Welcome to Sott.net
Fri, 05 Nov 2021
The World for People who Think

Society's Child
Map

No Entry

Google-Facebook: A cartel threatening independent media and free speech

Joseph Farah
WND
Wed, 20 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
thumbs down facebook google
Remember the days when the U.S. federal government concerned itself with media cross-ownership regulations?

Those were the rules that ensured media companies would not dominate individual geographic markets by buying up newspapers, radio stations and television properties in major cities.

The thought was that companies doing that would:

1. limit certain kinds of political speech; and

2. create advertising monopolies.

Today, newspapers, radio stations and television properties are more concerned with basic survival. Few big media companies are even interested in the benefits of dominating individual markets. As the most important and vital forms of media are now online, it's almost as though the principles that seemed so important a few years ago - competition and free and open debate - have become irrelevant to government.

Two companies have become so dominant in media nationally and internationally that geographic dominance doesn't seem so important anymore.

Comment:

      Read More...
Star of David

Israel plans to launch another large-scale military operation in Gaza - shooting kite flyers

Ariyana Love
Occupy Palestine TV
Sat, 23 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
Kite flying
© Unknown
The Israeli Occupation's Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, announced Thursday that "Israel Might Have No Choice but to Launch a Large-scale Military Operation in Gaza."
"I don't want to launch an operation, but there is a good chance that we will have no other option but to go in so that we can create durable deterrence," he told Army Radio.
Basically, they want to silence the Great Return March protests and suppress the already dying population. Israel's Extrajudicial Executions of civilians at the separation barrier fence, has given the Occupation an opportunity to perfect their assassination abilities, test new technology (drones) and internationally banned weapons, on the innocent population.

As Gaza is showing no signs of ceasing their legitimate protests, the Occupation has determined that a full-scale military assault like the 'Extermination of People' in 2014 (Russell Tribunal on Palestine), would indeed be more pragmatic and profitable for the US, UK and Israeli Arms Industry.


Comment: "You see the giant and the shepherd in the Valley of Elah and your eye is drawn to the man with sword and shield and the glittering armor. But so much of what is beautiful and valuable in the world comes from the shepherd, who has more strength and purpose than we ever imagine."
― Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

      Read More...
Post-It Note

ACLU: Leaked internal memo suggests wavering on First Amendment's free speech

Robby Soave
Reason
Thu, 21 Jun 2018 08:25 UTC
StatueLibertyACLU
© The Gale Blog/KJN
"Our defense of speech may have a greater or lesser harmful impact on the equality and justice work to which we are also committed."

The American Civil Liberties Union will weigh its interest in protecting the First Amendment against its other commitments to social justice, racial equality, and women's rights, given the possibility that offensive speech might undermine ACLU goals.

"Our defense of speech may have a greater or lesser harmful impact on the equality and justice work to which we are also committed," wrote ACLU staffers in a confidential memo obtained by former board member Wendy Kaminer.

It's hard to see this as anything other than a cowardly retreat from a full-throated defense of the First Amendment. Moving forward, when deciding whether to take a free speech case, the organization will consider
"factors such as the (present and historical) context of the proposed speech; the potential effect on marginalized communities; the extent to which the speech may assist in advancing the goals of white supremacists or others whose views are contrary to our values; and the structural and power inequalities in the community in which the speech will occur."
The memo also makes clear that the ACLU has zero interest in defending First Amendment rights in conjunction with Second Amendment rights. If controversial speakers intend to carry weapons, the ACLU "will generally not represent them."

Comment: Civil Liberty: the state of being subject only to laws established for the good of the community, especially with regard to freedom of action and speech; individual rights protected by law from unjust governmental or other interference.

ACLU is a watchdog, not a policy-maker. Will the watchdog recalibrate to societal pressures and the policies of those it watches?

      Read More...
Handcuffs

Tories' biggest donor says PM May needs to be "kicked out" over Brexit fiasco


RT
Fri, 22 Jun 2018 11:35 UTC
(L) Neil Hall (R) Theresa May
© Toby Melville / Reuters
(L) Neil Hall (R) Theresa May
The Tories' biggest-ever donor, who once gave the party £5 million ($6.6 million), says Theresa May is a "very bad prime minister" who is doing "very, very badly" on Brexit. He said he'll only donate again if she's "kicked out."

Stuart Wheeler, an 83-year-old multi-millionaire who made his fortune by founding spread-betting firm IG Index, said he would like to see May replaced by backbench Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg. He described the PM's performance negotiating Brexit with the EU as "very bad."

Wheeler stated that he would only donate to the party again after May has been removed as leader, or if she changes her approach to the Brexit negotiations. "Assuming Mrs May was kicked out, but only then, unless she completely changes, would I give to the Conservative Party," he said.

Comment: May's time as PM looks to be numbered. The chaos EU membership has brought seems to be promising the downfall of many political puppets and their parties, and it may not just be Britain who ends up leaving:

      Read More...
2 + 2 = 4

Postmodernism is devouring the liberal arts

Velvet Favretto
Quilette
Sun, 24 Jun 2018 18:58 UTC
college
The 'liberal arts' were so named for their orientation towards free thought, and the foundational claim that they existed to enrich the lives of free people. They are, in other words, dependent on the open-mindedness of individuals wishing to develop their knowledge and understanding by exploring thousands of years of history and literature produced by human civilisation. Despite this, universities in recent years have seen a rapid decline in the reputation and value of liberal arts degrees. Whereas once an education in literature and philosophy was highly revered in academia, setting the world at its students' feet, today a liberal arts education is widely regarded as a useless endeavour for aimless students, which offers no clear path for the future.

This development can, in large part, be laid at the feet of the ever-increasing influence of postmodernism, a superficially attractive philosophy often used to promulgate political and cultural ideas. Courses that have embraced a postmodern viewpoint tend to harshly ostracise any conflicting perspective, thereby eroding the intellectual freedom upon which the liberal arts had hitherto relied.

Comment:

      Read More...
Handcuffs

Homeless man jailed for using lost number to pick up medal after 'finishing' London Marathon


RT
Fri, 22 Jun 2018 08:30 UTC
The finish of the London Marathon on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace
© Reuters
The finish of the London Marathon on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace
A homeless man has been jailed for a whopping 16 weeks after being found guilty of picking up a race number at the London Marathon and pretending to finish the race.

Stanislaw Skupian was a spectator at the grueling 26.2-mile event in April when he saw a lost number fluttering across the pavement. The 38-year old then picked it up and finished the last three miles of the race before picking up a prized medal.

The number had belonged to runner Jake Halliday, who said he lost it after removing his t-shirt. Halliday was not allowed to finish the race. He was removed from the course with 300 meters to go after he was spotted without his number.

Comment: It's kind of ironic considering many who run these marathons are raising money for charities who provide support for the homeless and those suffering mental health problems:

      Read More...
Георгиевская ленточка

Common sense: Russians don't want immigrants who are incompatible with their culture

Anatoly Karlin
The Unz Review
Thu, 21 Jun 2018 18:45 UTC
muslims st. petersburg russia
© Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters
Muslims attended an Eid al-Adha prayer service in St. Petersburg, Russia, Oct. 15. As millions of foreigners arrive, resentment from native Russians has grown.
Russia might not as hardcore as Czechia or Hungary, but it's still way more skeptical of alien immigration than the European average. Israel, Poland, Italy, Estonia, and Austria round off Europe's based leagues.

Meanwhile, all the usual suspects are also where they should be... down to Sweden Yes "surpassing" everyone else.

Data from European Social Survey Round 8 (2016) via Alexandre Afonso (h/t Emil):
survey migrant acceptance Europe
© @alexandreafonso
      Read More...
Boat

'Land of Fjords and...Chlamydia': Norway angry at 7-Eleven condom ad


RT
Thu, 21 Jun 2018 19:41 UTC
norway chlamydia
© elisabeth_ohr / Instagram
Tourists usually imagine Norway to be a land of beautiful fjords and picturesque towns, but a 7-Eleven advertisement for condoms has annoyed the nation's tourism office after it pronounced the country the "Land of Chlamydia."

If the goal of advertising is to get noticed, 7-Eleven has succeeded by creating print and video ads that portray the country as a place riddled with venereal disease. A video posted online shows Norway's famously gorgeous scenery alongside some unexpected words.

"Norway. Land of the fjords, the mountains, the midnight sun, and chlamydia," the text reads. "Norway has one of the highest rates of chlamydia in Europe. Visiting from abroad? Protect yourself against the locals! Get your condoms at 7-Eleven."

But the advertising campaign didn't stop there, with the convenience store chain also placing a print ad at Oslo Central Station - the arrival spot of many tourists visiting the country.

Comment: The aim of most advertising companies nowadays is to go 'viral', regardless of the consequences. And since much of the media crowd lives in a 'liberal' bubble they are often oblivious to a lot of things. Either way, maybe Norwegians should be asking themselves why their country has some of the highest rates of chlamydia in Europe: Also check out SOTT radio's: The Health & Wellness Show: Syphilitic Superpower: The rise of STDs

      Read More...
Arrow Down

Posh London school's tasteless 'Austerity Day' lunch turns stomachs on Twitter


RT
Sat, 23 Jun 2018 13:13 UTC
austerity day lunch london school
A London private school's 'Austerity Day' lunch has been met with a fierce response online, with many accusing the £24,000-a-year school of being tasteless and out of touch over the meal.

While St Paul's Girls' School in Hammersmith normally feeds its students the likes of duck leg confit and slow-baked Moroccan lamb, its idea of an austerity lunch is the same kind of food that students in non-fee paying schools across the country eat every day - baked potato, coleslaw, beans, and fruit.

The school tweeted about the lunch, served to raise money for charity, using a photograph of a white-gloved waiter serving three peas on a silver platter.

Comment: Granted it is admirable that the school at least attempts to educate the children about the issue, but it's still a tasteless stunt gone wrong and it highlights just how out of touch the few who aren't suffering crushing 'austerity' really are:

      Read More...
Cult

Fanatical chanting socialists chase DHS Secretary Nielsen from DC Mexican restaurant

Scott Morefield
The Daily Caller
Wed, 20 Jun 2018 18:10 UTC
DHS Secretary Nielsen

DHS Secretary Nielsen prior to being harrassed out of the MXDC resturant
Members of the local DC Democratic Socialists of America group confronted Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen at a Mexican restaurant Tuesday evening.

"We're in downtown DC disrupting DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's dinner at MXDC," the group wrote below the video on its Facebook page. "The irony isn't lost on us that this is a Mexican restaurant. Nielsen has led the program to tell her to put an end to separating families, to step down as head of the department, and that ICE and CBP must be abolished #abolishICE #abolishCBP"

Comment: The Daily Caller dug deeper:
allison Hrabar harass DHS neilson

Allison Hrabar
One of the activists who chased Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen out of a Mexican restaurant Tuesday night over the Trump administration's immigration policies is an employee of the Department of Justice, The Daily Caller News Foundation has confirmed.

An employee within the Trump administration initially tipped TheDCNF off about Hrabar's presence at the protest.

The Washington Examiner spoke with Hrabar Wednesday and she defended her behavior as off government time and a use of her First Amendment rights.

Despite Hrabar's claims of keeping her personal politics outside of her time as an employee of the federal government, a look at her Twitter account, @allisongeroi, features tweets during the workday openly celebrating her behavior Tuesday night.


      Read More...
Amazon Smile
Revolt! T-shirts