Jan 09

Today’s News 9th January 2022

  • Despotism Is The New Normal: Looming Threats To Freedom In 2022
    Despotism Is The New Normal: Looming Threats To Freedom In 2022

    Authored by John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,

    “Looking at the present, I see a more probable future: a new despotism creeping slowly across America. Faceless oligarchs sit at command posts of a corporate-government complex that has been slowly evolving over many decades. In efforts to enlarge their own powers and privileges, they are willing to have others suffer the intended or unintended consequences of their institutional or personal greed. For Americans, these consequences include chronic inflation, recurring recession, open and hidden unemployment, the poisoning of air, water, soil and bodies, and, more important, the subversion of our constitution.”

    – Bertram Gross, Friendly Fascism: The New Face of Power in America

    Despotism has become our new normal.

    Digital tyranny, surveillance. Intolerance, cancel culture, censorship. Lockdowns, mandates, government overreach. Supply chain shortages, inflation. Police brutality, home invasions, martial law. The loss of bodily integrity, privacy, autonomy.

    These acts of tyranny by an authoritarian government have long since ceased to alarm or unnerve us. We have become desensitized to government brutality, accustomed to government corruption, and unfazed by the government’s assaults on our freedoms.

    This present trajectory is unsustainable. The center cannot hold.

    The following danger points pose some of the greatest threats to our collective and individual freedoms now and in the year to come.

    Censorship. The most controversial issues of our day—gay rights, abortion, race, religion, sexuality, political correctness, police brutality, et al.—have become battlegrounds for those who claim to believe in freedom of speech but only when it favors the views and positions they support. Thus, while on paper, we are technically free to speak, in reality, we are only as free to speak as the government and tech giants such as Facebook, Google or YouTube may allow. Yet it’s a slippery slope from censoring so-called illegitimate ideas to silencing truth. What we are witnessing is the modern-day equivalent of book burning which involves doing away with dangerous ideas—legitimate or not—and the people who espouse them. Unfortunately, censorship is just the beginning. Once you allow the government and its corporate partners to determine who is worthy enough to participate in society, anything goes.

    The Emergency State. Now that the government has gotten a taste for flexing its police state powers by way of a bevy of lockdowns, mandates, restrictions, contact tracing programs, heightened surveillance, censorship, overcriminalization, etc., “we the people” may well find ourselves burdened with a Nanny State inclined to use its draconian pandemic powers to protect us from ourselves. Therein lies the danger of the government’s Machiavellian version of crisis management that justifies all manner of government tyranny in the so-called name of national security. This is the power grab hiding in plain sight.

    Pre-crime. The government is about to rapidly expand its policing efforts to focus on pre-crime and thought crimes. Precrime, straight out of the realm of dystopian science fiction movies such as Minority Report, aims to prevent crimes before they happen by combining widespread surveillance, behavior prediction technologies, data mining, precognitive technology, and neighborhood and family snitch programs to enable police to capture would-be criminals before they can do any damage. The intent, of course, is for the government to be all-seeing, all-knowing and all-powerful in its preemptive efforts to combat domestic extremism, a broad label that can be applied to anything or anyone the government perceives to be a threat to its power.

    The Surveillance State. This all-seeing fourth branch of government, comprised of a domestic army of government snitches, spies and techno-warriors, watches everything we do, reads everything we write, listens to everything we say, and monitors everywhere we go. Beware of what you say, what you read, what you write, where you go, and with whom you communicate, because it is all being recorded, stored, and catalogued, and will be used against you eventually, at a time and place of the government’s choosing. Even agencies not traditionally associated with the intelligence community are part of the government’s growing network of snitches and spies.

    Genetic privacy. “Guilt by association” has taken on new connotations in the technological age. Yet the debate over genetic privacy—and when one’s DNA becomes a public commodity outside the protection of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on warrantless searches and seizures—is really only beginning. Get ready, folks, because the government—helped along by Congress (which adopted legislation allowing police to collect and test DNA immediately following arrests), the courts (which have ruled that police can routinely take DNA samples from people who are arrested but not yet convicted of a crime), and local police agencies (which are chomping at the bit to acquire this new crime-fighting gadget)—has embarked on a diabolical campaign to create a nation of suspects predicated on a massive national DNA database.

    Bodily integrity. It doesn’t matter what your trigger issue is—whether it’s vaccines, abortion, crime, religion, immigration, terrorism or some other overtly politicized touchstone used by politicians as a rallying cry for votes—we should all be concerned when governments and businesses (i.e., the Corporate State) join forces to compel individuals to sacrifice their right to bodily integrity on the altar of so-called safety and national security. This debate over bodily integrity covers broad territory, ranging from abortion and forced vaccines to biometric surveillance and basic healthcare. Forced vaccinations, forced cavity searches, forced colonoscopies, forced blood draws, forced breath-alcohol tests, forced DNA extractions, forced eye scans, and forced inclusion in biometric databases are just a few ways in which Americans continue to be reminded that we have no control over what happens to our bodies during an encounter with government officials.

    Gun control. After declaring more than a decade ago that citizens have a Second Amendment right to own a gun in one’s home for self-defense, the Supreme Court has now been tasked with deciding whether the Constitution also protects the right to carry a gun outside the home. Unfortunately, when it comes to gun rights in particular, and the rights of the citizenry overall, the U.S. government has adopted a “do what I say, not what I do” mindset. Nowhere is this double standard more evident than in the government’s attempts to arm itself to the teeth, all the while viewing as suspect anyone who dares to legally own a gun, let alone use one in self-defense. Indeed, while it still technically remains legal to own a firearm in America, possessing one can now get you pulled over, searched, arrested, subjected to all manner of surveillance, treated as a suspect without ever having committed a crime, shot at, and killed.

    Show Your Papers Society. With every passing day, more and more private businesses and government agencies on both the state and federal level are requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccination in order for individuals to work, travel, shop, attend school, and generally participate in the life of the country. By allowing government agents to establish a litmus test for individuals to be able to engage in commerce, movement and any other right that corresponds to life in a supposedly free society, it lays the groundwork for a “show me your papers” society in which you are required to identify yourself at any time to any government worker who demands it for any reason. Such tactics can quickly escalate into a power-grab that empowers government agents to force anyone and everyone to prove they are in compliance with every statute and regulation on the books.

    Singularity. Welcome to the Matrix (i.e. the metaverse), where reality is virtual, freedom is only as free as one’s technological overlords allow, and artificial intelligence is slowly rendering humanity unnecessary, inferior and obsolete. Indeed, it’s no coincidence that Elon Musk has announced his intentions of implanting brain chips in humans sometime in 2022. The digital universe—the metaverse—is expected to be the next step in our evolutionary transformation from a human-driven society to a technological one. Remaining singularly human and retaining your individuality and dominion over yourself—mind, body and soul—in the face of corporate and government technologies that aim to invade, intrude, monitor, manipulate and control us may be one of the greatest challenges before us.

    Despotism. Even in the face of militarism, fascism, technotyranny, surveillance, etc., the gravest threat facing us as a nation may well be despotism, exercised by a ruling class whose only allegiance is to power and money. The American kakistocracy (a government run by unprincipled career politicians and corporate thieves that panders to the worst vices in our nature and has little regard for the rights of the people) continues to suck the American people into a parallel universe in which the Constitution is meaningless, the government is all-powerful, and the citizenry are powerless to defend themselves against government agents who steal, spy, lie, plunder, kill, abuse and generally inflict mayhem and sow madness on everyone and everything in their sphere.

    It is a grim outlook for a new year, but it is not completely hopeless.

    If hope is to be found, it will be found with those of us who do their part, at their local levels, to right the wrongs and fix what is broken. I am referring to the builders, the thinkers, the helpers, the healers, the educators, the creators, the artists, the activists, the technicians, the food gatherers and distributors, and every other person who does their part to build up rather than destroy.

    “We the people” are the hope for a better year.

    Until we can own that truth, until we can forge our own path back to a world in which freedom means something again, as I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, we’re going to be stuck in this wormhole of populist anger, petty politics and destruction that is pitting us one against the other.

    In such a scenario, no one wins.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 23:30

  • YouTuber Accused Of Staging Plane Crash For Likes And Views
    YouTuber Accused Of Staging Plane Crash For Likes And Views

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating YouTuber and former Olympic snowboarder Trevor Jacob after he posted a video online showing him bailing out of a plane after alleged engine issues. 

    “The FAA is investigating this event,” the agency said. “The agency does not discuss open investigations.” 

    The incident occurred in Los Padres National Forest near Cuyama, California, in November. It wasn’t until Dec. 24 when he uploaded the video onto YouTube, showing the alleged engine failure above rocky terrain. The YouTuber then opens the plane’s door and bails out with a parachute—cameras located on the plane capture the entire incident. 

    Jacob lands to safety while the plane smashes into the side of a mountain. He locates the crash and shows the wreckage.

    The video has gone viral, with nearly 600k views, 5.9k likes, and 36k dislikes. The reason for a large number of dislikes is that followers believe the video was possibly staged.

    Robert Perry, a flight instructor based out of Santa Ynez Airport, California, said he is suspect of Jacob’s crash. He pointed the biggest red: the pilot was wearing a parachute during takeoff. 

    Others on social media said Jacob “faked a plane crash for clout.” 

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    What stands out to us is why did Jacob strap on a parachute before taking off? That’s unusual among private pilots. 

    Watch the full video here. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 23:00

  • How The Geopolitics Of 2021 Will Shape The Year Ahead For Bitcoin
    How The Geopolitics Of 2021 Will Shape The Year Ahead For Bitcoin

    Authored by Nick Fonseca via BitcoinMagazine.com,

    Developments around the global regulation, hash rate and adoption of Bitcoin made for a unique year in 2021. So how will 2022 play out?

    This past year was certainly a unique one for bitcoin. We saw the first bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) get approved in the United States, the largest-ever Bitcoin conference in Miami, the much anticipated Taproot upgrade, all-time highs nearing $70,000, oh, and a nation state made bitcoin legal tender. Despite all this exciting news, some things never change — the FUD was as prevalent as ever. Bitcoin saw a variety of bans throughout 2021 and, to no one’s surprise, China stole the show in this regard.

    Below is a list of bitcoin bans in 2021 alone:

    With 2021 nearly in the rearview mirror, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what geopolitical bitcoin moves will occur throughout 2022. Below, I offer up a few questions to think about as we approach the new year:

    • On a global scale, will we see bitcoin regulation turn friendly or grow increasingly hostile?

    • Will hash rate continue to accumulate in the U.S. (possibly eclipsing a 50% share) or will we see a greater distribution moving forward?

    • Will another country adopt bitcoin as legal tender? And if so, which one? There couldn’t be multiple throughout 2022, could there?

    These questions fall into three categories: hash rate, regulation and adoption. I’ve addressed each below in more detail.

    REGULATION

    If we step back and look at 2021 regulation on a global scale, would you think the overall trend was friendly or hostile? Even with the passing of El Salvador’s Bitcoin law, I’d say the global regulatory environment is still quite hostile toward Bitcoin. Iran, Turkey and Nigeria all made hostile moves in 2021. India and the State of New York considered hostile regulatory action as well. We all know what happened in China.

    While the news of bans and corresponding FUD was prevalent, there is still a sense of optimism in the air. After the dust settled post-El Salvador’s bitcoin law, the obvious next question was: Who’s next? Many assumptions have been made about it being another Latin American country. This certainly makes sense.

    In retrospect, El Salvador was almost the perfect country to make this huge leap. It is a small nation that has struggled economically and doesn’t have autonomy over its currency. As a dollarized country, Salvadorans are subject to the whim of the U.S. dollar and the Federal Reserve. I’m not going to debate whether severing ties with the colón in 2001 was the right move (Alex Gladstein covered that topic well here), but I certainly think taking a step toward a Bitcoin standard was.

    El Salvador, like many countries in Latin America, is often harmed by U.S. foreign policy and International Monetary Fund (IMF) intervention. The Cantillon effect created by the U.S. hurt the people of El Salvador by inflating their local currency (and any benefits accompanied by this hidden tax are not seen by Salvadorans), enacting sanctions and controlling trade policy. The IMF harms the people of El Salvador by keeping the country indebted and degrading its credit quality to ensure unfavorable terms for future loans (or even holding hostage future lending prospects).

    “El Salvador bond spreads to U.S. Treasuries hit a record high on Thursday on growing investor fears the Central American nation will not reach a potential $1 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund and faces negative credit implications linked to its use of bitcoin.”

    –Reuters

    So, what did El Salvador do about this? It opted out (though not completely). It took a step in the direction of financial sovereignty and a corresponding step away from nefarious U.S. statecraft and IMF financial tyranny. But El Salvador is not the only struggling, dolarized country in Latin America. So, again I’ll ask, who’s next?

    Politicians across Latin America have been equipping their laser eyes, starting to engage with the bitcoin community and proposing pro-bitcoin legislation. Little has materialized as of this writing (on the surface, at least), but we all know bitcoin acts “gradually, then suddenly.”

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    Congressman Carlitos Rejala of Paraguay, Mexican lawmaker Eduardo Murat Hinojosa, Panamanian congressman Gabriel Silva and Brazil’s Federal Deputy Aureo Ribeiro have all signaled support for bitcoin in one way or another.

    It very well could be one of these countries that becomes the next Bitcoin hub, whether it be via a legal tender law or otherwise friendly regulation. And just maybe, we won’t be talking about another single country making bitcoin legal tender, but a handful when we look back at 2022.

    Even if Alexander Höptner’s prediction of five more developing countries adopting bitcoin as legal tender by the end of 2022 turns out to be accurate, there will still be FUD (there will always be FUD). We likely haven’t seen the last of Bitcoin bans and they may become more sophisticated and more strictly enforced as financial elites across the globe feel the increased pressure put upon them by this new freedom money.

    “In reality, U.S. economic statecraft is alive and well in the region, and helped foment the dire conditions that sparked the recent wave of uprisings.”

    –Alexander Main, director of international policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, on recent protests across Latin America

    HASH RATE

    In the fall of 2019, Mainland China controlled approximately 75% of the global Bitcoin hash rate. That number fell, but was still over 50% as we kicked off 2021. Now, in the early days of 2022, it sits at 0%.

    This was one of the best stories in bitcoin in 2021. Sure, the FUDsters were sounding the alarm when China banned bitcoin mining this past summer, but that was to be expected and they failed to zoom out. China enacting a legitimate and all-out ban on bitcoin mining certainly hurt the overall hash rate at the time, so the price dropped accordingly. Alarms were sounded. Articles were written. The death of bitcoin was yet again declared.

    Not so fast. Many bitcoiners knew this would actually be a good thing. It may not have been obvious from the outside looking in, but it was clear as day to those who get it. A mass exodus of bitcoin mining from China would result in a greater distribution of global hash rate. This is a huge deal. Not to mention that this does away with one of the most prominent anti-bitcoin arguments — that China has too much control of Bitcoin infrastructure or might co-opt the network by a hostile miner takeover.

    As is evident in the below visual, many countries benefited from the China mining ban: Russia, Kazakhstan and the United States chief among them. The U.S. started the year with roughly an 11% share of the global hash rate. This number (as of August, per the most recently available data) sits at 35%. What are the odds this number continues to grow? When does it go from something to celebrate to a point of concern?

     Image source

    As an American, I was happy to see miners coming to the U.S. However, stepping back and recognizing just how fast the U.S. tripled its hash rate, I believe there’s some cause for concern. I wouldn’t want any one country to lay claim over China’s vacated throne of the dominant player in global hash rate. Is it possible that 75% of the hash rate being in the U.S. would actually be worse than when that same concentration was in China?

    The U.S. might be behind the EU in terms of sustainability regulation, but it seems intent on closing that gap fast. With so many corporations leaning into ESG, the topic of ESG and Bitcoin is certainly not going anywhere. This would call into question bitcoin’s fungibility if “green bitcoin” were to be priced at a premium. It would also be in direct conflict with the free market ethos that Bitcoin naturally promotes.

    While the Chinese regulatory environment was uncertain and oftentimes really harsh toward bitcoin, it ultimately decided to push miners out as opposed to co-opting them. Since miners benefit from economies of scale, they’ll likely trend toward centralization over time. This makes regulatory capture more of a concern, whether it be in China, the U.S. or another other country. The next time a major geopolitical move is taken by a global mining power, it might take the form of state control rather than a ban. Even though El Salvador mining bitcoin with geothermal energy is undoubtedly really cool, state-owned bitcoin mining facilities is not a trend I want to see emerge.

    This might be a bit farther out than 2022. It might be unrealistic altogether. Maybe it’s even one of those chances bitcoiners would be willing to take, as it might not arise until we’re at or near hyperbitcoinization. Still, it’s worth some consideration as we look ahead to the short- and long-term futures of bitcoin.

    ADOPTION

    Bitcoin adoption has exploded over the years and is now estimated to be north of 100 million users. Bitcoin users include institutional and retail investors, humanitarians, bankers, government officials, large and small businesses, refugees and everyone in between. Even if we were to say “that 100 million seems really low” and infer it might be closer to double that, we’d only be at roughly 4% to 5% of adults owning bitcoin globally. That’s comparable to the internet in 1999.

    If we continue the trends seen in Bitcoin adoption over the past couple years, the number of global users will reach one billion sooner than we know it. Trying to predict what will happen to bitcoin’s price, hash rate or adoption in the short term is a fool’s errand, but we can say with near certainty that Bitcoin’s user base will expand over longer periods of time.

    It’s impossible to know exactly how many users there are, but below are some trends that clearly illustrate how adoption is rapidly increasing:

    • Six percent of U.S. investors (defined as those with $10,000 invested in stocks, bonds or mutual funds) say they own bitcoin, up from 2% in 2018.
    • Institutional investors are beginning to favor bitcoin over gold.
    • Bitcoin’s use for everyday savings, peer-to-peer transactions and remittance payments is becoming more prevalent in the places that need it most (for example, adoption shot up 1,200% year-over-year in Africa).

    The final bullet point above goes hand in hand with the growth of the Lightning Network. This has been my personal favorite trend in Bitcoin adoption this year. Nation state and institutional adoption will certainly have a greater upward pull on bitcoin’s price, but the Lightning Network is how we onboard millions and eventually billions around the globe, enabling near-instant and zero-cost micropayments. The Lightning Network has more than tripled in capacity this year and the below image shows just how robust development is within the Lightning ecosystem.

    Image source

    The velocity with which Bitcoin is adopted by the average person may have less impact on the price compared to when whales make big splashes, but it is a signal that needs to be closely monitored. The President of El Salvador cited bitcoin’s adoption in Bitcoin Beach as a use case for the country’s legal tender law. Regulation and adoption go hand-in-hand, and often it is assumed that regulation will impact adoption, and not the other way around. That statement might sound logical, but bitcoin has been known to challenge our assumptions.

    Places like Nigeria, Pakistan, India and China have all been quite hostile toward Bitcoin and yet, their citizens are among the most prevalent users. Why is that? That’s because bitcoin is freedom money. The need for bitcoin in each of those countries is higher than that in the West. 

    Bitcoin is not just number go up (in monetary terms) technology, it is adoption go up technology. I’ve heard the phrase “bitcoin is inevitable” frequently used within the community. I’m not one to take things for granted, but that is a statement I agree with given a long enough time horizon. If I game out polar scenarios, one with favorable and one with unfavorable regulation, I end up at the same result of increased adoption.

    Many individuals and even more institutions need friendly regulation for them to get on board, whereas financial tyranny, extreme inflation and societal repression will force the disenfranchised to opt-out of their current monetary system.

    Closing out this point with one of my big questions for 2022: Will bitcoin adoption explode this upcoming year? Or will it go up at a more controlled pace?

    I highly doubt I’ll be looking back at 2022 a year from now and be writing an article about how the number of global bitcoin users actually went down since I wrote this piece. What I’ll be looking out for instead is certain dominos falling that push the rate of adoption to something we’ve never seen before.

    WRAPPING UP

    While I addressed hash rate, adoption and regulation separately in this article, they certainly can’t be separated in real life. Each of these three ideas are inherently linked.

    I’m incredibly bullish on bitcoin looking ahead to 2022 and even more so as we look farther out. That doesn’t mean we don’t have anything to be weary of and that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of work left to do, people to onboard, and FUD to fight, but I remain as optimistic as ever. My hope is that 2022 is another great year for Bitcoin and that one year from today I can pen a similar piece as we head into 2023.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 22:30

  • China's Lunar Lander Makes First On-Site Detection Of Moon Water
    China’s Lunar Lander Makes First On-Site Detection Of Moon Water

    China’s fifth lunar exploration mission of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program has found the first on-site evidence of water on the moon’s surface, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed Science Advances journal on Friday. 

    The study, titled  “In situ detection of water on the Moon by the Chang’E-5 lander,” led by a joint research team of scientists from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGGCAS) detected water on the moon via reflectance spectral data from the lunar lander. Here’s a more in-depth explanation of the discovery from the study: 

    We estimate up to 120 parts per million (ppm) of water (OH + H2O) in the lunar regolith, which is mostly attributed to solar wind implantation. A light-colored and surface-pitted rock (named as CE5-Rock) is evident near the lander.

    Images and water content at the Chang’E-5 landing site

    The reflectance spectra suggest that CE5-Rock could be transported from an older basalt unit. CE5-Rock exhibits a stronger absorption, near 2.85 μm, than the surrounding regolith, with estimation of ~180 ppm of water if the model for estimating water content of regolith is applicable to rock samples, which may suggest an additional source from the lunar interior. 

    The low water content of the regolith may suggest the degassing of mantle reservoir beneath the Chang’E-5 landing site. 

    There have been many orbital observations that have detected evidence of water on the moon. NASA recently confirmed the presence of water ice. China’s discovery is the first evidence of on-site water detection. 

    China is expected to plan additional missions to examine the content and distribution of lunar surface water. 

    Meanwhile, China’s been conducting missions across the solar system. Last week, its Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter took stunning high-definition images of the red planet.   

    China wants to become dominant in space as it recently launched a new high-tech space station. Just wait until Beijing decides to militarize the heavens above us. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 22:00

  • The Eight Degrees Of Ignorance And Stupidity
    The Eight Degrees Of Ignorance And Stupidity

    Authored by Darren Smith via JonathanTurley.org,

    Our host on numerous occasions makes a strong case in labeling today’s zeitgeist as “The Age of Rage”. It would certainly seem to be so if one focuses on what stereotypically comes out of the news media and political figures we lend our ears to. Yet I would go a step further and suggest the root cause of some of this rage is composed of two elements: power-lust and simple human stupidity.

    I believe many people fail to recognize how intertwined is the lust for power and the enabling forces of stupidity. Stupidity can be manipulated to achieve that power. It is said that money is the blood of the powerful. Yet, why spend money when too many can be so easily controlled or recruited for free simply by instead appealing to ignorant or stupid individuals.

    Both sadly and obviously however, ignorance and stupidity is not limited to the news or politics, it is manifest in human society generally. The trick is to recognize and extricate it from our lives whenever possible. So in a mostly cynical and possibly comical study of the problem, I propose there are levels and flavors of both ignorance and stupidity and to apply such a study is a first step toward minimizing its damaging potential.

    If you could excuse the pretense, I might suggest this study to also be corollary to Carlo Cipolla’s “The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity“. I will then attempt to quantify Ignorance and Stupidity into both cardinal and ordinal enumerations. For those unfamiliar with Mr. Cipolla’s laws, here follows a basic primer:

    1. Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.

    2. The probability that a certain person (will) be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.

    3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.

    4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular, non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places, and under any circumstances, to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake.

    5. A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.

    While I believe Mr. Cipolla’s laws provide some interesting insight, it treats stupidity as an absolute; that is, without a gradient as to how badly it manifests. So I offer to you, the reader, a possible method to quantify ignorance and stupidity so that you may successfully counter it in a reasonably measured fashion.

    The Eight Degrees of Ignorance and Stupidity

    0: Used for reference only, zero degree represents an organism that lacks any mechanism for thought or cognition, relying only on reflex or stimulus-response to changes in its environment. Plants and simple animals comprise this level. There have been debates in some circles as to whether or not plants exhibit a behavior or communicate based upon stress or environmental challenges, though it is an interesting proposal I will leave that debate to others.

    First Degree Ignorance: In this example a person or animal having 1st degree ignorance is where the person due to infancy or perhaps early childhood is not physically capable of understanding the facts or information presented to them due to either the transient condition of their age or stage of development or that they lack a sufficiently matured biological structure within their brain necessary to process the information. The state for which a person or animal resides in is not one to be judged as a failure or shortcoming. It is simply the nature of the person or animal at this stage in their lifetime.

    Second Degree Ignorance: The simplest definition of this degree is that the person or animal is capable of understanding the facts but is not aware of their existence. Every person or animal living has this at some time or concerning some form of information. Not all facts can ever be known. Yet it is incumbent upon intelligent organisms to manage the known/unknown deficit to be successful.

    Third Degree Ignorance: At this stage the person can be taught how to recite an outcome or answer but does not fully understand the underlying reason, process, or cause for the fact or event. The knowledge the person possesses is casual and limited, and hence they can be vulnerable to situations where the outcome is defective or malformed. Yet, the person lacks the ability to correct it by repairing the mechanism.

    Fourth Degree Ignorance: At this stage, the beginnings of negligence come into play, where the person or animal causes unnecessary harm to themselves or others by willfully failing attend to learning or intellectual growth required by their environment or social station.

    Fifth Degree (Stupidity): Fifth degree separates human beings from most animals. While this degree’s definition relies mostly upon nomenclature, such as instinct versus cognitively derived strategy, it does require a certain intellectual threshold be met to transition from ordinary ignorance (inability to conceive a proper result), to stupidity (ability to conceive a proper result but willingly refusing to do so by disregarding the truth or the process of deriving truth). This is the most prevalent level of stupid among the general population.

    The inchoate notion of recklessness incorporates into this degree.

    Another form of expression within this degree is that while the person displaying stupidity might not immediately be contributing to the stupid act, it is also that the act resulted from the culmination of a series of events whereby the stupid person continually failed to exercise attention to truth and was somewhat predestined to commit to stupidity by default.

    Sixth Degree (Unyielding Stupidity): At this stage the Unyielding Stupid express total unwillingness to accept any fact presented to them that is contrary to their own presumptions, regardless of even monumental levels of proof from all other sources. No amount of convincing will succeed in dislodging their false belief or facilitate their acceptance of truth. In fact, the strength in which they will hold their falsehood is nearly proportionate to the amount of effort wasted by others trying to convince them otherwise.

    They also tend to accept new information as “factual” based on a very low initial bar of proof, especially if presented to them by a source they blindly assign credibility. Once falsehood becomes resident in their mind it is nearly impossible to rehabilitate by contrary, yet factual evidence. From this they incorporate falsehoods into their thinking and behavior; which of course leads to feedback loops of bad decision making and the consternation of all around them.

    Normally minded individuals will certainly experience frustration and annoyance in having to be forced into proximity with the Unyielding Stupid. It is one of the rare quantifiable aspects of human emotion: the aggravation is measured as the inverse of the square of the distance the victim finds themselves from the stupid person’s mouth or keyboard. For one’s own mental wellbeing this flavor of stupid is better observed from a safe distance and at best if not at all.

    As detrimental as these persons are, they fortunately lack high levels of motivation and tend to be rather benign in their ability to infect others’ tranquility of reason. This is not to say that they keep to themselves but their continual blundering tends to cap the damaging potential to those around them. Great care must be taken of course to guard at all costs against the entrance of the Unyielding Stupid into one’s life or worse, government and politics. That systemic degree of dysfunction which envelopes their lives usually serves as a moderator to their damaging ability. Theirs is a counterintuitive example of laziness being a benefit to others and society, or at least a buffer against damaging potential.

    Also counterintuitively, these individuals are also easily manipulated by others who they’ve assigned expertise or kinship. They tend to place greater importance on the person or ideal they devote themselves to rather than the information or events presented by that person. So by extension they blindly follow a few because they both lack the ability to effectively think for themselves and that everyone else who might disagree is wrong.

    Individuals routinely manifesting Unyielding Stupidity relegate themselves to having their sole prominent achievement as proving the Dunning-Kruger effect.

    Seventh Degree (Militant Stupidity): This by far is not only the worst level of a stupid person it is also the most dangerous.

    A person espousing Militant Stupidity possesses all the traits of the Unyielding Stupid, but rather than otherwise being somewhat benign, actively prosecutes against capability and intellect while forcing stupidity upon the general population. They view the notion of free thinking, scientific methodology, reason, or working debate as existential threats that must be exterminated at any cost. They have no tolerance of any idea that is not closely held by them or their cohorts and seek the maximum punishment against those they perceive as threats or unwilling to submit to idiocy. They become unhinged easily and quickly resort to anger and shouting. In fact, they seem to be almost permanently offended or outraged when dealing with those outside their inner circle. Yet just like their lesser brethren, the Unyielding Stupid, they surrender themselves into being manipulated. And to their greater detriment, their militancy facilitates their vulnerability to be prompted into action.

    An auxiliary to Militant Stupidity is what is known as a “Useful Idiot”, that is a disrespected individual who can be easily summoned to blindly perform dirty-work on behalf of unscrupulous yet powerful individuals or organizations. Organizations that can thereby maintain plausible deniability of responsibility for the damage the Useful Idiot germinates. These are the most recruitable of Useful Idiot.

    The Militant Stupid proffer themselves as highly intelligent and also command a delusional birthright mandate to lead others. They are completely incapable of benevolent, effective leadership yet are actually otherwise sheep who believe they are wolves or the shepherd. This narcissism is the yoke from which they can be controlled.

    A good laugh can be generated by easily beckoning Useful Idiots and the Militant Stupid into identifying themselves among a crowd or audience simply by voicing a generic reference to stupid people in general. Both types of creature will be the first to jump up in outrage and either demand the speaker be punished or they will also proclaim that they are the smartest people in the room. It works nearly every time and seems to stem from a hair-trigger like proclivity on their part to be irrational and easily offended—“offended” being their preferred state of being. Deep down, there might be a faint yet secret notion within some of them that they possibly are not the smartest or brightest, but they perceive this as a vulnerability that must not be revealed or exposed by others. Consequentially, they overreact to this perceived threat by attacking others with shotgun-like precision. When having provoked the Militant Stupid into identifying themselves within the crowd, some of them become so ferociously animated in their rage and screaming that you begin to wonder when the demon possessing their body will tear its way out and unleash pandemonium upon the fleeing crowd. Pitiful and annoying perhaps, but at least the drama can certainly break the monotony of an otherwise boring town council meeting or lecture. So the useful idiot does have some utility, I suppose.

    Eighth Degree (Self-Actualized Stupidity): This seemingly contradictory and oxymoronic term nomenclates a rare and paradoxical creature of bad habit, the Self-Actualized Stupid. This strangely benevolent person lends their self to a unique form of justice and that propensity, I suspect, is hardcoded into the DNA of humanity as a form of error correction; halting further replication into the biosphere. The recessive allele of this gene expresses itself as the Self-Actualized Stupid, and the dominant expresses as the Schadenfreude Trait within the realm of human thought.

    The Self-actualized Stupid generally possess a higher than average level of general intelligence, a requisite attribute to construct and conduct their own demise. With them the endgame’s culmination of their stupidity ranges from an absolute reputation worthy of universal ridicule, to the other pole being a successful laureate for the Darwin Awards.

    In the former, they quickly achieve fame through misfortune by committing acts or making statements that are so preposterous and exaltedly stupid they evoke thunderous levels of laughter and elation in society, vanquishing any possible taint or perceivable threat this type of stupidity might engender. Not only is their own credibility eviscerated, but the whole of society buoys itself in joy from the occasional reminder of the humor brought forth again by the replaying of such a stupid act or statement. It is akin to the stupid creating a Big Bang of a blunder on video, with YouTube as the Cosmic Microwave Background reverberating its echoes.

    One shining example of a ridiculed, self-actualizedly stupid person was a man who several years ago posted a YouTube video of his challenging a large cactus to a test of wills, or quills so to speak. I do not know which species of cactus this was, but it appeared very menacing—being more bush-like than tall, while wielding a ferocious arsenal of thick, inch-and-a-half long needles more accurately described as nails. He announced his grievance to the audience. As it was the cactus, being level 0, was unable to accept such a challenge, it was nevertheless clear from the beginning who was not going to get satisfaction in this duel.

    I suspect this need to battle the cactus was inspired from an earlier meme where lesser stupids posted videos of their forceful grappling of cactus houseplants with their bare hands and proclaiming supremacy in overcoming the ensuing pain. Not to be outdone, our Self-actualized Stupid candidate drove into the hinterlands in search of a more formidable opponent. Upon locating such, he positioned his car next to the cactus, climbed atop the car and belly flopped himself into a new definition of agony and suffering. In a way it appeared the cactus swallowed him whole in a manner similar to how a Venus Fly Trap ensnares its prey. Though his seconds managed to extricate him…there he lay, frozen in pain, shrieking in despair, reduced to being a human bed of nails begging to be plucked. Prior to this spectacle of foolhardiness he somehow managed to summon the inspiration to at least put on a facemask, boxing gloves, and goggles. Notwithstanding, he could not escape his nature; the recessive alleles prevailed and his stupendous stupidly neglected to realize that going into this challenge shirtless and in shorts would not end well for him. Dozens and dozens of quills remained impaled in his body, to be yanked out to the gruesome tune of his wailing. I admittedly was a bit disappointed the producers of the video did not provide a musical score to this act, perhaps some baroque chamber music with a harpsichord plucking a note for each quill extracted. A missed opportunity for sure, yet macabre and perhaps fitting I would say: for I came to realize after witnessing such a grand spectacle that this man was decidedly beyond all others.

    I observed then that this person was clearly stupider than every other individual within the Animal Kingdom. No animal, not salamander, not ape, nor thing that slithers would ever commit itself to such a depravedly foolhardy game—cactus diving—at least not intentionally. An animal would at best be sufficiently cunning to avoid such cactuses or at least if it had never previously encountered such it would approach cautiously. At a minimum, after perhaps a slight stinging to the snout the experience would impart forever in the animal’s mind a thing to be avoided. Yet it takes a human being, having a brain capable of both driving a car to approach this cactus and a mind stupid enough to deliberately leap into it with the hopes of generating more likes on a YouTube.

    I suppose he succeeded in affording several schadenfreude-driven people free entertainment for a couple minutes. But more importantly the damage he did was his own to suffer and he set a precedent for lesser stupid people not to follow in his manner. For even they would break from their tradition of self-described omnipotence and recognize this level of stupidity was beyond theirs to attempt. The wider audience…they were at least offered a fleeting distraction from the constant strain of having to deal with the malignant banality of the Unyielding and Militant Stupid otherwise infesting life.

    On balance I would be remiss to not offer a degree of respect of the Self-Actualized Stupid. It is difficult, if not impossible for ordinary people, and even greatly creative thinkers, to convincingly mimic the skill level and artistic expression commanded by the Self-Actualized Stupid. We are constrained by our own sense of self-preservation and reason, and thus our capacity to conjure the ideas and thoughts of these savants will never compare. They on the other hand are unbound by caution and reasonability, modern-day Icaruses to the Suns of Social Media. Best of all, they are benign.

    So I submit for your review the Eight Degrees of Ignorance and Stupidity. May God have mercy on our souls.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 21:30

  • Why The Kazakhstan Crisis Is A Much Bigger Deal Than Western Media Is Letting On
    Why The Kazakhstan Crisis Is A Much Bigger Deal Than Western Media Is Letting On

    Geopolitical commentator Clint Ehrlich has reported while on the ground in Moscow that “the situation in Kazakhstan is a much bigger deal than Western media is letting on.” He further argues that the mayhem unleashed this past week and ongoing violent destabilization significantly increases the risk of NATO-Russia conflict. 

    He asks the key question: what really is happening in Kazakhstan? After all, he writes  “In America, the situation in Kazakhstan is a small news item” but it remains that “in Moscow, it is currently receiving 24/7 news coverage, like it’s an apocalyptic threat to Russia’s security. I’ve had the TV on here while writing this thread, and Kazakhstan has been on the entire time.” Below is Ehrlich’s mega-thread from Twitter exploring the crisis and connecting the dots in terms of why this is a bigger deal than many believe…

    Mass protests and anti-government violence have left dozens dead. Russia is deploying 3,000 paratroopers after Kazakh security forces were overrun. The largest city, Almaty, looks like a warzone. To appreciate why Russia is willing to deploy troops to Kazakhstan, it’s critical to understand the depth of Russia’s vital national interests inside the country. This isn’t just any former Soviet republic. It’s almost as important to Russia as Belarus or Ukraine. 

    First, Russia and Kazakhstan have the largest continuous land border on planet earth. If Kazakhstan destabilizes, a significant fraction of the country’s 19 million residents could become refugees streaming across the border. Russia is not willing to let that happen.

    Second, roughly one-quarter of the population of Kazakhstan is ethnic Russians. Kazakh nationalists are overwhelmingly Muslims, who resent the Orthodox-Christian Russian minority. Russia believes that civil war would entail a non-trivial risk of anti-Russian ethnic cleansing.

    Third, the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was the heart of the Soviet space program. Russia still uses it as its primary space-launch facility. The Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East will lessen that dependence, but it still isn’t complete.

    Fourth, Russia conducts its Anti-Ballistic Missile testing at the Sary-Shagan test site within Kazakhstan. This is where ongoing development of the S-550 ABM system is occurring, one of the foundations of Russia’s national security.

    Fifth, Russia’s nuclear fuel cycle is intimately linked to Kazakhstan. Russian-backed Uranium mining operations are active in the country. Uranium from Kazakhstan is enriched in Novouralsk, Russia and then returned to Kazakhstan for use in Chinese nuclear-fuel assemblies. 

    Collectively, these security interests make Kazakhstan a region that Russia is willing to stabilize with force. The 3,000 troops it has already committed are not the maximum it is willing to deploy. If necessary, these will only be the first wave of RU forces in the country. The biggest question is how the situation in Kazakhstan will affect the existing standoff between Russia and NATO over Ukraine. Will Russia be deterred from intervention in Ukraine by the need to maintain reserves to deploy to Kazakhstan? Or will it simply be provoked? 

    Recall that, before things escalated in Kazakhstan, Russia had massed troops along its border with Ukraine. Moscow issued an ultimatum: Provide security guarantees that Ukraine would not join NATO “or else.” This was already a very dangerous situation. NATO-Russia talks to resolve the crisis in Ukraine were set to begin next week. Yet, on their eve, the revolution against the government of Kazakhstan began. Russia perceives this to be an act of “hybrid war.” Right or wrong, that perception is fueling a desire for revenge. 

    What is “hybrid war”? From the Russian perspective, it is a two-pronged approach to regime change. First, Western-backed NGOs encourage large protests against an incumbent government. Second, armed provocateurs use the protests as cover to stage kinetic attacks.

    Moscow believes that this playbook was employed successfully in Ukraine to oust the Russian-aligned government in 2014. And it believes that the West unsuccessfully attempted to employ the same strategy to topple Russia’s allies in Syria and Belarus. It’s debatable whether the West has anywhere near the power to spark revolutions that Russia contends. Yet America plays into Russian paranoia by funding “civil society” NGOs overseas.


    See the NED’s Kazakhstan page here.

    When revolutions occur in countries where they’re active, Russia connects the dots. Kazakhstan is the latest example. In the year before the attempted revolution, the US National Endowment for democracy spent more than $1M in the country. The money went to PR campaigns against the government and training anti-government protesters. The Russians are convinced that NED is a front for the CIA. I don’t think that’s true. But it’s a distinction without a difference, since NED has taken over part of the CIA’s mission. In 1986, the founder of NED, Carl Gershman, said the group was created because “[i]t would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the CIA.” Today, instead of receiving CIA money, they receive NED money. 

    In 1991, NED President Allen Weinstein said, “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.” He claimed that operating overtly via NED, rather than covertly through the CIA, made the risk of blowback “close to zero.”  The Russians do not see things that way. When they witness overt US support for ousting pro-Russian governments, they assume there is also covert support being provided. To them, NED is only 1/2 of a “hybrid war” strategy in Kazakhstan that includes kinetic operations. Russia’s Foreign Ministry made that clear yesterday.

    It describes the situation in Kazakhstan as “an attempt to undermine the security and integrity of the state by force, using trained and organized armed formations, that is inspired from the outside.” This claim forms the predicate for intervention by the “Collective Security Treaty Organization,” the Russian-led equivalent of NATO. It’s the first ever CSTO intervention, and it’s based on the accusation of a foreign attack on the sovereignty of Kazakhstan. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has questioned the legal legitimacy of the CSTO operation, but there’s not much to complain about.

    Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, file image.

    The undisputed President of Kazakhstan, Tokayev, requested CSTO support, claiming his nation was under attack. To bolster the appearance of multilateralism, RU forces are deploying alongside smaller number of troops from two other CSTO states, Belarus and Armenia. These CSTO forces will secure critical government installations, freeing up the Kazakh military to perform “anti-terrorism.” The most critical function of the CSTO deployment is internal signaling within Kazakhstan.

    Now that Kazakh forces know Russia is backing their government, fewer of them will be willing to join the side of the opposition. We saw that happen before. I doubt we’ll see it again. In the short term, while Kazakhstan remains volatile, Russia’s freedom to maneuver in Ukraine may be constrained. But this will not motivate Moscow to deescalate the crisis in the long term.

    Instead, it will only strengthen perceptions of the West as an existential threat. Activists from prior color revolutions are already publicly taking credit for what is happening in Kazakhstan. Here is a post from Belorussian activist, Dzmitry Halko, who says that he helped organize the uprising in Kazakhstan along with veterans of the Ukraine revolution…

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    The Kremlin’s biggest fear is a “Maidan on Red Square” – i.e., a repeat of the Ukrainian revolution inside Moscow. The more that it appears the West is pursuing similar revolutions in former Soviet republics, the more aggressively Russia will push back. 

    In America, the situation in Kazakhstan is a small news item. In Moscow, it is currently receiving 24/7 news coverage, like it’s an apocalyptic threat to Russia’s security. I’ve had the TV on here while writing this thread, and Kazakhstan has been on the entire time.

    It’s important to note that today (Jan.7) is Christmas in Russia. (They celebrate it on January 7th rather than December 25th, due to the Russian Orthodox church still adhering to the Julian Calendar.) When Christmas is overshadowed by a security crisis, it’s a big deal. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 21:00

  • Newsom, Democrats Go For Californians' Guns
    Newsom, Democrats Go For Californians’ Guns

    Authored by John Seiler via The Epoch Times,

    Even as crime is surging in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies in the legislature are seeking to make it more difficult for citizens to defend themselves.

    This week, Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) introduced Assembly Bill 1594, which reads, “This bill would specify that a gun industry member has created or maintained a public nuisance, as defined, if their failure to follow federal, state, or local law caused injury or death or if the gun industry member engaged in unfair business practices.”

    It’s a blatant attempt to bankrupt the gun companies, a clear violation of the Second Amendment “right of the people to keep and bear arms.” The 2008 Heller decision by the U.S. Supreme Court clearly affirmed that meant an individual right, not just that of a state militia. And a right obviously can only be exercised if one has the physical means to do so.

    For example, the First Amendment right to freedom “of the press” can only be exercised if paper companies are not impeded in their business of selling paper to publishers and the public. If the “paper industry” could be sued because, say, terrorists used paper to publish plans for attacks, then paper would go up in cost so high the exercise of freedom “of the press” would be impinged.

    AB 1594 was introduced after Newsom reacted against a U.S. Supreme Court action that let stand, for now, a Texas law allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers. It’s by no means clear the court will let that law stand permanently. But Newsom said in a Dec. 11 statement, “If states can now shield their laws from review by the federal courts that compare assault weapons to Swiss Army knives, then California will use that authority to protect people’s lives, where Texas used it to put women in harm’s way.”

    Newsom’s spokesperson, Daniel Lopez, reiterated that sentiment in a statement Tuesday, “So long as the United States Supreme Court has set a precedent which allows private citizens to sue to stop abortions in Texas, California will use that same ability to save lives.”

    Actually, pro-lifers say abortion takes a life, and with modern medicine childbirth rarely leads to the death of the mother. All medical procedures involve some risk, including abortions, not only to the baby, but for the mother.

    Guns also are specifically mentioned in the Bill of Rights, while abortion only has become a right since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision—still controversial—which the court might reverse or modify.

    Deputies handle some of approximately 3,500 confiscated guns to be melted down at Gerdau Steel Mill in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., on July 19, 2018. (David McNew/Getty Images)

    Product Liability

    Explaining his bill, Ting said, “We must make our communities safer. Almost every industry in the United States can be held liable for what their products do, but the gun industry is not held to the same standard. Financial repercussions may finally push them to be more responsible by improving their practices and adhering to California’s strict gun laws.”

    That’s misleading. Industries can be held accountable for the malfunction of their products, not their misuse. Car companies often have been sued when a system fails and a car crashes and kills people, but not for when a car is used as a weapon to kill, as in the recent slaughter in Kenosha, Wis.

    For guns, the proper use if for self-defense, sporting, and hobbies; improper use is to kill someone during a crime. Justifiable killings are allowed with guns, as with knives and other instruments, to fend off an attack by a killer or rapist. Ting’s law would make it harder for Californians to get such instruments of self-defense.

    Another big difference Newsom and Ting don’t recognize is Texas’s abortion law only applies to abortion clinics in that state. There’s no affect at all on clinics in other states. But AB 1594 would apply to all gun manufacturers, including those in other states.

    If the Texas abortion law were followed for AB 1594, then only gun manufacturers in California would be affected. But there apparently are no more manufacturers left of any size in the state, Sam Paredes told me; he’s the executive director of Gun Owners of California. “When Weatherby left Paso Robles for Wyoming in 2018, I do believe that they were the last major firearms company left in California,” he said.

    So overregulation killed even more businesses and jobs in California.

    Given that the Interstate Commerce Clause exists precisely to prevent the states attacking one another’s businesses through tariffs and lawsuits, it’s easy to see how AB 1594 would be rejected by the Supreme Court on that grounds as well.

    California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a VA Facility in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 10, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

    Newsom’s Presidential Ambitions

    What’s odd about this is how it plays into Newsom’s obvious presidential ambitions, either in 2024 or, more likely, in 2028. Supporting this bizarre legislation might help Newsom gain support among the more radical elements in the Democratic Party. So it could push him forward in future party presidential primaries.

    But it would hurt him in any national presidential bid, especially in such pro-gun swing states as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin that President Biden won in 2020. Michael Anton of the Claremont Institute explained this in a Jan. 4 article, “Blue America’s Messaging Problem.”

    He wrote, “Blue America offers to Red nothing but scorn, contempt, hatred, insult, humiliation, calumny, outsourcing, open borders, layoffs, lower wages, opioids, losing wars, censorship, trumped-up treason accusations, surveillance, anarcho-tyranny, pre-trial detention, mask mandates, lockdowns, Critical Race Theory, and cancellation. And then not only gets enraged when Red America objects, but demands Red reverence and gratitude in return.”

    That scorn might do well in Ting’s San Francisco, Newsom’s California or New York City, but it’s a loser in every swing state.

    Newsom, as I have said in past articles, is a shrewd politician who actually has maneuvered himself into potentially becoming the next Democratic president. Why he is putting himself into a corner of defeat this early is a mystery. Maybe he doesn’t see it because he’s spent his whole life in the cocoon of Democratic Party politics in California.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 20:30

  • Iowa Nursing Home Operator Forced Into Bankruptcy By "Crippling" Staff Shortages
    Iowa Nursing Home Operator Forced Into Bankruptcy By “Crippling” Staff Shortages

    Here’s just the latest example of why forcing health-care workers to get vaccines and boosters – like the State of New York is still doing – is an untenable policy at best, and a stepping stone to disaster at worse.

    Bloomberg reports that a chain of nursing homes in Iowa has just been forced into bankruptcy, placing even more strain on the creaking local health-care system, due to “crippling” staff shortages.

    Court documents reflect how the company, QHC Facilities LLC, which hosts a total of 750 beds across its 8 nursing homes and two assisted living facilities, has been devastated by the twin pressures of COVID deaths among its patients (many of whom fall into the most susceptible category of patient), and resignations en masse among its workers. One of its homes even made it on to a list of “America’s worst nursing homes”.

    QHC Facilities LLC filed for bankruptcy last week, citing “crippling staffing and employee retention issues” in a court filing. The Clive, Iowa-based company operates eight skilled nursing facilities and two assisted living homes with a total of about 750 beds in the state and 300 workers.

    Occupancy rates plunged as Covid-19 spread through nursing homes, which accounted for a large proportion of deaths early in the pandemic. At the same time, the health-care sector has suffered from mass resignations as workers face burnout and seek more lucrative employment, contributing to swelling gaps in coverage.

    Fortunately for the state’s health-care system, a judge back in November blocked a federal vaccine mandate for health-care workers in Iowa and eight other states. Clearly, that was a prescient decision.

    To be sure, the company was struggling even before the pandemic. Local media reports out of Iowa showed QHC Facilities had been fined many times in recent years for substandard patient care.

    But some of the obstacles facing the firm were completely out of its control.

    One of its facilities was damaged in a strong storm in 2020 and still hasn’t been rebuilt. The death of the company’s co-founder in June “had a devastating impact” on the business, his spouse and Chief Executive Officer Nancy Voyna said in the filing, leaving unmet obligations including a $4 million state fee.

    The company is seeking a buyer for its assets. But with all the additional government scrutiny brought on by COVID, who really wants to get into the nursing home game right now?

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 20:07

  • Yale Continues To Believe It Can Ban Legal, Off-Campus Behavior
    Yale Continues To Believe It Can Ban Legal, Off-Campus Behavior

    Authored by Matt Lamb via TheCollegeFix.com,

    Previously said it could tell students in other states to wear masks

    Yale University officials continue to insist that its student handbook trumps state and local laws.

    The Ivy League university has banned students from eating at legally operating restaurants off-campus.

    “Students may not visit New Haven businesses or eat at local restaurants (even outdoors) except for curbside pickup,” the Yale Daily News wrote in a Facebook post Monday.

    The campus newspaper summarized an email from the administration that laid out the spring semester plans.

    The campus paper posted a longer excerpt of the email after it attracted media attention. The email also says that students should feel free to go for runs or walks around the area.

    Commenters on the post mocked the university.

    “Welcome to college, now go to your room your grounded!” one person wrote.

    “Imagine thinking you have the power to tell people that pay your salary that they can’t go out to eat,” another said.

    The rules are telling about the consequences of attending Yale. Residents of New Haven, Connecticut are allowed to go into a local restaurant to have a meal.

    But residents of New Haven who also go to Yale are not allowed to do that. So going to Yale gives you fewer freedoms, simple as that.

    This is not the first time that Yale’s administrators have said they have the ability to ban legal, off-campus behavior in the name of COVID prevention.

    The Ivy League university has previously told students that they must remain masked while conducting school business, even if they are in a locality that does not require masking, such as a completely different state.

    The requirement hindered film students who wanted to make movies without masked actors, but were told that even if a locality did not require masking, Yale still would enforce its mandate.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 19:30

  • Taliban Threatened US With 2,000 Suicide Bombers In Washington D.C.
    Taliban Threatened US With 2,000 Suicide Bombers In Washington D.C.

    A recent report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) – which monitors and tracks global jihadist communications via open source intelligence collection methods – has detailed that last year the Taliban threatened the Biden administration with “a battalion of suicide bombers” sent to Washington D.C.

    This was a threat and warning reportedly relayed simultaneous with prior Doha talks when it emerged the Pentagon was contemplating a massive security force of some 2,000 US troops to guard the at that time still operating American embassy in Kabul. 

    According to the MEMRI report, “In December 2021, it also emerged that the Islamic Emirate told the United States during talks in Doha that if the U.S. insisted on deploying 2,000 American troops at its embassy in Kabul, the Taliban would also deploy as part of any bilateral arrangement 2,000 fidayeen mujahideen [i.e., suicide bombers] at the Afghan Embassy in Washington D.C.”

    Taliban militants, via BBC

    During the chaotic and bloody events of August as the US evacuated forces from Kabul airport, the State Department was forced to abandon its sprawling Afghan embassy altogether amid the lightning Taliban advance on the capital city.

    Once Taliban rule over the country was firmly established by September, some of the hardline Islamist group’s officials began to tout it had become “moderate” and “reformed”. This as the Taliban also sought international funds and lobbied the US and global powers unfreeze billions in sanctioned assets.

    However, it has since emerged that Taliban leaders intend to establish a “martyrdom” battalion, or essentially a group of would-be suicide bombers: 

    “Our mujahideen in the Ishtishhadi Kandaks [martyrdom-seeking battalions] will be part of the army and [they] will be Special Forces and organized under the defense ministry,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a veteran terrorist and leader in the Taliban government, said in a recent interview, according to MEMRI. “The Special Forces will be established in a specific number and used for special operations.”

    Bloomberg this week confirmed ongoing Taliban efforts to specifically recruit suicide bombers to be incorporated into its national army. “The Taliban will officially recruit suicide bombers to become part of the army as the militant group tries to contain its biggest security threat from rival Islamic State since forming government in Afghanistan four months ago,” the report detailed as the Taliban continues to battle Islamist rivals in some locales. 

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

    And more via Bloomberg: 

    “The special forces that include martyrdom seekers will be used for more sophisticated and special operations,” Karimi said by phone, without providing details.

    The militant group is building a “strong and organized army to bolster defense” nationwide and at the borders with the suicide bombers becoming a integral part of the strategy, Karimi added. Some 150,000 fighters will be invited to join the military, Al Jazeera reported in November, citing the Taliban’s chief of staff Qari Fasihuddin.

    Among the first major Taliban actions to re-organize government ministries in Kabul was to re-establish the Islamic “religious police”. These have returned to the streets, and ghastly practices such as hanging executed bodies in public have returned, including cutting off hands for criminal offenses – recent claims of a “moderate” Taliban notwithstanding.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 19:00

  • COVID Vaccines Do Disrupt Menstrual Cycles, New Study Reveals
    COVID Vaccines Do Disrupt Menstrual Cycles, New Study Reveals

    Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A COVID-19 vaccine is administered in Orange, Calif., on Dec. 16, 2020. (John Fredicks/The Epoch Times)

    Getting a COVID-19 vaccine has been linked to a change in the menstrual cycle among women, per a new study.

    Dr. Alison Edelman of the Oregon Health & Science University and other researchers studied cycles among 2,403 vaccinated and 1,556 unvaccinated women and concluded vaccination was associated with a change in cycle length.

    The change was pegged at under one day; no change in menses length was detected.

    Researchers said that vaccines that use messenger RNA technology—both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s do—trigger an immune response, which could temporarily affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis function, and the study results support the hypothesis.

    “Our findings are reassuring; we find no population-level clinically meaningful change in menstrual cycle length associated with COVID19 vaccination. Our findings support and help explain the self-reports of changes in cycle length. Individuals receiving two COVID-19 vaccine doses in a single cycle do appear to experience a longer but temporary cycle length change,” the researchers wrote.

    [ZH: Andy Swan hits the nail on the head…]

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    While the study did not find vaccination associated with changes in menses length, “questions remain about other possible changes in menstrual cycles, such as menstrual symptoms, unscheduled bleeding, and changes in the quality and quantity of menstrual bleeding,” they added.

    Limitations include possibly not being generalizable to the U.S. population given that the women who use Natural Cycles, from which the data came, are more likely to be white, college educated, and have lower body mass indexes than the average woman.

    The study was published by Obstetrics & Gynecology and was funded by the National Institutes of Health, which last year awarded $1.6 million in grants to probe potential links between vaccination and menstrual changes.

    “It is reassuring that the study found only a small, temporary menstrual change in women,” Dr. Diana Bianchi, director of agency’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

    “These results provide, for the first time, an opportunity to counsel women about what to expect from COVID-19 vaccination so they can plan accordingly,” she added.

    Little research has been conducted in the past on how vaccines, whether for COVID-19 or note, could influence the menstrual cycle, according to officials.

    Research conducted in Norway by the country’s Institute of Public Health and published last month showed many women reported heavier periods than normal after getting a COVID-19 vaccine, but also found most changes went away after a period of time.

    “Most menstrual changes after the first dose were transient. On average, they returned to their normal levels by the time of vaccination with the second dose, approximately two to three months after the first dose,” Dr. Lill Trogstad, project leader at the institute, said in a statement.

    Authorities in Norway recommended women who experience heavy and persistent bleeding after vaccination put off any further doses until the cause is investigated or symptoms pass.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 18:30

  • Mainstream Media Is "Being Swallowed" By Joe Rogan
    Mainstream Media Is “Being Swallowed” By Joe Rogan

    Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance

    Over the past week, after a blog post I made about how Joe Rogan was disrupting the mainstream media, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by former Fox Houston newswoman Ivory Hecker about what the future of the mainstream media looks like.

    You may remember Ivory as the woman who was fired after interrupting a live, on-air weather report this past summer to claim that Fox was “muzzling” her, before turning over her evidence to Project Veritas.

    A follow up interview by Project Veritas revealed that Hecker was reportedly reprimanded by the network for bringing up hydroxychloroquine during an interview and that Fox 26’s Sales Coordinator “admitted on tape that the CDC is heavily influencing stations such as theirs due to the amount of money they are pouring into ad campaigns – and how that, in turn, affects the network’s coverage of major health issues.”

    Suffice to say, I had no trouble seeing why Hecker took interest in my recent campaign against the mainstream media.

    My interview with Ivory was prompted by an article I wrote called “The Mainstream Media Is Losing The Fight Of Its Life…All Thanks To Joe Rogan”.

    In that article, I described why I was expecting one of the largest mainstream media pivots in history in 2022, catalyzed by capitalism and common sense. I wrote about why Joe Rogan leading the pack would force changes throughout the industry and why I thought the media’s narrative on Covid would have to change in 2022.

    In short, I believe the legacy media must change:

    1. Due to capitalism. They are going to have to adapt their business models or they will become money-losing, financially failing enterprises.

    2. To respond to continued outrage from both sides of the aisle being stripped of hearing both sides of the story. All Joe Rogan does is allow the other side of the story to present their case – he rarely argues how people should think. Instead, he just gives them a chance to consider all the potential facts available.

    3. If they (the mainstream media) want their candidates (Democrats) to have any chance in hell of even showing up at mid-terms this year. As I wrote in November, the recent blowout in Virginia, which quickly turned red and elected Glenn Youngkin after being in favor of Biden during the Presidential election, could wind up becoming the trend nationwide during mid-terms.

    Image

    I had previously been critical of the mainstream media’s:

    1. Handling of news about the new omicron variant of Covid – read here

    2. Coverage of the Joe Rogan / ivermectin news – read here

    3. Inability to even touch on the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop – read here

    4. Inability to realize that Covid, and the lab leak theory, wasn’t a “conspiracy” in late 2019/early 2020 – read here

    “The mainstream media has to come to terms with the fact that their industry is being swallowed,” I started off the interview by arguing, citing a phrase from Rogan’s years old boxing vs. UFC debate with Lou DiBella.

    In that interview, Rogan told DiBella “your sport is being swallowed”. Now, I’m saying the same thing to the mainstream media.

    “Rogan brings viewers wherever he goes, so he’s going to be tough to cancel,” I continued, making the argument for the free market dictating how the industry would evolve.

    “Capitalism and the free market are going to force changes as a negative consequence of the actions the media has taken over the last year,” I told Hecker during our interview.

    “Because he comes by it honestly, because he inquires about the truth with good intention – he’s not serving anybody, he’s trying to find answers about fringe questions – those are the things the mainstream media doesn’t do. The mainstream is already losing the fight of its life and in coming years they’re going to have to make some marked pivots, or else capitalism is going to have its way with them.”

    When asked about the media’s coverage of the Joe Rogan/ivermectin story, I said: “The coverage is so blatantly untruthful, it leads you to this place where you have to wonder, ‘Is this nefarious or it is ignorance’?”

    “I’m not the smartest person in the world, but I’ve done enough reading and enough critical thinking on my own to come to conclusions that I think are far closer to the objective truth than the media has been able to arrive at,” I continued.

    “When you come out and make such a brazen misstatement – that Rogan is taking ‘horse medicine’ – people are left to wonder what’s really going on here. It transcends both sides of the political aisle and it just ‘gets in’ for people carrying with them a modicum of common sense,” I continued.

    “Media is an industry, just like pharma is an industry, just like automotive is an industry. Industries are generally beholden to what makes them money. Capitalism is going to force changes,” I argue.

    I continued: “There’s a reason Spotify hasn’t cancelled Rogan, right? Because they’ve invested in him. Why do they invest in him? Because he brings people to the table! And that equates to ad revenue and viewership. The same engine that’s keeping him there is going to force the changes elsewhere.”

    When asked about how the free market can interfere with media when the government can print infinite money and use that to sponsor (and, by proxy fund, mainstream news), I answer:

    “At some point, no matter how much the government intervenes, its a mathematical certainty that capitalism will have its way with the media. Otherwise, we become China: we become a state run media and a state run economy. It’s a slippery slope to get there from where we are right now. But I do think the propaganda and campaign to get vaccinated was highly disturbing.”

    When asked about Rogan’s recent interviews with Dr. Peter McCullough and Dr. Robert Malone, I offered my take on why Rogan’s method of discourse has caught on:

    “You have an instance here where you have experts trying to opine on what they think is best and what the public needs to know, but you have this intervention from the tech companies, from the government, saying ‘Hey, you guys are too stupid to listen both sides of the story and make your decision accordingly. We have to protect you from this one set of opinions, despite the fact that they’re from published authors with incredible credentials.’”

    Dr. McCullough Describes 'Sinister Ways' Doctors Worldwide Are Restricted From Treating COVID Patients • Children's Health Defense

    I continued, “And what Rogan does, the reason he’s caught on – he’s seeing who gets banned and he’s saying ‘come on’ and tell me what you were saying, I’ll let my listeners decide whether you’re as full of shit as the mainstream media thinks you are or if your points hold water.”

    Ivory Hecker adds: “I think for a long time the corporate monopoly has gotten away with using suppression tactics to snuff out content and act like this person/this concept doesn’t exist. With the rise of alternative media, they don’t have as much of an option to do that.”

    “I think a lot of corporate news journalists are so brainwashed, they don’t realize what other opportunities for journalism are out there,” the former Fox 26 reporter adds.

    Speaking about the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story, the Covid lab leak hypothesis, adverse events to the vaccine and the new Omicron variant, Hecker says: “The way the media reacted lost them a lot of viewers. They’re turning off their own audience.”

    If you asked critical questions about the origins of Covid, “you were written off as a conspiracy theorist, you were written off as a maniac, you were written off as someone on the fringe,” I added. Now, the media has all but admitted that the lab leak hypothesis likely holds water.

    Coronavirus: More work needed to rule out China lab leak theory says WHO - BBC News

    I made the point: “People say ‘If that was the conspiracy theory then and I was being told what a maniac I was then for asking the most common sense questions available, and then it turns out that’s the truth, what’s going on now that I think are common sense questions that I’m being told I’m being ridiculous for – but we’re going to find out in 12 months are the questions we should have been asking and getting honest answers to all along?’”

    “I think this is what has created so many conspiracy theories in America,” Hecker says.

    “It’s not conspiracy theories, though,” I conclude. “It’s just a search for the truth.”

    If you have the means and would like to support my work and subscribe, I’d be extremely grateful. I’d even offer you 22.2% off for 2022 – a discount that lasts forever: Get 22% off forever

    You can watch my full interview with Ivory here:

    You can read my reporting on related topics here:

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 17:30

  • Bitcoin More Oversold Than During May 2021 Crash After Furious Weekend Dump
    Bitcoin More Oversold Than During May 2021 Crash After Furious Weekend Dump

    Late on Friday we joked that, in keeping with the recent trend of aggressive crypto selling taking place largely during the Asian session…

    Source: Bit Hedge

    … which as a reminder was the culprit behind the December 3 flash crash which took place literally at midnight ET on Friday heading into Saturday, just when liquidity is lowest – as shorting algos know all too well – we joked that we were patiently waiting for the latest overnight puke in cryptos to kick in (which offers delightful bargains for those not with cubic zirconium hands), adding to the pain of crypto longs who have seen their holdings lose more than 40% in just the past two months.

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    Naturally, with everyone expecting a rerun of the Dec 3 fireworks overnight to cap off a miserable week for cryptos, the selling did not come during the Asian session…. instead it waited patiently until the US was covered in sunlight on an extremely illiquid Saturday, before emerging with a bang and hammering the two largest cryptocurrencies, sending bitcoin to just above the $40,000 level that Mike Novogratz said was a key support. 

    Those same selling programs, knowing very well that in the world of crypto it is all about momentum and key trendlines, also pounded ethereum and launched not one, not two, not three but five attempts to push ETH below the critical $3000 support level, and despite sending it as low as 3,000.055, failed to drag it below this key level (as a reminder, ETH traded at 4,800 just a few weeks ago).

    The furious selling in bitcoin, which sent it as low at $40,500, some 42% lower from its all time high hit on Nov 17, also sent its RSI below that hit during the May 2021 crash when it lost half its value, plunging from $60K to $30K in days, making it the most oversold it has been since the covid crash in March 2020, when it briefly traded below $4,000.

    Today’s panic pushed the bitcoin fear and greed index to one of its lowest levels on record.

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    In addition to a so-far failed attempt to push ETH below $3000, popular defi tokens such as Uniswap and Aave were also hammered into the weekend.

    The aggressive shorting (and selling), which comes amid signs that the Federal Reserve is getting ready to withdrawal stimulus would remove liquidity from the system and depress speculative assets, takes place just as liquidity is lowest and is certainly intentional, meant to push bitcoin and ether below the key levels of $40K and $3K, respectively, at a time when buyers are few and far between.

    Echoing Novogratz, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Mike McGlone – who believes that BTC and ETH will hit $100,000 and $5,000 respectively in 2022 – said $40,000 is an important technical support level for the digital token. Cryptocurrencies are a good barometer for the current reduction in risk appetite. But he projects that Bitcoin will eventually come out ahead as the world increasingly goes digital and the coin becomes the benchmark collateral.

    Others were less bullish. According to Eric Ervin, chief executive officer at Blockforce Capital, the declines across the asset class might be the beginnings of a “mini bear market,” and recent investors may pull out, leaving the long-term holders as the primary owners.

    “It is heart-pounding, nerve-racking for any investor that’s looking at it, especially if they come from a traditional equity market,” he said. But, he added, “this is completely normal for this asset class.”

    Needless to say, if stocks had dropped more than 40% in under two months, the Fed would be disclosing several market bailout scenarios each and every day.

    Offering a more measured view, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan told Bloomberg that it makes sense to see prices slump as the Fed starts to get more aggressive with its stimulus withdrawal. The downturn could linger a bit because there are no obvious near-term catalysts to help turn things around.

    But, “fundamentals of crypto are stronger than ever, even as prices are wobbly,” he said. “Long-term, the fundamentals will win out.”

    The good news for any new longs who are watching their investment bleed on a daily basis, is that every time bitcoin have been this oversold, it has risen by at least 10% over the next month. And while we wait to find out if this time will be different, let’s end on some levity.

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    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 17:01

  • US Rejects Russia's Call To Halt NATO Expansion, Days Before Talks
    US Rejects Russia’s Call To Halt NATO Expansion, Days Before Talks

    Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com, 

    On Friday, the US and NATO rejected a Russian call for the military alliance to halt its eastward expansion. Amid tensions around Ukraine, Russia submitted a series of security proposals to the US, and chief among the Russian requests is a guarantee that Ukraine won’t join NATO.

    “NATO never promised not to admit new members; it could not and would not,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after a virtual meeting of NATO’s foreign ministers.

    Image: NATO via Atlantic Council

    NATO Secretary-General made similar comments earlier in the day. “We will not compromise on core principles, including the right for every nation to decide its own path, including what kind of security arrangements it wants to be a part of,” he said.

    US and Russian officials are due to meet in Geneva on January 10th to discuss Ukraine and other issues, and NATO will hold talks with Moscow on January 12th. Blinken accused Russia of making unreasonable demands in an attempt to sabotage diplomacy.

    “Certainly part of [Putin’s] playbook is to put out a list of absolutely non-starter demands and then to claim that the other side is not engaging and then use that as somehow justification for aggressive action,” Blinken said.

    Ukraine has been a prospective NATO member since 2008 and cooperates with the alliance on military exercises. Ukraine’s ascent into NATO was never a concern when Viktor Yanukovych was president from 2010 to 2014. But after he was ousted in a US-backed coup, US and NATO cooperation with Ukraine has increased significantly.

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    Since the 2014 coup, the US has provided Ukraine with over $2 billion in military aid. US and NATO now regularly patrol the Black Sea, and Western warplanes are constantly flying in the area.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 16:30

  • Mom Sentenced To 3 Months In Federal Prison For Bringing 14-Year-Old Son To J6
    Mom Sentenced To 3 Months In Federal Prison For Bringing 14-Year-Old Son To J6

    Left-leaning liberal media outlets like the Daily Beast have loudly complained about the sentences that have been handed down to some of the more than 700 people who have been arrested and charged for their role in the Capitol “insurrection”.

    But on Friday, a judge sentenced a woman to three months in federal prison after she was plead guilty to the non-violent misdemeanor of illegally parading in the building. The sentence is one of the longer prison terms that has been handed out since the prosecution began.

    Presumably the reason for the lengthy sentence is that the woman brought her 14-year-old son to the Capitol that day; the woman, Virginia Spencer, was “rebuked” by the judge who sentenced her over the decision to bring her child. The woman was also accompanied by her husband, Christopher Spencer, who has pleaded not guilty.

    After her prison term ends, Spencer will be facing three years of federal probation.

    Here’s more from CNN:

    Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly rebuked Virginia Spencer for bringing her child and questioned whether she had accepted responsibility for her role in the insurrection.

    “This isn’t like a school or a tourist trip,” Kollar-Kotelly said.

    The sentence includes a term of three years’ probation, which other federal judges have shied away from combining with jail time for misdemeanor defendants.

    […]

    Before handing down her sentence, Kollar-Kotelly said she found “it very hard to comprehend…why you would bring a 14-year-old minor son to the Capitol,” adding that it showed a “lack of judgment.”

    “Law enforcement had weapons, some of the [rioters] had weapons,” the judge said. “This isn’t like a school or a tourist trip. … I don’t understand but I sincerely hope he is alright,” Kollar-Kotelly continued, suggesting that it could have been “traumatic” for the boy.

    So far, roughly 70 of the more than 700 people who were arrested for attending the impromptu rally have been sentenced; only 30 of them have received jail time. The harshest sentence appears to be the five-year prison term that one participant received for attacking the Capitol Police with a poll and throwing a fire extinguisher at one.

    Five years in federal prison? Does that sound lenient to you?

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 16:00

  • Chicago Parents Sue Teachers Union Over Refusal To Educate In-Person
    Chicago Parents Sue Teachers Union Over Refusal To Educate In-Person

    Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

    A group of Chicago parents this week sued the city’s teachers union over its refusal to teach classes in person.

    The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) voted on Tuesday night to only teach classes remotely, arguing the rise in COVID-19 cases and an alleged lack of protective measures made it too dangerous to instruct students inside classrooms.

    Chicago Public Schools (CPS) deemed the action an illegal work stoppage and canceled classes for three consecutive days as officials negotiated with union leaders. CTU and city officials also filed competing labor complaints.

    The lawsuit, filed in Cook County circuit court, offers a similar view of the union’s refusal.

    The union “never sent a notice of intent to strike to CPS, the regional superintendent, or the Educational Labor Relations Board,” the suit states.

    “And less than 24 hours elapsed from the time CTU members voted on its measure to authorize a strike on January 4, 2022, and when they did not show up for work in-person the next day, in contrast to the requirement under Illinois law that 10 days elapse from the vote to authorize a strike to the time a strike begins.”

    The law in question, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, outlines requirements for when teachers go on strike.

    The union, which did not immediately return an inquiry, has said the attempt to shift to remote learning is not a strike. Tennille Evans, a teacher and union organizer, told reporters in a briefing that it’s “a work action, not a strike,” but the parents say that no part of state law, no contract, and no local ordinance authorizes the union to decide to teach virtually without approval from the Chicago Board of Education.

    The parents say they’ve been harmed by the situation “because their children are being denied schooling and they have had to secure child care for their children.”

    Members of the Chicago Teachers Union and supporters stage a car caravan protest outside City Hall in the Loop in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 5, 2022. (Ashlee Rezin /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

    They’re asking the court to make clear that CTU’s actions amount to a strike and that the vote violated the collective bargaining agreement between the union and the city. The court should prevent CTU from continuing to authorize its members to not teach in person unless all conditions set forth in state law are met, and the agreement isn’t violated.

    The parents also want the court to award them damages in the form of lost income and cost of securing child care while classes were canceled.

    “Throughout this entire pandemic, our kids have paid a tremendous price for adults’ mistakes and miscalculations, and now the teachers’ union has hastily and recklessly put them on their political roller coaster again,” Laurel Golden, lead plaintiff in the lawsuit and a Chicago parent, said in a statement.

    “The science is clear, and so is the desire of parents: Our kids need and deserve to be in school. This illegal strike must be ended immediately, and we must get kids back into the classroom.”

    The union, meanwhile, in press releases and the briefing on Friday indicated there’s no plans at this time to end the refusal to teach in person.

    “The COVID cases are spiraling out of control in every neighborhood, and that is why we ask for [remote classes],” Evans said.

    Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said in a joint statement around the same time that negotiations “continued today and went into the evening,” adding, “The sessions remain productive but must be concluded this weekend.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 15:30

  • Elon Musk Says Price Of Full Self Driving Will Rise To $12,000 This Month
    Elon Musk Says Price Of Full Self Driving Will Rise To $12,000 This Month

    In a move that we can only describe as equal parts laughable and confusing, Elon Musk announced last night via Twitter that Tesla would be raising the price of its almost non-existent Full-Self Driving feature from $10,000 to $12,000.

    Despite moving one iteration further in the “beta testing” process for Full Self Driving, the product has not been available for wide commercial release, despite Tesla charging unsuspecting consumers $10,000 a clip for the software for nearly a half-decade now.

    In other words, people buying Teslas have been paying for features that, but for dangerous looking beta tests, haven’t arrived yet. This makes it obviously quizzical as to why Musk would go and raise the price for the feature. 

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    In August of last year, Musk came out and admitted that FSD Beta 9.2 was “actually not great”. 

    Tesla skeptic and short seller Jim Chanos immediately rang in on Twitter, dryly noting about Musk’s admission that he must have missed the admission on Tesla’s AI day. Chanos also asked the obvious question: if the software is “not great”, why is it being tested on public roads?

    Last year, we reported that two senators had asked the Federal Trade Commission to examine whether or not Tesla misled consumers and endangered the public by marketing its driving systems as “Full Self Driving”.

    Senate Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Edward Markey wrote in a letter last year: “Tesla and (CEO) Mr. (Elon) Musk’s repeated overstatements of their vehicle’s capabilities…put Tesla drivers — and all of the traveling public — at risk of serious injury or death.”

    Recall, Elon Musk said in January 2021 that he was “highly confident [a Tesla] will be able to drive itself with reliability in excess of human this year.”

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    Then, an admission from Tesla this past summer seemed to confess what anyone paying attention already knew: there would be no Full Self Driving by the end of 2021. And if we were betting people, we’d bet we’re not going to see it anytime in 2022, either. 

    A memo to regulators last year noted: “Tesla indicated that they are still firmly in L2. As Tesla is aware, the public’s misunderstanding about the limits of the technology and its misuse can have tragic consequences.”

    Despite this, it hasn’t stopped Tesla from rolling out (and then hurriedly recalling) “beta” versions of its FSD, which it has been doing since October 2020.

    Last year, regulators in the United States also opened a long-overdue investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the investigation includes Tesla’s Model X, S and 3 for model years 2014-2021.

    We’re sure that investigation will turn out fine though…right?

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    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 15:00

  • UK Gov't Admits Evidence For Face Masks Stopping COVID Spread In Schools "Not Conclusive"
    UK Gov’t Admits Evidence For Face Masks Stopping COVID Spread In Schools “Not Conclusive”

    The latest example of why people shouldn’t blindly follow ‘the science…as decreed by bureaucrats’, arrived Friday, when Bloomberg reported that a study undertaken by the British government to justify forcing children to wear masks in schools has forced them to admit that the evidence for the efficacy of face masks stopping the spread of COVID-19 in schools is “not conclusive.”

    Data from the Department of Education stated that whilst not conclusive, there are now a number of scientific studies which consider the association between COVID-19 and the use of face coverings specifically in education.

    The study cited by the department didn’t provide proof of a statistically significant decline in absences.

    The research compared 123 U.K. schools that used masks with about 1,200 others that didn’t during the Covid wave fueled by the delta variant.

    Schools with face-covering rules in October 2021 saw their absence rate drop by 2.3 percentage points, to 3%, two to three weeks later.

    In schools that didn’t use masks, absences fell by 1.7 percentage points, to 3.6%.

    As BBC reports, the study concluded that this difference was not statistically significant and the greater reduction in schools where masks were worn could be down to chance.

    One epidemiologist quoted by Bloomberg said the government’s data didn’t provide strong enough evidence to justify requiring face coverings in schools.

    “The study and research outlined in this report does not provide strong justification for introducing this policy in schools,” said Sarah Lewis, professor of molecular epidemiology at the University of Bristol.

    And they should, because forcing children to wear masks all day inhibits their ability to learn, particularly if they struggle with hearing difficulties.

    Mask mandates can detract from the quality of education and exclude pupils with hearing difficulties from discussions, Lewis said.

    “Where there is insufficient evidence of a benefit of a policy and evidence of harms the default should be not to intervene,” she said.

    The decision to impose the mask rules was a “really tough choice,” but one that was necessary for a few weeks, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said in a Times Radio interview. But not everybody feels the same way.

    The backlash to the mask mandate has intensified, even making its way to the House of Commons, where one critic pointed out that teachers aren’t required to wear masks.

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    The situation in Britain’s schools has only worsened. More than one-third of schools have at least 10% of teachers absent due to COVID reasons. And some students rebelled against the mask mandate by refusing to wear their masks.

    “Sadly, we have had reports in the last 24 hours of at least six secondary schools in the north-west of England where children, in huge numbers, are refusing to take lateral flow tests or to wear masks,” said Damien McNulty, a national executive member of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers.

    “We’ve got one school in Lancashire where only 67 children out of 1,300 are prepared to have a lateral flow test and wear masks. This is a public health emergency,” he added.

    Additionally, according to University of Oxford Professor Jim Naismith, when England dropped face mask mandates back in July and Scotland maintained them, it made “no meaningful difference” to infection rates.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 14:44

  • FAA Will Impose Flight Restrictions On Some Flight Operations Over 5G
    FAA Will Impose Flight Restrictions On Some Flight Operations Over 5G

    Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

    The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) updated information Thursday, maintaining that U.S. 5G deployment will require the FAA to impose flight restrictions on flight operations using certain types of safety equipment that will perform in proximity to the 5G networks.

    AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay the use of C-Band spectrum until Jan. 19, a move that was endorsed by the White House. This extension would give the FAA more time to study and evaluate how to minimize the disruption to radar altimeters, while preparing airline companies for any changes.

    The telecom companies, which won access to almost all the C-Band spectrum in an $80-billion auction, had earlier agreed to adopt 5G deployment with similar precautions as that of France.

    The crux of the issue lies in the fact that radar altimeters, an important piece of safety equipment used in aircraft, use frequencies close to C-band. 5G services use C-band radio spectrum frequencies between 3.7 and 4.2 GHz that may prove hazardous to flight safety. Altimeters assess the airplane’s height above the ground and inform other safety sensors within the craft like collision-avoidance systems and navigation instruments.

    As the situation currently stands, the proposed 5G deployment would result in modifying flight schedules and altering other aspects of the aviation network. The FAA is working towards mitigating these disruptions as they investigate the precautionary measures needed to move forward.

    Telecom companies have also agreed on positioning the related antennas away from the airports where the interference would be greatest, while the FAA tests out how the radar altimeters work in a 5G C-band environment.

    When altimeters are discovered to work without interference, the corresponding restrictions on aircraft operations will be removed. This process will go on until more altimeters are certified safe, retrofitted or replaced.

    On Friday, the FAA released a list (pdf) of 50 airports that will have 5G buffer zones like Austin-Bergstrom Intl, Los Angeles Intl, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Intl, San Francisco Intl, and Chicago O’Hare Intl. These zones are expected to reduce risks when the wireless companies turn on their 5G services.

    Many other airports are not affected by the rollout as they are not located in the same region where 5G is being implemented and some do not have the ability to allow low-visibility landings, according to the FAA.

    AT&T and Verizon will adjust their operations like turning off transmitters near sensitive airports for a period of six months to minimize risk and avoid interfering with safety systems. However, it remains to be seen how the 5G networks will coexist safely with flight traffic systems in the coming days.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 01/08/2022 – 14:30

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