It’s tempting to just “forget” what’s happening today in the world, but running away gets me no place, even away. So while I’m drawn to try and escape acid reflux topics, I will at least mix the two for awhile, at least until my readership vanishes. That said, today’s mixture:
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“INDIAN GIVER?”
Was Jimmy Carter already dead when Trump announced his intention/wish to take the Panama Canal back? The Canal Zone was constructed following Jim Crow policies of segregation. Privileged white U.S. citizens and their dependents were granted certain rights based on race. Black Panamanians and migrant laborers, mostly from the Caribbean, took the bulk of low-paying jobs and lived in the Canal Zone’s segregated neighborhoods. (Google) When President, Jimmy Carter signed https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check
The stretch of land 50 miles long and 10 miles wide in the middle of the Panamanian isthmus had been under U.S. control since 1903, with construction of the canal starting in earnest the following year.
The U.S. Canal Zone had its own government, court system, schools, police force, fire department. It had its own governor, appointed by the president of the U.S. Living in the zone meant access to free housing, free schools, state-of-the-art medical facilities, manicured lawns, clean streets, little-league football and Fourth of July parades.
But when Panamanians set foot in the Canal Zone, their citizenship rights were void and they could be prosecuted under different laws and regulations.
The Panama Canal Treaty promised to give control of the canal to the Panamanians by midnight Dec. 31, 1999. The Treaty of Permanent Neutrality and Operation declared the canal neutral and open to vessels of all nations and allowed the U.S. to retain the permanent right to defend the canal from any threat.
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Voters in Odessa, Texas, have overwhelmingly rebuked the city’s anti-trans reputation by replacing the three city council members who supported its infamous bathroom ban – and also by electing Odessa’s first-ever gay council member.
Craig Stoker, executive director for the local Meals on Wheels, campaigned on improving the city’s infrastructure, while his opponent – incumbent Denise Swanner – campaigned on homophobia.
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FORTY DIFFERENT FRUIT ON ONE TREE
Why can’t we do it?
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I GUESS I COULD BE CALLED AN ALLIE IN GHANA
An Amendment in Ghana would classify LGBTQ+ people, allies, and related acts as “fugitive criminals.” In the same vein as murderers, rapists, bank robbers and more. This means anyone engaged in LGBTQAP+ activities who are merely deemed to have committed offenses would be subject to extradition to Ghana. Under such extradition law, Ghana could potentially request the extradition of individuals from countries with which it has extradition treaties. The treaty with the US, for example, was extended from its initiating UK treaty which covered Commonwealth countries.
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FRIENDLY AMPUTATIONS
Combat can leave the ants with leg injuries. But as scientists recently discovered, these ants have evolved an effective wound treatment: amputation.
In the journal Current Biology, on Tuesday, researchers report that the ants bite off the injured limbs of their nest mates to prevent infection. Although other ant species are known to tend to the wounds of their injured, typically by licking them clean, this is the first time that an ant species has been known to use amputation to treat an injury.
The ants in the study performed amputations on only certain leg injuries, suggesting that they are methodical in their surgical practices. Aside from humans, no other animal is known to conduct such amputations. The prevalence of the behavior among Florida carpenter ants raises questions about their intelligence and their ability to feel pain.
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Male Versus Female —
“We need the humility to acknowledge that we haven’t come near to solving male versus female issues in the United States. But at least we discuss them openly, shattering taboos — and throwing stones from a glass house is still preferable to silence as women and girls are murdered and assaulted in large numbers around the world.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/opinion/sexual-violence-women.html
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Erin in the Morning
120 Anti-Trans Bills Filed Across the United States This Year
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NAN says: Well, I experimented good vs bad, but I think I stayed a little more down than up…
NANMYKEL.COM 