https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68400463
Best Wishes and Hugs,
Scottie
I got to see the IRS’s free tax-filing software in action. Here’s what I learned.
Meet Direct File, the federal government’s TurboTax alternative. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.
Read in Vox: https://apple.news/AiSqJa7geRIeLZJHvUKnqBg
Shared from Apple News
Best Wishes and Hugs,Scottie
Palestinian prisoners’ families and human rights groups demand protection after UN report on sexual abuse in Israeli prisons
Palestinian prisoners’ families and human rights groups demand protection after UN report on sexual abuse in Israeli prisons
Read in The New Arab: https://apple.news/ATqxw0eRWSdmeOKouXW-_dA
Shared from Apple News
Best Wishes and Hugs,Scottie
Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, UN rights expert says
Exclusive: UN special rapporteur on the right to food Michael Fakhri says denial of food is war crime and constitutes ‘a situation of genocide’
Read in The Guardian: https://apple.news/AAowDJ_dXQ6G7klrWVkQAKQ
Shared from Apple News
Best Wishes and Hugs,Scottie
Houston church shooting revives claims on transgender shooters. Evidence shows they’re false
Right-wing accounts claim there’s an ‘epidemic’ of shootings by trans people. They’re wrong about Lakewood church shooting, and about the statistics.
Read in USA TODAY: https://apple.news/AFeYNYUa_TtS0EST9UTRzZw
Shared from Apple News
Best Wishes and Hugs,Scottie
“Looking Back, on the memory of, the dance we shared, ‘neath the stars above….” One of my favorite songs. 
Today I spent some time looking back and there were some tears, and there were some smiles, and there were some surprises that found me shaking my head in wonder all as I “thumbed through” a blog I wrote some ten years ago. In truth, it comprised some of the most creative and out-reaching time of my life, as short as that duration was. But, it also opened my heart, chipping off the armored crust that I’d built to keep me safe.
Today I reread a post I wrote about being invited to what should be a very nice thing: Christmas Dinner. I was miserable. (https://wordsthateffect.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-lonely-walker.html) 
What surprised me was that I still remember that pain. I don’t remember specifics of the day, I remember how much it hurt to be cast away as inconvenient only to be so magnanimously called back like a dog once again let into the house. I felt obligated to go, I felt obligated to forgive the hurt I felt, and I felt obligated to be the good guest who buries the hurt and the abandonment I felt even though I was an adult and shouldn’t be so easily hurt. 
I was the bad dog, let back into the house, and quite frankly I was “just fine” outside. Just fine, thank you very much. … …
There is a song written by the group Imagine Dragons, called “Believer”. I’ll not speak for the artist, but it always hurt, this song. For me, it spoke about how the singer was made a believer, was made what he was told he was no matter how he fought against it. Imagine the power we have over people that we can develop their very self image!
But, that song also gave me hope as I realized that if we have the power to negatively impact the very way someone sees themselves, we also have the power to positively impact their life. We can make them a believer of something truly grand for their life.
I left blogging because, as I mentioned, it forced me to open my heart and dang that hurt. I had to watch the greatest ugliness to find a way to demonstrate that it was not reasonable or godly to be so hateful, and often that ugliness was voted for by people I loved. I wrote posts about people being abused. I wrote posts about young people listening to others demean them and those like them. I wrote about hopes lost, lives lost, tears shed, and dark times. It frightens me as I look over those past blogs more than a decade old that things have not seriously changed, though I do think that more people understand that we are all different, each of us unique and special and worthy of love. As we come upon another presidential race 
I hope people will consider the world they want to create, the legacy we hope to pass down to our younger generation, because that is the defining aspect of the voting process.
Check out this article from USA TODAY:
Border Patrol releases hundreds of migrants at a bus stop after San Diego runs out of aid money
Best Wishes and Hugs,
Scottie
My father built the NYC skyline…and I helped.
OT. That’s why they called themselves Christians so they can commit the most heinous crimes against their country behind the mighty fortress of “God”. That’s why MTG and Boobert are so zealous about not giving another dime to support Ukraine. They are all making their first millions by being traitors. They all talked about God and Guns, so fucking filthy inside.
News of money previously given to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s congressional campaign by Russian nationals has re-emerged after the Republican rejected a $95 billion foreign aid bill passed in the Senate.
In 2018, a group of Russians were able to donate to Johnson’s bid for the Louisiana seat he eventually won as the money was funneled through the Texas-based American Ethane company.
While American Ethane was co-founded by American John Houghtaling, at the time it was 88 percent owned by three Russian nationals—Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev. Nikolaev is known to be a top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A spokesperson for Johnson previously assured in 2018 that the campaign returned the money that was given to them by American Ethane once it was “made aware of the situation.” There was no indication that Johnson’s campaign team willfully broke federal law, which makes it illegal for a campaign to knowingly accept donations from a foreign-owned corporation, a foreign national, or any company owned or controlled by foreign nationals.
A number of social media users have now brought up the campaign money amid Johnson’s opposition to the long-debated foreign aid bill, which would send $60 billion to Ukraine as the country continues to fight off Russia’s invasion.
In a press conference on February 14, Johnson said he would not bring the bill recently passed by the Senate back from a House vote and that the “Republican-led House will not be jammed or forced into passing” the foreign aid bill.
The same day, Ukraine-based blog Fake Off posted on X, formerly Twitter: “US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson received campaign contributions from American Ethane, a company 88% owned by three Russians. Now, do you understand why he was categorically against the aid to Ukraine?”
Another social media user added, while sharing a clip of Johnson’s press conference: “Astonishing that the Speaker of the House for the United States Government accepts money from Russia. Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev own 88 percent of American Ethane.”
“The Jesus made me do it!”
Maga: This country is a mess, and I don’t know what to do.
Americans: Did you support raising wages?
Maga: Na
Americans: Did you support unions?
Maga: Na
Americans: Make corporations pay what they owe?
Maga: Na
Americans: Make billionaire’s pay what they owe?
Maga: Na
Americans: Bi-partisan border deal?
Maga: Na, Trump said no.
Americans: Universal background checks?
Maga: Na, NRA said no.
Americans: Cap insulin cost?
Maga: Na, big pharma said no.
Americans: Did you fight climate change?
Maga: It’s a hoax
Americans: Did you protect reproductive freedom?
Maga: Na, took it away.
Americans: Access to more books?
Maga: Taking them away.
Americans: Coverage for pre-existing conditions?
Maga: Trying to take it away.
Americans: Are you at least trying to make it easier to vote?
Maga: 🤣🤣, absolutely not.
Americans: So what’s there to do?
Maga: Shut down the government.
Scottie's Playtime 