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Information overload is a weapon of control

by James Corbett

Do you feel confused? Listless? Overwhelmed? Have you ever found yourself scrolling through news feeds and flicking mindlessly through social media posts with a strange mixture of outrage, dread, and boredom? Is your disgust at the thought of going online consistently overwhelmed by your compulsion to pick up your fondleslab?

Don’t worry. You’re not alone. More and more people are finding it harder and harder to put their devices down even though it leaves them feeling restless, angry or empty. As a result, some are seeking ways to disconnect and unplug from the 24/7 siren song of never-ending news feeds, instant messaging and social media distractions, whether by ditching their smartphone in favor of a “dumb” phone or taking device-free holidays.

Yes, we all succumb to information overload, and yes, we all need a break from the online maelstrom every now and then.

But what if this state of information overload—the malaise we experience when we find ourselves paralyzed by a ceaseless stream of noise and nonsense—is not a mere byproduct of this vaunted “Information Age” but the actual point of it? Has it ever occurred to you that these devices have been weaponized against us? Or that the confusion and exhaustion we feel after spending an hour mindlessly scrolling on our smartphone is the effect that this weaponized technology has on our psyche?

And, more to the point, what can we do to protect ourselves from these daggers of digital distraction?

First, let’s examine the problem.

Suppose you start your day by checking your friends’ social media profiles. The stream of dream vacation pictures and posts about happy relationships and fun parties leaves you feeling miserable as you head out the door for work.

Later that morning you take a break from your desk job (entering information on a computer, of course) to check the news. Clickbait nonsense battles with atrocity porn for your attention in the news feed. You finally find something interesting and informative only to scroll down to the comment section and find it populated by trolls bent on starting flame wars and disinformation operatives deploying every trick in the book to derail thoughtful conversation.

Closing the browser window you get back to work and discover an angry email from your boss in your inbox reminding you that your latest report was due yesterday and several messages from your coworkers asking for your help with their own projects.

Running to the one place you know you can get away from it all—the washroom—you lock the stall door . . . only to feel a buzzing in your pocket. You got a new message on Facebook! You pull your phone out of your pocket and start the whole process over again.

The worst part is that you know that this constant flow of information is making you miserable, but you can’t help yourself. It’s harder and harder to leave the phone at home when you go out to the store or turn the TV off when you’re eating dinner. You’ve become a slave to the technology that once promised to free you.

Now this may not be a description of your average day, but we all know people to whom this description applies. And if you use electronic devices on a daily basis, it’s getting harder and harder to deny that you’ve experienced the strange mixture of compulsion and depression that those devices bring.

This is not even controversial at this point. We hardly need a scientific study to tell us that social media is making us dumb, angry and addicted, but in case you missed it here’s a scientific study telling us that social media is making us dumb, angry and addicted. As you might expect, people who compare their mundane, humdrum existence to the idealized lives that people present online—fun parties, great food, perfect vacations, happy families—are more likely to develop depressive symptoms.

But it’s important to note that this state of affairs has not come about by accident. This technology has been weaponized against you. This is not conspiracy theory or conjecture; as I pointed out in my podcast on The Weaponization of Social Media, many of the founders of the social media giants don’t even use social media themselves and they actively keep it away from their children. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch Facebook co-founder Sean Parker admitting that they designed their product to keep you addicted by exploiting vulnerabilities in human psychology.

When you realize that all aspects of our online experience—like the red badges and phone buzzers that alert us to new social media notifications—have been precisely fine-tuned to keep you clicking indefinitely, you can at least appreciate that it is not merely a matter of weak will that has led you to this spot.

It is also important to realize that this is not merely a ploy to earn more advertising revenue for the big internet companies. It does do that, of course, but this addiction to (and, ultimately, enslavement to) the very source of our unhappiness if part of a much more insidious agenda. We are being groomed by the hucksters and charlatans of our era to accept the coming integration of man and machine. Or, worse yet, to embrace it.

Never mind that the Borg-like vision of the future propounded by these transhumanists is a nightmare beyond comprehension. Never mind that free will will be rendered meaningless in a world where we are nudged by devices along pre-determined paths. Never mind that privacy will be unthinkable when our every thought will be monitored and analyzed in real time. Never mind that dissent will be impossible when our ability to access the networks upon which our lives are built can be turned off at the flip of the switch. We’ll be able to surf the internet in our head! Where do I sign up?

If you think information overload is bad now, wait until you’re interacting with avatars of your friends in augmented reality while listening to music that only you can hear and ordering your Alexa to adjust the thermostat and order you a pizza for dinner.

So what do we do about this?

If this were just another clickbait listicle designed to give you some trite pieces of warm and fuzzy advice and keep you coming back for more, this is the point where I’d give you a few bullet points about setting a screen time limit on your phone or practicing mindful browsing (searching for something specific instead of scrolling and clicking aimlessly). These things are all well and good, as far as they go . . . but they don’t go far enough, do they?

Because if we really face up to the fact that these devices have been weaponized against us, and that they are leading us into a transhuman future, then we arrive pretty quickly at a conclusion that might put you into a cold sweat: Every time you pick up your device, every time you check that news feed, every time you scroll through your social media notifications, you are putting a loaded gun to your head.

Or, even worse, you are ingesting a little bit of poison. One or two doses won’t hurt. A thousand doses might make you sick, but you can probably handle it. The fatal dose might be the millionth. And if the poison is sweet enough, then, like any addict, you’ll convince yourself that it’s OK to keep taking it; after all, we’ll be able to quit before we get to that millionth hit, won’t we?

And what’s the alternative, anyway? Giving up on this tech altogether? Is that even possible?

These are not rhetorical questions. They are very real questions with answers that have very real consequences for our lives. And I’m not posing these questions from up in the clouds. I make my living online. My life right now revolves around the very information overload that I’m writing about. Will I know where to draw that line in the sand and stop using the tech before it becomes an implantable brain chip? Will you?

Feel free to tell me that I’m being overly dramatic and that there’s nothing to worry about here. But the next time you feel yourself reaching for your phone in a moment of silence or scrolling aimlessly through a news feed with a gnawing sense of emptiness in the pit of your stomach, take a moment to reflect on that sensation. And then see if you can put the phone down.

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CDMX, state authorities won’t comply with court order that tightens air quality standands

Meeting the standard won by Greenpeace would generate ‘economic and social stress’

by Mexico News Daily

Authorities in Mexico City and México state have announced that they won’t comply with a court order to issue an environmental warning when pollution exceeds 100 points on the air quality index because it would cause “economic and social stress.”
Greenpeace was granted a definitive injunction on Monday dictating that contingency measures must be activated when the Imeca index, which measures the quantity of fine particulate contaminants in the air, hits 101.
Under the Mexico City government’s environmental contingency program, a contingency is declared when the Imeca index reaches 150.
While Greenpeace’s stricter pollution standard was endorsed by a judge, the non-governmental organization explained that the ruling allows authorities not to declare a contingency at the lower pollution threshold if doing so would adversely affect the economy, education, public and private transportation and the public in general.
But Greenpeace said that prioritizing the economy over people’s health would be irresponsible, highlighting that 17,000 people per year die in the Mexico City metropolitan area from illnesses related to air pollution.
However, the Environmental Commission of the Megalopolis (CAMe) and the environment secretariats in both Mexico City and México state say that is exactly what they will do.
Had the stricter standard applied since January 1, an environmental contingency would have been declared on all but 19 days so far this year, said CAMe chief Víctor Hugo Páramo.
He explained that around 200 gas stations and 11 LP gas plants would be forced to close on any given day when a warning is in effect.
In addition, more than 2,000 factories would have to reduce their production by 40%, Páramo said.
The CAMe chief also said that declaring a contingency at a lower pollution threshold doesn’t reduce air contamination, adding that people’s health is already protected by the dissemination of information about the risks of exposure to smog.
Mexico City Environment Secretary Marina Robles pointed out that a lot of the measures in Greenpeace’s more stringent standards, such as recommendations not to smoke on high-pollution days and for certain segments of the population to avoid going outdoors, are also set out in the government’s contingency program.
Source: El Universal (sp), La Jornada (sp) 

Over 200 migrants found traveling in truck bearing Pepsi logos
The driver tried unsuccessful to bribe police to let them go

State and Federal Police officers detained 228 Central American migrants while they traveled through Chiapas hidden in a truck disguised with Pepsi logos.
Police gave chase on Highway 190 after the truck driver ignored officers’ requests to pull over. When authorities finally forced the truck to stop near Cintalapa, Chiapas, the driver and another man in the truck attempted to pay police an 80,000-peso bribe (US $4,176) to let them continue on their way.
Instead, police officers arrested the two and turned them over to the public prosecutor’s office.
Inside the truck authorities discovered 228 migrants, including many women and children and all from Central American countries. Police accompanied the migrants to the Cupapé migratory station in the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, where they received medical attention, food and water.
Both PepsiCo and Grupo GEPP, the corporation’s distributor in Mexico, firmly denied any involvement in the incident. They said that the truck’s prominent Pepsi logos were false.
“The unit detained by authorities does not belong to our distribution fleet, nor is it the property of any company belonging to the group, which means that [the logos] were falsified.”
The corporation added that neither the driver nor the passenger are Pepsi employees and that the company did not authorize the use of its logo.
Source: Infobae (sp)

Puerto Morelos residents worry that burning is precursor to development
One resident got up at four in the morning and the whole area was full of smoke

Residents of Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, have spoken out against the burning of forest land, which they believe is a precursor to a new real estate development.
Complaints about the fires on social media caught the attention of Sebastián Torres Perdigón, a researcher in the Faculty of Science at the National Autonomous University.
After traveling to Puerto Morelos to investigate, he told the newspaper Reforma that jungle located near the El Faro residential estate is being set on fire at night.
Firefighters arrive to battle the blazes but fires are set again the very next night, Torres said.
“For two weeks, residents have been complaining that smoke is coming out of the jungle . . . In that area, they’re building new real estate developments in the El Faro, Quinta Mareta and La Palma residential estates,” he said.
“The fires start at about eight at night and continue until two or three in the morning, which is when the smoke begins to be noticed in the residential areas,” Torres added.
He said that trees extending across approximately three kilometers of land have been cleared, a process that residents fear is designed to bring about a land-use change to permit further residential development.
The presence of boundary markers was further evidence, Perdigón said.
During a June 29 visit to the site, the researcher said he noticed that two species of protected trees – the chechem or black poisonwood and zapote or Mexican apple – have also been cut down.
Juan Pedro García Trujillo, a resident of the El Faro estate, told Reforma that the fires have very nearly encroached on his home.
“My house is right next to the jungle, it’s only separated by a wire fence so for us it’s very evident. At night, you notice the smell of smoke. One night I got up at four in the morning and the whole place was full of smoke. We went outside and the jungle was on fire,” he said.
“The next day we walked around the site and saw several hectares had already been cleared. There is a federal road [next to the jungle] where high-voltage electricity lines run and some parts [of the lines] were still burning.”
Karen Daniela Hernández said the constant fires are not only clearing trees but also causing the displacement of fauna.
She and other Puerto Morelos residents have called on the National Forestry Commission and the Secretariat of Agrarian and Urban Planning to take action to stop the fires and to implement an orderly urban expansion strategy.
Source: Reforma (sp).

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Looking for short term work? –2020 census may want you

by Mark Hedin

Ethnic Media Services

The Census Bureau has said it expects to hire about a half-million people nationwide to help in its all-important counting of everybody living in the United States, something the government has done every 10 years since 1790.

That half-million hiring target is a sizable decrease from the last census, in 2010, when the bureau was more dependent on shoe leather than silicon to get the work done. Instead of the 635,000 people hired in 2010 to knock on doors to fill out questionnaires with people who hadn’t gotten theirs to the mailbox, in 2020, for the first time, the government is counting on people filling out their forms online.

The half-million Census Bureau jobs are open to any U.S. citizen who can pass a background check, is at least 18 and possesses a Social Security number. In California, census officials project they will fill or already have filled about 12,800 positions.

“It’s a relatively fluid number, just a projection,” said Celeste Jimenez, assistant regional census manager based in Los Angeles. That’s because for “enumerators,” the biggest category of census workers, the number of people hired will depend on how many people didn’t complete their census questionnaires promptly next year, leading the Census Bureau to hire people who know their communities and languages and can go out into the field and come back with completed questionnaires from the non-responders.

This year, the Census Bureau is focused on setting up and staffing offices across the country and checking and updating the list of addresses used to send people reminders and instructions on filling out the 2020 Census questionnaire online when it is released in mid-March.

In California, where there will be 30 census offices up and down the state, the administrative jobs ꟷ mostly already filled or due to fill soon (https://census.gov/about/regions/los-angeles/jobs/california.html)  ꟷ are expected to last all the way through till the census gathering is completed next summer, at a pay scale ranging from $18 to $51 per hour, depending on the assignment and the location.

The next wave of hiring, for “listers” who will do the address verification work this year, is under way. Those jobs pay from $16.50 to $33 per hour and are expected to last only for a couple of months, including paid training.

To apply for these positions, go to https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html. Yolanda Lazcano, recruiting coordinator for the “Los Angeles Region,” which covers the entire West Coast from California to Alaska, plus Hawaii, Idaho and Nevada, is hoping to recruit 11,000 applicants for approximately 3,500 lister positions in California.

Next year, after mailings are sent out with instructions on the legally required process of filling out the census questionnaires, the biggest wave of hiring will begin: for “field staff” or “enumerators” to do the “non-response follow-up” work that in large part consists of knocking on doors at addresses where residents didn’t file completed questionnaires.

These positions also will be filled through the Census Bureau website: https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html.

The Census Bureau hopes that having people file their questionnaires online will yield billions of dollars in savings on the shoe leather it’s always needed to get those questionnaires completed. It expects at least half of the country’s more than 300 million people to take the online option.

Nonetheless, Lazcano expects that each of California’s 30 census offices will need about 300 enumerators.

In the past, with questionnaires submitted through snail mail, the cost per person of gathering census data had grown to $92 in 2010, from just $16 in 1970, as measured in constant dollars.

The ability to bridge language barriers will be invaluable, and in fact is a requirement for some of the managerial positions the Census Bureau still has open in California, such as this one for a Spanish speaker in Bakersfield (https://census.gov/about/census-careers/opportunities/positions/region-field/cfm/LARO-CFM-CA22.html) or this one for a Chinese-language speaker in the Contra Costa County city of Concord: (https://census.gov/about/census-careers/opportunities/positions/region-field/cfm/LARO-CFM-CA47.html). (The application period for those two positions closes June 14.)

The Census Bureau is touting its jobs as ideal for people just starting their working life who need to establish a record of reliability, for people who can use the frequently evening or weekend hours to supplement jobs they already have, or for retirees who would like to re-enter the workforce in a limited way.

As for the background checks, Lazcano said that hiring will be on a case by case basis, so having a felony conviction, for instance, isn’t necessarily a disqualifier.

Lazcano said bilingual census staff will be needed wherever 5 percent or more of a community is believed to primarily use another language.

Payday comes every week and people using their cars will be reimbursed. Although the jobs are in most cases temporary, the work occasionally can lead to a career.

The state of California also is devoting millions of dollars to help ensure that the 2020 Census includes everyone in the state. As of early June, there are just a few state of California jobs related to the census, listed here (https://census.ca.gov/job-opportunities/). But the state will not be hiring enumerators or listers. That’s the federal Census Bureau’s responsibility.

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SPJ NorCal To Host Shield Law panel at UC Berkeley Journalism School

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

 

SPJ NorCal’s Freedom of Information Committee is hosting a workshop on California’s Shield Law.

Come learn about what the law does and doesn’t cover, as well as examples of how it has been applied with real-world cases. The recent detention and search and seizure of freelance stringer Bryan Carmody has prompted discussions about the Shield Law among local officials and law enforcement alike; it’s time for journalists to come together and do the same. Working journalists and students are invited to attend.

*Pizza and soft drinks to be served

Tuesday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m., at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

 

Gian Marco on tour through SF

Peruvian singer-songwriter, Gian Marco Javier Zignago Alcóver, will be in SF as part of his Intuición Tour USA 2019.

Winner of the Latin Grammy Award for the Best Singer-Songwriter Album three times, first in 2005 for his Album Resucitar, in 2011 for his Album Días Nuevos, and in 2012 for his Album 20 Años.

Though he experienced some solo success with the albums A Tiempo (2002) and Resucitar (2004), both of which were produced by Emilio Estefan, Jr., he was most successful as a songwriter. Among the more notable Latin pop stars who have performed his songs are Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, Alejandro Fernández, Obie Bermúdez, Jon Secada, and Cristian Castro.

On Aug. 3., at 9 p.m. at the Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd, San Francisco.

 

Hispanic Chambers of Commerce 40th Annual Statewide Convention

Expected to be one of the largest, multi-day conventions held in Stockton, over 2,000 attendees will converge on the Stockton Arena including entrepreneurs, small business owners, corporate representatives and policymakers from across the state.

The CHCC State Convention will include dynamic speakers and focus on business training seminars and Chambers of Commerce executive workshops. Key topics and initiatives for the convention include: International Trade, Hispanic Millennials, Latina Empowerment, Procurement, and Corporate Diversity & Inclusion.

Our Small Business Development Center is offering FREE technical assistance for businesses.

So, whether you need legal advice, or a business plan, WE can pair you with experts that offer FREE services saving you hundreds of dollars an hour. The convention also features matchmaking services for companies. Grow your business by getting contracts with state and local agencies, or even large private-sector companies.

We will match you with agencies in need of your services. Awards will be presented during the convention in the categories of: Chamber of the Year; Chamber Executive of the Year; Corporate Partner of the Year; Latina Empresaria Hall of Fame; Minerva Empresaria; Pioneer Empresaria; Rising Star Empresaria; Regional Business Awards; Hispanic Shark of the Year; Oscar De La Hoya Entrepreneurship & Community Excellence; the CHCC Veterans Award; the John Aguilar Procurement Achievement Award and the distinguished Chairman’s Awards.

I hope to see you all at our Annual Convention!

Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 during the CHCC 40th Annual Statewide Convention, in Stockton, CA. Application Deadline is Friday, July 26, 2019 at 6 p.m.

 

Gardening at your Local Library

July gardening programs for all ages, all size gardens

 

This summer the public is invited to dive into the dirt with gardening events at San Francisco branch libraries across the City. Participants can learn about succulents, worm composting and how to garden in an apartment.

They can pick up new plants at the Ortega Branch plant swap or swing by the Portola Branch in San Francisco’s official Garden District to check out the “seed library” or help maintain their flourishing garden. Author/gardening expert Pam Peirce will discuss how to get the most from a small-space San Francisco food garden at the Sunset Branch.

Along with Fog City Gardener, teens and tweens can learn to harvest honey, arrange flowers and support bees.

https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/379730047_sfpl_busscilibrarians/1379653757_celebrating_san_franciscos_conservatory_of_flowers

All San Francisco Public Library programs and exhibits are free and open to the public.

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International partnership supports training of English teachers in Baja California, Mexico

The goal is to graduate 85,000 students with a high level of ability in English

 

by the El Reportero’s wire services

 

Educational institutions in the United States have partnered with the state of Baja California in a project whose goal is to raise the standard of English-language education.

The Inter-American Partnership for Education (IAPE) will team up with the University of California San Diego and the Baja California Education Secretariat to train public school teachers through a method initially designed for the U.S. Peace Corps.

The initiative will introduce a seal of biliteracy that will be awarded to graduating students in recognition of a high level of English-language ability.

The IAPE, a partnership between the Rassias Center for World Languages and Cultures at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and Educando by Worldfund, has operated English-language education programs in Mexico since 2007.

The IAPE was selected to implement the teacher training, which began in December with 32 Baja California middle school teachers.

The partnership seeks to support 340 teachers during the next two years and award the biliteracy seal to 85,000 students. IAPE director Jim Citron said that English-language ability is important in Baja California.

“Baja California is located directly south of the California border and over 50,000 out of the state’s 700,000 students in public elementary and middle schools were born in the U.S. By providing tools for English teachers to include and empower English-speaking students as leaders in the classroom, the project is building bridges across cultures and providing opportunities for advancement for all students.”

According to project organizers, Mexican professionals with English-language skills earn on average 28 percent to 50 percent more.

The partnership aims to address the findings of a 2015 study by the education advocacy organization Mexicanos Primero that 97 percent of middle school students do not achieve the English proficiency level established by the Secretariat of Public Education by the time they graduate.

 

El Chapo brand clothing debuts at Guadalajara fashion show

Brand representatives say that proceeds from sales will support inmate rehabilitation and addictions treatment

A new fashion brand was relegated to a cramped four-square-meter corner at the Intermoda fashion show in Guadalajara this week, but it still managed to be one of the event’s biggest attractions.

The “El Chapo 701” brand drew many curious shoppers with a huge printed image of its namesake, convicted drug trafficker Joaquín Guzmán, and a line of clothing inspired by him.

According to lawyer Gilberto de Anda, El Chapo 701 is owned by Alejandrina Guzmán Salazar, the daughter of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and his first wife María Alejandrina Salazar Hernández.

However, Emma Coronel, Guzmán’s current wife, introduced last week a line of El Chapo clothing and accessories, also using the 701 brand name. She announced in March that Guzmán had signed over the rights to his name.

Some of the products on display this week in Guadalajara were made by prison inmates, and proceeds from sales will go to supporting people in need and the reintegration of inmates into society, de Anda said.

Sales representative Adriana Ituarte told the newspaper Publímetro that some of the proceeds from online sales will go towards supporting an addictions treatment association founded by Alejandrina Guzmán.

The El Chapo 701 catalog includes around 20 items of varying prices, most bearing the 701 brand, which refers to El Chapo’s place on the Forbes list of the richest people in the world in 2009.

The cheapest items are shirts for 701 pesos (US $35), while some jackets and belts are as much as 1,900 pesos.

One of the stand-out pieces from the collection is a line of “piteado” belts, a traditional style of embroidery with thread made from agave plants on leather.

The belts are made by prisoners at the maximum-security Puente Grande prison in Jalisco, from which Guzmán escaped in a laundry cart in 2001.

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The return of Arnold Schwarzenegger featuring Latino main cast: Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna and Diego Boneta!

by the El Reportero’s news services

 

Terminator: Dark Fate”, Colombian actress Natalia Reyes opens up about how training for her role was “tons of work” both physically and emotionally. Plus, the actress explains how the movie reflects what is happening today in our society.

Natalia Reyes is a Colombian Method actress known for her stunning starring role in Sony’s hit series Lady, La Vendedora de Rosas for Latin America (2015 most seen series in Colombia and Netflix Latam), also for her work on Cumbia Ninja (2013).

She was born in Bogotá, where she started acting when she was only 9 years old and after participating in numerous national TV shows, series and films moved to New York in 2011 where she graduated from The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Mexican American Gabriel Luna has been spotted on the set of Terminator 6. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor, best known for inhabiting a version of Ghost Rider on the Marvel series, is playing a new Terminator in the upcoming reboot/sequel. This batch of set photos is the first we’ve seen of him since filming began. Luna looks more or less like himself and not so much like a deadly futuristic robot, but he was caught playing an acoustic guitar on set. Though, that’s probably not making it into the movie.

Diego Boneta is a Mexican American actor, and singer. He will play Miguel Ramos.

Boneta’s role isn’t clear as details are being kept deep in the Cyberdyne vault, but he is said to be playing a human in the reboot that last week saw its release date move from July 26, 2019, to Nov. 22, 2019.

He made his feature debut in the all-star Tom Cruise musical Rock of Ages. He currently stars in The Titan, a sci-fi thriller with Sam Worthington that just hit Netflix, and next toplines Luis Miguel, Netflix’s Spanish-language biopic series that tells of the story of one of the biggest singers from Latin America and is set to debut April 23.

Leave the children at home, Terminator: Dark Fate will have an R rating, which requires that children under 17 be accompanied by a tutor in the United States.

 

Premios Juventud 2019: The 6 Best Performances

Anuel AA and Farruko perform on stage during Premios Juventud 2019 at Watsco Center on July 18, 2019 in Coral Gables, Fla.

The 16th annual Premios Juventud gala was celebrated on Thursday (July 18), and Latin stars took over the stage, leaving their soul in every live performance.

Artists like Romeo Santos, Farruko, Maluma and Karol G performed, along with the new generation of singers like Angela Aguilar, Guaynaa, Lunay and Tini.

The 16th edition of Premios Juventud celebrated music, pop culture, digital media, fashion, TV and social media during a four-hour live show that included performances supporting the new generation of urban music such as Guaynaa, Lunay and Sech.

The highlight of the night definitely was Daddy Yankee’s speech, dedicated to his homeland’s crisis.

“I claim the governor to hand over his position in a peaceful, reasonable and diplomatic manner,” he said. “Even though I travel the world, my final destination is always my home, Puerto Rico.”

Maluma and Jesse & Joy were the first artists to receive the “Agente de Cambio,” honoring their humanitarian work. Two young Latinos, Alondra Toledo and Carlos Osuna, were also honored with the trophy for their leadership and positive contributions to the community.

The singer-songwriter and dancer Argentina, Emilia, shined in the event. On the night of the Awards the young woman dazzled during her presentation to present the musical collaboration between Pedro Capo, Farruko and Lali “Calma”. She recently released her single Recaclienta.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Individual power and ethics: the conversation that never was

by Jon Rappoport

 

It’s no accident that the concept of individual power is surrounded by clouds of timidity and fear and cultural resentment.

People are warned that touching it produces a substantial electric shock.

“Me? Individual power? I never said I was in favor of it. Great individual power? Don’t pin that on me. Who’s accusing me? I’ll sue them! I’m for humility in all things.”

Perhaps the most famous statement ever delivered on this subject came from Lord Acton (1887): “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

For many, this closes the book on discussion.

But in fact, it is a wobbling prelude.

What about the creative power of the individual?

Especially, what about that power when it is deployed by a person who has a personal code of ethics?

What if that code is summarized in the simple statement: I am free to do what I want to, as long as I don’t interfere with another person’s freedom?

We’re not talking about what happens when a king has a position of ultimate authority. That throne, of course, carries with it an implication of interfering with the freedom of the king’s subjects. The corruption is there from the start.

But the creative power of the individual, his goal to exert as much power as possible to fulfill his desires in the world, to launch and sustain an enterprise of his own choosing, to imagine and extend the reaches of such an enterprise—suppose he possesses ethics—suppose he refuses to interfere with, and override, the freedom of another person.

Many people have a fear of their own creative power, of what they would do if they removed the constraints on their own “proper place in the world.” Therefore, because of that fear, they oppose others having power.

Organized religion has always stuck its nose into the drama as well. What a religion claims is the ultimate power, and where it comes from, is inserted into the mix. A religion always assumes its picture of the Deity is the correct one, AND IT OWNS THAT PICTURE.

The notion of unlimited individual power, backed up by personal ethics, is anathema. It threatens the spiritual monopoly. So the religion invents cautionary tales that pile up into the sky.

One of the tales, time-honored, and adopted in one form or another by governments and “humanitarian groups” is: people are inherently weak and greedy, so allowing them to exercise ANY kind of power at all is madness. Instead, power must be managed by “the people,” by “those who care,” by “the needs of Mother Earth,” by “the Universe,” by “socialists,” by “economic and political planners (technocrats),” by “the oppressed (it’s their turn),” by “the big We,” by “international cooperation,” by “a wise global court (who runs it?),” by the man in the moon, by the beneficent aliens from the Galactic League…

Then there is language manipulation. An individual seeking to imagine and create his most profound dream as fact in the world is “acting like a god”—and that is a cardinal sin of the first order. (Therefore, be humble, be weak, be passive. You’ll earn a cosmic gold star on the blackboard.)

Or such an individual (wanting power) must be “a greedy capitalist,” representing “the worst system ever devised for human interaction.”

Or such an individual is “dangerous,” because “he places his needs before the needs of others.”

Or such an individual is “mentally ill,” because no one in his right mind would display such confidence in his own vision of his future.

In every case, the people behind promoting these perverse distortions want to wield power over others themselves. Quite a coincidence.

They’re always playing a shell game. They’re trying to take power from the individual and transfer it to themselves or those they support.

They always assume they know who “the good people” are, the people who won’t abuse power.

To put it in a slightly different way, they believe they don’t have the capacity to create and build an enterprise based on their deepest desires, if left to their own devices. Therefore, no one else should be allowed to.

They have no substantial ethics. Therefore, no one else has authentic ethics, either.

This discussion moves into the realm of “the many” vs. “the few.” It goes this way: suppose there are a few individuals who can, in fact, take their most profound vision and turn it into reality. They are the exception. For most of humanity, this is impossible. THEREFORE, stop the few. Why? Because their ability is inherently unfair.

That argument, rarely voiced, champions “democracy” as the lowest common denominator. Lift no one up. Instead, sink everyone in a shared swamp.

These days, this perverse approach has added a new topping: every difference of talent, will power, determination, ambition, imagination, creativity, refusal to surrender is a sign of privilege. Privilege is society’s bias. Eliminate it, thereby eliminating all the above qualities.

Then what remains? Nothing of substance.

If the independent individual looked ONLY outward to discover what standard he should uphold, what voice he should adopt, what theory he should cling to, what behavior he should imitate, he would cease being what he is in an hour.

He would order himself to stop thinking about power.

Individual power: Within it can be born great achievements and futures.

Jon Rappoport

The author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX,

 

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Stockpiling food for the long haul: Some essentials will last forever as long as they’re sealed

by Stephanie Díaz

 

In this day and age, it’s hard to imagine that there would be a time where the supply of food is limited. The Japanese felt the same way before the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings occurred – the entire country starved for months and many children died because of hunger and malnutrition.

It is essential to have a steady food supply in a disastrous situation. Fortunately, there is a wide variety of food that can last for the long haul, as long as they are properly stored. (h/t to AskAPrepper.com).

Shelf-stable food items that will last for years

There is an abundance of food that can be stockpiled. These foods are shelf-stable and could last for a long time in storage. The list below details some of these foods and ways to protect them during storage. (Related: 10 affordable food and nutritional items you can stockpile before the big crisis hits.)

Baking soda

Baking soda is shelf-stable and can last for years. It can be used for baking bread and can be added to certain foods. If you scour recipe books, you will find that baking soda has many other uses outside of cooking.

Baking soda is hygroscopic and will clump when there is excess moisture. Ensure that baking soda containers are well sealed to keep it from going bad.

Grains

Grains are a good source of carbohydrates and will give you the energy boost that you need in case SHTF. The best way to protect grains is by putting them in a vacuum sealed plastic. This air-tight packaging will prevent moisture from seeping in. It will also prevent growth and infestation of weevils and other pests.

During ancient times, people used to put grains in clay pots. Nowadays, people use plastic buckets and foil pouches to store grains. Adding a piece of oxygen absorber will ensure that the grains will not turn rancid and will last for years to come.

Popcorn

The non-microwaveable kind of popcorn will not turn rancid if stored properly. Like grains, you can place popcorn in airtight containers to keep it fresh. Popcorn can be milled and turned into starch that can be used as an ingredient for bread and cookies. You can also use starch to thicken soups and other savory dishes.

Salt

Salt does not expire and can be used as a preservative. When added to food, salt binds with excess water to reduce the amount of moisture. Consequently, this creates a dehydrating effect in food and makes it harder for bacteria and mold to survive.

Store salt in a cool and dry place to keep it away from moisture.

Beans

Beans are a staple food in many parts of the world. Just like popcorn, you can mill beans and convert it to flour, which you can then use for baking. There is a wide variety of beans available in the market. Chickpeas, mung beans, and white kidney beans are some examples of legumes that you can find in your local grocery.

Beans from the shelves are not packaged for long-term use. Thus, it is important to transfer these legumes into air-tight containers to make sure that they last for years.

Sugar

Aside from being a source of energy, sugar can be used to preserve food. It is the main ingredient of jams, jellies, and preserves.

As long as you keep it in a cool and dry place, sugar is going to last for a long time. However, you must make sure that it is stored in a tightly sealed container to prevent ant infestation.

This list only scratches the surface. There are plenty of shelf-stable food in the market that you can add to your coffer of emergency food. (Natural News).

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López Obrador will go after El Chapo’s assets; ‘they belong to Mexico’

But US lawmakers also have their eyes on the money—if there is any

 

by the El Reportero’s wire services

 

President López Obrador will seek to seize the assets of former drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, although some United States lawmakers have already got their eyes on the loot.

A United States federal judge sentenced Guzmán to life in prison plus 30 years yesterday and ordered him to pay US $12.6 billion in reparation. The amount is the estimated value of the drugs he was accused of smuggling into the U.S.

López Obrador said today that he believed the money rightfully belonged to Mexico.

“I believe that everything confiscated that has to do with Mexico should be returned to Mexico, to the Mexican people, and I believe that the United States government is going to agree to turn [it] over . . . but we have to go through the process, because I don’t remember another time when [the Mexican government] has asked for resources to be returned.”

The president said that while previous administrations had never asked for the return of confiscated drug money, the possibility had been brought to his attention by Guzmán’s lawyer, José Luis González Meza.

“I listened to El Chapo’s lawyer, and he said something interesting: that the confiscated money legally belonged to Mexico in any case. And we will be looking into the matter. I agree with what El Chapo’s lawyer said, and we’re going to look into it.”

But some U.S. congressmen, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse have other ideas. They say the money should be used to fund President Trump’s border wall.

López Obrador said he did not expect the amount to be as large as estimated.

“Before they said that [he] was one of the richest [people] in the world, but I don’t believe that actually coincided with reality. They inflated the numbers when in reality there were other traffickers with much more money, but they inflated them for political reasons or for publicity. Now we need to look at his wealth seriously and honestly.”

Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has been given the task of recuperating the former drug trafficker’s fortune, whatever it’s worth.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Financiero (sp)

 

El Chapo attempted to dig a second escape tunnel after his capture in 2016

Odd noises, suspicious behavior led to the tunnel’s discovery

Mexico’s most famous drug lord, already renowned for building one escape tunnel, was planning another three years ago in a bid to make a third escape from jail after he was captured in January 2016.

Nuevo León prison official Eduardo Guerrero Durán told the state news agency Notimex that a second tunnel was found at the Altiplano federal prison in México state, where the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel was incarcerated following his arrest on January 8, 2016 in Los Mochis, Sinaloa.

Six months earlier, “El Chapo” had escaped from the same prison via a 1.6-kilometer-long tunnel that led to the bathroom in his cell.

Guerrero said that after the second tunnel was discovered, Guzmán – who was entenced in a New York court yesterday to life imprisonment – was transferred to a penitentiary in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, before he was extradited to the United States in January 2017.

The tunnel was detected after prison staff noticed noises emanating from Guzmán’s bathroom, to which the notorious drug lord went frequently, the official explained.

While in the bathroom, Guzmán would repeatedly flush the toilet.

As a result of the noises and suspicious behavior, a study of the soil beneath the prison was carried out and the second tunnel was found.

There was also a reference during Guzmán’s trial of his wish to make another prison escape after his 2016 capture.

Dámaso López, a former Sinaloa Cartel leader who was previously a security chief at the Jalisco prison from which “El Chapo” escaped in 2001, testified that Guzmán’s wife, Emma Coronel, approached him to discuss a third prison break.

“My comadre [female friend] sought me out to tell me that my compadre [buddy] wanted to escape again, [to ask] if I would help him again,” López told jurors.

It is unclear whether he was involved in planning the excavation of the second tunnel.

The witness – sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States last year on drug trafficking charges – also testified that he and other officials at the Puente Grande maximum security prison took bribes from Guzmán during his first incarceration in exchange for providing him with a range of perks such as new shoes, a mobile telephone and secret visits with his wife and other family members.

López quit his security job in September 2000 but told jurors that before he left he had a final meeting with Guzmán, who asked him to speak with the new security chief so that his perks would be preserved.

Four months later, the drug lord was wheeled out of the prison in a laundry cart and would remain a free, albeit wanted, man for the next 13 years.

Guzmán’s lengthy and notorious criminal career came to an official end yesterday when federal Judge Brian Cogan imposed a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment plus 30 years. He was found guilty on 10 drug trafficking charges in February.

United States authorities have not yet made any formal announcement but Guzmán is likely to spend the rest of his life at the “Supermax” prison in Florence, Colorado, the country’s most secure penitentiary where tunneling out might be a challenge.

According to a report in the New York Post, he was on his way to the facility Wednesday night.

Since it opened in 1994, no one has ever escaped from the federal prison that is officially called United States Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility.

Located 185 kilometers south of Denver and nicknamed “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” the prison is home to a who’s who of notorious criminals.

Among the 376 inmates are domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski, known as the “Unabomber,” September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols, “shoe bomber” Richard Reid and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Prisoners are typically confined to their solitary cells for 23 hours a day, where they may watch television or gaze out a narrow window that is angled upward so that only the sky is visible.

Special restrictions ensure inmates cannot make threats or exert influence in the outside world. Prisoners are escorted during all movements and head counts are done at least six times a day, the news agency Reuters reported.

“It’s very well designed for its purpose, to hold the most dangerous offenders in the federal prison system,” said Martin Horn, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and former commissioner of the city’s Department of Correction.

He told Reuters that the Florence “Supermax” prison “is literally built into the side of a mountain, with a robust security infrastructure.”

“Could Guzmán penetrate that?” Horn was asked.

“I would never say never,” he responded, “but it’s highly unlikely.”

Source: Notimex (sp), Infobae (sp), Reforma (sp), Reuters (en).

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El Chapo’s mother appeals to Trump for US visa

Joaquín Guzmán will likely be sentenced next week to life in prison

by the El Reportero’s wire services

Reports that United States authorities issued a visa last month to the mother of convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán appear to have been incorrect.


Yesterday, a lawyer for Guzmán said Consuelo Loera has sent a letter to United States President Donald Trump requesting a humanitarian visa to enter the United States and to plead for justice for her son.


José Luis Rodríguez Meza told Radio Fórmula that the letter was delivered but a response has not been received, nor has there been any word about the status of Loera’s visa application.


“We haven’t gotten any information from the embassy but, well, we’re confident that Trump will give her the visa, at least, because it would be a humanitarian act,” José Luis Rodríguez Meza said.


In February, Loera wrote President López Obrador, asking for his help to visit her son. He agreed to do so.


El Chapo was convicted by a United States jury in February for a slate of drug trafficking charges and will be sentenced on July 17. Prosecutors are asking for life imprisonment plus 30 years.
Source: Milenio (sp)

Mexico Doubles Consular Budget to face Trump Raids


The Government of Mexico doubled the consular budget for its strategy to serve Mexican irregular immigrants in the United States in the face of the raids that Donald Trump will initiate, the Foreign Ministry announced today.


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) reported it has doubled the amount of financial resources for these purposes when warning that before the electoral process in the United States and Trump’s intention to be re-elected, Mexicans will become the center of their anti-immigrant campaign.


Mexico alerted citizens located on the other side of the border that are on the verge of massive raids and deportations set for next Sunday, which has sown fear among nationals and placed on alert the 52 consulates of Mexico in the neighboring country.


During the first quarter of the year, the Ministry of Finance approved additional resources for four Foreign Ministry units responsible for the defense of migrants abroad, with a total of one thousand 234 million pesos (about 70 million dollars), areas that had a budget of barely half that amount.


Mexican Foreign Ministry sources recalled that US governors and mayors opposed to the Trump plan announced they will implement measures to help families of migrants affected by the raids.


They indicated the operation is aimed at two thousand people in at least 10 cities and could include ‘collateral deportations’, which means that those who are in place with the wanted migrants will also be apprehended by the agents.


In that sense, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, and the Office of Immigrant Affairs, asked to be aware of the rights of the undocumented if a federal migration agent arrives at his home or approaches in a public place.

Venezuelan Government and Opposition Agree on Permanent Dialogue


Venezuela’s government and opposition have agreed to set up a platform for ongoing negotiations to resolve the country’s simmering political crisis after three days of talks in Barbados, mediator nation Norway said Thursday.


Representatives of President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido met from Monday to Wednesday in the Caribbean island nation for negotiations, which Maduro has hailed as successful.


The Barbados talks were an extension of the first round of negotiations in Oslo in May, which ended with no concrete advances.


“After an intense day of work, we developed six points with the government of Norway and the opposition,” Maduro said Thursday in a television and radio interview, though he did not specify what the points were.

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