Monday, September 4, 2017

Thailand detained teenage activist Joshua Wong because China asked it to

TIME MAGAZINE IMAGE

Thailand detained teenage activist Joshua Wong because China asked it to!

In 2014, activist Joshua Wong became the face of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, also known as the Umbrella Movement, which brought key parts of the city at a standstill and drew international attention for more than two months.

Two years later, his activism earned him a detention in Thailand for 12 hours. Thai media reports that an immigration official confirmed that China had sent the government a formal request to deny Wong entry into the country, effectively barring him from the country.

He had flown to Bangkok to speak at Chulalongkorn University for a series of events commemorating the October 6, 1976 massacre of at least 46 students by government forces.

The student leader, who turns 20 years next week, claims that he was stopped in the early hours of Wednesday as he approached the immigration counters and told that he was "blacklisted" from the country without an explanation. Officials allegedly took away his passport before keeping him in a detention room for 12 hours. He was then deported back to Hong Kong later that day.

This is not the first time Wong has suffered travel issues for his activism. Last year, he was denied entry into Malaysia, where he was supposed to speak about democracy. Wong wrote in a Facebook post that he had been worried his experience would be repeated, with his fears realized when he found "more than 20 law enforcement officials" waiting for him at the immigration area. Representatives approached him and asked whether he was Joshua Wong before confiscating his passport and bringing him to a detention room.

"I hadn't felt this kind of fear in a long time," wrote Wong, adding that the last time he felt like his "heart was going to jump out of his chest" was when he was arrested the day before the Umbrella Movement protests began.

He further explained that If such an incident had happened in Hong Kong, he would have been able to contact his lawyer, the media and friends to help. But because he was in an "unfamiliar" environment and didn't even have the chance to connect to the airport Wi-Fi, he had no means of communicating with the "outside world".

"The result was that I obediently handed over my passport..." said the post.

He added that out of the little English they spoke to him, all he understood was the word "blacklist."

When he repeatedly demanded to know the legal justification behind his detention and to see a lawyer, he recounted that all the officials would reply was "NO."

He claims he complained to the police about their failure to follow legal procedures, and that a police officer replied: "You know that this is Thailand, the conditions are the same as China, and different from Hong Kong."

They also told him: "You know that we can treat you well like we are right now, or we can make things very difficult for you, we're sure you understand what we can do."

A year ago, Gui Minhai, a Chinese-born Swedish publisher, mysteriously disappeared while on vacation in Thailand. He was one of three shareholders of a Hong Kong publisher that was known for selling books banned in mainland China. Three months later, he appeared on Chinese state-owned television confessing to a fatal car accident that occurred in 2003.

In response to an email inquiry, the Hong Kong government said: "We respect the right of other jurisdictions in exercising immigration control and making decisions in accordance with their laws. We will not, and should not, interfere."

"After learning that Mr. Joshua Wong was refused entry and pending repatriation, staff of the Embassy requested the Thai authorities to ensure Mr. Wong's legitimate interests be protected."

Wong concluded in his Facebook post that more and more young pro-democracy activists around the world are uniting and learning from each other, and hopes they can fight for democracy, equality, and justice together.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment did not respond to a request for comment.

Want to give a huge thank you to VICE NEWS for the story. I do not own the rights to this story I only shared it on Traveling Activist to share this brave Activist story with the blogs million viewers. Go to VICE NEWS to discover more about this story.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Behind bars, Hong Kong political activist Joshua Wong remains in good spirits

Behind bars, Hong Kong political activist Joshua Wong remains in good spirits

“We are here to visit a friend,” I said to the guard at the entrance.
Tiffany, Joshua Wong Chi-fung’s long-time girlfriend, trailed behind me. It was our first time visiting Joshua at Pik Uk Correctional Institution and neither of us quite knew what to expect.

Tweet posted by Joshua Wong Chi-fung

After a brief registration process, Tiff and I headed straight to the main building, almost sprinting to evade a pair of paparazzi. Once inside, we deposited our belongings in a locker and walked through an X-ray gantry. Tiff held on to a bag of personal supplies for Joshua.
Ex-Bar Association head wants Hong Kong justice chief to clear the air on jailing of activist trio

Visitors are permitted to bring basic items for inmates, but they must meet stringent prison requirements. Tiff knew the only way to guarantee compliance was to purchase everything – from notebooks to batteries and undergarment – at the general store near Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, where Joshua spent his first night after his sentencing.

A short wait later, an officer called our number. Tiff and I located Joshua’s booth and there he was: the same scrawny boy with a different haircut. He flashed a Cheshire cat smile, clearly elated to see his girlfriend. In an instant, I went from second visitor to third wheel. Tiff picked up the handset to chat. I saw Joshua’s lips move but couldn’t hear him. The thick glass walls separating prisoners from visitors were certifiably soundproof. What did come through, however, was his good spirits.

Pik Uk Correctional Facility is located in Sai Kung in the New Territories. Photo: AFP
Tiff spoke in rapid-fire spurts, updating Joshua on personal and political matters with determined efficiency. While they talked, a smiling prison guard saw me standing behind Tiff and walked over to offer me a chair. I declined but thanked him profusely. “Your turn,” Tiff said, handing me the handset after some 10 minutes. Mindful that every second I took would be one fewer for the two of them, I rushed through what I needed to discuss.

Image from Vice News

I was most concerned about Joshua’s living conditions and bombarded him with questions. He told me the juvenile ward was surprisingly airy and that most nights he could barely feel the summer heat. “I even need a thin blanket at night,” he said. “It’s much better than sleeping on concrete during Occupy.” He worried somewhat about the physical training as he ... doesn’t answer well to strict commands

I asked him about any abuse, and he assured me there had been none whatsoever. He had just completed a seven-day “orientation”. He was expected to begin language and maths classes with other young inmates. He worried somewhat about the physical training – jogging and marching – as he isn’t the athletic type and doesn’t answer well to strict commands.

Pik Uk Correctional Facility is located in Sai Kung in the New Territories. Photo: AFP

I asked him what the hardest part was about being behind bars. “Passing the time,” he sighed. “Every day I rack my brain to keep myself occupied.” He had nearly finished the six books that visitors are allowed to bring him each month. I wanted to know if he had a message for his supporters.

“Please tell everyone I’m doing fine and not to worry about me. Instead, ask them to help Demosisto in any way they can,” he said, referring to his pro-democracy political party. “The majority of our core members are, or will soon be, in jail,” he added. “But we won’t give up.”
The rest of the 30 minutes went by quickly. We knew time was up when several uniformed officers suddenly appeared to escort the inmates back to their cells. Joshua got up and waved goodbye, training his eyes on Tiff and still smiling from ear to ear. It was sweet and heartbreaking. Two student activists jailed along with Joshua Wong in Hong Kong moved to separate prisons

All things considered, Joshua has adjusted well to the new environment.
What’s more, based on my limited interaction with the staff, everyone in the juvenile ward seemed to be courteous and helpful. Nothing suggested Joshua was being treated with anything but respect and professionalism. Perhaps his fame had afforded him some protection.
All that may change after Joshua turns 21 in October, when he will be transferred to the adult ward. There, he will be required to work every day – be it carpentry, laundry, kitchen duties or repairs and maintenance – to earn his keep. And he will have to adapt to a new routine all over again.

Jason Y NG

This Article was created by Jason Y Ng, a columnist and author of several books, including Umbrellas in Bloom: Hong Kong’s Occupy Movement Uncovered. I own no rights to the work above I am only sharing this on the Traveling Activist to keep the followers informed of current events involving Activist all over the world.

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell has been sentenced to jail for refusing to pay fines related to his arrest at a protest at a New York power plant.

AP NY SPECIAL SCREENING OF "THE PROMISE" A ENT USA NY

Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell has been sentenced to jail for refusing to pay fines related to his arrest at a protest at a New York power plant.

The Times Herald-Record of Middletown reports a town judge in Wawayanda on Thursday sentenced the 77-year-old Cromwell to seven days in jail.

Cromwell was among a group of six protesters found guilty of obstructing traffic at a December 2015 sit-in at the site of a natural gas-fired power plant being built in Wawayanda.

The protesters say the plant threatens the environment. Cromwell was reported to have been shouting "Power to the people!" during the protest.

The group was found guilty by Wawayanda Town Justice Timothy McElduff Jr. and on June 7 were each fined $250 plus a $125 surcharge. Three paid; Cromwell was among three who refused. McElduff sentenced Cromwell to seven days in the county jail and suspended the sentence until July 14.

Cromwell says he hopes that people can see the injustice of the jail sentence and that others may be inspired to join the pickets.

Cromwell, who lives in a neighboring town, has appeared in more than 50 films and numerous TV series but is probably best known for his Oscar-nominated role in the 1995 comedy-drama Babe, in which he played a New Zealand farmer with a pig who wants to be a sheepdog ("That won't do, pig!"). He also appeared in The Green Mile and L.A. Confidential. Among his most recent TV roles, he played a cardinal in the series The Young Pope with Jude Law.

Cromwell has become known more recently for his activism. In 2013, he pleaded no contest to charges of disrupting a University of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting while protesting the treatment of cats in research labs there.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Bull Gores French Anti-Bullfighting Activist

Bull Gores French Anti-Bullfighting Activist

An anti-bullfighting activist protesting the gory sport on Sunday was attacked by a bull when he jumped into a French arena in an attempt to protect the animal, police said.

A man in his 30s and a woman attending the event in Carcassone in southern France sneaked their way into the main ring, AFP News Agency reported. The incident happened during the "novillada," when younger bulls are placed in the ring.

A bull charged toward the man, stabbing him with its horns and causing "a long but not deep" injury, police said. The woman was not injured.

A source told AFP the man "was very lucky" and was not "properly gored."

MATADOR GORED TO DEATH DURING BULLFIGHT

The man was rushed to the hospital and treated for his injuries.

Two other protesters hung a banner that read, "Stop Bullfighting" at the event earlier in the day. Bullfighting is banned in most parts of France except in some towns in the southern part of the country where it is part of the local traditions, AFP reported.

In August, a vegan activist jumped into a bullfighting ring at a French festival to urge French President Emmanuel Macron to ban the sport in the country, according to The Local.

The protester ran through the ring with a sign that read: "No to the Corrida, save the bulls -- Vegan strike group."

A LOOK AT SOME OF THE WORST BULLFIGHTING GORINGS

A matador was killed during a bullfight in southwestern France on Saturday, media reports said.Ivan Fandiño was gored in the lung by one of the bull’s horns, according to a report on BFM TV, a French news channel.

As the bull passed the Matador during the battle in a corrida in the town Aire-Sur-l’Adour, Fandiño, 36, tripped on his cloak.

The bull gored his foe in the chest as he fell to the ground.

Fandiño, of Spain’s Basque region, suffered two heart attacks in the ambulance and died later in a hospital in Mont de Marsan, about 65 miles east of Bayonne, a medical source told AFP.

Earlier in the event, Fandiño was triumphed over a different bull.

For that, he was rewarded with the bull’s cut-off ear, in line with Spanish bullfighting tradition.

This story originally appeared on The New York Post.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Dumbing Down of America

Dumbing Down of America

The term ‘arrested development’ comes to mind when pondering the all too often ludicrous behavior of modern adults. It is used to describe people who are stuck in a childlike level of psychological development, unable to grow beyond the behaviors, attitudes, and dependencies that mark the pre-adulthood stage of life. Something is holding them back, or something is preventing them from moving forward.

The esteemed author and scholar of mythology, Joseph Campbell, reminds us that in cultures from around the world, the journey from adolescence to adulthood is a big deal, historically marked with ceremony and rites of passage. In this, a young person must confront their greatest fears, overcome them, then integrate themselves into the world as a newly established co-creator, abandoning the roles of dependent and victim.

The boys are brought up to be in fear of the masks that the men wear in their rituals. These are the gods. These are the personification of the power and the structure of society. The boy, when he gets to be more than his mother can handle, the men come in with their masks, and they grab the kid, and he thinks he’s been taken by the Gods.

The mask represents the power that is shaping the society and that has shaped our world, and now you are a representative of that power. – Joseph Campbell

But there is nothing to speak of in contemporary life that serves this purpose, and it is quite evident when observing the behavior of many modern adults that people just don’t seem to have grown up beyond adolescence. What passes for adult behavior these days is all too often comical, embarrassing, even frightening. Like a theatre of the absurd, bubbling just below the surface in America is a collective temper tantrum. It could be generational, but one must account for the effect that each generation has on the development of the next to come.

Avoidance of responsibility has become en vogue, and there is now an actual thing called ‘adulting.’ Essentially it is a cultural meme where grown people complain about having to deal with the day-to-day responsibilities of life after childhood.

And so this jokey way of describing one’s engagement in adult behaviors—whether that is doing your own taxes, buying your first lawn mower, staying in on a Friday, being someone’s boss or getting super pumped about home appliances—can help those millennials acknowledge and/or make fun of and/or come to grips with that transition (or how late they are to it).

This is, after all, a transition their friends may not be going through yet or one that might seem to herald that certain end to their fading youth. To say you are “adulting” is to, on some level, create distance between you and what are implied to be actual adults who are adulting 100% of the time and therefore have little reason to acknowledge it. Or if they do, they might instead use phrases like “going about my normal day.” [Source]

Basic life skills such as changing a tire, boiling an egg, or cooking a meal, are being forgotten, somehow lost in a consumer’s paradise of instant gratification among infinite options. Adulting celebrates the idea that handling life’s basic responsibilities are praiseworthy, which is a tremendous lowering of standards, a dumbing down of our potential.

Incredibly, this is so real there’s already a counter-movement. Have a look…

The systematic dumbing down of the American student is well documented by whistleblowers and insiders of the education system, and now more than ever, we see the results of training children for tests and conformity, as opposed to training them for life and individuation. Because of this, a greater crisis is looming in the hidden parts of the psyche, some kind of emotional fallout, where people are encouraged to beat the isolation of modern existence by indulging in foolishness and making examples of themselves.

We seem to have lost our identity. Children and old people are penned up and locked away from the business of the world to a degree without precedent – nobody talks to them anymore and without children and old people mixing in daily life a community has no future and no past, only a continuous present. In fact, the name “community” hardly applies to the way we interact with each other.

We live in networks, not communities, and everyone I know is lonely because of that. In some strange way school is a major actor in this tragedy just as it is a major actor in the widening guilt among social classes. Using school as a sorting mechanism we appear to be on the way to creating a caste system, complete with untouchables who wander through subway trains begging and sleep on the streets. – John Taylor Gatto

It is no secret that political control of many millions of people is much easier when the quality of the individual is reduced. The reason for this being the desire to produce dependents and workers for the corporate state. People who acquiesce to anything and are too thoughtless or afraid to resist systemic tyranny. Conformity in helplessness and dependency seems to be the aim.

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Beyond developing a general lack of life skills, growing up means developing a proper attitude and relationship towards life and oneself. It includes a reckoning with fear, and an understanding of one’s role as a creator in the world in which they live. This type of personal evolution is only possible when we encourage youth to move beyond childhood, and as Joseph Campbell pointed out, we evolve once we take on the journey of life.

Independence is impossible without personal responsibility, and without knowledge, we are powerless to influence our lives. Has growing up really become the struggle of our times?

Read more articles by Sigmund Fraud.

Sigmund Fraud is a survivor of modern psychiatry and a dedicated mental activist. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com where he indulges in the possibility of a massive shift towards a more psychologically aware future for humankind.

This article (Adulting and the Dumbing Down of the American Grown Up) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Sigmund Fraud and WakingTimes.com. It may be reposted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.

Tropical Storm Harvey in Texas

Image result for tropical storm texas 2017

Tropical Storm Harvey in Texas

As Tropical Storm Harvey pummeled Texas, President Donald Trump initially responded in characteristic fashion: He turned to Twitter.

"Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government. Continuing rains and flash floods are being dealt with. Thousands rescued," Trump tweeted Sunday morning. In a separate tweet, he said that "many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground."

Image from USA Today

As Harvey continues to threaten millions on the southeast Texas coast with downpours and heavy flooding, the Trump administration moved to show the public they are addressing a catastrophic storm that could become a defining moment for his presidency.

On Sunday, as the President returned to the White House from Camp David in Maryland, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that the President will travel to Texas on Tuesday, though she did not specify a location or further details of the trip.

"We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalized, we will let you know," Sanders said. "We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers."

Image result for tropical storm texas 2017 gifs

In a series of tweets prior to departing Camp David, Trump praised the way officials are handling the storm. The White House also released details of a Sunday morning teleconference that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence -- who changed travel plans to remain in Washington and monitor the storm -- held with members of the President's Cabinet.

"President Trump continued to stress his expectation that all departments and all agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives," Sanders said in a readout of the meeting.

Harvey made landfall late Friday between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor as a Category 4 hurricane and battered the southeast Texas coast with 130 mph winds. The storm has caused catastrophic flooding across south and southeast Texas, and the National Weather Service said Sunday that the rainfall from Harvey could reach 50 inches in some places, the highest-ever recorded rainfall in the state.

The impact of the storm, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Sunday, could be felt for a long-time to come.

"FEMA is going to be there for years," the agency's administrator, Brock Long, told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union, saying that "this disaster is going to be a landmark event."

Bracing for a sustained response

That reality means the Trump administration's response to Harvey will be an ongoing test. Trump’s first tweet Sunday morning was a promotion for Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke’s new book, “Cop under Fire.”

It was only after this tweet that Trump addressed the dire situation in Houston.

President George W. Bush's slow response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, punctuated by his praise of his FEMA director Michael Brown, whom Bush touted as doing a heck of job, was a defining moment for him and struck a blow from which his presidency, already damaged by the Iraq War, never recovered. In 2012, Superstorm Sandy battered the shores of New Jersey one week before the November election, and both then-President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie received plaudits for their response to the storm.

Deftly handling the response to the hurricane and its impact could give the Trump administration the opportunity to snatch back news cycles that have been dominated by reaction to the President's comments in the aftermath of the deadly clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, and rifts between the White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake.

On Friday night, as Harvey barreled toward Texas, the White House fueled a brand-new controversy when Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio, the controversial former Arizona sheriff convicted of criminal contempt. In the first pardon of his presidency, Trump did not follow his predecessors' practice of consulting with lawyers at the Justice Department before announcing his decision — a move that drew criticism from civil rights groups and Democrats as well as both of Arizona's Republican senators, Flake and Sen. John McCain. On Saturday, The Washington Post reported that Trump had asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions about halting the criminal case against Arpaio earlier this year.

Tom Bossert, Trump's homeland security adviser, told ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Sunday that there had been "some disproportionate coverage of it" and that he was focused on the people impacted by Harvey.

Throughout the weekend, it was clear that the administration was working to demonstrate its aggressive response.

Those efforts began Friday, when Bossert briefed reporters at the White House prior to Trump's afternoon departure to Camp David. As he outlined the federal government's preparations for handling the story, Bossert expressed confidence about the government's ability to respond to storms.

"This is right up President Trump's alley, " Bossert said Friday. "Not only has he shown leadership here, but his entire focus has been on making America great again."

A focus not just on Harvey

After pardoning Arpaio Friday night, Trump focused his weekend tweets on Harvey — but not exclusively so.

He began Sunday morning with a tweet endorsing a book by David Clarke, the Milwaukee County sheriff who supports Trump, and another one needling Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill ahead of his planned trip Wednesday to Springfield, Missouri. He also tweeted about NAFTA and the wall he wants to construct at the US border with Mexico.

"With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other," the President tweeted.

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Aerial video shows Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston as Harvey causes severe flooding in Texas http://nbcnews.com/Harvey
Video via @avmidas

7:47 AM - Aug 27, 2017

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Trump's response to the storm will be closely watched in Washington and around the country due to both his lack of governing experience and inability, so far, to seize the opportunity to unite the country in moments of crisis.

The White House is still dealing with the fallout of Trump's response after the bloody clashes in Charlottesville that left one woman dead. The President has been criticized both within and outside his party for his response, in which he blamed the unrest "many sides."

Sanders said Sunday that Trump would travel to Texas on Tuesday, though it is unclear where in the state he will go and what the trip entails. The President himself earlier in the day tweeted that he planned to make such a trip "as soon as that trip can be made without disruption." The focus, he added, "must be life and safety."

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Brad Panovich

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This is insane this is a traffic camera at the height of the street lights almost underwater in #Houston. #Flood #Harvey

6:54 AM - Aug 27, 2017

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Asked earlier Sunday whether a presidential visit to Texas made sense right now, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, told ABC that "it depends," given the fact that the storm's impact is so unpredictable.

"As you know, we had a hurricane hit around the Corpus Christi area that is now moving northeast, and is over closer to the Houston area. And it depends on where he goes," Abbott said. "We are already, for example, involved in the cleanup process in Corpus Christi. If the President were to visit there, it wouldn't hinder any efforts."

Ultimately, Abbott, concluded, time will tell.

"We'll just have to wait and see where the storm goes, understanding that this entire storm has been very unpredictable in its movement," he added. "And I couldn't tell you right now where it will be in two days."