Froma Harrop: Being in a Disaster as It Unfolds (Creators Syndicate)
The Titanic story continues to fascinate because of the ship's elegance, the stark class discrimination and arrogance about technology. But part of the Titanic fixation is a timeline that, as with the Twin Towers calamity, lets us follow the stories of the survivors as their hopes were met and of the doomed as their hopes were lost. The accounts make one tremble.
The Insane Experiment
Who They Studied: The people who run America's mental institutions.
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb in West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest. It is named after the ancient Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, which later became a province of the Roman Empire, even though the modern state covers a territory far to the southwest of the old kingdom.
It has been alleged that various forms of slavery are still practiced in Mauritania. Though legally abolished in 1981, it did not become a crime to own slaves until 2007.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
Mauritania
Jim from CA, retired to ID, replied:
1981: Mauritania abolishes slavery
BttbBob wrote:
Mauritania (which is located in NW Africa) officially banned slavery in 1981 and criminalized it in 2007. I've read numerous articles of late that state although it is 'officially' banned, it is still widely practiced there. There's been only one successful prosecution. Slavery's last stronghold - CNN.com
Charlie responded:
Though slavery still exists in practice there and many other places, it was last formally abolished in Mauritania in 1981.
When I was in 7th or 8th grade, my geography class was required to write letters to various African embassies in D.C. I chose, or was assigned (I forget), Mauritania, which had only gained independence from France in 1960. I never got an answer, and I only learned later that the United States didn't have diplomatic relations with what was at the time The People's Republic of Mauritania.
Sally said:
The last country to abolish slavery was the African state of Mauritania, where a 1981 presidential decree abolished the practice. Rumor has it that there are still slaves there...
Going swimming today with my gks, and my gks-in-law. Their mom is a Berber (an indigenous ethnic group of North Africa west of the Nile Valley) from Algeria, and they travel back and forth all the time. I shall pick her brain about this slave situation in Mauritania.
Adam answered:
Mauritania.
Marian wrote:
Brazil
Dale of Diamond Springs responded:
The last country to allegedly abolish slavery was Mauritania in 1981. But according to Reuters - Up to 27 million people are modern-day slaves, and migrants fleeing violence in North Africa are among those most at risk of being exploited. This is what the Repuds and Oligarchists would like to see America turn back to and already practice: Economic slavery!!!!!!! Or even real Slavery!!! Enough out of me. I could go on about this for a long time.
This is just one of the reasons that I support Amnesty International!
MAM wrote:
Mauritania ~ Slavery legally abolished in 1981.
Sunny, clear and cooler than seasonal. More rain on the way.
Tonight, Friday:
CBS begins the night with FRESH'Undercover Boss', followed by the FRESH'ACM Presents: Lionel Richie & Friends In Concert'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Keith Alberstadt, Bonnie Raitt.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Sean Hayes and Lena Dunham.
NBC starts the night with a RERUN'Who Do You Think You Are?', followed by a FRESH'Grimm', then 'Dateline'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Jason Segel, Anna Faris, and and Far East Movement.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are Josh Brolin, Kiernan Shipka, Peter Farrelly, and the Fray.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 2/14/12) are Michael Hastings, Leslye Headland, and Bear Hands.
ABC opens the night with a FRESH'Shark Tank', followed by 'Primetime: What Would You Do?', then '20/20'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 4/3/12) are Edie Falco, "Dancing with the Stars" castoff Jack Wagner, and Amy Schumer.
The CW offers a RERUN'Nikita', followed by a RERUN'Supernatural'.
Faux has a FRESH'The Finder', followed by a FRESH'Fringe'.
MY has an old 'Monk', followed by another old 'Monk'.
AMC offers the movie 'Overboard', followed by the movie 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?', then the movie 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?', again.
BBC -
[6:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[7:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[8:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 7
[9:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 8
[10:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 9
[11:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 10
[12:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 1
[1:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 2
[2:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 3
[3:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 4
[4:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 5
[5:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 6
[6:00PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 8
[7:30PM] TOP GEAR-Episode 6
[9:00PM] THE ROAD WARRIOR
[11:00PM] THE ROAD WARRIOR
[1:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 1
[2:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 2
[3:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 3
[4:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 4
[5:00AM] TOP GEAR-Episode 7 (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has the movie 'The Silence Of The Lambs', followed by the movie 'The Silence Of The Lambs', again.
Comedy Central has 'Tosh.0', another 'Tosh.0', 'It's Always Sunny In Philly', another 'It's Always Sunny In Philly', 'South Park', followed by the movie 'Joe Dirt'.
FX has '2½ Men', followed by the movie 'Wanted', then a FRESH'The Ultimate Fighter Live'.
HBO offers a FRESHBill Maher - guests include:
Tavis Smiley, Eric Klinenberg, Fmr. PM Kim Campbell (Canada), David Stockman and Matthew Continetti.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'American Pickers', 'Full Metal Jousting', and another 'Full Metal Jousting'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] Whitest Kids U'Know
[6:15AM] Curse of the Golden Flower
[8:45AM] Mrs. Dalloway
[10:45AM] Invincible
[1:30PM] Curse of the Golden Flower
[4:00PM] Mrs. Dalloway
[6:00PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Polly in the Middle
[6:30PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Experiment
[7:00PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Dewey's Special Class
[7:30PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Victor's Other Family
[8:00PM] Buffy the Vampire Slayer
[10:00PM] Buffy the Vampire Slayer
[12:00AM] Shivers
[2:00AM] High Tension
[4:00AM] Shivers (ALL TIMES EDT)
Sundance -
[6:00A] Our City Dreams
[7:30A] Wild Combination: A Portrait Of Arthur Russell
[8:45A] I Hate Valentine's Day
[10:15A] Our City Dreams
[11:45A] Wild Combination: A Portrait Of Arthur Russell
[1:00P] MY SO-CALLED LIFE - Weekend (Episode 18, Season 1)
[2:00P] MY SO-CALLED LIFE - In Dreams Begin Responsibilities (Episode 19, Season 1)
[3:00P] I Hate Valentine's Day
[4:30P] THE MORTIFIED SESSIONS - The Office's Ed Helms & Oscar Winner Mo'Nique
[5:00P] The Father of My Children
[7:00P] THE MORTIFIED SESSIONS - Bryan Cranston & Danny Pudi
[7:30P] THE MORTIFIED SESSIONS - Cheryl Hines & Margaret Cho
[8:00P] Amreeka
[9:45P] Pal/secam
[10:00P] The History Boys
[12:00A] THE MORTIFIED SESSIONS - Bryan Cranston & Danny Pudi
[12:30A] THE MORTIFIED SESSIONS - Cheryl Hines & Margaret Cho
[1:00A] Cash
[2:45A] Amreeka
[4:30A] Garbage! The Revolution Starts At Home (ALL TIMES EDT)
SyFy has the movie 'X-Men', followed by a FRESH'WWE Steroid SmackDown!', and 'Dream Machines'.
Actress Mary Badham, who portrayed the character "Scout", poses at a screening celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Academy Award winning film "To Kill A Mockingbird" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, April 11, 2012. Badham received an Oscar nomination for her role in the film.
Photo by Fred Prouser
An intersection in downtown Los Angeles will now bear the name of Woody Guthrie as the city celebrates the 100th birthday of the folk singer, social crusader and "This Land is Your Land" writer.
The corner of Fourth and Main streets is being dubbed Woody Guthrie Square at a Thursday dedication by city officials and Guthrie descendants.
The ceremony is part of an eight-day citywide celebration of Guthrie, who lived in LA in the late 1930s, and whose songs during the Depression and Dustbowl invoked California as much as his Oklahoma home.
The celebration ends with a Saturday concert that includes David Crosby, Jackson Browne and Kris Kristofferson.
Comic book creator and executive producer Stan Lee poses on a motorcycle at the world premiere of the film "Marvel's The Avengers" in Hollywood, California, April 11, 2012.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
The parents of late singer Amy Winehouse officially launched the U.S. branch of a foundation named for their daughter at New York's Joe's Pub, where the embattled pop star made her American debut five years ago.
The Amy Winehouse Foundation - aimed at assisting disadvantaged youth - raised $1 million dollars in the United Kingdom, Mitch Winehouse said at Wednesday night's event.
Mitch Winehouse said he spoke to his daughter through a psychic Tuesday, saying that she "is fully behind everything that we're doing and she's up in heaven waving her magic wand."
Mitch Winehouse was joined by Amy's mother, Janis, and her younger brother, Alex. He performed four songs with a jazz band, at one point kissing his cellphone which had a photo of his daughter on it.
It may lack wizards and witches, but J.K. Rowling and her publisher are hoping her first novel for adults, "The Casual Vacancy," will have the magic touch.
The book's title was announced Thursday by Little, Brown & Co. along with a brief plot synopsis and publication date.
The publisher said the "blackly comic" tale of rivalry and duplicity in a small English town would be available worldwide on Sept. 27.
The new book, aimed at a grown-up audience, will be set in a seemingly idyllic English town called Pagford which is described as far more menacing than its pretty facade would indicate.
Joel Grey is celebrating his 80th birthday in style.
First, his cast mates wheeled out a birthday cake after curtain call for the Broadway musical "Anything Goes." Then stage and screen legend Bernadette Peters came onstage to lead the audience in a few celebratory verses of "Happy Birthday."
The actor read a birthday letter from his 101-year old aunt, who ended it by saying "try to catch up with me."
The octogenarian then joked: "Eighty is the new sixty."
Musician Marilyn Manson (bottom) performs with actor Johnny Depp at the 4th annual Golden Gods awards at Nokia theatre in Los Angeles, California April 11, 2012.
Photo by Mario Anzuoni
With all the reckless disregard of youth for practicality, the 15-year-old Mozart filled his opera "Il sogno di Scipione" with one impossibly difficult aria after another.
High Cs, Ds and even Es cascade from the pages of this one-act work as if they were the easiest notes in the world for the poor sopranos and tenors who have to reach them.
Small wonder that the piece has rarely been performed. In fact, a production 10 years ago that launched the Gotham Chamber Opera was its first in the U.S. Now, the company is marking its anniversary by reviving that staging, directed again by Christopher Alden.
The thinly plotted work (the title translates to "The Dream of Scipio") imagines the Roman general Scipio Africanus the Younger having to choose in a dream between fortune and constancy.
It took Fox News Channel less than 24 hours to find - and fire - an associate producer who began writing a column critical of his employers for the news blog Gawker.
The network said Joe Muto, who worked on "The O'Reilly Factor" and said he had been working at Fox News since 2004, was identified and fired. Fox said it was "continuing to explore legal recourse against Mr. Muto and possibly others."
On Tuesday Gawker posted Muto's initial column, written anonymously. It was primarily critical of a Fox website that he called "an unholy mashup of the Drudge Report, the Huffington Post and a Klan meeting." He also posted a previously unseen video of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney chatting with Sean Hannity about his family's horses and other things.
Muto outed himself the next day, saying his bosses had tracked him down. The company found that someone using his computer login had accessed two videos that were posted on Gawker over the past few weeks, he wrote.
Gawker posted a picture of Muto with a photo of Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes (R-Jabba the Gut) on the desk behind him. Ailes, asked about the mole at an event sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, described Gawker as a "pornographic website."
Family members of the late actor Gregory Peck pose at a screening celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Academy Award winning film "To Kill A Mockingbird" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, April 11, 2012.
Photo by Fred Prouser
The law firm Epstein Becker & Green P.C. has sent a legal threat on behalf of Fox News to Gawker Media publisher Nick Denton over his site's ongoing "Fox Mole" story involving recently fired Fox News employee Joe Muto.
Gawker published the full letter, which states, "Be advised that Muto's admissions are admissions of likely criminal and civil wrongdoing on both his and Gawker's part, which will be the subject of further extensive investigation. Fox News will pursue its rights and remedies in the appropriate legal forums."
In response, Gawker not only published the letter but has posted a photo of "O'Reilly Factor" host Bill O'Reilly standing with a group of friends, including a topless woman.
Muto was fired less than 24 hours after publishing his first undercover dispatch on Gawker's site. "Joe Muto is fired effective April 12," a Fox News spokeswoman told Yahoo News on Wednesday. "Once the network determined that Mr. Muto was the main culprit in less than 24 hours, he was suspended late today while we pursued concurrent avenues. We are continuing to explore legal recourse against Mr. Muto and possibly others."
Director Joss Whedon autographs Red Baron's custom "Marvel's The Avengers" movie poster at the film's world premiere on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. The poster will be auctioned off on eBay Giving Works with all proceeds benefiting Wounded Warrior Project.
Photo by Casey Rodgers
As weather disasters strike with more frequency, homeowners first get hit with the destruction or total loss of property. Many are then hit with the unexpected loss of homeowners insurance policies as insurance companies re-evaluate their financial liabilities.
After a tornado ripped through Springfield, Massachusetts, last year, R. Paula Lazzari's home was badly damaged. The retired teacher found broken windows, missing siding and a damaged roof. Her insurer offered to fund repairs for one broken window and some of the siding. It took nine months -- and mediation services from an independent adjuster and the Massachusetts Division of Insurance -- to get her bills paid, according to the parties involved.
In this era of unpredictable weather patterns, Lazzari's case is not unique. Insurance companies are raising rates, cutting coverage, balking at some payouts and generally shifting more expense and liability to homeowners, according to reports from the industry and its critics.
"Insurance companies have significantly and methodically decreased their financial responsibility for weather catastrophes like hurricanes, tornados and floods in recent years," the Consumer Federation of America said in a statement after studying industry data.
Some insurance companies have pulled out of weather-challenged states -- meaning they will not write new homeowners policies and may not renew contracts with current policyholders.
Actor Harry Dean Stanton smokes a cigarette as he poses at the world premiere of the film "Marvel's The Avengers" in Hollywood, California April 11, 2012.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops called Thursday for a national campaign in defense of religious liberty, and urged resistance to laws that church officials consider unjust.
In a new 12-page document that quotes the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the bishops said priests, laypeople, public figures and others must be involved in the effort to change recent state and federal laws that church leaders believe violate religious freedom.
The highest-profile clash has been over the mandate in the Obama administration's health care overhaul that most employers cover birth control costs for workers. The White House has offered a compromise for church-affiliated groups such as hospitals and universities, but bishops said the changes haven't gone far enough.
Several bishops have shut down their adoption and foster care programs where the government would require them to place children with same-sex couples. Church leaders have also been fighting tough immigration laws in Alabama and elsewhere that many religious groups say make it impossible for them to aid illegal immigrants.
Catholic leaders have also protested a decision by federal officials not to renew a church contract for work with sex trafficking victims. Church officials would not provide the women birth control or abortion services.
Cast member Clark Gregg (L) and his wife actress Jennifer Grey pose at the world premiere of the film "Marvel's The Avengers" in Hollywood, California April 11, 2012.
Photo by Danny Moloshok
Exxon Mobil Corp's chief executive earned 20 percent more in 2011 than the year before, and the company said it saw no reason to change its pay practices, as had been urged by some investors.
Chief Executive Rex Tillerson received $34.9 million in total compensation, up from $29 million in 2010, Exxon said in a proxy statement filed with regulators on Thursday.
The CEO of U.S. rival Chevron Corp, John Watson, collected a total of $24.7 million in 2011, his second year in the job. That was a 52 percent increase from $16.3 million in 2010, according to Chevron's proxy, also out on Thursday.
Tillerson's pay package included stock awards valued at $17.9 million and bonus and salary totaling $6.8 million. Watson received $5.6 million in salary and non-equity incentives, and the rest in stock, options, pension and deferred compensation.
A young man dressed as a punk with pictures of Myanmar Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on his shirt, attends a punk show during the water festival at a music bar in Yangon April 11, 2012. Myanmar Burma celebrates the New Year Water Festival of Thingyan during the month of Tagu, which usually falls around mid-April.
Photo by Soe Zeya Tun
Swiss prosecutors say a painting seized in Serbia has been confirmed as a stolen masterpiece by French impressionist Paul Cezanne.
Zurich prosecutors said Thursday that the E.G. Buehrle Foundation certified that the painting is Cezanne's "The Boy in the Red Vest."
The painting was worth 100 million Swiss francs ($109.6 million) when it was stolen along with three other works from the private Buehrle collection in 2008.
Two paintings by Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh were recovered shortly after the heist. The whereabouts of the fourth, by Edgar Degas, is still unknown.
A Hindu devotee dressed as a monkey god smokes before taking part in a religious procession to mark the Gajan festival in Kolkata April 12, 2012. Devotees offer prayers during the month-long festival in hopes of winning the god's favour and ensuring fulfillment of their wishes, as the festival ends on the last day of the Bengali calendar year on April 13.
Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri
The remains of the Titanic, under water for almost a century, are to fall under United Nations protection.
UNESCO, the U.N. cultural and scientific agency, says the wreck of the famed ship will fall under a 2001 convention on protecting underwater cultural heritage on the 100th anniversary of its sinking.
The convention only applies to remains submerged for more than 100 years. The Titanic sank April 15, 1912 in international waters in the North Atlantic.
Paris-based UNESCO said in a statement that the convention means signatory governments can seize artifacts stolen from the Titanic or prevent exploration "deemed unscientific or unethical."
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wrote:
took the day off.
The law firm Epstein Becker & Green P.C. has sent a legal threat on behalf of Fox News to Gawker Media publisher Nick Denton over his site's ongoing "Fox Mole" story involving recently fired Fox News employee Joe Muto.
