Troubled ASSET RELIEF PROGRAM
Financial rescue plan aimed at restoring liquidity to the financial markets
(…)
Committed : $11 trillion (total)
Invested: $3 trillion (total)
Archiv: society
Biden Is Set To Sign $858 Billion Pentagon Budget—One of the Biggest Ever
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is expanding the military budget enormously. Pentagon spending is set to hit levels not seen since the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Senate passes National Defense Authorization Act, bill heads to President Biden
Both chambers of Congress have passed the bill, and it will now head to President Biden’s desk.
The bill passed by a vote of 83-11, with 60 votes needed for approval.
Exclusive: Inside the Military’s Secret Undercover Army
(17. May 2021)
No one knows the program’s total size, and the explosion of signature reduction has never been examined for its impact on military policies and culture. Congress has never held a hearing on the subject. And yet the military developing this gigantic clandestine force challenges U.S. laws, the Geneva Conventions, the code of military conduct and basic accountability.
Mass brawl erupts at packed Tel Aviv mall on Election Day
Police said they are looking into the security camera footage to better understand who was involved in the brawl and who instigated it.
One of the witnesses claimed that „there was violence between a group of teens, who jumped on a kid and seemingly stabbed him in the leg, and then everyone exited the mall and outside there was a dance circle.“
Israel election: A far-right politician moves closer to power
For decades, Ben Gvir was a political untouchable. His roots in the overtly racist Kach party — founded by a radical American rabbi, Meir Kahane, and banned by Israel — put him beyond the fringe of even the most right-wing parties. That changed last year when then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had lost his governing coalition and was desperate for a few more parliamentary votes, invited Ben Gvir into his alliance.
Netanyahu downplayed his maneuver, largely dismissing Ben Gvir as a backbencher who wouldn’t play a major role in government.
What a difference a year makes.
Israel: Former army chief says Ben Gvir could spark ‘civil war’
Ben Gvir – leader of the Religious Zionism party and who the Israeli army refused to draft due to his extremist activities and views – is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Polls have credited his bloc with up to 14 seats in Israel’s parliament, which would make it the third-largest faction.
Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that if he were to regain his position as the Israeli premier, Ben Gvir would be a minister in his government.
There Is a Place for Ben-Gvir in Netanyahu’s Cabinet, Former PM Says
The extreme-right MK Itamar Ben-Gvir would be a minister in a government formed by opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister said on Sunday evening.
When asked in a Channel 14 interview whether the Religious Zionism party member has a place in the cabinet if the right-wing-religious bloc receives 61 Knesset seats, Netanyahu responded „Yes, certainly.“
Israeli elections are in 10 days and the apathy and fatigue are palpable, despite how high the stakes are – with the potential return of Netanyahu still on trial, the entry of the far right Zionist faction and the possible exclusion of a few Arab parties due to low voter turnout.
(22.10.2022)
Legalizing Corruption
The reform that Bezalel Smotrich is proposing validates public corruption on a grand scale. It is intended as a come-on for Benjamin Netanyahu’s supporters on the eve of the election, people who understand well that in contrast to the feigned denial of Smotrich, annulling the offense will necessarily lead to the cancelation of the bulk of the indictment against Netanyahu. This is another reminder of what is at stake in the forthcoming election.
Two Weeks to Election Day, Netanyahu’s Right-wing Allies Are Going Rogue
The last thing Benjamin Netanyahu wants is for voters to start focusing on his political partners in Religious Zionism and the Haredi parties, but they’re acting as if they’ve already won the November 1 election
Exclusive: Inside the Military’s Secret Undercover Army
(17. May 2021)
No one knows the program’s total size, and the explosion of signature reduction has never been examined for its impact on military policies and culture. Congress has never held a hearing on the subject. And yet the military developing this gigantic clandestine force challenges U.S. laws, the Geneva Conventions, the code of military conduct and basic accountability.
Netanyahu Fans Design Golden ‚Loyalty Necklace‘ in His Image
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is known for his fervent supporters, many of whom refer to him as “King Bibi,” but a prominent Likud activist took things even further on Sunday evening at a party event when she attempted to drape a golden medallion featuring the former prime minister’s visage around lawmaker Israel Katz’s neck.
In a video clip widely circulated online, Heidi Mozes could be heard declaring that the necklace was “a declaration of allegiance to our party,” adding “we are proud to be in this party that we have excellent elected officials and a wonderful soon to be Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Travel Warning: Israel’s Election Will Be Long and Dirty
It capped a week that symbolized everything that was bad about it during the little over a year it was in power: a fractured coalition, too many of whose heads were convinced they were destined to be prime minister and waged an endless campaign, mainly against one another; a coalition with too few responsible adults and too many opportunists. Above all, however, it was a coalition faced with an opposition the likes of which we have never seen: violent, vulgar, brutal, cynical, without a drop of empathy for human suffering, no matter where; that spits on the general public, including its own voters. An opposition without any red lines but with a personality cult; that is captive to a single person who seeks to escape his trial and who along the way turns every stone and scorches every bit of earth in order to completely destroy the young experiment known as Israeli democracy.
Lapid Is About to Become Israel’s PM, and the Entire Mideast Is Watching
Lapid will likely seek to avoid pointless military escalation, and may rely on experienced brass until the election. He may even make a left-wing overture and meet the Palestinian president
With the Government’s Implosion, It’s Anyone but Bibi Again
In both style and content, Lapid’s and Bennett’s speeches distilled what is best about the government of change and served as a reminder, by way of contrast, of everything Israel left behind when Benjamin Netanyahu lost power and everything that threatens it should he regain it – a return to a politics and a public discourse of incitement, division, mudslinging, humiliation, intimidation, lies and manipulation; a return to assaults on the justice system, the police, the media and the opposition; a return to the persecution of human rights organizations and incitement against Arab citizens and their representatives in the Knesset.
New DNS Flaw Enables ‘Nation-State Level Spying’ on Companies
(7. August 2021)
DNSaaS providers (also referred to as managed DNS providers) rent DNS to other businesses who don’t want to maintain and protect yet additional network resources on their own.
(…)
The Wiz researchers stated, “We found a simple loophole that allowed us to intercept a portion of worldwide dynamic DNS traffic going through managed DNS providers like Amazon and Google,”
“The dynamic DNS traffic we ‘wiretapped’ came from over 15,000 organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, 45 U.S. government agencies, and 85 international government agencies.”
Employee/computer identities and locations and extremely sensitive data about organizations’ infrastructure, such as Internet-exposed network equipment, were among the
MASS PSYCHOSIS – How an Entire Population Becomes MENTALLY ILL
This video was made in collaboration with Academy of Ideas. They create videos explaining the ideas of history’s great thinkers in order to help supply the world with more knowledge, to empower the individual, and to promote freedom.
MASS PSYCHOSIS – How an Entire Population Becomes MENTALLY ILL
This video was made in collaboration with Academy of Ideas. They create videos explaining the ideas of history’s great thinkers in order to help supply the world with more knowledge, to empower the individual, and to promote freedom.
Lapid: The Ideological Descendants of Rabin’s Assassin Are Sitting in the Knesset Today
(18.10.2021)
Speaking earlier at the official ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem commemorating the 26th anniversary of the assassination, Bennett said at the official ceremony in Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl that an entire Israeli generation is suffering from PTSD, whose lives were shaken and molded by the assassination in 1995.
What Is the Fundamental Key to Happiness?
(2016)
When our minds are still, all is well. We don’t suffer when we’re not creating negative mental stories. We must remember that these harmful stories are in our minds and when we quiet our minds, all our suffering ends.
Belief in conspiracy theories and overconfidence are two tendencies linked to hasty thinking.
Behind NATO’s ‘cognitive warfare’: ‘Battle for your brain’ waged by Western militaries
The US-led NATO military cartel has tested novel modes of hybrid warfare against its self-declared adversaries, including economic warfare, cyber warfare, information warfare, and psychological warfare.
Now, NATO is spinning out an entirely new kind of combat it has branded cognitive warfare. Described as the “weaponization of brain sciences,” the new method involves “hacking the individual” by exploiting “the vulnerabilities of the human brain” in order to implement more sophisticated “social engineering.”
The fear of coronavirus is changing our psychology
(2nd April 2020)
For weeks, almost every newspaper has stories about the coronavirus pandemic on its front page; radio and TV programmes have back-to-back coverage on the latest death tolls; and depending on who you follow, social media platforms are filled with frightening statistics, practical advice or gallows humour.
As others have already reported, this constant bombardment can result in heightened anxiety, with immediate effects on our mental health. But the constant feeling of threat may have other, more insidious, effects on our psychology. Due to some deeply evolved responses to disease, fears of contagion lead us to become more conformist and tribalistic, and less accepting of eccentricity.
Transformation: The collective psychology of coronavirus
(17 March 2020)
All this makes me think about the stuff I’ve been working on over the last couple of years in the Collective Psychology Project (CPP), which I set up in 2018 – and in particular the importance of whether we respond to perceived threats by going into fight-or-flight or tend-and-befriend mode.
Fight-or-flight – or more accurately, fight / flight / freeze – is a natural reaction to threat or feelings of overwhelm. But it’s not particularly helpful in the face of a collective threat like coronavirus. It’s a primal response, not a considered one. It focuses on the interests of the individual, not the collective.
The ‚zombification‘ of married life
Married couples are “zombifying,” is the magazine’s melancholy conclusion. Instead of divorcing, as they once might have, they grimly endure each other. It’s better, or seems so, than the foreseeable alternatives – prominent among them financial insecurity amid declining wages and emotional insecurity as the lingering COVID-19 crisis corrodes the strength to face the world alone.
There are no doubt many reasons why marriage, so hopefully embarked upon, so quickly turns sour for so many. Spa! zeroes in on one – the double-income household.
Denmark to lift all remaining Covid restrictions on 10 September
Danish restaurants, bars, cinemas, gyms, sports stadiums and hairdressing salons have been open since that date for anyone who can prove that they are fully vaccinated, have a negative test result less than 72 hours old or contracted Covid within the past two to 12 weeks.
That requirement, already lifted from 1 August for some venues such as museums, will disappear for most others from 1 September, although a coronapas will still be needed for nightclubs and large events including football matches until 10 September.
How Big Tech Erases History: My New Paper
It’s time to switch to ProtonMail, and to private text messaging services such as Signal. It’s time to abandon YouTube for video platforms such as Rumble.
We can depart of our own accord, in a dignified manner. Or we can wait to be cancelled by these malignant corporations.
R2K Statement: Stern action must be taken against the instigators!
We understand that former State Security agents and some senior ANC leaders are being investigated as possible instigators to the mayhem, as was admitted by State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo. The Minister also told South Africans that the intelligence services knew that something would happen, but law enforcement responses to the unrest prove or paint a completely different reality.
We know that this country’s intelligence services are in shambles because both President Ramaphosa and the minister failed to implement the recommendations of the High-Level Review Panel on the State Security Agency to clean up the spooks. We did mention that these rogue securocrats are a threat to our democracy and they must be dealt with accordingly.
Right2Know: Name and shame State Security agents involved in looting and violence
Johannesburg – Civil society organisation, Right2Know has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of State Security Ayanda Dlodlo to name and shame some of the State Security Agency’s (SSA) agents who fuelled the violent and destructive protests in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The campaign which initially erupted under the guise of Free Jacob Zuma campaign turned ugly when hundreds of protesters blocked national roads in KwaZulu-Natal and set alight trucks and vehicles belonging to private individuals.
Anarchy in the RSA: A spirit of revolt without revolution
Slavoj Žižek proposed in an article on the London riots in 2011 that such riots are not easily understandable in Marxist terms, precisely because they do not carry the signs of the emergence of a revolutionary subject. Instead, he proposes that they fit much better the Hegelian notion of “abstract negativity”, of “those outside organised social space, who can express their discontent only through ‘irrational’ outbursts of destructive violence”. Žižek believes that these forms of riot confirm the rather mundane, now commonplace assertion that we live in a post-ideological era, an era in which nothing is demanded any more, a time of “zero-degree violence”.
“Opposition to the system can no longer articulate itself in the form of a realistic alternative, or even as a utopian project,” Žižek writes, “but can only take the shape of a meaningless outburst.”
The row raging over a corrupt former president’s jailing shows that South Africa is heading down a sad and familiar path
South Africa’s highest court last week ordered the imprisonment of the country’s former president Jacob Zuma for 15 months for contempt of court. The decision stems from Zuma’s refusal to appear at a commission to answer questions about his alleged involvement in corruption during his time as president between 2009 and 2018.
On Saturday, however, the constitutional court agreed to hear Zuma’s urgent appeal on July 12 to rescind its order to sentence him to jail. If the court is gelded, the human rights so dearly won defeating apartheid will be lost.
‚The state won’t be telling you what to do‘: Robert Jenrick confirms face masks will no longer be compulsory after ‚freedom day‘ as Sajid Javid goes full speed ahead towards lifting ALL lockdown restrictions on July 19
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that under ‚freedom day‘ plans expected to be signed off by the Cabinet tomorrow:
Acco Theater Center in #Israel, run by my friends’ parents, a site of Palestinian-Israeli coexistence, a beautiful center for Palestinian youth to make & promote their art, is burnt by God knows who I’ve long believed that art can save the world; and only fascists burn theaters
Netanyahu calls in Border Police as Lod riots spiral out of control
Public Security Minister Amir Ohana declared a state of emergency in the city after a meeting on Lod’s violent clashes with Netanyahu and other officials. Defense Minister Benny Gantz said all means would be made available to police trying to bring back order, which includes imposing curfews.
Israeli Arab Shot Dead as Jerusalem Riots Spillover; Two Jewish Suspects Arrested
„An angry mob started to assemble, and they threw bricks and firebombs at us because we exited the house to make sure they wouldn’t come closer,“ he said. „At a certain point, when we felt like there was a real threat and the mob started getting closer to us, a few residents with handgun licenses fired in the air,“ he said.
Police suspect that one of the Jewish residents aimed his gun at the rioters rather than shooting in the air. Another resident said that there were at least four people who fired.
Israelis‘ Distrust in State Institutions Is Turning Into an Existential Threat
A year after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the three-fold crisis plaguing Israeli society threatens the basic contract between the state and its citizenry, and has led to a lack of trust in government leaders and institutions and an ‚unparalleled degree of polarization‘.
What WAS the point of vaccine triumph if we are doomed to endless curbs, asks Dr JOHN LEE
Despite the success of the vaccine programme, which will see all vulnerable people protected against Covid-19 in a month, it seems lockdown will largely continue until July.
Restaurants and churches possibly still closed. Travel impossible. Families forbidden to mingle indoors. The Treasury still borrowing billions to keep people on furlough. This is draining the health of our population and our economy.
LOCKED IN: Restrictions can’t ease until NEXT YEAR due to aggressive mutant Covid strains, warns Sage
They came to their conclusions by modelling what could happen in the next few months under the vaccine rollout, presenting their findings to Sage on January 14.
Researchers at Warwick University wrote in the document, published today: “With the new aggressive covid strain, likely transmission efficacies prove insufficient to prevent further infection outbreaks across the population.
Coronavirus latest news: Restrictions on large gatherings likely to be in place ‚for next few years‘
Prof Spector also suggested that basic infection control measures – including physical distancing, face masks and handwashing – should remain in place as they „don’t cost really anything to do“.
„I think we need to get used to that and that will allow us to do the things we really want to do more easily and more readily,“ he said.
UK Covid cases fall by a THIRD in a week and deaths down almost 20% piling pressure on Boris to show way out of lockdown
Mark Harper — chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of lockdown sceptics, with 70 Tory MPs — said: “Back-of-the-envelope calculations I did based on two million doses a week mean you could get the top nine priority groups, first doses, and the top four groups, second doses, all done by the end of May.
“So it seems to me by the time you get to the end of May, no later than that, you should be in a position to get rid of restrictions completely.
Why we need Free Speech Champions
Free speech is the central principle of a healthy democracy. It is a vital tool for giving a voice to the voiceless, and for ensuring that everyone gets a say without being shut down. We are lucky to live in a country where we are free to criticise those in power, and where the government can be held to account by a young footballer. We must make the most of this.
You’ll have noticed that flu has been „almost wiped out“ with cases plunging by 95% to levels not seen in more than 130 yrs. Looks like intelligence levels have dropped to levels not seen in 130 yrs. This claim is farcical. Flu has simply been rebranded.
Friend works for Young’s and they got told today that Young’s pubs have heard the earliest they could possibly open would be may ! Fucking May !!!!it’s not even guaranteed that they will open then !!!
Britain has gone without a whimper. It’s citizens content to exist without existing, to live without living, and to allow the most untrustworthy among us, to determine every fine detail of their lives. All in less than 52 weeks.
BREAKING: looks like lockdown will be extended again. The country is at breaking point. This is a dreadful decision if true.
Americans now see other Americans as the biggest threat to their way of life
A new CBS News/YouGov poll shows that most Americans (54%) now think that the biggest threat to their way of life comes from domestic enemies.
There is bipartisan agreement that the nation’s way of life is most threatened by individuals who are already in America, with 53% of Democrats, 56% of Republicans, and 57% of Independents each choosing that as the most significant risk. One in five Americans (20%) believe economic forces present a greater challenge, while slightly fewer (17%) chose natural disasters or viruses as a key concern.
About one in 12 Americans (8%) think foreign countries are the most looming threat, with Republicans being more likely than Democrats (4%) to say this.
The New Domestic War on Terror is Coming
No speculation is needed. Those who wield power are demanding it. The only question is how much opposition they will encounter.
Boris Johnson, Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance make shock claim the Kent mutant coronavirus MIGHT be 30-40% more deadly but provide no evidence at all – as Covid cases fall AGAIN by 30% to 40,261 and R number drops below 1
Boris Johnson and his top scientific advisers tonight sensationally claimed the Kent coronavirus variant could be up to 40 per cent deadlier – but sparked fury by not providing the public any evidence for their doom-mongering.
Critics argued No10’s bold claim – based on findings by three academic groups – were reminiscent of ‚Project Fear‘, accusing ministers of managing to find a ’new twist‘ in Britain’s crisis whenever hopes are raised that lockdown could be eased.
Netanyahu’s Wooing of Arab Voters Unwittingly Sets an Important Precedent
The truth is, it doesn’t make any difference what his motive is. And there’s no need to support him, much less vote for him, to be filled with optimism.
After all, if the wall of the delegitimizing of Arab votes is cracked, that would be enough. If, following Netanyahu, other parties begin wooing Arabs and reserving spots for them on their tickets (see Meretz), that would be enough.
Der Untertan [The Subject]
This poster advertises the novel ‘Der Untertan’ (‘The Subject’) by Heinrich Mann (1871-1950), the first part of his trilogy, ‘Das Kaiserreich’ (‘The Empire’). The novel was banned in Germany during the First World War, owing to its criticism of the militarism and conservatism prevalent in Imperial German society. It was finally published, to much acclaim, in 1918. Heinrich’s younger brother, the novelist Thomas Mann, initially wrote in support of the war but later agreed with Heinrich. Both brothers left for America in the 1930s following the rise of the Nazis.
This Incredible Story Proves Netanyahu Has No Limits
The High Court, its president, Esther Hayut, the prosecution, Mendelblit, all have been subjected to brutal, ugly attacks. There’s no reason to envy them. But if there’s one thing they understand from their own life experience: Silence and capitulation is no way to stop a serial attacker.
Replying to @Eve6: learn to code
i had a famous song in the nineties and i cant afford health care
Britain could be free of Covid restrictions by February after ministers pinpointed the 15million people to vaccinate to end the cycle of lockdowns, with Oxford’s jab due to be approved Monday and rolled out within a week
Government sources say that between 12 million and 15 million people have been identified as likely to require hospital treatment if they contract coronavirus, or be at risk of dying from it. Once this group has received the vaccine – which some officials hope could be achieved by the end of February – then the NHS would no longer be at risk of being overwhelmed if the virus spread through the greater population. That would remove the main argument for shutting the economy at a stroke.
A source said: ‚The path to liberation is finally becoming clear.‘
‚THE BEST OF BRITISH‘: Oxford Covid vaccine expected to be approved MONDAY as huge efforts ‘pay off’
„We have seen the best of British at every stage, from our world-leading scientists working around the clock to carry out vital research, to builders and engineers constructing new facilities.
“Manufacturers are boosting their capabilities and hundreds of thousands of people in every corner of the UK are taking part in clinical trials — developing, finding and preparing for a vaccine has involved us all.
“It has and continues to be a truly UK-wide effort and one which showcases what a fantastic nation we are.”
Tyranny During Its Reign Is Unrecognized by Its Victims
How does tyranny arrive and survive?
A juvenile answer is that devilish persons somehow seize the levers of power while the nation’s people are innocently going about their business. Wearing sinister smiles and twirling the tips of their moustaches in dastardly fashion, the tyrants unilaterally impose their criminal wills upon the populace.
The People soon realize that their dictators are venal and vile, but there’s little they can do other than silently submit.
Imagine time traveling back to 2010 to explain this headline
Gang of transgender women drop-kicked then stamped on 19-year-old man in Tube attack after he told them they needed to have female genitalia to be women
A gang of drunken transgender women who stamped on a teenager outside a Tube station have walked free from court.
Tamsin Lush, 29, Tylah Jo Bryan and Amarnih Lewis-Daniel, both 24, set upon the 19-year-old after he told them they needed female genitalia to be women.
12 Million To Lose Jobless Benefits The Day After Christmas Unless Congress Acts
The day after Christmas, millions of Americans will lose their jobless benefits, according to a new study. And that could spell financial ruin for many people, like 44-year-old Todd Anderson in the small town of Mackinaw City, Mich.
Der Untertan [The Subject]
This poster advertises the novel ‘Der Untertan’ (‘The Subject’) by Heinrich Mann (1871-1950), the first part of his trilogy, ‘Das Kaiserreich’ (‘The Empire’). The novel was banned in Germany during the First World War, owing to its criticism of the militarism and conservatism prevalent in Imperial German society. It was finally published, to much acclaim, in 1918. Heinrich’s younger brother, the novelist Thomas Mann, initially wrote in support of the war but later agreed with Heinrich. Both brothers left for America in the 1930s following the rise of the Nazis.
From peak city to ghost town: the urban centres hit hardest by Covid-19
FT research shows London and New York have suffered the most from the pandemic, but more substantial change lies ahead
We can’t let Main Street become a ghost town
(09.10.2020)
Darkened storefronts adorned with “Closed” and “For Lease” signs have become common sights in both urban and rural areas.
Maryland is no exception. From my hometown in Takoma Park to the bucolic charm of Chestertown, many businesses have shuttered or are hanging on for dear life.
Curfew on restaurants and bars in Berlin from 11pm found to lack proportionality by Berlin Admin Court: no evidence infection more likely after 11pm; evidence restaurants & bars were sites of lower transmission.
Berlin Senate is appealing #covid19 #berlin
Berlin bar shutdown: ‚No time to party‘ says mayor amid rising coronavirus cases
(10.10.2020)
„This is not the time to party“, insisted Berlin’s democratic mayor, Michael Müller. „We want to prevent another more severe lockdown“, he added, with a particular message for people under 40.
Angela Merkel argued in favour of the measure on Friday, after consulting mayors from Germany’s 11 largest cities.
Berlin nightlife given first curfew in 70 years as Covid cases surge
(07.10.2020)
The rate of new cases in the inner-city districts that host Berlin’s nightlife were higher still: of seven hotspots listed by Germany’s disease control agency as having a seven-day incidence of more than 50 cases per 100,000 people, four are in the heart of the capital. Trendy Neukölln leads the pack, with 288 new cases recorded over the course of the last week.
The Great Barrington Declaration
Those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal. Simple hygiene measures, such as hand washing and staying home when sick should be practiced by everyone to reduce the herd immunity threshold. Schools and universities should be open for in-person teaching. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, should be resumed. Young low-risk adults should work normally, rather than from home. Restaurants and other businesses should open. Arts, music, sport and other cultural activities should resume. People who are more at risk may participate if they wish, while society as a whole enjoys the protection conferred upon the vulnerable by those who have built up herd immunity.
On October 4, 2020, this declaration was authored and signed in Great Barrington, United States, by:
Dr. Martin Kulldorff, professor of medicine at Harvard University, a biostatistician, and epidemiologist with expertise in detecting and monitoring infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety evaluations.
Dr. Sunetra Gupta, professor at Oxford University, an epidemiologist with expertise in immunology, vaccine development, and mathematical modeling of infectious diseases.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, professor at Stanford University Medical School, a physician, epidemiologist, health economist, and public health policy expert focusing on infectious diseases and vulnerable populations.
Remembering 9-11: What 19 years of war has taught mankind
This article has listed a number of terrible consequences that war engenders. However, I want to conclude on a positive note. 19 years of persistent war has taught the United States a vivid lesson about the power of hope. After all, what else would keep men and women fighting for an entire generation? They don’t do it for medals of valor, nor for glory. Rather, there is a hope inside of them for a better future.
I really believe in the power of hope! As a career warrior, I got up, put on my equipment and went out to face our enemies on many different battlefields because I had hope for a greater future. –a greater future for my children and a greater future for my country.
Professors ‚Glum and Glummer‘ Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance should be banned from Covid press briefings, says leading lawyer who warns the Government has been ‚captured‘ by scientists
(03.10.2020)
Last month, Professor Whitty and Sir Patrick – dubbed Glum and Glummer by critics – held their own press conference, warning the infection rate could rise to 50,000 cases a day by mid-October.
Boris’s Red Wall revolt: Northerners rage at ‚dictator‘ PM for using them as a ‚petri dish for experimentation‘ as it emerges 10 MILLION people in COVID hotspots will be plunged into ‚Tier Three‘ lockdown on Monday with pubs and restaurants SHUT
Conservative MPs and local leaders in the North have been venting fury about the government’s stance, with former minister Jake Berry accusing the premier of being ‚London-centric‘ and enjoying his sweeping emergency powers ‚a little bit too much‘.
Politicians in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield raged at ‚diktats announced without notice‘ and said ministers were treating the North like a ‚petri dish for experimentation‘ while the South gets off lightly.
Divided nation: will Covid rules tear the country apart?
The north-south split could cost the Tories their majority
Coronavirus: Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance say numbers ‚going wrong way‘
(30.09.2020)
Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance both warn that the UK’s coronavirus epidemic has a concerning direction of travel.
The selfish hypocrisy of champagne lockdownism is demolishing our society
Britain is in the grip of a curious psychological phenomenon. Predictably, we are on the brink of yet another populist lockdown. But here’s the thing: nobody really believes in it this time. Not our libertarian PM who can’t quite muster the energy to memorise his own rules. Perhaps not even the politicians lobbying in favour of lockdowns. And certainly not the millions of closet individualists who are lying to the pollsters.
We need to take back control from the government
Covid authoritarianism is out of control. It’s time the people pushed back.
2020 in dystopian electronic signs
Netanyahu’s Cynical Crusade Against Law Enforcement Will Cost Israel Dearly
Senior police officers have been charged with sex crimes against their subordinates. They have consorted with famous rabbis, ministers and mafia bosses. One was offered a bribe that he did not report. Another served as a mole for a tycoon who was the target of a police intelligence operation.
One officer, considered a rising star, worked with a famous lawyer to trade sensitive information from undercover investigations for cash-filled envelopes. …
Laid off and now evicted amid Covid-19, a Houston father contemplates homelessness in a pandemic
Late Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a temporary halt in residential evictions until the end of the year, starting Friday. When it goes into effect, it will delay mass evictions but not solve the rental crisis, said Emily Benfer, a housing expert and co-creator of a Covid-19 housing policy scorecard with Princeton University’s Eviction Lab.
„The CDC order provides crucial temporary relief for renters, but it doesn’t end the eviction crisis,“ says Benfer. „Congress must bolster it with significant rental assistance for its purpose to be realized,“ she said.
America at Hunger’s Edge
Beginning in May, Brenda Ann Kenneally set out across the country, from New York to California, to capture the routines of Americans who struggle to feed their families, piecing together various forms of food assistance, community support and ingenuity to make it from one month to the next.
The Social Fabric of the U.S. Is Fraying Severely, if Not Unravelling
The alarming CDC data extends far beyond serious suicidal desires. It also found that “40.9% of respondents reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition, including symptoms of anxiety disorder or depressive disorder (30.9%), symptoms of a trauma- and stressor-related disorder (TSRD) related to the pandemic (26.3%), and having started or increased substance use to cope with stress or emotions related to COVID-19 (13.3%).” For the youngest part of the adult population, ages 18-24, significantly more than half (62.9 percent) reported suffering from depressive or anxiety disorders.
Over 25 million Americans at risk of losing health care as coronavirus pandemic rages: „It’s been real hard for me“
„We’re seeing an unprecedented loss in jobs, and what’s going to come along with that, is unfortunately the loss of health insurance as well,“ Kaiser Executive Vice President Larry Levitt told CBS News‘ Michelle Miller.
Poll: 62% of Americans Say They Have Political Views They’re Afraid to Share
(22.06.2020)
A new Cato national survey finds that self‐censorship is on the rise in the United States. Nearly two-thirds—62%—of Americans say the political climate these days prevents them from saying things they believe because others might find them offensive. The share of Americans who self‐censor has risen several points since 2017 when 58% of Americans agreed with this statement.
Don’t. Side. With. The. Powerful.
I’ve been thinking about it because it’s such an accurate reflection of how subservience to power actually manifests in our world. You talk about abusive power structures in our world, from police brutality to corporate predation to imperialist military interventionism, and many people are receptive. But you always wind up standing across from some freaky empire zombie saying “Well, what did you expect?”
It really is like a zombie infection, like a virus of the mind which spreads through propaganda and toxic ideologies and leads people to support the abuse of the disempowered by the powerful.
Der Untertan [The Subject]
This poster advertises the novel ‘Der Untertan’ (‘The Subject’) by Heinrich Mann (1871-1950), the first part of his trilogy, ‘Das Kaiserreich’ (‘The Empire’). The novel was banned in Germany during the First World War, owing to its criticism of the militarism and conservatism prevalent in Imperial German society. It was finally published, to much acclaim, in 1918. Heinrich’s younger brother, the novelist Thomas Mann, initially wrote in support of the war but later agreed with Heinrich. Both brothers left for America in the 1930s following the rise of the Nazis.
Poll: 63 percent believe America needs to change
While the nation celebrated Independence Day this past weekend, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds a majority of voters believe they do not live in the America they want to live in.
Coronavirus: Pubs, restaurants and hairdressers reopen in England
Pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas in England are opening their doors for the first time in three months after a major relaxation of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Florida is „not going back“ on reopening, governor says
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters on Tuesday that the state will not reinstate restrictions or close businesses to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Businesses all over the country are getting ready to open their doors again on the 4 July.
Yesterday I heard from @PizzaPilgrims
staff about how they’re making their restaurant COVID-19 Secure so customers can enjoy their pizza safely.
Der Untertan [The Subject]
This poster advertises the novel ‘Der Untertan’ (‘The Subject’) by Heinrich Mann (1871-1950), the first part of his trilogy, ‘Das Kaiserreich’ (‘The Empire’). The novel was banned in Germany during the First World War, owing to its criticism of the militarism and conservatism prevalent in Imperial German society. It was finally published, to much acclaim, in 1918. Heinrich’s younger brother, the novelist Thomas Mann, initially wrote in support of the war but later agreed with Heinrich. Both brothers left for America in the 1930s following the rise of the Nazis.
Dame Vera Lynn’s death – Queen to send private message of condolence to family of Forces’ Sweetheart
THE Queen is going to send a private message of condolence to the family of Dame Vera Lynn after she passed away today aged 103.
The Forces‘ sweetheart who became a national treasure during World War Two, sang iconic wartime classics We’ll Meet Again and White Cliffs of Dover which not only inspired the nation but also generations to come.
What L.A. could do with its $1.8 billion police budget
The LAPD will receive a $120 million increase in funding under Garcetti’s budget, which was adopted by default Monday after the City Council declined to review it by the June 1 deadline. More city money will be dedicated to policing than any other service this budget year. If you added up the budgets for housing, streets, and transportation, then tripled the sum, it still would not match the city’s LAPD budget.
How Endless War Contributes to Police Brutality
But one way in which Washington is directly implicated in police brutality is its contribution to the militarization of local police departments through the Pentagon’s 1033 Program and the so-called „war on terror“ more broadly. Often in concert with the war on drugs, the fight against terrorism has been used to blur the lines between the military and the police, arming ostensible peace officers with mindsets, tactics, and weapons of war.
There are as many National Guard members activated in the US as there are active duty troops in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan
As thousands across the US take to the streets for another day of protests demanding justice for George Floyd, more than 17,000 members of the National Guard are standing ready to support local law enforcement.
That represents approximately the same number of active duty troops deployed in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
As of Monday, nearly half of the US has activated guard members to respond to civil unrest.
’50 states and 50 different approaches:‘ States scramble to hire COVID-19 contact tracers
Massachusetts has added more than 1,000 workers and sent some into communities with large numbers of cases. California last week began training the first recruits of a planned 20,000-person contact tracing team. And New York plans to add as many as 17,000 contact tracers through a partnership with former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Resolve to Save Lives, headed by former CDC Director Tom Frieden.
UK – We now have an army of snitches – Michael Gove reveals 17,000 coronavirus contact tracers recruited …
Michael Gove heaps praise on under-fire Matt Hancock and reveals 17,000 coronavirus contact tracers now recruited
A senior government source told the Mail on Sunday last week that Mr Hancock was on “borrowed time” and had “fallen out with the most powerful figures in the Government”, including Mr Johnson.
But Mr Gove, who revealed that “just over 17,000 of the contact tracers” had now been recruited – told Sky News’ Niall Paterson: “Here I have to praise the work of the Health Secretary Matt Hancock.”
Social distancing corrodes society
Life without human interaction is hardly life at all.
Several states starting to reopen this weekend
In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee (R ) said on Monday that “the vast majority of businesses” will be allowed to reopen when the state’s stay-at-home order expires on April 30, and as of Friday state parks and dine-in restaurants were allowed to open with reduced capacity. Tennessee was one of the last states to issue a stay-at-home order.
Berlin: German police arrest dozens protesting against lockdown restrictions
Approximately 1,000 demonstrators showed up to Saturday’s rally near Berlin’s Rosa Luxemburg square
Gov. Kemp Updates Georgians on COVID-19
„Given the favorable data, enhanced testing, and approval of our healthcare professionals, we will allow gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, barbers, cosmetologists, hair designers, nail care artists, estheticians, their respective schools, and massage therapists to reopen their doors this Friday, April 24, 2020. Unlike other businesses, these entities have been unable to manage inventory, deal with payroll, and take care of administrative items while we shelter in place. This measure allows them to undertake baseline operations that most other businesses in the state have maintained since I issued the shelter-in-place order.
„This measure will apply statewide and will be the operational standard in all jurisdictions. This means local action cannot be taken that is more or less restrictive.
“It’s much more sustainable.” Sweden has left its schools, gyms, cafes, bars and restaurants open throughout the spread of the #coronavirus pandemic. Anders Tegnell, the man behind this strategy, now says the country may be over the worst
‘Closing borders is ridiculous’: the epidemiologist behind Sweden’s controversial coronavirus strategy
What would you have done differently?
We underestimated the issues at care homes, and how the measures would be applied. We should have controlled this more thoroughly. By contrast, the health system, which is under unusual pressure, has nevertheless always been ahead of the curve.
Are you satisfied with the strategy?
Yes! We know that COVID-19 is extremely dangerous for very old people, which is of course bad. But looking at pandemics, there are much worse scenarios than this one. Most problems that we have right now are not because of the disease, but because of the measures that in some environments have not been applied properly: the deaths among older people is a huge problem and we are fighting hard.
Sweden’s chief epidemiologist says lockdowns may not save lives because 50% of their deaths are in care homes – and they’ll handle second wave better because they now have higher levels of immunity
A lockdown might not have saved lives in Sweden because half its coronavirus deaths are in care homes where visits are already banned, the country’s top disease expert said today.
State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said it was ‚hard to understand‘ how a full-scale lockdown would have stopped the virus spreading into nursing homes.
While Sweden has avoided introducing a lockdown, it has banned visitors from care homes in one of its few restrictive measures, with schools, bars, shops and restaurants still open.
Here’s when all 50 states plan to reopen after coronavirus restrictions
Here are the reopening timelines announced so far by all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Libertarians view Amash as potential 2020 game changer for party
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R), who briefly ran in the 2020 GOP primary against Trump, said he believes Amash would be a viable candidate who could pull voters from the left and the right.
„You look at the fastest growth out there in the political field, it’s on the independent side, it’s not with a traditional Republican or Democrat,” Sanford said.
Navarro Warns Shutdown Could Be More Deadly Than Virus
Mr. Navarro, a protectionist who has been known to engage in heated debates with the free traders in the administration, has had contentious exchanges with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, whose pronouncements about the measures needed to slow the spread of the virus have begun to frustrate Mr. Trump’s allies.
As the economy faces a deep recession and more than 16 million American workers have already lost jobs, Mr. Trump is deliberating when to call for an easing of the shutdown
Andrew Cuomo says he wants to reopen New York „as soon as possible“
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) told a briefing Sunday he’s coordinating with the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut on when to ease coronavirus restrictions, adding he wants to reopen nonessential businesses and public places „as soon as possible.“
The Failure of Intellectuals to Analyze the Worldwide Economic and Social Crisis: “Sapere aude!” – “Dare to be Wise!”
Do what? Think for yourself at all times!
How Dreams Change Under Authoritarianism
At times, “The Third Reich of Dreams” also echoes Hannah Arendt, who saw totalitarian rule as “truly total the moment it closes the iron vice of terror on its subjects’ private social lives.”
Hollywood Celebrities Are Psyops Wrapped In Human Skin
It is an absolute guarantee that powerful people will use this pandemic to advance authoritarian measures which they have no intention of rolling back once the pandemic is over. They are working to do this currently. This is not a possibility, this is an absolute certainty.
The Belief That Everything Will Be Fine Once Trump’s Gone Is More Dangerous Than Trump
Whether it winds up being Buttigieg, Bloomberg, or one of their ideological alt-centrist clones like Amy Klobuchar or the floundering Joe Biden, the mainstream narrative will soon converge around one candidate in a very positive way, with the only important qualification being that they aren’t Bernie Sanders. Many powerful people will do everything they can to prevent a Sanders nomination, whose presidency they oppose more than Trump’s. As journalist Matt Taibbi recently pointed out, the Democratic establishment has “every incentive to play every conceivable card. Trillions at stake.”
This campaign is not just about me. It is about building a movement of human solidarity and saying that when one of us hurts, all of us hurt.
How To Be A Mentally Sovereign Human
Being a mentally sovereign human means constructing your own understanding of this weird reality based on your own investigations and your own reasoning, which means constructing it from the ground up. Even your most basic assumptions about reality itself must be rigorously cross-examined with complete skepticism. Nothing must be taken on faith.
The Fog of Rudy: Did he change — or did America?
He was an unlikely politician, with his hunched shoulders, bad comb-over, boxy suits, lateral lisp and rictus smile. He had no charm or charisma, nor even really a discernible ideology. Giuliani’s mother said in an interview published by the investigative reporter Wayne Barrett that he switched his registration, after Ronald Reagan’s election, from Independent to Republican — he was a Democrat before that — in order to advance his career. (‘‘He still feels very sorry for the poor,’’ she insisted.)
We Really Must Stop Starting Wars
You may debate whether any particular historical war worked out well for its agitators. But there should be no debate that many of America’s recent wars have ended in misery for all. Our politicians talk of war as a last resort, but that is only to keep up appearances, because the truth is too terrible to admit: that our ever-more-expensive war machine (a cost of nearly $740 billion in 2020) can buy us little peace. Rather than a last resort, war now offers no resort. War can no longer be defended as the thing to do after everything else has failed. War must instead be seen as failure itself.
Why Everything Is Fucked
The most powerful early humans were the cleverest humans, the ones who understood how to use this new capacity for language and abstract thought to their own advantage. They realized that by simply saying something is true in a sufficiently confident way, they could persuade the less clever humans to treat it as true.
Those clever humans used this newfound ability to place themselves in charge, and to make a bunch of rules to be passed down from generation to generation proclaiming that the less powerful humans must submit to the more powerful humans. Over the generations these rules became more and more numerous and complex, weaving in moralism, codes of filial piety, and insane, power-serving religions glorifying meekness, obedience and poverty.
(…)
But then, I believe in miracles.
The Public’s Silence Helped Netanyahu’s Abuse of Israelis
Morality, fairness, truth, honesty – concepts that form the relationship between the people and a country’s leader – we wrinkled and crushed them when we gave up the only power that the public has against corrupt leadership, the power to say: “Enough already,” without waiting for another and then yet another election.
We have allowed the suspect to insult and abuse the same legal and judicial systems that we are all respectfully subject to. We have treated Netanyahu as if he were the village idiot who can do anything he wants.
Column: We’re swamped with 182 million robocalls a day. Is a solution finally here?
Roughly 49 billion robocalls have been received so far this year, which is more than all of last year. In other words, there have never been more robocalls being made in the history of human civilization.
Gantz to Be Main Speaker at Event Marking 24th Anniversary of Rabin’s Murder
This is the first year, according to the organizers, that they are seeking contributions from the public at large to fund the event, since no movement or non-profit group has agreed to sponsor.
Long After Netanyahu’s Gone, Likud and the Right Will Suffer From Post-Cult Trauma Syndrome
Expert sociologists and psychologists have developed a checklist that identifies whether a religious, social or political group meets the criteria of a cult. As far as the Israeli right, in general, and the Likud, in particular, are concerned, the conclusions are crystal-clear.
Bread and Roses: A Leftist Case Against Hate Speech Laws in Japan
The fourth estate has long abandoned its role as a watchdog on power calling out corruption and malfeasance, instead serving only to back up the government’s already immense authority.
“That’s like North Korea”—this is what many Japanese say regarding dictatorial practices such as pushing a single ideology onto the nation’s citizenry.
The Outliers and the Crazies
“The art community in Japan has always been the outliers of society, the crazies,” said Robin Rastenberger, the organizer of the art collaboration event Tokyo Lovehotel. These multi-artistic musical events bring together an eclectic audience from diverse backgrounds. Art is brought to the forefront in changing Japanese youth.
Israel’s Brain Drain Is the Flight of the Left
The brains and the money of the left are abandoning Israel. That isn’t just a feeling, those are the facts. Benjamin Netanyahu’s supporters, who call leftists “sourpusses,” like to boast of the decline in emigration from Israel in the past several years. But when it comes to leftists, the exit numbers are worse than ever. The leftists are fleeing. It’s called brain drain. In Israel, brains and leftists are one and the same.
In 1967, the CIA Created the Label „Conspiracy Theorists“ … to Attack Anyone Who Challenges the „Official“ Narrative
(23.02.2015)
Specifically, in April 1967, the CIA wrote a dispatch which coined the term “conspiracy theories” … and recommended methods for discrediting such theories. The dispatch was marked “psych” – short for “psychological operations” or disinformation – and “CS” for the CIA’s “Clandestine Services” unit.
The dispatch was produced in responses to a Freedom of Information Act request by the New York Times in 1976.
Furious Danny Baker told BBC boss to ‘f*** off’ as he was sacked over ‘racist’ Meghan Markle baby tweet
DANNY Baker launched into a furious foul-mouthed rant at the BBC boss who today fired him over a „racist“ royal baby picture, the Sun Online can reveal.
Baker, 61, told Radio 5 Live controller Jonathan Wall „f*** you and f*** off“ as he was axed for sharing the pic of a chimp dressed in clothes with the caption: „Royal baby leaves hospital.“
So, it transpires, while the plane in Moscow was aflame, people slowed the evacuation to get their hand luggage. Yes, people at the back of the plane burned to death because others couldn’t bear the be parted from their suitcases.
Top 10 Movies That Predicted The Future
Published on Oct 14, 2015
Bet you didn’t think that ‚The Matrix‘, Terminator 2 and Super Mario Bros predicted 9/11, well guess again as we delve into the top 10 movies that predicted the future..
Artificial security and defence intelligence of the European Union
(16.1.2019) According to the study published by the European Union Institute for Security Studies, in the coming years artificial intelligence (AI) will be present in almost all areas of daily life: communication, healthcare and even security and defence.
1 in 4 Americans doesn’t know Earth circles sun
(15.2.2014) To put the brightest possible spin on this story is to say that three-quarters of Americans are fully aware that the Earth revolves around the sun.
The downside, of course, is that means 1 in 4 are in the dark about what Discovery calls „probably the most basic question in science.“
What Europeans really think (and know) about science and technology
(2006) Another part of the survey concerns people’s knowledge of scientific facts. Thirteen statements were made, and the participants were asked to determine whether they were true or false. The chart below shows the overall results.
Quiz statements
1. The Sun goes around the Earth.
true: 29%
false: 66%
don’t know: 4%
The dangers of letting algorithms make decisions for you
Experts warn that AI systems used by recruiters, banks and even judges learn from data that can contain an undesired bias
Face Off: The lawless growth of facial recognition in UK policing recognition in UK
Facial recognition has long been feared as a feature of a future authoritarian society, with its potential to turn CCTV cameras into identity checkpoints, creating a world where citizens are intensively watched and tracked. However, facial recognition is now a reality in the UK – despite the lack of any legal basis or parliamentary scrutiny, and despite the significant
concerns raised by rights and race equality groups.