Are Afghani Women Trying to Escape Horror?

Afghanistan's Taliban ban long-distance road trips for solo women: 

The Taliban have said Afghan women seeking to travel long distances by road should be offered transport only if accompanied by a male relative. The directive, issued on Sunday, is the latest curb on women's rights since the Islamist group thugs seized power in August. A majority of secondary schools remain shut for girls, while most women have been banned from working. Campaign group Human Rights Watch said the new restriction moved further towards making women prisoners.

[Taliban = weak, sociopathic men frightened of losing their household slaves and recreational equipment.]

Exposing Xinese LIES

21-11-25 Sinister Truth about Peng Shuai Has Been Revealed - laowhy86 > .

21-12-24 They Found Peng Shuai and it's Disturbing - laowhy86 > .

#WhereIsPengShuai .

Praise the Bathtub!

Kentucky tornado: Bodycam footage shows moment babies pulled alive from rubble: Rescue footage has been released of two babies being pulled from the wreckage of a tornado last week in the US state of Kentucky.

The infants had been tucked by their grandmother in a bath to protect them from the twister. The tub was ripped from the house by the storm and tossed into the garden, where rescue workers found the children largely unscathed.

Beyond REPUGNANT

Thomas Massie: US [RepuGNican] Congressman condemned for Christmas guns photo:

A US congressman has faced a barrage of criticism after he posted a Christmas photograph of his family posing with military-style rifles, just days after a deadly school shooting. Kentucky's Republican RepuGNican representative, Thomas Massie, tweeted the photo with the caption: "Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo".

The post has been condemned by a host of families affected by gun violence, plus figures on both sides of politics.

[Fortunately, not all Americans are odious, gun-toting hypocrites.]

Sturgis Stupidity

⇐ 21-8-29 Predictably, the defiantly unwise Sturgis rally proved to be a super-spreader event.

⇐ 21-8-31 Worsening in South Dakota and
nearby states, but easing slightly in southeastern states

⇐ 21-9-1 Further worsening in South Dakota and nearby states, worsening in southeastern states. Florida's DeSantis fudging numbers downward

⇐ 21-9-3 Further worsening in South Dakota's nearby states, static in southeastern states (until Louisiana contacts during Ida increase numbers).

⇐ 21-9-9 Further worsening in South Dakota, slight improvement in some southeastern states (until Louisiana contacts during Ida increase numbers).

⇐ 21-9-9 Cases rising in low-vaccination states adjacent to South Dakota, slight improvement in some southeastern states. The USA has reached ~ 659,000 deaths.

                                                                              ⇐ 21-9-14 Worse and worse, alas.              

⇐ 21-9-14 States close to South Dakota are paying an increasing price for low vaccination rates. Fortunately, epidemics are easing in southern states, but low-vaccination states in the central east are worsening.        

USA as of 21-9-23:

42.5M cases; 680K Deaths

⇐ 21-9-29 States close to South Dakota are still paying a price for low vaccination rates. 

⇐ 21-10-3 States close to South Dakota continue to pay a price for low vaccination rates. 

⇐ 21-10-15 Under-vaccinated states close to South Dakota continue to pay the price of obdurate stupidity.

⇐ 21-10-21 And on it goes in unvaccinated areas. 

⇐ 21-10-27 And on, and on. 

⇐ 21-11-7 And on, and on. New Mexico appears paradoxical because it has relatively high vaccination rates. Within NM, cases are highest in 20-29 yr-olds and the Hispanic-Latino population.

⇐ 21-11-26 Sturgis-initiated wave finally diminishing in north western states --- just as Omicron is identified in South Africa. Omicron's infectivity appears to be higher than Delta, but virulence and mortality are not yet determinable.

USA as of 21-11-26 

Cases 48.1M +30,853
Deaths 777K +377

⇐ 21-11-30 Baseline before Omicron variant announced in USA

https://vp.nyt.com/video/2021/10/21/96723_1_covid-waves-hp-promo_wg_720p.mp4 .

⇐ 21-9-1 Deaths are inversely correlated with vaccination rates as defiant wrong-wingers insist on "freedom" to spread COVID-19 and thus increase hospitalization and death.

⇐ 21-9-9 Deaths are still inversely correlated with vaccination rates as defiant wrong-wingers continue to insist on "freedom" to spread COVID-19 and thus increase hospitalization, death, and possibility of an even worse mutation (human copying error).

⇐ 21-9-14 Little improvement 

⇐ 21-9-29 Again, little improvement 

⇐ 21-10-21 Vaccination rates continue to be inversely correlated with functional IQ.

The maps above demonstrate that stupidity correlates with red states, and is not confined to South Dakota.

21-10-1 U.S. Covid Death Toll Surpasses 700,000 Despite Wide Availability of Vaccines:

An overwhelming majority of Americans who have died in recent months were unvaccinated, with the latest COVID-19 deaths concentrated in the South.
The new and alarming surge of deaths this summer means that the coronavirus pandemic has become the deadliest in American history. [Remember the fuss that Americans made over almost 3,000 killed on 9/11?]

October 14, 2021 USA Total cases 44.8M +88,895 Deaths 722K +2,031

October 21, 2021 USA Total cases 45.2M +86,592 Deaths 732K +3,112 (= 9/11 per week)

⇐ 21-8-31 USA close to less-developed nations in infection and death rates.

⇐ 21-8-31 USA close to less-developed nations in infection and death rates.

⇐ 21-9-29 USA still close to less-developed nations in infection and death rates.

⇑ 21-10-21 Finally, the USA has improved, but the UK and Brazil remain problematic, and Russia is worsening.

⇐ 21-11-30 Nations reporting early cases of Omicron variant

⇐ 21-11-30 Global infection rate before all nations report early cases of Omicron variant

ὂ μικρόν

Omicron literally 'small o': όμικρον > . 

Omicron (/ˈoʊmɪkrɒn, ˈɒmɪkrɒn, oʊˈmaɪkrɒn/; uppercase Ο, lowercase ο, literally 'small o': όμικρον from ὂ μικρόν ò mikrón, micron meaning 'small' in contrast to omega) is the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 70. This letter is derived from the Phoenician letter ayin: . In classical Greek, omicron represented the sound [o] in contrast to omega [ɔː] and ου [oː]. In modern Greek, omicron represents the mid back rounded vowel /o̞/ , the same sound as omega. Letters that arose from omicron include Roman O and Cyrillic O.

Pinkies, Take Note

2021 It might Break Your Pinky Heart. Namewee, Ft.Kimberley Chen > .

Explanation: 15:26 Song mocking China's [pathetic] online troll army goes viral > .

21-11-26 Why has China banned a viral pop song? - Digging > .

50 Cent Party, 50 Cent Army and wumao are terms for Internet commentators who are hired by the authorities of the People's Republic of China to manipulate public opinion and disseminate disinformation to the benefit of the governing Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It was created during the early phases of the Internet's rollout to the wider public in China.

The name is derived from the allegation that commentators are paid ¥0.50 for every post. They create favourable comments [aka, LIES] or articles on popular Chinese social media networks that are intended to derail discussions that are unhelpful to the Communist Party, they promote narratives that serve the government's interests, and they write disparaging comments and misinformation about political opponents and critics of the Chinese government, both domestic and abroad.

Authors of a paper published in 2017 in the American Political Science Review estimate that the Chinese government fabricates 488 million social media posts per year. In contrast to common assumptions, the 50 Cent Army consists mostly of paid bureaucrats who respond to government directives and rarely defend their government from criticism or engage in direct arguments because "... the goal of this massive secretive operation is instead to distract the public and change the subject." Around 80% of the analysed posts involve pro-China cheerleading with inspirational slogans, and 13% involve general praise and suggestions on governmental policies. Despite the common allegation of the commentators getting paid for their posts, the paper suggested there was "no evidence" that they are paid anything for their posts, instead being required to do so as a part of their official party duties.

Research indicated a "massive secretive operation" to fill China's Internet with propaganda, and has resulted in some 488 million posts written by fake social media accounts, representing about 0.6% of the 80 billion posts generated on Chinese social media. To maximize their influence, such pro-government comments are made largely during times of intense online debate, and when online protests have a possibility of transforming into real life actions. The colloquial term wumao has also been used by some English speakers outside of China as an insult against people with perceived pro-CCP bias.

Five Older White Women

The useless piece-of-excrement swerved, presumably to target the Dancing Grannies. For the sake of public safety, I hope the multiple-offender serves consecutive life terms.

21-11-23 Five older white women and a 8-year-old white boy. Tragic :(

The OPPOSITE of Narcissistic Me-Again and Supply

.The latest Madam Me-Again (2:9) - Spitting Image > . pt2 > .

Japan's former princess Mako arrives in New York after giving up title: Japan's former princess Mako has arrived in the US with her new "commoner" husband, Kei Komuro, after leaving the royal family.

Under Japanese law, female imperial family members forfeit their status upon marriage to a "commoner". Mako, who took her husband's name when they got married, is reportedly expected to find a job in the city. Mr Komuro is currently working as a legal clerk.

The move to the US has drawn comparisons with British "royals" Me-Again and Prince Harry, earning the newlyweds the nickname "Japan's Harry and [Me-Again]".

Tragic Irony

This tragedy reminds me of Yuri Gagarin, Mike Hawthorn, and Dar Robinson ... surviving more dangerous challenges only to die in regular accidents.

Glen de Vries: William Shatner's spacecraft partner dies in plane crash: A US businessman who blasted into space with Star Trek actor William Shatner has died in a plane crash less than a month later. Glen de Vries, 49, was aboard a single-engine aircraft which crashed in woodland in the US state of New Jersey on Thursday (21-11-11). The other person on the flight, Thomas Fischer, 54, was also killed.

Pro Liberal Epistemology - Enfin!

ώ The Great Awokening with Bari Weiss | Goodfellows - Hoover > .

University of Austin: New University Launch | Niall Ferguson - Lex > .

University of Austin, a new university devoted to civil discourse - Pano Kanelos > .

Restoring Civil Discourse in Higher Education | Pano Kanelos - heterodox > .

High time!

Universities devoted to the unfettered pursuit of truth are the cornerstone of a free and flourishing democratic society.

For universities to serve their purpose, they must be fully committed to freedom of inquiry, freedom of conscience, and civil discourse.

In order to maintain these principles, UATX will be fiercely independent—financially, intellectually, and politically.

UATX - Liberalism Resurgent ⇻

FreeDUMB to be Malevolent

.The United States of Freedom - Betty Bowers > .

Go Back to School, Greta

COP26: Greta Thunberg tells protest that COP26 has been a 'failure': 

Considering that uncooperative, obdurate, COP26-shunning China is the worst climate-crisis culprit, then COP26 was somewhat doomed. Further, participating nations are scarcely able to snap their fingers and implement the ""immediate and drastic" cuts to emissions" that madam demands.

There is a point where criticism-for-criticism's-sake is either useless or counter productive. Greta, if you don't have anything constructive to say (and you clearly don't), then you have outlived your usefulness to the climate. It would be more useful to shift your attention to China's dependence on coal for industrial productivity and the possibility of boycotts and sanctions against a nation that is unlikely to cut back on CO2-emissions unless forced to do so. 

Media, until Greta finds a useful line of attack, drop the excessive coverage of this demanding pint-sized 'activist'.

Taking French Produce Off The Menu

The UK has said threats to block British boats from French ports in a dispute over fishing rights are a breach of international law and trade agreements. France said if there is no agreement by 2 November it will also tighten checks on UK boats and trucks, and could target Channel Island energy supplies. ... France was angered by a decision from the UK and Jersey last month to deny fishing licences to dozens of French boats, and argued that it breached the Brexit deal.

[Happily, the French are not the only producers of cheese and wine.]

Commemorating First Flight Backwards

 

Social media users have mocked Ohio after its launch of a number plate to mark the first motorised flight by the Wright brothers in 1903 crash landed. The US state's new design, unveiled by Governor Mike DeWine, sported a banner attached to the plane that boasted Ohio was the "Birthplace of Aviation". But the banner, which should have been trailing behind the plane, was actually attached to its front.

[Understandable since the Wright Flyer sported canard elevators, which could easily be mistaken for tail fins.]

One poster mocked that "even the Wright brothers went back to the drawing board", while another joked that the state government had "one job".

Hilarious Paranoia

Robot artist Ai-Da released by Egyptian border guards: 

A British-built robot that uses cameras and a robotic arm to create abstract art has been released after Egyptian authorities detained it at customs. Ai-Da, named for the mathematician Ada Lovelace, was seized by border agents last week who feared her robotics may have been hiding covert spy tools. Officials held the robot for 10 days, imperilling plans to show her work at the Great Pyramid of Giza on Thursday.

According to creator Aidan Meller, border guards seized Ai-Da because they had been suspicious of her modem, before then raising issues with her camera. Mr Meller offered to remove the modem, but said that he could not remove the cameras, which are essential to Ai-Da's ability to paint. The robot uses AI algorithms to turn what is recorded through its camera into works of art.

Stupidity Mobs

2021 How Online Conspiracy Groups Compare to Cults | WIRED > .

Unmasking Facebook

2021 Facebook Whistleblower Reveals Identity, Says Company Chooses Profits > .

Facebook putting profit before public good, says whistleblower Frances Haugen: Internal papers show firm is lying about making progress against hate, violence and misinformation, ex-employee says

A former Facebook employee has accused the company of putting profit over the public good, after coming forward as the whistleblower who leaked a cache of internal documents that have placed the tech firm in its worst crisis since the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Frances Haugen, 37, said the thousands of documents she had collected and shared with the Wall Street Journal and US law enforcement showed the company was lying to the public that it was making significant progress against hate, violence and misinformation.

“The thing I saw at Facebook over and over again was there were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook. And Facebook, over and over again, chose to optimise for its own interests, like making more money,” she said.

In an interview with the news program 60 Minutes on Sunday, Haugen explained her decision to speak out about the internal workings of Facebook, saying she had become alarmed by what she perceived as company policies that prioritized profit over public safety.

...

Haugen’s lawyers have filed complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission – the US financial regulator – accusing the company of making false statements to investors, by comparing the internal documents with public statements about tackling harmful content.

Pedophile Protection Agency, French Chapter

2021 '3000 paedophiles' held positions in French Catholic Church since 1950s > .

Church sex abuse: Thousands of paedophiles in French Church, inquiry says: 

Thousands of paedophiles have operated within the French Catholic Church since 1950, the head of a panel investigating abuses by church members says. Jean-Marc Sauvé told French media that the commission had found evidence of 2,900 to 3,200 abusers - out of a total of 115,000 priests and other clerics.

The commission is to release a lengthy report on Tuesday. It is based on church, court and police archives, as well as interviews with victims. The independent inquiry was commissioned by the French Catholic Church in 2018, following a number of scandals in other countries.

...

Earlier this year Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church's laws to explicitly criminalise sexual abuse, in its biggest overhaul of the criminal code for decades. The new rules make sex abuse, grooming minors, possessing child pornography and covering up abuse an offence under Canon Law.

[Having been caught with their skirts hitched up, the odious myth-flogging organization finally took action to protect children instead of its deviant clerics. Recruit males who are willing to forgo marriage with an adult woman, and any organization is bound to include pedophiles, gay men, frustrated heterosexuals, and the occasional asexual. Female priests would have been a safer concept, but homoauthoritarian males despise women.]

snowflakes, cowards idiots, losers, and AFRAID

21-10-1 >700K dead ⇨ LET'S STOP THE PLEASANT EUPHEMISMS: They aren't "anti-Vax." They're AFRAID OF GETTING VACCINATED! > .

"... we have to stop coddling the morons who will not get the shot. We start by calling them what they are. They are all snowflakes, and cowards and idiots, and losers, and, most importantly, they are afraid."

[I suspect that most of these oh-so-'Murican idiots are afraid that their friends, family, and community will despise them for succumbing to governmental pressure. Many of them will die for their ignorant obduracy. But hey, RepuGNican politicians don't care -------- just so long as they can grow rich collecting bribes from corporations.]

And another succumbs to natural selection

21-9-23 Eliyantha White: Sri Lankan shaman dies of Covid after touting cure: 

A Sri Lankan shaman who touted a potion which he said would protect people against COVID-19 has died with the disease, his family says. Eliyantha White treated sports stars and top politicians with the potion, which he said came to him in a dream. He said pouring it into rivers could end the pandemic in Sri Lanka and neighbouring India. The 48-year-old fell ill with the virus earlier this month and was taken to hospital where his condition worsened.

His potion was publicly endorsed by Sri Lanka's former health minister, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, who subsequently spent two weeks in intensive care with COVID-19.

Not Punished, But Little Changed

21-9-21 Canadian federal election night (21-9-20) in under 7 minutes > .

Since Erin O'Toole could not be trusted to stay closer to the middle, this is a relief.

Something cheerful for a change

 

.Cutie > .

Justin has forgotten the Harper lesson

21-9-10 Canadian Election: Could O'Toole's Conservatives Beat Trudeau? - TLDR > .

21-9-1 Canada federal election: How much trouble is Trudeau in?:

Canada's Justin Trudeau called a snap election in mid-August hoping an early campaign could net his Liberals a majority government. But with their lead in the poll vanishing at the campaign's halfway point, is one still within reach?

In August, when he called the election saying "Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against COVID-19", political headwinds appeared to be blowing in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's favour. Canadians were largely happy with the direction of the country and his Liberal government's pandemic response, polls suggested.

Though the initial rollout of COVID jabs in the country had been slow and bumpy, many Canadians had been vaccinated more quickly than predicted. People were enjoying the summer as lockdown restrictions were being eased by the provinces.

"Three weeks ago it felt like pretty common knowledge - at least with people I was talking to - that it was going to be a cakewalk for the Liberals," said Jenni Byrne, a political commentator and former Conservative campaign manager. But heading into September, Trudeau and his Liberals are in a different position.

Canadians seem to be wondering why an election - called two years early - was necessary, said Alex Marland, a political science professor at Memorial University.

The prime minister may have controlled the timing of the campaign, but he did "not provide a satisfactory narrative about why we need to go to the polls" leaving voters "grumpy and frustrated", he said.

[Trudeau is in power because Harper was resoundingly punished for pulling the same power-grabbing stunt. So was Theresa May in the UK.]

21-8-15 Canada election: Trudeau calls snap summer campaign:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a snap summer general election as Canada enters into its pandemic fourth wave. The general election comes as polls indicate his minority Liberal government looks within reach of forming a majority. The 49-year-old Liberal leader says "Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against Covid-19".

Canadians will vote on 20 September, some two years ahead of schedule.

Extremist Authoritarian Religionism = Hellish Medievalism

.attacking ideas | changing view of Islam - Theramin > .

2-8-27  The Taliban is Lying, Don't Believe Them - Johnny Harris > .

Afghanistan crisis: Unclear if ruthless Taliban will change, says US general:  

The top US general has described the Taliban as a "ruthless group" and says it is unclear whether they will change. [imo, the only change will comprise their becoming more and more oppressively violent, particularly to women]

US forces withdrew from Afghanistan on Tuesday, ending America's longest war 20 years after launching an invasion to oust the Taliban. The Islamists are now in control and expected to announce a new government. The Taliban's lightning advance sparked off a frenetic effort to evacuate thousands of foreign nationals and local Afghans who had been working for them.

US President Joe Biden has been widely criticised over the abrupt manner of the withdrawal, which led to the unexpected collapse of the Afghan security forces the US had trained and funded for years.

In the news conference on Wednesday, both Gen Milley and Secretary Austin praised the troops who had served in Afghanistan and the massive evacuation mission.

It's official -- the USA is terminally stupid

[In face of the alarming levels of wrong-wing partisan hysteria in the US, non-RepuGNicans have been urged not to call RepuGNicans "stupid". I make no apologies ---- too many of them ARE blindingly stupid.]  

A judge in Ohio ordered a hospital to treat a COVID-19 patient with [ineffective, potentially harmful] ivermectin, despite warnings from experts that the anti-parasitic drug has not proved effective against the virus and can be dangerous in large doses.

Ivermectin is most commonly used against parasites in livestock animals including horses and cows. It is also used in humans, against some parasitic worms and external parasites like head lice. [Rather apt, though useless against COVID-19.]

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that “taking large doses of this drug is dangerous and can cause serious harm”.

But amid widespread resistance to public health mandates and vaccines, particularly on the political right wrong, amid a surge in hospitalisations and deaths due to the Delta variant and in light of testimony from some [apparently demented] doctors, ivermectin has found advocates as a treatment for COVID-19.

Research, however, has not shown that ivermectin can prevent or treat COVID-19. One of the largest trials for the drug was halted earlier this month by a data safety monitoring board, because the drug proved no more effective than a placebo.

Another Sceptic Succumbs

21-8-29 This death is doubly tragic because it was avoidable ........... 

Staffordshire COVID sceptic Marcus Birks dies in hospital: A COVID sceptic who was hospitalised with the virus and went on to urge other people to get vaccinated has died. Marcus Birks, 40, from Leek, Staffordshire, died on Friday leaving his family "shattered", his wife said. He was admitted to the intensive care unit at Royal Stoke University Hospital earlier this month.

The musician had told the BBC he was "shocked" to have become so unwell with the virus because he "rarely got ill".

21-8-11 Staffordshire COVID sceptic urges people to get vaccine.

A: Democrats probably / RepuGNicans no

Q: Like many across the world, millions in Asia have been shocked by the scenes of desperation coming out of Afghanistan - with some asking if America can still be trusted.

Freedom FROM Sense

Swallowing dangerous LIES is foolishness, not worthwhile freedom ......... these people are not free to understand facts and to make wise choices. Many will die for their "freedom to be ignorant".

.Dying in the Name of Vaccine Freedom | NYT Opinion > .

Pie on Afghanistan #$%^ &*!

.UK Foreign Policy (is a joke) - Pie > .

Admittedly an earwig would be better than tRUMP, but ........

... what was the DNC thinking?

.Afghanistan: Biden Administration “wouldn’t listen” to intelligence reports - BBC > .

Sociopaths USE people and then throw them to the wolves

Thousands Who Helped the U.S. in Afghanistan Are Trapped. What Happens Next?: Many of those who worked alongside U.S. troops have waited years for visas to come to the United States. The speedy withdrawal of forces left most of them behind.

[Lest we forget ---- Dubaya started this mess, Cautious-to-a-Fault Obama continued it, Don't-Give-a-Damn-about-People tRUMP put on an ineffective performance for 4 years, Obama's-Coat-Tails Biden inherited the mess 6 months ago.] 

Barack Antoinette? That's one BITTER ... er ... columnist

“Maureen Dowd has been to plenty of fancy parties at the houses of successful white friends but she’s mad that a successful black man had a (gasp) party for his (gasp) birthday with his (gasp) friends. F— all the way off with this racist bulls—,” musician and author Mikel Jollet tweeted.

[Dowd sports a vocabulary inspired by the demands of sarcasm, which is aimed, it appears, at everyone but her-resentful-self.]

Yeah, yeah, pull the other leg

21-8-15 Taliban spokesman tells BBC ‘no revenge’ on Afghans - BBC News > .

2-8-27 The Taliban is Lying, Don't Believe Them - Johnny Harris > .

Taliban spokesman tells BBC they are 'awaiting a peaceful transfer of power':

A spokesman for the Taliban has told the BBC's Yalda Hakim "there will be no revenge" on the people of Afghanistan. Suhail Shaheen called the presenter live on air. "We assure the people in Afghanistan, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe - there will be no revenge on anyone," he told her.

"We are the servants of the people and of this country."

Many Afghans [who know the actual value of Taliban words] fear a brutal return to the [Gileadean] regime of the 1990s, which was characterised by public executions, stonings and girls being banned from school.

[Authoritarian religionist males are a blight on women and girls, in particular.]

In a SUPPOSEDLY Developed Society

[Obdurate partisan ignorance kills. Statistically, most of the recent hospitalizations and deaths could have been prevented or ameliorated by vaccination.] 

Four educators in Florida's second-largest school district have died from COVID-19 within a day of each other, teachers' union officials say. The deaths come just days before Broward County schools are due to reopen on August 18.

Three of the educators who died in Florida were unvaccinated, said the teachers' union. It was unclear whether the fourth had received a COVID vaccine. None of them had been inside a school building recently.

Florida's [disgustingly ignorant and authoritarian] RepuGNican governor has threatened to withhold pay from school leaders who require masks for pupils. School virus protocols have become the subject of fierce debate as the [more contagious, more dangerous] Delta variant spreads in the US.

Domestic retribution? Violence for the sake-of-violence?

The mother of the Plymouth gunman, Maxine Davison, and three-year-old Sophie Martyn have been named among the five victims of his shooting spree. Ms Davison, 51, was shot and killed by her 22-year-old son Jake Davison at her home on Biddick Drive, Plymouth, on Thursday evening.

Davison went on to kill three-year-old Sophie, her father Lee Martyn, 43, Stephen Washington and Kate Shepherd. His attack lasted about six minutes before he turned the gun on himself.

In online videos Davison spoke of being "beaten down" and "defeated by life".

Police said the incident, the worst mass shooting in Britain since 2010, was not terror-related. However, Davison made references to "incels" in some online social media videos. Incels are members of misogynistic online groups of "involuntary celibate" men, who blame women for their sexual failings and who have been linked to a number of violent acts around the world. [Is it any wonder that women don't fancy dating such types?]

Davison had posted hate-filled online rants about single mothers and about his own mother in particular, calling her "vile, dysfunctional and chaotic".

[Ironically, "vile, dysfunctional and chaotic" describes his final, despicable acts.]

UK turning into America? :(

"Police said three females, two males and the suspect died. All are thought to have died from gunshot wounds and relatives have been informed. An MP said one of those killed was under 10 years old and more people were being treated in hospital."

"Firstly, there was shouting, followed by gunshots - three possibly four to begin with," an eyewitness said. "This was when the shooter kicked in the door of a house and randomly started shooting... He ran from the house shooting as he ran and proceeded to shoot at a few people in the linear park up from the drive." She said the "shooter proceeded along Royal Navy Avenue still shooting".

Another witness, Robert Pinkerton, said he "walked around the corner" and "bumped into a bloke with a shotgun". He said the man was dressed all in black.

Finally, a little balance

Hamas rocket fire a war crime, Human Rights Watch says: 

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said that the firing of rockets at Israel by Palestinians in Gaza during the conflict in May amounted to war crimes. The attacks "flagrantly violated" the laws of war, the campaign group said following an investigation.

More than 4,360 unguided rockets and mortars were fired, Israel says, killing 13 people there. Some fell short, killing Palestinians in Gaza. At least 260 people were killed in Gaza during the 11 days of fighting.

It began after weeks of spiralling Israeli-Palestinian tension in East Jerusalem which culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. Hamas - the militant Islamist group which rules Gaza - began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.

Last month, HRW said three Israeli air strikes it investigated also amounted to war crimes. The investigation into the strikes which killed 62 civilians found no evidence of military targets nearby. The Israeli military says it only struck military targets in Gaza and took various measures to avoid causing civilian casualties.

That's one UNTRUSTWORTHY regime

Prison term raises pressure on Canada and US in high-stakes China standoff: 

Jail term for Michael Spavor viewed by Canada as retaliation over Huawei finance chief’s detention. Hours after a court in China sentenced Canadian Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage, Meng Wanzhou appeared in a Vancouver courtroom, as final arguments began in her fight against extradition to the United States.

The two cases, while not officially linked [read, the CCP is lying], are at the heart a geopolitical feud between the United States and China, which has left Canada suffering collateral damage.

Michael Spavor and another Canadian, Michael Kovrig, were arrested by Chinese officials in December 2018, days after Canada arrested the Huawei executive on a US extradition request.

China has repeatedly demanded that Meng Wanzhou be released, even though prime minister Justin Trudeau has explained that his government cannot interfere in the country’s judicial process.

Spavor’s verdict and sentencing, which follow an opaque and secretive trial, were denounced by Canada and its allies, who have accused China of “hostage diplomacy”.

According to Jack Cunningham, co-ordinator at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto, Canada’s options are limited. “China is playing by rules they’ve created for themselves. They’re free to manipulate their own domestic judicial process. It’s a regime that sees the rule of law in essentially political terms,” said Cunningham.

[Yeah, the CCP is clearly not to be trusted. So, where possible, Canadians can avoid purchasing Chinese manufactured items.]

That's one SICK country

Florida governor says no salaries for school leaders requiring masks: 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, [apparently a heartless idiot and] a vocal critic of COVID restrictions, has said the state can withhold salaries from school leaders who enact mask mandates. He earlier issued an order against such policies in schools, but some districts have pushed back, saying their pupils must still mask. The row comes as US schools begin their new academic year, and as Delta variant surges affect younger groups.

Florida is one of several states in the southern US to see dramatic rises in virus cases and hospital admissions in recent weeks.

Public health experts and teachers say masks are needed to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant - especially as the vaccines are not yet approved for children under the age of 12. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says students above the age of two and all staff should mask indoors even if they are vaccinated, and socially distance in classrooms to reduce risk.

More than 13,600 people in Florida were in hospital with COVID-19 as of 21-8-9, according to federal health authorities. There are over 100 children currently in hospital due to the virus, local media report.

About half of the Sunshine State's population has been fully vaccinated. 

There but for a vaccine ...

.The Last Few Polio Survivors – Last of the Iron Lungs | Gizmodo > .

C*N*servative Anti-Factualism

[Edits] based on: Many conservatives have a difficult relationship with science – we wanted to find out why:

Sociologist Robert Merton famously proposed norms for the conduct of science in 1942. The norm of “communism” (different from the political philosophy of communism) holds that the results of scientific research should be the common property of the scientific community. “Universalism” postulates that knowledge should transcend racial, class, national or political barriers. “Disinteredness” mandates that scientists should conduct research for the benefit of the scientific enterprise rather than for personal gain. These norms sit uneasily with strands of standard contemporary C*N*servative thought. C*N*servatism and CONservatism are typically associated with nationalism and patriotism, at the expense of embracing cooperative internationalism. [Moderate conservatives, on the other hand, are capable of facing realities -- explaining why so many well-educated moderate conservatives have publicly abandoned the tRUMPist RepuGNican partisanship]. And the notion of disinterestedness may not mesh well with conservative emphasis on property rights [self, self, self].

Science has enabled us to explain the world around us but that may create further tensions – especially with religious conservatism religionist CONservatism. The idea fantasy that humans are exceptional is at the core of traditional Judeo-Christian thought, which sees [perpetuates the self-flattering medieval myth of viewing] the human as an imago Dei, an image of God, that is clearly separate from other beings and nature itself.

Against this human exceptionalism, the over-arching outcome of centuries of research since the scientific revolution has been a diminution of the status of human beings. We [those big enough to marvel at realities] now recognise our planet to be a rather small and insignificant object in a universe full of an untold number of galaxies [with no need for invented deities], rather than the centre of all creation.

Many scientific findings continue to be disputed by [mostly wrong-wing] politicians and [mostly wrong-wing] parts of the public long after a scholarly consensus has been established. For example, nearly a third of [mostly wrong-wing]  Americans still do not accept that fossil fuel emissions cause climate change, even though the scientific community settled on a consensus that they do decades ago.

The author and associates recently conducted two large-scale surveys that explored the first possibility – that some intrinsic attributes of science are in tension with aspects of conservative thinking.

Research into why people reject scientific facts has identified people’s [mostly wrong-wing] political worldviews as the principal [obdurate ignorance] predictor variable. People with a libertarian [read, selfish wrong-wing] or conservative worldview are more likely to reject climate change and evolution and are less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Research focused on three scientific issues; climate change, vaccinations, and the heritability of intelligence. The first two were chosen because of their known tendency to be rejected by people on the political right wrong, allowing us to observe the potential moderating role of other predictors.

Heritability of intelligence was chosen because the belief that external forces such as education can improve people and their circumstances is a focus of liberalism. CONservatism, on the other hand, is skeptical of that possibility and leans more towards the idea that improvement comes from the individual – implying a lesser role for the malleability of intelligence. 

The fact that individual differences in intelligence are related to genetic differences, with current estimates of heritability hovering around 50%, is therefore potentially challenging to liberals [Pah! Genuinely liberal thinkers recognize that the 50:50 nature:nurture statistic confirms human malleability in the face of the education] but might be endorsed by CONservatives.

C*N*servatives and CONservatives were less likely to accept the norms of science, suggesting that the worldviews of some people on the political right wrong may be typically are in intrinsic conflict with the scientific enterprise. [Well-educated moderate political conservatives are capable of coping with reality.]

The two studies help explain why C*N*/CONservatives are more likely to reject scientific findings than liberals. This rejection is not only dictated by political interests clashing with a specific body of scientific knowledge (such as human-caused climate change), but it appears to represent a deeper tension between C*N*/CONservatism and the spirit in which science is commonly conducted.

[Is "nature" or "nurture" a predictor of C*N*/CONservative rejection of reality? fMRI studies have repeatedly demonstrated functional and structural differences between the brains of "conservatives" (closed) and "liberals" (open). The neuroscientists stress that the difference indicate predispositions rather than party affiliation ---- in other words, "conservative thinkers" can be found at both political extremes. 

Psychological research has repeatedly demonstrated that, in addition to Big 5 "openness", "liberal" attitudes are statistically correlated with educational level. At the aggregate level, this correlation is reflected in the association between poverty/illiteracy levels and conservative, authoritarian societies.

Most likely explanation of fMRI and attitudinal findings? Nature endows individuals with cognitive (fIQ) predilections such that "liberal" brains gravitate towards liberal information sets [moderate and left-leaning media], and "conservative" brains towards "conservative" information sets [eg BratBait, FAUX Lies]. Thus, gravitation leads to selective self-amplification of inborn attitudinal/fIQ propensities.]

USA first in COVID-19 FAIL

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105 .

Win-Win Profits from Disease

Win 1 = profit from causing respiratory problems

Win 2 = profit from treating respiratory problems

Tobacco giant Philip Morris raises bid for respiratory drugmaker: Tobacco giant Philip Morris has raised its bid to buy respiratory drugmaker Vectura to more than £1bn. 
Vectura makes inhaled medicines and devices to treat respiratory illnesses such as asthma, and counts Novartis and GSK among its customers.

Communist Society = C*N*servative Attitudes

Communist leanings = bottom-up self-interest, NOT social liberalism

Fascist leanings = top-down self-interest, NOT concern for individuals

In other words, both extremes sport authoritarians willing to harm others in [mostly] vain hope of benefits to self.

‘We can’t go back’: the Russian gay family who took refuge in Spain: Family was targeted in hate campaign on social media after appearing in a food chain’s ad

A Russian lesbian family who received death threats after they appeared in an advertisement ... say they feel safe in Barcelona and accepted for who they are. The family were targeted in a hate campaign on social media after they appeared in the ad. The [advertizer] later apologised and replaced the photo with one of a heterosexual family.

“We don’t feel safe in Russia because of its homophobic laws,” Mila, the family’s younger daughter, said. “Lots of chatrooms published our Instagram accounts and email addresses. There were a lot of stupid comments but also terrifying ones, like the picture of an axe covered in blood.”

[T]he family was bombarded with phone calls and hate mail on social media, which included threats to rape Yuma’s eight-year-old granddaughter.

Exposing DUHnocchio

.Mary Trump: [tRUMP] Would End American Experiment For His Empowerment > .

Red State Tradition of Obdurate DISinformation

No surprise in the operation of natural selection here. Those who cling to belief in imaginary protection are less likely to accept the reality of effective protection ...

Evangelical Christians More Resistant To Vaccine Than Most Other Groups > .

21-8-9 Half of America Now Fully Vaccinated, Yet Cases Still Climb In Parts > .

One wonders what DISinformation these people are swallowing ............ Oh, that's right, FAUX LIES and tRUMPian denialist bravura.

Are America's unvaccinated changing their minds?:

In the US, coronavirus infection rates are surging in every state, fuelled by the Delta variant - and a large pool of unvaccinated Americans.

In Baxter County, Arkansas, the vaccination rate is only 33%. It's now one of the nation's COVID-19 hotspots.

Mental Health Display Continues

Simone Biles says 'I have to focus on my mental health' after pulling out of team final:

Biles, 24, scored 13.766 - her lowest Olympic vault score - before withdrawing from the event.

[Awwwwwwwwww.]

Different type of sheep ....

 https://vimeo.com/568430412 .

American Dysfunction

 

American Dysfunction Is the Biggest Barrier to Fighting COVID nyt

No need to read the article, most of the Western world is probably aware that obdurate ignorance is the USA's worst pandemic.

Selfish and STUPID

Australia COVID: Anti-lockdown protesters condemned:

Authorities in NSW are expected to extend the current lockdown, which is set to end on 30 July. Australian politicians have condemned protests against coronavirus restrictions amid a rise in cases. Thousands marched through Sydney on Saturday to demand an end to lockdown measures, with smaller demonstrations taking place in Melbourne and Brisbane.

At least 57 people involved in the Sydney protest have been charged, while more than 500 have been fined. The state recorded 141 new infections on Sunday, the second-highest daily increase of the year. There are fears of a further rise in cases following 21-7-24's protests.

[Only a stupid moron does not realize that a protest-spreader event will prolong lockdown, not remove it.]

Dumbfuckistan lagging behind in sensible action

 Compare to 2020 election map ⇛ .

Credulous adherence to partisan rhetoric will increase COVID-19 deaths in stubborn-dumbfuck states.

21-8-9 Dumfuckistan still obdurately dumb ...

21-8-9 Half of America Now Fully Vaccinated, Yet Cases Still Climb In Parts > .

⇐ 21-8-29 Predictably, the defiantly unwise Sturgis rally proved to be a super-spreader event. Equally predictably, the defiantly-libertarian and foolishly-red vaccine "hesitant" states continue to suffer the worst COVID-19 infection (and mortality) rates.

Natural Selection, alas

LA man who mocked COVID-19 vaccines dies of virus: A California man who mocked COVID-19 vaccines on social media has died after a month-long battle with the virus. Stephen Harmon, a member of the Hillsong megachurch, had been a vocal opponent of vaccines, making a series of jokes about not having the vaccine.

Despite his struggle with the virus, Harmon still said he would reject being jabbed, saying his religious faith would protect him.

[Believing in a non-existence might feel comforting, but neither belief nor prayer has ever been incontrovertibly demonstrated to help with genuine problems. COVID-19 vaccines, on the other hand, have been demonstrated to reduce both rates of infection and -- in the reduced numbers who contract infection -- to reduce severity, need for hospitalization, and death.]

July '21 Is COVID 19 Vaccine Effective Against DELTA VARIANT? > .

Unwelcome Divorces are NOT Renegotiable, Boris

BrexTWIT: No breakthrough on NI protocol after PM speaks to EU chief.

It's Official -- Eric Clapton is an anti-social IDIOT

Eric Clapton refuses to play venues requiring vaccines for concertgoers.

[Yeah, why not insist on super-spreader events that might force society back into lockdown?]

Expanding on resenting the English

Scotland has always considered itself a society that is “open, inclusive and outward-looking” according to its first minister, Nicola Sturgeon. But the nation’s popular and persistent belief that it does not have a problem with racism has been contradicted by a study by Tackling Islamophobia, a cross-party group of the Scottish government. This starkly reveals that 75% of Muslims experienced Islamophobia as a regular or everyday issue.

https://theconversation.com/islamophobia-report-reveals-scotland-not-quite-as-tolerant-as-it-would-like-to-think-164828 .

Heartless Ignorance that Reeks of Rationalization

Berlin authorities [deliberately and knowingly] placed children with pedophiles for 30 years: The 'Kentler Project' in West Berlin routinely placed homeless children with pedophile men, assuming they'd make ideal ["loving"] foster parents. A study has found the practice went on for decades.

Starting in the 1970s psychology professor Helmut Kentler conducted his "experiment." Homeless children in West Berlin were intentionally placed with pedophile men. These men would make especially loving foster parents, Kentler argued.

Helmut Kentler (1928-2008) was in a leading position at Berlin's center for educational research. He was convinced that sexual contact between adults and children was harmless.

A study conducted by the University of Hildesheim has found that authorities in Berlin condoned this practice for almost 30 years. The pedophile foster fathers even received a regular care allowance. Berlin's child welfare offices and the governing Senate turned a blind eye or even approved of the placements.

Guilty of Thoughtless Stupidity

An [ignorantly self-obsessed] US couple whose gender reveal party last year was blamed for starting California's deadly El Dorado wildfire face up to 20 years in prison after being charged with several offences -- including involuntary manslaughter and recklessly causing a fire resulting in injury and damage to homes. They face prison sentences "extending" up to 20 years if found guilty on all charges, prosecutors said. Officials say a "smoke-generating pyrotechnic device" used at the gender event last September sparked the blaze, in which one firefighter was killed and others were hurt.

The El Dorado fire lasted more than two months --- 5 September to 16 November -- and covered over 22,000 acres of southern California, destroying homes and other properties.
Firefighter Charles Morton was killed tackling the blaze and several other firefighters were seriously injured.

[Needless to say,] the Jiminez couple have pleaded not guilty.

Australia deports far-wrong ... er ... female Milo

Far-right-wrong British commentator Katie Hopkins has been sent home from Australia for bragging about flouting hotel quarantine rules.

Hopkins - who has often drawn anger for racist remarks - had entered the country to star in the reality TV show Big Brother Australia. [Scarcely a recommendation for the program.]

On Friday she posted a video from her Sydney hotel room where she joked about putting frontline staff at risk. In the video, Hopkins said she planned to "lie in wait" for workers to deliver food to her room so she could open the door "naked with no face mask".

[Understandably] Her comments sparked widespread anger.

She also called lockdowns the "greatest hoax in human history". Australia's two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, are both in lockdown after local cases of Covid-19 were detected.

The post has since been wiped from her Instagram.

On Monday, the Australian government confirmed it had cancelled her visa, after the TV programme sacked her.

Police said she had been fined A$1,000 (£537; US$737) for not wearing a face mask, and was escorted to the airport to be sent back to the UK.

[Good riddance to mouthy rubbish.]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57883692