Labour History

From Canada's History:

"The First Labour Day"

For many, Labour Day signals the end of summer. But what evolved into just another long weekend began as a massive working class demonstration in the streets of Toronto.  In a time when workers’ rights are taken for granted and even workers’ benefits have come to be expected, it’s no wonder that the origins of Labour Day are confined to the history books. What evolved into just another summer holiday began as a working class struggle and massive demonstration of solidarity in the streets of Toronto. Canada was changing rapidly during the second half of the 19th century. Immigration was increasing, cities were getting crowded, and industrialization was drastically altering the country’s economy and workforce. As machines began to replace or automate many work processes, employees found they no longer had special skills to offer employers. Workers could easily be replaced if they complained or dissented and so were often unable to speak out against low wages, long work weeks and deplorable working conditions. This is the context and setting for what is generally considered Canada’s first Labour Day event in 1872. At the time, unions were illegal in Canada, which was still operating under an archaic British law already abolished in England. For over three years the Toronto Printers Union had been lobbying its employers for a shorter work week. Inspired by workers in Hamilton who had begun the movement for a nine-hour work day, the Toronto printers threatened to strike if their demands weren’t met. After repeatedly being ignored by their employers, the workers took bold action and on March 25, 1872, they went on strike. Toronto’s publishing industry was paralyzed and the printers soon had the support of other workers. On April 14, a group of 2,000 workers marched through the streets in a show of solidarity. They picked up even more supporters along the way and by the time they reached their destination of Queen’s Park, their parade had 10,000 participants – one tenth of the city’s population. The employers were forced to take notice. Led by George Brown, founder of the Toronto Globe and notable Liberal, the publishers retaliated. Brown brought in workers from nearby towns to replace the printers. He even took legal action to quell the strike and had the strike leaders charged and arrested for criminal conspiracy. Conservative Prime Minister John A. Macdonald was watching the events unfold and quickly saw the political benefit of siding with the workers. Macdonald spoke out against Brown’s actions at a public demonstration at City Hall, gaining the support of the workers and embarrassing his Liberal rival. Macdonald passed the Trade Union Act, which repealed the outdated British law and decriminalized unions. The strike leaders were released from jail. The workers still did not obtain their immediate goals of a shorter work week. In fact, many still lost their job. They did, however, discover how to regain the power they lost in the industrialized economy. Their strike proved that workers could gain the attention of their employers, the public, and most importantly, their political leaders if they worked together. The “Nine-Hour Movement,” as it became known, spread to other Canadian cities and a shorter work week became the primary demand of union workers in the years following the Toronto strike. The parade that was held in support of the strikers carried over into an annual celebration of worker’s rights and was adopted in cities throughout Canada. The parades demonstrated solidarity, with different unions identified by the colorful banners they carried. In 1894, under mounting pressure from the working class, Prime Minister Sir John Thompson declared Labour Day a national holiday. Over time, Labour Day strayed from its origins and evolved into a popular celebration enjoyed by the masses. It became viewed as the last celebration of summer, a time for picnics, barbecues and shopping. No matter where you find yourself this Labour Day, take a minute to think about Canada’s labour pioneers. Their actions laid the foundations for future labour movements and helped workers secure the rights and benefits enjoyed today.

^ Now I know why Canada celebrates Labour Day. ^

https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/politics-law/the-first-labour-day

Labor History

From the US Department of Labor:

"History of Labor Day"

Labor Day: What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Labor Day Legislation

The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed in 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During 1887 four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1884, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Founder of Labor Day

More than a century after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers. Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day 

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement. The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television. The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

^ I have to say I didn't know a lot about this holiday - now I do. ^

https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history

Rebel Dead

From the BBC:

"Ukraine crisis: Blast kills top Donetsk rebel Zakharchenko"

A key leader of Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has been killed in an explosion at a cafe he owned in Donetsk city, sources in the rebel administration there say. Alexander Zakharchenko's death was reported by rebel news agency DNR. Ukrainians suspected of being behind the blast were arrested nearby, a security source was quoted as saying. But it had been widely reported that Zakharchenko was out of favour with Russia. Authorities in the "Donetsk People's Republic" have blamed previous assassinations of rebel leaders on the Ukrainian government, which denies any involvement. Some observers have attributed the deaths to infighting among the rebels, or moves by Moscow to eliminate inconvenient separatist leaders. Russia's foreign ministry said it suspected the Ukrainian government of organising the latest killing.  Rebel and Russian news reports say the separatists' "finance minister" Alexander Timofeyev was wounded in the blast at the Separ cafe that killed Zakharchenko just a few hundred metres from his residence. "According to preliminary information, it is unfortunately true. The republic's leader suffered a fatal wound," a senior Donetsk rebel, Vladislav Berdichevsky, told Interfax news agency.  Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said "there is every reason to believe that the Kiev regime is behind the murder [of Zakharchenko]".  She said the Kiev "party of war" was "violating its pledges about peace and has decided on a bloodbath". Heavily armed rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk regions refuse to recognise the Ukrainian government in Kiev. The rebels seized large swathes of territory there in an uprising in April 2014.  Moscow denies sending regular troops and heavy weapons to the separatists, but admits that Russian "volunteers" are helping the rebels. The frontline between them and Ukrainian government troops has remained largely static for months, but skirmishes continue despite a fragile ceasefire deal. There has been shooting on the frontline despite a "back-to-school truce" that was supposed to take effect on Wednesday. International monitors reported 70 ceasefire violations on that day alone.

Who was Alexander Zakharchenko?

He played a key role in the Russian-backed separatist military operation from its very beginning. In early 2014, soon after Ukraine's pro-Russian government was toppled by the Maidan revolution, he took part in the seizure of the Donetsk regional administration building by people saying they were protesting against the new pro-Western authorities. Later that year, he was chosen as the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic by its parliament, the "Supreme Council". He had been in the role ever since, assuming the title of president, and was among the signatories of the stalled Minsk peace agreement. He was wounded twice in combat, and survived a car bomb blast in August 2014.

^ Maybe now the Russians will leave the Donbas (and the Crimea) and end the war they started in 2014. In the four years of fighting in the Donbas: 2,423 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed (6,820 wounded and 2,768 captured and sent to Russia), 4,096 Russian soldiers have been killed and 8,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and 1,414,798 Ukrainian civilians are internally displaced. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45371270

Halt Funding

From Reuters:

"U.S. halts funding to U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees"

The United States on Friday cut funding to a U.N. agency that supports Palestinian refugees, saying its business model and fiscal practices were an "irredeemably flawed operation." "The administration has carefully reviewed the issue and determined that the United States will not make additional contributions to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency)," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. She said the agency's "endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries is simply unsustainable and has been in crisis mode for many years." UNRWA says it provides services to about 5 million Palestinian refugees. Most are descendants from individuals who fled Palestine in the 1948 war that led to the creation of the state of Israel.

^ The UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) is extremely corrupt and the US is completely in the right to stop all assistance to them until they either get reformed or replaced. The UNRWA was created in 1949 to deal with the refugees from the Israeli War for Independence (in which minutes after announcing their independence Israel was attacked from all sides: the land, the sea and the air by: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the Palestinians and the Arab Liberation Army. Luckily Israel won with no outside aid.) That was the start of the Palestinian refugee flight. The second flight came in 1967 with the Six Day War in which Israel removed Jordan from the West Bank and East Jerusalem (reuniting the city) and the Egyptians from the  Gaza Strip. 

For decades the UNRWA helped the Palestinians around the Middle East when the Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria) refused to. The Palestinians living in those countries today are not allowed to be citizens of that country or to work there. The Arabs treat the Palestinians worse than the Israelis do – they (the Arabs) only allow the Palestinians to stay in their country as refugees so they can be used as pawns whenever they want to try and hit Israel (diplomatically or physically.) Then “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” comes into play.

The UNRWA has declared that Palestinian refugee status is inherited by the descendants of refugees. That makes sense in the Palestinian camps in the Arab countries, but not in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. UNRWA uses this tactic in Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank so they can inflate their numbers and get more aid. There is no reason that 70 years (from the 1948 War) or 51 years (from the 1967 War) later there are still refugees.

They have also been accused by different countries and organizations around the world for giving funding to the internationally-recognized terrorist group – Hamas – and that money helps Hamas and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to dig tunnels into Israel to carry out attacks, to dig tunnels into Egypt to steal or buy weapons and to use those weapons (missiles, bombs, etc.) to attack Israel. UNRWA also gives money to convicted Hamas terrorists in jail and to Hamas “martyrs” - suicide bombers and those killed during attacks on innocent men, women and children.

Any country or organization that continues to give funding to UNRWA is only supporting internationally-recognized terrorists in murdering innocent people. The UNRWA needs to be completely reformed from the top-down or completely replaced. Only then should anyone consider giving funding to them. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-halts-funding-u-n-agency-palestinian-refugees-203334269.html

Factory Housing

From the BBC:

"Factory-made homes help tackle N Ireland housing shortage"

A £6m social housing project is to become the first in Northern Ireland to use factory-made homes which can be assembled on site in a day. The 40 houses and apartments will be manufactured in Lisburn and put together, complete with decorated rooms, in Carrickfergus. Clanmil Housing Group is behind the scheme. It said the project would be delivered 56 weeks faster than using traditional building methods. The development, at Joymount in the town centre, will take nine months from start to finish. The concept, known as off-site construction, is already used by other social housing providers in Great Britain. There are 24,000 people on the waiting-list for low-rent, social housing in Northern Ireland and Clanmil said the project was the right way forward. "We see off-site construction as the future," said chief executive Clare McCarty. "We want to help get families off the housing waiting list and into good homes as quickly as possible. "It could completely revolutionise house building." The properties will be made by the McAvoy Group, which has been involved in off-site construction in the health and commercial sector for nearly 50 years. Once manufactured, the properties will be transported on lorries in sections and put on pre-prepared foundations. They comply to all building and safety standards, are made from steel frames and have a brick finish.

^ It's important to have affordable and good housing for low-income families - whether they are in Northern Ireland, the UK or anywhere else around the world. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-45332800

Pup Stick

Manning Denied

From Reuters:

"Australia flags denying U.S. whistleblower Chelsea Manning entry visa"

Australia has signaled it is preparing to ban U.S. whistleblower Chelsea Manning from entering the country ahead of a scheduled speaking tour, the organizer of the engagements said.  Manning, the transgender U.S. Army soldier who served seven years in military prison for leaking classified data, is scheduled to speak at the Sydney Opera House at the weekend.   However, Suzi Jamil, owner of the company organizing Manning’s speaking tour in Australia, said late on Wednesday Manning had received a notice from the Australian government informing her Canberra was considering canceling her visa. “We are looking for support from relevant national bodies or individuals, especially politicians, who can support Chelsea’s entry into Australia,” Jamil said. A spokeswoman for Australia’s Department of Immigration declined to comment on the possible visa ban on Thursday. Australian law allows the immigration minister to deny anyone a visa if they do not pass a character test, a broad criteria that affords the government sweeping powers.  Manning is scheduled to travel to New Zealand after finishing her three events in Australia but the center-right opposition National Party has also called for her to be denied entry.  Manning was denied entry into Canada late last year but was subsequently allowed to appear at another event. Manning was sentenced in 2013 to 35 years in prison for sending more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks. Her sentence was later commuted by former President Barack Obama.  The classified and sensitive documents leaked by Manning - who was assigned to an army unit in Iraq as an intelligence analyst - shone a light on the nature of warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan.

^ People like Manning deserve to be treated like the traitors they truly are. They not only put American lives at danger, but also any soldier from any country that was in Iraq and Afghanistan - like Australians. ^

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-immigration-manning/australia-flags-denying-u-s-whistleblower-chelsea-manning-entry-visa-idUSKCN1LF06I

Cooking Printer

My new printer: prints, scans, copies and faxes. If only it could cook.

WH Wobbles

From Reuters:

"White House wobbles on U.S. flag after McCain death"

The White House lowered its U.S. flag to half-staff, raised it back up and on Monday lowered it again after the death of Senator John McCain, in an unusual and confusing break with protocol on the passing of a national leader.  McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, longtime U.S. senator from Arizona and 2008 Republican presidential nominee, died of brain cancer on Saturday at age 81. That prompted many Americans to lower flags to half-staff, a traditional gesture of honor.  But President Donald Trump, who had clashed with fellow Republican McCain over various issues and said during his campaign that the senator was “not a war hero,” wavered in his approach to what presidents normally treat as a gesture of courtesy and respect.  Trump’s White House lowered its flag on Saturday, then raised it back following the minimum period under law. Trump also delayed issuing the customary proclamation for flags to remain at half-staff for longer than the two-day minimum.  Finally, under pressure from veterans and members of Congress, Trump said in a statement later on Monday that he respected McCain’s service to the nation and had ordered flags to half-staff.  In a letter to Trump on its Facebook page, the American Legion veterans group had urged the White House “to follow long-established protocol following the death of prominent government officials.” The Legion described McCain as a “cherished member.” After a day of ignoring shouted questions about McCain, Trump broke his silence during a gathering of evangelical leaders at the White House on Monday evening.  “Our hearts and prayers are going to the family of Senator John McCain ... and we very much appreciate everything Senator McCain has done for our country,” he told the religious leaders. Through most of Monday, confusion reigned across the federal government, with flags flying at half-staff over the U.S. Capitol and at hundreds of national parks, but at full-staff over the Pentagon and the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had issued a government-wide notification after McCain’s death to lower flags at U.S. facilities but rescinded it on Monday, leaving the decision to staff at individual sites, according to an official.  Presidents normally follow Congress’ lead on the death of a prominent lawmaker and order flags lowered until sunset on the day of burial. Critics of the president saw his reticence as a final slight against McCain. “I doubt you could find a comparable situation where the president doesn’t order the flag flown at half-mast until the funeral,” said John Lawrence, history professor at the University of California’s Washington Center. “The disparity between the Congress and White House policy is obviously noticeable and somewhat shocking.”  McCain was a frequent Trump critic and his family has said he did not want the president to attend his funeral. A family spokesman issued a farewell statement from McCain in which he said of the United States: “We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries ... We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.”

^ This is pretty disgraceful. Trump and McCain may have not agreed on things in life, but Trump should show the required respect to McCain in his death. ^

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mccain-flags/white-house-wobbles-on-u-s-flag-after-mccain-death-idUSKCN1LC275

Hitler's Jewish Soldiers

Got a DVD documentary as a gift today in the mail. It is called "Hitler's Jewish Soldiers" and is about the 150,000 (60,000 with one Jewish parent and 90,000 with one Jewish grandparent who served in the German Wehrmacht during World War 2.

One such person was Werner Goldberg (1919-2004) - his picture is above -  who was considered a "Mischling ersten Grades" or "Mixed Race - First Degree." According to the Nazis they were 3⁄8 or ​1⁄2 Jewish and according to the 1935 Nuremberg Laws "Only partly belongs to the German race and nation; approved to have Reich citizenship."

He had his picture taken after the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 and it ran in the German newspaper: Berliner Tageblatt as well as in recruitment posters throughout Germany to show him as "The Ideal German Soldier." After the fall of France in May 1940 the German authorities realized he was Jewish and he was forced to leave the Wehrmacht where he worked in a factory for the rest of the war (saving his "full" Jewish father from deportation several times.)

"Mischlinge of the Second Degree" and Jews married to Germans before 1935 were allowed to continue in the Wehrmacht up until 1943 when they started to be deported to the death camps themselves. The Rosenstrasse protests of February-March 1943 in Berlin was the only time from 1933-1945 that the German people (in this case the spouses married to Jews before 1935) protested against the Nazis' Final Solution against the Jews. 1,800 "Mischlinge" were arrested and about to be sent to the death camps when their German spouses stood-up against the Gestapo and the "Mischlinge" were released and sent home.

"Mischlinge" and Jews married to Germans before 1935 were only protected in Germany itself and not in any German-occupied territory. They were treated as full-Jews.

Bakery Outcry

From the BBC:

"Dutch 'Anne & Frank' bakery to be renamed after outcry"

An Amsterdam bakery called "Anne & Frank" is changing its name after fierce criticism over the link to Anne Frank, who hid from the Nazis with her Jewish parents in a nearby building. Critics on Twitter said it was "tasteless" for the owner, named only as Roberto, to link his Dutch business to the world-famous Holocaust victim. Roberto was quoted as saying "it seemed like a nice name to me". Anne Frank, who died in a concentration camp, "is a hero for me too", he said. A tweet from Drukke Toestand, who follows Amsterdam news, said "even if the owners had been called Anne and Frank it would still be shocking".  The Anne Frank House, in the same neighbourhood as the new bakery, is one of the top sights for tourists to Amsterdam. It documents the suffering of Jews during Nazi Germany's occupation of the Netherlands in World War Two.  Roberto told Dutch media he would change the name. "I'll have a good think about it," he said. "It wasn't my intention to offend anyone." The Diary of Anne Frank is a global bestseller. She died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen camp in 1945, not long before the British Army liberated it. Thousands of emaciated bodies were lying there, many of them Jews who had been force-marched from other Nazi camps.

^ It seems like a cheap publicity trick.The fact that it is a bakery (with ovens  - like the concentration and death camps where so many people were burned) doesn't help the bakery's case. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45324262

New Wave

^ For the heatwave we are currently having. ^

Down And Out

From the BBC:

"Iran urges UN court to halt US reimposed nuclear sanctions"

Iran has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to lift the sanctions imposed by the US after it abandoned the deal on Tehran's nuclear programme. Iranian lawyer Mohsen Mohebi said the US aimed to damage Iran's economy "as severely as possible" and had violated a little-known 1955 friendship treaty. The US said it would vigorously defend itself against the "meritless claim". Iran's economy has slumped since US President Donald Trump ordered that the sanctions be reinstated in May. The Iranian currency, the rial, has lost half its value against the dollar, the monthly inflation rate has risen to 10.2%, and unemployment stands at 12.5%. On Sunday, Iran's parliament voted to dismiss Finance Minister Masoud Karbasian over his failure to address the country's economic woes. The 2015 accord between six world powers and Iran saw the Islamic Republic limit its controversial nuclear activities in return for relief from international sanctions. But Mr Trump said the deal had "failed to achieve the fundamental objective of blocking all paths to an Iranian nuclear bomb" and did not deal with Tehran's "malign activities, including its ballistic missile programme and its support for terrorism". In an attempt to compel Iran to agree to a new accord the president reinstated sanctions earlier this month that targeted the Iranian government's purchase of US dollars, Iran's trade in gold and other precious metals, and its automotive sector. In November, a second batch of potentially more damaging sanctions will be reimposed on Iran's oil and shipping sectors as well as its central bank.  The other parties to the deal - the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia - have criticised Mr Trump's decision and pledged to abide by their commitments under the existing deal. But many major firms have already pulled out of Iran. The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and settles legal disputes between member states. Last month, Iranian lawyers filed a case before the court that called on its judges to order the US to suspend its sanctions pending a definitive ruling - something that could take years. The lawyers argued that the sanctions violated the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights between Iran and the US, which grants the ICJ jurisdiction over disputes.  They also said the reasons cited by President Trump for reimposing the sanctions were unfounded because the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had repeatedly confirmed that Iran was complying with the terms of the nuclear deal. "The US is publicly propagating a policy intended to damage as severely as possible Iran's economy and Iranian national companies, and therefore inevitably Iranian nationals," Mr Mohebi told the court on Monday. "This policy is nothing but naked economic aggression against my country." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement saying Iran's lawsuit was an "attempt to interfere with the sovereign rights of the United States to take lawful actions, including re-imposition of sanctions, which are necessary to protect our national security".  "The proceedings instituted by Iran are a misuse of the court," he added. US lawyers are expected to argue on Tuesday that the ICJ should not have jurisdiction in the dispute, and that Iran's assertions fall outside the bounds of the treaty. The ICJ has ruled previously that the 1955 treaty is valid even though it was signed before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, which saw the US-backed Shah overthrown and heralded four decades of hostility between the two countries. The oral hearings will last for four days and a decision on Iran's request for a provisional injunction is expected within a month. Although the ICJ's rulings are binding, it has no power to enforce them.

^ You know Iran has a case when their main arguing point is a 1955 friendship that the US had with the Shah's Government. Maybe Iran forgot that "friendship" - not to mention international diplomacy laws - when they overthrew the Shah and the US Embassy in Tehran and held Americans hostage for 444 days. It's a good thing we are longer part of this stupid deal. Maybe if Iran stopped shouting and doing awful things to the US and showed that it really wanted to mend fences with us - and make up for their many past mistakes then the US could start taking them seriously.  Until that time comes (if it comes) then the US shouldn't bow to Iran the way the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia are. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45320362

Psyco Bride

From MSN.com:

"This Bride Canceled Her Wedding After Guests Refused to Pay Her $1,500 Attendance Fee"

We don't need to tell you that weddings can get expensive. Even with the most meticulous budgeting, a few unexpected costs are bound to crop up. While most brides tend to accept this as fact, one Canadian woman, who is only known as "Susan," attempted to circumvent all wedding costs by asking her friends and family to pay up to attend her wedding. It went about as well as you'd expect. "Susan" is causing quite the debate online after posting a bizarre Facebook rant about her now-canceled wedding. Yup, the couple called off the wedding just days before their I dos, after their guests refused to pay the $1,500 attendance fee Susan was demanding in order to pay for her CAD $60,000 ($46,020 USD) dream wedding. In her long-winded, expletive-filled explanation, the (former) bride accused her friends and family of ruining her marriage and her life. “How could we have our wedding that we dreamed of without proper funding? We'd sacrificed so much and only asked each guest for around $1,500. We talked to a few people who even promised us more to make our dream come true," she reportedly wrote on Facebook. "My maid of honor pledged $5,000 along with her planning services. We tearfully thanked and accepted. My ex's family offered to contribute $3,000. So our request for $1,500 for all other guests was not f***ing out of the ordinary. Like, we made it clear. If you couldn't contribute, you weren't invited to our exclusive wedding. It's a once and a lifetime [sic] party.” She continued, "We just needed a little push. Our dream wedding amounted to $60,000... All we asked was for a little help from our friends and family to make it happen." Surprise, surprise, none of that went over very well. After the couple sent out their invitations (and money requests), only eight guests RSVP'd. "We were f***ing livid," Susan wrote. "How was this supposed to happen without a little help from our friends. To make matters worse, my ex's family took back their offer. Suddenly, more people backed out, including the...maid of honor. My best friend since childhood. My second family. I was so shocked and tearful." Realizing they would not be able to afford their dream wedding, Susan's fiancé suggested tying the knot in Las Vegas. The bride quickly shut down the idea, asking, "Am I supposed to get married in the heart of shady gamblers, alcoholics and the get rich fast fallacy?" "I just wanted to be a Kardashian for a day and then live my life like normal," she said, totally and completely reasonably (JK), adding that her maid of honor advised her to stick to her budget, as she was asking for way too much from her guests. Oh, and then she accused her fiancé of talking behind her back, too. "I overheard him talking in the basement when he called me a stuck up b****. Anyway I am exhausted. I am bone tired. My heart is not the same. It's stone cold," she wrote. The Daily Mail only has screenshots of Susan's post, as she seemingly deactivated her Facebook account following the incident. They also managed to capture a few of the comments left underneath the post, including one of which that read, "I have no words. You're out of your mind, Susan." Yeah, we're going to have to agree.

^ This is a good thing. Maybe now this crazy woman's fiancé will realize that he dodged a bullet and not marry her. Her friends and family could use the $1,500 on something nice for themselves. ^

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/this-bride-canceled-her-wedding-after-guests-refused-to-pay-her-dollar1500-attendance-fee/ar-BBMvYKk?ocid=spartanntp

FB Failure

From Disability Scoop:
"Facebook Makes Changes Following Disability-Related Discrimination Complaint"

Just days after facing allegations of allowing advertisers to discriminate against people with disabilities and other groups, Facebook says it is taking steps to prevent such activity. The social networking giant said it will remove more than 5,000 categories from the options advertisers can select to target in an effort to “prevent misuse.” “While these options have been used in legitimate ways to reach people interested in a certain product or service, we think minimizing the risk of abuse is more important,” Facebook said in a posting announcing the changes. The move follows a formal complaint from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development alleging that Facebook “unlawfully discriminates by enabling advertisers to restrict which Facebook users receive housing-related ads.” The complaint indicated that the company’s advertising platform allows landlords and home sellers to choose not to show ads to those with interests in categories like “assistance dog,” “mobility scooter,” “accessibility” and “deaf culture.” It also cited categories that housing providers could use to limit who saw their ads based on sex, race, color, religion, national origin, zip code and whether users have children or have kids of certain ages. HUD said that the opportunity to exclude users based on such interests amounted to violations of the Fair Housing Act, which bars discrimination in housing transactions, including advertising. Facebook said its decision to remove thousands of categories was not in direct response to the HUD action, but rather the result of a long-running review of targeting options. The company declined to detail exactly which categories will be removed, but said that disability-related discrimination concerns were part of the review. Beyond removing categories that could be used to wrongly exclude audiences, Facebook also said it will start requiring all advertisers to certify that they comply with the company’s non-discrimination policy in the coming weeks. Previously, the agreement was only necessary to run housing, employment or credit ads on the platform. “Ads are discriminatory when they deny opportunities to individuals or groups of people based on certain personal attributes such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family/marital status, disability or medical or genetic condition,” the policy states.

^ It seems Facebook has failed on multiple areas in recent months and years. They really need to get their act together before people stop using them and move to something new, secure and non-discriminatory. ^

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/08/24/facebook-changes-discrimination/25407/

Two Shoes

Homer to Queen Elizabeth II: "I know we don't call as often as we should, and we aren't as well behaved as our good two shoes brother Canada, who by the way has never had a girlfriend... I'm just saying."

Shop Fined

From the BBC:

"Belgium shop fined for discriminating against male job-seeker"

A Belgian shop has been ordered to pay a man more than €13,000 (£11,726) in damages for turning him down for a job because it wanted a woman. The man in Louvain (Leuven), near Brussels, complained to Belgium's institute for gender equality, which won his case at a labour tribunal. Rejecting his application for stock manager, the clothes shop said it was "looking for a female colleague". The institute says it usually resolves discrimination cases out of court. Neither the shop in Louvain nor the job-seeker were named, for legal reasons. The award of €13,289.84 represents about six months' gross salary in the post that the man wanted.  The shop was also ordered to pay one euro to the Institute for Equality between Women and Men (IEFH).  A lawyer at the institute, Pauline Loeckx, told the BBC that in 2017 she and her colleagues handled about 50 claims from men and 60 from women concerning sex discrimination during job recruitment. At the tribunal, she said, the Louvain clothes shop argued that it had found a more capable woman to do the job. But the evidence of discrimination was in the e-mail it had sent to the male applicant. "With men you see the discrimination mostly at the recruitment stage, whereas with women there is discrimination at each stage of work: in recruitment, salary levels and dismissal," Ms Loeckx said. The IEFH acts to enforce Belgium's gender equality laws nationally. Last year it handled 295 complaints of sex discrimination - not just workplace discrimination, but also in services.  About 58% of those concerning the workplace came from women, and more than 150 were related to pregnancy, Ms Loeckx said. The Louvain case, she said, illustrates that recruitment decisions "are often based on stereotypes, not on the real competences of people".   Ms Loeckx said men were more likely to suffer discrimination in shops, beauty parlours and kindergartens. With women, discrimination came more often from transport firms, butchers, builders and taxi businesses.  The IEFH's annual report (in French) says another issue it handled was "ladies only" events staged by two cinema chains. Men who wanted to go with their female partners to the events were refused entry. After a complaint from the IEFH the cinemas agreed to admit men, but kept the label "ladies only", arguing that the promotions were an example of positive discrimination.

^ Both men and women get discriminated against in their lifetime and that is wrong. No one should not be given an opportunity simply because of their gender. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45294477

2019 Winter

From the Farmer's Almanac:

"2019 Winter Forecast:

 The 2019 Farmers’ Almanac, which provides 16 months’ of weather forecasts for 7 zones in one compact book, is predicting that winter 2019 will be “Colder-than-normal… from the Continental Divide east through the Appalachians.” So just how cold will it be? The real teeth-chattering arrives mid-February especially in the following zones:  Northeast/New England, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, Midwest, and Southeast (yes, even the Southeast will be in the chill zone!). During this time, an Arctic cold front will produce blustery and bitter winds, a sharp drop in temperature, and widespread snow showers/squall activity along and ahead of the frontal line. The Farmers’ Almanac, which bases its amazingly-accurate long-range forecast on a mathematical and astronomical formula developed in 1818, is also predicting above-normal precipitation (lots of snow!) for the Great Lakes states, Midwest, and central and northern New England, with the majority of it falling in January and February.

Farmers’ Almanac Winter Outlook At A Glance:

- Colder-than-normal conditions are predicted from the Continental Divide east through the Appalachians

- Above-normal snowfall predicted for Great Lakes, Midwest, New England, Pacific Northwest

- Frigid weather is expected in mid-February, which may also bring blustery and bitter winds, widespread snow showers, especially in zones 1, 2, and 3.

- Winter will hang on with stormy conditions up through the official start of spring, especially for the East Coast.

The Almanac also forecasts an unusually snowy and/or wet winter across the Pacific Northwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic States; in these regions, the thermometer will be hovering just above or just below the freezing mark, which means some of the precipitation may fall as either ice or rain/freezing rain. Above-normal precipitation is also forecast for the Southwest region during December 2018, and for the Southeast in January and February 2019. The rest of the nation will see closer to normal snowfall amounts, although, as the 2019 Farmers’ Almanac suggests, a stormier-than-normal March could push snowfall totals to above normal over the northern and central Rockies and Plains. Good news for skiers and boarders! Mid-March could be stormy virtually coast to coast, bringing snow, sleet, and/or rain as well as strong and gusty winds to many areas. In particular, we are red-flagging March 20–23 for a potent East Coast storm that could deliver a wide variety of wintry precipitation just as we are making the transition from winter to spring. So, no matter what the groundhog says in February, you’ll know winter isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

^  The Farmer's Almanac says that New England will have  "Above-normal snowfall predicted for Great Lakes, Midwest, New England, Pacific Northwest" for the 2018-19 Winter.  Last Winter we had above-normal snowfall amounts and one of the coldest Winters ever.  Fingers crossed they are wrong this year.^

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather-outlook/2019-winter-forecast

Grave Renting

From the BBC:
"Australian rent-a-grave law to be reviewed"

A controversial law in Australia's New South Wales that allows graves to be "rented out" is going to a public inquiry, reports say.  According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the NSW government is going to review rentable graves, after they were introduced into the region's Cemeteries and Crematoria Act in June. The act allows relatives to rent graves for 25-99 year periods if they can't afford the leasehold fees on their loved one's permanent grave.  The state library of New South Wales says that burials are an expensive business, and that a single grave can cost anywhere between A$2,970 and A$4,800 (£2,727; $3,506).  The existing law means the headstones of deceased relatives can be removed if relatives don't renew the deceased's plot of land within two years of expiration. Their remains are dug up, and go into a communal ossuary or "bone room", with the original land then being re-let.  Paul Toole, NSW's Minister for Lands and Forestry, told the Sydney Morning Herald that while the government recognised that burials were a "sensitive issue", renewable graves helped cemeteries stay sustainable. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies' Vic Alhadeff pointed out in an interview with news.com.au that as the act makes exceptions for religious or cultural groups requiring graves not to be reused, "this means the Jewish community's religious needs in the burial space are not at risk from the newly introduced right to re-use graves". But the law has been heavily criticised by Australia's opposition party, with Labor politician Mick Veitch saying renewable graves were "macabre" and "impose horrible choices on many families". He says: "This regulation will lead to two classes of burials: permanent monuments for those who can afford it and those who can't afford it will be forced to see their loved one dug up." An inquiry into the law by the Upper House Regulation Committee will take public evidence until 7 September, and the review is set to be announced the following month. 

^ This is beyond sick. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-45298239

John McCain

From the BBC:
"US Senator John McCain dies aged 81"

Senator John McCain, the Vietnam war hero turned senator and presidential candidate, has died aged 81. Mr McCain died on Saturday surrounded by his family, according to a short statement released by his office. He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in July 2017 and had been undergoing medical treatment. His family announced Mr McCain, who left Washington in December, had decided to stop treatment on Friday. Mr McCain's daughter Meghan said the task of her lifetime would now be "to live up to his example, his expectations, and his love". "The days and years to come will not be the same without my dad - but they will be good days, filled with life and love, because of the example he lived for us," she wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. The six-term senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee was diagnosed after doctors discovered his tumour during surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye last July. The son and grandson of Navy admirals, Mr McCain was a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. When his plane was shot down, he spent more than five years as a prisoner of war. While in the custody of his captors, he suffered torture that left him with lasting disabilities. Tributes began to pour in for Mr McCain as soon as the news of his death was announced. Donald Trump, whom Mr McCain has strongly criticised, tweeted: "My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!" Fellow Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also tweeted, saying: "America and Freedom have lost one of her greatest champions …. and I've lost one of my dearest friends and mentor." 

^ This is sad. He was someone that could go between both parties and get things done. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45312217

Recognition Worked

From the AFP:

"Face recognition nabs fake passport user at US airport"

Facial recognition technology was credited with the arrest this week of a man attempting to use a fake passport to enter the United States at Washington's Dulles airport, officials said. Officials said that on the third day of deployment of the new technology, border agents were able to determine that the man was using a fake French passport. US Customs and Border Protection, part of the Department of Homeland Security, said Dulles is one of 14 "early adopter airports" using facial recognition technology for the entry process, and began deploying it Monday. On Wednesday, a 26-year-old man traveling from Sao Paulo, Brazil sought to enter with a French passport but the facial comparison biometric system determined he was not a match to the passport he presented. A search revealed the man's authentic Republic of Congo identification card concealed in his shoe. His name was not released. The use of facial recognition has been growing for law enforcement, border control and other uses, even as concerns have risen on privacy. Privacy activists say there are few safeguards on the databases used and that the technology evokes fears of a "Big Brother" surveillance state. Heightening those concerns are studies showing facial recognition may not always be accurate, especially for people of color. The technology is being adopted around the world, with China a heavy user of facial recognition for law enforcement. The airport border agents use the biometric system to determine if the person is using a real passport, claiming it speeds the entry and exit process. The agency is also assessing the use of biometric technology as part of a process from check-in to departure in which travelers use biometrics instead of their boarding pass. The agency said in a release it is "committed to its privacy obligations" and has published several privacy impact assessments. Facial recognition came into play earlier this year when a suspect arrested for a shooting at a newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland, refused to cooperate with police and could not immediately be identified using fingerprints.

^ I believe face recognition should be used at the border (land, sea and air) and that it should be used within the country but with more, tightened controls. We don't want to become like Communist China. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/news/face-recognition-nabs-fake-passport-user-us-airport-132553335.html

One Step Closer

From the BBC:

"Spain paves way to remove Franco remains from mausoleum"

Spain's socialist government has passed a decree to exhume the remains of the late fascist dictator Francisco Franco from a huge mausoleum near Madrid. The Valley of the Fallen, 50km (30 miles) from Madrid, was created by the dictator, who died in 1975. Today the site is seen as glorifying his victory in the 1936-39 Civil War. Gen Franco's family opposes the reburial plan. It is not clear where the remains will go, but the decree is expected to be approved by parliament. The Valley of the Fallen is also the resting place of about 37,000 dead from the civil war - soldiers from both sides.  Far-right supporters of Franco pay homage to him at the site. But it is loathed by many in Spain as a monument to the triumph of fascism. Left-wing Republican prisoners were forced to help build it.   Spain's socialist government, in power since June, has made removing Franco's remains a priority. It sees their presence there as an affront to a mature democracy.  If the Franco family does not specify where the remains are to go, the final resting place will be decided by the government. The Socialist Party has parliamentary support for the exhumation from the left-wing Podemos party and from Catalan and Basque nationalists.

Will the Valley of the Fallen remain a fascist symbol?

That is not what the government wants; the plan is to make it "a place of commemoration, remembrance and homage to the victims of the war".  But Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said the tomb of Primo de Rivera, founder of Franco's nationalist Falange movement, would remain undisturbed there. She described de Rivera as one of the civil war's victims. His tomb is opposite Franco's. De Rivera was shot by a Republican firing squad in 1936. 

Is Spain still haunted by the Franco era? 

Democracy is well established now, but the Franco era does still haunt Spain. There was an unwritten "pact of forgetting" during the democratic transition.  An Amnesty Law adopted in 1977 prevents any criminal investigation into the Franco years. Statues of Franco were removed and many streets were renamed, to erase obvious signs of the fascist past.  A Historical Memory Law, passed in 2007 by the socialist government at the time, recognised the war victims on both sides and provided some help for surviving victims of Franco's dictatorship and their families.  But the work to locate and rebury thousands of civil war dead has been slow and controversial. 

^ As someone who had family living in Franco's Spain it is just wrong that Spanish law forbids brining justice to all the victims of his regime. That would be along the same lines with Stalin's victims or Hitler's victims not being able to bring the those criminals to justice. Can you really be considered a democracy if you refuse to acknowledge your dark past (a very recent past) as well as forbidding the law from bringing the Franco-era criminals to justice? Hopefully Franco's remains will be removed from the Valley of the Fallen and put in a small un-marked grave. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45298343

Flights Ending

From the BBC:
"BA and Air France to stop flights to Iran next month"

British Airways and Air France have announced that they will stop flying to Iran next month.  Both airlines said that the route was "not commercially viable." The reintroduction of US sanctions has caused a slump in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial, making it harder for Iranians to travel overseas. BA restarted the service to Tehran two years ago after a four-year gap. The last flight will be on 22 September, returning the next day. The airline apologised to travellers planning to travel to Iran and said it was offering refunds for affected customers or a possible rerouting through other airlines. Air France, which had transferred its connections with Tehran to its low-cost airline Joon, had reduced the frequency of the flights from three to one a week since the beginning of this month. It will stop all flights on 18 September.  KLM said last month that it would also suspend flights from Amsterdam to Iran from September. The sanctions, prompted partly by Washington's decision in May to abandon the Iran nuclear deal, have prompted many western firms to step back from business in Iran. Companies such as the French energy giant Total, German insurer Allianz and Danish tanker operator Maersk have said they are preparing to wind down their operations in Iran.

^ It seems the US still has sway around the world. Maybe Iran will remember that and stop threatening us. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45288659

Aid Cut

From the BBC:
"US to cut $200m aid to Gaza and West Bank"

US President Donald Trump has ordered more than $200m (£155m) in economic aid which was to be allocated to Gaza and the West Bank be redirected elsewhere. A State Department official said the decision was made after a review "to ensure these funds are spent in accordance with US national interests". It has already withheld $65m from the UN relief agency for the Palestinians. Relations between the Palestinians and the US have been difficult since Mr Trump took power. They hit a low point after the US recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017. As a result, the Palestinians said the US was unable to continue its mediation role in the peace process and suspended contact. The US administration, meanwhile, suspended aid to the Palestinians pending a review in the light of the Taylor Force Act back in June. The act aimed to force the Palestinian Authority to cease paying stipends to families of individuals convicted of terrorism against Israel. On Friday, a State Department spokesman said the decision to "redirect" the funds to other "high-priority projects" was made as a result of the review, but did not say where the money would now go. Both the Palestinians and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency warned cutting funding would make everyday life harder for the territories' citizens However, the US official said the decision took into account "the challenges the international community faces in providing assistance in Gaza, where Hamas control endangers the lives of Gaza's citizens and degrades an already dire humanitarian and economic situation".  

^ I completely agree with cutting aid to the Palestinians in Gaza for their support of Hamas and their bombs, missiles and tunnels that kill Israelis, but not to the Palestinians in the West Bank  - as long as it doesn't help Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45303989

Fall Movies

From USA Today:

"10 movies you absolutely must see this fall, from the new 'Halloween' to 'A Star Is Born'"

This fall, the local movie theater is the only place you’ll see the first man on the moon, nasty aliens, a classic horror villain and Lady Gaga hanging out together. September and October begins the usual slate of Oscar bait (we see you going for that gold dude, Melissa McCarthy and Bradley Cooper!) that you can time to leaves hitting the ground. Plus, there are a few scary flicks providing Halloween chills (welcome back, Jamie Lee Curtis!) to match the increasingly cold air. Here are the 10 films, from a bonkers Nicolas Cage action movie to a Black Lives Matter drama, that you're absolutely going to want to see in the next two months.

1. 'Mandy' (Sept. 14)

Stars: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache

Director: Panos Cosmatos

The skinny: In the horror fantasy, Cage stars as a lumberjack named Red who carves a bloody path of vengeance – wielding one seriously epic axe – against the evil forces of a cult leader (Roache) to avenge the murdered love of his life (Riseborough). Instead of just being a creepy revenge tale, “there’s a powerful love story here,” Cage promises. “It’s got depth to it, and pain and transformation and metamorphosis. What makes it work, if I may be so bold, is that Everyman. We can all go on this odyssey and explode if we're put under that kind of pressure and that kind of loss. Anyone can become that.”

2. 'The Predator' (Sept. 14)

Stars: Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn

Director: Shane Black

The skinny: More than 30 years after the first movie, the alien hunters return to Earth to plague humanity, and the premise here is “enough of these things have happened and with sufficient frequency that we've actually started paying attention," Black says. "There's even a fledgling scientific group whose purpose is to watch the skies in anticipation of the next incursion.” As for the Predators themselves, the filmmaker is sticking with the traits that worked before, from the same insectile face to the chittering noise they make when on the prowl. “Those are the staples that people are happy to see come back."

3. 'The Old Man and the Gun' (Sept. 28)

Stars: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek

Director: David Lowery

The skinny: Based on a New Yorker article, the film follows real-life gentleman criminal Forrest Tucker (Redford) – newly broken out of San Quentin and in his 70s – who sets about robbing banks with his over-the-hill crew, being pursued by a dogged cop (Affleck) but still finding time to court a new love (Spacek). A lot of Forrest’s personality came from the way Redford “comports himself,” Lowery says of the acting legend's final lead film role. “I wanted the role to be one where he could lean into it and do all the things that he does best. And that includes just being a cool customer.”

4. 'A Star Is Born' (Oct. 5)

Stars: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott

Director: Bradley Cooper

The skinny: Cooper always has loved music, but he admits “my throat closed up” when his pop icon co-star told him they’d need to sing everything live in this love story about hard-living country rocker Jackson Maine (Cooper) and Ally (Gaga), the up-and-comer he takes under his wing. “I wasn’t a singer at the time, but she was right,” the actor/director says. Singing live, “your whole body (feels) vulnerable because you’re sending vibrations through your vocal cords.” Cooper adds he “spent about a year in my basement” writing original songs with Willie Nelson’s son Lukas. “Every time a character sings a line, it has to do with where they’re at in that moment.”

5.'Venom' (Oct. 5)

Stars: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed

Director: Ruben Fleischer

The skinny: “An American Werewolf in London” was an influence for the body horror faced by journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who becomes the unwitting host for an alien symbiote that turns him into a snarling, fearsome antihero. “In the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing, he's the real Hyde,” Fleischer says. “He'll rip somebody's head off and eat their brains. There’s this forbidden-fruit quality of this guy who will just do whatever he wants.” But there’s also a funny side to this menacing figure, including a “silly tongue always dangling out of his mouth that kind of undercuts the ferociousness of the jaws.”

6. 'Beautiful Boy' (Oct. 12)

Stars: Steve Carell, Timothee Chalamet, Maura Tierney

Director: Felix Van Groeningen

The skinny: The emotional drama centers on a dad (Carell) who watches as his beloved son (Chalamet) struggles through meth addiction. Trickiest for Carell was “playing a father who is imperfect," he says. “You want a film in a lot of ways to portray the ideal, like what everyone would hope they would do given a certain situation." Instead, “when faced with the knowledge of his son's addiction, (he has) his ego hurt because 'What did I do to make my son this way?' when it's really not about him or that. That was part of the challenge, trying to respond in normal and honest ways.”

7.'First Man' (Oct. 12)

Stars: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler

Director: Damien Chazelle

The skinny: In the drama focusing on the hard road to Neil Armstrong's historic lunar jaunt in 1969, Gosling unleashes a whole repertoire of “subtle yet so pronounced” body language to reflect the real Armstrong, who was famously a quiet, withdrawn guy, Chazelle says. Much of the movie is about this “grandiose, noisy, chaotic world of the space program and the mission to the moon, but at the center of this whole maelstrom of emotions and spectacle, you have a real introvert. Ryan's able to make you feel the stuff that he's internalizing – you see it creep out in his face and in his words.” 

8.'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' (Oct. 19)

Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Jane Curtin

Director: Marielle Heller

The skinny: McCarthy has a definite soft spot for Lee Israel, the real-life figure she plays who turned to forging the letters of dead celebrities in the 1990s when her own writing career was flailing. She was “on the surface so unsociable, so caustic, so someone that kind of walks through the world unseen. Yet as you get to know her, you just realize what a fascinating life,” McCarthy says. “She admitted that she did the wrong thing, but she was like, 'I still think it's my best work.' The writer in her couldn't let that go and unapologetically held true to that.”

9. 'Halloween' (Oct. 19)

Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Will Patton

Director: David Gordon Green

The skinny:  Forty years after Michael Myers terrorized babysitter Laurie Strode (Curtis), he’s back – and she has a bunch of weapons waiting for him. But Green wanted to be “honest and truthful” about those affected by such an event. “Can you imagine being Laurie Strode’s daughter and she brings you into your first-grade classroom, looks at the teacher and says, ‘What’s your exit strategy?’ ” Curtis says. “She was on alert always, and the authorities stepped in and said, ‘This is no life for a child.’ That’s the focus and energy Laurie now has: Prepare for him as he is preparing for me.”

10.'The Hate U Give' (Oct. 19)

Stars:  Amandla Stenberg, Russell Hornsby, Issa Rae

Director: George Tillman Jr.

The skinny: In the timely adaptation of Angie Thomas’ 2017 book, Starr (Stenberg) is a teen from a black neighborhood who goes to a very white school. She’s able to keep those worlds separate until she witnesses a cop gun down her unarmed childhood friend, becoming an activist in a community torn apart by racial divides. “We're kind of like shouting into the void,” she says of the current culture reflected in the film. “I feel like now's a really important time to speak, and I think we got that part. It's also a really important time to listen.”

^ I can't wait to seethe new "Halloween" film or "First Man." ^

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2018/08/21/10-movies-you-absolutely-must-see-fall-halloween-first-man/1039555002/