UN Says Starvation Imminent in Gaza
November 17th, 2023Via: Reuters:
U.N. aid deliveries to Gaza were suspended again on Friday due to shortages of fuel and a communications shutdown, deepening the misery of thousands of hungry and homeless Palestinians as Israeli troops battled Hamas militants in the enclave.
The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said civilians faced the “immediate possibility of starvation” due to the lack of food supplies.
With the war about to enter its seventh week, there was no sign of any let-up despite international calls for a ceasefire or at least for humanitarian pauses.
Meanwhile, in Laos
November 17th, 2023Via: Sabbatical:
Owner Of Chinese Biolab Busted In California Linked To CCP Military Program: House Report
November 16th, 2023Via: ZeroHedge:
The Chinese owner of a makeshift biolab discovered in a remote California city has ties to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and a Chinese military program, according to a report by the House Select Subcommittee on the CCP.
Jia Bei Zhu, 62, was arrested in October for distributing misbranded medical devices and lying to the FDA.
The lab, located near Fresno, California (less than 200 miles from where Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Joe Biden on Wednesday), was discovered serendipitously when a local code enforcement officer noticed a garden hose attached to the facility. This led to the discovery of thousands of vials, some labeled in Mandarin, others in an undeciphered code. However, the inaction by the FBI and CDC in this matter, as reported by the committee, is perplexing and concerning.
Zhu, a PRC citizen, was reportedly a key figure in China’s “military-civil fusion organizations” – entities that blur the lines between civilian research and military applications. This strategy, according to the State Department, is part of the CCP’s grand vision to transform its People’s Liberation Army into a formidable global power by 2049.
While the committee’s investigations unearthed Zhu’s extensive involvement in several PRC government-controlled companies, his activities in the U.S. under the alias “David He” and the discovery of dangerous materials in the unlicensed lab in Reedley, California, are particularly alarming. Here, officials found over 20 potentially infectious agents, including HIV and Malaria, and genetically engineered mice carrying COVID-19.
Pentagon Again Fails Annual Audit of $3.8 Trillion in Military Assets
November 16th, 2023Via: Stars and Stripes:
The Pentagon has again failed its independent annual audit, mainly because defense officials could not provide auditors with enough information to form a full accounting evaluation, according to the Defense Department’s yearly financial report released Wednesday.
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The Defense Department continues to be the only Cabinet-level department that’s never earned a clean financial report.
Printed Robots with Bones, Ligaments, and Tendons
November 16th, 2023Via: ETH Zurich:
For the first time, researchers have succeeded in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons made of different polymers using a new laser scanning technique.
Maniac Fascist Nikki Haley Calls for Social Media Users to Verify Identity
November 16th, 2023Would it be just for social media, Nikki, or would it be required to do anything on the Internet?
National security concerns, and all.
Via: New York Post:
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Tuesday proposed forcing social media users to verify their identities before posting, citing “national security” concerns.
The former South Carolina governor’s plan is part of a set of social media reforms aimed at transparency — which she pushed during an appearance on Fox News — that has rankled some of her primary opponents.
“When I get into office, the first thing we have to do, social media accounts, social media companies, they have to show America their algorithms,” Haley said. “Let us see why they’re pushing what they’re pushing.”
“The second thing is, every person on social media should be verified, by their name. That’s, first of all, it’s a national security threat. When you do that, all of a sudden, people have to stand by what they say. And it gets rid of the Russian bots, the Iranian bots and the Chinese bots. And then you’re going to get some civility when people know their name is next to what they say, and they know their pastor and their family members are going to see it,” the 51-year-old former Trump administration official added.
Chevrolet App Turns Off Vehicle Involved in Janesville Police Chase
November 15th, 2023Via: NBC15:
The vehicle involved in a police chase Tuesday in Janesville was able to be turned off remotely using the automaker’s app, police explained.
The vehicle the 54-year-old was driving was believed to be stolen, the Janesville Police Department reported, and was spotted around noon by Street Crimes Unit officers.
Thanks to GPS monitoring, police said they could secretively watch the vehicle’s movements while waiting for the right time to arrest the man driving.
Research Credit: JL
Mass Grave Inside Israeli-Encircled Gaza Hospital, No Plan to Rescue Babies
November 14th, 2023Via: Reuters:
Palestinians trapped inside Gaza’s biggest hospital were digging a mass grave on Tuesday to bury patients who died under Israeli encirclement, and said no plan was in place to evacuate babies despite Israel announcing an offer to send portable incubators.
Israeli forces have surrounded Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, which they say sits atop an underground headquarters of Hamas militants.
Hamas, Gaza’s ruling Islamist group, denies fighters are present and says 650 patients and 5,000-7,000 other displaced civilians are trapped inside the hospital grounds, under constant fire from snipers and drones. It says 40 patients have died in recent days, including three premature babies whose incubators were shut down when power went out.
Arson Behind Massive Fire that Shut Down 10 Freeway, Officials Say
November 14th, 2023Via: Los Angeles Times:
The massive fire that has shut down a crucial section of the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles was caused by arson, officials said Monday as they raced to assess the extent of the damage and determine how long it would take to reopen.
More than 100 columns along the swath of the freeway were damaged — nine or 10 of them severely — Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
It’s still unclear, pending the results of official tests at the site, if the entire overpass will be torn down or retrofitted.
The situation poses a commuting challenge that L.A. has not seen in years, with hundreds of thousands of commuters facing detours and heavier-than-normal traffic. Starting Monday, some worked from home and others took mass transit, but many simply endured the delays.
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The fire began under the overpass at Alameda Street early Saturday morning, fueled by wood pallets stored there.
Although the exact cause of the fire has not been revealed, “there was [malicious] intent,” Newsom said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
In addition to pallets, sanitizer accumulated during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was stored under the overpass and helped fuel the flames, according to sources familiar with the probe who were not authorized to discuss details of the investigation.
‘Controligarchs’: Bill Gates Buying Up Land, Threatening Small Farms Under Guise of Saving Planet, Author Claims
November 14th, 2023Via: Fox:
A new book aimed at “exposing the billionaire class” says Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ investments in patented fertilizers, fake meat and U.S. farmland aren’t saving the planet but rather enriching his bank account.
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“First, it was patented seeds and patented fertilizers, and now they are patenting meat alternatives. Banning cattle would grant effective monopolies to the alternative protein companies and benefit investors such as Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and even BlackRock. Fake meats are about controlling the food market, not saving the planet,” Bruner said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“Now, the Controligarchs claim they can solve the climate crisis with new patented miracle products that happen to make themselves even richer and, once again, at the expense of small-scale independent farmers,” he adds.
Bruner documents the outrage of farmers around the world after the push to ban more traditional and affordable crop nutrients, and he notes that restrictions on traditional fertilizer that the farmers said would bankrupt them were only put into place “after Gates and his buddies had secured the intellectual property for the replacement fertilizers.”
Bruner continues that “for more than a decade, as he was targeting the fertilizer industry, Bill Gates has also been quietly buying up large swaths of American farmland.”
“All told, Gates has spent over $1 billion dollars on farm acquisitions and the Agenda 2030-compliant technologies they now employ,” Bruner says. Agenda 2030 is a United Nations initiative purported to target “eliminating extreme poverty, reducing inequality, and protecting the planet.”
“When Gates buys tens of thousands of acres, he is not just buying the land — he is also buying the rights to water below ground. In addition to farms (and the irrigation) and fertilizer, Gates has been hunting for sizable interests in water and water treatment — a crucial component when seeking to control the agricultural industry,” Bruner notes.
