Rush Day Is Coming Soon: More calendar fun

As Rush fans will tell you (“yes, they ALWAYS tell us!” I hear you respond), December 21st is deemed Rush Day because it can be abbreviated to 21/12.

However, this year is a little different since it’s 2021.  In nine days’ time, just after midday, the calendar and clock will read (using YY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS):

21/12/21 12:21:12

Have fun with it.

This year is also different because both side one and side two of “2112” have relevance to current events.  “A Passage To Bangkok” and vaccines.  “Twilight Zone” and bizarro rightwing politics.  “Lessons” and the unwillingness to learn.  “Tears” and the sense of loss.  “Something For Nothing” and arrogance of the ignorant.

Have you ever noticed the ending lyrics of the “2112” suite?  “Attention all planets of the solar federation” and “We have assumed control” are repeated three times each, 21 words and 12 words.  And if the suite clocked in at 20:39 instead of 20:36, it would have been 33 seconds short (21+12) of being 21:12 in length.

I’d Like To Know: Exactly which date does politeness become “offensive”?

Why is it that language and phrases spoken from January to November suddenly become “offensive” in December? When is the exact starting date that it happens so I can avoid those people?

There is no “war on xmas”, but there certainly is a guerilla war on basic civility perpetrated by those who want everyone to participate in “xmas”.

For example, this is a common conversation in October:

          Me:    "Happy Hallowe'en!"
          Them:  "See you on Monday!"
          Me:    [friendly smile, waves]

Then, there’s this common conversation from December:

          Them:  "Merry xmas!"
          Me:    "See you on Monday!"
          Them:  "WHY DON'T YOU JUST TELL ME TO GO **** MYSELF?"

This may be an exaggeration, but there’s a grain of truth.  I’d wager most reading who have been an atheist for over ten years have experienced something similar.  Someone said “merry cheezwhiz” or somesuch, and you responded with one of these phrases or something similar:

          "take care"
          "see you soon / on Monday"
          "have a nice night / weekend"

and you were labled “difficult”, “offensive”, or “trying to ruin other people’s fun”.

There words didn’t suddenly become “offensive” overnight.  The “war” types are demanding participation, whether they admit to it or not.

Let’s Remember: Steve Bronski, 1960-2021

Steve Bronski has died (born Steve Forrest, February 7, 1960 to December 9, 2021), age 61. He was a “Smalltown Boy” who made a big splash, creating an all-time classic song and video that spoke to and for a generation of young LGBTQIA people.  When you live in a society that doesn’t want you, despises you or outright hates you, knowing you’re not alone makes a difference.

Steve Bronski: co-founder of Bronski Beat dies aged 61

Steve Bronski, a founding member of the influential British synth-pop trio Bronski Beat, has died, a source close to the group has confirmed. The BBC reported his age as 61. No cause of death was given.

His bandmate Jimmy Somerville described him as a “talented and very melodic man”.

“Working with him on songs and the one song that changed our lives and touched so many other lives, was a fun and exciting time. Thanks for the melody, Steve.”

Bronski, AKA Steven Forrest, formed the band alongside Somerville and Larry Steinbachek in 1983. All three members of the band were out as gay and sought to counter what they perceived as the inoffensive nature of the era’s gay performers by embracing explicitly political themes in their music. America’s Spin magazine described them as “perhaps the first real gay group in the history of pop”.

See below the fold for more about that.

When the song came out in 1984, I was seventeen and NOT out, still in my rabid Metalhead phase, still trying to hide my preferences and identity.  It was a small (minded) town and family that were rabidly gay hating, racist, and redneck, so the song was not popular.  (It is any wonder I haven’t communicated with anyone in twenty years?)  I couldn’t admit how the song resonated with me and I identified with it, admit to listening to or liking it.  But I still did.

(Don’t get me wrong.  Listening to Metal wasn’t done to “compensate” or put up a macho front.  In recent years, I’m listening to more and more Black Metal and Death Metal than ever.  Looking back, I wish Rob Halford had come out as gay in the 1980s instead of waiting until 1998.  I would have been a bigger Priest fan than Iron Maiden, though I still liked both.)

The song made a difference to millions of people’s lives, to know that somebody felt the same things, had the same experiences.  When you learn for the first time that you’re not the only one who feels this way, it changes your view of the world.  It gives you hope.

 

More below:

[Read more…]

Knocked Down Again: PLEASE don’t tell me I need a booster shot

My employer booked and organized the first vaccination back in July, which I received.  The school was supposed to organize the second in October, but the appointment was never made.  To get the numbers up and make it easier, the government set up public vaccination sites, the largest at Taipei’s Main Station.  I went there and got my second shot two days ago.

In July, I received AstraZeneca and was knocked down for four days.  Not the worst symptoms, but awful.  On Wednesday, it was Moderna which the CECC approves as a second shot for those with AZ as their first.  And just as before, I’ve been floored with symptoms.  No fever this time nor the worst symptoms (e.g. no shortness of breath, no signs of a heart attack like arm pain), but aches everywhere, chills, nausea and others for the last 48 hours.  I hope I can start going out by Sunday.

 

 

To increase the percent of people vaccinated and reduce outliers or wild cards, the CECC promised to let undocumented workers receive vaccinations without fear of arrest.  If people here are working and going around without health care coverage, there’s a strong chance of them spreading it, so this was a good idea.

Unfortunately, some genius hospital employee decided to turn in a Philippine woman without documentation who showed up for a vaccine, whereupon she was arrested.  Brilliant.  What do you think other undocumented workers are going to do now?  Show up, knowing that the promise will be broken?  Even if it wasn’t the CECC leadership that violated the promise, this will damage the trust and voluntary compliance we’ve seen thus far.

More below. . . .

[Read more…]

I Don’t Expect Much To Happen: Josh Duggar, guilty of possessing child pornography

You remember Josh Duggar.

The “quiverful” fundy xian who sexually assaulted his sisters.

The clod caught up in the Ashley Madison scandal.

The one who cheated on his wife, and she was forced by the cult to “forgive him”, as if it were her failing.

He has now been found guilty of possessing child pornography.

How Josh Duggar kept his wife from discovering his alleged child porn browsing

Given that he’s a white male, a cisgender heterosexual, a fundamentalist christian, you can be sure he’ll get a light sentence.   They always do – the pale and male, the white and right, the pastors and pederasts.  They are always given the “benefit of the doubt” no matter what sort of crimes they commit, something that a Global Majority person or an LGBTQIA person would never get.

Josh Duggar found guilty in child sex abuse image trial

Former reality TV star Josh Duggar was convicted Thursday of downloading and possessing child sex abuse images on his work computer.

A federal jury in Fayetteville, Arkansas, found the 33-year-old Duggar guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. He faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each count when he’s sentenced at a later date.

“We appreciate the jury’s lengthy deliberations, we respect the jury’s verdict, and we intend to appeal,” Duggar’s legal team said in a statement to NBC News following the verdict.

Duggar pleaded not guilty to federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography in Arkansas back in April. Federal prosecutors contended that Duggar downloaded a Linux partition on the laptop in order to circumvent a computer software that monitors internet use.

Evidence presented to the court included logs of Duggar’s internet usage, which included downloading the images, sending personal messages, and saving pictures.

Defense attorneys for Duggar denied the allegations during trial, saying someone else downloaded the images and that Duggar’s own personal devices were clear of any illicit material.

In the second week of his trial, Duggar’s family friend Bobye Holt testified that he confessed to molesting underage girls during a conversation in 2003, according to NBC affiliate KNWA.

Bobye Holt told the court Duggar had informed them that he touched multiple girls under their pants and underwear, according to KNWA.

What Does This Accomplish?: It’s a meaningless gesture

The Commonwealth Games (formerly Empire Games) is the world’s third largest sporting event in terms of number of countries, sports, and athletes involved (5,000), exceeded only by the Olympics and the World Cup.  Not even the Asian Games, African Games, or Panamerican Games is as large.  Several times Commonwealth countries have used it as a way to demonstrate their capability to host the Olympic games, which have been awarded a few years later (e.g. Canada, Australia, England).

Like the olympics and other large events, the CGs are a large financial undertaking, so the only countries that bid to be hosts are those wealthy enough and capable of build the infrastructure and host the athletes.  Of the twenty two CG’s held in the past and in 2022, only three were held outside the UK, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand: India, Jamaica, and Malaysia.  Of the seventy countries or independently competing regions (e.g. Isle of Man) in 2022, many across Africa, Asia, and the Carribean are still developing countries and could not afford to host them.  South Africa, Nigeria, or Kenya could, but they have never put forth a successful bid.  Singapore could as well financially, but lacks the available space and air quality.

Many of these smaller and less wealthy countries are still vehemently and even violently opposed to LGBTQIA human rights.  The head of the CGF says such countries could be refused the right to host the games.

Commonwealth Games would consider boycotting countries that persecute LGBT+ people

In an interview with BBC Sport, Katie Sadleir, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), has said that she wants to hear athletes’ views on whether future Commonwealth Games should be held in countries with discriminatory laws against the LGBT+ community.

“We’re very open to them in terms of what our next steps are, in terms of understanding our hosting strategy and where we go in terms of our meetings.”

“But this is the beginning, and I’m looking forward to hearing about what more we should be doing as a movement.”

At next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, LGBT+ athletes may be able to fly the flag on the podium. These considerations are part of the Commonwealth Games’ efforts to become more inclusive, Sadleir said.

They would be excluded from hosting?  Is that supposed to be a threat or a punishment?

It’s an empty gesture.  Why not bar those countries from participating until they change their laws, as South Africa was until 1994 after apartheid ended?  If it’s good enough a rule for EU membership, why not for the Commonwealth?  Oh, right.  Brexit.

Many of the most violently anti-LGBTQIA Commonwealth countries are either run by political and religious fanatics or are poor, or both.  (England, Nigeria, Kenya, and Malaysia are wealthy.)  Countries with hate laws on their books like Ghana, Mauritius, Eswatini, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Zambia, and others couldn’t afford to host the games, but they absolutely want to participate.  For many, this is their biggest appearance on the world’s sporting stage.  The threat of exclusion could change their attitudes.  Since 2017, Botswana has legalized non-cishetero sex and recognized gender reassignment.

The most galling thing about these hate laws is that it was the imperialist, hypocritical, and prudish Victorian English that imposed laws upon the countries they occupied.  The hate laws should have been repealed when the occupiers left, but instead became ingrained in said countries’ cultures.

The Cult Has Aged Out: Watching catholicism die in Ireland

The various catholic disease. . .I mean, diocese of Ireland are in panic mode.  Within a few years, they won’t have enough priests to run their ATMs and rip off the populace.  They will eventually have to close many of their churches due to operating costs and declining number of suckers.  I mean, revenue.

Don’t you just love the arrival of good news?  It’s the best news I’ve heard since learning boomers will start dying off in numbers after 2028.

‘Great change’ needed in Dublin’s ageing Catholic Archdiocese, says report

Almost half of the 312 priests in Dublin’s Catholic Archdiocese are more than 70 years old, with just two students preparing for priesthood.

Catholic priests retire at 75, which means that the 139 now more than 70 will have retired by 2026, leaving 173 ageing clergy to serve Dublin’s 1.1 million Catholics.

According to the last census in 2016, 70 per cent of Dublin’s 1.57 million population identified as Roman Catholic. Of those aged 25-29 then, just more than half identified as Roman Catholic, while a fifth of Dublin’s total population recorded no religion.

Oddly, the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in this.  Because people stayed home instead of obeying the cult, they realized they had more free time on their hands.  And once the lockdowns ended, many never went back.

‘A possible disaster’: Catholic Church reckons with declining interest post-pandemic

In a pastoral reflection on the future of the Catholic Church last month, one of the church’s newest and youngest bishops, Bishop of Clonfert Michael Duignan (50), pondered the challenges that lie ahead.

“I fear that we might mistakenly think that once the current Covid restrictions are lifted and once we return to public worship, everything will be all right,” said the bishop. Instead, he believes the future will be “very different”.

Some “fear a possible disaster”, he said, with “fewer people practising, financial difficulties, children and families further distanced from the sacraments and congregations permanently migrating to the comfort of online attendance”.

“There may even be a growing realisation that, although much of what we normally do as church was absent these last months, for many people, it was not really missed,” said Bishop Duignan.

Obviously the pandemic isn’t the sole reason for the decline, but public awareness of the cult’s crimes (the mass murder of children in orphanages, the torture, slavery, and abuse of women in the Magdelene Laundries, and the rampant pedophilia and rape perpetrated by their clergy) has done them no favours.  It’s hard to claim “moral leadership” when your leaders have been guilty of the worst moral depravities.

Why would Irish people need “moral leadership” from a cult when their own sense of morality is superior (e.g. leglization of abortion, marriage equality, guaranteed LGBTQIA rights)?

It Should Never Have Happened: The Anglo Irish Treaty of 1921

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on December 6, 1921, one hundred years ago today.

Anglo-Irish Treaty signed 100 years ago today

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in London.

The Treaty formally ended the War of Independence, set the stage for British withdrawal from most of Ireland, and the handover of power to an independent Irish government.

It was signed in 10 Downing Street in the early hours of 6 December 1921.

It was signed on the Irish side by delegates Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins, Eamon Duggan, Robert Barton and George Gavan Duffy.

On the British side were Prime Minister David Lloyd-George, Winston Churchill, Austen Chamberlain and FE Smith, Lord Birkenhead.

The signing of the Treaty was acclaimed in Ireland, Britain and around the world, but it was immediately surrounded by controversy.

Other news items on the anniversary:

BBC: NI 100: Signing of Anglo-Irish Treaty marked 100 years on

Breaking News Ireland: Taoiseach and Tánaiste mark 100th anniversary of signing of Anglo-Irish Treaty

Working under the ludicrous assumption that partitioning Ireland would “bring peace”, the deal was signed. Instead it led to resentment by reublicans and violent occupation by the English. Within a year, Michael Collins would be assassinated by his own people and 77 years of war marked by multiple “Bloody Sundays”, the most infamous of which reaches its 50th anniversary seven weeks from now.

Peace finally came with the Good Friday Accords in 1998, which thankfully have lasted 23 years.  A large part of that can be attributed to John Major’s political courage, his willingness to negotiate with Sinn Fein WITHOUT preconditions of disarmament.  For the first time, an English prime minister treated the Irish as equal partners, and it took less than ten years to reach an agreement everyone could live with.

Ironically, of all the attempts to reunite Ireland, it is the English destroying their own economy and society with “brexit” that will most likely result in reunification. The Occupied North still has access to the European Common Market, and if forced to choose between UK membership and starvation or Irish reunification and prosperity, they will likely make the smarter choice. Even the unionists may admit to the inevitable.

Colm Tóibín: will the Brexit fallout lead to a ‘united Ireland’?

[T]here has been an interesting change. Up to now, there was an image spread of the former colonies including Ireland. It suggested that we were somehow hot-headed and given to soft patriotism and nationalist sentimentality, that we could not be trusted in negotiation, that we spoke with a forked tongue. Now, all of these qualities have been taken over by Whitehall itself. But it is worse on this occasion. We, at least, were actually colonised. The United Kingdom, such as it is, was only ever colonised in its dreams, and by the EU, of all things. Dealing with the UK now, as Lloyd George said about Eamon de Valera, is like trying to pick up mercury with a fork.

In Ireland now, Brexit is still viewed with disbelief. It is hard to think of any real advantage that has been gained from it. Slowly, its implications are becoming clear in the most ordinary ways. There is a feeling in the Republic that someday soon Britain will wake up from this bad dream and benefit from some daylight.

[. . .]

Now, after Brexit, Northern Ireland may become subject to EU regulations on medicine, to take just one example, but has no democratic relationship to the EU and is not represented in the European parliament. Thus, arbitrary authority approaches from two directions – Brussels and Dublin.

The problem Northern Ireland has is serious. It has become low on everyone’s priority list. The British government was prepared to negotiate a hard Brexit, despite the implications for Northern Ireland. It promised one thing and delivered another. While Dublin wants the Good Friday agreement, in all its ingenuity and sense of inclusion, to be preserved to the letter, there is no appetite in the Republic to take over Northern Ireland or become responsible for funding it or dealing daily with its factions. Dismantling partition would be a most dangerous process.

A dangerous process, perhaps, but not an untenable one.  Reunification would mean access to the EU, not necessarily subservience to Dublin.

From the National Museum of Ireland:

The Signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, 1921

Arthur Griffith’s statement told the world that the war between Ireland and Britain was at an end.

This note, hastily written by Arthur Griffith, was the first message to the public on the outcome of the negotiations which led to the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. Written for issue to the World Press immediately after signing the Treaty on 6 December, it reads:

“I have signed a Treaty of peace between Ireland and Great Britain. I believe that treaty will lay foundations of peace and friendship between the two Nations. What I have signed I shall stand by in the belief that the end of the conflict of centuries is at hand”.

[. . .]

Negotiations for peace

The War of Independence is generally recognised by historians as having started on 21 January 1919 in Soloheadbeg, Co Tipperary, when seven members of the IRA shot and killed two RIC constables. A series of actions in the form of raids and reprisals followed over the next year. In 1920 the RIC received reinforcements in the form of the British recruited Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries; a division made up of ex-British Army Officers, and the conflict intensified. In December that year, after the events of Bloody Sunday, Ireland was placed under Martial law. From this point the violence and death toll escalated, and when British Prime Minister Davd Lloyd George suggested a conference between the two governments Sinn Féin agreed, and a Truce was called in July 1921.

A series of meetings were held and in October an official delegation, headed by Arthur Griffith and including Michael Collins, was formed to carry out the negotiations with the British government. After two months an agreement was reached, officially known as The Articles of Agreement for a Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland.

The Treaty would see the withdrawal of British troops from the majority of the country, but gave dominion status to Ireland rather than that of an independent Republic, retained the Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown, and provided for the establishment of a Boundary Commission to create a border between the Irish Free State and the Northern counties which opted to remain under British rule.

[. . .]

A lasting legacy

The Treaty was rejected by de Valera and split Republican opinion. Though it was narrowly ratified in the Dáil, this split eventually led to civil war, which started with the occupation of the Four Courts by Anti-Treaty Republicans in April 1922 and its bombardment by Pro-Treaty Republicans, now the Free State Forces, on 28 June. By its close in May 1923 many leaders in the Irish Republican movement were dead, with 77 official executions of Anti-Treaty Republicans during the war. Arthur Griffith died of heart failure on 12 August 1922, and Michael Collins was killed in an ambush and gun battle at Béal na Bláth, Co. Cork, ten days later. While this conflict lasted only 10 months, it was to effect Irish politics for the next decade, and lived long in the memory of the Irish people. The Irish Free State of 26 counties officially became the Republic of Ireland in 1949.

The Police’s “Invisible Sun” was written about “The Troubles” in the Occupied North.

When Courage And Cowardice Contrast: Sports and human rights collided

Recent weeks have been very telling about how the sports world responds to politics, who are the heroes and who is willing to Todt-y up to the mass murderers.

Peng Shuai is a professional tennis player from the PRC.  She was previously the #1 ranked doubles player in the world, so she’s a high profile player.  In October she reported how a member of the CCP had coerced her into having sex (read: raped her), after which the CCP arrested her and have held her in communicado except for carefully orchestrated propaganda.  They want to give the illusion that she is safe and free to move about, but the CCP has denied anyone direct contact with her except for those willing to participate in their scheme.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has taken the courageous stand to cancel ALL events in the PRC and Hong Kong until the end of 2022 (and possibly beyond then) until Peng Shuai’s freedom and safety are assured and her allegations of sexual assault are properly investigated.  The WTA now refuses to let players enter the PRC for the sake of their own safety.  This will cost the WTA tens of millions in prize money and endorsements, but the WTA has decided that principles matter more than principal.

Part of the statement from the official WTA website:

Steve Simon announces WTA’s decision to suspend tournaments in China

“When on November 2, 2021, Peng Shuai posted an allegation of sexual assault against a top Chinese government official, the Women’s Tennis Association recognized that Peng Shuai’s message had to be listened to and taken seriously. The players of the WTA, not to mention women around the world, deserve nothing less.

From that moment forward, Peng Shuai demonstrated the importance of speaking out, particularly when it comes to sexual assault, and especially when powerful people are involved. As Peng said in her post, “Even if it is like an egg hitting a rock, or if I am like a moth drawn to the flame, inviting self-destruction, I will tell the truth about you.” She knew the dangers she would face, yet she went public anyway. I admire her strength and courage.

[. . .]

As a result, and with the full support of the WTA Board of Directors, I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong. In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault. Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022.

Emphasis mine.  From The Guardian, December 3:

WTA does the right thing in standing up to China over Peng Shuai

When the Russian tanks roll westward, what defence for you and me? Colonel Sloman’s Essex Rifles? Or the 66-year-old chairman of the WTA? Well, there’s an unusual thing. It turns out there is at least one body in sport, and indeed in public life, with the guts, the spleen, the fuzzy green balls to make a stand in the face of power and basic questions of right and wrong.

It isn’t clear what the full implications might be of the decision by the Women’s Tennis Association to suspend its activities in China until it is satisfied over the treatment of one of its members, Peng Shuai, by the Chinese state.

For now there will be predictable noises off, from the suggestion this is the hand of state-led anti-China actors, to talk of sponsor pressure, of opportunism on a hot-button issue. This seems unlikely. First, because there is no money, no long-term power-play in standing up to China. The WTA has a 10-year deal for a season-ending tournament in Shenzhen. Scratch that then.

And second, because Steve Simon, the chief executive of the WTA, really doesn’t seem to give a crap.

“If we walk away from what we have requested, what we are telling the world is that not addressing sexual assault with the respect and seriousness that it requires is OK, and it is just not,” Simon said this week.

And there you have it, a most unlikely match-up: the governing body of women’s tennis against the governing global power of the coming century. A world of watch sponsorship deals and match etiquette regulations offering a long hard Paddington stare to one of the most powerful totalitarian states in human history. At a time when meaning is so often fogged, this feels like something real. Not to mention an act of leadership that shames so many sporting bodies by its clarity.

What has been the response of the ATP, the men’s tennis association?  Complete and utter silence for ten days, then a mealy-mouthed “statement” that did nothing to criticize nor condemn the PRC.   Retired players have spoken out against the ATP, but not current male players like Nadal and Federer who blather about “concern” but say nothing to condemn the PRC’s brutality nor the ATP’s cowardice.  The ATP won’t cancel any events, because money is more important than human rights.

ATP criticised for not joining WTA action on China in response to Peng Shuai safety concerns

The governing body of men’s tennis has been criticised for not joining the Women’s Tennis Association in suspending tournaments in China over the treatment of former doubles world No. 1 Peng Shuai.

The Association of Tennis Professionals, in a statement released a day after the WTA opted to take decisive action given concerns surrounding Peng and the safety of other players, said it will continue to monitor the situation.

Martina Navratilova and Andy Roddick were among the players to criticise the ATP’s stance.

“The situation involving Peng Shuai continues to raise serious concerns within and beyond our sport,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said.

 

 

This past week has been a similar story within Formula 1.  The FIA elected to have a race in Saudi Arabia (read: let the mass murdering regime buy legitimacy and sell propaganda with money).

But it has not gone as expected because all of the drivers (well, maybe not Mazepin, a Russian backed by dubious oligarch money) support Black Lives Matter, equality for women, and full human rights for LGBTQIA people.  Several have openly stated their opposition to holding a race in SA, that it should have never been placed there.  Those who wear pride and rainbow flags on their helmets and racing suits have refused to remove them while in the country.  For all the talk about racing drivers being privileged and coming from money (because most are), this act of solidarity and decency says otherwise.

Lewis Hamilton says had ‘no choice’ over Saudi Arabia race as he condemns barbaric anti-LGBT+ laws

Lewis Hamilton has spoken out against Saudi Arabia’s anti-LGBT+ laws which he described as ‘terrifying’.

The Formula One star took pole for the country’s inaugural Grand Prix on Friday (December 3). But speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the historic race in Jeddah, the driver condemned the country’s homophobic laws which include the death penalty for acts of homosexuality.

“There’s prison time, death penalty and restrictions from people for being themselves, and I don’t believe in that,” Hamilton said. “Religions can change, rules can change, rulers can change those things. They have the power to.”

Hamilton also made note to emphasise he was not in the country by his own choice but rather because of his Formula One commitments.

“We don’t choose where we’re going, others have chosen for us to be here, so we have to apply the pressure on them to make sure that they are doing right by the people in those places, sparking conversations, creating that uncomfortable discussion that is needed in these places,” he explained.

“Do I feel comfortable here? I wouldn’t say that I do.

“But it’s not my choice to be here. The sport has taken the choice to be here.”

Lewis Hamilton made headlines last month after he wore a bespoke helmet designed by British intersex artist Valentino Vecchietti, which features the LGBT+ Progress flag, and is also emblazoned with the words “We Stand Together” and “Love Is Love”.

From the same item, this load of garbage:

The Formula One series has faced major backlash for holding Grand Prix races in Middle Eastern countries due to the their abhorrent stances on LGBT+ rights and other human rights issues.

However, also speaking to Sky Sports, Formula Oneboss Stefano Domenicali argued that the series’ presence in these countries casts a global spotlight on their antiquated laws, thus acting as a catalyst for change.

“As soon as these countries choose to be under the spotlight Formula One is bringing, there is no excuse.

“They have taken the route of a change.”

Apartheid didn’t end in South Africa because the all-white rugby team was allowed to tour.  It was protests and bans that prevented them from playing that helped end apartheid.  Domenicali is my age (he was born in 1965), and is old enough to know he’s talking out of his ass.  He and Jean Todt (pronounced “toad”) are rationalizing support for mass murderers and fascists for the sake of profit.

Why am I not surprised that it is Todt and Domenicali (two of those running the Ferrari team when Schumacher raced) who are the scum supporting the regime, putting races into places like Qatar and Azerbaijan where human rights don’t exist? They’re the FIA’s twin Max Mosleys (son of nazi sympathizer Oswald Mosley).

F1 under pressure to speak out against Saudi human right abuses

Human rights organisations have demanded that Formula One act to mitigate human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia as the sport prepares to race there for the first time this weekend. F1 is accused of being complicit in sportswashing for the regime and has been presented with a large amount of criticism of the state, much of which appears to be in direct contradiction of F1’s commitment to equality and diversity.

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch and the Reprieve group wrote separately to F1 outlining their concerns. Amnesty International wa unequivocal in its criticism and the Codepink group has sent a letter to Lewis Hamilton, the world champion, signed by 41 organisations, requesting he speak to Saudi leaders to highlight human rights issues.

[. . .]

The Reprieve group has also written to Hamilton, who has been strident in his campaign for diversity and equality in F1, and recently said the sport had a duty to investigate and make a difference on human rights issues in the countries it visits. On Wednesday evening, Hamilton tweeted: “Equality for all.” Reprieve sent F1 a letter from MPs and peers including Lord Hain, vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Formula One, stating their concerns over sportswashing.

[. . .]

Many drivers, including Hamilton and the four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, have been outspoken in their support for LGBTQI+ rights. Hamilton wore the rainbow colours on his helmet in Qatar and Vettel wore a T-shirt in support of LGBTQI+ rights at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Both are supporters of F1’s highly publicised We Race As One initiative, of which one of the stated aims is diversity and inclusion.

Amnesty has pointedly noted that same‑sex relations remain illegal in Saudi Arabia and are punishable by flogging or imprisonment. The group also claimed the authorities continued a “brutal crackdown” on critics of the government. Felix Jakens, Amnesty UK’s head of campaigns, demanded F1 take responsibility. “The Jeddah Grand Prix is yet another key moment in the Saudi authorities’ wider sportswashing effort,” he said. “It’s important that the glamour of F1 is not allowed to divert attention from the plight of Saudi women’s rights defenders who risk imprisonment for their work, or from the struggles of Saudi LGTBI people who live in a country where same-sex relations are illegal and punishable by flogging or imprisonment.

 

We’ll Soon Find Out

Taiwan’s government has mandated that all foreigners be doubly vaccinated by January 2022.

Good.  Now we’ll see who the anti-vaxxer clowns are and if they really believe in that “FREEDUMB!!!” nonsense they spew.  Or were they all talk and finally accepted reality?

There’s a two month gap between the first and second dose, so if any of them change their minds, it’s too late.  They had better pack up and leave voluntarily before being issued with a deportation order.

What worries me is friends who announced they are leaving Taiwan this month.  Are these planned departures and moving on with life?  Or were they secretly anti-vaxxers?  I don’t associate with anyone (friends or acquaintances) who is openly so.

Hilarity Ensues: DickDawk (gear) shifts the blame

I keep trying to leave this topic alone….

A few days ago, Richard “Dick Dawk” Dawkins claimed to be a “victim of road rage” after a cyclist used his U lock (not a “D lock” as DD ignorantly said) to smash his car’s window.  DD is asking for “witnesses”.

The more erudite have asked him, “Why don’t you post the last ten minutes of video that the Tesla automatically recorded?”  Of course DD drives a car made by a sociopathic billionaire. . . .

DD responded “I didn’t put in a memory stick.”  Seriously?  You removed the one that comes with the car? Is this not your first incident with the car?

Some have speculated that Dear Teslima doesn’t want people to examine his driving habits.

 

I Try To Walk Away: But traffic terrorism keeps following me

I intended to leave this topic alone.  So much for plans.

I read the Jalopnik and other items below and hurt myself rolling my eyes.  Once again, “car culture” is put ahead of and valued more than human lives or the environment.

First up: Honda pretends it “cares about pedestrian safety”.

Honda Cars Could Politely Text Pedestrians To Get The Hell Out Of The Way

Honda and Softbank are working together to try to reduce the number of accidents involving pedestrians and cars, as the Japanese carmaker tries to make good on its promise of a collision-free society. Honda has been developing its suite of ADAS to that end, but the carmaker is turning to the other half of the equation, pedestrians.

How is this a “solution” when pedestrians are not the problem?  Honda plans to put cell phone technology into cars and blame pedestrians.  I can think of at least five ways that this is “plan” is utterly stupid and a failure before it begins:

(1) WHY NOT MAKE THE CAR SLOW DOWN when it detects a phone?

Speeding death boxes kill people, not cell phones.

(2) WHY DISTRACT PEDESTRIANS with a text message?

If pedestrians are looking at a phone’s text message, they’re NOT looking at the road.  Congratulations, Honda, you just made things worse.

Traffic terrorists (drivers, cops, city planners, etc.) have long blamed pedestrians for the actions of drivers:

“If pedestrians look at their phones while walking, it’s their fault if they’re killed.”

Now Honda wants to blame the other half of pedestrians:

“If pedestrians DON’T look at their phones while walking, it’s their fault if they’re killed.”

(3) WHAT IF PEDESTRIANS DON’T SEE THE MESSAGE?

I put my phone in my purse or my backpack when walking, so I wouldn’t hear or feel it if a message came.  Then again, I set my phone so it does not vibrate or ring at all, day or night.  I don’t want interruptions in my classes, and I can’t be bothered changing it.

Why is it MY responsibility to turn on vibration or a ring tone for the convenience of speeding drivers?  And even if I had the ringer on and I weren’t going deaf, I likely wouldn’t hear it over the noise of the traffic.

(4) HOW MANY PEOPLE DON’T HAVE CELL PHONES?

It doesn’t shock that a rich corporation doesn’t value the lives of the poor who can’t afford cell phones or children who don’t carry one.  But there’s also I and many people I know who go to the store or other places without a phone.  I doubt we’re the only ones in the world who do that, it’s likely people do it everywhere.

(5) WHY NOT INSTALL A BODY HEAT SENSOR INSTEAD?

People have a different but still detectable heat signature from a vehicle or an animal.  Why not install heat instead along with (or instead of) car-detecting radar?  It would keep the onus of responsibility on the driver where it belongs.

What good is sending messages to a phone if someone’s phone does not vibrate? To someone who can’t feel the phone because it’s in a purse or backpack? To a kid more concerned about running across the street?  To someone who doesn’t have a phone?  This is just another way to blame pedestrians instead of putting the responsibility on traffic terrorists.

Second: The UK’s lavaTories force home owners to build corporate infrastructure.

This won’t hurt wealthy people, since they’re the only ones who can afford to build new homes.  But what happens when it extends to requiring it during home sales (i.e. buying an existing home)?  This is something government and car companies should be building, and instead they’re shifting the cost onto people.

New homes in England to have electric car chargers by law

New homes and buildings in England will be required by law to install electric vehicle charging points from next year, the prime minister has announced.

The government said the move will see up to 145,000 charging points installed across the country each year.

You may say, “So what’s the problem?”  The problem is this penalizes people who might choose NOT to own a car, who want to build a small home and have no intention of owning a car (i.e. people actually concerned about the environment).  Some people who don’t want to own one.  Instead, individuals are being forced to provide and pay for infrastructure that car companies will profit from, something that some people will never use.

Third: UK drivers are whining because traffic cameras are forcing them to slow down.

A week after a baby was run over in Shropshire, drivers in the city of Brighton are complaining about fines assessed after they were caught speeding through residential areas, illegally driving in bus lanes, and committing other infractions and crimes at a rate of three hundred per day.  Daytime traffic (6am to 11pm, 17 hours) accounts for approximately 95% of traffic during a 24 hour period., so Brighton drivers are averaging over seventeen infractions per hour, all day every day, endangering pedestrians, cyclists, children and many others.

And they don’t see that as a problem.  Talk about a sense of entitlement.

Brighton motorist slams Valley Gardens traffic enforcement cameras

A FURIOUS motorist said traffic enforcement cameras raking in thousands of pounds in fines from motorists are “disgusting”.

The outraged driver said the signage for the cameras, which have captured 9,618 motorists in the last month alone, was “very bad”.

She narrowly avoided falling victim to the experimental traffic order at Valley Gardens, which led 310 people being fined every day in October.

The Argus visited the controversial bus gates yesterday and within minutes, witnessed dozens of unsuspecting motorists breaching the traffic order.

Drivers called themselves “unsuspecting victims”.  As if.  They were told the cameras were coming, and had the warning to slow down and obey the law.  If they didn’t, that’s not the city’s fault.

Fourth: Drivers who keep weapons in their cars are the aggressor, not the victim.

Earlier this month, there was a minor trading of paint between the driver of a Volkswagen and a Maserati.  The small car’s driver, a university student, knew he was at fault and got out to apologize and make amends.

Instead of talking, the little rich boy driving the Maserati and his passengers got out and proceeded to beat the university student’s head with a baseball bat, leaving him in a coma.  The student is now awake and the Maserati driver under arrest, but what will be the outcome?  Little rich boy’s daddy buys his way out of prison and he does it a third time (this wasn’t his first arrest)?

Incompetent and corrupt policing is a big part of the problem.

Trio detained over attack on driver

Three men were detained in Taichung yesterday after their vehicle was hit and they allegedly assaulted the other driver with a baseball bat, resulting in a serious head injury.

Chang Tun-liang (張敦量), 23, Chen Ching-hao (陳勁豪), 19, and Lee Wei-lin (李韋霖), 25, might be charged with attempted homicide, illegal confinement causing injury to the victim and “interference with public order,” the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office said.

The other driver — a 19-year-old student, surnamed Sung (宋), who is enrolled at Feng Chia University in Taichung — remains in a coma.

[. . .]

A report by Sixth Police Precinct officers said that Sung was driving a Volkswagen with four friends in the early hours of Sunday morning when the vehicle sideswiped a Maserati sports car on Taiwan Boulevard, the city’s main thoroughfare.

According to a witness and video footage, Chang, Chen and Lee were yelling as they exited the Maserati and soon began punching and kicking Sung.

Lee, who had been driving, allegedly hit Sung with a baseball bat multiple times on the head, despite Sung’s apologies, police said.

After they arrived, police took the trio’s statements and let them leave the scene, the report said, adding that officers saw no reason to detain the trio, as the fighting had ended.

[. . .]

News of the assault and the handling of the case resulted in a public outcry, while media reports saying that the trio came from wealthy families and had criminal records brought more condemnation.

[. . .]

Taichung City Councilor Hsieh Chih-chung (謝志忠) of the Democratic Progressive Party said that the police chief should resign, and if he refuses to do so, Lu should be held responsible for the incident.

“Fighting had ended”?  There was no “fight”, it was an unprovoked assault.  That cop clearly “thinks” he answers to the wealthy and not the public.

The government is responding with half-measures instead of addressing the root problem, a sense of entitlement among the wealthy.  Of course, we saw that repeatedly in 2020 when little rich boys repeatedly broke quarantine for COVID-19 with little punishment.  They should have gotten months in jail instead of a fine that daddy can pay off.

Taiwan police to register car owners carrying baseball bats

Following a series of violent incidents in Taiwan involving baseball bats, Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said police will register anyone with a bat found in their car in the future.

During his speech at the “Synchronized National Anti-Gang Program” press conference on Monday (Nov. 22), Hsu vowed to uproot and snuff out organized crime, CNA reported. He mentioned recent “baseball bat team” incidents in Taichung, New Taipei, and Yunlin that disrupted social order over very small disputes.

Authorities have found that many bat-wielding miscreants are linked to scam or gambling rings. While some culprits involved did not have a gang affiliation on file, police will focus on combating these people’s tendencies to be violent and group up, Hsu was cited as saying.

Yes, a lot of it is gang related, but not all.  A significant portion of this is road rage by rich people (especially young males) who are not affiliated with gangs.  The cops should be doing random stops and checks of anything and everything with an German (e.g. BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW) or luxury marque (e.g. Ferrari, Lambourghini, Lexus, etc.).  Those brands regularly come up in these stories and in youtube videos, but there are other idiots in other vehicles who get violent too.  I’ve had more than one pull out a bat on me for no reason.  They’re more high strung than piano wire.  It makes me glad I don’t own a scooter.

In 2015, Business Insider published an item entitled “Rich people and psychopaths tend to have 7 distinct traits in common”.  Six of the seven traits apply to rich people driving cars.

Let’s Remember: Freddie Mercury, 1946-1991

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar (a country which no longer exists, now part of Tanzania) on September 5, 1946.  He would have been 75 this year. Instead, on November 23, 1991, after years of media speculation, he announced that he had contracted AIDS. He died the next day, November 24, 1991, thirty years ago today.

Freddie Mercury’s heartbreaking AIDS statement the day before he died

It was just 24 hours before his death that Queen frontman Freddie Mercury finally admitted to the world that he had been diagnosed with AIDS. 

The singer of the rock band Queen – one of the biggest-selling groups of all time – released his statement on this day in 1991.

In the heartbreaking message, he said, “Following enormous conjecture in the press, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS.

“I felt it correct to keep this information private in order to protect the privacy of those around me.

“However, the time has now come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth, and I hope everyone will join with me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease.”

A child of Persian emigres from Iran, Mercury was born in Africa but educated in India. He spent almost the entire year during his education separated from his family, which led to his fascination with pop music.  And likely because of constant correspondence with his family, he became an avid stamp collector.  He performed in school musical numbers before moving to England for university where he met Brian May and Roger Taylor to form Queen.

Here are a few collections of stories about him and his life:

Bohemian Rhapsody: Freddie Mercury’s 28 most ludicrous anecdotes

Queen’s Freddie Mercury: the maddest stories about rock’s best-loved hellraiser

Freddie Mercury: The life story you may not know

As I mentioned in June, Mercury wasn’t the only high profile celebrity who announced he had HIV in November 1991.  Two weeks prior to Mercury’s announcement, Magic Johnson said that he had HIV.  That month became a watershed moment in the public’s attitude towards the disease.  If people that famous could get it, then anyone could.  The biggest effect their announcements had was to change the public’s attitude both towards people with the disease and people who aren’t cishetero binary.  Many who were fans of either or both changed their words and reduced or stopped their hate speech when it was one of their heroes.

For nearly 20 years I lived vicariously through Freddie Mercury and The Cramps while closeted and unable to express myself or love men the way I wanted to. Without people like them in the world saying “You’re not the only one”, I might have committed suicide decades ago. I owe them a huge debt of gratitude. I’m sure there are many others who feel the same.

A little more comes below the fold.

[Read more…]

The Infection Spreads: Anti-masker violence is here

The Taiwan government has done a remarkable job at keeping COVID-19 out, and getting it under control when the mass outbreak happened.  Although conditions now are no different than in May before the outbreak, the rules on masks have been kept in place.  People don’t like it, but nearly everyone complies because of the government’s credibility.  Tsai and her cabinet could win a third term unopposed if an election happened right now.

Unfortunately, there are fanatics who see themselves as exempt, who bristle at having to wear a mask everywhere outside their home.  They have started spreading anti-mask and anti-vax nonsense.  The government can’t do much about Taiwanese citizens who say it, but I wish they would round up and deport foreigners who spread it.  Especially when there are laws about spreading misinformation and fines for those who do.

But the worst part is the anti-masker violence.  Two cases may sound few, but it’s the ferocity of the violence that galls me, hospitalizing the first and the second died from stab wounds.

From May:

Convenience store clerk beaten up by customer who refused to comply with epidemic control measures

A convenience store clerk in New Taipei City was sent to hospital after being beaten up by a man who refused to comply with the requirement to wear a mask and register his name and phone number when visiting the store, today, May 17.

At around 7:00 am this morning a 50-year-old man, named Lai, entered a High Life convenience store in Tucheng District, without wearing a surgical mask. A 22-year-old clerk named Zhuo requested he put on a mask and comply with the name-registration system.

Video of the incident shows Lai complying with the clerk’s request to put on a mask. However, when the clerk insisted Lai leave his name and phone number as required for possible contact tracing measures, Lai refused, and finally lost his temper and attacked the young man, hitting him with a motorcycle helmet before punching and kicking him.

From Sunday:

Convenience store clerk stabbed to death after asking customer to wear mask

A convenience store clerk in Taoyuan City died after being stabbed in the chest by a customer he had asked to put on a mask this morning, November 21.

According to reports, a 41-year-old man named Chiang entered a 7-11 store on Guangfeng Road in Guishan District at around 5:00 am. The 30-year-old clerk, named Tsai, requested that Chiang put on a facemask according to epidemic prevention regulations.

[. . .]

Chiang left the store, but returned for a third time and demanded the clerk step out from behind the counter. According to witnesses who called the police, Tsai and Chiang scuffled before Chiang allegedly stabbed Tsai in the left side chest three times.

Noticeably, both cases happened in the early hours of the morning.  It makes me wonder if the attackers feel a sense of “anonymity” when almost no one is around at that time of day.

Some foreigners also rail against vaccines, blathering about “freedumb”.  Vaccination is mandatory for immigrants unless we have a medical exemption, and I doubt many do.

My sister Katisen is Taiwanese and taking HRT so she is exempt.  It’s likely Transgender foreigners are also exempt.  I don’t take it because estrogen nearly caused me to have a heart attack or a stroke when I was on it.

Breathtaking Inanity Returns: 102 anti-Trans laws

In 2005, fanatical christian fascists in Dover, Pennsylvania attempted to violate the separation of cult and state and put creationism into public schools under the false veneer of “intelligent design” (NOVA episode, on youtube).  Despite being an appointee of George Bu**sh**, judge John E. Jones correctly rules that “intelligent design” was creationism by another name and accurately described the creationists’ claims as breathtaking inanity.

The same is happening now in dozens of US states, corrupt, incompetent, and bigoted republicans attempting to legalize discrimination, hate, and violence against Transgender children.  There are 102 “bills” that will legislate anti-Trans hate while only seven use the word Transgender in them. It’s as dishonest now as creationists were then.  From USA Today:

In 102 anti-trans bills in 7 states, the word ‘transgender’ appears just 7 times. It’s not an accident.

Over three special legislative sessions this year, Texas legislators introduced 47 proposed bills that aimed to restrict transgender kids’ access to sports or gender-affirming care, plus three bills that would block birth certificate updates for minors. The word “transgender” didn’t appear in any of them. 

Proponents of the bills in Texas, which brought triple the number of anti-trans bills this year of any other state, also rarely reference trans people during debate, even though the legislation is about what trans kids can and cannot do. Instead, they use language that categorizes trans girls as boys by using sex assigned at birth to define gender identity. 

More anti-trans bills were introduced in state legislatures in 2021 than in any previous year on record. The 19th reviewed the text of 102 bills in seven states that were primarily designed to restrict access to sports or gender-affirming care for trans youth, like hormones and puberty blockers, and only seven bills mentioned the word “transgender.” Only eight passed, primarily those focused on sports, although legal battles in several states have barred most from going into effect.

[. . .]

Lawmakers’ arguments in support of these bills stress that girls must be protected from losing opportunities in sports against “biological men.” That idea displays deep-seated assumptions about gender, as trans women are portrayed as a threat to cisgender girls’ academic and economic opportunities. As this argument has been repeated across the country, trans people and LGBTQ advocates tell The 19th that their existence is being called into question.

This approach isn’t new, but advocates say it has evolved in recent years.

In 2017, Texas’ failed bathroom bill did not actually reference transgender people anywhere in the text, though the legislation aimed to keep trans people from using bathrooms that match their gender identity. North Carolina’s infamous 2016 bathroom bill, which was passed and subsequently repealed after the Associated Press predicted it would cost the state more than $3.76 billion in boycotts, also never used the word “transgender.”

This “approach” is the same as others in the past twenty years, like drug testing for the poor.  They know it’s a waste of time and money, and they want taxpayers to be angry at those targeted by hate legislation (“you made us waste money on this!”).

This “approach” is eighty years old: repeat the lie often enough until people believe it, because they know it wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny or facts.

These “bills” are not written to “protect cis girls”, not even the writers believe that.  They’re written to deny health care to Transgender children, and to make people into targets of – and to encourage – hate and violence.

NPR: ‘It’s Specifically Cruel’: Multiple Anti-Trans Bills Considered In Tennessee

NBC: Texas has considered dozens of anti-trans bills. These moms have helped stop them.

SciAm: Why Anti-Trans Laws Are Anti-Science

Them: Anti-Trans Sports Bills Aren’t Just Transphobic — They’re Racist, Too

Boston Globe: Republican anti-trans legislation is an assault on children

Planned Parenthood: Florida Anti-Trans Legislation: Where It Is and Where It Might Be Headed