June 24, 2019

China is Forcibly Harvesting Organs from Religious Detainees

More factual than the usual urban legend in the U.S.


This latest report details a sustained and widespread practice of human rights abuses targeting religious minorities and prisoners of conscience. The alleged victims include those practicing the spiritual meditative practice known as Falun Gong in addition to Uyghur Muslims, some Tibetan Buddhists and House Church Christians.

“The conclusion shows that very many people have died indescribably hideous deaths for no reason, that more may suffer in similar ways and that all of us live on a planet where extreme wickedness may be found in the power of those, for the time being, running a country with one of the oldest civilizations known to modern man,” Sir Geoffrey Nice QC said. “There is no evidence of the practice having been stopped and the tribunal is satisfied that it is continuing.”

The Tribunal arrived at these damning conclusions after examining organ donation accounts and noticing that the figures just don’t add up.

An analysis from a 10 day period in 2016 of one province’s data sets appears to show that, although only 30 donors were officially recorded in medical records, 640 organs were transplanted. The analysis notes that would mean each donor would have provided 21 body parts on average, a figure that just isn’t credible.


https://www.care2.com/causes/china-is-forcibly-harvesting-organs-from-religious-detainees.html

June 24, 2019

How does your garden grow?

Lilies all blooming now:




Dahlias


Columbine and Peonies are done now


Foxglove and Hollyhocks (having the usual rust problem, been spraying, suggestions?)


Rudbeckia




Purple Coneflowers


Butterfly weed

June 21, 2019

I don't condone violence, BUT....

I think this is what Congressional Dems should do with the White House's fancy footwork in refusing to let witnesses testify.

June 20, 2019

Using sea waves to generate electricity

http://www.coppetv.coppe.ufrj.br/media/usina-de-ondas-em-ingles/embed_player

This is incredibly cool and inovative. A renewable energy source. You will need to hit the English translation on the website.

June 20, 2019

Storm water drainage

http://www.tarmac.com/solutions/readymix/topmix-permeable/

Topmix Permeable is a fast draining concrete pavement solution that rapidly directs stormwater off streets, parking surfaces, driveways and walkways. This minimises the cost and long-term maintenance for local authorities and developers of stormwater management.




Don't know how this would work for major flooding, It soaks up the water, and drains it off into groundwater.

June 17, 2019

Sharia court orders jail for rape victim unless kids handed to rapist.

No, wait. That was in Alabama

A young woman from Birmingham, Alabama, was raped and impregnated four times by her uncle. She was just 12 years old when the assaults started: Her mother’s half-brother started climbing into her bed. She endured this hell for years.

Raped at 14, she miscarried.

Raped at 16, she gave birth to a baby boy.

Raped at 18, she gave birth, but her child died of a disease common to incest cases.

Raped at 19, she gave birth to her second son.

Despite the DNA evidence, her uncle was never convicted of rape. It wouldn’t matter if he had been anyway: In Alabama, a rapist is entitled to visitation rights to children resulting from his crimes, and can even sue for custody. Alabama is one of only two states that allow this.

However, this horror takes on new meaning in Alabama, because last month the state passed a law outlawing the destruction of embryos for all victims of sexual assault. The law even prescribes jail for doctors who perform abortions. In fact, the only exception to the law is given to in vitro fertilization labs, which routinely destroy tons of fertilized eggs.

Now that abortion is outlawed for all rape survivors in Alabama, the survivor is forced to bear a child if one is conceived. At the very least, you’d think the lawmakers would fix the loophole (assuming it even is a loophole) that would give the rapist custody and visitation rights. Well, actually, one Alabama lawmaker did try to do just that by introducing a bill to terminate the parental rights of rapists. Unfortunately, “pro-life” lawmakers amended the bill so that it pertained only to people who rape their own children, and required that the perpetrator be convicted of first-degree rape.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/6/16/1864985/-Sharia-court-orders-jail-for-rape-victim-unless-kids-handed-to-rapist-Wait-I-meant-Alabama?detail=emaildkre

A bit more info than the article posted last week. This has my stomach roiling. And while the legislation is giving the rapists these rights, I don't see anything about forcing them to pay child support.

June 17, 2019

German Circus Replaces Live Animals With Cruelty-Free Holograms

Circus Roncalli in Germany recently unveiled a stunning and innovative act featuring computer-generated holograms of wild animals. The act — brought to life by projectors, lasers and lenses — is not only enchanting to watch, but also completely cruelty-free.

Circuses have been entertaining people throughout the world for centuries, but they’ve recently come under scrutiny for their treatment of the animals used in their shows. The failure of the circus industry to effectively address these concerns has resulted in dwindling ticket sales.

Circus acts commonly feature wild animals, including elephants, tigers and camels. While in the wild, these species traverse vast ecosystems where they can express their natural behaviors. But in the circus, they are forced to live in captivity and be carted from show to show.

According to PAWS, circus animals spend almost 96 percent of their lives in chains or cages. Many animals have minimal stimulation. And highly social species, such as elephants, may be isolated from conspecifics. This deprivation can have serious deleterious effects on the mental well-being of animals, who often display signs of distress while in the circus.

When the animals are performing, they may be forced to do demeaning tricks that treat these majestic species as props for human entertainment. The tricks, such as having elephants perform handstands, are far outside the animals’ normal behavior.

https://www.care2.com/causes/german-circus-replaces-live-animals-with-cruelty-free-holograms.html

Love it! I'd go see this in a heartbeat.

June 15, 2019

Butterflies feasting on butterfly weed

June 14, 2019

The Best of Buster Keaton

Sit back, and marvel that he did all of these stunts himself.

June 12, 2019

Man rescues hawk from car grill

One of the good guys.