November 26th, 2023 • 3h 20m
Shownotes
Every new episode of No Agenda is accompanied by a comprehensive list of shownotes curated by Adam while preparing for the show. Clips played by the hosts during the show can also be found here.
Ministry of Truthiness
World Economic Forum Backs UNESCO’s Push To Regulate Speech on Social Media
Gaza protest: Met Police leaflet warns against language that breaks law
The leaflets warn protesters not to use words or images:
that are racist or incite hatred against any faith
that support Hamas or any other banned organisation, it is illegal under UK law to support such terrorist organisations
that celebrate or promote acts of terrorism - such as the killing or kidnap of innocent people
Jews vs Muslims
Gaza protest: Met Police leaflet warns against language that breaks law
The leaflets warn protesters not to use words or images:
that are racist or incite hatred against any faith
that support Hamas or any other banned organisation, it is illegal under UK law to support such terrorist organisations
that celebrate or promote acts of terrorism - such as the killing or kidnap of innocent people
Climate Change
Iceland BOTG Stormshayd, Knight-Champion of the Frozen Wastes
Greetings John & Adam from Iceland,
As your only resident Knight in Iceland, I come to you today with a BOTG about the recent bit on the “Icelandic Eruptions” in Ep 1608.
I have quite a lot of insight into this news piece about how climate change is causing more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to the de-glaciation of Iceland as I’ve spent the last 6 years and a Glacier Guide and run my own private glacier guiding service and YouTube channel called “Vivid Iceland”.
What they said in the report had elements of truth but not all the facts.
For starters:
Due to the de-glaciation of Iceland we will see a greater likelihood of eruptions – but what they don’t mention is HOW this happens.
In Iceland, most active volcanoes lie beneath glaciers. These glaciers function as a “counterbalance” to the magmatic forces below them. We are talking millions of tons of ice crushing the terrain below and effectively pushing back against the uplift that magma can cause. Think of applying pressure to a wound to stop the bleeding.
As you can imagine, as the glacier melts, there is less ice mass on top, the land rises due to volcanic activity and you will likely see more eruptions.
Now with that said, the report leaves out some MAJOR facts that pertain to our current situation and possible volcanic eruption:
The location of the earthquake swarm is southwest Iceland, a place with NO GLACIERS
This place is where the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates drift apart
Which means, the current earthquakes and potential volcanic eruption is due only to PLATE TECTONICS and NOT climate change.
Back on the topic of the glaciers here, yes they are retreating/melting but according to the records from the Icelandic Met Office there appears to be a 40ish year cycle of glacial retreat, and then a period again of glacial advance for about 40 years. According to the climatic data I‘ve seen over my guiding career here, we should be entering the glacial advancement stage within the next 5-10 years. The winters certainly have felt colder over the last 2 years and we‘ve seen record snowfall in many areas, which would lead to glacial advance a few years down the track.
One final thing to mention: when the Vikings first settled Iceland the glaciers were FAR SMALLER than they are today. There are stories in the sagas of old Icelandic farms in areas that are now glaciated.
Some final words:
I was fortunate enough to take a French documentary film crew on the ice so they could film a documentary about climate change and do some interviews with scientists etc. The person they had chosen to interview this particular day was the head of the Met Office. When asked about his concern due to the melting glaciers, he calmly said:
“Oh this is well within the normal climatic variations, we aren’t seeing a great increase in melting. This is a normal climatic cycle.”
The looks on the film crew’s faces were priceless! I must wonder if they cut this part out of the documentary!
Wanted to give a quick hello to my friend and fellow NA listener Jökull, I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of you trying to pronounce his name!
Migration Replacement
European lawmakers vote for abolition of member state vetoes
European lawmakers approved plans on Wednesday to remove the national veto for EU member states in the latest attempted power grab by Brussels to wrestle control away from national governments.
A total of 291 MEPs supported the proposal put forward by the “Verhofstadt Group,” a group of MEPs led by the arch-federalist Guy Verhofstadt to amend the European Union treaties in favor of greater centralization and limiting the sovereignty of member states.
The vote was only narrowly passed with a majority of just 17 after a faction of conservative parliamentary groups expressed considerable opposition to the move.
Ukraine vs Russia
Russia BOTG Stormshayd, Knight-Champion of the Frozen Wastes
As promised a few months back, here is my BOTG report from Russia.
I travelled to Russia in late September to see my Russian lady and meet her family. Flights from Europe to Russia are of course non-existent so I had to fly through Armenia to get there. Bit of a pain as the connections and transit times in the airports are horrible.
Russian entry Visa: extremely simple to apply for one using their new e-visa system, which is available to over 50 countries (including EU countries!). English speaking countries, aka the Five Eyes, have to go through another process.
My impressions:
Moscow is an incredible city (quite modern) and a must-see location for anyone even remotely interested in history, art and architecture. Beautiful old Soviet buildings, lots of cool monuments and fantastic museums (though mostly in Russian). Streets are clean, I honestly felt safer in Moscow than I did in many western European cities (Berlin, Barcelona, London for example…)
The Moscow metro (subway system) is top-notch, and I would even go so far as to say it’s the best metro in the world. Each station is like walking through an art gallery. They are spotless, there is no graffiti, no trash on the ground and most intriguingly: no advertisement of any kind anywhere in the stations or on the trains.
Walking around the city, it was like there was no war. There were tourists everywhere! Mostly from Asia, but I even came across a group of German tourists when I had dinner at a German restaurant one evening.
A few things about the war situation:
When using Google Maps or a similar GPS based app on your phone, your location will jump around the map and often put you at a spot 150m from where you are actually located. I asked my Russian lady about this, and she said they are blocking GPS access across all of Moscow – I assume using some kind of jamming tech to stop the kamikaze drones from entering the airspace.
Driving along the highways you see army recruitment billboards every few miles, though not many Russian flags flying except on government buildings.
From watching some news and observing what was around me, you get a feeling there is a subconscious feeling of “it’s Russia vs the West – just like it always has been for decades”
Sanctions did nothing, you can buy whatever you want there, such as Coke, Apple products, Samsung, Nike, beer/wine from Europe & US. You name it, you can get it.
Fuel was “expensive” for them when I visited, due to Putin and the Saudis cutting oil production. It was sitting at €0.55/L or about $2.20/gal – we are getting ripped off!
Russian apps have replaced the typical US ones that were banned (Airbnb, Uber, DoorDash etc.), but you can still use a VPN to access Instagram and other social media sites. It’s quite common to do so.
Trade with China is full steam ahead, in fact probably at much higher levels than before the war. Which is why the sanctions did nothing to the Russian economy, they were getting nearly everything from China anyway!
Most people I spoke with didn’t want to talk about the war, understandably. But I got the impression that most don’t like what is going on but understand that the US has been provoking stuff since 2014 (and earlier), so it makes sense that this happened.
The people I talked to disliked Biden to the extreme and preferred when Trump was in office – there was a far better US/Russia relationship at that stage.
Proof of Coke & Pepsi products & take note of where the Coke is manufactured…
China
It was announced the other day that Saudi Arabia and China are opening a $7 billion local currency swap line.
1) Announce swap lines
2) Start taking real amounts of yuan for oil
3) This breaks the peg of the Riyal to the USD when oil is relatively strong, not in crisis mode
4) The substitution of the CNY for the USD is existential for the US who then attacks the KSA exchange rate, pulling money out of the country…
5) SANCTIONS ON KSA.
6) Expanded swaps to convert USD encumbered assets with Riyal assets, once USD are verboten in KSA.
7) China provides them, with loans repayable in CNY.
George Floyd
VAERS
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines Dan Fernandez:
The copy of the said resolution, this is about a 260,000 excess deaths that we experienced in this country.
We'll be showing a graph coming from the Philippine Statistics Authority. In DOH (Department of Health) they also have copies that have been submitted. We are shocked to find out that there were 262,000 excess deaths on 2021 alone.
After that, 2022, still had 67,000 excess deaths
These are all unexplained deaths (non-covid)
STORIES
Gaza protest: Met Police leaflet warns against language that breaks law
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 17:17
By Tom Symonds Home Affairs correspondent
EPAThe Met Police are to clarify what type of language might break the law when chanted or displayed at pro-Palestinian marches.
The force will hand out leaflets at Saturday's march in central London warning against using words or images "likely to land you in jail".
It is the first time the Met has tried to give clarity on what language is unacceptable.
Organisers say at least 100,000 people could turn out for the protest.
The Met has previously been criticised over its handling of the pro-Palestinian protests - which have been held weekly since 14 October - with ministers calling for the force to take a tougher line on those deemed to be expressing extremist views.
The force is also planning to position Arabic-speaking officers on the march, backed up in its central control room with lawyers to advise on whether specific phrases break the law.
Some 1,500 officers will be on the streets on Saturday with instructions to protect war memorials following criticism that police have not stopped protesters climbing on them.
Many thousands join protests and sit-ins for GazaGaza war: When can protesting be illegal?The leaflets warn protesters not to use words or images:
that are racist or incite hatred against any faiththat support Hamas or any other banned organisation, it is illegal under UK law to support such terrorist organisationsthat celebrate or promote acts of terrorism - such as the killing or kidnap of innocent peopleProtesters will be told to "bin any placard or sign that might break these rules".
The leaflets also warn against damaging statues, using threatening words or behaviour and fireworks, which have been a problem on Pro-Palestinian protests to date.
In a briefing to reporters, the Met's Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan stressed the force's new approach of directly telling protesters about the limits to what they can say or write on placards.
"We will not tolerate anyone who celebrates acts of terrorism such as the killing or kidnap of innocent people," he said.
He said police would act "decisively and quickly" and "intervene immediately" if there were chants of "jihad", though he also said context was important.
Damage to poppy wreaths would not be tolerated, and police will specifically protect the Royal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park Corner after criticism that protesters who climbed on it last week were not arrested.
Mr Adelekan said there were potential offences of criminal damage and disorderly behaviour for people who climbed statues but the power of arrest lay with individual officers.
The Met is also under pressure to stop breakaway protests, especially attempts to sit in at railway stations after the main protests have finished.
Last week, a sit-in protest was held at London's Waterloo station.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held each week in London and other parts of the UK since 14 October, a week after Hamas's unprecedented cross-border attacks in Israel killed 1,200 people and saw about 240 taken hostage.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 14,000 people have been killed in Israel's retaliatory campaign, and the UN has warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the territory.
Meanwhile, the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir has given the police notice of a separate protest at the Egyptian embassy.
Hizb ut-Tahrir's status has been a subject of political controversy for decades.
Former prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron both promised to ban the group, whose stated aim is the re-establishment of an Islamic caliphate, before abandoning the proposals,
Mr Adelekan said the Hizb ut-Tahrir protest would be subject to strict requirements that it should begin at 13:00 GMT and disperse at 15:30.
Reuters The main pro-Palestinian march in London on 21 October attracted up to 100,000 peopleHe dismissed suggestions from Jewish people that it was not safe to enter central London during pro-Palestinian protests, saying that the 1,500 officers were being deployed to ensure safety.
On Sunday the first major march against antisemitism will take place with 45,000 expected by the organisers, the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
The Met has intelligence that right-wing activist Tommy Robinson is due to attend as a "reporter". Protest organisers have made clear he is not welcome.
"Mutual aid" officers from other police forces will again support operations in London this weekend. "Our officers just need a break", Mr Adelekan said.
More on Israel-Gaza warFollow live: Latest updatesWatch: Moment the pause in fighting beganGaza Strip mapped: Life in Gaza under siegeReporting: Assessing video Israel released of tunnel and hostagesExplained: The faces of hostages taken from IsraelHistory behind the story: The Israel-Palestinian conflictCorrection: A previous version incorrectly identified the location of a potential protest. Police have been notified of a protest at the Egyptian embassy.
Shocking moment knifeman threatens staff in Dublin Aldi - as Gardai probe incident amid heightened tensions in the Irish capital after school stabbing | Daily Mail Online
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 17:16
READ MORE: Dublin's 'night of shame' is condemned by Irish PM Leo VaradkarBy Chris Matthews
Published: 15:23 EST, 25 November 2023 | Updated: 04:26 EST, 26 November 2023
This is the shocking moment a knifeman threatened staff in a Dublin Aldi, as Gardai probed the incident amid heightened tensions in the Irish capital.
The incident happened yesterday evening at the supermarket in Ashtown, Dublin 15.
Gardai were called to the scene a little after 9pm after reports of a threatening man in Aldi.
The man left the Adli empty handed and no one was injured.
Footage shows a man walking into the store and shouting at a member of staff.
This is the shocking moment a knifeman threatened staff in a Dublin Aldi, as Gardai probed the incident amid heightened tensions in the Irish capital
The incident happened yesterday evening at the supermarket in Ashtown, Dublin 15
After he takes out a knife, the store worker leaps back before the pair talk to each other.
A Garda spokesperson said: 'Garda at Cabra were alerted following reports of an altercation at a supermarket in Ashtown, Dublin 15.
'It's understood a staff member was threatened at knife point by the customer who then left the premises empty handed.
'No one was physically harmed in the course of the incident.
'An investigation into the matter is ongoing.'
It came amid heightened tensions in the Irish capital after a horrifying knife attack on three schoolchildren.
The man left the Adli empty handed and no one was injured. Footage shows a man walking into the store and shouting at a member of staff
The riots were fuelled by unsubstantiated online rumours that the person behind the knife attack '' which saw three children and a woman injured '' was a foreign national.
As many as 500 thugs gathered close to some of the city's most iconic locations, some waving flags and brandishing signs reading 'Irish Lives Matter'.
Shocking scenes saw police officers attacked, with around 50 sustaining injuries '' one of whom faces having a toe amputated '' while buses and a tram were torched, with one driver punched and dragged from his cab.
The sinister Telegram voice note that incited the Dublin riots just hours after a horrifying knife attack on three schoolchildren has been revealed.
'Bally [balaclava] up, tool up... and any f***ing foreigner, kill them', was the disturbing call to arms that 'Kill all immigrants' sent to a private group of self-proclaimed Irish 'patriots' called 'Enough is Enough' at 5.22pm on Thursday.
'Bally [balaclava] up, tool up... and any f***ing foreigner, kill them': The sinister Telegram voice note that incited the Dublin riots just hours after a horrifying knife attack on three schoolchildren has been revealed
A bus and car on fire on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre after violent scenes unfolded following an attack on Parnell Square East where five people were injured, including three young children on Thursday
Gardai in riot gear in Dublin city centre after five people were injured in an attack, including three young children. Violent scenes have unfolded close to the site of the attack in Dublin city centre as crowds of protesters gathered
Police said the unrest was fuelled by a 'complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology', after rumours about the attacker's nationality spread online.
It has since been reported by the Irish Times that the attacker had lived in Ireland for some 20 years.
Damage to public infrastructure in Dublin from the disorder could cost tens of millions of euros to repair, Irish premier Leo Varadkar said.
The Taoiseach added that the knife attack and the violence which followed had brought 'shame on Ireland'.
On Friday a visible and heavy police presence was seen in the city centre amidst fears a second night of rioting could follow.
Gardai made a number of arrests on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre as it was announced that legislation allowing Garda officers to use body-cams would be fast-tracked.
'Remember who we are': riots, race, and the end of the 'Irish welcome' | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 17:10
T he police had reclaimed O'Connell Bridge and were preparing a baton charge on the south side of the River Liffey, but the rioters and bystanders on Westmoreland Street did not want to retreat and lose their view of the fires.
A masked youth had just ignited a bin, which had erupted with a great whoosh and engulfed a bus stop in front of Mimi's Coffee. On the far side of the bridge, a doubledecker bus and car blazed at the foot of the statue of Daniel O'Connell, shooting orange flames. Smoke from other fires plumed into the night sky.
The police hammered their batons on their shields, a prelude to another charge, and still the crowd lingered, almost hypnotised by the spectacle of flames in the heart of Ireland's capital.
''It's sad it's come to this,'' said one man, a soft-spoken spectator in his 20s, not a rioter. ''But the situation has got out of control.''
He was referring not to the riot consuming central Dublin on Thursday night but to immigration, and a perception that foreigners '' and especially asylum seekers '' were driving a crime wave and worsening a housing crisis.
''Their religion has no respect for women's rights,'' he added. ''The men are dominant.''
The police charged and the spectator fled, unable to elaborate about any affinity with Dutch voters who last week backed Geert Wilders's anti-Islamic Freedom party, or with other election results across Europe, but there was little need.
Amid the fumes and shouts and sirens blazed an uncomfortable truth. The Ireland that for so long had seemed to buck Europe's anti-immigrant trend and offer a ''thousand welcomes'' to the foreigners who reshaped its economy, society and demography '' the Ireland that seemed immune to xenophobia and demagoguery and backlash '' was not so different after all.
Geert Wilders, the incendiary veteran leader of the anti-Islam Freedom party, is on the verge of power in the Netherlands. Photograph: Robin Utrecht/ShutterstockImmigrants started coming in numbers here in the 1990s, to the point that today a fifth of Ireland's 5 million population was born elsewhere '' a seismic transformation that appeared to unfold seamlessly, and with negligible public debate and little political impact.
While anti-immigrant sentiment swelled in France, Italy, Hungary and other countries, and gave Brexit its impetus, Ireland seemed impervious. Immigration barely featured in elections or parliamentary debate or in mainstream media. The rise of Sinn F(C)in, a progressive leftwing party, did not upset this consensus.
Theories abounded about Ireland's exceptionalism. Perhaps centuries of emigration and colonialism made the Irish empathetic with arrivals seeking a new life. Maybe it was the booming economy's hunger for labour, albeit punctuated by a crash and austerity. Maybe the Irish were just naturally welcoming and relaxed. More Poles, Brits, Indians, Romanians, Brazilians? Ah sure it's grand.
Events on Thursday lit a bonfire under such pieties. At about 1.30pm, a man stabbed three children and a female carer outside a primary school in Parnell Square in central Dublin, seriously injuring two of the victims. It was a shocking attack, and within hours all hell had broken loose.
Social media commentators outed the alleged assailant as a foreigner '' in fact he is a naturalised Irish citizen, reportedly from Algeria '' and summoned a violent protest.
''They can't control us all,'' said a voice message from an account called Kill All Immigrants. ''Let's have little groups splintering off, doing what we got to do. Seven o'clock, be in town. Everyone bally up, tool up. And any fucking gypo, foreigner, anyone, just kill them,'' said the voice. ''Let's get this on the news, let's show the fucking media that we're not a pushover. That no more foreigners are allowed into this poxy country.''
The bloodcurdling threats were bluster. Some rioters chanted ''get them out'' and other slogans, but there were no reported attacks on foreigners. Instead, about 500 people rampaged through central Dublin, targeting property and police. By the end of it, a tram and two buses had been torched, 11 police vehicles damaged, 13 shops looted, 48 people arrested and dozens of officers reportedly injured.
Immigrant groups expressed concern about their security. The Muslim Sisters of ire, which runs a soup kitchen in Dublin, suspended its service. The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland said that no matter what an individual did, no nationality should be tarred: ''No human being is responsible for the actions of another, even if it is their twin.''
On Friday, Leo Varadkar, the taoiseach, invoked an Ireland of tolerance. ''Being Irish means more than saluting the tricolour, beating your chest, and pointing to where you were born,'' he said. ''It means living up to the ideals represented by our flag, it means being true to our own history, it means acting with compassion for others. Today I call on us all to remember who we really are.''
The riot has scorched the notion of some progressive Celtic nirvana in the Atlantic. Not because of its scale: the mob included opportunists more interested in carting off trainers and vodka, or recording dramatic footage, than intimidating the foreign bystanders who watched, agog. Factors unrelated to immigration, such as the growing boldness of youth gangs since Covid lockdowns, also fuelled the chaos.
Alice Weidel, the AfD's leader in the Bundestag: the far-right party declared itself a national force in Germany after state election success. Photograph: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek/Getty ImagesNor did the violence have public support. It has been widely condemned. And many have highlighted the fact that it was a Brazilian Deliveroo rider named Caio Benicio who helped to stop the attacker outside the school.
A GoFundMe campaign to ''buy Caio Benicio a pint'' has drawn more than '¬330,000. ''Welcome to Ireland Caio! Thank you for making it home,'' said one donor. ''What you did was brilliant, stepping in without a thought for yourself, go raibh maith agat,'' said another, using the Irish for ''thank you''. ''A foreign hero,'' said another.
Yet the lightning bolt that struck Dublin has not come from a clear blue sky. Concern about immigration and asylum seekers has been clouding villages, towns and cities across Ireland for several years. In 2019, a hotel in County Leitrim that was in line to host asylum seekers was set on fire '' twice. Suspected arsonists have targeted other refugee centres. Raucous protests have blocked roads and, in September, even parliament, briefly trapping legislators inside.
Peaceful protests against planned or actual accommodation centres happen almost weekly, often led by middle-class residents seeking court orders. Days before the riot, hundreds of people in Rosslare gathered to oppose plans to turn a second hotel in the County Wexford village into refugee accommodation. Legislators now openly vent such concerns in parliament.
Some protests focus on resources. The number of refugees housed by the state jumped from 7,500 in 2021 to 73,000 in 2022 amid a housing shortage and the cost of living crisis.
However, rightwing activists have also fomented moral panic about a country overrun with ''non-native'' predators such as Jozef Puska, a Slovakian man convicted this month of murdering a teacher, Ashling Murphy, in 2022. Placards bear slogans such as ''Ireland is full'', ''Ireland for the Irish'', and ''Irish lives matter''.
Drew Harris, the Garda commissioner, or police chief, said far-right radicalisation would continue to disrupt Irish society: ''We have to make the assumption that we'll see further such protests.'' The force has hastily borrowed two water cannon from the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Boris Johnson, writing in the Daily Mail, said even the ''most achingly liberal of countries'' were now chafing at open EU borders. ''Look at what is happening in Dublin, where that lovely and happy city seems to have been engulfed by race riots.''
Italy's Giorgia Meloni swept to power on an anti-immigration manifesto and is becoming a significant voice across the EU on the issue. Photograph: snapshot/Future Image/B Elmenthaler/ShutterstockHermann Kelly, the founder of the fringe Irish Freedom party, condemned the violence but said an underclass felt disconnected and ignored: ''They are just angry and they don't see a mechanism where they can exert change.''
Kelly, who works in the European parliament for conservative Romanian MEP Cristian TerheÅ, said he planned to run three candidates in next year's MEP elections.
It remains to be seen whether the far right gains an electoral foothold in Ireland. From Slovakia and Spain to Germany, Poland and Italy, populist and hard-right parties have triumphed in some EU member nations and faltered in others.
Voters may have to hold their breath for months to see if Wilders becomes prime minister due to the protracted coalition-formation process in the Netherlands. But the French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, said the election victory for the Dutch anti-EU and anti-Islam candidate had been a consequence of ''all the fears that are emerging in Europe'' over immigration and the economy.
All over Europe, there are signs that anti-migration policies are appealing to some voters. The far-right AfD party in Germany has declared itself a ''major all-Germany party'' after success in regional elections in the powerhouse state of Hesse in October. In Spain, the far-right party Vox entered local government in several regions in June.
Giorgia Meloni swept to power in Italy last year on the back of anti-immigration policies. Despite the distaste many in the EU feel, she is now one of the single most powerful leader at EU summits when it comes to the new migration laws member states are trying to get over the line after seven years of disagreement.
She is feted by leaders including the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, who accompanied her twice on a migration policy trip to Tunisia. Even Emmanuel Macron joined the club last month after joining a meeting between Rishi Sunak and Meloni on migration.
''The danger is, if Meloni can become central to European politics and [voters] see World War III hasn't started just because a populist leader is in power, they might say 'why not?' in France and give Marine Le Pen a shot,'' said one diplomat in Brussels. The diplomat predicted migration would remain top of the agenda, paving a lurch to the right in Europe's parliamentary elections.
Clinging to the conceit that Ireland is different was no longer tenable, wrote Pat Leahy, the Irish Times' political editor: ''Whether you think these concerns are legitimate or not, they are real, and they are now part of our politics.'' A government figure sent Leahy a wry text: ''So we're officially a mainstream European country now.''
''How We Do Anything Is How We Do Everything'' | by Annie Altman | Nov, 2023 | Medium
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 16:54
I have experienced drama like the OpenAI drama '-- I grew up in it. I was repeatedly told ''not to talk about it,'' and to allow another person to remove my human agency.
I have lived under my sibling's authority my whole life.
The narrative of ''Annie is crazy'' and ''Annie doesn't know how to take care of herself'' is what I was raised and conditioned in. That narrative, along with intentionally conditional love, is what was used to control me my whole life.
When I went ''no contact,'' I learned even more about the control he wielded. It's not just me, it's his social and professional circles also. It's terrifying how many people have told me privately they support me, but are terrified to speak publicly on my behalf.
Since going no contact from my living relatives in 2020, my literal and virtual life continue to be extremely restricted. I've had multiple accounts get hacked. My podcast ratings and YouTube views seemed to be removed. My presence seems difficult to find on Google. I am not sure how this is happening, and I don't have the resources to investigate further. At one point recently a high school faculty member, from our same school, spoke with me and attempted to convince me to break no contact.
Going no contact was far from an easy decision.
I attempted every other possibility, including family therapy in early 2020. After two sessions together with my mother and brother, my therapist privately advised me that no contact was my best option, which I resisted for another four months. During this time, I was managing PCOS (several ovarian cysts) and repeat Achilles tendinopathy that severely limited my walking and normal movement abilities. I was also grieving our Dad who died in May 2018.
I quit a job because of being notified of money left to me from my Dad, and made a plan to take six months to heal my body. I notified my relatives of my health and my plan. While in the paperwork process, I was notified that the money was withheld from me until I'm in my 60s. Though separated, my parents were still legally married and so my mother had the ''surviving spouse'' option to ignore Dad's wish to make me the primary beneficiary of his 401K.
Dad had a known heart condition, but still had to work full time until his death in 2018. Dad was very involved in affordable housing and reconstruction of historic buildings in St. Louis City. I had asked my sibling for years to give our Dad the financial help to stop working. Dad openly expressed his dream to retire in Costa Rica.
Jerry Altman died of a heart attack at age 67, without the dream his son could have fulfilled.
While still very physically ill and simultaneously managing intense and horrific flashbacks from PTSD, I began in person sex work in late 2020. I was unable to fully financially support myself with the virtual sex work I had already started, and with unemployment benefits from California. I applied for unemployment in 2020, at first not wanting to apply and ''clog up'' the process, because of my millionaire relatives I naively assumed would help me, and then was delayed in receiving benefits due to identity theft.
I was too physically ill with PCOS (several ovarian cysts) and repeat Achilles tendinopathy that severely limited my walking and normal movement abilities to work a standing job, and too mentally ill with daily flashbacks to do computer work.
I also desperately needed money for physical therapy so I could become healthier and support myself in the future. I felt like a zombie getting through every day while budgeting how much labor my body and brain could manage.
My sibling offered to buy me a home in 2021, reaching out with seemingly kind words after a year and half of no contact. We spoke on the phone three times, and through these conversations I began to suspect the offer was another attempt at control. It seemed I would never have direct ownership of the house. Also, given the nature of my PTSD flashbacks, the house felt like an unsafe place to actually heal my mind and body.
With regard to the current situation at OpenAI (and with tech in general), I feel the drama is a red herring.
The best case scenario is middle school-style interpersonal drama, with much higher money and power stakes. The worst case scenario is a distraction from something(s) that are more dangerous.
Calling employees in the middle of night to secure their public display of loyalty seems like cultish hazing.
Given my belief that ''how you do anything is how you do everything'', and given the power of the technological revolution, I am concerned with where and how that power is being inequitably distributed. I am also concerned about who will benefit from that power, and in what ways.
I would love to see and support technology being used to equitably distribute basic human resources, which is far different from its current use.
My intention in sharing my story is to share my most personal and human truth, and to heal. In my own sharing, I wish to encourage others to find their truth and their healing.
I seek sovereignty for myself, and for child-me who was told to stay quiet about other people's secrets '-- even when it made me physically ill.
I aim to give others the information of my story, while healing my own pains. My wish is to help others find their personal truth and healing from their pains '-- we're all human.
We all advance as humans when we all tell our story.
Love,
Annie
Kathy Griffin Says She 'Meows Like A Cat' To Cope With Trump-Related PTSD
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 13:39
Far-left comedian/actress Kathy Griffin says she ''meows like a cat'' and ''moos like a cow'' during yoga to cope with her PTSD.
Griffin, whose career went downhill after she posted a photo of a replica severed head of Trump in 2017, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after a lung cancer diagnosis caused her to lose half of her left lung. ''''I love talking about this stuff, which I know initially doesn't sound hilarious,'' Griffin said of her diagnosis in an interview with Vulture.
In order to deal with stress and PTSD, Griffin explained that she has been using what she calls ''cat-cow,'' where she makes animal noises during yoga. ''''It's when I get on all fours like a kitty cat and then I arch my back and I am instructed by my teacher to say the word meow. I feel like a fu**ing fool, but I do it,'' she said.
''And then I un-arch my back and '-- wait for it '-- I 'moo' like a cow,'' Griffin added. ''PTSD is a b**ch, and when I get PTSD attacks, I can't stop vomiting. So if I have to meow like a kitty cat and moo like a cow, I'm gonna fu**ing do it.''
Griffin also predicted that audiences will be able to relate to her struggles due to the ''trauma'' of the Trump era and the COVID-19 pandemic.
''This show is gonna be more personal because I've been through so much crazy stuff really in front of anybody who was paying attention. I actually do have PTSD, and I'm laughing because I thought that was only for combat veterans,'' she said.
Griffin also cited a DOJ investigation into her conduct and Trump's calls to have her charged over the stunt as contributing factors to her PTSD.
The Global Carbon Pricing Challenge - Canada.ca
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 13:07
Countries around the world are taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. More and more countries are pricing carbon pollution to cut emissions at low cost and spur clean innovation.
In simple terms, carbon pricing works because there is a financial incentive for people and businesses to pollute less. A price on carbon is transparent, and sends a clear signal that carbon-intensive products and activities are costly. Industry and households can decide how best to cut their emissions at the lowest cost, and are encouraged to adopt these changes or solutions into their business operations and lifestyles.
Carbon pricing is most effective when more countries adopt it, as broader coverage means more opportunities to find clean solutions. Through international cooperation, countries are raising the bar on climate ambition and signaling that it can no longer be free to pollute.
In order to reduce emissions, adopting carbon pricing can:
Align economic incentives with low-carbon objectivesDrive investment in clean innovation and technologyEncourage consumers and industries to become more efficient
The ChallengeCanada is calling on all countries to adopt carbon pricing as a central part of their climate strategies, toward a collective goal of covering 60 percent of global emissions by 2030.
Launched at COP26, the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge calls for a partnership of carbon pricing champions from around the world to expand the use of carbon pricing by strengthening existing systems and supporting emerging ones. The Challenge also creates a forum for dialogue and coordination to better understand policy design choices and to support other countries in adopting carbon pricing.
The Challenge places a special emphasis on supporting developing countries, recognizing the unique challenges they face in addressing climate change. The Challenge's commitment to inclusivity ensures that the benefits of global collaboration extend across diverse economies and circumstances, fostering cooperation towards accelerating the transition to a low-carbon future.
Why join the Challenge?The Challenge provides an opportunity for partners to build on their strong foundations of carbon pricing leadership in partnership with likeminded jurisdictions. It complements existing international initiatives on carbon pricing:
It provides a leader-level forum for dialogue to help spur action and raise the profile of a policy tool that drives least-cost emissions reductionsIt sets a concrete target for emissions coverage '' no other initiative does this for carbon pricing. The overarching GCPC goal will help contextualize international pricing initiatives, encourage greater ambition, and allow us to track progress over timeIt serves to spotlight and amplify other complementary initiatives, including those led by key international organizations such as the World Bank, International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP), the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). By joining the GCPC, countries will have the opportunity to link into these initiativesIt establishes an avenue to discuss international considerations related to carbon pricing, such as leveling the playing field internationally in terms of carbon costs, mitigating carbon leakage, and driving increased climate ambition
How to join the ChallengeJurisdictions with carbon pricing systems assessed by the World Bank to be ''implemented'' or ''scheduled for implementation'' are invited to join as Partners.
Partners to the GCPC are also asked to:
Commit to the collective goal of increasing explicit carbon pricing globallyOffer to share technical support and lessons learned with jurisdictions looking to adopt and implement carbon pricing systems; andIdentify opportunities to strengthen their own domestic pricing systems, and work to increase the coverage, effectiveness, and stringency of those systems over timeAfter joining the Challenge, the nature of Partners' participation is flexible, and could include:
sending representatives to the Technical Working Group, and/or the Advisory Committeeshowcasing progress on carbon pricing at major international conferencesfurther outreach on carbon pricing through existing or new networkssharing experience and technical expertise on carbon pricing through country-to-country partnerships to support countries implementing carbon pricing systemsAny country or jurisdiction with a clear interest in carbon pricing may join as Friends to the initiative. Friends of the GCPC may send representatives to the Technical Working Group and could participate in pilot partnerships to receive tailored support for their efforts to implement or better understand carbon pricing.
ChampionsThe World Bank carbon pricing dashboard provides an overview of all carbon pricing systems around the world. Of the 73 carbon pricing initiatives currently in place across the globe, there are 39 national systems and 33 subnational systems. Together these initiatives cover 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
These countries have joined Canada as partners to the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge: Chile, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Germany.
News updates
2023In July 2023, officials from GCPC Partner jurisdictions held the inaugural meeting of the Advisory Committee. Participants discussed the structure of the GCPC Network and endorsed the establishment of a Secretariat to support its work going forward.
In April 2023, the inaugural meeting of the GCPC Technical Working Group was held at the World Bank. The meeting improved linkages across initiatives, worked to develop a framework to amplify technical support, and proposed milestones and metrics.
In May 2023, Canada welcomed South Korea's agreement to join the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge.
2022Canada reiterated the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge in a commentary in the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition's 2022 Annual Leadership Report, calling on countries around the world to come forward with new carbon pricing commitments at COP27 in Egypt.
In June 2022, Canada and Chile made a joint statement in support of the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge and committed to convening a high-level event at COP27 to showcase the role of carbon pricing in the global response to climate change.
In November 2022, Canada welcomed the United Kingdom, Chile, Germany, and New Zealand as partners to the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge.
More on Carbon PricingWhile everyone has a vital role to play in reducing emissions, countries around the world are working hard to expand their economies and improve the lives of their citizens. Revenues from carbon pricing can finance sustainable development and support vulnerable sectors and communities that feel the impact of climate change the most.
Carbon Pricing: A global opportunityRead the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition ReportExplore the World Bank map of carbon pricing initiativesThe World Bank Partnership for Market ImplementationThe World Bank State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2022The OECD Carbon Market PlatformCanadian Snapshot: Carbon Pollution Pricing in Canada Page details Date modified: 2023-09-14
National Survey Finds Most U.S. Adults Have Not Had Media Literacy Education in High School
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 12:59
National Survey Finds Most U.S. Adults Have Not Had Media Literacy Education in High School Amanda 2023-05-31T13:35:48-04:00
A recent survey finds that most people did not learn to reflect on media messages in school, and few learned to use media literacy skills when considering science news. In 2022, Media Literacy Now partnered with the Reboot Foundation to include questions regarding exposure to media literacy education in an annual national survey. This year's survey topic focused on the state of science literacy and its impact on our social and political lives.
In addition to MLN's findings, Reboot Foundation's own report found that the survey's questions on science literacy and critical thinking suggest that deficits in education, both science literacy and media literacy, are associated with belief in discredited conspiracy theories. Survey respondents who reported that they were taught in high school to analyze science news stories are less inclined to believe in discredited conspiracy theories. Education in media literacy in general seemed to give participants the skills and background to better think critically about such circulating theories.
Only 42% of respondents reported learning to analyze science news in high school Survey respondents were asked, ''In high school, were you taught how to analyze science news stories, such as news about the environment or health claims, for bias and credibility, whether in print or online newspapers, or TV?'' and only 42% reported learning to analyze science news in high school. All students need the ability to access, analyze, and evaluate science-related news, particularly when climate and pandemic issues are at the forefront of today's news reporting. (**Sample demographic information below.)
Only 38% of respondents reported learning how to analyze media messagingWhen asked ''In high school, did you have an opportunity in class to reflect on media messages, such as advertising or on TV programs, & how they might affect people's thoughts, beliefs, feelings, or actions?'' only 38% responded ''yes.'' (**Sample demographic information below.)
Majority '' 84% '' said they supported required media literacy education in schoolsSurvey respondents were asked about media literacy requirements in schools. ''A few states require schools to provide media literacy education to all students. Media literacy is a skill that allows students to analyze the messages and boas present in all kinds of media, including TV shows, video games, social media, advertising, and news. Students also learn to create media in a responsible and effect way. Do you think this requirement should be adopted in more states?'' An overwhelming majority of survey respondents '' 84% '' said they supported required media literacy education in schools, and 90% said they supported required critical thinking instruction at the K-12 level. However, media literacy remains under-taught in schools, though there have been recent strides to add it to curriculum. (**Sample demographic information below.)
For overall findings, research method, and detailed findings and discussion, download the full report, ''Science Fictions: Low Science Knowledge and Poor Critical Thinking Are Linked To Conspiracy Beliefs'' from The Reboot Foundation's website.
The Reboot Foundation believes that in order for leaders to chart a path forward, the process must begin with an education that prepares students for the modern media environment and equips them with the skills to understand and evaluate complex concepts in science and technology.
While it is heartening to see some steps taken in this direction in recent years, more new programming, legislation, and curriculum changes at the local level are needed to address this problem.
Helen Lee Bouygues, President of Reboot, Wolf Greenfield
Looking Ahead
''It's clear from this survey that Americans are lacking key life skills they need to navigate an increasingly complex media environment,'' said Erin McNeill, founder and president of Media Literacy Now. ''Policy makers must take note and prioritize media literacy education for all students. It's not just about solving political polarization. People need to understand media systems and have an opportunity to develop skills to analyze messages and think critically about the source and who benefits from messages shared so they can make decisions for themselves and their families, without undue influence and manipulation.''
While it's encouraging that the majority of survey respondents (84%) said they supported required media literacy education in schools, media literacy remains under-taught in schools. We need to keep making progress on policy initiatives to introduce media literacy education into K-12 schools because it's urgently needed.
These survey results can be used by media literacy advocates on the local and state levels to help make the case to policymakers that not only is media literacy education not happening in schools, but it's something that has overwhelming support.
**Forty-three percent of our sample self-reported as female, 56 percent as male, and 1 percent as non-binary. Participants reported ages ranging from 19 to 81, with an average age of 41, and modal age of 31. Sixty-five percent of our participants had completed a bachelor's degree or higher. All participants were located in the United States.
The survey was completed by 541 respondents. The complete set of questions for each survey is available upon request.
World Economic Forum Backs UNESCO's Push To Regulate Speech on Social Media, Pushes Its Own Toolkit ''Digital Safety'' Which Will Tackle ''Hate Speech'' and ''Cyberbullying''
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 12:41
If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.
Here's the UN (at least those who have their ultimate say in the organization's overall agencies' agenda), and here's the World Economic Forum (WEF), supporting that activity, wholeheartedly.
Has something gone right this time? Spoiler: Well, no.
But do read on '' because knowledge, and context, are truly important. The educated guess is '' there will be many more of these instances of social media censorship schemes coming down this particular pike.
And what better than to recognize them for what they are, as they do come.
There's this: UNESCO (that's the UN agency that used to basically sell you Christmas/New Year postcards to help children in distress, suddenly, waking up to ''misinformation'') '' and now directly supported by WEF.
What a shocker. WEF is glad that '' UNESCO, of all agencies, has come up with what it calls the ''internet of trust.'' And the informal globalist Switzerland-based group (WEF, though) is also happy to reiterate what those ''guidelines'' are.
WEF is a flagship global, elitist outfit with no apparent qualms leading with the devastating fact that more people on this planet have access to the internet (''social media''), that to say, a car.
But this is not seen as a problem. Merely an opportunity to subjugate (or kick down) those already in distress.
So you don't have a car? You can't afford a home, perhaps? But you do have a phone. Now let WEF tell you what you should think. That's pretty much the gist of this entire ''elaborate'' article.
While you may be in a country with decidedly few real rights and/or opportunities, WEF assures you that if only you '' about 4.75 billion people on this Earth '' could find some ''trusted'' (''guaranteed'' by elites) way to inform and ''protect yourself from misinformation, disinformation.''
Well.
''If we can no longer distinguish fiction from reality, falsehood from truth, the foundations of our societies crumble. Democracy, dialogue and debate '' all essential to address major contemporary challenges '' become impossible,'' UNESCO says '' quotes WEF.
And some might say '' why in the world did UNESCO go that ostentatious rout of stating the horrible truth, that involves UN, and WEF?
Who knows. But WEF has this: A toolkit for ''digital safety.''
Tell us, WEF. You, who do, habitually, take ''ordinary people'' for fools.
''Digital platforms need reporting mechanisms to log policy violations, but given the global nature of their operations, they also need to ensure these mechanisms take into account local cultural sensitivities in the way complaints are handled'' '' said WEF.
If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.
European lawmakers vote for abolition of member state vetoes
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 11:55
Home >> Europe, Politics >> European lawmakers vote for abolition of member state vetoes
European lawmakers approved plans on Wednesday to remove the national veto for EU member states in the latest attempted power grab by Brussels to wrestle control away from national governments.
A total of 291 MEPs supported the proposal put forward by the ''Verhofstadt Group,'' a group of MEPs led by the arch-federalist Guy Verhofstadt to amend the European Union treaties in favor of greater centralization and limiting the sovereignty of member states.
The vote was only narrowly passed with a majority of just 17 after a faction of conservative parliamentary groups expressed considerable opposition to the move.
In the plenary debate on the matter on Tuesday, Verhofstadt claimed that veto rights had been used by member states disillusioned with the European Union's trajectory to ''blackmail'' the bloc, a thinly veiled jibe at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn, who has refused to sanction the European Union's proposed amendments to the bloc's collective budget to further finance the Ukrainian war effort.
In response, a former co-rapporteur to the Verhofstadt Group, Polish MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, accused federalists in the European Parliament of attempting ''to transform the EU into a superstate,'' continuing his opposition to the plans outlined in a recent interview with Remix News.
Saryusz-Wolski resigned from the working committee led by Verhofstadt in protest at the development of the plan that would further politicize the European Commission, give Eurocrats sole competency over several issues including the environment, education, and public health, and remove the need for unanimity among member states in key policy areas.
The Polish MEP called the move ''a silent putsch with communist roots.''
Vice Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group Rob Roos, contrasted the vote on Wednesday with the Dutch election being held on the same day, posting on X: ''Today the festival of democracy takes place in the Netherlands, but in Strasbourg our democracy is being buried.
''A European Parliament majority just voted for the abolition of the Netherlands' veto in many areas. Vote for a party that defends our veto!'' he added.
The resolution in reality changes little. It gives an insight into the consensus of the parliament but treaty change ultimately remains a matter upon which unanimity among member state governments is required.
Hungary and Poland, even under a potential liberal government led by Donald Tusk, remain opposed to the plans, and several other nations have expressed significant concern over what many critics believe to be another power grab that will serve the interests of larger member states and transfer further sovereignty from member state capitals to Brussels.
RELATED ARTICLESRussia Scared, Moving Nukes to EU border After NATO Announces military SchengenBrussels Shocked as Anti-Islam Nationalist Party Wins Elections in NetherlandsPoland's President Duda assures support for Finland against Russia's hybrid border attacksEU to Bypass Hungary's Veto and Send Massive '¬50 Billion Aid to UkraineEuropean Union Begins Negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova to Accept them as Member States Did you like this information? Then please consider making a
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Why Service Will End Earlier On Your Next United Airlines Flight - Live and Let's Fly
Sun, 26 Nov 2023 04:33
United Airlines is implementing a new rule for flight attendants that will lead to cabins being prepared for landing earlier than at present in an effort to protect them from injury from turbulence.
United Airlines Implements New Rule To Protect Flight AttendantsEffective December 1, 2023, flight attendants must be safely buckled into their jumpseats for landing no later than the double chime, at approximately 10,000 feet above ground.
In a memo reviewed by Live And Let's Fly, this is being implemented for safety reasons.
This new standard operating procedure (SOP) was developed by the collaborative hard work of multiple departments, including Inflight, Flight Operations, AFA, ALPA, Corporate Safety and was approved by the highest levels of United leadership. United conducted Line Operations Safety Assessments (LOSA) with the help of AFA and ALPA. This included pilots observing turbulence SOPs in the flight deck and flight attendants in the forward and aft cabins. These observation narratives and other data were analyzed to help create our new SOP.
At lower flight altitudes, the pilots are conducting approach maneuvers and aircraft sensor data has shown an elevated risk for turbulence. Flight attendants have sustained significant injuries in the final approach phase of flight, and data indicates a higher risk when they are not buckled in at this point. Simply put, it's not safe to be up. The goal of this new procedure is to reduce flight attendant low altitude injuries.
Thus, starting next month flight attendants will more quickly clean and secure the cabins at the top of the descent. A pilot will say, ''Flight attendants, please prepare the cabin for landing'' above 10,000 feet, giving flight attendants time to make final cabin preparation in order to be strapped into their jumpseats ahead of the double chime.
The practical effect will be that service will end earlier. Trash will be collected earlier and beverage service will end earlier.
Currently, it is upon the double chime that seatbacks must be placed into their full, upright, and locked position for landing'...every moment of sleep becomes so important on a redeye flight. Though not explicitly stated in the memo, I would expect that flight attendants will ask that seats and tray tables be retracted earlier than is currently required to avoid having to rely upon the passenger honor system.
United AirlinesCONCLUSIONStarting on December 1st, United Airlines will ask flight attendants to prepare the cabin for landing earlier. This is being done to ''reduce flight attendant low altitude injuries.'' Practically, we will see service end earlier and the cabin prepared for landing a bit sooner than most are currently unaccustomed to.
If this meaningfully protects flight attendants from injury, I support this move.
> Read More: Is It Okay For A United Airlines Flight Attendant To Sit On The Galley Floor And Watch TV Without Headphones While Eating Meal And Barking At Passengers?
Dublin riot sees clashes with police after five hurt in stabbings
Sat, 25 Nov 2023 21:44
By Conor Neeson BBC News NI
Watch: Double-decker bus engulfed in flames in Dublin violenceVehicles were set on fire and shops looted in Dublin after a knife attack that left a number of people, including three children, injured.
A five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s were seriously hurt in the attack on Thursday afternoon.
It happened on Parnell Square East in the city centre, outside the Gaelscoil Choliste Mhuire school.
A man in his 40s who was also seriously injured is a person of interest, police said.
They added that they were not looking for any other people at this time and are following a definite line of inquiry.
Sources have indicated to the BBC that the man suspected of carrying out the attack is an Irish citizen, who has lived in the country for 20 years.
Live updates of violent scenes after Dublin knife attackThe head of An Garda Sochna (Irish police), Drew Harris, blamed the subsequent disorder on a "lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology", who engaged in violence as police tried to maintain the crime scene.
The streets are now "mainly calm", the Irish police have said, with no serious injuries reported as a result of the violence.
Irish police commissioner condemns disorderCh Supt Patrick McMenamin said more than 400 officers remain on patrol after the disorder, which he blamed on "gratuitous thuggery".
"Some of my colleagues were attacked and assaulted, thankfully none were seriously injured and I commend them all on their bravery to protect our community," he added.
It is unclear how many arrests have been made, but Irish Justice Minister told Irish national broadcaster RT that it was a significant number.
Fires and lootingRiot police were deployed after protesters gathered in the area near the scene of the attack.
The disorder centred on several streets in the city centre, including O'Connell Street.
A number of vehicles were set on fire, including at least one police car, a tram and a bus.
A shop on O'Connell Street was looted while the windows of other stores were smashed.
Trinity College, which is nearby in the city centre, said it was in lockdown with all gates to its campus closed due to the disturbances.
Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar said extra police resources had been deployed.
He added that he had been shocked by the knife attack and said "the facts in this matter are still emerging".
Mr Harris urged people to "act responsibly, not to listen to misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media".
"We know what happened, but the motive for this is entirely unclear."
Meanwhile, the head of Ireland's National Bus and Railworkers' Union described those who targeted bus and trams as "thugs" and "despicable people".
'Standalone attack'In a press conference earlier, Supt Liam Geraghty said that the five-year-old girl is receiving emergency care in hospital, while another girl, aged six, and a five-year-old boy were less seriously hurt.
He added that although it is early in the investigation, garda (police) are confident that there is "no terror-related activity" and that it would appear to be a "standalone attack".
PA Media The incident happened on Parnell Square East, not far from O'Connell Street, one of Dublin's busiest streetsIrish President Michael D Higgins said that his thoughts were with the children and families affected by the incident.
"This appalling incident is a matter for the garda and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy," he added.
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) said: "Our hearts are with the entire school community of Gaelscoil Choliste Mhuire following the horrendous incident that has taken place today."
Police remain on the streetsby Chris Page, BBC Ireland correspondent
O'Connell Street is usually thought of as the gateway to Dublin city centre. But tonight, it was a chaotic and frightening scene.
The rioters have now largely dispersed but earlier, scores of them attacked police with fireworks and bricks. They set fire to a bus, a tram and at least one police vehicle.
Looters broke into several shops, in the retail district on the northern side of the River Liffey.
The situation in Dublin has calmed, but a large number of police remain on the streets in riot gear.
Siobhan Kearney witnessed the stabbing in Dublin's city centre on Thursday.An eyewitness told RT how she and another bystander disarmed a man with a knife.
Siobhan Kearney described the scene as "bedlam".
"Without thinking, I just took across the road to help out," she said.
"Two children and the woman were taken back into the school where they were coming from."
On the man with the knife, she said that he was on the ground and there were a lot of people trying to restrain him.
"Me and an American lady formed a ring around him saying we'd wait on the garda (police)."
In a statement, the Irish Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said she was "deeply shocked by the appalling attack".
She added that her thoughts are with those injured, especially the children, their parents and families, during "this extremely difficult period".
PA Media A number of police officers were attacked by crowds near the crime sceneSinn F(C)in leader and Dublin Central TD (member of the Irish parliament) Mary Lou McDonald said the incident had sent "shock and horror throughout the community".
"My heart goes out to all the hurt and injured, the parents, teachers but especially the children who have been so traumatised," she added.
Labour Party senator Marie Sherlock, who was in the area after the incident, said the children who were stabbed were queueing up to go to after-school care when they were attacked.
"While it is all very real today, I think the impact of the trauma tomorrow, next week and in the time after is really going to be very difficult."
Are you in the area? If it is safe to do so, please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
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'Bloodbath' at rural village fete as youths from deprived suburb kill 16-year-old
Sat, 25 Nov 2023 21:44
A rural village in southern France is in shock after a group of young delinquents from a deprived suburb attacked a village fete and killed a 16-year-old boy.
The village of Cr(C)pol in Dr´me was holding its ''fete de village'', an annual or biannual celebration, on Saturday night with around 450 of the 500 residents attending.
As the fete began winding down at 2am, a group of youths arrived, some carrying knives. When a security guard barred their entry, they attacked him, slicing through his fingers.
One witness told Le Parisien: ''There was a fight between the assailants and those who were brave enough to face them.''
''It was a bloodbath,'' said another. ''Youths from the suburbs surrounded the party hall, blindly stabbing people ... One youth received a heart massage on the floor. It was chaos.''
Stabbed several times in the throatIn the commotion, two men aged 23 and 28 were seriously injured and later hospitalised in a ''critical'' condition. One had been stabbed several times in the throat. A third injured individual was in a stable condition on Monday.
One teenager, known only as Thomas, a 16-year-old and keen rugby player, was fatally stabbed.
Hugo, a witness, told Le Parisien: ''I was at the entrance and I saw Thomas get stabbed in the heart and throat. A helicopter took him to Lyon but it was sadly too late.''
Martine Lagut, the mayor, said the town was ''traumatised'' by the apparently unprovoked attack.
''A gang turned up to kill,'' she told Le Dauphin(C) lib(C)r(C) newspaper. ''They didn't come to have fun but to harm.''
Laurent de Caigny, prosecutor of Valence, said police suspected they came to ''settle a score'' with a person present that night, without providing more details.
An investigation into ''murder and attempted murder by an organised gang'' has been launched.
Denouncing a ''barbaric and tragic'' act, RC Romans-P(C)age, the rugby club for whom Thomas played, posted a photo of the slain teenager on its website in which he smiles with his rugby kit on.
One neighbour told Sud Ouest: ''I am totally devastated. It's inexplicable. I knew him very well, his parents are wonderful people. There was no one more kind and polite than Thomas.''
'The one who made everyone laugh'A classmate called Matt(C)o said: ''Thomas was the guy who got everyone to make up when there was a little conflict in the group.
''But he was also the one who made everyone laugh, who helped out all the time, who was always there for the others,'' he told BFMTV.
Reacting to the death, French interior minister G(C)rald Darmanin said: ''What happened is absolutely despicable and unacceptable.
''What happened is not extremely clear or too clear: people came from elsewhere, wanted to force their way into this party and stabbings started. It's called savagery.''
He added: ''It is a general failure of our society. There is a need to rethink the framework of authority.
''We must restore authority everywhere.''
The shocking death came amid warnings of rising violence against France's mayors, many of them from small rural villages. France has around 36,000 mayors. According to a recent poll, the number of verbal and physical attacks against them rose by 15 per cent last year after a record 32 per cent rise the previous year.
During riots in France in July, criminals ram-raided one mayor's house with a stolen car when his wife and children were inside.
The French government promised to ramp up security of elected officials.
Gang that launched savage knife attack at French village's winter ball killing boy, 16, and injuring 17 'told guests "We are here to stab white people" before rampage' | Daily Mail Online
Sat, 25 Nov 2023 21:43
A gang that launched a savage knife attack at a French village's winter ball, killing a teenage boy, told guests, 'we are here to stab white people' before the rampage, according to a report.
The 16-year-old high school student, identified only as Thomas, was stabbed at the weekend when a group of outsiders descended on a festive crowd of around 400 people gathered in Crepol, in the southwestern Drome region, for a dance party in the village hall.
He died on his way to hospital, while at least 17 others were injured, two of them seriously.
Far-right activists have been posting videos online that they said were shot during the dance, claiming that they allow the identification of two of the attackers. One video circulating on social media shows several people involved in an altercation at night.
The authenticity of the videos has not been verified.
'We are here to stab white people', one of the attackers, dressed in overalls and trainers, allegedly shouted, according to testimony reported by Le Dauphin(C) lib(C)r(C) newspaper.
The 16-year-old high school student was stabbed at the weekend when a group of outsiders descended on a festive crowd that had gathered for a dance party in a village hall in France
The incident took place in Crepol, in the southwestern Drome region
The killing has sparked political controversy in France, with the far-right on Tuesday branding the assault anti-white racism.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told parliament that seven people had been arrested and investigators would now ascertain if they were behind 'this odious crime'.
A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, told AFP that the suspected killer was among the seven arrested around the city of Toulouse - some 400 kilometres (250 miles) away - in raids carried out by 50 gendarmes from the elite GIGN unit.
Even before the arrests, far-right politicians had been quick to blame the attack on youths from immigrant backgrounds from public housing, even if police have yet to give details on the identity of those arrested.
'Now anti-white racism is hitting our countryside,' Marion Marechal, the leading candidate for the far-right Reconquete! party of ex-presidential hopeful Eric Zemmour in next year's European elections, claimed on X, formerly Twitter.
Marine Le Pen, figurehead of the far-right National Rally (RN) party and a former presidential candidate, alleged in an interview with the weekly Valeurs Actuelles that 'armed militia' were organising 'raids'.
Zemmour, also on X, claimed: 'Our martyrs are innocent victims of the war of civilisations.'
Gendarmerie spokeswoman Marie-Laure Pezan said on Tuesday that the weekend's incident was marked 'by violence that was quite incredible for a village of 500 people'.
Josette Place, a pensioner and member of the village's events committee, told AFP: 'This wasn't a fight, it was an attack'.
Armed with knives and blocks of concrete, 'they came with the intention to kill', she said of the attackers.
According to prosecutors, around 10 young people tried to enter Crepol village dance hall on Saturday night. One stabbed a guard who stood in their way.
Guests at the dance rushed to help and a fight ensued outside the building during which Thomas was fatally stabbed.
Far-right activists have called for a silent march on Wednesday in Romans-sur-Isere, where Thomas's high school is located, using hashtags such as #francocide, #Francaisreveillezvous (France Wake Up) or #Racaille (Thugs) in their online posts.
Meanwhile, a gardener named only as Mourad was attacked on Friday southwest of Paris with a craft knife by a 75-year-old man, who shouted racist insults and was later detained.
Referring to the killing of Thomas and the attack on Mourad, French hard-left MP Francois Ruffin spoke out against a 'heavy atmosphere' in media and on social networks 'as if one had to take a side'.
'Let us all be bulwarks against these decisions and stay human,' Ruffin wrote on X.
Ugly Climate Change Battle Sweeps Conservatives Into Power | The Epoch Times
Sat, 25 Nov 2023 18:52
Heavy emissions reduction targets put such pressure on Dutch farmers, it resulted in one suicide every 14 days.
Commentary
Much has changed with the Dutch.
The sweeping election result for Geert Wilders whose Party for Freedom doubled its size to 37 out of 150 seats, has emerged as the largest parliamentary party, sending shock waves through the political elite not only in Holland but also throughout Europe.
With the result, 110 million Dutch livestock might be breathing a sigh of relief as well.
In scenes reminiscent of Australia's resounding defeat of The Voice referendum, New Zealand's new conservative government striking out the last vestiges of Jacinda Ardern's failed policies, followed by Argentina's turning to a right-leaning government, we see a new wave of conservatism emerge in Holland'--often considered a bastion of all things woke and liberal.
No more it seems, with a suite of boldly stated policies dealing with immigration, education, and matters environmental.
The plight of farmers being confronted with "climate change" regulations saw the quiet Dutch farmers take on the tactics of their much more assertive French counterparts with tractors rolling down the streets to make their voices heard.
Their voice was heard and acted upon given the government ignored their plight.
The nitrogen compound emissions from the 110 million livestock in Holland were targeted, with one Dutch farmer committing suicide every 14 days in response to the threats to their livelihoods'--extreme environmental policies do come at a cost.
However, in Holland, the farmers, like in most countries, enjoy the support and empathy of the population at large.
When they hit the streets, the likelihood of community sentiment shifting is a bankable bet, and the conservative-aligned parties received the deposits in the ballot box, resulting in left-wing parties being cut down to a shadow of their former selves.
Farmers gather with their vehicles next to a Germany/Netherlands border sign during a protest on the A1 highway, near Rijssen, on June 29, 2022, against the Dutch Government's nitrogen plans. (Vincent Jannink/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)The seismic shift in Dutch politics, including the mammoth gains by the pro-farmers party earlier in the year in provincial and senate elections, was a harbinger of things to come.
Interestingly, New Zealand and Argentina's new governments have promised less dogmatic approaches to the environment.
In New Zealand, oil and gas exploration will be allowed again and a tax on utility vehicles designed to give a market advantage to electric vehicles is being removed, while Argentina is set to abolish its Ministry of Environment and Sustainability.A Winning Formula for Conservatives Around the WorldIn the Netherlands, immigration was also an issue swaying voter sentiment similar to what occurred in Sweden and Italy.
With the people expressing their views democratically through the ballot box many a woke and left-leaning commentator was left red-faced as their relentless narratives were ignored by the public.
In most of the commentary, Geert Wilder's Freedom Party was labelled "far right" or "extreme," whereas there never seems to be anyone on the "far left."
This exposes a bias and a misunderstanding of the sentiment within the public that prefers cost of living or social cohesion be dealt with, rather than "woke-ism."
How things have changed.
The sacred cows of the political elites are being rejected by people around the world making for an interesting dynamic generally and specifically for the United Nations which has pursued climate change in an aggressive fashion.
It seems that people around the world are telling their elected representatives to stop drinking the UN Kool-Aid.
When the normally mild Dutch community shifts its sentiment in such dramatic fashion it might just be time for centre-right parties to pick up on the sentiment and deliver policies that reflect common sense and a citizen-first approach, rather than a watered-down version of 21st century woke socialism.
It's a recipe the conservatives in the United Kingdom may care to adopt as well as the Republicans in the United States, and the Liberal Party of Australia.
A return to core conservative values seems to be the winning formula the world over.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
CNBC's Climate Desk Melts Away | ZeroHedge
Sat, 25 Nov 2023 18:22
CNBC has 'dismantled its climate desk' and will no longer have staff dedicated to covering the topic - posing a potential blow to the Democrat party's various 'green' schemes, including their so-called Green New Deal.
"CNBC has dismantled its climate desk and will no longer have staff dedicated to covering climate change," wrote Bloomberg's Akshat Rathi, posting a link to now-former CNBC climate innovation and tech reporter's announcement on X, which reads:
"Personal news, as they say: A layoff, heartbreak, and finding my truth wandering through the streets of Istanbul..."
CNBC has dismantled its climate desk and will no longer have staff dedicated to covering climate change. https://t.co/XXoc3HgsSD
'-- Akshat Rathi (@AkshatRathi) November 21, 2023Liberal tears flowed for Clifford:
Thank you so very much, James. This means more than you will ever know!
'-- Catherine Clifford (@CatClifford) November 21, 2023Thank you so much, Brad. I appreciate this more than you will ever know. I follow your coverage closely, and I think you do fantastic work, too.
'-- Catherine Clifford (@CatClifford) November 21, 2023"It is a sad day when a major news publication decides to cut jobs that provide essential coverage of a planetary crisis," said Rathi, adding "The science is clear, the impacts are here, and many world leaders are taking it seriously. So why does a media publication not see a business case?"
Rathi suggested CNBC must be losing money, and therefore need to figure out how to 'grow the number of users.'
Folks on the business side of journalism have their work cut out. If per user revenue is low, there are two solutions. Grow the number of users and grow how much each user is worth. On both those things readers who care can help!
'-- Akshat Rathi (@AkshatRathi) November 21, 2023The 'dismantling' comes on the heels of several legitimate publications challenging prevailing climate science. For example:
Bombshell Claim: Scientists Find "Man-made Climate Change Doesn't Exist In Practice" Over 1,600 Scientists Sign 'No Climate Emergency' DeclarationWhy Did Bill Gates Make Sudden U-Turn On Climate Doom Narrative?$50 Trillion For What? Kennedy Dumbfounds Biden Climate Peddler In Fiery Exchange Over 'Carbon Neutrality'And so on...
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Why I just resigned from my job in generative AI. - Music Business Worldwide
Sat, 25 Nov 2023 14:47
MBW Views is a series of exclusive op/eds from eminent music industry people'... with something to say. The following article is a little different than the usual first-person pieces we run: it's something of a public resignation letter.
Ed Newton-Rex is one of the most prominent figures in the evolution of generative AI in music.
The California-based entrepreneur founded the pioneering music-making AI platform Jukedeck over a decade ago, before selling it to TikTok/ByteDance in 2019. He subsequently became Product Director of TikTok's in-house AI Lab, before becoming Chief Product Officer at music app Voisey (sold to Snap in late 2020).
Since last year, Newton-Rex has worked at Stability AI, home of generative AI image-maker, Stable Diffusion. Last year Stability AI raised USD $101 million at a $1 billion valuation.
Newton-Rex has made a big impact at Stability AI in a relatively short time.
As VP of Audio at the company, he's led the development of Stable Audio, a generative AI music-making platform trained on licensed music in partnership with rights-holders. Last month, Stable Audio was named one of Time's 'Best Inventions Of 2023'.
Despite this success, Newton-Rex has just quit his role at Stability on a point of principle.
A published classical composer himself, Newton-Rex has, throughout his career, been consistent in his belief in the importance of copyright for artists, songwriters, and rightsholders.
As he explains below, Newton-Rex's personal respect for copyright has somewhat clashed with that of his employer in recent weeks, after Stability AI argued in favor of the 'fair use' of copyrighted material to fuel generative AI within a submission to the US Copyright Office. (As Newton-Rex points out, several other large generative AI companies share Stability's position on this.)
Some additional recent context: Newton-Rex's decision to resign from Stability AI arrives as the debate over the 'harvesting' of copyrighted music by generative AI platforms gets even louder.
Just last week, superstar Bad Bunny expressed his fury over an AI-generated track that artificially replicates the sound of his vocals, as well as those of Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee.
The purported maker of that track, which has over 22 million plays on TikTok, calls themselves FlowGPT.
In a message responding to Bad Bunny published on TikTok, FlowGPT offered to let the artist re-record the AI-generated track ''for free with all rights'... but don't forget to credit FlowGPT''.
It gets worse: If Bad Bunny's team managed to get the track removed from digital platforms, FlowGPT threatened, ''I'll have to upload a new version.''
Over to Ed'...
I've resigned from my role leading the Audio team at Stability AI, because I don't agree with the company's opinion that training generative AI models on copyrighted works is 'fair use'.
First off, I want to say that there are lots of people at Stability who are deeply thoughtful about these issues. I'm proud that we were able to launch a state-of-the-art AI music generation product trained on licensed training data, sharing the revenue from the model with rights-holders. I'm grateful to my many colleagues who worked on this with me and who supported our team, and particularly to Emad for giving us the opportunity to build and ship it. I'm thankful for my time at Stability, and in many ways I think they take a more nuanced view on this topic than some of their competitors.
But, despite this, I wasn't able to change the prevailing opinion on fair use at the company.
''I don't see how using copyrighted works to train generative AI models of this nature can be considered fair use.''
This was made clear when the US Copyright Office recently invited public comments on generative AI and copyright, and Stability was one of many AI companies to respond. Stability's 23-page submission included this on its opening page:
''We believe that Al development is an acceptable, transformative, and socially-beneficial use of existing content that is protected by fair use''.
For those unfamiliar with 'fair use', this claims that training an AI model on copyrighted works doesn't infringe the copyright in those works, so it can be done without permission, and without payment. This is a position that is fairly standard across many of the large generative AI companies, and other big tech companies building these models''--'it's far from a view that is unique to Stability. But it's a position I disagree with.
I disagree because one of the factors affecting whether the act of copying is fair use, according to Congress, is ''the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work''. Today's generative AI models can clearly be used to create works that compete with the copyrighted works they are trained on. So I don't see how using copyrighted works to train generative AI models of this nature can be considered fair use.
''Companies worth billions of dollars are, without permission, training generative AI models on creators' works, which are then being used to create new content that in many cases can compete with the original works. I don't see how this can be acceptable.''
But setting aside the fair use argument for a moment''--'since 'fair use' wasn't designed with generative AI in mind''--'training generative AI models in this way is, to me, wrong. Companies worth billions of dollars are, without permission, training generative AI models on creators' works, which are then being used to create new content that in many cases can compete with the original works. I don't see how this can be acceptable in a society that has set up the economics of the creative arts such that creators rely on copyright.
To be clear, I'm a supporter of generative AI. It will have many benefits''--'that's why I've worked on it for 13 years. But I can only support generative AI that doesn't exploit creators by training models''--'which may replace them''--'on their work without permission.
I'm sure I'm not the only person inside these generative AI companies who doesn't think the claim of 'fair use' is fair to creators. I hope others will speak up, either internally or in public, so that companies realise that exploiting creators can't be the long-term solution in generative AI.
Ed Newton-Rex Music Business Worldwide
New '' AWS Public IPv4 Address Charge + Public IP Insights | AWS News Blog
Fri, 24 Nov 2023 16:15
We are introducing a new charge for public IPv4 addresses. Effective February 1, 2024 there will be a charge of $0.005 per IP per hour for all public IPv4 addresses, whether attached to a service or not (there is already a charge for public IPv4 addresses you allocate in your account but don't attach to an EC2 instance).
Public IPv4 Charge As you may know, IPv4 addresses are an increasingly scarce resource and the cost to acquire a single public IPv4 address has risen more than 300% over the past 5 years. This change reflects our own costs and is also intended to encourage you to be a bit more frugal with your use of public IPv4 addresses and to think about accelerating your adoption of IPv6 as a modernization and conservation measure.
This change applies to all AWS services including Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) database instances, Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) nodes, and other AWS services that can have a public IPv4 address allocated and attached, in all AWS regions (commercial, AWS China, and GovCloud). Here's a summary in tabular form:
Public IP Address Type Current Price/Hour (USD) New Price/Hour (USD) (Effective February 1, 2024) In-use Public IPv4 address (including Amazon provided public IPv4 and Elastic IP) assigned to resources in your VPC, Amazon Global Accelerator, and AWS Site-to-site VPN tunnel No charge $0.005 Additional (secondary) Elastic IP Address on a running EC2 instance $0.005 $0.005 Idle Elastic IP Address in account $0.005 $0.005 The AWS Free Tier for EC2 will include 750 hours of public IPv4 address usage per month for the first 12 months, effective February 1, 2024. You will not be charged for IP addresses that you own and bring to AWS using Amazon BYOIP.
Starting today, your AWS Cost and Usage Reports automatically include public IPv4 address usage. When this price change goes in to effect next year you will also be able to use AWS Cost Explorer to see and better understand your usage.
As I noted earlier in this post, I would like to encourage you to consider accelerating your adoption of IPv6. A new blog post shows you how to use Elastic Load Balancers and NAT Gateways for ingress and egress traffic, while avoiding the use of a public IPv4 address for each instance that you launch. Here are some resources to show you how you can use IPv6 with widely used services such as EC2, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), Elastic Load Balancing, and Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS):
Dual Stack and IPv6-only Amazon VPC Reference Architectures (pdf) Dual-stack IPv6 architectures for AWS and hybrid networks '' Part 1 Dual-stack IPv6 architectures for AWS and hybrid networks '' Part 2 IPv6 on AWS AWS Services that Support IPv6 Earlier this year we enhanced EC2 Instance Connect and gave it the ability to connect to your instances using private IPv4 addresses. As a result, you no longer need to use public IPv4 addresses for administrative purposes (generally using SSH or RDP).
Public IP Insights In order to make it easier for you to monitor, analyze, and audit your use of public IPv4 addresses, today we are launching Public IP Insights, a new feature of Amazon VPC IP Address Manager that is available to you at no cost. In addition to helping you to make efficient use of public IPv4 addresses, Public IP Insights will give you a better understanding of your security profile. You can see the breakdown of public IP types and EIP usage, with multiple filtering options:
You can also see, sort, filter, and learn more about each of the public IPv4 addresses that you are using:
Using IPv4 Addresses Efficiently By using the new IP Insights tool and following the guidance that I shared above, you should be ready to update your application to minimize the effect of the new charge. You may also want to consider using AWS Direct Connect to set up a dedicated network connection to AWS.
Finally, be sure to read our new blog post, Identify and Optimize Public IPv4 Address Usage on AWS, for more information on how to make the best use of public IPv4 addresses.
'-- Jeff;
Rainbow Bridge explosion: Possible cause of Niagara Falls crash revealed | The Independent
Fri, 24 Nov 2023 14:31
NewsWorldAmericasUnidentified New York man and his wife's Bentley may have suffered mechanical failure as it approached the Niagara Falls crossing
Smoke billows from Niagara Falls explosion as two people dead in vehicle blast
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest newsSign up to our free US Evening Headlines email
The cause of Wednesday's Rainbow Bridge vehicle explosion remains something of a mystery, with investigators now probing whether a mechanical failure could be to blame.
Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls, told The New York Times that the Bentley the couple was driving in was an older model and may have experienced some sort of mechanical glitch that caused it to suddenly accelerate as it approached the border checkpoint.
Dramatic footage captured the vehicle speeding up before it hit a curb on the US side of the border, became airborne and then combusted, killing the two people inside.
The blast instantly sparked fears of a terrorist attack but New York Governor Kathy Hochul and FBI officials later said there was ''no sign of terrorist activity''.
Instead, law enforcement sources told CNN that the victims were a local New York man and his wife, who have not been named, who were planning to attend a KISS concert in Canada on Wednesday night.
The gig was cancelled and so they stopped by the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino before the vehicle made the ill-fated trip towards the US-Canada border crossing.
Key Points1700836232Mystery as investigators probe possible cause of Rainbow Bridge crashThe cause of the Rainbow Bridge deadly vehicle explosion remains something of a mystery, with investigators now exploring whether a mechanical failure in the car could be to blame.
A New York couple, who have not been publicly named, were both killed on Wednesday when their speeding Bentley rammed into the border crossing along Niagara Falls, which connects the US and Canada.
The blast instantly sparked fears of a terrorist attack, prompting Canadian and US officials to briefly close all four border bridges between the two nations and ground planes at nearby Buffalo Airport.
Hours later, the FBI Buffalo office and New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that there were no signs that the incident was terror-related.
Now, two days on, investigators are still working to piece together what caused the deadly crash which has left the couple's upstate New York community in mourning.
Read the full story here:
Rachel Sharp 24 November 2023 14:30
1700835000Couple killed in Rainbow Bridge explosion reportedly planned to go to KISS concertThe New York couple that died in a fiery crash after their car hit a curb and launched into the air on the Rainbow Bridge had reportedly been planning to attend a KISS concert in Toronto,
Investigators told news outlets the two people in the car, were a man and a woman planning to attend a KISS concert in Toronto but were forced to change their plans when the gig was cancelled due to the frontman falling ill.
The pair reportedly drove a Bentley vehicle to the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino, located less than a mile from the bridge, where they made a brief appearance.
The crash then unfolded when the couple left the casino and began travelling at high speeds toward the Rainbow Bridge, which connects New York to Canada.
Many questions remain as to what caused the crash and whether it was intentional or accidental, with investigators probing the possibility that the driver may have suffered a medical emergency.
Law enforcement sources told CNN that the couple, who have not been identified, were residents of western New York.
Ariana Baio 24 November 2023 14:10
1700833807Friend of victims reveals shock at learning they were involved in Rainbow Bridge crashThe couple's friend Chuck Meyer also revealed his shock when he learned that the tragedy broadcast on national news involved those close to him.
''I got home yesterday (Wednesday). I didn't know anything other than hearing things on the news about the border, and then saw that their driveway was filled up with all these cars,'' he told NBC-affiliate-WGRZ on Thursday.
''I thought, 'Oh, they're having Christmas or Thanksgiving early, and like, that's really nice.' And then about an hour later, heard the news and I'm like, 'oh my God.'''
The husband and wife were members of Niagara Sailing Club on Grand Island, the club's treasurer Scott Henderson said.
''Not only were people talking but then I made an announcement and some people were just incredibly shocked,'' he said.
''It's just not only a younger couple like that, but so ingrained and influential in this community.''
Rachel Sharp 24 November 2023 13:50
1700832607Mystery over cause of Rainbow Bridge crashThe cause of Wednesday's Rainbow Bridge vehicle explosion remains something of a mystery, with investigators now probing whether a mechanical failure could be to blame.
Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls, told The New York Times that the Bentley the couple was driving in was an older model and may have experienced some sort of mechanical glitch that caused it to suddenly accelerate as it approached the border checkpoint.
Dramatic footage captured the vehicle speeding up before it hit a curb on the US side of the border, became airborne and then combusted, killing the two people inside.
Rachel Sharp 24 November 2023 13:30
1700831400Watch: Border guards turn cars away from US crossing on WednesdayRainbow Bridge explosion: Border guards turn cars away from US crossing
Ariana Baio 24 November 2023 13:10
1700830207Rainbow Bridge: What we know about couple's last known movementsA deadly crash at a border crossing between the US and Canada is believed to have involved a New York couple who had planned to attend a Kiss concert in Toronto on Wednesday night.
Law enforcement sources told CNN that the couple, who have not been identified but were said to have lived in western New York, were speeding in their Bentley when the car rammed into the Rainbow Bridge crossing, killing them both.
The blast sparked fears of a terrorist attack and prompted Canadian and US officials to briefly close all border bridges between the two nations and ground planes at nearby Buffalo Airport.
Hours later, the FBI Buffalo office and New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that there were no signs that the incident was terror-related.
Read the full story here:
Rachel Sharp 24 November 2023 12:50
1700829010Timeline: Rainbow Bridge explosionWednesday 22 November
At approximately 11:20am: A Bentley crashes into a curb at Rainbow Bridge, launches through the air and explodes, killing two people inside and injuring one outside of the vehicle.
11:32am: Niagara Falls Police Department arrives at the scene.
11:51am: Rainbow Bridge closed.
Approximately 12:50pm: New York Governor Kathy Hochul briefed on the situation.
Approximately 1pm: FBI in the Buffalo field office opens an investigation.
4:20pm: Injured person released from hospital.
Approximately 5pm: Ms Hochul confirms the incident was not related to terrorism. Other US-Canada bridges reopen.
Approximately 9:30 pm: FBI Buffalo close their investigation and hand it over to Niagara Falls Police Department
Thursday 23 November
9 am: Niagara Falls PD says an investigation may take some time and is awaiting the victims' positive identification.
Maroosha Muzaffar 24 November 2023 12:30
1700827807WATCH: Surveillance footage shows car speeding moments before explosionRainbow Bridge: Surveillance footage shows car speeding moments before explosion
Rachel Sharp 24 November 2023 12:10
1700826600'It was like something you'd see in Hollywood' says bystanderWitness Rickie Wilson, a 65-year-old tour guide and DJ, said the crash looked like something out of a Hollywood movie.
Mr Wilson, who saw the speeding car leave the ground as it crashed, told The New York Times: ''It hit a concrete barrier and went up.
''It came down and hit an inspection booth. Then there was a lot of black smoke, and then a fire.''
He added: ''I know I sound crazy, but the car was in the air. And not three or four feet in the air. It was like something you see in Hollywood.''
Ariana Baio 24 November 2023 11:50
1700825410ICYMI: Misinformation about Rainbow Bridge explosion circulates social mediaIn the minutes after a car exploded on Rainbow Bridge on the border of New York and Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday, reports emerged that a bomb caused the explosion leading to concerns of a terrorist attack.
Several right-leaning news outlets, including Fox News, sounded the alarm of the potential threat.
However, shortly after officials in the FBI confirmed that ''no explosive materials and no terrorism nexus'' were identified at the scene. Rather, the car carrying two passengers was travelling at high speeds, crashed, caught fire and then exploded.
But on social media, misinformation about the explosion continued to circulate into Thursday because some posts remained up with no updated information, including one from Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Ariana Baio 24 November 2023 11:30
1 /1 Rainbow Bridge explosion: Possible cause of Niagara Falls crash Rainbow Bridge explosion: Possible cause of Niagara Falls crashIncident at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing in Niagara Falls
via REUTERS
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A week before world leaders meet for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, Canada and the EU have committed to more environmental pledges.
ADVERTISEMENTMeeting at an EU-Canada summit in St John's, Newfoundland on Friday EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the alliance will "help us reach our net zero goal.''
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VIDEO - The Fall of Minneapolis | A Crowdfunded Documentary
Sat, 25 Nov 2023 18:27
Cinematography& Original Soundtrack by
Based on the bestsellerAward-winning investigative journalist Liz Collin sets the record straight. She uncovers what really happened on Chicago Avenue and exposes the truth of the 2020 riots.
Based on conversations with those who were there'--including Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, and other Minneapolis police officers who've never spoken out before'--Liz exposes how the facts were manipulated to dupe and divide America.
Soul-baring interviewsWe interviewed dozens of officers, witnesses, and experts who were there during the riots and the aftermath following the arrest and death of George Floyd.
Key facts and evidenceAfter years of in-depth research, we show the evidence that others have ignored or outright censored. This is everything they don't want you to see.
The riots, the trials, and beyondFrom George Floyd's criminal history, to questionable witness testimony, and the media manipulation in between, get the facts and watch the lies fall apart.
Help bring the truth to lightWe are so grateful for the many people who have volunteered their time, resources, and expertise in producing this film.
Consider donating to help us spread the word.
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