Society's ChildS


Blue Planet

Rise in flat-earthers is a symptom revealing the illnesses of science and modern-day society

fake earth
A merchandise stall at last year's Flat Earth International Conference in Denver, Colorado
Belief in a flat Earth is becoming fashionable. Scientists and other guardians of common sense are bemoaning this irrational development, yet we'd be better off seeing it as a very useful indication of deeper societal problems.

The Earth is flat. Okay, so the best available evidence indicates that it actually isn't, but the belief that our planet is a flat disc rather than an oblate spheroid has been steadily growing more popular in recent years. According to Google Trends data, searches for "flat Earth" as a topic have risen significantly since 2014. Meanwhile, a YouGov poll from 2018 suggested that only 66 percent and 76 percent of 18-24 and 25-34 year-olds "firmly believe" that the planet is round, indicating that this belief is becoming more common with younger American generations.

And to make matters seem even worse, Brazil hosted a flat Earth conference last Saturday in Sao Paulo. In fact, this wasn't even the first flat Earth conference to have taken place internationally, with last year's gatherings in Birmingham, UK, Denver, Colorado and Edmonton, Alberta suggesting that flat Earthism is becoming quite the cultural phenomenon.

Unsurprisingly, many figures in the world of science and journalism have despaired at this growth, with dozens of articles being published in recent months ridiculing the flat Earth belief system and mocking harebrained attempts to 'prove' its theories. However, while much of the commentary has focused on how shameful and dangerous it must be for humanity that flat Earthism is gaining traction, it needs to be said that it's emergence is actually a positive development for science, and for society more generally.

Really? Yes, because just as symptoms of an illness are useful for letting you know that you have an infection, so too is the rise of flat Earthism useful for indicating that both science and modern-day society are suffering from their own kinds of illnesses.

Comment: The real conspiracy: Flat earth is a psyop


X

SOTT Focus: Why The World Needs a Google Detox

no google
In this interview, Google whistleblower Zach Vorhies, who worked as a senior software engineer at Google and YouTube for over eight years, shares his inside knowledge of this global monopoly, revealing why Google is not a reliable source of information anymore.

Google's monopoly over search is matched by a continued reassurance that it is an unbiased search platform. Google is actively suppressing and censoring information, proving it is anything but unbiased.

While some of the information revealed is related to politics, you can read about my views about the two-party U.S. federal government here.


Comment: For the video, as well as links to the transcripts, visit Mercola.com here.


Comment: Excellent article. The things that Vorhies has exposed on what has quickly become the most evil corporation on the face of the planet (move over Monsanto) are truly earth-shattering.

See also:


Yellow Vest

Fizzled-out rebels or agents of change? France's year of Yellow Vests protests continues

yellow vest
© Alain JOCARD / AFP
As the 'Yellow Vests' protests in France come full circle, some vow to keep fighting for a more just society, while others believe the movement has gone too far. Though rattled, the system they rose up against is still in power.

Every Saturday for a year now, tens of thousands of people all over France have taken to the streets, fed up with not just the neoliberal and austerity policies of President Emmanuel Macron, but apparently the entire political system of the Fifth Republic.

The government has gone after them in force, pushing the police to their breaking point. The mainstream media has demonized them as anti-Semites, homophobes, far-right. Nevertheless, the 'Yellow Vests' (Gilets Jaunes) have persisted.

How it all began

Comment: RT reports on the most recent Yellow Vest protests:
Yellow Vest protesters were doused with water during clashes with police and rioting in downtown Paris, ahead of the first anniversary of their nationwide anti-government demonstrations.

The Place d'Italie circle in the city's 13th arrondissement descended into chaos as protesters erected makeshift barricades and threw stones at police officers, which responded with tear gas and water cannon.





The protesters overturned several parked cars and set vehicles on fire. A group of Yellow Vests attempted to block a fire truck from getting through to the barricades, which were also set ablaze.


At least in this video, that doesn't appear to be the case - the protesters move the barricades:



A shopping mall and several bus stops were vandalized when the protesters vented their anger over what they deem as government inaction towards their demands, made throughout a full year of weekly demonstrations.


The windows of a bank were smashed during the rioting. The protester groups on social media had earlier called on their colleagues to occupy and block several stores, including the Ikea and Apple stores.


Police were also called in to disperse protesters who were blocking traffic along the Boulevard Peripherique, the city's main ring 'beltway' road.

The authorities revoked their permit to stage a rally at the Place d'Italie, after the protests turned violent. Police had arrested 61 protesters by 3pm, Prefect of Paris Didier Lallement confirmed, adding that some officers were injured in the clashes.
More from RT:
Police fired tear gas as Yellow Vest protesters blocked a major road and erected barricades in Paris, marking one year since the nationwide demonstration movement began sweeping the country.



Clashes broke out at Place d'Italie downtown and near Porte de Champerret on the city's outskirts.


The protesters have also blocked traffic down the Boulevard Peripherique, the main ring road circling the capital. Riot police were deployed to disperse them.




A total of 41 people were arrested on the streets of Paris, police said.

More than 270 protest events were planned to take place across France over the weekend. Thousands are expected to rally in Paris alone, celebrating a full year since the inception of the Yellow Vest movement last November.

The protesters are determined to show that the movement is "far from being dead" and called for a "grand national mobilization," according to one group on social media.

Police, meanwhile, beefed up security in the capital. Local media reported that officers are on the lookout for hundreds of "yellow ultras and ultra-left militants."

The Yellow Vest protests started as a grassroots campaign against government plans to hike fuel taxes. The hikes were scrapped after several weeks of protests but the rallies continued. They grew to encompass other demands, such as better living standards, government accountability, the fight against corruption and for more direct-ballot initiatives. Demonstrators have also demanded the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron.


Some of the Yellow Vest rallies remained peaceful and maintained a cheerful atmosphere. Others have spiraled into fierce clashes with police, widespread riots and vandalism.



Pistol

5 people, including children, killed in San Diego domestic violence shooting

San Diego shooting
© Reuters/John Gastaldo (file photo)
A brutal case of domestic violence had fatal results in California on Saturday, with five family members shot dead and one more child fighting for his life in hospital after an apparent murder-suicide, San Diego police have said.

Police arrived at a home in Paradise Hills after several 911 calls. Local media report that the first call was likely made from inside the house, with no speech but the sounds of an argument heard in the background. Neighbors later reported sounds suggesting violence.

However, when the officers entered the house they were apparently too late, discovering several bodies, including those of children, covered in blood. Two adults, a 31-year-old man and a woman, 29, as well as a three-year-old child were pronounced dead at the scene. Three more children were taken to hospital, but two of them succumbed to their wounds there. The surviving 11-year-old boy has had to undergo surgery.


Eye 1

Deepfakes videos are unnervingly real, which puts our reality at risk

deep fake videos corbyn johnson
© The Post Millennial
Tech ethicists have been sounding the alarm about deepfakes for some time now, and tech think tank Future Advocacy has decided to show just how possible and damaging this tech can be. They've released a fake campaign video that shows the two candidates for the coming U.K. election endorsing each other.

Rationally, we know that Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson would not actually endorse each other for the office they both covet, yet our eyes deceive us when we view a video like this. In the hands of Future Advocacy, the video is revealed to be a fake. But this tech could be used by bad actors to disrupt elections all over the world.

Comment: Some are already suffering from the nefarious use of deepfake technology:

Jordan Peterson deepfake voice generator website taken down after he warned of legal action


Sheriff

Russian citizen suspected of crossing into US illegally shot by border patrol agent in Arizona desert

Lukeville, southwest of Tucson hot spot for migrant crossings
Lukeville, southwest of Tucson, now a hot spot for migrants crossing the border
A Russian citizen was shot and wounded by a US Border Patrol agent who claims he suspected the man of sneaking into the country illegally. The Russian consulate has confirmed his identity and requested access to the man.

"A Tucson Sector Border Patrol agent discharged his service-issued firearm in an incident near Lukeville, Arizona," the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) said in a statement on Friday, adding the wounded man was then transported to a hospital in Phoenix by helicopter for treatment of "non-life threatening injuries."


Eye 1

'Kick out Black Pete!' Anti-blackface paranoia comes after Dutch children's festival tradition

parade
© Reuters / Piroschka van de WouwA traditional parade in Scheveningen, Netherlands, on November 16, 2019.
A century-old Dutch holiday tradition involving St. Nicholas and his companion - Black Pete - has found itself at the center of yet another anti-racist campaign, all because Pete is a now nothing more than a blackface character!

The Netherlands traditionally celebrates the Arrival of Sinterklaas - or St. Nicholas -with annual street parades in early December. However, it isn't just cheerful, colorfully dressed festival-goers that will be taking to the streets this weekend, as dozens of protests take place across the country against what was once a children's holiday tradition.

It is not that the Dutch suddenly became disgruntled over a Christian saint with a long white beard greeting children ahead of Christmas. It is his companion that has been sparking uproar in some parts of society. Zwarte Piet - or Black Pete - is usually portrayed by people wearing full blackface, red lipstick, curly wigs and dressed in colorful costumes.

Black Pete hasn't always been all that warm and fuzzy. St. Nicholas' companion has come a long way from being a much more menacing character punishing poorly behaved children. He has been associated with Moors and even demons, according to some reports. Some also claim that he is nothing more than the legacy of the Dutch colonial past.

Comment: See also; PC culture gone mad: Black-o'-lantern or blackface? Retailer pulls pumpkins from sale after racism claims


Star of David

Palestinian journalist loses eye after being shot with Israeli rubber bullet at West Bank land seizure protest

palestinina journalist lose eye
© PNNPhotojournalist Mu’ath Amarneh completely lost sight in the left eye
A Palestinian journalist lost his eye after being hit by an Israeli rubber-coated bullet. Moath Amarneh was mutilated despite wearing a 'Press' vest while covering a protest in the West Bank's Hebron governorate.

The incident happened on Friday near the town of Surif in Hebron, where dozens of Palestinians were protesting against the latest confiscation of land for the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied territory.

Amarneh, who was covering the protest, was rushed to a hospital in Hebron after sustaining the injury. But doctors could not save his left eye.

Bomb

Car bomb kills at least 18 in Turkey-controlled Syrian city

syria al-bab car bomb
© REUTERS / Khalil AshawiAftermath of a car bomb explosion in Jub al Barazi east of al-Bab.
A car bomb that blew up in the Turkey-controlled Syrian city of al-Bab has killed at least 18 people and left 28 others injured, Turkish media are reporting. Ankara is accusing Kurdish militias of being behind the attack.

The deadly explosion went off near a bus terminal on Saturday, causing the deaths and significant damage in the area. A video published by an Al Jazeera correspondent showed a chaotic scene with multiple small fires and what appears to be a large pool of blood on the ground.


The Turkish Defense Ministry has accused the "inhumane and uncivilized" Kurdish YPG militias for the bombing, saying the tactics showed that they were not different from the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). The ministry wouldn't immediately explain how it attributed the responsibility.


Comment: As usual, no evidence required.


Beaker

Arkansas chemistry professors 'on administrative leave' after arrests for manufacturing meth

Terry David Bateman & Bradley Allen Rowland, Arkansas meth dealers
Terry David Bateman, left, and Bradley Allen Rowland
A director and an associate professor in Henderson State University's chemistry department were arrested Friday on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine, a media release said.

Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson arrested Terry David Bateman and Bradley Allen Rowland, both of Arkadelphia, Friday afternoon on charges of manufacturing meth and use of drug paraphernalia, the release said.

The release did not say whether investigators believe the two associate professors manufactured methamphetamine on campus, but said Arkadelphia police, a narcotics task force and Henderson State University contributed to the investigation.

The university's website listed Bateman as an associate professor and as the director of undergraduate research in the chemistry department. An online profile under Bateman's name said he has been working at Henderson State University since 2009.

Comment: