Canada to Fine You $50K for Past Social Media Posts?, "Boy Scouts" Rebrand Likely to Distance From Child Molestation Scandals, High Schoolers Really Want Financial Ed in School (The Five for 05/08/24)
Plus, NY Times...probably falsified sources...about Israel & gun control.
Hey, welcome to The Five, a publication about the stories that matter, but don’t always make the front page.
Let’s dive into the news.
[one]
The Canadian President, who is definitely not illegitimate son of late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro (seriously, stop looking at this pic, or the evidence that Trudeau’s mom was in Cuba and met with Castro, or Justin paying tribute to his not-father) is not doing son-of-dictator-things to make secret daddy proud.
The Free Press Journal reports:
On February 26, this year, the Justin Trudeau-led Canada Government introduced the Bill C-63 to create a new Online Harms Act - a baseline standard for online platforms to keep Canadians safe, to hold online platforms accountable for the content they host, create stronger protections for children online and better safeguard people in the country from online hate.
The legislation proposes to create a new digital safety regulator and includes changes to the Criminal Code to usher in stricter penalties for hate-related crimes. The regulator will have the the power to issue 24-hour takedown orders to companies for content deemed to be child sexual abuse or intimate photos and videos shared without consent, the New York Times said.
The agency could also initiate investigations of tech companies and impose hefty, multimillion dollar fines. The bill would allow Canadians to file complaints to an existing human rights commission that can ultimately lead to financial penalties of up to 50,000 Canadian dollars against people judged to have committed hate speech, the New York Times said.
Note that “hate speech” isn’t defined here. Also note that newly passed laws are almost never retroactive. Imagine being a working class Canadian, and getting slammed with $50K fine for…say, “hate speech” against the Prime Minister, for pointing out the very-not-true conspiracy theory that just because his mom famously had affairs with actors Jack Nicholson and Ryan O’Neal, which was covered in Vanity Fair, that she might have also had an affair with the Cuban dictator, who held a special tenderness for her children, which he definitely did not father:
Seriously, they can’t be father and son…which is what you should post online, if you live in Canada. Otherwise, you could wind up losing your house.
No resemblance whatsoever. None.
[two]
Turns out the kids aren’t alright…because they really want financial education, and high schools and parents are failing them in that area.
A recent survey by Intuit found that U.S. high school students want to learn about personal finance in schools but that many lack access to such courses at school, while parents may be reluctant to teach their children about financial literacy.
Intuit's Financial Education survey found that 85% of U.S. high school students said they're interested in learning about financial topics at school and that 95% of those who currently receive a financial curriculum find it helpful.
"Ultimately, what we learned is that 81% of students said they really try to discuss financial topics with their parents, but parents typically aren't necessarily comfortable for a variety of reasons in having those types of conversations with their kids," Dave Zasada, VP of education and corporate responsibility at Inuit, told FOX Business in an interview.
"It might be that they're not financially savvy themselves, which would align with national data around financial literacy rates in adults," Zasada said, pointing to data that found just 34% of adults can pass a basic financial literacy quiz. "But also, we find that 88% of parents feel financial education should actually be taught in schools."
[three]
President Biden is visiting Racine, WI today, in an attempt to convince voters the economy is headed in the right director.
CNN reports:
When President Joe Biden visits Wisconsin on Wednesday, he’ll attempt to draw a direct line between his signature legislative achievements and shovels in the ground — and a direct contrast with Donald Trump — as he seeks to win over voters unhappy with the overall economy.
Biden plans to announce a $3.3 billion investment from Microsoft to build a new artificial intelligence facility located on the same site where, in 2018, then-President Trump broke ground on what was supposed to be a signature project under his administration: an electronics factory for Taiwan’s Foxconn, which had secured billions in tax credits and promised thousands of jobs.
Those investments largely failed to materialize. And in his remarks Wednesday, Biden plans to directly point his finger at Trump for that failure, according to a White House official.
The sprawling stretch of Racine County, which sits between Chicago and Milwaukee, has been at the center of an intense local political debate over the development through one whipsaw election after another. Residents who live and work nearby told CNN they were happy to see the projects — and the jobs — but it was hardly a guarantee that their own economic anxieties would be allayed.
Most analysts agree that six states are in play to decide the 2024 election. Trump is currently leading in Pennsylvania, which Biden won in 2020, and Biden looks to be in bad shape in Michigan, and according to the last Emerson Poll, is (slowly) bleeding support in Wisconsin to Trump.
[four]
The Boy Scouts…is no more.
After being embroiled in a sex-abuse scandal, the Boy Scouts are changing their name. The 114-year old organization known as BSA or Boy Scouts of America will be rebranding as Scouting America early next year.
Boy Scouts of America President Roger Krone announced Tuesday that the name change is part of an evolution as the organization seeks to ensure that everyone feels welcome.
"We are an organization for all. It's time our name reflects that," Krone said during a virtual news conference during its annual meeting in Florida.
"Scouting under the name Scouting America will enable us to chart a course towards continued growth, relevance and impact."
Five years ago, the Boy Scouts opened its programs to girls after allowing LGBTQ youth in 2013, and gay scout leaders in 2015.
"We want to make sure that all youth in America understand that they are welcome in our organization, that this is a safe place for them to learn and grow and to be their authentic self," said Krone.
The Irving, Texas-based organization emerged from bankruptcy last year after facing more than 82,000 lawsuits from people sexually assaulted by scout leaders as children.
Critics were quick to throw the “wokeness” label on the rebrand, claiming the name “Boy Scouts” as another victim of the gender war, but I believe NPR got it right…the name change was most likely to distract that the Boy Scouts were somehow both one of the most successful child molestation networks ever, and also enjoyed nonprofit status.
I seriously question why an organization that paid out nearly a BILLION DOLLARS to childhood rape victims is still around at all.
[five]
Finally, gun control advocates in the U.S. are Big Mad that Israelis are responding to the October 7th Massacre buy buying guns…after jumping through WAY more hoops than in the U.S.
The NY Times (reposted to Yahoo) reports:
“People we never imagined are lining up for permits and carrying guns,” one activist said during a group Zoom conversation. Others on the call chimed in. “My husband.” “My grocer.” “My father-in-law.” “Me.”
Being “like the U.S.” emerged as a source of disquiet. One activist who lives in a Tel Aviv suburb spoke as sirens rang in the background. How long after the Gaza war ends, he wondered, “will it take until we see our first American-style mass shooting?”
An ER doctor told a story about bickering neighbors holding up guns mid-argument. She asked a question that months before would have been unimaginable: “Do you think U.S. gun safety groups might be willing to take up our cause?”
Observations:
A) The fact that an un-named source shows up begging for U.S. gun control groups to get involved in foreign activism…shows the dip in quality of the NY Times, which for decades has demanded that it’s writers verify EVERY source.
Let’s go to the data to see if this “source” was a real person, or made up:
B). Israel is MUCH more restrictive than the U.S. on gun sales. For the most part, you can only own a pistol, not a rifle, and can only keep 100 rounds of ammo, after meetings these requirements and completing mandatory training.
You must be a resident of Israel for at least three years.
You must be at least 27 years old if you did not serve in the army or 21 if you did.
You must have a good understanding of Hebrew (written and spoken).
You may not have a criminal record
C). The top countries for gun deaths are:
Venezuela
El Salvador
Guatemala
Columbia
Brazil
All of which have more restrictive gun control that the U.S., but also have a heck of a lot of drug cartels.
Until the next one,
-sth