Episode 9 Languages of the Fertile Crescent and Beyond Part 2

Language Families of the World

Dr John McWhorter

Film Review

In this lecture, McWhorter delves more deeply into the Afro-Asiatic languages

• Akkadian:  language of the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians, once the lingua franca of the entire Near East
• Aramaic: Ancient language used for much of the Old and New Testament, still spoken in some areas of the Middle East
• Phoenician (sub-family of language)
• Canaanite – (sub-family) of Semitic languages originating in Middle East, rather than Africa
• Berber (from Greek word “babbling” for barbarian) – Afro-Asiatic languages spokes in North Africa, containing many words with no vowels at all
• Egyptian – survives as language used in Coptic religious rituals
• Chadic (sub-family) – mainly spoken in Niger, Nigeria,* Cameroons and Chad
• Hausa – has 40 million modern native speakers in Niger, Chad, Cameroons, Benin, Togo and Ghana and and written in Arabic script. Became language of trade in 19th century thanks to Sokoto Caliphate .
• Osmotic languages – spoken in southern Ethiopia, has retroflex consonants,** in addition to six or seven linguistic tones.
• Cushitic (subfamily) – comprising about 40 languages spoken mainly in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and northwestern Kenya
• Somali – spoken in Somalia, became written language in 1970s.

*Two other major Nigerian languages, Yoruba and Igbo, aren’t Afro-Asiatic.

**Retroflexed consonants are produced by placing underside of tongue touches roof of mouth.

Film can be viewed free with a library card on Kanopy.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/6120000/6120018

By Chris Menahan

Storied pro-Palestine journalist Alison Weir of If Americans Knew revealed Monday that she was visited at her home by the FBI — seemingly over interviews she gave to Iranian state media outlet Press TV.

“FBI agents suddenly showed up at my home recently,” Weir said on X. “They asked me about a person whose name I didn’t recognize. I asked to have a family member present and ascertained from the agents that one of their offices had asked them to check in with certain people in regard to something to do with Press TV.”

Weir continued:

This is an Iranian outlet that has interviewed me on various occasions over the years. (During my 20+ years writing and speaking about Palestine, I have taken as many opportunities as humanly possible to get the facts out via any traditional and alternative, domestic and international media outlets available. I don’t attempt to vet media outlets and try to reach as many audiences in the U.S. and around the world as I can with the facts about Palestine.)

I have since found out that other individuals who have a history of working for a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis have also been visited by the FBI. I understand the agency has been weaponized in the past to try to silence groups and people that some members of government oppose.

It would appear someone is now trying to set the stage to silence dissent on Israel-Palestine in the United States by trumping up “connections with Iran.”

The FBI now operates as the ADL’s intimidation arm.

It’s possible the agency could change if Matt Gaetz becomes Attorney General and Kash Patel FBI Director but I wouldn’t bet on it.

“In September, the United States Department of the Treasury added Press TV to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List,” Press TV noted in their own report on the FBI’s visit to Weir’s home.

“The US government has enacted stringent sanctions against the Tehran-based news channel, which has been on air since 2007,” Press TV added.

Attorney General Merrick Garland brazenly seized Press TV’s 14-year-old web domain PressTV.com in June, 2021 after Israel lost the propaganda war over their May, 2021 bombing of Gaza.

Last month in the UK, pro-Palestine journalist Asa Winstanley had his home raided by police and his electronic devices seized under the “terrorism act” despite not being charged with any crime.

Earlier this month, the Israeli government openly threatened Dan Bilzerian, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens that they’re being “monitored” as “engines of antisemitism” for criticizing the Jewish state’s mass slaughter of women and children in Gaza.

As I reported on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is moving to try and silence criticism of Jews and Israel as hate speech and empower the federal government to crack down on anti-Israel protests on college campuses through the ADL-backed “Antisemitism Awareness Act.”

There is a bipartisan effort to take away the First Amendment rights of the American people in order to silence criticism of the genocide Israel is committing in Gaza.

[…]

Via https://www.renegadetribune.com/fbi-pays-visit-to-pro-palestine-journalist-alison-weirs-home/

New York Stock Exchange

Jim Hoft

Federal authorities arrested Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, a South Florida resident, for allegedly planning to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) capable of massive destruction outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

According to court documents reviewed by The Gateway Pundit, Yener’s motives were rooted in a desire to “reboot” the United States government.

Yener, 30, reportedly spent months crafting a detailed plan to construct and detonate the device in one of the world’s most critical financial hubs.

His alleged target date was the week leading up to Thanksgiving 2024, a time of heavy market activity.

The FBI’s affidavit claims Yener believed the attack would “wake people up” and disrupt the U.S. government.

Investigators revealed that Yener had a history of extremist behavior, including prior threats of violence and documented attempts to join militia groups.

The affidavit reveals that Yener, born in the U.S. in 1994, began crafting his plan as early as 2017, gathering bomb-making materials and researching high-impact targets. His stated motivation? A radical vision of triggering a “reboot” of the U.S. government.

Yener, who previously sought affiliation with extremist groups, constructed the IED with assistance he believed came from a militia, though these “militia members” were, in reality, undercover FBI agents.

The investigation began when a tip led authorities to Yener’s unlocked storage unit in Coral Springs, Florida, containing bomb schematics and other alarming materials.

Surveillance and undercover operations confirmed his intent to target the NYSE, a symbol of American financial power.

He also recorded a manifesto intended for public release, warning the U.S. government to cease arms sales and implement mass deportations

[,,,]

Via https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/11/breaking-undercover-fbi-foils-terror-plot-bomb-new/

Jim Hoft

Nick Ochs, a January 6 defendant and co-founder of the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys, has been released from prison after serving less than two years of a four-year sentence.

Ochs, who was convicted under the controversial 1512(c) statute, had his conviction vacated after the Supreme Court overturned the obstruction charge used to jail hundreds of January 6 defendants.

Ochs’s release marks a significant development in the ongoing legal battles faced by January 6 defendants, many of whom were charged under the same statute.

Speaking to The Gateway Pundit, Ochs shared the emotional experience of reuniting with his family.

“I just got released early from Butner Prison where I was a January 6th Hostage doing 4 years. I ended up doing a bit less than 2 total,” Ochs told The Gateway Pundit, adding, “I beat the whole case and am now innocent.”

“The only charge I had was 1512(c), a charge the Supreme Court threw out on June 28 as not a crime anymore—unless someone tampered with paper ballots, which no one did,” he continued.

He also highlighted the significance of his case for other January 6th defendants, many of whom remain behind bars under similar charges.

“I believe my co-defendant and I were among the first to be released, and others will now be citing my case in court,” Ochs noted, expressing hope that this marks a turning point for many innocent J6ers.

Ochs, who was initially threatened with up to 20 years in prison for his actions on January 6th, argued that he was targeted not for any violent act but “for filming the same events in the same place as mainstream media reporters – who were not arrested.”

[…]

Via https://hellboundanddown.com/2024/11/21/j6-prisoner-released-after-landmark-supreme-court-overturns-obstruction-charge-his-only-charge-watch-this-emotional-family-reunion/

By Aaron Sobczak / Responsible Statecraft

On Thursday the International Court of Justice (ICC) issued warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as a member of Hamas leadership.

The warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were for charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court unanimously agreed that the prime minister and former defense minister “each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

“The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024,” the court detailed in its allegations.

The ICC also charged Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri for mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, including rape and hostage taking.

A plan suggested by former IDF general, Giora Eiland, called for the explicit emptying out of northern Gaza and the labeling of all remaining civilians as military targets, as well as the purposeful blockage of humanitarian aid. Netanyahu reportedly did not agree to the plan, but evidence points to aspects of the plan being enacted.

“The ICC decision shows once more how out of sync Biden’s Gaza policy is with both American and international law,” says the Quincy Institute’s Executive Vice President Trita Parsi. “Biden has sacrificed America’s international standing to arm and protect leaders who the international courts have deemed to be war criminals.”

The ICC’s move comes just one day after unprecedented votes in the U.S. Senate to end the sale of certain offensive weapons to Israel. The measures ultimately failed, with the White House telling senators that they would be supporting Iran and Hamas should they vote to curb weapons sales to Israel.

Because of the ICC warrants, Netanyahu or Gallant could be arrested upon entering a nation that has recognized the ICC and its rulings. However, Israel is among dozens of other countries, including the United States, that do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.

After warrants were requested in October, Israel reacted by challenging the jurisdiction of the ICC in the matter, but that challenge has been rejected. “Israel’s reaction — that no other democracy has been treated this way by the ICC — is indicative of how perverted certain approaches to international law have become,” said Parsi. “Israel essentially argues that because it defines itself as a democracy, it should be above the law. That war-crimes, apartheid, and genocide are ok as long as the perpetrator identifies as democratic. This approach — creating different sets of laws and standards for different countries — is a recipe for global instability and a threat to American security.”

[…]

Via https://scheerpost.com/2024/11/21/icc-issues-arrest-warrants-for-netanyahu-gallant/

Episode 8 Language of the Fertile Crescent and Beyond

Language Families of the World

Dr John McWhorter

Film Review

70,000 years ago human began leaving Africa to establish permanent settlements in the Middle East. It’s believed these first African emigres spoke a proto-Afro-Asiatic language. At present the Afro-Asiatic family consists of roughly 300 languages spoken in northern Africa and the Middle East.

The best known Afro-Asiatic languages are Arabic and Hebrew from the Semitic subfamily; Amharic (spoken in Ethiopia); and Hausa (spoken in Nigeria alongside non-Afro-Asiatic languages).

Arabic was first spoken among Bedouin tribesmen on the Arabian Peninsula. Modern Standard Arabic, the language of the Koran, is an artificially preserved dead language similar to Latin. Arabs in different countries (eg Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria) speak totally different Arabic languages with totally different vocabulary and grammar. All Arabic languages have alveolar, epiglottal and pharyngeal stops.

Most Afro-Asiatic languages use triconsonant roots with vowel changes to designate past tense or to change a noun to a verb. An example in Arabic (or Hebrew) would be the consonant combination “slm,” meaning “peace” or “submission” (as found in the words “Islam,” “salaam,” and “Muslim).” The only other languages using triconsonant roots are two native America language in California. This finding led Mormon prophets to refer them as lost tribes of Israel.

Afro-Asiatic speakers invented the alphabet. McWhorter credits likely Egyptian laborers (around 1900-1800 BC) who started using phonetic symbols to record measurements because they were too buy to learn hieroglyphics. The Phoenicians (Phoenician was also an Afro-Asiatic language) adopted the symbols for use in maritime trade.

The Semitic languages tend to use consonants only in written language (using vowel symbols only for children and other beginning speakers.

Other Afro-Asiatic languages:

• Akkadian – an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Assyria and Babylonia.
• Aramaic – an Afro-Asiatic language used as the lingua franca of the Middle East under the Persian empire. A few small Middle Eastern communities still speak it.
• Ge’ez – the Afro-Asiatic sub-family to which Amheric, Tigre and Trunye belong. Amheric is still spoken in Ethiopia and the latter two along the southern rim of the Arabian peninsula.

*Different types of stops (where air passage is blocked in pronunciation):

• An alveolar stop is a type of consonantal sound, made with the tongue in contact with the alveolar ridge located just behind the teeth. The most common alveolar stops are [t] and [d], as in English toe and doe, and the voiced nasal [n].
• The epiglottal or glottal stop is unvoiced and is produced by closing the glottis at the back of the mouth.
  
•  A pharyngeal consonant is made with the root of the tongue against the oropharynx (back of the throat)

Film can viewed free with a library card on Kanopy.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/6120000/6120016

HP McLovincraft

Ukrainian ruler Vladimir Zelensky, whose term has ended in May of this year, presented his Internal Resilience Plan in the country’s parliament Tuesday where he again ruled out holding elections. This comes as the wartime leader guides his country toward global nuclear armageddon with a people who largely wish the war to end.

“We all know that the Constitution of Ukraine and the law do not permit elections during wartime, and no one in the world has demanded and does demand this from Ukraine. However, there are some people in Ukraine who may be so ‘hungry’ for [elections] that they want to fight within our state more than for our state. They seek political disputes in the trenches, like in film studios. This is detrimental to Ukraine,” Zelensky said, according to RT on Tuesday. “First, Ukraine needs a just peace, and then Ukrainians will hold fair elections. We must prioritize the common interest over any personal desires.”

Interestingly, a recent poll revealed that a slim majority of Ukrainians wish for the war to end soon.

“A majority of Ukrainians now favor a rapid end to the ongoing conflict with Russia through peace negotiations, according to a recent survey conducted by Gallup,” RT said Tuesday. “In its latest report, on Tuesday, the American pollster reported that 52% of respondents believe Kiev should pursue peace talks to end the war as soon as possible. This marks a substantial rise from 27% in 2023 and just 22% in 2022.”

While the majority that want peace is slim, it still constitutes a major increase since the war began.

“Support for continuing military action until a decisive victory is achieved has been on the decline. In February 2022, 73% of Ukrainians backed continued hostilities. By 2023, that number had fallen to 63%, and it has dropped further, to 38% in 2024. The poll indicates that Ukrainians are reconsidering their positions as the conflict drags on, and their military continues to retreat,” RT said Tuesday.

Ukraine is under martial law until at least February 2025. This has allowed Zelensky to refuse to leave office, outlaw opposition parties, jail politicians and ‘purge’ people deemed disloyal, according to RT.

The highest seat in Ukraine, held by Zelensky, is not operating under its own power however. The West, which has green-lit heavy bombardment of Russia on Sunday, controls the strings of the proverbial marionette, Zelensky.

“Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, who has been described in Western media as “the real power broker” in Kiev, stated that presidential elections would be held immediately after the war ends. According to Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, the next presidential elections would take place within 60 days after martial law is lifted,” RT said Tuesday.

[…]

Via https://hellboundanddown.com/2024/11/20/zelensky-again-refuses-to-hold-elections-as-most-ukrainians-oppose-war/

 US President Joe Biden. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff

Politico also reported that one of the staffers resigned after signing the letter in objection to the US administration’s policy concerning Israel.  

Around 20 White House staffers have criticized United States President Joe Biden for not enforcing an ultimatum on Israel to take “concrete measures” to improve humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip or face potential restrictions on arms provisions, Politico reported.

“You are running out of time to do the right thing, but decisive action could save precious lives in the next two months,” the staffers wrote, according to a letter obtained by the American news outlet.

According to Politico, the staffers who signed the letter – on condition of anonymity for fear of career retribution – work across the White House executive office of the president but are not directly involved in Middle East policy.

“One thing that drew me into this was legacy,” a senior White House staffer who signed the letter told Politico, stressing that, “if the course is continued, it will be a legacy of horror.”

Although the White House staffers acknowledge that Biden’s term is nearing its end, they maintain that American military support to Israel violates several federal statutes, namely the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, the Foreign Assistance Act, and the Leahy Laws, according to Politico.

Politico also reported that one of the staffers resigned after signing the letter in objection to the US administration’s policy concerning Israel.

A White House National Security Council Spokesperson dismissed the notion that no action is being taken, saying it is “not at all accurate.”

The spokesperson, who preferred anonymity to discuss internal policymaking, claimed that the US has received “some humanitarian commitments from Israel in response to its demands and that it has seen some improvement to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

This letter is the latest in a series of documents questioning the legality of US weapon provisions to Israel during its war on Gaza.

US Claims Vs. UN Report

The US State Department announced on November 12 that it has concluded Israel is not obstructing humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and, therefore, is not violating US law, Reuters news agency reported.

Despite US claims, the United Nations has warned that the amount of aid reaching Gaza has dropped to its lowest level in a year.

A recent UN-backed report highlighted the imminent risk of famine in northern Gaza, where almost no aid has been delivered over the past month.

Joyce Msuya, the United Nations Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, stated that international crimes are being committed in Gaza.

During a briefing to United Nations Council members on Tuesday, Msuya reported that Israeli authorities are preventing humanitarian assistance from reaching North Gaza, where fighting continues.

She noted that 75,000 people remain in the area, struggling with dwindling supplies.

Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 43,985 Palestinians have been killed, and 104,092 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.

[…]

Via https://www.palestinechronicle.com/legacy-of-horror-white-house-staffers-slam-bidens-policy-towards-israel/

Protracted wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are draining the US arsenal of interceptor missiles. The problem is especially severe in Palestine and in the Red Sea, where dozens of missiles are launched monthly against incoming rockets and drones.

Pentagon officials are urgently pushing weapons makers to produce more, but are bumping up against capacity and CAPEX constraints.

In another blow, China just announced an export ban on dual-use metals that are critical to the manufacture of missiles and other aerospace applications in the defense sector. Magnesium and tungsten, in particular, are two key materials necessary for the production of missiles, but where China effectively has monopolized the refining and production. China’s export ban will take effect on 1 December.

Resources and links:

Wall Street Journal, Pentagon Runs Low on Air-Defense Missiles as Demand Surges

Nikkei Asia, China to tighten export curbs on critical metals ahead of Trump’s return*

Six Strategic Metals Widely Used in the Military Industry

Magnesium in Defence

Forbes, The Titanium Supply Chain For The Aerospace Industry Goes Through Russia

Closing scene, Xuzhou Ancient Town, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan

[…]

Via https://thechaoscat.com/2024/11/20/the-pentagon-is-running-out-of-missiles-after-december-1-that-will-be-a-big-problem/