Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.
This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.
So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.
This is the new Samizdat. We muse use it while we can.
I am posting this for Martin, who is having difficulty getting these links posted:
reuters – Project Raven
INSIDE THE UAE’S SECRET HACKING TEAM OF AMERICAN MERCENARIES
Ex-NSA operatives reveal how they helped spy on targets for the Arab monarchy — dissidents, rival leaders and journalists.
on this page :
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-spying-raven/
=================================================
reuters – The Karma Hack
UAE USED CYBER SUPER-WEAPON TO SPY ON IPHONES OF FOES
on this page :
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-spying-karma/
Daughters of Asia Bibi in Canada: source (gulfnews, Jan 31, 2019)
https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/daughters-of-asia-bibi-in-canada-source-1.1548891367618
“Ottawa: The daughters of Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi, whose blasphemy case spotlighted religious extremism in her country, are now in Canada, a source close to the case said Wednesday.
Unconfirmed Pakistani reports earlier claimed the children had already fled to Canada, and speculation was rampant that she would seek asylum in North America or Europe.
Canadian officials reached by AFP would not confirm the source’s information.
Bibi, a labourer from central Punjab province, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and was on death row in the Muslim majority country until her acquittal last year which prompted days of violent Islamist demonstrations.
Under a deal with protesters to end the violence, the government allowed a petition demanding an appeal against the acquittal.
But Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on Tuesday threw out the petition, lifting the last legal hurdle in the case and paving the way for her to leave the country.”
FBI Arrests 2nd Chinese National for Stealing Trade Secrets From Apple
(Hat tip: Reader from Chicago @ GoV)
We imagine there’s nothing that would put a damper on trade talks quite like another indictment accusing a Chinese national of doing the exact thing (corporate espionage and stealing US trade secrets) that senior Trump Administration officials had warned would be deal-breaking for future negotiations.
Yet, on the very day high level trade talks began in Washington, it appears that’s exactly what has happened. Days after the US filed a sweeping indictment against Huawei that included charges its engineers stole trade secrets from T-Mobile (allegations that were also the subject of a civil suit), NBC Bay Area reported that the FBI has arrested another Chinese national working for Apple’s secretive self-driving car project – code-named “Project Titan” – for stealing trade secrets. That’s the second such arrest in six months (readers can find our report on the earlier arrest, which happened in July, here).
— via Zero Hedge
Pakistan holding ‘keys to war’, claims Afghan president (tribune, Jan 31, 2019)
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1900771/3-pakistan-holding-keys-war-claims-afghan-president/
“Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani alleged on Wednesday that the “keys to war are in Islamabad, Quetta, Rawalpindi” – all cities in Pakistan – claiming that the country was a safe haven for cross-border militant activities.
Afghanistan has previously accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to Afghan Taliban commanders on its soil and even of supporting the militant group it is fighting, which Islamabad denies.
Ghani said the “key to peace was in Afghanistan”, as talks between the Taliban and US officials on ending the 17-year war in Afghanistan appear to be gaining momentum. The leader of the war-torn nation made the remarks as US peace negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad visited Kabul for consultations on his progress in talks with the Taliban…”
Afghan government has the key for peace, reconciliation: Ashraf Ghani (khaama, Jan 31, 2019)
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-government-has-the-key-for-peace-reconciliation-ashraf-ghani-03209/
“President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has said that the Afghan government has the key for peace and reconciliation since a proper plan, program, and road map is available with the government.
He made the remarks during the national conference of youths and peace which was organized in Loya Jirga auditorium hall on Wednesday.
In the meantime, he emphasized that the government wants unconditional negotiations with the Taliban but reconciliation process has conditions.
This comes as efforts are underway to launch direct negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban group to end the violence in the country but the Taliban has so far rejected to hold talks with the government.
In response to Taliban’s stance for considering the government as illegitimate and refusing direct talks, President Ghani questioned the legitimacy of Taliban group and the justification the group offers for waging war.
President Ghani said the religious scholars have denounced the killings of civilians and suicide attacks during the gatherings in Mecca and Indonesia.
He explained that the authority of the president lies with the nation and has been specified by the constitution of the contry.
President Ghani also questioned if Taliban has any plan for peace and if the authority of the group lies with the leaders of the group or with the foreigners.
He also added that the government respects the views of Taliban and the group should also respect the will of the Afghan people.”
Turkish-Islamic community to hold protests over Uyghurs (aa, Jan 31, 2019)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-islamic-community-to-hold-protests-over-uyghurs/1379537
“The Islamic Community National View (IGMG), one of Germany’s largest Muslim-Turkish associations, is planning to stage protests next month against China’s treatment of Uyghurs, its chairman said Wednesday.
IGMG will hold protests on Feb. 2 in 20 cities in 13 countries by reading a statement in front of Chinese embassies and consulates, said Kemal Ergun.
The group will protest against China’s policies affecting Uyghurs living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region — also referred to as East Turkestan — and express solidarity with them, said Ergun.
In a written statement, he said China is violating international human rights law by forcing Uyghurs to leave their religion and culture, separating families in training camps.
“The international community must take action against China’s oppression. Human rights cannot be sacrificed for the sake of economic relations,” said Ergun, expressing disappointment over the international community’s silence over the issue.
At a meeting last August in Geneva, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region accused of having “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas were jailed or detained in political “re-education camps”.
The UN body’s representatives said up to 3 million people have been detained without trial.
Human Rights Watch previously announced that the Chinese government was conducting a mass, systematic campaign of human rights violations against Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang.”
Turkey to continue anti-terror fight ‘uninterruptedly’ (aa, Jan 30, 2019)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/todays-headlines/turkey-to-continue-anti-terror-fight-uninterruptedly-/1379442
“Turkey’s National Security Council on Wednesday discussed the latest developments in Syria and fight against terrorism.
In a statement after a five-hour meeting in the capital Ankara, the National Security Council said that Turkey will maintain its stance on preserving current status in Syria’s Idlib, implementation of Manbij roadmap and deals east of the Euphrates River.
Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was ready to take over the security in Syria’s Manbij without delay during a phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.
A statement from the Turkish presidency said Erdogan and Trump agreed to take joint measures to clear Daesh’s remnants in Syria and prevent the group’s resurgence.
The National Security Council renewed call for ending foreign support to terrorist groups and said the fight against all terror outfits will continue “uninterruptedly”.
The council emphasized on securing country’s southern borders as part of counter-terrorism efforts.
It also stressed measures against terrorist organizations that are disturbing the country’s peace.
The council said it is “unacceptable” that some countries are refraining from extraditing terror group members.
Earlier in January, the Turkish justice minister said that Turkey will take all legal actions for the extradition of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) leader Fetullah Gulen from the U.S.
FETO and its leader Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, including the military, police and the judiciary.”
Denmark’s government changes policy on UN quota refugees with new bill (thelocal, Jan 30, 2019)
https://www.thelocal.dk/20190130/denmarks-government-changes-policy-on-un-quota-refugees-with-new-bill
“The UNHCR and the Danish Refugee Council have criticised the government for a new bill which seeks to ease the path to repatriation of UN quota refugees.
A new immigration bill seeks to apply the government’s general change in approach to giving asylum status to UN quota refugees, newspaper Politiken reports.
The bill provides for quota refugees to be subject to the same rules regarding their asylum status as all other types of refugees taken in by Denmark.
That means the application of the government’s view that the status of refugees should always be considered as temporary, and that their status should be revoked as soon as conditions in origin countries are deemed to enable this.
“We wish to send a very clear signal to refugees that, if you are given permission to stay in Denmark, this is temporary, and this also applies to quota refugees,” immigration minister Inger Støjberg said to the newspaper.
United Nations refugee agency UNHCR considers the proposal by the Danish government to be a break with the historical spirit of international participation in its refugee programme, although there are no legal obstacles to withdrawing the status of refugees if conditions in their home countries are considered peaceful, Politiken writes.
“The key aspect with regard to quota refugees is that this small group of refugees have come to Denmark via UNHCR’s quota programme, and there has been a general understanding that resettlement via the quota programme takes place with a view to a long-term and permanent resolution,” the agency spokesperson for Denmark Elisabeth Arnsdorf Haslund told the newspaper.
“It is also worth remembering that, before quota refugees come to Denmark, they have been through a thorough and comprehensive selection process and have been prepared for life in Denmark,” Haslund added.
The Danish Refugee Council’s head of asylum Eva Singer said in comments given to the paper that other countries generally perceived quota refugees to belong to a specially protected group who could consider their resettlement in a new country to be permanent.
“There has always been a near-unspoken perception of resettlement of quota refugees as a permanent resolution. This will change that,” Singer said.
Quota refugees are distributed by the UNHCR from refugee camps in areas close to conflict zones and therefore arrive in Denmark and other countries via a different route to those who make journeys to, for example, northern European countries.
Denmark has, since 2016, refused to take in any refugees under the UN quota system, with Støjberg saying the country needs to focus on integrating refugees recently arrived in the country.
Until 2016, Denmark received around 500 quota refugees per year from the UNHCR, before the government temporarily suspended Denmark’s participation. It extended that suspension in both 2017 and 2018.
Refugees who arrived under the quota scheme prior to its suspension, and any who come at a later date should Denmark resume its participation, would be considered to have been given temporary protection in the same way as all others granted asylum in the country, under the new proposal.
The term ‘paradigm shift’ has been used to refer to the government’s change in approach to asylum policy, initially driven by the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party. The change reflects the view that all refugees should be seen as temporary guests and that less emphasis in general should be placed on assisting them to integrate, as this would aid their long-term prospects in Danish society.
The opposition Social Democrats generally support the ‘paradigm shift’ to considering all refugees as temporary, but the party’s immigration spokesperson Mattias Tesfaye said during the first round of parliamentary procedure of the bill that his party considered resettlement of quota refugees to be for “people who will stay in Denmark”.
The party, which takes a hard line on immigration similar to the government, has, however, confirmed it will vote for the bill.”
INSTEX: European nations set up transactions channel with Iran (DW, Jan 31, 2019)
https://www.dw.com/en/instex-european-nations-set-up-transactions-channel-with-iran/a-47303580
“German media reports that Germany, France and the UK have set up a payment channel with Iran called INSTEX, to help continue trade and circumvent US sanctions. The question is, how will Washington react?
Several European countries have registered a transaction channel with Iran in order to facilitate trade despite US sanctions, German public broadcaster NDR reported on Thursday.
The channel, set up by Germany, France and the UK, is called INSTEX — short for “Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges.”
The payment channel would allow for European countries to continue trade with Iran but could put them on a collision course with Washington.
What is INSTEX:
INSTEX is a “Special Purpose Vehicle” that will allow for European businesses to continue doing business with Iran, despite strict US sanctions.
According to NDR, INSTEX will be based in Paris and be managed by a German banking expert. The UK will head the supervisory board.
The European side intends to use the channel initially only to sell food, medicine and medical devices in Iran. However, it will be possible to expand it in the future.
More to follow…”
White Helmets Preparing to Film Staged Chem Attacks in Idlib Hospitals – Moscow (sputniknews, Jan 31, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201901311071987721-russia-syria-attempts-chemical-attacks/
“The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Moscow is concerned over the fact that terrorists have not abandoned their attempts to stage chemical attacks against Syrian civilians.
The White Helmets have deployed equipment in several hospitals in the Syrian province of Idlib to film false flag chemical attacks and blame it on Damascus, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Thursday.
“There are also serious concerns about reports that terrorists are not abandoning attempts to fake the use of chemical weapons against civilians. According to available information, a group of activists, the notorious pseudo-humanitarian organisation, the White Helmets, prepared the necessary equipment in several hospitals of Idlib to film such provocations”, Zakharova said at a briefing.
The spokeswoman elaborated that tensions were running high in the Idlib de-escalation zone, saying that Tahrir al-Sham militants are carrying out daily shelling of nearby settlments and actively build up their forces near the contact line with Syrian government forces…”
A team of researchers from Lehigh University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lebanon Valley College and Corning Inc. has demonstrated, for the first time, that crystals manufactured by lasers within a glass matrix maintain full ferroelectric functionality.
“This includes the ability to uniformly orient and reverse orient the ferroelectric domains with an electric field, despite the fact that the crystal is strongly confined by the surrounding glass,” says Volkmar Dierolf, Chair of Lehigh University’s Department of Physics and one of the scientists who worked on the experiments that resulted in these findings.
Dierolf, who holds a joint appointment with Lehigh’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering part of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, is co-Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project, Crystal in Glass, along with Principal Investigator Himanshu Jain, Diamond Distinguished Chair of Lehigh’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The group has become a world leader in producing single crystals in glass by localized laser irradiation.
The team conducted the first detailed examination of the piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of laser induced crystals confined in glass. They found that the as-grown crystals possess a complex ferroelectric domain structure that can be manipulated via the application of a DC bias. The findings will be published in a forthcoming issue of MRS Communications in a paper called “Ferroelectric domain engineering of lithium niobate single crystal confined in glass.”
“The findings open up the possibility of a new collection of optical devices that use fully functional laser-fabricated crystals in glass which rely on the precise control of the ferroelectric domain structure of the crystal,” said Keith Veenhuizen, currently Assistant Professor, Department of Physics at Lebanon Valley College and the lead author of the paper, which builds on the work he did as a graduate student at Lehigh.
Applications for such technology include use in modern fiber optic technology used for data transmission.
“Being able to embed such functional single crystal architectures within a glass enables high efficiency coupling to existing glass fiber networks,” says Dierolf. “Such low loss links?that maximize performance?are of particular importance for future quantum information transfer system that are projected to take over the current schemes for optical communication,” adds Dierolf.
NR: By now, most people have seen some of the remarkable images that have been 3D laser-etched in solid glass. The technology is sufficiently ubiquitous to where top-end department stores once had vending machines, complete with dedicated optical scanning booth, to produce personalized keepsake portraits on demand.
This same constructive interference of intersecting coherent light beams is producing, not opaque optical inclusions, but fundamental electrochemical changes in the crystal’s structure.
In this case, it looks as though they aren’t working with amorphous hypercooled liquid silicon dioxide (i.e., ordinary glass). What it appears they’re using is, “lithium niobate single crystal”, and not melted sand.
Monocrystalline or single crystal lithium niobate (LiNbO3)—formed, or “pulled”, in the exact same manner as wafer-grade silicon ingots—has properties very different from your everyday windowpane or lens.
Belonging to a family of acousto-optic materials, LiNbO3 exhibits the interesting property of proportionally steering light when its lattice is pumped (i.e., vibrated) with varying intensity microwave energy.
Originally used for beam steering in early laser printer printers, these characteristics were later applied to real-time EMF environmental analyzers for combat jet fighter signal interception and sorting.
At orders of magnitude over the cost of a coke bottle, LiNbO3 won’t be appearing in vending machines anytime soon. However, somewhere up in the nosebleed seats of telecom equipment acquisition is several hundred BILLION DOLLARS worth of future purchases involving this technology.
These internally reoriented LiNbO3 optics could be structured as photoelectric switches. This is not about switches like the toggle that controls your home’s overhead lighting.
Telecom switches are used to, layer by layer, efficiently interconnect thousands of voice, and data channels. Once used in the early telephone junctions that replaced manual operator switchboards, these massive racks of electromechanical stepping relays and multi-pole contactor systems, much higher density demands forced migration over to solid state semiconductor-based solutions.
As business and residential information demand profiles include more video streaming and other high-speed content this will, again, propel upward migration to full fiber optic networks. No mechanical or digital switch has the combined wide bandwidth, EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference) resistance, security (hard-to-tap), high capacity, and low-noise properties, or even just the cost-effectiveness of optical fiber hardware.
Multiplexing and demultiplexing techniques like those which employ OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometry) have been around for a long time. Reliably sorting thousands of channels with good video signal clarity, all from a single hair’s-diameter glass fiber is more than light exercise [giggle].
As noted, it is the juncture of many different fibers in a manner whereby any strand can be interconnected with any other that really pushes the limits of technology. Economically fabricating a solid, compact, one-piece photonic device with internally written electro-optic structures represents a major advance in high speed signal density that far outstrips the expense of lithium niobate materials.
NOTE: — Excellent primer on fiber optics with beautifully simple experiment. Less educational interview to follow regarding a 192 channel optical switch.
(T = 00:05:35)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MwMkBET_5I
Original link: Laser-fabricated crystals in glass are ferroelectric
(T = 00:03:23)
Indonesia to challenge ‘discriminative’ EU directive on palm oil (straitstimes, Jan 31, 2019)
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesia-to-challenge-discriminative-eu-directive-on-palm-oil
“Indonesia intends to challenge an EU directive on renewable energy at the World Trade Organization (WTO), arguing the plan to curb the use of crops that cause deforestation will unfairly target palm oil, a senior Indonesian official told Reuters.
The world’s top producer of the oil is also reviewing its relations with the European Union over the issue and urging other Southeast Asian nations to defer plans to upgrade EU ties, said Mr Mahendra Siregar, special staff at the foreign ministry.
The EU directive, known as RED II, aims to stop the use of crops that cause deforestation in transportation fuel by 2030.
Environmentalists blame a rapid expansion of Indonesian palm plantations for a massive clearance of forests that were home to endangered tigers, orang-utans and elephants.
A challenge from Indonesia on the policy would escalate its efforts to safeguard sales to its second-biggest palm oil market. The EU accounted for around 15 per cent of Indonesia’s total palm exports of more than US$15 billion (S$20.18 billion) last year.
Mr Siregar said palm oil will be labelled a “high risk” crop – indicating its potential to result in deforestation – in an act attached to RED II due to be issued in early February.
Indonesia will challenge both RED II and the act at the WTO’s dispute settlement body after it is issued, he said.
The WTO body can order members to remove any trade barriers if it finds that the policies breach free trade rules…”
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/judge-tells-australian-muslims-to-publicly-denounce-koran
Australian Muslims should publicly disavow “belligerent” verses of the Koran to weaken the moral conviction terrorists say the holy book gives them, a judge has said while jailing two Sydney terror-plotters.
“Terrorists’ reliance on verses of the Koran to support an Islamic duty of religious violence has been seen with more or less clarity in a number of NSW and Victorian cases,” Justice Des Fagan said in the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday. “If the verses upon which the terrorists rely are not binding commands of Allah, it is Muslims who would have to say so.
“If Australian followers of the religion, including those who profess deep knowledge, were to make a clear public disavowal of these verses, as not authoritative instructions from Allah, then the terrorists’ moral conviction might be weakened.”
Sameh Bayda and Alo-Bridget Namoa, both 21, were found guilty in October of conspiring between December 8, 2015 and January 25, 2016 to do an act in preparation for a terrorist act.
The couple, whom Namoa described as a jihadi Bonnie and Clyde, can apply for parole immediately, as the judge imposed sentences which have already expired because of the time served since their arrest.
Bayda was jailed for four years, with a non-parole period of three years, which expired on January 25.
Namoa was jailed for three years and nine months, with a non-parole period of two years and 10 months, which expired on January 22.
The couple’s phones contained a vast amount of extremist material, including graphic images and videos of beheadings and soldiers carrying Islamic flags.
They also included videos of sermons delivered by Islamic scholars, quoting Koran verses which “unmistakably instruct the believers to undertake jihad in pursuit of universal Islamic dominance”, the judge said.
“As seen in this and numerous other prosecutions, the hostile verses (in the Koran) are inspiring serious crimes,” he said.
“Australian Muslims should publicly disavow “belligerent” verses of the Koran to weaken the moral conviction terrorists say the holy book gives them, a judge has said while jailing two Sydney terror-plotters.”
There is that passive stance again: Keep your religion but “disavow,” verses until you are strong enough to kill me.
Why do not such cucks understand that Allah’s Word is Allah’s Word?
“Why do not such cucks understand that Allah’s Word is Allah’s Word?”
Any concept of “otherness” requires the, however temporary, adoption of dualistic perspective (i.e., “us” versus “them” or, perish the thought, simple “right” versus “wrong”). Ergo, such small minds even attempting to distinguish between Islam and Christianity—let alone the Herculean task of parsing “Allah’s Word”—assumes the imagined proportions of sheer, baldfaced, depraved, bigoted racism.
All of which, with no paucity of Muslim prodding, has come to pass as UK Councils gradually adopt the APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) definition of Islamophobia (Hat tip: Martin).
With language that defines this offense as: “Using the symbols and images associated with classic Islamophobia”, there mushrooms forth from such one-size-fits-all vagary an imprecise syllabus where even a perception of slight translates directly into a bodily attack upon, not just Muslims, but anyone else who wishes to take offense for whatever ill-defined reason at all.
Confabulating such an unformulated vocabulary of harmful language and iconography exposes this adamant opposition to truly expansive thought (e.g., critical analysis, contextual perception). Instead—as with so many other imperatively distinct concepts and facts—all of it is lumped together into a massive, nebulous wad of “oneness” and Millennial harmony.
Externalizing anything, much less an existential threat like Islam, challenges the widely accepted demonizing of otherness. For most of these snake-oil-addicted novice globalists, shattering that Unitarian ideal is tantamount to purposefully inducing a major psychological breakdown.
A quick review of how people reacted to 0’Hillary’s electoral upset with suicidal threats and other self-attempted harm indicates the dissociative effect that any intrusion of actual reality can have upon these eggshell intellects.
Clearly, establishing context anywhere outside The Narrative™ constitutes an untenable and cowing double-dog-dare for most of these one-world types. Even brief exposure to multidimensional thought poses serious risks to their sanity, life, and limb.
From the overreactions and new legal penalties swarming like flies around these politically protected species it’s more than apparent that derailing such one-track minds has taken on train wreck magnitudes of offense for hovering Nanny State apparatchiks.
What was once the domain of open-season sniping by humorists and comedians has been transmogrified into a high-stakes sociopolitical minefield that indiscriminately kills all who trespass upon its fragile, endangered habitat.
The Left’s snappish intramural cannibalism proves this beyond all doubt. It’s spillover into legacy media’s self-immolation is just icing on the cake.
Will Our Government Heed This Shocking Warning?
This problem is coming to our nations in the near future.
Merely another oblique, legally compliant, pronouncement of impending vigilantism as a prelude to civil war’s deeper divisions.
It’s another pin in the map. That’s all.
I was one of the people microsoft knocked off the net yesterday, it is fixed now. Because I wasn’t up yesterday I don’t know if this has been posted so if it has here it is again.
Virginia State Proposes Bill that Would Allow Termination Until Moment of Birth
I feel guilty.
I should be protesting somewhere, doing something about it.
#21 Why China backs Maduro In Venezuela Crisis
China Unscripted
China Unscripted
5 Things in China That Could Kill You | China Uncensored
In this rare instance I differ with Chris Chappell.
The number one killer in Communist China is …
COMMUNIST CHINA
Making mincemeat out of their own people is a primary parallel between Islam and Communism. As a consequence, the number one killer in Islam just happens to be Islam. Total fabrications are all that can conceal what even the most inaccurate tallies cannot hide.
Muslims excel at killing other Muslims. This configuration maps almost perfectly onto modern Socialist Venezuela. Tons of gold bars are being Aeroflotted off into the ozone as Caracans starve and riot in the streets. And the number one killer of Venezolanos is … their fellow countrymen!
Islamabad and the ISI, anyone?
Apple has blocked Facebook’s internal apps from working on employees’ phones, The Verge reported.
The move was in response to reports this week that Facebook’s misused Apple’s enterprise-app program, meant for internal use in a company, to run a research app that gathered data on people’s phone activity in exchange for payment.
Facebook said it was shutting down the app, which paid people (including teens) up to $20 a month to install a virtual private network used to track data and activity.
Apple later contradicted Facebook’s statement with one that said it had revoked Facebook’s enterprise certificates after finding it had violated its developer policies.
The move has big ramifications for Facebook, as employees are reportedly locked out of internal apps. The streaming news network Cheddar described some as saying they thought Facebook was being “unfairly targeted” by Apple.
https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-chaos-after-apple-blocks-internal-iphone-apps-report-2019-1?utm_source=reddit.com
“The move has big ramifications for Facebook, as employees are reportedly locked out of internal apps. The streaming news network Cheddar described some as saying they thought Facebook was being “unfairly targeted” by Apple.”
Ah, yes. The timbers creak and the fire-damp accumulates as the data miners set to blows. Oh, joy! Not wanting to miss the party (FOMO?), Leftist Tech Titans™ are joining in with the cannibalistic fun.
Just think of it:
• Silicon Valley big-spenders at each other’s throats
• Legacy media doing a Buddhist monk self-immolation
• Damoclean trade talks with Beijing culminating favorably
• More employment by on-shoring US manufacturers
• Rogue nation economies tanking like1999 dot.coms
• EU America-hating critics eating immigration crow
• Latin American countries whinging about migrants
• V4 nations writing Trump love letters
• 2020 primaries already seeding a Democrat killing field
It’s almost unimaginable that, somehow, Trump might snatch defeat from the jaws of victory before this coming 2020 bloodbath is over.
(CNN)The brother of jailed Saudi activist Loujain Alhathloul has detailed in a CNN opinion piece the abuse his sister has allegedly endured in prison.
In the article, Walid Alhathloul writes that during a recent visit by his parents to see Loujain she told them she was regularly whipped, beaten, electrocuted and sexually harassed in a basement she called the “palace of terror.”
While my sister is in a Saudi jail, Mariah Carey could use her voice to help her
While my sister is in a Saudi jail, Mariah Carey could use her voice to help her
Alhathloul was arrested in May 2018, along with 10 other women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia. Her family, Saudi activists and Human Rights Watch have alleged in recent months that she and other female detainees have been tortured and sexually harassed in prison.
They also allege that a former top adviser of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saud al-Qahtani, was present during at least one of the interrogation sessions.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/middleeast/saudi-activist-alhathloul-intl/index.html
WATCH: Three men charged with planning an attack on an upstate New York Muslim community will appear in court on Wednesday. The men and one 16-year-old had access to 23 firearms and three explosive devices, police say.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Three men and a high school student were charged with plotting to attack a rural upstate New York Muslim community named Islamberg with explosives, authorities said Tuesday.
The Rochester-area residents are accused of plotting to attack the small Muslim enclave west of the Catskills, according to court papers.
The timing of the attack was unknown. At the time of their weekend arrests, the men, three of whom were in Boy Scouts together, had access to 23 rifles and shotguns and three home-made explosives, Greece Police Chief Patrick Phelan said at a press conference.
https://globalnews.ca/news/4876824/islamberg-new-york-muslim-community-explosives-plot/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Colonisation of the Americas at the end of the 15th Century killed so many people, it disturbed Earth’s climate.
That’s the conclusion of scientists from University College London, UK.
The team says the disruption that followed European settlement led to a huge swathe of abandoned agricultural land being reclaimed by fast-growing trees and other vegetation.
This pulled down enough carbon dioxide (CO?) from the atmosphere to eventually chill the planet.
It’s a cooling period often referred to in the history books as the “Little Ice Age” – a time when winters in Europe would see the Thames in London regularly freeze over.
“The Great Dying of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas led to the abandonment of enough cleared land that the resulting terrestrial carbon uptake had a detectable impact on both atmospheric CO? and global surface air temperatures,” Alexander Koch and colleagues write in their paper published in Quaternary Science Reviews.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47063973
hooey, BBCeera.
The Dan Bongino Show
Ep. 905 Who The Democrats Really Are
https://bongino.com/ep-905-who-the-democrats-really-are/
Northam on Abortion Bill: Infant Could Be Delivered and Then ‘Physicians and the Mother’ Could Decide If It Lives
https://freebeacon.com/issues/northman-on-40-week-abortion-bill-infant-would-be-delivered-and-then-a-discussion-would-ensue-between-the-physicians-and-the-mother/Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D.) commented Wednesday about a controversial 40-week abortion bill and in so doing said the law allows an abortion to take place after the infant’s birth.
“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother,” Northam said, alluding to the physician and mother discussing whether the born infant should live or die.
A Democratic lawmaker in the Virginia House of Delegates proposed a bill Tuesday that would allow abortions through the end of the third trimester of pregnancy. The video of Delegate Kathy Tran presenting her bill led to an exchange where she admitted that her bill would allow for a mother to abort her child minutes before giving birth.
“How late in the third trimester could a physician perform an abortion if he indicated that it would impair the mental health of the woman?” Majority Leader Todd Gilbert (R.) asked.
Children found dead with tongues removed in suspected witchcraft ritual (express, Jan 31, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1080524/tanzania-news-witchcraft-albino-children-dead-witch
“AT LEAST four children have been kidnapped and brutally killed in Tanzania in just one month, with officials believing the atrocities are linked to witchcraft.
The maimed bodies of four youngsters with ears, tongues and sexual organs removed have been found near bushes in Njombe, a southern region of Tanzania. The children were aged between two and 10, and are believed to have become the victims of witchcraft rituals, as the body parts removed are often used as charms and in magical potions. Home Affairs Minister Kangi Lugola told parliament: “Our preliminary investigations have established that these incidents are caused by superstitious beliefs.
“We have already identified some of the suspects and we will soon take action against them.”
The minister didn’t specify if the victims were part of a minority – however this is often the case in similar killings in the country.
Superstition is widespread in Tanzania, with minorities such as albinos and women with red hair being targeted, abducted and killed for ritual purposes…”
Sheffield machete attack: Terrified shoppers ‘run for lives’ after man slashed across face (express, Jan 31, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1080565/sheffield-machete-attack-mcdonalds-stabbing-police-crime
“A MACHETE-WIELDING assailant has been arrested by police officers after a man was slashed across the face inside a McDonald’s restaurant.
The attacker was apprehended by police officers in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, after the incident in the city centre restaurant. A man with his head bandaged and blood streaming down the left side of his face was later seen being led out of the restaurant by paramedics. Eyewitnesses have told how people “ran for their lives” as the man armed with a “large knife” entered the premises.
The incident happened at the fast food chain in Sheffield High Street just before 10am today.
The man was apprehended and taken to the floor by officers on the opposite side of the road outside a Computer Exchange store in the busy town centre.
A police cordon has been set up outside the chain restaurant with officers on guard.
Police were on the scene of the incident within two minutes and blood could be seen on the pavement outside the branch…”
Bloodbath Britain: Javid unveils ASBO-style orders in bid to tackle knife crime epidemic (express, Jan 31, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1080637/bloodbath-britain-uk-knife-crime-epidemic-sajid-javid-crackdown-asbo
“A CRACKDOWN on Britain’s knife crime epidemic has been launched by Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who has revealed Asbo-style orders against would-be offenders.
Mr Javid said Knife Crime Prevention Orders could be issued to anyone aged 12 or over who is believed by police to routinely carry a blade and also be imposed on people with prior convictions for knife-related offences. Officials said the move aims to enhance police powers by filling a gap which is not covered by existing “preventative” measures such as gang injunctions and criminal behaviour orders.
Mr Javid said: “I have been clear that I will do everything in my power to tackle the senseless violence that is traumatising communities and claiming too many young lives.
“The police already have a range of measures they are using to keep our streets safe, but there is more we can do to help them in this battle.
“I have listened to their calls and will be introducing these new orders to stop gang members carrying knives in the first place.
“It is vital we continue to focus on improving the law enforcement response while at the same time steering young people away from criminal activity in the first place.”
Under the new powers, subjects could be required to abide by curfews and geographical restrictions, and attend knife crime awareness courses.
The orders could also include restrictions relating to social media use in order to prevent the “rapid escalation” of rival disputes.
These measures would be tailored to the individual case, but they could, for example, limit access to particular sites or bar contact with specific people online.
Concerns have been repeatedly raised that material posted on the internet fuels feuds that spill out into violence on the streets.
Although they are civil orders, breaches will be a criminal offence that could result in up to two years in prison upon conviction.
Police will apply for the orders in the courts and, if approved, they will last for a maximum of two years, with reviews carried out after 12 months for adults or more frequently for juveniles.
London suffered a particularly bloody 2018, while figures released last week showed police-recorded violent crime had risen by nearly a fifth in England and Wales.Forces also registered an 8 percent increase in offences involving a knife or sharp instrument.
But Labour claimed there is “no serious evidence” to support the orders.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said: “The Tories have rushed out this measure late in the day because they are completely failing to tackle knife crime, and serious violent crime of all types.”
Sarah Jones, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on knife crime, said the Government’s proposal is “flawed”.
She said: “Imprisoning a young person, as young as 12 years old, for two years for breaching this order is completely disproportionate.
“It risks criminalising a generation of young people who have grown up unsupported and who often turn to carrying weapons out of fear.”
The Labour MP described knife crime as an “epidemic which the government has failed to grip”.
Mark Burns-Williamson, chairman of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, backed the new orders but warned legislation alone “will not stop the rising tide of serious violence”.”
Iran’s capital Tehran bans DOG WALKING in latest crackdown against Western culture (express, Jan 31, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1080640/iran-news-tehran-dog-walking-ban
“IRAN’S capital Tehran has banned the public from walking their pet dogs in a bid to discourage people away from owning the canine pets.
People who do not adhere to the ban could have their dogs confiscated or be given a fine. Pet-owning Iranians have previously been blasted for imitating Western culture.
Tehran Police Chief Hossein Rahimi warned they have received permission from the Prosecutor’s Office and they will take action against people walking their dogs in public spaces, such as parks.
Mr Rahimi claimed the dogs “create fear and anxiety” among the public.
He said: “It is forbidden to drive dogs around in cars and, if this is observed, serious police action will be taken against the car-owners in question.”
Iran’s Islamic authorities see the dogs as “unclean” and they see owning a dog as a symbol of the West.
However, despite this, the middle class of Iran have embraced them as pets for many years.
In 2010, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance banned the media from publishing any advertisements for pets or pet-related products.
Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said at the time: “Friendship with dogs is a blind imitation of the West.
“There are lots of people in the West who love their dogs more than their wives and children.”
After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iranian authorities have confiscated dogs and lawmakers have threatened to punish them with 74 lashes.
According to Petchi, a dog information centre, there are around 1.2 million pet dogs across Iran and about 350,000 of these are in Tehran.
One member of the public in Iran sarcastically said that the country’s citizens would be asked to ride camels next in response to hearing the news about the dog ban.
In the UK 45 percent of people own a pet and 26 percent of people own a dog.”
“Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said at the time: “Friendship with dogs is a blind imitation of the West.”
Though it may be difficult, let’s conveniently set aside the entire absurdity known as “racism against Islam”. With that nifty intellectual sleight-of-hand accomplished, suddenly it becomes too easy for Ayatollah Shirazi’s “blind imitation of the West” to sound exactly like a much more familiar and tedious refrain … “acting White”.
Muslim school will not allow girls to eat lunch until after boys have finished, Ofsted chief says (telegraph, Jan 30, 2019)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2019/01/30/muslim-school-will-not-allow-girls-eat-lunch-boys-have-finished/
“A Muslim school will not allow girls to eat lunch until after boys have finished, an Ofsted chief has told MPs.
Al-Hijrah school in Birmingham is still segregating boys and girls despite a Court of Appeal ruling in 2017 that found it was unlawful, according to Luke Tryl, director of corporate strategy at Ofsted.
Addressing the women and equalities select committee, he said that Ofsted inspectors are trying to hold schools account for discriminating against girls but feel “isolated” when their stance is not backed up by ministers.
“Our inspectors are going out and having to make some quite tricky judgements where there are those potential clashes [between equalities laws and religious freedoms],” Mr Tryl said.
“We perhaps don’t always feel we get the support we need from the rest of Government in pushing that forward.”
He said that Al-Hijrah school was enforcing a “very strict gender segregation” which included “denying the girls to have their lunch until the boys had had theirs”. “And we had some very discriminatory texts for instance, encouraging violence against women,” he said.
Mr Tryl said that Ofsted welcomed the Court of Appeal’s ruling that gender segregation within the school fell foul of equalities laws, but despite the case concluding in mid-2017 the school has still not de-segregated.
While Ofsted inspectors can highlight segregation in their reports, the power of enforcement falls to officials at the DfE.
Mr Tryl told MPs: “The Court of Appeal rightly said that schools needed a transition period where they were segregating and yet still we have not just Al-Hijrah but we have countless other schools, mixed schools which are segregating on the basis of sex.
“Similarly other schools who have refused to teach about sexual orientation issues. We have commented on reports but we haven’t seen a change there.
“This is where I talk about the isolation. We go out there. We make these tough decisions and we often take quite a lot of criticism for the stance we take but we don’t always see the enforcement action we would like to see.””
“Mr Tryl said that Ofsted welcomed the Court of Appeal’s ruling that gender segregation within the school fell foul of equalities laws, but despite the case concluding in mid-2017 the school has still not de-segregated.”
What’s all this “fell afoul of” nonsense? Not too very long ago, it was simply something like, “the gender segregation” resulted in certain academic leaders undergoing extensive, prolonged, and repeated sessions of parking lot therapy.
Be that as it may, none of this looks very promising as the school’s Dean, speaking from hospital, went on record saying, “We didn’t do it and we’ll never do it again.”
At least that is what his words sounded like after being muffled by bandages from several rounds of reconstructive facial surgery.
In a curious display of feminine choosiness, those hungry young girls unanimously agreed that the Dean’s new appearance was much more pleasing to them.
The Virginia House of Delegates proposed a bill legalizing abortion through all nine months. Delegate Kathy Tran (D-Fairfax) confirmed that abortion would be available to the mother even while in natural labor, as long as it was for the reason of “mental health.” The definition of “mental health” is obscure in the bill.
So, that’s that, pro-choicers. No more pretending this is about healthcare. No more pretending this is about “reproductive rights.” No more pretending this is about removing a non-human “clump of cells.” No more “safe, legal and rare” business. No more pretending this is about compassion for the mother or child. This is, and always has been, about ensuring a woman has the ability to walk away from parenthood the same way a man can. We’ve always known it; we’ve just been waiting for you guys to out yourselves. Thanks so much for coming through.
https://townhall.com/columnists/alliestuckey/2019/01/31/the-agenda-is-infanticide-n2540558
Libya PM: 800,000 Illegal Immigrants Ready to Leave for Europe (breitbart, Jan 31, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/01/31/libya-illegals-ready-migrate-europe/
“Almost a million illegal aliens are living in Libya and ready to leave for Europe, the country’s internationally-backed leader has said.
Fayez al-Sarraj explained that only a small proportion of migrants hoping to use Libya as a transit country on their way to rich EU nations were being held in camps, after Austria’s far-left president blasted conditions at the facilities, commenting that the situation there was “to put it mildly — far from satisfactory”.
“My personal opinion is that under these circumstances, refugees shouldn’t be sent there at the moment,” Alexander Van der Bellen told the Libyan premier on Monday.
Speaking alongside the Austrian head of state at a press conference in Vienna, al-Sarraj branded the criticism “unacceptable”, stating that the Libyan government was “working within the security and economic constraints that we have to respond to [detainees’] needs.”
“Of course the situation in the camps is not ideal, there are many problems, many challenges,” al-Sarraj told journalists.
Clarifying the current situation with regards to migrants in the north African country, large regions of which are out of the UN-recognised government’s control, he said of the number of people transiting through his country on the way to Europe: “But we must bear in mind the number of illegal migrants in Libya — more than 800,000 in the whole country. Not more than 20,000 of them are in the camps.
“I wish we had a comprehensive approach to dealing with this problem. We’re talking about development for the countries of origin, about them taking back their citizens,” the prime minister added.
Earlier this week, Breitbart London reported how Italian figures for this month showed a massive drop in migrant arrivals compared to 2018 as a result of policy changes brought in by interior minister Matteo Salvini last summer, when he began blocking NGO boats from docking at the nation’s ports.
But despite a corresponding radical reduction in the number of drowning deaths, as self-styled rescue organisations have found it much more difficult to pick migrants up off the coast of Libya and ferry them direct to Europe, open borders-backing NGOs and EU political figures have been ramping up “humanitarian” demands that Italy allow what critics have characterised as a “taxi service” for illegal immigrants to resume service.”
Bullet Dodged: Trump Rejected Shoddy Feinstein-Harris Deal On Federal Judges
Matt Vespa Matt Vespa | @mvespa1 |Posted: Jan 31, 2019 6:05 AM
Bullet Dodged: Trump Rejected Shoddy Feinstein-Harris Deal On Federal Judges
There was a lot of rancor over this alleged deal on judges. If it went through, it would’ve been seen as another loss for the Trump White House. The judiciary is one of the few areas where Trump could leave a lasting impact without House Democrats clogging up the works. Yesterday, there was a fear that Trump was mulling a deal with some Senate Democrats, specifically Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, to moderate his judicial appointments list. We’re talking the Ninth Circuit here, one of the most liberal in the country. The Wall Street Journal editorial board fired of flares about this alleged deal, and how it was straight trash:
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2019/01/31/crisis-averted-trump-decided-to-reject-the-alleged-shoddy-feinstein-harris-deal-n2540547
Capital ward Coun. Shawn Menard was one of seven councillors who opposed the appointment of Michael Olsen to the city’s transit commission Wednesday because of his apparent beliefs on abortion and climate change. (CBC)
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The naming of citizens to Ottawa’s transit commission caused an unusual public debate at city council Wednesday, when seven councillors opposed one appointee over his perceived personal beliefs on abortion and climate change.
Michael Olsen ran unsuccessfully to be a trustee for the Ottawa Catholic School Board in last fall’s election.
During the campaign, he answered a survey for the Campaign Life Coalition in which he said he believed women should not have access to abortions.
He was among 92 residents who applied for a seat to join eight elected councillors on the City of Ottawa’s transit commission, and Mayor Jim Watson said he believed the selection committee ranked Olsen highest.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/michael-olsen-transit-commission-abortion-climate-change-1.4999231
Rep. Ilhan Omar slammed for saying she ‘chuckles’ when Israel is called a democracy, compares it to Iran
Embattled congressional freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is facing backlash after comparing Israel to Iran and said she “almost chuckle[s]” when the Jewish state is described as a democracy.
The Democrat, who’s already been criticized both for her loose language and support of American adversaries such as Venezuela, made her controversial remarks during a Yahoo! News interview published on Tuesday.
REP. ILHAN OMAR FACING NEW SCRUTINY OVER PAST EFFORT TO WIN LENIENCY FOR 9 MEN ACCUSED OF TRYING TO JOIN ISIS
When asked about how the U.S. can facilitate peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Omar went to criticize the U.S. for not having “an equal approach” in dealing with both sides.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ilhan-omar-slammed-for-saying-she-chuckles-when-israel-is-called-democracy-comapres-it-to-iran
Two large states are now reporting significant numbers of noncitizens somehow became registered voters, showing yet again that the biggest problem with voter-integrity measures is not that they are too tough, but that they are too lenient.
Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that Secretary of State David Whitley had informed him that 95,000 noncitizens were on Texas’ voter rolls, and that at least 58,000 of them actually had voted at least once. On Jan.30, reports emerged that at least 11,198 noncitizens similarly were on the voter rolls in Pennsylvania, and “top lawmakers suspect the number could still be higher.” This is just the first tranche of numbers from an investigation launched when a Philadelphia poll commissioner estimated that some 100,000 noncitizens could be registered, after discovering that a computer problem in the state’s motor vehicle bureaus allowed ineligible voters to register.
The Pennsylvania investigation was catalyzed by a voter-integrity group called the Public Interest Legal Foundation, which filed suit in both state and federal courts to try to force these problems to be addressed.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/noncitizens-registered-to-vote-in-pennsylvania-and-texas-show-vote-fraud-is-real
RASHIDA TLAIB STAYS QUIET ON TOP ALLY WHO SPREAD ANTI-SEMITIC CONSPIRACIES
One of Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s key fundraisers, Maher Abdel-qader, has repeatedly promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Tlaib has remained silent on the controversy, even as it has put other Democrats in an awkward position.
Abdel-qader apologized on Wednesday and said he didn’t mean to share anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Tlaib previously came under scrutiny for having ties to other anti-Israel figures and for questioning the loyalties of pro-Israel lawmakers.
Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib has declined to address the fact that one of her top campaign allies repeatedly promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
A key fundraiser for Tlaib, Maher Abdel-qader, repeatedly promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, an investigation by The Daily Caller News Foundation revealed Monday.
Two days after TheDCNF’s report, Tlaib has continued to remain silent on the matter, even as other Democrats have faced questions about her ties to anti-Semitism. Her office declined to return multiple requests for comment.
https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/30/rashida-tlaib-anti-semitism/
An Ohio man accused of plotting an attack against a Toledo-area synagogue was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury, according to federal agents.
Damon Joseph, 21, also known as Abdullah Ali Yusuf, is charged with attempting to provide material to support ISIS, attempting to commit a hate crime, and possessing firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence stemming from his plan to attack at least one Toledo synagogue.
Days after the Tree of Life Congregation massacre in Pittsburgh, Mr. Joseph told an undercover agent he fantasized about doing something similar in Toledo, an affidavit shows.
Authorities declined to identify the Toledo synagogue.
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2019/01/30/Man-charged-hate-crime-in-terror-shooting-plot-Toledo-synagogue-pittsburgh/stories/201901300118
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Model Says She Made Up Story About Trump-Russian Collusion to Avoid Jail Time
LifeZette
By LifeZette | January 30, 2019 4:11PM
By Zachary Leeman | January 30, 2019
Belarusian model Anastasia Vashukevich (shown above left) has admitted that her earlier claims of having “proof” of Russian collusion by Donald Trump are false.
Vashukevich also goes by the alias Nastya Rybka.
MORE FROM THE POLITICAL INSIDER
She told CNN in a report published Tuesday that she made up claims she had secret recordings between President Donald Trump and Russian business magnate Oleg Deripaska — founder of the industrial group Basic Element — in order to escape prison time.
The so-called secret recordings were said to be proof of Russian collusion within the Trump presidential campaign.
Vashukevich was arrested in Thailand for solicitation.
She made up the story in order to get international attention from journalists. The model was seeking asylum in the United States — but was eventually deported back to Russia.
https://thepoliticalinsider.com/model-trump-collusion-anastasia-vashukevich/
Skirting U.S. sanctions, Europeans launch trade mechanism for Iran
John Irish, Riham Alkousaa
4 MIN READ
PARIS/BERLIN (Reuters) – France, Germany and Britain have set up a mechanism for non-dollar trade with Iran to avert U.S. sanctions, although diplomats acknowledge it is unlikely to free up the big transactions that Tehran says it needs to keep a nuclear deal afloat.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa-sanctions-eu/skirting-u-s-sanctions-europeans-launch-trade-mechanism-for-iran-idUSKCN1PP0K3?utm_source=reddit.com
Already banned from one postcode, the duo received a prison sentence for performing Attempted 1.0 – making legal history. ‘We’re being criminalised for making music’, they say
Dan Hancox
Thu 31 Jan 2019 12.27 GMT Last modified on Thu 31 Jan 2019 14.34 GMT
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Skengdo and AM: ‘There’s just no evidence that censorship is actually going to stop any crime.’
Skengdo and AM: ‘There’s just no evidence that censorship is actually going to stop any crime.’
Sheltering from a sudden downpour in a parked car just off Brixton Road, London, are two of British music’s greatest new talents, and now biggest outlaws: Skengdo and AM. A fortnight ago, the Metropolitan police announced they had secured a sentence of nine months in prison for the two 21-year-old drill rappers, suspended for two years, for breaching a gang injunction issued in August last year.
The nature of the breach? Performing their song Attempted 1.0 at a London concert in early December. The suppression of black music in the UK stretches back 100 years, but, according to Index on Censorship, this is first time in British legal history that a prison sentence has been issued for performing a song.
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The concert, at 1,400-capacity Koko, was the culmination of a sold-out nationwide tour, a celebratory homecoming gig performed in front of a diverse crowd of moshing fans. “We ended the year on such a positive note, we were so proud of what we’d achieved,” says AM. “We were just really excited about 2019.” Skengdo rolls his eyes. “And what a fucking start to this year. I just feel violated.”
The backlash is already gathering pace: a forthcoming open letter signed by civil rights group Liberty and others calls the injunction “a threat to all our civil liberties”, that prevents young people from discussing “the reality of their lives with any hope of being heard.”
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/31/skengdo-and-am-the-drill-rappers-sentenced-for-playing-their-song
Note: do you want to turn a lot of young non-political people into free speechers? Because this is how you turn non-political young people into free speechers… Prague Spring in 1968 would never have happened had the regime not gone after the young music group Plastic People of the Universe. It was the infusion of their young fans into the anti-oppression movement that gave it life.
Maxime Bernier on the Ruben Report
Sometimes, pictures are worth a thousand words: what had happened in Europe
https://magaimg.net/img/765j.jpg
Robot that thinks for itself from scratch brings forward rise the self-aware machines
The rise of “self-aware” robots has come a major step closer following the invention of a machine capable of thinking for itself from scratch, scientists have said.
Engineers at Columbia University claim to have smashed one of the biggest barriers in the field of robotics after a mechanical arm, which had not been programmed with any instructions, began performing practical tasks after just a few hours.
The team said this is the first time a robot has shown the ability to “imagine itself”, thereby working out what its purpose is and how to perform it.
Until now, some experts had pointed to the failure to achieve this as evidence that machines would never be able to develop their own intelligence in the complex way that humans do.
The robotic arm was programmed with no knowledge of physics, geometry or motor dynamics.
It spent approximately 35 hours moving about at random, however intensive machine-learning computing was going on during this time.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/robot-thinks-itself-scratch-brings-190000563.html
Scientists invent ‘self-aware’ robot that operates ON ITS OWN and able to REPAIR ITSELF
SCIENTISTS have created a self-aware robot capable of operating on its own without any instructions, in a major scientific breakthrough.
Engineers at Columbia University, in New York, have reached a pinnacle in robotics inventions, inventing a mechanical arm able to programme itself – even after it is malfunctioned. Professor Hod Lipson, who leads the Creative Machines lab, where the research was carried out, likened the robotic arm to how a “newborn child” adapts to their environment and learns things on its own. The group of scientists claimed this is the first time a robot has shown the ability to “imagine itself” and work out its purpose, figuring out how to operate without inbuilt mechanics. In the study, published in the journal Science Robotics, Prof Lipson said: “This is perhaps what a newborn child does in its crib, as it learns what it is.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1080325/science-robots-self-aware-mechanical-arm-artificial-intelligence-columbia-university
China launches a rocket from a SUBMARINE in incredible world first
The rocket was a rocketsonde – a rocket designed to perform weather observations
Chinese scientists have launched a rocket from an unmanned submarine for the first time in history.
The rocket was a rocketsonde – a rocket designed to perform weather observations – and was launched by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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Hongbin Chen, who led the study, said: “Launched from a long-duration unmanned semi-submersible vehicle, with strong mobility and large coverage of the sea area, rocketsonde (meteorological rockets that are capable of launching weather instruments up to 8,000 meters into the atmosphere) can be used under severe sea conditions and will be more economical and applicable in the future.”
The researchers decided to launch from the semi-submersible vehicle to improve the accuracy of the rocket.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/china-launches-rocket-submarine-incredible-13932286
Mariah Carey Threats Come After Months of ISIS Supporters Urging Concert Attacks
ISIS supporters online have been urging followers to attack Mariah Carey’s upcoming concert Thursday night in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The threats come as women’s rights activists have been urging the pop singer to cancel the event in protest over the Saudi regime jailing human rights advocates and oppressing women.
According to the Arab News, Carey’s first performance in the kingdom at King Abdullah Economic City is linked to the inaugural Saudi International golf tournament.
She’ll be joining performers Dutch DJ Tiesto, Yemeni-Emirati singer Balqees Fathi and Jamaican rapper Sean Paul.
https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/mariah-carey-threats-come-after-months-of-isis-supporters-urging-concert-attacks/
Jennifer Buscemi is the deepfake that should seriously frighten you
While the nation grapples with concerns over the spread of inaccurate and deceptive information online, deepfakes—videos in which an individual’s face is superimposed onto another—continue to advance at a quickening pace.
Now, the new ones are downright terrifying.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1090349932266094593
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/jennifer-buscemi-deepfake/
euronews – Students in Belgium call for increased efforts to fight climate change
Students in Belgium are skipping school again demanding better protection of the planet’s fragile climate. 70,000 people took part in a similar event on Sunday.
East Bay Biochemist Sells ‘Gene-Editing Kit’ For The Masses
MORAGA (KPIX 5) — After scientists unlocked the secrets of the human genome in 2003, there was immediate concern about how that knowledge might be abused in the wrong hands. Now, an East Bay entrepreneur wants to put that power in everyone’s hands.
Dr. Josiah Zayner has a PhD in biochemistry and worked for NASA, engineering organisms to help astronauts survive on Mars. But that wasn’t innovative enough for the young, self-described “Bio Hacker.”
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/01/29/east-bay-biochemist-sells-gene-editing-kit-for-the-masses/
President Trump: A wall is a wall, it is getting done one way or the other
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:32 AM PT — Thursday, January 31, 2019
President Trump recently reaffirmed his call for border security, and called on lawmakers to “stop playing political games.”
https://www.oann.com/president-trump-a-wall-is-a-wall-it-is-getting-done-one-way-or-the-other/
the rebel – Gerald Butts DEFENDS Google labeling Omar Khadr a Canadian Soldier
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U.S. pulling out of INF Treaty unless Russia falls back in line by February
Venezuelan Interim President Guaido calls for unity, cites the constitution for assuming presidency
Laura Loomer arrested while protesting illegal immigration at Calif. governor’s mansion
Democrat chairman threatens to subpoena DHS Secretary Nielsen
President Trump: A wall is a wall, it is getting done one way or the other
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Venezuelan Interim President Guaido calls for unity, cites the constitution for assuming presidency
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:42 AM PT — Thursday, January 31, 2019
Interim Venezuelan President Juan Guaido is citing the country’s constitution for the basis of assuming the presidency.
In a New York Times op-ed published Wednesday, Guaido called for unity and also gave his legal argument for challenging Nicolas Maduro. He claimed Venezuela’s last presidential elections were illegal, and Maduro’s term was supposed to end on January 10, 2019 when he was sworn in for a second term.
Guaido also said under the constitution, authority would be handed over to the president of the National Assembly.
https://www.oann.com/venezuelan-interim-president-guaido-calls-for-unity-cites-the-constitution-for-assuming-presidency/