Today’s News 20th October 2024

• The Final Countdown
  The Final Countdown

  Authored by Jeremiah Hosea via Substack,

  A dignified life, or dehumanized technocracy — which would you prefer for your children?

  

  As you may have noticed, I do enjoy lists. I suppose they appeal to my sense of order. The following is a list of fundamental principles that were strangely, as if by hypnosis, abdicated during the Convid Scamdemic.

  I hope you enjoy, as do I, the novelty (at least for this Substack) of presenting this particular list in countdown format!

  8. Do Not Trust the Government — how anyone could not understand this principle by now is beyond me. You don’t need to refer to ancient history to reach this conclusion. You don’t even need to have read Machiavelli (although I highly recommend you do). Just look at recent history and you will be provided with numerous examples indicating that no private citizen should ever trust the government.

  The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment was even invoked by some of the poison pushers during Covid in patronizing efforts to assuage vaccine hesitancy. It was mentioned dismissively as though it were something that happened a million years ago and would never happen again. Yet every thinking person should take stock of this nightmarish event. It was medical torture that transpired over the course of 40 years and was presided over by the CDC. Yes — the same CDC.

  Politically, since the turn of the new millennium, we have been treated to a continuous barrage of psyops and wars, wars and psyops. The dubious nature of the 2000 election, the unanswered questions surrounding 9/11, the lies about WMDs that resulted in catastrophic war in Iraq, the total bailout of the banks in 2008 with not as much as a life-raft for the people, the Flint Michigan water crisis, the annihilation of Libya — we could go on and on and on in reciting examples of negligence, malfeasance and heinous actions carried out by our government irrespective of which political party held the presidency at the time. (I insist they are one party pretending to be two.)

  How could one claim to have observed history and then fail to notice that virtually every major government project done in opposition to an enemy whether literal or abstract, from all the senseless catastrophic wars against regimes to the fruitless and counterproductive “War on Drugs” and then “War on Terror”, have been entirely negative in both nature and results?

  Whenever the government announces (or doesn’t announce) it is embarking on some grand new endeavor, usually something catastrophic is underway.

  During Covid, I didn’t just see people fail to be suspicious of a government that had thoroughly earned our distrust, I had the even more harrowing experience of witnessing people I had known previously to be “critical thinkers” suddenly devolve into people incapable of any critical thought whatsoever.

  7. Don’t Trust Major Corporations, Especially Big Pharma aka Big Harma — what is a corporation? It is an instrument designed to maximize profit in the marketplace. In capitalism ruthlessness, relentlessness and an amoral approach are all considered admirable traits.

  The willingness of a corporation to poison, pollute, injure or even kill is requisite to compete in the upper echelons of the market place. Major corporations do not have a track record of admitting fault or confessing guilt. They do not have the tendency of “taking things down a notch” for the sake of the environment, or human dignity or being reasonable. The ends absolutely justify the means and therefore, nothing is off-limits in the pursuit of maximizing profits. If there is collateral damage, or if a few fines need to be paid along the way — so be it. That will all be neatly filed and tucked away under the label of “the cost of doing business.” This description shouldn’t shock anyone — I am merely describing the spirit of capitalism and the spirit of corporatism.

  Big industry from the military industrial complex to Big-Agra is thoroughly out of hand, but there’s something particularly disturbing about the corruption of the pharmaceutical industry as it pertains immediately to our health, the health of our children and the health of our families and communities. We should all be more than concerned that the oath stating, “first do no harm” has been jettisoned entirely.

  Giving legal indemnity to corporations (especially ones with felony backgrounds) is a recipe for guaranteed disaster. There should be a law against making such laws. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 which gives liability protection to vaccine manufacturers needs to be overturned immediately and put in its historical place as an anathema to the proper drafting and passing of laws.

  6. The Right to Question — the right to question should be unquestionable. We claim to value education and up until recently intellectual curiosity was considered a good attribute. When Covid came along all the sudden “doing your own research” aka reading was suddenly being demonized. Who has ever heard of such a thing? And how can the people discouraging critical inquiry consider themselves to be the intelligent ones? It’s adjacent to the question, “when were the censors the good guys in history?”

  Questioning is good. Robust dialogue is good. The notion of sterilizing mistakes or incorrect ideas out of discourse is totalitarian. In fact, clarifying and the correcting of mistakes usually offers a great opportunity for education and enlightenment. Moreover, to attempt to gain an understanding even to venture into the taxonomy of an unfamiliar field or discipline does not mean that the inquirers suddenly become professionals in that field — no reasonable person would suggest that. It is simply to have gained some understanding in a new area. This is a good process and not a negative one.

  As my friend Ryan Cristian of Last American Vagabond ( TheLastAmericanVagabond.com ) says at the end of every program, “Question everything.”

  5. Freedom to Associate — the government has no right whatsoever to prevent us from seeing our families or friends when we are not engaged in criminal actions and are not meeting to engage in criminal conspiracies. Lockdowns (which varied in severity from country to country and county to county) were a flagrant violation of our natural rights. Just as the government cannot protect us from any act of God — the notion that they can protect us from a respiratory ailment by restricting our movements is not only blatant overreach, it’s medically and scientifically without merit.

  The falsehood of the “asymptomatic carrier” was the fraudulent basis for movement restricting policies. It should be accepted, however, that policy makers have no influence, no sway whatsoever in regard to the virome. Even if they did, a declared emergency should not be grounds for the suspension or removal of our rights. Yet what transpired during Covid and the lack of resistance from the public that went along with it, has set the stage for future abuses.

  4. Freedom of Religion — I feel an enormous spiritual feeling but I do not identify with any particular religion or religious text. My beliefs, however, as well as the beliefs or non-beliefs of every individual are irrelevant — our country, like every free society, allows for freedom of religion. It is not the job of the mayor, governor, president or any appointed or elected official to arbitrarily suspend the fundamental right to worship and practice one’s religion.

  It makes no sense to impose policies to protect a religious person from illness, when most religions are rooted in the concept of preparing the practitioner for death. For most religious people their religious practices are part of their well being. It is not up to power brokers to determine when devout persons can practice their religions or when congregations can congregate.

  Allowing liquor stores to remain open while churches and mosques were ordered closed, highlights the perfectly baseless and arbitrary nature of lockdown policies. (I cringe when I use the word “allow” because We The People should have never “allowed” the state to have as much as an impression that they could impose any of this unfounded rubbish.)

  Just prior to Covid, religious exemptions for vaccines required to attend school were overturned in New York and California. (Looking back, that was a red flag and helped set the stage for the bio security State that was about to emerge.) How is that possible? How can the government arbitrarily decide that their rule is more powerful than your religious belief and conviction to God Almighty? Who do they think they are? Religious exemptions should never be overturnable.

  3. Haste Makes Waste — Haste makes waste is a truism. It is well known that it is better to be well prepared than rushed. It’s a principle also known as the 6 P’s — proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.

  It’s better to be a well-rehearsed band than an under-rehearsed band. It’s better to be a well practiced basketball team (like the Spurs) than a team that hasn’t practiced enough. It’s better to be a well-prepared actor than an unprepared actor. It is better to have an experienced surgeon and not a medical student. Everyone knows that haste makes waste, yet somehow this axiomatic principle was disregarded in the case of “Operation Warp Speed.”

  “Warp speed” implies mistakes. It implies lack of regulation and oversight. More than imply, it means — no long term safety data. It means rushed-to-market. It means “safe and effective” is inherently a lie because they didn’t have sufficient time to confirm its safety or effectiveness.

  It’s mind numbing that not only did supposedly intelligent people insist that such a massive undertaking (Operation Warp Speed) could be executed without any noticeable reduction in quality, but then proceeded to aggressively insult and gaslight those who raised this most obvious concern.

  Despite the notion that anyone who refused the experimental injections was doing so based on elaborate conspiracy theories, I spoke to many people who told me firsthand that their hesitancy or outright refusal was based on the simple fact that the whole thing was done too damn fast.

  2. Body Sovereignty — sovereignty over one’s own body is the most fundamental of fundamental rights. It is the right from which all other rights emanate. If your body sovereignty is compromised, you are a compromised individual and you are not a free person. You may aspire to freedom, but you are not free.

  Mandating Covid “vaccines” (products falsely marketed as such) was a violation of the Constitution†, the Nuremberg Code†† and first and foremost natural law. No person should be forced to eat anything, watch anything, participate in anything — least of all an invasive medical procedure — against their will. It’s incredibly sad that this has to be discussed or debated whatsoever in the United States or any modern society for that matter.

  1. No means No — I have most certainly emphasized this in previous articles. I will exercise here the literary technique known as sufficient redundancy and reiterate that — No is the most important word in the dictionary. No is sacrosanct.

  We teach our children, and rightfully so, that they always have the right to say No. If something doesn’t feel right — No. If you don’t feel safe — No. If you are being asked to compromise your dignity — No. The word — No — by itself, is a complete sentence. This principle, of always having the right to say No, does not have an expiration date. It’s not just for children. It is fundamental to human dignity.

  It is an abomination, that the right to say No was violated across the whole of society. What a terrible example for our children, and if we don’t change things now — what a terrible inheritance for them as well.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 23:20

• Ottawa Launches Consultation On Forced Labour Crackdown Amid China Scrutiny
  Ottawa Launches Consultation On Forced Labour Crackdown Amid China Scrutiny

  Authored by Andrew Chen via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Ottawa, Canada has launched a public consultation on new measures to curb imports of goods made with forced labour. The move comes amid increased scrutiny of China’s use of forced labour involving persecuted groups.

  

  International Trade Minister Mary Ng announced the public consultation on Oct. 16, saying that it aims to strengthen the enforcement of the ban on importing forced labour goods in alignment with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and actions taken by allied countries.

  During this public consultation, the government will seek feedback on improving enforcement of the import ban, according to a separate release on Oct. 16. Proposed measures include publishing a list of items at risk of being made with forced labour, based on guidelines from the International Labour Organization (ILO). A “minimum traceability” process was also proposed, requiring importers of these items to provide more information about where their products come from.

  Additionally, the proposed changes could affect how costs are handled. Importers of goods found to be made with forced labour would have to pay for all costs related to detention, removal, abandonment, and forfeiture. This would include transportation, storage, and disposal fees.

  Citing an ILO report on modern slavery, Ottawa noted that an estimated 27.6 million people were subjected to forced labour worldwide in 2021, an increase of 3 million since 2016. Children represented about 12 percent of those affected, totalling 3.3 million.

  Forced Labour in China

  The announcement comes amid increased scrutiny of forced labour in China.

  Last month, four U.S. lawmakers urged Minister Ng and American and Mexican CUSMA trade representatives to bolster the enforcement of bans on forced labour goods from China. These lawmakers have been key proponents of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which aims to fight what they call China’s “widespread and systemic use“ of forced labour to exploit Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang region.

  The U.S. lawmakers urged CUSMA members to take further action to prevent the import of goods made with forced labour into North America, expressing frustration that a shipment of solar panels, denied entry into the United States due to concerns about forced labour, was later imported into Canada and then attempted to be re-exported to the United States.

  The issue has also been studied in recent years in parliamentary committees in Canada, with human rights activists urging more action by Canadian lawmakers to curb China’s forced labour practices.

  “The Subcommittee [on International Human Rights] was advised that Canada should adopt a ’reverse‑onus’ policy for companies importing products from Xinjiang, or other parts of China where forced labour is prominent. Such a policy would require importing companies to demonstrate that forced labour was not used in the manufacturing of their products,” reads a March 2021 report published by the subcommittee.

  Since 2021, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has intercepted and assessed around 50 shipments of goods for suspected involvement with forced labour, according to an earlier statement to The Epoch Times. Six shipments were monitored for export out of the Canadian market, and one was abandoned by the importer at the border. The remaining shipments were allowed entry following a review of supply chain information provided by importers.

  “The Government of Canada expects companies to take every step possible to ensure that their supply chains conform to Canadian law. It is the responsibility of the importer to exercise due diligence to ensure forced labour is not directly or indirectly used in the production of the goods it imports,” CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer said on Sept. 26. 

  One well-known case involved a shipment from China that was intercepted in Quebec in fall 2021, but it was ultimately allowed entry. Reimer said that this decision came after the importer requested a review of the tariff classification. Upon examining the submitted documents, it was determined that the goods did not meet the criteria for seizure related to forced labour.

  Canada has imposed an import ban on goods produced by forced labour since an amendment to the Customs Tariff Act took effect on July 1, 2020. The following year, it also launched an analysis of supply chain risks related to forced labour in China.

  In January, a law aimed at fighting forced labour and child labour in supply chains came into force. Previously known as Bill S-211, this law requires the head of every government institution involved in producing, purchasing, or distributing goods in Canada or elsewhere to submit an annual report to the minister of public safety by May 31 each year.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 22:45

• The Omniwar Is Everywhere
  The Omniwar Is Everywhere

  Authored by Joe Allen via BombThrower.com,

  The Omniwar Symposium was well worth watching in full. It hits many points I’ve been covering for years now, from transhuman ambition to religious inversion. Even so, there was plenty of new material for me to sink my teeth into. All the presenters are admirably learned and articulate, so the info went down easy.

  

  Their overarching thesis posits an all-encompassing assault by elite powers on mass populations – the fat cats against “the people.” This is a global war, waged alongside various inter-elite geopolitical conflicts. In the long view, the omniwar is a struggle to establish a technocratic hegemony. It is a fight to crush our freedoms. It is a war against humanity.

  By and large, this accusation is a response to the traumatic Covid measures brought down on the citizens of nearly every nation on earth. I may disagree with the symposium’s ultimate conclusions—especially those godforsaken nanobots—but they’ll get no argument from me about the 2020 terror campaign. In America, people in most states saw their rights trampled upon. Corporations and the federal government forced vaccination under penalty of unemployment. Lives were upended. Family ties were broken. It was a crime against human dignity.

  Those were treacherous times. Without future safeguards, they’re likely to be repeated ad nauseam. One key component of resistance, though, will be to attack the system with precision, and not allow ourselves to get lost in puerile fantasies.

  The symposium included my friend Patrick Wood, who has taught me a great deal about technocracy and transhumanism. His presentation was characteristically lucid, from the early history of the technocracy movement at Columbia University to its continued relevance in our present era. “Technocracy is the science of social engineering,” Patrick quoted from a 1937 issue of The Technocrat, “the scientific operation of the entire social mechanism to produce and distribute goods and services to the entire population.”

  The Covid crackdown was nothing if not technocratic in essence. Governments used “the numbers” to lock down their citizens and neutralize their justified protests. Drug corporations hid the real numbers to deny their customers’ vaccine injuries. Both colluded to form impromptu biosecurity states. These people should all burn in hell—at least for a little while.

  

  Despite the normie-con temptation to attribute everything to “Marxism” (which is sort of like Jew obsession, minus the nepotism and alleged moneylust), Patrick drew a clear distinction between technocracy and communism. “Marxists hated technocracy with a passion,” he explained, “and for good reason: technocrats would push man out of the picture altogether, resulting in a hierarchy of scientific dictatorship run by scientists and engineers.”

  That insight doesn’t play well with TV-brained Fox News fans, but I appreciate the nuance. “Technocracy wanted to do away with all political systems,” Patrick went on, “including communism and socialism.”

  Similarly, while acknowledging that most technocrats and transhumanists begin from atheistic premises—viewing the organic world as a system of interlocking mechanisms—Patrick emphasized that not all atheists are technocrats or transhumanists. Such distinctions will be critical going forward, lest we come off like torch-bearing witch-hunters.

  

  As it happens, a recent paper by one Omniwar participant, Daniel Broudy, inspired me to resume my research into nano-scale technology. The idea is that the Covid jabs—and perhaps chemtrails streaking overhead—contain sophisticated nanobots which can be activated by 5G routers to monitor or manipulate a subject’s body and brain.

  Some say these self-assembling vaxxbots can kill a man like tiny ball-busting pagers floating through his bloodstream. Click… BOOM!

  I remain unconvinced.

  In fact, an expert commentary hastily published by the same outlet as Broudy’s paper—the International Journal of Vaccine Practice, Theory, and Research—flatly states there are “No Nanobots in Vaccines — Just Lipids on the Loose.” But in sensationalist vaxxbot circles, the psychological damage has already been done and the clickbait money already extracted.

  Broudy avoided all mention of the nanos during his Omniwar presentation, leaving that to his co-authors Lissa Johnson and David Hughes. Instead, he focused on the broader sociological implications of technocracy. The presentation was well-written, and he read it from his screen with eloquence. His main point was that our leaders treat us like cattle, using surveillance and mind control to herd the masses at will.

  My regular readers will know I agree with that up to a point. But a one-dimensional characterization misses two vital elements. First off, anyone who’s carefully studied the transhumanist literature knows that “liberty” and “morphological freedom” are key principles that complicate any top-down oppression narrative.

  Second, and just as important, is the dark reality that—much like large-scale technocratic institutions treat mass populations like cattle—many business savvy “freedom fighters” have captured the imaginations of smaller sub-populations, filled their heads with sci-fi delusions, and made off with their minds (and money) like web-crawling cattle-rustlers.

  Speaking about large-scale control systems, though, Broudy did include one quote from Bertrand Russell’s essay “Scientific Technique in an Oligarchy” that really captures the menace of our age. In his original passage, Russell highlights the “evils” of Soviet Russia and the “atrocities” of the Nazis, looking ahead to the more insidious possibilities of scientific totalitarianism. For whatever reason, Broudy omits Russell’s obvious disdain for communism, fascism, and dictatorship, but his excerpt is relevant nonetheless.

  “Diet, injections, and injunctions will combine,” Russell wrote in 1951, “to produce the sort of character and the sort of beliefs that the authorities consider desirable, and any serious criticism of the powers that be will become psychologically impossible. Even if all are miserable, all will believe themselves happy, because the government will tell them that they are so.”

  Broudy pairs this quote with the 2016 slogan “You’ll own nothing and be happy,” which, to Broudy’s credit, he traces not to Klaus Schwab—as is fashionable—but rather to its original source. Even so, Broudy’s presentation had the effect of flattening the problems of our era to some World Economic Forum-centered conspiracy. If only life were so simple.

  

  Lissa Johnson gave the most compelling talk, describing “transhumanism as a military-intelligence operation with Covid-19 as a supporting psychological operation.” Her literature review of military, government, and corporate documents was superb. She cited a number of white papers I’d never seen before, so I’ve been following her trail for several days now. This new information has been illuminating, and for that I’m grateful.

  In fact, I highly recommend you listen to her talk in full. If that piques your interest, do read the four-part series that Johnson co-authored with Daniel Broudy and David Hughes. The information they marshal is of great interest, although I suspect their literalist, overly imaginative conclusions will do more harm than good. That’s for you to decide. (Well, you and objective reality, if anyone can grasp such a thing.)

  Two themes from Johnson’s presentation really hit me: the “manipulation of reality perception” and the recurring dreams (and nightmares) of advanced nanotechnology. It’s true that, by their very nature, psychological operations are methods of perceptual manipulation. It’s also true that advanced nanotech transmitters—whether administered via injection or aerosol—are a long-standing goal of both military and medical authorities. Yet there’s an ironic connection between these two notions that Johnson seems to miss.

  

  If, as Johnson, Broudy, and Hughes suggest, the human race is presently being seeded with self-assembling nano-scale circuitry or full-blown nanobots—whether injected into arms or dropped from fake clouds—then we live in a nightmare world of invisible creepy crawlies. These are basically UFOs in your bloodstream: unidentified floating objects. They can’t stop Covid, apparently, but they can monitor your vital signs and control your mind.

  On the other hand, if such nanotech still remains in a fantasy realm alongside quantum computers and artificial superintelligence—both of which attract billions in funding, with little more than neat parlor tricks to show for it—then Johnson et al. are leading people to chase invisible Easter Bunnies down a rabbit hole to nowhere.

  Whether they mean to or not, they also discredit any real resistance to governmental technocracy and corporate transhumanism by activating delusional loud-mouths.

  “Don’t ya’ll worry about no mRNAs in them shots. It’s the nanner bots that’ll get’che!!”

  Indeed, if viable, mass-deployed nanobots do not yet exist, then vaxxbot alarmism is itself a psy op. It’s a “manipulation of reality perception” that convinces dupes to believe their vaxxed friends and family are 5G-controlled zombies, or that airborne nanos are falling from the sky like demonic snowflakes. In that case, the evil vaxxbot is part of a “simulated reality” that rips people’s minds apart.

  Johnson et al. do a great job of showing intent, though. No one can deny that well-heeled scientists and government agents want to use nanotech to cure illness—and to deploy nanos as weaponry. This is hardly a secret. You can find bold statements of intent everywhere, from best-selling books to YouTube videos posted by the would-be perpetrators themselves.

  It’s far more difficult to prove that secret agents are deploying invisible nanotech right now. Johnson primes the pump with her more articulate version the oft-repeated mantra: “Top secret tech is decades ahead of anything we see today!!” To support this notion, she cites the former head of NASA’s Langley Research Center, Dennis Bushnell, whose infamous 2001 slideshow “Future Strategic Issues/Future Warfare [Circa 2025]” has been making the rounds for many years.

  

  Johnson goes through a list of exotic technologies—genetic engineering of human beings, implantable electronics, nanobots, smart dust, biocomputing, artificial life, etc. She then interprets a vague bullet point on Bushnell’s slide as meaning “such technologies remain in inventory for over forty years” so they were “no pixie dust” back in 2001. If I understand Johnson correctly, she’s saying classified technology is already forty years into the Future™!

  To support this mythos, Johnson cites the Harvard science historian Peter Galison, who once argued that “classified scientific research is five to ten times larger than what we see in the open literature.” That wildly imprecise estimate seems overblown to me, but for the sake of argument, let’s assume this is true.

  Why should we assume this galaxy of classified R&D has produced a slew of viable technologies? Think of it this way:

  Two primary objectives of nanotech are to cure disease and reverse aging. If our clandestine agencies have nanos that are decades ahead of what we see today, why are Ray Kurzweil and Klaus Schwab deteriorating before our eyes? Wouldn’t they be among the first to get a neurological nano-boost, or at least a cellular face-lift?

  Have their minds been uploaded to a secret metaverse for the elite, leaving their senile husks to babble onstage?

  As a thought experiment, let’s imagine Bushnell’s speculative NASA slideshow contains literal descriptions of existent tech in 2001—actual “‘Bots and ‘Borgs” and “wonderous/ubiquitous land/sea/air/space multiphysics/hyperspectral sensor swarms.”

  Okay then, why are two astronauts still stranded on the International Space Station? And why are windows blowing out of Boeing aircraft? Are NASA and Boeing pretending to be incompetent so no one looks for their secret moon base?

  I’m serious.

  To be fair, Johnson does confront the question: “Where is the tangible R&D?” However, her evidence is just another series of quotes from think tank employees and military propagandists who talk about all the great stuff they’re doing—i.e., justifying their paychecks. Johnson then cites a handful of well-funded nanotech projects. Allow me to put forward a counterpoint: so far, these people have wasted a lot of money for next to nothing in return.

  Johnson presents exactly zero evidence that labs have produced self-assembling nano-scale circuitry or nanobots that are ready to be deployed on a dozen people in the wild—let alone half the world’s population. Even worse, she goes on to show us crudely rendered cartoons of proposed biodigital networks as evidence of mature technologies. She concludes by defending certain “scientists” who claim to find vaxxbots under their microscope lenses (which, again, was sternly rebutted here).

  “It’s not pixie dust,” Johnson insists. Indeed, I’m more inclined to believe pixie dust actually exists.

  

  Johnson and Broudy’s co-author, David Hughes, won me over at first during his Omniwar presentation. He and I share an appreciation of the satanist-hunting schizoid, Vigilant Citizen, whose dot-connecting analysis of mass entertainment amused me for many years—at least until VC went behind an esoteric paywall. Even if our metaphysics differ, I thought to myself, Hughes and I would probably have much to discuss over a couple of pints.

  Then, as if to taunt me, Hughes went on to proudly endorse the harebrained theory that the World Trade Center towers were brought down by “directed free-energy technology”—a.k.a. space lasers. With a calm and confident British accent, Hughes suggested our “elite rulers” are lying about “finite resources” on earth so they can exert “global centralized control.”

  “What happens, then, if all of that is a founding myth? What happens if there is such a thing as free-energy technology?” Hughes asks skeptically. “What happens if there actually is the possibility of limitless abundance in the world? These are the things that people need to know about, because it really exposes the foundation of the control system.”

  Good questions. Allow me to pose another. What happens when the Skeptoid Ouroboros leads an otherwise sharp individual to abandon centuries of scientific research in favor of unlimited oil and magic “pixie dust” technology?

  Is the ultimate objective for “the people” to get their hands on this “free-energy technology” so we can, I dunno, inject ourselves with life-extension serum or build space communes on Mars?

  Look, I’m gonna let you in on a dark secret of the cosmos: most people will believe anything. That includes a belief in absurd technologies, whether benevolent or malevolent. A person’s high IQ is no protection from that tendency. In fact, due to the ample mental space a big brain provides, it’s oftentimes a handicap.

  

  To paraphrase Mork: “Nano, nano.”

  I humbly suggest that Johnson, Broudy, and Hughes look up from their stacks of white papers for a moment and think about what they’re saying. If top secret projects really are “twenty years ahead of anything we see today,” there would be an unknown continent where flying cars buzz around AI-controlled cities running on cold fusion generators. Maybe scientists there are using time machines to bring back dinosaurs for the local zoo.

  No one can prove a negative. So I cannot prove that ubiquitously deployed nanobots don’t exist. Nor can I prove that viable flying cars (not those wobbly mini-copters) and sustainable cold fusion are only pipedreams clogging up the patent office. It’s a big world out there. What do I know?

  But after five hours of listening to the Omniwar Symposium, I’m less convinced of vaccine- or chemtrail-borne nanos than when I began. Instead, I’m even more convinced that internet-borne memes can attach themselves to a person’s brain and detach his or her consciousness from objective reality.

  I am not arguing that the vaxxbot theories floated by Johnson, Broudy, and Hughes are untrue. I am saying I don’t believe them. Their source material is of great value and I commend their research efforts. But their aggressive conclusions are unconvincing.

  As for my readers, I encourage you to listen to this trio, to read their papers carefully, and draw your own conclusions. By now you know I have no intention of telling you what to believe. Not that it would matter if I did. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that people will believe whatever they like.

  *  *  *

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  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 22:10

• "Consumers Running Out Of Money": Former Target Exec Offers Dire Warning Ahead Of Christmas
  “Consumers Running Out Of Money”: Former Target Exec Offers Dire Warning Ahead Of Christmas

  US corporate media outlets continue to push propaganda that the economy thrives ahead of the presidential elections, cheerleading the most recent retail sales print. However, most Americans know MSM is full of ‘malarkey’ because inflation and interest rates force many to spend more but receive less. Many folks have depleted their personal savings and racked up insurmountable credit card debt just to keep up with rising food, energy, insurance, and shelter costs. This toxic mix of inflation, sparked by failed Bidenomics, has hit low- and middle-income families the hardest, potentially leading to a breaking point this upcoming holiday shopping season.

  “It’s very clear that consumers are running out of money. They’re increasingly stressed by inflation and the exhaustion of their pandemic-era savings. When you take a look over the last several years, what you see month after month, everyone talks about, the consumer’s still spending. They might be, but they’re spending less than the growth of inflation,” Storch Advisors CEO Gerald Storch told Fox Bussiness’ Maria Bartiromo on Thursday during an interview. 

  

  Bartiromo then asked Storch about his forecast on the upcoming spending season between Black Friday and Christmas. The former Target executive said, “[I don’t expect] too much, frankly … and think that [if] we can get growth in [the] 2.5% range, that’d be doing pretty well, and that’s not very good. In the heydays there, we’d really want to see something that’s more like 4% type of growth. You have, by the way, the shortest holiday season you can even imagine, so that’s against retailers.” 

  Besides Target, Storch was also the former CEO at Toys “R” Us. He noted, “Now and the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is very, very short, so that’s going to be bad. The election’s going to weigh on things and the geopolitical situation as well, so I think it’s going to be a pretty weak Christmas.” 

  The longtime retail executive’s ominous warning about consumers stalling this holiday season comes after retail sales showed consumers increased their purchases at retailers last month. However, this is only because of higher prices. In other words, consumers are spending more but receiving less.

  Storch’s outlook for the holiday season comes after Goldman analysts noted that the “trade-down phenomenon” has rippled across high-end and low-end consumers. The last time “trading down” mentions soared on earnings calls was during the GFC crisis in 2008. 

  

  This chart sums up the consumer’s dire state. 

  

  We noted earlier this week that the National Retail Federation’s annual Prosper Insights & Analytics survey showed lower forecasted spending trends for Halloween among consumers nationwide. The last time this happened was just before the Covid crash. All eyes should be on upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday to gauge holiday shopping trends.

  

  One last thing: perhaps mounting economic hardships are some of the drivers as to why US drinking rates have surged to the highest levels since the 1970s inflation storm. 

  

  Millions of Americans feel stressed in this disastrous Bidenomics era—it’s only a matter of time before something gives.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 21:35

• How To Remove Fluoride From Your Water At Home
  How To Remove Fluoride From Your Water At Home

  Authored by Sheramy Tsai via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  When Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city to add fluoride to its water supply in 1945, it was hailed as a major public health innovation aimed at preventing cavities. Many other cities quickly followed suit, and water fluoridation became a widespread practice nationwide.

  

  Today, with fluoride easily accessible in toothpaste and mouthwash, its added value in drinking water has been called into question. A review from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that fluoridated water reduces tooth decay by only a tiny amount—about a quarter of a tooth surface—raising doubts about its effectiveness.

  For decades, fluoride has quietly flowed through our taps, touted as a safeguard for dental health. But what if this commonly accepted chemical—long promoted for its benefits to teeth—is something you’d prefer to avoid?

  Growing evidence suggests fluoride may pose risks beyond our teeth, affecting thyroid health, cognitive development, and more. This concern has led many to seek ways to eliminate fluoride from their lives. Whether you’re wary of long-term exposure or simply want cleaner water for your family, there are solutions. From advanced filtration systems to simple DIY methods, here’s how to remove fluoride from your water—and your life.

  Push to End Fluoridation

  A February systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis published in Environmental Research linked excessive fluoride exposure to thyroid issues, and a 2016 National Toxicology Report noted an association between fluoride and lowered IQ in children.

  In September, a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take regulatory action on fluoride, citing evidence that community water fluoridation at 0.7 mg/L may pose an unreasonable risk to children’s health under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The court did not mandate specific steps, leaving the EPA “obliged to take regulatory action in response.”

  Pharmacist and thyroid specialist Izabella Wentz echoes these concerns, telling The Epoch Times, “Reducing fluoride exposure is crucial for supporting overall health and well-being.”

  Wentz notes that while most Western European nations have ceased fluoridating their water, the United States, Canada, and parts of the UK continue the practice.

  How to Remove Fluoride From Your Water At Home

  As the debate over fluoridation in public water systems continues, many households opt to address the issue themselves. Below are some of the most popular methods for reducing fluoride exposure at home.

  Reverse Osmosis Systems

  Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are highly effective at removing fluoride and other contaminants from drinking water, filtering out up to 84 percent through a semipermeable membrane. This purification process forces water through the membrane, leaving impurities behind. Fluoride expert Richard Sauerheber told The Epoch Times that modern RO systems can operate for years with minimal maintenance while effectively reducing fluoride levels.

  However, RO systems have certain drawbacks. According to Tom Volinchak, author of “Open Tap – Drink Poison,” they can produce up to 17 gallons of wastewater for every gallon of filtered water and remove beneficial minerals, which may need to be reintroduced for taste and health benefits.

  Despite these challenges, point-of-use RO systems remain an affordable and attractive option, typically costing under $1,000. They are especially beneficial in areas with higher fluoride contamination. For those seeking more comprehensive filtration, whole-house RO systems can cost upwards of $15,000.

  Activated Alumina Filters

  Activated alumina filters, such as Berkey’s PF-2, can remove up to 97 percent of fluoride and provide a convenient countertop solution that requires no plumbing or electricity. These filters use aluminum oxide to capture fluoride molecules on their porous surface.

  However, there are concerns that small amounts of aluminum may be released into the water, and in alkaline conditions, these filters may leach harmful aluminum-fluoride complexes. Filters must be replaced regularly, typically after 1,000 gallons, and some users report a decline in water quality over time.

  It should be noted that aluminum exposure might be of concern for those using activated alumina filters.

  Bone Char Filters

  Bone char is another distinct option for filtering fluoride from drinking water. Made from crushed animal bones heated in a kiln under low-oxygen conditions, bone char naturally absorbs fluoride and other contaminants, such as heavy metals, making it an effective filtration tool. Bone char’s ability to trap fluoride raises an important question: If animal bones can absorb fluoride so effectively, what impact might fluoride have on the bones in our own bodies?

  Research shows that 99 percent of fluoride lives in bones. A 2023 study in JAAOS Global Research & Reviews found that children living in areas with higher fluoride levels in drinking water experienced more bone fractures, especially in the arm and elbow.

  Bone char filters work through adsorption, where fluoride molecules adhere to the surface of the char as water passes through. However, its filtration lifespan can be unpredictable, varying with fluoride levels, and requires regular monitoring and replacement.

  Sauerheber cautions that the quality of bone char varies by source—char from Scotland is known to be highly effective but harder to find, while Brazilian char may be less reliable. This variability makes reverse osmosis a more consistent option for most households.

  Ion Exchange Systems

  Ion exchange systems use resin beads to replace fluoride ions with less harmful ions, such as chloride, effectively lowering fluoride levels. However, these systems come with environmental concerns—plastic resin beads contribute to plastic waste, and aging filters may release microplastics or concentrated fluoride.

  Frequent filter replacements make ion exchange systems expensive, particularly in regions with high fluoride levels. Additionally, the environmental impact raises sustainability concerns for many households, said Volinchak.

  Limitations of Certified Filtration Products

  Volinchak points out that not all filtration systems perform as effectively as their certifications suggest. Organizations like the Water Quality Association and the National Sanitation Foundation certify filters based on their ability to remove a specific percentage of contaminants. However, these certifications do not guarantee that the filtered water is entirely safe to drink.

  Volinchak warns that even filters claiming to remove 98 percent of a contaminant may be insufficient if the contaminant levels in the source water are particularly high. In such cases, harmful amounts of fluoride can remain after filtration. This highlights the importance of regularly testing your water’s contamination levels to ensure your filtration method is effective.

  Distillation: A DIY Approach

  For those seeking a more hands-on method to remove fluoride, distillation provides a reliable, though labor-intensive, solution. This process involves boiling water and collecting the steam, which is then condensed back into liquid, leaving fluoride and other contaminants behind. However, distilled water lacks minerals, which many people find results in a flat or bland taste.

  Sauerheber notes, “Distillation works well but requires labor on the part of the consumer,” and it is essential to remineralize the water to avoid drinking overly purified, mineral-deficient water.

  While distillation is highly effective at removing fluoride, it requires time, equipment, and the additional step of reintroducing essential minerals.

  For those looking for a more convenient solution, water distillation machines offer an automated approach to fluoride removal. Distillation units are available in various sizes, from compact countertop models to larger units suited for higher volume needs.

  Although they eliminate the manual labor of traditional distillation, these machines produce mineral-free water, requiring remineralization for optimal taste and health. Additionally, they can be energy-intensive, which may increase utility costs over time.

  Five Ways to Reduce Your Fluoride Burden

  Reducing fluoride exposure is important for maintaining health. If you have already been exposed or live in an area with high fluoride levels, there are steps you can take to mitigate its effects. While no supplements can directly neutralize fluoride, certain nutrients and lifestyle changes may support the body’s natural detoxification processes. 1. Be Mindful of Fluoride in Foods and Products

  Beyond water, fluoride can sneak into your daily routine through common foods, beverages, and products. Wentz highlights that black and red teas and certain medications are hidden sources of fluoride because tea plants absorb fluoride from the soil. Additionally, foods processed with fluoridated water and certain pesticides can introduce fluoride into your diet, further contributing to overall exposure.

  “Swapping out conventional dental hygiene products for ones made without fluoride,” Wentz says, is another simple way to lower your fluoride intake. Reading labels and choosing fluoride-free options wherever possible can make a big difference.

  While the American Dental Association advises most people—children, adolescents, and adults—to brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste for optimal dental health, many holistic dentists remain skeptical. They argue that there is not enough long-term evidence to fully support the safety of fluoride use in dental care.

  2. Boost Your Nutrient Intake

  Boosting nutrient intake can help counter fluoride’s effects on the body, particularly by supporting thyroid function. Fluoride competes with iodine, which is essential for hormone production. Ensuring adequate iodine intake from sources like seaweed, fish, dairy, or iodized salt helps protect the thyroid. However, Wentz cautions against high-dose iodine supplements, especially for those with thyroid disorders like Hashimoto’s, as it may worsen the condition.

  Calcium is another crucial nutrient, as it can bind with fluoride and reduce bone absorption. Magnesium helps balance fluoride and calcium, while antioxidants like vitamin C and selenium protect against the oxidative stress caused by fluoride exposure.

  Wentz recommends getting these essential nutrients primarily through a whole-food diet. However, supplements can provide an effective alternative for those with deficiencies

  Read the rest here…

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 21:00

• Militants From Jordan Wound Israeli Soldiers In Rare Cross-Border Attack
  Militants From Jordan Wound Israeli Soldiers In Rare Cross-Border Attack

  Via Middle East Eye

  At least two Israeli soldiers have been wounded in an attack by gunmen who entered Israeli territory from Jordan, according to Israeli media reports. The incident on Friday took place in Neot HaKikar in the south Dead Sea area, close to the border with Jordan.

  Israeli media sources said that Israeli soldiers were searching the area for another possible attacker, while the Israeli army said it had killed two of the attackers and was looking for a third who fled the scene.

  

  The attack came a day after Israel claimed the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. Earlier, the army said that its observers had noticed a group of men trying to infiltrate the border and had sent soldiers to confront them.

  Military officials have also told residents of the area to remain indoors as soldiers carry out searches for any other potential fighters. Unconfirmed images purporting to be of the slain attackers show them in military attire.

  Jordanian officials, however, have put out a statement saying that the attackers did not belong to the country’s armed forces and that the uniforms were not Jordanian military issue.

  Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, Jordan’s leaders have had to walk a fine line between heightened anti-Israel sentiment in the country and ensuring its own bilateral relationship with Israel.

  The country has a large population descended from Palestinian refugees forced to flee historic Palestine after the mass expulsions, widely known as the Nakba, and regularly sees mass protests in support of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.

  Jordan’s Islamic Action Front, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, lauded the attack. In a statement it said: “We celebrate the heroic attack carried out by the Amer Qawwas and Hossam Abu Ghazala in the Dead Sea region.”

  “We call on the government to reconsider its agreements with the Zionist enemy.”

  In September, Jordanian national and truck driver Maher Dhiab al-Jazi was shot and killed at the Allenby Bridge crossing with the occupied West Bank after killing three Israeli security guards. In a letter he left for his family, he said he was motivated by Israel’s ongoing atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza.

  

  At the same time, Jordan’s government has not significantly altered its diplomatic relationship with Israel, and trade ties between the two continue as normal.

  After Iran launched missile salvos at Israel in April and again in October, Jordanian armed forces were involved in attempting to down missiles flying over Jordanian territory, prompting domestic criticism.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 20:25

• Study Finds School Choice Closes Low-Income Student Performance Gap
  Study Finds School Choice Closes Low-Income Student Performance Gap

  Authored by Savannah Hulsey Pointer via The Epoch Times,

  A new report reveals that school choice has significantly narrowed the academic performance gap between low-income students and their more affluent peers.

  

  The findings of the Progressive Policy Institute’s (PPI’s) October report underscore the positive impact of public charter schools in driving academic improvements across entire school districts, not just for students attending charter schools.

  According to the report, the achievement gap between low-income students and their counterparts in Camden, New Jersey, which had 68 percent of students enrolled in charter schools by 2023, was reduced by 42 percent between the 2010–2011 and 2022–2023 school years.

  From 2011 to 2023, the proportion of students attending charter schools in Camden increased, resulting in an increase of more than 20 percent in low-income pupil performance.

  The report discovered that the gap in Washington closed by 38 percent during the same period, with 45 percent of pupils enrolled in charter schools.

  In Indianapolis, the gap narrowed by 23 percent, with 58 percent of pupils attending charter schools.

  The report indicates that nonwhite students are among the most significant beneficiaries of school choice, accounting for 70 percent of charter school pupils in the cities surveyed, despite only making up approximately half of the district.

  Charter schools are publicly funded, tuition-free, and accessible to all students.

  However, they differ from traditional public schools in their operational flexibility and governance.

  Charter schools are subject to the same federal laws regarding nondiscrimination and admission, but they have a greater degree of autonomy over their curriculum, personnel, and scheduling.

  Because of the increased self-governance, charter schools can customize and innovate their educational programs to accommodate the unique requirements of their student bodies.

  The report emphasizes the substantial increases in academic performance observed in cities with a significant number of charter schools, particularly among low-income students.

  Those students have made major strides in closing the achievement disparity with their peers in cities where at least one-third of students attend charter schools or charter-like institutions, according to the study.

  This trend has been observed in numerous cities throughout the United States, where public charter schools comprise a significant portion of total school enrollment.

  The report indicates that a key factor driving this progress is the higher accountability standards to which charter schools are held.

  Unlike traditional district schools, which are rarely closed for poor performance, charter schools must meet specific educational objectives outlined in their charter agreements.

  These schools are periodically reviewed, and if they fail to meet the required performance standards, their charters can be revoked.

  This performance-based accountability typically creates a system in which underperforming schools are either improved or replaced by higher-performing ones, ensuring that students receive a better education.

  The PPI report also recognizes a “spillover effect” in cities that have robust educational choice programs.

  In a city that has a combination of traditional and charter schools, the competition among schools fosters improvement throughout the entire system, which is advantageous to all students.

  This dynamic motivates traditional public schools to enhance their performance to retain enrollment and encourages them to implement innovative practices from charter schools.

  In addition to attention on charter schools, the option of homeschooling is growing in popularity with parents across the nation.

  New data from the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy’s homeschool research lab show that 90 percent of states reporting data saw an increase in homeschooling in the 2023–2024 school year.

  The report examined data from 21 out of 30 states that collect or report homeschool participation information. The other nine states are expected to report data in the coming months.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 19:50

• From Grey-List To Gold-Standard
  From Grey-List To Gold-Standard

  2024 was always likely to be a year of geopolitical volatility. Confronted with the hangovers of 2023’s conflicts, high inflation and civil unrest, 2024’s convergence of 64 global elections, uncertainty over the future of trade, natural resources, sovereign debt, environment and population provided an ethically divisive opportunity for the media to double down on partisan opinion, stoking further fear and polarity. From the coverage of Britain’s recent riots through to the U.S.’s 180-degree treatment of its Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, the word ‘gaslighting’ has emerged from the fringes of our lexicon to become a key descriptor of the mainstream news cycle.

  As a regular subject for this type of coverage, Dubai’s popularity and success as a business, trade and tourism destination has made itself an easy target, no part in thanks to its gold industry, which has risen to become one the world’s largest physical markets.

  In a recent piece published in June, The Times’ “Cocaine Inc: how British drugs cash is turned into solid gold in Dubai” highlights the emirate’s position as a target for U.K’s drug gangs in the form of cash mules, as well as some unfounded accusations about undeclared gold imports. As an investigative piece, where at least some of the perpetrators have already been tried and found guilty, the report also highlighted that criminality is rarely restricted by national borders, but instead passported. With the Dubai authorities having worked closely with organizations such as the World Gold Council, the UAE’s National Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism and Financing of Illegal Organizations Committee (NAMLCFTC) and INTERPOL, the evidence has become abundantly clear that if we want to fully remove illicit activity and money laundering, there must be a concerted effort to address the root causes and not the symptoms.

  In credit to The Times, its Cocaine Inc series does address the extent of the UK’s drug abuse culture, which ranges from blue collar workers all the way up to the highest echelons of power. According to The Guardian, as covered by The Times, “traces of a class-A drug, said to be a white powder, were found at Chevening, the grace-and-favor mansion of Liz Truss, then the foreign secretary. Separate sources told the paper that they had found similar deposits in the offices at No. 10 after two lockdown parties held when Johnson was prime minister.”

  Depending on your source, the value of Britain’s illicit drug trade is around GBP 10bn (USD 13.2bn) with an ultimate cost to the economy of around GBP 37bn (USD 49.10bn) and while there are no doubt some gangs that have tried to launder money through Dubai, doing so domestically remains by far the path of least resistance. According to Transparency International UK, GBP 6.7bn ($8.89bn) of laundered money was invested in UK property in the six years between 2016 – 2022, and while GBP 1.5bn ($1.99bn) of that is tied to Russians accused of corruption or links to the Kremlin, that still leaves a sizeable sum. Meanwhile, on the high street, Britain’s money service businesses (MSBs) have also helped to facilitate considerable volume, with just one money service shop in London laundering GBP 310mn ($411mn) in just one year, before being closed in 2019. Other businesses targeted include barber shops. According to Former Metropolitan Police Officer Ali Hassan Ali, “Right across High Streets we have seen a boom in barbers opening up since the pandemic. A lot of these shops have thousands of pounds of equipment but no customers.” According to figures published by the Home Office, HM Treasury and Serious Fraud Office, Britain launders GBP 150bn (USD 199.bn) each year, making it the second largest money laundering economy in the world after the United States.

  What The Times, and many newspapers like it won’t do is address the elephant in the room – that Britain has been consistently let down by a series of inept administrations who fail to acknowledge a simple, fundamental fact – that allowing a narcotics trade with a value close to the GDP of the Bahamas to not only operate but flourish within its borders will not lead to positive outcomes.

  According to one source over 50 per cent of all suicides, the leading cause of death for men aged 20 – 34 in England and Wales, are associated with alcohol and drug dependence and despite 4,907 drug- related deaths in 2022, the highest number since records began, the penalties for possession of a class A drug are a maximum of seven years in prison and an unlimited fine – neither of which are truly ever enforced.

  Comparatively, there are several reasons why the UAE doesn’t have an illicit drug trade; one of which is its zero-tolerance towards trafficking, which in some cases can result in the death penalty, and while its laws and punishments may be considered harsh by some, the net positive means law abiding citizens can live in what is recognized as one of the world’s safest countries.

  In the wake of the UK riots, sparked by the horrific murder of three young girls in Southport, more attention seemed to be spent on rounding up those who, in many cases, protested peacefully or commented on social media, before even considering addressing the public’s clear and obvious concerns. Similar to the ever growing drugs trade, the mass migration of illegal, mostly fighting-age men at the cost of the British taxpayer to the tune of GBP 14bn (USD 18.57bn) per year will also not lead to peaceful outcomes, particularly while its beleaguered National Health Service has a wait list of 7.62 million cases as of July 2024, and approximately 4.3 million of its children are estimated to live in poverty. In the government’s most recent catastrophe, Keir Starmer’s plan to issue the early release to some 1,700 inmates, has also appeared to have backfired, with at least one man already back in the dock, likely to return to prison for allegedly committing a sexual assault within hours of release. In Scotland, an estimated one in ten of some 477 early release prisoners were back behind bars within weeks, including 12 who were out for 10 days or less. And all this from a G7 nation.

  In keeping with focusing on anything but the foundational issue, The Times’ coverage of Dubai’s tangential role in a problem that originates in Britain, for which its government shows very little interest in solving, is yet another reason why the mainstream news is dying. It also coincides at a time when a “gaslit” general public is waking up and tuning to journalists who shine a light on those who’ve actually operated with complete impunity at the cost of others – a great example being Ezra Levant and Avi Yemini confronting Pfizer CEO, Albert Bourla while attending Davos in 2023.

  This isn’t to diminish the severity of any laundering activity that occurs in Dubai courtesy of Britain’s narcotics trade; however, it is easy to see why at best, it represents the tip of a far larger, often unaddressed iceberg.

  Since being placed on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF), ‘grey list’ in March 2022, the UAE has significantly enhanced its protocols for monitoring and identifying illicit activity at each stage, resulting in its removal from the list in February 2024. As a result, it has maintained a strict approach to monitoring, resulting in significant clamp downs on sectors including finance, property, and precious metals. A recent example of this enhanced domestic monitoring can be found in the UAE Ministry of Economy’s recent suspension for 32 gold refineries, which were found to be in violation of rules such as Know Your Client protocols and suspicious transaction reporting. As clearly stated by Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy, “The UAE affirms its firm commitment to developing an integrated legislative and regulatory system to combat money laundering,” and to achieve “the highest levels of compliance” within its gold sector’s due diligence regulations “by keeping pace with the best global practices in this regard.”

  Similarly, the LBMA’s decision to drop its jurisdictional challenge in its Tanzania labeling case is another example of an institution acknowledging due process and taking responsibility for its role as a global certification body – and while this will test, for the first time, whether a certification body can be held legally responsible for a flawed certification process, it is better for a system to be tested and found at fault, rather to be untested at all.

  Proactively speaking, the UAE has also made considerable efforts to align with organizations such as the World Gold Council in order to promote greater transparency, while building investor confidence. By addressing the wider lack of trust held by consumers, the World Gold Council, in collaboration with UAE authorities, is in the process of exploring the introduction of best practices for online gold trading. Mirroring initiatives in markets like Germany and the UK, the strategy aims to establish clear guidelines and ethical standards for digital gold platforms. Partially driven by the UAE’s expanding high-net-worth investor base, who increasingly favor gold bars and coins, the support of the WGC is a clear illustration of its commitment to collaborate with authorities to shape a more transparent and robust gold market.

  According to recent findings, the UAE continues to be the world’s top wealth magnet for a third year running and is expected to attract a record net inflow of 6,700 millionaires by the end of 2024. Conversely, the UK is expected to lose approximately 17 per cent of its millionaire population by 2028 according to Swiss bank, UBS.

  Commenting on the initiative, Andrew Naylor, Head of Middle East and Public Policy at World Gold Council said, “A new base of investors in the UAE and family offices are placing greater allocations on the metal. The UAE gold market is not just about gold jewellery alone, with bars and coin demand taking on higher volumes. If there is increased transparency in the transactions, it will benefit the whole precious metals market in the UAE. Because this market is already globally known for the purity of the gold sold via retail and other channels.”

  Other areas of collaboration with the WGC include an initiative to formalize artisanal gold mining. Conducted in a three-stage approach, the WGC aims to work in coordination with central banks to encourage them to purchase domestically produced artisanal gold, thereby boosting local economies and improving mining practices. Secondly, to explore technologies that can enhance transparency in the artisanal gold trade and help verify the origin of the gold, and finally commissioning a report on artisanal gold production to raise awareness about the issue and promote responsible sourcing practices.

  Today, the UAE is estimated to trade between 20 – 30 per cent of the world’s gold each year, meaning its monitoring processes are not only important for its domestic reputation, but for those economies that trade with it.

  While no nation is perfect, the current era of western political discourse and its alliance with the media, which evolves around denying obvious problems in the face of empirical fact needs to stop, if for no other reason than the sanity of its constituents and its relationship with the rest of the world.

  As with overcoming any toxic habit, acknowledging the underlying problem is always the first step.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 19:15

• CDC Begins Assessment Of Border Pollution In San Diego County
  CDC Begins Assessment Of Border Pollution In San Diego County

  Authored by City News Service via The Epoch Times,

  Select South Bay residents began receiving visits from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Thursday as the federal agency is partnering with the county in a health assessment to determine the impact of the Tijuana River Valley sewage pollution crisis.

  

  The county and CDC are working together on a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response or CASPER. A total of 210 households were selected from a larger 30-block section of homes near the border to participate in the survey.

  “This assessment is a vital tool in addressing the public health crisis caused by sewage pollution in the Tijuana River Valley. By sharing your experiences, you are helping us gather the information we need to secure more resources and ensure the safety and well-being of our families,” San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas said. “I strongly encourage all residents to participate and make their voices heard.”

  Teams will arrive in small groups and will carry identification to reassure residents of their official role in this effort. They will be wearing reflective vests, and are bilingual in English and Spanish. Interviews will be anonymous and take around 15 minutes.

  

  Crews work on the Tijuana River outside of San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

  Visits will run through Saturday between 2 to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

  “It is important to hear directly from people who live near the Tijuana River Valley,” said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, the county’s interim public health officer. “If you get a knock on your door in the next couple of days from a CASPER interview team, please speak with interviewers and provide your honest answers.”

  The responses will be used to guide decisions moving forward with the river valley and the people who live near it.

  “The CDC has supported our partners in using the CASPER method for decades to quickly gather household-based information about community health concerns,” said Dr. Aaron Bernstein, director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. “These interviews will provide firsthand insights into how the sewage contamination is impacting the daily lives of residents, helping to inform solutions.”

  The San Diego City Council recently approved a resolution asking for a national emergency regarding the sewage outflow at the border. The council had approved 31 years of consecutive extensions of a local state of emergency on the situation.

  

  A sewage treatment facility pumps in water from the Tijuana River outside of San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

  The largely symbolic item officially implores the federal government to make the local crisis a recognized national one, as well as asking for total funding of the Environmental Protection Agency’s infrastructure solution to the pollution.

  In early September, high levels of noxious gases such as hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide were measured by scientific teams in the river valley and noticed by residents due to the rotten egg smell even miles from the border. Ultimately, crews from San Diego County determined there was no immediate health risk, but many residents believed the crisis had reached a turning point.

  “We’re left feeling like the federal government has forgotten about us,” San Diego City Councilwoman Vivian Moreno said.

  The San Diego City Council first declared a state of emergency because of the pollution—ranging from raw sewage to industrial runoff—in 1993. Imperial Beach put out a similar declaration in 2017, followed by the county in 2023.

  Since October 2018, the United States section of the International Boundary and Water Commission has catalogued more than 200 billion gallons of toxic waste coming into the United States through the Tijuana River Valley. According to a city document on Tuesday’s resolution, the commission has spent just $4 million of $40 million allocated for infrastructure maintenance at the broken South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.

  

  The city even sued the USIBWC to make the commission comply with the Clean Water Act. A total of $300 million was appropriated through the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement for the wastewater plant. In August, the USIBWC announced it will use the more than $400 million in federal funding secured by San Diego’s Congressional delegation to repair and expand the plant.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 18:40

• Watch: In 'Kamala's America', Illegal Alien Smuggler Leads High-Speed Police Chase
  Watch: In ‘Kamala’s America’, Illegal Alien Smuggler Leads High-Speed Police Chase

  Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez posted a dramatic video on X showing police in hot pursuit of an illegal alien human smuggler in Webb County.

  Olivarez stated that the “high-speed chase” involved an illegal alien smuggler who crashed into DPS special agent’s vehicle.

  “During the pursuit, the smuggler, Guillermo Osto Navarette, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, disregarded several stop signs and crashed into a DPS Special Agent. Upon exiting the vehicle, Navarette resisted arrest and assaulted a Border Patrol Agent,” Olivarez said, adding that the smuggler was charged with “three counts of smuggling of persons, evading arrest, and assault on a peace officer.”

  TX Troopers Arrest Illegal Immigrant Smuggler After High-Speed Chase, Crashes Into DPS Special Agent & Assaults Border Patrol Agent

  10/15: A human smuggler driving a Chevy Malibu led @TxDPS Troopers on a high-speed pursuit in Webb County this week.

  During the pursuit, the… pic.twitter.com/K92NAzqSAL

  — Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) October 18, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  NewsNation’s Ali Bradley posted a mugshot of the illegal alien smuggler from Mexico…

  NEW: Texas DPS releases mugshot of illegal immigrant from Mexico attempting to smuggle other illegal immigrants also from Mexico, into the interior of the United States.

  Guillermo Osto Navarette was arrested following a pursuit, crash and agent assault in Webb county, Texas.… pic.twitter.com/rxiAf1AdNN

  — Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) October 18, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Illegal alien smugglers running rampant across America have only been made possible by open southern borders, pushed by Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party, aiming to import a new voting class of people to win elections in swing states and ultimately create a one-party nation. The dangerous influx of ten million unvetted migrants from third-world countries continues to cause chaos nationwide.

  

  In July, a high-speed chase in Arkansas, where an illegal alien nearly killed a member of law enforcement, shocked the nation.

  Arkansas: Heroic Motorist Rescues Female State Trooper Under Attack by Drunk Illegal Alien

  An Arkansas woman is being hailed as a heroine after she stopped to aid an officer being attacked by an intoxicated illegal alien during a recent traffic stop that ended in a shooting,… pic.twitter.com/vDvTbuXVdh

  — Border Hawk (@BorderHawkNews) September 20, 2024

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  Importing the third world into the first world has consequences. Americans are learning this the hard way, with thousands of heavily armed members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua prison gang now roaming American streets. Even the US Army, in leaked documents, has sounded the alarm.

  All Americans want is low crime and the opportunity to prosper economically. Democrats have delivered the opposite, prioritizing illegal aliens over their own citizens. Voters/taxpayers should be outraged. 

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 18:05

• Will A Potemkin Election Follow Biden's Potemkin Presidency?
  Will A Potemkin Election Follow Biden’s Potemkin Presidency?

  Authored by James Bovard,

  Blindfolds and systemic deceit are the death of self-government…

  

  President Biden has been derided for being a Potemkin president, a figurehead in a vast charade portraying him actually running the government.  Biden was forced to withdraw from the presidential race after his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump in June.   But is a Potemkin presidency being followed by a Potemkin election?

  Biden’s expulsion from the presidential race did not herald the arrival of truth. Most of the media still tolerates pervasive secrecy on prime issues of the 2024 campaign.

  In bygone times, elections were about self-government.  Nowadays, voters merely have a cameo role to sanctify the nearly boundless power of officialdom.  Every year, the federal government slaps a “secret” label on trillions of pages of information – enough to fill 20 million filing cabinets.  And since the government is automatically benevolent (if a Democrat is president), there is no need to trouble citizens with the grisly details of how they are being served.

  At the same time Special Counsel Jack Smith is racing to fling all possible dirt at Trump before Election Day, each week we learn of new cover-ups designed to deceive Americans about how badly they have been misgoverned:

  1. Biden administration has mostly succeeded in covering up the crime wave by illegal aliens ushered into the nation since 2021. Former Border Patrol Sector Chief Aaron Heitke testified to Congress last month that the Biden administration hid the adverse impact from deluging U.S. cities with illegal aliens, including those with terror ties.

  2. The National Archives announced on Wednesday that it would delay until after the election the release of potentially damning records on Vice President Joe Biden’s dealings with his son and foreign wheelers-dealers – records that have been sought for more than a year by conservative lawyers and activists.

  3. Biden’s Justice Department sought to bury all the tax charges against Hunter Biden but were thwarted thanks to courageous IRS whistleblowers.  Hunter’s guilty plea last month to the tax charges confirms that the Justice Department’s offer a wrist-slap plea bargain to Hunter last year was a shameless obstruction of justice.

  4. Biden’s FBI last year created “a new category of extremists that it seeks to track and counter: Donald Trump’s army of MAGA followers,” Newsweek reported. FBI whistleblowers have exposed the politicization of an agency that even secretly targeted traditional Catholics who prefer to hear mass in Latin. But the vast majority of FBI surveillance and entrapment abuses remain shrouded.

  5. Team Biden is covering up both Trump assassination attempts. Biden appointees have stonewalled bipartisan congressional investigations into the abysmal Secret Service failures at Butler, Pennsylvania.  The Justice Department has indefinitely delayed hearings for Ryan Routh, the 58-year-old guy caught waiting to shoot Trump on his Florida golf course.  Delaying proceedings against Routh assures that Americans will not learn before the election whether the would-be assassin had ties to the CIA, Pentagon, State Department or other agencies that assisted Routh with his massively-publicized campaign to recruit foreign soldiers to fight for Ukraine.

  6. The Biden administration continues covering up almost everything regarding its support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.  The best info Americans have received was thanks to a young military computer technician who leaked revelations that the Ukrainian military was in far worse shape than Team Biden claimed. Americans have been forced to pay hundreds of billions of dollars but are left in the dark regarding Biden administration machinations that risk pulling this nation into World War Three.

  7. The House Oversight Committee this week subpoenaed DHS for its records on Tim Walz’s possible ties to the CCP after being contacted by a whistleblower.  There is zero chance that the Biden administration will release any of those records before Election Day.

  8. Political convenience is practically the sole determinant of what Americans are permitted to learn nowadays.  After Biden dropped his re-election bid, the administration disclosed records showing that his son Hunter sought U.S. government handouts for Burisma when Joe Biden was Vice President.  That scandal was buried until Joe Biden was no longer politically relevant.

  Is censorship the biggest X factor for this election? Four years ago, the presidential election may have been swung by the coverup of the damning revelations in Hunter Biden’s laptop.  The FBI and the CIA hustled to censor and defuse that story with false rebuttals in October 2020.  According to multiple federal court rulings, federal agencies tampered with the 2020 election by censoring millions of comments by Americans who raised doubts about the trustworthiness of mail-in ballots and other election procedures. Federal judge Terry Doughty noted that  “virtually all of the free speech suppressed was ‘conservative’ free speech.”  A federal appeals court issued an injunction prohibiting federal officials from acting “to coerce or significantly encourage social-media companies to remove, delete, suppress, or reduce . . . posted social-media content containing protected free speech.”

  But the Supreme Court refused to recognize that the censorship victims had any legal standing and canceled the injunction.   Americans will likely have no idea how many muzzles and blindfolds were secretly attached by federal agencies and federal contractors before Election Day.

  Don’t expect journalists to suddenly get hot to thwart those Biden cover-ups. When the media shrouded Biden’s mental debility, it directly endorsed de facto secret rule. How much effort has the New York Times or Washington Post or National Public Radio exerted to reveal who is actually exercising the supreme power nowadays? Exposing that issue could derail Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign so it is ignored. But ​​​​​Biden is as oblivious as ever. When asked by a reporter on Thursday about the situation in the Hurricane Helene storm zone, Biden replied that those states “are getting everything they need. They are very happy across the board.”

  Earth to Uncle Joe?!?

  But as long as Donald Trump is not elected next month, most of the Washington media doesn’t care who is in control. If the Wizard of Oz was a contemporary political campaign story, the media would overwhelmingly side with the guy behind the curtain.

  As long as the Wizard recited “Orange Man Bad,” the media would cover up all his abuses.

  But “informed consent” is a mirage if the feds blindfold voters.

  As long as Team Biden keeps a lid on its worst outrages until Election Day, Democrats can snare four more year to abuse the Constitution, the law, and the American people. Unfortunately, self-government is not retroactive.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 17:30

• No Central Bank Wants To Stop Price Inflation
  No Central Bank Wants To Stop Price Inflation

  Authored by Daniel Lacalle via The Mises Institute,

  Many citizens want more government control of the economy to curb rising prices. It is the worst strategy imaginable. Interventionist governments never reduce consumer prices because they benefit from inflation, dissolving their political spending commitments in a constantly depreciated currency. Inflation is the perfect hidden tax. The government makes the currency less valuable by issuing more units of fiat money, partially dissolves its debt in real terms, collects more taxes, and presents itself as the solution to rising prices with subsidies in an increasingly worthless currency.

  That is why socialism and hyperinflation go hand in hand.

  

  Socialism rejects human action and economic calculation and sells a false image of a government that can create wealth at will by issuing more units of fiat currency. Obviously, when inflation arrives, the socialist government will use its two favorite tools: propaganda and repression. Propaganda, which accuses stores and businesses of driving up prices, and repression, which occurs when social unrest intensifies and citizens legitimately hold governments accountable for scarcity and high prices, are the two main strategies.

  If you want lower prices, you need to give less economic power to the government, not more. Only free markets, competition, and open economies help decrease consumer prices. Many readers might think that we currently have a free market with competitive and open economies, but the reality is that we live in increasingly intervened and overregulated nations where central banks and governments work to perpetuate unsustainable public deficits and debt. Therefore, they continue to print more money, leading many to question why it is getting harder for families to make ends meet, buy a home, or for small businesses to prosper. The government is slowly eating away the currency it issues. They call it “social use of money.”

  What is “social use of money”? In essence, it means abandoning one of the main characteristics of money, the reserve of value, to give the government preferential access to credit to finance its commitments. Therefore, the state can announce larger entitlement programs and increase the size of the public sector relative to the economy, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. The state issues more currency, which makes people’s money less valuable. Citizens become more dependent on the state, and they will demand more subsidies paid in the currency the state issues. It is, in essence, a process of control through debt and currency depreciation.

  When governments and central banks talk about price stability, it means a two percent annual depreciation of the currency. Aggregate prices rising an average of two percent is hardly price stability because it is measured by the consumer price index, which is a carefully crafted basket of goods and services weighted by the same people who print the money. That is why governments love CPI as a measure of inflation. It fails to fully reflect the erosion of the currency’s purchasing power. This is why the CPI’s basket calculation fluctuates so frequently. Even if it accurately measures, it will underestimate the rise in prices of non-replaceable goods and services by adding them to a basket of things we consume maybe once or twice a year at best. When you put together shelter, food, health, and energy with technology and entertainment, there will always be distortions.

  Thus, governments and central banks are never going to defend price stability. If aggregate prices fell, competition soared, and citizens saw their real wages rise and their deposit savings increase in real value, their jobs would disappear.

  When a central bank like the Fed cuts rates and increases the money supply after an accumulated 20.4% inflation in four years, it is not defending price stability; it is defending price increases. This strategy serves to conceal the government’s financial insolvency. A currency with a declining value.

  Governments are the ones that create inflation by spending a currency that is constantly losing purchasing power because the state issues more than what the private sector demands. No corporation or allegedly evil oil producer can make aggregate prices rise and continue increasing annually at a lower pace. Only the one that prints the money, and central banks don’t print money because they want to; they increase the money supply to absorb rising public deficit spending.

  Inflation is a hidden tax, a slow process of nationalization of the economy, and the perfect way to increase taxes without angering voters and blaming private businesses in the meantime. The consumer will likely blame the store or business for higher prices, not the issuer of a currency that loses purchasing power.

  Why would governments want higher prices? Because it gives them more power. Destroying the currency they issue is a perfect form of control. That is why they need more debt and higher taxes. High taxes are not a tool to reduce debt, but rather to justify rising public indebtedness.

  You may have read numerous times that the government has unlimited borrowing power and can manage inflation to allow you to live comfortably. It is false. The government cannot issue all the debt it wants. It has an inflationary, economic, and fiscal limit.

  Inflation is a warning sign of declining currency confidence and a loss of purchasing power. The economic limit is evidenced by lower growth, lower employment, weaker real wages, secular stagnation, and declining foreign demand for public debt.

  The fiscal limit is evidenced by soaring interest expenses even with low rates, weaker receipts every time they hike taxes, and citizens and businesses leaving the country to more friendly tax systems, all of which add to the poor or negative multiplier effect of government spending.

  If you want lower prices, you should give less economic power to governments, not more.

  A government that tells you it will borrow $2 trillion per annum in a growth and record receipt economy and will continue to increase debt and borrow well into 2033 with the most optimistic assumptions of GDP and receipt is telling you it will make you poorer.

  When a politician promises that he or she will cut prices, they are always lying. A weaker currency is a tool to increase government power in the economy. By the time you find out, it may be too late.

  Money is credit, and government debt is fiat currency. Currency depreciation is inflation, and inflation is equivalent to an implicit default. No interventionist government or central bank wants lower prices because inflation allows the government to increase its power while slowly breaching its monetary commitments.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 16:20

• Elon Musk Warns "Car Industry Very Difficult" As "Ford & Tesla" Only "US Car Companies That Haven't Gone Bankrupt" 
  Elon Musk Warns “Car Industry Very Difficult” As “Ford & Tesla” Only “US Car Companies That Haven’t Gone Bankrupt” 

  Elon Musk appeared at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Montgomery County on Friday night for his second town hall in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. With just 16 days until the election, Musk – and his pro-Trump America PAC – are holding town halls statewide to support the former president.

  In an off-topic conversation, an audience member asked Musk why Tesla had not purchased the struggling EV competitor Rivian. 

  

  Musk responded:

  “I wish them the best. I hope they do well. The car industry is a very difficult industry. There’s only two US car companies that haven’t gone bankrupt, and that’s Ford and Tesla. Rivian’s going to have a hard time. It’s insanely difficult to compete in the car industry. If it were not for two technology discontinuities, one being electrification and the other being autonomy, I think Tesla could not succeed without solving both.”

  🚨ELON MUSK: “The car industry is a very difficult industry. There are only two car companies that haven’t gone bankrupt: Ford and Tesla. Rivian is going to have a hard time. It’s insanely difficult to compete in the car industry.

  If it were not for not just one, but two… pic.twitter.com/rOgdBiGJHq

  — Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) October 19, 2024

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  Earlier this month, Rivian announced that third-quarter vehicle deliveries missed forecasts and lowered its full-year production guidance amid continued “component shortage.”

  Rivian said it delivered 10,018 vehicles in the quarter and produced 13,157 units. This missed FactSet estimates of 12,670 deliveries. 

  The problem with Rivian is the limited affordability options for most models—they’re out of reach for the average consumer. The company expects to launch a smaller Tesla Model Y-rivaling R2, which won’t roll out onto US highways until late 2026 or even 2027.

  Last month, Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas downgraded names like GM, Ford, Rivian, Magna International, and Phinia amid the slowdown in the auto market. 

  It doesn’t help when high interest rates and elevated vehicle prices have sent new monthly car payments skyrocketing higher in several years. 

  

  In a separate note earlier this year, MS Jonas pointed out that struggling EV companies could develop partnerships with legacy automakers. 

  

  Rivian recently partnered with Volkswagen, validating the analyst’s consolidation forecast in the space. 

  Here’s what X users are saying about Musk’s comments last night about Rivian:

  in reality, Tesla has nothing to gain by buying a company that egregiously burned through 23 *billion* un-successfully ramping a single product line

  — WeirdNerd (@xIronman777) October 19, 2024

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  Elon actually wants others to do well! This is another thing that folks don’t immediately realize. Tesla open sourced all their patents to help folks like Rivian out. He cares about the mission and wants competition out there to drive better products for all.

  — ĐOGEARMY GENERAL (@TheTeslaBull) October 19, 2024

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  They’ve burned so much cash. Soo soooo much cash. Prognosis for the future isn’t nearly as bright as Tesla either.

  That said… why would Tesla want to buy into such a cash drain? What tech do they have that’s even useful to Tesla?

  — Charlie (@CharliePryor) October 19, 2024

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  Shares of Rivian are down 57% this year – near record lows. Short interest is about 16.5% or about 122.3 million shares. 

  

  The price war Telsa started just a few short years ago to crush competition shows that Musk continues to win.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 15:45

• Boeing, Union Reach Tentative Deal To End Strike, Ratification Vote Pending
  Boeing, Union Reach Tentative Deal To End Strike, Ratification Vote Pending

  Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,

  Boeing and the union representing striking machinists have reached a tentative agreement that union leaders say should be presented to members for a ratification vote, paving the way for a potential end to the more than month-long strike.

  “With the help of Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su, we have received a negotiated proposal and resolution to end the strike, and it warrants presenting to the members and is worthy of your consideration,” the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 751 said in a statement on Oct. 19.

  Around 33,000 of Boeing’s unionized workers walked off the job on Sept. 13 after nearly 95 percent of the mostly West Coast workers rejected Boeing’s offer of a 25 percent pay hike over four years. The strike halted production of the company’s 737 Max, as well as the 767 and 777 widebody aircraft, with the company losing an estimated $1 billion per month due to the labor action.

  

  Union leaders said the tentative deal features “key improvements” over an earlier Sept. 12 proposal that are “aimed at resolving the strike.” The latest proposal includes a 35 percent wage increase over four years, a $7,000 ratification bonus, and reinstated incentive payouts. It also includes improved 401k contributions, a $105 pension multiplier, and restored call-in provisions.

  While Boeing’s latest proposal makes a number of concessions, it does not include a dedicated pension plan for new members, which was a key demand in previous negotiations. Instead, it emphasizes enhanced 401k contributions, including a 100 percent company match up to 8 percent and a one-time $5,000 contribution for eligible members.

  The union said it plans to hold a vote on the proposal on Oct. 23 that, if approved by a simple majority of members, will cement the tentative deal into a contract and end the strike.

  Union leaders said they are still finalizing the strike settlement agreement and, along with additional contract details, will present it to members for their consideration ahead of Wednesday’s vote.

  “The future of this contract is in your hands,” they said.

  In a statement issued on Oct. 19, Boeing said: “We look forward to our employees voting on the negotiated proposal.”

  The strike began at a challenging time for Boeing, which has been trying to ramp up production after a series of safety incidents and increased regulatory scrutiny in recent years. Analysts have warned that a prolonged strike could lead to lasting financial impacts, while credit-rating agencies have warned of potential ratings downgrades.

  Shortly after the strike began in mid-September, the plane maker announced a hiring freeze, a halt to nonessential spending, and teased the possibility of layoffs, in a bid to conserve cash and preserve the company’s long-term operations. At the time, Boeing also said it will temporarily release nonessential contractors and consultants, and pause employee retention programs, catered meals, and team events.

  As the strike dragged into October, Boeing announced that it will cut around 17,000 jobs and further delay the launch of the 777X, a new model that is already several years behind schedule.

  “Our business is in a difficult position, and it is hard to overstate the challenges we face together,” Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in an Oct. 11 memo to employees, which came on the same day that the plane maker announced in a press release that it expects to recognize negative impacts to its financial results when it reports third-quarter earnings on Oct. 23.

  Boeing attributed the impacts to charges related to certain commercial and defense programs, as well as the ongoing strike. The company now projects revenues of $17.8 billion, an operating cash flow deficit of $1.3 billion, and a loss of $9.97 per share.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 15:10

• Iranian Proxies 'Tried To Assassinate Me & My Wife', Netanyahu Says After Drone Struck His Residence
  Iranian Proxies ‘Tried To Assassinate Me & My Wife’, Netanyahu Says After Drone Struck His Residence

  Update(1330ET): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has essentially accused Iran of trying to assassinate him after a drone sent from Hezbollah struck his private residence outside of Tel Aviv Saturday morning. “The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake,” he said in an English statement on social media.

  “This is the first time since the beginning of the war that a target affiliated directly with Netanyahu has been hit,” Axios reported, though details of the extent of damage have been scant. Neither he nor his wife or family had been present at the residence when the attack on the upscale Caesarea neighborhood occurred. Israel’s military appeared to be tracking the drone, which traveled some 70km from Lebanon, but anti-air defenses appeared to have failed, with not so much as warning sirens going off.

  🚨 Breaking: Iran’s 🇮🇷 official IRGC Quds Forces Telegram channel published this photo, showing a direct hit at @netanyahu‘s 🇮🇱 residence 👇

  They are taking pride in their assassination attempt… Does Khamenei’s residence have similar bulletproof windows? We will learn soon 🎯 pic.twitter.com/DA3HzbpB6P

  — Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) October 19, 2024

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  Some unverified reports are saying it was an Iranian Shahed 101 drone, which was briefly filmed at some point in the skies over the Tel Aviv area, and apparently mirrored by a nearby IDF helicopter.

  Times of Israel writes that “sirens did sound in Glilot north of Tel Aviv, which houses a major IDF intelligence base and the Mossad headquarters. Those sirens were not accompanied by warnings on the Home Front Command’s app or other platforms.”

  Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting that “Iran attempted to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu” – citing a senior official.

  

  Below is Netanyahu’s statement in full…

  The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake.

  This will not deter me or the State of Israel from continuing our just war against our enemies in order to secure our future.

  I say to Iran and its proxies in its axis of evil:…

  — Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 19, 2024

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  Could this be the precursor to a major Israeli attack on Iran which the world has been anticipating? 

  Israel has vowed it will soon retaliate for the Oct.1st attack, but well over two weeks have passed since the ballistic missile attack which saw some 200 ballistic missiles pummel various sites in central Israel.

  * * *

  ’s home has been targeted in a drone attack sent from Hezbollah in Lebanon on Saturday. It happened at this private residence in Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv.

  A Netanyahu spokesperson confirmed that the drone struck near the residence, but the prime minister and his family were not home at the time of the attack, with details of the damage not disclosed. Remarkably, the inbound drone was captured on video, traveling close in proximity to an Israeli military helicopter, which may have been tracking and trying to shoot it down.

  תיעוד שמעלה הרבה שאלות ותהיות הבוקר: מסוק קרב של חיל האוויר במרדף אחרי כטב”ם חיזבאללה. בתיעוד הזה נראה שהכטב”ם עוקף אבל יש גם אשליה אופטית וזווית צילום- בכל מקרה, מתוך שלושה כטבמים ששוגרו מלבנון, אחד פגע ישירות במבנה בקסריה pic.twitter.com/zx9fr812BG

  — איתי בלומנטל 🇮🇱 Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) October 19, 2024

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  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) indicated that the drone was one of three launched from Lebanon, with the other two having been intercepted.

  The fact that the Kamikaze UAV made it all the way to the prime minister’s residence has raised questions over the country’s defense and warning system. The Times of Israel reports:

  The short statement from Netanyahu’s office came after the IDF said that “a building had been hit” in the upscale town famous for its swanky villas and Roman ruins and amphitheater.

  “No warning sirens were sounded in Caesarea ahead of the drone impact and explosion,” the same report notes. “Footage posted to social media appeared to show attack helicopters in the air that were apparently hunting the drone further to the north.”

  Netanyahu’s office and the Israeli army have shared the following additional details, via Al Jazeera:

  • The drone was launched from Lebanon and directly hit the PM’s house in Caesarea.
  • Police arrived to locate the scene of the attack. At about the same time, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv.
  • Two other drones launched at the same time were reportedly intercepted.
  • The incident triggered alarms in the Glilot military base, but the military later determined that drones were not in that area.

  

  Additionally, the drone flew a significant distance of 70km from Lebanon, which suggests Hezbollah is greatly deepening the reach of its projectiles, as it vowed to do following constant IDF airstrikes on Beirut and amid the expanded IDF ground operation inside south Lebanon.

  Within hours after the drone attack on his home Netanyahu issued a defiant video on social media vowing that “nothing will deter” him while declaring that Israel is “going to win this war.” He further said that slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by the army in Rafah this week, was “the terrorist mastermind whose goons beheaded our men, raped our women and burned babies alive.”

  The below photo purporting to show damage to the outside of Netanyahu’s Caesarea residence (or possibly a building near it) has widely circulated online:

  One of Hezbollah’s kamikaze drones hit the wall of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea. He wasn’t home. pic.twitter.com/DlQlWm35EA

  — Mike (@Doranimated) October 19, 2024

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  “We took him out,” the Israeli leader said. He added: “We’re continuing our battle with Iran’s other terrorist proxies.” The region is still bracing for a possible major Israeli attack on Iran, in retaliation for the ballistic missile attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic on October 1st.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 14:55

• Leaked US Intelligence Documents Related To Israel's Attack Preparations On Iran Appear Online
  Leaked US Intelligence Documents Related To Israel’s Attack Preparations On Iran Appear Online

  A major leak of US classified documents has appeared online Saturday… or we should qualify alleged leaks of at least two TOP SECRET documents, with both marked NOFORN – which is among the highest classifications – given it indicates the specific intelligence cannot be shared with allied foreign intelligence agencies (with the exception of the “Five Eyes”).

  A breaking Axios report suggests their authenticity: “U.S. officials are extremely concerned about a potentially major security breach after two alleged U.S. intelligence documents about Israel’s preparations for an attack on Iran were published by a Telegram account affiliated with Iran,” Barak Ravid, who maintains close Israeli military and intelligence sources, writes.

  

  The documents include one which was reportedly authored by the Department of Defense National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), dubbed a “Visual Intelligence” report and distributed among the US intelligence community (IC) earlier this week, and dated to Oct.14-16.

  Neither the Pentagon nor NGA have offered official confirmation or comment, nor are they likely to. The documents first appeared on a pro-Iran Telegram channel. Axios has identified the channel name as “Middle East Spectator”. 

  The docs first appeared online Friday, but the Axios report has strongly pointed to the authenticity of leak.

  The region has remained on edge as Israel prepares to retaliate against Iran for its Oct.1st ballistic missile attack which saw some 200 projectiles pummel various sites in central Israel, some of which were said to be Iranian hypersonics. Axios has noted that “The leak could be an attempt to disrupt the Israeli operation.”

  A US official told Axios that the alleged leak is “extremely concerning” – again implying authenticity. The leak is also being described as potential very serious breach within the US intelligence community.

  Two of the documents have appeared on social media as follows:

  ⚡️ Hebrew media expresses frustration as ALLEGEDLY leaked American intelligence documents expose Israel’s preparations for an attack on Iran.

  Here are two of the “SUPPOSED” leaked documents. pic.twitter.com/xA8d9M04cB

  — Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) October 19, 2024

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  Israeli media has also begun to spotlight the leak.

  Did Iran just hack and breach restricted US intelligence community servers?

  As for content of the documents, they contain information on Israel’s military transferring advanced munitions, possibly readying them for a planned attack on the Islamic Republic. One of the classified docs has the following header:

  Defense Forces Continue Key Munitions Preparations and Covert UAV Activity Almost Certainly for a Strike on Iran, 16 October 2024

  Axios has further commented on the top secret documents as follows:

  • It also states that according to U.S. signals intelligence, the Israeli Air Force conducted a large exercise this week involving intelligence planes and likely fighter jets trained for a possible attack against Iran.
  • The alleged intelligence report also detailed preparations in Israeli drone units for an attack against Iran.

  The Washington think tank community is outraged over the apparent major breach…

  Classified U.S. intelligence documents about #Israel‘s response to #Iran‘s regime’s attack on Oct. 1 found their way onto a pro-#IRGCterrorists Telegram channel. Whether by hacking or by leaks, this is a very serious incident.

  There better be a robust investigation. Recall…

  — Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) October 19, 2024

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  The documents, if accurate, reveal the efforts by US intelligence to closely monitor the preparations of US ally Israel for an attack on Iran. In this scenario the US Geospatial-Intelligence Agency using its spy satellites to track movements at Israeli Air Force bases.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 14:40

• 3 Americans Detained In Venezuela Over Alleged Anti-Government Plot
  3 Americans Detained In Venezuela Over Alleged Anti-Government Plot

  Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times,

  Three U.S. citizens are among five people detained by Venezuelan authorities over their alleged connection to a terrorist plot to destabilize the country, Venezuela’s interior minister announced on Thursday.

  

  Appearing on state television, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello identified the U.S. citizens as David Guttenberg Guillaume, Gregory David Werber, and Jonathan Pagan Gonzalez.

  Cabello did not state when the five individuals were detained or what charges they faced but said Gonzalez was captured in the border state of Zulia.

  A Peruvian and a Bolivian citizen were also among those taken into custody alongside the three Americans, he said.

  All of the individuals speak “perfect” Spanish and traveled to the South American nation under the pretense of either a holiday or visiting a romantic partner, the interior minister said.

  “The detained foreigners speak Spanish perfectly, a necessary requirement for them to involve themselves in communities,” Cabello stated.

  Cabello provided no evidence linking the detained individuals to alleged terrorist activities in the country.

  Instead, he repeated previous claims that U.S. entities such as the CIA were behind the alleged terrorist plot – a claim that has been repeatedly refuted by the U.S. State Department.

  Election Results Under Scrutiny

  The detainments follow a clampdown on what Venezuela’s government has described as “anti-government activities” following the highly disputed July presidential election in which President Nicolas Maduro secured a third term in office.

  The election results sparked nationwide protests and have been heavily scrutinized by the United States and its allies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK.

  The latest arrests bring the number of foreign detainees in Venezuela to at least 12 after three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen were arrested last month.

  One of those detained was later identified as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, whom Cabello described as a Navy SEAL who had served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Colombia.

  Also in September, a fourth U.S. citizen was arrested for allegedly taking photos of electrical and oil installations and military units.

  Officials accused those individuals of traveling to the country to assassinate Maduro, overthrow the Venezuelan government, and kill several members of its leadership.

  The United States in September imposed sanctions on 16 individuals connected to Maduro, whom the Biden administration accused of obstructing voting during the July presidential election and carrying out human rights abuses.

  The Maduro administration has previously used Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to gain concessions from the U.S. government.

  Under a deal with the Biden administration in December last year, the Venezuelan government handed over 10 Americans and a fugitive wanted by the U.S. government to secure a presidential pardon for Columbian businessman Alex Saab, a close Maduro ally accused of a $350 million money laundering scheme.

  The Epoch Times contacted the State Department for comment but didn’t receive a reply by press time.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 14:00

• "I'm With Elon": Gavin Newsom Unexpectedly Backs SpaceX In California Lawsuit Against Rogue Democrats 
  “I’m With Elon”: Gavin Newsom Unexpectedly Backs SpaceX In California Lawsuit Against Rogue Democrats 

  California’s far-left governor, Gavin Newsom, has unexpectedly backed Elon Musk and SpaceX. The private spaceflight company, which handles the majority of US space launches and leads the space race in this solar system, filed a lawsuit against a California state commission early last week, accusing it of political bias. The suit alleges that Democrats are hindering SpaceX launches off the Pacific coast. 

  “I’m with Elon,” Gov. Newsom said in an interview Thursday after campaigning for VP Kamala Harris in the swing state of North Carolina, which Politico quoted. He continued, “I didn’t like that.”

  

  On Tuesday, SpaceX filed a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles against the California Coastal Commission for alleged political discrimination. 

  The lawsuit stems from the California Coastal Commission’s (CCC) decision to halt SpaceX’s plans to increase the number of rocket launches from the Space Force base in Santa Barbara County. 

  SpaceX lawyers claimed that CCC made the decision based on political differences with Musk, a top supporter of Trump and anti-woke crusader on X, bashing Democrats for their nation-killing policies, such as open southern borders, lawless metro areas, out-of-control debt binge in Washington, and the list goes on and on. 

  The lawsuit asserts CCC’s 12 members “engaged in naked political discrimination” in last week’s decision over the Department of Defense (DOD) proposal to increase the number of SpaceX launches at Vandenberg from 36 to 50. 

  “Rarely has a government agency made so clear that it was exceeding its authorized mandate to punish a company for the political views and statements of its largest shareholder and CEO,” the lawsuit reads.

  Gov. Newsom added, “Look, I’m not helping the legal case … and you can’t bring up that explicit level of politics.” 

  Newsom sided with SpaceX in the lawsuit and pointed out that an independent agency should have been involved, politics aside, in the decision-making process for rocket launches at the base. 

  Newsom understands that, unlike many Democrats, SpaceX has become a critical part of national security rocket programs. In fact, Musk’s rocket company is quite literally America’s space program in terms of space launches and total mass catapulted into low Earth Orbit. SpaceX will even rescue Boeing’s stranded crew at the International Space Station early next year. 

  Using data from BryceTech, SpaceX launched 525 spacecraft into orbit in the first quarter, far outpacing China and Russia. 

  

  Musk is America’s rocket program: SpaceX launched about 429,125 kg of spacecraft upmass in the first quarter, significantly outpacing China’s rocket program (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation), which launched a measly 29,426 kg. 

  

  Much of this is due to SpaceX’s Starlink deployment in LEO, as thousands of these satellites provide high-speed internet coverage to millions of customers worldwide. 

  

  Just last week: 

  • French Media Blames SpaceX For 2,500 Airbus Layoffs As Elon Musk Leads Rocket Race

  And this. 

  Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! pic.twitter.com/6R5YatSVJX

  — SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Jonathan Turley penned in a note last week:

  The left will now kill jobs, cancel national security programs and gut the Constitution in its unrelenting campaign to get Musk. His very existence undermines the power of the anti-free speech movement. In a culture of groupthink, Musk is viewed as a type of free-thought contagion that must be eliminated.

  If Democrats are indeed trying to sabotage America’s space program by weaponizing the government to restrict Musk and slow down rocket launches, it raises serious national security concerns. A deeper conversation must be had about whether this radical far-left party is being influenced by foreign adversaries with competing space programs—like China. 

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 13:25

• Kamala's "Opportunity Agenda" Will Be Disastrous For African Americans
  Kamala’s “Opportunity Agenda” Will Be Disastrous For African Americans

  Via SchiffGold.com,

  With Kamala Harris rapidly fading in polls among African-Americans, her campaign just released a desperate “Opportunity Agenda” for black men outlining policies that will have disastrous economic consequences. Ironically, the consequences of “forgivable loans” are likely to be the most damaging to the very same groups that she’s claiming to help.

  

  A “forgivable loan” is another way of saying “free money.” Printing $20,000 and handing it out to black entrepreneurs is only going to push prices up for the things those entrepreneurs need. Meanwhile, banks that get to issue the loans do so with no risk, because it’s all backed by the Full Faith and Credit of you, the American taxpayer. 

  The idea is to get “mission-driven lenders” to issue the loans. This slathers a gloppy layer of do-gooderism over the fact that, most likely, these loans will be issued by the usual State-favored megabanks. After all, they all have “Mission Statements,” so who’s to argue whether they’re “Mission-Driven” or not? They’re all part of a criminal banking cartel that enjoys an incredibly privileged position in terms of being inextricable from the US political structure, first in line at the low interest rate and QE money printer. 

  Meanwhile, megabanks like Wells Fargo (owned by BlackRock, Fidelity, and Vanguard) have stolen far more houses and cars than any street thief ever could, preyed on Native Americans, opened millions of fraudulent accounts, violated international sanctions, aided money laundering, along with other offenses.

  Having some guaranteed loans on the books also incentivizes malinvestment, encouraging banks to dump more money into risky bets in other areas. When you get some free money, you want to play with it. It’s just human nature.

  Forgivable loans offered to a specific ethnic group even incentivizes discrimination against them.

  If loan officers know that African-Americans are getting forgivable loans courtesy of the federal government, they’re more likely to charge higher interest rates even to black entrepreneurs whose loans aren’t guaranteed.

  Meanwhile, the Fed’s inflationary policies cause the most pain to the lowest earners and the middle class. 

  While bursts of “economic stimulus” like those of the 2008 and 2020 crises juiced the economy in the short or medium-term, we’re feeling the effects today in the form of drastically higher prices and a middle class that continues to vanish.

  Federal Reserve Total Assets (Less Eliminations from Consolidation)

  

  It all comes down to less competition in the marketplace, which inevitably leads to higher prices. No matter the context, nature or finance, humans respond to incentives, and markets are no different. That’s why no central authority can overcome the natural will of the market, no matter how hard it tries. In the long run, nature always wins.

  Of course, the Harris campaign’s “proposal”  is a campaign season prop to buy votes, and wouldn’t be enforceable without an act of Congress. But it’s still a notable sign that the campaign is worried that being a black woman might not be enough for Harris to get back the black vote. While it favored Biden, African-American support faded continuously throughout the course of his administration. For his part, Trump is promising a utopia of his own, and is a fan of the money printer as long as he gets credit, even making a point to ensure his name would appear on the inflationary Covid stimulus checks. As Peter Schiff recently said on Kai Hoffman’s Soar Financially, “Trump is promising immediate results—positive, no pain, just gain.” But inflation is already baked into the cake.

  “We have, you know, inflation that masquerades as growth…I think the economy is very weak, that’s why the Fed is cutting rates, and they’re going to cut them even more, and I think they’re going to go back to QE.”

  Incumbent administrations love when the Fed juices the economy for them, since they can take the credit.

  But Kamala’s campaign season pandering to “help” African American entrepreneurs is going to create more of the inflation and discrimination that holds back disadvantaged groups in the first place.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/19/2024 – 12:50

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