News
Crocodile Tears Over Navalny While Ignoring Assange
Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley):
https://medium.com/media/e52f3de95738339b2c8a48febb1bdde3/href
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The entire western political-media class are currently rending their garments about the prison death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and are being joined by the propaganda-addled citizenry of the western empire. Meanwhile Julian Assange’s last-ditch effort to appeal against extradition to the United States is coming up in a few days with a tiny fraction of the attention.
I really could not have a lower opinion of people who would rather talk about Navalny’s persecution in a far away country that has nothing to do with them than Julian Assange being persecuted at the hands of their own government. It’s the most pathetic, bootlicking behavior imaginable.
Ooh yeah, you’re so brave self-righteously shaking your fist at some country on the other side of the planet which has zero power over your own country while refusing to oppose the power structure you actually live under as it slowly kills a journalist for exposing its war crimes. Groveling, power-worshipping bootlicker. Absolutely sickening.
If you’re in a country whose government has had a hand in the persecution of Julian Assange, then you can go ahead and shut the fuck up about Navalny. Whenever I see people screaming about the persecution of journalists and political prisoners in other countries when they themselves live in a nation whose government is persecuting Julian Assange, I can’t help but think of Matthew 7:4–5,
“How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
What could be Assange’s final appeal effort against US extradition happens February 20th and 21st in London. Free Julian Assange.
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Egypt has reportedly begun constructing a walled camp in the Sinai Desert just south of the Gaza border in order to absorb Palestinians who get pushed out by the Israeli assault on Gaza, a major capitulation to a plan Israel has been pushing since the early days of the onslaught.
It sure is a crazy coincidence how every single step of Israel’s “response to October 7” has looked exactly the same as it would look if Israel was just carrying out agendas it’s wanted to carry out for many years.
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The Australian government is pushing through new authoritarian laws because someone leaked the contents of a WhatsApp group wherein Zionists plotted to ruin the lives of pro-Palestine voices, which is now being falsely framed as a Hitlerite “Jew list”. World Socialist Website’s Oscar Grenfell has more information.
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My favorite Israel apologist line is the one where they imply you must be an anti-semite because you’ve been uniquely focused on Israel’s crimes these last four months, as though Israel’s assault on Gaza isn’t self-evidently the worst thing happening in the world right now.
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The active genocide in Gaza is a much, much, much, MUCH more urgent and immediate concern than antisemitism, and should be treated as such. This is self-evident and shouldn’t be controversial to say.
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I used to follow a lot of teachers who talked about enlightenment and spiritual practice, and it’s insane how many of them now have nothing to say about Gaza, or are outright siding with Israel.
It’s like, what the hell was the point of all that inner work if it leads you to tacitly or explicitly endorse an active genocide? What good are all your insights and realizations if all they do is make you feel nice inside and don’t translate to any positive effects on the world outside your own skull? Who gives a fuck if you’ve had some shift in consciousness and some kundalini fireworks if you’re still a dogshit human being contributing to the disease and dysfunction of your species?
If your spirituality doesn’t lead to positive changes in yourself and your surroundings, it’s just glorified masturbation. If you’ve thrown yourself into self-realization and nondual awakening for decades at this point and you can’t even stand up against genocide and ethnic cleansing, then you’ve wasted your life on worthless endeavors. You’d have been better off throwing yourself into internet porn escapism or a nice wholesome opiate habit this entire time.
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My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece here are some options where you can toss some money into my tip jar if you want to. Go here to buy paperback editions of my writings from month to month. All my work is free to bootleg and use in any way, shape or form; republish it, translate it, use it on merchandise; whatever you want. The best way to make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. All works co-authored with my husband Tim Foley.
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The Threat of All Out War: Yemen Nears the Tipping Point As US Airstrikes Intensify
In the courtyard of Yemen’s famous Al Shaeb Mosque, guards of honor stood at attention accompanied by the melody of military music as the funeral ceremony of Yemeni marines killed in the latest round of U.S. and UK strikes commenced. The mourners, many of whom traveled from the countryside to attend, walked alongside a long convoy carrying the bodies of 17 victims as it made its way through the streets of Sana’a. Mourners held aloft photos of the deceased or thrust their rifles into the air while chanting slogans condemning the United States. Several banners peppered the crowd, emblazoned with the label given to those who gave their lives in what many view as a struggle in defense of Palestine: “Martyrs on the road to al-Quds (Jerusalem).”
Seventeen pickup trucks ensconced in green drapes bore the bodies. They were escorted by family members alongside thousands of mourners leaving Sana’a for the hometowns of the victims who hailed from various regions of Yemen. The scene unfolded last Sunday when thousands of angry Yemenis took to the streets of Sana’a and other cities to hold a funeral for those killed by the attacks. “Retribution against American soldiers… We will not abandon our revenge,” some mourners proclaimed.
In Bani Matar, 70 kilometers west of Sanaa towards the Hodeida Road, the mothers of Ziad Ajlan and Hashem Al-Sawari watched the convoy from a rooftop as it carried along the bodies of their sons. Ziad and Hashem were not involved in the fighting; they were among a number of civilians killed in attacks launched by the U.S. Navy on the Yemeni mainland one week ago. My son was martyred on the road to al-Quds,” Ziad’s mother said proudly. “We will not be broken, and we will not abandon Gaza.”
U.S. and British officials maintain that their attacks target “Houthi” military positions – ammunition stores and missile launch sites, but the reality of the ground tells a different story. Yemeni civilians say they are blind and indiscriminate and often leave civilians maimed or killed. Assuming the U.S. and UK are acting in good faith, it is clear that their intelligence information is lacking. A truck belonging to a farmer carrying plastic pipes was targeted in an airstrike outside the city of Saada last week. It is believed that the pipes were mistaken for missiles.
This story has repeated itself ad nauseam throughout Yemen since the end of December when the multinational “Operation Prosperity Guardian” (OIR) was launched in a thus-far failed attempt to protect ships linked with Israel from Ansar Allah. This week alone, as many as 40 strikes were launched by the U.S. and the UK, most targeting the coastal city of Hodeida.
Coffins of Asnar Allah fighters killed in the U.S.-led strikes on Yemen are transported during a mass funeral in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 10, 2024. Osamah Abdulrahman | AP
The Fog of War
The danger of Washington’s attacks on Yemen’s mainland lies not only in exposing civilians to danger but has the potential to spark retaliatory measures taken by Ansar Allah should pressure from the public and family members of victims continue to mount.
On December 29, when U.S. forces killed 10 Yemeni sailors aboard three ships in the Red Sea, Ansar Allah refrained from retaliating. But when American and British bombs peppered mainland Yemen the next month, striking major cities with over 100 precision-guided missiles, leaving civilians dead and maimed, Ansar Allah reacted, carrying out a barrage of retaliatory attacks.
Some Yemeni officials have even hinted that two U.S. Navy Seals that the U.S. government claims drowned while boarding a boat smuggling weapons into Yemen were actually killed in combat. It is not known whether the soldiers were killed in attacks by Ansar Allah ballistic missiles or drones or during a failed commando operation as the U.S. claims, but what is clear is that the U.S. is covering its losses and information about the deaths of the Seals has been highly politicized.
In fact, many of the details surrounding hostilities between the U.S. and Ansar Allah have been cast in a heavy fog of war, and it will likely be years before the truth is revealed. What is certain is that Ansar Allah has caused direct material damage to U.S. military vessels, targeting numerous times with advanced missiles and drones launched. In the wake of every such attack, a statement was issued, reaffirming Ansar Allah’s right to take revenge for those killed in American and British bombing raids.
On January 31, the Ansar Allah announced that the American destroyer, the USS Gravely, was hit by several anti-ship missiles. In the wake of the attack, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the Gravely had shot down an advanced anti-ship cruise missile. Later, reports emerged that the destroyer in question and other Western military assets in the area had failed to intercept the missile until it got within “4 seconds from hitting the U.S. warship.”
On January 25, Ansar Allah said that it had clashed with American destroyers in the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab for two hours. One U.S. Navy vessel was directly hit after a failed interception attempt, according to Ansar Allah, who have been improving their capabilities since 2014, after a failed Saudi-led and U.S.-backed bombing campaign left the country in tatters.
This undated photograph released by CENTCOM shows the vessel that was being boarded by US Navy Seals near Yemen in a raid that saw two commandos go missing
Manufacturing Consent
Although President Joe Biden has repeatedly claimed that the United States does not seek to expand the war in the Middle East, the actions of the US military are undoubtedly making the situation in the Red Sea more tense. In the wake of American airstrikes targeting Hodeida on Thursday – for the ninth time that day alone, Ansar Allah Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier Yahya Saree revealed that the group would take “further measures” within its legitimate right to self-defense in response to the repeated U.S.-UK aggression. In the same statement, Saree announced that the Barbados-flagged British Bulk Carrier ship, the LYCAVITOS, was targeted by naval missiles while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, raising questions about the actual deterrence factor of America’s escalatory approach.
Prior to that, the leader of Ansar Allah, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the revolution that the U.S.-backed Yemeni government in 2014, confirmed that any escalation on Ansar Allah’s part would be against Israel and to confront American and British aggression and would not target the interests of ordinary Westerners. The comment came in response to claims circulated in the media that Ansar Allah could sabotage a network of underwater internet cables that run through the Red Sea. “We do not plan to target submarine cables, and we have no intention of doing so, and what is reported in the media is a lie aimed at distorting our humanitarian position on the war on Gaza,” he said. Many Western media outlets promoted the claim, raising fears over the safety of infrastructure critical to the functioning of the Western Internet and the transmission of financial data. Yemen is strategically located, as internet lines connecting entire continents pass near it.
Airstrikes and claims that internet access may be cut off may be the tip of the escalatory iceberg, according to the government of Sana’a. The Minister of Information, Daifallah al-Shami, held a press conference on Thursday announcing that they have information that the UAE is seeking to recruit agents from multiple foreign nationalities in cooperation with Al-Qaeda and ISIS to target ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea in order to confuse and distort operations carried out by Ansar Allah in support of Gaza. According to al-Shami, the move is supported by the U.S.
“we will not abandon Gaza”
Contrary to what is being promoted in much of the Western media, which has taken the line that Ansar Allah’s Red Sea blockade has nothing to do with the ongoing genocide in Gaza, a review of the targets of Ansar Allah’s attacks makes their motivations clear. On October 19, Ansar Allah fired drones and missiles at Israel’s southern Eliat Port. In mid-November, the naval forces seized an Israeli ship headed towards occupied Palestine. Shortly after, Ansar Allah publically announced that the Israeli-linked ship would not be allowed to pass through the Baba al-Mandab Strait. Later, they announced that the ban on shipping would extend to all vessels attempting to reach Eliat Port. All of these measures were in support of a single, repeatedly declared goal, which was to pressure Israel to stop its war on Gaza and allow food and water to enter the besieged strip.
With visible sadness and anger, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi enumerated in a televised speech on Tuesday the reasons that motivate Yemen to continue operations to prevent international navigation supporting Israel in the Red Sea – the continued mass killing of the Gazans, renewed American support for Israel, including with lethal weapons and the use of internationally banned weapons against civilians in Gaza, including white phosphorus.
Al-Houthi said that “the Yemeni military’s retaliatory strikes in the Red Sea had proven to be effective as it led to the almost complete closure of the port of Umm al-Rashrash (the name of Eliat before Israel annexed it), and all food supply chains to Israel that were passing through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab stopped by 70%, and prices in the Israeli market rose by 30-50% after ships were forced to divert course through the Cape of Good Hope.” Israel, he noted, was one of the largest beneficiaries of maritime trade, with imports in 2022 reaching to $133 billion “thanks to the Red Sea.”
Responding to those who question the feasibility of Ansar Allah’s position, Al-Houthi said that “Yemeni operations have caused repercussions for ship insurance,” noting that insurers are now refusing to insure ships heading towards the ports of occupied Palestine. “Not only that,” he added, “but insurance companies require Israeli and American ships to pay additional amounts of up to 50%.”
“Our operations at sea led to a decline in Israel’s total imports of products by 25% during the past months,” Al-Houthi said, “The Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry admitted that the Red Sea operations harmed its trade relations with 14 countries.”
Amid threats of escalation and even whispers of a Western-led ground invasion of Yemen, Ansar Allah has reiterated its commitment to its mission. Mobilization, military training, demonstrations, and other activities will be continued as long as the aggression against Gaza continues, it has reaffirmed, saying that operations at sea will continue until Israel “allows food and medical supplies and the delivery of basic needs into Gaza.” “The U.S. and UK will not achieve their goals through aggression against our country, and the only solution is to stop the aggression and deliver food and medicine to the people of Gaza,” Al-Houthi vowed.
Feature photo | In this image provided by the Ministry of Defence, an RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off to conduct further strikes against Ansar Allah targets in Yemen from RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, Feb. 3, 2024. Jake Green | Ministry of Defence | AP
Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.
The post The Threat of All Out War: Yemen Nears the Tipping Point As US Airstrikes Intensify appeared first on MintPress News.
How Arab States Are Helping Israel Commit Genocide
Palestine’s Arab neighbors seem to have taken a bold stance on Israel’s genocide of Gaza in a public show of solidarity with Palestinians. But behind those strong words, states like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE are quietly assisting Israel.
These four nations are working together to circumvent the actions of one of the few regional actors who are challenging Israel concretely: Yemen’s Ansar Allah. In a bid to alleviate pressure on Israel from the Ansar Allah (a.k.a the Houthi) blockade of the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan have established land corridors, ensuring cargo destined for the apartheid state arrives safely in Israeli hands.
According to Hebrew Channel 13, Israeli-linked cargo ships arrive in the UAE to unload goods. Trucks then transport these goods through UAE and Saudi highways to Jordan. They eventually reach Israel via the Jordan River Crossing.
German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd announced that it was working with Saudi Arabia and the UAE to create a land route “bypassing the Houthis,” which connects ports in the UAE and the Saudi port of Jeddah facilitating cargo movement to Israel through the Suez Canal.
Egypt has also joined the effort, operating container ships from its ports to the Israeli port of Ashdod, further supporting the land bridge initiative and assuring Israeli commerce is not interrupted amid its genocidal campaign in Gaza.
But that is just the start of their complicity.
Take Turkey, for example. Around 40% of Israel’s energy needs are met by an oil pipeline running through Turkey. President Erdoğan could simply shut the flow of oil off to Israel, which would shut down the economy and the military assault in days. But he continues not to do so, despite offering strong condemnation of Israel in words.
Morocco, meanwhile, is building a military intelligence base for Israel near its border with Algeria. The site will be utilized for collaboration for military training, intelligence and security.
Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems also recently announced the establishment of two weapons factories in Morocco, helping to diversify Israel’s weapons production capabilities, as activists in other countries shut the factories down.
In 2021, Morocco also signed the Abraham Accords – a normalization treaty with Israel that Bahrain and the UAE had already agreed to. The Emirates has long been a hub for Israeli intelligence, and it is now well established that the two nations aid each other on intelligence matters.
Moreover, last year, Edge Group, a UAE state-owned corporation, invested $14 million in Israeli drone manufacturer Highlander Aviation. So the Israeli police employ their airspace management system, which was tested by the Israeli Air Force.
The relationship between the UAE and Israel has grown now that Elbit Systems established an entire subsidiary organization – Elbit Systems Emirates – in order to establish what it called “long term cooperation” with the UAE military.
Meanwhile, despite its rhetoric, Saudi Arabia has been quietly collaborating with Israel for some time. The Saudi-backed group Affinity Partners owns a stake in the Israeli company Shlomo Group.
During the conflict in Gaza, the Shlomo Group contributed trucks and military equipment to the Israeli military’s Shaldag and Maglan units, as well as food packages to the IDF.
Saudi Arabia is well-known to be one of the Israeli intelligence industry’s best customers. Saudi security forces have used Israeli tech provided by NSO Group and Cellebrite to spy on people and hack their phones, including for the infamous murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
These states could do so much besides empty rhetoric to help the people of Palestine and blunt the Israeli attack on Gaza, including arms embargoes, sanctions on trade and travel, and halting the military and intelligence collaborations.
The people of the Arab world are dead against the genocide in Gaza and collaborating in it. They have come out in mass across their countries protesting Israel’s war and have even vowed to march through their borders to Gaza to defend their Palestinian brethren.
But it is clear, for these leaders – their actions speak louder than their words.
Mnar Adley is an award-winning journalist and editor and is the founder and director of MintPress News. She is also president and director of the non-profit media organization Behind the Headlines. Adley also co-hosts the MintCast podcast and is a producer and host of the video series Behind The Headlines. Contact Mnar at mnar@mintpressnews.com or follow her on Twitter at @mnarmuh.
The post How Arab States Are Helping Israel Commit Genocide appeared first on MintPress News.
Leverhulme Trust to Investigate One of Its Philosophy Fellows at Cambridge (updated)
The Leverhulme Trust, a philanthropy in London which provides grants and fellowships to scholars across a range of disciplines, has launched an investigation of one of its early career fellows who works in philosophy at the University of Cambridge.
[Note: This was originally posted on February 15, 2024, 10:37am, but was lost when a problem on February 17th, 2024 required the site to be reset. I’m reposting it on February 18th with its original publication date.]
The philosopher in question is Nathan Cofnas, whom readers may recall from this episode.
(Photo via Varsity)
In response to blog posts he recently wrote and which were reported on by Varsity, a Cambridge student newspaper, the Leverhulme Trust announced on Monday:
The Trust has become aware of claims made in a blog by Nathan Cofnas, Early Career Fellow employed at the University of Cambridge. As a result, we have begun an urgent investigation. The grant provided was not for research into the relationship between race and IQ. The views expressed in the blog are in no way those of the Leverhulme Trust. We are very clear that racism of any and all forms is abhorrent.
Cofnas appears to believe that the future of humanity depends on people agreeing with him that the white race (update: or maybe the East Asian… race?) is genetically superior to others, at least in regard to intelligence.
If you’ll permit me some editorializing about this….
On second thought, it’s not worth it.
You can read Varsity‘s account here.
Comments are closed, because I hate free speech and am afraid of the truth, etc., etc.
UPDATE (2/15/24): I ought to have commented on the academic freedom aspect of this when I posted. A reader reminded me of this, hence this update. So, to be clear: to revoke Cofnas’ fellowship or to fire him from Cambridge on the basis of his blog posts would be a blatant violation of his academic freedom, and, in my opinion, were Leverhulme or Cambridge to do so, they’d be wronging Cofnas. Of course, to make this point is not to defend any of Cofnas’s views, which, to put it in a rather understated way, strike me as utterly bizarre. Nor is it to comment on the matter of whether he should have been awarded the fellowship and position in the first place.
The post Leverhulme Trust to Investigate One of Its Philosophy Fellows at Cambridge (updated) first appeared on Daily Nous.
Leverhulme Trust to Investigate One of Its Philosophy Fellows at Cambridge (updated)
The Leverhulme Trust, a philanthropy in London which provides grants and fellowships to scholars across a range of disciplines, has launched an investigation of one of its early career fellows who works in philosophy at the University of Cambridge.
The philosopher in question is Nathan Cofnas, whom readers may recall from this episode.
(photo via Varsity)
In response to blog posts he recently wrote and which were reported on by Varsity, a Cambridge student newspaper, the Leverhulme Trust announced on Monday:
The Trust has become aware of claims made in a blog by Nathan Cofnas, Early Career Fellow employed at the University of Cambridge. As a result, we have begun an urgent investigation. The grant provided was not for research into the relationship between race and IQ. The views expressed in the blog are in no way those of the Leverhulme Trust. We are very clear that racism of any and all forms is abhorrent.
Cofnas appears to believe that the future of humanity depends on people agreeing with him that the white race (update: or maybe the East Asian… race?) is genetically superior to others, at least in regard to intelligence.
If you’ll permit me some editorializing about this….
On second thought, it’s not worth it.
You can read Varsity‘s account here.
Comments are closed, because I hate free speech and am afraid of the truth, etc., etc.
UPDATE (2/15/24): I ought to have commented on the academic freedom aspect of this when I posted. A reader reminded me of this, hence this update. So, to be clear: to revoke Cofnas’ fellowship or to fire him from Cambridge on the basis of his blog posts would be a blatant violation of his academic freedom, and, in my opinion, were Leverhulme or Cambridge to do so, they’d be wronging Cofnas. Of course, to make this point is not to defend any of Cofnas’s views, which, to put it in a rather understated way, strike me as utterly bizarre. Nor is it to comment on the matter of whether he should have been awarded the fellowship and position in the first place.
The post Leverhulme Trust to Investigate One of Its Philosophy Fellows at Cambridge (updated) first appeared on Daily Nous.
INET in India (February 2024)
The media coverage of the INET team's February 2024 visit to India. Prof. Michael Spence, Chair of the Commission on Global Economic Transformation (CGET), along with INET Governing Board Chair Dr. Rohinton Medhora, and INET President Dr. Rob Johnson, took part in this visit.
1. Global Business Summit (GBS), Feb. 9-10, 2024
- Tweet by Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology, Jal Shakti - Chip Designer, Cellular pioneer, Tech Investor, Aviato
- GBS: Prof. Spence trialogues video
- ET Now Tweet on GBS; Prof. Spence in conversation with Abheek Barua, Chief Economist, HDFC Bank
- Economic Times: AI looms, India thrives: Nobel laureate Michael Spence on navigating a fractured world
- ET Now reporting on Prof. Spence at GBS
- MoneyControl: Nobel winner Michael Spence: India successfully built best digital economy, finance architecture in world
- Economic Times: India successfully built best digital economy, finance architecture in world: Nobel laureate economist A Michael Spence
- Times Now News (TV) on GBS and Prof. Spence
- Times Now News on Rob Johnson at GBS
- ET Now Global Business Summit 2024: ‘India has the potential to grow faster..’ Nobel laureate Michael Spence
2. Prof. Michael Spence, Rob Johnson, and Rohinton Medhora visit to Bennett University (Feb. 12, 2024)
- Before:
- Times Now News (TV) (in English)
- Times Now Hindi (in Hindi)
- After:
- ANI News: India's growing economic might set to pivot its role on global stage: Nobel Laureate Spence
- Times Now News
- Economic Times India poised to see strengthening of its economic & geopolitical role in the coming decades
- Cross posted in: MSN, ET Now, Indian Television, 5 Dariya News, Media Brief, News Patrolling, Daily 24x7, India CSR, Indianapolis Post, Dutch Sun, Egypt News, Denmark Sun, Canada News, Web India, Oklahoma City News, Maine Mirror, Times of Oman, Daily Prabhat, Dev Discourse, Asia News International, Vancouver News, Chicago News, Toronto Telegraph, Thailand Herald, Houston Mirror, Rio de Janeiro Sun, Nashville News, Long Beach Star, Macau News, Russia Herald, Johannesburg Life, Charlotte Star, Vancouver Star, Knoxville Times, Europe Sun, Haiti Sun, Taipei News, Central Coast News, Silicon Valley News, North Ireland News, Pennsylvania Sun, New Jersey Telegraph, Indian Defense News, Adgully, Salt Lake City Sun, London News, Asian News International (ANI), Bristol Star, Leeds Times, United Kingdom News, Irish Sun, Yorkshire Observer, Liverpool Star, Indian Television, Bombay News, Scotland Star, Dublin News, Mantra, Latin America News, Argentina News, Chile Sun, Brazil Sun, Caribbean Herald, Trinidad Times, Jamaican Times, Jamaica News, Haiti News, Albuquerque News, Oregon Telegraph, The Dallas News, San Antonio Post, Buffalo Breeze, Tampa Star, San Jose Sun, Ohio Standard, Sri Lanka Source, Phoenix News, Belfast Bulletin, International Travel News, Big News Network, Tucson Post, Alaska State News, Santa Barbara Post, Wisconsin Star, Sacramento Sun, Florida State News, Utah Independent, Michigan Sun, Milwaukee Sun, Texas State News, Tennessee Daily, Seattle Bulletin, Mexico City Sun, South Carolina State News, Colorado Star, Venezuela Star, Canada Standard, Buenos Aires News, Arizona State News, Louisville News, San Diego News, The Orlando News, New Hampshire State News, Raleigh Times, Cincinnati News, Birmingham Star, Munich Metro, Calgary Monitor, Mexico Star, Sweden News, Travel Trade, Herald Globe, The Tampa News, Tuscaloosa Times, Connecticut State News, Oklahoma City Sun, Atlanta Leader, Paris News, Charlotte News, Orlando Echo, San Diego Sun, Calcutta News, Mexico City News, and Salt Lake City Sun,
3. Bengaluru Visit (Feb. 15, 2024)
- New Indian Express: India’s digital economy architecture will be exported to the world: Nobel Laureate Michael Spence
- Deccan Herald (Bengaluru, Karnataka) announcement of event at the Indian Institute of Management
- Indian Institute of Management visit announcement via Twitter
- The Hindu: Azim Premji University lecture of Prof. Spence
4. LEPC VI Conference at Gokhale Institute (Feb. 16-18, 2024)
- Indian Express: Prof. Spence at 84th Kale Memorial Lecture at Gokhale Institute ‘There’s no doing away with humans in the age of AI’: Nobel laureate Michael Spence
- Economic Times: Indian entrepreneurs to find newer, innovative uses for AI: Nobel Laureate Michael Spence
- India Education Diary
- BWEducation
5. INET Delegation Hosts the Young Scholar Initiative (YSI) Festival at IIT Bombay (Feb. 20-22), featuring Michael Sandel
6. Prof. Sandel in the News
- Michael Sandel's lecture during the closing of Meeting of Young Minds in Frontiers of Economics at IIT Bombay
- Indian Express on Adda hosting Prof. Michael Sandel
- Hindustan Times: Important to create genuine equality of opportunity: Michael Sandel, political philosopher
- IndianExpress Adda Michael Sandel Interview: Why A Party Should Care For Minority | Philosopher Michael Sandel Unpacked
- Times Now Video: Famous Political Philosopher Michael Sandel Decodes Why Philosophy Is Important In Life | Exclusive
- Times Now full video interview: Prof. Michael Sandel Super Exclusive On Times Now, Explains Importance Of Philosophy In Our Lives
- Times of India: Need for new paradigm on meritocracy: Michael Sandel
- Indian Express: ‘Can Opposition’s politics address aspirations expressed by Modi with national pride?’: Michael Sandel at Express Adda
- ETNow: Bennett University Thought Leaders Series 'Need to shift political discourse away from...' - What world-renowned political philosopher Prof. Michael Sandel told Times NOW
7. Other coverage
- Economic Times: India's Entrepreneurial System will not lose from Gen AI Entry
- LiveMint Interview with Prof. Spence (full interview here)
- Michael Sandel Interview: Why A Party Should Care For Minority
- IIMB: Economics area hosts fireside chat with Nobel Laureate Prof. Michael Spence
- Hindustan Times: Spence lauds India’s growth at varsity event
- Pune KarNews: Artificial Intelligence Gaining Capabilities that Surpass Humans is Alarming - Dr. Michael Spence
Launch of new report titled “The Economics of Implementing Basic Income in South Africa”
“Exciting news! The Social Policy Initiative (SPI) is thrilled to share a groundbreaking new report titled “The Economics of Implementing Basic Income in South Africa.” This research, authored by renowned financial journalist Duma Gqubule, explores the potential impact of a universal basic income (UBI) on South Africa’s economy. Join the discussion: Launch event: 14th February 2024, between 5:30PM […]
Launch of new report titled “The Economics of Implementing Basic Income in South Africa”
Ignore What Western Officials Say About Israel; Watch Their Actions Instead
Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley):
https://medium.com/media/a06576c207ac27e61cb64bd78a4465f4/href
Another fake, stupid story is making headlines in the mass media today about how bad and wrong President Biden secretly believes Israel’s actions in Gaza are. NBC News is now reporting that Biden has been referring to Benjamin Netanyahu as an “asshole” in private conversations and saying the assault in Gaza “has to stop”.
“Biden has grown steadily more frustrated with the rising Palestinian civilian death toll in Gaza — now a reported 28,000 — and Netanyahu’s reluctance to pursue a long-term peace agreement,” NBC News reports.
Buried all the way down in paragraph 15 of the article, we get to the real story:
“Yet, even as Biden has escalated his rhetoric, he is not yet prepared to make significant policy changes, officials said. He and his aides continue to believe his approach of unequivocally supporting Israel is the right one.”
Dave DeCamp on Twitter: "Buried in the story about Biden being frustrated with Netanyahu and calling him an "asshole" is the admission that he's still not considering changing his approach "of unequivocally supporting Israel." pic.twitter.com/loAheV379N / Twitter"
Buried in the story about Biden being frustrated with Netanyahu and calling him an "asshole" is the admission that he's still not considering changing his approach "of unequivocally supporting Israel." pic.twitter.com/loAheV379N
All the relevant information in this news story that’s getting so much attention today is contained in paragraph 15. None of the words outside of paragraph 15 matter. Paragraph 15 is the whole entire story.
The Biden administration keeps feeding these bogus stories to the press about how “frustrated” they are with Israel’s insistence on massacring civilians with unbelievable savagery, without ever actually making any meaningful policy changes or taking any meaningful actions to stop it. The White House has expressed “concerns” about Israel’s actions in Gaza in more than 20 statements, all without any actual, real-life steps having been taken to curb those actions in any way.
It’s absurd to pretend that the things Biden is privately thinking and feeling about Israel and Gaza are of any interest or significance when Biden is actively backing Israel’s atrocities and bombing anyone in the middle east who tries to stop them. Biden’s feelings aren’t going to stop kids from getting ripped to shreds by Israeli massacres Rafah.
(As an aside, it’s also absurd to pretend Biden thinks anything of any relevance at all given what we now know about the state of his cognitive decline. Even if he really did call the Israeli prime minister an asshole in private conversations, for all we know he was talking about a long-dead Israeli prime minister from his senate days like Ariel Sharon. Hell, he could’ve been talking about the president of Mexico.)
The White House could end this with a phone call, just as it ended the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon with a phone call in 1982. Israel is fully dependent on the United States to perpetrate these mass atrocities in Gaza, and the Israelis are fully aware of this. The genocidal massacres have continued in Gaza for four months because the US empire wants them to continue.
Andrea Mitchell on Twitter: "David Ignatius: 'We're heading toward a showdown between Biden and Netanyahu' over hostage deal @IgnatiusPost @MSNBC https://t.co/4oKK0HyLCH / Twitter"
David Ignatius: 'We're heading toward a showdown between Biden and Netanyahu' over hostage deal @IgnatiusPost @MSNBC https://t.co/4oKK0HyLCH
But the shitlib media have taken this ridiculously fake “Biden wants Netanyahu to stop but he just won’t” story and run with it. MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell just got together with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius to tell their brainwashed viewers that we’re looking at a “showdown” between the brave and righteous Biden and the sinister and murderous Netanyahu.
Really these institutions are just telling American progressives what they want to hear, in the same way Israeli officials provide liberal-sounding messaging for western audiences while spouting genocidal rhetoric in Hebrew to their own citizens. The Biden administration is feeding pleasing sound bites to the mass media about the president saying mean things about Netanyahu in order to placate their base, while having their foot firmly on the gas pedal of concrete actions toward continuing the genocide in Gaza.
This is just what Democrat presidencies look like. Republican presidents like Trump and Bush just come right out say things like they invaded Syria “to take the oil” and they invaded Iraq because God told them to, whereas the Bidens and the Obamas have to make it look pretty. Obama spent eight years feeding eloquent words to the public while continuing and expanding all the most depraved aspects of the Bush administration, thus accomplishing the necessary straddle of facilitating the violence and tyranny of the empire while simultaneously allowing liberals to feel good about themselves.
That’s why you’re seeing this phony song and dance about Biden and Netanyahu being secretly at odds, even while the Biden White House explicitly says “We’re going to continue to support Israel” when asked if they’ve ever threatened to withhold military support if Israel commits war crimes in Rafah.
Prem Thakker on Twitter: "Q: Has Biden threatened to strip aid to Israel if they advance a Rafah operation that doesn't account for civilians?John Kirby: We're going to continue to support Israel. They have a right to defend themselves against Hamas & we're gonna make sure they have the tools to do that pic.twitter.com/93yf0Lmqta / Twitter"
Q: Has Biden threatened to strip aid to Israel if they advance a Rafah operation that doesn't account for civilians?John Kirby: We're going to continue to support Israel. They have a right to defend themselves against Hamas & we're gonna make sure they have the tools to do that pic.twitter.com/93yf0Lmqta
Western officials keep babbling about how “concerned” they are about what’s happening in Gaza without actually doing anything. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, British Labour leader Keir Starmer, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly have all been making use of the word “concern” with regard to Gaza so as to be seen as publicly fretting about Israel’s actions without actually presenting any concrete opposition to them.
The correct response to all this lip service to the stated values of the liberal international order is to ignore their words and watch their actions. This is good advice for government policy on Israel and Gaza, and it’s good advice for all other government policy too.
Words can be used to spin narratives and manage perception in ways that concrete actions cannot. Disregard the narrative spin and the public statements and watch the concrete, physical movements of money, weapons and resources. That’s how you penetrate through the distortions of the propaganda matrix and distinguish fact from empty word stories.
Ignore their official public statements and the unofficial public statements they feed the press; watch their actions instead. Disregard what they say and watch what they do. That will show you their true position. That will tell you who they are.
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Business Insider quotes and cites Lazonick’s INET-funded research on Boeing’s stock buybacks.
Business Insider quotes and cites William Lazonick’s INET-funded research on Boeing’s stock buybacks. Cross-posted in MSN, Yahoo Finance, Business News, AOL, News Break, Star News, and Web Today.
“The people who are at the top are there for a reason, which is to maximize shareholder value,” University of Massachusetts economist William Lazonick told me. “It's so ingrained in their thinking that they don't understand the problem themselves. It's built into the structure of these companies.” Simply changing CEOs or hiring more engineers won't solve Boeing's problems. The company must rethink its real reason for existence and think about what it should do for society as a company.
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Lazonick's research shows that from 1998 to 2018, Boeing made $61 billion (56.5 billion euros today) worth of share buybacks to drive up its stock price, and $29.3 billion (27.1 billion euros today) paid out in dividends. During these three decades of plenty for Boeing shareholders, the company's workforce was encouraged to save pennies.”
The Economic Times quotes Rob Johnson’s presentation at the Global Business Summit
The Economic Times quotes Rob Johnson’s presentation at the Global Business Summit in India. Cross posted in Pune Media and BM Business News
“At the same session, Robert Johnson, president, Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET), said that a nation has to think globally to protect all humans who are affected by what happens from carbon burning within their country. “What you might call export-led growth, you put on tariffs, low wages, do manufacturing with new technologies,” Johnson said. “It’s not clear that having low-wage labour is going to be the magnet to start a development.” On migration, he said there is “anxiety in Europe now about African and Middle East migration that we have been through in the last 10 years.”