There’s a war against happiness. Climate alarmists bury good news and exaggerate bad news. They have made up their minds to be miserable and they’re determined to take the rest of us down with them.
For example, have you heard that over the past 30 years there has been a 14 percent increase in the Earth’s green vegetation? Deserts are getting smaller and forests are getting lusher. That gain even has a name: “Earth Greening.” Not surprisingly, 70 percent of it stems from the increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere! Zaichun Zhu, one of the scientists who measured the greening, says it’s equivalent to adding a new continent of green vegetation twice the size of the mainland United States.
The benefits of the increased vegetation are widespread: “It means more food for insects and deer, for elephants and mice, for fish and whales. It means higher yields for farmers; the effect has probably added about $3 trillion to farm incomes over the past 30 years, so less land is needed to feed the human population and more can be spared for wildlife instead.” We’ve given a raise to all commercial farmers around the world. Increased supply eventually results in reduced prices.
The connection between increased carbon dioxide and increased plant growth is a perfect example of “negative feedback” in that the added vegetation from Earth Greening takes CO2 out of the atmosphere. A physicist friend of mine reminds his students, “We live in a negative-feedback world. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be here.”
Nevertheless, every single catastrophic climate prediction idiotically assumes a world of positive feedbacks, a world of runaway changes. The renowned physicist and climatologist Richard Lindzen says he knows of not a single large-scale positive feedback in the physical world or the biosphere. Insofar as that’s true, it annihilates the entire argument of the climate catastrophists.
There are billions of examples of negative feedback in the physical and biological worlds, yet positive feedback is what climate catastrophists stake their predictions and reputations on. If you know of an example of a large-scale long-term runaway change, what is it?
Ironically, negative feedback is doing its own “carbon capture” and “sequestration” thousands of times more effectively than humans do deliberately. And it’s doing so without massive subsidies or carbon taxes.
Changes occur everywhere, constantly, but changes never continue in the same direction indefinitely. That’s kind of interesting if you think about it. Why can’t any given species grow until it covers the globe? Answer: negative feedback.
Some other good news you may not know about if you rely on the media and catastrophists is that snow cover in the northern hemisphere is now at a 56-year high (for this time of year). The population of polar bears is increasing and is currently estimated to be over 30,000. You won’t learn that from Al Gore.
We are currently ten years into a “global-warming hiatus.” The climate-change cultists are falling all over one another trying to explain why that pause means absolutely nothing about long-term warming. That they have so many excuses shows the Earth’s climate is extremely complex and impossible to effectively model or predict. There’s no way they can know how long the hiatus will last. Their list of excuses does not include Earth Greening. That would require saying something nice about CO2.
Unlike the Earth’s climate, Earth Greening was an easily predictable outcome of the CO2 increase. Life itself is carbon based. Commercial greenhouses pump in additional CO2 to stimulate plant growth.
The alarmists’ hysterical hostility toward carbon dioxide shows their ignorance and tunnel vision. They are willfully blind to anything beneficial deriving from CO2, a compound essential to life itself. When someone doesn’t tell the whole truth, he’s lying.
If you are a consumer today, inflation is only one of the problems harming you. As prices go up, quality continues to go down. What most stores have to offer you might crassly be called “cheap crap.” In fact, economic writer Charles Hugh Smithhas repeatedly warned that the “crapification” of the U.S. economy is the natural result of a “neoliberal-hyper-financialization-hyper-globalization model,” in which quasi-monopolist manufacturers mass-produce goods with the cheapest possible components, while customers with scant other buying options are forced to accept that few purchases will last.
“Planned obsolescence,” combined with a free market “in name only,” creates a rigged system in which downstream consumers are forced to pay more over time, while owning little that will maintain value for long. Appliances that used to work for decades now barely make it through legally required warranty periods. Metal tools that could be passed from one generation to the next now tend to rust before they can be used on more than a handful of jobs. When expensive electronic devices survive more than two years, cash-strapped households breathe a sigh of relief. Just about anybody who is old enough to remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks can tell a story about some product that was so much cheaper, yet so much more reliable, when it was purchased long ago.
Likewise, customer service is more pitiful than it has ever been. Try to speak with a real human on the phone. It is nearly impossible. Automated assistance has eliminated personal interaction from most buying experiences. Gas stations, fast-food restaurants, and convenience stores have replaced human cashiers with camera-equipped machines designed for self-service. Even a visit to a grocery or home goods store now routinely requires the use of a self-checkout kiosk when making a purchases. It has become entirely normal to witness people struggling through the routine of lifting everything out of their shopping carts, scanning each item, and placing the load into bags, before throwing everything back onto carts, paying, and shuffling away. It is somewhat perplexing to consider that not so long ago, helpful, smiling employees worked hard to take care of all those services as part of the ordinary relationship maintained between a business and its customers.
Cutting out the cost of extra employees whose hourly wages have been pushed higher and higher by minimum wage laws that try to keep workers aligned with the rising cost of everything might help prevent already inflated prices from rising even further, but it is difficult to watch shoppers performing jobs once done by paid workers without concluding that “progress” has taken the market experience to a place that feels closer to “regress.”
Politicians seem to be heading in a similar direction. Politics, as a profession, has always been known to attract at least as many ambitious “empty suits” as it does leaders of substance. Still, the great writers, orators, and thinkers that occasionally rose to political prominence in the past seem to have left the stage for good.
Winston Churchill not only led the United Kingdom to victory during WWII but also won the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.”
Daniel Patrick Moynihan not only represented New York as a U.S. Senator but also drew on his own sociological expertise while serving in the Labor Department to produce a thorough report on the endemic causes of, and potential remedies for, systemic poverty in America.
President Abraham Lincoln not only was instrumental in preserving the Union but also a dedicated student all his life; he kept the works of William Shakespeare on his White House desk.
In contrast, few deep thinkers rise to high office today. There are no great statesmen whom the broader public see as towering above the herd of self-centered and cynical political lemmings. Few professional politicians, especially those in the United States, are even capable of speaking extemporaneously before an audience for any stretch of time. Too many rely on the assistance of teleprompters or similar devices to provide an exact script for every publicly spoken utterance, no matter how trivial or informal — suggesting that either they or their staffs cannot trust just what might otherwise escape their lips.
Rather than pursuing political office after having accomplished great things in other fields, the vast majority of today’s officeholders choose politics as a vocation for life. The end result is that Western governments are filled to the brim with people entirely lacking in real-world experience or specialized knowledge.
In recent decades, a noticeable trend in the West has been to elevate politicians, as young and inexperienced as possible, into offices as high as possible.
Many of the most famous politicians today no sooner secure a single election victory than their colleagues began pushing them into government roles at the top of the political hierarchy. Former U.S. President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and her successor Chris Hipkins all ascended to the zeniths of national power exceptionally early in their careers.
Looking around at the legislators, presidents, and prime ministers today who are leading Western nations on the world stage, you could be forgiven for extrapolating that the quickest path to political power is to accomplish little in the real world, while scrambling up the political pyramid before there is time to make or learn from mistakes. Such a system — in which those who have proven themselves the least are given responsibilities that would test even those who have proven themselves time and again — hardly looks ideal.
On the flip side is someone such as U.S. President Joe Biden, the oldest to have ever held the office. Whereas Biden’s near half-century in national elected office has surely afforded him the chance to make and remedy many mistakes, he is now so “seasoned” that few weeks go by when some publication does not question either his mental competency, ability to keep up with the rigors of such a demanding job, or the wear and tear on the “influence” possibly peddled.
Two stories, embodying the “crapification” of products, recently emerged, concerning the authenticity of a presidential speech. In the first, a fake videocreated through the use of artificial intelligence showed Biden announcing the implementation of the Selective Service Act and the imminent drafting of young Americans born on a certain date into military service. Amid heightening tensions with Russia and China, many Americans who came across the video mistakenly assumed that the United States had officially gone to war.
In the other video, Biden’s quite real but somewhat confusing and meandering storytelling during a speech about health care was mistakenly labeled as “doctored” or “fake” by enough viewers that Twitter actually added a certification label attesting, “This is in fact unedited legitimate footage from a Joe Biden speech which took place on 2/28/23.” Clearly, in a world where fake videos have become remarkably easy to construct, everyone’s credibility and reputation are now at risk.
Chintzy products and tinpot politicians are nothing new. Whether spending money or casting votes, the same caveat emptor principle applies: Let the buyer beware. Still, it is worth considering whether the political and economic knockoffs flooding Western markets today have something in common.
A Nigerian proverb warns against small singing birds with loud voices, because they almost always have much stronger protectors hidden behind thicker leaves. What today’s Western political leaders might lack in lengthy experience or trustworthy rhetoric, they certainly make up with bombastic pronouncement.
Ever since the dawn of COVID, “Build Back Better” has been repeated by “young global leaders” flocking to Klaus Schwab’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. When Schwab and his WEF companions turned COVID tragedy into an opportunity for unleashing a “Great Reset” that would transform global markets, governance and power, nearly every Western political leader agreed. The synchronicity is enough to make you wonder whether it is your nation or the World Economic Forum that actually leads. Perhaps as the Nigerian proverb warns, today’s Western political leaders chirp about “Build Back Better” so loudly because Klaus Schwab’s financial predators stand directly behind them in the bush.
If so, then the West has become an oligarchy of financial “elites,” no matter how many times its political leaders extol the virtues of “democracy.” A financial oligarchy over political power is like a manufacturing monopoly over economic power: In both markets, goods are mass-produced with the cheapest possible components. The end result is that things break easily, and systems do not last. If Western politicians seem just as second-rate these days as what customers all too often find in stores, there may be a simple reason why: International financial titans make, sell, and own both… and may be planning to own you, too.
A nationwide search has been launched for Kazakh migrant Yevgeni A. after he allegedly stabbed a man to death at a fair in Münster in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The police have released a mugshot of the 21-year-old Kazakh citizen and have urged citizens to come forward with any information about his whereabouts.
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The victim, a 31-year-old father of four, became involved in an argument with the suspect on Saturday evening at the “Send” festival near a carousel. During the argument, Yevgeni A. is said to have suddenly stabbed the father in front of his child and fiancée.
According to media reports, Yevgeni A. was filmed during the stabbing attack. After police reviewed the footage, they were also able to identify his 24-year-old brother, who is also wanted by police. Although his brother has not yet been charged with any crime, he is considered a witness to the attack and may be helping his brother evade authorities.
Yevgeni A. has a record of violent and sexual offenses and was already on probation when the attack occurred.
Police searched the 21-year-old’s apartment on Monday evening; despite an arrest warrant, the police have not yet found the suspect. According to Bild, investigators believe the Kazakh national may have fled to the Netherlands with his brother.
“Our intensive investigation has led us to witnesses, and the meticulous investigation of the crime scene has us on the trail of the 21-year-old,” said chief inspector Frank Schneemann, who heads a homicide unit, on Tuesday.
The victim’s child is receiving psychological treatment after seeing their father stabbed to death.
Foreigners account for a huge share of violent crime in Germany, including knife attacks. As Remix News previously reported in 2021, a study from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) shows that serious crimes committed by migrants involving murder or attempted murder are on the rise. The study was released shortly after a Somali asylum seeker stabbed three women to death in a suspected terrorist attack in the German city of Würzburg.
Germany suffers from at least 50 knife attacks a day, which amounts to around 20,000 every year. Nearly 40 percent of these attacks are perpetrated by foreign nationals.
Based on a new electoral reform act being pushed by Germany’s left-wing Social Democrats (SPD), the two biggest opposition parties in Germany, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Alternative for Germany (AfD), may be disqualified from even running their candidates for office.
Germany’s Bundestag president is calling for a radical “woke” electoral reform act that would require 50 percent of party list candidates to be female. In Germany’s election system, voters vote for a party, but the party chooses the candidates in a list format. For parties like the CDU/CSU, this list currently includes 141 men and 46 women, while for the AfD, it includes 72 men and 11 women.
The new reform would be a major hit against conservatives, who tend to field more male candidates. The reform could also dramatically reshape elections by simply disqualifying conservative parties from even running, or at the very least, make it difficult for them to field candidates.
Germany has just concluded changing its election law to reduce the number of MPs and also change its system of entering parliament based on “direct mandates.” Previously, parties that received three direct mandates could enter parliament even if they scored below 5 percent. Now, the law, for example, is set to disadvantage a number of parties, including the anti-establishment Left Party, as well as the Christian Socialist Union (CSU), which performs well in Bavaria but has no real presence elsewhere in the country.
Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD), who is pushing for the new “woke” election reform, also wants to lower the voting age to 16.
She says it is her wish “to put together a package on voting rights in this election period,” she told Deutschlandfunk. She is also calling for “an extension of the legislative period from four to five years.”
Essentially, that would allow parties to hold power for five years instead of the current four years, making elections less frequent and giving Germans fewer opportunities to vote out governments.
Bas hopes “that we will also reach a decision on this by the end of the legislative period.” The dispute, however, “will still be complicated,” she said. Furthermore, as Remix News previously reported, similar female quotas had been struck down as unconstitutional by courts in Brandenburg and Thuringia following complaints from the AfD party.
It should be noted that Bas’ party, the SPD, had pledged a government cabinet of 50 percent women and 50 percent men. However, the country’s former defense minister, Christine Lambrecht, proved to be hugely unpopular in the country, which resulted in Chancellor Olaf Scholz, also from the SPD, replacing her with Boris Pistorius. Although the move was sharply criticized by the left, Pistorius has proven to be far more popular up until now.
Match officials across the leagues have been asked to allow players to break their fast during evening matches over the holy period of Ramadan, Sky Sports News can exclusively reveal.
Many of the country’s best footballers including Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez and Chelsea’s Ngolo Kante, are expected to fast this month and will abstain from eating or drinking during daylight hours during an important period of self-reflection for Muslims.
They will need to break their fast once the sun has set – and this will affect a number of players taking part in evening matches across the divisions over the next month.
We're excited to announce that we are hosting an Open Iftar in partnership with the @RamadanTent Project! ☪️
We'll be the first PL club to ever host an Iftar at their stadium and we look forward to welcoming our local Muslim community.#GamesForEquality
Match officials have now been issued with guidance from refereeing bodies to allow for a natural pause in play and enable players to break their fast by taking on liquids or energy gels or supplements.
They have also been encouraged ahead of the kick-off to try and identify any players who may need to break their fast during the game, and where possible to agree a rough time for this to happen.
The Football Association and PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Ltd) have been contacted for comment.
Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community begins this year from Wednesday evening (March 22) until the evening of Friday April 21.
On that occasion, both clubs agreed pre-match with referee Graham Scott that there would be a pause in play to allow Wesley Fofana and Cheikhou Kouyate to break their Ramadan fast.
Vicente Guiata delayed taking a goal kick just after the half-hour mark to allow Fofana and Kouyate to take energy gels at the side of the pitch.
Fofana took to social media after the game, thanking Guiata, Palace and the Premier League for allowing him to break his fast, adding: “That’s what makes football wonderful.”
On Sunday (March 19) evening, pro-Khalistani elements barged into the Indian High Commission in London and removed the tricolour from the premises. Following the lapse in security from the local metropolitan police in London, India demanded strict action, and in response, they got a Bollywood dance from the police in front of the High Commission building.
A couple of days after the attack on the Indian High Commission, when the Khalistanis were given a free run in London to attack India and its flag, Metropolitan Police finally appeared outside the building. However, instead of providing any security, the police turned up to do a little dancing.
If the metropolitan police hadn’t done enough damage to its image and exhibited its non-serious attitude to work by remaining absent during the attack on Indian High Commission, they compounded it by pretending that a silly dance 2 days later makes up for everything.
Attack on Indian High Commission in London
On Sunday (March 19) evening, pro-Khalistani elements barged into the Indian High Commission in London and tried to remove the tricolour from the premises.
In the video that came to light, a mob of Khalistanis could be seen staging a protest outside the Indian High Commission. Amidst chants of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’, a man sporting an orange turban was seen scaling the walls of the building and pulling down the Indian flag.
He then waved the Khalistani flag jubilantly while Indian officials at the building seized the tricolour from the man. Some of the Khalistanis were also spotted holding a poster of ‘fugitive’ Amritpal Singh.
As per a report by CNN-News 18, the local police in London were alerted about the possibility of a Khalistani ambush at the Indian High Commission building but the authorities did not send a police team.
The pro-Khalistani elements, responsible for removing the Indian tricolour, are said to be students studying in local colleges.
“Bilingual road signs are a symbolic expression of social inclusion. They show that people identify with their district and diversity.” Thus Samy Charchira, councilor of the Greens in Düsseldorf (very German name), where for the first time in Germany road signs in Arabic have been inaugurated – you know, such as in Cairo, Baghdad or Damascus.
“For several generations, many people, families and traders of Moroccan and North African origin have lived in the district” and “have contributed to building” Germany. “For this they deserve respect, admiration and representation”, underlined the Greens. Morocco’s consul Lalla Loubna Ait-Bassidi also praised the decision: “I am grateful that integration is being expressed in a way that people from 20 Arab nations can read and understand.”
Multiculturalism is the end of nation state and Europe seems determined to go down that road all the way.
The parishes of Düsseldorf have decided that the traditional Christian autumn festival, that of Saint Martin which is celebrated on 11 November, be called the “festival of lights” so as not to offend migrants. Since 2020, four mosques in the city (out of a total of eight) invoke the muezzin’s prayer over loudspeakers. In the city of Düren, near Düsseldorf, the Turkish Fatih mosque calls to prayer three times a day, almost like in Islamic countries.
According to the FAZ, 18.9 million people, or 23 percent of the German population, have immigrated to the country since 1950 or are children of immigrants, said the German Federal Statistical Office. It is the first time they have analyzed the country’s population based on data on immigration and not only on citizenship, which is a more vague concept given that many immigrants – and especially the children of immigrants – have acquired German citizenship in recent years. The new figures presented date from 2021 and therefore do not include more than a million Ukrainians who came to Germany seeking refuge after Russia invaded their country.
Thilo Sarrazin, a Bundesbank member and longtime Social Democratic Party member, stunned the German establishment when he published a book in which he argued that Islamic immigration was undermining German society. “Deutschland schafft sich ab”, Germany destroys itself, the title. He said it would happen and instead of listening to him, he was denigrated and expelled by his own party.
