niyad
niyad's JournalTwo krasnov references to his own death. Yesterday's "when t#### isn't here"
is the second that I have seen. The first was his musing about not getting into heaven recently. For someone who claims to be so incredibly fit and healthy, those are very interesting comments.
May his worst nightmare come true.
"How did we end up with a president and vice president who both wear
more makeup than kylie jenner and Lady Gaga combined???" A line from Jimmy Kimmel's monologue Monday night, which I just caught on youtube. Cracked me up. I noticed that beardo's beard is turning white, and his eyes are super shiny, like they have been polished with mirror-bright. Either that, or some of the weirdest contacts I have ever seen.
Is anyody here familiar with the "blue envelope" program, a law enforcement
program ostensibly nationwide that is supposed to ease encounters between leo's and those wiith various disabilities, etc. As the local sheriff's department spokesperson "explained" it, people with disabilities, etc., ae supposed to keep all their documents with them at all times, and present them upon encountering leo's. The "blue envelope" is also supposed to include guidelines for leo's in dealing with the holders of these envelopes.
Frankly, this creeps me out on so many levels. What is the thinking behind this? Is there any likelihood of meaningful success? What am I missing?
Afghanistan bans female authors from university curricula
Afghanistan bans female authors from university curricula
At least 679 titles blacklisted, including texts on human rights, women’s rights and Western political thought.
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Men read books in a library at a private university in Kabul.
In this photo taken on July 22, 2024, men read books in a library at a private university in Kabul, Afghanistan [File: Wakil Kohsar/AFP]
By Mariamne Everett
Published On 19 Sep 2025
Afghanistan‘s Taliban-run government plans to remove books written by women from university curricula.
A member of the committee reviewing textbooks confirmed the ban to BBC Afghan on Friday. The blacklisting is part of an educational decree that also prohibits education courses “deemed in conflict with Islamic Sharia”. The committee member told BBC Afghanistan that “all books authored by women are not allowed to be taught.” At least 679 titles were banned due to their “anti-Sharia and Taliban policies”, he added. Since the Taliban came to power four years ago, it has barred education for girls above sixth grade (age 12), arguing that it does not comply with its interpretation of Islam – although no other Muslim-majority country prohibits girls from being educated. Sharia does not prohibit women and girls from education and Islam has a long tradition of female scholars and writers. The world’s oldest university in Morocco was also founded by a woman in the 9th Century.
The books affected by the Taliban’s move cover every field of study, including texts on constitutional law, Islamic political movements and the political system, as well as human rights, women’s studies and Western political thought. A final list of banned books will be issued to universities at a later date. A directive, which was seen by BBC Afghan, was signed by the Taliban’s deputy higher education minister, Ziaur Rahman Aryoubi, and the 50-page list of banned books was sent to Afghan universities at the end of last month. Aryoubi said in a letter to the universities that the decisions had been taken by a panel of “religious scholars and experts” and that the banned books should be replaced with course materials that “do not conflict with Islam”.
The decree is the latest in a series of restrictions the Taliban has imposed since returning to power. The Taliban has cracked down on many aspects of education, from firing hundreds of professors on the grounds that they “opposed” the group’s ideology to increasing mandatory religious coursework across all faculties. Universities have also been ordered to stop teaching 18 subjects, six of which are specifically about women, including gender and development. Another 201 courses were under review. Taliban’s nationwide ban on women attending private and public universities has been widely condemned by Muslim-majority countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.
‘Misogynistic mindset’
Zakia Adeli, the former deputy minister of justice before the Taliban’s return in August 2021 and author of Political Terminology and International Relations, one of the banned books, told BBC Afghan that she was unsurprised by the move. “Considering what the Taliban have done over the past four years, it was not far-fetched to expect them to impose changes on the curriculum,” said Adeli. “Given the Taliban’s misogynistic mindset and policies, it is only natural that when women themselves are not allowed to study, their views, ideas and writings are also suppressed.”
. . . .
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/19/afghanistan-bans-female-authors-from-university-curricula
The Push to Eliminate New York State's Voluntary Intoxication Loophole: 'You Should Be Allowed to Get Drunk and Not Be
(I can hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth now!!)
The Push to Eliminate New York State’s Voluntary Intoxication Loophole: ‘You Should Be Allowed to Get Drunk and Not Be Taken Advantage Of’
PUBLISHED 9/19/2025 by Livia Follet
Survivors and advocates say closing the loophole is a crucial step toward shifting blame from victims to perpetrators (what a novel thought!!!).
Protesters gather as Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan court house for the start of his trial on Jan. 6, 2020, in New York City. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
Under current New York law, if someone was drinking by choice when they were assaulted, prosecutors can decide not to pursue the case. This law provides prosecutors with an out when it comes to sexual assault—and statistics show they take it: In 2019, prosecutors dropped nearly half of all sexual assault cases in the Manhattan district attorney’s office. A bill proposed in the state legislature is looking to make it harder for prosecutors to throw out sexual assault and rape cases by prohibiting the use of intoxication of the victim as a defense. “It’s a staggering injustice. Being unable to say no doesn’t mean you have no right to say no,” says Ann Olivarius, a leading women’s rights attorney and longtime advocate for survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence. The bill would guarantee that if a victim is voluntarily intoxicated at the time of their assault, they cannot be denied protection under the law. Some form of an intoxication loophole exists in more than 20 states. However, whether or not a state has eliminated the loophole doesn’t necessarily fall along party lines. While New York is still working to close its loophole, Texas eliminated its voluntary intoxication loophole this summer. “If this bill passes, survivors in New York won’t have to ask themselves, ‘Well, maybe I was asking for it by having that beer,’” says Olivarius.
The process of amending New York’s law to support survivors and provide them with legal recourse began at the turn of the decade. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo failed to advance the bill which was in his 2020 budget. He later resigned in 2021 a week after the New York attorney general released an investigation that found Cuomo had sexually harassed at least 11 women. The bill needs to be passed through the state’s Senate and Assembly, then be signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. It’s not yet clear when the bill will be scheduled for a vote. Olivarius says that the bill is likely falling victim to New York’s “famous dysfunctional state government”—that is, Republicans are unlikely to support the bill if state Democrats do, and vice versa. If passed, the bill would reshape the legal landscape, representing a crucial step for survivors. At least half of all sexual assault cases are associated with the victim or the perpetrator’s alcohol consumption.
“Having a drink doesn’t mean you surrender your bodily autonomy. The onus on not to rape and the punishment for it must be on the perpetrator. We can’t keep treating sexual violence as a crime of opportunity, which it is now,” says Olivarius.
Sexual Assault and Rape as an Epidemic
Women protest against rape as they sing a song in front of the court while Harvey Weinstein attends a pretrial session on Jan. 10, 2020 in New York City. (Kena Betancur / Getty Images)
Olivarius noted that the bill is a small step, but essential nonetheless as it chips away at a criminal justice system with deeply systemic issues of racism and sexism. “Rape is such a structural problem. It’s so deep in this society, and nobody really seems to give a damn.” On top of the current laws, rape is the most unde-rreported crime, and cases that are reported are notoriously hard to win. Few reports lead to arrests and an even lesser percentage leads to felony convictions. Nearly 98 percent of perpetrators of sexual assault will not go to jail or prison. College-age women are the most vulnerable with just over 26 percent of undergraduate women experiencing rape or sexual assault. “It’s so hard to get a conviction, it’s really tough. And so, you’re up against the odds, but at least [voluntary intoxication is] one thing that at least they can’t hang their hat on.” “Survivors really want this,” Olivarius continued. “And so there’s people from years ago who are pushing it still. And of course, Cuomo turned it down, but now I think there’s a shot that it might just pass.”
In October 2024, the U.K. passed the Online Safety Act, protecting children and adults online. When Olivarius was drafting the bill, there was a room consisting of 14 members of Parliament, three of them women. “And one of the men said, ‘well you haven’t been raped of course. What are you concerned about?’ The three women were from aristocratic families, very very wealthy, really well educated. And one woman looked at him and said, ‘I’ve been raped four times, the first time gang raped.’ The other two women hesitated and said they’ve both been raped also.” “And the men said, ‘What? Well, we don’t know anybody who’s been raped.’ And of course, they all said, ‘Sure, you know, the three of us and most of the women in Parliament have been raped for sure.’”
. . . .
“It’s actually a profound shift from the victims’ complicity in their own crime to focusing on the perpetrators’ responsibility.”
https://msmagazine.com/2025/09/19/new-york-voluntary-intoxication-loophole-drunk-rape-women-violence-sexual-assault/
One woman killed every 10 minutes: The harrowing global reality of femicide (trigger warning)
One woman killed every 10 minutes: The harrowing global reality of femicide (trigger warning)
In Mexico, a mother keeps a portrait of murdered daughter in a locket (file).
UN Women/Ina Riaskov
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GcXgMOdaMAEkQm2?format=jpg&name=360x360
25 November 2024 Women
A sobering report released by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Monday reveals that in 2023, 140 women and girls died every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative, which means one woman killed every 10 minutes. Released on the 25th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the report sheds light on the global crisis of femicide and calls for urgent action.
“The epidemic of violence against women and girls shames humanity,” said Secretary-General António Guterres in his message for the Day. “The world must heed this call. We need urgent action for justice and accountability, and support for advocacy.” The report also coincides with the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign, which runs from 25 November to 10 December. This year, the UNITE campaign is drawing attention to the alarming escalation of violence against women under the theme, “Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse. UNITE to End Violence against Women”.
A universal issue with regional disparities
Femicide transcends borders, socioeconomic statuses, and cultures, but its severity varies regionally. According to the report, Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicides, with 21,700 women killed in 2023, followed by the Americas and Oceania. In Europe and the Americas, most victims were killed by their intimate partners, comprising 64 per cent and 58 per cent of cases, respectively. In contrast, women in Africa and Asia were more likely to be killed by family members than by partners, reflecting varied cultural and social dynamics responsible for this discrimination.
Critical gaps in data and accountability
Despite the alarming numbers, the lack of consistent and comprehensive data remains a significant challenge. Only 37 countries reported data on intimate partner and family-related femicides in 2023, a sharp decline from 75 countries in 2020. This data gap hampers efforts to monitor trends and enforce accountability for these crimes. UN Women and UNODC stressed the need for systematic data collection as part of a broader strategy to address violence against women. Accurate and transparent data is essential to inform policy, track progress, and ensure governments remain accountable for their commitments to gender equality.
Posters made by children from Ixtapaluca, State of Mexico, alluding to the eradication of violence against women and girls.
UNIC Mexico/Eloísa Farrera
. . . .
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1157386
One woman killed every 10 minutes: The harrowing global reality of femicide (trigger warning)
One woman killed every 10 minutes: The harrowing global reality of femicide (trigger warning)
In Mexico, a mother keeps a portrait of murdered daughter in a locket (file).
UN Women/Ina Riaskov
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GcXgMOdaMAEkQm2?format=jpg&name=360x360
25 November 2024 Women
A sobering report released by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Monday reveals that in 2023, 140 women and girls died every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative, which means one woman killed every 10 minutes. Released on the 25th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the report sheds light on the global crisis of femicide and calls for urgent action.
“The epidemic of violence against women and girls shames humanity,” said Secretary-General António Guterres in his message for the Day. “The world must heed this call. We need urgent action for justice and accountability, and support for advocacy.” The report also coincides with the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign, which runs from 25 November to 10 December. This year, the UNITE campaign is drawing attention to the alarming escalation of violence against women under the theme, “Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse. UNITE to End Violence against Women”.
A universal issue with regional disparities
Femicide transcends borders, socioeconomic statuses, and cultures, but its severity varies regionally. According to the report, Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicides, with 21,700 women killed in 2023, followed by the Americas and Oceania. In Europe and the Americas, most victims were killed by their intimate partners, comprising 64 per cent and 58 per cent of cases, respectively. In contrast, women in Africa and Asia were more likely to be killed by family members than by partners, reflecting varied cultural and social dynamics responsible for this discrimination.
Critical gaps in data and accountability
Despite the alarming numbers, the lack of consistent and comprehensive data remains a significant challenge. Only 37 countries reported data on intimate partner and family-related femicides in 2023, a sharp decline from 75 countries in 2020. This data gap hampers efforts to monitor trends and enforce accountability for these crimes. UN Women and UNODC stressed the need for systematic data collection as part of a broader strategy to address violence against women. Accurate and transparent data is essential to inform policy, track progress, and ensure governments remain accountable for their commitments to gender equality.
Posters made by children from Ixtapaluca, State of Mexico, alluding to the eradication of violence against women and girls.
UNIC Mexico/Eloísa Farrera
. . . .
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1157386
The Silent Epidemic of Femicide in the United States (trigger warning!!)
(appalling, essential read. over two years old, but possibly even worse in these misogynist, christofascist, theocratic days)
Photo of person's hand wearing purple glove and holding a purple ribbon, symbol of fight against femicide and gender violence
The Silent Epidemic of Femicide in the United States (trigger warning)
March 10, 2023
Sanctuary for Families
Last summer, New Yorkers were rattled by the devastating, senseless murder of Azsia Johnson — a 20-year-old victim of domestic violence who was shot while walking her three-month-old baby on the Upper East Side. Contrary to initial speculation, this was not a random killing — a few days after the shooting, the child’s father was arrested and charged with Azsia’s murder. According to her mother, Azsia’s ex-boyfriend physically abused her while pregnant with their child and continued to stalk and threaten her for months. Though shocking and infuriating, Johnson’s case is sadly just one of many instances of fatal violence against women.
FEMICIDE IS PREVALENT IN US
************In the United States, femicide — the gender-based killing of women — is often thought of as an issue affecting low-income countries. This could not be further from the truth; a study on female homicide victimization among 25 populous high-income countries found that 70% of all cases occurred in the U.S. ************* To put that into perspective, on a global scale, the U.S. ranks 34th for intentional female homicides at a rate of 2.6 killings per 100,000 women. Moreover, in the US, almost three women are killed by an intimate partner every day. Just as in the case of Aszia Johnson, women in the U.S. are predominantly killed by men they know, and largely by current or former intimate partners. Of all female homicides in 2018 in which the victim-to-offender relationship could be identified, 92% of victims were killed by a man they knew, and 63% were killed by current husbands, boyfriends, or ex-husbands. These staggering statistics demonstrate the misogyny behind these violent deaths — In the United States, like in so many countries across the world, women are being murdered because they are women.
The link between gender and violence in the U.S. becomes even more apparent when looking at the demographics of male homicides. Men are significantly more likely to be killed by a stranger than women; strangers kill 29% of male homicide victims compared to only 10% of female victims. And while it is true that some men are murdered by their female partners, intimate partner violence accounts for only about 5% of male homicides. Too often, these occur in the context of women acting in self-defense against their abusive male partners. Furthermore, when compared to male homicides, femicides tend to be more violent and intimate in nature — women are less likely than men to be killed in a shooting, but more likely to be beaten, stabbed, or strangled.
Trans women and women of color face a disproportionate risk
When considering femicide and its implications, we must acknowledge the barriers and disparities affecting marginalized women and how these increase the risk of violence. Though femicide is a pervasive problem for all women, the reality for women of color is even bleaker — men are murdering Black women and girls at a rate almost three times higher than white women. For indigenous women and girls, the homicide rate is six times higher than it is for their white counterparts, and current or former partners are responsible for 94% of those homicides. Despite being murdered at higher rates, Black and brown murdered and missing women are not receiving the same media attention and resources as white women.The transgender community is also profoundly affected by femicide, especially trans women of color. 2021 was the deadliest year globally for murders of trans people, and 96% of those victims were trans women or transfeminine people. Of the known cases of anti-trans murders from 2013-2018, approximately 1 in 6 are suspected of having been committed by an intimate partner.
. . . . .
https://sanctuaryforfamilies.org/femicide-epidemic/
Texas' Newest Abortion Law Allows $100,000 Rewards for Snitching on Pregnant Women
(AND THE WAR ON WOMEN CONTINUES APACE!!! FUCK THE GODDAMNED, WOMAN-HATING, MISOGYNIST, CHRISTOFASCIST, THEOCRATIC, ASSHOLES!!)
Texas’ Newest Abortion Law Allows $100,000 Rewards for Snitching on Pregnant Women
PUBLISHED 9/12/2025 by Bonnie Fuller | UPDATED 9/18/2025 at 9:19 A.M. PT
Updated Sept. 18 at 9:10 a.m. PT: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 7 into law on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The new law, which takes effect on Dec. 4, 2025, allows private citizens to sue anyone who manufactures, distributes or mails abortion medication to Texas residents.
“HB 7 invites anyone—including those with no connection at all to an abortion patient—to bring a complaint, which really incentivizes harassing lawsuits from anti-abortion activists,” says Liz Sepper, a law professor at the University of Texas–Austin. “This could spur an outpouring of fishing expeditions against anyone who is advocating for care in Texas or suspected of sending pills into the state. It’s a pretty preposterous and troubling bill.” That said, advocates say Texas’ new bounty-style restrictions are unlikely to stop abortion pills from reaching patients. “It’s possible that some of the providers may step back, but access is still going to be possible by mail in Texas, regardless of this attempt to instill fear in people,” said Elisa Wells, co-founder and access director at Plan C, which researches and shares information about how people are accessing abortion pills in the United States. “The more crazy stuff that the Texas legislature does around this to try and block access, the more visible the option of pills by mail becomes.”
Abortion rights demonstrators march outside of the Harris County Courthouse during the Women’s Wave march in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 8, 2022. (Mark Felix / AFP via Getty Images)
Originally published by Courier Texas.
Texas Republicans recently passed another law to prevent abortions—one that rewards family members with at least $100,000 for snitching. House Bill 7 passed the Texas Legislature and Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign it by Sept. 24, which is the deadline for him to take action on it. It would allow private citizens to file lawsuits against any person intending to help obtain abortion pills in the state, anyone distributing abortion pills or any company shipping abortion pills into Texas. If the lawsuit is successful, they’d receive at least $100,000 for their efforts. There’s a caveat: If the private citizen is not related to a pregnant woman seeking abortion pills, they would only receive $10,000, with $90,000 going to the charity of their choice, if they win their lawsuit. If the private citizen is related to a pregnant woman seeking abortion pills, however, they’d get to keep the full $100,000. These private citizens do not need to prove that pills were shipped or distributed. Instead, they only need to demonstrate an intent to provide pills—for example, a mother researching abortion pills for her pregnant daughter could be sued by a disapproving family member, even if no pills were ever obtained, said state Sen. Carol Alvarado (D) during legislative debate on the bill.
Texas Sen. Carol Alvarado on the Senate floor Aug. 22, 2025. (Sara Diggins / The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
The person or company sued—in other words, the defendant—would be responsible for paying the $100,000, plaintiff’s attorney fees and court costs, and any other fees associated with the lawsuit. These could be out-of-state doctors or even a pregnant woman’s best friend who steered her to an abortion care website. The bill is designed to cut pregnant Texas women off from being able to order FDA-approved pills that safely end early pregnancies, prescribed through telemedicine appointments with physicians in states where abortion is legal.Democrats vehemently opposed the bill.Texas already has multiple abortion ban bills, including Senate Bill 8, passed in 2021, which offers bounty hunters $10,000 if they successfully sue a medical provider who performs an illegal abortion in the state.
However, despite laws which ban abortion from conception in Texas, women have been able to access highly effective abortion pills through the mail.
As of 2023, 8,000 pregnant women a month in abortion ban states have self-managed their abortions in the privacy of their homes, receiving a two-pill regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol by mail.With HB 7, that’s what Texas Republicans aim to stop. And since husbands, parents and siblings of a pregnant woman are most likely to know that she has been able to quietly use abortion pills, they’ll be encouraged by their state government to tell on her and sue for at least $100,000. Plus, in a dangerous twist for medical providers across the country, a woman who was pregnant and used abortion medications to end her pregnancy can actually turn around and sue her own provider in an attempt to get $100,000. “The point of this bill is to create enough fear of these lawsuits to stop physicians in states where abortion is legal from providing care to Texas women,” said Blake Rocap, legislative counsel for Avow, an abortion advocacy group in Texas.
. . . . .
Texas state Sens. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat, and Bryan Hughes, a Republican, debate in the Senate chamber at the Texas Capitol on April 4, 2023, in Austin. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images)
. . . .
https://msmagazine.com/2025/09/12/texas-new-abortion-law-women-child-protection-act-bounty-hunter-reward-hb-7/
While I suspect that the concept of protocol no doubt offends your
demonstrated lofty egalitarian principles, nevertheless, there are standards of behaviour that heads of state, their representatives, etc., observe when they are GUESTS in another country. We even have a Chief of Protocol office in the White House, the function of which is to try to ensure that our representaives do not insult the host country and its people, or make blooming arses out of themselves. Their job is to see that our representatives do not reinforce the view that others have of the "ugly american", a type that I saw far too often.
For you to find his boorish, crass, rude, egotistical behaviour acceptable, to defend it, is disappointing, to say the least. His disgusting behaviour is NOT something insignificant, it is part of his whole sick, twisted, destructive, hate-filled mindset.
Given your defense of boorish crassness in visitors, I would be curious to know how you behave when you visit other countries.
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Member since: Tue Jul 29, 2003, 03:30 PMNumber of posts: 127,873