Society's ChildS


Magnify

The eternal dumpster fire that is Rupert Sheldrake's Wikipedia biography

Rupert Sheldrake
© Joan HillRupert Sheldrake
Wikipedia is a tragic mess of epic proportions and its crowning dumpster fire is Rupert Sheldrake's highly contentious biography. It's been a Wikipedia battleground ever since his TEDx Talk at Whitechapel in 2013. This was all covered in my book: PSI WARS: TED, Wikipedia and the Battle for the Internet. Sheldrake had his video taken down from the main TED website — essentially banned — and there was a big uproar over the whole thing.

Prior to that time, Rupert had a decent Wikipedia page, but as his notoriety grew, his page became the playground of his enemies, making him look worse and worse as they edited out his accomplishments and plastered the word "pseudoscience" everywhere. It's got the fingerprints of the Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia all over it. They are an anti-intellectual atheist materialist Wikipedia editing group dedicated to teaching the world that we have brains, but no minds. But first, a little backstory.

Info

Africa's last monarchy hopes for BRICS but fears blocks - media

Russell Mmemo Dlamini, prime minister of Eswatini
© X / @RussellMDlaminiRussell Mmemo Dlamini, the prime minister of Eswatini, paid a working visit to Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te, March 20, 2024.
The Kingdom of Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is considering joining the BRICS group with the aim of diversifying economic ties and boosting development, local media reported on Sunday, citing the southern African nation's foreign ministry.

The political department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has made a recommendation to the government outlining the opportunities the landlocked state will enjoy if it becomes a BRICS member, according to the Times of Swaziland.

"The bloc has been championing crosscutting issues on the international stage," the outlet quoted the ministry's proposal as saying.

"The Kingdom of Eswatini can benefit from increased economic ties, leading to increased exports and access to diverse markets, if the country joins BRICS," it added.

However, Africa's last absolute monarchy is said to be worried that China, a founding member of BRICS, may oppose its membership. Eswatini is one of a dozen countries that recognize Taiwan as an independent state. Beijing considers the self-governed island to be part of China.

Truck

UK farmers plow into central London

UK farmers, Westminster, UK farmer protests
© AFP / Henry Nicholls
Over 150 tractors descended on Britain's Parliament on Monday evening in a protest against post-Brexit regulations and trade agreements that they say will endanger their livelihoods and undermine food security.

Farm vehicles flying UK flags made their way across London and through Westminster, carrying signs with slogans such as 'Save British farming' and 'No farming, no food, no future'. The tractor rally became the largest among the latest protests launched by farmers across the country.

According to the campaign groups Save British Farming and Fairness for Farmers of Kent that organized the march, cheap food imports and unsupportive policies are putting food security in the country at major risk.


Gavel

What UK High Court's decision in Julian Assange case means

Assange protester
© Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
The jailed WikiLeaks founder has been allowed a new, limited bid, to fight his extradition to the US

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange scored a victory on Tuesday in his years-long legal battle in the UK to avoid extradition to the US. Not much has changed to help his present condition, but his defense has been given another day at court.

Assange, 52 has been held in a top-security British prison since 2019. He has endured solitary confinement in Belmarsh prison, which is usually reserved for dangerous criminals, while awaiting trial for a bail violation. The US indicted him under the country's Espionage Act a month after his arrest, with Washington's lawyers proceeding to file an extradition request. Supporters say he is being persecuted by the US and the UK for political reasons.

Comment: So, still not out of the woods.






Boat

Key Bridge collapses into Patapsco River in Baltimore after ship hits support column; rescue operation underway

francis scott key bridge collapse
© Karl Merton Ferron/StaffThe Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed overnight after being struck by a ship in the early morning of Tuesday, March 26.
Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning after a support column was struck by a vessel, sending cars and at least one tractor-trailer into the Patapsco River.

A spokesperson for the Baltimore City Fire Department said a major rescue operation was underway with all lanes closed and with all traffic being rerouted from the 1.6-mile steel bridge that is part of Interstate 695.

"The entire bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River," said Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department.

Comment: It probably doesn't need to be pointed out that the symbolism apparent in the "Star-Spangled Banner" going down is rather poignant.


Eye 1

Fury as trans darts star Noa-Lynn van Leuven wins titles against men and women in same week

Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Transgender darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven has revealed she has received a torrent of online abuse in the week she won a title in the PDC Women's Series
Transgender darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven has revealed she has received a torrent of online abuse in the week she won two titles against both men and women.

The 27-year-old Dutchwoman's 5-2 final win against Ireland's Katie Sheldon at the PDC Women's Series event in Wigan on Saturday prompted two of her national female team mates to sensationally quit the team in protest.

van Leuven - who beat 'Queen of the Palace' Fallon Sherrock and world number one Beau Greaves on her way to claiming the £2,000 prize money - has now hit back after being bombarded with vicious comments on social media saying: 'I just want to do my thing, but it seems like people have to comment.'

Fire

Dmitry Trenin: The American explanation for the Moscow terror attack doesn't add up

putin candle
© Mikhail Metzel / POOL / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle to commemorate victims of a terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue on the day of national mourning, in Russia.
Russian foreign policy could change significantly, depending on the results of the investigation into the atrocity.

The heinous act of terrorism at the Crocus City Hall concert venue just outside Moscow on Friday night - which is confirmed to have killed more than 130 people at the time of writing - has perhaps shaken Russia more than anything since a similar attack on a theater in the capital in 2002.

This latest atrocity will certainly have a major impact on the Russian people's consciousness and the nation's public security. It could also lead to serious changes in Moscow's foreign policy, depending on the results of the investigation into the source of the attack and its masterminds. Considering the enormously high stakes involved in its findings and conclusions, there is no doubt that the investigation will have to be incredibly thorough.

Comment: See also:


House

Fed-up homeowner arrested after tense standoff with squatters 'stealing' $1M house she inherited from parents

Adele Andaloro
© ABC7Adele Andaloro, 47, was recently nabbed after she changed the locks on the $1 million home in Flushing, Queens, that she says she inherited from her parents when they died.
A New York City property owner recently ended up in handcuffs following a fiery standoff with alleged squatters who she has been trying to boot from her family's home, tense footage shows.

Adele Andaloro, 47, was nabbed after changing the locks last month on the $1 million home in Flushing, Queens, that she says she inherited from her parents when they died, ABC's Eyewitness News reported.

"It's enraging," the homeowner said of the squatter saga.

Comment: It's time for New York City to change their laws around squatters. 30 days is a ridiculously short amount of time to establish squatters rights, as the recent rash of home-stealing can attest. These laws seem designed to favor criminals working the system.


Star of David

Israeli propagandist behind Hamas 'mass rape' narrative exposed as grifter, fraud

elkayam-levy
Cochav Elkayam-Levy, the Israeli lawyer at the center of the campaign accusing Hamas of systematic sexual violence on October 7, now stands accused by Israeli media of scamming donors and spreading misinformation. The allegations appeared just days after Elkayam-Levy received the prestigious Israel Prize.

As the founder of the so-called Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children, Israel lawyer Cochav Elkayam Levy has been a go-to source for Western media organizations pushing the narrative that Palestinian militants carried out sexual assault on a massive and systematic basis when they attacked Israel.

Elkayam-Levy has starred in a factually challenged CNN special on the topic narrated by the fervently pro-Israel host Jake Tapper, who identified her as "an expert in human rights law who organized a civil committee to document evidence." Haaretz featured Elkayam-Levy as the subject of a puff piece which misleadingly claimed that her work "presents a horrifying picture that leaves no room for doubt: On October 7, Hamas terrorists systematically carried out acts of rape and sexual abuse."

Then, on December 6, 2023, members of the White House National Security Council and Assistant to the President and Director of the Gender Policy Council Jennifer Klein hosted Elkayam-Levy in Washington to hear "about her work to gather testimony and document evidence of the events of October 7 and develop a comprehensive accounting of gender-based violence committed by Hamas."

Bullseye

Billionaire Disney foe Nelson Peltz questions 'woke' Marvel films

Nelson Peltz
© Getty / Marvel Studios
Nelson Peltz, the activist investor agitating to win two Disney board seats, criticized the company's "woke" strategy — specifically questioning Marvel's "Black Panther" and "The Marvels," which featured Black and women leads, respectively.

The 81-year-old Peltz, who has admitted he "never claimed" to have experience in the media business, made the comments about "The Marvels" and "Black Panther" in a recent interview with the Financial Times. "Why do I have to have a Marvel [movie] that's all women?" Peltz asked rhetorically. "Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that? Why can't I have Marvels that are both? Why do I need an all-Black cast?"

"Black Panther" does not have an all-Black cast, nor does "The Marvels" have an all-female cast.

"Black Panther," starring Chadwick Boseman, was a bona fide blockbuster, reaping $1.35 billion at the worldwide box office, while 2023's "The Marvels" was a flop with a $206 million total haul. (The earlier 2019 "Captain Marvel" starring Brie Larson in the title role grossed $1.13 billion.)