Myanmar: "Ethnic Cleansing" of Muslims by Buddhists on the rise

Ethnic Cleansing Just Went From Bad to Worse in Myanmar

(newrepublic) - The ethnic cleansing in Myanmar's northwest has followed a jerky rhythm, coming in fits and starts since the first Buddhist-on-Muslim attacks in the middle of 2012. I visited the area for an article in the current issue of the magazine, and found it in a dangerous lull, with many Burmese Buddhists thrilled by the prospect of driving out the remaining Muslims and killing those who resisted.

The Horror! Cheerleader sues American football team for low pay and having to "buy her own eyelashes"

Why do we have minimum wage again?

(telegraph.co.uk) - An American football cheerleader is suing her team in a California court claiming that she and other dancers are paid barely half the minimum wage.

According to legal papers the Oakland Raiders, an NFL team that has won the Super Bowl three times, also requires cheerleaders to pay for their own tights and false eyelashes.

The case has been brought by a 27-year-old cheerleader who is known as Lacey T because the team traditionally only identifies dancers by a first name and initial to protect their security.

She is a member of the Raiderettes troop, known as "Football's Fabulous Females," that performs during the team's games.

In a statement Lacey T said: "I love the Raiders and I love being a Raiderette, but someone has to stand up for all of the women of the NFL who work so hard for the fans and the teams.

"I hope cheerleaders across the NFL will step forward to join me in demanding respect and fair compensation."

She claims Raiderettes were paid just $1,250 a year which amounted to less than $5 an hour. The minimum wage in California is $8 an hour.

The pay consists of a flat rate of $125 for each home game they perform at but they are not paid for rehearsals and a minimum of 10 other appearances they are required to make including opening shops.

Lacey T also claims the cheerleaders do not get paid for a photo shoot they are required to attend for an annual swimsuit calendar.

According to the complaint cheerleaders who gain five pounds or appear "too soft" forfeit their $125 game fee and have to stay in the locker room.

She also claims they are not paid until the end of the season, have to pay out of pocket for their own travel costs, and face fines for bringing incorrect equipment to work including the wrong pom-poms.
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Florida student kicked out of school for performing in porn

Bitches gotta make they money somehow..

And his mom said: I think he’s the most awesome person in the world,” she said. “He STOOD up and he was the man of the house when I couldn’t be.”

Read full article: Florida student kicked out of school for performing in porn

Read more at http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?fvcn-post=florida-student-kicked-out-of-school-for-performing-in-porn#qTJ2RYRlZfuiw6Uk.99

And his mom said: I think he’s the most awesome person in the world,” she said. “He STOOD up and he was the man of the house when I couldn’t be.”

Read full article: Florida student kicked out of school for performing in porn

Read more at http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?fvcn-post=florida-student-kicked-out-of-school-for-performing-in-porn#qTJ2RYRlZfuiw6Uk.99

And his mom said: I think he’s the most awesome person in the world,” she said. “He STOOD up and he was the man of the house when I couldn’t be.”

Read full article: Florida student kicked out of school for performing in porn

Read more at http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?fvcn-post=florida-student-kicked-out-of-school-for-performing-in-porn#qTJ2RYRlZfuiw6Uk.99

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair subjected to citizen's arrest at top London restaurant Tramshed over 'war in Iraq'

Did not see that coming..

By Felicity Morse and Jonathan Owen – 20 January 2014

- One of the world’s most controversial political figures had an unlikely brush with reality on Friday, with Tony Blair subjected to a humiliating citizen’s arrest by a DJ working as a barman at trendy London eaterie the Tramshed.

It appears Blair was caught off-guard during an intimate meal with family and friends. The former Prime Minister has been haunted for almost a decade by the legacy of what many term an illegal war which saw up to a million Iraqis die and the country left ravaged by rival militia groups.

While Blair is used to facing protests wherever he goes, from high level conferences to book signings, he has never been ambushed in a social setting – until now.

Minnesota: Duluth store criticized for MLK sale

 Will the racism ever end?

(Kare11) - DULUTH, Minn. -- A downtown Duluth store is under fire after they held a Martin Luther King Junior Day sale that has offended many customers.

Global Village, a store that sells everything from clothes to instruments, promised 25 percent off everything black as part of their sale.

Many people took to social media to express their outrage. Comments continued to pile up on the store's Facebook page, saying the sale is offensive and disgusting.

Store owner Rachel Mock says she has never had complaints about the sale until now.

"This is the fourth year we've done this sale, and we did it to honor and respect someone we admire."

She continued to say that it is no more offensive than other stores holding Columbus Day sales.

Mock says that because of the feedback, she doesn't plan on continuing the sale.

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Mexico says it nabbed cartel leader in Michoacan

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican government official says federal forces have detained three members of the Knight Templar drug cartel, including one he describes as a leader who was behind a lot of the bloodshed in the state.

National Public Safety System secretary Monte Rubido said Sunday that 37-year-old Jesus Vazquez Macias was detained along with two other men as part of the strategy to bring security back to Michoacan state.

But the spokesman for vigilante groups says Vazquez Macias was not a cartel leader, but rather a top hit man. Spokesman Estanislao Beltran says the "self-defense" groups will applaud the federal government's work in Michoacan only after the cartel's top four leaders are arrested.

Rubido also says 1,209 local police officers are being checked for possible links with organized crime.

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Malaysian king backs court ban on non-Muslims using ‘Allah’

Damn Catholics ruining it for all of us!

- Malaysia's king gave his backing on Sunday to a court ruling barring non-Muslims from using the word “Allah” to refer to G-d, weighing in for the first time on an issue that has fanned religious tensions in the multi-cultural country.

Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam, whose role as head of state is largely ceremonial, alluded to the issue which has raised questions over miniority rights during his birthday speech to the Southeast Asian nation.

A court in October ruled that the word was exclusive to majority Malay Muslims, overturning an earlier decision allowing a Catholic newspaper to use Allah in its Malay-language edition.

The court ruling has since prompted Muslim leaders to call for demonstrations against Christians who do not comply. Christians make up about 9% of Malaysia's 29 million people.

“In the context of a pluralistic society, religious sensitivities especially related to Islam as the religion of the federation should be respected,” Sultan Abdul Halim said in the speech released by state news agency Bernama.

“Confusion and controversy can be averted if there is adherence to the provisions of the law and judicial decisions.”

Police are currently investigating a Catholic priest under sedition laws for insisting the word can be used by non-Muslims in Malay, the country's national language.

Police: Second woman charged after 2 children killed during attempted exorcism

(CNN) -- A second Maryland woman has been charged with murder in connection with the Friday stabbing deaths of two children during an exorcism attempt, authorities said.

Two children died of multiple stab wounds and two others are hospitalized with undisclosed injuries, police said.

Monifa Denise Sanford, 21, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder, Montgomery County Police said.

Earlier, authorities announced that the children's mother, Zakieya L. Avery, 28, also faces the same charges. Police said Saturday that Avery stabbed two of her children to death and wounded two others while attempting an exorcism.

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Portugal Decriminalized All Drugs Eleven Years Ago And The Results Are Staggering

businessinsideraustralia.com.au

- On July 1, 2001, Portugal decriminalized every imaginable drug, from marijuana, to cocaine, to heroin. Some thought Lisbon would become a drug tourist haven, others predicted usage rates among youths to surge.Eleven years later, it turns out they were both wrong.

Over a decade has passed since Portugal changed its philosophy from labelling drug users as criminals to labelling them as people affected by a disease. This time lapse has allowed statistics to develop and in time, has made Portugal an example to follow.

First, some clarification.

Portugal’s move to decriminalize does not mean people can carry around, use, and sell drugs free from police interference. That would be legalization. Rather, all drugs are “decriminalized,” meaning drug possession, distribution, and use is still illegal. While distribution and trafficking is still a criminal offence, possession and use is moved out of criminal courts and into a special court where each offender’s unique situation is judged by legal experts, psychologists, and social workers. Treatment and further action is decided in these courts, where addicts and drug use is treated as a public health service rather than referring it to the justice system (like the U.S.), reports Fox News.

The resulting effect: a drastic reduction in addicts, with Portuguese officials and reports highlighting that this number, at 100,000 before the new policy was enacted, has been halved in the following 10 years. Portugal’s drug usage rates are now among the lowest of EU member states, according to the same report.

One more outcome: a lot less sick people. Drug related diseases including STDs and overdoses have been reduced even more than usage rates, which experts believe is the result of the government offering treatment with no threat of legal ramifications to addicts.

While this policy is by no means news, the statistics and figures, which take years to develop and subsequently depict the effects of the change, seem to be worth noting. In a country like America, which may take the philosophy of criminalization a bit far (more than half of America’s federal inmates are in prison on drug convictions), other alternatives must, and to a small degree, are being discussed.

For policymakers or people simply interested in this topic, cases like Portugal are a great place to start.

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Mexico says Texas execution of Mexican man would violate international accord

(Reuters) - Mexico on Sunday strongly objected to the scheduled execution in Texas on Wednesday of a Mexican convicted of killing a U.S. police officer, arguing that by executing him, the United States would be in "clear violation" of international treaties.

Edgar Tamayo was convicted of shooting dead a Houston police officer in 1994 when he was in the United States illegally. But Tamayo was not informed of his right, enshrined in an international treaty known as the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, to diplomatic assistance.

In 2004, the United Nations' International Court of Justice ordered the United States to reconsider the convictions of 51 Mexicans, including Tamayo, who had been sent to death row without being informed of their consular rights.

So far, two of that group have been executed; Tamayo would be the third.

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Mali, one year later: France's mission accomplished – but much left to do

(ChristianScienceMoniter)

Paris -  French President François Hollande, who sent troops to Mali one year ago today (Jan11)to secure the west African nation from the threat of terrorists, essentially has declared the mission accomplished. This week he announced that France will reduce its troops by another third next month to some 1,600, saying, “we now have the situation in hand.”

But even if militarily France can declare success at the one-year anniversary of its intervention, Mali is still at a daunting crossroads: facing poverty, corruption, ethnic tensions, and violence that threaten to undo gains made to secure the country.

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'Satanist' kills Black Metal singer for not being a good Satanist

Via - BlazingCatFur

"I have intended to end my life since I was 25. Because I'll die eventually, I want to drag down those who tarnish Satanism with me. But I refrained from killing women and children," he wrote.

"In my view, I have more respect for devoted Buddhists, Christians and Muslims than those who call themselves Satanists without knowing anything about it," he wrote."If I did not kill him, I'm sure he would be murdered by someone else later."

US Gov't charges Wal-Mart with labor violations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials filed a formal complaint Wednesday charging that Wal-Mart violated the rights of workers who took part in protests and strikes against the company.

The National Labor Relations Board says Wal-Mart illegally fired, disciplined or threatened more than 60 employees in 14 states for participating in legally protected activities to complain about wages and working conditions at the nation's largest retailer.

The labor board's general counsel first laid out similar charges in November, but held off on filing a complaint while trying to work out a settlement with Wal-Mart. Those discussions were not successful, government officials said in a statement.

The company has insisted its actions were legal and justified.

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A man who paid $350,000 for the right to hunt an endangered African black rhino says he fears for his safety

Headline: Texas rhino hunt auction winner fears for his safety

(usatoday) - DALLAS — A U.S. man who paid $350,000 for the right to hunt an endangered African black rhino says he fears for his safety.

Corey Knowlton said that after being revealed as the winner of a controversial Dallas Safari Club auction, he's received death threats — so many that he says local law enforcement and the FBI are now working to keep them safe.

Knowlton, who has hunted around the world, said there has been a lot of anger and some confusion.

He leads expeditions for both everyday Joes and billionaires looking to hunt, and has been a fixture on The Outdoor Channel. His Facebook page is filled with photos of large deer he's tracked and killed — wild boar, a bear, even a massive shark.

The Safari Club auctioned the permit to raise money for efforts to protect the black rhino.

Knowlton said his goal was to support conservation efforts for the black rhino. That's where the money from his bid will go.

But critics feel that the chance to kill one is no kind of reward — and they're letting him know it.

Still, Knowlton said the hunt is well-managed, and insists he will be targeting an aggressive older male that he says is terrorizing the rest of the herd, and would already be a target.

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Catalonia defies Madrid with push for independence vote

(Reuters) - Local lawmakers in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia voted to seek a referendum on breaking away from Spain on Thursday, setting themselves up for a battle with an implacably opposed central government in Madrid.

The Catalan Parliament in Barcelona voted 87 to 43, with 3 abstentions, to send a petition to the national parliament seeking the power to call a popular vote on the region's future.

The independence movement in Catalonia, which has its own language and represents a fifth of Spain's national economy, is a direct challenge to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has pledged to block a referendum on constitutional grounds.

Independence for the region, which already has significant self-governing powers, is thus considered a remote possibility, but Catalan President Artur Mas is buoyed by a groundswell of public support to defy Madrid with plans for a referendum.

Polls show roughly half of Catalans want independence, but as many as 80 percent want the right to vote on the matter.

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Mexico vigilantes clash with Knights Templar cartel in Michoacan

Knights Templar?

- A group of vigilantes in Mexico has seized the small town of Nueva Italia after clashing with alleged members of the Knights Templar drug cartel.

More than 100 men entered the town in western Michoacan state on Sunday morning and disarmed local police.

There were exchanges of fire with alleged gang members before the vigilantes occupied the town.

The vigilante group was set up by residents who say the army and the police have failed to protect them.

The Knights Templar has been fighting the New Generation cartel, from neighbouring Jalisco state, for control of criminal activities in the area.

Only white people can be "homophobic"

Why is that only white people are considered "homophobic"? Seriously, take a good look at the following pic & see for yourself:

The face of a homophobic h8r.