| Time |
Event |
| 8:40a |
Mount Zero bookstore closure, HK
Hong Kong's people have been silenced by China, which is using many different
laws to
disguise the extent of repression.
This repression is what China today means. This is why we must defend
whatever targets China aims to conquer in the future.
|
| 8:41a |
Advice for New York City School Chancellor
The House Anti-Education Committee (not its official name)
has called the New York City School Chancellor to testify.
Here is advice for him.
</li>
|
| 8:41a |
"New government" installed in Haiti
A "new government" was installed in Haiti.
The article says nothing about who chose the members of the new government.
The previous one was chosen, more or less, by the US government.
</li> |
| 8:41a |
|
| 8:41a |
|
| 8:41a |
Council of Europe human rights watchdog condemns UK's Rwanda bill
*Council of Europe human rights watchdog condemns UK's Rwanda bill.*
Various countries are trying to make it difficult for people to ask
for asylum there. Sending them to another place to wait for years
while their cases are considered is a popular method, which has been
used by Australia, the UK and the US. It is an injustice regardless
of details.
But that's not the only method in use. Another is to slow down
the processing of each case. Reducing the funding for handling cases
will generally achieve that. If each asylum seeker has to wait for
years while forbidden to work, it will drive many to give up.
</li> |
| 8:41a |
|
| 8:41a |
|
| 8:41a |
Thugs fire rubber-coated hard bullets at protesters
Thugs fired rubber-coated hard bullets at protesters in Emery University,
as well as tear gas.
USC cancelled its combined graduation ceremony entirely, claiming this
was because of "safety measures."
That is balderdash. The only new safety concern on the USC campus
comes from the thugs that are arresting students at the behest of
those same administrators. They can cure the safety problems easily
by simply resigning.
There are several standard kinds of falsehood that are normally used as excuses
for repression.
- "Security" or "safety", as we see in this case.
- Claiming to be protecting people in the neighborhood
from the inconvenience or disturbance of a protest.
One must ask how much actual inconvenience or disturbance
they actually experienced. And also whether they were also
among the protesters who were repressed.
- Demonization of harmless activities by referring to them
with terms that presuppose that they were somehow harmful.
- Terms such as "trespassing", which appear to be objective
condemnation but really mean nothing except "We administrators drew an
arbitrary line and you crossed it."
|
| 8:41a |
Oil lobbyists at UN plastic pollution talks
*Fears grow over rising number of oil lobbyists at UN plastic pollution talks.*
Allowing any representatives of oil companies in events intended to
reduce the dangerous uses of petroleum simply invites their sabotage.
Even if they claim that it is impossible for them to change faster,
we can be sure that the real reason it is impossible is because they
are trying hard to resist it.
</li> |
| 8:41a |
EPA rule on coal-powered generators
The EPA has made a rule that coal-powered generators must in the
future capture most of the greenhouse pollution they emit, or shut
down.
The article is not clear about exactly which kinds of pollution this
covers. Does it include all particulates? Does it include toxic
chemicals? Does it include the fallout that consists of uranium
naturally present in coal?
The coal industry continues demanding to be given billions for
development of "carbon capture and storage", but when it sees a demand
to start using that everywhere 15 years from now, it wants to fight.
That demonstrates that their unending "development" of such capture is
not meant as a serious solution, but rather as an excuse to let it
continue.
</li> |
| 8:41a |
Drug trial to prove cost of tuberculosis treatment
Doctors without Borders carried out a large drug trial, seeking approval of a treatment for tuberculosis, was able to do it for only 34 million dollars,
Big Pharma claims they cost billions, and use that as an excuse for making
drugs so expensive.
It seems that is one more reason for taking drug trials away from
pharma companies. The main reason is that their influence corrupts
the results.
The research should also be funded by governments or noncommercial
organizations. That would eliminate all the supposed arguments for
patents on medicines.
</li> |
| 8:41a |
The terms "pro-Palestine" and "pro-Israel"
Using the terms "pro-Palestine" and "pro-Israel" leads people to think
of those two nations as pure enemies, and assume that one's gain is
always the other's loss.
This is the feeling with which I've stated that I am pro-Israel
and pro-Palestine.
I love the call, quoted at the end of the article for *liberation for
everyone "between every river and every sea."*
I like the spirit shown by celebrating Jewish and Muslim holidays in
encampments. That makes their total rejection of antisemitism and
antimuslimism as clear as can be. However, I don't want my rejection
of antisemitism and antimuslimism to submerge my peaceful and
persistent advocacy of Atheism.
Hmm. If and when it is normal to have a 4-day work week, people could
(if they wish) celebrate the Muslim sabbath on Friday, the Jewish
sabbath on Saturday, and the Christian sabbath on Sunday. The
fanatics of each religion could rage against that.
That sort of combine-them-all approach can be good for things that are
mainly symbolic, like sabbath. It is not applicable, however, to
substantive questions of right and wrong — for those, we need to
think about each issue in substance.
</li> |
| 8:41a |
|