Society's Child

Pepe Escobar's Iran diary: bracing for all-out economic war

Pepe Escobar
Source
Mon, 28 May 2018 23:47 UTC

The minute you set foot in the streets of Mashhad, the air smelling of saffron, a fine breeze oozing from the mountains, it hits you; you're in the heart of the Ancient Silk Road and the New Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

To the east, the Afghan border is only three hours away on an excellent highway. To the north, the Turkmenistan border is less than four hours away. To the northwest is the Caspian Sea. To the south is the Indian Ocean and the port of Chabahar, the entry point for the Indian version of the Silk Roads. The Tehran-Mashhad railway is being built by the Chinese.

A group of us - including American friends, whose visas were approved at the highest levels of the Iranian government - have gathered in Mashhad for the New Horizon Conference of independent thinkers. Right after a storm, I'm in a van on the way to the spectacular Imam Reza shrine with Alexander Dugin, which the usual suspects love to describe as "the world's most dangerous philosopher," or Putin's Rasputin.

Russians have better things to do than make love

RT
Sat, 26 May 2018 22:17 UTC

The top Russian pollster has conducted a survey on what Russians enjoy the most in life, and sex is not at the top of the list. Vodka and bear rodeos aren't either.

Watching TV tops the list of activities that Russians find pleasurable, according to a multiple choice poll published by the Levada public opinion research center on Thursday. Some 34 percent like to spend their time in front of the telly. "Earning good money" comes next, with 26 percent, followed closely by "spending time with children" at 24 percent.

Russians like hanging around with kids about twice as much as they like making them - "making love" clocks in at the unimpressive 16th spot. It's a favorite pastime for just 12 percent of the respondents - on par with hunting and fishing, "drinking in good company" and even spending some time alone.

YouTube in hot water as content creators and subscribers seethe over reordering subscription feeds

RT
Mon, 28 May 2018 21:08 UTC

YouTube is facing public anger after tinkering with subscription feeds. The video streaming company claims it's merely trying to help users "find the videos they want to watch," but the users and creators are not amused.

The new subscription algorithm started displaying videos in a non-chronological order, and it didn't sit well with some users. Having received complaints on Twitter, the YouTube team said the platform was "currently experimenting with how to show content in the subs feed."

"We find that some viewers are able to more easily find the videos they want to watch when we order the subs feed in a personalized order vs always showing most recent video first,"the company said.

Comment:

Brazilian Govt. agrees to lower fuel prices after week of crippling trucker protests

RT
Mon, 28 May 2018 00:00 UTC

© Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters
Cars and people line up to fill jerrycans with fuel, due to the truck owners' strike in protest against high diesel prices, in Luziania, Brazil May 27, 2018.

Brazilian President Michel Temer has signed a series of decrees designed to end a nationwide strike by truckers, who are protesting against rising diesel prices. It follows threats by Temer to bring in the army to clear the roads.

Truckers have been blocking roads across Brazil, impeding deliveries of vital supplies to cities, since May 21. The protest was triggered by a spike in the price of diesel, which has increased sharply in recent months amid soaring oil prices. It has affected hospitals, as well as schools and universities, many of which said they would shut down on Monday.

The shortage of fuel prompted the authorities to order police and military to accompany convoys carrying fuel for public transport, ambulances and police cars.

Adam Schiff and the Democrats try to deny 'Spygate' by playing Orwellian word games

Joel B. Pollak
Breitbart
Fri, 25 May 2018 19:19 UTC

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and the Democrats attempted Thursday to deny President Donald Trump's claims of "Spygate" after they emerged from a bipartisan briefing about the FBI's investigation into his 2016 campaign.

Following their lead, the mainstream media have labeled "Spygate" a "conspiracy theory" - even though Obama administration officials like former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper have admitted to the spying.

Schiff, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, emerged from Thursday's briefing to read a statement on behalf of the Democratic Party leadership in Congress, attacking Trump's claims:

Today's "Gang of Eight" briefing was conducted to ensure protection of sources and methods. Nothing we heard today has changed our view that there's no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a spy in the Trump campaign, or otherwise failed to follow appropriate procedures and protocols.

Comment: See also: SPYGATE: The biggest political scandal in US history since Watergate

Protesters defy 1,500 French riot police in renewed eviction from 'eco-camp'

RT
Fri, 18 May 2018 16:16 UTC

© Pascal Rossignol / Reuters
Tear gas floats in the air as protesters clash with French gendarmes in the zoned ZAD (Deferred Development Zone) in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, near Nantes, France, April 15, 2018.

Police deployed tear gas during clashes with squatters on Friday as they attempted to clear an encampment on what, until recently, was the site of a planned airport in western France.

One person has reportedly been seriously injured in the course of the second deportation wave initiated Thursday morning, a month after the first clearing operation failed to evict the squatters.

The environmental activists of the 'Zone to Defend' (ZAD) in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, say they are committed to protect their barracks and tree houses. The site had been earmarked for the construction of the biggest airport in western France, but the plan was dropped in January. However, the government said it would still evict the ZAD.

AFP journalists confirmed that police deployed tear gas, while the squatters responded by setting their barricades on fire and throwing Molotov cocktails. Dozens of police trucks arrived at the site before 6am, while a helicopter was seen flying over the area.

Yulia Skripal looks so well everything Britain said about poisoning has reason for doubt - Putin

RT
Fri, 25 May 2018 17:07 UTC

The fact neither of those poisoned in Salisbury died and one seems to have recovered well after what Britain called an exposure to a Russian military-grade chemical weapon, casts doubts on London's stance, says Vladimir Putin.

The Russian president made the remarks during a session with journalists from leading world media outlets on Friday, replying to a question by Clive Marshall, the head of UK's Press Association Group. Putin reiterated that despite Britain's initial claim that Russia used a military-grade chemical weapon dubbed Novichok to attack former double agent Sergey Skripal and his daughter, the actual effect of the toxin seems far from lethal.

"I am no expert in military-grade chemical weapons, but as far as I understand if one is deployed the victims are killed on the spot and practically instantaneously. Thank God nothing like that happened,"he said.

Millennials: They hold the keys to freeing Palestine

CJ Werleman
The New Arab
Mon, 28 May 2018 03:18 UTC

The demographic generation born in the period spanning the late 1980s to late 1990s is identified as the millennial generation, and they've been blamed by older generations for everything from destroying the golf industry to killing the movie business; from bad manners to laziness; from ending marathon-running to ending civilization itself.

If the world sneezes, it's because a millennial threw pepper in your face, apparently.

Needless to say, Millennials have received a bad rap. Negative articles and social media memes about them serve as clickbait for blogs and magazines. When it comes to page views and advertising dollars, bashing Millennials is the gift that keeps on giving.

But while the media is busy disparaging twenty-somethings, like a disgruntled old-timer guarding his porch on a wooden rocking chair, it's Millennials who hold the key to Palestinian liberation and human rights.

A study carried out by the Brand Israel Group, a group of former advertising professionals who promote Israel to American audiences, shows that while Israel enjoys a broad base of support among the US public, it's rapidly losing support among Millennials.

"Shared values are the bedrock of our relationship, and young Americans do not believe Israel shares our values," says Fern Oppenheim, one of the group's co-founders. "That's a huge issue. We have to have a narrative about the heart and soul and humanity of the Israelis."

Comment: The tide is turning and Israel is being seen for what it is.

A new airline route delivers Israel's 'apartheid system' to Scotland, critics say

Billy Briggs
The Ferret
Fri, 25 May 2018 00:00 UTC

A pro-Palestinian group has described a new airline route between Israel and Scotland due to launch in June as Israel's "apartheid system pushing a tendril down into Scottish soil".

The new route between Tel Aviv and Edinburgh run by Israir, is due to start on 13 June. But the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) is calling for the airline's authorisation to be suspended because most Palestinians are banned from using Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

The SPSC says this is discriminatory on grounds of "national origin" adding that Palestinians studying, working or living in Scotland, will be barred from the route.

Scots married to Palestinians are also barred from traveling to Israel via Ben Gurion Airport even though UK citizens are normally permitted entry to Israel without visas.

Any Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza must fly from Scotland to Jordan and enter the West Bank via an Israeli-controlled checkpoint, where people can be kept waiting for up to 12 hours. The only Palestinians who can use Ben Gurion Airport are those resident in Israel with Israeli citizenship.

Comment: Why? Because they can. Israel wants other nations to follow their dictates. If another nation complies, it enlarges the perimeter by which Palestinians are forced to abide.

Gaza boats to attempt to break Israeli Navy siege on Tuesday

Middle East Monitor
Sun, 27 May 2018 03:32 UTC

The Gaza Strip will set off a flotilla of ships on Tuesday in a bid to break the 12-year-long Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory.

"This trip will carry the hopes and dreams of the Palestinian people for freedom," Salah Abdul-Ati, a member of a Palestinian committee tasked with breaking the siege, told a press conference in the Gaza City on Sunday.

He said the first ship will set sail on Tuesday morning, with a number of injured Gazans and patients aboard.

He, however, did not specify the first stop of the ship.

According to Abdul-Ati, Israeli forces twice attacked boats and ships seeking to break the Israeli siege on Gaza in the past two weeks.

He called on the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority to lift "penalties on the Gaza people to boost their steadfastness and ease the humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade". He also appealed to the international community to pressure Israel to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip and on international NGOs to provide protection to anti-siege ships.

Comment: The 'breaking of the blockade' is risky and it hasn't worked before.

See also: Israeli airstrike hits Gaza City port boat prepping to meet aid flotilla

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Society's Child

Pepe Escobar's Iran diary: bracing for all-out economic war

Russians have better things to do than make love

YouTube in hot water as content creators and subscribers seethe over reordering subscription feeds

Brazilian Govt. agrees to lower fuel prices after week of crippling trucker protests

Adam Schiff and the Democrats try to deny 'Spygate' by playing Orwellian word games

Protesters defy 1,500 French riot police in renewed eviction from 'eco-camp'

Yulia Skripal looks so well everything Britain said about poisoning has reason for doubt - Putin

Millennials: They hold the keys to freeing Palestine

A new airline route delivers Israel's 'apartheid system' to Scotland, critics say

Gaza boats to attempt to break Israeli Navy siege on Tuesday

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