Society's ChildS


Putin

Latest saboteur attack foiled in Russia - media

handcuffs
© AP / Russian Federal Security Service
The Federal Security Service has announced it foiled a sabotage attempt at a railway facility in the Chelyabinsk Region of Russia's Urals, TASS news agency reported on Thursday, citing the FSB.

"The FSB ... caught three men red-handed as they were trying to disable the traction substation at a station of the South Urals Railway. A can of gasoline, a gas cylinder, a burner, and other items were seized at the crime scene," an FSB official told the news agency.

The incident was reportedly confirmed to TASS by the regional FSB press service. The allegiance or nationality of the suspects, however, was not immediately known. They have been placed in pre-trial custody for two months under a court order.

In recent weeks, the FSB has made several announcements of foiled terrorist and saboteur attacks, allegedly staged on behalf of Ukraine. In late December, two Russian nationals were killed by FSB operatives in the country's south. The suspects were allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in Russia before seeking to travel to Ukraine to fight against the Russian military.

Shortly before the incident, the FSB said it had intercepted a group of Ukrainian saboteurs trying to cross into Russia. Four suspects, carrying assorted weapons and explosives, were killed by officers in a firefight.

Fire

Sinaloa cartel unleashes chaos after arrest of El Chapo's son

Sinaloa
© AP / Martin UristaA truck burns on a street in Culiacan, Sinaloa state
The arrest of a notorious cartel boss has sparked mayhem in the western Mexican state of Sinaloa. Heavily armed criminal gangs have engaged the military in firefights as burning cars littered the streets of Culiacan. Civil unrest, looting, and even a prison riot have also erupted in the city, which reportedly resembles a warzone.

The capture of Ovidio 'El Raton' Guzman-Lopez in a military raid on Thursday morning triggered clashes with the security forces, plunging the city of Culiacan - home to the Sinaloa drug cartel - into chaos. The cartel is considered by the US to be the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world.

The governor of Sinaloa state, Ruben Rocha Moya, has reported at least six deaths in the fighting so far, as well as 29 people wounded, including eight civilians and 21 police officers. He has urged citizens to shelter in place.

X

University removes art history professor for showing class two ancient Prophet Muhammad depictions

Painting Muhammed
© unknownProphet Muhammad
'One of the most egregious violations of academic freedom in recent memory'

Hamline University in Minnesota has reportedly declined to renew the contract of an art history professor because they showed two ancient art images depicting the Prophet Muhammad during an optional online class segment.

The College Fix reached out on Monday and Tuesday to campus spokesman Jeff Papas, the university's public relations specialist Michael Strasburg, and a general communications contact, to ask for the name of the professor, confirmation his contract was not renewed, and the explanation for the non-renewal. No response has been received.

The professor has not been identified in various reports on the incident.

Many — but not all — Muslims object to visual representations of religious figures such as Muhammad, understanding them as form of idolatry, according to Britannica.

Christiane Gruber, a professor of Islamic art at the University of Michigan, wrote in a December 22 essay for New Lines Magazine:
"An instructor who showed an Islamic painting during a visual analysis — a basic exercise for art history training — was publicly impugned for hate speech and dismissed thereafter, without access to due process."

Comment: By exposure we gain perspective, a fundamental criteria of education.


Cardboard Box

Mayor Eric Adams: Migrant crisis could bankrupt NYC

Adams
© APMayor Eric Adams • Times Square • December 30, 2022
If left unchecked, the migrant crisis that has brought 35,700 illegals into New York since the spring could bankrupt the city, Mayor Eric Adams warned Wednesday, the New York Post reports.

At a news conference in Brooklyn, Adams said:
"Migrants flooding New York are costing 'real dollar amounts'. There is no more room at the inn. This is an expensive endeavor that we are in, and we have to find ways of carrying out this task without bankrupting the city."
Refusing to blame President Joe Biden directly, the mayor said it's "easy to point to whoever's in the White House at the time" — but he did say the federal government is responsible for solving this humanitarian crisis straining New York resources.

More than 24,000 migrants are currently living in 68 emergency shelters and processing centers in New York.

Arrow Down

The coup we never knew

american flag torn coup
© danishkhan/i Stock
Did someone or something seize control of the United States?

What happened to the U.S. border? Where did it go? Who erased it? Why and how did 5 million people enter our country illegally? Did Congress secretly repeal our immigration laws? Did Joe Biden issue an executive order allowing foreign nationals to walk across the border and reside in the United States as they pleased?

Since when did money not have to be paid back? Who insisted that the more dollars the federal government printed, the more prosperity would follow? When did America embrace zero interest? Why do we believe $30 trillion in debt is no big deal?

When did clean-burning, cheap, and abundant natural gas become the equivalent to dirty coal? How did prized natural gas that had granted America's wishes of energy self-sufficiency, reduced pollution, and inexpensive electricity become almost overnight a pariah fuel whose extraction was a war against nature? Which lawmakers, which laws, which votes of the people declared natural gas development and pipelines near criminal?

Comment: A fairly complete list of the ills plaguing the Empire in its decline. History shows that those who are alert to the signs are the ones who cope the best as the old order collapses. Are you paying attention?


Footprints

Amazon to boot thousands of workers - CEO

Amazon workers
© Getty Images/picture alliance
US e-commerce giant Amazon will fire over 18,000 employees in the coming weeks, CEO Andy Jassy announced in a message to employees published on Amazon's website on Thursday.

According to Jassy:
"The 'difficult' decision was made as part of planning for 2023 amid an "uncertain economy, and aims to help pursue our long-term opportunities with a stronger cost structure."
The message read:
"We plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles. Several teams are impacted; however, the majority of role eliminations are in our Amazon Stores and PXT organizations."
Jassy said the company will start notifying impacted employees of their layoffs on January 18. The firings will largely impact the company's e-commerce and human resources divisions, he added.

Comment: As layoffs ripple through the economy, the consequences add to the retraction. This is just the beginning.


Star of David

16-year-old Amer Abu Zaytoun fourth Palestinian killed by Israeli army this week

Funeral
© Mohammed Nasser/APA ImagesMourners attend the funeral of Palestinian teenager Amer Abu Zaytoun
On Thursday, January 5, Israeli forces shot and killed Amer Abu Zaytoun, 16, from Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. Abu Zaytoun is the fourth Palestinian and the third minor to be killed this year, a continuation of last year's lethal military campaign, Operation Break the Wave.

In 2022, 173 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank at the hands of soldiers and settlers, making it the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005.

Military invasion of a refugee camp

The 16-year-old was declared dead by 2:00 a.m., and Abu Zaytoun's father bid him farewell at approximately 4:30 a.m., shortly before the dawn prayers. Amer's father was held by youth and family members as he held his son's head in his palm while kissing his pale face.

Comment: See also: Israeli army kills 15-year-old Palestinian boy in Bethlehem


Che Guevara

Antifa-linked Twitter account takes credit for Portland bank arson

arson bank portland antifa
© Abolition Media/Twitter
It was act of 'revenge' for Atlanta autonomous zone arrests

Following a fire at a Portland Bank of America branch on Saturday, an anonymous person has taken credit for starting the fire, saying that the fire was started in retaliation for domestic terrorism charges brought against five militants that were a part of a violent occupation of land in south Atlanta.

"Last night I broke into a Bank of America in Portland, Oregon and started a large fire. According to news reports, the fire grew quickly and took firefighters more than an hour to extinguish," the statement, posted to Abolition Media, said.

"I attack for revenge against capital for the hell it creates, to break the illusion of police control that usually protects it, and just because I can," the post continued. "Bank of America funds the Atlanta Police Foundation and a thousand other projects of control. Earlier that day, the six friends in Atlanta charged with 'domestic terrorism' were released from jail. May this fire bring them some warmth in winter."

"Long live anarchy!" the post concluded.

Bad Guys

Attorney representing Ray Epps was an FBI agent for 9 years

R Epps
© Screenshot/The Epoch TimesRay Epps exhorts the crowd at the Jan 6 protests in Washington D.C.
Democrats and the crooked DOJ have gone out of their way to protect the MAGA hat-wearing Ray Epps, but the question just won't go away — Who is Ray Epps, and what was his role on Jan. 6 and the days preceding the "insurrection" at the US Capitol?

Videos of Ray Epps leading J6 protestors have gone viral on social media, but for some odd reason, he has not been arrested. He has been protected when others have been prosecuted for lesser offenses. Is he an FBI informant? Is he an FBI agent?

Comment: For more background on the mysterious Mr. Epps, see Revolver's excellent investigative pieces:


Bad Guys

Fury over Government plans to bring back Covid-era measures to avoid full-blown NHS meltdown- zealots demand return of masks, WFH, and social distancing

masks london
People wear face masks on the London Underground today after new advice has been given to curb rising infections as flu and Covid number increase
Ministers were today begged not to reintroduce any Covid-era restrictions amid claims face mask and work from home guidance could be adopted to stop the NHS from meltdown.

Hospitals are buckling under winter demand, soaring rates of flu, staff shortages and bed-blockers. Covid's resurgence and the emergence of the XBB.1.5 'Kraken' variant could cause even more chaos.

Health chiefs and scientists have already advised adults and pupils to stay at home if they are unwell and to wear masks if they must venture outside when sick. They also called for the booster rollout to be widened in a bid to protect the NHS.