Picture: AFP Social media has played a key role in the recent rise of violent right-wing extremism in the United States, including three recent incidents — one in which a man was accused of sending mail bombs to critics of the president, another in which a man shot dead two African-Americans in a Kroger’s grocery store in Kentucky, and a third in which a man is accused of conducting a murderous rampage at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Each of these attacks falls under the definition of right-wing extremism by the Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland: “violence in support of the belief that personal and/or national way of life is under attack and is either already lost or that the threat is imminent." Antiglobalism, racial or ethnic supremacy, nationalism, suspicion of the federal government, obsessions over individual liberty — these are all hallmarks of this network of ideologies, which is, of course, shot through with conspiracy … [Read more...] about The new radicalization of the internet
The new radicals
In China, presented the new Changan CS35 second generation
Changan has prepared a compact crossover CS35 second generation, the official premiere of which in the domestic market in China is scheduled for late summer two thousand eighteenth, and the beginning of its sales there is expected in the fall. Compared to its predecessor, the Changgan CS35 2019-2020 in the new body (photo, price) changed superficially externally, gaining more solid design, losing rounded outlines in favor of strict lines and a rear-view mirror on the legs. The front end of the model has changed radically – here the narrow horizontal grille is integrated with the headlight units flashing diode running lights. A massive bumper is highlighted by a protection in the lower part and a chrome plated bar in the center. The SUV’s fodder has been solved in a similar style – multi-section rear lights stretched over the entire width of the trunk lid, a spoiler with a stop signal hung over the glass, and fog-lamps were integrated into the exhaust fittings of the … [Read more...] about In China, presented the new Changan CS35 second generation
The New York City Subway Is Beyond Repair
The New York City subway is a miracle, especially at 3 a.m. on a Friday night. But the system is also falling apart, and it’s going to cost billions to keep the old trains running: $19 billion, at least according to one estimate from city planners. The time has come to give up on the 19th-century idea of public transportation, and leap for the autonomous future.Right now, fully autonomous cars are rolling around Pittsburgh, the San Francisco Bay area, and parts of Michigan, shuttling people from here to there with minimal manual intervention. Instead of fixing the old trains, let’s rip out the tracks and fill the tunnels with fleets of autonomous vehicles running on pavement. The result would be radical improvements in throughput while saving money and increasing the ability of the system to survive a fire, flood, or terrorist attack.These subterranean highways would be dramatically simpler than public roadways for an autonomous artificially intelligent system because the … [Read more...] about The New York City Subway Is Beyond Repair
Black is the new White
By Femi AribisalaOST men we call black are actually brown. Then there are the many in-betweens. But so jealous are the so-called whites in their whiteness that any black blood automatically makes you black. If you have any black ancestry, you are deemed to be black. Certain ironies arise here. If you are of mixed race in Britain, for example, you are considered black. But if you are of mixed race in Nigeria, you are considered white or oyinbo. What the British do not know is that their royal family is black by this very definition. The great-great-great-grandmother of the present Queen Elizabeth II was a black woman; Queen Charlotte of Britain and Ireland. She was the grandmother of Queen Victoria. Black ascendancy For long, white was popularly preferred to black in Europe and the United States. Black was deemed inferior to white. Black features were demeaned as ugly. Pointed, aqualine noses were preferred to flat African noses. Indoctrinated blacks courted … [Read more...] about Black is the new White
Notes: Chapter 10 of Ehrman’s Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium
Notes: Chs. 10 of Ehrman’s Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium Thesis: Jesus’ Other Teachings Are Apocalyptic 1. Keeping the Jewish law by loving God and neighbor as necessary preparation to enter the kingdom 2. “Seek first the Kingdom”: Jesus’ teachings on the supreme value of the kingdom Everything else pales in comparison All else should be sacrificed to enter it (possessions, standing, job) Thus, the present world has no real attractions Thus, daily matters in the present world should be a matter of indifference. 3. Jesus’ anti-family teachings are apocalyptic Hating father, mother, brothers, and sisters (Lk 14:26) Jesus has come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who … [Read more...] about Notes: Chapter 10 of Ehrman’s Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium