Saturday, July 17, 2021
The Johnson Government – Yet Another Fiasco
Lionel Richie : Dancing on the Ceiling
Lionel Richie : Ballerina Girl
Pope Francis Restricts Use of Old Latin Mass, in a Blow to Conservatives
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The pope placed new restrictions on where the old Latin Mass can be celebrated and who can celebrate it, and will require new permissions from local bishops.
Pope Francis took a significant step toward putting the Roman Catholic Church’s liturgy solidly on the side of modernization on Friday by cracking down on the use of the old Latin Mass, essentially reversing a decision by his conservative predecessor.
The move to restrict the use of an old Latin rite in celebrating Mass dealt a blow to conservatives, who have long complained that the pope is diluting the traditions of the church.
Francis placed new restrictions on where and by whom the traditional Latin Mass can be celebrated and required new permissions from local bishops for its use. » | Jason Horowitz | Friday, July 16, 2021
‘It’s All Wrecked’: German Town Stunned by Flood Damage
Anatoli Neugebauer is standing just a hundred metres from his family home, at the edge of the Blessem district of Erftstadt, a commuter-belt town 12 miles (20km) south of Cologne. Even though flood waters from the Erft River had begun to recede by midday on Friday, he still had to wade through waist-high brown water just to get inside the stuccoed terrace house.
“It’s completely indescribable,” says Neugebauer, 40. “A catastrophe.”
“I was there twice yesterday trying to save what I could. But you open the door and the water’s to your chest and you just wonder, why am I even doing this? It’s all wrecked.”
Neugebauer was one of the 1,905 residents of the village evacuated on Thursday as the river began to overflow after record rainfall.
Familiar landscape turned into treacherous terrain: a gravel quarry south of Blessem, 40 hectares (99 acres) wide and 60 metres deep, rapidly filled with water, its edge expanding towards the town through headward erosion, swallowing up several cars, three half-timbered buildings and parts of a castle. » | Courtney Tenz in Erftstadt and Philip Oltermann in Berlin | Friday, July 16, 2021
Polémique en Haute-Savoie : la famille royale d'Abu Dhabi privatise deux hôtels pour l'été
MIDI LIBRE : Le prince d'Abu Dhabi et sa famille ont privatisé deux hôtels en Haute-Savoie pour tout l'été, privant ainsi les touristes de plusieurs centaines de chambres. Une initiative qui a notamment provoqué la colère du maire d'Annemasse.
Cet été, les vacanciers qui ont prévu de se rendre en Haute-Savoie ne pourront loger ni au Novotel d'Annemasse ni à l'hôtel Mercure de Gaillard, aux portes de la Suisse. Comme le rapporte LCI jeudi 15 juillet, le prince d'Abu Dhabi a tout simplement privatisé les deux établissements jusqu'à la rentrée. Il compte ainsi y loger son personnel, tandis que sa famille et ses proches pourront profiter de ses propriétés situées à Vétraz-Monthoux. Une initiative qui est loin de faire l'unanimité dans la région. » | Midi Libre avec Newsgene | vendredi 16 juillet 2021
Violente agression homophobe en Corse le soir du 14 juillet : "J'ai pris cinq patates" raconte une victime
MIDI LIBRE : Un couple a été victime d'une agression homophobe, "par 20 personnes", le soir de la fête nationale à Macinaggio dans le Cap Corse. Le procureur de la République de Bastia a ouvert une enquête ce jeudi 15 juillet.
Un couple gay a été victime d'une violente agression homophobe le soir du 14 juillet en Haute-Corse. C'est dans le village de Macinaggio au nord de Bastia, que les deux hommes ont subi un déferlement de haine "par 20 personnes".
Ce jeudi 15 juillet, le procureur de la République de Bastia a ouvert une enquête pour "violences en réunion avec ITT inférieure ou égale à huit jours" et "en raison de l'orientation sexuelle de la victime" indique FranceInfo.
"Après avoir assisté au feu d’artifice de la commune, un groupe de cinq personnes, en vacances en Corse, se rendait dans un bar du port de Macinaggio pour y passer la soirée, relate le parquet dans un communiqué. Vers minuit trentedeux des membres de ce groupe, en couple, subissaient des insultes homophobes puis des violences à coups de pied et poings de la part de plusieurs individus, leur occasionnant des interruptions totales de travail de six et huit jours. Une troisième personne était blessée." » | Par Théo Ruiz | jeudi 15 juillet 2021
Kommentar: Was in Ungarn passiert, kann in Deutschland genauso passieren
QUEER.DE: An einem Abend die Regenbogenfahne zu schwenken, das Logo einzufärben und bei Twitter aufmunternde Noten der Solidarität zu posten, ist das eine. Doch nun müssen Taten folgen!
Verbote gibt es oft aus gutem Grund. Sie schützen Menschenleben, regeln das Zusammenleben und sorgen sinnvoll eingesetzt für ein gutes Miteinander. Doch also die UEFA diese Woche entschied, dass die Allianz-Arena nicht als Regenbogen erstrahlen darf, da sorgte dieses Verbot für etwas ganz anderes: Überall im Land und in Europa mobilisierte es Widerstand, Engagement und brachte dem dahinter liegenden Thema unfassbare Aufmerksamkeit.
Denn der Regenbogen sollte als Symbol für absolute Normalität erstrahlen. Als Symbol dafür, dass alle Menschen die gleichen Menschenrechte genießen müssen. Dass alle Menschen gleich sind. Unabhängig von ihrer Hautfarbe, ihres Geschlechts oder eben ihrer sexuellen und geschlechtlichen Identität.
Dass die Regierung von Viktor Orbán dies in Ungarn bestreitet und zensiert, war und ist bis jetzt der Stein des Anstoßes. Mit dem Argument, Kinder schützen zu wollen, wird eine perfide Argumentation bedient. Homo- und Transsexualität würde Kinder bedrohen. Sie seien also etwas Gefährliches, wovor man Kinder schützen müsse. Damit werden LGBTIQ* kriminalisiert, in unglaublicher Weise diffamiert und in die Unsichtbarkeit und ins Verstecken gedrängt. » | Von CSD Deutschland e.V. | Montag, 28. Juni 2021
The ‘Permakiss’ That Set Tel Aviv Alight!
The following video cannot be embedded, because it is age-restricted by YouTube; however, if you have an appetite for the REAL DEAL, click on FIRST KISS It’s a veritable KISSATHON! You will not be disappointed! Apparently, this is the kiss that excited—dare I say electrified?—Tel Aviv! Little wonder! Wonderful! Enjoy! – Mark
Schwuler Dauerkuss erregt Tel Aviv »
Schwuler Kuß des Tages
European Floods Are Latest Sign of a Global Warming Crisis
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Floods like these, which have left more than 100 dead, had not been seen in perhaps 1,000 years. For many, the warnings came too late, raising questions about lapses in Germany’s flood alert system.
BERLIN — Days before roiling waters tore through western Germany, a European weather agency issued an “extreme” flood warning after detailed models showed storms that threatened to send rivers surging to levels that a German meteorologist said on Friday had not been seen in 500 or even 1,000 years.
By Friday those predictions proved devastatingly accurate, with more than 100 people dead and 1,300 unaccounted for, as helicopter rescue crews plucked marooned residents from villages inundated sometimes within minutes, raising questions about lapses in Germany’s elaborate flood warning system.
Numerous areas, victims and officials said, were caught unprepared when normally placid brooks and streams turned into torrents that swept away cars, houses and bridges and everything else in their paths.
“It went so fast. You tried to do something, and it was already too late,” a resident of Schuld told Germany’s ARD public television, after the Ahr River swelled its banks, ripping apart tidy wood-framed houses and sending vehicles bobbing like bath toys. Extreme downpours like the ones that occurred in Germany are one of the most visible signs that the climate is changing as a result of warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Studies have found that they are now happening more frequently for a simple reason: A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, generating more, and more powerful, rainfall. » | Melissa Eddy, Jack Ewing, Megan Specia and Steven Erlanger | Published: Friday, July 16, 2021; Updated: Saturday, July 17, 2021
Gay Pride 1979 – Inside Story
This is a very interesting look back to the early years of Gay Pride in the UK. It is well worth watching. How times have changed! – Mark
Friday, July 16, 2021
Indonesia: Diversity Under Threat | DW Documentary
May 27, 2020 • Indonesia is considered a model state for diversity and tolerance, but there are increasing indications that Islamists are gaining more influence in the most populous Muslim country in the world.
Far more Muslims live in Indonesia than in the Middle East. The archipelago is made up of more than 17,000 islands and home to 270 million people.
Following the end of the brutal Suharto dictatorship in 1998, Indonesia became a model for a democratic Muslim majority state. But in recent years, Islamist groups have gained influence.
The report begins in Aceh. It is only here, in the northernmost province of the island of Sumatra, that a rigid interpretation of Islamic Sharia law applies - including public floggings. The reasons for the humiliating punishments are manifold: sex before or outside marriage, alcohol consumption or homosexuality.
A growing tendency towards a more conservative interpretation of Islam is also noticeable in other parts of secular Indonesia. More women are wearing headscarves in public places. The niqab, the face veil, is becoming increasingly popular. Members of minority groups feel marginalized.
"Unfortunately, Indonesia is not immune to the worldwide increase in intolerance”, says politician Yenny Wahid.
The daughter of the first elected president after the Suharto dictatorship stands for cosmopolitanism and represents a liberal view of Islam. She, too, has observed a slow Islamization of her homeland and the tendency of politicians to make concessions to radical and populist groups.
Student activists blame the corruption of the ruling class for growing radicalism and undermining diversity.
The documentary "Indonesia - Diversity Under Threat" asks whether the country can preserve its religious tolerance.
Early in this excellent documentary, the narrator stated that Islam is compatible with democracy. It is not! If you hear anyone making such a statement, especially a politician, call him/her out! They are displaying their ignorance of both democracy and Islam! For a democracy to exist, it is absolutely essential that there be separation of Church and State. The temporal must be separated from the spiritual. Without this separation, democracy cannot exist, still less thrive.
The politically-correct try and hide the fact that there are many fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity. But there are many great differences! In Islam, the temporal and the spiritual are one organic whole – they are intertwined. There is no separation at all. You might think that this is a moot point; it is not! That there be a separation of Church or religious affairs and State or secular affairs is the sine qua non of democracy. Without that separation, democracy cannot survive.
I wrote the following essay on this subject many years ago. In 2007, to be precise. When I posted it, it went all around the world. What I wrote then applies both to democracy and to Islam today, as well, of course. The nature of Islam has not changed, nor has the nature of a true democracy.
By the way, that doesn’t make Islam bad and democracy good. It just makes the two systems different.
I hope you enjoy the read. – © Mark
Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom »
Far more Muslims live in Indonesia than in the Middle East. The archipelago is made up of more than 17,000 islands and home to 270 million people.
Following the end of the brutal Suharto dictatorship in 1998, Indonesia became a model for a democratic Muslim majority state. But in recent years, Islamist groups have gained influence.
The report begins in Aceh. It is only here, in the northernmost province of the island of Sumatra, that a rigid interpretation of Islamic Sharia law applies - including public floggings. The reasons for the humiliating punishments are manifold: sex before or outside marriage, alcohol consumption or homosexuality.
A growing tendency towards a more conservative interpretation of Islam is also noticeable in other parts of secular Indonesia. More women are wearing headscarves in public places. The niqab, the face veil, is becoming increasingly popular. Members of minority groups feel marginalized.
"Unfortunately, Indonesia is not immune to the worldwide increase in intolerance”, says politician Yenny Wahid.
The daughter of the first elected president after the Suharto dictatorship stands for cosmopolitanism and represents a liberal view of Islam. She, too, has observed a slow Islamization of her homeland and the tendency of politicians to make concessions to radical and populist groups.
Student activists blame the corruption of the ruling class for growing radicalism and undermining diversity.
The documentary "Indonesia - Diversity Under Threat" asks whether the country can preserve its religious tolerance.
Early in this excellent documentary, the narrator stated that Islam is compatible with democracy. It is not! If you hear anyone making such a statement, especially a politician, call him/her out! They are displaying their ignorance of both democracy and Islam! For a democracy to exist, it is absolutely essential that there be separation of Church and State. The temporal must be separated from the spiritual. Without this separation, democracy cannot exist, still less thrive.
The politically-correct try and hide the fact that there are many fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity. But there are many great differences! In Islam, the temporal and the spiritual are one organic whole – they are intertwined. There is no separation at all. You might think that this is a moot point; it is not! That there be a separation of Church or religious affairs and State or secular affairs is the sine qua non of democracy. Without that separation, democracy cannot survive.
I wrote the following essay on this subject many years ago. In 2007, to be precise. When I posted it, it went all around the world. What I wrote then applies both to democracy and to Islam today, as well, of course. The nature of Islam has not changed, nor has the nature of a true democracy.
By the way, that doesn’t make Islam bad and democracy good. It just makes the two systems different.
I hope you enjoy the read. – © Mark
Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom »
«Die Mehrheit der Priester im Vatikan ist schwul» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur
Mar 31, 2020 • Mit seiner These, wonach die Mehrheit der Prälaten, Bischöfe und Kardinäle des Vatikans schwul seien, generierte der französische Soziologe und Journalist Frédéric Martel im Frühling 2019 viel Aufmerksamkeit, aber auch Unverständnis.
Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.
Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.
Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.
Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.
Homophobie im Islam | Kann man Moslem und schwul sein?
Lebanon Crisis Escalates as Designated Prime Minister Hariri Resigns | DW News
Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey - When You Believe (Official HD Video)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)