Bits and Bites from around the World > Chile's Super-Sinkhole; Montana's Super-Stinkhole; Alex Jones $49m Lies

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Locals baffled as enormous 650ft deep sinkhole mysteriously appears

…and it’s getting BIGGER all the time

Olivia Burke

15:33, 2 Aug 2022, Updated: 9:10, 3 Aug 2022

The Scottish Sun

LOCALS have been left baffled after an enormous sinkhole mysteriously appeared in northern Chile - that is still growing.

The 650ft deep and 82ft wide pit bizarrely emerged on Saturday in the commune of Tierra Amarilla in the Atacama Region.

The sinkhole bizarrely formed on Saturday in a mining area of northern ChileCredit: Newsflash

The strange phenomenon is still growing, leaving experts and locals baffledCredit: Reuters

The terrifying sinkhole is thought to be more than 650ft deep and is still swelling - leaving authorities "very worried".

Staggering aerial images released by Chilean media show the vastness of the strange phenomenon which has left experts stumped.

The extraordinary sinkhole has formed on an area of land about 413 miles north of the capital Santiago, operated by Canadian mining firm, Lundin Mining.

Specialists have been sent to the site to survey the area after the National Service of Geology and Mining, Sernageomin, were alerted.

The agency's director David Montenegro explained: "There is a considerable distance, approximately 200 metres (656ft), to the bottom.

"We haven’t detected any material down there, but we have seen the presence of a lot of water."

Chileans living nearby have been left horrified by the expanding sinkhole after officials confirmed it is still growing.

Local mayor Cristobal Zuniga said: "Yesterday [Saturday, 30th July] we received a citizen complaint regarding a sinkhole that occurred here in our community near the Alcaparrosa mine. 

"We are concerned, since it is a fear that we have always had as a community, the fact we are surrounded by mining deposits and subterranean works under our community.

"It is still active, it is still growing and it is something that has not previously been seen in our community."

It is still active, it is still growing and it is something that has not previously been seen in our community.

However, there is no official confirmation yet that the sinkhole was caused by activities related to mining.

The staggering sinkhole is connected to a copper mine on the site operated by Lundin Mining. Credit: Reuters

No injuries have been reported and officials are continuing to monitor the hole as mining work in the area was suspended.

In a statement on Monday, Lundin Mining insisted the sinkhole did not affect any workers or community members.

They said it had "remained stable" since it was first detected on Saturday.

The statement added: "The closest home is more than 600 meters away while any populated area or public service are almost a kilometer away from the affected zone."

The company are also reportedly conducting a technical analysis to determine the cause of the colossal hole.

Lundin Mining owns 80 percent of the property, while the rest is held by Japan's Sumitomo Corporation.

The deepest sinkhole ever recorded was in the Chongqing district of China, that measured a whopping 2,171 feet deep and 6735 metres wide.

MEANWHILE IN MONTANA: 

A handful of cows found their way into a newly built home

and lived in it for a month before being noticed.

Ah! That fresh mountain air!

The family was moving from Washington. The Aunt was supposed to be checking on the place, but she didn’t. 

A rancher had filed a report about missing some cattle and even checked their barn, but not the house.

They think a bad storm sent them looking for cover. They also think the storm blew a door in or somehow one of the cows nudged one open.

Glad I'm not on the clean-up crew!

Alex Jones ordered to pay $45.2M more over Sandy Hook lies

By JIM VERTUNO

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones attempts to answer questions about his emails asked by Mark Bankston, lawyer for Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, during trial at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Wednesday Aug. 3, 2022. Jones testified Wednesday that he now understands it was irresponsible of him to declare the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a hoax and that he now believes it was “100% real." (Briana Sanchez/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury on Friday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a child who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, adding to the $4.1 million he must pay for the suffering he put them through by claiming for years that the nation’s deadliest school shooting was a hoax.

The total — $49.3 million — is less than the $150 million sought by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son Jesse Lewis was among the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut. But the trial marks the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the massacre, claiming it was faked by the government to tighten gun laws.

That was just for one child! What if the remaining 25 victim's families sue Jones? He must be more than a little anxious right now, as he should be.

It is good to see the jurors hold broadcasters responsible for telling flat-out lies. Perhaps it will put the fear-of-God into other journalists who have little regard for the truth or the feelings of the families of victims of horrible crimes.

Afterward, Lewis said that Jones — who wasn’t in the courtroom to hear the verdict — has been held accountable. She said when she took the stand and looked Jones in the eye, she thought of her son, who was credited with saving lives by yelling “run” when the killer paused in his rampage.

“He stood up to the bully Adam Lanza and saved nine of his classmates’ lives,” Lewis said. “I hope that I did that incredible courage justice when I was able to confront Alex Jones, who is also a bully. I hope that inspires other people to do the same.”

It could be a while before the plaintiffs collect anything. Jones’ lead attorney, Andino Reynal, told the judge he will appeal and ask the courts to drastically reduce the size of the verdict.

After the hearing, Reynal said he thinks the punitive amount will be reduced to as little as $1.5 million.

’We think the verdict was too high. ... Alex Jones will be on the air today, he’ll be on the air tomorrow, he’ll be on the air next week. He’s going to keep doing his job holding the power structure accountable.”

Jones’ companies and personal wealth could also get carved up by other lawsuits and bankruptcy. Another defamation lawsuit against Jones by a Sandy Hook family is set to start pretrial hearings in the same Austin court on Sept. 14. He faces yet another defamation lawsuit in Connecticut.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Bankston said he believes he can challenge any attempt to reduce the damages. But he said even if the award is drastically cut, it’s just as important to take the big verdict into the bankruptcy court for the family to claim against Jones’ estate and company.

Jones testified this week that any award over $2 million would “sink us.” His company Free Speech Systems, which is Infowars’ Austin-based parent company, filed for bankruptcy protection during the first week of the trial.

Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct, beyond monetary compensation awarded to the individuals they hurt. A high punitive award is also seen as a chance for jurors to send a wider societal message and a way to deter others from the same abhorrent conduct in the future.

Barry Covert, a Buffalo, New York, First Amendment lawyer with no connection to the Jones case, said the total damages awarded amount to “a stunning loss for Jones.”

“With $50 million in all, the jury has sent a huge, loud message that this behavior will not be tolerated,” Covert said. “Everyone with a show like this who knowingly tells lies — juries will not tolerate it.”

The Media is the Message > WaPo Retracts Great Swaths of Pulitzer Prize Winning Russiagate Stories; Trans Feelings Hurt at BBC; Alex Jones Abandoned Truth and Mercy

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Pulitzer-winning WaPo ‘corrects’ Russiagate stories

13 Nov, 2021 04:05

A general view of the exterior of The Washington Post Company headquarters in Washington, March 30, 2012 © Reuters

Critics have called for the revocation of a Pulitzer Prize given to the Washington Post for its “relentless” Russiagate reporting, after the newspaper made heavy corrections to two stories based on the discredited Steele dossier.

In a statement on Friday, the Washington Post announced that it had removed “large portions” of two articles covering the discredited Steele dossier – a political opposition report commissioned by Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign which claimed to have evidence of a conspiracy between President Donald Trump and Russia.

Washington Post executive editor Sally Buzbee said the newspaper “could no longer stand by the accuracy” of entire sections of the articles from March 2017 and February 2019, which had mis-identified a primary source for the dossier’s most egregious claims – including that Trump had “defiled” a Moscow hotel room with prostitutes.

In an editor’s note for the 2017 article, the Washington Post said on Friday that its original account had “been contradicted by allegations contained in a federal indictment filed in November 2021 and undermined by further reporting.” A similar editor’s note was also added to the 2019 Russiagate article.

The Washington Post has previously added editor’s notes to several other dubious ‘Russiagate’ reports on alleged interference and hacking, and the newspaper was publicly condemned on Friday for having to add two more articles to the list of “corrected” stories.

“Another major editor's note attached to a Washington Post Russiagate story. This one is essentially a retraction. There's no way for major media outlets can keep evading this accountability. It's crashing down,” tweeted journalist Glenn Greenwald, who added that the “scope of the media's Russiagate fraud is only starting to be appreciated.”

Journalist Michael Tracey noted that Tom Hamburger and Rosalind Helderman, the two authors behind an article which “has now been effectively retracted,” received a Pulitzer Prize “for their Russiagate reporting from exactly the same time period.”

“Kinda makes you wonder what else they got egregiously wrong, doesn't it?” he questioned, as other social media users called on the Pulitzer Prize to revoke Hamburger and Helderman’s award and demanded that the journalists resign.

Some social media users questioned why the Washington Post would not completely retract its discredited coverage instead of making such heavy edits. Meanwhile, others argued the damage was already done and that deleting falsehoods several years after they published merely amounted to “hiding the evidence.”

“These news organizations harmed our democracy,” tweeted author Svetlana Lokhova. “We need a judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the US press.”

No problem, we can appoint some Deep Staters to look into this!!! I wonder how much the editors at WaPo knew when they authorized these articles. It's easier to get forgiveness than permission. That the journalists (I use that term loosely) have not been fired would seem to implicate the editors.

Trans activists fuming as BBC executive tells staff that

journalism can hurt their feelings – media

14 Nov, 2021 08:25

FILE PHOTO. The London Trans Pride 2020. ©REUTERS / Simon Dawson

A BBC meeting on LGBT rights reportedly left many activists in emotional distress, after leadership told them that in the profession of journalism, they will hear opinions they “don’t personally like.”

A Friday Zoom call between BBC executives and the broadcaster’s Pride network was described as “often hostile” by The Sunday Times. Fran Unsworth, the outgoing head of news at the BBC, reportedly told staff unhappy with how trans issues are covered by the outlet: “You’ll hear things you don’t personally like and see things you don’t like – that’s what the BBC is, and you have to get used to that.”

Unsworth, who is due to leave in January, was “totally calm but determined,” according to a journalist who was present at the call. “To me, it felt like she was having to explain journalism to idiots,” the source said.

The Guardian’s Owen Jones cited a source as saying that Unsworth was “terrible” during the meeting.

“People on the call were literally writing messages live that they were in tears and she didn’t say anything,” the source said, citing Unsworth as saying: “Journalism is not a scientific endeavour, it is an artistic endeavour.”

It would be better if it were both, for there might be a bigger commitment to honesty. Also, transgenderism is not scientific in the least.

Trans activist Christine Burns said that if this truly is Unsworth’s belief, “it’s over for BBC journalism” and that “no respectable journalist should aspire to work there.”

The BBC this month severed its relationship with trans advocacy organisation Stonewall, out of concern that the connection could compromise the impartiality of its coverage of trans issues. Critics of the move, such as Labour MP Nadia Whittome, say there should not be any impartiality on trans rights. “There is homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, or there is the active combatting of it and championing of equality.”

A rather limited perspective, IMHO

BBC News also published a controversial story on its website about lesbians allegedly coerced into having sex with biologically male trans women, which trans activists called transphobic. During the Friday call, BBC leadership defended the platforming of the article, which was penned by reporter Caroline Lowbridge, The Times said. Director-General Tim Davie and Director of Nations Rhodri Talfan Davies reportedly called it a good piece of journalism, with the caveat that it had to be corrected after publication to remove a quotation.  

The activists were “extremely hostile” towards Davie, who previously chaired a lesbian, gay, and bisexual working group at the BBC, according to sources. “He was told by one member of staff that he was not in a position to make decisions on this issue, because he’s not trans,” a source said.

So, then, does it follow that trans people are in no position to make any decisions involving straight people, because they are not straight?

The push for unquestionable acceptance of trans rights at the BBC reportedly comes from the younger generation of employees, while older staff, particularly women, are concerned that it infringes on things like sex-restricted access to bathrooms.

“If you mention it, it’s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers: everyone goes quiet and their faces go blank,” one employee said, explaining to The Times that any debate on the issue has been discouraged at the BBC until recently.

It's just my perception, but it seems like the lunatics are throwing a tantrum because they can't run the asylum.

How do you make a horror story worse? - Give it to Alex Jones!

Alex Jones loses final lawsuit on Sandy Hook massacre

16 Nov, 2021 11:32

FILE PHOTO. © REUTERS / Jim Bourg

Conspiracy pundit Alex Jones was ruled liable by default in a civil lawsuit filed in Connecticut by families of Sandy Hook massacre victims. Jones failed to provide documents related to his business.

The Monday ruling builds up on a previous decision by a Texas court, which last month likewise found Jones liable by default. In both matters, Jones stonewalled court discovery, defying court orders to provide relevant materials.

Families of 10 victims, two in Texas and eight in Connecticut, seek damages from the popular conservative host, who claimed that the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut was staged. Jones claimed the tragedy was a “hoax” meant to give public support to tighten gun controls and branded people involved in it “crisis actors”.

After killing his mother, the 20-year-old shooter drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School, gunned down 20 students and six school employees and took his own life.

As an admitted conspiracy theorist, myself, I am appalled at the complete abandonment of truth, and the complete absence of any consideration for the families of Sandy Hook, in Jones' insane treatment of this horror story. I have no time for anyone who has no concern for the truth or for victims of madness.

All the defamation lawsuits were filed against Jones in 2018. The plaintiffs claimed damages for years of emotional distress and harassment by people who bought into Jones’ claims. Among the plaintiffs in the Connecticut lawsuit was an FBI agent who responded to the shooting and was branded a participant of the “hoax” by Jones. 

The host later acknowledged that the massacre was real, but claims that it is being used by the US government to curb Americans’ freedoms with help from the victims’ families.

In both states, courts said Jones refused to provide documents about his business operation, which led them to issue rare liable-by-default rulings. Judges in Texas and Connecticut ordered him to deposit materials to assess whether he and his media outlet Infowars profited from his promotion of the conspiracy theory. Jones claimed he suffered a drop in audience share after making his false allegations about Sandy Hook. 

Commenting on the Monday ruling, Jones said that he was denied a trial by a jury and was found “guilty until proven guilty; the only question is how guilty I am”. He was referring to the fact that in both cases he was ruled liable by a judge, while the amount of damages would be determined by a jury next year.

Jones’ lawyers said they will appeal the new ruling. “We remain confident that, in the end, the Sandy Hook families cannot prove either liability or damages. We think their lawyers know this; hence, the desperate effort to obtain a default,” his attorney Norman Pattis said.