Tuesday, January 04, 2022

Aus der Reihe tanzen – das wilde Leben der Mitford-Schwestern, Kulturplatz 18.03.2015

Mar 19, 2015 • Die Sendung «Kulturplatz»: Die Schriftstellerin Susanne Kippenberger fragt es sich angesichts der sechs Schwestern der Mitford-Familie, die in Grossbritannien so bekannt sind wie in Deutschland die Familie Mann, nur berüchtigter. Eine wurde Schriftstellerin, eine heiratete den Faschistenführer Englands, eine wurde Hitler-Freundin, eine andere Herzogin von Devonshire. Jessica Mitford aber wurde Kommunistin und Bürgerrechtlerin. Susanne Kippenberger porträtiert diese Nonkonformistin und spricht mit «Kulturplatz» über Verwandtschaft und Wahlverwandschaften.


Related / Verwandt (auf Englisch).

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — January 4, 2022

Double Defector Who Returned to North Korea ‘Struggled Financially’ in South

THE GUARDIAN: Man’s decision raises questions about treatment of defectors in South Korea with many said to face discrimination

A North Korean defector who made a daring return to his home country at the weekend had reportedly struggled to build a new life in South Korea since his arrival just over a year ago.

The man, who has not been named, crossed the heavily armed demilitarised zone [DMZ] that has divided North and South since the end of the 1950 to 1953 Korean war, on Saturday.

Reports said the defector, who is in his 30s, had been prompted to make the dangerous journey back across the border after struggling to make ends meet in the South.

His decision to return to North Korea has raised questions about how defectors are treated in the South, where many face discrimination in employment, education and housing. » | Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies | Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Mahler Symphony No. 5 - Adagietto

Nov 22, 2015 • Myung-Whun Chung NHK Symphony Orchestra

Quit the Cr**! Stop the BS! Give Us Our Full Rights Now! Everywhere! We Are Human Beings, Too! We Are Entitled to Love and Entitled to Be Happy.

via GIPHY

Elizabeth Holmes Trial: Jury Finds Theranos Founder Guilty on Four Fraud Counts

THE GUARDIAN: The jury delivered the verdict after announcing they were deadlocked on three of the 11 charges faced by Holmes

Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, has been found guilty on four of 11 charges of fraud, concluding a high profile trial that captivated Silicon Valley and chronicled the missteps of the now-defunct blood testing startup.

The jury found Holmes guilty of several charges – including conspiracy to defraud investors – following a dramatic day in which jurors said they remained deadlocked on three of the criminal counts she faced.

On Monday, the seventh day of deliberations, the jury told US district judge Edward Davila that it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on those three charges. In response, Davila encouraged them to deliberate further, but jurors later returned and rendered their final decision.

As the verdict was read, the Theranos founder bowed her head, remained seated and expressed no visible emotion. Her partner, Billy Evans, showed agitation in earlier moments but appeared calm during the verdict reading.

Holmes was found guilty on four charges: one count of conspiracy to defraud investors, and three counts of wire fraud against investors. With video » | Karl Paul | Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Silicon Valley Can’t Escape Elizabeth Holmes: Ms. Holmes, the founder of Theranos, wasn’t a creature of Silicon Valley, or so the refrain went. But her fraud trial showed otherwise. »

Past Convictions for Homosexual Activity to Be Wiped from Records, Patel to Announce

THE GUARDIAN: UK’s disregards and pardons scheme set to be expanded to ‘right wrongs of the past’

Any conviction that was imposed on someone purely due to consensual homosexual activity under now-abolished laws will be included in a scheme aimed at “righting the wrongs of the past”, the UK home secretary is set to announce.

Priti Patel said more people would have convictions for same-sex sexual activity wiped from their records, as she sought to expand the government’s disregards and pardons scheme from a narrow set of laws.

Currently, only nine former offences are included on a specified list that the Home Office said “largely focused on the repealed offences of buggery and gross indecency between men”.

If someone had been convicted of a crime under these now-scrapped laws, they can apply to have it disregarded – wiped from their criminal record and not be required to be disclosed. » | PA Media | Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Monday, January 03, 2022

Apple Becomes First Company to Hit $3 Trillion Market Value

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The iPhone maker’s value tripled since 2018 as its sales continued to soar and it spent hundreds of billions of dollars on its own stock.

Combine Walmart, Disney, Netflix, Nike, Exxon Mobil, Coca-Cola, Comcast, Morgan Stanley, McDonald’s, AT&T, Goldman Sachs, Boeing, IBM and Ford.

Apple is still worth more.

Apple, the computer company that started in a California garage in 1976, is now worth $3 trillion. It became the first publicly traded company to ever reach the figure on Monday, when its stock briefly eclipsed $182.86 a sharebefore closing at $182.01.

Apple’s value is even more remarkable considering how rapid its recent ascent has been. In August 2018, Apple became the first American company ever to be worth $1 trillion, an achievement that took 42 years. It surged past $2 trillion two years later. Its next trillion took just 16 months and 15 days. » | Jack Nicas | Monday, January 3, 2022

Knackt Apple auch bald die 4 Billionen Dollar?: Mit iPhones und anderen Produkten hat der amerikanische Elektronikkonzern innerhalb weniger Jahre seinen Börsenwert auf nun 3 Billionen Dollar vervielfacht. Doch erste Analysten warnen vor einem Ende des langen Laufs. »

Ce baiser respire l'amour !

This kiss exudes love! / Dieser Kuß strahlt Liebe aus!

Merci à howtheyasked.com sur Pinterest pour cette superbe photo.

President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil Is Hospitalized

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. Bolsonaro, who was stabbed while on the campaign trail in 2018, experienced stomach discomfort during his vacation and was flown back to São Paulo.

RIO DE JANEIRO — President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil was flown to São Paulo on Monday and hospitalized for treatment of a possible stomach obstruction after experiencing discomfort while on vacation in the southern state of Santa Catarina, his office and a hospital said.

He was admitted to Vila Nova Star hospital, where he was undergoing exams under the care of Dr. Antônio Luiz Macedo, the surgeon who treated Mr. Bolsonaro after he was stabbed in 2018 while campaigning for president. Mr. Bolsonaro is in stable condition, the hospital said, adding that five doctors were overseeing his care.

In a post on Twitter, Mr. Bolsonaro said he “started feeling poorly after lunch on Sunday.” After arriving at the hospital at 3 a.m., he wrote, he was administered a nasogastric tube, which can be used to drain fluid from the stomach of a patient with an intestinal obstruction. The president, who included a photo from the hospital in the tweet, said that more exams would be conducted to determine whether surgery was necessary. » | Ernesto Londoño and Flávia Milhorance | Monday, January 3, 2022

Brésil : Jair Bolsonaro hospitalisé d'urgence pour une probable occlusion intestinale : Le président brésilien a subi une demi-douzaine d'opérations de l'abdomen depuis la tentative d'assassinat qui l'a visé en septembre 2018. »

How the E.U. Allowed Hungary to Become an Illiberal Model

THE NEW YORK TIMES: After years of complacency and wishful thinking, Brussels is finally trying to rein in the country’s pugnacious leader, Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary in June. The position he has put the bloc in says much about why it has stumbled in the face of populist challenges. | Bernadett Szabo/Reuters

BRUSSELS — After long indulging him, leaders in the European Union now widely consider Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary an existential threat to a bloc that holds itself up as a model of human rights and the rule of law.

Mr. Orban has spent the past decade steadily building his “illiberal state,” as he proudly calls Hungary, with the help of lavish E.U. funding. Even as his project widened fissures in the bloc, which Hungary joined in 2004, his fellow national leaders mostly looked the other way, committed to staying out of one another’s affairs.

But now Mr. Orban’s defiance and intransigence has had an important, if unintended, effect: serving as a catalyst for an often-sluggish European Union system to act to safeguard the democratic principles that are the foundation of the bloc.

Early this year, the European Court of Justice will issue a landmark decision on whether the union has the authority to make its funds to member states conditional on meeting the bloc’s core values. Doing so would allow Brussels to deny billions of euros to countries that violate those values. » | Steven Erlanger and Benjamin Novak | Monday, January 3, 2022

Orban bekommt Unterstützung von Trump: Ungarns rechtsnationaler Ministerpräsident will im April wiedergewählt werden. Dafür hat er prominente Unterstützung: Donald Trump. In dessen Augen hat Orban einen „wundervollen Job“ gemacht. »

Prince Andrew Accuser Virginia Giuffre’s Legal Deal with Jeffrey Epstein Released

THE GUARDIAN: Unsealing stems from Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against duke, filed in Manhattan federal court in August

Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell. The Duke of York vehemently maintained his innocence against the claims made against him. Photograph: Enterprise News and Pictures

A near-dozen-year-old legal settlement between Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender whom she accused of sexual abuse, was released on Monday. Giuffre received $500,000 in her lawsuit against Epstein, court papers revealed.

The unsealing stemmed from Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew, which she filed on 9 August in Manhattan federal court.

Giuffre has long accused Epstein and his sometime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell – now a convicted sex trafficker, after the conclusion of her New York trial last week – of forcing her into sex with the royal when she was 17.

He vehemently maintains his innocence.

Andrew filed Giuffre’s settlement with Epstein as part of his attempt to dismiss her case, arguing that it shields him. Lawyers for the prince contend the settlement contains provisions that bar Giuffre from taking legal action against many of Epstein’s associates. » | Victoria Bekiempis in New York | Monday, January 3, 2022

Kommt Prinz Andrew ins Schwitzen?: Prinz Andrew muss am Dienstag in Manhattan vor Gericht. Virginia Giuffre wirft dem Royal vor, sie als Minderjährige sexuell missbraucht zu haben. Der Adelige setze in der Vergangenheit bereits auf eine sonderbare Ausrede. »

Seong-Jin Cho | Chopin 4 Ballades | 2017

Jul 11, 2017 • Seong-Jin Cho, first prize winner of the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition (2015), plays Frédéric Chopin's 4 Ballades:

- Ballade no.1 in G minor, op.23
- Ballade no.2 in F major, 38
- Ballade no.3 in A flat major, op.47
- Ballade no.4 in F minor, op.52
LIVE - July 2017 - Flagey, Brussels


Unity Mitford

König der Haute-Cuisine - Auguste Escoffier | Doku HD | Reupload | ARTE

Dec 24, 2021 • Die französische Küche scheint in der Welt der Spitzenköche schon immer maßgebend gewesen zu sein und bleibt ein unerlässlicher Teil jeder Kochausbildung. Dies ist größtenteils einem provenzalischen Koch mit herausragenden Fähigkeiten zu verdanken: Auguste Escoffier (1846 - 1935). Er will nicht einfach nur kochen - was ihn animiert, ist die Kochkunst.

Für die besten Köche der Welt ist Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) eine Legende, ein Vorbild, ja eine Art Bibel. In Spitzenrestaurants überall auf der Welt ist sein Geist bis heute spürbar. Auguste Escoffier hat sein Leben der Verwirklichung eines sehr französischen Traums geweiht: Er wollte die Kochkunst in den Rang der schönen Künste erheben. Ihre Meisterköche sollten dasselbe Prestige und dieselbe kreative Freiheit wie große Künstler genießen. Als Zeuge tiefgreifender gesellschaftlicher Veränderungen hat Escoffier die Welt der Gastronomie nach und nach reformiert: Auf ihn gehen Neuerungen auf allen Gebieten zurück, wie etwa die sogenannten Küchenbrigaden, eine sehr präzise und sehr hierarchische Arbeitsteilung in Anlehnung an den Taylorismus, die bis heute Anwendung findet. Und er verhalf gesünderen und bekömmlicheren Speisen zum Durchbruch. 1865 versucht Auguste Escoffier sein Glück in Paris und verlässt Nizza, wo er seit seinem 13. Lebensjahr bei seinem Onkel in die Lehre gegangen war. Auf Empfehlung wird er im renommierten Nachtlokal Petit Moulin Rouge eingestellt. Schon bald kann sich der fleißige und talentierte Jungkoch in der Glanzzeit des Zweiten Kaiserreichs zum Chef-Saucier hocharbeiten. Während des Deutsch-Französischen Krieges von 1870-71 leistet Auguste Escoffier seinen Militärdienst als Küchenchef beim französischen Generalstab. Nach Paris zurückgekehrt, avanciert er als 27-Jähriger zum Küchenchef des Petit Moulin Rouge. Durch die Begegnung mit dem reichen Hotelier César Ritz nimmt sein Leben 1882 eine neue Wende: Ritz verpflichtet ihn 1884 als Küchenchef seines Grandhotels in Monte Carlo. Escoffier gilt als „König der Köche“. Bleibenden Ruhm erlangt er durch seinen weltweit übersetzen „Guide Culinaire“ von 1903. Der „Kochkunstführer“ ist eine regelrechte Enzyklopädie, die mit schon fast wissenschaftlicher Präzision alle Rezepte und Grundprinzipien von Escoffiers Art zu Kochen vermittelt. Das Buch wird für nachfolgende Generationen zum Standardwerk der französischen Küche.

Dokumentarfilm von Olivier Julien (F 2019, 91 Min)



Ce documentaire peut être visionné en français ici : Auguste Escoffier, la naissance de la gastronomie moderne, reportage ARTE.

Lira Loses 5% of Value in a Single Day amid Erdoğan's 'Economic War of Independence' | DW News

Jan 3, 2022 • Turkey’s annual inflation rate jumped to more than 36% in December. That's the highest level in almost two decades. The value of the Turkish lira has slumped to record lows, forcing retailers to hike prices sharply. The currency has suffered as a result of a series of central bank rate cuts, forced through by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan'.

Top US News & World Headlines — January 3, 2022

Erdoğan treibt viele Türken in die Armut

INFLATION BEI 36 PROZENT

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Inflation in der Türkei steigt in wahnwitzige Höhen. Große Teile der Bevölkerung verarmen, weil Präsident Erdoğan an seiner Wirtschafts- und Währungspolitik festhält. Derweil schwindet sein Einfluss.

Aus der Türkei kommen wieder mal Nachrichten, die noch schlechter ausfallen als erwartet: Im Dezember sind die Lebenshaltungskosten kräftig gestiegen und liegen nun 36,1 Prozent höher als vor einem Jahr. Ökonomen hatten im Vorfeld lediglich mit einem Zuwachs um die 30 Prozent gerechnet, was für sich betrachtet auch schon für viele Menschen eine Katastrophe ist. Jetzt kommt es noch härter, denn der Anstieg der Preise um mehr als ein Drittel im Jahresvergleich ist ja nur der Durchschnittswert.

Die Kosten für Nahrungsmittel kletterten nach Angaben des türkischen Statistikamtes zum Jahresende sogar um 44 Prozent, die im Verkehrswesen um 54 Prozent. Das trifft die zunehmend in wenige Reiche und immer mehr Arme geteilte Bevölkerung hart. Strikte Preisvergleiche und Konsumverzicht gehören schon in der dünner werdenden Mittelschicht zum Alltag. Andere müssen sich jetzt noch mehr abmühen, die Wohnung warm und ihre Familie satt zu bekommen. » | Ein Kommentar von Andreas Mihm | Montag, 3. Januar 2022

Poutine veut faire plier l’Otan et l’Europe

Nostalgique de l’ex-URSS, le président Vladimir Poutine (ici en réunion avec son ministre de la défense le 21 décembre 2021) se bat pour rétablir une zone d’influence russe à l’est. SPUTNIK/via REUTERS

LE FIGARO : ANALYSE - En maintenant la pression militaire sur l’Ukraine, le maître du Kremlin rêve de ressusciter l’empire soviétique.

Pour Vladimir Poutine, l’histoire ne passe décidément pas. Depuis qu’il est arrivé au Kremlin en 2000, l’ancien officier du KGB n’a eu de cesse d’en réécrire certains chapitres, notamment ceux qui, après la chute du communisme, avaient entériné la perte d’influence de Moscou sur ses voisins.

Effacer ou vider de leur contenu les indépendances de 1991, rejouer la guerre froide à son avantage: le président russe, qui considère la disparition de l’URSS comme une «catastrophe géopolitique», veut revoir l’ordre international post-soviétique et retrouver son influence sur les anciennes Républiques d’URSS.

Obsédé à l’idée d’une contagion démocratique et libérale venue d’Ukraine qui pourrait menacer son régime, Vladimir Poutine a proposé, le 17 décembre, aux Américains et à l’Otan un nouveau Yalta, qui les chasserait de l’est de l’Europe, redessinerait la carte géopolitique du continent et permettrait à Moscou de reprendre le contrôle, directement ou indirectement, de l’ancien glacis soviétique. … » | Par Isabelle Lasserre | dimanche 2 janvier 2022 ; mis à jour : lundi 3 janvier 2022

Réservé aux abonnés

ITV Journalist Gary Burgess Dies of Cancer Aged 46

THE GUARDIAN: In final message to be released after his death, Jersey-based broadcaster said: ‘I’ve had the best life’

Gary Burgess began working as a reporter at ITV Channel TV in May 2011 in the Guernsey newsroom, before moving to Jersey in March 2012. Photograph: ITV News Channel TV

A 46-year-old television journalist who spoke out about his cancer diagnosis has died, ITV has confirmed.

Gary Burgess died peacefully in his sleep at a hospice in Jersey on New Year’s Day. Doctors had found tumours on his lungs and told him they were inoperable.

He was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1999, and treated for further tumours in 2015 and 2016.

Burgess used a popular blog to record his condition. In November 2020, he told followers that he had six to 12 months left to live and documented his cancer journey after receiving the terminal diagnosis.

The Manchester-born broadcaster set the world record for the longest radio show at Blackpool’s Radio Wave, staying on air for 76 hours and raising money for charity.

In a final message, written for ITV to release after his death, the journalist wrote: “I’ve had the best life. I’ve had the luckiest life.

“I met my soulmate and the love of my life who went on to become my husband. I got to work with some of the most amazing people in newsrooms and studios doing the job I absolutely adore. » | Rajeev Syal and agencies |Sunday, January 2, 2022

Sunday, January 02, 2022

Liz Truss Asked for Public Money to Cover £3,000 Lunch

THE GUARDIAN: Reports say Truss demanded booking at ‘obviously incredibly expensive’ club owned by Tory donor

At 5 Hertford Street Truss and her companions drank two bottles of dry gin, three £153 bottles of Pazo Barrantes Albarinño, a Spanish white wine and two £130 bottles of the French red Coudoulet de Beaucastel. Photograph: Alberto Pezzali/AP

Liz Truss, the current favourite to succeed Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservatives among party members, hosted a lunch at an expensive private club owned by a Tory donor after overruling civil service advice to look for a cheaper venue.

Leaked correspondence has revealed the foreign secretary “refused to consider anywhere else” and asked that public funds should pay for a £3,000 event with Joe Biden’s trade representative.

Civil servants were so concerned at the cost and the venue’s close links to the Tories that the proposal was referred to the most senior official at the Department for International Trade.

According to the correspondence, Truss, then the trade secretary, “explicitly asked that we book 5 Hertford Street”, which is owned by Robin Birley, a £20,000 donor to Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign and the half-brother of Zac Goldsmith, the environment minister. » | Rajeev Syal | Sunday, January 2, 2022

Rishi Sunak, favori à la succession de Boris Johnson : PORTRAIT - Alors que le premier ministre anglais vit une période délicate, marquée par une impopularité croissante, les députés conservateurs songent à le remplacer. Parmi les noms les plus cités, se détache celui du chancelier de l’Échiquier. »

Gay Moroccan Author Abdellah Taïa

Abdellah Taïa talks about his split-second decision to be the first openly gay author in Morocco, the promise of the Arab Spring and his book, An Arab Melancholia. Taïa, who presently lives in Paris, was in Toronto for the International Festival of Authors. He has also directed his first movie, Salvation Army, which is based on a previous novel.


AswatMag.com.

kenny Rogers : Crazy

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group | Views on YouTube: 2,411,294

Rabbi Steven Greenberg - JFS Lecture - Inclusion Gay Jews (2015)

Jan 12, 2015 • Rabbi Steven Greenberg (CLAL) discusses the commandment of "Hachnassat Orchim" ("Welcoming Guests"), and how it needs to extend to the Gay Community as well. From the Third Annual JFS - Saul Cohen Lecture, at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT.


WIKIPEDIA: Rambam (Maimonides).

WIKIPEDIA: Rugelach.

The more I learn about Judaism, the more impressed I become! – © Mark

Obviously These Two Gentlemen Don't Want to Live without Each Other's Love!

Offensichtlich möchten diese zwei Herren nicht ohne die Liebe zueinander leben! / Evidemment ces deux messieurs ne veulent pas vivre sans l'amour l'un à l'autre !

With many thanks to Washington Photography on Pinterest for this great photo.

Brexit-Bilanz nach einem Jahr

Dec 30, 2021 • Inzwischen betrachtet die Mehrheit der Brit:innen den EU-Austritt mit Skepsis, denn das vergangene Jahr hat auch die Folgen gezeigt: In vielen Branchen fehlen Arbeitskräfte, die Unternehmen beklagen Handelshemmnisse und die Wirtschaft insgesamt leidet.

Foreigner : I Don't Want to Live without You | Official Music Video

Abdellah Taïa et son dernier ouvrage «Celui qui est digne d'être aimé»

Mar 24, 2017 • Considérée comme l'une des voix de la mémoire indienne, l'Amérindienne Louise Erdrich est souvent qualifiée de «romancière-ethnographe». Son roman «Dans le silence du vent» a été couronné du prestigieux National Book Award aux États-Unis, en 2012. En compagnie de François Busnel, elle évoque son parcours. Philippe Labro avec «Ma mère, cette inconnue», Abdellah Taïa pour «Celui qui est digne d'être aimé» et Anne-Dauphine Julliand, pour le film documentaire «Et les mistrals gagnants», sont également sur le plateau de La Grande Librairie cette semaine.

Abdellah Taia - African, Muslim, and Gay

Jul 1, 2015 • Abdellah Taia's speech at the 2015 Oslo Freedom Forum. See more talks like this at oslofreedomforum.com and follow @OsloFF for updates.

It’s Not the Police’s Job to Shut Down Political Debate. They Should Stick to Solving Crime

THE OBSERVER – OPINION: The appeals court has rightly upheld Harry Miller’s freedom to express his views

Aman gets a call from a police officer. He is told that, while he has done nothing criminal, his social media posts have offended someone, so the police have recorded them as a non-crime hate incident that may show up on criminal record checks. The officer warns that if he continues to “escalate” matters, the police may take criminal action against him, a message later reinforced by his superiors.

It may sound like something out of a police state. But this happened in Britain in 2019, in a case that led the high court judge who later ruled the actions of Humberside police force unlawful to warn them, “in this country we have never had a Cheka, a Gestapo or a Stasi”. Despite there being no evidence that Harry Miller, the man in question, might ever stray into unlawful speech, the police took action that reasonably led him to believe that he was being warned not to exercise his right to freedom of expression on pain of potential criminal prosecution; they also opined to the press that Miller’s tweets were “transphobic”.

And just before Christmas, in a landmark judgment that has attracted surprisingly little commentary from human rights lawyers given its profound implications, the court of appeal went further in ruling that the College of Policing’s guidance that the police should record all non-crime hate incidents, as perceived by those taking offence at them, is an unlawful incursion on citizens’ freedom of expression. » | Sonia Sodha | Sunday, January 2, 2022

'Boy Erased': Joel Edgerton & Garrard Conley on Portraying the Family in Gay Conversion-Therapy Drama

Oct 30, 2018 • Joel Edgerton and "Boy Erased" author Garrard Conley talk with Access about the film getting early Oscar buzz. Why do they feel Garrard's story of his experience with gay conversion therapy is especially important in today's political climate?

I Was Told to 'Pray the Gay Away' | This Morning

At just nineteen, Garrard Conley was sent to one of America’s most notorious conversion camps which specialised in ‘praying the gay away’. Pushing Garrard to the brink of suicide, it took him several years to finally come to terms with his real identity and settle down with his husband. Broadcast on 12/06/2018

Saturday, January 01, 2022

UK Ministers Eager to Ease Immigration Rules for Indian Citizens

THE GUARDIAN: Offer could be on table in upcoming trade talks in Delhi in bid to access to country’s growing economy

Ministers are keen to ease immigration restrictions in a bid to make it easier for thousands of Indian citizens to live and work in the UK as part of forthcoming trade talks.

The potential offer will be under discussion when the international trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, travels to Delhi this month, reports the Times. Relaxing immigration rules for Indian citizens is a key demand from Delhi.

Trevelyan is said to have the backing of the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, who is keen to curb China’s growing influence in the region. However, they are likely to meet strong resistance from the home secretary, Priti Patel, who opposes the offer.

According to the publication, visa relaxation options under consideration include a scheme similar to one agreed with Australia which would allow young Indians the right to live and work in the UK for up to three years. Another would be to cut visa fees for students and allow them to stay in Britain for a period of time after they graduate. » | Jane Clinton | Saturday, January 1, 2022

Does Winning the Lottery Really Change Your Life for the Better? | 60 Minutes Australia

Before we begin - a warning. Some scenes in this story may excite some viewers. It contains fabulous mansions, flash cars, luxury yachts, all your wildest fantasies come true. What's more, the multi-millionaires who own this stuff are just ordinary people. Ordinary people who happened to get lucky, happened to win the big one, the really big one. Hundreds of millions of dollars. But deep down, are they genuinely happy? Well, let's just say that by the end of this cautionary tale, some of you may be feeling very self-satisfied indeed.

Shops in Great Britain Fear Gaps on Shelves as New Brexit Import Rules Hit

THE OBSERVER: Regulations likely to result in higher prices and shortages for delis and others

After a few minutes in the queue spent eyeing up the best on offer at the local deli, it is decision time.

Maybe some of the wonderful Parma ham from Italy? With a few slices of Spanish chorizo? And a piece of brie from that farm in Normandy … oh, and definitely some of the black olives from Greece.

The government may be making light of new and burdensome Brexit rules and regulations affecting imports to Great Britain from the EU that came into force on 1 January, but organisations representing small UK firms are not. The firms are worried about the impact on their businesses – and about the choices that will be available to their customers at their favourite specialist stores – on the high street.

The Federation of Small Businesses cites local delicatessens, many of which import from small specialist suppliers in the EU, as the type of operators that could be adversely affected.

“The classic example is your high street deli that is importing delicacies like, say, chorizo from Spain or parmesan from Italy,” says James Sibley, the federation’s head of international affairs. “For them, the thought of having to register for these systems is daunting and the process is expensive, so we’ve a lot of concern there. For those small businesses directly affected, we have picked up a lot of worry.” » | Toby Helm and Tom Wall | Saturday, January 1, 2022

Rest well tonight, my fellow countryman! Rest well in the knowledge that you have your blue passports back! Who needs a plentiful array of foodstuffs on the shelves of supermarkets when you can avail yourselves of blue passports? And who knows? BoJo might be able to conjure up a way of bringing back the British Empire! Rule Britannia, and all that! ‘Stay calm and carry on’! – © Mark

US Judge Delivers Double Setback to Prince Andrew’s Abuse Case Battle

THE OBSERVER: Pressure grows on duke to settle alleged victim’s claim before key hearing this week

Prince Andrew in Norfolk in 2020. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty Images

Two of Prince Andrew’s avenues to prevent or stall the progression of Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s sex assault lawsuit against him were blocked on Saturday by a federal judge, increasing pressure to settle claims before a crucial court hearing this week.

Judge Lewis A Kaplan, in a written order, told the prince’s lawyers they must turn over documents on the schedule that has been set in the lawsuit brought by Guiffre who claims she was abused – aged 17 – by the prince on multiple occasions in 2001 while she was being sexually abused by financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Kaplan also rejected arguments by the prince’s lawyer, Andrew Brettler, on jurisdiction grounds after they argued last week that the lawsuit should be dismissed because Giuffre, a US citizen, no longer lives in the US.

The rulings come before an important case hearing in New York on Tuesday, one day after the scheduled public release on Monday of a 2009 settlement agreement between Epstein and Giuffre that lawyers for Andrew had hoped would protect him from Guiffre’s claims. » | Edward Helmore and Mark Townsend | Saturday, January 1, 2022

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35 - II. Lento

Jul 31, 2018 • Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35 - II. Lento · Michel Schwalbé · Berliner Philharmoniker · Herbert von Karajan · Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Investigative Journalist Reacts to Ghislaine Maxwell Conviction

Jan 1, 2022 • Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell almost got away with their crimes if it wasn’t for Miami Herald investigative journalist Julie K. Brown. Remember, Epstein went to jail in 2009 for unlawful sex with a minor. But he only served 13 months in jail. Brown delved back into that case and uncovered how far authorities went to accommodate Epstein and his army of lawyers. Brown also identified 80 women who accused Epstein of abuse when they were girls. Julie K. Brown says she “never expected that anyone would really be held accountable,” when she first started her investigation. “Epstein could not have done this alone. He had a whole orbit of people that helped him.”

British Citizenship of Six Million People Could Be Threatened by Home Office Plans

Dec 7, 2021 • Exclusive: British citizenship of six million people could be jeopardised by the Home Office Nationality and Borders Bill. Two in five people in England and Wales from an ethnic minority background could become eligible to be deprived of their citizen status without warning.

New Statesman analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics also finds that two in every five people from non-white ethnic minorities (41 per cent) are likely to be eligible for deprivation of citizenship, compared with just one in 20 people categorised as white (5 per cent).

Despite expansions in this area in 2014, the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill could extend the governments powers to strip people of citizenship further still. Clause nine of the draft bill states that the government does not need to notify those deprived of their citizenship if it does not have their contact details, or if it is “for any other reason” not “reasonably practicable” to do so. It also states that notice should not be given if it is “in the public interest” not to do so.

Video features Ben van der Merwe, Chai Patel and Frances Webber.

Video edited by Phil Clarke Hill.


Inside the New Afghanistan: France 24's Exclusive Look at Life under the Taliban | The Debate

Dec 16, 2021 • What is it really like inside the new Afghanistan? Four months after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, France 24 went to the capital and beyond to speak with citizens from all walks of life. What they heard was a mix, relief that the guns have gone quiet and worry over the prospect of a bleak winter. What with more than half the population facing "acute" food shortages, international isolation, and new rulers who have yet to let women return to school and to work and yet to prove they can run a country.

Gay, Closeted, and Heartbroken in Morocco

While living in Morocco, where it's illegal to be gay, Anthony is dumped by his boyfriend back home. He has to find a way to communicate his feelings to his Moroccan host family while staying closeted.

France Takes Over EU Presidency as National Election Looms • France 24 English

Jan 1, 2022 • France takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union on Saturday, affording President Emmanuel Macron the chance to pose as the EU's de facto leader in the run-up to national elections in April.

South Africa Bids Farewell to Desmond Tutu - BBC News

Jan 1, 2022 • The funeral mass for South African anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu has taken place at the Anglican cathedral in Cape Town.

Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who helped end the racist regime in South Africa, died last Sunday aged 90.

In his eulogy, President Cyril Ramaphosa described Tutu as "the spiritual father of our new nation".

Tutu had insisted there should be no "lavish spending" on the funeral. He wanted "the cheapest available coffin".



With a Simple Funeral, South Africa Bids Farewell to Desmond Tutu: The archbishop and Nobel laureate left plans for an unostentatious ceremony, which were stripped back further under Covid restrictions. »

Against Therapist's Advice, Son Comes Out to Devout Muslim Father

Khalid el Khatib's father is a Palestinian refugee who risked everything to come to America and start a family. Not wanting to disappoint him, Khalid stayed in the closet at the advice of a therapist, until the closet came too much to bear.

Kim Jong-un spricht von „Kampf um Leben und Tod“ in 2022

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong-un versichert in seiner Neujahrsansprache, er werde die Probleme der täglichen Versorgung in seinem Land lösen. Zudem hätten Notfallmaßnahmen zur Bekämpfung der Pandemie „oberste nationale Priorität“.

Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong-un hat zum Ende seines zehnten Jahres an der Macht die herrschende Arbeiterpartei und die Bevölkerung auf einen „Kampf um Leben und Tod“ im neuen Jahr vorbereitet. In seiner Rede zum Abschluss eines fünftägigen Parteitreffens in Pjöngjang stellte Kim am Freitag die wirtschaftspolitischen Ziele und die Überwindung der Versorgungsprobleme in den Mittelpunkt. Zudem müsse der weiteren Abwehr der Corona-Pandemie höchste Priorität in der Staatsarbeit eingeräumt werden, zitierten ihn die Staatsmedien am Samstag. » | Quelle: AFP | Samstag, 1. Januar 2022

Kim Jong-un’s New Year Resolution: More Food for North Korea: At a party meeting, Mr. Kim made little mention of the United States or South Korea. Instead, he promised to “completely solve the food problem.” »

En Corée du Nord, Kim Jong-un affirme que la sécurité alimentaire est sa priorité : Le dirigeant a mis l’économie au cœur de son discours du Nouvel An alors que le pays a connu en 2020 sa plus importante récession depuis deux décennies. »

Franziskus fordert: Schluss mit Gewalt gegen Frauen

PAPST BEI NEUJAHRSMESSE

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der Papst hat sich in seiner Neujahrspredigt dafür eingesetzt, Frauen besser zu beschützen. „Eine Frau zu verletzen bedeutet, Gott zu beleidigen“, so Franziskus im Petersdom.

Papst Franziskus hat zum Auftakt des neuen Kalenderjahres die wichtige Rolle der Frauen und Mütter in der Gesellschaft betont. In seiner Predigt zum Fest der Gottesmutter Maria sagte der Pontifex am Neujahrstag im Petersdom, dass Mütter gefördert und Frauen beschützt werden müssten.

„Wie viel Gewalt gibt es gegen Frauen!“, klagte der 85-Jährige. „Damit muss Schluss sein! Eine Frau zu verletzen bedeutet, Gott zu beleidigen, der von einer Frau seine Menschengestalt angenommen hat.“ Anders als die Vesper an Silvester leitete Franziskus den ersten Gottesdienst 2022 wieder selbst. » | Quelle: dpa | Samstag, 1. Januar 2022

Why Brexit Is a Disaster and How Things Are about to Get Very Much Worse

Jan 1, 2022 • The whole world can see that Brexit is a disaster, a massive self-inflicted act of madness promoted by a prime minister whose only concern was getting into No 10.

The U.K. is a worldwide laughing stock. Exports are tumbling and shortages of workers are crippling many sectors of the economy. There is no prospect of any of this improving any time soon. Small and medium sized firms find it all but impossible to export to the E.U.

Millions of pounds have been wasted whilst food has been left rotting in the fields and thousands of healthy pigs have been killed and burnt. The introduction of import controls on goods, especially food, coming into the U.K. from the E.U. from January 1st is likely to make it no longer viable for many exporters to continue supplying the U.K.

Increasing prices in the shops, more shortages, increasing gas and electricity prices, increasing taxes (NHI) as well as council taxes, rising interest rates and further inevitable cuts in government spending are all about to become reality. In the meantime, an already very anxious and worried population wonders what will come next.


Friday, December 31, 2021

New Year’s Eve Celebrations: Countries around the World Get Ready to Ring in 2022 • France 24


New Year’s Eve 2021 around the world – in pictures »

Duchess Of Windsor, Wallis Simpson: The Queen That Never Was - Prince Harry Documentary

Premiered Dec 2, 2021 • Duchess Of Windsor Wallis Simpson: The Queen That Never Was - Prince Harry Documentary. Drama-documentary about the woman blamed for a royal crisis.

Legendary Actress Betty White Dies At 99

Dec 31, 2021 • Betty White, the actor whose charm and deadpan comedic delivery earned her an eight-decade career, has died. She was 99. White became best known for her quick one-liners as the gullible yet lovable Rose Nylund on "The Golden Girls."


Betty White Understood Gay Men, and We Loved Her for It »

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Urges Solidarity in His First New Year’s Address | DW News

Dec 31, 2021 • German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who succeeded Angela Merkel as chancellor in early December, calls for the public to stand together in the fight against the pandemic and support his government's planned renewal of the country in his first new year's address to the nation.

The new Chancellor appealed to all Germans to get vaccinated amid a massive fifth wave of infections in the country driven by the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Scholz asked for understanding regarding the significantly tightened restrictions that have just come into force in Germany, including the limits on private gatherings.

Other than tackling the pandemic, the biggest challenge was to lay the foundation for Germany's continued advancement, Scholz continued. "The 2020s will be a decade of new beginnings," he said. Scholz also said that his centre-left coalition government intended to transform the German economy. "We will be able to master the great changes of our era collectively and communally, if we stick together as a society," Scholz concluded.


Former Models Expose the Ugly Truth of the Beauty Industry | 60 Minutes Australia

First there was Harvey Weinstein, and then Jeffrey Epstein, two men so corrupted by their own power and money they thought it entitled them to sexually abuse any woman or teenager they lusted after. Now one of the icons of the world of modelling stands similarly accused of being a sex fiend. His name might not be familiar to those outside the beauty industry, but for decades Frenchman Gérald Marie, now aged 70, was the super-agent who decided, or torpedoed, the careers of supermodels. He even married one of the most famous of them all, Linda Evangelista. But a 60 MINUTES global investigation has uncovered more than a dozen former models with shocking accusations about him. They say he’s a predator who ritually abused and raped young women – including minors. As Tara Brown reports, the women are now demanding that Gérald Marie be held accountable for his depravity, and it seems prosecutors in France are finally taking notice.

What Ghislaine Maxwell's Conviction Means for Britain's Royal Family l GMA

Dec 31, 2021 • Lawyers for Britain's Prince Andrew are due in court next week as he battles lawsuits brought by an Epstein accuser not part of the criminal case against Maxwell.



Prince Andrew ‘cannot prove’ his inability to sweat after request by Virginia Giuffre’s lawyers »

The New Year’s Kiss

Der Neujahrskuß / Le baiser du nouvel an

Many thanks to emepretty.com for this great photo.

Brexit: un an après, Boris Johnson peine à tenir ses promesses

C’est sur le front politique que ce premier anniversaire du Brexit est le plus tumultueux pour Boris Johnson. Hollie Adams/AP

LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - L’avenir glorieux promis aux Britanniques se fait attendre et l’opposition au premier ministre gagne du terrain, y compris dans son propre parti.

Il était 23 heures à Londres et minuit à Bruxelles. Il y a un an, la célèbre cloche de Big Ben saluait la sortie de l’Union européenne après quarante-sept années d’un mariage parfois houleux. En ce 31 décembre 2020, l’heure était à l’euphorie pour Boris Johnson. Le premier ministre vantait un «moment incroyable pour le pays». Douze mois plus tard, l’anniversaire est triste. À quelques jours de la célébration de cette «nouvelle ère» pour le Royaume-Uni, le ministre du Brexit, David Frost, a démissionné. Une défection symbolique et fâcheuse pour BoJo. Le grand artisan du divorce se trouve pris dans des turbulences politiques sans précédent. Depuis quelques mois, les premiers effets du Brexit se font concrètement sentir. Et la flambée spectaculaire du variant Omicron a encore assombri le tableau. Censé gagner le grand large une fois larguées les aussières européennes, le navire britannique tangue sérieusement.

«Nous avons notre liberté entre nos mains et il nous revient d’en tirer le meilleur parti», avait ajouté Boris Johnson dans son message de Nouvel An. Apparemment, David Frost lui reproche d’avoir échoué, ou de ne pas prendre les bons chemins. Certes, le «Mr Brexit» britannique a invoqué des désaccords sur les nouvelles restrictions sanitaires. Mais ce diplomate qui a mené les âpres discussions avec l’UE a aussi dit ses «inquiétudes sur la route prise aujourd’hui». «J’espère que nous pourrons aller aussi vite que possible là où nous devons aller: une économie d’entrepreneurs, peu réglementée et peu taxée», a ainsi écrit David Frost dans sa lettre de démission. Boris Johnson avait un jour assuré qu’il n’y avait pas l’épaisseur d’une «feuille de papier à cigarette» entre eux. Cette couche s’était apparemment épaissie. » | Par Arnaud De La Grange | jeudi 30 décembre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

Il n'y a pas de hauts plateaux ensoleillés du Brexit, seulement des inconvénients et des problèmes et des friches sombres et ombragées. – © Mark

Australia's 2021 Sydney New Year Celebrations

Seong-Jin Cho – Fantasy in F minor Op. 49 | First Stage

Oct 3, 2015 • Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina/ The Fryderyk Chopin Institute

UK Faces Challenges One Year into Brexit | DW News

Dec 31, 2021 • It's now a year since Brexit took full effect, and the UK left the EU's single market and customs union. The date came with predictions of disaster for the British economy. 12 months later, how has the country coped?

Happy New Year! / Frohes neues Jahr! / Bonne année !

Image: Adobe Stock

I should like to take this opportunity to wish everyone, gay or straight, a Covid-free and very happy, very healthy and very prosperous 2022. Further, again, many thanks to you all for your continued support, which I value greatly. Stay safe! – Mark

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Santander: Bank Hands Out £130m in Christmas Blunder

BBC: Tens of thousands of people awoke on Christmas morning to a surprise from an unexpected benefactor - Santander.

The bank mistakenly deposited £130m into 75,000 accounts on 25 December.

Santander's staff are now rushing to claw back the money, although the job is being made more difficult because much of it was deposited in accounts at rival banks, according to The Times.

The error occurred when payments from 2,000 business accounts were made twice.

"We're sorry that due to a technical issue, some payments from our corporate clients were incorrectly duplicated on the recipients' accounts," the bank said in a statement.

"None of our clients were at any point left out of pocket as a result and we will be working hard with many banks across the UK to recover the duplicated transactions over the coming days." » | Dan Ascher, Business reporter | Thursday, December 30, 2021

Katar: Millionen für Europas Islam | Doku | ARTE

Sep 18, 2019 • Ein Whistleblower spielte zwei französischen Journalisten Tausende von vertraulichen Dokumenten der NGO Qatar Charity zu. Sie enthüllen ein Programm zur Stärkung der Einflussnahme des politischen Islam in ganz Europa mit der Finanzierung von 140 Moscheebauten, Kulturzentren und Schulen, die alle mit der Muslimbruderschaft zusammenhängen. Recherche über eine hermetische Institution.

Alles begann mit einem mysteriösen USB-Stick, den ein anonymer Whistleblower den beiden französischen Journalisten Georges Malbrunot und Christian Chesnot zuspielte. Darauf befanden sich Tausende vertraulicher Dokumente der größten NGO der Golfstaaten, der Qatar Charity: unter anderem Spenderlisten, E-Mail-Korrespondenzen und Informationen zu Banküberweisungen. Die Unterlagen enthüllen Einzelheiten über ein Missionierungs- und Finanzierungsprogramm zur Stärkung des politischen Islams in ganz Europa, mit 140 Moscheebauten, Kulturzentren und Schulen, die alle auf die eine oder andere Art mit der Muslimbruderschaft zusammenhängen. Doch die Behörden in der Hauptstadt Doha bestreiten jegliche religiöse Aktivität im Westen. Das Filmteam wollte es genauer wissen und recherchierte über das Programm. Am Beispiel des europaweit größten Vorhabens für ein Islam-Zentrum im elsässischen Mulhouse, eines im Jahr 2016 in La Chaux-de-Fonds in der Schweiz eingeweihten Museums der Zivilisationen des Islam, einer mit dubiosen Mitteln finanzierten Ausbildungseinrichtung für Imame im zentralfranzösischen Département Nièvre und eines Flüchtlingszentrums auf Sizilien, das auf dem Höhepunkt der Syrienkrise Migranten aufnimmt, wird mit den Finanzierungsströmen auch die dahinterstehende Ideologie aufgedeckt. Sind diese Vorhaben Teil eines viel weitreichenderen Projekts oder ist das Programm lediglich der europäische Ableger einer Strategie Katars, mit der das Land seit dem Arabischen Frühling durch die Stärkung der Muslimbruderschaft seine Führungsposition in der arabischen Welt weiter auszubauen versucht? Die investigative filmische Recherche gibt Einblicke in die ebenso finanzstarke wie hermetische Organisation, deren Verbindungen bis in die Spitze des Staates Katar und die Herrscherfamilie Al-Thani reichen.

Dokumentarfilm von Jérôme Sesquin (F 2019, 90 Min)


Dieser höchst interessante Dokumentarfilm ist nur an YouTube selber verfügbar. Hier ist ein Link dazu. – Mark

"If Donald Trump Is Not Dead or in Jail, He Will Run for President" | Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson

Dec 30, 2021 • 'The threat of violence is a powerful political tool.' Ines Pohl, DW's Washington bureau chief, spoke with Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, about the political future of the United States, the consequences of the Capital riot a year ago, and the dangers of the fractionalized country.

Südafrika nimmt Abschied von Friedensnobelpreisträger Tutu

Dec 30, 2021 • Südafrika nimmt Abschied von einem Nationalhelden: In einer feierlichen Zeremonie wurde der Leichnam des Anti-Apartheid-Kämpfers und Friedensnobelpreisträgers Desmond Tutu in der Sankt-Georg-Kathedrale von Kapstadt aufgebahrt. In der anglikanischen Kirche hatte Tutu bis 1996 als Erzbischof gewirkt. © AFP

Michael Bolton : Drift Away

Provided to YouTube by Columbia | Views on YouTube: 2,516,690

A Magical Kiss in a Kilt.

Un baiser magique en kilt. / Ein magischer Kuß in einem Kilt.

With many thanks to imgur.com on Pinterest for this splendid photo.

Vaccine-hesitant Germans Emigrate | Covid-19 Special

Dec 30, 2021 • With every wave of COVID-19 illnesses in Germany comes a new backlash from those strongly opposed to the health measures taken in response -- Including vaccination. Protests and refusal to wear a mask in public-places are the actions they most commonly take. Some, however, have gone to more extreme measures.

Europe Marks 20 Years of the Euro | DW News

Dec 30, 2021 • Europe is marking 20 years of the euro. It's been a rollercoaster couple of decades for the single currency. For some, the euro has been a stabilizing factor for the continent. Others say it's driven up prices. As we wait to see what the future holds for the euro, let's first take a look at the past.

Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein | Full Interview - BBC Newsnight

Nov 17, 2019 • The Duke of York speaks to Emily Maitlis about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations against him.

In a world exclusive interview, Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis speaks to Prince Andrew, the Duke of York at Buckingham Palace.

For the first time, the Duke addresses in his own words the details of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who took his own life while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

In 2015, Prince Andrew was named in court papers as part of a US civil case against Epstein.

The Prince, who is the Queen’s third child, also answers questions about the allegations made against him by one of Epstein’s victims, and discusses the impact of the scandal on the Royal family and his work.


Prince Andrew: What Next after Ghislaine Maxwell Guilty Verdict? - BBC News

Dec 30, 2021 • Prince Andrew is facing more scrutiny of his longstanding friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell following her conviction in New York for sex trafficking on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein.

The Prince had a friendship with the couple going back more than 20 years. He invited Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein to Windsor Castle and Sandringham in 2000. They were guests of the Prince at Royal Ascot and spent time at the Queen’s Balmoral estate in Scotland.

Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was found dead in his prison cell in New York in 2019 while himself facing sex trafficking charges.

Prince Andrew is facing a civil legal suit by Virginia Giuffre, formerly Virginia Roberts, who claims she was a victim of sex trafficking by Epstein and that the Prince had sex with her without her consent when she was 17.

The Prince has always strenuously denied the allegations and categorically denies knowing of any improper activities by Epstein or anyone else. His lawyers say the allegations against him by Virginia Giuffre are baseless and motivated by her desire for a “payday at his expense”.

Aleem Maqbool presents BBC News at Ten reporting by royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell.


Chomsky Blasts the "Torture" of Julian Assange & Biden's Provocative Acts against China

Dec 30, 2021 • Noam Chomsky decries what he calls the torture of imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He also critiques the Biden administration's reckless foreign policy. "The trajectory is not optimistic," Chomsky says. "The worst case is the increasing provocative actions towards China. That's very dangerous."

Noam Chomsky on Rising Fascism in US, Class Warfare & Climate Emergency

Dec 30, 2021 • Noam Chomsky warns the Republican Party is "marching" the world to destruction by ignoring the climate emergency while embracing proto-fascism at home. Chomsky talks about the January 6 insurrection, how neoliberalism is a form of class warfare and how President Biden's climate plans fall short of what is needed.

Léonard de Vinci : la manière moderne | ARTE

Nov 3, 2019 • Les dernières recherches établissent que Léonard de Vinci retravaillait inlassablement ses toiles, parfois pendant des années. Ce documentaire explore le processus créatif du maître de la Renaissance. Une plongée inédite dans une oeuvre fascinante de modernité.

Fils illégitime d'un notaire et d'une paysanne, Léonard est né le 14 avril 1452 à Vinci, un village de Toscane. Il a 12 ans lorsque ses dons pour le dessin lui valent d'être placé par son père dans l'atelier de Verrocchio, à Florence. Dès lors, le jeune artiste n'aura de cesse de combler ses lacunes académiques par l'observation méticuleuse de la nature et du vivant. Ce sont ensuite l'étude de la lumière puis celle du mouvement qui aiguisent son insatiable curiosité, lumière et mouvement qu'il n'arrêtera pas de chercher à capter dans son travail de peintre. Pourtant, lorsque l'on se penche sur les tableaux laissés par l'artiste, leur petit nombre – moins d'une vingtaine selon les experts – est frappant en comparaison des quelque 6 000 pages de notes et croquis de ses carnets parvenus jusqu'à nous. Processus créatif Ses activités d'ingénieur, d'inventeur de machines, d'anatomiste, de poète, de botaniste ou de concepteur de fêtes, à Milan ou à la cour de François Ier, où il a vécu ses trois dernières années jusqu'à sa mort, en 1519, ont longtemps laissé penser que la peinture fut pour Léonard de Vinci une activité de second plan, et que plusieurs de ses tableaux sont restés inachevés a alimenté cette thèse. Mais les dernières recherches historiographiques et scientifiques démentent cette croyance, établissant au contraire que l'artiste retravaillait inlassablement ses toiles, parfois pendant des années comme ce fut le cas pour La Joconde, dont il ne s'est jamais séparé. Déroulant le fil de sa vie et décryptant de manière pédagogique le processus créatif du peintre, Sandra Paugam et Flore Kosinetz nous convient à une plongée inédite dans une œuvre unique, dont la modernité ne cesse de fasciner. L'exposition que le musée du Louvre consacre à Léonard de Vinci se tient du 24 octobre 2019 au 24 février 2020.

Léonard de Vinci : la manière moderne
Documentaire de Sandra Paugam (France, 2018, 52mn)


Cet excellent documentaire n'est pas intégrable sur des sites externes. Il doit être visionné uniquement sur YouTube. Ceci est un lien vers celui-ci. – Mark

Saudi Arabia Will Require Booster Shots to Enter Many Public Places.

Checking for vaccine certificates or a negative coronavirus test in Riyadh, in June | Fayez Nureldine/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Staring down a rise in coronavirus cases that the health authorities have linked to the Omicron variant, Saudi Arabia will require people visiting stores, malls and restaurants to show proof of booster shots starting on Feb. 1.

The kingdom, as part of its effort to get its 35 million residents inoculated against the virus, already mandates proof of vaccination for those wishing to enter public places.

The move announced this week is an extension of a mandate the kingdom issued early this month when it said that starting in February, Saudi residents would no longer be considered fully vaccinated unless they had received a booster at least eight months after their second dose, and that they would need proof of a booster to enter government facilities, attend events and fly.

Citizens, residents and visitors are required to show scannable QR codes confirming their vaccination status through the government’s Tawakkalna app, which Saudi Arabia originally rolled out last year to help track coronavirus infections and has remade into a vaccine passport. » | Vivian Yee | Wednesday, December 29, 2021

When Belief Dies #51 - 'Manuscripts and Ancient History' with Bart D. Ehrman

Affaire Epstein : Ghislaine Maxwell jugée coupable de trafic sexuel de mineures • FRANCE 24

Dec 30, 2021 • Ghislaine Maxwell, soupçonnée de jouer les rabatteuses pour son ex-compagnon Jeffrey Epstein, a été reconnue coupable mercredi à New York d'une série de crimes sexuels, dont le plus grave trafic de jeunes filles mineures.

Ghislaine Maxwell, l'ex-compagne de Jeffrey Epstein, est reconnue coupable de crimes sexuels

Dec 30, 2021 • La compagne de toujours de Jeffrey

Urteil gegen Epstein-Komplizin: Ghislaine Maxwell schuldig

Dec 30, 2021 • Die Geschworenen haben im Prozess gegen die Eppstein-Vertraute Ghislaine Maxwell (60) ein Urteil gefällt! Sie wurde im Missbrauchsprozess schuldig gesprochen.

Die langjährige Vertraute des gestorbenen US-Sexualstraftäters Jeffrey Epstein ist unter anderem wegen Sex-Handels mit Minderjährigen verurteilt worden. Die Geschworenen des zuständigen Gerichts in New York befanden die 60-Jährige am Mittwoch in fünf der sechs Anklagepunkte für schuldig, unter anderem wegen Menschenhandels mit Minderjährigen zu Missbrauchszwecken.

Maxwell drohen bis zu 65 Jahre Haft – das Strafmaß wird Richterin Alison Nathan zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt festsetzen. Maxwell hatte die Vorwürfe stets zurückgewiesen und während des Prozesses auf eine Aussage verzichtet.


Ghislaine Maxwell Guilty of Sex Trafficking, Other Charges Related to Jeffrey Epstein

Dec 30, 2021 • A U.S. jury reached a guilty verdict on five of six charges in the trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was accused of helping late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenaged girls.

Guilty: Ghislaine Maxwell Faces Life in Jail for Sex Trafficking - BBC News

Dec 30, 2021 • Ghislaine Maxwell has been found guilty of recruiting and trafficking young girls to be sexually abused by the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The 60-year-old was found guilty on five of the six counts she faced - including the most serious charge, that of sex trafficking a minor.

The verdict was reached after five full days of deliberation by a 12-person jury in New York.

It means the British socialite could spend the rest of her life behind bars.

The verdict followed a month-long trial that featured testimony from four women who described being abused by Epstein between 1994 and 2004.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Aleem Maqbool.


Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty in Sex-trafficking Trial

THE GUARDIAN: Verdict for British former socialite, 60, marks dramatic conclusion to unexpectedly fast-moving trial

Ghislaine Maxwell as the guilty verdict in her sex abuse trial is read. Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters


The British former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking in her Manhattan federal court trial on Wednesday afternoon.

Maxwell, 60, was arrested in July 2020, charged with involvement in ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls, some as young as 14.

Maxwell was convicted on five of the six charges she faced. In addition to sex-trafficking, Maxwell was found guilty of conspiracy to entice individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, conspiracy to transport individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity; transportation of an individual under the age of 17 with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity; and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of individuals under the age of 18.

Maxwell was found not guilty of one count: enticement of an individual under the age of 17 to travel with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. Jurors reached their verdict after 40 hours of deliberations over the course of six days. » | Victoria Bekiempis in New York | Wednesday, December 29, 2021

This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse

MSNBC Video: Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty of Federal Sex Trafficking

MSNBC Video: Maxwell Faces Up to 40 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Minors

Die höchste Gemeinde Europas - Dokumentation von NZZ Format (2010)

Apr 2, 2020 • In Avers im Schweizer Kanton Graubünden gibt es keine einzige Disco, keinen Polizisten, keinen Arzt und kein Kino. Juf in der Gemeinde Avers ist die höchstgelegene ganzjährig bewohnte Siedlung Europas. Hier auf 2.126 Meter über dem Meeresspiegel ist sieben Monate im Jahr Winter. Im sanften Tourismus, in der weitgehend unberührten Landschaft, in der Ruhe von Avers liegt ein großes Kapital. Aber es kursiert auch das Gespenst der alpinen Brache, es plagt die Sorge von Abwanderung, falls es einmal nicht mehr genug Arbeitsplätze gibt. Die Avner sind Walser und stolz, bis jetzt in diesem alpinen Tal ausgeharrt zu haben.

Bart Ehrman: Evolution of Jesus in Early Christianity

The Birth of Jesus in History & Legend | Bart Ehrman

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — December 29, 2021

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Debutantes

Jan 29, 2012 • The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, the Duke of Wellington and Lady Macmillan recall the debutante season of 1939. They reveal how the upper classes' diaries were packed with invitations to luncheon parties, dances and social occasions such as Ascot, Henley and the Chelsea Flower Show, as women desperately sought wealthy husbands.

While Europe was steeling itself in the face of fascist aggression, the upper-class marriage market was in full swing, and here the participants talk vividly about the parties, ballgowns and broken hearts.


Foreigner - I Want To Know What Love Is | Official Music Video

Un baiser, fier et affectueux.

A kiss, proud and loving. / Ein Kuß, stolz und liebevoll.

Je remercie Gay Pride Hub pour cette superbe et fière photo.

Woher kommt der Ausdruck "Trêve des confiseurs"? | Karambolage | ARTE

Dec 28, 2021 • Kurz vor den Feiertagen nehmen wir eine französische Redewendung unter die Lupe: „la trêve des confiseurs“, der „Waffenstillstand der Zuckerbäcker".

Autorin: Clara Wasser
Regie: Gille Roqueplo