Welcome to Sott.net
Tue, 02 Nov 2021
The World for People who Think

Society's Child
Map

Target

I am sick of being silenced by social-justice warriors whose self-assurance is only matched by their ignorance

Allison Pearson
The Telegraph
Tue, 26 Mar 2019 19:00 UTC
Jordan Peterson
© Chris Williamson/Getty Images
Cambridge University's deplorable decision to withdraw its offer of a visiting fellowship to Jordan Peterson is yet more evidence that, contrary to time-honoured practice, students are now telling their teachers what to think and do. The abominable blizzard of snowflakes has university authorities frozen with fear, and winter is coming for free speech.

A Canadian professor of psychology, Peterson has unfashionable views on gender, masculinity and political correctness. To the horror of his critics, he has drawn the kind of crowds normally associated with rock stars, not bearded academics discussing Genesis (the Bible book, not the band).

He came to fame in 2016 when he opposed an anti-discrimination law requiring him to use the preferred pronouns of his students and colleagues. Learning on the grapevine last week that he was no longer welcome, Peterson said he had fallen foul of the "diversity, equality and inclusivity mob", and rebuked Cambridge for its "cowardly" decision.

Comment: Well said. What these pathetically entitled students need is a serious wake-up call. If they expect to be insulated from opinions they don't like for their entire lives, they're in for a tremendously rude awakening. And it couldn't happen too soon.

See also:

      Read More...
Attention

CNN drops contributor Mark Geragos after accusation of 'co-conspirator' ties to Michael Avenatti extortion scheme

Scott McDonald
Newsweek
Mon, 25 Mar 2019 19:11 UTC
Mark Geragos CNN
© CNN
Mark Geragos
Mark Geragos, an attorney who became famous for defending celebrities and trying high-profile cases, has reportedly been fired as a contributor to CNN after multiple media outlets reported he is a "co-conspirator" in a lawsuit filed against attorney Michael Avenatti.

"Mr. Avenatti and Mr. Geragos, the alleged co-conspirator, met with lawyers for Nike in New York on March 19 and threatened to release damaging information unless the company agreed to pay the two lawyers millions of dollars and another $1.5 million to the client Avenatti claimed to represent," the claim filed in New York stated, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Avenatti was arrested Monday and charged with wire fraud, bank fraud and allegedly trying to extort $20 million from Nike, according to the Associated Press. Geragos' involvement in the alleged federal extortion case is unknown, and he hasn't been charged with any crime.

Comment: So CNN is fine having a contributor who defends murderers, pedophiles and brutal women-beaters, but if he's possible suspect in an extortion case, he's crossed the line. Hardly surprising.

See also: #CreepyPornLawyer Michael Avenatti's attempted Nike extortion

      Read More...
Dollar Gold

Duke University settles doctored data lawsuit for $112.5 million

Ivan Oransky
Medscape
Mon, 25 Mar 2019 00:01 UTC
Duke University
In one of the largest-ever such agreements with an academic institution, Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, has settled a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that lung researchers there used fake data in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications.

The settlement, for a case brought under the False Claims Act (FCA), is for $112.5 million, according to attorneys for the whistleblower who brought the case. The act allows for whistleblowers to receive substantial payouts. Under the terms of the settlement, Joseph Thomas, a former biologist who worked in the department where the data were faked, will receive 30% of the $112.5 million. The rest will be paid to the US government.

"I am glad that the legal system has helped to return research funding to the United States government and shine a light on the importance of research integrity," Thomas told Medscape Medical News. He said he is "hopeful that this case bodes well for the future of scientific research."

Comment: Is it any wonder trust in medical research is waning? Make no mistake, this is not an isolated incident. For every researcher or institution that gets caught, there are dozens, if not hundreds, that get away with fraud. When science is corrupted to this level, how long before the entire facade collapses and we're faced with the undeniable reality that we don't have a clue what's really going on?

See also:

      Read More...
Bullseye

Saudi Arabia will soon break its own record for number of executions


Sputnik
Tue, 26 Mar 2019 21:14 UTC
Riyadh Skyline
© CC BY-SA 4.0 / B.alotaby
With 43 people already executed in Saudi Arabia in the first few months of 2019, the kingdom is well on its way to setting a new record for the greatest number of executions in a year, according to reports.

Of the 43 executed so far, 21 were beheaded for drug offenses, while the remainder were put to death for crimes including treason, renouncing Islam, adultery, murder, burglary, rape, espionage and terrorism, according to the Gulf Times.

Should the Riyadh maintain its present rate, experts have projected that a whopping 172 executions will have taken place by the end of 2019 - the highest total recorded in Saudi Arabia since human rights groups first began tracking the data in the early 2000s.

According to Business Insider, the 43 recorded executions in 2019 took place between January 1 and March 13, with the most recent beheading involving a Syrian man who was condemned to death for smuggling amphetamine pills.

Comment: Saudi Arabia is considered 'progressive' now?

      Read More...
Wolf

#CreepyPornLawyer Michael Avenatti's attempted Nike extortion


NBC News
Tue, 26 Mar 2019 20:19 UTC
avenatti nike extortion
© Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
Michael Avenatti speaks to the media after being arrested for allegedly trying to extort Nike for $15-$25 million on March 25, 2019 in New York City.
Stormy Daniels' ex-lawyer Michael Avenatti arrested for alleged $20 million extortion scheme against Nike, embezzling client's money, defrauding bank Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger

Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti was arrested Monday in New York City on charges of trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike by threatening to publicize claims that company employees authorized payments to the families of top high school basketball players.

Avenatti also was separately charged in a second federal case in Los Angeles with embezzling a client's money "in order to pay his own expenses and debts" and those of his law firm and coffee company, and of "defrauding a bank in Mississippi," prosecutors said.

Comment: ZeroHedge adds some juicy bits:
Avenatti's most famous client revealed in a statement published Monday afternoon that she was "saddened, not shocked" by news of Avenatti's indictment, adding that she fired him after discovering that he had dealt with her in an "extremely dishonest" way.


With Avenatti in cuffs, and the Russia collusion narrative finally, definitively debunked, Michael Avenatti's star turn as a CNN stalwart are fading into the distance...except for the CNN hosts who feted him at their Hamptons estates.


As one reporter pointed out, the funniest part of the NY Avenatti indictment is the seemingly obvious (for everyone but Avenatti) setup engineered by Nike's lawyers.



      Read More...
Airplane

Boeing 737 on its way to being grounded forced to make an emergency landing due to engine malfunction


RT
Tue, 26 Mar 2019 21:08 UTC
boeing 737
© Reuters / Joshua Roberts
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft made an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport after an engine malfunction, the FAA has said. The jet was on its way to be grounded in wake of the deadly MAX 8 crashes.

The jet, which was on its way to California to be grounded, suffered an engine problem shortly after takeoff and returned to Orlando International Airport to land. The plane had only two on board; the pilot and co-pilot.

President Donald Trump ordered every 737 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft grounded earlier this month, after two fatal accidents. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 nosedived into a field shortly after takeoff two weeks ago, killing all 157 people on board. Indonesian Lion Air Flight 610 plunged into the sea last October, killing all 189 passengers and crew.
      Read More...
Airplane

Indonesian air carrier ditches Boeing jets in favor of rival Airbus


RT
Mon, 25 Mar 2019 21:21 UTC
Lion Air
© Reuters/Thomas White
Lion Air, Indonesia's largest privately run airline, has announced plans to replace its Boeing 747-400 aircraft with the Airbus 330-900NEO as part of its strategy in response to the dynamic aviation market. The air carrier is currently operating only one Boeing double-deck airplane, which has been part of its fleet since 2009. The aircraft has 12 business class and 492 economy class seats.

"The airline was proud to operate the plane dubbed 'Queen of the Skies' for the last 10 years to serve domestic commercial flights," the company's spokesman Danang Mandala Prihantoro said, as quoted by The Jakarta Post. "The Airbus 330-900NEO will arrive in Indonesia gradually, starting in May. This year, Lion Air will receive two of the airplanes," Mandala added.

Comment: More from RT: China, as well, has turned to Airbus signing a multibillion-dollar deal, another big blow to Boeing
China will buy a total of 300 passenger jets from European aircraft maker Airbus as its US rival Boeing struggles in the aftermath of two deadly crashes involving its 737 MAX.

The deal was signed during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to France. Beijing's order includes 290 aircraft from the A320 Family and 10 more from the A350 XWB line, Airbus said in a statement on Monday. The agreement reflects "strong demand" in all sections of the Chinese aviation market, according to the company.

Airbus did not reveal the total value of the deal. However, French officials told Reuters that it could be worth €30 billion (around $34 billion), roughly matching Airbus' list prices.

"The conclusion of a big [aviation] contract... is an important step forward and an excellent signal in the current context," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a joint address with Xi Jinping.


      Read More...
Dominoes

Why Britain's decision to ban porn for those under 18 won't work

Debra Soh
The Globe and Mail
Tue, 26 Mar 2019 18:48 UTC
laptop
© Getty Images/iStockphoto
In a move that has been quiet and steadfast, the U.K. government will be enforcing a block on online adult content beginning next month. Accessing pornographic websites, including free sites like YouPorn and PornHub, will require an individual to verify they are over the age of 18, using a login with their real name and government ID, credit card, or a voucher available at stores.

Many are understandably worried about how their private data will be used, and whether the ban will even accomplish what it purports to do - namely, protect underage children from exposure to X-rated content.

A 2015 study suggesting that one-tenth of children as young as 12 are fearful of becoming "addicted" to porn was the rationale for the block. But many issues have become evident regarding how the study was conducted, including the fact that the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children commissioned a "creative market research" group, as opposed to impartial scientists, to carry it out. A backlash ensued when the findings were published, along with an open letter, signed by more than 30 sex educators, academics and journalists, criticizing them.
      Read More...
Handcuffs

7 arrested after Hindu sisters 'kidnapped, converted to Islam & married off' in Pakistan


RT
Tue, 26 Mar 2019 18:44 UTC
Pakistani Hindu girl
© Reuters / Akhtar Soomro
Seven people have been arrested in Pakistan in connection with an alleged abduction and forced conversion to Islam of two teenage Hindu sisters, which has sparked a war of words between India and Pakistan.

The girls, Raveena (16) and Reena (14), were allegedly abducted by a group of men from Pakistan's Sindh Province and forced into marriage, after converting to Islam against their will. A video which seemed to show a cleric performing the marriage later went viral online.

Video footage has also emerged of the girls' father protesting outside a police station, saying he would not leave and that police were changing their statements.

The high-level verbal sparring began on Sunday with the intervention of India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who tweeted that she had asked India's high commissioner in Islamabad for clarification on media reports about the girls' kidnapping.
      Read More...
Smoking

Nanny State: Pennsylvania prisons to implement system-wide tobacco ban


The Morning Call
Mon, 18 Mar 2019 18:34 UTC
Tobacco smoke
© Pixabay/realhardwork
Pennsylvania's prison system is banning all tobacco products inside every facility's secure perimeter, starting July 1.

Corrections Secretary John Wetzel announced the new policy Monday, citing the success of existing tobacco prohibitions in three state correctional institutions and Quehanna Boot Camp.

After July 1, all tobacco products in the possession of inmates or staff will be deemed contraband.

The policy applies to cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, tobacco substitutes, lighters, pipes, pipe cleaners, filters, rolling papers, roller aprons and rollers.

Inmates and employees will be allowed to use nonrefillable e-cigarettes that have been approved by the prison system, within designated areas.

Inmates will be given access to smoking cessation programs, educational materials and support to help them quit. They'll be able to purchase nicotine replacement therapy patches.
      Read More...
Amazon Smile
Revolt! T-shirts