Lá pra 2017/18 entrei na faculdade e logo de cara já me vi em um grupo fechado de 4 pessoas (eu H e 3 M), um grupo perfeito na qual converso todos os dias até hoje. Certo dia nesse grupinho estava rolando a conversa típica de quem ficaria com quem da sala, e eu (introvertido ao extremo) falei que não ficaria com ninguém pois tinha que rolar uma conexão primeiro, e uma das amigas também disse isso (vamos chamá-la de Maria), logo as outras 2 amigas falaram em tom de zueira que nós 2 deveríamos ficar juntos então (eu e Maria), e foi aí que começou o problema... Nós rimos na hora, mas depois de falarem isso comecei a olhar pra ela diferente, notei o quanto era bonita, inteligente, e o quanto tínhamos em comum, o problema foi que as outras 2 amigas ficavam lembrando dessa conversa todo dia e eu ficava sem saber o que fazer, pois realmente comecei a gostar dela e a ansiedade batia cada vez que comentavam desse assunto, eu só queria que parassem de comentar todo dia. Não sei o que passou na minha cabeça, eu poderia chamar ela pra sair, falar pessoalmente que estava gostando dela mesmo, mas fiz a pior coisa, me fingi ser outra pessoa 🤡 Basicamente fingi ser um macho insuportável, toda foto dessas minhas amigas com outra menina eu falava pra mandar o contato, até mesmo com a "Maria" eu pedia contato de amigas, e isso durou até ano passado mesmo eu nunca tendo levando nenhum desses flertes a sério. Nesses últimos meses temos saindo como amigos, vamos em restaurantes e parques mas sinto que ela me vê como eu quis fingir ser 😭
A pergunta é: é tarde pra voltar atrás e convencer ela que esse tempo todo eu estava fingindo ser outra pessoa só porque eu gostava muito dela? Faz algum sentido?

Record temperatures, record migration, record emissions, record displacement, record PFAS……start building an ark.
Last Week in Collapse: May 12-18, 2024
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, useful, soul-crushing, ironic, stunning, exhausting, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.
This is the 125th newsletter! You can find the May 5-11 edition here if you missed it last week. You can also receive these posts (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox with Substack.
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Flash flooding in northern Afghanistan killed 300+ people and destroyed 1,000+ homes. Hundreds of thousands of others have been affected. Last month, similar floods in the region killed 70+. Four died in Texas storms last week as well.
Venezuela is suffering from record wildfires, which so far this year have burned about 5M acres—almost the size of Sardinia. Some experts think indigenous people started the blaze as an attempt at forest clearance, which quickly got out of hand. “Institutional failures” compounded the disaster when the ailing government responded with an inadequate number of poorly equipped firefighters. Another study from last week examined the impact of wildfires on soil health.
Flooding and “cold lava” killed 50+ in Indonesia, injuring dozens and displacing several thousand. Cold lava is a mixture of water and rocks tumbling down the side of a volcano. Meanwhile, an actual volcano erupted in Indonesia, sending smoke & ash 5000m high; further eruptions are possible soon.
The Swiss Re Institute published a 37-page report last week about natural disasters in 2023—and how much damage, in USD, they caused. The largest catastrophe was the February 7.8 earthquake in Türkiye & Syria, which killed 59,000+ people and caused $163B+ in damage. The report is full of interesting graphics & data about natural disasters.

“Last year, economic losses from natural catastrophes reached USD 280 billion, meaning that 62% of the global losses were uninsured….the insured losses surpassed USD 100 billion for the fourth consecutive year….annual insured losses will grow by 5–7% over the long term…today’s insured losses could double in 10 years….There were 142 insured-loss inducing catastrophes in 2023, a new record. Most were of medium severity, which we define as events resulting in losses of USD 1–5 billion….Over the last 30 years, we estimate that natural catastrophe insured losses have grown by 3 percentage points more annually than the global economy (in inflation adjusted terms)...”

Flooding and heat waves are impacting Brazil’s oranges, responsible for about 70% of the world’s supply. One food analysts declared that the “era of cheap food is over”—in the UK, at least. That may be one reason why UK residents took record food bank packages last year. Madagascar is struggling to adapt to a future with far less rainfall.
France is growing more concerned about a dam on Lake Geneva, controlled exclusively by Switzerland. The Rhône River, which begins in Switzerland and flows south through France, is shrinking in summers as climate change melts Switzerland’s remaining glaciers.
The Tonlé San River has been dammed in Vietnam, lowering the level in Cambodia and sometimes drying the river downstream entirely. Meanwhile, China’s lychee harvest is getting blasted by rain, impacting the world’s largest source of lychee. And, once again, Saudi Arabia is suffering flooding in its inland regions. 7 dead in historic flooding in Iran.
The eminent climate scientist James Hansen posted that, since “human-made aerosols and their cooling effect are in decline,” the cooling effect of La Niña will be counterbalanced by these rising temperatures. He also identifies a “large anomaly of increased absorbed solar radiation at midlatitudes in the Northern Hemisphere” responsible for rising temperatures there. CO2 levels are rising faster today than they have at any point in the previous 50,000 years…and a study of millennia-old trees determined last summer was the hottest worldwide in 2,000+ years…
Record nighttime May temperatures were tied in the Philippines and Vietnam. A couple Indonesian cities broke records for May temperatures. And a number of southern African states saw more records drop. And Toronto saw a record tied for the number of days reaching 14 °C (57 °F). A heat wave has returned to Bangladesh. Flooding in Cali (pop: 2.9M), Colombia.
The University of Washington was ordered to stop a geoengineering project that scientists sere conducting from the deck of a decommissioned aircraft carrier. The experiment ejected aerosolized saltwater in an attempt to reflect solar radiation. A comparative study in Nature Communications of a number of carbon pricing found that, yes, carbon pricing does work to reduce the total CO2 emitted.
It’s that time of the year again. Wildfires in Canada grow, some of which are moving towards the tar sands—forcing thousands to evacuate. 39 of the total nation’s blazes are “out of control,” resulting in air quality alerts in the United States. Meanwhile, across the Caribbean, water shortages have become the new normal, and residents (and tourists) are finding their old consumption habits hard to change. St. Lucia has declared a water emergency. In Myanmar, water shortages worsen, particularly as related to the spiraling conflict.
At least ⅛ of Europeans live in a place at risk of extreme flooding—so says a 175-page report from the European Environment Agency posted on Wednesday. The number of people living in flood-risk coastal areas in the EU & UK is expected to jump 24% by 2050. The graphics-packed report also considers how flooding will impact healthcare facilities, mental health, wastewater treatment plants, the spread of disease, cyanobacteria, permafrost thaw, and much else.

“Europe has seen devastating floods following record rainfall, droughts of magnitudes not experienced in hundreds of years, continuing sea level rise, and increasing lake and sea temperatures….permanent water stress already affects 30% of people in southern Europe….since 2018, more than half of Europe has been impacted by extreme drought conditions….Climate change is expected to increase mercury bioaccumulation in the marine food chain due to rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification and permafrost thawing….Depression, anxiety and PTSD may persist for years after a flooding event….Under the changing climate, northern Europe is becoming wetter in general, but drier in summer. Southern Europe is becoming drier, especially in winter. For central-eastern and western Europe, the trend is less clear…” -selections from the report

Milan suffered flooding last week, the worst May flooding in 170 years. Early spring in the UK has disrupted migratory bird species and their usual patterns.
A 74-page working paper which is not yet peer-reviewed claims that earlier estimates for how much GDP would be impacted by another 1 °C temperature rise is way less than it would be in actuality. The paper claims the real cost (in USD) is about 6x greater. They claim “global temperature has much more pronounced impacts on economic activity than local temperature” and that extreme weather is mostly behind the projected decline in productivity.
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Epidemiologists are worried about how climate change in Africa may extend the life of disease-bearers like ticks and mosquitoes. Other epidemiologists are worried about how cattle may become a permanent reservoir for H5N1. Growing traced of bird flu have been found in wastewater testing in the U.S., but investigators think it may be runoff from infected dairy farms.
Obesity, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure rates today globally are 50% higher than in 2000—though researchers claim that air pollution still poses a larger threat. Of a study participants in Hawai’i, 75% had respiratory issues, probably from the Maui wildfires last year.
The 2024 World Migration Report is out, and its 384 pages are not as apocalyptic as one might think. However, internally displaced people are at their all-time highest. India, Mexico, Russia, China, and Syria lead the world in emigrants; another document contains the definitions for who exactly constitutes a migrant. Unfortunately much of the data relied upon ends in 2022. Data from this year, not included in the above report, indicates a 40% jump in traffic through the Darien Gap compared to the same time period in 2023.

“The last two years saw major migration and displacement events that have caused great hardship and trauma, as well as loss of life….There have also been large-scale displacements triggered by climate- and weather-related disasters in many parts of the world in 2022 and 2023, including in Pakistan, the Philippines, China, India, Bangladesh, Brazil and Colombia….disinformation tactics are increasingly being used by nefarious actors with negative impacts on public, political and social media discourse on migration….Forced displacement is the highest on record in the modern era…overconsumption and overproduction linked to unsustainable economic growth, resource depletion and biodiversity collapse, as well as ongoing climate change (including global heating) are continuing to grip the world….the risk of further conflict has not been higher in decades, as military spending reached a new record high of USD 2,240 billion in 2022…” -excerpts from the introduction

Another report, focusing on internal displacement, came out last week; its 69 pages show a cross-section of about 47M people displaced by natural disasters (56%) or armed conflict (44%). Most of the disasters were storms & flooding, and most of the conflicts were civil wars of some form. This report also provides detailed region-by-region analyses—with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 46% of global IDPs.

“Conflict and violence triggered 13.5 million movements, the highest figure for the past 15 years….Disasters and conflict are presented as different triggers, but their impacts can overlap, often leading to repeated and/ or protracted displacement….Drought triggered 331,000 displacements in Somalia….Floods triggered 550,000 displacements in Ethiopia….Conflict and violence triggered 3.8 million displacements in DRC in 2023, a slight fall from the record four million in 2022, but still the second-highest figure globally after Sudan….nearly two-thirds of the internal displacements recorded in 2023 originated from Khartoum state. More than 39 per cent of the state's inhabitants were forced to flee, leaving entire neighbourhoods empty….Criminal and communal violence triggered nearly three-quarters of Nigeria's 291,000 conflict displacements….” -selections from the spotlight on sub-Saharan Africa

Experts are concerned about the mental health impacts that climate change has on our minds. Hotter temperatures reportedly increase depression & aggression. Wildfires and storms can cause PTSD. Workers feel stress and desperation as their usual industries are impacted. And air pollution influences ordinary brain processes in many ways.
Some analysts believe “Peak China” may be over, signaling a period of economic tapering-off, as well as a growing militancy. Increasing U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods are continuing to separate the two economies. The Netherlands finally formed a provisional government, though its proposed immigration & farming policies have set it at odds with the EU.
The Federal Reserve, the U.S. central bank, released a 46-page report on potential climate risks to the banking system’s resilience. As far as I understood, most of the risk lies in extreme weather events and the risk to insurance agencies.
Part of southeast England experienced an outbreak of Cryptosporidium, a diarrhea & vomiting illness, highly contagious, which can last weeks. At least 22 cases have been reported. Meanwhile, the CDC is issuing warnings about the more dangerous strain of monkeypox circulating in the DRC, although cases are currently limited to Africa.
North Carolina’s Senate voted to ban mask-wearing last week, under the reasoning that it would make police identification of protestors difficult. An fMRI study found lasting neurological changes in COVID survivors; they “had significantly higher cognitive complaints of mental fatigue and cognitive failure….even two years after recovering.” Experts say a summer rise in COVID cases is coming to the United States.
A study on The Canadian/American Great Lakes found that PFAS levels are increasing in the 3 largest lakes (Superior, Huron, and Michigan), while decreasing in the other two (Erie, Ontario). The study also found that precipitation is the primary means by which the Lakes are accumulating PFAS, since the chemicals are small & stable enough to move through the water cycle. Meanwhile, in England’s Lake District, a telecom failure resulted in raw sewage being pumped into England’s largest and most famous lake, Windermere, on-and-off for 10 hours; and a major British water CEO took a $4M USD pay package last year. And a look into the Chicago River’s health found that microplastics & trash are endangering health & biodiversity.
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An assassination attempt by a lone wolf on Slovakia’s PM left him in critical condition, but likely to survive. 11 civilians were slain by cartel fighters in a few battles in Mexico. Violence continues to spiral out of control in Goma, DRC.
In Haiti, everything worsens indefinitely. Guns have reportedly entered from Florida, a phenomenon which officials call an “iron river.” Police have been put on the defensive against the growing might of the gang warlords.
A brawl broke out in Taiwan’s parliament. An Iranian plot was allegedly foiled to smuggle weapons into Jordan to destabilize the pro-U.S. regime.
Dozens more died in Sudan from escalating violence around Darfur. People are warning about “a disaster on top of a disaster” and the possibility of Sudan splitting apart. Others have called it “hell on earth” as 1,000+ refugees cross the Chad border every day. Disease and malnutrition are growing, while famine encroaches upon 9M helpless victims of the conflict—but the world’s attention is elsewhere.
The U.S. Army Engineers completed constructing the pier in Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. Some 600,000 Gazans have been displaced from Rafah already, and fighting has escalated against Hamas militants in northern Gaza.
Taliban forces skirmished with Pakistani soldiers for about 90 minutes last week. Taliban attacks in Pakistan, and counterattacks have resulted in a kind of ambient disruption for the rocky border zone.
Violent protests—and counteroperations—are continuing in New Caledonia (pop: 270,000), a Pacific island part of overseas France. The riots, which have killed 6 people so far, began after metropolitan France proposed a plan to expand voting rights beyond indigenous residents. A state of emergency has been declared amid worries about a spiral of violence taking hold.
As the Sahel dries out, experts are concerned about the links to rising terrorism in the region. The Sahel accounts for over 40% of global terrorism deaths—according to the analysts’ understanding of “terrorism.” Mali in particular has reportedly become home to 41 new, different non-state armed groups (NSAGs) since 2007. A contested election in Chad resulted in the consolidation of the interim leader’s power.

“If governments are continually unable to solve regional issues, the people will be at the whim of any terror group that has a basic organization. It serves these groups’ interests to promote insecurity where they can and create security where they want. A “hearts and minds” campaign in the Sahel could lead to long-term and locally supported insurgencies in a land that is currently rife with civil strife.” -from the article

Some wargamers concluded that a Trump victory in 2020 would spell the end of NATO, or at least the end of its utility. Vladimir Putin replaced his minister of defense with a top economic advisor, just before going to Beijing to reaffirm their friendship with “no limits.” Some say Putin is planning on a forever war. Some say NATO is gearing up for one, too.
Russia made several gains in the suburbs of Kharkiv, seizing several settlements which some analysts doubt they will hold. Putin claims they aren’t really trying to take Kharkiv anyway… Russia also made small progress in the Donbas—although they suffered their largest one-day casualties since the start of the war. The U.S. allocated another $2B to hasten the delivery of weapons to the front lines. The next weeks will be crucial on the front. Switzerland has invited 160+ nations to send delegates to a peace summit intended to design a path to making peace in this War.
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Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-Brazil’s flooding was really, really bad, judging from this post and its accompanying images. Across just one of Brazil’s 26 states, 600,000+ people have been made homeless, 100+ have died, and the storm season isn’t over yet. Some of the flooding isn’t expected to subside for another month.
-How specifically might climate change make humanity extinct? This thread crowdsources a number of plausible ways, from ordinary famines to nuclear war and even a massive deoxygenation process. I tend to think it will be a consequence of an eventual nuclear exchange, followed by extended famine and disease.
Got any feedback, questions, comments, complaints, upvotes, doom prophets to follow, hugelkultur guides, directions to off-grid bunkers, ark schematics, etc.? Check out the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to your (or someone else’s) email inbox every weekend. What did I forget this week?

Today the White House announced tariffs on certain products imported from China, including steel and aluminum products, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries and battery components, solar cells, ship-to-shore cranes, syringes and needles, and certain personal protective equipment (or PPE). According to the White House, these higher tariffs are designed “to protect American workers and businesses from China’s unfair trade practices.” Tariffs are essentially taxes on imported goods, and altogether the tariff hikes cover about $18 billion in imported goods.
In 2018, Trump abruptly ended the economic era based on the idea that free trade benefited the global economy by putting tariffs of 25% on a wide range of foreign made goods. This was a cap to a set of ideas that had been sputtering for a while as industries moved to countries with cheaper labor, feeding the popular discontent Trump tapped into. Trump claimed that other countries would pay his tariffs, but tariffs are actually paid by Americans, not foreign countries, and his have cost Americans more than $230 billion. Half of that has come in under the Biden administration.
Trump’s tariffs also actually cost jobs, but they were very popular politically. A January 2024 National Bureau of Economic Research working paper by David Autor, Anne Beck, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson established that the trade war of 2018–2019 hurt the U.S. heartland but actually helped Trump’s reelection campaign. “Residents of regions more exposed to import tariffs became less likely to identify as Democrats, more likely to vote to reelect Donald Trump in 2020, and more likely to elect Republicans to Congress,” they discovered.
Now Trump is saying, that if elected, he will impose a 10% tariff on everything imported into the United States, with a 60% tariff on anything from China and a 100% tariff on any cars made outside the U.S.
In contrast, the administration’s new tariffs are aimed only at China, and only at industries already growing in the U.S., especially semiconductors. Tariffs will rise to 50% on semiconductors and solar cells, 100% on electric vehicles, and 25% on batteries, a hike that will help the Big Three automakers who agreed to union demands in newly opened battery factories, as well as their United Auto Workers workforce. “I’m determined that the future of electric vehicles be made in America by union workers. Period,” Biden said.
The administration says the tariffs are a response to China’s unfair trade practices, and such tariffs are popular in the manufacturing belt of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Democratic senators from that region have asked Biden to maintain or increase tariffs on Chinese imports after “[g]enerations of free trade agreements that prioritize multinational corporations have devasted our communities, harmed our economy, and crippled our job market.”
In other economic news, a new rule capping credit card late fees at $8, about a quarter of what they are now, was supposed to go into effect today, but on Friday a federal judge in Texas blocked the rule. The new cap was set by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the brainchild of Massachusetts Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren, and was part of the Biden administration’s crackdown on “junk fees.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Bankers Association sued to stop the rule from taking effect, and U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, appointed by Trump, issued a preliminary injunction against it. His reasoning draws from an argument advanced by the far-right Fifth Circuit, which oversees Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, arguing that the CFPB itself is unconstitutional because of its funding structure. "Consequently, any regulations promulgated under that regime are likely unconstitutional as well," Pittman wrote.
On Friday, major airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, and Alaska Airlines—but not Southwest Airlines—sued the U.S. Department of Transportation over its new rule that requires the airlines disclose their fees, such as for checking bags, upfront to consumers. The department says consumers are overpaying by $543 million a year in unexpected fees.
The airlines say that the rule will confuse consumers and that its “attempt to regulate private business operations in a thriving marketplace is beyond its authority.”
The other big story of the day is the continuing attempt of the MAGA Republicans to overturn our democratic system.
This morning, House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), second in line for the presidency and sworn to uphold the Constitution, left his post in Washington, D.C., to appear with former president Trump at his trial for falsifying business records to deceive voters before the 2016 election. The House was due to consider the final passage of the crucially important Federal Aviation Authority Reauthorization Act, but Johnson chose instead to show up to do the work the judge’s gag order means Trump cannot do himself, attacking key witness Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer. Johnson described Cohen as “clearly on a mission for personal revenge” and, citing his “history of perjury,” said that “[n]o one should believe a word he says in there.”
“I do have a lot of surrogates,” Trump boasted this morning, “and they are speaking very beautifully.” Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who was also at the trial this morning, later said on Newsmax that they had indeed gone to “overcome this gag order.”
Johnson went on to call the trial “corrupt” and say “this ridiculous prosecution…is not about justice. It’s all about politics.” He left without taking questions. Meg Kinnard of the Associated Press called out the moment as “a remarkable moment in modern American politics: The House speaker turning his Republican Party against the federal and state legal systems that are foundational to the U.S. government and a cornerstone of democracy.”
Peter Eisler, Ned Parker, and Joseph Tanfani of Reuters explained today how those attacks on our judiciary are sparking widespread calls for violence against judges, with social media posters in echo chambers goading each other into ever more extreme statements. According to her lawyer, Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, wore a bullet-proof vest as she came and went from court, an uncanny echo of the precautions necessary in mob trials.
In a different attack on our constitutional system, House Republicans are trying to replace the administration’s foreign policy with their own. Over the weekend, they introduced a bill to force President Biden to send offensive weapons to Israel for its invasion of Rafah, overruling the administration’s decision to withhold a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his government would invade Rafah despite strong opposition from the Biden administration.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: “We strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the president’s ability to deploy a U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.”
The Constitution establishes that the executive branch manages foreign affairs, and until 2015 it was an established practice that politics stopped at the water’s edge, meaning that Congress quarreled with the administration at home but the two presented a united front in foreign affairs. That practice ended in March 2015, when 47 Republican senators, led by freshman Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, wrote a letter to Iran’s leaders warning that they would not honor any agreement Iran reached with the Obama administration over its development of nuclear weapons.
The Obama administration did end up negotiating the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and several world powers, under which Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear development and allow inspections in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. In 2018 the extremist Republicans got their way when Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal, largely collapsing it, after which Iran resumed its expansion of the nuclear enrichment program it had stopped under the agreement.
Now extremists in the House are trying to run foreign policy on their own. The costs of that usurpation of power are clear in Niger, formerly a key U.S. ally in the counterterrorism effort in West Africa. The new prime minister of Niger, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, whose party took power after a coup d’état threw out Niger’s democratically elected president, defended his country’s turn away from the U.S. and toward Russia in an interview with Rachel Chason of the Washington Post. Recalling the House’s six month delay in passing the national security supplemental bill, he said: “We have seen what the United States will do to defend its allies, because we have seen Ukraine and Israel.”
—
Notes:
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/13/white-house-opposes-house-bill-force-israeli-arm-shipments-00157691
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/14/nyregion/mike-johnson-trump-trial.html
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-speaker-mike-johnson-court-09aef3de395fa77843f2600f40da6ac3
https://www.vox.com/2015/3/10/8182063/tom-cottons-controversial-letter-to-iran-explained
https://www.cfr.org/backgroundewhat-iran-nuclear-deal
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12106
https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/zgpokqdxlpd/05102024creditcard.pdf
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/08/30/under-trump-5th-circuit-becoming-even-more-conservative/
https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-judge-blocks-rule-capping-credit-card-late-fees-8-2024-05-10/
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/major-airlines-sue-biden-administration-over-fee-disclosure-rule-2024-05-13/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/14/speaker-mike-johnson-house-trump-trial
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/18/politics/donald-trump-tariffs-trade-waindex.html
https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/biden-sharply-hikes-us-tariffs-billions-chinese-chips-cars-2024-05-14/
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w32082/w32082.pdf
https://www.brown.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/05012024section301tariffsletter.pdf
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/14/politics/new-china-tariffs-biden-trump/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/14/1251096758/biden-china-tariffs-ev-electric-vehicles-5-things
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/05/14/memorandum-on-actions-by-the-united-states-related-to-the-statutory-4-year-review-of-the-section-301-investigation-of-chinas-acts-policies-and-practices-related-to-technology-transfer-intellectua/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/14/us-threats-led-rupture-vital-military-ties-nigerien-official-says/
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/cutting-the-spigot
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-election-threats-courts/
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/13/politics/video/stormy-daniels-bulletproof-vest-clark-brewster-trump-hush-money-trial-ac360-digvid
https://www.automotivedive.com/news/united-auto-workers-electric-vehicle-plant-joint-venture/704275/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2024/05/14/volvo-polestar-tesla-detroit-take-biggest-hit-from-china-ev-tariffs/
Twitter (X):
atrupastatus/1790485101966487881
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-14-2024

The Short Version can be found here.

Part 1 can be found here.

Example 5 - There's more to a BBC YouTube title

Returning to this dastardly subreddit, for my next example, points 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 are relevant. OP provided a screenshot of a BBC YouTube title, stating: "Israeli hit squad dressed as doctors kill Palestinians in hospital." Per point 2, by failing to immediately link to the video, or immediately mention what the video contains, folk could come away with the conclusion that the BBC never reports that these were militants. In other words, some might believe that the misreporting here extends past the video title, when it does not, and this could be avoided by providing salient details sooner rather than later. This submission was made during the temporary ban, and I thought it was interesting enough as a case study to come back to.
(Edit: I have generally refrained refrained from coming back to this post to update it with more examples as this continues to occur even despite this post; but I haven't been bookmarking these links as I didn't intend to add additional updates to this post as the days and weeks rolled by. I'll give one more example I saw a week after I submitted this post. We have another screenshot of a BBC headline. Remember the theme of this post: there's pushback in the comments, that's good, I'm not saying that never happens. But think of all the people who are just upvoting based on this screenshot and not the contents of the article? How many actually read it? How many read other articles from other outlets to see if they've made similar remarks? We need to do better than simply get agitated over headlines.)

Example 6 - Oxfam's full position

For this submission/meme, points 1, 2, and 6 are relevant. I saw that we weren’t going to get good-faith engagement with the entirety of Oxfam’s position here on why they initially opposed airdrops, and I attempted to outline the full extent of their views so that it can be critiqued appropriately. This meme is not too dissimilar from some Twitter leftist fixating on one short clip of Destiny during one of his heated gamer moments; his actual positions aren’t being engaged with, and it’s intellectually dull. There’s more to Destiny’s positions than a twenty-second clip; there’s more to Oxfam’s position than the one tweet. The fact of the matter is that there’s a long series of tweets here, and while the tweet OP chose to highlight is risible, is dumb, and is insufferable, we are more than capable on this subreddit in being more nuanced and fair when it comes to our criticism.
As I highlight, there were some concerns here that were not entirely unreasonable. At the time of my comment, there weren’t yet any reports on injuries due to airdrops. These reports appeared in the following days and weeks, where Gazans were killed when a parachute in an airdrop failed to deploy, and some drowned in their attempts to retrieve parcels that landed in the sea. Retrospectively, I wouldn't say that aid should not have been airdropped merely because it would result in these deaths, but a fair assessment of Oxfam here at the time should have taken these concerns into account.
Oxfam’s associate director also endorses a Twitter thread where some prescriptions are given on how ought this aid delivery be facilitated. He recommends that the Gaza port be reopened, and to open more crossings. The Biden administration recognized that airdrops would not sufficiently alleviate the problem of being unable to get sufficient quantities of aid distributed, and while the port was not reopened, Biden did announce that a temporary port would be built. Further, Israel approved the reopening of the Erez crossing.
The misinformation in OP’s post stems from the fact that folk will be disinterested in reading the twitter thread or any additional threads where they might have elaborated on views. Out of the thousands that interact with the post, a significant chunk will come away with the incorrect belief that Oxfam’s opposition to airdrops was merely due to what was stated in the meme. That is misinformation being propagated — not the most egregious, Hamas-esqe level of misinformation in the world, but misinformation nonetheless.

Example 7 - NYT: Bananas, or Cool as a Cucumber?

For our final example points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are relevant; it’s the whole shebang. To give a quick recounting here, Hobbitfollower isn’t the only masochist that might, occasionally, choose to exclusively sort by new. When I saw the submission, I read the article, and I was a bit annoyed that the Jerusalem Post article doesn’t even link to the mission report that I was interested in reading. I searched for it, posted a link to the report in the very first comment of the thread as surely my fellow dggas would also like to read the report, and then I, well, read the report.
When I returned back to the thread, I quoted favourably from the mission report to support another individual's comment. (I would again quote from it in another thread the next day to highlight why Israel struggled to acquire forensic evidence.)
But as I scrolled down the thread I came across the subject of our example; 50 upvotes, no article linked, and clearly a charged comment. Consider the steps involved to truly engage with this comment; one would need to:

• Click and read the article.
• Search for the mission report.
• Read the mission report (as some folk probably won’t wanna read 20 pages right off the bat).
• Search for the NYT article; bypass the paywall (which is trivially easy nowadays but is still a barrier, and people are lazy); and read the article.

This is a very charged thread: there are going to be a large group of pro-Israel folk browsing this thread, frustrated and irate as bad memories are invoked of all the times they’ve had to deal with or seen pro-Hamas folk engaging in rape denialism. In much the same way a leftist sub is not going to be interested in a dispassionate analysis of an Israeli strike with high civilian collateral damage, this sub — at times — will struggle to calmly assess the subject matter. An expected behaviour isn’t necessarily the correct behaviour — the actions we believe one ought to take.
When a misleading tweet goes viral, the damage has already been done, as a considerable amount of people won’t see the subsequent Community Notes that might be slapped on it. Likewise, some of the thousands who see OP’s highly upvoted comment will think, “Oh, this has a lot of upvotes, I guess it must be true. How horrible of the NYT to frame this as a both sides issue”, and thus misinformation has spread. This incorrect belief will mold their perceptions of the NYT. When they encounter more reporting by the NYT on I-P in the future, they might even think back to this moment: “Ah, I remember when these bozos tried to say that the Israeli accusations were the same as the Palestinian accusations.”
I also referred to OP’s comment as disinformation. In every example discussed so far, I don't assume malicious intent. I just begin with the foundation that a mistake was made, and I don’t enmesh myself by throwing out accusations of lying. In this case, however, OP has indirectly acknowledged that I was correct, but they still haven’t bothered to edit their original comment. Once again, this comment is a really good example of point 1. I obviously also disagree with their conclusion, and the process by which they’re arriving at their conclusion is still very flawed — and other people are simply going to adopt their conclusion while not even attempting to reach there by their own independent assessment. If you see someone quote from an article, and they don’t even link it, and the comment is very charged, I would encourage y’all to seek out the article yourself; you may come away with a different interpretation.
I'm sure you've seen this meme before: "I'm just waiting for Destiny to comment on this so that I know what to think 😎." We meme about it, but there is, of course, an undercurrent of truth here, as we have confidence in Destiny's ability to research, and thus we feel comfortable adopting his beliefs and opinions. It's nice not having to do the research ourselves. Lazy fucks.
This applies to Reddit comments you see as well. Don't just adopt the conclusion of someone else because their beliefs align with yours and they're speaking with authority. Do the legwork yourself; be mindful of The Six Points; and you might find that someone on your own side is actually spreading misinformation, or is espousing an opinion that you disagree with.

Purgatory

I was perma-banned some time after my previous comment for a comment I made in a different thread. Before I get to that in the next fuck-me-who-knows-how-I'm-gonna-write-that-I'm-so-fucked section, I did want to bring up two final examples.

Example A - Haaretz and Amputations

For Example A, points 1, 3, 4, and 5 are relevant. Obviously, I can’t attempt point 6 because I was banned. Now, I actually agree with OP as I share their skepticism towards the notion that these amputations are “routine”, but referring to the article as a "fake story" is too strong, and, as always, their process here is flawed. The claims they make here about the Haaretz article and CNN article are misleading, but it is immediately upvoted because it feels right, particularly because the first reply just poisons the well. Haaretz did not speak to an anonymous person, they are reporting on a letter they have seen written by a doctor and sent to senior Israeli officials; the doctor did not justify the claim that the event is routine based on having seen only two amputations, that's merely the amputations they saw in the week they wrote the letter (but the phrasing here is ambiguous, as the doctor could be referring to the handcuff injuries as being the "routine" event); and the IDF did not confirm or deny all the claims, but gave a fairly standard, boilerplate response instead. The misleading claims in this comment was eventually addressed — and, as I’m sure you’re irritated by the repetition by now, the goal of this post is to turn this “eventually” into an “immediately.”

Example B - Wikipedia and Devious Editing

For Example B, points 1 and 5 are relevant. I want to be very careful with this one as I don't want to be misconstrued. Similar to the previous example, I mostly agree with their conclusion that these Wikipedia pages can be very flawed, and partisan editors can tarnish the objectivity that we wish could be maintained across all articles. However, you know the drill by now, point 1. There’s much to be said about the infamous “24-hour window” debacle, and I made a submission a while ago on this. I think there are parts of this story that both the pro-Palestine and pro-Israel crowd get wrong — but the latter is generally more correct, and I would agree with OP here that the information here is, at the very least, incomplete.
However, per point 5, the articles they are critiquing are not linked. How many people here actually sought out the two articles referenced here? As I’ve already demonstrated, we know how many misleading or false claims you can get away with before they’re finally addressed. A user in that thread made some edits to the contentious lines in question in the Wikipedia article. This was the Wikipedia article at the time OP’s comment was made. OP quotes this section:

Prior to the raids, Israel had called for the more than a million people living in the north half of the Gaza Strip to evacuate during a 24-hour window, while Hamas instructed those residents to stay put.

The two citations here are a Reuters article and a Politico article. The Politico article is arguably redundant, but it’s not being cited because it’s supposed to make a statement about a 24-hour window; it’s being cited to support the statement about Hamas:

Hamas is complicating the situation, urging residents to stay in their homes.

The Reuters article also mentions this:

“We tell the people of northern Gaza and from Gaza City, stay put in your homes, and your places," Eyad Al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas Interior Ministry, told a news conference.

Contrary to what OP said, both articles use the word “evacuation” at some point. The first part of the quote from the Wikipedia page is supported by this statement in the Reuters article:

On Friday Israel gave more than a million residents of the northern half of Gaza 24 hours to flee to the south to avoid an onslaught.

In a follow-up comment OP claims that the archived link, which pulled the earliest version of the Reuters article available, does not support the line. This seems to have been an error on the part of whoever chose this hyperlink. When the Wikipedia article first mentions calls for evacuation, this was how the Reuters article cited looked like at the time; regardless of the veracity of the claim, the article did support what the Wikipedia page mentions.
To reiterate, OP is completely correct about this pernicious problem with Wikipedia. It’s just that in this example, I don’t think it qualifies as a case of those darn pro-Palestine editors back at it again. The nuanced position here is pretty difficult to get to, and I don’t think the editors wrote this line in the interest of distorting the truth to serve their own side.

Example B.5: A better yet slightly flawed post on Wikipedia and Euro-Med Monitor

This post about how Hamas supporters are influencing Wikipedia does better in terms of substantiating their claims — but there are issues here that I would have loved to address, and there is a good critique on OP’s prescriptions that was buried at the bottom. Unfortunately, OP has been suspended from Reddit. If you’re reading this mate, call me 🥺.
There are a lot of hyperlinks in OP’s post (lol, sez fucking me), and it’s completely reasonable that someone won’t feel inclined to click every single one; that’s not an expectation I would ever demand. From going through the post, there are several small critiques I would have made (e.g., while I don’t believe the Mondo article should have been cited, OP claims that in the article, “The only people criticizing Wiesel here is the author of the opinion piece.” FWIW, the article does reference and cite a Haaretz article, and a Foreign policy article, both of which levy criticism against Wiesel), but I’m just going to focus on this line:

In fact, it is owned by a man named Ramy Abdu, who is a literal Hamas lobbyist.

If you’re going to call someone a literal Hamas lobbyist, that is definitely a link I’m clicking. What I know about Abdu is simply what I can assume about his beliefs from various tweets I’ve seen by him over the past several months; but I’ve never looked into their background other than being aware of their position at EMM. Upon opening the link I see… a 2013 article about Clare Short. From reading the article, it looks like OP missed some steps in outlining how they arrived at their conclusion, and I saw only a few people inquiring about this. To fill in the steps on what I presume OP wanted to say, from the article they linked:

Moshe Ya’alon, former IDF chief of staff, outlawed the Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR) – a Belgian non-profit organisation that lobbies on behalf of the Hamas-led Gaza Government – using emergency defence regulations.

I haven’t looked into CEPR, and they obviously disputed the lobbying charge; I’m just going to take the claim at face-value. In 2011, Abdu was assistant director of the CEPR, and still held a position there for several years. They've since left the organization, but per point 1, if this is how OP arrived at the conclusion that Abdu is a “literal Hamas lobbyist”, I think it could use a bit more work, with additional clarification on what they mean by lobbyist here. I’m sure they can do it, it just happened to not be in this post.
I'm not going to harp on about point 5 here as I only apply that to incidents where a claim is made; one or two articles are linked; and then no one reads them, assuming the claim must be true as long as articles are provided. I would literally never make the prescription that if someone writes an effort-post, we must click every hyperlink to fact-check. I mean, it's not like I would have any other motivation for saying that... sweats profusely 🙄
Just to make one final point on EMM, it is a rubbish outlet, and any time I encounter one of their articles, I roll my eyes knowing I’m going to get some outlandish claim where I can find fuck-all for corroboration from other outlets. However, sometimes there is corroboration, where EMM was the first to notice that the IDF labelled a bicycle as an RPG in the drone footage they published, and then the NYT confirmed the finding (except for the other stupid claim made in the tweet.) But anyways, these moments are astronomically rare.

Example C - A Mysterious Royal Website (What a weaselly little --)

Okay, I lied, one final example as it’s interesting to see how people here parse articles and headlines, but before I address the example, let me talk about Reuters headlines.

Reuters headlines

They’re not always consistent on this front, but I generally like how Reuters writes their headlines. A Reuters headline will often contain the phrase “US says”. [30] [31] [32] What I’m expecting in the article when I see a headline containing this phrase is some official representing the Biden administration outlining what their particular policy, position, belief, etc., is on whatever the subject matter may be, or some action they took which makes it clear what their position is. In the given examples, we have statements from Biden, Blinken, the US military, and so on. Sometimes the US officials remain anonymous, sharing information in private briefings.
If there isn’t an official statement by the US available on a matter, the headline might use the phrase “source says” to talk about ongoing developments. [33] [34] “Reuters will use unnamed sources where necessary when they provide information of market or public interest that is not available on the record. We alone are responsible for the accuracy of such information.” [35]
Relevant to Example C, Reuters uses the same guidelines for “Saudi Arabia says” [36] [37] and “sources say” for information relevant to Saudi Arabia. [38]

Israeli outlets, A royal family website, and Saudi sources: An amusing chain of events

Keeping the previous section in mind, when I came across this version of a Jerusalem Post article posted to this subreddit, you can imagine what I’m expecting here — particularly because this would be momentous news to see Saudi Arabia make a public statement that they helped defend Israel. Instead, we get reporting on what Saudi Arabia’s royal family said on their website, and what a source connected to the Saudi royal family told KAN, another Israeli outlet — and we don’t get links to either of them. If there was no statement on the royal family’s website, this would have been a bad headline to write based on what this source said. Unfortunately for the JP, there is no official website for Saudi Arabia’s royal family. You’ll see in the current version, they remove the reference to that website, and also add the following line:

The Al Arabiya news site said sources had informed it that Saudi Arabia had not participated in the interception of Iranian drones and missiles.

Here’s the article by the Saudi state-owned outlet, which is essentially their mouthpiece to deny the ongoing report. I24news, however, didn’t get the memo:

Saudi Arabia publicly acknowledges role in defending Israel against Iranian attack
While Jordan had openly disclosed its role in the defensive maneuver, Saudi Arabia's acknowledgment came in the form of a summary on its official website

When I first saw the JP submission on this subreddit, I bookmarked it for later to come back to and find the sources, as it’s not the first time I’ve seen dubious reporting from KAN news. I was also curious if anyone in the thread was going to highlight some of the discrepancies in the article, and, well, shoutout to this keen reader! Fact-checking the JP article slipped my mind, but thanks to a comment I saw on another subreddit, they correctly pointed out that the website referenced was not affiliated with the Saudi royal family, and thus the article the JP and other Israeli outlets had presumably read should not have been taken as an official statement. Christ, this is obvious from the very first line:

A source from the Saudi royal family, who prefers anonymity, converses with the Kan public broadcaster. The individual subtly acknowledges Saudi Arabia’s supposed involvement in thwarting Iranian attack drones bound for Israel the previous evening, citing that Saudi Arabian airspace automatically intercepts “any suspicious entity”.
The same figure takes a swing at Iran, accusing them of instigating a conflict in Gaza. This, they suggest, is a deliberate attempt to unravel the progress established towards normalizing relations with Israel, as per Kan’s report.
In the words of the official, as put forth by Kan, “Iran is a nation that endorses terrorism, and the world should have curtailed it much earlier.”

Why would the official Saudi royal website use an anonymous source within the royal family to make their public announcement, and why would they quote what the official said to an Israeli outlet?!
It’s fascinating to see this play out: the supposed source spoke to Kan News; Houseofsaud presumably sees this and makes an article on the Kan segment; the JP sees this article and the segment, poorly reads it, and then cites it and the original Kan segment; outlets like the Daily Wire pick up on the story from the JP; and then on it goes, spreading like wildefire, before the Saudis take note (“oh fuck, oh fuck, where are these reports coming from?”) and disseminate a message denying that any “official” website publicly confirmed their involvement. The Saudis are involved, and they’re keeping tight-lipped about the extent of their involvement.
Just to quote one more line from the i24news article because it’s shockingly poor:

The post subtly hinted at Saudi Arabia's involvement in intercepting suspicious entities in its airspace, highlighting the kingdom's proactive stance in safeguarding regional stability.

This is written based on this line from the HouseofSaud article:

A source from the Saudi royal family, who prefers anonymity, converses with the Kan public broadcaster. The individual subtly acknowledges Saudi Arabia’s supposed involvement in thwarting Iranian attack drones bound for Israel the previous evening, citing that Saudi Arabian airspace automatically intercepts “any suspicious entity”.

It’s the individual/source who is being subtle, not the post itself as i24 news mentions.
Anyways, this is not a case of misinformation by the subreddit. There's nothing wrong with posting a JP article, and this is easily the least offensive Example, but point 5 is nicely relevant here. I thought y'all might find this to be interesting, particularly because some people probably still believe that Saudi Arabia has publicly acknowledged their involvement, and maybe that could be someone reading this section. It's also another example where, because I’m banned, I can’t offer a bit of nuance. stares intently at 4THOT
It’s a shame Destiny didn’t finish reading the article, I’m curious what he would have said. He speculates that the report was from intelligence or monitoring, but moves on before finishing the article; it’s also the updated version of the article, without the tidbit about the Saudi royal family website.

Finito

I'm going to close out this section here. There's always more to include, more examples that demonstrate the aforementioned points, but I'd rather focus on my own comments instead of threads where I was unable to contribute my thoughts. There's been a plethora of discourse here surrounding the campus protests, and maybe those are still ongoing if I manage to post this at a sooner date. For completely legitimate and fair justifications, all of these threads are going to be very charged; and maybe upon reading this post some of y'all might feel more inclined to analyze these situations dispassionately, mindful of cases where the reporting might not be the greatest.

Example D - A Late Fact-check (Still lying, dude!)

I fucking lied again, there’s more. Literally the day after I finished writing the above paragraph, a new example popped up that I can’t resist the temptation to include. Stop giving me material! As I spoke of above, the campus protests have resulted in a charged atmosphere on the subreddit, which means that this post stating that a “Jewish-Israeli family’s restaurant was targeted in a hate crime” is immediately catapulted to the front page. The biggest problem here is that, per point 2, the presentation of the post led folk to believe that this was a recent event because OP had omitted the date this took place, and this led to one user to thoughtfully suggest that it might be worth setting up a GoFundMe to help the owners with the repairs.
To reemphasize the point I’ve made throughout this post, I’m looking to incentivise better behaviour to occur sooner. It took nearly 10 hours before one jolly chap came along to do the fact-check. Naturally, had I seen this post while browsing arnew, I would have done the same, and so would a couple other users here as well who are good for this sort of thing — and that's unfortunate that I’m saying a “couple” instead of “many.” There is no curiosity amongst everyone who interacted with this post to inquire into the event; not even something simple as requesting OP for an article. So folks, always ask for a source if OP doesn’t provide one just so you have a bit more context. (Also, I am fascinated with the anecdote OP attached to this post. Did they just make up their credentials?)

Example E - Hebrew Sources and False Confidence

This is a wonderful example to close out this section because it exemplifies so many of the problematic behaviours that I have demonstrated in this post. I was only made aware of this thread because a user here DM'd me a link to the thread. I will refer to the individual posting misinformation in the comments as "OP", and I'll refer to the submitter of the post by their username, Sylmd. The rebuttals to OP are excellent, and I will focus more on the behaviour here.
Sylmd posted a submission doing a quick lil' fact-check on a Destiny tweet, noting the fact that he seemed to have misread or misremembered a particular report. I say "seemed" here in case Destiny was referring to some other report or article he had read, but that seems unlikely as he has referenced this report in several of his debates, and the report was the subject of his previous tweets. Regardless, it was a small mistake, and apart from failing to immediately link the tweet and the report (link your sources you silly goose), Sylmd's post is civil, calm, and makes no accusations of malicious intent.
According to OP, Destiny was actually right, and 300+ IDF soldiers were in fact injured. Now, there's so much that is astonishingly problematic with OP's comment, and I gotta... mention it all! Sorry!
Naturally, they don't ever quote from their sources, which means it's on us to try and find the relevant sections. OP claims that the articles linked will demonstrate that 380 Israelis were injured -- despite the fact that Sylmd is obviously doing a fact-check on how many Israeli soldiers were injured, and that's literally the subject of Destiny's tweet.
Whatever, I'm sure the articles at least "discusses around 380 injuries"? Fuck no they don't! There's no mention of this figure anywhere, and OP somehow racks up 50 upvotes when they accuse Sylmd of lying after they correctly point this out. Did these people actually read the articles, find this magical 380 figure, and think, "Grrr, Sylmd you mendacious scumbag, I see through your Hamas propaganda." Sylmd was sitting at -31, one hour after the thread was made. (If you refer back to Example 2, you'll see that I felt compelled to make a submission when I saw a user was being downvoted for correctly pointing out that an article did not prove a particular claim.)
It gets worse. Apparently, you have to "click through all the links in these articles buddy." Well, okay, that's pretty elaborate, how silly of us not to realize this. OP wants us to open up nine Hebrew articles, translate them, and then tally up the number of casualties. Problem? Surely we get to the 380 figure if we click through all the hyperlinks in the article? Fuck no we don't! And even if we did, this is the most blisteringly cumbersome way to prove a claim. The sheer condescension in OP's comment is equivalent to that of a Twitter leftist: "It's not my job to educate you honey, you must read the literature."
So where does this mysterious figure come from? Well, as Sylmd correctly pointed out (before OP mentioned it), they are grabbing this figure from Hebrew Wikipedia. Sylmd doesn't provide a link to the article in question, so I will provide it here, and as you can see, the two articles that OP linked came from this Wikipedia page. I'm not convinced OP actually read either of these articles.
That's not all. They then linked a report in Hebrew in their edit. Where did they get this report from? It's not on the Wikipedia page, maybe this is something they have bookmarked? Nope, they got it from another user in the thread! After all is said and done, they still somehow racked up 270 upvotes for this awful rebuttal, and they were, "Proud to take a blast for defending the truth."
Do I even need to mention the points here? It's an authoritative comment; the linked articles give an "aura" of being correct; and there's confidence in all their comments.
To quote from Example 1:

Anyways, since I began this post it looks like the upvotes and downvotes on the original comment have since shifted. Mashallah. It's the behaviour I was describing before: all the low-effort garbage gets upvoted first, and then other people break the circlejerk and try to add nuance. But it would be nice if the nuance was added first and foremost without the need for tedious fact-checks.

That still holds true today.

Consistency and Principles

Do I only address misinformation from the pro-Israel side? Not that it should matter, but no, I will address misinformation from the pro-Palestine on this subreddit if I see it and I feel like addressing it. I was irritated to see muppets like Rob Rousseau spread conspiracies about a "suspicious link" between ISIS and Mossad, and I encountered a user here who was sprouting similar conspiratorial nonsense. You’ll notice that (1) I was blessed to be called a “Reddit pseudo intellectual libtard” (not wrong, not false, this hurts bro); and (2) I apply the exact same methodology here as I do for the examples of misinformation I've addressed elsewhere — which isn’t to say I’m doing anything commendable here. I just read the articles, trying to find the primary sources where relevant, and then see if the “reporting” accurately conveys what was said or written.
However, digging up the original source can be a time-consuming endeavour, and compounded by the fact that I might not speak the relevant language — which means that there was a case where I inadvertently made a comment containing misinformation. A couple months ago someone requested a steelman of the argument that Israel is conducting a genocide against Gazans; I offered one, and to support the case I used a misquote taken from a Bloomberg video which omitted a crucial part of Yoev Gallant’s statement: the reference to Hamas, and thus radically changing the context of the statement. I hold myself to the same principle when it comes to curbing misinformation, and I was more than content to edit my comment to ensure it did not propagate further than it already had.
Some of you eagle-eyed readers might recognize this Gallant quote, as it made a very marked appearance within… South Africa's genocide case against Israel. Here, that salient reference to Hamas is also omitted, and the accompanying footnote cites the same Bloomberg video that I did. As I wished in another reply, Bloomberg did indeed take the video down eventually. Now, I can be excused for my mistake as I’m not making the positive case outside of my steelman. For South Africa, this is unbelievably shoddy work when you're officially bringing a genocide case against another state.
Anyways, I've gone through many examples in this schizo-post, and it's entirely possible that I've made an error at some point; the irony is not lost on me. Feel free to point these errors out. I might not agree with your assessment, but I'm always willing to hear the arguments.

Prescriptions: The Six Points (Déjà vu)

I'm going to end with The Six Points because that's the focus of Part 1 and Part 2. As previously mentioned, this post is not intended to demonstrate that the misinformation the pro-Israel crowd spreads is as egregious as the misinformation the pro-Palestine spreads, whether in general or on this subreddit. While misinformation from the pro-Palestine crowd slips by every now and then on the subreddit, I would make the case that, generally speaking, it is quickly addressed. In my experience, however, I was finding quite a few cases of misinformation from the pro-Israel crowd were taking a concerning amount of time to be addressed; and in the interest of ensuring that it does get addressed in a more timely manner, I believe the following prescriptions would be helpful to keep in mind when browsing the subreddit:

1. Value the process just as much — if not, more — than the conclusion.
2. Be wary of how the presentation of information or the omission of pertinent information can lead to the inadvertent spread of misinformation.
3. Be aware of how “charged” topics/threads lead to poor reasoning that lacks dispassionate analysis.
4. Be aware of how pre-existing beliefs about an individual or organization alongside the usual biases leads to a reluctance to fact-check, where claims are taken at face-value because they feel right.
5. Link the article. Read the article. (Thoroughly.)
6. Redirect criticism to areas where it will be the strongest.

Click here for Part 3. Warning: you might get stung by a bee 🐝

Guía definitiva sobre app de préstamo monta deudas y como recupere 3,000 dólares.
Esta es la guía definitiva sobre las aplicaciones de préstamo fraudulentas, te cuento mi experiencia.
“El Comienzo”
Mi travesía comienza como todos, buscando dinero urgente y topándome con apps que hacen eso. En este punto de mi vida debido a préstamos con otras instituciones legales y prestigiosas tenía ya bastante conocimiento sobre conceptos que todos hemos escuchado, pero realmente pocos saben a fondo como lo son: Buro de crédito, intereses, acuerdos de pago y/o cartas convenio por mencionar algunos.
Entonces empecé con las apps, que desde lejos se escucha extraño y poco confiable que una aplicación de celular de preste dinero. Pero sí, así tal cual:
El primero fue DIDI finanzas; sabiendo que DIDI en sí sola es una empresa seria, donde me sorprendió la rapidez y facilidad que me prestaron dinero. Les pague e inmediatamente me ofrecían otro más con un 20-30% más que el préstamo anterior, así fácilmente en un mes llegue a que me ofrecieran 3,000 (150 USD). Debido a que esta app me dio confianza y porque no me era suficiente y tenía urgencias, empecé a investigar que otras apps existían, lo cual pedí préstamos a varias, unas legales (al final pondré la lista) y otras no; entre ellas apareció “Súper préstamo” que hoy 10 de mayo de 2024 sigue estando disponible en Apple y google, me dio la confianza que estaba entre las más descargadas en la categoría finanzas y aquí fue donde empezó todo.
“El registro”
Para cuando descargue e instale la app en mi IPhone, ya existía una opción donde cuando una app te solicitaba tener acceso a tus fotos o contactos, no necesariamente les dabas a todo, si no a las fotos o contactos que tu elegías, por este motivo y porque ya se escuchaba que existían apps que utilizaban tu información para chantajear, les di únicamente acceso a las fotografías que yo quise, les di el contacto de 3 personas falsas, les di ubicación una única vez, y una selfi que tienes que hacerte si o si, claro les di mi información de credencial de elector. Aunque igualmente a estas alturas realmente en internet se puede obtener tu nombre, tu CURP, tu ID, tu RFC sin ningún problema; no es algo del otro mundo… respecto a tu dirección, también seamos honestos ¿Quién mantiene su dirección? En promedio un ciudadano mayor a 22 años se cambia cada 2-3 años. Respecto a la cuenta de banco, no es relevante: la cuenta de banco solo sirve para depositar, y solo las instituciones serias y legales podrían hacer uso de ella; como por ejemplo denunciarte ante las autoridades, pero recuerden que estas apps son ilegales. “un ratero no puede ir a la policía porque alguien le robo su auto mientras asaltaba un banco”
“El préstamo”
Los prestamos son increíblemente rápidos, los primeros son por menos de 1000 pesos (60USD) donde te dan 7 días para regresar el dinero, únicamente te depositan un 66% y el resto son los cargos, si lo pagas al igual que las apps legales, te ofrecen más, especialmente esta app de la que hablo aparte de que te prestan más, te ofrecen varios préstamos al mismo tiempo, tras varios embolsos exitosos llegaron a prestarme hasta 5 al mismo tiempo, y después de casi 6 meses; los montos que me prestaban llegaban hasta 10,000 pesos (600 USD) y es correcto si has hecho bien las cuentas si pidiera todos al mismo tiempo me pudieran haber prestado hasta casi 50,000 pesos (2,800 USD), ¿porque seguía pidiendo prestado sabiendo que eran ilegales y que me molestaban y amenazaban con mensajes terribles? (de esto hablare en la siguiente parte) Simple: porque es muy rápido, literalmente dabas un clic y en 15 segundos tenías el dinero en tu cuenta.
“Los asesores”
Aquí está la parte favorita; los asesores; esos asesores que te hablan escriben desde países como Ecuador, Colombia o incluso algunos desde el sur-este mexicano. Desde un día antes te envían mensajes, te marcan, te envían mails: diciendo que tienes que pagar, que tienes 1 hora, que el límite es el medio día etc. Te amenazan de mil maneras, como un patrón: usaban tu ID y la selfi que tú mismo les proporcionaste; y por eso quiero incluso ponerlos por categorías:
Los abogados: Estos son los que más risa me daban, te amenazan que son abogados, que te demandaran, que te enviaran a la policía, te encarcelaran, que te meterán a buro de crédito, que te embargaran y/o que tu deuda crecerá 50% cada hora. Como lo dije anteriormente, tenía ya bastante conocimiento sobre el tema legal en México, y ni si quiera instituciones del tamaño de BBVA, HSBC u Banco Azteca están facultados para eso; solo las instituciones legales pueden dar su calificación en buro, si no les pagas un préstamo hay mil pasos antes de que se llegue a algo extremo, y estoy hablando de montos arriba de 200,000 (12,000 USD). Esto demostraba la capacidad intelectual de estos “asesores” incluso la poca capacitación que reciben, y claro su nulo entendimiento de las leyes mexicanas y en general cómo funciona el mundo. Aquí entendía que mis cobradores/asesores eran muy poco inteligentes.
Los mafiosos: Estos dejaban volar su imaginación, te enviaban amenazas, fotos, audios, que eran del cartel, incluso había unos que te enviaban un video desde una moto diciendo que ya iban a por ti; estos sin duda merecían un Oscar.
Los soplones: Estos decían que les avisarían a tus contactos, que te publicarían en grupos de Facebook, que te pegarían fotografías en la casa tachándote de lo peor. En mi caso nunca me mostraron información de algún contacto de teléfono, aquí es donde descubrí que no tenían mi información.
Los hackers: Estos eran los que tenían el IQ más alto, y gracias a uno de ellos fue donde tuve una alerta a mi seguridad y donde aprendí que hacer. Me enviaron imágenes mías editadas, incluso alguno me envió las coordenadas en google maps de una ubicación donde estuve. me di cuenta salieron de mi Facebook específicamente las imágenes que estaban como públicas, y me amenazaron con enviarles a la lista de personas que le habían dado like, aquí fue donde describí un error y donde me puse como loco a configurar la privacidad de todas mis cuentas: desde Twitter hasta LinkedIn. En el mismo día recibí solicitudes de amistad de chicas guapas, vaya ¿coincidencia no? Esto fue una pésima experiencia porque efectivamente se enviaron a un par de contactos, pero descubrí que hay que estar muy bien preparado y que de 20 “cobradores/asesores” tontos habrá 1 que si sepa por donde llegarte.

Los amables: Dentro de toda esa cloaca de seres despreciables, hay aun así personas que buscan que pagues siendo amables, diciendo buenos días y hasta manando unos stickers buenísimos con gatos tristes. En general un aplauso por ellos, no siguieron la línea. Al final solo es gente queriendo ganar algo de plata en nuestros países tercermundistas.
Resumen sobre los “cobradores/asesores” Recordemos que esta gente tiene un objetivo: Que pagues. ¿Cómo? Como sea; son libres de hacerlo. Me los imagino en una junta por la mañana con su supervisor en algún lugar de Ecuado Colombia o antiguamente en Ciudad de México donde les dicen: “hagan todo lo que se les ocurra, usen toda la información que tengan o que puedan conseguir, no hay límites, usen Paint, Photoshop o PowerPoint no me interesa” esta gente recibe su comisión, y realmente es su sueldo: cada vez que reciben alguna contestación de tu parte o mejor aún cada vez que les mandas a decir que el pago ya fue hecho para ellos es un logro.
Cabe mencionar que estas comunicaciones las hacen un día antes, el día de vencimiento y claro días posteriores”
“La recuperación”
Después de meses de uso de estas apps, después de meses de saber cómo trabajan ellos y sus asesores, sobre todo después de en general como esta banda se compone y relacionan entre sí: chinos informáticos, mexicanos expertos en finanzas, lavadores de dinero, y call centers en Suramérica. Entendí algo: ellos no tenían mi información sobre mis imágenes, sobre mis contactos, empecé a usar VPNs que me ubicaban en España. Ya vivía en otra casa, incluso ya tenía otra INE, Todas mis redes sociales estaban protegidas, me di cuenta de que en cualquier momento yo quisiera podía pedir ese último préstamo paralelo de 60 mil y jamás sabrían de mi a excepción de mi ID, que como dice hoy en día es información pública. Para eso di mi último golpe, use un celular señuelo, le metí contactos falsos e imágenes random, instale la app y me hicieron los préstamos con mi mismo número abrí la aplicación y los permisos, y efectivamente en menos de una hora ya me estaban amenazando con la información señuelo, esto me garantizo que mi información real no la tenían. No les pague, en la aplicación los intereses subían y subían. Recibía llamadas cada 10 minutos, mensajes cada minuto, mails a por mayor. Paso una semana y las comunicaciones se relucieron un 10-20 % paso 1 mes y se redujeron 50-70%, hoy después de 5 meses sigo sin cambiar de número telefónico y solo recibo alguna que otra llamada extraña cada semana.

“Conclusión final”

No me siento mal por no pagarles, al final tampoco es que haya ganado algo, solo recupere mi dinero que me cobraban por intereses altísimos, les vendí por un tiempo mi tranquilidad, porque si me asuste, pero sobre todo aprendí mucho, demasiado sobre ciberseguridad y algo está claro. Son unos genios y no hablo de los cobradores, hablo de los informáticos que desarrollaron la app, hablo de los genios en finanzas que hacen que esto funcione, porque los préstamos y pagos que se hacen se complementan entre sí; me explico cuando tu recibes un préstamo, este días atrás fue el pago de algún usuario más, cuando tú pagas, ese monto será el préstamo de un futuro solicitante. Es impresionante cómo funciona como engranes. Pero claro al final habrá gente que no pagara, porque no quiere, o simplemente porque no tiene. Pero sus ganancias son tal, que siguen siendo mayor que sus pérdidas. Y como dije esta gente son de nacionalidad china en complicidad con expertos financieros de México y otros lados. Pero ese es su límite, ya tomaron una cucharada en ciudad de México, donde hubo cateos y cierres de estos negocios, hubo incluso arrestos, pero que lamentablemente fueron liberados porque en su tiempo (2022) había un vacío legal que hoy en día ya fue legislado, esta es la razón por la cual mudaron sus operaciones de call center fuera de México. Esta gente es letrada y tiene estudios, no se meterán en problemas penales, no iran a tu casa a quemarte, no irán a balacearte. No porque no quieran, sino porque no les conviene, siguen ganando dinero, mucho dinero… hablo de millones por mes, y lo seguirán haciendo hasta que google play y Apple store hagan algo, hasta que se sientan presionados, hasta que la información se difunda, hasta que se legisle en todo Latinoamérica. Esta y no por otra razón es por la cual cuento mi historia y mi experiencia, la única manera de pararlos es quitándoles poder, el único que tienen: La intimidación.
El último consejo es el más complicado, no se endeuden y no pidan prestado.
Gracias

________________________________________________________________________________

Algunas apps legales con las que me tope:

· Credilikeme

· CredMEX

· DIDI finanzas

Algunas de extorsión e ilegales:

· Súper préstamo (y sus filiales)

· Feliz Efectivo

· CTSW

Puntos clave de privacidad:

Revisar tus permisos en la configuración de teléfono que les das a las aplicaciones de préstamos: Contactos, Imágenes Ubicación, etc.
Configura tu whatsapp: Foto solo contactos, quita leídos y en línea.
En tu mail, cada vez que recibas un mail denuncia el mail o márcalo como spam
Revisa tus redes sociales, ponlas privadas. Cuida que no puedan ver tu red de amistades.
Procura usar ios en lugar de andorid.
Y en General, no les contestes nada de nada.
Si ya tienen tu información como los son los contactos, pues procura hablar con los más cercanos y transmíteles que no les tienen que contestar.
Si alguien tiene alguna pregunta o necesita alguna asesoría lo puedo hacer con gusto en comentarios, absténganse de enviar comentarios como “te van a ir a buscar, disfruta” solo demuestran que no entienden cómo funciona el mundo.

"I simply close my beautiful blue eyes... listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!" - Donald Trump, insisting he doesn't fall asleep in his criminal trial, despite the many witnesses who say otherwise.

The Protests And Cons

President Biden urged protestors to stay peaceful, as demonstrations and arrests continued to roil campuses around the country.

• More than 2,000 demonstrators have been arrested at pro-Palestinian campus protests nationwide. That includes more than 200 at UCLA, where cops dismantled the protest encampment after clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Those arrests have taken place at no fewer than 36 schools, according to the AP. Still, at some campuses, protesters and administrators have reached agreements to move encampments so protests can continue while allowing finals and other school functions to proceed.
  
• President Biden addressed the protests today from the White House, where he supported protesters’ right to dissent and free speech, but also condemned violence, destruction of property, and ethnic abuse. “Peaceful protest is in the best tradition of how Americans respond to consequential issues,” Biden said. “Violent protest is not protected, peaceful protest is.” Biden claimed the protests haven’t impacted his thinking on Gaza at all. But the fact that he felt compelled to give these remarks shows they’ve clearly captured his attention—and, presumably, the attention of his pollsters.
  
• Republicans, by contrast, seem to have boiled the protests down to one, endlessly repeated claim: antisemitism. It’s not hard to see the drive-a-wedge-among-Dems advantage to this charge for the GOP. What’s more subtle is the utter cynicism of the claim. The GOP’s staunch defense of Jews would be a lot more believable if: they didn’t support Donald Trump when he dined with America’s best-known Holocaust denier at Mar-a-Lago, years after taking two days to condemn the amalgam of white nationalists and neo-Nazis intermixed with “very fine people” at Charlottesville in 2017; or if Kevin McCarthy hadn’t tweeted an antisemitic rallying cry to supporters before the 2018 midterms; or if the GOP hadn’t imported “Great Replacement” theory — the very one that inspired mass murderers at the Tree of Life Synagogue, Buffalo, El Paso and elsewhere — from the fringes of racist message boards to the heart of GOP immigration rhetoric. To be clear, antisemitism has sometimes reared its head at protests. But the vast majority of student-led protests have kept their focus on criticizing Israel’s government, its actions, and their schools’ relationship with them. Which is part of the point. Cynically tarring all protest as antisemitic also spares GOPs from giving a thought to the demonstrators' key charge: The bombardment of Gaza and the suffering of Palestinians.
  

Republicans are pretending to care about antisemitism, hoping it drives division among Democrats and promotes a feeling of chaos in Joe Biden’s America. Pretty cynical and pretty gross!

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

Ready to get into the good, the ad, and the ugly? In the latest episode of Political Experts React, Pod Save America host Dan Pfeiffer is joined by MSNBC Host Alex Wagner to break down viral political ads from Gavin Newsom, the Biden campaign, and Republican Voters Against Trump. To watch this series, type Pod Save America into the nearest YouTube search bar and make sure to subscribe for more content!

Under The Radar

Disgraced former president Donald Trump was back in court—aka, the nap room. (Seriously, the guy can’t seem to stay awake in his own criminal trial. Unbelievable.) This time there were four NEW alleged gag order violations. Judge Juan Merchan has already fined Trump for nine other online posts attacking witnesses and the jury, and warned him that he can be jailed if he keeps it up.
Meanwhile, the legal circus continued. Michael Cohen’s hilarious “Donald Von SchitzInPantz” insult of Trump actually made it into evidence, after being read outloud in court by Trump's own lawyer. Trump used his lunch break to deny reports that he falls asleep in the trial, despite all the witnesses who insist that he does. (Apparently, his lawyers can’t keep him awake!) And the jury heard actual evidence, including Michael Cohen’s bombshell tape where he tells Donald Trump, "I need to open up a company for the transfer about our friend David." ‘David Dennison’ was a code name for Trump, who was paying “Peggy Peterson,” aka Stormy Daniels.

What Else?

Arizona’s Dem Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a repeal of that state’s 1864 abortion ban that nearly came into effect thanks to Republicans’ overturning of Roe v Wade. But confusion in Arizona is far from over. The repeal won’t go into effect for months, and court challenges are likely to muddy things even further.
Russia, China, and Iran are using online propaganda tactics to inflame the politics around pro-Palestinian and divide Americans. See above: So interesting how closely their incentives align with Republicans’ these days!
Trump confirmed what everyone already knew: he won't commit to accepting the results if he loses (again) in 2024.
Some Senate Republicans are not buying Donald Trump’s outrageous immunity arguments pending in the Supreme Court. Take Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) illustrated his point by making a shooty-gun-hand-sign at a reporter today and asked: “Could I, as president, shoot you in the head? Of course not.”
South Dakota Gov. and Trump veepstakes hopeful Kristi Noem is tripling down on the wisdom of shooting a 14-month-old dog in a gravel pit. Now Noem says the dog was a mortal threat to her childrens’ safety. She actually said: “I chose my kids.”
More self-owning veepstakes! Here’s Ohio GOP Sen. and Trump veep hopeful JD Vance getting owned for urging police to arrest anyone who vandalized a school building, after raising money on behalf of those who stormed the Capitol.

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Enjoy

NPR Podcasts (@nprpodcasts) on Instagram: "Text on image: "My understanding of the push to ban TikTok""

On April 16, 2024, the US House of Representatives passed a bill driven by prejudice and hate. H.Res. 883 states that chanting the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is anti-Semitic.
The text falsely states that this phrase is “is an antisemitic call to arms with the goal of the eradication of the State of Israel, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”. It also states that “the slogan seeks to deny Jewish people the right to self-determination and calls for the removal of the Jewish people from their ancestral homeland”.
Did you catch that? The people who wrote this resolution and voted Yea (377 to 44 Nay) perhaps didn’t see the irony of the text, or chuckled at the sick joke. By stating that Israel “is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”, it is they who have eradicated Palestine. And in practice, it is they who have denied the Palestinian people their right to self-determination and have effected the removal of the Palestinian people from their ancestral homeland.
When pro-Palestinian people chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, they are actually calling for an end to illegal settlements, apartheid, military occupation, and oppression. For those who believe in a one-state solution, it means freedom and equality for everyone in this land living in one democratic state. For those who believe in a two-state solution, it’s about self-governed Palestinian territory that is free from illegal Israeli military occupation and oppression. In either case, it’s a call for an end to the human rights abuses against Palestinians.
There is another aspect to this phrase that’s not about physical geography. It’s about being free from the propaganda and being able to see the truth, rather than being brainwashed and toeing the line.
On the other hand, some have argued that Israel’s ruling Likud Party takes this phrase to the extreme. The 1977 Likud Party charter states:
“The right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is eternal and indisputable… therefore, Judea and Samaria [i.e. the West Bank] will not be handed to any foreign administration; between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.”
While snowflakes in the US shed crocodile tears about words or phrases that they found hurtful or dangerous, an actual genocide was taking place in Gaza. The weekend after H.Res. 883 passed, the House of Representatives approved an additional $26 billion in military aid to Israel (part of which is suppose to reimburse the US for its defense of Israel against Iran’s retaliation for the consulate bombing in Damascus), and during that same weekend Israeli airstrikes in the city of Rafah slaughtered 18 Palestinian children.
What a strange world we live in where verbally opposing a genocide is more offensive than the crime of genocide itself.

On April 16, 2024, the US House of Representatives passed a bill driven by prejudice and hate. H.Res. 883 states that chanting the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is anti-Semitic.
The text falsely states that this phrase is “is an antisemitic call to arms with the goal of the eradication of the State of Israel, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”. It also states that “the slogan seeks to deny Jewish people the right to self-determination and calls for the removal of the Jewish people from their ancestral homeland”.
Did you catch that? The people who wrote this resolution and voted Yea (377 to 44 Nay) perhaps didn’t see the irony of the text, or chuckled at the sick joke. By stating that Israel “is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”, it is they who have eradicated Palestine. And in practice, it is they who have denied the Palestinian people their right to self-determination and have effected the removal of the Palestinian people from their ancestral homeland.
When pro-Palestinian people chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, they are actually calling for an end to illegal settlements, apartheid, military occupation, and oppression. For those who believe in a one-state solution, it means freedom and equality for everyone in this land living in one democratic state. For those who believe in a two-state solution, it’s about self-governed Palestinian territory that is free from illegal Israeli military occupation and oppression. In either case, it’s a call for an end to the human rights abuses against Palestinians.
There is another aspect to this phrase that’s not about physical geography. It’s about being free from the propaganda and being able to see the truth, rather than being brainwashed and toeing the line.
On the other hand, some have argued that Israel’s ruling Likud Party takes this phrase to the extreme. The 1977 Likud Party charter states:
“The right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is eternal and indisputable… therefore, Judea and Samaria [i.e. the West Bank] will not be handed to any foreign administration; between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.”
While snowflakes in the US shed crocodile tears about words or phrases that they found hurtful or dangerous, an actual genocide was taking place in Gaza. The weekend after H.Res. 883 passed, the House of Representatives approved an additional $26 billion in military aid to Israel (part of which is suppose to reimburse the US for its defense of Israel against Iran’s retaliation for the consulate bombing in Damascus), and during that same weekend Israeli airstrikes in the city of Rafah slaughtered 18 Palestinian children.
What a strange world we live in where verbally opposing a genocide is more offensive than the crime of genocide itself.

In the past 48 hours, the US & the Biden administration has proven beyond a shadow doubt what its position is vis a vi Israel/Palestine. Despite 'leaks', lip service, and extravagant acts of virtue signalling to appease domestic protest voters, the US has VETOED the vote to have Palestine recognised as a state in the UN. In the same period it has been reported the US has approved the Rafah offensive, in a deal struck with Israel to prevent Israel further escalating war with Iran.
Israel struck Iran anyway.
The US has proven to its allies, and the world, it has no credibility. The US has been thoroughly compromised. Beyond any shadow of a doubt. The US no longer dictates foreign policy for itself when it comes to Israeli interests, and it can make no claim to being a champion to international law.

• Bidens word no longer has credibility
• The US policy positions are overturned if Israel wills it.
• US laws mandating sanctions on weapon trades are ignored to aid and abet Israeli war crimes.
• When Israel crosses US redlines, Israel faces no consequences.

Bellow I will be listing the tally of Israeli war crimes verified in this current Gaza conflict. Everyone already knows war crimes have been committed, but I think it is important to see the sheer amount of them and to understand the US has supported this politically, financially, and militarily without hesitation. The US has shown there is no end to this support, creating a situation where an alliance of any countries would be justified under their obligations as signatories of the Geneva Convention to declare war on the US - Israeli alliance to prevent further atrocities.
We all scoff and say this will not happen, however signatories to the Geneva Convention have an obligation to prevent atrocities, leaders of the world have a responsibility to stand up for what is right. If you are thinking the US has too many allies it cant happen, think, those sitting in France, Germany, UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, reading this now, if war is declared and you are called up to defend the US - Israel alliance (which you will be), are you comfortable looking around you and understanding you are fighting to protect Israels right to commit war crimes, you are fighting to protect the US right to undermine international law & institutions, you are fighting on the side of the baddies?

The 1949 Geneva Conventions have been ratified by all Member States of the United Nations, while the Additional Protocols and other international humanitarian law treaties have not yet reached the same level of acceptance. However, many of the rules contained in these treaties have been considered as part of customary law and, as such, are binding on all States (and other parties to the conflict), whether or not States have ratified the treaties themselves.

https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/war-crimes.shtml

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
Article 8 War Crimes
The Court shall have jurisdiction in respect of war crimes in particular when committed as part of a plan or policy or as part of a large-scale commission of such crimes.
For the purpose of this Statute, ‘war crimes’ means:
Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, namely, any of the following acts against persons or property protected under the provisions of the relevant Geneva Convention:

​

Section 8 2a.i
Wilful Killing of protected persons

Over 200 journalists killed. Strikes on aid workers. Hospital workers. Unarmed civilians killed on video.

Section 8 2a.ii
Torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments;

Hundreds of counts - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/21/gaza-activist-tells-of-beating-and-abuse-in-israeli-detention#:~:text=Hundreds%20of%20Gaza%20residents%20detained,Reuters%20and%20%2B972%20magazine%20found.

Section 8 2a.iv
Extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly;

Multiple counts - Hospitals, Residential areas, Universities, Mosques, Cemeteries, decimated.

Section 8 2a.vi
Wilfully depriving a prisoner of war or other protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial;

An estimated 3660 held without trial. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/17/palestinian-prisoners-day-how-many-palestinians-are-in-israeli-jails#:~:text=How%20many%20Palestinian%20prisoners%20are,prison%20without%20charge%20or%20trial.
​

b. Other serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflict, within the established framework of international law, namely, any of the following acts:

​

Section 8 2b.i
Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities;

Israel routinely targeting refugee camps, refugee corridors during evacuations, cities, Rafah, etc. - Multiple counts

Section 8 2b.ii
Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives;

Video evidence of Israel staged demolitions of universities, Mosques, etc after the areas have been cleared. - Multiple counts

Section 8 2b.iii
Intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in a humanitarian assistance or peacekeeping mission in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, as long as they are entitled to the protection given to civilians or civilian objects under the international law of armed conflict;

36 Hospitals bombed, UN buildings, clearly marked humanitarian aid convoys.

Section 8 2b.iv
Intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that such attack will cause incidental loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects or widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment which would be clearly excessive in relation to the concrete and direct overall military advantage anticipated;

Israel uses AI to target low ranking Hamas in civilian areas - multiple counts. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ap03/israel-gaza-ai-database-hamas-airstrikes

Section 8 2b.v
Attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not military objectives;

70% of Gazas infrastructure has been destroyed. https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/right-adequate-housing-under-attack-gaza#:~:text=Oxfam%3A%2070%20percent%20of%20Gaza's,no%20home%20to%20return%20to.

Section 8 2b.vii
Making improper use of a flag of truce, of the flag or of the military insignia and uniform of the enemy or of the United Nations, as well as of the distinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions, resulting in death or serious personal injury;

Israeli soldiers dressed as medics raid hospital to kill Hamas undergoing treatment - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/30/israeli-soldiers-disguise-west-bank-hospital-hamas/

Section 2b.viii
The transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory within or outside this territory;

Israeli ministers outline plans to settle Gaza [Existing Westbank settlements] - https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-03-13/israel-religious-nationalists-gaza

Section 2b.ix
Intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives;

Organised demolition of hospitals, universities, mosques, after fighting has ceased. multiple counts.

Section 8 2b.xx
Employing weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare which are of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering or which are inherently indiscriminate in violation of the international law of armed conflict, provided that such weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare are the subject of a comprehensive prohibition and are included in an annex to this Statute, by an amendment in accordance with the relevant provisions set forth in articles 121 and 123;

White phosphorus used on civilian areas. Cluster munitions used in civilian areas.

Section 8 2b.xxi
Committing outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;

Multiple counts - video evidence all over IDF telegram

Section 8 2b.xxii
Committing rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, as defined in article 7, paragraph 2 (f), enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence also constituting a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions;

Multiple counts - Currently under investigation by the UN https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/22/claims-of-israeli-sexual-assault-of-palestinian-women-are-credible-un-panel-says

Section 8 2b.xxiv
Intentionally directing attacks against buildings, material, medical units and transport, and personnel using the distinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions in conformity with international law;

Multiple counts of clearly labelled Aid convoys and installations targeted. https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/4/2/israeli-strike-kills-seven-world-central-kitchen-workers

Section 8 2b.xxv
Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including wilfully impeding relief supplies as provided for under the Geneva Conventions;

Gaza has been under siege since Oct 7th, all water, electricity, sewerage services restricted. 90% of aid restricted. Defamation of UNRWA used to compel allies to cut funding.
For those who have read all the way to the bottom, thank you. I hope this is a resource you can use and add to as things progress. The US has knowingly aided and abetted this tyranny and has proven it will no rein Israel in. It does not matter if Israels absolute hold over the US is due to AIPAC or military strong arming, the effect is the same. Israel is under investigation for Genocide, and is continuing to escalate with its neighbours. Sanctions were placed on Russia upon the mere suggestion that Putin would act with this level of tyranny. So you can understand that it is not a matter of if but rather when an international alliance declares war against the US - Israel alliance. It is a matter of global stability that this ends.
Imo the US has lost all credibility internationally, and the Biden administration has lost all credibility domestically, it has been 100% compromised by a foreign power.

Esclusive VM televisione Giornale città Politica Nel mondo Comunità Economia Finanza Divertimento Gli sport Incidenti Tecnologie Cibo "Sera" - 100 anni opinioni Televisione serale Archivio giornali Costruiamo per durare La stampa nell'istruzione Rivista di Mosca Mosca è in costruzione Progetti speciali foto video Infografica Per il giornale Pubblicità Posti di lavoro gratuiti Abbonamento alle edizioni cartacee informazione legale Entrare Cosa fare con i vicini rumorosi? Cristallo Un agente di polizia può rifiutarsi di accettare una domanda? È possibile assumere un agente di polizia donna? Gagarin Tutti i dipendenti devono indossare l’uniforme? Dolcevita Come posso trovare lavoro nella polizia? Un'inondazione Il meteorologo Tishkovets ha avvertito di una tempesta di forza 9 nella Russia centrale e a Mosca Kiril Gromov 18 aprile 05:42 città Foto: Vasily Kuzmichenok / AGN Mosca Una tempesta forza nove ha colpito la Russia centrale e Mosca venerdì 19 aprile, con raffiche di vento che in alcuni punti hanno raggiunto i 25 metri al secondo. Lo ha annunciato il principale specialista del Centro meteorologico Phobos Evgeniy Tishkovets. "Sulla scala Beaufort, una tempesta di categoria 9 quando la velocità del vento raggiunge gli 80-90 chilometri all'ora (22,2-25 metri al secondo - circa 'VM')", ha detto il meteorologo. Ha notato che con un tale flusso d'aria, il carico per metro quadrato di area raggiunge i 44 chilogrammi. Tishkovets ha avvertito che un tale vento potrebbe spezzare gli alberi e far cadere le strutture pubblicitarie. Il meteorologo ha ricordato anche le misure di sicurezza. Ha indicato che gli aerei che atterrano con venti così critici potrebbero essere limitati o addirittura vietati. Tishkovets ha precisato che le regioni di Bryansk, Oryol, Tula, Kaluga e Mosca cadranno nella zona della tempesta, dove la velocità del vento supererà i 20 metri al secondo. Il meteorologo ha aggiunto che i 2/3 delle precipitazioni mensili cadranno nella capitale. Inoltre, secondo lo specialista, la pressione atmosferica sarà di 729 millimetri di mercurio. — Le precipitazioni diventeranno abbondanti e piovigginose nella notte di venerdì, e al mattino, quando la città sarà quasi al centro del vortice atmosferico di origine balcanica chiamato "Gori", altri 20 millimetri di umidità anomala del cielo cadranno su Mosca. piove come un muro. Pertanto, nel periodo dalle 15:00 del 18 aprile alle 09:00 del 19 aprile, il tasso di precipitazioni in città scenderà al 68% del tasso mensile", ha scritto Tishkovets sul suo canale Telegram. Il meteorologo del centro di previsione Meteo Alexander Ilin ha dichiarato a "Vechernaya Moskva" che questa settimana a Mosca cadrà pioggia per quasi un mese. Inoltre, in una conversazione con il Ministero degli Interni, lo specialista ha spiegato che durante la settimana farà freddo e pioverà, ma la temperatura dell'aria rimarrà nella norma climatica. Tishkovets ha detto a sua volta che questa settimana nella capitale sono previste forti fluttuazioni della pressione atmosferica. Nel mese di aprile gli abitanti della città saranno assediati da un periodo di barricate. REGIONE DI KALUZHA REGIONE DI ORLOVSK REGIONE DI BRYANSK MOSCA REGIONE MOSCA Leggi anche: "È iniziato ciò che il mondo intero temeva": a cosa potrebbe portare il conflitto tra Iran e Israele Media: Le forze armate ucraine hanno colpito un aeroporto in Crimea con missili balistici Mash: Esplosioni sono esplose nel cielo sopra l'aeroporto di Dzhankoy in Crimea Papà, non ti dimenticherò mai: storie di soldati SVO caduti e delle loro famiglie Perché gli alloggi in affitto a lungo termine sono diventati più costosi? ricaduta Vladimir Efimov: La città ha trasferito i diritti di proprietà su 106 locali non residenziali Paolo Ivanov 18 aprile 09:06 città Foto: Ufficio stampa del Complesso di politica economica di Mosca Nel periodo da gennaio a marzo di quest'anno, la città ha trasferito ai moscoviti i diritti di proprietà su 106 locali non residenziali in edifici residenziali, grazie ai quali i residenti potranno utilizzare le strutture per le loro esigenze. Lo ha annunciato giovedì 18 aprile Vladimir Efimov, vicesindaco di Mosca per la politica urbana e l'edilizia. "Nel primo trimestre del 2024, la città ha trasferito ai moscoviti locali non residenziali in edifici residenziali con una superficie totale di oltre 16mila metri quadrati - soffitte, scantinati e locali tecnici", ha affermato il vicesindaco. Leggi completamente Cambiamenti di personale si sono verificati nei complessi edilizi ed economici di Mosca Evgeny Zhukov 17 aprile 19:17 h città Foto: il servizio stampa della Duma di Stato Ci sono cambiamenti di personale nell'amministrazione del capitale. I documenti rilevanti sono stati firmati dal sindaco della città, Sergey Sobyanin. Così, con uno dei decreti, l'amministratore della città ha rilasciato Andrey Bochkarev dalla carica di vicesindaco della capitale per la politica urbanistica e l'edilizia. Vladimir Efimov è stato nominato sindaco per questo incarico. Prima di ciò, Efimov ha ricoperto la carica di vicesindaco per la politica economica e le relazioni immobiliari e fondiarie. Leggi completamente Sobyanin ha licenziato il vicesindaco per la costruzione Bochkarev dal suo incarico Paolo Ivanov 17 aprile, 17:43 città Foto: servizio stampa del sindaco e del governo di Mosca / Maxim Mishin Il sindaco di Mosca, Sergey Sobyanin, ha licenziato Andrey Bochkarev, deputato alla politica urbanistica e all'edilizia. L'informazione è riportata in un documento pubblicato sul sito ufficiale del sindaco della città. Il testo del decreto del sindaco afferma che le dimissioni di Bochkarev dall'incarico sono state effettuate su iniziativa di Bochkarev. Leggi completamente Sobyanin: Secondo il programma della città a Mosca verranno costruiti 16 impianti industriali Paolo Ivanov 17 aprile 17:15 città Foto: servizio stampa del sindaco e del governo di Mosca / Maxim Mishin Nella capitale, saranno costruiti 16 impianti industriali in sette distretti metropolitani come parte dell'attuazione del programma per creare posti di lavoro nella città. Lo ha annunciato mercoledì 17 aprile il sindaco di Mosca Sergej Sobyanin. "Più di 16mila persone potranno trovare lavoro nelle imprese", ha osservato il capo della città. Riproduci video Leggi completamente Sergey Sobyanin ha parlato della creazione della struttura stradale della Grande Città Polina Pashkina 17 aprile 14:20 h città Foto: Telegram / Il sindaco di Mosca Sergey Sobyanin Nuove strade appariranno nel quartiere del Parco Filevski della capitale. Lo ha annunciato mercoledì 17 aprile il sindaco di Mosca Sergej Sobyanin. Secondo lui, nel 2024 sarà completata la costruzione del collegamento stradale tra via Bolshaya Filevskaya e la terza circonvallazione. Riproduci video Leggi completamente Sobyanin: Il 1° maggio inizierà il pattugliamento aereo delle foreste per la protezione dagli incendi Polina Pashkina 17 aprile 12:41 città Foto: Telegram / Il sindaco di Mosca Sergey Sobyanin In questa stagione, 10 aerei monitoreranno la sicurezza antincendio nelle foreste. Mercoledì 17 aprile ne ha parlato il sindaco di Mosca Sergej Sobyanin. Dal 1 maggio gli aerei inizieranno a pattugliare le regioni di Vladimir, Kaluga, Mosca, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula e Yaroslavl. Nel 2023 sono state organizzate pattuglie aeree, da maggio a ottobre dello scorso anno, grazie alle quali sono stati scoperti e prontamente spenti 887 incendi. Leggi completamente Sobyanin: Più di 160mila persone hanno iniziato a trasferirsi nelle nuove abitazioni a causa della ristrutturazione Pavel Kiselnikov Complotto: Programma di riparazione degli alloggi a Mosca 17 aprile 08:06 città Foto: Mikhail Kolobaev / stroi.mos.ru Oltre 160.000 residenti della capitale hanno iniziato a trasferirsi in nuove abitazioni nell'ambito del programma di riabilitazione. Lo ha annunciato mercoledì 17 aprile il sindaco di Mosca Sergej Sobyanin. "Circa 147mila cittadini hanno già firmato contratti per appartamenti, oltre 136mila hanno festeggiato nuove case, più di 25mila stanno preparando i documenti o traslocando", ha scritto sul suo canale Telegram. Riproduci video Leggi completamente ▲ Login Oppure accedi utilizzando un social network Accedi con VKontakte Accedi con Odnoklassniki Registrazione Password dimenticata Registrazione Iscriviti alla newsletter Inviamo solo notizie importanti e interessanti. 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New & depressing climate research & data drops, a spate of record temperatures is broken, and bird flu alarms fall on deaf ears—as the world re-arms for a conflict that’s closer than some might believe.
Last Week in Collapse: April 7-13, 2024
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, useful, soul-crushing, ironic, stunning, exhausting, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.
This is the 120th newsletter, and it’s the longest yet. I feel obligated to put a general content warning on this edition, as the cumulative heap of Doom may be exhausting to some readers. You can find the March 31-April 6 edition here if you missed it last week. You can also receive these posts (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox with Substack.
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The European Court of Human Rights delivered a landmark ruling claiming that Switzerland was in breach of its obligations to protect its citizens from heat waves, and from failing to meet climate targets; also that Switzerland had not drafted a national carbon budget. You can read the ECHR press release here if you’re interested.
For the first time ever, NASA is releasing its data to the public collected from its Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite—empowering scientists, journalists, and the curious public to look at images & data regarding environmental pollution and air quality. The move expands access to earth sciences, particularly the study of aerosols. Access some of the breathtaking ocean/cloud images here if you’re interested—or even if you’re not.
Soil inorganic carbon (SIC), a mostly overlooked source of carbon when compared to organic soil carbon. However, a study in Science suggests that the quantity of SIC is huge, and desertification and runoff is sending SIC into rivers and oceans. The impact on the hydrosphere and atmospheric carbon concentrations has been underestimated, experts claim.
El Niño is being blamed for 40-year lows in Bogota reservoirs. Colombia’s capital (metro pop: 11.7M) will begin rotating days on which no water will be supplied to certain districts in an attempt to conserve the fast-depleting resource. El Niño, and invasive wild hogs, were also blamed for wildfires in the Philippines. Parts of New Zealand faced their driest summer on record. Canada is expecting a fierce wildfire season ahead, and hoping to train 1,000+ new forest firefighters this year. Nepalese wildfires killed 3 army firefighters.
Sweden experienced summer-like conditions for the earliest time in the year, after parts of southern Sweden saw five consecutive days of at least 10 °C (50 °F) temperatures. Across the Asia-Pacific, 240M children are at mortal risk from heat waves—according to a UNICEF report.
Glaciers in Central Asia are melting, and the on/off droughts & floods are worsening a water management crisis for the region. Afghanistan is building a canal to siphon 20-30% of the Amu Darya River which supplies Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan. Morocco’s second-largest reservoir is drying up—and taking down the agriculture industry (which accounts for 90% of the nation’s fresh water use) with it.
Despite the talk of wildfires & droughts, March 2024 was supposedly, on average, the wettest March on record, for the planet. Flooding in Hubei, China, killed at least 8. An environmentalist group is claiming that fast fashion brands are linked to deforestation in Brazil, replacing trees for cotton plantations connected to violence & corruption.
Record April heat in southern Mexico: 42 °C (108 °F). Phuket, Thailand, saw its hottest day & night, peaking at 39.4 °C (103 °F). Overseas France also saw several new records drop, including Mayotte’s hottest day ever, around 36 °C (97 °F). Heat waves are blasting Nigeria all around; Ghana, too. 100+ people died from a heat wave in Mali. A few local April records were broken around the Mediterranean basin, in Spain, Algeria, and Morocco. Some daily records in Bosnia, and Germany saw its earliest 30 °C day ever—ahead of the old record of 9 days. Scientists blame a group of factors for the recent heat, including manmade climate change, El Niño, aerosol demasking, effects from the Indian Ocean Dipole, and random weather events.
Although average sea surface temperatures tend to drop around March 22, near the first day of spring, temperatures have not yet dipped down—an anomaly that may linger long. We are heading into “uncharted territory”.
The Great Barrier Reef is reportedly experiencing its most serious coral bleaching ever, as new footage shows coral carnage 18 meters (59 feet) deep. Historic flooding is worsening in southern Russia and Kazakhstan, displacing thousands more; it is the region’s worst flooding in decades. A paywalled study’s summary claims that rainfall patterns are being disturbed so much that “in most regions, more than half of the total yearly rainfall occurs on the 12 wettest days of the year.”
A study in Communications Earth & Environment concluded that climate change will result in ocean coastlines experiencing 38 days of “concurrent heatwaves and extreme sea levels” (CHWESL): a one-two punch of swelling warm tides—usually found in tropical areas, usually in summer. However, “87.73% of coastlines experienced such concurrent extremes during 1979–2017,” posing a danger to many coastal communities and maritime megacities.
Experts are urging municipalities to plant more native plants to prevent landslides and stabilize vulnerable soil. A study found that earthworm populations in the UK are shrinking about 2% each year. A UN climate official said that humanity has two years to save the planet… A retrospective on a 2022 heat wave in Antarctica found that a large atmospheric river was the immediate cause.
The grounding line of a glacier is the outermost point(s) where a glacier sits on solid ground. A Nature Communications study concluded that changing ocean currents are bringing warm water deeper, eating away at the grounding lines of glaciers, exposing more glaciers to ocean currents, and accelerating the Collapse of many glaciers & ice shelves.
Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam, on the Colorado River, has a problem: its water level is dropping, and its backup pipes, which conduct water through the Dam, are not functioning. This could pose a problem if water levels drop too low. You can read the full 14-page March memo from the Department of the Interior here if you’re interested. The President of the environmental nonprofit Utah Rivers Council claims “the archaic plumbing inside Utah’s Glen Canyon Dam is the most urgent water problem facing the 40 million people of the Colorado River Basin.”
Since 1990, homo sapiens have transformed 250,000 acres of estuaries into farmland and/or urban development—so says a study in Earth’s Dismal Future. 90% of these developments occurred in developing middle-income countries.
An analysis of 122 glaciers in the Kashmir Basin determined that, from 1980 until 2020, the total glacier mass had shrunk from about 26 km2 to 16 km2—roughly 39%. A Royal Society study forecasting the 500-year long view of forests concluded that boreal forests will decline the most from rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
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Bird flu reached New York City birds: a chicken, some geese, a hawk, and a falcon. Perhaps a number of pigeons are carriers as well. H5N1 has also been detected in North Carolina cattle, and, two weeks ago, a human in Texas. Experts worry that “pandemic fatigue” may leave us unwilling to monitor this virus closely enough to prevent an even worse health disaster. Spillover risk is low, the scientists say, but there is a risk that certain mammals may provide the genetic material needed for a catastrophic jump to a human-to-human transmission.
The price of gold has reached a record high—$2,364 per ounce. Vandals in Peru, reportedly illegal gold miners, took down two electrical towers using dynamite, towers which supplied energy to a government-approved gold extraction operation.
Iraq, where the annual deficit totals some $61B, would face a sudden economic Collapse if the price of oil sinks; if it continues to rise (a barrel is around $90 now), the American economy will be hard hit. In Ghana, energy debt is rising, and officials are preparing possible schedules for load-shedding. South Africa continues to suffer from daily load-shedding, and is trying to invest more in generators & renewable energy.
Air pollution is being linked to mental & neurological problems more and more. The Seine River, scheduled to host Olympic swimmers this summer, has unsafe levels of E. Coli and other bacteria, according to 13 of 14 tests conducted. In Denmark, where a massive deoxygenation event killed most life in a beloved fjord, 1,000+ people gathered to host a funeral ceremony for the fjord.
A major Chinese property developer, Shimao, already in default of some loans since 2022, is now in default over another $202M debt to a state-owned construction bank. Saudi Arabia’s hubristic city of the future, so-called The Line, is being scaled back significantly over financing difficulties.
The cost of managing refugees in the UK is “wreaking havoc” on government finances, according to one official. The EU passed a large migration & asylum deal, sparking fears that migrants & refugees might be forcibly relocated into member states who oppose their arrival particularly strongly. The new plan will not quell old debates.
A cholera scare in Mozambique prompted 122 people to flee the coast in a ramshackle ferry; it capsized, killing at least 96 people. A cable car pylon collapsed in Türkiye, killing 1.
A growing water crisis in Hawai’i has been caused, experts say, by a combination of Drought, pollution (jet fuel & PFAS), and the commodification of water. Officials fear that energy-intensive desalination plants may become necessary to support drinking water supplies.
An upcoming study of microplastics in Antarctic seawater found that microplastic concentrations are higher in all 17 tested samples than in previous tests—which did not account for certain plastics too small for their detection. Although the study is published in 2024, the water samples date from 2021, and do not account for recent plastics pollution of our oceans. A similar study in Nature Geoscience says that PFAS concentrations are also underestimated in surface & groundwater. The American EPA made new guidelines restricting PFAS chemicals in drinking water supplies.
An Environmental Sciences & Technology study into plastic’s GHG emissions across five sectors—packaging, building and construction, automotive, textiles, and consumer durables—found that plastics actually produce fewer emissions than their common recyclable alternatives, usually metals, paper products, and glass. The only solution is to cut our consumption altogether—a hard sell to a hungry population.
A Royal Society study into the growth of cities compared their mostly-organic growth with the development of cancer—with transportation networks mirroring vascular channels, and other population expansion dynamics paralleling biological systems. Drought in the Pyrenees has lasted for 3 years and counting. Flash flooding in Kenya killed 13 and left 15,000+ displaced.
The Canadian dollar hit a 5-month low amid its fastest monthly decline in almost a year. Although macro-figures indicate the Canadian economy isn’t as bad as people claim, individual polls say otherwise, with about two thirds of the population feeling their purchasing power declining.
A blood analysis study suggests that about 21% of COVID survivors develop Long COVID. That tracks with a batch of Mississippi data which says 20% of adults have Long COVID. Yet another study00211-1/fulltext) from The Lancet confirms that, yes, Long COVID can linger in your body for years.
UK farmers are warning of declining agricultural productivity ahead, mostly as a result of recent flooding—some of which is too far from the rivers to be compensated by government bailouts. A 23-page report on African food security & production paints a mixed picture, with hunger particularly bad in West/Central Africa, and relatively manageable farther south.
A hailstorm blasted 36,000+ hectares of crops (360+ km2) across India. Dengue fever in Peru. A 160-year-old total abortion ban in Arizona—passed long before Arizona was a state (1912) & before women could vote (1920)— was defended by the state’s Supreme Court, and is set to go into effect in less than a fortnight.
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Israel is pivoting to the north in its growing focus for a War against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia, which is scaling up cyberattacks against Israel. Israel’s “C-Dome,” a naval-based version of its Iron Dome missile defense system, went operational for the first time ever. The IDF is finalizing its preparations for their offensive into Rafah, where reports of dangerous levels of pollution and trash are piling up. IDF efforts have now damaged Hamas’ ability to fight & govern—and slain many innocent Palestinians—but Israel is far from winning the peace. Some American officials expect the assault into Rafah to begin next week—and Iranian strikes may have expanded the War by striking Israel with 300+ drones, almost all of which were intercepted. Iran also seized a Portugal-flagged cargo ship connected to an Israeli billionaire.
Three Tanzanian soldiers were killed by a mortar attack in the DRC. Ecuador is becoming more violent, as drug gangs are scaling up their armaments, and fighting for territory & respect. Quebec citizens are reconsidering separation possibilities amid Canada’s bottomless housing, immigration, and economic problems. Canada’s military is also experiencing what some have called a “death spiral.” A deadly stabber in Australia killed 6, and shocked the country. Researchers remain concerned about how bad actors may weaponize AI & deepfakes to undermine our information ecosystem.
In Haiti, a transition council is being convened soon to establish new political authorities; they will be unlikely to manage the carnage unleashed upon the failed state. The last evacuation flights of American citizens landed in Miami on Friday. The capital is suffering from chaotic sieges, random violence, and worsening supply shortages.
South Korea launched its second military satellite into orbit. China performed naval drills in the South China Sea, as a response to recent U.S.-Japan-Australia-Philippines exercises in the region. President Biden reassured the Philippines and Japan of American promises to defend the two nations if they are attacked by China anyone.
Amid calls for more defense spending, European officials are concerned that their military-industrial complex (MIC) is too reliant on Chinese cotton for their nitrocellulose, a flammable compound also known as guncotton. The Chinese MIC is also heavily supporting Russia’s military expansion—not by selling weapons, but by providing the tools, electronics, and materiel-adjacent materials necessary to wage a prolonged campaign. Russia also tested a ground-based missile that some experts interpret as a nuclear threat.
Despite fighting a high-casualty War against Ukraine for 2+ years, Russia’s army is 15% bigger than it was when its full-scale invasion began. Ukraine’s government has shelved its plans to demobilize soldiers who served over 3 years. The move was necessary to maintain critical manpower levels, but came at the expense of front-line morale. Ukraine is also increasing mobilization, as well as penalties for draft dodgers. Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for another drone strike at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, where the last operational reactor was thereafter put into cold shutdown. Weapons & defensive missiles to Ukraine are not meeting demand; Russian strikes in the Kharkiv and Odesa regions killed 7 on Wednesday.
Reports indicate that Russia may try an offensive to seize Kharkiv in the near future, as Ukraine’s eastern front grows brittle after a brutal year of a bloody near-stalemate. Analysts are talking about what Ukraine losing the War would look like, and how it could happen. Russian forces also arrived in Niger last week.
Over 500,000 Afghans were deported from Pakistan since operations began in October. Since then, Iran and Türkiye have reportedly increased persecution & deportation of Afghan refugees living outside the Taliban’s regime.
Sudan’s latest War turns one year old on Monday. The conflict has unleashed suffering unto millions of people in the country. Over 8.5M have been displaced, with almost 2M fleeing into neighboring countries, mostly Egypt, Chad, and South Sudan. About 16,000 people have been reported killed, though real figures are likely much higher—particularly in Darfur. The rebel forces, the RSF, drawn mostly from the ethnic Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, have committed atrocities, particularly against ethnic Africans in southwest Sudan. Control of Khartoum (pre-War metro pop: 6M+) remains divided. About 5M people are experiencing emergency levels of famine, and another 18M facing food shortages. Since the War began, food production was cut in half. Schools have also been closed in some regions, and water infrastructure damaged. Only 20-30% of hospitals are operational. A ceasefire seems far away, and negotiating with so many levels of authorities and militia subgroups is difficult. The conflict also threatens to spill over into South Sudan and beyond.
Myanmar’s heavy-handed attempt to expand mandatory two-year conscription to all men & women of certain ages has backfired hugely: the intimidated & rebel-sympathetic middle, who have long-sought to keep their heads down and survive the complex ethno/tribal Civil War around them, are being forced to pick a side—and many are fleeing to the rebel cause struggling against the losing, ruling military junta. Some experts believe the momentum against the government may hasten their Collapse faster than expected. But what happens afterwards?
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Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-Phone addiction, depression, ADHD, alienation, and a number of other aliments are afflicting the young—and old—and taking down the education system with them—according to this weekly observation from Denver, Colorado. Long gone are the days of limiting screen time, effective discipline, physical books, and meaningful interventions. It’s like we’re all half-assing it into the grave—faster than expected.
-Basically nobody is paying attention to avian flu, if this observation and our anecdotal experience is accurate. Are we just resigned to a future pandemic, too distracted to care, or do we have faith that our institutions have learned their COVID lessons and are better prepared to handle this one?
-Collapse is a complex process—and this Friday meme from u/SaxManSteve highlights how narrow the focus of some organizations & governments & people are when thinking about our problems. We could fix ten of our serious threats (lol) but still be taken down by the other 40.
-An image of Europe from Europe projects what its climate zones would look like in a near-worst-case scenario, RCP 8.5, some 1000+ ppm, more than 4° C increase—and all within the next 60 years. The pessimistic forecast shows a dry continent, and it probably doesn’t account fully for the AMOC Collapse…
Got any feedback, questions, comments, complaints, upvotes, eclipse stories, sea levels maps, doomy fanfiction, climate nightmares, etc.? Check out the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to your (or someone else’s) email inbox every weekend. What did I miss this week?

Cuenta nueva para no llamar la atención de ciertas personas que conocen mi cuenta personal. Historia escrita en el móvil por lo que puede haber alguno que otro error.
Soy hombre de 32 años, soy psicólogo clínico, me dedico a la consulta particular y doy clases en una universidad. No tengo ninguna herencia, ni super éxito financiero, considero que soy una persona promedio con una vida promedio. Actualmente estoy casado con July (nombre ficticio), mujer 34 años ella es enfermera y trabaja en un hospital, nos casamos a inicios del 2021 y considero que llevamos una vida feliz.
Esta historia comienza en en 2010, a finales de mi tercer año en la preparatoria donde una chica (la llamaremos Norma), que estaba en mi salón, y yo teníamos una amistad con derechos, éramos muy inmaduros y no nos importaba lo que nos deparara el futuro, tras terminar la preparatoria tomamos caminos separados ya que yo me iba a mudar de ciudad para continuar la universidad y ella aún no tenía planes de que iba a hacer de su vida. Tuvimos poco contacto durante años, y tras un par de años supe que se había mudado a la misma ciudad que yo, sin embargo, nunca nos encontramos realmente ni hicimos el intento por encontrarnos. Cada quien siguió su vida y así llegamos a mediados del 2021, recibí un mensaje vía Facebook del perfil de Norma, al leer el mensaje me enteré de 2 cosas, la primera era que Norma había perecido en un accidente de auto y la segunda era que había dejado una hija huérfana y que según ella, era mi hija de 10 años. Enterarme de la ausencia de vida de Norma realmente no me impacto, fue el enterarme que tenía una hija lo que me dejó en estado de shock, al principio no supe que hacer y tras hablarlo con July respondí el mensaje y solicité más información.
Para resumir toda la conversación, la persona que me contactó era la mamá de Norma y solo supo de mí porque Norma le había dicho repetidas veces a su hija (la llamaremos Sam) que yo era su padre, al parecer le mostraba fotos de mi perfil de Facebook y le decía que yo la había abandonado, antes de que me tachen de abandonador o mal padre, quiero recalcar que nunca me dijo nada relacionado a Sam, todavia tengo sus mensajes en Facebook que las vagas conversaciones que tuvimos y nunca lo mencionó. Resultó que la última vez que Norma y yo tuvimos relaciones había quedado embarazada pero por verguenza de que sus papás la fueran a regañar o algo, ella dijo que un desconocido al azar la habia violado, incluso me mostraron la copia de la demanda, sus padres la habían estado apoyando con Sam durante todo este período e incluso cuando se mudó de ciudad la apoyaron económicamente, pero fue ahí dónde todo empezó a cambiar para mal, al parecer le había gustado la atención que había recibido por su supuesto abuso, por lo que desde que se mudó comenzó a hacer que su vida girara en torno a eso, se alió con amistades que la defendían de todo y terminó uniéndose a un grupo militante del feminismo. Hay que remarcar que no estoy en contra del feminismo, sin embargo, debemos dejar claro que el grupo al que ella se unió es de los que hacen los destrozos en las marchas del 8M, te ataca sí no piensas igual a ella y otras cosas que no sonbuenos ejemplos a seguir. Durante este período acusó a sus padres de respaldar al patriarcado y exigió que dejaran de acercarse a Sam por lo se la llevó a vivir con ella. Durante ese periodo norma le inculcó a Sam todas las ideas de el "verdadero feminismo", éso sucedió aprox en los 7 a 11 años de edad. Tras el accidente de norma se recalcó que ella conducía a exceso de velocidad en estado de súper embriaguez en una vialidad que es conocida en nuestra ciudad por sus múltiples curvas, para rematar aún más, el vehículo que ella conducía no era propio pertenecía a una de las amistades que tenía con alto poder adquisitivo por lo que el auto era un deportivo. Fueron varias las personas que no sobrevivieron.
Tras todo eso que me relató su madre, nos reunimos en un café sus 2 padres, July y yo, Les mostré toda la evidencia de que nunca me habían informado de la existencia de Sam. Fue una situación muy difícil porque pude ver cómo el enojo de sus padres pasó a vergüenza y luego a tristeza por descubrir como su propia hija había manipulado a todos a su alrededor. Después de mucha platica llegamos a múltiples acuerdos, pero el principal era que me haría una prueba de ADN con Sam solo para verificar la verdad antes de entrar en contacto con Sam, para que en caso de que no fuera el padre, no afectarla más de lo que ya se encontraba emocionalmente. Después de que los resultados llegaron y salió a la luz que en efecto era mi hija, por fin conocimos a Sam Y entablamos una comunicación de 2 vías. Fueron semanas muy emotivas porque Sam pudo conocer por fin a su papá pero descubrió que su mamá le había estado mintiendo toda su vida. Fue algo completamente complicado pero la llevamos con un psicólogo especialista en adolescentes y también asistimos a psicoterapia familiar. Pudimos establecer una conexión rápidamente Y tras unos meses Sam empezó a vivir con nosotros. Durante todo este período July fue mi roca, siempre me apoyó y comenzó una relación de cercanía con Sam, al parecer Norma nunca actuó como una madre, sino como una compañera de cuarto y Sam necesitaba el cariño de una madre y encontró ese cariño en July, en cuanto a su relación conmigo, también se desenvolvió rápidamente porque encontró al papá que siempre había buscado tener, hubo problemas al principio como en toda relación pero gracias a las sesiones familiares se pudieron resolver rápidamente y pudimos hacer una rápida adopción debido a que ella era mi hija biológica. También se tuvo que pagar una enorme suma debido a los malditos corruptos. Pero al final Sam pudo volverse legalmente parte de nuestra familia.
Hasta aquí podría catalogarse como fue un final feliz, pero es justo aquí cuando empiezan los problemas que se mencionan en él título de esta publicación.
Todo el círculo de norma estaba formado principalmente por feministas que buscan la superioridad de la mujer, toda la ropa que norma le compró a Sam iran jeans y playeras holgadas en su mayoria eran moradas y negras, por lo que cuando empezó a vivir con July y yo, empezó a sentir curiosidad por la vestimenta de July, a ella le gusta usar vestidos y conjuntos coloridos, Por lo que en una salida de compras que tuvieron ellas 2, Sam le pidió a July que le escogiera ropa que le quedara bien. Sam empezó a vestir ropa colorida y vestidos, lo que la hacía muy feliz y comenzó a desarrollar una personalidad que salía de la ideología que le había inculcado Norma. Fue durante este período en el que las antiguas compinches de Norma vieron que Sam usaba ropa "femenina" y comenzaron atacarnos como opresores que no le permitíamos tener su propia identidad, durante un par de meses comenzaron a atacarnos a July y a mi por haberle metido estas ideas del "patriarcado" a Sam, nos exhibían en las redes como unos manipuladores e Incluso comenzaron a exponerme a mí como el supuesto agresor de la falsa violación que había tenido Norma. Fueron períodos muy oscuros, deje de tener pacientes debido a los constantes boicots que hacían hacia mí e incluso estuvieron a punto de despedirme en la universidad. Algunas incluso llegaron a ir a nuestro departamento y vandalizaron la puerta y en el pasillo colocaron múltiples carteles de que yo era un acosador violador y muchas otras mentiras. Acudimos con las autoridades y pusimos múltiples demandas de acoso pero en nuestro país eso no sirve de nada y menos porque era un hombre denunciando a una mujer. Las únicas demandas que procedieron fueron las que July y Sam pusieron porque ellas también se veían afectadas, a mi literalmente me dijeron que de nada servía que yo hiciera la demanda porque al que iban a arrestar era a mi. Al final lo que hicimos para alejarnos fue mudarnos a otra ciudad y empezar de cero, de hecho nos cambiamos al otro extremo del país para poder alejarnos de toda la locura. Fue muy complicado para mí empezar debido a que tuve que conseguir trabajo nuevamente y poco a poco tener pacientes para psicoterapia, July Pudo hacer una transferencia de hospital y durante un período de tiempo nos mantuvimos solo con su sueldo, a Sam la transferimos a una secundaria particular donde era muy estricto el control para qué solo July o yo pudieramos pasar por ella. Toda esta locura la vivimos en un plazo de 1 mes, así que podránimaginar la desesperaciónque vivimos.
Creímos que ya habíamos escapado de esa locura cuándo un martes a las 11:15am recibí una llamada de la escuela de Sam donde nos notificaron que una abogada Había asistido a la escuela con 2 oficiales para hacer la recuperación de Sam debido a que había sido extraída ilegalmente de sus abuelos, inmediatamente llamé a los padres de Norma quienes me dijeron que no tenían idea de lo que estaba hablando, Así que acudimos rápidamente a la policía donde nos informaron que no existía tal orden de recuperación, así que fueron inmediatamente a la escuela donde terminaron arrestando a las supuestas oficiales y abogada. Resultó que las amigas de Norma tuvieron la maravillosa idea de fingir ser oficiales de la ley y una abogada con un oficio falso para llevarse a Sam y "rescatarla" de mi. Cabe recalcar que denunciamos por intento de secuestro y en esta ocasión sí fueron arrestadas, además de otros cargos que se les imputaron y fueron enviadas a prisión.
Sam está tranquila y tiene amigas que comparten gustos en común y no nos hemos encontrado nuevamente con más personas que quieran separarnos, July está tranquila, comenzamos a asistir a una iglesia cristiana dónde nos han brindado mucho apoyo y yo por fin conseguí trabajo en otra universidad además de que ya tengo pacientes para psicoterapia.
Esta historia no es para mostrar venganza o cómo salimos adelante magicamente sólo es una historia que muestra que hay personas que no aceptan la felicidad de otros, como una idea puede causar mucho sufrimiento para otras personas. La vida que mi esposa y yo estábamos planeando pudo haber sido destruida completamente simplemente por unas personas que pensaban diferente a nosotros, tuvimos que alejarnos de nuestras familias Y amigos para buscar paz y poder mantener unida a nuestra pequeña familia.
TL:DR Tuve una hija de la que no supe nada por 11 años, su madre muere y sale a la luz que engañó a todos sobre como la concebió además de que se volvió una feminista radical. Mi esposa Y yo adoptamos a mi hija y ella empieza a tener una nueva personalidad, las amigas de su madre me tachan de agresor patrialcal y nos tenemos que mudar, luego intentan secuestrar a mi hija y terminan arrestadas.

A 6th grade level report on the history of the US Draft, with focus on the Vietnam War

 
Tl;dr: US generally drafts 20yo first, then 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 18, 19. The Vietnam draft of 1969 was unpopular and stopped after 3 years. So much so it seems, that in 1975 the requirement to register was ended, and the department was (closed, put on standby, something). It came back 5 years later in 1980.
 
There are some nebulously defined terms, like draft, conscription, induction, called, serve, etc. You'll need to do the research yourself in the confusing areas. There is too much conflicting information.
 
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, I have been coming across some spotty discussion about conscription.
I am not the person to say any of the following confidently, so do not put trust into it without further vetting or research into it yourself, if you are similar. I was just curious and read a handful of pages.
I will discuss what I learned in an evening about conscription in the US, and point out current events surrounding Vietnam
I will try to separate them into factual events, and my own thoughts/opinions, in an effort to learn from history instead of repeating it. I will grossly simplify and ignore nuance (I have no idea what US military presence was like from 1955-1963, things occurring concurrently in Laos/Cambodia/USSetc. etc. And I have no interest in bickering over minutiae or varying schools of thought). I included a timeline of major world events between 1953-78 for perspective/context.
I will focus on the US. Perhaps it would be more relevant (to the war in Ukraine) to focus on Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, or Russia. I choose the US because it is easy (lots of info available), and I lack even more familiarity with those countries in 1960 (and their histories). I have no idea how relatable any of this is to 2022 Ukraine/Russia, but hopefully we can all achieve a 6th grade comprehension of the US draft during the Vietnam conflict. And we can have a discussion to point to when it is brought up in the future.
I will finish with some basic summary/questions/opinions. I’m particularly interested in why someone decided the draft was required, if/how it changed the course of the war, what real impact did it have in the war effort, and what concurrent global events were happening/could there be a reason it was enacted in addition to the fighting in Vietnam.
[again, this is mostly from Wikipedia etc., and not trustworthy]
 

Simple overview of Vietnam:

• We’re looking at a rough time period from 1955-1975

Important Dates:

• 1954 “country” divided into 2 parts (after Ho Chi Minch defeats France I guess) – July 21
• 1961? the US refuses to recognize the communist victors from day 1, and were assisting France (at least financially) during the French war. The US is certainly involved by 1961-1963, I assume basically advising
• 1964 “unofficial official declaration of war” (Gulf of Tonkin Incident. War is never declared, it’s just presidential powers until the peace deal & US withdrawal. But this is conventionally considered the start of the “War” I believe)
• ~1964-65 huge increase in US troops. Peaks 1966-69, drops sharply 1970-72 (see table)
• 1969 July 8 US withdrawal begins First draft lottery is held Dec 1
• 1973 End of direct US military involvement (peace treaty)
• 1975 Fall of Saigon marks the end of the conflict April 30 (remaining SV forces lose)
• Population is roughly 30-50 million

Table of Military Force numbers, and deaths:

Forces>	American	SVN	Deaths>	American	SVN
1959	760	243000	1956–1959	4	n.a.
1960	900	243000	1960	5	2223
1961	3205	243000	1961	16	4004
1962	11300	243000	1962	53	4457
1963	16300	243000	1963	122	5665
1964	23300	514000	1964	216	7457
1965	184300	642500	1965	1928	11242
1966	385300	735900	1966	6350	11953
1967	485600	798700	1967	11363	12716
1968	536100	820000	1968	16899	27915
1969	475200	897000	1969	11780	21833
1970	334600	968000	1970	6173	23346
1971	156800	1046250	1971	2414	22738
1972	24200	1048000	1972	759	39587
1973	50	1110000	1973	68	27901
-	-	-	1974	1	31219
-	-	-	1975	62	n.a.
-	-	-	After 1975	7	n.a.
-	-	-	Total	58220	>254,256

(I didn't try to find wounded info)
 

Focus on troop numbers/draft, and possible related events:

• Early days: US military involvement increased from 1,000 > 23,000 between 1959-1964
• 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident (what you would call the start of the “war” which was never declared)

Wikipedia: ^{“…August 2, 1964, when United States forces were carrying out covert amphibious operations close to North Vietnamese territorial waters, which triggered a response from North Vietnamese forces. The United States government falsely claimed that a second incident occurred on August 4, 1964, between North Vietnamese and United States ships in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. Originally, US military claims blamed North Vietnam for the confrontation and the ostensible, but in fact imaginary, incident on August 4. Later investigation revealed that the second attack never happened. The official American claim is that it was based mostly on erroneously interpreted communications intercepts.[5][6][7] The National Security Agency, an agency of the US Defense Department, had deliberately skewed intelligence to create the impression that an attack had been carried out. Congress passed a resolution that gave President Lyndon B. Johnson broad authority to increase U.S. military presence in Vietnam, without a formal declaration of war. Johnson ordered the deployment of combat units for the first time and dramatically increased the number of American troops to 184,000 (I believe in 1965}”
Brittanica: ^{“By nearly every metric, the Vietnam War was, in the common sense of the word, a war. The United States committed some 550,000 troops to the Vietnam front at the height of the conflict, suffered more than 58,000 casualties, and engaged in battle after battle with communist forces in the region until its withdrawal in 1973. However, from a constitutional perspective, this conflict did not technically count as a war. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress sole authority to issue declarations of war. Since 1941 Congress has declared war only six times, all during World War II. Congress authorized troop deployment in Vietnam, but, because it did not issue a declaration of war on North Vietnam or the Viet Cong, the Vietnam War is, technically speaking, not considered a war in the United States.”}

• See the table for troop increases 23,000>536,000 ’64-‘68
• The first US draft is drawn 12-1-1969. They will be held once a year. (As I interpret, the 1st draft and/or rules is a snafu, and the subsequent yearly draft ceremony follows different rules)
• Draft is abolished 1973
• Direct US military involvement ends in 1973
• SV loses in 1975
• This pdf is definitely worth looking at for a timeline of the US Selective Service from 1917 onwards for a broader perspective, but idk what an “induction” is

 

So in simple terms how did the US draft function?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System

• A lottery was held once a year. Men were chosen based on their birthdays I believe, and secondarily by their initials
• In 1969, they called up men 20 years of age to 26-27.
• They did things differently for the remaining 2-3 years. In 1970, they called men born in 1951. In 1971, 1952. 1972, 1953 (who I do not think served, due to the abolition of the draft in 1973)

I am not sure how many men were drafted each year. Or how many went to boot camp, and then on to serve (1 year? 2 years? 4 years?). Or what they did (were they primarily on frontlines, maintenance/support, used in the continental US, or on overseas bases, etc.). How many died. How many fled the country.

"Normally, officials have a cutoff number based on the needs of the military. For example, during the 1969 draft lottery, men born between Jan. 1, 1944, and Dec, 31, 1950, were eligible to be drafted for the following year, 1970. Of the 366 possible birthdays in those years (leap years included), 195 birth dates were called for possible induction. That meant more than half the men born during those years were subject to being drafted. If your birthday wasn't one of the first 195 drawn, you were lucky -- you didn't have to go. The second draft lottery, on July 1, 1970, was for men born in 1951. For that year 125 out of 365 possible birthdays were conscripted. The third Vietnam draft lottery was on Aug. 5, 1971, for men born in 1952; in that year, 95 birthdays were called up for compulsory service."

I have seen one blurb: “Approximately 850,000 men were affected by the 1969 draft lottery.” but who knows what “affected” means. And, “An estimated 70,000 American men fled to Canada to evade the draft or as deserters. Overall, an estimated 60% of potentially eligible men escaped the draft in the Vietnam years, mostly by qualifying for exemptions of many different kinds.” (but numbers vary of course)
I have read anecdotes about some going to Germany, or finding roles in other Army positions outside of Vietnam. That everybody was pushed through basic training (no bad attitudes, sandbagging, etc. would be an excuse). That all warm bodies were accepted; maybe there were non-combat jobs for people with higher AGCT results.
 
The 1st draft in 1969 uses a unique set of rules from the rest, and was criticized for being unfair (something about they didn’t mix the balls well enough; I don’t know if there’s any allegation beyond that). These appear to be the regulations, I don’t understand them at all. A simplified explanation:

“The Selective Service held a lottery drawing on December 1, 1969. It was the first since 1942. A large plastic jar was filled with 366 blue plastic capsules, each containing a birth date. Rep. Alexander Pirnie (R-NY) of the House Armed Services Committee drew the first capsule, which contained the birth date September 14. That meant all men born on September 14 were first in line to be drafted into the military. Furthermore, after the birth dates were drawn, 26 letters of the alphabet were also drawn. J was drawn first and V was drawn last. Therefore, a man with the name Johnson would be called before a man with the last name Vickers.”
(for 1969) “For the lottery, 366 blue plastic capsules, each containing one date of the calendar year, were dumped in a large glass container. The capsules were then drawn out and opened, one by one, and assigned sequentially rising numbers. Congressman Alexander Pirnie (R-NY) drew the first capsule, which contained the date September 14. Thus, all men born on that date, from 1944 through 1950, received the first priority for call to duty. The remaining capsules were drawn by youth delegates who had been selected for that purpose from around the country. The last date drawn was June 8, which was assigned draft number 366. A second lottery was also conducted for the 26 letters of the alphabet, to determine the order of priority (by last name) for each date of birth.”

For the following years (1970, 1971, and 1972):

“The next lottery, held in 1970, applied only to men born in the year 1951; the lottery of 1971 covered men born in 1952; and the final lottery in 1972 applied to men born in 1953; however, men born in 1953 were not drafted due to abolition of the draft in 1973.”

• (One of those links page has some mildly interesting stats questions like Feb 29, twins/triplets, random births vs random dates, lack of middle names, etc.)
• (so, apparently, from day 1 of the draft [not of the war] ~20 year olds were being drafted. And the age range of men being conscripted was 20-26 or 27, sort of)

 
Apparently, the draft was so unpopular, that it was terminated, and, I think the agency was for a time dissolved; the requirement to register for SSS/equivalent was suspended in 1975, until reinstated in 1980.
^{“Source: Selective Service System - June 25, 2001 revision. For more than 50 years, Selective Service and the registration requirement for America's young men have served as a backup system to provide manpower to the U.S. Armed Forces. President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 which created the country's first peacetime draft and formally established the Selective Service System as an independent Federal agency. From 1948 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means. In 1973, the draft ended and the U.S. converted to an All-Volunteer military. The registration requirement was suspended in April 1975. It was resumed again in 1980 by President Carter in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Registration continues today as a hedge against underestimating the number of servicemen needed in a future crisis. The obligation of a man to register is imposed by the Military Selective Service Act. The Act establishes and governs the operations of the Selective Service System.
“The draft lotteries were conducted again in 1970, 1971 and 1972. However, draft numbers issued on February 2, 1972 for men born in 1953 was never used due to the abolition of the draft in early 1973. With the Paris Peace Accords signed on January 27, 1973, the end of active U.S. ground involvement in Vietnam and subsequently the draft saw the the last men conscripted on December 7, 1972. The Selective Service System continued to assign draft priority numbers in March from 1973-75 in case the draft was extended, although it never was. Afterwards registration with the Selective Service System and registrant processing were suspended on April 1, 1975 and January 27, 1976 respectively. Registration was resumed in July 1980 for men born in 1960 and later, and is in effect to date, although there has not been a call-up since the Vietnam War.”}
 
Broader information regarding conscription through the 20th century USA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System
Of interest to me/mildly relevant:

“(early 1900’s) All men aged 21 to 30 were required to enlist for military service for a service period of 12 months. As of mid-November 1917, all registrants were placed in one of five new classifications. Men in Class I were the first to be drafted, and men in lower classifications were deferred. Dependency deferments for registrants who were fathers or husbands were especially widespread.[12] The age limit was later raised in August 1918 to a maximum age of 45. The military draft was discontinued in 1920.”
“The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was passed by Congress on 16 September 1940, establishing the first peacetime conscription in United States history.[14] It required all men between the ages of 18 and 64 to register with the Selective Service. … Over 49 million draft cards were completed. … It originally conscripted all men aged 21 to 35 for a service period of 12 months. In 1941, the military service period was extended to 18 months; later that year the age bracket was increased to include men aged 18 to 37. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and the subsequent declarations of war by the United States against the Empire of Japan and a few days later against Nazi Germany, the service period was subsequently extended in early 1942 to last for the duration of the war, plus a six-month service in the Organized Reserves. In his 1945 State of the Union address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt requested that the draft be expanded to include female nurses (male nurses were not allowed), to overcome a shortage that was endangering military medical care. This began a debate over the drafting of all women, which was defeated in the House of Representatives. A bill to draft nurses was passed by the House, but died without a vote in the Senate. The publicity caused more nurses to volunteer and agencies streamlined recruiting.[15]
The Selective Service System created by the 1940 act was terminated by the act of 31 March 1947
“The Selective Service Act of 1948, [was], the basis for the modern system.[17] All men 18 years and older had to register with the Selective Service. All men between the ages of 18 and 25 were eligible to be drafted for a service requirement of 21 months. This was followed by a commitment for either 12 consecutive months of active service or 36 consecutive months of service in the reserves, with a statutory term of military service set at a minimum of five years total. Conscripts could volunteer for military service in the regular United States Army for a term of four years or the Organized Reserves for a term of six years. Due to deep postwar budget cuts, only 100,000 conscripts were chosen in 1948. In 1950, the number of conscripts was greatly increased to meet the demands of the Korean War (1950–1953).[citation needed]
The outbreak of the Korean War fostered the creation of the Universal Military Training and Service Act of 1951. This lowered the draft age from 19 to 18+1⁄2, increased active-duty service time from 21 to 24 months, and set the statutory term of military service at a minimum of eight years. Students attending a college or training program full-time could request an exemption, which was extended as long as they were students. A Universal Military Training clause was inserted that would have made all men obligated to perform 12 months of military service and training if the act was amended by later legislation. Despite successive attempts over the next several years, however, such legislation was never passed.
President John F. Kennedy set up Executive Order 11119 (signed on 10 September 1963), granting an exemption from conscription for married men between the ages of 19 and 26. His vice president and later successor as president, Lyndon B. Johnson, later rescinded the exemption for married men without children by Executive Order 11241 (signed on 26 August 1965 and going into effect on midnight of that date). However, married men with children or other dependents and men married before the executive order went into effect were still exempt. President Ronald Reagan revoked both of them with Executive Order 12553 (signed on 25 February 1986).
The Military Selective Service Act of 1967 expanded the ages of conscription to the ages of 18 to 55. It still granted student deferments, but ended them upon either the student's completion of a four-year degree or his 24th birthday, whichever came first.”

 

So, in short, the timeline of the draft around Vietnam appears to be:

• 1965 (or earlier) LBJ, draft inductions increase from 17,000 > 35,000/month (the type that had been going on since 1917, not the full-scale draft. As I understand)
• 196? – there’s enough political motivation to enact a draft (Apparently NV was losing up to 250k men/year, and had a draft pool of about 300k coming of age every year. And the thought was to attrite that)
• 1969 – random lottery is held Dec 1
• 1971- registration compulsory. Classifications like conscientious objector, medical/psychological issues, prior completion of military service, etc.
• 1973- January, Nixon ends the draft (the Paris Peace Accords are signed 1973)
• 1975- registration requirements were terminated, SSS department is iced
• 1980- reestablished in response to USSR invasion of Afghanistan
• 2016-2020- various bills/lawsuits trying to abolish it, make it apply to both men & women, etc. Website crashed in 2020 after Soleimani bombing

(And I think the following is modern in 2024):

1. “Congress and the president authorize a draft: The president claims a crisis has occurred which requires more troops than the volunteer military can supply. Congress passes and the president signs legislation which revises the Military Selective Service Act to initiate a draft for military manpower.
2. The lottery: A lottery based on birthdays determines the order in which registered men are called up by Selective Service. The first to be called, in a sequence determined by the lottery, will be men whose 20th birthday falls during the calendar year the induction takes place, followed, as needed, by those aged 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 19, and 18 (in that order).
3. All parts of the Selective Service System are activated: The agency activates and orders its state directors and Reserve Force officers to report for duty.
4. Physical, mental and moral evaluation of registrants: Registrants with low lottery numbers receive examination orders and are ordered to report for a physical, mental, and moral evaluation at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) to determine whether they are fit for military service. Once he is notified of the results of the evaluation, a registrant will be given 10 days to file a claim for exemption, postponement, or deferment.
5. Local and appeal boards activated and induction notices sent: Local and appeal boards will begin processing registrant claims/appeals. Those who passed the military evaluation will receive induction orders. An inductee will have 10 days to report to a local MEPS for induction.
6. First draftees are inducted: According to current plans, Selective Service must deliver the first inductees to the military within 193 days from the onset of a crisis.[90]”

Some less-relevant US draft info:
Apparently the SSS was operating for 50+ years prior to the war, and “drafted” people both for peace/war activities, I didn’t look into it much.

• 1917 in preparation for WWI (21-30yo registered. 2.8m were drafted. 24m had registered). Draft was dissolved post WWI.
• 1940 1st peacetime draft (Burke-Wadsworth Act) (21-36yo)
• The same PDF showing number of “inductions” 1917-1973 (maybe an induction can still be deferred, disqualified, require examination. I think a “draftee” and “induction” and man who winds up in a trench/etc. are different terms)

Original 1969 broadcast https://youtu.be/-p5X1FjyD_g?si=udntwKq1wiKU9b_s
 
^{If you think the following timeline is stupid/unnecessary; please consider the level of discussion that takes place here when things like the missile landing in Poland, or US drones getting harassed, Putin making allusions to nuclear annihilation, or any number of similarly inflammatory headlines get published. Chinese spy balloon.}

Other world events/US events for context:

• 1953- Fighting ceases in Korean War. CIA assists in Iran government change to Shah Pahlavi. US expands nuclear arsenal (not sure if public knowledge). Eisenhow/Nixon P/VP. Rosenburgs executed.
  
• 1954 SEATO Philippines/Thailand/Pakistan(??)/US/UK/AUS/NZ/France. McCarthy hearings. Castle Bravo nuke Bikini Atoll 1000x larger than Hiroshima/Nagasaki. Domino theory. France defeated by Ho Chi Minch at Dien Bien Phu. US rejects France’s decision to recognize the communist control of NV. PRC siege on Quemoy/Matsu islands (I guess Taiwanese islands that are extremely close to the Chinese shore- “Taiwan Strait Crisis series”) Eisenhower sends Navy
  
• 1955 US trains South Vietnamese troops. Warsaw Pact
  
• 1956 1st transatlantic telephone cable, Eisenhower 2nd term, Nixon VP. US refuses to support Hungarian Revolution
  
• 1957 US 1st ever satellite launch fails (1958 success). Eisenhower Doctrine (will send military aid to a threatened country which requests). Sputnik
  
• 1958 World’s Fair Brussels 41m visitors over 6 months, looks like both US/USSR participated
  
• 1959 Alaska statehood. US recognizes Castro government of Cuba. 1st USSR leader visit; Krushchev to Eisenhower’s farm in PA. Hawaii statehood
  
• 1960 US first navigation satellite. U2 Powers shootdown. JFK beats Nixon 120k votes.
  
• 1961 Looks like Cuba nationalizes US businesses there – US severs diplomatic & consular relations. Bay of Pigs invasion fails. Cuba trade embargo. First sub-orbital manned space flight, announcement of moon landing project by 1970. Berlin Crisis, Berlin Wall begins. Gagarin 1st manned orbit. Eisenhower’s MIC farewell address. OPEC formed.
  
• 1962 Kennedy says military advisors in Vietnam would engage if fired upon. Cuban missile crisis for 38 days (Krushchev).
  
• 1963 Limited nuclear above-ground testing ban treaty USSUS/UK. JFK killed
  
• 1964 Tonkin Resolution gives president broad powers. LBJ wins landslide (as I understand, on a strongly “no war” platform). 4 US troops killed in Panama Canal incident. (NY and WA have held World Fairs). China 1st nuclear weapons test
  
• 1965 LBJ orders continuous bombing of Vietnam below 20th parallel. 1st public burning of a draft card(??). LA race riots. (race riots continue 1964-69 in various area of the country)
  
• 1966 US bombing raids of Hanoi & Haiphong (major cities as far north as major cities get I guess).
  
• 1967 USSUS Glassboro summit in NJ for 3 days (LBJ, Kosygin) agree that no crisis between them would lead to war. China 1st hydrogen test. 1st Space treaty US/USSUK. Race riots across the US. (race riots in 159 cities)
  
• 1968 LBJ announces no reelection attempt, slowing to NV bombing, and peace talks begin in Paris May 10. Tet Offensive. USS Pueblo captured (North Korea, crew released 12 months later). Also, all bombing of NK halted Oct 31. RFK candidate killed. Nixon wins.
  
• 1969 US withdrawl NV begins July 8. Nixon Doctrine (expected Asian allies to care for their own def I guess). Apollo 11 moon landing. Vietnam war protests (still not a war afaik). “Vietnamization” policy (arm/train Vietnamese and reduce US presence I guess). Secret peace talks with Vietnam being (just quoting Wikipedia, idk).
  
• 1970 4 students kill during Vietnam “war” protest.
  
• 1971 44 day raid into Laos begins. Pentagon Papers published (said the war was being expanded behind the scenes I guess. Led to Nixon trying to discredit the journalist > Watergate). Voting age lowered 21 > 18.
  
• 1972 Nixon/Mao 8 day peace trip Beijing. Largest NV attacks in 4 years, prompts US response to Hanoi/Haiphong. Nixon > Moscow (Brezhnev), leads to SALT I. American wheat sales to USSR. Watergate. Nixon wins in landslide. ABM treaty.
  
• 1973 Vietnam Paris Peace Accords – Jan 27 US leaves Vietnam war, and concurrently US draft ends. Last US troops leave Mar 29. VP Agnew resigns over tax evasion charges. Arab oil embargo / 1973 Energy Crisis (to Mar 1974). LBJ dies heart attack.
  
• 1974 Nixon resigns (Ford)
  
• 1975 NV complete takeover of SV/Fall of Saigon. Helsinki Accords USSUS/like >40 European countries (think it was primarily meant to solidify current borders of Europe with the USSR). US/USSR spacecrafts dock in space. 2 assassination attempts on Ford in 17 days.
  
• 1976 Carter wins. Draft dodgers pardoned
  
• 1977 Nuclear proliferation pact between 15 countries, slowing weapons.
  
• 1978 Panama Canal voted to be given to Panama. Israel/Egypt Camp David peace treaty
  

 

So what’d I learn/What questions do I think are relevant?

1. Tl;dr: US drafts 20yo first, then 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 18, 19.
   
2. I did a really poor job summarizing the Vietnam “War”. #1, it dates back to at least 1944, and this looks at 8-12 years of it. I did not look into the support by China/Russia which seems necessary to do. I just looked at headline US-related world events. I did not look at tactics/warfare beyond headlines like Tet Offensive
   
3. IMO, history continues to demonstrate, that governments will do what they want. (If a country does not want to go to war, they will ignore provocation. If a country does want to go to war, they will choose any real excuse, or invent one themselves)
   
4. IMO, history continues to demonstrate that the side with more will, will often emerge victorious. The (Vietnamese) were fighting for their country for something like 30 years. I have no opinions about who you want to argue are the good/bad guys. I have no idea what happened in Vietnam between the 1880’s and 1940’s. I read a brief 2 paragraphs about HCM. Regardless, some group of ethnically (or maybe politically?) homogenous people had the will to fight an (I assume) very asymmetrical war for decades.
   
5. Average people don’t learn from history. See the Vietnam Special Military Operation of 7-10 years, peaking at half a million US men involved in a single year. “Between 1953 and 1975, the United States was estimated to have spent $168 billion on the war (equivalent to $1.59 trillion in 2022). This resulted in a large federal budget deficit. Other figures point to $138.9 billion from 1965 to 1974”
   
6. I do not have an understanding of how US troop numbers correlate to world events, or war-related actions. A very superficial comment could be the similarity between a troop surge/training-locals/leaving and Afghanistan, but I am not the person to make that statement. I can’t compare to the Korean War either. Maybe it would be worth looking at the USSAfghanistan war. It might be worth looking at the similar era Korea, Indonesia, Thailand.
   
7. I think the Nixon doctrine can be pointed at overly-simplistic comments, "but-but US uncredible ally". I guess it led to the Carter doctrine & wasting the same amounts of money, just in different parts of the world. I guess your region only gets a trillion dollars worth of attention before it's onto greener different pastures.
   
8. Apparently the draft was really unpopular
   --I think this is evidenced most strongly by the ending of the draft (I guess 3 years of actual lottery + serving?), and then the following events: What ever went on re. the SSS (it was temporarily shut down, or paused, or whatever), registration ceased being a requirement (from 75-80 iirc). But then it went back to status quo in 1980. (You can also find whatever protest events you want; IMO those are beside the point & subjective.)
   
9. The men are supposed to be delivered to the military within 193 days
   
10. No idea how long boot camp/training/whatever is.
    -What’s a “draftee” vs “induction” vs other terminology
    -How many were drafted (some quote of 850,000 “affected”)
    -How many actually were trained/shipped somewhere
    -What did they do (sit in a trench? Change the oil in a plane? Drive a forklift in Michigan?)
    -How many fled (think one link said 60% of eligible, or 70,000ish?)
    -Performance/morale etc.
    -There were around 10,000 deaths/year (unsure of wounded), is that enough to necessitate a draft?
    
11. I don’t really understand the timeline overlaps of, “Vietnamization”, GoT, and the draft.
    a. GoT Aug 2 1964. I assume things would have been pre-planned (I assume there would be a plan drafted, and started on, before Aug 2 1964, mildly similar to 2021 Ukraine, or any other military planning of resources/men/positioning)
    -1st draft is Dec 1 1969. I don’t really understand how long it would take to use those men. And why a draft was necessary (looking at the table, there were 385k>485>536>475 troops from 66-69, and it trends sharply down in 70/71/72. I don’t understand, “why would you draft men, then decrease presence/end the war”.
    b. How does that make sense with 1st US troops leave July 8 1969 ???
    c. Maybe civilians stopped wanting to volunteer in 1965-68 as it was clear things were ramping up. I assume there was a lot of uproar and averseness, similar to today.
    d. Maybe you need reserve in case of emergency, or to free up your careetrained units to operate your other priorities (you’ve still got to maintain SAC, submarines, overseas bases, domestic radar, etc.)? (you don’t have the luxury of 2022, condensing your resources in the Black Sea, or 1 border, leaving yourself more-exposed in other areas)
    e. Maybe there was some other worldly threat? I don’t understand why a politician(s) would shoot themselves in the foot with a draft, only to start the path to “losing” the waquitting. Maybe it was a deal with USSR or China – they have the Glassboro summit ’67, 1st H Bomb China test, Space treaty. ’68 Paris Peace talks, USS Pueblo, NK bombing halted. ’69 Nixon Doctrine. ’72 Nixon>Beijing, SALT I, ABM treaty, wheat>USSR. 73’ Arab Oil Embargo, “War” ends. ’75 Helsinki Accords, US/USSR space docking.
    f. ^ Maybe (the draft) was meant to be a global sign of resolve (“We are going to keep this up at a high pace unless you … [idk what each country wanted in 1963-68ish]”). Again, I don’t understand the politics at all, but maybe it could also be a sign of showing some order in the US government (“We are doing this all “extralegally”, and changing between 3-4 presidents, and yet the war output continues to churn”)
    
12. I don’t understand how the “legal” process for the draft went, or was started (I assume Congress is involved, but I have no idea when it was first rumored or pushed, and how long the process took. How news pushed it, how the public received it). I think this regards the modern era: ^{"Congress and the president authorize a draft: The president claims a crisis has occurred which requires more troops than the volunteer military can supply. Congress passes and the president signs legislation which revises the Military Selective Service Act to initiate a draft for military manpower.”}
    
13. Doesn’t seem to be much consistency (or, stability). Look at 1972-1980, where it goes from the end of registration, (and possibly the shuttering of the department? I thought I read something to that effect, but I see on the sss.gov site only: “Registration was suspended in early 1975 and the Selective Service System entered into a "deep standby" position.”), to the return over the USSAfghanistan. Like, who cares about USSAfghanistan? But maybe it was cover for some other concern, or maybe there was fear the Soviets were using it [Afg] as a distraction [mobilizing to invade Europe or whatever])
    
14. The chicken littling of the modern era is real insight into the insight of other people. Go back to ye olde days of 50-90 years ago when you had atmospheric nukes, crewed vehicles getting shot down, ships & crews being taken as prizes, multiple presidential assassination attempts/successful assassinations, Americans killed fighting on islands 10 miles away from China, etc. (Seems bizarre that they visited one another during all of this, in comparison with today, I guess) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_shootdowns
    
15. It's absurd to look at the presidential involvement. I think there were 2 presidents who campaigned on, "we're anti-war! we're against the draft!", and then I think 1 of them started the draft, and the other expanded the war
    

 

Guten Tag zusammen, ich würde gerne sicherstellen, dass ich hier nichts übersehe. Folgender Fall: ich wollte mir meine Kameraausrüstung über eine Gegenstandsversicherung gegen Diebstahl (insbesondere einfachen Diebstahl/Taschendiebstahl) im Urlaub, also idR Ausland, absichern. Also keine Schäden durch Unfälle o.Ä., lediglich das Szenario eines Diebstahls in all seinen Formen, auch außerhalb des Hotels/der Unterkunft. Meine Hauptangst ist der Diebstahl in einem touristischen Gebiet durch beispielsweise Entwendung meiner Tasche (z.B. durch durchschneiden der Träger).
Ich habe nun aber mal genauer nachgelesen und rausgefunden, dass meine HUK24 Hausrat eine zubuchbare Erweiterung hat, welcher sich "Classic PLUS" nennt und den Umfang der Außenversicherung erweitert. Verstehe ich es richtig, dass mein Szenario hiermit ebenfalls abgedeckt wäre?
Würde mich freuen wenn mir hier jemand Gewissheit geben kann. Ich habe Angst irgendwelche Szenarien falsch zu deuten oder irgendetwas nicht zu betrachten.
Konkret bin ich mir bei den Bedingungen nicht sicher ob beispielsweise 3.4.2 e. "Trickdiebstahl" auch im Ausland zählt, denn die Außenversicherung ist im vorhergehenden Punkt 3.4.2 d. Allerdings gibt es dort ja einen eigenen Punkt "Diebstahl", wodurch das abgedeckt sein sollte? Oder gilt eine Kamera, die man tagsüber beim sightseeing trägt, während der Koffer im Hotel steht, womöglich gar nicht als "Reisegepäck"?
Relevante Auszüge:

3.4.2 d. Hausrat für unterwegs
aa. Für Reisegepäck haben Sie Außenversicherungsschutz auch gegen folgende Gefahren: • Diebstahl – ausgenommen Diebstahl beim Zelten und aus Kraftfahrzeugen. • Transportmittelunfall, wenn Ihr Reisegepäck mit verkehrsüblichen Beförderungsmitteln transportiert wird. • Abhandenkommen, wenn sich Reisegepäck im Gewahrsam eines Beförderungsunternehmens befindet.
bb. Reisegepäck sind folgende Sachen des persönlichen Reisebedarfs: Dinge, die Sie während einer Reise mitführen, am Körper oder in der Kleidung tragen. Erfasst sind auch Dinge, die Sie durch ein übliches Transportmittel (bspw. Bahn, Flugzeug) befördern lassen.
[...]
ee. Kommt Ihr Reisegepäck im Gewahrsam eines Beförderungsunternehmens abhanden (siehe aa. 3. Punkt), ist die Entschädigung je Versicherungsfall folgendermaßen begrenzt: • Auf 250 Euro für elektrische/elektronische (auch batteriebetriebene) Geräte einschließlich Zubehör. Foto-, Filmapparate und tragbare Videosysteme jeweils mit Zubehör fallen nicht unter diese Entschädigungsgrenze. • Auf 250 Euro für Brillen.
ff. Ihr Reisegepäck kommt im Gewahrsam eines Beförderungsunternehmens abhanden (siehe aa. 3. Punkt)? Oder es wird gestohlen (siehe aa. 1. Punkt)? Dann müssen Sie einen Teil des Schadens selbst tragen, d. h.: Die Entschädigung wird je Versicherungsfall um eine Selbstbeteiligung in Höhe von 100 Euro gekürzt. Bei Trickdiebstahl und Taschendiebstahl (A 3.4.2 e.) fällt aber keine Selbstbeteiligung an.
[...]
3.4.2 e. Trickdiebstahl, Taschendiebstahl und Diebstahl am Arbeitsplatz
Trickdiebstahl, Taschendiebstahl und Diebstahl am Arbeitsplatz: Wir leisten auch Entschädigung, wenn Sie Opfer eines Trickdiebstahls, eines Taschendiebstahls oder eines Diebstahls am Arbeitsplatz werden.
aa. Trickdiebstahl liegt in folgenden Fällen vor: • Diebe lenken Sie ab oder überraschen Sie. Dabei nehmen sie Ihnen blitzschnell Sachen weg, die: – Sie am Körper tragen oder – sich in Ihrer unmittelbaren Nähe griffbereit befinden. Sie haben dadurch keine Möglichkeit, Widerstand zu leisten. Der Trickdiebstahl wird an einer Person verübt, die mit Ihnen in häuslicher Gemeinschaft lebt oder die versicherte Sachen mit Ihrer Zustimmung besitzt? Auch in diesem Fall besteht Versicherungsschutz. • Diebe täuschen Sie, um in Ihre Wohnung zu gelangen und entwenden dort versicherte Wertsachen (A 1.1.1 b.). Die Entschädigung je Versicherungsfall und Versicherungsjahr ist auf 5.000 Euro begrenzt. Dieser Versicherungsschutz besteht auch, wenn eine der folgenden Personen getäuscht wird: Eine Person, die mit Ihnen in häuslicher Gemeinschaft lebt. Oder eine Person, die mit Ihrer Zustimmung in der versicherten Wohnung anwesend ist.
bb. Taschendiebstahl liegt vor, wenn ein Dieb Ihnen zunächst unbemerkt Sachen entwendet, die: • Sie am Körper tragen oder • sich in Ihrer unmittelbaren Nähe griffbereit befinden. Dabei nimmt Ihnen der Dieb die Sachen durch Schnelligkeit oder besondere Geschicklichkeit weg. Oder indem er ein Überraschungsmoment ausnutzt oder eine List anwendet. Der Taschendiebstahl wird an einer Person verübt, die mit Ihnen in häuslicher Gemeinschaft lebt oder die versicherte Sachen mit Ihrer Zustimmung besitzt? Auch in diesem Fall besteht Versicherungsschutz
(cc. Diebstahl am Arbeitsplatz ausgelassen)

Die ganzen Versicherungsbedingungen gibt es hier: https://www.huk24.de/content/dam/huk24/dokumente/produkte/hus/hausratversicherung/versicherungsbedingungen/2023/HUSB121_07.23.pdf Relevante Stellen: 3.4.2 d. aa.; 3.4.2 d. ee.; 3.4.2 d. ff.; 3.4.2 e. aa.

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Can't thank disclosurediaries enough for all they do, it's basically just them and shelby backpacking everybody over on /UFOs. Diaries posted a clip where Coulthart was discussing "the gatekeepers". I went through a few of the ones on his list, and Stephen Hadley is the name you want to keep an eye out for in the future.

From 1986 to 1987, he served as counsel to the Special Review Board established by President Ronald Reagan to inquire into Iran–Contra affair.
Hadley was a Pentagon aide to Paul Wolfowitz, serving as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy from 1989 to 1993. In that position, he had responsibility for defense policy toward NATO and Western Europe, on nuclear weapons and ballistic missile defense, and arms control.
Hadley served on a panel for nuclear weapons issues sponsored by the National Institute for Public Policy... This panel advocated using tactical nuclear weapons as a standard part of the United States defense arsenal.
He admitted fault in allowing a disputed claim about Iraq's quest for nuclear weapons material from Niger to be included in Bush's January 28, 2003 State of the Union Address (see Niger uranium forgeries).
In 2007 Hadley led a public media campaign in an effort to convince the public that the proposed Iraq surge would work.
Hadley was known for avoiding focused public attention. In a 2006 profile, The Washington Post described Hadley as "a modest man in an immodest job. In a town populated by people nursing grandiose views of their own importance and scheming for greater glory, Hadley still thinks of himself as a staff man. He sits at the pinnacle of power, but articulates no sweeping personal vision of the world and has made a point of staying in the shadows."
In his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, former president Jimmy Carter recounts that Hadley, in his capacity as national security adviser (Carter calls him by title rather than by name) personally denied Carter permission to visit Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in early 2005, in the wake of the administration's decision to isolate the regime, due its "differences with Syria concerning U.S. policy in Iraq".
Hadley is a co-founder and principal, along with Condoleezza Rice, Robert Gates and Anja Manuel, in RiceHadleyGates, a strategic consulting firm.
During the Syrian chemical weapons crisis in September 2013, Hadley appeared on Bloomberg Television, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and also wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Post in which he advocated attacking Syria with missiles. At the time, Hadley was a director at Raytheon and owned 11,477 shares of stock, but the news organizations failed to disclose the link and conflict of interest.
Hadley is also an Executive Vice Chair on the Board of Directors at the Atlantic Council and is on the Board of Directors at defense contractor Raytheon.
On January 14, 2024, a U.S. delegation composed of Hadley and James Steinberg arrived in Taipei in the aftermath of Taiwan's 2024 presidential election.

Here are the 'dead' links from his wikipedia page.
https://www.rhgm.com/stephen-hadley/
https://militarist-monitor.org/profile/National_Institute_for_Public_Policy/
EDIT: It was pointed out this needs more context. Here you go.
Disclosurediaries posted a clip of Coulthart saying that one of the 'gatekeepers' behind this AARO farce was someone who sat on the National Security Council with Cheney. Diaries said:

While [Coulthart] didn't name names, he did mention that one of them sat on the NSC during Dick Cheney's time in office...
After some quick googling I was able to get the following list of names:

• George W. Bush
• Dick Cheney
• Condoleezza Rice
• Donald H. Rumsfeld
• John D. Negroponte
• Gen. Peter Pace, USMC
• John W. Snow
• Joshua B. Bolton
• Harriet E. Miers
• Stephen J. Hadley
• Allan B. Hubbard
• Stephen J. Hadley
• Jack D. Crouch II
• V. Phillip V. Lago

Any bells ringing for anyone here on these names?

It's Hadley. To understand why it is obvious that it's Hadley, just start researching Raytheon and why Taiwan is important to the US. Then learn about Radiance Technologies and recent claims made about them, and which politicians they've bought and paid for, and how that directly affected the UAPDA.
EDIT2: Taiwan is a can of worms, lemme simplify that part.

A Chinese attack on Taiwan, regardless of its success or whether the United States chose to intervene, would also trigger a global economic depression and shave trillions of dollars off global economic output. Taiwanese companies manufacture nearly 70 percent of the world’s semiconductors and around 90 percent of the most advanced chips. If the world loses Taiwan’s production capacity, no other company will be able to fill the gap in the short term. During a Chinese blockade or attack, the production and shipment of semiconductors would come to a halt, leading to a shortage of nearly every product that contains technology, from smartphones to computers and cars.