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Goodbye middle class: The percentage of wealth owned by the top 10% just got even BIGGER

Michael Snyder
The Economic Collapse
Tue, 04 Jun 2019 17:15 UTC
dollar
The middle class in America is being systematically eviscerated, and it is getting worse with each passing year. As you will see below, one new study has found that 10 percent of Americans now own 70 percent of all the wealth. Once upon a time, the United States had the largest and most vibrant middle class in the history of the world, but pretty soon we are just going to have the ultra-wealthy and everyone else. Our system has been designed to funnel as much wealth as possible to the very top of the financial pyramid, and that means that most of the rest of us are deeply struggling. And when you are just barely getting by from month to month, all it takes is one bad break to knock you completely out of the middle class and into poverty.

I have been chronicling the demise of the middle class for many years, but I didn't know that the numbers had gotten this bad. According to a study that was recently conducted by the Federal Reserve, the percentage of wealth controlled by the top 10 percent of U.S. households has shot up from 60 percent in 1989 to 70 percent today...
Deutsche Bank's Torsten Sløk says that the distribution of household wealth in America has become even more disproportionate over the past decade, with the richest 10% of U.S. households representing 70% of all U.S. wealth in 2018, compared with 60% in 1989, according to a recent study by researchers at the Federal Reserve.

The study finds that the share of wealth among the richest 1% increased to 32% from 23% over the same period.
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Magic Wand

Oakland becomes second city in US to legalize psilocybin a/k/a "magic mushrooms"

Caitlin O'Kane
CBS News
Wed, 05 Jun 2019 00:00 UTC
magic mushrooms
Oakland decriminalized "magic mushrooms" on Tuesday, becoming the second city in the U.S. to do so. The Oakland City Council voted unanimously to decriminalize adult use and possession of "magic mushrooms" and other psychoactive plants and fungi, The Associated Press reported.

The vote makes the investigation and arrest of adults who grow, possess and use the substances as one of the lowest priorities for police.

Last month, Denver voters approved the legalization of psychedelic mushrooms in the city. It was an unprecedented move in the U.S., which came to fruition after the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Decriminalization Initiative gathered enough signatures for the question to be added to the election ballot. A similar organization, Decriminalize Nature Oakland, campaigned for the measure to be passed in their city.

A string of people testified in Oakland on Tuesday, sharing how the psychedelics helped them overcome depression, PTSD and even drug addiction, the AP reported. One man said the use of plants saved his life. "I don't how to describe it other than miraculous," said the Oakland resident, who described himself as a heroine addict.

Comment: See also:

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X

'Immediately folded': Doctor Who writer dumped from BBC anthology over views on transgenderism


RT
Wed, 05 Jun 2019 09:32 UTC
transgender flag
© Reuters / Demetrius Freeman
A screenwriter for the Doctor Who television series has had his work pulled from an upcoming anthology based on the show due to his views on transgenderism, igniting debate on censorship and companies caving in to pressure.

The book of Doctor Who short stories, which will be published by BBC Books, was not set to be announced until later this month - but the contribution from writer Gareth Roberts was leaked in advance and caused uproar among many LGBT activists, who began calling for it to be removed.

Some were even riled up and incensed by old jokes Roberts had posted on Twitter in 2017 about transgender women and the "glamorous" names they choose. To add insult to injury, other contributors even threatened to withdraw if Roberts was involved.
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Arrow Down

CNN's ratings drop yet again after 'three-year low' last month

John Gage
Washington Examiner
Thu, 06 Jun 2019 10:12 UTC
CNN Logo
© Babylon Bee
CNN's ratings dropped again in April after the network experienced its worst month in three years.

Prime-time viewership at CNN was 761,000 with 553,000 viewers during the daytime, according to Nielsen Media Research.

CNN's ratings drop resulted in the lowest number of demographic viewers since August 2015. CNN's "Cuomo Primetime" with host Chris Cuomo saw its worst demographic viewership numbers since its debut in June 2018.
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Attention

Ohio doctor indicted on 25 counts of murder, accused of prescribing 'excessive doses of painkillers'

Erik Ortiz
NBC News
Thu, 06 Jun 2019 10:12 UTC
William Husel
© CNN
Ohio doctor William Husel indicted on 25 counts of murder related to alleged overprescribing of pain medication
An Ohio doctor accused of ordering excessive and potentially fatal doses of opioids to dozens of near-death patients is facing multiple counts of murder, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

William Husel voluntarily surrendered to authorities in Columbus and was charged in 25 deaths following a six-month investigation by the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office. The patient deaths exposed a stunning case of medical oversight and alleged medical malpractice, and called into question how repeated failures potentially involving 30 or more employees could have gone unchecked for so long.
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Play

YouTube ends monetization of conservative commentator Steven Crowder's channel after left-wing outrage

Gregg Re
Fox News
Wed, 05 Jun 2019 06:06 UTC
Steven Crowder
In an abrupt reversal amid an ongoing online firestorm, YouTube announced Wednesday that it would block conservative commentator Steven Crowder from making any money on videos he uploaded to the site, following a torrent of outrage from left-wing groups about insulting remarks he made about a gay political personality working at Vox.

YouTube, a Google subsidiary, claimed Crowder had engaged in a "continued egregious actions that have harmed the broader community," but acknowledged that Crowder's videos "did not violate our Community Guidelines." The company stopped short of banning Crowder and deleting his videos entirely, as many progressive groups and journalists demanded.

Crowder's demonetization, in turn, prompted conservatives to renew charges of large-scale censorship and hypocrisy against the big tech giant. Several right-leaning content creators, as well as nonpartisan journalists documenting hate speech, charged that YouTube was engaged in an broad "purge" Wednesday against their channels, which were not directly related to the Crowder dispute.

Comment: See also:

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Network

YouTube to delete thousands of accounts after it bans supremacists, conspiracy theorists and other 'harmful' users

Andrew Griffin
Independent
Wed, 05 Jun 2019 07:45 UTC
youtube
© Pixabay / germany_photography
YouTube will delete thousands of accounts after banning "supremacists", conspiracy theorists and other harmful accounts, it has claimed.

The decision was made after an in-depth review of its rules on hateful content, YouTube said. While it has always banned hate content in general, the site has allowed some specific kinds of harmful videos - such as those promoting Nazi ideology or claiming 9/11 did not happen - to continue being hosted on the site.

Those videos, as well as other kinds of "supremacist" content, will now be officially banned.

"Today, we're taking another step in our hate speech policy by specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status," it wrote in a blog post.

Comment: See also:

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People 2

Three men announce plans to hold a "Straight Pride Parade" in Boston

Danielle Garrand
CBS News
Wed, 05 Jun 2019 00:27 UTC
straight pride flag
© SUPER HAPPY FUN AMERICA
The group refers to this flag as the, "Straight Pride Flag."
June is LGBTQ Pride month and cities all over the world are hosting rainbow festivities, festivals and parades to celebrate the community. However, a group led by three men is trying to champion a different community and says they are planning their own parade in Boston -- to celebrate "Straight Pride."

The organization Super Happy Fun America, which claims to advocate "on behalf of the straight community in order to foster respect and awareness with people from all walks of life," is planning the event, according to its website. The parade appeared to be a reaction to the city's rejection of the group's application to raise its "straight pride flag" at Boston's City Hall earlier this spring.

"We are disappointed that the Walsh administration has chosen hate and discrimination," a blog post on the site from April 20 reads. "Therefore, we have decided to launch a campaign to educate the public, politicians, and civil servants about the straight community and the unique problems we face. We have determined that a parade would be the best way to promote our community and its diverse history, culture, and identity. We anticipate that the city will eventually choose to embrace tolerance and inclusivity."

Comment: If there was any doubt that this is an epic troll campaign, we have this from Reuters:
'Straight Pride' parade group in Boston wants Brad Pitt as its mascot
N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Joey Garrison,USA TODAY - June 5, 2019

...

The group, on its website, says Brad Pitt is its mascot, calling him "a hero to straight men all around the world." Hugo is quoted calling straight people an "oppressed majority," adding that, "We will fight for the right of straights everywhere to express pride in themselves without fear of judgement and hate."

Organizers say they are "committed to creating spaces for people of all identities to embrace the vibrancy of the straight community."

...
See also:

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Snakes in Suits

Mega-church leader Joaquin Garcia arrested for major sex trafficking crimes

Oscar Flores
FOX 11
Wed, 05 Jun 2019 14:19 UTC
Joaquin Garcia
He is the leader of La Luz Del Mundo church but now, Joaquin Garcia is behind bars accused of human trafficking and much more.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced on Tuesday that mega-church leader Joaquin Garcia and others associated with him face charges of human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor, among other felonies.

Becerra says Garcia committed the crimes between 2015 and 2018 while leading La Luz Del Mundo, an international religious organization headquartered in Mexico with over one million followers reported worldwide.

In the criminal complaint, it is alleged that García and his "co-defendants" allegedly coerced victims into performing sexual acts by telling them that if they went against any of his desires or wishes as "the Apostle," that they were going against God.
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Bulb

Yandex refuses to turn over encryption keys to Russia's FSB


RFE/RL
Wed, 05 Jun 2019 21:38 UTC
Yandex headquarters

Yandex's headquarters in Moscow
Russian media reported that Yandex, the country's largest search engine, has refused to turn over encryption keys that would give the country's law enforcement the ability to decode its entire e-mail traffic.

Yandex would not confirm the report, first made by the newspaper RBK on June 4, instead issuing a statement saying that it could meet law enforcement demands without compromising personal privacy.

The report comes as the Kremlin has tightened control in recent years over the country's Internet -- a move that opponents of President Vladimir Putin say is aimed at squashing discontent and challenges to his rule.


Comment: Opponents being the propagandists at RFE/RL and the like. More likely is the FSB is seeking to root out actual threats rather than the phantom ones the US cries about. That said, Yandex still made a good move by respecting their users privacy.

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