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suffragette
suffragette's Journal
suffragette's Journal
April 21, 2016
Dearly beloved,
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called life.
---
All excited, but don't know why
Maybe it's 'cause we're all gonna die
And when we do (when we do)
What's it all for? (what's it all for)
Better live now
Before the grim reaper comes knocking on your door
Are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down?
Oh, no, let's go
Rest in peace, sweet Prince.
Edited to add intro after KamaAina's helpful point.
The lyrics to "Let's Go Crazy" are feeling eerie now
https://m.Dearly beloved,
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called life.
---
All excited, but don't know why
Maybe it's 'cause we're all gonna die
And when we do (when we do)
What's it all for? (what's it all for)
Better live now
Before the grim reaper comes knocking on your door
Are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down?
Oh, no, let's go
Rest in peace, sweet Prince.
Edited to add intro after KamaAina's helpful point.
April 19, 2016
6:54 p.m.: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a statement Tuesday condemning the reported purging of voters from voting lists and confirming his support for an audit also announced that day of the city’s Board of Elections.
WNYC reported Monday that more than 60,000 Democratic voters in Brooklyn had vanished from records with no clear reason why. The mayor’s statement came during a day riddled with voter complaints in the city ranging from a lack of ballots to vanished voter rolls at multiple polling sites, according to the station.
Here’s de Blasio’s statement in full:
“It has been reported to us from voters and voting rights monitors that the voting lists in Brooklyn contain numerous errors, including the purging of entire buildings and blocks of voters from the voting lists. I am calling on the Board of Election to reverse that purge and update the lists again using Central, not Brooklyn borough, Board of Election staff. We support the Comptroller’s audit and urge its completion well in advance of the June elections so corrective action can be taken. These errors today indicate that additional major reforms will be needed to the Board of Election and in the state law governing it. We will hold the BOE commissioners responsible for ensuring that the Board and its borough officers properly conduct the election process to assure that voters are not disenfranchised. The perception that numerous voters may have been disenfranchised undermines the integrity of the entire electoral process and must be fixed.”
I've been compiling some of the problems in this thread. If anyone has info to add, please do.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511777881
UPDATE:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/19/politics/new-york-primary-voter-problem-polls-sanders-de-blasio/
In pledging to audit the board, the office of New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer earlier confirmed in its own statement that "more than 125,000 voters in Brooklyn were removed from voter rolls," while making reference to "widespread reports of voters having trouble accessing polling sites and other polling irregularities."
Rash of voting problems reported in NYC and beyond as de Blasio calls for audit
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/2016/04/19/latest-ny-primaries-clintons-cast-their-votes/83230426/6:54 p.m.: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a statement Tuesday condemning the reported purging of voters from voting lists and confirming his support for an audit also announced that day of the city’s Board of Elections.
WNYC reported Monday that more than 60,000 Democratic voters in Brooklyn had vanished from records with no clear reason why. The mayor’s statement came during a day riddled with voter complaints in the city ranging from a lack of ballots to vanished voter rolls at multiple polling sites, according to the station.
Here’s de Blasio’s statement in full:
“It has been reported to us from voters and voting rights monitors that the voting lists in Brooklyn contain numerous errors, including the purging of entire buildings and blocks of voters from the voting lists. I am calling on the Board of Election to reverse that purge and update the lists again using Central, not Brooklyn borough, Board of Election staff. We support the Comptroller’s audit and urge its completion well in advance of the June elections so corrective action can be taken. These errors today indicate that additional major reforms will be needed to the Board of Election and in the state law governing it. We will hold the BOE commissioners responsible for ensuring that the Board and its borough officers properly conduct the election process to assure that voters are not disenfranchised. The perception that numerous voters may have been disenfranchised undermines the integrity of the entire electoral process and must be fixed.”
I've been compiling some of the problems in this thread. If anyone has info to add, please do.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511777881
UPDATE:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/19/politics/new-york-primary-voter-problem-polls-sanders-de-blasio/
In pledging to audit the board, the office of New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer earlier confirmed in its own statement that "more than 125,000 voters in Brooklyn were removed from voter rolls," while making reference to "widespread reports of voters having trouble accessing polling sites and other polling irregularities."
April 19, 2016
Queens resident George Mack said he came to P.S. 52 in Springfield Gardens to vote right at 6 a.m. He, and about 50 other early voters, learned all three machines on site were broken. Volunteers at the school told voters to place their ballots in a slot, and they would all get processed later.
~~~
Meanwhile, voters at the Cooper Park Houses in Greenpoint, Brooklyn couldn't even get close to a machine. More than two hours after polls were supposed to open at 6 a.m., that site was still closed.
~~~
"I came back at 7:30 and they had just gotten the key. Upon entering, there were no voting machines."
A Board of Elections representative arrived around 8, she said, and told voters he had been busy tending to problems at other polls. Voting finally started at Atlantic Terminal around 8:30.
NY polling place problems
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-primary-voters-outraged-broken-machines-late-polls-article-1.2606810Queens resident George Mack said he came to P.S. 52 in Springfield Gardens to vote right at 6 a.m. He, and about 50 other early voters, learned all three machines on site were broken. Volunteers at the school told voters to place their ballots in a slot, and they would all get processed later.
~~~
Meanwhile, voters at the Cooper Park Houses in Greenpoint, Brooklyn couldn't even get close to a machine. More than two hours after polls were supposed to open at 6 a.m., that site was still closed.
~~~
"I came back at 7:30 and they had just gotten the key. Upon entering, there were no voting machines."
A Board of Elections representative arrived around 8, she said, and told voters he had been busy tending to problems at other polls. Voting finally started at Atlantic Terminal around 8:30.
April 14, 2016
It took a Voting Rights lawsuit for the Latino vote to stop being disenfranchised there
Now the representation is finally reflecting the changing demographics.
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/in-wake-of-lawsuit-latinos-win-yakima-city-council-seats/
Latinos win Yakima council seats for first time in city’s history
Originally published November 4, 2015 at 12:58 pm Updated November 4, 2015 at 4:55 pm
In the wake of a federal-court lawsuit, Hispanic candidates have for the first time been elected to the Yakima City Council.
Two Latina candidates won council seats on Tuesday and a third was leading her opponent.
This was the first election since the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU) sued the city under the federal Voting Rights Act, demanding that the community’s election system be changed to give Hispanics a better chance of winning elections.
~~~
The number of Hispanic residents has exploded in Central Washington in recent decades, with some communities becoming majority Hispanic. But political clout has not followed the population gains.
Yakima’s Hispanic population quadrupled from 1990 to 2010, with many new residents drawn to work in the region’s agriculture and food-processing industries.
Two Latina candidates won council seats on Tuesday and a third was leading her opponent.
This was the first election since the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU) sued the city under the federal Voting Rights Act, demanding that the community’s election system be changed to give Hispanics a better chance of winning elections.
~~~
The number of Hispanic residents has exploded in Central Washington in recent decades, with some communities becoming majority Hispanic. But political clout has not followed the population gains.
Yakima’s Hispanic population quadrupled from 1990 to 2010, with many new residents drawn to work in the region’s agriculture and food-processing industries.
April 14, 2016
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/3/28/as_sanders_sweeps_3_states_meet
AMY GOODMAN: What do you say when people say, well, he won in white states, like, for example, they say Washington state?
ERIKA ANDIOLA: Right. Well, look, in Washington, we were—we went into Yakima, is one of the—about 45 percent to 50 percent of the community there is Latino—very diverse county. Bernie had a rally there. We had 7,000 people turn out. We ended up winning the county by 75 percent or 76 percent. It was amazing turnout. It was also great support that we had. And it’s a very diverse community.
This continues an under-reported trend, for example in WA state
national reporting focused on it being a 'white' state.
The reporting did not drill down to specifics on counties such as Yakima, which has a significant Latino and Native American population.
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST040214/53077
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent, July 1, 2014 6.0%
Hispanic or Latino, percent, July 1, 2014 47.7%
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/sanders-trounces-clinton-in-yakima-county-results/article_81a53c8e-f3d8-11e5-9ba2-efa15cdfd395.html
Sanders trounces Clinton in Yakima County results
Free tuition was a huge selling point for Bernie Sanders among young Democrats in Yakima County, where the U.S. senator from Vermont garnered more than 75 percent of delegate count in Saturday’s caucuses, according to preliminary results.
Two days after he appeared at a rally in the Yakima Valley SunDome, Sanders garnered 393 delegates to Hillary Clinton’s 123, preliminary results indicated.
~~~
Beatriz Martinez, who also caucused at Adams Elementary School, believes more change is coming. That’s what prompted her participation.
“Most of us, the youth, and even the older people, we’re here voting for Bernie,” the 24-year-old said. “He makes our vote count.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/3/28/as_sanders_sweeps_3_states_meet
AMY GOODMAN: What do you say when people say, well, he won in white states, like, for example, they say Washington state?
ERIKA ANDIOLA: Right. Well, look, in Washington, we were—we went into Yakima, is one of the—about 45 percent to 50 percent of the community there is Latino—very diverse county. Bernie had a rally there. We had 7,000 people turn out. We ended up winning the county by 75 percent or 76 percent. It was amazing turnout. It was also great support that we had. And it’s a very diverse community.
April 13, 2016
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/13/the-great-escape-inky-the-octopus-legs-it-to-freedom-from-new-zealand-aquarium
“The staff and I have been pretty sad. But then, this is Inky, and he’s always been a bit of a surprise octopus.”
Reiss Jenkinson, exhibits keeper at the National Aquarium, said he was absolutely certain Inky was not “taken” or “stolen”.
“I understand the nature of octopus behaviour very well,” he said. “I have seen octopus on boats slip through bilge pumps. And the security here is too tight for anyone to take Inky, and why would they?”
Because octopuses have no bones they are able to fit into extremely small spaces, and have been filmed squeezing through gaps the size of coins. They are also understood to be extremely intelligent and capable of using tools.
Ah, on to freedom for Inky. There's fun video at the website of Inky's fellow octopuses escaping from various places along with pictures of Inky's escape route.
Inky pulls a 'Nemo'
The great escape: Inky the octopus legs it to freedom from aquariumhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/13/the-great-escape-inky-the-octopus-legs-it-to-freedom-from-new-zealand-aquarium
“The staff and I have been pretty sad. But then, this is Inky, and he’s always been a bit of a surprise octopus.”
Reiss Jenkinson, exhibits keeper at the National Aquarium, said he was absolutely certain Inky was not “taken” or “stolen”.
“I understand the nature of octopus behaviour very well,” he said. “I have seen octopus on boats slip through bilge pumps. And the security here is too tight for anyone to take Inky, and why would they?”
Because octopuses have no bones they are able to fit into extremely small spaces, and have been filmed squeezing through gaps the size of coins. They are also understood to be extremely intelligent and capable of using tools.
Ah, on to freedom for Inky. There's fun video at the website of Inky's fellow octopuses escaping from various places along with pictures of Inky's escape route.
April 8, 2016
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/04/05/transcanada-shuts-keystone-pipeline-over-leak-we-dont-know-where-its-coming
So, basically people in the area are expected to act as unpaid 'spotters' for leaks and why add additional safety measures since they won't even acknowledge certain communities exist there.
Community reacts to Keystone leak - all connected downstream
http://www.ksfy.com/home/headlines/Community-reacts-to-Keystone-Pipeline-leak-near-Freeman--374558521.htmlHoward area rancher Mike Sibson said, "It took a farmer, or somebody with eyes to detect the leak. We were told that the technology was so good and precise, it would be detected by the system before a landowner would even see a leak."
"We have layers to our leak detection system. Some of that is alert landowners, which is why there's so much effort to put in the public awareness programs that we have. There's also our high-tech oil control center," Howard said.
~~~
Yankton Sioux Tribe treaty committee chair Faith Spotted Eagle is saddened to hear about a leak on the land of her ancestors.
"Right away, my heart sunk because we knew this was going this happen, the landowners, the tribes, the grassroots people. We're all working together on this because this is our land, no matter who has deed on it, it's all connected down stream," Faith Spotted Eagle said.
"We have layers to our leak detection system. Some of that is alert landowners, which is why there's so much effort to put in the public awareness programs that we have. There's also our high-tech oil control center," Howard said.
~~~
Yankton Sioux Tribe treaty committee chair Faith Spotted Eagle is saddened to hear about a leak on the land of her ancestors.
"Right away, my heart sunk because we knew this was going this happen, the landowners, the tribes, the grassroots people. We're all working together on this because this is our land, no matter who has deed on it, it's all connected down stream," Faith Spotted Eagle said.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/04/05/transcanada-shuts-keystone-pipeline-over-leak-we-dont-know-where-its-coming
Still, the TransCanada representative assured the public that the company has in place “layers to our leak detection system” and that alert landowners are only part of the equation, the other being “our high tech oil control center.” During the South Dakota Public Utility Commission meetings Spotted Eagle and other Keystone XL opponents from several Dakota/Lakota tribes and South Dakota landowners were reassured repeatedly by TransCanada officials that the oil control center would immediately catch any leaks.
“Their hotshot computer system did not detect the spill,” Spotted Eagle wrote on Facebook while posting a photo of herself with the Simpson family, the ranchers who discovered the spill. “Our worst fears have been realized. They are still investigating…. Haven't isolated the leak. STOP DAKOTA ACCESS NOW.”
Elizabeth Lone Eagle, an official intervener for the state of South Dakota, scoffed at TransCanada’s early reports that only 187 gallons of oil were spilled. She noted the spill’s close proximity to the James and Missouri rivers and worried that the “groundwater contamination is heading to Yankton, Vermillion, Sioux City... all the way down.”
During the South Dakota PUC hearings, Lone Eagle was unable to get a TransCanada spokesperson to admit that her community of Bridger on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation was actually a human habitation; the spokesperson simply refused, citing reasons of “Homeland Security.” Due to its proximity to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, admitting that her community existed would have incurred greater costs and safety measures to the project.
“Their hotshot computer system did not detect the spill,” Spotted Eagle wrote on Facebook while posting a photo of herself with the Simpson family, the ranchers who discovered the spill. “Our worst fears have been realized. They are still investigating…. Haven't isolated the leak. STOP DAKOTA ACCESS NOW.”
Elizabeth Lone Eagle, an official intervener for the state of South Dakota, scoffed at TransCanada’s early reports that only 187 gallons of oil were spilled. She noted the spill’s close proximity to the James and Missouri rivers and worried that the “groundwater contamination is heading to Yankton, Vermillion, Sioux City... all the way down.”
During the South Dakota PUC hearings, Lone Eagle was unable to get a TransCanada spokesperson to admit that her community of Bridger on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation was actually a human habitation; the spokesperson simply refused, citing reasons of “Homeland Security.” Due to its proximity to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, admitting that her community existed would have incurred greater costs and safety measures to the project.
So, basically people in the area are expected to act as unpaid 'spotters' for leaks and why add additional safety measures since they won't even acknowledge certain communities exist there.
April 7, 2016
Quite the little tidbit on Cameron pushing for the offshore hideaways for the wealthy to remain hidden.
David Cameron 'argued to water down transparency rules over trusts'
Source: Belfast Telegraph
The Financial Times revealed that the Prime Minister successfully argued in 2013 for trusts to be treated differently to companies in anti-money laundering rules.
It comes after the PM came under intense pressure over his family's tax arrangements following the Panama Papers data leak, which reportedly included details about his late father Ian's tax affairs.
In a letter to then European Council president Herman van Rompuy, Mr Cameron said it was "clearly important we recognise the important differences between companies and trusts".
He wrote: "This means that the solution for addressing the potential misuse of companies, such as central public registries, may well not be appropriate generally."
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/panama-papers/david-cameron-argued-to-water-down-transparency-rules-over-trusts-34606445.html
Quite the little tidbit on Cameron pushing for the offshore hideaways for the wealthy to remain hidden.
April 6, 2016
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article70280477.html
California elections chief predicts higher-than-usual June turnout
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article70280477.html
Warning of a “surge” of higher-than-usual turnout in California’s June primary election and a book-sized November voter information guide, the state’s elections chief this week requested a meeting with Gov. Jerry Brown to press his case for more money.
In a letter to Brown on Monday, Secretary of State Alex Padilla noted that more than 600,000 people have registered or re-registered to vote online in recent weeks. In addition, he warned that he expects proponents of more than a dozen proposed ballot measures to file piles of petitions with county election offices in the coming weeks, seeking to qualify for the November ballot.
~~~
California voters normally have little say in presidential primary contests. On June 7, though, the state stands to have a major role in determining whether Republican businessman Donald Trump secures the delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination, with Republicans mobilizing against him. Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, also have promised to campaign in the state in the weeks leading up to the June 7 election.
Padilla said the presidential races have increased primary turnout in other western states. One group has requested 200,000 cards to sign up voters. Pointing to November, Padilla said election workers face a deluge of signatures to qualify ballot measures; as many as 9.4 million signatures may need to be verified.
In a letter to Brown on Monday, Secretary of State Alex Padilla noted that more than 600,000 people have registered or re-registered to vote online in recent weeks. In addition, he warned that he expects proponents of more than a dozen proposed ballot measures to file piles of petitions with county election offices in the coming weeks, seeking to qualify for the November ballot.
~~~
California voters normally have little say in presidential primary contests. On June 7, though, the state stands to have a major role in determining whether Republican businessman Donald Trump secures the delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination, with Republicans mobilizing against him. Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, also have promised to campaign in the state in the weeks leading up to the June 7 election.
Padilla said the presidential races have increased primary turnout in other western states. One group has requested 200,000 cards to sign up voters. Pointing to November, Padilla said election workers face a deluge of signatures to qualify ballot measures; as many as 9.4 million signatures may need to be verified.
April 5, 2016
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article69943337.html#storylink=cpy
McClatchy releases some U.S. names from Panama Papers
The passports of at least 200 Americans show up in this week’s massive leak of secret data on secretive offshore shell companies.
~~~
Mossack Fonseca is a leading global player in the incorporation of offshore companies across the globe. It was the subject of the largest-ever financial breach, and 11.5 million of its documents are the subject of a collaborative analysis by McClatchy and about 350 journalists under the umbrella of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. McClatchy was the only U.S. newspaper company involved.
~~~
Determining a precise number of Americans in the data is difficult. There are at least 200 scanned individual U.S. passports. Some appear to be American retirees purchasing real estate in places like Costa Rica and Panama. Also in the database, about 3,500 shareholders of offshore companies who list U.S. addresses. And almost 3,100 companies are tied to offshore professionals based in Miami, New York, and other parts of the United States.
Further complicating matters, some U.S. citizens enjoy dual citizenship and open accounts under foreign passports. Others appeared to be American retirees purchasing real estate in places like Costa Rica and Panama.
Among the cases McClatchy and its partners found:
~~~
Mossack Fonseca is a leading global player in the incorporation of offshore companies across the globe. It was the subject of the largest-ever financial breach, and 11.5 million of its documents are the subject of a collaborative analysis by McClatchy and about 350 journalists under the umbrella of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. McClatchy was the only U.S. newspaper company involved.
~~~
Determining a precise number of Americans in the data is difficult. There are at least 200 scanned individual U.S. passports. Some appear to be American retirees purchasing real estate in places like Costa Rica and Panama. Also in the database, about 3,500 shareholders of offshore companies who list U.S. addresses. And almost 3,100 companies are tied to offshore professionals based in Miami, New York, and other parts of the United States.
Further complicating matters, some U.S. citizens enjoy dual citizenship and open accounts under foreign passports. Others appeared to be American retirees purchasing real estate in places like Costa Rica and Panama.
Among the cases McClatchy and its partners found:
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article69943337.html#storylink=cpy
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