Commentary: The Powerful 'Pansies' of the U.S. Military

Major General Randy Taylor
ADVOCATE: Former Army Secretary Eric Fanning has a few thoughts on Republicans smearing the armed forces.

This week, under questioning from Matt Gaetz, perhaps the least ethical member of Congress right now (and wow, that is a hard title to get!), the Joint Chiefs Chairman, Army General Mark Milley, fought back at the pervy congressman’s whine about the military being woke.

"And I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commissioned, noncommissioned officers of being, quote, 'woke' or something else, because we're studying some theories that are out there."

Later, Gaetz had the gall to tweet about Milley: "With Generals like this it’s no wonder we’ve fought considerably more wars than we’ve won." Gaetz wouldn't last 10 minutes at West Point.

Never in American history has a political party gone after the U.S. military. The military is sacrosanct. It is revered. It protects our freedom, our democracy. It is the envy of the world.

Gaetz and his bigoted lot are trying to ignite shitstorms over being "woke" and the teaching of critical race theory. These are attempts to score political points with the racist Trump base, and they are using the venerable U.S. military as the whipping post for their lies and slander.

This is the same Republican party that wrapped itself in knots for years over trying to label itself as vanguards of the armed forces. But now the party follows someone like Gaetz's lead on how to untie itself from the military. The old Grand Old Party, now renamed as the Grotesquely Obnoxious Perjurers, are falsely accusing the military of being weak and disgustingly lambasting it for supporting equality. » | John Casey | Friday, June 25, 2021

Chaotische Szenen in Georgiens Parlament nach Tod von Kameramann

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITING: Georgiens Opposition fordert nach Ausschreitungen bei einer schwulenfeindlichen Demonstration den Rücktritt der Regierung. Regierungschef Garibaschwili trage die Mitverantwortung für Gewalt gegen Medienschaffende.

Nach dem Tod eines Kameramannes, der bei Protesten schwulenfeindlicher Demonstranten schwer verletzt worden war, haben oppositionelle Abgeordnete in Georgien den Rücktritt von Ministerpräsident Irakli Garibaschwili gefordert. Am Montag kam es im Parlament in Tiflis zu Tumulten, als mehrere Abgeordnete den Stuhl des Parlamentspräsidenten besetzten. Kritiker werfen Garibaschwili und seiner Regierung eine Mitverantwortung für die Gewalt gegen Medienschaffende bei den jüngsten Anti-LGTBQ-Protesten in der georgischen Hauptstadt vor.

Die Parlamentssitzung am Montag konnte erst fortgesetzt werden, nachdem die vier weiblichen Abgeordneten, die den Stuhl des Parlamentspräsidenten besetzten, gewaltsam aus dem Saal gebracht worden waren. Am Abend kam es dann abermals zum Protest gegen Garibaschwili: Vor dem Parlamentsgebäude versammelten sich etwa 2000 Menschen, unter ihnen hunderte Journalisten und Menschenrechtsaktivisten. Sie kündigten an, die Demonstrationen solange fortzusetzen, bis Garibaschwili abtritt. » | Quelle: AFP | Dienstag, 13. Juli 2021

Verwandt / Related: hier/here und/and hier/here

Jordanie : un procès en trahison épargne le demi-frère du roi

Le prince Hamza Ben Hussein de Jordanie lors des célébrations du 10e anniversaire de l'accession au trône du roi Abdallah, à Amman le 9 juin 2009. Majed Jaber / REUTERS
LE FIGARO: Un tribunal d'Amman a condamné, lundi 12 juillet, deux anciens proches de la famille royale à 15 ans de prison. En l'absence du principal suspect, le prince Hamza.

L'affaire avait secoué le royaume de Jordanie en avril dernier. Un complot visant à renverser l'actuel détenteur du trône, Abdallah II, était mis à jour, et le propre demi-frère du souverain, le prince Hamza, était accusé d'avoir pris part à ce coup d'État. Plusieurs dizaines de personnes ont été arrêtées : des chefs de tribus, des militaires et des proches de la famille royale. Le prince «félon» était, quant à lui, placé en résidence surveillée.

Le procès de Bassem Awadallah et Cherif Hassan ben Zaid, les deux hommes accusés d'être au cœur des machinations, s'est tenu lundi 12 juillet 2021 à Amman. Bien qu'ils aient clamé leur innocence, ils ont été tous deux reconnus coupables d'«incitation à agir contre le régime politique du royaume», et d'«actes susceptibles de mettre en danger la sûreté et la sécurité de la société et de sédition.» L'un et l'autre ont été condamnés à 15 ans de prison et à des peines de travaux forcés. » | Par Emilien Hertement | lundi 12 juillet 2021

Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Report Bumper Second-quarter Profits

THE GUARDIAN: Investment banking arms of two Wall Street firms benefit from global glut of mergers and acquisitions

Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have reported bumper profits for the second quarter as their investment banking divisions continued to ride the global boom in mergers and takeover deals.

The two US banks have been capitalising on the surge in merger and acquisitions activity, which broke records for the second straight quarter in the three months to June, according to Refinitiv data, and helped make up for a slowdown in trading since the start of the year.

Goldman Sachs, which continues to generate the highest investment banking fees among its peers, reported profits of $5.5bn (£4bn) in the second quarter. That was the second highest profit on record for the bank, only surpassed by its first quarter of 2021, and compared with just $373m in profits a year earlier when the group had to draw down provisions to cover a $2.9bn settlement over the 1MDB corruption scandal with global regulators. » | Kalyeena Makortoff, Banking correspondent |Tuesday, July 13, 2021

More Than 1m Children from Key Worker Families Living in Poverty, Says TUC

THE GUARDIAN: Study finds more than one in five children of workers employed in the frontline of the pandemic live below breadline

More than a million children from households in the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic are living in poverty, according to new research published by the TUC.

The study found that one in five children of key workers in England, Scotland and Wales were living below the official breadline – rising to almost one in three in the worst-affected region, the north-east.

The TUC said low pay and insecure hours – widespread in occupations such as social care, supermarkets and delivery drivers – were the main reasons for in-work poverty among key workers. » | Larry Elliott | Wednesday, July 14, 2021

UK Inflation Jumps to 2.5% as Secondhand Car and Food Prices Rise

THE GUARDIAN: June figure is highest level since August 2018 and above analysts’ forecasts

Britain’s inflation rate has risen to 2.5% – its highest level in almost three years – after the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions prompted rising demand.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said dearer food, secondhand cars, clothing and footwear and fuel prices were the main factors behind a jump in the annual inflation rate from 2.1% to 2.5% in June.

The figure was the highest since the 2.7% recorded in August 2018, higher than the 2.2% expected by analysts and above the Bank of England’s 2% target.

Core inflation, which strips out food, energy, alcohol and tobacco, rose from 2% to 2.3%. » | Larry Elliott, Economics editor | Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Foreigner - I Don't Want to Live Without You (Official Music Video)

Jan 26, 2020 • You're watching the official music video for Foreigner - "I Don't Want to Live Without You" from the album 'Inside Information' (1987) [Views on YouTube: 2,846,636]

Pray Away | Official Trailer | Netflix

Jul 12, 2021 • In the 1970s, five men struggling with being gay in their Evangelical church started a Bible study to help each other leave the “homosexual lifestyle.” They quickly received over 25,000 letters from people asking for help and formalized as Exodus International, the largest and most controversial conversion therapy organization in the world. But leaders struggled with a secret: their own “same-sex attractions” never went away. After years as superstars in the religious right, many of these men and women have come out as LGBTQ, disavowing the very movement they helped start. Focusing on the dramatic journeys of former conversion therapy leaders, current members, and a survivor, PRAY AWAY chronicles the “ex gay” movement’s rise to power, its unscientific influence, and its legacy of profound harm.

From executive producers Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum, and director Kristine Stolakis, watch Pray Away on August 3, only on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/PrayAway


Pray Away Goes Deep Into the 'Ex-Gay' Movement That Began in the '70s »

Netflix: Pray Away: Ex-leaders and a survivor of the so-called "conversion therapy" movement speak out about its harm to the LGBTQ+ community and its devastating persistence.

United We Stand Centers Queer Stories From Least LGBTQ-Friendly Places

ADVOCATE: The videos from Tourmaline and creative agency RanaVerse give voice to LGBTQ+ narratives in five of the least queer-friendly locales in the country.

The “United We Stand” campaign has partnered with local groups in five of the least LGBTQ+ friendly locales in the country to document the diversity of narratives within those communities. To tell those stories, Unilever engaged prominent filmmaker and artist Tourmaline along with the creative agency RanaVerse to develop the series in time for Pride. The five videos just dropped Wednesday.

With the help of LGBTQ+ community strategist Sean Coleman, Unilever and RanaVerse targeted five cities that ranked at the bottom with a zero score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index: Monroe, La Moore, Okla.; Clemson, S.C.; Florence, Ala.; and towns and cities in need of support in southwest Missouri. Then they partnered with a local LGBTQ+ organization in that area to help bring awareness to the community and their plight through film: Forum for Equality, Freedom Oklahoma, South Carolina Black Pride, the Knights and Orchids Society, and PFLAG Springfield, respectively. » | Donald Padgett | Wednesday, June 16, 2021

The Emmy Nominations Are Out, and They Are Super Gay and Trans

From left: Emmy nominees Jonathan Groff, Mj Rodriguez, and Bowen Yang
ADVOCATE: The 73rd Emmy Nominations are here and they're queer. Get into it.

All year, TV lovers look forward to seeing their favorite series and celebs get the recognition they deserve at the Emmys, and in 2021 it’s queer excellence as far as the eye can see.

This year’s nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Tuesday during a live event streamed on the Television Academy’s website, and as the names rolled out, queer history was in the making.

Both Mj Rodriguez, who made history as the first transgender lead ever nominated, and Billy Porter scored nods for their roles in Pose. The series itself also made the list for Outstanding Drama Series. » | Rachel Shatto | Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Andrew Cuomo's Daughter Michaela Comes Out as Demisexual

OUT: During a recent IG Live, Michaela Kennedy Cuomo opened up about which label she identifies with the most!

Michaela Kennedy Cuomo, the youngest daughter of New York governor Andrew Cuomo and his former wife Kerry Kennedy, and the granddaughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, is opening up about her sexuality.

During a recent conversation with author, activist, and former Tivity Health CEO Donato Tramuto on Instagram Live last week, the 23-year-old talked at length about being a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and how, over the years, she's had a unique journey when it comes to realizing which label she most closely identifies with.

"When I was in elementary school, I feared that I was lesbian," she said. "When I was in middle school, I came out to my family and close friends as bisexual. When I was in high school, I discovered pansexuality and thought, 'That's the flag for me.'" » | Raffy Ermac | Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Gay Man Attacked by Group in Liverpool

ADVOCATE: The young man thought he might die during the assault, he told local media.

A gay man feared for his life while he was attacked in Liverpool, England, over the weekend.

Right after midnight on Saturday, a group of men attacked Aodhán Benson, a 24-year-old from Belfast, while hurling homophobic slurs.

… “This was an appalling incident which left a young man shaken and injured,” Merseyside Police Chief Inspector Col Rooney said, according to the outlet. “Although we have made arrests, our investigations into the attack will continue.”

He added that authorities believed the homophobic slurs were directed at the victim, so they are treating the case as a hate crime.

“After a number of worrying incidents over the last month, we want our LGBT+ community to be reassured that we stand with them: we are committed to protecting them, and we will do whatever we can to bring offenders to justice,” said Rooney. » |Alex Cooper | Tuesday, July 13, 2021

LGBT group condemns homophobic Liverpool assault on Belfast man Aodhan Benson »

Gay man feared he would die during violent homophobic attack in Liverpool City Centre »

«Von Toleranz keine Spur» | Generation Gap – LGBTQIA / Schwul sein

May 4, 2018 • Wie war es als Schwuler in den Schweizer Siebzigern und Achtzigern zu leben? Wieso konnte Franz nicht zum Schwulsein stehen? Was hat sich seither punkto Toleranz für die LGBTQIA-Szene getan? Muss man als Homosexueller oder Homosexuelle überhaupt noch demonstrieren? Senior Franz (73) und Schüler Gino (21) tauschen ihre Erfahrungen aus.

Ein kurzes Gespräch in Schwyzertüütsch über Homosexualität in der Schweiz, früher und jetzt. – Mark

Guédelon II, une aventure médiévale | ARTE

Jun 18, 2021 • En Bourgogne, depuis plus de vingt ans, des archéologues et des artisans bâtissent le château fort de Guédelon selon les techniques et les matériaux du Moyen Âge. Ce documentaire propose une nouvelle exploration de cet incroyable chantier et en dévoile des phases inédites...

Plus grand site d’archéologie expérimentale au monde, le chantier du château médiéval de Guédelon, en Bourgogne, qui s’effectue avec des outils, des matériaux et des techniques du XIIIe siècle, porsuit une expérience unique entreprise il y a plus de deux décennies. Au fil des saisons, il aura offert aux "œuvriers", comme se nomment eux-mêmes les artisans qui y officient avec l'aide des archéologues, de s’approprier les savoir-faire des bâtisseurs du Moyen Âge. Un public nombreux – 300 000 visiteurs en 2017 – vient admirer sur le chantier la virtuosité de ces tailleurs de pierre, charpentiers ou forgerons capables de transformer le grès de cette ancienne carrière et le bois de chênes d’une forêt voisine pour élever un imposant ouvrage fortifié. Aventure humaine grandeur nature, la construction rassemble une quarantaine d’artisans, épaulés par des centaines de bénévoles, et par un comité scientifique constitué d’archéologues et d’historiens.

Grands défis

En 2015, Guédelon : renaissance d’un château médiéval, déjà coproduit par ARTE et l’Inrap (Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives), offrait une première immersion au cœur du site. Le temps d’une saison, cette nouvelle exploration dévoile des phases inédites du chantier et présente une vue d’ensemble du bâti sorti de terre grâce à de spectaculaires images aériennes. En partenariat avec le site expérimental allemand de Campus Galli dans le Bade-Wurtemberg, où se construit un monastère carolingien, les bâtisseurs de Guédelon percent les secrets de fabrication des panneaux en parchemin qui obtureront les fenêtres de la chambre seigneuriale. En s’appuyant notamment sur une visite du château de Laval, les charpentiers et les scientifiques réfléchissent également à la meilleure technique pour concevoir la toiture de la tour de la chapelle. L’érection de la porte principale du château, entre deux tours, constitue quant à elle le dernier grand défi à relever avant la pose de la dernière pierre, prévue en 2023. Alors que le chantier de Notre-Dame de Paris porte à la connaissance du grand public des problématiques de conservation du patrimoine, l'archéologie expérimentale de Guédelon se révèle d'autant plus précieuse.

Documentaire de Bianca Zamfira (Royaume-Uni, 2019, 1h31mn)

Julio Iglesias – To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before – Feat. Willie Nelson

Chris de Burgh - The Lady in Red

Being Gay in the Thirties | Gay Life

In this outstanding episode of pioneering 1980s TV series Gay Life, Gifford Skinner describes what it was like to be a gay man in the 1930s. Illuminating and nostalgic, Gifford recalls picking up guardsmen in Hyde Park as well as some of the homosexual ‘characters’ he encountered in London’s West End. The gay activist, historian and sociologist Jeffrey Weeks is interviewed about gay law reform.

Democracy Now ! Top US & World Headlines — July 13, 2021

Prices Jumped 5.4 Percent in June, the Biggest Rise since 2008

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A key measure of inflation jumped sharply in June, a gain that is sure to keep concerns over rising prices front and center at the White House and Federal Reserve.

The Consumer Price Index climbed by 5.4 percent in the year through June, the Labor Department said, as prices for used cars and trucks accelerated rapidly and accounted for more than a third of the surge. The overall inflation change was more than the 5 percent increase reported in May and was the largest year-over-year gain since 2008.

Investors, lawmakers and central bank officials are closely watching inflation, which has been elevated in recent months by both a quirk in the data and by mismatches between demand and supply as the economy rebounds. Quick price gains can squeeze consumers if wages do not keep up, and the pickup could prod the central bank to pull back on support for the economy if it looks as if the inflation is going to prove sustained. The Fed’s cheap-money policies are generally good for markets, so a rapid withdrawal would be bad news for investors in stocks and other asset classes. » | Jeanna Smialek | Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Russie : terre d'Islam ? | ARTE Reportage

Apr 20, 2021 • Le 16 octobre 2020, Samuel Paty, professeur d’histoire au collège de Conflans Sainte-Honorine, était décapité pour avoir défendu la liberté de caricaturer. Son meurtrier, un jeune Tchétchène né en Russie, bénéficiait d’un statut de réfugié en France par ses parents.
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