Society's ChildS


Blue Pill

Israeli diplomat pressured US college to drop course on 'apartheid' debate

Chris McGreal
The Guardian
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 14:20 UTC
Bard College
© Stock Connection Blue/AlamyBard College, above, came under pressure from pro-Israel groups and from at least one major donor.
Consul Yuval Donio-Gideon objected to course at Bard College but president says institution 'stood up for academic freedom'

An Israeli diplomat tried to persuade a leading New York college to cancel a course about the growing debate over whether the Jewish state practices a form of apartheid in Palestine.

The Israeli consul for public diplomacy in New York, Yuval Donio-Gideon, took the highly unusual step of contacting Bard College earlier this year to object to the course, Apartheid in Israel-Palestine, on the grounds that it breached the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.


Comment: Nothing highly unusual about it at all. 'Pro-Israel' individuals in politics, business and media do some version of the above all the time.


When the college defended the course, it came under pressure from pro-Israel groups and from at least one major donor. Robert Epstein, the property developer and co-owner of the Boston Celtics, resigned from Bard's board of trustees in protest at Bard's refusal to cancel the subject.

The course was designed and taught by Nathan Thrall, a Jewish American writer and researcher who lives in Jerusalem.
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Snowflake Cold

Time for a generator? New warning says half of US at risk of grid down this winter


Zerohedge
Thu, 09 Nov 2023 17:20 UTC
grid down this winter
The 2023-24 Winter Reliability Assessment (WRA) report by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. warns of a heightened risk of "insufficient energy supply" during extreme cold spells. This concern extends over large swaths of the US and Canadian power grid, affecting approximately 180 million people. Those living in the highlighted regions should consider securing backup power generation sources.

Power grid operators from Texas to New England are "at risk of insufficient electricity supplies during peak winter conditions," the report said.

The report continued that the reliable operation of the Bulk Power System (BPS) and the availability of fuel for natural gas-fired generators are at risk during severe, widespread cold snaps. It said that recent winter incidents have shown that over 20% of generating capacity can be knocked off online by freezing temperatures in areas of North America that are not accustomed to such cold. When power supplies are limited, BPS operators may experience a sharp rise in demand due to the increased use of electric heating systems in colder temperatures.

Comment: Don't miss: Grand Solar Minimum: The future looks cold

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Piggy Bank

US banks are sitting on $650 billion in unrealized losses, and that means disaster is just a bank run away

Michael Snyder
The Economic Collapse
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:00 UTC
silvergate
Our economy runs on credit, and our banks are the beating heart of that system. Without healthy banks, how would Americans buy homes, purchase vehicles or get credit cards? The way that our system is currently constructed, it is absolutely imperative for our banks to function properly. Unfortunately, the truth is that our banks have gotten into deep financial trouble. They are sitting on hundreds of billions of dollars in unrealized losses, and the primary reason why those losses have become so large is because we have witnessed a historic bond market crash over the past several years...
Treasury bonds — debt instruments the government issues to fund its spending — have been on a nightmarish run since the onset of the pandemic, with investors fretting about rising interest rates and the long-term viability of the US's massive deficit.

BlackRock's iShares 20+ Year Treasury fund, which tracks longer-duration debt prices, has plunged 48% since April 2020.

Comment: And all the above is to say nothing of the Massive derivatives bubble that's set to pop:

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Info

Why so many Jews denounce Israel's war on Gaza

Yakov M. Rabkin
Pressenza
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:00 UTC
jews protest war
A profound division exists between Zionist advocates of Israel on the one hand, and both secular and religious Jews, on the other, who reject Zionism and thus the very idea of a separate state for the Jews. Most Jews must be somewhere in between. For years, they have cringed at Israel's actions without, however, questioning the ethnocratic nature of the Israeli state. For them, "Israel's right to exist" is sacred because they fear that the only alternative is a physical destruction of Israeli Jews. Even though most of them live in liberal democracies, it is hard for them to fathom that Israel may change its nature, like South Africa did a few decades ago, and become a liberal state with equal rights for everyone on the entire territory under Israeli control between the Mediterranean and the river Jordan.

Israel's assault on Gaza has made many Jews worldwide, particularly the young, to recoil from any association with the state of Israel. But at least just as many refused to remain "Jews of silence" and came to denounce Israel's vengeful response to Hamas' attack on its territory on October 7, 2023.

Especially in the United States, Jews have prominently cried out against the violence in Gaza. Hundreds of protesters closed down New York's Central Station asking for an immediate ceasefire.
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TV

ABC journalists criticise broadcaster's coverage of Gaza invasion

Osman Faruqi, Calum Jaspan
The Age
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 07:06 UTC
ABC facility
© UnknownAmerican Broadcasting Company • Burbank, CA
More than 200 ABC journalists participated in a mass meeting about the public broadcaster's coverage of the war in Gaza, with a number of grievances raised leading to a possible shift in how the conflict is reported on, according to several people who attended.

The meeting on Wednesday afternoon, which ABC staff described as emotional and at times heated, took place in person and online and was initiated by Mark Maley, the ABC's editorial policy manager.

In an email to staff, Maley wrote:
"Our coverage of the war in Gaza is one of the most important and difficult stories imaginable to cover. It affects many of our staff in a deeply personal way and raises complex humanitarian, legal and journalistic issues.

"It is our intention to discuss and get feedback on the editorial challenges this story poses and how we have navigated it so far, and how we can continue to in coming weeks."
At the beginning of the meeting, Maley acknowledged the conflict had led to "challenging discussions" with both Muslim and Jewish journalists at the ABC, particularly those with connections to Palestine and Israel.
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Arrow Down

The death of merit in science

Debra Soh
Washington Examiner
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 18:28 UTC
scientist microscope
© Pixabay
Science, one of the world's most prestigious scientific journals, published an article last week querying whether scientists should include "positionality statements" when publishing their research.

The purpose of a "positionality statement" is to offer details about the author's personal characteristics, such as their race , sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and geographic location, among others. The practice originated in the social sciences with the goal of improving "inclusivity" and drawing attention to power imbalances, especially if a scientist isn't part of the community he or she is studying.

What I find most disturbing about this trend is not only that positionality statements are being taken seriously by journals and academics alike, but that they've become a growing requirement in STEM disciplines. They affect not just the publication process of research studies but also master's theses and doctoral dissertations.

Comment: Such nonsense would carry far beyond the research fields. Do you pick a mechanic on skin or skill? Do you trust and architect or a pilot chosen on the basis of diversity tick boxes or on demonstrated ability? The DEI crowd are (deliberately?) seeding the destruction of society.

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Bullseye

Manifesto of trans Nashville school shooter leaked, full of anti-white hate

Andy Ngo and Libby Emmons
The Post Millenial
Mon, 06 Nov 2023 00:00 UTC
School shooter
A leaked manifesto reveals the Nashville trans school shooter had a violent hatred of the "little crackers" with "white privilege" that were murdered.

First obtained and released by the Louder with Crowder conservative Rumble show, the three-page handwritten document allegedly shows Audrey "Aiden" Hale meticulously planned their last moments and the mass school shooting at The Covenant School on March 27. Three young children and three school staff were killed before Hale, 28, was shot dead by responding police.

The manifesto, written in a spiral notebook, has various screeds and thoughts scrawled down by pen.
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Arrow Down

Pro-West ruling party big loser in Moldovan election


Source
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 19:08 UTC
Moldova elections
© Pierre Crom/Getty ImagesLocal residents cast their ballots to choose mayors and municipal councils in the local elections on November 5, 2023 in Balti, Moldova.
President Maia Sandu's party underperformed in the local elections across Moldova, according to preliminary results published on Monday, even after banning a major rival. The local election is widely seen as a harbinger for the 2024 presidential vote.

Sunday's local elections saw a 41.41% turnout from an electorate of about 2.7 million, according to the Central Electoral Commission.

The ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) won 240 out of the 898 races for mayors or county administrators in the first round, mainly in rural areas. In every major city - including the capital, Chisinau - opposition candidates appear to have prevailed, however.

The incumbent mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, declared victory after winning 50.6% of the votes in the first round, according to the Moldovan outlet Newsmaker. In Balti, Comrat, and Orhei, opposition candidates won outright as well. PAS was able to secure enough votes to force a runoff in Edinet, but the opposition candidate is in the lead.
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Star of David

Roger Waters says Israelis 'making up stories' about October 7

Philip Podolsky
i24 News
Tue, 07 Nov 2023 19:08 UTC
Roger Waters
Roger Waters
The singer and BDS activist says 'the thing was blown out of proportion by Israeli lies'

English singer-songwriter Roger Waters, notorious for his anti-Israel vitriol, said that Israel's account of the October 7 massacre was "fishy" and that Israel "made up stories" about atrocities visited on young children.

Speaking on the "System Update" podcast, the Pink Floyd founder told host Glenn Greenwald that his first reaction to the early news of the massacre was "let's wait and see what happens," followed by "how the hell did the Israelis not know it was going to happen, and I'm still a little bit down that rabbit hole."

Asking about how the Israeli security apparatus could have suffered such a dramatic intelligence failure, Waters asked: "didn't the Israeli army in those 10 or 11 camps hear the bang when [Hamas] blew up whatever they had to blow up to get across the border? There is something very fishy about that," he said, apparently referring to the sparsely staffed IDF bases located close to the border fence; most of the predominantly female observation soldiers on these bases were murdered shortly after the incursion.

Asked if Hamas's actions could be justified, Waters began his response with the words "A) we don't know what they did do," before proceeding to say that "resistance to occupation" is not merely justified but the Palestinians are "absolutely legally and morally bound to resist the occupation."

Comment: It is not vitriolic in the least to see Israel's genocidal behavior now and in the past, nor to question the narrative used to push acceptance of atrocities against humanity.

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Stop

D.C. council repeals COVID vaccine mandate for public school students

Amanda Michelle Gomez
dcist
Tue, 07 Nov 2023 03:39 UTC
noMan
© usatoday
The D.C. Council unanimously voted Tuesday to repeal a mandate requiring students who are eligible for the COVID-19 shot to be fully vaccinated to attend public school.

Councilmembers say they still encourage young people to get vaccinated, as the COVID-19 vaccine remains the best way to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. But they fear too many students would miss school because they are not in compliance with the required immunizations. Lawmakers are already concerned about students who fell behind in learning during the pandemic.

Enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate the council passed in 2021 has been fraught, as the city delayed it more than once to ensure they vaccinated as many young people as they could. Compliance was still expected to be an issue whenever it was enforced; more than 40% of children over 12 in D.C. public and charter schools have not completed their two-dose primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine as of June, according to DC Health.

The new law, introduced by Chairman Phil Mendelson and At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson, would take effect following the approval of Mayor Muriel Bowser and the standard 30-day congressional review. Bowser is expected to sign the bill into law given that several D.C. agencies under her purview, including the Department of Health and the Deputy Mayor of Education, testified in favor of measure.

Comment: DC opted for less vaccine evils.

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