Today’s News 5th February 2023

• Everything You Need To Know About The Lab Leak (But Were Not Allowed To Ask)
  Everything You Need To Know About The Lab Leak (But Were Not Allowed To Ask)

  Authored by Pat Fidopiastis via The Brownstone Institute,

  Between 2014 and 2019, US tax dollars were funneled to the Wuhan Institute of Virology via EcoHealth Alliance. Given that US scientists have far more virology expertise than the Chinese, this begs an obvious question: what type of research were US tax dollars paying for in Wuhan, China? Dr. Fauci’s surprising statement in an interview might provide the short answer to this question: “You don’t want to go to Hoboken, NJ or Fairfax, VA to be studying the bat-human interface that might lead to an outbreak, so you go to China.” 

  

  Given what we’ve endured for the past three years, Fauci’s “so you go to China” comment suggests that he hadn’t considered the global implications of a highly transmissible coronavirus leaking from a Chinese lab plagued by serious safety issues. 

  Unwilling to admit that he, EcoHealth Alliance, and their Chinese collaborators, are suspects in one of the largest crimes against humanity, Fauci instead opted to conspire with his boss, Francis Collins, to declare “lab leak” a “destructive conspiracy” that must be “put down.” Sadly, it’s clear that from the beginning, these two distinguished scientists made up their minds about virus origin without evidence from both sides of the debate. 

  Even worse, renowned scientists that rely on Fauci for their research funding, fearful of sanctions being placed on their life’s work, rallied around the “anti-lab leak” stance. One of the premier scientific journals, Science, whose political bias has become very apparent, attempted to provide legitimacy to Fauci’s position by publishing a paper by authors that claimed “dispositive evidence” that SARS-CoV-2 emerged from an animal at the Wuhan market. This paper allegedly “crushed” the lab-leak hypothesis, despite leaving much room for debate. 

  The good news is that Big Tech, scientific journals, and most media sources were forced to stop censoring countervailing evidence as it reached critical mass and began spilling over into the public domain. Far from being a “conspiracy,” there is a lot of evidence that strongly suggests SARS-CoV-2 is an engineered virus that spread from a Wuhan virology lab. Before getting into the evidence that SARS-CoV-2 was engineered and leaked from a lab, let’s start a debate around the “dispositive evidence” that SARS-CoV-2 is natural and emerged from the Wuhan market. 

  The “market origin hypothesis” is based on four debatable premises  

  The entirety of the “dispositive evidence” for market origin cited by Dr. Fauci and others can be summed up as follows: 1) “Early” cases allegedly lived near the market, 2) “early” SARS-CoV-2 lineages were allegedly associated with the market, 3) wild animals susceptible to COVID-19 were sold at the market, and 4) positive SARS-CoV-2 samples were found in the environment around the market and were allegedly “linked to human cases.” For many reasons, some of which are discussed here, none of this evidence is anywhere near “dispositive.” This is why reviewers forced the authors to remove the phrase “dispositive evidence” as a requirement for publication.   

  Did “early cases” really live near the market?

  The Science paper relied on a joint World Health Organization (WHO)-China report to define “early cases” as those that occurred in December 2019. However, the joint WHO-China report also states: “Based on molecular sequence data, the results suggested that the outbreak may have started sometime in the months before the middle of December 2019.” 

  This statement seems more in line with other evidence that the pandemic started earlier than December 2019. Urgent communications from the highest levels of the Chinese government circulating at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in November 2019 reported a “complex and grave situation” at the lab. Was this “grave situation” the start of a SARS-CoV-2 “lab leak” unfolding in real -time, weeks before the rest of the world was made aware of the imminent pandemic? 

  There were also multiple reports from Chinese media and even the venerable Lancet that documented initial cases started before December 2019, as well as lab-based evidence of international spread as early as November 2019. Furthermore, shouldn’t we be alarmed that a group led by Chinese military scientists applied for a COVID-19 vaccine patent in February 2020? 

  If the first COVID-19 cases really were in December 2019, this means that inexperienced Chinese military researchers somehow managed to produce a COVID-19 vaccine based on traditional, less efficient methodology, in a little over a month. For comparison, it took vaccine giant Pfizer about 9 months to produce their vaccine based on more efficient mRNA methodology. Accurately pinpointing the true start date of the pandemic would allow us to assess how meaningful the “early cases” data are. If countervailing evidence is correct and cases that preceded December 2019 were missed or ignored, then a dataset beginning in December would most likely lead to flawed conclusions about pandemic origin.

  Were “early virus lineages” really associated with the market?

  In perhaps the clearest evidence of a crime scene coverup, Chinese scientists quietly removed from public databases at least 13 genome sequences representing the earliest SARS-CoV-2 strains. There is no legitimate reason for doing that. Fortunately, the files had been backed up before they were removed, allowing Dr. Jesse Bloom to be the first to retrieve them from Google Cloud and analyze them. 

  This is proof that the Science paper many claimed to have “crushed” the lab leak was unlikely to be fully representative of the viruses spreading at the start of the pandemic. Adding to the intrigue, one of the authors of the Science paper attempted to intimidate Dr. Bloom so he would not publish his findings. If the evidence for a natural origin of SARS-CoV-2 is so “dispositive,” why would anyone feel the need to censor an expert like Dr. Bloom? 

  Animals susceptible to COVID-19 were sold at the market but none tested positive.

  Some of the animals trafficked at the market had been experimentally infected with SARS-CoV-2 in labs or deemed theoretically susceptible based on the presence of compatible receptors. However, the WHO-China Report revealed that none of the 457 samples taken from 188 animals at the market tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. A criticism of these negative results is that the market was “under-sampled.” The SARS-CoV-1 pandemic of 2003-2004 spread around the world causing about 8,000 documented infections, resulting in about 800 deaths. Chinese scientists mobilized immediately and within a few months discovered an identical virus that naturally occurs in palm civet cats that were sold in Chinese markets.  

  Yet here we are, three years later, thousands of additional animals have been sampled, millions of genomic sequences analyzed, and nothing close to SARS-CoV-2 has yet to be detected in nature. Why is that?

  Positive environmental samples found at the market were taken too late to infer virus origin

  SARS-CoV-2-positive environmental samples were detected at the market. However, the samples were taken between January and March 2020. By January, the virus had likely been spreading in Wuhan for more than a month, and had already spread internationally, so how much can we deduce from these samples taken from the heavily trafficked market, weeks after the pandemic started? In fact, those responsible for collecting the samples concluded, “Tthe market might have acted as an amplifier due to the high number of visitors every day.”

  In other words, infected people most likely entered the crowded market and spread the virus. It’s notable that many of the positive samples came from vendor stalls in which “aquatic products,” seafood, and vegetables were sold. None of these products could be a natural reservoir for SARS-CoV-2. In fact, the WHO-China report concludes that many of the environmental samples reflect “contamination from cases” (i.e., infected people) given how widely distributed the virus was by then. 

  The following is a review of some of the lab-based and circumstantial evidence supporting “lab leak.” Hopefully, this analysis will lay the foundation for honest, thoughtful discussion, leading to a true understanding of the origin of SARS-CoV-2. If we can’t have honesty, how will we ever minimize the chances of this happening again?

  Early strains of SARS-CoV-2 were unnaturally human adapted

  The “natural origin” hypothesis contends that SARS-CoV-2 spilled over into humans from an animal in December 2019. A virus that so recently jumped to humans from an animal should not bind to human cells with higher affinity than the animal host it came from. However, at the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Nikolai Petrovsky’s lab made the startling discovery that the earliest known strains of SARS-CoV-2 were unnaturally human-adapted. 

  In fact, these strains showed highest affinity for human cell receptors over receptors from bats, pangolins, and about eleven other animals known to harbor coronaviruses. Dr. Petrovsky submitted this important research to a top journal, Nature, in August 2020. In an egregious example of censorship, Nature delayed publishing the paper until June 2021, corresponding to when Dr. Fauci finally admitted that a lab leak could have started the pandemic.

  There was financial motivation and established methodology for creating pandemic viruses

  A rejected 2018 grant proposal submitted to DARPA that includes EcoHealth Alliance and Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) collaborators gives us enough information to figure out the motivation and methodology that likely created SARS-CoV-2. The primary goal of the grant was to create a “complete inventory” of SARS-like coronaviruses taken from several bat caves in China. 

  What follows is a streamlined version of the workflow proposed by the researchers: 1) add the spike proteins from these novel bat coronaviruses to a previously characterized SARS-like bat coronavirus core, and insert genetic modifications to spike proteins for enhanced infectivity if necessary, 2) infect “humanized” mice with these lab-made viruses, 3) flag chimeric viruses capable of infecting the mice as potential pandemic strains, and 4) prepare “spike” protein vaccines from these potential pandemic strains and use them to “immunize” bats in caves (Fig. 1). 

  

  Fig. 1. Risky research methodology used by EcoHealth Alliance, WIV, and their collaborators to attempt to create bat vaccines. There’s no way of knowing in advance the pandemic potential of unnatural, chimeric SARS-like viruses created in this workflow.

  The authors of the DARPA proposal discuss the importance of spike protein cleavage by human enzymes such as furin in the ability of coronaviruses to spread optimally and become pandemic strains. Notably, they proposed to insert “human-specific cleavage sites” (e.g., furin cleavage site, FCS) in spike proteins that lack the functional cleavage sites and then “evaluate growth potential” of the modified viruses in human cells. 

  They further proposed to modify cleavage sites in highly abundant, low-risk SARS-like viruses taken from Chinese bat caves. These studies are precisely the type of work that could accidentally or intentionally create pandemic viruses. Although the proposal states that chimeric virus work would be done at the University of North Carolina, by Fauci’s own admission, “I can’t guarantee everything that’s going on in the Wuhan lab, we can’t do that.”  Furthermore, whenever a proposal this large (i.e., a $14 million request) is submitted, a great deal of the work will have already been done in advance to provide the “proof of concept” needed to sway reviewers. 

  The unique furin cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2 is evidence of genetic engineering 

  Many natural coronaviruses contain an FCS, so why is an FCS in SARS-CoV-2 so suspicious? The answer is that the genomes of thousands of coronaviruses from hundreds of different animals have been sequenced, and it’s clear that only distant relatives of SARS-CoV-2 have an FCS (see Fig 1A, Table 1). 

  The closest known sibling of SARS-CoV-2, a bat coronavirus named RaTG13, at best weakly infects human cells and lacks an FCS. SARS-CoV is another sibling of SARS-CoV-2, and like all the other known siblings, also lacks an FCS. Without an FCS, SARS-CoV-1 spread around the world in 2003-2004 but fizzled out after infecting about 8,000 people. A comparison of the short stretch of amino acids in the spike protein clearly reveals the missing FCS in these SARS-CoV-2 siblings (Fig. 2). 

  

  Fig. 2. Comparison of partial spike protein amino acids showing the FCS of SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., “PRRAR”), and the lack of FCS in two of its siblings. Different letters represent unique amino acids. Identical amino acids in all three viruses are highlighted in yellow; dashed lines indicate the missing FCS. 

  The unique genetic code of the SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site is evidence of genetic engineering

  In coronaviruses, the blueprint for assembling proteins such as the surface spikes needed for infection lies in their RNA genome. The specific genomic sequence that encodes the short, all-important FCS within the SARS-CoV-2 spike is: CCU CGG CGG GCA CGU. Each three-letter bit of code (i.e., codon) dictates the specific amino acid to be used in building the FCS. Thus, CCU encodes “P” (for proline), CGG encodes “R” (for arginine), GCA encodes “A” (for alanine), and CGU also encodes “R.” 

  As you can see, there is redundancy in the genetic code (e.g., there are six different codons that a virus can use to encode arginine). The odd feature of the SARS-CoV-2 FCS is the double CGG codons. In fact, CGG is one of the rarest codons in human coronaviruses, yet there just so happens to be two right next to each other in the FCS, one of the most important sequences in the entire 29,903 “letters” making up the SARS-CoV-2 genome. 

  In fact, these are the only two CGG codons out of the 3,822 “letters” encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and they are the only instance of a CGG-CGG doublet in any of the closest relatives of SARS-CoV-2. Notably, an arginine-rich FCS enhances the ability of coronaviruses to infect cells. At this point, it should not surprise anyone that CGG codons are the preferred code for genetic engineers who wish to produce an arginine-containing protein in human cells. It’s hard to deny that the CGG-CGG in the SARS-CoV-2 FCS is “smoking gun”-level evidence of genetic tampering.  

  Suspicious cut sites in the SARS-CoV-2 genome are evidence of genetic engineering

  One method to create chimeric viruses utilizes specialized genome-cutting enzymes called “Endonucleases.” Endonucleases can be used to cut virus genomes in specific places, then the pieces can be strategically recombined to create chimeric viruses. Cut sites are randomly distributed in the genomes of natural viruses, but they can be precisely inserted or removed by scientists to make chimeric viruses in a laboratory. BsmBI and BsaI are two examples of endonucleases that co-authors of the DARPA grant used in previous work to make chimeric coronaviruses. 

  When present, the distribution of BsmBI and BsaI cut sites in viruses isolated from nature (e.g., SARS-CoV-1) are randomly distributed throughout the genome. Meanwhile, the distribution of cut sites in SARS-CoV-2 appear to be non-random and suggest genetic manipulation in a laboratory (Fig. 3). Curiously, a previous study involving EcoHealth Alliance described the insertion of two BsaI cut sites in a bat coronavirus called “WIV1” (i.e., Wuhan Institute of Virology 1), allowing scientists to make changes to the spike protein (see S9 Fig. Spike substitution strategy). 

  Two BsaI cut sites can be found in the SARS-CoV-2 genome (Fig. 3) in the same location as BsaI cut sites engineered into WIV1 back in 2017. The astronomical odds of this being coincidence cannot be overstated. According to the authors, “BsaI or BsmBI sites were introduced into the [spike]. Then any spike could be substituted into the genome of [lab engineered WIV1] through this strategy.” The same strategy might have been used in the construction of what would become the SARS-CoV-2 genome.

  

  Fig. 3. Distribution of BsmBI and BsaI cut sites in the genomes of the two pandemic SARS viruses. SARS-CoV-1 is a natural virus with cut sites that are randomly distributed, while distribution of cut sites in the SARS-CoV-2 genome appear to be non-random. The black bar represents the location of the spike gene; the FCS region is highlighted in red. BsaI can be used to cut out and replace most of the SARS-CoV-2 spike, including FCS, to alter virus infectivity.

  Strong circumstantial evidence supports the lab- leak hypothesis

  Three years into the current pandemic, with thousands of animals sampled and millions of genome sequences analyzed, nothing close to SARS-CoV-2 has been found in nature. In stark contrast to 2003-2004, China’s early response to COVID-19 was “disappearing” scientists and journalists, obfuscation, and deflecting blame for starting the pandemic away from themselves onto everything from the US Army to imported frozen fish. This is exactly the type of behavior you might expect from a guilty party.

  No one (except maybe the dishonest Chinese government) has ever denied that the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic is Wuhan, China. But what are the odds that such an explosive outbreak originated at the Wuhan market? This is just one market out of about 40,000 markets scattered around China, and it happens to be a few miles away from a lab that in 2017 became the first high-security virology lab on the Chinese mainland. 

  Here, a counterargument is that SARS-CoV-1 was a natural spillover from a market, so there’s precedence. But even the far less transmissible SARS-CoV-1, not long after being brought into the lab for study, eventually “leaked” with fatal consequences. 

  The origin of SARS-CoV-2 is the most important question of the pandemic, with implications that extend exponentially beyond scoring political points. At the start of the pandemic, even the journal Nature was sounding the alarm about the increasing role China’s military has been playing in secretive biomedical research in China. Yet, three years later all we have is obfuscation from China and Fauci and nothing even close to a natural ancestor of SARS-CoV-2. Throughout the pandemic, people parroted empty phrases like “Follow the science” without really following the science.

  So, let’s do that, let’s “Follow the science” (and the logic), because the genetic and circumstantial evidence for lab leak is impossible for any reasonable person to deny. 

  * * *

  Pat Fidopiastis is a Professor of Microbiology at California Polytechnic State University,

  Tyler Durden
  Sun, 02/05/2023 – 00:00

• Australia Becomes 1st Country To Legalize Therapeutic Use Of MDMA & Psilocybin
  Australia Becomes 1st Country To Legalize Therapeutic Use Of MDMA & Psilocybin

  Authored by Brett Wilkins via Common Dreams,

  After decades of criminalization, Australia’s government said Friday that it will legalize the prescription of MDMA and psilocybin for the treatment of two medical conditions, a historic move hailed by researchers who have studied the therapeutic possibilities of the drugs.

  Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said in a statement that starting July 1, psychiatrists may prescribe MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), commonly called “Molly” or “ecstasy” by recreational users, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psilocybin—the psychedelic prodrug compound in “magic” mushrooms—for treatment-resistant depression.

  

  “These are the only conditions where there is currently sufficient evidence for potential benefits in certain patients,” TGA said, adding that the drugs must be taken “in a controlled medical setting.”

  Advocates of MDMA and psilocybin are hopeful that one day doctors could prescribe them to treat a range of conditions, from alcoholism and eating disorders to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

  David Caldicott, a clinical senior lecturer in emergency medicine at Australian National University, toldThe Guardian that Friday’s surprise announcement is a “very welcome step away from what has been decades of demonization.”

  Caldicott said it is now “abundantly clear” that both MDMA and psilocybin “can have dramatic effects” on hard-to-treat mental health problems, and that “in addition to a clear and evolving therapeutic benefit, [legalization] also offers the chance to catch up on the decades of lost opportunity [of] delving into the inner workings of the human mind, abandoned for so long as part of an ill-conceived, ideological ‘war on drugs.'”

  MDMA—which has been criminalized in Australia since 1987—was first patented by German drugmaker Merck in the early 1910s. After World War II the United States military explored possibilities for weaponizing MDMA as a truth serum as part of the MK-ULTRA mind control experiments aimed at creating real-life Manchurian candidates. A crossover from clinical usage in marriage and other therapies in the 1970s and ’80s to recreational consumption—especially in the disco and burgeoning rave scenes—in the latter decade sparked a conservative backlash in the form of emergency bans in countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

  The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classifies MDMA and psilocybin as Schedule I substances, meaning they have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

  From 1 July this year, medicines containing the psychedelic substances psilocybin and MDMA can be prescribed by specifically authorised psychiatrists for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and treatment-resistant depression.

  Read more: https://t.co/rJI9dRs3M7 pic.twitter.com/A8fTlWyX0w

  — TGA Australia (@TGAgovau) February 3, 2023

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  Patients who’ve tried MDMA therapy and those who treat them say otherwise. A study published last year by John Hopkins Health found that in a carefully controlled setting, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy held promise for “significant and durable improvements in depression.”

  The California-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)—the world’s premier organization for psychedelic advocacy and research—interviewed Colorado massage therapist Rachael Kaplan about her MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD:

  For the majority of my life I prayed to die and fought suicidal urges as I struggled with complex PTSD. This PTSD was born out of chronic severe childhood abuse. Since then, my life has been a journey of searching for healing. I started going to therapy 21 years ago, and since then I have tried every healing modality that I could think of, such as bodywork, energy work, medications, residential treatment, and more. Many of these modalities were beneficial but none of them significantly reduced my trauma symptoms. I was still terrified most of the time…

  In my first MDMA-assisted psychotherapy session I was surprised that the MDMA helped me see the world as it was, instead of seeing it through my lens of terror. I thought that the MDMA would alter my perception of reality, but instead, it helped me see… more clearly… The MDMA session was the first time that I was able to stay present, explore, and process what had happened to me. This changed everything… There are no words for the gratitude that I feel.

  Jon Lubecky, an American Iraq War combat veteran who tried to kill himself five times, told NBC‘s “Today” in 2021 that MDMA therapy—also with MAPS—enabled him “to talk about things I had never brought up before to anyone.”

  “And it was OK. My body did not betray me. I didn’t get panic attacks. I didn’t shut down emotionally or just become so overemotional I couldn’t deal with anything,” he recounted.

  “This treatment is the reason my son has a father instead of a folded flag,” Lubecky said in a message to other veterans afflicted with PTSD. “I want all of you to be around in 2023 when this is [U.S. Food and Drug Administration]-approved. I know what your suffering is like. You can make it.”

  Founder and Executive Director of @MAPSnews, @RickDoblin Ph.D., discusses a new #psychedelic study that supports MDMA-assisted therapy as a treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (#PTSD) on @FoxBusiness. https://t.co/im1QEz3vdR

  — Psychedelic Science (@PsychedelicSci) February 2, 2023

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  MAPS’ latest clinical research on MDMA—which is aimed at winning FDA approval—is currently in phase three trials. The Biden administration said last year that it “anticipates” MDMA and psilocybin would be approved by the FDA by 2024 and is “exploring the prospect of establishing a federal task force to monitor” therapeutic possibilities of both drugs.

  Like MDMA, psilocybin—which occurs naturally in hundreds of fungal species and has been used by humans for medicinal, spiritual, and recreational purposes for millennia—remains illegal at the federal level in the U.S., although several states and municipalities have legalized or decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms, or have moved to do so.

  There have also been bipartisan congressional efforts to allow patients access to both drugs. Legislation introduced last year by U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) would permit therapeutic use of certain Schedule I drugs for terminally ill patients. Meanwhile, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) passed amendments to the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act providing more funding for psychedelic research and making it easier for veterans and active-duty troops suffering from PTSD to try drug-based treatments.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 23:30

• Theater Of The Absurd In J6 Courtrooms
  Theater Of The Absurd In J6 Courtrooms

  Authored by Julie Kelly via AmGreatness.com,

  As judges hand down one absurd sentence after another, one might be inclined to laugh at the absurdity of it all except, of course, it’s not funny…

  

  The Department of Justice carefully crafted the dramatic moment in court.

  A federal prosecutor handed an enclosed paper bag to an FBI agent responsible for investigating members of the Proud Boys, now on trial for seditious conspiracy related to their participation in the events of January 6. The bag contained “evidence of the unlawful entry of the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 and evidence of the disruption to the certification of the 2020 presidential election,” FBI Special Agent Elizabeth D’Angelo told assistant U.S. Attorney Nadia Moore on Wednesday.

  D’Angelo cautiously pulled the evidence out of the bag to present to the jury.

  Spectators in D.C. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly’s courtroom were on the edge of their seats. What would the mystery bag reveal?

  Would it disclose the group’s intricate but failed plot to overthrow the government? A detailed list of weapons the “seditionists” planned to use in service of their dastardly deed? Names of targeted officials?

  A nervous hush fell over the room; sweat beads formed on furrowed brows. Finally, the big moment arrived.

  It was—a set of challenge coins.

  Moore: Can you give a brief description of what they are?

  D’Angelo: They are challenge coins. This one is black and gold—and this package contains four black and gold colored challenge coins.

  Moore: Are these the same coins that were seized from Zachary Rehl’s home?

  D’Angelo: Yes.

  What?

  Like many organizations, the Proud Boys produce coins that depict the group’s motto and attitude. When multiple armed FBI agents raided Rehl’s Philadelphia residence in March 2021, terrorizing his pregnant wife and pillaging his home, investigators found not one but several such coins.

  Prosecutors, however, didn’t explain how Rehl and his co-defendants—also found in possession of incriminating challenge coins during similar SWAT raids—deployed the dangerous faux currency that day. (One version included an image of a Pokemon character, apparently an insurrectionist himself.)

  Did the Proud Boys hurl the trinkets at officers clad in full riot gear outside the Capitol? Did they open locked doors with the coins? Did they use the coins to bribe “election deniers” in Congress?

  After all, no weapons were recovered at Rehl’s house. So what gives?

  No one knows. Judge Kelly, a Trump appointee, last month insisted the coins were admissible evidence to show a “relationship” among the defendants. 

  Welcome to the judicial funhouse formally known as the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse—a maze of distortions created by government clowns and ghouls intended to frighten those trapped within its confines while amusing others behind the scenes. Wednesday’s embarrassing spectacle is only a tiny glimpse into the charade unfolding on a daily basis in the heart of the nation’s capital.

  Consider just a few recent events. Last week, relatives of the late Brian Sicknick were allowed to read “victim impact” statements in the sentencing of Julian Khater, the man accused of spraying Sicknick with pepper spray on January 6. Although Sicknick did not die as a result of the spray—the coroner concluded he died of two strokes caused by a blood clot—Sicknick’s immediate family members continue to blame Khater for Sicknick’s passing, disproven claims nonetheless given the court’s imprimatur.

  Sicknick’s former girlfriend was allowed to participate in the stunt, even though she admitted the couple was on a “break” months before the Capitol protest. Dozens of Capitol Police officers also attended the hearing. The theatrics worked. Judge Thomas Hogan ordered Khater to serve 80 months in prison.

  A D.C. jury on January 23 returned all guilty verdicts in the trial of Richard Barnett, the man photographed with his feet on a desk in Nancy Pelosi’s office that afternoon. It took jurors less than two hours to convict Barnett on eight counts including obstruction and civil disorder. He faces decades in prison.

  The same day, four men were found guilty of seditious conspiracy and other serious crimes tied to January 6. Alleged members of the Oath Keepers entered the Capitol an hour after Congress had evacuated the building, carried no weapons, stayed for less than 15 minutes, and vandalized nothing inside—a humiliating failure to overthrow democracy.

  Nonetheless, Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia handling every criminal case, bragged about his office’s victory. 

  “For the second time in recent months, a jury has found that a group of Americans entered into a seditious conspiracy against the United States,” Graves boasted.

  “The goal of this conspiracy was to prevent the execution of our laws that govern the peaceful transfer of power—striking at the very heart of our democracy. We are grateful to the thoughtful, deliberative work of this jury who gave weeks of their lives to carefully consider and deliver justice in this case and in so doing reaffirmed our democratic principles.” 

  (A week later, Graves charged a California doctor who attempted to save Ashli Babbitt’s life with four misdemeanors including “parading” in the Capitol.)

  The jury over which Graves swooned deliberated less than two days in a case comparable to treason.

  “You’re entitled to your political views but not to an insurrection. You were an insurrectionist.”

  So said Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly during the February 1 sentencing hearing for Daniel Caldwell, a Marine veteran who pleaded guilty to spraying police officers on January 6. Caldwell spent 19 months in pretrial detention before accepting the government’s plea offer last September. Through tears, according to Politico’s Kyle Cheney, Caldwell begged Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton appointee, for mercy.

  She gave none.

  Explaining how her harsh sentence must “fortify against the revolutionary fervor that you and others felt on January 6 and may still feel today,” Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Caldwell to 68 months in jail.

  “Insurrection is not and cannot ever be warranted,” she lectured a man neither charged with nor convicted of insurrection.

  But perhaps no one better represents the warped imagination of the prosecutors and judges overseeing January 6 cases better than Tanya Chutkan. The Obama appointee is known for handing down the stiffest punishment against Trump supporters, ordering nonviolent protesters accused of low level offenses to serve time in jail even when the government recommends none. And she’s on a roll.

  Clearly agitated that Russell Alford, an Alabama man charged with the four most common misdemeanors in January 6 cases, chose to go to trial instead of accept the government’s plea offer, Chutkan scolded Alford for his 11-minute peaceful jaunt through the Capitol. “You may have not been breaking any glass, but make no mistake, that wouldn’t have been a mob without you,” Chutkan told Alford, convicted on all four counts last October after the jury spent only a few hours considering his fate. “You helped terrorize the real Patriots trying to fulfill their duty.”

  Insisting she was not penalizing Alford for exercising his constitutional right to demand a jury trial—the first jury trial in Chutkan’s courtroom since every other January 6 defendant, clearly aware of her reputation, has accepted plea deals—Chutkan commenced to do so, commenting on the number of lawyers on both sides involved in the trial and the jurors’ time. “The same system you are railing against worked.”

  While acknowledging Alford has no criminal record, Chutkan explained her ruling must act as “general deterrence” to warn others that the punishment for future insurrections will be “certain, swift, and serious.”

  She then sentenced Alford to 12 months in prison, one month less than the Justice Department suggested. (Prosecutors asked for 13 months and accused Alford of spreading “disinformation” about the killing of Ashli Babbitt.) Her sentence is the longest imposed yet for a Trump supporter found guilty of 4 misdemeanors.

  One might be inclined to laugh at the absurdity of it all except, of course, it’s not funny. Lives are being systematically destroyed to the obvious pleasure and gratification of taxpayer-paid lawyers and judges, who are the only ones smiling. Unfortunately for many innocent Americans, this theater of the absurd appears for now to be on an unlimited run.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 23:00

• The Chinese 'Spy Balloon' Story As Manufactured Crisis: An Alternative Reading
  The Chinese ‘Spy Balloon’ Story As Manufactured Crisis: An Alternative Reading

  Previous constant headlines of the Ukraine-Russia war were put on pause Friday into Saturday as the American public’s attention and discourse got temporarily consumed by the bizarre Chinese ‘spy balloon’ saga, which grew more dramatic by the hour until it was shot down by the Pentagon over the Atlantic Ocean.

  But few are currently asking the necessary deeper questions related to the timing. Given the last major balloon crisis to take over 24/7 network news coverage ended up being a complete hoax (remember the “balloon boy” stunt of 2009 which had the world breathless and on edge for a full news cycle?), the current context to the Chinese balloon story and the question of cui bono is worth a deeper dive…

  

  Entrepreneur and geopolitical commentator Arnaud Bertrand, who as a Westerner has spent many years living in China and frequently attempts to correct the often misleading analysis of mainstream press reports, offers an ‘alternative view’ of what’s fast unfolding below [emphasis ZH’s)…

  * * *

  “I took a bit of time to dissect the “spy balloon” story – both how it is portrayed in the US and China’s response,” Bertrand begins a lengthy thread. As you’ll see, the more you think about it, the more stunned you get at the sheer absurdity of the whole thing.”

  I took a bit of time to dissect the “spy balloon” story – both how it is portrayed in the US and China’s response.

  As you’ll see, the more you think about it, the more stunned you get at the sheer absurdity of the whole thing.

  A small 🧵

  — Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) February 4, 2023

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  First, the US story.

  China sent a “spy balloon” over highly strategic US sites. It chose to spy on these sites with a big visible balloon (reported as being “as big as multiple school buses”), that anyone can see with the naked eye from the ground, to “demonstrate it had the capability”, despite having a plethora of other more discreet ways to spy like satellites or stealth drones.

  Unclear that anyone doubted China had mastered the technology of *check notes* hot air balloons and why it therefore needed to demonstrate this capability… China chose to do so on the eve of Secretary of States Blinken’s visit to China, where he was invited, and hours after signaling Blinken would also be meeting with Xi during his visit, a high-level meeting not granted to any US Secretary of States in years.

  The story therefore being that China chose to disrupt a meeting with its own president and to sabotage its own efforts at détente in the US-China conflict… The Pentagon said it had been “tracking the balloon for quite some time” and that it wasn’t the first time such an incident occurred, but this time – for unclear reasons – it chose to do a public announcement. As a result, Blinken announced he was postponing his China trip.

  Now the story from the Chinese side.

  To them this is a fluke accident, the balloon being “a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes” that “deviated far from its planned course” because of strong “Westerlies” (wind that flows west to east) and “limited self-steering capability”, the main characteristic of a balloon being of course that it can only go up or down.

  

  A piece in WaPo seems to confirm this, quoting “experts in national security and aerospace [who] said the craft appears to share characteristics with high-altitude balloons used by developed countries around the world for weather forecasting.”

  (Source: washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/… )

  

  The Pentagon itself said that “the payload wouldn’t offer much in the way of surveillance that China couldn’t collect through spy satellites” and that “the balloon posed no serious physical or intelligence threat”. 

  I.e. the Pentagon themselves say it would make zero sense for China to use a balloon like this for intelligence purposes when it has satellites. Kind of begs the question why they decided to make a big deal out of it in the first place… 

  I’ll let you decide for yourself which story makes more sense… The sheer ridiculousness of this Nth “red scare” episode is absolutely obvious to anyone with an iota of common sense. Except, sadly, common sense seems to be in critically short supply nowadays. 

  Also, as often, the real story is probably why this story became a story in the first place.

  And the important context here is of course Blinken’s visit to China, which could – one can always dream – have been a step towards some form of de-escalation in China-US rapports. It was quite easily foreseeable that a story like this one on the eve of the trip would have made it politically very difficult for Blinken to go.

  

  So a plausible hypothesis is that this whole episode is an attempt by internal US forces to prevent any US-China détente. One alternative hypothesis, much less likely, is that it’s internal Chinese forces trying to do the same thing by sending this big balloon.

  Unlikely because:

  a) China has time on its side so it gains from reduced tensions with the US and there isn’t any obvious “faction” in China who believe the contrary

  b) it’d be immensely risky for anyone in China to do something like this as it’d undoubtedly be seen as an act of high treason with grave consequences for themselves

  c) again, balloons like this particular one basically can’t be steered so… 

  To plan sending a balloon like this from China to a place over US land isn’t even doable in the first place. The last hypothesis, which I guess is also somewhat likely, is that this is a series of unfortunate events without any malice on either side.

  1) Balloon deviates from course and gets in US airspace,

  2) people see it and Pentagon feels it has to communicate about it

  3) the media, wearing their usual “China bad” hat, decide to go all-in on the scare-mongering,

  4) political opposition and China hawks jump on the bandwagon,

  5) administration feels it has no other choice than to cancel the trip and doesn’t have the political courage to say “this is just a balloon that drifted off course”.

  If Putin doesn’t do anything this month, then the biggest story of February 2023 would be a balloon.

  — War Monitor (@WarMonitors) February 4, 2023

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  Well I guess in this scenario there is in fact malice on the media’s part and that of politicians and wider members of the blob but it’s “organic malice”, so to speak, jumping at a golden opportunity to scare-monger. 

  Conclusion: however you see it, this story is absolutely shameful and a sad reflection of the insane times we live in, when rather than take the time to carefully consider facts, apply reason and common sense, we instead choose as a society to incite fear and hostility.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 22:30

• Gun Background-Checks Reveal Firearms Demand Slumped After COVID Mania 
  Gun Background-Checks Reveal Firearms Demand Slumped After COVID Mania 

  Fears over the virus pandemic and social unrest in the last several years ignited demand for guns to unprecedented levels. Back then, the FBI’s monthly background checks, part of the process to purchase a firearm, soared to new monthly highs. Now the latest background check data shows the gun-buying craze wanes, though it remains elevated. 

  According to data from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), unadjusted criminal background checks slid 12% to 2.67 million in January. Compared with 2022 figures, background checks increased by 3.2% from 2.59 million. However, NICS checks were down 43% from 4.69 million (a record high) in March 2021. 

  

  For this time of year, the 2.67 million figure is the third highest January ever. The only other times the FBI ran this many background checks on people who wanted to purchase firearms for the month of January was in 2020 and 2021. 

  

  Recall NICS background check data is a proxy for gun sales because there is no national database tracking firearms purchases. The data continues to confirm the mania phase of gun buying has subsided though interest in guns is above average. 

  Gun buying might be elevated because of out-of-control crime in liberal metro areas or President Biden threatening to ban semi-automatic rifles. 

  Meanwhile, Smith & Wesson Brands, one of the country’s largest firearms manufacturers, has seen shares tumble 50% since the blowoff top in the gun mania phase in mid-2021. 

  

  Data from Ammo Prices Now shows the most popular caliber for home defense has plunged since the mania a few years ago. 

  

  So what (or who) will cause the next panic buying of firearms? Will it be Biden?

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 21:30

• DeSantis Admin Revoking Liquor License From Orlando Venue For Allowing Children At 'Drag Queen Christmas'
  DeSantis Admin Revoking Liquor License From Orlando Venue For Allowing Children At ‘Drag Queen Christmas’

  Authored by Dan M. Berger via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The state of Florida is yanking the liquor license of an Orlando performance venue, saying the “Drag Queen Christmas” show it hosted in December was sexually explicit while being marketed to families and children.

  

  Advertising for the event “did not provide notice as to the sexually explicit nature of the Show’s performance or other content,” the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco said in its complaint against the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation Inc., filed Feb. 3.

  “Respondent promoted the Show using targeted, Christmas-themed promotional materials that did not provide notice as to the sexually explicit nature of the Show’s performance or other content,” the complaint said, referencing a photo of the event’s listing online included as evidence.

  “Rather than call attention to the Show’s sexually explicit content or acknowledge that it might not be appropriate for children, Respondent’s promotional material unequivocally stated “all ages welcome.”

  “Prior to the Show occurring and based on media reports about the Show at other locations, Petitioner sent a letter to Respondent notifying Respondent that ‘sexually explicit drag show performances constitute public nuisances, lewd activity and disorderly conduct when minors are in attendance’ and that, if Respondent failed to ensure that minors were prohibited from attending such performances, its license would be subject to penalties up to and including revocation.”

  Notice on Door

  The center nevertheless allowed minors to attend, the complaint states. Its only response was to post a notice on its door that said, “while we are not restricting access to anyone under 18 please be advised some may think the context is not appropriate for under 18.”

  The notice was barely visible, as it was printed in small font on a piece of paper taped to the door, the state said in the complaint.

  The complaint includes photos of children attending the event and some of the objectionable content as evidence.

  The complaint charges the arts center with six counts: allowing performers to expose themselves in a lewd or lascivious manner and simulate sexual activity in the presence of children under 16; operating a “place of lewdness”; “allowing performers to expose prosthetic genitalia and breasts in a vulgar or indecent manner in the presence of children”; knowingly selling tickets to an obscene performance to an audience including children; disorderly conduct; and maintaining a nuisance.

  In the complaint, the division’s attorney asks its director, Sterling Whisenhunt, to revoke the center’s liquor license.

  The complaint describes examples of the show’s sexually explicit content, which The Epoch Times does not include in this account.

  Efforts to reach the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation Inc. were unsuccessful. The nonprofit group has yet to respond to an email from The Epoch Times.

  “Governor (Ron) DeSantis stands to protect the innocence of children, and the governor always follows through when he says he will do something,” his spokesman, Bryan Griffin, said in an email on Feb. 3.

  Griffin had said on Dec. 27 that the Department of Business and Professional Regulation was investigating the show. The department was aware, he said, of multiple complaints about a performance of the show in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 26.

  By contrast, Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater clearly stated for a Dec. 29 performance of the show that attendance was restricted to those 18 or older, and proof of age would be required.

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 21:00

• Brazil Sinks 'Toxic' Decommissioned Aircraft Carrier In Atlantic After Far-Left President Lula Fails To Intervene 
  Brazil Sinks ‘Toxic’ Decommissioned Aircraft Carrier In Atlantic After Far-Left President Lula Fails To Intervene 

  Brazil has unleashed anger from environmental activists around the globe after the government ordered the sinking of a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean, a plan carried out on Friday.

  The “planned and controlled sinking occurred late in the afternoon” about 220 miles off the Brazilian coast, in a place with an “approximate depth of 5,000 meters [16,000 feet],” Brazil’s Navy confirmed in a statement. 

  

  “Regarding the hull of the decommissioned aircraft carrier ‘Sao Paulo’ … we inform that the operation of a planned and controlled sinking was carried out late in the afternoon, February 3, in strict accordance with the plan,” the navy explained.

  Though the navy said it sunk the ship in the safest possible area, after authorities couldn’t find a port that would permanently house the huge, 60-year old carrier, environmentalists are outraged and called on recently installed Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to halt the navy plans on an emergency basis.

  The activists have described that the carrier is filled with toxic materials, including asbestos and heavy metals which will inevitably flow into the ocean water and harm marine life.

  The carrier is also said to be rusting badly, and authorities deemed it a safety risk if anchored directly off the coast, given environmental factors so close to the shoreline and human civilization.

  Some international monitors went so far as to call Brazil’s actions a “state sponsored environmental crime”…

  Intentionally sinking the toxic aircraft carrier São Paulo would equate to a state-sponsored environmental crime. https://t.co/efiH9KLVSI

  — NGO Shipbreaking Platform (@NGOShipbreaking) January 21, 2023

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  International appeals for Brazil’s far-left president to block the navy plan didn’t result in any direct intervention: 

  A day before the sinking, the Brazilian attorney general’s office filed a new appeal before the Justice Department, saying the ship was carrying 9.6 tons of asbestos, a toxic substance, as well as 644 tons of inks and “other dangerous material.”

  The Basel Action Network (BAN), an NGO, called on Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to immediately halt the “dangerous” plan.

  The president, commonly referred to as Lula, took office last month and vowed to reverse surging environmental destruction that took place under the far-right former President Jai Bolsonaro.

  Brazil’s defense ministry had argued ahead of the sinking that a prior plan to hire a Turkish company to chop up the ship for scrap metal “represented an unprecedented attempt” by Brazil to safely dispose of it through “environmentally sound recycling”.

  

  However, that earlier plan failed after Turkish authorities blocked the company from following through, given it required a tug boat to pull it through the Mediterranean Sea, and this was deemed too risky.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 20:30

• Antidepressants Linked To Rise In Superbugs—New Study Reveals
  Antidepressants Linked To Rise In Superbugs—New Study Reveals

  Authored by Emma Suttle via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The term ‘superbug’ conjures images of bacteria with superpowers—able to evade the effects of the antibiotics given to destroy them. The prolific use of antibiotics is thought to be the cause, and bacteria, in a fight for their survival, have adapted—making an increasing number of antibiotics ineffective against a growing number of bacterial infections.

  

  A new study published in PNAS on Jan. 23, 2023, has shown that antidepressants, some of the most widely prescribed medications in the world, cause antibiotic resistance, giving them the potential to become dangerous superbugs.

  “Even after a few days exposure, bacteria develop drug resistance, not only against one but multiple antibiotics,” Jianhua Guo, one of the study’s authors and a professor at the University of Queensland’s Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, told Nature. “This is both interesting and scary.”

  In the study, researchers exposed Escherichia coli or E.coli bacteria to five common antidepressants: sertraline (Zoloft), duloxetine (Cymbalta), bupropion (Wellbutrin), escitalopram (Lexapro), and agomelatine (Valdoxan), then over a two month exposure period, the team exposed the bacteria to thirteen antibiotics representing six different classes of drugs.

  Every one of the antidepressants caused the E.coli to develop antibiotic resistance, but two in particular, sertraline (Zoloft) and duloxetine (Cymbalta), had the most pronounced effects, producing the largest number of resistant bacterial cells.

  Guo’s interest in non-antibiotic drugs contributing to antibiotic resistance came in 2014 when his lab discovered that there were more antibiotic-resistant genes in domestic wastewater than in wastewater from hospitals—where they use more antibiotics.

  This led to the discovery by his team and others that antidepressants were able to kill or slow the growth of certain bacteria, which Guo says provokes “an SOS response,” triggering defense mechanisms in the bacteria that help them survive and subsequently resist antibiotic treatments.

  These findings led Gou and his team to conduct the present study to find out if antidepressants could cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics.

  In addition to demonstrating that antidepressants cause antibiotic resistance, the study also found that the higher the dose of antidepressants, the faster the E. coli bacteria developed resistance and the more antibiotics they could resist within the two-month study window.

  Interestingly, the bacteria in well-oxygenated environments developed resistance more quickly than those in low-oxygen laboratory conditions. This might be good news for humans as a low oxygen environment better represents the human intestine, where E. coli bacteria grows in the body.

  The study also revealed that at least one of the antidepressants, sertraline, sold under the brand name Zoloft, encouraged the transmission of genes between bacterial cells, allowing the spread of resistance through a population. These transfers can happen between different types of bacterium, enabling resistance to jump between species, which can include going from harmless bacteria to infectious ones.

  The Prolific Use of Antidepressants

  Worldwide, antibiotic resistance is a serious public health threat. An estimated 1.2 million people died as a direct result of antibiotic resistance in 2019—and that number is expected to increase in the years ahead.

  A comprehensive epidemiological study led by the University of Bristol and published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open, analyzed data on over 200,000 people. Researchers set out to see if long-term antidepressant use (over five and ten years) was associated with the development of six health problems: diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke (and related syndromes) as well as two mortality outcomes—death from cardiovascular disease or from any cause.

  Researchers found that long-term antidepressant use was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, and an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and from any cause. The study notes that the risks were greater for those taking non-SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which include mirtazapine, venlafaxine, duloxetine, and trazodone, and that their use was associated with a two-fold increased risk of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality at the 10-year mark.

  According to the Pharmaceutical Journal, antidepressant prescriptions in the U.K. have increased by 35 percent in the past six years, and those prescriptions rose by 5.1 percent in 2021/2022—the sixth consecutive annual increase. These numbers highlight not only an alarming rise in antidepressant use, but the implications of the potential antibiotic resistance of these drugs.

  Definitive Healthcare, who collect and analyze healthcare data, compiled a list of the top 20 antidepressants by prescription volume in the United States. The top three prescribed antidepressants for 2021 were:

  • Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride)–18,337,255 prescriptions
  • Desyrel/Oleptro (trazodone hydrochloride)–15,175,105 prescriptions
  • Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride)–14,849,887 prescriptions

  The 20 antidepressant medications on the list account for nearly 130.5 million prescriptions in the United States in 2021 alone.

  How Dangerous is Antibiotic Resistance?

  According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development. They cite that a growing list of infections including pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, gonorrhea and foodborne diseases are becoming harder and sometimes impossible to treat as antibiotics become less effective.

  The WHO warns that “without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill.”

  Some of the deadliest bacterial infections are tuberculosis, anthrax, tetanus, pneumonia, cholera, botulism, and pseudomonas infections. MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is one of the most common infections that have become resistant to antibiotics and the symptoms generally begin as swollen, painful red bumps on the skin that look like pimples or spider bites. Many cases are mild, but some can cause more serious infections that can be life-threatening. Because MRSA is difficult to treat and resistant to antibiotics, it is often referred to as a “superbug.”

  The PNAS study states that the United States’ high consumption of antibiotics—16,850 kilograms annually in the United States alone—with the addition of their findings, highlights the need to re-evaluate the antibiotic-like side effects of antidepressants.

  Implications for Humans

  Considering these effects were only observed in petri dishes, more research is needed to know if antidepressants could fuel the rise of superbugs in human bodies or the environment.

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 20:00

• Apple's Crash Detection Feature Triggers False 911 Calls At Ski Resorts
  Apple’s Crash Detection Feature Triggers False 911 Calls At Ski Resorts

  Apple’s Crash Detection feature is causing severe headaches for emergency dispatchers around ski resort areas. 

  Skiers and snowboarders, with supported iPhone and Watch models, have been hitting the slopes this season and occasionally take a tumble. Their devices, packed with high-tech sensors, like the accelerometer and gyroscope, as well as advanced motion algorithms, mistakenly believe the user has been in an automobile crash. 

  Suppose skiers and snowboarders don’t respond to the cash notification within 20 seconds. In that case, the devices will automatically call 911 with an automated message that indicates, “The owner of this iPhone was in a severe car crash.” 

  

  A report from NYT said emergency dispatchers in Colorado had been inundated with false distress calls due to the crash detection feature. 

  Lately, emergency call centers in some ski regions have been inundated with inadvertent, automated calls, dozens or more a week. Phone operators often must put other calls, including real emergencies, on hold to clarify whether the latest siren has been prompted by a human at risk or an overzealous device.

  “My whole day is managing crash notifications,” said Trina Dummer, interim director of Summit County’s emergency services, which received 185 such calls in the week from Jan. 13 to Jan. 22. (In winters past, the typical call volume on a busy day was roughly half that.) Ms. Dummer said that the onslaught was threatening to desensitize dispatchers and divert limited resources from true emergencies. -NYT 

  Last year, Apple introduced Crash Detection for iPhone 14 models and Watch Series 8. False alerts started popping up at theme parks last summer when the devices thought people on rollercoasters experienced a car crash. And the same thing happened: The devices flooded 911 operators with false alerts. 

  Apple needs to get a handle on this mishap or have its own call center if they want to continue with this feature. Bogging down emergency dispatchers with false alerts is a significant problem that needs to be fixed immediately. How did Apple technicians miss this? 

   

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 19:30

• US To Open 4 New Sites In Philippines, Accelerating 'Pivot To Asia'
  US To Open 4 New Sites In Philippines, Accelerating ‘Pivot To Asia’

  Authored by Kyle Anzalone & Connor Freeman via The Libertarian Institute,

  Washington and Manila are close to inking an agreement that would see four new American installations opened in the Philippines. The new sites are part of a US military buildup in the Indo-Pacific to prepare for war with China.

  According to the Washington Post, negotiations are ongoing but a deal between Manila and Washington is nearing completion. Once inked, American forces are expected to have new sites at four Philippines bases.

  

  Two of the new facilities will be located in Luzon, in the northern half of the country. The military sites are expected to be used in a future war between Washington and Beijing, and “could give US forces a strategic position from which to mount operations in the event of a conflict in Taiwan or the South China Sea,” the Post reported.

  In 2012, then-President Barack Obama adopted a more aggressive policy toward China – dubbed the “pivot to Asia,” the largest military buildup since World War II. Under the strategy, Washington has authorized billions of dollars for new bases, ships and weapons to be deployed to the Asia Pacific. The Pentagon aims to encircle China with two-thirds of all US air and naval forces.

  The increased military activity has led to a string of deadly accidents in the region. A series of US warships have collided with civilian vessels, resulting in dozens of casualties. In 2018, an F-18 collided with a refueling aircraft off the coast of Japan, killing six.

  The Joe Biden administration has accelerated the military buildup in the Pacific. Last week, the Department of Defense opened a new base in Guam. At the end of the year, the Pentagon awarded contracts to begin work on a new radar installation in Palau.

  The relationship between Manila and Washington has strengthened since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. became president in June. The previous leader of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, threatened to end the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US and suggested Manila could increase ties with Beijing.

  Manila and Washington’s converging views of the region has facilitated agreement regarding the new military bases. The United States sees Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and over Taiwan as crucial threats to the US-enforced international world order. Marcos “realizes the dynamics of the region at the moment and that the Philippines really needs to step up,” a Philippine official told the Post. The official added that Marcos has been monitoring developments in the Taiwan Strait and in the West Philippine Sea.

  

  The Biden administration has repeatedly promised the US military will come to the Philippines’ defense in the event of a violent conflict with China, including in the South China Sea, potentially over the disputed Whitson Reef.

  In a recently obtained memo, a four star Air Force general warned officers in his command that he believes the US “will fight [China] in 2025.”

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 19:00

• JPMorgan Warning: Israel Poses Higher Investment Risk
  JPMorgan Warning: Israel Poses Higher Investment Risk

  In an internal memo posted on Thursday, JPMorgan warned that Israel presents a greater investment risk due to recent developments associated with the ascent of Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government.  

  “Israel’s local markets have seen a flareup in idiosyncratic risk, as increased geopolitical tensions were added to investor concerns over plans for judicial reforms,” said JPMorgan in a memo first reported by Israel’s Channel 12. 

  The in-depth and negative analysis from the major multinational firm comes just days after Netanyahu claimed JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs weren’t concerned about the effect of the judicial proposals.

  פרסום ראשון – בנק ההשקעות ג׳יי פי מורגן, הפעם בדוח רשמי של מחלקת המחקר: הסיכון להשקעות בישראל עולה עקב התכנית המשפטית.
  המסמך כולל השוואה למצב בפולין, והתראה על חשש מפגיעה בדירוג האשראי.
  הדוח נשלח הלילה למשקיעים ולקוחות ברחבי העולם עם הבהרה שזו העמדה הרשמית של הבנק pic.twitter.com/2thbpXDRyQ

  — עמליה דואק (@AmalyaDuek) February 3, 2023

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  “Markets probably need to consider a risk of more persistently elevated risk premia given the less centrist tilt of the current government,” JPMorgan’s Europe Emerging Markets Research desk wrote. 

  Of course, saying the new Netanyahu government has a “less centrist tilt” is a huge understatement. It’s widely considered to be the most right-wing government in the country’s history, with critical positions controlled by members of ultranationalist and ultra-religious parties who are prone to both domestic and international provocations. 

  In its apparent own similar warning posted internally on Thursday and then circulated on Twitter on Friday, Barclays was more candid, called it a “heavily right-wing coalition.” (ZeroHedge can’t independently authenticate the memo.) Goldman Sachs has expressed its own “growing concern over domestic political developments.” 

  Netanyahu’s government has proposed a package of judicial reforms that would weaken the country’s High Court. One reform would allow the Knesset — Israel’s unicameral legislature — to override High Court decisions with a simple majority vote. Others would end the court’s practice of applying a “reasonableness” test when evaluating laws and government actions. 

  “The proposed judicial reforms have triggered significant local protests at various levels, with concerns over the institutional strength in the country and the potential negative impact on investment flows and growth,” writes JPMorgan. 

  

  Looking for an example of the potential fallout from judicial reforms, the JPMorgan authors point to Poland. “Following the judicial reforms in Poland, S&P Ratings downgraded its sovereign credit rating in Jan-16 to BBB+ (from A-).” Noting that Israel’s credit rating “stands comfortably in the investment grade bucket,” the memo says the reaction to an Israeli enactment of the proposed reforms should be “modest.” 

  The firm also highlights medium-term risk to investment flows to Israel: “Recent reports suggest that some foreign institutions have already started to move funds out of Israel over concerns over the judicial reform plans. The tech sector has been relatively vocal in voicing its opposition.” 

  The risks aren’t just associated with Israel’s legal system. JPMorgan also cites an increase in “geopolitical hostilities.” The Barclays Macro Research memo elaborates on that theme:

  “The reiteration of Israel’s strategy to ‘openly’ oppose any attempts by Iran to develop its nuclear programme, recent alleged drone strikes on Iran’s military facilities and discussions with the US on joint efforts against Iran’s nuclear deal …In addition, the recent re-escalation of Israel-Palestine issues, including the politics of the right-wing government in the West Bank, increase geopolitical instability in the region.” 

  In France, Netanyahu claimed he met with 60 French business people who told him, “What they’re saying about investors running away is nonsense. We want to increase our investments in Israel.” 

  Indian billionaire oligarch Gautam Adani is facing a huge scandal over credible allegations of fraud and money laundering.

  In the middle of this scandal, he had a friendly meeting with apartheid Israel’s far-right leader Netanyahu — who has also faced many corruption charges https://t.co/9nqHj3Qc1P

  — Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) February 3, 2023

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  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 18:30

• Texas Governor Considers 'New' County Election After Ballot Issues Found
  Texas Governor Considers ‘New’ County Election After Ballot Issues Found

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

  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for a new election in Harris County, Texas, after ballot issues were more widespread than officials had estimated them to be.

  

  In response to an analysis that found there was a ballot paper shortage that was far larger than previously reported, the governor said that “it’s so big it may have altered the outcome of elections.

  “It may necessitate new elections,” Abbott also wrote. “It WILL necessitate new LAWS that prevent Harris Co. from ever doing this again.”

  Abbott, a Republican, was responding to a KHOU-11 analysis suggesting that Harris County allotted ballot paper packets that were enough for 600 ballots to each of the county’s 121 voting centers. However, the analysis found that the total votes that were cast exceeded that amount by upwards of hundreds of ballots in some instances.

  Previously, Harris County had said that 46 to 68 centers ran out of their allotted ballot paper. The county’s elections administration released a report last month that had admitted there were problems during the Nov. 8 midterms, but it said that a full report will take months to complete.

  Harris County Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum, responding to KHOU on Tuesday, said that “the implications of your article cast the cloud into the community that those locations ran out of paper.”

  “There were over 4 million sheets of paper in the street on election day,” he also remarked to the station, suggesting there was no shortage.

  Harris County Refutes Governor

  A spokesperson for Harris County’s elections agency, Nadia A. Hakim, told The Epoch Times on Friday that the KHOU news story “is, at best, misleading” and disputed Abbott’s assertion.

  “One of several glaring failures of the story is that it compares turnout numbers at individual voting locations from 2018 (before countywide voting was implemented) to this past November’s election (when voters could vote at any location in the county),” Hakim added. “This apples to kale comparison never clarifies whether any site requested or received any additional paper. Precinct-level turnout in 2018 is not comparable to countywide voting centers in 2022. This is a critical mistake in analysis.”

  For the 2022 midterms, Harris County had nearly 5 million sheets of ballot paper and more than “3 million sheets of ballot paper were returned to the Elections Office after the conclusion of voting,” Hakim said. “There is no question that the supply of paper was more than sufficient for the 350,000 in-person voters who cast a two-page ballot on Election Day.”

  Other Details

  In November’s report, officials in the county—which includes Houston—some 170 of 782 locations weren’t able to complete their planned setups on Nov. 7 due to the Houston Astros World Series parade that was held the day before. The report did not specify which locations were impacted by the parade.

  “Overall, while the initial media reports suggested a problem more extensive than what the [Election Administrator Office] has been able to confirm, the EAO will continue reviewing the processes and will implement systems to ensure this type of challenge is never encountered in the future,” the report said.

  The report noted that paper ballot jams and inaccurate wait time updates caused issues at some polling locations.

  “Our investigation has not yet revealed how many of these [voting centers] had to turn voters away due to a paper shortage,” the report stated. “Media reports claimed that a total of 24 VCs (3.1 percent) ran out of paper and had to turn voters away.”

  

  But it claimed that “the judges at the VCs indicated that they did receive supplemental paper deliveries, and two of these [presiding judges] from these VCs reported they did not run out of paper at all.”

  Harris County’s elections divisions did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 18:00

• It's Official: Ugly People More Likely To Wear Masks – University Study
  It’s Official: Ugly People More Likely To Wear Masks – University Study

  Aggravated by the holdouts who keep wearing face masks despite mounting evidence that they’re essentially useless against Covid-19? Maybe you should be a little grateful. 

  According to findings published at Frontiers in Psychology, people who consider themselves less attractive are more likely to continue wearing face masks. 

  “Our findings suggest that mask-wearing can shift from being a self-protection measure during the COVID-19 pandemic to a self-presentation tactic in the post-pandemic era.”

  The findings spring from a trio of studies using American subjects, conducted by researchers at Korea’s Seoul National University. The studies found that people with high self-perceived attractiveness are less willing to wear a mask, and vice versa.

  

  They also found that each groups’ respective anti- and pro-mask inclinations are intensified in situations where their attractiveness is important — such as a job interview, versus simply walking a dog. That is, someone who considers themselves relatively unattractive is more likely to mask up at the interview.  

  Earlier studies found that unattractive people are indeed considered more attractive when wearing masks, while the good-looking crowd is perceived as less attractive, the researchers noted. 

  Koreans have coined a slang term for less-attractive people who wear a mask to benefit from letting others give them the benefit of the doubt about what’s under it: “ma-gi-kkun.” In the United States, the term “mask-fishing” was popularized on TikTok, and has some traction in the school-age cohort. As the New York Times noted last year, masks “obscured all kinds of transformations teenagers may feel inclined to hide: braces, pimples, acne scars, the first growths of facial hair.”

  

  Meanwhile, the medical case for mask-wearing — which was rightfully doubted even in the early months — now lies in complete shambles. Most recently, a study-of-studies published in the peer-reviewed Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concluded that, in the words of one author, “wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome.”

  Apparently, the only outcomes masks affect are the ones related to how others perceive us. While the latest research focused on attractiveness, in 2023, masks are increasingly sending signals about the wearers’ psychological health and intelligence.  

  I’m not going to spread that ridiculous article, but I’d wager that it’s less “ugly people wear masks” & more “people that are used to leveraging their adherence to beauty standards for social capital are more likely to refuse to wear masks”

  — COVID isn’t over just bc you’re over it (@STLMasking) February 2, 2023

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  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 17:30

• California Snowpack At 40 Year Highs…And Rising: Officials
  California Snowpack At 40 Year Highs…And Rising: Officials

  Authored by Rudy Blalock via The Epoch Times,

  Snowpack levels in California continue to increase, after reaching their highest level in 40 years, after weeks of storms in December and January.

  

  But, water officials reported that with a dry forecast ahead, more is needed to escape the state’s three-year drought.

  The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which is measured at Phillips Station near South Lake Tahoe, was measured at 205 percent of the historical average for the year on Feb. 1, following three of the wettest weeks California has had in years, according to officials.

  It additionally has risen 20 percent more than when it was measured last month.

  “Our snowpack is off to an incredible start. And it’s exactly what California needs to really help break from our ongoing drought,” said Sean de Guzman, manager of snow surveys and water supply forecasting with the California Department of Water Resources.

  He noted, however, that some of the state’s largest reservoirs are still lacking water.

  “We’ve seen an impressive increase in reservoir storage statewide, but there are still some of these larger reservoirs that are actually still below average,” he said.

  According to Guzman, since Dec. 1, there has been an increase of 9-million-acre feet in reservoir storage.

  “However, for every day that it doesn’t rain or snow, we gradually return to drier conditions,” he said.

  The recent measurement was also a 137 percent increase compared to an average taken last April, which is considered the peak of the annual snowpack.

  

  But according to Karla Nemeth, director of the water resources department, the state’s traditional snow peak date, may now be in flux.

  “What is happening with climate is that the timing of that peak is changing,” she said.

  She said the department is hopeful for a large return of water from the snowmelt into the state’s ground basins, which hold about 10 times more than reservoirs.

  “It takes a lot longer to fill our groundwater basins than it does our reservoir storage,” she said.

  Nemeth added that California isn’t out of the woods yet, regarding its current drought.

  She said recent storms could be followed by an excessive dry period.

  “There’s a lot more that needs to play out over the course of the next several months for us to really capture our full water supply picture here in California,” she said.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 17:00

• Americans Continue To Flee High-Tax New York And California — Here's Where They're Going
  Americans Continue To Flee High-Tax New York And California — Here’s Where They’re Going

  Last year the exodus out of the high-tax, high-crime Democratic strongholds of California, New York and Illinois continued, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors.

  

  In 2022, 343,000 people left the Golden State, while 299,557 left New York, and 141,656 left Illinois, Bloomberg reports.

  

  And which states saw the most new residents? Florida and Texas – home to low taxes and warm weather, followed by North Carolina and South Carolina.

  Florida saw an influx of 318,855 people, while Texas saw 230,961 new residents. And it’s not just for the weather and the taxes…

  “Everybody knows about the low taxes and great weather in these areas, but something else that makes these areas popular is the robust job market recovery after the pandemic,” said NAR Director of Real Estate Research, Nadia Evangelou. “Not only were their economies able to recover all the jobs that were lost, but there are 5% more jobs now than there were in 2020.“

  

  Of course, once these states flip blue thanks to the influx of coastal Democrats, the tax advantages and low crime will undoubtedly evaporate.

  Moving on the decline

  According to the Brookings Institution, the long-term trend of migration is slowing down, CBS News reports.

  For instance, from 2021 to 2022, about 9% of Americans moved, ranging from local to long-range moves. 

  That’s far lower than the roughly 20% of Americans who moved each year from the 1940s to 1960s — decades when more households were single-earner homes, making it easier to pick up and relocate versus double-earner households today.

  That said, longer-distance moves have picked up in recent years, as Americans find employment in different parts of the country.

  

  “This population shift paints a clear picture: People left high-tax, high-cost states for lower-tax, lower-cost alternatives,” wrote policy analyst Janelle Fritts in a blog post earlier this month.

  Notably, people who leave New York typically save 15x more from lower housing costs than from tax savings, an analysis from the Fiscal Policy Institute found.

  “Of the top twenty largest county-to-county flows out of New York State, median housing costs were substantially lower in the destination county,” reads the report. “On average, annual mortgage costs for median-priced homes are $18,300 lower in destination counties — a savings of 34% — than in New York origin counties.”

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 16:30

• Charlie Munger Doesn't Understand Bitcoin, Michael Saylor Mocks 99-Year-Old Western Elitist
  Charlie Munger Doesn’t Understand Bitcoin, Michael Saylor Mocks 99-Year-Old Western Elitist

  Authored by BTCCasey via BitcoinMagazine.com,

  Michael Saylor’s latest interview includes a blast at Western elites, specifically Charlie Munger.

  

  Munger recently penned an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal titled, “Why America Should Ban Crypto.” In it, he slammed cryptocurrencies, explaining that: 

  “Such wretched excess has gone on because there is a gap in regulation. A cryptocurrency is not a currency, not a commodity, and not a security. Instead, it’s a gambling contract with a nearly 100% edge for the house, entered into in a country where gambling contracts are traditionally regulated only by states that compete in laxity. Obviously the U.S. should now enact a new federal law that prevents this from happening.”

  This is not the first time that Munger has been openly negative towards bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, having previously called it “rat poison squared” and “a bad combo of fraud and delusion.”

  In a Friday interview with CNBC’s Morgan Brennan, Saylor addressed Munger’s recent op-ed and the Western elite’s opinions on Bitcoin.

  “If he was a business leader in South America or Africa or Asia and he spent a 100 hours studying the problem, he’d be more bullish on bitcoin than I am,” Saylor explained.

  “The Western elites have not had the time to study… but I’ve never really met someone with an incentive living in the rest of the world that spent some time thinking about it that wasn’t enthusiastic about bitcoin.”

  The “plight of the common man,” said Saylor, is better illustrated by recent events in Lebanon, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Venezuela – where local currencies have plunged in value.

  Today’s interview with @MorganLBrennan covered the success of @MicroStrategy, global adoption of #Bitcoin and #Lightning⚡️, the evolution of the crypto industry, and the digital transformation of money. pic.twitter.com/bEnLOVbpiJ

  — Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) February 3, 2023

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  Saylor said he is “sympathetic” to Munger’s broad crypto criticisms, and he called out the thousands of nonbitcoin tokens as little more than avenues for “gambling.”

  Saylor’s criticism of Munger came alongside further descriptions in regards to MicroStrategy’s plans to develop Lightning enterprise software, explaining for the first time in detail that “Microstrategy is actually developing MicroStrategy Lightning, our own enterprise Lightning offering. We’re going to allow CMOs to offer Lightning rewards or bitcoin rewards, like a frequent flier program, to hundreds of thousands or millions of their customers, all of their employees and all of their prospects, at the speed of light off a website — and we’re very enthusiastic about that.”

  

  The MicroStrategy chairman is obviously still bullish on bitcoin’s growth irrespective of the opinion of legacy billionaires like Munger. In addition, his comments highlight his attention to the global nature of Bitcoin and its ability to enable those who are not yet financially connected as the West is.

  Saylor has been persistent in his support for Bitcoin, and he believes that other regions around the world are more aware of the potential of the digital asset. With his commitment to developing Lightning enterprise software, Saylor is making clear his dedication to the adoption of bitcoin and to connecting the world in a new way.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 16:00

• US Stealth Jet Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off Carolinas
  US Stealth Jet Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off Carolinas

  Update (1600ET):

  US defense officials confirmed to Fox News an F-22 stealth jet fired an AIM-9 Sidewinder that brought down the Chinese surveillance balloon. The F-22 was based out of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. 

  NEW: senior defense official tells me an F22 fighter jet fired a single shot at the Chinese spy balloon in U.S. air space over Atlantic Ocean. The F22s flew from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

  — Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) February 4, 2023

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  Senior US military official says 1 air to air missile fired by F22 at 58,000 feet (an A9X missile) brought down China spy balloon. The balloon was at 60-65,000 feet when shot.

  — Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) February 4, 2023

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  *   *   *

  Update (1540ET): 

  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III released a statement about the Chinese surveillance balloon being shot down. 

  This afternoon, at the direction of President Biden, US fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully brought down the high-altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over the water off the coast of South Carolina in US airspace. The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above US territorial waters.

  On Wednesday, President Biden gave his authorization to take down the surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon’s path.

  After careful analysis, US military commanders had determined downing the balloon while over land posed an undue risk to people across a wide area due to the size and altitude of the balloon and its surveillance payload. In accordance with the President’s direction, the Department of Defense developed options to take down the balloon safely over our territorial waters, while closely monitoring its path and intelligence collection activities. This action was taken in coordination, and with the full support, of the Canadian government. And we thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through NORAD as it transited North America. Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”

  *   *   *

  Update (1441ET):

  A US F-22 stealth jet has shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon off the Carolina coast. 

  

  The best view so far of the surveillance balloon being shot down. 

  Best video so far of the Chinese spy balloon being shot down pic.twitter.com/MrWB403OqJ

  — BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 4, 2023

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  More views of the F-22. 

  Photos show the Chinese Balloon being shot down by a F-22 Raptor from Myrtle Beach, SC!
  📸Me pic.twitter.com/AWSmILlRzg

  — Jake (@astroqv) February 4, 2023

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  The balloon is falling back to Earth. 

  

  Here comes the recovery vessel. 

  The USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) (along with numerous skipper sized surface craft, I assume) is arriving in the splashdown zone for balloon recovery. pic.twitter.com/dq7lWrHzKm

  — The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) February 4, 2023

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  *   *   *

  Update (1330ET):

  Shortly after President Biden reportedly said, “we are going to take care of it,” referring to the Chinese spy balloon that is calmly drifting across US airspace, the FAA has shut down three airports and closed airspace in parts of North and South Carolina:

  

  Fighter jets are circling the spy balloon. 

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  F-22s returning after a brief holding orbit. pic.twitter.com/bRZ6uq7Knl

  — The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) February 4, 2023

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  CCP balloon over North Myrtle Beach ‼️ Jets are circling ‼️ pic.twitter.com/BaG5VasQUp

  — SouthernFried (@southenFried) February 4, 2023

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  Video of what appears to be fighter, jets circling the China balloon above Conway, South Carolina pic.twitter.com/lvjW6WX2Gp

  — Andy Shain (@AndyShain) February 4, 2023

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  A US military surveillance plane is circling offshore of North Carolina. 

  

  A vessel with a large crane might be headed to an area where the military might shoot down the balloon.  

  The USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) is headed south from Beaufort, NC. May be used for balloon recovery efforts. Ship has a 30 ton crane on board. pic.twitter.com/nsCYQ1Tpqb

  — The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) February 4, 2023

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  *   *   *

  A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon appears to be heading toward North Carolina, according to ABC News, citing a senior US official familiar with the situation. That official said the US would probably shoot the balloon down over the Atlantic Ocean and retrieve it. 

  Within the last hour, numerous Twitter users have uploaded footage of what appears to be the Chinese balloon floating above North Carolina. 

  Chinese balloon over Shelby North Carolina at 9:35 AM. Moving west south west. pic.twitter.com/EEj8vGk6La

  — Anne Eskridge (@AnneEskridge1) February 4, 2023

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  Here’s the #ChineseSpyBallon over Easley, SC around 8:45am this AM. The trajectory forecast I posted last night seems right on. The balloon should be visible anywhere in southern North Carolina and northern South Carolina at some point over the next 6-8 hours. 📸 Jason McDowell. pic.twitter.com/6hspFrIXqG

  — Ed Piotrowski (@EdPiotrowski) February 4, 2023

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  Chinese Spy Balloon currently SW of Polkville NC approximately over Kingston NC 9:44 AM #ChinaSpyBalloon @wxbrad pic.twitter.com/8OjdDwsgmN

  — Brian Branch (@BrianBranch13) February 4, 2023

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  Local police tell residents don’t shoot their guns at the giant balloon. 

  The Gastonia Police Department is asking residents to not shoot at the Chinese spy balloon if it flies over North Carolina pic.twitter.com/lD9VkI299M

  — Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) February 4, 2023

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  On Friday, we cited Capital Weather Gang, who accurately predicted the balloon’s trajectory while it was floating above the Midwest. Now updated predictions for Saturday morning show the balloon might be headed toward the Atlantic. 

  

  The balloon’s payload is approximately 90 feet long, or the length of two motorhomes, and the balloon itself is much larger. Here’s one of the clearest views of the balloon. 

  

  And there might be more balloons. We noted last night:

  “We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, told Fox News Friday night. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon.”

  US officials have not ruled out shooting the balloon down. That might happen as soon as the balloon moves offshore into the Atlantic. Time for Space Force to shine. 

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 16:00

• US Says Russian Athletes Should Compete Under Neutral Flag At Olympics, Resists Ban
  US Says Russian Athletes Should Compete Under Neutral Flag At Olympics, Resists Ban

  Amid calls from Ukrainian officials to ban all Russian and Belarusian athletes from the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic summer games, the White House has issued a statement saying it agrees with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) policy of allowing the two countries to compete under a neutral flag.

  “In cases where sports organizations and event organizers, such as the International Olympics Committee, choose to permit athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in sporting events, they should be absolutely clear that they are not representing the Russian or Belarus states,” Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday.

  

  She added that “the use of official state Russia and Belarus flags… should be prohibited as well.” The IOC last week had ruled that this will be the policy moving forward due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

  But Kiev has consistently demanded that it’s for Russia to suffer “complete isolation” on the world stage, including at international sporting events. President Zelensky in a December phone call with IOC president Thomas Bach requested that Russia not even be able to participate as a neutral team.

  “Since February, 184 Ukrainian athletes have died as a result of Russia’s actions,” Zelensky said in the call. “One cannot try to be neutral when the foundations of peaceful life are being destroyed and universal human values are being ignored.”

  Bach had defended the committee’s the position that “Athletes cannot be punished for acts of their government as long as they do not contribute or support it.” He explained, “What we never did and we never want to do is prohibiting athletes from participating in sports only because of their passport.”

  Based on the latest IOC ruling, neither Russian nor Belarusian officials will be allowed to attend the games, and essentially all Russian or Belarusian national displays will be banned.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 15:30

• From EMP-Delivery To Nuke-Mapping: Potential Purposes Of China's High-Altitude Invasion
  From EMP-Delivery To Nuke-Mapping: Potential Purposes Of China’s High-Altitude Invasion

  Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us

  My home state of Montana was recently featured in news feeds this week as the first to observe and identify what the US Air Force says is a Chinese spy balloon. The Chinese claim it is a civilian weather apparatus that was blown off course and they expressed “regret” for the event, but the equipment visible in photographs suggests that this is a lie. Beyond that, another similar balloon has been spotted over Latin America – One wayward high tech Chinese balloon might be believable, but two is not a coincidence.

  There are numerous theories as to why such a surveillance platform would be used by the CCP and what it is designed to look for, and I thought I would offer a couple theories based on my years of study into similar projects pursued by the US Department of Defense and DARPA.

  First, the immediate question is why the Biden Administration has not destroyed the balloon? Why not shoot first and ask questions later? Well, Biden’s silence on this issue suggests he either has no answers or that the truth will make the American public very angry. The most likely reason it has not been shot down is because it is very difficult to shoot down.

  [It appears the balloon has finally been shot down, but only after the device crossed the entire country – Whatever data the platform was meant to collect, China likely has it now]. 

  High altitude balloons travel at 80,000 to 120,000 feet. The average fighter jet can hit altitudes of 65,000 feet and new generation drones can climb to 50,000 feet. These balloons also emit little to no heat signature, which makes them very difficult to target using missiles. If laser technology exists that has such a range, the US military is not talking about it. It might actually be easier to shoot down a Chinese satellite than one of these balloons.

  

  Is there a way? It could be done perhaps with a missile using a large fragmentation-type warhead, but the White House does not seem too interested in exploring options.

  Another explanation is that the DoD is waiting to see what these balloons do. This is where I would present a few theories as to their purpose. Here is what I think is most likely given the progress of spy balloon technology right now…

  Chinese ALTA Balloon Program

  For a few years now DARPA has been playing with a concept for high altitude surveillance balloons using a technology called “Strat-OAWL.” Balloons have been fielded for centuries as surveillance weapons, but unpredictable wind and atmospheric changes push the balloons around, making them useless within a coupe of days for any specific region.

  To break it down simply, Strat-OAWL is the experimental use of lasers to read wind speed and direction far ahead of a balloon. The balloon then uses that data to increase or decrease altitude to ride airstreams in whatever directing the military wants the balloon to go. This could allow increased navigational control, but the Holy Grail that DARPA seeks is a high alt balloon that can stay in one place indefinitely.

  I find this idea impractical, like most DARPA projects, if only because wind currents can change faster than any balloon can adjust altitude, but I do see the potential uses here. The Chinese could unleash hundreds of high flying spy balloons with similar capabilities to spy satellites at a fraction of the cost and with less risk of destruction by enemy fire. The CCP may be attempting to test their own version of the DARPA directional balloon tech, while also waiting to see if the US has the means to shoot down the devices.

  Lidar Observation From A Balloon Platform

  The Chinese have been messing with lidar technology a lot lately. Lidar uses pulsed lasers to measure small variations in terrain to uncover hidden shapes and structures. It also has a knack for cutting through forest canopy and other obstructions. The problem with lidar is that the platforms commonly used to carry the apparatus are faster moving and only capture a snapshot in time. Also, it cannot see through thick clouds, dust, rain, snow or fog.

  NASA and DARPA have both been testing lidar from balloons as a means to keep the lasers in the sky longer above a specific area. The Chinese balloon also looks somewhat similar to the equipment used on European lidar balloon experiments.

  A lidar based spy balloon would explain Chinese interest in Eastern Montana, where there are numerous known nuclear missile silos as well as suspected hidden silos. The Chinese balloon did in fact come near at least one known nuclear missile base near Billings. Lidar could be exploited to find hidden bases in the region.

  Multispectral Imaging

  Much like Lidar, multispectral imaging tech is highly dependent on the platform that it is mounted on. MI is used to measure wavelengths of light that are not visible to the human eye and it is tested in many scientific applications. However, there are military applications, including using MI to discover hidden variations in terrain that do not match the surrounding environment. In other words, its meant to sniff out camouflaged buildings, vehicles, fighting positions, etc.

  China launched two satellites for multispectral imaging in 2019 and may now be trying to test the same equipment on balloons. It’s hard to say if they are looking for a unique target, or if they are just establishing baseline image maps to be used in the future for…who knows?

  Weapons Delivery Platform

  High altitude balloons are cheap and relatively effective surveillance platforms that can be used much like satellites but, with the right equipment, could become far more maneuverable. With the CCP’s limited resources it makes sense that they would be utilizing low-cost and low visibility measures instead of expensive and easier to target long range drones or spy planes.

  However, these systems are not just useful for observation – They can also be used to deliver weapons packages, including EMP weapons, nuclear weapons and biological agents. The US has been testing balloons for nuclear delivery ever since Operation Yucca in 1956.

  In the event of war between China and the US, the CCP may be looking for a way to strike with weapons of mass destruction with a passive delivery system that’s hard to defend against.

  The end goal is difficult to figure out. No doubt, the Chinese expect conflict with the US in the near future. The surveillance may be in preparation for an invasion of Taiwan in the near term (next couple years).

  Or, the entire circus may just be designed to see how America reacts. So far, the Biden White House has done nothing and has said nothing.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 02/04/2023 – 15:00

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