1355: Stilts and Steroids

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 02:38

One of two suspects in a mass shooting that injured 14 people in Austin, Texas, has been apprehended, but the local newspaper is continuing to withhold the alleged shooter's description to avoid ''perpetuating stereotypes.''

Austin police offered no details on the arrest, other than saying that it was done with the help of a US Marshals task force. Mention of the arrest was tacked on to an earlier statement regarding the Saturday morning shooting, which described the alleged shooter. It's not clear whether that description applies to the man who was arrested or to the suspect who remained at large as of Saturday evening.

Also on rt.com At least 13 injured in mass-shooting incident in Austin, Texas (VIDEO) But the description included several details that set the suspect's appearance apart from the vast majority of Austin's population '' potentially a safety benefit for local residents. Police clearly considered it worth telling the public, saying one of the suspects was a ''black male with dreadlocks, wearing a black shirt and a skinny build.''

Many social media users said the media outlet was putting its political agenda ahead of public safety. ''They are literally putting people's lives at risk just to be politically correct,'' one commenter said. ''I bet if their children were in that area, they would tell them to stay away from anyone matching the description.''

''This does appear to be an isolated incident between two parties,'' Austin Police Department Interim Chief Joseph Chacon said. ''Most of the victims were innocent bystanders.''

Even without a police description, the editor's note allowed Twitter users to narrow down the suspect's appearance. ''When you know the shooter is definitely not white,'' podcast host Scott Greer quipped.

Other media outlets, such as CNN, also excluded the shooter's description from their coverage, but unlike the American-Statesman, they didn't explain the omission to their audiences.

Texas state Representative Jared Patterson, a Republican, said the American-Statesman editor who decided to hide the shooter's description should be ''fired on the spot.'' He added, ''Police have released a description. Get it out to the public.''

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 02:35

Published June 12, 2021

Last Update 4 hrs ago

Two victims are in critical condition, while the other 12 are stableLaw enforcement officials in Austin arrested one suspect in the mass shooting that took place in the Texas city's entertainment district early Saturday morning and injured at least 14 people.

A second suspect is still at large, the Austin Police Department confirmed Saturday afternoon.

Two of the victims are in critical condition, while the other 12 are stable, interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said, adding that almost all of them were innocent bystanders.

Gunfire erupted around 1:30 a.m. on 6th Street, a popular strip of bars and restaurants where thousands of people gather every weekend.

"There was a large crowd of people that were there at that time," Chacon said. "It is always busy at that time. We are back to our normal size crowds that we were seeing before COVID hit."

SHOTS FIRED AT TEXAS AIR FORCE BASE NEAR TRAINEES PROMPTS LOCKDOWN

Police officers were on the block and able to respond to the shooting within seconds, immediately starting life-saving measures such as applying tourniquets and other first aid.

"We had 14 people that were shot, and none of them to this point have lost their life," Chacon said. "I truly believe that it was our officers' quick actions that are largely responsible for that."

Police transported six of the victims to a local hospital, while EMS transported four and the other four went to the hospital themselves.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler said Saturday that the "uptick in gun violence locally is part of a disturbing rise in gun violence across the country as we exit the pandemic."

"APD and the City Council have initiated multiple violence prevention efforts in response- but this crisis requires a broader, coordinated response from all levels of government," Adler tweeted. "One thing is clear - greater access to firearms does not equal greater public safety."

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Chacon also lamented staffing shortages at the Austin Police Department, saying that the Texas Department of Public Safety has agreed to send officers to help with security Saturday night.

"It is making it hard to staff at these levels even if we offer overtime to our officers," Chacon said.

Anyone with information about the shooting should call 911 or APD's tip line at (512) 472-TIPS.

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.

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Source: Mises Wire

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 02:58

This spring Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes asked Fed chair Jerome Powell, ''And you believe the system, because of the oversight of the Fed, has the wherewithal to stand a significant shock to the markets?''

After pointing out that the markets survived a 25 percent drop in GDP and the loss of 30 million jobs last covid spring, Powell admitted that ''some parts of the financial system had to be bailed out again. These were really, though, nonbank places like money market funds and things like that, where we had to step in again and provide liquidity.''

Money market funds (MMF) are what most investors consider cash. How could anything go wrong with cash? One wonders why the Fed would be forced to provide liquidity to shore up liquidity.

Truth be known, it's not cash and not all that liquid. Money market funds, according to Investopia.com, are ''a kind of mutual fund that invests in highly liquid, near-term instruments. These instruments include cash, cash equivalent securities, and high-credit-rating, debt-based securities with a short-term maturity (such as U.S. Treasuries).''

For those who surf Twitter, there's been chatter aplenty about the surge in the amount of reverse repos. Ex''Dallas Fed staffer Danielle DiMartino Booth tweeted,

The Fed is still buying about $120 billion per month in Treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities, thereby adding liquidity. But with its reverse repos of $485 billion, the Fed undid four months of QE!

THINK ABOUT THAT. (emphasis original )

Another former Fed senior staffer, Roberto Perli, chimed in with,

Basically, money funds prefer to receive a 0 interest from the Fed than risking <0 rates in the market.

This reduces bank reserves, frees up banks['] balance sheet space, and allows banks to deploy funds elsewhere.

Deploy where? If commercial bankers are set to go on a lending binge, they don't act like it.

Jim Bianco, in a Real Vision Daily Briefing with Ed Harrison, also mentioned that reverse repos hit $485 billion and made Perli's point: ''There's so many reserves in the banking system, and there's so many places you could put reserves[,] like you could put it in general collateral repo, you could put it in one month bills, just to use two examples. Those are negative, those rates are minus one basis point right now.''

Money market funds guard their $1 net asset values (NAV) with their lives. No one in America wants to break the buck, whereas in Europe, MMFs ''never promised a fixed rate NAV '... on their money funds,'' Bianco said. ''Their money funds go out the four basis points and it does vacillate up and down, but in the United States, by offering fixed rate $1 NAVs, we think that's the safest investment that you could possibly'--because it's $1 every day, it never changes. There's nothing safer than putting your money in a money market fund.''

MMFs are so safe the Fed has to step in and bail them out?

This isn't new; those of us who lived through 2008 remember talk of ''breaking the buck'' back then. ''We've got this mentality in the US that if we were to ever see a money fund break the buck, it's like opening the gates of hell,'' Bianco reminded Harrison.

By now you want to know why there is a problem that must be bailed out by the Federal Reserve. The problems are the policies of the very same Federal Reserve. There are ''[t]oo many reserves and it all comes back to too much QE (quantitative easing), and that the 40 billion a month in mortgages (being purchased by the Fed), the 80 billion a month in Treasurys (being purchased by the Fed), and the Treasury Department running down their cash balances, which injects money back into the banking system, because their cash balances are considered outside the banking system,'' explains Bianco.

Mr. Bianco then speculates as to what may happen at the Fed's monthly powwow in June. He believes there will be ''an announcement of some a technical adjustment, either to OER (interest paid banks on excess reserves) or maybe to the purchases, maybe they move away from mortgages, and move more into Treasurys but hold that 120 [basis] point, extend maturities or something, because this is not going away. It's continuing to get worse with this oversupply of reserves in the banking system. These negative rates on the front end [of the curve] are not going to go away, and we're going to wind up with the entire money market system basically, as the counterparty of the Federal Reserve, because everybody's going to pile into reserve reverse repo.''

If this all sounds complicated, it is.

According to Bianco, the plumbers working at the Eccles Building don't understand their own plumbing. In September 2019, when the repo market blew up, Powell referred to it as a technical plumbing problem; in other words, too complicated for mere mortals and leave it to the monetary gods.

''These plumbing problems,'' Bianco said, ''the more the Fed has to deal with the plumbing issue and then dismisses it as a plumbing issue, the more I get worried, because the one thing I know about plumbing problems is they're so unbelievably complicated that the most qualified people at the Fed still don't understand this stuff.''

Finally, ''You and me, we don't understand this stuff squared, and that's why you wind up with problems all the way down the line,'' Bianco told Harrison. ''When I see a plumbing problem, I think no one's got their head around what this is, because you can't have your head around it. Because if you did, you'd never have the plumbing problem in the first place. You would have ended it off months ago, before it became an issue.''

Own any money market funds? Sleep well, the Fed has it handled.

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:21

At least 130,000 households in England were made homeless during the first year of the pandemic, despite the government's ban on evictions, according to data sourced by the Observer. With the ban now over, fears are rising that a surge of evictions may be imminent. But the Observer's figures show that even while the ban was in place, households were being forced from their homes.

''The ban didn't stop tens of thousands from facing homelessness,'' said Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter. ''During the pandemic, the most common triggers for homelessness were no longer being able to stay with friends or family, losing a private tenancy, and domestic abuse.''

Analysis of published government homelessness statistics and figures collected under the Freedom of Information Act from around 70% of local authorities in England show that 132,362 households were assessed by councils as being owed the ''relief duty'', where a household is deemed to already be homeless. The number of homeless households rose slightly in 2020-21 compared with the previous year.

Overall, councils in England were approached 274,000 times for homelessness assistance during 2020-21, with around 106,000 owed the ''prevention duty'' as they were at risk of homelessness but not yet legally homeless.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The GuardianThe number of households applying for support rose sharply during the final quarter of 2020-21. In Cornwall, 44% of applications for support were made in that three-month period, and 64% in Bath and North East Somerset. Among the worst affected councils is Manchester, although this is partly due to the sheer size of the city. In 2020-21, 3,660 households were initially assessed as homeless by Manchester council, up from 2,906 in 2019-20. A spokesperson for the council said: ''The pandemic has been a huge source of hardship for many, and in some cases that has led to people losing their homes.

'''‹The eviction suspension which has now come to an end did protect most people from losing their homes, but not all. The people who became homeless during the pandemic were mainly those fleeing domestic abuse or households asked to leave by family or friends.'‹ The end of the eviction ban in England will undoubtedly have an impact on the number of people turning to the council for help, but we are yet to see the end result of this change in policy.''

A spokesperson for the tenants' union Acorn said: ''The sheer number of people made homeless in the last year is extremely upsetting but entirely unsurprising. The government's commitment to tackling the crisis of homelessness has repeatedly been shown to exist only in word and not in action.

''The government needs to finally take this seriously. Homelessness isn't an unavoidable natural phenomenon: it can be solved if the political will exists to do so.''

A government spokesperson said the figures were ''entirely speculative'' and said: ''We have taken unprecedented action to protect renters and support those at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping during the pandemic with the ongoing Everyone In scheme supporting around 37,000 vulnerable people. We're providing over £750m this year alone to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.''

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:26

As the real estate market continues to break records, a cabal of institutional investors has been tossing gasoline on the fire - buying up properties hand-over-fist as middle-American renters watch their dreams of home ownership fade at the hands of pension funds and other financial behemoths.

A bidding war broke out for the Amber Pines 124-unit rental-housing community built by D.R. Horton."You now have permanent capital competing with a young couple trying to buy a house," according to real estate consultant John Burns, whose firm estimates that in many of the country's hottest markets, roughly one 20% of homes sold are bought by someone who never moves in.

"That's going to make U.S. housing permanently more expensive," said Burns, who thinks home prices will climb as much as 12% this year, on top of last year's 11% rise.

"Limited housing supply, low rates, a global reach for yield, and what we're calling the institutionalization of real-estate investors has set the stage for another speculative investor-driven home price bubble," his firm concluded - finding Houston to be a favorite location for investors, who have accounted for 24% of home purchases in the area.

The coronavirus pandemic sparked a race for home-office space and yards. Occupancy rates reached records and rents are rising with home prices. The ecosystem of companies that service, finance and mimic the mega landlords is booming.

Burns counted more than 200 companies and investment firms in the house hunt: computer-assisted flipper Opendoor Technologies Inc., money managers including J.P. Morgan Asset Management and BlackRock Inc., platforms such as Fundrise and Roofstock that buy and arrange for the management of rentals on behalf of individuals and builder LGI Homes Inc., which now reports wholesale home sales to bulk buyers in its quarterly results. -WSJ

In one example, a bidding war broke out over a D.R. Horton complex in Conroe, Texas - after the homebuilder put the entire subdivision up for sale. After a "Who's Who of investors and rental-home firms flocked to the December sale," the winning bid of $32 million came from an online property-investment company, Fundraise LLC, which manages over $1 billion for around 150,000 individuals, according to the Wall Street Journal.

D.R. Horton ended up booking roughly twice what it typically makes selling houses to middle-class homebuyers according to the report.

"We certainly wouldn't expect every single-family community we sell to sell at a 50% gross margin," said CEO Bill Wheat at a recent investor conference.

What does this mean for the average American family? We'll let Twitter analyst @APhilosophae take it from here in this ominous, yet soberingly accurate thread:

entire neighborhoods out from under the middle class? Lets take a look. Homes are popping up on MLS and going under contract within a few hours. Blackrock, among others, are buying up thousands of new homes and entire neighborhoods. https://t.co/mBDLgtoyEc

'-- CulturalHusbandry (@APhilosophae) June 9, 2021As an example, a 124 new home neighborhood was bought in its entirety in Texas. Average Americans were outbid to a tune of $32million. Homes sold at an avg if 20% above listing. Now the entire neighborhood is made up of SFR's. What are SFR's??https://t.co/luVQEXUeKy

'-- CulturalHusbandry (@APhilosophae) June 9, 2021This is wealth redistribution, and it ain't rich people's wealth that's getting redistributed. It's normal American middle class, salt of the earth wealth heading into the hands of the worlds most powerful entities and individuals. The traditional financial vehicle gone forever.

'-- CulturalHusbandry (@APhilosophae) June 9, 2021Thats right!FEDERAL RESERVE FUNDED FINANCIAL INSTITUTE.

Let that sink in for a minute. Got it? They're using your tax dollars to fuck over the lower and middle class, and its permanent. Not 1 Pres. administration of bullshit. This is a fundamental reorganization of society.

'-- CulturalHusbandry (@APhilosophae) June 9, 2021In the US and other nations home ownership is often the 1st and most vital step. This can provide for generational wealth and success. But as permanent, guaranteed renters youre pissing away a lifetime of equity and the chance for mobility. You just become a peasant.

'-- CulturalHusbandry (@APhilosophae) June 9, 2021This is warfare. Make no doubt about it. Lloyds bank in London is doing it, as is every great financial institute across the world. This must be stopped. Its a greater threat than the slow creep of Communism, BLM or anything else you can think of COMBINED. It is a death stroke.

'-- CulturalHusbandry (@APhilosophae) June 9, 2021Now imagine every major institute doing this, because they are. It can be such a fast sweeping action that 30yrs may be overshooting it. They may accomplish feudalism in 15 years.

'-- CulturalHusbandry (@APhilosophae) June 9, 2021Click on any of the above tweets to continue reading.

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 12:25

Ever hear of Yodlee? Neither had I, until I discovered it was aggregating my data in my bank account, and likely selling it to third parties. This quickly became a personal dig, until I found staggering connections that I realized the public needs to be made aware of. Before you determine this has nothing to do with you, I urge you to review this article in its entirety and pay close attention to the timeline actions, because this affects ALL OF YOU, and it's being rolled out in multiple countries. Then, I encourage you to check with your bank and find out exactly which third parties are wrapped up in your accounts, and consider the option of moving your funds to a smaller local bank. This isn't just about spying and data aggregating, this is a structural setup to move us into the social/climate score system and beyond, and Biden is penning the orders to build the framework that BlackRock has devised.

Investigate Your Bank, Financial Institutions, and Your AccountsShort Summary

To quickly summarize, I had noticed that my bank account was suddenly categorizing my expenses into groups such as; income, health & fitness, food & dining, travel, business services, pet supplies, and so on. Immediately, I could see where this was going, and was particularly annoyed by the ''income'' category where they were mislabeling funds under that category, which puppet Biden is pushing to be forwarded directly to the IRS. To build a social score system for how and where you will be able to spend your funds or get access to locations or services, and for big gov to spy on every penny spent, a structure must first be built. I quickly looked for the 3rd party disclaimer to see who was organizing my personal financial data, and found ''account aggregation services are provided by Yodlee, our third-party vendor. Data is obtained by Yodlee or manually entered.'' I then went to the section that allegedly allows you to limit data that is shared, only limiting Yodlee wasn't an option. I called my bank and asked when the contract began and I was told in 2017. I asked what else Yodlee was involved with in my bank account, aside from this new category aggregation, and was informed that they couldn't find anything. I asked if they were selling my data, and the man didn't know. I requested it be removed and was told they cannot do that. I stated I was going to close my accounts if they cannot do this and wished to speak with a manager. I was told I would receive a call. I never did, and you can bet your bottom dollar, I moved my funds.

As you will see in the timeline below, Yodlee is one of the largest financial aggregators, who also happens to sell your data and has a class action lawsuit against them, but that won't stop this train. They were acquired by Envestnet back in 2015. To put this in perspective, Envestnet works with 17 of the top 20 banks along with 5,200 other banks, financial institutions, and companies. They serve $4.8 trillion in assets, manage $229 billion in assets, and power more than 2 million financial plans a quarter. Envestnet services 500 million aggregated accounts each day.

Three years later, in 2018, BlackRock, the world's largest investment manager, bought an equity stake in Envestnet and partnered with them to integrate their technology with Envestnet's. The following year, Envestnet's CEO and his wife, died in a fatal car crash, just after the ''Going Direct'' reset was signed into place. Just a few months later, three democrats filed for an FTC investigation into Envestnet/Yodlee over privacy concerns for consumers (that's comical), which essentially strong-armed Envestnet. This is only the tip of the iceberg, but paints a bit of a picture when digesting the timeline below. This timeline could have been well over 30-pages expanding on BlackRock's involvement since they are running the NWO financial show, but this is meant to bring awareness to people so they can investigate their own banks and make decisions for themselves about who they wish to bank with and how they wish to protect their financial data and finances.

BlackRock has positioned itself in three high-ranking positions at the White House, manages $7.8 trillion in other people's assets making it the largest money manager in the world, is in the top three shareholder positions in every major company and industry (just check for yourself), invests heavily in ''climate change'' and shuns fossil fuels, and has gobbled up much of its competition. Rulers BlackRock and Vanguard, are expected to be managing $20 trillion by 2027. It's no surprise that BlackRock and the White House have a revolving door through the Clinton, Obama, and Biden administrations. In addition to staff shifting between the them, board members of BlackRock, such as Cheryl Mills, who served for both Clintons during their time at the White House, also seem to drift over to BlackRock. They are the designer of the Going Direct Reset and are helping to lead the way.

Under the guise of ''financial wellness'' and ''climate-related financial risk,'' they have shifted the financial industry to streamline and surveil everyone's financial data so that they can control it through a social score system, tell you how and where to spend your money, and siphon what they deem should go to the IRS. Additionally, there are trillions of dollars about to switch hands from the elderly to the Millennials, and these folks have their teeth in all of it. Review the complete timeline to understand how all of these actions impact everyone.

As I noted last year when stimulus checks rolled out in direct deposit, that was done to establish a more comprehensive database than they already had compiled on US citizens bank accounts. It was just one more stepping stone in their grand plan. It was never about getting pennies into your account to ''help you.'' On that same point, the PPP small business loans also achieved obtaining financial data on small businesses and farmers across the country.

This was the biggest engineered transfer of wealth this country has ever seen. 2020 will become crystal clear, once you've reviewed this entire report.

''Insights'' = Monitoring and ControlWhen you look into your bank account, do a search for ''third parties'' and ''aggregators.'' You may come across an explanation such as this one my bank provided for why they are aggregating your information. They pack it full of fluff and suggest they are doing this for you'... ''you may want us to deliver useful insights about your finances'....allowing you to make smarter financial choices.'' Once again, they assure you that you're not smart enough to manage your own money, just as you need a smart home, smart phone, and smart city to survive.

THIS is the framework for the social scoring system. This is how they are doing it, by categorizing your funds in your bank accounts, while also assigning ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) scores through other financial institutions pertaining to investments. Those will likely be coming to your bank accounts as well, especially with Biden's new executive order.

Whereas, they do not list the ''income'' category in the dropdown (at least in my bank), they assign ''income'' to various deposits, even if they are not truly income, which can be seen under the individual deposits. Eventually, they will create an ''ESG'' column for climate-related tracking as well.

The Timeline Reflects Key Actions by BlackRock, Envestnet/Yodlee, Biden, Federal Reserve, US Treasury, Banking Institutions, and The IRSThis timeline will not only show you just how these aggregators are scraping your data, sharing it, and creating the framework for a social and climate score system, it shows who is behind it, how they are running this show, and where this game is headed.

This is how Envestnet, and likely all financial institutions, are targeting people to ''embrace the digital revolution.'' They see Millennials as being ''weaned on technology and social media, and they want nothing less when it comes to their financial lives.''

Envestnet was FoundedJudson Bergman and Bill Crager founded Envestnet in Chicago, IL, and now have branches all across the country. They have numerous trademarks, all registered by Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, just a half mile down the road from their office. Envestnet went on to acquire a slew of companies over the years, including FolioDynamix, FDX Advisors, PIEtech MoneyGuide, Yodlee, and more.

Yodlee was FoundedThat same year, Yodlee was founded by Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (from Amazon and Junglee), P. Venkat Rangan (vice chancellor of Amrita University), Sam Inala, Srihari Sampath Kumar, and Ramakrishna 'Schwark' Satyavolu (all formerly at Microsoft), headquartered in Redwood Shores, CA.

SEC Transcript on AggregatorsTranscript from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Portals Roundtable on relationships between broker-dealers, internet websites, and aggregator portals. This was during the beginning stages of aggregators scraping data and allowing customers to utilize their aggregator to link to their bank account to see their financial data. They discussed how it all worked, how great the technology could be, and how Yodlee was really the only game in town.

Envestnet Acquired YodleeEnvestnet acquired Yodlee for $590 million.

WEF Report on ''Beyond Fintech''World Economic Forum's fourth report on 'Beyond Fintech: A Pragmatic Assessment of Disruptive Potential in Financial Services,' which is ''part of the future of financial services series'' prepared in collaboration with Deloitte. It is an eye-opening read and also mentions Yodlee once and BlackRock a dozen times, as well as one of the members being from BlackRock. In fact, when doing a search for BlackRock on WEF's site, it pulls 588 search results.Page 9 has an interesting chart, showing ''Financial Regionalization'' with China, Europe and the U.S. connecting to ''delivering AI paths'' and ''open data.''

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock Met with Pope FrancisPope Francis met with big oil investors to discuss ''climate change'' at the Vatican. Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, Ernest Moniz, former U.S. Energy Secretary under then-President Obama, and the CEO of BP, ExxonMobil, Equinor, and others were in attendance.

BlackRock Bought Equity Stake in Envestnet & PartneredBlackRock bought a 4.9% equity stake in Envestnet, and partnered with them to integrate their technology with Envestnet's ''Financial Wellness Network.'' BlackRock's massive technology platform already oversees $21.6 trillion in assets through Aladdin, which is used by the largest fund managers, all of big tech, and beyond. Their goal is to aggressively grow Aladdin to manage risk for the entire asset management industry by 2025.They have integrated Envestnet platforms with BlackRock Digital Wealth technology, such as iRetire, FutureAdvisor, and Advisor Center, to start with. They want to create a seamless flow of data between BlackRock, Envestnet and custodial platforms. But they're not the only ones. Charles Schwab & Co. and Fidelity Investments intend to share data with Envestnet/Yodlee, and others. Fidelity owns eMoney Advisor, which is also partnering with Schwab, Yodlee and Intuit. By setting up APIs (application programming interfaces), they all feel that the days of aggregators ''hacking data through the password-protected consumer portal'' can create a ''virtuous circle of data standardization in access and use advances.''

It should come as no surprise that BlackRock, Vanguard, and JP Morgan Chase are the top three shareholders of Envestnet.

Rockefeller Hired EnvestnetRockefeller Capital Management hired Envestnet to provide research and due diligence services for its newly launched private wealth platform.

> The New Credit Scoring SystemThe World Economic Forum (WEF) spelled out the new scoring system as ''credit worthiness through alternative credit scoring.''''As AI evolves, the potential to open new paths to economic development is immense. Traditionally, consumers looking for a loan are evaluated on their previous credit history, captured by companies such as Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and others. With AI algorithms, the capability to predict credit worthiness through alternative credit scoring can potentially expand the marketplace to cover over 45 million people in the US alone who have no credit score. Globally, the unmet financing needs of small businesses with no credit data is estimated at $5.2 trillion.''

''Going Direct''BlackRock's white paper on ''Going Direct'' reveals that the central bank is moving funds directly into the hands of public and private sector spenders (meaning equity investors), in a laundering scheme, and this plan is currently being implemented now. John Titus breaks it all down on The Solari Report.

Larry Fink and WEFLarry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, was appointed as a board of trustee to the World Economic Forum.

CEO of Envestnet Killed in Fatal Car CrashLess than one year after BlackRock bought an equity stake in Envestnet, and just three months before Covid-19 struck the U.S., Envestnet's CEO Judson Bergman, and wife Mary Miller, died in a fatal car crash in San Francisco when an allegedly intoxicated woman driving the wrong way on highway 101, struck their taxi around 12:30am, completely totaling both vehicles and killing everyone. The Bergman's left behind seven children. Co-founder Bill Crager eventually took over as CEO.

JPMorgan Partnered with EnvestnetJPMorgan Chase announced an agreement with leading data aggregator Envestnet/Yodlee to help ''protect customers' financial data.'' They allege that this agreement ''will give Chase customers more visibility and control as they use financial apps.''

3 Democrats Requested FTC Investigation into Yodlee Three months after Judson Bergman's fatal car crash, three democrats, Sen. Ron Wyden D-Ore, Sen. Sherrod Brown D-Ohio, and Rep. Anna Eshoo D-Calif, urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate whether the sale of customer data to third parties violates the FTC Act's guidance on unfair and deceptive practices.The timing of all events leading up to this date, and following it, and the fact that this request came from three democrats, is enough to give anyone pause. Intimidation, strong-arming, and setting the stage, all come to mind. They most certainly want this information shared, but only shared through their channels.

When searching the FTC site for an investigation or any documents at all pertaining to Envestnet or Yodlee, nothing could be found.

Reallocation of CapitalBlackRock's CEO Larry Fink sent a letter to chief executives letting them know that ''climate crisis'' was going to bring about a ''fundamental reshaping of finance,'' with a significant reallocation of capital set to take place ''sooner than most anticipate.''

Alleged FTC Investigation & Fidelity Launched Data Access Network with 12 Financial InstitutionsEnvestnet ''received a civil investigation demand from the FTC for documents and information relating to our data collection, assembly, evaluation, sharing, correction and deletion practices,'' according to an SEC filing that Vice reported on, but no investigative documents or actions are shown on the FTC site against Envestnet.Meanwhile, FMR LLC, Fidelity Investments' parent company, launched a data access network firm called Akoya, with backing from 12 financial institutions, including JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Citi, Bank of America, US Bank, and others, to exchange consumer financial data by integrating the data aggregators, fintechs, and financial institutions.

Federal Reserve Enlisted BlackRockThe U.S. Federal Reserve enlisted BlackRock to direct three of its bond-buying programs. Not only that, they made the announcement prior to Congress even passing the Cares Act.

ESG Climate ScoreThe new ''mega-trend'' of big companies dumping trillions into ESG (sustainable investing) is highlighted in Yahoo finance as the ''future of business.'' BlackRock intends to have $1.2 trillion in ESG assets within the next 10 years. The strategy aligns with Biden's ''Climate-Related Financial Risk'' executive order he signed less than one year later, in May 2021. (see below) Merrill Lynch began assigning an ''ESG Score'' to people's assets back in 2018. This is yet another system to create a social ''climate'' scoring system in order to control people's funds. Imagine how this scoring system is going to effect your ''credit score?''

Class Action Lawsuit Against Envestnet & YodleeA class action lawsuit was filed against Envestnet and Yodlee in the Northern District of California, for Yodlee selling individuals' data without proper security protections or authorization, and sharing data in unencrypted files.This is a good breakdown from March of how they case was moving along. The court denied Yodlee's motion to dismiss the case on several counts, such as ''invasion of privacy'' and ''unjust enrichment,'' as well as other claims.

Wells FargoWells Fargo signed a data-sharing agreement with Envestnet/Yodlee.

450 Banks Pledged to Align Financing Decisions with Paris Climate Agreement450 public development banks pledged to align financing decisions with the Paris Agreement on climate change at the first Finance in Common Summit that addressed Covid-19 and the principles of sustainable finance.

Biden Chose BlackRock's Brian Deese for Director of National Economic Council President-elect Biden named Brian Deese to be director of the National Economic Council, making him his top economic adviser at the White House. Deese formerly worked with the Obama administration and was instrumental in sealing the deal on the Paris climate accords. After that venture, he was the global head of sustainable investing at BlackRock.''Our modern financial system was built on the assumption that the climate was stable. And that assumption has largely dominated existing financial models, and it underpinned the way that we invest capital, the way that we have built society, and the way that we have forecasted for the long term,'' said Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council. ''Today, it's clear that we no longer live in such a world.''

BlackRock's Michael Pyle Chosen as Chief Economic Adviser to VP Kamala HarrisBiden transition officials announced that Michael Pyle, former chief investment strategist for BlackRock, would serve as chief economic adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris.

$68 Trillion Transfer of Wealth PlanLaunch of MoneyGuide engine to bring to market one complete ecosystem of APIs for the entirety of the Envestnet network. ''This universe of APIs will enable us to power financial wellness for more people and will drive growth for Envestnet,'' CEO Bill Crager said.Envestnet also launched the Envestnet Trust Services Exchange with the integration of Trucendent designed to let advisers facilitate the transfer of wealth from generation to generation without utilizing external attorneys or trust administrators'... all $68 TRILLION of it. They have their own network of attorneys and administrators ''behind the scenes'' that will work with the adviser and client, while the adviser maintains custody of the client's assets.

SEC Staging Requiring Companies to Disclose Climate Change Risks for Public Compliance The Securities and Exchange Commission's Chairwoman Allison Herren Lee announced that they are seeking public input on establishing a regime for requiring companies to disclose the risks they face from climate change. BlackRock and environmental groups have been pushing for mandatory disclosures for a long time. ''It's time to move from the question of 'if' to the more difficult question of 'how' we obtain disclosure on climate,'' Lee said at a virtual event hosted by the Center for American Progress. All of this is to pressure the banks to create a framework of public compliance. This has been planned for a very long time.

BlackRock's Wally Adeyemo Confirmed as Deputy Secretary of The U.S. TreasuryWally Adeyemo was confirmed as Deputy Secretary of The U.S. Treasury. Adeyemo was former president of the Obama Foundation and senior advisor for BlackRock.

Envestnet Acquired Harvest SavingsEnvestnet acquired Harvest Savings and Wealth Technologies. ''Harvest gives banks the ability to use savings accounts as launch points for people to plan for their future, enabling micro savings, which can connect to investment accounts, again, intelligently connecting people's financial lives, offering answers and the ability to take action,'' Crager said.They are also in the process of launching cryptocurrency.

BitcoinGoldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and BlackRock are trading Bitcoin futures, after BlackRock announced in January that they may invest in Bitcoin.

''Financial Wellness Ecosystem''Envestnet breaks down how they intend to spend $30 million for their ''financial wellness ecosystem'' they announced back in February.''The [artificial] intelligence of our financial planning infrastructure connects to the portal and threads the consumer's experience to actionable services to achieve their near and long-term goals,'' said CEO Bill Crager.

BIG DAY: Pay Very Close Attention to These Actions BelowThe Treasury released a report on the American Families Plan's tax compliance agenda, with the goal of making sure ''Americans pay the taxes they owe'' by giving $80 billion to the IRS to increase their resources over the next decade, overhaul outdated technology by deploying machine learning tech that can identify suspect tax filings, and rely on third-party reporting. ''The Government Accountability Office (GAO) and IRS agree that strengthening third-party reporting is one of the most effective ways to improve tax compliance. The President's proposal leverages the information that financial institutions already know about the accounts that they house. Financial institutions would add information about total account outflows and inflows to existing reporting on bank accounts.'' Their hope is to raise $700 billion in additional tax revenue over the next decade.Simultaneously on this same day, Biden signed an Executive Order for ''Climate-Related Financial Risk,'' and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen published a press release stating ''Achieving net zero emissions in the United States will require transformational investments in our energy sector and the broader economy, and the global financial sector will be a crucial player, helping channel capital into investments that green our society.''

Under the guise of ''protecting families,'' ''financial wellness,'' and ''climate financial risk,'' they are aligning to have direct access to all of your financial information so they can control it, tell you how to spend it, create a social score for you, and make sure a big chunk goes to the IRS.

Also, on this day, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell announced that the Federal Reserve will be publishing a discussion paper this summer, regarding fast-evolving technology for digital payments, with a particular focus on the possibility of issuing a U.S. central bank digital currency.Another key event took place on this day. Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury, BlackRock's Wally Adeyemo, was meeting with The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) Board of Directors to discuss the ''key role of community banks in providing swift access to essential payments and needed capital for millions of people and businesses throughout the Covid-19 crisis and how Treasury and ICBA can work together to achieve a strong, equitable recovery

moving forward.''If this isn't well planned coordination, I don't know what is.

Jim Yong Kim & WHOFormer World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who Corey's Digs has reported on extensively, spoke at the International Finance Forum 2021 Spring Meetings, calling for more funding and independence to the World Health Organization, saying that financial institutions need to help the health sector, and that financial institutions shall work more proactively with the World Health Organization, UN agencies, NGOs, and private sectors.

The Engineered Financial TakeoverBy the second month of Covid-19 hitting the US, so-called scientists, politicians, and news media were already combining ''climate change'' with Covid. It was in every headline, on every website, and most of us knew where this was headed. But it's about far more than all of the climate initiatives. Yes, those are also in place for control and surveillance mechanisms, but using it for the financial takeover was always their main baby. The initiatives will be used to keep everyone in line.

The number one question I am always asked is ''what do I do with my finances to protect myself?'' I am not a financial advisor, accountant, attorney, or banker, so I can only make suggestions and share the information that I research and connect in the hopes of giving people some advance notice or greater understanding of how this is all shifting and moving.

That said, the majority of people have been well aware of a financial takeover, change in our money system, and using our money to control us, for quite some time, so none of this should come as a shock '' it merely fills in some blanks. I've been saying for months that people need to pull their money out of the central banks, away from big box stores, and keep your businesses open. My bank wasn't even a big central bank, but they decided to be in on the action. Search for a smaller, trusted, local bank. Whereas, this may not be the end-all solution, it could certainly provide longevity, while keeping all of our money from the big players. If millions of people did this, it would make a significant dent.

On the same note, if millions of people stood up to the tyranny, challenged their so-called authority, stopped funding the big guys and start funding the little guys, we would see a visible change. THIS is what must happen to slow the pace, and hopefully be able to prevent their planned takeover. They intend on going digital while creeping up cryptocurrency on the sidelines, to eventually force the switch. Separately, I cannot stress enough how important it is to read all ''terms and conditions'' and ''policies and guidelines'' on everything you sign, partner with, install, or function under in some way. People must start protecting themselves, thinking outside the box, building outside the system, and challenging the tyranny.

Did you ever notice how banks act a lot like government? We provide them with our hard-earned money, yet they set all of these rules, fees, and regulations, while surveilling us and work toward full control over us. It's time to dig into your bank and figure out what solutions work best for you and your family, and who you trust with holding your funds. And remember, cash and prepaid credit card purchases equal less tracking. There are good, small, and family-owned local banks out there, you just need to do a little digging.

Under their ''climate score'' system, residential mortgages, commercial real estate, business lending, project financing, and auto loans will all be affected. In other words, if you have a low ''climate credit score,'' you are SOL. If you are invested in fossil fuels or the meat industry, count on your score dropping. Now imagine if you want to purchase a new home, and you have a slightly low score, but if you are willing to move into a ''smart home'' or one of their ''smart city micro-units,'' you may just be in luck! On the ''social score'' end of the spectrum, they will likely tie in social media reputations, alleged racism, and potentially unvaccinated, in an attempt to lower your score.

Don't look at all of this as road blocks. See it for what it is'... tyranny. Then, start thinking about how to combat it, work around it, and work together to support one another without having to rely on their corrupt system. The chips don't have to fall in their favor.

Additional information on the financial takeover:

Finance Fascists: The Credit Chokehold That Will Bankrupt America, BlazeTV. This is an excellent breakdown with invaluable information on how they are implementing social/climate score systems to control your money and lifestyle, and how the Federal Reserve and US Treasury are colluding with the banks to alter our entire financial system, while overstepping government all together.

The Going Direct Reset '' The Central Bankers Make Their Move, with John Titus and Catherine Austin Fitts on The Solari Report. You have to be a subscriber to watch this full video, but it is a power-pack of information that they researched and compiled to show exactly how this takeover is going down. Other videos on the Federal Reserve by John Titus.

Download this full report in PDF format in The Bookshop. >> Please note that the timeline in the PDF is in straight-forward paragraph form.

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 14:33

By Mary Kekatos Acting U.S. Health Editor For Dailymail.Com 15:51 11 Jun 2021, updated 05:50 12 Jun 2021

The FDA has ordered 60 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine to be discarded on FridayThe shots were made at a Baltimore plant run by Emergent BioSolutions, which has come under fire after receiving several heath violationsAmong the violations include workers who failed to shower or change clothes, mold in the facility and poor disinfection or equipment It is unclear if the plant, which closed two months ago after ruining millions of J&J doses in an ingredient mix-up, will be allowed to reopen The loss of the doses means the U.S. is even more unlikely to reach President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of adults partially vaccinated by July 4 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered Johnson & Johnson to discard 60 million COVID-19 vaccine doses on Friday.

The shots were made at a plant in Baltimore that had several health violations and ruined million of doses of J&J vaccine during an ingredient mix-up.

People familiar with the situation told The New York Times that the FDA said the shots have to be thrown away due to potential contamination.

The contract J&J signed with the U.S. government last year priced each dose at roughly $10, meaning $600 million worth of doses are being tossed out - but it's not believed federal officials with pay the company for these jab.

Earlier in the day, the FDA allowed 10 million doses to be distributed, which a source told Reuters will be to other countries, but with a caveat that there is no guarantee the J&J shots were made under good manufacturing practices.

It has not been decided yet whether not the plant, run by Emergent BioSolutions, will be allowed to reopen after closing two months ago.

Officials say there is no cause for concern that Americans received ruined shots because all J&J doses administered in the U.S. so far were manufactured at the firm's Janssen plant in the Netherlands, not at the Baltimore plant.

Critics say this represents a colossal blunder by all parties involved - the FDA, Johnson & Johnson and Emergent - in the effort to get vaccines distributed to countries that are suffering from a shortage.

The FDA has ordered 60 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine to be discarded on Friday Pictured: Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine vials on a table in Los Angeles, May 7 The shots were made at a Baltimore plant run by Emergent BioSolutions (above), which has come under fire after receiving several violationsThe FDA has been working for weeks to come up with a solution after it was discovered that Emergent BioSolutions' plant ruined millions of J&J vaccines.

They were left unusable after workers accidentally mixed-up ingredients for the J&J shot with that of the AstraZeneca jab.

A report released by the U.S. House Oversight Committee last month found that workers producing the vaccine often failed to shower or change clothes.

What's more, despite J&J contracting Emergent in April 2020 to manufacture the vaccine, the Baltimore facility wasn't scaled for making millions of doses, according to an FDA inspection which was conducted last year.

The FDA records - released as part of the House report - described the plant as a contract testing laboratory that 'did not manufacture products for distribution.'

Further, the inspection also noted there was 'mold, poor disinfection of plant equipment and inadequate training of employees.'

Upon news of the discarded doses, shares of J&J were down 1.6 percent.

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J&J has delivered 21.4 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S., but only half have been administered compared to 129 million people fully vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna shotsIt's unclear if the ruined shots were meant to be distributed in the U.S. or to other countries.

Several hard-hit nations around the world have been asking America to send them the government's stockpile of vaccines, and the blunder means shipments could be delayed even further.

Among those countries is India, which has been facing a devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which reporting more than 6,000 deaths on Thursday - the highest number recorded in the world.

The Biden administration had been under intense pressure to send excess doses of vaccines to nations like India, which was hit by raw material shortages, limiting the number of people who could get vaccinated.

Additionally Latin America is a region in desperate need of vaccines, with eight of the 10 countries with the highest COVID-19 deaths per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to The Times.

Only about two million have been vaccinated in Central America and and three million have been in the Caribbean, which is home to 44 million 34 million, respectively.

'Today we're seeing the emergence of two worlds, one quickly returning to normal and another where recovery remains a distant future,' said Dr Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization - part of the WHO - said at a virtual news conference on Wednesday.

'Unfortunately, vaccine supply is concentrated in a few nations while most of the world waits for doses to trickle down.'

On Thursday, it was revealed that the U.S. government had stopped all new shipments of the J&J inoculation so vaccination sites can clear a logjam of unused doses before they expire.

The bungle means doses can't be sent to India, which is facing a shortage of vaccines and a surge of COVID-19 cases and deathsState and federal health officials told The Wall Street Journal that the one-dose vaccine won't be made available for several weeks but the cessation is believed to be temporary.

Officials in Arkansas, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Oklahoma say they have not been able to order new J&J vaccine supplies for several days, even weeks.

'It just hasn't been included in our weekly allocations, from the feds, which means it is not available to order,' Oklahoma State Department of Health Deputy Commissioner Keith Reed told the newspaper

Maryland Department of Health Assistant Secretary Bryan Mroz told The Journal that the state last ordered a shipment of doses several weeks ago.

When he and his team tried to order more, the government told them the vaccine was not available, and did not give a day for when it would be,

'We've been using up our inventory in the state,' Mroz said.

'We definitely have more supply than demand.'

J&J's vaccine was believed to be a game-changer in the fight against coronavirus because it only require one and does not need to be store at freezing temperatures.

It was expected to be used to inoculate hard-to-serve populations such as people living in rural areas and home bound seniors.

However, as of Friday, Pfizer and Moderna have fully vaccinated more than 129 million Americans with their two-dose shots and have made agreements with the U.S. government for enough does to vaccinate all Adults.

Comparatively, just 11 million Americans have been vaccinated with the J&J shot.

The loss of the 60 million doses means the U.S. is even more unlikely to reach Biden's goal of 70 percent of Americans with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by July 4.

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:42

Coronavirus The lead plaintiff, Jennifer Bridges, likened her employer's vaccination requirement to forced medical experimentation during the Holocaust.

A nurse wheels away a man brought to Houston Methodist Hospital on June 28, 2020. Callaghan O'Hare / ReutersJune 13, 2021, 1:05 AM EDT

By Dennis Romero

A federal court in Texas on Saturday dismissed a lawsuit by 117 hospital employees who challenged their employer's vaccination requirement.

In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas' written decision, Judge Lynn N. Hughes said lead plaintiff Jennifer Bridges, a nurse, and 116 other Houston Methodist Hospital employees who challenged the requirement, had no case.

The employees' lawyer, Jared Woodfill responded in a statement Saturday, "This is just one battle in a larger war to protect the rights of employees to be free from being forced to participate in a vaccine trial as a condition for employment."

He said they would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court "if necessary."

On Tuesday, hospital officials said they had suspended 178 employees who refused to be inoculated.

RelatedHughes addressed the plaintiffs' arguments one-by-one. On the vaccination requirement violating due process, she wrote, "Texas does not recognize this exception to at-will employment."

On their argument that the requirement would force workers to break the law: "Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination is not an illegal act, and it carries no criminal penalties."

Recommended"She [Bridges] is refusing to accept inoculation that, in the hospital's judgement, will make it safer for their workers and patients in Methodist's care," Hughes wrote.

On their claim they were being coerced: "This is not coercion. Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the COVID-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safer."

On their claim that they are being required to take an "unapproved" medicine: "Federal law authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to introduce into interstate commerce medical products intended for use in an emergency."

At times, Hughes seems to mock the plaintiffs, saying, for example, that their complaint was written "press-release style."

Plaintiffs, she said, "misconstrued" the law and "misrepresented the facts" of vaccination, including that the requirement amounted to forced medical experimentation because Covid-19 vaccines have received emergency Food and Drug Administration authorization but not full approval.

Hughes also knocks down a comparison to forced medical experiments in Nazi Germany.

"Equating the injection requirement to medical experimentation in concentration camps is reprehensible," she wrote.

Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, said in a statement Saturday night, "We can now put this behind us and continue our focus on unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation."

Hughes concluded by saying "plaintiffs will take nothing" from the hospital.

Dennis Romero Dennis Romero writes for NBC News and is based in Los Angeles.

Joe Studley and Austin Mullen contributed.

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 17:45

1.40pm EDT 13:40

DBU - En Del Af Noget St¸rre (@DBUfodbold)Christian Eriksen er v¥gen og er til yderligere unders¸gelser p¥ Rigshospitalet.Kampen er midlertidigt udsat. Ny melding kommer kl. 19.45.

June 12, 2021 I'm reliably informed that this says Eriksen ''is awake'' and undergoing tests in hospital.

1.36pm EDT 13:36

Christian Eriksen: It has been confirmed that the 29-year-old Danish midfielder has been taken to hospital and stabilised after collpasing on the pitch of the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen moments before half-time. There are photos of a conscious Eriksen being stretchered off the pitch, wearing an oxygen mask and with his eyes open.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that either Eriksen or one of the medics treating him '' and hats off to them, by the way '' gave fans the thumbs-up as he left the pitch.

The Danish FA have just reported that Eriksen is ''awake''. Thank God for that.

1.33pm EDT 13:33

Update: England have cancelled their media duties, as Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane, a friend and former team-mate of Erikssen's, felt it would be inappropriate to take questions from the press at this difficult time for everyone with a love for football.

1.28pm EDT 13:28

Eriksen in hospital 'and stabilised'Some good news. Uefa report that Eriksen hasd been transferred to hospital and been stabilised.

UEFA (@UEFA)Following the medical emergency involving Denmark's player Christian Eriksen, a crisis meeting has taken place with both teams and match officials and further information will be communicated at 19:45 CET.The player has been transferred to the hospital and has been stabilised.

June 12, 2021 Updated at 1.30pm EDT

1.26pm EDT 13:26

Denmark v Finland: There are pictures in circulation from a reputable news organisation, which I have seen but am not going to publish here, that suggest Eriksen was conscious and wearing an oxygen mask as left the pitch on a stretcher. We can but hope they are genuine. There are no official updates on his condition yet.

Updated at 1.27pm EDT

1.15pm EDT 13:15

Denmark v Finland: The game has, for the time being suspended and it seems very unlikely to continue this evening. Obviously the actual match could not be more unimportant and everyone's thoughts are with Christian Eriksen.

He has been removed from the pitch on a stretcher and a kind Danish reader has emailed to say he is only 500 metres from the most renowned hospital in Copenhagen, where he will receive the best possible care.

1.10pm EDT 13:10

Denmark v Finland: I have no further reports to bring you at the moment and I'm not about to engage in idle London-based speculation about what's going on in a small corner of a field in Copenhagen. My hands are shaking here, so it's a little difficult to type. I will bring you any confirmed news as it comes. It's worth saying again: C'mon Christian! Fight!

1.04pm EDT 13:04

What we know: The ball went out of play for a Denmark throw-in down near the corner flag. Rushing to receive the ball from whoever was taking it, Christian Eriksen collapsed face first into the turf as the ball hit his knee.

Two nearby Finnish players, a Dane and referee Anthony Taylor immediately signalled for urgent medical assistance. Soon after that arrived, one of the Danish medical team was seen performing compressions on Eriksen's chest as his teammates formed a ring around him and the staff treating him.

As of five minutes ago, Eriksen was still receiving treatment on the pitch. The BBC have ended their coverage and I'm told the match has been postponed. This is awful.

Updated at 1.05pm EDT

12.58pm EDT 12:58

Denmark v Finland: On the BBC, they've cut back to the studio and probably not before time. Gary Lineker, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Scott and Micah Richards all look in total shock, as am I. It's difficult to know what to type here, really. Please God, Christian will be OK.

12.56pm EDT 12:56

Denmark v Finland: A young woman, who I guess is Eriksen's wife or partner has made her way on to the pitch and is being consoled by Denmark skipper Simon Kjaer and Kasper Schmeichel. The Finland players, looking very shaken, have retired to the dressing-room. Denmark's distraught players continue to form a wide circular shield around their stricken team-mate.

12.53pm EDT 12:53

Denmark v Finland: Christian Eriksen collapsed down by one corner flag near the touchline. His own team-mates and a couple of Finland players immediately signalled to referee Anthony Taylor that he needed urgent medical attention.

I think Taylor had spotted that anyway and immediately halted play so the medical staff could come on and work on the midfielder. They continue to do so while the clearly concerned players of Finland maintain a respectful distance on the other side of the pitch.

Updated at 1.20pm EDT

12.50pm EDT 12:50

45+2 min: As the players of Denmark, some of them distraught, form a shield around their team-mate Christian Eriksen while the team's medical staff work on him, those from Finland are keeping their distance but also look incredbly concerned and upset. The crowd has fallen largely silent. This is truly traumatic for all present at the Parken Stadium. Come on, Christian!

12.48pm EDT 12:48

45 min: This is truly awful. Erikssen is being resuscitated on the pitch as his distraught team-mates stand around him in an outward facing ring to shield him and give their teammate and the medical staff looking after him some privacy. He just dropped face first into the ground as he went to receive a throw-in.

Updated at 12.54pm EDT

12.46pm EDT 12:46

44 min: Erikssen appears to be getting CPR on the pitch. Oh my, this is awful! His teammates are standing around creating a kind of human screen to give him some privacy as the medical staff attend to him. I think I can see somebody pumping his chest.

12.44pm EDT 12:44

Game stops after Christian Eriksen collapses42 min: There's huge concern from referee Anthony Taylor and the players of Denmark as Christian Eriksen goes to ground. I think he just collapsed and fell over as he went to receive a throw in. This is very worrying.

Updated at 1.01pm EDT

12.42pm EDT 12:42

40 min: Danish right-back Daniel Wass heads the ball straight into the arms of Hradecky after connecting with a cross. Moments previously, Martin Braithwaite had cut inside from the left and shoots well wide.

12.41pm EDT 12:41

38 min: Pukki is cutting an isolated figure up front for Iceland, whose plan is to sit back, soak up Denmark's pressure and then try to hoist the ball his way and hope for the best. Swap Pukki for Burak Yilmaz and it's pretty much what Turkey tried to do against Italy last night ... a tactic that worked, for a while.

12.38pm EDT 12:38

37 min: A Christian Eriksen cross from the right flank is headed clear by Finland. They're hanging in there but are being outclassed in nearly every department.

12.36pm EDT 12:36

35 min: Shaughnessy resumes play with a swab of cotton wool stuck up one nostril. Denmark float a free-kick from deep towards the far post, where Hradecky gathers for Finland.

12.35pm EDT 12:35

32 min: finland defender Daniel O'Shaughnessy goes down after shipping a blow to the head, prompting referee Anthony Taylor to stop play so he can receive treatment. He seemed to clash heads with Simon Kjaer.

12.33pm EDT 12:33

29 min: For Denmark, Yussuf Yurary tries to get on the end of a curled cross to the far post. Finnish defender Jere Urenon tries to clear it and collides with his own goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, who is hardly inspiring confidence in his team-mates. Following a break for medical attention, Urenon is fit to continue.

12.28pm EDT 12:28

28 min: Teemu Pukki is flat on his back halfway inside the Denmark half after getting an accidental arm in the face from Andreas Christensen. He seems to be OK.

12.27pm EDT 12:27

27 min: For Denmark, Martin Braithwaite finds himself with the ball at his feet a little left of goal but slices his shot wide of the left upright.

Martin Braithwaite misses an opportunity. Photograph: Friedemann Vogel/ReutersUpdated at 12.32pm EDT

12.26pm EDT 12:26

25 min: Daniel O'Shaughnessy hurls another long throw into the Denmark box, where Joel Pohjanpalo leaps but only gets a shoulder to it.

12.24pm EDT 12:24

23 min: Teemu Pukki gets his first sniff, trying to out-sprint Simon Kjaer and latch on to a long ball. Kjaer holds him back and Pukki gets a free-kick. He was through on goal if he hadn't been fouled there but Kjaer doesn't get a c ard of any colour. From the free-kick, Finland get a throw-in.

12.22pm EDT 12:22

21 min: Denmark win a corner and Andreas Christensen and Simon Kjaer lumber up from their centre-half positions. The inswinger bounces and sits up nicely for an unmarked Thomas Delaney about eight yards from goal, but he fires over the bar.

12.21pm EDT 12:21

20 min: Denmark win a throw-in deep in Finland territory, down by the corner flag. The newcomers clear their lines.

Updated at 12.31pm EDT

12.19pm EDT 12:19

19 min: Christian Eriksen brings another smart save out of Luka Hradecky, who dives to his right to parry a curling shot from distance from the Danish midfielder.

12.18pm EDT 12:18

17 min: Nothing comes from the ensuing corner, which Finland clear. THey are being completely dominated but haven't conceded yet.

12.16pm EDT 12:16

15 min: Brilliant from Hradecky in the Finland goal, who seems determined to hog the headlines. He contorts himself in mid-air to tip a header from Pierre-Emile Hjobjerg over his own bar.

12.14pm EDT 12:14

12 min: Hradecky is called into action again. He plucks a Christian Eriksen corner from the air. Denmark's players are trying to unerve him, crowding him on his own goal line.

Updated at 12.15pm EDT

12.13pm EDT 12:13

8 min: Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky is having a baptism of fire. He saves a shot from distance from Jonas Wind, moments after fumbling another effort in his own box after some pinball in the penalty area. Denamrk are bossing proceedings in these early stages.

12.11pm EDT 12:11

Richard Osman (@richardosman)Delaney tackles O'Shaughnessy. It could only be Denmark v Finland.

June 12, 2021 12.10pm EDT 12:10

4 min: Finland's Robin Lod is penalised for a clumsy challenge on Martin Braithwaite and goes in the refereee's notebook early doors.

12.09pm EDT 12:09

2 min: Finland win another throw-in, this time deep in Denmark territory. Daniel O'Shaughnessy has a powerful long throw on him and Delaps the ball deep into the Denmark penalty area. They clear.

12.05pm EDT 12:05

Denmark v Finland is go ...1 min: The pre-match formalities between captains Simon Kjaer and Tim Sparv over, Denmark get the ball rolling. Finland win an early throw-in halfway inside their own half, which Daniel O'Shaughnessy takes.

12.00pm EDT 12:00

Not long now: Referee Anthony Taylor leads the teams out on to the Parken Stadium sward, the Danes wearing their customary red and white shirts, the Finns in navy. Both sets of players line up either side of the team of match officials and it's times for the anthems. What a moment this must be for the players of Finland.

11.51am EDT 11:51

Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin)Finland v Denmark means Daniel O'Shaughnessy v Thomas Delaney in the most Irish-sounding non-Irish internationals battle.O'Shaughnessy's father Robert is from Galway. Delaney's paternal great grandfather moved to the US from Ireland during The Great Hunger of the 1840s.

June 12, 2021 11.50am EDT 11:50

Match report: Wales 1-1 SwitzerlandGroup A: Wales came from behind to rescue a point against Switzerland in a game they were perhaps lucky not to lose. Ben Fisher was at the Baku Olympic Stadium. Here's how he saw the match unfold ...

Kieffer Moore makes point for Wales against Switzerland at Euro 2020

11.16am EDT 11:16

Denmark v Finland line-upsDenmark: Schmeichel, Kjaer, Maehle, Christensen, Delaney, Braithwaite, Eriksen, Wass, Wind, Poulsen, Hojbjerg

Subs: Lossl, Rannow, Andersen, Vestegaard, Skov Olsen, Dolberg, Damsgaard, Norgaard, Stryger, Cornelius, Jensen, Boilesen

Finland: Hradecky, Arajuuri, O'Shaughnessy, Toivio, Kamara, Lod, Pukki, Sparv, Uronen, Pohjanpalo, Raitala

Subs: Joronen, Jaakkola, Vaisanen, Taylor, Jensen, Schuller, Soiri, Hamalainen, Kauko, Lappalainen, Ivanov, Forss

10.48am EDT 10:48

Pre-match listeningThe Guardian's Football Weekly podcast has gone daily for the duration of the Euros and will be recording at the close of play each night. You can listen to our first episode here. If you are not already a subscriber, you can download '' free of charge '' from all the usual pod platforms.

Italy kick off in style and Bale leads Wales in Baku '' Euro 2020 Football Daily

Updated at 10.49am EDT

10.34am EDT 10:34

Finland's captain speaks: Well, writes. Tim Sparv took time out from his preparations for Euro 2020 to write a guest column for the Guardian revealing what qualification means to him, his team-mates and their compatriots.

Finland has waited so long for this: at Euro 2020, it's our turn at last | Tim Sparv

10.34am EDT 10:34

Tonight's match officialsAnthony Taylor leads an all English judge and jury in Copenhagen tonight. We wish him well, even if the sight of Stuart Attwell on VAR duty is perhaps a cause for concern.

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Referee's assistants: Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn

Fourth official: Sandro Scharer

VAR: Stuart Attwell

Anthony Taylor is in charge of maintaining order during tonight's game. Photograph: Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images 10.32am EDT 10:32

Denmark's goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel gets his eye in during his team's training session at the Parken Stadium. Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP Euro 2020 team guides part 6: Denmark

10.32am EDT 10:32

Finland striker Teemu Pukki and his teammates train at the Parken Stadium yesterday. Photograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images Euro 2020 team guides part 7: Finland

6.30am EDT 06:30

Euro 2020 Group B: Denmark v FinlandIt's an exciting, landmark day in the history of Finland as the home of Jari Litmanen, Kimi Raikonnen and Jean Sibelius line up in the finals of a major football tournament for the very first time. Markku Kanerva's side surprised many across the continent, including plenty of his own compatriots, by finishing as group runners-up behind Italy in qualifying and while little is expected of a team ranked 54th in the world this summer, they will be hoping to bloody a couple of noses now they've finally arrived on the big stage.

They take on a Denmark side packed full of household names, among them Kasper Schmeichel, Christian Eriksen, Martin Braithwaite and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and managed by Kasper Hjulmand, an interesting character who took up coaching when his playing career was cut short by a knee injury he suffered at the age of 26. They are many people's idea of tournament ''dark horses''. But then so were Turkey and look what happened to them last night.

In a huge boost to their chances, Denmark will enjoy home advantage for their three group games and will play in front of 11,250 fans in their 38,000 Parken Stadium. Kick-off is at 5pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.

Updated at 10.32am EDT

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:54

Vandaag, 07:50 in EK VOETBAL

Eriksen in zijn tijd bij Tottenham Hotspur.

''¸ HH/ANP

Bij de Deense middenvelder Christian Eriksen, die zaterdag in het ziekenhuis werd opgenomen nadat hij neerviel tijdens de EK-wedstrijd tegen Finland, zijn volgens zijn voormalige cardioloog nooit hartproblemen geconstateerd tijdens zijn tijd bij Premier Leagueclub Tottenham Hotspur.

Eriksen in zijn tijd bij Tottenham Hotspur.

''¸ HH/ANP

De 29-jarige voetballer zakte in de 42e minuut van de wedstrijd in elkaar terwijl hij langs de linkerzijlijn rende na een inworp van Denemarken. Hij werd gereanimeerd en overgebracht naar het ziekenhuis. Zijn toestand is stabiel en hij zou aanspreekbaar zijn.

Dokter Sanjay Sharma van de St. George's University in Londen zei dat er bij Eriksen sinds 2013 nooit afwijkende testresultaten zijn vastgesteld. Al sloeg de twijfel kortstondig toe toen hij de beelden zag van hoe de spelmaker van Internazionale neerviel. 'žIk dacht: 'Oh mijn god? Is er iets dat we niet hebben gezien?' Maar ik heb alle testresultaten bekeken en alles zag er perfect uit'', vertelde Sharma zondag tegen The Mail on Sunday.

'žVanaf de dag dat we hem vastlegden, was het mijn taak hem te screenen en we hebben hem elk jaar getest. Zijn tests tot 2019 waren volkomen normaal, zonder duidelijke onderliggende hartafwijking. Ik kan daarvoor instaan omdat ik de tests heb gedaan.''

Voetbal UpdateDagelijks het belangrijkste voetbalnieuws zoals interviews en voorbeschouwingen.

Ongeldig e-mailadres. Vul nogmaals in aub.

Lees hier ons privacybeleid.

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Source: Veterans Today | Military Foreign Affairs Policy Journal for Clandestine Services

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 02:43

by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio for VT Italy

Versione originale in Italiano

The tragic and untimely death of an eighteen-year-old girl from Liguria, which occurred due to a very serious cerebral hemorrhage from thrombosis about two weeks after the AstraZeneca vaccine, led Italy to block the administration of this inactivated virus-based serum to all under 60s.

The Technical Scientific Committee, in agreement with the Italian Medicines Agency and the Ministry of Health (which will soon adopt an ad hoc regulatory provision) has also recommended not to inoculate the second dose AstraZeneca, a British-svedish corporation, to young people who are waiting for it but to replace it with one of the available mRna vaccines, Pfizer or Moderna.

The storm in the Mediterranean's Bel Paese was triggered by the death of Camilla Canepa, an 18-year-old girl from Sesto Levante (Genoa) who had been vaccinated by joining the Open Day organized by the Region of Liguria to encourage the immunization campaign among young people .

Camilla Canepa, 18yo, died after the AstraZeneca shotThe mystery of her death from a thrombosis, which fall within the possible ''rare'' serious adverse reactions recognized by British-Svedish Big Pharma of Cambridge itself, is deepened after the news of an alleged pathology of the girl reported by the Italian news agency Ansa was denied by family lawyer.

A splendid smile in a laughing face of youth. You are gone forever. Nipped after a vaccine against Covid-19 inoculated only for prevention and in compliance with that herd immunity that the pro-VAX scientific community hopes to achieve despite the changing variants of the virus, some probably triggered by vaccine resistance. Because so far in the whole world the teenagers who have died from the SARS-Cov-2 virus can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Driven by political-media pressure, Camilla trusted the health system that approved AstraZeneca's serum, based on a chimpanzee adenovirus vector (never used before in the history of pharmacology), on an experimental basis like all the other antidotes against Covid -19. Instead of going for the first sun bath on the Ligurian beaches, she participated in the immunization Open-Day which unfortunately was fatal. It will obviously be up to the judiciary to confirm the apparently macroscopic causal link '...

Vaccine Suspended in Canada and Germany too'... AstraZeneca admitted Thrombosis' Risks, so changed Serum's nameCamilla Canepa, was admitted to the San Martino hospital in Genoa on Sunday 6 June with a very serious cavernous sinus thrombosis and consequent cerebral hemorrhage. Two weeks earlier, on May 25, the very young student from the high school of technology had received the AstraZeneca vaccine. After accessing the hospital in Genoa on Saturday 5 June (the second), Camilla had already been operated on twice on Sunday 6 June: first to remove the thrombus and then to reduce intracranial pressure.

But the situation of the very young ICU had remained tragically stable, in the gravity of her, and the observation period had begun to declare her brain death. The parents have authorized the removal of organs, five patients who will benefit from it. The Mayor of Sestri Levante, Valentina Ghio, announced the girl's death.

After her death, the Scientific Technical Committee of the Italian Government decided to recommend the inoculation of the Astrazeneca vaccine only to over 60s and to reserve the for younger people '' even those waiting for the second AstraZeneca dose '' messenger RNA vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer. Although the latter, as reported by the lawyer Robert F. Kennedy jr on the basis of data from the VAERS pharmacovigilance system, has triggered undesirable effects, even fatal, in American adolescents who have been administered it for several weeks.

THE JUDICIAL INVESTIGATION ON DEATHAfter the news spread by health care sectors about an autoimmune disease of the 18-year-old, the family intervenes with a laconic statement from the lawyer, categorically denying this circumstance. ''Camilla's parents trust in respect for their pain and their privacy '... and she the girl she didn't have any hereditary disease.'' The lawyer of the Canepa family, Angelo Paone, said this, stating that ''there is no official statement'' from her parents.

''The Carabinieri OF NAS (Health Security '' ndr) yesterday notified ASL 4 with an order to exhibit and seize the anamnestic certificate compiled by Camilla Canepa, the eighteen year old from Sestri Levante (Genoa) who died after the administration of the Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) vaccine. The document, which is being seized in the ASL4 offices, will be delivered to the investigators on Monday. According to what has been learned, the prosecutor wants to verify whether hereditary thrombocytopenia was reported in the document, also mentioned in the documents already in the possession of the investigators or the intake of hormone-based drugs'' writes Ansa.

''AstraZeneca's Vaccine linked to Thrombosis''. SOS by EMA's Expert, but Agency Not changes Idea! Oxford halts Trials for ChildrenThe military investigators, delegated by the prosecutors Francesca Rombol and Stefano Puppo together with the adjunct Francesco Pinto, went to the hospitals of Lavagna, where the young woman was hospitalized on June 3 and then discharged, and to the Policlinico San Martino, where she was declared dead. on June 10, to acquire medical records and all medical documentation relating to the case.

After the death of the eighteen-year-old, the magistrates changed the crime with which the file was opened, which went from ''relative acts'' to manslaughter against unknown persons.

The controversy remains strong in Italy on the correlation between thrombosis and the Vaxzevria vaccine, ascertained by a research carried out by the Oslo hospital and by the EMA itself which, however, had then authorized the continuation of the administration of the AstraZeneca serum despite the stop in various EU countries (Denmark, Holland and Norway) and the non-renewal of the purchase contract for the doses scheduled for 2022 decided by the European Commission in Brussels. Vaxzevria never has been approved in US.

Covid, Italy's Govt approved Mandatory Vaccines for Health Operators. Italians become first Worldwide Guinea-Pigs for Gates' Social ExperimentsAs evidenced by Gospa News in Italy there has been great political pressure on this antidote against Covid 19 because it was created with the contribution of the Park Science of Pomezia (Rome) which produces the adenovirus vector of the chimpanzee on which the SARS virus is inserted- Cov-2 inactivated to trigger a genomic reaction in DNA and the consequent antibody response.

WUHAN-GATES 39. ''SARS-2 Manmade in Biolabs with Gain of Function''. Two new Scientific Researches Accused China and Fauci. But Forgot Gates-Biden IntriguesThe Roman IRBM Park Science is a biotechnological research center of excellence repeatedly funded by the governor of Lazio Nicola Zingaretti, former secretary of the Democratic Party who developed in Italy the pilot projects of immunization on 12 vaccines for various school-age diseases promoted by Obama-Biden administration together with Bill Gates, who is in conflict of interest for investments in GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) which produces those serums but also controls the commercial network of the American multinational Pfizer, one of the main sponsors of Joseph Biden's election campaign, and producer with the German BioNTech of the antidote against Covid-19 Comirnaty based on messenger RNA.

Read more'... ''SARS-2 Manmade in Biolabs with Gain of Function''. Two new Scientific Researches Accused China and Fauci. But Forgot Gates-Biden Intrigues

Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio (C) COPYRIGHT GOSPA NEWS no reproduction without authorization '' Versione originale in Italiano

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The Amazon prime show Utopia finished filming October 2019, It’s story is about an evil corporation

that releases a virus to create demand for a vaccine that sterilizes the world’s population. It was

released September 2020 on prime, has a decent cast John Cusak plays the Bill Gates style rich

genius trying to save the world from over population. It even features lab grown meats and comic

books. I think you might enjoy it and it good fodder for the conspiracy cannon.

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 14:41

Study: 'Virus' Is Identical to Normal Cell 'Structures'

Dear friends,

Thanks to the diligent efforts of one of my listeners, I received a paper yesterday that puts another nail in the coffin for the existence of SARS-CoV-2. The paper is titled ''Appearances Can be Deceiving '' Viral-like Inclusions in Covid-19 Negative Renal Biopsies by Electron Microscopy.'' The authors are Clarrisa A. Cassol, et al., and the citation is Kidney360 1:824-828, 2020. This is a peer-reviewed journal affiliated with the American Society of Nephrology; in other words, this paper comes squarely from what is called acceptable, mainstream science.

Many of you have probably seen the electron-micrograph pictures of SARS-CoV-2, the ones in black and white, with the black dots within the faint outline of the circle. I have attached two such images from papers that claim these photos show direct evidence of the existence of the virus. These are the pictures that virologists show us, not the computer-generated, colorful images that you see in magazines and on the internet. These are the ''real'' pictures of the virus, and they are offered as ''proof'' that the virus exists.

However, it turns out these photos are actually NOT corona viruses, and the CDC, among others, has known this fact since at least 2004. The above paper examines the evidence used to claim that these images represent viruses, rather than normal ''structures'' within a cell, particularly sick cells. Here is what the paper says:

''We have observed morphologically indistinguishable inclusions within podocytes and tubular epithelial cells both in patients negative for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as well as in renal biopsies from the pre-COVID-19 era'' (emphasis added).

In other words, the researchers saw these same structures in people with no evidence of Covid and in samples they took before Covid even happened, before the virus was said to even exist.

In addition, they say:

''We postulated that endogenous mimickers could be present that are morphologically indistinguishable from SARS-CoV-2 virions ultrastructurally.''

And:

''Viral-like inclusions, consisting both of single vesicles with diameters between 50 and 138 nm, as well as packed groups within larger vesicles, were found in all 15 cases, either in podocytes. Tubular epithelia, or vascular epithelial cells (figure 1).''

In all 15 cases that they examined, they found structures identical to what is being called SARS-CoV-2. They were scattered all over the kidneys and blood vessels; they are not viruses, but normal parts of the cells.

Then they go on to describe how these particles come about:

''A number of potential natural mimickers that can generate intracellular groups of round vesicles mimicking

SARS-CoV-2 virions could be listed, the most likely being endocytic vesicles and endosomal components such as microvesicular bodies containing exosomes, among others. Endocytosis leads to the formation of 60-120 nm vesicles, which is within the size range described for SARS-CoV-2 (60-140nm). These endocytic vesicles may be coated by different proteins, one of the most common being clathrin. The presence of coating proteins may be responsible for the presence of an electron-dense area surrounding these vesicles, giving the appearance of a viral corona.''

In other words, remember the famous ''corona'' on the corona virus? It turns out it's just a common protein coating on normal vesicles, picking up the dyes in the electron-microscope preparation. The corona appearance is just another creative fiction, dreamed up by virologists and their graphic design teams.

Finally, the paper goes on to say that, naturally, you see more of these particles in sick people than in healthy people, which is exactly what I have been suggesting this past year. Dead and dying cells make these particles in the dying process and partly to get rid of poisons.

But the final nail comes in this quote:

''The potential for confusion of coronavirus particles with normal cellular components was in fact highlighted in a detailed ultrastructural study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of SARS-CoV responsible for the 2003 SARS outbreak.''[1]

In other words, the CDC in 2004 knew that researchers couldn't reliably know these particles were coronavirus particles. Not a word has been heard about this since. All virologists use these pictures as proof of the existence of this virus. It is a fraud, based on junk science, like everything else connected with ''Covid 19.''

I will be speaking more about this paper on the webinar this Friday. Please join me.

[1] GoldsmithCS, Tatti, TD, Ksiazek TG, Rollin PE, Comer JA, Lee WW, Rota PA, Bankamp B, Belini WJ, Saki, SR: Ultrastructural characterization of SARS coronavirus. Emerg Infect Dis 10: 320-326, 2004.

I work in the construction industry. The company I work for does excavation and utility work. We have seen huge increases in PVC and HDPE plastic pipe. Suppliers are warning that the prices they are quoting are basically good for that day, but might change when an order is placed. Normally prices would be guaranteed for 60 days. Once the order is placed, it will be 60 to 90 days before the pipe is delivered.

This is being blamed on hurricanes from last year and the power outage in Texas. Most of the resin needed to produce this type of pipe comes from the Gulf Coast refineries.

They also blame it on current supply chain disruptions.

Sir Reginald Van Gleason

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Thu, 10 Jun 2021 22:14

Bitcoin communityThe Bitcoin community may be planning to give El Salvador $1 billion after the country made Bitcoin a legal tender.

Although the $1 billion the Bitcoin community will give El Salvador would be a loan and not a gift, the idea is a brainchild of Max Keiser.

Keiser tweeted that Bitcoiners can arrange a $1 billion lending facility stop-gap for El Salvador.

He said this on Thursday while fuming at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concerns about El Salvador making Bitcoin a legal tender and how the Central American country could be at the mercy of the International organization.

I'm sure #Bitcoiners can arrange a $1 billion lending facility stop-gap for El Salvador. The IMF can go f*** themselves. https://t.co/oHxwkpeCx1

'-- Max Keiser's ''F*CK ELON'' show '' Austin, July (@maxkeiser) June 10, 2021

IMF, El Salvador, Bitcoin: How El Salvador may be at IMF's mercyRecall that the Central American country just made Bitcoin a legal tender on Wednesday. It meant that BTC will have an equal footing with the dollar in the country after USD became El Salvador's official currency 20 years ago.

However, the IMF on Thursday expressed concerns about El Salvador making BTC a legal tender. It said it has a number of economic and legal concerns regarding the move from El Salvador to make Bitcoin a parallel legal tender.

''Adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender raises a number of macroeconomic, financial and legal issues that require very careful analysis,'' said Gerry Rice, an IMF spokesman, during a scheduled press briefing.

''We are following developments closely, and we'll continue our consultations with the authorities.''

The IMF spokesperson said afterward that they will meet El Salvador President, Nayib Bukele to discuss the Bitcoin law. Meanwhile, El Salvador is in discussions with the IMF seeking a near $1 billion program.

This angered Max Keiser and prompted his call that the Bitcoin community may eventually have to loan El Salvador the $1 billion to free them from the hands of the IMF.

Bukele undeterred after making Bitcoin legal tender in El SalvadorBukele the country's president appears undeterred in integrating Bitcoin into Salvadorians lives and the economy of the country.

President Bukele during an interaction with Bitcoin community on Twitter after the parliamentary process, he was asked about the possibilities of Bitcoin mining in the country owing to its hydro and volcanic energy. The president said he has not given any thought to mining but assured that he will look into the possibilities of Bitcoin mining using volcanic energy.

Early on Thursday, he announced that he has spoken with the president of the geothermal electric company to make way for Bitcoin mining using volcanic energy.

He appears ready to make El Salvador an entire haven for Bitcoin activities.

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Fri, 11 Jun 2021 22:14

Een opvallende oproep deed Pieter Hasekamp, directeur van het Centraal Planbureau, vanmorgen. "Nederland moet nu de bitcoin in de ban doen", schrijft hij in een essay in Het Financieele Dagblad. Maar zowel binnen als buiten de cryptowereld lijkt er weinig animo voor een verbod.

Hasekamp, die de oproep op persoonlijke titel lijkt te doen en niet beschikbaar was voor verdere toelichting, noemt in zijn stuk meerdere redenen voor een ban. Hij vindt dat cryptovaluta niet kunnen doorgaan voor geld, zoals euro's en dollars, onder meer omdat het te veel in prijs schommelt en niet overal ingezet kan worden als betaalmiddel.

Bovendien wijst hij op zorgen om fraude en financile instabiliteit. De waarde van bitcoin gaat flink op en neer, en bij andere munten zijn de schommelingen nog groter. Dat komt vooral door mensen die munten kopen om te speculeren: ze hopen dat hun aankoop in waarde stijgt zodat ze die snel weer met winst kunnen verkopen. Dat veroorzaakt gevaarlijke instabiliteit.

"Het uiteindelijke klappen van de cryptozeepbel is onvermijdelijk", aldus de CPB-directeur. "De recente ontwikkelingen laten zien dat het tijd is om in actie te komen: hoe langer we wachten, hoe groter de negatieve gevolgen van de uiteindelijke crash. De ultieme stap is een totaalverbod op productie, handel en zelfs bezit van cryptovaluta."

'Verbod niet haalbaar'Maar Hasekamp krijgt weinig bijval. Niet in de laatste plaats omdat een verbod niet haalbaar lijkt. "De oproep verraste me", zegt Teunis Brosens, die voor ING digitale valuta volgt. Zo lijkt een ban hem technisch gezien niet uitvoerbaar.

"Aanbieders van wisseldiensten of portemonnees voor cryptomunten zou je in theorie kunnen verbieden. Maar de infrastructuur zelf niet, zoals de blockchain, portemonnees die mensen zelf aanhouden en diensten die in het buitenland aangeboden worden - dat gaat gewoon niet lukken."

'' Het is geen kantoor dat je kunt binnenvallen.

Hij krijgt, niet verrassend, bijval van Patrick van der Meijde, voorzitter van de Vereniging van Bitcoinbedrijven. Die noemt een ban een slecht idee en totaal niet uitvoerbaar. "Bitcoin is 'open source', het is software die mensen kunnen draaien. Het is niet een kantoor dat je kunt binnenvallen."

Bovendien is er al veel gereedschap beschikbaar om problemen met cryptomunten aan te pakken, benadrukt Brosens. "Oplichting met cryptomunten mag niet, omdat oplichting sowieso niet mag. Daar heb je geen verbod voor nodig."

Ook benadrukt de ING-econoom dat er grote verschillen zijn tussen alle cryptovaluta. "Ik snap de zorg: van de duizenden cryptomunten die er zijn is het merendeel onzin, piramidespelen, daar wil je gewoon niet in zitten. Maar er zitten ook mooie dingen tussen zoals bitcoin en ethereum."

Daar sluit Bart Mol, van de podcast Satoshi Radio, zich bij aan. "Ik zie ook wel de pump-en-dumps en alle muntjes waar mensen blind instappen en hun geld verliezen. Alleen staat dat voor mij los van bitcoin." Een verbod lijkt Mol eveneens niet realistisch. Hij noemt het voorstel "behoorlijk kort door de bocht".

Nieuwe wet in de maakWat nog niet geregeld is, is het toezicht op de handel in cryptovaluta. Terwijl de aandelenbeurs bijvoorbeeld wel door de AFM gecontroleerd kan worden, gaat die nog niet over cryptohandel. Daardoor is het makkelijker om ongestraft te frauderen en manipuleren, vooral met kleinere munten.

Toch wordt daar al door de Europese Unie aan gewerkt. Door nieuwe wetgeving moet de handel in cryptovaluta onder het toezicht van de toezichthouders in de lidstaten komen te vallen. Aan handelsplatforms zelf zijn recent al strengere eisen gesteld die witwassen moeten tegengaan.

DNB niet voor verbodOnder dergelijke voorwaarden is een totaalverbod op bitcoin of andere cryptovaluta ook volgens de Nederlandse centrale bank DNB niet nodig. "Het huidige voorstel laat crypto's toe, maar binnen grenzen en daar kunnen wij ons goed in vinden."

De AFM zelf wijst er eveneens op dat ze binnenkort mogelijk toezicht kunnen gaan houden. Of het dan ook een verbod niet nodig vindt, laat een woordvoerder in het midden.

"Net als het CPB blijft de AFM beleggers waarschuwen voor de risico's van cryptovaluta. Tegelijkertijd wijst de AFM op de eigen verantwoordelijkheid van beleggers", aldus de woordvoerder.

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 05:05

For representational purposes (File Photo | AFP)

Express News Service

BENGALURU: After El Salvador's historic move to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender (rendering it full currency status), things are looking brighter back home in India for crypto-enthusiasts.

Top sources tracking the industry told this publication that the government has moved away from its earlier hostile stance towards virtual currencies and will most likely classify Bitcoin as an asset class in India soon.

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will oversee regulations for the cyptocurrency sector after Bitcoin's classification as an asset class, sources added.

India's crypto industry is also in talks with the finance ministry regarding the formulation of a new set of regulations and industry sources point out that an expert panel at the ministry is studying the matter.

A Cryptocurrency Regulation bill is likely to be tabled in the Parliament during the Monsoon session, the added.

The development comes days after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in a circular, directed banks to stop avoiding transactions involving virtual tokens citing its earlier 2018 circular, since it had been quashed by the Supreme Court.

RBI Governor Shakthikanta Das, however, reiterated that there were still major concerns that have been communicated to the government on digital currencies.

''We can definitely say that the new committee which is working on cryptocurrencies is very optimistic on cryptocurrency regulation and legislation... A new draft proposal will soon be in the Cabinet, which will look into the overall scenario and take the best step forward. We are very hopeful that the government will embrace cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies,'' Ketan Surana, Director and chief financial officer, Coinsbit, and Member, Internet and Mobile Association of India said.

A white paper by Indiatech.org suggests that India's adoption of Bitcoin as an alternative asset class is more realistic.

Due to the volatile nature of digital currencies (prices fluctuate widely on a daily basis), it pointed, they cannot be regularly used as a payment instrument.

The paper also recommended taxing investments in cryptocurrencies, making them subject to the capital gains tax under the Income Tax Act.

Hitesh Malviya, blockchain and crypto investment expert, said, ''In my opinion, the Indian government will explore a way to regularise Bitcoin. I don't think India will consider accepting Bitcoin as a legal tender in the near future because it will affect the position of the Indian rupee. Accepting bitcoin as a legal tender is a good idea for those nations who don't have their own currency or are dependent on the US dollar''.

$2 trillion Global crypto market cap.

190% rise in global crypto users in 2018-2020.

200 mn crypto users worldwide.

5,000 digital assets exist globally.

ALSO WATCH | India records world's highest single-day COVID death toll, thanks to Bihar

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 05:06

A bill that would put a three-year moratorium on cryptocurrency mining in New York has died in the lower house of the U.S. state's legislature.

A staffer for the bill's author, Assemblywoman Anna Kelles, confirmed to The Block that the bill had met its end, saying "the roadblock was the unions."

Specifically, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers wrote a memorandum of opposition (embedded in this report) saying that the bill unfairly "targets the use of a specific technology."

The union further wrote: "The bill fails to take into account the valid benefits of the technology behind the industry."

Regarding their position on labor, the staffer said "we don't think this industry will bring in many long-term jobs, more short-term work for electricians setting up the plants.'"

Kelles' effort to put a pause on mining operations within New York come as bitcoin miners are moving into old power plants in the state's more rural north. Many of these coal-fired plants had previously gone offline for most of the year due to advancing environmental regulation. As she told The Block last month:

"The thing that's frustrating is that not only are they coming in and buying up old peaker plants that are the least efficient of all of the technologies. They are turning them on '-- where they previously might have run two days out of the year '-- they are now running 365 days of the year, 24/7."It seems that the assembly did not agree with Kelles' assessment of the problem, or at least did not view it as significant enough to freeze a specific and growing industry.

But not so fast '-- two companion bills in the State Senate live on, with the Senate version of the moratorium passing on June 8. While the original bill would block all crypto mining operations, it was, however, recently amended to be friendlier to greener mining. Instead of all miners, the amended version would stop permits going to any:

"Electric generating facility that utilizes a carbon-based fuel and that provides, in whole or in part, behind-the-meter electric energy consumed or utilized by a facility that uses proof-of-work authentication methods to validate blockchain transactions."While this new bill can't pass into law without going through the Assembly, Kelles plans on accomplishing just that. In a statement to The Block, she said:

"We will work to pass this legislation in the 2022 session, but need to make sure our climate goals are not compromised by rampant energy usage from currency mining in the short term."The issue is especially timely as mining operations are setting up shop in the United States for the first time, where they must work to cope with developing regulatory expectations. In particular, this includes environmental concerns over the bitcoin network's energy use.

IBEW MIO- A.7389B-S.6486B by MichaelPatrickMcSweeney

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 13:39

El Salvador has passed President Nayib Bukele's bill to make Bitcoin legal tender in the country! The bill passed 62''19, with three abstentions, at around 8pm local time on 8 June.

The El Salvador Bitcoin plan is blitheringly obviously a scam, and the only question is the details of the scam.

The prize here would be a small country's stash of genuine US dollars. At least $150 million will be extracted via a trust that's being set up as an interface between dollars and bitcoins.

Strike, the payment network that El Salvador is working with, runs on tethers '-- a barely-backed substitute dollar token used in the crypto trading markets '-- and the ''dollars'' in a Strike account in El Salvador are actually tethers. Fake dollars go in, real dollars leak out.

The lawPresident Bukele tweeted the text of the law in Spanish and English: [Twitter; Twitter; FREOPP]

Art. 1. The purpose of this law is to regulate bitcoin as unrestricted legal tender with liberating power, unlimited in any transaction, and to any title that public or private natural or legal persons require carrying out.

What is mentioned in the previous paragraph does not hinder the application of the Monetary Integration law.

Art. 2. The exchange rate between bitcoin and the United States dollar, subsequently USD, will be freely established by the market.

Art. 3. Prices may be expressed in bitcoin.

Art. 4. Tax contributions can be paid in bitcoin.

Art. 5. Exchanges in bitcoin will not be subject to capital gains tax, just like any legal tender.

Art. 6. For accounting purposes, the USD will be used as the reference currency.

Art. 7. Every economic agent must accept bitcoin as payment when offered to him by whoever acquires a good or service.

Art. 8. Without prejudice to the actions of the private sector, the State shall provide alternatives that allow the user to carry out transactions in bitcoin and have automatic and instant convertibility from bitcoin to USD if they wish. Furthermore, the State will promote the necessary training and mechanisms so that the population can access bitcoin transactions.

Art. 9. The limitations and operations of the alternatives of automatic and instantaneous conversion from bitcoin to USD provided by the State will be specified in the Regulations issued for this purpose.

Art. 10. The Executive Branch will create the necessary institutional structure to apply this law.

Art. 11. The Central Reserve Bank and the Superintendency of the Financial System shall issue the corresponding regulations within the period mentioned in Article 16 of this law.

Art. 12. Those who, by evident and notorious fact, do not have access to the technologies that allow them to carry out transactions in bitcoin are excluded from the obligation expressed in Art. 7 of this law. The State will promote the necessary training and mechanisms so that the population can access bitcoin transactions.

Art. 13. All obligations in money expressed in USD, existing before the effective date of this law, may be paid in bitcoin.

Art. 14. Before the entry into force of this law, the State will guarantee, through the creation of a trust at the Banco de Desarrollo de El Salvador (BANDESAL), the automatic and instantaneous convertibility of bitcoin to USD necessary for the alternatives provided by the State mentioned in Art. 8.

Art. 15. This law will have a special character in its application concerning other laws that regulate the matter, repealing any provision that contradicts it.

Art. 16. This decree will take affect ninety days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

This is skimpily drafted '-- ''bitcoin'' is not defined '-- gives the Executive branch way too much power to implement the needed institutions as it pleases (probably a feature as far as Bukele is concerned), and Art. 15 looks like a time bomb. But anyway!

The Act goes beyond the usual meaning of ''legal tender,'' which covers payment of debts. Businesses will be required to accept Bitcoin, even for purchases '... unless they don't have the technology.

Accounts will still be kept in US dollars, the official currency of El Salvador '-- bitcoins will be, explicitly, a dollar substitute.

Obviously, the law doesn't detail the operational structure. Bukele did a Twitter Spaces call where he explained a bit about how they expected it would all work. In fact, bitcoiners had set up the call independently; Bukele happened to call in, and they noticed and started asking him questions. [YouTube, one-hour Bukele segment; YouTube, full three-hour session]

If you have an hour spare and some handy forks to stab into your ears, I recommend Bukele's Spaces call. He was making up new parts of the plan in real time. The plan to do Bitcoin mining using volcano power '-- El Salvador gets 25% of its power from geothermal '-- was an idea someone put to Bukele on the call, and he later tweeted that it was policy now. [Twitter]

The TrustPer Art. 14 of the Act, El Salvador is setting up something like a currency board, sort of, to interface between bitcoins and US dollars. Merchants will be required to accept Bitcoin '-- but the Trust will make up for Bitcoin's awful volatility, as Bukele explained on Spaces:

[05:16] This law speaks about a trust fund that the government is going to put up in place so it would assume the risk of the merchants.

[05:36] For example, if there's an ice cream parlor, and the owner of the ice cream parlor, he doesn't really want to take the risk. I mean, he has to accept bitcoin, because it's a mandated currency, but he doesn't want to take the risk of the convertibility. He might win money, he might lose. So he wants dollars deposited in his banking account. So when he sells the ice cream, he can ask the government to exchange his bitcoin to dollars. Of course, he can do that in the markets also, but the government would have a fund to do it immediately. So it's not that volatile because the government is going to take the risk of the minutes or half an hour that it's going to take for him to do his transaction.

[06:29] So we're going to put up a trust fund to do that, and we're willing to risk some money, that we might earn some or we might lose some, but that's going to be done to help people with the risk. And that's a separate law that's going to go to be approved in the assembly later.

The trust will be set up by the national development bank, BANDESAL '-- not by the central bank '-- with $150 million, in actual dollars.

The central bank's total reserve is $2.5 billion. Bukele admitted on the Spaces call that $150 million was a lot of money to El Salvador.

The trust fund will assume all the risk that the price of Bitcoin goes down. If the fund is limited to $150 million, that's not a recipe for utter disaster. But all the trust is doing is providing cover for Bitcoin's ridiculous volatility.

The trust is being set up in partnership with Strike, so I suspect it won't be paying out in dollars, but in tethers '-- but we'll get to that part of the scheme shortly.

Launderettes ahoy!Bukele plans to gradually replace the dollars with bitcoins that have been accepted by merchants, and the trust will end up holding $150 million in bitcoins. That is: El Salvador will launder $150 million of bitcoins. From the Spaces call:

[54:29] At the end we're going to hold at least 150 million dollars equivalent of bitcoin, but that hasn't been bought yet, because it's going to be bought in the small transactions of 0.0001 bitcoins, so at the end we're going to hold 150 million dollars equivalent in bitcoin. But right now, we're not holding any bitcoin.

There is absolutely no way to run Know-Your-Customer to international standards on Bitcoin transactions, and also have Bitcoin treated like legal tender. So they're setting up a gateway for questionable bitcoins.

The bitcoins are not going to come from merchants 0.0001 BTC at a time. They're going to come from holders with large bags of dirty bitcoins, dumping them for cash.

El Salvador has a surprisingly okay record on anti-money-laundering, especially given it's got a massive problem with gangs shipping cocaine through the country. It's a member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, the local branch of the FATF. [FATF] El Salvador is not on the FATF AML Deficiency List.

UIF, El Salvador's Financial Investigations Unit, was suspended from the Egmont Group of international financial intelligence units in 2018 '-- though it was reinstated in 2019.

But El Salvador's AML status is directly endangered by the adoption of Bitcoin. This then becomes a question of how long the rest of the world wants to keep doing business with them '-- and what that does to incoming remittances.

How well does Strike work?''Bitcoin Beach'' was set up in the village of El Zonte, as a proof-of-concept for a circular Bitcoin-based local economy. This is subsidised by ''an anonymous bitcoin whale.'' [CoinDesk]

Associated Press looked into Bitcoin Beach. You'll be unsurprised to hear that it's an artificial experiment that doesn't work as advertised. Those associated with the project talk it up '-- but when AP spoke to ordinary people, they turned out not to go near the Bitcoin system. (Includes some quotes from me.) [AP]

Remittances: pay dollars, send tethersFrances Coppola hypothesised that Bukele will create a US dollar stablecoin and debase its backing, rather than using actual dollars '-- as a way to print money:

He can't possibly guarantee the BTC risk any other way. I would take the announcement of a 'trust' as clear evidence of intention to print USD equivalents, personally. But I am ultra-cynical '... Creating scrip currency to steal real money has been done by corrupt governments all over the world. [Twitter; Twitter; Twitter]

Coppola's guess was very close. Strike uses tethers to transmit US dollars from the US to El Salvador '-- and the balance at the other end stays in tethers.

A tether is a US dollar-equivalent stablecoin. Tether Inc. used to claim tethers were backed one-to-one by US dollars in a bank account; this was a brazen lie, so Tether now claims they're backed by squirrels and confetti. There has never been a verifiable redemption of tethers for the dollars supposedly backing them.

Jack Mallers, CEO of Zap, who runs Strike, describes Tether as ''a synthetic digital dollar'' on your smart phone. With the minor issue that tethers are absolutely not dollars.

Here's Mallers explaining how it works: [Medium]

Let's walk through a user story. I want to send $1,000 to a friend of mine in El Salvador:

' When I initiate the $1,000 payment, Strike debits my existing USD balance.' Strike then automatically converts my $1,000 to bitcoins ready for use in its infrastructure using its real-time automated risk management and trading infrastructure.' Strike then moves the bitcoins across the Gulf of Mexico where it arrives in our Central American infrastructure in less than a second and for no cost.' Strike then takes the bitcoins and automatically converts them back into USDT (synthetic digital dollar known as Tether) using its real-time automated risk management and trading infrastructure.' Strike then credits the existing user with the USDT to their Strike account.

What if your family back home wants the, you know, dollars that you worked hard for in the US, and thought you were sending to them?

Well, that's easy '-- you can cash out your USDT balance as US dollars at a Strike-operated Bitcoin ATM!

How many Bitcoin ATMs are there in El Salvador?

Two. Both are in Bitcoin Beach '-- at El Sunzal and El Zonte. And none in backwaters like, er, San Salvador. [Coin ATM Radar]

The Strike system '-- supplied by the government for everyone '-- will default to tethers, and try to keep you using and circulating tethers.

Strike, meanwhile, still has the actual US dollars that were put in at the sending end.

My own private LightningNotice how in Mallers' remittance example, the Bitcoin bit doesn't do anything '-- Strike buys bitcoins for dollars, and immediately sells them for tethers. The ''less than a second'' suggests this is sent over Strike's private Lightning Network.

I described the Lightning Network last time. The public LN basically doesn't work, and can't work. Strike tried using the public mesh network '-- but lost a lot of payments.

Strike now only allows LN connections from ''close partners''. Rahul Bile from Strike explained in the company's public Slack channel: [Twitter]

In order to facilitate high volumes of payments strike have closed their nodes to outside parties.

Mallers tweeted in October 2020: ''Leaving our nodes open to any incoming connection allowed anyone to open channels to us. Almost all of these channels were bad channels and resulted in difficulties for our nodes.'' [Twitter]

Strike just settles between parts of Strike using its own isolated Lightning Network. I suppose that solves the path-finding problem.

Apparently, this private LN instance is good news for the Lightning Network.

All politics is localBukele is genuinely very popular '-- his approval rating is over 90%. He's funded this popularity by increasing spending without increasing taxes. But El Salvador can't print US dollars to make up the deficit. Bukele also habitually governs by the seat of his pants, rather than with coherent plans.

El Salvador is heavily funded by foreign aid from the US '-- to make up somewhat for how thoroughly the US screwed El Salvador over in the 1980s. [The Atlantic] But the US is not happy with Bukele's authoritarianism and corrupt cronies, and has redirected its funding to civil society groups. [Reuters]

Bukele has been funding the deficit by issuing bonds '-- but the market has priced these at a huge discount, on the order of 7''9%. [Reuters]

Bukele met on Thursday 10 June with the International Monetary Fund, who he was hoping to borrow $1 billion from. The Bitcoin plan was a major part of the discussion. The IMF held a press conference beforehand; they refused to be drawn on the many Bitcoin-related questions, but politely indicated that they were more than a little dubious about the scheme: [IMF]

Adoption of bitcoin as legal tender raises a number of macroeconomic, financial and legal issues that require very careful analysis. We are following developments closely, and we'll continue our consultations with the authorities.

FT Alphaville thinks the Bitcoin plan is a backup option in case the IMF loan falls through altogether. [FT, free with login]

Bukele likely wants to get hold of the dollars coming in as remittances '-- if Strike doesn't just keep them all '-- and adding tethers to the economy in place of dollars would allow him to effectively print money that he couldn't print otherwise.

The Galt's Gulch opportunityThere is also a sub-plan to attract gullible libertarians to El Salvador. On the Spaces call, Bukele offered permanent residence in El Salvador for 3 BTC:

[10:37] You could become a sanctuary country for crypto, I think a lot of bitcoin entrepreneurs, everybody would come there, and because you know the banking system would be friendly, everything would be friendly.

This is not enough to buy you a secured enclave where you won't have to see local poor people, or get shot by the gangs. Also, the local murder rate is stupendous.

There's a small cottage industry in central America in scamming gullible libertarians with colonialist inclinations. In the Honduras charter city scheme, a few libertarians thought they could come into a country, take over an area, and run it as an enclave with private laws. The rich got richer, the local poor were screwed over, the charter city scheme was eventually ruled unconstitutional, and the investors' money went up in smoke. [Reason; Open Democracy]

The Bitcoin bros seem to seriously think Bukele is a na¯ve rube they can take for everything he's got, and not a successful politician.

I'm pretty sure both Bukele and the bitcoiners who sold him this scheme are each convinced they're going to screw over the other. It's possible both will lose, of course.

I'm going to write a novella where a disaffected American takes his 3 BTC and moves to El Salvador, only to lose it all in volcano mining. So he starts walking north and learns the meaning of life right before being shot at the border by the libertarian who intro'd him to bitcoin

'-- Troy Esquivel (@Troy_IRL) June 9, 2021

One-dimensional chessDon't expect the El Salvador Bitcoin plan to be a well-constructed long con put together coherently by smart people. This is a barely-planned smash-and-grab.

The $150 million trust will be drained immediately. There will be near-zero consumer use of bitcoins. Tethers will circulate as dollars until people realise these things are not redeemable. Strike will somehow collapse.

The international financial community will treat El Salvador as a money-laundering state. The IMF is likely to attach severe conditions to any further loans.

The Bitcoin bros will lose their money and their bitcoins. The people of El Salvador will be even more screwed over.

Bukele, who knows? He might wriggle out of this one '-- blaming the outsiders is the obvious move, for example. He's definitely clever enough to have an escape plan already lined up.

Just assume the El Salvador Bitcoin thing is absolutely as dumb as it looks, and you'll make correct predictions.

At that point I'm expecting next crash Bukele to exit scam by vanishing right after officially changing his country flag with a giant penis flag.This Sir, would be the strongest evidence we're living in a simulation.

'-- TDoge (@TDoge_) June 9, 2021

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sat, 12 Jun 2021 16:56

Blockchain technology and the cryptocurrencies that use it are creating open, democratic financial systems. Unfortunately many people remain sceptical due to widely circulated myths and misconceptions. We outline the facts and the possibilities for financial freedom and global participation. The crypto economy is leading to the development of an alternative financial and technological infrastructure that is global, open source, and accessible to all who have access to the internet, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, and socioeconomic class. The mainstream narrative on cryptocurrencies has typically addressed the speculative and risky nature of this new investable asset class, its uses in cybercrime and the dark web, the negative ESG impacts of mining, and in some cases the victimization of uninformed consumers.

However, perhaps not enough is said or written about how this new hotbed of global and open financial experimentation in the crypto economy is resulting in tangible, programmable, and modular technologies focused on value store, peer-to-peer micropayments, lending, margin/collateralization, market making, and price discovery. Today, these automated technologies are being tested in real life by millions of people with billions of dollars that could potentially evolve and lead to the broader global financial inclusiveness of billions of under- and unbanked people tomorrow through simple to set-up and low cost automated financial services at scale.

Even more importantly, perhaps not enough is being done to shepherd this societal and technological phenomenon to that end state '' not enough of us are rolling up our sleeves and getting involved with building this new global and inclusive open financial system, even though it was born over a decade ago and has been growing and evolving in plain sight and accessible to us all this whole time.

Most can agree that financial inclusion '' providing easy access to useful and affordable financial products and services such as payments, savings, credit, and insurance '' to over 1.7 billion people who remain under- or unbanked is important. The potential widespread use of digital finance '' financial services delivered via mobile phones, the internet or cards '' has been estimated to boost annual GDP of all emerging economies by $3.7 trillion, with two-thirds of the increase stemming from raised productivity of financial and non-financial businesses and governments as a result of digital payments, and the balance one-third from additional investment that broader financial inclusion of people and micro, small, and medium sized businesses would bring. The additional GDP resulting from the use of broader digital finance usage could create up to 95 million jobs across all sectors.

Traditionally, financial inclusion efforts have been driven by the sponsorship and work of governments, institutions, and banks. However, with the increasing popularity of internet community-based open source technology development, alongside the growing investment in cryptocurrencies, public blockchain networks, and protocols, the beginnings of a grassroots effort to build the technological infrastructure of an alternative open and inclusive financial system may already be taking hold, perhaps unintentionally.

Blockchain is an early-stage technology that enables the decentralized and secure storage and transfer of information. It has the potential to be a powerful tool for tracking goods, data, documentation and transactions. In this way, it can cut out intermediaries, reduce corruption, increase trust and empower users.

The potential uses of blockchain technology are essentially limitless, as every transaction is recorded and distributed on a ledger that is almost impossible to hack. Though the most well-known use case is cryptocurrencies, blockchain is being positioned to become a global decentralized source of trust that could be used to collect taxes, reduce financial fraud, improve healthcare privacy and even ensure voting security.

Blockchain has the potential to upend entire systems '' but it also faces challenges. Read more about the work we have launched on blockchain and distributed ledger technologies '' to ensure the technology is deployed responsibly and for the benefit of all. We're working on accelerating the most impactful blockchain use cases, ranging from making supply chains more inclusive to making governments more transparent, as well as supporting central banks in exploring digital currencies.

Anyone who is reading this article (e.g. has internet access) can start participating in a cryptocurrency network today, and participation is not limited to purchasing or selling cryptocurrencies. Primary participation includes participating in governance voting and staking, examining blockchain transactions using a block explorer, running nodes or mining transactions to underpin the decentralized distribution and security of any given crypto blockchain network.

Here is a brand new financial system that you can get access to by yourself. Have we ever encountered an open system that anyone in the world could participate in, in any form and at any depth, without prerequisite or qualifications other than having a device capable of accessing the internet? The systemic waves of change that will result from this will only rival what we've seen in our lifetimes as the Internet of Information which democratized the creation, distribution, and access to information and content. What will the new Internet of Value mean for the creation, distribution, and access to value and financial services?

Debunking the myths If we consider the crypto economy as just the early beginnings of a new open financial system, then we can agree that it is not perfect but perhaps aiming in the right direction. In any system, trade-offs are inevitable. But some of the myths and narratives around bitcoin and crypto seem worth clarifying with facts.

Although there is some illicit use of cryptocurrencies, the percentage of identified illicit activity among all cryptocurrencies as a percentage of total crypto activity from 2017 to 2020 was less than 1%. This compares with estimates of illicit activity in the economy as a whole, which are on the order of 2-4% of global GDP. A BAE Systems report published in 2020 noted, ''identified cases of laundering through cryptocurrencies remain relatively small compared to volumes of cash laundered through traditional methods''.

In the example of the Silk Road dark market, law enforcement shut down '' it was the transparent traceability of bitcoin and its open blockchain ledger that led to the identification and apprehension of criminals. Over a decade later, blockchain forensics and transaction monitoring are offered by data specialist companies across a broad swath of cryptocurrencies beyond bitcoin and will continue to advance in robustness and comprehensiveness. In the 2021 Twitter hack, blockchain forensics services enabled law enforcement to identify the perpetrators and make arrests in two weeks.

Energy consumption facts By design, the bitcoin network consumes a large amount of power in order to incentivize the distribution, decentralization, and continued participation needed to secure the network and make it economically difficult to take over more than half of the network's nodes. According to a review in 2021, the bitcoin network consumes an estimated ~113.89 TWh/yr in total. Comparing this with the energy footprint of ''always on'' electrical devices in American households estimated at 1,375 TWh/yr, which is 12.1x that of the bitcoin network.

Click to enlarge Image: Source: Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index.

Could it be argued that the development of financial inclusion and an open system may be worth the power consumption of 1/12 fraction of American appliances and electronics? It's also worth noting that bitcoin mining is designed to be commercially efficient, and globally that means mining can often be found in locations with low cost power. In some cases, these power sources leverage hydro, natural gas, and in some cases wind and solar. In reports from 2019 and 2020, the percentage of carbon neutral bitcoin mining ranged from 70% to 39%. Even more interesting is that bitcoin mining is able to be run anywhere, and as a result, is better positioned to consume power that would otherwise be stranded and wasted.

Globally accessible system If you are in a developed country perhaps you take unfettered access to a financial system for granted. If you are in an emerging country perhaps this type of access may seem unrealistic without financial and technological experience. Whatever the reason, there should technically be few reasons not to participate, assess for yourself what is happening in the crypto ecosystem, and perhaps help shape better outcomes for our global community '' through new business models, technology, education, regulatory advocacy and clarity, and consumer protection awareness. All are welcome to participate.

Check out Cryptocurrencies: A Guide to Getting Started, authored by the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Cryptocurrencies to learn more about how to get hands-on and help build what could be the world's next generation inclusive and open financial system.

Please note this article is not offering any investment advice and users of cryptocurrencies must take all responsibility for their own investment decisions.

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 18:06

The regulation is expected to affect tokens like Dogecoin as well as tokenised arts and collectibles

Representations of cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Dogecoin. A ban on trading meme-based coins is expected to affect Dogecoin. Reuters Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission has banned digital asset exchanges from trading meme- or fan-based tokens, non-fungible tokens and exchange-issued tokens.

The regulation, which is expected to affect tokens like Dogecoin as well as tokenised arts and collectibles, was enacted on Friday with immediate effect, although it's not retroactive, according to a statement from the regulator.

Ruenvadee Suwanmongkol, the regulator's secretary-general, said the exchanges are banned from trading utility tokens or cryptocurrencies that have one or any of the following characteristics:

Having no clear objectives or substance, and whose prices are dictated by social media trends or meme-based tokens.

Tokenised by the fame of influencers, or fan-based tokens.

A digital creation to declare ownership or grant rights in an object or specific right; it is unique and not interchangeable with digital tokens of the same category and type at the equal amount or non-fungible tokens.

Digital tokens that are utilised in a blockchain transaction and issued by digital asset exchanges or related persons.

The exchanges are required to comply and revise their rules within 30 days, the regulator said. Failure to do so could result in the delisting of the digital token, it said.

Updated: June 12, 2021 09:26 AM

Link to Article

Archived Version

Source: Mises Wire

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 04:18

Tags U.S. History 11 hours ago Doug FrenchPrice "stability" has never been a feature of a free marketplace. Stability is an obsession of central banks, and the day may come when central bankers intervene to "stabilize" crypto prices. That will be a bad thing.

Original Article: "Why "Wild Swings" In Crypto Prices are Not Really a Problem"

This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Michael Stack.

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 02:51

An Arizona lawmaker fired back at Attorney General Merrick Garland Friday after the nation's top lawyer announced plans to scrutinize post-election audits.

What is the DOJ doing?Garland announced Friday several new initiatives under his leadership, including:

Doubling the staff at the DOJ's Civil Rights DivisionScrutinizing laws that Republicans say protect election integrity, but Democrats claim restrict voting rightsExamining post-election auditsCombatting "election disinformation"Garland's promise to scrutinize "post-election audits to ensure they abide by federal statutory requirements to protect election records and avoid the intimidation of voters" was "a clear reference to a Republican-backed audit in Arizona," NBC News reported.

Garland said, in part:

As part of its mission to protect the right to vote, the Justice Department will, of course, do everything in its power to prevent election fraud and, if found, to vigorously prosecute it. But many of the justifications proffered in support of these post-election audits and restrictions on voting have relied on assertions of material vote fraud in the 2020 election that have been refuted by law enforcement and intelligence agencies of both this Administration and the previous one, as well as by every court '-- federal and state '-- that has considered them.Arizona Republicans initiated an audit of 2020 presidential election ballots from Maricopa County, the most-populous county in Arizona, earlier this spring. The audit, which has yet to be completed, has been highly controversial and widely condemned by Democrats.

What was the response?Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers (R), an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, had a blunt response for Garland.

"You will not touch Arizona ballots or machines unless you want to spend time in an Arizona prison. Maybe you should focus on stopping terrorism. The Justice Department is one of the most corrupt institutions in the USA," she said.

You will not touch Arizona ballots or machines unless you want to spend time in an Arizona prison. Maybe you should'... https://t.co/TMDUmPcGyf

'-- Wendy Rogers (@Wendy Rogers)1623445014.0In another tweet, Rogers said, "The free state of Arizona will not tolerate this federal meddling."

"If Attorney General Merrick Garland thinks he has a right to our ballots and machines he should go to court. If he uses force when multiple courts have already authorized this audit he will be in violation of the law," she added.

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 15:45

On March 12, members of the private Facebook group ''Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County'' began to compile names.

The group's members in Loudoun County, Virginia '-- one of the last school districts in the United States to desegregate, where white students now make up less than half of total enrollment '-- were concerned about growing opposition to diversity and equity programs in the local public schools. They believed other parents were spreading false claims about these initiatives, and so a handful of members started a list of these opponents as a way of tracking the claims and countering them. One member of the anti-racist group suggested infiltrating or hacking the websites of groups opposed to diversity programs.

Screenshots leaked almost immediately. Parents who had been named as opponents of school diversity initiatives called the sheriff's office to complain. Conservative media outlets picked up the story, framing it as a group of liberal parents dubbed the ''chardonnay antifa'' creating a ''hit list'' of parents who disagreed with them.

Several members of the anti-racist Facebook group said they never intended to harass anyone, and considered the name sharing in the private group to be more in line with oppositional research than an attempt at intimidation. But whether intentional or not, the decision to compile names was perceived as a threat. Parents who had been named in the group said they didn't know what the group was planning, and they feared for their safety.

''I don't understand why we can't have a difference of opinion without an intense fight,'' said Elizabeth Perrin, a white mother who was among those named in the Facebook group as a critic of school diversity plans. ''We can find some middle ground.''

As the firestorm escalated, members of the anti-racist Facebook group '-- including parents, teachers and school board members '-- were bombarded with threats, some directed at their children. The school board added extra security at public meetings. Parents on both sides of the issue said they filed reports with the sheriff's department and installed security cameras.

''This has made people afraid to speak up,'' Emily Morford, a white mother who received threats over her participation in the anti-racist Facebook group, said. ''They're afraid that what happens to us is going to happen to them.''

The conflict in this rapidly diversifying community, the wealthiest county in the country, in the outer suburbs of Washington, quickly became intertwined with political campaigns. GOP candidates for the Virginia Legislature and statewide office declared their support for parents fighting racial equity initiatives. Republican activists are working with local parents, including a former Trump administration spokesman, to recall six Democratic Loudoun County school board members, at least some of whom joined the 600-member anti-racist Facebook group.

The battle lines in Loudoun County reflect similar clashes in communities across the country over the past year. Parents who were drawn to school board meetings to demand in-person learning this winter kept returning to oppose lessons on bias and privilege. Echoing former President Donald Trump's rhetoric, they complained that districts were indoctrinating their children.

But what's happening in Loudoun County has gone further. Media-savvy parents make fiery speeches at school board meetings and then clip them into short videos that go viral on social media before making their way to cable news. Fox News covered the dissension in Loudoun County on at least 24 broadcasts in eight weeks.

''You're dealing with a situation at a local level where a school district and school curriculum is being politicized,'' said Ian Prior, a white Loudoun County parent and former spokesman for Trump's Justice Department who is leading the school board recall effort. ''And there are several people '-- not just me '-- who absolutely know how to make sure that those things are at least exposed.''

The dispute in Loudoun County also shows how quickly these divisions can escalate and scare people away from getting involved in the debate. Parents who faced threats have scrubbed their social media profiles and taken down yard signs that read ''Black Lives Matter.'' Some said they are planning to sell their houses and move. Several members of the anti-racist Facebook group, including Black parents, declined to speak on the record for fear of receiving more harassment.

''Having my address shared is really frightening but I think it also speaks to the broader problem of how this is turning people on their neighbors,'' said Jamie Neidig-Wheaton, a white mother and administrator of the anti-racist Facebook group. ''This is about people's political aspirations and creating a wedge issue for midterms. What I want is to bring this back to addressing the real problem of racism in our schools.''

A changing county confronts racism, past and presentLoudoun County was once a Republican stronghold, but it has shifted to favor Democrats in recent elections '-- Trump lost the county by 24 percentage points last year '-- in part due to changing demographics. The population quadrupled in 30 years as developers gobbled up farmland, and Verizon offices and Amazon data centers moved in, quickly becoming some of the biggest employers alongside defense contractors and government agencies. Close to 1 in 4 Loudoun County residents are immigrants, many from India and El Salvador, and the proportion of white students in the district dropped from 58 percent to 43 percent over the last decade. A quarter of the students are of Asian descent, 18 percent are Hispanic and 7 percent are Black.

''Our students are living in an increasingly diverse world, even here on the microlevel '-- Loudoun County is changing,'' said Scott Ziegler, the interim superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools. ''They need to learn to live in a diverse global society. The other thing we know is we have missteps we need to account for and correct.''

Scott Ziegler, the interim superintendent of Loudoun County schools since January, said the district does not teach critical race theory. Loudoun County Public SchoolsIn 2019, the Loudoun County school district hired a consultant group, the Equity Collaborative, to conduct an audit of the racial climate in schools. Students of color told the Equity Collaborative in focus groups that white students, teachers and parents had used racial slurs and told them to go back to their country. They also raised concerns about common usage of the N-word and a lack of punishment for white students who hit Black children and Muslim children. The Equity Collaborative concluded in a report that administrators and staff members were unprepared to tackle these problems.

In recent interviews, several parents, who asked not to be named because of the harassment others have faced, echoed these issues. One mother of South Asian descent said her children broke down crying after they were called ''ISIS'' in middle school, in a reference to the Islamic State terror group. "It was jarring,'' she said.

A Black mother recalled her children being told by their classmates that they were "too dark" to play with in elementary school. Another Black mother, whose children are of mixed race, said she was sometimes grateful that her children were lighter skinned. ''It's a very uncomfortable and hard position to be in,'' she said. ''You're grateful for it because it's probably going to create a little bit more safety, but at the same time it's almost self-hatred.''

Following the audit, the local branch of the NAACP filed a complaint with the Virginia attorney general's office in May 2019 alleging a racially hostile environment in Loudoun County schools. This prompted a state investigation. In November 2020, the attorney general's office concluded that the district's policies and practices had harmed Black and Latino students and outlined steps for the district to address the ''discriminatory disparate impact identified and help ensure equal opportunity for each student.''

The district agreed to revise the admissions criteria for its competitive magnet school and gifted programs, change its approach to student discipline and annually review its protocol for responding to racial slurs and hate speech. The district also agreed to retain third-party consultants for assistance.

Pastor Michelle Thomas, head of NAACP Loudoun, has pushed the school district to do more to combat racial harassment of children. Douglas Graham / AP fileThe attorney general's office noted that the school district had started taking a number of steps after the Equity Collaborative's audit, such as revamping diversity training for staff. The county also issued a public apology for being one of the last school districts in the country to desegregate '-- refusing to do so until 1967, 13 years after the Supreme Court ruled ''separate but equal'' in public schools unconstitutional '-- and changed the name of the mascot, the Raiders, to drop a Confederate reference.

These changes, and the district's new diversity and equity initiatives '-- including banning students from wearing the Confederate battle flag on clothing, creating a student equity ambassador program and establishing a new protocol for dealing with racial slurs '-- drew little attention before 2021.

''No one had complained,'' said Pastor Michelle Thomas, head of the local NAACP branch, ''until about the time when the ex-president, Donald Trump, started to make this a national issue.'''

"It is a lifetime issue for us. It is a step on the political ladder for them."

Loudoun NAACP President Pastor Michelle Thomas

Last fall, Trump ordered federal agencies to eliminate any diversity training that incorporated ''critical race theory.'' The term, developed by scholars decades ago as an academic framework to examine how systemic racism perpetuates societal ills, has become a conservative buzzword in recent months. Many Republican lawmakers followed Trump's lead by advancing legislation to ban the teaching of ''divisive concepts'' around race and The New York Times' ''1619 Project.''

This sentiment popped up in Loudoun County as well, where some parents objected to the district's equity efforts and sought to block critical race theory from the classroom.

''We should be bringing up a generation that isn't taught to hate or to feel like they were the oppressor or the oppressed,'' said Perrin, who joined an effort to recall school board members. ''We don't need victims '-- we need strong children.''

For more of NBC News' in-depth reporting, download the NBC News app

But problems in Loudoun County go beyond school hallways. For years, Ku Klux Klan propaganda has been left at people's homes. In 2019, residents found swastikas spray-painted around the county. In March, youth hockey players said opponents from Loudoun County berated them with racial slurs during a game. In May, a Black New York Red Bulls soccer player accused fans at a Loudoun County stadium of starting racist chants against his team.

''What you see is a group of people stirring the pot and often in a way that they are totally uneducated about,'' said Thomas, who is Black. ''They couldn't care less about our students. It is a lifetime issue for us. It is a step on the political ladder for them.''

'I began to panic'In early March, school board member Beth Barts, a white mother, posted in the anti-racist Facebook group that she was concerned a ''movement'' of people opposed to critical race theory was gaining momentum.

"I began to panic, to be honest, because I saw all of a sudden our equity work was being misinterpreted as critical race theory, which is college-level curriculum," she said in a recent interview. She felt more people should be calling out falsehoods, and she posted screenshots from Parents Against Critical Theory, a website run by Loudoun County parent Scott Mineo.

Mineo is a white parent who claimed credit for getting the national media to report in February that the district had canceled Dr. Seuss (the district said it didn't cancel the author, it just wasn't emphasizing his work for Read Across America Day). He has spent months arguing that the district used critical race theory. He also expressed skepticism of the audit and the attorney general's report on racial harassment in the schools, and considered statements from the school district calling for the community to help dismantle white supremacy counterproductive.

''I'll be the first on board to help eradicate white supremacy,'' he said, ''but what am I looking for? Am I looking for me? Are we looking for people that look like me? Are there secret handshakes that I need to be watching out for? It's a blanket, empty, meaningless statement meant to inject a level of hatred, fear and expansion of the narrative of racism in our county.''

In the anti-racist Facebook group, screenshots obtained by NBC News show that members floated various strategies '-- create a petition, email the school board en masse, hold demonstrations supporting district diversity efforts '-- but many people said they weren't sure what would be most effective. Eventually, one member suggested compiling a list of people who were part of the ''anti-CRT movement.'' The person also said it would be ''useful to compile a list of allies.''

Another person called for ''hackers who can either shut down their websites or redirect them.'' Multiple people volunteered to call out misinformation, and shared names of people they considered critics of equity initiatives, but no one appeared to offer help with hacking; a few people said they wouldn't do that.

Screenshots quickly leaked to David Gordon, who founded a political action committee called the Virginia Project two years ago to help Republicans win elections. He posted two of the images on the Virginia Project's Twitter account on March 12. Within days, national news outlets wrote about the fight, naming many of the people who were part of the anti-racist Facebook group.

''These people are basically going around and deciding anybody who doesn't agree with them is an enemy,'' Gordon said. (For years, Gordon has commented on Virginia politics under the pseudonym Alexis Rose Bank; he has also called for various anti-Trump political figures and protesters to be killed '-- remarks he told NBC News were the type of internet post ''where you exaggerate a bit to get your point across.'')

Patti Hidalgo Menders said she was livid, and alarmed, when she learned that she and her husband had been named in the anti-racist group.

''We put new cameras around our house,'' said Menders, president of the Loudoun County Republican Women's Club, whose parents fled Cuba. ''My husband has more guns and more ammunition '-- we don't know what's going to tick someone off to want to come after us.''

Ian Prior speaks at a Loudoun County school board meeting April 27. Loudoun County Public SchoolsThe Loudoun County sheriff's department confirmed it received complaints ''surrounding messages posted by a social media group, as well as messages sent in response'' and to school board members. The department declined to release further information, citing ongoing investigations.

The newly mobilized opponents of diversity lessons also spoke at school board meetings, saying they held Barts responsible for the anti-racist group's ''illegal activities'' and demanding the district stop teaching critical race theory.

Barts said in an interview that while one member of the Facebook group "unfortunately took it a step too far'' in calling for hacking, she is not an administrator of the group and did not encourage anyone to target parents who disagreed with them.

"Never ever did I advocate for anything illegal or aggressive,'' she said.

The school district didn't directly address the Facebook group, but issued statements disputing that it taught critical race theory. Parents accused the district of playing a semantics game and said that its use of terms like ''systemic racism,'' ''microaggressions'' and ''culturally responsive teaching'' amounted to the same thing.

A week after the screenshots leaked, Prior, the local father who has extensive experience working in Republican politics, started a political action committee focused on recalling Barts and five other school board members. He said he was frustrated that the school board had refused to respond to questions about the curriculum or hold a town hall. ''We can do this all day, every day,'' he vowed at a school board meeting in April.

The school board chair, Brenda Sheridan, who is among those facing a possible recall, did not respond to a request for comment.

An onslaught of threatsAs the conflict continued, so did the national media coverage '-- and with it came more harassment of the parents who supported diversity initiatives.

Barts said she received 30 phone calls in one afternoon from people from around the country telling her she was a racist and indoctrinating kids. Both she and her husband received vitriolic Facebook messages, she said, and she asked police to escort her to her car after school board meetings.

''We know which doors you leave unlocked,'' one email warned. She was suddenly very appreciative that her dog barks viciously any time someone comes near their house.

''There were days that it became very difficult to hear the constant nastiness in all the emails calling me 'fatso' and 'ugly' and 'I hope you end up destitute and broke,''' Barts said.

Other members of the anti-racist group who were named in articles also received messages calling them racial slurs, and telling them, ''Go home, you have no place in the USA,'' according to screenshots reviewed by NBC News. Morford, who had flagged Prior and a former congressional candidate as critics of equity initiatives in the anti-racist group, was labeled a ''harasser'' on a website that listed her email and employer, prompting her to install security cameras.

Andrea Weiskopf, a white middle school teacher, received a torrent of harassing social media messages and emails after conservative news outlets noted her involvement in the Facebook group and defense of diversity efforts before the school board. According to screenshots, one email sent to her at work warned that the person could find where she lived. She said she forwarded several messages to the police.

"I get that white people don't want their kids going to school and being told their parents are racist, but it's not happening '-- it's made up."

Jamie Neidig-Wheaton

Several members of the anti-racist Facebook group said they were unnerved when the Virginia Project posted a letter on Twitter to Neidig-Wheaton, the group's only white administrator, that included her home address. Gordon said it was an ''inadvertent oversight'' that he corrected by removing the post, but it was ''perfectly legal.''

Neidig-Wheaton said she no longer feels safe in Loudoun County because of the threats she's received, and she plans to move across the country.

''The national attention that has been shined on this is just ridiculous,'' she said. ''I get that white people don't want their kids going to school and being told their parents are racist, but it's not happening '-- it's made up.''

On Wednesday, the Virginia Project sued Neidig-Wheaton for defamation after she said on a podcast that the right-wing group was responsible for "spurring other people to threaten us." The Virginia Project said it didn't encourage people to threaten her or others. Neidig-Wheaton referred questions about the suit to her attorney, who did not immediately comment.

'We're not going to back down'In the weeks since Loudoun County's diversity programs came under fire, Ziegler, who became interim superintendent in January, said he's been in multiple meetings about racial discrimination and equity with high school students. He said the students are not focused on the national scrutiny and the debate over critical race theory.

''They want us to do something about the bullying that occurs in school and out of school,'' Ziegler said. ''They just want us to make the day better for them and their friends.''

Menders said parents opposed to the school district's diversity initiatives have formed a strategy group, and have been using the state's open records law to collect documentation from the district. She's also advised activist parents and teachers in Arizona, California and New York who are seeking help with similar battles.

"We're not going to back down," she said.

Prior's recall effort, which is still gathering signatures, has launched a commercial. Mineo said he's turning his Parents Against Critical Theory website into a nonprofit, and will continue to ''expose everybody that's involved, and expose exactly what's going on'' in schools.

Thomas, the local NAACP chair, is disheartened to see how the debate has been politicized.

''I would just simply ask that those people who are using this '-- using equity as a tool to divide our country '-- I would ask they just stop,'' she said. ''On the other end of their divisiveness are children who are experiencing great pain, and who are left behind in terms of them realizing their educational goals.''

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 17:11

June 12, 2021 | 8:45am | Updated June 12, 2021 | 9:25am

Enlarge Image Patrisse Cullors announced she would resign from her post as executive director of the organization in late May. Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP

Dissident members of the original 10 Black Lives Matter chapters are demanding more accountability and transparency from the BLM Global Network in the wake of revelations about co-founder Patrisse Cullors' lavish spending.

Cullors announced she would resign from her post as executive director of the organization in late May, amid controversy over the group's finances. She's been in the spotlight for lavish spending on real estate, as revealed by The Post, including a $1.4 million LA home she encircled with a $35,000 electric fence.

BLM10Plus, comprised of the original 10 Black Lives Matter chapters and some of BLM's newer chapters, repeated calls Friday for the BLM Global Network's leadership, to open the books about the structure of the sprawling organization.

In a statement Friday, it said the public should know about how many chapters there are, how the various legal entities under the Global Network are related to each other, the salaries of staff members and the founders, deals with contractors and more.

''The little we do know, has come from persistent requests for transparency over the years,'' said the statement, which is titled, ''Tell No Lies.'' It described tangled negotiations involving where official chapters were located and which ones got funding.

BLM protesters attend a demonstration for the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death at the Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Samaria Rice criticized Black Lives Matter amid a controversy over Patrisse Cullor's lavish spending. Getty Images''The most alarming use of official and unofficial chapters was BLMGN's willingness to position a chapter as unofficial if the chapter did not align with their personal political interest,'' it continued. ''Chapters were often referred to as official in cities BLMGN was seeking to court prominent individuals and high visibility opportunities.''

Meanwhile a large number of groups seeking to affiliate went ignored, BLM10Plus said.

The problems have led to family members of several victims, including Michael Brown Sr., Samaria Rice and Lisa Simpson, leaving Black Lives Matter and publicly criticizing the group.

The dissident members said that ''engagement with BLMGN was always problematic and unsupportive,'' and, ''We never knew who made decisions or how decision making processes were determined. Chapters had different levels of access to information based on their proximity to BLMGN leadership.''

''The issues we've highlighted within the Black Lives Matter movement are not unique to this group or to people of color,'' the statement continues. ''Grassroots movements have been co-opted across the globe and it is our intention to be a part of the collective creating processes based on integrity so that we, nor any other activist or advocate, encounters these avoidable issues in the future.''

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 10:54

by: Rugby Scruggs Dec 7, 2020 Spotify is in the process of acquiring a patent for a new Plagiarism Risk Detector And Interface technology. The tool should help prevent musicians and songwriters unwittingly infringing on existing copyrights and facing potential lawsuits and legal action. Lead sheets, which express a song's unique chords, melody, and lyrics, are fed into an AI program that can then gauge how similar it is to other existing tracks in its database.

The new tool will detect similarities in real time, allowing artists to edit their compositions as the song itself is written, should there be any accidental similarity to an already existing release. Spotify's Plagiarism Risk Detector And Interface Technology is a significant step forward in anti-plagiarism technologies, offering a more concise process and result than preexisting tools that rely only on melodies and sampling.

H/T: Music Business Worldwide

Tags: artificial intelligence, music technology, plagiarism, spotify

Categories: News

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 10:55

Songwriters of global hits getting sued for alleged plagiarism has become a recurrent story on MBW these past few years '' and a recurrent source of misery for writers and their representatives in the industry.

But what if a songwriter or composer were able to use AI technology to avoid litigation altogether, by finding out if their song copies elements of other compositions, potentially in real time?

That could now be a reality, thanks to a Spotify invention revealed in a new European patent filing from the company obtained by MBW.

According to a document published last week, Daniel Ek's company is seeking a patent for its ''Plagiarism Risk Detector And Interface'' technology, which pertains to ''Methods, systems and computer program products..for testing a lead sheet for plagiarism''.

As explained in the filing '' and as our songwriter/musician readers will already know '' a 'lead sheet' is a type of music score or musical notation for songs denoting their melody, chords and sometimes lyrics or additional notes.

Spotify's invention would allow for a lead sheet to be fed through the platform's 'plagiarism detector', which would then, ''having been trained on a plurality of preexisting encoded lead sheets'', immediately compare the composition in question to all other songs stored in its database.

A set of messages would then be displayed '' describing a detected level of plagiarism regarding ''a plurality of elements'' such as a chord sequence, melodic fragments, harmony, etc. of a song (see fig 7 below).

The AI software would also potentially calculate ''a similarity value'' of the song in question vs. other songs in the Spotify lead sheet library.

These technology could work the other way around, too, says Spotify's filing, reassuring a songwriter that ''the melodic fragment [of your song] appears to be completely new''.

One particularly interesting element of this is that it would take place in near-real time, allowing a songwriter or composer to tweak elements of their work to avoid infringement before they (and/or their record label) spent the big bucks on recording a final version.

Spotify's filing adds that ''in some embodiments a link to the media content item that might be infringed (e.g., a track of an album) is provided so that a [songwriter] can quickly'... listen to the potentially plagiarized work''.

Various other techniques and systems have been previously proposed for detecting plagiarism in musical compositions are referenced in the patent filing.

Some of those include the Music Plagiarism Detection System ''that detects music plagiarism based on melodic similarity'' as well as the Audio Forensics Meets Music Information Retrieval '' A Toolbox For Inspection Of Music Plagiarism, which proposes ''detecting and inspecting sampling plagiarism, rhythm plagiarism, and melody plagiarism''.

Spotify argues that while such techniques ''are significant improvements over manual approaches, they still require significant expertise and are not suited for operation by typical artists and composers, especially artists and composers who are interested in detecting plagiarism during the composition process''.

The company's solution to this problem ''is a graphical user interface (GUI) that is more intuitive, more precise as to the portion of the work that may be considered plagiaristic, and that provides dynamic visual feedback in substantially real-time''.

''Such a tool,'' explains Spotify's patent, ''would allow artists to generate lead sheets more quickly and confidently by detecting and providing visual feedback as to whether any aspect of the work has a probability of being deemed plagiaristic.''

In short, Spotify reckons it can do better.

Spotify notes in its patent filing that ''when executed manually, plagiarism detection is usually performed by experts and lawyers''.

One of the most well-known of those lawyers, is of course Richard Busch, who you'll remember as the attorney that handled high profile infringement cases accusing Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke of ripping off Marvin Gaye's Got to Give It Up for their hit, Blurred Lines, and other infringement suits against the likes of Ed Sheeran and Juice WRLD.

Spotify's patent application, which you can read in full here, adds that ''manual detection of music plagiarism requires substantial effort, skill and excellent memory, and is generally known to be impractical''.

Therefore, argues SPOT, ''Software-assisted detection for text plagiarism on the other hand allows vast collections of documents to be compared to each other, making successful plagiarism detection much more likely''.

One of the tech's credited inventors is a particularly interesting individual: AI expert Fran§ois Pachet, who Spotify hired as Director of its Creator Technology Research Lab in 2017, poaching him from his as Director of the Sony Computer Science Laboratory in Paris.

Before joining Spotify, composer, scientist and AI music expert Pachet he oversaw Sony's Flow Machines research project, which resulted in some of the first known contemporary pop songs composed with AI, including the Beatles-esque Daddy's Car and the Duke Ellington-like The Ballad Of Mr Shadow.

By 2018, Pachet's work culminated in the release of Hello World, which was described as 'the first multi-artist commercial album created using Artificial Intelligence'.

When MBW interviewed Pachet in 2018, he explained that Artificial Intelligence should be embraced, not feared, by the music business.

Whether music rightsholders were convinced by that line of argument or not, his latest invention promises to add a new chapter to an already complex '' and often fraught '' relationship between Spotify and the songwriting community. Music Business Worldwide

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Archived Version

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:50

Jeff Bezos' terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week got even worse Friday, as a slate of antitrust legislation aimed at reigning in the power of Big Tech was introduced in Congress to bipartisan fanfare.

It was the latest blow for Amazon's CEO, one of the world's richest men, who made headlines earlier in the week when details from his tax filings were shared by ProPublica, showing that he has paid little federal income taxes relative to his wealth and skirted them entirely for at least two years. He recently agreed to step down from his longtime post in July and hand over the reigns to Amazon's head of cloud computing, Andy Jassy '-- celebrating his departure later that month with an exorbitantly expensive trip to space on a privately funded rocket.

Now, Bezos '-- along with executives at Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and other large tech firms '-- is preparing a massive lobbying campaign to rival any in history, marshaling a veritable army of think tanks, academics, lawyers and public relations firms in an attempt to to defang the measures and maintain the top tech companies' grip on power.

House lawmakers introduced five distinct bills Friday, each intended to address a different issue raised in a blockbuster report released last October. The 449-page behemoth was the result of a years-long investigation by the House Judiciary Committee into anticompetitive practices in the digital marketplace.

"To put it simply, companies that once were scrappy, underdog startups that challenged the status quo have become the kinds of monopolies we last saw in the era of oil barons and railroad tycoons," the report reads. "During the investigation, subcommittee staff found evidence of monopolization and monopoly power."

The slate of bills would:

Prevent tech giants from prioritizing their own offerings on marketplaces they operateForce companies to break off verticals that present conflicts of interestMake mergers and acquisitions more difficult to completeSubstantially raise fees in order to increase funding for regulatory agencies Require companies to share certain data with consumers and other platforms, which advocates say would even the playing field for smaller firms looking to enter a competitive marketAmazon and Apple in particular would be impacted by "The American Innovation and Choice Online Act," sponsored by Rep. David Cicilline, D-RI, which would regulate the ability of companies which run online marketplaces to promote their own goods and services ahead of competitors. Both tech giants have encountered pushback for their marketplace policies in recent years, which leverage private data on third-party sellers to determine which products the company should develop and promote itself, eventually pushing those vendors out of the marketplace altogether.

Any changes to Amazon's ability to promote its own product lines would represent a substantial hit to the company's bottom line '-- the House report identified more than 158,000 products from dozens of different Amazon-run brands for sale on the company's online marketplace.

Perhaps the most controversial proposal, the "Ending Platform Monopolies Act," sponsored by "Squad" member Parmila Jayapal, D-Wash., would take this idea one step further '-- forcing companies to splinter over "conflicts of interest" like Amazon's product lines and Google's prominent placement of advertisers' search results over other websites. Advocates have referred to the bill as "Glass Steagall for the Internet Age," referring to the landmark 1933 law that separated commercial and investment banking.

"This is a reaction to the fact that our antitrust laws have been construed so narrowly by the Supreme Court," Eleanor M. Fox, a professor of law at New York University, told the New York Times. "Because of this problem, it is very appropriate for Congress to be stepping in to prohibit and determine what's bad and what's good for markets."

But groups like Chamber of Progress, a lobbying group which consists of Amazon and several other Big Tech firms, seized on the criticism to raise fears that the bills would "ban" certain goods and services that Amazon data shows are popular on the site, including "Amazon Basics" batteries and Amazon Prime free shipping.

"With all the challenges facing our country '-- pandemic recovery, crumbling infrastructure, racial equity, and climate change '-- it's a bit strange that some policymakers think our biggest problem worth fixing is'...Amazon Basics batteries," wrote Adam Kovacevich, the head of Chamber of Progress, in a post Friday on the micro-blogging platform Medium.

The bills will first need to clear the Judiciary Committee before debate in the full House of Representatives begins.

In addition to a flurry of tech-related action in the lower chamber, the Senate also appears to be nearing a vote on President Joe Biden's appointee to run a key Federal Trade Commission post overseeing U.S. antitrust laws, Lina Khan, who has been a longtime proponent of stronger enforcement against technology firms.

It's one of the exceedingly rare areas of bipartisanship still remaining on Capitol Hill, with a number of Republicans signing onto the push. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., has emerged as one of the bills' loudest supporters '-- though that support has also come alongside spurious accusations of conservative censorship on major social media platforms.

"This legislation breaks up Big Tech's monopoly power to control what Americans see and say online and fosters an online market that encourages innovation and provides American small businesses with a fair playing field," Buck said in a statement Friday. "Doing nothing is not an option. We just act now."

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:19

Santa Clara county, the home of Silicon Valley, issued mandatory water restrictions this week during a severe drought that has already reached historic levels.

The move was championed by analysts and researchers who have pushed for more conservation efforts across California amid concerns that the state will fall deeper into a drought disaster through the hot, dry summer and autumn.

''We are indeed in a dire situation,'' said Rick Callender, the CEO of the water district serving Santa Clara county, during a public hearing Wednesday. ''When you see a storm about to hit your community, the responsibility of government is not to wait until the storm hits to call for emergency action. The responsibility of government, as we all know, is to act before the storm can actually cause the devastation.''

Across California, drought conditions are intensifying as climbing temperatures obliterate the diminished snowpack and reservoirs see record-low inflows. Spurred by the climate crisis, the state's dry years are becoming drier and the parched landscape is setting the stage for another season of devastating fires. Fields will have to be fallowed, freshwater ecosystems are facing catastrophe, and some communities are bracing for water shortages that will further reduce already limited water supplies for drinking and sanitation.

Nearly 95% of the state is now experiencing ''severe drought'', as classified by the US drought monitor, but some areas are bearing the brunt more than others, and responses have varied.

The California governor, Gavin Newsom, has declared a drought emergency in 41 of California's 58 counties and has proposed a $5.1bn investment into water infrastructure and resilience. But he has resisted pressure to expand the declaration statewide, perhaps anticipating the potential for political blowback in the midst of a recall election.

Water has long been a localized issue in California, and the Newsom administration has to tread carefully, according to the water policy expert Felicia Marcus, who previously served as chair of the California state water resources control board.

''The history of water governance in California is not a top-down one,'' says Marcus. ''It's local control. There's a cultural political norm and we are heavily fragmented.''

Valley Water, the county district board that doubles as both policymaker and wholesale water provider in Santa Clara county, called on the cities and companies it serves to cut 15% from their 2019 levels. Much of the cuts focus on curbing outdoor urban water use, which sucks up roughly half of the water distributed to communities and is wasted on lush green lawns or clean cars and driveways.

Jim Jensen, a rancher, walks by a pond with low water levels in Tomales, Marin county. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesFurther north, Marin county was the first to declare a water shortage emergency in April, imposing mandatory restrictions on residents aiming to reduce use by 40% across the district. Meanwhile, their neighbors in the East Bay, which includes the cities of Oakland and Berkeley, won't be forced to conserve but they could see higher rates. The East Bay municipal utility district said that the water it relies on wasn't yet in enough danger of depletion to merit mandatory reductions and that users had already conserved 13% more than in 2013.

''For urban water conservation, we have started to see some municipalities issue drought messaging,'' says Cora Kammeyer, a senior researcher at the Pacific Institute. ''But there is a sense that a lot of the municipalities feel decently good about their storage and ability to weather the drought.''

Californians have learned key lessons from the last dry period, during which the state experienced the driest four years since officials began logging precipitation levels, and residents are using less water than they were then.

Urban areas have invested in programs to recycle and reuse water and bolstered their ability to capture stormwater. Even as the state's population has increased, adding nearly 10 million more people over the last three decades, cities use about the same amount of water they did in the 1990s, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

But, according to researchers and water policy experts, more needs to be done. The climate crisis will make the dry times drier and California's ecosystems are already facing catastrophe.

''It is during a drought that we see how unsustainable our water use is in California,'' says Jon Rosenfield, a senior scientist with San Francisco Baykeeper, an advocacy organization that works to protect the Bay and its tributaries, adding that he thinks the Newsom administration has been ''abysmal on water policy''. The governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

''In order to get beyond the old dichotomies, we all need to use less water. Not meaning drink less water, not meaning skipping showers '' but we have to get a grip on our agricultural use and cities can do more,'' he says. ''Yes, there need to be local solutions, but really we need a statewide solution.''

California grows roughly two-thirds of the fruits and nuts in the US and supplies more than a third of the country's vegetables. Farmers and ranchers in the state are already feeling the impact of the drought and a crunch on their expected water deliveries from federal and state agencies, culling crops and unearthing orchards, as roughly 500,000 acres are expected to be fallowed.

But the sector also wields a lot of power, claiming roughly four times as much water as urban areas. And, as the Los Angeles Times reported at the end of the last drought in 2017, water shortages did little to slow the sector's revenue, which reached record heights in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Meanwhile, rural residents '' especially in communities of color '' saw their wells go dry. Roughly half of the state's water systems are currently at risk or potentially at risk of failing, according to a recently released analysis by the state water resources control board. Also, a quarter of California native freshwater fish, which are essential to aquatic ecosystem health, are now threatened or endangered due to lack of flows.

''People keep thinking: surely it will rain next year,'' Marcus says. ''We are wired to hope for the best and we don't always plan for the worst.'' But, she adds, ''any dry year can be the first year of a 10-year drought''.

Even if the winter brings a rainy reprieve, scientists fear the snowpack will never fully recover in a hotter environment. ''Folks aren't grappling with the enormity of the risk to our infrastructure and ecosystems,'' Marcus says. ''We are going to lose some species '' if we haven't already lost them '' if we don't realize that we have got to give nature more of its due,'' she adds. ''Because this is just a taste of what's to come.''

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:40

June 13, 2021, 4:30 AM EDT

By Alex Seitz-Wald

WASHINGTON '-- Stephen Bassett and Mick West don't agree on much. Bassett has devoted much of his adult life to proving UFOs are helmed by aliens, and West has devoted much of his to proving they are not.

But they both agree on one thing: It's good that, after nearly 75 years of taboo and ridicule going back to Roswell, New Mexico, serious people are finally talking seriously about the unidentified flying objects people see in the skies.

''If you look at the level of public interest, then I think it becomes important to actually look into these things,'' said West, a former video game programmer turned UFO debunker. ''Right now, there is a lot of suspicion that the government is hiding evidence of UFOs, which is quite understandable because there's this wall of secrecy. It leads to suspicion and distrust of the government, which, as we've seen, can be quite dangerous.''

Later this month, the Pentagon is expected to deliver a report to Congress from a task force it established last year to collect information about what officials now call "unexplained aerial phenomena," or UAPs, from across the government after pilots came forward with captivating videos that appear to show objects moving in ways that defy known laws of physics.

While those who dabble in the unknowns of outer space are hoping for alien evidence, many others in government hope the report will settle whether the objects might be spy operations from neighbors on Earth, like the Chinese or Russians.

The highly anticipated report is expected to settle little, finding no evidence of extraterrestrial activity while not ruling it out either, according to officials, but it will jumpstart a long-suppressed conversation and open new possibilities for research and discovery and perhaps defense contracts.

''If you step back and look at the larger context of how we've learned stuff about the larger nature of reality, some of it does come from studying things that might seem ridiculous or unbelievable,'' Caleb Scharf, an astronomer who runs the Astrobiology Center at Columbia University.

Suddenly, senators and scientists, the Pentagon and presidents, former CIA directors and NASA officials, Wall Street executives and Silicon Valley investors are starting to talk openly about an issue that would previously be discussed only in whispers, if at all.

''What is true, and I'm actually being serious here, is that there is footage and records of objects in the skies that we don't know exactly what they are," former President Barack Obama told late-night TV host James Corden.

The omert has been broken thanks to a new generation of more professional activists with more compelling evidence, a few key allies in government and the lack of compelling national security justification for maintaining the official silence, which has failed to tamp down interest in UFOs.

In a deeply polarized country where conspiracy theories have ripped apart American politics, belief in a UFO coverup seems relatively quaint and apolitical.

'Truth embargo'Interest in UFOs waxes and wanes in American culture, but millions have questions and about one-third of Americans think we have been visited by alien spacecraft, according to Gallup.

But those questions have been met with silence or laughter from authorities and the academy, leaving a vacuum that has been filled by conspiracy theorists, hoaxsters and amateur investigators.

West, the skeptic, thinks the recent videos that kicked off the latest UFO craze, including three published by the New York Times and CBS' ''60 Minutes,'' can be explained by optical camera effects. But he would like to see the U.S. government thoroughly investigate and explain UFOs.

The government has examined UFOs in the past but often in secret or narrow ways, and the current Pentagon task force is thought to be relatively limited in its mission and resources.

In a new, leaked video, an unidentified object flies around a Navy ship off the coast of San Diego. U.S. Navy via Jeremy CorbellWest pointed to models from other countries like Argentina, where an official government agency investigates sightings and publishes its findings, the overwhelming majority of which are traced to unusual weather, human objects like planes or optical effects.

''This is something that we could do here,'' West said. ''But right now we're left with people like me, who are just enthusiasts.''

John Podesta, a Democratic poobah who has held top jobs in several White Houses, has called on President Joe Biden's White House to establish a new dedicated office in the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, which would help get the issue out of the shadows of the military and intelligence community.

Podesta, who has harbored an interest in UFOs since at least his days as Bill Clinton's chief of staff, recently told Politico, ''It was kind of career-ending to basically talk about this subject. That has clearly switched, and that's a good thing.''

Believers are unsurprisingly thrilled by the culture shift.

''The 'truth embargo' is coming to an end now,'' said Bassett, the executive director of Paradigm Research Group and the only registered lobbyist in Washington dedicated to UFO disclosure. ''I am elated to finally see this movement achieving its moment.''

Bassett is convinced the government is covering up proof of extraterrestrial life and that everything happening now is elaborate political theater to make that information public in the least disruptive way possible '-- a view, of course, not supported by evidence or most experts.

''This is the most profound event in human history that's about to be taking place,'' he said.

RecommendedBut you don't have to be a believer to believe that poorly understood things should be investigated, not ignored.

"We don't know if it's extraterrestrial. We don't know if it's an enemy. We don't know if it's an optical phenomenon," said new NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, a former astronaut and Florida senator, in a recent CNN interview. ''And so the bottom line is, we want to know."

Two former CIA directors '-- John Brennan, who served under Obama, and James Woolsey, who served under Clinton '-- recently said in separate podcast interviews that they've seen evidence of aerial phenomena they can't explain. John Ratcliffe, who was the director of national intelligence under then-President Donald Trump, told Fox News in March there were ''a lot more sightings than have been made public.''

Cold War and fish fartsFlorida Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, pushed the government to conduct the UFO report. For him, it's a question of national security and understanding whether rivals like China or Russia have developed advanced technology we don't know about.

''I want us to take it seriously and have a process to take it seriously,'' Rubio told ''60 Minutes.''

For others, like Ravi Kopparapu, a planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and Jacob Haqq-Misra, a research scientist with the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, it's about discovery.

"For too long, the scientific study of unidentified flying objects and aerial phenomena '-- UFOs and UAPs, in the shorthand '-- has been taboo," they wrote in a Washington Post op-ed. "If we want to understand what UAP are, then we need to engage the mainstream scientific community in a concerted effort to study them."

Scharf looks for life on other planets and is a bit tired of people asking him if alien life has visited us on ours, but he said looking more at the skies could yield information about how our own world works.

A mysterious object hovers over a Navy ship in night vision video. U.S. Navy via @JeremyCorbell''Stuff like this has a scientific interest not because we're necessarily thinking we're going to find aliens, but maybe there's an unknown phenomenon or a collection of phenomena that are giving rise to some of these sightings,'' he said. ''There's never been a systematic effort to categorize and catalog stuff that people see, and from the past, we know that some of this stuff sometimes turns out to be interesting.''

The history of science is filled with accidental discoveries and incidents where the hubris of religious or scientific authorities dismissed something as ridiculous that later proved true. Scientists didn't believe meteorites really came from space until the early 1800s, for instance.

Government secrecy can lead to confusion and misunderstanding that might be cleared up with the help of a wider circle of experts and investigators.

Sweden spent years futilely chasing what it thought were Russian submarines off its coast. But when the navy let civilian researchers listen to a recording of the alleged submarine, they figured out it was actually the sound of schools of fish farting.

Important people have had an interest in UFOs for a long time; they just didn't really talk about it.

Former President Jimmy Carter claimed to have seen a UFO while he was governor of Georgia and even filed two formal reports of his observations. Former President Ronald Reagan allegedly told people he saw one too while riding in a small plane, according to the pilot, who was quoted in a book by John Alexander, the former Army colonel whose paranormal investigations were featured in the book and movie ''The Men Who Stare at Goats.''

As the Cold War intensified in the 1950s, U.S. officials worried the Soviet Union would use a UFO hoax to drum up fear in the American public. Civilians started seeing what they believed were UFOs but were actually secret spy planes, like the U-2, so the government settled on a policy of silence and denial.

''Over half of all U.F.O. reports from the late 1950's through the 1960's were accounted for by manned reconnaissance flights,'' according to a secret CIA study that was declassified in the late 1990s, The New York Times reported then. ''This led the Air Force to make misleading and deceptive statements to the public in order to allay public fears and to protect an extraordinarily sensitive national security project.''

The very real government stonewalling fed bogus conspiracy theories, which came to dominate the study of UFOs and made the topic even more off-putting to serious scholars.

A new generationIn recent years, though, a newer generation of activists has been at center of recent high-profile disclosures thanks to a more professional, careful and credible approach. They include people with serious national security credentials like Christopher Mellon, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for intelligence, and Luis Elizondo, the former Army counterintelligence special agent who led an earlier Pentagon team to investigate UFOs.

The budget for Elizondo's team '-- a modest $22 million in the scheme of defense spending '-- was secured by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, a powerful ally who has helped drive the resurgence of interest in UFOs.

An unidentified aerial phenomenon in a U.S. military video. DoD via To The Stars Academy of Arts & ScienceThe newer activists have worked with mainstream news outlets to deliver evidence and eye witnesses that meet their high editorial standards and are careful when speaking to general audiences to avoid talking about aliens '-- though Mellon and Elizondo have appeared on controversial podcaster Joe Rogan's show as well as "Coast to Coast A.M.," a long-running radio program devoted to conspiracies and the paranormal.

Both the skeptics and the believers don't expect the Pentagon report to settle anything. Instead, they hope it will start something new.

''The idea of some super powerful aliens coming to visit us is a very compelling story,'' West said. ''So if you get even a tiny little taste of something like that, it really spices up the story.''

Alex Seitz-Wald Alex Seitz-Wald is senior digital politics reporter for NBC News.

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:53

Christopher Sign (Contributed)

Veteran TV newsman and former University of Alabama football player Christopher Sign died Saturday morning in an apparent suicide, according to police.

At 8:13 a.m. Saturday, the Hoover 911 center received a call of a person down at a residence on Scout Trace. Hoover police and fire personnel arrived to find the 45-year-old Sign dead.

Hoover police Lt. Keith Czeskleba said the death is being investigated as a suicide.

ABC 33/40 in 2017 announced Sign was returning to Birmingham from Phoenix as the evening anchor, replacing Dave Baird after he retired.

Sign co-anchored broadcasts with Brenda Ladun and Pam Huff.

''Our deepest sympathy is shared with Chris's loving family and close friends,'' said Sinclair Broadcast Group Vice President and General Manager Eric S. Land.

''We have lost a revered colleague whose indelible imprint will serve forever as a hallmark of decency, honesty and journalist integrity. We can only hope to carry on Chris's legacy. May his memory be for blessing,'' Land said.

Sign, who grew up near Dallas, previously worked as a reporter for ABC 33/40 from 2000 to 2005, where he covered the 2001 Brookwood mine disaster and hurricanes Charlie, Frances and Ivan.

While a reporter and morning anchor at ABC affiliate KNXV-TV in Phoenix, Sign broke the story of the June 2016 secret tarmac meeting between former President Bill Clinton and then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Sign wrote a book about his experience called Secret on the Tarmac.

Sign also won a 2014 Emmy Award for breaking news for his coverage of the shooting of two Phoenix police officers, as well as an Edward R. Murrow Award for spot news, for his coverage of the search for the ''Baseline Killer'' and ''Serial Shooter'' who terrorized Phoenix in the summer of 2016.

Sign attended the University of Alabama in the 1990s and spent four years as an offensive lineman for the Crimson Tide under former coach Gene Stallings.

While at Alabama, he met his wife, Laura, an All-SEC volleyball player. The couple has three sons.

If you or someone you know is suffering from suicidal ideation, call the national suicide hotline at 1-800-273-If you or someone you know is suffering from suicidal ideation, call the national suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or contact the Alabama Suicide Prevention and Resources Coalition.

Resources in Alabama

Crisis Center, Inc. (Birmingham) Phone: (205) 323-7777 Kids Help Line: (205) 328-KIDS (5437)Teen Link: (205) 328-LINK (5465)Senior Talk Line: (205) 328-TALK (8255) Hours of Operation: 24/7 Crisis Services of North Alabama (Huntsville) Phone: (256) 716-1000 Toll Free: (800) 691-8426 Hours of Operation: 24/7 Lifelines/Family Counseling Center of Mobile Phone: (251) 431-5111 Toll Free: (800) 293-1117 Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (CST) Monday-Friday Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 12:22

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:39

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:17

On the final day of the summit in Cornwall, England, G7 leaders will vow to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but environmentalists warn it will be too late. Follow DW for more.

G7 leaders will pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 The group plans to announce new green-financing initiatives for poorer countries Naturalist Sir David Attenborough is due to address the leaders by video link A joint communique backs up an earlier pledge to donate 1 billion COVID vaccines This story was last updated at 1055 UTC/GMT.

South Africa joins conferenceSouth African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has joined the summit, urged the G7 to help finance the WHO's program to increase COVID-19 testing, diagnostics and vaccines.

"We need to address the substantial financing gap for tests, treatments, critical supplies like oxygen and the health systems that enable testing, treatment and vaccination," Ramaphosa said in the presidency statement, referring to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.

"If all G7 countries met their fair share target, this initiative would be two-thirds funded '' and it would be 90% funded if all G20 countries made their fair share contributions," Ramaphosa said.

Commitment to COVID vaccines G7 countries will provide one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses over the next year and work with the private sector and other countries to increase the contribution over the next months, according to a communique draft.

"The commitments since we last met in February 2021 including here in Carbis Bay provide for one billion doses over the next year," the communique said.

"We will work together with the private sector, the G20 and other countries to increase this contribution over the months to come," it added.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lauded the vaccine pledge but said it's not enough.

He said at least 11 billion doses are needed to vaccinate at least 70% of the world's population by the middle of next year.

"We need more and we need them faster,'' Tedros said.

Climate policy and cooperating with ChinaDW correspondent Alexandra von Nahmen says climate policy is a "top priority" for G7 countries.

Speaking from Cornwall, England, where the G7 summit is taking place, von Nahmen says leaders are expected to discuss the phasing out of diesel and patrol cars as well as ending the use of coal "as soon as possible." She added that the leaders are unlikely to specify a deadline.

Concerning relations between the West and China, von Nahmen said: "The US is pushing and hoping for a united front to counter China's rise," with European countries being "very cautious not to push it too far to the extent that it would prevent any cooperation with China."

"What we expect from the (final) communique is to strike a balance, to stress that it is important to work on global issues with Beijing such as climate change," she said, adding that the G7 would also be expected to "call out China for human rights abuses" and that the Chinese government should "use fair methods to compete with western economies."

Oxfam activists get creative at a climate protest at Swanpool Beach near Falmouth during the G7 summit

Phasing out coalThe heads of state plan to commit to steps to limit state subsidies for fossil energy sources.

The US, Germany, Britain and Canada say they intend to provide developing countries with up to $2 billion ('‚¬1.65 billion) to accelerate their phase-out of coal.

A White House statement also said that the G7 would coordinate climate targets so that the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels '-- as outlined in the Paris climate agreement '-- remains "within reach."

Attenborough warns humans are 'destabilizing' planetBritish naturalist Sir David Attenborough is to address the G7 delegates by video link, warning that countries must take urgent action to avoid human-made environmental disasters.

In remarks released ahead of his speech, Attenborough said global warming and loss of biodiversity are "beyond doubt," as is the fact that "our societies and nations are unequal."

"The question science forces us to address specifically in 2021 is whether, as a result of these intertwined facts, we are on the verge of destabilizing the entire planet?"

"If that is so, then the decisions we make this decade, in particular the decisions made by the most economically advanced nations, are the most important in human history," Attenborough added.

Tougher climate measuresThe third and final day of the G7 summit takes place in Cornwall, England, on Sunday.

The UK wants to use the summit to coordinate global climate targets and persuade world leaders to agree on tougher climate measures, such as the phasing out of coal.

The heads of state and government will discuss steps on how to limit state subsidies for fossil energy sources as well as how to accelerate the phase-out of coal.

mvb/mm (AP, Reuters, dpa)

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:03

Peter Cronau : "Fuck off!": says Pink Floyd's @rogerwaters to Mark Zuckerberg.After being offered "a large amount of money" to a'... https://t.co/tQIw1S6yk7

Sat Jun 12 08:28:55 +0000 2021

Defend WikiLeaks defend.wikileaks.org : @PeterCronau @rogerwaters @wikileaks Respect.

Sun Jun 13 10:38:54 +0000 2021

Andrew Marsh : @PeterCronau @rogerwaters @wikileaks Zuckerberg has a face that just asks To be slapped

Sun Jun 13 09:59:59 +0000 2021

Ali Yakarci : @PeterCronau @rogerwaters @wikileaks Well done!.. He deserved this.

Sun Jun 13 09:11:53 +0000 2021

morrisheatandair.net : @PeterCronau @rogerwaters @wikileaks Did @DJmadamX see this. Im sure Mark censored her too. He wouldnt know tale'... https://t.co/75m3MRC2NE

Sun Jun 13 05:59:19 +0000 2021

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Sun, 13 Jun 2021 05:02

The environment took centre stage at the G7 summit in Cornwall as the Queen hosted world leaders at the Eden Project, an ecological exhibition.

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 21:21

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 18:01

Bill Maher : If you think America is more racist now than ever, more sexist than before women could vote and more homophobic tha'... https://t.co/Zm8SzK57J7

Sat Jun 12 04:57:03 +0000 2021

canniballife : @billmaher Not Progressophobia, Bill. It's the Hunt for Victimhood - victimhood being the highest status available'... https://t.co/SN2JRxWJEL

Sat Jun 12 18:01:08 +0000 2021

josh : @billmaher @yo_upsetti @Havanna40180207

Sat Jun 12 18:00:37 +0000 2021

Cathy Conrad : @billmaher Terrible guests last night! I love your show but boy that was hard to watch! 3 of the most annoying people ever!!!!

Sat Jun 12 17:58:42 +0000 2021

Werekoala : @billmaher Funny thing about "progress" - there's is no end to it. Ask any progressive "And then what?" whenever th'... https://t.co/U68ukhNcrj

Sat Jun 12 17:56:53 +0000 2021

Jdp : @billmaher The woke fools need to chill out a bit

Sat Jun 12 17:56:37 +0000 2021

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 17:29

🌸Simone : Deze moeder wil niet dat haar 5 jarige kind op school leert wat anale seks is. En ze heeft GROOT gelijk'¼¸ https://t.co/10ixPfauFj

Fri Jun 11 19:12:48 +0000 2021

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 17:13

John Dean, ex-White House counsel to former President Nixon, criticized the Department of Justice's (DOJ) actions under former President Trump Donald TrumpTrump DOJ demanded metadata on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, Apple says Putin says he's optimistic about working with Biden ahead of planned meeting Biden meets Queen Elizabeth for first time as president MORE during an interview with CNN, calling it ''Nixon on stilts and steroids.''

The comments came following a recent report from The New York Times that found that former Attorneys General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsTrump DOJ demanded metadata on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, Apple says DOJ to probe Trump-era subpoenas of lawmaker records Democrats demand Barr, Sessions testify on Apple data subpoenas MORE and William Barr subpoenaed Apple in order to access data from more than a dozen people, including several Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, after hearing about leaks within the Trump administration.

Comparing Nixon's scandal over the Pentagon Papers to the Trump DOJ's actions, Dean said that ''Nixon didn't have that kind of Department of Justice.''

Dean also criticized Barr, saying it was apparent from the start that he wanted to do Trump's bidding.

"The memo he wrote to get the job says I'm ready to execute your presidency like a unitary executive presidency should be, which means no bars hold," Dean said during the interview with CNN anchor Erin Burnett. "We now know there are countless examples of norms he was willing to break."

Dean said he thinks Barr has to testify and that he was surprised the DOJ hasn't released a statement.

''I hope they're getting their act together because this is going to be very troublesome. My Twitter feed is just blazing with people disappointed with Justice and their response to this so far,'' he said.

Rep. Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffTrump DOJ demanded metadata on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, Apple says DOJ to probe Trump-era subpoenas of lawmaker records The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Sights and sounds from Biden's UK visit MORE (D), one of the targets of the DOJ's subpoenas, tweeted, "We need a full accounting of the Trump DOJ's abuse of power targeting Congress and the press. An IG investigation is just the start. The full range of the misconduct must be examined, including Barr's efforts to protect those who lied to cover up, and go after Trump's enemies."

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 15:41

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Sat, 12 Jun 2021 14:23

The UK is dealing with an outbreak of monkeypox, Health Secretary Matt Hancock casually told MPs today.

Two people - both members of the same household - are being monitored after the virus was identified in North Wales.

One is currently being treated in a hospital in England, health chiefs confirmed.

Public Health Wales has said the wider risk to the public is "low".

It is understood one person contracted the virus overseas, and then passed it to someone they live with.

But Mr Hancock described it as "absolutely standard" while addressing MPs at the Health and Social Select Committee this afternoon.

The monkeypox virus causes a disease with symptoms similar, but less severe, to smallpox, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Health Secretary said he is aware of an outbreak of monkeypox in the UK (Image: Getty Images)Describing his response to the Covid pandemic, the Health Secretary said that he had to be constantly aware of outbreaks of other diseases.

He said: He added: ''As Health Secretary, you're dealing with these sorts of outbreaks all of the time - I'm currently dealing with a monkey pox outbreak and cases of drug resistant TB, and that is absolutely standard."

In a statement Public Health Wales said "two cases of imported monkeypox" have been confirmed.

It said: "Public Health Wales and Public Health England are monitoring two cases of imported monkeypox identified in North Wales.

It is understood there have been two cases of monkeypox in the UK, with patients under observation (Image: Getty Images/Collection Mix: Subjects RF)"The index case was acquired overseas, and the two cases are members of the same household. Both cases were admitted to a hospital in England, where one currently remains.

"Monitoring and follow-up of the cases and their close contacts are undertaken as part of normal practice, and the risk to the general public is very low."

Monkeypox is zoonosis - meaning it is transmitted from animals to humans.

It often starts with a rash before red spots appear and spread across the body, turning into red bumps filled with fluid.

These are often accompanied by flu-like symptoms such as high temperature, muscle aches and swollen glands.

Cases are often found close to tropical rainforests where there are animals that carry the virus.

Transmission of the disease is "limited", the WHO has said, and until now it has only been detected in 15 countries.

Richard Firth Consultant in Health Protection at Public Health Wales, said: "Confirmed cases of monkeypox are a rare event in the UK, and the risk to the general public is very low.

Read MoreRelated ArticlesWoman mauled by 7ft alligator as she tries to protect her pet dog ''We have worked with multi agency colleagues, following tried and tested protocols and procedures, and identified all close contacts. Actions have been put in place to minimise the likelihood of further infection.

''Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus and has been reported mainly in central and West African countries."

According to the NHS, monkeypox is usually a mild illness that will get better on its own without treatment.

But it says: " Some people can develop more serious symptoms, so patients with monkeypox in the UK are cared for in specialist hospitals."

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