1325: Leapicide

Also, our friend went to get his vac!

But he said he had to get it in Harlem because his friend who works for Walgreens said the only vacs available in NYC are in the predominately black neighborhoods because no one wants them.

She said all the Walgreens literally has their employees on the street trying to give them away at the end of the day, because they're having to throw so much away due to the shelf life issue.

So she told him to go at the end of the day and ask for one and they gave it to him. He also didn't fit any of the criteria and they took him anyways.

Love and Light,

The Reiki (ray-key) Princess

***KEEP ANONYMOUS**** My wife (CT-ICU Nurse) got the 2nd jab of Moderna yesterday morning (8am CST approx) and has been non-responsive since (basically sleeping asking for water)! I am slightly worried.

Not good! She basically says she feels like she has Corona!

This is fucked up. She is 32 healthy, has been taking care or Corona/non-corona patients for the last YEAR and hasn't missed a beat. 2nd Moderna shot, I'd think she went on a 4 day bender, no appetite, won't drink water, just in and out of sleeping.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:16

If you are a religious leader who wants to protect the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution we want to hear from you. FOR-US is actively looking to grow the religious coalition and work with additional religious leaders who understand the value of religious freedom and are determined to protect it.

FOR-US welcomes volunteers to help

Show More If you are a religious leader who wants to protect the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution we want to hear from you. FOR-US is actively looking to grow the religious coalition and work with additional religious leaders who understand the value of religious freedom and are determined to protect it.

FOR-US welcomes volunteers to help in our efforts. Please join our mailing list and help protect our First Amendment rights.

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Fri, 26 Feb 2021 17:49

The EU hopes to have Covid-19 vaccine passports ready for use by this summer, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Friday, as optimism grows among some European nations for the restart of international travel.

"We are defendants of a measure on European scale, and it is with this objective that we work as presidents with the European Commission," the PM said after a virtual meeting of the European Council.

"The hope we all have is that by the summer it will be possible for this document to exist."

The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, is currently working on a digital document that will allow people to show they have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and have tested negative for the virus.

Also on rt.com Merkel says continuous vaccinations against Covid-19 a reality for next few years due to variants Iceland and Bahrain have already introduced vaccine certification, while Thailand, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Hungary are all planning to launch passports.

Greece, Spain, Austria and Bulgaria have all backed an EU certificate, but other nations, including France, Belgium and the UK, have raised ethical concerns that the passes may discriminate against those who have not been vaccinated.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed on Thursday after a European Council meeting that an EU vaccine passport is in the pipeline and should be ready by summer.

Also on rt.com Europe must hurry up with Covid-19 health certificates or Apple & Google could get there first, EU Commission president warns The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents over 290 airlines, is also reported to have called on the bloc to introduce such documentation.

In a letter to Brussels on Thursday, the association urged European leaders to adopt a scheme such as its own "Travel Pass," which allows travelers' health details to be rapidly shared with governments.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!

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Fri, 26 Feb 2021 03:53

Politics | U.S. Airstrikes in Syria Target Iran-Backed Militias That Rocketed American Troops in IraqPresident Biden ordered retaliatory strikes against the militias whose attacks in Erbil this month killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member.

The airstrikes authorized by President Biden were meant to punish the perpetrators of the rocket attack but not to escalate hostilities with Iran, the Pentagon said. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Feb. 25, 2021 Updated 10:15 p.m. ET WASHINGTON '-- The United States on Thursday carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria against buildings belonging to what the Pentagon said were Iran-backed militias responsible for recent attacks against American and allied personnel in Iraq.

President Biden authorized the strikes in response to the rocketing in Iraq and to continuing threats to American and coalition personnel there, said John F. Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, who spoke with reporters traveling with Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III in California.

A rocket attack on Feb. 15 on the airport in Erbil, in northern Iraq, killed a Filipino contractor with the American-led military coalition and wounded six others, including a Louisiana National Guard soldier and four American contractors.

American officials said the strikes were a relatively small, carefully calibrated military response: seven 500-pound bombs dropped on a small cluster of buildings at an unofficial crossing at the Syria-Iraq border used to smuggle across weapons and fighters.

The strikes were just over the border in Syria to avoid diplomatic blowback to the Iraqi government. The Pentagon offered up larger groups of targets but Mr. Biden approved a less aggressive option, American officials said.

The American airstrikes on Thursday ''specifically destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militia troops, including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada,'' Mr. Kirby said.

''This proportionate military response was conducted together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners,'' he added. ''The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and coalition personnel.''

Image Roof damage in Erbil after a rocket attack last week. The attack killed a civilian contractor with the American-led military coalition and wounded six others. Credit... Azad Lashkari/Reuters Mr. Kirby said the American retaliation was meant to punish the perpetrators of the rocket attack but not to escalate hostilities with Iran, with which the Biden administration has sought to renew talks on a nuclear deal that President Donald J. Trump had shelved.

''We have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq,'' Mr. Kirby said.

The attack on the Erbil airport was claimed by a little-known group called Awliya al Dam, or Guardian of the Blood, brigades. The group also claimed responsibility for two bombings against U.S. contractor convoys in August.

Little is known about the group, including whether it is backed by Iran or related to the organizations that used the facilities the American airstrikes targeted on Thursday. Some American officials contend that the group is merely a front for one of the better-known Shia militias.

Michael P. Mulroy, a former top Middle East policy official at the Pentagon, said the limited strikes appeared intended to signal that Iran's use of militias as proxies would not allow them to avoid responsibility for attacking Americans. But the time and place of the attack also were significant.

''The decision to strike in Syria instead of Iraq was likely to avoid causing issues for the Iraqi government, a key partner in the continuing efforts against ISIS,'' Mr. Mulroy said in an email. ''It was smart to strike in Syria and avoid the blowback in Iraq.''

Mr. Biden had discussed the rocket attacks in a phone call on Tuesday with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi of Iraq. A White House statement afterward said that the two agreed ''that those responsible for such attacks must be held fully to account.''

The retaliatory strikes, which took place about 6 p.m. Thursday in Washington, or 2 a.m. Friday in eastern Syria, had been in the works for several days as American intelligence agencies worked to established high confidence that the two Iraqi militia were responsible for the rocket attacks.

American officials said the attack killed a ''handful'' of militia, but the Pentagon did not provide any detailed assessment of the damage.

Saberin News Telegram channel, which is affiliated with Iranian-backed militia in Iraq, reported one dead and several injured. It said the strikes targeted an empty building and another structure used by the militia. The bases were in an area between Al Qaem and Abu Kamal, near the Syria-Iraq border.

Mr. Biden authorized the strikes on Thursday morning, as his defense secretary was at a hotel in San Diego, preparing to visit the aircraft carrier Nimitz, which was returning home from the Persian Gulf.

Mr. Austin expressed confidence that the facilities targeted were used by militia groups responsible for the attacks. Speaking to reporters aboard his plane Thursday evening, he said that the Biden administration had been ''deliberate'' in its approach.

''We allowed and encouraged the Iraqis to investigate and develop intelligence and it was very helpful to us in refining the target,'' he said.

The Biden administration has taken a more measured response to the rocket fusillade in Erbil than Mr. Trump's pitched campaign against Iran and past actions of its proxies in Iraq '-- one that often caught the Iraqi government in the crossfire.

Administration officials have said since the Erbil attack that the United States would respond to the strike at a time and place of its choosing.

Even so, the deliberateness of the new administration's approach has raised questions both in Washington and in Baghdad about where Mr. Biden's red lines are when it comes to responding to attacks from Iranian-backed militias that target Americans in Iraq.

The United States military has drawn down the number of its troops in Iraq to under 2,500 and has pulled out of several bases there over the past two years. It says Iraq no longer needs the help it did in the past to fight the Islamic State, though American officials have acknowledged that militia attacks also factored into the decision to move troops to bases more easily defended.

Iran has made clear that it intends to retaliate further for the American drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020 that killed a top Iranian commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, and a senior Iraqi security official. Days after that strike, the Iranian government launched missile attacks against U.S. forces at the Ain al Assad air base in Iraq's Anbar Province, wounding more than 100 troops.

Julian E. Barnes contributed reporting from Washington, and Farnaz Fassihi from New York.

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Source: News From Antiwar.com

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 05:00

The US bombed targets in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border on Thursday. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 17 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were killed in the strikes. The PMF is a group of mostly Shia Iraqi state-sponsored militias that formed in 2014 to fight ISIS.

The US framed the bombing as ''defensive,'' blaming the groups they targeted for recent rocket attacks on US bases in Iraq, but no evidence has been presented to substantiate the claim. Earlier this month, rockets hit a US base in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, killing one contractor.

''We're confident that the target was being used by the same Shia militia that conducted the strikes,'' Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said of Thursday's bombing. The Pentagon described the targets as ''infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria.''

''Specifically, the strikes destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups, including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada,'' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada are both militias under the umbrella of the PMF. Kataib Hezbollah denied any role in the Erbil attack or other recent incidents at US facilities.

''We absolutely did not target Erbil or the Green Zone and have no knowledge of the group that did,'' Kataib Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Mohi told Reuters, referring to the Green Zone in Baghdad where the US embassy is located. Rockets were fired towards the embassy on Monday, but no casualties were reported.

Mohi said he wants the US to withdraw the remaining 2,500 troops it has in Iraq and believes detente between the US and Iran can lead to that, a sign that Kataib Hezbollah has no interest in escalating tensions. Iran has also denied any role in the Erbil attack. With the Iranians seeking sanctions relief from the new administration, they have no reason to orchestrate attacks on the US in Iraq.

Considering the US has been bombing Iraq for 30 years now, there are many groups inside Iraq that have their own reasons to fire on the US. There are also groups like ISIS that would benefit from a war between the US and Iraq's Shia militias.

At the end of 2019, the US blamed Kataib Hezbollah for an attack on a base in Kirkuk, Iraq, that killed a US contractor. The Kirkuk attack kicked off the series of events that led to the US assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, who was killed alongside Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of the PMF.

Without presenting evidence, the Trump administration blamed Kataib Hezbollah for the Kirkuk attack and bombed members of the militia in Iraq and Syria. The airstrikes killed 25 Kataib Hezbollah fighters, enraging many in Iraq, and demonstrators stormed the US embassy in Baghdad. President Trump then ordered the drone strike that killed Soleimani and Muhandis. It was later revealed that Iraqi intelligence believed the Kirkuk attack was more likely carried out by ISIS, a group that celebrated Soleimani's killing.

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Fri, 26 Feb 2021 11:09

It's the first known military action of Joe Biden's presidency.

By Alex Ward on February 26, 2021 5:35 am President Joe Biden on Thursday launched military airstrikes against two Iranian-backed militias in Syria in retaliation for a recent spate of aggressions, including a rocket attack in Iraq last week that injured US troops and killed a Filipino contractor.

In the strike, Biden's first known military action since taking office, the US hit seven targets with seven bombs used by the groups Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada to smuggle weapons. As of now it's unclear if anyone was hurt or killed, though US officials expect about ''a handful of people'' may have died, the Washington Post reported.

Politico reported Biden chose the ''middle'' option presented to him. The other plans remain unknown.

A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about sensitive discussions, told me the administration's thinking behind the airstrikes was that they needed to ''send a message that the US will not turn a blind eye to attacks on our forces by Iranian-sponsored militias.''

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the president ordered the ''proportionate military response'' to send ''an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and Coalition personnel. At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq.''

The strikes occurred around 6 pm Eastern time and had been planned over several days, according to the Wall Street Journal. Biden made the decision this morning, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Thursday.

''I'm confident in the target that we went after, we know what we hit,'' the secretary said, noting he advised Biden to launch the strikes. ''We're confident that that target was being used by the same Shia militants'' who attacked US troops last week.

Some experts are already applauding the president's decision.

''This was a golden move by the Biden administration,'' said Phillip Smyth, an expert on Shia militias at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, because it let Tehran know the new American team is willing to strike Iranian-linked targets wherever they operate throughout the Middle East. ''This is the administration saying 'we mean business.'''

It was also a way of sending that message without angering Iraq, Smyth added, which bristled at US airstrikes on Iranian proxies in Iraq during the Trump administration, seeing them as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Targeting a weapons facility in Syria avoids that problem.

Others, like the Institute for Policy Studies' Phyllis Bennis, believe the decision was unnecessarily ''provocative and dangerous.''

''Is this what ''America is Back' is supposed to mean?'' she asked rhetorically.

The question now is what the retaliatory attack might mean for the Biden administration's effort to reenter the Iran nuclear deal. Washington agreed to join an informal meeting with Iran brokered by the European Union, but Tehran said it was still ''considering'' the offer. It's possible that the regime might balk at future talks after Biden's action.

Even so, it seems Biden calculated that protecting US troops operating in the Middle East from attacks by Iranian proxies takes priority over that diplomatic process. In so doing, he became the latest president to order a military operation in the Middle East.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 15:12

Turkey's natural gas imports from Iran dropped 31.2% down to 5.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) last year compared to 2019, according to Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) data on Friday, while the total gas imports increased with LNG agreements.

Repairs following an explosion at the Turkey-Iran pipeline in March 2020 took longer than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in a two-month halt in gas imports from Iran, which dramatically decreased Turkey's overall gas imports from the country. Natural gas imports from Iran stood at around 7.7 bcm in 2019.

Nonetheless, Turkey's total natural gas imports increased by 6.5% up to 48.1 bcm compared to 2019.

Turkey imports natural gas via a long-term pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) contracts as well as through the spot LNG market. The country has long-term natural gas import contracts with Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, along with long-term LNG contracts with Algeria and Nigeria.

The year 2021 is being dubbed as a turning point for the natural gas sector given that a significant portion of Ankara's long-term gas contracts will be terminated this year, providing the groundwork for a better bargain in future contracts. Renegotiating those contracts and securing cheaper prices are among the primary demands of Turkey.

The contracts that are set to expire in 2021 cover a total of 15.9 bcm of natural gas out of a total of oil-indexed long-term contracts for 58 bcm. This would be determinative for next year's sectoral and natural gas expenditures.

Turkey imported the highest gas volumes from Russia at around 16.2 bcm in 2020. Natural gas imports from the country showed an increase of 6.4% year-on-year.

Imports from Azerbaijan rose by 20.5% to reach 11.5 bcm, with the gas flow through the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline being the main factor for this increase.

Turkey received the highest LNG volumes from Algeria in 2020 at 5.6 bcm, although LNG imports from the country decreased by 1.8% compared to 2019 levels. LNG imports from Nigeria fell by 22.2% down to 1.9 bcm last year compared to the previous year.

The biggest increases in Turkey's spot LNG imports were from Qatar and the U.S.

Last year, Turkey's spot LNG imports from Qatar grew 32.1% to 3.2 bcm while spot LNG volumes from the U.S. showed a huge 144% increase to 3 bcm.

Turkey also received spot LNG cargoes from Norway, France, Spain and Cameroon.

Turkey's total natural gas consumption last year grew by 6.9% to reach almost 48 bcm.

Household consumption at 14.6 bcm accounted for 30% of total consumption. Household natural gas in Turkey increased year-on-year by 8.7%.

Consumption at gas-powered plants rose to 12.6 bcm in 2020, marking a 23.5% increase.

Due to a drought in the last months of 2020, causing a decline in hydro output, the share of gas-powered plants out of total electricity generation increased by over 20%.

Higher gas consumption in power plants and households was among the main factors leading to the growth in total gas consumption and imports.

Turkey's first floating storage and regasification units (FSRU) were launched in the Aliağa district in December 2016. In early February 2018, a second FSRU with 20 million cubic meters of send-out capacity per day was launched in the country's southernmost Hatay province.

The country plans to expand its LNG storage capacity by adding a third FSRU in Saros Bay, north of the Gallipoli Peninsula in northwestern Turkey by 2021.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 11:57

Lawmakers and journalists are among those calling for penalties against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi after a U.S. intelligence report finding the crown prince had approved the operation. Emrah Gurel/AP hide caption

toggle caption Emrah Gurel/AP Lawmakers and journalists are among those calling for penalties against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi after a U.S. intelligence report finding the crown prince had approved the operation.

Emrah Gurel/AP The release of a U.S. intelligence report finding that Saudi Arabia's crown prince had approved the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is prompting calls for penalties against the man next in line to the Saudi throne.

The report, released Friday, found that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman '-- whose involvement was widely suspected '-- had approved the operation to kill Khashoggi at the country's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

The day of the report's release, the U.S. State department also issued a visa ban for 76 Saudis. But so far no direct penalties for Salman have been announced.

Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted on Friday that Biden should "ensure that repercussions for the brutal murder of Khashoggi go beyond those who carried it out, to the one who ordered it."

"The Crown Prince has blood on his hands. The blood of an American resident and journalist. We must have accountability," Schiff wrote. He also told CNN that Biden should "shun" the crown prince.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations committee, called the report an "appropriate first step" but said he hoped for "concrete measures" against Salman "for his role in this heinous crime."

"The United States must send a clear signal to our allies and adversaries alike that fundamental values, including respect for basic human rights and human dignity, drive U.S. foreign policy," Menendez said in statement.

Similarly, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., said he was "encouraged to see the new administration taking steps" toward accountability for the death of Khashoggi, who was a Virginia resident.

On the Republican side, House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Michael McCaul of Texas said the U.S. "must ensure everyone involved in this appalling crime is held accountable '' including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose role in this murder has now been publicly affirmed."

The White House has said Biden plans to "recalibrate" the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki has also said Biden plans to conduct business with the kingdom "counterpart to counterpart" with the Saudi head of state, King Salman.

Though not officially the king, Mohammed bin Salman is considered Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler and controls the kingdom's intelligence and security services.

In an interview with Univision on Friday, Biden said he had spoken King Salman Thursday and made it clear that "the rules are changing." Biden said changes to the relationship would be announced Monday.

"We're going to hold them accountable for human rights abuses, and we're going to make sure that they, in fact, you know, if they want to deal with us, they have to deal with it in a way that human rights abuses are dealt with. And we're trying to do that across the world, but particularly here," Biden told anchor Ilia Calder"n.

But the absence of any concrete penalties for the crown prince so far has engendered rebukes from Khashoggi's colleagues and friends in journalism.

An editorial from The Washington Post applauds several of Biden's actions to reset the intensely cozy relationship Saudi Arabia enjoyed with Trump. The editorial goes on to suggest that under Biden, the U.S.-Saudi relationship may resemble what it did before Trump, "when the kingdom was treated as a prime U.S. ally in the Middle East." The editorial cites continued weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and a recent call between Salman and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

"Mr. Biden is nevertheless granting what amounts to a pass to a ruler who has sown instability around the Middle East in recent years while presiding over the most severe repression of dissent in modern Saudi history," the Post editorial board writes.

The Post noted that under U.S. law, Salman should be banned from traveling to the U.S. and have his assets frozen.

The Society of Professional Journalists called the intelligence report "too little too late," adding that "the crown prince should have already been held accountable." The group said Biden should send the message "that the killing of a journalist is unacceptable anywhere on this planet."

New York Times writer Nicholas Kristof, a friend of Khashoggi, minced no words in his column, calling Salman a murderer and saying Biden appeared "ready to let the murderer walk."

The Saudi government has rejected the findings of the U.S. intelligence report.

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Fri, 26 Feb 2021 00:06

About three dozen House Democrats have signed a letter asking President Biden to renounce his sole authority to launch nuclear weapons, according to reports.

A promise from the president to give up his nuclear capabilities as commander in chief could take the same power away from future presidents.

NORTH KOREA AND IRAN TEAMING UP AGAIN AS US WEIGHS IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL

"Vesting one person with this authority entails real risks," the letter from Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., and obtained by Politico reads. "Past presidents have threatened to attack other countries with nuclear weapons or exhibited behavior that caused other officials to express concern about the president's judgment."

Panetta's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News. The congressman said in a Monday tweet that he is "calling on" Biden "to install checks [and] balances in our nuclear command-and-control structure."

FILE - A military aide carries the alleged 'football,' a case with the launch codes for nuclear weapons, toward Marine One as former President Donald Trump prepares to take off. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The letter continues: "While any president would presumably consult with advisors before ordering a nuclear attack, there is no requirement to do so. The military is obligated to carry out the order if they assess it is legal under the laws of war. Under the current posture of U.S. nuclear forces, that attack would happen in minutes."

Democrats offered some alternatives to sole nuclear authority, such as requiring the vice president and House speaker to agree with a launch order from the president before it is executed, according to Politico.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Presidents have continually passed down a briefcase containing all the necessary materials to dial up a nuclear strike using a specific code, often referred to as the "nuclear football."

Democrats previously expressed concern with former President Trump having access to such power. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in January, for example, said she spoke with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley about protecting nuclear codes from an "unhinged president."

NORTH KOREAN HACKERS STOLE $316M TO IMPROVE NUKES, BALLISTIC MISSILES, UN EXPERTS SAY

Pelosi said she spoke to Milley on Jan. 5 "to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike."

The football was passed over a long distance when Biden took office after Trump because the former president did not attend the new president's Inauguration. It is usually handed off between presidents on Inauguration Day.

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.

In the morning Adam,

On Thursday you and John discussed China influencing UK Universities. Here are a couple more stories on issues in the UK education system.

Woke School Headmaster

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/yorkshire-primary-school-renames-houses-after-greta-thunberg-and-malala-yousafzai-after-removing-names-of-men-who-supported-slavery-3142498

Money Laundering - (nobody is wanting to run this story)

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/money-laundering-fears-as-universities-accept-52m-in-cash-vrc7q6s9b

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9285851/Universities-accused-aiding-money-launderers-branded-welcome-mat-kleptocrats.html

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Fri, 26 Feb 2021 11:13

WASHINGTON '-- The Democratic-led House is poised to pass a bill that would enshrine LGBTQ protections in the nation's labor and civil rights laws, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

The Equality Act amends existing civil rights law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identification as protected characteristics. The protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas. Supporters say the law before the House on Thursday is long overdue and would ensure that every person is treated equally under the law.

''In the absence of federal civil rights protection, there are members of the LGBTQ community who are fair game in the eyes of the law to be targeted, based on sexual orientation,'' said House Democratic Conference Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. ''That is not America.''

Republicans broadly oppose the legislation, echoing concerns from religious groups and social conservatives who worry the bill would force people to take actions that contradict their religious beliefs. They warn that faith-based adoption agencies seeking to place children with a married mother and father could be forced to close, or that private schools would have to hire staff whose conduct violates tenets of the school's faith.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference at the Capitol on Feb. 11, 2021. AP''The bill may have equality in the title, but it certainly does not serve all Americans,'' said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. ''It is a vehicle for serious, harmful consequences.''

The House passed the Equality Act in the last Congress with unanimous Democratic support and the backing of eight Republicans, but Donald Trump's White House opposed the measure and it was not considered in the Senate, where 60 votes will be needed to overcome procedural hurdles. Democrats are trying to revive it now that they have control of Congress and the White House, but passage appears unlikely in the evenly divided Senate.

The Supreme Court provided the LGBTQ community with a resounding victory last year in a 6-3 ruling that said the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applied to LGBTQ workers when it comes to barring discrimination on the basis of sex. Civil rights groups have encouraged Congress to follow up that decision and ensure that anti-bias protections addressing such areas as housing, public accommodations and public services are applied in all 50 states.

Biden made clear his support for the Equality Act in the lead-up to last year's election, saying it would be one of his first priorities.

Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon said her home state of Pennsylvania was one of about 30 that doesn't have legal protections for LGBTQ people. She said the Equality Act is needed to end ''the patchwork of state laws'' around gay rights and create ''uniform nationwide protection.''

''It's been personal since my baby sister came out to me almost 40 years ago,'' Scanlon said. ''For many people all across this country and across this House, that is when the fight hits home.''

The debate among lawmakers on Capitol Hill has also become personal. Rep. Marie Newman, D-Ill., whose daughter is transgender, tweeted a video of herself placing a transgender flag outside her office. Her office is across the hall from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who was recently blocked from serving on two committees because of past comments and tweets.

''Our neighbor, @RepMTG, tried to block the Equality Act because she believes prohibiting discrimination against trans Americans is ''disgusting, immoral, and evil.'' Thought we'd put up our Transgender flag so she can look at it every time she opens her door.,'' Newman tweeted.

Greene responded with a video of her own in which she puts up a sign that reads: ''There are Two genders: MALE and FEMALE. ''Trust The Science!''

''Our neighbor, @RepMarieNewman, wants to pass the so-called ''Equality'' Act to destroy women's rights and religious freedoms. Thought we'd put up ours so she can look at it every time she opens her door,'' Greene tweeted.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pointed to the exchange to advocate for the bill Thursday.

''I wish it weren't. It breaks my heart that it is necessary, but the fact is, and in fact we had a sad event here even this morning, demonstrating the need for us to have respect,'' Pelosi said, at one point pausing and taking a deep sigh. ''Not even just respect, but take pride, take pride in our LGBT community.''

Leaders at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote lawmakers this week to say they had grave concerns about the bill. Among the concerns the five bishops raised is that the bill would expand the government's definition of public places, forcing church halls and equivalent facilities to host functions that violate their beliefs, which could lead to closing their doors to the broader community.

Some of the nation's largest corporations are part of a coalition in support of the legislation, including Apple Inc., AT&T, Chevron and 3M Co., just to name a few of the hundreds of companies that have endorsed it.

There are 2 main issues that are troubling to us as Texans.

One is that we were told or rolling blackouts and that message didn't change for 2 days. Many more could have done what Ted Cruz did and leave the state for a week AHEAD of the storm had we known more.

Second, that TX shut down reliable time-proven Coal plants from providing 34% of power down to 16% of power production in 2021. They were replaced by Wind Turbines. Replacing power that can run 24x7 by the power that goes down by 80% in cold weather is the smoking gun. If we had increased Nuclear that would be one thing, but Wind is not comparable. Natural gas is a potential but is more expensive and as we discovered that Natural Gas Compressors run on the Electric Grid and are not considered "essential" so many didn't get power.

Whoever enforced shutting down the coal plants - whether the governor or others - needs to be held accountable!

Moving Forward we need to build out Comanche Peak Nuclear reactors 3 and 4 and bring back coal or build more Natural Gas generators as well as improve the reliability of the Natural Gas Grid in TX.

This is the lady that replaced the guy saying that women talk too much,

that you covered a couple of shows ago.

Doesn't actually have a quote with the headline in so maybe it's bogative.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Tokyo-2020-Olympics/Tokyo-2020-chief-says-gender-equality-efforts-as-important-as-virus-containment

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Source: Culture | The Guardian

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 15:41

An unusual awards season kicks off this weekend with the delayed Golden Globes, a ceremony that's long been the butt of many an industry joke but this year, its standing has gone from bad to worse after a flood of controversy.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of 87 international journalists who vote on the awards, has come under fire after the Los Angeles Times published two damning exposes on both the questionable credentials of members and the ease at which they are reportedly courted by studios. The non-profit organisation has been accused of ''ethical lapses'' with members reportedly flown to Paris in support of Netflix comedy Emily in Paris, which received two nominations, while also being paid nearly $2m by the group between 2019 and 2020.

The lack of diversity (there isn't a single black member) has also been criticised in a year when a number of black performances, films and shows have been ignored. Michaela Coel's universally acclaimed drama I May Destroy You failed to secure a single nomination while One Night in Miami, Judas and the Black Messiah, Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom were all ignored in the best picture category.

''That I May Destroy You did not get one Golden Globe nod is not only wrong, it's what is wrong with everything,'' wrote Deborah Copaken, a writer for Emily in Paris. ''How anyone can watch I May Destroy You and not call it a brilliant work of art or Michaela Coel a genius is beyond my capacity to understand how these decisions are made.''

On Thursday, the HFPA released a statement responding to criticism. ''We understand that we need to bring in black members, as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible,'' it read.

The LA Times investigation comes soon after a lawsuit was filed against the HFPA by Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa, who was denied membership and accused them of a ''culture of corruption'' with members accepting ''thousands of dollars in emoluments'' from studios and celebrities. The suit was dismissed by a judge, partly because Flaa couldn't prove any economic or professional hardship as a result.

The HFPA's lead lawyer called it ''a transparent attempt to shake down the HFPA based on jealousy, not merit.''

Sunday's ceremony itself will be yet another combination of the physical and the virtual, with Covid-19 safety precautions requiring all nominees to stay at home. The HFPA has also warned against any unsupervised gatherings with California this week becoming the first US state to cross 50,000 virus-related deaths.

The night will be hosted by Tina Fey in New York and Amy Poehler in Los Angeles with presenters, including Kristen Wiig and Joaquin Phoenix, appearing in person following strict protocols. ''It's full-on weird,'' Poehler said to the New York Times. ''And we're hoping that the weirdness, which people are unfortunately used to at this point, will translate into something fun and interesting.''

Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Photograph: David Lee/APThe film field is led by David Fincher's Mank, an ode to old Hollywood made for Netflix, including a best actor in a drama nomination for star Gary Oldman, who previously referred to the Globes as ''fucking ridiculous'' and ''90 nobodies having a wank''.

Oldman is predicted to lose out to Chadwick Boseman, for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Boseman died in 2020 from colon cancer and his two final performances, in Rainey and Da 5 Bloods, have so far won him 20 posthumous awards with more on the way.

It could well be a big night for British talent, after last year saw Fleabag, Chernobyl and 1917 win big, with Carey Mulligan primed to pick up the best actress in a drama prize for her role in fiery rape revenge thriller Promising Young Woman, Daniel Kaluuya set to be named best supporting actor for Black Panthers biopic Judas and the Black Messiah and Sacha Baron Cohen favourite to win best actor in a comedy for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.

Within the TV categories, it's likely to be a strong showing for Netflix's chess drama The Queen's Gambit and star Anya Taylor-Joy while the recent seasons of The Crown and Schitt's Creek should also perform well.

While the lack of racial diversity has come under fire, the nominations did break new ground for female film-makers with a record three women nominated for best director: Regina King for One Night in Miami, Chloe Zhao for Nomadland and Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman. Only five female directors have ever been nominated in the Globes' 78 year history

The ceremony comes just a week before voting begins for this year's Oscars, which will take place on 25 April.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 13:30

Hasbro created confusion on Thursday when it removed the gender from its Mr. Potato Head brand, but not from the actual toy.

NEW YORK '-- Hasbro created confusion on Thursday when it removed the gender from its Mr. Potato Head brand, but not from the actual toy.

The company, which has been making the potato-shaped plastic toy for nearly 70 years, announced Thursday morning that it was dropping Mr. from the brand in an effort to make sure ''all feel welcome in the Potato Head world.'' That set off a social media frenzy over the beloved toy.

Later that afternoon, Hasbro clarified in a tweet that the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters will still exist, names and all, but the branding on the box will say ''Potato Head."

''While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the 'MR.' I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren't going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD,'' the company tweeted.

Hold that Tot '' your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD isn't going anywhere! While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the 'MR.' I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren't going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD pic.twitter.com/6I84KrxOLQ

'-- Hasbro (@Hasbro) February 25, 2021Many toymakers have been updating their classic brands in recent years, hoping to relate to today's kids and reflect more modern families.

''It's a potato,'' said Ali Mierzejewski, editor in chief at toy review site The Toy Insider. ''But kids like to see themselves in the toys they are playing with.''

Barbie, for example, has tried to shed its blonde image and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes. The Thomas the Tank Engine toy line added more girl characters. And American Girl is now selling a boy doll.

Dropping the ''Mr.'' from its brand name could encourage other companies to stop assigning genders to its toys, a trend that has already been happening, said Mierzejewski. Barbie maker Mattel released a gender-neutral doll line in 2019. But Mr. Potato Head is one of the biggest brands to do so.

''It's setting this new standard," Mierzejewski said.

GLAAD, an LGBTQ advocacy group, applauded the genderless toy potato.

''Hasbro is helping kids to simply see toys as toys, which encourages them to be their authentic selves outside of the pressures of traditional gender norms,'' said Rich Ferraro, GLAAD's chief communications officer, in a statement.

Mr. Potato Head first hit the toy scene in 1952, when it didn't even come with a plastic potato '-- kids had to supply their own vegetable to poke eyes, a nose or mustache into. Hasbro, which also makes Monopoly and My Little Pony, bought the brand and eventually added a plastic spud.

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 23:01

The Hollywood Reporter : L.A. Times Reveals HFPA Has Zero Black Members, Raises New Questions About Ethics of Golden Globe Voters https://t.co/9aHSV3sY5h

Mon Feb 22 03:51:07 +0000 2021

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 14:08

The semiconductor supply chain has been in upheaval in recent weeks, with chip shortages impacting large parts of the U.S. economy including the health care and automotive industries. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday which includes a review of semiconductors and batteries, and the sectors that utilize them, in efforts to strengthen the chip supply chain. The pandemic has highlighted flaws in America's supply chains, and in this case, its dependency on China and Taiwan for chips. CNBC reports the U.S. only accounts for about 12.5% of semiconductor manufacturing.

Unique perspectives from professionals around the worldRead and share thoughts with a community that collaborates and helps each otherJoin the community

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Source: Foreign policy

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 15:32

Online streaming has taken the whole world by storm. 2020 was the breakthrough year because different media networks launched their own video-on-demand streaming services such as HBO Max, Quibi, Peacock, etc. to turn the pandemic situation in their favor.

As expected, people gleefully accepted all these streaming services in huge numbers since they were forced to follow different restrictions like social distancing, self-isolation, and others appropriately.

However, this trend did not do justice with the cable TV companies because they are dealing with various issues like customer retention, innovation, advertising, etc.

Sadly, these issues will increase with the passage of time since people have already replaced their traditional TV viewing habit with online streaming.

The whole scenario indicates that traditional TV companies will need to transform themselves as quickly as possible to successfully compete with online streaming platforms in 2021.

Source:change.orgAt present, the future of TV companies does not look quite promising because they have not been able to innovate themselves as per the requirements of their subscribers.

But if we discuss the future of online streaming, it is progressing in the right direction. Continue reading this post to know how the future of TV and streaming has been reshaped overall.

How the future of TV and streaming has been reshaped so far?As we all know, users prefer to subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus in the first place. But, they can also access other media services like YouTube TV, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, TVPlayer, Hostar and many more on a wide range of devices from anywhere as revealed by howtowatchinaustralia to fulfill their streaming needs under their budget.

In a nutshell, all these above-described services have changed the viewing habits of viewers globally. Apart from this, different factors like personalized packages, interactive content, live TV, etc. have reshaped the future of traditional TV companies significantly.

Personalized packagesThe good thing about online streaming is that it has forced TV companies to offer customized TV packages in near future. It means consumers will not have to buy the entire package of channels to watch their favorite media content.

Interestingly, they will have the luxury to include their preferred channels in their subscription packages.

Interactive contentInteractive content is the new concept but has already been implemented by a leading online video on demand streaming platform, Netflix. The famous streaming service has allowed viewers to change the plot and dialogues in one of the episodes of Black Mirror.

According to this notion, viewers can participate and change the possible outcome of their favorite shows. Therefore, traditional TV channels or media networks will have to work on the same lines and broadcast such shows in the future to engage and entertain their viewers.

Live TVSource:groundedreason.comLive TV has become an important part of online streaming these days. This trend has changed people's traditional TV viewing habits and will continue to do so in the future.

When you tune into your conventional TV set, you have to sit in front of your TV screens to watch your favorite TV show or movies. Luckily, this is not the case with online live TV streaming services. For Instance, you can subscribe to Hulu + Live TV package and watch 60+ channels on your desired devices as per your preferences.

How is the online streaming industry changing the viewing habits of consumers worldwide?Source:universe.byu.eduThe online streaming industry is using different tactics to transform viewing habits of their subscribers globally. All these tactics will certainly impact the future scenario of the TV industry.

For example, streaming platforms offer original content in the shape of TV shows, movies and documentaries to their subscribers regularly. Sadly, you cannot avail such an amazing feature when watching conventional TV channels.

Besides, you can enjoy tons of exciting features like offline viewing, simultaneous streams, virtual party, etc. on your preferred devices if you have subscribed to popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Prime Video, and others.

Offline viewing is one of the most crucial features that allow users to watch TV shows, movies and other media content without using an internet connection. They need to download content on their devices be it Windows, Android, or iOS.

Wrapping Things UpSource:mediumThere is no denying that the COVID-19 crisis has significantly reshaped the future of cable TV and online streaming to a certain degree. In this age of digitalization, people have options galore when it comes to online streaming. They can easily subscribe to their favorite streaming services from anywhere accordingly.

This is one of the major reasons why users are preferring online streaming services over cable TV providers. As far as cable TV providers are concerned, they are facing hurdles in retaining their customers due to tremendous growth in online streaming viewership.

Therefore, we can expect that online streaming services will continue to improve in terms of customer base, content quality, and additional features. On the contrary, cable TV providers will have to enhance their performance on different fronts like content quality, pricing, etc.

Otherwise, video on-demand services will definitely replace a conventional cable TV package sooner or later.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 14:26

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 14:10

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday meant to address a global chip shortage impacting industries ranging from medical supplies to electric vehicles.

The order includes a 100-day review of key products including semiconductors and advanced batteries used in electric vehicles, followed by a broader, long-term review of six sectors of the economy. The long-term review will allow for policy recommendations to strengthen supply chains, with the goal of quickly implementing the suggestions, Biden said at a press event Wednesday before he signed the order.

The action follows calls from bipartisan members of Congress and industry leaders warning about the potential consequences of the shortage. Commonly known as chips, semiconductors are used to power electronics including phones, electric vehicles and even some medical supplies. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that "semiconductor manufacturing is a dangerous weak spot in our economy and in our national security."

Biden met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers Wednesday to discuss the shortage and said it was "very productive." He praised the cooperative nature of the meeting, saying, "it's like the old days, people actually were on the same page."

The semiconductor supply chain had taken a hit early in the Covid pandemic since much of the world's chips are manufactured in places like China and Taiwan. The health crisis has underscored issues with U.S. reliance on supply chains abroad in many areas, and the semiconductor industry is no different. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, a coalition backed by several chipmakers, the U.S. only accounts for about 12.5% of semiconductor manufacturing.

The shortage has already impacted several companies. Ford said earlier this month that reduced estimates from suppliers could mean losing up to a 20% of its expected first-quarter production. General Motors said earlier this month that it would extend downtime at several production plants due to the shortage and would "reassess in mid-March." On Wednesday, ahead of the executive order announcement, however, GM CFO Paul Jacobson said the worst of the chip shortage may actually be over already.

In a letter to Biden last week, several industry associations including SIA, the Advanced Medical Technology Association and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association wrote that the U.S. should incentivize new semiconductor manufacturing plants to be established in the country to compete effectively with other nations that have invested in chip production.

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WATCH: Chip shortage slows production of game consoles, cars and more

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 13:22

February 23, 2021 | 1:12pm | Updated February 23, 2021 | 9:19pm

Who's a good bot?

The NYPD deployed its new robotic dog to a home invasion crime scene in the Bronx on Tuesday morning, new video shows.

Video shows the blue and black, four-legged ''Digidog'' trotting along the sidewalk, joined by its handlers.

The videographer, Daniel Valls of FreedomNews.tv, wrote that the dog responded to a home invasion and barricaded situation on East 227th Street near White Plains Road in Wakefield.

A spokeswoman for the NYPD said the 70-pound robot is in its test phase and is equipped with lights and cameras to allows cops to see ''its surroundings in real-time.''

It also comes with two-way communication, the spokewoman added.

Cops confirmed responding to that address for an ongoing investigation and finding no one there.

The NYPD's robot dog seen on duty in The Bronx on Feb. 23, 2021. Daniel Valls/FNTV freedomnews.tvThe ''dog'' weighs 70 pounds, can run about three-and-a-half miles per hour and climb stairs, members of the NYPD's Technical Assistance Response Unit told ABC 7 back in December. It is covered in cameras and lights.

''This dog is going to save lives, protect people, and protect officers and that's our goal,'' TARU Inspector Frank Digiacomo said.

''Digidog,'' which wights 70 pounds, can climb stairs and run 3.m miles per hour, among other things. Daniel Valls/FNTV freedomnews.tv''This robot is able to use its artificial intelligence to navigate things, very complex environments,'' NYPD TARU's Deepu John added.

The robot dog responding at to a home invasion in The Bronx on Feb. 23, 2021. Daniel Valls/FNTV freedomnews.tvThe department also deployed a robotic dog back in October to a Brooklyn shooting, after the gunman holed up in a nearby basement.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:24

We'll never know for sure how contagious people are after they're vaccinated, but we do know how they should act.

James HamblinFebruary 26, 2021 A nurse administers a dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination site at Dignity Health Sports Park on February 16, 2021 in Carson, California. Patrick T. FALLON / AFP / Getty Editor's Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here.

Every day, more than 1 million American deltoids are being loaded with a vaccine. The ensuing immune response has proved to be extremely effective'--essentially perfect'--at preventing severe cases of COVID-19. And now, with yet another highly effective vaccine on the verge of approval, that pace should further accelerate in the weeks to come.

This is creating a legion of people who no longer need to fear getting sick, and are desperate to return to ''normal'' life. Yet the messaging on whether they might still carry and spread the disease'--and thus whether it's really safe for them to resume their unmasked, un-distanced lives'--has been oblique. Anthony Fauci said last week on CNN that ''it is conceivable, maybe likely,'' that vaccinated people can get infected with the coronavirus and then spread it to someone else, and that more will be known about this likelihood ''in some time, as we do some follow-up studies.'' CDC Director Rochelle Walensky had been no more definitive on Meet the Press a few days before, where she told the host, ''We don't have a lot of data yet to inform exactly the question that you're asking.''

At this point in the pandemic, with deliverance in sight for so many people, the vagueness can justifiably be maddening. For a year now, the public-health message has been to wait. First we waited until it was safe to go outside. Then we waited for vaccines to be developed, tested, and approved. Now people are being asked to wait their turn to get vaccinated; then to wait a few more weeks until they've received their second dose; and then two weeks more to make sure that their immune responses have fully kicked in. And finally, when all that waiting is done, we're supposed to wait for ''some time'' more?

Recommended ReadingThe experts urging patience are, of course, correct. There are myriad details of physiology and molecular immunology that remain to be understood, and we do not know how quickly transmission rates will drop as large numbers of people get vaccinated. At an individual level, though, the proper advice on what constitutes safe behavior does not depend on any scientific study whose results are pending. It depends on what's happening in the world around us.

As you've heard ad nauseam by now, the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were developed at record speed. They were created in the heat of an emergency, while thousands of people were dying every day, as a way to stop the carnage. They are proving remarkably effective at this.

The vaccines were never expected to block infection by the virus altogether, explains Stephen Thomas, the chief of the infectious-disease division at SUNY Upstate and the coordinating principal investigator for the Phase 3 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine clinical trial. ''I don't really think that's feasible or plausible,'' he told me. Most vaccines work by training the body to prevent a virus from replicating to such a degree that a person gets sick. They don't typically prevent a person from getting infected; they simply make that infection less consequential, and enable the body to clear it more quickly.

If a vaccine could reliably prevent future infections from ever taking hold, it would provide what's known as ''sterilizing immunity,'' Syra Madad, an epidemiologist at NYC Health + Hospitals, told me. This is an uncommon occurrence. The measles vaccine is often cited as an exception, but she says that there is no reason to expect the COVID-19 vaccines to fall into this rare category.

Indeed, there is no obvious mechanism by which they could. ''To generate sterilizing immunity in a mucosal space using a vaccine that's injected into your muscle is extremely difficult,'' Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Georgetown University, told me. She said that early evidence in rhesus macaques has suggested that the AstraZeneca vaccine could provide sterilizing protection, but only when administered as a nasal spray. Other researchers have begun to work on nasally delivered vaccines that could theoretically serve to coat our mucous membranes with antiviral armor, though there is no certainty that this approach would be effective at preventing severe disease.

So it's safe to assume that the current batch of COVID-19 vaccines won't stop viral transmission outright. But it's also safe to assume that they will reduce that transmission to some extent, because they impede viral replication. ''It is highly plausible that a vaccine that prevents disease by lowering the amount of virus in a person could also lower that person's ability to infect others through the same mechanism,'' Thomas said. The tricky part is determining the degree to which this happens.

''No definitive clinical trial can give you this evidence,'' Rasmussen said. The trials were really designed for speed and safety, so the researchers were most concerned with looking for symptomatic COVID-19 or adverse reactions, not asymptomatic infections. To know how often vaccinated people were asymptomatically carrying the virus, researchers would have had to test each of the tens of thousands of people in their clinical trials as frequently as possible.

Some ongoing trials have taken to swabbing the noses of vaccinated people occasionally, and this could add insight into how common it is for people to carry the virus after vaccination. Early evidence from Johnson & Johnson's clinical trial, for example, suggests a significant reduction in transmission after vaccination, though this remains to be verified. Still, occasional testing is bound to miss cases of infection, and finding some virus in some noses doesn't tell us how infectious the owners of those noses might be'--or whether they're infectious at all.

The only way to answer this question for certain would be to run a ''challenge'' trial in which vaccinated and unvaccinated people were deliberately exposed to the virus under similar conditions, and then tested to see what percentage of them got infected. That's just step one. Then the vaccinated-but-infected people would need to hang out with a bunch of unvaccinated people to see if they got infected, and at what rate. This is not going to happen. Challenge trials are ethical minefields in normal times; at this point, any study that involves withholding a vaccine from a control group would be difficult to justify.

More trial data are expected over the next few months, and these may help narrow our uncertainty. It would certainly be useful to get a better sense of whether the risk of catching COVID-19 from your grandmother, for example, drops by something like 90 percent once she's vaccinated, or whether it's closer to 10 percent'--but that number isn't going to be exact, and it won't be static, either. Even if we could somehow run the sort of challenge trial described above, whatever value it produced could change as new variants of the virus take hold, and it might well vary across regions with different patterns of prior infection, behavioral norms, local weather, and other variables we don't even know to look for.

All of this is academic. Whatever trial data might arrive in the coming months won't change the practical advice: As long as a lot of virus is still circulating in a community and many people remain unvaccinated, the mere fact that some have protection will not mean that it's responsible for them to forgo precautions and do whatever they like.

A different kind of data, though, will offer that reassurance and certainty. This is what we're really waiting on. ''We will absolutely get to a point when we can say that vaccinated people don't need to wear masks,'' Madad said, but that will be driven largely by changes in the number of cases, and in the vaccination rate. The sooner we can drive the former down and the latter up, the sooner normalcy returns. As populations draw closer to herd immunity, the chance of a vaccinated person both carrying the virus and coming into close contact with a nonimmune person will become so low that the guidelines will change. But as long as the virus remains omnipresent, the risk of getting infected (and transmitting) the virus after being vaccinated remains too high to countenance.

This message need not be seen as pessimistic or ambiguous. It tells us very clearly that our social lives can resume, but only when the whole community is ready. The turning point does not arrive for individuals, one by one, as soon as they've been vaccinated; it comes for all of us at once, when a population becomes immune. How quickly this occurs depends on how reliably those vaccines reduce transmission. But it will primarily be a function of how quickly people get access to vaccines, how much immunity already exists in a population, and how much attention is given to basic preventive measures that should never go away, such as well-ventilated workspaces and responsible sick-leave policies. Much of this is in our hands now. We are not waiting on a clinical study; we are waiting on one another.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:05

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD destroyed Pompeii. This chariot survived.

MILAN, Italy '-- Officials at the Pompeii archaeological site in Italy announced Saturday the discovery of an intact ceremonial chariot, one of several important discoveries made in the same area outside the park near Naples following an investigation into an illegal dig.

The chariot, with its iron elements, bronze decorations and mineralized wooden remains, was found in the ruins of a settlement north of Pompeii, beyond the walls of the ancient city, parked in the portico of a stable where the remains of three horses previously were discovered.

The Archaeological Park of Pompeii called the chariot ''an exceptional discovery'' and said "it represents a unique find - which has no parallel in Italy thus far - in an excellent state of preservation.''

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD destroyed Pompeii. The chariot was spared when the walls and roof of the structure it was in collapsed, and also survived looting by modern-day antiquities thieves, who had dug tunnels through to the site, grazing but not damaging the four-wheeled cart, according to park officials.

Credit: AP

A view of a chariot, with its iron elements, bronze decorations and mineralized wooden remains, that was found in Civita Giuliana, north of Pompeii. (Parco Archeologico di Pompei via AP)

The chariot was found on the grounds of what is one of the most significant ancient villas in the area around Vesuvius, with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea. on the outskirts of the ancient Roman city.

Archaeologists last year found in the same area on the outskirts of Pompeii, Civita Giulian, the skeletal remains of what are believed to have been a wealthy man and his male slave, attempting to escape death.

The chariot's first iron element emerged on Jan. 7 from the blanket of volcanic material filling the two-story portico. Archaeologists believe the cart was used for festivities and parades, perhaps also to carry brides to their new homes.

While chariots for daily life or the transport of agricultural products have been previously found at Pompeii, officials said the new find is the first ceremonial chariot unearthed in its entirety.

The villa was discovered after police came across the illegal tunnels in 2017, officials said. Two people who live in the houses atop the site are currently on trial for allegedly digging more than 80 meters of tunnels at the site.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:04

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) in her address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday touted her state's response to the coronavirus pandemic, while criticizing other state leaders for resorting to restrictive measures to combat the virus.

Noem, an ally of former President Trump, began her address in Orlando, Fla., Saturday stating that America needs conservatives for one reason - the year 2020.

"The question of why America needs conservatives can be answered by just mentioning one single year, and that year is 2020," she said. "Everybody knows that almost overnight we went from a roaring economy to a tragic, nationwide shutdown," she continued, before attributing a record low unemployment rate at the beginning of 2020 to Trump.

The South Dakota governor went on to say that once the pandemic hit, many states chose to implement widespread shutdowns, which Noem said resulted in significant job losses, school closures and an economic downturn.

"Now let me be clear: COVID didn't crush the economy, government crushed the economy," she said.

Noem added that South Dakota was the only state that never ordered "a single business or church to close," and also did not issue a shelter-in-place order or a mask mandate, prompting applause and a standing ovation from many in the crowd.

Noem also took aim at Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, claiming that President Biden's chief medical adviser is "wrong a lot," a comment that also received a standing ovation from conference attendees.

"We never focused on the case numbers," Noem explained. "Instead, we kept our eye on hospital capacity. Now Dr. Fauci, he told me that on my worst day I'd have 10,000 patients in the hospital. On our worst day, we had a little over 600."

Despite Noem's defense of her particular approach to the pandemic, South Dakota saw some of the highest coronavirus cases and deaths per capita of any state in the U.S. this fall, despite having a relatively small population of approximately 884,000.

In August, the state played host to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, where close to half a million people gathered in a South Dakota county. The event was later connected to some outbreaks in the Dakotas and the surrounding states.

The state has since recovered from the surge in the fall.

According to The New York Times coronavirus database , the state has seen a total of more than 112,000 coronavirus infections and 1,886 deaths as a result of the virus.

Noem has not explicitly said if she is eyeing a 2024 bid for the White House, but her remarks at CPAC may provide a sneak peak of potential talking points in a bid for the GOP presidential nomination.

Presidential hopefuls often speak at the gathering, providing an opportunity for them to attract widespread recognition and support from the Republican party faithful.

A recent Politico/Morning Consult poll put Noem at 1 percent among a crowded race of potential 2024 contenders, with a majority saying they would back Trump himself if he should run again.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill this week that there will be a fundraiser for Noem's 2022 gubernatorial campaign at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club next month hosted by Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Noem has vocally indicated her closeness with the former president, including late last month when she said she gave Trump a $1,100 bust depicting the former president on Mount Rushmore in July of last year during his controversial Independence Day visit amid the pandemic.

Trump during his visit delivered an address in front of thousands of people, many of whom were not masked or socially distanced.

Updated 11:33 p.m.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 06:00

Liberty : @DaFeid @ThisIsTheWorl18 Full horrific video here: https://t.co/HTcfVkJWma

Sat Feb 27 21:50:37 +0000 2021

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 23:27

By Brian Fung and Geneva Sands, CNN

Updated 5:34 PM EST, Fri February 26, 2021

Washington(CNN) Current and former top executives at SolarWinds are blaming a company intern for a critical lapse in password security that apparently went undiagnosed for years.

The password in question, "solarwinds123," was discovered in 2019 on the public internet by an independent security researcher who warned the company that the leak had exposed a SolarWinds file server.

Several US lawmakers ripped into SolarWinds for the password issue Friday, in a joint hearing by the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees.

"I've got a stronger password than 'solarwinds123' to stop my kids from watching too much YouTube on their iPad," said Rep. Katie Porter. "You and your company were supposed to be preventing the Russians from reading Defense Department emails!"

Microsoft President Brad Smith, who was also testifying at Friday's hearing, later said there is no evidence that the Pentagon was actually affected by the Russian spying campaign. Microsoft is among the companies that has led the forensic investigation into the hacking campaign.

"There is no indication, to my knowledge, that the DoD was attacked," Smith told Porter.

SolarWinds representatives told lawmakers Friday that as soon as the password issue was reported, it was corrected within days.

But it is still unclear what role, if any, the leaked password may have played in enabling suspected Russian hackers to spy on multiple federal agencies and businesses in one of the most serious security breaches in US history.

Stolen credentials are one of three possible avenues of attack SolarWinds is investigating as it tries to uncover how it was first compromised by the hackers, who went on to hide malicious code in software updates that SolarWinds then pushed to some 18,000 customers, including numerous federal agencies.

Other theories SolarWinds is exploring, said SolarWinds CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna, include the brute-force guessing of company passwords, as well as the possibility the hackers could have entered via compromised third-party software.

Confronted by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, former SolarWinds CEO Kevin Thompson said the password issue was "a mistake that an intern made."

"They violated our password policies and they posted that password on an internal, on their own private Github account," Thompson said. "As soon as it was identified and brought to the attention of my security team, they took that down."

Neither Thompson nor Ramakrishna explained to lawmakers why the company's technology allowed for such passwords in the first place.

Ramakrishna later testified that the password had been in use as early as 2017.

"I believe that was a password that an intern used on one of his Github servers back in 2017," Ramakrishna told Porter, "which was reported to our security team and it was immediately removed."

That timeframe is considerably longer than what had been reported. The researcher who discovered the leaked password, Vinoth Kumar, previously told CNN that before the company corrected the issue in November 2019, the password had been accessible online since at least June 2018.

Emails between Kumar and SolarWinds showed that the leaked password allowed Kumar to log in and successfully deposit files on the company's server. Using that tactic, Kumar warned the company, any hacker could upload malicious programs to SolarWinds.

During the hearing, FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia said it may be impossible to fully determine how much damage was done by the suspected Russian hack.

"The bottom line: We may never know the full range and extent of the damage, and we may never know the full range and extent as to how the stolen information is benefiting an adversary," Mandia testified.

In order to make a damage assessment, Mandia said, officials must not only catalogue what data was accessed, but also imagine all of the ways that data could be used and misused by foreign actors -- a monumental task.

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 23:12

3x NoMask 🚠🇨🇭 : The tide is turning, esto no se ve bien para la policiaHoly FUCK@adamcurry #NoAgenda https://t.co/ONWUEqCQTE

Sat Feb 27 22:07:49 +0000 2021

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 20:24

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 20:07

In the summer of 2020, Bon App(C)tit faced an online reckoning. It imploded, seemingly overnight, former employees calling it a racist and toxic workplace. But the story of what actually happened there started ten years earlier. This is Chapter One, ''Original Sin,'' of our series The Test Kitchen.

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 18:55

European Union leaders have met virtually to hash out coronavirus issues. Progress was promised on vaccines, though questions remain over border closings and travel.

Leaders from the European Union's (EU) 27-member states came to together for a virtual summit on Thursday with the aim of solving pressing coronavirus-related health and logistical problems confronting the bloc.

Member state politicians used the meeting to discuss approaches to speeding up the delivery of vaccines, the implementation and use of vaccine passports and the potential for conflict arising from national border closings.

Perhaps the most important short-term announcement to emerge from the meeting was that of "convergence" around the concept of a vaccine passport.

Speaking at a press conference alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel said Europeans and their leaders "need to face the truth" about the difficulty of the task at hand but said hope was on the horizon.

Commission President von der Leyen, too, stressed progress made so far, noting that 8% of the bloc's adult population had already been vaccinated.

Vaccine certificates within three monthsOne of the more contentious issues EU leaders tackled was that of digital vaccine passports for those who have been vaccinated. Southern EU states such as Greece, Spain and Italy '-- all heavily or entirely dependent on tourism '-- believe such a scheme could ease air travel, helping them avoid a repeat of last year's disastrous summer holiday season.

Northern neighbors have been reluctant to buy in amid concerns about discrimination and whether people who have been vaccinated can still carry the virus.

In the evening press conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was consensus on having the certificates, but not precisely how they should be used.

"Everyone agreed that we need a digital vaccination certificate," the German chancellor said. She added that the certificates could be available by summer, as the bloc needs three months to create a technical framework.

She stressed, however, that the creation of the certificates "does not mean that only those who have a vaccination passport are allowed to travel."

Von der Leyen cited Israel's work tracking and documenting a person's vaccination history on so-called Green Passes while stressing the importance of maintaining the functionality of the European single market.

Though there is no unanimity as yet about what kind of card or cards might be used and recognized across the bloc, von der Leyen spoke of a minimum data system and said the European Commission was working to create a "gateway for interoperability between nations."

Von der Leyen said member states would "have to act fast" if the program was to be implemented by summer.

Belgian Member of European Parliament (MEP) Marc Botenga told DW that granting freedom of movement rights based on health status could be a "slippery slope" for the bloc.

"It's even more questionable as long as people don't have access to the vaccine," he said.

"Let's guarantee, first, that people get the vaccine, and then we can debate on what kind of stamps or cards or whatever we want."

Boosting vaccine drivesMuch has been written about the slow and at times seemingly hapless vaccination programs being rolled out across the EU. Delivery and supply shortages as well as unflattering comparisons to the relative speed of roll outs in the UK and US only underscore the fact that the EU and its member states are lagging in the race to inoculate citizens.

The bloc blames pharmaceutical companies for being woefully unable to fill massive vaccine orders but hope that production and delivery will finally hit stride in April. It is also possible that the new, single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine will have been approved by then.

Here, too, von der Leyen underscored tough talks the EU had with suppliers and noted her confidence that companies would soon be up to speed.

"The first task," she said, "is to achieve widespread vaccination. We should maintain our utmost efforts so the pace of vaccination picks up. More than 50 million of doses will have been delivered to the EU by Monday. More than 29 million have been administered as of today. That is 6.4% of the whole population and if you subtract children and teenagers, it is 8% of the adult population."

Trying to stay ahead of variantsThere is fear that coronavirus mutations may wipe out the jump scientists seemed to have had on the virus just a few short weeks ago. To date, the virus has killed more than 531,000 people in the EU.

Von der Leyen addressed that issue, stressing the work the EU is doing to remain ahead of the curve. She cited the EU's support for vaccine research, a clinical trial network for vaccines and vaccine sharing programs that will ensure doses do not go to waste.

She specifically singled out another EU project, the HERA incubator (an acronym for the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority), as key in the fight against virus mutations. First announced last week, the device allows scientists to sequence the genomes of a virus and develop specific tests in order to track changes.

Plenty of wrangling to come over cards and privilegesOn Thursday, lawmakers appear to have threaded two needles by generally agreeing to work toward reducing production and delivery bottlenecks while at the same time easing criticism of contentious national border closings.

The bloc officially admonished Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Sweden over such closings, giving them one week to respond to EU criticism of their national policies.

Leaders warn no quick end to restrictionsEU leaders say the pandemic is far from over and as long as vaccination remains slow, tight restrictions on social interaction and travel remain valid.

"We must therefore uphold tight restrictions while stepping up efforts to accelerate the provision of vaccines."

Operating with the knowledge that no one is safe until the virus has been eradicated everywhere, European politicians also discussed the United Nations-back vaccination program COVAX noting the urgent need to get viruses to countries in need, namely in Africa but also in the Balkans.

Both von der Leyen and Michel laid great emphasis on the EU's generosity when it comes to its support for the global COVAX network to ensure poorer countries access to vaccines. The EU is the program's biggest donor.

js/rs (AFP, AP)

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 18:23

>>

>>

Rule of Law Collapsed in USA '' Martin Armstrong

By Greg Hunter's USAWatchdog.com (Replaces WNW for 2.26.2021)

Legendary financial and geopolitical cycle analyst Martin Armstrong says now that the stolen election is over, get ready for lawlessness to reign. We start with the Supreme Court that refused to hear the Trump case on Pennsylvania voting fraud. There are three more 2020 Election voter fraud cases pending at the nation's highest court. Armstrong says, ''I don't think they are going to take any of them. Look, the rule of law has absolutely collapsed in the United States. It's just a joke at this point. . . . You swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. It's not whenever you feel like it. . . . This is not only a denial of due process but the civil rights of everybody in the country. They effectively said Pennsylvania changed the rules against the (state) legislature in the middle of an election, and we are not going to hear the case. So, they are effectively saying politicians can change the rules of an election at any time, and it doesn't have to be constitutional. Refusing to take this case is a disaster because next election they can choose to do the same thing at any time.''

Armstrong says the trend he is seeing is anti-establishment. Armstrong explains, ''This is part of a trend coming into our model until the end of 2032. This trend is an anti-establishment trend. We're fed up with politicians and corruption. The Supreme Court is an example. Forget it. The Constitution is discretionary now? That's what they are really saying. It has no validity anymore. The mainstream press says that Trump is the person who led this, and he's not. He just happened to be the guy at the right time at the right place. This trend has been going on for quite some time, and it's only going to get worse.''

Armstrong is a financial consultant to top government officials around the world. He has inside information. So, listen up how Bitcoin plays into the globalist plan for digital money. Armstrong warns, ''They effectively want to eliminate paper money totally, and this is part of the scheme. The danger of Bitcoin that people don't understand is the government is not going to allow competition. When it really gets to the point where they have to do something, they will just seize all the crypto currencies and give you an exchange rate swap, and they will be the ones who decide the price. Then, you will get the government digital currency.''

Martin Armstrong thinks that Joe Biden and other world leaders are stepping into the same high inflation trap as Jimmy Carter. Armstrong says, ''They are raising toll prices and taxes because their revenues have declined. This is the mismanagement of government on steroids. You have destroyed your economy and raised taxes so you can keep it the way it is, but you never reduced your expenses. It's totally insane. They have destroyed New York City. . . . This is why the stock market is going up, collectables are going up, coins, stamps and even comic books are all going up. It's sort of like the German hyperinflation. . . . Once the government started confiscating people's money . . . they started buying everything they could with the cash, and that turned into this hyperinflation. They were buying anything tangible: art, land, you name it. That is what this is all about now. Going into 2024, we are looking at a wave of inflation which will be in equities and commodities, but we are also looking at shortages, particularly in agriculture and going all the way up.''

In short, Armstrong says, ''Expect inflation.'' (There is much, much more in the video interview below.)

Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com as he goes One-on-One in this in-depth interview (50 mins. in length) with Martin Armstrong of ArmstrongEconomics.com.

(To Donate to USAWatchdog.com Click Here)

After the Interview:

Martin Armstrong still says he likes gold but is more bullish on physical silver. Silver will probably not be confiscated by the government, and it is also not tracked by government, at least for the time being.

There is some free information, analysis and articles on ArmstrongEconomics.com.

To get a copy of Armstrong's latest book ''The Cycle of War and the Coronavirus,'' click here.

There is also a PDF version of ''The Cycle of War and the Coronavirus'' you can get by clicking here.

For other books and products click here.

This segment is sponsored by Discount Gold and Silver Trading. Ask for Melody Cedarstrom, the owner, at 1-800-375-4188.

About the Author Greg HunterGreg is the producer and creator of USAWatchdog.com. The site's slogan is ''analyzing the news to give you a clear picture of what's really going on.'' The site will keep an eye on the government, your financial interests and cut through the media spin. USAWatchdog.com is neither Democrat nor Republican, Liberal or Conservative. Before creating and producing the site, Greg spent nearly 9 years as a network and investigative correspondent. He worked for ABC News and Good Morning America for nearly 6 years. Most recently, Greg worked for CNN for shows such as Paula Zahn Now, American Morning and various CNN business shows.

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 16:11

Bill Maher : Memo to social Justice warriors: when what you're doing sounds like an Onion headline, stop.'... https://t.co/h0tiR6F5d2

Sat Feb 27 05:42:25 +0000 2021

Thisbirdlives : @billmaher You lack nuance, refuse to call out Megan Kelly on her b.s. We aren't Trumpers, we don't consider you in'... https://t.co/WcMZQXaSqI

Sat Feb 27 16:11:15 +0000 2021

Hobnobblin : @billmaher @ScottAdamsSays They're coming after you next Bill.

Sat Feb 27 16:11:10 +0000 2021

Kimchi's Fetus : @billmaher Why do people act like 2018 was during the civil rights era lmao

Sat Feb 27 16:10:52 +0000 2021

NASTY WOMAN : @billmaher Adios @billmaher https://t.co/GUxWkCt0b2

Sat Feb 27 16:10:22 +0000 2021

Robert Thompson : @billmaher @ShellieGudgeon glad I didn't miss this, thx Ms. G.

Sat Feb 27 16:09:56 +0000 2021

susan winfrey smith : @billmaher I used to look forward to and enjoy your show. I hope that you are reading all these comments.

Sat Feb 27 16:09:41 +0000 2021

William Warren : @billmaher If you have not seen the whole show..STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW and go watch it. The entire show'... https://t.co/1chuWsS0cT

Sat Feb 27 16:09:37 +0000 2021

Kaishaea : @billmaher Careful the cancel culture might start trying to cancel you! It's scary to post anything now. To disagre'... https://t.co/FeULgjETeb

Sat Feb 27 16:09:28 +0000 2021

GrumpyOldHippie : @billmaher How about you bring on @timjacobwise, ask him how you and @megynkelly shit the bed, and have the courage'... https://t.co/7xJtmpKSM8

Sat Feb 27 16:08:51 +0000 2021

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 16:10

Ian Miles Cheong : ''What am I doing here? I'm going to lose track here.'' https://t.co/ojs7g8S7aj

Sat Feb 27 14:28:33 +0000 2021

Supero : @stillgray Leaders must instill confidence in the people that they are leading. How can anyone have any confidence'... https://t.co/1b7LntD3Mu

Sat Feb 27 16:10:22 +0000 2021

heather : @stillgray @MrsT106 wtf.

Sat Feb 27 16:10:14 +0000 2021

KILL BILL : @stillgray https://t.co/rlA013IBxb

Sat Feb 27 16:10:10 +0000 2021

Michael D Brandt : @stillgray Well thankfully the Democrats are attempting to take away the keys to America's nuclear arsenal.

Sat Feb 27 16:06:40 +0000 2021

Black and WhiteðŸ"¸'ðŸŒ : @stillgray Joe sometime acts like someone with dementia. But it's actually only sometimes. In most of times, genera'... https://t.co/tPpkE0dKQ6

Sat Feb 27 16:04:11 +0000 2021

Allan Halvorsen : @stillgray @MrsT106 Boils under pressure...

Sat Feb 27 16:02:26 +0000 2021

Hank : @stillgray I can't imagine that he will still be the president by the end of the year?

Sat Feb 27 15:59:19 +0000 2021

Black and WhiteðŸ"¸'ðŸŒ : @stillgray I love his honesty.

Sat Feb 27 15:58:23 +0000 2021

Mike T : @stillgray The most politically powerful and influential leader in the world... We're doomed! ðŸ®

Sat Feb 27 15:58:14 +0000 2021

Otto Huang £ : @stillgray Joe stutters and can't even speak one sentence fluently.

Sat Feb 27 15:57:26 +0000 2021

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 16:02

Rumble '-- Dan Bongino: My Secret Service Sources Tell Me 'How Bad Biden's Condition Is'

... and disable advertisements! No kidding :)

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 10:57

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 10:52

conspiracyguy : Wendy Williams will not be Vaxxedhttps://t.co/QINwfL2YGz https://t.co/2tCL9QgwOt

Fri Feb 26 19:17:49 +0000 2021

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Fri, 26 Feb 2021 22:06

Watch fullscreenFont

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Fri, 26 Feb 2021 03:58

It's only a matter of time before Bitcoin "death spirals" down to its true intrinsic value, which is $0, said Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University.

''What's the fundamental value of Bitcoin? The fundamental value is zero,'' Hanke said. ''The flow of [income generated by Bitcoin] is zero. It's not like money. Money, broadly defined, most fiat monies have a fundamental value because they pay interest. If you look at the fourteen components of M4, that's the broadest measure of money in the United States, ten of those components, like Treasury bills, pay interest. Bitcoin doesn't pay interest.''

Speaking on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony to Congress this week, Hanke doesn't agree with Powell's remarks that the growth of the money supply would not contribute to economic expansion or inflation.

Powell, in his testimony, had said that ''there was a time when monetary policy aggregates were important determinants of inflation and that has not been the case for a long time,'' adding that ''the correlation between different aggregates [like] M2 and inflation is just very, very low, and you see that now where inflation is at 1.4% for this year.''

''Chairman Powell is clearly delusional. I can't believe the chairman of a central bank actually said that,'' Hanke said. ''Broad money measures are linked very closely to nominal GDP [gross domestic product], and nominal GDP includes real economic growth plus inflation.''

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 14:06

Our brains hold clues for the ideologies we choose to live by, according to research, which has suggested that people who espouse extremist attitudes tend to perform poorly on complex mental tasks.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge sought to evaluate whether cognitive disposition '' differences in how information is perceived and processed '' sculpts ideological world-views such as political, nationalistic and dogmatic beliefs, beyond the impact of traditional demographic factors like age, race and gender.

The study, built on previous research, included more than 330 US-based participants aged 22 to 63 who were exposed to a battery of tests '' 37 neuropsychological tasks and 22 personality surveys '' over the course of two weeks.

The tasks were engineered to be neutral, not emotional or political '' they involved, for instance, memorising visual shapes. The researchers then used computational modelling to extract information from that data about the participant's perception and learning, and their ability to engage in complex and strategic mental processing.

Overall, the researchers found that ideological attitudes mirrored cognitive decision-making, according to the study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

A key finding was that people with extremist attitudes tended to think about the world in black and white terms, and struggled with complex tasks that required intricate mental steps, said lead author Dr Leor Zmigrod at Cambridge's department of psychology.

''Individuals or brains that struggle to process and plan complex action sequences may be more drawn to extreme ideologies, or authoritarian ideologies that simplify the world,'' she said.

She said another feature of people with tendencies towards extremism appeared to be that they were not good at regulating their emotions, meaning they were impulsive and tended to seek out emotionally evocative experiences. ''And so that kind of helps us understand what kind of individual might be willing to go in and commit violence against innocent others.''

Participants who are prone to dogmatism '' stuck in their ways and relatively resistant to credible evidence '' actually have a problem with processing evidence even at a perceptual level, the authors found.

''For example, when they're asked to determine whether dots [as part of a neuropsychological task] are moving to the left or to the right, they just took longer to process that information and come to a decision,'' Zmigrod said.

In some cognitive tasks, participants were asked to respond as quickly and as accurately as possible. People who leant towards the politically conservative tended to go for the slow and steady strategy, while political liberals took a slightly more fast and furious, less precise approach.

''It's fascinating, because conservatism is almost a synonym for caution,'' she said. ''We're seeing that '' at the very basic neuropsychological level '' individuals who are politically conservative '... simply treat every stimuli that they encounter with caution.''

The ''psychological signature'' for extremism across the board was a blend of conservative and dogmatic psychologies, the researchers said.

The study, which looked at 16 different ideological orientations, could have profound implications for identifying and supporting people most vulnerable to radicalisation across the political and religious spectrum.

''What we found is that demographics don't explain a whole lot; they only explain roughly 8% of the variance,'' said Zmigrod. ''Whereas, actually, when we incorporate these cognitive and personality assessments as well, suddenly, our capacity to explain the variance of these ideological world-views jumps to 30% or 40%.''

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 13:58

As a teacher, I've been on the receiving end of comments about my appearance. Even those meant to be complimentary made me feel at best uncomfortable and at worst like I'd somehow lost credibility. Let's face it'--being objectified at work has long been an issue, particularly for women. So it's no surprise that it happens in a female-dominated profession like teaching. But not only is it not getting better'--with virtual teaching, it's actually getting worse.

In our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook, one fifth-grade teacher says she overheard a parent making fun of her weight, comparing her to Buddha. It's not an isolated incident. With many of us teaching online, parents are now commenting on teachers' looks on Zoom. Here's what makes that extra awful:

It's happening in front of our studentsWhen parents have made comments to me about my appearance, it's generally been in passing in the hallways or in conferences. It sucked, but at least it wasn't in front of my entire class. What's being said now is overheard by students. It's bad enough to have to hear it yourself. It's exponentially worse with an audience (and an impressionable one at that). Being reduced to your physical appearance is demeaning and humiliating. When it's done in front of your students, it strips away your authority and undermines your ability to teach effectively.

Here's the issue, all the other kids heard it too. To ignore it would be to let all the other kids think we should be doormats. '--Kara S.

The Internet is not a shieldWe hear some comments in the background. Parents think their child is on mute and say something inappropriate. But is that really an excuse? I mean, it's not as if their child can't hear them. And if our students know their parents don't respect us, how can we demand that they do? Other parents seem to think the fact that they're behind a computer screen or off camera makes this behavior acceptable. It's the same mindset that allows people to say things in the comments section that they would never say to someone's face. And it's just as unacceptable.

You have every right to come to school and feel safe, including with your virtual families. '--Kayleigh K.

Impact matters more than intentI know some folks might try to defend their actions and say, ''But I meant it as a compliment!'' It makes no difference. Coming on camera to tell us how attractive you think we are or how you'd have trouble concentrating in our class isn't just unnecessary'--it's gross. Just ask teacher Kiara Feliciano, who was horrifically objectified by a parent on Zoom. In her response video on parental expectations, she asserts, ''I don't think it's cute. I don't think it's funny. I'm not flattered by it. You have degraded me in that moment.''

Every day I show up for the kids on Zoom. I may not look my best, the lighting sucks, and I haven't had my hair done professionally in ages. COVID safety protocols, you know. But I'm here for your child. And I'll continue to be. '--Heidi B.

We're doing the best we canDon't we all deserve a little grace, especially right now? We are managing an incredibly difficult situation for which we were wholly unprepared. Comments on what we look like should always be out of bounds, but they seem especially egregious in the midst of a global pandemic that has completely upended our educational system. We're working so hard, and dammit, we're human beings. We deserve better than to be teased, ridiculed, or judged by something that makes zero difference in how well we do our jobs.

Have you experienced parents commenting on teachers' looks? Please share your experiences in the comments. And for more teacher commentary, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

Plus, Teaching is Not Customer Service.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 13:45

NinetyNine : @adamcurry ...... the slope is too slippery now, it's over. https://t.co/vMxSioDzjR

Sun Feb 28 13:42:33 +0000 2021

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 13:17

Recently, Google announced that it will be updating the factors it reviews when determining which websites show up first when buyers search the web for their desired products or services. This means that manufacturers, like all other businesses, could see their rankings change relative to those of their competitors as these changes roll out in May 2021.

To help you understand and prepare to address these changes in order to maintain or improve your search rankings in Google's search results, let's take a look at a few of the finer details around this change.

Prepare Your Website For ''Page Experience'' Rankings FactorsThe new algorithm change will include an emphasis on a combined factor named ''Page Experience'' when determining how websites will be ranked in the search results.

Page Experience is made up of several key components that include major search factors we've detailed before like mobile-friendliness and site security (HTTPS), as well as a closer look at a group of metrics called Core Web Vitals that include the site's loading speed, visual stability, and interactivity.

Major Components Of Core Web Vitals Google gives preference to websites that provide visitors with a helpful experience and the Page Experience factor is designed to more effectively reflect the value a user perceives from a site. To help you better understand Page Experience, let's break down some of the major components that will have the greatest impact on how your website may be ranked up or down:

1. Loading Time

Loading Time is the perceived elapsed time between a user entering a URL in their search bar and the time that the major content elements become available for them to view with their browser.

2. Visual Stability

Visual Stability refers to how design elements on a website maintain order. For example, when you scroll down a web page, images and text should not be moving in an erratic manner.

3. Interactivity

Interactivity is the time from when a user first interacts with a page, i.e. clicking a link or button, to the time when the browser actually begins processing a response to that interaction. This paints a picture of their first impressions of the site based on how quickly it becomes functional for their use.

How Can Manufacturers Prepare For Google's ''Page Experience'' Algorithm Change?Businesses should begin now to conduct site audits to better understand what changes they may need to avoid being ranked lower in future search results for their key products & services. Here are a few tips on what to look for to get started:

Site SecurityReview your site and make sure it is secured and served over HTTPSFocus On Improving Page SpeedsReview your site for opportunities to compress images & minify code as possible, and remove any Flash elements which can help cut down on loading time and improve interactivityMobile-FriendlyCheck whether your site is optimized for mobile search with a responsive websiteReview User ExperienceBe certain that the content on your page is easily accessible. For instance, is the content on your site blocked by a design element? Can the content be seen on desktop and mobile? Bonus Tip - Focus on quality content! Even when looking closely at technical factors like the ones above, don't forget to make sure you're focused on creating quality content that helps procurement professionals and engineers understand how your products and services can help them complete their jobs to be done. When you create quality content that is focused on helping your prospects as they search for new suppliers, you're giving Google's algorithm a reason to rank you higher as it is designed to surface the content that will help these users the most.

Quality content can serve to establish you as a resource for your customers and help you gain a competitive advantage.

Effective strategies around content and SEO for manufacturing companies can drive traffic, generate leads, and create opportunities for new business. Make sure that your business is embracing the digital space and making search engine optimization a priority to reach new prospects.

Get A Free Digital Health Check From The Team At ThomasWe're dedicated to helping manufacturers throughout their Digital Transformation. To help you create a game plan to stay on top of ever-changing digital best practices, Thomas offers free digital health checks for manufacturers and industrial distributors who want to better understand how their digital marketing efforts are performing and in which areas they can improve.

Stay ahead of these coming changes and put your business in a position to succeed. Start considering how you will address these factors on your website ahead of the coming algorithm today and be sure to contact our industrial marketing experts with any questions.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 13:11

Statement On Virus Isolation(SOVI)

Isolation:The action of isolating; the fact or condition of being isolated or standing alone; separation from other things or persons; solitariness.

The controversy over whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus has ever been isolated or purified continues. However, using the above definition, common sense, the laws of logic and the dictates of science, any unbiased person must come to the conclusion that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has never been isolated or purified. As a result, no confirmation of the virus' existence can be found. The logical, common sense, and scientific consequences of this fact are:

the structure and composition of something not shown to exist can't be known, including the presence, structure, and function of any hypothetical spike or other proteins; the genetic sequence of something that has never been found can't be known;''variants'' of something that hasn't been shown to exist can't be known;it's impossible to demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 causes a disease called Covid-19.In as concise terms as possible, here's the proper way to isolate, characterize and demonstrate a new virus. First, one takes samples (blood, sputum, secretions) from many people (e.g. 500) with symptoms which are unique and specific enough to characterize an illness. Without mixing these samples with ANY tissue or products that also contain genetic material, the virologist macerates, filters and ultracentrifuges i.e. purifies the specimen. This common virology technique, done for decades to isolate bacteriophages1 and so-called giant viruses in every virology lab, then allows the virologist to demonstrate with electron microscopy thousands of identically sized and shaped particles. These particles are the isolated and purified virus.

These identical particles are then checked for uniformity by physical and/or microscopic techniques. Once the purity is determined, the particles may be further characterized. This would include examining the structure, morphology, and chemical composition of the particles. Next, their genetic makeup is characterized by extracting the genetic material directly from the purified particles and using genetic-sequencing techniques, such as Sanger sequencing, that have also been around for decades. Then one does an analysis to confirm that these uniform particles are exogenous (outside) in origin as a virus is conceptualized to be, and not the normal breakdown products of dead and dying tissues.2 (As of May 2020, we know that virologists have no way to determine whether the particles they're seeing are viruses or just normal break-down products of dead and dying tissues.)3

1 Isolation, characterization and analysis of bacteriophages from the haloalkaline lake Elmenteita, KenyaJuliah Khayeli Akhwale et al, PLOS One, Published: April 25, 2019. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0215734 '-- accessed 2/15/212 ''Extracellular Vesicles Derived From Apoptotic Cells: An Essential Link Between Death and Regeneration,'' Maojiao Li1 et al, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2020 October 2. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2020.573511/full '-- accessed 2/15/213 ''The Role of Extracellular Vesicles as Allies of HIV, HCV and SARS Viruses,'' Flavia Giannessi, et al, Viruses, 2020 May

If we have come this far then we have fully isolated, characterized, and genetically sequenced an exogenous virus particle. However, we still have to show it is causally related to a disease. This is carried out by exposing a group of healthy subjects (animals are usually used) to this isolated, purified virus in the manner in which the disease is thought to be transmitted. If the animals get sick with the same disease, as confirmed by clinical and autopsy findings, one has now shown that the virus actually causes a disease. This demonstrates infectivity and transmission of an infectious agent.

None of these steps has even been attempted with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, nor have all these steps been successfully performed for any so-called pathogenic virus. Our research indicates that a single study showing these steps does not exist in the medical literature.

Instead, since 1954, virologists have taken unpurified samples from a relatively few people, often less than ten, with a similar disease. They then minimally process this sample and inoculate this unpurified sample onto tissue culture containing usually four to six other types of material '-- all of which contain identical genetic material as to what is called a ''virus.'' The tissue culture is starved and poisoned and naturally disintegrates into many types of particles, some of which contain genetic material. Against all common sense, logic, use of the English language and scientific integrity, this process is called ''virus isolation.'' This brew containing fragments of genetic material from many sources is then subjected to genetic analysis, which then creates in a computer-simulation process the alleged sequence of the alleged virus, a so called in silico genome. At no time is an actual virus confirmed by electron microscopy. At no time is a genome extracted and sequenced from an actual virus. This is scientific fraud.

The observation that the unpurified specimen '-- inoculated onto tissue culture along with toxic antibiotics, bovine fetal tissue, amniotic fluid and other tissues '-- destroys the kidney tissue onto which it is inoculated is given as evidence of the virus' existence and pathogenicity. This is scientific fraud.

From now on, when anyone gives you a paper that suggests the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been isolated, please check the methods sections. If the researchers used Vero cells or any other culture method, you know that their process was not isolation. You will hear the following excuses for why actual isolation isn't done:

There were not enough virus particles found in samples from patients to analyze.Viruses are intracellular parasites; they can't be found outside the cell in this manner.If No. 1 is correct, and we can't find the virus in the sputum of sick people, then on what evidence do we think the virus is dangerous or even lethal? If No. 2 is correct, then how is the virus spread from person to person? We are told it emerges from the cell to infect others. Then why isn't it possible to find it?

Finally, questioning these virology techniques and conclusions is not some distraction or divisive issue. Shining the light on this truth is essential to stop this terrible fraud that humanity is confronting. For, as we now know, if the virus has never been isolated, sequenced or shown to cause illness, if the virus is imaginary, then why are we wearing masks, social distancing and putting the whole world into prison?

Finally, if pathogenic viruses don't exist, then what is going into those injectable devices erroneously called ''vaccines,'' and what is their purpose? This scientific question is the most urgent and relevant one of our time.

We are correct. The SARS-CoV2 virus does not exist.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:17

The woman, 25, said that when they were alone in his office, Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked if she ''had ever been with an older man.''

Charlotte Bennett said she decided to make her allegations public in part because she wanted to counter the way Mr. Cuomo ''wields his power.'' Credit... Elizabeth Frantz for The New York Times ALBANY, N.Y. '-- A second former aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is accusing him of sexual harassment, saying that he asked her questions about her sex life, whether she was monogamous in her relationships and if she had ever had sex with older men.

The aide, Charlotte Bennett, who was an executive assistant and health policy adviser in the Cuomo administration until she left in November, told The New York Times that the governor had harassed her late last spring, during the height of the state's fight against the coronavirus.

Ms. Bennett, 25, said the most unsettling episode occurred on June 5, when she was alone with Mr. Cuomo in his State Capitol office. In a series of interviews this week, she said the governor had asked her numerous questions about her personal life, including whether she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships, and had said that he was open to relationships with women in their 20s '-- comments she interpreted as clear overtures to a sexual relationship.

Mr. Cuomo said in a statement to The Times on Saturday that he believed he had been acting as a mentor and had ''never made advances toward Ms. Bennett, nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate.'' He said he had requested an independent review of the matter and asked that New Yorkers await the findings ''before making any judgments.''

Ms. Bennett said that during the June encounter, the governor, 63, also complained to her about being lonely during the pandemic, mentioning that he ''can't even hug anyone,'' before turning the focus to Ms. Bennett. She said that Mr. Cuomo asked her, ''Who did I last hug?''

Ms. Bennett said she had tried to dodge the question by responding that she missed hugging her parents. ''And he was, like, 'No, I mean like really hugged somebody?''' she said.

Mr. Cuomo never tried to touch her, Ms. Bennett said, but the message of the entire episode was unmistakable to her.

''I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,'' Ms. Bennett said. ''And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job.''

Ms. Bennett said she had disclosed the interaction with Mr. Cuomo to his chief of staff, Jill DesRosiers, less than a week later and was transferred to another job, as a health policy adviser, with an office on the opposite side of the Capitol, soon after that. Ms. Bennett said she had also given a lengthy statement to a special counsel to the governor, Judith Mogul, toward the end of June.

Ms. Bennett said she ultimately decided not to insist on an investigation because she was happy in her new job and ''wanted to move on.'' No action was taken against the governor.

In his statement, Mr. Cuomo called Ms. Bennett a ''hard-working and valued member'' of his staff with ''every right to speak out.'' He said that Ms. Bennett had spoken to him about being a sexual assault survivor '-- an experience about which she had been open in the past '-- and he had tried to be supportive and helpful. ''The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported,'' the governor said.

The governor did not deny that he asked Ms. Bennett personal questions; he said in the statement that he would have no further comment until the review concluded.

Ms. Bennett's account follows another detailed accusation published on Wednesday by Lindsey Boylan, a former state economic development official who said that Mr. Cuomo had harassed her on several occasions from 2016 to 2018, at one point giving her an unsolicited kiss on the lips at his Manhattan office.

Image Lindsey Boylan has accused Mr. Cuomo of harassing her on several occasions while she was employed by the state government. Credit... Rob Latour/Shutterstock Mr. Cuomo's office has called Ms. Boylan's accusations untrue, but they have nonetheless prompted calls for investigations into her claims. In addition to the two women's harassment allegations, the governor, a third-term Democrat, is confronting significant political fallout over his handling of the state's nursing homes during the pandemic.

After seeing Ms. Boylan detail her accusations against Mr. Cuomo, Ms. Bennett shared Ms. Boylan's account on Twitter, suggesting that people read it if they wanted a true picture of ''what it's like to work for the Cuomo'' administration.

The Times contacted Ms. Bennett, and she agreed to relate her own account of harassment. She said she felt an obligation to other victims of sexual harassment and wanted to counter the way Mr. Cuomo ''wields his power.''

Ms. Bennett said she had told her parents and friends about the exchange with the governor around the time that it happened, as well as about her growing discomfort with having to work closely with him, and had kept text messages from that period.

The Times reviewed the messages and confirmed their contents with those who received them. Ms. Bennett also retained text messages from Ms. DesRosiers and Ms. Mogul that alluded to their meetings in June, but did not mention the subject matter.

''I have no problem with what they did,'' Ms. Bennett said of Ms. DesRosiers and Ms. Mogul, describing both women as sympathetic to her concerns. ''I have a problem with what the governor did.''

Ms. Bennett was hired by the administration in early 2019, working out of the governor's Manhattan office as a briefer, an entry-level position. She had graduated from Hamilton College in 2017, where she was active in women's issues and founded a sexual misconduct task force. She said her own experience in surviving a sexual attack had prompted her to ''help sexual assault survivors be heard and enforce victims' rights,'' according to a bulletin on the college's website.

By mid-2019, Ms. Bennett had been promoted to senior briefer and executive assistant after an interview with Mr. Cuomo. The two became friendly, she said, and they bonded over shared connections with Westchester County: At the time, he was living with Sandra Lee, a celebrity chef, in Mount Kisco; Ms. Bennett was living with her parents in a neighboring hamlet. She mentioned to Mr. Cuomo that she had played middle-school soccer against one of his daughters, who are also in their mid-20s.

''We got along really well,'' she said of the governor. Mr. Cuomo, she said, would sometimes ask questions about her dating life that she said seemed inappropriate but not necessarily unmanageable.

''I saw him more as a father figure,'' she said. ''I wasn't thinking about it as anything sexual.''

Image The accusations against Mr. Cuomo come as he faces fierce criticism over his handling of New York's nursing homes amid the pandemic. Credit... Spencer Platt/Getty Images In January 2020, Ms. Bennett sent her mother a text. ''Had a really long convo with Gov today,'' she wrote, outlining a two-hour conversation about numerous topics, including her career goals.

''He had a lot to say and was very emotional and serious but also asked a lot of questions,'' she wrote, adding, ''He got emotional. Not me.''

Ms. Bennett's mother, Jessica, confirmed the text, and her feeling, at the time, that it was reassuring that the governor seemed to be taking on the role of a mentor.

Ms. Bennett said she was asked in late March to begin working in Albany as part of the state's Covid-19 response effort. Two months later, in mid-May, the governor's perception of their relationship seemingly began to change, she said.

On May 15, she said she arrived at the Capitol around 7 a.m. to find Mr. Cuomo already at work. Ms. Bennett was there to drop off some briefing papers, but Mr. Cuomo was chatty, asking about her love life and, in a gossipy way, whether she was involved with other members of the governor's staff. She memorialized the exchange in several texts to another Cuomo staff member that The Times reviewed.

Ms. Bennett said she had mentioned a speech she was scheduled to give to Hamilton students about her experience as a survivor of sexual assault. She said she had been taken aback by Mr. Cuomo's seeming fixation on that element of her life experience.

''The way he was repeating, 'You were raped and abused and attacked and assaulted and betrayed,' over and over again while looking me directly in the eyes was something out of a horror movie,'' she wrote in a second text to her friend. ''It was like he was testing me.''

In retrospect, Ms. Bennett said, she viewed the May 15 meeting ''as the turning point in our relationship.''

''Anything before it I now see differently,'' she said. ''I now understand that as grooming.''

Three weeks later, Ms. Bennett said, she was summoned to Mr. Cuomo's second-floor office and was asked to take dictation with another aide.

After the second aide left, Mr. Cuomo and Ms. Bennett continued their work. When they finished, she said, he asked her to turn off her recorder, and he began a winding conversation that touched on the Black Lives Matter protests and his daily news conferences.

But, Ms. Bennett said, the governor also started to ask questions about her personal life, including whether she was romantically involved, whether she was monogamous in her relationships and whether she had ever had sex with older men.

A series of text exchanges with a female friend from that afternoon, June 5, comported with Ms. Bennett's recounting of the story this week. In the texts, she told her friend that she was shaken and upset by the episode and worried about even writing it down.

''Something just happened and I can't even type it out or put it in a video,'' Ms. Bennett wrote.

Ms. Bennett went on to say to her friend, who confirmed the texts' content and validity but asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, that she and the governor had just spoken ''about age differences in relationships.''

When her friend asked whether Mr. Cuomo had done anything physical to Ms. Bennett, she responded: ''No but it was like the most explicit it could be.''

The next day, the women continued to discuss the episode via text. Ms. Bennett wrote that the governor had asked her whether she was having sex with other people ''while in my recent relationships.''

In the interview, Ms. Bennett said Mr. Cuomo told her he was lonely, particularly since the end of his relationship with Ms. Lee in 2019. He said Ms. Lee was ''out of the picture,'' according to Ms. Bennett, adding that he referred to ''wanting a girlfriend, preferably in the Albany area.''

Ms. Bennett, who had just turned 25 at the time, said Mr. Cuomo had also asked about her feelings about age differences in relationships, saying ''age doesn't matter,'' according to a text she sent to her friend.

''He asked me if I believed if age made a difference in relationships and he also asked me in the same conversation if I had ever been with an older man,'' Ms. Bennett reiterated in an interview with The Times.

At one juncture, Ms. Bennett said, the governor also noted that he felt ''he's fine with anyone above the age of 22,'' a point that came up after they discussed her speech at Hamilton on what was her 25th birthday.

Asked if she felt Mr. Cuomo's questions and comments were an entreaty to a sexual relationship, Ms. Bennett said: ''That's absolutely how it felt.''

Ms. Bennett said that she had felt deeply uncomfortable with Mr. Cuomo's comments and had tried to shift the conversation into more neutral territory '-- something ''not about my sex life,'' she recalled '-- like intellectual theories about monogamy and power dynamics, and even a tattoo she was considering getting.

She said Mr. Cuomo had suggested that perhaps she should put the tattoo on her buttocks, so people would not see it when she wore a dress.

A friend of Ms. Bennett's, a former Cuomo administration official, said he had spoken to her shortly after the June 5 episode. He confirmed the contours of her account, saying that she had made it clear to him that she believed the governor wanted to have sex with her.

Ms. Bennett told her parents about the encounter within days, her mother recalled, saying her daughter had made a special visit home to do so. ''She was obviously upset,'' Ms. Bennett's mother said.

Ms. Bennett said she spoke to Mr. Cuomo's chief of staff, Ms. DesRosiers, on June 10, five days after the episode.

She said the meeting, in Ms. DesRosiers's office, had lasted about 10 minutes. Ms. Bennett said she had recounted her interaction with Mr. Cuomo and she recalled that Ms. DesRosiers had asked a few questions, been apologetic and asked to speak to her again in two days.

In a text message sent to a friend after the meeting, Ms. Bennett said Ms. DesRosiers had said: ''How can we do this?,'' asking whether she wanted to stay in the executive branch or move to another part of the state government.

When Ms. Bennett's friend asked what that meant, Ms. Bennett explained that an outside job would still be with the administration, but ''just not interacting with him.''

She also told her friend, in the same series of texts, that she trusted Ms. DesRosiers but was worried about Mr. Cuomo's reaction: ''I just said I didn't want him to find out and get mad.''

Two days later, on June 12, Ms. DesRosiers told Ms. Bennett she would be transferred to a new position as a health policy adviser, still working in the executive branch, but in a different part of the Capitol. Her new job was announced in a June 17 email to Department of Health officials. ''Welcome Charlotte!'' it concluded.

Later that month, Ms. Bennett met with Ms. Mogul, a special counsel to the governor, and repeated her claims. She said, however, that she soon decided to ''let this go and move on.''

In a statement on Saturday, Beth Garvey, another special counsel to the governor, said that ''Ms. Bennett's concerns were treated with sensitivity and respect and in accordance with applicable law and policy.'' She characterized the transfer to a health policy position as fulfilling ''a longstanding interest'' of Ms. Bennett's.

Of Ms. Bennett, Ms. Garvey said, ''she was consulted regarding the resolution, and expressed satisfaction and appreciation for the way in which it was handled.'' Barbara S. Jones, a former federal judge in Manhattan, will lead the outside review into the matter, Ms. Garvey said.

Ms. Bennett left state government last fall and she now lives and works in a neighboring state. She said that her anger about what had happened had continued to percolate and had led to her departure.

''His presence was suffocating,'' she said. ''I was thinking that I could recover and have distance but that is so na¯ve.''

She added that she had been committed to her job in the administration, even after her interactions with Mr. Cuomo, and had tried to ''not have him ruin this for me.''

But, she said, ''I learned that's not how that works.''

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:07

Amid wintry weather, power outages, water issues, and bursting pipes, Austin is enjoying at least one ray of sunshine: in the form of a massive influx of American robins.

Robins regularly migrate to the South every winter, but in 2021, they've become a spectacular presence, with swarms of robins swooping in and hanging out, everywhere from the courtyards of inner-city lofts to the postage-stamp front yards of the suburbs.

The profusion of birds has been noted by the aviary experts at Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center in Cedar Hill, Texas, who say that robins have been noticed in massive numbers in the area lately.

Educator Katie Christman says it's not our imagination. "Robins came down south this year in really big numbers," she says.

She says it's the result of a phenomenon called an irruption, which is a sudden rapid growth in the population of an organism.

"With American robins and other birds, sometimes you get a shift in the amount of resources," Christman says. "The bird population may have a good year where there's a lot of resources available for that bird, and it can produce a lot more young. During the next cycle in one to two years, there may not be as much food because they produced so many babies."

And with the snow, their presence was magnified, not only because they were more visible, but also because they were more active.

"With ... cold weather, they have to stay active, because they're trying to stay warm," she says.

Robins are well known for eating worms, but in the winter, they switch their diet to fruit and berries, and homeowners are seeing that in action, with their holly, Indian Hawthorn, juniper, and other berry-laden ornamental plants getting wiped out, sometimes in a single afternoon.

Christman has tips if you want to offer them some snacks.

"We recommend high-protein snacks like dried meal worms, which you can get ... anyplace that has high-quality bird seed," she says. "You can also put out peas, oats '-- but nothing with salt or sugar."

A lot of people put out bread, but that's not something they recommend.

Austin is not the only place that robins are showing up: There've been similar sightings in Dallas-Fort Worth, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City, where they're being seen in flocks of 100 or more.

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Sun, 28 Feb 2021 11:59

House progressives may delay Congress in passing Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package'--which includes the highly-anticipated $1,400 relief checks'--to keep the $15 minimum wage hike in the sprawling bill.

Progressive lawmakers on Friday warned Democratic leadership that they could withhold their vote for the legislation if the Senate removes the wage increase. Their opposition could send the package back to be renegotiated, which would further stall the passing of the bill.

"There are progressive Democrats that have that muscle in the House. If we as a party decide to stand down on our promise of elevating the minimum wage, I think that's extraordinarily spurious and it's something that as a party we could have a further conversation about how to fight for it," Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, after suggesting that progressives should pressure party leaders by withholding their votes in the same way that moderate Democrats have done in opposing the package.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, the House of Representatives passed the relief bill largely along party lines in a 219-212 vote. Two Democrats'--Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon'--broke with the party to oppose the legislation that Republicans in the lower chamber were unanimous in voting against.

Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Pramila Jayapal, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others hold a press conference to introduce college affordability legislation outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, June 24, 2019. Saul Loeb/GettyThe aid legislation now advances to the Senate, where the $15 minimum wage hike is expected to be amended. It will then be sent back to the House for another vote.

The House bill includes increasing the federal minimum wage by 2025, a measure strongly opposed by Republicans and a few moderate Democrats. However, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, a nonpartisan interpreter of chamber rules, recently said that it did not meet the requirements of reconciliation.

Senate Democrats had paved the way to use the budget process to push through the legislation with a simple majority, as the chamber is evenly divided with Vice President Kamala Harris having the tie-breaking vote. But with MacDonough's ruling, the party's members are now spending the weekend exploring other avenues to pass the measure.

Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, indicated to reporters that Democrats could lose support from progressives if they fail in finding a way to include the wage hike.

"I don't think we can go back to voters and say, 'Look, I know Republicans, Democrats, independents support this; we promised it, but because of an unelected parliamentarian who gave us a ruling, we couldn't do it,'" she said. "There's a lot of great things in the package, but if it's watered down, that's a whole different issue. So we just have to see what it ends up as."

On Friday, Ocasio-Cortez also warned the Biden administration that the minimum wage debate "sets the stage for how effective we'll be for the rest of the term."

Jayapal has pushed for Harris to overrule MacDonough. While the vice president has authority to override the parliamentarian's decision, she is not expected to do so.

On Thursday, Senator Bernie Sanders, chair of the Senate Budget Committee, said he will introduce an amendment that will "take tax deductions away from large, profitable corporations that don't pay workers at least $15 an hour and to provide small businesses with the incentives they need to raise wages."

Newsweek reached out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office for comment.

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 23:38

Feb 1, 2021 Updated Feb 8, 2021

Learn What Are NFTs and How Do They Work?Non-fungible tokens (NFT) are digital assets that represent a wide range of unique tangible and intangible items, from collectible sports cards to virtual real estate and even digital sneakers.

One of the main benefits of owning a digital collectible versus a physical collectible like a Pokemon card or rare minted coin is that each NFT contains distinguishing information that makes it both distinct from any other NFT and easily verifiable. This makes the creation and circulation of fake collectibles pointless because each item can be traced back to the original issuer.

Unlike regular cryptocurrencies, NFTs cannot be directly exchanged with one another. This is because no two NFTs are identical '' even those that exist on the same platform, game or in the same collection. Think of them as festival tickets. Each ticket contains specific information including the purchaser's name, the date of the event and the venue. This data makes it impossible for festival tickets to be traded with one another.

The vast majority of NFT tokens were built using one of two Ethereum token standards (ERC-721 and ERC-1155) '' blueprints created by Ethereum that enable software developers to easily deploy NFTs and ensure they're compatible with the broader ecosystem, including exchanges and wallet services like MetaMask and MyEtherWallet. Eos, Neo and Tron have also released their own NFT token standards to encourage developers to build and host NFTs on their blockchain networks.

Other key characteristics of NFTs include:

Non-interoperable: A CryptoPunk cannot be used as a character on the CryptoKitties game or vice versa. This goes for collectibles such as trading cards, too; a Blockchain Heroes card cannot be played in the Gods Unchained trading-card game. Indivisible: NFTs cannot be divided into smaller denominations like bitcoin satoshis. They exist exclusively as a whole item. Indestructible: Because all NFT data is stored on the blockchain via smart contracts, each token cannot be destroyed, removed or replicated. Ownership of these tokens is also immutable, which means gamers and collectors actually possess their NFTs, not the companies that create them. This contrasts with buying things like music from the iTunes store where users don't actually own what they're buying, they just purchase the license to listen to the music. Verifiable: Another benefit of storing historical ownership data on the blockchain is that items such as digital artwork can be traced back to the original creator, which allows pieces to be authenticated without the need for third-party verification.Why they're important

NFTs have become hugely popular with crypto users and companies alike because of the way they revolutionized the gaming and collectibles space. Since November 2017, there has been a total of $174 million spent on NFTs.

Thanks to the advent of blockchain technology, gamers and collectors can become the immutable owners of in-game items and other unique assets as well as make money from them. In some cases, players have the ability to create and monetize structures like casinos and theme parks in virtual worlds, such as The Sandbox and Decentraland. They can also sell individual digitals items they accrue during gameplay such as costumes, avatars and in-game currency on a secondary market.

For artists, being able to sell artwork in digital form directly to a global audience of buyers without using an auction house or gallery allows them to keep a significantly greater portion of the profits they make from sales. Royalties can also be programmed into digital artwork so that the creator receives a percentage of sale profits each time their artwork is sold to a new owner.

William Shatner, best known as Captain Kirk from ''Star Trek,'' ventured into digital collectibles in 2020 and issued 90,000 digital cards on the WAX blockchain showcasing various images of himself. Each card was initially sold for approximately $1 and now provides Shatner with passive royalty income every time one is resold.

Why do they have value?

Like all assets, supply and demand are the key market drivers for price. Due to the scarce nature of NFTs and the high demand for them from gamers, collectors and investors, people are often prepared to pay a lot of money for them.

Some NFTs also have the potential to make their owners a lot of money. For instance, one gamer on the Decentraland virtual land platform decided to purchase 64 lots and combine them into a single estate. Dubbed ''The Secrets of Satoshis Tea Garden,'' it sold for $80,000 purely because of its desirable location and road access. Another investor parted with $222,000 to purchase a segment of a digital Monaco racing track in the F1 Delta Time game. The NFT representing the piece of digital track allows the owner to receive 5% dividends from all races that take place on it, including entry ticket fees.

What are the most expensive NFTs?

Dragon the CryptoKitty continues to be one of the most expensive NFTs in the space, valued at 600 ETH.

The one-of-a-kind ''1-1-1'' race car from F1 Delta Time sold for 415.9 ETH in May 2019.

Alien #2089 sold for 605 ETH in January 2021. This NFT is part of the CryptoPunk collection, the first NFTs ever created. Overall, there are 10,000 different CryptoPunks and only nine Alien CryptoPunks.

An NBA Topshot digital collectible card of basketball star LeBron James sold for $100,000.

An Axie named Angel from the NFT-based game Axie Infinity sold for 300 ETH.

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Archived Version

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 23:23

(C) Provided by BGR Coronavirus Origin The World Health Organization will soon publish the findings of its official investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Investigators spoke with the man currently believed to be the first person who was infected by the novel coronavirus, discovering that the virus may have jumped to humans at a food market in Wuhan. The person believed to be the COVID-19 patient zero fell ill on December 8th, 2019, and had no travel history. The first official World Health Organization (WHO) coronavirus investigation wrapped up a few weeks ago, and the early conclusions did not provide a better explanation for the origins of COVID-19. After several months of controversial planning, the researchers found that the likeliest explanation for the COVID-19 pandemic is an animal-to-human transmission. It's unclear which animals might have spread the virus or when the jump to humans might have happened. In the process, WHO scientists spoke to a potential patient zero. If he was the first person to contract COVID-19, the location of the first covid case would shift to a food market in Wuhan rather than the infamous Huanan market. His story also indicates that COVID-19 transmission might have started well before late December 2019, when the first cases were announced to the world.

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WHO officials met the presumed patient zero while visiting Wuhan, The Wall Street Journal reports. The man, an office worker in his 40s, is believed to have been infected on December 8th. He works for a private company and had no recent travel history.

''He has a very, in a way, dull and normal life'--no hiking-in-the-mountains type of things,'' Dr. Peter Ben Embarek told The Journal. The man's main hobby was surfing the internet, Dr. Peter Daszak said. Both officials were on the ground in Wuhan during the infection, with Ben Embarek leading the WHO team. Patient zero told WHO investigators that his parents had visited another local community food market, not the one in Wuhan that was associated with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. China said months ago that the Wuhan market wasn't the source of COVID-19.

The man's claim that his parents had visited another market dropped at the end with the WHO interview. The scientists were not able to ascertain other details or identify the market. Daszak told CNN that the man's parents had tested negative, but Chinese authorities should still trace their contacts at the market.

It's unclear when the man's parents were tested or what sort of test they received. There were no COVID-19 tests in early December 2019 since nobody was looking for this particular illness. Antibody tests can determine whether a person survived COVID-19 or not, but antibodies often start disappearing from the bloodstream several months after the infection.

The report notes that the WHO team wants to identify the market and see what sort of animals were sold there. They also want to see if any of the 174 cases confirmed from December 2019 '-- a figure that is higher than initial estimates '-- had connections to that market. Wuhan has some 400 food markets that serve a population of 400 million.

The WHO investigators said they found at least two types of animals that could carry the coronavirus at the Huanan market, including ferret badgers and rabbits.

The researchers also noted that the virus was spreading widely throughout the city within days of the first known cases from the market. This indicates the outbreak could have begun somewhere else. ''There is clear evidence of simultaneous transmission of the virus in other places outside the market,'' Thea Fischer told reporters in Wuhan. ''It seems less likely that the market is the source of the virus epidemic.'' Fisher is a Danish epidemiologist and a member of the WHO team.

This particular 40-year-old man might not actually be patient zero. Some researchers say that an older man fell sick on December 1st, 2019. A doctor who treated him said the man had other chronic illnesses and couldn't speak. His relatives estimated the date when symptoms first appeared. The WHO will publish a summary report in the coming days that will recommend more studies to determine the pandemic's origin.

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Archived Version

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 20:08

INVESTIGATORS are probing whether the kidnapping of Lady Gaga's bulldogs was politically motivated because she sang at President Joe Biden's inauguration.

FBI officials specialized in kidnapping and ransom cases are working with Los Angeles Police Department detectives, The Sun learned on Thursday.

29

Lady Gaga is offering a $500,000 reward for the return of her bulldogs Credit: Instagram 29

The FBI is reportedly looking into whether Lady Gaga's bulldog kidnappings were politically motivated because she sang at President Joe Biden's inauguration Credit: Getty Images - Getty 29

The dogwalker was taking Koji, Miss Asia and Gustavo out when the incident happened Credit: BackGrid 29

Two men appeared to be at the scene attacking Lady Gaga's dog walker Credit: TMZ/Backgrid"Lady Gaga is high profile of course but she sang at President Biden's inauguration which takes this case to another level," one source said.

"The FBI wants to know exactly what motivated this incident."

An FBI spokesperson told The Sun: "While the Bureau provides resources if/where requested to our local partners, I would refer you to LAPD for comment as they are leading this investigation."

The Sun has reached out to LAPD for comment.

While the FBI is involved, investigators are working on the likely assumption the attack was a straightforward armed robbery.

French bulldogs are on average sold for just over $2,000 - however some breeds can go up to $10,000.

Another theory is that the dogs may have been been stolen for ransom - as the star offered a $500,000 reward after the Wednesday night shooting.

The latest Lady Gaga update comes as:

It emerged that an unknown woman 'screamed' as Gaga's dog walker was shotThe star offered $500,000 reward for the return of her dogsFootage emerged showing her dog walker bleeding after the shootingEverything we need to know about Ryan Fischer is revealed 29

Men can be seen approaching Lady Gaga's dog walker Credit: TMZ/Backgrid 29

Lady Gaga performed at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in January Credit: Getty Images - Getty 29

Ryan Fischer, 30, was shot on Wednesday as he walked the star's dogs Credit: Instagram 29

Fischer was seen receiving treatment on the floor Credit: KABC-TV 29

Gaga's bodyguard was pictured picking up Miss Asia after the shooting Credit: Backgrid 29

Two of Gaga's three bulldogs were stolen Credit: Instagram 29

Ryan Fischer, 30, was caring for the superstar's pooches, Koji, Miss Asia and Gustavo, when the armed thieves struck just after 10pm on Wednesday.

He was shot outside of his West Hollywood home on Sierra Bonita.

Both Koji and Gustavo were stolen, but Miss Asia got away and was later recovered by cops.

Pictures show that Miss Asia was then picked up by one of Gaga's bodyguards.

Neighbor Buck Angel, who called 911 to report the incident, told The Sun that "where the attack happened can't just be down to chance."

29

Neighbor Buck Angel believes that Gaga's dogs may have been 'stolen for ransom' Credit: The Mega Agency 29

Fischer was reportedly holding onto Miss Asia Credit: KABC-TV 29

Gaga's bulldogs are Koji, Miss Asia and Gustavo Credit: InstagramAngel claimed that the area where the incident took place has "no witnesses that live there" and has "been empty for five years."

"They had to have chosen that spot to carry out the attack, and those dogs were targeted for ransom, it had to be.

"They must have wanted to blackmail Lady Gaga for money."

He added that "everyone" walks dogs in the area at the time the incident took place, adding "it wouldn't have been hard to figure out her dog walker's routine."

"And there have not been any dogs stolen here, even though that has been happening in other parts of LA."

Gaga has offered $500,000 for the return of her beloved pets, "no questions asked," according to TMZ.

The outlet reported that anyone who has the dogs should email KojiandGustav@gmail.com to claim the reward.

When cops got to the scene, they reportedly found the dog-walker conscious but barely breathing, and was transported to hospital in "grave" condition, officials said.

Footage from the scene showed a man on the ground clinging to Miss Asia as he received on-scene treatment.

The man could be seen bleeding as he laid on his side on the ground.

29

Gaga frequently posts photographs of her pooches Credit: Instagram 29

The singer is offering a hefty reward for the return of her two dogs Credit: AFP or licensorsAnother man is later seen removing the French bulldog from the victim's arms and comforting it.

The victim appeared to be alert and talking to officers, KABC said.

While Angel called 911, another neighbor administered CPR and saved the dog walker's life.

He said: "I heard a lot of screaming last night, it was going on too long.

"I looked out and saw a white sedan in front of the abandoned house, then different guys' voices screaming - I'm sure it was all men.

"I opened my gate and there was a gunshot, so I bolted back into the house and called 911.

"Then I heard a second gunshot and the sound of the car speeding off."

Angel added that he believed Fischer was dead following the alleged shooting.

"When they [police] arrived I came out and saw my neighbor from across the street giving aid to the man who was shot.

"He was compressing his chest, trying to stop the bleeding. He was saving his life.

"I actually thought he was dead. He was shot once, I believe, even though there were two gun shots.

"The injured guy told out neighbor as he was compressing the wound, 'those were Lady Gaga's dogs' so that's how we found out'."

The neighbor who administered first aid to Fischer told The Sun: "I'm glad [Ryan] is OK it was a horrible thing to happen."

Another neighbor said: "I see Ryan all the time. He's a lovely, friendly guy. It's terrible. He never boasts about working for Lady Gaga, he just says he 'works for someone important'."

29

Fischer was rushed to hospital Credit: Instagram 29

Lady Gaga with her dog Koji, who was reportedly taken Credit: Xposure 29

The star's dog, Gustave, was also reportedly stolen Credit: Instagram 29

Gaga was spotted in Rome on Wednesday Credit: The Mega AgencyAccording to 911 dispatch audio, obtained by The Sun, there were numerous calls were made about the shooting.

The dispatcher reported that "one gunshot" was fired and that there were reports of "a female screaming."

Another call reiterated that there were "shots fired" at the location.

Just minutes later, a call confirmed that there was "one victim down."

Public Information Officer Jeff Lee from LAPD told The Sun: "We had a shooting that took place at 1500 block of N Sierra Bonita Avenue at 9:40pm.

"Male unknown suspect fired a gunshot. Victim was male white 30 years of age.

"Victim was transported to local hospital in unknown condition. No arrest made yet."

Cops described the suspects as two black males who were wearing baseball caps.

29

Miss Asia reportedly got away Credit: Getty Images - Getty 29

Cops carried Miss Asia into a car Credit: BackGrid 29

Cops were at the scene on Wednesday night Credit: BackGrid 29

The suspects are reportedly still on the loose Credit: BackGrid 29

It is unclear what condition Fischer is currently in Credit: Instagram 29

Gaga's dad, Joe Germanotta, called them 'creeps' Credit: Getty Images - GettyHer dad, Joe Germanotta, shared a plea for the public's help in finding her daughter's dogs on Thursday.

"Our whole family is upset and praying Koji and Gustavo are not harmed," Germanotta told Fox News.

"Help us catch these creeps," he added.

"Horrible people in LA," Germanotta continued. "Shooting someone in order to steal dogs is wrong."

They reportedly fled the scene in a white BMW and, according to TMZ, are still on the loose and no arrests have yet been made.

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BIDEN BLASTEDIran slams Biden's airstrike on militias in Syria as 'organized terrorism'

Law enforcement officials told the outlet that they are not sure whether or not Gaga's dogs were specifically the target.

Lady Gaga was spotted in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday.

It is unclear if she has yet returned from Italy, or if she has plans on doing so.

29

A bodyguard picked up Miss Asia Credit: BackGrid 29

Blood appeared to be at the scene Credit: BackGrid 29

Cops taped off the area Credit: BackGrid Woman 'screamed' as Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot and pups stolen, frantic 911 caller claimed in disturbing audio

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Archived Version

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 18:28

SCUM Manifesto is a misandrist manifesto by Valerie Solanas, published in 1967.[1][2] It argues that men have ruined the world, and that it is up to women to fix it. To achieve this goal, it suggests the formation of SCUM, an organization dedicated to overthrowing society and eliminating the male sex. The Manifesto has often been described as a satire or parody, especially due to its parallels with Freud's theory of femininity.[3][4] It has been reprinted at least 100 times in English, translated into 13 languages, and excerpted several times.

The term "SCUM" appeared on the cover of the first edition from Olympia Press as "S.C.U.M." and was said to stand for "Society for Cutting Up Men".[5] Solanas objected, insisting that it was not an acronym, although the expanded term appeared in a Village Voice ad she had written in 1967.[6]

The Manifesto was little-known until Solanas attempted to kill Andy Warhol in 1968. This event brought significant public attention to the Manifesto and Solanas herself.[7][8] While feminist Ti-Grace Atkinson defended Solanas and considered the Manifesto a valid criticism of patriarchy, others, such as Betty Friedan, considered Solanas's views to be too radical and polarizing.

Publication history Edit Solanas wrote SCUM Manifesto between 1965 and 1967.[9] In 1967, she self-published the first edition by making two thousand mimeographed copies and selling them on the streets of Greenwich Village in New York City.[10][11][12] Solanas charged women one dollar and men two dollars each.[13][14][15] By the following spring, about 400 copies had been sold.[13][14] Solanas signed a publishing contract with Maurice Girodias in August 1967 for a novel and asked him to accept the SCUM Manifesto in its place later that year.[16]

The first commercial edition of the Manifesto was published by Olympia Press in New York in 1968. It includes a preface by Maurice Girodias and an essay titled "Wonder Waif Meets Super Neuter" by Paul Krassner.[17] According to Jansen, there are subtle differences between the 1968 Olympia Press edition and Solanas' original mimeographed version.[18] In an interview with The Village Voice, Solanas commented on the Olympia Press edition, complaining that "none of the corrections ... [she] wanted made were included and that many other changes in wording were made'--all for the worse'--and that there were many 'typographical errors': words and even extended parts of sentences left out, rendering the passages they should've been in incoherent."[19] In 1977, Solanas self-published a "correct" edition which was closer to the original version and included an introduction written by her.[20]

The SCUM Manifesto has been reprinted at least 10 times in English and translated into Croatian, Czech, Finnish,[21] French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish,[22] Portuguese, Dutch,[16] and Danish.[23] It has also been excerpted in several feminist anthologies,[24] including Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings From The Women's Liberation Movement (1970), a collection of radical feminist writing edited by Robin Morgan.[25][26] Verso Books published an edition in 2004 with an introduction by feminist philosopher Avital Ronell.[27] Jon Purkis and James Bowen describe the SCUM Manifesto as a "pamphlet which has become one of the longest surviving perennials of anarchist publishing".[28]

Solanas's sister, Judith A. Solanas Martinez, is the reported copyright holder of the SCUM Manifesto by 1997 renewal.[29]

Contents Edit The Manifesto opens with the following declaration:[30]

"Life" in this "society" being, at best, an utter bore and no aspect of "society" being at all relevant to women, there remains to civic-minded, responsible, thrill-seeking females only to overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation and eliminate the male sex.

Solanas begins by presenting a theory of the male as an "incomplete female" who is genetically deficient due to the Y chromosome.[31] According to Solanas, this genetic deficiency causes the male to be emotionally limited, egocentric, and incapable of mental passion or genuine interaction. She describes the male as lacking empathy and unable to relate to anything apart from his own physical sensations.[32] The Manifesto continues by arguing that the male spends his life attempting to become female, and thereby overcome his inferiority. He does this by "constantly seeking out, fraternizing with and trying to live through and fuse with the female." Solanas rejects Freud's theory of penis envy, and argues that men have "pussy envy". Solanas then accuses men of turning the world into a "shitpile" and presents a long list of grievances.[33]

The bulk of the Manifesto consists of a list of critiques of the male sex. They are divided into the following sections:[34]

WarNiceness, Politeness and "Dignity"Money, Marriage and Prostitution, Work and Prevention of an Automated SocietyFatherhood and Mental Illness (fear, cowardice, timidity, humility, insecurity, passivity)Suppression of Individuality, Animalism (domesticity and motherhood) and FunctionalismPrevention of PrivacyIsolation, Suburbs and Prevention of CommunityConformityAuthority and GovernmentPhilosophy, Religion and Morality Based on SexPrejudice (racial, ethnic, religious, etc.)Competition, Prestige, Status, Formal Education, Ignorance and Social and Economic ClassesPrevention of ConversationPrevention of Friendship and Love"Great Art" and "Culture"SexualityBoredomSecrecy, Censorship, Suppression of Knowledge and Ideas, and Expos(C)sDistrustUglinessHate and ViolenceDisease and DeathDue to the aforementioned grievances, the Manifesto concludes that the elimination of the male sex is a moral imperative.[35] It also argues that women must replace the "money-work system" with a system of complete automation, as this will lead to the collapse of the government and the loss of men's power over women.[36]

In order to accomplish these goals, the Manifesto proposes that a revolutionary vanguard of women be formed. This vanguard is referred to as SCUM. The Manifesto argues that SCUM should employ sabotage and direct action tactics rather than civil disobedience, as civil disobedience is only useful for making small changes to society. In order to destroy the system, violent action is necessary: "If SCUM ever marches, it will be over the President's stupid, sickening face; if SCUM ever strikes, it will be in the dark with a six-inch blade."[37]

The Manifesto ends by describing a female-dominated utopian future with, eventually, no men. There would be no money, and disease and death would have been eliminated. It argues that men are irrational to defend the current system and should accept the necessity of their destruction.[38]

Reception and criticism Edit Various critics, scholars, and journalists have analyzed the Manifesto and Solanas's statements regarding it. Prof. James Martin Harding said she "propose[d]" a "radical program".[39] Prof. Dana Heller said the author had an "anarchic social vision"[40] and the Manifesto had "near-utopian theories"[41] and a "utopian vision of a world in which mechanization and systems of mass (re)production would render work, sexual intercourse, and the money system obsolete."[42] According to Village Voice reviewer B. Ruby Rich, "SCUM was an uncompromising global vision" that criticized men for many faults including war and not curing disease;[13] many but not all points were "quite accurate";[13] some kinds of women were also criticized, subject to women's changing when men are not around;[43] and sex (as in sexuality) was criticized as "exploitative".[44] According to Janet Lyon, the Manifesto "pitt[ed] ... 'liberated' women ... against 'brainwashed' women".[45]

Feminist critic Germaine Greer said that Solanas argued that both genders were separated from their humanity[46] and that men want to be like women.[47] Alice Echols says the Manifesto articulates gender as absolute rather than relative.[48]

Heller argued that the Manifesto shows women's separation from basic economic and cultural resources and, because of psychological subordination to men, women's perpetuation of that separation.[a] Robert Marmorstein of the Voice said that SCUM's main message included that "men have fouled up the world" and "are no longer necessary (even biologically)".[b] Jansen said Solanas considered men "biological[ly] inferior".[51] According to Laura Winkiel, the Manifesto wants heterosexual capitalism overthrown and the means of production taken over by women.[52] Rich and Jansen said that technology and science would be welcome in the future.[53][54]

Jansen describes the plan for creating a women's world as mainly nonviolent, as based on women's nonparticipation in the current economy and having nothing to do with any men, thereby overwhelming police and military forces,[51] and, if solidarity among women was insufficient, some women could take jobs and "unwork", causing systemic collapse;[54] and describes the plan as anticipating that by eliminating money there'd be no need to kill men.[54] Jansen and Winkiel say that Solanas imagined a women-only world.[55][56] Daily News reporters Frank Faso and Henry Lee, two days after Solanas shot Warhol, said Solanas "crusades for a one-sex world free of men".[57] Winkiel says the Manifesto imagines a violent revolutionary coup by women.[c] Prof. Ginette Castro found the Manifesto was "the feminist charter on violence", supporting terrorist hysteria.[61] According to Jansen, Solanas posited men as animals who will be stalked and killed as prey, the killers using weapons as "phallic symbols turned against men".[62] Rich, Castro, reviewer Claire Dederer, Friedan, Prof. Debra Diane Davis, Deborah Siegel, Winkiel, Marmorstein, and Greer said that Solanas' plan was largely to eliminate men, including by men murdering each other, although Rich thought it might be Swiftian satire and that men's retraining was an alternative in the Manifesto, Castro did not take the elimination of men as serious, and Marmorstein included criminal sabotage of men.[46][50][64][65][66][67][68][69]

According to Jansen, it called for reproduction only of females,[51] and not even of females once the problems of aging and death were solved so that a next generation would no longer be needed.[70]

While, according to Lyon, the Manifesto is irreverent and witty,[71] according to Siegel the Manifesto "articulated bald female rage"[72][d] and Jansen says the Manifesto is "shocking" and breathtaking.[73] Rich described Solanas as a "one-woman scorched-earth squad"[44] and Siegel says the stance was "extreme"[74][e] and "reflected a more general disaffection with nonviolent protest in America overall."[74] Rich says the Manifesto brought out women's "despair and anger" and advanced feminism[44] and, according to Winkiel, U.S. radical feminism emerged because of this "declaration of war against capitalism and patriarchy".[10] Heller suggests the Manifesto is chiefly socialist-materialist.[75] Echols has argued that Solanas had "unabashed misandry",[76] and people associated with Andy Warhol (whom she shot) and various media saw it as "man-hating".[77]

As parody and satire Edit Laura Winkiel, an associate professor of English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, argues that the "SCUM manifesto parodies the performance of patriarchal social order it refuses". Winkiel further suggests that the manifesto is "an illicit performance, a mockery of the 'serious' speech acts of patriarchy". The SCUM women mock the way in which certain men run the world and legitimize their power, Winkiel contends.[78] Similarly, sociologist Ginette Castro states:

If we examine the text more closely, we see that its analysis of patriarchal reality is a parody [...] The content itself is unquestionably a parody of the Freudian theory of femininity, where the word woman is replaced by man [...] All the cliches of Freudian psychoanalytical theory are here: the biological accident, the incomplete sex, "penis envy" which has become "pussy envy," and so forth [...] Here we have a case of absurdity being used as a literary device to expose an absurdity, that is, the absurd theory which has been used to give "scientific" legitimacy to patriarchy [...] What about her proposal that men should quite simply be eliminated, as a way of clearing the dead weight of misogyny and masculinity? This is the inevitable conclusion of the feminist pamphlet, in the same way that Jonathan Swift's proposal that Irish children (as useless mouths) should be fed to the swine was the logical conclusion of his bitter satirical pamphlet protesting famine in Ireland. Neither of the two proposals is meant to be taken seriously, and each belongs to the realm of political fiction, or even science fiction, written in a desperate effort to arouse public consciousness.[3]

Writer Chavisa Woods presents a similar opinion: "The SCUM Manifesto is a masterwork of literary protest art, which is often completely misread. Much of it is actually a point-by-point re-write of multiple of Freud's writings. It is a parody."[4] James Penner reads the manifesto as a satirical text. He states, "Like other feminist satires, the 'SCUM Manifesto' attempts to politicize women by attacking particular masculine myths that are embedded in American popular culture." He adds, "As a work of satire, the 'SCUM Manifesto' is rhetorically effective in that it deconstructs the reader's received notions of masculinity and femininity."[79][f] English professor Carl Singleton notes the "outrageous nature" of the manifesto and Solanas' increasing mental instability, which, he argues, led many people to trivialize the text. Singleton adds, "Others saw the document as a form of political satire in the style of Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal."[80] Similarly, Jansen compared it to Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, describing it as having "satiric brilliance"[16] and calling Solanas "cool and mordantly funny".[81] The bulletin of the Project of Transnational Studies echoes the comparison to Jonathan Swift, stating, "A more common strategy is to read SCUM as an instance of political fiction or parody in the vein of Jonathan Swift."[82] Writing for Spin in September 1996, Charles Aaron calls the SCUM Manifesto a "riotous, pre-feminist satire".[83] Film director Mary Harron called the manifesto a "brilliant satire" and described its tone as "very funny".[g] According to Rich of The Village Voice, the work possibly was "satire"[13] and could be read as "literal or symbolic".[44] Winkiel said, "The humor and anger of satire invites women to produce this feminist script by taking on the roles of the politically performative SCUM females."[85] Paul Krassner, who was a personal acquaintance of Solanas, called the manifesto a "dittoed document of pathological proselytization with occasional overtones of unintentional satire".[86]

Solanas's first publisher, Maurice Girodias, thought of it as "a joke"[87] and described the manifesto, according to J. Hoberman, as "a Swiftian satire on the depraved behavior, genetic inferiority, and ultimate disposability of the male gender".[88]

According to a 1968 article in the Daily News, "those who profess to know Valerie say she isn't joking ... [but] that deep down she likes men."[57] In 1968, speaking to Marmorstein, she characterized herself on the " 'SCUM thing ' " as " 'dead serious. ' "[89] Alexandra DeMonte, however, argues that Solanas "later claimed that her manifesto was simply a satire".[90]

SCUM organization Edit Solanas organized "a public forum on SCUM" at which about 40 people, mostly men she characterized as "creeps" and "masochists", showed up;[91] SCUM had no members besides her.[44] According to Greer, "little evidence [existed] that S.C.U.M. ever functioned" other than as Solanas.[92]

In a 1977 interview for The Village Voice, Solanas stated that SCUM was "just a literary device. There's no organization called SCUM'--there never was, and there never will be."[93] Solanas said that she "thought of it as a state of mind .... [in that] women who think a certain way are in SCUM .... [and] [m]en who think a certain way are in the men's auxiliary of SCUM."[94]

SCUM as acronym Edit The phrase "Society for Cutting Up Men" is on the cover of the 1967 self-published edition, after the title.[5] This edition precedes all commercial editions. Additionally, in the August 10, 1967 issue of The Village Voice, a letter to the editor appears that was signed by a Valerie Solanas (of SCUM, West 23rd Street) that responds to a previous letter signed by a Ruth Herschberger (published in the August 3, 1967 issue) that asks why women do not rebel against men. Solanas's response reads: "I would like to inform her and other proud, independent, females like her of the existence of SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men), a recently conceived organization which will be getting into high gear (and I mean high) within a few weeks.[95]

Although "SCUM" originally stood for "Society for Cutting Up Men",[h] this phrase actually occurs nowhere in the text. Heller argued that "there is no reliable evidence that Solanas intended SCUM to stand as an acronym for 'Society for Cutting Up Men'."[100] Susan Ware et al. state that it was Solanas' publisher Girodias who claimed that SCUM was an acronym for "Society for Cutting Up Men", something Solanas never seems to have intended.[101] Gary Dexter contends that Solanas called it the SCUM Manifesto without periods after the letters of SCUM. Dexter adds: "The spelling out of her coded title by Girodias was one more act of patriarchal intervention, an attempt to possess."[i]

The word "SCUM" is used in the text in reference to a certain type of women, not to men. It refers to empowered women, "SCUM - dominant, secure, self-confident, nasty, violent, selfish, independent, proud, thrill-seeking, free-wheeling, arrogant females, who consider themselves fit to rule the universe, who have free-wheeled to the limits of this 'society' and are ready to wheel on to something far beyond what it has to offer".[103] According to Avitel Ronell, that "SCUM" was intended as an acronym was a "belated add-on", which Solanas later rejected.[j]

Influence Edit The Manifesto, according to Lyon, is "notorious and influential" and was "one of the earliest ... [and] one of the most radical" tracts produced by "various strands of the American women's liberation movement". Lyon said that "by 1969 it had become a kind of bible" for Cell 16, in Boston.[71] According to a 2012 article by Arthur Goldwag on the Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch blog, "Solanas continues to be much-read and quoted in some feminist circles."[104] Whether the Manifesto should be considered a feminist classic is challenged by Heller because the Manifesto rejected a hierarchy of greatness, but she said it "remains an influential feminist text."[42]

Women and shooting Edit Laura Winkiel argues that Solanas' shooting of Andy Warhol and Mario Amaya was directly tied to the Manifesto.[105][k][l] After shooting Warhol, Solanas told a reporter, "Read my manifesto and it will tell you what I am."[106] Heller, however, states that Solanas "intended no connection between the manifesto and the shooting".[100] Harding suggests that "there is no clear indication in Solanas' ambiguous statement to reporters that the contents of the manifesto would explain the specifics of her actions, at least not in the sense of providing a script for them."[107] Harding views the SCUM Manifesto as an "extension, not the source, of performative acts, even a violent one act like the shooting of Warhol."[108]

Winkiel argues that revolutionary Roxanne Dunbar moved to the U.S. "convinced that a women's revolution had begun",[13][109] forming Cell 16 with a program based on the Manifesto.[110] According to Winkiel, although Solanas was "outraged" at the women's movement's "appropriat[ion]" of the Manifesto,[111] "the shooting [of Warhol] represented the feminist movement's righteous rage against patriarchy"[77] and Dunbar and Ti-Grace Atkinson considered the Manifesto as having initiated a "revolutionary movement",[77] Atkinson (according to Rich) calling Solanas the "'first outstanding champion of women's rights'"[13] and probably (according to Greer) having been "radicalized" by the language of the Manifesto to leave the National Organization for Women (NOW),[46] and (according to Winkiel) women organized in support of Solanas.[112] Solanas was viewed as too mentally ill and too bound up with Warhol, according to Greer, "for her message to come across unperverted."[46] According to Prof. Davis, the Manifesto was a "forerunner"[113] as a "call to arms among pragmatic American feminists"[113] and was "enjoy[ing] ... wide contemporary appeal".[114] According to Winkiel, the Manifesto "was ... influential in the spread of 'womansculture' and lesbian separatism"[115] and is also "credited with beginning the antipornography movement."[110][m] Friedan opposed the Manifesto as bad for the feminist movement and NOW.[66][116]

Film Edit Scum Manifesto was adapted into a 1976 short film directed by Carole Roussopoulos and Delphine Seyrig. In the film, Seyrig reads several passages from a French translation of Solanas's manifesto.[117][118]

Warhol later satirized the whole event in a subsequent movie, Women in Revolt, calling a group similar to Solanas's S.C.U.M., "P.I.G." (Politically Involved Girlies).

Solanas's creative work and relationship with Warhol is depicted in the 1996 film, I Shot Andy Warhol, a significant portion of which relates to the SCUM Manifesto, and Solanas's disputes on notions of authorship with Warhol.

Television Edit "Viva Los Muertos!", an episode of the animated comedy TV series The Venture Bros., features a character named Val who directly quotes the SCUM Manifesto throughout the episode.[119]

The SCUM manifesto was presented as a plot device in the FX television series American Horror Story: Cult, first seen in the episode "Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag", which first aired on October 17, 2017. A fictionalized version of Valerie Solanas, played by the actress Lena Dunham, recited the manifesto throughout the episode.

Literature Edit The title story of the Michael Blumlein short story collection, The Brains of Rats, employs the Manifesto to illustrate the male protagonist's hatred of himself and his gender.

In 2006, Swedish author Sara Stridsberg published a semi-fictional biography of Valerie Solanas, Dr¶mfakulteten (The Dream Faculty), in which the Manifesto is referred to on several occasions.[120] Parts of the Manifesto are also cited in the book.

Nick Cave said that Solanas in the Manifesto "talks at length about what she considers maleness and the male psyche ... basically men being halfway between humans and apes, these kind of lumbering lumps of meat, predatory lumps of meat", and that "it's quite wonderful to read .... [and] [t]here was an aspect of that I felt rang true." Cave wrote a novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, for which he "invented a character that was Valerie Solanas's male incarnate."[121]

Music Edit Solanas is quoted in the sleeve notes of the Manic Street Preachers debut album Generation Terrorists. Solanas also directly inspired the Manic Street Preachers song "Of Walking Abortion" from their third album "The Holy Bible", with the title being taken from Solanas' work.[122] Liverpool punk band Big in Japan composed the song "Society for Cutting Up Men" directly inspired by the manifesto[citation needed ]; the Italian progressive rock band Area - International POPular Group also devoted to Solanas' manifesto a song, called SCUM, which appears in their fifth album Maledetti (Maudits). The British band S.C.U.M. was named after the manifesto.[123] On Matmos' 2006 album The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast, one of the tracks is "Tract for Valerie Solanas", which features excerpts of the SCUM Manifesto.[124] British alternative band Young Knives released also released a song called "Society for Cutting Up Men" on 25 December 2017.

See also Edit Feminist science fictionRadical feminismReverse sexismSeparatist feminismExplanatory notes Edit ^ Manifesto is a "strident analysis of women's remove from basic economic and cultural resources, and their unthinking complicity in perpetuating these impoverished circumstances through their psychological subordination to men."[49] ^ "[t]he central theme of SCUM is that men have fouled up the world, are no longer necessary (even biologically), and should be completely destroyed, preferably by criminal means such as sabotage and murder .... [t]he quicker, the better.").[50] ^ The Manifesto "imagines a ... violent coup"; a "fantas[y] ... of political violence", Solanas' shooting of Andy Warhol also being one of Solanas' "fantasies of political violence";[58] including as to men a "genocidal political practice"; an "imagined group of vanguard feminist revolutionaries [who] proclaim their takeover of the world"; "a vanguard of revolutionary women"; & "Solanas imagines that women openly declare war on ... men", a declaration that "parodies masculine politics"[59] "SCUM females will take over all aspects of society by ... [inter alia] murder".[60] ^ See also Jansen (2011), pp. 131 ("female rage"), 132 ("profound anger and ... fearless expression of ... [Solanas'] rage"), 134 ("[f]emale anger"), 147 ("downright cold'--her anger is icy hot" & "[she is] angry ... but the tone ... is matter-of-fact"), 208 ("fury" & "anger"), & 218 ("incandescent rage burned") ^ The Weathermen, a politically left organization that sought the overthrow of the U.S. government ^ See also Winkiel (1999), pp. 63 ("SCUM's satiric cool"), 66 (on "public performances that are satiric" & "satiric feminism"), 68 (the Manifesto "parod[ies] ... positions of power" & "parodies ... performance of patriarchal social order", its language is "sarcastic" and "street-smart", & internal quotations "parody naturalized meanings"), 70 ("SCUM females ... [may] parody ..."), 73 (her solution "if women took over" is "[i]n the satiric tradition of Jonathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal ...'"; "hyperbol[e]"; "parody"; & that, outside of the Manifesto, in her shooting of Warhol she "parodied its masculine form"), 74 (outside of the Manifesto, she "pushed to ... parodic proportions ... [a] publicity mania"), 74''75 (the Manifesto "posit[s] ... an ideal vantage of a world run by women from which to satirize the world run by men"), 76 (the Manifesto "renders each ["the categories of 'male' and 'female'"] a mimed, parodic signifier"; "parodies" "sexology" & "parodies sexological dscourse"; "renegade insults and urgent calls for immediate change underscore SCUM's illegitimacy"), 77 ("her rhetoric ... parodies ... authorizing language"), 78 ("parody of sexology" & "imagined SCUM females .... rendering themselves parodic ... and artificial") and 79 ("satire of men") ^ "Eine brillante Satire '' so als h¤tte Oscar Wilde beschlossen, Terrorist zu werden. F¼r meinen Warhol-Film hatte ich Dutzende von Zeitzeugen zu den Hintergr¼nden von Solanas Attentat befragt und Berge von Berichten gelesen. Niemand hatte erw¤hnt, dass Valerie Solanas Talent und einen ausgepr¤gten Hang zur Komik hatte."[84] ^ "the ["acronymiz[ing]"] gloss on SCUM permitted the title to pass into other languages with annihilating precision: Manifest der Gesellschaft zur Vernichtung der M¤nner (1969), Manifesto de la Organizaci"n para el Extermino del Hombre (1977), Manifesto per l'eliminzione dei masch (1994), and whatever it says to the same effect in Czech (1998)",[96] in The New York Times,[97] and elsewhere,[98][99] ^ "She called it the SCUM Manifesto, with the acronym not spelled out, and with no full stops after the letters of SCUM. This was the title used for all subsequent editions. In fact, even in earlier versions of the book, 'Society for Cutting Up Men' had not been mentioned anywhere in the text (...) SCUM was the voice of those women, like Valerie, an enraged, impoverished loner-lesbian, outside any group or any society, who were the rejected, the dregs, the refuse, the outcast. The scum, in fact. The spelling out of her coded title by Girodias was one more act of patriarchal intervention, an attempt to possess."[102] ^ "There were moments when ... ["Solanas"] disclaimed the acronymization of her title, refuting that it stood for 'Society for Cutting Up Men.' A mere 'literary device' and belated add-on ...."[96] ^ See also Hoberman (1996), p. 49 harvp error: no target: CITEREFHoberman1996 (help) : "Valerie Solanas really was a nobody until she shot Andy Warhol. But once The SCUM Manifesto was underlined in blood, Solanas hardly had to wait for admirers.... Solanas was claimed as an 'important spokeswoman' by the radical wing of NOW ...." ^ See also Siegel (2007), p. 2: "Valerie Solanas, author of the man-hating tract known as the S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto, shot Andy Warhol.... [¶] To women of the Baby Boomer generation, th[is and other] ... opening salvos of a revolution are moments of canonical'--and personal'--feminist history." & Siegel (2007), pp. 71''72: "Solanas's supporters argued that the shooting of a prominent male avant-garde figure was a bold political statement offered in the name of women's liberation". ^ Anti-pornography movement, a movement opposed to pornography on feminist and other grounds References Edit Citations Edit ^ Penner (2011), p. 232 ^ Jansen (2011), pp. 137 & 134 and see pp. 6, 129''160 (ch. 6, esp. pp. 131''135, 137''142, 145''148, & 150''160), 208 & 218. ^ a b Castro (1990), pp. 73''74 ^ a b Woods, Chavisa (21 May 2019). "Hating Valerie Solanas (And Loving Violent Men)". Full Stop . Retrieved 25 February 2020 . ^ a b Jansen (2011), pp. 159''160 ^ Fahs (2014), p. 85 ^ Drake & Kerekes (2004), p. 199 ^ Bernstein Weiss, Tracey (1978). The Rhetoric of Radical Feminism: A Pentadic Analysis of the Inception of a Rhetorical Movement. Temple University. p. 3. ^ Fahs (2014), p. 61 ^ a b Winkiel (1999), p. 62 ^ Castro (1990), p. 264 (Chronology) ^ Singleton, Knight & Wildin (1999), p. 636 ^ a b c d e f g Rich (1993), p. 16 ^ a b Marmorstein (1968), p. 10 ^ Jansen (2011), p. 139 and see p. 146 ^ a b c Jansen (2011), p. 156 ^ Solanas (1968) ^ Jansen (2011), pp. 140''142 ^ Valerie Solanas Replies, in Smith, Howard, & Brian Van der Horst, Scenes, in The Village Voice, vol. XXII, no. 31, Aug. 1, 1977, p. 29, cols. 1''2 (emphasis so in original). ^ Jansen (2011), pp. 140''142 ("CORRECT" in capitals). ^ Jarla, Pertti (30 September 2011). "Vintage vihapuhe (Vintage hate speech)". Suomen Kuvalehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 31 January 2012 . Retrieved 31 January 2012 . ^ Lord (2010) ^ "Denne bog burde slet ikke tildeles hjerter (This book should not be awarded hearts)". Politiken (in Danish). March 8, 2010 . Retrieved 2 February 2012 . ^ Hewitt (2004), p. 603 ^ Morgan, Robin, ed., Sisterhood Is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings From the Women's Liberation Movement (N.Y.: Random House, 1st ed. 1970), pp. 514''519. See also Rich (1993), p. 17. ^ Heller (2008), p. 165 (and see pp. 15''16), citing as excerpting SCUM Manifesto Kolmar, Wendy, & Frances Bartkowski, eds., Feminist Theory: A Reader (Mountain View, Calif.: Mayfield, 2000), & Albert, Judith Clavir, & Stewart Edward Albert, eds., The Sixties Papers: Documents of a Rebellious Decade (1984). ^ Solanas, Valerie; Avital Ronell (2004). SCUM manifesto. London: Verso. ISBN 1-85984-553-3. ^ Purkis & Bowen (1997), p. 93 ^ Jansen (2011), p. 141 ^ Solanas, Valerie, SCUM Manifesto (1967), p. [1] (self-published) (copy from Northwestern University). ^ Solanas (1968), p. 31 ^ Solanas (1968), pp. 32''33 ^ Solanas (1968), pp. 34''35 ^ Solanas (1968), pp. 35''67 ^ Solanas (1968), pp. 67''70 ^ Solanas (1968), pp. 70''71, 80''81 ^ Solanas (1968), pp. 71''80 ^ Solanas (1968), pp. 80''84 ^ Harding (2010), p. 155 ^ Heller (2008), p. 158 ^ Heller (2008), p. 154 ^ a b Heller (2008), p. 165 ^ Rich (1993), pp. 16''17 ^ a b c d e Rich (1993), p. 17 ^ Lyon (1991), p. 106 and see p. 107. ^ a b c d Greer (1971), p. 307 "Solanas argued that 'men and women [were "divide[d]"] from humanity'; '[to] allow ... women to move back to humanity[,] ... they exterminate men.'" ^ Greer (1971), p. 99 (Solanas said "that men covet all that women are, seeking degradation and effeminization at their hands.") and see p. 81, p. 99 n. 6 citing Solanas (1968), p. 73. ^ Echols (1983), p. 440 ^ Heller (2008), p. 163 ^ a b Marmorstein (1968), p. 9 ^ a b c Jansen (2011), p. 150 ^ Winkiel (1999), pp. 68 ("the rhetoric [of the Manifesto] polemically urges the complete overthrow of heterosexual capitalism") & 78 (including "SCUM females .... tak[ing] ... over the means of production") ^ Rich (1993), p. 17 (Solanas favored science and technology and wanted computers distributed). ^ a b c Jansen (2011), p. 151 ^ Jansen (2011), p. 131 and see p. 150. ^ Winkiel (1999), p. 69 (Solanas "imagin[ed]... a world run by women") and see p. 79 ("a better world run by women"). ^ a b Faso & Lee (1968), p. 42 ^ Winkiel (1999), pp. 65 ^ Winkiel (1999), pp. 69 ^ Winkiel (1999), pp. 78 ^ Castro (1990), p. 101 ("certainly" "the feminist charter on violence", "legitimiz[ing] ... hysteria as a terrorist force"). ^ Jansen (2011), pp. 147''148 (Solanas posited men as animals who will be stalked and killed as prey, the killers using weapons as "phallic symbols turned against men") (emphasis so in original)) ("men are the real animals", per p. 148 and see p. 208). ^ Rich (1993), p. 16 (Solanas, perhaps in a Swiftian tradition of satire, "believed that men ... should be retrained or eliminated.") ^ Castro (1990), pp. 64 (Solanas "recommended the gradual elimination of all males") & 74 (the proposal of the Manifesto "that men should quite simply be eliminated" was "[not] meant to be taken seriously" ^ a b Friedan, Betty, "It Changed My Life": Writings on the Women's Movement (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 1st Harvard Univ. Press pbk. ed. 1998 ( 1963''1964, 1966, 1970''1976, 1985, 1991, & 1998) (ISBN 0-674-46885-6)), p. 138 (in unnumbered chap. "Our Revolution Is Unique": Excerpt from the President's Report to NOW, 1968, in pt. II, The Actions: Organizing the Women's Movement for Equality) ("the elimination of men [w]as proposed by that SCUM Manifesto!"). ^ Davis (2000), p. 147: men were to help eliminate each other, including by "rational murder." (emphasis in original) ^ Siegel (2007), p. 71: it "argued for men's collective annihilation." ^ Winkiel (1999), pp. 74 ("eliminat[ion] ... [of] the male sex") & 78 (except for "men in the Men's Auxiliary of SCUM") ^ Jansen (2011), p. 152 ^ a b Lyon (1991), p. 106 ^ Siegel (2007), p. 26 ^ Jansen (2011), p. 133 and see p. 155 ("visceral responses"). ^ a b Siegel (2007), p. 26, referring to "the stances taken by the likes of Solanas and The Weathermen". ^ Heller (2008), p. 163 (at its center, the manifesto is a "socialist-materialist critique", Heller suggests). ^ Echols (1989), p. 104 ^ a b c Winkiel (1999), p. 71 ^ Winkiel (1999), pp. 68''69 ^ Penner (2011), pp. 232''233 ^ Singleton, Knight & Wildin (1999), p. 639 ^ Jansen (2011), p. 147 and see p. 155. ^ Public Culture: Bulletin of the Project for Transnational Cultural Studies, vol. 8 (1995), p. 524. ^ Aaron, Charles (September 1996). "Rebel Girl". Spin Magazine, Vol. 12, No. 6, p. 86. ^ Mary Harron (March/April 1997). "S.C.U.M. Die Vernichtung". EMMA. Retrieved on November 29, 2011 ^ Winkiel (1999), p. 79 ^ Solanas (1968), p. 89 ^ Girodias, Maurice, Publisher's Preface (NY: 1968), in Solanas, Valerie, SCUM Manifesto (London: Olympia Press, 1971 (ISBN 0700410309)), p. xi. ^ Hoberman (2003), p. 48 ^ Marmorstein (1968), p. 9 ( " 'SCUM thing ' " interviewer Marmorstein's words (who also asked if it was " 'a put on ' ") & " 'Of course I'm serious. I'm dead serious ' " interviewee Solanas's words). ^ DeMonte, Alexandra (2010). "Feminism: Second-Wave". In Chapman, Roger (ed). Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, p. 178, ISBN 978-1-84972-713-6. ^ Marmorstein (1968), p. 10. See also Rich (1993), p. 16. ^ Greer (1971), p. 306 ^ Smith & Van der Horst (1977), p. 32 (words " 'the society ' " by interviewer S (Scenes) & other words by V (Valerie)) (microfilm). ^ Smith & Van der Horst (1977), p. 32 ^ Solanas, Valerie, "SCUM : High Gear" in The Village Voice (August 3, 1967), 31. ^ a b Ronell (2004), p. 6 ^ Quote: "an extremist tract calling for the establishment of a 'Society for Cutting Up Men.'" ^ Donovan, Josephine, Feminist Theory: The Intellectual Traditions (NY: Continuum, 3d ed. 2000 (ISBN 0-8264-1248-3)), p. 157 n. 7 ^ Morgan, Robin, ed., Sisterhood Is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings From the Women's Liberation Movement (N.Y.: Random House, 1st ed. 1970), p. 514. ^ a b Heller (2008), p. 152 ^ Susan Ware, Stacy Lorraine Braukman, et al. (2005). Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, p. 603, ISBN 978-0-674-01488-6. ^ Dexter (2007), pp. 210''211 ^ Solanas, Valerie, SCUM Manifesto (Valerie Solanas, 1967), pp. 16''17 (self-published) (Northwestern Univ. copy) (hyphen surrounded by spaces after "SCUM" so in original). ^ Goldwag, Arthur (May 15, 2012). "Intelligence Report Article Provokes Fury Among Men's Rights Activists". Hatewatch. Montgomery, Alab.: Southern Poverty Law Center . Retrieved 28 April 2013 . ^ Winkiel (1999), p. 73 ("the only act of violence to come as a direct result of the manifesto") and p. 79 (the Manifesto "result[ing] in one failed assassination"). ^ Smith, Howard (June 6, 1968). "The Shot That Shattered the Velvet Underground". Village Voice. ^ Harding (2010), p. 159 ^ Harding (2010), p. 160 ^ Winkiel (1999), pp. 66''67. See also Siegel (2007), p. 72 ^ a b Winkiel (1999), p. 67 ^ Winkiel (1999), p. 71 (point unsourced & unclear if so as to all of the movement or all use of her Manifesto). ^ Winkiel (1999), pp. 71''72 ^ a b Davis (2000), p. 147 and see pp. 147-148. ^ Davis (2000), p. 148 ^ Winkiel (1999), p. 78 and see p. 79 (the Manifesto "result[ing] in ... lesbian separatism"). ^ Siegel (2007), p. 72 ^ Biet, Christian; Olivier Neveux (2007). Une histoire du spectacle militant: th(C)tre et cin(C)ma militants 1966-1981 (in French). Entretemps. p. 294. ISBN 978-2-912877-63-5. ^ Fleckinger, H(C)l¨ne; Carou, Alain; Faucon, T(C)r(C)sa; Mc Nulty, Callisto; Noteris, ‰milie (2018). SCUM Manifesto : film, texts and archives about the 1976 staged reading of extracts from Valerie Solanas's SCUM Manifesto by Carole Roussopoulos and Delphine Seyrig. Paris: Naima Editions. ISBN 978-2-37440-100-3. ^ E. J. Feddes (2013). "The Venture Bros. '' 'Viva Los Muertos! ' ". Spunkybean . Retrieved 21 June 2013 . ^ Rosenberg, Tiina (December 2010). "Still Angry after All These Years, or Valerie Solanas under Your Skin" (PDF) . Theatre Journal. 62 (4): 529''534. ^ "Nick Cave's Bunny Novel No Soft Touch". CBC News. September 17, 2009 ^ https://genius.com/Manic-street-preachers-of-walking-abortion-lyrics ^ "S.C.U.M. - Whitechapel (2011)". Recent blog singles. New Music United. 2011 . Retrieved 27 November 2011 . ^ "Tract for Valerie Solanas". Archived from the original on July 26, 2006 . Retrieved August 5, 2006 . General bibliography Edit Castro, Ginette (1990). American Feminism: A Contemporary History . Translated by Elizabeth Loverde-Bagwell. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 0-8147-1448-X. (translated from Radioscopie du f(C)minisme am(C)ricain (Paris, France: Presses de la Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, 1984)Davis, Debra Diane (2000). Breaking up [at] Totality: a Rhetoric of Laughter. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0809322285. Dexter, Gary (2007). Why not Catch-21?: The Stories behind the Titles. London: Frances Lincoln. ISBN 978-0-7112-2796-5. Drake, Temple; Kerekes, David (2004). Headpress Guide to the Counterculture: A Sourcebook for Modern Readers. Manchester: Headpress. ISBN 1900486350. Echols, Alice (1983). "The new feminism of yin and yang". In Ann Barr Snitow; Christine Stansell; Sharon Thompson (eds.). Powers of Desire: The Politics of Sexuality . New York: Monthly Review Press. ISBN 0-85345-610-0. Echols, Alice (1989). Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America 1967''1975 . Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-1787-2. Fahs, Breanne (2014). Valerie Solanas. The Feminist Press. ISBN 978-1558618480. Faso, Frank; Lee, Henry (5 June 1968). "Actress defiant: 'I'm not sorry ' ". Daily News. 49 (297). New York. Fleckinger, H(C)l¨ne; Carou, Alain; Faucon, T(C)r(C)sa; Mc Nulty, Callisto; Noteris, ‰milie (2018). SCUM Manifesto : film, texts and archives about the 1976 staged reading of extracts from Valerie Solanas's SCUM Manifesto by Carole Roussopoulos and Delphine Seyrig. Paris: Naima Editions. ISBN 978-2-37440-100-3. Greer, Germaine (1971). The Female Eunuch. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Harding, James Martin (2010). "Forget Fame. Valerie Solanas, the Simplest Surrealist Act, and the (Re)Assertion of Avant-Garde Priorities". Cutting Performances: Collage Events, Feminist Artists, and the American Avant-Garde. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-11718-5. Heller, Dana (2008). "Shooting Solanas: radical feminist history and the technology of failure". In Victoria Hesford; Lisa Diedrich (eds.). Feminist Time against Nation Time: Gender, Politics, and the Nation-State in an Age of Permanent War. Lanham, MD: Lexington. ISBN 978-0-7391-1123-9. Hewitt, Nancy A. (2004). "Solanas, Valerie". In Susan Ware; Stacy Lorraine Braukman (eds.). Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press. ISBN 0-674-01488-X. Hoberman, J. (2003). The Magic Hour: Film at Fin de Si¨cle. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-996-3. Jansen, Sharon L. (2011). Reading Women's Worlds from Christine de Pizan to Doris Lessing: A Guide to Six Centuries of Women Writers Imagining Rooms of Their Own. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-11066-3. Lord, Catherine (2010). "Wonder Waif Meets Super Neuter". October. 132 (132): 135''163. doi:10.1162/octo.2010.132.1.135. S2CID 57566909. Lyon, Janet (1991). "Transforming manifestoes: a second-wave problematic". Yale Journal of Criticism. 5 (1): 101''127. Marmorstein, Robert (13 June 1968). "SCUM goddess: a winter memory of Valerie Solanis". The Village Voice: 9''20. Penner, James (2011). Pinks, Pansies, and Punks: The Rhetoric of Masculinity in American Literary Culture. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-22251-0. Purkis, Jon; Bowen, James (1997). Twenty-First Century Anarchism: Unorthodox Ideas for a New Millennium. London: Cassell. ISBN 978-0304337422. Rich, B. Ruby (1993). "Manifesto destiny: drawing a bead on Valerie Solanas". Voice Literary Supplement. New York, NY: The Village Voice. 119: 16''17. (review of Valerie Solanas' SCUM Manifesto)Ronell, Avitel (2004). "Deviant payback: the aims of Valerie Solanas". SCUM Manifesto. London: Verso. ISBN 1-85984-553-3. Siegel, Deborah (2007). Sisterhood, Interrupted: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-8204-9. Singleton, Carl; Knight, Jeffrey A.; Wildin, Rowena (1999). The Sixties in America . Pasadena, CA: Salem Press. ISBN 0-89356-982-8. Smith, Howard; Van der Horst, Brian (25 July 1977). "Scenes: Valerie Solanas interview". The Village Voice. XXII (30). Solanas, Valerie (1968). SCUM Manifesto. Olympia Press. Winkiel, Laura (1999). "The 'Sweet Assassin' and the Performative Politics of SCUM Manifesto". In Patricia Juliana Smith (ed.). The Queer Sixties. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-92168-8. External links Edit Smith, Donny, "Valerie Solanas: Bibliography" at the Wayback Machine (archived August 17, 2005)

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 18:05

''As in any negotiation, there's always a bit of give and take,'' says Frydenberg.

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The final law became a little bit softer for Facebook and Google in their negotiations with News Corp, the ABC, Seven West Media, Guardian Australia, Nine Entertainment Co (the owner of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age) and others.

Facebook ''has refriended Australia'', Frydenberg declared. ''Aussies 1, Facebook 0'', thundered Rupert Murdoch's New York Post. Yet not everyone saw this is as a triumph.

''Yesterday was a bad day for democracy,'' wrote Lord Rothermere, owner of UK tabloid The Daily Mail, in a letter to the Financial Times. ''Politicians should be very worried about events in Australia. Reporting news costs money; but for years Google and Facebook have plundered news content without paying for it, while at the same time extracting ever greater profits from advertising markets they dominate.''

''The platforms responded with blackmail. Google threatened to withdraw search in Australia; Facebook cancelled news. A nation was held to ransom '' and it surrendered. As long as the platforms persuade enough desperate news publishers to sign take-it-or-leave-it deals, there will now be no fair, independent arbitration. ''

Regardless of your view, the result is a global precedent. Other governments and companies will look at the Australian law as a case study in managing the US tech giants. It also serves as a reminder that media and politics are never far apart in Australia.

Seven was the first to announce a ''letter of intent'' with Facebook, which executive chairman Kerry Stokes described as ''a significant move for our business'' (Frydenberg was the best man at the wedding of Ryan Stokes '' Kerry's son '' to Queensland heiress Claire Campbell in 2016). Meanwhile, negotiations with Nine re-commenced almost immediately (Nine is chaired by former Liberal treasurer Peter Costello).

Zuckerberg could not ignore the Australian regime, particularly after he overplayed his hand last week. His decision to switch off news sharing across Australia, to the point where emergency services could not issue updates on the platform, prompted a global backlash.

''It was a brutal illustration of market power,'' says Frydenberg.

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The company had proven what Rod Sims, the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, had been saying all along. The blockade allowed Prime Minister Scott Morrison to push back with a warning '' posted on Facebook, of course '' about the company ''unfriending'' Australia.

Frydenberg was on the phone to Zuckerberg soon after the extraordinary move. The pair spoke for half an hour in the early evening of Friday, February 19, when the Facebook chief vented his frustration about the Australian law. His biggest grievance was with the power of an independent arbitrator to force outcomes on the company under the bargaining code.

That set the agenda for another round of government talks over the following weekend. Frydenberg and Morrison talked through the problems but Facebook's preferred option '' withdrawing the bill '' was never going to happen. The talks intensified over the next few days. Frydenberg spoke to Zuckerberg six times over Monday and Tuesday. At one point the Treasurer had to duck out of a cabinet meeting to take the call.

The Treasurer was also talking to Stokes, News Corp Australia boss Michael Miller, Costello and Nine's chief publishing and digital officer, Chris Janz, as well as Guardian Australia managing director Dan Stinton.

''We all knew we were negotiating the details of an agreement that had global ramifications,'' Frydenberg says. ''Let's face it, big tech doesn't like regulation. And it was clear neither Google nor Facebook wanted the code in the first place. But at the same time, they realised the Morrison government was not for turning. And we made a clear path for them to reach commercial deals.''

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The message to Facebook was that it could avoid the most draconian regulation if it moved fast to strike commercial agreements with publishers. That is what Sundar Pichai, the cricket-loving chief executive at Google, had done earlier this month when his company signed letters of intent with Seven, News, Guardian Australia and Nine.

At the same time the media companies kept talking to Google and Facebook. The conversations '' which took place predominantly on video platforms such as Google Meet and Bluejeans '' were frustrating and sporadic until the final amendments to the code were put in place.

Google's head of news, web and publishing products, Kate Beddoe, worked from her Singapore home trying to liaise between Silicon Valley and Australia. When Google got close to an agreement, Beddoe would loop in Google Australia's legal head, Shoshana Shields. There were other moments where 'Žstrategic partner development manager Tom Curtis would also join the talks. On one occasion after Google Australia boss Melanie Silva went on maternity leave, Caroline Rainsford (NZ managing director) joined one call with Nine. Her lack of expertise on the code meant it did not end well.

Google's managing director of global product partnerships, news, web and publishing, Tom Turvey, a more senior executive based in the US, joined one conversation after Kerry Stokes became involved.

There were two key players in the Facebook talks '' local head of news partnerships Andy Hunter and New York-based Ross Giesel, who is part of the ''deal'' team. Local managing director William Easton has also made an appearance on one or two calls. Behind the scenes were president of global partnerships Marne Levine and head of global news partnerships Campbell Brown.

At Nine, Janz, who cut a lucrative advertising deal with Google in 2017 for Fairfax Media, and his director of subscriptions and growth, David Eisman, led the talks and reported through to Costello. Eisman is a former consultant at Port Jackson Partners, the advisory firm that counts the ACCC's Sims as a former director.

Guardian Australia's Stinton handled the Google discussions but consulted regularly with his editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor. Guardian's global chief executive, Annette Thomas, and chief financial officer Keith Underwood were kept in the loop and signed off on Google's agreement.

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Seven put together a management team committee early last year and hired two consultants to help executives understand the amount of money they could demand from Google and Facebook. Charles River Associates, the consulting firm that advised Google in a Federal Trade Commission anti-trust investigation and submitted suggestions to the ACCC's code concepts paper, and Jason Ockerby from Competition Economists Group also assisted. Seven's original team was made up of chief executive James Warburton, commercial director Bruce McWilliam, chief digital officer Gereurd Roberts, head of news Craig McPherson, Seven West Media WA managing director Maryna Fewster, West Australian Newspapers editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie and head of regulatory and government affairs Justine McCarthy. But as Frydenberg began calling media companies and urging them to do deals, the broader group was narrowed to Roberts and Warburton with the help of McWilliam. It wasn't until the very end that Stokes got involved.

News Corp's negotiations were held out of the US.

According to media companies in the discussions, a lot of the early talks seemed disingenuous '' offers that could not be accepted and were made only to show the government it was co-operating. It wasn't until Frydenberg's amendments that most media companies said Google and Facebook had come to the table serious about making ''workable'' deals.

To allay Facebook's concerns, Frydenberg prepared an amendment to make it clear that an internet company's willingness to reach commercial agreements would be taken into account in any government decision to ''designate'' a platform and apply tougher regulation.

This raises a key question for the future. The law is in place but it only gains real teeth if and when Frydenberg signs a regulation that designates a company and subjects it to mandatory bargaining. That will be necessary only if publishers cannot get the commercial deals they want and if the ACCC backs their complaints.

'We all knew we were negotiating the details of an agreement that had global ramifications.'

Treasurer Josh FrydenbergWill Frydenberg ever take that step? Will he bring on another, bigger fight?

''Well, let's see. If we get commercial deals with the parties '' and we've made it very clear that it's important to put offers with the smaller players '' then that's a very good pathway forward,'' he says. ''There's now an imperative for these digital giants to strike commercial deals.''

The internet and media industries are not the only ones who will be watching. Government leaders and ministers will be, too. Morrison has already raised it with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau.

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With the deals done and the law passed, Frydenberg spoke on Thursday morning to Canadian deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland. It is fair to expect more international calls in the weeks ahead.

''With the support of the ACCC we held our ground right through the negotiations,'' Frydenberg says. ''And the net result is that Australian media businesses are now getting paid by the digital platforms for generating original content. If this was easy, other countries would have moved long ago. It is a very significant micro-economic reform where Australia is helping to lead the world.''

Start your day informedOur Morning Edition newsletter is a curated guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here, The Age's here, Brisbane Times' here, and WAtoday's here.

David Crowe is chief political correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Zoe Samios is a media and telecommunications reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

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Sat, 27 Feb 2021 15:48

Texas 'Deep Freeze': Urgent Climate Warning but Not How You Think By F. William Engdahl23 February 2021 Image: The Brazos Wind Farm, also known as the Green Mountain Energy Wind Farm, near Fluvanna, Texas. Note cattle grazing beneath the turbines. Author: Leaflet. License: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GreenMountainWindFarm_Fluvanna_2004.jpg

In the unfolding extreme winter tragedy in Texas as well as many other regions of the United States not prepared for severe winter weather, a notable point is that much of the vast windmill batteries across the state, supposed to generate 25% of the state electric power grid, have frozen and are largely useless. The recent severe winter weather across not only the continental USA but also large parts of the EU, and even the Middle East, warrants a closer look at a subject that has been too long ignored by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, as well as by a new group of academics known as Climate Scientists. That is, the influence of our sun on global climate.

Cold Climate Change

On February 14 a record Arctic cold front swept from Canada far south to the southernmost parts of Texas on the Mexican border. The immediate impact has been power outages for up to 15 million Texans who as of February 17 remained without heat and electricity, as almost half the wind units were frozen and inoperable from ice storms, many permanently. Texas over the past five years has doubled its share of wind generation to the grid in a rush to adopt a green energy profile. With some 25% of the state electric grid from wind sources, almost half that is out of commission, many permanently, from the storm.

Tyler, Texas, once known as the ''Rose Capital of America,'' saw temperatures of near -20 C. Gas processing plants across Texas are shutting as liquids freeze inside pipes further reducing power just as demand for heating fuel explodes. Heating fuel prices in Oklahoma jumped 4000% in two days and are rising. Wholesale prices for delivery in Texas are trading as much as $9000 per mega-watt hour. Two days before the storms price was $30. In a summer peak demand, a price of $100 is considered high.

Reduced gas supplies from Texas to Mexican power companies have led to blackouts in northern Mexico, with almost 5 million households and businesses left without power on February 15.

The Green Energy Fallacy

In addition US oil production, centered in Texas, has plunged by a third, and more than 20 Gulf Coast oil refineries are blocked as are grain barge shipments along the Mississippi River. Several analysts of the deregulated Texas grid model point out that had the state maintained a ''reliable emergency backup'' such as is possible with nuclear or coal power, the blackout could have been averted. Recently Texas has forced six coal power plants to close since 2018, owing to state rules that force power companies to take the subsidized wind and solar power, undercutting the cost of their own coal generation. It simply forced them to shut down functioning coal plants that generated 3.9 GW. Had those still been on line, sources say the blackouts could easily have been averted. Unlike current wind technology or solar, coal and nuclear plants can store up to a month or more capacity on site for power emergencies.

While in northern states like Minnesota where severe winters are common and prepared for, Texas has no such requirements for reserve capacity. For example, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission requires plants to have enough reserve capacity online to ensure the power stays on during extreme circumstances. Instead, Texas operates an ''energy-only'' market, where wholesale power prices are seen as an adequate incentive to bring more power plants online. The aim of the energy only model was to make intermittent wind and solar more profitable to increase their market share over conventional alternatives like coal or nuclear.

The state grid model forced Texas coal and nuclear plants to sell electricity at a loss on the market because they are unable to reduce their electricity output when high wind and solar output force prices into the red. Ultimately, it forced the unnecessary closing of the six coal plants, just what the green energy advocates wanted. The flaws in the model are glaring, as is the growing dependence on unreliable wind and solar options to get a dubious zero carbon footprint.

Grand Solar Minimum?

However there is a far more alarming lesson to come out of the Texas disaster. That states like Texas and countries across the globe are mandating trillions of dollars investment in Green Energy to create the UN 2030 goal of Net Zero Carbon by 2050, by turning to manifestly unreliable solar and wind to replace oil, gas and coal power, and even carbon-free nuclear power, is the opposite of what we need if solar cycle analysis is accurate. That flaw has roots in a several-decade campaign by the UN IPCC and political figures such as Al Gore and a lobby of scientists whose careers depend on ignoring the greatest factor affecting Earth Climate and climate change, one which is definitely real'--solar cycles.

Unlike the computer models of the climate scientists which project a linear rise in Earth temperature as ''manmade'' emissions of CO2 rise, the unproven ''Greenhouse Effect,'' Earth temperature and climate changes are non-linear. They have been proven, going back several thousand years, to be cyclical. And CO2 emissions to not drive the cycles. If this is so, we as a human species could well be implementing policies which will leave great parts of our world totally unprepared and vulnerable to far worse and more prolonged climate changes than the recent disaster in Texas.

According to the US NASA, the planet just entered into a new solar cycle. They predict that the current 11 year solar cycle, known as Cycle 25, which began in 2020, ''will be the weakest of the last 200 years.'' If so that would put it in the time of what is known as the Dalton Minimum which went roughly from 1790 to 1830.

Sunspots or dark spots on the sun surface that are usually accompanied by huge magnetic energy flares out of the sun, have been measured daily since the process was begun at a Zurich, Switzerland observatory in 1749. It was noted that the number of sunspots or solar activity rose and fell in roughly 11 year cycles. Recent research has also identified more complex longer cycles of around 200 years period, and 370-400 years. Solar physicists have numbered the 11 year cycles beginning from 1749, giving us from mid-2020 the onset of Solar Cycle 25.

In 2018 a group of solar physicists and mathematicians led by Prof. Valentina Zharkova at Northumbria University in the UK, developed a complex model based on the observed role of the solar background magnetic field in defining solar activity. They could predict that the next Solar Minimum which began in 2020, would approximate the most extreme recent period of solar minimum, the so-called Maunder Minimum, which went from 1645 to 1710. That was termed a Grand Solar Minimum, a prolonged period of extremely low solar activity, and began about 370 years ago.

Zharkova's group has linked the present minima to a drastic falloff in the sun's internal magnetic field, a roughly 70% downswing in magnetic field intensity from its average value, arising from regular variations in behavior of the very hot plasma powering our sun. In other words we could be at the early phase of drastic changes in Earth climate lasting several decades. Zharkova's research predicts that this Grand Solar Minimum period started in 2020, and expects it to last until about 2053.

During the Maunder Minimum volcanic eruptions sending tons of ash high into the atmosphere created dense grey clouds that further blocked solar radiation. Volcanic activity and solar minimum phases are well correlated, believed to come from intensified penetration of cosmic rays on the Earth atmosphere that force greater eruptions.

During the Maunder Minimum, known in the Northern Hemisphere as the ''Little Ice Age,'' the temperatures across much of the northern hemisphere plunged. According to Zharkova this likely occurred because the total solar irradiance was greatly reduced, leading to severe winters.

A far milder Grand Solar Minimum, called the Dalton Minimum, from about 1790 to 1830, while less extreme than the Maunder period, led to a series of huge volcanic eruptions between 1812-1815 culminating on the record eruption in Indonesia of Mount Tambora, the world's largest volcanic eruption during historic times. It in turn created so much cloud density from ash that 1816 was known in Europe as The Year Without a Summer.

The cold temperatures saw snow in New York in summer of 1816. Crops across North America and Europe failed in what has been called, ''the last great subsistence crisis in the Western world.'' In China in 1816 there was a massive famine. Floods destroyed crops. The monsoon season was disrupted, resulting in overwhelming floods in the Yangtze Valley. In India, the delayed summer monsoon caused late torrential rains that aggravated the spread of cholera from a region near the Ganges in Bengal to as far as Moscow.

Volcanic eruptions are in a recent uptick since eruption of two huge volcanoes in November 2020 in Indonesia at Lewotolo and Semeru, as the present Grand Solar Minimum began, tied to the solar-related drop in the magnetosphere, and the stronger influx of solar cosmic radiation penetrating silica-rich magma of the volcanoes.

As Sacha Dobler author of Solar Behavior notes, ''As far as temperature is concerned, what is crucial is not the energy that leaves the sun, but how much of this energy is blocked by clouds and how much reaches the Earth's surface, and how much is reflected back into space by ice and snow.'' Higher cosmic ray penetration of the atmosphere during solar minima adds to cloud nucleation as do volcanic eruptions. Dobler adds, ''In a Grand Solar Minimum, cosmic rays trigger larger flash floods, hailstorms and '' due to jet stream disturbance and mixing of atmospheric layers '' local long-duration precipitation events'... Due to the shifting jet streams and changing wind patterns, singular heat waves and more wild fires are expected.'' In short we can expect unstable, irregular weather events over the coming decade to three decades if solar physicists such as Zharkova are right.

Changing Jet Stream

A significant effect of a major or Grand Solar Minimum we are now entering is changes in the position of our Jet Stream. In periods of high solar activity the jet stream forms a relatively stable belt around the Northern Hemisphere on the level of southern Canada and Siberia, keeping severe winter cold contained. In solar minima such as now, the Jet Stream, instead of forming a stable ring, becomes highly irregular or wavy. That is what allowed the unprecedented Arctic cold as far south as Texas. This irregular and weak Jet Stream allows severe cold and snowfall in some areas and unusual warm pockets in places like Siberia, as well as unusually warm and dry or wet periods. As we advance deeper into the present Grand Solar Minimum by 2030 or so, physicists expect this ''extreme'' weather change to intensify.

The sun is by orders of magnitude the most influential force affecting Earth climate and its climate changes. Unfortunately for mankind the prevailing group of climate scientists endorsing the narrow untested CO2 manmade global warming hypothesis do not model any effect of changing solar radiation on our climate. The IPCC dismisses the sun as an irrelevant factor, something that is proving extremely dangerous.

Could it be that the Powers That Be behind the likes of Bill Gates or Klaus Schwab know well the coming solar minimum and the fact that this one is likely to be as bad or worse than the 1790-1830 Dalton Minimum? Does this explain their selection of the period 2030 to 2050 in the target for UN Agenda 2030? If the world is spending trillions and diverting precious resources to prepare for ''zero carbon,'' while the worst solar effects of the past 200 years or more unfold in events such as Texas and other parts of the world experience, it would be a diabolical way to accelerate their population reduction agenda as the world is caught unprepared for severe crop failure and mass famine.

F. William Engdahl is strategic risk consultant and lecturer, he holds a degree in politics from Princeton University and is a best-selling author on oil and geopolitics, exclusively for the online magazine''New Eastern Outlook''

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Source: Helena

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 06:13

While reports have surfaced of John Kerry's meetings with Iran officials, and Biden wanting diplomatic relations to be restructured, the US attack on Syria comes with some very questionable facts:

Despite Trump's withdrawal of troops in Iraq, NATO forces state that they will increase their presence from 500 personnel to 4000.A dozen rockets hit coalition forces outside of Kurdish controlled Erbil International Airport. A contractor was killed and nine others were wounded (although the original report claimed 5 and no names have been released). It is speculated the contractor killed was from South Africa.The US defense company, Sallyport, has its headquarters within the airbase providing services to Iraq's f-16 program.Four rockets struck an airbase outside of Balad, north of Baghdad.The attack in Iraq occurred on February 20th by a Shia militant group called, Saraya Awliya al-Dam. In response, US military forces conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria.The strikes destroyed multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups, including Kait'ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kait'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS).Seventeen people were killed, according to the Soros organization, Human Rights Watch. The attack was not approved by Congress '' instead it was initiated via another Biden EO. Congress has stated that Biden's EO authorizing the strikes was ''unconstitutional'.And despite the newly appointed Secretary of Defense, Austin's comments, the Iraqi Ministry denies that they exchanged intelligence before the US bombings in Syria. General Austin's resume , despite his rank, is relatively absent of typical military commands.Kait'ib Hezbollah has claimed the attacks violate International Law and the sovereignty of Iraq.Regional experts claim Saraya Awliya al-Dam was NOT working with Hezbollah or any other pro-Iranian militia. And there is no evidence that they did other than a statement from US officials.Syria claims the US attacks came as Syria and Iraqi militia groups were engaged in anti-Isis operations.NATO has released no statement regarding the attacks other than the reaffirmation of an increased presence in Iraq for the 4,000 troops and the assertion that NATO will do nothing without the approval of the Iraqi government.

AND AS USUAL '' SOMETHING SEEMS AMISS:

On February 17th, Iranian President Rouhanni announced that Iran was ready to hold talks with the UN chief claiming they had no intention of stopping their collaborative work with the IAEA and inspections.

The contractor hired to maintain security for the Iraqi F-16's is Sallyport. KS International, LLC states that Sallyport operates as a subsidiary under their umbrella. And Michael Baker International LLC, located in Lakewood, Colorado, claims KS International, Kaseman, Michael Baker Corporation and Sallyport are subsidiaries under their umbrella. KS Website no longer exists, and Sallypoint never had a website.

Their LinkedIn profile claims their clients include: DoD, Department of State, USAID, UN, World Bank and 'others'. KS International LinkedIn of 'people' indicates special ops mercenaries.

Michael Baker International LLC claims 'more than' $1.3 billion in annual revenue.

In 2017 Sallyport came under scrutiny when internal investigators and staff revealed that while in Iraq securing the F-16's, the company was a) involved in human trafficking for prostitution, b) smuggling high volumes of alcohol onto base with planes weighted so heavily one seesawed on the tarmac when landing c) security officials 'allowed' militia to steal generators on a flatbed truck, d) theft of an armoured SUV and a 60' crane, and e) maintaining two separate set of books. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sallyport-global-contractor-alcohol-theft-sex-trafficking=iraq=balad=ap/

The investigators and whistleblowers were immediately fired.

The investigations were all shutdown and Sallyport apparently continued its lucrative contract with the DoD.

The ONLY support that substantiates the claim that Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks '' comes from US 'officials' unnamed. The story regarding the attack would seem to be a circular fed initially to AP and then picked up verbatim by other MSM outlets.

It seems a bit odd that right as Iran is working in collaboration with the UN and IAEA, they would authorize an unknown militia group to attack Iraqi Kurds and a US facility charged with protecting Iraqi F-16s. And given Sallyport has no viable website confirming the attack on them is not available.

In December, 2020 this report was released:

''Iraq's F-16 fleet is no longer flying missions as part of the international coalition against the so-called Islamic State (IS) group, according to two Iraqi officials and two coalition spokespersons '-- a consequence of the mismanagement and alleged corruption that continues to plague the program.

Iraq Oil Report previously reported that severe problems at Balad Airbase had crippled the F-16 fleet. By quietly dropping the Iraqi F-16s from its air tasking order, the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh has effectively codified its assessment that the multi-billion-dollar program is no longer fit for combat.''

Did the US destroy an already defunct and worthless airbase after spending $1.5 billion for security alone? Did the US create a false Iran bully to justify the destruction of an airbase? Was that airbase again mired in trafficking, prostitution and glaring sale of military property for profit? Did the preponderance of irregularities need to be quashed?

Illusions are the forte of our CIA, our FBI, our military, in conjunction with bought and paid for media to support that fakery.

What do you think?

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Archived Version

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 05:59

 

That honkie Biden said us Niggers have our place,and then he told me to fry up some Aunt Jemima ho cakes as he bombed Syria!

As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.

It has been an interesting week for Pedo Joe Biden, in democrats in Congress do not want Joe Biden having the nuclear launch codes as Kamala Harris has been Obama leaking videos of brain dead Joe to the media in moving for the 25th Amendment.

Pedo Joe and his Pentagon though apparently are getting worried that foreigner Kamala Harris might not give them the wars which Biden promised them if they helped install his election steal, because the White House Staff and the Pentagon, did not inform Kamala of Pedo Joe bombing Syria.

This is quite a large anal fissure in the Harris Biden rectum, as the White House has been promoting Harris as the Defacto Prez in taking over in making contacts with foreign leaders, but now no one called up Kamala and told her that her terrorist friends were about to be blown up in Syria.

Kamala Harris was not informed prior to the Syrian bombing and is very upset about being left out of the loop, per WH official

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 26, 2021

This only projection out of this is, that Obama's Kamala can not be trusted, and Joe Biden agreed to the isolation of Harris in not being kept in the loop. If you want a forensic analysis of this, this blog told you that Biden's regime will be run as little fiefdoms, as Biden is too incapacitated to run the show. That means everyone from the Chief of Staff to the Joint Chiefs gets to be President without any oversight. There is a rift already in the Chief of Staff, Pentagon and Intelligence communities with Kamala Harris. She is apparently acting as acting President and they do not like their turf being wet upon by her.They have poisoned the well against the first female Vice President, worse than the Bush41 mob did in ruining Dan Quayle.

This is a JOEPARDY moment, as everyone knows that Biden is about one stutter for fall away from the 25th in which Kamala will take over illegally as a foreigner. These people just made an enemy of Harris, the way Kennedy's people did Lyndon Johnson. She will not forget this and now they will have to prop up Joe Biden even more which is impossible as everyone knows Biden is shit for brains.

What this means is the Chief of Staff has engineered a coup against Kamala, meaning there has to be a majority of Cabinet officers voting with Kamala to unseat Biden. It appears that Joe Biden can be staggering around naked, trying to use cell phone as a suppository and the cabinet will protect their fiefdoms.

Kamala Harris is now the enemy of Bidencon and they are not going to let her be President. I would not be surprised if they put Biden on life support and just claimed he was still alive to keep the ruse going. I will not reveal something which inquiry indicated was trending, but that strange detail in the current of thought would match something which was trending. I will say that Obama thought he stole the election for Kamala Harris, but Biden apparently has his own agenda with the 1% in who he expects to be heir.

Watch Harris over the next weeks in where she appears or if she is cut out. We all saw the coup against Biden, but there is a coup against Kamala Harris.

This will be most interesting to watch this internal war in the White House as the factions are moving against each other. Biden promised those wars to the intelligence community and the Pentagon.........and they did get rid of Donald Trump, so what kind of chance does Kamala Harris have against that.

agtG

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Archived Version

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 20:31

"Vistra management preliminarily estimates the one-time adverse impact will be in the range of $900 million to [$1.3 billion],'' the company stated in its 8-K filing.

DALLAS '-- Vistra Corporation, an Irving-based company that owns and operates power plants across Texas, said it will likely lose more than $900 million after deadly winter storms kept it from operating some of its facilities last week because of a shortage of natural gas.

''While the financial impacts of Winter Storm Uri to Vistra are not yet finalized, Vistra management preliminarily estimates the one-time adverse impact will be in the range of $900 million to [$1.3 billion],'' the company stated in its 8-K filing on Friday morning. ''The final amount of the estimated loss is subject to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, outstanding pricing, load, and settlement data from ERCOT, potential state corrective action, or the outcome of potential litigation arising from this event.''

Curt Morgan, the Vistra CEO, participated in the investor call on Friday morning from Austin where he voluntarily agreed to testify before state lawmakers probing how to respond to the deadly outages.

''I would like to start out with the elephant in the room,'' Morgan said. ''I'm disappointed and it hurts but it is what it is.''

Vistra Energy could not operate some of its facilities at full capacity because of the shortage of natural gas that is needed to fuel the plants. It was then forced to purchase power on the wholesale market at exorbitant prices.

"I don't care whether we make money at the end of this. And I still don't care."

"There's no winner in this. None whatsoever," Morgan said in testimony to the legislature on Thursday. "We put everything we could on the grid."

Still, Vistra performed far better than some of its competitors during the statewide power outages. The company usually has an 18% market share of the generation capacity in ERCOT, but Morgan said ''we estimate we produced 25-30% of the power on the grid during the period Monday-Friday. Our singular focus was putting electrons on the grid, often at the expense of making money.''

During Thursday's testimony to a Texas House Joint Committee, Morgan warned of the negative financial outcome testifying that his company will have to eat millions in losses from wild market swings during the power outages, "We're the guy sitting in the middle getting it on both ends.''

Despite the loss, Morgan said he would not cut $5 million that the company set aside to help customers.

''We're about helping people not just about making money. We do care about that, but we have a bunch of people down here that are in need. This became a survival game,'' he told investors on Friday morning. ''We take that seriously.''

On Thursday, Morgan testified that Vistra warned ERCOT that a shortage of natural gas could force some power plants offline. In addition, Morgan said that four days before the storm, Vistra also contacted the governor's office to express concern, each of the Public Utility Commissioners, and the Texas Railroad Commission, which has oversight of pipelines.

Houston-based NRG Energy announces its earnings on Monday morning.

Watch Thursday's hearings:

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Archived Version

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 16:40

''It's a joy to all of us,'' says Akosua ''Nana'' Poku, a Kaiser Permanente nurse vaccinating people in Northern Virginia.

''I don't think I've ever had an experience in my career that has felt so promising and so fulfilling,'' says Christina O'Connell, a clinic director at the University of New Mexico.

''There's so many tears'' '-- of joy, not sadness '-- ''that it's almost normal at this point,'' says Justin Ellis, CVS pharmacist in Laveen, Ariz.

For health-care workers, the opportunity to administer the vaccine has become its own reward: Giving hope to others has given them hope, too. In some clinics, so many nurses have volunteered for vaccine duty that they can't accommodate them all.

Many of those same health-care workers spent last year sticking swabs up the noses of people who thought they might have the coronavirus. The work was risky. The patients were scared. There was never relief, just limbo. The arrival of The Shot has transformed the grim pop-up clinics of the pandemic into gratitude factories '-- reassembly lines where Americans could begin to put back together their busted psyches.

''I will never forget the face of the first person I vaccinated,'' says Ebram Botros, a CVS pharmacy manager in Whitehall, Ohio. It was an 80-year-old man who said that he hadn't seen his children or grandchildren since March.

Botros's pharmacy is in a diverse community outside Columbus. As an African American who immigrated to the United States from Egypt, Botros feels a special responsibility to reassure Black patients who may be ­vaccine-averse from a historical legacy of medical abuse. One 89-year-old Black woman told Botros she had never gotten a shot before in her life .

''I explained to her: 'This is very important. It's painless, and it's going to help you have your life back to normal,''‰'' he says. Her grandson later reached out to Botros to thank him personally '-- and told him that the woman called all of her friends and urged them to get their shots, too.

Some non-priority District residents are receiving coronavirus vaccines just before they are set to expire. (Allie Caren/The Washington Post)Corie Robinson, a Kaiser nurse in D.C., has been vaccinating a younger crowd of firefighters, police officers and fellow medical professionals, as well as the elderly. She was selected to give the ceremonial first vaccinations on camera at a Dec. 17 news conference.

''The lights were a little nerve-racking,'' she says, but ''it was nice to vaccinate my friends.'' Now, sometimes people request her as their vaccinator because they saw her on the news.

The positivity has buoyed her spirits.

''You can see their smiles through their masks,'' she says of her patients. One elderly man sang while he got his shot. Others request pamphlets about the vaccine because they want to put them in time capsules. One man told Robinson he was making history twice '-- he had been among the first children in America to receive the polio vaccine.

''I say quite often, this is probably the most important thing I'll ever do in my career,'' Robinson says. ''Sometimes it's a little overwhelming because you're like, 'Wow, I'm the keeper.''‰''

Patients pulling up to Lindsey Campbell's vaccine station are sometimes surprised to see that their shot will be administered by a woman in Army camo.

''I've definitely got a couple of, like, 'Are you qualified to do this?' kind of questions,'' says Campbell, a staff sergeant with the Maryland National Guard. One man ''asked me what my normal Army job is. And I said, 'Oh, no, I'm a medic.' He's like, 'Oh, I thought you were a cook.' ''

Casual sexism aside, Campbell has enjoyed being a vaccinator. She loves it when veterans come through her line. The greatest honor, she says, was vaccinating a 103-year-old man who served in the South Pacific in World War II.

Though there are heaters, the toughest thing about working outdoors is maintaining dexterity in her hands.

''If I felt like my fingers were too cold, I would '-- I know it's a big no-no for our uniforms, but I would stick my hands in my pockets,'' she says.

One site where Campbell has been vaccinating people is the parking lot of Six Flags America, with roller coasters in full view of the patients. ''That was the first thing that the soldiers were joking about,'' Campbell says. '''‰'Do we get season passes? Can we go there after work?''‰''

At the University of New Mexico's basketball arena, O'Connell, clinic director at University of New Mexico Health, has been sinking shots '-- into muscle tissue. Sometimes there's entertainment for the patients: The team practices while people get vaccinated on the concourse level. Check-in attendants greet people arriving at the arena (known affectionately as ''The Pit'') for appointments with pompoms and cheers.

''Patients just love it,'' O'Connell says. ''I mean, people miss coming here. This is a big deal in Albuquerque.''

O'Connell recalls vaccinating a man who lost his mother to covid-19 the night before and still showed up for his appointment, which made all the nurses cry. She also remembers a husband and wife who showed up in matching homemade vaccine T-shirts '-- crossed syringes and the phrase ''Two and done'' '-- to get their final doses.

Once they were done, ''this couple was like, 'Okay, we're going to go have a margarita now,''‰'' she says.

Everybody cheered. Swish.

When Gladis Castro checks in for her 6:30 a.m. vaccination shift at Dodger Stadium, one of the biggest distribution sites in the country, she begins to fill her cart with supplies '-- alcohol, gauze, a sharps container and coolers of vaccine. Then she and a small team wheel it out to their spot in the parking lot, and a long line of cars begins to wind its way toward her '-- their occupants' windows rolled down and sleeves rolled up.

Administering the vaccine through a car window is ''a little tricky sometimes, especially when you have these tiny little old ladies,'' Castro says. The interactions are often cordial '-- she often strikes up conversation with patients about their tattoos '-- but necessarily brief. The goal is volume.

''I think I've done 480-something'' shots in a single day, she says. ''I've lost count.''

When people get emotional, ''you do want to be the one to comfort them. But you also have a little time crunch,'' Castro says. ''You need to go to the next car.''

When Ellis, the CVS pharmacy manager in Arizona, administers vaccine, he's the one on wheels. Ellis brings needles and vials stored in dry ice to assisted-living and nursing homes in the Phoenix area in his roving vaccination clinic.

He also brings the party.

''I crank up the music and we kind of jam,'' he says. ''Their spirits are high. So it's very exciting for me to see 70-, 80-year-old, 90-year-old people just really living their best life.''

Ellis says he has vaccinated at least nine people who are older than 100. They tell them all about their grandchildren. Sometimes, he even helps set up a FaceTime connection so the family can witness the jab.

These ersatz social events are awash in positive vibes, but they also make deprivations of the past year stark. Ellis sees the toll that isolation and loneliness have taken on the elderly residents.

''A lot of them, they haven't been outside for a while,'' he says.

Poku, the Northern Virginia nurse, says that ''the emotional time is when I see a husband and a wife receive the vaccine together at the same time, and they're grandparents, and they're just so excited to see their grandchildren.'' They ask her to take photos, and sometimes to be in the photo, too. ''I guess I'm making history with them.''

Perhaps the only thing better than administering the vaccine to strangers, of course, would be vaccinating friends and family.

Castro's parents and loved ones are still waiting for theirs. She says friends have asked her to help them jump the line and she has to decline.

''It gets a little challenging,'' Castro says, ''having to tell your close ones, like, 'I'm sorry, like, you have to wait.''Š''

Sometimes, though, a government vaccination plan aligns with a higher design. When Brady Stephens was given the list of Arizona nursing homes where he would be vaccinating residents, one name stood out: Friendship Village, where his wife's grandmother, Pat, lives.

Stephens, a CVS pharmacist in Tempe, kept it a surprise until the day Pat was scheduled to receive her first dose. When he spilled the news, he wasn't sure who was more excited, Pat or his wife.

''It was just a waterfall of different emotions'' for the entire family, he says. ''Mainly tears of happiness.''

Vaccinating Pat clarified something Stephens already knew: Every person he vaccinates is someone else's Pat.

''All of these residents that we're interacting with have at least one loved one or friend or family member that is going to be going through those same emotions,'' he says. ''It's very, very humbling.''

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Archived Version

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 16:39

HomeNewsMobile Phones(Image credit: BigTunaOnline / Shutterstock)Google is adding a 'Follow' button to Chrome, which will let you keep up with website updates at a glance.

It's almost eight years since Google killed off its RSS reader, Google Reader, and although some 500,000 users switched to Feedly, there are few equivalent replacements.

That might all be about to change, though. A new 'Follow' button in the latest Canary build for Android shows that Google may have listened to upset former users of Reader and could be bringing some of its functionality directly to Chrome.

How to use Chrome dark modeChrome is getting an amazing new article management featureChrome could soon run a lot better on WindowsGoogle Reader was popular with anyone who liked to be notified as soon as a website or blog added new content, and made it easy to save articles to read later. Google is experimenting with a Read Later feature in Chrome to make it easier to save things to refer back to, and the 'Follow' function looks as though it will keep you up to date.

In the latest Canary build of Chrome for Android, a 'Follow' overlay appears on sites that support the feature, and it can also be accessed through the app's settings menu. At this stage, it's not clear exactly how the function will be implemented, but it appears as though Google is going to give you the option of subscribing to sites and being notified of page updates.

Read all about itSadly, the 'Follow' button isn't functional at the moment, so it's only possibly to guess at precisely how it will work, but it's reasonable to think that the feature will give you a handy way to keep informed about the latest updates to sites through the new overlay so you can be sure that you don't miss out on any new content.

As this is an unannounced feature, it is hard to say exactly when '' or, indeed, if '' it will be launched, but the Canary build of Chrome is the best way to get to use the Follow button as soon as it is made available.

You can download this from Google Play, and the app will sit happily alongside whatever browser you usually use, even if this is the regular version of Chrome.

Check out our guide to the best browsers availableVia Android Police

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Archived Version

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 16:38

Climate Fwd:

What happened in Texas is a warning for the rest of America

Feb. 24, 2021

We're also covering the political battle over President Biden's nominee to lead the Interior Department, and possible increases in insurance rates for some Americans.

Image Highway traffic at a standstill in Killeen, Texas, on Thursday. Credit... Joe Raedle/Getty Images When extreme weather knocked out power and water in Texas last week, it represented a profound warning for the rest of the country: The nation's vital infrastructure remains fundamentally unprepared for the shocks of climate change.

The problem isn't just underinvestment, experts said, but the assumption that it's good enough to design and build infrastructure to meet the environmental conditions of the past. Climate change is upending that assumption.

What's at stake: Everything that underpins modern life, including roads and railways, dams, drinking water and sewer systems, power plants, industrial waste sites and even our homes.

Quotable: ''A lot of our infrastructure systems have a tipping point,'' said Jennifer M. Jacobs, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire. ''And the tipping point could be an inch.''

These charts show how power generation failed in Texas during the storm.

Did wind farms make the problems in Texas worse? In a word: No.

Why did weather in much of the United States seem to go wild, anyway?

Image Representative Deb Haaland, President Biden's nominee for interior secretary, opposes oil and gas exploration on public lands. Credit... Elizabeth Frantz for The New York Times Biden's Pick for Interior Dept. Embodies Partisan ChasmPresident Biden's choice for interior secretary, Representative Deb Haaland, faces confirmation hearings this week. She took questions on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and appeared before senators again on Wednesday.

No other Biden nominee to head a cabinet department has divided the political parties as sharply.

To her supporters, she embodies the hope of the Biden era, an activist second-term representative who, as a Native American, would break ground like no other member of the cabinet. Her detractors have zeroed in on her activism, especially her forthright denunciations of oil and gas exploration on public land. '-- Coral Davenport

A first for a Native American: If confirmed, Ms. Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, one of 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States, would be the first American Indian to lead a cabinet department.

Why it matters: Ms. Haaland would head a department that, for much of the nation's history, has mistreated and neglected Native Americans.

The new administration is shifting the language of government and ''climate change'' is back in the White House vocabulary.

John Kerry, President Biden's global climate envoy, likened global inaction to a 'suicide pact' at the United Nations this week. The speech also marked a sharp change of tone.

Image Flooding from snowmelt and heavy rain in Bellevue, Neb., in March 2019. Credit... Hilary Swift for The New York Times Your insurance costs may be going up, soonFederal flood insurance premiums will have to quadruple for high-risk homes to meet the risks they already face, according to data issued this week by a group of academics and experts. And that's just the beginning: Climate change will require a sevenfold increase by 2050, they estimated.

The new data could point to big jumps in flood insurance costs this year.

That's a challenge for President Biden, who has promised to pursue a climate agenda guided by science and data but has also said he's focused on addressing the economic concerns of middle-class households. '-- Christopher Flavelle

The bigger problem: Climate experts say higher costs are necessary to keep the flood program solvent, and also warn home buyers and local officials about the flood risks they face.

What to watch: New premiums, set to be announced on April 1, will indicate whether the Biden administration thinks flood-insurance reform is a battle worth fighting.

Also important this week:New books: Our colleagues in the NYT Books Section have reviewed ''How Beautiful We Were'' by Imbolo Mbue, a story about how people respond to environmental destruction, and ''Animal, Vegetable, Junk'' by Mark Bittman, a deep look at humanity's relationship to food.

Video: The United States has formally rejoined the Paris climate agreement.

Arctic drilling: A missed deadline linked to a seismic survey means work to locate oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is effectively killed.

Corporate promises: Many big businesses have not set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Others have weak goals.

Financial risks: A top Federal Reserve official says climate scenario analysis could be valuable in making sure that banks mind their climate-tied weak spots.

And finally, we recommend: When There's No Heat: 'You Need Wood, You Get Wood'

Image High-piled logs at the Waldo County Woodshed, a wood bank in Searsmont, Maine.Community wood banks, like food banks, help people in need who might have to choose between ''heating or eating,'' as volunteers put it.

They also put to use a growing supply of wood felled by climate change '-- from trees killed by extreme weather and those killed by pests, both invasive species and native populations no longer constrained by the long deep freezes of another era.

''Lots of people are on the edge of poverty and cannot afford unexpected events: a tree falls on your house or the power is out and your pipes freeze,'' said Jessica Leahy, a professor at the University of Maine's School of Forest Resources. ''Heating their homes becomes one of those things that is especially hard to cover.'' '-- Marguerite Holloway

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