The other day someone called me a Bro-Witch online and mentioned that there were at least twenty other Bro-Witches out there in the universe. Now I have no idea what exactly at Bro-Witch is and who my Bro-Witching Brothers are, but apparently they are out there. Of course Bro-Witch was meant as an insult, and I took it that way, but after a little thought I decided that the title was absolutely hilarious.

According to the Urban Dictionary a bro is defined as:

An alpha male idiot. This is the derogatory sense of the word (common usage in the western US): white, 16-25 years old, inarticulate, belligerent, talks about nothing but chicks and beer, drives a jacked up truck thats plastered with stickers, has rich dad that owns a dealership or construction business and constantly tells this to chicks at parties, is into extreme sports that might be fun to do but are uncool to claim (wakeboarding, dirt biking, lacrosse), identifies excessively with brand names, spends a female amount of money on clothes and obsesses over his appearance to a degree that is not socially acceptable for a heterosexual male.

Sadly (though I guess I should probably be relieved) I live up to very little of that other than being white. Im way too old to fit the classic definition of a bro, hell I could most certainly be a Bro-Dad if Id ever had kids. I do talk incessantly about my wife, but Im allergic to beer. Now cider and whisky come up a lot in conversation, but only with people who care about such things. I dont feel as if Im all that belligerent, and while Im a pretty harsh critic of my own writing I do think I can share a coherent thought. My wife drives a Pontiac Vibe to work most days, while I tend to walk around everywhere I go or take the train.

I do have a couple of shirts with Gerald Gardner on them, and a few with Crowley too, so I guess I like the brand names! Another definition of bro I found online identified cargo shorts as a part of the bro uniform and Ill admit to being guilty on that end. After I finish writing this article Im going to get my hair done-take that as you will!

Since I was the one identified as a Bro-Witch I had to make my model sort of look like me. Which meant I couldnt give my Bro-Witch a beard or any tattoos but Im sure those exist on a few Bro-Witches in the wild. I think Im mostly making fun of myself in this article, so if you find yourself treading too closely to being a Bro-Witch, dont worry, so am I!

Anatomy of a Bro-Witch

1. Wears Horns on Their Head This is an absolute must because the Bro-Witch desperately wants to be identified as a Witch while out in the wild. The horns say I have a relationship with the Horned God and the Earth, and everyone should love me because of that. Traditional bros often wear hats, but the Bro-Witch turns that around and opts for the horns. Also horns allow the world to see the beautiful hair of the Bro-Witch.

2. A Pentacle or Other Form of Witch Necklace Just in case the horns dont say Witchcraft loudly enough, the obligatory necklace should do the trick. Most Bro-Witches go for the pentagram around their necks, but other versions are acceptable. Both hexagrams (Thelema) and the ten pointed star (found in some versions of the Anderson Feri tradition) say look at me Im a Witch dude! Bro-Witches who want to show their softer side may opt for a goddess symbol around their neck.

3. Skinny Arms The traditional bro often walks around shirtless and probably lifts weights, but not the Bro-Witch. The only heavy lifting Bro-Witches engage in are during cakes and ale, or perhaps when they get out the covens big sword to cast a circle. Underneath our Bro-Witches hoodie theres most likely some sort of tribal tattoo.

4. Designer Witchy Zip-Up Hoodie Brand identity is of utmost importance to the Bro-Witch, so he shows his love of Witchcraft by wearing a Robert Cochrane Traditional Shirtcraft hoodie. No Gucci or Michael Kors for the Witchiest of Bros, instead he wears his Craft allegiances on his sleeve. Other acceptable brands include Gerald Gardner Garb, Esbat Extraordinaire by Valiente, Hotfoot Jackson & Friends, and Sybils Stitches.

Note the Gerald Gardner Garb brand t-shirt on that Bro-Witch.

5. Cargo Shorts Todays Bro-Witch is always on the move, and ready to do ritual at the drop of a Witchs hat, so he carries around a portable collection of altar tools in the pockets of his cargo shorts. A Swiss Army knife makes for a great on the go athame, while his flask of whisky makes the perfect chalice. No candles and matches for the Bro-Witch, the mini-flashlight on his keyring does the job just fine. Loose change is the perfect symbolism for earth while a seashell and a pinecone represent the Lord & Lady.

Dont worry about ritual, hes got his Book of Shadows on a cellphone app all cued up and ready to go. Another app allows him to keep his best Witchcraft books on his phone too, perfect for when he needs to prove his Witchier Than Thouness to an outsider who doesnt get the Bro-Witch code.

Does the Bro-Witch wear underwear? Thats kind of a personal question, but sometimes youve got to get skyclad in a hurry so probably not!

6. Open Toed Sandals The Bro-Witch loves nature and wants to be out in it, but he doesnt want to be too close to it, which is why he wears sandals. The open toe allows him to feel the breeze over his toenails, but the soles of his sandals keep him from having to touch anything itchy or wet with his feet. Blessed be these sandals that have brought thee to the Old Ways! Indeed!

If you ever encounter a Bro-Witch in the wild and outside of a ritual circle, dont worry, most of them are pretty cool and just want to go about their Witchy work!

Continue reading here:
The Anatomy of a Bro-Witch - Patheos (blog)

Grey's Anatomy confirmed many of our suspicions tonight, but it still managed to shock us pretty seriously.

First, let's talk about that ending. Stephanie (Jerrika Hinton) was held hostage by a psychotic rapist patient after thinking he just wanted to be reunited with the love of his life, instead of the woman he had been trying to rape when she caused the car they were in to go off of a cliff.

He planned to set a small fire to get the emergency doors open, but instead, Edwardsset him on fire, which also lit up anoxygen tank and caused a huge explosion.

Maybe, possibly, Stephanie could survive, but it's not looking likely. That was a pretty big explosion, andHinton isreportedly leaving the show. Still, we're not ready to watch another one of these doctors die!

ABC

Elsewhere, Owen (Kevin McKidd) found out that his sister Megan is somehow still alive, and Alex (Justin Chambers) encountered Jo's husband (played by guest star Matthew Morrison) at a conference and first imagined beating him up and then telling him to stay away, but decided against both as he played out each scenario's unhappy ending in his head. Instead, he just watched asevil Will Schuster stole his cab, but we can't imagine he's gone for good at this point considering the strange way he locked in on Alex's face as he drove away.

In slightly better news, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Riggs (Martin Henderson) continued to get closer, though Mer is struggling with letting him stay over with her kids in the house.

Next week's finale looks extra intense with the hospital on fire, and as Kelly McCreary told us, "Everyone is in danger."

Remember how happy and not devastating last year's finale was? Those were some good times.

How are you feeling? Do you think Stephanie is dead? Sound off in the comments!

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

E! Online - Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows!

Continue reading here:
Grey's Anatomy Might Have Just Killed Off [Spoiler] - E! Online

Photo Credit: Astrelok / Shutterstock.com

Reports involving Official US Enemies, especially North Korea, grow more distorted and scarier with each re-telling in the media. This is a distortion process honed by our media over the decades of US imperial saber-rattling and military build-up since the 1950s.

What begins as a hyper-qualified, even sober analysis, is laundered through initial reports and subsequent reports and more reports and finds its way on the airwaves of Fox News, ultimately morphing into a whole new media creature, rounded up to the scariest interpretation of facts with each link in the media chain and ending with an almost apocalyptic fervor.

One recent such example was so egregious and naked it bears special mention. What started out as an exercise in idle speculation by an obscure geopolitical research firm, within a week, morphed into a major story featured on Fusion, the LA Times, and Fox News.

Small Virginia-based security contractor Strategic Sentinel noticed that on Google Earth some islands had emerged off the coast of North Korea and decided to speculate as to what their purposes was in a May 1st article in The Diplomata respected foreign policy magazine focusing on Asia-Pacific affairs. One of those purposes, of course, was military. The piece hedged a lot but effectively ran with the premise that the islands North Korea was building were largely to house missiles and for sinister military application.

Theres only one problem: The basis of the whole story was overreaching at best and bunk at worst. Long-time North Korea observer 38North laid out, in detail four days later why the story didnt add up:

On May 1, 2017, The Diplomat published an article by Damen Cook based on a report by Strategic Sentinel, which purported to show that the North Koreans had constructed several military facilities on small islands surrounding the city of Sohae. The methodology and conclusions in this report, however, demonstrate a lack of understanding of both North Koreas military infrastructure and recent history.

In the Strategic Sentinel analysis, they suggested that a series of islands near Sohae (which is not a city) are being used for ballistic missiles (BM), anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), or surface-to-air-missiles (SAM); however, there is no credible evidence to support this claim. In fact, there is ample evidence to refute it...

As best as can be determined, it seems [Strategic Sentinel] looked at a few Google Earth satellite images (but forgot to look at the Landsat imagery) and drew conclusions based on pre-existing expectations.

The report would go on, playing down and refuting many of Cooks core claims. The entirety of which should be read.

Ryan Barenklau, Cooks partner at Strategic Sentinel, disagrees with 38Norths reading of events, telling AlterNet, he didnt find the debunking by to be fair.

I feel as if the piece has too much emotion from the writer and that the piece was a knee jerk reaction, Barenklau told AlterNet in an email. If you read the original article, you will see that we completely agree that these islands may only be for agriculture and never will be used for military purposes.

This debunking by 38Northregardless of what one thinks of its meritswas too little too late. The Diplomat added a 142-word update further qualifying their claims after being contacted by analysts from 38North (but before 38North published their rebuttal three days later). This would have little effect, North Koreas Mysterious Nuke Islands of Doom were too tempting to pass up and the media was off to the races:

Fusion: North Korea Is Building Mysterious New Islands In The Yellow Sea

LA Times: North Korea is building mysterious artificial islands that would be perfect for missile launches

The Independent:North Korea 'building mysterious artificial islands' apparently equipped with military installations

Daily Mail: North Korea 'is copying China and creating artificial islands to use as military bases

The Express: North Korea's man-made islands being primed for nuclear attacks, expert warns

Fox News: North Korea's mystery islands: Man-made keys could be new nuclear launch sites

To further hype the threat, Fox News turned to reliable North Korea fear-monger Gordon Chang--whose carved out quite a career rounding up to the most dire assessment of North Koreas actions. He fed Fox News the expected red state red meat, complete with a gratuitous book plug:

While their purpose is unknown, suspicions are high that the islands could be used to launch missiles. Those speculations are not far off the mark, according to Gordon Chang, author of Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World.

North Korea is never up to any good, Chang said in an emailed statement to Fox News. The new facilities, whatever their purpose, will be used for evil deeds, mischief, or troublemaking of some sort.

My sense is that the facilities on the new islands will be used for missile launches of some kind, especially because they are near Sohae.

In less than a week, an analysis that began as qualified speculationeven if overreachingmorphed into a full blown media panic. Grainy, decontextualized Google Earth images were enough to justify bold claims about a sinister Bond Villain-like plot to menace East Asia.

I do not like the way the media has been reporting this article, Strategic Sentinels Ryan Barenklau told AlterNet. The original purpose of this article was to examine islands that were being built up by DPRK and theorize if they could be used for military purposes, how would DPRK go about doing that. I definitely disagree with how Fox News has taken the article.

Strategic Sentinel did, however lend quotes the LA Times article that while more qualified than Fox News, was so only in degree not substance. One problem is that government contractors writing reports and providing quotes for respected publications like The Times is that these analyses often double as marketing efforts. Indeed, the LA Times story is currently Strategic Sentinels pinned tweet. And don't let their .org url fool you, Strategic Sentinel is a pro-profit defense contractor thatwhile currently without any--is more than open federal government contracts.

When it comes to marketing. I would definitely like to think that these articles show potential clients what we are capable of doing, Strategic Sentinels Ryan Barenklau told AlterNet. Any marketing that we do get from the pieces I am happy with, but I personally make it my mission not to hype anything. I do not want my company to be known as partisan or having ulterior agendas.

Nevertheless, here we are. The average media consumer isnt going to follow the links and parse all the nuance. 60% of Americans get their news from headlinesand North Korea Building Islands for Bombs is all theyre going to come away with it. This is consistent with what well call the North Korea Law of Journalism, which states that the editorial standards are inversely proportional to a country's Enemy Status as it relates to the U.S. State Department.

Because North Korea is seenfairly or notas the baddies, journalists can always round up to the most speculative, ungenerous reading of their actions and get away with it. There is no pro-North Korean public relations firm thatll call up the editor at The Diplomat or LA Times. No AIPAC like Israel has, no US government PR rep like the CIA does, no Gulf-funded think tank to run spin for the Qataris. Given these conditions, any story about North Korea can spread without challenge, because, frankly whos going to object?

One common rejoinder to this line of criticism is that North Korea, by its very nature, is difficult to report on and so more leaps must be taken. But this begs the question. There is no law of nature saying reporters have to idly speculate on the internal affairs of North Korea, especially given the way in which that speculation will be weaponized by a rightwing media perpetually eager for war. Those operating in the space should factor this in, and do their best not to feed the media beast, lest a bogus North Korea story spread unchecked with their names all over it.

Adam Johnson is a contributing analyst at FAIR and contributing writer for AlterNet. Follow him on Twitter @AdamJohnsonNYC.

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The Anatomy of a Bogus North Korea Story - AlterNet

The owner of Wholesome Foods, and blogger behind Imara Doesnt Cook, shares her style transformation

The owner of Wholesome Foods, and blogger behind Imara Doesnt Cook, shares her style transformation. From wearing bulky boots and sweaters in chilly Montreal to moving to Karachi and adopting a more understated and chic sense of style, this emerging fashionista shares it all!

Understanding your body is the key to looking good and a trait found amongst all impeccably dressed fashionistas. While people shy away from talking about their bodies, these brave souls explain how they work their anatomies to their advantage.

How would you describe your body type?

I would describe my body type as petite.

Has your body type changed over the last five years?

From the time I started university, I had been carrying around my freshman 15 weight, until just over a year ago. However, over the last year I made an effort to become fit by making exercise part of my lifestyle, which in turn has helped me to become lean and toned.

How has your style changed over the years?

Considering I was living in Montreal for four years, where the weather was extremely cold or chilly for majority of the year, I felt restricted and demotivated when it came to dressing. However, after moving back to Karachi, my style has changed. From wearing boots, oversized sweatshirts and scarves I am now more simple and chic, and prefer a clean look.

In your opinion what is your most troublesome area?

Over the years, I have grown to accept my body the way it is, while focusing on exercising to make myself stronger.

How do you dress your body according to your body type?

Since I am lean, I enjoy wearing ripped or skinny jeans. When wearing them, I have the option of going for either a casual or a slightly trendy look.

In your opinion what is the biggest mistake a person can make while dressing here?

I believe that fashion is a form of art and allows for creativity enabling one to have a unique identity. The biggest mistake anyone can make while dressing up is not being authentic to that means of expression. I think it is essential for people to dress according to what they love and feel most comfortable in. When you follow that motto, confidence comes naturally.

Which silhouettes suit your body the most?

Silhouettes that are neither too loose nor too fitted.

What is the one piece of clothing that you shy away from wearing and why?

I dont necessarily shy away from any particular clothing, however, my fashion pet peeves are feeling too tight in my outfit and wearing materials that can be sharp on my skin. I physically need to feel comfortable in everything that I wear.

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Style anatomy: Imara Hashwani - The Express Tribune

An unstated yet central premise of Anatomy of Innocence: Testimonies of the Wrongfully Convicted, is that anyone anyone can be sent to prison for murder.

In the United States, this injustice falls preponderantly on people who are black. But as the stories in this book underscore, no one is immune. The snare of wrongful conviction can steal years and decades from the lives of daycare moms, law students, small business managers, and people innocently sitting in their car watching the ocean.

Anatomy of Innocence pairs the Kafkaesque experiences of 15 exonerated individuals with pedigreed writers who tell their stories. The list of contributors include Maines own international best-selling espionage author Gayle Lynds, writing here with her husband, John Sheldon, a former defense attorney, prosecutor, and judge; Lee Child, author of the popular Jack Reacher thriller series; and the late Pulitzer- and Tony-Award winner, playwright Arthur Miller, who years ago wrote an essay published here for the first time about a wrongfully convicted teenager. The books introduction is by best-selling legal thriller novelist Scott Turow.

The series of profiles follows a loose progression of events that typify the hellish journey through the penal system. Each profile focuses on one or two defining aspects of the journey, from what it feels like to be picked up, interrogated, tried and convicted, to imprisonment and the struggle to maintain hope and sanity against long odds, and finally to being exonerated and freed.

Esteemed mystery writer Sara Paretsky, tells of the cruel injustice that befell David Bates, a Chicago teenager, in 1983 in The Trip to Doty Road: the Interrogation. Bates ordeal started when detectives and uniformed officers showed up at his home, held a gun to his mothers head and told her they needed to take her son in, just to ask him some questions.

Thus began a 24-hour interrogation, marked by brutality and terrorizing. In the early hours, Bates thought, what they were doing didnt seem criminal at first, it just seemed part of the territory, of being a black kid on the South Side. He was slapped, kicked and punched. He wasnt allowed to use the bathroom. He was suffocated with a plastic bag. The real horror, however, was the threat that if he didnt confess, the tag team of officers would take him to the end of Doty Road on the edge of Chicago to the city trash dump, and you wont be coming back.

They promised him if he signed a confession, they would let him go home. They coached him what to say. The forced confession, Child writes, destroyed part of Davids sense of who he was. Instead of going home, he went to prison for 11 years. More than 20 years later, he was exonerated and released. He still carries body memories of his torture. There are days where he cant walk, Paretsky writes. The powerlessness he felt at his torturers hands sweeps through is body, paralyzing him.

In The Fortune Cookie: The Lessons Learned, Lee Child recounts the case of ex-Marine Kirk Bloodsworth, convicted and sentenced to death for raping and bashing in a 9-year-old girls head until she was lifeless. When torn and bloodied and pulped 9-year-old corpses turn up in small towns all bets are off, Child writes. Two little boys whod been near where the crime occurred provided descriptions of a man theyd seen nearby. After the artists sketch was broadcast, Kirk was fingered by a disgruntled neighbor as being the killer. Kirk suspected that the boys were coached in their testimony at his trial. Despite having numerous individuals corroborating his alibi, he was convicted.

Bloodsworth viewed his incarceration in a Maryland prison as captivity, and he drew on his Marine prisoner-of-war training to endure it. Hed loved Triumph motorcycles, and during his 10 years in prison, he endlessly disassembled one in his mind, cleaned and oiled the parts, then reassembled it. Evidence was eventually retested using DNA analysis, then a new and relatively little used technology. In 1993, Kirk became the first person on death row to be freed in the country based on such analysis.

A Study in Sisyphus: Serving Time, tell the story of Audrey Edmunds, a middle-class, stay-at-home mom who was accused and convicted of the death of a 7-month-old baby she cared in her home in Waunakee, Wisconsin. Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon tell the story of how an autopsy showed cranial bleeding, pointing toward shaken baby syndrome. Edmunds was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Lying awake in the middle of the night in her prison bunk, Edmunds was plagued by the uncontrollable endless cycle of emotions (how) fear of the guards turned into anger at them, which triggered anger at how the prosecutor had attacked her at trial, which recalled her disbelief at the verdict, and the pain of pubic disgrace, and how unjust the punishment was, and the horror of losing her family, missing (her husband), heartache for her children, despair that her prison time was passing so slowly an on, and on, and over again.

Through it all, hope was the best anesthetic for Audreys wheeling emotions. But hope often dimmed. An appeal was denied. Her husband divorced her, seeking sole custody of the children so he wouldnt have to take them to see her. She kept to herself, did her work and was a model prisoner. The Wisconsin Innocence Project took up her case, but advancement was intermittent due to law students working on her case leaving at the end of the year. She was told at a parole review hearing that if she would confess, the time to the next hearing would be shortened. But she refused. She did not want to have child murderer seared on her forever, poisoning her relationship with everyone, especially her children.

Eventually, a circuit court of appeals granted her a new trail. Substantial new medical evidence called into doubt the reliability of shaken baby syndrome. The court ruled that the original trial judges decision denying a retrial was an abuse of his discretion. Today, Aubrey Edmunds lives quietly in a small Wisconsin town, enjoying her reunification with her four grown children.

A theme running through many of the profiles in the collection is the faith against long odds that justice would win out one day. Another common thread is the work many of the exonerees do after their release on behalf of innocent people who are still imprisoned.

The Anatomy of Innocence is a harrowing account of injustice and a tribute to the strength and resiliency of ordinary individuals facing cruel, dehumanizing circumstances. The book is also a tribute to those who work on behalf of their exoneration.

In 2013, U.S. prisons held 2.2 million prisoners representing 25 percent of incarcerated people worldwide, making America the worlds leading jailer. It is impossible to know how many individuals now incarcerated are innocent, but estimates start around 5 percent. At minimum, thats 110,000 people.

Whatever the number, its an incalculable assault on personal dignity. The foreclosed hopes and dreams not to mention lost moments of tenderness and intimacy with loved ones of innocent people punished for crimes they did not commit is nothing short of an American tragedy.

Frank O Smith is a Maine writer whose novel, Dream Singer, was named a Notable Book of the Year in Literary Fiction by Shelf Unbound, an international review magazine. His novel was also a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize, created by best-selling novelist Barbara Kingsolver in support of a literature of social change. Smith can be reached via his website:

frankosmithstories.com

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'Anatomy of Innocence' describes incalculable injustices - Press Herald