English: PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 11, 2007) - Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) arrives alongside Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) during a fueling at sea (FAS). Lincoln and embarked Carrier Air Wing 2(CVW-2) are underway off the coast of Southern California conducting a Tailored Ship's Training Availability (TSTA). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)10:28pm MST
Here Are Seven Ridiculous Military Laws And Regulations
Yeoman 1st Class Margaret Royal from Quincy, Ill., participates in a command swim call aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97). Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialists 3rd Class Bradley J. Gee *Sarah Sicard, Task & Purpose:* *The Military Has Some Pretty Absurd Laws And Regulations* Though military laws and regulations are necessary, some are just ridiculous. The U.S. military has its own set of laws called the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and its branches too have their own regulations. Though many of these laws and regulations are n... more »
What's Going To Happen In South Carolina Tomorrow?
In 2008, the very same NBC/*Wall Street Journal* poll showing Cruz catching up to Herr Trumpf predicted Hillary was catching up to Obama a few days before the primary-- when he beat her 295,091 (55.4%) to 141,128 (26.7), with 93,552 votes (17.6%) going to next door neighbor John Edwards. I'd say it's not a reliable poll-- not when every other poll shows Herr way ahead. The RealClearPolitics polling average shows him leading by almost 15 points: Herr Trumpf 32.9% Cruz 18.1% Rubio- 17.1% Jeb- 10.5% Kasich- 10.0% Dr. Ben- 6.9% And the most recent poll (ARG)-- yesterday-- shows Trump... more »
Developing a Superhero Campaign: Evaluating Systems
I'm continuing thoughts on a possible superhero campaign, this time focusing on system. I'm going to be thinking about systems with a few criteria. They are: - My thoughts on the system - How well a fit it is for my group - Any possible hiccups running the game with Roll20 - The availability of the game My group consists of people who have all played a decent number of systems and genres. Some are pretty knowledgeable on rules and gaming history while others are more of the "here's what I want to do, tell me what to roll" style. We've dabbled in Fate-style games in the... more »
The Marine Who Led The Charge To Place The First American Flag Above Iwo Jima Has Died
*Marine Times:* *Marine who led WWII charge up Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima dies* The Marine who led the charge to place the first American flag above Iwo Jima has died. First Lt. John Wells, 94, died Feb. 11 at the Arvada Care Rehabilitation Center in Arvada, Colorado. Wells received the Navy Cross, Bronze Star and Purple Heart after leading his Marines in a frontal assault up the slopes of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. He didn’t make it to the top after taking multiple enemy rounds, but continued to command, leading his men to victory. His plato... more »
The Destroyer Cometh
[image: Donald Trump - 900] Donald Trump is running riot in the GOP china shop and gleefully tearing the place up. Consider the strength of Trump’s position: If he wins South Carolina by a big margin, he goes into Nevada with momentum, and the latest... more »
Refugee Christians Provide Powerful Example
[image: Iraqi Christians head to the Saint Joseph church in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, on August 6, 2015, during a rally marking the first anniversary of an Islamic State (IS) group offensive on Christian-populated areas in the Nineveh province. The IS assault was the latest in a long series of disasters for Iraqi Christians, who have repeatedly been attacked by jihadists since the 2003 overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein, pushing hundreds of thousands to flee abroad.] For the Christians of Mosul, Iraq, Jesus Christ isn’t a benevolent teacher whose words re... more »
The U.S. Anti-Islamic State Coalition Is Breaking Apart In Northern Syria
*Eli Lake & Josh Rogin, Bloomberg*: *U.S. Scrambles to Hold Anti-Islamic State Coalition Together* After Wednesday's deadly bombing in the Turkish capital of Ankara, the U.S. is now scrambling to keep two key allies in its coalition against the Islamic State from going to war with each other. For several months, the U.S. government has struggled to manage the competing interests of Turkey, a NATO ally bent on removing the Bashar al-Assad regime, and Syrian Kurdish rebels, whose priority is to expand their territory and autonomy within Syria. The American plan is for both to focus... more »
Saudi Foriegn Minister: Syrian Rebels Should Get Surface-To-Air Missiles
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir delivers a statement after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department in Washington, February 8, 2016. REUTERS/CARLOS BARRIA *Reuters:* *Saudi minister says Syrian rebels should get surface-to-air missiles* Moderate Syrian rebels should be supplied with surface-to-air missiles to defend against air strikes, Germany weekly Der Spiegel quoted Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir as saying. The rebels are under attack from both the Syrian air force and Russian strikes. Jubeir said providing them with the rockets wo... more »
How The DCCC Is Abandoning Pennsylvania Democrats Once Again
Pennsylvania, one of the most egregiously gerrymandered states in the country, has 18 congressional seats. Even though it's a blue state-- Obama beat McCain 3,192,316 (54.7%) to 2,586,496 (44.3%) and beat Romney 2,907,448 (52.0%) to 2,619,58 (46.8%); Bob Casey beat Tom Smith for the U.S. Senate seat in 2012 53.6% to 44.7% and the most recent statewide race saw Tom Wolf wipe out incumbent Governor Tom Corbett 55-45%-- only 5 congressional seats are held by Democrats now! In 2006, the congressional delegation reflected the state's partisan split far more accurately: there were 12 De... more »
Judge Refuses to Stop Unfair and Unreliable Value Added System
Not in the bolded section of this news story, the federal judge notes that the teachers have a strong case against the unreliable nature of the the Tennessee VAM system known as TVAAS. He just refuses to do anything about it. ....TVAAS is a complex algorithm that aims to isolate the impact of individual teachers on their students’ learning, as measured by state tests. One of the nation’s first “value-added” formulas, it has inspired similar efforts in other states. TVAAS scores have been calculated since the 1990s but started being used to help determine ratings, bonuses and tenur... more »
BRUCE CLARK fought the entire Canadian legal system for aboriginal sovereignty rights -- Extraordinary interview
Source: Ontario Civil Liberties Association This interview is an important historic record in the story of Canada’s genocide of the aboriginal peoples. The Ontario Civil Liberties Association (OCLA) interviewed Dr. Bruce Clark, the lawyer and jurisprudential scholar who describes what ails the Canadian justice system when it comes to dealing with Aboriginal sovereignty issues. Bruce Clark
Switzerland Fires Back In The Global War On Cash
*An excerpt from, "Switzerland compares the banning of cash to the removal of gun rights" by Kenneth Schortgen Jr, Examiner, February 19, 2016:* Switzerland is one of three primary nations at this point in time who have implemented negative interest rates (NIRP) in their financial system. But as the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Federal Reserve themselves start to propose the need to ban and eliminate physical cash before they set their own NIRP policies, politicians in Switzerland are rejecting this argument and in fact are comparing the ending of cash to the equivalent of rem...more »
I think we're in real trouble
~ Mitch Brenner, from Alfred Hitchcock's *The Birds*, 1963 Following is the transcript for my contribution to this week's installment of Extinction Radio. Thank you Gene, and welcome listeners, to the 24th Dispatch From the Endocene. As winter is drawing to a close, I thought I would quote from *Silent Spring*, which Rachel Carson published in 1962. She described the changes to a bucolic town… “...a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and shee... more »
Tonight's Movie Is 'Battle At Bloody Beach War'
From *Wikipedia*: Craig Benson (Audie Murphy) is a civilian working for the Navy helping supply guerrilla insurgents in the Philippines. His main purpose, however, is to find his wife Ruth (Dolores Michaels), from whom he was separated by the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. When he does find her, he learns that she believed him killed and is romantically involved with a Filipino resistance leader, Julio Fontana (Alejandro Rey).
Obfuscation: PKK "Splinter" Group Claimed Responsibility for the Bombing in Ankara
*Yet another PKK "splinter group".* *TAK .* *TAK claimed responsibility for the most recent bombing in Ankara.** Another set of letters in the alphabet soup bowl!* * Makes no difference when your slurping from the same soup bowl. And that's what this is readers. An alphabet soup, swirl the letters around for different initials, but it still the same gross bowl of soup. * ABCPKKYPGTAKURDISISPJAKXYZ *It's very convenient that TAK took responsibility for the bombing because this tears down theTurkish claim that YPG (alphabet soup/same bowl) did the Ankara bombing. It's very conveni... more »
Economic News , Data and Views ( February 19 , 2016 ) Overview ( 1. Global Equities In focus. 2. Two Year US Bond - Compared With Japanese , German and Swiss Two Year Debt. 3.EM Currencies Rebound A Bit. 4. Commodities In Focus - Gold Is The Star this Year. ) Europe In Focus (1. UK- EU Reach Deal Today - Initial News & Analysis . 2. Greece Domestic Items Of Note , Troika Related Matters , Economy . 3. NATO - Turkey . 4. Ukraine In Focus. 5.Spain Political Updates. 6. Odds & Ends. )
Overview...... *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 2h 2 hours ago Global Equities in a better place than last week (up to 7 countries pos YTD), still much damage to repair... *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 2h 2 hours ago 2-Yr Yields US: 74 bps Japan: -20 bps Germany: -53 bps Switzerland: -97 bps If low yield = low growth, US is winning *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 1h 1 hour ago EM currencies showing some small improvement from their lows. This is good, want to see more. *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 2h 2 hours ago Gold: +... more »
Trump: We Should Be Able To Open Up An ‘Apple’ For The FBI
U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump is having a go at Apple Inc. a day after arguing with the Catholic Church. At a South Carolina rally on Friday, Trump said that people should “boycott Apple” unless the world’s largest information technology company and one of its biggest corporations changes its ways and abides by a court order and opens up its iPhones to FBI scrutiny. The security services want to have a peak inside smart-phones to look for ‘terrorist’ phone numbers, relating to last year’s San Bernardino massacre. Their argument is that if you have nothing to hide then you...more »
“Trump Is A Rapist”, Explosive British Documentary Claims
An explosive British documentary aired by Channel 4 Television claims that Presidential candidate Donald Trump raped former wife Ivana in 1989. The documentary, The Mad World of Donald Trump, reveals the shocking allegations Ivana Trump made during their 1992 divorce. Ivana was slapped with a gagging order just one year later. Institutomanquehue.org reports: Allegations of a 1989 rape are revealed by Trump biographer Harry Hurt III on Channel 4 at 9pm. Czech-born Ivana and Trump had wed in 1977. Hurt said: “One night, he comes in — in a rage — and starts pulling Ivana’s hair. Then ... more »
U.S. Planned Massive Cyber Attack On Iran Had Diplomacy Failed
The New York Times has reported that Iran would have been a target for an extensive cyber attack, capable of bringing down power grids, air defense systems and communications, if the nuclear negotiations had failed. ars technica reports: The contingency plan, known internally as Nitro Zeus, was intended to be carried out in the event that diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear development program failed and the US was pulled into a war between Iran and Israel, according to an article published by The New York Times. At its height, planning for the program involved thousands of US ... more »
Mysterious Tar-Like Black Rain Floods Michigan Town
A city in Michigan has been hit by a downpour of black rain – after a tar-like substance covered cars, porches, and houses this week. The black substance began appearing in Harrison Township on Sunday, and residents and officials are baffled as to what the mysterious material is. Dailymail.co.uk reports: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials collected samples of the substance on Wednesday. The city’s fire chief sad that it is not bird droppings and is not flammable, according to WXYZ. Harrison Township resident Paul Schlutow, 73, said ‘everybody’s concerned’ about ... more »
Footage Shows UFO Shot Down By Indian Fighter Jet
Footage has been released that shows an Indian fighter jet shooting down what appears to be a UFO – after the unidentified object set off a radar alert. A ‘balloon shaped object’ was targeted by the Su-30 aircraft after it was spotted close to the country’s border with Pakistan. Yahoo News reports: Defence minister Manohar Parrikar claimed radars picked up the shiny flying object entering Indian airspace. “A fighter jet was quickly scrambled which intercepted it and shot it down,” he said. The explosion could be heard within a 10km radius. It was suspected the floating device may h... more »
World War III? “Live Updates: Turkish Invasion of Syria? 100 Main Battle Tanks Deployed in Kilis, Turkey”
*“Live Updates: Turkish Invasion of Syria? 100 Main * *Battle Tanks Deployed in Kilis, Turkey”* by Newsroom "Feb 19, 2016: Superstation95 has just learned Turkish military invasion of Syria is "Imminent." *This will mean war between Syria/Russia and Turkey.* Here is how the events unfolded today: Russia has called a session of the Security Council for 3PM this afternoon to discuss Syria, and potential Turkish troop presence. Ed Beck, with the Omega Military Analysis Consortium (OMAC), tells SuperStation95 "Erdogan is cornered and there is nothing more unpredictable than a wounded a... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 19, 2016
*Robert Ellis, The Independent*: *Turkey's sabre-rattling at the Syrian border means the prospect of peace is more distant than ever* If Erdogan intervenes in this complex conflict, he'll take his country down with him Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s assessment of the situation in Syria as “complicated” must be the understatement of the year: it is three-dimensional chess with nine players and no rules, as one US strategic analyst said. The latest ray of light - the accord reached by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) last week in Munich, looks to be extinguish... more »
Only Moscow Can Knock Sense Into Assad, And Only Washington Can Knock Sense Into Erdogan
*Will the U.S. and Russia stick with their Middle Eastern dictators to the bitter end?* *An excerpt from, "Russia warns Assad on vow to retake all of Syria" By Anna Malpas, AFP, February 19, 2016: * Russia's envoy to the UN on Friday warned long-term ally President Bashar al-Assad over his vow to retake all of Syria, saying he faced dire consequences if he did not comply with Moscow over the peace process. "Russia has invested very seriously in this crisis, politically, diplomatically and now also militarily," Vitaly Churkin told Kommersant daily, referring to an international agr... more »
Poisoned Mind: Social Media in the 21st Century
*David Thrussell* - No matter how earnestly we may choose to look the other way, the bedrock of technology is surveillance. The post Poisoned Mind: Social Media in the 21st Century appeared first on Waking Times.
Ted Cruz Promises Nevada He’ll Get Its Land Back
[image: Nevada - 900] Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz promised Nevada voters he will transfer control of federally-held lands back to the states if he's elected. "If you trust me with your vote," Cruz says in a new ad revealed Thursday. "I will fight... more »
Satanic Uprising: Church Of Lucifer Celebrates Rising Popularity
The Church of Lucifer held its first meeting earlier this month in Old Town Spring, Texas. Amid mass protests, the co-president Michael W. Ford warned protestors that the church was “here to stay”. “This is what we get when we have Freedom of Religion,” said protester Christine Weick. This was the group’s first meeting at its first building, which is smack dab in the middle of Old Town Spring. “We have gatherings. But they’re not services,” says Co-President Michael W. Ford. “We don’t preach. We don’t have something that we try to tell people this is reality.” Contrary to popular b... more »
World News Briefs -- February 19, 2016 (Evening Edition)
*Reuters*: *U.S. strikes Islamic State in Libya, killing 40 people* U.S. warplanes carried out air strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in western Libya on Friday, killing as many as 40 people in an operation targeting a suspect linked to two deadly attacks last year in neighboring Tunisia. It was the second U.S. air strike in three months against Islamic State in Libya, where the hardline Islamist militants have exploited years of chaos following Muammar Gaddafi's 2011 overthrow to build up a presence on the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The Pentagon said i... more »
Musical Interlude: Ludovico Einaudi, “Indaco”
Ludovico Einaudi, “Indaco” - https://www.youtube.com/
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Magnificent island universe NGC 2403 stands within the boundaries of the long-necked constellation Camelopardalis. Some 10 million light-years distant and about 50,000 light-years across, the spiral galaxy also seems to have more than its fair share of giant star forming HII regions, marked by the telltale reddish glow of atomic hydrogen gas. The giant HII regions are energized by clusters of hot, massive stars that explode as bright supernovae at the end of their short and furious lives. *Click image for larger size.* A member of the M81 group of galaxies, NGC 2403 closely resemble... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Uses of Enchantment”
by Chet Raymo “There was a time when every wood, every tree, was thought to be inhabited by spirits called dryads, every pool and stream by naiads. Even not so long ago, our road here in Ireland was called "the fairies' road." The world, we say, was enchanted- every stone and plant infused with an animate spirit. Science put paid to all that, chased the spirits from their woods and pools, drove the fairies from their hills. Disenchanted the landscape. Well, maybe not. It depends on how you define enchantment. Remember those spider webs I wrote about the other day, made visible b... more »
Has McConnell Inadvertently Boxed The Senate Republicans In On A Scalia Replacement?
Is Miss McConnell losing his touch? Scalia's corpse wasn't even cold yet-- and the GOP conspiracy theories about his death barely formed-- when he screwed up big time by announcing that President Obama would be barred by the Senate from appointing a replacement to the Supreme Court. Any replacement. That's not constitutional and it isn't even popular, except in the fever swamps of GOP extremism. Mainstream Republican senators have already started inching away from the crazy pronouncement, especially ones who are up for reelection in Novemberand want to appear vaguely non-obstructi... more »
"I Can’t Get No…"
*"I Can’t Get No…"* by Bill Bonner "In the summer of 1965, President Johnson opened a new phase of the war in Vietnam. Instead of observing, training, advising and protecting… US soldiers were to go on the offensive. It was already nearly a half-century after Woodrow Wilson had put America into the empire business; still, the country was just getting the hang of it. But in a matter of months, there would be more than half a million U.S. troops in that steamy hellhole. Their mission was to protect Western democracy from the communist menace. That they were on a fools’ errand, sent b... more »
Satanic Temple, Atheists Step up Attacks on Christian Prayer in Arizona
[image: Satanic Temple, Secularists Step up Attacks on Prayer in Arizona] “Let us embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat of the Tree of Knowledge and dissipate our blissful and comforting delusions of old.” That’s a line from an invocation the Satanic Temple of Tucson wanted to give to open a meeting... more »
Pope Francis On Zika Virus: Avoiding Pregnancy Is Not An Absolute Evil
The Catholic Church has softened its stance on contraception when faced with the threat imposed by the Zika virus. Pope Francis has given his blessings to the use of artificial contraception when it comes to the Zika virus and the damage it could cause an unborn baby. The pope says that there is a clear moral difference between abortion and preventing a pregnancy, but has not gone as far as softening his stance on abortion of unwanted Zika-infected babies. Pope Francis says that abortion “is an evil in and of itself, but it is not a religious evil at its root, no? It’s a human evil”... more »
ISIL’s Top Saudi Female Commander Killed In Hasaka, North East Syria
The Saudi ringleader of ISIL’s female fighters was killed in clashes with the Syrian army and Kurdish forces in the Hasaka province on Friday. Rima al-Jarish was the media coordinator of ISIL’s al-Khansa Battalion in al-Shadadi town in Hasaka province. Fars News reports: Al-Jarish was wife of a Saudi inmate and mother of an ISIL commander who left Saudi Arabia for Syria in 2014 to join the ISIL. On Thursday, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdish “People’s Protection Units” (YPG) in a striking attack in Northeastern Syria forced the ISIL to retreat from vast regions in t... more »
Trump: ‘9/11 … The Saudis Did It’ – Secret Papers Prove Cover-up
Donald Trump has publicly slammed George W. Bush in his most explosive speech to date, claiming that “secret papers” exist that prove Saudi Arabia were responsible for the 9/11 attacks – suggesting a huge cover-up has been perpretrated by the Bush administration in concealing who was really responsible for the September 11 attacks. During a campaign event in Bluffton, South Carolina on Wednesday, Trump said: It wasn’t the Iraqis that knocked down the World Trade Center, we went after Iraq, we decimated the country, Iran’s taking over, okay. But it wasn’t the Iraqis, you will find ou... more »
Horrific: 150 Kurds ‘Burned Alive’ By Turkish Military In Huge Massacre
A Turkish MP has confirmed that military forces in Turkey have “burned alive” over 150 Kurds trapped in basements in Turkey’s southeast. Feleknas Ucatold, a member of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (PKK), claims: “In the Cizre district of Sırnak, around 150 people have been burned alive in different buildings by Turkish military forces. Some corpses were found without heads. Some were burned completely, so that autopsy is not possible“. RT.com reports: While Uca’s statements have not been confirmed by RT on the ground, or independently verified by a third party, the MP w... more »
Sex Abuse Inquiry To Investigate Edward Heath’s Diaries & Letters
As part of an inquiry into sex abuse allegations, British police are to spend a year reading through the private papers of the former, late prime minister Edward Heath. Civilian investigators, usually retired officers, will be recruited by Wiltshire Constabulary to examine the archive of the late Conservative PM who died in 2005. At least five police forces have received allegations of child sexual abuse against Heath. RT reports: Detectives will search through 4,500 boxes of uncatalogued material, which includes diaries and personal letters, all of which are held in the Sir Edwar... more »
The Ban On Cash Gathers Momentum
The push to ban cash, in particular notes with a high denomination (such as $100 dollar bills), is picking up momentum. The European Central Bank President announced earlier this week that Europe is strongly considering phasing out the 500 euro note. Sovereignman.com reports: Yesterday, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers published an op-ed in the Washington Post about getting rid of the $100 bill. Prominent economists and banks have joined the refrain and called for an end to cash in recent months. The reasoning is almost always the same: cash is something that only criminal... more »
Invasion Of Syria With Lead To Nuclear War, Putin Warns
As Turkey and Saudi Arabia threaten to invade Syria, a source close to President Vladimir Putin has warned that any such action will spark a nuclear war with Russia. According to Robert Parry – the investigative reporter who broke the Iran-Contra story: A source close to Russian President Vladimir Putin told me that the Russians have warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Moscow is prepared to use tactical nuclear weapons if necessary to save their troops in the face of a Turkish-Saudi onslaught. Since Turkey is a member of NATO, any such conflict could quickly escalate... more »
The Land of Greed & Hunger
On the eve of the Nevada primaries, a special presentation of the feature length documentary by Paul Jay reveals Las Vegas as a model of neoliberalism, a tale of the shape of things to come. It's all told through the eyes of a Canadian Blues Brothers act deciding whether they want to move their families to Vegas. It's two performers portraying two actors playing two fictitious characters in a town where everything is a replica of something else. America is becoming like Las Vegas - a place where you don't have to get to know your next door neighbor.... more »
The Poet: Jane Hirshfield, “The Task”
*“The Task”* "It is a simple garment, this slipped-on world. We wake into it daily - open eyes, braid hair - a robe unfurled in rose-silk flowering, then laid bare. And yes, it is a simple enough task we've taken on, though also vast: from dusk to dawn, from dawn to dusk, to praise, and not be blinded by the praising. To lie like a cat in hot sun, fur fully blazing, and dream the mouse; and to keep too the mouse's patient, waking watch within the deep rooms of the house, where the leaf-flocked sunlight never reaches, but the earth still blooms.” - Jane Hirshfield
Feb. 19: The Irving press has a real story today!
Treasure this moment. It may never come again. Justin Robichaud is an old and close friend of premier Gallant. The also have close political ties. Robichaud is also VP of communications for the Liberal Party Executive in New Brunswick. Isn't that nice? And he's now a registered lobbyist to lobby in Ottawa for the Energy East pipeline. No conflict of interest for anybody there. I know little about the legal aspects of lobbying. But, apparently, it's possible to register a person so he has a right to go to Ottawa and to meet with our government members to----what? Give them advice?... more »
Planned Parenthood Just Took a Big Hit in Wisconsin
[image: Planned Parenthood sit-in protest_900] Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed two bills Thursday that slashed funding for Planned Parenthood. Walker signed a pair of bills that would cut millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, the women's health nonprofit that's perpetually the center of the... more »
The CIA Wants To Recruit Transgender Individuals
The CIA seal is displayed in the lobby of CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. (File Photo) *Washington Free Beacon:* *CIA Has Dedicated Program to Recruit Transgender Individuals* Intelligence agency releases 3-year ‘diversity and inclusion strategy’ The Central Intelligence Agency three-year “Diversity and Inclusion Strategy” includes a dedicated program to recruit transgender individuals and agency-wide “unconscious bias” training. The plan, released by the CIA’s Diversity and Inclusion Office last week, lays out several goals for “weaving diversity and inclusion throughout the ta... more »
FBI Wins Lawsuit Forcing Apple To Install Spyware On iPhone Devices
The FBI have won a lawsuit that will force Apple to develop security software designed to override encryption security features embedded in the iPhone. The court decision was arrived at utilizing an old antidemocratic law from the 18th century – allowing the government to expand its police-state powers of surveillance on American citizens. Wsws.org reports: The FBI and the Justice Department claim that the new software is necessary to enable federal investigators to search through an iPhone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the attackers responsible for the mass shooting at t...more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. Thanks for stopping by!
"The Peculiar Evil..."
"The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error." - John Stuart Mill, "The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth" But... Adlai Stevenson famously offered this defini... more »
Turkey’s War Against Kurds Is Part Of ‘A Business Plan’
Turkey’s devastating war against the Kurds in Turkey is part of a plan to implement the AKP-led project of Urban Change in Diyarbakir, Dr. Can Erimtan has written. Erimtan has referred to the attack on Kurds as “disaster capitalism à la Turca” (disaster capitalism in the south-east), and says it forms part of Ankara’s business plan. Sputniknews.com reports: The Kurdish peace process launched by Recep Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) back in 2009 has been eventually brought to an end by Ankara, who now has unleashed an all-out war against its own population in southeast...more »
‘Anonymous’ Corporate Donors Gave $11 Million To Stop GMO Labeling
A food-industry group fought to keep the identities of major corporations that gave $11 million to fight a GMO-labeling initiative a secret. Newly unsealed court documents reveal that various corporate donors poured $11 million into a campaign to prevent food manufacturers from having to reveal that their produce contained GMO ingredients. Attorney General Bob Ferguson says that the attempts to keep these donors a secret is one of the worst cases of concealment in state history. Seattletimes.com reports: In a filing ahead of a key Friday court hearing, state Attorney General Bob Fe... more »
Hezbollah: Saudi Arabia Sponsors Terrorism, Doesn’t Fight It
Hezbollah have accused Saudi Arabia of actively supporting terrorism in response to Saudi’s decision to suspend aid to the Lebanese army. The Lebanese resistance organisation said that Saudi Arabia’s decision to pull support for the army exposes its false claims of ‘combating terrorism’. Presstv.com reports: Earlier, Saudi Arabia suspended a $3-billion package to the Lebanese army and a remainder of $1 billion in aid to its internal security forces. The $3-billion package was provided to Lebanon to buy military equipment from France. The first shipment of French weapons and militar... more »
"You Cannot..."
"Assassinate me you may; intimidate me you cannot." - John Philpot Curran
Politics: "The Psychological Underpinnings of 2016, The Year America Went Nuts"
*"The Psychological Underpinnings of 2016,* * The Year America Went Nuts"* By Arie W. Kruglanski "Is the American electorate going nuts? The 2016 presidential campaign is turning into the least rational in recent memory. Both leading contenders, Donald Trump for the Republicans and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the Democrats, seem disturbingly out of touch with reality. Trump is a “candidate who will promise just about anything.” He has vowed to “be the greatest jobs president that God ever created,” have Mexico pay for a wall at the border, solve all U.S. security problems, de... more »
"How It Really, Really Is"
"Yeah baby, you're the best..."
How Trump Can Win
[image: FILE - In a Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Plymouth State University, in Plymouth, N.H. Trump has given a list of reasons for his second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, including a failure to invest in boosting voter-turnout and claiming that Ted Cruz “stole” the win. But with voting fast approaching in New Hampshire, data from political advertising tracker Kantar Media reveal another possible explanation: Trump got pummeled on TV political-advertising. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)] See P... more »
Three SC Polls Show Good News for Cruz and Rubio
[image: SC Primary GOP Candidates - 900] [Updated 5 p.m. central] Three polls out Friday suggest support for billionaire Donald Trump in South Carolina may be sagging in the days leading up to Saturday’s primary, with either Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio or both closing the gap. A third poll... more »
Amazing Infographic Shows the Anti-Climactic History of Solar Power
[image: Solar energy - 900] Solar power is the industry of the future ... and has been for more than 40 years. Solar power has existed since the 1839 and the world's first rooftop solar array was built in New York in 1883. Solar power has received financial support from the... more »
Death Of Taxi Driver Shot By Police In Egypt Sparks Protests
The death of a taxi driver who was shot dead by a junior police officer in Egypt over a minor dispute has sparked anger and protests among ordinary Egyptians. Hundreds of people have rallied in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, protesting the death of a 24-year-old taxi driver killed by a police officer dressed in civilian clothes. The excesses of Egypt’s Police and security forces under Hosni Mubarak was one of the main reasons for the 2011 uprising. The other reasons besides security, were an increased demand for food, jobs and a future, from a growing and a connected population. Egypt’s In... more »
Why the FBI Now Categorizes Animal Cruelty as a Class A Felony
*Anna Hunt* - The FBI's new protocol now considers animal cruelty as a grave felony. The post Why the FBI Now Categorizes Animal Cruelty as a Class A Felony appeared first on Waking Times.
Mexican Cartels Have A Drone Fleet At The U.S. Border
*FOX News:* *Mexican cartels patrol border with drones – and U.S. has no response* There are legions of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border, and they do not belong to the United States. They are owned and operated by Mexican drug cartels, and there’s nothing we can currently do to stop them. The proliferation of small, cheap UAVs (aka drones) has raised a litany of security concerns, from interference with commercial aviation to possible delivery systems for weapons. Along the U.S. southern border, the Mexican cartels are operating drones as intellig... more »
Bush, Seeking a Much-Needed Revival in SC, Calls in Family
[image: Bushs - 900] ROCK HILL, South Carolina (AP) -- Jeb Bush has long kept his family at arm’s length in his effort to become commander-in-chief, but with the South Carolina primary looming, he’s embracing them like never before in the state that has historically...more »
WMO El Nino Update
By Paul Homewood http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/wcp/wcasp/enso_update_latest.html Remember, you read it here first! From the WMO: The 2015-16 El Niño has passed its peak strength, but remains strong and continues to influence global climate patterns. It is expected to continue to weaken over the coming months, with models indicating a return to ENSO-neutral during the […]
"Give Thyself Time..."
"Give thyself time to learn something new and good, and cease to be whirled around..." - Marcus Aurelius
The Economy: “The Fatal Flaw That Has Doomed Our Economy”
*“The Fatal Flaw That Has Doomed Our Economy”* by Bill Bonner BALTIMORE – “We are searching for an insight. Each time we think we see it… like the shadow of a ghost in an old photo… it gets away from us. It concerns the real nature of our money system… and what’s wrong with it. Here… we bring new readers more fully into the picture… and try to spot the flaw that has doomed our economy. Let’s begin with a question… *What Went Wrong? *After the invention of the internal combustion engine, people in Europe… and then the Americas… got richer, almost every year. Earnings rose. Wealth i...more »
UN Aid Official Frustrated With Lack Of Attention On The Growing Humanitarian Crisis In Yemen
*Voice Of America:* *UN: Yemen on Brink of Humanitarian Catastrophe* GENEVA — The United Nations warns conflict-ridden Yemen is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. It is urging donors to give generously to the $1.8 billion appeal it launched Thursday to provide critical and life-saving assistance to 13.6 million people, more than half the country’s population. The U.N. reports more than 6,000 civilians have been killed and well over 3,000 wounded since the Saudi-led coalition began its bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels at the end of March of last year. The U.N. ... more »
BREAKING! Albert Woodfox is Freed TODAY on his 69th Birthday!!
*MEDIA COVERAGE:* * UK Guardian* *II* *Washington Post* *II* *NBC* *II* *The Advocate (with new photo)* *II* *Times-Picayune* *II* *NY Times* *II* *Video by WBRZ* *II* *BBC News* *II* *Irish Times* *II* *Amnesty Intl UK* *II* *Toronto Star / AP* *II* *CNN (with new photo)* *II* *Los Angeles Times* *II* *Daily Mail / AFP* *II* *La Nacion (Argentina)* *(PHOTO: Albert Woodfox following his release just moments ago!! Photo from Democracy Now!) * (WATCH Albert walk out the gates a free man!) Take a deep breath everyone, Just moments ago, Albert Woodfox, ... more »
Saudi Arabia Halts Military Assistance To Lebanon Because Of Their Support For Iran In The Syrian War
The Lebanon-based militant group is fighting in Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad (AFP) *Reuters:* *Saudi Arabia says halts $3 billion package to Lebanese army, aid to security service* Saudi Arabia has suspended a $3 billion aid package for the Lebanese army to buy French arms, its state news agency said on Friday, in what an official described as a response to Beirut's failure to condemn attacks on the kingdom's missions in Iran. The SPA agency also quoted an official source as saying in a statement that Saudi Arabia has also canceled the remainder of $1 billion in aid it had ... more »
US State Dept- No Supplies to YPG- Bald Faced Lie
*Bald-Faced Lie: *barefaced, blatant, brazen, brazenfaced, shameless, unabashed, unblushing. *Reuters:* The United States has not supplied weapons to the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG, the State Department said on Friday, after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said U.S.-supplied weapons were used by the group that Ankara blames for a deadly suicide bombing. *"We have not provided any weapons of any kind to the YPG and we have also seen no evidence to substantiate the claim that the YPG is somehow smuggling U.S. weapons to the PKK,"* spokesman Mark Toner said in response to Erdogan... more »
Virginia Delegate Gives Gut-Wrenching Testimony About Soldier Who Beat Down Afghan Molester
[image: soldier with boy - 900] The Army plans to remove Sgt. Charles Martland for shoving an Afghan rapist attacking a young boy, but a Virginia delegate, who served in Martland's battalion, urged his colleagues in an awe-inspiring speech Thursday to do everything in their power to defend... more »
Monsanto Playing God With The Indian Farmer
*The following piece is published on The Ecologist website (19 Feb 2016) and is an updated and amended version of a piece that was originally published elsewhere in September 2015* *India's farmers are the targets of structural violence aimed at uprooting indigenous agriculture and replacing it with an intensive corporate model based on GMOs and agrochemicals. But as Monsanto's GM cotton succumbs to insect infestations despite repeated pesticide applications, agroecological farming is an increasingly attractive option for cultivators.* The mantra of global agribusiness is that it car... more »
Vatican: Pope Was Not Singling out Trump With His Remarks
[image: Donald Trump4 - 900] VATICAN CITY (AP) -- A spokesman for Pope Francis insisted Friday the pontiff was “in no way” launching an attack on Donald Trump, a U.S. presidential candidate, nor was he trying to sway voters by declaring someone who advocates building... more »
Campaign watch: The Times attempts to report on the pope!
*FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016Krugman lets fuzzy meet voodoo:* On a journalistic basis, how hopeless—how *utterly* hopeless—is the New York Times? Just consider the news report which tops this morning's front page. It concerns the exciting new fight between Donald Trump and the pope. Even by standards of the Times, the report is journalistically hapless. In the top right hand corner of page one, Patrick Healy starts in the manner shown below, although it may not have been his fault. Hard copy headline included: HEALY (2/19/16): TRUMP FIRES BACK AT SHARP REBUKE BY POPE FRANCIS In his... more »
The Donors of Clinton World
Part One of a continuing series. "Dear Millenials" (sic), read the Tweet,"you, are entitled to nothing. You deserve nothing. And nothing is ever, ever free. #*WorkForI**t"* This Gingrich-like threat comes not from the GOP. Rather, it was Tweeted out by Democratic campaign bundler Allan Berliant in conjunction with a closed-door fundraiser he hosted for Hillary Clinton last week. The Empress-in-Waiting was too busy campaigning to attend in person, but she sent the ever reliable Bill in as a sloppy second. Here's a selfie that Berliant posted of his private party. He calls it "Hangi... more »
Did Coalition Air-Strikes Kill 38 Civilians In Syria
*Nancy A. Youssef, Daily Beast*: *Did U.S. Airstrikes Kill These Syrians?* *Experts on the ground report large numbers have been killed at the same time the coalition has stepped up airstrikes.* Two Syrian watch groups charged on Thursday that U.S.-led coalition strikes against the so-called Islamic State had killed as many as 38 civilians over a three-day period, the highest reported death toll in months. The reports come as some Obama administration officials have pushed for looser rules of engagement that may help kill more Islamist fighters, but that put civilians in greater j... more »
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird Author, Has Died at 89
[image: Harper Lee - 900] NEW YORK (AP) -- Harper Lee, the elusive novelist whose child’s-eye view of racial injustice in a small Southern town, To Kill a Mockingbird, became standard reading for millions of young people and an Oscar-winning film, has died. She was... more »
Everybody Is Corrupt In Iraq
*Martin Chulov, The Guardian*:* Post-war Iraq: 'Everybody is corrupt, from top to bottom. Including me'* *A corrupt political class has led a 13-year pillage on public money in the pursuit of power. As oil prices fall, further jeopardising the country’s revenues, there is little hope that governance will improve.* Iraq’s anti-corruption chief sat in his office, waving his hands in exasperation. “There is no solution,” he said. “Everybody is corrupt, from the top of society to the bottom. Everyone. Including me.” Coming at the start of a conversation about Iraq’s ailing governance, ... more »
"Perhaps the (NATO) advisers should stop stepping on the same rake."
*Russian Military Spokesperson tells it like it is* A Russian military spokesperson was forced to interrupt his serious work in Syria this past week to correct yet another NATOJM$M lie about what's going on in Syria. He was like the little dutch boy trying to hold back the flood (of lies) by putting his finger in the dyke. This time, as I reported last week, the BBC and its western media acolytes were lying about Russia bombing some MSF hospitals near Aleppo in Syria. The Russian spokesperson can be heard in the above video explaining how Russian planes were no where near the hos... more »
Napolitano on Pope Francis vs. Donald Trump
Title: Napolitano on Pope Francis vs. Donald Trump. Source: Fox News. Date Published: February 18, 2016.
Turkish President Erdogan Accuses U.S. Of Arming Kurdish ‘Terrorists’
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has accused the U.S. of arming “terrorists” who recently carried out a deadly suicide bombing in the heart of the capital Ankara on Wednesday. The Turkish President blames the Kurdish rebel group YPG- who have been defending their territories in Syria from the Islamic State/ISIS terrorists and who have been under attack by Turkish military- for Wednesday’s deadly suicide attack in Ankara, and accuses Barack Obama of arming them. Gulf News reports: US support for the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which Washington considers a useful ally... more »
The Islamic State Continues To Recruit Child Soldiers
*Katie Zavadski, Daily Beast*: *At Least 89 Child Soldiers Were Killed Fighting for ISIS Last Year* *Far more children are fighting and dying—on the battlefield and in suicide attacks—for the terror group than was previously thought, according to a new report.* ISIS is deploying children as fighters and on suicide missions at far greater rates than previously estimated, according to a new report published in the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point’s CTC Sentinel. At least 89 boys died fighting in the name of ISIS from January 2015 to January 2016, according to the report’s ... more »
Hypocrisy in Action - Here Comes Another U.S. Nuclear Missile Test
*A previous US ballistic nuclear delivery system launch from Vandenberg AFB* The US will launch a Minuteman-III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from California to the Marshall Islands some time over the coming weekend. An Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman-III ICBM is scheduled for take-off between Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. After all the recent feigned outrage about North Korea launching a satellite into space the US will press on by practicing the delivery of a nuclear warhead in the direction of C... more »
Is Obama About to Nominate an Exxon Lawyer to the Supreme Court?
*Is Nicolo Machiavelli about to whisper into Obama's shell-like ear? (Source; click to enlarge)* *by Gaius Publius* When we talk amongst ourselves, we leftie writers and activists, I sometimes hear it said that Obama should nominate someone very liberal to replace Antonin Scalia. I also sometimes hear that if he doesn't do that, it's because he feels pressured not to. Immediately after hearing these things, the next phrase going through my head is this one, the phrase that took up residence during the 2009 health care process: *Occam's Switchblade* (n. ph.) — "He does it because h... more »
Geri Halliwell Nipple Slip - NSFW - A Friday Rule 5 Post
It's exactly what it says... Geri Halliwell Nipple Slip
Confusion On U.S. - Russia Talks On Implementing A Syrian Cease-fire
US Secretary of States John Kerry (R). © Christof Stache / AFP *Washington Post*: *U.S. says meeting for Syria cease-fire delayed, not canceled, as Russia claims* BEIRUT — Russia and the United States appeared at odds Friday about whether a meeting of the international coordinating group charged with implementing a cease-fire in Syria had been canceled, with Russia's Foreign Ministry claiming it was, and the U.S. and U.N. officials saying it was merely delayed. The back-and-forth Friday adds to delays in reducing hostilities and raises even more questions about the workability of ... more »
Chinese President Xi Visits State Newsrooms. Demands Total Loyalty
President #XiJinping visits headquarters of Xinhua News Agency in Beijing. Xinhua is China's national news agency pic.twitter.com/LNTN9Df4E6 — China Xinhua News (@XHNews) February 19, 2016 *DW*: *President Xi Jinping demands 'absolute loyalty' from state media in China* Chinese President Xi Jinping has demanded 'absolute loyalty' from the state media. Beijing is also to oblige foreign media companies to obtain state permission before publishing online. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the country's top three state-run media outlets on Friday. In this rare tour, Xi told media ... more »
French Restaurant Bans Bankers For Denying Owner Loan
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paris-restaurant-bankers-banned_us_56c6dc76e4b0928f5a6b77ef *French Restaurant Bans Bankers For Denying Owner Loan * *But dogs are welcome in the fine dining venue. * 02/19/2016 05:43 am ET Lee Moran Trends Editor, The Huffington Post Dogs can dine at this top Paris restaurant, but bankers? Non! It doesn't matter how much cash they have to splash, owner Alexandre Callet is not letting them through the door. He's making the stand at Les Ecuries de Richelieu after repeatedly being turned down for a 70,000 Euro ($77,000) loan to open a second br... more »
Campaign watch: Those great public schools in Sweden and Denmark!
*FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016Narrative all the way down:* No, it doesn't "matter" that Candidate Sanders said it. Depending on how you want to score it, it isn't even clear that what he said was "wrong." Still, we were struck by something Sanders said last night about Sweden and Denmark's great public schools. His statement isn't necessarily "wrong." It does help display a basic point—quite routinely, our pitiful, broken public discourse is narrative all the way down: SANDERS (2/18/16): *When I talk about "democratic socialist," you know what I'm talking about?* Social Security,... more »
Donald Trump Will Look Into 9/11 & Iraq War When President
Last night during an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper, the Republican front-runner Donald Trump said that former president George W. Bush lied about WMD’s in Iraq and initiated the Iraq war under false pretenses. If Donald Trump occupies the White House he says he will look into the events of 9/11 and why the Bush administration started the Iraq War to get rid of Saddam Hussein. The decision to go to war in Iraq was the worst decision ever made in history, period, according to Donald Trump. The Donald wants to know why some Saudis were allowed to leave the country and go back to... more »
Libertarian-Leaning Billionaire Charles Koch: Socialist Bernie Sanders and I Agree, It’s a Rigged System
[image: Charles Koch] Charles G. Koch, libertarian philanthropist billionaire and favorite villain of conspiracy-minded leftists, says he and socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders actually agree on something big: they both hate cronyism. In a column in Friday’s Washington Post, Koch writes: The senator is upset... more »
Britain’s Cameron, European Union Leaders Still Have ‘Lot to Do’ to Reach Deal
[image: David Cameron - 900] BRUSSELS (AP) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron forged ahead at tougher-than-expected talks with European partners Friday after meetings through the night failed to make much progress on his demands for a less intrusive European Union. It’s potentially a pivotal... more »
American Citizen Murdered by Palestinian Terrorists in West Bank
[image: Israeli security forces stand guard outside the Rami Levi supermarket in Shaar Binyamin, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, after two Palestinians carried out a stabbing attack on two Israeli men on February 18, 2016. A 21-year-old Israeli man has died after being stabbed by a Palestinian in the supermarket, a hospital spokeswoman said. The supermarket is located in an industrial zone frequented by Israeli settlers] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. says an American citizen was killed in the West Bank. The Israeli military said two Palestinian teenagers fatally stabbed Tuvya ... more »
Spain: "I Was Threatened With a Court Martial if I Spoke About the UFO"
*Source: PLANETA UFO and Diari de Tarragona (www.diaridetarragona.com)Date: 02.17.2016* *Spain: "I Was Threatened With a Court Martial if I Spoke About the UFO"* *By Raul Cosano and Jaume Aparicio* Gabriel Font, a native of Reus, discusses the questioning to which he was subjected after seeing a phenomenon - from the control tower - which the Army investigated and kept "classified" for 24 years. Gabriel Font, 68, a native of Reus, spent decades in silence about the unidentified flying object (UFO) he saw on 13 May 1969 from his duty post, as he fulfilled his national service requ... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* Bilal Erdogan Accused Of Money Laundering In Italy "I Guess It's Food Stamps": 400,000 Americans In Jeopardy As Giant Pension Fund Plans 50% Benefit Cuts Tech Exec "Outraged" At Having To See "Homeless Riff-Raff", Warns Of Revolution Japan Goes Full Goebbels: Government Cracks Down On Media Over Negative Economic Reporting A nervous Saudi Arabia just launched a massive military exercise See yesterday's post; Start Preparing for the Collapse of Saudi Arabia A 19-year-old made a free robot lawyer that has appealed $3 million in parking tickets Crypto-Wars Escalate... more »
The Media Are Misleading The Public About Syria
The Syrian war will, or at least should be remembered as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the American press. Coverage about the carnage in the ancient city of Aleppo is the latest reason why. There are one or two notable exceptions including this excellent report by Stephen Kinzer via Boston Globe: For three years, violent militants have run Aleppo. Their rule began with a wave of repression. They posted notices warning residents: “Don’t send your children to school. If you do, we will get the backpack and you will get the coffin.” Then they destroyed factories, ... more »
Benny Peiser Interview
By Paul Homewood https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/features/48178/will-the-foot-come-off-the-pedal-in-drive-to-cut-transport-co2- The transport journal, Local Transport Today, carries a very comprehensive interview with Benny Peiser today: The need to decarbonise transport is driven by the Climate Change Act target of an 80% cut to greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 against 1990 levels. Critics such as Benny Peiser, director of […]
Saudi Arabia Halts $4B in Lebanese Deals Over Iran Dispute
[image: Saudi Arabia and Lebanon - 900] BEIRUT (AP) -- Saudi Arabia announced on Friday it is halting deals worth $4 billion aimed at equipping and supporting Lebanese security forces in retaliation for the tiny country’s siding with Iran amid the Sunni kingdom’s spat with the Shiite... more »
Congress Subpoenas Gold King Mine Records Being Withheld by Obama Admin.
[image: Gold King Mine - 900] Republican lawmakers have subpoenaed the Obama administration demanding information regarding the Gold King Mine blowout that contaminated rivers with millions of gallons of mine waste. House Natural Resources Committee Republicans subpoenaed the Department of the Interior and Army Corps of Engineers Wednesday night, demanding... more »
2001 sepsis paper “deviates from the ethical standard of authorship,” says journal
We don’t have a lot of information on a recent retraction of a 2001 paper published in a Japanese journal — just a brief and strongly worded note explaining that it follows “a strict, extensive, and judicious review.” The paper, retracted 14 years after it was published, describes patients in Okinawa, Japan who developed severe symptoms […] The post 2001 sepsis paper “deviates from the ethical standard of authorship,” says journal appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Ugandan Opposition Leader Arrested Amid Violence And Charges Of Election Fraud
*VOA*:* Ugandan Opposition Leader Besigye Re-arrested; Museveni Leading Poll* KAMPALA - Uganda's main opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, was arrested for the second time in two days Friday, as election results showed him running a distant second in the presidential poll to incumbent Yoweri Museveni. Witnesses say police took Besigye and other top members of his party, the Forum for Democratic Change, away from their party headquarters in Kampala. Police had fired tear gas into the building as party leaders tried to hold a news conference to talk about alleged election fraud by auth...more »
MAISIE Confirms Arctic Sea Ice Remaining Stable In February
By Paul Homewood https://nsidc.org/data/masie/ While we’re on the topic of DMI Arctic sea ice graphs, it is worthwhile recalling Ron Clutz’s post the other day on NSIDC’s MAISIE data. You may recall that Ron showed how MAISIE, which is the new all singing and dancing sea ice product, was showing about 500K km2 […]
The Green Energy Goal That Is Condemning Many to Prolonged Poverty
[image: Ma Cho prepares dinner using the five-minute stove, a fuel efficient stove that uses 50% less fuel and retains heat in a central combustion chamber.] Poverty and energy poverty go hand in hand. It is estimated that three billion people still rely on solid fuel (firewood, cornstalks, etc.) for cooking, which, according to the World Health Organization, causes four million deaths per year from the indoor... more »
BREAKING: Concerning our course on Incoherence!
*FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016An overview of future work:* Doggone it! Yesterday, we made a bad choice. In fairness to us, our error involved the faulty judgment of the lover. In what did our error consist? In our first look at Walter Isaacson's book, Einstein: His Life and Universe, we focused on the way Isaacson starts his Chapter Six. The chapter begins with this brief paragraph, one we've come to love: "Relativity is a simple concept. It asserts that the fundamental laws of physics are the same whatever your state of motion." As a general matter, Isaacson is a *very* clear write... more »
US Airstrikes Target ISIS Leader In Libya
US warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on an ISIS base in western Libya, targeting a leader linked to last year’s beach massacre in Tunisia. The air strikes early on Friday morning came just hours after it was reported that the Obama administration had planned to veto a proposal to bomb ISIS targets in Libya. Noureddine Chouchane, the operative suspected of being behind two Tunisia attacks last year, was most likely killed in the strikes, according to the Pentagon. According to the New York Times: The airstrikes, on a camp outside Sabratha, about 50 miles west of Tripoli, k... more »
World News Briefs -- February 19, 2016
A damaged building is pictured after an airstrike on the rebel held al-Fardous neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria February 18, 2016. REUTERS/ABDALRHMAN ISMAIL *BBC:* *Syria conflict: World powers to hold ceasefire talks* Military officials from 17 countries are to meet in Geneva to discuss how to secure a cessation of hostilities in Syria, as a deadline they set expires. Representatives of the US and Russia, which back opposing sides in the conflict, held talks earlier in an effort to agree a joint position. The continuing fighting on the ground in Syria has dimmed hopes for a truce. ... more »
Obama Turns Down Military Plan To Hit ISIS In Libya
U.S. defense officials have told The Daily Beast that the Obama administration has turned down Pentagon plans to go after ISIS/Islamic State in Libya. The Islamic State is gaining ground in Libya and Sirte, the former dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s home city, is now the epicenter for the terror group in Libya and north Africa. The Daily Beast reports: In recent weeks, the U.S. military—led by its Africa and Special Operations Commands—have pushed for more airstrikes and the deployment of elite troops, particularly in the city of Sirte. The hometown of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddaf... more »
The Zero-Sum Worldview of Mr. Trump
Roger Lowenstein takes on the economics of Donald Trump.
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 19, 2016
*BBC:* *South China Sea: Beijing accuses US of militarisation* China has accused the US of militarising the disputed South China Sea through its air and naval patrols. The accusation comes days after the US and Taiwan said China appeared to have deployed surface-to-air missiles on a contested island in the region. Vietnam has called the reported move a "serious violation". The Philippines and Australia also expressed concern. China dismissed the reports as "hype", but said it had the right under international law to defend itself. *Read more* .... *Military And Intelligence News... more »
A 5.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Japan Off Fukushima Coast
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima on Friday according to the US Geological Survey. The quake struck about 105 km from the Fukushima Dai-Ni power plant, 112 km from Namie The Japan Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami. The epicenter of the quake was 20 kilometers deep in the sea off the Fukushima coastline. There have been no immediate reports of damage or injury. 5.1 magnitude #earthquake. 112 km from Namie, #Fukushima, Japan https://t.co/g02ZMLHQFg — Japan Earthquakes (@QuakesJapan) February 19, 2016
Kasich Turns Heartfelt Story Into Lesson on How Government Can’t Substitute for Loving Thy Neighbor
[image: Screen grab from CSPAN clip] When Republican presidential candidate John Kasich fielded a question from a young supporter, the story he heard moved him -- and with good reason. The young man shared briefly how he had lost a close friend to suicide, seen his parents... more »
A New Study Measures the Impact of Internet Addiction on Family Relationships
[image: Internet addiction family] Problematic Internet Use is now considered to be a behavioral addiction with characteristics that are similar to substance use disorders. Individuals with PIU may have difficulty reducing their Internet use, may be preoccupied with the Internet or may lie to... more »
Do radiology journals retract fewer papers? New study suggests yes
There’s good news and bad news in radiology research, according to a new study: The number of retractions is increasing in radiology journals, but the rate of retraction remains lower than that seen in biomedical journals outside the field of radiology. According to the study in the American Journal of Roentgenology, between 1986 and 2001, […] The post Do radiology journals retract fewer papers? New study suggests yes appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Report Blaming Birth Defects on Pesticides, Not Zika, Gets Debunked
[image: Zika mosquitoes] A report anti-pesticide activists are using to link pesticides to the Zika virus was "completely wrong," according to medical experts. "The effect of this [report] to cause panic in people, and to prevent an effective response to disease carrying-vectors, is a very substantial... more »
Outrage As Dolphin Dies After Beachgoers Pass It Around For Photos
A video showing a young dolphin being taken out of the water to allow beachgoers take photos with it, has led to uproar across social media. Crowds gathered around the small animal on the beach resort at Santa Teresita in Argentina after a man picked it up. But it appears the poor creature quickly overheated and died while out of the water. Left dead on the sand, people still gathered around to take pictures of the endangered La Plata or Franciscana dolphin, which usually has a lifespan of up to 20 years. The species is considered vulnerable because there are only about 30,000 lef... more »
This Week's Progressive Victory In Wisconsin-- And What Comes Next
Tuesday night I went to sleep thinking that Wisconsin's most progressive state Senator, Chris Larson, made it into the run-off by coming in second in the race for Milwaukee County Executive (arguably, the second most important elected official in the state after governor). At 4am my phone rang and it was an excited NY-based operative telling me that with all the precincts counted, Larson had won a stunning victory over billionaire right-of-center incumbent-- he inherited the money-- Chris Abele. Blue America endorsed Larson last October-- you can contribute to his campaign here--... more »
U.S. Launches Air Strikes Against Islamic State Targets In Libya
*Reuters:* *U.S. aircraft hit Islamic State militants in Libya, more than 40 dead* U.S. warplanes carried out air strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in western Libya on Friday, killing as many as 40 people in an operation targeting a suspect linked to two deadly attacks last year in neighbouring Tunisia. It was the second U.S. air strike in three months against Islamic State in Libya, where the hardline Islamist militants have exploited years of chaos following Muammar Gaddafi's 2011 overthrow to build up a presence on the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The... more »
Can A Bullet Be Stopped?
*John Spencer, Modern Institute Of War*: *Wanted: Bullet Stopping Breakthroughs* I am not a scientist. I’m definitely not a scientist. I’m a warfighter. And what I carry into battle today is not much different than what I carried when I entered the army in 1993. The M4 rifle is slightly updated from the one I carried in 1995. The 5.56 mm rounds or 7.62 mm ammo belt is Vietnam vintage. The entrenching tool, weapon magazines, knives, flashlights, poncho, and boots are for the most part exactly the same. You can see why I find scientific inventions that support the Nation’s tip of ... more »
Security vs. Privacy: Big Tech Companies Join Apple in Encryption Fight Against Federal Gov’t
[image: In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015, file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus during the Apple event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Apple has spent years setting itself up as the champion of individual privacy and security, a decision that’s landed it in the government’s crosshairs over an iPhone allegedly used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The high-profile case presents risks for Apple almost no matter what it does, and may spill over into the broader tech industry as well, potentially chilling cooperation wi... more »
U.S. Warplanes Strike ISIS Facility in Libya
[image: This image posted online February 5, 2016 by supporters of the Tripoli Province of the Islamic State (IS) in Libya on a social media site, and vetted by SITE Intel Group shows fighters training at a camp in Libya. American warplanes struck multiple targets in Libya overnight, hitting what was apparently an Islamic State training camp and a senior extremist leader, a U.S. official said Friday, Feb. 19, 2016.(militant photo via AP)] WASHINGTON (AP) -- American warplanes struck multiple targets in Libya overnight, hitting an Islamic State training camp and a senior extremist lea... more »
DMI’s Missing Graph
By Paul Homewood h/t Dave, Andy and Pethefin http://web.archive.org/web/20160202040352/http://ocean.dmi.dk/arctic/old_icecover.uk.php For the last few months, there has been a widening divergence between the two Arctic sea ice extent graphs produced by DMI. The above chart for Feb 2nd, accessed via the Wayback Machine, is for 30% ice concentration, and shows ice extent at […]
Let’s START being surprised at antisemitism
Craig reminded me that Nabila’s infamous antisemitic Tweet, mentioned in this piece on Harry’s Place yesterday, was the very same one we highlighted here last October. We did wonder why that particular Tweet was cited now; it’s not breaking news or anything. Then I realised that it was just a bit of background to contextualise an article about Cologne that Ramdani penned the other day for the Independent Nabila thinks you need to know that : “Brown men are not inherently more misogynistic or brutal than white men, and Muslims are just as likely to be family-orientated, peaceful c... more »
Guilty?
http://www.hilltimes.com/ Mike Duffy is not a sympathetic figure. And the media, taking its cue from the Harper spin machine, has worked very hard to make him less sympathetic. But, Michael Harris writes, there's a big difference between being a pariah and being guilty. Once the Duffy trial moved out of the media and into the court room, things changed: When the venue shifted from a prime minister’s public vendetta to close scrutiny of the evidence in court, [Donald] Bayne showed why he said he was surprised when the Crown laid cha... more »
Secret Memo Details U.S.’s Broader Strategy to Crack Phones
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-19/secret-memo-details-u-s-s-broader-strategy-to-crack-phones *Secret Memo Details U.S.’s Broader Strategy to Crack Phones * *‘Decision memo’ directs agencies to find ways to access data * *Officials met around Thanksgiving to discuss encryption plans * Silicon Valley celebrated last fall when the White House revealed it would not seek legislation forcing technology makers to install “backdoors” in their software -- secret listening posts where investigators could pierce the veil of secrecy on users’ encrypted da... more »
Saving The Children
Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters *Cathy Otten, Daily Beast*: *Can the Children Who Survive the Wars in Syria and Iraq Be Saved?* *Psychologists and therapists are struggling to rescue the minds of children from the horrors they’ve experienced in the war zones.* ZAKHO, Iraq — For a long time now, children have been the most pitiful and helpless victims of the savage wars raging in Iraq and Syria. They have been enlisted, indoctrinated, enslaved, raped, murdered, and turned into murderers by the so-called Islamic State; they have been killed by mortar shells and barrel bombs and chemical w... more »
Tips for Sticking To Your Weight Loss Goals Long Term
“I was provided a free Jenny Craig Weight Loss Starter Kit. However, the opinions expressed are entirely my own.” At the beginning of this year, I knew I needed to make a big change. I wasn't happy with the way my clothes fit and I wanted desperately to feel good again. I was just diagnosed with a chronic condition and I knew getting in shape would help that condition immensely. So I made big goals and big changes, and for the most part, I have really stuck to them. I have noticed my biggest challenge is the influence of others. My mom asks if I want a bite of her chocolate bar, ... more »
Review: SC Medicaid Agency Exposed Data to Cybertheft Risk
[image: nurse medicaid computer tablet] COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A four-decade-old computer system and poor safety measures at South Carolina’s Medicaid agency exposed the personal health information of roughly 1 million residents to risk of cybertheft, according to a federal report released Friday. The findings... more »
Oregon Lawmakers Approve Minimum Wage Increase With Tiered, Regional Zones
[image: Protesters march through the Capitol Building, in Salem , Ore., on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. They were protesting for a higher minimum wage, local control of rent control laws, and an end to Oregon Department of Transportation sweeps of homeless camps. (AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez)] SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon lawmakers have approved landmark legislation that propels the state’s minimum wage for all workers to the highest rank in the U.S., and does so through an unparalleled tiered system based on geography. The state House... more »
Mourners Pay Respects to Late Justice Antonin Scalia
[image: The body Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia arrives at the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. Thousands of mourners will pay their respects Friday for Justice Antonin Scalia as his casket rests in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court, where he spent nearly three decades as one of its most influential members. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bidding farewell to their longtime colleague, the eight remaining Supreme Court justices joined family members, former law clerks and members of the public Friday in paying their respects to Antonin Scalia in a ... more »
Facing Tight Race, Clinton Questions Sanders’ Democratic Party Ties
[image: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton meets with employees of Paris Las Vegas during a visit to the hotel and casino Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)] LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Just days before Nevada’s caucuses, Hillary Clinton took one of her toughest shots at rival Bernie Sanders, questioning the long-time independent’s devotion to the Democratic Party he’s running to lead. Clinton accused Sanders of attacking the... more »
Cruz Looks to Replicate Iowa Ground Game in South Carolina
[image: Volunteers make calls for Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. For months, Cruz’s campaign has touted an expensive and sophisticated get-out-the-vote operation as its antidote to Donald Trump’s broad populist appeal. It worked in Iowa. But Saturday’s South Carolina primary will be a tougher test for him. And it could shape the race between the anti-establishment rivals as the GOP contest heads toward delegate-rich March voting states. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)] GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) -- For months, Ted Cruz’s campai... more »
GOP Senators Close Ranks, Look to Refuse Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee
[image: President Barack Obama meets with then-Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Aug. 4, 2010, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republicans worked to close ranks Thursday around their leader’s opposition to President Barack Obama picking a new Supreme Court justice, arguing they would be well within their right to refuse to confirm a nominee in Obama’s...more »
Barry King - Peasemore, UK - aliens did it...
*is this a very-old time-travelling Paul Weller?* ...and I love Barry King's speculative comment about the NSA becoming this great-big lumbering global intel surveillance disinfo monolith... d'oh!
UEA Students Go Green!
By Paul Homewood h/t Joe Public The UEA’s Student Union Go Green Week is up and running! http://www.ueastudent.com/articles/go-green-week-2016-line-up?utm_content=buffer476f7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer Unfortunately I’m a bit late with this one! I would have loved to learn about the connection between race, gender and climate change!
Indian LIGO, Chinese LIGO, two Chinese eLISAs
*Czechia through foreign eyes:* you may check a fun essay Czech Republic – Where No One Gives a Fúçk by Klotild von Schweinhundsheim The discovery of gravitational waves by the two U.S. LIGO detectors has energized the fans of this concept in many other countries. As LIGO.org noticed, Union Cabinet clears LIGO-India gravitational wave observatory (the Hindu) two days ago so despite the previous skeptical comments by our Indian commenter Haha, things look pretty bright for the Indian LIGO. Unless I confused some LIGO-like projects, LIGO India should be a collaborative project of ... more »
IPR and Innovation 31, Plain packaging and trademark-busting
Trademarks and brand logo are important to distinguish companies and producers from each other. A customer can say, "I don't want to ride airline X because they are frequently late/delayed, nor airline Y too because they are expensive, I prefer airline Z because their fares are cheap they mostly fly on time." That is branding from the perspective of customers. When government or many groups dislike or hate something, this is how regulations and later prohibitions look like: 1. Raise the tax, make it more expensive. 2. Restrict or prohibit advertising to certain events. 3. Mandate gra... more »
Pro-GMO Activism In India: Journalism Gives Way To Spin, Smears And Falsehoods
CounterPunch, RINF, Global Research, Countercurrents Do you value my work? *Please read this* In a recent piece for the magazine Swarajya (an online and print publication based in India), its national affairs editor, Surajit Dasgupta, makes it clear that he has no time for any criticisms about the use of GMO technology in food and agriculture. He has even less time for those who voice such criticisms. He argues that ‘activists’ concerns’ would be valid if a GMO were proved to be not substantially equivalent to its non-GM-derived counterpart and if any negative non-intended conseq... more »
Ankara Blast: Catastrophe of Convenience
*February 19, 2016 *(Ulson Gunnar - NEO) - The fireball from this week's blast in Ankara had barely begun to fade before the world begun bracing itself for the predictable accusation that Syria's Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units) were behind the blast. This is because Turkey has developed a transparently cynical strategy of staging blasts throughout its territory and behind to stoke fears, justify condemnation and retaliation and demonize not only it own enemies, but those of its partners in NATO and particularly, those of the United States. Syria's YPG was the obvious target... more »
Foreign Aid 17, ADB's costly e-tricycles loan
Update on the ADB-DOE more electric tricycles, more public debt racket. Why is it a racket? (1) 100,000 more tricycles, we need less tricycles, not more. (2) Capex of $300 M loan, Filipino taxpayers will pay, not the ADB, DOE, DENR or LGU officials, nor the e-trike beneficiaries fully; (3) Opex daily electricity charging, via municipal/city hall charging stations, ultimately the taxpayers. (4) Political clientelism, cronyism and rent-seeking, we need less of it, not more. If those e-trikes are really cute, really financially viable, why not leave it to the market and see if operators... more »
NASA Say March 5th Asteroid Is Worrying Scientists
NASA have said that a ‘small’ asteroid currently heading towards Earth is likely to be a “close shave”, and have expressed concern over the mysterious nature of this unusual piece of rock. Asteroid 2013 TX68 will pass the Earth on March 5, and although scientists are convinced it is ‘unlikely’ to hit us, they say that any potential impact would be catastrophic. Nationalgeographic.com reports: It could pass at a distance of 9 million miles (14 million km), which is a comfortable 35 times farther than the moon. Or it could come as close as 11,000 miles (17,000 km). That’s about half ... more »
Turkish Terrorist Attack In Ankara May Be False Flag
A March 2014 tape recording between former Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu and the chief of the Turkish intelligence (MIT) has been leaked in which the two officials discuss creating false flag event in Turkey to justify invading Syria. A false flag event is one in which a covert operation, such as a ‘terrorist’ car bomb attack, is performed in such a way to appear as though it is being carried out by a group other than those who actually planned and executed it. Moonofalabama.org reports: The major points from my view: Turkey has delivered 2,000 trucks of weapons and ammunition... more »
Patriarch Kirill Performs Bizarre Ritual In Antarctica Over ‘Ark Of Gabriel’
A bizarre report from the Kremlin says that Patriarch Kirill has performed a strange ritual in Antarctica this week at the mysterious ‘Ark of Gabriel‘, reading a secret text given to him by Pope Francis. The “Ark of Gabriel” was first discovered in Mecca on 12 September 2011 by a construction crew tunneling under the Masjid al-Haram Mosque, who were all tragically killed by a “plasma emission” when they attempted to unearth it. Whatdoesitmean.com reports: Even worse on 24 September 2015, during a second attempt to unearth the mysterious “Ark of Gabriel”, another massive “plasma emi... more »
Syrian Army Uncover More Evidence That Turkey Support ISIS
The Syrian army have found more evidence of Turkey assisting drug smuggling terrorist organisations such as ISIS, after the they freed two strategic villages of Masqan and Ahras. Sources in Masqan village said ISIS militants fled the battlefield following the surprise Syrian army attack on terrorists’ positions in the region. Farsnews.com reports: They added that the terrorist groups had turned a school in Masqan into their medical center in which a large number of Turkey-made medical packages and drugs were found, a proof of Ankara’s logistic support for the militants. The Turkish... more »
Thousands Evacuated In Moscow Over Terror Threat
Over 10,000 people were evacuated from several department stores in Moscow on Thursday due to a bomb threat, according to law enforcement agencies. Police evacuated thousands of people from the GUM and TsUM department stores located in central Moscow. Tass.ru reports: According to law enforcement, people are evacuated from the GUM and TsUM department stores located in central Moscow, the Gagarinsky and Kuntsevo Plaza shopping malls, and all nine Auchan hypermarkets. In some stores the evacuation has been completed, and in some others it continues. TASS has no official commentary fr... more »
Kurds Warn Turkey Of Coming World War With Russia
The head of the Syrian Kurds, Rodi Osman, has said that a ground offensive by Turkey in Syria will lead to a “big war” with Russia. “We take this threat very seriously because the ruling party in Turkey is a party of war,” Osman,said. “Russia will respond if there is an invasion. This isn’t only about the Kurds, they will defend the territorial sovereignty of Syria.“ Thespec.com reports: Conflicting interests in Syria have created a dangerous new phase in the country’s five-year war, even as world powers struggle to implement a truce agreement. Turkey fears Kurdish gains along its ... more »
US Plans To Open Military Base In Iceland Amid Cold War Tension
The United States are to re-open a Cold-War era military base in Iceland amid deteriorating relations with Russia, the U.S. military have announced. The plans have been kept secret from the public and the Prime Minister of Iceland himself, until now. Sputniknews.com reports: “A lot of Icelanders are worried,” Paul Fontaine, news editor with the Reykjavik Grapevine, told Radio Sputnik. “When the base closed in 2006, a lot of Icelanders were relieved.” Located near the capital of Reykjavik, the base, originally built during World War II, will be retrofitted to house P-8 Poseidon surv... more »
Mike Philbin - new paintings - dichotomy series update...
...update about the paintings I've been doing of late. The non-figuratives. The colour tandems. The 'not thinking too hard'ys. I wasn't happy with them. And why should I be? I couldn't even work out which way up to present them. Were they upside down? But, last night, it came to me in a flash, while I was stood there just 'looking at them' working out how to resolve this issue, thinking of my time in the games industry (matrix multiplies) and as a writer (reading from left to right) ... and I suddenly realised, "I'd been painting landscapes, not portraits." If I displa... more »
ISIS Adopt US Dollar As Their Official Currency
ISIS have announced plans to adopt the US Dollar as their currency of choice when it comes to paying for things such as water and electricity. The move represents a departure from the groups 2014 plans to mint its own gold, silver and copper Islamic dinar coins. Hangthebankers.com reports: The currency plan seems to have never gotten off the ground. The AP reports that the new “dollars only” rule come along with another pay cut for ISIS fighters and the elimination of benefits and perks, from bonuses to “free energy drinks and Snickers bars.” The group’s finances have reportedly bee... more »
U.S. Army Soldier Who Protected Afghan Boy From His Rapist To Be Discharged Because Of This Incident
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com *FOX News*: *Decision looms for Army sergeant who protected Afghan boy* A decorated Army sergeant who protected an Afghan boy from a child molester could find out any day whether his actions will end his career in the military. Sgt. First Class Charles Martland, a Green Beret with an 11-year Special Forces career, was stationed in Afghanistan in 2011 when the boy's mother came to him and said she'd been beaten and her son raped by a local police commander. Martland and another soldier summoned the police official and, when the man laughed... more »
Zombie Republicans Sing and Dance Frantically Hoping for Approval (The US Economy Has Not Recovered And Will Not Recover Yet Dems Work With Repubs to Raise Social Security Eligibility Age (To Enable Use of Money to Pay Down Tax-Cut-and-War-Induced Budget Shortfalls)) Faint Praise for Scalia?
From brain-dead Carson to brain-addled Bush to exploding-head Cruz to confused-head Rubio (not to mention drop-your-pants-and-moon-them Trump), the Republican debates have provided a true public service to the U.S. voters. If they can't figure out how unqualified all of them are for the office of the presidency, the U.S. is finished as a constitutional democratic republic. Unfortunately for
BWorld 44, Why the Philippines should join the TPP
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last February 16, 2016. Free trade is good and beautiful and the best example of it at the micro level is the tiangge-tiangge or market-market that one finds in Divisoria, Baclaran, Quiapo, and other low- to mid-end commercial centers in the Philippines. All consumers there search for a bargain, if they do not find it in seller A, they walk away and go to seller B, and seller C, until they find the right seller/s offering the right bargain, both in price and quality. This is the essence of free trade and free market. The freedom to sell or not... more »
Long-Serving Head Of Struggling Russian State Development Bank Quits
Vladimir Dmitriev, chairman of the State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs, attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2016. Photo: Reuters http://www.ibtimes.com/long-serving-head-struggling-russian-state-development-bank-quits-2313230 *Long-Serving Head Of Struggling Russian State Development Bank Quits * By Howard Amos @howardamos On 02/18/16 AT 12:51 PM MOSCOW — The head of Russia's government-owned State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs stepped down Thursday amid fractious nego...more »
ALF 5, Meeting of Property Rights Alliance in KL
The 4th Asia Liberty Forum (ALF) started last night here at the Renaissance Hotel Kuala Lumpur, with an opening dinner, keynote speech given by Tom Palmer of Atlas. Earlier, the Property Rights Alliance (PRA) headed by Lorenzo Montanari held a short meeting for its Asian partners. Lorenzo discussed what the International Property Rights Index (IPRI) is all about, its contents and ranking of countries, the value of property rights protection, etc. From left: Arpita Nepal of Samriddhi, Nepal; Wan Saiful Wan Jan of IDEAS, Malaysia; Bican Sahin of Freedom Research Association, Turk... more »
Was Lech Walesa 'A Paid Communist Informant'?
*BBC*: *Lech Walesa 'was paid Communist informant'* Poland's history institute says that newly seized documents suggest former president and Solidarity hero Lech Walesa was an informer. The documents were taken earlier this week from the home of a former communist-era interior minister, Gen Czeslaw Kiszczak. Lukasz Kaminski, head of the Institute of National Remembrance, said the documents appear authentic. Mr Walesa has long denied being an informer in the 1970s. The former president said the new materials could not originate from him, according to Polish radio. The 279 pages o... more »
Military Photo of the Day: February 19, 2016
[image: Sharpshooter-900] A U.S. Army officer candidate scans his sector during infantry battle drills at the McCrady Training Center in Eastover, S.C., on Feb. 6, 2016. Thank you to this brave soldier for his service to our country!
The RAF's Touted Brimstone Missile Has Not Killed One ISIS Fighter In Syria
*Huffington Post:* *Exclusive: RAF Brimstone Missile Has Not Killed Any Isis Militants In Syria, And Only Seven Hit By UK Bombs* The RAF's celebrated Brimstone missile system has yet to kill or wound a single Isis terrorist in Syria since MPs controversially voted to support bombing raids in December. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by The Huffington Post UK also revealed just seven Isis militants have been killed or wounded by bombs dropped by RAF jets - either with Paveway bombs or Hellfire drone missiles. Brimstone, hailed for its accuracy, was the main reason for the UK...more »
Tweet For Today
Obama to make historic visit to Cuba in March https://t.co/rnIQEIE1ct pic.twitter.com/0HaXVIu06I — AFP news agency (@AFP) February 18, 2016
Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 2/19/2016"
*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 2/19/2016"* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com "The top story is the Middle East and the possibility of WWIII. I am not exaggerating here as both Saudi Arabia and Turkey have strongly suggested that their countries would invade Syria. Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries have reportedly amassed 350,000 troops on the Syrian border. (Nonsense!- CP) Russian President Vladimir Putin says any troops entering Syria without the permission of Syria would be considered an “Act of War.” This would be huge and, no doubt, would go nuclear. Maybe this is the reason wh... more »
Musical Interlude: Kevin Kern, “Another Realm”
Kevin Kern, “Another Realm” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a2JtNQublQ
U.S. Continues To Store Heavy Military Equipment In Norwegian Caves
This 1997 aerial photograph shows the entrance to a cave facility the U.S. military uses in the Trondheim region of central Norway. (Defense Department photo courtesy of the National Archives) *CNN*: *U.S. stationing tanks and artillery in classified Norwegian caves* Washington (CNN)Marines are prepositioning battle tanks, artillery and logistics equipment inside Norwegian caves as the U.S. pushes to station equipment near the NATO-Russia frontier. "Any gear that is forward-deployed both reduces cost and speeds up our ability to support operations in crisis, so we're able to fall ... more »
You Can’t Even Write a Good Story Without God
[image: Typewriter Once Upon A Time - 900] Have you ever heard people say that good and evil are nothing more than the opinions of individuals or groups? Maybe you've said something like this yourself: "What's good for you may not be good for someone else," or "What's... more »
Our Foreign Policy Problems Go Well Beyond Iraq
[image: Iraqi Shiite tribesmen brandish their weapons as they gather to show their willingness to join Iraqi security forces in the fight against Jihadist militants who have taken over several northern Iraqi cities, on June 17 2014, in the southern Shiite Muslim shrine city of Najaf. Fighting erupted at the northern approaches to Baghdad Tuesday as Iraq accused Saudi Arabia of backing militants who have seized swathes of territory in an offensive the UN says threatens its very existence.] We get it already. The Iraq war was a mistake. Indeed, on this point pretty much everyone agrees... more »
Turkey Trying To Use NATO's Article 5 To Legalize War With Syria - Episode 897b
*Title: Turkey Trying To Use NATO's Article 5 To Legalize War With Syria - Episode 897b. Source: X22Report. Date Published: February 18, 2016. Description: * John McAfee says he will help the FBI hack into the phone. Hungarian central banks are preparing for civil unrest by purchasing ammo. US troops in Afghanistan are involved in combat. Turkey blames the Kurds for the false flag event. Turkey is trying to invoke NATO's article 5.Russia opposes the no fly zone. Russia has satellite images of planes taking off from Turkey and bombing the hospitals. Radio active material is missing... more »
Picture Of The Day
United Nations Command, U.S. Forces Korea deputy commander and U.S. 7th Air Force commander, Lt. Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy and Lt. Gen. Wang-keon Lee, Republica of Korea Air Force Operations Command commander, speak to international media at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Feb. 17, 2016, after a flyover from four U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft in response to recent provocative action by North Korea. (Photo by Benjamin Sutton/U.S. Air Force) *WNU Editor*: For more on the four F-22s that flew over South Korea go to the following link .... *These are the F-22s That Just Fle... more »
Republican Self-Sabotage
[image: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the Roundhouse Gymnasium, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, in Marshalltown, Iowa.] The latest CBS poll suggests that the Donald Trump juggernaut continues to roll, with 35 percent of Republicans supporting him. Ted Cruz, his nearest rival, garners 18 percent. Jeb Bush, the candidate who should have been the obvious choice if... more »
Carnival of Egos Buoys GOP Mess
[image: Republican presidential candidates participate in the Republican Presidential Candidates Debate February 6, 2016 at St. Anselm's College Institute of Politics in Manchester, New Hampshire. From left are: Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, and Ted Cruz. Seven Republicans campaigning to be US president are in a fight for survival in their last debate Saturday before the New Hampshire primary, battling to win over a significant number of undecided voters. / AFP / JEWEL SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)] Hey, America: Remember when Rick Perry was sti... more »
Russia is Using The Kurds Against Turkey
Financial Times *Walter Russell Mead, Hudson Institute:* *Russia Wields the Kurdish Weapon* An incoherent American strategy is allowing Putin’s Russia to drive wedges into American alliances and disrupt what little strategy the U.S. has left in Syria. The latest example: Russia’s clever move to back the Syrian Kurds—key allies in what passes for America’s anti-ISIS strategy—against the Turks, America’s NATO allies and the keystone of any serious policy to restore order to Syria without the use of American troops. As the Turks pound the Syrian Kurds and the Syrian Kurds turn to Russ... more »
Alan Grayson Has A Democratic Solution To The Undemocratic Super-Delegate Mess That Is Roiling The Democratic Party
You may recall the other day we ran a guest post by Eric Kingson, the progressive Democrat running in Syracuse, New York for a congressional seat held by conservative Republican incumbent John Katko, about why he's backing Bernie. In the spirit of fairness, I decided to ask some progressive Members of Congress-- so, no Blue Dogs or New Dems-- if they'd like to write a guest post about why they endorsed Hillary. Kingston was very complimentary about her and didn't say a negative word. His whole post was about why Bernie was good, not about why she's bad. And it I thought it would b... more »
Turkey Permits Passage For Hundreds of `Rebels`To Enter Syria
Screen grab of a bus carrying rebels from Turkey to Syria. RUDAW *The Guardian/AFP*: *Hundreds of armed rebels cross from Turkey into Syria, says monitor* Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports 500 insurgents and Islamist fighters headed for town of Azaz where anti-Assad forces have lost ground At least 500 rebels on Wednesday crossed the Turkish border, a monitor said, and headed for the Syrian town of Azaz in northern Aleppo province where opposition forces have suffered setbacks at the hands of Kurdish fighters. “At least 500 rebels have crossed the Bab al-Salam border cro... more »
CIA Director issues Warning That The Islamic State Will Attempt An Attack Inside The U.S.
*WNU Editor:* This is a fact of life that all of us have been living under for years .... and probably will be living under for many more years.
Transforming Markets and Social Movements
Why do some transnational advocacy movements have more success transforming global markets than others? Can we look to look to differences in market structure for a preliminary account? Why were AIDS advocates able to achieve extended access to antiretroviral medications for millions of people while climate campaigners have struggled to achieve comparable gains? This week, International Studies […]
UK’s Cameron Faces Off With European Union Leaders in ‘Battle for Britain’
[image: British Prime Minister David Cameron, right, and European Council President Donald Tusk, left, attend during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a deal designed to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc.] BRUSSELS (AP) -- Prime Minister David Cameron faced off Thursday against the 27 other European Union leaders, telling them to grant his country a new deal to settle the festering issue of their relationship or face a possible divor... more »
Economic News , Data & Views ( February 18 , 2016 ) Europe In Focus ( 1. EUCO - First Day Of Key Summit - UK-- EU Negotiations & Migration In Focus. 2.Greece Items For Thursday - Refugee Situation , Condemnation of Ankara Attack , Troika Matters . 3. Spanish Political Items of The day - Rajoy Bumble Admission New Elections Likely June 26 , 2016. 4. Global Odds & Ends. )
Europe ..... *fred walton* @fredwalton216 2m 2 minutes ago European Council - February 2016 - European Council - February 2016 # TVNewsroom http://nwsr.eu/d9cw Press statements by Donald TUSK *Danny Kemp* @dannyctkemp 57s 57 seconds ago Brexit - Belgian PM 'v determined' on sovereignty,him & Lux PM 'particularly firm' on euro-outs, Merkel concern free movement: French diplo *James Crisp* @JamesCrisp6 7m 7 minutes ago Cameron demands 13-year ban on EU migrant benefits at summit – http:// EurActiv.com http://eurac.tv/rUB #*EUCO* *Ola Westerberg* ... more »
The Real News - Carnage in Syria a Product of US Empowerment of Saudi Arabia
*Turkey has made a strategic mistake by aligning itself so publicly with the fate of ISIS in Syria and across the region.* There would be no war in Syria today if there was no Sykes-Picot, no creation of the State of Israel, no Islamic Revolution in Iran, no American invasion of Iraq, no Syrian support for the Palestinian resistance and Hezbollah, and no funding of Wahhabi mosques around the world by the Saudi monarchy. But, history being what it is, and humanity being what it is, the wars in and over Syria were always inevitable. Assad should've seen the signs much earlier, and s... more »
Political Pronouncement: Books for Kids
by Susan Ohanian Today I decided to make a political statement. I donated 100 NEW books to my town's Food Shelf. This list is a combination of selections of middle-grade favorites compiled by my local children's bookstore and also some golden oldies for which I have fond kid connections. Kid stories travel with these books. I figure you can never go wrong with Junie B. Jones and Miss Nelson. And if you haven't read *Owl in Love: Schoolgirl by day, owl by night, *do it! NOTE: None of these books appears in the Common Core retinue of sacred writings, but I'd testify that any one of... more »
FBI Searches Home of San Bernardino Shooter’s Brother
[image: FBI and Homeland Security investigators carry a computer tower and manila envelopes from the Corona, Calif., home of Syed Raheel Farook while executing a search warrant at the home on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. FBI agents on Thursday were searching the California townhome of the brother of one of the shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack. Syed Raheel Farook is a Navy veteran who earned medals for fighting global terrorism.] CORONA, Calif. (AP) -- The investigation into the San Bernardino terror attack that killed 14 people burst back into public view Thursday, when FBI a... more »
Helicopter Crashes Into Pearl Harbor, 1 Critically Hurt
[image: maxresdefault] PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) -- A private helicopter with five people on board crashed Thursday into Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, leaving a teenage passenger in critical condition, officials said. The Bell 206 aircraft made a hard landing and sank... more »
The Central Inclusion Agency?: CIA Program Is Designed to Recruit Transgenders
[image: The 16-foot diameter CIA seal that is inlaid in granite in the lobby of the Old Headquarters Building of the CIA.] The Diversity and Inclusion Office at the CIA just launched a strategy for both recruiting more transgender individuals and making sure existing employees don't put up a fuss. The three-year plan is the CIA's chance to "weave diversity and inclusion... more »
Planning On Betting On The South Carolina And Nevada Races?
Yesterday the Trump Show made fun of how Jeb! looks in contact lenses and insisted that poor Marco Rubio is too sweaty to be president. "I thought he just came out of a swimming pool!," said the odds-on favorite to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee for 2016. In fact, since you mentioned odds... let's see how SportsBettingDime is playing the South Carolina and Nevada races, although keep in mind that all the figures below were released before Herr Trumpf decided to target Pope Francis for some of his signature vitriol. Like the pollsters, they expect the South Carolina... more »
Radical Islamism Is Wreaking Havoc In Africa
(*Click on Image to Enlarge*) African Studies Center *Wall Street Journal*: *Africa’s Terror Crescent* *A spate of attacks shows jihad’s long reach on the Continent.* For all the attention attracted by the battle against Islamic State in the Middle East, Islamism is also wreaking havoc in Africa. Jihadist groups control territory stretching from the Horn of Africa to the Mediterranean coast and south to Nigeria, and that crescent was ablaze this weekend. Al Shabaab on Saturday took responsibility for a bomb that ripped a yard-long hole in a Daallo Airlines plane while it was flying... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* Start Preparing for the Collapse of Saudi Arabia The Beetles: Eighty-Nine Million Acres of Abrupt Climate Change Indian Point Contaminates the Hudson River With Uncontrollable Radioactive Flow Flu vaccine barely working this year, CDC says This Is The Real Reason For The War On Cash Hungarian Central Bank Hoards 200,000 Bullets, Hundreds Of Guns Due To "Security Risks" China Unleashes A Debt Tsunami: Creates $1 Trillion In Debt In First Two Months Of 2016 Turkey Blames Kurds, Assad For Terrorist Attack, Vows Swift Response Venezuela Devalues Currency By 37% As ... more »
YPG Declare War on Turkey: YPG/ PKK = Same/Same
*In a charming little video. So very reminiscent of ISIS....* Including the threat that *"Erdogan will drown in his own blood"* Nice stuff. From very nice people (snark) YPG = PKK. NATO backed of course. Remaking the region while causing mayhem, destroying the environment, wasting resources, engaging in ethnic cleansing and mass displacement. Wantonly killing, raping, stealing the property of others and forcing children to serve in their militias. *While some morons in the west cheer on NATO's killers, actually believing that two wrongs (if you believe the Kurd victim meme?) make so... more »
Win One for Nino
[image: Justice Antonin Scalia - 900] WASHINGTON -- Let’s understand something about the fight to fill the Supreme Court seat of Antonin (“Nino”) Scalia. This is about nothing but raw power. Any appeal you hear to high principle is phony -- brazenly, embarrassingly so. In Year... more »
How Much Of Libya Does The Islamic State Control?
Militants who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State now control some territory in Libya. (file photo) *Issandr El Amrani, Foreign Policy*: *How Much of Libya Does the Islamic State Control?* More than you think -- and it’s growing. But putting boots on the ground could only make the situation worse. The world is waking up to the threat posed by the Islamic State’s expansion in Libya over the past year. The renewed Western focus on combating the group is related to the Nov. 13 Paris attacks — although they had nothing to do with Libya — and the increasing recognition that the U.... more »
Muse: Unintended .....A belated Valentine's Day Wish for all Romantics
*Muse: Unintended* This is a belated *Valentine's Day wish* for all the Romantics out there. Written and sung by one of the greatest guitarist/musician/singer/songwriters of our time.... *UNINTENDED* *You could be my unintendedChoice to live my life extendedYou could be the one I'll always love * *You could be the one who listensTo my deepest inquisitionsYou could be the one I'll always love * *I'll be there as soon as I canBut I'm busy mending brokenPieces of the life I had before * *First there was the one who challengedAll my dreams and all my balanceShe could never... more »
Donald Trump Calls The Pope ‘Disgraceful’ & A ‘Pawn’
The head of the Roman Catholic Church has questioned Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s credentials for qualifying as a Christian who follows the path of the righteous. In an interview Pope Francis condemned Donald Trump’s behavior during the U.S. presidential race saying his ideas were “not Christian.” Trump fought back by calling the pontiff “disgraceful” and a “pawn”. Just Jared reports: “For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weaken... more »
Poll: Two-Thirds of Voters Think Media Has Too Much Power Over Elections
[image: Voters, Voting, Elections, Vote Buttons, Vote Pins, I Voted] Voters want more say in elections and less influence from the news media, special interest groups, and the wealthy a new survey reveals. The Rasmussen Reports survey, released Tuesday, found that although 61 percent of likely voters believe that their vote... more »
Electability Again-- AND BERNIE TAKES THE LEAD NATIONALLY
If you're anything like me, at least politically, you're probably talking with friends who are sympathetic with Bernie's platform but absolutely positive that nominating him would be suicidal for the Democratic party. They assert that they don't trust Hillary or like her but that she's the only protection we have against Herr Trumpf, Cruz or Rubio. The argument drives me bonkers because it's based on carefully choreographed Establishment propaganda. Every poll-- not some polls, *every* poll-- shows that it's patently false. Pundits who repeat it (sometimes ad nauseam) are either i... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“This telescopic close-up shows off the otherwise faint emission nebula IC 410. It also features two remarkable inhabitants of the cosmic pond of gas and dust below and right of center, the tadpoles of IC 410. Partly obscured by foreground dust, the nebula itself surrounds NGC 1893, a young galactic cluster of stars. Formed in the interstellar cloud a mere 4 million years ago, the intensely hot, bright cluster stars energize the glowing gas. *Click image for larger size.* Composed of denser cooler gas and dust, the tadpoles are around 10 light-years long and are likely sites of ongoi... more »
Chet Raymo, “A Fear of Freedom?”
*“A Fear of Freedom?”* by Chet Raymo “It is almost a cliché to say that Western civilization was created by the Greeks. Our government, law, art, music, architecture, literature, drama, historiography, science, and mathematics are largely Greek inventions. The sublime refinement and sophistication of the Parthenon have been widely taken as reflecting qualities of the Athenians citizens who built the temple and adorned it with sculptures. No doubt something remarkable happened in the Greek world of the 6th to 3rd centuries B.C.E., with its epicenter first at Athens, then at Alexandr... more »
HSBC has decided to stay headquartered in the UK. Shame. We were hoping they’d move to Hong Kong
KJ and Fee explain... SOURCE GUARDIAN: HSBC to keep its headquarters in London, after concessions from chancellor HSBC is to keep its headquarters in the UK after a 10-month review during which time the government has made a series of changes regarded as favourable to the bank. After the May 2015 Conservative election victory the chancellor, George Osborne, has backed away from creating
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 18, 2016
A man at a site recently hit by what activists said was a Scud missile in Aleppo’s Ard al-Hamra neighborhood, February 23, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman *Doyle McNamus, L.A. Times*: *What happens next in Syria?* U.S.-backed agreement on a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria is supposed to take effect at the end of this week, but there's been no sign of hostilities slowing — let alone ceasing. Instead, Russia's air force, Bashar Assad's ground forces and even neighboring Turkey have all escalated attacks on the rebels whose five-year-long uprising against Assad is faltering. In nor... more »
"Learning to Slow Down: The Time of Your Life"
*"Learning to Slow Down: The Time of Your Life"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "When we rush through our days and lives, we fail to notice the simple beauty of living. Throughout our lives, we are taught to value speed and getting things done quickly. We learn that doing is more valuable than merely being, and that making the most of life is a matter of forging ahead at a hurried pace. Yet as we lurch forward in search of some elusive sense of fulfillment, we find ourselves feeling increasingly harried and disconnected. More importantly, we fail to notice the simple beauty of livi... more »
"Now I Believe..."
"Now I believe I can hear the philosophers protesting that it can only be misery to live in folly, illusion, deception and ignorance, but it isn't- it's human." - Desiderius Erasmus *"The Spectacle of Human Folly," 1872* Glaize, Auguste Barthelemy (1807-93); French. Medium: oil on canvas. Date: 1872. Le Spectacle de la Folie Humaine; image depicts killings of Heretics, Christians and those of the Bible; Provenance: Musee des Beaux-Arts, Arras, France/Giraudon. "It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing ...more »
Feb. 18 Syria War Live Updates: Russia Warns Turks- "We May Bomb Your Troops"
*Feb. 18 Syria War Live Updates: * *Russia Warns Turks- "We May Bomb Your Troops"* by U.S.Reporter *"NATO to tell Turkey "no support" if they invade Syria.* After yesterday's "terrorist" bombing in Ankara, the Turkey gov't is on the warpath; claiming fingerprints from the dead car bomber's body prove it was Kurds from Syria! They are moving troops toward the Syria border. Just a couple problems: The car bomb was said to contain 1,000 pounds of C-4 plastic explosives when it detonated; there would not have been anything left of the car bomber for them to obtain fingerprints from! On ...more »
Investigator: The Strange Trip Of Scalia's Body
*Did Anton Chigurh pay a visit to Antonin Scalia?* *Title: Investigator: The Strange Trip Of Scalia's Body. Source: The Alex Jones Channel. Date Published: February 18, 2016. Description:* Alex Jones talks with investigative journalist Wayne Madsen and Infowars reporter Joe Biggs about the ongoing investigation into the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. "We know that VIPs come in and out of this particular resort, the ranch where Scalia was. And we know there's been a lot of Hollywood types. *They actually filmed part of the movie with Tommy Lee Jones 'No Country For O... more »
Hezbollah Leader: Turkey & Saudi Arabia Prefer War Over Peace In Syria
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon has said that Saudi Arabia and Turkey have ulterior motives for wanting to send troops to Syria. Nasrallah, the Secretary General of the Lebanese political and paramilitary organization Hezbollah, accuses the Turks and the Saudis of wanting to”gain a foothold in the country.” He claims that the terrorists in Syria are on a loosing streak and that their backers are driven by “hatred” for the Syrian regime, and the groups that support them. Deutsche Welle reports: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah says talk that Ankara and Riyadh plan ... more »
No buses, and traffic moves much more freely!
Only one data point, but it’s an interesting one: *Auckland has survived the first hurdle of the bus drivers' strike with commuters reporting "dream runs" and lighter than usual traffic . . . Commuters who contacted the Herald about their trip to work have reported smooth and free-flowing traffic - some are even saying the strike should happen everyday.* And 62 % of respondents to the Herald’s straw poll think the bus strike made the traffic better. [image: image] Sure, some commuters will have stayed away. But is it just possible the value of buses has been overstated... more »
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