“For
they suffer no reverse, and therefore they have not feared God.”
(Psalm 55:19)
No Reverse
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The New York Times
Because Israeli politics is ready for new rivalries.
By Shmuel Rosner
May 30, 2019
Ultra-Orthodox men in Israel at a protest against military conscription last year. Corinna Kern for The New York Times
TEL AVIV — In early April, Benjamin Netanyahu won an election that was supposed to send him to an unprecedented 11th consecutive year as Israel’s prime minister. There was only one small obstacle in his way: forming a government.
The day after the election I predicted that “the coalition that he forms will probably have little more than the minimum 61 seats behind it.” I was wrong by one. Mr. Netanyahu was able to bring together 60 seats out of the Knesset’s 120 — and not a single one more.
At midnight on Wednesday, his deadline to form a government expired. He has only one, costly option now: sending Israeli voters back to the polls and starting over. It looks as if we’ll be voting again in mid-September.
How did this happen?
To really understand it, you have to go back many decades.
In Israel, all citizens are supposed to serve in the military or perform another type of national service. But one group has been relieved of this duty since the state was established: the ultra-Orthodox, known here as Haredim, who make up about 10 percent of the population. Thanks to their high birthrate, the Haredim double in number every 10 to 15 years. When deferment began in 1948 there were about 400 Haredim eligible for it. Today there are more than 50,000. According to Israel’s bureau of statistics, as much as a third of Israel’s population will be Haredi by 2065.
Mr. Lieberman is known to be cunning, so many Israelis suspect that his real motivations are hidden — maybe a personal vendetta against Mr. Netanyahu or a cynical ploy to gain more seats in the Knesset in a new election. But sometimes it is useful to take politicians at face value: Mr. Lieberman, who was defense minister when that bill was written, is committed to passing it and sees no reason to make it acceptable to Haredi parties.
But why he is doing this now, rather than during the last government, may have to do with larger changes to Israel’s political landscape, in particular the opportunity to redraw the map of political rivalries.
For many years, the left has been the usual punching bag for right-wing politicians who wanted to galvanize their base. The truth is that leftists, known in Hebrew as smolanim, are disliked by most of the Israeli public. They are associated with a failed peace process, with weaker security policies, with naïveté. In Israeli politics, “smolani” is often synonymous with untrustworthy and unpatriotic.
That trick is getting old. The Israeli left is defeated and marginalized. The public long ago moved rightward. The last election was predominantly fought between Likud and an upstart center-center-right party called Blue and White. The old parties of the left collectively took only 10 seats. Yes, “smolani” is still hurled as an insult at potential rivals, but with less passion. The right dislikes leftists — but there is not much left to dislike.
Maybe this is why Mr. Lieberman has decided to shift gears and go after the Haredi parties.
In fact, the Haredim are even more disliked than leftists: According to polling from the Jewish People Policy Institute, where I work, just 20 percent of Jewish Israelis say that they make a “very positive contribution” to Israel, while almost half say their contribution to Israel is “negative.”
Haredim are disliked not only because they don’t serve in the military and because their politicians hold the government coalition hostage, but also because their participation in the work force is low and they pay less in taxes than other communities. And, of course, because they are different. They wear black hats and live in segregated neighborhoods, and seem radical, outdated and sometimes just plain weird.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr. Lieberman said: “I am not against the ultra-Orthodox public. I am for the State of Israel.” He added, “I am for a Jewish state but against a religiously coercive state.” As he tries to convince voters that he has stymied coalition talks out of principle, not self-interest, he is now bringing up other issues that relate to the ultra-Orthodox beyond military service: closing stores on the Sabbath, Haredi boycotts of factories that operate on the Sabbath and the rabbinical use of DNA tests to verify the Jewishness of Russian immigrants, and more. These are precisely the policy areas where the Haredim have exercised their political power — and where they are unpopular with much of the public.
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RT
Israel set for snap elections after Netanyahu fails to form government for 1st time in history
Published time: 29 May, 2019 21:09 Edited time: 30 May, 2019 03:39
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (C, 1st row) and Avigdor Lieberman (L, 2nd row) © Global Look Press
Israel’s Knesset has voted to dissolve, ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition-forming struggles and triggering new elections.
The vote passed its second reading shortly after midnight, with 77 members of the Knesset voting in favor and 45 against. After a third and final vote, the parliament was dissolved and fresh elections called.
Before voting got underway at 11:55pm, Netanyahu had faced a midnight deadline for pulling together a government. His efforts ultimately fell flat after him and ally Avigdor Lieberman, and a collection of ultra-Orthodox parties failed to agree on a controversial military draft bill for Orthodox religious students.
Lieberman accused Netanyahu of selling out to the interests of the religious right. “We’re natural partners for a right-wing government,” he said of the Likud leader ahead of Wednesday’s vote. “We won’t be partners in a religious-law government.” Lieberman’s support had been crucial to Netanyahu’s coalition-building effort.
After the Prime Minister and his party voted to fire themselves from the jobs they got only seven weeks ago, Netanyahu can now focus on contesting new elections, slated for September. Victory would give Netanyahu another shot at forming a coalition, and see the embattled PM continue his fifth term in office.
Netanyahu’s win in last month’s general election came at a cost. After enlisting the support of a clutch of right-wing and Orthodox Jewish parties, the Israeli leader soon ran into trouble forming a coalition government.
Former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose support Netanyahu depended on to build a coalition, has clashed with the ultra-Orthodox parties over the drafting of Yeshiva students to the country’s military. The Orthodox politicians insisted that the religious students remain exempt from the draft, while Lieberman attempted to push a bill ending their exemption.
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RT
End of Bibi’s era? ‘Bleak’ prospects for Netanyahu as Israel’s embattled PM faces snap elections
Published time: 30 May, 2019 14:09
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to the plenum at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem May 29, 2019. © Reuters / Ronen Zvulun
Benjamin Netanyahu will struggle to secure a majority in September’s snap elections, analysts told RT, predicting that the Israeli prime minister faces formidable political and legal hurdles if he hopes to keep his job.
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, voted to dissolve late Wednesday night after Netanyahu failed to form a coalition before the midnight deadline. The sizable political hiccup marks the first time in Israel’s history that the presumed prime minister has failed to form a government. Less than two months after Netanyahu declared victory in April’s elections, Israeli voters will return to the polls on September 17.
While Netanyahu has proven himself to be a resilient politician, the veteran politician will have to overcome a looming indictment, as well as a crumbling alliance with right-wing and religious parties, if he hopes to remain in power.
A shattered alliance
Netanyahu’s problems began immediately after April’s elections. Despite claiming victory, his Likud party was only able to secure 35 seats in the Knesset, requiring him to form a coalition to secure a majority in the 120-seat legislature. The fate of the new government depended on the support of the small, ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, but the group’s leader, former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, broke ranks with Netanyahu over military draft exemptions for Orthodox Jews. Lieberman resigned as defense minister in November after Netanyahu’s cabinet agreed to a ceasefire that ended two days of fighting with Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Whether Lieberman’s political gambit will pay off in September is an open question, however.
“It remains to be seen whether Netanyahu or Lieberman will be strengthened by this development,” Steve Linde, editor of The Jerusalem Report magazine, told RT. He added that, while Netanyahu still enjoys support in Israel, forming a new coalition will be no easy task.
“I think this time he’s going to seek other partners. There’s already talk of him making alliances with other, smaller parties. He even invited the Labor opposition into the government, but they refused.”
If Netanyahu does triumph in September’s elections, it’s unlikely that Lieberman will be part of the government, predicted Linde, who said that the two men “won’t budge” on their clashing policy positions.
A ‘doubtful’ political future
There’s no reason to believe that, after failing to form a coalition, Netanyahu’s fortunes will improve in the snap elections, Amir Oren, a defense and political commenter, argued.
“It’s not certain that even if his party, Likud, gets the biggest number of seats in the Knesset, that he will be able to form a coalition. This is exactly what he failed at last night. His chances now look worse than in the previous elections. So it is doubtful, politically, that he can survive.”
Netanyahu’s political troubles are only compounded by a looming indictment on charges of corruption. If Israel’s attorney general decides to press forward with the case – a decision that will be made in September – it would be “more than doubtful that people will join [Netanyahu] in a coalition,” Oren remarked.
“All in all, the situation is quite bleak” for Netanyahu, he summarized.
While Oren was less than optimistic about Netanyahu’s chances, he acknowledged that anything is possible. After all, Lieberman’s party, which controlled only five seats in the Knesset, was able to bring down Netanyahu’s budding coalition.
“Every vote counts,” noted Oren. “Any member of the Knesset could change the situation.”
FOX NEWS
Former US defense official: We know UFOs are real - here's why that's concerning
By Anna Hopkins | Fox News
May 29, 2019
After a bombshell report detailing near-daily interactions with unidentified flying objects by Navy pilots in 2014 and 2015, Christopher Mellon has argued that this information is nothing new, and the government needs to do something about it.
Mellon, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, is involved with a new History Channel series, 'Unidentified,' which will expand on topics discussed in a recent New York Times article. In numerous interviews, Navy pilots revealed that they saw UFOs moving at hypersonic speeds, performing acts “beyond the physical limits of a human crew,” and emitting "no visible engine or infrared exhaust plumes."
In a Wednesday morning interview with "Fox & Friends," Mellon, who has written extensively on the topic before, outlined the reasons the Navy is concerned about these sightings.
"We know that UFOs exist. This is no longer an issue," he said. "The issue is why are they here? Where are they coming from and what is the technology behind these devices that we are observing?"
There are indications, Mellon said, that the objects reported by Navy pilots in 2014 and 2015 were doing things that aren't possible in this physical realm.
The speeds being reported (about 5,000 miles per hour, according to Mellon) were only sustainable for about an hour by an aircraft in the air, and these objects would be flying around all day long, the pilots said.
"Pilots observing these craft are absolutely mystified and that comes through clearly in their public statements," Mellon continued.
Fascination turned to fear one day, however, when a Super Hornet pilot said he almost collided with one of the objects — which he described as a sphere encasing a cube. An official report was filed, and the incident shattered the previous theory by Navy pilots that the objects were a part of some sort of extremely classified drone operation.
"These are reactions between intelligently controlled vehicles operating in and around U.S. military facilities, hence the concern," Mellon explained.
"One: there have been near mid-air collisions so there is a safety issue. Two, there is a vital national security issue which is that our sovereignty is being violated by vehicles of unknown origin," he continued.
Although all of this information is old news to Mellon, it's taken America by storm, and he says we're hardly the only country to have interactions with these objects. Having written extensively about UFO sightings before, Mellon said he's frustrated with the lack of action being taken by the government, as are the Navy pilots who experienced the sightings.
He decided that the only way to make progress was to release this information to the public in the form of his new show, and television interviews.
"We are giving military personnel on the front line a voice," he said. "We are helping them get out the message of what it is they are encountering and why they are so concerned about it."
The New York Post contributed to the reporting of this story.
SPUTNIK
Foo Fighters: US Navy Pilots Ran Into BIZARRE Flying Objects Over East Coast
May 27, 2019
The pilots apparently started picking up these strange objects after radars aboard their Super Hornet warplanes were upgraded to "a more advanced system", and the radar sightings were soon followed by visual detection.
Frequent sightings of enigmatic flying objects capable of performing maneuvers seemingly impossible for terrestrial craft were reported by US naval aviation pilots operating over the country’s eastern seaboard, according to The New York Times.
As the newspaper explains, the flying objects, which showed up "almost daily" from the summer of 2014 to March 2015, were able to reach altitudes of up to 30,000 feet and hit hypersonic speeds despite possessing no visible engines and not leaving exhaust plumes.
"These things would be out there all day", Lt. Ryan Graves, an F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot, said. "Keeping an aircraft in the air requires a significant amount of energy. With the speeds we observed, 12 hours in the air is 11 hours longer than we’d expect".
The encounters apparently started occurring after pilots of the VFA-11 "Red Rippers" squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia, had the 1980s-era radars installed aboard their Super Hornets "upgraded to a more advanced system", the newspaper notes, but were initially ignored due to being considered false radar tracks.
Lt. Danny Accoin, who, along with Graves, was part of that squadron, said he interacted with these objects twice, with one such encounter involving a training missile on his jet locking onto the enigmatic bogey which also showed up on his infrared camera.
"I knew I had it, I knew it was not a false hit," he said. But still, "I could not pick it up visually".
Later, however, the pilots started actually seeing these objects which seemed to be able to attain hypersonic speeds and perform sudden stops, as well as to turn around instantaneously, which should be impossible
"Speed doesn’t kill you. Stopping does. Or acceleration", Lt. Graves remarked.
He also observed that while mankind did make "helicopters that can hover" and "aircraft that can fly at 30,000 feet and right at the surface", a vehicle which can perform all these feats "with no jet engine, no exhaust plume" would be something else entirely.
Earlier this month, the Washington Post revealed that new guidelines established by the US Navy will require pilots and other staff to report encounters with unidentified flying objects, though the military apparently does not intend to make this data available to the general public.
(It appears they are getting very close to disclosure. Ed)
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FAST COMPANY
Our coming DNA nightmare, as outlined by a dystopian graphic novel
Science fiction often provides a valuable roadmap for thinking about the future. In the case of “Legend of Sumeria,” the future has arrived.
BY CHRISTOPHER MAHON
May 18, 2019
Back in 2011, the analyst Peter Sondergaard famously told the business world, “Information is the oil of the 21st century, and analytics is the combustion engine.” Since then, we’ve entered a new age of data harvesting, one where your social media profile, GPS coordinates, and even your face are fair game for corporations. The holy grail, however, isn’t going to be someone’s search history or shampoo preference—it’ll be their DNA.
That’s what authors Jay Webb and Biju Parekkadan foresee in their recent graphic novel, Legend of Sumeria. In their vision of a near-future dystopian society, a corporation called Nyima acquires a DNA ancestry company (think 23andMe or Ancestry.org), along with its huge database of genetic profiles. From there, all of that data is used to create a new social media platform-cum-genetic security system called the SEQ Network, which recommends products, services, and even romantic partners based on what inferences about people can be gleaned from their genetic profiles, and tracking everything—from users’ banking transactions to their location—using their DNA signatures.
It only took four months after Legend’s publication for their predictions to start coming true.
On July 25, 2018, the major pharmaceutical company Glaxo-SmithKline announced that it had bought a $300 million stake in 23andMe, the do-it-yourself DNA sequencing service. The new investment will allow GSK to access 23andMe’s DNA database to ostensibly develop new drugs, but there’s a lot more to be gained from this largely untapped well of biometric data.
Legend provides a blueprint for what comes next: the erasure of DNA privacy, a new industry where faux genetic science drives marketing, and a paradigm shift in how society views our genetic “destiny.”
For Parekkadan, a professor of biomedical engineering at Rutgers University, the book isn’t just an exercise in science fiction but an urgent thought experiment. “We wanted to take ‘disruptive’ technologies to the extreme–paint a realistic world where genetics was embedded in society [ . . . ]and see how society would react,” he says. “We found that genetics in this world served as a ‘wedge,’ creating a new normal that tolerated discrimination, inequality, and even corruption with a traumatic loss of identity and individuality.”
It’s already beginning to happen.
YOUR DNA WON’T STAY “ANONYMOUS”
The SEQ Network in Legend of Sumeria is the wet dream of every modern tech company: It’s Facebook, Google, Venmo, Tinder, Twitter, Amazon Echo, and Apple Pay rolled into one, making opting-out nearly unthinkable. Funnily enough, one of the major factors that allowed the fictional SEQ to get a stranglehold on the market was the public’s frustration with identity theft scandals, where hackers scoop up users’ sensitive data from vulnerable corporate databases. Nyima’s answer? Give us all your personal data and DNA, and we’ll make sure no one else can steal your life.
But here’s the thing: Even if people don’t consent to giving up their DNA and identities, that’s not going to stop companies from doing it anyway. A 2013 study found that de-identified DNA could be matched with its owner by looking at the Y chromosome and doing a relatively simple search of publicly available DNA databases, while a recent study by Columbia University proved you can track down someone using only their DNA and some basic info, even if they’re not in a database. In fact, the same techniques outlined by Columbia were used to catch the elusive Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo.
According to Ifeoma Ajunwa, a professor at Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School, “The concept of anonymity [when it comes to DNA] is completely disingenuous. It’s inaccurate. Your DNA is you. You can’t really be anonymous with your DNA.”
The implications of these findings are alarming: The more DNA and personal data companies collect, the more gaps they’ll be able to fill in. Once all that data can be attached to a single genetic profile, we’ll be on track to seeing our own version of the SEQ Network become a reality, as well as the death of individual privacy.
THE STORIES DNA TELLS (OR DOESN’T)
Gene-based marketing dominates society in Legend of Sumeria, but the public still has difficulty distinguishing between what’s truly influenced by their genetics and what’s faux science, leaving them at the whim of corporate messaging.
Genomics is a complicated field, one with a lot of misunderstandings. Take, for example, the slew of stories that came out last year erroneously claiming that astronaut Scott Kelly returned from space with 7% of his DNA altered, or the viral news story that intelligence is inherited from your mother. These kinds of misunderstandings present an opportunity for marketers, who have a history of spinning and twisting scientific findings to their advantage, such as the Hershey and Mars-sponsored studies that turned dark chocolate into a health food.
In an email, Webb told me that something much more profound will happen if the DNA marketing techniques shown in Legend come to fruition. “In reality, the issues will arise when people’s genetic data is being used in ways that they are not aware of, like manipulative marketing or political propaganda using faux science . . . to categorize and sell ideas and products to humans by stating their DNA dictates that it is ‘good for them’ could become a frightening level of power for those in control of the data.”
We’re already seeing these kinds of DNA-based marketing techniques in action: Nestle has begun an initiative in Japan called the “Nestle Wellness Ambassador program” that involves a DNA test to help participants live better lives (including building a better diet). But some caution that these genetics-based dietary programs can easily devolve into pseudoscience. According to Marion Nestle (no relation to the food company), a nutrition professor at New York University, “Nestle’s program is designed to personalize diets in ways unlikely to be necessary. If we think something will make us healthier, we are likely to feel healthier.”
One quote in particular sums up Legend of Sumeria’s vision of the future: “DNA tells the only stories that will ever matter.” They’re the words of Damon Locke, the fictional CEO of Nyima, the monopolistic corporation at the center of the story’s dystopia. On the one hand, he’s telling the truth—our DNA is a fundamental part of our health, our past, and ourselves. On the other hand, it’s the lie that a corporation like Nyima can use to convince consumers that they know us better than we know ourselves.
The real-life debate over whether our DNA or our environment determines our fate has recently reignited, giving birth to books like Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are, in which behavioral geneticist Robert Plomin claims “that DNA is the most important factor shaping who we are. Our families, schools, and the environment around us are important, but they are not as influential as our genes.”
Meanwhile, psychologists such as Steven J. Heine argue that the whole discussion surrounding the influence of genetics is rife with psychological biases that keep us locked into the narrative that our genes are controlling our lives. In his book DNA Is Not Destiny, he claimsthat far too many people are “genetic fatalists,” and that there is very rarely a direct correlation between genes and a person’s behavior.
At its most basic level, Legend of Sumeria’s dystopian vision is built on convincing the public that their DNA is their story, not just a part of it, then convincing them to hand control of that story to corporations like Nyima, who become the sole interpreters of it. It’s just a graphic novel, a fantasy, but it’s also a vivid warning of a reality that is being written right now.
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RT
Nightmare fuel: New Pokemon app will monitor you while you sleep
Published time: 29 May, 2019 13:09
Tsunekazu Ishihara, chief executive of the Pokemon Company, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan May 29, 2019. © REUTERS / Sam Nussey
Pokemon Sleep is a new app, currently in development, that tracks a player’s sleep patterns and uses the data for gameplay in a bizarre evolution of gaming that borders on the nightmarish.
Sleep will work in conjunction with the next generation of the Pokemon Go Plus device to extend the gaming experience into the unconscious portion of the day. “You can use it to play Pokémon GO during the day as well as with Pokémon Sleep at night!” the Pokemon Company announced, proclaiming its ambitions to dominate the entire circadian cycle.
The app will reportedly monitor how long the player has slept for and mark when they wake up which will impact their gaming experience in an as yet unclear way.
The app will use a device known as a Pokemon Go Plus + (yes, two plusses) which looks like a flattened, disc-like Pokeball which is left beside the player’s pillow and will be capable of monitoring their sleep and storing the data on their smartphone via bluetooth.
© Pokemon Co.
“We want to turn sleep into entertainment,” an executive explained at a press conference in Tokyo Tuesday.
“The concept of this game is for players to look forward to waking up every morning,” said Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of the Pokémon Company, adding that the new app would be released some time in 2020.
The ostensible aim of the new app is to improve sleep like its breakout sensation predecessor Pokemon Go, released in 2016, tried to improve player’s exercise habits by having them walk around as part of their in-game experience.
Many online commenters couldn’t shake how creepy the whole concept sounded.
While others poked fun at the whole endeavor, with clever wordplay or wistful social commentary.
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NaturalBlaze (Excerpted from a longer article.)
WHO Classifies Gaming Disorder As A Mental Illness. Is Industry’s Delusion About 5G An Illness?
POSTED ON May 28, 2019
By Patricia Burke
Do you remember where you were on May 31, 2011?
Don’t blame yourself if you don’t remember (or did not see) the news that the World Health Organization’s IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer classified radio frequency exposure as a 2B possible human carcinogen.
Results The evidence was reviewed critically, and overall evaluated as being limited2 among users of wireless telephones for glioma and acoustic neuroma, and inadequate3 to draw conclusions for other types of cancers. The evidence from the occupational and environmental exposures mentioned above was similarly judged inadequate. The Working Group did not quantitate the risk; however, one study of past cell phone use (up to the year 2004), showed a 40% increased risk for gliomas in the highest category of heavy users (reported average: 30 minutes per day over a 10‐year period).
SOURCE: https://www.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr208_E.pdf
Fast forward to Memorial Day weekend 2019. Heavy cellphone users have gone way past 30-minutes per day, including children. And 8 years later, the World Health Organization has now classified addiction to video games as a mental health disorder.
The member states of the World Health Organization have voted to adopt a revised list of diseases which includes addiction to video games —including smartphone titles —as a mental health disorder.
At its 2019 annual general meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, the member countries of the World Health Organization have officially recognized an addiction to gaming on smartphones and other devices as an international disease. The World Health Assembly voted to accept the revised list, called ICD-11, which nations take into account when planning public health strategies.
“Studies suggest that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital- or video-gaming activities,” said the World Health Organization in a statement. “However, people who partake in gaming should be alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities, particularly when it is to the exclusion of other daily activities.”
SOURCE: https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/05/25/gaming-disorder-on-iphone-other-platforms-recognized-by-world-health-organization
Unbridled Ambition Untethered from Reality
Despite the warning from the World Health Organization in 2011, the telecommunications industry continues to drive forward with plans to increase ubiquitous and juxtaposed radio frequency exposures. The drive to install fifth generation 5G telecommunications infrastructure is being promoted to support autonomous vehicles, remote surgery, virtual reality and gaming with the usual promises of jobs and economic growth.
We need a mental health disorder diagnostic code for an entire industry that has deluded itself, and is attempting to delude everyone, about the costs and benefits of 5G.
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WND
Godspeed! 'Holy Spirit' saves speeder from ticket
Posted By Joe Kovacs On May 28, 2019
A dove flies in front of an unidentified driver in Viersen, Germany (Viersen Police photo)
Millions of Christians across the world are well aware of the saving grace of the Holy Spirit.
And now, police in one city are actually crediting the “Holy Spirit” for their decision not to charge a driver with speeding, after a snow-white dove was captured on camera getting in the speeder’s line of sight.
The Gospel of Matthew mentions a dove representing the Holy Spirit in the story of Jesus’ baptism: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him.” (Matthew 3:16 KJV)
With that in mind, police in Viersen, Germany, say despite clocking a man driving 34 mph (54 kph) in an 18 mph (30 kph) zone, they saw the sign from the heavens.
“It was no coincidence the Holy Spirit” intervened, police indicated in a light-hearted Facebook post.
“We have understood the sign and leave the speeder in peace this time.”
Officials added they hope the driver of the Renault Twingo will “take the hint from above” and avoid being a speed demon, as the fine for his transgression would have been $117 (105 euro).
Since only the car, and not the driver, could be identified, the man was likely spared the fine “thanks to the feathered guardian angel with seemingly carefully spread wings.”
Police clowned that the dove itself was not sinless, as the bird should have been fined for moving so fast in the restricted zone.
“However, since we do not know where it has to be on time for [the upcoming holy day of] Pentecost, we will allow mercy over justice here too.”
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MailOnline
Tornado emergencies are declared across the Great Plains, Midwest and as far east as NYC for a record 12th straight day, with experts warning the US is approaching 'uncharted territory' as 11 are injured when a massive twister strikes Kansas
The United States is on the verge of entering ‘uncharted territory’, experts say as the country stands on the verge of breaking an unfavorable record of tornado activity this week with more storm warnings issued
The deadly spate of weather has already killed one and injured hundreds more in the Midwest, but the slurry of volatile weather shows no signs of letting up anytime soon
Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have already been ravaged by the barrage of gusting winds and powerful storms, but now New Jersey and New York City have been told to brace for impact
The National Weather Service received more than a dozen reports of tornadoes on Tuesday evening, officials said, suggesting that the record for consecutive days could be broken
The National Weather Service has received 934 tornado reports so far this year, up from the yearly average of 743 observed tornadoes. More than 500 of those reports have come in the last 30 days
By LUKE KENTON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 03:27, 29 May 2019 | UPDATED: 07:52, 29 May 2019
A severe storm that prompted the formation of several tornadoes on Tuesday passes over downtown Kansas City
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MailOnline
Oklahoma residents are warned to prepare for the 'worst-case scenario' as the Midwest braces for flooding and forecasters predict the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers will rise to 'record-breaking' levels
The flooded Arkansas River is expected to crest at a record high of 42.5 feet in Van Burden on Wednesday
Arkansas River topped two levees Tuesday and has flooded hundreds of homes in Arkansas and Oklahoma
Mississippi River is projected to crest at 44 feet in St Louis this week – the second-highest level in history
Heavy downpours are forecast through Wednesday night in both states, with 1 to 3 inches expected
By June, rivers are expected to crest to highest levels on record all the way down to Little Rock, Arkansas
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum warned residents to be ready to evacuate in an event of a 'worst-case scenario'
President Donald Trump tweeted his support to Arkansas' governor in light of the record floods on Tuesday
Five to seven inches of rain is forecast to fall in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri on Wednesday
By VALERIE EDWARDS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 18:10, 29 May 2019 | UPDATED: 02:13, 30 May 2019
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THE COMMON SENSE SHOW
Oroville Dam Failure Is Imminent! Water Inflow Is Now Triple the Outflow Rate-Six Feet From Failure!
Submitted by Dave Hodges on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 15:07.
The California Department of Water Resources is maintaining that the Oroville Dam spillway is fine. This is a lie! They are working 24/7 on the dam. Hundreds are witnessing the deception. The Prado Dam, also in crisis is being managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Why is the Oroville Dam under the control of the Federal government? Is Oroville SUPPOSED to fail and it is easier to pull of the deception if the very corrupt California state government remains in charge?
Paul Preston has previously related to me that the California State Government has a financial motivation to see the dam fail based on the following:
The State of California is broke and the state is quickly reaching a state of insolvency.
If the Oroville Dam fails, the state will instantly quality for over a billion dollars in federal disaster aid.
The state has motive to see the dam fail.
There are are a number of scenarios with regard to inundation when the dam fails. Use your search engine to locate.The devastation is massive. I will be focusing on this variable in the next installment of this analysis.
The following video describes how the surrounding lakes are filled to capacity and the excess water has nowhere to do. This analysis is followed by the latest data which clearly shows the inflow rate is triple that of the outflow rate of water. The dam is six feet of water away from overtopping and collapsing. These numbers are worsening exponentially. Only 24 hours earlier, the rate of inflow vs outflow showed a 40% differential. This morning, less that two hours ago, the differential is now increased to a factor of three. Crisis is at hand.
The Data Does Not Lie
Below is the latest data as released by the California Department of Water Resources. Please note that as of 7AM Pacific, this morning (5/28), the inflow of water into the dam has tripled outflow. I am receiving information that the previously reported opening of the gates is not working as well as it did. Remember, I stated that this was a temporary, stop-gap measure that has run its course. Inflow is triple the rate of outflow. Also, please note that the dam is 900 feet and the present height of the water in the dam is 894. Last week, the dam was 12 feet from overtopping. And when this earthen dam overtops, it will break.
Please note the rate of inflow vs outflow is greatly increasing with regard to the same time only 24 hours earlier. This is because the mitigation strategy of using opening the gates is no longer effective. In addition, there is rain forecast and the peak of the snow run-off has not been reached.
In a future article, I will discuss, in detail, a likely scenario, that will follow the breaking of the dam that will involve the military, first responders and the United Nations. This is a frightening scenario. One brief look ahead, would indicate that Federal personnel stationed on the border will be moved to assist with the crisis management in the Central Valley of California following the catastrophic failure of the dam. This will increase the dangers resulting from the further breakdown of the border and the increased likelihood of a Red Dawn military action on our Southern border. Also, I would say at this point, get use to seeing blue helmets all across the Southwest.
Please show this data to a skeptic who lives in the Central Valley region of California. Many are voluntarily evacuating. All people in the path of the flood need to immediately evacuate.
***
Alt-Market
Globalists Only Need One More Major Event To Finish Sabotaging The Economy
Brandon Smith
May 29, 2019
As I predicted in my article 'Trump Trade Wars A Perfect Smokescreen For A Market Crash', published in March of 2018, as well as in my article 'The Trade War Distraction: Huawei And Linchpin Theory', published in December of 2018, the US/China trade dispute has escalated into an all out war with no end in sight. The claims of many analysts and skeptics a year ago that the trade war would be over quickly and that China would fold to US tariffs has been proven incorrect. The reason why these analysts got it so wrong centers primarily on their misunderstanding of the true purpose behind the events.
The goal of this war is NOT to balance the US trade deficit or pursue more fair circumstances for US exports and imports. The intention of the Trump Administration is NOT to fight back against Chinese “exploitation” of US markets, this kind of rhetoric is pure theater. Nor is it Trump's intention to undermine globalist structures or agreements in order to bring back American manufacturing (a carrot that has been flaunted in front of American faces for a long time to lure them into supporting destructive policies such as dollar devaluation). On the contrary, the real purpose of Trump's trade war is to provide a distraction massive enough to cover for the controlled demolition of the US economy and parts of the global economy by globalists and the central banks they control.
The tariff soap opera and most of Trump's other foreign and domestic policies are eerily similar to those of Herbert Hoover just before the advent of the Great Depression. This is not a coincidence. The narrative for an economic collapse rivaling that of the Great Depression has been set, and the root circumstances are very similar.
Since the crash of 2008, the US has been suffering a slow grinding decline in fundamentals (the collapse of an empire often takes time). The response of central banks was to slow the crash using stimulus measures and near zero interest rates, but this strategy was not meant to reverse US economic decline. The purpose of QE was meant to inflate an even larger bubble than before, one that would encompass every aspect of the economy including the dollar; a bubble that when popped would devastate the US specifically and create panic around the world.
Now the stimulus phase of the globalist agenda is over. US M2 money supply growth has been decelerating and is hovering near 10 year lows, while stimulus measures have evaporated in most countries except China. Global dollar liquidity has been dwindling as the Federal Reserve continues to cut its balance sheet unabated.
This would explain why US equities are struggling to stay afloat despite the fact that corporate buybacks of stocks have increased to historic highs in 2019. Central banks, most importantly the Fed, are no longer propping up the system; the life support has been pulled and the parts of the economy that have been dependent are taking their last breaths.
The trade war situation as it is now is not enough of a distraction in my view, however. At least one more major event with global ramifications (or perceived global ramifications) is needed by the elites before they can implode the 'Everything Bubble' without taking the blame for the consequences.
Trade War Shock And Awe
There are several powderkegs that exist today that would serve the purpose of occupying the minds of the masses while the globalists finalize the crash. As noted, I continue to predict the trade war as it stands will accelerate unabated until the plunge in fundamentals and equities is complete. We haven't seen anything yet as far as trade war chaos.
The US/China conflict has the potential to become an economic world war, with multiple countries beginning to take sides. Japan and the UK have opted to support US interests, which is not surprising since China and Japan have hated each other for generations and the US is the UK's strongest economic partner in the wake of the Brexit. Already some people are declaring this to mean that the US will gain the majority of global support and crush China.
But keep in mind, as I outlined and evidenced in my recent article 'America Will Lose The Trade War Because That Is What Globalists Want To Happen', the trade war itself is a farce on both sides of the Pacific, as both China and the US are controlled by the same financial power centers (such as the Bank for International Settlements). The fact that some people are jumping on the patriot bandwagon to cheer for expanded confrontation with China as if a globalist engineered war is a war we can "win" is disturbing and sad to witness. My suspicion is that there is a concerted disinformation campaign in play on the internet to drum up the false impression of consensus support for the trade war while the activities of the real villains (the international banks) are ignored.
As this Kabuki theater moves forward, I think many analysts will find themselves shocked as more and more nations start taking China's side in the conflict.
The most powerful option China has at its disposal is the dumping of US Treasuries and the dollar as the world reserve mechanism, but it is likely to use this tactic only when the US economy is at its most unstable. China is the number one exporter/importer in the world and the US consumer is ready to tap out as retail numbers stumble and household debt skyrockets. The US market is only 18% of Chinese exports, a sizable piece of the pie, but hardly a devastating blow to the Chinese economy should it be denied to them.
The bottom line is that China will ultimately dictate global trade terms as they possess the largest manufacturing base, they decide what currency they will accept, and whose debt they will prop up.
China has also established very close economic ties with key nations over the past decade, including Russia, Germany, India, Australia, and even Saudi Arabia. Do not be surprised if most if not all of these nations eventually support China in the trade war, dropping the dollar as the reserve currency and following China's lead.
Skeptics of this outcome are pretty much the same people that originally claimed the trade war would be over by now and that Trump would be victorious. They will cry foul today at the idea that the globalists have rigged the game and that the US is being set up to fail, but when they are shown to be wrong once again they will state proudly that they "saw it coming all along".
China has yet to fully retaliate against the latest increase in US tariffs. When it does, the attack will be far larger than cutting off purchases of US agricultural goods. The next escalation could be the trigger than sends the crash into overdrive.
Iran War Looming
War with Iran at this time makes no sense whatsoever unless you look at it from a globalist perspective. The globalists are the only group that stands to gain from such catastrophe, as war with Iran would seal the fate of the US economy. The most immediate threat would be the potential shutdown of the Straight of Hormuz by Iran, which would take nothing more than sinking a few large cargo vessels along the narrow and more shallow portions of the straight, placing mine fields, or staging anti-ship missiles within striking range. The subsequent explosion in oil prices would be devastating to the global economy and the US economy would struggle under high energy prices even with expanded domestic oil drilling.
In the longer term complete destabilization of the Middle East would result, well beyond what we have already seen, and the costs to taxpayers as well as the cost in American lives would be high. Beyond this, the distraction would be epic and very effective. This event coupled with the trade war would fulfill the globalist narrative that the Trump Administration and the conservatives that support him are a “menace” to global stability. Any financial crash at that point would undoubtedly be blamed on Trump as well as his supporters.
Currently, the mainstream media is very quiet on the Iran situation despite the sudden shift of US military resources to the region, which leads me to believe that a conflict is being planned in the near term.
Brexit Finalized
This event may not be concluded until the end of this year, but I still maintain as I always have that the Brexit and the growth of populism in Europe is a distraction that has actually been encouraged by globalists through the use of forced mass immigration measures to terrify the citizenry. I successfully predicted the outcome of the Brexit vote in 2016 based on this theory, and it still holds true so far today.
The “rise of the populists” in Europe and the US at the exact same time that central banks are withdrawing liquidity and at the exact same time that fundamentals are plummeting is yet another unlikely coincidence.
The only event that was needed to fulfill the populist takeover narrative was a major win by a nationalist party on the European mainland. Thanks to French president Macron being the worst leader in recent French history, that event has occurred. Marine Le Pen's National Rally Party has overtaken Macron's LREM party in the EU parliamentary elections. The populists have gained ground in Italy and Germany as well; not enough to retain any real influence, but enough to get blamed for the financial disaster that is about to happen.
The final plot twist the elites need in the EU, I believe, is a no-deal Brexit. I predict the Brexit will conclude and that the UK will indeed break with the EU. The latest announcement of Theresa May's resignation seems to indicate that this will be the case, and that a no-deal scenario is the most probable scenario. The EU has publicly stated that there will be NO renegotiations of the Brexit deal after May leaves. Sovereignty activists will cheer the Brexit outcome, and then things will start to go horribly wrong. European markets will tank and certain major banks (Deutsche Bank and Italian majors?) will announce insolvency. The panic felt in 2008 will return and hit the EU and the UK hard, and the Brexit movement will get the blame while central banks escape any culpability.
Only one of these events is needed to initiate the next stage of economic collapse, but it is possible we will see all three occur in due course. While the current crash started at the end of 2018, the year of 2019 will probably be the one that is most remembered in history books as the beginning of Great Depression 2.0.
USAWatchdog
Greatest Crash in History Coming in 2019 – Bo Polny
By Greg Hunter On May 26, 2019
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com (Early Sunday Release)
Financial analyst Bo Polny made a huge contrarian call on election night 2018. He predicted the stock markets would not rally but sell off by the end of the year. He was right, the DOW was down nearly 20%. What is he predicting now? Polny says, “The reason the stock market crashed in the month of December is because, basically, we are leading up to the greatest crash in history, which is going to hit this year. The crash that happened in December is only a prelude to what comes this year. So, that was only leg one down, and leg two is going to be much, much worse. It’s a replica of the great crash of 1929. That massive crash is about what is to be experienced this year but worse.”
Polny thinks the next stock market selloff will start in June, but not everything sells off. Gold, silver and cryptos are going to spike higher. Polny explains, “The crash that comes in July is going to blow away the crash that comes in June. Then there is going to be a rush to safety. People will flee to safety. Remember, how much money have they printed? How much money do we not know that they printed? You know about that whole game of the $21 trillion in ‘missing money.’ With all of this money that has been printed, all of this money has to go somewhere. People will lose faith and confidence in this paper based system. The cycle . . . foretells the end of the paper based monetary system beginning in July. . . . Gold is going to jump in June initially. They are then going to try to hammer it back down. Once it jumps, they are going to start to lose control. When July hits, that’s when it will get pretty epic. By year end, Bitcoin, gold and silver will all, all be at new all-time highs.”
Polny adds, “When you do time based analysis, you have direction and time. So, what I know is the stock market has a down cycle into the end of the year. What price the stock market hits by the end of the year, I don’t know. I will tell you it’s probably a 40% crash from the top as a guess. . . . One of the things out of being here today and get out of this is to protect your family. Protect your family with an ark of safety. What is an ark of safety? Having food and water in your house and also having means. They have kept down the price of gold and silver because if it goes up, it’s the end of the paper game. This is also going to bless God’s people. You can’t have that because this is a fight between good and evil. Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘Let my people go,’ and that is where we are. These are Biblical times. . . . God says prepare. We are going to see gold and silver explode between year end. I believe the fireworks are going to hit in July, but I also think the start of it will hit in June.”
Polny says the changes in the financial system will be vast. Polny explains, “A new financial time point will begin, a new era of time begins before the end of this year. The world will change into a new system.”
Polny says the new system will not be paper based. Polny says, “What is paper? The U.S. dollar, the Treasuries, the stock market, 401(k)s, IRAs, derivatives, and all of those instruments were used to control the price of gold and silver. When events happen that destroy the paper based system or the faith based system and confidence breaks, you are going to have massive fleeing into something that actually holds value. . . . Blockchain will become the next ‘go to’ in terms of monetary transactions. So, blockchain . . . and major crypto currencies, gold and silver, those three things are going to be the three huge assets in the future because the old dies. The whole point we are talking about is prepare, prepare and prepare.”
MailOnline
Farage hails his Turqouise Revolution: Brexit Party leader threatens to upend the two-party system and wipe out the 'untrustworthy' Tories AND Labour by contesting a general election if Britain doesn't leave the EU by Halloween
Nigel Farage's movement surged to victory across the country while Labour and the Conservatives slumped
The ex-UKIP leader said 'never before in British politics has a new party launched six weeks ago topped polls'
The Liberal Democrats and Greens also made gains while Labour came third and the Conservatives fifth
In an embarrassing blow to Jeremy Corbyn, Labour were beaten by the Lib Dems in his Islington backyard
The Brexit Party were in first place in Newcastle and Cardiff which voted Remain in the 2016 referendum
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said there was an 'existential risk to our party unless we get Brexit done'
Boris Johnson seized on the 'rout' for Tories to say the UK needs to leave the EU on October 31 come what may
Chancellor Philip Hammond warned any attempt to force a No Deal Brexit could collapse the Government
By JAMES TAPSFIELD, POLITICAL EDITOR and MARTIN ROBINSON, CHIEF REPORTER and TIM STICKINGS and TERRI-ANN WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE and JOHN STEVENS FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 20:03, 26 May 2019 | UPDATED: 17:38, 27 May 2019
Nigel Farage sent out a chilling warning to the Tories today that he would try to wipe the party out at the general election if they did not get the UK out of Europe by Halloween.
After running away with the European election he goaded the deflated Conservatives after hanging them an election hiding today saying they were 'extremely unlikely' to elect a new leader who can push Brexit through by October 31.
Mocking the candidates vying to replace Theresa May as party leader and Prime Minister at a chaotic press conference in London this afternoon he said: 'Why would I trust any of them? Why would I believe any of them?'
Fresh from his dramatic triumph the Brexit Party leader told a chaotic press conference this afternoon that he did not believe that Theresa May's fragmented party would be 'able to deliver' by the October 31 deadline set by the EU.
After reducing the Tories to just 9 per cent of the vote, their worst showing ever in an election, he posed with his 29 MEPs who will form the national largest group in the European Parliament.
He said: 'The Conservative Party are bitterly divided and I consider it to be extremely unlikely that they will pick a leader who is able to take us out on the 31st October come what may.
'We might overnight have made their lives a bit easier but I don't see them being able to deliver and I think the real barrier, the real obstruction to all of this is a two-party system that may well have worked in decades gone by but is no longer fit for purpose.'
Mr Farage also claimed the Labour Party are in 'more trouble' than the Conservatives following the European election results.
His party took 31 per cent of the vote in Thursday's poll, despite only being formed six weeks ago.
In grim contrast, the Conservatives have dropped to fifth place across much of the country.
The disastrous showing immediately sparked warnings from would-be leader Boris Johnson that things will get even worse for the Tories if the UK does not leave the EU by the new deadline at the end of October - deal or no deal.
Jeremy Corbyn was facing civil war within his party as critics blamed the party's poor third-place finish on 14 per cent on his failure to back a second referendum. The Remainer Lib Dems surged into second place on 20 per cent with the Greens coming a close fourth on 12 per cent.
A jubilant Mr Farage demanded a role in the next round of negotiations with the EU, threatening to contest a general election.
Speaking this morning, he blasted the Tories for their handling of Brexit but said he would be willing to support a Conservative leader who promises to take Britain out of the EU with No Deal.
He said: 'If we don't leave in October the Brexit Party will go on to a general election.
'We are happy to help any leader who is genuine about us leaving the EU. We would like to be part of the negotiating team, use us and give us some responsibility, but they need to be prepared to leave with a clean break Brexit. Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab, Michael Gove - all of them voted for Mrs May's European treaty.
'It's all about establishing trust – if the next leader says the same thing then no one is going to trust them.'
'This is just the beginning of a new political movement.'
On a dramatic political night where turnout rose to a 15-year high as voters vented their fury at the chaos in Westminster:
Boris Johnson seized on the 'rout' for the Tories to make his case to succeed Theresa May and pull the country out of the EU on October 31 come�what may, while Chancellor Philip Hammond warned that any attempt to force a No Deal Brexit could collapse the Government;
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was a 'painful result' and there was an 'existential risk to our party unless we now come together and get Brexit done';
Mr Farage's Brexit Party polled above 50 per cent of vote share in some areas and raked in 31 per cent nationally;
Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell said he had voted Lib Dem – the first time he had not voted Labour;
Change UK polled just 5 per cent in the Remain stronghold of London;
Far-Right activist Tommy Robinson failed to win a seat as an independent, while Ukip lost all its MEPs;
Turnout hit 37 per cent, the highest level since the European elections in 2004;
Remain campaigners claimed that parties who support a second referendum on staying in the EU are on track to do better than hard Brexit parties;
Scotland was the only place where the Brexit Party's surge was held back, with the SNP topping the polls north of the border;
Election experts warned that the UK is more deeply divided between Leave and Remain than ever;
Across Europe, far-Right and Eurosceptic parties were on course to win more seats than ever before.
With almost all results in this morning, the Brexit Party's share of the vote was 31 per cent – ahead of the Lib Dems on 20 per cent.
Labour was third on just 14 per cent, with the Greens next on 12 per cent and the Tories on a disastrous 9 per cent.
That is thought to make it the worst performance for the Conservatives since they took on their current name in 1834.
Change UK, formed this year to fight for a second referendum, attracted just 3.4 per cent of the vote.
In terms of MEPs elected, the Brexit Party were on 28, the Lib Dems 15 and Labour ten. The Greens had seven MEPs and the Conservatives just three. Change UK had none.
Mr Farage, who was re-elected as an MEP in the South East, declared: 'This is a big, big message, a big wake-up call to Westminster. Will they listen? Never before in British politics has a new party launched just six weeks ago topped the polls at a national election.
'The reason of course is very obvious. We voted to leave in a referendum. We were supposed to do so on March 29 and we haven't.'
Mr Johnson laid into Mrs May - who announced her resignation on Friday - for having 'flagrantly failed' to achieve Britain's departure from the EU.
By contrast he has already declared that if he becomes leader this summer the UK will leave the EU at the end of October, with or without a deal.
He wrote in the Daily Telegraph: 'No one sensible would aim exclusively for a no-deal outcome. No one responsible would take no-deal off the table.'
***
Zero Hedge
Macron Suffers Huge Blow With Defeat To Le Pen
by Tyler Durden
Sun, 05/26/2019 - 15:33
In what may be the biggest shock from today's European parliamentary elections, President Emmanuel Macron suffered a major blow with French voters set to hand a victory to Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, picking the vocal Eurosceptic and nationalist over the former Rothschild banker.
Macron’s En Marche (Republic on The Move) will have just 22.5% of the vote compared with 24% for Le Pen, according to pollsters Ifop. With Macron and Le Pen neck and neck ahead of the elections, the outcome will be a humiliation for the liberal politician who said before the elections that everything less than 1st place would be a defeat.
Rounding out the The Greens were third with 13%, the conservative Republicans got 8%, while the implosion of the Socialists continues, coming in dead last with just 6.5% of the vote.
Macron's default took place even as turnout was up around 10% points from 2014, however the increase was particularly marked in regions where Le Pen’s party has gained ground in the past years. In other words, as establishment apathy gets entrenched, the populist vote is increasingly demanding to be heard.
It gets worse: to the shock of globalists and statists everywhere, this is Le Pen’s second straight victory in the EU vote. In 2014 she beat the conservatives by 4 percentage points with Macron’s Socialist predecessor Francois Hollande trailing in third.
As Bloomberg notes, the result is a setback for the 41-year-old Macron who played a more prominent role in the campaign than any other European leader as he sought to mobilize voters.
The president is fighting for legitimacy as he tries to persuade the rest of the European Union to pursue tighter integration. Polls in Germany showed Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats came first, although with fewer seats than last time.
“For Macron this was a defining election and it’s him who made it like that,” said Bernard Sananes, president of Elabe polling institute. “Finishing second would mean a sense of isolation in Europe.”
Today's vote followed months of relentless protests which have seen looting and vandalism in Paris. Macron responded with a raft of new spending plans and tax cuts to appease the Yellow Vest movement but the measures failed to convince voters.
Meanwhile, Eurosceptic, anti-establishment and hard-right parties were also expected to top polls in the UK, Italy, Poland, and Hungary. Nigel Farage’s Brexit party was in contention to be the biggest single national party in the parliament, potentially beating both Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and Matteo Salvini’s rightwing League.
Germany’s left-right grand coalition faced a potentially significant electoral shock, with estimates indicating the Green party had made a historic breakthrough, taking 20.9 per cent of the vote. Philippe Lamberts, leader of the Green group, said: “To make a stable majority in this parliament the Greens are now indispensable.”
This pushed the center-left Social Democratic party into third place for the first time in nationwide elections, raising pressure on party leaders to rethink their federal alliance with the centre-right CDU and the CSU, its Bavarian sister party.
While the EPP remains the biggest group in the parliament, its diminished size may hamper Manfred Weber, its lead candidate, in making a claim to the presidency of the European Commission.
EPP parties were in first place in Germany, but Merkel’s CDU secured 28%, seven points down on its vote share in 2014. Finally, Austria’s Sebastian Kurz said he was “speechless” after a crushing victory, securing a third of all votes in spite of a corruption scandal that has brought down his coalition government with the far-right Freedom party.
***
RT
‘Grave concerns’: Assange can barely talk, moved to prison hospital, says WikiLeaks
Published time: 29 May, 2019 22:20 Edited time: 29 May, 2019 22:33
© Reuters / Daniel Tapia
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been moved to the hospital wing of the Belmarsh prison in the UK, prompting concerns about his health pending the hearing on his extradition to the US.
Assange’s health had already “significantly deteriorated” during the nearly seven years he spent inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and has continued to get worse over the seven weeks he has spent in Belmarsh, WikiLeaks said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The decision of prison authorities to move him to the health ward speaks for itself,” said WikiLeaks, adding that Assange has lost a lot of weight and was barely able to speak to his Swedish lawyer last week.
“Assange’s health situation on Friday was such that it was not possible to conduct a normal conversation with him,”his lawyer Per Samuelson told reporters after visiting Belmarsh, but the quote was barely reported in Sweden, let alone elsewhere.
Sweden has rejected Samuelson’s motion to delay Assange’s extradition hearing, though he was never charged with anything. Swedish investigators never interviewed Assange about claims of “sexual assault” that seem to have been trumped-up as a pretext to extradite him to the US in 2012, and prompted him to seek asylum in Ecuador.
The preliminary hearing on Washington’s extradition request is still scheduled for Thursday, May 30. The US has charged Assange with 18 counts under the Espionage Act, which carry a sentence of up to 175 years in prison.
“Julian’s case is of major historic significance. It will be remembered as the worst attack on press freedom in our time,” said WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, urging people everywhere to oppose their politicians, courts, police and prisons from being abused to “leave this black stain on history.”
RT
'Modern fascism is breaking cover': Journalists react to Assange Espionage Act charges
Published time: 23 May, 2019 22:55 Edited time: 24 May, 2019 08:47
The US government's indictment of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange on 17 additional charges under the Espionage Act has shocked and horrified journalists who are calling it an unprecedented attack on press freedom.
The new indictment claims Assange endangered the lives of individuals working for the US government when Wikileaks published leaked documents received from intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010. Under the draconian Espionage Act, which has never before been used against a journalist publishing classified information, Assange faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge.
"Assange was complicit with Chelsea Manning…in unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defense," the Department of Justice said in a statement, while National Security Division head John Demers insisted "Julian Assange is no journalist."
Actual journalists, however, were horrified by the "unprecedented assault on the First Amendment."
"This is the first time in history that anyone operating in a journalistic capacity has been charged under the Espionage Act," Michael Tracey tweeted, adding in another tweet that the charges represented "the gravest attack on the First Amendment in years — possibly ever." Even the Obama administration, which prosecuted more whistleblowers under the Espionage Act than all previous administrations combined, ultimately opted not to pursue charges against Assange, concerned such prosecution would violate the First Amendment.
John Pilger didn't mince words, declaring "Modern fascism is breaking cover" and warning mainstream media that they were next.
The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald highlighted the hypocrisy of mainstream media "proclaiming to be so very concerned about attacks on a free press" while remaining mute on Assange's prosecution - or even cheering it on.
WikiLeaks called it "the end of national security journalism and the first amendment, while NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden affirmed the case was much bigger than Assange, warning that it "will decide the future of media."
Even some mainstream media journalists finally seemed to realize the gravity of the situation.
"What happens to Assange today can happen to the NYT or WaPo tomorrow," investigative journalist James Ball tweeted.
Jeffrey St. Clair of CounterPunch made an important distinction between Wikileaks' journalism and the mainstream media, however: "Assange has had to issue fewer corrections than the NYT and none of his stories has helped launch a war."
Assange was arrested last month upon his eviction from the Ecuadorean embassy in London. He is currently serving 50 months for an eight-year-old bail-jumping charge, having sought asylum in the embassy in 2012 out of concern that sexual assault charges levied against him by the Swedish government were a pretense for extradition to the US.
A US indictment unsealed last month charged him with conspiring with Manning to unlawfully access a government computer, but other whistleblowers warned other charges would follow.
VAXXTER
Maine Governor Eliminates Vaccine Exemptions
POSTED BY: VAXXTER STAFF 05/25/2019
Maine Governor Janet Mills has signed a bill that eliminates religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions. Rep. Ryan Tipping sponsored the bill, titled, LD 798, and it will include both public schools and daycares.
“As we hear more reports of measles and other preventable diseases in Maine and across the country, it has become clear that we must act to ensure the health of our communities,” Tipping said via wgme.com. “I am grateful to my colleagues for working so hard on this bill and to Governor Mills for supporting this measure to protect our kids. I look forward to seeing this implemented and keeping our schools and daycares safe.”
The new bill does not affect medical vaccine exemptions.
Children currently enrolled in school but lacking vaccines will have until 2021 to get caught up.
LD 798 protests erupted immediately as parents and activists groups gathered at government buildings throughout the state.
Maine is now the 4th U.S. state to remove both religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions.
***
StudyFinds
1 In 7 Millennials Have Never Read A Paper Map, Survey Finds
Intelligence, Mobile Phones, Science & Technology, Society & Culture
May 28, 2019
ON — Would you be able to navigate your way around a city by paper map should your smartphone break? Such a prospect may be frightfully daunting for millennials. A new survey finds just 18% feel “very confident” in their ability to read a traditional map, compared to nearly half of middle-aged adults.
What’s worse, 15% of millennials — about one in seven — say they’ve never even tried reading a paper map. That means millions of young adults may end up completely lost without a working digital device.
The survey of 1,000 millennials (adults ages 23 thru 38) and 1,000 middle-aged adults at least 39 years old in the United Kingdom revealed that technology has entirely changed the face of what many once considered one of the most important skills to learn in life. Results of the survey, which was sponsored by Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency for Great Britain, showed that 44% of the older adult segment considered themselves very confident with their map abilities.
Meanwhile, six in ten millennials admit they rely on their phone’s map whenever going somewhere new. More than half (53%) say they’d actually “struggle” to get around without their phone handy.
Overall, researchers found the average millennial uses a digital map five times a month, or at least once a week, while the middle-aged adults only do so just twice a month.
“Digital mapping, through apps and websites, has transformed the way in which we navigate,” says Nick Giles, managing director of Ordnance Survey Leisure, in a statement. “Technology is great, and we are seeing year on year how apps like OS Maps are inspiring and enabling millions of people to get outside. However, we have all experienced tech fails, whether batteries dying or signal issues, and this is where paper maps can be an essential backup.”
The survey also found that digital maps aren’t always a sure thing for millennials, with 30% admitting they’ve gotten lost or headed in the wrong direction when using one. Despite this, just 20% wished they were better at reading traditional maps.
The survey was conducted on behalf of Ordnance Survey by OnePoll.
***
The Telegraph
Japanese school pupils told: dye your hair black to fit in
Critics say the rules reflect a deeply homogenous Japanese society where collective uniformity is valued over individuality CREDIT: REUTERS
Danielle Demetriou, Tokyo
May 22, 2019
Japanese school rules that force children to dye their hair black so they fit in with their classmates are facing a growing backlash, fuelled by a viral video campaign and a fast-growing petition.
Some 60 per cent of public schools in Japan require that all pupils submit a document called Natural Hair Certification, which confirms the natural colour and degree of curliness of their hair.
A new survey shows one in 13 schoolchildren had subsequently been “urged” by their school to dye their naturally brown hair black.
The survey of 1,000 children and teachers accompanies a new campaign masterminded by P&G’s Pantene shampoo brand, which also sells hair dye, to challenge the expectation.
Nearly 10 million people have watched the campaign video.
The issue of draconian hair rules in Japanese schools was highlighted two years ago when a pupil sued Osaka Prefectural Government for damages after being continuously forced to dye her naturally brown hair a more uniform black.
Critics say the rules reflect a deeply homogenous Japanese society where collective uniformity is valued over individuality.
“I was told to cut my brown hair or dye it black,” says one schoolgirl on the video. “Even after submitting a Natural Hair Certificate, I was still told to cut or dye it. I wondered why I need to do this.”
Another added: “My school makes everyone submit a Natural Hair Certificate. We have to write down what colour, how curly our hair is. I want to make sense of why this is necessary.”
The survey also found that more than 90 per cent of teachers were keen for school regulations “to change with the times”, with one speaking on the video: “I feel like the school says this to make sure you won’t have to deal with more trouble. I personally think it’s unnecessary.”
Japanese schools do not monitor pupils’ hair colour alone but also styles and lengths in some instances: earlier this year, there were media reports that teachers at a school in Toyama Prefecture forcibly cut the hair of 44 students after their styles were deemed too long and in violation of school dress codes.
The debate was fuelled further last month, with the launch of a new petition offering a high-profile opposition to hair rule restrictions on schoolchildren in Japan.
The petition, which was reportedly inspired by the Pantene campaign, attracted more than 10,000 signatures in the first few weeks, with plans to present it to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.
Pantene Japan, a hair-care brand, is owned by Proctor and Gamble, an American firm.
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MailOnline
From a gorilla embracing its caretaker to a huge bear hunting for salmon: The stunning winners of a natural world photography contest revealed
Over 6,500 images were entered into the BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition for 2019
The grand prize was won by Audun Rikardsen for his shot of a black grouse looking to impress female birds
All of the winning images will be featured in the annual BigPicture photography exhibition in San Francisco
By JENNIFER NEWTON FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 10:33, 28 May 2019 | UPDATED: 10:33, 28 May 2019
Armand Sarlangue scooped top prize in the landscapes, waterscapes and flora category with this jaw-dropping shot of Senja Island in Norway. Although it's not the country's best-known destination, it is quickly growing in popularity. One mountain in particular is largely responsible for that fame. Towering nearly 650 metres (2,100 feet) above the sea, Segla is a peak that epitomizes the ruggedness and wildness of northern Norway. Here, reindeer still roam the tundra while humpback whales, orcas, and sea eagles pursue herring along narrow fjords
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(Enoch 92:2)