Monday, October 26, 2020
The World This Week: France Teacher Attack, Trump-Biden Debate, Thailand & Nigeria Protests, EU 'Veggie' Burger Row
Ivanka Trump Could Be Facing Major Investigations If Daddy Loses the Election
Democrats Hold Senate Floor Overnight to Protest Amy Coney Barrett Confirmation
A Joe Biden White House Will Have Little Time and Less Love for ‘Britain’s Trump’
THE GUARDIAN: If he becomes the next US president, who will be Mr Biden’s ‘special friend’ in Europe? Certainly not Boris Johnson
When the long race for the White House ends, another begins: the sprint to be the first European leader to be granted an audience by the new US president. In 2016, Theresa May was distraught to have got a wooden spoon in the competition to put in an early congratulatory telephone call to Trump Tower. That made her even more neuralgic about beating a path to Washington ahead of her European rivals. Mrs May had to throw in the promise of a Trump state visit to the UK – I rather rudely called it “pimping out the Queen” – to ensure that she got to the White House first.
This desperation can make British prime ministers look pathetically needy, but there is a reason why they set so much store by displays of proximity with the Oval Office. How important a prime minister is to the United States, the planet’s largest economy and most potent military force, sends a message about how much influence the UK wields in the world. So it is telling that Number 10 is resigned to the prospect that Boris Johnson will not be the first name on Joe Biden’s call sheet if he becomes the 46th president. Nor is there any expectation that Mr Johnson will be first in line when they hand out invitations to the White House. He has already quit a race UK prime ministers are usually pretty good at winning. » | Andrew Rawnsley | Sunday, October 25, 2020
When the long race for the White House ends, another begins: the sprint to be the first European leader to be granted an audience by the new US president. In 2016, Theresa May was distraught to have got a wooden spoon in the competition to put in an early congratulatory telephone call to Trump Tower. That made her even more neuralgic about beating a path to Washington ahead of her European rivals. Mrs May had to throw in the promise of a Trump state visit to the UK – I rather rudely called it “pimping out the Queen” – to ensure that she got to the White House first.
This desperation can make British prime ministers look pathetically needy, but there is a reason why they set so much store by displays of proximity with the Oval Office. How important a prime minister is to the United States, the planet’s largest economy and most potent military force, sends a message about how much influence the UK wields in the world. So it is telling that Number 10 is resigned to the prospect that Boris Johnson will not be the first name on Joe Biden’s call sheet if he becomes the 46th president. Nor is there any expectation that Mr Johnson will be first in line when they hand out invitations to the White House. He has already quit a race UK prime ministers are usually pretty good at winning. » | Andrew Rawnsley | Sunday, October 25, 2020
France Urges Arab Nations to Prevent Boycotts over Macron's Cartoons Defence
BBC: France has urged Middle Eastern countries to prevent any boycott of its goods in protest at President Emmanuel Macron's defence of the right to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
The French foreign ministry said the "baseless" calls for a boycott were being "pushed by a radical minority".
French products have been removed from some shops in Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar.
Meanwhile, protests have been seen in Libya, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
The backlash stems from comments made by Mr Macron after the gruesome murder of a French teacher who showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class.
The president said the teacher, Samuel Paty, "was killed because Islamists want our future", but France would "not give up our cartoons". » | Sunday, October 25, 2020
The French foreign ministry said the "baseless" calls for a boycott were being "pushed by a radical minority".
French products have been removed from some shops in Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar.
Meanwhile, protests have been seen in Libya, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
The backlash stems from comments made by Mr Macron after the gruesome murder of a French teacher who showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class.
The president said the teacher, Samuel Paty, "was killed because Islamists want our future", but France would "not give up our cartoons". » | Sunday, October 25, 2020
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Trump's America | DW Documentary
The US in the 2020 election year is a country deep in crisis. It’s been torn apart by the debate on racism, and millions have been infected with the coronavirus. On top of that, its president is pouring oil on the flames with his Twitter tirades.
At the beginning of the year, things were looking good for Donald Trump: the economy was doing well, unemployment figures were at a 50-year low, his job approval rating was rising, and the Democrats were preoccupied with themselves. But then came the coronavirus, a hazard that the president initially made light of, saying it would miraculously disappear. Instead of a miracle, the crisis hit the United States harder than any other country. The economy is in the doldrums. And COVID-19 is making the shortcomings of the health care system glaringly obvious.
Black Americans have been hit harder by the coronavirus than most. A higher proportion of them work in low-wage jobs that offer little protection against the virus, and they are less likely to have health insurance. The rage expressed in demonstrations against racism is being fuelled by the corona crisis and the mass unemployment it has triggered across the US.
It is hard to imagine that the economy will recover quickly - despite the trillions of dollars Trump is giving to companies. It is also hard to imagine that the millions of unemployed will have jobs again by the time the election is held.
Filmmakers Claudia Buckenmaier and Marion Schmickler traveled through the swing states of Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan and asked people how the economic and health crisis is affecting them. What hopes do voters have going into November’s election? The bitter dispute between Republicans and Democrats and Donald Trump’s divisive style of government has brought democracy in the US to brink of the abyss. The distrust is so great that the Democrats even expect that Trump will reject the election result if he loses. Unimaginable? The Democrats seem to be preparing for exactly this scenario.
At the beginning of the year, things were looking good for Donald Trump: the economy was doing well, unemployment figures were at a 50-year low, his job approval rating was rising, and the Democrats were preoccupied with themselves. But then came the coronavirus, a hazard that the president initially made light of, saying it would miraculously disappear. Instead of a miracle, the crisis hit the United States harder than any other country. The economy is in the doldrums. And COVID-19 is making the shortcomings of the health care system glaringly obvious.
Black Americans have been hit harder by the coronavirus than most. A higher proportion of them work in low-wage jobs that offer little protection against the virus, and they are less likely to have health insurance. The rage expressed in demonstrations against racism is being fuelled by the corona crisis and the mass unemployment it has triggered across the US.
It is hard to imagine that the economy will recover quickly - despite the trillions of dollars Trump is giving to companies. It is also hard to imagine that the millions of unemployed will have jobs again by the time the election is held.
Filmmakers Claudia Buckenmaier and Marion Schmickler traveled through the swing states of Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan and asked people how the economic and health crisis is affecting them. What hopes do voters have going into November’s election? The bitter dispute between Republicans and Democrats and Donald Trump’s divisive style of government has brought democracy in the US to brink of the abyss. The distrust is so great that the Democrats even expect that Trump will reject the election result if he loses. Unimaginable? The Democrats seem to be preparing for exactly this scenario.
When Five Cambridge University Students Became Soviet Spies | Secrets Of War | Timeline
We French Love Our History Teachers – Samuel Paty Made Us Remember Why
Since that fateful morning of 7 January 2015, and the Charlie Hebdo massacre, it sometimes feels as if we French are living our lives between terrorist assaults, each as vile as the previous but each more poignant in its viciousness and symbolism. When we think this can’t get any worse, a new attack proves us wrong.
In the past five years, Islamists in France have targeted and murdered journalists, cartoonists, policemen and women, soldiers, Jews, young people at a concert, football fans, families at a Bastille Day fireworks show, an 86-year-old priest celebrating mass in his little Normandy church, tourists at a Christmas market... the list goes on.
Last week, a history teacher was beheaded while walking back home from his school, in the quiet town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, halfway between Paris and Giverny. The speed with which we learned the facts sharpened the blow, deepened our emotions and focused our minds. » | Agnès Poirier * | Sunday, October 25, 2020
• Agnès Poirier is a Paris-based political commentator, writer and critic
France Recalls Ambassador from Turkey after 'Unacceptable' Erdogan Comments
France recalls ambassador to Turkey after Erdoğan questions Macron's mental state »
Saturday, October 24, 2020
Spanish Flu: A Warning from History (November 2018)
Cooper: Trump's Accountability Had Lifespan of Fruit Fly
Coronavirus: European Leaders Tighten Measures as WHO Warns of Pandemic Juncture
"A Barrett Confirmation Is a Catastrophe": What Democrats Can Do to Block Trump's Supreme Court Pick
Friday, October 23, 2020
Trump and Biden Face-off in Final Presidential Debate in Nashville – in Full
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Ronald Reagan's Son: We Have Grifters in the White House
Poland Rules Abortion Due to Foetal Defects Unconstitutional
THE GUARDIAN: Constitutional court’s ruling could pave way for governing PiS party to move ahead with legislative ban
Poland’s constitutional tribunal has ruled that abortion due to foetal defects is unconstitutional, rejecting the most common of the few legal grounds for pregnancy termination in the predominantly Catholic country.
The chief justice, Julia Przyłębska, said in a ruling that existing legislation – one of Europe’s most restrictive – that allows for the abortion of malformed foetuses was “incompatible” with the constitution.
After the ruling goes into effect, abortion will only be permissible in Poland in the case of rape, incest or a threat to the mother’s health and life, which make up only about 2% of legal terminations conducted in recent years.
The verdict drew immediate condemnation from the Council of Europe, whose commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatović, called it “a sad day for women’s rights”.
“Removing the basis for almost all legal abortions in Poland amounts to a ban and violates human rights,” Mijatović tweeted.
“Today’s ruling ... means underground/abroad abortions for those who can afford and even greater ordeal for all others.” » | Staff and agencies in Warsaw | Thursday, October 22, 2020
US signs anti-abortion declaration with group of largely authoritarian governments »
The Christian fundamentalists are plunging the West into darkness! Does Poland really belong in the European Union? Further, should we be looking to America for leadership anymore? – Mark
Poland’s constitutional tribunal has ruled that abortion due to foetal defects is unconstitutional, rejecting the most common of the few legal grounds for pregnancy termination in the predominantly Catholic country.
The chief justice, Julia Przyłębska, said in a ruling that existing legislation – one of Europe’s most restrictive – that allows for the abortion of malformed foetuses was “incompatible” with the constitution.
After the ruling goes into effect, abortion will only be permissible in Poland in the case of rape, incest or a threat to the mother’s health and life, which make up only about 2% of legal terminations conducted in recent years.
The verdict drew immediate condemnation from the Council of Europe, whose commissioner for human rights, Dunja Mijatović, called it “a sad day for women’s rights”.
“Removing the basis for almost all legal abortions in Poland amounts to a ban and violates human rights,” Mijatović tweeted.
“Today’s ruling ... means underground/abroad abortions for those who can afford and even greater ordeal for all others.” » | Staff and agencies in Warsaw | Thursday, October 22, 2020
US signs anti-abortion declaration with group of largely authoritarian governments »
The Christian fundamentalists are plunging the West into darkness! Does Poland really belong in the European Union? Further, should we be looking to America for leadership anymore? – Mark
Coronavirus: How Well Do Patients Recover from It? | COVID-19 Special
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Warning of Tens of Thousands of Deaths in England from Covid-19 Second Wave
THE GUARDIAN: Tiered lockdown system not adequate for preventing high rate of virus infections daily, epidemiologist tells MPs
Tens of thousands of deaths are now inevitable in a second wave of coronavirus infections sweeping across England because of the failure to contain the virus, a government scientific adviser has warned.
John Edmunds, a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told MPs on Wednesday that without further measures England’s tiered Covid-19 strategy would lead to high numbers of new infections every day, putting the NHS under strain and driving up the death toll.
“If you look at where we are, there is no way we come out of this wave now without counting our deaths in the tens of thousands,” Edmunds, an epidemiologist, told the joint hearing of the Commons science and technology committee, and the health and social care committee. » | Ian Sample, Science editor | Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Tens of thousands of deaths are now inevitable in a second wave of coronavirus infections sweeping across England because of the failure to contain the virus, a government scientific adviser has warned.
John Edmunds, a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told MPs on Wednesday that without further measures England’s tiered Covid-19 strategy would lead to high numbers of new infections every day, putting the NHS under strain and driving up the death toll.
“If you look at where we are, there is no way we come out of this wave now without counting our deaths in the tens of thousands,” Edmunds, an epidemiologist, told the joint hearing of the Commons science and technology committee, and the health and social care committee. » | Ian Sample, Science editor | Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Samuel Paty Posthumously Awarded French Légion d’Honneur
The French teacher decapitated while returning home last week has been posthumously awarded the Légion d’honneur, hours after France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor said the killer had paid two pupils from the school to identify his victim.
At a private ceremony in the main amphitheatre of the Sorbonne university on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron bestowed the country’s highest honour on the family of Samuel Paty, 47, who was killed on Friday after showing his class two cartoons of the prophet Muhammad as part of a discussion on free speech.
An audience of about 400 people, including children, friends, relatives and former presidents, then paid tribute to the history and geography teacher in the university’s main courtyard, during an emotional public service broadcast live on television.
Paty was “a quiet hero”, a visibly moved Macron said in a 15-minute speech. “He was the victim of stupidity, of lies, of confusion, of a hatred of what, in our deepest essence, we are … On Friday, he became the face of the Republic.” » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Pope Francis Backs Same-sex Civil Unions
THE GUARDIAN: Pontiff’s endorsement likely to further enrage his conservative opponents in Catholic church
Pope Francis has given his most explicit support to same-sex civil unions in a move that is likely to further enrage his conservative opponents in the Catholic church.
His comments came in an interview in a documentary film, Francesco, which premiered at the Rome film festival on Wednesday.
He said: “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.” » | Harriet Sherwood \ Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Pope Francis has given his most explicit support to same-sex civil unions in a move that is likely to further enrage his conservative opponents in the Catholic church.
His comments came in an interview in a documentary film, Francesco, which premiered at the Rome film festival on Wednesday.
He said: “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.” » | Harriet Sherwood \ Wednesday, October 21, 2020
She Lost Her Husband to Covid-19. Hear Her Tough Words for Trump
Trump Pressures Barr to Investigate Joe and Hunter Biden | Morning Joe | MSNBC
Rassismus in der Schweiz – Moderatorin Angélique Beldner über Alltagsrassismus | Doku | SRF DOK
Angélique Beldner ist die erste schwarze News-Moderatorin des Schweizer Fernsehens. Ihre Hautfarbe und den Rassismus, den sie erlebt hat, wollte sie allerdings nie zum Thema machen. Bis zu diesem Sommer, der alles verändert hat.
In Frutigen verbrachte sie ihre ersten Jahre, in der Agglomeration von Bern wuchs sie auf. Angélique Beldner, 44 Jahre alt, verheiratet, Mutter zweier Kinder. In einer weitgehend behüteten Umgebung wurde sie gross. Die weisse Mutter alleinerziehend, unterstützt von der Schweizer Grossfamilie, der schwarze Vater weit weg.
«Ich bin voll und ganz Schweizerin, realisierte aber schon früh, dass ich anders war. Ich habe diese Erinnerung, wie sich Menschen in den Kinderwagen beugen und meine Haare berühren. Das begleitet mich bis heute und ist mir sehr unangenehm. Leute, die mir ungefragt ins Haar langen, das gibt es immer noch», sagt Angélique Beldner.
Trotzdem: Solche Erlebnisse behält sie für sich. Wenn, spricht sie nur mit ihrer Mutter darüber. Beldners Strategie war stets: Rassismus überhören oder ihn kleinreden. «Bis zu diesem Sommer hat das bestens funktioniert.»
«Black Lives Matter» hat ihre heile Welt aus den Fugen gebracht: «Auf einmal fragten mich alle nach meiner Meinung zum Thema Rassismus, und ich realisierte: Wenn alle schweigen, so wie ich, wird sich nie etwas verändern», sagt Beldner.
SRF Reporter begleitet Angélique Beldner auf Spurensuche ihrer eigenen Vergangenheit in der Schweiz. Warum hat Beldner Rassismus stets beschönigt und nicht sehen wollen? Warum fällt es ihr so schwer, darüber zu reden? Angélique Beldner spricht mit engen Familienangehörigen erstmals über ihre Hautfarbe und macht dabei auch schmerzhafte Erfahrungen.
In Frutigen verbrachte sie ihre ersten Jahre, in der Agglomeration von Bern wuchs sie auf. Angélique Beldner, 44 Jahre alt, verheiratet, Mutter zweier Kinder. In einer weitgehend behüteten Umgebung wurde sie gross. Die weisse Mutter alleinerziehend, unterstützt von der Schweizer Grossfamilie, der schwarze Vater weit weg.
«Ich bin voll und ganz Schweizerin, realisierte aber schon früh, dass ich anders war. Ich habe diese Erinnerung, wie sich Menschen in den Kinderwagen beugen und meine Haare berühren. Das begleitet mich bis heute und ist mir sehr unangenehm. Leute, die mir ungefragt ins Haar langen, das gibt es immer noch», sagt Angélique Beldner.
Trotzdem: Solche Erlebnisse behält sie für sich. Wenn, spricht sie nur mit ihrer Mutter darüber. Beldners Strategie war stets: Rassismus überhören oder ihn kleinreden. «Bis zu diesem Sommer hat das bestens funktioniert.»
«Black Lives Matter» hat ihre heile Welt aus den Fugen gebracht: «Auf einmal fragten mich alle nach meiner Meinung zum Thema Rassismus, und ich realisierte: Wenn alle schweigen, so wie ich, wird sich nie etwas verändern», sagt Beldner.
SRF Reporter begleitet Angélique Beldner auf Spurensuche ihrer eigenen Vergangenheit in der Schweiz. Warum hat Beldner Rassismus stets beschönigt und nicht sehen wollen? Warum fällt es ihr so schwer, darüber zu reden? Angélique Beldner spricht mit engen Familienangehörigen erstmals über ihre Hautfarbe und macht dabei auch schmerzhafte Erfahrungen.
Boris Johnson and Evgeny Lebedev: A Decade of Politics, Parties and Peerages
The theme of the party attended by Boris Johnson was unmistakable. On the first floor was a mural of Joseph Stalin, dressed in green military uniform. A hammer and sickle decorated the windows. In the centre of the room was an ice sculpture in the shape of a pistol, from where a barman dispensed vodka shots.
A gun – presumably fake – lay on a red double bed in the basement, next to an outdoor smoking area. “Do you like my gun?” the party’s host, Evgeny Lebedev, reportedly asked one visitor. There was also a stuffed bear.
It was Friday 15 December 2017. Lebedev’s parties held in London and at his palazzo in Umbria, Italy, are a highlight of the social calendar. At this particular USSR–themed bash there was champagne, as much as you could drink, a caviar station, a dancefloor and a DJ, and a guest list including A-list actors, rock stars and members of the cabinet.
The most senior was Johnson, then foreign secretary. The prime minister is a regular attendee of parties hosted by Lebedev, which have a reputation for decadence. Prior to the December event, an email had told staff hired for their model looks to prepare for excess. “This party will be on the wilder side so PLEASE BEHAVE YOURSELF,” it said.
The question of how wild it was depends on who is asked. One attendee called it a “vodka assault course” – others say it was more restrained. » | Luke Harding and Dan Sabbagh | Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Evgeny Lebedev: 'Russia is not a homophobic country' »
Jamal Khashoggi's Fiancée Sues Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
The fiancée of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is suing the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and two dozen other Saudis in the US courts, accusing them of direct involvement in the dissident’s gruesome killing in Istanbul two years ago.
Hatice Cengiz and Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn), a Washington-based rights group set up by Khashoggi shortly before his death, filed a lawsuit in the US district court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday seeking unspecified damages against the kingdom’s de facto leader and 28 “co-conspirators” over the killing.
Khashoggi broke with the Saudi elite in 2017 and moved to the US, where he began to write critically about Saudi government policy as a columnist for the Washington Post. » | Bethan McKernan in Istanbul | Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Trump Says Biden Is Lucky AG Barr Hasn't Locked Him Up | Morning Joe | MSNBC
Desperate Don! – Mark
New Yorker Suspends Jeffrey Toobin for Allegedly Masturbating on Zoom Call
The New Yorker magazine has suspended one of its long-time staff writers, legal expert Jeffrey Toobin, while it investigates a report that he was allegedly masturbating during a Zoom work call earlier this month.
“I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera,” Toobin said in a statement on Monday about the situation, first reported by Vice.
He added: “I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers. I thought I had muted the Zoom video, I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me.”
He has so far declined to confirm details. » | Guardian staff | Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Monday, October 19, 2020
Trump Says Americans 'Tired of Hearing Fauci and All These Idiots' Discuss Covid
Donald Trump has once again attacked his top public health expert, using a call with campaign staff on Monday to call Anthony Fauci “a disaster” and to claim “people are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots” discuss ways to combat the coronavirus.
The president spoke one day after CBS’s 60 Minutes aired an interview with Fauci, in which the 79-year-old said he was “absolutely not” surprised Trump recently contracted the coronavirus himself, because he was holding crowded events with minimal social distancing and mask usage in the days before he developed symptoms.
Fauci also told CBS the White House had been controlling his media appearances.
“I certainly have not been allowed to go on many, many, many shows that have asked for me,” he said, adding that restrictions had been inconsistent. » | Joan E Greve in Washington | Monday, October 19, 2020
The real idiot is Trump. He is the one that people are tired of hearing speak and being spoken of. – Mark
What Are the Rules of Wales's Circuit Breaker Coronavirus Lockdown?
THE GUARDIAN: We look at what the measures are, when they begin, and for how long they will be in place
The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has announced a two-week national lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Read the article » | Steven Morris | Monday, October 19, 2020
The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has announced a two-week national lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Read the article » | Steven Morris | Monday, October 19, 2020
Fauci on His Media Restrictions, Trump Contracting Covid, Masks, Voting and More
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Teacher Beheaded Near Paris after Showing Class Images of Mohammed | ABC News
Thousands in France Pay Tribute to Beheaded Teacher | DW News
Dekadenz | Doku | ARTE
Erst die Orgie, dann der Untergang: Dekadenz ist der Anfang vom Ende, lautet der Verdacht, für Zivilisationen und Kulturepochen. Der Dokumentarfilm von Wilfried Hauke beginnt in der Welt der alten Römer, erzählt von ihren Gelagen und Gelüsten und folgt dem Mythos vom Untergang der Kulturen über die Kunstepoche der Décadence und des Fin de Siecle bis in unsere Gegenwart
Dekadenz ist der Anfang vom Ende, lautet der Verdacht, für Zivilisationen und Kulturepochen. Doch das ausschweifende Leben von Reichen und Privilegierten ist nur eine Seite der Medaille. Dekadenz und Zerfall reizen in Literatur und bildender Kunst seit Jahrhunderten auch durch ästhetische Widerspruchskraft und die ironische Brechung von Tabus. Die Dokumentation des preisgekrönten Regisseurs Wilfried Hauke beginnt in die Welt der alten Römer an ihrer Lieblingstherme Baia im Golf von Sorrent, erzählt von ihren Gelagen und Gelüsten und folgt dem Mythos vom Untergang der Kulturen über die Kunstepoche der Décadence und des Fin de Siècle bis in unsere Gegenwart. Der Film entdeckt dabei das Dekadente auch als neuen Kampfbegriff der Kulturen. Er trifft dabei auf Kulturhistoriker, Philosophen, Theologen und Soziologen wie Jürgen Wertheimer, Michaël Fœssel, Wolf Eiermann und die Tauchlehrerin Cristina Canoro, die den Zuschauer sowohl in die Römertherme von Baia wie nach Neapel, in die Stadt des Untergangs, führt. Und er begleitet neue Décadences bei ihren Akten der Provokation und des Dandyismus. Der Film zeigt einen radikaler werdenden Moralismus, der aus der eigenen Mitte der westlichen Welt kommt. Selbst im liberalen Mainstream scheint genährt durch aktuelle Untergangsängste kein Platz mehr für sittliche Extravaganzen zu sein, für dunkle Genies wie zum Beispiel noch im 19. Jahrhundert Oscar Wilde, Charles Baudelaire oder Egon Schiele. Zudem lauert Ungemach von einer neuen negativen Strömung politischer Dekadenz: extreme Populisten und Neo-Faschisten beschimpfen den westlichen Lifestyle und die Demokratie als verdorben und reden deren Untergang herbei.
Dokumentation (D 2019, 54 Min)
Dekadenz ist der Anfang vom Ende, lautet der Verdacht, für Zivilisationen und Kulturepochen. Doch das ausschweifende Leben von Reichen und Privilegierten ist nur eine Seite der Medaille. Dekadenz und Zerfall reizen in Literatur und bildender Kunst seit Jahrhunderten auch durch ästhetische Widerspruchskraft und die ironische Brechung von Tabus. Die Dokumentation des preisgekrönten Regisseurs Wilfried Hauke beginnt in die Welt der alten Römer an ihrer Lieblingstherme Baia im Golf von Sorrent, erzählt von ihren Gelagen und Gelüsten und folgt dem Mythos vom Untergang der Kulturen über die Kunstepoche der Décadence und des Fin de Siècle bis in unsere Gegenwart. Der Film entdeckt dabei das Dekadente auch als neuen Kampfbegriff der Kulturen. Er trifft dabei auf Kulturhistoriker, Philosophen, Theologen und Soziologen wie Jürgen Wertheimer, Michaël Fœssel, Wolf Eiermann und die Tauchlehrerin Cristina Canoro, die den Zuschauer sowohl in die Römertherme von Baia wie nach Neapel, in die Stadt des Untergangs, führt. Und er begleitet neue Décadences bei ihren Akten der Provokation und des Dandyismus. Der Film zeigt einen radikaler werdenden Moralismus, der aus der eigenen Mitte der westlichen Welt kommt. Selbst im liberalen Mainstream scheint genährt durch aktuelle Untergangsängste kein Platz mehr für sittliche Extravaganzen zu sein, für dunkle Genies wie zum Beispiel noch im 19. Jahrhundert Oscar Wilde, Charles Baudelaire oder Egon Schiele. Zudem lauert Ungemach von einer neuen negativen Strömung politischer Dekadenz: extreme Populisten und Neo-Faschisten beschimpfen den westlichen Lifestyle und die Demokratie als verdorben und reden deren Untergang herbei.
Dokumentation (D 2019, 54 Min)
Saturday, October 17, 2020
US Election: Do You Need Jesus to Win the White House? - BBC News
White evangelicals helped Donald Trump win the White House in 2016 but a different type of Christian voter could tip the result this time.
World Service Global Religion reporter Lebo Diseko asked a diverse group of Christians in North Carolina about what role their faith plays in how they pick a president.
World Service Global Religion reporter Lebo Diseko asked a diverse group of Christians in North Carolina about what role their faith plays in how they pick a president.
Goodbye Civil Rights: Amy Coney Barrett's America Is a Terrifying Place
Amy Coney Barrett’s America is a terrifying place
So that’s that then. The confirmation hearings are over and it is almost inevitable that Amy Coney Barrett will be confirmed as a supreme court justice before the November election. Barrett will shift the supreme court from a 5-4 conservative majority to a 6-3 super-majority, a move that could fundamentally reshape America. Goodbye civil rights, hello Gilead.
You’ve got to hand it to the Republicans really; they get things done. They don’t care about being called hypocrites. They don’t care about ignoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish that she not be replaced until after the election. They don’t care about common decency. They don’t care about democracy. They just care about power – and they will do whatever it takes to get it.
So just how bad will Barrett be? Could her confirmation mean the end of Roe v Wade and the federal right to an abortion in America? Is marriage equality in danger? Is it possible she could criminalize birth control? Is America on its way to becoming a Divine Republic? Are we going to look at The Handmaid’s Tale and realize it was a documentary? » | Arwa Mahdawi | Saturday, October 17, 2020
'On the Brink of Disaster': Europe's Covid Fight Takes a Turn for the Worse
THE GUARDIAN: As France imposes curfews, even countries that previously managed well are struggling badly
“It’s not a word I’ve heard in a long, long time,” an elderly Paris resident said, leaving her apartment in mask and gloves for an early expedition to the shops. “A curfew. That’s for wartime, isn’t it? But in a way I suppose that’s what this is.”
Europe’s second coronavirus wave took a dramatic turn for the worse this week, forcing governments across the continent to make tough choices as more than a dozen countries reported their highest ever number of new infections.
In France, 18 million people in nine big cities risk a fine from Saturday if they are not at home by 9pm. In the Czech Republic, schools have closed and medical students are being enlisted to help doctors. All Dutch bars and restaurants are shut.
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland are among countries to have broken daily case records, prompting the World Health Organization to call for an “uncompromising” effort to stem the spread.
Unfortunately, that requires making all but impossible compromises. » | Jon Henley in Paris | Friday, October 16, 2020
“It’s not a word I’ve heard in a long, long time,” an elderly Paris resident said, leaving her apartment in mask and gloves for an early expedition to the shops. “A curfew. That’s for wartime, isn’t it? But in a way I suppose that’s what this is.”
Europe’s second coronavirus wave took a dramatic turn for the worse this week, forcing governments across the continent to make tough choices as more than a dozen countries reported their highest ever number of new infections.
In France, 18 million people in nine big cities risk a fine from Saturday if they are not at home by 9pm. In the Czech Republic, schools have closed and medical students are being enlisted to help doctors. All Dutch bars and restaurants are shut.
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland are among countries to have broken daily case records, prompting the World Health Organization to call for an “uncompromising” effort to stem the spread.
Unfortunately, that requires making all but impossible compromises. » | Jon Henley in Paris | Friday, October 16, 2020
Friday, October 16, 2020
Why Did Trump Warn Wall Street About Covid?
Terror Inquiry after Teacher Beheaded Near Paris
BBC: A teacher has been beheaded in a north-western suburb of Paris, with the attacker shot dead by police.
The victim is said to have shown controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his students.
The attack occurred at about 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT) near a school. Anti-terror prosecutors are investigating.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the scene, calling the killing an "Islamist terrorist attack".
Mr Macron said he was murdered because he "taught freedom of expression". The victim has not been named. » | BBC | Friday, October 16, 2020
The victim is said to have shown controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his students.
The attack occurred at about 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT) near a school. Anti-terror prosecutors are investigating.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the scene, calling the killing an "Islamist terrorist attack".
Mr Macron said he was murdered because he "taught freedom of expression". The victim has not been named. » | BBC | Friday, October 16, 2020
Healthy Eyes – New Therapies Maintain Sight | DW Documentary
Eye conditions are increasing massively worldwide. Older people often suffer from cataracts or glaucoma. But younger people are also suffering from vision loss - they are becoming increasingly short-sighted. Around the globe, doctors are fighting against the deterioration of eyesight.
The documentary shows how doctors are working worldwide to combat eye diseases, introduces new healing methods and techniques and shows the possibilities and the limitations of modern ophthalmology.
In the Augsburg clinic "Am Forsterpark," for example, cataracts are treated with a femtosecond laser. The procedure is usually performed on an outpatient basis and only takes a few minutes. After anesthesia, the doctor cuts a 3mm slit in the lens capsule. Through the opening, the cloudy lens is shattered with the laser and sucked out. An artificial lens with two tiny hooks is then placed in the eye.
Most people in poorer parts of the world have no access to such high-tech care. Some 89 percent of people with visual impairments live in developing countries. There, the risk of going blind is ten times higher than in Germany. Many patients cannot even afford the trip to the clinic. Ophthalmologists like Dr. Sylvain El-Khoury therefore travel to the rural areas of Rwanda, Africa, several times a year and operate on up to 500 patients per week under the most basic conditions in "eye camps."
The doctors are also making progress in the treatment of myopia. The excessive use of smartphones, tablets and computers has ever greater medical consequences. According to a study by the University of Mainz, more than half of high school and university graduates already suffer from myopia. Shortsightedness can be corrected with glasses and treated with eye drops. But often the visual weakness increases over the years and myopia becomes a gateway for other eye diseases. Researchers at the University of Mainz have found that myopia is often not genetically determined but is due to our lifestyle. Doctors are therefore calling for a new approach to mobile phones and laptops.
The documentary shows how doctors are working worldwide to combat eye diseases, introduces new healing methods and techniques and shows the possibilities and the limitations of modern ophthalmology.
In the Augsburg clinic "Am Forsterpark," for example, cataracts are treated with a femtosecond laser. The procedure is usually performed on an outpatient basis and only takes a few minutes. After anesthesia, the doctor cuts a 3mm slit in the lens capsule. Through the opening, the cloudy lens is shattered with the laser and sucked out. An artificial lens with two tiny hooks is then placed in the eye.
Most people in poorer parts of the world have no access to such high-tech care. Some 89 percent of people with visual impairments live in developing countries. There, the risk of going blind is ten times higher than in Germany. Many patients cannot even afford the trip to the clinic. Ophthalmologists like Dr. Sylvain El-Khoury therefore travel to the rural areas of Rwanda, Africa, several times a year and operate on up to 500 patients per week under the most basic conditions in "eye camps."
The doctors are also making progress in the treatment of myopia. The excessive use of smartphones, tablets and computers has ever greater medical consequences. According to a study by the University of Mainz, more than half of high school and university graduates already suffer from myopia. Shortsightedness can be corrected with glasses and treated with eye drops. But often the visual weakness increases over the years and myopia becomes a gateway for other eye diseases. Researchers at the University of Mainz have found that myopia is often not genetically determined but is due to our lifestyle. Doctors are therefore calling for a new approach to mobile phones and laptops.
Dark Money & Barrett Nomination: The Link Between Big Polluters & the War on ACA, Roe & LGBT Rights
Steve Schmidt on Why Many Republican Voters Are Splitting from Trump | Deadline | MSNBC
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