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Remember Trayvon? – The Root

Remember Trayvon? He wouldve been 22 by now. He more than likely would have graduated from high school and entered college by this date. If he studied hard, maybe he would have entered an Ivy League school, graduated from Harvard and entered the spaceflight-training program during his downtime between law school classes.

Im sure there are wypipo reading this and commenting how preposterous this sounds; that we are making a superhero out of a regular child. They would say that we have ascribed supernatural powers to a regular-ol 17-year-old and that it is highly unlikely that a child like Trayvon would have become a lawyer or an astronaut.

This criticism can be answered with the simplest logic and the least complex rationale:

How the fuck you know?

Five years ago, while walking home after buying candy and soda, Trayvon Martin was lynched in public by an overzealous, half-crazy, racist neighborhood watchman who was not in the neighborhood watch. He was killed by a grown man who stalked him with a gun andafter being told by a 911 operator to leave Trayvon alonesomehow shot the teen in the chest.

Then he went home and took a nap.

We have all heard that old saying, Time flies when you are living under the rule of a dim-witted dictatorship, but it doesnt seem like Trayvon has been gone for half a decade.

Remember when the outrage wasnt about how George Zimmerman wasnt convicted of murder, but about how long it took for cops to simply arrest him?

Remember how white people found it perfectly plausible that a 17-year-old jumped on a man 20 years older and 50 pounds heavier than he was?

Remember how simple the Zimmerman case seemed? Remember how we thought the prosecution only had to ask two questions:

Remember when people were so upset about how Zimmerman killed a boy and went home, they created the phrase, Black Lives Matter?

Remember how they demonized him for wearing a hoodie? For gold teeth? For being 5 feet 11? For being too imposing? For being too black?

It has been five years since the senseless slaughter of an 11th-grader happened in Sanford, Fla., and the world erupted. We shouldnt forget about the fight for black lives, and we should always recall what happened to that little boy with a pocketful of Skittles, walking home and talking on the phone.

He was 17.

Wherever you are on Feb. 26, whatever the weather, grab a hoodie out of your closet and wear it. Eat some Skittles. Drink some Arizona iced tea. Fight for your life.

Remember Trayvon.

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Remember Trayvon? - The Root

The Oscars’ most political moments – Washington Post

Before the stunning and dramatic ending to the Oscars, host Jimmy Kimmel, presenters and winners took the opportunity to make political statements. (Clips courtesy A.M.P.A.S. 2017)

This year, the Oscars seemed destined to get political. After all, the nation seems more divided than ever, and Hollywood stars, who are overwhelmingly liberal, have been vocal opponents of many of President Trumps policies (to say nothing of his opinion about Meryl Streep).

So how long would it take for things to get political? Not long at all. It happened long before the speeches even got started.

Heres a rundown ofall of the Oscars political moments (and well keep updating this list during the broadcast):

The blue ribbons

On the red carpet, Ruth Negga made a statement by pinning a blue ribbon onto her dress. The message was support for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). It made sense for Negga, whos nominated for best actress for Loving; Negga played real-life Mildred Loving, a black woman jailed for marrying a white man, and the ACLU represented the couple in its 1967 Supreme Court caseLoving v. Virginia.

But Negga wasnt the only one sporting blue so were Karlie Kloss, Lin-Manuel Mirandaand Busy Phillips and the ribbons werent the only political things about the ceremony.

Before the stunning and dramatic ending to the Oscars, host Jimmy Kimmel, presenters and winners took the opportunity to make political statements. (Clips courtesy A.M.P.A.S. 2017)

[Oscars 2017 live coverage]

Ava DuVernay

Before the red carpet even began, director Ava DuVernay, nominated for the documentary 13th, tweeted out a picture of herself holding up a sweatshirt that read Trayvon. Sunday marks the anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin, who was shot by Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012.

[Ava DuVernay honors Trayvon Martin before the Oscars]

DuVernays fashion choice for the evening was also political. It was from a Lebanese designer.

Jimmy Kimmel

Host Kimmel did more than dabble in politics during his opening monologue. The most pointed comment: I want to say thank you to President Trump, he said. I mean, remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist?

He mentioned that the Oscars were airing in 225 countries that now hate us, and said he was happy that Homeland Security let French Oscar nominee Isabelle Huppert into the country.

The U.S. is divided right now, Kimmel said, and people have been telling the host that he needs to say something to unite everyone.

Lets just get something straight off the top: I cant do that. Theres only one Braveheart in this room and hes not going to unite us either, Kimmel said referring to Mel Gibson. Then Kimmel said that the best thing to do would be for people to reach out to someone they disagree with and have a conversation. That could make America great again, he said.

[Jimmy Kimmels most biting monologue jokes]

Last but not least, Kimmel joked about President Trumps tweet calling Meryl Streep overrated.

Meryl Streep has phoned it in on more than 50 films over the course of her lackluster career, he said before forcing her to stand up for a round of applause.

Nice dress, by the way, he said to her. Is that an Ivanka?

Chery Boone Isaacs

The president of the Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didnt get overtly political, but her message was clear. It was all about inclusion.

Tonight is proof that art has no borders, she said after noting that, after two straight years of #OscarsSoWhite, the nominees are more diverse this year. She also detailed how art brings people together regardless of country of origin.

All creative artists around the world are connected by an unbreakable bond that is powerful and permanent, she said.

Asghar Farhadi

Farhadi, who won for The Salesman, didnt attend the ceremony, but he still made a political statement. The Iranian filmmaker chose not to travel to the United States because of President Trumps travel ban, but he sent a speech to the person accepting the award on his behalf.

Dividing the world into the us and our enemies categories creates fear, the statement read. But he said that artists have the power to bring people together. Filmmakers create empathy between us and others, an empathy we need more today than ever, Farhadi wrote.

Iranian director Ashgar Farhadi won the Oscar for best foreign language film for "The Salesman," but he did not attend the ceremony in protest of President Trump's travel ban on seven Muslim countries. Instead, two Iranian American engineers, Anousheh Ansari and Firouz Naderi, accepted the award on his behalf. (Clip Courtesy A.M.P.A.S. 2017)

Gael Garcia Bernal

The Mexican Neruda actor gave a somewhat unexpected intro for the best animated feature award. Rather than talk about the contenders, he made a political statement.

Im against any form of wall that wants to separate us, he said.

The ads

A few of the commercials seemed to be directly addressing Donald Trump and his America-first policies. Hyatt had an ad set to the song What the World Needs Now Is Love that showed people of different races and backgrounds seemingly eyeing each other suspiciously before ultimately finding a special connection. The ad concludes with the words For a world of understanding.

Meanwhile, Audible had Zachary Quinto reading a passage from George Orwells 1984 and the New York Times launched an ad campaign its first television commercial in a decade about the importance of truth. (Trump tweeted about the Times ad earlier in the day.)

Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney

The Miami natives took home the Oscar for best adapted screenplay, and they had a message for viewers at home.

All you people out there who feel like your life is not reflected, the Academy has your back, the ACLU has your back, Jenkins said. For the next four years we will not leave you alone, we will not forget you.

McCraney, a gay playwright who wrote the semi-autobiographical play that Jenkins adapted for the screen, added, To all the black and brown boys and girls and non-gender-conforming individuals, this is for you.

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The Oscars' most political moments - Washington Post

Oscars’ Muslim-designed dress, and UK funding campaign for deported grandmother – BBC News


BBC News
Oscars' Muslim-designed dress, and UK funding campaign for deported grandmother
BBC News
Before heading to the event, Ms DuVernay also paid tribute to Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black 17-year-old who was fatally shot by neighbourhood watchman George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, five years ago on 26 February. Mr Zimmerman was later ...

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Oscars' Muslim-designed dress, and UK funding campaign for deported grandmother - BBC News

Posters and Social networking sites used to malign Hizb’s image’ – Brighter Kashmir

Posters and Social networking sites used to malign Hizb's image'
Brighter Kashmir
While distancing itself from the threatening posters and strike related information shared on social media networking sites attributed to the organization, militant outfit Hizbul Mujhadeen Monday asked people and Hurriyat leadership to help it ...

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Posters and Social networking sites used to malign Hizb's image' - Brighter Kashmir

NSA, Cyber Command structure should remain the same – The Hill (blog)

As if not troubled enough by President Trumps attacks, a new debate is heighteningtensions in the intelligence community. The Pentagon has started to assess whether it is time todivide the leadershipof the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command.Such a move is dubious: Is change necessary? Can the IC tolerate another shock?

A look overseas to the Israeli case could provide some insight.

According to that plan, the new directorate would absorb responsibilities and resources from both Unit8200(the IDFs signals intelligence or SIGINT unit, equivalent to the NSA), as well as the Computer Service Directorate (equivalent to the Joint Staff J6). A fierce internal debate has emerged, with several (including the head of AMAN, the Intelligence Directorate) arguing that all cyber activities should remain under AMANs responsibility, while others insist that there is an acute need for a dedicated cyber directorate.

In early 2017, Lt. Gen. Eizenkot announced that the establishment of the Cyber Directorate would be postponed until further notice, and declared that AMAN would handle offensive and information collection elements in cyber space, while the Cyber Administration would come under the Computer Service Directorate, focusing mainly on defensive activities.

The reasons that led Lt. Gen. Eizenkot, who is considered a level-headed officer, to reverse his 2015 decision are highly relevant to the American case.

From a strategic standpoint, the implications of the cyber domain on present and future battlefields are still ambiguous and constantly changing; so too are their effects on traditional kinetic challenges. The inter-relations between the physical and virtual domains are still in flux, with grave ramifications on the nature of threats, and the measures needed to cope with them.

These changes are highly relevant to the way the IC reacts and adapts. The vast majority of the NSAs current collection activities are most likely executed through and with the cyber domain. Though traditional methods (such as phone tapping) are not dead, it is safe to assume that cyber is more dominant than ever, and will only continue to grow over more traditional domains and methods. Furthermore, given the specific characteristics of the cyber domain, it is difficult to distinguish between types of cyber activities (e.g., collection vs. attack). Separating those in charge of SIGINT and those in charge of cyber doesnt make sense.

as the last few years have taught us, the Wests adversaries have themselves transitioned to the cyber domain. With Russias (alleged)interventionin the U.S. elections, theSnowden affair, HAMAS and Irans extensive use ofcyber-related techniques, Chinesetheftof F-35 plans, and ISISssophisticated useof the virtual domain, this may not be the right time for radical changes.

Separating the NSA and the Cyber Command would inevitably create a long transition period, during which U.S. cyber capabilities would be negatively affected. Disputes over missions and responsibilities, coordination issues, transition of manpower, and lack of sufficient resources in one or both entities would jeopardize U.S. cyber resilience in the short term at the very least.

Finally, with Trump trying to aggressivelyredefinerelations between the IC and the executive branch, the last thing the community needs at this moment is another shock. A decision to separate the NSA and Cyber Command would create an all-out war within the IC and the Department of Defense, since no sane commander would agree to surrender responsibilities and resources to another organization.

The NSA itself would lose not only prestige but also relevancy, and presumably try to torpedo the move. If any change is needed at all, it would require a different approach: the cyber component should gain supremacy over any other type of SIGINT activity, as this will be the not-too-distant future reality. Until then, NSA-Cyber Command relations should remain untouched.

Shay Hershkovitz, Ph.D., is chief strategy officer at Wikistrat, Inc. and a political science professor at Tel Aviv University specializing in intelligence studies. He is also a former IDF intelligence officer whose book, "Aman Comes To Light," deals with the history of the Israeli intelligence community.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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NSA, Cyber Command structure should remain the same - The Hill (blog)