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• Russian artillery struck the AFU positions near Ivanivske;
• Russian artillery struck the AFU positions near Avdeevka;
• Russian artillery struck the AFU positions near Ugledar;
• The Russian Army destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Avdeevka;
• The AFU advanced in the north of Bakhmut and pushed back the Russian Army from the Chasov Yar-Bakhmut road;
• Clashes between Russian forces and the AFU continue in the western parts of Bakhmut city;
• Clashes between Russian forces and the AFU continue in Mariinka;
• Clashes between Russian forces and the AFU continue near Ugledar;
• Clashes between Russian forces and the AFU continue near Pervomaiske;
• Up to 75 Ukrainian servicemen, 3 armored vehicles, 3 pickups were destroyed by Russian artillery on Krasniy-Liman front, according to the Russian MOD;
• Up to 900 Ukrainian servicemen, 7 motor vehicles, 30 armored vehicles, 2 howitzers were destroyed by Russian artillery on Donetsk front, according to the Russian MOD;
• Up to 110 Ukrainian servicemen, 2 motor vehicles, a Gvozdika artillery system were destroyed by Russian artillery in South Donetsk and Zaporozhye region, according to the Russian MOD.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Military Situation In Ukraine On May 13, 2023 (Map Update)
• Military Situation In Bakhmut On May 13, 2023 (Map Update)

The...

Press TV May 12, 2023

An Iranian oil tanker, which was illegally seized by a foreign company five years ago, has been retaken in a joint operation by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy and Irans Intelligence Ministry.

Mojtaba Qahremani, head of the Justice Department of Irans southern province of Hormozgan, was cited by Tasnim news agency as saying on Friday that the 10,000-ton oil tanker Purity had returned to the countrys territorial waters following a judicial order and a joint operation carried out by the IRGC Navy and Intelligence Ministry.

The seized 10,000-ton oil tanker Purity had been illegally leased to a foreigner by falsifying documents since 2018 and its Iranian owners were deprived of the benefits of the oil tanker, Qahremani said.

The head of the Justice Department of Hormozgan Province added that it was discovered after investigations by security organizations that the foreign company used the vessel for fuel trafficking.

Stressing that the prosecutor of the provincial capital Bandar Abbas ordered the seizure of the oil vessel last February, Qahremani said, Following a judicial order and close cooperation between the IRGC Navy and Intelligence Ministry, the oil tanker was finally identified and confiscated in the Persian Gulf waters earlier this month.

The vessel was reported to be at Irans Assaluyeh Port on the westernmost coast of the Persian Gulf in order for its fuel consignments to be unloaded.

Forces from the first naval zone of the IRGC late in October seized a foreign tanker ship carrying 11 million liters of smuggled fuel in the Persian Gulf.

The Islamic Republic has vowed that the Persian Gulf would never be a safe place for smugglers. The IRGCs Navy has also foiled several attacks on Iranian and foreign tankers alike.

As we commemorate 75 years of catastrophe, we also recognize 75 years of sumud, the Arabic word for steadfastness that captures Palestinians defiant resilience.

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• On May 13, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 4 times: 2 in Idlib province, 1 in Latakia province, 1 in Hama province;
• On May 11, a PKK commander reportedly was killed by Turkish drone attack south of Ain al-Arab;
• Only the withdrawal of US troops from the occupied territories of Syria will ensure the return of the population of the region to peaceful life, according to the Moscow and Damascus joint statement.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Military Situation In Syria On May 11, 2023 (Map Update)
• Military Situation In Syria On May 10, 2023 (Map Update)

The post Military Situation In Syria On May 13, 2023 (Map Update) appeared first on South Front.

Global Times | May 12, 2023

Chinas special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui will visit Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia, starting on May 15, to communicate with all parties on a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced at a press conference on Friday.

Chinese experts said Lis upcoming visits demonstrate Chinas efforts to bring about a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis, showing Chinas objective and fair stance as a responsible power.

According to Wang, since the beginning of the crisis, China has held an objective and just position and actively promoted talks for peace. President Xi Jinping has put forward four principles, called for joint efforts in four areas and shared three observations on Ukraine, which outline Chinas fundamental approach to the issue. On this basis, China released its Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, which reflects the above core ideas of Chinas stance and takes into account the legitimate concerns of all parties, receiving extensive understanding and recognition from the international community.

During a phone conversation on April 26, President Xi told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that China will send a special representative on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to push for a political settlement to the crisis.

Li is a veteran diplomat and has been Chinas special envoy for Eurasian Affairs since 2019. He was previously Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan from 1997 to 1999, and from 2009 to 2019 he served as Chinas ambassador to Russia, according to publicly available information.

Wang Wenbin said Lis upcoming visit reflects Chinas commitment to promoting peace talks and staying on the side of peace.

Wang noted that as the Ukraine crisis drags on and escalates, the world continues to experience the spillover effects of the crisis, with voices calling for a ceasefire and de-escalation in the international community.

China will continue to play a constructive role and build greater international consensus on ending hostilities, starting peace talks and preventing an escalation of the situation, and help facilitate a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, said Wang.

Cui Heng, an assistant research fellow from the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday that Lis Europe tour is aimed at implementing Chinas efforts to promote peace talks.

According to Cui, in the case of ongoing conflicts, even if there are people who want to talk with each other, under the influence of various forces, it is not convenient to...

The essence of capitalism is to turn nature into commodities and commodities into capital. (Michael Parenti)

For as long as Ive been writing, giving public talks, and all that, I have offered informed critiques of capitalism.

For as long as Ive been offering informed critiques of capitalism, I get replies like this: I suppose you think socialism is the answer.

The paucity of imagination never ceases to disappoint me.

Breaking news: One can challenge capitalism both its theoretical and practical versions without being a fan of Castro or Lenin.

Side note to those in the medical freedom movement: Your frequent misuse of the words communism and Marxism does not serve you well.

...

BY M. K. BHADRAKUMAR | INDIAN PUNCHLINE | MAY 12, 2023 

Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky has somewhat eased the suspense by his remark to the western media on Thursday that his army needs to wait and still needs a bit more time to launch the much-anticipated counter-offensive against Russian forces. 

He acknowledged that Ukraines combat brigades are ready but would reason that the army still needed some things, including armoured vehicles that were arriving in batches from NATO countries.

Zelensky proffered the explanation that we can go forward, and, I think, be successful. But wed lose a lot of people. I think thats unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time. 

However, Zelenskys claim that Ukraines military still needed some equipment is at variance with the assertive statement by western officials. None other than NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said a fortnight ago, one full week after returning from Kiev after talks with Zelensky and his top aides, that NATO deliveries constituted more than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine. 

Stoltenberg added, In total, we have trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armoured brigades. This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory. 

Last Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken broadly endorsed what Stoltenberg said, during a joint press conference with the visiting UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, while also taking care to add a caveat: 

They (Ukrainian military) have in place what they need to continue to be successful in regaining territory that was seized by force by Russia Its not only the weapons; its the training. Its making sure that the Ukrainians can maintain the systems that we provide them, and its important, of course, that they have the right plans, again, to be successful. 

Cleverly agreed with the drift of what Blinken said but gave a political perspective to it. That is perfectly acceptable, since this is a war that is more political than military. 

Cleverly said people shouldnt expect a film-like counteroffensive from Kiev. He cautioned: The real world doesnt work like that. I hope and expect they will do very, very well, becaus...

In response to Israels ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip, Amiram Levin, a former Labor Party hopeful, retired Major General, and former deputy head of Mossad, has called to flatten whole neighborhoods in Gaza.

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• On May 13, the AFU shot down two Russian Mi-8 helicopters, a Su-34 fighter bomber and probably a Su-25 near Klintsy;
• On May 12, Russian Mi-28 helicopter crashed in the Dzhankoy district in Crimea;
• Russian forces struck military targets in Zhytomyr;
• Russian forces struck military targets in Mykolaiv;
• Russian forces struck military targets in Gulyai-Pole;
• Russian forces struck military targets in Kramatorsk-Slavyansk region;
• Russian forces struck military targets in Chernobaevka in the Kherson region;
• Explosions thundered in the Lviv region;
• Explosions thundered in the Kiev region and in the capital;
• The Russian Army destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Zaporozhye;
• The Russian Army destroyed an ammo depot of the AFU near Avdeevka;
• The Russian Army destroyed an AN/TPQ-36 counterbattery warfare radar near Kharkov;
• The AFU reportedly destroyed 2 command posts, 7 artillery units, 1 ammunition depot and 2 electronic warfare stations of the Russian Army in the past 24 hours;
• Russian forces destroyed 1 armoured vehicle, 2 motor vehicles, 2 Grad MLRS, 1 M109 artillery system in the Kupyansk region;
• Russian forces destroyed 3 armoured vehicles, 3 pickups, 1 Akatsiya artillery system in the Krasny Liman region;
• Russian forces destroyed 30 armoured vehicles, 7 motor vehicles, 2 howitzers in the Donetsk region;
• Russian forces destroyed 1 armoured vehicle, 3 motor vehicles, 1 Akatsiya artillery system in the Kherson region;
• Clashes between the Russian Army and the AFU continue in Mariinka;
• Clashes between the Russian Army and the AFU continue near Kupyansk;
• Clashes between Russian forces and the AFU continue in Bakhmut;
• Ru...

Sputnik 13.05.2023

ANKARA Turkiye has no plans to wait until it is brought back to the US F-35 multirole fighter program, from which it was officially removed two years ago, and seeks a refund of $1.4 billion paid for the jets, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday.

We want out money now. We want the money we paid there to be returned. Our friends from the ministry came together and reviewed the steps we will take from now on. We are now taking care of ourselves, Cavusoglu told media, adding that Ankara does not want the situation to turn into a snake story like with the Patriot defense system.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously said that the country had paid $1.4 billion for the jets.

In April 2021, the US excluded Turkiye from the F-35 program after Ankara purchased Russias S-400 air defense systems. Washington annulled the joint memorandum on the F-35 fighters with the country, while signing the document with seven other project partners the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Canada and Norway. Erdogan said later that year that Turkiye had received a US offer to buy F-16 jets instead, one generation behind the F-35s. The US Congress has been debating whether to include restrictions on the sale of jets in its annual defense spending bill for fiscal 2023, while the US State Department has been trying to convince lawmakers that the deal was aligned with Washingtons interests.

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• Russian forces captured Olympic School in the north-west of Bakhmut city;
• Russian forces captured several buildings in the Cherema district;
• Clashes between the AFU and Russian forces continue west of Chaikovskoho street;
• Wagner fighters are advancing along Medvedev, Chernyakhovsky and Tolbukhin Streets;
• The units of the Russian Ministry of Defense left the heights near Berkhovka and retreated to the Berkhovsky water reservoir;
• The AFU slightly advanced south of Ivanivske.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Military Situation In Bakhmut On May 11, 2023 (Map Update)
• Military Situation In Donbass On May 11, 2023 (Map Update)
• In Video: Russian Advance In Bakhmut On February 10-May 9, 2023 (Map Update)

The post Military Situation In Bakhmut On May 13, 2023 (Map Update) appeared first on South Front.

Eleven months ago a critical education case came before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in North Carolina (Peltier v. Charter Day Sch., Inc., 37 F.4th 104, 116, 4th Cir. 2022). A main issue in the case pertains to the dress code at Charter Day School in Leland, North Carolina, specifically, whether the privately-operated but publicly-funded charter school had violated the rights of female students by stipulating what they could and could not wear. The ACLU reports that, Girls at Charter Day School, together with their parents, challenged the skirts requirement as sex discrimination under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and Title IX.

For general purposes and for the purpose of this case in particular, it is first important to appreciate that, while all non-profit and for-profit charter schools are privately-operated schools, many, including Charter Day School, are also owned-operated by a private educational management organization (EMO).¹ This is another layer of privatization, another level of private ownership and control. In this vein, it is important to grasp that the legal framework that applies to private entities differs qualitatively from the legal framework that applies to public entities. Private actors and state actors operate in different legal spheres. The U.S. Constitution, for example, does not apply to the acts of private entities; it applies mainly to acts of government. Indeed, the private-public distinction shapes the laws and institutions of many countries. As a general rule, no public schools in America are operated by an EMO.

It is also legally significant that the parents of the students suing Charter Day School voluntarily enrolled their daughters in the privately-operated charter school. No one is forced or compelled to enroll in a charter school in the United States. Nor is the state compelling, encouraging, or coercing Charter Day School to adopt any particular dress code or educational philosophy for students.

As a general rule, privatized education arrangements in America (e.g., private Catholic schools that charge tuition) have always been able to adopt the dress code they want without any government interference. It is generally recognized that, as private schools, they can essentially adopt whatever dress code or educati...

The 372-page book that the European Center for Populism Studies published in March 2023, The Impacts of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on Right-wing Populism in Europe, opens its Chapter (p. 200-209) on The Russia-Ukraine War and Right-Wing Populism in Latvia by saying something that has broad applicability across all U.S.-and-allied nations,

Right-wing populism, and populism more broadly, has long been a feature of Latvias political landscape. Indeed, in December 2021, a few months before Russias invasion of Ukraine, Latvias president, Egils Levits, a former judge at the European Union Court of Justice, warned that populism was a threat to Latvias democracy:

We see what happens when populists are elected to parliament in Latvia and elsewhere. They collapse. They are not capable of meaningful politics, simply wasting your vote and creating difficulties for the parliament and the state. (President urges voters to be on guard, 2021)

Mr. Levitz was stating the common fear that billionaires have against all forms of populism: the need that populist politicians have to at least seem to be representing the interests of the public instead of only the aristocracys interests, creates instability and unpredictability in the government, and might even cause the aristocracy to lose its control over the government.

That Chapter goes on to say:

The late Joachim Siegerist, a shadowy far-right German-Latvian politician who never spoke Latvian, is generally regarded as Latvias first major post-communist populist. Having been kicked out of the radical right-wing Latvian National Independence Movement (Latvijas Nacionalas Neatkaribas Kustiba, LNNK) in 1994, Siegerist founded the Peoples Movement for Latvia (Tautas Kustiba Latvija, TKL). During the 1995 parliamentary election, he campaigned on both a nationalist and anti-corruption platform of Russians to Russia and Latvia for Latvians, handing out free medicine to emphasize the perceived failure of government economic policies and promising to weed out corrupt bureaucrats and politicians who were supposedly holding Latvia back.3 This combination of Russophobe nationalism and criticism of a corrupt and out-of-touch elite set the template for right-wing populism in Latvia for the next three decades. Twenty-first-century additions to this winning formula have included criticism of liberal ideas spreading to Latvia via European elites and, of course, anti-Soros conspiracy theories.

Right-wing populists typically campaign against corruption (of po...

BY AARON SIRI | INJECTING FREEDOM | MAY 12, 2023

As you may recall, we obtained a court order in January 2022 forcing FDA to produce all of its data on Pfizers covid vaccine for those 16 years and older at a rate of 55,000 pages per month, as opposed to the 75 years FDA sought. That production should be completed in a few more months.

In a second lawsuit we brought, the same judge just ordered FDA to produce the documents it relied on to license and Modernas covid vaccine AND Pfizers covid vaccine for 12-to-15-year-olds at an average rate of at least 180,000 pages per month.

In this second lawsuit, this time also on behalf of the parents of Maddie de Garay, a young girl grievously injured in Pfizers clinical trial for 12-to-15-year-olds, we explained to the Court the importance of timely production. Once again, FDA claimed it would be impractical to release the estimated 4.8 million pages at more than between 1,000 to 16,000 pages per month, or in other words at least 23.5 years. We countered, demanding FDA produce all documents by mid-2025.

The federal judge, in an amazing decision, started by stating that Democracy dies behind closed doors and ordered them to produce the files millions of pages  in just 2 years, amounting to a rate of at least 180,000 pages per month.

Indeed, it is another blow for transparency and accountability. The Judges decision is just that good that I am including below a copy of the entire decision it is a short four pages.

...

The New York Times all but ignored Palestinian civilians killed by Israel's latest assault on Gaza and dismissed an essential factor in Israel's calculus -- pressure on Netanyahu from the fascistic members of his own coalition.

...

 https://twitter.com/ricwe123/status/1636830651478409217

Israeli army kills two Palestinians in West Bank raids

12 May 2023 Source: Al Mayadeen Net By Al Mayadeen English  The Israeli occupation cowardly assassinates a sixth Al-Quds Brigades commander since the start of the aggression against the Gaza Strip. On the fourth day of the Israeli occupation aggression against the Gaza Strip, Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement (PIJ), mourned on []

Another one of "those weeks" folks with so many great articles shared by all of you. Here's a few choice ones, courtesy of contributors

The post TIDBITS: THIS WEEKS HONOURABLE MENTIONS appeared first on The Giza Death Star.

 https://twitter.com/narrative_hole/status/1657133664130539520

By Andrew Korybko | Global Times | May 11, 2023

Theres a heated debate in the US nowadays about the future of global affairs. Some believe that whats been described as their countrys unipolar moment is ending and giving way to multipolarity, while others believe that the US remains the worlds most comprehensively powerful country by far. Understanding the current state of international relations can provide policymakers with a clear and accurate picture of the world they are dealing with. This knowledge can help them make informed decisions and take appropriate actions. Americans first began worrying that their countrys predominant role was fading around the start of the Obama administration, which coincided with the 2008 financial crisis. For various reasons, some related to partisan opinions and others to compelling observations about the evolving world order, these concerns continued through the Trump administration and into the incumbent Biden one, but they were recently exacerbated by the start of conventional hostilities between Russia and Ukraine last year.

Several factors since then contributed to raising worldwide awareness of multipolarity, which simply refers to the system of international relations where there isnt a hegemon like the US was after 1991 or arent two superpowers like there were from 1945 up until that year prior to the Soviet Unions dissolution. Perhaps the most visible one concerns the documented fact that only a little more than three dozen countries joined the US in imposing sanctions against Russia and/or arming Ukraine.

The rest of the world remains neutral in practice despite most countries voting against Russia at the UN General Assembly, which in hindsight didnt signal the change in policy toward Moscow that the US expected at the time. Some states might have been pressured to vote that way while others wanted to peacefully signal their disagreement with Russia for its military operations in Ukraine. Either way, the lack of any subsequently punitive consequences like those that the US demanded spoke volumes.

This observation is all the more impressive when remembering that many of these same neutral states are comparatively medium- and smaller-sized ones with economies that arent anywhere near as large as the US. The importance in pointing this out is to show how surprising it is that the US couldnt successfully pressure them into sanctioning Russia and/or arming Ukraine, which speaks to the very real limits of its influence nowadays.

China is already the top trade partner of practically every Global South country, which imbues them with the confidence to refuse the US political demands since their leaders believe tha...

Tales of the American Empire | May 11, 2023

The American empire has over 1000 overseas military bases with between a dozen and 45,000 personnel. The United States spends more to operate its overseas military bases each year than China spends on its entire military. Several of these bases have become worthless yet remain open because of bureaucratic resistance. The largest unneeded base is also the oldest overseas base, the US Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, known as Gitmo. No combat forces are based there or even combat support forces. There are no ships, no aircraft, no weapons, nor munitions based at Gitmo. The lights could be shut off at expensive Gitmo tomorrow and everyone flown home and the US Navy wouldnt notice, except that it would free manpower and resources for a dozen more warships.

__________________________________

All Bases Covered; Tom Engelhardt, Antiwar.com; January 10, 2011; https://original.antiwar.com/engelhar

Overseas Base Closure List; Carlton Meyer; G2mil; 2016; ...

Todd Hayen When I was a young lad of 11, I was fascinated with computers, or what little there was of them at the time. It was about 1966, and I checked out a book from the school library on the short but exciting history of the machines. I pored over every page of it.

Thoughts on the worsening catastrophe of German energy policy, and how things came to be this way.

eugyppius: a plague chronicle May 12, 2023

The international press has maintained near-total silence on the escalating insanity of what is happening in Germany. Media outlets that routinely celebrate German progress towards energy transition dont want you to know that Europes dominant industrial power has entered a deeply destructive political and administrative spiral from which it may never recover. The fault lies with the self-defeating and unworkable energy policies that have a death grip not merely on the Scholz government, but on the entire administrative state. Since completing the nuclear phase-out in the midst of an ongoing energy crisis and avoiding winter catastrophe thanks only to the accident of mild weather, our rulers are now forcing devastating changes to the so-called Gebudeenergiegesetz, or the Building Energy Act, which regulates energy consumption in residential and commercial structures.

That sounds bland and boring, but its not. This latest turning of the screws aims to phase out traditional gas and oil heating, by mandating that all new heating systems installed after 2024 use no less than 65% renewable energy. In most cases, this can only be achieved by installing electric-powered heat pumps. Particularly in the case of many older buildings, the associated renovation costs will prove catastrophic, and unless theyre drastically revised, the rules will simply upset the housing market and destroy a great deal of personal wealth. Nor does the grid have any hope of powering these new heat sources, now or in the future.

In the midst of growing alarm and the seeming futility of all opposition, even some German establishment media have begun to voice unease. Today, Der Spiegel (of all magazines) published a lengthy piece on the origins, funding and rise to power of the Eco Network currently controlling German energy policy, and I want to discuss it in detail, because it is so revealing about so many things. It pulls together many separate threads, to show how policy behemoths originate and are set in motion in modern managerial states, and how they can remain impervious and even contrary to popular opinion even in allegedly democratic systems.

The Spiegel reporting takes a close look at the careers of several key characters behind the energy transition, among them the Green politician...

Kieran Williams The Daily Mirror May 11, 2023

Tens of thousands more Brits were dying than expected and experts arent quite sure why that is.

From May to December last year, there were 32,441 excess deaths in England and Wales, excluding deaths from Covid.

Excess deaths are defined as the number of people who died above the five-year average worked out excluding 2020 due to how Covid spiked death figures that year.

This means that over 32,000 Brits wouldve been expected to be alive, but died according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures across this period.

These shocking figures raised a number of important questions about what is happening to the countrys populations, how its changing, and why so many more people are dying.

Ever since the Covid pandemic, excess deaths have fluctuated wildly month on month, tumbling well below the five-year average or spiking far above it.

The spikes in excess deaths can be attributed to a number of causes, but it isnt clear whats driving these spikes or causing these drop-offs.

Similarly, earlier in 2022, excess deaths dipped well below average levels, with one expert group speculating to the Mirror that a mortality displacement effect might explain why so many deaths are bunched up in the space of several months, being passed on from the months prior.

Professor David Coleman, Emeritus Professor of Demography at Oxford University, told the Mirror that no one knew for certain what had caused so many deaths throughout last year.

He pointed out that, post Covid, the UKs population had been changed through the deaths of a significant proportion of elderly due to the virus.

He explained: Once those poor people have been packed off, the remaining population should be healthier, there should be a period afterwards where deaths are lower than usual but that hasnt happened.

But he highlighted two key reasons that could contribute towards spiking excess deaths, the fact Britains getting older, and gaining a larger average body-mass index.

The population is getting older, and also the population in Britain is the fattest in Europe and rather vulnerable to diseases notably heart disease and diabetes; some people have been forecasting separately from Covid that death rates would continue to get worse because the country is so unhealthy, he said.

One of the noted causes behind a number of the excess deaths were ischaemic heart diseases which would track with the professors warnings of a fatter population.

Similarly, when looking at the leading cause of death across much of 2022, its...

Jason Arunn Murugesu The New Scientist Sept 1, 2022

The UK has seen an unexplained surge in deaths in recent months, causing concern among the countrys chief medical officers.

Many suggestions have been put forward for why there have been about 22,500 more deaths between April and August than would normally be expected, but there is little agreement so far on the cause or causes. A spokesperson for the UK governments Department of Health and Social Care, for example, says: Analysis is ongoing, however early investigation suggests circulatory diseases and diabetes may be partly responsible for the majority of excess deaths.

But Adrian Boyle, president-elect at the UKs Royal College of Emergency Medicine doesnt agree that conditions like this, potentially worsened by coronavirus lockdowns delaying routine appointments, are likely to be the cause. It takes time to die from cancer, it takes time to die from heart failure, he says. These are all things that may have got worse during lockdown, but Im not sure that is going to be driving the sudden and precipitous increase that weve seen in deaths this year.

The data suggest that it is very likely that something substantial is happening, says Michael Murphy at the London School of Economics.

So, researchers are scrambling to figure out what is going on, with National Health Service (NHS) problems, an ageing population, heatwaves and a resurgence of covid-19 all also being mooted as possible causes for the sudden hike in deaths. The fear is that this trend could worsen in the winter when healthcare systems are typically under most pressure.

The increase in deaths has been seen across the UK. Between 2 April and 12 August in England and Wales, for example, 202,491 deaths were registered, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is 19,756 higher than the five-year average for this period about an 11 per cent increase (see graph, below). The sudden drop in recorded deaths at the start of June is probably due to the extra Jubilee bank holiday in the UK and reflects the closure of registration offices, according to the ONS.

Continues

Neil McCoy-Ward YouTube.com May 11, 2023

Source

Arsenio Toledo Natural News May 11, 2023

Recently resurfaced writings by Serbian-American inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla seemingly predicted the development of artificial intelligence and its rise as a groundbreaking piece of technology.

Tesla, a pioneer of technology and of the use of electricity, wrote over 120 years ago some eerily accurate predictions about the emergence of a machine with its own mind. (Related: Entrepreneur Ian Hogarth warns reckless development of AI could lead to the destruction of humanity.)

I purpose to show that, however impossible it may now seem, an automaton may be contrived which will have its own mind, wrote Tesla in an essay titled The Problem of Increasing Human Energy in the now-defunct monthly magazine, The Century Magazine, in its June 1900 edition.

And by this I mean that it will be able, independent of any operator, left entirely to itself, to perform, in response to external influences affecting its sensitive organs, a great variety of acts and operations as if it had intelligence, continued Tesla.

It will be able to follow a course laid out or to obey orders given far in advance; it will be capable of distinguishing between what it ought and what it ought not to do, and of making experiences or, otherwise stated, of recording impressions which will definitely affect its subsequent actions.

For years before and after this essay, Tesla had been thinking of AI. In one letter to a professor at Purdue University written in the 1890s, Tesla explained how, in his experiments with radio-controlled technology, he was also thinking about future inventions involving machines possessed of their own intelligence. Although he believed that he himself would be the inventor of such a machine.

Since that time I had advanced greatly in the evolution of the invention and think that the time is not distant when I shall show an automaton which, left to itself, will act as though possessed of reason and without any willful control from the outside, wrote Tesla.

This statement cuts very close to the worlds general understanding of AI as non-living beings that are able to simulate human intelligence and can carry out various tasks, either on their own or based on prompts by humans.

Whatever be the practical possibilities of such an achievement, it will mark the beginning of a new epoch in mechanics, wrote Tesla.

Tesla also concerned...