbs and, at the end, let the soup rest until it is served. Adjust seasoning to your taste. Enjoy!

‘I Saw Children Falling Down’: Panic and Despair in Kabul as Time Runs Out

THE GUARDIAN: Faced with crowd stampedes and Taliban reprisals, even those eligible for travel to UK start to give up hope

Tensions are rising in Kabul as hopes fade for the crowds who have waited outside airport since the start of the week. Photograph: TWITTER/DAVID_MARTINON/via REUTERS
For the past four days, Nangyalai, a 42-year-old minicab driver from south London, has been queueing with his wife and 11-month-old baby outside the Baron hotel on the edge of Kabul airport, trying to get close enough to the entrance gate to show guards his British passport.

There is a sign by the gate stating: British passport holders only. Inside the hotel, officials are working to grant evacuation visas for thousands of UK nationals and Afghan citizens who have worked for British organisations. Diplomatic staff say they are “processing hundreds every hour” but there is a growing sense of despair among the crowds who have been waiting outside since the start of the week – and tensions are rising.

Speaking by phone from outside the airport, Nangyalai (whose identity we are not revealing) said his repeated attempts to attract the attention of UK officials had failed. With reports suggesting military airlifts could end within 36 hours, he was beginning to lose hope. Others described giving up and going home, concerned the crowded streets were increasingly unsafe since the Taliban said they would prevent Afghans from leaving the country they now control. » | Amelia Gentleman and Lisa O’Carroll | Wednesday, August 25, 2021

«Comment les Occidentaux ont laissé l'Afghanistan redevenir le pays de la drogue»

Un groupe de talibans, à Kaboul, le 23 août 2021. Après la formation de leur premier Émirat islamique, en 2001, leur chef suprême, le mollah Omar, avait imposé la prohibition totale de la culture du pavot à opium. WAKIL KOHSAR / AFP
LE FIGARO : TRIBUNE - C'est un paradoxe très pénible : ces vingt dernières années, les autorités afghanes, les Britanniques et les Américains ont laissé se reconstituer la production massive d'opium en Afghanistan, que les talibans avaient auparavant presque éradiquée, explique Bernard Frahi, le Contrôleur général honoraire de la police nationale*.

Le 11 septembre 2001 avait sonné le glas de l'obscurantisme taliban en Afghanistan. Il est pourtant un domaine où les talibans avaient surpris positivement : le mollah Omar, chef suprême des talibans, avait imposé la prohibition totale de la culture du pavot à opium dans les territoires sous leur contrôle, soit plus de 90 % du pays et 95% des surfaces cultivées du pavot. En mai 2001, les talibans avaient quasi-éliminé la production d'opium la faisant chuter à 185 tonnes contre 4600 tonnes en 1998. Ce reliquat était concentré dans les territoires du nord-est du pays placés sous le contrôle de l'Alliance du Nord, ennemis des talibans. Or, par une sinistre ironie, pendant les 20 années de la présence américaine, production et trafic d'opium se sont reconstitués.

La culture de l'opium est ancestrale en territoires pachtouns. Le trafic d'opium, de morphine-base et d'héroïne vers les pays occidentaux consommateurs de cette drogue n'a pas commencé avec les talibans. Il est vrai que de la prise de Kaboul par les talibans en 1996 à l'été 1999, la culture de pavot à opium s'est étendue de 56.000 à 91.000 hectares environ et la production d'opium a progressé de quelque 2 200 à 4500 tonnes. Reste que, à l'époque, le bureau de l'Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime (ONUDC) à Kaboul a engagé un dialogue nourri avec les talibans, sans naïveté mais sur fond de respect de la parole donnée, et couronné par des engagements réciproques. » | Par BERNARD FRAHI | mardi 24 août 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

«Frauen wie ich haben im neuen Afghanistan keinen Platz» – warum viele Afghaninnen die Taliban fürchten

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Bekannte Aktivistinnen werden von Taliban-Kämpfern gesucht und müssen untertauchen. Auch viele andere Frauen wagen sich in Kabul nicht mehr aus dem Haus. Sie fürchten um ihren Job und all die hart erkämpften kleinen Freiheiten.

Die Afghaninnen haben Angst. So grosse Angst, dass derzeit kaum eine über ihre Situation sprechen will. Schon gar nicht, wenn man sie namentlich nennen will. Selbst gestandene Politikerinnen und international bekannte Aktivistinnen sind untergetaucht. Viele haben Drohungen erhalten, andere fürchten, mit kritischen Äusserungen über die Taliban ihre Familien in Gefahr zu bringen oder ihre Organisationen und Hilfsprojekte noch angreifbarer zu machen, als sie sowieso schon sind. Einige sagen am Telefon aber auch entschuldigend, sie seien derart fertig und deprimiert, dass sie im Moment nicht reden könnten.

Drohungen und schwere Übergriffe

Afsana* ist schon wenige Tage vor der Machtübernahme der Taliban in Afghanistan untergetaucht. Sie ist die Gründerin und Leiterin einer NGO mit mehreren hundert Mitarbeitern. Sie sei völlig traumatisiert, für ein längeres Interview habe sie keine Nerven, sagt sie. Schliesslich fasst sie den Horror der letzten Wochen in Textnachrichten zusammen: «Die Taliban sind sechsmal gekommen, um mein Haus zu durchsuchen. Sie haben mein Geld gestohlen und meinen Schmuck. Sie haben alle Zimmer verwüstet, Fenster und Glastüren eingeschlagen. Sie haben Verwandte von mir stundenlang verhört, um meinen Aufenthaltsort herauszufinden.» Die Taliban gehen seit ihrer Machtübernahme in Kabul mit Listen von Haus zu Haus. » | Andrea Spalinger | Mittwoch, 25. August 2021

Democracy Now ! Top US News & World Headlines — August 25, 2021

Philippe Gélie : Directeur adjoint de le rédaction : «Goodbye de Kaboul»

Vous pouvez lire l'éditorial ici. (Réservé aux abonnés)

Peut-on comparer les talibans à un retour au Moyen Âge?

«C'est le retour au Moyen Age», une expression très entendue ces derniers jours. Christie's Images/Bridgeman Images/STRINGER / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : ENTRETIEN - Depuis la chute de Kaboul, nombreux sont ceux qui comparent le mouvement fondamentaliste à l'époque médiévale en Europe. Le rapprochement laisse perplexe.

Florian Besson est docteur en histoire médiévale et fondateur du blog Actuel Moyen Âge.
LE FIGARO. - La comparaison entre le retour des Talibans et le Moyen Âge est-elle pertinente ?

Balayer cette comparaison serait facile, mais elle conserve une forme de pertinence pour les milliers de personnes qui l'ont utilisée dans les médias ou sur les réseaux sociaux. Après la prise de Kaboul, c'est devenu une référence omniprésente, qui relève de l'histoire imaginée et dit beaucoup de la manière dont on se représente le Moyen Âge. » | Par Amaury Coutansais Pervinquière | mardi 24 août 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

DOSSIER : Afghanistan : tout comprendre à la prise de pouvoir des talibans à Kaboul »

Was ist die Scharia? Und was könnte das islamische Recht für die Frauen in Afghanistan bedeuten?

Müssen die afghanischen Frauen nach der Rückkehr der Taliban wieder unter die Burka? Viel wird davon abhängen, welche Interpretation der Scharia die Taliban anwenden. | Anja Niedringhaus / AP
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Die Taliban haben versichert, die Rechte von Frauen und Minderheiten zu achten – sofern ihr Verhalten im Einklang mit der Scharia stehe. Was dies bedeutet, ist offen. Denn die Gebote des islamischen Rechts sind nicht eindeutig definiert, sondern Interpretationssache.


Zum Artikel und zur Erklärung »

The Guardian View on the G7’s Great Game: The Taliban Rules in Kabul

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: Ordinary Afghans will pay the highest price for the west’s defeated ambitions

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, at a news conference in Kabul. ‘The Taliban have no experience of legislating within a sophisticated political and legal framework, especially one of the kind modelled on western democracies.’ Photograph: Hoshang Hashimi/AFP/Getty Images
It speaks volumes about the world today that a US president was more worried about the Taliban looking weak than about his western allies. Britain, France and Germany asked Joe Biden to continue evacuating civilians from Kabul past his self-imposed deadline of 31 August. But the US rejected these requests. Mr Biden wanted to end the chaotic TV scenes from Afghanistan that hurt his domestic poll ratings. But he also accepted that Kabul’s new rulers could not afford to look weak in front of their rival Isis, which is looking for an opportunity to embarrass its Taliban peer.

The west’s airlift will therefore be over by next Tuesday. It is the Afghan people who will pay the highest price for the west’s defeated ambitions for their country. They now face living under Taliban rule for a second time. There is no guarantee that a grinding civil war is over. The scale of the west’s failure is not just that the world’s biggest economies will almost certainly fail to evacuate all those who were employed by its armies and diplomats. It is that we have let down a generation of urban Afghans, especially women, who grew up believing that their lives would be better than their parents’. » | Editorial | Tuesday, August 24, 2021

A Love Heart Made Out of Sheep: Australian Farmer Pays Tribute to His Aunt

THE GUARDIAN: Unable to travel to a family funeral due to Covid, Ben Jackson used his sheep in a farewell message

Australian farmer pays tribute to his aunt with help of sheep – video
A sheep farmer stuck in lockdown in New South Wales who was unable to attend his aunt’s funeral has honoured her memory with the ultimate tribute: a love heart made from sheep.

Ben Jackson from Guyra couldn’t make it to Brisbane to be with his aunt during her final moments after a two-year fight with cancer that began at the start of the pandemic.

“Unfortunately, she didn’t make it,” Jackson said. “At those times of grief, you feel really helpless, you don’t know what to do, what to say.

“Especially in these Covid times, no one can prepare for that border closure grief, not being able to say cheerio or be there when she passes. It’s pretty difficult.”

Jackson said the idea for the heart came to him while he was out feeding his sheep “supplementary tucker” as they are “quite pregnant and need a bit of extra TLC”.

Actually making the heart took “three or four” attempts, Jackson said, with his initial efforts turning out less than desirable. » | Royce Kurmelovs | Wednesday, August 25, 2021

A Right-Wing Shock Jock Could Become California’s Governor

Larry Elder in 2019. Photo: Mark Peterson/Redux
OPINION
THE NEW YORK TIMES: PALO ALTO, Calif. — In ordinary times it would be fairly ridiculous to fret about Larry Elder becoming California’s next governor.

Elder is a longtime conservative talk radio host from Los Angeles, a fixture of right-wing punditry in the mold of Rush Limbaugh. His schtick is offense and outrage, and over nearly three decades in the business he has minted an oppo-research gold mine of misogynistic and racially inflammatory sound bites that would seem to doom his prospects in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two to one.

But California sometimes feels as prone to political earthquakes as geological ones; every once in a while voters here throw a tantrum and the seemingly unthinkable becomes sudden reality. This state’s voters have passed Proposition 13, a revolt against property taxes; Proposition 187, which denied public services to undocumented immigrants; Proposition 209, which prohibited affirmative action in the public sector; and Proposition 8, the 2008 ban on gay marriage whose reversal by the Supreme Court paved the way for marriage equality in the land.

You can also thank us for the Reagan era. And the last time we recalled a not particularly likable Democratic governor we ended up with the Terminator as our chief executive.

So when I received my mail ballot this month asking whether our current governor, Gavin Newsom, should be booted from office, my heart sank. For weeks the Newsom recall has felt like a meaningless political circus. The effort was prompted by a right-wing group that has criticized Newsom’s positions on immigration and taxes. The petition for Newsom’s recall went viral last November, after he was photographed dining at the French Laundry in violation of his own Covid-19 guidelines. » | Farhad Manjoo, Opinion Columnist | Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Charlie Watts, Bedrock Drummer for the Rolling Stones, Dies at 80

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. Watts, who had no taste for the life of a pop idol, was an unflashy but essential presence with the band and brought to it a swinging style.

Charlie Watts in 1965. “As much as Mick’s voice and Keith’s guitar, Charlie Watts’s snare sound is the Rolling Stones,” Bruce Springsteen wrote. | George Wilkes/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images
Charlie Watts, whose strong but unflashy drumming powered the Rolling Stones for over 50 years, died on Tuesday in London. He was 80.

His death, in a hospital, was announced by his publicist, Bernard Doherty. No other details were immediately provided.

The Rolling Stones announced earlier this month that Mr. Watts would not be a part of the band’s forthcoming “No Filter” tour of the United States after he had undergone an unspecified emergency medical procedure, which the band’s representatives said had been successful.

Reserved, dignified and dapper, Mr.Watts was never as flamboyant, either onstage or off, as most of his rock-star peers, let alone the Stones’ lead singer, Mick Jagger. He was content to be one of the finest rock drummers of his generation, playing with a jazz-inflected swing that made the band’s titanic success possible. As the Stones guitarist Keith Richards said in his 2010 autobiography, “Life,” “Charlie Watts has always been the bed that I lie on musically.”

While some rock drummers chased after volume and bombast, Mr. Watts defined his playing with subtlety, swing and a solid groove. » | Gavin Edwards | Published: Tuesday, August 23, 2021; Updated: Wednesday, August 24, 2021

Say NO to Homophobia!

Image: Adobe Stock

Juste un baiser affectueux pour dire 'bonjour'.

Photo: Adobe Stock
Just a loving kiss to say 'good morning'. / Nur ein liebevoller Kuss, um 'Guten Morgen' zu sagen.

Guten Morgen!

Photo: Adobe Stock
Or as they might say in Zurich, ’Gute Morge mitenandt!’

Warum kann ich Deutsch sprechen?

Mark Alexander – Aufsatz: Ich bekomme viele Besucher aus Deutschland, aus Österreich und aus der Schweiz. Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, daß sie sich fragen, warum dieser Kerl so gut und fließend Deutsch spricht? Kann er wirklich Deutsch sprechen? Ist es wahr? Meistens spricht kein Brite andere Sprachen.

Ich glaube, daß die Zeit gekommen ist, Ihnen etliches zu erklären, warum ich mich mit der deutschen Sprache so zu Hause fühle.

Es ist tatsächlich so, daß ich keine einzige Stunde in der deutschen Sprache in der Schule bekommen habe. Ich habe erst mit etwa dreiundzwanzig oder vierundzwanzig angefangen, Deutsch zu lernen – nach meinem Üniversitäts-Studium. Etwas wußte ich ganz sicher: Die deutsche Sprache lag mir. Zu dem, habe ich gewußt, daß ich die deutsche Sprache faszinierend fand. Deshalb, sobald als mein Universitätsstudium fertig war, habe ich angefangen, Deutsch in Ernst zu lernen.

Am Anfang ging das langsam und das Lernen war mir schwer. Jedoch mit der Zeit fang es an, mir leichter zu lernen, vor allem als ich die Möglichkeit bekam, in der Schweiz zu arbeiten.

Als ich in die Schweiz gegangen bin, habe ich erfahren, wie wenig ich von dieser Sprache gelernt hatte. Als ich nach Zürich kam, habe ich realisiert, daß ich „in the deep end“ gelangen war! In der Tat habe ich damals wenig Deutsch beherrscht.

Ich war aber entschlossen, Deutsch zu erlernen. Und, obwohl ich in der Schweiz war, wo Schwyzertüütsch tagtäglich gesprochen wird, wollte ich richtiges Deutsch lernen, besonders am Anfang und vor dem ich anfangen würde Schweizer-Deutsch zu sprechen.

Was hat mir geholfen, ans Ziel zu gelangen? Vier Sachen: Entschlossenheit richtiges Deutsch zu erlernen; Duden; die Neue Zürcher Zeitung, und eine Frau – nein, ich sollte sagen Dame – die mir eine unentbehrliche Hilfe war, fließend in Deutsch zu werden. Sie und ich waren ineinander verknallt und verliebt. Das war bevor ich mich geoutet habe. Sie war wirklich eine feine Dame. Eine Dame mit feinem Geschmack. Sehr gut angezogen, sehr talentiert, vor allem als Klavierspielerin, und hochbegabt in Sprachen, Sie war fließend in Deutch, Schweizer-Deutsch, Französisch und Italienisch. Sie konnte auch ziemlich viel Englisch und ein wenig Arabisch und Spanisch auch noch sprechen.

Diese Dame hat mich unaufhörlich korrigiert als ich mit ihr Deutsch gesprochen habe. Sie war eine Perfektionistin, die nur Korrektheit und Perfektion akzeptierte. Jedes Mal, das ich mich in der Grammatik oder in der Aussprache einen Fehler gemacht habe, korrigierte sie mich gleichzeitig: Alles was ich sagte, mußte richtig und ‚perfekt‘ sein, was der Grammatik und der Aussprache betraf.

Was mir auch sehr geholfen hat ist ein Abonnement fur die Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Für meine ‚Freundin‘ mußte ich mich unbedingt bei der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung abonnieren. Keine andere Zeitung käme in Frage!

Obwohl ich Deutsch in der Schweiz erlernt habe, gebrauche ich „esszett" (ß), was in der Schweiz nicht mehr verwendet wird. Ich vwerwende es, weil ich es schön finde. Meines Erachtens, Deutsch ohne „eszett“ verliert etwas – etwas Schönes! Aber das ist natürlich nur meine Meinung.

Ich sollte auch hinzufügen, daß ich kein Engländer bin. Ich komme aus Wales, wo alle Kinder mit zwei Sprachen erzogen werden: Englisch und Wallisisch. Auch wenn man Wallisisch nicht tagtäglich spricht, muß man unbedingt wallisische Ortsnamen aussprechen können.

So jetzt haben sie eine bessere Ahnung, warum ich Deutsch kann. In so vielen Weisen, fühle ich mich in diesem Lande deplaziert, vor allem nach Brexit. Ich kann mich mit der Mentalität der Briten nicht ganz so zu Recht kommen. Aber das ist eine Geschichte für ein anderes Mal.

Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
© Mark Alexander

Arthur Rubinstein : Nocturnes, Op. 32: No. 2 in A-Flat

Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment.

Please Forgive Me…

for posting this wonderful and exciting sound – yet again! Listening to this marvelous song excites my soul! Michael Bolton: Drift Away. When I listen to this, I truly do ‘drift away.’ I hope and trust that you enjoy listening to it as much as I do.

Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers - Islands in the Stream | Official Audio

Views on YouTube: 23,759,882

Lionel Richie : My Love

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group.

Roast Beef in a 2 Michelin Star Italian Restaurant with Alessandro Negrini and Fabio Pisani

Feb 12, 2021 • Roast beef, one of the best known English recipes, is a dish now spread in all gastronomic cultures all around the world. To discover its secrets we went to Il Luogo di Aimo and Nadia, the Milan two Michelin star restaurant led by a couple of the most authoritative chefs in the panorama of contemporary Italian cuisine. Let yourself be led by the competence and sympathy of Alessandro Negrini and Fabio Pisani to discover an authentic "cult" dish. | Views on YouTube: 461,705

Schwule Fußballer: Homosexualität im Verein | Stationen | BR

Dec 16, 2018 • Das Team München ist in Bayern das einzige Schwulenteam, das als solches beim Bayerischen Fußballverband registriert ist. Es geht aber auch in diesem Verein erst einmal um den Fußball - und dann ums Schwulsein.

Taliban Reject Extended Deadline as U.S. Races to Finish Evacuation

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Tens of thousands are still hoping for rescue, with priority recently being given to Americans over Afghan allies, according to a U.S. official and those involved in the effort.

Afghans desperate to flee the country wait in a field outside Kabul’s airport on Monday. | Victor J. Blue for The New York Times
As a desperate U.S. effort to evacuate Americans from Afghanistan gained momentum on Monday, Taliban leaders rejected a suggestion from President Biden that American forces might remain past an Aug. 31 deadline to complete the operation, injecting fresh urgency into an already frantic process.

American officials are increasingly worried that even with the vast number of Afghans, Americans and people of other nationalities evacuated in recent days — a total of about 10,400 people in the 24 hours from Sunday to Monday alone, according to the White House — many still remain to be rescued. In recent days, that operation has increasingly focused on the Americans still left, over the Afghans who worked with the United States.

On Monday, a State Department official said that some former Afghan military interpreters or other close U.S. allies, a designated priority group for evacuations, were being turned away from the airport by American officials in order to give priority to U.S. passport and Green Card holders in recent days. The official was not authorized to brief the press, and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official’s account was supported by interviews with Afghans who have approached the airport in recent days, and with American veterans’ groups and other organizations that have tried to organize evacuations for interpreters and other Afghans at risk from the Taliban. » | Mark Landler and Megan K. Stack | Published: Monday, August 23, 2021: Updated: Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Die Schweizer Evakuierungsaktion in Kabul ist dank enger Zusammenarbeit mit Deutschland fast abgeschlossen

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Die Schweiz konnte ihre afghanischen Angestellten und deren Angehörige in Sicherheit bringen. Ein weiterer Evakuierungsflug ist gegenwärtig nicht geplant.

Die deutsche Luftwaffe flog Personen mit Schweiz-Bezug von Kabul nach Taschkent. | Bundeswehr
Der Sonderflug LX 8845 aus Taschkent landete um 1 Uhr 47 auf dem Flughafen Zürich. An Bord der Boeing 777 der Swiss befanden sich 141 lokale Mitarbeitende der Direktion für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (Deza) und deren Kernfamilien sowie 78 weitere Passagiere aus Afghanistan, Deutschland und Schweden. Die Schweiz konnte die Verantwortung gegenüber ihrem afghanischen Personal wahrnehmen.

«Ich bin erleichtert und möchte mich bei allen bedanken, die das möglich gemacht haben», sagte Bundesrat Ignazio Cassis, Vorsteher des Aussendepartements (EDA), am Dienstag vor den Medien. Eine der grössten Evakuierungsaktionen der Schweiz sei damit fast am Ende. Dies gelang vor allem dank einer bemerkenswerten Zusammenarbeit mit Deutschland. Cassis dankte explizit dem deutschen Aussenminister Heiko Maas. » | Georg Häsler, Bern | Dienstag, 24. August 2021

L’exil forcé et doré de l’ancien roi espagnol Juan Carlos

L’ancien roi d’Espagne Juan Carlos assistant aux actes commémoratifs marquant le 40ème anniversaire de la Constitution espagnole à Madrid, le 6 décembre 2018. OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - L’ex monarque, qui a fui d’éventuelles poursuites judiciaires il y a un an, aurait, dans sa retraite d’Abou Dhabi, le mal du pays.

«Le roi émérite lira probablement cet article.» Tel est le drôle d’avertissement par lequel le journal El País entamait, début août, le récit de la vie quotidienne aux Émirats arabes unis de Juan Carlos, roi d’Espagne depuis la mort de Franco en 1975, jusqu’à son abdication en faveur de son fils Felipe VI en 2014. L’ex-chef d’État n’est pas réputé être un lecteur particulièrement avide. Mais, à la retraite et exilé sur l’île de Zaya Nurai, le roi s’ennuie.

Voilà un an que Juan Carlos a justifié son départ d’Espagne par une lettre pleine de non-dits et sous-entendus adressée, non pas à son peuple, mais à son fils. Le 3 août 2020, le Palais dévoilait que son ancien locataire avait communiqué «sa décision, méditée, de séjourner, en ce moment, hors d’Espagne» dans le but de «faciliter l’exercice des fonctions (de Felipe VI, NDLR) dans le calme et la sérénité». Lesdites fonctions, devait-on fatalement en conclure, avaient été sérieusement altérées par ce que Juan Carlos appelait pudiquement «certains événements passés de ma vie privée». Il s’agissait moins des affaires de jupons, sur lesquelles les sujets peu puritains de sa majesté ont fermé les yeux pendant 39 ans de règne, que des accusations d’enrichissement personnel et de fraude fiscale autour de présumées commissions occultes. Un an après, nous apprend la presse espagnole, Juan Carlos aimerait bien rentrer… mais le moment ne semble jamais le bon! » | Par Mathieu de Taillac | Publié : lundi 23 août 2021 ; mis à jour : mardi 24 août 2021

Juan Carlos choque l’Espagne en s’installant à Abu Dhabi »

Espagne : le roi appelle au respect des «principes moraux» en plein scandale autour de Juan Carlos »

Espagne : le crépuscule de Juan Carlos en cinq dates »

Juan Carlos, la chute d’un roi rattrapé par le scandale »

Gay Man Reacts to Homosexuality in Italy

Omosessualità in Italia

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — August 24, 2021

He Blew the Whistle on the Catholic Church in 1985. Why Didn’t We Listen?

THE NEW YORK TIMES: As an investigative reporter, Jason Berry exposed the church’s systematic cover-up of sexual abuse. Somehow, it wasn’t enough

Nearly 20 years ago, an investigation by The Boston Globe into sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests ignited a firestorm of scandal that has traveled around the world. For many Americans, these shocking revelations — especially of the related cover-ups by the church — came out of nowhere, almost like a bolt of lightning. But the sobering reality is that this bolt of lightning had been striking for at least 15 years. Read the short article and watch the disturbing video here » | Ben Proudfoot | Mr. Proudfoot is an Emmy-winning filmmaker. | Tuesday, August 14, 2021

So much for organised religion! This is disgusting! Truly disgusting! It begs many questions: Why is there so much perversion in the Roman Catholic Church? Why does the RCC attract so many perverts? Who wants or needs to be preached to by these perverts on issues of morality anyway? And where do they get the audacity from to lecture people on being gay when they engage in truly disgusting sexual abuse like this?

We’ve all known about the goings on in the Roman Catholic Church (and other churches, too), but when you watch a video such as this one, it is a sad reminder that much of religion is a sick joke! This is far removed from the teachings of Jesus Christ. – @ Mark

Message

My posting has been slow today, because I have been getting help from Adobe.

Yesterday, I decided to subscribe to Adobe Stock to be able to offer you an extended choice of great photos and images. I hope you will enjoy them. It’s an archive of great photos and images, actually. I hope you will be pleased: I hope they will bring you much pleasure and delight.

It was a little complicated in the beginning, because the first image I downloaded had a watermark emblazoned right across it. I wanted the download to be without a watermark. Therefore, I had to get in contact with Adobe customer support to sort out the problem. It turns out that I had downloaded the image incorrectly. It has now been sorted: the watermark is gone. There were one or two other questions about my allowance of images per month, etc, as well. This is why I am behindhand with my posting today; I trust that you will understand.

I hope you enjoy the new experience.

Mark

Just for Your Enjoyment and Pleasure!

Tender Moments

Zärtliche Momente / Moments tendres

Michael Bolton : A Love So Beautiful

Provided to YouTube by Columbia | Views on YouTube: 7,700,289

Arthur Rubinstein: Chopin: The Nocturnes, Op. 9: No. 2 in E Flat Major. Andante

Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment

Loving: A Photographic History

À Marseille, dans les quartiers où la guerre des gangs fait rage

À l’entrée de La Castellane, la fameuse cité des quartiers nord à Marseille, un guetteur monte la garde en plein confinement (en avril 2020), prêt à alerter son réseau de deal à l’arrivée de la police. PATRICK SAINT PAUL/Le Figaro
LE FIGARO : REPORTAGE - Illustration de l’emprise croissante du trafic de drogue dans la vie des quartiers, le rythme des règlements de compte s’emballe et leur violence s’intensifie.

Il est 12h30 ce lundi: la face obscure de la cité s’éveille sous le soleil. Les guetteurs prennent place sur les différents points d’accès. Ils ne se cachent pas, mais cherchent l’ombre car, malgré le mistral, il fait très chaud. En aucun cas, ils ne doivent quitter leur poste d’observation. «100 euros la journée, ça paraît beaucoup, mais si on ramène au taux horaire, on est en dessous du smic, explique Rachid*. Ils ne rentreront pas chez eux avant deux heures du matin!»

Le jeune homme a quitté la cité des Flamants, dans le 14e arrondissement, après avoir trouvé un emploi d’informaticien. Il revient souvent rendre visite à sa mère et n’est pas surpris par la dérive du quartier. Il estime qu’il y a un fossé entre ceux qui suivent un cursus scolaire et ceux qui plongent dans les trafics: «Ils n’ont rien à perdre, ils flambent. Leur vie peut s’arrêter à tout moment.» Rachid n’a jamais touché à la drogue, mais en veut aux consommateurs des beaux quartiers. «Si la police et la justice s’attaquaient à eux, le problème serait rapidement résolu. Ils ne viendraient plus», estime celui qui ne supporte plus la légende affirmant que les cités vivent de la drogue: «10% à peine de la population est concernée», considère-t-il. » | Par Pierre Saint Gilles | lundi 23 août 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — August 23, 2021

NastassjaCanCook: Borscht/Borsch | My Family Recipe: The Best Borsch You Have Ever Tried!

Jun 27, 2019 • Borscht, or Borsch, is a staple dish in Russia, Ukraine and some Eastern European countries. Each and every family would have its own secret recipe; so, today, I am sharing my family recipe.

For the beef stock, you will need: some bones. I am using beef bone marrow bones. I am also using some gelatin and meat: ox tails, and some lean meat – top sirloin.

Ingedients:

1 onion
1 carrot
1 parsnip
1 celery stalk
Some parsley
Dry spices like such as bay leaves, coriander seeds and black peppercorns
Salt and pepper to taste
one dry chilli pepper
3 medium size beets (with beet greens)
4 medium size potatoes
2 medium size carrots
1 parsnip
2 cloves of garlic
1 head of green cabbage
celery greens
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of dill
2 tbsp white vinegar

To serve you will need:

2 cloves of garlic
Fresh dill
Sour cream

Method:

In a large stock pot add all your meat and vegetables for the stock (you don't need to peel the vegetables, since they are going to be discarded after the stock is done).
Add spices.
Add cold water to cover stock size ¾ of a way up and boil.
Before the boiling process has started, collect and discard the foam that appears on the top.
Leave to simmer for about an hour.
Peel beets.
After one hour of simmering time, take out the bone marrow bones – you can enjoy them with just a sprinkle of salt or as a spread it on toast.
Add beets to simmering stock and cook until beets are fork tender.(about 30-35 minutes).
Take out the meat and beets. Set aside to cool. Strain beef stock and return to pot. Set on slow simmer. Add grated carrots and grated parsnip, cook for 10 minutes. Add chopped beet greens and chopped beet stalks. Add cubed potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add chopped cabbage and cubed meat. Cook until cabbage is just al dente. Grate beets, add chopped garlic and vinegar. Add to soup along with fresh herbs, Turn off the heat and close the lid. Let sit for 10 minutes. Enjoy Borsch(t) with chopped garlic, fresh dill and sour cream.
Serve with Russian black bread.

Russia's Number One Chef on Reinventing His Country's Cuisine | British GQ & Lexus

Jan 15, 2019 • GQ travelled to Moscow to meet Vladimir Mukhin as part of a four-part documentary series with Lexus, “Journeys in Taste”, a celebration of the craft and vision of the world’s most innovative tastemakers.

Fertiggerichte in der Gastronomie - Die Wahrheit über Restaurants | SWR betrifft

Apr 24, 2019 • Fertigprodukte, auch bekannt als Convenience-Food, erobern die deutsche Gastronomie. Für Azubis heißt das: Sie reißen nur noch Tüten auf und lernen in der Gastronomie nicht mehr, wie man selbst kocht. "betrifft" zeigt den Niedergang der Kochkultur in der deutschen Gastronomie.

Gemeinsam mit Traditionskoch Thomas Rund schauen wir auf die Internorga, nach eigenen Angaben die "Leitmesse der Gastronomie". Konzerne wie Unilever, Nestlé oder Mondelez versuchen dort, die Gastronomie zu mehr Effizienz und weniger Handarbeit zu bringen - also ihnen Fertigprodukte zu verkaufen. Andere Köche wie Rudi Koch nehmen die Fertigprodukte in ihrer Gastronomie als Hilfe dankbar an und servieren selbstgemachte Delikatessen mit Soßen aus dem Tetrapack. Die Gäste in seiner Gastronomie ahnen nichts davon, sind sich sicher, in dieser Gastronomie sei alles frisch. Wem kann der Kunde noch trauen, wer in der Gastronomie kocht noch selbst, wo es doch aufwendig und reglementiert ist? Wir bringen ein paar Proben aus verschiedenen Gastronomien ins Labor, um sie zu testen.


Verbraucher(innen) im Westen werden überall oft betrogen! Gott sei dank gibt es immer noch einige Geschäftsleute, die aufrichtig und ehrlich sind! – Mark