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Thursday, September 29, 2016

The rise of Pepe the Frog is another sign of white nationalism building online

"Pepe the Frog" designated hate symbol by ADL

The ubiquitous green internet amphibian known as Pepe the Frog has been added to the Anti-Defamation League"s database of hate symbols. It"s yet another sign that neo-n**i and white nationalist propaganda is proliferating online.

The Anti-Defamation League"s hate symbols database is crowded with acronyms and photos of tattooed hate symbols, but the group has recently decided to look to the internet to more accurately track the spread of hate messages.

"Our hate symbol database has sort of traditionally dealt with hate symbols that people might come in contact with in the street or on the ground," Oren Segal, director of Anti-Defamation League"s Center on Extremism, told Mashable. "We realize this year that more people are likely to come across hate symbols every day on their phones or online than necessarily in their neighborhood."

The addition of Pepe the Frog to the hate database is somewhat new for the Anti-Defamation League, but not without precedent.

Earlier this year, the group added the (((echo))) symbol, which is used by anti-Semites to identify others as Jewish.

The echo"s origins come from a podcast aired in 2014 in which the hosts dub Jewish names with an echo-effect. The translation of this echo to text took off earlier this year, so much that many Twitter users who are not anti-Semites began to use parentheses as a way to counter the anti-Semitic message.

The proliferation of Pepe and the echo symbol in many ways mirrors the recent proliferation of white nationalist and neo-n**i activity on social media.

Pepe the Frog didn"t start out as an anti-Semitic meme, but internet users in certain corners of sites such as 4chan, 8chan and Reddit warped the frog into a symbol that promotes "anti-Jewish, bigoted and offensive ideas," according to the Anti-Defamation League"s news release. Those ideas took off on Twitter as well as other social networks.

The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the growth of the modern American white nationalist movement often referred to as the loosely-defined and Pepe-loving "alt-right" in much the same way.

"The general population of the alt-right is composed, by and large, of anonymous youths who were exposed to the movements ideas through online message boards like 4chan and 8chans /pol/ and Internet platforms like Reddit and Twitter," the The Southern Poverty Law Center says.

In this April 23 photo, members of the Ku Klux Klan participate in a "white pride" rally in Rome, Georgia.

Image: AP Photo/John Bazemore

And, like the emergence of Pepe as racist/anti-Semitic meme, the online emergence of the alt-right is also recent. Since 2012, "major American white nationalist movements on Twitter" have gained 22,000 followers, "an increase of about 600 percent," according to a recent study of white nationalism online.

That boost in numbers comes partially due to "organized social media activism" and "organic growth in the adoption of social media by people interested in white nationalism," according to the study.

In addition to Pepe the Frog, one of the alt-right"s favorite topics of conversation is Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. In alt-right circles of the internet, talk of Trump has become as ubiquitous as their favorite amphibian.

BONUS VIDEO:

Source: http://mashable.com/2016/09/28/pepe-the-frog-hate-symbol-online/

Emotional crowd says Olango killed for being black, mentally ill

El Cajon Cops KILL UNARMED, MENTALLY DISABLED Black Man Having SEIZURE After His Sister Called 911!!

A large and emotional crowd gathered in front of the El Cajon Police Department Wednesday morning to decry the fatal officer-involved shooting of a black man family members said was mentally unstable.

Under a blazing hot sun that seemed to matchthe temperature of the crowd, speaker after speaker stepped forward saying that the killing of Alfred Olango was a miscarriage of justice that should not have happened.

Mr. Olango was killed for three strikes, said Christopher Rice-Wilson, the Associate Director of the Alliance for San Diego. His first strike was for being black. His second strike was being mentally ill. And his third strike was not following orders, he said. How can you expect a man who cant understand your orders to follow your orders?

Rice-Wilson said the department should have dispatched a team that deals with the mentally ill when it dispatched the call to the officers.

El Cajon shooting

He also questioned the officersresponse once they arrived and confronted Olango. He said one deployed his Taser while the other, instead, fired his weapon. What was the difference? he asked.Why did one officer use lethal force while the other did not?

Mallory Webb, with the NAACP, said she was angry and hurt.

That mans life was priceless, she said. He wasnt doing anything. In an emotional speech that was punctuated at one point with people yelling the names of other black men killed by law enforcement, Webb said

that the shooting could have happened toher little brother or her twin sister.

Im scared to walk the streets every single day, she said. Why do I feel like I have to look behind bushes and hide behind trees because I could get shot and killed anytime? Its not fair at all.

Bishop Cornelius Bowser of the Charity Apostolic Church said Olango was not treated with dignity and respect. He said his sister was calling for help, not to have him killed.

He also questioned the release of the still shot from video released by police that showed Olango with his hands together pointing at the two officers. He called it propaganda on the part of the department that is trying to frame a narrative. Lets see everything, he said referring to the cell phone video taken by a witness.

Dont think for a minute this is over, declared Rev. Shane Harris, the President of the San Diego chapter of the National Action Network. The countrys eyes are on this city.

We are not going to stop until we get justice for Alfred Olango.

Source: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/whats-now/sd-me-protest-olango-20160928-story.html

Hilary Duff Says She"s More Focused on Being a "Soccer Mom" Than Making Music: "My Life Is So Full"

Hilary Duff - Come Clean (Official Music Video)

There"s a whole lot to love when it comes toHilary Duff.

Perhaps it"s her unforgettable hit singles including "Come Clean" and "So Yesterday." Maybe it"s her hit TV Land series Younger that returns with new episodes this week. Or could it be all the love and admiration she has for her growing son Luca?

"All of a sudden, he is real sassy. He"s very dramatic like his mom and he definitely can put on a show," Hilary gushed to E! News in New York City. "But he"s also very coordinated but I just don"t know if he has the competitive factor for sports, but he"s also four. He"s driven but he"s not competitive."

She continued, "Honestly, I"m so pumped to be soccer mom and making lunches to pack to school and not being on anybody else"s schedule for a minute."

As Luca continues to grow up right in front of mom"s eyes, Hilary also has her ex-husband Mike Comrie along for the ride. While they may no longer be together romantically, both parties have found a way to co-parent without any drama.

"I think we both feel lucky that we"re dealing with each other and we have a great kid so that makes it all the better," Hilary explained while supporting Visine"s new #ScreenOn campaign. "That we both enjoy him to the fullest and it"s great."

As she prepares for a new season of Younger, Hilary remains focused on her acting career. And while she knows that many fans still love and adore her timeless hits, music just isn"t the biggest priority right now.

"I"ve also been very honest about this that I don"t know how much time I have to put into [music]. I don"t have dreams to go on a world tour anymore," she admitted. "Maybe somebody, but right now, my life is so full and busy enough with the show. I love music, it"s in me, it"s a part of me but I look at my kid and go you"re a teenager alreadyIt"s scary to think time is going by so fast and I want to be present for all of that."

And yes, she"s also making some time to date. After photos surfaced of the actress holding hands with her personal trainer Jason Walsh, Hilary almost confirmed they were a thing.

"We"ve known each other for a really long time and he"s a great guy and we have a lot of fun together," she said on Good Day New York earlier today. "It"s nice to have that excitement in my life."

Season three of Youngerpremieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. only on TV Land.

Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/797722/hilary-duff-says-she-s-more-focused-on-being-a-soccer-mom-than-making-music-my-life-is-so-full

FREE Krispy Kreme for National Coffee Day today

TASTING KRISPY KREME DONUTS

It"s national coffee day and many companies are celebrating with free drinks.

Kristen Reed, WXIA 7:55 AM. EDT September 29, 2016

Warm coffee and doughnuts are up for grabs at Krispy Kreme for National Coffee Day on Thursday September 29, 2016.

The company is giving outa free small coffee and a free Original Glazed doughnut from open to close at participating locations.

Every location in Georgia is participating and customers interested in the freebies should just show up to any Krispy Kreme location. To find one near you, click here.

They"ve promoted the event on social media and sent out emails to subscribers.

Coffee loves doughnuts. This #NationalCoffeeDay on 9/29, come in for a FREE coffee AND an Original Glazed doughnut. (US/CAN) pic.twitter.com/uVWLdeOFMz

krispykreme (@krispykreme) September 24, 2016OTHER FREE OFFERS

Krispy Kreme isn"t the only chain celebrating National Coffee Day by giving out free drinks.

QuikTriphas a free small self-serve coffee for anyone who downloads their app and uses the coupon.

Flying J and Pilot gas stations are offering a free small cup of coffee or any small hot tea of cappuccino with this coupon.

Dunkin Donuts is selling medium hot coffees for .66 to celebrate their 66th anniversary. Find locations, here.

COFFEE FOR CHARITY

Some drink chains like Starbucks, Caribou Coffee and Whole Foods and McDonalds have said they are donating money, trees, etc. to various causes on National Coffee Day.

Photos | National Donut Day selfies

Source: http://www.11alive.com/news/free-krispy-kreme-for-national-coffee-day-today/327353884

Hilary Duff Says She"s More Focused on Being a "Soccer Mom" Than Making Music: "My Life Is So Full"

Hilary Duff - Sparks (Fan Demanded Version)

There"s a whole lot to love when it comes toHilary Duff.

She continued, "Honestly, I"m so pumped to be soccer mom and making lunches to pack to school and not being on anybody else"s schedule for a minute."

And yes, she"s also making some time to date. After photos surfaced of the actress holding hands with her personal trainer Jason Walsh, Hilary almost confirmed they were a thing.

"We"ve known each other for a really long time and he"s a great guy and we have a lot of fun together," she said on Good Day New York earlier today. "It"s nice to have that excitement in my life."

Season three of Youngerpremieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. only on TV Land.

Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/797722/hilary-duff-says-she-s-more-focused-on-being-a-soccer-mom-than-making-music-my-life-is-so-full

Why Pregnant Janet Jackson Is In Hiding REVEALED � Is She OK?

Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation

Janet Jackson has only been seen out in public once since announcing her pregnancy, but its not just doctors orders keeping her in hiding.

Insiders told OK! Magazine that the 50-year-old expectant mother has been staying at home with her husband Wissam Al Mana because shes on bed rest!

Sources claim she has ballooned to 250 pounds, and ordered to stay at home because shes at risk for serious complications.

This pregnancy is doing a number on her, added the insider.

Janet is also struggling over her appearance as she prepares for her first child and the source claimed she didnt want anyone to see that she was already getting huge when she was photographed in July.

So far, Jackson has not revealed the gender of her child and her brother Tito Jackson said in June that shes merely hoping for a healthy baby.

Source: http://okmagazine.com/get-scoop/janet-jackson-pregnant-baby-bump-pics-fat-hiding-health/

Middle East|Syria Talks Will End if Aleppo Bombing Continues, US Tells Russia

Syrian ambassador laughs as journalist asks about Aleppo hospital bombings

The Obama administration has repeatedly said it is Russias responsibility to stop its own attacks and to ensure that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria complies with the agreement Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov reached nearly three weeks ago in Geneva to reduce violence in the conflict and allow humanitarian aid into besieged areas.

The two clashed over the conflict in the United Nations Security Council last week, when Mr. Lavrov said the United States had failed to persuade moderate Syrian opposition groups to separate themselves from the extremist fighters of the Nusra Front, an offshoot of Al Qaeda that now calls itself the Levant Victory Front, and abide by a cease-fire.

Mr. Kerry said the Russian and Syrian militaries were primarily responsible for the continuing violence, including the Sept. 19 bombing of an aid convoy to Aleppo, which American officials say was carried out by Russian aircraft despite Russian denials.

Mr. Kirby dismissed the Russian assertion that the Aleppo operation has been aimed at terrorists. Thats not whats happening, he told reporters. What were seeing them hit is not Nusra.

When Mr. Kerry became secretary of state he often asserted his goal for Syria was to change President Assads calculation about prevailing on the battlefield and thus set the stage for a political settlement.

The United States has undertaken a covert program to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels forces bombed by the Russians soon after they deployed their warplanes to Syria a year ago.

But President Obama has been extremely reluctant to take additional steps, such as allowing Arab partners to provide surface-to-air missiles to the opposition, establishing no-fly zones or threatening the Assad government with punitive military action.

Nor is it clear if the administration would be willing to broaden the economic sanctions imposed on Russia in the aftermath of Moscows intervention in Ukraine two years ago.

Graphic

Civilians in these areas have limited or no access to food, medicine and basic necessities.

Interagency conversations about other options and alternatives that might be available to us and to our partners continue, said Mr. Kirby, who declined to provide specifics.

Asked what consequences the Russians faced if diplomacy ended, Mr. Kirby pointed to the war itself. Extremist groups will continue to exploit the vacuums that are there in Syria, to expand their operations, which will include no question attacks against Russian interests, perhaps even Russian cities, he said. And Russia will continue to send troops home in body bags.

Congressional critics mocked Mr. Kerrys threat to end talks as toothless. No more lakeside tte--ttes at five-star hotels in Geneva, Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said in a statement. We can only imagine that having heard the news, Vladimir Putin has called off his bear hunt and is rushing back to the Kremlin to call off Russian airstrikes on hospitals, schools and humanitarian aid convoys around Aleppo.

A statement from Russias Foreign Ministry did not mention Mr. Kerrys threat to Mr. Lavrov, saying the two diplomats had discussed possibilities of influencing the situation in Aleppo in the interest of normalizing it by returning to their Sept. 9 agreement.

At a hastily called Defense Ministry briefing Wednesday night in Moscow, Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir said the actions by Syrian and Russian forces in Aleppo were a response to militant shelling and other provocations, including what he called plans for a chemical weapons attack.

He offered no details but said, Under these conditions, the Syrian command had to take retaliatory measures against militants.

When the cease-fire agreement was announced, the Obama administration hoped that the possibility of joint action against militant jihadists would be enough of a lure to ensure Kremlin cooperation.

For months, Russia had pressed the United States to collaborate in Syria against the Islamic State and Nusra Front, not merely deconflict air operations as the American and Russian militaries do now.

For the Kremlin, Russian-American military collaboration in Syria could be presented as having validated its decision to intervene militarily in the conflict and, more generally, its aspirations to expand Russian influence in the Middle East.

But the Russian priority at this point appears to be to help the Syrian government retake Aleppo.

Even if the talks are broken off, the American military will continue to deconflict its air operations with the Russian military, the State Department said.

The attacks on Aleppos medical facilities dominated a meeting on Wednesday of the United Nations Security Council, where diplomacy aimed at halting the war has been repeatedly frustrated. A Security Council resolution adopted in May beseeching combatants to protect medical facilities in war zones has been ignored.

Joanne Liu, the international president of the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders, told the Council that threats to health care workers had worsened, warning that throwing medical impartiality to the wind may also become a new norm of warfare.

The Syrian ambassador, Bashar al-Jaafari, asked by a journalist whether his government had carried out the airstrikes on the two Aleppo hospitals, laughed.

Inside the Council chamber, Russias deputy ambassador, Evgeny Zagaynov, said he condemned attacks on medical targets but warned against a rush to blame Syria and Russia without verifiable data.

The British deputy ambassador, Peter Wilson, pointed out that only Russian and Syrian warplanes were bombing rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Syria and Russia bear full responsibility for these atrocities, he wrote on Twitter.

The secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, in some of his sharpest remarks on Syria, said about the Aleppo airstrikes: Those using ever more destructive weapons know exactly what they are doing. They know they are committing war crimes.

Continue reading the main story

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/world/middleeast/syria-john-kerry-aleppo-russia.html