WORLD NEWS
Google launches “prebunking” campaign to counter EU election misinformation!
Google claims it is stepping up efforts to combat online “misinformation” ahead of the European Union’s parliamentary elections in June with a new “prebunking” initiative. The European elections will likely serve as a dry run for Google’s attempts to influence the 2024 presidential election.
TIME reports that as the European Union prepares for its parliamentary elections in June, concerns about the potential impact of AI-generated disinformation on the democratic process are mounting. In response, tech giant Google is launching a “prebunking” campaign across five European countries, aimed at educating voters about manipulative techniques used in online misinformation.
The initiative, led by Google’s Jigsaw unit, which was founded in 2010 to address threats to open societies, will roll out a series of short animated videos in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland. These videos will demonstrate common manipulation strategies, such as scapegoating, polarization, and decontextualization, without focusing on specific candidates or parties.
“It works like a vaccine,” says Beth Goldberg, head of research at Jigsaw. “It helps people to gain mental defenses proactively.” The concept of prebunking, which originated in the 1960s with social psychologist William McGuire’s “inoculation theory,” posits that by exposing people to a dose of manipulative techniques, they can become less susceptible to false narratives.
Google’s campaign comes amid heightened concerns about Russian propaganda distorting the election results, prompting the EU to pass a new law compelling tech firms to increase their efforts to clamp down on disinformation. The prebunking ads, set to launch in May, will be disseminated primarily on YouTube and Meta platforms, with viewers invited to take a short survey testing their ability to identify the manipulation techniques featured.
While prebunking has shown promise in previous campaigns, with the share of individuals able to correctly identify manipulation techniques increasing by up to five percent after viewing a video, experts caution that it is not a silver bullet. Jon Roozenbeek, an assistant professor at King’s College London who has collaborated with Jigsaw on prebunking, emphasizes the importance of creating captivating content and managing expectations for behavioral change.
Google’s initiative is not the only example of prebunking in action. The Biden administration has employed a similar approach, dubbed “strategic declassification,” to counter what it claims is disinformation from Russia, China, and Iran by releasing intelligence forecasting potential false narratives.
World Economic Forum announces 98% of Central Banks are going to CBDC’s!
“It’s the totalitarian tip- toe,” because there is no other way to use blunt force to summarily drop cash on a worldwide basis. However, the WEF’s boast is mostly hot air. Only two countries, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, have officially launched a CBCD. Only a few countries have passed the “proof of concept” phase. Several countries have canceled their CBDC projects, including the Philippines, Kenya, Denmark, Equator, and Finland. Several large countries are in the pilot stage, including China, Russia and India.
All this is to say that it’s spotty. One missing element is a universal ID system that is acceptable to all nations. This is being pushed hard by the United Nations, the WEF, and Bill Gates.
A cashless society would be the end game for economic anonymity and freedom in trade. Unless alternative physical currencies are widely adopted in protest, CBDCs would make all transactions traceable and easily interrupted by governments and banks. Imagine a world in which all trade is monitored, all revenues are monitored and transactions can be blocked if they are found to offend the mandates of the system. Yes, these things do happen today, but with physical cash they can be circumvented.
Imagine a world where your ability to spend money can be limited to certain retailers, certain services, certain products and chosen regions based on your politics, your social credit score and your background. The control that comes with CBDCs is immense and allows for complete micromanagement of the population. The fact that 98% of central banks are already adopting this technology should be one of the biggest news stories of the decade, yet, it goes almost completely ignored.
Haiti Prime Minister Henry steps down as transitional government takes power!
Haiti’s transition council took power in a ceremony on Thursday, formalizing the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry as the Caribbean country seeks to establish security after years of gang violence wreaking chaos and misery.
Henry’s finance minister, Michel Patrick Boisvert, will be interim prime minister until the transition council appoints a new head of government, a cabinet and a provisional electoral council set to pave the way for an eventual vote.
“Today is an important day in the life of our dear republic, this day in effect opens a view to a solution,” Boisvert said after the nine-person transition council were sworn in on Thursday morning.
Regine Abraham, a non-voting council member, thanked Haiti’s security forces and international mediators, and said the council would focus on security, a national consultation on constitutional reform, preparing for elections, rebuilding the judiciary system and the economy.
“We are seeing the total collapse of our institutions and failure of a government,” she said.
Port-au-Prince residents have “literally been taken hostage,” she added. “Facing this unprecedented crisis, the entire population has recognized the urgent need of a firm hand to take us out of this spiral of despair and destruction.”
Even as the council was sworn in, local media reported houses being set on fire and shooting in the capital’s downtown and Delmas areas, posting photos of columns of gray smoke rising above the skyline and videos of families leaving the area with their belongings.
Armed gangs, equipped with weapons trafficked largely from the United States, have for years tightened their grip on the capital and sought to topple Henry. Since he pledged to resign last month, they have called for a broader “revolution”.
Earlier this week, gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier warned members of the transition council to “brace” themselves.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
The preliminary hearing has concluded for 5 defendants in the Michigan electors case!
A preliminary hearing concluded on April 24 for five Michigan Republicans who allegedly conspired to present a slate of false electors to the Electoral College for the 2020 presidential election.
Judge Kristen D. Simmons of Ingham County District Court 54-A must now determine if enough evidence exists to proceed with a criminal trial. A decision will not be made until eight other defendants have had a pretrial hearing, which will begin on May 28.
Prosecutors allege the defendants participated in a plot to interfere with the election by signing a false elector certificate on Dec. 14, 2020, and submitting it to the U.S. Senate and National Archives. Defense attorneys appear to be laying the groundwork for a claim that the action was reasonable, given the dispute over the election result in the state at the time.
57 UT students arrested following on-campus protests; faculty condemns UT President!
A faculty group at The University of Texas at Austin (UT–Austin) has called another protest for Thursday after it condemned the university president for enforcing school policy when hundreds of students walked out of class on Wednesday afternoon to occupy campus in protest of Israel’s strikes on Gaza.
“Today, our University held firm, enforcing our rules while protecting the Constitutional right to free speech,” UT–Austin President Jay Hartzell wrote in a campus-wide statement Wednesday night.
“Peaceful protests within our rules are acceptable. Breaking our rules and policies and disrupting others’ ability to learn are not allowed. The group that led this protest stated it was going to violate Institutional Rules. Our rules matter, and they will be enforced. Our University will not be occupied,” Mr. Hartzell continued.
“The protesters tried to deliver on their stated intent to occupy campus. People not affiliated with UT joined them, and many ignored University officials’ continual pleas for restraint and to immediately disperse. The University did as we said we would do in the face of prohibited actions. We were prepared, with the necessary support to maintain campus operations and ensure the safety, well-being and learning environment for our more than 50,000 students.”
The UT–Austin chapter of the American Association of University Professors denounced Mr. Hartzell for allowing law enforcement to be deployed to the campus where the Palestine Solidarity Committee held its protest against Israel.
“We, faculty of UT Austin, condemn President Jay Hartzell and our administrative leaders’ decision to invite city police as well as state troopers from across the state—on horses, motorcycles, and bicycles, in riot gear and armed with batons, pepper spray, tear gas and guns to our campus today in response to a planned peaceful event by our students,” read the statement posted on X on Wednesday night.
The group also called on faculty members to cancel classes and gather in front of the university tower on Thursday shortly after noon.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has called for the expulsion of students who participated in Wednesday’s protest.
“These protesters belong in jail,” he wrote on X after police were deployed on campus. “Anti-semitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period. Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.”
The protest at UT–Austin comes as anti-Semitic incidents have increased at numerous colleges and universities across the nation, including Columbia University, Harvard University, New York University, Rutgers University, and Yale University, among others.
The Soros-backed DA lets those UT pro-palestinian protesters walk scot free!
Pro-Palestinian protestors in Texas are being released without charges after a Soros-backed district attorney’s office decided to let them walk, according to ABC News.
José Garza is the District Attorney for Travis County, where UT Austin is located. He has received nearly half a million dollars in donations from George Soros-funded organizations like Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC, according to campaign finance documents.
Soros was the primary funder of the PAC, pouring in over $2 million, according to TransparencyUSA.com.
Texas Republicans have previously blasted Garza for his weak-on-crime stances and the impact his policies have had on the city of Austin.
“We have a district attorney now that is more concerned about prosecuting cops than criminals. There is a silent majority here and we are going to start standing up for our police officers,” Republican Texas Rep. Mike McCaul said in a 2021 press conference.
But in Florida …
Anti-Jewish, pro-Hamas protesters — such as those seen at Columbia and Yale — will be expelled if they try to pull the same stunts at Florida universities, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) made clear on Thursday.
“You think about what happened when you have these Hamas demonstrators out. They’re taking over bridges, and they’re taking over roads,” he said, noting that these individuals do not have the right to do that.
“How do you know if someone — someone may need to get to a hospital. Someone may need to pick up a child somewhere, and you’re just going to commandeer the road,” he said, highlighting the viral instance that saw protesters trying to pull that same stunt in Miami, Florida. In a matter of minutes, police officers responded, dragging the protesters out of the roads:
“We’re not going to tolerate that. You look at these universities. When we have students who are doing things that — I mean, some of the stuff with the Hamas, I think, is absurd that someone would go out and demonstrate on that,” DeSantis said, adding, “But you know, when you’re chasing Jewish students around, when you’re not letting a Jewish professor enter a building, when you’re targeting people like that, that’s not free speech.”
DeSantis said such actions are clearly harassment that violates appropriate conduct. Yet, students doing this at places such as Columbia and Yale “rule the roost” and “do whatever they want.”
“And these administrators and the presidents of these universities are weak. They’re scared, and they don’t do anything,” he said, making it clear such behavior will not fly in the Sunshine State.
“You do that in Florida at our universities, we’re showing you the door. You’re going to be expelled when you’re doing that stuff, and you know what, the minute people start to face consequences, you are not going to see this nonsense going on,” the governor added.
The FCC has restored “Net Neutrality”!
The Federal Communications Commission has voted to restore a national standard to ensure the internet is fast, open, and fair. The decision to reclassify broadband service as a Title II telecommunications service allows the FCC to protect consumers, defend national security, and advance public safety. Through its actions, the Commission creates a national standard by which it can ensure that broadband internet service is treated as an essential service. Today’s vote also makes clear that the Commission will exercise its authority over broadband in a narrowly tailored fashion— without rate regulation, tariffing, or unbundling—to foster continued innovation and investment.
With the vote, the Commission restores fundamental authority to provide effective oversight over broadband service providers, giving the Commission essential tools to:
- Protect the Open Internet – Internet service providers will again be prohibited from blocking, throttling, or engaging in paid prioritization of lawful content, restoring the rules that were upheld by the D.C. Circuit in 2016.
- Safeguard National Security – The Commission will have the ability to revoke the authorizations of foreign-owned entities who pose a threat to national security to operate broadband networks in the U.S. The Commission has previously exercised this authority under section 214 of the Communications Act to revoke the operating authorities of four Chinese state-owned carriers to provide voice services in the U.S. Any provider without section 214 authorization for voice services must now also cease any fixed or mobile broadband service operations in the United States.
- Monitor Internet Service Outages – When workers cannot telework, students cannot study, or businesses cannot market their products because their internet service is out, the FCC can now play an active role.
U.S. Supreme Court’s view of Trump’s immunity claims may delay trial dates!
Donald Trump got another break when the U.S. Supreme Court Signaled some support for his immunity claim, even as more of his allies faced prosecution for the former president’s attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Trump, seeking to regain the presidency this year, has managed to delay three of the four criminal cases against him. At the same time, the legal peril has ramped up for Trump associates and supporters who stand accused of aiding his attempt to hold onto power after his defeat.
The Supreme Court on Thursday appeared open to the idea of narrowing the federal criminal case against Trump, which is focused on many of the same events as the Arizona case, based on the view that presidents should have some legal protection for conduct that is part of their official responsibilities.
“This case has huge implications for the presidency, for the future of the presidency, for the future of the country,” said conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee.
A Supreme Court ruling that former presidents are entitled to some limited immunity would still be a victory for Trump. It may require further analysis by lower courts on which of his allegedly unlawful actions would be considered official – as opposed to strictly private and open to prosecution – further reducing the chances of a trial before the election.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
JPMorgan CEO issues dire warning about the Biden administration’s huge deficit spending!
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has issued a grim warning for the direction of the U.S. economy, saying he sees the odds of a “soft landing” as far lower than markets are pricing in while sounding the alarm on a possible bout of 1970s’ style stagflation fueled in part by the Biden administration’s massive deficit spending.
Mr. Dimon made the remarks in an April 25 interview with The Wall Street Journal, in which he warned about Americans being lulled into a false sense of confidence because the U.S. consumer appears to be in “pretty good shape” right now, stock markets are up, jobs are plentiful, and unemployment is low at 3.8 percent.
“Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security because today looks okay, tomorrow is going to be okay,” he said. “So just try to separate the two.”
ATTOM Data reports U.S. home sellers’ profits decline in 1st quarter of 2024!
ATTOM Data has released its first-quarter 2024 U.S. Home Sales Report, which shows that profit margins on median-priced single-family home and condo sales in the United States decreased to 55.3 percent in the first quarter – the smallest level in more than two years.
The decline in typical profit margins, from 57.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 and from 56.5 percent a year ago, came as the median nationwide home price went down quarterly by 4.3 percent, to $330,000.
While prices often fall back during the slower Winter home-selling season each year, the latest decrease marked one of the largest quarterly declines over the past 10 years. At the same time, investment returns for sellers decreased for the second straight quarter after several increases last year, hitting the low point since mid-2021.
Still, even as seller returns slipped, they remained higher than during most of the housing market boom that has continued throughout the nation over the past decade. The same was true in the early months of 2024 for the typical $120,500 gross profit on typical home sales across the country.
Metaverse loses $4-billion; Facebook stock tumbles!
Facebook owner Meta registered nearly $4 billion in losses for its metaverse and AI research wing in the first quarter, with the company’s stock crashing by more than 11 percent in a single day.
Meta reported its first-quarter 2024 earnings on Wednesday, revealing that its “Reality Labs” division suffered massive losses. Reality Labs is the company’s research and development wing focusing on immersive technologies like metaverse, virtual reality, and AI. Reality Labs registered a loss of $3.84 billion between January and March 2024 against a revenue of just $440 million. Meta began reporting Reality Labs as a separate business segment at the end of 2020. Since then, losses from the segment have exceeded $45 billion.
During the earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested that the firm could continue suffering losses for some more time in its AI efforts. More investments will be required before Meta makes “revenue from some of these new products” like AI, he said.
However, the chief executive’s comments that Reality Labs’ endeavors will take more time to become profitable negatively affected investor sentiment, especially since the sector has already seen billions of dollars in losses.
Hyundai recalls over 30,000 cars due to possible fuel pump failure!
Hyundai is recalling 31,440 vehicles due to a possible issue regarding failure of the fuel
pumps. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fuel pumps may fail, which could result in the cars losing drive power, USA Today reported Wednesday.
If the pump ceases working, that can restrict the flow of fuel to the engine, which may cause the car to lose power. Officials said that raises the risk of a crash.
The USA Today article listed the recalled models as the Genesis GV70, 2022-2023, the Genesis GV80, 2022-2023, the Genesis G80, 2022-2023, and the Genesis G90 2022-2023.
According to the Genesis website, the 2024 G70 model’s starting MSRP [manufacturer’s suggested retail price] is $41,500.
Owners will be issued letters pertaining to the recall on June 18, the USA Today report said, adding that “dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pump assembly at no cost.”
“Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. The number for this recall is 022G and it is … an expansion of recall number 23V-630,” the article stated.
In November, the NHTSA opened an investigation into the recalls of over six million Hyundai and Kia cars due to brake fluid leaks that could potentially cause fires, Breitbart News reported.
The issues surround both companies’ antilock braking systems (ABS) and Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU). The report noted that both were made by a South Korean supplier called Mando.
10 reasons NOT to buy an electric car!
Vroom editors Paul and Lauren kill the buzz around EVs!
- We’ve been down this road before (electric cars are not new)!
- They’re more expensive than you think!
- They depreciate faster than a Model S Plaid in Drag Strip Mode!
- The charging infrastructure just isn’t there yet!
- Charging may pose hidden health risks (like being in a microwave)!
- The capacity just isn’t there yet (as to the amount of available juice)!
- They’re bad for the environment … and the roads!
- They’re about government control (shutting off your vehicle)!
- Nobody wants them!
- They’re bad for America (for obvious reasons)!
Southwest Airlines cuts jobs; quit four airports due to Boeing woes!
Southwest Airlines will be cutting jobs and ceasing operations at four airports while
reducing flights from others to cut costs amid Boeing’s ongoing complications.
Southwest Airlines said on Thursday that delays in deliveries from Boeing (Southwest uses Boeing 737 planes) led to its cost-cutting measures, with a “loss of $231 million for the first quarter, worse than analysts expected, sending its share price down 10 percent in early trading,” according to the New York Times.
Southwest will cease operations at the following airports starting in August: Bellingham International Airport in Washington State, Cozumel International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, and Syracuse Hancock International Airport. It will also reduce flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
As Breitbart News reported this month, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 was forced to make an emergency landing “after an engine cowling blew off during take-off from Denver International Airport.” That was followed by another Boeing (757) facing critical failure when a nose wheel fell off the plane before takeoff.
According to the New York Times, Southwest said it expects to receive “20 new Boeing jets this year, down from the 46 it had previously anticipated.”
“The timing of the deliveries depends on the Federal Aviation Administration, which has capped Boeing’s production while it gets quality issues under control,” noted the outlet.
Bob Jordan, the airline’s chief executive, said in a statement that the “recent news from Boeing regarding further aircraft delivery delays presents significant challenges for both 2024 and 2025.”
Southwest Airlines also said it will cut 2,000 jobs while limiting new hires.
According to Yahoo Finance, Boeing shares have been trending downward due to its disastrous quarter performance.
“Boeing stock slid 2.8% on Wednesday after the company reported losses that were narrower than fear, but still reported negative free cash flow of nearly $4 billion as a result of the 737 Max crisis that has shaken the aerospace giant,” it noted.
HEALTH
Kidney from pig transplanted into deathly ill New Jersey woman; it starts working immediately!
A New Jersey woman is alive and improving after undergoing experimental transplant surgery involving a kidney from a genetically modified pig.
Earlier this month, Lisa Pisano — a 54-year-old grandmother from Cookstown, New Jersey, about 20 miles southeast of Trenton — was practically on death’s doorstep. She was in desperate need of a kidney transplant, but antibodies in her tissues made finding a match nearly impossible.
She was also in heart failure, but because she was on dialysis, doctors hesitated to implant a heart pump known as a left ventricular assist device because of the high mortality rates for dialysis patients undergoing that kind of procedure.
Miserable and seemingly out of options, Pisano suddenly received a message of hope from Dr. Robert Montgomery, the director of NYU Langone Transplant Institute. Montgomery and his team offered to perform two separate procedures that, if successful, would at least buy Pisano some more time with her loved ones.
The first surgery, which occurred on April 4, involved implanting the LVAD device. Eight days later, medical teams then transplanted a kidney from a pig into Pisano’s body.
Doctors have dabbled in xenotransplantation — or cross-species organ transplants — for some time, but with little long-term success. Last year, two men received hearts transplanted from pigs at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, but both men died within months. To lessen the chances of organ rejection and improve xenotransplantation possibilities, scientists at United Therapeutics Corp. genetically engineered pigs so that they wouldn’t produce a sugar that the human body does not recognize.
Dr. Montgomery chose a kidney from among those genetically modified pigs at United Therapeutics to implant inside Pisano. The pig’s kidney was also outfitted with the pig’s thymus gland to further reduce the chances of rejection.
Montgomery’s plan seemed to work. After the pig kidney was implanted in Pisano, it began producing urine almost immediately, causing doctors and nurses to erupt in cheers right there in the operating room.
While Pisano will likely have to stay at the hospital for several months, she has already shown dramatic signs of improvement. With the help of a walker and several physical therapists, she even took a few steps on April 22, just 10 days after the transplant.
News reports however indicate that her long-term prognosis is unclear.
Could Eating More Fermented Foods Help Improve Mental Health?
Unlike some foods you may reach for when you’re feeling stressed out of sorts, these ancient foods are powerful allies to your mental and even brain health.
Fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi “offer an affordable dietary intervention strategy” for better mental health.
Fermented foods are rich in phytochemicals and microbial metabolites that include neurotransmitters and neuromodulators.
These compounds stimulate pathways of the microbiota-gut-brain axis, including those of the immune system and neuroendocrine, enteric nervous and circulatory systems.
Fermented foods may block dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the system responsible for the management of stress, which has also been linked to multiple neuropsychiatric disorders.
A meta-analysis of cohort studies found a significant association between consuming fermented dairy foods, including cheese and yogurt, and a decreased risk of depression,
Disrupted sleep? Nighttime snacks may be a culprit!
If you’re having trouble sleeping, what you had for dinner or that late- night snack may hold a clue as to why. A systematic review of 23 reports published in January 2024 found that the Mediterranean diet might be the best one for healthy sleep. Still, the findings may be due to much simpler reasons than ascribing to a specific popular way of eating. The researchers concluded many factors are at play, including the overall healthy lifestyle those who follow a Mediterranean diet tend to lead. One factor, however, is a constant—the proper Mediterranean diet is notably void of refined sugar.
Sleep and blood sugar levels are intimately linked. There is a small amount of glucose in your blood at all times, and our brain regulates its level around the clock. When blood sugar levels get too high or too low, that can lead to disrupted sleep. Is it a coincidence that the Mediterranean diet is low in simple sugars and processed foods and is therefore believed to be the best for sleep quality? Probably not.
There are three factors to consider keeping an eye on if you suspect your sugar intake may be affecting your sleep:
- Frequent Urination
Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can affect how often you need to urinate. High blood sugar levels can cause an increase in urine production, leading to more frequent urination. On the other hand, low blood sugar levels can cause a decrease in urine production, leading to infrequent urination. Ms. Pace pointed out, “When blood sugar is too high, the kidneys work harder to remove excess sugar, leading to more frequent urination.”
- Night Sweats
Blood sugar levels can affect body temperature in a few ways. When blood sugar levels are high, the increased loss of fluids through urine can lead to dehydration. Dehydration can make it more difficult for the body to regulate its temperature and can cause body temperature to rise.
In contrast, when blood sugar levels are low, the body can shiver and generate heat to maintain its core temperature. To compensate for a drop in blood sugar levels, the body produces adrenaline, which causes blood vessels to narrow and sweat glands to activate. This can result in clammy and sweaty skin in the middle of the night. Additionally, fluctuations in blood sugar levels can affect blood flow and circulation, impacting body temperature.
- Vivid Dreaming
More research is needed to understand the relationship between blood sugar levels and dreams. However, there is evidence supporting a drop in blood sugar and vivid dreaming. Blood sugar dips while you are asleep are linked to nightmares and crying out in the middle of the night without recollection. A clinical case report published in 2019 found that a patient with Type 2 diabetes who was displaying abnormal behavior while sleeping due to hypoglycemia saw a halt in the episodes after an adjustment of his insulin dosage. Additionally, research supports that bad dreams in those with Type 2 diabetes are associated with poor glycemic control.
Eat the right snacks if you must!
Snacks that are low in carbohydrates and high in protein can help ensure a good night’s sleep. High carbohydrate intake is associated with significantly poorer sleep quality. Ms. Pace recommends, “When choosing a bedtime snack to help regulate blood sugar, try apple slices with peanut butter, hummus with raw celery or carrots, or try avocado slices with hemp seeds on whole wheat toast.”
Mental illness and suicide in children and adolescents linked to smartphones!
A new book by NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt may confirm what many parents have already deduced and may be eye-opening to others — the harmful effects of smartphones on children and youth. His book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” is “downright alarming” according to John Sundholm writing for Your Tango. Haidt says that smartphones, social media, and helicopter parenting have altered childhood for Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha, resulting in greater mental illness, social ineptness, and declining academic achievement.
Haidt’s research, based on many studies and CDC statistics, showed that rates of depression and anxiety, which had been stable during the 2000s, increased by over 50% during the 2010s. Worse still are the rates of suicide which have increased by 48% for children from 10-19 years and by 131% for girls from 10-14 years of age. Haidt documented the increased loneliness and friendlessness among teens and plunging academic achievement.
Gen-Z adults, he said, have more problems with mental illness and difficulty integrating into society than previous generations, as Sundholm reported:
It’s well known that Gen Z adults have much higher rates of mental illness than other generations, and Haidt pointed to data showing they are also more shy and risk-averse, more socially isolated, especially with respect to dating, less confident, less successful — the list goes on and on.
To combat these phenomena, Haidt makes several suggestions including giving children simple flip-phones until high school just so parents can remain in contact with their children, removing phones from school, and giving children more independence and responsibility:
- No smartphones before high school, suggesting parents opt for simple flip phones in order to remain in contact with kids.
- No social media before the age of 16.
- Phone-free schools, which Haidt discussed, tend to have myriad positive benefits in schools, with even some students saying they prefer a phone-free experience.
- More independence, free play, and responsibility in the real world.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Baking Soda Is A Gardener’s Best Friend – Here Are 14 Nifty Uses In The Garden
Gardening is one of the best physical activities you can do, as it comes with countless physical and mental health benefits. Moreover, fresh and home-grown produce is of much higher quality than the one we buy at a grocery store, and the taste is simply incomparable.
Here is a list of topics to choose from:
Beekeeping? Are You Kidding Me?
Things to Know Before You Get Started Keeping Bees
#2 Honey Farming Can Get Expensive
Beekeeping? Are You Kidding Me?
Learn more about honey farming
COVID RELATED NEWS
Lord God Fauci will testify in a public hearing on COVID-19 response origins June 3rd!
Dr. Anthony Fauci is locked in to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on June 3, his first public hearing since retiring as the president’s chief medical adviser in 2022.
Subcommittee Chair Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) announced in an April 24 statement that Dr. Fauci agreed to appear late last year.
“Retirement from public service does not excuse Dr. Fauci from accountability to the American people,” Mr. Wenstrup said.
“On June 3, Americans will have an opportunity to hear directly from Dr. Fauci about his role in overseeing our nation’s pandemic response, shaping pandemic-era policies, and promoting singular questionable narratives about the origins of COVID-19.”
Dr. Fauci testified in a closed-door hearing in January.
According to Mr. Wenstrup, Dr. Fauci has already admitted “to serious systemic failures in our public health system,” which he said deserve “further investigation.”
Mr. Wenstrup said that among other revelations, Dr. Fauci has said that the six-feet-apart social distancing guidance, recommended by federal health officials and used to shut down small businesses across the country, “sort of just appeared” and was likely not based on scientific data.
During the two-day January hearing, Dr. Fauci revealed that he signed off on every foreign and domestic NIAID grant without personally reviewing the proposals.
He also admitted that the U.S. vaccine mandates, which he promoted, could increase the public’s vaccine hesitancy in the future.
The select subcommittee will also hold a public hearing with EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak on May 1.
Mr. Wenstrup said that it “will serve as a crucial component” of the investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and “provide essential background ahead of Dr. Fauci’s public hearing.”
Certain teas may inactivate COVID-19 virus, according to a new study!
A cup of tea could be a powerful weapon in the fight against COVID-19, according to a new study that found several common varieties can effectively inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus in saliva.
The research offers a glimmer of hope that something as simple as your morning brew could help curb the spread of the pandemic virus.
Researchers studied 24 commercially available teas and identified five that significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 levels in saliva. These were raspberry zinger, eucalyptus mint, mint medley, green tea, and black tea.
The team prepared a drinkable tea infusion using one tea bag steeped in a cup of water for 10 minutes, without any additions like milk or sugar. They then tested each tea either as a beverage or as a gargle.
The findings, published in Food and Environmental Virology, showed that all five tea varieties reduced the virus by at least 96 percent within just 10 seconds when used in the mouth and throat. When gargled, the teas were even more effective, eliminating 99.9 percent of the virus in the same timeframe.
Black tea proved the most potent. This matters because COVID-19 primarily infects and replicates in the oral cavity before spreading to the lungs, according to the study authors.
“Inactivating SARS-CoV-2 in the mouth and throat potentially reduces the introduction of the virus to the lower respiratory system,” Malak Esseili, a virologist with the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said in a statement.
CANCEL CULTURE
Senate investigation reveals real reason behind Eventbrite’s canceling Riley Gaines rally!
An extensive report published by Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz reveals that ticket- selling company Eventbrite refused to sell tickets to save women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines due to the company’s left-wing political ideology.
In his report entitled “Weaponizing Terms of Service” and subtitled, “How online service providers use broad policies to silence conservatives,” Sen. Cruz went into detail on just what happened before Eventbrite canceled its hosting of an event Riley Gaines was planning in Oct. of last year.
With his report, Sen. Cruz explores how Big Tech uses vague “terms of service” documents as a weapon to eliminate conservative content online by claiming that only conservatives violate the overly broad and ever-changing “terms” necessitating deletion and cancellation.
At the time, Gaines told her followers that Eventbrite canceled her ticket service for her “Protecting Women’s Sports with Riley Gaines” event scheduled for November 3 at the University of California, Davis.
He also republished the notice that the ticket-selling company sent to her.
Eventbrite never bothered itself to give an actual explanation of why it canceled the event or what its decision process was to arrive at the outcome, except to say that Gaines’ event promulgated “hate and discrimination.”
As cover for its political act, Eventbrite later deleted sales for a few pro-Hamas events after the company was accused of basing its attack on Gaines purely on its left-wing politics.
Now, according to the Cruz report, we are getting to the nub for why Eventbrite decided that Riley Gaines was an evil bigot.
According to Cruz, the company found a tweet by Gaines from a few days before they canceled her that the company’s left-wing leadership did not like from Oct. 10, 2023.
This October 10th (X/X), we’re celebrating Real Women’s Day. Ya know, the kind that can give birth and breastfeed and menstruate and lack a Y chromosome. The only kind of women.
Women are not menstruators, bleeders, chestfeeders, cervix-havers, uterus-owners, egg- producers, or people with birthing capacity.
Women are just women. Adult human females.
I would be remiss if I didn’t specifically say this day should be used to celebrate and honor the girls and women squarely in harms way because of the violence that has broken out in the Middle East and everything it has led to.
Cruz asked Eventbrite whether it was this Oct. 10 post that led to Eventbrite indulging its cancel culture against Gaines.
“The Committee asked Eventbrite whether Gaines’s statement in her October 10, 2023 post on X that ‘Real Women, lack a Y chromosome’ violated Eventbrite’s policy because it disparaged someone’s perceived gender,” Cruz wrote in his report. “Eventbrite replied that the post ‘speaks for itself.’”
Clearly, the company deployed political reasoning for Gaines’ cancellation. And Cruz says service providers are rife with this poly used for political purposes.
USC’s mainstage graduation commencement ceremonies canceled due to fear of protests!
The University of Southern California said on Thursday that it will cancel its main stage commencement ceremony after nearly 100 people were arrested on campus during a pro-Palestinian protest.
USC is the first known major university to cancel a graduation ceremony over the demonstrations, potentially opening the door for other schools with campus protests to follow suit. University administrations and police have cracked down on protests, encampments and sit-ins at college campuses across the country.
93 people were arrested on Wednesday night by the Los Angeles Police Department for trespassing. No injuries were reported.
The university’s decision stems from the additional safety measures in place this year, it said in a statement.
The main ceremony usually brings 65,000 people to USC’s campus.
Individual school commencements, doctoral hooding ceremonies, special celebrations and departmental receptions will still be held from May 8-11.
USC canceled its valedictorian’s commencement speech earlier this month, citing safety concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war.
Asna Tabassum, USC’s class of 2024 valedictorian, said the move was the result of an anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian “campaign of racist hatred.”
ICYMI
Don’t worry; It looks like Harvey Weinstein will still be serving out his life in prison!
Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction was overturned by New York’s highest court, citing the trial judge’s prejudicial handling of the landmark #MeToo movement case. The 4–3 decision on April 25 highlighted the judge’s “egregious” missteps, including allowing testimony on allegations unrelated to the case, prompting the court to order a new trial.
This decision reignites a painful episode in America’s confrontation with sexual misconduct by influential individuals, a saga sparked by a deluge of accusations against Mr. Weinstein starting in 2017.
The majority opinion in the Court of Appeals condemned the admission of unproven allegations, emphasizing that such actions merely tarnish a defendant’s character without bearing relevance to their credibility concerning the charges at hand.
“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes because that testimony served no material non-propensity purpose,” the court’s decision reads.
However, dissenting Judge Madeline Singas sharply criticized the majority’s stance, accusing them of reshaping facts to fit a simplistic narrative. Judge Singas lamented the court’s perpetuation of outdated views on sexual violence, expressing concern over a pattern of overturning jury verdicts in cases involving such offenses.
The disgraced movie mogul, 72, currently serving a 23-year term in a New York correctional facility for previous convictions, faces continued imprisonment following a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles, where he received a 16-year sentence. Despite this setback, he remains adamant about his innocence, asserting that any sexual encounters were consensual.
The reversal of Mr. Weinstein’s conviction marks another blow to the #MeToo movement. Mr. Weinstein’s conviction, hailed as a milestone by activists, has now been thrust back into scrutiny, challenging the foundation of justice that it purportedly laid.
His legal team argued vehemently against Judge James Burke’s handling of the trial, contending that his decisions unfairly tilted the proceedings against their client. They criticized the admission of testimony unrelated to the charges, arguing that it unfairly prejudiced the jury against Mr. Weinstein.While prosecutors defended Judge Burke’s rulings as necessary to provide context, Mr. Weinstein’s lawyers maintained that the additional evidence only served to demonize their client. They highlighted his desire to testify in his defense but that he refrained because of the restrictive parameters set by the court.The Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn Mr. Weinstein’s conviction comes after prolonged scrutiny of Judge Burke’s conduct during the trial. The absence of Judge Burke, whose term ended in 2022, underscores the complexities surrounding the case’s legal journey. Mr. Weinstein’s legal team sought a retrial, primarily focusing on the criminal sexual act charge, as the statute of limitations bars retrial on the rape charge. In 2020, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench sentenced Mr. Weinstein to an additional 16 years behind bars. This followed his conviction in December 2020 on three counts of rape and sexual assault in Los Angeles. Judge Lench specified that this new sentence would be consecutive, commencing only after he completes his existing term in New York.
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