Sunday, April 23, 2017

23 April - Blogs I'm Following 1 of 2

11;30 pm MDT

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Is There A Russian Mole Inside The NSA/CIA?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 22 seconds ago
*Kevin Poulsen, Daily Beast: **Is There a Russian Mole Inside the NSA? The CIA? Both?* *The latest leak by the Shadow Brokers hackers exposed classified information that could only have come from within the NSA, setting the stage for a Cold War ritual—the mole hunt.* A message from Vladimir Putin can take many forms. It can be as heavy-handed as a pair of Russian bombers buzzing the Alaska coast, or as lethal as the public assassination of a defector on the streets of Kiev. Now Putin may be sending a message to the American government through a more subtle channel: an escalating s... more »

Picture Of The Day

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 30 minutes ago
*Directing Aircraft* Sailors conduct flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the East Sea, March 20, 2017. The Carl Vinson Strike Group is deployed to the Western Pacific as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command-and-control functions of U.S. 3rd Fleet. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano

Glacial Advance During The Little Ice Age

Hifast at Climate Collections - 44 minutes ago
Originally posted on NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT: By Paul Homewood ? ? ? From HH Lamb’s “Climate, History and the Modern World” We know that sea levels have risen since the late 19thC, and that much of this is due to melting of glaciers and ice sheets. However, we also know that…

The March for Science Missing Signs

Hifast at Climate Collections - 44 minutes ago
Originally posted on Sierra Foothill Commentary: If yesterday’s events were truly a March for Science and not a Trump Protest March these are the boring signs we would have seen: §1 A scientific argument consists of clearly stated premises, inferences and conclusions. §2 A scientific premise is verifiable. Premises and their sources are identified and readily…

KISS for Climate Marchers

Hifast at Climate Collections - 44 minutes ago
Originally posted on Science Matters: Keeping it simple, here’s the elevator speech for climate marchers, excerpted from a more lengthy article linked below. Expect more craziness this weekend. Earth Day is Saturday. This year’s theme: Government must “do more” about climate change because “consequences of inaction are too high to risk.” They make it sound…

Solar ovens and sustained poverty for Africa

Hifast at Climate Collections - 44 minutes ago
Originally posted on NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT: Solar ovens and sustained poverty for Africa President Obama in Kenya checking out a solar panel. Solar technology in Africa, including my country of Uganda, would bring good news to millions of people who today must use firewood, charcoal and dung for cooking. Millions of…

How hurricanes replenish their vast supply of rain water

Hifast at Climate Collections - 44 minutes ago
Originally posted on Climate Etc.: by Makarieva A.M., Gorshkov V.G., Nefiodov A.V., Chikunov A.V., Sheil D., Nobre A.D., Li B.-L. New questions and ideas about hurricanes and their power. Predicting the intensity of tropical cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons is a recognized challenge. We are grateful to Judith for this further opportunity to discuss our work with…

Manipulated IPCC Science supported by Manipulated Appeals to Authority

Hifast at Climate Collections - 44 minutes ago
Originally posted on Watts Up With That?: Guest opinion: Dr. Tim Ball The story of how Maurice Strong and the Club of Rome set up the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to direct political and scientific focus on…

O’Reilly and Floundering at FOX

Elwood Watson at Diverse - 1 hour ago
An unimaginable, or rather highly unlikely, situation transpired last week with the firing of Bill O’Reilly, host of the popular FOX News program The O’Reilly Factor.

Guillermo: Ann Coulter No Free Speech Saint

cmaadmin at Diverse - 1 hour ago
I believe in free speech, the First Amendment and all that. That’s our starting point on campus, and in America. It’s free speech for me and thee, as the saying goes, in a healthy democracy. So let’s not make Ann Coulter into a free speech martyr just yet because the University of California, Berkeley switched […]

McClenney Kicks Off AACC Convention

cmaadmin at Diverse - 1 hour ago
Dr. Kay McClenney, senior adviser to the president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, delivers remarks at the opening session of the 97th AACC Annual Convention in New Orleans. McClenney, right, is the recipient of the 2017 Diverse Champions Award presented by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. AACC also presented the Harry S. Truman […]

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Name Vincent President

cmaadmin at Diverse - 1 hour ago
Hobart and William Smith Colleges has tapped Dr. Gregory J. Vincent, a prominent diversity officer and one of their alumni, to lead their institution as the next college president.

Huntsman Slams University Officials Over Researcher’s Firing

cmaadmin at Diverse - 1 hour ago
SALT LAKE CITY — Wealthy philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr. escalated his public protests Friday over the firing of the chief executive officer at the cancer institute at the University of Utah that bears his name, taking out full-page newspaper ads that call university officials “inept and uncaring.” Huntsman’s ads in the Deseret News and Salt […]

Michigan State Player Charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct

cmaadmin at Diverse - 1 hour ago
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State defensive end Auston Robertson was dismissed from the team Friday hours after being charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct in an alleged rape earlier this month. Robertson, 19, is accused of forcing a woman to have sex with him at her apartment the night of April 8 in Meridian […]

Harvard Researchers Find Copy of Declaration of Independence

cmaadmin at Diverse - 1 hour ago
BOSTON — Harvard University researchers say they’ve discovered a second parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence. The Boston Globe reported Friday researchers Emily Sneff and Danielle Allen found the copy in a records office in southern England. The only other parchment copy is maintained by the National Archives in Washington. The two dated the […]

Hope College President Leaving for Washington & Jefferson

cmaadmin at Diverse - 1 hour ago
HOLLAND, Mich. — Hope College President John Knapp is leaving the western Michigan school for Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. Hope officials announced Friday Knapp’s last day will be July 31. The college expects to name an interim president and start a national search in the coming weeks. Knapp’s resignation comes a year after […]

Report: Anti-Semitism Rises, but Violence Against Jews Falls

cmaadmin at Diverse - 1 hour ago
TEL AVIV, Israel — Violent attacks on Jews dropped for a second straight year in 2016, but other forms of anti-Semitism are on the rise worldwide, particularly on U.S. university campuses, according to a report released Sunday. Researchers at Tel Aviv University said assaults specifically targeting Jews, vandalism and other violent incidents fell 12 percent […]

UC Berkeley Students Threaten to Sue Over Ann Coulter Visit

cmaadmin at Diverse - 1 hour ago
BERKELEY, Calif. — The University of California at Berkeley students who invited Ann Coulter to speak on campus are threatening to sue the university if it doesn’t find a proper time and venue for the conservative pundit to speak next week. Harmeet Dhillon, who represents the Berkeley College Republicans, said in letters sent Friday to […]

Surprise! Round one of the French presidential election went pretty much as expected

Mabel Berezin, Professor of Sociology, Cornell University at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 1 hour ago
First round winners: Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen AP/Christophe Ena (Macron)/Michel Spingler (Le Pen) The votes are mostly counted in the first round of the French Presidential election. Marine Le Pen of the French far right National Front has received 21.5 percent of vote. Emmanuel Macron, an independent candidate running on the slogan of En Marche! – which translates roughly to “Let’s March” – is slightly ahead with 23.9 percent. Both candidates will proceed to the run-off round on May 7. The winner of that round will be the next President of France. There are many unusu... more »

Wikileaks Publishes More Secret CIA Tools

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 hour ago
The British 'Extending' and American 'Weeping Angel' describe plans for turning certain Samsung TV models into recording devices *The Independent*:* WikiLeaks releases top-secret CIA documents as US considers charges against Julian Assange* A 31-page manual on how to use the CIA's 'Weeping Angel' surveillance software is now available online WikiLeaks has leaked what it calls a 31-page user manual for a device allegedly used by the CIA to spy on people from their televisions and smartphones. The device, code named “Weeping Angel”, hit the headlines last month when WikiLeaks clai... more »

A Little Nuts The Way We All Are? Or Is Trump Dangerously Insane?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 hour ago
Yesterday, writing for *New York*, Gail Sheehy looked at psychiatrists willing to break tradition and do their duty to warn people about how mentally unfit Trump is to be president. I don't know anyone who thinks he's sane. Do you? But how insane and how dangerous? A few minutes ago a friend of mine, a psychologist, e-mailed me a note about a sign she had seen at the Science March: "How are Trump and atoms alike? They make up everything." Delusional is pretty crazy but pretty crazy isn't what Sheehy had in mind. "Psychiatrists and psychologists," she wrote, "operate under a norm-... more »

Q: But what were the ANZACs fighting *for*, Grandad?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 hour ago
*Today, all the stories from Anzac Cove seem so inevitable. But what were all those ANZAC troops even fighting for – and why were they doing it in Turkey, for Galt’s sakes!? What on earth were they hoping to achieve over there? And why exactly is their sacrifice and botched battle considered part of the “birth” of our two nations?* *From the centenary’s **Countdown to Anzac Day** here at NOT PC comes this blog’s answer to those questions.* * * * * *Did you know that Australian and New Zealand soldiers embarking in November 1914 on ships towards Britain thought they would be... more »

AP Interviews President Trump

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 2 hours ago
US President Donald Trump is interviewed by Reuters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, February 23, 2017. Credit: Reuters *WNU Editor*: An interesting interview between President Trump and AP reporter Julie pace. From AP ....* A transcript of an Oval Office interview Friday with President Donald Trump by AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace. Where the audio recording of the interview is unclear, ellipses or a notation that the recording was unintelligible are used.* The link is here .... *Transcript of AP interview with Trump* (AP)

AWAKE: Water Protectors on Frontline Awaken the World: Nine Images

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 2 hours ago
AWAKE: Water Protectors on Frontline Awaken the World: Nine Images AWAKE premiered at Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday night. Here are nine images from the film, captured in screenshots by Censored News: Militarized police take aim, terrorize youth praying. blast unarmed water protectors with tear gas, beat them and arrest a Lakota grandmother in prayer, at Standing Rock. Ultimately,

DONALD TRUMP: THE FOUND POETRY

Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog - 3 hours ago
*I Never Thought* I never thought I had the ability to not watch what is unpleasant, if it's about me. Or pleasant. But when I see it's such false reporting and such bad reporting and false reporting that I've developed an ability that I never thought I had. I don't watch things that are unpleasant. I just don't watch them. --Donald Trump, interview with AP's Julie Pace, April 23, 2017

Even Animals Needed Gas Masks in World War I

James Simpson at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*James Simpson* *Security, Europe* The horrors of chemical warfare have thankfully yet to be repeated on such a devastatingly similar scale, but the experience has allowed militaries worldwide to protect even their most vulnerable service members from harm. There was nothing more terrifying in the trenches than the call of a gas attack — “GAS! GAS!” This warning cry sent men scrambling for their masks as the poisonous fog enveloped them. Soldiers succumbed to the strangling effects of chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas for years as the stalemated armies searched for news ways to ... more »

How the Korean War Saved the World From Nuclear Annihilation

Matthew Gault at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Matthew Gault* *Security, Asia* A recently declassified NSA document sheds light on a tumultuous time. *"By dispatching the 24th Infantry and 1st Cavalry Divisions from comfortable occupation duty in Japan to death and destruction in Korea in mid-summer 1950,” Schindler asserted. “The United States actually did nothing less than save the world from a global conflagration.”* Many companies and business publish internal newsletters or magazines, and America’s intelligence services are no different. The CIA runs the pulpy fount of weirdness that is Studies in Intelligence while the... more »

The Deadliest Aircraft in the U.S. Military's Arsenal You Have Never Heard Of

Sebastien Roblin at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Sebastien Roblin* *Security, * A big job: The E-6’s sinister purpose is to maintain the communication link between the national command authority and U.S. nuclear forces. In a military that operates Raptor stealth fighters, A-10 tank busters, B-52 bombers and Harrier jump jets, the U.S. Navy’s placid-looking E-6 Mercury, based on the 707 airliner, seems particularly inoffensive. But don’t be deceived by appearances. Though the Mercury doesn’t carry any weapons of its own, it may be in a sense the deadliest aircraft operated by the Pentagon, as its job is to command the launch of... more »

Russia Is Deploying Special Anti-Aircraft Missiles to the Arctic

Michael Peck at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Michael Peck* *Security, * Should NATO be worried? In yet another reminder how close the North Pole is to becoming a battleground, Russia is beefing up its military capabilities in the Far North, including a special Arctic antiaircraft missile system. Russian media prominently announced that Arctic-modified weapons will be displayed at the May 9 Victory in Europe Day parade. “Arctic military equipment will participate in the parade for the first time,” Russian ground forces commander Colonel-General Oleg Salyukov said earlier this month. “The general public will for the first ... more »

How Russia Kept Reinventing the Red Army

Robert Farley at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Robert Farley* *Security, * And what modern militaries can learn from the Soviet lesson. What do you do when your army is destroyed, over and over again? For Russia in the mid-twentieth century, the best answer was “build a new army.” Between 1918 and 1942, Russia’s army was torn down and rebuilt four times: once at the end of World War I, once at the end of the Russian Civil War, once during the Great Purge, and once during the first six months of Operation Barbarossa. Some of the best recent work on the Red Army has dispelled long-term myths, demonstrating the resilience and i... more »

Operation Sea Lion: Hitler’s Cancelled Invasion of Britain

Warfare History Network at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Warfare History Network* *History, Europe* The planned 1940 invasion of Britain, Operation Sea Lion, remains one of the great “what-ifs” of modern military history. Major Graf Von Kielmansegg, an officer in Germany’s 1st Armored Division based near Orleans, France, was dragged from a cinema on the night of August 28, 1940, and told to report to his chief of staff. “As I entered his office I was sure that we were finally going to be told that Sea Lion had been given the green light. I asked, ‘Are we on our way?’ He said, ‘Yes, we’re on our way but not to England, to East Prussia... more »

Raid on Darwin: Australia’s Pearl Harbor

Warfare History Network at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Warfare History Network* *History, Asia* The Japanese attack on Darwin was the greatest military disaster ever inflicted on Australia. The sun was just rising and the day promised clear skies overhead. Since 5 am maintenance crews had been running the engines, making last minute adjustments, and arming the scores of aircraft sitting on the steel flight deck of the Japanese aircraft carrier *Akagi*. She had started life as an *Amagi*-class heavy battlecruiser but had been converted to an aircraft carrier. On February 19, 1942, *Akagi* served as the flagship of the Imperial Japan... more »

France's Presidential Election Goes Populist

Jacob Heilbrunn at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Jacob Heilbrunn* *Politics, Europe* The results of today’s French election runoff indicate that Marine Le Pen will not be riding into the Elysee palace as a modern-day Joan of Arc. So much for Donald Trump’s prediction, in a tweet, that a terrorist attack on the Champs-Elysees would have a “big effect” on the outcome of the election. Trump’s last-minute intervention may well have backfired given the fear and loathing that he inspires in much of Europe. One Macron supporter told ABC News tonight, “Trump gave us the energy we needed.” The results of today’s French election runoff... more »

Is It Time for America and Afghanistan to Part Ways?

Daniel R. DePetris at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Daniel R. DePetris* *Security, Asia* [image: U.S. Army provides security in Farah, Afghanistan. Flickr/Department of Defense] It is unlikely that Trump will withdraw troops from Afghanistan, but he should reevaluate America's role in the country. The war in Afghanistan has been going on for such a long period of time that it’s almost become a ritual for a new administration to take a bottom-up, comprehensive look at America’s war strategy during its first two months on the job. The movie has been repetitively played over the last decade and a half: the generals running the war ... more »

Why America Must Stop Russia from Violating the INF Treaty

Steven Pifer at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Steven Pifer* *Security, Eurasia* [image: Military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. Kremlin.ru] The United States needs leverage to persuade the Kremlin to come back into compliance with the INF Treaty. The thirty-year-old treaty banning U.S. and Russian ground-launched intermediate-range missiles is at risk of collapse. Russia has violated the treaty by testing and deploying a ground-launched cruise missile of intermediate range. The Obama administration sought to bring Russia back into compliance, but its efforts failed. ... more »

Trump's Unnecessary Trade War with China

Yukon Huang, David Stack at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Yukon Huang, David Stack* *Economics, Asia* [image: Chinese shipping containers in Oakland, California. Flickr/Creative Commons/Jed Sullivan.] And why a bilateral investment treaty might be the answer. The most tangible outcome of the Mar-a-Lago meeting between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was a one-hundred-day plan to reduce trade imbalances. China expressed a willingness to end its ban on U.S. beef imports and limit exports of steel to the United States along with loosening restrictions on America’s investments in China’s financial services sector. T... more »

South Korea's Dependency on Washington Comes at a Heavy Price

Doug Bandow at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Doug Bandow* *Security, Asia* [image: Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during Inherent Resolve.] Washington sends a clear message that it makes defense policy for the benefit of Washington, not for South Korea. The Trump administration said it was rushing a second carrier group to Northeast Asia. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer explained that “the forward deployment is deterrence.” But it turns out that an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS *Carl Vinson* headed off into the Indian Ocean instead. Anxious South Koreans were not pleased. One newspaper headline st... more »

Cross-Strait Tension Will Increase If Taiwan Buys New Weapons

Thomas J. Shattuck at The National Interest - 3 hours ago
*Thomas J. Shattuck* *Security, Asia* [image: Pakistan Air Force F-16B fighters take part in Red Flag 2010. Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Air Force] How will Beijing respond if Washington sells Taipei arms in the coming year? Since the inauguration of Tsai Ing-wen as president of Taiwan in May 2016, cross-Strait relations between Taiwan and China have been deteriorating at an alarming rate. The cooling of relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait was expected because Tsai is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, a political party that generally favors a more pro-Taiw... more »

Russian student who tried to join ISIS is sentenced to jail

Paul Antonopoulos at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:43 A.M.) – Former student of Moscow Lomonosov State University, Varvara Karaulova (Alexandra Ivanova after full name change), who was sentenced to 4.5 years in jail for an attempt to join the Islamic State terrorist grouping in Syria, has been convoyed to a penitentiary, TASS reported. TASS received the information from Karaulova’s lawyer […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

VIDEO: Syrian Airstrike annihilates Al-Qaeda terrorists near Khan Shaykhun

Paul Antonopoulos at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:05 A.M.) – A Syrian Air Force strike has annihilated an Al-Qaeda camp in Idlib’s countryside. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (former Jebhad al-Nusra) terrorist camp was located 10 km north-west from Khan Shaykhun. Unexploded shell lured terrorists rats from holes and blew up right after. Khan Shaykhun was the location of a chemical […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

VIDEO: Stabbing attack in Tel Aviv leaves four people wounded

Paul Antonopoulos at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:51 A.M.) – A stabbing attack in Tel Aviv left four people wounded on Sunday, The Jerusalem Post reported. Israeli police announced that the suspect was arrested and detained. They however have not made any announcements on the supposed motive for the attack, although in recent times the apartheid state has seen many […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Syrian Army nears victory in Damascus amid new gains in eastern suburb

Chris Tomson at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (3:30 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) moved one step closer to liberating its capital on Sunday as government forces advanced significantly in the Al-Qaboun district, capturing many Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) militants in the process. After imposing full control over the Qaboun Power Company facility in the morning, the SAA’s elite […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Iraqi Army suffers heavy casualties due to ISIS raids across several province

Chris Tomson at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (2:10 A.M.) – Islamic State insurgents deployed hit-and-run operations to lethal effect this weekend, with so-called Inghimasi infiltration attacks targeting numerous military bases defended by garrisons of the Iraq Armed Forces. On Sunday, Amaq Agency claimed a twin suicide attack behind enemy lines killed 25 Iraqi troops near the town of Hamam al-Alil […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Правительственные войска Сирии ликвидировали выступ в линии фронта на севере провинции Хама

Ivan Yakovlev at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
Выступ в линии фронта, долгое время угрожавший административному центру провинции Хама, полностью ликвидирован войсками Сирийской Арабской Армии, собравшей многотысячную группировку и сосредоточившей внушительную огневую мощь – силы, достаточные для рассеивания джихадистских группировок, возглавляемых сирийским отделением международной террористической сети “Аль-Каида” – “Хейят Тахрир аш-Шам” (ХТШ). В воскресенье, сразу после молниеносного удара и взятия опорного пункта боевиков […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Mapa | Ejército sirio elimina el saliente yihadista en el norte de Hama; se acerca a Idlib

Alvaro A. at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
La larga sombra islamista que amenazaba a la capital provincial de Hama ha sido oficialmente liquidada por el Ejército Árabe Sirio (EAS) mientras las fuerzas gubernamentales reunieron un poder de fuego abrumador y acumularon a miles de tropas para desalojar facciones yihadistas dirigidas por Hayat Tahrir al-sham. A raíz de la ofensiva este domingo sobre […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

VIDEO: Syrian Army shells ISIS trenches on the outskirts of Deir Ezzor

Chris Tomson at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (1:40 A.M.) – Brand new footage released by our partners at Russia Today (RT) on Sunday shows the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) using various types of firepower and weaponry to preemptively stop ISIS attacks on the besieged eastern city. With reports that the Islamic State has moved its functioning capital from Raqqa to […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Ejército sirio elimina a un rebelde yihadista de las Maldivas en el norte de Hama

Alvaro A. at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
BEIRUT, LÍBANO. – Un rebelde yihadista de las Maldivas, situadas en el Mar Arábigo, al suroeste de la India, habría sido eliminado este sábado por el Ejército Árabe Sirio (EAS) en el norte de Hama. “Abu Yousif al-Maldivi” fue declarado muerto por varios activistas de la oposición siria el domingo después de que el aparato […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

How the latest military technology helped the Syrian forces win Hama battle [video + photos]

Zen Adra at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 3 hours ago
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (1:15 A.M.) – For most observers, the victory recently achieved by the Syrian government forces is – to a large extend – attributed to the huge firepower and highly-experienced troops of the Army’s elite Tiger Forces as well as the effective and extremely precise Russian airstrikes. However, new evidence shows the role played […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Global Military Spending Increases Again In 2016

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 3 hours ago
*24/7 Wall Street:* *Countries With the Fastest Growing and Shrinking Militaries* The United States military remains the largest force on the planet. The superpower’s 2016 military expenditure of $611 billion was equivalent to approximately 36% of all global military spending. U.S. military spending was also up 1.7% from 2015, the first increase after five consecutive years of decline. A number of other countries substantially increased their military budgets last year, while a number of others cut spending substantially. The world’s nations spent $1.67 trillion on their militar... more »

First Transgender President: Trump Becomes Hillary

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
Oh Lord, it’s happening–the remanufacture of Trump by the Establishment. During the campaign, Trump and the Basilisk had nothing in common but their hair dye. Now, almost daily, he looks more like her. He gets embarrassing. Regarding the alleged gassing in … Continue reading →

Notes for a White Kid in University:An Introduction to the Blindingly Obvious

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
If you are a white student in college, you doubtless hear daily that white people are evil, the principal cause of everything wrong with the world. Whiteness is bad, white people are bad. We are to blame for everything. If … Continue reading →

The Authoritarian Impulse: Getting What We Really Don’t Want

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
As a society crumbles, as bitter divisions grow and disorder spreads and nothing seems to work, anger comes and people begin to want a man who will say “Enough!” and slap down the malefactors–by any means necessary. A man who … Continue reading →

Social Justice Warriors and Bubonic Plague:Is There a Difference?

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
Today I will explain why America is going to hell, and probably deserves it. It has to do with conservatives and liberals, who may be thought of as Woofers and Tweeters. They should all be taken out and shot. The country … Continue reading →

Columnists

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
In Washington, where the rice paddies of self-importance are nourished with the night soil of mendacity, columnists are viewed with the seriousness properly reserved for lung cancer. This is ridiculous. Columnists, the rodent class of journalism, have the dignity of carney barkers and … Continue reading →

Time and the Tidewater: Thoughts and Remembrance

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
If the reader will permit me this once a somewhat personal and idiosyncratic essay–heretofore I have never been either personal or idiosyncratic–I will promise never to do it again. No one can doubt the reliability of my promises. I have … Continue reading →

In Search of the Super Race: The Six-Percent Solution

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad team that in 2016 took the world title: members Ankan Bhattacharya, Allen Liu, Ashwin Sah, Michael Kural, Yuan Yao, Junyao Peng, and coach Po-Shen Loh I have gotten many hundreds of emails–OK, three emails, but I am … Continue reading →

What to Do with Latinos?: Get Used to Them

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
Following Mr. Trump’s kaleidosopically shifting policies isn’t easy. He was going to declare China a currency manipulator on day one, but didn’t, going to impose a forty-five percent tariff on Chinese goods but apparently won’t, was going to shift the … Continue reading →

A Budget without Russians: The Empire’s Nightmare

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
Methinks the insane hysteria over Russia needs to stop. It probably will not. For reasons of domestic and imperial politics the American public is again being manipulated into a war frenzy by Washington and New York. It is stupid, without justification, … Continue reading →

Internal Secession and the Road to Ruin: Two Countries

Fred Reed at 3 hours ago
Trump did not cause the deep division in the country. It caused him. There are two very different Americas. I suspect that the half of the country that voted for Trump, that voted with wild enthusiasm, that roared at huge rallies, … Continue reading →

X22 Report, “The Event Of All Events, The Day When The Lights Go Out”

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 3 hours ago
*X22 Report, “The Event Of All Events, The Day When The Lights Go Out”* - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-ckNxzR524

Congress Should Investigate the Claim of Scientific Consensus

The claim of “consensus” is one of the pillars of sand that is supporting the climate change political movement. The problem is, the way this conclusion was reached, it isn’t defensible. Searching published articles for certain words doesn’t prove a “consensus.” No one went or record supporting the claims of “consensus,” it all came from […]

Venezuela In Crisis -- News Updates April 23, 2017

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 4 hours ago
*Daily Mail: **Violent protests imminent in Venezuela as civilians are urged to block the streets and grind the country to a halt following the weekend's peaceful protest in Caracas over riots that left 20 dead* * Demonstrators took to the streets to honour the 20 people who have died in clashes over the last month * The weekend's protest saw demonstrators march towards the city's slums for the first time in Venezuela * Marchers in Caracas did not encounter any resistance from law enforcers, according to reports in Venezuela * But on Monday, civilians are being urged by the governme... more »

When A Really Bad Democrat Sneaks Into Congress, It's Serious And It's Harmful-- Vicente González

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 4 hours ago
Members of Congress don't call bloggers and apologize much. But just over a year ago Blue America was backing Sonny Palacios for an open south Texas seat, TX-15, a long narrow district that heads north from the Rio Grande through McAllen and Edinburg, up Route 281 and zigging and zagging up to Seguin east of San Antonio. It's a pretty safe Democratic district. Obama won it both times with 57% and Hillary beat Trump by about the same margin. My congressional friend though, was backing a very wealthy right-wing hustler, Vicente González. González, desperate to win the crowded primary... more »

'We Are in Big Trouble'

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 4 hours ago
Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota holy man from South Dakota and was brought onto the reservation by the US Army in 1881. He toured the east coast of the US as a performer with *Buffalo Bill's Wild West* show for some time and a story is told that while he was in New York City he sat on a door stoop and all the local homeless street kids came up to him begging for money which he gave them. When Sitting Bull returned home to South Dakota he told his people, "We are in big trouble - you should see how the White Man treats his children." The capitalist system is heartless and evil... more »

Just in case you have not had enough opportunities to cringe today, here is Donald Trump congratulating a soldier for getting his leg blown off.

Gryphen at The Immoral Minority - 4 hours ago
Pres. Trump awarded a Purple Heart on Saturday to an Army sergeant recently wounded in Afghanistan: https://t.co/MSRsIByw9Y pic.twitter.com/StQ5gJ7H6D — CBS News (@CBSNews) April 22, 2017 Courtesy of Mediaite: *President Donald Trump congratulated an army sergeant for being wounded in Afghanistan during his visit to the Walter Reed Medical Center on Saturday. Except, of course, that it’s not appropriate to “congratulate” a recipient of this type of award for almost getting killed.* *The president and First Lady Melania Trump met with Barrientos and his wife at the hospital, and ... more »

"What Can We Know? What Are We All?"

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
"What can we know? What are we all? Poor silly half-brained things peering out at the infinite, with the aspirations of angels and the instincts of beasts." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

How U.S. Race Laws Inspired Nazis by David Swanson

dandelionsalad at Dandelion Salad - 5 hours ago
by David Swanson Writer, Dandelion Salad Let’s Try Democracy, April 21, 2017 April 23, 2017 James Q. Whitman’s new book is called Hitler’s American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law. It is understated and overdocumented, difficult to argue with. No doubt some will try. In cartoonish U.S. historical understanding, the […]

Report: Islamic State's Caliphate 'Is On A Path To Collapse'

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 5 hours ago
*Business Insider:* *New report finds ISIS' caliphate 'is on a path to collapse'* A new report from the Rand Corporation found that the terrorist group ISIS has lost most of the territory it once controlled and that its self-declared "caliphate" is now "on a path to collapse." The report found that ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, "has lost substantial control of territory and people since 2014 in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Nigeria," putting it in danger of losing its state, which it calls a "caliphate," altogether. But control over territory and people isn't the ... more »

President Trump To Speak With Chinese President Xi And Japanese Prime Minister Abe Tonight

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 6 hours ago
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China September 4, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj *Reuters*: *Trump to speak with China's Xi, Japan's Abe on Sunday, official says* U.S. President Donald Trump will speak on Sunday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, with North Korea expected to be discussed. Tensions have risen sharply with North Korea over its advancing nuclear and missile programs. ... more »

"Feeling Fed Up with Humanity, In the World and in Ourselves"

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
*"Feeling Fed Up with Humanity, In the World and in Ourselves"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "We are all capable of the best and the worst that humanity has to offer and knowing this allows us to find compassion. From time to time, we may all feel fed up with humanity, whether it’s from learning about what’s going on around the world, or what’s going on next door. There are always situations that leave us feeling as if people are simply not capable of behaving in a way that is coming from a place of awareness. Often it seems as if people are actually geared to handle things in th... more »

Musical Interlude: 2002, "Starwalkers"

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
2002, "Starwalkers" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SovcBYRFIxw

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
“One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky is similar in size to our Milky Way Galaxy: big, beautiful M81. This grand spiral galaxy lies 11.8 million light-years away toward the northern constellation of the Great Bear (Ursa Major). *Click image for larger size.* The deep image of the region reveals details in the bright yellow core, but at the same time follows fainter features along the galaxy's gorgeous blue spiral arms and sweeping dust lanes. It also follows the expansive, arcing feature, known as Arp's loop, that seems to rise from the galaxy's disk at the upper righ... more »

Carl Sagan, “The Pale Blue Dot: Where We Make Our Stand””

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
Carl Sagan, “The Pale Blue Dot: Where We Make Our Stand” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupToqz1e2g

"Two Possibilities Exist..."

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
"Welcome to Planet Earth, the third planet from a star named the Sun. The Earth is shaped like a sphere and composed mostly of rock. Over 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water. The planet has a relatively thin atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. This picture of Earth, dubbed Blue Marble, was taken from Apollo 17 in 1972 and features Africa and Antarctica. It is thought to be one of the most widely distributed photographs of any kind. With its abundance of liquid water, Earth supports a large variety of life forms, including potentially intelligent species such as... more »

Chet Raymo, “The Sadist Next Door”

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
* “The Sadist Next Door”* by Chet Raymo “The TLS (“Times Literary Supplement”) had an absorbing review of American Historian Joel Harrington's book on the manuscript diary of a 16th-century German executioner, Franz Schmidt of Nuremberg. Remarkably, Schmidt kept a full record of the criminals he executed, the crimes they perpetrated, and the gruesome ways they met their fate. It is a tale that would chill most 21st-century readers. Hangings, beheadings, burnings at the stake, and breakings with the wheel. In the latter custom, a heavy cartwheel is dropped onto the person to be exe... more »

A Chinese Assessment On Strength Comparison Between The Chinese Navy And The U.S. Navy

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 7 hours ago
Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning *Global Times:* *Military strength comparison: PLA navy vs US navy* *China* When Xiao Jin'guang, a former naval commander of the People's Liberation Army, wanted to inspect a fleet base on an island 67 years ago, he could only find a fishery ship to take him there. With a stern expression on his face, he told his entourage, "Remember, Navy Commander Xiao Jin'guang took a fishery boat on his inspection tour on March 17, 1950." The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy was founded on April 23, 1949, in Taizhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, with ... more »

Donald Trump attempts to distract from the White House Correspondents' dinner, which he is too frightened to attend, by holding another of those celebratory rallies of his.

Gryphen at The Immoral Minority - 7 hours ago
Next Saturday night I will be holding a BIG rally in Pennsylvania. Look forward to it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2017 Courtesy of WaPo: *President Trump on Saturday announced plans to hold a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on April 29, marking his 100th day in office. * *The White House did not offer additional details about where the rally would take place or what Trump's focus would be, referring questions to Trump's campaign apparatus. * *The campaign listed on its website an event scheduled for that night at 7:30 p.m. in Harrisburg, Pa. The rally will coi... more »

Syrian Army eliminates jihadist salient in northern Hama amid push to Idlib – Map update

Chris Tomson at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 7 hours ago
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (1:00 A.M.) – A long-standing Islamist bulge threatening the provincial capital of Hama has officially been liquidated by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) as government forces assembled overwhelming firepower and thousands of troops to dislodge jihadist factions led by Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS). Following a blitz offensive through the Islamist stronghold of Halfaya […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

VIDEO: Two Al-Qaeda fighters surrender themselves to the Syrian Army in east Damascus

Chris Tomson at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 7 hours ago
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (0:35 A.M.) – With rebel moral at an all-time low in the Syrian capital, an increasing number of jihadist militants are raising the white flag to avoid the onslaught of the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) seasoned 4th Mechanized Division. Earlier today, two beleaguered Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (Syrian Al-Qaeda) insurgents handed themselves in to […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Лидер “Аль-Каиды” призвал всех джихадистов в Сирии к единству и сплочению

Ivan Yakovlev at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 7 hours ago
Сегодня в сети появилась аудиозапись нового обращения лидера международной террористической сети “Аль-Каида” Аймана аз-Завахири. Основной темой этого его выступления стала Сирия и “джихад” на её территории. Так, в качестве предисловия, Завахири заверил воюющих в Сирии джихадистов, что “умма” всецело, душой и сердцем, поддерживает их борьбу и не может прийти на помощь всеми имеющимися силами лишь […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

ISIS suicide attack kills dozen of Kurdish fighters in Syria’s Raqqa

Zen Adra at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 7 hours ago
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (10:00) – The Islamic State claimed that at least 12 Kurdish militants were killed in a suicide attack in the western countryside of Raqqa. The suicide attack, which struck the US-backed forces in al-Hudaidat area, also destroyed two vehicles. ISIS is desperately defending its de-facto capital against a wide-scale military campaign led by […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Rare Maldives jihadist killed by Syrian Army troops in northern Hama

Leith Fadel at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 7 hours ago
BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:00 P.M.) – A jihadist rebel from the Maldives in Southeast Asia was reportedly killed by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the northern Hama countryside on Saturday. “Abu Yousif Al-Maldivi” was mourned by several Syrian opposition activists on Sunday after Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s media wing released the information regarding his death. According […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

Sandstorm strikes Deir Ezzor as ISIS deploys more child soldiers to the battlefield

Chris Tomson at AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - 7 hours ago
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (8:10 P.M.) – The Islamic State’s notorious homegrown ‘Caliphate Cubs’ are increasingly present on the desert battlefields of eastern Syria, even deployed as suicide bombers by ISIS commanders in some instances. According to a military source, Syrian troops came across dozens of deceased ISIS child fighters at the embattled cemetery area which jihadists […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز

US ‘Deep State’ Sold Out Counter-Terrorism To Keep Itself In Business by Gareth Porter

dandelionsalad at Dandelion Salad - 7 hours ago
by Gareth Porter Writer, Dandelion Salad crossposted at Middle East Eye, April 21, 2017 Washington April 23, 2017 Since 2001, senior Pentagon and CIA officials have sacrificed American interests in weakening al-Qaeda to pursue their own interests New York Times columnist Tom Friedman outraged many readers when he wrote an opinion piece on 12 April […]

Gravitonas ft Army of Lovers - People are Lonely

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 7 hours ago
Macron vs Le Pen. Or, to crudely map British politics onto the French, it's Andrew Adonis V Nick Griffin. Exactly the sort of exciting programme sure to mobilise disaffected voters behind an anti-fascist bloc! Bugger it, let's have some europop instead.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis Wants A Political Solution To Yemen But Will Support Saudi Arabia's Military Campaign

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 7 hours ago
U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis is greeted by Saudi Armed Forces Chief of Joint Staff General Abdul Rahman Al Banyan (L) upon his arrival at King Salman Air Base, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst *Reuters*: *Yemen war needs a political solution: U.S. defense secretary* A political solution through U.N.-brokered negotiations is needed to resolve the conflict in Yemen, U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday as he made his first trip in the role to Saudi Arabia. At the same time, officials have said the United States is considering deepening its role in the ... more »

It's Taken Forever, But Democrats Are Finally Starting To Boo Dianne Feinstein

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 8 hours ago
You know who has a really big mailing list? AARP. For starters, they have over 37,000,0000 members. But they add people to their mailing list even before they become members. Yesterday I got a mailing from them. Inside the envelope were three petitions, one to each California senator and one to Adam Schiff, my congressman. Other than the names, they were identical: As one of your constituents and as a member of AARP, I urge you to oppose any efforts to cut my Medicare benefits. Along with tens of millions of other Americans, I have paid into Medicare over my lifetime and I count ... more »

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
*Click image for larger size.* Linton, N. Dakota, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

Interview with Gaza 21 from Ramale Jail (McKinney)

dandelionsalad at Dandelion Salad - 8 hours ago
Dandelion Salad Updated: added video by Don DeBar WBAIX.org Thu Jul 02, 2009 Former Pacifica Radio and now fired and banned reporter Don DeBar – reporting for http://www.WBAIX.org – posted the following: Now playing at http://www.WBAIX.org – the voice of WBAI-in-Exile (after 4:30 am EDT): This is a telephone interview with three of the Gaza […]

Sobering Interview from Former Pentagon Insider

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 9 hours ago
Former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, tells Paul Jay that the Syrian government may not be responsible for the chemical attack and that Trump's response was a violation of international law. He also warns of the dangers of the US following the insane advice of the neo-cons who appear to have pushed their way back into power within the Trump administration.

Diversity is just another word for uniformity...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 9 hours ago
*and it makes me sad.* It appears Marine Le Pen had made it through the first round of voting in France. From what I'm reading, Marine Le Pen wants France to remain French. And so do I. One of the biggest obsessions of the mommy bloggers is all things French. The food, the Eiffel tower, the well dressed ladies of Paris, and the beautiful countryside where grapes are grown to make wine. Now imagine France becoming one big polyglot of people who have no cultural stake in France. That's exactly what is happening now. And it's happening here. One of my most enduring and happy memor... more »

Pirates Have Returned To The Waters Off Somalia

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 9 hours ago
*Washington Post*: *Piracy back on the rise in Somali waters, U.S. military says* CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti — After years of relative calm, piracy is on the rise again off the coast of Somalia, U.S. officials here said Sunday. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the Marine officer in charge of the U.S. Africa Command, said there have been “five or six” piracy incidents in the region in two months. Waldhauser, speaking at a news conference here with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, attributed the spike in attacks to the widespread drought and famine gripping the region. He said the ships the pira... more »

French Elections: Here’s how the second round might shape up

Adam Garrie at The Duran - 9 hours ago
[image: elections] Although there are clear ideological differences between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, the key element will be which one can attract the votes of popular candidates who failed to pass the first round. The post French Elections: Here’s how the second round might shape up appeared first on The Duran.

BREAKING: Macron to face Le Pen in 2nd round of French vote

Alexander Mercouris at The Duran - 9 hours ago
[image: Emmanuel-Macron (1)] Emmanuel Macron leads Marine Le Pen in first round of the French Presidential election, setting the setting the scene for the two to face each other in the second round. The post BREAKING: Macron to face Le Pen in 2nd round of French vote appeared first on The Duran.

Reverend Sarah Palin preaches that we are weak, pathetic, and nothing without God. Well there's a happy thought!

Gryphen at The Immoral Minority - 9 hours ago
You, that's right you, are weak and pathetic. Now don't you feel inspired?Courtesy of Sarah Palin's online place of worship, called "The First Assembly of You All Suck!" Let's dive right in shall we and let the inspiration wash over our very souls. *Scoot Over; Get Out Of The Driver’s Seat * *That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 *(Keep in minds kids that this is the person who claims that SHE is the real personification of feminism in this coun... more »

"A Blessing"

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
*"A Blessing"* "May the light of your soul guide you. May the light of your soul bless the work You do with the secret love and warmth of your heart. May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul. May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those Who work with you and to those who see and receive your work. May your work never weary you. May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement. May you be present in what you do. May you never become lost in the bland absences. May the day never burden you. May dawn find you awake a... more »

"I Rescued A Human Today"

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
*"I Rescued A Human Today"* "Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them. As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only hav... more »

Open thread

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 9 hours ago
Gina Miller hasn't blocked this open thread in the courts yet, so - until she does - please add anything that strikes you about the BBC below.

Mark Mardell's "very special guest"

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 10 hours ago
Guess who? Radio 4's *Broadcasting House* always features a plug for *The World This Weekend* and, as usual, Mark Mardell turned up midway to do the plugging. A huge thrill, however, was generated by Mark mysteriously announcing: And we're hoping for a very special guest, but I can't tell you too much. It's a work in progress. so you'll have to tune in at One o'clock. If you didn't listen to *The World This Weekend, *can you guess who this "very special guest" would turn out to be? The PM? Donald Trump? Vladimir Putin? Justin Bieber? Kim Jong-un? Me? Sue? The Pope? Ellie Harrison f... more »

More Details Emerge On The Taliban Attack That Killed Almost 200 Afghan Soldiers

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*CNN:* *Taliban 'started firing at anyone who came in front of them,' soldier says* (CNN)The crowd of soldiers barely had time to finish their prayers before the Taliban came to kill them. Atiqullah was one of soldiers praying at the northern Afghan army base. As he left, he saw the carnage unfold. "I saw a ranger model military vehicle with three or four attackers. Two of them had suicide vests -- they blew themselves up," said Atiqullah, a member of the 209th Shaheen Corps. Another similar vehicle "went to mosque side -- they had M16 weapon(s) and started firing at anyone wh... more »

Fmr Trump Campaign Chair Just Arrested for Child Sex Trafficking — During the Campaign

Matt Agorist at The Free Thought Project - 10 hours ago
[image: trafficking]While helping to get Donald Trump elected in 2016, this sicko Judge was allegedly engaged in the sex trafficking of children.

TRUMP'S LINKS TO ISIS; ALLAN NAIRN; COUP

Anon at Aangirfan - 10 hours ago
*Allan Nairn, who has written about Indonesia's MURDEROUS MILITARY.* Trump's friends in Indonesia are trying to topple the President of Indonesia, according to the distinguished journalist Allan Nairn. *TRUMP’S INDONESIAN ALLIES IN BED WITH ISIS-BACKED MILITIA SEEKING TO OUST ELECTED PRESIDENT* *- April 19 2017.* *20 April 2017 - Pence in Jakarta, meeting President Joko Widodo (blue suit).* Allan Nairn's sources include Indonesian military and intelligence officials. "This account of the movement to overthrow President Jokowi is based on dozens of interviews and is supplemented ... more »

Not George Orwell

Denis Rancourt at Activist Teacher - 10 hours ago
Actually... During times of universal deceit... telling the truth has no effect whatsoever. Unless it is defamatory of powerful interests of course.

John Simpson plays 'Only Connect'

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 10 hours ago
John Simpson, the BBC's World Affairs Editor, has a piece in *The New Statesman *about Turkey's President Erdogan. He's clearly not a fan. Nor, as we already know, is he much of a fan of Brexit (or Donald Trump) either. His article ends by saying, "It’s been impossible not to be reminded of the Trump campaign and of Brexit here during the past week or so" - and here's why: Erdogan’s aura of legitimacy has been weakened. Like Trump, like the Brexiteers, he only just managed to squeak through; like them, he and his allies are shouting loudly about the will of the people and the dut... more »

Italian Prosecutor: Rescue Boats And NGOs Are Colluding With People Smugglers

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*BBC*: *Italy migrant crisis: Charities 'colluding' with smugglers* An Italian prosecutor says he has evidence some of the charities saving migrants in the Mediterranean Sea are colluding with people-smugglers. Carmelo Zuccaro told La Stampa (in Italian) phone calls were being made from Libya to rescue vessels. Organisations involved in rescue operations have rejected accusations of collusion, saying their only concern is to save lives. Italy is the main route for migrants trying to reach Europe. Almost 1,000 people are thought to have drowned in waters between Libya and Italy th... more »

French Election Results Are In -- Macron vs. Le Pen Will Be In The Final Round On May 7

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*Daily Mail*: *BREAKING NEWS: Shock waves through France as far-right Marine Le Pen makes it into the second round of nation’s presidential elections* * Marine Le Pen made it into the second round of nation’s presidential elections, according to exit polls * She stormed into the final ballot in second place to face centrist independent Emmanuel Macron * A polling station in Eastern France was forced to close as bomb squad was deployed to deal with a vehicle * The worrying incident comes after a deadly ISIS gun attack on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Thursday France’s far ri... more »

Introductions

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 11 hours ago
In the interests of DNA-based blogging impartiality, we will be posting transcripts of all the introductions to *The Andrew Marr Show *between now and Brenda from Bristol's election day on June 8th. Then, after it's all over (and Brenda can go back to normal life again), we will compare and contrast them and draw any conclusions that are worth drawing: Who will get helpful introductions? Who will get unhelpful introductions? Or will everyone come out as happy or unhappy as all the rest? And so it begins.... Here's today's main introduction: Good morning. Jeremy Corbyn was the ran... more »

After Dropping A Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb In Afghanistan, Questions Linger

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 11 hours ago
Afghan Special Forces keep watch at the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', which struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz *Reuters*: *Few clues on casualties at site of huge U.S. bomb in Afghanistan* The remote site in eastern Afghanistan where the U.S. military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat earlier this month bears signs of the weapon's power, but little evidence of how much material and human damage it inflicted. Reuters photos and video footage - some of the first images fr... more »

"Wisdom of The Micmac, 1676"

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 11 hours ago
*"Wisdom of The Micmac, 1676"* “I am truly astonished that the French have so little cleverness. They try to persuade us to convert our poles, our barks, and our wigwams into their houses of stone and of wood that are as tall and lofty as these trees. Very well! But why do men of five to six feet in height need houses that are sixty to eighty? Do we not have all the advantages in our houses that you have in yours, such as reposing, drinking, sleeping, eating, and amusing ourselves with friends when we wish? Have you as much ingenuity as the Indians, who carry their houses and their... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 11 hours ago
Not a clue...

"That Tiny Light..."

noreply@blogger.com (Coyote Prime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 11 hours ago
"Hope is that tiny light that the gods have given us so that we can find our way through our darkest hours. And while we might stub our toes and bruise our knees, if we keep moving forward, even when our progress is slow and painful, we will overcome and be made better by our journey. No misery or bad situation is ever infinite or final until we make a conscious decision for it to be so." - Sherrilyn Kenyon

For fans of stopwatches and calculators everywhere...

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 11 hours ago
Andrew Marr Today's utterly delightful edition of *The Andrew Marr Show *featured three big political interviews. By my reckoning: The one with UKIP's Paul Nuttall lasted 6m 17s and contained 10 interruptions; the one with Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood lasted 4m 07s and contained 2 interruptions; and the one with Labour's Jeremy Corbyn lasted 23m 41s and contained 28 interruptions. Using my old 'interruption coefficients' - where you simply divide the number of interruptions (made by the interviewer) by the length of the interview and the higher the interruption coefficient (I.C.) the... more »

The Greens hand Labour an election gift, proving the party is dead serious about an alliance

James Wright at The Canary - 11 hours ago
The Green Party has handed Labour an electoral gift, proving the party is dead serious about an alliance. Ealing Green Party members voted not to field a candidate in the fifth most marginal seat in the country. The members want to give incumbent Labour MP Rupa Huq a better chance of winning Ealing Central and […] The post The Greens hand Labour an election gift, proving the party is dead serious about an alliance appeared first on The Canary.

An investigation has gone live that could wreck the Tories’ election game plan

Tom Coburg at The Canary - 11 hours ago
A new investigation is looking into Leave.eu, one of the two pro-Brexit campaigns in the 2016 EU referendum. The outcome of this and another investigation into Leave.eu, as well as a separate investigation into Vote Leave, could prove damaging to Prime Minister Theresa May. Because the Conservative Party now entirely defines itself with Brexit. So, […] The post An investigation has gone live that could wreck the Tories’ election game plan appeared first on The Canary.

Peter Stefanovic perfectly sums up Theresa May’s general election strategy [VIDEO]

Steve Topple at The Canary - 11 hours ago
A lawyer-turned-campaigner has summed up the attitude of Theresa May’s government in the forthcoming general election. And he pulls no punches, accusing the PM of treating the public like “ignorant serfs”. Ouch Peter Stefanovic is becoming well known on social media. He is getting a reputation for producing video shorts that cut through mainstream media bias; ones […] The post Peter Stefanovic perfectly sums up Theresa May’s general election strategy [VIDEO] appeared first on The Canary.

Theresa May’s government is deporting a man to a country he left when he was five [VIDEO]

Sophia Akram at The Canary - 11 hours ago
Curbing immigration is one thing. But if an 18-year-old who has lived in Britain since he was five doesn’t have the right to remain in the UK, which one of us does? Yet Theresa May’s Britain has denied one Londoner exactly that right. Abdul Hassan has lived in the UK for almost three-quarters of his life. […] The post Theresa May’s government is deporting a man to a country he left when he was five [VIDEO] appeared first on The Canary.

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