Houses collapsed, cars swept away as massive floods ravage northern Turkey — Damned Report
August 12, 2021
Wednesday August 12, 2021
The Damned Report can now be found at kentheroux.co
I will spend the next few days moving everything from this account to that page, and you should start receiving emails from my new provider starting Friday (please check your spam folder).
Reach out if you don’t receive anything so I can get that fixed as soon as possible.
Thanks!
-Ken Theroux
Turkey
Houses collapsed, cars swept away as massive floods ravage northern Turkey
Turkey’s northern provinces have been inundated by devastating floods, turning streets into mud-laden streams. The disaster struck as the country continues to reel from major wildfires in the south.
By RT
Facial Recognition
NYPD spent $159mn on facial recognition, ‘stingray’ cellphone trackers & X-ray van spy tools using secretive fund, documents show
For years, the NYPD used a “surveillance slush fund” for a range of policing tech with no public oversight – under a shadowy deal with city officials that kept equipment used in “confidential operations” secret.
By RT
Dubai
Dubai plastic factory evacuated after fire breaks out, covering area in thick black smoke
A plastic factory blaze has been brought under control after authorities evacuated the building near the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority, with no injuries reported, the Government of Dubai Media Office confirmed on Wednesday.
By RT
Assange
‘Looks very awful and ill’: Journalist tells RT he ‘couldn’t recognize’ Assange during High Court hearing on his extradition to US
Journalist Richard Medhurst claims that he initially didn’t recognize Julian Assange, who looked “awful and ill,” as the WikiLeaks founder appeared in London’s High Court while the United States pushes to have him extradited.
By RT
Artificial Intelligence
Chameleon-inspired robot skin changes colors instantly
Artificial camouflage could make it easier to blend in with—or stand out from—your surroundings.Artificial camouflage could make it easier to blend in with—or stand out from—your surroundings.
MIT Technology Review
Big Tech’s Stranglehold on Artificial Intelligence Must Be Regulated
In other words, the mix of positives and negatives puts this potent new suite of technologies on a knife-edge. Do we have confidence that a handful of companies that have already lost public trust can take AI in the right direction? We should have ample reason for worry considering the business models driving their motivations.
By Kelvin Dafiaghor, Lifeboat
NSA, DOD Watchdogs Partner to Complete Joint Evaluation of Certain Federal AI Use
It comes after a previous assessment was terminated.
By Brandi Vincent, Next Gov
A new generation of AI-powered robots is taking over warehouses
Within a few years, any task that previously required hands to perform could be partially or fully automated way.
MIT Technology Review
China overtakes US in AI research
China is overtaking the U.S. in artificial intelligence research, setting off alarm bells on the other side of the Pacific as the world’s two largest economies jockey for AI supremacy.
By Dan Kummer, Lifeboat
Vimeo-Odysee
Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care doctors switch to Odysee after Vimeo censorship
Those who might consider Vimeo a viable YouTube alternative, particularly where it concerns free speech, might also feel the need to rethink this in light of an announcement made on August 10 by Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care (FLCCC), a group of leading critical care doctors who formed an alliance.
By Reclaim the Net
Youtube
YouTube suspends Senator Rand Paul after “they can’t arrest all of us” video
US Senator Rand Paul has received a week-long suspension on YouTube, as another of his videos posted on Google’s platform got censored and removed.
By Didi Rankovic, Reclaim the Net
Bournbrook podcast censored
The latest episode of the Bournbrook Podcast The Week in Review, which touches on the vaccination of children against Covid, has been censored by YouTube
By Michael Curzon
Vaccine Passports
French Resistance: Only half of Paris cafés and restaurants are demanding draconian vaccine passports
Despite facing prison, restaurant owners are fighting back. Violating café or bar owners will receive a warning, followed by a seven-day closure notice if they repeat the offense. An additional two infractions could lead to a year of prison.
By Ken Macon, Reclaim the Net
Macron’s authoritarianism will almost certainly backfire
The French have a long history of vaccine hesitancy. But instead of reassuring the public, the Government has reached for the iron fist
By Fraser Myers, Telegraph
Macron defied: Small French town leads charge refusing to implement ‘grotesque’ scheme
A small French town is fighting back against Emmanuel Macron’s “grotesque” vaccine passport scheme
The Express
Vaccines
Kenyan civil servants warned of disciplinary action if they have not had the Covid jab by late August
The Kenyan government has ordered all civil servants to get a Covid vaccine dose by late August or face disciplinary action, as the country weighs up introducing a coronavirus cert or health passport.
By RT
CDC tells pregnant women to get Covid-19 vaccine in updated guidance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday that pregnant women should be vaccinated for Covid-19, claiming there is no proof of increased risk of miscarriage.
By RT
ALL California teachers face Covid vaccine mandate or regular testing, Newsom announces
California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a Covid-19 vaccine mandate or weekly testing for teachers and school staff, saying it is “the right thing to do” and making his state the first to pass such a requirement.
By RT
U.K. orders extra Covid vaccines for autumn 2022 booster campaign
Pfizer has been asked to supply 35 million more Covid vaccine doses, with the final go-ahead for this year’s programme still awaited
The Guardian
EU drugs regulator investigating possible new adverse effects from Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said it is investigating three new possible side effects that may be linked to mRNA Covid vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna, after reports of allergic skin reactions and kidney disorders.
By RT
Anti-vaxxer German nurse ‘injected up to 8,600 with saline solution
Thousands of people who received their first jab at a vaccination centre in Friesland, Germany, have been told to get another shot of the Covid vaccine after it was realised that their first were fakes
By MailOnline
The problems posed by booster shots
While the desire of individual countries to protect their own citizens is understandable, it does pose a problem
By James Forsyth, The Spectator
Workers are being experimented on with mandatory jabs, say U.S. medics
The ethical commitment to protect others does not require workers to surrender their bodily integrity and self-determination and accept ‘the’ intervention dictated by a governmental or quasi-governmental authority
TCW Defending Liberty
Vaccine Mandates Are Lawful, Effective and Based on Rock-Solid Science
Clear legal pathways exist to move the U.S. closer to herd immunity
By Lawrence O. Gostin, Scientific America
PROMO
"Make Bullying Great Again"
Why Bullies Are So Anti-Progressive
With Matt and Liberal Steve
Lockdowns
Lockdowns to control Covid no longer justified, SAGE adviser says
Professor Andrew Hayward, of University College London, says population-wide measures shouldn’t be used “as we move into a situation where we’re coming to live with this virus forever”
By MailOnline
5 million Australians in Melbourne to be kept under lockdown as measures extended another week
Australian authorities have announced Melbourne’s lockdown will be extended by another week, with its 5 million people subject to the longer restrictions after 20 new Covid-19 cases were recorded.
By RT
Australia is paralysed by fear
The land of Crocodile Dundee wants to hide under the blanket forever.
By Nick Carter, Spiked
Covid Cases
Cap Cost of Covid Tests at £40, Government Told by Tory MPs
Senior Conservatives call on Health Secretary to take immediate action to end "rip-off" prices of PCR tests
By Charles Hymas
Public Health Scotland Admits That the Majority of People Hospitalised and Testing Positive for Covid Are Vaccinated
The latest Covid report from Public Health Scotland has gone back to adding data normally after last week where a backlog was added without any kind of helpful differentiation between the normal data and the one-off additions. This means we can resume our effort to get a rough estimate of how well the vaccines are preventing death.
By Will Jones
CDC adjusts Florida’s Covid numbers after accusations of overcounting
The CDC has revised Covid figures from the state of Florida after the Sunshine State’s Department of Health accused the federal agency of overcounting cases over the weekend
By MailOnline
Masks
Oklahoma school board member says maskless children will COMMIT MURDER, in push for school mask mandate
It’s a matter of life and death for children returning to school to wear masks, an Oklahoma public school board member said, suggesting that maskless kids who aren’t eligible for vaccination will be killing their vulnerable peers.
By RT
War on Carbon!
It’s Grim
The latest UN report is clear: Climate change is here, it’s a crisis, and it’s caused by fossil fuels.
By Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic
Wave Power Charges Ahead with Static Electricity Generators
An ocean-powered buoy brings technology closer to the dream of obtaining energy from the sea
By Maddie Bender, Scientific America
Will Brits pay through the nose for green boilers?
Given our incredible progress, a big bang approach to climate change is unnecessary and, if he’s not careful, it could end up costing Boris his job
Dan Wootton, MailOnline
Keeping a diesel is greener than buying a new electric car
We should hold on to old cars until we have a better way of generating green energy than burning trees
Ross Clark, Telegraph
Switzerland rejects campaign to ban fossil fuels, claiming it’s on course to hit 2050 net zero emissions target
The Swiss government has dismissed calls from the Glacier Initiative referendum drive to ban fossil fuels, saying the country is on course to meet its pre-established target of hitting net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
By RT
Climate Change Is Already Disrupting the Military. It Will Get Worse, Officials Say
Even as wildfires drain National Guard resources, the Pentagon is racing to develop computer models that can better guide decisions about sustainability efforts.
By Patrick Tucker, Defense One
Extinction Rebellion's infantile plan to cause chaos in London will only put off those it supposedly wants to attract to its cause
With Greece literally on fire and a climate change report sounding the alarm, Extinction Rebellion protesters are choosing to smash windows and cause mayhem for commuters in London rather than doing anything approaching useful.
By RT
SPACE
Scientist Says Astronauts Should Take Psychedelic Mushrooms in Space
In the future, when space agencies start to send human crews deep into space to explore or terraform distant worlds, we may need to send them off with extra goodies to keep morale high.
By Kelvin Dafiaghor, Lifeboat
Veterans and Video Games
Supportive Video Game Communities Can Help Veterans Transition to Civilian Life
For an increasing number of veterans retiring from the service, their shared interest in video games can become the basis for that community.
By John Breeden II, Next Gov
Drug Abuse
How DHS and a National Lab Aim to Advance First Responders’ Drug Detection
As opioid abuse rises, government officials are engaging with states and industry to improve tech used to spot narcotics.
By Brandi Vincent, Next Gov
Canada-US-China
‘Immediately and unconditionally’: Washington demands China release Canadian sentenced to 11 years in prison for spying
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has demanded Canadian businessman Michael Spavor, arrested in China for alleged spying, be released “immediately and unconditionally” after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Wednesday.
By RT
Brazil
Bolsonaro fails in bid to change voting system & mandate paper ballots in Brazil’s elections
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro suffered a defeat in Congress, failing to change the country’s electronic voting system to one with a paper ballot. The leader has claimed the current system can be manipulated.
By RT
Japan
Japan Developing Drone-Based Hypersonic Missile Detection: Report
Japan is developing a drone-based hypersonic missile detection system, local media reported citing the country’s ministry of defense.
By Inder Singh Bisht, Defense Post
China-Iran-Israel
Chinese hackers disguised themselves as Iran to target Israel
But they left a few clues that gave them away.
MIT Technology Reviews
Critical Race Theory
American Express CRT-style ‘diversity training’ tells employees capitalism is based on ‘systemic racism’ – reports
A racial sensitivity seminar held by American Express reportedly told employees that capitalism is predicated on exploitation and “systemic racism,” while white workers were urged to acknowledge their “unconscious” bigotry.
By RT
Assault on Christian Preacher
The assault on Christian street preachers
They have become a target of both speech-policing cops and violent extremists.
By Hardee’s Singh, Spiked