Juvenile Court Hears Case of Teens in French Teacher Murder

From Daily News Planet.com (Dec. 2023):

On Monday, November 27, six French teenagers went on trial for their alleged roles in the 2020 beheading of their history and geography teacher.

The juvenile court, where the trial is being held until December 8, 2023, is having closed-door proceedings, with the participants and audience limited to only those people directly affected by the case.

The victim, Samuel Paty, 47, was a secondary school teacher in the Paris suburb Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. He was killed on October 16, 2020, by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee, Abdoullakh Anzorov, who was later shot dead by the French police. The murder occurred shortly after Paty showed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed from the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo during a class on French free speech laws.

Six teens, who were 14 or 15 years old at the time, were charged with participating in the lead-up to Paty’s killing. Five of them are accused of criminal conspiracy intending to incite violence, allegedly identifying Paty to Anzorov in return for money. The sixth accused, a 13-year-old girl at the time, is charged with making false allegations about Paty, disproven by her not being present during the class.

Louis Cailliez, the lawyer for the Paty family, is focused on understanding the teenagers’ actions, which he called “unforgivable.” Antoine Ory, representing one defendant, expressed his client’s regret and apprehension about confronting Paty’s relatives. The accused teenagers, now high school students, did not anticipate that their actions would escalate to murder, expecting at worst social media censure or minor physical repercussions for Paty.

The case is part of a broader inquiry, including trials for eight adults planned for late 2024. The involvement of the minors in the sequence of events resulting in Paty’s death is a central issue in both the teen and adult trials.

Samuel Paty’s murder has brought renewed focus on jihadist violence in France. In October, another teacher, Dominique Bernard, was stabbed, reflecting the ongoing threat of radical Islamist violence. [source]

This is a good reason why a person might have Islamophobia.

Earth's rotating inner core is starting to slow down — and it could alter the length of our days

From Live Science.com (June 19, 2024):

A new study confirms that Earth's inner core has been rotating more slowly than usual since 2010. This mysterious "backtracking" could also end up slightly altering the planet's overall rotation, lengthening our days.

The heart of our planet has been spinning unusually slowly for the past 14 years, new research confirms. And if this mysterious trend continues, it could potentially lengthen Earth's days — though the effects would likely be imperceptible to us.

Earth's inner core is a roughly moon-size chunk of solid iron and nickel that lies more than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) below our feet. It is surrounded by the outer core — a superhot layer of molten metals similar to those in the inner core — which is surrounded by a more solid sea of molten rock, known as the mantle, and the crust. Although the entire planet rotates, the inner core can spin at a slightly different speed as the mantle and crust due to the viscosity of the outer core.

Since scientists started mapping Earth's inner layers with detailed seismic activity records around 40 years ago, the inner core has rotated slightly faster than the mantle and the crust. But in a new study, published June 12 in the journal Nature, researchers found that since 2010, the inner core has been slowing down and is now rotating a bit more slowly than our planet's outer layers.

"When I first saw the seismograms that hinted at this change, I was stumped," John Vidale, a seismologist at the University of Southern California, Dornsife, said in a statement. "But when we found two dozen more observations signaling the same pattern, the result was inescapable."

If the inner core's rotation continues to decelerate, its gravitational pull could eventually cause the outer layers of our planet to spin a little more slowly, altering the length of our days the researchers wrote.

However, any potential change would be on the order of thousandths of a second, which would be "very hard to notice," Vidale said. As a result, we would likely not have to change our clocks or calendars to adjust for this difference, especially if it were only a temporary change.

This is not the first time scientists have suggested that Earth's inner core is slowing down. This phenomenon, known as "backtracking," has been debated for around a decade but has been very hard to prove.

In the new study, researchers analyzed data from more than 100 repeating earthquakes — seismic events that occur repeatedly at the same location — along a tectonic plate boundary in the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean between 1991 and 2023.

Each earthquake allowed scientists to map the core's position relative to the mantle and by comparing these measurements, the team was able to see how the inner core's rotation rate changed over time.

The new study is the "most convincing" evidence so far that backtracking has been happening, Vidale said.

It is currently unclear why the inner core is backtracking, but it is likely caused by either "the churning of the liquid iron outer core that surrounds it" or "gravitational tugs from the dense regions of the overlying rocky mantle," the researchers wrote.

It is also unclear how frequent backtracking is. It is possible that the inner core's spin is constantly accelerating and decelerating, but these changes likely happen over decades or longer. Therefore, longer data sets are needed to infer anything about long-term trends.

The inner core remains one of the most mysterious of Earth's hidden layers. But in recent years, new technologies are allowing researchers to learn more about the inner core, including that it is slightly lopsided, that it is softer than expected, that it potentially wobbles off Earth's axis and that it has a separate innermost core.

The study authors will continue to analyze seismic data to learn more about the heart of our planet and how it changes over time.

"The dance of the inner core might be even more lively than we know," Vidale said. [source]

More interesting science that mankind can't change just like mankind can't control global warming. Earth is just too massive for either control.

More on the core:

• Earth's Inner Core Is Mysteriously Changing Shape, Study Reveals
• Is Earth’s Core Rusting?

Denmark Doesn’t Deserve Greenland

From The Federalist.com (Jan. 21):

Last week, President Trump announced that the United States will acquire Greenland one way or the other.

Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark; it is the world’s largest island, with a small population of less than 100,000 inhabitants, mostly composed of indigenous people called Inuits.

Because Greenland sits at the intersection of three continents (Asia, Europe, and North America) and is rich in strategic resources, it has immense geopolitical importance.

The island is home to one of Earth’s largest uranium deposits. Uranium is essential for nuclear energy production, and it plays a crucial role in supporting nuclear power generation in the United States. Environmental groups oppose its extraction because they claim it may pollute the island’s environment, so Greenland imposed a ban on uranium mining in 2021.

In the same place where uranium is found on the island — the Kvanefjeld Mining Project on the southern side of the island — there are also vast deposits of rare earth minerals. These minerals form critical components for technologically advanced defense equipment, electric cars, and wind turbines. A sustainable supply of these minerals is vital to the U.S. defense industry.

On the island’s east coast, Greenland has large oil and gas reserves, which are still unexploited. So far, Denmark has not extracted any of these resources, while the United States would be able to make full use of them.

U.S. military presence in Greenland is of great geostrategic importance due to its proximity to Russia, providing early warning of missile launches from America’s principal adversary in the Arctic. Military installations on the island are the cornerstone of the development of the next-generation missile defense shield, called the Golden Dome. In fact, positioning missile interceptors on the island is a critical asset to counter Russia’s most advanced weapons. The island also plays an essential role in monitoring naval and submarine movements in the Arctic Ocean.

After the Trump administration expressed interest in acquiring the island, Denmark vehemently opposed U.S. plans, and Danes launched a grassroots boycott of American brands, targeting iconic companies such as Coca-Cola and Netflix.

This month, Denmark launched Operation Arctic Endurance, a military drill in Greenland involving several other European countries, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The objective of the exercise is to demonstrate readiness to defend the island. In response, the Trump administration imposed a 10 percent tariff on several countries participating in this operation. The tariffs take effect on Feb. 1 and last until an agreement for the purchase of Greenland is reached.

The European military exercise was unnecessary since the United States already holds a military base on the island. In 1951, the U.S. started the construction of the Thule Air Base in Greenland, which became America’s northernmost operational base. During the Cold War, the base was a key point in American aerospace defense.

In 2020, the United States changed the installation’s name to Pituffik Space Base, reflecting the native designation for the region. The base’s radar can detect and track ballistic threats, making it a sort of sentinel of the North. Its integration into the Golden Dome would give it the unique ability to detect, track, and intercept Russian missile threats faster than other radars, due to its central location in the Arctic region.

During his first administration, President Trump demanded that all NATO countries increase their defense spending to at least 2 percent of their annual gross domestic product. Because of Trump’s pressure, last year NATO members agreed to boost their defense spending to 5 percent of their GDP by 2035.

Until 2022, Denmark’s defense spending was just 1.36 percent of its GDP or lower going back to 2014, while U.S. defense spending has consistently exceeded 3 percent. Although Danish defense spending increased in the past three years, the U.S. remains the NATO country with the strongest military force, and U.S. ability to defend Greenland far exceeds Denmark’s.

One of Denmark’s arguments against U.S. control of Greenland is that the island is already part of NATO, so there is no need for it to be directly controlled by the United States. In fact, Denmark has been a member of NATO since 1949, and its territories, including Greenland, are also part of the alliance.

However, the island’s geopolitical relevance is disproportionate with respect to the global role of Denmark, a country of just 6 million inhabitants. During World War II, Nazi Germany invaded Denmark, forcing the United States to occupy Greenland to prevent it from falling under Hitler’s control. The United States should have kept the island; instead, it made a major mistake, returning it to Denmark after the end of the war.

There is no reason for Denmark to retain control of Greenland since it has failed to exploit its strategic mineral resources and was unable to protect it from Germany in WWII.

On the contrary, the United States has a vested interest in controlling an island that is an essential component of a multibillion-dollar defense system, which will give North America, and Greenland itself, enhanced security from the threats of other great powers.

For these reasons, U.S. control of Greenland is paramount to maintain American geopolitical leadership. [source]

Food for thought. 

365 WINS IN 365 DAYS: President Trump’s Return Marks New Era of Success, Prosperity

From White House.gov (Jan. 20):

One year ago today, President Donald J. Trump returned to office with a resounding mandate to restore prosperity, secure the border, rebuild American strength, and put the American people first. In just 365 days, President Trump has delivered truly transformative results with the most accomplished first year of any presidential term in modern history.

From negative net migration for the first time in 50 years to the largest homicide drop on record, trillions in reshored investments, peace deals ending multiple wars, record energy production, and massive bureaucracy cuts, President Trump has put America First with urgency — and he’s just getting started.

SECURING AMERICA’S BORDERS AND PUTTING AMERICANS FIRST

1. Achieved negative net migration in 2025, reversing a 50-year trend and restoring U.S. control over immigration flows for the first time in a generation.
2. Removed more than 2.6 million illegal aliens from the United States through deportations and voluntary self-departures.
3. Carried out over 650,000 arrests, detentions, and deportations of illegal aliens — including the worst of the worst criminal illegal alien killers, rapists, gang members, and repeat offenders.
4. Deported more than 400,000 illegal aliens charged with or convicted of crimes.
5. Induced two million self-deportations by ending Biden-era release incentives and restoring credible consequences.
6. Reduced illegal border crossings to their lowest level since the 1970s, completely eradicating the Biden-era invasion.
7. Cut fentanyl trafficking at the southern border by 56%.
8. Permanently ended dangerous “catch-and-release” policies nationwide by detaining illegal aliens rather than releasing them into the interior — resulting in a 99.9% decrease in illegals being released into the country during the Biden era.
9. Maintained zero illegal alien releases into the country’s homeland for eight consecutive months, restoring deterrence at the border.

…….

REBUILDING AN ECONOMY FOR WORKING AMERICANS

1. Drove gas prices to their lowest level in nearly five years, with prices below $3 per gallon in 43 states and below $2 per gallon in 19 states.
2. Created 654,000 private-sector jobs following deregulation, tax relief, and restored investment confidence.
3. Ensured 100% of net job growth went to native-born Americans by enforcing immigration laws.
4. Achieved massive economic growth, with real GDP rising 4.3% in the third quarter of 2025 — smashing economists’ expectations and setting the stage for future growth, with GDP projected to be even higher in the fourth quarter as President Trump’s policies continue to take effect.
5. Oversaw the largest increase in blue-collar wage growth in nearly 60 years.
6. Increased private-sector real earnings by $1,100 annually — earning back some of the $2,900 in purchasing power workers lost under Biden.
7. Tamed inflation, running at just 2.4% since President Trump took office — down 70% from its Biden-era peak.
8. Brought inflation under control by enforcing fiscal restraint, reversing runaway spending growth, and restoring policy credibility, driving core inflation to multi-year lows.
9. Achieved the lowest mortgage rates in three years by stabilizing mortgage-backed securities markets and expanding liquidity — driving monthly housing payments to their most affordable levels in over two years.
10. Oversaw existing home sales rising to the strongest pace in three years as income growth finally outpaces home price gains.
11. Delivered a historic stock-market rebound, with the major stock indices all hitting repeated new record highs.
12. Signed the Working Families Tax Cut, delivering the largest middle-class tax relief package in modern U.S. history and saving 5.9 million jobs.
13. Delivered on his No Tax on Tips campaign promise.
14. Delivered on his No Tax on Overtime campaign promise.
15. Delivered on his No Tax on Social Security campaign promise for our great seniors.
16. Delivered unprecedented tax relief for small businesses and other key industries, building on the successful Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from his first term and opening the door for new levels of prosperity to come.
17. Secured congressional passage of a $9 billion rescissions package, permanently canceling wasteful spending — like the wasteful taxpayer funding of NPR and PBS.
18. Terminated wasteful foreign aid programs inconsistent with America First priorities through a $5 billion pocket rescission.
19. Reduced wholesale egg prices by 89% following the Trump Administration’s intervention, supply stabilization, and regulatory relief.

[read more]

Wins that the fake news probably won't report.

3 biblical reasons why Christians should judge

From Christian Post.com (Aug. 20, 2022):

How often have you heard it said that “it’s not a Christian’s job to judge?” This widely accepted sentiment within American churches is one that is actually not as biblical as many would lead you to believe. It stems from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 when Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged.”

When taken out of context, Jesus’ words seem to exhort Christians to ignore the sins of other believers and exhibit acceptance of them anyway, because, after all, Christians don’t have a right to tell other Christians they’re wrong since we are all sinners. However, this message is not at all what Jesus meant, nor is it consistent with a biblical understanding of judgment.

How not to judge

Rightly judging is an integral part of the Christian life. If a brother or sister is living in unrepentant sin, it is actually unloving not to call them to repentance. In Matthew 7:5, Jesus goes on to say,

“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

When read in proper context, Jesus in this verse is actually warning against hypocritical judgment. When we point out the sins of others while we are guilty of unrepentantly committing the same sin, we are guilty of hypocrisy. If we repent of our sin and remove the log from our own eye, then we can see clearly to judge our brother and call him to repentance.

A Christian should also be careful not to judge superficially.  In John 7:24, Jesus says, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

This means that Christians should neither judge based on appearance, as Simon the Pharisee did in Luke 7, nor jump to conclusions without considering all of the facts. Proverbs 18:13 says, “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.”

Self-righteous judgment is also forbidden in Scripture. The clearest example of this is the way Jesus rebuked the Pharisees throughout the four Gospels. In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18, the Pharisee was confident that he was in right standing with God because he was not like the tax collector. Yet God did not forgive the Pharisee’s sin because of his self-righteousness. Right judgment requires us to judge with humility rather than with pride.

Harsh judgment that offers no grace is also wrong. Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:2 that, “In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” When we judge a brother or sister in Christ harshly, showing them no grace, we neglect the grace that has been shown us.

Opposing sin is not wrong; indeed, we are called to hate sin. Calling a brother or sister in Christ to repentance is loving, and in fact, it is needed in the Church. It’s the way in which we judge that we should be careful, humble, and prayerful. [read more]

China’s Psychological Warfare on America

Another leading Chinese PLA strategist, Zeng Huafeng of the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), wrote of a cognitive, or mind, war on the United States, and proposed how to defeat us without firing a shot. NUDT works with ByteDance on national artificial intelligence projects involving the Chinese military. Zeng defines the “cognitive space” as “the area in which feelings, perception, understanding, beliefs, and values exist” and argues that this is where the battle can be won. To that end, he said, Beijing must use “information and popular spiritual and cultural products as weapons to influence people’s psychology, will, attitude, behavior and even change the ideology, values, cultural traditions and social systems.” According to Zeng, these cultural tools, including apps, video games, and films, should be used to “target individuals, groups, countries, and even people around the world.”

Stop and contemplate what these two prominent strategists in China are saying about the “cultural products” we invite into our homes and minds: they are to be used to steer people’s psychology and change their values and cultural traditions. Zeng argues that Beijing can win “mind superiority” through:

• “Perception manipulation” via propaganda, by changing how people look at the present
• “Cutting off historical memory” by warping their views of their own country’s past so people will be open to changing their values
• “Changing the paradigm of thinking” by targeting people to change the way they view problems and thereby changing their beliefs
• “Deconstructing symbols,” by getting people to reject certain traditional symbols and thereby modifying a nation’s identity

But here is the kicker: “The ultimate goal is to manipulate a country’s values and achieve strategic goals without an actual overt military battle.” (Emphasis added.) Sun Tzu could not have said it better.

Source:  Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans (2024) by Peter Schweizer.

Pentagon’s AI initiatives accelerate hard decisions on lethal autonomous weapons

From AP News.com (Nov. 25, 2023):

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AP) — Artificial intelligence employed by the U.S. military has piloted pint-sized surveillance drones in special operations forces’ missions and helped Ukraine in its war against Russia. It tracks soldiers’ fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance and helps keep tabs on rivals in space.

Now, the Pentagon is intent on fielding multiple thousands of relatively inexpensive, expendable AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026 to keep pace with China. The ambitious initiative — dubbed Replicator — seeks to “galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in August.

While its funding is uncertain and details vague, Replicator is expected to accelerate hard decisions on what AI tech is mature and trustworthy enough to deploy - including on weaponized systems.

There is little dispute among scientists, industry experts and Pentagon officials that the U.S. will within the next few years have fully autonomous lethal weapons. And though officials insist humans will always be in control, experts say advances in data-processing speed and machine-to-machine communications will inevitably relegate people to supervisory roles.

That’s especially true if, as expected, lethal weapons are deployed en masse in drone swarms. Many countries are working on them — and neither China, Russia, Iran, India or Pakistan have signed a U.S.-initiated pledge to use military AI responsibly.

It’s unclear if the Pentagon is currently formally assessing any fully autonomous lethal weapons system for deployment, as required by a 2012 directive. A Pentagon spokeswoman would not say. [read more]

I hope the autonomous weapons can distinguish between friendly and enemy combatants enough. And what about firewalls to prevent the enemy (or any mischievous person for that matter) from hacking the weapons?