Can't wait for the blockbuster, many teasers from Hezbollah and Iranians so far, and they look fire

https://archive.ph/PWzd2

Insulting propaganda and whitewashing from the nyt

The aircraft are MQ-9 Reapers operated by U.S. Special Operations

The unarmed surveillance flights are not supporting Israeli military operations on the ground, according to the Defense Department officials. Two officials said the goal was to assist in locating hostages, monitor for signs of life and pass potential leads to the Israel Defense Forces.

What a joke.

For for those of you wondering if there would be a response to the Israeli strike on the civilian car in Lebanon:

🚀 An Israeli vehicle was hit in Kiryat Shmona, it was reportedly moving so there are casualties.

https://twitter.com/AryJeay/status/1721218136316273131

https://nitter.net/AryJeay/status/1721218136316273131

Assuming that Hezbollah used something guided for this, the response would be in line with what Nasrallah outlined as Hezbollah's approach would be towards escalation I'm his speech.

I have a feeling the PA, given it's current treatment of it's own people in the West Bank during this is a complicit lapdog. Shaking hands with and offering to replace Hamas in Gaza seems like it's willing to accept steep Palestinian loses and further entrenchment of zionist invaders. (I'm not indignifying them with the term "settlers")

Over 50 heads of state and 600 CEOs attended.

so basically we 'av all our rotten eggs in one baskit

Couldn't sleep, guess I'll have to nap a bit on the bus down

When Idiot Savants Do Climate Economics

Read this article to understand how neoliberal economist are the dumbest motherfuckers on the entire planet. Some choice quotes

Nordhaus’s models tell us that at a temperature rise somewhere between 2.7 and 3.5 degrees Celsius, the global economy reaches “optimal” adaptation.

Among most scientists, it’s lunacy to discuss optimization of anything anywhere when the globe hits even 2 C warming. Climate researchers Yangyang Xu and Veerabhadran Ramanathan, in a widely cited 2017 paper, defined 1.5 C warming as “dangerous” and 3 C or greater as “catastrophic,” while above 5 C was “beyond catastrophic,” with consequences that include “existential threats.”

“The risk of multi-breadbasket failure is increasing, and rises much faster beyond 1.5 C of global heating. … Such shocks pose grave threats — rocketing food prices, civil unrest, major financial losses, starvation, and death.”

By contrast, when Nordhaus looked at the effects of 6 C warming, he did not forecast horror. Instead, we should expect “damages” of between 8.5 percent and 12.5 percent of world GDP over the course of the 21st century.

In an email to The Intercept, Nordhaus characterized his colleagues’ critiques as “a distorted and inaccurate description of the work and my views. [...] He declined to elaborate on any distortions or inaccuracies.

Lmao, thanks for confirming idiot.

Nordhaus calculates GDP of a particular location as fundamentally related to the temperature of that place. So, if in 2023 it’s a certain temperature in London, and the GDP in London is such-and-such, it’s reasonable to assume that when latitudes north of London rise in temperature in the future, GDP will rise to be the same as London’s today. Make of this what you will — it’s foolishness on a grand scale, and yet it’s central to the Nordhaus model.

The fourth fatal error Nordhaus makes is the most farcical. In a 1991 paper that became a touchstone for all his later work, he assumed that, because 87 percent of GDP occurs in what he called “carefully controlled environments” — otherwise known as “indoors” — it will not be affected by climate. Nordhaus’s list of the indoor activities free of any effects from climate disruption include manufacturing, mining, transportation, communication, finance, insurance, real estate, trade, private sector services, and government services.

The one below is my favourite, agriculture is only 3% of GDP, so if it disappeared the economy would be fine.

Nordhaus has opined that agriculture is “the part of the economy that is sensitive to climate change,” but because it accounts for just 3 percent of national output, climate disruption of food production cannot produce a “very large effect on the U.S. economy.” It is unfortunate for his calculations that agriculture is the foundation on which the other 97 percent of GDP depends. Without food — strange that one needs to reiterate this — there is no economy, no society, no civilization.

Hezbollah has announced their new gaming console, it would seem

Let's just say Hamas could do something real funny

“I wouldn't take in an Israeli refugee because…”: Comedian Phil Chapman

video - https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1720517429028114432/vid/avc1/480x852/kaVvsuW6FUBWHU6_.mp4?tag=14

What can you even say...

Hospital in Gaza scrambles to treat dozens of children after main generator stops working, doctor says

Medical staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza are trying to provide care to more than 60 injured children, including 13 on mechanical ventilation, despite a lack of medical supplies and after the hospital's main generator stopped working due to lack of fuel, a pediatrician at the hospital told CNN on Saturday.

Most of the children who came to the emergency department on Saturday were in "very critical" condition, said Dr. Husam Abu Safyia, a pediatrician at the medical center.

The main hospital generator stopped working Friday and the hospital is relying on a small electric generator that is being used "just for intensive care units," he said in a message to CNN.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah warned Saturday of a "catastrophe within Gaza hospitals," adding that wounded people are "taking their last breaths" due to the lack of medical resources and fuel.

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-11-05-23/h_ef737b77c6ec83dc9ed9f673936fd95c

My (generally good on Palestine) lib friend texted me about Hamas mutilations during the Al-Aqsa Flood. I haven't been following the specifics of what specifically happened on that day because I figured we're in a fog of war and figured I'd wait until an actual report, but now I feel like I need to know some details.

My impression was that most of the charges of mutilation (like the 40 decapitated babies) were basically only coming from unsupported IOF claims - is this correct or am I just in a bubble? Were there charges of mutilation and/or SA that are generally agreed by both sides to have occurred?

(I plan to defend the Flood in my response either way, I just don't want to be caught off guard)

This conflict has gotten me interested in learning more about the early history of Islam & how it expanded to become the dominant religious force in the middle east, but one thing I've inadvertently learned along the way is that Amman, the capitol city of Jordan, used to be named Philadelphia until the 630s AD. The city was originally the capitol city of the Ammonite Kingdom, but was renamed to Philadelphia after the Macedonians conquered the region, and then renamed again to Amman once the Muslims conquered it.

(I guess this is all just to say that I never really realized that Philadelphia was a Greek name and/or that I never realized that there were other cities named Philadelphia before the one in the US lol)

Palestinian ambassador to UN says Israeli strike on Jabalya refugee camp was a crime

Ambassador Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, said the Israeli strike on the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza was a crime and urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take action.

Mansour made the comments upon leaving a UN meeting on Tuesday, saying the ICC should hold those responsible for the lethal airstrike.

“Those who are responsible for giving the orders for that crime should hear something from Mr. Khan from the ICC,” Mansour told CNN in reference to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan. “If he has the courage, and I hope he does. We appreciate the fact that [he] came to the crossing, Rafah crossing, and he made a statement there. But it would be also nice to issue a warrant of arrest for those who are responsible for such crimes," Mansour said.

When asked whether Egypt should allow the entry of refugees from Gaza, Mansour replied “no.”

Some context: According to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces, the airstrike targeted and killed Ibrahim Biari, whom it described as one of the Hamas commanders responsible for the October 7 attack on Israel, which left than 1,400 people dead and hundreds taken hostage.

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-10-31-23/h_02a679011417d5e7db852530397b7608

Fire from Israel’s vicinity ‘targeted’ and killed a Reuters reporter in Lebanon, a media watchdog finds.

Issam Abdallah, a visual journalist for Reuters, was “targeted” and killed in southern Lebanon on Oct. 13 by one of two strikes from the direction of the Israeli border, despite clearly being identified as a member of the press, Reporters Without Borders said on Sunday, based on an initial investigation by the media watchdog group.

Six other journalists — from Reuters, Al Jazeera and Agence France-Presse — were also injured in the attack.

According to the organization’s ballistic analysis, the strikes came from the direction of the Israeli border, east of where the journalists were standing. The report concluded that two strikes in the same place in a span of just over 30 seconds, and from the same direction, indicated a targeted attack.

Based on corroborating witness accounts by the journalists who survived, Reporters Without Borders, also known as RSF, said the first strike killed Mr. Abdallah and seriously injured Christina Assi, an Agence France-Presse correspondent; the second, around 37 to 38 seconds later, targeted a nearby Al Jazeera vehicle, injuring several other journalists.

RSF did not conclude who had launched the strikes against the journalists and did not provide the specific ballistics analysis that supported its preliminary findings, but used it, the group said, in combination with eyewitness accounts and video taken at the scene to reach its conclusion.

Both Lebanon’s government and military have accused Israel of firing the strikes.

Responding to the findings, the Israeli army said in a statement that after a cross-border exchange of fire on Oct. 13, it received reports “a number of hours later” that a civilian had been killed. The statement said the army was reviewing the incident, but noted that “being present in combat zones on either side of the border comes with a severe risk to life.” Israel has asked U.N. peacekeeping forces in Lebanon to ensure that civilians are not present in combat zones.

In a statement, Reuters said it was reviewing RSF’s preliminary analysis and that it had called on Israeli authorities to directly investigate the attack.

“We will continue to fight for the rights of all journalists to report the news in the public interest free of harassment or harm, wherever they are,” the Reuters statement said.

Mr. Abdallah, 37, was killed near the Lebanese village of Alma al-Shaab, which has been a focal point of intensifying clashes in recent weeks between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese group backed by Iran.

Footage filmed shortly before the strike, and verified by The New York Times, showed the journalists standing at the roadside wearing helmets and bulletproof jackets marked “press.”

Mr. Abdallah’s death has sparked an uproar in Lebanon as fears mount over the prospect of a wider regional war.

During his funeral on Oct. 14, hundreds of teary-eyed and visibly angry mourners carried his body, draped in a Lebanese flag, in a procession through Khiam, his hometown, in southern Lebanon.

There, cameras were placed atop his grave.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/30/world/israel-hamas-gaza-war-news/fire-from-israels-vicinity-targeted-and-killed-a-reuters-reporter-in-lebanon-a-media-watchdog-finds?smid=url-share

There's video at the link.

Video of Al-Qassam Navy launching a torpedo:

https://streamable.com/wrmqoq

More from former UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness

Gunness has said there is a very real prospect of communicable diseases spreading in Gaza amid widespread displacement and the lack of clean water and other critical supplies.

“That’s the prospect, and let’s be clear, this is a matter of political choice,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This is a humanitarian catastrophe which world leaders in giving Israel a greenlight to continue … the war, they are responsible for this.”

-Al Jazeera

Israel bombs UN school in third major attack on Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp | Israel-Palestine conflict | Al Jazeera

There's a 1 minute video.

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Israel bombs the Jabalia refugee camp with a 2,000 pound bomb for the 27th time and a talking head on CNN says "Some may say yet again that this is excessive but the IDF located a Hamas leadership war council meeting room under the school. The Israelis say a meeting was in progress and war is a dirty business..."

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Edit

The BBC has an Onion-like headline about it.

UN agency: Another sad day as school hit

UNICEF chief: Lack of clean water in Gaza is on the verge of "becoming a catastrophe"

The chief of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) issued a stark warning regarding water supply in Gaza on Monday, stressing that the situation is on the verge of “becoming a catastrophe.”

Catherine Russell, whose agency provides humanitarian aid to children, outlined to the UN Security Council the devastating impact of heavy bombardment of civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

“What little clean water remains in Gaza is quickly running out, leaving more than 2 million people in dire need. We estimate that 55% of the water supply infrastructure requires repair or rehabilitation,” Russell said.

“Only one desalination plant is operating at just 5% capacity, while all six of Gaza’s water-waste treatment plants are now non-operational due to the lack of fuel or power.”

She described the current situation as being on the “verge of becoming a catastrophe,” stressing that more civilians will likely die from dehydration and waterborne illnesses unless clean water supply is restored.

In addition to the difficult environmental conditions, Russell drew attention to the “terrible trauma” being experienced by both children in Israel and Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

“We are doing our best to reach every child in need, but the delivery of humanitarian aid – especially Gaza – is now extremely challenging. This is due to both the current siege conditions imposed on Gaza, and the highly dangerous circumstances under which our staff are operating,” Russell continued.

The official said that without “an urgent end” to hostilities she fears “deeply” for the fate of the region’s children.

“I implore the Security Council to immediately adopt a resolution that reminds parties of their obligations under international law … calls for a ceasefire … demands that parties allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access … demands the immediate and safe release of all abducted and detained children … and urges parties to afford children the special protection to which they are entitled,” she added.

“Children do not start conflicts, and they are powerless to stop them. They need all of us …to put their safety and security at the forefront of our efforts,” she concluded.

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-10-30-23/h_b8d088017d4456bef8706ddd2fbc537a

Looking forward to a big succulent nothingburger of a speech.

the clowns are clowning again. Is bojo as sycophantic a freak as scomo though

Israel’s UN ambassador said Sunday that he wore a yellow star at a recent Security Council hearing to “shock” the body into condemning Hamas, after his action drew rebukes even from home.

Gilad Erdan’s choice a week ago to wear the badge, which has come to symbolize the oppression of Jews since its imposition in Nazi-occupied Europe, was swiftly criticized by Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, which urged him to wear the Israeli flag instead.

“This act disgraces the victims of the Holocaust as well as the state of Israel,” the memorial’s chair Dani Dayan said in a Hebrew-language post on X, formerly Twitter.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Erdan defended the move and denounced the Security Council again for its “silence” over the unprecedented attacks by Hamas Palestinian militants against Israel on October 7.

“I just want to emphasize that my goal was to first of all shock the Security Council,” Erdan said of his controversial choice to wear the star.

The deeply divided 15-member body has yet to adopt a single resolution on the attack or on Israel’s decision to launch a retaliatory war against Hamas.

“I wanted to shock them. I wanted to remind them of their silence and I wanted to convey a message that we - not like in the past - we are not weak as we were during the Holocaust,” Erdan said Sunday.

That's The Guardian quoting Agence France-Presse.

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I'd like to meet Gilad Erdan in private. And have a pleasant discussion about the yellow star and Minecraft.

This is very clean mapping that I like a lot, posted by a group I'm pretty sure is run by Brian Berletic https://t.me/NewEasternOutlook/1421

Seems to be by someone else? War Mapper watermark? Probably chud, but it's clean mapping.

David Frum is on CNN and besides ridiculously spinning Biden's numbers to make them seem not that bad - he actually just said "Maybe there's something in the voters and not the candidate."

Just a few hours after I pointed out it was bullshit but the Labour ghouls were coming for him anyway, Andy McDonald has been suspended.