Saturday, September 30, 2017

Feminists are ever the victims.

Photo
CreditPeter Horvath 
It’s a tough time to be a male feminist, especially in Hollywood.
A few weeks ago, Kai Cole, the ex-wife of Joss Whedon, the man who created “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and who has been honored for creating strong female characters, wrote a highly personal takedown of him for The Wrap, a Hollywood industry website.
In the post, Ms. Cole, a film producer, said that Mr. Whedon “hid multiple affairs” with “his actresses, co-workers, fans and friends” during their 16-year marriage. His explanation for why he had so many female friends, she said, was that “his mother raised him as a feminist.”
Moreover, Ms. Cole called out his “hypocrisy” for “preaching feminist ideals” while using their marriage as a “shield” to commit adultery. In essence, she branded Mr. Whedon, the director of the coming “Justice League” superhero film, a fake male feminist.
It’s a label that appears to be gaining cultural currency, especially in the Trump era.
“Saturday Night Live” aired a sketch last season called “Girl at a Bar” in which a succession of seemingly sensitive male feminists (“I worked for Hillary,” one says) try to pick up a woman at a bar, only to resort to misogynistic language when rebuffed.
Girl at a Bar - SNL Video by Saturday Night Live
The three-minute sketch seemed to have hit a chord. Myriad essays that decried wolves in pink pussy hats and “woke misogynists” followed. “Watch S.N.L. Demolish Fake Male Feminists,” read a Vanity Fair headline. “Hating Trump Doesn’t Make a Man a Feminist,” said Bustle, an online culture magazine for women, which argued that “male feminists” have become a “powerful cultural niche,” and cited numerous celebrity examples including Ryan Gosling, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Pratt.
Tal Peretz, an assistant professor at Auburn University who specializes in gender studies, sees the criticism of male feminists as an inevitable consequence of social progress. “More men are getting involved in the feminist and women’s rights movements, and I think that the learning curve for them is really steep and really long,” said Dr. Peretz, who is an author of “Some Men: Feminist Allies and the Movement to End Violence Against Women.” “Our bar for men in feminism is getting higher, too, and rightly so.”
Continue reading the main story
Examples of these higher standards abound.
Critics of men who sport “The Future is Female” T-shirts also maintain that some are using the word “feminist” inappropriately. The preferred term, they argue, is “feminist allies.” The rationale is that white people who fight against racism wouldn’t call themselves “black,” just as straight people who rally for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights wouldn’t call themselves “transgender.”
BuzzFeed recently published “17 Types of Male ‘Feminists’ That Need to Be Stopped,” an illustrated list that included a new father who suddenly becomes a feminist after he has a daughter, and a male manager who congratulates himself for hiring a female employee.
“It’s something I encounter all the time, but that man Robbie Tripp was the real kick in the pants in inspiring the post,” said Loryn Brantz, who wrote and illustrated the article and is also the author of the book “Feminist Baby.”
Mr. Tripp is the San Francisco man who became an internet sensation this summer when he posted a gushing ode to his wife’s “curvy body” on Instagram. People were divided on his seemingly self-congratulatory realization that “the media marginalizes women,” and his appreciation of his wife’s “thick thighs, big booty, cute little side roll.” Some cooed and said “Ah”; others sneered and said “Ew.”
“Good Morning America” interviewed the couple in a segment titled “Hero Husband or Fake Feminist?” The culture site Refinery29 dismissed Mr. Tripp’s paean as “the worst type of ‘male feminism.’”
Celebrities also weighed in. Melanie Lynskey, who will star in the TV series “Castle Rock,” said on Twitter: “Public announcements of devotion are very sexy to me,” she said. “What isn’t sexy is acting as though you’re one of the few men on earth who could possibly love a woman who looks like that.”
Dr. Peretz has coined a term, “the Pedestal Effect,” to describe how men are given special treatment for small acts of gender equality, like changing a diaper or Mr. Tripp’s love letter. “It is basically when guys get a whole lot of bonus points just for being nominal feminists,” he said.
Mr. Whedon’s agent did not respond to requests for comment, but a representative released a statement to The Wrap that read: “While this account includes inaccuracies and misrepresentations which can be harmful to their family, Joss is not commenting, out of concern for his children and out of respect for his ex-wife.”
Mr. Whedon did, however, give an interview to BuzzFeed in 2015 that seems to have foreshadowed the current hubbub.
“When you declare yourself politically, you destroy yourself artistically,” he said in an article about why he deleted his Twitter account (he has since returned). “Because suddenly that’s the litmus test for everything you do — for example, in my case, feminism. If you don’t live up to the litmus test of feminism in this one instance, then you’re a misogynist,” he added. “It circles directly back upon you.”

The Left seems to have all the secrets....

Don't bathe more than once a week says designer Westwood


View photos
Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and husband Andreas Kronthaler greet their audience at Paris Fashion Week (AFP Photo/Patrick KOVARIK)
Paris (AFP) - Flamboyant fashion designer Vivienne Westwood revealed the secret of her eternal youth Saturday -- only taking a bath once a week.
The 76-year-old queen of punk fashion let it slip after watching her husband Andreas Kronthaler's spectacularly idiosyncratic show at Paris Fashion Week.
Asked by reporters how she managed to look so young, Westwood smiled and said, "Don't wash too much."
"She only takes a bath every week. That's why she looks so radiant," said Kronthaler, who Westwood has described as "the world's greatest designer".
"I only wash once a month," joked the Austrian-born creator, who is 25 years Westwood's junior.
Westwood, an environmentalist and vegetarian who has campaigned against the meat trade depleting water supplies, has previously said that "I just wash my bits and rush out in the morning and more often than not get in the bath after Andreas."
Kronthaler -- who is said to have inspired comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's 2009 fashion satire "Bruno" -- lived up to his reputation for decadent excess in his Paris show which featuring no less than 68 looks and a dozen more human sculptures wrapped in duvets.
"There is nothing better than giving people choice," he told AFP of a collection he said was filled with "lust, desire, sex and sadness.
"We travelled quite a bit this summer and I tried to put it all into it."
- Named dresses after cows -
He said he spent some of his time on holiday in a Tyrolean cowshed and named the dresses in his collection after the cows.
One outfit is called Vivienne after a calf his wife helped deliver. Two others are called Naomi and Donatella, two names more redolent of the runway than alpine pastures.
"Now I am ready for something different... I cannot wait to get my hands on the next mess," Kronthaler added.
The designer said his Austrian country childhood with its corsets and traditional drindl dresses was the springboard for his at times wildly experimental collection that included two models wearing a set of curtains complete with rails.
A painted satin dress fit for a Chinese empress, however, drew spontaneous applause from the front row.
"Folklore gets a bad name but we should use tradition," Kronthaler said. "I had a completely secluded safe and happy life growing up, and when that is embedded in you, you go through life in that way. If you can give someone the chance to live in the countryside I would always tell them to do so," he added.
But Kronthaler, whose Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood range alternates with his wife's collections, said he did not always appreciate his rural idyll.
"For a long time I did not like my name and where I came from. I always wanted to be called Maximilian or Augustus. I wanted to come from somewhere like Rome. Today I'm okay with it all. The older I get the more sensual I feel."
Kronthaler's show was one of a clutch of eye-catchingly original shows on Saturday. The Japanese Comme des Garcons label -- whose shows also push the boundaries of the wearable, and those between art and couture -- sent out a line of gravity defying outfits and colourfully printed double coats, one worn inside the other.
Earlier former Comme des Garcons stalwart Junya Watanabe wowed critics with his two-tone punk designs made from prints from the famous Finnish textile house Marimekko.

A snapshot of Puerto Rico



Heavy debt load

In early 2017, the Puerto Rican government-debt crisis posed serious problems for the government which was saddled with outstanding bond debt that had climbed to $70 billion at a time with a 45 percent poverty rate and 12.4% unemployment that is more than twice the mainland U.S. average.[225] The debt had been increasing during a decade long recession.[27]
The Commonwealth had been defaulting on many debts, including bonds, since 2015. With debt payments due, the Governor was facing the risk of a government shutdown and failure to fund the managed health care system.[226][227] "Without action before April, Puerto Rico’s ability to execute contracts for Fiscal Year 2018 with its managed care organizations will be threatened, thereby putting at risk beginning July 1, 2017 the health care of up to 900,000 poor U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico", according to a letter sent to Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. They also said that "Congress must enact measures recommended by both Republicans and Democrats that fix Puerto Rico’s inequitable health care financing structure and promote sustained economic growth."[227]
Initially, the oversight board created under PROMESA called for Puerto Rico's governor Ricardo Rosselló to deliver a fiscal turnaround plan by January 28. Just before that deadline, the control board gave the Commonwealth government until February 28 to present a fiscal plan (including negotiations with creditors for restructuring debt) to solve the problems. A moratorium on lawsuits by debtors was extended to May 31.[27] It is essential for Puerto Rico to reach restructuring deals to avoid a bankruptcy-like process under PROMESA.[228] An internal survey conducted by the Puerto Rican Economists Association revealed that the majority of Puerto Rican economists reject the policy recommendations of the Board and the Rosselló government, with more than 80% of economists arguing in favor of auditing the debt.[229]
In early August 2017, the island's financial oversight board (created by PROMESA) planned to institute two days off without pay per month for government employees, down from the original plan of four days per month; the latter had been expected to achieve $218 million in savings. Governor Rossello rejected this plan as unjustified and unnecessary. Pension reforms were also discussed including a proposal for a 10% reduction in benefits to begin addressing the $50 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.[30][230]

Federal taxes[edit]

Though the Commonwealth government has its own tax laws, Puerto Ricans are also required to pay most US federal taxes,[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] with the major exception being that most residents do not have to pay the federal personal income tax.[9] In 2009, Puerto Rico paid $3.742 billion into the US Treasury.[10] Residents of Puerto Rico pay into Social Security, and are thus eligible for Social Security benefits upon retirement. However, they are excluded from the Supplemental Security Income.
The federal taxes paid by Puerto Rico residents include import/export taxes,[11] Federal commodity taxes,[12] social security taxes,[13] among others. Residents also pay federal payroll taxes, such as Social Security[14] and Medicare taxes.[15]
Only certain residents of Puerto Rico are required to file federal income tax forms. According to the Internal Revenue Service:
In general, United States citizens and resident aliens who are bona fide residents of Puerto Rico during the entire tax year, which for most individuals is January 1 to December 31, are only required to file a U.S. federal income tax return if they have income sources outside of Puerto Rico or if they are employees of the U.S. government. Bona fide residents of Puerto Rico generally do not report income received from sources within Puerto Rico on their U.S. income tax return. However, they should report all income received from sources outside Puerto Rico on their U.S. income tax return. Residents of Puerto Rico who are employed by the government of the United States or who are members of the armed forces of the United States also should report all income received for their services to the government of the United States on their U. S. income tax return.
United States citizens or resident aliens who are not bona fide residents of Puerto Rico during the entire tax year are required to report all income from whatever source derived on their U.S. income tax return. However, a U.S. citizen who changes residence from Puerto Rico to the United States and who was a bona fide resident of Puerto Rico at least two years before changing residence can exclude from U.S. taxable income the Puerto Rican source income received while residing in Puerto Rico during the taxable year of such change of residence. [16]
Bona fide residents of Puerto Rico cannot claim deductions and/or credits allocable to or chargeable against Puerto Rican source income that is excluded from a U.S. tax return. The deductions and credits not attributable to specific income must be divided between excluded income from sources in Puerto Rico and income from all other sources to find the part that can be deducted or credited on a U.S. tax return. Examples of deductions not attributable to specific income include alimony, the standard deduction, and certain itemized deductionssuch as medical expenses, charitable contributions, and real estate taxes and mortgage interest on your personal residence. Personal exemptions are generally allowed in full.
If you have taxable Puerto Rican source income on your U.S. income tax return, then you can claim a credit for foreign taxes paid to Puerto Rico. However, you are not allowed to claim a credit for foreign taxes paid with respect to Puerto Rican source income that is excluded from a U.S. tax return. Therefore, to properly calculate your foreign tax credit, you must reduce your foreign taxes paid by the amount of taxes allocable to excluded Puerto Rican source income.[17]
Employers in Puerto Rico are subject to both Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax (a payroll withholding tax, which funds Social Security and Medicare) and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA). Employers in Puerto Rico must withhold the employee portion of FICA taxes from their employees' wages and contribute the employer portion of FICA.[18]









Racial and Ethnic Composition in Puerto Rico (2015 Census est.)[268]EthnicityWhite
  
75.8%Black or African American
  
12.4%Asian
  
0.2%Two or more races
  
3.3%American Indian
  
0.5%Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
  
0.1%Other races
  
7.8%
Historical population
YearPop.±%
176544,883—    
177570,250+56.5%
1800155,426+121.2%
1815220,892+42.1%
1832350,051+58.5%
1846447,914+28.0%
1860583,308+30.2%
1877731,648+25.4%
1887798,565+9.1%
1899953,243+19.4%
19101,118,012+17.3%
19201,299,809+16.3%
19301,543,913+18.8%
19401,869,255+21.1%
19502,210,703+18.3%
19602,349,544+6.3%
19702,712,033+15.4%
19803,196,520+17.9%
19903,522,037+10.2%
20003,808,610+8.1%
20103,725,789−2.2%
20163,411,307−8.4%
1765–2010[263]
2016 Estimate[4]

Who we're dealing with in Puerto Rico. The Left ever the victims.

San Juan Mayor Praised Convicted FALN Terrorist


San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who attacked President Donald Trump for his response to the hurricane devastion in Puerto Rico, has previously praised FALN terrorist leader Oscar Lopez Rivera.
Yulin Cruz is a member of Puerto Rico’s Popular Democratic Party that wants the island to remain a U.S. territory. But she sounded more like a member of the island’s Independence Party in a video that surfaced back in January when President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Rivera Lopez.
The mayor is shown praising the convicted Puerto Rican terrorist in the video below.

“Hello, San Juan. Freedom for Oscar Lopez Rivera.. soon he will be with us. We have to thank every Puerto Rican man and woman, who for a long time, many of us didn’t know Oscar Lopez Rivera. He was fighting the fight,” she said.
“We’re going to give you more details when we welcome this great Puerto Rican patriot in a cause that unites us and to know that, in spite of our differences, we can do big things in this country,” she continued.
Yulin Cruz added, “This great celebration is going to be in the streets and it is going to be extraordinarily large. So do come by starting Thursday to celebrate what our hearts scream for. Thanks, President Obama. Long live Oscar Lopez Rivera.”
Lopez Rivera was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in the FALN, a Puerto Rican separatist group that was responsible for more than 100 bombings in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s.
Four people lost their lives in 1975 when an explosion happened at Fraunces Tavern in New York City, an attack the FALN was responsible for. The organization was also responsible for seriously injuring three NYPD officers in several bomb attacks on New Year’s Eve in 1982.
During a press conference Friday, Yulin Cruz attacked the Trump administration’s response to the hurricane’s destruction. “We are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency and the bureaucracy.”
“This is what we got last night: four pallets of water, three pallets of meals and 12 pallets of infant food — which I gave them to the people of Comerio, where people are drinking off a creek,” she added. “So I am done being polite. I am done being politically correct. I am mad as hell.”

Obama intentional imported gang members to destabilize America. Note the happy when greeting Hugo Chavez.

Operation Regional Shield – 3,800 Gang Members in U.S., El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras Charged…

As you read this press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, reference the originating nations for the 2014 “Unaccompanied Alien Children” crisis. [ie. Ted Cruz, Glenn Beck and Dana Loesch: ‘Teddy Bear and Soccer Balls’ alien relief mission]  This is directly related to DACA used as a magnet. (Background follows press release)

U.S. DOJ – Senior law enforcement officials from the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras announced here today criminal charges against more than 3,800 MS-13 and 18th Street gang members in the United States and Central America in a coordinated law enforcement action known as Operation Regional Shield.
The charges were announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the United States, Attorney General Douglas Meléndez of El Salvador, Attorney General Thelma Aldana of Guatemala, and Attorney General Oscar Chinchilla of Honduras, marking the six-month anniversary of the commitment to combat transnational organized crime initiated in March by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, together with the Attorneys General of the three Central American countries.
The more than 3,800 individuals charged announced today include over 70 individuals in the United States in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Virginia. Law enforcement officers seized six firearms and charged 284 gang members in Guatemala; seized 14 businesses and 11 luxury vehicles and arrested 12 MS-13 money launderers in Honduras; and filed 3,477 criminal charges, resulting in more than 1,400 arrests in El Salvador.  (read more)

Here’s the DHS chart from the 2014 UAC crisis. Notice any similarity?

April 2009 – After a Mid-East trip to Egypt to deliver his Cairo speech, President Barack Obama travels to South America for the “Summit of the Americas“. The summit included thirty-four South American countries. Obama wanted to promote his point that relations in North and South America can be heavily improved, especially after age old ideals on immigration and commerce are dropped. Hugo Chavez warmly embraced Obama and provided a gift, a book titled “The Open Veins of Latin America“. (link)
TRINIDAD-AMERICAS-SUMMIT-CHAVEZ-OBAMA
December 2009 – November 2010 – 100% of all political effort was leveraged to create and institute the ACA or ObamaCare. All media oxygen is focused on ObamaCare 24/7.
November 2010 – President Obama is “shellacked” in Mid-Term elections. Loses control of the House of Representatives to Republicans. Biggest electoral defeat since 1918.
January 2011 – Emphasis, and political strategy changes. “Comprehensive Immigration Reform“, ie. “amnesty” becomes the mainstay approach toward retention of political power. Throughout a contentious Republican primary season, to assist their ideological traveler, the U.S. media kept the issue on the front burner.
November 2012 – Election year campaign(s). Using wedge issues like “War on Women”, and “Immigration / Amnesty”, candidate Obama promises to push congress for “amnesty”, under the guise of “Comprehensive Immigration Reform”, if elected. President Obama wins reelection.
December 2012 – Immediately following reelection President Barack Obama signs an Executive Order creating the “Deferred Action Program”, or DACA. Allowing millions of illegal aliens to avoid deportation. (link)
Obama Jesus Pose
May 2013 – President Barack Obama visits South America. Following a speech Mexican entrepreneurs, Obama then travelled to Costa Rica, his first visit as president. In addition to meetings with Costa Rican President Laura Chincilla, Obama attended a gathering of leaders from the Central American Integration System, (CAIS). The regional network includes the leaders of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. (link) President Obama meets with the leaders of the Central American Countries.
Summer 2013 – Numbers of Illegal Unaccompanied Minors reaching the Southern U.S. border from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua doubles. 20,000+ reach U.S. Southern border by travelling through Mexico. Media primarily ignores. (link)
uac graph 2
October 2013 – At the conclusion of the immigrant travel season. White House receives notification that tens of thousands of illegal Unaccompanied Minors should be anticipated to hit the Southern U.S. border the following Summer [2014]. An estimated 850% increase in the number of UAC’s (from 2012’s less than 10,000) was projected. (link)
January 2014 – In response to the projections, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posts a jobs notification seeking bids to facilitate 65,000 Unaccompanied Alien Children. The posting outlines DHS and Health and Human Services (HHS) requirements for contractors to fulfill the job. (link)
February 2014 – President Obama visits Mexico for “bilateral talks”, in an unusual one day visit (link):
deferred action chart
Spring 2014 – With a full year of successful transport and border crossing without deportation – DHS begins to notice a significant uptick in the number of criminal elements from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; which have joined with the UAC’s to gain entry. Internal DHS documents reveal the “refugee” status is now being used by both criminal cartels, and potentially by Central American government(s) to send prison inmates into the U.S. (link)
June 2014 – As expected tens of thousands of Unaccompanied Alien Children from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua hit the border and the headlines. Despite the known planning, and recently discovered prior internal notifications, the White House claims it did not see this coming. By July the media have picked up the story and it’s called “A Border Crisis”. However, the White House is desperate to avoid exposure to the known criminal elements within the story. (link)
July 2014 – President Obama requests $3,700,000,000 ($3.7 billion) in supplemental budget appropriations to deal with the border crisis. Only $109 million is for actual border security or efforts to stop the outflow from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Growing concern amid Democrats brings out a defense position that George Bush created the crisis in 2008.
Hidden inside a massive budget request is President Obama seeking legal authorization to spend taxpayer funds for lawyers and legal proceedings on behalf of the UAC’s and their families. In essence congress is being asked to approve the executive branch’s violation of previous immigration law. Section 292 of the Immigration and Nationality Act prohibits representation of aliens “in immigration proceedings at government expense“.
It becomes increasingly obvious the spending request is to facilitate President Obama in expanding the services toward ALL illegal immigrants throughout the U.S.
The stealth nature of the request is brilliant. Once the funds are established and appropriated the administration can then use millions of taxpayer funds to essentially integrate not only the UAC’s but any illegal alien currently within the system.
The $3.7 Billion becomes the amnesty program Obama has sought but been blocked from achieving.
illegal alien 10
July 9th 2014 – Fearful that U.S. political interests might bring a halt to the outflow already in place, and/or actually result in a backlog of travelling migrants stuck at the border inside Mexico:…
…Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Guatemalan president Otto Perez Molina held a joint press conference in Playas de Catazaja, Mexico, to officially announce an agreement to make it easier for those making the illegal journey to the United States from Central America, to cross into Mexico.
The Southern Border Program to Improve Passage, will provide for more border checkpoints along Mexico’s border with Guatemala, and offer more protection and even emergency medical care to those making their way north. The illegal aliens will receive a so-called Regional Visitor’s Card, according to El Universal. (link) 
July 10th, 2014 – Facing pushback from congress as well as sticker shock at the amount he is requesting, President Obama sends his DHS team to Capitol Hill to ramp up anxiety, and threats of consequences:
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Thursday that as many as 90,000 unaccompanied child migrants could cross the southwest border before the end of this fiscal year in September.
That will place a huge strain on immigration agencies, which will badly need new money to get through the summer, Johnson says.
The 90,000 number — the highest yet given by the administration — is spelled out in written Senate testimony by Johnson as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who must also deal with the border crisis.
“We are preparing for a scenario in which the number of unaccompanied children apprehended at the border could reach up to 90,000 by the end of fiscal 2014,” Johnson’s testimony reads, and he bluntly warns that without an infusion of new funds, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will run out of money in August. (read more)
It would have been more direct and honest if DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said: ‘pay us this extortion money or we’ll use our pulpit to call you haters, racists and bigots amid all the news broadcasts – and we’ll be joined by the likes of Glenn Beck to proclaim how insufferable and hateful you are for not caring about the children’.
….. the poor children.
border fence 7 UAC
arizona illegals 2UAC middleschoolers