Tragedy hangs over Greek vote dominated by dynasties
BBC
23-05-19 20:50
Grief from Greece's worst-ever train crash looms large over the country's general election and highlights a "broken government and dysfunctional state", with opposition parties utilizing the catastrophe as evidence of current issues within Greek politics. The disaster killed three close relatives, just 20 years old, who were traveling together after a public holiday with their family. Failures were found during an investigation into the accident, with some relatives calling it a "state assassination of our children". Grievances concerning nepotism, clientelism, the high cost of living and press freedom could create a coalition government or a second vote in July.
Alex Jones' wife and other family members will be sued by the families of Sandy Hook victims in order to satisfy $1.5 billion in judgments they won from lawsuits against the bankrupt conspiracy theorist over his lies about the deadly school massacre. Jones has been accused of hiding his assets through “financial gymnastics”, spreading money to friends, family members, and shell companies to avoid paying the judgments. The court has so far ordered about $20 million seized from the accounts of Jones and his company and has announced that Jones and the Sandy Hook families should make one last effort to reach a settlement.
Ivan Martell guilty of 1st degree murder in 2020 death of Allison Moosehunter in Saskatoon
CBC
23-05-19 19:59
Ivan Martell has been sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Allison Moosehunter. Moosehunter was found beaten, strangled and stabbed in March 2020 at her home in Saskatoon. Martell was the victim's roommate and had sexually assaulted Moosehunter with a kitchen knife during the attack. The verdict came after a trial in which Crown prosecutors utilized surveillance video to argue their case. More than 60 people, including the victim's friends and family, were in attendance, many of whom had been wearing red T-shirts that read: "Justice For Ally." Martell will serve a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
Football club Arsenal, which is currently struggling in the Premier League, has adopted a dog called Win to help "connect with people, to be more caring with people, to show love," according to manager Mikel Arteta. The one-year-old chocolate Labrador will live at the club's London Colney training ground and offer morale-boosting support to players and staff. The club is in the midst of a season in which it appears set to miss out on silverware again, but Arteta said the adoption was symbolic and that "her love gives you a different feeling." Win is "one of us," he added.
At least 17 US states have enacted laws that restrict or ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors, and legislation has sprung not from grassroots or constituent demand, but from a handful of conservative interest groups. An Associated Press analysis found that these strongly resemble model legislation put forward by conservative groups Do No Harm and the Family Research Council. The bills allow far-right groups to spread a false narrative based on distorted science, critics say. The groups behind the bills argue that gender-affirming care poses profound risks to minors and is pushed by inadequately prepared doctors, and that state lawmakers need to intervene. Women's and LGBTQ advocacy groups, and health experts attest that gender-affirming care is safe and can lead to better mental and physical health outcomes. A year ago, a Pew Research Center survey found broad support among Republicans, but not Democrats, for restrictions on medical care for gender transitions.
Many of this year’s statehouse proposals to restrict gender-affirming care for youths, as introduced or enacted, are identical or very similar to some model legislation, or ready-made bills suggested to lawmakers by interest groups, an Associated Press analysis has found. The AP obtained the texts of more than 130 bills in 40 state legislatures from Plural, a public policy software company, and analyzed them for similarities to model bills touted by conservative groups Do No Harm and the Family Research Council. Some statehouse bills share similarities with Do No Harm’s model legislation and a 2021 Arkansas bill endorsed as a model by the Family Research Council. The model bills have similar preambles, including the assertion — rebutted by major medical organizations — that the risks of gender-affirming care outweigh its benefits. They both also include nearly the same list of circumstances under which the care would be permitted and similar descriptions of how the provisions of the bill should be enforced.
Dharmesh Patel, 41, man accused of attempting to murder his family by deliberately driving off a 250ft cliff in a Tesla, told authorities that he was trying to check his tire pressure when the vehicle plunged off the cliff, according to court documents. Patel pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder in January after the incident occurred in San Mateo county, California. While he blamed a tire, his wife, Neha Patel, told authorities that her husband intentionally drove the car off the cliff. All four family members survived. An investigation continues, with no trial date set yet.
Family medicine for all: Community health centres serve their neighbours, but capacity issues remain
CBC
23-05-20 12:00
Ontario-based Centretown Community Health Centre is contending with capacity issues due to a lack of primary care across the province, which it is set up to help alleviate. Operating under the principle similar to that of a school catchment area, anyone residing within the relevant area - which covers Old Ottawa South, Centretown and the Glebe - can access the centre. The staff are a combination of physicians, social workers, nurses, dietitians and other health professionals, who offer a range of care under one roof, including gender-affirming care for transgender individuals. Such centres could help communities that are "often not visible" elsewhere, thus reducing the level of emergency room admissions, according to health professionals.
The HBO show “Succession” examines American attitudes towards class and wealth, analysing who is allowed to accumulate status and power. This distinction is shown through the characters, who are allowed to act ruthlessly to get rich because this is how they got rich in the first place, by being born into wealth. The up-and-coming, on the other hand, are ridiculed for their ambition to achieve similar wealth and power. The show, which ends soon, skewers the idea that the rich are better, smarter and more competent than others. Its larger moral point is the price to be paid for sacrificing integrity, relationships and the public interest to reach selfish goals.
Cost of living: Find out where parties stand before Alberta votes
CBC
23-05-20 11:00
As the Canadian province of Alberta prepares for an election, political parties are announcing their commitment to addressing the rising cost of living in the region. Alberta's consumer price index increased by 3.3% year-over-year, compared to Canada's overall rate of 4.3%. The Alberta government has introduced a $2.8bn affordability package, including monthly $100 payments to eligible residents, a temporary halt to the 13.6-cent-per-litre provincial fuel tax, and a rebate on utilities. However, these measures are only due to remain in place until June, after the election. Opposition parties have outlined their plans to address affordability om a series of issues, ranging from housing to financial plans for schools.
Richard Madeley has responded to a reader query in which a couple are struggling to keep their wedding guest count within the limits set by their chosen venue. The couple had sent out invitations earlier in the year and had a 100% yes response, so have been left with trying to create an even-handed algorithm that does not offend friends and family but also ensures they can have your dream day at their dream venue. Although the couple had asked for advice on alrogithms, Madeley's response was based around a more personal equation. He urged the couple to consider wether they cared about the special people or special places more. Madeley said it was obvious from their letter that they could not have both but he suggested they find a larger venue to accommodate their guests instead of sacrificing people to accommodate the venue. Ultimately, Madeley's thinking is that friends should matter more than special places.
Police in Australia have said they will not release bodycam footage of an officer tasering a 95-year-old woman with dementia at a care home in New South Wales. Clare Nowland is critically ill following the incident, which saw an officer discharge the weapon after Ms Nowland reportedly moved towards them with a knife. There has been a public outcry over the police’s response, which has been described as disproportionate. The police have launched a critical incident investigation, which is expected to take time, and NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has said she does not consider it “necessary” to view the footage.
These B.C. artists are giving typewriters a new life and honouring Canadians
CBC
23-05-20 17:00
Two Canadian friends, Dave Benning and Brendan Raftery, have refurbished and painted typewriters to pay homage to classic cars and vinyl records. Their labour helps stop machines from going to landfill sites and adds a unique, tactile design element to customers’ homes. Benning works on the artistic element, while Raftery takes the machines apart to refurbish them. The duo targeted the family of health campaigner Terry Fox with a special typewriter decorated with images from his Marathon of Hope run, and have also given one to author Margaret Atwood, incorporating quotes and images from her work.
The FBI is investigating the claims of a woman in Texas who says she is Diamond Bradley, a young girl who disappeared from her Chicago home in 2001. Diamond Bradley and her sister Tionda disappeared from their family’s apartment in Bronzeville in summer of 2001. Following the claim, the woman has reportedly submitted a DNA test which is being tested by the FBI. No new leads or suspects have been identified since their disappearance and the case remains open.
US border officials have rejected accusations from the mother of an eight-year-old Honduran girl, who died in custody this month, that the girl received inadequate care. The girl had heart problems and sickle cell anaemia and had been diagnosed with influenza. Her mother said agents failed to hospitalise her when she stated that she could not breathe and felt pain in her bones. The girl died on her ninth day in Border Patrol custody, with people supposed to be held for up to 72 hours under normal circumstances.
Women are hesitant to voice their sexual desires due to being told throughout their lives to be sexy rather than sexual, according to The Guardian’s Midult advice column. Women are often told that they are in some way unnatural for having a higher sex drive than their male partner, while male sexual desire is celebrated, the article said. The author advised a woman struggling to communicate with her husband regarding her marital frustrations that she should not feel shame or embarrassment for wanting to engage in more regular and experimental intercourse with her partner.
A six-part podcast series produced by Nine News is telling the story of Australian mother Hannah Clarke, who was killed by her estranged husband in February 2020 along with their three children. “Hannah’s Story” speaks to witnesses and family members of the Clarke family in a bid to highlight the importance of changing the way Australian society thinks of domestic violence and coercive control. Family members involved hope the podcast will help show that Hannah and her children were human beings with quirks and personalities, rather than just victims of a terrible crime.
The Canadian oil and gas industry’s declaration of a goal to reduce emissions by 22Mt by 2030 is unattainable, wrote Dave Carson Hamilton in a letter to The Globe and Mail. With Canada’s federal annual oil and gas emissions currently at 189Mt, this goal to capture 12% of emissions reduction “doesn’t sound at scale”, said Carson Hamilton. “Production is going to have to come down,” he argued. Mark Saunders’ suggestion that Toronto follows Amsterdam’s bicycle path is also misguided, claimed Swire Chin. The cities are incomparable in terms of size, climate, infrastructure and population density. Similarly, a letter by John Armstrong warned that Canadian plywood makers should not give in to China’s cheap mill products as past experience shows that cheap imports have hollowed out Canadian manufacturing and would have a long-term negative impact on Canadian communities.
The coronation of King Charles III could provide a new start for the monarch to people who were hesitant about him when he succeeded to the throne, as he is now being judged on his own merit and seen out of the shadow of his mother's legacy. For Charles, his main challenges will be proving the relevance of the monarchy in society and maintaining political neutrality, while keeping the Royal Family visible. Additionally, Charles will have to face up to strained family relationships, particularly with his son Harry following the private turmoil affecting them both, and also ensure a smaller core of working royals undertakes enough public engagements to keep the monarchy relevant. With the Queen having come to the throne at the relatively young age of 25, her life was regarded as somewhat mysterious. In contrast, there has been an increased amount of attention concerning the thoughts and views of Charles, putting pressure on him to be an exemplary monarch.
What drives visual artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas to tell stories through comics?
CBC
23-05-21 13:00
Visual artist and storyteller Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas will release his latest graphic novel, JAJ, on May 27. The novel explores the story of Johan Adrian Jacobsen, a Norweigian explorer who travelled along the coast of British Columbia, Canada, in the 1880s. Yahgulanaas drew inspiration from the historical figure, and his work speaks to Yamgulanaas’s Haida family legacy, colonial history, the smallpox epidemic, and the resettlement of both Indigenous and European people. In an interview ahead of the book’s release, Yahgulanaas explains how he used the language of graphic novels to bring Indigenous narratives closer to a wider audience, in order to improve understanding between different cultures and help counter the misunderstandings that have historically been entrenched in Canada’s dealings with its Indigenous populations.
