Monthly Archives: April 2017

Berkeley Architect Fights Religious Oppression With Education: Teaches At Illegal, Underground University – NBC Bay Area

Posted: April 30, 2017 at 10:56 pm

It is late on a Wednesday evening and in Niknaz Aftahi's second-floor Richmond apartment an underground class is just about to start.

"Has anyone new joined?" asked Aftahi, looking at the video conferencing site where her students are gathering.

Aftahi is preparing to teach English for Architecture to a handful of students logged in from her native Iran. It is, for Aftahi, a chance to give something back to people who had given her so much.

"I want to give back to this Institute that gave me the privilege of becoming educated," Aftahi said.

Aftahi is referring to the Baha'i Institute For Higher Education or BIHE. Formed 30 years ago, the BIHE is an underground university in Iran educating members of the Baha'i faith. The Baha'i, Aftahi says, are being systematically oppressed by the religious government of Iran. One way in which that happens is making it difficult, if not impossible, for young Baha'i to pursue higher education.

Which is where BIHE comes in.

The BIHE has no campus or buildings. Professors meet their students in the kitchens, living rooms, and basements of sympathetic homeowners. It is not without risk, though. The government has, at times, raided homes and jailed professors.

Aftahi graduated from BIHE in 2010.

"Teaching at BIHE in Iran means any day you can go to prison, so they put their lives (one the) line," Aftahi said. "I always see that as a big sacrifice and the did that for me."

After graduating BIHE, Aftahi moved to the United States and was accepted to study for a Master's Degree in Architecture from U.C. Berkeley.

Now established as a working architect for a firm in Berkeley, Aftahi dedicates her early mornings and late evenings to her students in Iran. It is risky for them even to take her class.

Aftahzi also realizes that, until government attitude toward the Baha'i changes, she will not feel safe traveling back to Iran to see her family. A nephew of hers died last year but she didn't return for the funeral.

"That was hard," Aftahi said. "Very difficult but it was my choice. And I made that choice."

Aftahi hopes that by shedding light on a school that operates in the shadows pressure will build on the government of Iran to change its position.

Until then, she will keep teaching long distance, hoping for big change.

Published at 10:58 PM PDT on Apr 27, 2017 | Updated at 8:00 AM PDT on Apr 28, 2017

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Berkeley Architect Fights Religious Oppression With Education: Teaches At Illegal, Underground University - NBC Bay Area

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Cory Bernardi warns against power of government at Friedman Liberty Conference – The Sydney Morning Herald

Posted: at 10:56 pm

Senator Cory Bernardi, the Liberal Party defector who founded the Australian Conservatives, has told a Trump-tinged political conference in Sydney that conservatives and libertarians are united in an ongoing moral battle against the federal government, which he said was the most pressing danger to the freedom of Australians.

Addressing the Friedman Liberty Conference, hosted by the Australian Libertarian Society, Senator Bernardi said Australians had a moral obligation to fight against the growth of government, taxation and regulation. This view was held by severalformer colleagues in the Liberal Party butparty discipline prevented them from saying so.

He said he believed the Australian Conservatives would become the umbrella party for a growing range of small right-wing political organisations, and grow to threaten the Liberal Party in a similar fashion to the Greens' impact onLabor. So far Kirralie Smith of the Australian Liberty Alliance as well as Family First, have joined the Australian Conservatives.

The keynote speaker at the conference is the American anti-tax campaigner Grover Norquist, famous for his argument that government should be shrunk until it was small enough to drown in a bath.

Mr Norquist gained notoriety in the United States in 2012 when he managed to convince all but 12 Republicans in Congress to sign a pledge to never pass any increase in any tax. Adherence to the pledge was a contributing factor to the subsequent shutdown of the American government.

Speaking with Fairfax Media he said he was pleased with the direction of the Trump administration, particularly with its plans to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 per cent to 15 per cent.

"We were once the country even dumber than Australia," he said. Mr Norquist believes once the Trump cuts are passed the rest of the world is going cut corporate rates to at least 20 per cent.

Mr Norquist also voiced support for the "radically free-market" views of senior Trump administration appointees, such as Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education who has long campaigned against the public education sector.

He said his speech to conference would focus on the importance of libertarians building coalitions. "People want liberty for different reasons. Some people want religious liberty, some people want to educate their own children, some people are interested in tax. You don't have to be interested in the same causes when you are fighting for liberty."

This was the fifth libertarian conference held in Sydney, and one of its organisers, Tim Andrews of the Australian Taxpayers Alliance, says interest in libertarianism in Australia is growing quickly.

Speakers included the freelance journalist Daisy Cousins, who spoke of the dangers of feminism, which she said was a front for Marxist oppression of women, and Senator David Leyonhjelm, who joined a panel entitled The Right to Shoot.

The overwhelmingly young and male audience included a handful who wore the distinctive red hats baring Donald Trump's campaign slogan, Make America Great Again.

Speaking with Fairfax Media, Senator Leyonhjelm said he did not believe Donald Trump's success was representative of a broader international surge for libertarianism. Rather, he said, voters were turning towards politicians who disrupted incumbent major parties.

Almost 30 per cent of Australians have voted in recent elections for non-mainstream parties, with many of them turning to Pauline Hanson's One Nation. But Senator Leyonhjelm believes these voter are not yet fixed and could still return to major parties or drift to other outlets for protest votes.

The speakers on Sunday include Mark Latham and Ross Cameron.

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Cory Bernardi warns against power of government at Friedman Liberty Conference - The Sydney Morning Herald

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Simranjit Singh Mann Blames BJP For Continued Oppression of Minorities in India – Sikh24 News & Updates

Posted: at 10:56 pm

JALANDHAR, PunjabInteracting with media on April 28 at Jalandhar, the President of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) Simranjit Singh Mann said that the ruling BJP wants to oppress the minorities in Indian sub-continent. He further said that the BJPs student wing ABVPs hooliganism was rising in educational institutes and it needs to be controlled.

Accusing the Narendra Modi led Union government of India for not welcoming Canadian Defense Minister S. Harjit Singh Sajjan properly, S. Simranjit Singh Mann said that the Prime Minister meets minor officialsof other countries, however he didnt meet Canadian Defense minister S. Harjit Singh Sajjan as he was a Sikh.

Lashing out at Captain Amarinder Singh led Congress government for not delivering onto pre-poll promises, S. Mann said that the Congress government has completely failed in controlling Drug menace in Punjab. He said that the drugs were being sold in villages of Punjab openly as the Punjab government couldnt unearth the kingpins of Drug mafia.

Bhai Resham Singh California, Bhai Sukhjit Singh Daroli Klan, S. Gurdial Singh UK, S. Sulakhan Singh Shahkot, S. Sarabjit Singh Bajuha, S. Avtar Singh Aneja, S. Sahib Singh Jalandhar etc. were present on this occasion.

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Simranjit Singh Mann Blames BJP For Continued Oppression of Minorities in India - Sikh24 News & Updates

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Russia makes ‘world’s worst’ list for religious oppression – Eternity News

Posted: at 10:56 pm

Tess Holgate | April 28th, 2017 03:36 PM |

For the first time, Russia has made the list ofthe worlds worst oppressors of religious freedom, according to a new report.

Russiasongoing crackdown on religious minorities, foreign missionaries and evangelism has earned it a spot among the worst offenders list produced by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), released on April 26.

The list alsoincludes the Central African Republic, China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Vietnam.

Russias Supreme Court officially declared Jehovahs Witnesses an extremist group

The report says, Russias continued use of its anti-extremism law as a tool to curtail religious freedoms is one of the reasons USCIRF has recommended for the first time that Russia be designated as a country of particular concern.

On April 20, Russias Supreme Court officially declared Jehovahs Witnesses an extremist group and banned all their activity.

The judge ordered all 395 local chapters and its Russian headquarters to close and authorised the government to seize all property. Under the ruling, distributing copies of The Watchtowermagazine, discussing their beliefs in public, andeven worshipping at a meeting hall have become crimes.

In July 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a suite of new anti-terrorism laws that appeared to severely restrict evangelism and missionary activity.

Under the new laws, it is illegal to share the Christian faith in homes or anywhere except recognised church buildings. The legislation gives the government more access tosurveillance of internet activity, and forbids Russian Christians from sendingemail invitations to any event designed to recruit someoneinto a religious group. Fines are up to $US780 for an individual and $US15,500 for an organisation.

The legislation gives the government more access to surveillance of internet activity

The Russian government views independent religious activity as a major threat to social and political stability, an approach inherited from the Soviet period, the report says.

After 70 years of Communist rule, the government once again treats the Russian Orthodox Church as the state church, it says.

Religious groups not affiliated with state-controlled organisations are treated with suspicion. Over time, the Russian government has come to treat the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church (MPROC) as a de facto state church, strongly favouring it in various areas of state sponsorship, including subsidies, the education system, and military chaplaincies; this favouritism has fostered a climate of hostility toward other religions.

Many observers have become numb to violations of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. USCIRF report

Some of Russias violations are not directly targeted at religion, but may focus on requirements for building permits or restrictions on association.

The state of affairs for international religious freedom is worsening in both the depth and breadth of violations. The blatant assaults have become so frightening attempted genocide, the slaughter of innocents, and wholesale destruction of places of worship thatless egregious abuses go unnoticed or at least unappreciated. Many observers have become numb to violations of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the report says.

Egypt and Iraq, whichspent six and eight years on the list respectively, have both been removed from the list this year, because of improvements in religious freedom conditions.

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Russia makes 'world's worst' list for religious oppression - Eternity News

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‘Absolutely unreasonable’: Ousted Hong Kong lawmakers vow to ‘fearlessly’ resist political oppression after arrest – Hong Kong Free Press

Posted: at 10:56 pm

Former lawmakers Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung Chung-hang have vowed to fearlessly resist political oppression following theirsurprise arrest on Wednesday morning.

Dont dream that the government will reconcilewith the opposition camp it will only continue oppressingvoices forself-determination. But we will fearlessly fight for our ideals, Yau said outside the Central Police Station on Wednesday afternoon.

Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching met the press outside the Central Police Station. Photo: Apple Daily.

The pair are facing one charge of allegedly participating in an unlawful assembly, and an alternative charge of forced entry. They paid HK$3,000 bail money and will appear at the Eastern Magistrates Courts on Friday.

But they said it is very unlikely that they will plead guilty to the charges.Leung added that three of their former assistants are facing similar charges and will appear in court together with them on Friday.

Wednesdays arrests were related to a chaotic episode at the legislature onNovember 2 last year, when the pairtriedto barge into a meeting room following Legislative Council President Andrew Leungs decision to bar them from attending any meetings. At the time, the duo were facinga judicial review case filedby the government challenging the validityof their oaths of office.

The chaos left three security guards injured and hospitalised. The pro-Beijing camp and the Legislative Council Secretariatcalled police for assistance.

Unreasonable and unacceptable

Two weeks after the incident, the High Court ruled that the oaths of Yau and Leung were invalid, thereby disqualifying them from the legislature. Baggio Leung argued that they were still lawmakers before the ruling.

A security guard was sent to the hospital duringthe chaos lastNovember 2. File Photo: Stanley Leung/HKFP.

Hedescribed the charge ofunlawful assembly as bizarre, unreasonable and unacceptable on the basis that lawmakers are entitled to attend meetings to fulfil their duty.

He added that he and Yau were politicallytargeted because technicallyunlawful assembly takes place every day. He gave the example of Tuesdays football match at Mong Kok stadium whereChinese football fans unfurled an anti-Hong Kong independence banner.

That was also unlawful assembly, and they harassed a lot of HongKong people, Leung said.

Politicalgroup Civil Human Rights Front also argued that the pair should have been considered lawmakers on the day in question.

[Yau and Leung] were entitledto attend the meeting. Those who unreasonably prevented the pair from fulfilling their duty as lawmakers should be condemned, it said.

It alsoaccused incumbent leader Leung Chung-yingof cleansing the camp of dissident voicesin preparation ofthe assumption of office by incoming chief executive Carrie Lam in July. It said political oppression had intensified since the Legislative Council election last September.

Iturged the pro-democracy camp and civil groups to stand united.Even if we disapprove of their ideologies, we will fight to the death to defend their political rights, it added.

Former lawmakers Baggio Leung (L) and Yau Wai-ching (R) outside the High Court. File photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP.

Lawmaker Long Hair Leung Kwok-hung saidthe government should take all the blame on the basis that the chaos would not haveoccurred had the duosoaths not been challenged.

He added that Andrew Leung should also be partly responsible as he decided to bar Yau and Leung from attending meetings.

The pro-democracy Demosisto party said in a statement that the politically driven arrest on Wednesday showed it was unrealistic to expect the new government to mend its relationship with the pro-democracy camp.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Starry Lee, leader of the pro-Beijing DAB party said everyone should take responsibility for their actions if a security officer is hurt: We have to trust our police and our relevant department[s].

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'Absolutely unreasonable': Ousted Hong Kong lawmakers vow to 'fearlessly' resist political oppression after arrest - Hong Kong Free Press

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New shows: Cafe Tacvba, War on Drugs – Chron.com (blog)

Posted: at 10:55 pm

Mexican rock band Caf Tacvba will perform Sunday at Bayou Music Center.

>> Click through for more concerts coming to Houston.

Houston's concert scene rarely slows down. From Jimmy Buffett to Willie Nelson to Chance the Rapper to Demi Lovato, there is a performer from nearly every genre coming to town. Continue clicking to see the concerts that are bringing their music to the Bayou City.

Houston's concert scene rarely slows down. From Jimmy Buffett to Willie Nelson to Chance the Rapper to Demi Lovato, there is a performer from nearly every genre coming to

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 40th anniversary tour visits the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on April 29.

PJ Harvey plays Houston for the first time in 15 years. She's at the Revention Music Center on April 29.

Kings of Leon play the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on May 2.

Chris Brown will partner with 50 Cent, Fabolous, O.T. Genasis and Kap G for the Party Tour, which stops at the Toyota Center on May 4. Tickets go on sale Saturday, February 25.

The New Pornographers play White Oak Music Hall on May 4.

Pianist Vijay Iyer is among the most acclaimed jazz performers and composers today. He's at the Wortham Theater Center on May 5.

Christian rock band Casting Crowns plays the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on May 6.

The Weeknd will be working more than the weeknds on a world tour that comes to Toyota Center on May 6.

Best New Artist Grammy winner Chance The Rapper is bringing his musicto the Woodlands Pavilion on May 7. Tickets are now on sale through LiveNation.

Soulful British rock band The XX plays Revention Music Center on May 9.

Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson brings his legendary "Pet Sounds" album to Revention Music Center on May 12.

Arlo Guthrie can draw from 50 years of his own folk, as well as years more written by his famous father, when he plays the Grand 1894 Opera House on May 13.

Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey are going on tour together. The duo is teaming up for the All The Hits Tour, which includes a May 13 show at Toyota Center.

Punk legends the Damned don't look like this anymore. But they still stir up a mighty racket. They're at House of Blues May 17.

Celtic Woman should be plural. The Irish vocal ensemble is at Smart Financial Centre on May 20.

U2 will play "The Joshua Tree" in its entirety on May 24 at NRG Stadium.

A reunited Soundgarden plays Revention Music Center on May 25.

The Mountain Goats play White Oak Music Hall on May 27.

Singer-songwriter-flutist Ian Anderson (with the flute) brings Jethro Tull songs to town on May 30 to the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.

Jim Lauderdale plays McGonigel's Mucky Duck on June 1.

Jazz pianist Helen Sung, an alumnus of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, is at Cezanne June 2.

Todd Snider plays McGonigel's Mucky Duck on June 6.

Jimmy Buffett and his coral Reefer Band are bringing their classics to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on June 8. Let's see if J.J. Watt shows up to play the congasagain.

The Old 97's play House of Blues on June 9.

A reunited At the Drive-In plays Revention Music Center on June 10.

Metal band Metallica has announced a string of stadium dates, starting in Houston on June 11 at NRG Stadium. Tickets are now on sale through LiveNation.

The Doobie Brothers join Chicago at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on June 18.

Atlanta rapper Future will bring his Nobody Safe Tour to the Woodlands Pavilion on June 22. Tickets are now on sale on LiveNation.

John Mellencamp and Emmylou Harris play the Smart Financial Centre on June 22.

Everclear plays its "So Much for the Afterglow" album, celebrating its 20th anniversary, at House of Blues on June 24.

Deftones play the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on June 26.

Gloria Trevi and Alejandra Guzman play Smart Financial Centre on July 1.

Prince Royce plays the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on July 1.

Carlos Santana plays Smart Financial Centre on July 3.

Roger Waters previously played Pink Floyd's "The Wall" here. This time he'll do a show that draws from Floyd as well as his solo career. July 7 at Toyota Center.

Neil Diamond returns to Toyota Center on July 16 on his 50th anniversary tour.

Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires will play the Revention Music Center on July 18.

Canadian teen Shawn Mendes played to more than 70,000 at the rodeo, so the Toyota Center on July 22 shouldn't pose any problems.

DJ Shadow is at House of Blues July 23.

Matthew Sweet is at Heights Theater July 23.

Bubble Puppy is at White Oak Music Hall July 28.

Nickelback will perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on July 28.

Queen return with Adam Lambert playing the part of Freddie Mercury on Aug. 5 at Toyota Center.

John Mayer plays the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Aug. 6.

Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper share a bill at the Smart Financial Centre on Aug. 12.

Rapper J. Cole will bring his music to the Toyota Center as a part of hi 4 Your Eyez Only Tour on August 18.

Alice Cooper and Deep Purple share a bill at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Aug. 18.

Coldplay: rock band that plays rock music for rock fans. They'll play NRG Stadium Aug. 25.

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New shows: Cafe Tacvba, War on Drugs - Chron.com (blog)

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Special Offer for Philly.com Readers / Get The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News – Philly.com

Posted: at 10:55 pm

The good news is that even though Connor Barwin is no longer an Eagle, the annual charity concerts the now-Los Angeles Ram defensive end has put on to benefit Philadelphia playgrounds through his Make the World Better foundation will continue.

The cool development is that this years show will mark the return of the War on Drugs, the Philadelphia five-piece band led by Adam Granduciel that stepped up to top-tier rock status withits acclaimed 2014 album, Lost in the Dream. Last weekend, the band released their first new music since signing to Atlantic Records with a shimmery, immersive 11-minute vinyl-only song called Thinking of a Place.

But maybe the best news for the city and its music scene is this: The Make the World Better benefit for Barwin on Sept. 21 will be the opening date of the War on Drugs' world tour, and it will take place at the Dell Music Center, the storied amphitheater that recently underwent a nearly $7 million renovation. Tickets go on sale via Ticketmaster at 10 a.m. Friday.

The Dell was built in 1930. Along with hosting such luminaries as Mahalia Jackson, Count Basie, and Ray Charles, it served as the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra until the space now known as the Mann Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1976 across the river in Fairmount Park.

For decades now, the Dell -- originally known as the Robin Hood Dell, named after a tavern close to the nearby Laurel Hill Cemetery -- has been home to an R&B and soul summer concert series that serves Philadelphias African American community. That is not about to change, with an eight-show season that this year begins July 6.

Its always going to be a venue that offers R&B and gospel, says Susan Slawson, the former head of the citys Parks and Recreation Department who now volunteers with the Dell. Were not going to neglect that. But we want to open up the venue. We want rock bands; we want country bands. We want people to realize that this is a safe, beautiful venue that people from all over Philadelphia can come to.

Enter Barwin, and his boundless enthusiasm. Barwins three benefit concerts at Union Transfer, starting in 2014 with his good friend Kurt Vile, have raised in the neighborhood of $750,000. Thats if you count the at-least-half donated out of Barwins own pocket, says R5 Productions' Sean Agnew, who co-owns Union Transfer. The shows have funded work at the Ralph J. Brooks and Smith Playgrounds in South Philly, as well as the Waterloo in West Kensington. This years recipient will be announced at the War on Drugs show.

I took a tour with Parks and Rec about three years ago, says Barwin, 30, talking on the phone from Los Angeles. And I was like, man! We raise money for Parks and Rec. Parks and Rec has this incredible amphitheater up in Strawberry Mansion that nobody knows about. Thats when I fell in love with the Dell and thought it would be a perfect place to have a show, on so many levels. It makes so much sense for everybody, for the city and for the bands.

Barwin was in the midst of a busy week. The Detroit-born music geek's current favorites include Kendrick Lamars DAMN., Father John Mistys Pure Comedy, and Future Islands The Far Field-- the first two of which he saw at this month's Coachella Festival.

Full disclosure, that was kind of like my bachelor party this year, he says. Barwin will marry longtime girlfriend Laura Buscher, a physicians assistant at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in West Philadelphia, in Upstate New York this weekend.

What Barwin didnt know when he got smitten by the Dell is that Agnew and his partners at Bowery Presents had already met with then-Mayor Michael Nutter about bringing concerts to the venue.

Traditionally, the venue has been programmed for black Philadelphia, says Agnew. Which is pretty unique and very valuable. But its dark most days in the summer.

R5 came close to booking sizable indie acts, like Neutral Milk Hotel and Animal Collective, but wound up with a series of just-misses. No one had ever heard of the venue, and booking agents' first question was, Who else has played there?

Thats where the War on Drugs comes in. Ami Spishock, the bands manager since 2010, grew up in Downingtown. But she had never heard of the Dell.

Barwin was ready to fix that. Spishock, who lives in New York, came to see Beirut, another band she manages, at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby in 2015.

Connor came and picked me up at the Tower and drove me to the Dell. It was closed and locked and dark, and we were peering in through the locked gate."

He got the desired result, however. I was totally inspired, she says. The other thing that happened that night was he took me to a couple of playgrounds in the city. The inner-city kids were playing basketball under the lights, and everybody was thanking him and ribbing about how he was playing that year. You see that, and youve got to want to help him in that effort. I didnt hesitate.

Slawson refers to the War on Drugs as this wonderful group and Barwin as like your brother. He's the kind of person whos comfortable in whatever neighborhood you put him in, and he really wants to make a difference. She and Agnew hope the War on Drugs' example will lead toothers playing the venue, and a diversified lineup in 2018.

The Dell's larger capacity will allow Make the World Better to raise more than at the 1,200-capacity Union Transfer. Barwin is bummed that hell have to miss the show, though: Usually, his shows are in the football offseason, but this one needs to fit into the War on Drugs' tour cycle, which most likely will follow the release of the follow-up to Dream.

I didn't know I wasn't going to be playing for the Eagles," he said. "It would have been perfect if I was. Its the Thursday before the first home game. All of my teammates would have been there. But although Barwin is now a Ram -- and reunited with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, with whom he thrived with the Houston Texans early in his career -- he has no plans to cut ties to Philadelphia. Last week, he was looking for a place to live in L.A., and, having sold his Center City house, looking to buy another one in Philadelphia. My wife loves it. Its a place were always going to have roots, he says.

While in L.A. on a one-year contract, hell get to know the local community, with an eye to expand Make the World Better, and then if I re-sign, Ill be ready to roll. In any case, we want [Make the World Better] eventually to be an organization that helps cities and parks and rec departments throughout the country. But can he also maintain the level of involvement in the Philadelphia community thats made him so popular and already so missed? The plan is to do everything were doing in Philly and do more, he says.

Does that mean that after this years concert with the War on Drugs, there will definitely be more Make the World Better benefits?

He answers with a question: Are there more playgrounds to be fixed?

The War on Drugs -- Thinking of a Place from Record Store Day on Vimeo.

Published: April 28, 2017 10:15 AM EDT

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The Case for Weed Reparations – CityLab

Posted: at 10:55 pm

Oakland is leading the nation in defining what racial equity means by revising its medical cannabis business permit process to favor applicants whove been swept up in the war on drugs.

In Oakland, a new pot equity program is aimed at encouraging greater participation by African Americans in the city's booming cannabis trade.

We often forget that an abundance of living-wage and wealth-creating jobs exist in low-income communities. Unfortunately, they happen to be in the drug-selling business.

For many decades, law enforcement has been directed to lock up anyone who tries to make a living in this field, especially if they are black. As criminal justice scholar Michelle Alexander wrote in a 2013 op-ed for The New York Times: Weve spent billions of dollars, arrested and caged millions of people, destroyed countless families and futures, and yet marijuana remains as popular and plentiful as ever. Why has this insanity continued for so long?

Well, because racism. In Oakland, California, efforts are now underway to repair what the war on drugs destroyed through mass incarceration: In May 2016, the city amended its existing local medical marijuana regulation ordinance to provide more opportunities for people of color to open their own dispensaries. Most importantly, under the new equity permit program, people with prior convictions for weed-related crimes would have first dibs on getting a city license.

To flesh out the details for this program, the city commissioned a race and equity analysis report, to ensure that the new marijuana permitting process would benefit the right people. There is nothing more alarming in that report than the arrest data it relies upon for the programs foundation: In 2015, African Americans made up 30 percent of the population but 77 percent of cannabis arrests, compared to 4 percent for whites.

And 2015 was no an aberration. Further analysis on arrest data from 1998 to 2015 turned up an even wider disparityAfrican-Americans comprised 90 percent of arrests; whites were 3.91 percent.

Some might speculate that the gap accurately reflects the faces of who sells and uses weed. But if white Oaklanders are so low on the weed consumption and possession scale (and, as a stroll around the area would reveal, they are definitely not), then why are they the ones opening dispensaries and outlets? As Amanda Chicago Lewis reported for Buzzfeed last year:

Nobody keeps official statistics on race and cannabis business ownership. But based on more than 150 interviews with dispensary owners, industry insiders, and salespeople who interact with a lot of pot shops, it appears that fewer than three dozen of the 3,200 to 3,600 storefront marijuana dispensaries in the United States are owned by black peopleabout 1%.

Oaklands plan, which city council passed last month, seeks to correct this. The race and equity analysis report turned up a number of reasons why African Americans havent been able to access the medical cannabis industry. It also explains how the white-controlled legal marijuana trade isdare we saygentrifying the one market in which underemployed African Americans were able to make a living:

In general, access to capital for starting a cannabis business is restricted because of federal regulations and further limited in low income communities due to the lack of personal wealth. Those with assets and a head start have the ability to surge forward with real estate acquisition and leasing that could lock new operations out of being able to set up shop in Oakland. Living wage underground jobs in marginalized communities are in danger of being pushed out of those communities.

The new equity permit program gives normally disenfranchised African Americans a leg up in the medical marijuana market. Under this program, cannabis business permits would be prioritized for equity applicants, defined as someone whose annual income is less than 80 percent of Oaklands average median income (AMI), and who lives in one of the 21 police beat areas where weed arrests have been most prevalent or who was convicted after November 5, 1996 for a weed-related crime.

The citys permitting process will now roll out in two phases, the first of which would award at least half of all of permits to equity applicants, who will be provided with entrepreneurial mentors, technical assistance (for business plan prep and municipal regulations compliance), and help with other procurement needs. The program also calls for equity incubators, where general (non-equity) marijuana business hopefuls can spruce up their own permit applications by offering rent-free real estate for helping cultivate up-and-coming black business owners.

Other perks of the equity program include relaxed criminal background checks, zero-interest small business loans, and conditional approval for equity applicants even if they dont have all of their financing or real estate secured upfront. The programs costs will be covered by the $3.4 million in licensing fees that the city has already collected from existing cannabis businesses. This is basically a reparations plan for black people whove been swept up into draconian drug policies and mass incarceration.

Will this ordinance actually take effect? The weed-friendly California legislature is unlikely to try to preempt it, as other states have done when cities have attempted to take business matters into their own hands. The only wild card here is what U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions may do to ham this up, given his allergies to economically logical marijuana laws. In his thirst to keep the war on drugs going, he may be willing to crack down on more marijuana users no matter what their race is.

Thats the wrong kind of equity. A better answer, wrote Michelle Alexander in her New York Times op-ed, is to give all youth the same punishment that college students and suburban white youth have received for their marijuana use, which is basically none at all.

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The War On Drugs announce North American tour, share new song … – Vanyaland

Posted: at 10:55 pm

The War On Drugs, the government program, was a total failure. The War On Drugs, the Philadelphia band led by Adam Granduciel and responsible for one of our favorite recent Boston Calling performances, has been anything but.

While we await the follow-up to the groups 2014 album Lost in the Dream, The War On Drugs recent issued a beautifully spacey 11-minute guitar-rock song titled Thinking Of A Place, and today followed that up with news of a 34-date tour of North America and Europe.

Near the start of The War On Drugs globetrotting is a September 23 date at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in Boston. The weather by the water should be just about perfect for this one, and tickets go on sale May 5.

Listen to Thinking Of A Place below as you scan through all The War On Drugs live dates after the video jump.

The War On Drugs Thinking Of A Place from Record Store Day on Vimeo.

The War On Drugs Live: 9/21 Philadelpha,PA @ Dell Music Center 9/22 New York,NY @ Summerstage 9/23 Boston,MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion 9/25 Charlotte,NC @ The Fillmore 9/26 Atlanta,GA @ The Tabernacle 9/28 Dallas,TX @ The Bomb Factory 9/29 Houston,TX @ White Oak Music Hall 9/30 Austin,TX @ Stubbs Waller Creek** 10/5 Los Angeles,CA @ Greek Theatre 10/6 Berkeley,CA @ Greet Theatre 10/9 Seattle,WA @ Moore Theatre 10/11 Portland,OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 10/13 Salt Lake City,UT @ The Complex 10/14 Denver,CO @ Ogden Theatre 10/18 St.Paul,MN @ Palace Theatre 10/19 Chicago,IL @ Riviera Theatre 10/20 Columbus,OH @ Express Live! 10/21 Toronto,ON @ Massey Hall 11/2 Amsterdam,NL @ AFAS Live* 11/3 Kln,DE @ E-Werk 11/4 Brussels,BE @ Forest National 11/6 Paris, FR @ Bataclan 11/9 Glasgow,UK @ Barrowlands 11/10 Glasgow,UK @ Barrowlands 11/12 Manchester,UK @O2 11/14 London,UK @ Alexandra Palace 11/17 Zurich,CH @ X-tra 11/18 Milan,IT @ Fabrique 11/20 Mnchen,DE @ Muffathalle 11/21 Hamberg,DE @ 11/22 Berlin,DE @ 11/24 Oslo,NO @ Spektrum 11/25 Copenhagen,DK @ Tap 1 11/27 Stockholm,SE @ Annexet

General OnSale May 5 / *on-sale May 4 / **on-sale May 12

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Our Turn: Why legalizing casino gambling would be wrong for New … – Concord Monitor

Posted: at 10:55 pm

For more than 40 years, New Hampshire legislatures have debated the merits of legalizing casino gambling, and for 40 years they have rejected it. On Thursday, when it next convenes, the New Hampshire House will debate and vote on it once again.

Casino gambling would be wrong for New Hampshire. We urge representatives of both parties to reject it once more. Heres why.

First, and most importantly, casino revenue is not the state budget windfall that many people think it is. Most states that open the door do not stop at one or two casinos.

Across the country, state governments have become addicted to gambling dollars to fund new or expanded state programs. Experience shows that in any economic downturn these states then turn to gambling tax revenue to try to balance their budgets.

When existing gambling revenue isnt enough they have to add more games and more locations to keep state programs going. This becomes a perpetual problem that only builds on itself. Every state that has opened the door to gaming has experienced this cycle.

Second, it wont take long for the gaming industry to gain undue political influence. All you need is for the owner of a casino, which delivers millions of dollars to the state, to take a position on a bill and say, If you dont pass this bill, or veto this bill, Im going to have to lay off hundreds of people, and legislators will be pressured to go along. Just ask state officials in Delaware, which bailed out its casino industry a few years ago to the tune of $8 million.

Third, the potential total revenue from the two casinos the current bill proposes is about $650 million. Where is this money going to come from? It is not like there is the potential of incremental discretionary spending. Its a zero sum game.

The money spent in casinos will come from spending that will be shifted away from local restaurants, shops, theaters or other small businesses into the coffers of large corporations. The $650 million diverted from local businesses to corporate casinos represents the loss of hundreds of jobs and potentially empty storefronts on nearby main streets.

Fourth, as casinos advertise, which they most certainly will, the New Hampshire brand image will change dramatically. The state does not have the dollars to match casino advertising.

Our brand will change from a family-friendly state to one that specializes in gambling. To put it in perspective, over the course of a year Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut spend roughly $25 million in advertising. The state of New Hampshire spends approximately $6 million.

We are not opposed to gambling for moral reasons. We are opposed to it because we believe that it will have an overall negative impact on the state of New Hampshire.

Our state is rated as one of the most livable, one of the safest, and the best state in the country in which to raise children. Why would we ever go forward with a structural change that could negatively impact those metrics?

The collective wisdom of the New Hampshire House of Representatives has served us well on this issue for the last 40 years. In a historic vote earlier this month, the Houses own Ways and Means Committee resoundingly gave the latest bill its thumbs down by a vote of 19 to one.

Casino gambling is the wrong choice for New Hampshire. We urge House members to reaffirm that on May 4. Lets not put at risk a successful strategy that is clearly working.

(Judd Gregg, a Republican, served New Hampshire as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981-1989, as governor from 1989-1993 and as U.S. Senator from 1993-2011. John Lynch, a Democrat, served as governor of New Hampshire from 2005-2013.)

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Monthly Archives: April 2017

Berkeley Architect Fights Religious Oppression With Education: Teaches At Illegal, Underground University – NBC Bay Area

Cory Bernardi warns against power of government at Friedman Liberty Conference – The Sydney Morning Herald

Simranjit Singh Mann Blames BJP For Continued Oppression of Minorities in India – Sikh24 News & Updates

Russia makes ‘world’s worst’ list for religious oppression – Eternity News

‘Absolutely unreasonable’: Ousted Hong Kong lawmakers vow to ‘fearlessly’ resist political oppression after arrest – Hong Kong Free Press

New shows: Cafe Tacvba, War on Drugs – Chron.com (blog)

Special Offer for Philly.com Readers / Get The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News – Philly.com

The Case for Weed Reparations – CityLab

The War On Drugs announce North American tour, share new song … – Vanyaland

Our Turn: Why legalizing casino gambling would be wrong for New … – Concord Monitor

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