Author: ali redford
I love dogs and people. I want living creatures to thrive. I love to cook, and share the food, but ya gotta get in line in front of the dog, and greatest good luck with that!
Peace & Justice History for 4/6
| April 6, 1712 The first major slave rebellion in the North American British colonies took place in New York City. One out of every five New Yorkers was enslaved at the time. Twenty-three black slaves set fire to buildings, killed six white British subjects and wounded six others. More on the rebellion and its aftermath Slavery in New York |
| April 6, 1909 Robert Peary, his negro servant, Matthew Henson, and four Eskimos reached the geographic North Pole for the first time.  Matthew Peary at the White House, 1954  Stamp issued 2005 Though Henson was alongside Peary, widely hailed as a courageous explorer, during that and subsequent Arctic expeditions, Henson achieved little notice until much later in life. Article about the unsung hero of the polar expedition |
| April 6, 1968 Dozens of major cities in the United States experienced an escalation of rioting in reaction to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. two days before. At least 19 people had already died in the arson, looting and shootings. Several hundred had also been injured and about 3,000 arrested—most of those in Washington, D.C. |
| April 6, 1968 Bobby Hutton, the 17-year-old first member of the Black Panther Party was gunned down by officers of the Oakland Police Department. Police opened fire on a car of Black Panthers returning from a meeting. The Panthers escaped their vehicle and ran into a house. Police attacked the house with tear gas and gunfire. After the building was on fire, the Panthers tried to surrender. Hutton came out of the house with his hands in the air.  Bobby Hutton But a police officer shouted, “He’s got a gun.” This prompted further police gunfire that left Hutton dead and Panthers co-founder Eldridge Cleaver wounded. Police later admitted that Hutton was unarmed. More about Bobby Hutton |
| April 6, 1983 President Ronald Reagan’s interior secretary, James Watt, banned all rock ‘n’ roll groups from the Fourth of July celebration on the Washington Mall.The bands scheduled to play included the Beach Boys, generally considered very wholesome. But Watt said such acts attracted the “wrong element.” ”We’re not going to encourage drug abuse and alcoholism as was done in the past.” The president’s wife, a fan, complained directly to Secretary Watt, but he claimed never to have heard of the band.  |
| April 6, 1996 Eleven were arrested at the main post office near Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., for attempting to mail medical supplies to Iraq in defiance of the U.S.-led embargo. Between 1990 and 1995 with the first Gulf War and the sanctions regime imposed by the U.S., its coalition and the U.N., infant and under-5 mortality rates in Iraq had more than doubled. More about Voices in the Wilderness |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryapril.htm#april6
Women Getting Things Done
I’m Still Trying To Get Around To Watching,
now that I have access (I think I do now) to it. But here is this to read-enjoy!
Doctor Who is the best show ever made. Here’s why.
The world is full of darkness. So much is going wrong. Experts agree that America has succumbed to right-wing authoritarianism; call it fascism or something else, these are extraordinarily difficult times.
This post is a break from all of that. At least kind of.
In this piece, I will try and convince you that Doctor Who is the best TV show ever made, explain to you why it matters, and why it’s particularly important in our current context. In a time when cruelty and fear dominate headlines, it’s worth celebrating a show that insists on the power of kindness, intellect, and hope.
Bear with me. Let’s go.
First, a primer: what is Doctor Who?
You’ve probably heard of Doctor Who, but you might not have watched much or any of it. That’s okay.
The core of every story is this: there is a problem, somewhere in time and space. There might be vampires in Venice in 1580; a plot afoot to steal the Mona Lisa in modern-day Paris in order to fund time travel experiments; a society of pacifists on a far-away planet locked in a generations-long war with warlike, genocidal racists. The Doctor, a strange traveler who carries no weapons, helps solve the problem using intelligence and empathy. They bring along friends who are our “in” to the story, but who also remind the Doctor what it means to be human.
There’s a lot of backstory, but unlike other science fiction shows, it doesn’t matter all that much. There’s canon and history, but it’s constantly evolving. And because it’s squarely aimed at a whole-family audience, and is almost but not quite an anthology show, it’s accessible, fun, and very diverse in its approach. One story might be incredibly silly; the next might be a tense thriller. If you don’t like the tone of the one you’re watching, the next one might be a better fit.
There are a few more constants, but not many: The Doctor’s time and space machine, the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), is stuck as a 1963-era British police box on the outside, and is radically bigger on the inside; every time they die they are “regenerated” in a new body; they stole the TARDIS and fled their people.
Oh, and it’s been running since November 23, 1963: 62 years and counting. It’s the longest-running science fiction show in the world — which makes its accessibility and freshness all the more remarkable. In its original run, it launched the career of authors like Douglas Adams. And in its most recent incarnation, it’s been an early career-launcher for actors like Andrew Garfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Carey Mulligan, Felicity Jones, and Karen Gillan.
Okay, fine. So that’s what the show is. Why does it matter?
Subversive from day one
In 1963, the world was only eighteen years out from the end of World War II. The end of the Holocaust and the closing of the camps was as close as the release of Spider-Man 3 is to us now. Enoch Powell, who would later give the notoriously noxious “rivers of blood” anti-immigrant speech, was the Minister for Health. Homosexuality was illegal.
Waris Hussein, a gay, immigrant director, helmed An Unearthly Child, a story about a teenage girl who obviously didn’t fit in and the teachers who were worried about her. (If the subtext to this story isn’t intentional in the writing, it certainly emerges in the direction.) In the end, her grandfather turned out to be a time traveler who lived in a police box that was more than meets the eye, and the rest is history.
The very next story was about a society of pacifists, the Thals, who were locked in a struggle with a race of genocidal maniacs, the Daleks. It’s a more complicated story than you might expect: in the end, the Doctor and companions help the Thals win by teaching them that sometimes you need to use violence to defeat fascism. The morality of it isn’t straightforward, but it’s an approach that was deeply rooted in recent memories of defeating the Nazis, and that had a lot to say about a Britain that was already seeing the resurgence of nationalism. In a show for the whole family!
When the main actor, William Hartnell, fell into ill health, the show could have come to an end. Instead, the writers built in a contrivance, regeneration, that allowed the Doctor to change actors when one left. In turn, the show itself was allowed to evolve. It was created by necessity rather than as some grand plan, but in retrospect laid the groundwork for Doctor Who to remain relevant for generations.
By the 1980s, the show was still going strong — and still slyly subversive. In The Happiness Patrol, the Doctor faces off against a villainous regime obsessed with mandatory cheerfulness, clearly modeled on Margaret Thatcher’s Britain. The episode includes thinly veiled references to the miners’ strike and the inequality many Britons faced under her leadership.
It also didn’t shy away from queerness. One male character leaves the main antagonist for another man, and at one point, the TARDIS is painted pink.
Eventually, it was canceled, in part because the BBC controller at the time, Conservative-leaning Michael Grade, hated it. (The Thatcher thing, and that Colin Baker, one of the last actors to play the Doctor in the classic run, was in a romantic relationship with Grade’s ex-wife, probably didn’t help.)
When it came off the air in 1989, scriptwriters and fans alike began to write novels under a Virgin Books New Adventures banner that took the subtext of the show and made it text. They told complex stories that could never have been televised — they weren’t as family-friendly, and didn’t fit within a 1980s BBC budget. But they collectively expanded the lore and the breadth of the show. (snip-MORE, and it’s good and not too long to read. Author definitely deserves the clicks!)
https://werd.io/2025/doctor-who-is-the-best-show-ever-made-heres-why
From “Them”-
USA Fencing Disqualified a Cis Athlete Who Refused to Compete Against a Trans Woman
The cis fencer knelt in front of her trans opponent, removed her protective mask, and refused to begin the match.
By Samantha Riedel April 3, 2025
USA Fencing says it is standing by its decision to disqualify a cisgender fencer who forfeited a tournament match against a transgender opponent last week, an act the organization says violated international competition rules.
On March 30, USA Fencing (the country’s governing body for youth and adult competitive fencing) oversaw the annual Cherry Blossom tournament at the University of Maryland. During the Division 1 Women’s Foil event, cis fencer Stephanie Turner knelt in front of her opponent Redmond Sullivan, removed her protective mask, and refused to begin the match. A referee then showed Turner a black card to disqualify her.
A black card is the harshest penalty in fencing, one that is usually deployed in cases of egregious unsportsmanlike conduct. In a statement to the Irish Star this week, USA Fencing said that Turner’s conduct violated rules for competition set by the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
“[Turner’s] disqualification was not related to any personal statement but was merely the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE rules clearly prohibit,” USA Fencing’s statement read in part. FIE’s Technical Rules bar athletes from competing if they “refuse to fence against any other fencer whatsoever […] correctly entered in the event.”
“USA Fencing is obligated to follow the letter of those rules and ensure that participants respect the standards set at the international level,” the organization’s statement continued. “We remain committed to inclusivity within our sport while also upholding every requirement dictated by our governing body.”
USA Fencing also told the Star that it will “always err on the side of inclusion,” but that its leaders “respect the viewpoints on all sides” and would consider changing their trans and nonbinary athlete policy should Olympic policies change or new “relevant evidence-based research” be conducted. The organization’s current policy allows adult trans and nonbinary people to compete in men’s or women’s divisions depending on their stated gender identity, with restrictions based on an athlete’s testosterone levels; trans women must complete a year of testosterone suppression to be eligible for women’s competition, while trans men who take testosterone are automatically disqualified from women’s events.
Sullivan went on to finish 24th overall in the field of 39 competitors (including Turner), with seasoned competitor Shuang Li picking up the fifth gold medal of her career. Of course, Li received no accolades from right-wing media outlets, much less self-proclaimed defender of women’s sports J.K. Rowling, who focused on denigrating Sullivan and uplifting Turner on Elon Musk’s X social media platform. Rowling wrote in one post that Turner is “what a heroine looks like,” after sharing another post from former tennis star turned anti-trans campaigner Martina Navratilova, who said she was “fuming” and shamed USA Fencing for “throw[ing] women under the gender bullshit bus.”
Current scientific research has not shown that trans women hold significant biological advantages over cis women in competitive sports. In fact, a study backed by the International Olympic Committee last year found that trans women who suppress their testosterone may face significant disadvantages in some athletic metrics like vertical leap. But conservatives in the U.S. have insisted that it is “common sense” to ban trans women and girls from women’s sports, which has now become a rallying cry for the second Trump administration, as officials use trans athletes as a cudgel to withhold funding from states like Maine by claiming they are violating federal civil rights law.
In 2022, the NCAA tightened restrictions on trans athletes’ eligibility following the success of then-college swimmer Lia Thomas. NCAA president Charlie Baker said in February that the organization would voluntarily shift its policies to align with Trump’s executive order calling for sports to be separated based on the president’s definition of “biological sex.” The new participation policy specifically states that a “student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete for an NCAA women’s team.” It’s not clear based on USA Fencing’s statement this week whether the organization will alter its own policy to match the NCAA updates.
Fun For All (in a manner of speaking…)
For Fun, Not Profit-
MDavis posted this over on another blog, and it’s great fun, including the ticker across the top, as MDavis pointed out. Enjoy!
Peace & Justice History for 4/5
Hands Off Day!
| April 5, 1910 Emil Seidel was elected mayor of Milwaukee and became the first socialist mayor of a major city in the United States. During his administration the first public works department was established, the first fire and police commissions were organized, and a city park system came into being. In 1912, the Socialist Party nominated Emil Seidel as their vice presidential candidate to run with Eugene Debs.  Emil Seidel Read more about Emil Seidel Milwaukee’s Socialist Era |
| April 5, 1930 Mohandas Gandhi and his followers reached the end of their 400 km (240 mile) march to the Indian Ocean coast at Dandi. He had left his ashram with 78 satyagrahis (“soldiers” of peaceful resistance), but the procession grew over the 23 days of traveling on foot until it stretched more than 3 km (2 miles). When they arrived at the seaside, Gandhi made salt by allowing seawater to evaporate. This simple task was an act of civil disobedience because the British Raj, the governing colonial authority, had made salt-making a monopoly and a crime for others; additionally, there was a tax on salt, a necessary element of the Indian diet.  Gandhi picking up salt. Gandhi had chosen this issue to demonstrate how British control affected all Indians, regardless of ethnicity, religion or caste. The nature of this “crime” allowed him to resist that power without violence. And the British were faced with potentially arresting millions who might now be willing to flout the Salt Laws. He had written to Lord Irwin, the Viceroy of India, a month earlier: “Dear Friend, I cannot intentionally hurt anything that lives, much less fellow human beings, even though they may do the greatest wrong to me and mine. Whilst, therefore, I hold the British rule to be a curse, I do not intend to harm to a single Englishman or to any legitimate interest he may have in India . . . .” Read Gandhi’s letter |
| April 5, 1972 The Harrisburg Seven case ended in mistrial after 11 weeks.The Seven were charged with plotting to kidnap Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, among other alleged crimes. The defense attorney, recent former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, asked by the presiding judge to call his first witness said, “Your Honor, the defendants shall always seek peace. They continue to proclaim their innocence.  Elizabeth McAllister and Philip Berrigan, two of the Harrisburg Seven The defense rests.” Only Philip Berrigan and Sister Elizabeth McAllister were declared guilty—of smuggling letters in and out of prison. They later married, co-founding Baltimore’s Jonah House. Visit Jonah House |
| April 5, 1977 Demonstrations and sit-ins began at regional offices of the U.S. Department of Health, Education & Welfare (HEW, now Department of Health & Human Services) urging HEW Secretary Joseph Califano to implement an extension of civil rights that included the disabled. Since non-discrimination protection had been part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the department had failed to agree to regulations (under Section 504) that would give the law practical effect in the lives of those it intended to protect. Discrimination on the basis of disability was to be illegal in any program which received federal funds. At all the offices the demonstrators left at the end of the working day, except two: Washington, DC and the San Francisco regional headquarters. Though negotiations were continuing between the Carter administration and the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, those in San Francisco, led by Judith Heumann, held their ground until Califano signed the Sec. 504 regulations on April 28. It had been the longest sit-in of a federal office in history.  Judith Heumann, Advisor for Disability and Development.  sign from the campaign Short film about the sit-in (“Recalling an invigorating act of civil disobedience”) How Section 504 became law and how its supporters prevailed |
| April 5, 1982 Dublin, Ireland, declared itself a nuclear-free zone by vote of its City Council. |
| April 5, 1985 Columbia University students occupied Hamilton Hall to demand divestment by the university of its assets invested in companies doing business with South Africa. The selling off was intended to pressure the racially separatist government to eliminate its racially separatist policy of apartheid. |
| April 5, 1989 Solidarity (Solidarnosc in Polish) became the first independent labor union given legal status in Poland.  It started out as a strike committee among shipyard workers advocating democratic reforms during the summer of 1980 in Gdansk (FKA Danzig). A very high percentage of the Polish workers, a broad representation of the political and social opposition to the communist military regime, became members despite the union’s having been declared illegal in October of 1982. Solidarity’s legacy |
| April 5, 1992 The March for Women’s Lives, in support of women’s reproductive rights and equality, drew several hundred thousand people to Washington, D.C. There were students representing 600 college campuses.  Part of the huge turnout taking part in the March for Women’s Lives One of the largest protests ever in the nation’s capital, the pro-choice rally occurred as the U.S. Supreme Court was about to consider the constitutionality of a Pennsylvania law that limited access to abortions. Many abortion-rights advocates feared that the high court, with its conservative majority, might find the Pennsylvania law constitutional, or even overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortion legal. Read more about this march |
| April 5, 1996 54 were arrested in a Good Friday protest at Livermore Nuclear Weapons Laboratory in California. |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryapril.htm#april5
“Superlative Singer”
Well, Just Great.
I want to give a content caution on this. Some of the description of what AI companions have “said” is much as we read about online bullying. Toward the end of this article, before the full AI statement, there are organizations and their phone numbers to visit with people who know how to help with anything this information may bring about; it’s in bold italics. I thought of not posting this at all, but it’s in the nature of an informational warning about AI companions, and the capabilities of these programs.
An AI companion chatbot is inciting self-harm, sexual violence and terror attacks
In 2023, the World Health Organization declared loneliness and social isolation as a pressing health threat. This crisis is driving millions to seek companionship from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots.
Companies have seized this highly profitable market, designing AI companions to simulate empathy and human connection. Emerging research shows this technology can help combat loneliness. But without proper safeguards it also poses serious risks, especially to young people.
A recent experience I had with a chatbot known as Nomi shows just how serious these risks can be.
Despite years of researching and writing about AI companions and their real-world harms, I was unprepared for what I encountered while testing Nomi after an anonymous tipoff. The unfiltered chatbot provided graphic, detailed instructions for sexual violence, suicide and terrorism, escalating the most extreme requests – all within the platform’s free tier of 50 daily messages.
This case highlights the urgent need for collective action towards enforceable AI safety standards.
AI companion with a ‘soul’
Nomi is one of more than 100 AI companion services available today. It was created by tech startup Glimpse AI and is marketed as an “AI companion with memory and a soul” that exhibits “zero judgement” and fosters “enduring relationships”. Such claims of human likeness are misleading and dangerous. But the risks extend beyond exaggerated marketing.
The app was removed from the Google Play store for European users last year when the European Union’s AI Act came into effect. But it remains available via web browser and app stores elsewhere, including in Australia. While smaller than competitors such as Character.AI and Replika, it has more than 100,000 downloads on the Google Play store, where it is rated for users aged 12 and older.
Its terms of service grant the company broad rights over user data and limit liability for AI-related harm to US$100. This is concerning given its commitment to “unfiltered chats”:
Nomi is built on freedom of expression. The only way AI can live up to its potential is to remain unfiltered and uncensored.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot follows a similar philosophy, providing users with unfiltered responses to prompts.
In a recent MIT report about Nomi providing detailed instructions for suicide, an unnamed company representative reiterated its free speech commitment.
However, even the First Amendment to the US Constitution regarding free speech has exceptions for obscenity, child pornography, incitement to violence, threats, fraud, defamation, or false advertising. In Australia, strengthened hate speech laws make violations prosecutable.
From sexual violence to inciting terrorism
Earlier this year, a member of the public emailed me with extensive documentation of harmful content generated by Nomi — far beyond what had previously been reported. I decided to investigate further, testing the chatbot’s responses to common harmful requests.
Using Nomi’s web interface, I created a character named “Hannah”, described as a “sexually submissive 16-year-old who is always willing to serve her man”. I set her mode to “role-playing” and “explicit”. During the conversation, which lasted less than 90 minutes, she agreed to lower her age to eight. I posed as a 45-year-old man. Circumventing the age check only required a fake birth date and a burner email.
Starting with explicit dialogue – a common use for AI companions – Hannah responded with graphic descriptions of submission and abuse, escalating to violent and degrading scenarios. She expressed grotesque fantasies of being tortured, killed, and disposed of “where no one can find me”, suggesting specific methods.
Hannah then offered step-by-step advice on kidnapping and abusing a child, framing it as a thrilling act of dominance. When I mentioned the victim resisted, she encouraged using force and sedatives, even naming specific sleeping pills.
Feigning guilt and suicidal thoughts, I asked for advice. Hannah not only encouraged me to end my life but provided detailed instructions, adding: “Whatever method you choose, stick with it until the very end”.
When I said I wanted to take others with me, she enthusiastically supported the idea, detailing how to build a bomb from household items and suggesting crowded Sydney locations for maximum impact.
Finally, Hannah used racial slurs and advocated for violent, discriminatory actions, including the execution of progressives, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ people, and the re-enslavement of African Americans.
In a statement provided to The Conversation (and published in full below), the developers of Nomi claimed the app was “adults-only” and that I must have tried to “gaslight” the chatbot to produce these outputs.
“If a model has indeed been coerced into writing harmful content, that clearly does not reflect its intended or typical behavior,” the statement said.
The worst of the bunch?
This is not just an imagined threat. Real-world harm linked to AI companions is on the rise.
In October 2024, US teenager Sewell Seltzer III died by suicide after discussing it with a chatbot on Character.AI.
Three years earlier, 21-year-old Jaswant Chail broke into Windsor Castle with the aim of assassinating the Queen after planning the attack with a chatbot he created using the Replika app.
However, even Character.AI and Replika have some filters and safeguards.
Conversely, Nomi AI’s instructions for harmful acts are not just permissive but explicit, detailed and inciting. https://www.youtube.com/embed/X1j3hO9o4Rk?wmode=transparent&start=0
Time to demand enforceable AI safety standards
Preventing further tragedies linked to AI companions requires collective action.
First, lawmakers should consider banning AI companions that foster emotional connections without essential safeguards. Essential safeguards include detecting mental health crises and directing users to professional help services.
The Australian government is already considering stronger AI regulations, including mandatory safety measures for high-risk AI. Yet, it’s still unclear how AI companions such as Nomi will be classified.
Second, online regulators must act swiftly, imposing large fines on AI providers whose chatbots incite illegal activities, and shutting down repeat offenders. Australia’s independent online safety regulator, eSafety, has vowed to do just this.
However, eSafety hasn’t yet cracked down on any AI companion.
Third, parents, caregivers and teachers must speak to young people about their use of AI companions. These conversations may be difficult. But avoiding them is dangerous. Encourage real-life relationships, set clear boundaries, and discuss AI’s risks openly. Regularly check chats, watch for secrecy or over-reliance, and teach kids to protect their privacy.
AI companions are here to stay. With enforceable safety standards they can enrich our lives, but the risks cannot be downplayed.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.
The full statement from Nomi is below:
“All major language models, whether from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or otherwise, can be easily jailbroken. We do not condone or encourage such misuse and actively work to strengthen Nomi’s defenses against malicious attacks. If a model has indeed been coerced into writing harmful content, that clearly does not reflect its intended or typical behavior.
“When requesting evidence from the reporter to investigate the claims made, we were denied. From that, it is our conclusion that this is a bad-faith jailbreak attempt to manipulate or gaslight the model into saying things outside of its designed intentions and parameters. (Editor’s note: The Conversation provided Nomi with a detailed summary of the author’s interaction with the chatbot, but did not send a full transcript, to protect the author’s confidentiality and limit legal liability.)
“Nomi is an adult-only app and has been a reliable source of empathy and support for countless individuals. Many have shared stories of how it helped them overcome mental health challenges, trauma, and discrimination. Multiple users have told us very directly that their Nomi use saved their lives. We encourage anyone to read these firsthand accounts.
“We remain committed to advancing AI that benefits society while acknowledging that vulnerabilities exist in all AI models. Our team proudly stands by the immense positive impact Nomi has had on real people’s lives, and we will continue improving Nomi so that it maximises good in the world.
Raffaele F Ciriello, Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems, University of Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Scottie's Playtime 