>any other real bakers around?
probably not
Germany Declares Burning EU Flag a Hate Crime Punishable by Three Years in Prison
Germany’s Bundestag has approved a new law imposing a prison sentence of up to three years for damaging or destroying a European Union flag, in an effort to curb “hate”.
The national parliament voted on Thursday to amend the criminal code to protect the European Union flag from being destroyed, damaged, or defaced. Punishments for contraventions of the law range from a fine or even a prison sentence of up to three years.
The vote follows months of debate on the law, and a previous session in parliament on protecting the EU flag from physical expressions of criticism in January. Reporting at the time, Germany’s Deutsche Welle noted strong controversy around the subject, with some members insisting the burning of flags is a legitimate form of political speech and to ban it would be a curb on freedom of expression.
Various parties opposed the proposal at the time, including Die Linke (The Left Party), and the populist-right Alternative fur Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, AfD) who insisted that as the European Union is not a state, it does not deserve to be protected as one. Fabian Jacobi of the AfD said the real purpose of the law was to make “citizens to think twice about whether they dared to publicly criticize the EU”, the report stated.
In the end, only the AfD voted against the ban, citing “excessive interference with freedom of expression”.
Previously it had been a crime to burn a publicly displayed flag if, for instance, a foreign embassy was attacked. But if a private individual purchased a flag and set fire to it, that would not be a problem — until now.
Speaking in support of the change, Angela Merkel’s justice minister Christine Lambrecht said burning a flag could not be a peaceful protest, and therefore should not be protected. Quite the opposite, in fact, as she said flag burning fuels “hatred, anger and aggression” and “hurts the feelings of many people”, reports German newspaper Die Presse.
The report notes the change of the law closes a loophole in the German penal code, and means the EU flag now has equal protection to national flags.
These laws are part of a suite of laws in Germany where the government claims a monopoly on organising relations with foreign nations, with private citizens banned from a range of actions, ranging from burning flags to even insulting foreign politicians.
This has been used — and some have claimed, abused — by the German government in recent years against even artists who have satirised foreign leaders. Breitbart London reported in 2016 on the curious case of German television comedian Jan Böhmermann, who used his show to take aim at Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, mocking the Islamist for his treatment of journalists and minorities.
The Turkish government was so outraged by the comedian’s behaviour that the German ambassador was summoned and demands Germany prosecute the comedian made.
The poem was banned in Germany that year after a court found just six of its 26 lines were legal, and Böhmermann faced up to five years in prison under paragraph 103 of the German criminal code, which forbids insulting a foreign head of state or diplomat, when the Merkel government gave the nod for the prosecution to proceed.
A counter case by the comedian claiming that his treatment amounted to state persecution was thrown out by a judge in 2019.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/05/15/germany-declares-burning-eu-flag-a-hate-crime-punishable-by-three-years-in-prison/
Italian MP Sara Cunial Speaks the Truth About Covid-19
https://youtu.be/Vn3EE7EMfXc
Finland Busts Trafficking Ring That Smuggled Migrants to UK For €8,000
Finland’s border police have uncovered a migrant smuggling ring based in Sweden and the UK that used other people’s passports as well as fake documents to smuggle migrants into the UK.
The investigation into the group began in January when a Swedish citizen and a Kuwaiti national were apprehended at Helsinki-Vantaa airport, with the latter found to have been using the passport of another individual.
Finnish investigators found the Swedish national had been to Finland previously and was suspected of smuggling two other migrants to the UK using third-party passports in the same way, broadcaster YLE reports.
According to investigators, the group charged around €8,000 to get migrants into the UK, and one of the Swedish men had made a false identity and applied for asylum in the UK to disguise himself while carrying out his smuggling.
Europol, the European Union police agency, then became involved in the investigation along with Eurojust and coordinated raids of homes in both Sweden and the UK leading to the arrest of several of suspected migrant smugglers.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic and the strict lockdown measures in the UK, illegal immigrants continue to flow into the UK prompting Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage to label the recent increase “the beginning of an invasion.”
Prior to the lockdown the UK saw more than double the number of illegal migrant arrivals in January and February on the previous year. Deportations, however, have lagged far behind with just 155 illegals deported since 2018 while 3,200 illegals arrived.
The bust of the migrant smuggling network comes just months after French and Dutch police dismantled another network, arresting 23 individuals who smuggled an estimated 10,000 Kurds into the UK.
The network is also said to have charged a high price for their services, as much as €7,000 per migrant and is believed to have profited greatly from smuggling, netting as much as €70 million overall.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/05/15/finland-busts-trafficking-ring-that-smuggled-migrants-to-uk-for-e8000/
Swapping ozone-depleting chemicals for more 'environmentally friendly' alternatives has inadvertently allowed harmful compounds to contaminate our food and water, study shows
Chlorofluorocarbons were restricted in the 1980s due to their impact on ozone
Researchers say the compounds used as an alternative could be just as bad
Unlike CFCs the new compounds don't break down in the atmosphere but instead slowly build up in the Arctic and can enter food and water supplies
Reducing the use of ozone-depleting chemicals in favour of 'greener' alternatives may have allowed other harmful chemicals to flourish and contaminate our food.
York University researchers examined the long-term impact of the 1987 Montreal Protocol designed to limit the use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
A lot of companies replaced CFCs with substances known as short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (scPFCAs), which don't break down in the environment.
The researchers say scPFCAs have become more prominent since the 1990s but as they don't break down they have instead been accumulating in the Arctic.
Lead author Professor Cora Young says it's important to study CFC replacement compounds in more detail before more are produced, due to the potential risk.
The move to reduce use of CFCs came from an international environmental agreement to regulate the use of chemicals depleting the ozone layer - but the new study authors say it didn't take into account longer term consequences.
ScPFCAs are part of a group of synthetic chemicals called perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as "forever chemicals" because they are hard to destroy.
ScPFCAs are used in automotive, electrical and electronic applications as well in industrial processing and construction industries.
Professor Young said: 'Our results suggest that global regulation and replacement of other environmentally harmful chemicals contributed to the increase of these compounds in the Arctic.
Adding that the findings are 'illustrating that regulations can have important unanticipated consequences.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8319333/Swapping-CFCs-chemicals-led-contaminated-food.html
Kim Jong Un 'replaced head of intelligence and his personal bodyguard' - two of North Korea's highest-ranked officials - it is revealed
North Korea replaced two of its highest-ranking officials, it has been revealed
Rim Kwang Il promoted to head of the country's spy agency, South Korea says
Meanwhile Kwak Chang Sik has been appointed head of Kim's Supreme Guard
Moves were reported for the first time amid speculation about Kim's heath
North Korea has replaced the head of its spy agency and the man in charge of providing security for Kim Jong Un, it has been revealed.
Rim Kwang Il, a Lieutenant General in the North Korean army, has been appointed as the head of the country's Reconnaissance General Bureau, South Korea said.
Kwak Chang Sik, whose name only began appearing in state media last year indicating a rapid rise in fortunes, is now in charge of Kim's Supreme Guard.
http://www.scoopyweb.com/2020/05/kim-jong-un-replaced-head-of.html
U.S. Attorney’s Aide Accused of Leaking Information to Mexican Cartel
A staffer at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Antonio faces charges for her alleged role in providing intelligence briefs and investigative notes to allies of a faction of Los Zetas Cartel.
Known as the Cartel Del Noreste (CDN), the organization supplies drugs to allied gangs in the San Antonio area. The paralegal reportedly had access to sensitive information about CDN operatives.
In recent days, the FBI arrested Jennifer Loya, an employee of the U.S. Western District of Texas. The aide was released earlier this week on a $50,000 bond.
According to a criminal complaint, Loya’s sister and brother-in-law are drug traffickers connected with CDN-Los Zetas in Monterrey, Mexico and Laredo, Texas. Laredo serves as a critical CDN trafficking point to U.S. underground markets.
Loya reportedly had access to phone taps, investigators’ notes, and intelligence briefs about street gang and cartel operations between San Antonio and Mexico.
In May 2019, DEA agents arrested a cartel-connected gang leader identified as Frankie Martinez. During the arrest, Martinez reportedly told agents he knew the arrest was forthcoming. While serving a search warrant in the case, agents found that drugs were moved overnight before raids. Months later, agents spoke with suspects who revealed that one of the dealers had an inside source in the federal prosecutor’s office.
During the investigation, agents learned Loya allegedly printed restricted documents like search warrants and court petitions for phone taps, despite the fact that her typical duties would never require such actions.
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2020/05/15/u-s-attorneys-aide-accused-of-leaking-information-to-mexican-cartel/
USAO Cartel Leak
https://www.scribd.com/document/461472713/USAO-Cartel-Leak#from_embed
City of Wildomar in Southern California Will Re-open, Declares "The governor's phased approach is not realistic for our city or county"
The City of Wilomar located in Riverside County, California has declared "The governor's phased approach is not realistic for our city or county", basically flipping the bird to Governor Gavin Newsom and plan to get back to normal pre-COVID conditions, with businesses open.
Their press release states, in part,
“The City Council of the City of Wildomar therefore will be pursuing all avenues available and within our jurisdiction to help our residents and businesses return to a pre-COVID-19 normal lifestyle while also strongly recommending to those that are or feel they are more susceptible to COVID-19 take necessary precautions such as face masks, social distancing, and/or self- quarantining until such time they feel comfortable,†Resolution 2020-34 reads.
The City Council also made it clear in Resolution 2020-33 that City funding will not be used to enforce State and County orders related to COVID-19. Sales tax revenues from local businesses generate 28% of Wildomar’s revenues and the impact of revenue loses could limit additional COVID-19 imposed services.
…The Enforcement of State and County Orders related to COVID-19 is not a local priority.
"We cannot allow these strict business closures to continue one minute longer than they need to," said Mayor Dustin Nigg. "People who are concerned can continue to quarantine, but we have residents and business owners losing everything and not able to provide for their families. We need balance here."
About the City of Wildomar: Wildomar is located along Interstate 15 in Southwest Riverside County. Wildomar is a growing community with a population of just over 36,000, comfortably nestled in a valley bordered by a mountain range on the west and rolling hills to the east. For more information regarding the City of Wildomar, visit www.cityofwildomar.org.
http://libertyfight.com/20/Wildomar-CA-defies-Newsom.html
PRESS RELEASE: City of Wildomar Issues Resolutions for the Timely, Safe Reopening of Businesses and Funding Priorities
http://www.cityofwildomar.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_9894739/File/News/Press%20Releases/covid19/emergency%20order%20no.%202%205-9-20/PR%20Resolutions%20to%20Open%20Businesses%20and%20Prioritize%20Funding%205-14-2020.pdf
Hackers 'who stole secret files from celebrity lawyer DOUBLE their ransom to $42million and threaten to reveal "dirty laundry" on Donald Trump'
Hackers who targeted a top law firm posting purportedly secret documents naming A-list celebrity clients have doubled their ransom to $42 million, it has been claimed.
Notorious hacker group 'REvil', allegedly from Eastern Europe, are said to have stolen private emails, contracts and personal details from New York-based entertainment law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks.
The firm represents stars including Lady Gaga, Lizzo and Madonna.
In the hacker's latest threat, they claim to have 'dirty laundry' on Donald Trump, even though the President has never been a client of the firm, a source said.
According to Page Six, REvil posted a message on Thursday which said: 'The ransom is now $42,000,000 … The next person we’ll be publishing is Donald Trump. There’s an election going on, and we found a ton of dirty laundry on time.
They added: 'Mr Trump, if you want to stay president, poke a sharp stick at the guys, otherwise you may forget this ambition forever.
'And to you voters, we can let you know that after such a publication, you certainly don’t want to see him as president … The deadline is one week.'
The group claims to have obtained 767 gigabytes of information from the firm, including contracts, non-disclosure agreements, private contact information and private correspondence.
They have also encrypted back-ups and will only provide a means to access them if the company pays out.
A source told Page Six that one of the firm's founders attorney Allen Grubman will not 'negotiate with terrorists'.
The groups message told Grubman 'we will destroy your company down to the ground' if the money is not paid.
http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2020/05/hackers-who-stole-secret-files-from.html
Bayer Stock Crashes After Monsanto Cancer Verdict Upheld By Judge; Analyst Estimates $800 Billion In Future Liability
Bayer greedily bought and swallowed the 'poison pill' of Monsanto without considering its true liability. Fifty-seven billion Euros of market cap down the drain later, now their headache is taking on epic proportions…
Growing uncertainty about whether San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Ramos Bolanos would rule in favor or against Bayer’s appeal of the Monsanto Cancer Verdict was resolved Tuesday morning as the judge upheld the jury’s decision that the glyphosate-based weedkiller (aka Roundup) sold by Monsanto caused a California man’s terminal cancer and that Monsanto intentionally hid its dangers.
https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/bayer-stock-crashes-after-monsanto-cancer-verdict-upheld-judge-analysts-estimates?fbclid=IwAR1XJRD0G6uo5pNskGsF-JkFqhMbd6oI4
https://youtu.be/khfdjPbecwM
Strong and shallow M6.5 earthquake hits Nevada, aftershocks reported, U.S.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit SW Nevada, near the border with California, at 11:03 UTC (04:03 LT) on May 15, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 7 km (4 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.4 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
The epicenter was located 32 km (20 miles) SE of Mina (population 155) and 181 km (112 miles) ESE of Garnerville Ranchos (population 11 312), Nevada.
There are about 16 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
45 000 people are estimated to have felt weak shaking.
The quake was followed by M4.0 at 11:03 UTC, M4.4 at 11:12, M4.9 at 11:18, M5.4 at 11:25, M5.4 at 11:26, M4.3 at 11:30, M3.4 at 11:40, M3.7 at 11:45, M3.1 at 11:47, M4.7 at 11:52, M3.1 at 11:57, M4.5 at 12:00, M2.8 at 12:03, M3.4 at 12:10, M3.1 at 12:12 and M3.0 at 12:13. Data provided by USGS, valid 12:33 UTC.
The USGS issued a green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick masonry and reinforced masonry construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
https://watchers.news/2020/05/15/nevada-earthquake-may-15-2020/
REVOLVING DOOR BETWEEN BIG TECH AND BIG GOVERNMENT:
Apple Policy Exec Cynthia Hogan Departs Company.
Apple’s vice president for public policy and government affairs, Cynthia Hogan, has resigned from the company, reports Axios. Hogan will be leaving Apple next month after recently being selected as one of the members of Joe Biden’s vice presidential selection committee.
Hogan joined Apple back in April 2016 to head its Washington D.C. office under Apple’s environmental, policy, and social initiatives chief Lisa Jackson.
Prior to joining Apple, Hogan was a top lobbyist for the National Football League, and before that, she served as Joe Biden’s counsel when he was Vice President of the United States under President Barack Obama.
Hogan’s now-former boss at Apple, Lisa Jackson, was Obama’s EPA chief.
https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/revolving-door-between-big-tech-and-big-government/
The Press Doesn’t Do Apologies, It Just Moves On To The Next Politically-Determined Narrative:
Where Does Brian Kemp Go For an Apology? The IHME model has revised down significantly the expected cases in Georgia and Democrats and the press are moving goal posts.
Between April 20 and May 1, a recurring trending “hashtag” on Twitter was “KempHasBloodOnHisHands.” Democrat politicians and others assailed Kemp, claiming people were going to die because of him. . . .
Ron Fournier, formerly of the Associated Press, was not alone in that sentiment. Stacey Abrams took to MSNBC to blast Brian Kemp. President Trump criticized him for reopening saying he “strongly disagreed” with Kemp. The Atlantic ran a hysterically themed article that Georgia was experimenting in human sacrifice. The subtitle of the piece was, “The state is about to find out how many people need to lose their lives to shore up the economy.”
We are now not just into the fourth week since Brian Kemp said the state could reopen and fourteen days past the shelter-in-place order expired, we are now past the last major revision of the IHME model, which happened yesterday.
The IHME model is the most widely cited and relied upon model for COVID-19. The White House and Georgia’s Governor rely on it. On May 12, the IHME model predicted Georgia would still have hundreds of daily new cases into August and would have 1,783 daily new cases on June 12, 2020.
Yesterday, the model updated and the update was significant. Georgia is now expected to have no cases of the virus by August and only 367 new daily cases on June 12.
Where does Brian Kemp go to get his apology?
The media failed to note at the time that Kemp was not alone in reopening. Jared Polis of Colorado also put in place a process to reopen his state. Georgia actually is administering more tests per capita than Colorado and the number goes up daily. The media chose to ignore all of this, just as the media has willfully chosen to ignore problems with Andrew Cuomo’s leadership in New York.
The Ron Fournier tweet is pathetic. I remember when he was a respected journalist, generally considered pretty fair. And it’s all about a predetermined politically narrative, which the press slavishly follows because that’s what it sees as its job.
https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/the-press-doesnt-do-apologies-it-just-moves-on-to-the-next-politically-determined-narrative/
CHICAGO MAYOR: Leaders must pledge allegiance to the New World Order
Lori Lightfoot: “We must pick the people in those agencies and the deputies who are pledging allegiance to the New World Order and good governance.”
https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/chicago-mayor-leaders-must-pledge-allegiance-to-the-new-world-order/
Official Space Force Flag Unveiled at the White House
The U.S. Space Force now has an official flag.
It was presented during a closed-door ceremony Friday in front of President Donald Trump, becoming the first new service flag in more than 72 years, the White House said.
"Space is going to be the future," Trump said during the event, according to pool reports.
"We're now the leader in space."
Officials in attendance included Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, the new branch's chief of space operations and head of U.S. Space Command, and Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman, senior enlisted adviser to the Space Force. Other attendees included Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley.
"It's a very historic moment," Esper said.
"The United States has been a spacefaring nation for decades, but we know there are adversaries in the last several years that have weaponized space," he said. "They've made it a warfighting domain. And so with the establishment of Space Force and establishment of Space Command, the United States is now doing what it needs to do to protect our assets in space and ensure that space remains the heavens by which we not only protect America, but we sustain our economy, we sustain our commercial capabilities, we sustain Americans' way of life."
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/05/15/official-space-force-flag-unveiled-white-house.html
Study: Coronavirus Has a Been a Massive Boon for America’s Billionaires
A new study found that in the past eight weeks alone, the country’s super wealthy have added a further $368.8 billion to their already enormous fortunes
America’s billionaires have seen their wealth increase by 12.5 percent during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, released a study Thursday showing that, in the eight weeks between March 18 and May 14, the country’s super wealthy have added a further $368.8 billion to their already enormous fortunes.
Among the more famous big winners during the pandemic include Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who adds $21 billion to his net worth (a 38 percent increase). Failed Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg is up $10 billion as well, meaning he has recouped ten times as much as he lost in his big money political campaign that went nowhere. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has increased his fortune by around $6 billion as well.
All this comes at the same time that the economy has undeniably imploded for working people. A record 36 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance, with millions more losing their employer-based healthcare plans, and around a third of the country not paying its rent. Schools, factories, offices, and other businesses remain shuttered. The Trump administration has promised to provide $1,200 to every citizen, but it will be months before everyone receives their check. As a result, there has been an explosion in the use of food banks, as desperate citizens line up for hours in the hopes of receiving a box of food.
The study, based on figures from Forbes’ annual global billionaire survey, found that Amazon CEO and world’s richest individual Jeff Bezos was the biggest winner during the period of crisis, adding a massive $30 billion to his wealth. If he continues at the current rate, Bezos will become the world’s first trillionaire by 2026, with other oligarchs not far behind. This is possible primarily because of the hyper-exploitation of his workforce; Amazon warehouse employees are infamously forced into wearing adult diapers or peeing in bottles, unable to take bathroom breaks. The company’s own data shows that one-third of its Arizona employees depend upon food stamps to make ends meet. In Pennsylvania, it is the state’s nineteenth largest employer but fifth most common for those receiving SNAP benefits. Bezos’ workers have been organizing amid a pandemic that puts their lives at risk, but instead of providing them with living wages and proper protective equipment, he has given his employees at Whole Foods supermarkets with new uniforms proclaiming that they are heroes.
“When billionaires like Jeff Bezos see their wealth surge by tens of billions, as they command their underpaid, vulnerable and unprotected workers into the viral line of fire, we should rise up to demand accountability,” Chuck Collins, Director of the Program on Inequality for the IPS told MintPress News, noting that Bezos is on track to amass “a level of concentrated wealth and power that even the greatest kings and oligarchs could never have imagined.”
https://www.mintpressnews.com/study-coronavirus-billionaires-wealth-jeff-bezos/267604/
Baker bundled together to help your bun sixe
10 alleged MS-13 members and associates charged with murder, attempted murder, murder conspiracy and firearms offenses
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/10-alleged-ms-13-members-and-associates-charged-murder-attempted-murder-murder
Georgia Woman Arrested for Role in Scheme to Defraud Health Care Benefit Programs Related to Cancer Genetic Testing and COVID-19 Testing
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/georgia-woman-arrested-role-scheme-defraud-health-care-benefit-programs-related-cancer
California Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Pornography
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-man-pleads-guilty-production-child-pornography
Alleged Narcotrafficker and High-Ranking Cartel Member Extradited from Uruguay to the United States
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/alleged-narcotrafficker-and-high-ranking-cartel-member-extradited-uruguay-united-states
"This Will Affect Everyone"!! "The Largest Theft in the World!!" - Robert Kennedy Jr.
https://youtu.be/T-5Zpmh6yPI
Why ‘Obamagate’ Will Never Lead To Anything Of Significance
You will never see Obama or his administration officials brought down by “Obamagate” for the same reason Trump wasn’t brought down by the Mueller investigation: the swamp protects its own, says Caity Johnstone.
The word “Obamagate” was thrust into mainstream attention by the concerted efforts of Trump and his surrogates after new details on the early days of the Trump-Russia collusion investigation emerged. These details include Obama officials (including Joe Biden) requesting the unmasking of a conversation between Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, the FBI’s then-counterintelligence director discussing trying to get Michael Flynn to lie during his interrogation about the Kislyak call, and the revelation that there was never any concrete evidence that Russia hacked the DNC.
These are important revelations that are worthy of mainstream attention, but like basically everything else in this stupid, stupid timeline this issue has instead been reduced to the stagnation of vapid partisan squabbling. Democrats and their allied media are finger wagging at Trump for using “conspiracy theories” to distract from his coronavirus failures, and “MAGA” pundits are once again beating the tired old drum that this scandal is going to bring down major Deep State players and drain the swamp once and for all.
Ever since 2016 both of America’s mainstream political parties have been taking turns screaming at the top of their lungs that earth-shattering revelations are right around the corner which are about to obliterate the other party any minute now, and if you’re still buying into this show I highly recommend you also take up watching WWE, because you’ll definitely love it.
https://consortiumnews.com/2020/05/15/why-obamagate-will-never-lead-to-anything-of-significance/