Some initial thoughts on the disability discrimination section of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission Report. First, more work is needed to seek out & respect the views of disabled people themselves, and especially those who experienced these settings firsthand.

The report does not focus in depth on many settings in which disabled people were detained (e.g. psychiatric hospitals, residential disability institutions), so it’s clearly not a full picture of the human rights violations experienced by disabled people on this issue.

The report shows the flow of disabled people between mother and baby homes, psychiatric hospitals, county homes, Magdalene laundries & specialist disability services. This deserves more attention - who was responsible for admission/discharge decisions? What criteria did they use?

On the issue of consent of disabled mothers to place their children for adoption – the report shows that often, where disabled mothers made the ‘right’, socially acceptable choice; that is, to place the child for adoption, then they were often deemed to have capacity to decide.

When disabled mothers resisted the adoption of their children, and were perceived to be making the ‘wrong’ decision, many were found to lack capacity to decide. Critical analysis of the subjective, value-laden nature of these capacity assessments is missing from the report.

(An extract from Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Soldiering with Dignity)

The man eventually destined to be free India's first Field Marshal was born on 3rd April 1914 at Amritsar. How did a Parsi couple settle for the holy city of the Sikhs? I once asked him and was told that in+

1899, his father recently qualified as a doctor and just married, could make no professional headway in Bombay, and was advised to try his luck at Lahore in the Punjab. With his young wife, he set off by train for Lahore. The long dusty and hot journey took five days and by the+

end of it, his young wife, who had never left the comforts and civilization of Bombay, was in hysterics and cried to go back. Poor Dr Manekshaw did all he could to comfort her, but as the train steamed into Amritsar, with her first sight of the Sikhs the young bride screamed her+

lungs out and refused to go any further. So they left the train at Amritsar, and there they stayed for forty-five years.

The Manekshaws had six children, four boys and two girls, and Sam was the fifth child. Sam had his schooling at Nainital's Sherwood College.+

After completing his schooling, he should have gone to England to pursue higher studies; this was the promise made to him by his father but, fortunately for the Indian Army, Dr Manekshaw felt that this particular son was far too young to be on his own in a foreign country, even+

@spencermorgan93 I'm going to open up a can of worms here, I dont know if you will read this or if even what the next step would be but its a web of connections that needs a real journalist to investigate

So let's start with the latest debacle
School meal boxes as highlighted by Marcus Rushford

The company that supplies them is Chartwells foods
Chartwells food is owned by a parent company called The compass group
Compass group supplies the jockey club there events catering

On the board of directors at the jockey club are
Baroness Dido Harding, of failed T&T fame

Also on this jockey club board was the late Rose Patterson
The husband of Owen Patterson
The mp for North Shropshire and the former secretary of state for Environment and rural affairs

Owen Patterson is also a consultant of a company called Randox

Let's dig deeper shall we

Let's look at another consultant of randox

John Penrose
The Mp for weston and the government's anti corruption champion is also a paid consultant for the company called RANDOX

Lets look at RANDOX for a moment

Randox are a laboratory company who surprisingly won the multi million £ contract to process PCR tests which just happen to have 2 influential advisors

But how does this link into the jokey club and in turn Matt Hancock?

1. Is @FoxNews" giving aid and comfort" to insurrectionists? Can the sponsors, hosts, directors, producers, writers, managers, and directors be charged under 18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection?

Let me say a few word’s about the Trueman article.

It presents itself as dealing with Critical Race Theology (CRT) but it really is trying to deal with evangelicals and race. Which is a need, but the way the article is structured it is not helpful, it misconstrues CRT and misunderstands the present call to address the race issue.

Trueman asserts “the issue of race has played Banquo’s ghost...an unsettling, unwelcome, somewhat passive guest.” If Trueman truly sees race as the unwanted “guest” at our evangelical feast, why not address the topic of race rather than jumping on the bandwagon to attack CRT?

Does he think that CRT is the issue causing the race problem? Is he really turning a deaf ear to the Black Christian Community who have said all along this is not about CRT? But he must think that CRT is the problem. Yet he shows a misconstrued version of this academic discipline

Even before addressing CRT, he misrepresents the power of CRT with the dramatic statement, it “has become the shibboleth: Are you for it? Or are you against it?” This is a misinterpreting of the issue. Those on the side of racial justice are not seeking to make CRT a shibboleth.

NOW: Sen. Bob Ballinger is presenting his stand your ground bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee. This bill would end the duty to retreat. #arnews #arleg #arpx @KATVNews

Ballinger, present with an NRA representative, has introduced an amendment that cleans up the language he says. (The amendment passes)
Now he's presenting his bill w/ amendment to the committee. #arnews #arpx #arleg @KATVNews

Ballinger: In short, you're going to hear this is a license to kill - that isn't the way it is in California or Illinois or other jurisdictions. We have worked with AG's office, prosecutors, law enforcement... #arnews #arpx #arleg @KATVNews

NRA Rep: SB 24 does not encourage violence or give anyone a license to murder. This is a very narrow concept that simply protects victims of violent crime that choose to defend themselves before attempting to flee. #arnews #arpx #arleg @KATVNews

Sen. Stephanie Flowers: A convicted felon has the right to have a weapon at their dwelling and use it to defend themselves?
Ballinger: It's saying they don't have the duty to retreat, but you can still prosecute for felon in possession of a weapon #arpx #arnews @KATVNews

https://t.co/odzm9VTdwZ

Thread for today. /0

It is fashionable for people to create sympathy to the unseen / unknown organisms. The poor things that can't stand up and fight for their own existence.

It makes for a brilliant narrative. It melts your hearts. And you get to play saviour of the oppressed by outraging. /1

But, for most part, such things are also false.

Amazon are the lungs of the world. Never mind that most of the world's oxygen production happens in open oceans. But these are harmless ones. Of course, we all love to maintain forests.

However, some things are sheer scare mongering.

For instance - take this: coral reefs will be permanently gone if mean / median temperatures raise by 1°C ..

But, really - how? Then you get a lecture on how CO2 will affect calcification.

Dig a bit deeper from another angle+

+ and you find that the earth was much much warmer during the age of Dinosaurs. So much so, that we had cold blooded lizards growing to sizes of buildings. Surely, there must have been tons of CO2 then!

And the ocean temps were quite high too.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s romance with Niger Republic has become an affront to the national interest of Nigeria. When he was sworn-in as an elected president in 2015 he went to Mamadou Issoufou’s presidential palace in Niamey, Niger Republic, to celebrate.

They gave him the reception of a conquering Fulani warlord: a white horse and sword.
I found that curious. How can a Nigerian leader celebrate his electoral victory in a foreign country and not Daura, his supposed hometown in Nigeria?

Answer has since been provided through Buhari’s policy actions in the past 5+ years. We have since learnt that Buhari is a first-generation Nigerian whose father, Ardo Adamu Buhari, a duck seller, had migrated from Niger, settled in Nigeria and married a Nigerian woman, Zulaihat.

The borders defined by the European colonial masters mean nothing to typical Northerners. When you hear that Nigerian borders are porous, what it really means is that there is no intention in the minds of Northern Nigerians and their elite to create an effective barrier between..

them and their kith and kin in the neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Northern Cameroun. Meanwhile, the Southern borders are strictly monitored (within the limits permitted by the selfish interests of corrupt Customs and Immigration officials).

It really breaks my heart to write this, but Nazmuddin Khan sahib, on whom I wrote a chapter (probably my favourite one) in Remnants, is no more. Born in 1929 in Delhi's Hauz Rani, he passed away just short of 92 years. 1/

We didn't meet often, but when we did, he called me Munni. He was the first person to make me realize that my work was not merely on objects or Partition, but rather on identity and belonging. True belonging to land and home and soil; a belonging for the living and the dead. 2/

While working on his chapter, there were things I was confronted with that I’d never thought of before - things that made me feel small, made me question my privilege, my safety, and the lived difference between nationalism, patriotism and fanaticism. 3/

He may have been an ordinary person who lived an ordinary life, but the lessons from that life were extraordinary and I hope his words reach the far corners of the world to help us become more empathetic and accepting humans. This is his legacy, his hopeful heart. 4/

If you've read his chapter in Remnants -This Bird of Gold, My Land -The Hopeful Heart of Nazmuddin Khan- then you know he was masterful in his memories. If you haven't, then I will tell you that he peppers our conversation with his childhood, stories of going to Viceroy House 5/

Bored? Wanna help ID Fascists? Here is a 350GB folder of DC videos, a map of Parler videos (with post ids), and the link to Parler Metadata. Once archives are up you can use map + ID's + data to find

It's been hot takes on LGBTQ. Let's get some Islamic edu on "gender nonconformity" i.e. "identifying as a gender different from what was assigned at birth."

There're 64 genders* today—not just male/female anymore. Anything of such & how's gender established in Islam?

THREAD

Is gender about anatomy (the genital you were born with) or personal decision?

That's summarily the question this thread seeks to illuminate as per Islamic perspective. It doesn't matter if you're a Muslim or not. So far you're a knowledge-seeker and here for that, be my guest.

Like you're probably confused about the LGBTQ arguments, some persons around are confused about their biological sex and gender. The exact reason they (the few real ones among them - not trans) appear noncomformist.

This problem is called gender dysphoria.

Gender dysphoria is the feeling of unease that occurs in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or genitals (sex-related physical characteristics).

See attachments on gender identity, gender expression & sexual orientation. All.. different things.

Forward. Is there anything different from male/female known to Islam? Yes, there're gender-atypical persons.

1. The ambiguous khunthā (al-khunthā al-mushkil)
2. The congenital mukhannath (al-mukhannath al-khilqī)
3. The non-congenital mukhannath (al-mukhannath ghayr al-khilqī)

Thread:
With US having vaccinated 9M+ and India starting it's vaccination plan soon (Jan 16th) some have started scaremongering about vaccines via alarmist WhatsApp forwards, FB/Twitter posts and other social media platforms

Most of the cases of severe reaction to vaccine have been mostly Anaphylaxis which is a severe, (in some cases potentially life-threatening allergic reaction) It can occur after exposure to allergen which can be peanut, shellfish, bee sting etc. or even contents of a vaccine.

CDC guidelines clearly state that patients should be monitored for anaphylaxis at vaccination sites and also prescribes protocols on what steps to

Recommendations include urging sites where vaccines are given to be ready to handle anaphylaxis cases, including by having epinephrine. People who have been vaccinated should stay to be monitored for 15 minutes if they have no history of allergy and 30 minutes if they do.

Based on initial vaccination data it is estimated that probability of suffering anaphylaxis is 11.1 per million i.e. 0.00111% (i.e. extremely rare condition)

In order to maintain a largely peaceful society, rebuild our faith in our government, and form a more perfect union, I would like to propose a peace deal fair to all Americans.

President: @TulsiGabbard

Vice President: @RandPaul

Tarlochan Singh, an elderly farmer, summed up the mood, saying: 

“It is not merely about a few legal infirmities in the laws. It is the philosophy of governance that will trigger a national crisis, a situation that will widen the conflict between the rich and the poor...

If this direction is not changed, we may be heading for civil war in this country. We have to understand the nature of the threat first; it is not about legalese, it is about life.”

“Everybody is going to be affected — the small businessmen, the agriculture workers, the consumers. We don’t need governments, courts and committees to tell us what our pain is.

Why is the government doing such a favour that will endanger our lives?

None will move from here until the laws are repealed.

The government can fire on us, unleash tanks or do bombarding from fighter planes. We die or defeat this government.”

Asked what would happen if the leaders strike a deal with the government and decide to give up, he said:

“It is not possible now. You must have a very low-grade moral fabric to strike a deal with the government on this issue. Our leaders aren’t like that.”

How the Future of India and USA, was determined by the inability of the Austrian Kings Joseph I and Charles VI, to produce male heirs..

When Joseph 1, died of smallpox in 1711, he had two daughters but no son. As a result, his brother Charles VI, succeeded him on the throne

Given that it was 1700s and the presence of a Son was considered paramount for succession, and the Salic law, in effect at that time barred women from inheritance, Charles VI was the last male heir to the throne, unless Charles VI had a son.

Which he didn't.

But he had 2 daughters, Maria Theresa & Maria Anna. Realizing that his kingdom would be divided on his death, he decided to change the law, and allowed his daughters to inherit the kingdom

Which was pretty sad for thhe daughters of his elder brother, Joseph, who he disinherited

Every other European power was smacking their lips in anticipation, of devouring the wonderful Austro Hungarian empire as a sweet desert, as it's division was imminent.

Things came to head in 1740, when Charles VI died and Maria Theresa became the Empress of Austria.

Half the Europen powers, Like France, Prussia and Spain, sided with the daughters of Joseph, because they wanted to takeover Austria

Britain, Dutch and Russia, sided with Maria Theresa.

This resulted in an 8 year war called the war of Austrian Succession, in which 3,00,000 died