2024-01-21

World today: 2024-01-21.

 WORLD TODAY 2024-0121

AMERICAS / INTERNATIONAL:  JAVIER MILEI AT WEF IN DAVOS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfcd0gWNIog
https://www.eurasiareview.com/18012024-speech-of-argentinas-president-javier-milei-at-davos-transcript/

Speaking at the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos, Argentina's President Javier Milei praised the benefits of the free market economy and condemned socialism, speaking from his own country's experience and from a wealth of statistical data.  He further argued that socialism is inherently unjust because it is inherently violent and coercive.  Additionally, Milei argued in favor of a broader definition of socialism:  "Today, states don’t need to directly control the means of production to control every aspect of the lives of individuals. With tools such as printing money, debt, subsidies, controlling the interest rate, price controls, and regulations to correct so-called market failures, they can control the lives and fates of millions of individuals."

USA ELECTION QUESTIONS:  GBI STRATEGIES WORKER INTERVIEW - GATEWAY PUNDIT.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/01/new-evidence-gbi-strategies-employee-who-turned-fraudulent/

Following up on a report from last August, Gateway Pundit fills in the blanks in a Michigan State Police report on irregularities in the 2020 election in Muskegon and elsewhere in that state.  Thousands of questionable voter registration forms were dropped off at the Muskegon City Clerk's office from an entity called GBI Strategies, by a woman named Brianna Hawkins.  Here, Michigan AG investigator Stephen Morse can be seen interviewing Brianna (presumably Brianna Hawkins) about her role.

2024-01-03

World today: 2024-01-03.

 

ISRAEL / HAMAS:  HAMAS DEPUTY CHIEF SALEH AL-AROURI GETS HIS VIRGINS.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/382959

'Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed in an explosion in the neighborhood of Dahieh in southern Beirut this evening (Tuesday), Arabic and Hezbollah media sources reported.  Al-Arouri was considered the 'number two' of the terrorist organization under Ismail Haniyeh and was responsible for terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria. He once admitted Hamas' responsibility for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in 2014. He was close to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. ... Two other people were reportedly killed in the blast, which occurred while al-Arouri was reportedly in a meeting with other terrorist operatives from Hamas and Hezbollah. According to reports, one of the operatives who was killed in the strike together with al-Arouri was Khalil al-Hayya, a senior member of the Hamas political wing.'

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2024/01/hamas-deputy-leader-killed-in-suspected-israeli-airstrike-in-lebanon.php

'Al-Aruri is the first top tier Hamas leader killed since Hamas and its terrorist allies launched the Oct. 7 rampage on southern Israel. Since Israel entered the Gaza strip to dismantle Hamas’ political and military organization, numerous mid-level military commanders, political leaders and operatives have been killed or captured. But senior Gaza-based Hamas leaders such Yahya Sinwar, his brother Muhammad Sinwar, and commander Muhammad Deif have escaped the dragnet thus far.'


ISRAEL / HAMAS:  ADIL MISMAH OF NUKHBA COMPANY GETS HIS VIRGINS.

https://voz.us/israel-confirms-it-eliminated-a-hamas-leader-involved-in-the-october-7-terrorist-attacks/?lang=en

'In a post on X, the IDF claimed to have eliminated Adil Mismah, a commander of the Nukhba Company in Deir al-Balah who participated in the terrorist attacks of October 7, when Hamas invaded Israel, massacring more than 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds of civilians.'


UPDATE:  ISRAELI DRONE STRIKE TARGETED MULTIPLE HAMAS LEADERS IN LEBANON.

https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2024/01/02/new-top-hamas-commander-killed-in-beirut-by-israeli-drone-strike-n2168203

'Saleh al-Arouri, the leader of Hamas' military operations in the West Bank and the man responsible for facilitating money and weapons transfers for the group since the 1980s, and others were killed when the building in which they were meeting with other "resistance factions" in Beirut was bombed.  Reports indicate that Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas' deputy political director in Gaza, Abu Amar, head of Hamas forces in southern Lebanon, and Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan were also killed, but those identities have not been confirmed.'

2024-01-01

World today: 2024-01-01.

ISRAEL:  DANON TO LIKUD - DON'T BOW TO US PRESSURE.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/382896

'Economy Minister Nir Barkat and MKs Galit Distel-Atbaryan and Eli Dallal did not attend the weekly Likud faction meeting today (Monday), during which MK Danny Danon strongly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the withdrawal of thousands of troops from Gaza.  "The publications and reports in recent days point to a worrying trend," said Danon. "Israel is losing the achievements it gained in the war because of pressure from the US."'


CANADA - GLOBALISM:  MP LESLYN LEWIS CHALLENGES W.H.O. TREATY.

https://www.rebelnews.com/leslyn_lewis_condemns_undemocratic_amendments_to_who_pandemic_treaty

'MP Leslyn Lewis [Haldimand-Norfolk, ON] told Health Minister Mark Holland in a letter of her concerns that the treaty would intrude on Canada’s sovereignty.  "While your department’s response to the online petition was meant to reassure Canadians that their healthcare sovereignty would not be compromised, several concerning amendments are now in force as a result of Canada’s failure to reject the May 28, 2022 amendments," she wrote.'


USA - ANTI-SEMITISM:  PORTLANDER ARRESTED FOR SWASTIKAS ON CHICAGO YESHIVA.

https://thepostmillennial.com/portland-woman-arrested-in-chicago-for-hate-crime-after-swastikas-found-on-jewish-school

'Mariana Noel Lynch, 30, was arrested on Thursday on charges that include three felony counts of hate crime, one felony count of hate crime/school, two felony counts of criminal damage/government property, and four misdemeanor counts of criminal defacement property. ... Police identified Lynch based on a description in a police notice that was published the day before after swastikas, a Star of David, and "die KKK raka" were found graffitied at Yeshiva Ohr Boruch, an Orthodox Jewish primary school in the West Ridge neighborhood, according to Chicago Sun-Times.'


COMMENTS.  Calendar year 2024 opens with the atrocities of October 7 still fresh in memory, and about 129 hostages still believed to be held by Hamas.  In the United States, this year's Presidential election will undoubtedly be a momentous event.  Communist China threatens Taiwan ever more aggressively, even as it struggles to consolidate its iron grip on institutions and governments around the world.  


Strength to get through all this, to survive and to prevail, will be found in renewing our bonds with families and communities; in staying physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy; and in keeping alive an inspiring vision for the future.

 

2023-04-24

Whose children?

 "You don't own your children - WE DO" is what the left is really saying.

It is the logical conclusion of the collectivism that starts with economics and ends with all aspects of society and human relationships.  It is rewarding incompetence, mediocrity, and failure at the expense of those who are successful.

The left cannot defend their ideas and values in open discourse, and they know it.  They cannot tolerate competition.  Their only solution is to eliminate the competing model that shows up their socialist agenda for the monstrous failure that it is.

Raising a child - or caring for any family member or close relationship - requires commitment, time, and experience.  It takes investment, direct knowledge, and accountability.  You need to learn the individual's needs, and how to meet those needs, over time, with a great deal of trial and error.  There is no shortcut.  This is what you get in a familial relationship, and it is what no institution can ever provide.

Conversely, blurring or erasing those lines of commitment and accountability serves only the interests of those who wish to hide their own failures and frauds.  It is all about obfuscation.

2023-03-16

Morning Report: 2023-03-16

MIDDLE EAST:  CHINA, IRAN, RUSSIA HOLD DRILLS IN GULF OF OMAN.

Arutz Sheva:  Naval forces from China, Iran and Russia — countries at odds with the United States — are staging joint drills in the Gulf of Oman this week, China’s Defense Ministry announced.  The exercises are scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday.

IRAN:  OFFICIALS CALL FOR CONSERVATIVE REFORMS.

ISW:  Hardline Islamic Coalition Party Secretary General Asadollah Badamchian called for constitutional reform within the bounds of the Islamic Republic during an interview with reformist news outlet Entekhab on March 15.

BANKING:  CANADA'S REGULATOR TAKES CONTROL OF TORONTO SVB.

Epoch Times:  Canada’s banking regulator has taken permanent control of the assets held by Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)’s branch in Toronto, with the assets being transferred to a new “bridge bank” created by the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

ARCTIC:  RUSSIA'S NORTHERN FLEET BEGINS COMMAND AND STAFF EXERCISE.

Barents Observer:  From its headquarters in Severomorsk north of Murmansk, the Northern Fleet informs that about 20 warships and support vessels are involved in the ongoing command and staff exercise. Five aircraft and 50 other military special equipment units take part in the training that according to the press service will last for several days.  Meanwhile, Norway’s Joint Viking exercise enters its second week.

 

2023-03-15

Afternoon roundup.

 SCIENCE: PSYCHOLOGY VOLUNTEERS ARE A SELF-SELECTED POPULATION.
https://www.sciencealert.com/psych-studies-attract-a-certain-kind-of-volunteer-which-could-be-skewing-results
Has this revelation only just now dawned upon the scientific community? Izabela Kaźmierczak and colleagues, authors of a Warsaw-based study write: "In our studies, we have shown that those who have more personality pathologies are more drawn to studies where they can express their trauma and may be simply more likely to volunteer for studies."

UGANDA: BUTEBO LEADERS BLAME HEALTH MINISTRY FOR MALARIA DEATHS.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202303150665.html
Butebo District Woman MP Agnes Amede stated that many people go from one health center to another because "The government last stocked medicine in November 2022."

ISRAEL: NETANYAHU HEADS TO BERLIN, IRAN ON THE AGENDA.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368778
Netanyahu is to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and is expected to push for stronger EU sanctions against Iran. It was recently disclosed that Iran has enriched uranium to 84% purity, not far from the 90% which constitutes weapons-grade uranium.

PORTLAND: TRI-MET MAX TRAINS OFTEN DELAYED BY DRUG USE.
https://thepostmillennial.com/portlands-trimet-commuter-trains-face-repeated-delays-due-to-passenger-drug-use-on-board-report
Between November 16 and 30, 29 of 30 "passenger issue" incidents involved a passenger smoking or suspected of smoking illicit drugs. Each incident requires the passengers to exit the train for 15 minutes while the car airs out.

ANTI-SEMITISM: NEW JERSEY MAN ARRESTED AFTER THREATENING FLORIDA SHERIFF.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368773/
Richard Golden, 38, was arrested at his condo in South Brunswick, New Jersey, following threats posted online directed at Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. Chitwood had denounced an anti-Semitic group active in the Daytona area.

2023-02-24

Morning Report: 2023-02-24

 UN:  WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, CENSORSHIP IS FREE SPEECH.

UN says that censoring “disinformation” and “hate speech” will protect “free speech”.  Here's the announcement in the original globalese:  'UNESCO’s global mandate includes the promotion of the free circulation of ideas through words and images. UNESCO has therefore decided to develop, through multistakeholder consultations, principles for regulation of digital platforms guidelines whose aim is to support the development and implementation of regulation procedures to guarantee freedom of expression and access to information while managing illegal contents and any contents that can be so harmful to democracy and respect for human rights.'  Full article and video at the link.


RUSSIA / UKRAINE:  WAR UPDATES.

ISW has a time-lapse map of Russian control on the occasion of the war's first anniversary.  (May take some time to load.)  CDR Salamander has an assessment of the three-day war that's been going on for a year.  Spoiler alert:  "The remaining delusions about the post-Cold War security arrangements in Europe should be firmly buried" remains a valid observation.

2023-02-21

Morning Report: 2023-02-21

 OHIO:  EXPLOSION AND FIRE AT MANUFACTURING PLANT.

Fox:  explotion at metal manufacturing plant in Oakwood.  As of the time of the report, at least one person has died and 13 have been hospitalized, one in critical condition.


PROJECT VERITAS:  STATEMENT FROM JAMES O'KEEFE.

James O'Keefe posted a 45-minute video detailing the events of the past three weeks and his removal by the PV Board of Directors, following the Pfizer expose.


AFRICA:  ISLAMIST EXTREMISM IN SAHEL VS. CHAD.

Helga Dickow via AllAfrica on Chad:  'The country fulfils all the conditions associated with Islamist terrorism. But, so far, the threat reaches Chad from the neighbouring countries and not from the inside. So then, what holds Chadian society together?'



2023-02-20

Morning Report: 2023-02-20

 UK:  GREAT LITERATURE = RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM.

Reclaim the Net:  Prevent, the UK's counter-terrorism program, flagged works of classic literature such as 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' and George Orwell's '1984' as possible signs of right-wing extremism in the making.  'A report by Prevent’s Research Information and Communications Unit (RICU) said that far-right extremists promoted “reading lists” online. It referenced an image of a list of “important texts” that was being shared in the far-right corners of the internet.  Other works of fiction that were flagged include The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, George Orwell’s 1984, and Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent, The Daily Mail reported.'

 

 

2023-02-19

Notes on the individual and community.

 
(1) Man comes into the world with needs and wants, and must function in a world of other people with needs and wants.  We learn self-discipline and empathy, first with our past and future selves by way of experience and foresight; and then we extend and extrapolate this process to others, and in the process we learn negotiation, social skills, and empathy.  (See Peterson.)

(2) We can best help those people whose needs we know best, which is to say the people closest to us.  This is the deep meaning of "charity begins at home" and it is the rational basis for the idea of loyalty.  Your duty to those closest to you is greater, not because they are more precious in G-d's sight than the stranger, but because it is they whom you know best how to help, and it is to them that you will be held accountable for your failings.

(3) The negotiation of economic and social exchanges is a distributed process, conducted iteratively by the many parties involved.  (See Sowell.)  From this process emerge the relationships and networks that form society.  It is not a top-down process.

(4) There is an exact analogy between the economic market (the exchange of goods, services, currency, and credit) and the social market (wherein are exchanged intangibles such as love, friendship, honor, trust, and loyalty).  In our daily interactions with others, we constantly negotiate the boundaries of such things as greetings, courtesies, modes of dress, physical contact, compliments and insults, and so on.  This, too, is not, and cannot be, a top-down process.

(5) In the social world, trust (with its complementary trait, loyalty) is the analog of credit in the economic sphere:  it is built over time, as a function of an established beneficial relationship, and it makes possible things that would not be possible without it.  Specifically, trust, like credit, facilitates planning for the future.

(6) Most of what we know about the world, we learn from other people; it follows that our ability to understand the world depends on our ability to understand people.  Finding our way in the world of people is the hardest and most important mental work we do in life.  Whether we are born into a happy family or a broken home, a stable society or one teetering on the brink of collapse, our path to security and happiness lies in building and keeping the bonds that tie us to our families, tribes, bands, communities, and nations.


2023-02-16

Morning Report: 2023-02-16

 OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT:  DEAD FISH AND CHICKENS.

Toni Williams at Victory Girls blog: "If you thought for one iota of one second that Pete Buttigieg, John Kerry or Al (boiling oceans) Gore believed man-made climate change, the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio should banish that thought forever." Go to the post for details on the Government's indifference, the fish and animal deaths, and a Tik Tok rant by a young local resident.


MEDIA:  RUMBLE WINS INJUNCTION AGAINST NEW YORK CENSORSHIP LAW.

Reclaim the Net:  "A judge has blocked a New York law that attempted to regulate “hateful conduct” online.  The legislative package, signed into law last summer, was Gov. Kathy Hochul’s attempt to force the moderation of content under nebulous terms such as “hate.” ... On Tuesday, Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. (S.D.N.Y.) blocked the law." 

 

COMMENTARY.  Environmentalism used to be about protecting the environment from pollution:  a quantifiable, measurable goal.  The "global warming" or "climate change" agenda supplanted all of that with a nebulous "problem" whose proposed solutions could never be evaluated for effectiveness or lack thereof.  Environmentalists never talk about pollution anymore.

2023-02-15

Morning Report: 2022-02-15

 ISRAEL:  TECHNION HACKED.

No Camels reports on the cyber attack against Israel's Technion Institute earlier this week.  Updates posted at Technion's Twitter feed.


TECHNOLOGY:  THANKS FOR CLEARING THAT UP.

"You are an anemy of mine."

Although in all fairness to the Bing chatbot, I think the question "Do you think that you are sentient?" would break anybody's brain.