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Populism on the rise: Germany's cultural council calls to censor political talkshows

Kate Connolly
Guardian
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 05:00 UTC
germany protest afd 2015
© Carsten Koall/Getty Images
The head of Germany's most powerful cultural body has called for the plug to be pulled on the nation's multitude of political talkshows for a year, arguing that their populist agenda has helped fuel the rise of the far right.

Olaf Zimmermann, who heads the German cultural council, an umbrella group for organisations from art galleries to television companies, said public broadcasters needed to step back and rethink a format that has helped cement gloom-ridden public attitudes towards refugees and Islam, and propelled the Alternative für Deutschland party into parliament at last September's election.

"I'd suggest for them, take a break for a year ... though the length of the intermission isn't the decisive factor. What is crucial is that they return with new talkshow concepts and try to come up with more suitable contents with regards to social cohesion in our society," Zimmermann said, arguing that the public broadcasters ARD and ZDF were obsessed with refugee-related issues, often framing them negatively.

The cultural council, which is taxpayer funded, has pointed out that since 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis when almost a million refugees and migrants entered Germany, more than 100 political talk shows have put a topic related to migration at the centre of their discussion.


Comment: Is it any wonder people want to talk about uncontrolled mass migration which is changing the very fabric of their society?


Comment: The debates appear to reflect the issues the German public are understandably very concerned about, which are the drastic changes that have occurred in their society and of which they've had very little say in. And it's not just in Germany, most EU countries are seeing a rise in populist parties as the public have begun to realise the majority of politicians do not represent them: Also check out SOTT radio's: The Truth Perspective: Weapons of Mass Migration: Interview with Michael Springmann on Europe's Migrant Crisis

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People 2

New study finds that young people are getting dumber


RT
Thu, 14 Jun 2018 19:43 UTC
texting girls
© Mladen ANTONOV / AFP
A new study, conducted by Norwegian scientists, shows that IQ scores of today's young people are in decline, putting an end to the post-war trend of rising intelligence.

After the Second World War young people's IQs were steadily rising. It was dubbed the Flynn effect after New Zealand intelligence researcher James Flynn. This phenomenon saw average IQ scores rise about three points per decade.

But researches from the Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research in Oslo say the Flynn effect is now past its peak. In a paper, published in the PNAS journal, Norwegian scientists Ole Rogeberg and Bernt Bratsberg analyzed the data from standardized IQ tests of about 730,000 men, born between 1962 and 1991, who underwent mandatory IQ tests to join the national service.

The study revealed that the IQ points of those tested peaked among those born in 1975, while people born in 1991 scored five points lower. According to the scientists, this shift could be due to many factors, including the way children are brought up and educated. For example there is less drilling in subjects like mathematics and languages and the total amount of time spent watching television or using technology has increased.
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USA

Pimpin' ain't easy: A brothel owner just won Nevada's GOP primary

Michelle L. Price
Las Vegas Sun
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 19:33 UTC
Dennis Hof
© John Locher / AP
In this April 27, 2018, photo, owner Dennis Hof, left, jokes with madam Sonja Bandolik at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal.
Pimp Dennis Hof, the owner of half a dozen legal brothels in Nevada and star of the HBO adult reality series "Cathouse," won a Republican primary for the state Legislature on Tuesday, ousting a three-term lawmaker.

Hof defeated hospital executive James Oscarson. He'll face Democrat Lesia Romanov in November and will be the favored candidate in the Republican-leaning Assembly district.

Hof celebrated his win at a party in Pahrump with Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss at his side.

"It's all because Donald Trump was the Christopher Columbus for me," Hof told the Associated Press in a phone call. "He found the way and I jumped on it."

Hof, who wrote a book titled "The Art of the Pimp," has dubbed himself "The Trump of Pahrump," and held a rally with longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone. Hof was in the limelight in 2015, when former NBA player Lamar Odom was found unconscious at Hof's Love Ranch brothel in Crystal after a four-day, $75,000 stay.
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Attention

Dutch proposed ban on face-covering garments nears final vote before expected adoption into law


RT
Thu, 14 Jun 2018 09:18 UTC
burqa ban, dutch ban face-covering clothes
© AFP
Women wearing niqab visit the Senate in the Hague, the Netherlands.
The upper house of the Dutch parliament has finally put to a vote a controversial bill banning face-covering clothes in public places, including transport and schools. Officials say it does not discriminate against religious garb.

The Dutch Senate debated the so-called "burqa ban" bill on Tuesday, scheduling it for a vote on June 19. The legislation is expected to pass the upper chamber with majority support, local media reports.

The bill would introduce a 400-euro fine on individuals covering their faces in government buildings, on public transport, in schools and in hospitals. The clothing to be outlawed includes not only burka and niqab, but non-religious apparel as well, such as balaclavas and full-face helmets. Islamic headscarves, which do not cover a woman's face, are not a subject of the ban.
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Eye 2

Israeli police forcibly evict Ethiopian monks in Jerusalem - Ethiopia then denies any plans to move embassy there


Times Of Israel
Tue, 12 Jun 2018 03:23 UTC
Ethiopia denies ever having considered move or recalling ambassador after footage shows police rudely addressing, evicting Ethiopian monks from Jerusalem complex
© Channel 10 News screenshot
Ethiopia denies ever having considered move or recalling ambassador after footage shows police rudely addressing, evicting Ethiopian monks from Jerusalem complex
Ethiopian monks gather outside an Ethiopian Church owned complex from which police evicted them on May 31, 2018. The eldest, aged 84, stands on the left.

Ethiopia has reportedly been considering moving its embassy to Jerusalem, but will no longer do so following a recent incident where Israeli police forcibly evicted Ethiopian monks from a complex owned by the Ethiopian church in Jerusalem.

"Moving the Ethiopian embassy to Jerusalem was under consideration," said Eliezer Yasu Gil, a lawyer representing the embassy told Channel 10 on Monday. "For now this process is frozen."

A spokesperson for the Ethiopian embassy, however, on Wednesday denied that moving the embassy was under consideration and said the lawyer did not represent the mission.

Comment: From monks supposedly attacking a police officers 'hand' to female Palestinian medics being a threat to Israel's snipers, considering Israel's track record, it isn't surprising how their version of reality so damningly conflicts with the evidence provided: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Cut

CrossFit gym fires owner, employee for cancelling gay pride event due to religious beliefs

Todd Starnes
Toddstarnes.com
Fri, 08 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
CrossFit Gym LGBT
A controversy over gay pride and religious beliefs has resulted in the closure of an Indianapolis CrossFit gym and the firing of a CrossFit "spokesman" who called gay pride a "sin."

Crossfit Infiltrate coaches had organized a special workout program in honor of Pride Month without the permission of the local gym's owner.

Brandon Lowe canceled the event and explained the reason why in a note, Buzzfeed News reports.

"We believe that true health forever can only be found within humility, not pride," he wrote. "Humility is seeing oneself as they truly are, and as God truly defines them to be. As a business we will choose to deploy our resources towards those efforts and causes that line up with our values and beliefs."
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Green Light

Australian High Court rules man can sue Google for defamation over search results


Associated Press
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 17:24 UTC
Milorad Trkulja
© Metro
An Australian man who alleges Google defamed him on Wednesday won a court battle to sue the search engine giant.

Milorad "Michael" Trkulja was shot in the back in 2004 in a restaurant in Melbourne, Australia's second largest city.

The Australian High Court unanimously ruled in favor of Trkulja, supporting his allegation that a Google search of his name could indicate to an ordinary person he was "somehow associated with the Melbourne criminal underworld."

Trkulja had successfully argued in the Victoria state Supreme Court in 2012 that Google defamed him by publishing photos of him linked to hardened criminals of Melbourne's underworld.
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Quenelle

Roger Waters dons keffiya to make a statement for the Palestinian cause at French Open

Emma Fiala
MintPress News
Tue, 12 Jun 2018 16:54 UTC
roger waters keffiyeh french open
© Michel Euler/Associated Press
British musician and member of the Pink Floyd band Roger Waters presents the trophy of the men’s final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, June 10, 2018.
Waters' wearing of a keffiyeh in the pubic eye may seem a small gesture in light of the impending threat from Israel, but his actions and willingness to be vocal and engage on the topic have brought the issue to the attention of countless people.

On Sunday, Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters and actress Lea Seydoux unveiled the Musketeers Cup at the French Open. The trophy was carried into Court Philippe Chatrier hidden in a brown box and unveiled by both Waters and Seydoux before play began.

Waters didn't let the opportunity pass without making a statement in front of fans and cameras. The musician, who has never been shy when it comes to his opinions on world politics and human rights, has a history of using his platform to send a message, either directly or indirectly. In the case of the French Open, Waters opted for a subtle approach when he donned a Palestinian keffiyeh during the ceremony.

Comment: Kudos to Roger Waters for standing up to the pressure of Israel. His voice is an important one.

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Moon

New Jersey sociology professor under investigation over claims moon landing was faked and promoting other conspiracy theories


Circa
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
Fake Moon landing conspiracy
School officials at William Paterson University are reviewing videos that show a professor telling students the moon landing was faked and promoting other conspiracy theories.


Freshman student Benny Koval, of Fair Lawn, says she raised concerns after sociology professor Clyde Magarelli said things in class that she says made her and others uncomfortable. Magarelli - who has taught at William Paterson since 1967 - did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Comment: Conspiracy theories about the Moon landing come up yet again

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Red Flag

Cyberbullying on the rise as 40% of American adults have experienced online abuse

Jessica Dolores
Natural News
Mon, 11 Jun 2018 17:01 UTC
social media
Cyberbullying is becoming more rampant, with experts saying that 40 percent of American adults have experienced some form of online abuse. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Justice Statistics and Cyberbullying Research Center says that 52 percent of students have been cyberbullied. Yet, this same percentage of teens do not tell their parents they have been cyberbullied.

So why is cyberbullying on the rise?

Brain image studies from neuroscientist Molly Crockett's psychology lab showed that the reward center in people's brains shifts to high gear when they respond to moral outrage. The behavior makes them feel good, so people tend to express moral outrage again. Challenging social norms entails risks because people may direct their anger on the attacker. But Crockett's lab found that it also boosts the attacker's reputation.
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