Sunday, February 28, 2021

"Shocking Investigation" Reveals China Buys Western Academics

"Shocking Investigation" Reveals China Buys Western Academics By Giulio Meotti of Gatestone Institute, A shocking investigation was just published by the French weekly Le Point on how Beijing is buying the favor of Western universities. Gulbahar Haitiwaji, a survivor of China's "re-education camps" in Xinjiang, recently revealed what happens there. "It is forbidden to speak Uyghur; it is forbidden to pray; it is forbidden to go on a hunger strike..." She had to defecate into a plastic bucket in front of the others. She was chained to her bed for 20 days. Pictured: "The Artux City Vocational Skills Education Training Service Center," a re-education camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, north of Kashgar in Xinjiang. (Photo by Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) An Italian associate professor, for example, Fabio Massimo Parenti, at the Lorenzo de Medici International Institute in Florence, was hosted in Xinjiang, where up to two million Uyghurs are estimated to be locked up in "re-education camps". In addition, many British schools are now closely under Chinese radar of influence and propaganda. Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain's Reform UK Party, recently tweeted that "Chinese billionaires with direct links to the CCP are buying up British schools - and flooding the curriculum with their propaganda," and listed the names of some in the UK "under Chinese control": * Abbots Bromley School * Bournemouth Collegiate * St Michael's School * Bosworth College * Bedstone College * Ipswich High School * Kingsley School * Heathfield Knoll School * Thetford Grammar * Wisbech Grammar * Riddlesworth Hall * Myddelton College * CATS Colleges Beginning in September 2019, in Urumqi, the capital of the Uyghur region of Xinjiang in western China, Christian Mestre, honorary dean of the University of Strasbourg faculty of law, participated in an "international seminar on the fight against terrorism, de-radicalization and the protection of human rights". The seminar was organized by the People's Republic of China. Mestre's statements were transcribed by both the state media, the Xinhua news agency, as well as the nationalist newspaper Global Times. "I hope that France and other European countries can adopt the answers provided by Xinjiang", professor Mestre said while visiting one of the "vocational education centers", the name given by Beijing to its re-education camps. "These people are not in prison," the professor attested, "but sent to compulsory training". Nothing to see here, as they say. That was the beginning of an impressive investigation by the French weekly Le Point on how China has bought the favor of many Western academics. "It is worthy of Aragon's travels to the Soviet Union or the collaborators in Nazi Germany", said Marie Bizais-Lillig, a colleague of Mestre. The reference is to Louis Aragon, the French writer who visited Soviet Union under Stalin and came back convinced of the genuineness of the communist system, and then dedicated himself to its defense. A survivor of China's re-education camps in Xinjiang recently revealed what happens there. Gulbahar Haitiwaji had lived in France for ten years. Her husband and daughters had political refugee status, but Gulbahar preferred to keep her Chinese passport to visit her elderly mother. In November 2016, she bought a ticket to China, where she was swiftly deported to a re-education camp for her people, the Uyghurs. She was detained for two years before being released under pressure from France. Early this year, she published a chilling account, "RescapΓ©e du goulag chinois". ["Survivor of a Chinese Gulag"] Gulbahar is the first Uyghur to have been released and repatriated to France. "Xi Jinping, she sums up, "wants Xinjiang without the Uighurs". She was moved from one detention center to another. First the pre-trial detention center, with the rules hanging on the wall: "It is forbidden to speak Uyghur; it is forbidden to pray; it is forbidden to go on a hunger strike..." She had to defecate into a plastic bucket in front of the others. She was chained to her bed for 20 days in 2017. She was taken to one of those new "vocational training centers", the name given by the regime to its gulags. The Baijintan Camp -- three buildings "as big as small airports" on the edge of the desert -- is surrounded by fences topped with razor wire. Prisoners no longer see daylight, only neon. Cameras follow the detainees' every movement. "Thanks to our great country. Thanks to our dear President Xi Jinping", the detainees must repeat from dawn to dusk. After taking on new names (Gulbahar became "Number 9"), their clothes and hair are removed. Chinese re-education then begins to take hold of their mind. A camp guard shows the group of inmates a wall: "What color is it?", he asks. "White", they reply. "No, it is black. It is I who decide what color it is". Then come strange "vaccinations". "Women no longer menstruated. Once I returned to France, I really felt the existence of sterilization..." In France, during the past 15 years, 18 Confucius Institutes have been opened, ostensibly to teach Chinese and promote Chinese culture. In Europe, in 2019, Belgium expelled the rector of the Confucius Institute of the Free Flemish University of Brussels, after security services accused him of being a spy. A Tibet expert, FranΓ§oise Robin, of the National Institute of Oriental Languages ​​and Civilizations (Inalco), calls these institutes "Propaganda weapons", In 2016, Inalco invited the Dalai Lama for a conference. "We received official letters from the Chinese embassy asking us not to receive him," Robin said. In September 2014, Mestre's faculty of law at Strasbourg University hosted a series of events on Tibet, with lectures, exhibitions, dances and concerts organized "at the request of the Consulate General of China in Strasbourg", according to the terms of an email sent by the dean. "The inaugural conference assured [everyone] that Tibet was never annexed, [and] that the Chinese intervention of 1950 had been requested by the Tibetans," Nicolas Nord, a law professor, recalled. The Economist recently suggested what the Chinese regime is really doing in Tibet: eradicating the influence of Buddhism from their people's minds. That may be why the proposed new head of the CIA, William J. Burns, said that if it were up to him, he would close Confucius Institutes in Western universities. In Britain, they are also apparently worried -- justifiably, it seems. According to the Daily Mail, hundreds of independent schools that were left in serious financial difficulty by the Wuhan Virus pandemic have since been targeted by Chinese investors. China is evidently seeking to expand its influence in the British education system, as they are in the United States. Seventeen schools in the UK are already owned by Chinese companies, and that number is destined to rise. In addition, The Times revealed that the University of Cambridge received a "generous gift" from Tencent Holdings, one of the largest technology companies in China involved in state censorship. One's mind goes back to the "Cambridge Five", the British spy network -- Anthony Blunt, Donald Maclean, Kim Philby, Guy Burgess and John Cairncross -- in the service of the Soviet Union and also based at the famous British university. Kim Philby, who died in exile in the Soviet Union, never regretted his betrayal of the UK : "It was only at the end of my stay in Cambridge that I made the final decision to dedicate my life to communism". At the time, many in the West could truthfully have said they did not know how many people had been killed or jailed by the Soviet regime. Today, we know a lot about China's cruelty, including the mass murder by the Wuhan Virus that the Chinese Communist Party forced upon the world, first by lying that the virus was not transmissible person-to-person, then by stopping domestic flights from Wuhan but letting international flights continue. As a consequence, every country on the planet was infected, resulting in the murder of more than 2.5 million people. We also know about the number of people locked up in the laogai, the Chinese "administrative prisons" (estimated at 50 million). We know about the number of Chinese girls that the regime prevented from being born when the "one child policy" was in effect (estimated at 30 million). We know about the number of people killed at Tiananmen Square, the last time the regime was openly challenged by its citizens (estimated at 10,000). "Places inhabited by ethnic minorities, such as Xinjiang and Tibet, have stood out as shining examples of China's human rights progress", China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said hours before addressing the annual conference of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Probably even the Soviet Union could not have thought that one up. Tyler Durden Mon, 03/01/2021 - 02:00
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Edward Snowden 2021| The Most π•πˆπ‚πˆπŽπ”π’ π‡πŽππ„π’π“ 10 Minutes of your LIFE!

from Forever Inspired: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
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IT’S HAPPENING! President Donald Trump Live at CPAC 2021 at 3:40 PM ET — LIVESTREAM via RSBN Channel

by Jim Hoft, The Gateway Pundit: President Donald Trump will speak this afternoon at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida. This is President Trump’s first public speech since leaving office in January. ** President Trump is scheduled to speak at 3:40 PM Eastern Time on Sunday afternoon. TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/ Read […]
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Eviction Moratorium Ruled Unconstitutional, Largest Tsunami Of Evictions In U.S. History Incoming…

by Michael Snyder, The Economic Collapse Blog: Ever since last summer, a federal moratorium on evictions has prevented landlords from evicting millions of tenants that are behind on their rent payments.  This moratorium has caused extreme financial distress for many landlords, but it has also kept us from witnessing millions upon millions of Americans being […]
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First Robo-AI Painter To Debut At London Museum  

First Robo-AI Painter To Debut At London Museum   A robotic artist called Ai-Da, developed by the University of Oxford and engineers at the University of Leeds, will make its grand debut at the London's Design Museum this summer. The life-size humanoid artist draws, paints, and makes sculptures. Algorithms process optical sensors embedded within the robot's eyes into a set of coordinates, guiding the robot's drawing hands. Whatever the humanoid sees, it can paint...  According to Inceptive Mind, Ai-Da is expected to perform her first public painting at the museum in London between May and June, subject to COVID-19 restrictions. The exhibition will feature several "self-portraits," which the humanoid will create by looking at itself in front of a mirror.  Ai-Da's co-inventor, Aiden Meller, was quoted by The Next Web, describing the humanoid's painting style as "shattered."  "We didn't want tight representational, photographic images, even though we could have programmed it to do that. We went against that because we realized that people would just think it was some kind of expensive photocopier. But more than that, we wanted to show the expressiveness of the creativity in the algorithm," Meller said.  Some have argued artificial intelligence isn't capable of real creativity. Though Meller disagrees, he said Ai-Da's algorithms were designed for creativity.  "In actual fact, it's turned out better than we anticipated because when Ada looks at you with cameras in her eyes, to do a drawing or a painting, she does a different one each time," said Meller. "Even if she's faced with the same image or same person, it would be a completely different outcome." Ai-Da is part of a growing number of artificial intelligence systems producing art. It's only a matter of time before this technology becomes more widespread and starts displacing human artists.  Perhaps, it would take a couple of Sotheby's or Christie's auctions of artificial intelligence art to set a precedence in the art community.  No matter what, artificial intelligence in the art world should frighten artists as this disturbing trend is happening across nearly every industry - artificial intelligence and automation are displacing jobs, resulting in rising technological unemployment levels.  Tyler Durden Sun, 02/28/2021 - 07:35
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Saturday, February 27, 2021

9 elderly care home residents die in Spain days after receiving Pfizer’s vaccine jab

by Michael Haynes, LifeSite News: SPAIN, February 26, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – Nine elderly care home residents in Spain have died and a further 68 tested positive for COVID-19 10 days after they were given the first dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccination. The news adds to the growing number of reports of people dying shortly after […]
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NO ONE IS SELLING SILVER #SilverSqueeze​ | Andy Schectman

from Miles Franklin: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
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'The Governor Wanted To Sleep With Me': Cuomo Accused Of Sexually Harassing Second Former Aide

'The Governor Wanted To Sleep With Me': Cuomo Accused Of Sexually Harassing Second Former Aide New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been accused of sexual harassment by a second former aide, according to the New York Times. Charlotte Bennett, a former executive assistant and health policy adviser to the Cuomo administration up until November of last year, told the Times that Cuomo had asked her sever questions about her sex life - including whether she ever had sex with older men, and whether she was monogamous in her relationships. NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Charlotte Bennett He also allegedly told her during a June, 2020 encounter that the 63-year-old governor complained about being 'lonely during the pandemic,' and that he "can't even hug anyone." Ms. Bennett, 25, said the most unsettling episode occurred on June 5, when she was alone with Mr. Cuomo in his State Capitol office. In a series of interviews this week, she said the governor had asked her numerous questions about her personal life, including whether she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships, and had said that he was open to relationships with women in their 20s — comments she interpreted as clear overtures to a sexual relationship. -New York Times  Cuomo told The Times on Saturday that he thought he was acting as a mentor, and "never made advances toward Ms. Bennett, nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate, before asking for an independent review of the matter - and imploring New Yorkers to await the results "before making any judgements." Bennett related an exchange in which she felt Cuomo made clear he wanted to sleep with her. Ms. Bennett said that during the June encounter, the governor, 63, also complained to her about being lonely during the pandemic, mentioning that he “can’t even hug anyone,” before turning the focus to Ms. Bennett. She said that Mr. Cuomo asked her, “Who did I last hug?” Ms. Bennett said she had tried to dodge the question by responding that she missed hugging her parents. “And he was, like, ‘No, I mean like really hugged somebody?’” she said. Mr. Cuomo never tried to touch her, Ms. Bennett said, but the message of the entire episode was unmistakable to her. -New York Times "I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared," Bennett said. "And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job." Tyler Durden Sat, 02/27/2021 - 18:53
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House Dems Pass Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID Relief Package 

House Dems Pass Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID Relief Package  Around 0200 ET Saturday morning, the Democratic-led House of Representatives passed the second-largest stimulus package of the pandemic that includes a $15 minimum wage hike.  Lawmakers passed the bill by a thin margin: 219-212, with two Democrats (Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Kurt Schrader (Ore.)) joining all Republicans in voting against it.  2:04:30 a.m. - #HR1319 - On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 219 - 212 (Roll no. 49). https://t.co/ZcqIY06C4r — U.S. House Floor (@HouseFloor) February 27, 2021 The bill's passage comes as COVID-19 deaths top half a million, and more than ten million people have lost their jobs and are battling food and housing insecurities.  "The bill includes some big-ticket items that would deliver important relief to businesses, workers, and the broader economy. It includes $1,400 stimulus checks for those making up to $75,000, $400 expanded weekly unemployment insurance benefits through August 29, and billions of dollars for arenas such as schools, state and local governments, and restaurants. It also increases Affordable Care Act subsidies for low- and middle-income Americans and expands both the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit," according to VOX.  The bill also includes a $15 minimum wage hike, despite a recent Senate parliamentarian's ruling that the minimum wage increase cannot be included in the stimulus package. Democrats are using budget reconciliation, which allows passage of some legislation with only 51 votes in the Senate, rather than the 60 if the opposition filibusters. The Dems have 51 votes if Vice President Kamala Harris is asked to vote upon a tie-breaking, which means Dems could push Biden's agenda through. However, the parliamentarian's ruling underscores the bill's fragility as it reaches the Senate - where it only takes one Dem to doom Biden's rescue package.  Already, centralist Dems, such as Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, have balked at the idea of increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour.  Others, such as the more progressive wing of the party, like Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, have stood tall on their support to include the bill's $15 minimum wage increase.  Bear in mind that Republicans have introduced their versions of bills to increase the minimum wage. * Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) proposed an increase to $10/hour by 2025. This bill, however, contains a provision that would mandate E-Verify for all employers to ensure the rising wages go to "legally authorized workers," which likely would not get any Democratic support. * Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced an alternative to the Democrats' proposal that would use federal dollars to increase low-earning workers' income. One foreseeable problem: the subsidy would disproportionally benefit those in states that have kept their minimum wages low. But, of course, Bernie and his progressive buddies won't stand for anything less than $15! Some economists are warning that the legislation is too ambitious and may spark unwanted inflation.  JPM's chief economist Michael Feroli warned Biden's stimulus package would not ease overheating concerns.  In response to this MMT madness in Washington - treasury yields violently rose this past week ahead of House's stimulus vote. More money flooding the economy sets off alarm bells on inflation risk, conjuring dark images in the minds of traders of the 1970s when central banks struggled to contain rising prices, sort of like what's happening today (read: Food Inflation Is The Best Predictor Of Bond Yields).  As readers found out last week, February saw a massive shift in the market's perception of the Fed's rate-hike trajectory... now pricing in more than 4 rate-hikes between 2022 and 2024... Laying it all out for readers, additional rounds of stimulus could stoke inflationary fears that would continue to depress tech stocks.  This is bad news for much of the Robinhood crowd who has yet to trade a rising rate environment.  So the question we ask: How long until the Fed intervenes to suppress rates? After all, other central banks this week freaked out with announcements of increased bond purchases to contain their sovereign yields from rising higher.  Tyler Durden Sat, 02/27/2021 - 08:50
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One-Third of Deaths Reported to CDC After COVID Vaccines Occurred Within 48 Hours of Vaccination

by Sayer Ji, Green Med Info: The numbers reflect the latest data available as of Feb. 12 from the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System website. Of the 929 reported deaths, about one-third occurred within 48 hours According to new data released today, as of Feb. 12, 15,923 adverse reactions to COVID vaccines, including 929 deaths, have been […]
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Friday, February 26, 2021

Australia Passes Law Requiring Google, Facebook Pay For News

from Sputnik News: Google Australia Managing Director Melanie Silva told Aussie senators last month that the news media bill, as it stood at the time, would result in a revocation of the country’s access to Google Search. In recent weeks, Facebook also responded to the legislation by blocking the sharing of news on Facebook and […]
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The resurrection of the Third Reich in Amerika

(Natural News) Yes, the Third Reich is undergoing resurrection, but not by white supremacists.  It is the white liberals in the Democrat Party and their presstitute propaganda machine—New York Times, CNN, NPR, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the rest of the presstitute whores— that comprise the new Nazi movement.  The only difference is that this time the target...
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Oil and Debt: Why Our Financial System Is Unsustainable

by Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds: How much energy, water and food will the “money” created out of thin air in the future buy? Finance is often cloaked in arcane terminology and math, but the one dynamic that governs the future is actually very simple. Here it is: all debt is borrowed against future supplies […]
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Rule of Law Collapsed in USA – Martin Armstrong

by Greg Hunter, USA Watchdog: Legendary financial and geopolitical cycle analyst Martin Armstrong says now that the stolen election is over, get ready for lawlessness to reign.  We start with the Supreme Court that refused to hear the Trump case on Pennsylvania voting fraud.  There are three more 2020 Election voter fraud cases pending at […]
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Is This a Bubble?

by Martin Armstrong, Armstrong Economics: QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, My wife and I are trying to buy a second home. We live in Wisconsin and want a place somewhere warm. We are trying to buy in Florida, but we are financing it and we bid at the asking. However, on all of the properties, someone comes in […]
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Thursday, February 25, 2021

Chicago has become a rotting, decaying, crime-ridden hellhole – and the rest of America will soon follow

(Natural News) I don’t know why anyone would want to live in Chicago at this point.  According to the latest estimate that I could find, “over 117,000 gang members” currently live in the city, and there is so much violence that it regularly makes headlines all over the globe.  Some of the wealthy areas of Chicago still...
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Almost a Year Later, There’s Still No Evidence Showing Governments Can Control the Spread of Covid-19

by Anthony Rozmajzl, Mises Institute: As we approach the one-year anniversary of fifteen days to flatten the curve, we have yet to acquire any data suggesting that the past year of life-destroying lockdowns and politicized behavioral mandates has done anything to keep us safe from covid-19. While discussions surrounding the reintroduction of nationwide lockdowns seem […]
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Drought In Taiwan Just Turned The Semi Shortage "Crisis" To "Critical"

Drought In Taiwan Just Turned The Semi Shortage "Crisis" To "Critical" Taiwan is suffering the "island's worst drought in decades", according to Nikkei. And this is terrible news for semiconductor manufacturers, who are being forced to make cuts on water usage while at the same time desperately trying to scramble and play catch-up with a drought of their own.  Taiwan is now planning to "further tighten water use in several cities that are home to a cluster of important manufacturers," including plants in Taoyuan, Taichung, Hsinchu and Miaoli. They are going to be asked to cut consumption by up to 11%. Chiayi and Tainan, where Taiwan Semiconductor is based, will be asked to take a 7% cut. All of these cuts come on top of another 7% cut already put into effect last month. One chipmaker executive told Nikkei: "All the industries are concerned whether the situation will be alleviated soon. ... No one wants to see the worst-case scenario of anyone being forced to dial back production capacity due to water issues." Companies like TSMC use 156,000 tons of water a day. Water quality is "is extremely critical to chip production lines and the processes. ... It could affect product performance, so that needs to be handled very carefully," one insider told Nikkei.  "So far the situation is manageable, but if it does not rain properly and continues like this till the end of May, that would be a real big problem," they concluded.  Meanwhile, TSMC is now considering trucking water in to supplement its reservoirs. "Deployments are still limited and the main purpose is to get the involved staff prepared for possible future needs," a TSMC spokeswoman said.  United Microelectronics is considering doing the same. CFO and spokesperson Liu Chi-tung told Nikkei: "As the water-saving rate needs to increase to 11%, we need the support of additional water trucks. Currently we only need a small percentage of additional water, but the company will adjust accordingly based on the dynamics." Unimicron CFO Michael Shen said on an earnings call Wednesday: "We've been reserving water and we will use rental water trucks to support our use if necessary. If we keep having no rain ... it will be difficult for us to address the issue." No typhoons hit the island in 2020, despite Taiwan averaging three major storms a year that bring much needed rain.  We just documented weeks ago how critical Taiwan would be in getting the semiconductor industry back up and running. We noted that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is rushing to try and build new facilities through the Chinese New Year in order to meet demand.  TSMC is one of the biggest suppliers of chips to company like Apple, Google and Qualcomm. As a result of a worldwide shortage in chips that was brought on due to the pandemic, they are now rushing to try and get a new factory in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan built. Construction the new facility will take place throughout 2021, with completion expected in 2022.    Earlier this month we noted that the semi situation had been turning dire and was now being referred to as the "most serious shortage in years". Qualcomm's CEO said weeks ago that there were now shortages "across the board".  And it wasn't just Qualcomm executives speaking out: other industry leaders warned in recent weeks that they are susceptible to the shortages. Apple said recently that its new high end iPhones were on hold due to a shortage of components. NXP Semiconductors has also warned that the problems are no longer just confined to the auto industry. Sony also said last week it may not be able to to fully meet demand for its new gaming console in 2021 due to the shortage. Companies like Lenovo have also been feeling the crunch. Neil Mawston, an analyst with Strategy Analytics, said: “The virus pandemic, social distancing in factories, and soaring competition from tablets, laptops and electric cars are causing some of the toughest conditions for smartphone component supply in many years.”  At the center of the shortage is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., who now sits astride a larger political crisis between China and Taiwan while Biden officials in the U.S. work to find solutions, not only for the semiconductor issues, but for the larger conflict developing between the two nations.  While the extent of the damage on consumer electronics remains to be seen, the shortages are expected to cost $61 billion worth of sales in the auto industry. Recall, we noted weeks ago that GM and Ford had joined Nissan in cutting production due to the shortage.  Several weeks ago the U.S. automaker announced that the shortage would "impact production in 2021", according to StreetInsider. The company said in a statement that "semiconductor supply for the global auto industry remains very fluid". It continued: "Our supply chain organization is working closely with our supply base to find solutions for our suppliers’ semiconductor requirements and to mitigate impacts on GM. Despite our mitigation efforts, the semiconductor shortage will impact GM production in 2021."   Tyler Durden Thu, 02/25/2021 - 18:40
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US Durable Goods Orders Surge In January To Pre-COVID Highs

US Durable Goods Orders Surge In January To Pre-COVID Highs Having slowed for 3 straight months, analysts expected US durable goods orders to re-accelerate and they were not wrong as preliminary January data showed a huge 3.4% MoM jump (more than triple the +1.1% MoM expected). Source: Bloomberg That is the ninth straight monthly rise in durable goods orders after the March/April collapse, with orders up 4.5% YoY to pre-COVID highs... Source: Bloomberg Core capital goods orders, a category that excludes aircraft and military hardware and is seen as a barometer of business investment, rose 0.5% after an upwardly revised 1.5% gain. Tyler Durden Thu, 02/25/2021 - 08:37
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The Vaccine (Dis)Information War

by CJ Hopkins, Consent Factory: So, good news, folks! It appears that GloboCap’s Genetic Modification Division has come up with a miracle vaccine for Covid! It’s an absolutely safe, non-experimental, messenger-RNA vaccine that teaches your cells to produce a protein that triggers an immune response, just like your body’s immune-system response, only better, because it’s […]
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Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Watch live: Boston Dynamics Spot robot goes on rampage with paintball gun

(Natural News) Update (1525 ET): After a few hours of Boston Dynamics Spot robot shooting up a makeshift art gallery with a paintball gun, live-streamed for the world to see, the fun appears over. (Article by Tyler Durden republished from ZeroHedge.com) Update (1330 ET): More than 20 minutes into the live broadcast (watch here), internet users worldwide have...
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REPORT: Former Obama Staff Colluded With Iran to Undermine Trump

by Tyler O’Neil, PJ Media: Former Obama administration officials, including former Secretary of State John Kerry, went behind President Donald Trump’s back in backchannels with Iran, sources told The Washington Times. Some of the architects of the Iran nuclear deal met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after Trump withdrew from the deal. TRUTH LIVES […]
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Science Proves That Time Is Running Out For Humanity…

by Michael Snyder, End Of The American Dream: Even if we weren’t facing an apocalyptic future of our own making, humanity would still be doomed due to the nightmarish reproductive crisis that we are now facing.  Just about every measure of human fertility that you can measure is dropping precipitously, and this is particularly true […]
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"You Killed The Little Guy!" - Robinhood's Vlad Tenev Faces Off Against Dave Portnoy In Tense Interview

"You Killed The Little Guy!" - Robinhood's Vlad Tenev Faces Off Against Dave Portnoy In Tense Interview In a face-off sparked by a random Twitter exchange, Robinhood CEO and co-founder Vlad Tenev sat for an interview with Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy and was taken to task for Robinhood's actions during the "meme" stock trading explosion that happened late last month, when shares of GME, AMC and other heavily shorted names exploded higher on a surge in retail interest galvanized by Reddit's "WallStreetBets" forum. Portnoy, who has emerged as one of Robinhood's biggest critics in the aftermath of the trading chaos, didn't go easy on Tenev - whom Portnoy has previously slammed as a "scumbag" and a "liar" - to explain exactly why he told the press that Robinhood wasn't suffering from a "liquidity issue" after the brokerage, and other discount brokerages shut off trading in certain stocks. The decision stopped the crowdsourced short-squeeze in its tracks to the benefit of short-selling hedge funds.. In the month or so that has passed since then, Portnoy has insisted that somebody from Robinhood needs to "go to jail". Tenev, meanwhile, largely brushed aside the animosity after Portnoy opened the livestream by reminding the CEO that "pretty much everyone watching...hates your guts." "That's what I hear," the heavily-coached Tenev replied, fresh off his Congressional testimony last week. "But look, I'm glad to be on your show and hopefully we can get into it and answer a lot of these questions." Much of the roughly 45-minute interview focused on whether Tenev misled the public when he said Robinhood wasn't struggling with liquidity issues. After a series of prying questions, Portnoy finally got Tenev to explain that while Robinhood wasn't suffering from a liquidity crisis when it shut off trading, if it hadn't acted, the firm might not have been able to survive the incident. How can Vlad say he is proud of the way Robinhood handled the situation when all they did was screw over their customers? #DDTG pic.twitter.com/D4wCwexj89 — Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 24, 2021 After listening to Tenev's explanation and conceding that he had a "fair point", Portnoy continued to criticize Tenev's handling of the company's response to the crisis, and accused him and Robinhood of intentionally cratering the stock. "But the way you acted, and I think this is the biggest problem...Robinhood clearly...their marketing, everything about them, "we're democratizing trading, we're for the retail trader," that's the branding of Robinhood and it clearly worked...Knowing that, when you force people to sell, you only allow them to sell but they can't buy, you cratered the stock," insisting Robinhood should have just frozen its trading and instead "manipulated" GameStop's stock price. "Look, I get it," Tenev said. "We didn't want to do this. We had to act very quickly to make sure that this didn't become a bigger problem. Everything Robinhood stands for letting people trade and giving people access and raised the capital [inaudible] as fast as we could." After weeks of doubling down on his early insistence that Robinhood wasn't suffering from a "liquidity issue", Tenev explained that "the 'L' word is a big thing in financial services...a 'liquidity issue' means you can't meet your deposit requirements, you can't meet your margin requirements and are basically dead." Furthermore, Tenev explained that if he hadn't acted, the company might have been facing a serious liquidity issue, Tenev vowed to Portnoy that he would do everything he could to make sure "we don't see this happen again." But Portnoy, apparently unsatisfied with this guarantee, pushed back: "We support the little guy, we're all about that," Tenev said. "You did something and gave a huge advantage to the big guy. That is the exact opposite of helping the little guy. You killed the little guy," Portnoy pushed back. "How could that be possible?...you guys are billed as a firm to retail traders and you screwed them over! I mean, you protected the firm and that's what you did...but if you wanted to protect the customers, you wouldn't have stopped buying. That decision basically had to crater the price and left a ton of your customers holding the bag." How are you going to say that there couldn't be wrongdoing because your industry is highly regulated, when all Wall Street does is have scandals? #DDTG pic.twitter.com/AhkQ0u1xnH — Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 24, 2021 The Robinhood founder also swore that his firm didn't collude with hedge funds like Citadel (Robinhood's biggest client) to influence trading in the stocks. When Tenev testified before Congress late last week, several other major players, including Citadel founder Ken Griffin and Melvin Capital founder Gabe Plotkin. Pressed once again, Tenev explained that if he hadn't acted, it could have hurt RH's ability to operate, and potentially impacted the broader financial system. "I understand how you feel that way and how customers might feel that way," Tenev responded, "But customers buying meme stocks rests on the foundation of our business being able to operate, which rests on a foundation of the financial system working, right? If the financial system breaks down, things could go south really, really quickly." The interview ended with Portnoy doubling down on his hostile tone, reiterating that Robinhood had lost his business for good. "I'm not going to say good luck because I'm not wishing you good luck. But I appreciate you coming on." Tenev replied that "you have my word" that Robinhood will "keep getting better and better." Watch the highlights from the interview below... ...or the full interview here. Tyler Durden Wed, 02/24/2021 - 08:24
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Cathie Wood's ARK Hit By Record Outflows, Sold Apple To Catch Falling Knife In Tesla Tuesday

Cathie Wood's ARK Hit By Record Outflows, Sold Apple To Catch Falling Knife In Tesla Tuesday We would be remiss to mention the turmoil that the NASDAQ has been under for the last couple of sessions without mentioning everyone's favorite "visionary" tech investor, Cathie Wood at ARK Invest. With more than $50 billion in ETF AUM, up from $3.6 billion this time last year, Wood has been featured almost non-stop in financial media as the next revolutionary asset manager. She was even given the nickname "money tree" in South Korea. Here on Zero Hedge, we have been writing extensively about how the law of large(r) numbers could make life difficult for Wood's ETFs heading into the new year. But one thing Wood hasn't had to deal with over the last 18 months during her meteoric rise has been a serious sell off in Tesla. And, over the last few sessions, Tesla - one of the main driving forces behind Wood's investing "genius" - has fallen about $100, or about 10%. At the same time, Bitcoin - another asset with numerous ties to Wood's portfolio and positions - fell more than 20% peak to trough.  Heading into Tuesday, the fund's flagship ARKK ETF had already experienced its worst back-to-back fall since September 2020, according to Bloomberg. The ETF finished lower by another 3.3%, recovering some of its losses on Tuesday, after plunging almost 10% at the cash open. ARK's Genomic Revolution and Ark Innovation funds had lost a combined $4.3 billion heading into Tuesday's session, Bloomberg noted.  And as ARKK fell again on Tuesday, fund outflows swung lower by $1.3 billion.  I'm afraid the ARK party is over, flows reversed to the tune of $1.3 billion in a day. Women and children to the lifeboats first, and thankfully I'm the latter. pic.twitter.com/CQU0OBkrKS — Quantian (@quantian1) February 24, 2021 On Tuesday, we were eager to see the update in ARK fund flows. the ARKK fund flow update will be something — zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 23, 2021 And with good reason. Investors pulled $465 million from the ARK Innovation ETF and $202 million was pulled from the ARK Genomic Revolution ETF, according to Bloomberg. The ARK Next Generation Internet ETF saw a $119 million outflow.    Compounding the shellacking for ARK Funds on Tuesday was the news that EV company Workhorse was not going to be receiving a much-coveted multi-billion dollar contract from the U.S. Postal Service. Fun fact. $ARKQ owns 2.6 millions shares of $WKHS pic.twitter.com/HymDTmmkHE — TC (@TESLAcharts) February 23, 2021 Workhorse was rumored (and widely expected judging by the price reaction) to be in the running for the contract, which was a frequently touted piece of the bull case by investors. On the news, Workhorse shares plunged by over 50% and were halted 5 times before the close on Tuesday. Several short sellers had targeted Workhorse over the course of the past year, noting that the USPS contract was unlikely. Among those was Nathan Anderson's Hindenburg Research, who predicted that Workhorse shareholders would be in for a "reality check" when the details of the USPS contract were finally released.  After several delays, $WKHS indeed did not get the contract from USPS, as predicted. Stock halted down 30% so far https://t.co/ovVv0aeE2v — Nate Anderson (@ClarityToast) February 23, 2021 Compounding the wonderful week for ARK even further was 3D Systems, the second largest holding in ARK's 3D printing ETF (why does this even exist?), who announced on Tuesday afternoon that it had "discovered certain internal control deficiencies" and, as a result, "may report one or more material weaknesses in internal controls in its upcoming fiscal 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K." Another Cathie position with "issues" "In the course of preparing the company’s financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2020, the company discovered certain internal control deficiencies."$DDDhttps://t.co/doi7GQN33l pic.twitter.com/mvUekdXJhI — JC Oviedo (@JCOviedo6) February 24, 2021 What to do during these troubling times, after Tesla has almost singlehandedly driven all of your "success" over the last 18 months and has ballooned in market cap about 10x without any major material fundamental developments that would warrant such a run higher? Buy more Tesla, of course. After the trading session on Tuesday, the headline hit that ARK Funds had tried to catch the falling knife in Tesla, purchasing more than 240,000 shares on the session. Tesla, at its closing price of $698 per share, was still valued at a market cap of $670 billion at the end of the day. The company's ARK Innovation ETF bought 177,214 shares, while ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF bought 11,893 and ARK Next Generation Internet ETF purchased 51,441, according to Bloomberg. But an even further examination of the day's trading revealed a larger trend: ARKK sold off some of its most liquid, relatively risk-adverse positions (at least relative to the tech industry) to not only add Tesla, but also to add to another former short seller target Vuzix Corporation, which had been alleged to be a stock promotion in 2018, and is now trading about 20x higher than it was in March 2020.  Put differently, Ark sold its lowest risk most liquid positions to prop up the share prices of its most overvalued and illiquid positions. $ARKK https://t.co/A07KKY6wTY — JC Oviedo (@JCOviedo6) February 24, 2021 And so ARK's fund management happens to look more like a novice trader trying to catch a falling knife this week. As was suggested during the day on Tuesday, we wouldn't mind seeing the due diligence file not only on Workhorse, but also on Vuzix. ARK owns 1.85 million shares of $WKHS. Let's see the due diligence file. — Keubiko (@Keubiko) February 23, 2021 You might be saying to yourself: they have $50 billion under management. Certainly they have enough money to hire at least a couple of competent analysts to at least do basic due diligence on their positions before staking claims in them, right?  🀦 pic.twitter.com/GtPMz0U7uR — Office_Gladiator (@GladiatorOffice) February 23, 2021 Doubts about Wood's stock picking acumen seem to be growing. Short bets against ARK continue to rise - a trend we first pointed out that had started weeks ago.  We noted several weeks ago that short interest in ARK funds had "exploded" after ARK's banner 2020. Short interest as a percentage of shares outstanding for the firm's flagship $21 billion ARK Innovation ETF spiked to an all time high of 1.9% from just 0.3% two months ago, according to data from IHS Markit Ltd. and Bloomberg.  That number now stands at nearly 3.5%, as evidenced in the chart above.  We were one of the first to highlight how the law of large numbers could eventually stand in the way of Cathie Wood's success. Tyler Durden Wed, 02/24/2021 - 07:09
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Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Reuters, BBC in Covert UK Program to Push Western Agenda

by Max Blumenthal, Consortium News: The U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have sponsored Reuters and the BBC to conduct a series of covert programs aimed at promoting regime change inside Russia and undermining its government across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to a series of leaked documents. The leaked materials show the Thomson Reuters […]
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Saudi Arabia Sued By Families Of Pensacola Terror Attack Victims

Saudi Arabia Sued By Families Of Pensacola Terror Attack Victims Saudi Arabia is once again facing a major lawsuit in the US filed by the families of victims killed in a terror attack perpetrated by a Saudi citizen. The attack in question occurred at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla. on Dec. 6, 2019. On that morning, a 21-year-old member of the Saudi military opened fire on Americans staying at the Naval base, carrying out a shooting rampage that led to the deaths of 3 Americans with 13 others wounded. The perpetrator, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, is believed to have posted his justification to social media before the attack. He was a member of the Royal Saudi Air Force staying in the US as part of a program whereby the US military offers training to military pilots from certain geopolitical 'partners'. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack weeks later, a claim that was corroborated by the FBI, which ruled the attack was motivated by Jihadist ideology. And while it had little discernible impact on US-Saudi relations at the time, that may soon change. Because family members of the deceased and wounded are now suing Saudi Arabia for civil damages. The complaint filed in federal court in Pensacola on Monday alleged that the Saudi Arabian government had known about the gunman and his increasing radicalization, and could have prevented the killing. According to Reuters, the Saudis didn't respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz condemned the attack as a “heinous crime” and said it “does not represent the Saudi people" during a statement made shortly after it happened. Although several of Alshamrani's fellow Saudi Naval officers reported attending a dinner party thrown by Alshamrani shortly before the attack where they all watched videos of US mass shootings, it was determined that Alshamrani was the sole shooter, and that he acted alone. President Joe Biden and his administration are already embracing a more distant approach to handling America's allies and adversaries in the Middle East, particularly when it comes to Saudi Arabia and Israel. Whether or not this lawsuit further sours relations between Washington and Riyadh remains to be seen. Tyler Durden Tue, 02/23/2021 - 23:45
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Board Leaders Of Texas Power Grid Resign After Blackout Outrage

Board Leaders Of Texas Power Grid Resign After Blackout Outrage The chair of Texas’s power grid operator and four other board members have resigned in the wake of the widespread outrage resulting from the energy crisis that crippled the state’s electrical system. According to a filing by the PUC of Texas, Electric Reliability Council of Texas Chair Sally Talberg resigned along with Vice Chair Peter Cramton and board members Raymond Hepper, Terry Bulger, Vanessa Anesetti-Parra,/ In their resignation letter, the member cited recent concerns raised about out-of-state board leadership at the grid operator. “To allow state leaders a free hand with future direction and to eliminate distractions, we are resigning from the board effective after our urgent board teleconference meeting adjourns on Wednesday, February 24, 2021." The resignations come as the Texas grid operator ERCOT and state regulators scramble to contain the catastrophic fallout from last week’s blackouts that left millions of homes without heat and light during a severe cold snap. The resignations also come after Texas Governor Greg Abbott last week called for Ercot leadership, including board members, to step down, and one day after the mother of an 11-year-old Texas boy who died during the power outage sued ERCOT and Entergy. "We look forward to working with the Texas Legislature, and we thank the outgoing Board Members for their service," Ercot spokesperson Leslie Sopko said in a statement. Craig Ivey also submitted a letter to withdraw his petition for approval as an unaffiliated director, citing concerns stakeholders recently expressed of having out-of-state directors. Tyler Durden Tue, 02/23/2021 - 18:25
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Tech Tock, Tech Tock, Tech Tock

Tech Tock, Tech Tock, Tech Tock By Michael Every of Rabobank “How do you defuse a time bomb? Help, I need answers really qui…” Yesterday saw US tech stocks tumble. Some of the biggest names took a big dip, and Bitcoin, the apparent wave of the future, receded nearly 20% from its recent peak. One pities the blue-chip CFO having to think about marking that crypto asset to market on their balance sheet: no firm would ever do something so rash in such volatile times, would they? Meanwhile, US 10-year yields surged again to 1.39%, retracing, and then deciding that, no, they had been right earlier, to stand at 1.37% at time of writing. It’s almost as if the prospect of higher borrowing costs is negatively correlated with the performance of firms who base both their businesses and CEOs on Hooli/Gavin Belson from TV’s ‘Silicon Valley’ (“What is Hooli? Excellent question. Hooli isn't just another high-tech company. Hooli isn't just about software. Hooli, Hooli is about people. Hooli is about innovative technology that, makes a difference. Transforming the world as we know it. Making the world, a better place, through minimal message oriented transport layers.”) It’s also almost as if Bitcoin might be correlated with one ‘Belson’, who had just put crypto on his CFO’s balance sheet, saying that the price of said asset “seems high”. Or perhaps, more likely but less-well reported, with the US Treasury Secretary repeating that most of the activity that takes place in it is “extremely inefficient” and “illicit”. Tech tock, tech tock, tech tock(?) What’s interesting is that the USD also sold off. So, briefly, nobody seemed to want to hold anything: not stocks, not bonds, not Bitcoin, and not the dollar. They are instead moving into commodities as the safest place to be, which is about as low-tech --and dystopian-- a future as one can imagine. (I refer readers back to my previous Mad Max references of mohawked brokers in bondage masks and studded leather hotpants all screaming “Gasoline!” at each other.) That means one wants to own AUD, for example. And Australians themselves still only want to own houses, of course. It’s boom-a-rama in that sector, with the ABC news last night underlining how even rural areas in Tasmania just saw sales prices rise 40% in 6 months. The RBA could arguably save themselves a lot of money by just publishing the daily paper property supplement ‘Domain’ instead of their reports focusing on the Aussie ‘macro economy’. The problem --and it is a problem—remains that this is not the basis for a sustainable recovery, just a frenetic short-term scramble. Everyone, with Australia at the vanguard on housing, has painted themselves into a corner with this latest leg in a decades-long ‘boom’. What we have begotten is a series of global Hoolis, and housing now unaffordable everywhere to at least half the overall population, and the vast majority of the young, and to a mortgage debt-load so heavy that any rate increases --which Aussie markets are now actively pricing for!--  will bring the whole thing tumbling down. Unless wages magically turn up to save the day. On which note, the ABC news last night, as just one example, was talking about how despite the unemployment rate in Australia nearly being back to the pre-Covid normal, vast numbers of people are still on the ‘JobKeeper’ scheme that ends on 28 March; and, separately, it explained how a government employer wage subsidy for younger workers was seeing a serious financial incentive put in place to fire full-time staff earning AUD75,000 (in their example) and replacing them with three youngsters all earning AUD25,000. Sticking with tech(ish) retorts: very wage pressure; so salaries; many money - you’d have to sew eight of them together into a human centi-aussie-pede to afford a single Aussie house at a level which would allow borrowing rates to rise again in the future. Of course, this dilemma is true everywhere to varying degrees. As Bloomberg reports solemnly today: “US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appear wary of signs of froth in financial markets, even as they press ahead with economic stimulus measures that are elevating the euphoria.” Indeed, just a few weeks after two IMF officials warned of a “sense of complacency” permeating markets, Yellen told CNBC TV viewers yesterday that there “may be sectors where we should be very careful.” Was she referring to stocks, bonds, crypto, and the dollar? Was ANY of what is now unfolding anything but entirely predictable? We are all very much Keynesians again now. Yet Keynes spoke of the need to “euthanize the rentier” via low interest rates: we have eulogised them that way! Bloomberg then goes on to bewail that “the US has fewer regulatory tools to head off asset bubbles and excessive leverage than many other countries.” Back to tech analogies: do the regulatory tools to stop such rentier-eulogising appear from the sky, like the Black Slab in ‘2001’, for primitive markets to gather round and jabber at, before then ascending to a higher level of evolutionary development? Or are they ultra-complex manmade things that only a few Gavin Belsons of this world can understand? It’s not rocket science. We all know what happens when you don’t juice the system;  and we all know what happens when you juice the system the way we are. Logically, the only way to prevent what we see today would be de facto credit rationing – which used to be the norm in capitalist economies under Bretton Woods, until the neoliberal reforms that built our present, wobbly global structure. For example, you could slash rates to zero, but cap the overall level of borrowing in a given sector, like mortgages, which given supply and demand for funds would then mean households would pay a higher price for money. (China tries some similar things today in its own way.) Would that create a whole new set of problems? Sure! First, the current bubble would burst. But that’s going to happen anyway – or society will, with a lag. Second, a lot of international capital flows wouldn’t be needed – so de facto deglobalisation. So one can see why this is therefore ignored. But fewer and fewer voters seem to like this globalisation – and what other *logical* answer is there? Today we hear from the Fed’s Powell at his semi-annual testimony to Congress – and I am sure nothing at all that I have mentioned above will be spoken of. We can expect something more Belson-esque --“What those in dying business sectors call failure, we in tech know to be pre-greatness” -- or else that ‘teching’ sound in the background is going to be followed by a very, very loud bang even more quickly than would otherwise be the case. Tyler Durden Tue, 02/23/2021 - 08:25
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Judicial Watch SUES for Capitol Riot Emails/Video – What is Pelosi Hiding?

from Judicial Watch: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
http://dlvr.it/RtJLPd

Monday, February 22, 2021

WeWork's Neumann Nears Deal To Settle With Softbank For $500MM, Retain 'Major' Ownership Stake

WeWork's Neumann Nears Deal To Settle With Softbank For $500MM, Retain 'Major' Ownership Stake The former CEO and co-founder of WeWork, the tech/real-estate private company which saw its IPO implode back in 2019 (before talk of a possible second bite at the apple resurfaced in recent weeks) is reportedly nearing a settlement with Softbank in a closely-followed case. Per WSJ, Neumann could be nearing a settlement with Softbank, the Japanese telecom giant/VC behemoth, which takes out long-term leases and then divvies it up on shorter terms after completing hip renovations, cut thousands of jobs and withdrew from dozens of buildings around the world. The settlement would allow SoftBank to avoid paying some of the money it agreed to pay to Neumann back in the fall of 2019, while still allowing Neumann to walk away with $500MM, and retain his status as a major shareholder in WeWork. For those who haven't been closely following this legal saga, Softbank rescued WeWork when it came to the company's rescue after WeWork's IPO fell apartment in 2019. But one of the strategies it used to recapitalize the company involved buying back, or rather, promising to buy back, shares owned by insiders, including Neumann, which left the firm with a majority stake, and the freedom to make sweeping management changes. Originally, the deal struck between Softbank and WeWork back in late 2019 involved a commitment to spend $3B to buy shares from Neumann and other WeWork insiders. But, according to terms being discussed currently, Softbank would spend roughly $1.5B to buy the shares of early WeWork investors and employees, including nearly $500MM to purchase shares from Neumann. Neumann - who was widely panned for the $185MM golden parachute consulting agreement he pocketed during the chaos of 2019 - would only walk away with half of what Softbank initially promised him, meaning his hopes for regaining billionaire status have  potentially been snuffed out - at least, unless the WeWork SPAC becomes a reality and a success. That's right: Instead of $1B, Neumann would only walk away with $500MM, according to WSJ's sources. Bloomberg points out that the price of the shares that Neumann has agreed to sell hasn't changed since 2019. However, SoftBank will only walk away with half the original number. Under the terms of the potential settlement, SoftBank would purchase half of the WeWork shares it originally agreed to buy in 2019, said one the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are still private. That means Neumann would be able to sell close to $500 million in stock, and that SoftBank would pay about $1.5 billion overall. The shares are being sold at the same price agreed upon in 2019, the person said. The deal would mean Neumann sells about a quarter of his position in WeWork and remains a major shareholder in the company, the person said, while noting the agreement isn’t finalized and could still change. The agreement could also pave the way for a second attempt at a WeWork public listing, the person added. A spokesman for Neumann and a spokeswoman for SoftBank declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal reported on the talks earlier. Despite the comity once shared between Softbank and WeWork, negotiations have reportedly been tense, and the relationship between Neumann and his former patron, billionaire Softbank Chairman Masayoshi Son, has reportedly soured. As the SPAC boom rolls on, WeWork has been in talks with a SPAC called BowX Acquisition and the two sides could reach a deal in the coming weeks, the people said. WeWork is infamous for seeing its private-market valuation implode over the span of a few weeks during the summer of 2019 as WSJ, Bloomberg, Reuters and others reported on a stream of leaks purportedly emanating from the investment bankers working on the deal and their clients, who were seriously dissatisfied with the price that the bankers were purportedly demanding for the shares. There is no guarantee WeWork will reach a deal with BowX, and other financing and SPAC options are still on the table, the people cautioned. But with the SPAC boom rolling on seemingly with no end in sight, few would be surprised, at this point, if WeWork does eventually trade in the public markets. Tyler Durden Tue, 02/23/2021 - 01:00
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Supposedly Retired, F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Jets Spotted Over Los Angeles

Supposedly Retired, F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Jets Spotted Over Los Angeles Defense Blog reports a pair of Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft were spotted above Los Angeles last Friday. The F-117s are supposedly retired but were spotted flying with a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.  AP Freelance photographer Matt Hartman tweeted a picture of the stealth aircraft on Sunday. He said: "So one day at ⁦ @flyLAXairport ⁩ I get a tip about something special… I look up ……. USAF KC-135R in-flight w/ 2 F-117 Stealth Fighter’s! Well I guess their NOT retired after all?? 02-19-21 2." Two F-117 Nighthawks After 25 years in service, the Air Force retired the F-117 fleet in April 2008, but in September 2017, the service received special permission to keep 51 in Type 1000 storage, meaning the planes could swiftly return to active service.  In October, we reported two F-117s were spotted at the Miramar Naval Base in San Diego. It appears the Pentagon is bringing some of these legacy stealth aircraft back to active duty.  Four decommissioned F-117s were secretly deployed to the Middle East in 2017 to launch surgical strikes. The reason for the deployment was simple; Russia and Syria had shut down Syrian airspace by mid-2016. The U.S.-led coalition was unwilling to lose a fifth-generation aircraft to Russia's S-400 missile systems in Syria.  With a great power competition unfolding between the US and China - may be the Pentagon is prepping these planes for future Pacific warfare.  Tyler Durden Mon, 02/22/2021 - 23:40
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Living Under the Spectre of Hyperinflation: 1923 Weimar and Today

by Matthew Ehret, The Duran: In a recent report, I discussed why the current financial system is on the verge of a 1923-Weimar style hyperinflation driven by Federal Reserve bailouts trying desperately to support a deleveraging of the $1200 trillion derivatives bubble that has taken over the western banking system. I also discussed the Bank of […]
http://dlvr.it/RtGQvK

On Thin Ice? De Blasio Reverses Closures Of Trump-Operated Ice Skating Rinks

On Thin Ice? De Blasio Reverses Closures Of Trump-Operated Ice Skating Rinks Authored by Jonathan Turley, We recently discussed the legal and political implications of the effort by Mayor Bill de Blasio to close Trump-operated rinks and golf facilities. While the city lawyers were developing viable rationales for closing the Wollman Park and Lasker Rinks, de Blasio staff went out of its way to make clear that the effort was political retaliation against Trump. De Blasio’s spokesperson proudly announced that “Trump has been impeached from operating the ice rink.”  Now, de Blasio has reversed his decision after backlash over a petty move that would not only cut off ice skating early for residents but throw employees out of jobs weeks early.  The question is how the reversal will impact other legal efforts targeting the Trump Organization. Notably, in the reversal, de Blasio’s staff reaffirmed that the motivation was purely political. City Hall Press Secretary Bill Neidhardt stated: “New York City kids deserve all the time on the ice they can get this year. The Wollman and Lasker rinks will stay open under current management for the few weeks left in this season. But make no mistake, we will not be doing business with the Trump Organization going forward. Inciting an insurrection will never be forgotten or forgiven.” That statement will likely be the focus of Trump filings if the city moves forward against any and all Trump properties or contracts. Other officials have confirmed the real motive as political.  Malik Garvin, the Ice Hockey in Harlem director, stated that he was told the ice rinks were closing “in retaliation for the storming of the Capitol, which our kids, our families had nothing to do with.” Previously different claims were suggested for the reason of the actions, including for the termination of the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, a contract worth millions. That contract has 18 more years left to run. The office cited criminal activity at the skating sites as one possible legal basis for termination. However, it is now saying that such activity is not so serious as to warrant early closure. Presumably, if the rinks were rife with crime, the mayor does not believe that “New York City kids deserve all [the crime] they can get this year.” Instead,  Neidhardt went out of his way to be clear that that the reason for the action was retaliatory not protective. In skating, this is called a “Flutz”— or a Lutz jump done incorrectly. De Blasio just flutzed by getting his edge wrong and ending up with the wrong jump. The big question is whether this reaffirmation of a retaliatory purpose can be used in the litigation over the golf contract. On that contract,  de Blasio noted that the contract requires the playing of championship games at the site and the PGA Championship said it will no longer play on Trump golf courses.  The PGA indicated that it felt pressure to terminate the long-standing relationship. PGA CEO Seth Waugh stated “We find ourselves in a political situation not of our making. We’re fiduciaries for our members, for the game, for our mission and for our brand. And how do we best protect that? Our feeling was given the tragic events of Wednesday that we could no longer hold it at Bedminster. The damage could have been irreparable. The only real course of action was to leave.” The Trump organization called the decision a breach of its agreement. It is not clear how specific the contract is on what championships qualify. However, now de Blasio’s office has given the Trump legal team new support for claiming a thinly veiled political purpose — extrinsic to the contractual terms. Once again, there is virtual silence in the media or among good-government advocates about the use of city contracts for such raw political purposes. As noted earlier, while our age of rage has become a license for excess and pettiness, this action suggests that the city can harass or sanction contractors solely because of their political associations.  It is an invitation for cronyism and corruption in the handling of city contracts. If the Trump Organization failed to meet a condition of the contract or the required services, there are ample remedies including possible termination. However, de Blasio clearly wanted the public to know that he was taking this action as an anti-Trump statement.  There is little thought to the implications of using city contracts for such political retaliation. Indeed, any objection is likely to be met by accusations of being an apologist or enabler of Trump. De Blasio knows that this makes for good politics.  It just makes for lousy governance. Tyler Durden Mon, 02/22/2021 - 08:17
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Geoengineering Watch Global Alert News ( Dane Wigington )

from Dane Wigington: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
http://dlvr.it/RtDJfx

Sunday, February 21, 2021

SITUATION UPDATE, FEB. 21, 2021 – FIFTEEN HARD LESSONS I JUST LEARNED FROM THE TEXAS GRID COLLAPSE

from NaturalNews: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
http://dlvr.it/RtCBFg

Trump Taking Full Control of Republicans at CPAC as Lincoln Project Loses All Political Viability

from H. A. Goodman: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
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Dem Rep. Ro Khanna: 'We Don't Want' Small Businesses That Can't Pay $15 Minimum Wage

Dem Rep. Ro Khanna: 'We Don't Want' Small Businesses That Can't Pay $15 Minimum Wage Trying to live the American dream but can't pay $15 an hour minimum wage? Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California doesn't think your business should exist. During a Sunday discussion on CNN's "Inside Politics," Khanna said that "low-wage businesses" who can't pay $15 an hour are "underpaying employees" and suggested that "If workers were actually getting paid for the value they were creating, it would be up to $23." As Breitbart notes, however, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would cost 1.4 million Americans their jobs over the next four years, while reducing the number in poverty by 0.9 million. Specifically: * The cumulative budget deficit over the 2021–2031 period would increase by $54 billion * From 2021 to 2031, the cumulative pay of affected people would increase, on net, by $333 billion—an increased labor cost for firms considerably larger than the net effect on the budget deficit during that period. * That net increase would result from higher pay ($509 billion) for people who were employed at higher hourly wages under the bill, offset by lower pay ($175 billion) because of reduced employment under the bill. * Employment would be reduced by 1.4 million workers, or 0.9 percent * The number of people in poverty would be reduced by 0.9 million Fast food ordering kiosk companies and burger-flipping robot manufacturers must be salivating right now... Watch (relevant portion at ~1:30): Transcript via Breitbart: Anchor Abby Phillip: "I know that you feel very strongly like many progressives about the minimum wage issue. Right now, at the same time, businesses, both large and small, are struggling in this pandemic economy, more than 9 million jobs have been lost in the last year, and they still aren’t back, and the problem is particularly acute in industries like retail and foodservice, which are more likely to pay minimum wage. I think the question that a lot of Republicans are posing and perhaps some moderate Democrats is timing. Is now the right time to increase it to $15? I should say the bill has stages, of course, but immediately it would go up about 30% right now. Is now the right time to do that?" Khanna: "Abby, it’s absolutely the right time to give working Americans a raise. Let’s look at the facts. Amazon raised their wage to $15 nationally, not regionally. They have more jobs today. It didn’t hurt job creation or business. Target followed. They also did it nationally, more jobs." Phillip: "Large businesses like Amazon and McDonald’s, for example, can and perhaps should pay more, but I’m wondering what is your plan for smaller businesses? How does this, in your view, affect mom and pop businesses who are just struggling to keep their doors open, keep workers on pate roll right now?" Khanna: "Well, they shouldn't be doing it by paying people low wages. We don’t want low-wage businesses. Most successful small businesses can pay a fair wage. If you look at the minimum wage, it increased with worker productivity until 1968, and that relationship was severed. If workers were actually getting paid for the value they were creating, it would be up to $23. I love small businesses, I’m all for it, but I don’t want small businesses that are underpaying employees. It’s fair for people to be making what they’re producing. I think $15 is very reasonable in this country." *  *  * Tyler Durden Sun, 02/21/2021 - 18:10
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Somalia Is Headed Towards Another Tragic Collapse Despite Billions In US Funding

Somalia Is Headed Towards Another Tragic Collapse Despite Billions In US Funding By Michael Rubin, submitted by 19fortyfive.com, After more than $50 billion in foreign assistance, much U.S. provided, Somalia now faces its worst crisis since its collapse 30 years ago. It has now been a week-and-a-half since President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s four-year-term presidential term ended. Plans for elections collapsed after Farmajo (and U.S. Ambassador Donald Yamamoto) sought to stack the process. Opposition politicians balked. While Farmajo has refused to step down, a dwindling number of Somalis accept his legitimacy. Wardheer News, one of Somalia’s leading and most reputable news sites, explained, “Farmajo not only failed to satisfy the oath of the office which compels to hold election prior to his term but…failed to carry out consultation with the opposition groups for the possible establishment of an agreed interim administration until a new parliament and a president is elected.” Protestors called what was set to become Somalia’s largest peaceful demonstration in more than a half century to demand a peaceful transition. Last night, before protestors arrived, militias led by General Indha Cadde took over control of the Monument to Unknown Soldiers. When asked who ordered him to deploy, he said it was his sense of responsibility because there was no government in the country. Farmajo’s challengers then deployed their own militias to the main landmarks around the city, as Farmajo sought to block protestor access to the city center. Calm did not last long. Yusuf Gabobe, editor of the Somaliland Times, reported that at around midnight Mogadishu time, “Fierce fighting…between government security forces and bodyguards of former presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.” Sheikh Sharif Ahmed confirmed the skirmish at the hotel where many presidential candidates are staying as they seek new elections. For Farmajo, a nephew of former Cold War dictator Siad Barre, to order Somali forces to attack his political competitors confirms that he is more interested in suppressing political competitors than fighting the Al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab militia. Indeed, rather than fight al-Shabaab, he has threatened to unleash the group on Somalia’s neighbors. It is time the United States, the European Union, and the African Union recognize what so many Somalis do and start to listen to them: Somalia will descend into civil war unless the international community changes its approach. First, it is time to abandon Farmajo. His actions have dashed whatever hopes greeted his selection. Somalis now compare their president as more destructive than COVID-19. He had his chance. He failed. It is time to move on. Second, the United States should not only withhold aid until Villa Somalia dismisses Fahad Yasin, the director of Somalia’s intelligence agency who has ties to terrorism, but also designate him for his terror connections. Third, as Tibor Nagy, Jr., the recently retired assistant secretary of State for African Affairs, noted, it is time “to consider strengthening links with Somaliland.” As Somalia descended into chaos, Somaliland reasserted its independence and has remained peaceful, secure, and democratic ever since. When Farmajo sabotaged elections, Somaliland embraced them. Nagy’s calls for links need not mean recognizing its independence, but a firmer partnership could be in both countries’ interests, especially given the threat of China’s rise. Fourth, Congress should demand a Special Inspector General for Somalia. Too much money has disappeared as the State Department spends more even as its strategy fails. If Yamamoto believes his strategy has succeeded, he should not oppose an audit. Fifth, it is time to recognize that the key to Somali stability is not renewed dictatorship, but rather respect for democracy both in Mogadishu and at the local level. When I visited Puntland last month, I could walk around without fear or security. Regional President Said Abdullahi Dani has prioritized the economy, with visible success. In Jubaland, regional President Ahmed Madobe has likewise stabilized the situation. It is unfair for Yamamoto or UN Representative James Swan to behave like colonial governors and destabilize Somalia’s regions for the sake of their client in the center. Somalis will never accept Mogadishu dictatorship; Swiss or Emirati-style federalism is a better fit in which local states run local affairs with the central government handling only fiscal policy and defense. Somalis are today putting their lives on the line for democracy. It is time to listen. If the international community remains deaf or arrogantly insists they know better, the result will be a disaster that will reverberate far beyond Somalia’s borders. Tyler Durden Sun, 02/21/2021 - 08:10
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Rick Rule | Wall Street Silver

from r/WallStreetSilver: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
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Saturday, February 20, 2021

The Truth About Bill Gates

from Paul Joseph Watson: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
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Financial System “Dangerously Close” to Failure During GameStop Mania: Interactive Brokers

from The Money GPS: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
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Who’s Next? Canada Joins Australia’s Anti-Facebook Crusade, Vows to Make Social Media Pay For News

from Sputnik News: The development comes as the company barred Australians from posting or sharing news stories, as well as blocking all news-related content in the country over a local law obliging Facebook to pay for content that appears on its platform. Ottawa has joined Canberra in its anti-Facebook crusade as the country has vowed […]
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What Poisoned America?

by Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds: America’s financial system is nothing more than a toxic waste dump of speculation, fraud, collusion, corruption and rampant profiteering. What Poisoned America? The list of suspects is long: systemic bias, special interests dominating politics, political polarization, globalization and the offshoring of productive capacity, over-regulation, the rise of rapacious cartels […]
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Morgan Stanley: Cryptocurrencies Here to Stay as Serious Asset Class, Bitcoin Making Progress to Replace Dollar

by Kevin Helms, Bitcoin: Morgan Stanley’s chief global strategist says that “regardless of where the price of bitcoin goes next, cryptocurrencies are here to stay as a serious asset class.” He added that bitcoin is making progress towards replacing the dollar as a medium of exchange. Morgan Stanley Bullish on Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies Morgan Stanley’s […]
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Friday, February 19, 2021

Our Descent Into Collective Madness

Our Descent Into Collective Madness Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via PJMedia.com, These are crazy times. A pandemic led to national quarantine; to self-induced recession; to riot, arson, and looting; to a contested election; and to a riot at the U.S. Capitol. In response, are we focusing solely on upping the daily vaccination rate? Getting the country back to work? Opening the schools as the virus attenuates? Ensuring safety in the streets? Or are we descending into a sort of madness? It might have been understandable that trillions of dollars had to be borrowed to keep a suffocating economy breathing. But it makes little sense to keep borrowing $2 trillion a year to prime an economy now set to roar back with herd-like immunity on the horizon. Trillions of dollars in stimulus are already priming the economy. Cabin-feverish Americans are poised to get out of their homes to travel, eat out and socialize as never before. Meanwhile, the United States will have to start paying down nearly $30 trillion in debt. But we seem more fixated on raising rather than reducing that astronomical obligation. We are told man-made, worldwide climate change - as in the now-discarded term “global warming” - can best be addressed by massive dislocations in the U.S. economy. The Biden administration plans to shut down coal plants. It will halt even nearly completed new gas and oil pipelines. It will cut back on fracking to embrace the multitrillion-dollar “Green New Deal.” Americans should pause and examine the utter disaster that unfolded recently in Texas and its environs. Parts of the American Southwest were covered in ice and snow for days. Nighttime temperatures crashed to near zero in some places. The state, under pressure, had been transitioning from its near-limitless and cheap reservoirs of natural gas and other fossil fuels to generating power through wind and solar. But what happens to millions of Texans when wind turbines freeze up while storm clouds extinguish solar power? We are witnessing the answer in oil- and gas-rich but energy-poor Texas that is all but shut down. Millions are shivering without electricity and affordable heating. Some may die or become ill by this self-induced disaster — one fueled by man-made ideological rigidity. Texas’ use of natural gas in power generation has helped the United States curb carbon emissions. Ignoring it for unreliable wind and solar alternatives was bound to have catastrophic consequences whenever a politically incorrect nature did not follow the global warming script. In 2019, a special counsel wrapped up a 22-month, $35 million investigation into then-President Donald Trump’s alleged “collusion” with Russia in the 2016 election. Robert Mueller and his team searched long and hard for a crime and came up empty. Then, Trump was impeached in December 2019 and acquitted in the Senate in early 2020. His purported crime was warning the Ukrainians about the Biden family’s quid pro quo racketeering. After the revelations concerning Hunter Biden’s shenanigans not only in Ukraine but also in Kazakhstan and China, Trump’s admonitions now seem prescient rather than impeachable. Trump had been threatened with removal from office under the 25th Amendment. He was accused of violating the Logan Act and the Constitution’s emoluments clause. His executive orders were often declared unconstitutional if not seditious. All these oppositional measures predictably failed to receive either public or congressional support. Finally, an exasperated left decided to flog the presidential corpse of now private citizen Trump. It did so without a Supreme Court chief justice to oversee an impeachment trial in the Senate. The targeted president was no longer president. There was no special prosecutor, little debate and even less cross-examination. In the end, the second impeachment was sillier than the first. But, like the first, the show trial wasted precious time and resources in the midst of a pandemic. But the height of our collective madness is the current cancel culture. Its subtexts are “unearned white privilege” and “white supremacy.” In the name of those abominations, mobs tear down statues, destroy careers, censor speech, require veritable oaths and conduct reeducation training. Stranger still, those alleging “white privilege” are usually themselves quite wealthy, liberal — and white. These elites count on their incestuous networking, silver-spoon upbringings and tony degrees to leverage status, influence and money in a way undreamed of by the white working class. Affluent and privileged minorities likewise join the chorus to call for everything from reparations to “reprogramming” Trump voters. The most elite in America are the most likely to damn the privilege of those who lack it. Perhaps this illogic squares the psychological circle of feeling guilty about things they never have any intention of giving up. If blaming those without advantages does not satisfy the unhappy liberal elite, then there is always warring against the mute dead: changing their eponymous names, destroying their statues, slandering their memories and denying their achievements. The common denominator with all these absurdities? An ungracious and neurotic elite whose judgment is bankrupt and whose privilege is paid for by those who don’t have it. Tyler Durden Sat, 02/20/2021 - 00:00
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The Decline Of The West: American Education Surrenders To "Equity"

The Decline Of The West: American Education Surrenders To "Equity" Authored by Philip Giraldi via The Strategic Culture Foundation, It will be difficult or even impossible to go back to a system where learning is actually a discipline that requires hard work and dedication... Public education in the United States, if measured by results, has been producing graduates that are less competent in language skills and dramatically less well taught in the sciences and mathematics since 1964, when Scholastic Aptitude Test scores peaked. The decline in science and math skills has accelerated in the past decade according to rankings of American students compared to their peers overseas. A recent assessment, from 2015, placed the U.S. at 38th out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science. Among the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD), the United States came in at 30th in math and 19th in science. Those poor results must be placed in a context of American taxpayers spending more money per student than any other country in the world, so the availability of resources is not necessarily a factor in most school districts. Much of the decline is due to technical advances that level the playing field for teachers worldwide, but one must also consider changing perceptions of the role of education in a social context. In the United States in particular, political and cultural unrest certainly have been relevant factors. But all of that said and considered, the U.S. is now confronting a reassessment of values that will likely alter forever traditional education and will also make American students even more non-competitive with their foreign peers. Many schools in the United States have ceased issuing grades that have any meaning, or they have dropped grading altogether, which means there is no way to judge progress or achievement. National test scores for evaluating possible college entry are on the way out almost everywhere as they are increasingly being condemned as “racist” in terms of how they assess learning based solely on the fact that blacks do less well on them than Asians and whites. This has all been part of an agenda that is being pushed that will search for and eliminate any taint of racism in the public space. It has also meant the destruction or removal of numerous historic monuments and an avoidance of any honest discussion of American history. San Francisco schools are, for example, notoriously spending more than $1 million to change the names of 44 schools that honor individuals who have been examined under the “racism and oppression” microscope and found wanting. They include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Paul Revere. The new world order for education is built around the concept of “equity,” sometimes described as using the public education system to “ensure equitable outcomes.” But the concept itself is deeply flawed as the pursuit of equity means treating all American unequally to guarantee that everyone that comes out of the schools is the same and has learned the same things. That is, of course, ridiculous and it penalizes the good student to make sure that the bad student is somehow pushed through the system and winds up with the same piece of paper. And the quality overall of public education will sharply decline. One might reasonably observe that imposition of a totalitarian style “equity” regime based on race will inevitably drive many of the academically better prepared students out of the system. Many of the better teachers will also move to the private academies that will spring up due to parental and student demand. Others will stop teaching altogether when confronted by political correctness at a level that prior to 2020 would have seemed unimaginable. The actual quality of education will suffer for everyone involved All of that has been bad enough, but the clincher is that this transformation is taking place all over the United States with the encouragement of federal, state and local governments and once the new regime is established it will be difficult or even impossible to go back to a system where learning is actually a discipline that sometimes requires hard work and dedication. In many school districts, the actual process of change is also being put on the back of the taxpayer. In one Virginia county the local school board spent $422,500 on a consultant to apply so-called Critical Race Theory (CRT) to a new program of instruction that will be mandatory for all employees and will serve as the framework for teaching the students. When schools eventually reopen, all kindergarteners, for example, will be taught “social justice” in a course designed by the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center and “diversity training” will be integrated in all other grade levels. Teaching reading, writing and arithmetic will take a back seat of “social justice.” Critical Race Theory, which is being promoted as the framework for reorganizing the schools along lines of racial preferences, has been fairly criticized as it pretends to be an antidote to systemic racism but is itself racist in nature as it opposes a race neutral system that equally benefits everyone. It proposes that all of America’s governmental bodies and infrastructures are racist and supportive of “white supremacy” and must be deconstructed. It requires everything to be examined through a value system determined by identity politics and race and it views both whites and their institutions as hopelessly corrupted, if not evil. Fortunately, some pushback to the Jacobins of political correctness is developing. Parents in many school districts are starting to attend school board meetings to register their opposition and even some school board members and teachers are refusing to cooperate. The teachers do so at risk of losing their jobs. At the elite Dalton private school in New York City parents have sent a letter to the Head of School Jim Best complaining how the newly introduced “anti-racist” curriculum has been gravely distorted by Critical Race Theory and the pursuit of “equity” to such an extent that it has included “a pessimistic and age-inappropriate litany of grievances in EVERY class. We have confused a progressive pedagogical model with progressive politics. Even for people who are sympathetic to that political viewpoint, the role of a school is not to indoctrinate politically. It’s to open the minds of children to the wonders of the world and learning. The Dalton we love, that has changed our lives, is nowhere to be found. And that is a huge loss.” The letter also stated that “Every class this year has had an obsessive focus on race and identity, ‘racist cop’ reenactments in science, ‘decentering whiteness’ in art class, learning about white supremacy and sexuality in health class. Wildly age-inappropriate, many of these classes feel more akin to a Zoom corporate sensitivity training than to Dalton’s intellectually engaging curriculum.” Ironically, much of the new curriculum is being driven by a core of radicalized Dalton faculty members, who in December signed on to an “anti-racism manifesto” which demanded that the school “hire 12 full-time diversity officers, abolish high-level academic courses if Black students’ performance isn’t on par with White students’, and require anti-racism ‘statements’ from all members of the staff.” Inevitably what is going on at Dalton and elsewhere is also playing out at many of America’s top universities, so the rot will persist into the next generation when today’s college students themselves become teachers. A black Princeton professor of classics is calling for all classics departments to be done away with because they promote “racism, slavery and white supremacy.” America’s education system, once upon a time, benefited the nation and its people, but we are now watching it in its death throes. And please don’t expect the Joe Biden administration to do anything to save it. They are on the side of the wreckers. Tyler Durden Fri, 02/19/2021 - 23:20
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