SYRIA UPDATE

President al-Assad receives letter from Iraqi Prime Minister on bilateral cooperation, particularly combating terrorism

President al-Assad stressed that the positive events witnessed in the region, particularly on the level of restoring security and stability in the majority of Syrian and Iraqi cities affirm that the will of people in the region in keeping sovereignty of their regions was more powerful than the external plots.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=154547

Syria, Iran hold talks on long-term strategic economic cooperation agreement

Al-Khalil said that the two countries are determined to develop economic relations, as the economic sector must have priority in cooperation between them, as developing investment, trade, banking, and financial relations would contribute to economic development and improve trade exchange.

“We count on Iranian companies to play a major role in reconstruction in Syria,” he said.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=154552

Military Situation In Syria On December 29, 2018 (Map Update)

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are developing their advance on ISIS positions in the Euphrates Valley;

Reports appear that a new round of tensions is developing between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement in the Idlib de-escalation zone;

On December 28, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units invited the Syrian government to the areas of northeastern Syria from which they had withdrawn their forces;

Turkish-backed militants and the Turkish Armed Forces continue to concentrate forces near the town of Manbij.

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-syria-on-december-29-2018-map-update/

Senior Russian And Turkish Officials Finish Talks On Syria In Moscow

Following the meeting, Cavusoglu praised the Russian-Turkish cooperation on Syria and said that both counties will continue to work together to defend Syria’s “territorial integrity and political unity.”

“We will continue close cooperation with Russia and Iran on Syria and regional issues,” the Turkish Anadolu Agency quoted Cavusoglu as saying.

From his side, Lavrov said that the high-level Russian-Turkish meeting was “very useful” and confirmed that the two side discussed several issues in Moscow.

“Following the agreements, which were reached by our presidents, we discussed further steps to implement those tasks, which were outlined in the Astana format, primarily in the context of fighting terrorism, resolving humanitarian issues and creating conditions for refugees’ return,” the Russian foreign minister said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

Both sides have not commented on the situation in the Syrian area of Manbij, where Turkish forces and Russian forces are now deployed. This may indicate that Moscow and Ankara have failed to reach an understanding on the issue, as for now.

https://southfront.org/senior-russian-and-turkish-officials-finish-talks-on-syria-in-moscow/

U.S. Commanders Want Kurdish Fighters In Syria To Keep Pentagon-Supplied Weapons

How are we going to get them back and who is going to take them back?” Reuters quoted one of the officials as saying. Planning is ongoing, and focused on executing a deliberate and controlled withdrawal of forces while taking all measures possible to ensure our troops’ safety,” Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said commenting on Reuters’ report.

https://southfront.org/u-s-commanders-want-kurdish-fighters-in-syria-to-keep-pentagon-supplied-weapons-report/

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>>4515162

Saudi Arabia Sees No Obstacles For Syria’s Reinstatement in Arab League – Report

Saudi Arabia has informed other Arab states that it sees no obstacles to reinstating Syria’s membership in the Arab League, the al-Mayadeen TV reported on December 28 citing a diplomatic source.

Syria’s membership in the Arab League was suspended on 16 November 2011 following the failure of the Arab initiative for peace in Syria. Back then, the league claimed that the Damascus government didn’t respect the initiative.

https://southfront.org/saudi-arabia-sees-no-obstacles-for-syrias-reinstatement-in-arab-league-report/

Militants burning bodies of refugees left without help in Syria’s Rukban

Militants are burning the bodies of refugees who died in the Rukban camp after they had not received help from the last humanitarian convoy which the terrorists did not let pass, a military-diplomatic source told journalists on Saturday.

"Our means of monitoring are registering dense smoke near the Rukban camp where the tent camps of the militants are located. They are destroying something actively there. There is every reason to believe that these may be the Rukban refugees who did not receive any help from the last humanitarian convoy and died from hunger and diseases," the source said.

The Rukban refugee camp is located in the Al-Tanf security area, where a US military base is located. Militants from opposition groups are blocking the perimeter in the security zone and do not let the UN and the Syrian government’s humanitarian convoys enter the camp. There are about 50,000 refugees in the camp now, according to the global organization.

http://tass.com/world/1038467

US troops withdraw from first base in Syria

Some 50 US soldiers left in Hummer armored vehicles and military trucks, leaving behind an empty 400-square-meter warehouse in the Al-Hasakah Governorate, the Anadolu news agency said Saturday. The troops went to the neighboring Iraq, the report said, adding that previously the warehouse was used for supplying weapons and equipment to Kurdish YPG militias.

https://www.rt.com/news/447678-us-withdrawal-syria-begins/

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Report: WhatsApp Child Porn Groups Made Money Through Google, Facebook Ads

TechCrunch discovered apps available on Google Play which led to child porn groups on the Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp, all of which reportedly made money through Google and Facebook’s advertising networks.

According to Tech Crunch, “child porn sharing rings on WhatsApp were supported with ads run by Google and Facebook’s ad networks,” through other apps hosted on the Google Play Store which linked users to the child porn groups.

“AntiToxin found six of these apps ran Google AdMob, one ran Google Firebase, two ran Facebook Audience Network and one ran StartApp,” TechCrunch explained. “These ad networks earned a cut of brands’ marketing spend while allowing the apps to monetize and sustain their operations by hosting ads for Amazon, Microsoft, Motorola, Sprint, Sprite, Western Union, Dyson, DJI, Gett, Yandex Music, Q Link Wireless, Tik Tok and more.”

Some of the child porn groups hosted on WhatsApp had titles like, “child porn only,” “Children,” and “videos cp [child pornography].”

“In a video provided by AntiToxin[…] the app ‘Group Links For Whats by Lisa Studio’ that ran Google AdMob is shown displaying an interstitial ad for Q Link Wireless before providing WhatsApp group search results for ‘child.’ A group described as ‘Child nude FBI POLICE’ is surfaced, and when the invite link is clicked, it opens within WhatsApp to a group used for sharing child exploitation imagery,” TechCrunch reported. “Another video shows the app ‘Group Link For whatsapp by Video Status Zone’ that ran Google AdMob and Facebook Audience Network displaying a link to a WhatsApp group described as ‘only cp video.’ When tapped, the app first surfaces an interstitial ad for Amazon Photos before revealing a button for opening the group within WhatsApp.”

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/12/28/report-whatsapp-child-porn-groups-made-money-through-google-facebook-ads/

An inside peek at the erotic New Year’s Eve ‘Illuminati Ball’

In this day and age, risqué can be risky. But Cynthia von Buhler is bringing sexy back to NYC.

The illustrator has thrown, by her own estimation, hundreds of over-the-top parties over almost three decades. But this year marks her first-ever New Year’s Eve bash — and she’s going all out: hosting a massive, “Eyes Wide Shut”-style blowout for 800 guests at the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower.

Attendees, who are shelling out $200 to $400 per ticket, are coming “from all over the world — Amsterdam, Germany, Australia,” said von Buhler, 54. “We have people flying in just for this.”

Although von Buhler makes clear the Illuminati Ball “is not a sex party,” there is no mistaking the titillation factor. Hers is a sophisticated, fun brand of sexiness — giving guests the old-fashioned thrill of the tease.

“New York has become more sanitized, and this is old-school underground craziness. It’s respectful, but erotic and decadent,” she said. “I think this is a chance for people to really let their hair down and be free.”

https://nypost.com/2018/12/29/inside-this-sexy-eyes-wide-shut-style-new-years-eve-bash/

A retired Army 2-star is heading to trial on charges that he raped his daughter

In March, a military judge dismissed six rape charges against retired Maj. Gen. James Grazioplene, citing a new five-year statute of limitations prescribed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Now, he will face three charges of rape and three of incest at a civilian trial scheduled for late April, stemming from allegations he sexually assaulted his teenage daughter in the 1980s.

Following the Army’s dismissal, authorities in Prince William County, Virginia ― a state with no statute of limitations on rape ― opened an investigation into Grazioplene, now 69.

Though most of the alleged offenses, which took place from 1983 to 1989, happened on military installations, the new case focuses on a two-year period in which the family lived off-post in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Army Times does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Jennifer Elmore, 47, came forward in a Dec. 16 Washington Post story to talk about her allegations of abuse against her father.

"Sometimes, it’s just easier to shut your mouth,” Elmore told the Post. “But if I stay silent and the next person opts for that, and the next person opts for that, and the next person opts for that, where are we?”

Elmore first reported the assaults to the Army in 2015, 10 years after Grazioplene retired. At the time, the UCMJ had no statute of limitations on rape, and authorities convened an Article 32 hearing in August 2017 to hear evidence that could have led to a court-martial.

But a February ruling in the Armed Forces Court of Appeals set a precedent for a five-year limit, with the case of an Air Force lieutenant colonel who had been accused of a 1997 assault.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/12/28/a-retired-army-2-star-is-heading-to-trial-on-charges-that-he-raped-his-daughter/

Brother Of Saudi Billionaire Prince Alwaleed Re-arrested

Among the more notable geopolitical events that took place last week, and which was swept away by the chaos in the capital markets, was Thursday's surprising announcement of a Saudi cabinet reshuffle that moved around some of the key players in the Khashoggi murder scandal (most notably the chief Saudi diplomat, Adel al-Jubeir) and removed Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf al Saud as the Kingdom's ambassador to the UK.

As a result of the reshuffle, more liberals and progressives will move into positions of power, suggesting that it could be part of the Kingdom's plan to move ahead with its 'liberalizing' reforms to try and rehabilitate MbS's tarnished reputation as a reformer. Amid the reshuffle, the king also ordered the creation of a new political and security council (presumably to help protect his chosen successor's flank) and - in a move that is reminiscent of a controversial decision made by President Trump this year - establishes a new Saudi space agency.

The biggest change was the apparent demotion of al-Jubeir to the lesser position of minister of state for foreign affairs and moving Ibrahim al-Assaf, formerly the kingdom's finance minister, to the foreign affairs role. Al-Jubeir who was one of the kingdom's key liaisons with western media during its response to Khashoggi's killing and played an important role in the Saudis PR response to the Khashoggi killing, in addition to being a stalwart supporter of the Crown Prince.

But perhaps an even more prominent event took place just ahead of the reshuffle, when on Wednesday the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported that Saudi authorities have re-arrested the brother of billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal just days following the death of their "reformist" father, after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the arrest of Khalid bin Talal.

"The arrest took place on Tuesday night and until Wednesday evening Khaled was not released despite some promises," the report said according to The New Arab.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-12-29/brother-saudi-billionaire-prince-alwaleed-re-arrested

Google’s New Patents Aim to Make Your Home a Data Mine: they want to scan your clothing and listen to you brush your teeth

It’s a familiar feeling: Type something into Google’s search bar, and then start seeing ads for it everywhere. Sometimes you don’t even need to search—Google’s already triangulated your desires based on your emails, your demographics, your location. Now that familiarity stands to get a lot more intimate. With a fascinating pair of new patents for smart-home technology, Google is hoping users will open their home to its trademark eavesdropping.

In the first patent, Google imagines devices that would scan and analyze the surroundings of your home, then offer you content based on what they detect. According to the patent, the smart cameras in such a device could, for example, recognize Will Smith’s face on a T-shirt on the floor of a user’s closet. After matching this analysis against your browser history, the device might then say aloud, “You seem to like Will Smith. His new movie is playing in a theater near you.”

It doesn’t stop at Will Smith movies. The patent imagines that smart-home devices would make all types of inferences about users, sorting them into categories based on what the devices see in their most personal spaces. Using object recognition, they could calculate “fashion taste” by scanning your clothing, and even estimate your income based on any “expensive mechanical and/or electronic devices” they detect. Audio signatures, too, could be used to not only identify users, but to determine gender and age based on the timbre of their voice. The smart home would recommend what to watch and where to shop, all based on how it sorts users into categories of taste, income, and interest.

If this sounds invasive, it’s important to recognize that this is already happening, just online. Google and Facebook both record and analyze user behavior, use it to sort people into categories, and then target them with ads and other content. Facebook likely knows your race and religion, while Google uses your emails and search history to sort you into ad-ready brackets. Netflix infers all types of data on users based on what they watch, then serves back hyper-specific movie and TV categories. This patent simply expands the areas in which your behavior is already mined and recorded from your phone and laptop to your bedroom.

And your children’s bedrooms. The second patent proposes a smart-home system that would help run the household, using sensors and cameras to restrict kids’ behavior. Parents could program a device to note if it overhears “foul language” from children, scan internet usage for mature or objectionable content, or use “occupancy sensors” to determine if certain areas of the house are accessed while they’re gone— for example, the liquor cabinet. The system could be set to “change a smart lighting system color to red and flash the lights” as a warning to children or even power off lights and devices if they’re grounded.

https://govtslaves.info/2018/12/29/googles-new-patents-aim-to-make-your-home-a-data-mine-they-want-to-scan-your-clothing-and-listen-to-you-brush-your-teeth/

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=10114351&IDKey=FAF9B371A22D&HomeUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO2%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D2%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526co1%3DAND%2526d%3DPTXT%2526s1%3Dgoogle%2526s2%3Dmischief%2526OS%3Dgoogle%252BAND%252Bmischief%2526RS%3Dgoogle%252BAND%252Bmischief

Brazil to loosen gun laws to combat one of the world’s highest crime rates

Brazil’s incoming far-right president has said he will seek to issue a decree loosening the country’s gun laws.

Jair Bolsonaro, who takes over on 1 January, had made the pledge a key part of his presidential campaign.

Brazil currently has strict gun ownership laws, requiring any prospective owners to undergo psychological tests.

But Mr Bolsonaro has said more guns would allow “good people” in Brazil help combat violent crime.

What are Brazil’s current gun laws?

In response to Brazil having one of the world’s highest murder rates, the Senate passed the Disarmament Statute in 2003.

Under the statute, which stands to this day:

only strictly defined groups of people, including police and security officials are able to obtain a gun licence

anyone using a gun without a licence could face four years in jail

proof of residence, employment, technical and psychological capacity are needed to get a licence.

In the first year after the statue was introduced, the murder rate in Brazil dropped by 8%. In the same time, about 500,000 guns were seized by police under a buy-back scheme.

How bad is the murder rate in Brazil?

Since that drop, murder rates have started to climb again.

According to the World Bank, Brazil has the eighth highest murder rate in the world, behind countries such as El Salvador and Jamaica.

The Brazilian Public Security Forum, which collects and analyses crime data from state and federal government, there were 63,880 homicides in Brazil last year (equivalent to 175 a day) – an increase of 2.9% on the previous year.

https://govtslaves.info/2018/12/29/brazil-to-loosen-gun-laws-to-combat-one-of-the-worlds-highest-crime-rates/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-46710862

Trump threatens to close border, terminate trade deals, cut aid unless wall is funded

President Trump warned Friday that if Democrats do not agree to his demands to fund a wall on the southern border, he will “close the Southern border entirely” and cut aid to Central American countries — while pulling back on trade with Mexico.

“We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with,” he tweeted Friday morning. “Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!”

he tweetstorm came amid the partial government shutdown that will soon enter its second week. The closures began last Saturday after Republicans and Democrats were unable to agree on a funding package that would keep the government open and fund Trump’s promised border wall. Trump has demanded $5 billion for the barrier, but Democrats have refused, instead offering $1.3 billion for general border security.

https://truepundit.com/trump-threatens-to-close-border-terminate-trade-deals-cut-aid-unless-wall-is-funded/

U.S. Forces Withdraw From Afghanistan. Secret Negotiations with the Taliban. “Huge Political Change on the Horizon”

Reporting from Kabul, December 27, 2018. The announcement of withdrawal of the US forces from Syria and then Afghanistan was truly incredible to many US allies in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Although, some believe that Trump pulled the forces out to add a victory on his presidential track record to win a vote for himself and his party in the upcoming presidential election, this is not true especially about Afghanistan which tells a different story. Part of America’s presence in Syria was driven by Israeli interests such as containment of Iranian influence and the decision has infuriated Tel Aviv.

Since months, the US has been working to recast Afghan policy and the withdrawal of 7,000 troops from the total 14,000 is not a sudden decision, but part of a new agenda which is already noticeable in the recent US movements in Afghanistan.

President Trump’s apparently abrupt and insistent decision to remove boots from Syria and Afghanistan that met with reactions, pleas and even resignations from US lawmakers and Generals indicates that the chief decision-making panel is behind the doors to whom Trump only serve as a speaker because unlike common sense, Trump is a nonentity to decide all by himself. The Pentagon before and under James Mattis has defended military presence both in Syria and Afghanistan.

The US has its nine mega bases legalized across Afghanistan and it will keep a few thousand noncombatant soldiers there, as it has already halted or wound down the combat operations.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/u-s-forces-withdraw-from-afghanistan-secret-negotiations-with-the-taliban-huge-political-change-on-the-horizon/5663985

Blue Beams Caught On Film: Take out Power Lines

#ProjectBluebeam

Ohio Police Chief Charged After $14,000 in Cash for K9 Was Spent on Himself

A police chief in Ohio was suppose to use $14,000 in donation money on a new police dog, but the chief decided to spend the money on new clothes, gas, and expensive cuisine.

Now the chief has resigned and been indicted by a grand jury on felony theft of office.

Former New Vienna Police Chief Clinton Brown was reportedly using the $14,000 raised to get Paige, a Belgian Malinois, for the police department. Brown set up the New Vienna Police Department K-9 Fund in his name after he convinced village officials to allow him to buy a K-9 using donations.

According to the state auditor’s office, donors gave $14,020 to the fund between Jan. 21, 2017 and June 26, 2017. Brown received the K-9, named Paige, in March 2017.

However, New Vienna Mayor Kathi Stone, had the state auditor look into how that money was spent.

Ohio Auditor of State Dave Yost relayed that Brown admitted to spending thousands of that donated money on himself for clothes, food, and gas. When Brown resigned in December 2017, unpaid bills related to Paige totaling more than $3,000 were found, WCPO News reports.

Yost also had this to say concerning the matter:

"It's disheartening to see a member of law enforcement exploit a supportive community for personal gain. I'm confident that justice will prevail once Mr. Brown has his day in court."

Brown was recently working as a lieutenant in the Mowrystown Police Department. It's not clear if he still works there now.

On Thursday Brown was charged with theft in office.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/69992/ohio-police-chief-charged-after-14000-in-cash-for-k9-was-spent-on.html

Satanism comes to North Carolina State University as a student club

William Nardi reports for The College Fix, Dec. 24, 2018, that a new student club, Satanic Students at NC State, just completed its inaugural semester at North Carolina State University (NCSU), a taxpayer-funded public university.

According to the satanic club’s website:

The mission of Satanic Students at NC State University is to 1) encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, 2) reject tyrannical authority, 3) advocate scientific examination of the universe and our place in it, 4) promote morality and justice based on rational, humanistic values, and 5) be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will.

According to Technician, the official student newspaper of NC State University, a recent slide presentation at a Satanic Students meeting denied that the club worships Satan because “Satan doesn’t exist”.

That doesn’t make any sense. If the Satanic Students at NC State believe Satan doesn’t exist, then why call the club “Satanic”?

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/satanism-comes-to-north-carolina-state-university-as-a-student-club/

Angelina Jolie will combat fake news as producer of new BBC World Service 10-show education series to introduce children to truth rather than opinion

Angelina Jolie will work with the BBC World Service as a producer for new series

The educational show for children called Our World is set to span 10 episodes

Jolie has called for reliable information sources amid a landscape of fake news

She stressed importance of introducing children to 'objective, impartial news'

Angelina Jolie will join the BBC for a series of special programmes to introduce young people to truth rather than opinion.

The Hollywood star and United Nations special envoy is to work with the BBC World Service as a producer for a series of educational shows for children.

Jolie will seek to improve media literacy with the partnership on the new programme, Our World, with the piloted current affairs show planned to span 10 weekly episodes.

The actress and humanitarian campaigner has spoken of the need for reliable source in a media landscape clouded by fake news.

More

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6536391/Angelina-Jolie-combat-fake-news-producer-new-BBC-World-Service-show.html

California Sheriff Blames Sanctuary State Law for Murder of Police Officer

California law enforcement officers on Friday arrested the illegal immigrant fugitive who was wanted for killing Newman Police Department Corporal Ronil Singh, 33, on Wednesday. The Stanislaus County sheriff blamed the murder on SB-54, the state's sanctuary law.

Gustavo Perez Arriaga was apprehended in Bakersfield, about 280 miles southeast of Newman, the Fresno County and Kern County sheriff's offices confirmed. Several Hispanic individuals, including two of Arriaga's brothers, were also arrested Friday for allegedly aiding and abetting Arriaga as he was heading back toward the border to Mexico.

During a news conference Friday afternoon, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood told reporters that officers cuffed the suspect using Cpl. Singh's own handcuffs.

Arriaga, a criminal from Mexico, had crossed the U.S. border into Arizona illegally some time ago, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said at a separate news conference on Friday.

Christianson blamed the state's sanctuary city policy for the murder, telling reporters that Arriaga had known gang affiliations, as well as two previous DUI arrests. If he had been reported, Christianson said, Singh would still be alive. Cpl. Singh was a native of Fiji and served on the Newman Police Department for over seven years.

At the press conference, Christianson introduced Singh's tearful brother Reggie Singh, who expressed gratitude to law enforcement for dedicating themselves to finding his older brother's killer.

"I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart [for making] this happen," Singh sobbed. "I wish I could thank all the law enforcement agencies, Homeland Security in San Francisco – everyone – Bakersfield team."

"I was waiting for this to happen," said Singh. "I'd like to thank you [for] working day and night to make this happen. Thank you."

Christianson told reporters that while the community should stay focused on Officer Singh's service and sacrifice, "we can't ignore the fact that this could have been preventable. And under SB-54 in California, based on two arrests for DUI and some other active warrants that this criminal has out there, law enforcement would have been prevented – prohibited – from sharing any information with ICE about this criminal gang member."

The sheriff continued: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is not how you protect a community. This is not how you assure the people who live in our community — regardless of their ethnicity, their culture, their race, any of that — that they live in a safe community because there are people who want to exploit and victimize others. And in this case, Officer Singh sacrificed everything. He paid the ultimate price trying to protect and serve the people of Newman. We need to have a conversation about that."

https://pjmedia.com/trending/california-sheriff-blames-sanctuary-state-law-for-murder-of-police-corporal/

>>4515634

new career? I thin you meant ongoing she was UN ambassador previously

Natalie Portman: I Was Sexualized As A Child Star

In yet another troubling denunciation of Hollywood's treatment of child stars, actress Natalie Portman claims her entry into the film industry at the young age of 13 affected her in profound ways in part because she was "sexualized."

Speaking with People about her new film "Vox Lux," in which the actress plays a pop icon struggling with past childhood trauma, Natalie Portman spoke about her sexualization as a child star from people who should have known better.

"I understood very quickly, even as a 13-year-old, that if I were to express myself sexually I would feel unsafe and that men would feel entitled to discuss and objectify my body to my great discomfort," she said. "I felt the need to cover my body and to inhibit my expression and my work in order to send my own message to the world that I’m someone worth of safety and respect."

"I know I was sexualized in the ways that I was photographed or portrayed, and that was not my doing," she said. "That becomes a part of your public identity."

Portman previously revealed that her first piece of fan mail was another man's rape fantasy.

The actress got her start at age 13 in "The Professional" where she depicted an orphaned teenage girl who expresses sexual feelings toward a much older man. While the U.S. theatrical release depicted the relationship between Portman's character, Mathilda, and Leon, played by Jean Reno, as being platonic in nature, the European version suggested something more.

In one deleted scene, Mathilda tries giving Leon a kiss at a fancy dinner; in another much more troubling scene, her character offers up her virginity to him. While the pubescent Mathilda's sexual desire for Leon was an arguably accurate portrayal (she came from an abusive household), the scene takes a disturbing turn when Leon rejects her sexual advances due to his lack of self-confidence from a past tragedy, not her sexual immaturity. "I won't be a good lover," he even tells her.

http://www.orrazz.com/2018/12/natalie-portman-i-was-sexualized-as.html

Three Class Actions Accuse CenturyLink of Billing Fraud

LOS ANGELES (CN) — Citing thousands of complaints on social media, three class actions accuse telecommunications company CenturyLink of fraud, double-dealing and using phony and inflated fees to cheat millions of consumers of as much as $12 billion.

A nationwide federal class action filed June 18 in Los Angeles claims CenturyLink promises customers phone, data and cable TV service at one price but bills them much more and threatens them with high cancellation fees if they try to quit.

“It is estimated that the damages to consumers could range between $600 million and $12 billion, based on CenturyLink’s 5.9 million subscribers,” according to named plaintiffs Craig McLeod of Alabama and Steven McCauley of Kansas.

A similar federal class action was filed Monday in Portland, Oregon, and a state class action was filed June 14 in Maricopa County Court, Phoenix.

Arriving as the Monroe, La. -based CenturyLink is in the middle of its $34 billion acquisition of multinational competitor Level 3 Communications, more such lawsuits can be expected, said Ben Meiselas, with Geragos & Geragos, one of McLeod and McCauley’s attorneys.

“There are consumers in every state that have reached out to us,” Meiselas said. “We’ll be filing in all states where consumers are victims.”

The Los Angeles complaint states that “a digital revolt against CenturyLink’s fraud has been fomented by subscribers on social media and consumer watchdog websites.” The 19-page lawsuit claims thousands of complaints from CenturyLink customers have been posted on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter and consumer websites.

“This is one of the most outraged and passionate groups of consumers I’ve ever been involved with,” Meiselas said.

https://www.courthousenews.com/three-class-actions-accuse-centurylink-billing-fraud/