Society's ChildS


Boat

'Largest Houthi attack to date' in Red Sea repelled by HMS Diamond and US warships, Grant Shapps says

Deborah Haynes
Sky News
Wed, 10 Jan 2024 17:20 UTC
hms diamond red sea
© Sky News
Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, says it is the largest attack in the region by the militants to date, with drones heading towards HMS Diamond.

A British warship shot down seven drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in the Red Sea in an operation with US forces to repel the largest drone and missile attack to date.


Comment: See:

Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, said the drones had been heading towards HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer deployed by the UK to help protect shipping in the region, as well as commercial vessels on Tuesday night.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Snakes in Suits

COVID '6-feet' social distancing 'sort of just appeared,' likely lacked scientific basis, Fauci admits

Josh Christenson
New York Post
Wed, 10 Jan 2024 11:44 UTC
dr anthony fauci
© Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 8: Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), arrives for a closed-door interview with the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the U.S. Capitol January 8, 2024 in Washington, DC. Fauci is expected to face questioning about the origins of COVID-19, vaccine mandates and how to prevent future pandemics.
Dr. Anthony Fauci confessed to lawmakers Tuesday that guidelines to keep six feet of separation — ostensibly to limit the spread of COVID-19 — "sort of just appeared" without scientific input.

Fauci, 83, revealed to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic that the "six feet apart" recommendation championed by him and other US public health officials was "likely not based on scientific data," according to Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), who is also a physician.

Schools nationwide remained closed well into the second year of the pandemic as a result of the social distancing guidelines, which were disputed by both research studies and other health officials.

Comment: One thing seems clear, Democrats are hell-bent on defending Fauci to the bitter end, regardless of what crimes are uncovered. You'd think they'd be capable of seeing which way the wind is blowing and get off the Fauci train (pardon the mixed metaphors). Perhaps their owners have something else in mind.

See also:

Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Ukraine buys 50,000 women's military uniforms


RT
Tue, 09 Jan 2024 07:51 UTC
Female cadets take part in weapons training on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine
© Sergei SUPINSKY / AFPFemale cadets take part in weapons training on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has announced the purchase amid a struggle to mobilize enough men for the front.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense says it has purchased 50,000 sets of women's uniforms for the first time since the start of the conflict. The announcement by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov comes a day before an expected parliamentary vote on amendments to the law on mobilization.

The proposed changes have caused a public outcry, with some calling them "unconstitutional" and aimed mainly at cracking down on draft dodgers. While it has been said that the changes to legislation do not foresee the conscription of women, such proposals have been previously voiced.
"For the first time, the Ministry of Defense purchased 50,000 sets of women's uniforms, 100,000 electric heaters, and 15,000 active headphones," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Black Magic

Scotland: Parents who refuse children gender change face seven years in jail under SNP conversion therapy ban

Daniel Sanderson
The Telegraph
Tue, 09 Jan 2024 23:22 UTC
Marion Calder Women scotland against sex change children Britain
© Colin Fisher/AlamyMarion Calder, a director at For Women Scotland, said the group had 'grave concerns' that the plans will criminalise loving parents Credit:
SNP outlines proposal to ban 'conversion therapy' after its self-ID law was blocked by UK Government

Proposals published on Tuesday state that actions designed to "change or suppress" another individual's gender identity, causing them physical or psychological harm, would become illegal under the radical law.

SNP ministers acknowledged that so-called conversion practices often took place in a "family setting", raising the prospect that parents could be criminalised if they refuse to go along with their child's declaration that they are transgender.

Stopping someone from "dressing in a way that reflects their sexual orientation or gender identity" was put forward as an example of an action that would become illegal, even if a parent believed they were acting in a child's best interests.

A consultation states that alongside new criminal sanctions, preemptive civil orders could be obtained against parents or religious leaders, even where conversion practices had not yet taken place.
Read More...
Yellow Vest

Germany's train staff go on 3 day strike as farmers' protest blocks roads for 3rd day


Deutsche Welle
Wed, 10 Jan 2024 22:51 UTC
german train strike
© Marc John/IMAGONormally very busy, Cologne Central Station was empty on Wednesday morning
Commuters in Germany are facing a day of delays and disruptions, as train drivers strike and farmers block roads.

Germany is facing potential transport chaos on Wednesday caused by a three-day nationwide strike by train drivers, coupled with ongoing protests by farmers angered by planned subsidy cuts.

The train strike was given the go-ahead on Tuesday after a labor court in Frankfurt rejected a temporary injunction sought by German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB).
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

The German government is ripping off the farmers who feed the country

Rachel Marsden
RT
Wed, 10 Jan 2024 14:01 UTC
group
© Thomas Kienzle/AFPMichael Theurer (FDP), State Sec. Fed. Min. Digital Affairs and Transport • Protesting farmers
Opera House • Stuttgart, Germany • January 6, 2024
Massive protests have broken out as Berlin continues to pile cash on Ukraine instead of supporting its own workers...

Farmers and their tractors started gathering on Monday here in Berlin as well as in cities across all of Germany's federal states, including Hamburg, Cologne, and Bremen. The culmination, a massive planned protest, is set for Monday, January 15.

The aim? To get Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government to backtrack on its decision to eliminate tax breaks on the diesel fuel used for farming - a sector already struggling with high energy costs as a result of the government's de facto policy to screw itself and its own citizens over "for Ukraine" by cutting off cheap fuel from Russia because Brussels ordered it to. And then deciding that it's cool because gas isn't "green" enough anyway. Who knew that the German economy couldn't just run on wind and sun? Not this government, apparently.

Feeling the heat, Team Scholz has already said that it'll now just slow roll the cuts to subsidies. Apparently he's never tried removing a band-aid really slowly. The farmers responded with some slow rolling of their own - right down the Autobahn and up to the Brandenburg Gate. The other issue is a road tax exemption for agricultural vehicles that the government decided to reimpose. Well, at least the farmers are getting their money's worth this week by taking their tractors out for a spin along roads they probably never would have bothered with, just to join up with the protests.

This whole mess is a result of Team Scholz's own screwup. What else is new? Pretty standard operating procedure for the Western establishment: they screw up, then the cost of their mess gets dumped onto the average person. Scholz quietly took €60 billion ($65 billion) from a Covid recovery slush fund and plonked it into a fund for the much put-upon German industry. But only for the "green" industrials. Everyone else can just shove off.

Comment: In the end it all goes to Ukraine 'to feed' someone else's problem.

Read More...
Igloo

UK parliament cold, damp and mice-infested


RT
Wed, 10 Jan 2024 14:04 UTC
Westminster
© Vadim GhirdaWestminster Palace in London, England
Renovations to the London landmark have been repeatedly postponed, despite complaints from staffers and watchdogs...

Politicians and aides alike "dread" coming to work at Westminster Palace, Politico reported on Tuesday, describing how the crumbling Victorian building is driving them to work elsewhere in order to avoid the cold, the mold, and the rodents.

British lawmakers returned to work at the House of Commons on Monday, as the Met Office warned that freezing temperatures will linger for the next week.

Westminster Palace offers little respite from the winter weather, multiple staffers told Politico, citing persistent heating failures, power cuts, and moldy bathrooms. A report compiled by the GMB trade union - which represents parliamentary aides - in 2022 also noted crumbling masonry and falling glass even in one of the more modern buildings of the complex, as well as an outbreak of the legionella bacteria in showers on the estate.

A Conservative Party staffer told Politico:
"If it wasn't a protected heritage site, there would be absolutely no way - with the current health and safety regulations - that we would be allowed to even set foot in a building this broken and damaged."
A Labour Party staffer said:
I would never go in again [if I could]. I think there is a sense that parliament is a very important building, you're very lucky to be here - but there are basic standards, actually."

Comment: "Cold, damp, and mice-infested." Just like the MPs populating the building. Perfect symmetry!

Read More...
Airplane

Missing part of Alaska Airlines plane is found in Portland, NTSB says, as new details emerge

Paradise Afshar, Elizabeth Wolfe
CNN
Mon, 08 Jan 2024 08:53 UTC
blown door
© National Transportation Safety BoardNTSB image of the Alaska Airlines aircraft as they investigate the blown plug door.
Federal officials examining the horrifying midflight blowout of an Alaska Airlines plane section have announced the discovery of the lost piece that had fallen from the aircraft - a key element in the investigation into what happened during the plane's "explosive decompression."

A Portland schoolteacher named Bob found the refrigerator-size Boeing 737 MAX 9 fuselage door plug in his yard and reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference Sunday night.

The plug door had been missing since it blew off an Alaska Airlines aircraft Friday, leaving a gaping hole on the side of the plane as it flew at 16,000 feet shortly after taking off from Portland. The harrowing ordeal - which saw headrests ripped off and items sucked from the cabin - has led to the nationwide grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and a slew of flight cancellations.

"It must have been a terrifying event to experience," Homendy said Sunday after seeing the chaotic aftermath of the plane's interior, which included damage in several rows.

As the investigation moves into its second day, NTSB officials will continue to painstakingly examine the interior of the plane and begin plans to recover and examine the detached door plug, Homendy said.

Complicating efforts is the loss of critical cockpit audio recordings because of a device setting, according to Homendy.
seats
© National Transportation Safety BoardThe NTSB released this image of the aircraft from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282

Comment: Boeing acknowledges mistake after mid-air blowout on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282:
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has acknowledged design faults that resulted in a large piece of fuselage from a Boeing 737 Max-9 breaking off soon after takeoff last Friday. Since the incident, several of the company's major clients have pointed to Boeing's long-standing "quality control problems." CEO Dave Calhoun said: "We're going to approach this, number one, acknowledging our mistake." He also promised "100% and complete transparency every step of the way."

On Saturday, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it had ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspection.

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy warned on Monday that her agency may broaden the probe, which would potentially entail deeper scrutiny for Boeing and its manufacturing processes.

Turkish Airlines also announced that it would suspend the operation of its five Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft pending technical review, with Latin American carriers Copa Airlines and Aeromexico grounding 40 planes as well.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency, as well as Britain's Civil Aviation Authority, reported that none of the airlines operating on their respective territories "currently operate[s] an aircraft in the affected configuration."

Alaska Air Group Inc. and United Airlines Holdings said they had discovered several more 737 Max 9 jets with loose bolts after the FAA's grounding order.

Commenting on last week's incident, Emirates' chief Tim Clark said Boeing has "had quality control problems for a long time now, and this is just another manifestation of that."

Having entered service in 2017, the Max 9 is the latest in Boeing's 737 series of twin-engine, single-aisle planes. There are approximately 1,300 jets believed to be in service at present.

The model has been plagued by a series of mishaps in recent years, with two crashes in Ethiopia (2019) and Indonesia (2018) claiming a total of 346 lives. Those tragedies saw the aircraft grounded for 20 months in March 2019.
Boeing stock down:
Boeing shares plummeted 8% on Monday after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily suspended flights for the 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft across US airspace. This is not the first incident for the Boeing 737 MAX, which was launched in 2015. Fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 led to the aircraft being grounded until 2020.

The selloff in Boeing's stock has sparked broader concerns about the company's oversight and development. With 79 planes grounded for United Airlines, 65 for Alaska Airlines, and 74 elsewhere, uncertainties loom over the future of the airlines operating the Boeing 737 MAX planes.

This latest setback adds to Boeing's recent challenges, fueling speculation that its European rival Airbus might seize market share. Boeing's top brass faces intensified scrutiny from regulators and customers, signaling storm clouds ahead for the aerospace giant. As a result, jittery investors quickly dumped their shares in response to the heightened risks in Boeing's investment outlook.
See also:

Read More...
Bad Guys

Harvard board under scrutiny over Claudine Gay cover-up and censorship demands

Isabel Vincent
New York Post
Wed, 10 Jan 2024 19:12 UTC
claudinge gay hearing harvard
© reutersThe House panel that investigated antisemitism at Harvard will use subpoenas to probe how the Harvard Corporation protected former president Claudine Gay.
Harvard's powerful governing body is facing calls to be fired and a full-scale congressional investigation into how it covered up allegations that university president Claudine Gay was a plagiarist, The Post has learned.

Republican lawmakers will "use every tool available," including subpoenas, to examine how the 12-member Harvard Corporation protected Gay for weeks before she finally quit last week after a storm over her handling of antisemitism on campus and allegations that she was a serial plagiarist.

Gay will remain a $900,000-a-year member of the faculty. She wrote an op-ed in the New York Times claiming it was racism that caused the plagiarism allegations to come to light against her, because she was Harvard's first black president.
Read More...
TV

CNN admits 'disturbing' pro-Israel coverage policy 'has been in place for years'

Juiia Conley
Common Dreams
Fri, 05 Jan 2024 00:00 UTC
CNN's Jeremy Diamond
© screenshot/CNN)CNN's Jeremy Diamond points toward Israeli military hardware in a field near Israel's border with Gaza.
"It's Israel's way of intimidating and controlling news," said one critic.

CNN has long been criticized by media analysts and journalists for its deference to the Israeli government and the Israel Defense Forces in its coverage of the occupied Palestinian territories, and the cable network admitted Thursday that it follows a protocol that could give Israeli censors influence over its stories.

A spokesperson for the network confirmed to The Intercept that its news coverage about Israel and Palestine is run through and reviewed by the CNN Jerusalem bureau — which is subject to the IDF's censor.

The censor restricts foreign news outlets from reporting on certain subjects of its choosing and outright censors articles or news segments if they don't meet its guidelines.

Other news organizations often avoid the censor by reporting certain stories about the region through their news desks outside of Israel, The Intercept reported.

Comment: CNN is not only subject to, and compliant with, Israel's culture of censorship, but the dying news company has also been responsible for introducing egregious disinformation when the public is most vulnerable to believing the worst. And somehow the retractions never get as much attention as the initial lie does.

Don't miss: CNN reporter who "confirmed" fake beheaded Israeli babies story promoted Libya intervention propaganda in 2011

Read More...