Society's ChildS


Blue Planet

How the World Cup is destroying America's narrative on Russia

Paul Kindlon
Russia Insider
Tue, 26 Jun 2018 12:10 UTC
World Cup news coverage in America is almost non-existent. There's a virtual Black Out.

BREAKING NEWS...

The most popular sporting event in the world is being largely ignored by the mainstream news media right now in the United States. Why is that? Some believe it's because all the news so far is good . The planning was impeccable. Well -funded. The stadia up-to date with good facilities. The hosts welcoming and friendly. And no appearances of "Russian nationalist xenophobic hooligans" attacking foreign fans because of genetically caused racism.
russian football fan
What's not to love, America?
Why is it non -existent? Because they are waiting for the BAD news. Trust me. If there is one instance of a few Russian fans fighting with supporters of another team the usual suspects will be all over it. 24/7.

Comment: Too late. American has all but lost its credibility and respect. And the world seems happy to move on without them.

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Bug

The Left is playing a dangerous game

Erick Erickson
The Daily Wire
Sat, 23 Jun 2018 17:31 UTC
protestor
© Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Debra Strop owns Uncle Loui's Cafe in Duluth, MN. Last week, a television news crew reached out to see if they could do their news program from the cafe. The program would be covering President Trump's speech in Duluth. Ms. Strop agreed. That is when the progressive thugs attacked. The news program was Fox & Friends, and the progressive mob had to punish Strop.

Her family came under attack on social media. Organized mobs posted fake reviews of her cafe to rate it negatively. The store itself saw protests. All Strop did was allow a television news program to broadcast from her cafe.

In the 1930s, Hitler used brown-shirted thugs, and Mussolini used black-shirted thugs. The Nazi and Fascist thugs would harass businesses that were not sufficiently supportive of their dictators' policies. Private citizens would be harassed, threatened and eventually beaten or shot. Government officials not considered sufficiently supportive might be killed or scared badly enough to fall in line. The mobilization of the mob to strike fear in the hearts of its opponents is literally a tactic used by fascists, Nazis and communists.

That makes it all the more ironic to see the so-called "anti-fascists," or Antifa, in America adopting both the black flag of fascism and the red flag of communism. The anti-fascists and so-called democratic socialists are increasingly engaged in a sustained effort to harass those they disagree with while calling anyone who disagrees with them "Nazis."

Comment: As the hysteria continues to spread and the Left pushes their ideology to further extremes a tipping point will be reached and the makings of what will likely be a very bloody civil war will come to pass. There's nothing more dangerous than those ideologically possessed. We've come to the point where even sitting members of congress are asking mobs to attack those that side with the opposing party.

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Георгиевская ленточка

'In the West, Russophobia has become an acceptable form of racism', experts tell RT after journalists expelled from Ukraine


RT
Wed, 27 Jun 2018 12:22 UTC
journalists
© File photo / Reuters
Ukraine is unlikely to see criticism from the West, where "Russophobia has become an acceptable form of racism", experts told RT after Kiev stopped journalists in Russian media from attending OSCE press freedoms conference.

Ukrainian authorities expelled RT's Middle East Bureau correspondent Paula Slier and Rossiya 24 news channel's Evgeny Primakov, both of whom had travelled to Kiev to attend a conference aimed at strengthening media freedoms and free speech protections. The conference was hosted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), of which Russia is a member.

Slier, a native of South Africa who has reported from a number hot spots around the globe, was not told why she had been expelled from the country - only that her five year ban from entering the country had been issued by "an authorized state body of Ukraine."

Harlem Desir, the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, said that he "regretted" that Slier and Primakov were prevented from attending the event, adding that OSCE member states should "facilitate free travel for journalists across the region."

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) was less diplomatic in its criticism. "Ukrainian authorities must urgently explain this decision and stop pressuring journalists. This is totally contrary to the proper functioning of a democracy," IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger told RT.
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Cloud Lightning

Spanish authorities refuse docking to migrant rescue boat as bad weather looms


DW
Wed, 27 Jun 2018 11:34 UTC
FILE PHOTO Migrants at a border crossing between Ventimiglia, Italy and Menton, France, September 30, 2015.
© ReutersFILE PHOTO Migrants at a border crossing between Ventimiglia, Italy and Menton, France, September 30, 2015.
Spain says it will not accept the Lifeline rescue boat left stranded in the Mediterranean after its rejection by Italy and Malta. This comes as German lawmakers describe the situation on the vessel as precarious.

Spanish Economic Development Minister Jose Luis Abalos said on Monday that his country would not offer docking to a NGO boat carrying some 230 migrants rescued at sea, saying Spain could not "become the sea rescue organization for all of Europe."

His remarks come after the boat, operated by German NGO Mission Lifeline, was turned away by both Italy and Malta, with German lawmakers who have visited the stranded vessel speaking of worsening conditions on board, and a possible humanitarian emergency as weather conditions deteriorate.
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Heart - Black

US makes list of top 10 most dangerous countries for women mostly due to #MeToo movement


RT
Wed, 27 Jun 2018 11:00 UTC
MeToo
© Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
The United States is the 10th most dangerous country in the world for women when it comes to the risk of sexual violence, harassment and being coerced into sex, according to a new poll of global experts.

The US was the only Western country in top ten, while the other nine countries were in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, according to the Thomson Reuters Foundation poll of 548 experts in women's issues around the world.

Reuters said the inclusion of the US in the top 10 was mostly due to the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and abuse that was sparked after a series of allegations were made against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and has dominated headlines for months. But not everyone was accepting of the US ranking, with CBS calling it a "dubious" list.

Topping the list was India, with what experts said was the highest risk of sexual violence and the threat of being forced into slave labour. Afghanistan and Syria were ranked second and third, with experts citing the high risk of rape and abuse for women in war-torn nations, followed by Somalia and Saudi Arabia.
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Blue Planet

American farmers are killing themselves in staggering numbers

Irina Ivanova
CBS News
Tue, 26 Jun 2018 05:00 UTC
Farmer dust drought
"Think about trying to live today on the income you had 15 years ago." That's how agriculture expert Chris Hurt describes the plight facing U.S. farmers today.

The unequal economy that's emerged over the past decade, combined with patchy access to health care in rural areas, have had a severe impact on the people growing America's food. Recent data shows just how much. Farmers are dying by suicide at a higher rate than any other occupational group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The suicide rate in the field of farming, fishing and forestry is 84.5 per 100,000 people -- more than five times that of the population as a whole. That's even as the nation overall has seen an increase in suicide rates over the last 30 years.

Comment: It's a complicated picture of what's going on with American farmers. Part of the problem, certainly is that small scale farmers are being crushed by massive Big Ag giants, who drive down prices for agricultural products with which their small-scale counterparts can't compete. The move towards more and more unsustainable farming practices, including GMOs and chemical agriculture is certainly not helping.

See also:

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Dollars

Universal basic income: Benefit or burden?

Matthew Keegan
The Guardian
Wed, 27 Jun 2018 07:15 UTC
Finnish basic income
© Kimmo Brandt/EPAClients in an office of Finnish social security agency Kela, early 2017, just after the start of the nation’s now-ended basic income experiment.
Cities around the world are experimenting with basic income schemes. The benefits for residents seem obvious - but what's in it for the cities?

For the first time in many years, Lance Dingman has food in his freezer.

Dingman, from Hamilton in Ontario, Canada, lost one of his legs in 1988 as a result of a bone infection and now has a prosthetic; he has also struggled with his mental health. He used to receive a disability benefit, but the amount was so low as to leave him no way out of poverty. Today Dingman, 56, is paid C$1,900 (£1,080) per month under the city's basic income pilot project - and he says the difference is life-changing.

Comment: The idea of universal basic income is intriguing, but it seems like most of the discussion is polarized to the extremes - either it's going to save society or be its ultimate downfall. It's nice to have some cities running small-scale experiments to see how this will actually play out rather than having to rely on the word of the idealists or the doomsayers. The results of proposed societal changes such as this are unpredictable at best.

See also:

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Boat

Beware false promises: Israel proposes building goods port for Gaza in Cyprus


RT
Tue, 26 Jun 2018 21:37 UTC
Cyprus port
© Mohammed Salem / Reuters
Tel Aviv has discussed the establishment of a seaport for the Gaza Strip in Cyprus, Israeli media reports. Israel's proposal, now being considered by Nicosia, comes after it has actually maintained a blockade of Gaza for years.

The alleged 'good will' initiative is, however, far from being without conditions. The establishment of a port would take place only if the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, releases Israeli civilians and returns the remains of IDF soldiers.

According to Israeli media, the proposal is indeed conditional on the release of the Israeli civilian captives held by Hamas since 2014 and 2015 as well as on the return of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, killed in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. "We will clearly and openly put the benefits package on the table [and say], 'This is possible, this is the price. Take it or leave it'," a senior Israeli defense source told the local Hadashot TV.

Comment: Given the duplicitous nature of Israel and its historic clampdown on Gaza, it seems likely that there is more behind this agreement than meets the eye. The people of Gaza should check for crossed fingers behind the backs of the Israeli authorities before they agree to anything.

See also:

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Palette

Second Spanish church falls prey to well-intentioned but amateur restorer

Sam Jones
The Guardian
Tue, 26 Jun 2018 12:59 UTC
St. George effigy
© ArtUs Restauración PatrimonioThe St George effigy before and after restoration.

St George effigy painted in restoration compared to Ecce Homo Monkey Christ

For 500 years, the painted wooden effigy of St George that adorns a chapel in the Spanish town of Estella has been locked in a silent struggle against his old foe, the dragon.

Today, however, the saint faces a different battle thanks to a feat of restoration that has prompted comparisons with the infamous "Ecce Homo Monkey Christ" and exasperated the mayor.

Comment: Art restoration is obviously an art in and of itself and requires the careful work of professionals and experts. The fact that these restorations have been granted to amateurs is likely a reflection of the owner's valuation of the bottom line over the historic and artistic significance.

See also:

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Magnify

When it comes to protests in Iran, be very skeptical

Caitlin Johnstone
caitlinjohnstone.com
Wed, 27 Jun 2018 08:47 UTC
CIA emblem
Every few weeks I switch from being accused by pro-establishment Democrats of writing propaganda for Putin and Assad to being accused by pro-Trump Republicans of writing propaganda for the Iranian government, all because I am opposed to US-led regime change intervention in both Syria or Iran. Whichever country the US war machine is roaring loudest at on a given day, that's the country I'm writing propaganda for, because somehow the social engineers have succeeded in turning regime change interventionism in Iran vs. regime change interventionism in Syria into a partisan wedge issue.

Couldn't possibly just be that I know the US intelligence community lies constantly about such things.


Today there are reports being triumphantly bandied about by neoconservative pundits everywhere (often hilariously using pictures of the MEK terror cult) that some Iranian protesters have been recorded chanting "Death to Palestine" and "Death to the dictator" and carrying signs which admonish the Iranian government to pull its troops out of Syria. All of which just so happen to play nicely into the pro-regime change narratives of America's defense and intelligence agencies.

Comment: See also:

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