‘Rat tours’ boom in rodent-infested New York

The Empire State Building. The Statue of Liberty. Central Park. Times Square. A horde of rats sprinting between an underground nest and a restaurant, squeaking and squealing as a group of tourists cheer them on.

New York has never lacked for attractions, but that last one on the list is one of its most unexpected.

As the city grapples with a major rat problem – sightings doubled last year, prompting the mayor to advertise for a “somewhat bloodthirsty” head rat-catcher in December – the rodent issue is, according to some, New York’s latest must-experience trend.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inNew York City

How Worried Should We Be About AI’s Threat to Humanity? Even Tech Leaders Can’t Agree.

Artificial-intelligence pioneers are fighting over which of the technology’s dangers is the scariest.

One camp, which includes some of the top executives building advanced AI systems, argues that its creations could lead to catastrophe. In the other camp are scientists who say concern should focus primarily on how AI is being implemented right now and how it could cause harm in our daily lives.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"AI - Artificial Intelligence"

Alex Soros announces shifting priorities to confront the threat of a ‘MAGA’ victory that stands to ‘undermine’ the war in Ukraine

Alex Soros wants to set the record straight: what might look like a retreat in Europe is really just a shifting of priorities to head off the swelling tide of freedom and populism in the West, or what Soros calls the “MAGA-style Republican” movement and President Donald Trump.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inGeorge Soros

Parents Revolt Against Trans-Missionaries

Just what the hell is that thing? Look at the expressions on the kids faces.

The destructive fad is off the rails – and every parent must be ready to act.

As I noted recently, fads aren’t always harmful things. Nehru jackets, lava lamps, and mood rings may have set you back a few bucks, but that was the extent of it. Some fads, like the various eating disorders that were with us in the 1970s, were recognized as dangerous and treated as mental health problems. Today, though, becoming transsexual is treated simply as a lifestyle decision.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inBig Deviant, Big Tranny

Netflix is giving you bad taste

Aesthetic value can’t be decided by algorithms

The end of holiday season is upon us, and a chance to apply a new perspective to life as it slowly returns to boring normality. For a few short weeks, if you were lucky enough, you were able to immerse yourself in a different culture: eating new food; meeting new people; gazing, fascinated, upon new and startling sights as you encountered your Airbnb landlord’s Netflix algorithms.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inHollywood

‘The green movement is a disinformation campaign’

Michael Shellenberger explains why climate change is not the end of the world.

The planet is on fire – and it’s all our fault. That has become the abiding mantra of the climate movement. This summer, wildfires from Greece to Hawaii have been portrayed as nature’s punishment for mankind’s polluting activities. Each disaster has been treated as a portent of the End Times. Reining in human development, we’re told, is the only way to avert an even more serious catastrophe. But is there any truth to these apocalyptic claims?

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Disinformation", Green-Scam

What’s going on in Washington DC with UFOs?!

Something extraordinary happened at the Republican Party primaries debate. Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum asked former NJ Governor Chris Christie if he would ‘level with the American people on what the government knows about UFOs’. Christie seemed stunned and laughed it off. She didn’t budge, commenting that it has been discussed publicly in Congress and that reports of UFO sightings ‘seem to have increased’ of late. He fumbled through his answer and guaranteed that he ‘would level with the American people on all issues’.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"UFO's"

The Notting Hill Criminal Amnesty

The harsh reality of the matter is that the Notting Hill Carnival should be disbanded entirely. Or it should be marketed for what it truly is: a criminal free-for-all that law-abiding citizens should be protected from.

If you didn’t know better, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Notting Hill Carnival was a scene from a Richard Curtis film where Hugh Grant rubs shoulders with Hollywood luminaries, and it’s all a bit twee. The reality of what played out on London’s most affluent streets last weekend (as it does every year), is quite different. Begun in 1966 as an homage to the Caribbean culture that Britain imported during the Windrush years, the carnival welcomes in excess of one million visitors, and is considered the largest street event in Europe. It is also a feather in the cap of those who promote London as a global hub of successful integration.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Diversity"

‘A Hazard All The Way Around’: Small Town Locals Bristle As Wind Farm Waste Piles Up

Some small town residents in Texas and Iowa are frustrated by mounting piles of wind farm waste in their communities, according to Texas Monthly.

The turbines that onshore wind developments use to generate power can be up to 200 feet in length, and the material that they are made of is rigid, according to Texas Monthly. These attributes make the equipment difficult to remove or recycle after they are decommissioned, a reality which can lead to these turbines piling up in communities like Sweetwater, Texas, and irritating some of the locals who have to live in close proximity to the waste.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inGreen-Scam

Hundreds of white farmers return to Zimbabwe in boost for agriculture

Two decades after thousands of white farmers were forced from their land without compensation, a new generation is back to start again

Family after family fled along this dirt road towards Harare as they were evicted from their farms by Zimbabwean war veterans.

The road through the country’s prime, red-soiled land was a front line in Robert Mugabe’s policy of seizing white-owned farms, first implemented more than 20 years ago.

The luckiest farmers were given enough time to collect up their belongings and stack them in the back of vehicles. Others fled empty-handed, chased, often violently, from their farmhouses.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inZimbabwe

London Uprising: ‘Blade Runners’ on the Hunt for ULEZ Cameras

Described as “heroes” and “Robin Hoods,” London’s ‘Blade Runners’ are disabling cameras meant to enforce Mayor Sadiq Khan’s vehicle emission requirements.

Fed up Londoners appear to be taking the law into their own hands, as the London Metropolitan Police has reported 510 crimes against so-called ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) cameras in the period of April 1st to August 31th.

Equipped with license plate recognition software, such cameras are meant to pick out vehicles which do not meet required minimum emissions standards. Most petrol cars made before January 2006 and diesel cars made before September 2015 do not meet these standards. Under the ULEZ initiative, drivers are liable for a £12.50 daily charge if they drive non-compliant vehicles anywhere in London. And those who do not pay face fines of up to £180. 

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inGreen-Scam

Canadian army needs dedicated climate disaster force, says former lieutenant-general

A former army commander says Canada is behind its allies in not having a dedicated agency that can deploy personnel to disasters nationwide.

Retired Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie told CBC News the lack of a national rapid response force to help with wildfires, floods, evacuations and other emergencies is putting citizens’ lives at risk.

In an exclusive interview with CBC News on Thursday, he said a dedicated national force is needed urgently, and could be “built into” or “adjunct to” the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) — but only if it comes with increased funding and doesn’t further strain the country’s already-stretched troops.

But will it be Transphobic?

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada

Opinion: Governments shouldn’t house the middle class

Housing is an emotional issue. The concept of home evokes security, well-being and belonging. So it’s no surprise that housing debates have become politically charged as housing affordability has eroded. This can also evoke radical proposals for change.

Some people argue that we can’t rely on the private sector to make housing affordable again for the middle class. They argue that adding more “luxury apartments” doesn’t move the needle on affordability. In their eyes we need more public housing — a lot more.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Homelessness & Affordability Crisis"