Career Diplomat Resigns Post Over Biden's Support of Israel

John Ondrasik: What I Saw in Israel As the Missiles Came

The Irony (and Insanity) of Marjorie Taylor Greene

What a Dumb Idea

In 2016‚ the sea ice in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea developed an enormous hole twice the size of Wales – the country‚ not a pod of giant mammals. The following year it returned‚ but the reasons remained unknown. Now they have been explained as a result of previously understood factors and a rare form of salt transportation.It’s common for areas of open water to appear within sea ice‚ to the extent the phenomenon has a name: a polynya. However‚ the 2016 Maud Rise Polynya was the largest for 40 years. Global heating was thought to have stopped such events‚ might it now be bringing them back&;#63;In an effort to explain the mystery scientists recruited elephant seals as research assistants‚ strapping scientific equipment to their heads. The initial interpretation of that data led meteorologists to attribute the polynya to a mix of unusual ocean conditions and an epic storm.Years later‚ another team have added some new elements to the explanation.One important question to explain is why such a large polynya has now been seen five times in the same place – three times in the 1970s before these two events – but nothing so big has turned up elsewhere. The more recent polynyas occurred near the peak of the sea ice extent in late winter or early spring‚ so this was not a case of thaw coming a little earlier there.Part of the answer lies in a large circular current known as the Weddell Gyre‚ which was unusually strong from 2015-2018. This brought a deep layer of warm salty water to the surface.“This upwelling helps to explain how the sea ice might melt. But as sea ice melts this leads to a freshening of the surface water‚ which should in turn put a stop to the mixing. So‚ another process must be happening for the polynya to persist. There must be an additional input of salt from somewhere‚” said Professor Fabien Roquet of the University of Gothenburg in a statement. The evidence from the trusty seals‚ in collaboration with autonomous floats‚ is that salt rose in turbulent eddies as the current flowed over the Maud Rise‚ the undersea ridge from which the polynya gets its name. The polynya did not form directly over the peak of the rise‚ however‚ instead being centered on its northern flank. Roquet and co-authors attribute this to Ekman transport‚ where water moves at right angles to the direction of the wind‚ rather than running before it.“Ekman transport was the essential missing ingredient that was necessary to increase the balance of salt and sustain the mixing of salt and heat towards the surface water‚” said co-author Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato of the University of Southampton. It’s not something that has been considered in previous efforts to explain polynya formation.The autonomous floats were important‚ but it was the salinity readings these citizen scientists returned that sealed the deal.Image credit: Dan Costa/University of California‚ Santa CruzClimate change may not have been the cause of the Maud Rise Polynya‚ but that doesn’t mean they are unrelated. Ice is an insulator‚ blocking the transfer of energy between ocean and atmosphere. Its absence increases that exchange‚ and the same goes for carbon dioxide. Deep in the Antarctic winter there is little sunlight for the open sea to absorb‚ but that changes come spring‚ when the polynya can lead to additional warming. In this way the polynya can be a microcosm of the decline of southern sea ice that began in 2016 and accelerated drastically last year. “The imprint of polynyas can remain in the water for multiple years after they’ve formed. They can change how water moves around and how currents carry heat towards the continent. The dense waters that form here can spread across the global ocean‚” said Professor Sarah Gille of the University of California San Diego. In 2018 some‚ but not all‚ of the conditions necessary to form polynyas were still present‚ and no large opening appeared.The study is published open access in Science Advances. N.B. With professors from three institutions‚ the list of authors on the paper is an impressive one‚ but we’re disappointed to see that none of the elephant seals are named as research assistants. Maybe they should unionize.

The post 40 Overwhelmingly Adorable Pets Who Will Never Have to be Alone Again appeared first on Animal Channel.

The post 40 Hilariously Painful Pics That Show the Price You Pay When Owning a Dog appeared first on Animal Channel.

Puppies represent not just playful companions but also symbols of fresh starts and devotion. They have a unique ability to inject joy into our lives. This is especially true during the festive season when the gift of a puppy can transform an ordinary Christmas into one filled with more love and happy memories than you... The post Grandma and grandpa lose it when they find out they’re getting a puppy appeared first on Animal Channel.

Pro-aborts vandalized the St. Patrick’s Church in Portland‚ Oregon over the weekend making it the 252nd attack on the Catholic Church since the Dobbs decision was leaked in 2022. This is part of the left’s ongoing effort to proclaim that they want Roe reinstated and the option to kill innocent‚ pre-born babies at their leisure. Catholic church-goers were met with the messaging when heading to services at St. Patrick’s Church in Portland for Sunday mass.  “FUCK U My body My choice‚” was spray painted on the once beautiful doors to the church as well as on the concrete outside the building‚ according to images shared on X by journalist Andy Ngo. Breaking: Those attending mass this morning at St. Patrick’s Church in northwest Portland‚ Ore. arrived to find it had been vandalized again with a pro-abortion message. (The door is still stain-bleached of a removed hateful message.) Multiple Christian houses of worship have… pic.twitter.com/YqPlP4LMOW — Andy Ng&;ocirc; 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 28‚ 2024 Last week Catholic Vote reported on the 249th attack on a Catholic Church since the Dobbs leak. In Oklahoma‚ a suspect broke a statue of the Virgin Mary and one of the Holy Family at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Muskogee. According to CatholicVote’s violence tracker‚ there have been at least 252 attacks perpetrated against Catholic churches since May 2022 and there have been 417 attacks against Catholic churches in the United States since May 28‚ 2020. The list doesn’t incorporate violence against Christian churches or pregnancy centers‚ but I suspect that if it did‚ the number would be close to double since anyone who affirms the Bible’s stance on the sanctity of life has been under attack for years. The list does however show the gravity of this situation and how pro-aborts‚ unsurprisingly‚ turn to violence and aggression to show that they support abortion --- just like this weekend over in Portland. Ngo noted that the doors have been cleaned but are now bleach stained since they needed to be deeply scrubbed from the black spray paint. In response‚ some users called on the FBI in Portland to find and charge the vandals. “Maybe when you’re done arresting grandma for going for a walk you can arrest these people‚” a user wrote‚ “a house of worship is a safe haven for pro life.” A different user noted that this was “heartbreaking” while another called the vandal(s) “soulless ghouls.” “If something like this was done to an abortion clinic it would declared domestic terrorism or a RICO violation. This act should be treated the same‚” one more wrote on Ngo’s post. We’re about to reach two full years since the Dobbs decision was leaked and this sort of violence started. My hope and prayer is that it not only stops but that hearts are changed and minds are woken up to the realities of what abortion is.  

FIRST ON MRC: Never-before-seen emails reveal how several legacy media outlets closely aligned themselves with a disgraced censorship entity‚ accused of leading the censorship of Republicans and conservatives on social media. Documents reviewed by MRC Free Speech America indicate that certain leftist‚ legacy media outlets — including The Washington Post‚ The Guardian‚ ABC News‚ NBC News‚ Vice and others — collaborated closely with the anti-free speech Election Integrity Partnership (EIP)‚ a now-defunct consortium of researchers and universities with ties to government agencies and embroiled in censorship controversies. The Stanford University’s Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO)‚ along with the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public‚ led the effort to launch the EIP‚ a consortium of academics and researchers.  Tellingly‚ the EIP was created “at the request of” the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency‚ part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)‚ and “worked directly with” the DHS and the State Department’s Global Engagement Center to “monitor and censor Americans’ online speech” before the 2020 elections‚ according to the House Judiciary Committee. In response to these emails‚ House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) called on the federal government to defund the massive web of anti-free speech entities‚ infamously known as the Censorship Industrial Complex. “We’ve obtained the secret reports showing how the Election Integrity Partnership worked closely with Big Tech to censor thousands of Americans‚” Jordan said. “Other documents confirm that the EIP was created ‘at the request of’ the federal government. In other words‚ Big Tech‚ Big Academia‚ and Big Government teamed up to censor Americans before the 2020 election.” The emails‚ obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request investigation by government watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT)‚ suggest that the legacy media blindly relied on the EIP to reinforce their anti-free speech narratives. “It’s disappointing and‚ frankly‚ a little frightening that media outlets have taken up full membership in the Censorship Industrial Complex‚” PPT President Michael Chamberlain told MRC Free Speech America. Little has been reported or known about the extent of the media’s involvement with the disgraced censorship group — at least until now. The Washington Post Calls Anti-Free Speech Researchers ‘My Fave People’ In one instance‚ Elizabeth Dwoskin‚ a Silicon Valley correspondent for The Washington Post‚ referred to EIP leader Alex Stamos‚ a former chief security officer at Facebook‚ and Stanford researcher Ren&;eacute;e DiResta‚ as her “fave people” in an email dated April 1‚ 2022. According to the email‚ Dwoskin contacted EIP to propose “a potentially powerful collaboration” concerning alleged “disinfo” in the 2022 midterm elections.  The proposed collaboration‚ dubbed &;quot;The Megaphone Project‚&;quot; aimed to track individuals who raised questions about the 2020 elections and whether they still had platforms in the 2022 midterm elections. “What platforms are they using&;#63; Do they still have the megaphones they had in 2020&;#63; What are they saying in the run-up to 2022&;#63;” Dwoskin asked Stamos and DiResta.  Whether “The Megaphone Project” was initiated remains unknown. However‚ the proposal raises concerns about the impartiality of The Post's reporter‚ said MRC Free Speech America Vice President Dan Schneider. “It is sickening that The Post sought to create a hit list against people who simply wanted to exercise their free speech rights‚” Schneider said. “In the past‚ leftists have also done the same thing. Did The Post ever produce a similar blacklist&;#63; We doubt it. This only proves the legacy media are nothing but arms of the Democrat Party.” Dwoskin did not immediately respond to MRC Free Speech America’s request for comment. ABC News Mourns Rise of Parler: ‘Will We Ever Stop Misinformation&;#63;’ In another instance showcasing how legacy media outlets leaned on EIP to promote their anti-free speech agenda‚ ABC News reporter Laura Romero emailed professor and EIP mastermind Kate Starbird on Nov. 11‚ 2020‚ seeking comment regarding Parler‚ a pro-free speech platform. Rather than simply requesting Starbird's expert analysis on Parler‚ Romero‚ in a 257-word email‚ voiced her concerns that while Facebook and Twitter were cracking down on the “Big Lie‚” Parler allowed Americans to freely express their views on the 2020 election. “Is this a cat and mouse chase&;#63;” Romero asked Starbird‚ alluding to Big Tech’s crackdown on free speech. The ABC News reporter pondered‚ “Will we ever stop misinformation from spreading&;#63;” without specifying who the “we” in her email referred to. In the same email‚ Romero suggested that she preferred “to hop on the phone to discuss this‚” citing her busy schedule. Tellingly‚ Romero did not promptly respond to MRC’s repeated requests for comments or clarification. Romero ultimately published an ABC News article on Nov. 17‚ 2020‚ headlined: “‘Free speech’ social media platform Parler is a hit among Trump supporters‚ but experts say it won't last.” In the article‚ Romero accused Parler of disseminating “misinformation.” She supported her anti-free speech assertions by citing “experts.” Did The Guardian Rely on EIP for Legal Advice Following Project Veritas Threat&;#63; Amid a legal dispute between media activist group Project Veritas and EIP‚ attorneys representing then-Project Veritas President James O’Keefe filed a complaint against The Guardian. The newspaper had previously covered an EIP blog that labeled O’Keefe as a “repeat spreader” of “election misinformation” a year prior. Faced with a potential legal challenge regarding its coverage of O’Keefe‚ Eline Gordts‚ a West Coast editor at The Guardian‚ reached out to EIP‚ apparently seeking guidance on how to respond to Project Veritas. Project Veritas had initiated a lawsuit against EIP over an EIP blog published on Sept. 29‚ 2020 (and later covered by The Guardian). “O'Keefe's lawyers mention that they have filed litigation against EIP for defamatory content‚” Gordts wrote to EIP researcher DiResta and Communications Director Michael Grass.  Gordts added‚ “As we're crafting our response‚ it would be very helpful to get a sense of your thinking around his allegations‚ what exactly they are suiting [sic] over and whether Project Veritas is suing or James O'Keefe.” Later in the email‚ she asked to “discuss this over the phone. In response‚ Stamos confirmed that Project Veritas had initiated legal action against EIP. He then offered Gordts access to EIP’s attorneys and provided communications advice for further comment. It isn’t immediately clear whether The Guardian ever spoke to EIP’s attorneys. Still‚ MRC’s Schneider said that coordinating legal strategy against a third party is highly unusual for a media outlet. “Not only did the media peddle EIP’s work blindly‚ but they seemed to be so entangled with EIP that they even wanted to secretly coordinate their dissembling in the courthouse. Their corruption does not end with election interference. It might also include obstruction of justice.” Gordts informed MRC that she wouldn't meet the publication’s deadline for a response‚ claiming‚ &;quot;We'll reply as soon as possible.&;quot; The Guardian's press office did not immediately respond to MRC's request for comments. VICE News and The Post Ask: First Amendment Worse Than Russian ‘Disinformation’&;#63; One of the accusations raised by House Republicans against the EIP and its government ties is that the EIP conflated constitutionally-protected speech with alleged foreign “disinformation‚” occasionally prioritizing the targeting of Americans’ free speech. VICE and The Post suggested that Americans’ ability to freely speak posed a greater threat to the nation than foreign interference. In September 2020‚ Vice commissioned a “big/special” election documentary with HBO‚ as indicated by Graham Brookie‚ an aide at The Atlantic Council’s Digital Foreign Research Lab (also part of the EIP‚ according to House Republicans). In an email to Starbird‚ Brookie forwarded a note‚ purportedly from Vice News‚ that stated‚ “While foreign interference is continuing in similar fashion to 2016‚ the primary issue is domestic misinformation.” It isn’t immediately clear whether such a documentary was ever videotaped or finalized. Not to be outdone by Vice‚ The Post's Dwoskin (mentioned earlier in this report) reached out to EIP about a briefing related to the 2020 election. In the email dated Nov. 4‚ 2020‚ Dwoskin posed the highly cynical question of whether Trump declaring himself winner was “a bigger test for the platforms than Russian disinfo‚ in terms of protecting threats to democracy&;#63;” On the same day‚ Dwoskin published a write-up for The Post headlined “Trump’s early victory declarations test tech giants’ mettle in policing threats to the election.” In it‚ she used a quote from Stamos to accuse Big Tech platforms of failing to act against so-called “repeat offenders” of “misinformation.” Neither Brookie‚ Vice nor Dwoskin immediately responded to MRC’s request for comment. NBC News to EIP: ‘Why YouTube Isn’t Adjusting’ In an email to Starbird‚ NBC News Correspondent Jake Ward whined about YouTube's alleged reluctance to follow the lead of other major Big Tech platforms in censoring Americans in the days leading up to the 2020 election. The subject line of Ward’s email‚ dated Oct. 26‚ 2020‚ read‚ “Why YouTube Isn't Adjusting.” Ward sought to interview Starbird to gain a “big-picture” perspective on how YouTube “handles itself.” Ward declared his intent to write a story on YouTube. “I'm putting a story together about why it is that YouTube has adjusted so little of how it handles misinformation as compared to Twitter and FB‚” he wrote‚ extending an invitation to continue the conversation on Zoom. Ward‚ who has since left NBC News‚ did not immediately respond to MRC's request for comment. Ward’s concerns seemingly prompted action from YouTube‚ as the platform undertook a significant purge of content that allegedly violated the platform’s COVID-19 policies‚ resulting in the removal of over 500‚000 videos. YouTube also moved to ban former President Donald Trump’s account for over three years‚ a decision ultimately reversed in March 2023. Despite Ward’s assertions about YouTube’s perceived inaction on censorship‚ its parent company‚ Google‚ faced scrutiny nearly four years later‚ following the release of an MRC Free Speech America report. The MRC report revealed that the tech giant intervened in U.S. elections at least 41 times‚ every time in favor of the most left-wing candidates. EIP to Fox News: No‚ Thank You&;#63; In contrast to EIP’s engagement with other media outlets‚ the organization appears to have been less receptive to a Fox News reporter’s inquiry about an EIP fact check of a Project Veritas video on alleged voter fraud. In an email dated Oct. 5‚ 2020‚ Fox News reporter Audrey Conklin reached out to Dr. Joe Bak-Coleman‚ one of the authors of an EIP blog that targeted Project Veritas. Such a blog was at the center of a now-settled lawsuit between Project Veritas and EIP. Bak-Coleman forwarded the email to Starbird and Stamos seeking advice. “Thoughts on how/if I should respond&;#63; My instinct is to just ignore it but I figured better to ask y'all‚” Bak-Coleman wrote that same day. Starbird advised against responding‚ warning‚ “I wouldn't respond. I'm curious as to why they reached out to you and not Alex or me. Something to chat about at our next meeting.” Bak-Coleman chose not to respond to Conklin. Instead‚ Stamos intervened‚ stating‚ “I believe our post speaks for itself and we are going to decline further comment.” Legacy Media‚ Enemies of Free Speech&;#63; Reacting to these revelations‚ PPT’s Chamberlain criticized the legacy media’s role in endorsing EIP’s controversial work and‚ even worse‚ failing to uphold the principles of the First Amendment. “I’m old enough to remember when they would be the staunchest defenders of free speech‚ the First Amendment‚ and the search for truth‚” Chamberlain told MRC. “Now it appears that instead of defending those principles they are more interested in defending the narratives they advance and defending themselves against upstarts and alternative outlets.” Chamberlain concluded with a sobering assessment: “There's profit and prestige in being an approved information gatekeeper.” But not all hope is gone‚ as Jordan and the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government are calling for legislation to defund these censorship-tied tools. “Our investigation continues but it’s clear that Congress must pass legislation that ends the censorship-industrial complex in all its forms‚ including the EIP‚” Jordan told MRC. Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency‚ clarity on hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.