SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia man whose cellphone video of Ahmaud Arbery’s fatal shooting helped reignite the case was charged with murder Thursday, making him the third person arrested more than two months after the slaying.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 50-year-old William "Roddie" Bryan Jr. was arrested on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. No other details were given. The GBI said in a statement that it would hold a news conference Friday morning.
Arbery was slain Feb. 23 when a white father and son armed themselves and pursued him after spotting the 25-year-old black man running in their neighborhood. More than two months passed before authorities arrested Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault. Gregory McMichael told police he suspected Arbery was a burglar and that Arbery attacked his son before being shot.
Bryan lives in the same subdivision just outside the port city of Brunswick, and the video he took from the cab of his vehicle helped stir a national outcry when it leaked online May 5.
#7
Gun toting redneck shooters were in no life threatening danger. They could have easily followed at a distance and summoned the police via cellie.... but no. Not sure what William Bryan had to do with it.
#14
RJ, the perps believed they were in the right. The guy who was shooting the video felt the same way and believed the video would be exonerating. Can't we just send these people to work for the Biden campaign?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 14:35 Comments ||
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Charts showing the world's biggest military spenders as of 2019, according to the SIPRI data.
China will increase its military budget by a slower 6.6% this year, the government announced at the opening session of its annual National People's Congress@AFPgraphicspic.twitter.com/tUcEjBNHNd
#4
I don't buy the numbers for China. China spends way more than 1.9% of its GDP. A lot of it is lumped under "Domestic security" items as well. Some agencies think it is closer to 6%.
#1
My finest off the cuff riposte of all time: I was sitting in a bar having a drink while waiting to see the restored version of Touch of Evil. A guy and his lady friend, both pretty well oiled were sitting next to me at the bar. The woman admires my Breitling and asks me if it's a diver's watch. I tell her no, it's a pilot's watch. The guy then asks "But is it waterproof?" I replied "Not if you are a good pilot."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 7:23 Comments ||
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#2
Too bad Timex owns the immortal tag line "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!"
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] New Yorkers are removing their masks to take a drink in the streets as lockdown in the city enters its tenth week and more bars reopen their doors for takeout cocktail service.
Residents in the Big Apple were seen gathering outside bars and restaurants Wednesday night, tempted by the rising temperatures and seeking a way to relax while they grow increasingly weary of isolating inside their homes.
Public drinking is strictly prohibited in the state and offenders can be slapped with fines, but the pandemic has sparked a defiance among many residents who - unable to sit inside bars or restaurants - are setting up shop outside them.
More restaurants and bars have started reopening and turning to takeout beers and cocktails in recent weeks as a way to keep the lights on as New York City has not yet reached all the requirements necessary for a safe reopening of non-essential businesses.
Iran: More than 10,000 health care workers infected with virus
[IsraelTimes] Figure is over 10 times higher than earlier reports , which put the number of infected health care workers at only 800. Iran says more than 100 of those workers have died. Tehran advises against travel during coming Eid al-Fitr festival as virus cases mount. The Eid al-Fitr festival marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan is expected to begin on Sunday in Iran.
The Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale (INPS), the largest social security and welfare institute in Italy, says in a new study that the official death figures were not “reliable.”
Its study shows that 156,42 total deaths were recorded in Italy in March and April, which is 46,909 higher than the average number of fatalities in those months recorded between 2015 and 2019.
But only 27,938 deaths linked to coronavirus were reported during that period by the Civil Protection Agency, whose toll forms the basis of national statistics, the INPS says.
IMF approves $396 million for Jordan to fight coronavirus
[IsraelTimes] The International Monetary Fund approves $396 million for Jordan to fight the coronavirus pandemic, a disbursement equal to about a quarter of its projected need amid the global economic downturn. The funds are the latest from the IMF’s Rapid Financing Instrument, which allows nations to circumvent the lengthy negotiations usually required to secure a full economic assistance program — time most countries do not have as they struggle to cope with the coronavirus crisis.
BREAKING: The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will NOT comply with the new guidance from Governor Walz that only allows 10 people inside or outside churches. A letter to parishes across the state is signed by Archbishop Hebda and all six bishops in the state. https://t.co/PyzFIorMed
Stem Cells for CV, is there anything they can't do?
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Broadway set designer makes medical history after becoming first American to receive placental cell treatment for coronavirus under FDA's 'compassionate use' rules
Edward Pierce, 49, is acclaimed Broadway scenic designer for plays like Wicked
Pierce fell ill with COVID-19 and was treated at a hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey
Doctors grew concerned as his condition deteriorated due to organ failure
There was little hope, so his wife agreed to use an untested method
Pierce was administered placental cells in around 15 parts of his body
Within 10 days, he was off a ventilator and breathing on his own
The placental cell therapy was developed by an Israeli biotechnology firm
Pierce was given treatment as part of 'compassionate use'
President Donald Trump said “we are not closing our country” if the U.S. is hit by a second wave of coronavirus infections.
“People say that’s a very distinct possibility, it’s standard,” Trump said when asked about a second wave during a tour of a Ford factory in Michigan.
“We are going to put out the fires. We’re not going to close the country,” Trump said. “We can put out the fires. Whether it is an ember or a flame, we are going to put it out. But we are not closing our country.”
I fully expect that the corona virus, like every other virus, will reappear when the weather turns colder again. And I'm prepared for the renewed hysterical shrieking from the media (that is, assuming that it ever stops.) But the economic suicide that we're indulging in should never be repeated.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/22/2020 16:42 Comments ||
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In the face of a novel virus threat, China clamped down on its citizens. Academics used faulty information to build faulty models. Leaders relied on these faulty models. Dissenting views were suppressed. The media flamed fears and the world panicked.
That is the story of what may eventually be known as one of the biggest medical and economic blunders of all time. The collective failure of every Western nation, except one, to question groupthink will surely be studied by economists, doctors, and psychologists for decades to come.
To put things in perspective, the virus is now known to have an infection fatality rate for most people under 65 that is no more dangerous than driving 13 to 101 miles per day. Even by conservative estimates, the odds of COVID-19 death are roughly in line with existing baseline odds of dying in any given year. [Chart in original.]
Yet we put billions of young healthy people under house arrest, stopped cancer screenings, and sunk ourselves into the worst level of unemployment since the Great Depression. This from a virus that bears a survival rate of 99.99% if you are a healthy individual under 50 years old (1, 2).
New York City reached over a 25% infection rate and yet 99.98% of all people in the city under 45 survived, making it comparable to death rates by normal accidents.
But of course the whole linchpin of the lockdown argument is that it would have been even worse without such a step. Sweden never closed down borders, primary schools, restaurants, or businesses, and never mandated masks, yet 99.998% of all their people under 60 have survived and their hospitals were never overburdened.
Why did we lock down the majority of the population who were never at significant risk? What will be the collateral damage? That is what this series will explore.
The March 16 report by Imperial College epidemiologist Neil Ferguson is credited (or blamed) with causing the U.K. to lock down and contributing to the domino effect of global lockdowns. The model has since come under intense criticism for being "totally unreliable and a buggy mess."
This is the same Neil Ferguson who in 2005 predicted 200 million could die from the bird flu. Total deaths over the last 15 years turned out to be 455. This is the same Neil Ferguson who in 2009 predicted that 65,000 people could die in the U.K. from the swine flu. The final number ended up around 392. Now, in 2020, he predicted that 500,000 British would die from coronavirus.
His deeply flawed model led the United States to fear over 2 million deaths and was used to justify locking down nearly the entire nation. Dr. Ferguson is a character of Shakespearean drama and tragedy. His March 17 presentation to British elites on the dire need to take action ironically may have infected Boris Johnson and other top British officials, as Mr. Ferguson himself tested positive for COVID-19 two days later. Then in May he resigned in disgrace after he broke his own quarantine rules to meet clandestinely with a married woman.
But I don't place most of the blame on people like Ferguson. If you are a hammer everything looks like a nail. I blame government leaders for failing to surround themselves with diverse viewpoints and to think critically for themselves....
#1
So the author does not place most of the blame on wanker Ferguson. Sure, in the end, the politicians must decide. But with such an absurdly wretched track record (evidently blindly followed by the politicians), he is an absolute disgrace to science and his professional field.
#4
one of the biggest medical and economic blunders of all time.
Definitely a Clusterf**k for the Ages. But I'd argue that freaking out *was* the correct first move. This was a novel virus, meaning no one had been exposed, it was likely to burn thru the population like wildfire, and we didn't know the fatality rate. Back of the envelope says 300,000 Americans * 1% fatality = 3 million people dead. Not a good outcome. Let's prepare for the worst. And we did.
But that's when things started to go off the rails. Remember our old pal Boyd and the OODA Loop? Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. It's a technique for making decisions in a rapidly changing environment with limited information. The critical part is The Loop - you do it over and over, each time taking into account the new information you have about your environment. And that is where we screwed the pooch.
It became obvious almost at once that our model was wildly wrong. At that point, we should have looked at our plans in light of our new knowledge and revised them. But we didn't. It was press on regardless, and here we are, stuck with our original response.
As the epidemic has progressed, in addition to the model being wrong, we've seen the virus is not evenly distributed. Here in Michigan, the Detroit Metro area is a viral hotbed with something like 5000 deaths, but vast swatches of the state have zero or one. Not surprising really. Viruses don't spread by geography, they spread by networks of people. Does it make sense to have the same restrictions throughout the state? Maybe it's time for another pass thru The Loop.
In addition to the static response, you can add mixed messaging and stupid, arbitrary rules. Masks are useless vs you must wear a mask. Big box stores are open but they can't sell garden seeds, paint or flooring. No motor boating but sailing is ok. Top it off with a "You're not the boss of me!" pissing match between the governors and their subjects citizens and you have a Guinness class clusterf*ck. It's quite impressive really, but not in a good way.
#7
^Fiddlesticks BP.
(a) The first response in both UK and USA was to ignore it: because Chinese are not like us (doncha know?), they're unhygienic*. And there is "herd immunity"**. But then the stats from Italy started rolling in.
(b) To the extent that we have some (and I emphasize some) degree of safety now*** - it's because the "panic" induced a lot of technological research - so we are able to treat the infected effectively.
*The morons who penned all these articles about "dirty Chinese" don't realize that unhygienic means having better developed immune systems.
**So far, there is no evidence that herd immunity is achievable without vaccination.
***If you look at stats from South America, Russia, Middle East, and what data is available from China. Or, for that matter, statistics from USA - it's just starting.
#8
I took the opportunity to re-read Charles Mackay's Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness Of Crowds during the corona-vacation.
It should be required reading in every high school.
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 ||
05/22/2020 7:35 Comments ||
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#9
The problem is and will continue to be GIGO. No one had hard or clean data. Both China and Italy played the same game that our own health care 'professionals' did in labeling anything that remotely 'looked' like Covid as Covid without verifying the actual cause. That meant that the 'confidence' level of the models was low but was never sold as such but rather as absolutes. Never meet a apparatchik or politician that didn't want more power or money. That coupling with a 'chicken little' media that needs to sell air time or print columns meant we got what we got. In short, we got scammed by people and organizations out for their own interests and games.
#11
Thank you, Steve. I've been trying to figure out how to layout pretty much what you describe without touching off flame wars between the "lock it down or die" and the "let my people go" factions.
I was in the unhygienic crowd. But a large piece of that, for me, was those early security videos of vicious idiots licking elevator buttons for the purpose of infecting their neighbours.
#17
#15 It only takes one asymptomatic carrier to restart. Wait until people from NY & NJ start traveling around USA. Also, look at the CV19 stats in Mexico - you thing coyotes give their clients CV19 test?
#18
That lock down was to give us ample time to prepare,not become the new norm. We're more prepared to handle this shit,than two months ago. We'll be fine
I'm still amazed at the number of people who treat what is known NOW as if it were known ALWAYS and the number who refuse to reassess decisions based on new knowledge.
Don't get me started on the press who ask things like "you said X four months ago, now you say Y -- will you admit you were lying?"
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
05/22/2020 11:34 Comments ||
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#22
Although I am tempermentally inclined to share grom's view -- at least in the sense that I'm not going bar-hopping this weekend-- #4 SteveS is an awesome comment. I would add that a lot of the "new information we have about our environment" is political information as opposed to anything directly related to the virus. And I wonder how this would have all played out if we were not in an election year.
Posted by: Matt ||
05/22/2020 12:13 Comments ||
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#23
Look at the state of Washington, ground zero in this country. Today only 15 new cases and one death. If there was going to be this big huge 2nd wave,wouldn't it be logical it would happen there first? This virus does not lay dormant like locust. Sure the elderly need to stay extra cautious, but time to stop listening to the press,trying to sell advertising.
#24
Wait until people from NY & NJ start traveling around USA.
Which is bad enough even without covid-19.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/22/2020 13:31 Comments ||
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#25
My initial fear was that covid-19 was a bioweapon and the lockdown was justified because nobody knew what to expect from it. So it was kinda like heading for the air raid shelters. It could still turn out to be a bioweapon and there may be long term ramifications of which we are still unaware. But, as the numbers became available, it began to look like it was maybe somewhat worse than a bad case of the flu. Maybe the bug is not so bad but the real intention of the Chinese communists was to wreck our economy.
So, like SteveS said so succinctly, as we kept OODA looping we should have adjusted rather than entering a new Great Depression, thereby giving the Chicoms exactly what they want.
Maybe the lockdown should have been better targeted; like nursing homes, subways, airplanes and New York City.
I think if the lockdown goes on much longer or if it is renewed at some later date, we could say with some accuracy that the cure is worse than the illness. As an old guy, I haven't suffered much from the lockdown. But I feel for young people who have lost their jobs.
One thing that has made me sick is all these air headed, pompous TV personalities telling us that "We're all in this together." The thought of being in anything together with Gayle King turns my stomach. The media has certainly fanned the flames of mass hysteria. It's something they do quite well.
My fondest hope for this whole sad affair is that it will be a catalyst for change in our relationship with China.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/22/2020 14:20 Comments ||
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#26
I think the WuFlu be with us for a while, just like the 1968 Hong Kong flu and the 2009 Swine flu, both of which are still circulating, and killing people.
After the election, Coronavirus in the US will be old news.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/22/2020 15:23 Comments ||
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#27
I work and live in a large city, relative to most of the country (Oklahoma City, OK). Yes, i get that its not Chicago or LA, but it cracks the top 50 or so list of cities in the US. I'm in my 50s. I've yet to wear a mask. I've washed my hands...maybe a dozen times more than I usually would have during the last 60 days. I've missed zero days of going to my office--I'm in real estate and we're "essential" here.
This has all been a bullshit freak show. The entire country should have never been shut down on what was only a problem in a dozen or less locations nationwide. I'm absolutely amazed how easily Americans gave up the rights and liberties.
#23 Look at the state of Washington, ground zero in this country. Today only 15 new cases and one death. If there was going to be this big huge 2nd wave,wouldn't it be logical it would happen there first?
bbrewer - agreed. The gap between the rhetoric and the reality on this issue is a chasm. It's ridiculous.
In addition to WA, look at what truly is Ground Zero for the US if not the world outside of Asia, the three counties in the SF Bay Area that include ca. 800,000 or ~23% of the 3.5m population who are Chinese or Chinese-American, most of whom have ties to Chinese cities and at least 50,000 of whom traveled to Wuhan etc after the outbreak - and before the March 19 lockdown.
There should be thousands of deaths in San Francisco alone, with the homeless dropping like flies. Instead there are a grad total of .... 40.
San Francisco + Silicon Valley
San Fran./San Mateo/Santa Clara Counties:
Total pop.: 3.5m
Total fatalities attributed to COVID: 254 Fatalities to pop. ratio: 1:13,779
Entire US pop.: 329m
Extrapolated fatalities if US had the same CFR as SanFran-Silicon Valley: 23,876 = low end of a typical flu season
#29
My daily anecdotal observation is that mask wearing is on a hard downtrend. It's a binky and it appeals to people who want a binky.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 16:35 Comments ||
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#30
The armbands of the Karenteilung Morality Police, worn over the face.
Likely you've heard about the Michigan AG. Perhaps you saw the video of the little girl with 6 sum hours of sidewalk chalk getting washed off the concrete by Karen because the little one did the drawings without a mask on.
I wouldn't blame you if you don't walk in circles which are sending out step-by-step instruction on how to train youngsters to public-shame anyone without a mask.
[Zero Hedge] Just when you thought the world has reached a level of peak absurdity, the Nigerian scheme makes a grand reappearance.
Washington state officials admitted losing "hundreds of millions of dollars" to an international fraud scheme, originating out of Nigeria, that robbed the state’s unemployment insurance system and could mean even longer delays for thousands of jobless workers still waiting for legitimate benefits. "Why are we sending all these EBT Cards to Lagos?"
As the Seattle Times reported, Suzi LeVine, commissioner of the state Employment Security Department (ESD), disclosed the staggering losses during a news conference Thursday afternoon. LeVine declined to specify how much money was stolen during the scam, which she said appears to be orchestrated out of Nigeria but she conceded that the amount was "orders of magnitude above" the $1.6 million that ESD reported losing to fraudsters in April.
While LeVine said state and law enforcement officials were working to recover as much of the stolen money as possible, she declined to say how much had been returned so far. She also said the ESD had taken "a number of steps" to prevent new fraudulent claims from being filed or paid but would not specify the steps to avoid alerting criminals.
Thursday’s disclosure helped explain the unusual surge in the number of new jobless claims filed last week in Washington, which as we showed this morning was the state with the highest weekly increase in claims....
#1
In related news, Washington state is happy to announce that a Nigerian prince is willing to share his family's fortune that has been held in Nairobi bank until the bank gets $10,000 for lawyers fees. After forwarding the money, Washington state expects to receive their share any day now.
#4
My guess is that the only Nigerian Princess with a real job works in the Washington State Unemployment Office. That my friends is what is called irony.
[TheTimes] Oxfam is to cut nearly 1,500 staff and withdraw from 18 countries, with further jobs cuts expected at its Oxford headquarters.
Oxfam International said that the cuts would affect about 1,450 of almost 5,000 programme staff, and 700 of its 1,900 partner organisations.
The charity has been haemorrhaging money during the coronavirus outbreak after a slump in donations from the public in the UK because of the Haiti sex abuse scandal.
Oxfam is to close its operations in Afghanistan, where it has worked for 50 years, and in Thailand.
Oxfam Australia had already made deep cuts this month.
h/t Instapundit
[BBC] A head teacher says he is "sorry" if homework asking pupils to define types of hardcore pornography led them to undertake inappropriate web searches.
The work was given to children, aged 11 to 14, at Archbishop Sentamu Academy in Hull, the Hull Daily Mail reported.
Principal Chay Bell stressed the assignment did not require internet research as the answers were in the material the pupils were sent.
Leon Dagon was "flabbergasted" when he saw his 13-year-old sister's homework.
The work is part of pupils' Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) learning, the school said.
The students were asked to "define" topics including hardcore pornography, soft pornography as well as female genital mutilation and breast ironing.
They were also asked questions about alcohol, drugs and smoking, as part of the homework.
Mr Dagon, who took to Facebook to share his concerns, said: "My little sister knows make-up and TikTok at the age of 13. She doesn't know about hardcore porn, and then asking her to define it.
"The majority of children nowadays will now go on the internet to help them with their homework and if you type that kind of thing on the internet, God knows what's going to pop up." Poor children, they're going to be irreparably hurt.
#2
Why do children need to be taught the various degrees of p0rnography? Those interested will figure it out on their own, and the rest will be happier devoting brain space to something useful and interesting.
This is a fairly disgusting article from Skynews. BLUF: do not go long bats. Sell the BAT ETF.
Until recently, bats were a popular product in the market (in Indonesia), but sellers say COVID-19 has had a big impact.
"Because of the coronavirus my business is down. I now sell around five to six kilos of bats, usually it's 50 or 40 kilos," Mr Igol says.
It's a similar story in the nearby Langowan traditional market.
"Selling bats is difficult at the moment because people are scared. They have heard that coronavirus comes from bats, so they are frightened," stall-holder Patrice says.
A little pile of bats on wooden skewers sits at the end of her table.
"I used to sell 100 to 200 kilos per day and now it's only 25 kilos. I take these home," she says.
Posted by: Matt ||
05/22/2020 08:59 ||
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[From the disorganized mess that is WhatFinger] A forthcoming Australian scientific study concludes that the coronavirus causing the global pandemic contains unique properties suggesting it was manipulated in a Chinese laboratory and was not the result of a natural occurrence.
Five scientists who conducted the study discovered an unusual ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as the pathogen behind COVID-19 is called, to easily infect humans.
The scientists said there is no sign so far that the virus can be found in other animals, including bats or the exotic wildlife sold for fresh meat at a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus was first identified and where China maintains a major laboratory studying such viruses.
#1
Funny, when anyone else said the same thing, it was a conspiracy theory and Youtube buried the videos. You can find them on https://altcensored.com/
#5
Notably, this approach surprisingly revealed that the binding energy between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and ACE2 was highest for humans out of all species tested, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is uniquely evolved to bind and infect cells expressing human ACE2. This finding is particularly surprising as, typically, a virus would be expected to have highest affinity for the receptor in its original host species, e.g. bat, with a lower initial binding affinity for the receptor of any new host, e.g. humans. However, in this case, the affinity of SARS-CoV-2 is higher for humans than for the putative original host species, bats, or for any potential intermediary host species.
and
Although bats carry many coronaviruses including SARS-CoV, a relative of SARS-CoV-2, direct evidence for existence of SARS-CoV-2 in bats has not been found. As highlighted by our data, the binding strength of SARS-CoV-2 for bat ACE2 is considerably lower than for human ACE2,
suggesting that even if SARS-CoV-2 did originally arise from a bat precursor it must later have adapted its spike protein to optimise its binding to human ACE2. There is no current explanation for how, when or where this might have happened. Instances of direct human infection by coronaviruses or other bat viruses is rare with transmission typically involving an intermediate host.
[gCaptain] Canadian and Alaskan crude that normally travels to the U.S. West Coast is finding a market in China, where demand is almost back to pre-pandemic levels.
The Sofia became the second oil tanker in less than a month to ship Alaskan oil to Qingdao, China, when it left Valdez over the weekend, data compiled by Bloomberg show. At about the same time, the Maria Princess left Vancouver also bound for Qingdao, becoming at least the third oil tanker to sail from British Columbia for China this year. Draft readings indicate the ships were full when they departed.
The vast majority of Alaskan as well as Canadian oil, shipped down the Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia, typically winds up supplying refineries in either Washington state or California.
Recently, those flows have been disrupted amid depressed U.S. West Coast oil consumption caused by state-ordered lockdowns. By contrast, China, the country that suffered first from the virus, is further along in opening back up. Demand in the Asian nation dropped by close to 20% in February but fuel consumption has since rebounded as factories reopen and commuters drive rather than use public transport. Oil demand is now all but recovered there, according to people familiar.
Alaska North Slope oil prices have surged to near parity with West Texas Intermediate futures after collapsing to a discount of $9.50 last month, the widest in data going back to the early 1990s, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The price collapse coincided with reduced demand by U.S. West Coast refiners and prompted Alyeska to cut flows on the Alaska pipeline.
Last month, the U.S.-flagged Alaskan Navigator sailed from Valdez, signaling China as its destination. Maria Princess follows the tankers Mitera Marigo and Mare Oriens in sailing from Vancouver to China. Pipelines got to keep moving Alaska crude to prevent wax buildup.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/22/2020 00:00 ||
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Cut em off from any and all Fed funding, including student loans. See how they cooperate then.? They're already in an economic death spiral, they just don't know it yet [Breitbart] Several universities around the nation are currently under investigation by the Department of Education over their alleged financial ties to the Chinese government. A report published this week suggests that many universities are refusing to comply with a standard request to produce internal documents.
According to a report by the College Fix, several universities and colleges that are under investigation by the Department of Education are refusing to release internal documents that may contain evidence of undisclosed financial grants from the Chinese government.
The report claims that lawyers for several universities refused to comply with a request to produce documents, arguing that they were entitled to privacy under "Freedom of Information Act exemptions and legal privileges." A letter from the Department of Education did not name the universities and colleges that have refused to comply with the request for documents.
Department of Education General Counsel Reed Rubinstein believes that many American universities and colleges have been compromised by foreign governments, China being one of the primary governments in question. "However, the evidence suggests massive investments of foreign money have bred dependency and distorted the decision making, mission, and values of too many institutions," Rubinstein said.
The Department of Education announced in February that it would investigate Harvard and Yale over their failure to disclose millions of dollars in gifts from foreign governments.
Universities and colleges are, however, entitled to some privacy due to the structure of the United States government. Rubinstein noted that the Department of Education will not be permitted to publicly release all of the documents that they receive from universities and colleges.
"Inappropriate disclosure of confidential information could lead to separation of powers concerns and will certainly impair the factfinding and enforcement work Congress has authorized us to do," Rubinstein added.
Breitbart News reported this week that Case Western Reserve Professor Qing Wang was arrested over his undisclosed financial ties with the Chinese government. Wang had reportedly failed to disclose his affiliations with several Chinese universities when applying for a multi-million grant from the National Institutes of Health for research he was conducting at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/22/2020 00:00 ||
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#1
Turning point?
Not unrelated: the U. California is going to eliminate all test requirements for California applicants at the same time that the Assembly's Hispanic bloc is planning to overturn the ban on racial preferences in admissions.
People looking back 25 years from now will point to the Obama / China / identity politics era as the beginning of the precipitous decline in the quality of elite US universities.
#2
Indeed, Lex. And universities are already under some pressure from not only distance learning, but also companies no longer requiring a university sheep skin. But I also have little sympathy for these universities. They raised tuitions wildly knowing that they'd get their dough through the [guaranteed] student loan program.
#3
No problem. The gov't and taxpayer can quickly "refuse to cooperate" by cutting any and all funding to these institutions. Have a nice day communist SOB's.
#1
The story is much bigger than the headline suggests. Rogan is doing this as a huge f-you to Youtube and Google, which have been censoring his shows. He is especially pissed because he wanted to bring on medical experts to present different views on corona, and Youtube told him no. Remarkable, especially from a Bernie supporter!
#7
I know who he is. What he is. He's just a guy trying to make a buck online. Oh, BTW. Whatever Spotify is paying him, they ain't getting any of it from me. Hokay?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 18:20 Comments ||
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#8
^ niceworkifyoucangetit
[Ella Fitzgerald sings] Ooooo! And if you get it, tell-ell me hooowwww
#11
MM - you made your opinion apparent earlier and way too often
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/22/2020 19:03 Comments ||
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#12
Oh, sob. I hurt somebody's feewings. This got me banned from instawhoever, so go for it.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 19:06 Comments ||
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#13
Not my feelings, I don't think I've EVER listened to a Rogan podcast, so suck it. I don't ban, I do criticize childish behavior. Now who's hurt?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/22/2020 19:09 Comments ||
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#14
Not me, Frank. I'm not hurt at all. And I stand by every word I said. I don't speak to hear my voice. Ever. Rogan is a product. A product some people apparently love. Sort of like Chunky Monkey ice cream. If you like it, fine. If you get upset when someone else says they don't like ice cream, WTF?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 19:18 Comments ||
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#15
I'm here because I like to R E A D. There are a lot of very well read Commenters here who send links that reflect their appreciation of good writing. I've been turned on to good books here that Joe Rogan will never read. I can't do much with podcasts because the people on them think they are on TV or radio. They are neither. They are doing something else, but expect me to see Rod Serling or hear Ted Mack. And none of them know much if anything about either of those guys. I do respect what they are doing but please don't tell me it's some magical thing that's never been done before. Pant, pant.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 19:32 Comments ||
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#16
The suck it part reminds me why I don't look at Ace of Spades for many years.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 19:37 Comments ||
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#17
Just curious: How many sites have you been banned at?
I haven't seen anything ban-worthy from you to date, so actually...just curious
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/22/2020 19:50 Comments ||
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#18
Insta banned me five years ago for calling Tesla a cult. He's a lawyer so he'd never admit it being like that now.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 19:55 Comments ||
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#19
I got the "this is my living room" bullshit. Uh, yeah.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 19:57 Comments ||
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#20
Jordan Peterson. Mike Tyson. Elon Musk. Joel Salatin. Richard Dawkins. Brian Cox. Dan Crenshaw. Lawrence Krauss. Brian Greene. Jay Leno. Ed Snowden. Evander Holyfeld. Sean Carroll. Gary Taubes. Johnathan Haidt. Sir Roger Penrose. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Candace Owens.
#22
^ I have friends who rave about it, just never listened. I did see that Elon Musk clip smoking a blunt on the news
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/22/2020 20:00 Comments ||
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#23
re: #20
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/22/2020 20:01 Comments ||
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#24
LGF is a parallel universe. I used to read it every day. Then he melted down and I left. Didn't comment enough to get banned.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 20:02 Comments ||
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#25
I miss the hell out of Babylonian Musings and Protien Wisdom.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 20:03 Comments ||
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#26
And, hey, Frank. You went up my back and then asked me to explain myself. I respect you absurdly huge for that.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 20:11 Comments ||
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#27
I think we can all agree: profanity has a place but don't be gratuitous about it. No ad hominem. At all, Ever. (Towards Commenters. Lay into muzz preachers, communists, sex freaks at will) Nobody has to respect your lousy opinion (or mine) but we never stop respecting each other. If we do, we are very, very lost.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 20:20 Comments ||
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#28
Oh, and. Rantburg is the most intelligent online community you could hope to find. It's real, which means it isn't always pretty. But there's nowhere else I'd rather be.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 20:45 Comments ||
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#29
Let's all remember what and who is important on Memorial Day.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 20:46 Comments ||
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#30
Good to know you, M.
Have a fine weekend.
Here's to all Rantburgers -- and to all those whose sacrifices we remember with grateful tears and solemn joy on Memorial Day,
L.
[IsraelTimes] Facebook says that its Messenger app will be watching behind the scenes for scammers using the smartphone communication system.
Safety notices will pop up in Messenger text chats if activity taking place in the background is deemed suspicious by artificial intelligence software, according to director of privacy and safety product management Jay Sullivan.
He says the new safety feature "will help millions of people avoid potentially harmful interactions and possible scams without compromising their privacy."
The feature began rolling out to the Messenger app tailored for Android-powered smartphones in March and will head to Messenger on iPhones next week, according to Facebook.
"Too often people interact with someone online they think they know or trust, when it’s really a scammer or imposter," Sullivan says.
"These accounts can be hard to identify at first and the results can be costly."
Artificial intelligence software scans for scammers based on account behavior, such as sending messages in bulk targeting demographics or geographies, according to Facebook
[FOX] South Carolina election ballots reportedly ended up in Maryland this week, after mail-in voting for the Palmetto State’s June 9 primary has already begun, according to local news reports.
South Carolina election officials may cut ties with the company they used, Minnesota printer SeaChange, over the mix-up after about 20 Charleston County absentee ballots were found outside the state, the reports say.
Election officials say this isn’t the first absentee ballot issue they’ve had with the company, which prints and mails ballots for 13 South Carolina counties.
Some voters in Greenville County received the wrong absentee ballots when the Democratic presidential primary and the special election for sheriff were held just 10 days apart, Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire told the Post and Courier. Voters in Charleston received ballots that were folded in a way that made them tough to read by scanning machines.
In a year that will see record numbers of absentee voting due to the coronavirus pandemic, the election integrity of absentee voting has become a major issue, particularly among Republicans who warn of possible voter fraud.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 15:12 Comments ||
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#2
I had a lovely conversation with one of the clerks at the Butler County Board of Elections. It seems all of the 317 delayed votes came from the same post office — mine. She was very apologetic, and said our secretary of state is furious.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 17:29 Comments ||
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#6
Gone are the days of the locally produced, organically grown voter fraud. Nowadays its all mass produced big label brands like Clinton, or Obama, or Pelosi. Sure, it says hand crafted in small batches, but everybody knows machine produce with a regional label.
[Fox News] A Pakistan International Airlines plane carrying 107 people has crashed in Karachi on a flight from Lahore, according to officials.
The Airbus A320 was flying to Jinnah International Airport, one of the country's busiest airports. It was toward the end of a routine 90-minute flight when it crashed on approach for landing.
There were no immediate reports on the number of casualties. The plane was carrying 99 passengers and eight crew members, according to Abdul Sattar Kokhar, spokesman for the country's civil aviation authority.
Pictures and video on social media showed smoke billowing from the crash site.
The military quickly was sent to the scene, according to a series of tweets from a spokesperson for Pakistan's armed forces.
"Army Quick Reaction Force & Pakistan Rangers Sindh troops reached incident site for relief and rescue efforts alongside civil administration. Details to follow," the first tweet read.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/22/2020 07:47 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[IsraelTimes] The Trump administration notifies international partners that it is pulling out of a treaty that permits 30-plus nations to conduct unarmed, observation flights over each other’s territory — overflights set up decades ago to promote trust and avert conflict.
We have satellites, so no need to send airplanes containing future hostages.
The administration says it wants out of the Open Skies Treaty because Russia is violating the pact, and imagery collected during the flights can be obtained quickly at less cost from US or commercial satellites.
See? And now we’ll know what you want to see when you purchase the information.
Exiting the treaty, however, is expected to strain relations with Moscow and upset European allies and some members of Congress.
President Dwight Eisenhower first proposed that the United States and the former Soviet Union allow aerial reconnaissance flights over each other’s territory in July 1955. At first, Moscow rejected the idea, but president George H.W. Bush revived it in May 1989, and the treaty entered into force in January 2002. Currently, 34 nations have signed it; Kyrgyzstan has signed but not ratified it yet.
More than 1,500 flights have been conducted under the treaty, aimed at fostering transparency about military activity and helping monitor arms control and other agreements. Each nation in the treaty agrees to make all its territory available for surveillance flights, yet Russia has restricted flights over certain areas.
And now we know where to look. How clever of them.
Last month, top Democrats on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees in both the House and the Senate wrote to Trump accusing the president of "ramming" a withdrawal from the treaty as the entire world grapples with COVID-19. They said it would undermine US alliances with European allies who rely on the treaty to keep Russia accountable for its military activities in the region.
We’ll keep Russia accountable with satellites. But why are House Democrats fussing? It’s only the Senate that has anything to do with ratifying and unratifying treaties.
#3
Anybody know of any material on Francis Gary Powers? I recently heard of a documentary where his "employer" left him out to dry pretty much. From what I heard, he was done a horrible injustice. And he died in a helicopter crash. Hmmm
Later career
Powers worked for Lockheed as a test pilot from 1962 to 1970, though the CIA paid his salary. In 1970, he wrote the book Operation Overflight with co-author Curt Gentry.[25] Lockheed fired him, because "the book's publication had ruffled some feathers at Langley." Powers became a helicopter traffic pilot reporter for KNBC News Channel 4.
Death
Main article: 1977 Encino helicopter crash
Powers was piloting a helicopter for KNBC Channel 4 over West Los Angeles on August 1, 1977, when the aircraft crashed, killing him and his cameraman George Spears.[3]:251, 289–90, 324 They had been recording video tape following bush fires in Santa Barbara County in the KNBC helicopter and were heading back from them.
His Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter ran out of fuel and crashed at the Sepulveda Dam recreational area in Encino, California, several miles short of its intended landing site at Burbank Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board report attributed the probable cause of the crash to pilot error.[26] According to Powers's son, an aviation mechanic had repaired a faulty fuel gauge without informing Powers, who subsequently misread it.[27]
At the last moment, he noticed children playing in the area and directed the helicopter elsewhere to avoid landing on them.[26] He might have landed safely if not for the last-second deviation, which compromised his autorotative descent.[27]
Powers was survived by his wife, children Claudia Dee and Francis Gary Powers Jr., and five sisters. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery as an Air Force veteran.[26][28]
#5
The RC-135 derivatives used for Open Skies are clapped out. There's no budget to refurbish or replace them. As has been mentioned, the Russians won't let us fly over places they might be useful and there are other ways to image those areas.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 10:34 Comments ||
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#6
The administration says it wants out of the Open Skies Treaty because Russia is violating the pact
But...but...I thought Trump is Putin's stooge.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/22/2020 14:37 Comments ||
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#7
All part of Putin's master plan to blame Trump when Russia nukes us.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/22/2020 15:35 Comments ||
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IsraelTimes] [The Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... health ministry announces 19 new cases of coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... , bringing the total number in the coastal enclave to 49.
All 19 of the patients had been recent arrivals in the Strip from Egypt and had been staying at quarantine facilities on the border when they were diagnosed.
The number of cases in Paleostinian areas of the West Bank remains at 368, the PA health ministry says.
Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood, authorities also announce that Gaza’s pedestrian border crossings will be shut until the end of July.
The crossings into the coastal enclave have been largely closed since the start of the pandemic, but authorities there have periodically opened the borders for short periods of time.
[Jpost] The number of countries that have reported cases of a rare inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 and impacting children has nearly doubled in the past week to 13, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told a daily briefing on Thursday.
New York, which has taken a lead in tracking the so-called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in the United States, is one of 25 US states with reported cases of the syndrome, Cuomo said.
#4
This never happened during a Democratic administration, so it must be Trump's fault.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
05/22/2020 10:48 Comments ||
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#5
When i was in Resolute canada in 1990 the north magnetic pole was 200 miles NW. things are picking up.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/22/2020 11:55 Comments ||
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#6
If the poles are in the process of reversing it will happen over several thousand years, according to scientists, who say it's unlikely the field will disappear completely.
Unlikely. So they say.
Happens every 250K years, but last time was 750K years ago. So, we are rather more than overdue.
So what would be the practical effect of this flip? no protection from solar radiation for x days? Earthquakes? We have to paint N on the S of our compasses?
And how are satellites malfunctioning because of it because that doesn't compute in my head.
#8
...actually the earth is 'lumpy' not a perfect sphere. As the mass of the earth shifts around so does the relationships of the 'parking' spots for the sats. They have to be adjusted to keep them positioned to do their work.
#9
As the mass of the earth shifts around so does the relationships of the 'parking' spots for the sats
I blame Stacy Abrams
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/22/2020 19:14 Comments ||
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#10
@rjschwarz Hard to say. More cosmic rays incoming. So possibly a lot more clouds and resulting cooling and changes in weather patterns. It could last a long time. Bird migration affected.
#12
Only satellites in geostationary orbit care about parking spots and I would think they are so far away that the magnetic field would be irrelevant.
#13
Gravity varies slightly from place to place. Time varies slightly depending on your altitude and geo position. So very much fun. Gravity is a constant. Not. Time is immutable. Not. Speed of light is a constant. Says who? All the dummies that 'lernt it frum bookz?' I hate physicists.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
05/22/2020 22:37 Comments ||
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#14
#11: depends on your frame of reference. :)
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
05/22/2020 22:38 Comments ||
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#1
Makes sense. Should be pretty easy to train AI models for journalist-bots here, too. Just build a linguistic corpus with the phrase du jour parroted by every blue check Twitter media character and apply some machine learning altos, rinse and repeat.
#1
"Oh, they used a *supercomputer*! That makes all the difference", he said, with a barely concealed sneer.
Neanderthals managed to survive in ice-age Europe for a couple hundred thousand years, which suggests they had something going on in terms of survival.
My money is on disease. Similar to how the population of the Americas was nearly wiped out by smallpox and influenza brought by the Spaniards, I'd bet the new arrivals brought some novel nasty the Neanderthals had no immunity to. Hey, that sounds kind of familiar!
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 ||
05/22/2020 9:01 Comments ||
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#4
Neanderthal groups were small, about 8-12, did not have large trade networks and were sparse in population density and had primitive hunting techniques that mostly involved running up to something and stabbing it with a spear.
Cro-Magnon had huge trade networks, small to large groups, up to decent sized towns, traveled widely and had advanced technology and hunting techniques that required little risk to the hunter.
Doesn't take a super computer to figure out that not only the Cro-Magnon will outbreed the Neanderthal, but out compete them as well. As soon as they showed up in Europe, the Neanderthal were doomed as a separate species.
#9
Re: #6, And the same model used for predicting 'climate change'. Still waiting for proof. So far AFAICT, not a single 'climate change' predictions has come true.
#12
I’ve read that Homo sapiens neanderthalensis needed 4000 calories per day, compared to half that for us Homo sapians types. Having better tools that allowed more efficient hunting techniques just cranked up the competitive difference.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia man whose cellphone video of Ahmaud Arbery’s fatal shooting helped reignite the case was charged with murder Thursday, making him the third person arrested more than two months after the slaying.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] 
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] New Yorkers are removing their masks to take a drink in the streets as lockdown in the city enters its tenth week and more bars reopen their doors for takeout cocktail service. 
[Zero Hedge] Just when you thought the world has reached a level of peak absurdity, the Nigerian scheme makes a grand reappearance.
[From the disorganized mess that is WhatFinger] A forthcoming Australian scientific study concludes that the coronavirus causing the global pandemic contains unique properties suggesting it was manipulated in a Chinese laboratory and was not the result of a natural occurrence.
[Breitbart] Several universities around the nation are currently under investigation by the Department of Education over their alleged financial ties to the Chinese government. A report published this week suggests that many universities are refusing to comply with a standard request to produce internal documents.
[IsraelTimes] Facebook says that its Messenger app will be watching behind the scenes for scammers using the smartphone communication system.
[FOX] South Carolina election ballots reportedly ended up in Maryland this week, after mail-in voting for the Palmetto State’s June 9 primary has already begun, according to local news reports.
[Fox News] A Pakistan International Airlines plane carrying 107 people has crashed in Karachi on a flight from Lahore, according to officials.
[IsraelTimes] The Trump administration notifies international partners that it is pulling out of a treaty that permits 30-plus nations to conduct unarmed, observation flights over each other’s territory — overflights set up decades ago to promote trust and avert conflict.
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] 
