jgo
jgo's JournalHitler didn't build the path to the Holocaust alone - ordinary people were active participants
Editorial from The Guardian, by James Bulgin
"There can be a tendency sometimes to think of the Holocaust in very singular ways. It seems to be assumed that Hitler’s warped and abhorrent intentions were seamlessly translated into practical action by a cabal of loyal followers and enforced in purpose-built “camps”. There is also a sense that it was systemisation and bureaucratisation more than individual agency that propelled this process forward once it had begun. This idea is not only inaccurate; I think it’s dangerous.
The Holocaust did not happen simply because Hitler willed it into being, but because there were enough people prepared to act on his intentions and align themselves with his ideology. It was not implemented as part of a preconceived masterplan that had always anticipated death camps as the ultimate destination; it evolved.
The process by which this happened demanded effort, thought and consideration. Moreover, it required huge numbers of people – not just thousands, or tens of thousands even, but hundreds of thousands. These people gave Hitler the practical means to achieve his ideological vision. Hundreds of thousands of men and women who cooperated, in various ways, with the mass murder of 6 million men, women and children."
Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/27/adolf-hitler-holocaust-atrocities
In Beijing's backyard, U.S. demonstrates its military might
Source: Reuters
Over a few hours under grey skies, dozens of combat planes and helicopters roar on and off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Nimitz, in a demonstration of U.S. military power in some of the world's most hotly contested waters.
The group's commander, Rear Admiral Christopher Sweeney, said the tour was part of a U.S. commitment to uphold freedom of passage in the waters and airspace of a region vital to global trade.
A U.S. presence in the South China Sea, a conduit for about $3.4 trillion of annual trade, has been welcomed by allies like Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia, but it continues to rile rival China, which sees the exercises as provocations in its backyard.
China claims historic jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea, which includes the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/beijings-backyard-us-demonstrates-its-military-might-2023-01-27/
World's oldest known person, French nun Lucile Randon, dies at 118
Source: The Guardian
Sister Andrée was born in 1904 and survived an outbreak of Covid-19 in 2021 in her nursing home that killed 10 other residents.
The world’s oldest known person, French nun Lucile Randon, has died aged 118, a spokesperson has said.
Randon, known as Sister Andrée, was born in southern France on 11 February 1904, when the first world war was still a decade away.
She died in her sleep at her nursing home in Toulon, spokesperson David Tavella said on Tuesday.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/17/worlds-oldest-known-person-french-nun-lucile-randon-sister-andree-dies-at-118
Pfizer to sell all its drugs in low-income countries at non-profit price
Source: Reuters
U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) said on Tuesday it will offer its full portfolio of drugs, including off-patent medicines such as chemotherapies and oral cancer treatments, on a not-for-profit basis to 45 low-income countries in the world.
In an expansion of the company's "An Accord for a Healthier World" program, which is aimed at increasing access to innovative treatments in some of the world's poorest countries, Pfizer said it will now offer a total of 500 products.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-sell-all-its-drugs-low-income-countries-non-profit-price-2023-01-17/
Single-use plastic cutlery and plates to be banned in England
Source: BBC News
Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed.
It is not clear when the ban will come into effect but it follows similar moves by Scotland and Wales.
Campaigners welcomed the ban, but called for a wider-ranging plastic reduction strategy.
Government figures suggest that 1.1 billion single-use plates and more than four billion pieces of plastic cutlery are used in England every year.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64205460
Did Dems make a strategic mistake by not ...
letting McCarthy have the speakership in an earlier ballot (by some not voting), before he made so many concessions? Would it have been better for them in the long run, or not, or a toss-up?
FBI, ATF Raise Reward for Information About Capitol Hill Pipe Bomber to $500,000
Source: FBI Press Release
"The FBI Washington Field Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division; and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) have raised the reward to $500,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect who placed pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., in January 2021.
"For two years, a dedicated team of FBI agents, analysts, and law enforcement partners have been tirelessly reviewing evidence and digital media related to this case," said David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office.
To date, the FBI and our partners have conducted approximately 1,000 interviews, visited more than 1,200 residences and businesses, collected more than 39,000 video files, and assessed nearly 500 tips.
"We remain grateful to the American people, who have provided invaluable tips that have helped us advance the investigation," Sundberg said. "With the significantly increased reward, we urge those who may have previously hesitated to contact us—or who may not have realized they had important information—to review the information on our website and come forward with anything relevant," Sundberg said. "Despite the unprecedented volume of data review involved in this case, the FBI and our partners continue to work relentlessly to bring the perpetrator of these dangerous attempted attacks to justice.""
See more:
https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/washingtondc/news/fbi-washington-field-office-atf-washington-field-division-and-metropolitan-police-department-raise-reward-for-information-about-capitol-hill-pipe-bomber-to-500000
Idaho killings suspect waives extradition from Pennsylvania
Source: CNN
The suspect in the November slaying of four University of Idaho students waived extradition from his home state of Pennsylvania to face murder charges in the death of four university students in the state of Idaho.
All the commonwealth needed to prove is that his client resembles or is the person on the arrest warrant and that he was in the area at the time of the crimes, Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar told CNN’s Jean Casarez.
He drove home to Pennsylvania for the holidays, accompanied by his father, LaBar told CNN on Saturday. The two arrived in the commonwealth around December 17.
A white Hyundai Elantra authorities had been looking for in connection with the killings was found at Kohberger’s parents’ house, LaBar confirmed.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/03/us/bryan-kohberger-idaho-killings-extradition-tuesday/index.html
Japanese government offers families 1m yen a child to leave Tokyo
Japan’s government is offering ¥1m ($7,500) per child to families who move out of greater Tokyo, in an attempt to reverse population decline in the regions.
The incentive – a dramatic rise from the previous relocation fee of ¥300,000 – will be introduced in April, according to Japanese media reports, as part of an official push to breathe life into declining towns and villages.
Although Tokyo’s population fell for the first time last year– a trend partly attributed to the coronavirus pandemic – policymakers believe more should be done to lower the city’s population density and encourage people to start new lives in “unfashionable” parts of the country that have been hit by ageing, shrinking populations and the migration of younger people to Tokyo, Osaka and other big cities.
See more:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/03/million-yen-per-child-to-leave-tokyo-japans-offer-to-families
Police chief says no other arrests expected in Idaho killings: 'We believe we have our guy'
Source: The Hill
Moscow, Idaho, Police Chief James Fry on Monday said he is not expecting any more arrests in connection with the deadly November stabbings of four University of Idaho students after one suspect was taken into custody last week.
“We believe we have our guy, the one that committed these murders,” Fry told ABC News on Saturday.
Police arrested Bryan Kohberger in Pennsylvania on Friday and charged him with four counts of first-degree murder as well as felony burglary.
Authorities said they tied him to the killings of the students, who were found dead in a rental home in the city of Moscow near campus on Nov. 13, through DNA evidence and his ownership of a Hyundai Elantra, which allegedly was seen near the crime scene on the night of their deaths.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3795906-police-chief-says-no-other-arrests-expected-in-idaho-killings-we-believe-we-have-our-guy/
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