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Monthly Archives: June 2022
Mondaire Jones says LGBTQ progress at risk of being rolled back – The Hill
Posted: June 11, 2022 at 1:08 am
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that the progress LGBTQ people have made in equality over the past decades is now at risk of being overturned by the Supreme Court.
The congressman pointed to Justice Samuel Alitos leaked draft opinion last month that would effectively overturn Roe v. Wade, in which the justice references decisions that expanded LGBTQ rights, such as marriage equality.
Jones told The Hills Julia Manchester during the Americas Unfinished Business: An LGBTQ Summit, hosted by The Hill for Pride Month, that if the court does overturn abortion, it wont stop there.
Because of the filibuster and the lack of political courage of a number of my Republican colleagues over the past couple of decades, it has been the Supreme Court of the United States that the LGBTQ community has turned to for the protection and the recognition of its rights, Jones said.
And we are, unfortunately, seeing that at risk, all that progress at risk of being rolled back because of this extreme majority.
Jones, who was one of the first openly gay Black men elected to Congress alongside Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) in 2020, called for the filibuster to be reformed or eliminated to protect LGBTQ rights.
Across the country, many states have introduced and passed dozens of laws to restrict LGBTQ rights, such as limiting discussions on sexual orientation or gender identity in schools or barring transgender youth from competing in school sports.
This patchwork system of protections is one reason not to rely on individual states and instead pass federal laws, Jones said, though he recognized that many organizations are fighting against more progressive policies.
Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization for LGBTQ people and those living with HIV, told CW33 contributor Ron Corning at Thursdays summit that LGBTQ+ youth face increased rates of suicide, dropping out of school and substance abuse.
He said these trends have only been exacerbated as states pass discriminatory legislation.
Its a logical reaction to being taught every day that your life is literally worth less because of who you are, Jennings said.
While some politicians continue to push anti-LGBTQ legislation, Jennings said Lambda Legal remains on the ground as a last line of defense as legislation in Congress remains stalled.
But Jones and Jennings both said relying on litigation to achieve public policy, which has been the case for many victories for LGBTQ Americans, is flawed because those decisions can be overturned.
Jones pointed out multiple priorities Congress could and should tackle to support the LGBTQ community, in addition to pushing forward the Equality Act, which is stalled in the 50-50 Senate.
Those policies include Medicare for All, expanding access to the medication PrEP for HIV prevention and student debt cancellation, which Jones called an issue of LGBTQ+ justice because those youth are less likely to have familial support for college.
Progress must be fought for and protected. That is my commitment, and I know that is the commitment of my colleagues, Jones said.
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COMEA making progress on low barrier shelter | Local News | wyomingnews.com – Wyoming Tribune
Posted: at 1:08 am
Country
United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People's Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People's Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People's Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People's Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People's Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, RevolutionaryPeople's Rep'c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People's RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People's RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People's Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People's RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe
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Will Warzone Progress Carry Over To Warzone 2? – Looper
Posted: at 1:08 am
The most hardcore of "Warzone" players that have now been playing the game for over 2 years throughout a cycle that has lasted 6 seasons thus far. When breaking that down, that is tons of content, achievements, and skins that players have unlocked since picking up the game. With some players having that much equity built into "Warzone," many would want that kind of immense progress to carry over to "Warzone 2.0" when it does eventually release. Unfortunately, this will not be an option for them.
According to an Activision blog post, players will not be able to carry over their "Warzone" progress to "Warzone 2.0"due to the latter featuring "brand-new progression and inventories" to coincide with "Modern Warfare 2." The blog post clarifies that "Warzone 2.0" will act as a separate experience from its predecessor. This news might be disappointing for longtime "Warzone" veterans that wish to see years' worth of hard work acknowledged and carried over to a future title, but may also be a relief to gamers newer to the "Warzone" experience.
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Significant Progress Being Made in Evidence Collection of ISIL/Da’esh’s Crimes in Iraq, Investigating Team Head Tells Security Council | Meetings…
Posted: at 1:08 am
Criminal Accountability Long Overdue, Country Representative Says, Calling for All Evidence to Be Submitted, National Justice Efforts Supported
Significant investigative progress in the collection of evidence has been made into the financing, use of chemical weapons and crimes committed by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Daesh, the head of the United Nations team investigating that groups crimes told the Security Council today, as speakers welcomed the Teams use of technology to facilitate prosecution and stressed the need to address the groups continuing proliferation across other regions.
Christian Ritscher, Special Advisor and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD), briefed the Council on that bodys eighth report (document S/2022/434) and the progress made over the past six months. Its evidence collection has surged as working modalities have returned to normal, including the Teams preservation and conversion of over 4.5million hard-copy pages of documentary evidence from courts across Iraq into digital format. That undertaking done in close cooperation with the Iraqi judiciary and Government will enable efficient legal proceedings and preserve the historical record of the crimes committed by ISIL/Daesh.
Investigation into Bayt al Mal ISIL/Daeshs so-called House of Money has progressed significantly, along with investigations into the groups development and use of chemical and biological weapons, he reported. Further, UNITADs investigations have helped produce dedicated case files and identify those responsible for crimes, including those targeting the Yazidi community and the personnel of Tikrit Air Academy. He noted that the Team also ensures that sexual and gender-based crimes committed by ISIL/Daesh form part of each investigation, and that UNITADs victim- and survivor-centric approach means that each and every affected person matters.
While UNITADs pursuit of justice and accountability is slow and painstaking akin to the restoration of cultural heritage sites the Team is committed to its work, he stressed. Extrabudgetary contributions from Member States to the UNITAD Trust Fund have proven vital to its operations, such as the Teams support for ongoing domestic proceedings within several Member States in consultation with the Government of Iraq. The most notable case was the 2021 conviction of the ISIL/Daesh member Taha Al-J in Germany for the crime of genocide. In addition, UNITAD also supported the Swedish Prosecutorial Authority during its trial of a woman convicted of war crimes for having enlisted her child as an ISIL/Daesh soldier.
In the ensuing debate, many Council members welcomed the close cooperation between UNITAD and the Iraqi authorities. Some speakers also highlighted Iraqs primary responsibility for ensuring accountability for crimes committed within its territory and called on UNITAD to ensure that the Teams support is complementary in nature.
The representative of China pointed out that UNITAD is an interim, transitional arrangement to support Iraqs efforts towards ensuring accountability in accordance with domestic law. Therefore, it should not become a permanent body. He urged UNITAD to assist the Government with digitization measures, noting that the application of new technologies in counter-terrorism efforts can provide an important point of reference for the use of technology in other fields.
The representative of the United Arab Emirates, also underlining UNITADs provision of expertise and technical support, highlighted technologys important role in maintaining international peace and security. Because supporting victims includes rebuilding of Iraqs deeply rooted cultural heritage destroyed by ISIL/Daesh in an attempt to erase the identity and history of Iraqi communities, his country, along with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), was involved with restoring several religious sites.
Similarly, Albanias representative, Council President for June, spoke in his national capacity, commending authorities for their work in rebuilding the cultural heritage damaged or destroyed by ISIL/Daesh. However, he stressed that while the caliphate no longer exists dormant cells and affiliate groups still pose an imminent, global threat in different regions, with the spread of ISIL/Daesh in Africa of utmost concern.
Kenyas representative detailed that threat, spotlighting affiliates in Somalia, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, West Africa and the Sahel. Further, in East Africa, Al-Shabaab an Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group is the premier peace and security threat, drawing much influence from foreign terrorist fighters joining the group from ISIL/Daesh and its affiliates. Against that backdrop, he called for the full application of counter-terrorism sanctions regimes on all terrorist groups in equal measure.
The representative of Iraq, commending UNITADs progress, stressed that criminal accountability is long overdue in Iraq. The major challenge facing the Team now is to submit all its evidence to the Iraqi Government and support national efforts to deliver justice, he said, stressing that the Teams mission is not complete if it stops at merely gathering and storing evidence. Noting that the Teams sixth report contemplated holding trials by the end of 2021 or 2022, he urged the international community to adopt swift measures to submit evidence to the Iraqi Government, particularly in light of mounting pressure from the Iraqi people.
Also speaking were representatives of the United Kingdom, Gabon, Mexico, Russian Federation, United States, Norway, Ghana, Ireland, Brazil, India and France.
The meeting began at 3:02 p.m. and ended at 4:36 p.m.
Briefing
CHRISTIAN RITSCHER, Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD), outlined that bodys eighth report (document S/2022/434) noting that over the past six months, the Team continued to make great progress in its investigative work. After more than two years of restrictions and preventive measures, UNITAD is back to its full capacity and, with its growing presence in [Iraq], stronger than ever, he said. Its evidence collection has surged as working modalities returned to normal, for example in the excavation of mass graves and other field-based activities.
During the reporting period, the Team preserved and converted over 4.5million hard copy pages of documentary evidence from courts across Iraq to digital formats, in close cooperation with the Iraqi judiciary and the Government of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Regional Government, he said. That undertaking, which reduced database searches from days to minutes, is vital to enable efficient and fair legal proceedings, and critical to preserving the historical record of the crimes by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Daesh. Noting that UNITADs work is in full compliance with international legal standards and applicable policies of the United Nations, he went on to describe its witness interviews, evidence analysis, case file drafting and other efforts.
Citing several particular cases, he said investigations into Bayt al Mal or ISIL/Daeshs so-called House of Money, which was crucial to the organizations daily functioning have progressed significantly. Investigations into the development and use of chemical and biological weapons by ISIL/Daesh are also ongoing and have revealed new information since his briefing. The Team collected and preserved testimonials and evidence pertaining to the manufacture and use of chemical and biological weapons and now plans to examine the procurement system for those weapons and related financial flows.
Meanwhile, UNITADs investigations have helped to produce dedicated case files and identify those responsible for crimes, including those committed against the Yazidi community and the personnel of Tikrit Air Academy, which revealed the systematic targeting of people not aligned with ISIL/Daeshs ideology, he said. Together with the Permanent Missions of Iraq and Finland in New York, UNITAD will organize a special public event on the massacre of the personnel of Tikrit Air Academy on 10June. Investigations into the mass execution of approximately 600 Badush Prison detainees on 10June2014 also continues to advance, thanks in large part to the excavation of the Badush Valley mass grave conducted by the Iraqi Mass Grave Directorate, with technical and operational support provided by UNITAD.
The Team ensures that sexual and gender-based crimes committed by ISIL/Daesh form part of each investigation, he continued, citing ongoing interviews of Yazidi women and girls, survivors of sexual enslavement and others able to provide information. UNITADs victim- and survivor-centric approach means that each and every affected person matters and all international crimes committed by ISIL members will be thoroughly investigated. Expressing his gratitude to the Government of Iraq, the Iraqi judiciary and the authorities of the Kurdistan Regional Government for their support, he said they all stand together in working towards accountability for crimes committed by ISIL/Daesh and in support of evidence-based trials and in accordance with due process and international fair trial standards. There are also ongoing discussions in Iraq to adopt the necessary legal framework to deal with such crimes before Iraqi national courts, he added.
Describing UNITADs pursuit of accountability and justice as slow and painstaking akin to the restoration of cultural heritage sites he nevertheless underlined the Teams staunch commitment to its work. Extrabudgetary contributions from Member States to the UNITAD Trust Fund have proven vital to its operations, he said, noting that 15 States have provided such contributions and calling on more countries to add their support.
As part of the work funded by those donations, he said, UNITAD supports ongoing domestic proceedings within several Member States, in consultation with the Government of Iraq. The most notable such case was the 2021 landmark conviction of the ISIL/Daesh member Taha Al-J in Germany for the crime of genocide, and another was support provided to the Swedish Prosecutorial Authority during its trial of a woman who was ultimately convicted of war crimes for having enlisted her child as an ISIL/Daesh soldier. UNITAD also supports the Joint Investigation Team launched by Sweden and France to adjudicate core international crimes committed by ISIL/Daesh against the Yazidi community in 2015, he said.
Statements
FERGUS JOHN ECKERSLEY (United Kingdom), stressing that States must not be distracted as other global threats emerge, called for collective determination to ensure accountability for the activities of ISIL/Da'esh. Noting his countrys strong support for UNITADs efforts to support the domestic prosecution of ISIL/Daesh members in 15 Member States, including prosecutions in Sweden and Germany, he welcomed the Teams thorough efforts to investigate the financing of ISIL/Daeshs crimes and called for efforts to strengthen the Iraqi judiciarys capacity. Applauding UNITADs focus on the welfare and experiences of survivors, he stressed that ensuring those experiences to be documented safely and effectively particularly in regard to women and girls from the Yazidi community is the first step towards achieving justice and accountability for these crimes. Highlighting UNITADs contribution to the development of the Murad Code, a global code of conduct for gathering information from survivors, he noted that the Team deserves full support from the Security Council.
MOHAMED ISSA ABUSHAHAB (United Arab Emirates) underscored the need for UNITAD to continue its investigations, including those against the Yazidi community. He also expressed his support for the Team to complete its search for mass graves in Sinjar and Tal Afar, among others. All evidence must be made available to the relevant Iraqi authorities and used in courts to hold ISIL/Da'esh members accountable and ensure justice. UNITADs provision of expertise and technical support, including the use of advanced technology and applications to facilitate investigations, highlights the important role that technology plays in maintaining international peace and security. His country also has provided financial support for the specialized unit investigating crimes committed against women and children, including crimes of sexual and gender-based violence. Supporting victims includes the restoration and rebuilding of Iraqs deeply rooted cultural heritage, which ISIL/Daesh attempted to destroy in order to completely erase the identity and history of Iraqi communities. To that end, his country is currently contributing to rebuilding the Al-Tahera and Al-Saaa churches as well as the Al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
ANNETTE ANDRE ONANGA (Gabon) welcomed ongoing cooperation between UNITAD and Iraqi authorities and called for the same to be strengthened so that all perpetrators can be held to account. She also spotlighted UNITADs support to Iraqi judges and investigators in putting together cases for prosecution, particularly for crimes committed against Christians such as sexual enslavement and forced religious conversion. Further, UNITADs practical approach centred on survivors with an integrated gender perspective allows for reaching survivors of sexual and gender-based violence despite difficult social conditions. Pointing out that efforts to ensure accountability for crimes committed by ISIL/Daesh concerns the international community due to the transborder nature of the groups activities, she stressed that all measures towards this end must respect Iraqs sovereignty and jurisdiction over crimes committed on its territory. She also underscored the need to create conditions for reparatory justice for damage done to the Iraqi people using an inclusive approach to the collection of information.
PABLO ADRIN ARROCHA OLABUENAGA (Mexico) voiced his support of UNITADs decision to prioritize the investigation of crimes committed by ISIL/Daesh involving the use of chemical weapons. The international community cannot allow these crimes to go unpunished, he stressed, adding that: If we do so, we run the risk of State and non-State actors in other latitudes testing our collective determination to ensure accountability. Noting the volume of evidence gathered by UNITAD, he also emphasized the need to move from the investigative to the prosecutorial stage, urging the international community not to lose sight of the ultimate goal of national and international prosecution of those responsible for the war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by ISIL/Daesh in Iraq. The success of UNITADs work is based mainly on cooperation with Iraqi authorities, and this years excavation of three mass graves in Sinjar demonstrates progress on this front, he said.
GENNADY V. KUZMIN (Russian Federation), noting that the latest UNITAD report shows that the use of chemical weapons was encouraged by the ISIL/Daesh high command, suggested that such weapons could have easily been used by terrorist groups next door in Syria. In such a case, Western pretexts that the Syrian Government was responsible for chemical attacks against its own people would be wrong and those Governments numerous attacks against Damascus would have been wholly unjustified. Welcoming UNITADs investigation of crimes committed against religious minorities in Iraq as well as such ethnic minority communities as the Yazidis he emphasized that the Teams mission is to provide support to the Iraqi authorities, as explicitly indicated in resolution 2379(2017). The sooner that support is provided, the better, he added.
MICHAEL KIBOINO (Kenya), recognizing the Teams support of domestic efforts to hold ISIL/Da'esh accountable for its crimes in Iraq, also voiced support for its investigative initiatives to unearth key terrorist financial facilitators. He commended the ongoing information-sharing efforts among security agencies and the justice system to ensure the prosecution of ISIL/Da'esh operatives. ISIL/Da'eshs development and deployment of chemical weapons, exploitation of financial systems, as well as the use of foreign terrorist fighters, has enabled it to expand. In that regard, he spotlighted affiliates in Africa, including in Somalia, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, West Africa and the Sahel. In East Africa, Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, is the premier peace and security threat. This group draws much influence from foreign terrorist fighters joining the group from ISIL/Daesh and its affiliates. He further called for the full application of the counter-terrorism sanction regimes including 1267 on all terrorist groups in equal measure and without favouritism.
RICHARD M. MILLS (United States) welcomed progress made recently by UNITAD, including in uncovering how ISIL/Daesh used funds to carry out its crimes and on the methods it used to deploy and optimize dangerous chemical weapons. He also welcomed the innovative data harvesting and storage solutions developed by the Team to organize the vast troves of digital content being collected, as well as UNITADs growing collaboration with the Governments of Iraq and third countries. In light of the Teams increasing capabilities, he urged all relevant countries to repatriate, rehabilitate and reintegrate their nationals who are still detained in Iraq. Meanwhile, the identification and return of human remains to family members can provide closure and community healing, he said, adding that ISIL/Daesh though diminished remains intent on restoring its power. Ensuring accountability for crimes committed will help prevent it from achieving that goal, he said.
TRINE SKARBOEVIK HEIMERBACK (Norway) stressed that accountability for ISIL/Da'eshs crimes in Iraq is a prerequisite for the rule of law and sustainable peace in the country. Welcoming reported progress in the investigations on crimes committed against Christians, Yazidis, and other minorities, she applauded UNITADs focus on a survivor-centred and age- and gender-sensitive approach across its work. With regards to the investigation of the use of chemical and biological weapons, she said she would have welcomed additional information on the gendered dimension in the present report, as the previous report described under-reported gender-related harms suffered by those targeted by such weapons. Acknowledging the partnership with the Iraqi authorities, including on a wide range of capacity-building and technical assistance, she said she looked forward to learning more about UNITADs efforts to support Iraq in the adoption of national legislation allowing for the prosecution of international crimes, which is a prerequisite for the fulfilment of the Investigation Teams mandate.
CAROLYN ABENA ANIMA OPPONG-NTIRI (Ghana) said that maintaining momentum is necessary to hold accountable all those who believe that they can maintain impunity for parochial ideological and religious gain. While acknowledging UNITADs progress, she emphasized that more can be done to enhance cooperation and information-sharing between the Team and competent Iraqi authorities. To this end, the Team must not seek to replace or act as an alternative to the Iraqi judicial system. Rather, it must provide complementary institutional support and resources to assist Iraqi judges and investigators with evidence gathering and preservation. She also encouraged Iraqi authorities to scale-up efforts to cut through bureaucracy in order to create the necessary conditions and environment to support UNITAD. Underlining that international cooperation and multilateralism are vital components of any meaningful effort to degrade the capabilities of terrorist groups, she stressed that joint action among all stakeholders is the only way to dismantle such groups opaque, clandestine operations.
SUN ZHIQIANG (China) welcomed UNITADs progress in investigating terrorist financing and the use of chemical and biological weapons. Stressing that Iraq bears the primary responsibility for ensuring justice in its territory, he called on the international community to respect this and support the Governments pursuit of accountability in accordance with domestic law. Further, UNITAD should continue to maintain good relations with the Government and assist with the gathering of evidence, capacity-building and digitization measures. On that point, he said that the application of new technologies in counter-terrorism efforts can provide an important point of reference for the use of technology in other fields. He went on to emphasize that UNITAD is an interim, transitional arrangement to support Iraqs efforts and, therefore, should not become a permanent body. He also urged the international community to support Iraqs efforts to fight terrorism, to expedite repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters in that country and avoid politicizing counter-terrorism efforts.
ANNE-MARIE OSULLIVAN (Ireland), welcoming the progress achieved by UNITAD across all investigative lines of inquiry, recognized the cooperation afforded by the Iraqi Government. Regarding investigation into sexual and gender-based violence, she pointed to interviews with older Yazidi women, which demonstrate the value and importance of both gender and age-sensitive investigative approaches. Also acknowledging progress in the investigation of crimes against the LGBTQI community, she stressed the importance of ensuring accountability and compensation as well as psychosocial supports for victims and survivors. Observing that the investigative priorities have pivoted towards the identification of perpetrators most responsible for atrocity crimes, she called for continued efforts to develop legislation enabling the domestic prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide. She also called for the relevant parties to form a Government in order to progress such legislation as a matter of priority.
PAULA AGUIAR BARBOZA, (Brazil) stressed that promoting accountability for ISIL/Da'esh crimes in Iraq is key to long-term stability in the country. To that end, she welcomed the new stage of developing case files to hold ISIL/Da'esh perpetrators accountable for their crimes. UNITAD must be impartial and independent and act consistently with the Charter of the United Nations and other relevant norms of international law. She also stressed the importance of respecting Iraqi sovereignty in the pursuit of accountability for crimes committed in their territory, including in the sharing of information by the Team with third countries. The mandate to support domestic prosecutions has Iraqi authorities as its primary intended recipient, she said, commending the collaboration between UNITAD and the Iraqi Government, in terms of evidence collecting, storage and analysis. She also acknowledged the Teams efforts to build capacity in Iraqs judicial system.
RAVINDRA RAGUTTAHALLI (India) said the implementation of UNITADs mandate will contribute to ensuring accountability for serious crimes and fighting impunity. The ongoing investigations on attacks against the Christian, Sunni, Kakai, Shabak and Shia Turkmen communities and the strengthening of the initial case-briefs in the attacks against the Yazidi community will also support the Government of Iraqs efforts aimed at national reconciliation and delivering justice. Noting Indias financial support to UNITAD, he said that a terrorist group which deployed deadly weapons by misusing the States educational, financial and commercial infrastructure was deeply concerning. The international community needs to pay closer attention to this issue, as such a template could be replicated by other terrorists. Commending the Teams joint work with the Iraqi judiciary and its various assistance projects, he said justice must be delivered to the victims of ISILs crimes and their families, adding: [This] cannot happen until those responsible for the atrocities are held accountable.
DIARRA DIME LABILLE (France) said UNITADs work has yielded significant progress, including the conclusion of a first report on the development and use of chemical weapons and efforts to uncover ISIL/Daeshs sources of funding. Because evidence-gathering is at the heart of UNITADs mandate, she encouraged the Team to press forward with the critical digitalization of its work and collect previous witness statements. In addition, as cooperation is essential for combating impunity, continued efforts in awareness-raising and training for Iraqi judicial authorities is also crucial. More broadly, she called on interested States to cooperate with UNITAD by providing financial contributions, adding that the fate of victims must remain the global communitys main concern. The support provided to victims is therefore a central pillar to Iraqs reconciliation and recovery. Noting that the threat posed by ISIL/Daesh has not disappeared, she said France stands in solidarity with Iraq in countering terrorism and supports all efforts to prevent the groups resurgence.
FERIT HOXHA (Albania), Council President for June, spoke in his national capacity to welcome the cooperation between UNITAD and Iraqi authorities, pointing out that sharing information with relevant Member States would enable the prosecution of those responsible for financing, supporting and executing terrorist actions worldwide. He also commended authorities for their work to rebuild cultural heritage damaged or destroyed by ISIL/Daesh. However, while the caliphate no longer exists, dormant cells and affiliate groups still represent an imminent, global threat in different regions, with the spread of ISIL/Daesh in Africa of utmost concern. Stressing the need to move from evidence collection to extradition and national judicial proceedings, he urged Member States to repatriate and prosecute all individuals involved in terrorist activities and facilitate their reintegration into society. He added that, for its part, Albania has successfully repatriated dozens of women and children from detention camps in Syria and Iraq and has provided them the necessary means to start a new life.
MOHAMMED HUSSEIN BAHR ALULOOM (Iraq), recalling Security Council resolution 2597 (2021), said his country looks forward to prosecuting all those who have financed or supported the crimes of ISIL/Daesh. Commending UNITADs progress, he said criminal accountability is long overdue in Iraq; victims and their families are still waiting for justice. The major challenge facing the Team now is to submit all its evidence to the Iraqi Government and support national efforts to deliver justice, he said, stressing that the Teams mission is not complete if it stops at merely gathering and storing evidence.
Indeed, the Teams sixth report explicitly mentioned the possibility of holding such trials by the end of 2021 or 2022, he continued. Urging efforts to adhere to that time commitment, he said the international community should therefore adopt swift measures aimed at submitting evidence to the Iraqi Government and organizing national trials, particularly against the backdrop of mounting pressure from the Iraqi people.
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Euthanasia on the table as local animal shelters inundated with cats – WKBN.com
Posted: at 1:08 am
BEAVER TWP., Ohio (WKBN) Its a problem that has been plaguing animal shelters all around the area.
We dont usually see this kind of a wave until later in the year, usually hitting the end of June, first of July, said Diane Less with Angels for Animals.
But Less says Angels for Animals has been seeing a steady increase in surrendered cats and kittens since March 426 last month alone.
Ironically, this increase in surrendered cats and kittens comes at a time when donations to Angels for Animals have been falling off.
People are cant send us their $25 or $50 because they gotta put it in the gas tank. We understand that. In the meantime, our problems getting worse, Less said.
Right now, Angels for Animals houses about 400 cats at its facility in Beaver Township, with another 300-400 in foster care. But with dozens more coming in each day and many of them sick workers are forced to decide which will ultimately be euthanized.
I would say its probably like a 60/40 thing. We get a lot of feral cats so feral cats arent adoptable. But we truly try to give everybody the best shot that we can, said Aynnalise Moore with Angels for Animals.
Directors say the best solution would be to have these cats fostered or adopted, but short of that is for owners to have their animals neutered, even offering to spay adults and their kittens.
You can come out here and buy vouchers. You can get the whole litter fixed for less than youd pay to have one cat fixed at a private vet, Less said.
In the meantime, Angels for Animals workers fear the problem will only get worse.
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Answers for Atheists Part 2: Objective Truth and No Evidence for God – Patheos
Posted: at 1:07 am
Courtesy of Pixabay
In my last article, I (and Matthew Graham) responded to atheists claims of greater rationality and consistency in the atheistic position. In this article, we tackle more responses to my appeal. As before, The Latin Rights response is listed under TLR Answers. Any corrections will be to grammar only. Thank you.
Response #4
Illithid
Wow, Im so very late to the party! Quote any of this you wish. For whatever its worth, I trust you to do so honestly, which I cannot say for some (*cough* Dave Armstrong).
A few of the things you cite as appealing about atheism, I do find appealing. Mostly 3 through 6. Number one is a relief for those previously indoctrinated into belief in Hell, but I wasnt raised with much religion, so it hasnt been an issue for me. And I find that I dont require meaning in the way that many say they do. But those arent reasons to be an atheist, just cool things about it. The reason to be an atheist is one from your list: objective truth. A rational epistemology which leads to verifiable, objective truth in other areas of life leads naturally to disbelief in religion, just as it leads to disbelief in astrology, homeopathy, and psychics.
For a rationalist, belief isnt a choice (I dont claim to be a perfect rationalist, but I try). Pending good evidence, I can no more believe in gods than I can believe in ghosts or magic spells, or that the world is flat. And I find it interesting to observe the mental gymnastics that intelligent and otherwise rational people will undertake in order to preserve their religious beliefs.
For example, my MIL is an intelligent and independent woman with a legal education. Shes no easy prey for scams or con artists. She understands rules of evidence and burden of proof. And all that flies straight out one ear when she goes to church, where she will swallow any fool thing that preacher says, on any subject whatsoever. Because hes a man of God, and so, trustworthy. Thats a flawed and dangerous mindset, and Im pleased not to share it.
I find it interesting that tough minded atheists place such a high value on objective truth. This is something I think thoughtful Christians have in common with such atheists. Unfortunately, most of the atheists I have dialogue with use lay church goers and pastors as their intellectual foil. Unfortunately, most church goers and even pastors are underwhelming in their ability to understand and or defend historic Christianity.
I appreciate the tough minded atheist. We may not agree on what is true, but I think we both have a dedication to the truth. I do wonder, why would you want to be a rationalist? That philosophical school doesnt really carry much weight these days. The empiricists and then Immanuel Kant moved philosophy away from a rigid form of rationalism. Im not familiar with any philosophers who think we need to go back to Descartes or Spinoza.
Good epistemology doesnt demand claims be verifiable (certainly not empirically verifiable) to be warranted. Im not sure if you are going in this direction, but empirical rationalism/verificationism/logical positivism have long been set aside due to numerous problems they present as restrictive criteria for knowledge.
In sum, I appreciate your dedication to the truth! But I wonder if there is some work to do in your underlying epistemology if in fact you lean towards some kind of rational empiricism/logical positivism.
Response #5
Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz
I am an atheist simply because of the fact that I have not seen any compelling argument or evidence for a deity.
What is your account for the existence of matter and consciousness? You are also a mind that uses reason, correct? In what way is a belief in another higher mind irrational? To me, the most convincing proof God exists is existence itself. I simply find it irrational to believe that something came from nothing without a cause. It seems like magic to me.
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Answers for Atheists Part 2: Objective Truth and No Evidence for God - Patheos
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Where theres love – Angelus News
Posted: at 1:07 am
Having spent a good amount of printer ink writing about the religious experience I had on pilgrimage in Mexico, it is only a logical progression that my tangled mind should turn its energy toward my new favorite atheist.
My old favorite, Christopher Hitchens, passed away years ago may God have mercy on his soul so I have been in the market. If my new favorite atheist heard me say, God have mercy on you, he would likely not be as visceral as Hitchens, but I can almost guarantee his retort would be funny, incisive, and I would have to go back to Chesterton or Fulton Sheen to refute it.
British actor/writer/comedian Ricky Gervais is an exceptionally talented guy with a long history of success, and it is another logical progression that he would create a series that has a powerful and even spiritual component to it, but cemented in his own deep disbelief in God.
The Netflix series After Life is not suitable for family viewing, but even in its more offensive and adult content, there is something of value here. Gervais talent and thoughtfulness is worth exploring. If anyone was going to make a limited-run comedy series about a man horribly damaged by the death of his one true love and make a throughline of the main character seeking to destroy himself to stop his pain, Gervais is that guy.
His character is devastated by the premature death of his wife to cancer, and she becomes an integral cog in the story arc, as Gervais character constantly watches old digital videos of her on his computer. He is still deeply in love with her, and all the videos are slices of a life of bliss and happiness.
The corresponding sadness that we see in Gervais widower colors every aspect of his life, whether it is dealing with the cast of screwball characters he works with at the local village newspaper, where he is a most disinterested human-interest reporter, or the equally odd inhabitants of the village where he makes his home.
There is a beautiful relationship that develops between Gervais widower and a widow. They meet regularly on the bench in front of the graves of their respective spouses. The widow becomes his muse, and in Gervais fashion, also shares his views that believing in an afterlife is for other people, not them.
Yet, she is positive about life and positive about the memory of her dead husband, just as Gervais character is consumed by grief over the loss of his wife. It is through her that Gervais character begins to slowly climb out of the psychic black hole he inhabits and discovers by acting kindly and mustering herculean forbearance, his character begins to get better and believes he is doing what his late wife would have wanted for him.
Gods feelings about lying are so strident that he had them written in stone, so the whole idea of lying for a good reason is theological quicksand. Yet Gervais character tells a beautiful lie in the series. He is doing one of his mundane human-interest stories in the mundane little village he covers when he finds himself in the pediatric cancer ward of the local hospital.
The topic of heaven comes up, and one of the sick children asks Gervais character if he believes in heaven. The pain and conflict his character is feeling is palpable. He then says, of course he does. It makes the sick child feel good even though we know Gervais is lying.
The series really is all about his characters search for meaning in a world without a prime mover. Of course, it would be a journey wrought with detours and dead ends that we see him come up against. But there is one thing his character does believe in with all his might: love.
And a door opens just a crack he discovers that love survives the death of his wife. He cannot see love. He cannot touch or see the love of his dead wife, but it is so real to him that his character does not believe he can live without it. And whether the writer/performer Gervais realizes it, he is making a compelling case for the supernatural and the place everlasting love has in this world and beyond.
No spoiler alert needed here. There is no way, at least not now, that a series created and written by Gervais is going to end with an epiphany or choir of angels escorting him into the Beatific Vision. But what he does come to realize at the end of the series, and what makes this rewarding, in its own, weird way, is a faith in the now invisible love of his late wife.
It does not bring him an inch closer to God this is Ricky Gervais after all but his understanding of the eternal aspect of love is at least a start.
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Bishops to Catholic legislators who voted for abortion bill: Don’t take communion – The Denver Gazette
Posted: at 1:07 am
Catholic legislators who voted for legislation to enshrine abortion rights and defy Catholic leaders' request to not partake of the Eucharist commit a sacrilege and live in contradiction, behavior that, under church teachings, can only be remedied byrepentance and absolution.
But the Catholic leaders said the church won't monitor whether the 10 Catholic members of the General Assembly who voted for House Bill 1279 the Reproductive Health Equity Act that affirmed the right to abortion in state law abide by that request. Instead, the Colorado Catholic Conference, which wrote the open letter, said that burden rests on the legislators whom they described as having committed a "gravely sinful action" to follow their conscience.
"Voting for RHEA was participating in a gravely sinful action because it facilitates the killing of innocent unborn babies, and those Catholic politicians who have done so have very likely placed themselves outside of the communion of the Church," Colorado Catholic Bishops said, criticizing legislators, particularly Catholic members, who voted in favor of the bill as it was moving through the General Assembly in March.
The law, signed by Gov. Jared Polis on April 4, affirms a woman's right to abortion or contraception. Democratic lawmakers said they wanted to ensure that, if Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, a decision expected this month, Colorado maintain abortion rights.
The issue pitted Republicans against Democrats, but it also illustrated the clash of religious teaching and public policy. That conflict is often more pronounced among policymakers who consider themselves Christians but also support abortion rights.
One of the bill's supporters, a legislator that the Colorado bishops had directly named in their advocacy against abortion, described the letter as frustrating.
Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Democrat from Denver, also called the Catholic bishops "out of touch" with their congregations.
"Like most Colorado Catholics, I trust a pregnant Coloradan to make their own decisions about their own body. Im in line in my advocacy for RHEA, affirming the right of any pregnant Coloradans, whether faithful, atheist or agnostic, and put the trust in them to make their decisions, free from government interference," Gonzales told Colorado Politics. "I would invite them to read the language of the bill that affirms that decision that should be free from government interference."
Gonzales also noted that testimony on the abortion bill included comments from Coloradans who said they were driven by their faith to continue pregnancies, despite a doctor's advice to discontinue those pregnancies to save the life of the mother, and they now have healthy toddlers.
"It is trusting pregnant Coloradans to make that decision for themselves," she said.
"I think that church leadership has strayed too far from its principles around Catholic social teaching," Gonzales said. "This type of politicization of the pulpit is disheartening and out of line with where most Colorado Catholics find themselves."
"Christ did not stop Judas from taking Holy Communion during the Last Supper, but it was on Judas conscience and soul to do so," said CCC Director Brittany Vessely. "Similarly, this pastoral letter to Catholic politicians and Faithful places the burden on their conscience."
The June 6letterwas authored by Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila, Denver Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodriguez, Pueblo Bishop Stephen Berg and Colorado Springs Bishop James Golka. In the letter, the bishops said by voting for the abortion law,legislators regarded the "pre-born babies" as "worth less than those who have had the gift of being born, according to this morally bankrupt logic."
That act placed them in "mortal sin," they said.
"Receiving the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin is sacrilegious because it is 'a failure to show the reverence due to the sacred Body and Blood of Christ,'" the bishops, encouraging the Catholic lawmakers who voted for HB 1279 to voluntarily refrain from taking communion.
The "yes" vote is considered a direct defiance of Church teachings, according to Vessely.
It is not ordinary bread and ordinary drink that we receive in the Eucharist, but the flesh and blood of Christ, who came to nourish and transform us, to restore our relationship to God and to one another, the bishops said.
As noted by the Colorado bishops' letter, voting "yes" on the abortion law puts lawmakers outside a state of grace.
To be absolved in the eyes of the church, the 10 Catholic legislators would have to publicly repent, discern their actions through prayer, and seek absolution through the confession, Vessely added.
Vessely told the Gazette the issue came up in November 2021 at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, when the group of religious leaders wrote "The Mystery of Eucharist in the Life of the Church," a document which explains the importance of the sacrament. Colorado's four bishops decided to write their own open letter after their request to meet privately with Catholic lawmakers was ignored.
Vessely compared the power of politicians to that of celebrities in that they have the power to sway public opinion by their actions.
As politicians, they have public influence both in their speech and in their vote. Their sin is a public one and thats why the bishops asked for public repentance, Vessely said.
Indeed, in crafting the letter, the bishops drew upon the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' 2021 documentoutlining Catholic teaching on the Eucharistand why it's important for Catholics to partake of the sacrament or not to do when under a state of mortal sin.
The document says the bread and wine "become the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ," and that the "real, true, and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the most profound reality of the sacrament." Catholics believe the Eucharist is the "representation of the sacrifice of Christ by which we are reconciled to the Father," according to the document.
Vessely wouldnt identify the 10 Catholic lawmakers who received the letter. She insists the letter was written in a pastoral vein and not a political one.
"We dont fit into any partisan box. We worked with Democrats on the death penalty in 2020. We've also consulted with them on immigration and we have worked with Republicans on life issues," Vessely added.
In a 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Study, 65% of Colorado Republicans said they believed that abortion should be illegal in all or most cases compared with only 20% of Democrats who felt the same way. In the same poll, 27% of Republicans believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 56% of Democrats agreed with that sentiment. The remaining respondents either leaned one way or another but did not feel strongly about the abortion issue.
Efforts by the Catholic Church against the abortion bill appeared to rely in part on 2019 nationwide polling that showed Hispanics are slightly more opposed to than in support of abortion. One alert from the Colorado Catholic Conference prior to the bill's March 17 Senate hearing specifically mentioned two Democratic senators the bishops said are Catholic: Gonzales and Robert Rodriguez, both of Denver.
It's not a new tactic. In 2004, then-Archbishop Charles Chaput weighed in on the abortion issue, stating that Catholic politicians who ignore church teachings, especially when it comes to abortion, are not real Catholics and should refrain from taking communion. Chaput made the comments during the election season, when two Catholics fought for the U.S. Senate: then-Attorney General Democrat Ken Salazar and Republican Pete Coors. Salazar was pro-abortion, Coors was anti-abortion.
Gonzales, who was singled out by the bishops, said she was raised "culturally Catholic." That is, her family members are Catholic, but they gave her the ability to make her own decision when she went through catechism classes. She decided not to be baptized, an important distinction, and said she chose not to become Catholic because there were too many questions around why women couldnt be ordained or surrounding women's subservience.
Those were "questions that the Catholic faith could not resolve for me," she said.
But being "culturally Catholic" is vague, according to Vessely.
"We didn't look up the legislators' baptism records," Vessely said. "I don't know what 'culturally Catholic means. If she's calling herself Catholic, that's why the bishops reached out to her."
Gonzales told Colorado Politics the June 6 letter frustrated her, arguing the church is not consistent in its advocacy. She pointed out she had been a co-prime sponsor of the 2020 bill to abolish the death penalty and said the church did not send out letters to Catholic lawmakers who opposed the repeal. At least one Catholic Republican, Sen. Jim Smallwood of Parker, voted against the repeal.
"Catholic social teachings speak about advocacy for the poor or the stranger among us," Gonzales said.
But the church, she argued, had not sent out letters to lawmakers who support anti-immigrant or policies against the poor.
The Catholic church has argued for a more humane approach to America's immigration issues, arguing Catholics a "moral obligation to treat the stranger as we would treat Christ himself."
Mykala Aguilar, deputy director of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), said her group conducted a survey last year that showed of those polled, 66% believed in expanding access to abortion, and the view cut across party lines.
"Thats what were seeing in our communities," she told Colorado Politics. "So many support access to abortion because of their faith, not despite it."
Aguilar also noted that the winning "no" vote margin on Proposition 115 in 2020, which sought to ban abortions after 22 weeks, resulted from the Latino community's opposition.
"It's incredibly sad to see the Catholic church to being so divisive and targeting Latino legislators," Aguilar said. "We would like to see the Catholic church take on other issues important to Latinos."
Those issue, Aguilar said, include climate change and the pandemic, which disproportionately affected people of color.
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Raised By Wolves Cancelled, But This Sci-Fi Masterpiece Deserves A New Home – Forbes
Posted: at 1:07 am
Raised By Wolves
Death can be very unpleasant when youre intelligent. ~ Father, from Raised By Wolves on HBO Max.
Sometimes, a TV show lives beyond its expiration date. A show like Fear The Walking Dead shuffles on in perpetuity, even as it loses its best cast members and despite its diminishing quality. Weve just witnessed Season 7 take the AMC zombie drama to new lows, and yet a Season 8 has already been greenlit.
Sometimes, a TV show is sent to an early grave. Netflix has been notorious for cancelling shows that still had plenty of life in themlike The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistanceor that had almost wrapped up the storylike GLOW.
But I admit, I expected more from HBO. I dont know why. The rushed, botched ending of Game Of Thrones should have taught me to keep my hopes and expectations in check. Now, HBO Max has cancelled perhaps the best science-fiction show on TV: Raised By Wolves. It seems that the shakeup over at Warner Brosand merger with Discoveryhas claimed this casualty. It wont be the last.
Mother (Amanda Collin) and Sue (Niamh Algar)
The Ridley Scott-produced space opera is something unique in the TV landscape. Raised By Wolves ifs intelligent and well-writtenbut also something of a fever dream to watch. Theres almost a bit of a vintage feel to it, like something plucked from the weird science-fiction of an older era. Its dark and intriguing, exploring not just the division between AI and humanity, but between religious zealots and equally radical atheists and the aftermath of a war that left Earth completely destroyed.
The show delves into the mysteries of humanitys new home on Keppler-22b, a habitable-but-hostile plane, replete with acid oceans and terrifying monsters. Creator Aaron Guzikowski has spun a deftif absolutely bizarretale of shifting alliances, power struggles and humankinds last ditch effort to survive so far. The story isnt done yet, however.
Raised By Wolves also boasts a stellar cast. Travis Fimmel, fresh off his role as Ragnar in Vikings, plays Marcusan atheist who has disguised himself as one of the religious Mithraic soldiers along with is wife, Sue, played by Niamh Algar. Fimmel does a tremendous job as we see Marcus descend into madness, somehow possessed by what seems to be the planet itselfa powerful and twisted entity they refer to as the Mithraic god, Sol.
Travis Fimmel as Marcus
Meanwhile, Amanda Collin plays the AI Mother across from Abubakar Salims Father. These two androids have been tasked by the atheists with raising children on Keppler-22b ahead of the arrival of the atheist colony ship, and are the first to start uncovering its dark secrets.
Collin is simply brilliant in this role, at once portraying Mother as a caring, sympathetic nurturer and one of the most terrifying AI youll ever come across in any movie or TV show.
Salim is equally adept at portraying Father as Mothers cautious, and much less dangerous, counterpart. Hes just so damn likeable, you cant help but root for him.
Children make up much of the cast and all these younger actorsmost notably Winta McGrath who plays the OG Keppler-22g child, Campiondo a terrific job as well.
The acting, the special effects, the set design, the costumes, the weird music, the phenomenal world-buildingits all great and it all just feels extraordinarily unique and unlike any other show on TV. Its truly tragic that Warner Bros has pulled the plug on it. I have a feeling this will become quite the cult classic, and its just so frustrating that the storywhich was just getting going!wont get the ending it and its fans deserve.
Yes, Im sure its very expensive. Season 2 had a bigger cast and more special effects and just more of everything and there was certainly a part of me that was nervous this might happen. Its so weird and so different and so obviously expensiveand it doesnt have the same big draw as something like Westworld, though if I had to choose Id much prefer they cancel that showwhich did a fine job wrapping up its best story arc at the end of Season 1.
Abubakar Salim as Father
Salim maintains that there is still hope that Scott Free Productions could find a second life for Raised By Wolves elsewhere. This would not be unprecedented. Weve seen shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine get cancelled and find a new home at a different streamer. The Orville left Fox and moved to Hulu for its third season.
Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Paramountany of these would be wise to snatch this premium sci-fi show up as quickly as possible. It would bring some much needed top-tier content and a flood of grateful fans. Netflix, which has been struggling lately and will soon have another content problem when Stranger Things 4 airs its final two episodes in July, could especially stand to gain here.
Ill be crossing my fingers. And fans of this show should make their voices heard. As Salim wrote on reddit, Im asking that you show that love, and have your voice heard throughout socials and help us find a new home.
Theres a petition you can sign here and a fan-made website with some resources to help spread the word. Get on social media, share posts like this one on Twitter and Facebook, do whatever you can to save the show.
Maybe it will all come to nothing, but it never hurts to try. Each of the big streamers could use a genuinely good science-fiction drama to add to their rosters.
Make some noise.
I made a video about this as well.
Spread the word!
Also, this is nice:
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Raised By Wolves Cancelled, But This Sci-Fi Masterpiece Deserves A New Home - Forbes
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Tom Ascol, would-be SBC president, worries churches have lost hold of the Bible – Religion News Service
Posted: at 1:07 am
(RNS) When he first felt called to be a pastor, Tom Ascol thought God was playing a joke on him.
Ascol grew up in a troubled family in a house owned by a Texas church where his dad was a deacon and Sunday school teacher. When the family couldnt pay the rent, a pastor tried to kick them out until a deacon intervened.
The experience left him bitter toward pastors. Complicating his view of church, his dad led what amounted to a double life: one as a respected church leader and another as a drunk and a womanizer and an abuser, Ascol told Baptist Press, the official Southern Baptist news service, in a recent interview.
Were Baptists, and you know, my dad had no business being a church member, much less a deacon and a Sunday school teacher, he said. That created a lot of angst. Not just in me, but in the community.
Once he accepted his own call, Ascol decided he did not want to be an ordinary pastor. Instead, he wanted to do things by the book, the way the Bible said things should be done.
That approach to ministry has stuck with Ascol, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida, and leading candidate for president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The theme of his candidacy can be summed up in four words: We have a book.
But Ascols focus on the Bible has led him to become a vocal critic of the SBC in recent years. Liberalism, critical race theory and women preachers are leading the denomination away from Scripture, he believes. Ascol has long argued that Southern Baptists have been too eager to embrace pragmatic ideas on how to attract people to church and have been too accommodating to the broader culture.
In a recent essay for Founders Ministries, a Florida nonprofit that Ascol heads, he argued that Southern Baptists are embarrassed of the teachings of the Scripture.
His complaints arise from Southern Baptists who have urged the denomination to come to terms with its history, welcoming ideas drawn from academia about racisms pervasiveness in society. Resolution 9, passed at the SBCs 2019 annual meeting, referred to critical race theory and intersectionality as useful analytics tools. Ascol views the resolution as an intolerable distraction from biblical truth.
Brothers and sisters, it should not be this way, he wrote in his Founders Ministries essay. The word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword and will not return void. But if we muzzle ourselves out of a misplaced desire to placate the culture, how can we expect the Word to have that effect?
RELATED: Video links Beth Moore, Russell Moore, James Merritt to Trojan horse of social justice
Resolution 9 and Ascols concerns about the liberal drift of the SBC are the subject of a documentary from Founders Ministries called By What Standard, which includes footage from the 2019 SBC meeting. The films trailer begins with Ascol saying, Weve been played.
The film also captures part of a conversation between Ascol and Georgia Baptist pastor Josh Buice, in which they say that asking women to take a role in the church that God did not intend is abusive. Ascol has also argued that churches that have women preach during worship services have no place in the SBC.
Tom Ascol of Founders Ministries. Video screen grab
Much of Ascols support comes from the so-called SBC pirates, a coalition of SBC-related groups that claim the denomination has drifted away from the Bible toward liberalism. Those groups include Founders Ministries, which promotes Calvinist beliefs; a Christian nationalist group called Sovereign Nations founded by a cruise organizer who works closely with atheist hoaxer James Lindsay; and the Conservative Baptist Network, founded by allies of disgraced SBC legend Paige Patterson. Those groups all share concerns about CRT, social justice and conservative politics Ascol himself has done interviews with a series of Trump-friendly podcasts and media outlets in the run-up to the election.
His positions, he says, are driven by a concern about the health of local SBC churches. In an interview last year, Ascol told Religion News Service that pragmatism has resulted in Southern Baptist churches being filled with people who think they are Christians but who really are not. Its an alarm he has been sounding for decades, calling the SBCs membership statistics a sham because so few church members actually show up in church.
RELATED: At Founders event, Southern Baptists urged to choose Bible over paganism, CRT
While Southern Baptist churches claim 13.7 million members, actual attendance at church services both in person and online was closer to 5 million people in 2021. Ascol sees the discrepancy as a sign that Southern Baptists no longer practice regenerate church membership the idea that only true believers who have been born again, been baptized and are active in the church, should be counted as members.
In 2008, he supported a resolution about regenerate church membership passed at the SBC annual meeting that called on churches to maintain accurate membership rolls and to discipline wayward members. Ascol told the Conservative Baptist Network in a recent interview that more work is needed in this area for the SBC to be healthy.
I think if we were to practice regenerate church membership and church discipline more carefully than we have, our churches would look more like what the New Testament calls churches to be, and the message that we preach would be more commended by the way that we live, he said.
If elected, Ascol would be the first SBC president in decades who is not a megachurch pastor: Grace Baptist has 224 members and an average worship attendance of 280 people, according to data from the congregations SBC profile.
He believes in the primacy of the local church in the polity of the SBC: Its a message he stressed at a forum for SBC presidential candidates, saying that churches, rather than the convention, should lead any response to sexual abuse.
It is hard, but its not complicated, he said. And we just need the faith and the humility to look to the Word of God and say, this is what God tells us to do. Were going to do it and were going to leave costs and consequences to him. And I believe if we were to do that, we would find ourselves caring very well, much better than we have in the past.
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