- Polish Trucks Threaten To Block Border-Crossings With Ukraine
Polish Trucks Threaten To Block Border-Crossings With Ukraine
Polish truckers believe that relaxed regulations towards non-EU registered HGVs have given Ukrainian companies the edge over Poles…
Polish truckers are threatening to block all border crossings with Ukraine starting in November due to excessive competition after the liberalization of international transport between Ukraine and the European Union.
From November, Polish truckers will initiate protests and blockades at the Ukrainian border crossings in a move that threatens to disrupt border traffic potentially until the end of the year.
The announcement was made on social media by “Ukravtoprom,” the Association of Motor Vehicle Producers of Ukraine, citing the International Transport Association of Ukraine.
“The protest action is planned for a period of two months. The reason for the protests is the excessive competition after the liberalization of international transport between Ukraine and EU countries,” the message read.
Polish truckers argue that relaxed regulations towards non-EU registered HGVs have given Ukrainian companies the edge over Poles, experts from the International Transport Association of Ukraine revealed.
…
Tyler Durden
Wed, 11/01/2023 – 02:00 - The Writing’s On The Great Wall For A China Crash
The Writing’s On The Great Wall For A China Crash
Authored by James Gorrie via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
As the saying goes, if you want to know what’s really going on, follow the money. That catchphrase doesn’t just apply to foreign companies and investors backing out of China. It also applies to the Chinese economy.
A view of a complex of unfinished apartment buildings in Xinzheng city, in China’s central Henan Province, on June 20, 2023. (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images) A No-Confidence Vote
In the midst of widespread economic duress and growing social disruption, following the money trail shows how Chinese investors are voting with their wallets.
Consumer spending is down, and the savings rate is up.
Capital is flowing out of China any way it can, and it all amounts to a definite no-confidence vote for Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The CCP Tries to Hide the Facts
In true CCP fashion, the state puts the blame for its failed policies on those who point them out. Anyone who mentions the crumbling economy, for example, is guilty of creating “financial stability.” Even though the CCP would consider prosecuting journalists and economists who report accurately about the falling employment numbers and the high debt levels that plague local governments, China’s worsening economic conditions are too dramatic and widespread to hide.
Of course, financial stability isn’t threatened by people talking about it. It’s the CCP that’s destroying the economy. Even recent history shows that the less involved the Party is in the economy, the better it performs.
The property market and the development sector are perfect examples, though not the only ones. Both continue to be heavily manipulated by the CCP, and both are hemorrhaging value, as financial ruin in flagship companies such as Evergrande and Country Garden contribute to deteriorating conditions in the wider economy. Completed projects that remain unsold are being demolished, work on existing projects is being halted, and other development plans are being canceled, even as the development companies owe billions to creditors.
More Than a Cyclical Downturn
The reality of what’s happening is starting to dawn on the Chinese. Many understand that the current trend is much more than a cyclical downturn, which is typical of capitalist economies. Growth in the second quarter of 2023 was reported to be only 0.8 percent. Still, that statistic is hardly trustworthy in a country that runs on graft and political favors and routinely fudges the numbers. The reported third-quarter gain of 4.9 percent is touted but not believable, given the real estate collapse, falling consumer spending, and lower exports.
Going forward, as the CCP takes more control, a stagnant economy may be the best-case scenario. Jobs in property development, related industries, and manufacturing sectors are all struggling as foreign companies leave China’s shores.
A woman walks past stores in a shopping mall in Beijing on July 18, 2023. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) A Stagnating Middle Class
Meanwhile, individual investors, mostly from the middle class—who put their life savings into properties that aren’t even built and likely won’t ever be built—are seeing their wealth evaporate before their eyes as valuations crater.
This stagnation is primarily due to two factors: internal policies and external ones. Internally, an economy based on graft and corruption rather than one based on market signals—such as the price mechanism that allocates resources and assets where they’re most needed in the economy—can’t sustain itself. Thus, turning profitable private enterprises into debt-ridden state-owned enterprises, which is a euphemism for confiscation by the CCP, has destroyed entrepreneurship—the economic engine of China.
Add to that the CCP’s fundamental shift from economic growth to internal security and stability. It’s a vicious cycle wherein more Party control results in less economic activity, financial duress, and civil discontent. The Party then doubles down on more state control and more oppression.
In short, the Party is more concerned with maintaining its grip on power than it is with growing the economy or supporting the middle class.
Companies Are Fleeing ‘Uninvestible’ China
But there are external factors, or consequences, as well.
Over the past year, the flight of Western manufacturers out of China has accelerated. American and European firms are seeing the writing on the wall. They see the world’s growing disenchantment with Beijing’s trade and foreign policies, with many anticipating a decline in economic stability and a greater degree of decoupling from China in the foreseeable future. As a result, they’re relocating their operations out of China to friendlier nations.
‘Friendshoring’ Making Things Worse
This trend is known as “friendshoring.” In essence, countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Mexico are capturing companies exiting China. They offer less political risk, friendlier trade policies, lower labor costs, and are closer to markets. Barring any major shifts in Chinese leadership, companies leaving China are unlikely to return, which is a growing economic and financial gap for the CCP to fill.
Youth Unemployment Rate at Record High
People attending a job fair in Beijing on Aug. 26, 2022. (Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images) Other symptoms of the collapse are evident, such as the soaring unemployment rate for young people. It is now a reported 20 percent, but counting those who live with their parents for financial reasons, it’s likely approaching 50 percent. Underemployment makes that picture even worse, which is leading to an angry younger generation. Disaffected youth who see no good options for a better future can be a volatile force to reckon with.
The Race to Exit Chinese Real Estate
All of these reasons and others are why some wealthy Chinese have been selling their China properties as quickly as they can. They’re desperately trying to move their money out of China and invest abroad before the value of their Chinese real estate holdings loses even more value. They know the trajectory of the Chinese economy and want out.
Many are buying real estate in Japan.
It’s not just proximity attracting Chinese investors to Japanese real estate, although that is a significant factor. Another enticement is that owning real estate (or a profitable business) in Japan can lead to long-term or even permanent residency visas. That gives Chinese investors an easy way out of the country to avoid the coming meltdown, as well as avoiding the iron hand of the CCP.
The “China miracle” is no more.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 23:45 - Gazans Face 'Daunting' Task Of Finding Water As Bombs Fall, Disease Spreading
Gazans Face ‘Daunting’ Task Of Finding Water As Bombs Fall, Disease Spreading
Weeks after Israel followed through with its threat to cut water supplies to Gaza, Palestinians living in the besieged territory are struggling to survive without the basic necessities. Residents of the area currently being bombarded by Israeli warplanes told Middle East Eye that obtaining water has become a “daily ordeal”, and they fear the spread of disease with a number of residents already dealing with stomach ailments and other illnesses.
Israel cut off water supply to Gaza shortly after the October 7 attack by Hamas-led Palestinian fighters on southern Israel. During the attack, around 1,400 Israelis died and more than 220 were taken captive. At least 8,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliation for the assault. Israeli authorities conditioned the resumption of water supplies on the return of the hostages, but has also attacked other means of water delivery and sewage treatment in the territory, such as desalination plants.
A man in Gaza sells water in tanks carried from donkey-drawn carts on 30 October, AFP. “Our access to water, be it for drinking or cleaning, has diminished significantly. The quest for even a modest amount of fresh water has become a daily ordeal,” said Osama al-Baz, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza. Baz’s family were forced to leave their home in northern Gaza on October 13 after Israel warned civilians living there that they were not safe.
They now live with friends in the south of the region, where they are part of a group of 20, including several elderly people and six young children. Calling Israel’s policies a form of “collective punishment”, Baz said getting “basic necessities such as water and food has become a daunting task”.
“On the few occasions when water is available, we rush with buckets and containers, hoping to salvage what we can. Every chance to obtain water feels like it could be the last. “On the rare occasions when we do obtain water, we prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable among us: the elderly, the infirm, and the children,” he said.
“There have been times when, out of sheer desperation, we consumed water that was clearly unfit for drinking for several days.” Baz explained that taking such risks with water exposed those in his group to illnesses, such as dehydration, stomach ailments and diarrhoea.
Showers have become a “luxury” for Baz’s group and there is barely enough water to clean bathrooms.
‘Disease outbreak’
Baz’s descriptions correspond with those of other Palestinians in the area. Tens of thousands from the northern areas of Gaza have moved south to comply with the Israeli army’s orders. The south of the territory remains an active warzone with frequent Israeli attacks on the area.
Continued bombardment and consequent damage to infrastructure, coupled with the resource strain that has emerged from the mass displacement of Palestinians from northern Gaza, means there are already huge shortages that make it near impossible to carry out the basic functions of life.
Wisam, a Gaza resident, told Middle East Eye that he had initially moved from Gaza City to the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the south to seek refuge with relatives.
“There was no water available, to the extent that going to the bathroom became a strenuous task. We had to bring water in a bucket to the bathroom, if we found any, and use the least amount possible. We force ourselves to avoid going to the bathroom as much as we can,” he said. “We bathe the children only, using the most meagre amounts of water,” Wisam added.
Women wash clothes at a Gaza beach using sea water collected in buckets. via AFP His family then returned to Gaza City and specifically to Al-Quds Hospital, which Israel has repeatedly demanded the evacuation of. “The scene there was nothing short of harrowing,” Wisam said.
“Clean water was a rarity, and basic sanitation seemed a distant memory. Hundreds of people were crammed into tight spaces, using communal bathrooms without adequate sanitation facilities.
“I fear that the hospital is turning into a hotspot for disease outbreaks, given the cramped conditions and dwindling supplies,” he added.
‘Scratching incessantly’
Of course, journalists working on the ground in Gaza know first-hand the difficulties of getting water. Middle East Eye contributor Mohammed al-Hajjar described how Israeli attacks on water pumps had ensured the only water coming through was that which was tainted by sea water and pollution.
Gaza’s residents had previously installed filters at these pumps so that a majority of impurities were removed for use besides drinking. “This water was okay for bathing or washing dishes, and you could use it for ablutions (wudhu), but it wasn’t really drinkable,” Hajjar said.
“Now, with the filters non-operational and the pumps barely working, that dirty water is back in our homes.” The effects, Hajjar said, were immediate.
“My skin started showing inflammations, especially where I washed or performed ablutions. My children have the same reaction. It looks like mosquito bites but it isn’t. Washing our hair with this water results in intense itching, especially on the scalp and hands.
“I’ve resorted to a moisturizing cream with an anasthetic for my children to stop them from scratching incessantly. My wife has the same issues. In fact, almost all of my family, 14 of us in total, suffer from this.”
Hajjar said his wife was showing signs of illness including “fever and a yellowish tint to her skin”. Seeking medical help though was out of the question, as hospitals and clinics are stretched to their limits trying to save victims of Israel’s bombing campaign. “We’re trying to self-treat, we’re doing our best.”
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 23:25 - False Claims Haunt Family Of Woman Who Died On Jan. 6
False Claims Haunt Family Of Woman Who Died On Jan. 6
Authored by Joseph M. Hanneman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Thirty-three months after their daughter Rosanne Boyland’s tragic death at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Bret and Cheryl Boyland feel new pain every time a media outlet publishes the false claim that their daughter died of a drug overdose.
(Illustration by The Epoch Times, Courtesy of Boyland Family, CC BY-SA 3.0) On Oct. 12, a prominent national newspaper wrote that Ms. Boyland “died of what was determined to be a methamphetamine overdose.”
Within a day, that claim spread all over the internet, even appearing as a snippet on the website of the Merriam-Webster dictionary under the word “die.” A week later, the newspaper corrected the error, but the family said the damage was done—again.
The article brought to the surface new pain for the Boylands, whose daughter died in Washington at age 34 after collapsing in the Lower West Terrace tunnel.
News outlets have routinely claimed that Ms. Boyland died of a drug overdose.
In April 2021, a popular news website’s headline blared “Capitol Rioter Rosanne Boyland Died of Drug Overdose, Not Trampling.” The same day, a prominent news magazine stated that Ms. Boyland “died as a result of a drug overdose.” A British tabloid used the same wording in its coverage.
The official cause of death was listed as amphetamine toxicity from her prescription medication Adderall. The manner of death was an accident.
The Boylands challenged the amphetamine finding, eventually hiring an independent forensic pathologist who said Ms. Boyland most likely died of compressional asphyxia, not from Adderall or illegal drugs.
Getting anyone to listen has been a never-ending battle.
“We knew from the early morning of January 7 that somehow the cause of death would be listed as drug-related,” Cheryl Boyland told The Epoch Times. “Both the medical examiner’s office and the detective said to expect a fentanyl overdose. We told them that was impossible, but they continued to insist on it.”
The fentanyl theory was due to the presence of fluid in Ms. Boyland’s lungs, according to a Jan. 7, 2021, Metropolitan Police Department report. The theory was wrong, as toxicology tests would prove a few months later.
Ms. Boyland didn’t use fentanyl or street drugs. She had battled addiction earlier in her life but had been clean and sober for five years when the Jan. 6, 2021, overdose accusations began.
“For anyone like Rosanne or their family members who helped fight through addiction battles for years, to be falsely reported as dying of an overdose is about the worst slap in the face anyone could get,” Mr. Boyland told The Epoch Times. “To take it a step further and to see a lot of journalists say she died of a meth overdose is an even worse slap in the face.”
Ms. Boyland had taken the prescription medication Adderall, a stimulant that’s used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for 10 years without complication, her parents said.
Adderall is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Ms. Boyland had taken the medication for 10 years without complications, her parents said. The stimulant is made up of four amphetamine salts.
Methamphetamine—a highly addictive and potent stimulant—isn’t the same drug as Adderall.
Meth is one of the most widely abused controlled substances in the United States. Its illegal use has driven a steep increase in overdose deaths over the past decade. Much of the illegal supply of meth comes from criminal gangs in Mexico, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
When the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that Ms. Boyland died of “acute amphetamine intoxication,” the Boylands challenged the conclusion, but their concerns were ignored by the medical examiner’s office, they said.
The Boylands said that Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Francisco Diaz told them that the “results of the autopsy were not clear-cut” and that the only thing that they could “all agree upon” as a cause of death was Ms. Boyland’s prescription of Adderall.
“We asked him to include the term ‘prescription’ because others would believe she died from a meth overdose,” Mrs. Boyland said.
“He responded that everyone knows the difference between amphetamine and methamphetamine. Our family knew better.”
Paramedics perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Rosanne M. Boyland outside the Law Library entrance of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) Victory Over Addiction
There was a time in Ms. Boyland’s life when she used heroin and crystal meth. Her parents said she worked very hard to get clean.
“Rosanne spent a long time in treatment, trying to overcome her addictions,” Mrs. Boyland said. “She dedicated herself to helping others. Her friends have countless stories about her support during their trying times. Many of them relied on her to be strong.
“During her memorial service, we emphasized that she did not relapse, not only for Rosanne’s reputation, but so that her friends wouldn’t give up and relapse.”
The Boylands said their daughter would have taken her morning dose of Adderall at about 7 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2021.
There’s no evidence that Ms. Boyland was ailing or impaired when she and her friend Justin Winchell attended President Donald Trump’s speech at the Ellipse or when they walked to the U.S. Capitol after 1 p.m. that day.
A video clip of Ms. Boyland ascending the stairs from the Capitol’s West Plaza to the Lower West Terrace that afternoon showed her smiling from behind her American flag sunglasses. She didn’t appear ill.
“It’s impossible for her to have taken her medication about 7 a.m., walk around fine all day long, then overdose in the late afternoon without taking any more medication,” Mrs. Boyland said. “The medical examiner’s office refused to answer us about that. The blood sample used for toxicology tests was taken from an area [of the body] known to give inaccurate results—probably deliberately.”
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) declined to comment on the issues that were raised by the Boylands.
The department “does not release information or discuss cases with the media beyond the release of an official statement as to cause and manner of death, which was previously done in this case,” Rodney K. Adams, OCME chief counsel, wrote in a statement to The Epoch Times. “This is based on the District’s privacy statute and out of respect for the privacy of the survivors.”
New Cause of Death
In April 2022, the Boylands hired forensics consultant group Park Dietz & Associates to do a comprehensive review of the autopsy and its conclusions. A new autopsy wasn’t possible because Ms. Boyland’s body was cremated.
A board-certified forensic pathologist from Park Dietz ruled out amphetamine intoxication as the proximate cause of death but said it might have been a secondary contributing factor.
“There was no evidence of illicit drug use,” the forensic pathologist wrote. “The finding of amphetamine in her postmortem blood and gastric contents is consistent with her prescribed use of Adderall, which is a combination drug containing four amphetamine salts.”
The concentration of amphetamine in Ms. Boyland’s blood was elevated, the doctor wrote, but other factors could explain this finding.
“Ms. Boyland’s obesity may have potentiated the storage of the drug in her body tissues,” the pathologist wrote, “and blood from the inferior vena cava is not the optimal specimen for testing for amphetamines, which may be subject to postmortem redistribution.”
The pathologist said Ms. Boyland’s cause of death was compressional asphyxia, “a situation in which pressure exerted on the chest or back of an individual impedes normal breathing and often leaves no diagnostic physical findings.”
The pathologist said Ms. Boyland’s surroundings at the time of her collapse can’t be ignored.
Police had deployed an unknown gas into the tunnel at about 4:20 p.m., two minutes after Ms. Boyland walked into the structure, security footage shows. Witnesses described a sensation of the oxygen being sucked out of the atmosphere. The crowd panicked and ran to escape the tunnel.
Rosanne Boyland and friend Justin Winchell at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Courtesy of the Boyland Family) Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 23:05 - Judge Blocks Biden Administration From Damaging Razor Wire Along US–Mexico Border
Judge Blocks Biden Administration From Damaging Razor Wire Along US–Mexico Border
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The Biden administration must stop cutting and otherwise damaging razor wire that Texas has placed along the U.S.–Mexico border, a federal judge ruled on Oct. 30.
A migrant from Venezuela waits for a U.S. Border Patrol agent to cut the razor wire after he crossed the Rio Grande to Eagle Pass, Texas, on Sept. 24, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) U.S. officials mustn’t remove the wire or tamper with it, U.S. District Judge Alia Moses said as she entered a temporary restraining order.
The exception is in cases of medical emergencies that would “most likely” result in serious bodily injury or death to a person, provided no “live-saving apparatus” is available, Judge Moses, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, wrote in her ruling.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes border agents, told news outlets it doesn’t comment on pending litigation but would comply with the order.
“Generally speaking, Border Patrol agents have a responsibility under federal law to take those who have crossed onto U.S. soil without authorization into custody for processing,” the agency said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, called the ruling “another win for Texas and our historic border mission.”
The wire was put into place as the governor’s effort, called Operation Lone Star, to strengthen border security.
“Biden created this crisis and has tried to block us at every turn. Attorney General Paxton and I are pushing back,” Mr. Abbott wrote on X.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, another Republican, sued the Biden administration earlier in October for tampering with the barriers.
The temporary order is in place until Nov. 13, unless the court extends it.
The government is prohibited from removing the wire, concealing it, offering it to another person, selling it, and tampering with it.
A hearing on the bid from Texas for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for Nov. 7.
A forklift removes razor wire at the U.S.–Mexico border in Texas on Oct. 26, 2023. (Courtesy of Texas Military Department) Damaging the Wire
Mr. Paxton said in his complaint that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents were damaging the wire to allow thousands of illegal immigrants to enter Texas.
“Federal agents not only cut Texas’s concertina wire, but also attach ropes or cables from the back of pickup trucks to ease aliens’ ability to illegally climb up the riverbank into Texas. And they regularly cut new openings in the wire fence, sometimes immediately after Texas officers have placed new wire to plug up gaps in fencing barriers,” Mr. Paxton said.
Several days later, Texas officials asked for the temporary restraining order, pointing to how federal agents had used a forklift on Oct. 26 to hold up some of the wire so that a group of hundreds of immigrants could cross the border.
“This brazen escalation by defendants is an affront not only to Texas, but also to this court, which already had pending before it a motion for a preliminary injunction,” the officials said. “This court should immediately grant a temporary restraining order to enjoin defendants from continuing to damage, destroy, or otherwise meddle with Texas’s concertina wire fence until the court can rule on the state’s preliminary-injunction motion. Alternatively, this court could simply grant a preliminary injunction in light of defendants’ willful misconduct.”
In a notice to the court on Oct. 28, the officials said federal agents damaged another portion of the fence. Texas Military Department officer Roberto Ortiz Diaz attested to witnessing federal agents using a forklift to flatten the fence, letting dozens of illegal immigrants into Texas.
“While the operator was flattening the concertina wire, I observed no medical emergencies among the migrant[s] crossing the river, and I am not aware of any reason for [CBP] agents to flatten the concertina wire other than to allow an easier entry path for migrants arriving in the United States,” Mr. Diaz said.
Federal officials hadn’t yet responded to the various filings as of press time.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas delivers remarks during an event at the Department of Homeland Security’s St. Elizabeth’s Campus in Washington on Aug. 17, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Likely to Succeed
Judge Moses said Texas was likely to succeed in its claim that federal officials violated a law that prevents people from trespassing to interfere with a person’s property.
Texas has established that it owns the wires, she said. And multiple officials have said that they witnessed federal officials tamper with the barriers.
“Third and finally, the plaintiff established that the defendants lacked permission to interfere with the wires,” she said.
Judge Moses said that because she determined that Texas was likely to succeed in one of its claims, she need not analyze its other claims.
The other claims include illegally exercising dominion over another’s private property and acting in excess of statutory jurisdiction.
The case is Texas v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security et al. It’s being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 22:25 - 'Mystery' Blast Rocks One Of Russia's Largest Ammo Manufacturing Plants
‘Mystery’ Blast Rocks One Of Russia’s Largest Ammo Manufacturing Plants
An explosion of unknown cause has rocked one of Russia’s largest ammunition manufacturing plants, according to officials in central Russia’s Perm region, which lies about 1,000km east of Moscow.
“Windows and doors were broken [but] there are no victims, there is no threat to the populace,” a statement said. “The incident did not affect the plant’s production process.”
⚡️An explosion occurred at a military factory in Russia’s #Perm Krai.
The incident took place at the building of the Solikamsk plant “Ural,” one of the largest military-industrial factories in Russia. They produce various military ammunition and explosives there. pic.twitter.com/q18ASsVWzw
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) October 31, 2023
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Throughout more than a year-and-a-half of war, there have been dozens of similar incidents at various Russian facilities ranging from military warehouses to oil facilities to electrical grid stations and energy pipelines.
Both Ukrainian and US media have at times admitted some of these instances are part of a covert Ukrainian sabotage campaign with the assistance of Western intelligence. So naturally, when a new explosion happens, there’s an immediate question of whether it is connected to sabotage, or an industrial accident.
The new incident, resulting in apparent damage to the Solikamsk Plant Ural, is raising eyebrows also given it’s a facility under Russian defense giant Rostec:
Images shared on social media appeared to show a plume of smoke rising from the plant following the blast, but The Moscow Times could not independently verify the photos.
An unnamed local emergency official told the news website Podyom that the explosion did not cause a fire or impact work at the plant.
“All in all, the situation is calm,” the official said. Solikamsk Plant Ural, part of the defense conglomerate Rostec, is one of Russia’s largest manufacturers of gunpowder and explosives.
Earlier this month, at a time the globe’s attention has by and large been completely focused on events in Gaza, The Washington Post published a bombshell report openly admitting that the CIA is actively running covert ops inside Russia, which has included the killing of journalist and geopolitical commentator Darya Dugina.
Russia is ramping up production capacity and building military plants across the country
This is reported by journalists of the project “Schemes”. They produce and repair tactical and strategic airplanes, attack helicopters, as well as assemble drones and ammunition. pic.twitter.com/rNOSppljtB
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 26, 2023
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The report stunningly laid out that as part of this shadow war, “The missions have involved elite teams of Ukrainian operatives drawn from directorates that were formed, trained, and equipped in close partnership with the CIA, according to current and former Ukrainian and US officials. Since 2015, the CIA has spent tens of millions of dollars to transform Ukraine’s Soviet-formed services into potent allies against Moscow, officials said.”
Whether this latest blast is part of this covert ops program or not (perhaps just a ‘normal’ accident?), it will certainly be a plausible question in the minds of the Russians.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 22:05 - Stroke Could Be Transmissible, Study Finds
Stroke Could Be Transmissible, Study Finds
Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
For decades, stress shouldered the blame for painful stomach ulcers. But in 1982, doctors made a groundbreaking discovery: A specific type of bacteria was the real culprit.
Now, scientists are peering through microscopes again, but this time, they are searching for evidence that suggests blood transfusions may contribute to strokes, a leading cause of death and long-term disability.
(Peterschreiber.media/Shutterstock) Common Cause for Stroke May Be Transmissible via Blood
A new study found that blood transfusions from donors who later developed multiple spontaneous brain bleeds were associated with a slightly higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke in recipients. This suggests a potential link between blood-borne factors and a type of stroke-causing blood vessel damage in the brain.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is the second leading cause of spontaneous hemorrhagic stroke and is associated with deposits of defective beta-amyloid proteins in the walls of blood vessels in the brain, making them fragile and subject to rupture, leading to strokes and cognitive decline.
Research recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found evidence that CAA exhibits “prion-like” transmissivity. Prion disease was previously associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly called mad cow disease, a brain disorder in cattle that can potentially be transmitted to humans through contaminated meat. There has been evidence that the condition can transmitted to people by pituitary hormones gathered from cadavers contaminated with amyloid-beta and tau proteins.
Scientists theorized that blood transfusions may carry the same risk as exposure to contaminated meat.
To test this theory, researchers conducted a cohort study using nationwide blood bank and health data from over 1 million patients in Sweden and Denmark aged 5 to 80. All had received a red blood cell transfusion between Jan. 1, 1970 (Sweden) or Jan. 1, 1980 (Denmark) and Dec. 31, 2017.
The study found that patients transfused with blood from donors who later developed multiple spontaneous brain bleeds had a significantly higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke than those receiving blood from donors without bleeds.
However, no increased stroke risk was seen in recipients of blood from donors who had just a single bleed after transfusion.
The authors suggest these findings indicate a potential “transfusion-transmissible agent” may be associated with certain spontaneous strokes. They described the increased stroke risk of 2.3 percent in recipients of blood from multi-bleed donors as a “novel finding.”
A Similar Association Found With Alzheimer’s
Though not directly analyzed, the study found a similar increased dementia risk in blood recipients from donors who had a single stroke after donation.
In an editorial accompanying the study, Dr. Steven Greenberg, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, wrote the study’s methodology rigorously supports the findings.
“Even a modest increase in hazard of future brain hemorrhages or dementia conferred by an uncommon—but as of now undetectable—donor trait would represent a substantial public health concern,” Dr. Greenberg wrote.
This underscores the seriousness of undetected traits that could be transmitted through donors, highlighting the importance of identifying these factors to protect tens of millions of people. After all, someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds.
How Bleeding in the Brain Is Treated
Treatment depends on the type of injury to the brain, Dr. Theodore Strange, chair of medicine at Staten Island University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York, told The Epoch Times.
If bleeding is from a fall causing a subdural hematoma, it can often be managed nonsurgically or with a simple burr hole procedure, he added. This is a procedure where tiny holes are drilled into the skull, and a rubber tube is inserted to drain the hematoma.
However, bleeds from stroke or ruptured aneurysms are harder to control. “Although we can, as long as we can get to them early enough and do whatever it is that we can do to minimize the damage done by the bleed to the part of the brain,” Dr. Strange said.
For cerebellar bleeds, where the bleeding is in the very back of the brain, surgical evacuation of the blood clot is typically needed before finding the cause, he noted. As with strokes, this is simpler for bleeds outside rather than inside the brain.
Managing Risk Factors Only Hope for CAA: Expert
Currently, no treatments stop CAA-related amyloid buildup in brain blood vessels. So prevention of bleeding events is crucial, Dr. Strange said.
Reducing a patient’s risk of trauma, such as falls, which cause concussion and can start a bleed, is imperative.
“Patients, as they get older, have a tendency to fall more,” Dr. Strange said, noting that medications that increase bleeding risk, including anticoagulants, aspirin, and ibuprofen, should be minimized “when appropriate.”
Doctors must weigh the risks against the benefits of anticoagulants in patients with other conditions, he added.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 21:45 - FBI Director Warns Threat Of Attacks By Hamas On American Soil Raised "To A Whole Other Level"
FBI Director Warns Threat Of Attacks By Hamas On American Soil Raised “To A Whole Other Level”
“The reality is that the terrorism threat has been elevated throughout 2023 but the ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of an attack against Americans in the United States to a whole ‘nother level.”
That is the scenario FBI Director Chris Wray led with during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing today.
Specifically, Wray warns Hamas terrorists may soon exploit tensions in the US to “conduct attacks here on our own soil” while also inspiring potential domestic extremists to do the same.
“Here in the United States our most immediate concern is that violent extremists individuals or small groups will draw inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks against Americans going about their daily lives.”
“…cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas or another foreign terrorist organization May exploit the current conflict to conduct attacks here on our own soil.”
Does this mean the feds are no longer focusing their Orwellian ire on conservative Christians as the “greatest threat” to America? Not quite. Wray noted very clearly that this threat from overseas is
“…on top of the homegrown violent extremists and domestic violent extremist threat…”
Watch Wray’s remarks in full below:
Any attacks, whether perpetrated by actual Islamic terrorists, leftist activists or covert agencies serving “special interests” will likely be used as an excuse for more aggressive pressure on constitutional rights in the US.
Anyone who opposes such controls may also be labeled terrorists.
The sociopolitical dynamics of America are about to shift once again to an ugly place with uncertain outcomes.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 21:25 - 29 Cities In Los Angeles Sue County Over Zero Bail Policy
29 Cities In Los Angeles Sue County Over Zero Bail Policy
Authored by Eric Lundrum via American Greatness,
A lawsuit has been filed against Los Angeles County by 29 cities located within the county, challenging the county’s recently-implemented zero bail policy making it easier for criminals to be released back onto the streets.
According to Just The News, the lawsuit states that the zero bail policy, which took effect on October 1st, does not “take into consideration the protection of the public, the safety of the victim, the seriousness of the offense charged, the previous criminal record of the defendant, and the probability of his or her appearing at the trial or hearing of the case.”
The new policy declares that cash bail will still be required for those charged with assault, domestic battery, stalking, and violation of a protective order. Judicial review will be utilized for anyone charged with the crimes of human trafficking, sex with a minor, and battery on a peace officer.
Meanwhile, all other crimes will see suspects cited and released immediately upon their arrest, and instead given court orders to appear for arraignment at a later date.
Following the announcement of the lawsuit, Claire Simonich, a spokeswoman for Vera California, the state branch of left-wing criminal justice reform group Vera Institute of Justice, defended the zero bail policy by claiming, with no evidence, that it is a safe policy.
“The opponents are not only drowning out the factual data on the policy, but the years of research on not just Los Angeles County but in areas across the country that show ending money bail and ensuring public safety go hand in hand,” Simonich claimed.
“A similar version of the policy has been in effect on and off for the last three years in Los Angeles County. Violent crime and property crime effectively dropped or remained unchanged compared to the two years before the policy was in place.”
Los Angeles County had previously implemented a similar zero bail policy during the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, in an effort to reduce the prison populations and slow the spread of the virus throughout prison facilities.
However, after briefly ending the COVID-era policy, Los Angeles County opted to re-implement a more permanent version due to what some activists called “dismal” conditions in pre-trial jails.
Among those supporting the lawsuit against zero bail are Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami, the latter of whom is challenging District Attorney George Gascon (D-Calif.) in the 2024 election.
“Our communities have not been shy about telling us how nervous they are about this change,” said Sheriff Luna.
“Crime victims who see offenders immediately released from custody are left with little confidence in the criminal justice system.”
“The total number of cities now suing over LA County’s $0 bail policy has reached 29. All of us want a bail policy that is fair and just for every resident of LA County,” said Deputy DA Hatami.
“That, however, should be done in collaboration with the 88 cities and their residents, victim groups and law enforcement agencies that are going to be directly affected by immediately releasing individuals who are arrested for crimes.”
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 21:05 - "Pharmageddon" Strikes US Drugstores As 5,000 Workers Walk Off Job
“Pharmageddon” Strikes US Drugstores As 5,000 Workers Walk Off Job
Mostly non-unionized employees at CVS Health Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance drugstores have walked off the job in protest about harsh working conditions.
Reuters said the three-day walkout of thousands of pharmacy workers began on Monday and has been dubbed “Pharmageddon” on various social media platforms, like X and Facebook.
The protest garnered support from the American Pharmacists Association, the largest advocacy group for pharmacy workers, which expressed:
APhA stands with every pharmacist who participated in the walkout today. The bottom line is that we support every pharmacist’s right to work in an environment with staffing that supports your ability to provide patient care. We know that these are steps you deem necessary in order to be heard by your employer.
Reuters spoke with Shane Jerominski, an ex-Walgreens pharmacist and one of the organizers of the protest, who said it’s unclear how many stores are affected nationwide by the walkout. He noted at least 5,000 pharmacy workers are participating in the non-unionized labor action.
Workers at Walgreens and CVS have staged walkouts before. Several pharmacies in the US were closed in Arizona, Washington, Massachusetts, and Oregon in September and early October over labor action disputes. Walgreens told CNN the current labor action is only impacting operations “minimally.”
The Facebook page “The Accidental Pharmacist,” with its 122,000 followers – many of whom are pharmacists and technicians – has been actively sharing updates regarding the ongoing walkout.
Drugstore disruptions?
This latest labor action comes as workers are getting record-breaking pay hikes thanks to strategic strikes, according to Bloomberg.
“We are seeing an incredible moment of worker power,” Acting US Labor Secretary Julie Su said in an interview.
Su said, “We said that essential workers matter, and now workers are saying, ‘Let’s really figure out what that looks like.'”
The drugstore walkout shows a new labor movement emerges.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 20:45 - Time Magazine's Stunning Reversal: Zelensky 'Deludes' Himself Into Thinking Ukraine Can Win
Time Magazine’s Stunning Reversal: Zelensky ‘Deludes’ Himself Into Thinking Ukraine Can Win
Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,
One of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest aides has told Time Magazine that the Ukrainian leader has deluded himself into thinking Ukraine can win an ultimate victory against Russia after the failed counteroffensive and amid waning support for the conflict in the West.
The report said that despite the setbacks, Zelensky “does not intend to give up fighting or to sue for any kind of peace. On the contrary, his belief in Ukraine’s ultimate victory over Russia has hardened into a form that worries some of his advisers. It is immovable, verging on the messianic.”
Stunning reversal. After naming him person of the year last year, Time magazine now calls Zelensky “deluded” (in the article), lonely, supportless, essentially framing him as a loser.
I.e. The West is starting to understand they’ve lost in Ukraine and they’ll blame it on him. https://t.co/HGvfMryLwT
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) October 31, 2023
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The aide said Zelensky “deludes himself,” adding, “We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that.” The report said that the idea of negotiating peace or a temporary truce with Russia remains taboo to Zelensky.
“For us it would mean leaving this wound open for future generations,” Zelensky told Time. “Maybe it will calm some people down inside our country, and outside, at least those who want to wrap things up at any price. But for me, that’s a problem, because we are left with this explosive force. We only delay its detonation.”
A senior Ukrainian military officer told the magazine that the armed forces has had to second guess orders that came from Kyiv’s political leadership, including an order to capture the Donetsk city of Horlivka.
“They don’t have the men or the weapons,” the officer said. “Where are the weapons? Where is the artillery? Where are the new recruits?”
Ukraine is not just running low on weapons to fight the war but also manpower. One of Zelensky’s aides said even if Ukraine’s Western backers supplied all the arms they need, “we don’t have the men to use them.”
The report also detailed the corruption in the Ukrainian government that led to Zelensky’s recent move to sack former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. The author of the Time story, Simon Shuster, said he naively thought a Ukrainian official would think twice before taking a bribe, but an adviser to Zelensky told him otherwise. “Simon, you’re mistaken,” the adviser said. “People are stealing like there’s no tomorrow.”
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 20:25 - RFK Jr. Renews Plea For Secret Service Protection After Second Stalker Arrest
RFK Jr. Renews Plea For Secret Service Protection After Second Stalker Arrest
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose father and uncle were assassinated over politics, has renewed his call for the Biden administration to provide him with Secret Service protection after a man was arrested twice in the same day for scaling the fence of Kennedy’s Los Angeles home on Oct. 25.
Kennedy has been twice refused by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“It’s not right for the President to provide protection to his family and political favorites while denying it to political rivals. During his first week as Attorney General, my father assembled all the DOJ’s senior prosecutors to tell them that he would not tolerate any politicization of law enforcement,” Kennedy wrote on X last week.
President Biden displays a bust of my father in the oval office, but he seems to have forgotten this critical tenet of American democracy. During his administration, we’ve seen the wholesale corruption of federal law-enforcement agencies to censor criticism of White House…
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 27, 2023
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The incident comes roughly a month after an armed man posing as a US Marshall was arrested at a Los Angeles event.
Kennedy made a third request for protection in an Oct. 25 letter to Mayorkas, detailing the September 15 incident, as well as the Oct. 25 incident involving a man named Jonathan Macht.
Mr. Macht, 28, was arrested on the morning of Oct. 25 at Mr. Kennedy’s Los Angeles property after being detained by the candidate’s security detail. He climbed a fence and asked to see Mr. Kennedy, according to the LAPD.
Authorities said the man was taken into custody at a nearby police station where he was cited for trespassing and then released. Police said he returned to Mr. Kennedy’s home and was arrested at 5:45 p.m. for violating a protective order. He is being held on $30,000 bail.
Mr. Macht is known to the U.S. Secret Service and Mr. Kennedy’s security Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA), Mr. Kennedy’s campaign said.
“GDBA had notified the Secret Service about this specific obsessed individual several times in recent months, and shared alarming communications he has sent to the candidate,” according to the press release. –Epoch Times
“After being released from police custody, the man immediately returned to Kennedy’s residence and was arrested again. The candidate was home at the time of both arrests,” Kennedy’s campaign said in a statement.
Not the norm…
While the law dictates that all major presidential candidates and their spouses must be protected within 120 days of an election, history reveals that several have received Secret Service detail much further out than that – with Obama receiving it 551 days before an election, Trump and Ben Carson receiving it a year before the 2016 election (when Trump was a ‘joke’ candidate), and Ted Kennedy receiving it 410 days before the 1979 election.
The 2024 election is currently 370 days away.
5) Barack Obama was provided Secret Service protection 551 days before Election Day in 2007https://t.co/O1q4KEazOl
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) July 29, 2023
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7) Ted Kennedy was provided Secret Service protection 410 days before Election Day in 1979https://t.co/1QXvEqLG5D
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) July 29, 2023
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It doesn’t take too much tinfoil to conclude that Kennedy is being denied because it would legitimize his candidacy, splitting the Democrat vote, and handing the 2024 election to Donald Trump.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 20:05 - "I Pray To God This Isn't World War III"
“I Pray To God This Isn’t World War III”
Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance
If there’s one takeaway I have from witnessing the discourse over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it’s that nuance is an absolute necessity when discussing it, yet nobody seems able to exercise even a modicum of nuance while doing so.
Because the issue is complex, polarizing, and demands reasoned thought, I’d like to start off my piece today by offering a sentiment that hopefully everyone can agree on: I pray to God that this isn’t the start of World War III.
However, as the days over the last several weeks have gone by, I find there’s less and less to be optimistic about — and I’m not talking about as it relates to the stock market, I’m talking about as it relates to humanity.
Like all problems stemming from deep threaded conflict and a necessity for complex, intellectual reasoning and compromise, I fear this one will only worsen until it reaches some type of point of no return.
The scenes on Sunday of a mob at an airport in Dagestan, surrounding an airplane and reportedly searching for Jewish people arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv, were a new type of horrifying. It appears as simply a modern day pogrom.
Putting aside the fact that many on social media just wrote off Dagestan as a fourth- or fifth-world country, thereby backhandedly justifying the behavior, the backdrop of a modern-looking airport stocked with state of the art commercial jets is enough to elicit comparisons to many airports we’ve all traveled through.
And to me, the mob mentality taking place among those storming the airport, and eventually accosting passengers accused of being Jewish, seems like only a small step from the mob mentality we saw in U.S. cities during the protests and riots of 2020: there was no reason, there was no civility, and there were no dissenting voices.
How many people have brushed off this occurrence, or other similar occurrences, thinking it could never happen in the United States or Europe? To me, it feels like we are on a hairpin trigger for exactly this type of senseless mob rule.
There are millions of supporters of Palestine who only seek out peace, have only ever sought out peace, and want an end to all war. These are things I am always going to get behind. Absolutely nobody wants to see innocent civilians killed, and hopefully everybody knows that war is hell.
But sadly, there is also a constituency of uneducated, virtue-signaling reactionaries, coupled with actual extremists, that have commingled with protesters seeking out peace and sullied much of the noble cause for many of those who support peace.
Of course, as these fools will argue, Hamas “had their reasons” for carrying out the atrocious act of killing more than 1,000 Israelis, including innocent people at a music festival. The question isn’t whether or not they thought they were justified; the question is whether it is a morally sound undertaking to, before Israel even gets a chance to respond, tacitly bless Hamas’s actions by overlooking them and immediately protesting in support of Palestine.
Other than the logical fallacy that people were protesting retaliation that hadn’t even happened yet, it’s also just tasteless. While the Middle East is one of the most polarizing conflicts in the world, think about why anybody would cheer on the death of innocents, anywhere. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I don’t even wish death upon my worst enemies.
Next, think about the mindset of somebody living in the United States and tearing down photographs of kidnapped Israelis that have been plastered in public.
Sure, one could make the argument that these posters, located 5,000 miles away from Israel, do little. Put that aside. How askew does one’s moral compass need to be to walk by and tear these photographs down? If, like many suggest, they do nothing, then leave them be. I already hear some 20 year old dorky white “activist” kid from the Villanova suburbs argue: “The mindset of those tearing down the flyers is that of people who feel as though they have a legitimate grudge!”
Uh, yeah. And hey, Hamas also thinks they have a legitimate grudge. And so does Israel. But when are we going to realize that at some point this endless jihad joyride is going to have to end and we’re going to have to choose peace? And when are we going to realize that it’s easier to choose peace after years of no major conflict and not the day after over 1,000 innocent people are murdered?
When are we going to realize that no matter how big of a grudge you think you have, the systematic targeting and killing of members of any ethnic group simply isn’t the answer?
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What worries me most is that there is a massive absence of nuance when discussing the situation. On Sunday, I commented on Twitter that the footage of the Dagestan airport mob was “horrifying.”
Someone promptly responded by saying:
“Interesting you haven’t said the same of the 4,000+ kids in Gaza who were murdered by F-35 fighter jets. Unsubscribed from your shitty podcast.”
This is a perfect example of the thoughtless, reactionary, borderline-esque reasoning that causes conflicts like these to perpetuate. That Tweet is the reason I decided to write this piece: I knew such a complex issue couldn’t be discussed in 280 character quips.
And of course I am not blessing the death of 4,000 kids in Gaza by calling the situation in Dagestan horrifying. Most people with basic reasoning skills would understand that. But that isn’t how the dialogue regarding this conflict is taking place, as this response shows. You are either for one side or the other, and there’s no in-between. This type of thoughtless polarization is only going to lead to more chaos, not resolution.
For many “intellectuals” who have lived silver spoon lives in the very same Western world that Hamas hates (without ever experiencing the slightest inclination of discomfort or loss of security, let alone rocket attacks or a massacre of family members), the horrors of Hamas’s actions are completely justified.
The self appointed “scholars who are committed to robust inquiry about the most challenging matters of our time” (vom) at Columbia University said over the weekend:
“In our view, the student statement aims to recontextualize the events of October 7, 2023, pointing out that military operations and state violence did not begin that day, but rather it represented a military response by a people who had endured crushing and unrelenting state violence from an occupying power over many years.”
A statement that was then beautifully summed up by my friend Nathan Anderson:
“Columbia faculty saying Hamas’ October 7th rape and massacre of families and festival-goers represented a ‘military response’ to an occupation of Gaza that hasn’t existed since 2005.
Has the value of an Ivy League education ever plummeted so quickly as it has this past month?”
Elsewhere in the “Ivy League”, on a Cornell online forum late Sunday, there were calls to slit the throats of Jewish people, resulting in a lockdown on campus.
To me, it’s simple: at some point, when both states go to their respective corners and there are years of peace, blame can be assigned regardless of history to the state that restarts the conflict in the meaningful way that Hamas just did. If Hamas hadn’t engaged in terrorism this month, we wouldn’t be talking about this conflict right now. End of story.
Even more worrisome is that Russia has failed to condemn Hamas’s actions in any meaningful way.
And to me, I can’t help but get the feeling that the entire world is once again dividing the way it did during World War II. On one side, you have the United States, Ukraine, Israel, and Europe – the West, and on the other, you have Russia, China, India, and most of the rest of the Middle East. The entire world feels more divided than it has in recent memory.
Several years ago, this was a trend that I only noticed taking place economically. Now, the rubber has met the road, and it feels as though it is starting to take place militarily. With two major conflicts now taking place on the global stage, I feel as though we are one catalyst—perhaps China trying to take Taiwan—away from a Third World War. Let’s hope to God that I’m wrong, and that I’m simply paranoid.
Amidst this global volatility and confusion, the United States feels as though it is still struggling to maintain its economic and financial gravitas on a global stage. We continue to run what can only be described as abusive fiscal and monetary policy. The nations opposite us are openly challenging the U.S. dollar — and U.S. policy — while hoarding gold.
Our own country seems more divided and confused than ever. Ivy League universities have been turning out students who have openly and actively made attempts to justify Hamas’s recent actions. The institutions that were supposed to ensure that students had a bedrock of reason and morality have instead been instilling an entire generation with entitlement and what can only be described as a warped sense of reality.
As Bret Weinstein said in 2019, universities and students have lost their way because ideas that would have never cut the mustard 20 or 30 years ago at U.S. colleges and institutions have been given an affirmative action of sorts, all because people in the United States are afraid to, for lack of better words, call out bullshit when they see it, as we don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. Weinstein makes the point perfectly here:
And so not only do we have an increasingly bifurcated world, with multiple conflicts that all require critical thinking and nuance that we are no longer capable of deploying, we have an entire generation of people in the United States that are so entitled, confused, and narcissistic that they are literally exercising zero reason in choosing the causes they support.
For example, there’s a large constituency of the LGBTQ community (or whatever it’s called today) that is coming out and throwing their support behind Palestine and Hamas. You’ll notice, however, that none of these supporters are buying plane tickets and making their way to the Middle East to show support, because, of course, their interest is strictly in feigning support for causes that would result in their death, but not actually succumbing to risking their lives. Odd how that works.
We have angry far left 20-something-year-old college students in the United States, in between unknowingly serving their corporate overlords on trips to their local Starbucks and making TikTok videos on their iPhones assembled with slave labor, publicly calling for the killing of Jewish people. Ironically, they are partaking in these protests because the United States allows for free speech and the freedom to live their life however they choose. I think everybody that wants to wave a Hamas flag in the United States (yes, they waving Hamas flags at some protests, and not Palestine ones) should be required to go and live in the Middle East for a couple of weeks and see exactly how their lifestyle compares to the lifestyle that they are “fighting” for.
There’s definitely a moral equivalency when it comes to senseless killing. I stand with all the people who do not want to see innocent civilians killed, no matter where they are around the globe. I don’t subscribe to the notion that an eye for an eye makes sense. Rather, as the old adage goes, I believe that the whole world will wind up blind. But after years of relative peace, when one group murders over 1,000 innocent civilians of another group, jumping up in arms about the victim retaliating before it ever even takes place is an ugly look.
Sadly, it appears to me that many people in the United States protesting in support of Palestine, in the days after Hamas committed these atrocities, are part and parcel with a larger group of people who simply deem themselves activists and don’t realize there is not a moral equivalency in how both sides see the world. These “activists” pride themselves on fighting for any cause, regardless of how much sense it actually makes.
It is the same lack of logic and flawed thinking that has me worried that the Middle Eastern conflict will continue to spread, not just among the governments of other countries, but among the citizens in other countries as well. Watching the Dagestan airport video, I understand that it is unlikely something like that would happen in the United States. But bearing that in mind, I think there has never been a time in recent history where the conditions have been ripe enough for it to actually take place.
While it’s no secret that the right side of the aisle in the United States has had their fair share of disagreement and confusion over the last month, I simply have no idea how any Democrats believe that they’re going to be able to retain the support of the Jewish community heading into the next election. Even The Nation has had enough.
The breeding ground for the horrifically flawed and extremely troubling “woke” ideology, which is actively justifying the actions of Hamas while condemning any response from Israel, all sprang from the fertile ground of the far left. This is not a political rant, but I simply can’t imagine any Jewish person voting for the party that chose to stand with Palestine after the massacre of 1,200+ innocent people and well before Israel ever even had a chance to retaliate.
I’m not the biggest Sam Harris fan, but he nails the nuance here in this 13 minute video (and here is another version that’s similar, but not as up to date):
It is, of course, true that we in the West have been on the wrong side of these dichotomies in the past. Most Western armies, including Israel’s, have at one time or another been guilty of war crimes. And if you go back far enough, all of human conflict was just a litany of war crimes. You don’t have to go back all that far, in fact, to find large pockets of Western culture that were morally indistinguishable from what we now see in much of the Muslim world.
If you have any doubt about this, study the photos of white mobs celebrating the lynchings that occurred in the American South in the first half of the 20th century. Here, seemingly whole towns—thousands of men, women, and children—turned out as though for a carnival to watch some young man or woman be tortured to death and then strung up on a tree or lamppost for all to see…
…The point, of course, is that if we recognize the monstrosities of the past, we should recognize the monstrosities of the present and acknowledge that at this moment in human history, not every group has the same ethical norms governing its use of violence, for whatever reason.
When I step outside and walk the streets of Philadelphia, I see many of these confused people protesting for both sides. To me, I don’t see people fighting for causes; I see broken individuals incapable of being at peace with their sense of self, which, to me, is where true calm, respect for others, and peace comes from.
I also look around and see tons of level-headed, rational-minded individuals who I know are, in fact, capable of critical thinking about the issue and genuinely do seek peace. But it’s not these people I’m worried about. It is the radicalization of a small group of people that can set off a chain of events like we are seeing now: one reactionary decision after another, which spirals endlessly until one large, decisive end.
Domestically, ask yourself: which group is more likely to do that, Jews or Jihadists?
Regardless, in this case, the only thing I hope and pray for is that the terminus this conflict is eventually heading for doesn’t wind up being World War III.
Can we at least all agree on that?
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Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 19:45 - US Crude Production Breaks Records As Shale Drives All Growth In Global Oil Supply Over Past Decade
US Crude Production Breaks Records As Shale Drives All Growth In Global Oil Supply Over Past Decade
With core OPEC+ cartel members Russia and Saudi Arabia doing everything in their power to throttle oil output and push the price of oil higher, the US is again emerging as not only a thorn in OPEC’s side but as the marginal producer of world oil. According to EIA data, US crude oil production hit an all-time high in August, as production surpassed pre-covid levels.
US field production of crude oil reached 404.6 million barrels during the month of August, new EIA data showed, for an average of 13.05 million barrels per day, breaking the previous record US drillers set in July of 401.73 million barrels. Compared to this time last year, U.S. production is up by a total of 33 million barrels for the month. Remarkably production hit all time highs even as the number of rotary US oil rigs has slumped in the past year. How is this possible? We answer that question below.
Increases in production were seen in PADDs 1, 2, 3, and 4, with the largest percentage increase in production seen in PADD 4, which comprises Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. The largest actual increase was seen in PADD 2, which includes North Dakota, Illinois, and Kentucky, among other states.
Crude production in Texas in August – home to a large portion of the Permian Basin and where Exxon will soon be undisputed energy king after its merger with Pioneer closes – rose from 173.775 million barrels to 174.562 million barrels.
Despite the record-breaking production levels seen in August, inventories of crude oil in the United States are estimated to be within 3 million barrels of where it began the year.
The new record in crude production in the United States comes shortly after U.S. supermajor ExxonMobil spent $60B on purchasing another Permian player, Pioneer Natural Resources, although most oil companies in the United States have chosen fiscal restraint resulting in a slow and steady increase in output versus the no holds barred investment strategies during previous boom cycles.
What is perhaps more remarkable is that in a recent report (available to pro subscribers) from Goldman commodity analyst Daan Dtruyven, the bank found that “the US has driven all the growth in global oil supply over the past decade and the past year, and the Permian basin has driven all growth in US crude supply since early 2020.”
US supply has also grown faster than expected. According to Goldman, US liquids supply is on track to exceed IEA expectations for the 13th consecutive year, except for 2016 and 2020. That said, the 2022 and 2023 forecast errors will likely be smaller than before the pandemic, and US total liquids supply has been roughly flat since June.
Furthermore, the US remains the key short-term marginal oil producer, where flexible short-cycle private producers sit high on the global cost curve.
So is the US falling in the overproduction trap that marked much of the 2010s and which led to the defaulting of dozens of junk debt-funded US energy producers, and sharply oil prices?
According to Goldman, the answer is no as crude output growth in the Permian has slowed from 1mb/d in 2019 to 0.5mb/d year-over-year in September given the drop in the rig count, and the stabilizing well productivity trend.
However, Permian output is still edging up because of rises in the number of drilled wells per rig and well length. In other words, the Permian new well output per rig is still trending higher because of:
- A rise in the number of drilled wells per rig given progress in multi-well pad technology
- A structural rise in the average lateral well length to 10,000 feet(Exhibit 9)
- A boost to output per rig through a composition effect arising from the larger drop in less productive private rigs (“high grading”). The output per rig in 2022 was nearly 2.5 times greater for public rigs than for private rigs since public firms account for over 60% of production, but under 40% of rigs (Exhibit 10).
This is important because the lack of well productivity growth (which reflects an offset between deteriorating rock quality and improving technology) suggest that Permian output growth will slow further. In fact, the emergence of the Permian as the world’s key oil market variable may explain why Exxon recently purchased Pioneer: the new supergiant will have every opportunity to turn oil output in the US on (or off) as only it sees fit.
Finally, a question that Wall Street would love answered: are US producers still capital disciplined?
Goldman’s answer, “yes, three pieces of evidence show that the US upstream sector remains capital disciplined.”
- First, US public independent firms are sticking to the moderate single digit growth targets they announced in 2020-2021. As Exhibit 11 shows, we expect crude production growth by the independent US E&Ps under GS coverage to slow from around 235kb/d (or 7%) in 2023 to 135kb/d (4%) in 2024, and just around 90kb/d (2.5%) in 2025. That companies continue to guide to slower growth despite the 2022H1 and the summer 2023 upswing in prices is the essence of capital discipline, and the main driver of the reduction in supply elasticity. These lower growth targets reflect investors’ scarring 2014-2020 experience when excessive growth depressed returns, and growing concerns about inventory quality.
- Second, reinvestment rates—capex as a share of operating cash flow—of public producers remain in a 40-60% range, well below the historical average (Exhibit 12, left panel). The 2022-2023 pickup in capex reflects that the 2020-2021 levels were likely unsustainably low, and the boost to nominal capex measures from rapid cost inflation (Exhibit 12, right panel).
- Third, broader capital allocation strategies of public E&Ps remain focused on limiting leverage and returning cash to shareholders (see Appendix Exhibit 18). To illustrate further, equity (rather than debt) is now typically used to fund acquisitions (as for ExxonMobil-Pioneer).
Much more in the full Goldman report available to pro subscribers.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 19:25 - CA Funding LGBTQ+ Group Fighting Parental Notification
CA Funding LGBTQ+ Group Fighting Parental Notification
Authored by Susan Crabtree via RealClear Wire,
Over the summer, when a Southern California school board opposed a new state-determined social studies curriculum that included a bio of slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a threatening tweet calling out the school board president by name.
“This isn’t Texas or Florida. In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn,” Newsom tweeted. “Congrats Mr. Komrosky you have our attention. Stay tuned.”
Newsom followed up the vague warning with a far more tangible one. In a subsequent statement, the governor labeled the board’s reluctance to accept the curricula an act of “hate” and announced a $1.5 million fine for what he described as a “willful violation of the law.” He also threatened a lawsuit and a state Justice Department civil rights investigation.
“Demagogues who whitewash history, censor books, and perpetuate prejudice must never succeed,” Newsom added. “Hate doesn’t belong in our classrooms, and because of the board’s majority’s antics, Temecula has a civil rights investigation to answer for.”
Komrosky and other members of the school board for the Temecula Valley Unified School District were concerned about Milk’s well-documented relationship with a 16-year-old boy when he was in his 30s. He and other board members labeled Milk a “pedophile” and didn’t want his bio included in a supplemental curriculum for certain grade levels.
After Newsom’s threat of legal action, the school board began to waver. Komrosky called an emergency Friday meeting that stretched late into the night and partially backed down, agreeing to accept the textbooks but putting off a decision on the 4th-grade lessons on civil rights, including the gay rights movement, until the board and parents could review it further.
The confrontation spurred weeks of headlines, with members of the LGBTQ+ community praising the governor’s actions while parents’ rights groups bemoaned the top-down threats from the highest level of state government.
The Democrat-controlled state legislature last month passed a bill that would legalize hefty state fines for school boards that reject state-determined curricula and other state policies. The state attorney general also sued a different school district in Chino for requiring parents to be notified when their children begin identifying as a different gender in California public schools.
In mid-October, a judge sided, at least temporarily, with the state, and granted a preliminary injunction against the parent notification policy until he makes a final decision.
Over the last several months, the school board clashes have fueled a series of protests and rallies at the state Capitol in which parents, students, pastors, and school board members have accused the Newsom administration and the state legislature of keeping secrets from parents and undermining their ability to care for and oversee their children.
On the other side of the debate are Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and members of the LGBTQ+ community who argue that the school boards are trying to ban textbooks teaching diversity. They also assert that students in the state public elementary schools who are changing their gender have a right to privacy from their parents who could try to stop them from transitioning – or worse – use physical force as punishment for doing so.
Amid the furor on both sides of the school board controversies, in late August, Newsom announced the latest round of grants to support an effort to combat hate crimes against transgender, Muslim, and black people after the attorney general’s office found a 20% increase in such crimes across the state in 2022.
Among the taxpayer-funded grants is $630,000 to Equality California, an LGBTQ+ group fighting alongside Thurmond against school boards’ parental notification policies and their ability to object to diversity-oriented curricula.
Over the last four years, the state has provided $400 million in federal grants to fund security measures for faith-based organizations and other nonprofits, and $196 million in grants to local organizations focused on preventing hate crimes and supporting survivors. The funding is taking place as the state is running a $31.5 billion budget deficit, up from $22.5 billion projected in January.
The state recently awarded this year’s nearly $91.5 million in “Stop the Hate” grants to more than 170 community groups after at least two disturbing incidents that police say were motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ views and racism.
In August, a San Bernardino store owner was murdered after an argument over a rainbow “pride” flag hanging outside her store, and an Oakland elementary school was evacuated after receiving a bomb threat that police said was racially motivated.
Newsom last week also approved $10 million in funds to boost the presence of police at synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship as tensions have flared over the possibility of local violence stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.
Allowing all places of worship to receive the funds to boost security appears even-handed and proactive at a time of rising tensions and threat levels.
But the “Stop the Hate” grant to Equality California has sparked criticism from opponents that Newsom is inappropriately using state taxpayer funds to assist the top LBGTQ+ organization fighting parents over school board policies.
According to the California Department of Social Services, which issued the grants, the grants “may” fund various services and programs, including those providing mental health and legal services for victims and their families. The website also says funds could go to prevention services, including “arts and cultural work, youth development, senior safety and escort programs, safety planning, training and cross-racial alliance work.”
Equality California has been at the center of the fight for protecting children’s right to change genders without their parents’ knowledge in public schools across the state. The group has fiercely opposed the parental rights movement, labeling it homophobic and transphobic, and argues that notifying parents amounts to “forcibly outing” gender-transitioning children, which could lead to physical or emotional harm for these young people who already experience higher rates of depression, mental health, self-harm, and suicide than their peers.
Equality California staff have attended school board meetings and appeared alongside Thurmond as he answers questions from the press. The group’s staffers were among pro-LGBTQ+ advocates whom a Chino school board removed from a meeting along with Thurmond after he spoke against a proposed district policy that would require schools to inform parents if their students were changing their pronouns or asking to use different gendered facilities.
Because money is fungible, and the grant can help offset costs for the organization’s other work, parental rights advocates have argued that the grant is inappropriately boosting the group’s lobbying efforts opposing parental rights policies at local school boards.
According to its 2021 tax filings with the IRS, the most recent available, Equality California Institute spent more than $400,000 on lobbying the state legislature and received nearly $6 million in revenue for that year alone.
Carl DeMaio, a conservative radio talk show host in California who is gay, was the first to take issue with the Equality California grant in a post on his website, arguing that it was one of several designed to give a financial edge to left-leaning groups, such as Equality California, that actively engage in politics by endorsing candidates and other political activities.
For instance, the group endorsed Thurmond’s reelection last year, lauding him for “personally intervening” in a school board fight in Chino and working “diligently alongside Equality California to counter the attacks against our trans and gender-nonconforming youth, in particular, and we could not ask for a better ally and champion for all California students.” It’s unclear if that endorsement came directly from the Institute or another part of Equality California’s nonprofit organization.
“There’s nothing wrong with these far-left groups engaging in political advocacy. It’s their First Amendment right, but not with my tax dollars,” DeMaio told RealClearPolitics. “This is the oldest scam going on in California politics right now. It’s the utilization of taxpayer money to subsidize Democrat and left-wing political organizations.”
“If the National Rifle Association or the Cato Institute or the Heritage Foundation were receiving taxpayer money, the left and the media would be lighting their hair on fire, but here in California, you have political groups getting money from the government, and no one bats an eye,” he added.
Equality California spokesman Jorge Reyes Salinas says the Institute does not engage in political work, as DeMaio alleges, and stressed that the entire grant is devoted to supporting the state’s “Stop the Hate” program.
“Equality California Institute’s Stop the Hate program is a tool to ensure that LGBTQ+ Californians know about and have access to culturally responsive resources on hate crimes and bystander intervention,” he said in a statement to RCP. “Through outreach and partnerships, this program aims to advance education on how to curb the sharp increase in anti-LGBTQ hate crimes in California.”
Newsom’s office did not respond to RCP’s inquiries about the grant.
Lance Christensen, a former state legislative staffer who ran for California superintendent of schools as a Republican last year, now serves as the vice president of education policy and government at the conservative California Policy Center. The Center is one of the main groups backing the parental rights policies in school boards across the state.
Christensen argues that the deck is heavily stacked against his side because parents are already fighting the deep-pocketed teacher unions who back many of the policies parents’ rights groups have tried to fight, including extended COVID school shutdowns that kept students in virtual learning longer than many other states.
On top of that, the leaders of Equality California, which is more ideologically aligned with the Democrats who run the state, “feel like it’s their right and duty to extract money from taxpayers to help amplify their views,” he argued.
“The fact of the matter is, most parents are well aware of the positions these groups have,” he said. “They just aren’t aware that their tax dollars are going to subsidize these activities.”
Equality California has backed a raft of pro-LGBTQ+ bills that Newsom signed into law in late September, including several measures the governor’s office has said are designed to “better support vulnerable youth.” Among the new laws is one that would require courts to keep all petitions for a change of gender identity in public documents, including those filed by minors, confidential.
The group also strongly backed the Transgender, Gender-Diverse and Intersex Youth Empowerment Act, which would have required judges to consider whether parents have affirmed the gender identity of their children in custody disputes.
While Newsom said he shares the commitment to advance transgender rights, he vetoed that bill in mid-September, arguing that it would inappropriately change legal standards for another branch of government.
Susan Crabtree is RealClearPolitics’ White House/national political correspondent.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 19:05 - Real Estate Brokerages Zillow, RedFin Tumble After Jury Finds Realtors Conspired To Keep Commissions High
Real Estate Brokerages Zillow, RedFin Tumble After Jury Finds Realtors Conspired To Keep Commissions High
Real estate brokerages such as Zillow, RedFin, ReMex and others tumbled after a federal jury found the National Association of Realtors and large residential brokerages such as HomeServices of America and Keller Williams, liable for about $1.8 billion in damages after determining they conspired to keep commissions for home sales artificially high.
Under antitrust rules, the presiding judge could triple the damages verdict, which would total more than $5 billion. The plaintiffs also have asked the judge to order changes to how the industry operates.
The verdict came in the first of two major antitrust lawsuits that target decades-old industry practices and argue that unlawful industry practices have left consumers unable to lower their costs even though internet-era innovations have allowed many buyers to find homes themselves online. The two-week trial involved claims by home sellers in several Midwestern states; they sought to drive down commissions and change the way agents are compensated.
Two brokerages, HomeServices of America and Keller Williams Realty, were also defendants in the case. Two others, Anywhere Real Estate and Re/Max Holdings, settled before trial and agreed to pay almost $140 million combined.
Announced in a packed Kansas City courtroom, the verdict came after just a few hours of jury deliberations. The case was brought by home sellers in several Midwestern states. Their lawyers hugged and shook hands as the verdict was announced.
According to the WSJ, the verdict “could lead to industrywide upheaval by changing decades-old rules that have helped lock in commission rates even as home prices have skyrocketed—which has allowed real-estate agents to collect ever-larger sums.”
It comes in the first of two antitrust lawsuits arguing that unlawful industry practices have left consumers unable to lower their costs even though internet-era innovations have allowed many buyers to find homes themselves online.
For several years NAR has been fending off accusations by US antitrust officials and private litigants that it has conspired to keep home-sale costs high in the face of major technological upheavals. This verdict is by far the group’s biggest setback yet. An NAR spokesman said, “This matter is not close to being final as we will appeal the jury’s verdict.”
HomeServices of America, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, said it intends to appeal. “Today’s decision means that buyers will face even more obstacles in an already challenging real estate market and sellers will have a harder time realizing the value of their homes,” a company spokeswoman said. Keller Williams said it is considering an appeal.
Under the current system, sellers pay their own agent a commission — typically 5% to 6% of a home’s selling price — which is in turn shared with the buyer’s agent. Over the course of the trial, plaintiffs’ attorneys argued this model has suppressed competition by making it difficult for buyers and sellers to negotiate for lower rates.
“NAR and corporate real-estate companies have had a stranglehold on real-estate commissions for too long,” plaintiffs’ lawyer Michael Ketchmark said outside of the courtroom.
The news sent real-estate brokerage stocks tumbling: Redfin and Zillow both plunged as much as 10% before recovering some losses. Traditiona broker Re/Max was down 3%.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 18:45 - Bachelors Of Advocacy: The Rise Of Activism Over Academics In US Higher Education
Bachelors Of Advocacy: The Rise Of Activism Over Academics In US Higher Education
Below is my column in The Hill on the rise of advocacy courses and degrees in higher education. Activism has always been a valued part of our colleges and universities. Indeed, many departments have long incorporated advocacy subjects in their course of study, including in law schools. My concern is the degree to which advocacy is now overwhelming academics in some of these programs.
It is often hard to tell the difference between advocacy groups and advocacy programs in these universities.
For some schools, a new B.A. model – a Bachelors of Advocacy – is emerging in higher education.
Here is the column:
“Field trip for an extra 5 points.” The offer to students at the University of California-Berkeley sounded like a typical offer for students to go to a special exhibit at a museum or lecture at an institute. The “field trip” referenced by graduate assistant Victoria Huynh was joining a protest “against settler-colonial occupation of Gaza.”
This extra credit offer is all too typical of higher education today, where advocacy is now being taught as if it were a course of study. After an outcry, the school solved the problem by ordering “a number of options for extra credit, not just one.”
Many advocacy-based classes have course descriptions that sound analytical and clinical. The UC Davis course “Asian American Communities and Race Relations,” for instance, states that it covers “race relations and the commonalities and differences between Asian Americans and other race and ethnic groups.” However, the assignments and lectures often reflect a political viewpoint that students are expected to mimic if they want to excel in the class.
In this course, a screen shot showed that the class would discuss “Palestinian history in relation to class concepts like colonialism, imperialism, and Third World solidarity.” It is clear enough that “the solidarity” cannot extend to Israel.
Advocacy has increasingly displaced academics in higher education. Activism now permeates higher education as social justice becomes the touchstone for many departments. Today protests rather than Plato are more likely to be the concentration of many students.
Even journalism students are now sometimes told to drop “objectivity” and “leave neutrality behind.” Former executive editor for The Washington Post Leonard Downie Jr. explained that “pursuing objectivity can lead to false balance or misleading ‘bothsidesism’ in covering stories about race, the treatment of women, LGBTQ+ rights, income inequality, climate change and many other subjects.”
Advocacy has long been part of graduate programs like law and social work, where students are trained to represent the interests of clients or other individuals. But now, advocacy and activism itself is being offered as a general course for students in place of education. Where protests were once defiant demonstrations held in the university yard, they are now a course of study in classrooms led by academic activists.
For example, Arizona State University offers a BA program entirely on “community advocacy and social policy” that focuses on “historically under-served individuals, families and communities.” Students “complete courses in two core areas: diversity and oppressed populations and social issues and interventions.”
Many schools offer “advocacy and social justice studies.” At the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, students are offered the opportunity to “study social justice with distinguished instructors from a wide range of academic departments, from Afro-American Studies to Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies.”
Camden County College offers a diversity and social justice degree based on the advocacy work of the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic, which “revealed the depth of social inequality and its life-or-death consequences.” Others offer “a certificate of proficiency in social justice and an A.S. degree in Human Services, Social Justice Advocacy.”
These courses offer far left-faculty platforms to proselytize and politicize. It is often confined to one side of the political spectrum and occurs now on every level of our educational system. In academic departments, future primary and secondary teachers are taught that “teaching is a political act” that allows them to instill political and social values in their young pupils. Those students can then attend college and get degrees in activism and advocacy.
In New York, 1.1 million students were excused by the Department of Education to leave their classes to march against climate change. It seems doubtful that the same accommodation would be allowed for countervailing conservative causes like pro-life marches or demonstrations in favor of gun rights.
These courses dovetail with faculties that have moved radically to the left, with many faculty using their courses to espouse political viewpoints more than educate. The clear message to students is that they are expected to express the same views in their own analysis.
One professor erased any pretense and directly required students to contribute to her advocacy group as part of their training. In the meantime, conservative faculty find themselves censored or suspended for engaging in unpopular speech or attending controversial rallies.
Universities as a whole have largely purged their ranks of Republicans and conservatives over the last few decades. A new survey conducted by the Harvard Crimson shows that more than three-quarters of Harvard Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences faculty respondents identify as “liberal” or “very liberal.” Only 2.5 percent identified as “conservative,” and only 0.4 percent as “very conservative.”
Another study by Georgetown University’s Kevin Tobia and MIT’s Eric Martinez found that only 9 percent of law school professors identify as conservative at the top 50 law schools.
In these departments with advocacy and social justice components, diversity of thought runs from the left to the far left.
Some of these faculty advocates can teach by example. At the University of California, Santa Barbara, feminist studies associate professor Mireille Miller-Young physically assaulted pro-life advocates and tore down their display. She later pleaded guilty to criminal assault, but the university refused to fire or discipline her.
Other professors continue to engage in violence or destruction in front of students in order to block pro-life or other views from being expressed on campuses.
The same blind rage was shown after the massacre of Israelis by Hamas this month as faculty rallied students to denounce Israel. UC Davis Professor (and undergraduate adviser) Jemma Decristo posted social media threats against the faculty and the families of those supporting Israel as possible targets. Decristo wrote: “one group of ppl we have easy access to in the U.S. is all these zionist journalists who spread propaganda and misinformation…they have houses w addresses, kids in school, they can fear their bosses, but they should fear us more.” This threatening language was accompanied by pictures of a knife and an axe, followed by three drops of blood.
The university eventually denounced Decristo’s violent, threatening comments, but it had no prior qualms about the professor teaching American studies to UC Davis students. She is part of the radical chic — the far left professors who have populated departments for years.
The emphasis on advocacy at the expense of education has also contributed to the increasing hostility toward opposing views on campus. These professors and students often show little tolerance for others’ views and “advocate” by canceling or silencing other views as “harmful.”
Many of us encourage political activism and engagement of our students. They need to bring their passion and voices to the debates today over issues ranging from abortion to the environment to wars.
We have long benefited from intellectual activists in our country, but they were intellectuals first and activists second. They were thought-leaders who used classic education to advance societal change.
As jobs and markets become more competitive, we are not doing these students any favors as we crank out thousands with few skills beyond staging demonstrations.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 18:25 - Reports Say China Scrubbed Israel From Online Maps
Reports Say China Scrubbed Israel From Online Maps
China’s scathing criticisms of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 8,500 mostly civilians, have grown of late – but this week escalated to a new precedent.
The Wall Street Journal has confirmed internet users’ deepening suspicions that the country of Israel has disappeared from several online maps after the ‘mistake’ began to gain increased attention. “Internet users in China are expressing bewilderment that the name Israel doesn’t appear on leading online digital maps from Baidu and Alibaba, an ambiguity that matches Beijing’s vague diplomacy in the region and contrasts with its attentiveness to maps generally,” WSJ writes Tuesday. But some pundits have said the claim is misleading, stressing that many Chinese maps don’t label “disputed areas” by default.
The internationally recognized borders of the Israeli state are also missing. The report says that Israel may have gone ‘missing’ on the popular maps since the start of the Oct.7 conflict and Israel’s subsequent bombing campaign on Gaza.
But as WSJ also points out, neither major Chinese company has publicly acknowledged the missing country information:
The same is true with online maps produced by Alibaba’s Amap, where even small nations like Luxembourg are clearly marked. Neither company responded to questions on Monday. It is unclear whether the development is new, though it has been discussed by Chinese internet users since war broke out.
China’s government has over the years cried foul and levied fines over maps published elsewhere online, such as on hotel websites, for failing to strictly adhere to Beijing’s territorial claims, like leaving off a nine-dotted line stretching around the South China Sea that isn’t internationally recognized.
Indeed this could be a subtle game of ‘retaliation’ for when Western sources publish maps which Beijing vehemently disagrees with, such as depicting Taiwan as independent from the Chinese mainland.
Israel has disappeared from China’s online maps – The Wall Street Journal
Users have noticed that the country’s name does not appear on online digital maps provided by companies such as Baidu and Alibaba. They show Israel’s recognized borders, Palestinian territories, and key… pic.twitter.com/HgCqkkW9Uh
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 31, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Additionally, China has increasingly aligned its foreign policy with the Global South in recent months, and the Gaza crisis is a further demonstration of this trend.
In statements from the foreign ministry, Chinese officials have consistently highlighted Israel’s bombing of Gazan civilians, instead of focusing on denunciations of the Oct.7 terror attack by Hamas (as the US and much of the West has done). “Every country has the right to self-defense, but every country should abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians,” FM Wang Yi told his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen a week ago.
And then there’s this provocative tweet from the Chinese embassy in France, rejecting Western claims of “genocide” against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, while highlighting that Gaza lies in ruins…
Sans titre. pic.twitter.com/JolIpmyZbA
— Ambassade de Chine en France (@AmbassadeChine) October 30, 2023
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“As long as [any resolution] is conducive to peace, China will firmly support it; as long as [any resolution] is conducive to Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation, China will do its best,” Wang had said. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the clearly deteriorating Israel-China relations by the end of this current crisis.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 18:05 - Sen. Josh Hawley To Introduce Bill Reversing Citizens United
Sen. Josh Hawley To Introduce Bill Reversing Citizens United
Authored by Philip Wegmann via RealClearPolitics.com,
More than a decade ago, President Obama scolded the Supreme Court for reversing “a century of law” and opening “the floodgates for special interest” to “spend without limit in our elections.”
It was during the State of the Union, and while the former president qualified his criticism by offering “all due deference to the separation of powers,” Justice Samuel Alito was caught on camera muttering an objection.
Seated in the front of the House of Representatives, Alito seemed to say, “Not true.”
Meanwhile, Chief Justice John Roberts, who had employed a young lawyer from Missouri just two years prior, didn’t move a muscle.
Sen. Josh Hawley told RealClearPolitics that the episode “predates me,” but on the substance of the question, the senior Republican senator from Missouri, the same young lawyer who once clerked for Roberts on the high court, sides with Obama, not the conservative justices.
Albeit for very different reasons.
“I am an originalist,” he said in a Monday interview, “and I don’t think you can make an originalist case for business corporations being treated like individuals when it comes to the right to political speech.”
Thirteen years removed from that exchange between Obama and the justices, Hawley plans to introduce legislation that would gut Citizens United v. FEC, RCP is first to report.
“My goal is to get corporate money out of our politics,” he said.
His aim is to stop “corporate influence” from “controlling our elections.”
This kind of rhetoric is not unusual. But it usually comes from Democrats.
President Biden pledged to overturn Citizens United and bring to heal the Super PACs that shower politicians with the kind of unlimited anonymous donations known colloquially as “dark money.” His closest ally in this effort: Progressive Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, who blames the decision for turning America into “an oligarchy” where billionaires “buy elections.”
And now this coalition includes at least one Republican. Hawley blames Citizens United for giving corporations free rein to “sink their teeth” into the American political process.
The Hawley legislation would ban publicly traded corporations from making independent expenditures and giving to Super PACs while prohibiting them from cutting political ads or engaging in “other electioneering communications.” Ironically, however, it would not stop the conservative group that upended modern election law. Citizens United is itself a non-profit and, therefore, wouldn’t be affected.
The bill likely has little chance of making it to the president’s desk. Similar proposals have died in committee. All the same, the legislation represents the latest fissure between the Grand Old Party and the corporations. As the Republican realignment continues, on this issue, Hawley hammers the wedge.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” Hawley bellowed this summer, “Corporations are not people.”
The crowd, this one gathered in Washington for the social conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition summit, barely stirred.
But then they erupted when the populist senator continued, “I’ve got news for these woke corporations: We are not going to surrender this nation to the cultural Marxists in the C-suite.”
Would Hawley still seek to muzzle corporations if the content of their speech was different, though? “Well, actions do have consequences,” the senator replied.
Bad trade deals, monopolies over everyday pharmaceuticals, and offshore industries – Hawley blames all of this on Wall Street getting involved in politics, saying that politically connected corporations “have been in favor of almost everything that has been devastating for us.” Beyond economics, he added, “what’s new in the last two or three years” is those same corporations “now want to dictate voting laws in the states” and “now want to dictate rules on biological men playing women’s sports.”
For example, Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines, two of the biggest employers in Georgia, publicly oppose that state’s efforts to tighten voter registration requirements in the wake of the 2020 election. Another example is the dark money donors who provided $145 million to pro-Biden groups that year, helping pave his way to the White House and dwarfing the $28.4 million spent on behalf of Donald Trump.
“That is not a reason in-and-of-itself to get the Constitution right,” Hawley cautions, however. While the senator insists that Democrats benefit disproportionately from dark money, he argued that “this isn’t a game that is good for anybody” and “most importantly, the voters don’t benefit from it.”
This is consistent with the general disposition of the senator who once wrote an adoring biography of Teddy Roosevelt. It is also an evolution from a politician who welcomed the endorsement and cashed the checks of Citizens United during his first campaign. Hawley does not dispute the development.
A closer examination of the history, he said, “looking back at how the Founders thought of corporations” reveals that the earliest Americans “were deeply skeptical of the corporate form.” On the jurisprudence question, he added, “I just don’t think that history supports the outcome that the Court ultimately got to there.”
More recent history can be found in the conservative opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal. Reflecting the view of that editorial board, Bradley Smith, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, celebrated the anniversary of Citizens United in 2020, writing that “the ruling has empowered small-dollar donors and political outsiders, not corporations.” The donor who writes a check from the kitchen table, the former FEC chair argued, is now king in American politics, not the Super PAC.
Hawley suggests that those who doubt the power of corporate dollars in politics visit Capitol Hill. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” he said before pointing to TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media company.
“A year ago, we were talking about a nationwide ban on TikTok. I was able to get one passed at the federal level last December,” he said.
“Today, it is difficult to get even my most ardent anti-tech partners to talk about this because TikTok has gone out and spent incredible sums of money to get influence on both sides of the aisle.”
According to federal disclosures, TikTok and its parent company spent more than $13 million on lobbying the federal government in the last four years. A spokesman for the company declined to address this when RCP requested comment.
Increasingly, Hawley is more likely to echo T.R. than Ronald Reagan. He notes how Roosevelt warned against “the malefactors of great wealth” and speaks admirably of his wars with the railroads. The senator also points to scandals of the past, like the Teapot Dome Scandal, as a prologue for modern malfeasance.
“Not a lot has changed in the last century. They would do that today, if they could get away with it,” Hawley said of disparate corporate actors from Silicon Valley to Wall Street without naming anyone in particular.
“And who knows,” he added, “maybe they are.”
Republicans who once felt at ease among corporate power are increasingly skeptical. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy publicly divorced the Chamber of Commerce this year. Ohio Sen. JD Vance is currently at war with the railroads over safety regulations. Businessman-turned-presidential-candidate Vivek Ramaswamy seemed to rebuke the ghost of Reagan during the August primary debate.
And last month, Hawley landed well to the left of the White House, but only slightly to the right of the likes of Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, when he proposed capping the annual percentage rate of credit cards at 18%.
The Hawley project then can perhaps be best described as an effort to export traditional conservative skepticism of big government to the realm of big corporations. “What we find, and what lawsuits like the Missouri v. Biden case exposed, is that big corporations and big government work hand in hand,” he said referencing the federal case that found the White House lobbied social media companies to remove content critical of the administration.
“I would just say to my conservative friends, listen, there is no reason we should want to empower these mega-corporations, who are already in bed and colluding with the government, and give them control over our elections and over our speech,” Hawley said.
It remains to be seen whether Republicans will listen, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He celebrated the initial action by the Supreme Court.
“For too long, some in this country have been deprived of full participation in the political process,” McConnell said in a statement when the conservative court handed down Citizens United, celebrating the decision as “an important step” in “restoring the First Amendment rights of these groups.”
A decade later, McConnell added, “My warning to corporate America is to stay out of politics.”
As the Washington Post reported at the time, the Republican leader included a qualification during a local news conference.
“I’m not talking about political contributions,” he said.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/31/2023 – 17:45
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