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Michael Bennett recalled how Bill Belichick treated Tom Brady as harshly as other Patriots

By www.boston.com
Published On :: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 15:57:11 +0000

"They never really called out Russell on certain things, but Bill would call Tom out on everything," Bennett said, comparing the Seahawks and Patriots in the 2010s.

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Victoria Monét, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus stun on the wild-and-wacky Grammys red carpet

By www.boston.com
Published On :: Mon, 05 Feb 2024 13:57:32 +0000

Bianca Betancourt, digital culture editor for Harper's Bazaar, called Cyrus' look the “type of over-the-top camp we love and want from the Grammys.”

The post Victoria Monét, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus stun on the wild-and-wacky Grammys red carpet appeared first on Boston.com.


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A Somerville teen crocheted her prom dress in three days. Her video of the design process went viral.

By www.boston.com
Published On :: Wed, 03 Jul 2024 13:36:39 +0000

Sarah Akinbuwa remembers the days when she was bullied over her love of crocheting, a hobby she picked up with her circle of schoolmates as a 12-year-old in Nigeria. Now living in Somerville and devoted to the craft, the 18-year-old is winning acclaim for one of her latest creations: a bright pink, floor-length prom dress […]

The post A Somerville teen crocheted her prom dress in three days. Her video of the design process went viral. appeared first on Boston.com.


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How did ‘Nantucket red’ become an island tradition?

By www.boston.com
Published On :: Wed, 07 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000

The more romantically inclined might describe Nantucket’s signature hue as a “dusty rose” or a “sunset pink.” Candid folks may note the passing resemblance to a bad sunburn.

The post How did ‘Nantucket red’ become an island tradition? appeared first on Boston.com.


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David Ortiz still loves watching the Red Sox’ historic comeback vs. the Yankees 20 years later, especially alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter

By www.boston.com
Published On :: Fri, 18 Oct 2024 22:13:50 +0000

"Theeeee Yankees lose!"

The post David Ortiz still loves watching the Red Sox’ historic comeback vs. the Yankees 20 years later, especially alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter appeared first on Boston.com.


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These Greater Boston restaurants are offering deals, specials, and community post-election

By www.boston.com
Published On :: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 19:50:16 +0000

However you're feeling post-election, your local restaurants are here to bring Boston together.

The post These Greater Boston restaurants are offering deals, specials, and community post-election appeared first on Boston.com.


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How dare Spain of all nations try to lecture Britain about democracy

By www.collectiuemma.cat
Published On :: Wed, 28 Nov 2018 22:00:00 +0100

Spain has threatened to block the Brexit deal if it does not get a veto over how any future trade deal applies to Gibraltar (pictured) 

AFP /Getty Images
 


DAILY MAIL
22-11-2018
 
By STEPHEN GLOVER
 
Theresa May already has enough problems on her hands with the Democratic Unionist Party and Tory Brexiteers proclaiming they will vote against her deal in the Commons next month.

Just when she least needed another set of anxieties, the Spanish government has tossed a potentially lethal grenade in her direction. It is threatening to scupper the Brexit agreement because it is unhappy with a section of the draft withdrawal agreement concerning Gibraltar.

At the same time, its foreign minister, Josep Borrell, has let fly by suggesting that Brexit could split apart the United Kingdom. He claims to be ‘very much more worried’ about the unity of the UK than of Spain.
 
And, in a move bound to cheer Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP, he says Spain has dropped its historic opposition to Scotland joining the EU as an independent country. Madrid had hitherto tried to discourage nationalists in Catalonia by insisting that it would block Scottish membership of the Union.

I must say that, on the eve of Sunday’s planned EU summit, none of this is very friendly or helpful. By announcing that Scotland would be welcomed with open arms, Mr Borrell seems almost to be willing the disintegration of the United Kingdom.

What is the Spanish government playing at? Gibraltar has of course long been a bone of contention, with Madrid laying claim to the Rock, which was ceded to Britain in 1713.

Here one must say, with all possible courtesy, that Spain’s obsession with Gibraltar sometimes verges on the deranged. In a 1967 referendum, 99.6 per cent of Gibraltar’s citizens voted to remain British. In 2002, a proposal for joint sovereignty was rejected by 98 per cent of Gibraltarians.

Some people might have got the message by now that pretty well everyone in the tiny territory would prefer to stay British, thank you very much. But a succession of testosterone-driven Spanish politicians will not listen.
 
One of the ironies of this story, so grotesque that it is hard not to be amused, is that Madrid vehemently defends its right to retain two historic enclaves in Morocco, called Ceuta and Melilla. The Moroccan government periodically grumbles about this anomaly.

Spain’s sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla is, to its way of thinking, beyond reproach, even though it’s not at all clear that all the inhabitants of the two enclaves are joyful subjects. But Gibraltar, whose people are thoroughly happy being British, should belong to Spain. Get it?

All this has blown up because Gibraltar will leave the EU on March 29 next year along with the UK, though it should be said that 96 per cent of its citizens voted Remain on an 82 per cent turnout. However, there’s no evidence that any of them are hankering after rule from Madrid.

Why is the Spanish government so upset? Because it believes that Article 184 of the draft withdrawal agreement implies that the future of the territory will be decided by the EU and the UK, without Spain necessarily being involved.

This is a case of paranoia. Spain is certain to be consulted by both parties, and is constantly talking about Gibraltar with the British Government. The truth is that politicians in Madrid are puffing out their chests with characteristic machismo.

I would be surprised if they do upset the deal, though one can’t be sure. In a narrow sense, this is a squabble about virtually nothing, since, as I have said, Spain will continue to be included in discussions.

But the outburst reminds us just how fixated all Spanish governments (the present one is Left-wing) are on Gibraltar, and how weak is their adherence to democratic principles.

So far as Madrid is concerned, Gibraltar should be Spanish because it is part of the Spanish mainland, and was inveigled by Perfidious Albion a very long time ago. It seems hardly to weigh with them that the vast majority of people in the territory understandably see themselves as British.
 
In this view of things, sovereignty has its roots in land, not in the hearts of citizens. This idea was perfectly demonstrated last autumn, when the Catalan government in Barcelona decided to call a referendum on independence, which resulted in a large Leave majority on a relatively small turnout.

Arguably, the Catalan nationalists overplayed their hand. But nothing can excuse the response of the Madrid Government. Its police bludgeoned and assaulted defenceless voters who were simply trying to exercise their democratic right. Some 900 people were said to be injured.

After the vote, the Spanish government summarily dissolved the Catalan Parliament and arrested leading Catalan politicians. President Puigdemont and others managed to escape to Belgium, but were forced to flee to Germany after Madrid issued European arrest warrants alleging crimes of rebellion and sedition.

These warrants have now been suspended but Puigdemont and his colleagues dare not return to Spain for fear that they will be arrested and thrown into jail.

None of this sounds very civilised, does it? And so when Josep Borrell says that he thinks Spain will remain a united state for longer than the United Kingdom, I can’t help shaking my head in disbelief.

Spain — which, let’s face it, is a very young democracy, though of course a great country — refused to allow a referendum on independence in Catalonia. When the Catalans went ahead and held one of their own, the Spanish state cracked down on them in a pretty brutal way.
 
By contrast, Westminster — a very much older democracy — acceded to the SNP’s request for a referendum on independence in 2014. No one can doubt that if a majority of the Scottish people had voted to leave the UK, their wish would have been honoured. The Spanish way, pretty openly endorsed by Brussels, was to rely on coercion. The British way, at any rate in the 21st century, was to rely on persuasion and open debate, and to accept the powerful democratic idea that people should be governed with their consent.

Only a fool would deny that the United Kingdom faces challenges to its survival as a unitary state. But I venture to suggest that consent is likely to keep it together longer than Spain will be held together by force.

What has happened in Catalonia is that a long-established longing for independence has been quelled, but it has not been extinguished. Sooner or later it will rise again. What will politicians in Madrid then do?

As for Gibraltar, in the unlikely event of a majority of its people ever wanting to exchange their British citizenship for Spanish, I have no doubt that their desire would be granted. It is partly the sure knowledge that it would be that makes them want to stay British.

How we flagellate ourselves at the moment during these wrangles over Brexit. We are said to be the laughing stock of Europe. Our democracy is spoken of as dysfunctional. Many of us feel a bit down in the dumps.

But when I look at Spain, and hear its foreign minister cheerfully prophesying the break-up of the United Kingdom; when I see Spanish politicians casting avaricious eyes on the Rock of Gibraltar — why, then I am still very glad to be British.
 
 
 


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Katalanische Politiker treten in unbefristeten Hungerstreik

By www.collectiuemma.cat
Published On :: Sun, 02 Dec 2018 21:30:00 +0100

Zwei der inhaftierten Anführer der katalanischen Unabhängigkeitsbewegung sind am Wochenende in den Hungerstreik getreten. Der ehemalige Minister Jordi Turull und der Aktivist Jordi Sánchez wollten damit nicht nur auf ihr Schicksal aufmerksam machen.

Ein Foto der zum Teil seit mehr als einem Jahr inhaftierten Katalanen im Innenhof des Gefängnisses Lledoners. Der erste und dritte von links sind in einen Hungerstreik getreten: Jordi Sànchez, Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, Joaquim Forn, Jordi Cuixart, Josep Rull and Raul Romeva (v.l.n.r.).
©Maria Vernet / Omnium Cultural
AFP


STERN
 
2-12-2018
 
Wenige Wochen vor dem Beginn eines Prozesses gegen 18 führende Personen der katalanischen Unabhängigkeitsbewegung sind zwei der Angeklagten in einen unbefristeten Hungerstreik getreten. Die im katalanischen Gefängnis von Lledoners unweit von Barcelona einsitzenden Abgeordneten Jordi Sànchez und Jordi Turull gaben am Samstag den Beginn ihrer Aktion bekannt.

In einer Erklärung warfen der ehemalige Minister Jordi Turull, der im März 2018 verhaftet wurde, und Jordi Sànchez, der Ex-Vorsitzende der Assemblea Nacional Catalana, dem spanischen Verfassungsgericht vor, ihr Berufungsverfahren vor dem Europäischen Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte (EGMR) zu blockieren. Außerdem verwehre die spanische Justiz mehrere Verfassungsbeschwerden, wie sie auf Twitter mitteilten.

Den Politikern drohen 25 Jahre Haft

Ende Oktober hatte das Oberste Gericht in Madrid nach einjährigen Ermittlungen die Eröffnung eines Verfahrens gegen den früheren katalanischen Vizepräsidenten Oriol Junqueras, Turull, Sànchez und 15 weitere Separatisten wegen Rebellion, Ungehorsams und Unterschlagung angeordnet. Ein Termin für die Prozesseröffnung wurde noch nicht genannt. Nach Medieneinschätzung werden die Katalanen erst Anfang 2019 erstmals auf der Anklagebank sitzen. Die Anklage fordert bis zu 25 Jahre Haft für die katalanischen Unabhängigkeitspolitiker.
 
Nach dem Unabhängigkeitsreferendum vom 1. Oktober 2017, das die Madrider Regierung für illegal erklärt hatte, und einem anschließenden Mehrheitsbeschluss des katalanischen Parlaments hatte die spanische Regierung unter dem damaligen Ministerpräsidenten Mariano Rajoy den Regionalpräsident Carles Puigdemont und sein Kabinett abgesetzt. Madrid stellte die autonome Region unter Zwangsverwaltung.

Seit mehr als einem Jahr sitzen zahlreiche Politiker der damaligen Regionalregierung und Aktivisten der Unabhängigkeitsbewegung in U-Haft. Mehrere katalanische Politiker, darunter der abgesetzte Regionalpräsident Carles Puigdemont, flohen ins Exil. Puigdemont war im März 2018 in Deutschland auf der Durchreise von Finnland nach Belgien festgenommen worden. Das Schleswig-Holsteinische Oberlandesgericht hielt den Auslieferungsantrag der Spanier wegen des Vorwurfs der Rebellion für unbegründet.

Bei den von Madrid kurzfristig einberufenen Neuwahlen im Dezember 2017 setzten sich aber erneut die Parteien durch, die eine Trennung von Spanien fordern. Turull und Sànchez wurden ungeachtet ihrer U-Haft ins Parlament von Barcelona gewählt.
 
+++ Lesen Sie auch den Hintergrundartikel: "Warum Katalonien so vehement die Unabhängigkeit fordert" +++
 


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IADL calls for release of Catalan political prisoners

By www.collectiuemma.cat
Published On :: Wed, 05 Dec 2018 04:15:00 +0100

IADL
3 Dec 2018
 

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) rejects and condemns the repressive action undertaken by the Spanish government against some pro-independence figures in Catalonia.
IADL calls for the immediate release of Catalan political prisoners, who have been held in pre-trial detention since October 2017 and demands the revocation of the arrest warrants issued against other personalities, who have at this time been forced into exile.
IADL requests both the Spanish government and the pro-independence parties to resume talks and revive a fruitful dialogue in order to achieve a peaceful solution of the Catalan issue, in the framework of existing current national, European and international law.
 
 


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‘I’m in jail for fulfilling the mandate expressed by Catalan society’

By www.collectiuemma.cat
Published On :: Sat, 29 Dec 2018 07:30:00 +0100

Interview: Imprisoned politician Josep Rull awaits trial for rebellion





THE IRISH TIMES

 

By GUY HEDGECOE

Decembre 20, 2018

 

In early November 2017, Josep Rull, the former Catalan minister for territory and sustainability, posted the following on his Twitter account: “If you see this tweet then I’ve been jailed for being loyal to the ballot box.”

More than 13 months later, Rull (50) is still in prison, although he was released on bail for several weeks earlier this year. He and 17 other pro-independence leaders are awaiting trial for their alleged role in Catalonia’s failed bid for independence last year and nine of them are in custody. At the beginning of December, Rull and three others – Jordi Sànchez, Jordi Turull and Joaquim Forn – began a hunger strike at Lledoners prison where they are being held.

Their protest is driven by the fact that they remain in jail even though their trial has no scheduled date. They also argue that the Spanish judiciary has deliberately blocked appeals they have made in order to prevent their complaints from reaching the European Court of Human Rights.

“I want my case – and those of my colleagues – to reach the European courts,” Rull told The Irish Times, in a written interview carried out via email. “But the Spanish courts put up obstacles because they fear being undermined by a truly impartial and independent judiciary.”

The Catalan government says Rull has lost 7kg since beginning the strike. Yet the quartet who are carrying out the action appear to have embarked on it with caution. Jordi Sànchez told a radio interviewer recently: “I don’t want to be the Catalan Bobby Sands.” He added: “We haven’t gone crazy. We’re not going to immolate ourselves.”

 

Reoffending

The supreme court says it was keeping Rull and the other prisoners in custody in order to prevent them from reoffending and from fleeing the country, as former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and several others did.

The independence movement has sought to place the nine imprisoned leaders, who also include former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras, at the centre of Spain’s ongoing territorial crisis. It argues they are political prisoners being punished for their views, not their actions.

Rull says that he is “in jail for fulfilling the mandate expressed by Catalan society in democratic elections: calling a referendum and applying its result”, a reference to the outlawed independence vote held in October 2017, during which police attacked many Catalans as they attempted to cast their vote.

As for the upcoming trial, Rull says that the guilt of the defendants is a foregone conclusion. If he is found guilty, he could face a jail sentence of up to 16 years for rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds. Junqueras faces a possible 25-year sentence.

“Our trial does not have the objective conditions necessary to make it trustworthy,” Rull says, adding that after the verdict he will appeal to the European judiciary. “I want to take the opportunity to show how this trial is designed [by Spain] to serve as a lesson to those who want independence, with the aim of making them give up their desire for freedom.”

 

Recent controversies

A string of recent controversies within the Spanish judiciary – including some affecting the supreme court – has helped fuel such criticism, despite the insistence of the central government and others that the trial will be fair.

Yet while the hunger strike seeks to draw international attention to the Catalan issue, it also seems to have underlined divisions within the independence movement. The four prisoners carrying out the protest are all members of the Together for Catalonia (JxCat) parliamentary group, whose relationship with the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), which represents four of the other prisoners, has been deteriorating.

On Wednesday, five former Catalan presidents, including Carles Puigdemont, were among those who appealed to the hunger strikers to call off their action in order to safeguard their health.

Rull, however, denies that the strike could make relationships within the independence movement worse.

“The movement is broad and diverse,” he says. “It’s not necessary for us all to do the same thing because we all respect the peaceful actions of others.”  

Yet the movement’s unity is clearly under pressure and the Catalan president, Quim Torra of JxCat, is struggling to balance the political demands of his post with the need to remain popular among grassroots activists. His recent praise for the Slovenian route to independence, which saw dozens of people killed in 1991, has been seen as a mistake by many, including some allies.

Unimpressed

But Rull insists that blame for the lack of improvement in relations between Madrid and Catalonia lies squarely with Spain’s Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez. His efforts to reduce tensions by taking a series of measures aimed at normalising the relationship with the region have left pro-independence Catalans unimpressed.

“[The] Spanish government should take much bolder steps in order to be able to embark on an effective process of political dialogue, which is the only way of finding solutions to the conflict,” Rull says.

Yet it is the political right that appears to have been emboldened, demanding that Sánchez reintroduce direct rule in Catalonia. Meanwhile, the leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), Pablo Casado, has dismissed the hunger strike as a “high-protein diet”.

Reckless response

There is speculation in many quarters that if Spain’s political turmoil continues, resulting in a reckless response to the Catalan crisis by Madrid, it could benefit the independence movement, which already casts itself as the victim of an undemocratic state.

“There are, without a doubt, pro-independence Catalans who think like that, but I’m not one of them,” says Rull.

“Anyway, the ones who benefit most from the tensions between Catalonia and Madrid are not the Catalan [pro-independence] parties but rather the Spanish parties which share the vision of Spain that the Franco regime had.”

 

© 2018 irishtimes.com






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Recent homes sales in Greater Boston (Nov. 13)

By www.boston.com
Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +0000

ABINGTON 91 Linda St. One-family ranch, built in 1951, 858 square feet, 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, on 7,014-square-foot lot. $425,000 56 Townsend St. #C23 Condo/Apt, built in 1972, 900 square feet, 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. $280,000 ACTON 21 Grasshopper Lane. One-family Colonial, built in 1968, 3,546 square feet, 9 rooms, 4 […]

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“When I chose “Training Day,” I was on the hunt for something a little darker than some of my other recent projects”

By www.cmuse.org
Published On :: Mon, 06 Feb 2017 22:50:51 +0000

From his early years taking classical piano lessons, to playing in a rock band during the 1990s, composer Jeff Cardoni has built up a diverse ... Read more

The post “When I chose “Training Day,” I was on the hunt for something a little darker than some of my other recent projects” appeared first on CMUSE.


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“As soon as I realised that composing was a job, that’s what I wanted to do”

By www.cmuse.org
Published On :: Thu, 23 Feb 2017 17:36:24 +0000

Composer Sebastian Evans has created scores for a large number of well-known cartoons, including since 2012 the score for the relaunch of the animated classic ... Read more

The post “As soon as I realised that composing was a job, that’s what I wanted to do” appeared first on CMUSE.


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14 Exceptionally Rare Videos Of Famous Composers In The Last Century

By www.cmuse.org
Published On :: Sat, 11 May 2024 03:26:05 +0000

The Classical period was over far too early for any film footage to existing. Textbooks usually say that the Romantic period ended in 1900 and ... Read more

The post 14 Exceptionally Rare Videos Of Famous Composers In The Last Century appeared first on CMUSE.


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