From Sunday, that's Isaiah's latest THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Ron's Disney World Tantrum." Florida needs to get its act together. There are many great people in that state -- I personally would put Wally's mother and his grandfather on the list of great people. But Ron DeSantis is making you all look like hicks.
On March 20, Principal Hope Carrasquilla was forced to resign from the Tallahassee Classical School, a K-12 charter school in Leon County, Florida, after parents of sixth graders complained that they were not informed that her students would be shown an image of the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarotti’s masterpiece, “David,” finished in 1504. The image was part of a lesson about Renaissance art that included such works as Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and “The Creation of Adam,” and images from the Sistine Chapel, also by Michelangelo.
In other words, the pictures were those typically shown to American children in courses on art or world history, and certainly mandatory in a school that claims to adhere to a classical curriculum, as the Tallahassee school does.
While there is controversy over whether one of the parents called the statue “pornographic,” it is clear that the most backward, censorious and anti-artistic cultural sentiments motivated both the complaint and the removal of the principal.
The Tallahassee Classical School Board has attempted to disguise the reasons for the forced resignation of the principal. It has claimed that the image has been shown before, but with adequate notice to parents, and that Carrasquilla was asked to leave for other unspecified reasons in addition to the failure to notify parents. As the chair of the School Board, Barney Bishop III, said in an interview with Slate, “If there’s controversial topics or subjects, we tell parents in advance.”
This begs the question of why an institution of learning in the 21st century (or the 19th or the 17th) would consider showing “David” to 10- and 11-year-olds “controversial.” Clearly, Carrasquilla did not think it was. She told the media, “[H]onestly we did not have to send out a letter regarding Renaissance art.”
Please read Wally, Cedric, Betty and Ann's joint-post -- a humor post but with a point -- DeSantis keeps raking up millions in financial debts that Florida residents are going to get stuck paying:
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for Monday:
THAI PBS WORLD notes, "Major oil powers led by Saudi Arabia announced a surprise production cut of more than one million barrels per day on Sunday, calling it a “precautionary” move aimed at stabilising the market." KURDISTAN 24 reports, "As part of the collective decision by its fellow OPEC+ members, Iraq has decided to cut 211,000 barrels of oil per day, beginning in May, in an effort to stabilize the oil market, according to a statement from the Iraqi Oil Ministry." AP insists, "Higher oil prices would help fill Russian President Vladimir Putin’s coffers as his country wages war on Ukraine and force Americans and others to pay even more at the pump amid worldwide inflation." Australia's ABC adds, "Cuts by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Algeria and Oman from May to the end of the year will top one million barrels per day -- the biggest reduction since the OPEC+ cartel slashed two million barrels per day in October." Seban Scaria (ZAWYA) explains, "Last month oil prices plunged close to $70 per barrel following fears of an imminent global banking crisis triggered by the collapse of US-based Silicon Valley Bank and Geneva's Credit Suisse. However, prices came back up to close to $80 a barrel recently following supply disruptions in Iraq."
The announcements already having an impact.
Massoud A Derhally (THE NATIONAL) reports:
Oil prices soared in early trading on Monday after Opec+ producers pledged to collectively cut output by 1.16 million barrels of crude per day on Sunday.
Both Brent, the benchmark for two thirds of the world’s oil, and West Texas Intermediate, the gauge that tracks US crude, had jumped more than 6 per cent before giving some gains but were still trading strong.
Brent had gained 5.57 per cent and was trading at $84.34 a barrel at 6.37am UAE time, while WTI was up 5.64 per cent to $79.94 a barrel.
CNBC notes the early morning surge and puts it at 8%. Noah Browning (REUTERS) reports, "Brent crude was trading at $84.53 a barrel as of 1115 GMT, up $4.64, or 5.8%, after touching the highest in a month at $86.44." Yongchang Chin and Alex Longley (BLOOMBERG NEWS) offer, "The White House said the OPEC+ decision was ill-advised, while adding the US would work with producers and consumers with a focus on gasoline prices. Last year, President Joe Biden ordered an unprecedented release from the nation’s strategic crude reserves after Russia invasion of Ukraine." From CBS' MONEYWATCH:
The production cuts alone could push U.S. gasoline prices up by roughly 26 cents per gallon, in addition to the usual increase that comes when refineries change the gasoline blend during the summer driving season, said Kevin Book, managing director of Clearview Energy Partners. The Energy Department calculates the seasonal increase at an average of 32 cents per gallon, Book said.
With an average U.S. price now at roughly $3.50 per gallon of regular, according to AAA, that could mean gasoline over $4 per gallon during the summer.
The decision was unusual in that it took place outside of a formal meeting of the oil-producing countries, “suggesting an element of urgency by the members taking part in the cuts,” according to the Financial Times (FT).
The market was taken by surprise. Bloomberg reported that all 14 traders and analysts it polled last week predicted no change in production. They took their lead from Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman who said last month that the OPEC+ targets set last October were “here to stay for the rest of the year, period.”
However, the financial turmoil, set off by the failure of the US Silicon Valley Bank, the second largest in monetary terms in US history, and the forced takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS appear to have changed those calculations.
There are growing concerns that the financial upheavals and the widely forecast ensuing credit crunch could trigger a slowdown in the global economy, if not a recession.
It's past time to stop the proxy war and if Joe Biden wants to be re-elected or wants another Democrat elected to the White House in 2024, he needs to drop the war on Russia, he needs to stop sending billions of US tax dollars to Ukraine and grasp that the American people cannot stomach another huge round of inflation. His war of choice has destroyed the American economy. It's past time to stop funding Ukraine.
Also from CBS' MONEYWATCH:
"Aside from the impact on the physical oil market, it is hard not to think that there is some geopolitical posturing embedded in these voluntary cuts," Caroline Bain, chief commodities economist at Capital Economics, said in a report. "It demonstrates the group's support for Russia and flies in the face of the Biden administration's efforts to lower oil prices."
In other news, Iraq's previous prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi's state visit to Iran in February has created backlash in both Iran and Iraq. Hassan al-Saeed (AMWAY) notes the backlash and the below:
In parallel with the backlash in Iraq, the country’s judiciary issued arrest warrants and asset freezes targeting multiple high-profile associates of Kadhimi, citing alleged involvement in a major corruption case. The sought individuals notably include former finance minister Ali Allawi, the ex-head of Kadhimi’s office and INIS director Raid Juhi as well as Kadhimi’s secretary Ahmed Najati and political advisor Mushreq Abbas.
In a break from the past, Kadhimi was quick to respond to the arrest warrants. His office promptly issued a press statement to refute any involvement in the corruption case, portraying the judiciary’s actions as a politicized witch-hunt. The statement further suggested that the alleged motive behind the arrest warrants was to provide cover for the real alleged perpetrators behind the corruption scandal.
Given the likelihood of further arrest warrants, the ultimate extent of the Iraqi judiciary’s actions could indicate that Kadhimi’s political career may be at stake. His rivals in Baghdad certainly do not want him to return to politics and participate in the country’s next parliamentary elections, let alone become a part of the political system in Iraq. But such a scenario will only push the former prime minister even more toward working on reconciliation in the region—ultimately helping bring more Arab states to the negotiation table with Iran.
Sudani on Wednesday virtually joined in with more than 100 leaders who delivered speeches during the Summit for Democracy 2023, hosted by the United States government, and co-hosted by Costa Rica, Netherlands, South Korea, and Zambia.
Among the participants was Israel’s Netanyahu, sparking outrage across the Iraqi street which interpreted Sudani’s attendance as planting the seeds for normalizing Iraq-Israel relations, despite the fact that both leaders attended the summit virtually and had no direct interaction.
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