German Chancellor Demands Bigger EU, Less National Sovereignty for Members

Breitbart London – August 29, 2022

PRAGUE (AP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Monday for a growing European Union to agree on a series of changes that would help it overcome internal divisions and stand up to external rivals such as Russia and China.

In a wide-ranging speech at Charles University in Prague, Scholz said the EU must make itself “fit” for future enlargement from 27 to 30 — or even 36 — nations by taking more decisions by majority vote, rather than requiring unanimity on all issues that has in the past allowed individual member states to veto key decisions.

“We have to remember that swearing allegiance to the principle of unanimity only works for as long as the pressure to act is low,” Scholz said, arguing that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call for the EU to change the way it takes decisions.

Scholz suggested allowing majority decisions on pressing issues such as sanctions or human rights policy, with those unwilling to explicitly back a vote having the option to abstain without blocking unanimity.

The German leader also backed calls to reconsider the composition of the European Parliament, which currently has 751 deputies, to prevent it becoming “bloated” through future expansion. A similar reform of the way each member state is represented in the bloc’s executive Commission could see commissioners share responsibility in certain areas, he said.

With Europe lagging behind global rivals when it comes to digitalization and space exploration, Scholz said the EU could become a global leader in the transition to a greener economy that would also help it become less dependent on foreign energy suppliers.

In his address, Scholz repeatedly cited the threat posed to the EU by Russia under its authoritarian president, warning that “any disunity among us, any weakness, is grist to (Vladimir) Putin´s mill.”

“We must close ranks, resolve old conflicts and find new solutions,” he said, noting that the bloc needs to overcome long-running tensions among its members on the issues of migration and fiscal policy.

https://www.breitbart.com

An Absolutely Gigantic Sunspot That Is Pointed Directly At Earth Right Now Could Potentially Produce Another “Carrington Event”

– September 1, 2022

How would you feel if someone pointed a loaded gun at you?  Well, that is essentially what our entire planet is facing at this moment.  An absolutely enormous sunspot is currently pointing directly at Earth, and it has just developed a delta-class magnetic field.  We are being warned that this sunspot has the potential to release an X-class flare, and that would be really bad news, because such flares are often associated with coronal mass ejections.  If a large enough coronal mass ejection came directly toward our planet, we could see another “Carrington Event”.  In such a scenario, our power grids would be fried, trillions of dollars worth of damage would be caused, and society would instantly go completely and utterly haywire.

So let us hope that such a thing does not take place any time soon.

It is being reported that a sunspot known as AR3089 that is pointing right at us has just developed a “delta-class magnetic field”, and that means that it now has the potential to produce X-class flares…

A giant sunspot may be about to erupt, sending out the most powerful form of solar flares growing for days.

Sunspot AR3089, which is facing towards the Earth, has now developed a delta-class magnetic field, meaning that it has built up enough energy that it may release X-class solar flares.

But that doesn’t mean that we will actually see any X-class flares.

At this point, the NOAA is insisting that there is still only a 5 percent chance that this will actually happen…

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there is around a five percent chance that the sunspot will release an X-class flare. If it does, the flare may trigger a powerful geomagnetic storm in the Earth’s atmosphere, possibly resulting in damage to infrastructure and electromagnetic communication systems.

A one out of 20 chance may not seem like a lot, but if we get unlucky the consequences could be absolutely catastrophic.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com

NUKE ALERT Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant ‘DISCONNECTED from power grid’ as Russian troops mass amid Ukraine disaster fears

 / – August 25, 2022

EUROPE’S biggest nuclear power plant was disconnected from the power grid for the first time ever amid fears of a Chernobyl-style disaster, Ukraine’s state energy firm said.

Nuclear agency Energoatom said fire damage to overhead power lines caused the last two reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to be cut off.

An energy official who declined to be identified told Reuters that the two reactors that had been disconnected were being powered by diesel generators.

Each power unit that includes a reactor, a cooling system and other equipment has three Soviet-era diesel generators that “are not able to work for weeks”, the source said.

It comes amid looming fears the site could be the scene of a devastating nuclear disaster as both Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of putting the plant at risk.

Satellite images show Putin’s forces massing at the site amid growing calls for Zaporizhzhia to become a demilitarised zone.

Ukraine has accused Russia of torturing Ukrainian nuclear workers at the plant, further compromising safety at the plant.

Energoatom said the plant has now been disconnected from the network for the “first time in its history” after a fire at ash pits close to the facility damaged incoming power lines.

It is also reported communication channels around the plant have gone dark – with NetBlocks reporting a massive dip in the region.

Bringing the plant totally offline could potentially compromise safety systems and lead to disaster – with the two reactors currently being powered by backup diesel generators, officials told Reuters.

https://www.the-sun.com

Inflation and Energy Crisis Barreling Towards Each Other

Stansberry Research – August 24, 2022

The following content is sponsored content by Stansberry Research.

The last time we had an energy crisis coupled with inflation (like we have right now) was the 1970s.

Back then, President Lyndon Johnson had begun massive spending and took on huge budget deficits to pay for the Vietnam war and his “Great Society” benefits: Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, urban renewal, environmental issues, and new immigration policies, just to name a few.

Sure sounds a lot like today, doesn’t it?

Then…OPEC banned oil exports to the U.S. in October of 1973.

Gas prices quickly shot up 37 percent. Gas was rationed. Many stations ran out. Others locked up their pumps at night.

The ban on exporting oil to the U.S. lasted only five months—a tiny problem compared to what’s going on in the energy markets today—but by then the wheels of crisis were already in motion.

By 1974, inflation hit more than 11 percent, and the stock market (as measured by the Dow Jones Industrial Average) was plummeting.

After a few months, however, it seemed like the worst was over. Stocks soared about 48 percent starting in November of 1974.

But the bear market rally did not last.

It wasn’t long before stocks would collapse again, this time by more than 50 percent.

In total, this bear market would take the stock market down more than 72 percent.

Everyone wants to know what’s going to happen next in the markets and our economy. But few are looking at what happens historically when you pair inflation with an energy crisis—which is exactly what we are looking at right now.

Bill Bonner, co-founder of the world’s largest independent financial research firm, successful entrepreneur, owner of real estate on four continents, and business interests across the globe in over 12 countries, has prepared an analysis looking at the history and parallels of today in a unique forward-facing way.

In his nearly 50-year career, Bonner has made three big macroeconomic predictions.

Each one has ultimately turned out to be exactly right—although he was mocked each time.

And now, he’s making what he calls his: “Fourth and Final Prediction.”

It’s about two enormous trends (inflation and an energy crisis), which are barreling towards each other in America, like two runaway freight trains on the same track.

Bonner says: “The collision of these two inevitable trends will bring about some of the most difficult years in American history.”

https://www.breitbart.com

China: Yangtze River dries up, revealing 600-year-old Buddhist statues during the most severe heatwave ever recorded in the world

Strange Sounds – August 25, 2022

Heatwave in China is the most severe ever recorded in the world

Low rainfall and record-breaking heat across much of China are having widespread impacts on people, industry and farming. River and reservoir levels have fallen, factories have shut because of electricity shortages and huge areas of crops have been damaged. The situation could have worldwide repercussions, causing further disruption to supply chains and exacerbating the global food crisis.

People in large parts of China have been experiencing two months of extreme heat. Hundreds of places have reported temperatures of more than 40°C (104°F), and many records have been broken. Subway stations have set up rest areas where people can recover from the heat.

On 18 August, the temperature in Chongqing in Sichuan province reached 45°C (113°F), the highest ever recorded in China outside the desert-dominated region of Xinjiang. On 20 August, the temperature in the city didn’t fall below 34.9°C (94.8°F), the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in China in August. The maximum temperature was 43.7°C (110.7°F).

It is the longest and hottest heatwave in China since national records began in 1961. According to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, who monitors extreme temperatures around the world, it is the most severe heatwave recorded anywhere.

“This combines the most extreme intensity with the most extreme length with an incredibly huge area all at the same time,” he says. “There is nothing in world climatic history which is even minimally comparable to what is happening in China.”

Together with the extreme heat, low rainfall in parts of China has led to rivers falling to low levels, with 66 drying up completely. In parts of the Yangtze, water levels are the lowest since records began in 1865. In a few places, local water supplies have run out and drinking water has had to be trucked in. On 19 August, China announced a national drought alert for the first time in nine years.

Hydroelectricity generation has fallen because of the low water levels. Sichuan has been especially affected because it normally gets 80 per cent of its electricity from hydropower. Thousands of factories in the province have had to cease operations because of electricity shortages amid high demand for air conditioning. Offices and shopping malls were also told to reduce lighting and air conditioning to save power.

https://strangesounds.org

Unusual Diseases Are Killing Animals In Large Numbers All Over America

– August 24, 2022

It isn’t just humans that are being hit extremely hard by deadly pestilences.  In recent weeks, I have written numerous articles about the strange diseases that have been causing severe illness and death among human populations in various parts of the globe.  But there are other plagues that have suddenly erupted that aren’t affecting us at all.  Instead, they are devastating animal populations, and so they get less media coverage.  But the truth is that some of these diseases are extremely serious.  For example, tens of millions of our chickens and turkeys are already dead due to an unprecedented bird flu pandemic.  That deeply impacts each one of us, because now chicken and turkey are much more expensive at the grocery store.  And one or more of the diseases that I am going to talk about in this article could make the jump to humans, and if that happens we could potentially be facing a big time nightmare.

Let me start my discussion by addressing a mystery that several people have written to me about this week.  A “mystery virus” that just appeared has been killing lots of dogs in Michigan…

State and federal agencies are investigating the mystery virus that has claimed the lives of at least 30 dogs in Michigan.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michigan State University’s veterinary laboratory, the US Department of Agriculture and other partners are working to determine the cause of the illness that has been affecting canines in the Great Lakes State for the past two months, MDARD said Monday.

The unidentified virus causes acute gastrointestinal problems and generally kills young dogs within three to five days. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy.

After I saw that story, I came across another story which said that the death toll went from 30 to 60 “in just a matter of days”…

The number of dogs suspected of dying from a new parvo-like illness has now doubled in Northern Michigan, going from 30 to 60 in just a matter of days.

The jump has prompted state officials to investigate the unidentified illness that is mostly impacting dogs under the age of two.

http://endoftheamericandream.com

As rumors swirl about the Pope retiring, Pope Francis names new cardinals.

– August 26, 2022

Pope Francis, who recently raised the possibility of retiring due to his declining health, will create 20 new cardinals on Saturday — many of whom could one day choose his successor.

It is the eighth consistory since the 85-year-old was elected in 2013, but is being particularly closely watched for signs of the kind of Catholic Church he hopes to leave behind.

The new cardinals include men known for their progressive views and their pastoral work, and they hail from around the world: from Brazil to Nigeria, India, Singapore, and East Timor. After Saturday’s swearing-in at St Peter’s Basilica, they will join a two-day meeting of all cardinals starting Monday.

The gathering was called earlier this year to discuss the pope’s new constitution for the governance of the church — but has only fuelled speculation he is on his way out.

Francis, who has canceled numerous events in recent months and been forced to use a wheelchair due to knee pain, said last month that “the door is open” to stepping down.

If he did follow his predecessor Benedict XVI and resign, a conclave involving all cardinals aged under 80 would be called to choose a successor. After this weekend, Francis will have chosen around 90 out of the 132 cardinals eligible to elect a new pope, around two-thirds of the total — precisely the percentage needed for any proposed name to pass.

The naming of cardinals, normally an annual event, is always scrutinized as an indication of the future direction of the Catholic Church and its priorities for its 1.3 billion faithful.

But Francis’s choices for cardinals do not automatically guarantee that the next pope would be someone reflecting his own priorities, Vatican specialist Bernard Lecomte told AFP.

https://endtimeheadlines.org

Report: The Gay-Straight Alliance Network Now Operates in More than 4,000 U.S. Schools

– August 26, 2022

The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Network, which promotes radical gender theory in elementary, middle, and high schools, now operates over 4,000 “gender and sexuality alliances” under the guise of student “clubs,” reports Christopher Rufo at City Journal.

A senior fellow and director of the Initiative on Critical Race Theory (CRT) at the Manhattan Institute, Rufo explained the GSA Network is a “professionally staffed nonprofit with a multimillion-dollar annual budget. GSA Network serves as an umbrella organization for more than 4,000 “gender and sexuality alliances” across 40 states.”

After rebranding itself in 2016 as the Genders & Sexualities Alliance, GSA Co-Executive Director Ginna Brelsford noted:

The name change has been a long time coming.  We have heard from countless youth leaders who understand their genders and sexualities to be uniquely theirs and have moved beyond the labels of gay and straight, and the limits of a binary gender system. For several years, students have been naming their individual school-based clubs in a way that reflects the values and identity of its members.

Brelsford further explained the “function” of school GSA clubs had “evolved.”

“For a generation, since the late 1980s, GSAs have served as safe spaces for LGBTQ youth to build awareness and community as well as prevent discrimination and harassment in schools,” the co-executive director wrote. “More recently, however, these student-led clubs have transcended their traditional role and served as important vehicles for deeper social change both on school campuses and local or statewide educational policy.”

That “social change” focused on joining with a political movement for the “needs of “trans, queer and allied students across the nation,” Brelsford added.

The GSA Network has now taken a decidedly Marxist turn, Rufo observed, endorsing the “abolition of police” and borders, payment of “reparations” to minorities, the “decolonization” of native lands, and a focus on anti-capitalism.

Under the cover of a “club” that seeks to end “bullying” of LGBTQ youth, the GSA Network advises its adult leaders to keep children’s involvement in the club confidential from parents, working with young people to push the use of pronouns and support trans, queer, nonbinary, and similar projects.

In the GSA handbook, Brelsford and fellow co-executive director Geoffrey Winder wrote:

We’re excited to share resources and tools that will support you – GSA club advisors – to create and sustain thriving GSAs in partnership with students, schools, and communities, as we move closer to our vision of trans and queer liberation.

Rufo wrote about how to manage school districts that allow staff to discuss sexuality with children, a system that can easily lead to grooming…

https://thestarnewsnetwork.com

UN General Assembly moves closer to adopting resolution declaring abortion a ‘human right’

Samantha Kamman – August 24, 2022

Delegates at the United Nations General Assembly are finalizing negotiations on a resolution that would require all U.N. agencies to declare abortion a human right, reportedly due to pressure from the European Union and the Biden administration.

The resolution contains language about abortion that has reportedly been rejected in other resolutions over the past decade. As the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam) earlier reported, it’s being considered for adoption by the end of the month.

According to C-Fam, the resolution declares that governments should secure “access to safe abortion” as a matter of policy and “ensure the promotion and protection of the human rights of all women and their sexual and reproductive health.”

Western countries backing the resolution reportedly forced the inclusion of this language. Although a Japanese diplomat leading the negotiations stated that delegations could not alter the language on abortion, it remained despite repeat objections, according to C-Fam.

The resolution’s language does not outright declare abortion an international human right and includes the caveat “where such services are permitted by law.”

“The European Union and the U.S. government are trying to undermine the long-standing consensus of the General Assembly that abortion is an issue that should be decided at the national level without external interference from the United Nations,” Stefano Gennarini, vice president for legal studies at C-Fam, said in an emailed statement to The Christian Post on Monday.

Gennarini said that both had done this “intermittently” for over 30 years, but he believes they have made it a priority now due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in June.

https://www.christianpost.com

END OF DAYS Scientists reveal the best places to survive a nuclear apocalypse amid fears FIVE BILLION would die

– August 16, 2022

MORE than five billion people would die following a nuclear war between the US and Russia in a battle for food, a study claims.

Scientists believe the fallout from a mega nuke apocalypse would have a disastrous impact on food production – wiping out whole populations from starvation.

Boffins at Rutgers University have completed details analysis of the impact of a nuclear winter – and the results are chilling.

They believe the catastrophic repercussion of a nuke battle would see more than five billion people starve to death globally in the years after, on top of the vast numbers killed in the war.

Countries including the UK, US, Germany, France and China would see sheer devastation, with almost everyone dead by the second year, according to the study.

On the flip side, countries such as Argentina and Australia would thrive in comparison, with zero deaths despite the assumption all livestock would be dead and there would be no trade with other nations.

Professor Alan Robuck, of Rutgers University in New Jersey, said: “Everybody understands that the direct effects of nuclear war would be horrific, as we saw in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“Our work shows that more than ten times as many people could die in the rest of the world because of the impacts on climate and agriculture.”

https://www.thesun.co.uk