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COVID's 4th anniversary: Efforts underway to prevent the next pandemic - USA TODAY
Resolve is a luxury of the years early months and our still attainable resolutions. But how do we stick with a promise when it becomes harder to keep, more unfathomable to fulfil? This is the question faced by a group of elderly friends in Channel 4s mercurial new mercy-killing drama, Truelove.
Attending the funeral of a mutual friend, old flames Phil (Lindsay Duncan) and Ken (Clarke Peters) find themselves reconnecting after decades apart. Hes spent a career in the shadowy world of the military, while shes retired following a successful stint in the police force. Over drinks at the pub alongside a few old muckers, the group find themselves drawn into a strange pact. If I get anywhere near that, take me out the back and shoot me, Phil says of the deceased who had fought debilitating cancer. And thats just what they agree to do: true love becomes their codename for a shared, half-joking obligation to put one another out of their misery. Ken can bump us off, says ex-doctor David (Peter Egan), and Phil can cover it. The perfect crime.
From then on, it is a case of Chekhovs suicide pact. One by one, the signatories of the pub agreement find themselves beset by ailments. First up is Tom (Hot Fuzzs Karl Johnson) who finds himself battling the full English of cancer diagnoses. But what friend would possibly risk their life and liberty to fulfil a drunken, semi-bantering promise? This is the question explored over four episodes by writers Iain Wetherby and Charlie Covell (no stranger to pitch-black scenarios after co-writing The End of the F***ingWorld). Its a premise that laces the potential mawkishness of a euthanasia drama with the spirit of a police procedural and the twist of a serial killer saga.
At Trueloves heart is Lindsay Duncan, who is on imperious form as a retired copper with little left to lose. She enters proceedings in a black convertible, puffing on a cigarette and wearing dark sunglasses a long way from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or any other fuddy-duddy depictions of older life. In the absence of a manufacturing industry or any natural resources, Britains greatest export may well be its older female actors. And Duncan is a consistently underrated part of that output. She is harder than Judi Dench, colder than Penelope Wilton, more taciturn than Maggie Smith, with the flawless ability to move between brittle and steely modes. Next to her, Peters a veteran American actor, best known for The Wire feels necessarily diminished.
That said, there is something a bit weird about Trueloves premise. Last festive season, we were treated to a BBC adaptation of Andrew OHagans novel Mayflies, about a friendship that ends with a trip to Switzerland for an assisted suicide. Where that was an emotionally brutal but deeply conventional look at end-of-life care, Truelove is far pulpier and commensurately less affecting. The tonal shift between the first episodes opening act and its closing one will leave some viewers with whiplash. As the series progresses, the role of a young police officer, played by Scottish actor Kiran Sonia Sawar, becomes more important, and the question changes from whether you should offer a painless death to someone begging for help, to whether you can get away with it if you do.
Still, with its excellent cast and unusual, if scattershot, tone, Truelove has a lot more to say than most of the limited-series dramas we were served over Christmas. On the subject of ageing, it is unsentimental in a way that few shows are. Everybody knows it goes, Phil tells her husband (Phil Davis), counting off the stages of geriatric life. Bungalow, hospice, crematorium. When she visits the dreaded bungalow of an old friend, he warns her against downsizing. You start moving into smaller and smaller boxes, he says. Soon theyll be measuring you up for your wooden overcoat. Whether it is surreptitious fags in the garden, half-cut flirtations, or embarking on a spree of mercy killings, Truelove is about raging, not going gently, into that good night.
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Falling vaccine rates, Nazi march show we haven't learned from past - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The hosts of a British neo-Nazi podcast who called for the deaths of both Prince Harry and his 4-year-old son, Archie, were sentenced to a combined total of 15 years in prison on Thursday following their conviction on terror charges.
Christopher Gibbons, 40, and Tyrone Patten-Walsh, 36, both from London, had also used their Lone Wolf Radio podcast to encourage listeners to target ethnic minorities with violence, authorities said. The judge sentencing them in London described the pair as dedicated and unapologetic white supremacists.
The pair had promulgated racist rhetoric on their show, which they ran under pseudonyms. They echoed the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, claiming the white race was likely to be genocided unless steps were taken to fight back, and said they would welcome the day when so-called race traitorsespecially those in interracial relationshipswould be executed.
In one episode, Gibbons said Prince Harrywhose wife, Meghan Markle, is biracialshould be prosecuted and judicially killed for treason. He also described the Sussexes son, Archie, as a creature who should be put down, according to the Associated Press.
Gibbons was sentenced to eight years in prison for eight counts of encouraging terrorism and two counts of dissemination of terrorist publications. Patten-Walsh was sentenced to seven years for eight counts of encouraging terrorism.
See more here:
Neo-Nazi Podcasters Who Targeted Harry Jailed on Terror Charges - The Daily Beast
Despite the fact that the Netherlands was a neutral country, it formed a strategically vital target for the Germans, who invaded on May 10, 1940. Five days later, after the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch surrendered.
The occupation lasted almost five years; for the Dutch, it was the most difficult period in their countrys history.
Dutch resolve, however, was not broken, and resistance continued amid brutal reprisals, starvation, and mass deportations that would see the Netherlands lose three-quarters of its Jewish population.
On May 10, 1940, Germany launched an invasion of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium as part of Operation Fall Gelb (Operation Case Yellow) without any formal declaration of war. Clearly unprepared for modern styles of warfare, the Netherlands fell quickly.
It was one of the first examples of using paratroopers to seize objectives before the advance of the main ground forces. For the Germans, the entire operation was a stunning success.
The German advances were overwhelming, and the bombing of Rotterdam left incredible destruction. The Dutch knew that further resistance would be futile and only leave more destruction in its wake.
By May 14, the Dutch army had surrendered, although a small contingent in Zeeland continued fighting until May 17.
Queen Wilhelmina fled the country and formed a government-in-exile in the United Kingdom. Many believed that she had abandoned her country, but she was adamant that she would never become a puppet ruler under the Germans, and today, her flight is seen as a pragmatic move. She continued to address the Dutch people via radio throughout the war. The rest of her family escaped to Canada. The escape of the Dutch royal family was achieved with the assistance of the British, who led a rescue mission.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the Dutch had remained neutral in the hopes that they could avoid the conflict, but after the invasions of Denmark and Norway, it became clear to most that the Netherlands was likely a prime target. Hasty preparations were made, but it was not enough.
There was a significant amount of denial within the country, with many people expecting Germany to leave the Netherlands alone. Nevertheless, for those who were more pragmatic and for those living in hope, the reaction was the same. Outrage swept the country.
A few days later, the fighting was over, and the emotion of outrage was joined with relief, humiliation, and a sense of abandonment, as many Dutch felt that the French and British should have stationed troops in the Netherlands to protect it from German invasion.
From the German perspective, the Dutch constituted fellow Aryans, and the Germans intended to treat the Dutch people a lot better than the citizens of many other conquered areas of Europe. From the Dutch perspective, they didnt expect to be treated well, as they had a significant distrust of the Germans.
For a minority of Dutch people, the invasion was a blessing. The Dutch Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (National-Socialist movement / NSB) welcomed the German occupation as it brought the members of this right-wing movement significant power. Its leader, Anton Mussert, had expected to be installed as the ruler of a Dutch state allied to the Germans, but in reality, the occupation was under the control of the Austrian politician Arthur Seyss-Inquart, who served as the Reichskommissar of the Netherlands from May 29, 1940, to May 7, 1945.
The distrust of the Germans was exacerbated by the immediate effects of the German occupation in terms of food. The Germans blockaded the ports and effectively ended the importation of foodstuffs from abroad. Instead, the Dutch people would be fed by the Germans with careful rationing. The food that was distributed was healthy and based on modern dietary needs. It was low in fat, and the Dutch, who were used to a high-fat diet, began to lose weight; many assumed the Germans were starving them. This turned out not to be the case, at least not at this point in the occupation. Later on, as the Germans became more harsh towards the Dutch people, the threat of famine would turn into a reality.
Many Dutch people believed the occupation would be short-lived, some expecting it to be over by Christmas. Until then, they adopted a policy of conforming to the desires of the occupiers, or at least the appearance of conformity.
While the German soldiers, on the whole, treated the Dutch well during the beginning of the occupation, German leadership took control of all aspects of society and the economy, banning free speech and propagating Nazi ideology among the populace of the Netherlands. Naturally, most Dutch people saw this as an attempt to convert the country. While the NSB saw some initial growth, swelling to around 100,000 members, it remained a fringe group in terms of the total population and was utterly despised by the rest of Dutch society.
Before the war, Dutch society had been fractured and split along social, religious, and political lines. With the exception of the small minority of those who supported the NSB and the Nazis, the vast majority of the Dutch population found itself with a common enemy, and as such, a sense of unity thrived.
Around 5% of the Dutch people joined the resistance. While this may (or may not) have been a relatively small percentage, this was the section of society that went into hiding and used violent tactics to strike at German assets. Other forms of resistance were common and were much less active. The Dutch people took to hiding those wanted by the Germans. In particular, Jewish people found hope and protection in the families that secreted them away in the attics of houses. The famous Anne Frank was one of these Jews who were looked after by compassionate and brave Dutch people.
When those in the Dutch resistance were caught and executed, the Dutch were horrified. Given the initial attitude of the Germans towards the Dutch at the beginning of the occupation, it came as a shock. Especially since in the Netherlands, the death penalty had been outlawed for many decades, and the Dutch were not used to anybody being executed.
It was also not just Jewish people who the Nazi occupiers were after. Communists and outspoken critics of the regime were targeted, as well as people with mental disabilities.
Life was tough for everybody under Nazi occupation. Forced labor was implemented, and adult men were drafted to work in German factories, which were often targeted by Allied bombing runs.
After the German conquest of the Netherlands, a Joodse Raad was created, a council that acted as a liaison between the Jews and the Nazi occupiers. The Raad was run by Abraham Asscher and David Cohen, supplied the Germans with information, and was responsible for organizing and selecting Jews for deportation. Asscher and Cohen were both tried for collaboration by the Jewish Community in the Netherlands after the war but were exonerated. Many Jews found themselves in difficult situations, being forced to collaborate on pain of death.
For their part, the Dutch did not sit quietly and do nothing. With the first waves of antisemitic policies came pushback in the form of protests and strikes from the Dutch populace. In February 1941, a strike was met with violent suppression by the Nazi regime, which tried thereafter to limit the amount of violence dealt to non-Jewish Dutch people.
This situation of being forced to collaborate was not just a situation for the Jews. Many Dutch people, especially those in the government and the police, were compelled to perform heinous acts in order to protect themselves and their families. Forced collaboration was an incredibly difficult issue that raised many questions, especially after the war, when people were put on trial for their assistance to the Nazi regime.
The outcome of the Nazi policies in the Netherlands was that over 70% of Dutch Jews were deported. This was a higher proportion than in any other German-occupied territory in Western Europe.
Not all collaboration was forced, however. Some elements of Dutch society supported the Nazis and did so openly. Up to 25,000 Dutch men even volunteered to join the German army and the Waffen-SS.
Hope became a reality in September 1944 with the beginning of Operation Market Garden. Although the operation achieved very limited gains, it represented the beginning of the collapse of German resistance. In the following months, the Netherlands was freed from German control bit by bit. The Allies, however, concentrated their efforts on Germany, not the Netherlands, and Berlin fell before Amsterdam was liberated. Many parts of the Netherlands were only free of German occupation once the Germans had officially surrendered.
However, the months in which liberation was achieved were not as happy as they could have been. The Germans cut off supply to the western region of the country where 4.5 million people lived, and as a result of the Hongerwinter (Hunger Winter), around 18,000 Dutch people starved to death, with relief only arriving as late as May 1945, with the complete surrender of the German forces in Europe.
By the end of the war, 205,901 Dutch people had died from war-related causes. Just over half of them were victims of the Holocaust. This total represented 2.36% of the entire Dutch population at the time and was the highest proportion in Western Europe.
For Dutch people today, the occupation of their country represents an awful time in their history. Generally being a liberal people who value freedom, the five years of Nazi governance is seen as a time that flew directly in the face of Dutch beliefs.
Not only did it aggravate Dutch ways of life, but it humiliated the Dutch people, who, for the most part, did what they could to resist.
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The Dutch Under Nazi Rule: German WWII Occupation of the Netherlands - The Collector
The painting is attributed toDutch artist Cornelis van Haarlem. Kaye Spiegler
A painting stolen by a high-ranking Nazi official during World War II has been returned to the original owners heir, reports the Observers Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly.
The official in question is Hermann Gring, who held many powerful positions in the Nazi party. According to ARTnews Angelica Villa, Gring acquired the artworkalong with some 1,100 other piecesfrom the collection of Dutch-Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker in Amsterdam in 1940.
Some of the looted pieces were eventually returned to the Dutch government, which gave 200 paintings to Goudstikkers family in 2006 after a lengthy legal battle. Many of the works, however, are still missing.
Art historians think the newly returned artwork, titled Adam and Eve, was painted by Dutch artist Cornelis van Haarlem in the 16th century. It recently resurfaced when a private collector tried to donate it to the Muse Rolin, an art museum in Autun, France.
When Agathe Mathiaut-Legros, the museums curator, and Axelle Goupy, her assistant, inspected the piece, they discovered a label bearing Goudstikkers name, reports Meriem Souissi of the French newspaper Le Journal de Sane-et-Loire. They began researching the paintings provenance and determined it was one of the works stolen from Goudstikkers collection during World War II.
The museum then notified Marei von Saher, Goudstikkers daughter-in-law and only living heir, to let her know about the discovery. The New York law firm Kaye Spiegler helped facilitate the return.
The identity of the donors has not been revealed. According to the law firm, they did not know the piece had been looted.
The museum really acted in the way that you want museums to be acting; they flagged it, they contacted the family, they were doing the right thing to resolve this in a fair and correct way, says Yal Weitz, an attorney who worked on the case, to the Observer. They handled it in a way that we hope other museums will going forward.
Roughly 800 pieces looted from Goudstikkers collection still have not been returned to the family, though a few have made their way back in recent years. In 2022, the German city of Trier returned a painting called Ice Skating, created by Dutch artist Adam van Breen during the 17th century.
Still, not all Von Sahers efforts to retrieve the familys stolen paintings have been successful. For example, a San Francisco court ruled in 2018 that the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, could keep two looted 16th-century paintings created by Lucas Cranach the Elder. In 2019, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.
Last month, the Muse Rolin held a ceremony to mark the return of Adam and Eve.
I am deeply appreciative of the efforts that led to the recovery of this piece of our familys history, says Von Saher in a statement from Kaye Spiegler. It is so gratifying to see justice achieved and have this painting returned to its rightful owners.
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Nazi-Looted Painting Returned to Collector's Heir | Smart News - Smithsonian Magazine
Citation From the January 3, 2024, edition of The Daily Wire's The Michael Knowles Show
MICHAEL KNOWLES (HOST): Mickey Mouse has to become a Nazi. He has to. Because Disney is a very, very evil corporation that wants to trans your kids and fill their heads with all sorts of crazy ideas, and Disney's gotta go. Disney's gotta go, guys. You heard all the Disney executives talking about their not-so-secret LGBTLMNOP agenda. You've seen what Disney has done in recent years, so much so that the governor of Florida had to take political action against them to stop Disney from trying to interfere in the democratic process in Florida to stop the libs from transing your kids. OK? Disney is really, really bad. And so, one of the best things that we can do right now is make the Disney characters toxic. And coincidentally, call it providentially, whatever it is, the Disney character is now in the public domain.
And what this means is we need to turn Mickey into a Nazi because Nazis are bad. We're not gonna turn Mickey into a Nazi because the Nazis are good. You see, I'm quite anti-Nazi. I assume you are as well. In fact, being a Nazi is the worst thing you can possibly be today and for a very long time. So, we need to turn Disney into the worst thing it can possibly be, and it can be done. In fact, I'm shocked that the mischievous people on places like 4chan and other internet boards haven't done this already.
Remember what they did to that cartoon frog? There was that cartoon frog -- this was many years ago. I'm dating myself to think back on the halcyon years of 2016. 2016, which was eight years ago, by the way. In my mind, 2016 was like two years ago. It was eight years ago. But, anyway, back in those days, there was this cartoon frog that a regular cartoonist had made, and it was kind of a popular webcomic. And then these guys on 4chan turned the frog into a Nazi. And since then, the frog has actually, I think, come out of his Nazi phase. I don't -- it's very difficult to track memes because it's -- it's mimetic. Right? It just kind of -- it moves through imitation, and it's -- it's really hard to get your hands on. But for a while, the frog was a Nazi. And it drove the cartoonist who made the frog completely crazy because the frog became a hate symbol. It was listed on all -- SPLC, ADL, all these different lists. And we can do the same with Mickey Mouse. It's not just enough to make Mickey Mouse a serial killer as you're seeing in these movies. Mickey Mouse has to become the most odious kind of symbol in the entire world. And we have the ability to do it, not using any major institutional power, just through the power of memes by pseudonymous accounts on random internet boards. That's what's gotta happen because Disney's bad, and Disney's gotta go down.
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Earlier this week, indie developer Nightmare Forge Games announced its new title Infestation 88, wasting no time capitalizing on Steamboat Willie becoming public domain. The game blew up on social media for its use of Disney's beloved mascot as a huge hulking monster players have to avoid, but people began to raise eyebrows over the game's name.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the number 88 is a "white supremacist numerical code" used by neo-Nazis to symbolize the phrase "Heil Hitler". The letter "H" is the eighth letter of the alphabet, which stands to reason that 88 equals "HH". After basking in its newfound attention, Nightmare Forge Games quickly addressed the Nazi connotations of its game's name, and has changed the game's name to Infestation: Origins.
In a statement to Inverse, Nightmare Forge Games claimed that it was "unaware" of the implications that the number 88 would give off, and that the game was previously titled Infestation 88 in reference to the year the game is set. When asked whether the team behind the game are neo-Nazis themselves, it simply claimed "No, we are not."
Unfortunately, when announcing the game, we were unaware of the additional implications associated with the number 88. Our game is set in the 1980s, with the year 1988 being chosen simply for its symmetrical design in our game's artwork.
That would usually be enough to put the situation to bed, but mysteries still surround the project regarding who is actually behind development. Nightmare Forge Games is supposedly made up of a team of "industry veterans" who have been making horror games for over a decade, but none of the staff is disclosed on the studio's website. When asked about this, Nightmare Forge Games said it was to "maintain privacy" due to the large amount of social media attention.
There are also claims on Twitter that the game's official Discord has "out/proud neo-Nazis" on its mod team, though there's little in the way of proof besides some tasteless "edgy" jokes. Others have pointed out that the number 14 (also considered a neo-Nazi hate symbol) appears a lot in the game's marketing, with the title "Infestation 88" being made up of 14 characters and the studio being made up of industry veterans that supposedly have 14 years of experience.
Another example that people have raised concerns over is the game's description, which claimed that the game is a 1-4 player co-op title (another reference to the number 14) that has you exterminating an "outbreak of vermin". It seems as though this description has since been changed, though another reference to the number 14 can be seen in the found footage section of the game's trailer, which was captured on October 13, 1988, meaning the game likely takes place on October 14.
It gets to the point where you need to start busting out the red string, but it's worth noting that potential Nazi dog whistles like these are usually deliberately obscure and confusing so those behind them can feign ignorance. It's entirely possible that people are seeing something that isn't there and that it's all just a huge misunderstanding, but the general feeling is that there are too many coincidences piling up for it to be just one minor mistake.
More:
Infestation 88 Has Already Changed Its Name Due To Nazi Connotations - TheGamer
Grimes has responded to backlash after she was called a Nazi by critics, alleging to be a human supremacist who is proud of white culture.
The Canadian singer, DJ, and former partner of Elon Musk responded to critics on Twitter on December 31, sparking a debate about racism and white culture.
I'm called a Nazi because I happily am proud of white culture, she claimed. But every day I think fondly of the brown king Cyrus the Great who invented the first ever empire, and the Japanese icon Murasaki Shikibu who wrote the first novel ever.
What if humans just loved each other? she said. History teaches us that we have all been, and always will be - great.
Read this next: Grimes is reportedly suing Elon Musk over parental rights
Grimes quickly came into hot water for her comments, which she made in response to critics labelling her a white supremacist for reportedly liking Nazi memes on Twitter, according to Page Six.
In reply to a Twitter user labelling the singer a white supremacist, Grimes replied: I'm a human suprematist - humans are amazing.
All cultures participated in horrible things and the industrialisation of slavery is arguably the worst of all, and arguably the cause of decline of *all* empires before this one, she said in another post.
That doesn't mean there are great humans among us in the past and now. What do u say abt the African slave trade of Slavs? It's racist to pretend whites have always been in power. All humans have contributed to our worst and best.
Read this next: Grimes and Elon Musk name third child Techno Mechanicus
Grimes was also accused of Western ignorance when she claimed, in another tweet: [People] feel they cannot be proud, so I want to emphasise the incredible accomplishments of others and integrate them into Western education whilst allowing pride for white ppl accomplishments as well.
I believe theres been a terrible erasure of non-European accomplishments and history [should] be taught much more comprehensively.
Her comments come amidst a child custody battle with Elon Musk. In October, the singer claimed that Musk has refused her access to see their children, and is now suing over parental rights.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter
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Grimes says she's proud of white culture after being labelled a "Nazi" - Mixmag
I am behind on this, of course, but the leaders of Substack have responded to the letter voicing concerns about the monetization of Nazi newsletters on Substack. I signed the letter, and Substacks leadership was quite clear that they intended to go on making money from people who wish to kill and oppress their fellow humans. I am not surprised the VC class as a whole seems very alt-right/Nazi curious. I havent decided what to do with this newsletter. Moving it would require money, something this newsletter definitely does not make. But I am coming back to this because one aspect of the response stuck out to me:
I just want to make it clear that we dont like Nazis eitherwe wish no-one held those views. But some people do hold those and other extreme views. Given that, we don't think that censorship (including through demonetizing publications) makes the problem go awayin fact, it makes it worse.
We believe that supporting individual rights and civil liberties while subjecting ideas to open discourse is the best way to strip bad ideas of their power.
Emphasis mine.
This comment leaves me with a question: Which Nazi ideas, specifically, does the Substack leadership think have power? I mean, we have seen Nazism in its full glory: it led to a massive world war, oppression of anyone the Nazis did not like, and perhaps the worlds first industrialized genocide. Which of those ideas am I supposed to debate? Which violent eliminationism is worthy of further refutation? Is it the genocide? The demand for others land for themselves? The idea that once race is inherently superior to others and thus can oppress and murder the others at will?
See, my mothers family is Polish. By which I mean they all immigrated from Poland. Some of my uncles were old enough to have lived through the Second World War. I dont have all of the details (gee, Uncle Frank, what did you do in the war? is not a question a child asks of the obviously very angry, very damaged man who survived), but I do know that the Nazis debated with my family members and their countrymen with a bullet to their heads. Explain to me, again, why that idea is worthy of monetization? How, precisely, is a parlor debate about whether my relatives, and anyone who doesnt fit their notion of a true human, deserve to live in anyway going to refute the idea more effectively than the outcome of WWII?
Because Nazis dont respect democracy. They dont debate in good faith, and they arent interested in the give and take of a pluralistic society. They demand power and they seek to attain through violence. The idea that you can talk them down from that position is insane. All allowing them on your platform does is allow them the infrastructure necessary to spread their hate.
De-platforming works. Not all speech is deserving of support. You cannot shout fire in a crowded theater, to use the cliche, and companies make decisions all the time about what does and does not constitute acceptable speech on their platforms. Substack leadership knows both of these positions are true: they ban porn and sex workers from their platform. No, pretending that you can reason with people who wish to destroy democracy is nothing more than a disingenuous attempt to profit from pro-genocide and other anti-democratic positions while providing a fig-leaf to keep others from abandoning their platform.
There are no Nazi ideas with power. History has thoroughly refuted them to anyone who wishes to see. You are not required to give platforms to people who wish to destroy your tolerant society. But the Substack leadership obviously cares more about the money the Nazis bring them than about preserving democracy or a tolerant, pluralistic society.
As I said, I am not sure what I am going to do with this newsletter. It is a hobby. I have roughly 120 subscribers, and dont even have a paid option. Even if I did, it is unlikely I could bring in enough to pay for other services. But I do know that I am not going to play the Substack leaders game and pretend that I must take seriously the disproven ideas of the people who wish to destroy my family, my friends, and my society. No amount of money should be worth that.
Read more:
Which Nazi Ideas am I Supposed to Debate for Your Profit? - Daily Kos
( Middle East Monitor ) The Israeli government is increasingly adopting the voluntary resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza as official policy, with a high-ranking official disclosing that it has engaged in discussions with multiple countries regarding the potential for such moves.
According to the Times of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus coalition is discreetly exploring the acceptance of thousands of migrants from Gaza, with the Democratic Republic of Congo being one of the countries under consideration. Congo will be willing to take in migrants, said a senior source in the security cabinet, and were in talks with others.
During a Likud faction meeting on Monday, Netanyahu announced that he is involved actively in arranging for the voluntary migration of Gazans to other countries. Our problem is finding countries that are willing to absorb Gazans, he said, and we are working on it.
Addressing Likud Knesset Member Danny Danons claim that, The world is already discussing the possibilities of voluntary migration, the prime minister acknowledged the challenge of finding countries willing to accept Gazans, but emphasised ongoing efforts in that regard. Despite these discussions, the idea of voluntary migration has faced widespread rejection from the international community.
I dont know why but it seems the lesson that certain Israeli people seem to draw from the Holocaust is be more like the Nazis . Until now I would have refrained from such a statement. Until now. https://t.co/oml0yhTpAh
Circassian.eth (@kingofethereum) January 3, 2024
Posting from X added by Informed Comment
The US State Department yesterday slammed recent statements by far-right Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir advocating the voluntary emigration of Palestinians out of Gaza, calling the rhetoric inflammatory and irresponsible, Reuters has reported.
The comments from the ministers appeared to underscore fears in much of the Arab world that Israel wants to forcibly displace and ethnically cleanse the occupied Palestinian territories, just as Zionist terrorist gangs did in historic Palestine in 1948.
While reports have emerged of offers for Arab forces and governments to administer Gaza, such as the Palestinian Authority or a combined force of Arab states, the predominant view on the part of Israels far-right government has been for Israel itself to re-occupy the Strip, expel its Palestinian population and resettle the land with Israelis and Jewish settlers.
Hindustan Times: Israels Ploy To Send Gazans To Congo Amid War With Hamas; Why NATO Nations Are Fuming | Report
Israel is continuing with its brutal military offensive in Gaza despite global calls for a ceasefire in the 11-week-old war. The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October against Israeli military bases and settlements in the vicinity of Gaza, during which 1,139 Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed . . . The operation was in response to daily Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people and their sanctities, said Hamas, notably Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem. Around 240 Israelis were captured during the operation, 110 of whom have already been exchanged for some of the thousands of Palestinians held by Israel.
Palestinian health authorities say that more than 22,000 people have been killed in Israeli air and artillery strikes since 7 October, most of them children and women. Israeli bombs have laid much of the occupied Palestinian territory to waste. Thousands more Palestinians are buried under the rubble of their homes and other civilian infrastructure. Nearly all the enclaves 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, many several times. A humanitarian catastrophe is engulfing Gaza, with famine looming.
Middle East Monitor
Read more here:
Grimes is ending 2023 with one final provocation on X (formerly known as Twitter, changed thanks to her ex Elon Musk). Today, the singer posted, Im called a Nazi because I happily am proud of white culture.
She continued, But every day I think fondly of the brown king Cyrus the Great who invented the first ever empire, and the Japanese icon Murasaki Shikibu who wrote the first novel ever. What if humans just loved each other? History teaches us that we have all been, and always will be great.
Upon receiving a deluge of concerned replies, she defended herself. When someone accused her of being a white supremacist, she replied, Im a human suprematist humans are amazing.
More:
Grimes Says She Is Proud Of White Culture, Complains About Being Called A Nazi - Stereogum
Upcoming horror gameInfestation 88has been renamed following backlash over alleged neo-Nazi references in the title.
The game is based on Steamboat Willie, one of the earliest cartoons to feature the character of Mickey Mouse. The cartoon entered the public domain days ago, meaning that it can be used in projects without fear of being sued by Disney.
After claims online thatInfestation 88contains references to neo-nazi symbolism (primarily due to the number 88 in the title being used as code by neo-Nazis for a historic Nazi salute along with several messages from users of the games Discord server), the developer has changed the title to Infestation Origins.
Developer Nightmare Forge Games released a statement to IGN, confirming that the name was originally supposed to simply be a reference in the year 1988 when the game is set.
Unfortunately, at this time of its announcement, we were unaware of any additional meanings the number 88 has. Through feedback from the community, we learned it did, and therefore made this name change ASAP, the statement reads.
We want to apologise for our ignorance on this topic and appreciate that it was brought to our attention so we could address it. There is no intentional use of Nazi symbolism in our game nor studio, and well continue to address any concerns as they arise. We strongly stand against Nazism and hate in any form.
The trailer for the game also came under fire for seemingly using assets from the Unity Store in a similar way to other games, as noted byMotherboard.
Motherboardalso noted that the voiceover used in the trailer sounded like AI, with a spokesperson for the developer confirming this suspicion.
Given that was an initial announcement trailer, and due to time constraints, we did utilize a premium version of Elevenlabs AI as a placeholder until we hire real voice actors for the actual in-game voice narrations, the developer said toMotherboard.
In other gaming news, modders are working to bringThe Day Beforeback following the announcement that the game is closing.
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'Infestation '88' changes title following claims of Neo-Nazi symbols - NME
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Here we go again. Yet another Republican legislator has proposed stringent penalties for any local officials who would have the temerity to take down monuments celebrating the Confederate States of America.
This time around, its state Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville. It is history, and history belongs to all Floridians (presumably including African American citizens of the Sunshine State), he said. We have started taking down statues for all sorts of things, a process he derided as cancel culture. A bad practice, admittedly, cancel culture, including things like canceling school library books, Rep. Black? Or do you want to hold that discussion for another time?
Okay, well stick with Confederate statues for the moment. Just what do these public memorials celebrate?
The best place to look for answers to this question is pretty clear: the speeches of the two most prominent leaders of the Confederate States, President Jefferson Davis of Mississippi and Vice President Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia.
Lets start with Jefferson Davis.
On April 29, 1861, the president delivered a major address to the Confederate Congress on the causes of the war. For years, northern congressional majorities had engaged in a persistent and organized system of hostile measures against the rights of the owners of slaves of the southern states, he insisted.
Davis described slavery itself in these terms: A superior race had transformed brutal savages into a docile, intelligent and civilized agricultural laborers, now numbering close to 4 million in the South. And Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party had taken dead aim at the Souths peculiar institution.
They were prompted by a spirit of ultra fanaticism, he went on. In addition, fanatical organizations in the North, that is, abolitionists, were assiduously engaged in exciting amongst the slaves a spirit of discontent and revolt. The object of this fanaticism was crystal clear, he posited: the destruction of the Souths slave system.
With interests of such magnitude imperiled, he concluded, disunion was the only course of action white Southerners could take to avert the danger with which they were openly menaced. Secession, in short, was white self-preservation, and the war came.
Vice President Stephens made the secessionist case in even starker terms in a speech delivered in Atlanta on March 13, 1861. The framers of the Confederate Constitution had solemnly discarded the pestilent heresy of fancy politicians, that all men, of all races, were equal, he openly acknowledged, and we had made African inequality and subordination, and the equality of white men, the chief cornerstone of the Southern Republic.
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Not much prevarication here, Rep. Black.
So here is my question. Are you sure you want those Confederate monuments to stand? Do you want stiff fines or restoration costs (whichever is larger) levied against those public officials who think we can do better by all of our citizens if we remove the statues celebrating these words, these views, this cause? Should the governor be authorized to remove these public servants from office for their actions? Should such a law be made retroactive and all those monuments taken down since Jan. 1, 2017, restored? If your HB 395 passes both houses of our Legislature and is signed by our governor, all this becomes law.
Maybe you do want all this to come to pass, but I think you owe it to all Floridians to explain exactly where you stand on the values and issues these monuments represent: racism, bigotry, the legitimacy of human bondage and the glorification of the men who launched what turned out to be the bloodiest war in American history. A war to defend slavery and the warped racial order white Southerners had erected on this benighted institution.
Maybe you want to stand with these men, Rep. Black. But you should know with whom and for what you are standing. We certainly will.
Charles B. Dew is Ephraim Williams Professor of American History, emeritus, at Williams College. He is the author of Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War (University of Virginia Press, 2016).
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What those Confederate statues really symbolize - Tampa Bay Times
HARRISON, Ohio Several residents in Harrison said they are in disbelief after seeing a Confederate flag with a "Welcome to Harrison, Ohio" sign.
"I drive past here every single day and never, ever, ever seen anything like that," said Wayne Johnson, who has lived in the city his entire life.
Johnson said the display on Harrison Avenue which also features Mayor Ryan Grubbs' name on the welcome sign is racist.
"Whats going on with Harrison? Whats Harrison really thinking? Are they trying to push people out of here?" Johnson said.
Grubbs said in an email, "This was brought to my attention Saturday afternoon after the family that owns the property posted the sign and put the flag up. This is not a City property or project."
The mayor said citizens have the right to free speech and people choose to "speak" in different ways.
"While the property owner may be within his rights, I do have a team looking into the display," Grubbs said. "We are looking to see if it is in violation of any of our zoning requirements, or if it is misrepresentation. It would be very easy for individuals to think that it is a city display."
Trudy Gaba, a social justice curator at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, isnt shocked to see a Confederate flag fly in Ohio.
"Flags are representative of ideologies of belief systems," Gaba said.
Gaba said it does complicate Ohios history, considering Ohio was a free state.
"It begs one to question what are we glorifying, what are we celebrating here," Gaba said. "The Confederate flag is emblematic of the desire to own people as property. You cant separate that from todays history."
She said its important to look at history holistically, and not in isolation. Gaba said the confederate flag is nothing to celebrate and is a painful reminder of slavery for Black and Brown people.
"When they see this flag, they dont see a romanticized history. They see a very painful history and the dehumanizing one, and theres nothing to celebrate and glorify there," she said.
Flags like the one in Harrison, she said, are why places like the Freedom Center need to exist.
"The Freedom Center is committed to really unifying the plurality of our voices and perspectives, to look at history of the past, so that we can arrive at a different future one in which we celebrate solidarity and unity, and we fight for equality," said Gaba.
WCPO has attempted to track down the property owner.
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Gastonias Confederate Monument: A Symbol of Division Amid Legal and Political Strife
In the heart of Gastonia, North Carolina, a Confederate monument has stood tall since 1912. Its towering figure looks out at a street renamed for Martin Luther King Jr., a symbol of the racial tension that continues to grip the United States. The monument has been the center of a heated legal and political battle since 2020, driven by local activists led by Scotty Reid. Their mission: to remove the troubling symbol of the Confederacy, a movement that gained momentum in the wake of George Floyds killing.
Despite peaceful marches, petitions, and engagement with the county commission, the activists efforts have encountered significant resistance. The Gaston County Commission initially voted to remove the monument and transfer it to a Confederate group. However, the group backed out due to concerns about state law, leaving the monuments fate hanging in the balance.
The courts, too, have proven to be an obstacle. Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin ruled that the courts did not have the authority to decide on the monuments removal, stating that this decision rested solely with county leaders. County Commissioner Chad Brown voiced his support for the judgment, emphasizing the monuments role in commemorating Gaston County soldiers who perished in the Civil War.
Opponents of the monument argue that the North Carolina Statute 100-2.1, which protects objects of remembrance, does not apply in this case. Their argument hinges on the fact that the monument is not state-owned, thereby exempting it from the statutes protection. This interpretation, however, has yet to gain legal traction.
Frustrated by the reversal of the countys decision to remove the statue, the activists remain undeterred. Reid, alongside Democratic candidate for N.C. House 109 Pam Morganstern, Sierra Hall, and others, has pledged to continue the fight. Their 2024 campaign mirrors the activism of 2020, signifying an unwavering commitment to change and a refusal to let the monuments shadow loom over Gastonia unchallenged.
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Gastonia's Confederate Monument: A Symbol of Division Amid Legal and Political Strife - BNN Breaking
Jacksonville City Council members will have some tough questions for the citys General Counsel regarding last weeks removal of the Confederate monument in Springfield Park.
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What do a female Confederate spy, the illegitimate son of Thomas Jefferson, and a failed Hollywood tycoon have in common?
These disparate, fascinating personalities rest for all eternity in peaceful Wisconsin graveyards. Belle Boyd, the seductive Mata Hari of the Civil War, died in the Dells. Eston Hemings Jefferson, illegitimate child of President Thomas Jefferson, passed away in Madison. And Harry Aitken, the driving force behind D.W. GriffithsBirth of a Nation, eventually came home to Waukesha.
Maria Belle Boyd, born in 1844, was 16 years old when she began managing her fathers Virginia hotel. Her curvy, buxom figure enchanted Union soldiers when they arrived for lodging, or a meal and she overheard bits and pieces of private conversations as she waited on them. Belle gave General Stonewall Jackson this information on a regular basis with the help of a slave, Eliza Hopewell. The two used a hollowed-out pocket watch so Eliza could pass the messages safely across enemy lines.
When several intoxicated soldiers assaulted her mother in one of the hotels parlors, Belle pulled a pistol and killed one of the men. While awaiting trial for murder, Belle initiated a clandestine affair with Captain Daniel Kelly, and he helped her escape in the middle of the night. She was recaptured and sentenced to be hanged. Using another man, Belle escaped again, and with a set of forged documents, she arrived at the Generals camp. For her bravery, Jackson awarded her the Southern Cross of Honor. He also made her his personal aide-de-camp, which no doubt raised more than a few eyebrows.
For the next year, Belle avoided arrest by Union troops but was eventually apprehended and taken to Washington D.C.While in Old Capitol Prison, she seduced an officer named Samuel Harding and became pregnant. The couple fled to England where she supported Harding and their daughter as a music hall entertainer. Harding died unexpectedly just as Belle was finding success as an actress on Londons stages. At the end of the Civil War, she returned to the United States and earned a fortune in theaters and opera houses performing a racy melodrama of her life as a spy. She also married and divorced two ardent lovers and gave birth to four more children. Belle also published a highly fictionalized autobiography that became a bestseller. In 1900, she suffered a fatal heart attack while promoting her book in Wisconsin Dells. Only 56 years old, Belle Boyd was buried in the Dells Spring Grove Cemetery. Her autobiography and a few non-fiction books are still in print and range from $5 to $60 on eBay.
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In 1827, Thomas Jeffersons will stated that five of his slaves be freed. Among them were his mistress, Sally Hemings, and two of the children he fathered with her. Jeffersons 400 other slaves were sold to pay off the considerable debts against his estate. Sally was only one-quarter black, and occasionally her sons could pass for white. Jeffersons illegitimate son Eston, already a skilled carpenter and proficient violin player, was 19 years old upon his release from Monticello. He found lucrative employment in a Charlottesville, Virginia woodworking shop and built a house for his mother and older brother, Madison. Both brothers married, started families and lived with Sally until her death in 1835.
A few years later, Madison and Eston moved their families to Ohio, a free state and an important part of the Underground Railroad network. When the Fugitive Slave Act was enacted in 1850, Eston moved hiswife and three childrenfurther north to avoid capture by the bounty hunters.Settling in Madison, Wisconsin, Eston changed his surname to Hemings Jefferson, and the family lived comfortably in the white community.
When he passed away in 1856 at age 48, America was preparing for a war. In the waning years of the 19th century, Estons children and grandchildren faced public scorn from a handful of influential voices who challenged the family legend that connected Eston with his famous father, Finally, in 1998, a series on DNA tests proved once and for all that Eston Hemings was indeed the son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings.
Born in 1877 on a farm near Goerkes Corners in Waukesha, Harry Aitken became fascinated by the shabby, turn-of-the-century storefronts that were outfitted to show the first silent movies produced by inventor Thomas Edison. Aitken studied the business model of a nickel theater and partnered with John Freuler, a wealthy Milwaukee investor. Violating the Edison companys patents, they made their own movies and delivered them weekly to hundreds of theaters in 45 cities.
In 1908 Aitken and Freuler went to Los Angeles and built a large movie studio of their own. They offered British vaudevillian Charlie Chaplin $10,000 a week to make 20-minute comedies for their rapidly growing theater chain. When Chaplin discovered his films were grossing more than $5 million annually, the popular comedian demanded a percentage of the profit. Instead, Freuler and Aitken sold the motion picture studio, divided the considerable assets and dissolved their partnership.
Aitken used his assets to finance a groundbreaking two-hour movie proposed by a talented filmmaker, D.W. Griffith. Based on a popular racist novel,The Clansman, Griffiths epic film was titledThe Birth of a Nation, and it sold out wherever it was shown.
Without informing Aitken, Griffith made a back-door deal with Louis B. Mayer, a shrewd Boston businessman who operated a large scrap metal yard. Mayer had seen the film and immediately sensed its potential. After lining up engagements at hundreds of theaters inConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, Mayer gave$25,000 in cash to Griffith. The investment returned nearly $250,000, money that legally as well as ethically should have been used to retire Aitkens outstanding loans.
Mayer became the CEO of a tiny California movie studio that he transformed into the world-famous MGM. Unable to pay of his debts, Aitken declared bankruptcy and returned to Waukesha a defeated man. His attempts to start businesses in Wisconsin were only marginally successful. The one-time movie mogul died in 1956 and was buried in Prairie Home Cemetery near the farm where he was born.
Is Harry wandering along the freeways that devoured the streets of his childhood? Is Belle still using her charms on behalf of the Confederacy? Does a man once owned by a United States president roam the town where he became truly free? Its possible
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A discussion began Jan. 2 at the City Council Rules Committee about the extent and limits of the power of Jacksonvilles mayor that could ultimately require proposed changes being put on a ballot for the public to decide.
Council President Ron Salem, responding to Mayor Donna Deegans action to remove the Women of the Southland Confederate monument from Springfield Park on Dec. 27, called city General Counsel Michael Fackler to appear before the committee to answer questions about his offices advice to Deegan that led to the removal without consulting the Council or seeking its approval of the action.
Several times during the discussion, Salem said his concern is about Councils authority, not about the statue or whether it was appropriate for it to be displayed on city property.
I feel our powers were infringed upon, Salem said.
Salem said he plans to file legislation Jan. 3 to clarify the mayors power to authorize such an action in the future.
Many of his questions to Fackler were related to Deegan basing her decision to have the statue removed on a draft opinion from the Office of General Counsel that was neither dated nor signed, rather than a formal, final document.
Fackler said the draft was an internal document prepared by his office that was used to advise the mayor.
It was a way to get our thoughts on paper and make sure we were comfortable giving the advice, Fackler said.
The draft, a public document, was provided to the media Dec. 26, Fackler said.
Salem said he learned about the advice given to Deegan from news reports.
The media showed me a draft document I didnt know anything about, he said.
I never want to see a draft document used as long as I am on City Council.
The advice given to Deegan was based on the fact that the reported $187,000 used to pay for the statues removal came from private donations, not revenue accounted for in the city budget or the Capital Improvement Plan approved by Council.
Fackler said the advice to Deegan was based on the fact that the donations did not flow into the city budget, so the money was not in Councils jurisdiction.
The mayor was advised that we didnt see anything that would prevent her from accepting gifts to use for removal of the statue, Fackler said.
Salem asked whether Deegan or a future mayor could use private donations to remove other statues from city property, such as the statue of the late U.S. Rep. Charles Bennett in James Weldon Johnson Park.
There is a possibility it could occur again, Fackler said.
Council member Kevin Carrico asked why Council was not advised before Dec. 27 that the statue was going to be removed.
My impression is that if the removal was announced it could have created a furor and a security concern, said Bill Delaney, Council liaison for Deegan.
Council member Jimmy Peluso
Council member Jimmy Peluso said he agrees with the decision to not announce the removal before it began.
The last thing we want is for Jacksonville to be on CNN for political violence, Peluso said.
Council member Matt Carlucci said the draft opinion merely repeated what is in the city charter and the ordinance code and he supports Deegans decision to have the monument removed.
This has been a thorn in the side of Council and somebody had to take leadership, Carlucci said.
I support the strong mayor form of government. We need a strong mayor in emergencies, like a hurricane. In my opinion, the mayor overstepped herself in this case, Salem said.
Fackler advised that if any changes to the mayors power sought by Council require amending the city charter, the changes must be approved by a majority vote in a referendum. He said he will work with Salem to craft the proposed legislation.
Deegan is the second Jacksonville mayor to act to remove Confederate statues.
In June 2020, former Republican Mayor Lenny Curry committed to remove all the citys Confederate monuments and city crews worked overnight to remove a statue of a Confederate infantryman in Hemming Park south of City Hall.
In August 2020, the Council voted to change the name of the park in honor of writer and civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson.
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