Mainstream media has covered Hong Kong’s protests extensively, but ignored Haiti, Ecuador, Chile and elsewhere

It’s all kicking off everywhere in 2019. Haitians are revolting against a corrupt political system and their President Jovenel Moïse, who many see as a kleptocratic U.S. puppet. In Ecuador, huge public manifestations managed to force President Lenín Moreno to backtrack on his IMF-backed neoliberal package that would have sharply cut government spending and increased transport prices (FAIR.org, 10/23/19).

Meanwhile, popular Chilean frustration at the conservative Piñera administration boiled over into massive protests that were immediately met with force. “We are at war,” announced President Sebastián Piñera, echoing the infamous catchphrase of former fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet. Piñera claimed that those responsible for violently resisting him were “going to pay for their deeds” as he ordered tanks through Santiago. (See FAIR.org, 10/23/19.)

Huge, ongoing anti-government demonstrations are also engulfing Lebanon, Catalonia and the United Kingdom.

PBS NewsHour (10/5/19)

Yet the actions that have by far received the most attention in corporate media are those in Hong Kong, where demonstrations erupted in response to a proposed extradition agreement with the Chinese central government that opponents felt would undermine civil liberties and Hong Kong’s semi-autonomous status. A search for “Hong Kong protests” on Oct. 25 elicits 282 responses in the last month in the New York Times, for example, compared to 20 for “Chile protests,” 43 for Ecuador and 16 for Haiti. The unequal coverage is even more pronounced on Fox News, where there were 70 results for Hong Kong over the same period and four, two and three for Chile, Ecuador and Haiti, respectively.

This disparity cannot be explained due to the protests’ size or significance, the number of casualties or the response from the authorities. Eighteen people have died during the ongoing protests in Haiti, 19 (and rising) in Chile, while in Ecuador, protesters themselves captured over 50 soldiers who had been sent in as Moreno effectively declared martial law. In contrast, no one has been killed in Hong Kong, nor has the army been called in, with Beijing expressing full confidence in local authorities to handle proceedings. The Chilean government announced it had arrested over 5,400 people in only a week of protests, a figure more than double the number arrested in months of Hong Kong demonstrations (Bloomberg, 10/4/19). Furthermore, social media have been awash with images and videos of the suppression of the protests worldwide […]

via The revolution isn’t being televised: Beyond Hong Kong, media ignores global protests – ALAN MACLEOD OCTOBER 31, 2019 9:00AM (UTC) — Just Sayin’

It may not quite pencil out, yet, in normal times, – but these are not normal times.

Customers who are losing all their grid power due to Fire-induced blackouts are motivated,  looking at their options for power production and backup.

Of course, more sales, means more production, which means lower prices, which means more sales …..

San Francisco Chronicle:

At Solaria, an Oakland company that builds solar panels and related products, the latest blackouts have triggered a “continued surge in interest and demand for those systems,” said CEO Suvi Sharma. “In a way, there is almost no other event like that to spur interest in solar systems.”

Just adding solar panels won’t help in a blackout; homeowners need a way to store the power they generate.

Sunrun has over time installed over 6,000 batteries, which cost $10,000 and help people keep the lights on and food fresh for 8 to 12 hours on a single charge. A majority opt for a lease like Krause, the company said.

“Climate change is not going away and we’re going to have to adapt to this new reality, so investing in this is better than the short-term solution,” said Audrey Lee, Sunrun vice president of energy services.

Not everyone can afford the investment, which the state recognizes. Just before the outage earlier this month, the California Public Utilities Commission expanded its low-income home solar subsidy program to provide $8.5 million in incentives annually through 2030 to reduce the cost of going solar. A new incentive program rolling out in 2020 should pay for the system for critical facilities and medical need customers, said Scott Murtishaw, senior adviser for regulatory affairs with California Solar & Storage Association. He also predicted storage costs would decrease between 10% to 20% yearly.

But when an outage hits, people want cheaper and faster options.

Before Kensington resident Lauren Tyler lost power for less than 24 hours in the last outage, she rushed to REI and spent $2,600 on GoalZero solar panels and a lithium ion battery that could keep her fridge and internet going. For her, it was worth it to prepare for next time.

At GoalZero, a Utah company that makes portable solar panels, batteries and kits, the hottest selling product during and after the outage was a battery system costing $1,800 that’s strong enough to power a fridge for more than a day, according to spokesman Zach Allen. It takes 25 hours to recharge when plugged into an outlet and anywhere from 41 to 120 hours in the sun, he said.

Orinda resident Robert Eikel also lost power for more than a day, but he kept his lights on and communication devices charged through a Christmas present from his wife: a solar-powered kit by BioLite that includes lights, cables and a radio that lasted all night.

Biolite has sold more than 500 SolarHome 620 kits — which cost $150 — on its website, not including Amazon or brick-and-mortar stores, but it didn’t see a significant spike related to the power outage, spokesman Chris Dickey said.

The kit doesn’t have enough power to keep the fridge running, so Eikel still had to buy ice and pack food in coolers. He has looked at getting a larger solar system or a generator but hasn’t done so yet.

“If this becomes a regular occurrence, we would definitely think about it,” he said.

Solar storage systems may not work for everyone. Lafayette resident Joe Di Prisco said the two Tesla Powerwalls that it took a year to install at the cost of $40,000 have worked during past outages — but didn’t hold during the duration of the recent PG&E shut-off.

The high upfront cost of battery storage will probably be a barrier to many people, but some utilities are experimenting with novel lease arrangements that will equip their customers with battery storage, which then becomes part of the utility’s toolbox for meeting peak demand […]

via Blackouts Accelerate Trend to Solar, Batteries — Climate Denial Crock of the Week

Sputnik-World

The Russian Ministry of Defence has announced that it does not have reliable information regarding the US operation in Idlib which allegedly resulted in the death of terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

While US President Donald Trump has confirmed the death of Daesh head al-Baghdadi, Russian military officials said they do not possess any reliable data regarding the matter.

“The Russian Defence Ministry has no reliable information about US servicemen conduction an operation to ‘yet another’ elimination of the former Daesh leader Abu Bark al-Baghdadi in the Turkish-controlled part of the Idlib deescalation zone”, ministry spokesman Maj.Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

Earlier, Trump declared that al-Badhgadi allegedly “died after running into a dead-end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way”, and boasted that the US personnel involved in the mission “were incredible”.

He also thanked Russia, claiming that the US forces had to fly through certain Russian-controlled areas to reach their target.

“Russia treated us great. They opened up – we had to fly over certain Russia-held areas.  Russia was great,” Trump said.

The Russian Defence Ministry, however, stated that they are unaware of providing cooperation to US air units entering the airspace over the Idlib deescalation zone during that mission.

“No airstrikes performed by US aircraft or aircraft belonging to the so called ‘international coalition’ were detected on Saturday or during the following days,” a statement by Maj.Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

Konashenkov also remarked that the reports of the terrorist leader’s alleged demise are unlikely to have any serious effect on the current situation in Syria.

“Since the moment of the final Daesh’s defeat at the hands of the Syrian government army supported by Russian Aerospace Forces in early 2018, yet another ‘death’ of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi does not have any strategic importance regarding the situation in Syria or the actions of the remaining terrorists in Idlib,” he said.

News of al-Baghdadi”s demise come after he was reported dead on several occasions in recent years, though none of the previous aforementioned reports were ever corroborated

[…]

Apart from that the Russian defense ministry said it doubted that al-Baghdadi could be hiding on a territory controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra (outlawed in Russia as a terrorist organization) in Idlib.

“This organization has always unhesitatingly killed Islamic State fighters on the spot as key rivals for power in Syria. Bearing this in mind, the US or other participants in the operation should at least provide direct evidence that the former Islamic State leader had been safely staying on a territory controlled by the ‘Syrian Al Qaeda (also outlawed in Russia),” he added.

[…]

via In Desperate Propaganda Move, the US Claim to Have Killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – Again!

via With Bibi Out, Benny Gantz Tasked to Form Israel’s New Gov’t

By Julia Conley, staff writer

 A new study regarding fossil records reveals that ocean acidification could cause mass extinction. (Photo: Rodfather/Flickr/cc)

“The quota system pushes you to really not work at a pace that’s normal, but at a pace where you’re almost running for the entire 10 hours.”

Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island, New York, say they package about four online orders every minute. If they stop for a few seconds outside of their designated breaks, it hurts their performance evaluations.

So they’re bending, twisting, running, and lifting boxes for 10 to 12 hours a day — just to get a package to a customer’s door within a day or two.

That’s what Amazon warehouse employees in Staten Island who were surveyed earlier this year by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health had to say. The workers’ advocacy group is concerned that employees are developing musculoskeletal disorders from the intense work pace.

Sixty-six percent of the 145 workers surveyed (a total of about 2,500 employees prepare orders at Amazon’s warehouse in Staten Island) said they experience physical pain while performing their regular work duties and 42 percent said they continue experiencing pain when they aren’t working.

When asked to map where they feel pain, more than a quarter pointed to their feet, and nearly as many also felt pain in their lower backs and knees. This graphic shows the potential impact of Amazon’s speed-obsessed culture — injuries that will likely get worse since the company has started offering free one-day shipping to its Prime customers.

Source: New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health

The safety committee — made up of health experts, union leaders, and workers — said the pain workers described is likely a sign that they’re developing musculoskeletal disorders, which are injuries to the joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and tendons from repetitive strain and exertion.

“I feel pain in my back, in my waist, because I do a lot of bending,” one worker told the committee, according to the report. “Even if you squat, you still feel the pain in your waist. It’s a full-body workout all day every day.”

A large number of workers also said that their work conditions are psychologically distressing.

Source: New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health

A spokesperson for Amazon called the report “biased” and “unreliable” and pointed out that only about 3 percent of the workforce in Staten Island was surveyed.

“It is an example of selective data skewed to support false statements by an organization that’s sole business objective is to misinform the public on Amazon’s safety record,” wrote Amazon spokesperson Rachael Lighty in a statement to Vox. “The fact is that Amazon provides a safe, quality working environment for the over 250,000 hourly employees across the US, including over 4,500 full-time employees supporting customers at our Staten Island fulfillment center.”

Yet safety complaints about Amazon aren’t unusual. In 2016, the US Occupational Safety & Hazards Administration fined Amazon $7,000 for not recording about two dozen worker injuries at a warehouse in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

“The company exposed employees to ergonomic risk factors including stress from repeated bending at the waist and repeated exertions, and standing during entire shifts up to 10 hours, four days a week and sometimes including mandatory overtime shifts,” the agency wrote in a 2016 brief.

In 2018, the advocacy group National Council for Occupational Safety and Health listed Amazon as one of the most dangerous places to work in the US, based on its warehouse conditions. Amazon was included because of higher-than-average injury rates, unnecessary risks, and an unwillingness to address workers’ concerns, according to the report. The group also noted that seven Amazon warehouse workers have died since 2013 (mostly from accidents involving heavy machinery) and that the company’s “relentless demand” to fulfill orders leads to harsh working conditions […]

Sputnik – October 18, 2019

The Japanese government has decided to send its own self-defence troops to the Strait of Hormuz area as an alternative to joining the US-coalition to protect commercial vessels passing through key Middle Eastern waterways, according to the Asahi newspaper.

Earlier, media reported that Japan would not join such a coalition due to its close economic ties with Iran, as an important oil producer.

The US announced the creation of a naval coalition in the wake of the detention of a British tanker by Iranian authorities over alleged violations of maritime laws and a series of “sabotage attacks” on commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf. These it blamed on Iran, claiming that  the US goal will be to ensure the safety of navigation through a crucial oil-exporting lane – the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has strongly denied any involvement in the attacks.

Washington invited several countries from Europe and Asia to participate in this coalition, but so far few have responded. While the UK has shown interest in participating in the American mission, Germany opted for diplomatic efforts as a mean to reduce tensions in the Gulf and stated that its participation in America’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran has been “ruled out”.

Iran has slammed the planned American maritime mission as endangering the international waterway and expressed scepticism about Washington’s chances of rallying allies for it […]

via Japan Snubs US-Led Gulf Coalition, Considers Sending its Own Troops to Strait of Hormuz – Reports

It’s important to note here that this document was created in 2010, which was under the Obama administration, and it predates the NDAA of 2012 which authorized military detainment of U.S. citizens.

The world’s most prolific assassins, regime changers and disinformation specialists have been given free rein to recruit and shape curriculum at the largest Black higher education system in the nation. “The Democratic Party’s Black minions have insanely embraced the agency as part of the ‘resistance’ to Trump’s raging racism.” — Read on http://www.blackagendareport.com/cia-goes-hbcu Posted by The […]

via The CIA Goes HBCU | Black Agenda Report — TheConfirmationFiles

By Tom Luongo

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water someone poked a couple of holes in an oil tanker belonging to Iran. This sent oil prices up briefly in the vain hope of stabilizing them. But, strangely, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was silent.

This was a warning to Iran from someone on the Saudi/Israeli/U.S. side, “You won’t win without costs.”

Well, of course, that’s true. The big question everyone is asking is, of course, “Who did this?”

Details are sketchy with a lot of back and forth. Iran initially reported missile strikes.

But Iran’s national tanker company, the owner of the boat, is now ruling out missiles.

But who did this is honestly not even relevant at this point. It could be Israel, the Saudis, rogue U.S. or British agents, etc.

Once we started down this path of sanctions, attacks on oil assets, and the like, it opened up the possibility of anyone with an axe to grind creating an incident for their purposes and blaming someone else for it.

There are so many conflicting priorities on all sides of this issue that all it takes is the right suitcase of money to start a war, or spike oil prices for a few hours, or whatever.

I can spin a dozen motivations out of my head right now whereby everyone involved has motive to attack an Iranian tanker. And they would all sound plausible, including the one that you know Mike Pompeo is just itching to waddle away from the buffet table to announce, that Iran attacked itself.

And the less that evangelical crazy-man says about this, the better everyone will be. In fact, it is Pompeo’s silence is deafening, since he never misses an opportunity to bash Iran. It makes you wonder just how much he may or may not know about this.

But honestly, that’s just me pushing boundaries.

The reality is that Occam’s Razor is the most useful tool in this situation.

The people squawking the loudest about the President’s recent policy decisions in the Middle East are the ones most likely behind this. They are the ones with the most to lose if Saudi Arabia falls and the U.S. pulls much of its force out of the Middle East.

The most likely candidate is the one actor who has consistently overstepped its bounds in attacking neighbors it considers hostile for any reason. Israel.

The headlines this week have been wall-to-wall gnashing of teeth and pearl clutching over the fate of the Kurds in Northern Syria, left to the tender mercies of the Turks.

And that has been coming most forcefully from the gaggle of AIPAC drones that inhabit the D.C. Swamp.

But the reality is that the partitioning of Syria has been a U.S. neoconservative project from the beginning of the civil war. Israel has given aid and comfort to ISIS fighters along the Golan Heights. This is not news, folks.

And the use of the Kurds to destabilize not only Syria but Iraq, Iran and Turkey by outside actors, like the U.S., Saudi Arabia and YES, Israel, is well established.

Pompeo has helped preside over sending the Kurds more than 30,000 truckloads of weapons. Who paid for those weapons, by the way?

We did.

How many of these SDF fighters are nothing more than foreign mercenaries paid by us to hold strategic areas of Syria– the oil fields and the border crossings –to starve Assad out of power?

It’s been long established that the U.S. presence in Syria is unsustainable. But who keeps the pressure on Trump politically to maintain the situation?

Israel.

There comes a point where the evidence of influence is overwhelming and the state of the game board so degraded that it’s time for someone to make a bold call and change tactics.

If the neocons and Israeli Firsters in Congress (and formerly in his cabinet) have turned on Trump to the point of starting impeachment proceedings against him for not going to war with Iran, then Trump is free to finally just blow it all wide open.

Which is exactly what he is doing. The Kurds were simply mercenaries to help us defeat ISIS. Job’s done, your beef with Turkey is your problem.

Remember that Russia’s intervention in Syria outed who was really behind the coalition to overthrow President Assad and when Turkey’s Erdogan was framed into a fight with Russia, shooting down an SU-24 in November 2015, Erdogan realized he would be the scapegoat for the entire operation and swiftly began changing his tune.

Don’t you think Trump can see the same setup happening here now with the Kurds?

They jumped the gun on impeachment. They didn’t neuter Trump, they unleashed him. Because he simply has nothing left to lose.

Today that shift by Erdogan has culminated in his securing Northeastern Syria from Kurdish forces whose sole intention was to sow dissent and try and form an independent state, the dreams of which died with Barzani’s Peshmerga Forces getting routed at Erbil in 2017.

Everything since then has been a delaying action. Trump was willing to go along if he could get Iran to the table on nuclear weapons. Putin and Erdogan prevailed on Trump to do a double deal. Turkey would give up support of Al-Qaeda in Idlib and the U.S. would begin pulling support for the Kurds in eastern Syria.

Syria can begin normalizing and the Saudis and Israelis will have to face up to the need to sue for peace.

But that means the end of the dream to partition Syria and striking Iran. Trump beginning to pull U.S. forces out of harm’s way is the surest way to ensure there isn’t another accident which sets us on the path to war.

So, to me, it makes perfect sense to see rogue elements around the region acting independently to try and revive the war footing while cynically supporting a collapsing oil price. […]

via Pompeo Can’t Blame Iran For Attacking Itself — Gold Goats ‘n Guns