All posts tagged: begun

The End of Democracy Has Already Begun

The End of Democracy Has Already Begun

Published by Sam

The corruption of democracy begins with the corruption of thought—and with the deliberate undermining of reality. Stephen Richer, an election official in Arizona, and Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman, learned firsthand how easily false stories and conspiracy theories could disorient their colleagues. They talk with hosts Anne Applebaum and Peter Pomerantsev about how conformism and fear made it impossible to do their jobs. This is the first episode of Autocracy in America, a new five-part series about authoritarian tactics already at work in the United States and where to look for them. Listen and subscribe here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts The following is a transcript of the episode: [Music] Anne Applebaum: Peter, picture this: A harsh winter has finally come to an end. Exhausted and ragged, America’s Revolutionary Army soldiers are huddled in tents. It’s Valley Forge. It’s 1778. And on a makeshift stage, a group of George Washington’s officers are putting on a play. It’s called Cato, A Tragedy. Peter Pomerantsev: So they put on togas in the …

Opinion: Since Oct. 7, Israelis have begun arming themselves the American way

Opinion: Since Oct. 7, Israelis have begun arming themselves the American way

Published by skeptic

Among the core Israeli national narratives that have been fractured by the Hamas terror attacks and months of war and violence is the notion that Israel’s ethos on firearms differs from that of the United States. Both countries can be characterized as gun-centric democracies, but according to the Israeli narrative, the U.S. is a land of too many guns and too few laws, while Israelis “trust their state, and don’t fear each other.” A common refrain emphasizes that in Israel, bearing arms isn’t a right, it’s a privilege. After Oct. 7, in a shockingly fast turnaround, that privilege became, if not a right, an imperative. In changing Israel’s relationship with firearms, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is also changing the nation in ways that could have profound and lasting implications. I have spent more than a decade collaborating with Israeli public health scholars and safety activists to better understand how a country with many guns could see only a fraction of U.S. civilian gun deaths. Partner shootings, homicides, gun suicides, accidental shootings and mass shootings have been …

The Golden Age Of Disinformation Has Only Just Begun

The Golden Age Of Disinformation Has Only Just Begun

Published by skeptic

Authored by Boyan Radoykov via The Epoch Times, Disinformation is all about power, and because of the harmful and far-reaching influence that disinformation exerts, it cannot achieve much without power. As a tool for shaping public perceptions, disinformation can be used by authoritarian regimes and democracies alike. The dissemination of false information is not a new practice in human history. However, over the last few decades, it has become professionalized and has taken on exorbitant proportions at both national and international levels. The Origins of Disinformation Disinformation can be understood as misleading information, intentionally produced and deliberately disseminated, to mislead public opinion, harm a target group, or advance political or ideological objectives. The term disinformation is a translation of the Russian дезинформация (dezinformatsiya). On Jan. 11, 1923, the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union decided to create a Department of Disinformation. Its mission was “to mislead real or potential adversaries about the true intentions” of the USSR. From then on, disinformation became a tactic of Soviet political warfare known as “active measures,” …

UK has begun mass arrests of potential Rwanda deportees: What’s next? | Refugees News

UK has begun mass arrests of potential Rwanda deportees: What’s next? | Refugees News

Published by Sam

The British authorities have begun a series of operations to detain migrants in preparation for their deportation to Rwanda as part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s flagship immigration policy. The UK Home Office, which oversees immigration matters in the United Kingdom, released a video on Wednesday showing armed immigration officers handcuffing individuals at their homes and escorting them into deportation vans. In a statement, it announced a “series of nationwide operations” ahead of the first deportations to begin in the next nine to 11 weeks. Interior minister James Cleverly said enforcement teams were “working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground”. BREAKING: The first people set to be removed to Rwanda have been detained. pic.twitter.com/2WWNhQVC1l — Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) May 1, 2024 Last month, Parliament approved a controversial law – known as the Safety of Rwanda Bill – that allows for asylum seekers who arrive illegally in Britain to be deported to Rwanda, even after the UK Supreme Court declared the …

A fully-electric, 50,000 kWh container ship has begun service

A fully-electric, 50,000 kWh container ship has begun service

Published by skeptic

Chinese state-owned company COSCO Shipping has launched what it calls the “world’s largest” river-to-sea electric container ship. The Green Water 01 is a 10,000-ton+ fully electric vessel that sets a new benchmark in sustainability in the marine logistics industry. China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, or COSCO for short, is a state-owned multinational conglomerate headquartered in Shanghai specializing in marine transport. Not to be confused with Costco, COSCO Shipping was founded as a subsidiary in 2016 following an approved merger between COSCO and China Shipping. The COSCO Group is the largest liner carrier in China, transporting hundreds of container vessels daily while also providing ships to Chinese automakers to help them export their electric vehicles to new markets overseas, including Europe. To adapt to the times, COSCO has developed a massive, fully electric container ship, which has now officially begun service in China. Source: COSCO/WeChat/CCTV COSCO’s electric container ship begins service in China According to a WeChat post from COSCO Shipping, which features reports from China’s CCTV, the company’s Green Water 01 electric container ship arrived safely and was …

Legal battle over who will pay to replace Key Bridge has begun

Legal battle over who will pay to replace Key Bridge has begun

Published by skeptic

Salvage crews in Baltimore continue to remove wreckage from the Dali on April 26, one month after the cargo ship smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused it to collapse. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Salvage crews in Baltimore continue to remove wreckage from the Dali on April 26, one month after the cargo ship smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused it to collapse. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Workers have yet to finish removing pieces of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from Baltimore Harbor. Investigators are still trying to understand why a cargo ship called the Dali lost power before crashing into the bridge in March, killing six people, blocking the Patapsco River and severing an interstate highway. But the fight over who will pay to replace the bridge is already underway. “It’s a very unusual circumstance. But in many respects, how the law is going to apply here is actually fairly well established,” said Martin Davies, the director of the Maritime Law Center at Tulane …

Protesters at Columbia University have begun occupying a campus building

Protesters at Columbia University have begun occupying a campus building

Published by skeptic

Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, where the office of the dean is located on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Alex Kent/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Alex Kent/Getty Images Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, where the office of the dean is located on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Alex Kent/Getty Images Protesters began occupying buildings at Columbia University early Tuesday morning, after the school asked them the day before to voluntarily disperse from an encampment set up in support of Palestinians. Protesters began climbing into open windows at John Jay Hall, a dormitory, and students entered Hamilton Hall, an academic building and began moving furniture to a balcony, reported WKCR, the university radio station. University officials were not immediately available for comment. Though its public safety department was actively responding. In a statement, it urged people to avoid coming to the Morningside campus on Tuesday if they could. The New York Police Department said at about 2:15 a.m. that it had …

Protesters at Columbia University have begun occupying a campus building

Protesters at Columbia University have begun occupying a campus building

Published by skeptic

Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, where the office of the dean is located, on Tuesday in New York City. Alex Kent/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Alex Kent/Getty Images Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, where the office of the dean is located, on Tuesday in New York City. Alex Kent/Getty Images Protesters began occupying a central campus building at Columbia University in New York early Tuesday morning, one day after the school asked them to voluntarily disperse from an encampment set up in support of Palestinians. Once inside, students chained and barricaded the doors. Hours later, the university’s public safety department announced what amounts to a lockdown of the campus in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights, with access restricted to essential-service employees and students who live in residential halls on the campus. “This building has now been liberated,” an Instagram account affiliated with the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest announced as it posted an image of Hamilton Hall, echoing language used during a 1968 protest. Columbia …

Vaccines are a glimmer of hope against malaria, but the battle has only just begun

Vaccines are a glimmer of hope against malaria, but the battle has only just begun

Published by skeptic

Professor Sir Adrian Hill Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University After decades of development, last year marked a historic moment for us, when the World Health Organisation approved R21 – the first malaria vaccine to meet the WHO’s stringent 75% efficacy threshold. While this data is incredibly promising, we are facing a formidable challenge when it comes to scaling-up production to meet demand, as well as ensuring fair and widespread distribution. While there is a wide range of vaccines currently administered to children in Africa to shield against a myriad of deadly diseases, malaria presents a uniquely complex case. Unlike many existing routine immunisations, maximising effectiveness requires multiple doses and customised regimens involving a four-dose schedule. Storing vaccines at the right temperature can also be a substantial logistical challenge, making the thermostability of R21 a real benefit. Overcoming these barriers requires innovative solutions and a concerted effort from governments, NGOs, and the private sector – which is why our long-standing partnership with the Serum Institute of India has been …

“Central Bank Observers Take Note”: HSBC Warns “Weak Bull” Commodity Run Has Begun

“Central Bank Observers Take Note”: HSBC Warns “Weak Bull” Commodity Run Has Begun

Published by skeptic

Commodity prices provide a real-time snapshot of the global economy through spot prices, which are essentially high-frequency data about the current supply and demand environment. These prices are key components in measuring inflation, which has shown signs of easing over the past year. However, a recent surge in the Bloomberg Commodity Index and signs of a reacceleration in US inflation data are troubling for Fed chair Powell.  HSBC’s Paul Bloxham and Jamie Culling asked clients in a note: “Have commodity prices past the trough?”  Their answer, very simply, “It seems likely.” “Global commodity prices have picked up in recent weeks and could be past the trough,” the analysts said, noting an emerging “weak” upward global industrial cycle has materialized. They continued:  On the demand side, ‘green shoots’ in the global industrial cycle are becoming more apparent. On the supply-side, geopolitical factors are playing an increasingly disruptive role in the ongoing ‘super-squeeze.’  At a deeper level, real commodity prices have already fallen back to their long-run average – that is, the relative prices of commodities to other …