Daily Archives: June 26, 2017

Why I Love Che Guevara T-Shirts – Being Libertarian

Posted: June 26, 2017 at 5:46 pm

In the long-run, capitalism will always triumph for one reason: It actually responds to peoples desires even the people who call themselves enemies of capitalism and want to see it torn down.

My favorite case-in-point of this phenomenon is the famous and ubiquitous Che Guevara t-shirt.

Spend some time walking down a major city street anywhere in the country, or stroll through a college campus on a summer day, and you are bound to see some guy or gal sporting the likeness of the famous communist revolutionary. Che has been an enduring symbol for leftist activists, despite his bloodthirsty record of violence and inhumanity.

Ive heard plenty of libertarians and other advocates of liberty lament the continued popularity of Ches image; they list off his atrocities and hideous social views with aplomb.

But anger at the endurance of the Che t-shirt misses a crucial point: That it represents the ultimate power of capitalism.

It is the power to transform the most potent symbols of opposition to itself, into commodities that can be bought and sold in the marketplace. In other words, capitalism has turned its foe into another product to be sold within its own system.

The market does not have feelings and does not care about what the symbol of Che represents (if it represents anything). Symbols are just signifiers, brands even, and those can be bought and sold.

Every time some armchair leftist or college brocialist dons the image of Che, they are in fact neutering the ideology they purport to believe in.

When the young people, who Che might in another time have tried to galvanize to violent rebellion, buy shirts and other paraphernalia with his visage they are tacitly buying into the capitalist system. When Che and his ilk became fashion symbols, rather than political symbols, they were utterly defeated. Better than killing them or reducing their monuments to rubble, turning them into pieces of memorabilia was the ultimate insult and final defeat.

That is the beauty of the free market: It can transform an intractable enemy into harmless kitsch.

Supporters of liberty and the free market might understandably be irritated by Americas youth running around with the image of a monomaniacal war criminal blazoned on their chests, but they should bite back their bile and instead rejoice.

As Che has become a popular image, the image of the revolutionary has lost all the symbolic power it once might have claimed.

A couple of generations ago, radical socialism was a common part of the zeitgeist of the American youth, with college campuses serving as breeding grounds for genuine radicalism and acting as the chief apologists for the totalitarian regimes of Cuba, the Soviet Union, and China.

Today, a lot of leftishness is still there, but it has been beaten into a feeble identity politics that is hopelessly incapable of achieving anything of substance.

People on the political right often rail against the liberal bastions of academia, and they are not completely wrong to do so. To be sure, the political products of the academic world, such as President Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren, serve as cautionary tales to voters thinking about giving real power to the scions of the ivory towers. But they are nowhere near as threatening as the sorts of firebrand spokespeople produced by the hallowed halls of academia only a few decades ago.

Socialism in America, and around the world, has had to respond and adapt to the overwhelming power of the free market. In the marketplace of ideas, socialism is outdated and doomed to go out of business. In response, socialist thinking has shifted, softened, and come to accept at least parts of the capitalist system as essential to maintenance of prosperity.

We should call that a tentative victory for liberty, if not a total one. Even the most entrenched socialist parties around the world have had to accept the reality of markets.

Capitalism is the only serious game in town. Whats left of true radical leftism is just empty and deflated symbols, like t-shirts featuring half-forgotten political dissidents.

This post was written by John Engle.

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.

John Engle is a merchant banker and author living in the Chicago area. His company, Almington Capital, invests in both early-stage venture capital and in public equities. His writing has been featured in a number of academic journals, as well as the blogs of the Heartland Institute, Grassroot Institute, and Tenth Amendment Center. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and the University of Oxford, Johns first book, Trinity Student Pranks: A History of Mischief and Mayhem, was published in September 2013.

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An Unexpected Key to Freedom – Being Libertarian

Posted: at 5:46 pm

From the time we are born, we are conditioned through force and manipulation to comply with just about everything dictated by figures of authority. Is it any wonder then, why so many of us believe everything we are told by our government?

The fact is that compliance and discipline are necessary skills to survive in our society. Without knowledge of the rules and tools necessary to function successfully a person will never get the chance to become successful because the various systems of enforcement will make it impossible.

Your parents protect you against physical hazards by teaching you to avoid them. This is compliance with basic common sense. Dont put your fingers in a light socket, that makes sense. Dont eat rat poison, this too makes sense.

Soon enough youre off to school, where rules become the focus. Be on time. Do your assigned work. Be reliable. These ideas condition you to be successful at a job. If you are not timely and reliable, you will not succeed at your job, thus they are important skills, imperative to success.

But what happens when the information disseminated to you, from sources that are supposed to be trustworthy, is false or inappropriate, but you have been taught to accept the veracity of everything you hear from these sources?

What happens when your teacher spreads information that is blatantly false? If you fail to answer test questions that include this false information in the way you were taught, there is a penalty. Your grades will suffer. You may be disciplined. You eventually come to the conclusion that compliance makes your life easier and brings better results.

I suppose I was always a fighter.

As I began writing this essay, I remembered something that happened to me in the 7th grade.

My teacher created a program called IALUAC, which stood for, I am lovable, unique and courageous, sounds innocent enough.

Part of this program included a requirement to write a five paragraph essay that told the teacher about your biggest problems. Even at this young age, I felt that my problems were none of my teachers business. So I wrote the paper, making up silly meaningless problems and in the conclusion I said something to the effect of my biggest problem was coming up with problems to put in that essay.

Essentially, I said that my personal life is none of your damn business! This did not go over well. Between the repeated summons to counselors, my parents being called in to school, and what seemed like a month of harassment, I was taught not to think for myself and instead to comply.

The system was created to beat us all into compliance with authority. This is why the abuse of authority is the most unforgivable crime.

Enter President Richard M. Nixon, a prime example of the abuse of authority.

President Nixon was prosecuting a war in Vietnam, a war which was extremely unpopular. He saw that some of his harshest critics were Hippies and People of Color. Nixon clearly had a problem with being challenged, so he felt it was appropriate to attack his critics as his aide John Ehrlichman states in this 1994 quote, We knew we couldnt make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communitiesWe could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.

If we study the effects of this example of abuse of authority the trail is mind boggling and fraught with decades of carnage.

The anti-drug campaign was part of all of our lives. Millions of people still believe what they were forced to believe for Nixons personal benefit. In school, we were taught and taught again of the dangers of drugs unsanctioned by the state, while some of us took the legal equivalent of methamphetamine just to make us conform to the system.

We wrote essays, prepared skits, and so much more that parroted back the dangers of certain drugs. I did avoid the use of drugs, but that had nothing to do with school, that was due to a combination of efforts from my Mother and the fact that I really was not interested in trying them to begin with. I was not an addictive personality, so drugs were never an issue to me.

I do not make the argument that drugs cannot be harmful, but it is well known that many more people die from legal drugs under the supervision of a doctor than illegal drug abuse.

The government sanctioning of a substance does not guarantee its safety, and the illegal nature does not mean it is unsafe. I would prefer that drugs were not abused, regardless of their legal status, but this is not the world we live in.

So, as Nixon wanted, the war raged on and he won office and was re-elected. His little white lie started landing people in jail and ruining their lives, this mushroomed into what we have today millions of Americans with criminal records who harmed no one and over a trillion tax dollars spent on a War on Drugs that did not decrease usage at all; forty years of misinformation, and for what? So that a dead president that resigned in disgrace could keep his job.

This is why abuse of authority in government is far more treasonous than the actions of a person such as Edward Snowden, whose only crime was telling the American people that the NSA was violating the constitution and abusing their authority.

If you were to expose a lie from a dictator, that dictator would have you killed. If you expose a lie or violation of your government, your government will try to do the same: ask Mr. Snowden, who is exiled to Russia instead of being able live at home and receive the congratulations of the people who are grateful for the risk he took in exposing the truth.

Compliance is paramount to government. If you fail to comply with their requirements, you will pay a severe penalty.

So, how can we solve the problem of abuse of authority vs. the necessity of compliance? Comply with the realities of the world, but dont bury your head in the sand and ignore what is really going on around you. Pay attention to what is really happening. Dont let drug-war-style brainwashing blind you to certain realities that government has used to bolster their revenue, power and control over you; thus solidifying their grip on power and job security as Nixon did so long ago.

Consider a few conventional items required by government today and you may notice that these are also abuses of authority. These abuses of authority may not be as egregious and destructive as Nixons War on Drugs, but they are still violations of your rights and some are out right theft.

If you make the connection that you have been manipulated, through the system, to believe what you are told by your government, you will never make the connection that these things really do happen. They are wrong and are designed to strengthen governments grip on you. You are more likely to believe that these were done in the interests of protecting you than to see the truth:

Can the people overcome this combination of forced indoctrination of the activities of government; combined with misinformation about their abuses of authority? I fervently hope so.

What plan can I offer to allow for the discipline necessary for survival to be part of us, without the brainwashing that results in most of us not seeing reality? This is the $64,000 question.

It is a given that government controls the schools. It is a given that government controls the curriculum in those schools. It is a given that people who speak in opposition to the lessons crucial to sustenance of the power of government are punished. It is a given that the people are forced to accept lies with respect to the abuse of government authority or pay the consequences.

The media is a willing partner as well. Mass media is used for the purpose of reinforcing any lies that cover up the motivation of the abuse of authority as well. We are constantly bombarded with false and manipulative information from all angles. It appears that there is nothing we can do.

Believe it or not, the answer to this is twofold social media and the closure of the Department of Education.

The closure of the Department of Education is pretty obvious, in that the decentralization of control of education would allow for less central control of curriculum. The effect of social media is why the fake news propaganda is swirling around in Washington D.C. There is an inconvenient barrier to complete control of the news media and it resides in the first amendment to the constitution. That barrier is Freedom of the Press. The fake news campaign is a precursor to an attack on freedom of the press.

If we remain steadfast to the protections included in the Bill of Rights, which our government sees more as a hurdle than a barrier, I see the pendulum swinging back in the direction of the people.

Heres how:

While mainstream media (MSM) still reports what they are instructed to report, and while schools still disseminate the same, it is social media that allows the people to interact with each other on a large scale. The people are not happy, and while the MSM encourages them to blame another political party that actually works in concert with their own, they really do not know why the people are so unhappy. I believe that most people smell a rat and are looking for the truth that is being shielded from them.

Social media, as long as it is allowed to operate freely, is the leader in the dissemination of truth (as long as the reader has the ability to filter out the crazy stuff).

This is fact: mainstream media may indeed succumb to the misinformation provided to it by our government, but they are in business for profit. If they are forced to choose between losing money and ceasing to exist or continuing to disseminate lies, they must choose survival.

As the people learn more of the truth of the current situation and make the connection that they are being lied to, they will seek out alternative sources of information. While many people prefer to hear lies that support their views, I believe that more people want to know the truth, because the truth en masse can lead to better decisions and a better life.

As this truth is uncovered, they will make decisions to stop electing politicians who believe in mass manipulation as the way to achieve their personal goals while in office.

The people will demand truth from mainstream media at some point in time, and if they fail to provide what their customers demand, these entities will fail and their new competitors will soar.

So as wacky as social media may seem, it is a vital key to freedom.

This post was written by Steve Kerbel.

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.

Steve Kerbel is a businessman, author, and former Libertarian Party candidate for President of the United States.

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The Golden Rule of Online Dating Photos – The Good Men Project (blog)

Posted: at 5:45 pm

As an online dating photographer, I have photographed countless people and have offered very specific guidelines when it comes to optimizing the photos on their online dating profiles. Admittingly, these rules can be daunting to remember and keep track of. While those rules should be viewed as guidelines and not absolute without any wiggle room for exceptions, there is a quick rule you should keep in mind as a rule of thumb.

Make sure each photo in your profile offers something different, unique, flattering, and interesting to your profile vs the previous photos.

Viewers do not need to see 3 photos from your epic tropical beach vacation; they do not need to see 4 head shots from the same angle and they certainly do not need to see multiple distorted selfies of you in your car, gym, desk etc. Be sure to mix it up but keep it concise i.e. one outdoor active photo, one closeup, one in dressed up attire and one in a social setting.

Photos are meant to help tell your story. I hate to refer back to the resume analogy but would you state that you increased revenue 10% in Q1, 10% in Q2 etc? It would be more efficient to consolidate that accomplishment and move on to the next one. This is the same principle with online dating photos.

This post was previously published on Mediumand is republished here with permission from the author.

Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Eddie Hernandez is an online dating photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is devoted to helping men and women alike capture themselves in their essence whether they are new to online dating, recently single, have changed appearance, have had trouble meeting people offline or hate being in front of the camera. Contact him for a complimentary, no obligation, review of your online profile and photos.

http://www.EddieHernandez.photography http://www.Instagram.com/EddieHernandezPhotography

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Kids Learning Golden Rule Applies to Treatment of Animals … – Noozhawk

Posted: at 5:45 pm

Posted on June 25, 2017 | 1:44 p.m.

As of June 1, C.A.R.E.4Paws has graduated 150 young animal ambassadors in Santa Barbara County through Paws Up for Pets, a new educational initiative that promotes accountability and compassion for animals and empathy in the community as a whole.

Launched in October,Paws Up for Pets is a collaboration between C.A.R.E.4Paws, United Boys & Girls Clubs, Daveys Voice and, as of June, the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise.

The program focuses on children in grades K-8, who are enrolled in afterschool programs.

The 150 students who have graduated with Badge 1 are from United Boys & Girls Clubs Carpinteria and Lompoc units, the Chumash Reservation, and a Girl Scout troop in Goleta.

C.A.R.E.4Paws also works with Santa Marias Arellanes Junior High and just expanded its program to include the Lompoc YMCA, United Boys & Girls Clubs' Goleta and Westside units, and a Santa Maria Girl Scout troop.

Graduates who received the Animal Ambassador badge worked weekly with C.A.R.E.4Paws for several months, learning about responsible pet care, pet overpopulation, shelter animals, and the importance of showing kindness to all living beings.

"Paws Up for Pets is unique in that it engages children over a period of time, which allows us to get to know the kids and talk a lot about how to be a great pet-care taker, that animals have feelings, just like us, and what to do when a pet is lost, sick or abused, said Carlos Abitia, director of C.A.R.E.4Paws Community Outreach and Youth Program.

After receiving the Animal Ambassador award, children can earn other badges such as the Animal Advocate badge, which involves a tour of a local shelter followed by a creative project.

Students can choose to virtually adopt and write about a shelter pet. Or they can focus on the topic of how all pets are individuals and that each shelter animal has its own story.

At United Boys & Girls Club Carpinteria Unit, students are working on their shelter projects after visiting Animal Shelter Assistance Program, Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter and County Animal Services dog shelter in Santa Barbara.

The Goleta Girl Scout troop also visited these three shelters. Afterward, they made high-quality leashes and toys for shelter pets out of recycled materials (such as Girl Scout cookie boxes).

Troop members also fund-raised to buy blankets, pet treats and other supplies for the shelter as well as C.A.R.E.4Paws.

As a Girl Scout leader, animal lover and pet owner, I have nothing but praise for Paws Up for Pets, said Amy Findlay, troop leader.

My troop learned about all aspects of pet ownership, from compassion to neglect and everything in between, and I guarantee they will be better pet owners as a result," she said.

"They also learned that, even as 10- or 11-year-olds, they can still make a difference in a pets life by educating others, volunteering, setting a good example and, essentially, being ambassadors for animals, Findlay said.

Paws Up for Pets was created in response to several incidents of severe animal cruelty in Santa Barbara County and a general concern that few cruelty cases are reported, despite the strong connection between animal abuse and family violence.

Years of research links animal abuse to violent behavior toward humans and shows that children who mistreat animals are more likely to act violently later in life.

And, according to data collected from WestEd surveys and the California Department of Education, Santa Barbara County has a high rate of bullying. One third of public-school students in Santa Barbara have reported being bullied.

When you show children how to be respectful and kind to animals, the ripple effects are endless, Abitia said. Children feel empowered, and are less likely to harm a pet, hurt a friend or bully a classmate. And they bring these values into adulthood.

Poverty affects the welfare of our youth and our pets, too.

In high-poverty areas, such as Lompoc and Santa Maria, more than 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of children live at or below the poverty line. And as many as 65 percent of these households own pets, reports a 2015-16 National Pet Owners Survey.

The good news? Paws Up for Pets connects pet-owning families to free and low-cost services that improve quality of life for them and their animals, such as spays/neuters, vaccines, vet care and pet food through C.A.R.E.4Paws.

In addition to C.A.R.E.4Paws original Paws Up collaborators, United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County and Daveys Voice, Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise has joined as a partner with a $1,500 grant to support:

Paws Up workbooks, badges, certificates and Stay Pawsitive t-shirts for at least 50 children participating in the program.

The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise, made up of local business, professional and civic leaders, has a history of supporting impactful community service programs that make a positive difference in the lives of youth," said Chris Baxter, Rotary Club president.

Sunrise Rotary is thrilled to support C.A.R.E.4Paws new, innovative Paws Up for Pets program, which teaches compassion for animals and anti-bullying," he said.

To support Paws Up for Pets or for more information about the program and its sponsors, visit care4paws.org/youthprograms, call 968-2273 or email [emailprotected]

Isabelle Gullo for C.A.R.E.4Paws.

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The Golden Rule Manila Bulletin News – Manila Bulletin

Posted: at 5:45 pm

Published June 26, 2017, 10:00 PM

Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus said to His disciples: Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

REFLECTION

DO TO OTHERS. Jesus saying, Do to others whatever you would have them do to you (v 12), has been known as the Golden Rule since the 18th century. The rule, in essence, encapsulates the Law and the Prophets. This is not distinctly Christian as in antiquity there were many variations of this saying, although in the negative form. Tobit reminds his son Tobiah, Do to no one what you yourself hate (Tb 4:15). Rabbi Hillel, a contemporary of Jesus, is reported to have said, What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow creatures. The negative formulation may also be found among sages of other faiths.

On the other hand, the Law and the Prophets or the essence of the Scriptures would be summarized in other ways. Jesus Himself says that the commandment of love of God and neighbor is the first and the sum of all the commandments (cf Mk 12:30-31). And the Apostle Paul declares, Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom 13:10).

The Golden Rulein the positive or negative formis so basic that it is almost implanted in our conscience. If we use common sense or are in our right mind, we will avoid doing to others what we would not like done to ourselves. But Jesus opens a wider vista for doing good. One does not just refrain from harming; one goes out to do good to others.

In your dealings with other people, are you guided by the Golden Rule? Have you followed this lately?

SOURCE: 365 Days with the Lord 2017, ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: books@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

Tags: Jesus, Law, Matthew 5:43-48, prophets, REFLECTION, The Golden Rule

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Liberal mosque founder vows to keep it open despite Egyptian fatwa and death threats – The Independent

Posted: at 5:44 pm

A man leaves after voting in the Mongolian presidential election at the Erdene Sum Ger (Yurt) polling station in Tuul Valley. Mongolians cast ballots on June 26 to choose between a horse breeder, a judoka and a feng shui master in a presidential election rife with corruption scandals and nationalist rhetoric

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People attend Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at a play ground in the suburb of Sale, Morocco

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A plain-clothes police officer kicks a member of a group of LGBT rights activist as Turkish police prevent them from going ahead with a Gay Pride annual parade on 25 June 2017 in Istanbul, a day after it was banned by the city governor's office.

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Pakistan army soldiers stands guard while rescue workers examine the site of an oil tanker explosion at a highway near Bahawalpur, Pakistan. An overturned oil tanker burst into flames in Pakistan on Sunday, killing more than one hundred people who had rushed to the scene of the highway accident to gather leaking fuel, an official said.

Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a landslide that occurred in Xinmo Village, Mao County, Sichuan province, China

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Student activists shout anti martial law slogans during a protest in Manila on June 23, 2017

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A diver performs from the Pont Alexandre III bridge into the River Seine in Paris, France, June 23, 2017 as Paris transforms into a giant Olympic park to celebrate International Olympic Days with a variety of sporting events for the public across the city during two days as the city bids to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Reuters

Debris and smoke are seen after an OV-10 Bronco aircraft released a bomb, during an airstrike, as government troops continue their assault against insurgents from the Maute group, who have taken over parts of Marawi city, Philippines June 23, 2017

Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) stands under pouring rain during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of the Nazi German invasion, by the Kremlin walls in Moscow, on June 22, 2017

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Smoke rises following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, on June 22, 2017

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Iraqis flee from the Old City of Mosul on June 22, 2017, during the ongoing offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group

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Girls stand in monsoon rains beside an open laundry in New Delhi, India

Reuters

People take part in the 15th annual Times Square yoga event celebrating the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, during classes in the middle of Times Square in New York. The event marked the international day of yoga.

Reuters

Faroe Islanders turn the sea red after slaughtering hundreds of whales as part of annual tradition

Rex

A firefighting plane tackles a blaze in Cadafaz, near Goes, Portugal

Reuters

A person participates in a journalists' protest asking for justice in recent attacks on journalists in Mexico City, Mexico, 15 June 2017

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Poland's Piotr Lobodzinski starts in front of the Messeturm, Fairground Tower, in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run

A runner lies on the ground after arriving at the finish line in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run

A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union

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A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform on the tarmac at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union

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French President Emmanuel Macron with his wife Brigitte Trogneux cast their ballot at their polling station in the first round of the French legislatives elections in Le Touquet, northern France

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A Thai worker paints on a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Guan Yin at a Chinese temple in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Guan Yin is one of the most popular and well known Chinese Goddess in Asia and in the world. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in Mahayana Buddhism and also worshiped by Taoist

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem. An Israeli court has ordered a journalist to pay more than $25,000 in damages to Netanyahu and his wife Sara for libeling them. The magistrate court in Tel Aviv ruled Sunday that Igal Sarna libeled the couple for writing a Facebook post that claimed the prime minister's wife kicked the Israeli leader out of their car during a fight

Parkour enthusiasts train on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Originally developed in France, the training discipline is gaining popularity in Brazil

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Volunteers spread mozzarella cheese toppings on the Guinness World Record attempt for the Longest Pizza in Fontana, California, USA. The pizza was planned to be 7000 feet (2.13 km) to break the previous record of 6082 feet (1.8 km) set in Naples, Italy in 2016

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Jamaica's Olympic champion Usain Bolt gestures after winning his final 100 metres sprint at the 2nd Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica

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Usain Bolt of Jamaica salutes the crowd after winning 100m 'Salute to a Legend' race during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships

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Police officers investigate at the Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A car ploughed into pedestrians and injured at least five people outside the station. The background of the incident was not immediately known, though police state they have 'no indication whatsoever' the incident was an attack

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Protesters stand off before police during a demonstration against corruption, repression and unemployment in Al Hoseima, Morocco. The neglected Rif region has been rocked by social unrest since the death in October of a fishmonger. Mouhcine Fikri, 31, was crushed in a rubbish truck as he protested against the seizure of swordfish caught out of season and his death has sparked fury and triggered nationwide protests

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A man looks on at a migrant and refugee makeshift camp set up under the highway near Porte de la Chapelle, northern Paris

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Damaged cars are seen stacked in the middle of a road in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood during ongoing battles to try to take the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters

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Smoke billows following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa

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Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures next to Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto during a welcome ceremony at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico

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Soldiers and residents carry the body of a Muslim boy who was hit by a stray bullet while praying inside a mosque, as government troops continue their assault against insurgents from the Maute group, who has taken over large parts of the Marawi City, Philippines

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Opposition demonstrators protest for the death on the eve of young activist Neomar Lander during clashes with riot police, in Caracas

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Neomar Lander, a 17-year-old boy was killed during a march in the Chacao district in eastern Caracas on Wednesday, taking the overall death toll since the beginning of April to 66, according to prosecutors

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Former FBI director James Comey is sworn in during a hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

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Former FBI Director James Comey testifies during a US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

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Usain Bolt of Jamaica trains at the University of West Indies in Kingston. Bolt says he is looking forward to having a party as he launches his final season on June 10 with what will be his last race on Jamaican soil. The 30-year-old world's fasted man plans to retire from track and field after the 2017 London World Championships in August

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Acquanetta Warren, Mayor of Fontana, California, reacts after US President Donald Trump introduced himself before the Infrastructure Summit with Governors and Mayors at the White House in Washington, US

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Frenchman Alain Castany, sentenced to 20 years on charges of drug trafficking in the 'Air Cocaine' affair, leaves the prison in Santo Domingo, on his way to France, where he is being transferred for medical reason

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A woman reacts at the place where 17-year-old demonstrator Neomar Lander died during riots at a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, June 8, 2017. The sign reads: 'Neomar, entertainer for ever'

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Liberal mosque founder vows to keep it open despite Egyptian fatwa and death threats - The Independent

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The "Progressive Liberal" Is Maybe The Perfect Wrestling Heel – Deadspin

Posted: at 5:44 pm

Kentucky-based Appalachian Mountain Wrestling has graced the world with the presence of Progressive Liberal Dan Richards. He definitely isnt a face.

Here are some of Richardss promosone of them has him in a shirt covered in a bunch of Hillary Clinton facesas well as a tag-team match in which Richards has PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL plastered across the back of his briefs:

During a ring appearance earlier this year, Richards cut an in-ring promo in which he praised Hillary, and was interrupted by attendees chanting Feel the Bern! At about the 2:08 mark, some little kid yelled, You better shut up, always a mark of decent heat.

You know what, I think Bernie Sanders would make a great Secretary of State, Richards said before being jeered. Later on, he tried to persuade the crowd. I want to exchange your bullets for bullet points. Bullet points of knowledge. A few minutes later, Timmy Lou Retton came out to wrestle. (Richards lost. You know who would have won, though?)

The Progressive Liberal is a solid character. He strikes the right level of condescension and punchable smugness. His line deliverys a little suspect and his actual wrestling leaves something to be desired, but those can be remedied. At its root, this is a good gimmick. If youre in Kentucky and free on Friday, watch Richards against some guy in a sleeveless shirt in a Crybaby Match, where the loser will have to wear a diaper and suck on a bottle.

H/t to @MurderBryan

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The "Progressive Liberal" Is Maybe The Perfect Wrestling Heel - Deadspin

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Liberal MPs secretly drafting private members’ bill to legalise same-sex marriage – The Sydney Morning Herald

Posted: at 5:44 pm

TwoLiberal MPs havebeen secretlyworking on a plantolegalise same-sex marriage in Australia as soon as August, with a draft copy of the laws well advanced and consultation with advocates underway.

Fairfax Media can reveal WAsenator Dean Smith and NSW lower house MP Trent Zimmerman are working ona private members' billthey hope willbe presented to Parliament to legalise same-sex marriage through a conscience vote, rather than the Turnbull government's stated policy of a national, non-bindingplebiscite.

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Liberal minister Christopher Pyne has reportedly been caught on tape saying marriage equality would happen "sooner than everyone thinks."

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Liberal minister Christopher Pyne has reportedly been caught on tape saying marriage equality would happen "sooner than everyone thinks."

It's understoodcabinet ministers Christopher Pyne and GeorgeBrandis- both of whom support same-sex marriage - are aware of the existence of the bill, which is designed to end the politicalimpasse over the issue and get it off the political agenda before the next federal election.

Senator Smith and Mr Zimmermanhave been consulting with the director of legal advocacy at Melbourne's Human Rights Law Centre,Anna Brown, who is also the co-chair of Australians for Equality, on the details of the legislation.

In keeping with the recommendations of a February Senate committee report, the draft bill would allow exemptions for religious and other celebrants who did not wish to marry two people of the same sex.

While the bill is unlikelytobe selected fordebate by thegovernment-controlled parliamentarycommittee that choosesbills, it wouldtake only a handful of Liberal MPsto side with the opposition and cross bench, reach an absolute majority of 76 votesand force the lawto be considered.

Once that happens,Liberal MPs who support same-sex marriage could team up with Labor and the crossbench onthe floor ofParliamentto legalise same-sex marriage.

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The bill would almost certainly then sail through the Senate with the support ofLabor, the Greens, the crossbench and some Liberal senators.

Senator Smith was unavailable for comment because he is travelling, while Mr Zimmerman and Ms Brown declined to comment when contacted by Fairfax Media. Senator Brandis and Mr Pyne were also contacted for comment.

In a statement, Mr Pyne said "the government has no plans to alter the policy".

However, in an interview with Huffington Post Australia, Senator Smith said there was a "natural symmetry" about having a free vote in Parliament on the two-year anniversary of government adopting its now-defeated plebiscite policy in August.

Liberal moderates are frustrated by the lack of action on same-sex marriage following the defeat of the plebiscite earlier this year, and believe Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull should stand up to the conservative wing of the Liberal Party and allow a free vote on the floor of the parliament.

However, Mr Turnbull will face pressure from the conservative wing of his party not to allow a free vote to occur.

MrTurnbull - who personallysupports same-sex marriage but is concerned about keeping the conservative wing of his party onside -said on Monday his government'sposition ofa non-binding national plebiscite on the matter was clear and that "we have no plans to change it, full stop".

Those comments were made after a leaked audio recording of Mr Pyne emerged on Monday, in which the Leader of the House predicted same-sex marriage could be legalised "sooner than everyone thinks".

Mr Pyne's remarks were made at a gathering of Liberal moderates on Friday night in Sydney as the Liberal federal council met. The recording wasleaked to conservative News Corp columnist Andrew Bolt.

He told the gathering of moderates that "we [Liberal moderates] are in the winner's circle but we have to deliver a couple of things and one of those we've got to deliver before too long is marriage equality in this country".

"Your friends in Canberra are working on that outcome."

That leak prompted former prime minister Tony Abbott, who introduced the plebiscite policy nearly two years ago, to accuse Mr Pyne of not being fair dinkum and suggesting he was disloyal to the government.

"To dump the plebiscite, to do anything without a plebiscite would be a breach of faith with the people," Mr Abbott told radio station 2GB.

-with Fergus Hunter

Liberal MPs secretly drafting private members' bill to legalise same-sex marriage - The Sydney Morning Herald

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ESPN exec slams FS1 for trying to create liberal agenda narrative – Awful Announcing

Posted: at 5:44 pm

One of the most popular sports media debates of 2017 has been the existence, or lack thereof, of ESPNs liberal agenda. The extremelypolarizing election cycle of 2016has bled into pretty much every aspect of our culture and sports is no different. And with ESPN at the top of the mountain and FS1 attempting to dethrone Bristol, some of their personalities have tried to cling on to this polarization to create an us versus them mentality to divide and conquer ESPNs audience.

FS1, namely led by Clay Travis and Jason Whitlock, have repeatedly tried to paint ESPN as having a liberal agenda. It hasnt really done anything to improve FS1s ratings, it cant really be blamed forESPNs business struggles, but the narrative now definitely exists. ESPN has tried to discount the narrative with surveys of their own, but sometimes narratives are all that matter in media.

Finally, an ESPN executive has gone on record swinging back on FS1 after taking it on the chin for several months. In Mondays Sports Business Journal, ESPN Executive VP of Programming Burke Magnus calls the FS1 narrative false and in a very calculating move, refuses to even mention FS1 by name.

One of ESPNs top executives accused Fox Sports of advocating what he called a false notion that the network operates with a liberal bias.

The whole narrative is a false one that was seeded and perpetuated primarily by a direct business competitor, said Burke Magnus, ESPNs executive vice president of programming and scheduling. We have no political agenda whatsoever.

Fox Sports has given voice to many of the accusations of ESPNs liberal bias. For example, Fox Sports 1s afternoon studio show co-host, Jason Whitlock, wrote a May 7 editorial for The Wall Street Journal in which he accused ESPN of adhering to a strict obedience to progressive political correctness.

Magnus went on to tout ESPNs talking point when it comes to allegations of the networks liberal bias, that it wouldnt make sense to step into politics and alienate half of their audience. He hits back at FS1 for trying to take advantage of the hyper-partisan political scene themselves to make a splash.

It would be foolish in the business that were in to take sides on the political arena, Magnus said. Our business competitor perpetuates this narrative because in this highly partisan time, it suits them to highlight this distinction, even when it doesnt exist.

As is usually the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Theres no denying that ESPN has become more liberal. Just look at the facts and their decision making over the last few year when it comes to programming, on-air talent, how that talent speaks out on social media, and so on and so forth. However, the result of ESPN leaning left has been more organic from a drive to become more diverse versusa top-down conspiracy to try to align the networks philosophy with MSNBC. FS1 would have you believe that ESPN is dedicating the 5th inning of Sunday Night Baseball to do an Elizabeth Warren 2020 infomercial and its just not true.

FS1s brazen personalities have overblown it for sure, butthe narrative that exists has definitely had an impact on ESPN as rare as it is to see them come out and swing back at FS1. And you can tell how fed up ESPN is with it when one of their top executives refuses to call them by name. Who knows, perhaps the decision to bring back Hank Williams Jr. is a way to try to prove that ESPN is not in fact leading the deep state resistance to Donald Trump.

It hasnt brought FS1 any closer to actually competing with ESPN, but it hasmade a lot of people annoyed and upset on all sides.

[Sports Business Journal]

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ESPN exec slams FS1 for trying to create liberal agenda narrative - Awful Announcing

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Poll: Younger Republicans have more liberal opinions on … – The Hill – The Hill

Posted: at 5:44 pm

Younger Republicans have more liberal opinions on immigration than do older members of the GOP, according to a new poll.

Forty-one percent of all Republicans in a pollconductedby the Public Religion Research Institute says immigrants face a lot of discrimination in the United States, The Associated Press reported.

Sixty percent among Republicans between the ages of 18 and 29 answered the same way, however, compared to only about one-third of voters ages 65 and older.

The poll found that 63 percent of Americans overall say there's a lot of discrimination against immigrations.

A slight majority of Republicans of all ages, 55 percent, say immigrants in the U.S. illegally should have a path to citizenship "if certain conditions are met."

But among younger Republicans, 62 percent responded that immigrants in the U.S. should have a legal path to citizenship.

Republicans of different ages also have opposing views on gay rights, according to the poll.

Fifty-four percent of Republicans between the ages of 18 and 29 say gay and lesbian couples should be able to marry, while just half that percentage of older Republicans responded the same way.

The poll was conducted with 40,509 interviews from May 18, 2016, to Jan. 10, 2017. The margin of error is 0.6 percentage points.

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Poll: Younger Republicans have more liberal opinions on ... - The Hill - The Hill

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Daily Archives: June 26, 2017

Why I Love Che Guevara T-Shirts – Being Libertarian

An Unexpected Key to Freedom – Being Libertarian

The Golden Rule of Online Dating Photos – The Good Men Project (blog)

Kids Learning Golden Rule Applies to Treatment of Animals … – Noozhawk

The Golden Rule Manila Bulletin News – Manila Bulletin

Liberal mosque founder vows to keep it open despite Egyptian fatwa and death threats – The Independent

The "Progressive Liberal" Is Maybe The Perfect Wrestling Heel – Deadspin

Liberal MPs secretly drafting private members’ bill to legalise same-sex marriage – The Sydney Morning Herald

ESPN exec slams FS1 for trying to create liberal agenda narrative – Awful Announcing

Poll: Younger Republicans have more liberal opinions on … – The Hill – The Hill

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