Sep 13

Today’s News 13th September 2023

  • The UK's Coming Eco-Totalitarianism
    The UK’s Coming Eco-Totalitarianism

    Authored by David Craig via The Daily Sceptic,

    The Government’s plans to force Britain to achieve ‘Net Zero’ CO2 emissions by 2050 seem to be falling apart. Few people seem interested in buying expensive, range-limited electric vehicles. Even fewer want to replace their cheap efficient gas boilers with expensive and poor-performing heat pumps. Offshore windfarms were a key part of our Government’s ‘Net Zero’ decarbonisation plans, yet there were no companies bidding for the recent group of offshore windfarm contracts. And our rulers seem unable to make up their minds about which technology to choose for Britain’s new generation of SMRs (small modular nuclear reactors) even though Rolls Royce has already developed a version which can work in the hostile underwater operating environment of nuclear-powered submarines and so could be quickly and inexpensively adapted for use on dry land.

    However, having realised that it cannot provide sufficient electricity to power Britain as a supposed ‘renewable energy superpower’, the Government has come up with a brilliant solution – force us to use much less electricity.

    I recently wrote an article for the Daily Sceptic explaining some of the more worrying aspects of the Energy Bill currently approved by a massive majority in the Commons and likely to be enthusiastically passed with a similar massive majority in the Lords.

    In my article I quoted several sections from the Energy Bill. However, as these were written in almost incomprehensible legalese, I thought it might be useful to describe three common scenarios which will arise once the Energy Bill has become law.

    • First, there is the replacement of existing electricity and gas meters. Our electricity and gas meters have a registered lifetime of anywhere between 10 and 25 years depending on the type of meter. Once a meter’s lifetime has expired, it should be replaced. Under the terms of the Energy Bill, someone from your power supplier will have the right to enter your home to replace your current meter with a smart meter. If you refuse him entry or try to refuse having a smart meter installed, he can legally return with police back-up, force entry into your home and use what is called “reasonable force” to restrain you while he rips out your old-fashioned meter and replaces it with a smart meter. “Reasonable force” might just mean handcuffing you during the installation or could even mean detaining you in a cell at the local police station while your meters are changed.

    • Second, there is what happens when you wish to rent or sell your home or another property. It seems likely that we will be banned from renting out or selling any residential property unless it has an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of ‘C’ or above. Currently there are just over one million home sales a year in Britain. Of these home sales, around 41% have an EPC rating of ‘C’ or above. This means that under the terms of the Energy Bill, over 590,000 homes a year would have to have alterations made to improve their EPC rating before they could be rented out or sold. These alterations could range from just installing double glazing or adding a little loft or wall insulation to spending tens of thousands of pounds installing a heat pump which would include replacing all the pipes and radiators in a home and could even require ripping up carpets and floors to install underfloor heating.

    • Third, there are what are known as Energy Saving Opportunity Schemes (ESOS), where “opportunity” has a distinctly Orwellian flavour. With ever more homes having smart meters, energy suppliers will be able to identify towns, neighbourhoods, streets and even individual homes which Government ‘experts’ consider to be using too much electricity. The Energy Bill introduces ESOSs, which would give the legal right for energy inspectors to enter any home, using “reasonable force” if necessary, in order to make an energy-saving assessment and propose ways the homeowner could improve the property’s energy efficiency.

    In all three of the above three scenarios, refusal by the homeowner to comply with the Government’s requirements would be a criminal offence with penalties of fines of up to £15,000 and imprisonment of up to one year.

    That a supposedly “Conservative” Government would use its parliamentary majority to introduce such intrusive and oppressive eco-totalitarianism is something that few of us would have imagined possible.

    *  *  *

    David Craig is the author of There is No Climate Crisis, available as an e-book or paperback from Amazon.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 09/13/2023 – 02:00

  • JFK Assassination Witness Breaks 60-Year Silence, Refutes Key Claim
    JFK Assassination Witness Breaks 60-Year Silence, Refutes Key Claim

    Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A witness to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy spoke out for the first time in 60 years and refuted a key claim regarding the 1963 incident and a “magic bullet.”

    The Kennedys’ motorcade drives through downtown Dallas Nov. 22, 1963, moments before the shooting of President John F. Kennedy. (Bettmann/Corbis)

    Paul Landis, an 88-year-old former Secret Service agent, was just a few feet away from when President Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. At the time, he was assigned to protect Jackie Kennedy, the former first lady.

    Mr. Landis, in a recent interview with the New York Times, cast doubt on the government-backed Warren Commission’s finding that a “magic bullet” struck and exited the president before it struck then-Texas Gov. John Connally Jr., a theory that has been the subject of criticism for decades and has helped fuel a range alternative theories about the former president’s assassination. Officially, the U.S. government and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has maintained that a lone gunman—Lee Harvey Oswald—was the sole perpetrator.

    Based on discrepancies between things that he witnessed during the assassination and the Warren Commission’s report that investigated the president’s death, he said “I’m beginning to doubt myself” and that “now I begin to wonder.”

    In the interview with the paper, published on Sept. 9, Mr. Landis recalled hearing multiple gunshots at Dealy Plaza in Dallas as he went behind President Kennedy’s limousine, seeing the president moving forward after being shot in the head. After the assassination, Mr. Landis recalled picking up what he called a near-perfect-condition bullet from the back seat of President Kennedy’s limousine, near where the president had been sitting.

    The former agent then transported the bullet to the hospital where President Kennedy was taken and put on a stretcher to be examined. The reason why he took it is because he believed someone might pocket the bullet, which he did not describe in detail, as a keepsake.

    Mr. Landis suggested in the interview that the reason why investigators believed that the “magic bullet” struck both the former president and the Texas governor, Mr. Connally, is because the bullet that Mr. Landis discovered was later found on a stretcher belonging to Mr. Landis. It wasn’t until the NY Times interview this week that Mr. Landis confirmed that it was he who found the bullet and placed it there.

    He added that he did not believe the bullet went too deeply in President Kennedy’s back before, according to him, “popping back out” before he was removed from the limousine.

    “It was a piece of evidence that I realized right away [was] very important,” Mr. Landis told the outlet. “And I didn’t want it to disappear or get lost. So it was, ‘Paul, you’ve got to make a decision’—and I grabbed it.”

    Television footage of President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy are shown in the presidential limousine in the moments before Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963. (Reuters)

    After the incident, he recalled that “there was nobody there to secure the scene, and that was a big, big bother to me,” adding, “All the agents that were there were focused on the president.”

    The paper quoted him as saying that it wasn’t until 2014 that he realized that the location of the bullet’s recovery that was cited by him was different than what was cited in the Warren Commission. He then checked with several officials but received skepticism, with officials saying he filed multiple written reports himself with the Commission decades ago.

    According to the paper, Mr. Landis said he filed two separate reports with the Warren Commission and neither statement made reference to finding the near-perfect bullet or placing it on a stretcher. Instead, he reported only hearing gunshots. Mr. Landis said he was in a state of shock and hadn’t slept much when he filed the statements.

    The Warren Commission has long dismissed claims that the bullet came from President Kennedy’s stretcher.

    Explaining why he hasn’t spoken out for 60 years, the former agent said, “I didn’t want to talk about it.” He left the Secret Service months after the assassination. “I was afraid. I started to think, did I do something wrong? There was a fear that I might have done something wrong and I shouldn’t talk about it,” he said.

    Historian James Robenalt, who helped work on Mr. Landis’s forthcoming memoir, said his eyewitness account raised the possibility of there being more than one gunman.

    “If the bullet we know as the magic or pristine bullet stopped in President Kennedy’s back, it means that the central thesis of the Warren Report, the single-bullet theory, is wrong,” he told the NY Times.

    Writing for Vanity Fair, Mr. Robenbalt posited that if the “magic bullet” didn’t hit both President Kennedy and Mr. Connally, there may have been a separate shot.

    “The FBI recreation suggests that Oswald would not have had enough time to get off two separate shots so quickly as to hit Connally after wounding the president in the back,” he wrote. Mr. Oswald, according to officials, had used a bolt-action Carcano Model 38 infantry carbine.

    Referring to his memoir, meanwhile, Mr. Landis said that “there’s no goal at this point. I just think it had been long enough that I needed to tell my story.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 23:45

  • Russia's Navy Port At Sevastopol On Fire After Massive Ukraine Missile Attack
    Russia’s Navy Port At Sevastopol On Fire After Massive Ukraine Missile Attack

    In the overnight and morning hours of Wednesday (local time) a major attack has ensued on Russia’s key Black Sea naval port of Sevastopol. Multiple social media videos emerged showing massive blazes at the Sevastopol shipyard, with possible deaths, and at least 24 people being reported injured. 

    Initial reporting in Reuters and CNN strongly points to a missile attack, based on statements by Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhaev, who said “Our enemies attacked Sevastopol” and that “The air defense was at work.”

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    The precise location of the large fire is the Kilen-Balka area of Sevastopol. Reuters reports that “A Ukrainian air attack early on Wednesday sparked a fire at the Sevastopol Shipyard in Crimea, injuring at least 24 people, the Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said on the Telegram messaging app.”

    At least four of the injured have been reported as being in “serious condition”.

    Initial and unconfirmed social media photographs show what appears to be a direct hit on one or more military vessels docked at the naval port.

    The aftermath of the attack was captured from multiple angles, appearing to confirm significant damage to ships and port infrastructure…

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    Open source analysts are already suggesting that at least one docked Russian submarine may have been taken out in the attack. 

    An assault of this size is indeed likely more than just the work of drones; instead Ukraine probably utilized long-range missiles supplied from Western NATO partners. 

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    Currently, the Biden administration is moving toward supplying Kiev with either ATACMS or GMLRS missiles. These are long-range systems and the administration was previously reluctant to supply them on fear of direct escalation with Russia. 

    Huge initial fireball captured by local residents…

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    But this massive attack on Sevastopol seems another act of desperation. Given the failing counteroffensive, it looks like Kiev is “going big” on attacks against Russian territory, in hopes of sparking a broader conflict that draws NATO in, which Ukraine likely sees as its only hope. 

    One more item of note, presented with no commentary. On the day Elon Musk’s biography drops, amid mainstream media’s desperate spin of the SpaceX founder’s interference with Starlink in Ukraine, there was a major, global, outage of the satellite internet service…

    Source: DownDetector.com

    SpaceX acknowledged the Starlink outage on X at 2033ET, and then wrote at 2139ET on X that “The network issue has been fully resolved.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 23:21

  • Forget The Second Home At The Lake, US Vacation Home Buyers Are Going To Mexico
    Forget The Second Home At The Lake, US Vacation Home Buyers Are Going To Mexico

    Authored by Mark Gilman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    With the average 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate now over 7 percent and a shockingly low inventory of homes available, Americans are looking for second or vacation residences out of the country more than ever. According to a report from Coldwell Banker, 92 percent of high-net-worth Americans actively looked at real estate overseas last year and two-thirds (67 percent) of those surveyed said they already own residential property outside the United States, according to Mansion Global. So, what country is experiencing the highest rate of American home buyers? Mexico.

    Atomosphere of the Carbon38 and Hamptons Magazine Opening Celebration of the Beach House in Bridgehampton, New York, on July 30, 2016. (Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for Hamptons Magazine)

    “Buying a home is not as cheap in Mexico as it once was, but you get a lot for the money,” Certified International Property Specialist for Worth Clark Realty Daniel Seidel told The Epoch Times. A Mexican native, Mr. Seidel says there’s a lot to like about buying a second home in Mexico. “When you experience the culture, the food, the people and the fact it’s just a short plane ride away from the States, it’s a popular choice for my clients. If you live there half-time, it’s ideal. My advice is to work here, make money, go there and spend it.”

    According to a new study from online Real Estate marketplace Point2, based on 136,530 monthly searches on Google, Mexico is the most popular home-buying location, especially for men in the 35- to 44-year-old age group. But what are these buyers looking for?

    “First off, it should be a better version of the home they already live in and boast all the amenities they love or would love to have; and second, the location should be exceptional. That’s why beach and waterfront properties in countries like Mexico, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica immediately come to mind,” Andra Hopulele of Point2 said in a statement to The Epoch Times. She also mirrored Mr. Seidel’s belief that countries like Mexico are high up the wish list because of its proximity to the United States. “These locations also make sense to the American buyer because they’re closer than, say, European countries like Italy or Spain, which might be lovely to visit but are harder to access as a homebuyer.”

    In the Homes2 study, Canada was the second most popular destination for U.S. homebuyers, with monthly searches jumping 54 percent since last year’s edition. Costa Rica was third and Puerto Rico was fourth for most popular locations.

    “Locations like the ones that made the top 10 seem to have it all,” Ms. Hopulele said. “They are not home, but they are close to home; they capture home seekers’ imagination with their incredible potential for rest, relaxation, and entertainment due to their amazing climate, never-ending beaches and turquoise waters, and fascinating cultures. Best of all, these homebuying destinations often have more affordable home prices.”

    However, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), foreign investors are not returning the favor, and are instead backing off from purchasing in the United States for the same reasons Americans are looking elsewhere: high prices, mortgage rates, and a lack of inventory. According to the NAR, the number of existing homes purchased by foreign buyers from April 2022 to March 2023 decreased to its lowest level since 2009. International buyers purchased $53.3 billion worth of U.S. residential properties during the period, down 9.6 percent from the previous year and the 84,600 existing homes sold was down 14 percent.

    Mr. Seidel said that while Mexico continues to top lists for U.S. buyers and expats in the country, the journey to homeownership there is challenging.

    “As a foreigner [in Mexico], it’s difficult unless you have a business in the country or a local bank relationship, but even then, I’m not sure they’d give you the loan,” he said. “It really depends on a pretty sizeable down payment, north of 40 percent. You also have to buy life insurance in case something happens to you so the bank can make sure the mortgage is paid.”

    Home2’s report stated that Canada’s increase in U.S. buyer attention reflects the “calmer and more peaceful lifestyle” in the country is becoming more appealing to American home seekers “than Mexico’s dreamy beaches and lively, vibrant culture.”

    Crime in Mexico has become a big concern for Americans looking to move or purchase property. According to a U.S. State Department advisory earlier this year, “Organized crime activity – including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault – is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria.” There have also been many news reports focused on increased crime in popular tourist destinations such as Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.

    But Mr. Seidel says the benefits of moving to Mexico outweigh the crime concerns. “The hot buying areas are the beaches like Puerta Vallarta, Cabo [San Lucas] and Oaxaca. Crime in Puerta Vallarta is hit-and-miss and with the current government on the way out, crime has risen and it’s all over the place. You just have to be a little more careful. Listen, parts of London and Spain aren’t safe either,” he said.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 22:45

  • CIA Bribed Analysts To Change Lab-Leak Conclusions: 'Senior-Level' Whistleblower
    CIA Bribed Analysts To Change Lab-Leak Conclusions: ‘Senior-Level’ Whistleblower

    A ‘senior-level’ CIA whistleblower has come forward to allege that the agency bribed analysts to change their opinion that Covid-19 most likely originated in a lab in Wuhan, China, according to the NY Post.

    The whistleblower told House committee leaders that his agency ‘ tried to pay off six analysts who found SARS-CoV-2 likely originated in a Wuhan lab if they changed their position and said the virus jumped from animals to humans,’ according to a Tuesday letter from the chairmen of two House subcommittees investigating the pandemic response and US intelligence, Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Mike Turner (R-OH).

    The pair have requested all documents, communications and pay info from the CIA’s Covid-19 Discovery Team by Sept. 26.

    “According to the whistleblower, at the end of its review, six of the seven members of the Team believed the intelligence and science were sufficient to make a low confidence assessment that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China,” reads the letter from the House panel chairmen.

    “The seventh member of the Team, who also happened to be the most senior, was the lone officer to believe COVID-19 originated through zoonosis.

    “The whistleblower further contends that to come to the eventual public determination of uncertainty, the other six members were given a significant monetary incentive to change their position,” the letters continue, adding that the analysts were “experienced officers with significant scientific expertise.”

    Wenstrup and Turner also asked for documents and communications between the CIA and other federal agencies, including the State Department, FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Energy Department.

    In a separate letter, the House committee leaders identified former CIA Chief Operating Officer Andrew Makridis as having “played a central role” in the COVID investigation and asked him to sit for a transcribed interview. -NY Post

    In June, the US Intelligence Community declassified a 10-page report on COVID origins, in which it found “biosafety concerns” and “genetic engineering” taking place in Wuhan, but that most of its “agencies assess that SARS-CoV-2 was not genetically engineered.”

    As the Post points out, however, several scientists at the WIV fell ill in late 2019 with symptoms “consistent with but not diagnostic of COVID-19,” according to the intelligence report, which concluded that the CIA and another intelligence agency “remain unable to determine the precise origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, as both hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting.”

    Pushback

    Not all former US intelligence officials agree with the declassified report – such as former DNI John Ratcliffe, who told Congress that the “lab leak theory” was the “only” credible explanation for the pandemic.

    “My informed assessment as a person with as much access as anyone to our government’s intelligence … has been and continues to be that a lab leak is the only explanation credibly supported by our intelligence, by science and by common sense,” he told the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in a hearing.

    “If our intelligence and evidence supporting a lab leak was placed side by side with our intelligence and evidence pointing to a natural origins or spillover theory, the lab leak side of the ledger would be long, convincing, even overwhelming — while the spillover side would be nearly empty and tenuous,” Ratcliffe continued.

    Read the letters below:

    Sscp Hpsci Letter to CIA Re… by New York Post

    Sscp Hpsci Letter to Makrid… by New York Post

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 22:11

  • Flash Mob Robberies Are Not "Just Kids From Social Media", They're Organized Crime
    Flash Mob Robberies Are Not “Just Kids From Social Media”, They’re Organized Crime

    Authored by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper blog,

    There’s an epidemic spreading across America, and it isn’t the one the mainstream media is talking about. It’s the epidemic of flash mob robberies. This is not only causing problems due to the violence and trauma inflicted on those present during the event. It’s also driving up costs even further in a nation facing unprecedented inflation.

    According to Loss Prevention Magazine, each event costs retailers approximately $700,000 for every billion dollars in sales, and it’s happening almost daily.

    A lot of people seem to brush off flash mob robberies as a bunch of kids who got together through social media getting out of hand. But they’re symptoms of a bigger rot: organized crime and neutered criminal justice policies that are spreading across our country fast.

    What’s a flash mob robbery?

    If you haven’t heard of these, you may be wondering what a flash mob robbery is.

     A flash mob robbery is a form of organized crime that occurs when groups of people suddenly enter a store, steal as many items as possible, and vanish as quickly as they appear. For those around them, it’s often terrifying and disturbing. The schemes are usually thought out via social media and executed within a matter of minutes. The groups typically disguise themselves by wearing masks, hoodies, or gloves. Often, aggressive behavior is used and causes those who are present great distress.

    The trend began in California, but it’s important not to think, “Oh, I’m safe because I don’t live in California.” It’s beginning to spread outside of the state because of several reasons.

    1.) Nobody stops them. People in retail outlets just stand back for their own safety. (Most locations require employees to do this.)

    2.) On the off chance the criminals are caught, they’re generally released within a matter of hours because of bail reform.

    It may just be a big city problem right now, but I am certain we’ll see this spread more and more as the criminally inclined – or even younger folks in general – see others getting away with it with no consequences.

    Best Buy has previously cited organized retail crime as the reason their profits have continued to dip.

    It’s not just kids out for kicks.

    Before we start dumping on the younger generation, however, it’s important to note that, in many cases, this is organized crime. According to the GVWire:

    The flash mobs are usually organized by local people who recruit their crews and send them to steal specific merchandise requested by criminal organizations throughout the country, said Ben Dugan, president of the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail.

    Those who do the stealing get paid between $500 and $1,000 to take as much as they can and bring it back to organizers who ship it to other parts of the country.

    “Crew bosses organize them, they’ll give him the crowbars, and in some cases even rent them cars, or provide them with escape routes or a list of products to actually go out and steal. It looks very chaotic but it’s actually very well organized,” Dugan said.

    The flash mobs are a symptom. The organizers are the illness.

    It’s not just high-end luxury stores either.

    The Los Angeles Daily News cited a podcast when explaining the issue in a recent article.

    However, according to the National Retail Federation, high-end stores with luxury items represent the minority when it comes to targets for organized retail crime.

    “(Organized retail crime) groups also target everyday consumer goods,” David S. Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations with the federation, said in a video the organization made on retail crime. “They have a preference (for) goods of lesser value with an increased resale value.”

    Some then sell the stolen merchandise to individuals or a group, called a “fence” by law enforcement, through online marketplaces, swap meets or seemingly legitimate businesses, CHP officials said. The buyers may or may not be aware the items they purchase were stolen.

    The LADN continues to explain:

    LAPD has dealt with groups of high school kids overwhelming convenience store clerks for several years, but said these flash mobs are well-planned and organized.

    “They’ve cased it out, they’ve looked at it, they get it over with quickly,” Pitcher added. “It’s different from the thrill of doing it for public consumption.”

    Organized retail crime rings target items that are difficult to track and are easily resold. Stolen items such as Tide detergent, baby formula, cosmetics, Louis Vuitton handbags and vitamins that once were hawked at flea markets or street corners are now fenced online by gangs to raise money for their activities, said Rachel Michelin president and CEO of the California Retailers Association.

    “What we are seeing is more sophistication,” Michelin said. “We see a lot more recruiting; they recruit street gangs, the homeless. They will pay them 100 bucks to go in and steal.”

    In many cases, the suspects – almost all wearing hoodies and masks – have been in and out in between two and four minutes, Pitcher said. Police are also learning most of the getaway vehicles are either rented under fictitious names, or “cold plated”, meaning they’re affixed with license plates that don’t match the vehicle’s registration, most likely because a thief has stolen a license plate off another car.

    Store security isn’t really much help, as the numbers are so overwhelming, and they are restricted by laws that don’t allow them to use force in the protection of merchandise.

    Bystanders, whether they’re store staff or shoppers, are encouraged by law enforcement and management to “be good witnesses” and not do anything to prevent the thefts.

    What can be done?

    Until these crimes are prosecuted and the organizers sniffed out, there’s little that can be done to prevent the ongoing spread of flash mob robberies. Weak policies that allow criminals to leave after being arrested with zero-dollar bail offer little in the way of deterrence.

    Mall and retail security expert David Levenberg and Ben Dugan, president of the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail, talked to The AP about it:

    “Crew bosses organize them. They’ll give him the crowbars, and in some cases even rent them cars, or provide them with escape routes or a list of products to actually go out and steal. It looks very chaotic, but it’s actually very well organized,” Dugan said.

    “We’re not talking about someone who needs money or needs food. These are people who go out and do this is for high profit, and for the thrill,” he said.

    In some cases, though, the thieves may be copycats rather than people working with organized networks, Levenberg said. He said the thieves may be thinking: “‘Did you see what happened in San Francisco? Let’s go to the Grove and do it.’”

    And while smash-and-grab thefts are occurring nationwide, Levenberg said cities with progressive prosecutors — like Los Angeles and San Francisco — are especially hard-hit because the punishments for perpetrators are not as harsh as in other cities.

    “The consequences are minimal, and the profits are substantial,” said Levenberg, founder of Florida-based Center Security Services.

    There’s not a lot that can be done on the personal end to prevent such crimes.

    • Retailers are advised not to put expensive goods near windows or exits and to focus employees on keeping customers safe rather than interacting with thieves.

    • The other important factors are installing district attorneys who are tough on crimes like this. These modern catch-and-release policies don’t work, and we’re seeing what happens when laws are not enforced with enough deterring factors to make people think twice.

    • The other side of the coin is that you should be careful what you buy off websites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Those bundles of laundry soap you’re getting for a dime might not be as appealing if you realize they could be stolen goods.

    If you’re present at a flash mob robbery, think carefully before engaging. Personally, I’m not putting myself or my family at risk to engage with a group of 20+ people intent on stealing someone else’s merchandise. You may feel differently, but it’s essential that you don’t put other innocent people in harm’s way to confront a group of criminals.

    *  *  *

    Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

    Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 22:05

  • $1.5 Trillion Dollars Worth Of 'White Gold' Found In Supervolcano On Nevada-Oregon Border
    $1.5 Trillion Dollars Worth Of ‘White Gold’ Found In Supervolcano On Nevada-Oregon Border

    An ancient supervolcano along the Nevada-Oregon border contains what could be the world’s largest single deposit of lithium. The findings could reshape the West’s supply of the critical metal — and might even change the geopolitical game with China. 

    Researchers from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science, and Oregon State University published their findings in the Journal for Science Advances on Aug. 31. They found the McDermitt Caldera, a caldera measuring 28 miles long and 22 miles wide, on the Nevada-Oregon border, contains around 20 to 40 million metric tons of lithium – a figure that would dwarf deposits in Australia and Chile.

    Commenting on the findings is Anouk Borst, a geologist at KU Leuven University and the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, who told Chemistry World that the McDermitt Caldera deposit “could change the dynamics of lithium globally, in terms of price, security of supply and geopolitics.” 

    Data from the United States Geological Survey, presented by Visual Capitalist Bruno Venditti, shows the US lags behind the world in terms of lithium production. 

    Even though the US has the third largest reserves. 

    If you can believe it, the US only has one producing lithium mine – Silver Peak – in Nevada (about halfway between Las Vegas and Carson City) – while worldwide demand is surging due to the government-forced clean energy transition. We noted in July that Exxon Mobil Corp. was in the beginning stages of possibly becoming a ‘lithium kingpin.’ 

    Thomas Benson, a geologist with Lithium Americas Corporation and co-author of the new study, expects mining operations at the McDermitt Caldera to begin in early 2026. 

    Lithium prices have been on a rollercoaster of a ride since Coivd. Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices in China (priced in dollars) were as low as $5,850 per ton in the summer of 2020 and jumped as much as 1,200% through the peak of $80,000 in early 2022. Prices have since collapsed to $30,000. 

    Daily Mail pointed out, “As of 2022, the average battery-grade lithium carbonate price was $37,000 per metric ton, meaning the volcano is potentially sitting on $1.48 trillion worth of the precious metal.” 

    McDermitt Caldera positions Nevada as possibly the epicenter of the ‘green energy white gold rush’ amid a massive push by the Biden administration to force people to drive electric vehicles — all because they say there’s a ‘climate emergency.’ 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 21:45

  • First Case Of White Dot Syndrome Emerged After COVID-19 Vaccine And Subsequent Infection, Study Shows
    First Case Of White Dot Syndrome Emerged After COVID-19 Vaccine And Subsequent Infection, Study Shows

    Authored by Mary Gillis via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Scientists from New Zealand have uncovered the first case of a rare eye disease linked to both the COVID-19 vaccine and the virus itself, a new study published in the Journal of Ophthalmic Inflammation and Infection reveals.

    A pharmacist prepares a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in San Rafael, Calif, on Oct. 1, 2021. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

    A 28-year-old otherwise healthy patient was diagnosed with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) after complaining of vision problems just two days after receiving her second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

    The woman’s symptoms included dark blind spots, phantom light flashes, and overall decreased vision—all specific to her right eye.

    According to the study, doctors discovered that the vision in her right eye went from 20/20 to 20/50. In addition, her eye tissue was torn, optic nerves were swollen, and multiple pale-colored lesions were scattered throughout the back of her eye.

    A) Wide-field color fundus photo; B) Fundus infrared image of the right eye; C) OCT macula in a patient with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome associated with COVID-19 vaccination. (Courtesy of Hannah W. Ng and Rachael L. Niederer; Journal of Ophthalmic Inflammation and Infection)

    After three months and without treatment, vision in her right eye returned to normal, and all other symptoms subsided.

    One year later, the woman showed similar symptoms and was once again diagnosed with MEWDS, only this time in the left eye. Symptoms emerged seven days after she tested positive for COVID-19, leading researchers to suspect a link between the two events.

    Similar to the first instance, no treatment was required, and symptoms resolved after nine months.

    What Is MEWDS?

    According to the study, MEWDS dates back to 1984 and is considered an idiopathic inflammatory disease of the outer retina that occurs spontaneously and without concrete explanation. It is thought to be an autoimmune response.

    It often occurs in young, myopic women, with a mean age of 28. However, it is also seen among people over 65.

    MEWDS patients may have flu-like early symptoms that include:

    • Visual disturbances such as flashes of light.
    • Sudden, painless decline in central acuity in one eye.
    • Partial color blindness.

    It can be bilateral in some cases.

    Read more here…

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 21:25

  • USAF Shares New Images Of B-21 Raider 
    USAF Shares New Images Of B-21 Raider 

    America’s newest stealth bomber may be nearing its first test flight, with speculations suggesting it could take place as soon as December. 

    The United States Air Force has released never-before-seen angles of Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider ahead of the maiden flight. The first image is the stealth bomber inside the hanger, likely at the defense manufacturer’s facility in Palmdale, California. 

    The second image is outside of the hanger. 

    This is only the USAF’s second time showing off the new bomber. The first was the unveiling event in December 2022 (read: here) and early March (read: here). 

    There is still much to be learned about the B-21, but it is widely understood that it will replace the USAF’s Rockwell B-1 Lancer and B-2 bombers by the end of the decade.

    Any similarities? 

    Speculation mounts on when the maiden flight will occur, “Most believe December will be the first flight,” according to one X user. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 21:05

  • New Civics Program Can Help Bolster American Democracy
    New Civics Program Can Help Bolster American Democracy

    Authored by Margaret Spellings via RealClear Wire,

    Proposed changes to the U.S. citizenship exam have renewed the question of how many natural-born American citizens could pass this basic civics test. The troubling answer is that one in three can’t. Healthy democracy requires not only popular participation but an understanding of who we are, where we came from, and how and why our system of government functions the way it does. 

    For years, I, along with other former Secretaries of Education, have called for a national renewal of civics education to provide our citizenry with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to engage in our democracy in a meaningful and constructive way.  

    Unfortunately, recent educational assessment data warns that we’re moving in the wrong direction. 

    In May, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released the “nation’s report card” for civics education. For the first time since 1998 – the year the federal government began testing eighth-grade students for civics acumen – scores declined. Nearly 80% of students, the results reveal, are not proficient in civics – a jaw-dropping statistic for anyone concerned with America’s staying power. The need for creative approaches to civics education could not be more urgent. 

    Thankfully, there’s an exciting new model for renewing interest in civics by making it fun.

    Last month, middle school students from across Texas assembled at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas hoping to stake their claim as the state’s first-ever National Civics Bee champion. These students wrote an essay about a community issue, prepared for months and were first victorious at regional competitions held this spring throughout Texas, organized by local chambers of commerce.

    These events aren’t unique to Texas. In fact, the idea to launch these competitions sprang from an innovative partnership between the Daniels Fund – a private charitable organization based in Denver, Colorado – and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, D.C. More than 50 communities in nine states held their own National Civics Bee competition this year, and the plan is to supersize this approach to civic engagement by expanding to several more states in 2024.

    Big problems demand bold solutions, and philanthropic organizations are uniquely suited to tackle the challenge of civics education – one which government intervention risks politicizing. Voluntary associations like the partnership between the U.S. Chamber Foundation and the Daniels Fund can move swiftly to solve a community problem that benefits everyone.

    Civics can’t be an afterthought if American democracy is to endure. Hanna Skandera, president of the Daniels Fund, remarked at the recent Texas competition that “from the very beginning, the founders of our country understood that for the American form of government to thrive, its citizens would need to be informed and engaged in our processes.” No doubt. In fact, her organization and the U.S. Chamber Foundation are making a major bet that this unique approach to civics education can catch fire. But they can’t do it alone.  

    Here’s how you can help: If you’re an elected official, step up to be a judge at a local or state competition. Inspire your local chamber to host a local competition. If you’re a business, coordinate with your local chamber to help sponsor and facilitate these important events. As a parent, take a proactive role in encouraging your son or daughter to participate in next year’s competition.

    Our democracy has undergone a number of stress tests in recent years, and there will be more to come. By renewing interest in history and civics among our students, families, and businesses, we can equip all Americans with the knowledge and resources needed to bridge our divides. America’s future depends on all of us doing our part to ensure its vibrancy and endurance, and the National Civics Bee is a wonderful and worthy experiment on which to build.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 20:45

  • Criminals In Washington Are Intentionally Crashing Into Vehicles To Carjack Them
    Criminals In Washington Are Intentionally Crashing Into Vehicles To Carjack Them

    Just when you thought you’d seen it all: now, criminals are intentionally wrecking vehicles in order to carjack them, according to a new report from KIRO7. 

    Bellevue Police in Washington are alerting motorists to a new carjacking tactic taking place in their jurisdiction, the article says.

    Officers responded to an attempted carjacking near the crossroads of Bel-Red Road and 156th Avenue Southeast in Bellvue, Washington, around 2:30 a.m. on a recent Friday.

    The carjacking victim had reported a minor crash with a white Kia and said that upon exiting his vehicle to assess the damage, two individuals emerged from the Kia, brandishing guns and demanding his car keys.

    The victim refused to hand over his keys, and the suspects fled in the Kia, the report continues. 

    Police are now warning that this event has similarities with other incidents taking place locally wherein assailants initiate minor accidents before attempting armed robbery.

    Bellevue Police, as a result, recommend staying aware of your environment and avoiding distractions like texting. They have warned residents to opt for well-lit, busy roads, particularly at night, and steer clear of isolated or dimly lit areas.

    Finally, they are telling residents to ensure their car doors are locked and windows are up, and to remain in their car if they feel endangered before calling 911. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 20:25

  • Americans Are Making 'Huge Mistake' to Believe Certain 'Booming' Economy Narratives: Jamie Dimon
    Americans Are Making ‘Huge Mistake’ to Believe Certain ‘Booming’ Economy Narratives: Jamie Dimon

    Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told a financial conference in New York on Monday that people who assume that the U.S. economy will continue to boom for years on the back of consumer strength are making “a huge mistake.”

    Mr. Dimon made the remarks at the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference on Sept. 11, at which he warned of a number of risks to the economy, including the Ukraine war, monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve, and increasing reliance on government spending.

    “To say the consumer is strong today, meaning you are going to have a booming environment for years, is a huge mistake,” he said.

    The booming economy narrative rose to prominence in recent months, driven by strong retail sales and wage growth, while recession fears have eased. But there are signs that the recent rise in consumer sentiment has been short-lived and that the economy is facing some headwinds.

    Consumer Strength Weakening?

    Consumer spending, which represents roughly 70 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, posted solid growth in July, the latest month of available data. However, economists widely expect the past year of aggressive Fed interest rate hikes to weigh more heavily on domestic demand.

    The latest data on retail sales showed that Americans spent more than expected in July, splurging on hobbies, sporting goods, and clothing, prompting economists at Goldman Sachs to raise their third-quarter gross domestic product estimate by seven-tenths of a percentage point to a 2.2 percent annualized rate.

    However, there are signs that the boom may not last as the latest consumer tracker for August from Deloitte says that financial well-being sentiment has stagnated, with the percentage of consumers worried about savings and postponing big purchases on the rise, while spending intentions “remain on a long-term downtrend.”

    A separate barometer of consumer confidence from the Conference Board found that, after a sharp uptick in July, its gauge retreated to a reading “a hair above 80—the level that historically signals a recession within the next year.”

    While financial markets have, over the summer, largely dismissed recession fears, fresh data suggests that the country may be facing a “stagnation” point.

    “A near-stalling of business activity in August raises doubts over the strength of U.S. economic growth in the third quarter,” Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said in a report that showed new orders tumbling, input cost inflation rising, and the pace of job creation slowing.

    Mr. Dimon’s remarks at Monday’s conference tapped into this sentiment, with the JPMorgan chief saying that the health of U.S. consumers and businesses was still “pretty good,” although he warned against being overconfident.

    Key concerns that he mentioned were the twin factors of central bank efforts to roll back easy money policies—which have pushed inflation to multi-decade highs—and governments “spending like drunken sailors.”

    “I think there’s a false sense of security that those two things will end up being OK. I don’t know,” he said.

    Higher Capital Requirements

    At the conference, Mr. Dimon also took aim at the higher capital requirements U.S. regulators have proposed for banks, warning that such measures could starve the economy of credit and amount to another hurdle to growth.

    “I wouldn’t be a big buyer of a bank,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience, while calling the new proposal “hugely disappointing.”

    Mr. Dimon, who heads America’s biggest lender, questioned what regulators were trying to accomplish by proposing the new rules, which would require bigger U.S. banks, with total assets of $100 billion or more, to set aside billions of dollars to bolster their ability to absorb losses when times get tough.

    “All I want is fairness, transparency, openness,” Mr. Dimon said with regards to the regulatory proposal, which would require banks with total assets of $100 billion or more to maintain an additional 2 percentage points in capital above current levels.

    The regulatory proposal has been roundly criticised by the banking industry, with Bank Policy Institute (BPI) President and CEO Greg Baer warning of “higher costs to consumers and greater instability for markets,” in a statement obtained by The Epoch Times.

    Mr. Dimon said that the new regulatory proposal would require JPMorgan to hold 30 percent more in capital than a European lender, which he said was an unfair burden on U.S. banks.

    In contrast to Mr. Dimon’s take on tougher bank capital rules, some U.S. regulators have said the proposal doesn’t go far enough.

    Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari recently said he expects more government regulation of the banking sector in light of several high-profile bank failures.

    Mr. Kashkari also said that he’d like to see the proposed capital requirement rules apply to smaller institutions with less than $100 billion in total assets, though he didn’t specify what threshold he had in mind.

    At Monday’s conference, Mr. Dimon also said he believes that the Chinese market is no longer as attractive to foreign investors as it once was.

    “In terms of our own business, the risk-reward [from China], which was very good, has now become okay. The risk is bad,” he said, adding that JPMorgan has become more cautious about managing its risk.

    Caution has also entered the homebuyer market in the United States, with mortgage applications dropping last week to their lowest point since 1996.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 20:05

  • Locked Items, Self-Checkouts & Disappearing Staff: Rising Theft And Slowing Sales Eat Away At Retail
    Locked Items, Self-Checkouts & Disappearing Staff: Rising Theft And Slowing Sales Eat Away At Retail

    Across the retail industry, a trend is emerging: less employees, more self-checkouts and more items locked up behind safety doors.

    The cause? Slowing sales and rising theft are eating into profits, according to the Wall Street Journal, who wrote this week that the “countermeasures” being used by retailers to fight theft and other shrink could make in-person shopping “even more miserable than it already is”.

    In addition to having to deal with normalized looting across the country thanks to Democratic DAs, retailers also are dealing with “the steepest annual wage growth since the 1980s,” the report says. Average wages in the sector have now risen to about $20.54 per hour, the report says.

    Remember that the next time some cashier wearing Airpods sighs when you ask them to take a stick of deodorant out of its alarmed hiding spot. 

    And so as a result, retailers have cut head cut and have not returned to their pre-pandemic staffing levels. Retail sales workers fell 12% from 2019 to 2022 and stores like Macy’s and Kohl’s have lost as many as 20% of their staff. Gap and Best Buy cut their staff by 25% and 22%, respectively. Only a handful of companies like Lululemon, Nike, T.J. Maxx and Costco have raised their employee headcounts.

    Lorraine Hutchinson, retail-sector equity analyst at Bank of America says that the employees that are in stores now spend their time filling online orders. 

    Shrink remains a key concern with retailers like Ulta now locking up 50% of its fragrances at stores. The practice has become so widespread that it is now a talking point on almost all retailer earnings calls. 

    David Bassuk, global leader of the retail practice at AlixPartners, commented: “Unfortunately, we’re facing a situation where shrink is a CEO topic. It used to be a store-manager topic.”

    Neil Saunders, managing director of research firm GlobalData confirmed that retailers like Dollar General are seeing poorer performance due to a lower in-store employee footprint. He said that Macy’s poor results were due to an “incredibly sloppy attitude to retail” and called their staffing a “complete breakdown”. Dollar General has said they need to “further elevate the in-store experience and better serve its customers.”

    Best Buy has been a positive example of the “new” retail: despite employing 35,000 fewer individuals in 2022 compared to 2019, the company has surpassed Wall Street’s revenue expectations in eight out of the last ten quarters. By emphasizing cross-training, they’ve enabled their workers to perform multiple roles, from customer service to online order processing.

    Moreover, in their recent earnings report, Best Buy indicated that automated virtual agents are handling 40% of customer inquiries without human intervention

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 19:45

  • Parents Should Not Post Children's Photos Online, Warn Safety Experts
    Parents Should Not Post Children’s Photos Online, Warn Safety Experts

    Authored by Masooma Haq via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    With children spending an increasing amount of time on the internet and many uploading photos to their social media accounts, sexual predators continue to steal these images to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

    Further compounding the proliferation of CSAM is the easy access to artificial intelligence (AI), and law enforcement agencies and child protective organizations are seeing a dramatic rise in AI-generated CSAM.

    Yaron Litwin is a digital safety expert and chief marketing officer at Netspark, the company behind a program called CaseScan that identifies AI-generated CSAM online, aiding law enforcement agencies in their investigations.

    Mr. Litwin told The Epoch Times he recommends that parents and teens not post photos on any public forum and that parents talk to their children about the potential dangers of revealing personal information online.

    “One of our recommendations is to be a little more cautious with images that are being posted online and really try to keep those within closed networks, where there are only people that you know,” Mr. Litwin said.

    The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry said in 2020 that on average, children ages 8 to 12 spend four to six hours a day watching or using screens, and teens spend up to 9 hours a day on their devices.

    Parents Together, a nongovernmental organization that provides news about issues affecting families, released a report in 2023 (pdf) stating that “despite the bad and worsening risks of online sexual exploitation, 97% of children use social media and the internet every day, and 1 in 5 use it ‘almost constantly.’“

    One of Netspark’s safety tools is Canopy, an AI-powered tool that gives parents control to filter out harmful sexual digital content for their minor children, said Mr. Litwin, while giving children freedom to explore the internet.

    Exploitative Content Expanding

    The amount of CSAM online has gone up exponentially since generative AI became mainstream at the start of 2023, Mr. Litwin said. The problem is serious enough that all 50 states have asked Congress to institute a commission to study the problem of AI-generated CSAM, he said.

    “There’s definitely a correlation between the increase in AI-generated CSAM and when OpenAI and DALL-E and all these generative AI-type platforms launched,” Mr. Litwin said.

    The FBI recently warned the public about the rise of AI-generated sexual abuse materials.

    “Malicious actors use content manipulation technologies and services to exploit photos and videos—typically captured from an individual’s social media account, open internet, or requested from the victim—into sexually-themed images that appear true-to-life in likeness to a victim, then circulate them on social media, public forums, or pornographic websites,” said the FBI in a recent statement.

    Mr. Litwin said that to really protect children from online predators, it is important for parents and guardians to clearly discuss the potential dangers of posting photos and talking to strangers online.

    “So just really communicating with our kids about some of these risks and explaining to them that this might happen and making sure that they’re aware,” he said.

    An artificial intelligence (AI) logo blended with four fake Twitter accounts bearing profile pictures apparently generated by artificial intelligence software taken in Helsinki, Finland, on June 12, 2023. (Olivier Morin/AFP via Getty Images)

    Dangers of Generative AI

    Roo Powell, founder of Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA), told The Epoch Times that because predators can use the image of a fully-clothed child to create an explicit image using AI, it is best not to post any images of children online, even as toddlers, she said.

    “At SOSA, we encourage parents not to publicly share images or videos of their children in diapers or having a bath. Even though their genitals may technically be covered, perpetrators can save this content for their own gratification, or can use AI to make it explicit and then share that widely,” Ms. Powell said in an email.

    While some people say AI-generated CSAM is not as harmful as images depicting the sexual abuse of real-life children, many believe it is worse.

    AI-generated CSAM is produced much more quickly than conventional images, subsequently inundating law enforcement with even more abuse referrals, and experts in the AI and online parental control space expect the problem to only get worse.

    In other cases, the AI-generated CSAM image could be created from a photo taken of a real-life child’s social media account, which is altered to be sexually explicit and thus endangers those otherwise unvictimized children, as well as their parents.

    In worst-case scenarios, bad actors use images of real victims of child sexual abuse as a base to create computer-generated images. They can use the original photograph as an initial input, which is then altered according to prompts.

    In some cases, the photo’s subject can be made to look younger or older.

    In 2023, the Standford Internet Observatory at Stanford University in conjunction with Thorn, a nonprofit focused on technology that helps defend children from abuse, released a report titled “Generative ML and CSAM: Implications and Mitigations,” referring to generative machine learning (pdf).

    “In just the first few months of 2023, a number of advancements have greatly increased end-user control over image results and their resultant realism, to the point that some images are only distinguishable from reality if the viewer is very familiar with photography, lighting and the characteristics of diffusion model outputs,” the report states.

    Studies have shown a link between viewing CSAM and sexually abusing children in real life.

    In 2010, Canadian forensic psychologist Michael C. Seto and colleagues reviewed several studies and found that 50 to 60 percent of people who viewed CSAM admitted to abusing children themselves.

    Even if some AI-generated CSAM images are not created with the images of real children, the images fuel the growth of the child exploitation market by normalizing CSAM and feeding the appetites of those who seek to victimize children.

    Sextortion on the Rise

    Because of how realistic it is, AI-generated CSAM is facilitating a rise in cases of sextortion.

    Sextortion occurs when a predator pretends to be a young person to solicit semi- or fully-nude images from a victim and then extorts money or sexual acts from them under threat of making their images public.

    In the case of AI-generated cases, the criminal can alter the victim’s image to make it sexual.

    In one case, Mr. Litwin said a teenage weightlifting enthusiast posted a shirtless selfie that was then used by a criminal to create an AI-generated nude photo of him to extort money from the minor.

    In other cases, the perpetrator might threaten to disclose the image, damaging the minor’s reputation.  Faced with such a threat, many teens comply with the criminal’s demands or end up taking their own lives rather than risk public humiliation.

    The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) operates the CyberTipLine, where citizens can report child sexual exploitation on the internet. In 2022, the tip line received over 32 million reports of CSAM. Although some of the reports are made multiple times about a single viral child sex abuse image, that is still an 82 percent increase from 2021, or close to 87,000 reports per day.

    In December 2022, the FBI estimated 3,000 minor sextortion victims.

    “The FBI has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys—and the fact is that the many victims who are afraid to come forward are not even included in those numbers,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray in a 2022 statement.

    The Parents Together report further states that “recent research shows 1 in 3 children can now expect to have an unwelcome sexual experience online before they turn 18.”

    In addition, a 2022 report by Thorn (pdf) states that 1 in 6 children say they have shared explicit images of themselves online, and 1 in 4 children say the practice is normal.

    An example of texts used by predators to entice children into compromising situations as featured in “Sextortion: The Hidden Pandemic.” (Auris Media)

    Using Good AI to Fight Bad AI

    Prior to the wide availability of AI, editing and generating images required skills and knowledge of image editing software programs. However, AI has made it so quick and easy that even amateur users can generate life-like images.

    Netspark is leading the fight against AI-generated CSAM with CaseScan, its own AI-powered cyber safety tool, said Mr. Litwin.

    “We definitely believe that to fight the bad AI, it’s going to come through AI for good, and that’s where we’re focused,” he said.

    Law enforcement agencies must go through massive amounts of images each day and are often unable to get through all of the CSAM reports in a timely manner, said Mr. Litwin, but this is exactly where CaseScan is able to assist investigators.

    Unless the police departments are using AI-centered solutions, police spend an extensive amount of time assessing if the child in a photo is a fake AI-generated or an actual sexual abuse victim. Even before AI-generated content, law enforcement and child safety organizations were overwhelmed by the immense volume of CSAM reports.

    Under U.S. law, AI-generated CSAM is treated the same as CSAM of real-life children, but Mr. Litwin said he does not know of any AI-generated CSAM case that has been prosecuted, so there is no precedent yet.

    “I think today it’s hard to take to court, it’s hard to create robust cases. And my guess is that that’s one reason that we’re seeing so much of it,” he said.

    To prosecute the producers of this online AI-generated CSAM, laws need to be updated to target the technologically advanced criminal activity committed by sexual predators.

    Mr. Litwin said he believes predators will always find a way to circumvent technological limits set up by safety companies because AI is constantly advancing, but Netspark is also adapting to keep up with those that create AI-generated CSAM.

    Mr. Litwin said CaseScan has enabled investigators to significantly reduce the amount time it takes to identify AI-generated CSAM and lighten the mental impact on investigators who usually must view the images.

    Tech Companies Must Do More

    Ms. Powell said social media companies need to do more in the fight against CSAM.

    “To effectively help protect kids and teens, Congress can mandate that social media platforms implement effective content moderation systems that identify cases of child abuse and exploitation and escalate those to law enforcement as needed,” she said.

    “Congress can also require all social media platforms to create parental control features to help mitigate the risk of online predation. These can include the ability for a parent user to turn off all chat/messaging features, restrict who’s following their child, and manage screen time on the app,” she added.

    In April, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced the STOP CSAM Act of 2023, which includes a provision that would change Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and allow CSAM victims to sue social media platforms that host, store, or otherwise make this illegal content available.

    “If [social media companies] don’t put sufficient safety measures in place, they should be held legally accountable,” Mr. Durbin said during a Senate Judiciary subcommittee meeting in June.

    Ms. Powell said she believes Congress has a responsibility to do more to keep children safe from abuse.

    “Laws need to keep up with the constant evolution of technology,” she said, adding that law enforcement also needs tools to help them work faster.

    Improving NCMEC

    Reps. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) and Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) recently introduced the Child Online Safety Modernization Act of 2023 to fill the gaps in how CSAM is reported, ensuring criminals can be held accountable.

    Currently, there are no requirements regarding what online platforms must include in a report to the NCMEC’s CyberTipline, often leaving the organization and law enforcement without enough information to locate and rescue the child. In 2022, that amounted to about 50 percent of reports being untraceable.

    In addition, the law does not mandate that online platforms report instances of child sex trafficking and enticement.

    According to a 2022 report by Thorn, the majority of CyberTipline reports submitted by the tech industry contained such limited information that it was impossible for NCMEC to identify where the offense took place, and therefore the organization could not notify the appropriate law enforcement agency.

    The Child Online Safety Modernization Act bolsters the NCMEC CyberTipline by 1) requiring reports from online platforms to include information to identify and locate the child depicted and disseminator of the CSAM; 2) requiring online platforms to report instances of child sex trafficking and the sexual enticement of a child; and 3) allowing NCMEC to share technical identifiers associated with CSAM to nonprofits.

    The bill also requires that the reports be preserved for an entire year, giving law enforcement the time they need to investigate the crimes.

    Stefan Turkheimer, interim vice president for public policy at RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), said Ms. Wagner’s bill is crucial to aiding law enforcement to successfully investigate CSAM reports.

    “The Child Online Safety Modernization Act is a step towards greater cooperation between law enforcement and internet service providers that will support the efforts to investigate, identify, and locate the children depicted in child sexual abuse materials,” Turkheimer said in a recent press statement.

    Making this improvement is crucial to stopping the sexual exploitation of children, said Ms. Powell.

    “In our collaborations with law enforcement, SOSA has seen a perpetrator go from the very first message to arriving at a minor’s house for sex in under two hours. Anyone with the propensity to harm children can do so quickly and easily from anywhere in the world just through internet access,” she said.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 19:25

  • 'Medicane' Breaks Dams, Floods Eastern Libya: Up to 10,000 Feared Dead
    ‘Medicane’ Breaks Dams, Floods Eastern Libya: Up to 10,000 Feared Dead

    A rare “medicane” or Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone battered Libya on Saturday, causing deadly floods in the eastern part of the country and resulting in the death of at least 2,000 people. Some estimates already suggest the death toll could jump to 10,000. 

    CNN quoted Tamer Ramadan, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies delegation in Libya, who stated, “Our teams on the ground are still doing their assessment, but from what we see and from the news coming to us, the death toll is huge.” 

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    The city of Derna was the most affected when two dams collapsed, flooding parts of the town. 

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    Othman Abduljalil, health minister in Libya’s eastern administration, told Libya’s Almasar TV that the damage in the city is “catastrophic.” 

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    Abduljalil said, “The bodies are still lying on the ground in many parts. Hospitals are filled with bodies. And there are areas we have yet to reach.” 

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    Ramadan told a video news conference Tuesday that the death toll will jump:

    “We confirmed from our independent sources of information the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 persons, so far.” 

    Last week, the storm brought catastrophic flooding to Greece before developing into a medicane. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 19:05

  • California Leaders' Virtue-Signaling Is Mainly Gaslighting
    California Leaders’ Virtue-Signaling Is Mainly Gaslighting

    Authored by Christian Milord via The Epoch Times,

    The Democratic Party has wielded a monopoly on power in Sacramento for some time and the results are obvious.

    One-party dominance can often lead to corruption, poor governance, and an erosion in quality of life indices.

    Let us count the ways how the ruling party talks a good game but delivers lousy results for Californians.

    First, Gov. Gavin Newsom played up the fact that California had a large surplus in the state coffers, but then it suddenly morphed into a $30 billion deficit.

    Did the surplus really exist? One can only wonder. Plenty of state funds were spent ineffectively during the pandemic, and tax dollars are being wasted on a high-speed rail system that will be vastly underutilized. Excessive spending is a driver of persistent inflation.

    Next, during the pandemic, several Democratic leaders, including Mr. Newsom, didn’t adhere to the edicts they forced on the public.

    Either the pandemic was more “pandemia” than pandemic, or they felt that they were superior to the masses and could flout their own mandates. Public policies inflicted colossal damage by shuttering businesses, houses of worship, and schools for many months.

    We now know that the narrative of mask, lockdown, and vaccine effectiveness was dead wrong. Primarily, folks with comorbidities and the elderly needed care and protection. The COVID narrative was merely gaslighting from a nanny state that craves ultimate power over the people it is supposed to serve.

    On Sept. 10, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mr. Newsom said “we’re all geniuses now” in hindsight, and “I think we would’ve done everything differently” regarding COVID. But he failed to explain why some states made better choices while California did not. How will he know which choices to make next time?

    Third, Mr. Newsom has put forth a proposal to alter the Second Amendment with a redundant 28th amendment to the Constitution.

    He claims that this new amendment would save lives by extending the age to purchase a firearm to 21, require a minimum waiting period, and improve background checks.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Sacramento on Feb. 1 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

    This proposal likely will be a non-starter because the second amendment is time tested, and criminals don’t abide by gun laws. They either steal guns or buy them on the black market. Newsom ought to stick to crime prevention by supporting law enforcement. Once again, more gaslighting from a politician whose salary is paid with your tax dollars.

    Fourth, several state leaders have tried to force school boards to implement a distorted Marxist version of American history into the public schools.

    They have also arm-twisted school districts to add transgender concepts into the health and science curricula, all in the name of protecting children.

    This unscientific charade sows confusion among impressionable boys and girls by magnifying transgenderism and doling out diabolical advice that can cause irreversible suffering. This unscrupulous child abuse and coercion defies moral law and the biological laws of nature. Consequently, it is an example of gaslighting on steroids.

    Moreover, some politicians and school board members treat parents as lepers when they question woke policies in public schools. Free speech is criminalized while actual criminal behavior receives a wrist slap. Parents with common sense and truth on their side are treated as extreme, while Orwellian policies are normalized. With rampant absenteeism and underwater student test scores, can schools afford to waste time by force-feeding Marxist theories into vulnerable young minds?

    Parents in support of the Temecula Valley Unified school board’s decision to terminate the district’s superintendent amid controversy surrounding critical race theory and other school curriculum attend a board meeting in Temecula, Calif., on June 13, 2023. (Micaela Ricaforte/The Epoch Times)

    Fifth, Mr. Newsom talks a good game regarding democracy and the rule of law in California, yet at every turn he tends to undermine freedom, prosperity, and lawfulness.

    Similar to George Soros-backed district attorneys, he seems to view felonies as misdemeanors and enables homelessness. Yet he and other Democrats pretend that California doesn’t have an upsurge in crime and homeless statistics. Are they tone deaf? Denying that the state has these problems won’t make them disappear no matter how much they pass the buck. This is why so many folks are fleeing the state.

    Sixth, state leaders claim that they care about minorities, yet they pressure their allegiance through addictive government programs that discourage individual initiative.

    They also gloss over border insecurity as if it’s a figment of our imagination. Progressive mayors take pride in their “sanctuary cities” yet start whining when unlawful migrants are sent to cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco. They only change their welcome tune when unlawful immigration impacts them directly. Otherwise, it’s someone else’s problem.

    Seventh, California leaders often spout great American principles yet at the same time strive to intervene in every area of our lives.

    They initiate endless anti-religious culture wars and cry foul when called out for their absurd schemes and glaring hypocrisy. They can’t even get their own house in order, yet constantly boast to other states how great their policies are, as if Americans can’t govern themselves.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., on May 12, 2023. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

    Finally, these politicians speak with a forked tongue by saying one thing and doing another.

    Denying or glossing over serious economic, security, and social challenges doesn’t get the job done. Is this statesmanship? Genuine statesmen don’t recklessly spend other people’s money. They labor to prevent problems from unfolding instead of reacting when it’s too late.

    Our representatives are supposed to serve the public interest—not their own personal aggrandizement. Statesmen don’t blame others for their own self-inflicted blunders. Unfortunately, Sacramento leaders have turned gaslighting (virtue-signaling) into a fine art while Californians pay the price. To a degree, disinformation emanating from Sacramento is similar to that of the old Soviet Union under Stalin, delineated accurately in Rod Dreher’s book, “Live Not By Lies.” The Democrats should read it.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 18:45

  • Renewed Forced-Labor Cloud Darkens Solar's Moment In The Las Vegas Sun
    Renewed Forced-Labor Cloud Darkens Solar’s Moment In The Las Vegas Sun

    Authored by Carrie Sheffield via RealClear Wire,

    This week nearly 27,000 clean energy professionals will descend on the Las Vegas Strip for the annual RE Plus renewable energy Conference. The event includes thousands of exhibitors and a host of presentations with a keynote from Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff. The Senator will undoubtedly tout the expansion of solar energy industry jobs in his state by Korean manufacturer Hanwha Q-Cells, while conveniently ignoring allegations of Hanwha’s deep connections to reported forced labor in the Xinjiang region in China.

    It’s been a little more than a year since the groundbreaking human rights law, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), went into effect. The law created a rebuttable presumption that all goods manufactured in whole or in part in the Xinjiang region of China use forced labor and are thus not admissible into U.S. commerce. While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the law enforcement agency tasked with enforcement of the law, has done an admirable job at detaining cargo to assess applicability of law to certain goods, the scope of enforcement is lacking and focused on a very small number of importers and ignores many more manufacturers widely known to use key materials from China that have very high risk of origin in part from Xinjiang. 

    Perhaps the most glaring omission among CBP’s UFLPA enforcement is the well-connected Hanwha Q-cells. There is very clear open source data that ties the company to the Xinjiang region of China. Despite the glaring connections to the region, Hanwha executive Vitaly Lee has repeatedly claimed the company modules are “forced labor free.”  

    Just last month, another damning report dropped from Sheffield Hellam University titled “Over-Exposed: Uyghur Region Exposure Assessment for Solar Industry Sourcing”, which found Q-Cells to have a “very high” risk of ties to forced labor in Xinjiang. Specifically, the Sheffield Report found Meike Solar Technology, a Chinese company which gets raw material from Xinjiang, reported Q-Cells as one of its largest customers in the first half of 2022, even though Q-Cells claims it cut off the supplier’s relationship in 2021. The initial Sheffield Report, In Broad Daylight, focusing on large Chinese manufacturers like Longi, Trina and JinkoSolar, appears to have influenced CBP’s targeting but it remains to be seen if this updated report will have the same effect.

    It’s difficult to ascertain whether the lack of enforcement is due to the high-profile political visits, including Vice President Kamala Harris, an upcoming visit from President Biden, and of course Senator Ossoff. Political connections, however, should never serve as a means to avoid the law or get a free pass from CBP detentions and UFLPA scrutiny. Unfortunately, the Biden administration claims it wants America to lead in “clean energy” production, but is instead blocking American producers from developing the critical, rare-earth minerals to make it happen domestically.

    Ironically, the political cover seems to be bipartisan. Another company that has escaped CBP scrutiny is Canadian Solar, while often portraying itself as Canadian the company is, in fact, wholly Chinese from its management to its manufacturing. Recently, Canadian Solar announced a $250 million 5GW solar manufacturing facility in Mesquite, Texas. This project was heralded by both Governor Greg Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz despite Canadian Solar’s ties to the Xinjiang region and potential violations of the UFLPA. The Sheffield Report determined Canadian Solar has a “high” risk of exposure to Xinjiang. 

    Fortunately, CBP’s lack of universal enforcement has not gone unnoticed by everyone in Congress. Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) at a hearing before the Ways and Means Committee called out JA Solar for attempting to avoid the UFLPA. Specifically, she noted an executive with JA Solar, another company with “very high” exposure to Xinjiang, was caught on tape discussing port-shopping as one method the company employs to avoid UFLPA detentions.  

    In a public webinar CBP’s Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Executive Director acknowledged companies were employing this exact UFLPA enforcement avoidance technique, along with changing the name of the exporting entity and several other salacious maneuvers. CBP cannot allow this type of evasion to continue, especially when Congress has appropriated more than $100 Million to enforce the UFLPA and combat forced labor globally. 

    Unfortunately, at this year’s RE Plus there will be plenty of solar companies –including the title sponsor Maxeon, another very high-risk manufacturer according to the Sheffield Hallem report – enjoying the Las Vegas sun while escaping CBP scrutiny despite serious forced labor allegations. Even in Sin City political relationships and high-profile sponsorships should not be currency to evade U.S. trade laws. CBP must work to ensure the UFLPA is implemented forcefully and equally.

    Carrie Sheffield is a senior policy analyst for the Center for the Center for Economic Opportunity at Independent Women’s Forum. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 18:05

  • RFK Jr. As Third Party Candidate Will Make It Harder For Democrats To 'Cheat': Kari Lake
    RFK Jr. As Third Party Candidate Will Make It Harder For Democrats To ‘Cheat’: Kari Lake

    Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is expecting a potential third-party candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to make it harder for candidates to “cheat” in the upcoming 2024 presidential race.

    Former Arizona Republican candidate for Governor Kari Lake holds a press conference in Phoenix on May 23, 2023. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

    Her comments came following RFK Jr.’s suggestion that he may consider “other alternatives” rather than simply pursuing a Democratic nomination.

    “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is talking about running as a third party candidate,” Ms. Lake said on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” on Sept. 9. “That’s going to make it really hard when there’s three people, three parties running in any election, whether it be the senate seat in Arizona, the presidency. It makes it a lot harder for these people to cheat because they don’t know what’s going to be on the inside of the ballot. It might be a Democrat voting, but that Democrat might be voting independent this time around to vote for RFK Jr.”

    “So, I think we’re going to see some dynamics in this election that’s going to make it harder for them to cheat and we’re going to work through the court system to also make it harder for them to cheat.”

    Mr. Kennedy had said in a Sept. 8 interview with Forbes that he may look for “alternatives” rather than solely focusing on fighting the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat.

    “It’s pretty clear that the DNC (Democratic National Committee) does not want a primary. I don’t want to say that they want a coronation, but I think that that’s a fair way to put. They’re essentially fixing up the process so that it makes it almost impossible to have democracy function. They’re effectively disenfranchising the Democratic voters from having any choice and who becomes the Democratic nominee.”

    Mr. Kennedy stated that the DNC made rules that none of the votes cast for any Democrat candidate campaigning in Iowa or New Hampshire would be tallied.

    “In other words, any delegate that I win in New Hampshire or Iowa would go instead to the president. And now they’re trying to change it so that if I campaign in New Hampshire, that none of the votes cast for me in Georgia will count. That’s significant because it’s hard to win the nomination without Georgia.”

    The DNC is “rigging it,” he said.

    “We’re looking at it, the tabulations that look like If you add up all the super delegates that they control and all of the automatic delegates that just go to the party and go to the president, I would have to win on almost 80 percent of all of the states in order to beat President Biden even if he only wins 20 percent.”

    Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to a crowd of more than 300 at the premiere of his documentary, “Midnight at the Border,” detailing his trip to the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Aug. 3, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

    The DNC is also considering forcing RFJ Jr. and other Democrat candidates like Marianne Williamson to pay for primaries based on the reasoning that the party does not need a primary as they already have a presidential candidate in Biden, RFK Jr. said.

    “We live at a time in American history when a lot of Americans think that democracy is broken, that the political system is rigged, and that there’s not really any democracy. And unfortunately, the DNC is taking a lot of steps that confirm on that outlook.”

     
    “If the DNC is going to rig it so that it is simply impossible for anybody to challenge President Biden … I need to look at other alternatives.”

    The Third Candidate

    The possibility of Mr. Kennedy running as a third-party candidate could be bad news for the party as he is the second most popular figure among Democrats in the race after President Biden.

    According to opinion poll analysis firm FiveThirtyEight, President Biden had the support of 65.8 percent of voters in the Democratic primaries, followed by second-placed Mr. Kennedy with 12.3 percent, as of Sept. 8.

    President Joe Biden holds a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sept. 10, 2023, on the first day of a visit in Vietnam. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

    A recent poll commissioned by American Values 2024, a SuperPAC supporting Mr. Kennedy, showed that RFK JR. received 41 percent support in New Hampshire against President Biden’s 49 percent in case of a two-way match between them.

    In a three-way poll between President Biden, Mr. Kennedy, and Ms. Williamson, the former held his ground with 31 percent support against President Biden’s 46 percent.

    The reason why a third-party candidate like RFK Jr. is dangerous for Democrats is that he can end up taking away votes from President Biden in key races, which could play in the favor of former President Donald Trump.

    RFK Jr. can also create a situation where no presidential candidate succeeds in securing 270 electoral votes necessary for a win. This would allow state delegations of the House to choose the winner of the presidential election. Such a situation can also benefit President Trump as Republicans have a majority in the House.

    In addition to RFK Jr., another alternative that could play a spoilsport in the 2024 presidential race is No Labels, an organization that could field a candidate in the race. No Labels has already won ballot access in 10 states and intends to get access in all 50 states plus Washington D.C.

    A survey by No Labels in eight battleground states found that 63 percent of registered voters were open to a moderate independent candidate.

    Several groups aligned with the Democratic Party are pressuring elected officials to denounce any presidential campaign from No Labels. The Arizona Democrat Party had filed a lawsuit to stop No Labels from appearing on ballots in the state.
    “No Labels and RFK Jr. are the two biggest threats to Democrats defeating a far-right Republican like Trump or DeSantis,” Sawyer Hackett, a Democratic strategist and consultant, said in a June 28 post on X.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 17:25

  • "This Is Philadelphia": A Shocking Video Of Yet Another Democrat City Imploding 
    “This Is Philadelphia”: A Shocking Video Of Yet Another Democrat City Imploding 

    Approaching the 2024 presidential election cycle, which is set to commence this fall, it’s challenging to find just one well-managed major city under Democratic leadership. Many of these metro areas have collapsed into a third-world-like state, plagued with violent crime, homelessness, out-of-control shoplifting, open-air drug markets, and even some with shit-covered streets. 

    Death, destruction, and chaos follow failed progressive policies across many Democratic-run cities, such as Detroit, Baltimore City, San Francisco, Portland, Chicago, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Democrats have been in control of major cities long enough that they should take responsibility for the downfall of these metro areas but have deflected blame on everything but themselves.

    The seriousness of the blame game is so alarming that in New Mexico, the tyrannical Democrat governor just suspended constitutional gun rights for law-abiding citizens in Albuquerque — blaming the gun rather than disastrous policies and open southern borders for the spike in violent crime. 

    Focusing our attention on Philadelphia, just north of imploding Baltimore City and just south of migrant-infested New York City, the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ has streets that look straight out of the zombie apocalypse TV series “The Walking Dead.” 

    X user Catch Up shared a startling video titled “This is Philadelphia,” showing zombie streets of working-class folks overdosing on drugs. The video did not specify what drugs these folks were on, but we have detailed before Philadelphia was hit with a veterinary sedative xylazine, also known as the “tranq” epidemic. 

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    Meanwhile, the shit-covered streets in San Francisco are so bad that Democrats in City Hall have decided to hire a new tourism official to shift the perception of the crumbling metro area. Good luck with that one.

    Democrats must stop pretending their major cities are ‘rainbows and unicorns’ and address the chaos. If they don’t, it’s up to the voters in 2024 to hold these politicians accountable. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 09/12/2023 – 17:05

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