Freeze funding for Sask. Christian school facing 'sickening' abuse allegations: Opposition, students

Jason Warick - Yesterday

Provincial government funding to a Saskatoon Christian school must be frozen in light of a series of abuse allegations, says the leader of the NDP Opposition.

"I'm heartbroken to think this was the experience that shaped these young lives," Carla Beck said Wednesday.

Some former students of Saskatoon's Christian Centre Academy, now called Legacy Christian Academy, are going even further. They are demanding the school be permanently closed.

"I think it should be shut down — 100 per cent," said former student Jillian Kudryk.

In a CBC News story published Tuesday, nearly a dozen former students spoke publicly for the first time, sharing stories of abuse that included spankings with large, wooden paddles that left them bruised and limping. Others spoke of solitary confinement, coercion and traumatizing rituals such as exorcisms to "cure" students thought to be possessed by demons.


© Travis Reddaway/CBCSean Kotelmach, Coy Nolin, Caitlin Erickson, Cody Nolin and 14 other former students of Saskatoon's Christian Centre Academy, now called Legacy Christian Academy, allege they were subjected to exorcism, violent discipline and other abuse there.

According to Saskatoon Police Service emails obtained by CBC News, a total of 18 students have launched criminal complaints. Following a year-long investigation, police handed the file to Crown prosecutors in April. It's unclear when a decision will be made about possible charges.

School officials have declined multiple interview requests, but sent an email saying things at the school are much different now. They say everyone is welcome, and anyone who "feels" they were abused should contact police.

According to the 2020-21 Saskatchewan government public accounts, Legacy Christian Centre received public funding of $736,274. The previous year it received $699,587. It relies on tuition and fundraising for a portion of its operating budget, but like other private schools, has also been supported by taxpayers for the past decade.


Wednesday afternoon, Beck and education critic Matt Love hosted a news conference outside the school and adjoining Mile Two Church.


© Jason Warick/CBC

Former students of the Christian Centre Academy, now called Legacy Christian Academy, say all government subsidies and tax breaks for the school and adjacent Mile Two Church must be halted. The school received more than $700,000 in public funds in the 2020-21 school year.

They called the allegations "horrifying" and "sickening," and commended the students for their bravery. They called on the governing Saskatchewan Party and Education Minister Dustin Duncan to freeze provincial funding to the school and bolster the oversight of private schools.

"It fills me with resolve to get the the bottom of these allegations," Beck said.

Beck said she's angry Duncan has known about the allegations and criminal investigation since at least June but has not acted. "How can you hear these allegations and not have any curiosity to get to the bottom of it?" she asked.


© Matt Duguid/CBCStudents and opposition members are calling on Education Minister Dustin Duncan to freeze government funding to Legacy Christian Academy in liht of abuse allegations. An official said he was not available, but no action will be taken until police conclude their investigation.

She said a government that doesn't have interest in protecting students "is quite clearly a government that has lost its way."

Love said Duncan "not only didn't act, but he actually increased funding to these schools … He needs to step up and do his job or step aside."

An official said Duncan would not be available for comment. The official emailed a written statement saying the safety of all students is a top priority. It said no action will be taken at this time.

"No decisions about further investigations or funding will be made until after the police investigation has concluded," the statement reads.

— with files from Jessie Anton

Hundreds of e-bikes abandoned in Richmond after company quietly shutters operations

Katie Lauer, Silicon Valley, San Jose, Calif. -

Aug. 2—Richmond's first ever bike-sharing program has apparently bolted, leaving hundreds of neon cyan bicycles abandoned and effectively useless around town.

Bolt Mobility rolled out 250 app-powered e-bikes across the city in June 2021, funded by a $1 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).

But starting this July, Richmond joined several other cities and counties across the country in reporting that they were getting radio silence from the company — a Florida-based "micromobility" startup cofounded in 2018 by Olympic gold medalist sprinter Usain Bolt and Shervin Pishevar, a San Francisco-based venture capitalist who has also invested in companies such as Airbnb and Uber.

Bolt's "dockless" technology requires would-be riders to download the company's smartphone app to locate, unlock, activate and pay for the e-bikes. However, no bikes appear on Bolt's map of Richmond, which means they may have been removed from the system or have dead batteries. Whatever the reason, the bikes are not currently operational.

According to Mayor Tom Butt, Richmond officials are trying to figure out a plan to remove the equipment that's still scattered around town, from the Richmond Marina, Keller Beach and the Point Richmond Community Center, to the city's Civic Center, Ferry Terminal and BART station.

"Unfortunately, Bolt apparently went out of business without prior notification or removal of their capital equipment from city property," Butt wrote in an e-Forum post July 23. "They recently missed the city's monthly meeting check-in and have been unresponsive to all their clients throughout all their markets."

Calls to Richmond City Hall were not returned, but public documents show the bike-sharing program was proposed to help spread the health benefits of physical activity and reduce low-income household spending on transportation, especially since Richmond has completed more than 36 miles of its San Francisco Bay Trail — more than any other city around the bay.

Locally, Bolt also launched 300 e-bikes at stations along the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit line — also funded by a $826,000 grant from the MTC — as well as a fleet in Southern California's San Gabriel Valley.

Bolt has purportedly operated in more than a dozen other states, including New York, Oregon, Vermont and Virginia, and some locations have reported that their e-bike programs are operating without any issues.

The e-bikes — capable of reaching up to 15mph with pedal-assistance technology — cost $2 to unlock and $0.10 for each minute of a pay-as-you-go ride. Bolt also promoted payment plans that offered 30 minutes of free riding every day without unlock fees — charging frequent riders $9.99 a month or even $79.99 for a year.

It's unclear why Bolt Mobility has essentially shuttered in the East Bay, especially since the company was advertising only four months ago that they were looking to hire full- and part-time fleet technicians for Richmond's e-bike operations. The company has a C+ rating by the Better Business Bureau and is not accredited, but has publicly raised at least $40.2 million, according to TechCrunch.

Several calls to Bolt were not answered and met only with perpetual hold music.

That seems to be a trend; Bryan Davis, a senior transportation planner for Chittenden County in Vermont told Techcrunch his team has gotten the same cold shoulder.

"They've vanished, leaving equipment behind and emails and calls unanswered," Davis said. "We're unable to reach anyone, but it seems they've closed shop in other markets as well."

And according to the most recent review on Apple's App Store, users are also up a creek with unanswered questions: "What about the money I spent and my balance?" one frustrated customer asked. "Did they also take this with them?"

(c)2022 Silicon Valley, San Jose, Calif. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

CNN’s plummeting revenue and ratings could force spending cuts

Heather Hamilton - Yesterday

Washington Examiner


CNN is facing its lowest viewership and profits in a long time, forcing decisions about how to cut spending.

The cable news network finished July with 731,000 total prime-time viewers, a 15% drop from the same time last year. It finds itself trailing MSNBC’s 1.3 million viewers and Fox News’s 2.1 million viewers during prime time.

The network is also down 15% overall in the key demographic of 25-54-year-olds.

S&P Global Market Intelligence projected that CNN’s profitability is on pace to decline to $956.8 million this year, marking the first time since 2016 that the network dropped below $1 billion in profits, according to the New York Times.

CNN is reportedly looking to increase its revenue with new advertising deals, expanding the brand into China, and increasing the reach of CNN Underscored, its e-commerce initiative.

The network has also reportedly clamped down on spending amid the slumping ratings and revenues with limitations on employee travel and work celebrations.

In July, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said CNN would return to a focus on "journalism" with less of a focus on opinion-based programming.

"Journalism first. America needs a news network where everybody can come and be heard; Republicans, Democrats," Zaslav said. "We're not going to look at the ratings, and, in the long run, it's going to be worth more."

Premieres, prizes and pickles at Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival that 'showcases the weird'

Thu, August 4, 2022 

From the fantastic to the gritty ... to the pickled, there were films from a variety of genres and countries on display at Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival, which concluded its 26th edition Wednesday. Some of the notable films included Next Sohee, left, Timescape, top right, and Anette, bottom right, featuring a pickle man. (Finecut/TVA Films/Joe Lebreux - image credit)

Watching a film at Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival might be a little different from the typical theatre experience.

"People meow before the screenings," said Ariel Esteban Cayer, one of the Fantasia programmers this year. He says the communal experience is what makes the festival special.

"It's very vocal," he said. "I think you feel part of the community quite, quite fast."

The 26th edition of Fantasia, which bills itself as North America's largest genre film festival, wrapped up on Wednesday. It featured films from a wide array of genres and countries, including 15 Canadian feature films and 78 Canadian shorts.

Belgian horror film Megalomaniac won the Cheval Noir as the festival's top feature, and South Korean director July Jung won the best director prize for her closing film Next Sohee, a drama about a high school student and a mysterious death. Jung's film also played at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation.

Finecut

Next Sohee is based on a true story that came to Jung's attention through an investigative television program, she told CBC News. She said she was motivated to create the story in order to keep the victim's memory alive.

"I thought that it would not be enough to just present this incident as an investigative program or documentary," she said. "I felt that the victim … can be alive through the story, through the film.

"Even though I didn't make my film thinking that I should make this film with this kind of genre or not, I think that audiences can consider my film as a kind of horror film because it deals with very desperate and miserable and difficult situations," Jung said.

Watch | The trailer for Next Sohee:

Canadians making their mark

There was also Canadian talent on display. Aristomenis Tsirbas grew up in Montreal attending Fantasia, and this week he got to see his own film make its world premiere at the festival: the youthful science-fiction adventure Timescape.

The director called the experience a dream come true, noting he's still processing it a few days later. Timescape follows the story of two strangers who discover a spacecraft and are transported back to the Cretaceous period.

TVA Films

"It was just an absolutely incredible, overwhelming, joyous experience," Tsirbas said.

Timescape is set to open in Canadian theatres Aug. 19.

Another Canadian recognized this year was filmmaker Kier-La Janisse, who won the festival's Canadian Trailblazer Award. Janisse has been writing about horror for decades, with works like House of Psychotic Women, and a recent documentary on folk horror, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched.

Acceptance of genre films

Janisse said she feels like there's been a wider shift in the acceptance and recognition of genre film in North America.

"Ten years ago, you wouldn't have been able to get a sales agent to come to a genre film," she said.

There have always been fans of horror and other genres across North America, she said, but it took a long time for press, sales agents, studios, industry buyers and others to "catch on to how broad it really could be."

Watch | The trailer for Timescape:

However, festival programmer Cayer said he feels the distinction between genre and other festivals is more difficult to understand today than it would have been 25 years ago.

"Of course, festivals show all genres, but then genre festivals' missions became kind of to showcase the weird and the eccentric … [those] that are maybe a little bit underappreciated or looked down upon," he said.

As genre has become more accepted, Cayer notes Fantasia has grown to include social dramas and goofy comedies.

"We have kept over the years this … propensity toward things [that] are a little bit off the beaten path and a little weird but have a good energy," he said.

Originally the focus at Fantasia was specifically on Asian cinema, and today it remains an important part of the festival. This year, Hong Kong director John Woo received a career achievement award.

Keeping things weird

Among all of the premieres, prizes and plaudits, there were also pickles. One of the festival's short programmes, curated by DJ XL5, featured four entries on the subject, including Anette, from Montreal's Joe Lebreux.

The short chronicles an animated adventure aboard a convertible in California with a pickle man. It was Lebreux's thesis project at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal. As part of the experience, she attended a rooftop party at one of Concordia University's buildings this past weekend.

Joe Lebreux

"It was like, if I was in Hollywood with big celebrities," she said. " I saw some actors that I knew from my childhood, and that was like, 'Whoa, OK, I'm at the same party.'"

She was also struck by how she was received.

"Everybody was really kind and really proud of me," she said. "I told one person that I had been chosen for two categories, and she started to tell that to everybody."

"I think it's a special crowd."

Players could boycott events if LIV rebels allowed back on PGA Tour – Davis Love

Phil Casey, PA Golf Correspondent
Wed, August 3, 2022 


PGA Tour players could take the “nuclear option” of boycotting events if LIV rebels successfully challenge their suspensions, according to former Ryder Cup captain Davis Love.

Love believes those who have remained loyal to the PGA Tour are “fed up” with the Saudi-backed breakaway, which will expand to a 14-event league next year.

DP World Tour members who played in the inaugural LIV Golf event were fined £100,000 and banned from the Scottish Open, but won a court battle to get the punishments temporarily stayed, pending determination of a full appeal.

And Love thinks a similar legal challenge from players indefinitely suspended from the PGA Tour could spark a dramatic reaction.

“If the LIV guys sue and are allowed to play on the PGA Tour, the players are enough fed up with it,” Love said in a press conference ahead of the Wyndham Championship.

“We understand that we make the rules on the PGA Tour and the commissioner is enforcing our rules and we don’t want those guys playing, coming and cherry-picking our tournaments.

“We hold all the cards. We say to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and to Washington, ‘No, we support the rules. We don’t want those guys playing. We don’t care what the courts say’.

“The nuclear option is to say ‘Fine, if they have to play in our events we just won’t play’.”

Being suspended by the PGA Tour means players such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed cannot represent the United States in September’s Presidents Cup, when Love will captain the side.

“I told the players that I’ve talked to that have gone or thinking about going, it’s your decision and you do what’s right for you, but understand (the) consequences,” Love added.

“I tried to sound like my dad and I probably wasn’t very good at it. I didn’t argue. I said you can be Tiger Woods or you can be banned from the game, take your pick.

“But understanding the consequences, you signed up for these rules. I had to commit by last Friday or I don’t get to play this week. I have to play 15 tournaments or I don’t get to vote and I don’t get my retirement money. You have rules that you have to adhere to.

“I said you’re fixing to break a rule that’s a big rule and you’re going to get penalised for it.

“And Jay’s (Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner) been saying it for a year and some of them understood that, some of them said it’s not going to happen, and some of them just flat out lied, (saying) ‘I’m not doing this, I’m not doing that’.”

Love admits that he was “dead wrong” to say six months ago that LIV was not going to happen and that Phil Mickelson would be the only player to jump ship, but added: “I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out, but I know it’s going to be a fight and the players are getting more and more unified against it.”

U.S. FAA issues new safety directive on Boeing 777 airplanes

David Shepardson
Tue, August 2, 2022 

Airshow China in Zhuhai


WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday issued an airworthiness directive for all Boeing 777 airplanes over safety concerns.

The directive was prompted by high electrical resistance within the gust suppression sensor because of corrosion. The FAA said the gust suppression function is a non-essential feature that provides a minor improvement to ride quality during lateral wind gusts at low airspeeds.

Airlines must disable the gust suppression function within three months or before 75,000 total flight hours. The directive requires disconnecting connectors and capping and stowing wires attached to affected modules.

The directive, which is effective immediately, covers 279 U.S. registered 777 airplanes of U.S. registry. The FAA said Boeing is "currently developing a modification that will address the unsafe condition", and once the change is approved the FAA could issue another rule.

Boeing did not immediately comment.

Last week, the FAA proposed another airworthiness directive to address potential electric discharge in the fuel tanks of Boeing 777 series planes if a lightning strike or an electrical short-circuit occurs.

That directive would requires operators to install mitigation materials, and perform detailed inspections and corrective actions. Airlines would have five years to be in compliance, the FAA said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Holmes)

FAA acting chief to meet inspectors before final Boeing 787 signoff

David Shepardson
Wed, August 3, 2022 

Photo of Boeing logo at their headquarters in Chicago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration's acting chief will meet with FAA safety inspectors in South Carolina on Thursday before determining whether Boeing can resume deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner after production issues prompted the planemaker to stop deliveries in May 2021, an FAA spokesman said.

The purpose of acting Administrator Billy Nolen's visit "is to ensure that the FAA is satisfied that Boeing has taken the appropriate steps to improve manufacturing quality and to guarantee the autonomy of workers who ensure regulatory compliance on the company’s assembly lines," the FAA said.

On Friday, Reuters reported that the FAA had approved Boeing's inspection and modification plan to resume deliveries of 787 Dreamliners, citing two people briefed on the matter. Deliveries could resume as soon as this month, sources told Reuters. The sources, who asked to remain anonymous because it was not yet public, said the FAA had approved Boeing's proposal that requires specific inspections to verify the airplane meets requirements and that all work has been completed.

Boeing suspended deliveries of the 787 after the FAA raised concerns about its proposed inspection method. On July 17, Boeing told reporters it was "very close" to restarting 787 deliveries. But before it can resume deliveries, the FAA must still sign off on an airworthiness certification eligibility document.

The FAA noted that even when deliveries resume, it "will inspect each aircraft before issuing an airworthiness certificate. This additional measure of oversight will remain in place until the agency has sufficient data that demonstrates this function can be delegated back to Boeing."

The FAA said Nolen has asked that Boeing officials on Thursday "provide an update on these programs, as well as the performance of the company's Safety Management System to identify and mitigate risks throughout the manufacturing process."

Boeing said Wednesday it "will continue to work transparently with the FAA and our customers towards resuming 787 deliveries.” The planemaker has faced production issues with the 787 for more than two years. In September 2020, the FAA said it was "investigating manufacturing flaws" in some 787 jetliners.

In the aftermath of two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, the FAA pledged to more closely scrutinize Boeing and delegate fewer responsibilities to Boeing for aircraft certification.

For the 787 Dreamliner, the FAA had issued two airworthiness directives to address production issues for in-service airplanes and identified a new issue in July 2021.

The planemaker had only resumed deliveries in March 2021 after a five-month hiatus before halting them again. Friday's approval came after lengthy discussions with the FAA.

A plane built for American Airlines is likely to be the first 787 airplane delivered by Boeing since May 2021, sources said. That could come as soon as next week. American Airlines said last month on an earnings call it expects to receive nine 787s this year, including two in early August.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)

Pope Francis's visit to Canada was full of tensions — both from what was said and what wasn’t


Christine Jamieson, Associate Professor, Theological Studies, Concordia University

Tue, August 2, 2022

THE CONVERSATION

Pope Francis waves to the crowd, making his way to the Plains of Abraham during his Papal visit in Québec City on July 27, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Reactions to Pope Francis’s apology in Canada for harm perpetrated by members of the Catholic Church on children at Indian Residential Schools were far from unanimous.

While some have acknowledged the apology was genuine and deeply felt, there was tension and a mix of welcome reception and protest.

Evelyn Korkmaz, a survivor of St. Anne’s Indian Residential School in Ontario, expressed the tension well:

“I had my ups and downs, my hurrays, my disappointments… my wanting more and not getting it. I’ve waited 50 years for this apology and finally today I heard it… Part of me is rejoiced, part of me is sad, part of me is numb, but I am glad I lived long enough to have witnessed his apology. But like I said I want more, because 50 years is too long to wait for an apology.”

The Pope’s visit to Canada, despite being met with reception and protest, was significant. Visiting Indigenous people on their land was a step in the right direction, but the visit was full of tensions — both from what was said and what wasn’t.
Meeting on Indigenous land

In late March an Indigenous delegation from Canada visited the Pope. And last week, the Pope met with Indigenous people on their land, in their homes.

The Pope, representing the Catholic Church, coming to what we now call Canada was significant. He came, as he said, on a “penitential pilgrimage” to encounter, to listen, to apologize.

The Anishinaabe speak of this as entering one another’s lodge — done in an effort to understand each other’s way of being and acting in the world.

Pope Francis wears a headdress he was given after his apology to Indigenous people during a ceremony in Maskwacis, Alta. on July 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The encounter with Pope Francis was full of tensions, in part healing for survivors and their families and in part triggering deep wounds from a traumatic past.

These tensions were illustrated during Cree woman Si Phi Ko’s protest. After former Truth and Reconciliation commissioner Chief Wilton Littlechild placed a headdress on the Pope’s head, Phi Ko could not be silent as she saw it as a sign of disrespect. But for Chief Littlechild, Pope Francis choosing to visit his territory was an honour.

This tension, poles of reception and protest was evoked not only from what was said by Pope Francis in his apology, but by what was omitted.
What was omitted

While recognizing the importance of the apology, former TRC commissioner Murray Sinclair saw a “deep hole” in it.

Sinclair said the Catholic Church’s role in the cultural genocide of Indigenous Peoples was more than just the work of a few bad people, adding it was:

“A concerted institutional effort to remove children from their families and cultures, all in the name of Christian supremacy. While an apology has been made, that same doctrine is in place.”

This doctrine Sinclair is referring to is the Doctrine of Discovery. The Doctrine of Discovery is a legal framework that justified acts like the colonization of North America and its roots are in a series of papal statements. Over the course of the Pope’s visit, many called for it to be rescinded.

As Sinclair mentioned, the church played a role in the cultural genocide of Indigenous people, which is something the Pope failed to acknowledge until he was on the plane home. “I didn’t use the word genocide because it didn’t come to mind but I described genocide,” Francis said

.

A protester holds a sign as Pope Francis takes part in a public event in Iqaluit, Nunavut on July 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dustin Patar

What was also omitted, in some instances, was the presence of survivors — from the procession to sitting in the front seats during the eucharist, both in Edmonton and at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Indigenous symbols and ceremonies were also omitted from the altar and during the service.

While Pope Francis sincerely sought reconciliation, reconciliation did not seem to touch these forms of celebration and the clash of cultures was palatable.
Tensions stretched wide

There are also tensions within the Catholic Church itself that were reflected during the papal visit. The tension is between what philosopher Bernard Lonergan calls “classism” and “historical mindedness.”

The Catholic Church as an institution has not adopted a framework that can come to terms with its role in the spiritual, sexual, cultural, emotional and physical abuse suffered by Indigenous children at Indian Residential Schools.

This was clear through the lack of sensitivity to Indigenous cultures during the eucharist and the presence of cardinals, bishops and clergy in the first rows that, at times, obscured the fact that the visit was meant to be an encounter with Survivors and Indigenous communities.

As many said during the Pope’s visit, healing must take place within both parties.

Healing for Indigenous Survivors will constitute both an interior and exterior journey. Healing within the Catholic Church must constitute a reappropriation of truth and value in face of all evil it has been part of.

- - -

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Christine Jamieson, Concordia University.

Read more:

Pope Francis’ visit to Canada: The complicated relationship between Indigenous communities and the church

I survived the ’60s Scoop. Here’s why the Pope’s apology isn’t an apology at all

FIRST INTERRACIAL KISS ON TV

Resurfaced ‘Drunk History’ Clip Tells How Nichelle Nichols ‘Literally Integrated Space’

Elyse Wanshel
Mon, August 1, 2022 

Nichelle Nichols and Raven-Symoné as Nichols on “Drunk History.” (Photo: CBS Photo Archive / Contributor via Getty/Screenshot “Drunk History”/Comedy Central via YouTube)

Nichelle Nichols played a key role in helping others live long and prosper.

After news broke that the “Star Trek” icon died Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico, at the age of 89, tributes to the pioneering actor flooded social media.

One of these salutes was by comedian Ashley Nicole Black, who tweeted that Nichols’ “beautiful legacy” was an example of “what it really means to use the platform you have to make the world a better place.”



“I think of her example often and I hope others will too,” Black wrote before offering an actual example of how Nichols’ decisions helped others aim for the stars.

Black tweeted a clip from a “Drunk History” episode she narrated about Nichols’ life.

In the 2018 clip, Raven-Symoné plays Nichols in a reenactment of the famous moment in which Martin Luther King Jr. helped Nichols realize how much her role as Lt. Nyota Uhura — who was the communications officer on the Starship Enterprise in the original “Star Trek” TV series — meant to Black Americans.

In the clip, Black tipsily paraphrased that Nichols was thinking about quitting “Star Trek” right before attending an NAACP fundraiser that Nichols and King both attended. At the event, King gushed about “Star Trek” to Nichols and told the actor she couldn’t quit the show because, as Black paraphrased:

“’You are the only Black woman on television who doesn’t play a servant. You’re the only person out there providing hope to Black people that there’s a future where maybe they won’t be seen as less than, and they’ll be seen as equals”

Nichols shared the story of her interaction with King as well during a 2011 episode of PBS’ “Pioneers in Television.”

“He was telling me why I could not [resign],” she recalled on the show in 2011. “He said I had the first nonstereotypical role, I had a role with honor, dignity and intelligence. He said, ‘You simply cannot abdicate. This is an important role. This is why we are marching. We never thought we’d see this on TV.’”

Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Nyota Uhura and William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk in the 1968 “Star Trek” episode  "Plato's Stepchildren."

Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Nyota Uhura and William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk in the 1968 “Star Trek” episode "Plato's Stepchildren." (Photo: CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images)

The “Drunk History” clip also covers how Nichols made history in November 1968, when her “Star Trek” character kissed Capt. James T. Kirk, played by white actor William Shatner — which is often credited as the first interracial kiss on American television.

Black touches on how Nichols dedicated decades of her life to advocating for space exploration as well, particularly among women and minorities.

Nichols launched a consultant firm, Women in Motion, which partnered with NASA to recruit minority and female personnel for the space agency. Her recruits included Guion Bluford, the first African American astronaut in space; Sally Ride, the first female American astronaut; and Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel into space.

“So, Nichelle Nichols was the first Black lady to go to space for fake, and she recruited the first Black lady to go to space for real,” Black explained on “Drunk History,” adding: “She literally integrated space.”

It also seems that Nichols was a fan of the “Drunk History” tribute to her life.

“She reached out to the show after it aired to say she was pleased with it,” Black tweeted.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Watch ‘Drunk History’ Telling The Story Of Nichelle Nichols And ‘Star Trek’ [UPDATED]

| FEBRUARY 5, 2018 | BY: ANTHONY PASCALE 

On Tuesday Comedy Central’s Drunk History will turn it inebriated gaze on a bit of Star Trek history, telling the tale of Nichelle Nichols. The segment features comedian Ashley Nichole Black narrating a story about how Nichols was convinced to stay in her role as Uhura by Martin Luther King, TV’s first inter-racial kiss and Nichols work with NASA. You can watch the full segment and read our exclusive interview with creator and star Derek Waters.

Singer and actress Raven Symoné plays Nichelle Nichols, Jaleel White plays MLK, Craig Cackowski plays Gene Roddenberry and Waters plays William Shatner. Check out the clip below.

UPDATE: Full Drink History Segment

 

Interview: Derek Waters on bringing Star Trek to Drunk History

What gave you the idea to turn your attention to the history of Star Trek and Nichelle Nichols?

The genesis of any story is hearing something that sounds familiar, but told in a brand new way. So, hearing what Nichelle Nichols had done and how Martin Luther King inspired her to stay and the importance of her is just a great moment in history, not just Star Trek, that more people need to know about. And on top of that there is the first inter-racial kiss and recruiting astronauts like Mae Jemison. It’s one of those stories like “yeah, but did you know this? and did you know that?” How did I not know all of that?

Did you have a chance to talk to Nichelle about the episode?

I never met her, but I did send it to her and she said that she loved it and couldn’t stop laughing, so that is the seal of approval.

How was the narrator and cast picked for this episode?

With narrators I talk to them about something that is going on that they would really want to talk about and what kinds of stories are important to them. I talked to Ashley Nichole Black about what she knew about Nichelle Nichols and she said she loved Nichelle Nichols. She knew all of this stuff and she had the strongest reaction to I assigned it to her. And I love Raven and thought this would be the perfect part for her and luckily she said yes. And I thought it would be really cool to have Jaleel White as Martin Luther King and somehow it all happened.

Raven Symoné as Nichelle Nichols and Derek Waters as William Shatner in Drunk History

What did you do to find your inner Shatner?

I don’t know. I normally wear that outfit so I was kind of being myself. I watched that episode over and over again. With these shows I never want to do an impression, it’s more about how I would have been in a scene.

You guys had to recreate part of the Star Trek set and get costumes together, was that a challenge?

You can’t use the trademark obviously, but we wanted to get as close to it as possible. That stuff is fun for me. It looks a bit off, but you can tell our hearts are in the right place. And that is what I want the show to be like. They are doing a history show, but it’s drunk, and their hearts are in the right place and they are trying their best to make it as authentic as possible.

Raven Symoné as Nichelle Nichols in Drunk History

Airs on Tuesday

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Patriotic fervour erupts on Chinese social media over Pelosi's Taiwan visit

IT'S LIKE XI GOING TO HAWAII 

SUPPORTING IT'S INDEPENDENCE

Eduardo Baptista
Wed, August 3, 2022 

U.S. House Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan

BEIJING (Reuters) - The sight of the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arriving in Taiwan late on Tuesday was too much to bear for many mainland China internet users, who wanted a more muscular response from their government.

"Going to bed yesterday night, I was so angry I could not sleep," blogger Xiaoyuantoutiao wrote on Wednesday.

"But what angers me is not the online clamours for 'starting a fight', 'spare the island but not its people'...(but that) this old she-devil, she actually dares to come!"

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. But Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only its people can decide the island's future.

Hashtags related to Pelosi's visit, such as "the resolve to realise national reunification is rock solid", went viral on China's Weibo microblogging platform. By Wednesday, about a dozen of these patriotic hashtags had racked up several billion views.

Some bloggers even regarded Pelosi's temerity as justification for an immediate invasion of Taiwan, with many users posting the term "there is only one China".

Others said China's military should have done more to stop her plane from landing, and thousands of users mocked a viral Weibo post published by an official People's Liberation Army account last week that had simply read "prepare for war!".

"In the future if you are not preparing to strike, don't make these statements to deceive the common people," said one user.

The highest level U.S. visit to Taiwan in 25 years has been furiously condemned by China, which has demonstrated its anger with a burst of military activity in the surrounding waters, and by summoning the U.S. ambassador in Beijing, and announcing the suspension of several agricultural imports from Taiwan.

Countering U.S. support for Taiwan is one of Beijing's most important foreign policy issues, and state-controlled Chinese media has helped ensure public opinion firmly backs Beijing's stance.

A livestream tracking the journey of Pelosi's plane to Taipei by Chinese state media on China's dominant chat app WeChat was watched by 22 million users on Tuesday.

But Weibo crashed before her plane landed, leaving users in the dark for about 30 minutes to an hour before and after Pelosi stepped onto the airport tarmac.

Without mentioning events in Taiwan, Weibo said on Wednesday the platform crashed because its broadband capacity was overstretched.

But the level of outrage on Weibo still hit fever pitch, with irate netizens calling for stronger military and economic countermeasures against Taiwan and the United States far outnumbering voices of moderation.

Still, there were people urging long-term patience in the face of mounting domestic challenges and unfavourable global sentiment towards China, as well as some for peace.

"If there really is a war, China will endure the suffering, currently the world powers have not really chosen team China, we would not get any help. Just like Russia, it would be a bit of a lonely war," wrote one user.

Weibo, which censored calls for peace and criticism of Russia following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, did not promote hashtags that criticised the outburst of nationalist fervour in response to Pelosi's visit.

Qin Quanyao, a Beijing-based blogger, wrote an essay on Tuesday on WeChat in which he noted the current online jingoism harked back to the time of late Chairman Mao Zedong, when primary school children sang songs about the "liberation" of Taiwan.

"From Weibo, WeChat to various online platforms, the atmosphere suddenly became tense, seemingly returning to the era of 'we must liberate Taiwan' when we were children," he wrote.

(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista, Editing by Brenda Goh & Simon Cameron-Moore)

Explainer-Two years since Beirut blast, why has no top official been held to account?


A general view shows the Beirut silos damaged in the August 2020 port blast

Wed, August 3, 2022 

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon on Thursday marks the second anniversary of the Beirut port explosion which killed at least 215 people, wounded thousands and damaged swathes of the capital.

Despite the devastation wrought by the blast, one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, a judicial investigation has brought no senior official to account.

With the probe frozen for months, many Lebanese see this as an example of the impunity enjoyed by a ruling elite that has long avoided accountability for corruption and bad governance, including policies that led to a financial collapse.

Here is a recap of how the blast happened, and the obstacles that have paralysed the investigation.


WHAT HAPPENED?

The explosion just after 6 p.m. on August 4, 2020, resulted from the detonation of hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate which ignited as a blaze tore through the warehouse where they were stored.

Originally bound for Mozambique aboard a Russian-leased ship, the chemicals had been at the port since 2013, when they were unloaded during an unscheduled stop to take on extra cargo.

The ship never left the port, becoming tangled in a legal dispute over unpaid port fees and ship defects.

No one ever came forward to claim the shipment.

The amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up was one fifth of the 2,754 tonnes unloaded in 2013, the FBI concluded, adding to suspicions that much of the cargo had gone missing.

The blast was so powerful it was felt 250 km away in Cyprus and sent a mushroom cloud over Beirut.

WHO KNEW ABOUT THE CHEMICALS?

Senior Lebanese officials, including President Michel Aoun and then-Prime Minister Hassan Diab, were aware of the cargo.

Aoun said shortly after the blast he had told security chiefs to "do what is necessary" after learning of the chemicals. Diab has said his conscience is clear.

Human Rights Watch said in a report last year that high-level security and government officials "foresaw the significant threat to life ... and tacitly accepted the risk of deaths occurring".

WHO HAS INVESTIGATED THE BLAST?

The justice minister appointed Judge Fadi Sawan head investigator shortly after the blast. Sawan charged three ex-ministers and Diab with negligence over the blast in December, 2020, but then hit strong political pushback.

A court removed him from the case in February, 2021 after two of the ex-ministers - Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeitar - complained he had overstepped his powers.

Judge Tarek Bitar was appointed to replace Sawan. He sought to interrogate senior figures including Zeitar and Khalil, both of them members of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement and allies of the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

He also sought to question Major-General Abbas Ibrahim, head of the powerful General Security agency.

All have denied wrongdoing.

HOW HAS THE PROBE BEEN STYMIED?

All of the current and former officials Bitar has sought to question as suspects have resisted, arguing they have immunity or that he lacks authority to prosecute them.

This tussle has played out in the courts, in political life and on the streets.

Suspects swamped courts last year with more than two dozen legal cases seeking Bitar's removal over alleged bias and "grave mistakes", leading to several suspensions of the investigation.

The ex-ministers have said any cases against them should be heard by a special court for presidents and ministers. That court has never held a single official accountable, and it would pass control of the probe to ruling parties in parliament.

The probe has been in complete limbo since early 2022 due to the retirement of judges from a court that must rule on several complaints against Bitar before he can continue.

The finance minister - who is backed by Berri - has held off signing a decree appointing new judges, citing concerns with the sectarian balance of the bench.

WHAT DOES HEZBOLLAH THINK?

Bitar has not pursued any members of the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

But Hezbollah campaigned fiercely against him last year as he sought to question its allies. One senior Hezbollah official sent Bitar a message warning that the group would "uproot" him.

An anti-Bitar protest called by Hezbollah and its allies last October escalated into deadly violence.

Hezbollah has accused the United States, which lists the group as a terrorist organisation, of meddling in the probe.

The U.S. ambassador has denied this.

Hezbollah dismissed accusations made at the time of the blast that it had stored arms at the port and says it had nothing to do with the blast. Its adversaries have long accused the group of controlling the port - something it also denies.

(Writing by Timour Azhari and Tom Perry, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Groups ask UN to investigate Beirut's massive 2020 blast


FA rescue team surveys the site of a massive explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 7, 2020. A group of Lebanese and international organizations on Wednesday, Aug, 3, 2022, called on members of the U.N. Human Rights Council to send a fact-finding mission to investigate the Beirut Port blast two years ago. The call came as the domestic investigation has been stalled since December following legal challenges by charged officials against the judge leading the investigation into the Aug. 4, 2020 blast that killed nearly 220 and injured over 6,000.

AP Photo/Thibault Camus

BASSEM MROUE
Wed, August 3, 2022 

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese and international organizations Wednesday called on the U.N. Human Rights Council to send a fact-finding mission to investigate the Beirut port blast two years ago, as a domestic probe continues to stall.

The call by groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International came as the Lebanese investigation has been stalled since December following legal challenges by charged and accused officials against the judge leading the investigation. The Aug. 4, 2020 blast killed nearly 220 people, injured over 6,000 and caused widespread damage in Beirut.

The call also came amid concerns that a large section of the port's giant grain silos, shredded by the massive explosion, might collapse days after a smaller part fell following a weekslong fire of fermented grain ignited by the scorching summer heat. Lebanese authorities closed a main road outside the port and directed traffic into internal streets as a precautionary measure.

The northern block of the silos has been slowly tilting for days since the other part collapsed Sunday.

A group of U.N. experts also called Wednesday for an international investigation saying “this tragedy marked one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in recent memory, yet the world has done nothing to find out why it happened.”

The organizations called on the U.N. rights council to put forward a resolution at the upcoming council session in September that would dispatch “without delay, an independent and impartial fact-finding mission” for the explosion.

They believe the mission would establish the facts surrounding the explosion, including the root causes, without political intervention. This would support the victims’ campaign for an effective investigation, they said. The groups want to establish state and individual responsibility and support justice for the victims.

Many have blamed the Lebanese government’s longtime corruption and mismanagement for the tragedy considered one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history when hundreds of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, a material used in fertilizers, detonated at the port.

Official correspondence between political, security and judicial officials reveal that many were aware about the hazardous substances unloaded in the port a decade ago without taking meaningful action to remove it.

After the blast, port, customs and legal documents revealed that the ammonium nitrate had been shipped to Lebanon in 2013 on a worn out Russian ship and stored improperly at a port warehouse ever since.

Tarek Bitar, the judge leading the Lebanese investigation, charged four former senior government officials with intentional killing and negligence that led to the deaths of dozens of people. He also charged several top security officials in the case.

None of them have been detained and two of those charged were re-elected to parliament in May.

An initial investigation by Human Rights Watch points to the potential involvement of foreign-owned companies, as well as senior political and security officials in Lebanon.

“It is now, more than ever, clear that the domestic investigation cannot deliver justice,” the groups said adding that the establishment of an international fact finding mission mandated by the U.N. Human Rights Council is “all the more urgent.”

The group said that previous calls by survivors of the explosion and families of the victims remain unanswered.

“As the Lebanese authorities continue to brazenly obstruct and delay the domestic investigation into the port explosion, an international investigation is the only way forward to ensure that justice is delivered,” said Diana Semaan, acting deputy director at Amnesty International.


On Beirut blast anniversary, Christian patriarch condemns govt



Thu, August 4, 2022

(Reuters) -Lebanon's top Christian cleric on Thursday denounced his country's government for failing to bring to justice those responsible for the Beirut port blast, marking the huge explosion's second anniversary with demands for accountability.

Bechara Boutros al-Rai, in a mass commemorating its victims, said that "God condemns those officials" who were stalling investigations that the government "has no right" to block.

The blast at the port, which killed at least 220 people and was recorded as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, was caused by massive stores of ammonium nitrate kept at the site since 2013.

Two years on, no senior official has been held to account.

A domestic probe into the exact causes of the explosion - and who was responsible for or negligent regarding the ammonium nitrate's presence - has been stalled for more than six months.

There is still no unified official death toll. Two security sources told Reuters that their counts were at least 220 dead, with at least 20 more people unaccounted for, mostly Syrian nationals.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and John Stonestreet)

Truth about Beirut port blast cannot be hidden, pope says


Pope Francis holds weekly general audience at the Vatican


Wed, August 3, 2022 

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Wednesday he hoped the people of Lebanon can be comforted by justice over the Beirut port blast that killed at least 215 people two years ago, saying "the truth can never be hidden".

Speaking at his weekly general audience, Francis noted that Thursday would be the second anniversary of the blast, which also wounded thousands of people and damaged large swathes of the capital.

"My thoughts go to the families of the victims of that disastrous event and to the dear Lebanese people. I pray so that each one can be consoled by faith and comforted by justice and by truth, which can never be hidden," he said.

Despite the devastation wrought by the blast, one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, a judicial investigation has brought no senior official to account.


With the probe frozen for months, many Lebanese see this as an example of the impunity enjoyed by a ruling elite that has long avoided accountability for corruption and bad governance, including policies that led to financial collapse.

Francis said he hoped that Lebanon, helped by the international community, could see a "renaissance" and be a land of peace and pluralism where members of different religions can live together in fraternity.

The pope was to have visited Lebanon in June but the trip was postponed, partly because of his health and partly because of the political situation in Lebanon.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Nick Macfie)