Category Archives: Politically Incorrect

The publics relationship with health and authority has changed substantially over the previous decades, with people now demanding greater individual control and decision-making in healthcare.

The fancy words, epistemologies and sociological frameworks that underpin all this are all incredibly interesting, but it ultimately boils down to one word. Respect.

As we enter into whatever-week-this-is-actually-who-can-even-remember-what-time-as-a-concept-is-any-more of lockdown, pandemic fatigue is gripping us all and respect is becoming increasingly important.

Ongoing compliance with and support of public health directives cannot be taken for granted, but is dependent on mutually respectful relationships that foster goodwill. This requires authorities and the public to view each other as working constructively in partnership and is something we see across public health interventions.

Ive noticed clear parallels to my work on reaching out to vaccine hesitant parents to increase uptake, and there are a few lessons to learn from it.

While the odd charlatan or grifter is lurking around most people are actually trying in their own way to do the right thing by public health. However, misinformation, confusion or inability to access necessary resources often results in well-intentioned people having significantly different sometimes factually incorrect views of what this right thing is.

The problem comes when politicising such differences becomes more of a focus than addressing them.

Most Australians support public health interventions. In fact, politicians have learned during the pandemic they can receive significant political dividends from them. Its true in vaccination too, as support for vaccines in Australia is high and opposition low.

This has meant targeting non-compliant persons is a vote winner.

Populist approaches to public health are smart politics but they make for stupid policy. The political threshold for success in infectious disease management is a simple majority, but public health thresholds are much higher youll need to win over 90% of the population to achieve herd immunity in vaccine campaigns, for example.

This means to put it bluntly only a small percentage needs to be put offside to stuff it up for everyone. Only a very small minority are intransigently opposed to initiatives like lockdowns or vaccination, which means there is capacity to bring those genuinely sitting on the fence on board.

Unfortunately alienating the small percentage required to reach these thresholds remains a politically popular strategy.

Those not immediately taking up the intervention or wanting to ask questions about vaccines, for example, are often immediately pejoratively labelled as anti-vaxxers or selfish dummy mummies (an actual headline!).

Similar politicisation is occurring in Covid, where the infected and those in hotspots are increasingly viewed as possessing some form of moral failure.

Rather than bringing people on board, such responses can lead people to oppositional sources, as they are often the only ones offering empathy, understanding and respect.

People are more likely to be the victims of misinformation than they are the proponents or supporters of it.

Despite this, some politicians have now decided bringing the public along with them is too hard. Rather than trusting, communicating and working with the public to achieve goals, a one-way conversation has been imposed with threats for non-compliance.

Cutting off the two-way conversation is likely to erode trust, and being involved matters.

Weve heard multiple stories of parents who had no questions about vaccinating their children until they had negative experiences of provider-imposed loss of autonomy, decision-making and control during birthing in institutional settings, eroding their trust in medicine and making them question the very value of the institutions themselves.

We are likely to see a similar erosion of trust if public health interventions become something the government does to us rather than with us, which threatens compliance and sustainability of public health responses in the longer term.

Militarisation and policification of the governments response are certainly not helping, particularly in those communities who already have trust issues with those institutions.

Some of the harsher interventions are more pandemic security theatre than evidence-based public health. Rather than being told why initiatives are important, were told they just are, and that well be fined if we dont. Avoiding such discussions is counterproductive and breaks down trust.

Vaccine hesitancy studies highlight frustrations when doctors refuse to acknowledge any risks of vaccines, even when such risks are presented on product material (note: driving to the appointment is still the most dangerous part of vaccination).

Refusal to discuss particular issues and avoiding conversations erodes trust once you dont trust someone to be honest about one issue, it is likely you will wonder about other issues too. Governments need to be careful not to waste the publics trust and goodwill on harsh public health interventions that look like action, with little evidence, and even less explanation.

We shouldnt forget access issues and social determinants in this response. The back story of the person with an unvaccinated child was more likely to be related to access issues than opposition for example a single parent in precarious casual employment who cancelled the appointment because they were offered an additional shift, and couldnt make another one.

Access issues are key in the pandemic response too. Vaccinations and testing remain harder to access than they should be, one million people have been told to register with a non-existent platform or they cant enter or leave certain areas, and were seeing social supports for the most disadvantaged ramp down while the pandemic ramps up.

Compliance is not just about getting individuals to do the right thing, Its also about breaking down barriers to being able to do the right thing. We have a long way to go in this pandemic, but its going to be a lot longer if the government doesnt bring the public back as an active partner in managing its response.

We keep hearing that were all in this together, we need to see it as well.

Jon Wardle is a professor of public health at Southern Cross University

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Heavy-handed interventions from governments arent the answer to hesitancy, building trust is - The Guardian

Photo: Eugenie Scott, by Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

Writing at Evolution News, Casey Luskin points out that a survey, reporting that a majority of Americans now accept evolution, didnt address the real issue. That is because evolution is not adequately defined. A co-author of the study, Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education, has been doing this for a long time.

See the following from Chapter One of my 2006 book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design:

The many meanings of evolution are frequently exploited by Darwinists to distract their critics.Eugenie Scott recommends: Define evolution as an issue of the history of the planet: as the way we try to understand change through time. The present is different from the past. Evolution happened, there is no debate within science as to whether it happened, and so on I have used this approach at the college level.1

Of course, no college student indeed, no grade-school dropout doubts that the present is different from the past.Once Scott gets them nodding in agreement, she gradually introduces them to The Big Idea that all species including monkeys and humans are related through descent from a common ancestor.Darwin called this descent with modification, and it is still the best definition of evolution we can use.2

This tactic is called equivocation changing the meaning of a term in the middle of an argument.

Note that even Scotts best definition omits the real sticking point, namely that Darwinian descent with modification is (according to Darwin) unguided.

How many Americans accept Darwins belief that human beings are the result of an unguided, purposeless process? The survey doesnt come close to telling us.

Read more from the original source:
Equivocation as a Tactic in the Evolution Debate - Discovery Institute

Michael Grossberg| Special to The Columbus Dispatch

Jim Gaffigan, Nikki Glaser, Chelsea Handler, D.L. Hughley, Kevin James, Leanne Morgan, Brian Regan, Ron White and Steven Wright are just of a few of the many stand-up comedians and comedy acts visiting Columbus next season eager to resume touring after the worst of the pandemic is, hopefully, behind us.

Along with locally produced central Ohio comedy shows such as Shadowbox Live (with a new edition of Holiday Hoopla) andMadLabTheatre (producing its first Love and Laughter Festival as a showcase for five smaller troupes), such comedy shows aim to satisfy audiences eager to laugh again after a long lockdown of live comedy.

When: 7 p.m. Sept.10

Where: Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

What: The Chicago-born comedian is known for his distinctive physical style; roles in the films Green Book and The Irishman; TV comedy specials forNetflix, Showtime and Comedy Central; and for being honored by Billboard as their inaugural Comedian of the Year.

Admission: $63.25 to $153.13

Information:CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 8 p.m. Sept. 13

Where: Riffe Centers Davidson Theatre, 77 S. High St.

What: The larger-than-life drag queen and outrageous comic, a self-professed clown in a gown otherwise known as Ray Haylock, became well-known from winning the sixth season of "RuPauls DragRace" withher snarky frankness, timing and politically incorrect humor.

Admission: $41.50 to $227

Information:CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7 p.m. Sept.16

Where: Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

What: The comedian, who has appeared on The View, Dr. Phil and Sirius XM comedy channels, is known for her southern charm and storytelling about her life as a mother of three with a husband.

Admission: $35 on rear main floor and rear balcony, but mostly sold out

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center, 614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 8 p.m. Sept. 18

Where: Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

What: The bestselling comedian, whos had four comedy specials on Comedy Central and Netflix and reached No. 1 on Billboard charts for his comedy album LiveFromSeattle, is known for comedy about his family and son, and the intricacies of Filipino traditions.

Admission: $48 to $188

Information:CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30

Where: Riffe Centers Davidson Theatre, 77 S. High St.

What: The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts will present the two Canadian moms, bestselling authors and Facebook/Instagram favorites whose touring comedy show (including male dancers) focuses on moms and dismantles unrealistic media portrayals of motherhood comedian moms.

Admission: $28.25 to $107

Information:CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 8 p.m. Oct. 9

Where: Riffe Centers Davidson Theatre, 77 S. High St.

What: A nurse before he became a comedian and internet sensation, Orlando native Blake Lynch is known for his humorous videos on the lives of nurses and patients, and for leading a successful campaign through his Bannned4Life organization to raise awareness and repeal an outdated FDA ban on gay men donating blood.

Admission: $34 to $109

Information:CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7 p.m. Oct.22

Where: Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.

What: The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts will present the comedian-actor/radio host, who starred in the Netflix comedy special Tom Papa: Youre Doing Great! and wrote the book Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas.

Admission: $29.30 to $58.70

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 8 p.m. Oct. 22

Where: Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

What: The Atlanta-born comedian-podcaster-actress, billed as your favorite high-functioning hot mess, became famous for her Instagram page and self-deprecating style.

Admission: $36.50 to $166.50

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center, 614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7 p.m. Oct. 29

Where: Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

What: The comedian, whos performed two Netflix specials The Tennessee Kid and The Greatest Average American, has appeared on late-night TV shows with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon, hosts a weekly Nateland podcast and has performed more than five times for U.S. troops.

Admission: $39.75 to $159.75

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 7

Where: Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

What: The comedian-actor starred for nine seasons in the CBS series The King of Queens, co-starred with Adam Sandler in theGrownUps filmsandI Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry; and produced, co-wrote and starred in the Paul Blart: MallCop filmcomedies.

Admission: $45 to $75

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 12

Where: Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St.

What: The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts will present the comedian, a Cincinnati native who likes to talk about sex and dating, hosts podcasts, and produces and hosts MTV and Comedy Central shows.

Admission: $38.50

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7 and 9:30 p.m. Nov. 13

Where: Riffe Center, Davidson Theatre, 77 S. High St.

What: The comedian-actor-podcaster and TV personality hosts the This Past Weekend podcast and co-hosts the King and the Sting podcast with comedian Brendan Schaub.

Admission: $45.60, but mostly sold out

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 13

Where: Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

What: The comedian, who had a seven-year run as host of E!s late-night show Chelsea Lately, has written six bestselling books (five that reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list), including 2019s Life Will Be the Death of Me.

Admission: $49.50 to $126 to $219.50

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center, 614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 14

Where: Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd.

What: The comedian-actor-writer-producer, nominated six times for Grammy Awards and a multi-platinum-selling recording artist, has written two bestselling books.

Admission: $39.75 to $79.75

Information: 614-246-2000,www.nationwidearena.com

When: 7 and 9:30 p.m. Nov. 18

Where: Riffe Centers Davidson Theatre, 77 S. High St.

What: The writer-actor-comedian-musician isisknown for viral videos and his sketches about the quirks of particular groups (Millennial Girlfriend School, Moms and Middle Schoolers During Flu Season Be Like).

Admission: $35 to $99

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center, 614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: Nov. 18 through Dec. 23

Where: 503 S. Front St.

What: Shadowbox Live presents a new edition of its annual holiday production, the troupes most popular company-created sketch-comedy and music show, offering songs and original sketches celebrating the season and poking fun at holiday and family stresses.

Admission: $80 to $130 for tables of two;or $160 to $260 for tables of four

Information: 614-416-7625,www.shadowboxlive.org

When: 8 p.m. Nov. 19

Where: Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

What: The scotch-drinking, cigar-smoking comedian, rescheduled from 2020 because of the pandemic, shares stories from real life fromgrowing up in a small Texas town to his career-launching experiences from theBlue CollarComedy Tour.

Admission: $50.25

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: Nov. 19-21

Where: Funny Bone Comedy Club, Easton Town Center

What: The comedian, whose act is suggested for mature audiences, produced and starred in a namesake ABC/UPN TV sitcom, hosts an afternoon nationally syndicated radio show and wrote the book How Not to Get Shot, And Other Advice from White People.

Admission: to be announced

Information: 614-471-5653,www.columbus.funnybone.com

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 20

Where: Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

What: The California-native comedian, described by Variety in 2019 as one of the Top 10 Comics to Watch, has appeared on Comedy Central, late-night TV talk shows, and had her first Netflix show (Quarter-Life Crisis) in 2020.

Admission: $29.75 to $139.75

Information: CBUSArtsTicket Center,614-469-0939,www.cbusarts.com

When: 7 p.m. Dec. 9

Where: Riffe Centers Davidson Theatre, 77 S. High St.

See the rest here:
Everyone is ready to laugh again, and 23 comedians are on their way to Columbus to help - The Columbus Dispatch

Oliver Bucher found clear words on the topic of political correctness. BUILD: IMAGOO IMAGES / IMAGE OF THE FUTURE

Oliver Bucher Always available for controversial ads. So he recently took over Instagram For example, Kathy Hummels was targeted when she announced that she would be gender-neutral in the future language Application. In the talk of the image08:15It was now so explicitly about political correctness that the comedian found clear words. In addition, a completely different topic was taken up: the 43-year-olds retirement pension.

What is comedy allowed to do nowadays? asks Bucher on the set, which also featured Sofia Tomala and Bild head policy, Jan Schaefer. for him Opinion There should be no limits to humor. It should be possible to make fun of politically incorrect things, he demanded. In his view, this is (no longer) easily possible at the moment at least you risk a storm of bullshit in social networks. Pocher complained:

A father of five also complained of a movement towards the abolition of culture. They also mentioned that he now has scissors in his head that always prevents him from saying things in public. It was a bitter epilogue things are getting worse every day, while the black humor is liberating. Anyway, making humor naturally became more difficult.

But theres more bad news for him, too, as the comedian recently wrestled with his current statutory pension entitlement. Result: Currently I get 300 to 400 euros. As a reason, Bucher cites that not much is paid in the statutory retirement system, only some acting jobs require a deposit.

The pension system cannot be maintained at all everyone knows thatPocher then immediately summarizes and criticizes the fact that topics like this are completely neglected in the current election campaign.

(Atmosphere)

The semi-finals of Celebrity Big Brother were announced on Saturday 1st, and the remaining nominees have endured each other for nearly three weeks. However, the final episode was overshadowed by controversy, with fans on social media suspecting that the live game wasnt quite right.

The challenge was to make the helium balloon leash disappear in the mouth as quickly as possible. Turns out Melanie Mueller is an expert

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Travel aficionado. Certified problem solver. Pop culture guru. Typical writer. Entrepreneur. Coffee trailblazer.

Excerpt from:
Oliver Bucher complains: 'The situation is getting worse every day' - Socialpost

Phyllis Chesler is an Emerita Professor of Psychology at City University of New York. She is a best-selling author, a legendary feminist leader, a retired psychotherapist and expert courtroom witness. She has lectured and organized political, legal, religious, and human rights campaigns in the United States, Canada, Europe, Israel, and the Far East. Dr. Chesler is a co-founder of the Association for Women in Psychology (1969), The National Womens Health Network (1974), and The International Committee for Women of the Wall (1989). She is a Shillman-Ginsburg Fellow at The Middle East Forum, and a fellow at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). Professor Chesler may be reached at her website http://www.phyllis-chesler.com

NEW YORK, NY August 26, 2021 I know. Strategy is everything. Without weighing all the consequences, without planning a long range game, we end up in Kabul as it is today, on 8/26/21. And yet: ISIS-K is also fighting with the Taliban. I say: Get em both. This cannot stand. They have just killed the bravest of our soldiers who were engaged in a humanitarian rescue mission.

Do not believe the Taliban promises about being a kinder, gentler organization. They have been terrorizing people all across the country and beating and whipping people as they tried to escape.

Its Bidens war now. He has shamed and dishonored our country in a breathtaking way. He brought it on himself, on our NATO allies, and on all the Afghans who came to believe in Western post-Enlightenment values. Biden shut the airports down and left military equipment behind before the very last soldier, the very last Afghan ally, dissident, gay, feminist were safelyvery safely out.

Biden (his character, his flaws, his stubbornness), his administration, and whoever is pulling their strings are to blame.

This cannot stand.

Books written by Author / Prof. Phyllis Chesler

# # #

The dramatic, riveting, and timely tale of how one womans harrowing ordeal in a harem in Afghanistan shaped her into a modern feminist leader and life-long defender of human rights. Eighteen years old and in love, Phyllis Chesler, a Jewish-American girl from Brooklyn, embarked on a passionate love affair with a glamorous foreign student, which led Chesler to her destiny and nearly to her death in Kabul and to a journey which has lasted for more than half a century. Upon arrival, Afghan authorities seized her American passport, and Chesler found herself trapped as the property of her husbands polygamous family, without an ally and without any rights. Despite her seclusion, her mother-in-laws campaign to convert her from Judaism to Islam, and her husbands wish to permanently tie her to the country through childbirth, she escaped. Yet these lovers, a Muslim and a Jew, have remained connected ever since.

Chesler draws upon personal diaries, correspondence, memories, and research in this vivid and eye-opening account of what she learned about central Asia and the nature of gender apartheid. Though she nearly died in Afghanistan, Phyllis nostalgically recreates this beautiful, ancient, and exotic culture and country, including its Buddhist and Jewish history. An American Bride in Kabul is the story of how a nave American girl learned to see the world through eastern as well as western eyes. She re-creates a time gone by, a place that is no more, and shares the way in which Chesler turned adversity into a passion for freedom and womens rights.

This is a psychological adventure story and constitutes another kind of travel literature. What Chesler learned about Afghan and Islamic culture will help us understand many of the global challenges of the 21st centuryincluding fundamentalist misogyny, religious intolerance, terrorism, the fate of progressives, and cultural misunderstandings.

# # #

Phyllis Chesler is the author of 18 books, including An American Bride in Kabul and A Politically Incorrect Feminist.She is also a 2013 recipient of the National Jewish Book Award, and a Ginsburg-Ingerman Fellow at the Middle East.

See the original post here:
America Must Now Crush the Taliban and ISIS-K and By Phyllis Chesler - Yonkers Tribune.

I applaud the efforts described by Sara Elder (July 29) and Peter Sugarman (Aug. 12) regarding the work by Louisa County High School students to learn about climate change. Involvement with major issues, at the age of these students, can only help us toward a better future.

It is unfortunate, however, that each of these letters adds to the confusion about the causes of climate change. Both bow to political correctness and in the process confuse weather with climate change. Yes, the carbon emissions by mankind contribute to global warming. And yes, we are experiencing unusual weather events, but not that unusual if we look back over the past 100 years. What is generally misunderstood is the relatively large component of climate change that is a result of natural causes. These natural phenomena include changes in the orbit of the earth around the sun, changes in the tilt of the earth in its orbit, precession (wobble) of the earth in its orbit, changes in the level of the suns radiation, changes in the amount of radiation reaching the earths atmosphere, etc.

Over the past 20,000 years we have been in a warming period. There had been a massive, thick ice sheet covering much of North America, and Northern Europe and Asia. Over this period there is evidence of intermediate temperature variations of plus or minus 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. These changes have all occurred without any contribution from the activities of mankind. This is happening whether or not we make substantial efforts to reduce man-made carbon emissions. We ought to do what we can to minimize carbon emissions at a reasonable cost, but what we achieve is unlikely to produce a measurable effect on the trajectory of temperature change in the environment.

Where we can make a meaningful difference, however, is in taking measures that help us adapt to the changes that are certain to occur. These include avoiding building in floodplains and on the ocean shore line. We need to manage our forests better, to eliminate the materials that can feed large fires. We can also look at measures that would block some of the suns radiation from reaching the surface of the earth. We can take measures to adapt to living in a warmer climate, realizing that more people today die due to cold temperatures rather than the heat.

I realize that this view is generally considered to be politically incorrect. The woke folks will tell you that the science of climate change is settled. The climate change we are experiencing is primarily caused by the actions of mankind, through the emission of greenhouse gases. You know this is so by listening to the political pundits discussing the results reported in the various United Nations IPCC (International Panel of Climate Change) reports that have been issued over the years. Fortunately, there have been a number of scientists who have taken the trouble to analyze the raw data behind the reports before it is filtered by editors through political lenses to suit the current correct narrative on this subject.

It is beyond the scope of a letter to the editor to present a full explanation of the current scientific views of climate change. I highly recommend, however, a book on this subject by Dr. Steven Koonin, a professor in the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering at New York University. Dr. Koonin was an advisor in the Obama Administration. Before that he spent 30 years teaching at Caltech, specializing in data analysis and generating mathematical models using this data. The title of the book (published in April 2021) is Unsettled, What Climate Science Tells Us, What it Doesnt, and Why It Matters. The publisher is BenBella Books, Dallas, Texas.

Originally posted here:
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Don't assume that humans cause climate change - The Central Virginian

A leading Uyghur entrepreneur who returned from a visit to the United States in 2016 and vanished without a trace has been confirmed detained by authorities in an internment camp in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, sources familiar with the case told RFA.

Mahmutjan Memetjan, 35, was picked up by authorities in 2017, the year authorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) launched a vast network of internment camps that has incarcerated some 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities accused of harboring strong religious views and politically incorrect ideas, RFA has learned from a source in the region.

The real estate investor, also known as Mehetjan Alqut, had lived in in Yengisheher (in Chinese, Shule) county, in Kashgar (Kashi) prefecture, where he ran the Kashgar Alqut Property Company.

Chinese authorities have targeted and arrested numerous Uyghur businessmen, intellectuals, and cultural and religious figures in the XUAR for years as part of a campaign to monitor, control, and assimilate members of the minority group purportedly to prevent religious extremism and terrorist activities.

Mahmutjan and other entrepreneurs went on a group business trip to the U.S. on April 8-22, 2016, according to the source inside the XUAR. During the visit, his then-pregnant wife, Parida Ilgar, gave birth to the couples fourth daughter, who became a U.S. citizen and received a passport.

In May 2017, not quite a year after the delegation returned home, Yengisheher county police detained Mahmutjan and questioned him about his travels to the U.S., said the source, who declined to be named in order to speak freely.

A police officer in Yengisheher county told RFA that Mahmutjans case had been handled by Yu Tiantian, a Han Chinese police officer from the same work unit.

The police officer from a station near a 16-storey apartment and retail building called Alkut owned by Mahmutjan said he knew that the businessman had been taken into custody and detained four years ago, but did not know the reason for his arrest.

Since his detention and disappearance, Mahmutjan has been held in a reeducation or training center, Chinas euphemistic terms for the XUAR internment camps, said the officer, who did not provide his name.

He also said he was unaware of the situation of Mahmutjans wife and children, including their U.S.-born daughter.

Asked about the state of Mahmutjans businesses, the police officer said: Some are open, some are closed following the businessmans detention.

In addition to his holdings in Yengisheher, Mahmutjan also reportedly opened and operated an organic food market called Iztap in the Dawan neighborhood of the XUARs capital Urumqi (Wulumuqi), and a home interior company on the citys Yanan Road.

The organic food market and the home interior company may have been shut down by the authorities following Mahmutjans disappearance in 2017, said the first source.

Mahmutjans wife is currently living in Urumqi, where she has faced great difficulties since her husbands detention, the source said.

Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Continue reading here:
Uyghur Entrepreneur Confirmed to be Held in Internment Camp in Xinjiang - Radio Free Asia

Well, after 20 years, the U.S. is finally pulling out of Afghanistan. Thus far our country has spent at least $6.4 Trillion on war in the Middle East and Asia since 2001, according to CNBC. The war in Truck-muck-a-stan has cost the lives of 4,431 service members and wounded 31,994 more according to the not always reliable Wikipedia. Calling a region in the Middle East Truckmuckastan, is no-doubt seriously politically incorrect. In my head I call it something much worse than that.

Imagine, if you can, that the war money had been spent on aging U.S. infrastructure including school buildings that are in desperate need of renovation.

While I am not really that political it seems to me that the skinny old white guys who typically run things are not happy unless we are at war.

I believe the original mission in the Middle East was to get those responsible for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Weve been told that in May of 2011 US Forces, specifically Navy Seals of the U.S. Navy Special Warfare Development Group, killed Osama Bin Laden at his compound at Abbottabad Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

It took 10 years to track him down and take him out. And yet 10 years later we are still funding a war when projects in this country desperately need that money.

President Joe Biden said it was highly unlikely the Taliban would takeover Kabul, Afghanistan when U.S. forces were withdrawn. He is being criticized by both sides of the aisle along with the conservative and liberal media for those unrealistic expectations.

According to the Wall Street Journal world leaders must step up to protect the civil rights of girls and women under the Taliban rule. The misogynist sect has long prohibited the women of their culture to work outside the home, required they cover their faces in public, leave the home only with a family male escort and forbid education to girls after the age of 8 years.

Women who broke those rules were subjected to humiliation, public beatings and in some cases execution by the groups religious police under its strict interpretation of Islamic law or Sharia law, said the WSJ.

It is hard for this western woman to envision the threats that our sisters in the Middle East are subjected to. Im sure I would last an hour under Sharia law.

When saying my prayers, I thank God I wasnt born in the Middle East. I am a spoiled American woman. I also pray for the safety of those women who have to live in a society where their worth is under-valued. The very men who are suppose to protect them, fathers, brothers and cousins are just as apt to persecute them for daring to be born female.

I admit to not being an expert on international politics. I fear we will never achieve worldwide peace unless we are invaded by aliens from another planet. That may mean I read and watch way too much science fiction, but that is what I believe. Before I sign off for this week, I want to add that when our planet is invaded by hostile aliens, I hope my neighbors possess high power assault weapons to protect us.

Have a blessed weekend.

Readers may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.

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Opinion: Leaving the Middle East - The Madera Tribune - The Madera Tribune

James Keith "Whip" Williams 1934 - 2021Springfield, ILJames Keith "Whip" Williams, 87, died at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, August 19, 2021, at Lewis Memorial Christian Village. A Springfield resident since 1977, he retired after 26 years of state service in 1999 and eight years as Chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.Jim was born January 30, 1934, in Lafayette, IN, the son of Dr. James E. Williams and Lucinda Helen Keith Williams of Lafayette. He is survived by a daughter, Marne Rebecca Williams of Oklahoma City, OK; granddaughter, Mallory Marne Jones; a great-grandson; and great-granddaughter, all of Oklahoma City, OK.From 1953 to 1957, he served in the United States Navy stationed on Guam then at the Seabee facility at Port Hueneme, CA, completing his service as Petty Officer First Class.Jim was a 1960 graduate at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, where he majored in journalism and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and Student Journalism Society. At Purdue, he also was a tuba player and vocalist with the Salty Dogs, a student classic jazz band started in the late 1940s, popular throughout the Midwest, and long associated with Purdue. His love of jazz led to continuing performances with jazz groups in and around Chicago in the 1960s and less frequently during the ensuing years.After graduation from Purdue, he became a reporter for the Danville (IL) Commercial-News. From 1963 until 1973, Jim was a reporter for the Rockford (IL) Register-Republic and Morning Star, including the newspapers' municipal government reporter and political editor, then as a daily general-interest columnist.He received an Illinois Press Association first-place award in 1965 for a four-part series exposing widespread irregularities in Rockford municipal purchasing, resulting in the passage of a centralized purchasing ordinance for the city. James also won an Illinois Associated Press second-place award in 1969 as co-author of a five-part series exploring the impact of Alabama Governor, George Wallace's candidacy in the presidential race and was cited by the American Political Science Association in 1970 for excellence in public affairs reporting for a series of political columns tracking the issues during Illinois' 1970 Constitutional Convention. He attended a two-week seminar for political and government reporters in 1966 at Columbia University, New York, NY. From 1973 to 1977, he served as press secretary to Illinois Comptroller, George W. Lindberg and from 1977 to 1981 as assistant press secretary to Illinois Governor, James R. Thompson, followed by ten years as the governor's staff assistant for public safety. Jim was Chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board during the eight years of Governor Jim Edgar's administration.In 2010, he wrote and self-published a bio-discographical book, Jimmie Noone-Jazz Clarinet Pioneer, which included an extensive listing of Noone's recorded work in the 1920s and 1930s assembled by John Wilby of Toronto, Canada. It included photographs from the collections of nationally known photographers Frank Driggs and Duncan Schiedt and historic documents related to Noone. Jim also self-published three detective novellas.Jim was a passionate collector of original issue 78 rpm jazz and blues recordings, focusing primarily on discs issued between 1923 and 1933. He was fond of playing the tenor banjo, tuba, and piano (self-taught on each) in later years, and occasionally would haul out the banjo or play the piano at parties and sing songs, particularly relishing those which were bawdy, politically incorrect, or laced with double entendre lyrics. Jim found great enjoyment in cooking for friends, particularly in preparing barbequed hickory-smoked ribs and dishes with a Cajun or Creole flair.Cremation was provided by Butler Cremation Tribute Center.No visitation or funeral ceremonies will be held. Following cremation, private family burial will be held in Grandview Cemetery, West Lafayette, IN.Memorial contributions may be made to the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University, 6823 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118.The family is being served by Butler Funeral Home-Springfield, 900 South 6th Street, Springfield, IL.Please visit butlerfuneralhomes.com to offer your condolences.

Published by The State Journal-Register from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23, 2021.

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James Keith "Whip" Williams Obituary (1934 - 2021) The State Journal-Register - Legacy.com

Thanks to technology we have instant access to the world; politics corruption, history offensive past, health daily death tolls, police excessive deadly force, transportation pollution, the weather global warming, lives matter abortion, STOP! We live in a world of modern technology that purports to make our lives better, easier, more enjoyable and yet it seems we work harder for less. A family is no longer able to exist on one income, now mom and dad both need to bring in an income to keep bills paid. Suddenly, when two parents working together are having trouble providing for a family, we are experiencing raging divorce rates, extended families, children having children. Families no longer eat meals together, have family conversations, holidays are mapped out on the calendar to keep track of which parent will celebrate with the kids. Turnkey children, pre and post school care (at extra cost to mom and dad), child abuse/pornography, kidnapping, and drug addiction. Rape, home invasion, road rage, politically incorrect language, cyber bullying, and the list of fears goes on.

America, where you can grow up to be anything you want to be, a doctor, lawyer, politician as our young people graduate and start their own families with payments on thirty forty fifty thousand dollar and more vehicles, mortgages on homes starting at three hundred thousand, with another hundred thousand in school loans. You can be anything you want to be, as long as you can afford it.

We live in the greatest country in the world, a country built upon laws, freedoms, and rights protected by a Constitution assuring these things for everyone, equally and yet every day the courts are filled with lawyers arguing over these very things, politicians writing bills to amend/change the very basics of what our country has been built on. Suddenly the country is infected by Corona virus and we are told to stay home, wear a mask, social distance, businesses are told they are not essential and may not open, home school, work from home, no bar b q, no eating out, forget Thanksgiving family dinners. Modern technology brings us the statistics of who is becoming infected by this mysterious virus, how many are hospitalized, and how many have died, on a constantly updated electronic scoreboard. How do we understand what is going on? How do we make sense of all of this?

Am I the only one who remembers putting Christmas gifts; doll houses, bicycles, backyard play gyms, together with pieces missing, not enough screws, no batteries, and instructions in a foreign language.

Alex Lloyd Gross has the reputation for aggressive news coverage. With over 40 years experience including working at The News Gleaner, and had his work published in books and magazines that span the entire globe. With a strong background in emergency service related topics, he can bring forth a perspective that others cannot. A contributor to Starfile Photo Agency for 20 years, Alex has been given access to and has photographed luminaries of both stage and screen. He now shares his talent with you.

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Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion- On Growing Up In Debt - delawarevalleynews.com