Society's ChildS


Sheeple

Coddling the American mind: Are we setting up a generation to fail?

Madeleine Kearns
National Review
Sat, 08 Sep 2018 06:30 UTC
Jonathan Haidt on what happens when today's youth show up at college.
college campus
© Charles Mostoller / Reuters
What is happening at American universities? Jonathan Haidt, moral psychologist and critically acclaimed author, provides answers in his latest book co-authored with Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation For Failure, which is now on sale. Yesterday Haidt discussed what's been going wrong in childrearing in the past few decades. Today he'll discuss what's been happening when today's youth show up at college.

Madeleine Kearns: In your new book you and Greg Lukianoff argue that overprotection is badly affecting the development of young people today. Previously, we discussed where the "bad ideas" referred to in your book's title originated and the damage they do before young people go to college. Here, we'll discuss what's been happening since "iGen" started arriving on college campuses around 2013.

Today's young people are arriving at university expecting safety, you observe, so why can't we simply make colleges safe spaces to meet those expectations?

Jonathan Haidt: We certainly could. If someone has a plan for raising kids in a safe space that would extend all the way to the age of 85, and they could be confident that the child will stay in the safe zone as an adult, then you could do it. But if you want kids who will go out and get a job and do something in the wider world, then you have to let them fly on their own at some point. I think it is a national tragedy that Americans - on the whole, not everyone - overprotect their children all the way through high school. If we extend that overprotection through college, it would make things worse.

Comment: See also: Safetyism And The Destruction of a Generation

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Stock Down

British parents struggling to afford more than 1 child

Sophie Law
Daily Mail
Sat, 01 Sep 2018 19:08 UTC
3 kids
Middle children are becoming rarer as more parents are deciding to have fewer than three children.

From costs of bringing up more children, buying bigger houses, to expensive childcare- parents are now more likely to stick with one or two children.

British families with three children have fallen by 56,000 over the past two decades, The Times revealed.

Having a family with one child appeared to be the most popular trend in the UK with 3.6 million families with a single dependent.

Comment: Regardless of the psycho-babble about middle children, many more UK parents would probably love to have larger families children but the UK economy has been tanking for over a decade and so the costs of supporting them has become prohibitively expensive. Although it is also true that a general trend throughout the West has been for smaller families. Meanwhile, in Russia the government is subsidizing larger families in the knowledge that it is actually investing in its economy by doing so:

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Fire

Iraqi protesters set fire to Iranian consulate in Basra - UPDATE


RT
Fri, 07 Sep 2018 19:35 UTC
Protester in front of the burnt Iranian Consulate in Basra
© Essam al-Sudani / ReutersProtester in front of the burnt Iranian Consulate in Basra, Iraq
Protesters have stormed and set fire to the Iranian consulate in the Iraqi oil-hub city of Basra. The city has been engulfed in protests over poor public services and corruption since the start of the week.

Violent protests in Basra have been ongoing since Monday. The rioters are angry over shortages of potable water, electricity and jobs. They have been attacking government buildings, as well as the headquarters of political parties with links to Iran.


Comment: See also: Iraqis set government building on fire in Basra as at least 1 killed, 20+ injured in fresh protests

Update: Sputnik reports curfew imposed on Basra as missiles land in airport:
Earlier on Saturday, an Iraqi airport representative told the Associated Press (AP) that unidentified attackers had launched three Katyusha rockets at the facility, adding that no casualties or damages were reported as a result of the incident.

Iraqi officials have imposed a curfew on Basra starting at 4:00 p.m. local time (13:00 GMT) on Saturday, a military statement said.

According to the Alsumaria broadcaster, in spite of Iraqi authorities' several attempt to impose curfew in Basra in order to ease the situation, thousands of local citizens were leaving their houses every evening, and the protests showed no sign of fading.

Prime Minister Haider Abadi addressed the situation in Basra during an emergency session in the Iraqi Parliament, warning against a politicization of the crisis.

"Politics should be separated from security and services," the prime minister said, adding that he had ordered an investigation into the security forces "for not fulfilling their duties" during the unrest.

The government has also dismissed the head of Basra Operations Command and the chief of Basra Police.

The curfew was introduced in the second biggest city of the country amid violent mass protests over a lack of basic services and corruption, with demonstrators storming and torching presidential palaces, attacking the Iranian consulate and offices of pro-Iranian political parties.

According to Iraqi Health Ministry spokesman Seif Badr, at least 13 people were killed and 50 injured during the clashes.


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Oil Well

Iraq is facing a major internal crisis as show down between factions heats up


Oil Price
Sun, 09 Sep 2018 05:27 UTC
iraq iran embassy sept 2018
Protesters raise the Iraqi flag at the gate of the Iranian consulate building before storming and burning it in Basra, 340 miles (550 km) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 7, 2018.
Despite the fact that production and export figures presented by Iraqi sources are showing a significant improvement, optimism should be tempered.

Iraq continues to head towards a major showdown between the two main political rival blocks, led by Prime Minister Al Abadi and former PM Al Maliki. Both are currently in a race to lead the country, while being confronted by internal and external threats.

Iraqi oil production and export figures are showing very positive developments, even though internally, the country is teetering on the brink. The latest data from the Iraqi ministry of oil shows that it has boosted its southern crude oil exports to 3.583 million b/d in August, 40,000 bpd higher than in July. Since the OPEC meeting in Vienna, Baghdad has been pushing to increase its total production to a three-month average of 3.549 million b/d, an increase of 109,000 b/d from the first five months of 2018.

Comment: See also:




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Marijuana

US Air Force 'needs to determine the facts' about Elon Musk's on air pot smoking


RT
Sun, 09 Sep 2018 00:27 UTC
elon musk
© PowerfulJRE / YouTube
The US Air Force seems to be unsure how to react to the SpaceX CEO's marijuana smoking, and whether to review the security clearance of Elon Musk, whose company provides satellite launch services to the US government.

Following Musk's pot-smoking performance during a live podcast show with comedian Joe Rogan, reports have emerged that the Air Force was conducting an investigation into the SpaceX CEO's behavior. Despite the rumors, a formal probe has not yet been launched, an Air Force spokesperson told the Verge.

"It's inaccurate that there is an investigation. We'll need time to determine the facts and the appropriate process to handle the situation," the spokesman said.

Comment: There seems to be many more reasons why investors may be wary about their investment in Tesla:

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Pistol

Shooting at McDonald's near Auburn University in Alabama leaves one dead, four injured

Katherine Lam
Fox News
Sun, 09 Sep 2018 00:00 UTC
Shooting McDonald's Auburn University
© Google MapsA man was killed and four others were wounded after shots were fired at a McDonald's near Auburn University, police said.
A man was killed and four others were wounded early Sunday during a shooting at a McDonald's near Auburn University that doesn't appear to be random, police said.

Officers responded to the shooting on West Magnolia Ave. just before 2:30 a.m. and found a 20-year-old man dead from gunshot wounds, Auburn Police wrote in a news release.

Four other people, including a 21-year-old Auburn University student, were also injured from the gunfire. A 16-year-old was transported with serious injuries. The student, a 17-and 19-year-old were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life threatening.

Authorities said they believe the incident was not a random shooting.

"Preliminarily, information has been obtained that an altercation occurred just prior to an exchange of gunfire that resulted in the injuries," police said.
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Sheriff

Video released of Russian marines landing on Syrian shores in massive Mediterranean drills amidst Idlib offensive


RT
Sun, 09 Sep 2018 06:56 UTC
russia syria sept 2018
© Russian Defense Ministry
Russia has staged large-scale military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea near Syria, involving both its Navy and Air Force. The drills were held amid ongoing escalation around Idlib, and US threats to strike Syria.

Footage released by Russia's Defense Ministry shows Marine Special Forces equipped with state-of-the-art gear landing on the shores of Syria's Latakia province. The Marines used helicopters, fast-attack craft and armored vehicles while landing from major amphibious ships under the cover of dozens of Russian combat aircraft.

The spectacular display was just part of a week-long exercise, which is said to be the first of its kind in this part of the Mediterranean. Apart from the naval infantry training, in which the Marines not only honed their amphibious skills but also practiced protecting Russian Navy ships from sabotage activities, the war games also involved maritime live-fire drills.

Comment: When Russia carries out exercises where Russian troops land on the Latakia coast, a message is being sent straight to Washington: 'We're ready to respond if US-backed jihadis holed up in Idlib attempt to overrun Russian territory to the West.

While Russia routs out the Western-backed terrorists on invitation of the Syrian government, the US has been ramping up its presence in the area on a strange supposition that Syria would gas its own people just as it's about to win the war.
sun tzu
Also check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Donbass Leader Assassinated as Russia Exposes Chemical Plot in Syria

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Arrow Down

Palestinian teen activist Ahed Tamimi banned from traveling abroad with her family


RT
Sun, 09 Sep 2018 10:49 UTC
Ahed Tamimi
© Abbas Momani / AFP 75Ahed Tamimi speaks, as she sits between her father and mother, during a press conference on July 29, 2018.
Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi and her family have been banned from traveling abroad, the activist's father said. Tamimi, who is considered to be a symbol of Palestinian resistance, was freed from jail in July.

The Tamimi family planned to travel to Europe via Jordan in order to participate in events and speak about Palestinian resistance, as well as Ahed's experience of eight months' detention in an Israeli jail, the teen's father, Basim al-Tamimi told Anadolu Agency on Friday. They were due to leave on Friday morning. However, Palestinian authorities told them that Israel had banned their family from traveling abroad, Basim said, adding that no reasons were given for the ban.
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Whistle

Monsanto-Bayer: Eliminating the name will not erase the history

Ruchi Shroff
Common Dreams
Thu, 30 Aug 2018 10:04 UTC
Monsanto
© Monsanto Tribunal/flickr/cc"According to Reuters, the number of lawsuits brought against Bayer’s newly acquired Monsanto is approximately 8000 in the US alone."
We will continue to reclaim citizens' rights, as well as those of small and medium producers, who, despite being crushed by the current market mechanisms, are the only ones providing us with healthy and nutritious food

Cancelling out Monsanto's name and keeping only that of Bayer, does not mean forgetting the wrong doings of a company which, according to the verdict of the Monsanto Tribunal of The Hague, is stained with crimes of ecocide. With Bayer's official takeover of Monsanto, the giant multinational also inherits its liabilities. On the eve of the start of the integration process, Monsanto has been held liable for causing cancer through the use of its glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup and ordered to pay $289 million of damages to the plaintiff Dewayne Lee Johnson in the first landmark case, settled in California in mid August 2018. The jury also found that Monsanto "acted with malice or oppression." According to Reuters, the number of lawsuits brought against Bayer's newly acquired Monsanto is approximately 8000 in the US alone. UN experts Ms Hilal Elver, Special Rapporteur on the right to food and Mr. Dainius Pūras, Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health, defined the ruling "a significant recognition of the human rights of victims, and the responsibilities of chemical companies."
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Arrow Up

Whole Foods workers make their first attempt at unionization under Amazon ownership

Cale Guthrie Weissman
Fast Company
Fri, 07 Sep 2018 13:41 UTC
whole foods
Yesterday, a group of workers at Whole Foods sent an email to nearly every employee, entreating them to unionize. This is not the first time Whole Foods workers have tried to organize, but it is the first time under its new Amazon ownership. And, according to the letter that was sent yesterday, things aren't going great with the new overlords.

"Over the past year, layoffs and the consolidations of store-level positions at Whole Foods Market have upset the livelihood of team members, stirred, anxiety, and lowered moral [sic] within stores," the email declares. It then alleges that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey sold the store to Amazon "with an agreement to trim hundreds of millions of dollars of labor from our stores." The letter goes on, "There will continue to be layoffs in 2019 and beyond as Amazon aims to aggressively trim our labor force before it expands with new technology and labor models."

The workers are organizing with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union-who represents workers from big department stores, including Macy's and H&M.
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