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demmiblue's JournalWomen 'terrified' as students allowed to return after rape messages
Women discussed as rape targets by a group of male students at the University of Warwick say they are terrified of seeing the men return to campus after the university reduced the length of their suspension.
Last year five men were barred or suspended by the university over their membership of a long-running group chat that discussed rape and sexual assault of women, including individual students, as well as racism, antisemitism and homophobia.
After a decision from the university’s disciplinary proceedings in June, two of the men were banned from the Warwick campus for 10 years. But it has emerged that, after an appeal, the two will be able to return to the campus from September.
Nottingham University investigates 'uni girls love rape' message
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Two of the other men were suspended for just one year, meaning that four of the five who were disciplined could return as students at the start of the next academic year. The fifth student was banned from the campus for life.
In an open letter to Warwick, one of the women involved said: “I feel terrified at the prospect of having these boys in my seminars and lectures, as they sit there feeling guilt-free. Knowing that I may have to come face to face with them again just to continue my education is unacceptable.”
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/31/women-terrified-as-students-can-return-after-messages
Trump Considering Herman Cain for Federal Reserve Board, Sources Say
Source: Bloomberg
Herman Cain, the former pizza company executive who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, is being considered by President Donald Trump for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board.
Cain, 73, was in the White House on Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter. Two seats on the Fed board are vacant, but nominating Cain raises the prospect of a Senate confirmation hearing focused on the sexual harassment and infidelity accusations that ended his presidential campaign.
The people declined to be identified discussing the matter because Trump hasn’t made a decision. Cain was also under consideration for other possible top government posts.
The president’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said last week that the White House wants Fed governors “who understand that you can have strong economic growth without higher inflation.”
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-31/trump-is-said-to-consider-herman-cain-for-federal-reserve-board
https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1091010919352713216
'Whistleblower' in White House security clearance office gets suspended
Source: NBC
WASHINGTON — A White House security specialist has been suspended without pay for defying her supervisor Carl Kline, less than a week after NBC News reported Kline approved Jared Kushner for top secret clearance over the objections of career staff.
The specialist, Tricia Newbold, had filed a discrimination complaint against Kline three months ago.
Newbold's two-week suspension from the White House security office was for failure to supervise, failure to follow instructions and defiance of authority, according to the suspension decision notice obtained by NBC News. Security office chief Crede Bailey first proposed the suspension on Dec. 3, 2018.
Tricia Newbold has filed an EEOC complaint against Carl Kline, alleging he discriminated against her because of her height.
Wednesday's notice is signed by Bailey and mentions that in Newbold's 18-year career she has not faced any "prior formal disciplinary action." The document also harshly criticizes Newbold for her "defiance" and notes that Newbold said she would "continue to do what is best for the Executive Office of the President."
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/whistleblower-white-house-security-clearance-office-gets-suspended-n964826
Endangered Animals Sing Emotional "I Dreamed a Dream" in Powerful Animation
On a mission to “inform, engage and inspire audiences about the importance of protecting global biodiversity,” the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (WCFF) produces interactive events with an environmental focus. With its annual festival, the organization showcases powerful work by the best independent filmmakers, with “Dream” by Zombie Studio serving as a perfect and poignant example.
In this animation, animals sing an emotional rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Misérables. The video opens with the creatures existing happily in their habitats: a blue whale breaches, a brown pelican skims the water, a rhinoceros runs with her calf, and a pair of baby harp seals play in the snow.
Suddenly, however, the video takes a sinister turn as frightening men invade each environment. Tragically, the animals are no match for their guns, clubs, harpoons, and pollution, and the video comes to a heartbreaking conclusion as the seal pup sings: “Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.”
Zombie House created the video as a promotional film for the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival in 2016. Though it’s now a few years old, the award-winning piece has strongly resonated, serving as a much-needed reminder that we still can’t “let the dream go extinct.”
https://mymodernmet.com/dream-zombie-studio/
Republican state official faces pushback for comments on Sinema's attire
Ziegler shared photos of the Arizona Democrat donning a dress and tall boots while on the Senate floor last week with the headline: “What newly elected AZ democrat senator Kyrsten Sinema wore to work.”
The post prompted heated discussion from commenters, many of whom slammed the Republican and accused him of shaming Sinema for her attire.
According to AL.com, Ziegler also wrote that Sinema “took the floor improperly attired” in an earlier version of the post. However, that phrasing was later removed from the post.
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AL.com reports that Ziegler has a reputation for making controversial comments and previously captured headlines in 2016 when he compared alleged relationships Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore had with teen girls to the biblical story of Mary and Joseph’s marriage.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/427399-republican-state-official-under-fire-for-comments-about-sinemas-outfit?__twitter_impression=true
"Acting" AG, Matthew Whitaker clearly didn't study for his first big test ;)
https://twitter.com/PaulLeeTicks/status/1090128381725749249
After losing his wife to cancer, Caps fan completes their 36-venue tour
Capitals fan Greg Christian held a handmade poster outside of Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena last Wednesday depicting the 36 venues in which he had seen his favorite team play. In his other hand, the Baltimore native and D.C. resident gripped a 20-by-30-inch photograph of his late wife, Dona Coultice-Christian, wearing her matching lavender Hockey Fights Cancer sweater. The couple had visited 34 hockey venues together before Dona died of pancreatic cancer last Thanksgiving. Greg made sure she was by his side for the final two stops of their tour.
“I came to the realization that she would’ve wanted me to go, and so I went,” said Christian, who considered postponing trips earlier this month to St. Louis and Toronto, home to the only two active arenas in which he and his wife hadn’t seen the Capitals play. “I thought taking the picture of her was a way to have her along with me. We already had the tickets, so I actually put the poster of her in her seat."
https://twitter.com/charmcitygreg/status/1088227040078254080
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/01/29/after-losing-his-wife-cancer-caps-fan-completes-their-venue-tour/?utm_term=.6dbfcbaec06f
Stacey Abrams to give Democratic response of the State of the Union, Schumer says
Source: CNN
(CNN)Former Georgia governor candidate Stacey Abrams has accepted an invitation to give the Democratic response to the State of the Union address, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.
Abrams has been talked about as a rising star in the Democratic Party. She gained a national following during her unsuccessful bid to become governor of Georgia last fall. Schumer said he called Abrams three weeks ago to discuss the idea and that she has since accepted.
The State of the Union is set to take place next week on Tuesday at the Capitol.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/29/politics/stacey-abrams-democratic-response-state-of-the-union/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_term=image&utm_content=2019-01-29T19%3A54%3A21&utm_source=twCNNp
Federal agency after Trump tweet: Winter storms don't disprove climate change
Source: The Hill
A federal agency tweeted Tuesday that winter storms don’t disprove climate change, hours after President Trump seemed to imply the opposite in a tweet.
“Winter storms don't prove that global warming isn't happening,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tweeted from its main climate change-related account, which is associated with its Climate.gov website.
The tweet had a cartoon-like drawing and linked to a 2015 post on NOAA’s website explaining that even with climate change, certain locations will continue to experience “winters that are unusually cold and snowy.”
Monday night, Trump tweeted about the extreme, historic cold blast coming into the Midwest and other parts of the nation.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/427467-federal-agency-says-winter-storms-dont-disprove-climate-change
https://twitter.com/NOAAClimate/status/1090263390503596032
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