Society's ChildS


Megaphone

Thousands demand ceasefire in Gaza ahead of Biden-Xi meeting


RT
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 10:38 UTC
sf palestine protest
© Jason Henry / AFPProtesters marching in support of Palestinians fill an intersetion near where the US President was holding a fundraiser while in town for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, on November 14, 2023.
Demonstrators in San Francisco have denounced Washington's support for Israel and called for a free Palestine.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of San Francisco, calling for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, as the city prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Both US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to attend the summit.

The gathering took place in the city's downtown on Tuesday evening, with crowds chanting "Genocidal Joe, he must go," according to local media. Videos posted on social media also show a large crowd, chanting "Free Palestine" as well as "from the River to the Sea," a political slogan calling for the unification of Palestinian territories at the expense of Israel. Many demonstrators were seen carrying Palestinian flags and beating drums.

Comment: See also:

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Eye 1

Israeli troops enter Al-Shifa Hospital after killing Hamas terrorists in gate-side firefight

Anders Hagstrom
Fox News
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 07:34 UTC
IDF Al-Shifa Hospital Gaza
© Israeli Defense ForcesIsraeli Defense Forces operate inside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023.
Israeli troops have entered Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza following a firefight with Hamas terrorists at the gate on Wednesday.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had surrounded the facility for days, saying Hamas had placed its headquarters in tunnels beneath the hospital. While Hamas denies the claim, its fighters engaged in intense gunbattles with Israeli troops around the complex.

At least one doctor at the hospital said Israel warned staff of their plans to enter the complex on Wednesday. Troops say they brought medical supplies for patients inside, who had suffered for days under dwindling supplies and fuel.

Comment: Knowing the Israeli playbook so well at this point, it seems highly unlikely there is or was any kind of Hamas base under Al-Shifa hospital. This is simply another excuse to terrorize innocent civilians.

See also:

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Stop

All telecoms services in Gaza to halt in coming hours — Russian envoy to UN


TASS
Thu, 16 Nov 2023 02:06 UTC
gaza bombing
© AP Photo/Leo Correa
Residents of the Gaza Strip are about to find themselves without any communications to the outside world due to fuel and electricity shortages, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya told the UN Security Council.

"Any humanitarian action requires an immediate cessation of hostilities. One cannot clear the debris and evacuate people when under fire, and also it is impossible to bring in much-needed fuel, without which Gaza's hospitals are about to run out of energy. Besides, without fuel supplies, in the coming hours (according to UNRWA forecasts on November 16), the residents of Gaza will find themselves without any communications, without Internet and in a complete isolation from the outside world," the Russian diplomat said, addressing the UN Security Council which has just adopted a resolution on the Middle East.

A total of 12 countries in the 15-member council voted in favor of the document, aimed at helping children in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone. The United States, the United Kingdom and Russia abstained.

"There will be no telling what happens there at all. The Gaza Strip will be completely plunged into darkness and chaos, and coordination among emergency services will be disrupted," Nebenzya continued.
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Broom

San Francisco was ready to fix its main problem - not for Americans, but for Xi Jinping

Robert Bridge
RT
Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:16 UTC
Homeless
© Loren Elliott/AFPHomeless person lies against a mural of the Golden Gate Bridge
November 11, 2023 in downtown San Francisco, California
Homeless people suddenly disappeared from the Golden City's streets ahead of a major international summit...

This week, the residents of California's fourth largest metropolis were surprised to find their streets free of homeless encampments, drug addicts, pimps, and dealers. Did a political revolution happen while they slept, or is something else at play?

Just as the denizens of San Fransisco were finally getting used to the stench of human urine in the morning, along comes the street cleaners to flip the status quo on its head. Is this a sign that the voters' extravagant tax dollars are finally being put to good use? Well, we can dream. The fact is, this Democratic city, which is playing host to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit (November 14-16), has taken great strides to hide its seedier side from the world's gaze. This old trick has been tried before.

In 1787, with Russia on the brink of war with the Ottoman Empire, Russian Empress Catherine II and various foreign ambassadors made a lengthy excursion to Novorossiya. One of the main objectives of the journey was to impress Russia's allies before hostilities kicked off. To this end, as the historic tale goes, Russian military leader and statesman Grigory Potemkin constructed 'mobile villages' along the banks of the Dnieper River. Once the ship carrying the Empress and her court appeared, Potemkin's men, impersonating happy and well-fed peasants, populated the improvised village. After the ship had passed, the entire set was quickly disassembled and rebuilt further downstream, thus the term 'Potemkin village.'
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Pistol

Investigate Israel for 'war crimes' - Human Rights Watch


RT
Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:16 UTC
Ambulance
© Ahmed Zakot/Getty ImagesPalestinians pray • Nasser Hospital • Khan Yunis, southern Gaza
Deliberate attacks on hospitals and ambulances in Gaza are an atrocity, the group said...

Israel's attacks on hospitals, ambulances and medical personnel in Gaza should be "investigated as war crimes," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday, urging the government in West Jerusalem to end such strikes immediately.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacks are "apparently unlawful" and are "further destroying" the healthcare system in Gaza, according to HRW. Even though Israel accused Hamas of "cynical use of hospitals," earlier this month, "no evidence put forward would justify depriving hospitals and ambulances of their protected status under international humanitarian law," the group added.

"The strikes on hospitals have killed hundreds of people and put many patients at grave risk because they're unable to receive proper medical care," said Dr. A. Kayum Ahmed, HRW's special adviser on the right to health, noting that the Gaza healthcare infrastructure was "already hard hit by an unlawful blockade."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 521 people - including 16 medical workers - have been killed in 137 "attacks on health care" in Gaza as of November 12. The UN has established that two-thirds of primary care facilities and half of all hospitals in the enclaves were "not functioning" as of November 10, while dealing with "unprecedented numbers of severely injured patients."

The total Palestinian death toll in the enclave has risen to 11,000 since October 7, when Israel declared war on Hamas in the aftermath of the Palestinian group's lethal incursion into nearby Israeli settlements that killed an estimated 1,200 people.

Comment: The Turks want ICC to charge Netanyahu with 'genocide':

Two Turkish lawyers and a former lawmaker have petitioned the government in Ankara to seek genocide and war crimes charges against Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's conduct in Gaza. The request is expected to reach the International Criminal Court, which neither Türkiye nor Israel recognizes.

Metin Kulunk, a former member of parliament from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), teamed up with attorneys Mucahit Birinci and Burak Bekiroglu and sent the 23-page lawsuit to the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday.

Kulunk wrote on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by the cover page of the lawsuit:
"Today, representing the conscience of the citizens of the Republic of Türkiye, we filed a lawsuit at the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the 21st century Hitler, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who must stand trial for the genocide he committed in the Gaza Strip and all crimes against humanity."
Birinci posted on X:
"May God be with our Palestinian brothers and those who defend their just cause to the extent of their strength." Bekiroglu told TASS that the Istanbul office has already forwarded the case to the Turkish Justice Ministry and will send a hard copy to The Hague, where it should arrive "no later than next week."
The Turkish trio has joined a growing international push to prosecute the Israeli leader.

Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that Israeli attacks on hospitals and other healthcare infrastructure in Gaza amount to war crimes and should be investigated by the ICC. Earlier this month, Algeria filed a case against Israel before the ICC, which Colombia joined. Three Palestinian human rights NGOs have done so as well.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of war crimes at a political rally last month, but has not followed through on those words. Türkiye cannot officially file lawsuits before the ICC, as it never ratified the Rome Statute that established the court. According to Turkish media, government bodies and NGOs can "inform the prosecutor's office" of crimes and ask for an investigation, however.

Israel had signed the Rome Statute but withdrew in 2022. The ICC has claimed jurisdiction over Gaza and the West Bank, however, as the UN considers them Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation since 1967.
So far, the ICC has been impotent. Should PM Netanyahu be charged with genocide, it should go back decades.



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Cross

Finland court rules in favor of politician accused of 'hate speech' for tweeting Bible verse

Katelynn Richardson Katelynn Richardson
The Daily Caller
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 20:18 UTC
Päivi Räsänen hate speech bible verse finland court case
© Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty ImagesPäivi Räsänen arrives to attend a court session in Helsinki, Finland.
A Finnish court dismissed all charges against parliament member Päivi Räsänen after she was accused of hate speech for tweeting a Bible verse, according to a press release.

Räsänen was charged in 2021 with "agitation against a minority group," which falls under the "war crimes and crimes against humanity" section in the Finnish criminal code. The Helsinki Court of Appeal found Räsänen not guilty Tuesday, affirming the ruling of a district court that acquitted her in March 2022, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

The charges against Räsänen stemmed from a 2019 tweet sharing a Bible verse and questioning her church's sponsorship of a pride parade, along with statements sharing her beliefs on a 2019 radio show and a 2004 pamphlet she published, titled "Male & Female He Created Them." The publisher of the pamphlet, Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, was tried alongside Räsänen.
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Bad Guys

North Dakota judge overules temporary halt to transgender health care ban for children

April Baumgarten
Grand Forks Herald
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 19:50 UTC
transgender, children, students, school
© istock
A North Dakota judge has denied a request to temporarily halt a ban on transgender health care for children.

In an order filed Monday, Nov. 13, Burleigh County Judge Jackson Lofgren denied a motion for a temporary restraining order against the ban signed into law earlier this year. The law was approved through House Bill 1254, which prohibits sex-reassignment surgeries for children. The law also makes it a crime for medical professionals to prescribe hormone treatment or puberty blockers to transgender minors.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum signed the bill in April, and it became effective immediately.

Three families and a pediatrician sued North Dakota on Sept. 15, saying the ban harms transgender children and violates their civil rights by depriving them the right to make personal medical decisions.

Comment: Life-saving health care? Looks like the judge drank the kool-aid:

Libtards' crusade against 'Irreversible Damage' book: You are a heretic in woke America if you oppose trans treatment for kids

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Stock Down

Millions of Americans hit with pay cut since Biden took office

Megan Henney
Fox News
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 19:09 UTC
american consumers paycut biden
© Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images / Getty ImagesShoppers are seen in a Kroger supermarket in Atlanta on Oct. 14, 2022.
Millions of Americans have received a pay cut over the past two years thanks to high inflation, a blow to President Biden as he attempts to center his re-election campaign around "Bidenomics."

The Labor Department reported Tuesday that average hourly earnings for all employees was $11.05 in October — a 3.32% decline from the $11.43 figure in January 2021, when Biden took office.

By that measure, the typical U.S. worker is actually worse off today than two years ago, even though nominal wages are rising at the fastest pace in years.

That's because consumers are confronting stubbornly high inflation, which has quickly diminished their purchasing power.

Comment: Nice bit of PR from the BLS.

ShadowStats tells the real story: properly measured, inflation is running above 11%. But your wallet could have told you that:
real inflation rate shadowstats
© ShadowStatsBuckle up, folks.


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Dollars

State Wealth Migration

Martin Armstrong
Armstrong Economics
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 17:30 UTC
Wealth Migration
© dreamstime.com
In 2019, New York hosted 72 billionaires. That figure has declined to 62 in 2023, with smart money fleeing the state due to high taxes and crime. The state of New York depends on the top 1% of earners to pay 42% of its tax burden. New York is already operating in a deficit and has the added burden of hosting tens of thousands of migrants with tax funds.

The top 1% of Americans have an average net worth of $10,815,000. While billionaires earn on investments and not income, states like New York expect top earners to pay 14.8% in income tax. "If you had someone who was earning $100 million [a year] in New York suddenly move to Florida, that's something like a $11 million-a-year hit per year recurring to the state," said Ken Girardin, the research director for the Albany-based think tank, Empire Center for Public Policy. The 62 billionaires that remain in New York have a collective net worth of $562.3. Only the top 5% of Americans have a net worth of over a million dollars.

Inflation is hurting those at every class level and people do not want to downgrade their lifestyles. Policymakers want to scream "Eat the rich!" to appease voters who do not understand that the money held by those at the top is needed for a healthy economy. In 2020 alone, when the pandemic struck, New York lost $19.5 billion in taxes from people fleeing the state. California lost $17.8 in tax revenue that year and counting.

We are seeing a wealth migration in the US. This is why I say that markets like real estate cannot be looked at on the national level, as prices in red states continue to rise as blue states have become uninhabitable. This is only taking into consideration individuals as moneymakers are also taking their businesses to states where they do not need to support the welfare system. Around 160 firms have fled Wall Street since 2019, displacing $1 trillion.
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Arrow Down

Britain's poor unplugging fridges - study


RT
Wed, 15 Nov 2023 17:23 UTC
empty fridge, refrigerator
© Getty Images / Rockaa
Millions of UK households have been resorting to 'desperate measures', such as turning off their fridges or freezers, in order to cope with the cost-of-living crisis, according to a new study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) charity.

Cited by The Guardian on Tuesday, the report found that in October a quarter (2.8 million) of UK low-income households had incurred debts to pay for food, a third had sold belongings to raise cash, and one in six had used so-called community 'warm rooms'. Four out of five households on universal credit were going without food, switching off heating and not replacing worn-out clothing. Nearly a million households said that since May they had to disconnect their fridge or freezer for the first time.

According to the JRF, more than seven million households had gone without food and other essentials in the last six months, despite the government's cost of living targeted support.

"Millions of families unplugging their fridges and freezers is the latest chapter in a long-running story of hardship," Peter Matejic, chief analyst at the JRF, was quoted as saying. "People risk becoming sick from eating spoiled food and going without healthy, fresh food. This risks lasting harm to the health of millions," he warned.

Comment: Plenty of money to spend on wars, but not enough for their own people who're suffering. Shows the UK government's real priorities.

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