San Francisco Rents Crash Most On Record Amid Mass Exodus Tyler Durden
Fri, 10/02/2020 – 22:40
A new report confirms what we’ve been talking about since the early days (read: here) of the virus pandemic, that is, an exodus out of major cities.
According to real estate analytics company Zumper, the exodus, out of San Francisco has been so great, that the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment collapsed more than 20% in September from a year ago to $2,830. Month over month, September rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city fell by 7%.
Referring to the plunge in rent prices in San Francisco, Zumper said:
“Not only is this drop among the largest yearly decreases Zumper has ever recorded in our history of tracking rental prices, but it was also the first time the median 1-bed price in San Francisco was priced below $3000. These combined trends show just how drastically the market has changed in the nation’s most expensive city to rent.”
Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades, who was quoted by CNBC, said a flood of supply is hitting the market:
“Some renters may be inclined to move to the suburbs to get more space, as the Covid-19 pandemic spurred companies to close offices and allow employees to work from home. Facebook and Google, for example, have told employees they can work remotely at least through next summer,” Georgiades said.
The virus-induced downturn, resulting in the collapse of small businesses citywide, the decimation of low-income households, and high-unemployment, is forcing many folks across the metro area to downsize or move to less expensive areas. He said wildfires and hazardous air conditions were some other reasons for “tipping the balance about their medium-term location choices.”
Social unrest and the rise of violent crime have made many folks uncomfortable about raising a family in the dangerous metro area. Many are moving to rural communities of the Bay Area, from Marin County to Napa wine country and south to Monterey’s Carmel Valley.
Georgiades said it could take years for San Francisco real estate to heal from its pandemic wounds:
“Despite everything our data is showing, there are so many signals that it will recover, however contrarian this point may sound,” he said. “However, I think we’re talking years to fully recover, not months.”
The Chinese understand the long game and they have infinite patience. They have always known that they never needed to attack the US, financially or militarily.
Because China has invariably understood that the US would self-destruct.
POLITICS AND PRINCES DON’T MIX
The Duchess of Sussex who has dragged her poor husband, Prince Harry, into the US election has declared that this will be the most important election in history. She will most probably be right but for the wrong reason. Meghan Markle believes a Biden victory is the only way that the US can be saved, primarily because she can’t stand Trump (which is reciprocal). It probably doesn’t matter who wins the election when is comes to stopping the crash of the US economy and currency.
But what is guaranteed is that Biden’s policies will bankrupt America much faster than Trump’s. The profligate democrats will forgive trillions of debt, increase spending and reduce taxes for the masses.
The Chinese have waited patiently for this moment. They forecast the collapse of the “capitalist monetary system with the dollar as its prop” already half a century ago and how right they have been.
THE DAYS OF THE DOLLAR ARE COUNTED
A 98% fall in real terms – against gold – and a 78% fall against the Swiss franc tells the world that the days of the dollar are counted. So will we see the US bald eagle crash to the ground and a phoenix in the form of a new world currency emerge like in the 1988 Economist article?
Well, the dollar crash is guaranteed and a Biden victory will accelerate the move. But there is unlikely to be a new world currency in the near term. As the dollar falls and with it the US economy, China will gradually emerge as the next dominant economy and super power. But this will take time. Before that we will have chaos in the global financial system, economic collapse in many countries, political upheaval, riots, and wars.
BIDEN – A CATALYST FOR ACCELERATED US DECLINE
So is a Biden victory going to cause all this. No not solely. But just as the coronavirus sped up that fall of the US and world economy, Biden will be the catalyst for an accelerated decline of the US. Both events would have happened anyway but probably not as dramatically as with these two powerful catalysts – CV and Biden.
The coming US election will have bitter consequences for the US and the world whoever wins. It is likely to be aggressively fought not just before November 4th but more so after the result is declared. There will be a plethora of forums where the election result will be disputed and fought like in the courts, the media, the streets, in families and in politics of course.
CHURCHILL – WE SHALL FIGHT ON THE BEACHES
The fighting everywhere reminds me of Winston Churchill’s speech in parliament in June 1940 after the evacuation of Dunkirk:
“…… we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills;…”
Churchill’s speech was obviously to unify and prepare the nation for the major war effort ahead. But the consequence of the US election will be extremely divisive and damaging for the US whoever wins.
So 2021 is not just likely to be the start of a severe and long lasting economic downturn or collapse for the US but also an extended period of extreme political and social disharmony and discontent.
REMINISCING OVER BETTER TIMES
I have just entered my 52nd year of working life. But I can clearly remember life before that as a young boy in Sweden, back in the 1950s. This was a time when the family was the kernel of society and there was total respect for law and order. Mothers were at home and looked after the children. The wages of the father were sufficient to provide for the family. Very few people had debt and obviously there were no credit cards. Most things were paid for in cash. The police was unarmed and there was total respect for their authority. Sweden then was a very homogenous society with few immigrants. There was very little crime and virtually no violent crime. I remember visiting churches in the countryside and the doors were open and church silver would stand on shelves totally unprotected. Young children could move around freely without parental protection. Very few people went on holiday abroad or had cars or televisions. The economy was strong, based on real money with little debt. The quality of life was far superior to today. I am not talking about material things but people were much happier with less stress and strong respect for your fellow humans. There was integrity with strong moral and ethical values.
THE END OF AN ERA
I do realise that all of this could sound like a mature man nostalgically reminiscing and embellishing the past. There might be some truth in that criticism but I am quite convinced that the era we are now in is the end of a cycle when it comes to quality of life, values, crime, honesty, integrity. The current debt based economy with fake money and values is clearly creating a very unhappy society and many discontented people.
This is why the current cycle needs to soon come to an end. The world needs a proper forest fire which destroys the debt and all the bubble assets financed by printed money and worthless debt. The coming fall of the global debt edifice will be a relief for the world but it will obviously involve a long period of suffering. But only after this fall can the world start a new cycle with green shoots based on a sound monetary and financial system which is based on real values, both moral and material.
HALF A CENTURY OF DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THE WORLD
Coming back to my half a century of working life, there have also been some dramatic changes in the world. The table below shows what has happened to debt, dollar, GDP & stocks during my 51 years’ involvement with financial markets, between 1969 and 2020. US federal debt is up 75x and GDP is only up 20x. There is no clearer evidence that the US economy is running on empty and that more and more debt is required to produce an increase in GDP in nominal terms.
DEBT DEFAULT COMING
US debt to GDP has now reached 135% against 35% in 1969 and growing. These debt levels are unsustainable for future growth. With falling tax revenues and rising expenditure, there is zero chance that this debt will ever be reduced. And when interest rates go up, the US will not even be able to service the debt. So a debt default is very likely in the next few years.
Whilst US GDP is up 20x since 1969, China’s GDP is up 175x. There can be little doubt that China will be the next global economic superpower. Only a revolution in China would stop that.
Gold is up 53x since 1969 and the Dow 34x. If dividends after tax are included and reinvested, the rise of the Dow and gold would be fairly equal.
I started the article with China’s view, in 1971, on the future of the dollar and the US economy. The debt explosion and slow GDP growth are clear evidence of how right China was.
But the dollar’s 98% fall against gold and 79% against the Swiss franc confirms China’s 1971 prediction:
“…..the seriousness of the US economic crisis and the decay and decline of the entire capitalist system.”
“…..mark the collapse of capitalist monetary system with the US dollar as its prop…. Nixon’s new economic policy cannot extricate the US from financial and economic crisis.”
So there we have it. The wise Chinese saw half a century ago what would happen to the US, the dollar and the capitalist system and they knew already then that they would be the main beneficiaries.
But destruction of currencies and fall of empires is not new in history. Von Mises stated this phenomenon very eloquently:
2021 THE CHINESE YEAR OF THE GOLDEN OX
2021 will be the Chinese year of the Metal or Golden Ox. It will also be the 50th anniversary of Nixon’s fatal decision to end the gold backing of the dollar.
As the golden ox rises in China, the US bald eagle will crash to the ground as a symbol of the crashing dollar and US economy.
2021 is likely to be an ominous year in the global economy. We may not see the “final and total catastrophe of the currency system” completed already then but we are likely to see the start of the final dollar collapse and a major surge in gold and silver.
Anyone holding depreciating dollars and other currencies will soon regret not holding real money in the form of physical gold and silver.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2SmHHXC Tyler Durden
GM Deliveries Plunge 10% Year Over Year In Q3 Tyler Durden
Fri, 10/02/2020 – 22:00
In numbers that are massive for the auto industry, where comps are generally measured in basis points, General Motors saw a 10% plunge in deliveries for Q3 2020.
The company delivered 665,192 vehicles during the quarter, despite sales improving sequentially during each month within the quarter. September foreshadowed slightly less pain for Q4, with YOY sales increases toward the end of the month, the company said while doing damage control in its PR.
Kurt McNeil, GM vice president, U.S. Sales Operations said: “Our dealers are doing exceptionally well utilizing a combination of customer-facing online technologies – such as Shop. Click. Drive. – and showroom sales to deliver vehicles safely to our customers. This is contributing to retail share gains while we continue to refill the pipeline.”
He continued: “Industry-wide, dealers are selling a high mix of large pickups as the summer comes to an end. Our strong large pickup and all-new full-size SUV lineups from Chevrolet and GMC are selling extremely fast.”
But that didn’t stop Fiat’s Dodge Ram from outselling GM’s Chevy Silverado line. Despite Ram deliveries slipping 3.4% YOY to 156,157 units, Chevy’s Silverado fell 5.4% to 145,525 units. The Silverado still has the edge in total number of vehicles sold for the year, but Q4 could see that lead upended.
“GM’s large pickup trucks sold well,” their press release says, before calling the rebound in retail auto sales “resilient” heading into the fourth quarter. “Super low auto loan interest rates have boosted retail auto sales; yet more strength comes from pandemic-induced demand,” GM economist Elaine Buckberg said.
In other words: the Fed saved our ass and the party goes on.
GM says the momentum behind the business now is due to:
Consumers seeing private vehicles as a safe space for both local and long-distance trips
Households using the money they saved from not taking vacations on buying vehicles
City residents buying vehicles, likely in an effort to get away from not just Covid, but the civil unrest across the country
The sharp rebound in housing permits is a positive signal for overall auto demand
Higher home construction activity and strong demand for boats and RVs are particularly favorable for heavy-duty pickups
But given the poor comps and the company’s embarrassing involvement with Nikola, it just doesn’t seem like the GM of decades ago. Under Mary Barra, it’s tough to see GM as the American powerhouse it once was.
Co-op’d at GM. Once a dominant bastion of technology, educated/skilled workers and employer of gargantuan number of Americans via suppliers, research funding, science, machine tools, engineering, materials, supply chains, etc. 10+ million US jobs. How the mighty have fallen.
US Virgin Island residents earlier this week were reporting to the Consortium that unemployment insurance checks provided to them by the Dept. of Labor were worthless.
One resident, whose check was for over $300, said he realized the check had bounced Tuesday. “People here suffering and you’re telling me they are sending out checks and don’t have any money in the account,” he said.
Another resident said via Facebook message, “My unemployment check bounced and now my bank account is in the negative. It’s really hard in a time of need.”
A third person, also through the Consortium’s Facebook platform, said, “Two of my checks bounced from the Dept. of Labor.”
In a release Thursday, D.O.L. said it met with bank representatives “to further ensure that payments made to unemployment recipients are being honored.”
The department explained that checks bounced because D.O.L. did not replenish accounts before unemployment insurance beneficiaries attempted to clear the checks.
“There were reports of a timing issue, with the settlement of the draw made by V.I.D.O.L. and the transmission of funds to the bank, that affected the clearing process. Some checks deposited from banks other than Banco Popular may have incurred some issues,” D.O.L. said.
“Bank representatives advise the department that individuals who are affected should retain and redeposit those checks,” the department concluded.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/3jlMeVX Tyler Durden
Airbnb Cancels Halloween Rentals In Bid To Halt Parties Tyler Durden
Fri, 10/02/2020 – 21:20
Airbnb has canceled one-night rentals over Halloween weekend as part of an ongoing effort to crack down on party houses.
The San Francisco-based company is now blocking new one-night reservations, and are offering refunds to any previously booked nights over the holiday weekend, according to ABC News.
In addition, the company will ‘look more closely’ at two and three-night reservations during Halloween – with some guests facing rejection if they try to book an entire house close to their own residence during that period, and have no history of positive reviews on the service.
Airbnb has taken a series of steps to crack down on parties since last year’s shooting. Last November, it started manually reviewing U.S. and Canadian reservations to weed out suspicious rentals.
The company’s efforts have intensified as it prepares for an initial public stock offering, which could come later this year.
In July, the company banned U.S. and Canadian guests under age 25 with fewer than three positive reviews from booking entire homes close to where they live. That policy was later expanded to the United Kingdom, Spain and France. And in August, Airbnb banned parties worldwide and limited occupancy at its rentals to 16 people. –ABC News
The company’s efforts come nearly a year after five people were killed in a shooting at an Airbnb Halloween party in Orinda, California.
According to the report, guests and hosts who violate the new rules may face legal action – noting that in August the company launched legal proceedings against a guest who held an unauthorized house party in Sacramento, California.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/30vTib0 Tyler Durden
This blogger sees Netflix in the same way “Godfather”, Vito Corleone, viewed his enemies. In other words, I keep my books and blogs close, but television and movies closer. This is because social narratives are the new religion. As I’ve stated before in previous articles, I have a love-hate relationship with Netflix. It offers a convenient and affordable access to an impressive library of film and documentaries – but not without its cultural bias. It’s like anything else, buyer beware; or, rather, I simply slice off the meat and leave the bones when it comes to infotainment.
Sure, Netflix is the home of the Obamas and the Obama Administration’s former National Security Advisor, Susan Rice; so it’s no surprise why the company’s subscriber base is being programmed into Cultural Marxism, totalitarian Agenda 21 mandated Gaia worship and global taxation schemes. Netflix, by and large, programs people with Progressivism in the relative safety and comfort of their own homes. Yet, at the same time, I can cook up some homemade popcorn and conduct my research without spending $60 at the movie theater; back when there were movie theaters, of course.
In any event, I received a hat-tip from one of my progeny regarding a Netflix documentary entitled “The Social Dilemma”. The company’s website identifies the production as a “documentary-drama hybrid” that “explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations”.
The hybrid presentation included interviews of, mostly, techno whiz kids who designed software purposed to addict the masses to apps such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, et al, and paired to a background narrative of a young Caucasian boy being unintentionally politically radicalized by algorithms designed to increase the profits of technology corporations.
In the documentary segments, the experts and former tech firm employees discussed the negative societal impacts of their creations while acknowledging their good intentions. For example, the co-inventor of the Facebook “Like” Button said he initially believed the widget would deliver more positivity into the universe; as opposed to increasing middle-school children’s social anxiety and despair.
In the film, the continuing fragmentation of America was attributed to separate groups of online users seeing different news feeds on their chosen online platforms. The reasons for the diverse digital presentations were attributed to algorithms and, even, artificial intelligence, interpreting the data sets of online users and then prompting new clickbait meant to engage them for longer intervals –and all solely in the pursuit of profits.
In fact, when one tech expert-turned-whistleblower was asked to state his greatest fear regarding the ultimate outcome of the aberrant algorithms and errant A.I., he said: “Civil war.” And, that is, fundamentally, the gist of “The Social Dilemma” (TSD): The natural pursuit of profits by tech companies sowing a technological wind of which western societies are now reaping the whirlwind.
Or, stated another way, TSD is a whitewash for the surveillance state.
In truth, the globalist elite have long planned the demise of the northern hemisphere’s (formerly) capitalist/industrial societies so a cashless (Marxist) system can rise from the ashes.
And if 2020 vision has made anything clear it is this: Free markets and the U.S. Constitution are gone baby gone. They have, instead, been replaced by economic and social tyranny. Yet, Netflix’s TSD would have us believe the fracturing of American society evolved as a result of Facebook’s news feeds and fake news.
Ironically, I received the following this week from someone who actually saw it on Facebook:
If you go to the southwest desert and catch 100 red fire ants as well as 100 large black ants and put them in a jar, at first, nothing will happen
However, if you violently shake the jar and dump them back on the ground the ants will fight until they eventually kill each other
The thing is, the red ants think the black ants are the enemy and vice versa, when in reality, the real enemy is the person who shook the jar
This is exactly what’s happening in society today:
Liberal vs Conservative
Black vs White
Pro Mask vs Anti Mask
The real question we need to be asking ourselves is who is shaking the jar and why??
Will ants behave as described in such circumstances? Obviously, that’s not the point. The point is who is actually fracturing the western societies today and why this is happening. According to Netflix’s TSD, our current societal shaking is merely an inadvertent byproduct of deviant software tweaked to maximize the profits of tech companies. Furthermore, according to the TSD tech “experts”, any other view of the societal “shaking” is the result of misguided faith in fake news and internet conspiracy theories.
Well, here’s a newsflash for the hi-tech whiz-kid whistleblowers: If the plans were published by the globalists decades ago… and they’ve since come to pass, then the conspiracies were more than just theories. And, certainly, fake news is defined by those promoting diverse media feeds on popular online platforms. Except those fooled still don’t understand the deception – or that the manipulation was not naturally occurring in the pursuit of profit; it was always part of the plan.
Here are some other “issues” with the Netflix “docudrama”:
Most internet users are far more active, and less passively manipulated, than the TSD “experts” presume.
Those interviewed in the film claimed algorithms direct content as a means to reinforce existing worldviews when, in fact, the content and algorithms are designed to shape specific ideas and, even, entire belief systems.
TSD, via Netflix programming, seemingly, promotes leftist agendas and dog whistles like climate change and fake news. At the same time, the documentary delegitimized Pizzagate and skepticism of COVID-19 propaganda. It is a fact that Pizzagate derived from actual e-mails released by Wikileaks and it’s true that widely disseminated COVID-19 agitprop has been debunked by respected medical professionals.
TSD identified Facebook as a primary facilitator of “fake news” and “conspiracies” like Pizzagate, Russian Facebook ads in the 2016 election, flat-earth theory, and COVID skepticism. Yet TSD completely ignored social media’s shameless propagation of the now-discredited Russian Collusion Hoax and the U.S. Democratic Party’s Ukrainian Impeachment gaslighting.
So why the blatant bias? Because Netflix is programming, pure and simple.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/3iyJELf Tyler Durden
Watch Live: NASA To Launch World’s Most Expensive Toilet For ISS Use Tyler Durden
Fri, 10/02/2020 – 20:40
NASA has designed a $23 million titanium toilet that will better accommodate female astronauts is headed to the International Space Station (ISS), reported AP News.
NASA and Northrop Grumman are targeting Friday night (Oct. 2) to launch the Cygnus NG-14 mission atop its Antares rocket. The rocket, carrying ISS-bound cargo, will deliver nearly 8,000 pounds of supplies and equipment, including the “space toilet.” The original launch was expected on Thursday from Wallops Island, Virginia. But a delay was seen in the final countdown.
The $23 million toilet weighs 100 pounds, measures 28 inches tall, and is half the size of the Russian-built toilets in use on the ISS.
Here’s a closer look at the world’s, and now undoubtedly outer space’s most expensive toilet:
Since the new toilet is about 65% smaller than Russian-built ones, it will be the premier toilet for astronauts to take number 1,2,3 while on future missions to the moon.
At the moment, here’s the Russian-toilet currently in use on the ISS.
Melissa McKinley, the project manager at Johnson Space Center, who was quoted by The Guardian, said the older toilets cater more to men. The new ones will better accommodate women – as we recently mentioned, NASA is preparing to send the first woman to the moon in 2024.
“Cleaning up a mess is a big deal. We don’t want any misses or escapes,” McKinley said, adding that, let’s just say everything floats in weightlessness.
Tonight’s launch is set for 9:16 p.m. EDT (0116 GMT). Readers from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore to Philadelphia to even New York City might be able to see NASA’s launch of the world’s most expensive toilet.
Here’s a live feed for tonight’s launch:
Readers may recall astronauts aboard the ISS are still hunting for a small air leak. They believe the leak could be coming from a Russian ISS module called Zvezda.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/3jqucBZ Tyler Durden
A paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine has called for mandating a coronavirus vaccine, and outlined strategies for how Americans could be FORCED to take it.
The paper warns that an immediate mandate for the vaccine would spark too much resistance and backlash, so the writers suggest that at first it should be voluntary.
However, it suggests that if not enough people are willing to get the vaccine within the first few weeks of it’s availability, it should be transformed into an obligation, with penalties put into place for refusal.
The paper outlines “six trigger criteria” that need to be met before the vaccine is made mandatory, and that it should be rolled out to specific demographics of the population first.
“Only recommended groups should be considered for a vaccination mandate,” initially, according to the paper, which cites “high risk groups” as the first set of people.
“[T]he elderly, health professionals working in high-risk situations or working with high-risk patients…persons with certain underlying medical conditions,” as well as those in “high-density settings such as prisons and dormitories” should be mandated to get the jab, the paper says.
It also suggests that active-duty military service members should be among the first that are forced into the vaccination.
The paper proclaims that “noncompliance should incur a penalty” and notes that it should be a “relatively substantial” one.
It suggests that “employment suspension or stay-at-home orders,” should be issued, but that fines should be discouraged because they can be legally challenged, and “may stoke distrust without improving uptake.”
The paper also suggests that government health authorities should avoid making public their close relationship with vaccine manufacturers, to quell public mistrust.
Just coincidentally, the authors of the paper reside at Yale and Stanford, institutions that have received substantial funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for vaccine development.
In Canada, a poll recently revealed that 60 per cent think that when a vaccine for coronavirus becomes available it should be made mandatory.
In addition, Canada’s current Chief Public Health Officer appeared in a recently resurfaced 2010 documentary in which she advocated using mandatory “tracking bracelets” for people who refuse to take a vaccine after a virus outbreak.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2EViJLD Tyler Durden
DoJ, FBI Prepare For Election Night Violence, Voting Disruptions Tyler Durden
Fri, 10/02/2020 – 20:00
During an election year that was marred by an unprecedented global pandemic and some of the worst political violence witnessed in the US since the 1970s, it’s hardly a surprise that the DoJ is planning to station officials at an election night “command center” at FBI headquarters in the J Edgar Hoover building.
With liberals still hysterical over President Trump’s answer to Chris Wallace’s final debate question about pledging to accept the election results, whatever they may be, the DOJ is intensifying its usual routine monitoring of election night activity to also brace for any problems with voting machines that might arise.
The DoJ has started preparing for a wide range of scenarios in recent weeks, though WaPo refused to go into much detail about the various ‘scenarios’ that the DoJ anticipates.
“The Department of Justice takes election security and integrity seriously, and this year is no exception,” said Kerri Kupec, a Justice Department spokeswoman.
The FBI said in a statement that, as in previous years, it is “committed to protecting the American public’s right to a fair and safe election by securing it” and that officials “are working closely with our federal, state, and local partners so everyone involved with safe-guarding the election has the information and resources necessary to respond in a timely manner to any violations that may arise.”
“Of course our preparations for 2020 take into account the current climate of the country,” the statement said. “As always, the FBI has a responsibility to plan for a host of potential scenarios.”
While one DoJ flak insisted that this type of planning happens any year, another assured WaPo that anxieties about widespread political violence on election day are much more intense this year, given the extremely toxic political environment.
“There have been concerns raised about the possibility of civil unrest, and those are concerns raised on both sides, for different reasons, and because of that, we’re paying particularly close attention to that possibility,” the official said. “I think that we would be remiss if we didn’t take the monitoring of election security and integrity particularly seriously.”
Individuals at the command center will include civil rights and national security experts who will monitor accounts of high profile incidents and news accounts for any signs of unrest.
Plans for the ‘command center’ had been in place before Tuesday night’s debate. The president has repeatedly urged his followers to keep their eyes out for misconduct at the polls. And on Tuesday, he cited reports about an incident at a Philly polling station as support for his insinuations about the Dems trying to rig the election.
Trump told Fox News back in August that he would like local law enforcement to patrol the polls. “We’re going to have sheriffs, and we’re going to have law enforcement and we’re going to hopefully have US attorneys…” Trump said, although federal law prohibits the presence of “armed men” at polling places. The DoJ does, however, employ specially trained poll monitors who watch for problems with voting. The FBI also regularly uses its command center for major events, like the State of the Union or a presidential inauguration.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/3ipoejm Tyler Durden
Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, risks to your prosperity… and on occasion, inspiring poetic justice.
Beethoven is a symbol of “exclusion and elitism”
The woke mob is attempting to cancel one of the most famous pieces of music in history – Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
Their aim? To thwart “wealthy white men who embraced Beethoven and turned his symphony into a symbol of their superiority and importance.”
Come again?
Prior to Beethoven in the mid 1700s, lower class Europeans would regularly attend symphonies. And they were apparently quite a rowdy bunch– hooting and hollering all throughout the performance, like a modern day rock concert.
Around the time that Beethoven rose to prominence in the early 1800s, however, the lower classes were excluded from attending symphonies because they didn’t keep quiet and applaud at the appropriate time.
So today’s woke mob believes that by playing or enjoying Beethoven’s Fifth, you are glorifying the exclusion of poor people, and by extension, women and minorities.
New legislation in the UK will allow undercover government agents to commit crimes.
The undercover agents from a slew of UK departments– from MI5 to the Environment Agency– will have to ask a judge permission to commit a particular crime while undercover.
But of course those authorizations will be hidden from the public, and even government prosecutors.
Which makes you wonder, where is the limit? The legislation doesn’t even specifically forbid murder.
It’s the ultimate inversion: the government can do literally whatever it wants, even break its own laws.
But you could be thrown in prison for going out in public without covering your face.
Video shows driver narrowly escape mob, arrested by police
It’s apparently now standard in places like Los Angeles for police to stand down and allow protesters to block traffic and occupy entire streets and intersections.
If you are a driver caught in one of these mobs, that can be pretty scary.
The driver of a white Prius who found himself in this situation handled it pretty well. He looked for the quickest path out of the mob, and slowly and carefully drove through whatever small openings he could find.
And because this driver DARED to drive a car down a street, the mob chased him.
Video shows a pickup truck full of protesters speed after the Prius, cut him off, slam on the brakes, and then try to rip the man out of his vehicle. The protestors on foot catch up, and join the attempted lynching.
The Prius manages to escape again, and still not injure any of the “peaceful protesters” in the process.
But a short time later, police swooped in and arrested the Prius driver, NOT the woke vigilantes!
Apparently it’s now illegal to flee a dangerous mob.
School suspends 9 year old for BB gun in his bedroom
Once again a school has punished a child for having a BB gun in his bedroom during remote learning.
The fourth grade boy from Louisiana named Ka Mauri was suspended for six days.
A teacher reported Ka after his brother tripped over a BB on screen during class. Ka picked up the fake gun, and moved it to the other side of his desk, where the barrel was visible on screen.
The school called that a federal weapons law violation, as if he brought the gun to school.
Ka was also subjected to an embarrassing mob attack when the school tasked his classmates to write letters about the incident.
And he will now be evaluated by a social worker.
Imagine the emotional toll this takes on a boy who did absolutely nothing wrong.
Spotify employees threaten strike if they can’t censor Joe Rogan
Earlier this year, Joe Rogan signed a $100 million deal to host his popular podcast with Spotify, and Spotify’s stock price soared.
Moving to the platform, certain episodes didn’t make the cut.
For example, episodes were removed where Rogan interviews controversial conservative figures, or openly discusses transgender issues.
In one transgender-themed episode, Rogan questions whether or not prepubescent children are capable of making far reaching decisions such as whether or not to take sex hormones. It was intended as an objective intellectual discussion. But the woke mob views this as “transphobic”.
But pulling these episodes wasn’t enough for some Spotify employees.
They want full editorial control to censor and edit Joe Rogan’s podcast episodes, add trigger warnings, and entirely veto particular episodes which they find upsetting.
The employees are threatening to strike if their demands are not met… but so far Spotify hasn’t caved.
