[NY Post] Apparently, NY City doesn't need Federal $$, they can afford to be stoopid all on their own
Big Apple lawmakers may need their heads examined.
Newly arrived migrants to the five boroughs may soon be able to visit with taxpayer-funded therapists to get in touch with their feelings, should a new City Council proposal become law.
The bill would station mental health coordinators at all 218 city migrant shelters and run taxpayers — on the low end — at least $15 million a year, according to a Post analysis.
The proposal was introduced last week by Councilmembers Lynn Schulman (D-Queens), Shahana Hanif (D-Brooklyn), and Jennifer Gutiérrez (D-Brooklyn). The trio failed to get the bill passed last year.
Last year NYC had a smaller budget deficit. This year the voters are unhappy about it, though the most unhappy are taking their votes with them when they move to somewhere sane.
The measure "would require the Mayor’s Office of Community Health to have at least one mental health coordinator at any location where refugees and migrants receive services from the city.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/30/2024
14:09 ||
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#1
Prescribe anti-depressants for them so the taxpayers can pay for it and Big Pharma can profit.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/30/2024 16:20
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#2
I wonder how the legal NYC voters feel about this idea.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/30/2024 16:35
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[American Thinker] The Supreme Court held that the minimum wage law was constitutional because it reasonably regulated contracts to protect the health and welfare of workers.
This opened the door to regulate all economic activity, on the grounds of health and welfare. It was Madison who said he saw nothing in the constitution that allowed the government to provide welfare. "Charity is no part of the legislative duty of government. It would puzzle any gentleman to lay his finger on any part of the Constitution which would authorize the government to interpose in the relief of... sufferers."
Notwithstanding that regulating economic activity has been ruled constitutional, it seems that legislators have the opportunity to abide by the Madison principle. Meaning that just because the barn door is open doesn’t mean you have to run rampantly through it, at least if you believe in the intent of the Founders when they crafted the abridgement of contracts clause.
Yes, we are long down that road.
While it is pretty clear legislators are mostly owned by lobbyists, they still have the opportunity to please their lobbyists and yet stay within the Founders’ construct.
I once sat on the budget committee of a small town in Oregon. An item came up to assess a motel tax, a room tax, for the purpose of promoting tourism. I said, hey, this is not the business of government, if the motel owners want to promote tourism they should be and are free to do so.
The other eleven members of the committee, most of them businessmen, rose up in a roar to tell me that promotion of tourism was well within the business of government.
I said, well I’m going to vote against this item in the budget. I was then apprised that the budget was not a line item yes or no, rather a whole or none. I said then I vote for none.
That was my last year on the budget committee.
The decision of the Supreme Court to allow regulation of all economic activity probably nullified the entire Constitution of the United States.
#1
The Dems are trying to get Sotomayer to retire. I don’t think she will. Kagan also has health issues. I can’t see either making it 13 years to the other side of what’s coming. I can see the court seining back towards freedom.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/30/2024 16:41
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"By TL Davis – […] “The people want a secure border. They want their veterans to be taken care of instead of illegal aliens. They want fiscal responsibility that will lead to an end to inflation. They want a budget that does not devalue their currency. They want their children to grow up without being force-fed communism and abnormal sexuality from kindergarten on. They want to be left alone to raise their families and enjoy the fruits of their labor, but the communists will never allow that, so they must be defeated and driven back into the holes from which they’ve sprung.”
“Like it or not, the only way to begin that long, arduous battle is to use Trump as your bludgeon. He is not the answer to your problems, but he is their most-feared enemy and necessarily your biggest weapon. A lot of people hated Joseph McCarthy for calling out the communists in government. McCarthyism is the euphemism for political witch-hunts, because the communists in media and the government wanted a term that would cow their opposition, that if they branded them with that moniker, they could destroy them politically. Had we listened to McCarthy, we would have delayed our current predicament by a decade, maybe fifty years. But the communists never give up, so it would have come about.”
#8
Super Hose the dems are also trying to get Clarence Thomas charged for income tax fraud and ethics violations. They really fear another Trump presidency where he might be able to replace one or more Justices.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/30/2024 22:58
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#13
Forgot.
Amid backlash to the president’s proclamation, some media outlets ran fact-checks clarifying that President Biden’s declaration of this coming Easter Sunday as “Transgender Day of Visibility” seems to be a coincidence because March 31 happens to fall on Easter Sunday this year, but it doesn’t always.
Indeed, President Biden issued similar proclamations in 2021, 2022, and 2023. with March 31 falling on a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday respectively in those years.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/30/2024 23:14
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#14
Fox had it covered at the top, CNN slanted it by saying "Republicans slam Biden for proclaiming Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter", ABC,CBS, NBC...no mention of it.
[Daily Caller] "Dirty Jobs" host Mike Rowe told Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson that Americans may be "starting to get the message" on seeking a college education in an interview released Wednesday.
Rowe explained to Carlson that research indicating young people are ranking a college education lower on the scale of importance is a "good thing," prompting the Tucker Carlson Network (TCN) creator to agree that a diploma does not mean its recipient is educated.
"Do you see any evidence that, I know people are listening to you, and I, again, would argue I haven’t seen anyone kind of refute what you’re saying," Tucker said. "But do you have any sense that it’s there’s changing, that it’s moving?"
Rowe said the cultural expectation of going to college after high school is "a consensus" most Americans "fall in line" with. He likened the idea of "supporting things that we personally don’t really support" to the behavior of people on Twitter, calling it a "collective illusion." (RELATED: ’I Don’t Know Why They Hate Us So Much’: Gold Star Father Arrested At SOTU Tells Tucker Biden ’Never’ Contacted Him)
"If you look for it, you’ll see it everywhere. It’s mind-boggling," Rowe told Carlson. "And this was kind of a wake-up call for me because for 15 years I’ve been talking about this deeply held belief."
"The parents and guidance counselors are, truly believe that the best path for their kids, is this most expensive path," Rowe continued. "But the latest research. When you really sit people down and take a deep, deep dive ... Gen Z right now is ranking the importance of a college education out of 50 different things at 47."
#1
Professional 'educators' are a product of colleges and universities. They're part of the academic complex and thus are focused upon feeding the system rather than what is right for society and the individual.
"Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the Earth or slinks through slimy seas has a brain. Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. But they have one thing you haven't got: a diploma.” - Wizard of Oz
#2
They all a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy, and just within my lifetime; the undereducated to be educated by the underqualified at premium prices. The washouts going to public school positions.
#5
Even have their gov backed corp sponsored sportsball leagues.
Give me the teammate who can figure what to do with used turbine blades, instead of this bobbleheading oyster monger poetry appreciation club bullshit.
#10
The change will occur at the margins not at Harvard. There will always be enough rich woke wankers to keep the Ivy League full of leftist acolytes. Change will come through the smaller schools that will not be able to fill the dorms and through publicly funded schools that people don’t think ought to be indoctrination centers.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/30/2024 16:49
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#11
How many administrators can dance on the head of a single college student? How many bureaucrats can dance on the head of a single taxpayer? At some point the bills must be paid and the Ponzi scheme implodes.
This slick MIAMI VICE-inspired recruiting commercial for the U.S. Coast Guard from 1990 features Louis Gossett Jr. Gossett passed away today at the age of 87. #RIPpic.twitter.com/vvrXpGri85
[Sudan Tribune] Sudanese warplanes struck a supply convoy belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday near the Hamrat al-Sheikh area in North Kordofan. The convoy reportedly originated from South Darfur.
Since the war began on April 15, 2023, the RSF has relied on the Omdurman-Bara road and the Hamrat al-Sheikh Omdurman road to transport fighters and military supplies from western Sudan to Khartoum. Sudanese military aircraft have intensified operations in recent months, targeting these RSF convoys heading towards Khartoum from North Kordofan and Darfur.
A military source told Sudan Tribune that "military aircraft engaged a supply convoy for the RSF on the road between Sodari and Hamrat al-Sheikh in North Kordofan, destroying it."
The source revealed the convoy originated in Nyala, South Darfur’s capital, on March 26, and included around 11 trucks carrying multiple tanks destined for Omdurman.
The RSF has reportedly suffered heavy losses in recent clashes with the Sudanese army, including territory in Omdurman, the Umbada suburb, and significant areas of Khartoum Bahri.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2024
07:19 ||
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#1
Why hasn't the UAE supplied Stingers? The war would be over in a month if it did.
[UNDEFINED] The Hasahisa Resistance Committees reported on Thursday that a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) raid on the village of Al-Takla Jabara in Al-Jazirah State left eight civilians dead and dozens more injured.
The RSF, which took control of the state late last year, faces ongoing accusations of atrocities against civilians. This attack marks the third wave of village raids in the region.
"The RSF carried out a fresh massacre against unarmed civilians in Al-Jazirah State," a statement from the Hasahisa Resistance Committees obtained by Sudan Tribune reads. "Their attack on Al-Takla Jabara left eight dead and over 30 injured."
Activists report that the assault is ongoing, with another RSF force targeting the village of Abu Sir. Fears of rising casualties are mounting.
The RSF’s use of lethal force against civilians protesting looting and humiliation tactics raises serious human rights concerns. Hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed since the RSF takeover.
An activist-circulated video shows a large RSF contingent aggressively entering a wheat farm.
Meanwhile, the military has reportedly bolstered its presence in states bordering Al-Jazirah. Military commanders are said to be discussing a potential full-scale operation to retake the state from the RSF.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2024
07:17 ||
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[Sudan Tribune] Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minawi (SLM-MM) announced on Thursday the deployment of a new 1,500-strong force to combat the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in various Sudanese regions.
In November 2023, the SLM-MM and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) declared an end to their neutrality in the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF. However, their active military participation has been limited since then.
This graduation ceremony in Gedaref, eastern Sudan, marked the completion of training for the SLM’s "Tiger 1" group, Batch 37. The event follows SLM leader Minawi’s recent statement expressing his forces’ readiness to confront the RSF to defend civilians and Sudan’s sovereignty.
Minawi addressed the graduates, explaining his decision to actively engage in the fight after ten months on the sidelines. He described the current conflict as a "predatory campaign" and a potential "disintegration" of Sudan.
He emphasized his group’s commitment to ethical conduct throughout their 24-year struggle, denying any civilian casualties or rights violations attributable to his forces. Minawi further drew a stark contrast with the RSF’s alleged actions, accusing them of sexual violence, civilian abuse, and seizing civilian institutions.
Minawi condemned the RSF’s takeover of El Geneina and other Darfur cities after the withdrawal of armed forces, as well as their reported human rights violations in Al-Jazirah state.
He referred to the RSF as a force motivated by "exploitation" and pursuing a "sham democracy," implying they have abandoned any sense of moral responsibility.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2024
06:05 ||
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#1
So, MM has been bought off. I wonder who is paying the freight?
[Sudan Tribune] Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations has called for the condemnation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In a letter to the Security Council, he accuses the UAE of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in their year-long war against the Sudanese army.
The 78-page complaint, seen by Sudan Tribune, alleges the UAE planned and supported the RSF’s aggression against the Sudanese military with assistance from Chad.
Sudan accuses the UAE of ongoing support for the RSF, including supplying weapons, equipment, and mercenaries. This support is deemed a violation of the UN Charter and a threat to regional and international security.
The Sudanese mission accuses Chad of complicity in the UAE’s actions. The letter claims Chad allowed the passage of military supplies and mercenaries through its territory while also enabling the evacuation of wounded RSF personnel to Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
The April 15, 2023 attack by the RSF on strategic targets in Khartoum is described as a "coup attempt" targeting the President of the Sovereignty Council and other members.
The letter urges the UN Security Council to take action and force the UAE to immediately cease supporting the RSF.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2024
06:03 ||
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#1
Fascinating. The UAE has no love for Islamists, but to be active so far from home raises question: Who is backing the UAE? Saudi Arabia? The State Department, which sticks its nose into everyone's business, is preternaturally quiet on this event. Why?
[IsraelTimes] The Squad member has accused Israel of ’genocide’ in its war against Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, in Gazoo, previously asserted evidence and testimony of Hamas rapes during Oct 7 attacks was ’propaganda’
The three top Democrats in the US House of Representatives endorsed Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a fierce Israeli critic, days after the party’s leading Jewish group endorsed his primary challenger.
The endorsement is not unusual — House leaders in both parties routinely favor incumbents facing tough primary races — but it comes as the New York politician is facing a challenge from a popular local elected official, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who has blasted Bowman’s Israel rhetoric and recently gained the backing of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
The endorsement Friday, distributed by Bowman’s campaign, emphasized his local bona fides and did not touch on his condemnations of Israel, which he has accused of "genocide" in its war against Hamas in 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... "Congressman Bowman’s life experiences — raised by a single mom in public housing and founding a public school serving low-income children in the Bronx — have shaped him into a public servant who fights for economic justice and in defense of historically underrepresented communities," said the statement by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,.
Bowman was first elected in 2020 and is part of the Squad, the group of progressive Democratic representatives who are broadly critical of Israel. He represents a district that spans Westchester and part of the Bronx in New York City, and is home to a sizable Jewish community.
The Israel-Hamas war has become a focus of the campaign. Latimer has been firmly supportive of Israel since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, in which Death Eaters slaughtered 1,200 people in southern Israel and seized 253 hostages. In addition to the "genocide" charge, Bowman recently walked back a statement last year casting doubt on claims that Hamas committed rapes in its Oct. 7 massacre on Israel, which launched the war. He has also lost the endorsement of J Street, the liberal Israel lobby.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America announced its endorsement of Latimer on Thursday alongside 21 other candidates, including New Yorkers Mondaire Jones in the 17th district and Josh Riley in the 19th district.
In a statement, the council’s chair-elect, Susie Stern, called Latimer an ally to Jewish New Yorkers who "resolutely stands behind our community when challenging moments arise, including the current one."
Latimer hailed the council’s endorsement as well as the group’s support for causes including supporting Israel, fighting antisemitism, combating gun violence and protecting child sacrifice abortion rights.
"As we continue to build our grassroots campaign, their support will be vital for making sure every voice is heard in this critical election," Latimer said in a statement.
Latimer entered the race in December after months of speculation that he would mount a challenge to Bowman, who was first elected in 2020 and after receiving encouragement from Jewish supporters. He has also nabbed an endorsement from the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. The Democratic Majority for Israel, an advocacy group, applauded his entry into the race.
Both candidates raised around $1.4 million in the last quarter of 2023.
Bowman, a former middle school principal, unseated longtime incumbent Eliot Engel, who is Jewish, in 2020. His ties with many Jewish constituents had frayed before October 7 due to his criticism of Israel. He angered Jewish voters early in the war by urging a ceasefire on October 16 in a statement that did not mention Hamas, terrorism or Israeli hostages.
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I think it’s a terrible idea, but at least it will keep all the ankle biters busy negotiating/sniping at each other until everyone finally gives it up as a dud — including whichever Arab countries who’d never intended to let their troops into the line of fire.
[IsraelTimes] Reports say proposed force to be staffed by troops from 3 unnamed Arab countries at peace with Israel, would be charged with protecting aid convoys from pillaging
Israel is pushing for the establishment of an international peacekeeping force to secure 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... Strip and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid in it, multiple Hebrew media outlets reported Friday evening, indicating a likely coordinated leak.
The reports all said Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had made headway on the matter during his visit to Washington this week.
The force would be composed of troops from three different unnamed Arab countries — though not Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Fifteen of the nineteen WTC hijackers were Saudis, and most major jihadi commanders were Saudis, to include Osama bin Laden. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman quietly folded that tent in 2016, doing terrible things to the guys running it, and has since been dragging the kingdom into the current century... or Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... , the latter being a longtime patron of Hamas, one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede, that is one of the mediators in hostage-for-truce talks. Some reports intimated that Egypt and the UAE were two of the countries, and that the third also has a peace treaty with Israel. The force would be managed by the US, but with no American forces on the ground.
The idea is backed by the United States, the reports said. The force would likely be armed to uphold law and order and would work with Gazooks who don’t have links to Hamas, ostensibly figures linked to the Paleostinian Authority. US support, however, is contingent on Israel beginning to implement a post-war plan for the rehabilitation of Gaza, such as Gallant’s "day after" plan, which he presented three months ago, the reports said.
That plan, which has not received backing from the coalition, calls for Israel to maintain full military control of Gaza for now but to have no civilian presence there, and for civilian matters in the Strip to be administered by Paleostinians who are not hostile to Israel. Furthermore, the plan calls for stabilizing the Strip after the war with assistance from a multi-national force.
It is unclear whether Arab allies will actually be willing to participate in the peacekeeping scheme, given that they have repeatedly asserted that they will not take part in the management of Gaza after the war unless it is part of a broader initiative that includes the establishment of a pathway to a future Paleostinian state — something the current government firmly rejects.
The international force’s initial task would be to guard truck convoys containing humanitarian aid from pillaging by desparate Gazooks, as well as to secure the aid pier set to be built by the US off the coast of the Strip, which is expected to be ready in about a month.
Ynet reported that the progress in talks between the US and the unnamed Arab countries is a result of visits by Israeli defense officials to those countries and talks with the US government and CENTCOM.
According to Haaretz, no agreement has yet been reached on how to arm the force.
A Politico report this week said that the Pentagon is in early "conversations" on potential plans to fund a peacekeeping force. Channel 12 news reported that Netanyahu was resistant to the idea, but Gallant suggested it was the best option available.
[BenarNews] Nowadays, it appears many Malaysians are becoming outraged over the littlest things that offend their cultural or religious sentiments, analysts and academics say. What makes these small things blow up, rather than blow over, is the "Outrage Industry" — comprising news television, social media and political party members — which has come of age in Malaysia. This industry gleefully pounces on every slight, magnifies it, and puts a virtual megaphone in the hands of the overly sensitive to exploit them for ratings or political gains, observers say. And in a multiethnic and multireligious Malaysia, where religious conservatism is also on the rise, this coalescing of outrage is what most worries many political observers, because it has the potential to inflame communities.
Just three months into 2024, Malaysia is already facing four big outrage-driven controversies that have caused divisions and disruptions — and, in fact, continue to do so.
The latest brouhaha — a supermarket chain selling socks with the word "Allah" inappropriately printed on it — began as a legitimate grievance. But action was taken, with the chain’s founder, a Malaysian-Chinese man, apologizing and saying he had terminated the services of the supplier the socks came from. That was not enough for the youth wing of the United Malays National Organization, a party that ruled Malaysia for close to 60 years, claiming to be the champion of Malay Moslem interests. The youth wing is stridently calling for the supermarket’s stores to be boycotted because, it says, those who insulted Islam need to be taught a lesson.
UMNO soon backed the youth wing’s calls — after all, it was supposed to be the champion of Malays, the country’s ethnic majority. Starting in 2018, when it lost a general election for the first time, UMNO’s support among the Malays has declined drastically because of a slew of corruption scandals involving its members.
The party’s traditional support base has moved to the Perikatan Nasional group, which comprises the Bersatu party and the hardline Islamic party, PAS. UMNO claimed its decision to back the boycott was not political, it was moral.
UMNO is part of the federal coalition that consists of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s secular Pakatan Harapan group, but it says its stance will not affect ties within.
However, some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... Anwar is rather tired of the controversy around the socks being dragged on despite action having been taken.
"My stance is clear. ... lines were crossed and action must be taken. But after following the law, we move on," he told news hounds on March 20, according to several local media outlets.
"We shouldn’t continue discussing it as [if it is] a massive disaster. Take firm action and then move on."
At an event the next day, the PM didn’t bring up the controversy but had harsh words, presumably for those who were dragging it on.
Anwar said that endless "jumud" ("ignorant") and "lapuk" ("backward") discussions would be an obstacle in the development of Malaysia, the New Straits Times reported.
Political analyst Syaza Shukri told BenarNews that UMNO was playing identity politics with ethnic Malay Moslems with its reaction to the socks controversy.
"Identity politics itself is not dangerous if the understanding of our differences can be managed by a competent leader," Syaza, of the International Islamic University Malaysia, said.
"It becomes dangerous when the politicians instead of trying to solve problems only cause more problems. What we need are statesmen who see identity politics positively," the associate professor at the Department of Political Science said.
Ethnic Malays comprise 70% of Malaysia’s population, ethnic Chinese 22.6% and ethnic Indians 6.6%.
The other three recent controversies pitched ethnic Malays against ethnic Chinese, although one of the three also involved the Indians community. Malaysia has been relatively peaceful since the 1969 race riots, but the two larger groups continue to view each other with deep suspicion.
Nga Kor Ming, the minister of Local Government Development, announced on Feb. 1 that the government was making plans to nominate three villages — called Chinese "new villages" — for UNESCO World Heritage status.
Malaysia’s former colonial British rulers had interned Malaysian-Chinese on suspicion of ties with Communists in these villages.
A couple of weeks later, the government gazette published an announcement that the heritage commissioner had named a Malaysian-Chinese herbal pork dish, bak kut teh, one among 10 national heritage objects.
The third controversy kicked off after the Federal Court ruled that vernacular schools were constitutional and rejected an appeal application by two NGOs to overturn a lower court’s decision that also ruled these schools legal.
Many Malays were up in arms that Chinese villages were being nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Status. They said there were many Malaysian villages that were much older. In fact some Malaysian-Chinese were also unhappy, saying there was no need to make what were basically internment camps into a heritage site.
As for bak kut teh, the hardline Islamist party PAS and UMNO were outraged that a pork-based dish was being given national heritage status in a largely Moslem country. Followers of Islam are not allowed to eat pork.
Many in the Malaysian-Chinese community, in turn, claimed that the majority Malays were suppressing the minorities.
Vernacular schools for the ethnic Chinese and the Tamil Indians caused divisions in the country, UMNO claimed. The party said that for racial harmony there needed to be an integrated education system. The ethnic Chinese and Indian communities said they sent their children to these schools so they could learn their language.
In the past, similar tussles have arisen over the celebration of Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Oktoberfest, among others.
For Azmil Mohd Tayeb, from the Universiti Sains Malaysia, these controversies are a sign of how polarized Malaysia has become.
"Different groups retreat into their respective shells and become easily triggered by any perceived slights to their identity," the associate professor at the university’s School of Social Sciences told BenarNews.
He said these "ethno-religious" issues can turn dangerous and toxic if left to fester.
"People would simply focus on differences amongst them, which would deepen resentment and widen the polarization. It is dangerous and an affliction that Malaysia needs to slowly move away from," he said.
These issues arise also because many don’t respect diversity, said S. Shashi Kumar, president of the Global Human Rights Foundation.
"The acts of racial and religious intolerance exacerbate tensions and divisions within society," he told BenarNews.
"These acts not only showcase the ignorance and insensitivity of certain individuals but also highlight the need for greater understanding and respect for diversity in the country," he said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shootout, Butch shot Black Bart's gun out of his hand...... as another observer sees it, "Excessive outrage" on social media can get out of control and lead to issues blowing up rather than blowing over.
According to Helen Ting Mu Hung, of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, disaffection exists because minorities are disproportionately targeted by the country’s laws.
"More problematically, those who expressed extreme views openly on the social media, especially those against minorities, get away scot-free, in contrast to those who criticized the majority or the authorities, some of whom have experienced the weight of law swiftl," said the associate professor at the university’s Institute of Malaysian and International Studies.
"This lack of even-handedness may fail to appease a lingering sense of resentment especially when the event is viewed from a racial lens."
In a 2018 report, "Outrage in Malaysia: The Politics of Taking Offence," author Julian C. H. Lee said that in furores in the Southeast Asian country, "minority ethno-religious groups and individuals ostensibly caused offence to the majority Moslem Malay population."
Lee said that the so-called offenses were characterized "as transgressions of genuine sensitivities."
"[I] argue that politics of offence must be seen for the political utility it holds for those who claim to represent the majority group that has been putatively offended."
#1
In the "West" the garbage enlightened have many causes to justify their meaningless lives. But in Dar Islam provides to all such emotional needs. No wonder Islam, is taking over the "West".
[IsraelTimes] IDF strikes terror group’s facilities across southern Lebanon, as sirens sound in northern Israel amid repeated attacks
The Israel Defense Forces said it eliminated the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s rocket unit in a drone strike in southern Lebanon Friday morning, amid a series of attacks against the Lebanese terror group north of Israel’s border.
The senior Hezbollah commander, Ali Naim,
...alternate spelling Ali Naeem...
was struck while in a car in the town of Bazouriye, close to Tyre.
According to the IDF, Naim was "considered to be a significant source of knowledge in the terror group, and leader in the field of rockets."
"He was also one of the leaders for heavy-warhead rocket fire and responsible for conducting and planning attacks against Israeli civilians," the IDF added.
Hezbollah confirmed Naim’s death but did not refer to him as a commander.
The IDF released footage of the strike.
Speaking following an assessment at the IDF Northern Command in Safed, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he observed the strike on Naim.
Hinting at Israel’s alleged overnight airstrike in Syria, in which 38 people were killed including five Hezbollah operatives and members of the Syrian army, Gallant said the military will "expand the campaign [against Hezbollah] and increase the rate of attacks in the north.
[NY Post] Lizzo says she is "quitting" — seemingly the music industry — months after her former backup dancers accused her of sexual harassment, body-shaming and creating a hostile work environment in a lawsuit. Yeah. Take the money and waddle.
The 35-year-old "Truth Hurts" singer posted a statement to her Instagram on Friday, telling her 12.1 million followers, "I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet."
"All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it," she wrote.
'Lizzo says she is "quitting" — seemingly the music industry — months after her former backup dancers accused her of sexual harassment, body-shaming and creating a hostile work environment in a lawsuit.
The 35-year-old "Truth Hurts" singer posted a statement to her Instagram on Friday, telling her 12.1 million followers, "I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet." What about the poor bastards that have to do the dragging?
"All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it," she wrote.
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#8
Despite not caring in the slightest for her ‘talent,’ let’s hope she doesn’t really decide to quit by jumping off a bridge; Secretary Pete already has one disaster on his hands; dealing with the results of a tsunami would probably send the lad home in tears.
[IsraelTimes] One of the holdups has been receiving approval from Israel, which is viewed as critical for getting Congress on board; source fears initial leak of story may torpedo negotiations
The Palestinian Authority is in the final stages of talks with the Biden administration about reforming its controversial welfare policy, which includes payments to terrorists and their families, two sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Friday.
Drafts of the altered policy have been vetted by the administration’s lawyers and the reform was on track to be announced in the coming weeks, one of the sources said, confirming reporting in Politico.
The altered policy would base welfare stipends that Palestinian security prisoners receive on the recipient’s financial need rather than the length of their sentence, as is currently the case, the source told The Times of Israel, adding that there were a number of outstanding issues still being negotiated.
The White House has sought for months — since well before the outbreak of the war in Gaza — to receive a nod of approval from Israel, worried that its rejection could lead pro-Israel lawmakers in Congress to follow suit, thereby hampering the reform’s legitimacy in Washington, the source said. They indicated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has been dragging its feet on the matter, even as the premier regularly cites the controversial policy to argue that the PA cannot be trusted.
The effort to coax the PA into implementing the reform was held tightly under wraps for the first three-plus years of the Biden administration, with only a small handful of people involved. But as progress was made in recent weeks and months, the circle of involvement had to be expanded, a second source familiar with the matter said, lamenting that Friday’s leak may well lead to the reform being scuttled entirely, as Ramallah didn’t want it to go public until the initiative was finalized.
The practice of paying allowances to those convicted of carrying out terror attacks and to the families of those killed while carrying out attacks — often referred to by some Israeli officials as a pay-to-slay policy — has been pilloried by critics as incentivizing terror.
Palestinian leaders have long defended the payments, describing them as a form of social welfare and necessary compensation for victims of Israel’s callous military justice system in the West Bank.
The PA initially sought to leverage its willingness to reform the policy in order to secure gestures from Washington, such as the scrapping of congressional legislation from 1987 that labeled the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) "and its affiliates" a terror group.
But Ramallah has long grown disillusioned by the Biden administration, which has failed to keep election promises to re-open missions for the Palestinians in Jerusalem and Washington, and had decided to move forward with the reform without any assurance of gestures from the US in return, a Palestinian source familiar with the matter said.
The source acknowledged that the reform would be domestically unpopular, given the widespread Palestinian solidarity with those imprisoned for confronting Israel’s military rule in the West Bank. However, they noted that the PA is already historically unpopular, and had the move been done at the right time, it had the potential of passing without major pushback, while granting Ramallah a much-needed jolt of international legitimacy as it seeks to return to governing Gaza after the war.
Reforming the welfare policy is designed to bring the PA into compliance with the 2018 congressional legislation known as the Taylor Force Act, which suspended US aid to the PA as long as it continued granting prisoners stipends based on time served.
The US would still be barred from directly funding the PA due to legislation preventing such aid once Ramallah began advancing investigations against Israel in the International Criminal Court. However, if the reform is deemed sufficient to place the PA in compliance with the Taylor Force Act, the US would be able to fund projects that directly benefit the PA.
Since entering office, US President Joe Biden has been largely limited to funding humanitarian projects in the West Bank and Gaza through the US Agency for International Development and donations to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA — though this too was barred following allegations that staffers participated in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught on southern Israel.
Israel also passed legislation similar to the Taylor Force Act that could be scrapped if Jerusalem deems the PA’s reform as credible.
Both the US and Israel will likely require a pilot period to test the reform’s implementation before they reach determinations regarding Ramallah’s compliance.
The welfare policy reform could also make it easier for the US to re-open the PLO diplomatic office in Washington, which was shuttered during the Trump administration. However, obstacles remain given the PLO’s ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a US-recognized terror organization.
As for the US consulate in Jerusalem, which former president Donald Trump also closed down, the Biden administration has been unable to make good on its promise to reopen the mission, citing a lack of cooperation from Israel, which views the move as an encroachment on its sovereignty in the capital city.
Pulling off the reform would be a major diplomatic achievement for Biden, succeeding in an endeavor previous administrations couldn’t pull off.
It would also bolster his vision for post-war Gaza, which includes a reformed PA returning to govern the enclave as part of a pathway to a two-state solution with Israel.
The US has a long list of areas in which it would like to see Palestinian reforms, but some international stakeholders place the welfare payments at the top of their lists.
Asked for comment on the original Politico report, a US State Department spokesperson told The Times of Israel, "From the outset of the Biden Administration, we have consistently made clear that we are strongly opposed" to the PA’s payments to security prisoners.
"We don’t have anything to offer on those reports," the spokesperson added.
#2
"Pulling off the reform would be a major diplomatic achievement for Biden, succeeding in an endeavor previous administrations couldn’t pull off.
It would also bolster his vision for post-war Gaza, which includes a reformed PA returning to govern the enclave as part of a pathway to a two-state solution with Israel." The two-state solution is as dead as the proverbial door-knob.
[ET Via ZERO] A breakthrough discovery links stress hormones with a fourfold surge in the spread of cancer, shedding light on why patients under severe stress often have lower survival rates.
"There’s probably very few situations that are as stressful as being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing cancer treatment," Mikala Egeblad, cancer researcher and senior author of the study, told The Epoch Times.
Understanding the stress—cancer link may open up new ways to protect patients from the adverse effects of stress as part of cancer care.
An Accidental Discovery Prompts More Research
The team of scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) found that glucocorticoids—a type of stress hormone—play a role in creating a metastasis-friendly environment.
The Egeblad lab, which relocated to Johns Hopkins University, studies how the communication between tumors and the immune system affects tumor growth and metastasis in mice. Researchers discovered the connection accidentally, noticing faster tumor growth in mice they had unintentionally stressed by a change in housing.
The phenomenon prompted further research on chronic stress exposure and how it can encourage the spread of cancer, according to first author Xue-Yan He, who was a postdoctoral fellow at CSHL and is now an assistant professor at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Ms. He investigated this connection with a mice study that mimicked chronic stress, leading to startling observations: an increase in tumor lesions and up to a fourfold surge in the spread of cancer.
[IsraelTimes] Hamas fires RPG at Egoz unit encampment near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, killing Sgt. First Class Alon Kudriashov, wounding additional troops, including 6 seriously
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Friday the death of a soldier killed during fighting against the Hamas terror group in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip earlier in the day. He was named as Sgt. First Class Alon Kudriashov, 21, of the Commando Brigade’s Egoz unit, from Modiin.
His death brought the number of troops killed in Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas to 254.
Kudriashov was killed and 16 other troops of the Egoz unit were wounded, including six seriously, after a Hamas operative fired an RPG at a building used as an encampment near Nasser Hospital, according to an IDF probe. Hamas published footage of the Friday morning incident, showing it launching an RPG at the building where the Egoz troops were operating.
All of the wounded troops were taken to hospitals.
Egoz troops had killed a Hamas gunman near their encampment a few hours before the RPG fire, according to the IDF.
Meanwhile, troops of the Nahal Brigade operating in the central Gaza Strip located and destroyed several rocket launchers that were aimed at Israel, the IDF said earlier Friday. Since Thursday, Nahal soldiers have also killed numerous gunmen, including by calling in airstrikes, the military added.
Separately, the Israeli Air Force struck what the IDF said was a building used by Hamas for terror activities in central Gaza’s Nuseirat.
Fighting against Hamas also continued at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, as well as in southern Gaza’s al-Qarara and the al-Amal neighborhood of Khan Younis, where the IDF said troops have killed Hamas operatives, seized weapons and destroyed sites belonging to the terror group.
Amid the operations, the IAF struck dozens of sites, largely in support of the maneuvering ground troops, the military added.
Talks for a temporary truce and the release of hostages appeared to advance earlier in the week, but fell apart after Hamas rejected a compromise, saying it would only agree to a permanent end to the war and complete withdrawal of troops from Gaza. Efforts to renew the talks were undertaken on Friday.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said at least 32,623 people have been killed and 75,092 have been injured in Gaza since October 7.
Yes, but we know Hamas outright lies when they are not exaggerating. The only thing we know to be true is that there are more dead and wounded today than yesterday, and less of both than tomorrow — at least until Hamas and its supportive population are completely defeated.
The terror group’s figures are unverified and don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel has said it has killed some 13,000 Hamas members in Gaza fighting, in addition to some 1,000 killed inside Israel in the aftermath of the terror group’s October 7 invasion and onslaught.
The ongoing war has also created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as famine is both a risk and "quite possibly" present in at least some areas in northern Gaza, a senior US State Department official told Reuters on Friday.
War is hell. But the Gazans had complete control of when it started, and equally complete control over when in ends. Until then Israel will continue to give them the drubbing they demand.
The official added that the scarcity of trucks was a key obstacle to more humanitarian aid in the densely populated enclave that has been battered by the Israel-Hamas war.
"While we can say with confidence that famine is a significant risk in the south and center but not present, in the north, it is both a risk and quite possibly is present in at least some areas, which accounts for the urgency with which we need to move goods, food at scale into the north," the senior State Department official, speaking with Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said.
The number of trucks distributing aid in south and central Gaza has nearly topped 200 a day, an increase compared to a month ago, but more are needed, the State Department official said.
"You need to address the full nutrition needs of the population of Gaza of all ages. That means more than just that minimal survival level feeding," the official said, adding that malnutrition, infant newborn and young child mortality are significant problems that are growing. "I mean, after our heroic fighters feast, the rest get the scraps"
"It has to be addressed by additional assistance coming and the right kind of assistance coming in," he said.
As part of the efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the northern part of the Strip, nine trucks operated by the United Nations’ World Food Programme reached the area Thursday night, according to the Coordinator of Government Affairs in the Territories, the Defense Ministry body responsible for civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories. In total, COGAT said 47 trucks have reached northern Gaza via a new land route opened by the IDF earlier in March.
Additionally, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the country will continue looking for new ways to facilitate the entry of increased aid into Gaza after the International Court of Justice ordered it to increase the provision of basic humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip.
"Israel will continue to promote new initiatives, and to expand existing ones, in order to enable and facilitate the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip in a continuous and extensive manner, by land, air and sea, together with UN bodies and other partners in the international community," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Hayat said in a statement posted on X.
"This includes ongoing efforts to increase the scale, and means of access for such aid despite the operational challenges on the ground and Hamas׳s active and abhorrent efforts to commandeer, hoard, and steal aid."
[IsraelTimes] Washington Post says weaponry to be provided amid growing US concerns over Gazoo campaign and plans for Rafah offensive
The United States in recent days authorized the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel even as it publicly expresses concerns about an anticipated military offensive in Rafah, The Washington Post reported Friday.
Good to know. On what sort of timing? (Trust but verify, donchaknow.)
Citing Pentagon and State Department officials, the daily said the new arms package includes 1,800 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK-82 500-pound bombs, along with 25 F-35s that were initially approved as part of a larger package by Congress in 2008. Israel requested the third squadron of 25 F-35s last July, which when delivered will bring the total size of the fleet to 75.
Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, its longtime ally. The US has been rushing air defenses and munitions to Israel as it fights against Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood, in Gaza, but some Democrats and Arab American groups have criticized the Biden administration (aka the Wilmington comorra) ...the collection of boodlers, grifters, hangers-on, and self-proclaimed experts affiliated with the Biden Crime Family. Entrusted with an entire nation as the result of a suspicious election, they set about happily implementing stuff they absorbed in college, all of which blew up and splattered the rest of us... ’s steadfast support of Israel, and called for leveraging military aid.
"We have continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself," a White House official told The Washington Post. "Conditioning aid has not been our policy."
Not America’s, no. But the Biden administration has recently been echoing the far left, Jew/Israel-hating wing of the Democratic party, not to mention CAIR, et al, and tqlking loudly about thinking about conditioning aid and whether, indeed Israel does have the right to defend itself against rampaging Palestinians, whom they call the colonized People of Color — even though Israelis and Palestinians are exactly the same shade of suntan. And some of both, indeed, have both blond hair and blue eyes, though for exactly the opposite reasons.
The US recently deemed Israel to be in compliance with a new national security memorandum after it received a written assurance from Jerusalem that it is using American weapons in line with international law and is not blocking humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
This assurance came last week via a "credible high-level official who has the ability and authority to make decisions and commitments about the issues at the heart of the assurances," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday, referring to the letter sent by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
"These assurances are prospective, but of course, our view of them is informed by our ongoing assessments of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza," Miller said during a press briefing.
"We’ve had ongoing assessments of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law. We have not found them to be in violation, either when it comes to the conduct of the war or the provision of humanitarian assistance. We view those assurances through that ongoing work we have done," he said.
The State Department has until May 8 to provide Congress with a report on Israel’s compliance with the memo.
The announcement came on the same day that the US abstained from a vote at the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Security Council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken on October 7, without linking the two issues. The resolution, backed by Russia and China, passed with 14 votes.
The vote sparked a spat with Israel, which argued that its passage would make Hamas more obstinate in truce talks in Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also canceled a planned trip to Washington by his top aides to discuss plans for an offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah. Jerusalem has since agreed to reschedule that meeting.
The United States’ top general said on Thursday that Israel had not received every weapon it has asked for, in part because some of it could affect the US military’s readiness and there were capacity limitations.
"Although we’ve been supporting them with capability, they’ve not received everything they’ve asked for," said Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"Some of that is because they’ve asked for stuff that we either don’t have the capacity to provide or not willing to provide, not right now," Brown added, while speaking at an event hosted by the Defense Writers Group.
A spokesperson for Brown later on Thursday said his comments were in reference to "a standard practice before providing military aid to any of our allies and partners."
Tensions have been escalating over Israel’s plans for a large-scale ground operation in the southern Gaza city, which is both Hamas’s last major stronghold in the Strip and where over a million Gazooks displaced by the fighting are now located.
Washington and Jerusalem have also disagreed on the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, with Israel blaming the ailing humanitarian situation on aid agencies’ failure to distribute supplies, and on Hamas and gangs who have looted trucks entering the Gaza Strip.
The White House has shown increasing willingness in recent months to voice dissatisfaction with Israel over civilian casualties in Gaza and the humanitarian situation there, including adopting a harsher tone.
#4
"Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, its longtime ally." And has been doing so for nearly a half-century following the Kissinger agreements. A stipend is also sent annually to Egypt, but in a lesser amount.
[Africa News] The Nigerian army has said it will free more than 300 people suspected of being part of the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency. It comes after a court in the northeastern Borno state, the heartland of the insurgency ruled there was no evidence they committed any crimes.
Defence spokesperson Major General Edward Buba on Thursday said the 313 suspected people were prosecuted by the Department of Prosecution, part of the ministry of Justice and will be released.
The military has transferred them, including men, women, and children, to the Borno State Government for proper reintegration into society.
The Nigerian authorities' handling of suspects, many who have been detained for long periods without trial has come under intense scrutiny by humanitarian groups who say they often infringe on suspects rights.
As of February 2018, some of the Boko Haram cases heard in central Nigeria had been held without trial since 2010, according to the justice ministry statement which said "the prosecution counsel could not charge them (with) any offence due to lack of sufficient evidence against them".
The jihadist group Boko Haram grabbed headlines worldwide with its 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok. The outrage sparked a global campaign for their return tagged #BringBackOurGirls. April 12 will be the tenth anniversary of the kidnapping yet dozens of the girls have not been found. So the global campaign did nothing?
Boko Haram began staging its insurgency in 2009 seeking to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic state.
Tens of thousands have been killed and more than 2 million people forced to flee their homes, spawning one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
[Africa News] In Egypt, population growth is at half-mast. In 2023, it slowed to 1.4%, its lowest rate in decades, according to figures by the Ministry of Planning data published on Thursday.
Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world, with 106 million inhabitants, according to the official Egyptian statistics agency.
The fall in population is good news for the government. President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi had already warned of the burden of the birth rate on public finances and government services.
At a time when 60% of the population lives at or near the poverty line. Not only that, but the country also faces an infrastructure deficit in terms of schools and hospitals, among other things. And it is crumbling under the weight of a growing debt.
To curb the demographic push, the authorities launched the 2019 campaign, "Deux, c'est assez" (Two is enough).
In French, no less — one of the languages their educated class study in instead of Arabic. Recall, Egypt had to build an entire new capitol a few years ago because Cairo had become overfull. Median age alreay up to 24 years and rising — at what point do they reach the age where most are no longer interested in being vicious little terrorists?
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[Africa News] Investigators are scouring the site of a tragic bus accident in South Africa, where a bus carrying pilgrims to an Easter gathering veered off a bridge, resulting in at least 45 fatalities. The only survivor, an 8-year-old child, was found amidst the wreckage.
The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon in a mountainous area near Mokopane, approximately 200 kilometers north of Pretoria. According to authorities, the bus lost control, crashed into the bridge's barriers, and plummeted 50 meters into a ravine. The driver, among the dear departed, was believed to have lost control of the vehicle.
Local resident Simone Mayema described the harrowing scene, where flames prevented bystanders from rendering aid to the victims. Many bodies, some charred beyond recognition, remained trapped inside the bus, while others were ejected upon impact.
Forensic teams commenced investigations early Friday, recovering some bodies but suspecting others remain within the charred remains of the bus. Details regarding the condition of the surviving child were not immediately available.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa extended condolences, noting that the victims were pilgrims from Botswana en route to Moria in Limpopo for Easter observances. Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga pledged an inquiry into the crash and expressed sympathies to the families affected.
The crash underscores the dangers of Easter holiday travel in South Africa, with millions of people traversing roads during the festive season. Last year, over 200 fatalities were reported during Easter weekend, prompting authorities to issue cautionary advisories.
The tragedy occurred just before the anticipated Easter pilgrimage of the Zion Christian Church, marking the first such event since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pilgrimage holds significant cultural and religious importance, drawing worshippers from across the region to Moria.
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#1
Probably a Mooselm Driver. The reports coming out of SA indicate that whites and Christians are not needed.
Could be Mossad, or possibly not. They tend to get paranoid in that part of the world…
[BenarNews] Malaysian police arrested a suspected Israeli intelligence agent armed with a cache of handguns and ammunition at a Kuala Lumpur hotel earlier this week, the nation’s top police official said on Friday. Amid Malaysia’s staunch support for Palestinians in the ongoing battle with Israel in Gaza, police tightened security for the prime minister, the king and others following the arrest on Wednesday of the 36-year-old Israeli man, who was carrying two passports.
"He entered Malaysia on March 12 using a French passport, was arrested on March 27 and will be remanded until March 31 for further investigation," Inspector General of Police Razarudin Husain told reporters without naming the suspect. "During the probe, he handed us his Israeli passport."
Razarudin said the suspect apparently did not bring the handguns into the country.
"He told us the firearms were meant to kill another Israeli national and were bought in Malaysia using crypto currency," Razarudin said, adding that police were investigating the man’s statement.
"We cannot take all his words as truth. He could have another agenda," Razarudin said, adding police were trying to determine if the man was a member of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has spoken out against Israel since it began retaliating for an Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish state by Hamas militants that left at least 1,100 Israelis dead. Since then, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes and military operations in the Gaza Strip.
During his recent visit to Germany, Anwar criticized the "hypocrisy" of Western countries in dealing with the conflict in the Middle East. The criticism follows comments the Malaysian leader made just weeks after the original attack.
In late October 2023, Anwar refused to label Hamas as a terrorist group despite U.S. demands that Malaysia change its stance.
"Because of our reluctance to label Hamas a terrorist organization and consider Hamas as terrorists, I have received information that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a ’démarche,’ or diplomatic protest, from the U.S. Embassy twice, first on Oct. 13 and second on Oct. 30," Anwar told Parliament a day after the second diplomatic protest.
"Malaysia will not change its stance, particularly our reluctance to consider Hamas as a terrorist group. ... Malaysia maintains its independent position."
Anwar said the stance was based on humanitarian grounds because Malaysia views Israel’s occupation of Gaza "as illegal under international law and norms."
"This conflict did not start just a month ago; it has been ongoing for decades, since 1998," he said at the time.
Malaysia has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel. In December, the Southeast Asian country imposed a docking ban on Israeli-owned ships from entering Malaysia following the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza.
LOADED WEAPONS
On Friday, Razarudin said police did not think the suspect was working alone. The nation’s police chief noted that three of the handguns were loaded and ready to fire.
"He probably has his network and contact here who we have yet to identify," Razarudin said, adding he likely did not bring the handguns with him because he traveled from the United Arab Emirates where security is tight.
Malaysian police are investigating the man under the Passport Act of 1966 and Section 7 of Firearms Act for unauthorized possession of weapons. If charged and found guilty, he could be sentenced to death.
MOSSAD LINK
Muhammad Danial Azman, senior lecturer from the International Institute of Public Policy and Management, University of Malaya, said the potential spy allegation could not be discounted.
"Simply assuming that the police are jumping to a conclusion is somewhat inaccurate. The security enforcement authority is acting not without ’reason,’ but mostly likely functioning after successive intelligence information," he told BenarNews.
"The current press release is instead updating the public based on what they have gathered so far, and this will eventually be followed by more eventual legal and security measures within the parameters of the constitution and security policy."
He added that a link between the suspect’s activity and Malaysia’s support for the Palestinian cause is plausible.
"After all, we have to consider past incidents of alleged involvement of Israeli intelligence agents in the extrajudicial killing of Fadi Mohammad," he told BenarNews.
Six years ago, a Palestinian engineer residing in Malaysia, Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh, was shot dead by "Europeans with links to foreign intelligence agency" riding a motorcycle near a local mosque in Kuala Lumpur. His family has blamed Mossad for his killing."
Several Hebrew-language news outlets identified the suspect as Shalom Avitan, 36, an associate of the Musli brothers crime family. The Mako news site reported that Avitan was en route to assassinate Eran Haya, head of a rival crime family.
The two syndicates have been engaged in a violent mostly peaceful feud for months. According to Channel 12, Avitan’s home, in Tel Aviv’s upscale Bavli neighborhood, was the target of several grenades tossed by Haya’s men in mid-March, around when Haya was said to have entered Malaysia.
According to reports, Avitan is expected to face 25 years in jail if convicted.
Three Malaysians, including a married couple, were arrested on Friday and have been remanded for seven days on suspicion of supplying weapons and acting as a driver to the Israeli suspect, Razarudin told Rooters on Saturday.
A pistol was retrieved from a car belonging to the couple, he said.
Malaysia, a majority-Moslem country, is a staunch supporter of the Paleostinians and has criticized Israel’s actions in 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 Hamas with 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... war. Malaysia, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, is home to around 600 Paleostinian refugees, according to the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... refugee agency.
In 2018, a Paleostinian scientist was rubbed out in the Malaysian capital by two faceless myrmidons in a killing that the Hamas ...not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... terror group suggested was carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence service. Israel denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not!
26. March 2024
[IsraelTimes] Gaza’s Palestinian aid agency, in funding shortage after Israel accused some employees of taking part in Oct. 7 massacre, initially said it would run out of money this month
The United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... agency for Paleostinian refugees (UNRWA) has enough funds to keep operating until at least the end of May, its chief told Swiss media on Tuesday.
UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid to 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... , has faced severe funding cuts since Israel accused at least a dozen of its 13,000 employees in the Strip of taking part in Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw,’s murderous onslaught against Israel on October 7.
Israel also uncovered a Hamas control center directly below the UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters, though the agency claimed it had no idea it was there.
This led many donor nations, including the United States, to abruptly suspend funding to the agency, threatening its efforts to deliver desperately needed aid in Gaza, where the UN has warned of an impending famine. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini had warned last month that the funding crunch was so great the organization might not might not be able to operate beyond March.
Lazzarini told Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... ’s Keystone-ATS news agency Tuesday that "the situation today is less dramatic."
Even less so since yesterday’s announcement that France and Japan are bqck in.
"But we are still working from one month to the next," he said, adding that now "we have funding until the end of May."
Lazzarini was in Geneva to brief Switzerland’s parliamentary foreign policy commission on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and to address questions about Israel’s accusations against the UNRWA employees, the commission said in a brief statement.
The Swiss national is hoping to convince his country to follow the lead of the nations that have resumed their funding to UNRWA.
Switzerland, which in recent years has dished out around 20 million Swiss francs ($22 million) annually to UNRWA, said in late January the 2024 payment was in doubt following Israel’s allegations against the agency.
The UN has launched both an internal and an independent investigation, but has said Israel has not provided it with any evidence to support the claims against its staff.
Lazzarini has accused Israel of trying to destroy UNRWA, which employs some 30,000 people across the Paleostinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon Hezbollahstan ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. ... and Syria.
He claimed last week to have been barred from entering Gaza and said over the weekend that Israel had definitively barred the agency from making aid deliveries into northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is highest. COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body governing civilian affairs in the Paleostinian territories, said on X that Lazzarini had not followed "the necessary coordination processes and channels" when requesting entry into Gaza.
Israel has started working with other groups in Gaza, such as the UN World Food Programme, to deliver humanitarian aid to Paleostinians instead of UNRWA, which it has said it is seeking to shut down following years of allegations.
A watchdog said in a new report that textbooks used in UNRWA schools in Gaza contain anti-Israel incitement, including the systematic erasure of Israel’s existence and the glorification of violent mostly peaceful jihad and martyrdom.
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of March 25, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
I don’t know, of course, but with all the places our ships are deployed at the moment, it looks like we coukd do with quite a few more.
[Epoch Times] A judge in Texas struck down a Biden administration rule on March 28 that required states to measure and report the greenhouse gas emissions from any vehicles using the national highway system. The rule was issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2023 as part of President Biden’s efforts to slash carbon emissions in half by 2030.
Texas sued the DOT in December, arguing the agency lacked legal authority from Congress to enact the rule, and that it violates the Administrative Procedure Act. In his ruling, Judge James Hendrix of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas agreed, stating that the Biden administration lacked authority under law to impose the greenhouse gas emissions performance measure.
"When a regulation attempts to override statutory text, the regulation loses every time, regulations can’t punch holes in the rules Congress has laid down," the judge wrote. "If the people, through Congress, believe that the states should spend the time and money necessary to measure and report GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions and set declining emission targets, they may do so by amending Section 150 or passing a new law. But an agency cannot make this decision for the people," he concluded.
In finalizing the rule in December last year, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the performance measure would provide states with a "clear and consistent framework to track carbon pollution and the flexibility to set their own climate targets." I wonder how Mayor Pete intended to measure the contribution of Electric Vehicles? A factor based on the percentage of their electricity that comes from coal and gas, perhaps? Could be a computer simulation, for sure.
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Posted by: Bobby ||
03/30/2024
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[205 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
#1
EVs are, and have been for over a decade, an attempt to create a market bubble to rescue underwater public employee retirement plans. Plain and simple.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
03/30/2024 10:32
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Top||
#2
If the American consumer was convinced EV's were the answer, gasoline powered cars could be had for a song.
Government 'convincing' is for some reason, not working.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/30/2024 10:47
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Top||
#4
"When a regulation attempts to override statutory text, the regulation loses every time, regulations can’t punch holes in the rules Congress has laid down," the judge wrote.
There's a lot of that going on with this administration.
[NY Post] Ship his ass and beggar family back
Illegal ‘migrant influencer’ Leonel Moreno, who mocked America on social media in several viral videos, has been nabbed by federal immigration authorities.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) fugitive operations officers arrested Moreno in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday and he is currently being held at Geauga County Jail, according to ICE records.
The arrest comes after The Post exclusively reported how Moreno had skipped out on ICE soon after crossing the southern border into Texas illegally in 2022 and was now wanted by authorities.
In a statement to The Post, an ICE spokesperson said: “Leonel Moreno is an unlawfully present citizen of Venezuela, who illegally entered the country April 23, 2022.
“Moreno was placed into the Alternatives To Detention program by Border Patrol and was told to report to Enforcement and Removal Operations office within 60 days of arriving at his destination.
“Moreno did not report as required. On March 29, 2024, Moreno was arrested in Gahanna, Ohio by officers with ERO Detroit’s Columbus office and is currently detained pending further immigration proceedings.”
While in the US, Moreno used his various social media channels to encourage other migrants to invade the country and squat the homes of American citizens, all while waving around wads of cash and flaunting what he said were government handouts.
In one video, Moreno could be seen holding a social security card. He also frequently boasted of his earnings made from begging for cash.
“I didn’t cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave,” Moreno said in one Instagram clip. “I came to the US to mark my territory. Like a dog
“You’re hurt because I make more than you without much work while you work like slaves, understand?” Moreno said in another social media post.
“That’s the difference between you and me. I’m always going to make lots of money without much work, and you’re always going to be exploited and miserable and insignificant.”
Tiktok recently shut down Moreno’s account, which had roughly 500,000 followers. His Instagram, which was still active Friday, has more than 17,000 followers.
On his ban from Tiktok, Moreno said: “Yes, they closed my TikTok account, but I keep earning on Facebook and on Instagram. I won’t earn the same, but I am going to get my TikTok account back. I am going to keep earning money.”
When he was released into the US after crossing the border illegally, Moreno was enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program, where he was mointored by a tracking device.
But soon after his release, Moreno stopped complying and failed to show for a check-in with authorities, internal ICE records reviewed by The Post showed.
Internal ICE records reviewed by The Post showed immigration officials were aware Moreno “has been on national news for being viral on TikTok encouraging illegal immigration.”
ICE didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
As diplomatic ties between the US and Venezuela are currently strained, it was not immediately clear if Moreno would be a candidate for deportation or would be held in ICE custody.
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#2
I'm sure there's a line of lefty lawyers out the door jockeying to represent him. I wonder how fast they can get him in front of a federal judge who will turn him loose. Has a GoFundMe been set up yet?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/30/2024 10:46
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#7
He's just the Dylan Mulvany....face...of property seizure, and illegal immigration flesh trade scheme. Can't let the Doozers have too much to think.
18.March 2024
[BenarNews] President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday promised swift justice for four soldiers killed by Filipino Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... bandidosLions of Islam in the southern Philippines over the weekend. The military said suspected members of Daulah Islamiyah, a hard boy group, waylaid troops from the 3rd Cavalry of the 40th Infantry Battalion on Sunday in Maguindanao del Sur province, a hotbed of Islamic militancy. The troops were returning to base after distributing supplies to villagers near the town of Datu Hoffer.
"We strongly condemn the cowardly ambush that targeted four of our courageous soldiers in Maguindanao del Sur on March 17," Marcos said in a statement. "The despicable act only strengthens our resolve to eradicate terrorism from the region and our entire nation."
Marcos said his administration remained "resolute in our pledge to ensure that justice is swiftly served" for the fallen troops. He said he has instructed the military to quickly release financial assistance to the families of the fallen soldiers.
Reports reaching Marcos’ office said the troops had left a remote village where they had distributed food for residents in observance of Iftar, the breaking of the daily fast that Moslems observe during Ramadan.
Leaders of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao, which includes Maguindanao del Sur, did not comment on the attack as they had not seen a report about it, according to military officials.
The autonomous region is home to a fragile peace between Manila and former Moro Islamic Liberation Front separatist guerrillas, who administer BARMM. The region has struggled with violence since its birth in 2019.
On Monday, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. extended his condolences to the families of the four "brave" soldiers who were killed. He said they were ambushed by at least 10 gunnies.
"The AFP vows to hunt down the perpetrators and neutralize these ruthless killers to finally put a stop to their violent mostly peaceful acts that disrupt peace and stability in the region," Brawner said, referring to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Brawner said the military efforts would focus on members of Daulah Islamiyah, which literally translates to the "Islamic State." It includes fighters from several Filipino hard boy factions, including the Maute Group, which had provided men and logistics during a five-month siege of Marawi city by pro-IS fighters in 2017.
That siege, considered by security analysts as the biggest attack by the Islamic State in the region, was meant to take Marawi by force to make it the base in the region. Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern fighters attacked Marawi, leading to a five-month battle that killed at least 1,200 hard boys, military, police and civilians.
Sunday’s attack came a little more than two months after two army intelligence operatives were killed in an ambush while gathering information against suspects linked to a bombing during a Catholic Mass in Marawi city in December 2023 that left four dead.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/30/2024
00:00 ||
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[171 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
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.
[NY Post] 
![]("Pix/9-Arabia.jpg" "\"Saudi")
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Fifteen of the nineteen WTC hijackers were Saudis, and most major jihadi commanders were Saudis, to include Osama bin Laden. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman quietly folded that tent in 2016, doing terrible things to the guys running it, and has since been dragging the kingdom into the current century...
[IsraelTimes] One of the holdups has been receiving approval from Israel, which is viewed as critical for getting Congress on board; source fears initial leak of story may torpedo negotiations
[IsraelTimes] Hamas fires RPG at Egoz unit encampment near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, killing Sgt. First Class Alon Kudriashov, wounding additional troops, including 6 seriously![]("Pix/biden_admin.png" "\"Biden")
...the collection of boodlers, grifters, hangers-on, and self-proclaimed 
...not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. ...
![]("Pix/islamicstate.jpg" "\"Islamic")
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
