Tag Archives: Salem

From Salem to Monty Python: Witch hunt in pop culture

February 7, 2013 10:55 pm | Leave a Comment |

February 1692 marked the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials. At the time in colonial North America, it didn’t take much to be accused of witchcraft. If someone lived alone, was a bit of an outsider and sometimes talked to his pet, he could be easily accused of having made an unlawful covenant with the devil.

Anyone could file a complaint against an alleged witch with the local magistrates. If the complaint was deemed credible, the magistrates had the “witch” arrested and brought in for a public interrogation, where they pressed the accused to confess. During the trials, more than 150 people were arrested and jailed after being accused of practicing witchcraft. Nineteen people (14 women and five men) were hanged, others died in prison or were crushed to death under heavy stones, including Giles Corey who refused to enter a plea and instead entered history as the man whose last words were: “More weight.”

Since then, witch hunts have received much attention in literature, TV and film. Here’s a look at some of the most renowned witch hunt moments.

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New Oregon law might make cigarettes prescription only

January 24, 2013 9:39 pm | Leave a Comment |

Trying to quit smoking? You might want to move to Oregon. A new bill would classify cigarettes as a Schedule III controlled substance, making them illegal to purchase without a doctor’s prescription.
Portland Rep. Mitch Greenlick introduced the bill in the Oregon State Legislature in an attempt to reduce the number of addicted people, but has received criticism from smokers and non-smokers alike who believe the initiative is not feasible.Under Greenlick’s proposal, smokers would be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to one year’s imprisonment and a $6,250 fine for being caught with a cigarette or any of the other Schedule III controlled substances, including ketamine, lysergic acid and anabolic steroids.The bill also prohibits the State Board of Pharmacy from adopting rules that exempt any nicotine products from the legislation, which would include chewing tobacco, nicotine patches and gums, among others. Law enforcement agencies would have the right to inspect all products that they believe might contain nicotine.“A person commits the crime of unlawful possession of nicotine if the person knowingly possesses more than 0.1 milligram of nicotine,” the legislation states. The law would not apply to anyone who was prescribed nicotine by a doctor in the course of professional practice.Oregon has had a 48 percent decrease in per-capita cigarette consumption from fiscal year 1996 to 2009, but still sells billion of cigarettes each year. In 2007, there were nearly 7,000 tobacco-related deaths in the state.“I hope [the bill] passes and I hope people actually think about it,” Rick Cannon of Salem told KPTV. “You know there’s less and less smokers everyday because they know how bad it is for them, so
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I just hope people wake up and realize how bad it actually is for them.”The average Oregon smoker spending $1,825 on cigarettes each year. The most recent statistics by the Oregon Department of Public Health show that 17.5 percent of the state population smokes on a daily basis, which significantly contributes to the annual death toll.But even though cigarettes are a major health concern in the state, making them illegal would simply anger lifelong smokers and turn them into criminals.“I think it’s pretty crazy,” Juan Silva of Salem told KPTV. “I don’t see it going through. It’s going to be something to watch for, but I don’t think it’ll pass.”Passing such a bill would also prompt criminals to begin illegally selling cigarettes in Oregon, where they would be able to charge potential buyers more than in other states. Addicted smokers would pay large amounts of money to get ahold of cigarettes.“There is little doubt in my mind that such a law would turn Oregon into a combat zone,” wrote Policy Mic blogger Michael Suede.Additionally, Oregon state would lose some of its tax revenue, since it currently receives about $1.18 per pack of cigarettes.“I don’t expect this law to actually get passed, but if it does, I suppose it will be fun to watch an entire state implode from violent warfare brought about by the sociopathy of its politicians,” Suede wrote. … Read More

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West Bank’s Fatah party stages first mass rally in Gaza in 5 years

January 4, 2013 3:23 pm | Leave a Comment |

West Bank’s Fatah party stages first mass rally in Gaza in 5 yearsGet short URLLink copied to clipboardemail story to a friendprint versionPublished: 04 January, 2013, 19:23

TAGS:Middle East,
Politics

Palestinians wave a Palestinian (L) flag and a Fatah flag during a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Mohammed Salem)Hundreds of thousands of supporters of the West Bank’s Fatah party have staged a rally in Gaza to mark the organization’s 48th anniversary. It’s the first mass Fatah gathering to be held in Gaza since Hamas ousted the party’s forces five years ago.Hamas is also making an effort to mend relations with its longtime foe. During a visit to Gaza last month, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal urged “reconciliation and national unity among the Palestinian ranks.””Palestine is for all of us, we are partners in this nation. Hamas cannot do without Fatah or Fatah without Hamas, or any movement,” Meshaal said in a speech.Participants at Friday’s rally cheered on their party and its leadership, holding aloft pro-Fatah banners and pictures of President Abbas.”The message today is that Fatah cannot be wiped out,” Amal Hamad, a member of the group’s ruling body, told Reuters. “Fatah lives, no-one can exclude it and it seeks to end the division.”Party members said the rally preserved their sense of freedom, as they enjoyed their right to hold a public rally for the first time in five years.”We feel like birds freed from our cage today,” party member Fadwa Taleb told AP. “We are happy and feel powerful again.”Fatah lost a parliamentary election to Hamas in 2006. Relations between the two parties collapsed one year later when Abbas ordered the dissolution of the Hamas-led unity government in Gaza. Hamas responded by ousting Fatah forces from the Gaza strip and setting up a rival government there.Under Egyptian mediation, the two parties reached a unity agreement in April 2011, although it has not yet been implemented.
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A Palestinian boy holds a toy gun during a rally in the West Bank city of Nablus marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement January 3, 2013. (Reuters / Abed Omar Qusini)Palestinians stand atop a building as they take part in a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Suhaib Salem)Palestinians take part in a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Suhaib Salem)Palestinians climb an electric pole during a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Mohammed Salem)Women wave Palestinian (front) and Fatah flags during a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Mohammed Salem)”);
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The public celebrations are widely seen as an attempt by the two sides to reconcile after years of tension and mistrust.Scores of supporters camped out in downtown Gaza square overnight to ensure they had a spot for the festivities. Others arrived in droves, cruising nearby streets and waving Fatah and Palestinian flags.  Fatah officials claimed that 500,000 supporters turned out, while Hamas put the number at 200,000. The focal point of the event was a speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, broadcast to the crowd on giant screens.”There is no substitute for national unity,” Abbas said in his address.The rally comes just one month after Abbas, who is a member of the Fatah party, allowed Hamas supporters to celebrate their party’s founding by also holding a rally in the West Bank.  According to Hamas, 500,000 supporters turned out for the event.The public celebrations are believed to be a step toward ensuring peace between the two parties. Palestinians take part in a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Mohammed Salem)Hamas is also making an effort to mend relations with its longtime foe. During a visit to Gaza last month, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal urged “reconciliation and national unity among the Palestinian ranks.””Palestine is for all of us, we are partners in this nation. Hamas cannot do without Fatah or Fatah without Hamas, or any movement,” Meshaal said in a speech.Participants at Friday’s rally cheered on their party and its leadership, holding aloft pro-Fatah banners and pictures of President Abbas.”The message today is that Fatah cannot be wiped out,” Amal Hamad, a member of the group’s ruling body, told Reuters. “Fatah lives, no-one can exclude it and it seeks to end the division.”Party members said the rally preserved their sense of freedom, as they enjoyed their right to hold a public rally for the first time in five years.”We feel like birds freed from our cage today,” party member Fadwa Taleb told AP. “We are happy and feel powerful again.”Fatah lost a parliamentary election to Hamas in 2006. Relations between the two parties collapsed one year later when Abbas ordered the dissolution of the Hamas-led unity government in Gaza. Hamas responded by ousting Fatah forces from the Gaza strip and setting up a rival government there.Under Egyptian mediation, the two parties reached a unity agreement in April 2011, although it has not yet been implemented.A Palestinian boy holds a toy gun during a rally in the West Bank city of Nablus marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement January 3, 2013. (Reuters / Abed Omar Qusini)Palestinians stand atop a building as they take part in a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Suhaib Salem)Palestinians take part in a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Suhaib Salem)Palestinians climb an electric pole during a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Mohammed Salem)Women wave Palestinian (front) and Fatah flags during a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. (Reuters / Mohammed Salem) … Read More

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Gaza marks Hamas’ 25th anniversary, leader Meshaal joins celebrations (PHOTOS)

December 8, 2012 9:19 am | Leave a Comment |

Gaza marks Hamas’ 25th anniversary, leader Meshaal joins celebrations (PHOTOS)Get short URLLink copied to clipboardemail story to a friendprint versionPublished: 08 December, 2012, 13:19
Edited: 08 December, 2012, 17:20

TAGS:Anniversary,
Middle East,
Israel

Hamas leader in exile Khaled Meshaal (R) and Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya (L) gesture to the supporters during a rally to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Islamist movement, in Gaza on December 8, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams) Tens of thousands turned out in the streets of Gaza for Hamas’ 25th anniversary celebrations. Khaled Meshaal, the leader of the organization, has arrived in Gaza on what is believed to be his first-ever visit to the strip.Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri called Meshaal’s visit to Gaza “a fruit of the victory of the resistance over the occupation.”On Saturday, Meshaal is scheduled to address a celebratory rally in Gaza City. A stage with a replica of a type of rocket Hamas has fired into Israel has been set up for the event. The streets of the city have been decorated with Palestinian and Hamas flags.Supporters of Hamas gather during a rallys to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Islamist movement, in Gaza on December 8, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams)Meshaal’s visit will also include talks over reconciliation plans between Hamas and the Fatah movement. Fatah, which is now ruling parts of the West Bank, was ousted by Hamas from the strip in a democratic election in 2007.Fatah agreed to take part in Hamas’ 25th anniversary celebrations in Gaza. “There is no reason why we should not participate with our Hamas brothers in the celebrations,” the Jerusalem Post quoted senior Fatah official Yehya Rabahas saying.Thousands of masked Hamas fighters – armed with rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and anti-aircraft weapons – have been called to protect their leader’s convoy.Meanwhile, Israel must observe Mershaal’s visit without interfering, thanks to the recent truce agreement between Hamas and Tel Aviv that brought an end to the attacks on Gaza.But the media war between Hamas and Israel is as hot as ever. Hasbara, Israel’s public diplomacy ministry, has used Hamas’ 25th anniversary as an opportunity to recount the group’s past terror acts.The Israeli Defense Force used the hashtag #HamasCelebrates on its Twitter page for its posts on Hamas’ terror acts. Each tweet contains information on a specific act, detailing the number of victims and injuries, as well as the date and place.” + “ipt>Meshaal, who was born in the West Bank, fled the Palestinian territory with his family after the 1967 Six Day War. He currently lives in Qatar and Egypt.Hamas was founded in 1987, and is dedicated to the creation of an Islamic state in Palestine. The US, the EU and Israel consider it a terrorist organization.Palestinian Hamas supporters take part in a rally marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, in Gaza City December 8, 2012 (Reuters / Suhaib Salem)Hamas leader in exile Khaled Meshaal (C-R) and Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya (C-L) gesture to the supporters during a rally to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Islamist movement, in Gaza on December 8, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams) An elderly supporter of Hamas shouts slogans during a rally to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Islamist movement, in Gaza on December 8, 2012 (AFP Photo / Marco Longari) A Palestinian keeps guard during a rally marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, in Gaza City December 8, 2012 (Reuters /Suhaib Salem)”);
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“I consider this moment my third birth, and I pray to God that my fourth birth will be the moment when all of Palestine is liberated,” Meshaal said about his visit, referencing his surviving an assassination attempt in Jordan in 1997.As he crossed into Gaza territory from Egypt’s Rafah border crossing, Meshaal reportedly cried as he fell to his knees and, after saying a traditional Islamic prayer, kissed the ground.The streets of Gaza City were packed with cheering crowds as Meshaal arrived for his three-day tour. During the rule of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Meshaal was not allowed to use the Rafah border crossing.Upon arriving, the Hamas chief went to see the remains of the car in which Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari was killed last month by an Israeli airstrike. Jabari’s assassination marked the beginning of an eight-day Israeli military operation in Gaza that killed some 170 Palestinians and six Israelis.Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal kisses a poster depicting late Hamas military commander Ahmed Al-Jaabari pasted on the remains of the car that he was riding in when he was killed in an Israeli air strike, at Rafah Crossing, in southern Gaza Strip December 7, 2012 (Reuters / Ahmed Jadallah)Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri called Meshaal’s visit to Gaza “a fruit of the victory of the resistance over the occupation.”On Saturday, Meshaal is scheduled to address a celebratory rally in Gaza City. A stage with a replica of a type of rocket Hamas has fired into Israel has been set up for the event. The streets of the city have been decorated with Palestinian and Hamas flags.Supporters of Hamas gather during a rallys to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Islamist movement, in Gaza on December 8, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams)Meshaal’s visit will also include talks over reconciliation plans between Hamas and the Fatah movement. Fatah, which is now ruling parts of the West Bank, was ousted by Hamas from the strip in a democratic election in 2007.Fatah agreed to take part in Hamas’ 25th anniversary celebrations in Gaza. “There is no reason why we should not participate with our Hamas brothers in the celebrations,” the Jerusalem Post quoted senior Fatah official Yehya Rabahas saying.Thousands of masked Hamas fighters – armed with rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and anti-aircraft weapons – have been called to protect their leader’s convoy.Meanwhile, Israel must observe Mershaal’s visit without interfering, thanks to the recent truce agreement between Hamas and Tel Aviv that brought an end to the attacks on Gaza.But the media war between Hamas and Israel is as hot as ever. Hasbara, Israel’s public diplomacy ministry, has used Hamas’ 25th anniversary as an opportunity to recount the group’s past terror acts.The Israeli Defense Force used the hashtag #HamasCelebrates on its Twitter page for its posts on Hamas’ terror acts. Each tweet contains information on a specific act, detailing the number of victims and injuries, as well as the date and place.Meshaal, who was born in the West Bank, fled the Palestinian territory with his family after the 1967 Six Day War. He currently lives in Qatar and Egypt.Hamas was founded in 1987, and is dedicated to the creation of an
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Islamic state in Palestine. The US, the EU and Israel consider it a terrorist organization.Palestinian Hamas supporters take part in a rally marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, in Gaza City December 8, 2012 (Reuters / Suhaib Salem)Hamas leader in exile Khaled Meshaal (C-R) and Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya (C-L) gesture to the supporters during a rally to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Islamist movement, in Gaza on December 8, 2012 (AFP Photo / Mahmud Hams) An elderly supporter of Hamas shouts slogans during a rally to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Islamist movement, in Gaza on December 8, 2012 (AFP Photo / Marco Longari) A Palestinian keeps guard during a rally marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, in Gaza City December 8, 2012 (Reuters /Suhaib Salem) … Read More

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Brickbat: Stranger Danger

September 25, 2012 10:00 am | Leave a Comment |

When her son didn’t get off the bus after
his first day at kindergarten in Salem, Oregon, Windy Holm was
terrified. Her mood didn’t improve after she called the school and
was told
they didn’t know where he was. They finally figured out they’d
sent 5-year-old Teylor Kobernik to an after school daycare.
Kobernik says they forced him into a car with an employee of the
daycare even as he insisted he was supposed to get on the bus. “I
didn’t know who she was, and I didn’t know the car, and I was
crying for my mom,” he said. “The lady told me that my mom knew I
was going to her place, but I knew that was a lie.”
Brickbat
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Stranger Danger

September 25, 2012 10:00 am | Leave a Comment |

When her son didn’t get off the bus after his first day at
kindergarten in Salem, Oregon, Windy Holm was terrified. Her mood
didn’t improve after she called the school and was told
they didn’t know where he was. They finally figured out they’d
sent 5-year-old Teylor Kobernik to an after school daycare.
Kobernik says they forced him into a car with an employee of the
daycare even as he insisted he was supposed to get on the bus. “I
didn’t know who she was, and I didn’t know the car, and I was
crying for my mom,” he said. “The lady told me that my mom knew I
was going to her place, but I knew that was a lie.”

… Read More

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