Links - 23rd April 2018 (1)

‘Raja Bomoh’ to contest in Malaysian general election - "Mr Ibrahim Mat Zin, popularly known as 'Raja Bomoh’ (Shaman King) will face Mr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Bagan Datuk for the upcoming Malaysian general election. Mr Ibrahim — the self-declared shaman who made global headlines five years ago during the initial days of Flight MH370’s disappearance — announced on Tuesday (April 17) that he plans to run in the Bagan Datuk parliamentary seat in the May 9 polls"

Trump’s Russia Policy Is Better Than Obama’s Was – Foreign Policy - "More than a year into Trump’s presidency, however, none of the fears generated by his early statements on Russia have become a reality. If you strip away his ostensibly chummy personal relationship with Putin, Trump’s Russia policy has been drastically more assertive than that of his predecessor"
Trump is so much of a Russian stooge that he pretends to annoy them so people won't realise he's really Putin's lapdog. Brilliant! 10D chess is real!

Russia's 12 UN vetoes on Syria - "The latest veto prevented the adoption of US-drafted resolution to investigate chemical weapons use in Syria aimed at identifying the perpetrators... In all, Russia used its veto four times to block draft resolutions seeking to establish investigations of chemical weapons use in Syria's seven-year war."
The chemical attacks were obviously faked, which is why Russia had to veto so many investigations into them

Syria war: UN inspectors FINALLY allowed to enter Douma after Russia
access - "The delay prompted fears of a suspected cover-up as French officials raised concerns that evidence could be disappearing from the location."

Elizabeth Tsurkov on Twitter: "Sources told me that Syrian doctors & nurses were coerced under the threat of torture to appear on RT & Sputnik & lie about the chemical attack in Douma. I now understand that these Russian outlets are similar to regime channels under dictatorships, used to air forced confessions"
If you think Assad's chemical attacks are suspicious because he has no reason to commit them, you shouldn't believe that Kim Jong Un conspicuously killed his brother who was no threat to him, in full view of CCTVs, using indiscreet agents, in a way that could be traced back to him
Forcing the West to intervene weakens them not least from internal strife. It strikes fear in his people so they won't dare resist him. And underlines how the world is essentially powerless to stop him given his powerful backing.
Also you get to test your toys for others to see. And to get experience in using them. It also deters foreign intervention when they know you're willing and able to use chemical weapons.

A Statement Issued by the Patriarchates of Antioch and all the East for the Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, and Greek-Melkite Catholic - "We salute the courage, heroism and sacrifices of the Syrian Arab Army which courageously protects Syria and provide security for its people. We pray for the souls of the martyrsand the recovery of the wounded. We are confident that the army will not bow before the external or internal terrorist aggressions; they will continue to fight courageously against terrorism until every inch of the Syrian land is cleansed from terrorism. We, likewise, commend the brave stand of countries which are friendly to the Syria and its people"
Top comedy

The search for truth in the rubble of Douma – and one doctor’s doubts over the chemical attack - "France, meanwhile, has said it has “proof” chemical weapons were used, and US media have quoted sources saying urine and blood tests showed this too. The WHO has said its partners on the ground treated 500 patients “exhibiting signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals”. At the same time, inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are currently blocked from coming here to the site of the alleged gas attack themselves, ostensibly because they lacked the correct UN permits."

Trump Does Have a Syria Strategy - "President Obama had grandiose goals that he omitted to attain... President Trump has no grandiose goals... It produced an outcome of working in conjunction with allies—both militarily and at the UN—to enforce the international norm prohibiting the use of chemical weapons. This was something Obama, the advocate of international norms and institutions and great advocate of non-proliferation, only pretended to do... That approach is actually different than Obama’s. Obama was self-deterred, whereas Trump—or at least his administration—runs limited risks. Obama generated false hope among reformers and victims; Trump generates no hope. But he does have a strategy, and it does carefully assess and manage risk to achieve its aims."

Police Cameras Had No Effect. Why? - "by 2016, 95 percent of large police departments reported that they had either implemented body cameras or were planning to. My own city, Washington, not only moved forward with plans to put body cameras on its officers, but also set up the rollout as a randomized controlled trial, so that researchers could see what effects they had on things like use of force and civilian complaints. That data is now in, and it shows that the cameras did … basically nothing. In fact, officers with the cameras had slightly more reports of use of force and civilian complaints than officers without them, though neither difference was statistically significant."
This could suggest that not all complaints against the police are justified
It was suggested that knowing they would be more likely to be rightly vindicated, they were more willing to use force

Police bodycam proves cops did not throw man off bridge - "A police chief has rebutted false claims that his officers beat a suspect and threw him off a bridge, answering critics with his best weapon: body camera video... after his arrest, a woman who identified herself as the mother of the Davis' children posted that he was 'beat half to death' by Rainbow City police and pushed off of the bridge... The false claim sparked an outpouring of vicious threats against the officers of the Rainbow City police force. 'We'd received more than 100 messages threatening to do all sorts of things, rape and kill our wives and children and launch an all-out war on police'"

Richard Dreyfuss Accused of Exposing Himself to Woman - "the actor and writer Harry Dreyfuss gave a detailed account to BuzzFeed News, alleging that Kevin Spacey groped his crotch when he was 18, while his father, Richard Dreyfuss, was in the room... Richard tweeted a statement in support of his son... as Los Angeles–based writer Jessica Teich read the elder Dreyfuss’s tweet, she grew “bothered,” she says. “When I read about his support for his son, which I would never question, I remember thinking, But wait a minute, this guy harassed me for months”"

Louis C.K., Harvey Weinstein, and the Art of the Brotest - "There are so many #HeToos woven among the #MeToos. There is so much human truth lurking in all the hypocrisy: The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons. And there are so many “nice guys” who are being proved to be, in retrospect, anything but. C.K. might have put the lie in ally; he has had, though, a lot of company. Many of the men who are now alleged to be predators and abusers and harassers have also been among the loudest and most insistent voices of goodguyism. They have been marching for women’s equality. They have insisted on women’s humanity. They have used their power for the good of the general populace. The brotesters are public and proud and just so great. Until they are not. So Harvey Weinstein not only created star-vehicle movies for women; he also publicly supported feminist causes. The Weinstein Company distributed The Hunting Ground, a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses. Weinstein himself helped to endow a faculty chair at Rutgers University—named for Gloria Steinem. He gave a $5 million endowment to the USC School of Cinematic Arts to support women filmmakers. (The donation has since been rejected.) On January 21, along with many others, he marched for women’s rights. Kevin Spacey has long made a point of serving as a mentor to younger actors... Richard Dreyfuss, whose son Harry was one of Spacey’s alleged victims, shared the story Harry wrote for Buzzfeed with the following preface: “I love my son ‪@harrydreyfuss more than I could explain with all the words in the world. And I am so incredibly proud of him right now.” This was just before the writer Jessica Teich came forward to allege that Dreyfuss the elder had exposed himself to her. This time last week, The Flash, executive produced by Andrew Kreisberg, aired a feminism-themed episode. (Sample line: “Because we live in a society that’s dictated by the male gaze. I wanna control the narrative of feminism, okay?”) Later the same week, Variety reported that multiple people are accusing Kreisberg—who has also served as an executive producer on Arrow, Supergirl, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow—of harassment. Ben Affleck, in 2014, spoke about raising feminist daughters... Leon Wieseltier, the former literary editor of the New Republic, was known as a champion of women... Roy Price, the former head of Amazon Studios, helped to bring the groundbreaking show Transparent into the world"
The parallels with anti-gay men caught doing funny things with other men are striking

Al Franken’s past comments on sexual assault complicate his effort to dispute Leeann Tweeden’s allegation - The Washington Post - "Franken has previously suggested — including very recently — that women like Tweeden who accuse men of sexual assault are mistreated. Just last month, in response to the Harvey Weinstein saga, Franken posted on Facebook that responses doubting female accusers are “disappointing”... He is clearly casting doubt on how Tweeden is presenting their interactions back in 2006, which is the kind of thing he just last month labeled “disappointing.”"
Lies and the lying liars who tell them

I’m a feminist. I study rape culture. And I don’t want Al Franken to resign. - The Washington Post - "I am a realist who recognizes that we get two viable choices, and Democrats are members of the only party positioned to pump the brakes on Republicans’ gleeful race toward Atwoodian dystopia. Meanwhile, I recognize that men’s harassment of and violence against women is a systemic issue, not a Democrat or Republican problem, a Hollywood problem, a sports problem, or a media problem. Its roots lie in a patriarchal culture that trains men to believe they are entitled to control women’s bodies —for sex, for sport, for childbearing, for comedy... I would like to see him support a qualified progressive woman, who will carry on that important work, to run for his seat."
Sexual harassment is okay if it's done by Democrats
Comments: "Same defense as Clinton's - yeah he's a predator, but he's OUR (progressive) predator, so it's okay"
"When a politician has a (D) before their name, they receive a collection of benefits that is bestowed upon them by the main stream media as a result of being a member of the favored party . I like to call it democrat privilege. Kate just provided us with an excellent example."
"That would justify Moore getting elected by Republicans because they agree with him."

The Fraternity Paradox: Lower GPA, Higher Incomes - "fraternity members tend to earn more money after college than other graduates do, even if the record shows their grades aren't as good. That's quite a tradeoff: Slack off in class, party more -- then still earn more money. Sign me up!... Both sports teams and Greek houses are the last bastions of single-sex association on campus. Although Professor Davis said he would only be speculating, he acknowledged it was possible that the single-sex factor could play a role in these outcomes. It may sound politically incorrect to say it in academic environments, where gender is supposed to be a social construct, but the study could imply that men from all races and backgrounds seem to benefit later from membership in a single-sex institution or from being able to socialize in a single-sex setting. The study found no similar benefit for women who joined sororities. One reason for this may be that women are more likely to form social bonds with other women outside of these structures"

Muslims and Terrorism - "it is not true that, as President Obama has said, “99.9 percent of Muslims” reject Islamic terrorism... In surveys of the Muslim populations of nine majority-Muslim countries, plus Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, an average of 57 percent have an unfavorable view of al-Qaeda, not 99.9 percent. Thirteen percent have a favorable view of al-Qaeda, not 0.1 percent... One in three supports Hamas. If you need a Hamas refresher: On March 27, 2002, the Park Hotel in the Israeli city of Netanya was holding a Passover meal for mostly elderly Jews who had no family and nowhere else to go for the holiday. Several were Holocaust survivors. A member of Hamas walked into the hotel dining room and detonated a suicide vest, killing 30 and wounding 140 others. The Palestinian Authority dedicated a soccer tournament to the bomber’s memory. One in three Muslims in the Muslim world supports Hamas... In Britain and Spain, one in four Muslims believes suicide bombings are sometimes justified. One in three believes it in France. Slightly more than one in ten believes it in the United States... more than one in three British Muslims see Britain’s Jewish community as a “legitimate target as part of the struggle for justice in the Middle East.” Not Israelis but British Jews. Their Jewish neighbors. One in three. According to the BBC, more than one in four British Muslims agree with the statement: “I have some sympathy for the motives behind the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.” When a position is held by one in five, one in four, one in three, it’s part of the mainstream. According to Gallup, one in three Americans believes abortion should be illegal even in the first trimester; one in four Americans believes it should be legal even after the first trimester. The proportion of Americans who believe abortion should always be illegal is the same as the proportion of French Muslims who believe suicide bombings are sometimes justified"

Watchdog: Troops say they were told to ignore Afghan child sex abuse - "while the Pentagon did not have formal guidance discouraging the reporting of child sex abuse in Afghanistan, several troops say they were still informally told to ignore it... Controversy erupted last year after news reports alleged a Pentagon policy kept U.S. troops from reporting when Afghan police and militia officials sexually assaulted children in a practice known as "bacha bazi" — or "boy play." U.S. troops were allegedly punished when they did report the abuse... some services’ cultural awareness training did identify child sex abuse as a culturally accepted practice in Afghanistan"

Afghanistan's bacha bazi 'dancing boys' who dress like girls then abused by paedophiles - "It is said one of the country's favourite sayings is women are for children, boys are for pleasure... The fact homosexuality is forbidden in Islam is swept under the carpet by those who participate, who claim there is a loophole. They are not in love with the boys, and therefore not gay."

Zimbabwe Plotters 'Asked China's Permission to Oust Mugabe'
Colonialism is okay if it's not white

Lifting the ban on elephant trophies will probably help save elephants. - "legalizing trophy hunting in Zimbabwe has “doubled the area of the country under wildlife management relative to the 13% in state protected areas,” since the program at the time included private lands. “As a result, the area of suitable land available to elephants and other wildlife has increased, reversing the problem of habitat loss and helping to maintain a sustained population increase in Zimbabwe’s already large elephant population.” And considering how an elephant trophy fee could be anywhere from $4,000 to $18,500, the potential for revenue generated by trophy import permits could be a massive boon to both conservation projects and local communities alike"

How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches - "when the insects squeeze through the tiniest of crevices, they experience compressive forces around 300 times their own body weight. They can actually withstand 900 times without suffering any damage whatsoever, or even slowing down"

Snowflakes Triggered en masse by "Problematic" hilarious Shitlord App - "A hilarious new mobile app is causing levels of Butthurt we haven’t witnessed in a very long time by sending special snowflakes in a frenzy of rage. The aptly named “MAKEAPP” app designed by Russian developer Ashot Gabrelyanov, showcases women’s natural features by removing all the makeup, edits and filters from their pictures... The explanation? Just blame Russia of course"
Sexism and misogyny are apparently anything that make women look worse than they appear