notes are wrong
Florida Mayor Arrested Just Weeks After Taking Over for Florida Mayor Who was Arrested
The acting mayor of a suburban Florida town who took office following the arrest of his predecessor has also been busted, authorities said.
Terance Hagen Rowe, 64, began serving as acting mayor of Port Richey — a Tampa suburb — after the Feb. 21 arrest of Mayor Dale Massad, who allegedly opened fire on an arresting deputy taking him into custody on accusations of practicing medicine without a license in his waterfront home.
Rowe was arrested Wednesday by agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after authorities received a tip that Rowe was conspiring to interfere with an active criminal investigation.
Rowe, who could not be reached for comment early Thursday, is now facing charges of obstruction of justice, conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate the commission of a crime, according to the agency.
Rowe was taken into custody at the Pasco County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bond. He was no longer listed as in custody as of early Thursday, jail records show.
The office of Florida’s attorney general, Ashley Moody, will prosecute the case against Rowe.
Investigators said the allegations against Rowe are connected to aspects of Massad’s arrest, but they declined to go into detail, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“It’s related, but it’s an offshoot,” Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell told the newspaper. “From information we received, [Rowe] was conspiring to inject himself into an active criminal investigation.”
Rowe praised Massad — who remains jailed without bail — during his first City Council meeting as acting mayor earlier this month, acknowledging that he wasn’t the “perfect model” but saying he had dedicated himself to the job.
“It’s unfortunate, it’s tragic and I will miss his counsel,” Rowe said.
Both Rowe and Massad — who were arrested just 20 days apart — are now at the center of “very active investigations” with “lots of moving pieces,” Brutnell told the Tampa Bay Times.
http://www.cuzzblue.com/2019/03/florida-mayor-arrested-just-weeks-after.html
National Review: White Working Class Communities ‘Morally Indefensible… They Deserve to Die’
National Review’s Kevin Williamson believes Donald Trump’s appeals to the white working class are “immoral” because that demographic’s way of life deserves to die out.
In a featured article for the prestigious conservative journal entitled “The FatherFuhrer,” Williamson seeks to rebut criticism that he and other conservatives don’t articulate any policies that would appeal to Trump’s blue collar supporters.
Williamson, a long-time critic of The Donald, essentially agrees that he doesn’t support any policies or rhetoric directly tailored to the working-class — particularly about jobs being taken by outsourcing and immigration — because it would be wrong to do so.
“It is immoral because it perpetuates a lie: that the white working class that finds itself attracted to Trump has been victimized by outside forces,” the NR roving correspondent writes. “[N]obody did this to them. They failed themselves.”
He then goes on to make the conclusion that it’s great these communities are dying out because they have a warped morality and are a dead weight on the economy.
“The truth about these dysfunctional, downscale communities is that they deserve to die. Economically, they are negative assets. Morally, they are indefensible,” the conservative writer says. “The white American under-class is in thrall to a vicious, selfish culture whose main products are misery and used heroin needles. Donald Trump’s speeches make them feel good. So does OxyContin. What they need isn’t analgesics, literal or political. They need real opportunity, which means that they need real change, which means that they need U-Haul. If you want to live, get out of Garbutt [a blue-collar town in New York.]”
https://breakthematrix.com/blog/national-review-white-working-class-communities-morally-indefensible-they-deserve-to-die/?mc_cid=0e065e8671&mc_eid=968702cfdc
Understanding Israel’s deception regarding citizenship vs. Jewish nationality
People are often confused by the difference between citizenship and nationality when it comes to Israel. This issue most recently came up in the spat between Israeli celebrity Rotem Sela who asked, “when will anyone in this government tell the public that this is a state of all its citizens,” to which Prime Minister Netanyahu replied it wasn’t, and said that it was a nation state of Jews alone.
This was then further confused when Netanyahu also claimed that all Israeli citizens have equal rights. What’s going on here? Is Israel a state of all of its citizens, and do citizens have equal rights?
In short, I would say that Netanyahu was right about the state not being a state of all its citizens, and wrong about all citizens having equal rights.
But it’s more complex than that. Israel uses this dual construct of citizenship and nationality to confuse and even downright deceive the international community – indeed even its own citizens. It is my impression that many Israelis don’t even understand this fully.
The main confusion lies in the fact that Israel applies the notion of ‘nationality’ and ‘nation’ in a radically different manner to that which is commonly understood in most of the world today. Normally, ‘citizenship’ and ‘nationality’ are basically understood as a one thing. If you’re, say, a French citizen, you’re considered a French national. No French authority will consider you a ‘Jewish’ national – that would be racist! You’re French? Be a Jew, be a Muslim, whatever – you’re still a French national. On your passport it will say ‘Nationality – French’ – that will be your national identity.
https://mondoweiss.net/2019/03/understanding-citizenship-nationality/
Mueller, Gates attorneys request sentencing delay due to cooperation in 'several' probes
Special counsel Robert Mueller and attorneys for former Trump campaign aide Richard Gates on Friday asked a federal judge to further postpone his sentencing on account of cooperation in “several ongoing investigations.”
Lawyers on both sides asked a federal judge in a joint filing to push back the sentencing date, citing Gates's ongoing assistance in several unnamed probes, adding more mystery to the questions of what information Gates is providing to federal investigators.
Gates, who was Paul Manafort’s ex-business partner and President Trump’s former deputy campaign chairman, has been cooperating with Mueller’s probe for more than a year. However, it remains unclear what other investigations he may be assisting in.
Gates was indicted alongside Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, in October 2017 on charges stemming from their lobbying work for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.
He pleaded guilty in February 2018 to a conspiracy charge and to making false statements to the FBI and the special counsel’s office as part of a deal to cooperate in Mueller’s investigation.
Last year, Gates testified against Manafort during the former Trump campaign chairman's criminal trial in Virginia. A federal jury later convicted Manafort on eight counts of bank and tax fraud and hiding a foreign bank account.
Gates is viewed as a potentially significant witness as Mueller investigates Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Moscow. During the 2016 campaign, Gates was Manafort’s deputy and then worked on the Trump transition team.
Mueller’s prosecutors have repeatedly requested delays in Gates’s sentencing. Their most recent status report was filed in mid-January.
“To date, the status of this matter has not changed substantially since the January report, as defendant Gates continues to cooperate with respect to several ongoing investigations, and accordingly the parties do not believe it is appropriate to commence the sentencing process at this time,” Friday’s joint filing states.
Later Friday, Judge Amy Berman Jackson, the federal judge overseeing Gates' case in D.C., ordered the parties to submit their next status report on or before May 14.
Their request to again delay Gates’s sentencing comes amid rampant speculation that Mueller is nearing the end of his probe, which has proceeded for nearly two years. During that time, President Trump has regularly derided the investigation, calling it a "witch hunt" and denying that his campaign colluded with Moscow.
The latest development in the Gates case could signal that the conclusion of the investigation is further off, though it’s also possible that Gates is cooperating in other investigations that don't pertain directly to the Mueller probe.
Gates is seen as a likely witness in the federal probe of Trump’s inaugural committee being run by prosecutors in Manhattan, given that he worked for the inaugural committee under Tom Barrack, the organization's chairman. Gates has not been named by officials as cooperating in that investigation, however.
Typically, prosecutors and attorneys for a defendant seek to delay sentencing until cooperation is no longer needed so that the individual is incentivized to provide as much information as possible and receive the maximum benefit for helping officials.
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/434213-former-trump-aide-still-cooperating-on-several-ongoing-probes
No it's not dumbass, that was the first mayor read dipshit this is his replacement
Dem presidential candidate: 'insecure white majority' may begin 'shooting up a bunch of Asians' as they lose power
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has some dramatic fears about the future of race relations in the United States as minorities account for a greater percentage of the overall population, according to a video from late last year.
In the video, Yang is speaking at a workshop called "A Glance at U.S. Politics from Asian Americans," and he lays out a frightening vision of what he thinks white people will do as their population majority shrinks.
"So now that I'm running for president, I've learned more about the Asian American place in society. And one thing that scares the heck out of me is that this country is heading toward becoming majority minority by 2045. That's 27 years from now.
And so there's a very happy notion in some quarters that the country will just become more tolerant as it gets more diverse. They just figure the math will take care of it, because if you have enough people, everyone will just have to get along.
Unfortunately, that is not really the way things play out if you look at historical examples. There are very, very few examples in human history of a dominant racial or ethnic group giving up its dominance over time. That's actually not normal. It's not normal behavior.
And so if you look at what's happening now in this country, you can see an increasingly insecure white majority becoming more and more hostile, truly. And who is going to be the boogeyman of the next 10 to 20 years? Who's going to be the great rival to the United States in the eyes of American society? China, that's right.
http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2019/03/dem-presidential-candidate-insecure.html
Palestinian Resistance Groups in Gaza All Deny Firing Shells Toward Israel
After two nights of wide-scale bombardment of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces in which dozens of bombs were dropped on the crowded coastal enclave, someone in Gaza apparently attempted to retaliate Thursday night by firing several shells toward Israel.
But the Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza, usually quick to claim credit for actions they take, all denied involvement in this attack.
Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees all issued separate statements officially denying any involvement in relation to the firing of the missiles.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a brief statement that the timing of these missiles being fired is suspicious, as it came while Hamas leaders were meeting with an Egyptian security team, discussing arrangements to maintain calm in the coastal region.
In addition, Daoud Shehab, the spokesperson of the Islamic Jihad, denied Israel’s allegation that the Islamic Jihad movement was the one that fired the missiles toward Tel Aviv.
The Salaheddin Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Committees, also issued a statement denying any connection with the missiles.
It is worth mentioning that, from time to time, some unknown smaller group, tries to fire missiles largely into open areas in Israel, which to many observers looks like an act that is meant to create tension, and drag the region into a new wave of military escalation.
For its part, the Ministry In Interior and National Security In Gaza said that the firing of the missile violated the agreement between the resistance factions in Gaza, and the national consensus regarding avoiding military escalation with Tel Aviv. It added that is will conducted all needed measures to find the individuals who are responsible for firing the missiles.
http://imemc.org/article/palestinian-resistance-groups-in-gaza-all-deny-firing-shells-toward-israel/
Ocasio-Cortez hits NRA after New Zealand shooting: 'What good are your thoughts and prayers?'
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday tore into the National Rifle Association (NRA) after at least one gunman opened fire at two New Zealand mosques, leaving at least 49 people dead.
The New York lawmaker condemned the fatal attack on Twitter, focusing her message on the American gun group.
“At 1st I thought of saying, 'Imagine being told your house of faith isn’t safe anymore.' But I couldn’t say ‘imagine,’” the lawmaker wrote, citing the deadly shootings at a Charleston, S.C., church, a Pittsburgh synagogue and a Sutherland Springs, Texas, church.
“What good are your thoughts & prayers when they don’t even keep the pews safe?” She added.
Ocasio-Cortez noted that “thoughts and prayers” is a reference to the NRA phrase she says is “used to deflect conversation away from policy change during tragedies.”
The progressive congresswoman called on communities to “come together, fight for each other & stand up for neighbors.”
“Isolation, dehumanizing stereotypes, hysterical conspiracy theories & hatred ultimately lead to the anarchy of violence,” she wrote on Twitter. “We cannot stand for it.”
Ocasio-Cortez added that she greatly admires New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Ardern called the shootings "one of New Zealand's darkest days,” according to The Associated Press, adding that it was “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence."
“It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack,” Ardern said.
The prime minister raised the national security threat to the second-highest level following the shootings.
Authorities have charged one person and detained three others in the attack. They also defused explosive devices after the gunman published live footage of the shooting and published a "manifesto" calling immigrants "invaders."
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/434190-ocasio-cortez-calls-out-nra-after-new-zealand-shootings-what-good-are-your
Venezuela Coup Leader’s Oil Plans Revealed: Guaidó Hopes to Privatize State-Controlled Industry
US-appointed coup leader Juan Guaidó and his right-wing economic advisers drafted plans to privatize Venezuela’s oil industry and open up the oil-rich country to foreign corporations, Reuters reported.
The international news agency Reuters has confirmed that Venezuela’s US-appointed coup leader Juan Guaidó and his right-wing economic advisers drafted a plan to privatize the country’s petroleum industry and open up the oil-rich South American country to foreign corporations.
This privatization scheme will be difficult to implement, however, given the Venezuelan government still remains under the control of its elected leftist president, Nicolás Maduro, and the coup attempt led by the Donald Trump administration has thus far failed.
The Grayzone reported on the opposition’s moves to try to privatize Venezuela’s oil industry immediately after the coup attempt began nearly two months ago, at a time when corporate media outlets were largely ignoring this key detail and instead portraying the conflict as a supposed “humanitarian crisis.”
In a March 12 report titled “Venezuela’s Guaido readies to open up oil industry after years of nationalization,” Reuters outlined plans by the opposition to partially privatize Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA.
Reuters euphemistically noted, “The proposal could provide ammunition for Maduro’s claims that Guaido is a puppet for foreign interests.”
The news agency obtained a copy of the US-backed opposition’s privatization proposal, and detailed it as follows:
Under the proposal, which is expected to be released and discussed at Venezuela’s National Assembly in coming days, private firms could choose to run the day-to-day operations of Venezuelan oilfields, a sharp departure from the Chavez era in which foreign companies could only hold minority stakes and were not granted operational control.
…
Guaido’s team is proposing a variety of exploration and production contracts to allow private companies for the first time in decades to operate oilfields individually and in partnership with PDVSA. Private companies could also apply to operate oil refineries and retail service stations under the draft proposal.
Reuters also quoted the neoliberal Harvard economist Ricardo Hausmann, who serves as the coup regime’s delegate to the Inter-American Development Bank and is playing a leading role in the oil privatization scheme.
“We need to open up the oil industry to private investment,” Hausmann insisted. Reuters said that the right-wing economist told an energy conference “that PDVSA’s role had to be limited due to its operational and financial weakness.”
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/71622/venezuela-coup-leaders-oil-plans-revealed-guaid%C3%B3-hopes-to-privatize-statecontrolled.html
Israel/China firster
The BBC: The Most Potent State Propagandist
Blatant disinformation spews from the western media. And law is never mentioned. Sen.Mark Rubio can threaten a most cruel assassination of Nicolas Maduro, whilst Trump, Bolton (1) and Pence promise that ‘everything is on the table’. Psychopaths join together very easily and according to Hare (2) they make up about 4% of all populations worldwide.
What the voters in all those ‘democratic’ nations fail to realise is that the characteristics of the psychopath make for an easy ascent of the greasy pole. Charm, lying and an able tongue are a few.
But how are they sustained? How do they escape preventive detention?
Of course, the ‘media’ is key. It works on the in-built prejudices of the subject populations, which it helps to generate. It makes sure they are not informed and that the big lies sink in with ease. I recall reading that the Third Reich found value in the polished, cunning British propaganda.
The reporting of the Syrian ‘civil war’ by the BBC is a prime example. In these islands the BBC/State Propagandist is ace.
To respond to it one needs to listen to the audio or watch the television so one can laboriously record the words. At one time the flagship programme, Today, produced a transcript of the whole three hours. With word recognition technology that would be easy to revive but that will not happen. The fact is that in every hour of its national and World Service Broadcasts there is cardinal omission, usually of the victim nation’s voice, distortion or frank lies. There is much more, and the BBC is skilled at inserting important nuances. As a lonely individual in an ocean of lies, it is impossible to keep up.
Here are a few fragments of its recent output.
a.
Dear Mr Landale, 8-02-19
I saw you speak on the BBC1 evening news about 4 days ago. Venezuela, in spite of its vast mineral wealth, has been destabilized. Corruption by the rich and perhaps poor governance are two factors, but another are the sanctions installed in 2015 by the USA against international law. We know the latter is worse than hollow. I do not know whether other countries have been strong armed in collaborating with these sanctions as with Iran.
I believe you did not mention sanctions in your piece. BBC coverage of this country in these last few weeks has been unbalanced. Will Grant in Cuba does better. (Ed. He does not it seems)
yours sincerely David Halpin FRCS
No reply
b.
Malaysia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, said the country stood by its decision to bar Israeli athletes.
“If hosting an international sporting event is more important than standing up for our Palestinian brothers and sisters who get murdered, maimed and tortured by the Netanyahu regime, that means Malaysia has truly lost its moral compass,” he said in a statement. (3)
The British State Broadcaster could not say these truths to the millions. No coverage by the BBC.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/british-broadcasting-corporation-the-most-potent-state-propagandist/5671552
The Right is still waiting for just one arrest, one prosecution, one conviction, one incarceration of an Obama-era corruptocrat (Video)
Doxxer Jackson Cosko Has Ties to Dianne Feinstein – Possessed Senate Data – And Now the DOJ May Hide Details of Breach
Last October, Capitol Police arrested 27-year-old Jackson Cosko of D.C. for “allegedly posting private, identifying information (doxxing) about one or more United States Senators.”
Jackson Cosko was charged with Making Public Restricted Personal Information, Witness Tampering, Threats in Interstate Communications, Unauthorized Access of a Government Computer, 2nd Degree Burglary & Unlawful Entry.
Jackson Cosko even threatened a political aide who caught him, “I own EVERYTHING. If you tell anyone I will leak it all. Emails signal conversations gmails.”
Many Republicans on the Senate Judiciary had their home addresses and phone numbers published on their Wikipedia pages last year during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.
Shortly after Lindsey Graham went off on Senate Democrats for destroying Kavanaugh’s life in order to derail his confirmation, Republicans were doxxed.
The victims included Republican Senators Mike Lee, Orrin Hatch of Utah and Lindsey Graham.
Democrat Jackson Cosko was a “cyber-security graduate student,” according to his LinkedIn page and apparently comes from a very wealthy and politically connected family with ties to Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
Because of Jackson Cosko’s elite family status and wealth, Democrat connections and special treatment by DOJ prosecutors, the American public may never know the truth.
According to investigative reporter Luke Rosiak, Jackson Cosko was in possession of troves of information, including Senate data so his threats certainly did not seem like a bluff.
However, government prosecutors signaled this week that they may give Cosko a plea deal that would prevent the details of the case from being made public.
The Daily Caller reported:
The suspect’s father, Greg Cosko, is the CEO of Hathaway Dinwiddie, a massive construction company that built a university building named after Feinstein’s husband. He serves on the board of San Francisco State University alongside Willie Brown, the California politician who said he helped make the career of California’s other Democratic senator, Kamala Harris, with an illicit affair.
As former chairman of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Greg Cosko hobnobbed with then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Feinstein and others. The elder Cosko’s adult son appears to have made inroads in Washington via an internship with Feinstein.
Jackson Cosko appeared to have absconded with vast troves of data months before the confirmation hearing, and even allegedly had Senate letterhead. Even after he was caught, he continued to make threats, Hogan said.
At December and January court dates, Hogan barred The Daily Caller News Foundation from the courtroom as lengthy proceedings went on, even though Cosko’s mother was allowed to stay. The judge assured that what was said would become public eventually.
But this week, prosecutors said they intend to resolve the case with a plea deal, likely shielding the extent of the alleged breach of the Senate forever. They canceled a court date set for Thursday, writing, “The parties are in discussions to resolve the case and require additional time for that purpose.”
Asked if that meant the evidence of major crimes discussed behind closed doors would never be unsealed, prosecutor Tejpal S. Chawla said “we’ll see.”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/03/doxxer-jackson-cosko-has-ties-to-dianne-feinstein-possessed-senate-data-and-now-the-doj-may-hide-details-of-breach/
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Releases More Threats Against Russia
The General Shari’a Council of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) released a new statement on March 14 threatening Russia and calling for more attacks on government forces around Syria’s Idlib.
“We tell the Russian occupier: there is nothing between us but war, we will not be tricked by your well-known games, no believer should be fooled twice, a land that was freed by blood, we will defend it with blood,” the statement reads.
The HTS council went on to call on the terrorist group’s fighters to “avenge their religion, people and honor” by intensifying their attacks on the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Russian forces.
Despite separating from al-Qaeda in 2017, HTS’ Shari’a Council remained without any change. All the members of the councils are prominent al-Qaeda scholars from Syria and many other countries.
Last week, HTS released a similar threat saying that Russian forces in Syria will face with “long dark nights” and “black days stained with blood.” Following the threat, the terrorist group received a major blow when the Russian Aerospace Forces bombed its ammo depots and positions throughout Idlib.
Local observers believe that these empty threats are aimed at boosting the morale of HTS fighters, who suffered from heavy loses recently.
https://southfront.org/hayat-tahrir-al-sham-releases-more-threats-against-russia/
U.S. Says No Timeline For Supposed Withdrawal From Syria
U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said on March 15 that there was no timetable for a full U.S. withdrawal from Syria and stressed that the struggle to defeat ISIS’ ideology would go on.
Speaking to reporters on a video call after attending a Syria humanitarian conference, Jeffery added that ISIS is down to its last few hundred fighters and less than a square kilometer of land. However, he noted that the terrorist group may have thousands of followers in Syria and Iraq.
“We are just about finished with the campaign along the Euphrates to defeat the last territorial holdings of the ‘caliphate’. They’re down to a few hundred fighters and less than a square kilometer of land … We believe that there’s between 15,000 and 20,000 Daesh [ISIS] armed adherents active, although many are in sleeper cells, in Syria and in Iraq,” Reuters quoted Jeffery as saying.
Last December, President Donald Trump announced that all U.S. forces will be withdrawing from Syrian once ISIS is defeated. However, a backlash from the mainstream media, politicians and senior officials in his administration forced him to make a u-turn.
In his most recent statement on the matter, Trump said that the U.S. will be keeping 400 service members in Syria. Half of these troops will establish a safe-zone in northeastern Syria, while the rest will be stationed in the al-Tanaf base to block Baghdad-Damascus highway.
Jeffery’s new statement indicated that Washington may be planning to completely abandon the withdrawal decision and keep all of its forces in Syria. Moscow and Damascus had expected that the decision was not serious.
https://southfront.org/u-s-says-no-timeline-for-supposed-withdrawal-from-syria/
US airstrikes increase in a secret, secret war in Somalia, and no one’s paying attention
With so many little wars to keep track of, you probably haven’t noticed that the US has quietly been increasing its airstrikes against targets in Somalia. It seems few people in Washington have either.
In recent months, dozens of Al-Shabaab terrorist suspects have been killed by American drones and planes in Somalia, reportedly thanks to a surplus becoming available from Syria. However, in a familiar pattern, the US military has denied any civilians were harmed, while locals and aid agencies deny that denial.
A former US ambassador to Somalia told the New York Times: “It could be there is some well-thought-out strategy behind all of this, but I really doubt it.”
Another former US government official described Somalia as a “massive war on autopilot.”
ICYMI take a look at a secret secret war no one’s noticed.
https://www.rt.com/news/453932-icymi-somalia-war-shabaab/
Coca-Cola Admits It Produces 3.3 Million Tons of New Plastic Packaging Per Year
The world is literally swimming in the filth produced by private industry, with our oceans becoming a vast dumping-ground for waste as plastic manufacturers and petrochemical companies continue to rake in profits with little regard for the long-term cost of a growing plastic garbage crisis.
Thus it comes as a surprise that one of the biggest producers of plastic packaging, the Coca-Cola Company, has admitted that it produces a staggering 3.3 million tons of plastic packaging per year, the rough equivalent of 200,000 bottles every minute.
The company had previously refused to release the mind-boggling figure, but finally disclosed the information to The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a charity that has been campaigning alongside UN Environment to convince governments and the world’s largest plastic producing corporations to commit to reduce and ultimately eliminate unnecessary plastic packaging by 2025.
The charity released a report that also includes data from over 30 other companies – including Mars, The Kellogg Company and conglomerates Unilever and Nestlé – who agreed to disclose their annual plastic packaging volumes, a move hailed by the foundation as “an important step toward greater transparency.” According to the report, the companies collectively produce eight million tons of plastic packaging on an annual basis.
The exact figures of the plastic usage isn’t broken down in the report, but according to The Guardian, Coca-Cola’s reported volume is equal to 108 polyethylene terephthalate or PET plastic bottles per year – over a fifth of the global PET bottle output, which stands at about 500 billion per year.
About 150 companies have agreed to commit to the foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative, but many of the top-tier corporations – including, L’Oreal, Pepsico, H&M, Walmart, and others – continue to refuse to own up to how much plastic packaging they produce.
The foundation’s commitment also calls to innovate to ensure that 100 percent of all plastic packaging can be easily recycled, reused or composted by 2025, and for a circular economy to be created that boosts the volume of plastic that is reused or recycled into new packaging.
Airlines, food chains and hotels have abstained from the commitment, as have most raw material plastic producers – with the exception of two companies: Indorama and Borealis.
The leader of the initiative, Sander Defruyt, has chided industry leaders for not moving with the urgency required to tackle a growing plastic waste crisis, telling The Guardian:
They are still far from truly matching the scale of the problem, particularly when it comes to elimination of unnecessary items and innovation towards reuse models.
Ambition levels must continue to rise to make real strides in addressing global plastic pollution by 2025, and moving from commitment to action is crucial.
https://www.naturalblaze.com/2019/03/coca-cola-admits-it-produces-3-3-million-tons-of-new-plastic-packaging-per-year.html
Israel embassy to UK erases West Bank, Gaza in election video
A video released by the Israeli embassy to the UK has erased the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), showing the whole of historic Palestine as Israel.
The video – created by the Israeli embassy in London and shared on its official Twitter account on Wednesday – sets out to explain the upcoming Israeli general election on 9 April. The video addresses “frequently asked questions” about the Israeli electoral system, such as “what is the Knesset” and “who do people vote for”.
Answering the question “do they [Israelis] vote for representatives of their city or district,” the video explains: “Israel is very small, so the whole country is a single constituency,” while a graphic draws the outline of historic Palestine and shades in the whole space, erasing the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip.
Though the outline of the West Bank can be seen beneath the shading, the video still shows the territory as part of the “single constituency” of Israel. The Gaza Strip, on the other hand, is not demarcated at all.
Though MEMO contacted the Israeli embassy for comment, at the time of publication no answer had been received.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190315-israel-embassy-to-uk-erases-west-bank-gaza-in-election-video/
more lazer attacks?