Friday, May 14, 2021

PURLAINE WHITE RACIST BERNIER
Mandryk: Right wing politics is the reason Scott Moe is treating Maxime Bernier with kid gloves

Murray Mandryk 
REGINA LEADER POST
13/5/2021

© Provided by Leader Post A man carrying a Canadian Nationalist Party flag approaches the crowd gathered for a rally protesting COVID-19 public health orders. (Bryn Levy/Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

How difficult could it be to unequivocally condemn an opposing politician wandering into your jurisdiction for the sole purpose of flouting your laws aimed at keeping your citizens healthy?

Or perhaps the real question is: Why were Premier Scott Moe and his Saskatchewan Party government unwilling to condemn not only actions of People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier who rallied against COVID-19 restrictions on the weekend, but also the actions of pretty much any right-wing politician or group?

Let us begin with this Weekend at Bernier’s episode that was anything but funny.

The vast majority of Saskatchewan people who have busted their humps to abide by COVID-19 restrictions deserve something better than a tepid response to law breakers.

No one likes government fines , but the rest of us are actually sacrificing our freedoms for the greater good of keeping everyone healthy. Why the hell shouldn’t government severely fine those who won’t … or at least, incontrovertibly condemn them?

The mealy-mouthed explanation from Justice Minister Gord Wyant that it was just too confusing as to which bill Sarauer wanted amended or that $10,000 fines wouldn’t discourage law breakers any more than $2,800 fines was an insult to everyone who has obeyed the law.

Bernier literally wore his $2,800 ticket as a badge of honour.

Normally, there is no room in the law-and-order Sask. Party government for those who flout the law … or, at least, this was the justification for going to court to kick teepee protesters off the legislative grounds for a simple bylaw infraction. This is the government that responded to the Colten Boushie killing with tougher trespassing laws 

And in response to last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, Moe couldn’t quite get through a very important message on racial inequality without noting a First World War memorial was vandalized with spray paint.


Well, Bernier’s protest Sunday in Saskatoon was in front of the Vimy Ridge Memorial. “Demonstrators” were permitted to wave a Nationalist Party flag that’s come to represent White Supremacy. (To this, one of event’s organizers suggested an “Antifa” protester infiltrated the rally. This was the same organizer who suggested his hand-picked speaker at the November rally uttering racial slurs about chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab didn’t represent the crowd. Gee, some people just can’t get a break.)

One gets that the right to free speech is always messy.


And as long as it isn’t teepee protests, Moe and his government seem huge advocates of free speech. This was evident in the burning need Monday for Wyant to write to federal Justice Minister Steven Guilbeault about amending Bill C-10 when government here might have been otherwise reviewing its Public Health and Emergency Acts in order to ensure fines were effective.

Well, when governing parties aren’t logical or consistent, it usually has something to with politics.

That Moe found it more important Monday to tweet about C-10 and that neither he nor anyone in his government could so much as muster an unprompted comment, member’s statement or even a tweet condemning the Public Health Act violations over the weekend is very politically telling.

The NDP was quick to chide Sask. Party members like Laura Ross for being a one-time Saskatchewan organizer for Bernier’s 2017 federal Conservative of Party Canada leadership but it’s slightly more complicated than that.


It’s unlikely that Carr or any Conservative or Sask.Party supporters have many warm feelings for Bernier, but that they now must compete with his PPC and the Buffalo/Maverick Party for votes and political donations is far more problematic. (Remember that Moe’s first words after his October election win reached out to Buffalo Party supporters.)

Rather than establish, protect and preserve their own conservative brand, both the Sask. Party and the federal Conservatives seem desperate to stop votes and dollars going elsewhere.

And if that means Bernier et. al. gets to flout our laws, so be it.

Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
KENNEY'S WAR ROOM
CP NewsAlert: Judge dismisses attempt to quash 'anti-Alberta' activities inquiry
JUDGE IS BIASED, RELATED TO CONSERVATIVE POLITICOS
DOUG HORNER AND STEPHAN HARPER***


CALGARY — A judge has dismissed an attempt to quash the United Conservative government's inquiry into whether foreign groups have conspired against Alberta's oil industry.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Karen Horner says the environmental law firm Ecojustice failed to prove the inquiry was called to intimidate charities that have raised concerns about the industry.

She also says there's no reason to believe that the political context around the inquiry suggests it's biased.


The provincial government and some industry leaders have said Canadian environmental charities that accept U.S. funding are part of a plot against Alberta's energy industry.

The province has said the plot aims to block pipelines and landlock Alberta's oil to benefit its American competitors.

Legal scholars and non-profit groups say the inquiry is an attempt to bully and silence industry critics.

The inquiry's final report, already delayed, is due May 31.

  • ***Stephan Harper's & Doug Horner's cousin Justice Karen ...

    https://rhondasails.blogspot.com/2014/04/stephan-harpers-doug-horners...

    [72] At 11:43 a.mJustice Karen Horner continued to have Ms. Achtem carry out malicious cross-examination, over documents not adduced and NEVER produced into the action. For Ms Achtem's exhibits N to R could only have be adduced in if this was a Summary Trial, provided the documents were produced into the action.

    • Estimated Reading Time: 9 mins

    • Sherry L. Kachur, partner at WK Family Lawyers in Calgary, is appointed a justice of the Court of Queen's Bench. Justice Kachur replaces Justice Karen M. Horner (Calgary), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective April 26, 2020.
    • Three judges appointed to Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench - The Lawyer's Daily (thelawyersdaily.ca)
    • Feds asking Canadians to take ‘leap of faith’ that Bill C-10 won’t hurt free speech: experts

      Rachel Gilmore 


      The government's new wording for Bill C-10 is aimed at clarifying social media regulations and ensuring Canadians' Instagram posts or YouTube videos won't be subject to CRTC regulations -- but until the CRTC drafts those rules, the impact of them won't be clear, experts say.
      © Getty The government says changes to Bill C-10 will ensure your selfies aren't regulated.

      VIDEO
      "O’Toole says new amendments to Bill C-10 ‘do not protect the freedom of expression’"


      The amendments come after both the NDP and the Conservatives have openly slammed the legislation which is intended to modernize the Broadcasting Act to reflect the fact that how Canadians consume things like news, music, and movies has changed.

      Read more: Bill C-10 doesn’t pose free speech concern despite social media impact, justice minister finds

      But now, experts say the proposed law is full of murky details that won't be ironed out until the CRTC drafts the specific regulations associated with the bill -- and that in the meantime, the government is asking Canadians to trust them that the rules won't go too far.

      "They're asking for a leap of faith that this will be sorted when it hits the CRTC," said Emily Laidlaw, Canada research chair in cybersecurity law at the University of Calgary.

      The government says the new amendments would restrict the CRTC’s power, allowing them to regulate social media in just three different ways:

      The CRTC will be able to ask a platform how much revenue they make.

      The CRTC will also be able to ask for a certain percentage of those revenues to be funneled into Canadian cultural production funds.

      Finally, it will be empowered to provide discoverability requirements for Canadian creators – meaning the CRTC can draft certain rules, like forcing a certain amount of Arkells, Celine Dion or other Canadian artists to pop up in your recommended vid

      VIDEO
      O’Toole calls Liberal government’s Bill C-10 a ‘direct attack on free speech’


      The exact shape that these new regulations take would be up to the CRTC, not the government -- and they have yet to be determined.

      More broadly, the bill aims to modernize the Broadcasting Act to reflect the fact that Canadians consume things like music and movies differently nowadays — often using streaming services or social media.

      And as Canadians' consumption habits move online, ad money follows suit. Google and Facebook alone accounted for 80 per cent of online advertising revenue in 2019, according to a report from the Canadian Media Concentration Research.

      By bringing platforms like YouTube and Facebook under the Act, these companies would have to fork over a chunk of their profits to the Canada Media Fund, which funds made-in-Canada programming. They would also be forced to make Canadian content more visible on their platforms.

      Read more: Feds plan change to Bill C-10 to make it ‘crystal clear’ social media uploads won’t be regulated

      The goal is to create an even playing field, where "foreign web giants can begin to contribute to Canadian culture, the same way Canadian broadcasters do," Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said.

      But while the proposed law suggests regulations for social media, one former CRTC vice-chair noted that the bill doesn't ever define what "social media" is.

      "How can you say that this will protect social media when you haven't even defined what it is? And you're leaving it up to the regulator, the CRTC, operated by nine government appointed people, all of whom I'm sure are fine people but are nevertheless not accountable in the same way that parliament is," said Peter Menzies, a former CRTC vice-chair and past newspaper publisher.

      "It's mind boggling."

      Laidlaw said the broad nature of the bill could have unintended consequences. For example, while the government might require a social media algorithm to make Canadian content more discoverable, it could have the inadvertent impact of elevating harmful content -- provided it's made in Canada.

      "The reasons why this needs to be narrowly crafted is, a strict reading of this would be that any of that kind of hateful content would have to be discoverable," Laidlaw explained.

      V
      IDEO
      "Liberals propose new Canadian Broadcast Act rules for online streaming platforms"

      And while the recent amendments were aimed at clarifying the bill's effect on social media, Laidlaw said that effort "hasn't hit the mark at all."

      "It's still all user-generated content on these social media sites," she said.

      "It's still broad. It's still the main things that they wanted before. It's still discoverability rules. It is still imposing...financial contributions. So most of that is still there."

      Read more: New broadcasting bill could regulate all your Facebook, Instagram and YouTube posts, experts say

      Menzies echoed the sentiment, calling the amendments "disappointing"

      "The big thing that had been promised a week ago was that things would be made 'crystal clear' -- that user generated content, and therefore speech, would not be regulated. The amendments introduced following that simply confirmed that user generated content, which is speech, will be subject to regulation," Menzies said.

      "So we're right back where we started."

      He said that even with the changes, the bill still requires social media companies to comply with CRTC regulations. That means rather than leaving your content untouched, responsibility for regulating user-generated content -- your cat videos and Instagram reels -- will simply fall to the social media platforms.

      "They're saying we're not going to regulate you...but we're going to get somebody else to do it for us," Menzies said.

      Meanwhile, after a week of heated debate, the Canadian Heritage committee has sent Bill C-10 for a second charter review.

      In the time since the first charter review, the Liberals removed a section of the bill that had previously protected user-generated content and exempted it from regulation -- meaning your Facebook and Instagram posts wouldn't have been subject to CRTC rules.

      Section 2.1 originally exempted all social media platforms from CRTC regulation, despite the fact that they account for a significant portion of Canada's consumption habits today. That was the thinking behind the Liberals' decision to drop the section from the bill -- but the move also opened the door to CRTC regulation of user-generated content, like your YouTube videos.

      Opposition MPs have argued the most recent iteration of the proposed law could easily infringe on Canada's charter-affirmed free expression rights. The justice minister is now tasked with taking a second look at the amended version of the bill to ensure that its impact on free speech is demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society.

      Guilbeault has insisted the bill satisfies that test.

      "On top of the amendments, the Bill already explicitly exempts individuals from any contribution requirements. Bill C-10 isn’t about what Canadians do online, it’s about what web giants don’t do in Canada, which is support Canadian works, languages, stories and music," he said in a statement.

      VIDEO
      Facebook lifts news blockade after agreeing to Australian law


      He explained that while the social media platforms will be required to make some content more visible, they won't be required to take anything down.

      “What discoverability means is that among the platform’s many algorithmically generated suggestions of what you might want to listen to or watch, occasionally these suggestions would include Canadian music or Canadian television or film,” Guilbeault said.

      “It does not mean the CRTC would dictate, limit or prohibit a feed or what you can post, watch or listen to on social media. As the Internet is infinite, discoverability won’t limit the content you see on a feed – it will just add more.”

      Guilbeault's parliamentary secretary echoed his words in a Monday press conference, arguing that the amendments ensure "a restricted form of discoverability."

      "The discoverability piece is is actually a restricted form, for social media platforms, and it is just restricted to highlighting Canadian creators," Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin said.

      "But there is no requirement that there be a specific proportion of Canadian content."

      Video: Petition to create support fund for Canadian musicians

      The discoverability requirement won't hide content from your social media pages, Guilbeault explained, it will instead "add more” Canadian content to your algorithm.

      “Proposed amendments to the C-10 severely limit the powers of the CRTC to regulate social media platforms, and again clearly prevent individuals from regulation,” he said.

      Still, the opposition remains unconvinced. Speaking Friday, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said the proposed changes don't address his party's concerns.

      "These amendments that have been suggested do not protect the freedom of expression and the concerns that not only the Conservative Party has, but thousands of Canadians have," O'Toole said.

      Read more: Broadcasters, Netflix push politicians on separate visions for sweeping regulation changes

      He called on Guilbeault to "pull this bill and start fresh."

      Menzies agreed with O'Toole.

      "I don't think they can fix Bill C-10," he said.

      Laidlaw was more optimistic.

      "I don't think they need to go back to the drafting board with Bill C-10 at all," she said.

      "Part of me is just concerned that the whole thing will unravel on this point -- and they've got to get this one right. But...we need modernize broadcasting. This is needed. It just needs to be done the right way."
      Jaden Smith Will Open Restaurant To Feed The Homeless In Los Angeles
      Aynslee Darmon 

      Jaden Smith is expanding his philanthropic food truck business.

       Photo: Getty Images Jaden Smith

      According to Variety, the musician is set to open a restaurant, called I Love You, to help feed homeless people on Los Angeles’ Skid Row. Smith's I Love You food truck has been running and giving free food for two years.


      The outlet reports, to help offset costs, those who can pay will pay more to “pay for the person behind you.”

      “It’s for homeless people to get free food,” says Smith. “But if you’re not homeless, not only do you have to pay, but you have to pay for more than the food’s worth so that you can pay for the person behind you.”

      RELATED: Willow And Jaden Smith Felt ‘Shunned’ By African American Community Because They Were ‘Too Weird’

      Smith regularly works to provide food and water to underserved communities, in fact, his 501CTHREE.org’s Water Box project was recently featured in New Balance’s We Got Now video campaign. He also partnered with Lyft to provide free rides to people in Flint, Michigan.

      It is currently unclear when or where the I Love You restaurant will open.
      A VERY BAD GOOD IDEA, MICROCREDIT IS BETTER
      JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and several other banks plan to offer credit cards to people with no credit score, report says
      ONLY USE LOCAL BANKS/CREDIT UNION

      sbaker@businessinsider.com (Sinéad Baker) 


      © Getty/Chris Hondros The JPMorgan Chase logo. Getty/Chris Hondros

      Major banks plan to take part in a scheme to help people with no credit scores get credit cards.

      The Wall Street Journal reported the banks will look at data from customers' other accounts.

      It's part of a government-backed plan to help people access credit


      Several major banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, plan to join a scheme to offer credit cards to people with no credit score, The Wall Street Journal reported.

      The Journal reported that the scheme is part of a government-backed plan to expand access to credit. It is meant to benefit people who struggle to borrow but who can still be deemed financially responsible.

      The pilot scheme is expected to launch later this year, the Journal reported.

      It would work by giving the banks access to more customer data to make lending decisions, sources told the Journal.

      Lenders could see customers' checking or savings accounts at other banks to get a sense of how financially responsible they are, according to the Journal.
      RACIST INJUSTICE EVEN IN DEATH
      Philly health official forced to resign over MOVE cremations

      PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia's top health official was compelled to resign Thursday after the city's mayor said he learned human remains from the 1985 bombing of the headquarters of a Black organization had been cremated and disposed of without notifying family members.

       Provided by The Canadian Press

      Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement that Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley decided to cremate and dispose of the remains of the MOVE bombing victims several years ago.

      In a statement released by the mayor’s office, Farley said that in early 2017 he was told by the city’s medical examiner, Dr. Sam Gulino, that a box had been found containing materials related to MOVE bombing victims' autopsies.

      “In the box were bones and bone fragments, presumably from one or more of the victims,” Farley said.

      It is a standard procedure to retain specimens after an autopsy ends and the remains are turned over to the decedent’s next-of-kin, Farley said.

      “Believing that investigations related to the MOVE bombing had been completed more than 30 years earlier, and not wanting to cause more anguish for the families of the victims, I authorized Dr. Gulino to follow this procedure and dispose of the bones and bone fragments," Farley said.

      The decision was his alone, and other top city officials were not consulted, he said.

      After recent reports that local institutions had remains of MOVE bombing victims, Farley said he reconsidered his actions and notified higher-ups.

      “I profoundly regret making this decision without consulting the family members of the victims and I extend my deepest apologies for the pain this will cause them,” Farley wrote.

      Kenney said Farley's decision lacked empathy. Gulino has also been put on leave pending an investigation, Kenney said.

      Philadelphia police attempting to serve warrants on four members and evict the rest of the Black back-to-nature group from its headquarters in the city bombed it, igniting fuel for a generator. The fire spread to more than 60 row homes. Among the 11 slain were five children.

      Kenney said he informed family members about what officials did with the remains. Thursday is the 36th anniversary of the bombing.

      “Today, I had the opportunity to meet with members of the Africa family and apologize for the way this situation was handled, and for how the city has treated them for the last five decades," Kenney said.

      MOVE members took the surname Africa after the group's founder, John Africa.

      Kenney said Farley took responsibility and resigned. The city has hired a law firm to investigate.

      The Associated Press

      All committed MOVE members take the last name “Africa” out of reverence for our Founder JOHN AFRICA, and to show that we are a family, a unified body moving in one direction. We have Black, White, Puerto Rican members from upper and lower class backgrounds, both college and street (mis)educated.
      onamove.com/about/

      Judge approves $577 million settlement for Maryland HBCUs

       

      ANNAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge has approved a $577 million settlement in a lawsuit over underfunding at Maryland's four historically Black colleges and universities.

      The deal approved Wednesday will provide $555 million in extra funding over 10 years, beginning in 2023, for Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University in Baltimore and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.

      The total amount includes $22 million in legal costs for the plaintiffs who spent 15 years litigating these claims.

      The lawsuit accused Maryland of underfunding the institutions while developing programs at traditionally white schools that directly competed with them, draining away prospective students.


      In 2013, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake found that the state had maintained “a dual and segregated education system” that violated the Constitution. Blake issued an order Wednesday stating the settlement adequately addresses the problem.


      The funds are expected to go toward scholarships and financial aid as well as faculty recruitment and development. Funds also can be used to expand and improve existing academic programs, including online programs, and to develop and implement new academic programs.

      The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation this spring finalizing the settlement. Republican Gov. Larry Hogan had vetoed a similar bill last year, saying he would approve no more than $200 million, The Baltimore Sun reported.

      The Associated Press
      CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
      UK fraud watchdog investigating GFG Alliance

      LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is investigating Gupta Family Group Alliance, including its financing arrangements with collapsed Greensill Capital, it said on Friday.

      © Reuters/Russell Cheyne FILE PHOTO: The GFG Alliance flag flies at the completion of a 330 million pound deal to buy Britain's last remaining Aluminium smelter in Fort William Lochaber Scotland

      "The SFO is investigating suspected fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering in relation to the financing and conduct of the business of companies within the Gupta Family Group Alliance (GFG), including its financing arrangements with Greensill Capital UK Ltd," the SFO said in a statement.

      © Reuters/RUSSELL CHEYNE FILE PHOTO: A view of the Lochaber Aluminium smelter and hydroelectric site, which is owned by Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance, at Fort William

      A representative of GFG Alliance, steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta's family conglomerate, said the group had no immediate comment on the matter.

      The SFO said it had no further comment given it was a live investigation.

      GFG Alliance, Gupta's privately held conglomerate, has relied heavily on Greensill Capital to fund its operations.

      Greensill is facing insolvency after its main insurer stopped providing credit insurance on $4.1 billion of debt in portfolios it had created for clients including Credit Suisse.

      Britain's Financial Conduct Authority said on Tuesday it was formally investigating the UK operations of supply chain finance company Greensill as part of global probes.

      Greensill lent money to firms by buying their invoices at a discount, but collapsed in March 2021 after insurers pulled their cover.

      (Reporting by Huw Jones; editing by David Goodman and Jason Nee

      Wall Street Bets was right: Hertz's bankruptcy auction will actually give shareholders a handsome payout - even after Wall Street decided the stock was worthless

      egraffeo@businessinsider.com (Emily Graffeo) 



      Retail traders helped spur a nearly 825% spike in Hertz last summer after it filed for bankruptcy.

      They bought the stock even as Hertz said its shares could be "worthless."

      Shareholders will receive a payout in Hertz's takeover bid, vindicating retail traders' instincts.

      Sign up here for our daily newsletter, 10 Things Before the Opening Bell.

      Long before GameStop and Reddit's Wall Street Bets became synonymous, the social-media platform was enamored of another stock: Hertz.



      The car-rental company became the target of Reddit-fueled traders last summer when it announced it would file for bankruptcy. Shares of Hertz spiked as much as 825% in a matter of weeks. Wall Street onlookers were scratching their heads, wondering why retail investors were scooping up shares of a company that couldn't meet its debt obligations.

      In June, retail investors who steadfastly believed that "stonks only go up" were especially excited that the billionaire investor Carl Icahn missed out on Hertz's massive rally. Icahn had sold his Hertz position at an average price of $0.72, representing a loss of more than $1.8 billion.

      "Good job guys. Hertz is now a viable company again. Carl Icahn is a clown who bought high, sold low," a Wall Street Bets user commented last summer.

      Even Hertz itself didn't have as much faith in its stock as the retail traders did. When the company issued more shares in June, it said its stock could be "worthless."

      "We are in the process of a reorganization under chapter 11 of title 11, or Chapter 11, of the United States Code, or Bankruptcy Code, which has caused and may continue to cause our common stock to decrease in value, or may render our common stock worthless. Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk," the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

      Typically, in a corporate bankruptcy case like Hertz's, equity shareholders would receive nothing. In March, Hertz unveiled its reorganization plan, which said shareholders would receive no payout.

      But on Wednesday, Hertz announced that it had accepted a $6 billion bid from a group of investors - Knighthead Capital Management, Certares Opportunities, and Apollo Capital Management - to exit bankruptcy. Knighthead's plan values Hertz at about $7.4 billion including debt, according to Bloomberg. The winning bid would pay shareholders close to $8 a share.

      As part of the Hertz proposal, institutional and accredited equity investors would be given about $240 million in cash and the chance to participate in either a $1.6 billion rights offering or warrants for about 20% of the reorganized company, Bloomberg reported.

      Many of the traders who speculated on Reddit likely won't qualify as institutional or accredited investors and therefore won't get new shares. But their instinct about the value of Hertz's stock turned out to be correct, even when much of Wall Street didn't believe so.

      The $8 share price is higher than what any retail investor who purchased last summer paid.

      Andrew Glenn, a managing partner of Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes who orchestrated the winning bid, told Insider the equity payout to shareholders was "unprecedented."

      "Just six weeks ago, shareholders were going to get nothing, and now they're getting upwards of $8 a share," Glenn said. "That doesn't happen every day in bankruptcy. In fact, I've never seen it happen."

      He added that a confluence of events had led to the success for the equity shareholders and Hertz's valuation: the V-shaped recovery, pent-up demand for travel, and a shortage of rental cars as many companies sent their cars to the used-car market during the pandemic.

      "It's just a perfect storm that happened first gradually and then very quickly over the first quarter of this year and really the last two months," he said. "Our clients saw that trend happening before it unfolded, they had conviction as to the valuation, and they entered into the bankruptcy and became the mouthpiece in court for the Knighthead proposal."

      Shares of Hertz extended their gains for the second day in a row on Thursday, jumping as much as 11%, to $6.36. That followed a nearly 70% surge on Wednesday.
      Read the original article on Business Insider
      NICE NAZI DIES
      WWII secretary to Wernher von Braun dies in Alabama


      HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — The World War II secretary to German rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun has died in Alabama, where she spent much of her postwar life.

      Dorette “Dorothea” Hertha Kersten Schlidt died Monday in Huntsville, according to a funeral home obituary. She was 100.

      Born in Stargard in what is now northwestern Poland, Schlidt worked as von Braun’s secretary in the 1940s at the German rocket factory at Peenemuende, where thousands of concentration camp prisoners died in the Nazi war effort.

      Heidi Weber Collier, a friend who visited with Schlidt recently, told al.com that Schlidt had been working in a law office when von Braun hired her as an aide at the complex. She helped von Braun retrieve notes and documents about the project after an Allied bombing raid, Collier said.

      “He would work late at night and read out things he wanted her to type,” Collier said. “She didn’t sleep much, but they would be ready for him to review in the morning.”

      It was at Peenemuende that she met Rudolf Schlidt, a guided missile expert who helped develop the Nazis' V-2 rocket, which killed thousands of civilians in Britain. The couple married in 1945, and in a then-secret U.S. effort known as Operation Paperclip, they joined hundreds of other German scientists in moving to the United States.

      Schlidt now had a new, Cold War mission — developing U.S. military and space technology — and they settled in Huntsville when von Braun's team moved to Redstone Arsenal to develop the first U.S. rockets.

      Rudolf Schlidt was one of the last surviving team members when he died in 2012.

      The Associated Press

      May 3, 2013 — Pivotal to the history of spaceflight, von Braun's Nazi past makes him incredibly ... the government programme under which hundreds of German scientists were brought into America. ... its contents were deemed so important to the future of Germany's ... Exploring space and finding our own Pale Blue Dot.

      Quotes · Chief Scientist : Our Germans are better than their Germans. ·