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cbabe's Journal
cbabe's Journal
April 23, 2024
Reporting in India ‘too difficult’ under Modi, says departing Australian journalist
Kate Lyons
Tue 23 Apr 2024 02.33 EDT
The south-Asia correspondent for Australia’s national broadcaster, Avani Dias, has been forced out of India after her reporting fell foul of the Indian government, in a sign of the increasing pressure on journalists in the country under Narendra Modi.
Dias, who has been based in Delhi for the ABC since January 2022, said she felt the government had made it “too difficult” for her to continue to do her job, claiming it blocked her from accessing events, issued takedown notices to YouTube for her news stories, and then refused her a standard visa renewal.
Dias was told by the Indian government that her visa, which was due for renewal, would be blocked, she says in the final episode of her podcast, Looking for Modi. The decision came after the Indian government issued a takedown notice to YouTube for an episode of Foreign Correspondent, the ABC’s flagship international news program, that she reported.
The episode covered the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist, in Canada last year. Canada accused the Indian government of being involved in his murder, straining relations between the two nations.
…more…
Reporting in India 'too difficult' under Modi, says departing Australian journalist
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/apr/23/abc-south-asia-correspondent-avani-dias-narendra-modi-governmentReporting in India ‘too difficult’ under Modi, says departing Australian journalist
Kate Lyons
Tue 23 Apr 2024 02.33 EDT
The south-Asia correspondent for Australia’s national broadcaster, Avani Dias, has been forced out of India after her reporting fell foul of the Indian government, in a sign of the increasing pressure on journalists in the country under Narendra Modi.
Dias, who has been based in Delhi for the ABC since January 2022, said she felt the government had made it “too difficult” for her to continue to do her job, claiming it blocked her from accessing events, issued takedown notices to YouTube for her news stories, and then refused her a standard visa renewal.
Dias was told by the Indian government that her visa, which was due for renewal, would be blocked, she says in the final episode of her podcast, Looking for Modi. The decision came after the Indian government issued a takedown notice to YouTube for an episode of Foreign Correspondent, the ABC’s flagship international news program, that she reported.
The episode covered the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist, in Canada last year. Canada accused the Indian government of being involved in his murder, straining relations between the two nations.
…more…
April 23, 2024
NEWS | CULTURE & MEDIA
Israel Tied With Iran Among Top Jailers of Journalists in 2023, Report Finds
The Committee to Protect Journalists says 2023 saw the highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since 1992
By Zane McNeill , TRUTHOUT
Published April 22, 2024
A recent report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that Israel tied with Iran as one of the world’s leaders in jailing journalists for 2023.
“Israel has appeared several times on CPJ’s annual census, but this is the highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since CPJ began documenting arrests in 1992 and the first time Israel has ranked among the top six offenders,” the report says.
For the first time, Israel has joined the rank of China, Myanmar, Belarus, Russia Vietnam, and Iran as the leading countries jailing journalists. According to CPJ, Israel has detained more than 20 journalists since October 7. Relatives of the detained journalists told CPJ that many were allegedly imprisoned due to their activity on social media platforms.
…more…
Israel ties with Iran in jailing journalists
https://truthout.org/articles/israel-leads-countries-in-jailing-reporters-since-start-of-genocide-in-palestine/NEWS | CULTURE & MEDIA
Israel Tied With Iran Among Top Jailers of Journalists in 2023, Report Finds
The Committee to Protect Journalists says 2023 saw the highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since 1992
By Zane McNeill , TRUTHOUT
Published April 22, 2024
A recent report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that Israel tied with Iran as one of the world’s leaders in jailing journalists for 2023.
“Israel has appeared several times on CPJ’s annual census, but this is the highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since CPJ began documenting arrests in 1992 and the first time Israel has ranked among the top six offenders,” the report says.
For the first time, Israel has joined the rank of China, Myanmar, Belarus, Russia Vietnam, and Iran as the leading countries jailing journalists. According to CPJ, Israel has detained more than 20 journalists since October 7. Relatives of the detained journalists told CPJ that many were allegedly imprisoned due to their activity on social media platforms.
…more…
April 23, 2024
Sanders Pushes Amendment to 'Cut Billions in Offensive Military Funding to Israel'
"Enough is enough," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. "We cannot continue to fund this horrific war."
JAKE JOHNSON
Apr 23, 2024
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday that he would put forth an amendment to remove offensive military funding for Israel from a House-passed aid package that the Senate is set to consider this week.
The amendment would "cut billions in offensive military funding to Israel from the proposed national security supplemental package," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. The package, approved by the Republican-controlled House over the weekend, includes $17 billion in unconditional military assistance to the Israeli government, which stands accused on the world stage of perpetrating genocide in Gaza.
The senator said he would also offer an amendment to "protect essential humanitarian operations" in the Gaza Strip, where millions of people are facing the possibility of starvation due to Israel's suffocating and illegal blockade. At least 28 children under the age of 12 have starved to death in Gaza in recent weeks. Sanders' amendment would restore U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the most important aid agency working in Gaza.
An independent report released Monday found that Israel has not provided any evidence to support its claim that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. The U.S. suspended its UNRWA aid in late January in response to Israel's unsubstantiated allegations against the agency's workers, and the House-passed Israel legislation would prohibit funding for the organization.
…more…
Sanders: restore UNRWA funding/cut Israel military funding
https://www.commondreams.org/news/sanders-military-funding-israelSanders Pushes Amendment to 'Cut Billions in Offensive Military Funding to Israel'
"Enough is enough," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. "We cannot continue to fund this horrific war."
JAKE JOHNSON
Apr 23, 2024
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday that he would put forth an amendment to remove offensive military funding for Israel from a House-passed aid package that the Senate is set to consider this week.
The amendment would "cut billions in offensive military funding to Israel from the proposed national security supplemental package," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. The package, approved by the Republican-controlled House over the weekend, includes $17 billion in unconditional military assistance to the Israeli government, which stands accused on the world stage of perpetrating genocide in Gaza.
The senator said he would also offer an amendment to "protect essential humanitarian operations" in the Gaza Strip, where millions of people are facing the possibility of starvation due to Israel's suffocating and illegal blockade. At least 28 children under the age of 12 have starved to death in Gaza in recent weeks. Sanders' amendment would restore U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the most important aid agency working in Gaza.
An independent report released Monday found that Israel has not provided any evidence to support its claim that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. The U.S. suspended its UNRWA aid in late January in response to Israel's unsubstantiated allegations against the agency's workers, and the House-passed Israel legislation would prohibit funding for the organization.
…more…
April 21, 2024
What Everyone Should Know
CDC recommends that people get MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. Children should get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Teens and adults should also be up to date on their MMR vaccination.
Two MMR vaccines are available for use in the United States, M-M-R II and PRIORIX. M-M-R II and PRIORIX are fully interchangeable for all indications for which MMR vaccination is recommended. Children may also get MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox). This vaccine is only licensed for use in children who are 12 months through 12 years of age.
Who Should Get MMR Vaccine?
…
Adults
Adults who do not have presumptive evidence of immunity should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.
Certain adults may need 2 doses. Adults who are going to be in a setting that poses a high risk for measles or mumps transmission should make sure they have had two doses separated by at least 28 days. These adults include
students at post-high school education institutions
healthcare personnel
international travelers
…more…
(Measles outbreak traveling around. Check with your doc. Better safe.)
https://mynorthwest.com/3958083/international-students-remain-in-quarantine-in-king-county-hotel-after-measles-exposure/
International students remain in quarantine in King County hotel after measles exposure
Apr 20, 2024, 1:16 PM
Measles outbreak/vaccines: What Everyone Should Know
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mmr/public/index.htmlWhat Everyone Should Know
CDC recommends that people get MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. Children should get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Teens and adults should also be up to date on their MMR vaccination.
Two MMR vaccines are available for use in the United States, M-M-R II and PRIORIX. M-M-R II and PRIORIX are fully interchangeable for all indications for which MMR vaccination is recommended. Children may also get MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox). This vaccine is only licensed for use in children who are 12 months through 12 years of age.
Who Should Get MMR Vaccine?
…
Adults
Adults who do not have presumptive evidence of immunity should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.
Certain adults may need 2 doses. Adults who are going to be in a setting that poses a high risk for measles or mumps transmission should make sure they have had two doses separated by at least 28 days. These adults include
students at post-high school education institutions
healthcare personnel
international travelers
…more…
(Measles outbreak traveling around. Check with your doc. Better safe.)
https://mynorthwest.com/3958083/international-students-remain-in-quarantine-in-king-county-hotel-after-measles-exposure/
International students remain in quarantine in King County hotel after measles exposure
Apr 20, 2024, 1:16 PM
April 21, 2024
Why Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology Failed
A Change of Mind Has a High Price in Surveillance Shopping Models
CHARLES MUDEDE
Earlier this month, Business Insider reported that Amazon's Just Walk Out technology was not run by robots, but by the eyes of "1,000 workers in India who review what you pick up, set down, and walk out of its stores with." And so what looked like a new trick was in fact old hat. The work of American cashiers and attendants (a high-income society) had simply been, like service-related jobs, offshored to India (a low-income society). And this transference of services from one economic zone to another is only about one thing: wage arbitrage.
The Seattle-based heterodox economist Alan Harvey put it this way in his excellent little book Demand Side Economics: Demand Side Minds.
Explicit in the new globalization is the free flow of capital and the opening and integration of markets. And while "trade" denotes an exchange, the current phenomenon is one of arbitrage of labor, regulation, currencies and financial instruments. Arbitrage is taking advantage of the price differences between two or more markets.
Amazon recently admitted that it does use humans in this technology, but only to train AI. In the near future, the tech corporation promises, humans will be completely replaced by robots. Nevertheless, Amazon is removing the Just Walk Out technology from its Amazon Fresh stores and replacing it with the Dash Cart, which is, in essence, a modification of the self-checkout kiosks found in most grocery stores. (Self-checkout, like the Dash Cart, transfers the paid labor of a cashier to the unpaid labor of a shopper—an extreme form of wage arbitrage.)
Nevertheless, the human-to-AI story does not add up. The problem, as explained to me by an Amazon Web Services (AWS) worker, who, of course, cannot be named, is Just Walk Out demands too many high-end cameras, relentless processing, and the constant movement of a vast amount of information. Therefore the system only works in places that have access to fast internet, which is not cheap.
…more… cost of labor vs cost of ai … high cost when shopper changes their mind and puts the item back … cameras… low wage offshore workers watching cameras…
Why Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology Failed
https://www.thestranger.com/tech/2024/04/19/79474488/why-amazons-just-walk-out-technology-failed/commentsWhy Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology Failed
A Change of Mind Has a High Price in Surveillance Shopping Models
CHARLES MUDEDE
Earlier this month, Business Insider reported that Amazon's Just Walk Out technology was not run by robots, but by the eyes of "1,000 workers in India who review what you pick up, set down, and walk out of its stores with." And so what looked like a new trick was in fact old hat. The work of American cashiers and attendants (a high-income society) had simply been, like service-related jobs, offshored to India (a low-income society). And this transference of services from one economic zone to another is only about one thing: wage arbitrage.
The Seattle-based heterodox economist Alan Harvey put it this way in his excellent little book Demand Side Economics: Demand Side Minds.
Explicit in the new globalization is the free flow of capital and the opening and integration of markets. And while "trade" denotes an exchange, the current phenomenon is one of arbitrage of labor, regulation, currencies and financial instruments. Arbitrage is taking advantage of the price differences between two or more markets.
Amazon recently admitted that it does use humans in this technology, but only to train AI. In the near future, the tech corporation promises, humans will be completely replaced by robots. Nevertheless, Amazon is removing the Just Walk Out technology from its Amazon Fresh stores and replacing it with the Dash Cart, which is, in essence, a modification of the self-checkout kiosks found in most grocery stores. (Self-checkout, like the Dash Cart, transfers the paid labor of a cashier to the unpaid labor of a shopper—an extreme form of wage arbitrage.)
Nevertheless, the human-to-AI story does not add up. The problem, as explained to me by an Amazon Web Services (AWS) worker, who, of course, cannot be named, is Just Walk Out demands too many high-end cameras, relentless processing, and the constant movement of a vast amount of information. Therefore the system only works in places that have access to fast internet, which is not cheap.
…more… cost of labor vs cost of ai … high cost when shopper changes their mind and puts the item back … cameras… low wage offshore workers watching cameras…
April 21, 2024
These 112 House Republicans voted against Ukraine aid
Bryan Metzger Apr 20, 2024, 12:10 PM PDT
A solid majority of Republicans voted against the bill, which passed by a 311-112 margin. 101 Republicans voted for it, and one Republican, Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, voted "present."
…more…
(Scroll down for the list. Tiny print so need to finger zoom or whatever you call it.)
These 112 House Republicans voted against Ukraine aid
https://www.businessinsider.com/which-house-republicans-voted-against-ukraine-russia-aid-2024-4?op=1These 112 House Republicans voted against Ukraine aid
Bryan Metzger Apr 20, 2024, 12:10 PM PDT
A solid majority of Republicans voted against the bill, which passed by a 311-112 margin. 101 Republicans voted for it, and one Republican, Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, voted "present."
…more…
(Scroll down for the list. Tiny print so need to finger zoom or whatever you call it.)
April 20, 2024
‘Only in Rio’: South Korea’s ambassador to Brazil is an unlikely samba star
Lim Ki-mo first heard Brazilian music 50 years ago in his home town of Busan; now his consular crooning marks a triumph of soft power
Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro
Fri 19 Apr 2024 10.32 EDT
Brazil’s latest music sensation grinned from ear to ear as he moseyed down Copacabana beach contemplating his unusual rise to fame. “Samba brings me joy and makes me happy,” the 59-year-old crooner said in Portuguese, as he paused to pose for photos in the shade of palm trees.
The entertainer in question isn’t your average Rio samba star. In fact, he’s a South Korean diplomat from a very different seaside metropolis on the other side of the globe. But Lim Ki-mo, Korea’s Busan-born ambassador to Brazil, has sung his way to stardom since being posted to the South American country three years ago, with a series of viral performances in which he has belted out Brazilian hits.
This week, Lim’s singing career hit new heights as he took the stage at one of Rio’s most illustrious samba spots, Renascença Clube, to perform with one of its top samba groups. Hundreds of samba connoisseurs threw their hands in their and danced euphorically as Seoul’s man in Brasília sang tracks by the legendary composer Adoniran Barbosa and the chart-topping combo Grupo Revelação.
“The crowd went berserk,” said Gabriel Cavalcante, the singer who invited ambassador Lim to perform with his group, Samba do Trabalhador.
…more… links to performances…
(More singing and dancing diplomacy please.)
South Korea's ambassador to Brazil is an unlikely samba star
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/19/south-korea-ambassador-lim-ki-mo-samba-singer-brazil‘Only in Rio’: South Korea’s ambassador to Brazil is an unlikely samba star
Lim Ki-mo first heard Brazilian music 50 years ago in his home town of Busan; now his consular crooning marks a triumph of soft power
Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro
Fri 19 Apr 2024 10.32 EDT
Brazil’s latest music sensation grinned from ear to ear as he moseyed down Copacabana beach contemplating his unusual rise to fame. “Samba brings me joy and makes me happy,” the 59-year-old crooner said in Portuguese, as he paused to pose for photos in the shade of palm trees.
The entertainer in question isn’t your average Rio samba star. In fact, he’s a South Korean diplomat from a very different seaside metropolis on the other side of the globe. But Lim Ki-mo, Korea’s Busan-born ambassador to Brazil, has sung his way to stardom since being posted to the South American country three years ago, with a series of viral performances in which he has belted out Brazilian hits.
This week, Lim’s singing career hit new heights as he took the stage at one of Rio’s most illustrious samba spots, Renascença Clube, to perform with one of its top samba groups. Hundreds of samba connoisseurs threw their hands in their and danced euphorically as Seoul’s man in Brasília sang tracks by the legendary composer Adoniran Barbosa and the chart-topping combo Grupo Revelação.
“The crowd went berserk,” said Gabriel Cavalcante, the singer who invited ambassador Lim to perform with his group, Samba do Trabalhador.
…more… links to performances…
(More singing and dancing diplomacy please.)
April 20, 2024
'You All Moved a Mountain': Tennessee Volkswagen Workers Vote to Join UAW
"We're poised to be the first domino of many to fall," one worker at the Chattanooga plant said.
OLIVIA ROSANE
April 20, 2024
Many of the talking heads and the pundits have said to me repeatedly before we announced this campaign, 'You can't win in the South,'" UAW president Shawn Fain told the victorious workers in a video shared by UAW. "They said Southern workers aren't ready for it. They said non-union autoworkers didn't have it in them. But you all said, 'Watch this!' And you all moved a mountain."
…
According to the UAW's real-time results, the vote tally now stands at 2,628—or 73%—yes to 985—or 27%—no. Voting at the around 4,300-worker plant began Wednesday.
…
The union's win comes despite the opposition of Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. "Today, I joined fellow governors in opposing the UAW's unionization campaign," Lee said on social media Tuesday. "We want to keep good-paying jobs and continue to grow the American auto manufacturing sector. A successful unionization drive will stop this growth in its tracks, to the detriment of American workers."
However, Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-52) celebrated the win. "Watching history tonight in Chattanooga, as Volkswagen workers voted in a landslide to join the UAW," he wrote on social media Friday night. "Despite pressure from Gov. Lee, this is the first auto plant in the South to unionize since the 1940s. This incredible victory for labor will transform Tennessee and the South!"
…more…
(This is stupendous. Breaking the gerrymandered power gridlock. If they won’t give you a seat at the table, bring your own chair: Shirley Chisholm. )
Tennessee Volkswagen Workers Vote to Join UAW
https://www.commondreams.org/news/tennessee-volkswagen-workers-join-uaw'You All Moved a Mountain': Tennessee Volkswagen Workers Vote to Join UAW
"We're poised to be the first domino of many to fall," one worker at the Chattanooga plant said.
OLIVIA ROSANE
April 20, 2024
Many of the talking heads and the pundits have said to me repeatedly before we announced this campaign, 'You can't win in the South,'" UAW president Shawn Fain told the victorious workers in a video shared by UAW. "They said Southern workers aren't ready for it. They said non-union autoworkers didn't have it in them. But you all said, 'Watch this!' And you all moved a mountain."
…
According to the UAW's real-time results, the vote tally now stands at 2,628—or 73%—yes to 985—or 27%—no. Voting at the around 4,300-worker plant began Wednesday.
…
The union's win comes despite the opposition of Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. "Today, I joined fellow governors in opposing the UAW's unionization campaign," Lee said on social media Tuesday. "We want to keep good-paying jobs and continue to grow the American auto manufacturing sector. A successful unionization drive will stop this growth in its tracks, to the detriment of American workers."
However, Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-52) celebrated the win. "Watching history tonight in Chattanooga, as Volkswagen workers voted in a landslide to join the UAW," he wrote on social media Friday night. "Despite pressure from Gov. Lee, this is the first auto plant in the South to unionize since the 1940s. This incredible victory for labor will transform Tennessee and the South!"
…more…
(This is stupendous. Breaking the gerrymandered power gridlock. If they won’t give you a seat at the table, bring your own chair: Shirley Chisholm. )
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