34 Public Displays of Affection That Straight People Take for Granted

Above: Real-life couple (and friends of the author) Norge (left) and Jeramy (right) consented to taking cute couple pictures at various locations across Atlanta, Ga.
ADVOCATE: Straight people may never fully understand the bravery it takes to be an out LGBT person, because their relationships are recognized and affirmed with every TV ad, romantic comedy, and Top 40 hit. LGBT people have to fight for representation and carve out spaces where “two men kissing” is not a frightening image but a celebrated one. In the face of sexual oppression and antigay violence, fearmongering and queer erasure, our public displays of affection are acts of revolt.

Browse these 34 PDAs that straight people take for granted, many of which still come with safety concerns for many people in the LGBT community. Those of us who are able should engage in them as much as possible, now more than ever. Show the world the power of #TwoMenKissing. Love each other, and dance all night.

1. Holding Hands
You’ve probably seen it: two gay men holding hands at a theme park, walking briskly, with rigid arms and cold expressions. They almost seem like militants, cutting through the crowd, matching stride, never cracking a smile.

“Look at the joyless couple,” a friend and fellow homo said, nodding at one such couple the last time I was at Disney World. Whenever I see one of these “joyless couples,” I feel like crying or cheering or screaming or some variation of the three. They are usually young. This may be the first time they have ever held hands in public, and they are determined to do it, goddamn it — but they’re scared.

Their body language betrays their fear. Other gay men spot it easily because we have all been there. I have been there. My first time holding a man’s hand was at a theme park, and I could hardly breathe. My palms were sweating, and after a few minutes I let go. Almost immediately I felt angry at myself for being unable to last longer. Around me, straight couples were walking by, fingers interlocked. It seemed so effortless for them, so comfortable. Why was I so terrified?

The wrongness and unfairness I felt in that moment was heteronormativity and gay oppression. These words might seem academic and sing of protest, but they describe very real problems. As gay men, we are taught to fear public displays of affection from day one — because the little animated boy dog falls in love with a girl dog; because Spider-Man swoops down to save Mary Jane, not John; and because, in the first story I was ever told, God created Adam and Eve, not … well, you know the rest. » | Alexander Cheves | Undated

Author ALEX CHEVES encourages you to leave your own suggestions for sex and dating topics in the comments. Hungry for more? Follow him on Twitter @BadAlexCheves and visit his blog, The Beastly Ex-Boyfriend.

The Tightrope of Gay PDA*

SALON: Even in the most progressive of neighborhoods, I find myself looking over my shoulder

With my boyfriend’s cousin out of the house on the second day of our visit, we decide to take a public bus to downtown Seattle from Shoreline, where she lives. It’s largely empty, though the space at the front of the bus is occupied by three 20-ish, husky white guys in baseball caps and flannel shirts. They seem around my age and remind me of guys I last talked to in high school but am still friends with on Facebook -- the kind who post pictures of themselves with their arms around each other, captioned “no homo."

They’re already there when we walk in, and as the bus leaves the stop, I wonder whether they paid attention to the way I walked on or to the sweater my boyfriend was wearing. A couple minutes on, my boyfriend reaches for my hand, and I nod him a silent “no” as I shuffle over, putting a few inches between us.

Not while they’re sitting there.

I can’t really remember the exact circumstances of when I first held a man’s hand in public. The emotions that preceded it have all faded, along with the person, in the ensuing years. What I do remember, throughout the five or so minutes that I grasped that boy’s moist palm, is anxiously searching every face around us, every person that passed us by, checking for any sign of potential trouble or disapproval. The simple act itself -- of taking my date’s hand -- seemed less a simple sign of affection than an open dare to voyeurs, an exercise in what my grandmother would have called “making a spectacle of yourself.”

In the five years or so since then, this anxiety at public affection has eased somewhat. In the course of our two-year relationship, my boyfriend and I have, naturally, made countless little public demonstrations of our affection for each other, made easier by the fact that we live in and generally frequent the more LGBT-friendly parts of generally LGBT-friendly Los Angeles. While holding his hand at the art house theater we regularly go to in Pasadena, or cuddling with him at the wine bars I like in downtown L.A., or even kissing him at the restaurants we frequent in Silverlake, I’ve learned to look around in suspicion a little less and to go with the moment a little more. » | Christopher Records | Published: Saturday, July 21, 2012

This essay originally appeared on Christopher Records’ Open Salon blog. [Sorry! I can't link to it; the server couldn't be found.]

* Public Dispays of Affection.

Bare and Hirsute

Photo : Adobe Stock

Pondering, Waiting, Hoping

Photo : Adobe Stock

Love and Passion.

Photo : Adobe Stock
Liebe und Leidenschaft. / Amour et passion.

Schumann: Klavierkonzert ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Khatia Buniatishvili ∙ Paavo Järvi

I. Allegro affettuoso | II. Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso | III. Allegro vivace
Khatia Buniatishvili, Klavier ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙ Paavo Järvi, Dirigent | Rheingau Musik Festival 2012 ∙ | Wiesbaden, Kurhaus, 23. August 2012

A Recipe That Celebrates Chicken and Tarragon : Poulet à l'estragon

This recipe celebrates the fresh herb tarragon. we use it today to make a classic French dish called poulet à l'estragon (chicken in tarragon sauce). Using classic cooking techniques the chicken is seared then cooked in a mix of cognac, white wine and stock and cream. toward the end plenty of fresh tarragon is added to the dish to create a subtle tarragon flavored creamy sauce. best served with rice, pasta or potatoes.

Get the recipe here.

Reporter Goes to the Frontlines of the Afghanistan War on the Taliban | 60 Minutes Australia

You read about it, you see snippets on the news and, we hate to say it, Afghanistan becomes just another battle zone. Another skirmish in the so-called war on terror. That is until you're in the thick of it, under enemy fire. That's when you realise how grim, how relentless, maybe how futile this war really is. Despite the jubilation after the American invasion five years ago, the Taliban has not been defeated. Far from it. This conflict is now deadlier than ever, and we're about to send 240 more Australian troops into a country where the enemy's everywhere and everyone's a target.

Elton John - Sad Songs (Say So Much)

“Sad Songs (Say So Much)" is the first single from Elton's 1984 album Breaking Hearts. The video was filmed at Rushcutters Bay in Sydney, Australia and directed by Russell Mulcahy with choreography by David Atkins. | Views on YouTube: 25,850,492

Ayyam et François Sureau: «Les talibans montreront bientôt leur hideux visage»

LE FIGARO : GRAND ENTRETIEN - Près de deux semaines après l’entrée des talibans à Kaboul et l’humiliation des Américains, quelles leçons tirer de ces événements historiques? Quel sens donner au sacrifice de nos soldats en Afghanistan? Doit-on s’inquiéter d’une nouvelle vague migratoire? La philosophe et son mari, avocat et écrivain, n’éludent aucune question.

La philosophe préside une association d’aide aux réfugiés, notamment afghans, l’Association Pierre Claver (du nom d’un missionnaire jésuite du XVIIe siècle)*. Elle a fondé cette œuvre avec son mari, avocat et écrivain**, qui a servi en Afghanistan. Ayyam et François Sureau nous parlent de ce pays qu’ils connaissent bien et disent leur espérance quant à l’avenir du peuple afghan. LE FIGARO. - Vingt ans après le 11 Septembre, … » | Par Eugénie Bastié | jeudi 26 août 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

Afghanistan : la Turquie s’est entretenue avec les talibans

LE POINT : D’après le président Erdogan, Ankara a tenu un premier pourparler de trois heures et demie à Kaboul avec les nouveaux maîtres de l’Afghanistan.

De premières discussions ont eu lieu entre les talibans et Ankara, a fait savoir le président turc Erdogan.© ISA TERLI / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP
La Turquie a tenu ses premières discussions avec les talibans à Kaboul, a fait savoir le président Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ce vendredi 27 août. D’après le président turc, Ankara étudie la proposition des nouveaux maîtres de l’Afghanistan de sécuriser l’aéroport de la capitale après le retrait américain. « Nous avons tenu nos premières discussions avec les talibans, qui ont duré trois heures et demie », a déclaré le chef d'État aux journalistes. Et d’ajouter : « Si c’est nécessaire, nous aurons l’occasion d’avoir de tels pourparlers à nouveau. » » | Source AFP | vendredi 27 août 2021

Heinz-Christian Strache wegen Bestechlichkeit zu Bewährungsstrafe verurteilt

ÖSTERREICHS EX-VIZEKANZLER
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Das Wiener Landgericht hat den früheren österreichischen Vizekanzler Heinz-Christian Strache am Freitag zu einer Freiheitsstrafe von 15 Monaten auf Bewährung verurteilt. Das Urteil ist noch nicht rechtskräftig.

Heinz-Christian Strache, früher österreichischer Vizekanzler und Vorsitzender der rechten Partei FPÖ, ist am Freitag am Wiener Landesgericht wegen Bestechlichkeit verurteilt worden. Das Strafmaß beträgt 15 Monate „bedingt“, die Haft kann also zur Bewährung ausgesetzt werden. Mit ihm wurde der Unternehmer Walter Grubmüller wegen Bestechung verurteilt. Das Gericht folgte der Darstellung der Staatsanwaltschaft, der Unternehmer habe Strache durch Parteispenden und eine Urlaubseinladung veranlasst, sich für eine Gesetzesänderung zugunsten einer Privatklinik Grubmüllers einzusetzen. » | Von Stephan Löwenstein, Politischer Korrespondent mit Sitz in Wien | Freitag, 27. August 2021

Ganz Spanien ab Sonntag kein Corona-Hochrisikogebiet mehr

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Bundesregierung streicht Spanien von der Liste der Hochrisikogebiete. Auch Mallorca fällt damit nicht mehr in diese Kategorie. Für Reiserückkehrer entfallen damit die Quarantänevorschriften.

Wegen sinkender Corona-Infektionszahlen streicht die Bundesregierung am Sonntag ganz Spanien und damit auch die beliebte Ferieninsel Mallorca von der Liste der Hochrisikogebiete. Das teilte das Robert Koch-Institut (RKI) am Freitag mit. Damit entfallen alle Quarantänevorschriften für aus Spanien zurückkehrende Urlauber.

Der Großraum Lissabon ist ab Sonntag ebenfalls kein Hochrisikogebiet mehr. Als einzige Region in Portugal bleibt aber die beliebte Urlaubsregion Algarve auf der Liste.

Spanien gilt als beliebtestes Urlaubsziel der Deutschen im Ausland. Am 11. Juli war es wegen stark steigender Infektionszahlen mitten in der Ferienzeit als Risikogebiet eingestuft worden, Ende Juli als Hochrisikogebiet. Seitdem müssen Rückkehrer, die nicht vollständig geimpft oder genesen sind, für zehn Tage in Quarantäne, von der sie sich erst nach fünf Tagen mit einem negativen Test befreien können. Das traf vor allem die Tourismuswirtschaft auf Mallorca. » | Quelle: dpa | Freitag, 27. August 2021

Eine schwarze Stunde für Amerika – und für Joe Biden

SPIEGEL: Aus der Krise wird eine Katastrophe: Der Anschlag am Flughafen in Kabul mit mindestens 13 toten US-Soldaten sorgt in Amerika für Entsetzen. Schon fordern die ersten Republikaner den Rücktritt des Präsidenten.

US-Präsident Joe Biden: Schweigeminute für die Gefallenen | Foto: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS
Anschlag in Afghanistan
Die Fahnen in der Hauptstadt Washington wehen auf halbmast, der Präsident beugt sich bei einer Schweigeminute im Gebet auf sein Pult. Der Anschlag auf den Flughafen in Kabul, bei dem mindestens 13 US-Soldaten getötet wurden, ist für Joe Biden die wohl schwerste Stunde in seiner bisherigen Amtszeit.


Mit bebender Stimme verspricht der Präsident, die mutmaßlichen Drahtzieher des Anschlags, die Anführer der Terrorgruppe Isis-K, zu bestrafen. »Wir werden euch jagen, und wir werden euch dafür bezahlen lassen«, sagt Biden in East Room des Weißen Hauses in die Kameras. Die getöteten Soldaten nennt er »Helden«: In einer hochgefährlichen Mission hätten sie ihr Leben geopfert, um andere Menschenleben zu retten.

Der Präsident wirkt traurig und wütend, aber auch müde und angespannt. Der Anschlag in Kabul hat die seit Tagen herrschende Krise am Flughafen von Kabul in eine Katastrophe verwandelt. In 20 Jahren Krieg in Afghanistan haben die Amerikaner nur selten so viele Soldaten an einem einzigen Tag verloren. » | Von Roland Nelles, Washington | Freitag, 27. August 2021

Pour Biden, la crise afghane tourne au scénario catastrophe

Des blessés sont soignés dans un hôpital après la double attaque à proximité de l'aéroport de Kaboul, le 27 août 2021. STRINGER / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : Le président américain, confronté à sa plus grave crise, peine à s'affirmer et semble paralysé par une situation qu'il n'a pas réussi à anticiper.

La fin de la mission en Afghanistan, avec la mort de douze soldats américains, vire au scénario catastrophe pour Joe Biden, confronté à sa plus grave crise et comme paralysé par une situation qu'il n'avait pas vu venir.

Le 46e président des États-Unis s'est exprimé jeudi soir, plusieurs heures après la double attaque à proximité de l'aéroport de Kaboul - la plus meurtrière pour les militaires américains depuis août 2011. Lors de cette allocution, Joe Biden a rendu hommage aux soldats tués avant d'assurer que tout serait mis en oeuvre pour traquer les auteurs de l'attaque : «Nous avons des raisons de penser que nous savons qui ils sont et nous allons trouver un moyen de les traquer dans le cadre d'une grande opération militaire où qu'ils soient». Le président a affirmé que les opérations d'évacuation se poursuivaient et a de nouveau confirmé qu'il respecterait la date butoir du 31 août pour le retrait des troupes américaines, malgré les critiques qui l'appellent, y compris au sein de son parti, à rester plus longtemps si nécessaire pour achever l'évacuation.

Comme souvent depuis deux semaines, Joe Biden a dû chambouler son agenda, repoussant une rencontre importante prévue avec le nouveau Premier ministre israélien Naftali Bennett. «C'est une crise majeure qui se déroule sous sa présidence», dit à l'AFP Ian Bremmer, président de la société d'expertise Eurasia Group. «C'est un échec du renseignement, c'est un échec de la planification, c'est un échec de la communication, et c'est un échec de la coordination avec les alliés», estime-t-il. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | Publié : jeudi 26 août 2021 ; mis à jour : vendredi 27 août 2021

Debakel in Afghanistan: Biden trägt die Verantwortung für die Demütigung Amerikas

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Nach dem Anschlag vor dem Flughafen Kabuls haben die USA erstmals seit anderthalb Jahren wieder Opfer in Afghanistan zu beklagen. Der Präsident lässt mit der desolaten Umsetzung des Truppenabzugs missen, wofür er in der Auseinandersetzung mit Trump stand: Besonnenheit und Kompetenz.

Die Auftritte des amerikanischen Präsidenten in diesen dramatischen Tagen wirken wenig überzeugend. | Stefani Reynolds / Imago
KOMMENTAR
Mit seiner jahrzehntelangen Erfahrung kennt Präsident Joe Biden die Spielregeln der Politik. Er weiss genau, wie eng sein Gestaltungsspielraum ist, bevor in den Zwischenwahlen im kommenden Jahr der Verlust der prekären demokratischen Mehrheiten im Kongress und damit seiner Handlungsfähigkeit droht. Beflügelt von ersten innenpolitischen Erfolgen, entwarf er deshalb im Frühling das Drehbuch für ein amerikanisches Sommermärchen.

Bis zum Independence Day am 4. Juli sollte die Impfkampagne so weit fortgeschritten sein, dass die Vereinigten Staaten auch die «Unabhängigkeit» vom Coronavirus feiern könnten. Am 20. Jahrestag der Anschläge vom 11. September wollte Biden nach dem vollständigen Truppenabzug das offizielle Ende des Militäreinsatzes in Afghanistan verkünden. Und irgendwann dazwischen würde der Kongress mit überparteilicher Mehrheit ein billionenschweres Infrastrukturpaket verabschieden, eines der wichtigsten Anliegen Bidens. All das, so das Kalkül des Präsidenten, könnte seine Partei entgegen den Gepflogenheiten vor Verlusten bei den Zwischenwahlen bewahren. Ein albtraumhafter Sommer » | Meret Baumann | Freitag, 27. August 2021

Biden Faces a Tragedy He Pledged to Avoid

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The president said the evacuation of U.S. citizens and allies from Afghanistan would continue, even after an attack that killed at least 13 American troops and dozens of civilians.

President Biden spoke from the East Room of the White House after the Pentagon confirmed the deaths of the American service members in what officials said were suicide bomber attacks. Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
WASHINGTON — It was exactly what President Biden feared most.

His decision to end America’s longest war was driven, he had said repeatedly, by his determination not to sacrifice even one more member of the military on behalf of an effort he had long believed was no longer in the interests of the United States.

But on Thursday morning, the withdrawal he set in motion claimed the lives of 13 U.S. troops, along with scores of Afghan civilians — the first American casualties in Afghanistan in 18 months and the deadliest day there for the U.S. military since 2011.

In searing remarks from the East Room of the White House Thursday evening, Mr. Biden pledged to “hunt down” the terrorists who claimed credit for the bombings at the Kabul airport but said the frantic, dangerous evacuation of U.S. citizens and allies from Afghanistan would continue for several more days.

“To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive,” Mr. Biden said, using language that had grim echoes of warnings President George W. Bush made after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. “We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.”

America’s tumultuous exit from Afghanistan has dragged down Mr. Biden’s approval ratings, and the bombings on Thursday surely will open him up to political criticism. But it was unclear what the damage would be to his presidency in the long term, as he exits a war that most Americans want out of as well. » | Michael D. Shear | Published: Thursday, August 26, 2021; Updated: Friday, August 27, 2021

Lindsey Graham Calls for Biden Impeachment »

UK evacuation from Kabul to end in ‘a matter of hours’ »

Hundreds of Britons offer to host Afghan refugees after fall of Kabul: Many have signed up with charities that connect refugees and asylum seekers with hosts around UK »

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