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From Racket News: Blame Canada? Justin Trudeau Creates Blueprint For Dystopia In Horrific Speech Bill. Life sentences for speech? Pre-crime detention? Ex post facto law? Anonymous accusers? It's all in Justin Trudeau's "Online Harms Bill," a true "threat to democracy". From the Post Millennial: Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson blast Trudeau for proposed 'Orwellian' law targeting free speech of Canadians. "It's the most Orwellian piece of legislation ever promoted in the West," Peterson wrote of Bill C-63.

I cannot tell you how frightening the hate speech bill now in Parliament is. It means everyone...including me...should just shut the f*** up until the dust clears and the horizon can be seen. Very bad things are coming, I'm afraid, and they are coming for the best of us, not the worst. For the ones who care about freedom and truth. I've been actively fighting for freedom (with mixed results) since I was 15 years old. People will say I am a coward for not standing up and howling with outrage, but I want a few years just to myself. I've tried to find a balance between protesting injustice and being at peace with myself despite dangerous times. This is one of the main reasons the newsfeed has been down.

But, the truth is, I miss it...so here I am, giving the newsfeed another try despite the fact that it might land me in legal trouble. No, I am not being paranoid. They *are* out to get people, and I know someone who just landed in jail. Like Lily Tomlin once said, "However cynical I get, it is never enough to keep up." Only swap in the word "paranoid."

Anyway...I'm giving the newsfeed another try.

From Real Clear Wire: Antarctic and Arctic Security Threats Are Converging

U.S. Pro-Palestine Protests. From NBC News: Seinfeld Speaks at Duke Commencement, Leading to Walkout. Comedian has voiced support for Israel. From the New York Post: Pro-Hamas “Queers for Palestine” Agitators Block Exit to Disney World – But One Angry Dad Wasn’t Having It. [Ed: yep, not from the Onion.]

From You Tube: Kind Couple Adopts Blind Dog Who Was The Last Animal Left At Shelter.

Palestine-Israel. From the Associated Press: Israeli Troops Push Farther Into Rafah Despite Outcry. Blinken delivers harsher criticism of Gaza offensive. [Ed: Biden is in a no-win situation that he has created for himself.] From Twitter: Senator Lindsey Graham just suggested nuking Gaza on national TV. From the Jerusalem Post: UN seemingly halves estimate of Gazan women, children killed. [Ed: no. The media is choosing to report the #s of those who were killed AND identified, not the total killed.] From Moon of Alabama: Ukraine SitRep: The 'Sanitary Zone' On The Northern Border With Russia

From the Organic Prepper: The 3 Layers of Financial Preparedness.

Cryptocurrency. From Bomb Thrower: The Davos Class Is Desperate. [Ed: both good and bad news. Good because crypto is having an impact. Bad because there will be terrible push back.] From QTR's Fringe Finance: "Treasuries Backed By Gold & Bitcoin" - RFK Jr. [Ed interesting interview.]

From FOX News: Iranian lawmaker declares Tehran obtained nuclear bombs. Biden faces criticism for failing to impose pressure campaign on Iran as it races toward nuclear weapon

Bankrupt California? From Zero Hedge: Newsom Forced To Slash California Budget, Blames Crippling Deficit On "Rain Bombs" And Tax Shortfalls. Fresh out of unicorn farts? AND Seattle Could Shutter 20 Elementary Schools Due To Budget Constraints. When your city pisses away all of your tax revenue on trying to feed, shelter and coddle activists and homeless people?

From Politico.EU: Von der Leyen opens the door to Europe’s hard right. In POLITICO election debate, Commission president gambles on an offer for Giorgia Meloni’s allies. AND Von der Leyen slammed for ‘huge’ climate mistakes. Teresa Ribera, a front-runner to become the EU’s next Green Deal commissioner, lashed out at her potential future boss in an interview with POLITICO. [Ed: alleged mistakes=working with the right and easing off green agenda.]

From Mish Talk: Shocking Headline Of The Day: Germany To Re-Introduce Slavery. Young Germans will have to choose between the Bundeswehr (military service) and unpaid social service work. Libertarians to a person, will call this slavery, because that is what it is...[Ed: way to manage welfare programs, like old age care, that are bankrupt.]

From Daily Paws: NYC Rescue Saves Endangered Dogs from South Korea, Gets Awkwafina's Help. Since being founded in 2017, Korean K9 Rescue has rescued more than 1,200 dogs each year.

From People: Tuxedo-Clad Golden Retriever Named Pancakes Nails His Job as Couple's Wedding Ring Bearer — See the Video! The canine ran down the aisle with the couple's rings attached to a ribbon tied around his neck

From Yahoo finance: Reddit to Release New Products Aimed at Site’s ‘User Economy’ [Ed: the slashdot heading for this item is "Reddit Grows, Seeks More AI Deals, Plans 'Award' Shops, and Gets Sued."]

From Yahoo News: Greta Thunberg among 1,000s protesting against Israel competing in Eurovision. [Ed: dropping climate change to support Hamas?]

Ukraine. From Zero Hedge: Ukraine Warns Against Questioning Zelensky's Legitimacy Due To Wartime Suspension Of Elections. Zelensky meanwhile tells nation not to 'panic' as Russia's major Kharkiv offensive gains ground... [Ed: and no one notices that he's declared himself dictator.] From Politico.EU: Putin replaces Russian defense and security chiefs. Sergei Shoigu and Nikolai Patrushev have been among the most prominent figures in the Kremlin’s war machine.

From Politico.EU: Catalan election results: Spain’s Socialist Party comes first after fall in separatist vote, Pro-independence parties fall short of the 68 seats required to form a regional government in Catalonia for the first time in over a decade.

Covid. From Spiked: The truth about Covid’s origins is finally coming out. Under questioning from Congress, two key figures have unwittingly strengthened the lab-leak theory.

From the Guardian: UK Toddler Has Hearing Restored In World First Gene Therapy Trial.

From Reason: Here Is Why a Federal Judge Rejected Hunter Biden's Second Amendment Challenge to His Gun Charges. Likening drug users to people who are "mentally ill and dangerous," the ruling says barring them from owning firearms is not unconstitutional on its face.

From the Dogington Post: ‘MAY We See Your Dog?’: East Hampton Public Library Is Forgiving Fees In Exchange For Dog Photos For The Month Of May

Congrats, Joe! I cannot think of anyone better to write this book. Southern Story and Song: Country Music in the 20th Century

From Uncover DC: Election 2024: How to Win Elections With Open Borders. [Ed: mail-in voting should be eliminated except for illness or infirmity.]

From Public Substack: Desperation Behind European Politicians’ Latest Russiagate Hoax. The success of right-wing German political party AfD led European politicians to abuse their powers, perhaps illegally. [Ed: now they say "no evidence".]

Biden's Uncle Eaten by Cannibals. From Zero Hedge: Watch: Biden Falsely Claims That WWII Uncle Eaten By Cannibals, Twice, [Ed: this man is President of the U.S. I'm going to bed now.] From Jonathan Turley: No, The President’s Uncle Was Not Eaten by Cannibals . . . Seriously.

Everyday Finances. From the Federalist: How Bidenomics Shattered The American Dream Of Homeownership.

From Asia Times: Behold China’s consumer paradise. Economists may not see it yet in the numbers but for foodies, shoppers and travelers China is consumption heaven on earth

Israel-Iran. From Zero Hedge: Iran Says It Could Pursue Nuclear Weapons If Israel Threatens Atomic Sites. Would "reconsider" its nuclear policy... [Ed: and another step toward.]

Assange. From Craig Murray: The Farce of Diplomatic Assurances. From Sky News: Last month, the High Court in London said Assange would be able to bring a new appeal against extradition unless US lawyers provided certain guarantees. [Ed: the U.S. provided the assurances on Tuesday: no death penalty and protection of 1st Amendment rights. Yeah, sure...maybe the 1st one.]

From Politico: Senate leaders haggle over Mayorkas impeachment deal as trial begins. Senators are weighing an agreement that would grant a few hours of debate before a vote to shut down the trial, according to Sen. Thom Tillis. [Ed: passed in the House...let's see about the Senate. A much tougher climb.]

From iHeartdogs: Dog Vs. Tater Tot…AKA The Funniest Battle You’ve Ever Seen. [Ed: I suspect a set up. But this is fun.]

From CNN: Supreme Court hears arguments over obstruction law used against January 6 rioters.

Upcoming U.S. Election. From Zero Hedge: RFK Jr Won't Pursue Libertarian Nomination, Says Team Trump Asked Him To Be VP. [Ed: main reason politicians consider this is to take advantage of the LP's qualification in 50 states.]

From Mish Talk: Trump Media Group (DJT) Are the Shares Headed to Zero? [Ed: the goal of the Dems and the trials is to destroy Trump and eliminate a political opponent. 3rd world stuff.]

Cloud Seeding? From Arabian Business: UAE heavy rains, thunder, and more: Inside the NCM’s cloud seeding missions. From the Associated Press: Dubai Gets Year and a Half's Worth of Rain in 1 Day. United Arab Emirates is being lashed with 'unusual' weather. From NDTV: Explained: How UAE Creates Artificial Rain, Linked To Dubai Weather Chaos. From National News: Enough rumours, cloud seeding had nothing to do with UAE's three-day rain storm. [Ed: and for the contrary view.]

From the BBC: Russia to grow faster than all advanced economies says IMF. [Ed: doesn't this make Russia an advanced economy?]

Ukraine. From Naked Capitalism: Lenin Revised— Russian Military Power Means De-Electrification And Unconditional Surrender Of The Kiev Regime. [Ed: by John Helmer of the Dances with Bears site.]

From Newser: Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Gets Maximum Sentence. 'You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon,' judge tells 'Rust' armorer.

From Good News Network: Man Who Built Adorable Mouse Village to Cope With Depression Adds a Pub, Book Shop, and Hobbit Homes–LOOK.

From Business Insider: AI Job Cuts: Banks Reportedly Eye Cutting Analyst Classes by Two-Thirds Business Insider. [Ed: they said computers would put most of the population out of work. I think AI, when it shakes out, will create more jobs than it eliminates.]

From Epoch Bright: Newfoundland Dog Falls in Love With 94-Year-Old Grandma, Waits at Porch Everyday to Meet Her

From Real Clear Politics: A Generation Lost To Climate Anxiety. "...it has rendered reasonable debate on climate policy impossible..."

Iran-U.S. From Politico: Has Biden Considered Having an Iran Strategy? We can quibble on what counts as a strategy, but keeping a challenge off the president’s desk is not one. [Ed: this criticism from a left publication.] AND House passes host of bills targeting Iran after attack on Israel. There is no indication yet that the Senate will act on any of the measures. [Ed: great. Another slew of legislation passed in the heat of conflict.] From the Babylon Bee: Biden Retaliates Against Iran By Attaching Note To Pallet Of Cash That Says 'Please Do Not Use For Terrorism'

From Lovely Animal World: 50+ Of The Happiest Dog Memes That Will Keep You Laughing For Hours. [Ed: I usually don't like meme lists but these made me laugh.]

From NPR: To make sure grandmas like his don't get conned, he scams the scammers.

Iran-Israel. From Iranian Students' News Agency: Iran ready to respond with more decisive manner: Parliamentary official. [Ed: always useful to read the "other side".] From Anadolu Agency: Iran says if Israel attacks again, response will be ‘within seconds’. [Ed: unlike the last time when Iran signaled for several days in advance and the attack itself took about 5 hours to arrive in Israel. How will the iron dome and allied support hold up without such warning?]

Covid. From Nature: US COVID-origins hearing puts scientific journals in the hot seat. From Zero Hedge: "We Have 15,000 Samples In Wuhan ... Could Do Full Genomes Of 700 CoVs": Rand Paul Drops COVID Bombshell. "Daszak lies even when the facts are in full view and the lies are obvious..." [Ed: as far as I can see, Fauci is either a mass murderer or complicit in mass murder.]


Israel. From Haaretz: Saying What Can't Be Said: Israel Has Been Defeated – a Total Defeat. The war's aims won't be achieved, the hostages won't be returned through military pressure, security won't be restored and Israel's international ostracism won't end. [Ed: sounds right.]

From Twitter/X: Still the BEST sports commentary of all-time. [Ed: dogs, of course.]

From Consortium News: US Issues Assurances on Assange.UPDATED: The United States on Tuesday met the deadline with assurances on the death penalty and the 1st Amendment, the latter of which Stella Assange called a “non-assurance.”

AI. From Politico.EU: Spot the deepfake: The AI tools undermining our own eyes and ears. Affordable and accessible generative AI tools have led to a rise in false video, images and audio on social media. Can you spot the difference? [Ed: given that I don't believe anything the real politicians say, the deep fakes are not so much a problem for me. But this is an interesting exercise.] AND How people view AI, disinformation and elections — in charts. Polls worldwide show an apprehension toward the emerging tech — and gaps in understanding how it works and its impact on election-related falsehoods. From Reuters: Baidu Says AI Chatbot 'Ernie Bot' Has Attracted 200 Million Users. [Ed: apparently someone trusts AI enough to use it.]

From the Bored Panda: Molly The Magpie Reunites With Family After Forcibly Being Taken Away From Home. [Ed: wonderful. the bird is best buds with dogs Peggy and Ruby.]

From Newser: Johnson's 'Gigantic Gamble:' 4 Different Votes This Week. Speaker plans separate bills on Ukraine and Israel, all while trying to keep his job. [Ed: I think he is toast but I've been wrong before.]

From Eugyppius: Transport Minister Threatens Germans With "Indefinite Weekend Driving Ban" To Meet Mandated Emissions Targets. [Ed: and the insanity continues.]

Upcoming U.S. Elections. From Just the News: Green Bay broke same-day voter registration rules, allowed illegal votes, election group alleges. "Same-day voter registration allows people to cast votes with verification of their eligibility after an election. This post-verification system makes same-day registration vulnerable to being used to cast fraudulent votes," said Lauren Bowman Bis. From Zero Hedge: : Shadowy Mayorkas-Linked NGO In Mexico Tells Border Invaders To "Vote Biden".

From Spiked: The heroes of Westfield Sydney. Those who took on the knifeman are the best of humanity. [Ed: a good reminder.]

From Krebs on Security: Crickets from Chirp Systems in Smart Lock Key Leak.

From Good News Network: In World First, Scientists Share What Was Almost Certainly a Conversation with a Humpback Whale.

American Cities. From Law Enforcement Today: 'Sanctuary city' Denver takes funding from police and fire, announces its $89.9M budget for illegal immigrants flooding their streets. 'Sanctuary city' Denver takes funding from police and fire, announces its $89.9M budget for illegal immigrants flooding their streets.From Benzinga: Crime-Ridden San Francisco Seeks To Allow Lawsuits Against Grocery Stores Fleeing The City As Mass Corporate Exodus Continues. [Ed: this will only ensure that no new grocery stores will open.]

From Politico.EU: Brussels police move to shut down Farage and Orbán’s right-wing jamboree. “Tinpot dictatorship” fumed one of the National Conservatism Conference organizers. [Ed: expect more crack-downs on the far-right or even moderate right. They are threatened the Powers That Be in the EU.]

Israel-Iran-U.S., From Zero Hedge: Israel Says Readying 'Imminent' Attack On Iran As Airlines Cancel Flights To Region. Israeli media: War cabinet decides to hit Iran back hard... [Ed: Iran says it will respond hard. Dammit.] From antiwar: Biden’s Irresponsible War Doctrine Led to Iran’s Attack on Israel. From Gilbert Doctorow: What you need to know about the Iranian attack on Israel but will not find in your mainstream news provider. [Ed: a must read.] From Dances with Bears: Loose Lips Don't Sink Ships. [Ed: another must read.] From Mondoweiss: ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 192: European countries urge Israel not to respond to Iran attack; Israeli army targets Gazans returning north.

From Pawbuzz: Dad Notices His Pup Struggling At The End Of The Driveway. And Then He Sees It.

From Yahoo Finance: "Returning To Petrol": Volkswagen EV Sales Plunge 25% In Europe. Demand for electric vehicles has dipped as governments in Europe reduce subsidies and soften ambitious goals to phase out petrol and diesel cars. [Ed: if they were going to catch on, they wouldn't need taxpayer funding.]

From Zero Hedge: US Says Over 90 Missiles & Drones Were Launched From Yemen In Past 48 Hours. Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile at one point directly targeted US Navy ships... [Ed: is the oh-so-dreaded regional war already being waged? I say "oh-so-dreaded" with bitterness because some elites are itching for one.]

Big Picture Economics. From Zero Hedge: US Housing Starts Collapsed In March - Biggest Drop Since COVID Lockdowns. ...led by a collapse in rental property construction. AND Bank of America Reports Solid Earnings But CRE Losses Unexpectedly Surge. Banks are starting to finally pass massive CRE/office losses through the Income statement. How ugly is it about to get? [Ed: CRE=commercial real estate.] From the Libertarian Institute: Embracing Deflation.

From Lovely animals World: Every Time His Owner Says “Hello”, This Dog On The Left Does Something Incredible. Wow!

From Zero Hedge: Instead Of Introspection, NPR Suspends Veteran Journalist Who Called Out Partisan Trainwreck. 25 years... [Ed: that's how long he worked at NPR.]

J6. From the Epoch Times: Star Jan. 6 Witness Changed 47 Answers After Testifying: Document. [Ed: this is a witness for the gov., not for the J6 prisoners or Trump. Pretty significant changes, as well.] AND Supreme Court Justices Seem Skeptical of Jan. 6 Obstruction Charge Used in Trump Case.

From Zero Hedge: Brink Of Unrest? Migrants "Flood" NYC City Hall In Protest Of Losing Luxury Hotel Rooms. This is insane! [Ed: close to open rebellion. Hell, it is open rebellion in the streets.] From the New York Post: Over 1,000 African migrants swarm NYC’s City Hall over supposed falsely promised green cards. [Ed: both reasons could be true.]

From Oil Price: This is The Death Knell For Iraqi Kurdistan’s Independence

From 7 San Diego: US Navy Finds Puppy Thought to Be Lost at Sea. Luna, a German Shepherd, went missing at sea on Feb. 10 and was presumed dead for nearly five weeks

Baltasar Gracian's Aphorism #291: Know How to Test

The care of the wise must guard against the snare of the wicked. Great judgment is needed to test another person. It is more important to know the characteristics and properties of persons than those of vegetables and minerals. It is indeed one of the shrewdest things in life. You can tell metals by their ring and men by their voice. Words show integrity, but deeds are more certain indicators. Here one requires extraordinary care, deep observation, subtle discernment, and judicious decision.

My interpretation: it is crucial to know how to listen and how to watch. When I am trying to figure a person out, I always listen to whether or not the tone of his voice matches his words. I remember one of my first meetings with a fellow who I grew to dislike immensely. He was describing how a young man and father who was his neighbor had just dropped dead of a heart attack; his tone was light as though the story had a punchline joke to it. I made a point of listening to him more closely after that and quickly decided to believe his tone and not his words. I always watch a person's body language as well to see whether it matches his words and/or tone of voice. There are some easy give-aways in terms of insincerity.--when a person is melodramatic in his term or gestures, for example, a warning bell should ring. My purpose in being so attentive is to find out whether the person "adds up" in how he is presenting himself. Caveat: some people are nervous sorts or socially awkward and these qualities can come out in behavior that should not be confused with insincerity. At least, not an insincerity that is meant to deceive. The behavior might well be defensive or meant to please others.

It happens rarely but it does happen; sometimes a person's words are contradicted by his tone of voice, which are both contradicted by his body language. The most egregious case of this was a man (J.) who confused the heck out of me at first. I persisted in trying to understand him because libertarian events threw us together more often than I would have chosen. I never did succeed but we both moved away and contact between us ceased. This solution was as good or better than my understanding anything about him.