Archive for December, 2019

The best leadership moments of the decade – Fast Company

Each December,Fast Companyrounds up the years best and worst leadership moments. But as we bid adieu to an entire decade, it seemed only fitting to look back at the last 10 years instead.

We thought the more hopeful moments would be harder to recall than the myriadscams and leadership failures that grabbed headlines. But for all the scandals and tragedies that punctuated the past decade, there were just as many instances of inspired leadershipoften in response to those very hardships. Some of the names on this list arent leaders in the traditional sense but are simply people who acted powerfully at a particular historical moment.

Of course, a decade is a long time, which means some of the leaders weve lauded have made their fair share of missteps. But in the moments weve outlined below, their leadership made us optimistic during a difficult decade.

In June 2015, the Supreme Court made a historic ruling that finally granted same-sex couples the right to get married, in a 5-4 decision that saw Justice Anthony Kennedy voting with the more liberal justices on the court. As in prior gay rights cases, Kennedy was the swing vote and penned the majority opinion. No longer may this liberty be denied, Kennedy wrote. No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.

The deadly 2015 shooting in Charleston, when white supremacist Dylann Roof opened fire on a historic black church, claimed the lives of nine people. In a eulogy for slain pastor and state senator Clementa C. Pinckney, President Obama addressed a churchand nationin mourning. His speech, which centered on the idea of grace, also touched on the countrys history of racial violence, the legacy of the Confederate flag, and reiterated the urgency of gun control measures. But in an unexpected closing, Obama segued into a stirring rendition of Amazing Grace,and the crowd joined in.

The Trump era has driven political engagement even in more unlikely corners, and at no point was that more clear than during the 2018 midterm elections. The candidates for office were some of the most diverse in the history of the U.S. with 272 women, 216 people of color, and 26 LGBTQ folks running for the House, Senate, and governor seats. A number of them didnt have a traditional background in politics or hadnt previously run for political office. There are now 126 women and 116 people of color with seats in Congressboth record highs.

When President Trump announced a travel ban that would bar immigration from a number of Muslim-majority countrieson a Friday at 5 p.m., no lessthe ACLU sprang into action. (It helped that someone had leaked a draft of the executive order to the ACLU days in advance.) Executive director Anthony Romero and the rest of his team got to work on getting a temporary stay on the executive order, to stop the deportations that were already underway; by Saturday night, a New York federal court judge had issued an injunction. (By the end of the year, however, the Supreme Court had given the green light to the Trump administrations third version of the ban.)

As the national anthem played at an NFL preseason game in 2016, Colin Kaepernick stayed seated. It was his way of protesting racism and police brutality. I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color, he said at the time. At another game, he chose to take a knee instead, in response to criticisms that he was being disrespectful of the military. Kaepernicks protest sparked a fiery debate, with a number of other athletes following his lead. Protests spilled over into the 2017 season, in part also a response to the violence in Charlottesville.

On International Womens Day this year, the U.S. womens soccer team, which won the last two World Cups, sued the U.S. Soccer Federation over gender discrimination. Despite the teams successespecially in recent years, as game revenue has outpaced that of the mens soccer teamits members have long been underpaid compared to their male counterparts. The suit doesnt just address the pay gap, though; it also argues that the womens team does not receive equal treatment with respect to training and working conditions, for example.

This isnt just about pay equity on the womens soccer team, of course: the team hopes to catalyze change across womens teams around the world, and even take on FIFA.

A few months after the New York Times exposed decades of harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein and ignited the #MeToo movement, prominent women in Hollywood banded together to create an organization that would not only tackle harassment in their industry but also across blue-collar workplaces.

A legal defense fund would provide aid to women in low-wage industries who wouldnt otherwise have the resources to pursue legal action against sexual misconduct. Times Up was driven by heavy hitters like Reese Witherspoon and Shonda Rhimes, and at the Golden Globes just days after its launch, many actresses made a different kind of fashion statement, as they walked down the red carpet clad in black to protest sexual harassment. Some of them brought activists as guests, from Ai Jen Poo of the National Domestic Workers Alliance to Saru Jayaraman, who advocates on behalf of restaurant workers.

But one of the most important #MeToo moments of this decade was when Christine Blasey Ford came forward with sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh in the lead-up to his confirmation to the Supreme Court. (Kavanaugh has denied the allegations.) Ford took the brave step of testifying publicly in a hearing that gripped the countrya decision that won her support from many, but also made her the target of endless threats and harassment.

For all the harassment allegations and cases of company culture gone sideways, there were high points, too. Well before he floated a bid for the presidency, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz set a standard for providing benefits to low-wage workers. For years, the company has extended stock options and health benefits to both part-time and full-time employees.

Since 2013, Starbucks has hired 25,000 veterans and active-duty spouses, and in 2017, Schultz pledged to hire 10,000 refugees within five years; last year, Starbucks opted to give all its hourly workers paid leave.

Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya has employed refugees for years30% of his workforce is comprised of immigrants and refugeesand invited all employees, including factory workers, to share in the companys profits and benefits like paid parental leave. Last year, Rent the Runway took steps to put both their classes of employees on more equal footing, by extending benefits like bereavement, parental leave, and family sick leavewhich were previously only granted to corporate, salaried employeesto hourly employees who work in their warehouses and retail stores.

Many tech companies also took steps to improve benefits and work culture for corporate employees. Under Satya Nadellas leadership, Microsoft has not only generated more than $250 billion in market value but also made strides to improve company culture, from dialing back the internal competition of the Steve Ballmer-era to getting rid of forced arbitration for sexual harassment allegations. At Intel, a $300 million investment in diversity has noticeably increased its share of women and underrepresented minorities, in both technical and nontechnical roles (though white and Asian men still account for more than 70% of executive positions).

Even by tech standards, Netflix adopted an uncharacteristically generous parental leave policy in 2015 that gave new parents the ability to take up to one year of leave; the Gates Foundation introduced a 52-week leave policy as well. (A former Netflix employee did, however, sue the company for pregnancy discrimination, claiming that new parents werent exactly encouraged to take the full year off.)

A defining feature of this decade has been gun violence, from mass shootings to police brutality. But even in the face of political inaction, weve found hope in movements like Black Lives Matter and the activism of the Parkland students. Black Lives Matter first made its mark after George Zimmerman was acquitted for killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. But it was after the shooting of Michael Brown that the movement drew a wider audience, with people taking to the streets of Ferguson.

More than 1.2 million people flocked to the March for Our Lives rally led by the Parkland students last year, who have also agitated for changes to how businesses restrict gun sales. Dicks Sporting Goods was one of the major retailers that stopped selling guns altogether in response to the Parkland shooting.

Moms Demand Action, which coalesced after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, has pushed for businesses like Starbucks, Target, and Walmart to restrict open carryor ban guns outrightin their stores. Levis, too, has taken a strong position on the issue. After a customer brought a gun into a Levis store in 2016 and accidentally shot himself, Levis CEO Chip Bergh wrote an open letter urging customers not to bring guns into the companys stores. And after Parkland, Levis introduced the Safer Tomorrow Fund, which would put $1 million toward nonprofits and youth activists.

The Paris climate agreement was a historic move toward addressing climate change on the world stage. President Trump has now officially pulled the U.S. out of the agreement, but a number of businesses have pledged their commitment to staying the course anyway.

Companies like Patagonia have supported environmental activism for decades, taking a stand on social and political issues long before it was fashionable. Last year, Patagonia donated its $10 million tax cut to grassroots environmental organizations and explicitlyendorsed two Senate candidates with a record of protecting public lands. If their intentions werent clear already, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and CEO Rose Marcario recently changed the companys mission statement to the following: Patagonia is in business to save our home planet.

But the most inspiring climate leadership this decade has come from a new crop of young activists. One of the most visible faces of the movement is 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who galvanized an estimated four million people across the world to strike for climate change in Septembera moment that begin with Thunbergs quiet protest outside the Swedish parliament a year prior. While Thunberg is an influential voice for climate activism, the Green New Dealintroduced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markeyhas shaped the climate conversation amongst presidential candidates and calls on the government to curb emissions and lead the way to reaching net-zero emissions globally by 2050.

The Google Walkout, a response to a report that Google had awarded Andy Rubin a $90 million exit package in response to sexual harassment allegations against him, was an unprecedented show of protest from 20,000 Google employees across the world. (Rubin, for his part, denies the allegations.)

The walkout organizers put forth a series of demands to address alleged issues of sexism and racism at the companyputting an end to forced arbitration, for example, as well as introducing pay transparency to mitigate pay inequities. Many of their demands werent met, and in the months since, several organizers have left the company over claims of retaliation. But the Google walkout has prompted ongoing conversations around systemic issues and introduced many tech workers to the power of organizing.

This holds true even for the tech workers who arent nearly as well compensated. Gig workers at companies like Uber and Instacart have fought against falling pay by organizing: Just last month, Instacart shoppers went on strike to demand better tips.

Following the deadly earthquake in Haiti, chef Jos Andrs launched a nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, to provide meals to survivors in the aftermath of disasters. The organization has delivered 10 million meals since its inception; this year, it offered aid after 19 disasters and introduced a Climate Disaster Fund, through which World Central Kitchen plans to raise $50 million for disaster response.

Other celebrities have stepped up as well.Lin-Manuel Mirandaraised $2.5 million in just 24 hours through a MoveOn campaign and helped drum up $43 million for the Hispanic Federations hurricane relief fund. Miranda even took his entire stage production of Hamilton to Puerto Rico, using the show as an opportunity to fundraise for Puerto Ricos arts communityand lift spirits.

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The best leadership moments of the decade - Fast Company

A look back at 10 of the biggest social movements of the 2010s, and how they shaped Seattle – Seattle Times

After 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, students all over the country walked out of their classrooms to demand political action against gun violence. A one-girlprotest in Sweden sparked a global strike among youth worried for their future and pushing for action against climate change. After the 2007-2009 recession, hundreds of thousands of people camped out on public lands all over the countrytoprotest wealth inequality.

Some of the most impactful movements of the 2010shadroots in activism that came before. But this decade with its advances in technology, the organizing power of social media and a unique political climate has endowed movements with new energy and ideas.

Just as the civil-rights movement fought back against racist segregation, disenfranchisement, and lynchings of Black people, the 2010s have seen people come together to address some of the most pressing social issues of our time.

In the 2010s, Washington found itself at the center of some of these national social shifts. Voters here approved same-sex marriage well before it became the law of the land.Amid the rising trend of anti-immigrant sentiment nationally, Seattle has adamantly remained a sanctuary city. Before Black Lives Matter drew national attention to the issue of police brutality, Washington had already been shocked into action and eventually became the first state in the U.S. to pass a police-accountability and -training measure.

With a national increase in hate crimes and hateful rhetoric that has emboldened white supremacist and white nationalist groupsthis decade, Seattle saw a 400% increase in reported hate crimes since 2012. In 2018, Washington had the fourth-highest number of reported hate crimes in the U.S.

It has been a decade of great turmoil and great change, a time of extreme divisions and of people coming together to take action.

What was Seattles role in some of the biggest changes of the past 10 years? We looked back at some of the most impactful movements of the 2010s to explore what theyve meant for a changing Seattle.

Criminal-justice reform | Occupy | LGBTQ+ rights |Marijuana legalization/decriminalization |Gun control & gun rights | Black Lives Matter |Standing Rock, Mauna Kea, MMIW & Indigenous Rights |New populism| #MeToo | Climate strike

Emergence: 2010

Significant local events: No New Youth Jail protests, Block the Bunker protests

Although the number of children under confinement in King County is at a 20-year low, the county incarcerates youth of color at 5.6 times the rate of white youth, according to county data. Organizations like No New Youth Jail (NNYJ), which grew out of opposition to a 2012 tax levy to build a new youth jail and family court buildings in King County, believe children shouldnt be detained at all, that the country should invest in preventive measures and alternatives to youth detention instead.

The $232 million Children and Family Justice Center opposed by NNYJ is almost built now, but King County has rolled out a Zero Youth Detention plan.

And in 2016, a Block the Bunker campaign successfully blocked plans to build a $149 million police station in North Seattle while the SPD was still undergoing significant reforms as part of a Department of Justice (DOJ) consent decree.

Though prison abolition has roots in the 1970s, Michelle Alexanders 2010 book The New Jim Crow brought the topic back to the national conscience by drawing a compelling parallel between todays mass-incarceration system and the Jim Crow laws that segregated and disenfranchised Black people.

In November, Florida voters approved a measure that restores voting rights to millions of ex-felons in the state. In Seattle, organizers continue to push for prevention and alternatives to jail.

Emergence: 2011, New York

Significant local events: May Day protests 2012

When 84-year-old Dorli Rainey was pepper-sprayed by a Seattle police officer at an Occupy Seattle march in November 2011, no one imagined shed become a symbol of the movement. But the image of a senior woman drenched in milk to neutralize the effects of the chemical became a symbol of the movements power to mobilize hundreds of thousands across generations and across the country to take to streets and encampments.

The Occupy movement kicked off the decade when more than a thousand protesters took over Zuccotti Park in New Yorks Financial District on Sept. 17, 2011, to express discontent over wealth inequality in the U.S. and demand accountability for the investment bankers responsible for the financial crisis that began in late 2007.

Protesters at encampments across the nation insisted, We are the 99%, a rallying cry that highlighted that the majority of wealth in the U.S. is concentrated among the top 1% of income earners. The leaderless movement demanded that the capitalist status quo be completely altered. Critics felt the movement lacked clarity in its goals. It ultimately failed after the camps were cleared, but many of its central grievances and messages have informed current candidates political platforms.

The ties forged through Occupy Seattle created networks among the citys organizers. Many actions and movements like the Food For Everyone program in Capitol Hill were born out of those connections and continue in the citys organizing efforts today.

Re-emergence: 2011, national

Significant local events: Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell, and Ingersoll vs. Arlenes Flowers

They married in one of the 38 states in which same-sex marriage was legal in 2012. Prior to the 2015 Supreme Court case that ended the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which had defined marriage as between a man and a woman Witts marriage was not recognized in the eyes of her employer, the U.S. government. But that wasnt the only battle Witt faced as a lesbian woman.

U.S. Air Force Major Margaret Witt, who grew up in Tacoma, had been suspended from duty in 2004 for beinglesbian. Although shed never disclosed her sexual orientation to anyone in the military, she was discharged in 2006 under the militarys Dont Ask, Dont Tell (DADT) policy that banned gay, lesbian and bisexual peoplefrom serving openly. In 2011, after five years in the federal court system, Witt won the right to be fully reinstated. DADT was repealed.

In 2012, Washington state began allowing LGBTQ+ marriage, and Witt and her partner married in Spokane. In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, federally recognizing LGBTQ+ marriage nationwide.

In 2017, the Washington Supreme Court ruled against a Richland florist who refused to sell flowers for the wedding of two men. More openly LGBTQ+ celebrities are in the spotlight, and broader acceptance has been reflected in the media and popular culture.

This decade has also seen setbacks for LGBTQ+ people. President Donald Trumps stance against transgender people in the military took effect in April. In October, Aimee Stephens, who was fired from her job at a funeral home when she came out as trans, brought the first transgender-rights case to the Supreme Court.The case will decide whether transgender people are entitled to sex-based protections under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Supreme Courts decision is expected in 2020.

Emergence: 2012

Significant local events: Washington Initiative 502 legalizes marijuana

On Nov. 6, 2012, Washington and Colorado became the first two states nationally to legalize marijuana for recreational use. As of 2019, 11 states have legalized recreational use of marijuana.

This comes after decades of fighting for the decriminalization of marijuana and after several states passed legislation allowing its medical use. In November this year, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would legalize marijuana at the federal level; however, the bill needs approval by the Democratic-controlled House and the Republican-dominant Senate.

The bill would give states the right to enact their own policies and incentivize states to clear the criminal records of people with low-level marijuana offenses. As marijuana arrests disproportionately affect low-income communities and people of color, this could have a significant impact in criminal-justice reform.

Emergence: 2012

Significant local events: Marysville Pilchuck High School shooting

Lasting local impacts: Initiative 1639 passed in Washington in 2018

On Dec. 14, 2012, Adam Lanza shot through the doors of Connecticuts Sandy Hook Elementary School bearing loaded semi-automatic weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. He killed 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7, six staff members, his mother and eventually himself.

Sandy Hook shook the nation at a level perhaps untouched since the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, when two shooters killed 13 students and teachers. Twenty years later, mass shootings at schools and in public places are terrifyingly common, but the mass murder of 20 first graders was a more horrifying reality than many could believe.

The movements for gun control and gun rights have long moved in lockstep, battling for ground, but Sandy Hook propelled a new burst of energy in both movements. Very little changed in response. Several states made small changes to local laws in favor of gun control, particularly on assault-style weapons, but in April 2013, a proposed federal ban failed to pass.

In the seven years since Sandy Hook, many more school shootings have occurred, including a shooting at Washingtons Marysville Pilchuck High School that killed four students. Theres also been an increase in hate-motivated mass shootings in public places.

The 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, ignited another burst of action. With 17 of their classmates and teachers dead, student survivors of the shooting protested outside the White House, and Emma Gonzlez became the face of student outrage when she gave a speech condemning the common refrain of thoughts and prayers from politicians.

The Parkland students protests launched many more gun-violence protests in 2018, including the 2 million-strong March for Our Lives and the National School Walkout on the anniversary of Columbine. Gun-rights activists counterprotested, pushing back against calls for stricter gun laws.

In November, Washington state passed Initiative 1639, which defined the term semiautomatic assault rifle to include all semi-automatic rifles, raised the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, imposed a 10-day waiting period to claim a rifle from a dealer, and expanded background checks to include medical records.

But there have been no significant federal measures in favor of gun control in the last decade. As of Dec. 27, the Gun Violence Archive reported410 mass-shooting incidents in the U.S. in 2019.

Emergence: 2013, online

Significant local events: Police shootings of John T. Williams, Che Taylor and Charleena Lyles; Marissa Johnson interrupts Bernie Sanders rally, BLM protests at holiday tree-lightings, passage of Initiative 940

In 2010 First Nations woodcarver John T. Williams was walking down the street with a block of cedar wood and a pocket knife when Seattle police Officer Ian Birk shouted for Williams to put the knife down. Four seconds later, Birk fired four shots. Williams died at the scene.

The shooting shocked Seattle, launching widespread calls for reform and accountability for a police department that had often been accused of brutality and bias. Later, a DOJ investigation of the Seattle Police Department found evidence of excessive force and biased policing.

Across the nation, police killings of several unarmed Black men drew similar outrage. Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood-watch leader George Zimmerman; Eric Garner cried out I cant breathe as an officer used an illegal chokehold to subdue him; and when 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, monthlong demonstrations and the polices militarized response galvanized the nation.

When Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013, activists Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometidescribed their hurt with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media. With the power of social media and advances in cellphone video technology, Black Lives Matter (BLM) was poised to become a powerful movement.

In Seattle, BLM activist Marissa Johnson famously took over the stage at a Bernie Sanders campaign rally and brought concerns about police brutality to the 2016 presidential race. Transcending politics, the movement inspired San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to sit or kneel during the national anthem in personal protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the U.S. Many prominent athletes, including several Seahawks players and soccer star Megan Rapinoe, followed suit.

In Seattle, the movement against police brutality drove legislative change. Initiative 940 removed a state law that made it practically impossible to criminally charge police officers who wrongfully use deadly force.

Emergence: 2014, Sioux lands in North and South Dakota, Mauna Kea in Hawaii

Significant local events: Lummi Nation successfully blocked coal port at Cherry Point, House of Tears Carvers of Lummi Nation tour to raise awareness of indigenous land rights; Seattle Urban Indian Health Institutes report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

The red handprint painted across Rosalie Fishs mouth drew everyones attention at the Washington State 1B high-school track championships in Cheney, Spokane County, this year. The Muckleshoot Tribal School senior and member of the Cowlitz Tribe made national headlines as the handprint and the letters MMIW painted on her leg drew attention to the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) in the U.S. and Canada and the 30-year movement demanding action. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice found that indigenous women in parts of the U.S. are being murdered at rates more than 10 times the national average.

MMIW is one of several prominent indigenous-rights issues that captured national attention this decade, including opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), a 1,100-mile oil pipeline passing under the water source of the Standing Rock Sioux, and Native Hawaiians opposition to building the Thirty Meter Telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea, a sacred site.

Washington tribes supported the #NoDAPL movement with donations, cash and by journeying to the encampment, bringing firewood from their forests and fish from their rivers and songs from their families.

In February 2017, Seattle became the first major city to divest from Wells Fargo due to its ties to DAPL. The Lummi Nations success in blocking the coal port at Cherry Point helped inspire leaders of the DAPL opposition. To raise awareness about proposed oil and coal projects on indigenous lands, the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Nation drove a 22-foot totem pole 5,000 miles through the U.S. and Canada in 2017, including a stop at Standing Rock.

Although the pipeline became operational in June 2017 after President Donald Trump signed an executive order for its approval, the fight for indigenous sovereignty and protection of lands and waters continues. Protesters remain active at Mauna Kea. In Tacoma, the Puyallup Tribe is leading resistance to proposed construction of a liquefied natural-gas facility on the waterfront.

Emergence: 2015

Significant local events: Several clashes between anti-fascists and the Proud Boys

When New York businessman and reality-TV star Donald Trump announced that he was running for president in 2015, few took it seriously. However, when Trump unfurled his campaign to Make America Great Again (MAGA) he tapped into a feeling among voters whod felt neglected and mischaracterized by mainstream media and disenfranchised by rural brain drain, demographic shifts and policies enacted under the Obama administration.

The Tea Party tapped into similar frustrations in the previous decade, and Trumps slogan hearkens back to Ronald Reagans 1980 presidential campaign that declared Lets make America great again. Like Reagans campaign, Trumps promises to be a president for the people came while the memory of economic insecurity during the Great Recession was still fresh, although unemployment decreased and the economy improved during Barack Obamas second presidential term. Still, many voters connected with Trumps promises to create jobs, cut taxes and build a wall to keep out immigrants.

Meanwhile, 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders campaign more closely resembled the populism of the 1890s advocating against corporate influence and for a more equitable society, a message that resonated with the Occupy movement and with many voters in Seattle.

The 2016 presidential election showed the deep divides that have grown within the electorate. Trump won the election, yet only 8% of Seattle voters backed him. While Trumps campaign message resonated with voters worried about jobs, it also attracted white supremacists and white nationalists. Counties that hosted Trump rallies saw a 226% increase in hate crimes, The Washington Post reported. Several white supremacists who committed deadly crimes this decade specifically declared support for Trump or used talking points from Trumps speeches.

However, Josh Peacock, a Washingtonian and member of a group that attends MAGA events, says the conservative movement disavows hate groups and is no longer just about MAGA or Trump. Were self-proclaimed patriots, he said, adding that the goal of his group, which he asked not be named, is to get the U.S. back to the constitutional republic that we are.

Trump was recently impeached by the House and faces trial in the Senate, but his campaign for reelection remains strongly supported with a new slogan: Keep America Great.

Emergence: 2017, online

Significant local events: Seattle Silence Breakers speak out about sexual harassment at Seattle City Light, 11 women accuse David Meinert of sexual assault including rape

In 2006, activist Tarana Burke created a Me Too Myspace page for women to share their experiences with sexual assault. With social media and celebrity power behind it, Burkes Me Too idea took off in 2017 after Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual assault by several women.

After the allegations, actress Alyssa Milano sent out a call on Twitter for sexual-assault survivors to tweet in solidarity; the hashtag #MeToo went viral. Catalyzing a global conversation, #MeToo emboldened survivors who had been silenced by fear or shame totell their stories.

In July 2018, five women accused Seattle nightlife entrepreneur David Meinert of sexual misconduct, including rape. A month later, six more women came forward. Meinert denied accusations of rape, only admitting to being handsy with women in the past. Some of the women who accused Meinert said the #MeToo movement inspired them to come forward.

By the end of 2018, The New York Times reported that 201 powerful men accused of sexual harassment had lost their jobs or major roles after survivors came forward, including Washington state representatives David Sawyer and Matt Manweller.

In the meantime, the Seattle Silence Breakers forged after a former Seattle City Light employee spoke out about sexual harassment in February 2018 continue to inspire and push for reform around sexual assault. Their work helped push the Seattle City Council to create an Office of Employee Ombud to support employees and oversee the citys handling of workplace misconduct.

Emergence: 2019

Significant local events: Gov. Jay Inslee runs for president on a campaign of climate change, the Lummi nation successfully blocks construction of the coal port at Cherry Point.

Scientists have shown that were already seeing the harmful effects of climate change, yet many government officials continue to deny climate change is happening at all.

Earlier this month, Time magazine named a teenage girl its Person of the Year: Greta Thunberg, 16, a Swedish environmental activist who skipped school to camp outside the Swedish Parliament to protest government officials inaction around climate change. Thunbergs one-person protest inspired a global climate strike that saw over 4 million people demonstrating to catalyze government action on climate change.

Although he has dropped out of the presidential race, Washington Gov. Jay Inslees presidential campaign was singularly focused on climate change. Back at home, citing the accelerating threat of climate change, Inslee recently pulled support for two Washington natural-gas projects.

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A look back at 10 of the biggest social movements of the 2010s, and how they shaped Seattle - Seattle Times

Turkeys Erdogan Seeks One-Year Mandate to Send Troops to Libya – Bloomberg

  1. Turkeys Erdogan Seeks One-Year Mandate to Send Troops to Libya  Bloomberg
  2. Turkey foiled plot in E. Mediterranean: Erdogan  Anadolu Agency
  3. Erdoan isolated over Libya plans both in Turkey and abroad  Ahval
  4. Erdogan seeks OK for troops in Libya  NWAOnline
  5. Turkey Could Turkey's military capacity match Erdogan's ambitions in Libya?  Al-Monitor
  6. View full coverage on Google News

Continued here:
Turkeys Erdogan Seeks One-Year Mandate to Send Troops to Libya - Bloomberg

Newspaper Associated with Erdogan: US is ‘Great Satan’ Occupying World with Bases – Breaking Israel News

And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every mans hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren. Genesis 16:12 (The Israel Bible)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at referendum meeting. (Thomas Koch/Shutterstock.com)

A Dec. 26, 2019 article in the Turkish dailyYeni Akit, titled There Is No Place Left That They Have Not Messed Up! The Great Satan Is Occupying The World With Bases read: The U.S., which brings disasters to the places it sees with drunken shouts of We are bringing humanity! and is turning the Middle East into a place of fire, has 800 military bases around the world.

The article gives a list of the major U.S. military bases in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Yeni Akitis an avid supporter of theAKPand has close ties withPresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoan.

Turkish media have been discussing the U.S. bases in Turkey following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoans statement in a Dec. 15, 2019 interview that if it needs to be shut down, we will shut down Incirlik [Airbase]. If it needs to be shut down, we will shut down Krecik [Radar Station] (see MEMRI TV Clip No. 7661Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan: We Have the Authority to Shut Down U.S.-Run Airbase, Radar Station in Turkey; If Measures Such As Sanctions Are Taken Against Us, We Will Respond as Necessary, Dec. 15, 2019).

Following is the text of theYeni Akit article:

There Are About 180,000 Military Personnel at These Bases, With 60,000 to 70,000 in the Middle East

In recent years, despite having bases covering regions including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, the U.S. has approximately 800 bases around the world, some of which are small radar stations, others are the size of cities. Maintaining these bases costs $200 billion. According to data from the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. bases cost $749 billion in 2018.

The U.S. bases include all U.S. military structures connected to the Department of Defense, from enemy observation points to naval supply points, from training bases to radar bases. There are about 180,000 military personnel at these bases, with 60,000 to 70,000 in the Middle East. These numbers become more important when it is understood that they are found primarily in 17 countries that have permanent bases, and approximately 70 countries in total.

In the List of Countries With U.S. Bases, Turkey Comes Ninth With Nine Military Structures

It appears that the basic reason why the number of U.S. bases is so high is that the U.S. rarely abandons a base that it establishes in a country. The U.S.s Ramstein base in Germany is an example of this. This base, which the U.S. established in 1949 after the Second World War, still serves the U.S. Air Force and, with 53,000 personnel, it is the U.S.s largest base outside of its territory.

Aside from Ramstein, the U.S. has 87 more bases in Germany. Germany is also the country, aside from the U.S., that has the most U.S. bases. After Germany comes Japan with 86, South Korea with 64, Italy with 29, and the United Kingdom with 16. In the list of countries with U.S. bases, Turkey comes ninth with nine military structures. Incirlik Airbase is the largest and most well-known military structure in Turkey. There are about 2,500 personnel and units belonging to the U.S. Air Force at the base, which was established in the 1950s after Turkey joined NATO.

Read the rest of the article atMEMRI.

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Hendersonians creations inspired by sci-fi, games to be on free exhibit here – The Gleaner

Collin Royster wheels the lifesize Darth Vader figure he made into the Preston Arts Center on Dec. 26, 2019, in preparation for an exhibit, titled Collin Royster: Out of His Mind, that will be open Jan. 9 through March 7, 2020, with a special public sneak preview Jan. 3-4.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

Pity the fool who somehow finds himself lost at night in the bowels of a certain factory on the edge of town.

If he stumbled into a toolroom seldom seen by visitors to Roysters Production Machining, the beam of his flashlight might shine onto scenes of unspeakable horror: A helmeted alien warrior with a menacing expression, reptilian dreadlocks and clawed fingers.

Or, over there, a 10-foot-tall masked and robed figure clutching a pair of ornate sickles that look like they could disembowel a man.

And if the poor fellow managed to escape into the next room, he might find himself staring into the face of an evil, grinning clown. Its enough to cause a tender soul to lose ones mind.

Heres the good news: You can see all this and more for yourself, although in the relatively safe confines of the Preston Arts Center on the Henderson Community College campus.

They are the work of 32-year-old Hendersonian Collin Royster, a science-fiction movie and videogame enthusiast who isnt content to merely view monsters and space warriors on a screen; he recreates them as life-size and highly realistic figures.

Approximately 50 of his creations will be on display as part of a free exhibit, titled Collin Royster: Out of His Mind, that will be open to the public from Jan. 9 through March 7, 2020, with special public sneak peeks this coming Friday and Saturday. There will also be a free lecture and demonstration of how he creates 3D-printed objects on Jan. 25.

As for the alien creature described above, thats Roysters rendition of the predator from the 2004 Alien vs. Predator movie.

Collin Royster sizes up the Star Wars B1 battle droid he created using software and manufactured with a 3D plastic printer over 1,100 hours. Ohio Valley Art League Executive Director Jordyn Myracle, who curated the upcoming Collin Royster: Out of His Mind exhibit at the Preston Arts Center, particularly admires who realitically he weathers and distresses his creation to reflect the toil of the battles they wage in science fiction movies and videogames.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

The 10-foot-tall robed figure wielding the deadly blades? Thats Malthael, the fallen Angel of Death from the "Diablo III: Reaper of Souls" videogame.

And that diabolical clown is the bust of the murderous Sweet Tooth that sits atop his ice cream truck-turned-battle wagon in the "Twisted Metal" videogame series. Royster created the clowns face from CNC-machined Styrofoam creating a computer image of Sweet Tooth that guided a milling machine to precisely carve it into a 3D image.

Those creations arent alone. Royster has created a full-size stormtrooper, battle droid, speeder bike and Darth Vader from the Star Wars movie series as well as creatures from other movies and videogames, plus some creations from his own rich imagination.

The exhibit is presented by the Preston Arts Center with funding by the Henderson Area Arts Alliance. I was made aware of Collins work several years ago by multiple people who felt he should have an exhibit locally, center Director Eric Kerchner said. When I met him, I found him to be a great example of local talent.

I asked Collin to do an exhibit because I wanted to present something completely different in the galleries and foyer, Kerchner said. I feel that exhibits are best when they engage the viewer on different levels, and are accessible to everyone.

Collion Royster reproduced the extraterrestial predator from the movie Alien vs. Predator. The creatures are warriors who come to Earth to hunt dangerous alien creatures as a rite of passage.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

The Arts Alliance is proud to support and promote local artists every chance we get, said Alex Caudill, executive director of HAAA. Collin is exceptionally talented and certainly works in unique mediums. Weve awarded nearly $15,000 this year in affiliate grant funds so were honored to support this exhibit at the Preston Arts Center. The exhibit will be a great tie in with George Orwells 1984, presented by Aquila Theatre, on Feb. 21

Kerchner began recruiting Jordyn Myracle, executive director of the Ohio Valley Art League, more than a year ago to curate the exhibit. She and Grace Henderson a year ago curated a National Geographic exhibit of animal photography called The Photo Ark at the center that drew more than 3,000 people.

I wanted to follow that up with an equally exciting exhibit that captured the viewer visually but also opened a door to a world they might not be aware of, Kerchner said.

Honestly, Im not into it, Myracle said of the sci-fi movies and games that inspire Royster. But I have mad respect for the amount of work hes put into it.

Its been interesting and very cool to get to know him, she said. Hes passionate about it; thats very respectable to me.

Many of the shows that Myracle curates for OVAL feature paintings, many of them lovely.

But with Roysters creations, shes working with, well, monsters.

I think its cool that its dark, she said. Its different. Its nice to kind of mix it up. Its not just your typical paintings, even though I love them as much.

Myracle is particularly attracted to the battle droid, in part because it doesnt wear a robe or other costume so you can see all of its robot parts in detail. I think its very cool and well done, she said.

Royster is a member of a community known as makers artisans whose creative process involves technologies such as metalworking, 3D printing, computer numeric control machining, electrical systems, robotics and more. Many such hobbyists must rely on special workspaces known variously as makerspaces, hacklabs and hackerspaces, often operated as nonprofit enterprises or sometimes university labs that provide access to technology that few hobbyists can afford.

Royster, though, has a special advantage: He is a third-generation member of a tool-and-die production family that owns Roysters Machine Shop and Royster Production Machining (aka, RPM) in Henderson. Much of his craft has been performed in the toolshop at RPM, where he works as the process manager.

In past years, I would get off the night shift at 12 (midnight). I like to stay up, so I would stay up until 3 or 4 (a.m.) making my own stuff.

Hes grown up around making real-life objects out of dreamed-up things; the family has made its living doing it for customers. But in his spare time, Collin Royster does it to express his passion for pop culture.

I know metal, he said. Its all I know since the foundation of Roysters Machine Shop is creating molds from metal.

Well maybe. To be sure, he started working in metal. But when he turned his attention to creating the gigantic axe used by the executioner in the Resident Evil franchise, metal turned out to not be his friend.

A 10-foot-tall rendition of Malthael, the sickle-wielding Angel of Death from the Diablo videogame series, towers above a shop at the Roysters Production Machining plant here. The creature stands upon a modified electric wheelchair; creator Collin Royster can disappear inside the robe and drive it around using a foot pedal and toggle switches.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

I made a metal axe, and it ended up weighing 90 pounds, making it nearly impossible to wield, he said.

It was a stupid idea, but it was all I had. Thats when friends taught me about foam. After he learned how to work with such a lightweight material, he re-created an axe that stands taller than a man but weighs only 20 pounds, making it eminently wieldable.

For such reasons, Royster has had to master a whole suite of talents. I dont even know how many skills he employs to make the props and costumes he enjoys. They include design, mold making, machining, welding, 3D printing, painting, airbrushing, automotive paint spraying, electrical and mechanical work, working with fabric and leather and a metal casting process known as sand casting.

A very talented dude, Darrell Littrell, owner of Sunrise Tool & Die and Sunron International as well as a Royster family friend, said admiringly of Collin Royster.

Royster began in 2006 by creating a life-size re-creation of Darth Vader and has been creating ever since.

One key is using software for design. He leans on a software program called ZBrush for producing what he refers to as organic designs, such as for sculpting faces. But for industrial-strength computer-aided machining, he turns to Mastercam.

After perfecting the design, much of what he creates is made using 3D printing using a machine to work from a computer-aided design (CAD) model to apply layer after layer of plastic material to create a three-dimensional object. He got started in the technology in 2015.

I got heavy into it, he said. His largest 3D printer so far measures 20-by-20-by-20-inches.

Creating the numerous components for the Star Wars B1 battle droid involved 1,100 hours of 3D printing with hard plastics. I took him to Dragon Con in Atlanta and posed him by the pool at the hotel sunbathing at a cabana in a tropical-themed shirt.

The Malthael figure isnt a mere reproduction. The creature stands upon a modified electric wheelchair. Royster can climb inside the robe, strap himself in, insert his arms inside the creatures sleeves and drive the towering monster around.

He did just that at a Dragon Con show in Atlanta. He emerged from a freight elevator and paused a short distance away. His Malthael drew a crowd of curious onlookers maybe 200, Royster guesses.

They couldnt decide if I was a robot, he said. But when he raised his rams menacingly and began moving toward them, the crowd melted away in terror. Its a fond memory for him.

Royster works with other mechanical contraptions as well. The Sweet Tooth battle wagon is modified from a second-hand Fischer-Price Power Wagon a battery-powered plastic vehicle that kids can drive. It was originally designed to travel only a few miles per hour.

But Royster and his father, Robby, soup up such contraptions, upgrading them with 36-volt electric motors that he said can propel than at up to 30 miles per hour. We have a racing team called Twisted Plastic, Collin Royster said.

While Royster is known to others who attend conventions and fairs around the country for like-minded makers, the exhibit here will be something of a hometown eye-opener.

This is going to be weird for me because this community has never really seen this side of me, Royster said.

Collin Royster modified a Fischer-Price Power Wheel into the dingy ice cream truck-turned-battle wagon that the evil clown Sweet Tooth drives in the Twisted Metal videogame series. Royster also souped up the sleepy childrens toy with a 36-volt motor that he said can propel the vehicle at up to 30 miles per hour.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

Despite the wide variety of his work that will be on display, he hasnt exhausted his creative energy or imagination yet. I want to get into BattleBots, the televised combat between armored, remote-controlled robots that are typically built low to the ground (think murderous Roombas) and equipped with various weapons hammers, spinning blades, even electric shocks to battle in an arena featuring its own hazards.

It could open a whole new arena for his creative output.

Whatever you can dream up, you can make, Royster said.

Or, at least he can.

What: Collin Royster: Out of His Mind exhibit of reproductions of creatures and items from science-fiction movies, videogames and other inspirations.

Where: Preston Arts Center, 2660 S. Green St., Henderson.

When: Jan. 9-March 7, 2020, with a special public sneak preview from 5-8 p.m. this Friday, Jan. 3, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4.

Also, a free lecture by Royster and a demonstration of his techniques and 3D printing will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25.

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Hendersonians creations inspired by sci-fi, games to be on free exhibit here - The Gleaner