Hamas Attack: It Wasn’t An “Intelligence Failure”

Recently, the New York Times reported that “Israel knew Hamas’s attack plan more than a year ago.” Code-named “Jericho Wall,”

BYDR. DAN STEINBOCK
DECEMBER 25, 2023

A night-time bombardment of Gaza City. © UNICEF/Eyad El Baba

Withing hours after October 7, Israeli headlines told the story: “This is our 9/11.” In reality, the Hamas-Israel War is about ethnic cleansing coupled with economic struggle for energy. In effect, Israeli intelligence did not fail. The far-right political leadership did.

Recently, the New York Times reported that “Israel knew Hamas’s attack plan more than a year ago.” Code-named “Jericho Wall,” the 40-page blueprint outlined the kind of lethal invasion that resulted in the death of some 1,200 Israelis. The document was circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts determined an attack of that scale and ambition was beyond Hamas’s capabilities.[i]

The Times report reverberated internationally. But it wasn’t a scoop.

Neglect of warnings, gender bias

After October 7, Israeli media has released several critical pieces indicating that many intelligence analysts’ warnings were ignored. What was new in the Times piece was the blueprint document. Underpinning all these ignored warnings was the flawed belief that Hamas lacked the capability to attack and would not dare to do so.

This belief was fostered by two tacit factors. First, gender bias and sexism. The longer that the militarization has prevailed in Israel, the more the country’s gender gap has deepened. Today, Israel ranks at the level of El Salvador and Uganda in this regard.[ii] Since October 7, testimonies from members of the mainly female look-out units have bolstered accusations that Netanyahu’s leadership fatally misread the dangers from Gaza.

Not just Netanyahu, but senior politicians from across the political spectrum bought into the idea, which was also touted by Israel Defense Forces and eventually Shin Bet. “It’s infuriating,” said Maya Desiatnik soon after October 7. “We saw what was happening, we told them about it, and we were the ones who were murdered.”

Desiatnik is from Nahal Oz, where 20 women border surveillance soldiers were murdered by Hamas.

Figure 1 Maya Desiatnik: “We saw what was happening”

Source: “Surveillance soldiers warned of Hamas activity on Gaza border for months before Oct. 7.” Times of Israel, Oct 26, 2023

Intelligence failure – or not

Second, half a century of occupation has left an impact not just on popular opinion but on analytical assessments. The idea that Hamas lacked capability to attack was predicated on the notion that “they” wouldn’t be as imaginative as “we” can be.

Based on 1-2 years of evidence, Hamas militants trained for the brutal attacks in at least six sites across Gaza in plain sight and less than a 1.5 km from Israel’s heavily fortified and monitored border, as even CNN reported in early October.[iii]

Worse, many testimonies by Israeli witnesses to the Hamas attack add to growing evidence that the Israeli military killed its own citizens as it struggled to neutralize Palestinian gunmen. As one witness said to Israel Radio: “[Israeli special forces] eliminated everyone, including the hostages.”[iv]

In the 1980s, the Operation Cyclone led the U.S. to train, arm and finance a generation of Islamist fedayeen in Afghanistan, including Osama Bin Laden. Netanyahu’s governments thought they could exploit Hamas; not that Hamas could exploit them.

But if the intelligence failure wasn’t a failure at all, what was it?

From the start, Israel’s counter-offensive has relied on a rhetoric of targeted killing, but with actual focus on the destruction of Gaza. In view of the Israeli military, their operation comprises tactical military targets; underground targets such as tunnels; but particularly power targets like high-rises and residential towers; and operatives’ family homes. In past wars, military and underground targets were in the key role. Now it belongs to power and family-home targets. The real objective is maximum harm to the Palestinian civil society.[v]

A prelude to the West Bank?

There are almost no Palestinians remaining in the vast area stretching east from Ramallah to the outskirts of Jericho. Most of the communities who lived in the area have fled for their lives in recent months as a result of intensifying Israeli settler violence and land seizures, backed by the Israeli army and state institutions. Israeli settlers have chased out entire Palestinian communities in Area C.[vi] The area that just happens to stand “above sizeable reservoirs of oil and natural gas wealth,” as UNCTAD stressed already in the late 2010s.

In the past, ethnic cleansing had mainly demographic objectives. Today, it also serves economic agendas. The consequent damage can no longer be considered collateral but intended.

International media “discovered” the West Bank’s settler violence mainly in fall 2023. But it’s not a new phenomenon. But it turned more open, blatant and destructive after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the mid-‘90s (Figure 2)

Figure 2 Intimidation of the West Bank’s Palestinians
Graffiti on a house: “Graffiti such as “Die Arab Sand-Niggers!” is often sprayed on Palestinian houses by Israeli settlers. Hebron, West Bank, Palestine. Date: May 3, 2002
Source: Wikimedia Commons

The prospect of the Second Nakba

What once stood between the Netanyahu government and the grandiose plans for a Greater Jewish Israel with abundant energy reserves was Gaza. Hence, the frantic activity of the Biden administration and the subdued silence of Brussels. Both like the ensuing energy scenarios, but detest the bad PR. Ultimately, it is the demographic agendas, deeply ingrained in decades of ethnic cleansing, that are now coupled with economic energy aspirations.

In this view, the Israeli intelligence did not fail on October 7. It did its job; it warned the policymakers about the impending threat. It’s the political leadership that failed.

Purposeful or not, this neglect serves the far-right government’s tacit political objectives to neutralize Gaza and Palestinian sovereignty by displacing the Gazans; and to advance preconditions for Palestinian expulsions from the West Bank (Figure 3).

Figure 3 Dante’s Inferno, 2023

After an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal in Gaza City on October 9, 2023.
Source: Wikimedia Commons (Wafa)

There is a dark trade-off, though. The ensuing Israel would no longer be the secular, Jewish-Arab democracy it was once supposed to become. Rather, it may trend toward a militarized, neoliberal Jewish autocracy that most Israelis intensely oppose, but American financiers prefer. Milton Friedmans need their Pinochets. The external chasm between Jews and Palestinians would be replaced by internal divides between rich and poor, secular and religious, Western and Eastern Jews.

Here’s the inconvenient truth: The First Nakba resulted from ethnic expulsions most of which preceded the Israeli independence in 1948. The Second Nakba would also be about sovereignty over gas and oil, should international community allow it. And if it will, make no mistake about it: Our humanity will no longer be the same.

What happens in Palestine won’t stay in Palestine.

The original 7,400-word analysis was published by The World Financial Review (December-January issue), see https://worldfinancialreview.com/displacing-a-nation-what-led-to-and-caused-the-gaza-israel-catastrophe/

[i] Bergman, R. and Goldman, A. 2023. “Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago.” New York Times, Nov 30.

[ii] Global Gender Gap Report 2023. World Economic Forum, Aug.

[iii] Murphy, P. 2023. “Hamas militants trained for its deadly attack in plain sight and less than a mile from Israel’s heavily fortified border.” CNN, Oct 12.

[iv] “October 7 testimonies reveal Israel’s military ‘shelling’ Israeli citizens with tanks, missiles.” The Grayzone, Oct 27, 2023, based on Haaretz reporting.

[v] Abraham 2023, op.cit.

[vi] Ziv, O. 2023. “It’s like 1948’: Israel cleanses vast West Bank region of nearly all Palestinians.” +792 Magazine, Nov 30; Hawash, I. A. 2023. ““If you don’t leave, we’ll kill you’: Hundreds flee Israeli settler violence in Hebron area.” +972 Magazine, Nov 22.

Dr. Dan Steinbock is an internationally recognized strategist of the multipolar world and the founder of Difference Group. He has served at India, China and America Institute (US), Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (China) and the EU Center (Singapore). For more, see https://www.differencegroup.net/

Beyond Borders and Billionaires at COP28: Rethinking Elite Accountability for Climate Justice

At least of 25% of the billionaires who participated as representatives at COP28 have amassed their wealth through sectors like petrochemicals, mining, and beef production.

BYRAMEEN SIDDIQUI
DECEMBER 25, 2023

photo: Unsplash

At least of 25% of the billionaires who participated as representatives at COP28 have amassed their wealth through sectors like petrochemicals, mining, and beef production. The collective net worth of the 34 billionaires that were present totaled approximately $495.5 billion.

Introduction

The global community is currently facing twin conundrums of the escalating climate crisis and the widening wealth inequality. Strikingly, it is the richest individuals, corporations, and nations who contribute the most to greenhouse gas emissions, thereby endangering our planet. Meanwhile, it is those already experiencing hardship—such as the impoverished, marginalized communities, and countries in the Global South—who bear the brunt of these adverse effects. Furthermore, among these vulnerable groups, women, girls, Indigenous Peoples, and others facing discrimination suffer disproportionately. Though the consequences of climate change affect people worldwide, it is only the wealthiest who possess the resources, power, and means to shield themselves from its fallout. Such an advantage brings with it immense responsibility. Notably, the adverse effects become even more pronounced when economic inequality intersects with other forms of disadvantages, such as gender, ethnicity, and age. Consequently, an incredibly unjust reality takes shape: wealthy individuals and affluent nations are essentially steering the climate crisis, while those grappling with poverty, marginalization, and low-income circumstances are bearing the heaviest burdens.

Global Billionaire wealth at COP28

Approximately one-fourth of the billionaires who had registered as delegates for COP28 have garnered their immense wealth from industries like petrochemicals, mining, and beef production. When combining the net worth of all 34 billionaires in attendance, an astounding sum of around $495.5 billion is reached.

The attendance of multiple billionaires at COP28, coupled with their utilization of private jets, raises valid concerns about the perception of the summit as an event catering to the world’s ultra-rich. Such a gathering may create avenues for these individuals to exert influence over government leaders, politicians, and business associates, potentially shaping climate policy decisions. Moreover, instances where billionaire delegates have business connections with the host nations, as seen in the collaboration between Egyptian investor Nassef Sawiris and the UAE’s Adnoc for “blue ammonia” exploration, bring attention to potential conflicts of interest and underscore the importance of transparency in such partnerships.

Wealth and Climate action at crossroads

Oxfam’s insightful investigation has unveiled a distressing truth: a noteworthy percentage of the billionaire delegates present at the UN climate summit, known as COP28, have built their fortunes upon industries notorious for their high levels of pollution. On the official COP28 website, Andrey Melnichenko’s foundation is categorized as a “climate supporter” despite reports indicating that his companies have invested around $23 billion into coal and fertilizer production over the last 15 years. Interestingly, four of the billionaires attending the summit were granted party badges, granting them access to the negotiations in the blue zone. Additionally, another 11 billionaires held host country badges as they were invited by the United Arab Emirates. These include renowned figures such as Aliko Dangote, a prominent cement and oil tycoon from Nigeria, Mukesh Ambani, the head of an Indian oil and gas conglomerate who serves on the Cop28 presidency’s international advisory panel, and the esteemed Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft in the US, whose nuclear company recently forged a deal with the UAE.

Carbon Inequality

To witness the iniquitous carbon divide at play, delegates at COP28 only need to step out of the confines of the Conference center in Dubai. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) presents a stark illustration of extreme wealth disparity, largely stemming from the accumulation of riches by its rulers through oil and gas extraction in the desert. This and the appalling conditions endured by the migrant workforce, which constitutes a staggering 80% of the population, have contributed significantly to this inequality. Its ruler, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, stands as the scion of what some deem the wealthiest dynasty on the planet. Their wealth, reportedly surpassing $300 billion, primarily hails from owning 6% of the world’s oil reserves. Consequently, the family’s investments have resulted in a striking climate footprint.

In sharp contrast, on one end of the equation resides the vulnerable migrant labor force bearing the brunt of climate ramifications. Hailing mostly from Pakistan, India, the Philippines, and North Africa, these individuals toil on construction sites, in restaurants, and as office cleaners, earning meager monthly incomes ranging from $300 to $750—a trifling amount that barely covers their rent. Their carbon consumption remains negligible, with their primary concern being dangerously high climate exposure. Countless labor outdoors in temperatures that routinely surpass 40°C (104°F), leading to an unsettling proportion of heatstroke cases.

Polluter Elite

Climate anxiety manifests differently based on one’s income group. For individuals in lower income groups, it brings about fear of the intensifying threats of heatwaves and floods. Conversely, for those in the upper echelons of wealth, it entails concerns about the emerging desperation and social unrest driven by climate-related challenges. Billionaires often inhabit protected environments shielded at considerable financial and environmental costs. It is increasingly evident that the climate crisis exacerbates inequality, just as inequality concomitantly worsens the climate crisis. Researchers deduce that every million metric tonnes of carbon emissions result in 226 additional deaths globally. Applying this “mortality cost” formula, Oxfam notes that the emissions from the richest 1% alone in a single year could potentially lead to 1.3 million deaths over the next several decades as a consequence of excessive heat and other climate-related impacts.

The individuals who wield decision-making power at COP28—an array of high-ranking politicians such as US senators, British ministers, and European commissioners—tend to fall within the top 1% of income earners. Interestingly, corporate CEOs, accompanied by their flock of influential lobbyists who frequently swarm to COP summits, often showcase even greater wealth and possess more substantial investments in carbon-intensive assets. Within boardrooms, a combination of share options and bonus structures has created an unfortunate incentive for executives in the oil industry to staunchly oppose climate action initiatives.

According to analysis by Influence Maps, a significant portion of companies owned by billionaires attending COP28 do not actively support the targets set forth in the Paris Agreement. Their findings highlight that only a limited few of these companies align their climate policies with the Paris Agreement’s objectives.

Way Forward

The wealthiest 1% of the global population is responsible for more carbon emissions than the combined emissions of the poorest 66%. This alarming disparity not only amplifies the hardships faced by vulnerable communities, but also undermines the global push to combat the climate emergency. While the solution to this predicament may appear multifaceted, it can be summarized in a straightforward manner. Many experts and advocates believe that the power to address the climate crisis lies in the hands of politicians who must immediately regain control by enacting strong legislation and policies. Oxfam specifically calls for a wealth tax and a windfall tax on corporations based on the “polluter pays” principle, thus placing a greater burden on those who are both most accountable for and financially capable of addressing the crises.

Encouragingly, progressive thinkers suggest that an essential component of the solution entails fostering a class-conscious political discourse that recognizes the significant role played by the affluent and the capitalist system as major catalysts of the climate crisis.

The participation of billionaires with connections to polluting industries in COP28 sheds light on the intricate dynamics between wealth, business interests, and climate negotiations. As the global community grapples with the pressing issues brought forth by climate change, it becomes paramount to closely examine the involvement of influential individuals and prioritize environmental well-being over immediate business gains when formulating climate policies. By doing so, we can strive to create a sustainable and prosperous future for all.


Rameen Siddiqui 
I am a young leader and activist and my main focus areas are Sustainable Development, Political Economy and Advocacy. Also a Youth Member of United Nations Association of Pakistan (UNAP), Currently pursuing BS Economics and Finance from Greenwich University.

Japan’s decision to ship Patriot missiles to the U.S. to help backfill stocks of air-defense systems for Ukraine has surprised analysts focusing on Indo-Pacific affairs.

NEWSROOM
DECEMBER 26, 2023

army-technology.com.

Many have questioned the rationale of taking weapons out of the Indo-Pacific for a battle in Europe when the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has said all along that China is the pacing threat.

The transfer of Patriots was a request from the U.S. side. This suggests that the Biden administration has concluded that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is not imminent. While many in Washington agree to that assessment, some oppose shifting attention away from the Indo-Pacific.

The government of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida “has made a fundamental error in going along with the Biden administration’s prioritization of Europe,” said Elbridge Colby, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development.

“We have sent weapons that we cannot replace in a timely fashion, we have distracted the attention of the defense industrial base and we’ve spent over $100 billion on Ukraine,” said Colby, co-founder and principal at Washington strategic think tank The Marathon Initiative.

“Japan cannot say, ‘We should go along with Ukraine and we’ll wait our turn.’ Asia needs to come first,” Colby, said. “That is the rhetorical position of the U.S., but it has to be the actual position.”

Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, called it a “shortsighted decision,” both by Japan and the U.S.

“Most assessments suggest that Japan doesn’t have enough air defense to defend its own air bases in the event of a Chinese attack. To draw down its stocks further incurs a significant risk,” she said.

Last year, the Japanese Defense Ministry announced that the country currently only holds around 60% of interceptor missiles needed to defend the country.

To conform to its pacifist constitution, Japan maintains that such weapons cannot be shipped to countries at war. With this transfer of Patriots to the U.S., “the destination is the U.S. and the end user is the U.S. military,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Under these rules, the Patriots provided by Tokyo cannot go directly to Ukraine. But by backfilling U.S. inventories, it offers the U.S. more freedom to send American-made air-defense systems to Ukraine.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan issued a statement Friday welcoming Japan’s easing of arms export restrictions.

The best environmental journalism of 2023

From offsetting in Guinea to a profile of one the UK’s most interesting politicians: the stories we wish we had written in 2023

Joe Sandler Clarke@JSandlerClarke

Living and breathing on the front line of a toxic chemical zone, New York Times, Eric Lipton

As the Biden administration looked to limit the exposure to cancer-causing pollutants from chemical plants across the US, Eric Lipton visited communities in Deer Park, Texas, to learn about what life is like in the shadow of the industry. A recent study by the US Environmental Protection Agency found that people living within six miles of chemical plants mainly in Texas and Louisiana faced an elevated risk of cancer. For Juan López, who works at a chemical facility near his home, he’s forced to trade-off between financial security and the health risk to his family. “I always felt like it was only me that was getting exposed, because I am working in the tanks with the chemicals. When the smell comes, all we can really do is try to keep everyone inside. Is that enough? I just don’t know.”

Big Oil is selling off its polluting assets — with unintended consequences, The Washington Post, Rachel Chason

A sophisticated story from the Washington Post about how flaring and environmental damage has increased at sites in Nigeria since majors like Shell abandoned mature assets in the country. As big oil companies look to reduce emissions and refocus on new ventures, what does the future hold for oil producing regions like the Niger Delta?

‘Hard to breathe’: Myanmar communities forced to live among world’s trash, Frontier Myanmar and Lighthouse Reports

What happens to the world’s rubbish has been a preoccupation at Unearthed for years. This piece from the NGO Frontier Myanmar and Lighthouse Reports shows evidence that the latest dumping ground is in Yangon, Myanmar, with companies taking advantage of loopholes and a lack of transparency to send waste to the city.

Revealed: Colonial rule nearly doubles UK’s historical contribution to climate change, Carbon Brief

Carbon Brief is an important and authoritative source for anyone covering climate change and the environment. There are a few pieces from them we could have chosen for this list, but we wanted to highlight this article for making the idea of climate justice and the question of who bears responsibility for the current crisis more tangible.

Media blitz against heat pumps funded by gas lobby group, DeSmog, Phoebe Cooke

There has been a clear push in recent years to put the way we heat our homes and cook our meals at the centre of a tedious culture war. Ron Desantis, Florida Governor and increasingly forlorn Presidential candidate, has pledged to go to war for gas stoves. Closer to home, recent years have seen a plethora of stories about the apparent failings of new heating systems. This piece by Phoebe Cooke suggested that the furore over heat pumps was partly generated by a PR campaign funded by the gas lobby.

‘They treat you like an animal’: How British farms run on exploitation, TBIJ and Vice World News, Emiliano Mellino, Rudra Pangeni, and Charles Boutaud

Workers at farms supplying some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets were forced to endure intense heat, gail force winds, and left in debt and destitution after being underpaid by exploitative bosses. This piece by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Vice World News highlights concerns about the UK’s food system after Brexit and led the UK’s former independent anti-slavery commissioner to conclude that conditions of forced labour are present on UK farms.

How the World Bank Group is enabling the deaths of endangered chimps, ProPublica, Lisa Song

A biodiversity offsetting project in Guinea has left “a trail of hunger, displaced and broken families, decimated ecosystems and conditions ripe for the spread of deadly contagions”, according to this investigation by Lisa Song for ProPublica. A well told story about the unintended consequences of a big company’s efforts to compensate for its environmental impacts.

‘They cleaned up BP’s massive oil spill. Now they’re sick – and want justice’, The Guardian, Sara Sneath and Oliver Laughland

Thirteen years ago an explosion at an offshore oil platform run by BP caused the largest oil spill in US history. Journalists Sara Sneath and Oliver Laughland reviewed court submissions and spoke with people who cleaned up the spill in the immediate aftermath. They’re now sick and suing BP for failing to adequately protect them. The disaster has largely left the public imagination, but these first responders still live with the consequences of it. Floyd Ruffin, from Louisiana, who developed prostrate cancer after being involved in the clean up, said: “Now that the beaches are pretty much back to normal as far as the eye can see; those that are sick are being forgotten.”

In the fight over gas stoves, meet the industry’s go-to scientist, New York Times, Hiroko Tabuchi

More on the aforementioned gas stove culture war, this time from the New York Times. There has been increased scrutiny on the health impacts of cooking with gas in recent years, and journalist Hiroko Tabuchi looked at how utilities have worked with a scientist to try to counter this message.

What London’s Mayor learned when he took on cars, Politico, Karl Mathiesen

A few months ago, Sadiq Khan’s air quality initiative to stop heavily polluting cars driving through London threatened to upend the UK’s entire climate strategy. The Conservative party saw their byelection win in Uxbridge as confirmation that there was a silent majority in the UK against green ideas. Local opposition to Khan’s ULEZ policy was thought to exist more broadly across the country and this idea sparked a series of announcements rolling back legislation designed to stop climate change. What did it feel like to be at the centre of this political storm? Karl Mathiesen, who wrote a number of interesting interviews this year, put together a good profile of Khan, one of the more consequential politicians in the UK.

The great cash-for-carbon hustle, New Yorker, Heidi Blake

South Pole, one of the biggest players in carbon offsetting, sidelined a whistleblower who warned that the money from its flagship project had gone astray. A terrific investigation into one of the offsetting industry’s most significant players.

Breathless: How the hidden toxic air pollution of the oil giants is putting the health of millions of people at risk in the Gulf, BBC News Arabic

Gas flaring is a wasteful practice that the oil industry has long committed to ending. Until recently, the public health impact of gas flaring was little discussed. This is particularly true in the Middle East, which is home to some of the highest flaring sites in the world. ‘Breathless’ is a great piece of science journalism that puts ordinary people living with the consequences of fossil fuels at the heart of its reporting.

India’s ghost plantations in which millions of rupees have been sunk, Scroll, Ishan Kukreti

The Indian government has spent millions planting trees as a way to address air quality and climate change. The trouble is that most of the new plantations don’t seem to exist, as Ishan Kukreti reported.


Smoke, mirrors, wood pellets: Vietnam clears native forest to supply ‘clean’ energy to Asia, Mekong Eye, Bao-Uyen Vo-Kieu

Can chopping and burning down trees really be a source of green energy? It seems counterintuitive and this investigation, published with support from the Pulitzer Centre, casts doubt on the sustainability of Vietnam’s wood pellet industry.

Into the Dirt – podcast series about a private spy who infiltrated the anti-asbestos movement, Tortoise Media

Hear how a comedy producer turned corporate spy infiltrated a group of activists. Another hit podcast from Tortoise Media.

COP28 president secretly used climate summit role to push oil trade with foreign government officials, Centre for Climate Reporting, Ben Stockton


The COP28 organisers put in a tremendous amount of effort to convince the world that making an oil executive the president of a climate conference was a perfectly normal and sane thing to do. They may have gotten away with it too, were it not for the relentless reporting of Ben Stockton at CCR, who showed that Sultan Al Jaber had used meetings with world leaders to push fossil fuel deals for his own company.

Cheap cars, supersonic jets and floating power plants: Undercover in Saudi Arabia’s secretive program to keep the world burning oil, Centre for Climate Reporting, Lawrence Carter and Tom Costello


I’m in the minority, but I think UN climate conferences can be fascinating. It’s a chance to see all of geopolitics in a single venue. Beyond all the jargon and targets, these events are a room full of people deciding the future of the world. This undercover reporting showed the future Saudi Arabia wants.

Revealed: 1,000 super-emitting methane leaks risk triggering climate tipping points, The Guardian, Damian Carrington


New technology means the detection of methane leaks is now more possible than ever before. This article by Damian Carrington shed light on this burgeoning area of research and looked to name and shame the oil and gas sites spewing pollution.

Beijing sees coldest December on record in more than 70 years

AFTER HOTTEST WETTEST SUMMER

BY SARAH FORTINSKY 

- 12/25/23

Beijing recorded more than 300 hours of sub-freezing temperatures in the last two weeks, setting a record for the coldest two-week period in China’s capital city since officials began tracking.

The official newspaper, the Beijing Daily, said the two-week period starting Dec. 11 had the most hours of sub-freezing temperatures since 1951, The Associated Press reported.

The city also had nine consecutive days reaching a low of 14 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.

The National Meteorological Centre, the AP reported, recorded all-time low temperatures during the month of December. Average temperatures in other parts of China also hit record lows hit in 1961, the AP reported, citing the center.

The Beijing Meteorological Observatory announced early Dec. 26 local time that temperatures would rise and reach a high of 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday. The low could drop to 17.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Earlier this year, in June, Beijing saw its hottest day on record, with temperatures reaching as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

WAGE THEFT
Suit Against Twitter Over Unpaid Bonuses Can Proceed, Judge Rules

More than $5 million in bonuses were orally promised but never paid, according to the suit. A judge denied the company’s motion to dismiss the case.

FUTURIST BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURE

The headquarters of X, formerly known as Twitter, in San Francisco in July.

Credit...Noah Berger/Associated Press

By Johnny Diaz
Dec. 24, 2023

A federal judge on Friday gave the go-ahead to a lawsuit against the social media company X, formerly known as Twitter, in which workers claim that the company promised but never paid millions of dollars in bonuses.

In June, Mark Schobinger, a former senior director of compensation for Twitter who lives in Texas, sued the company, claiming breach of contract under California law. The company has its headquarters in San Francisco.

Mr. Schobinger said that both before and after the billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter last year, the company had orally promised employees 50 percent of their 2022 targeted bonuses if they stayed with the company in the first quarter of 2023. However, the bonuses were never paid, according to the suit.

Mr. Schobinger filed the suit on his own behalf and on behalf of nearly 2,000 other current and former workers. The amount in dispute is greater than $5 million, according to court records.

In a three-page opinion denying the company’s motion to dismiss the case, Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that Mr. Schobinger had “plausibly stated a breach of contract claim” under California law.

Mr. Schobinger maintained that he was covered by the bonus plan and that he had stayed with the company through the final possible payout date.

“Once Schobinger did what Twitter asked, Twitter’s offer to pay him a bonus in return became a binding contract under California law,” the judge wrote. “And by allegedly refusing to pay Schobinger his promised bonus, Twitter violated that contract.”

Lawyers for the company had argued that the performance bonus plan was “not an enforceable contract, because it provides only for a discretionary bonus,” the ruling said.

The judge wrote that Mr. Schobinger was not suing to enforce the discretionary bonus plan but “to enforce Twitter’s alleged subsequent oral promise that employees would, in fact, receive a percentage of the annual bonus contemplated by the plan if they stayed with the company.”

The company argued that an oral promise was not a contract and that Texas law should apply, but the judge found that California law governed the case. But, the judge wrote, “Twitter’s contrary arguments all fail.”

The company could not be reached on Sunday for comment.

In a statement, Mr. Schobinger’s lawyer, Shannon Liss-Riordan, said she was pleased with the judge’s decision.

“The court denied Twitter’s motion to dismiss our claim that Twitter failed to pay promised bonuses to continuing employees,” she said. “We can now go forward with the case, which Twitter was trying to throw out — so it’s not yet a ruling on the merits.”



Johnny Diaz is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news. He previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and The Boston Globe. More about Johnny Diaz

We Asked a Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, and Bahá’í Leader to Pick Their Favorite Bible Verses

Indian religious leaders on what they admire about Christianity’s scriptures.

COMPILED BY SURINDER KAUR|

CHRISTIANITY TODAY

DECEMBER 21, 202

India is marked by its “unity in diversity,” a term coined by its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The nation is home to dozens of languages, cultures, traditions, and religions, and the founding leaders of the nation were careful to accentuate the celebration of this diversity.

Though certain exclusivist ideologies that stress uniformity have come to the fore of India’s social life—deriving their validity from being politically empowered—Indians, by and large, remain not only tolerant of but revel in their diversity.

Christianity in India is as old as Christianity itself, or at least that is what is believed, and tradition says that the apostle Thomas arrived in India and established the first churches. For nearly 2,000 years, Indian Christians have had a dialogue of life with the adherents of the diverse faiths found in the Indian subcontinent and have largely had a peaceful coexistence. (This is in spite of the fact that colonial rule in India positioned Christianity as a foreign faith to the country, and Western missionaries actually faced opposition from Western leaders.)

Though Christians today only compose 2.3 percent of India’s total population, they have historically cultivated a reputation of service, largely through their work in education and healthcare. Yet increasingly this ministry has been questioned and viewed with suspicion and cynicism by hardliners who believe it is only an attempt to manipulate India’s most marginalized.

To illustrate the close relationship that Indian Christians have cultivated with Indians of a variety of faiths, CT spoke to Sikh, Bahá’í, Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu leaders, asking them to share Bible verses that inspired and personally moved them. CT also asked four Christian leaders who came from non-Christian backgrounds about a religious text from their former faith that they admired and that positively inspired them.

Their bios are below, and their responses can be found in this special series’ nine articles, listed to the right on desktop and below on mobile.

Our Bahá'í Respondent:

A. K. Merchant is a leader with the Lotus Temple and the Bahá’í Community of India and general secretary for The Temple of Understanding—India. He is an author and subject expert in interfaith education and actively advocates for gender justice and environmental issues.

Our Buddhist Respondent:

Budh Sharan Hans, is a prominent Dalitbahujan (a leading Dalit movement) thinker and social activist from Patna, Bihar. A winner of the Ambedkar National Award that honors work with India’s marginalized, he challenges mainline Hinduism’s understanding of the caste system through public speaking and writing, including his magazine, Ambedkar Mission.

Our Hindu Respondent:

Goswami Sushilji Maharaj is national president of the Indian Parliament of Religions, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. He is also a choreographer, actor, and spiritual guru.

Our Jain Respondent:

Sharad Jain is an attorney, businessman, and the founder and secretary of Shishu Sanskar Kendra (School) in Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh State, India.

Our Sikh Respondent:

Shamandeep Kaur is a schoolteacher.

Our Christian Respondents:

Ram Surat has spent 27 years sharing the vision and mission of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and fellow Indian anti-caste social reformer Jyotirao Govindrao Phule. Currently based in Bihar, India, he champions the cause of caste reconciliation among the Dalit and OBC communities in North India.

Rajendra Prasad Dwivedi was a staunch Hindu before he read the New Testament and accepted Christ at the age of 22. Today, he ministers among the high caste Hindu Brahmins and is writing a book titled Christ Is the Fulfilment of All Quests. He previously worked in the state education department in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Vinod Shah, former CEO of the Emmanuel Hospital Association, an association of Christian hospitals, New Delhi, is presently based in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. A pediatric surgeon and a practicing doctor, Shah set up India’s first long-distance medical education program to empower government general physicians and turn them into full-fledged family physicians.

Rajdeep Singh from a Sikh background and today is the pastor of Focal Point Church, Ludhiana. Also referred to as “Priest on Wheels”, Singh is a substance abuse survivor, a biker, social worker, motivational speaker, and the founder of Nomads on Wheels Riding Club Ludhiana and Priest on Wheels Foundation.

Canada FIFA World Cup Star Out Of Club Brugge Squad For Union Saint-Gilloise Clash Amid Strong Inter Milan Links

By Toni Weeler
December 25, 2023 19:34

Winger Tajon Buchanan has been left out of the Club Brugge for the second time against Union Saint-Gilloise amid strong Inter Milan links.

This according to Italian news outlet FCInterNews.

That Inter are keen to sign 24-year-old Canadian international Buchanan next month is no secret.

With Juan Cuadrado set to miss the majority of the rest of the season, the Nerazzurri want to sign a right-wingback soon.

And Buchanan is the player who they have decided upon.

Reports suggest that Inter are not waiting around to initiate talks with Brugge. They want to sign Buchanan on the basis of an initial paid loan deal containing a purchase obligation next summer.

And then the player himself is reportedly keen.
Tajon Buchanan Out Of Club Brugge Squad For Second Time Amid Inter Links

Buchanan has already missed one match for his club Brugge since the links to Inter really started to heat up.

The Canaidan was not in the Belgian club’s squad for a recent league match against Molenbeek.

And Buchanan also will not be part of Brugge’s next match. They face Belgian Pro League leaders Union Saint-Gilloise.

There are no known injury reasons for Buchanan not to be able to play a part against USG.

Therefore, it would seem fairly straightforwardly clear that the 24-year-old is not playing due to reasons related to the transfer market.

And therefore, there is a growing sense that Buchanan is heading in the direction of Inter.

Of course, the Nerazzurri must still work out a deal with Brugge.

And then there will be the matter of sorting out the details.

But reports suggest that Inter want to sign Buchanan sooner rather than later.

With Cuadrado’s injury rendering the team thin on the ground at right-wingback, Inter don’t want to waste any time integrating Buchanan into their squad.

The dark side of social media on youth mental health

by Emily Hemendinger
December 24, 2023
in Social Media

(Photo credit: Adobe Stock)

Media influences and conventional beauty standards have long plagued society.

This issue took on new urgency in May 2023 when the U.S. surgeon general issued a major public advisory over the links between social media and youth mental health.

Research shows that images of beauty as depicted in movies, television and magazines can lead to mental illness, issues with disordered eating and body image dissatisfaction.

These trends have been documented in women and men, in the LGBTQ+ community and in people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Experts have long suspected that social media may be playing a role in the growing mental health crisis in young people. However, the surgeon general’s warning is one of the first public warnings supported by robust research.
Social media can be toxic

Body dissatisfaction among children and adolescents is commonplace and has been linked to decreased quality of life, worsened mood and unhealthy eating habits.

As an eating disorder and anxiety specialist, I regularly work with clients who experience eating disorder symptoms, self-esteem issues and anxiety related to social media.

I also have firsthand experience with this topic: I am 15 years post-recovery from an eating disorder, and I grew up when people were beginning to widely use social media. In my view, the impact of social media on diet and exercise patterns needs to be further researched to inform future policy directions, school programming and therapeutic treatment.

The mental health of adolescents and teens has been declining for the past decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to worsening youth mental health and brought it into the spotlight. As the mental health crisis surges, researchers have been taking a close look at the role of social media in these increasing mental health concerns.
The pros and cons of social media

About 95% of children and adolescents in the U.S. between the ages of 10 and 17 are using social media almost constantly.

Research has shown that social media can be beneficial for finding community support. However, studies have also shown that the use of social media contributes to social comparisons, unrealistic expectations and negative mental health effects.

In addition, those who have preexisting mental health conditions tend to spend more time on social media. People in that category are more likely to self-objectify and internalize the thin body ideal. Women and people with preexisting body image concerns are more likely to feel worse about their bodies and themselves after they spend time on social media.
A breeding ground for eating disorders

A recent review found that, as with mass media, the use of social media is a risk factor for the development of an eating disorder, body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating. In this review, social media use was shown to contribute to negative self-esteem, social comparisons, decreased emotional regulation and idealized self-presentation that negatively influenced body image.

Another study, called the Dove Self-Esteem Project, published in April 2023, found that 9 in 10 children and adolescents ages 10 to 17 are exposed to toxic beauty content on social media and 1 in 2 say that this has an impact on their mental health.

Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that develop because of biological, social and psychological factors. Eating disorder hospitalizations and the need for treatment have dramatically increased during the pandemic.

Some reasons for this include isolation, food scarcity, boredom and social media content related to weight gain, such as the “quarantine15.” That was a reference to the weight gain some people were experiencing at the beginning of the pandemic, similar to the “freshman 15” belief that one will gain 15 pounds in the first year of college. Many teens whose routines were disrupted by the pandemic turned to eating disorder behaviors for an often-false sense of control or were influenced by family members who held unhealthy beliefs around food and exercise.

Researchers have also found that increased time at home during the pandemic led to more social media use by young people and therefore more exposure to toxic body image and dieting social media content.

While social media alone will not cause eating disorders, societal beliefs about beauty, which are amplified by social media, can contribute to the development of eating disorders.

‘Thinspo’ and ‘fitspo’

Toxic beauty standards online include the normalization of cosmetic and surgical procedures and pro-eating-disorder content, which promotes and romanticizes eating disorders. For instance, social media sites have promoted trends such as “thinspo,” which is focused on the thin ideal, and “fitspo,” which perpetuates the belief of there being a perfect body that can be achieved with dieting, supplements and excessive exercise.

Research has shown that social media content encouraging “clean eating” or dieting through pseudoscientific claims can lead to obsessive behavior around dietary patterns. These unfounded “wellness” posts can lead to weight cycling, yo-yo dieting, chronic stress, body dissatisfaction and higher likelihood of muscular and thin-ideal internalization.

Some social media posts feature pro-eating-disorder content, which directly or indirectly encourages disordered eating. Other posts promote deliberate manipulation of one’s body, using harmful quotes such as “nothing tastes as good as thin feels.” These posts provide a false sense of connection, allowing users to bond over a shared goal of losing weight, altering one’s appearance and continuing patterns of disordered eating.

While young people can often recognize and understand toxic beauty advice’s effects on their self-esteem, they may still continue to engage with this content. This is in part because friends, influencers and social media algorithms encourage people to follow certain accounts.

How policy changes could help

Legislators across the U.S. are proposing different regulations for social media sites.

Policy recommendations include increased transparency from social media companies, creation of higher standards of privacy for children’s data and possible tax incentives and social responsibility initiatives that would discourage companies and marketers from using altered photos.
Phone-free zones

Small steps at home to cut down on social media consumption can also make a difference. Parents and caregivers can create phone-free periods for the family. Examples of this include putting phones away while the family watches a movie together or during mealtimes.

Adults can also help by modeling healthy social media behaviors and encouraging children and adolescents to focus on building connections and engaging in valued activities.

Mindful social media consumption is another helpful approach. This requires recognizing what one is feeling during social media scrolling. If spending time on social media makes you feel worse about yourself or seems to be causing mood changes in your child, it may be time to change how you or your child interact with social media.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Sprightly Stars Illuminate ‘Christmas Tree Cluster’

NASA CHANDRA XRAY TELESCOPE

Lee Mohon
DEC 19, 2023

X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: T.A. Rector (NRAO/AUI/NSF and NOIRLab/NSF/AURA) and B.A. Wolpa (NOIRLab/NSF/AURA); Infrared: NASA/NSF/IPAC/CalTech/Univ. of Massachusetts; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare & J.Major

This new image of NGC 2264, also known as the “Christmas Tree Cluster,” shows the shape of a cosmic tree with the glow of stellar lights. NGC 2264 is, in fact, a cluster of young stars — with ages between about one and five million years old — in our Milky Way about 2,500 light-years away from Earth. The stars in NGC 2264 are both smaller and larger than the Sun, ranging from some with less than a tenth the mass of the Sun to others containing about seven solar masses.

This new composite image enhances the resemblance to a Christmas tree through choices of color and rotation. The blue and white lights (which blink in the animated version of this image) are young stars that give off X-rays detected by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Optical data from the National Science Foundation’s WIYN 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak shows gas in the nebula in green, corresponding to the “pine needles” of the tree, and infrared data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey shows foreground and background stars in white. This image has been rotated clockwise by about 160 degrees from the astronomer’s standard of North pointing upward, so that it appears like the top of the tree is toward the top of the image.



This composite image shows the Christmas Tree Cluster. The blue and white lights (which blink in the animated version of this image) are young stars that give off X-rays detected by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Optical data from the National Science Foundation’s WIYN 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak shows gas in the nebula in green, corresponding to the “pine needles” of the tree, and infrared data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey shows foreground and background stars in white. This image has been rotated clockwise by about 160 degrees from the astronomer’s standard of North pointing upward, so that it appears like the top of the tree is toward the top of the image.

Young stars, like those in NGC 2264, are volatile and undergo strong flares in X-rays and other types of variations seen in different types of light. The coordinated, blinking variations shown in this animation, however, are artificial, to emphasize the locations of the stars seen in X-rays and highlight the similarity of this object to a Christmas tree. In reality the variations of the stars are not synchronized.

The variations observed by Chandra and other telescopes are caused by several different processes. Some of these are related to activity involving magnetic fields, including flares like those undergone by the Sun — but much more powerful — and hot spots and dark regions on the surfaces of the stars that go in and out of view as the stars rotate. There can also be changes in the thickness of gas obscuring the stars, and changes in the amount of material still falling onto the stars from disks of surrounding gas.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.

Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.

For more Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/chandra-x-ray-observatory/
Visual Description:

This release features a composite image of a cluster of young stars looking decidedly like a cosmic Christmas tree! The cluster, known as NGC 2264, is in our Milky Way Galaxy, about 2,500 light-years from Earth. Some of the stars in the cluster are relatively small, and some are relatively large, ranging from one tenth to seven times the mass of our Sun.

In this composite image, the cluster’s resemblance to a Christmas tree has been enhanced through image rotation and color choices. Optical data is represented by wispy green lines and shapes, which creates the boughs and needles of the tree shape. X-rays detected by Chandra are presented as blue and white lights, and resemble glowing dots of light on the tree. Infrared data show foreground and background stars as gleaming specks of white against the blackness of space. The image has been rotated by about 150 degrees from the astronomer’s standard of North pointing upwards. This puts the peak of the roughly conical tree shape near the top of the image, though it doesn’t address the slight bare patch in the tree’s branches, at our lower right, which should probably be turned to the corner.

In this release, the festive cluster is presented as both a static image, and as a short animation. In the animation, blue and white X-ray dots from Chandra flicker and twinkle on the tree, like the lights on a Christmas tree.