Extremes of Climate Castigation
11:42pm MDST
Tweet For Today
In China, 99% of all defendants are found guilty. One group of lawyers is trying to change that. https://t.co/uPiT5igr1v — Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 2, 2016
Another U.S. - Russian Navy 'Confrontation' In The Mediterranean
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) is pictured underway during the multinational UNITAS Atlantic 53-2012 exercise conducted in the western Caribbean Sea in this September 25, 2012 handout photo.REUTERS/ LT. CMDR. COREY BARKER/U.S. NAVY/HANDOUT *ABC News:* *US Has Another Close Call With Russian Ship in the Mediterranean* A Russian ship again made a close approach to a U.S. Navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea in an encounter that American officials are labeling "unprofessional." On Thursday, the Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudryy came within 150 yard...more »
Picture Of The Day
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* Female members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) honour guard stand behind a string to ensure that they are in a straight line before a welcoming ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. © REUTERS/ KIM KYUNG-HOON
Bangladesh Hostage Crisis Ends, All Attackers Have Been Killed
Police gather after gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan restaurant and took hostages early on Saturday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh in this still frame taken from live video July 2, 2016. REUTERS/REUTERS TV *NBC News*: *Bangladesh Hostage Standoff Ends, All Attackers Dead: Police* Bangladeshi security forces on Saturday stormed a restaurant where gunmen took what was feared to be dozens of hostages the night before. Police said all the attackers were killed in the raid. Local media reported that gunfire and explosions were heard at around 7:40 a.m. local time (9:40 p.m. Friday ET) in the di... more »
Stirring Up A War With Russia-- Just What The World Needs
*Breedlove* I spent most of June in Russia, primarily in Moscow and St. Petersburg. As I mentioned on Wednesday, I found Russians-- particularly in Moscow-- surly and defiant towards America and the West. The Western establishment insists Putin is using propaganda to play on the old fears and prejudices of the Cold War. On one level I saw it as a kind of paranoia, but it's a paranoia based on a very hard reality not on baseless assertions. As Lee Fang and Zaid Jilani made clear today at *The Intercept* Russia's fears were far from baseless as Gen. Philip Breedlove, now retired but u... more »
Attorney General Says She Will Accept Hillary Clinton FBI Indictment
Attorney General Loretta Lynch has announced that she will accept the decision of prosecutors, investigators and FBI Director James Comey on whether to bring criminal charges in the ongoing investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, and according to Judge Andrew Napolitano this is very bad news for Hillary Clinton – and very good news for Bernie Sanders. “I think it’s very bad news for Mrs Clinton legally. I don’t know how it plays out politically, but legally the FBI has invested thousands of person hours in this investigation. It has accumulated enough evide... more »
Democratic Party Leader Served Election Fraud Lawsuit
An historic class action lawsuit has been served to the Democratic leader Debbie Wasserman Schultz, accusing Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party of election fraud. On June 28, the Beck & Lee law firm representing up to 2 million Bernie Sanders donors filed the class action lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee and DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Observer.com reports: “There are essentially six legal claims we are asserting in this lawsuit on behalf of the composed class members,” said attorney Jared Beck in a YouTube video announcing the lawsuit. “The first is ...more »
FBI Reveal Secret Policy To Target Alternative Media Journalists
FBI documents obtained from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal that the agency have a secret policy to spy on and target alternative media journalists. The documents, obtained by the Intercept, lay out unconstitutional methods for collecting phone records of journalists, completely bypassing the normal judicial processes by utilizing National Security Letters. Rt.com reports: They date back to 2013, the same year the agency’s overseer, the US Department of Justice, amended its standards for subpoenaing for such records. However, the newly leaked papers are marked “last upda... more »
Leaked Emails Reveal NATO Plot To Force US-Russia War
Hacked emails reveal that NATO plotted to force President Obama to go to war with Russia by any means necessary. Emailed leaked by website DC Leaks show that the former supreme commander of NATO forces in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, planned to reverse Obama’s reluctance to wage war with Russia in order to spark World War 3. Theintercept.com reports: Obama defied political pressure from hawks in Congress and the military to provide lethal assistance to the Ukrainian government, fearing that doing so would increase the bloodshed and provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with... more »
Scientists Discover That Ibuprofen Cures Ebola Virus
Scientists have discovered that the popular painkiller ibuprofen may be a ‘miracle’ cure to eradicate the Ebola virus. According to scientists in the UK, ibuprofen combined with the cancer drug toremifene can disable the Ebola virus. BBC News reports: Scientists used the UK’s national synchrotron facility – Diamond Light Source – to analyse the virus in incredible detail. They revealed the two drugs could bind to the crucial part of Ebola that the virus needs to infect cells. However, the team warns this is just a starting point and more effective drugs need to be researched. The s... more »
Scientists Admit Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Is ‘Ineffective’
Scientists have announced that the needle-free nasal spray flu vaccine is almost completely ineffective at preventing influenza. The “FluMist” vaccination has not provided any protection against the flu for children or adults for several years and should be banned, according to experts. Naturalnews.com reports: As reported by NBC News, the recommendation to forego the FluMist vaccine may also leave doctors short of vaccine altogether, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (not a bad thing, we believe). “Nasal spray flu vaccine accounts for about one-third of a... more »
Czech President Calls For EU Referendum Amid Europe Collapse
The President of the Czech Republic has called for an EU referendum to be held one week after Britain voted to leave the European Union. President Milos Zeman has called for a referendum on his country’s membership of both the EU and NATO, as member states around the continent begin demanding their own referendums amid a European collapse. Zerohedge.com reports: Demonstrating a shocking grasp of what democracy truly is, while Zeman wants to remain in both organizations, he wants the public to have a chance to “express themselves” something which sends a spike of terror through the ... more »
Navy Commanders To Be Recruited Based On Their Climate Change Views
A U.S. Senator has suggested that the Navy recruit their Commanders based on their personal views on climate change. Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse told a crowd gathered in New York City that climate change deniers damage U.S. soldiers in the field and that the military needs to universally join the “climate change crusade” for the good of humanity. Dailycaller.com reports: “The problem has been that the uniformed military has been reluctant to put its voice into – or its image into this fight,” Whitehouse said, according to a YouTube video posted Thursday. “But, it’s hard... more »
World News Briefs -- July 1, 2016
*Daily Mail:* *Bangladeshi police prepare to storm restaurant where Islamist terrorists are holding 20 hostages - including foreigners - after shooting two officers dead in Dhaka* * WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT * Up to nine gunmen entered, opened fire and hurled makeshift bombs * Gunmen armed with 'pistols, swords and bombs', according to a witness * Worker who escaped reported gunmen shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as they fired * ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack launched on the restaurant * Several foreigners are among those held hostage inside, said police chief * Two police offi... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- July 1, 2016
(Photo: Cpl. Andre Dakis/Marine Corps) *Marine Times:* *Marines in Iraq came under 'numerous' rocket attacks, commander says* Marines came under rocket attack several times while manning a firebase in northern Iraq, said Col. Robert Fulford, commander of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Known as Task Force Spartan, a detachment of about 180 Marines from the MEU arrived at Makhmour, Iraq, in March to provide artillery support to Iraqi and Kurdish forces. “The firebase did receive indirect fire rocket attacks on numerous occasions over the course of their 60-plus days in the fir... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 1, 2016
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sit next to each other during their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 13, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA) *Maxim A. Suchkov, Al-Monitor*: *Has Turkey finally made nice with Russia?* Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have had their first phone conversation in seven months. After the 42-minute talk, Putin, speaking at a government session, said the pair had agreed to resume bilateral relations. The news came just hours after Turkey suffered a... more »
Austrian Court Cancels Presidential Election Amid Election Fraud Scandal
An Austrian court has cancelled the presidential elections currently taking place in the country, due to evidence of election fraud taking place. The Austrian Constitutional Court has ruled that the presidential election must be re-run, following the fraudulent votes that took place on May 22 that saw far-right candidate Norbert Hofer lose by 31,000 votes. Rt.com reports: Hofer, who was running for the Freedom Party (FPO), learned of the ruling halfway through giving an interview to RT and even afforded himself a brief smile as the news began to sink in, as he was congratulated by h... more »
This Day In History: 100 Years Ago Today, The Tragedy Of The "Battle Of The Somme" Began
Being a true student of real history, I have studied many of the tragic "battles" of the so called Great War, World War I..... It is so amazing now to look back into that period of history where the nations of Europe fought for what they at the time believed were justifiable causes.....Only now we know that the entire First World War was fought for the criminal Jewish bankers, to destroy the monarchies of Europe, and to give rise to Jewish Communism..... One of the most tragic "battles" of the entire Great War was of course the infamous "Battle Of The Somme" that was fought from Ju... more »
Alternative Media Activist Murdered By Police, Cover Up Emerges
John Lang, a Fresno, California alternative media activist who exposed corruption and illegal activity within the Fresno Police Department, was found stabbed to death inside his burnt down home days after predicting he would be killed by police in his area. The official cause of death was ruled as suicide. Now a compelling video has been posted online documenting exactly what happened to John Lang, using the extraordinary evidence he gathered before his death implicating the police in a plot against his life. Lang was a popular member of his local community, with many of his neighb... more »
Dugin: "Our goal is the liberation of Turkey from American influence....
.....Armenia is our greatest ally" Regarding the Turkish/Russia reboot? I was listening to the gang at the boiler room and they had this 2015 interview linked at the show site- Originally from Fort Russ and worth reading. So, obviously I have to post it! I omitted the rather silly disclaimer because the translation is very good and would rather let Dugin speak for himself "Dugin: 'Azerbaijan has the same meaning in Turkish geopolitics as Armenia' “There is pro-Russian sentiment in Turkey and it is very serious. Turkey depends on Russia from the point of view of tourism, economics... more »
More Trump vs The GOP
The video above is Geoff Bennett of NY-1 interviewing Mitch McConnell about his party's presidential nominee. He asked the Republican Senate Majority Leader if Trump is qualified to be president and McConnell just could not say, "yes." Instead he hedged: Trump clearly needs to change, in my opinion, to win the general election. What I’ve said to him both publicly and privately: 'You’re a great entertainer. You turn on audiences. You’re good before a crowd. You have a lot of Twitter followers. That worked fine for you in the primaries. But now that you are in the general, people ... more »
Government Insider Has Video Evidence 9/11 Was An Inside Job
In an explosive new documentary a former FEMA staffer given unrestricted access to Ground Zero hours after 9/11 claims that what he saw proves the attacks were an inside job by the US government – and that they are now trying to silence him by framing him for murder. Armed with camera gear, Kurt Sonnenfeld was asked to film everything he saw. His documented evidence was supposed to form part of a FEMA report about the disaster response, but he decided to keep hold of the footage. Then his wife was found dead on a couch in their Denver home with a bullet wound to the back of her head... more »
PREPARING FOR THE FINAL EVENT HORIZON OF DEATH
*A Black hole in space with its center of convergence is similar to the center of convergence or singularity deepest within ourselves.* *Black holes in space are in stark reality reminders of another stage of consciousness deepest within ourselves as experienced in the near and after death experience. They are not meant to be feared but instead to be celebrated as the ultimate event horizon leading from the chaos of ego consciousness to the singularity of a* *Unified Field** of love and **soul consciousness that exists not only beyond time and space but also beneath ... more »
Building A Country
When Barack Obama addressed Parliament two days ago, he recalled what the other Prime Minister Trudeau said about building a country: A country, after all, is not something you build as the pharaohs built the pyramids, and leave standing there to defy eternity. A country is something that is built every day out of certain basic shared values. In 1867, Canada seemed like an impossible dream. In 1995, we almost lost it. But the country has endured. May it continue to endure. And may we continue to build it. Image: ottawacitizen.com
Saudi Arabia Release Video Instructing Men How To Beat Their Wives
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – a major donor to the Hillary Clinton campaign – has aired an instructional video on national television in which an Islamic family doctor teaches men in the country how to ‘properly’ beat their wives. The video aired in the country in early February, 2016. The Kingdom’s government is said to have approved the instructional video for public service airtime on national television. After airing the video in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government released the controversial video in the United States via the Washington DC-based Middle East Media Research Institu... more »
Commentaries And Analysis On The White House's Civilian Casualty Report From Drone Strikes Outside Of War Zones
U.S. airmen prepare a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone as it leaves on a mission at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Josh Smith *Shane Harris & Nancy Youssef, Daily Beast*:* Did Obama Just Lowball The Drone War Death Toll?* The White House says its airstrikes only killed 116 civilians. Most independent experts say the real number is in the thousands. The Obama administration said Friday it had killed as many as 116 civilians through its air campaign against jihadists in places like Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. Yet no one who has studied the preferred ... more »
White House Reveals Civilian Death Tolls From Drone And Air Strikes Outside War Zones
*Washington Post:* *White House releases its count of civilian deaths in counterterrorism operations under Obama* The United States has inadvertently killed between 64 and 116 civilians in drone and other lethal air attacks against terrorism suspects in non-war zones, the Obama administration said Friday. In releasing only aggregate figures that did not include when or where the strikes occurred, the administration shielded those claims from meaningful public scrutiny, even as it sought to bolster its own assertions about the accuracy and effectiveness of the operations. Indepen... more »
Islamic State Claims Terror Attack In Bangladesh. Hostages Taken And Scores of Casualties Being reported
*New York Times:* *ISIS Claims Responsibility for Dhaka Attack and Hostage Standoff* DHAKA, Bangladesh — Gunmen detonated explosives and took a number of people hostage on Friday night at a restaurant in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, setting off a bloody standoff with the police in the city’s diplomatic district. Hours into the standoff, in which Bangladeshi officials said two police officers were killed, the Islamic State issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. “Islamic State commandos attack a restaurant frequented by foreigners in the city of Dhaka in Ban... more »
Important Article By Paul Craig Roberts: The Collapse Of Western Democracy
I am truly marvelled at the ignorance of the American people these days... To me it is a measure of insanity that permeates the American minds that anyone with even two brain cells would consider electing a truly demonic insane psychopath such as Jewess Hillary "Killary" Clinton to the office of President this coming November.... But there she sits, with the "polls" across what is left of the United States "democracy" stating that she is "in the lead" over the Republican candidate, Donald Drumpf....... I look at this as a true statement that "democracy" in the United States is dead a... more »
Happy Canada Day To My Canadian Readers
Yes today is indeed Canada Day.... On this day some 149 years ago, the British empire colonies of Upper and Lower Canada, along with the colonies in the maritime region conglomerated together to officially form the "Dominion of Canada"..... Many Canadians celebrate this as the day that Canada became a "nation", but in reality it was not until Canada officially got its own Constitution back in 1982 that the independent Canadian nation was officially born and made separate from the United Kingdom's control..... Being a Canadian give myself and many others an interesting perspective o... more »
Study Claims Marijuana Fights Alzheimer’s, Removes Toxins From Brain
Marijuana helps remove toxic proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study by the Salk Institute. Marijuana compounds such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) could help slow the onset of the modern disease and fight to eradicate Alzheimer’s. The Daily Caller reports: Researchers found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as other compounds, helped to remove one of the key substances thought to trigger the onset of Alzheimer’s: amyloid beta-protein. THC is the chemical in marijuana that gives users a high and can also act as a pain reliever. Amyloid beta-protein bui...more »
Christian Priest Shot Dead In ‘A Hail Of Bullets’ Outside Church In Egypt
A Coptic Christian priest was shot dead in “a hail of bullets” outside The Church of the Martyr of St George in North Sinai, Egypt. RT reports: While details remain vague at this stage, it’s reported that Raphael Musa was shot dead while returning from prayers outside El-Arish, according to a spokesman. #عاجل | المتحدث باسم الكنيسة المصرية: تم اليوم اغتيال القس رؤوفايل موسى بوابل من الرصاص عقب مغادرته كنيسة مار جرجس بسيناء (تصريح للأناضول) — ANADOLU AGENCY (AR) (@aa_arabic) June 30, 2016 Father Paul Halim, a spokesperson for the church, condemned “all terrorist acts which threaten t... more »
Etc
Considerably more about this tomorrow (possibly), but tonight's *Newsnight *took this past week's levels of anti-Brexit bias and simply multiplied them. My jaw dropped even more. Bed beckons, so this is merely a sketch of what I've just witnessed and been appalled by. The closing discussion, debating the post-Brexit situation, featured a pro-Remain Lib Dem, a pro-Remain Blairite and a pro-Remain far-left former BBC reporter (close to Jeremy Corbyn's circle). That discussion was prefaced by *Newsnight *presenter James O'Brien explicitly making the case for the 48%. "Who will speak... more »
Leonard Peltier 'Obama is my last hope for freedom'
June 26, 2016 Letter from Leonard Peltier Sisters, brothers, friends and supporters: June 26th marks 41 years since the long summer day when three young men were killed at the home of the Jumping Bull family, near Oglala, during a firefight in which I and dozens of others participated. While I did not shoot (and therefore did not kill) FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, I
Marine Corps Gives Women the Option of Ditching Pullups for Pushups Instead
[image: Military Training Woman Pullups - 900] The Marine Corps has rolled out a series of physical fitness changes Friday, saying women can simply do pushups as an alternative to pullups and admitting the service lowered standards to keep women from failing. Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller... more »
Conservative Leaders Rally Behind Stopping IRS Abuse of Donor Disclosures for Nonprofits
[image: IRS Building - 900] Legislation that would prevent the Internal Revenue Service from requiring tax-exempt organizations to include the names, addresses, or identifying information of donors in yearly returns could end up on President Barack Obama's desk. The House passed the bill, introduced by... more »
Obama Administration Refuses to Enforce ‘Right of Conscience,’ Legal Group Says
[image: Christianity law Bible Gavel Church Rights - 900] The Obama administration refuses to enforce federal law that protects Americans' freedom of conscience, a Christian legal aid group says. In 2014, California began mandating that employee health plans cover elective abortions. A state agency is refusing to exempt churches... more »
Light relief
At the risk of making a small part of 48% of the population rush to their 'safe spaces'... ...and also at the risk of making a joke that many others have already made this evening... Tonight's football result: Welsh Leave voters *3* - Brussels bureaucrats *1*
The Daily Caller: Hillary Clinton to Be Interviewed by FBI Saturday
[image: WASHINGTON, : US President Bill Clinton listens to First Lady Hillary Clinton 27 July 1999 at the East Room of the White House, during a ceremony for the 25th anniversary of the Legal Services Corporation, a non-profit group that supplies legal services to low-income individuals.] While most Americans will be enjoying barbecue and fireworks this 4th of July weekend, Hillary Clinton will be fielding questions from the FBI. Clinton is scheduled to meet Saturday with agents investigating her use of an private email server while secretary... more »
While Obama Worries About ‘Boots on the Ground,’ Iran Promises All-Out Iraq Invasion
[image: Obama and Bagheri - 900] The Islamic Republic of Iran's new top general has promised that his forces will invade Iraq if Islamic State or other Sunni forces endanger important religious shrines. Maj. Gen. Mohammed Bagheri made his ominous promise just one day after Iranian... more »
Snakes on a Plane
(By *American Zen*'s Mike Flannigan, on loan from Ari) “*I fully expect to accept (the) recommendations (of the F.B.I. and) career agents and investigators.*” Attorney General Loretta Lynch at the Aspen Ideas Festival, July 1, 2016 *I* would've entitled this byline "Strangers on a Plane" except President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch aren't strangers by a long shot. By now, we're as used to hearing about the next Clinton scandal as we are about the latest storm during hurricane season. So imagine the embarrassment of Democrats when the news broke this morning o... more »
"People familiar with the matter" say that somebody, possibly the new Chinese owners, plans to turn NYC Mayor de Blasio into condos
*by Ken* 'Cause you know what they say -- when you're in love, the whole world's turned into condos. Actually, I'm not entirely sure about the "in love" part. I just threw that in to make the thing sound user-friendlier, as I'm pretty darned sure about the "turned into condos" part. In present-day urban planning, if it isn't a candidate for being torn down to make way for a giant high-rise, then what's to be done with it except turn it into condos? Take the case of the Waldorf=Astoria, one of NYC's most storied hotels and more historic institutions, which people have been murmuri... more »
NATO is Offensive
*Appeal to the International Peace Movement* *In the interest of peace – participate in the protests of the international network “No to War – No to NATO” against NATO’s summit taking place from July 8th until July 10th, 2016, in Warsaw, Poland * We protest for: - the end of confrontation with Russia! No troops and maneuvers at Russia’s Western border; - no further armament in the NATO member states! It can only be financed by sharply reducing spending on education, health care and social security systems; - no new nuclear weapons (and no modernization of ex... more »
New Hampshire Order Protects Transgenders in Name of ‘Inclusion’
[image: Maggie Hassan - 900] The New Hampshire governor released an executive order Thursday banning any state agency or department from discriminating against transgenders. Gov. Maggie Hassan issued an executive order that declared state agencies cannot refuse to hire or discriminate based on "gender expression," reports... more »
Grocery Chain Loses 3,000 Products Thanks to Vermont’s GMO Law
[image: food - 900] Suppliers for the grocery chain Price Chopper will no longer be sending 3,000 products to its Vermont stores because of the state's new labeling law for genetically modified foods, or GMOs. Vermont now requires food companies to include labels on products... more »
CRAZY-BRIGHT AURORAS OVER ANTARCTICA
*CRAZY-BRIGHT AURORAS OVER ANTARCTICA:* The sun has been without spots for more than a week, and solar activity is very low. Nevertheless, in Antarctica the auroras have been so bright they are casting shadows and turning the snow reflected-green. *FROM: **http://spaceweather.com* *NIGHT LIFE IN ANTARCTICA: *You'd think extreme cold in the dead of winter would keep Antarctic researchers inside. The staff of the Bharati Indian Base Station in Antarctica's Larsemann hills are an exception: "We can't stay inside," reports B. Sudarsan Patro. "The night life is just too amazing!" ... more »
Get Gove!
Last night's *Newsnight *was an absolute shocker, and I'm frankly amazed that there's been so little fuss about it. It was a 'Get Gove!' edition, pretty much from start to finish. ****** It began with a video montage of yesterday's 'Tory Party drama' set to the accompaniment of Bob Dylan's *Positively 4th Street - *a song about a treacherous friend. Can you guess who the 'treacherous friend' was referring to? Well, *Newsnight *left absolutely no doubt about that: A clip of Michael Gove smiling behind a speech-making Boris was accompanied by Bob Dylan singing "You've got a lo... more »
Local Council By-Elections June 2016
Party Number of Candidates Total Vote % +/- May Average/ contest +/- May +/- Seats Conservative 17 8,122 24.5% -5.2% 478 -287 -3 Labour 16 7,901 24.2% -13.3% 494 -525 -1 LibDem 14 5,643 17.3% +7.8% 403 +32 +2 UKIP 10 4,062 12.4% +2.6% 406 +2 +1 Green 11 2,686 8.2% +2.3% 244 -97 +1 SNP* 1 1,055 3.2% +1.5% 1,055 -2,142 -1 PC** 3 440 1.3% +1.1% 146 -194 0 TUSC 2 45 0.1% -0.3% 23 -78 0 Ind*** 9 2,569 7.9% +3.2... more »
Putin Begins ‘Unprecedented’ Purge of Generals in Baltics
[image: MOSCOW, RUSSIA - MARCH,15: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the meeting with Morocco's King Mohammed VI (not pictured) in the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, March,15,2016. Morocco's King is having a state visit to Russia. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)] Russia's defense ministry began an unprecedented purge of nearly 50 senior Russian officers in charge of Russian military operations in the Baltic Sea. The public ousting of so many senior military officers is unprecedented in modern military history, and comes after Russian... more »
Is Guyana About To Become A Major Oil Producer?
The government of Guyana says the US-based energy giant, ExxonMobil, will soon start offshore oil and gas exploration and production in an offshore area. *Fuel Fix:* *Exxon, Hess make big oil discovery off Guyana coast* HOUSTON – U.S. oil companies Exxon Mobil and Hess have confirmed the largest oil discovery in two years off the coast of Guyana, in a field that could cost as much as $18 billion to develop. The deep-water Liza field, more than 100 miles from the small South American country, could hold as much as 1.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent, making it one of a handful of... more »
Do stressed teachers lead to stressed students?
Education Week reports on a study that adds to the literature on linkages between teacher and student stress. First, let me get this out of the way. For the study, researchers surveyed 17 teachers in grades 4 to 7 on their potential burnout, and then tested over 400 students in those teachers’ classrooms for stress […]
Ending The NRA's Reign Of Terror? Not While Paul Ryan Is Speaker Of The House
Since 1990, the gun manufacturers' lobbyists, like the NRA, have spent $32,458,492 in bribes to Congress, $27,627,767 of that to Republicans. Paul Ryan was only 20 then, driving a hot dog truck, and he wasn't elected to Congress until 1998. But he's made up for lost time. The only crook in the House who's taken more in gun lobbyist bribes than Ryan ($167,355) is Don Young of Alaska ($183,822). As you can probably surprise from the graphic above, he's in a tough spot. 92% of Americans want strong and effective background checks-- which his paymasters at the NRA oppose-- and 85% want... more »
US Will Speak Almost as Much Spanish as Mexico by 2060
[image: hispanic american - 900] The U.S. Census Office predicts that one in three U.S. residents will be Hispanic, and that the U.S. will be the world's second largest Spanish-speaking country. New U.S. census data is revealed in a report by the Spanish culture and...more »
Just Before Bangladesh Attack, State Dept. Added Al-Qaida’s New Branch in India to Terror List
[image: al-Qaeda - 900] In an effort to combat the spread of terrorism, the U.S. Department of State has added al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) to its official terrorist list. In addition to listing AQIS as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), the State... more »
Academics: Nature Needs Seats at UN and ‘Crimes Against Biodiversity’
[image: Animal rights - 900] The best way to fix global warming is to punish "crimes against biodiversity," and give 25 seats at the United Nations (U.N.) to nature, according to an academic article published Thursday. The article, written by Anthony Burke and Stefanie Fishel,... more »
The Origins of the WHAT IF EXPERIMENT/WAGER
*By American Kabuki* *This started as an addendum note to the Sphere Alliance Message #37 in the archive. *Jack Sturgeon asked some very pertinent difficult questions about how all this came to be. Much information about the origins of the WHAT-IF EXPERIMENT came to learned in the last year which I did not have when this question of Jack's was first posted, I have summarized below. *This data will be modified as more data becomes available. At the Reunion all will be known in complete context. * *Terran Note 7/1/2016:* I have more data now after a year of experiences and inter... more »
Get Your Spy On : Bill C-22
International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group : OUR ANALYSIS OF C-22: AN INADEQUATE AND WORRISOME BILL "The Liberal government has recently tabled Bill C-22, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, in order to create the long-awaited committee to look over Canada’s national security activities." Andrew Mitrovica : National security oversight woefully inadequate "Ralph Goodale's heralded National Security and Intelligence Committee is not robust, independent and meaningful but merely enshrines the lousy status quo into law." Craig Forcese makes... more »
EPA Protective Action Guidelines Post III: A Permanent Radioactive State of Emergency?
I’ve been thinking about why the EPA decided to raise the Protection Action Guidelines for radioactivity in drinking water to such high levels. My previous posts are here: The Politics of Uranium in Drinking Water Part http://majiasblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-politics-of-uranium-in-drinking.html EPA's Proposed New Protective Action Guidelines for Drinking Water (Post II): Radiation Risks Described by Japanese Physicist http://majiasblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/epas-proposed-new-protective-action.html One explanation is that the EPA is simply accommodating an increasingly radi... more »
Nuclear Power Plant "Safety" Compromised by "Malicious" Safety Violations
From the Mainichi: Nuclear watchdog finds 3 nuclear plants guilty of 'malicious' safety violations. The Mainichi, June 30, 2016 (Mainichi Japan) http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160630/p2a/00m/0na/010000c The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) concluded on June 29 that three nuclear power plants were guilty of "level 2" safety violations by breaching standards on placement of power cables A "level 2" violation is the second heaviest violation in the NRA's four-tier list.
Fukushima Daiichi Looks "Normal" Again
Netc shows radiation levels are higher than yesterday but not uniformly elevated:
Fragile States Index
*Business Insider*: *The world's 25 most fragile states* The Fund for Peace has released its annual ranking of the world's least-stable countries, now known as the Fragile State Index. The rankings are based on 12 metrics, including access to public services, the prevalence of refugees and internally displaced people, human-rights conditions, and the legitimacy of the state. Scandinavian countries round out the bottom of the ranking as the least fragile nations. Amazingly, Syria — which has entered its sixth year of civil war — isn't the most fragile state in the world, according ... more »
Economic News , Data & Views .... July 1 , 2016...... 1. Markets & Market Moving News : Crude & Energy News ; ECB's Weidmann Comments - No Need For ECB Easing In Response To Brexit , Further Stimulus Counterproductive , More Liquidity Pledged By CBers - if needed ; Fed's Fisher Comments - FOMC Meeting Comments , NIRP Not On The Radar ; Nuggets For S&P Earnings , Bond Yield Crush & VIX Index Crush & More . 2.Brexit & UK Politics De Jour. 3. France In Focus - News Regarding Labor Law Protests Disappearing From Media Cycle , Lagarde Should Face Prosecution Says Prosecutor . 4. Italy In Focus - IItalian Markets Wobbly , Banks Wobbly , Renzi May Be Wobbly Next . 5. Odds & Ends.
Markets..... *zerohedge* @zerohedge 1m 1 minute ago Estimated consensus (non-GAAP) S&P500 EPS growth for Q3 and is 0.8% and 7.3% Y/Y. *Livesquawk* @Livesquawk 10m 10 minutes ago WTI futs settle up 66c (+1.4%) at $48.99 per barrel *Livesquawk* @Livesquawk 2m 2 minutes ago Brent futs settle 64c higher (+1.3%) @ $50.35 per barrel *Livesquawk* @Livesquawk 2h 2 hours ago Baker Hughes US Rig Count 1-Jul: 431 (prev 421) 9 retweets7 likes Reply *Javier Blas* @JavierBlas2 2h 2 hours agoIslington, London EXCLUSIVE: Millennium Hedge Fund Hires @Me... more »
Security In Iraq, Jun 22-28, 2016
The fourth week of June 2016 saw a dip in violence in Iraq. That is part of the ebb and flow of security in the country. During the week Fallujah was declared completely freed, while operations were continuing in the surrounding areas and the rest of Anbar, along with new ones in Ninewa and Salahaddin. There were 118 incidents from June 22-28. That was the lowest amount for the month and the year so far. Attacks go up and down every month, so it was nothing new. Those incidents led to 277 dead and 362 wounded. 3 Sahwa, 44 Hashd, 69 Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 161 civilians ... more »
The Islamic State Just Got More U.S. Weapons
Photo credit: YouTube *Foreign Policy:* *The Islamic State Just Got Their Hands on More U.S. Weapons* The Islamic State beat back an assault on Wednesday by U.S.-backed Syrian rebels who tried to retake a critical border crossing with Iraq. It wasn’t just a rare battlefield win for the militants: it also allowed them to get their hands on crates of American ammunition, U.S. mortars, a Toyota Hilux pickup adapted to carry a heavy machine gun, and new body armor. ISIS publicized its war spoils in a video released Wednesday that also showed machine guns and M-16 rifles that most like... more »
Today's national news: Canada will lead a new NATO battlegroup against Russia!
Happy Canada Day! (today's news!) Liberal Canada is more war mongering than was Harper. Selling arms to Saudi Arabia despite an election campaign message of change and of peace keeping, and now threatening Russia in order to satisfy insane US geopolitical machinations. Systematically gutting its own economy in order to become an arms dealership for the US-allied war machine. Russia is
The Uncensored Truth About Mandatory Vaccines According to Rob Schneider
*Jefferey Jaxen* - He was fired for speaking up, and now he's speaking out.
Commandos Storm Dhaka Restaurant, Find 5 Bodies; 12 Rescued
[image: People help an unidentified injured person after a group of gunmen attacked a restaurant popular with foreigners in a diplomatic zone of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, July 1, 2016. A group of gunmen attacked a restaurant popular with foreigners in a diplomatic zone of the Bangladeshi capital on Friday night, taking hostages and exchanging gunfire with security forces, according to a restaurant staff member and local media reports. (AP Photo)] DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- Bangladesh forces stormed a restaurant where heavily armed militants held dozens of peop... more »
Heterosexual Pride Day - Does Society Need One?
*Transgender Military in the West - Note Canadian Flag* If things keep trending in the current direction, yes, we WILL need to have a "Heterosexual Pride Day". Humanity is being spliced, diced and minced into ever smaller "interest groups" and "stakeholders". All the better for the controllers. Pit one side against the other...at the least...it makes for an interesting diversion...from real and pressing issues. Today we hear that the US Military has removed barriers to military troops coming out as transsexuals. Well, why the hell not? Female troops have traditionally been the... more »
Is China Secretly Punishing North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un? Satellite Images Say Yes
*Washington Post*:* Satellite imagery suggests China is secretly punishing North Korea* Is China secretly punishing Kim Jong Un for his nuclear mischief? Following North Korea’s latest nuclear test, in January, trade over the China-North Korea border dropped dramatically, according to newly released satellite imagery. The revelation has led experts to conclude that Beijing has been quietly punishing Kim by cutting off the flow of funds to his regime. There’s no question that the China-North Korea relationship has been strained since Kim assumed power in 2011. Against Beijing’s wi... more »
Killing for a Cause: Sharia Law & Civilization Jihad
[image: Sharia Law - 900]
China’s 2020 Targets
By Paul Homewood In my earlier post, I meant to add a footnote. Andrew Follett refers to : Despite the freeze on new wind-farms, the Chinese government still plans to get 15 percent of the country’s electricity from green energy by 2020. In fact, renewable energy already contributes 24% of […]
Michael Gove does the 'Wham Rap' (27Mar14)
https://youtu.be/rxs8wv2idI0 Michael Gove making a play for the youth vote...
How are you celebrating Independence Day 2016?...
*inquiring minds want to know.* I just read somewhere that 43 million people will be traveling this weekend. Glad I'm not one of them. Did you hear that Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton got together to discuss their respective grand-kids? Right. More like, "Nice grand-kids you have there, Loretta. Be a shame if anything happened to them." Rush Limbaugh's take on the situation is epic: *What I Think Bill Told Loretta* So that whole "young Muslims didn't abuse a 5 year old girl in Twin Falls, Idaho just keeps getting worse. Today *American Thinker has an article *about the incident... more »
Former Prosecutor Wonders: Was Bill Clinton Plea Bargaining with Loretta Lynch?
[image: Bill Clinton - 900] When Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch met privately Monday in her jet in Phoenix, Arizona, some speculate he may have been pleading for his wife who is under investigation by the FBI and the Department of Justice. But... more »
New Federal Rule Strikes Another Devastating Blow Against Coal Industry
[image: Coal_mine_Wyoming - 900] The federal government issued a new rule Thursday increasing the cost energy producers must pay to extract coal, oil, and gas leased on public land, in a move bound to roil energy markets and raise fears the Obama administration has...more »
2 Istanbul Airport Bombers Have Been Identified
*USA Today*: *Reports: 2 Istanbul airport bombers identified* Two of the suicide bombers who attacked Istanbul’s main airport earlier this week have been identified by Turkish authorities, according to the local media, while U.S. officials have named the mastermind of the operation. The state-run Anadolu Agency reported Friday that the Bakirkoy Public Prosecutor’s office established the identity of two of the suspects as foreign nationals Rakim Bulgarov and Vadim Osmanov. Officials are still trying to determine the name of the third killer. Osmanov was identified from a passport ... more »
FBI Rules Make It Easier To Spy On Journalists
Reuters / Joe Skipper / Reuters *Cora Currier, The Intercept*:* Secret Rules Make It Pretty Easy For The FBI To Spy On Journalists* SECRET FBI RULES allow agents to obtain journalists’ phone records with approval from two internal officials — far less oversight than under normal judicial procedures. The classified rules, obtained by The Intercept and dating from 2013, govern the FBI’s use of national security letters, which allow the bureau to obtain information about journalists’ calls without going to a judge or informing the news organization being targeted. They have previousl... more »
The EU Now Wants To Run An Empire
European Union. BBC *Daily Mail:* *EU accused of 'planning its own empire' as report reveals it wants its influence to spread into Asia and Africa* * Details contained within 'Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy' * Calls for a focus on sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East amid terror fears * But Ukip MEP believes the report proves the EU 'wants its own Empire' The EU has been accused of 'planning its own empire' after a report suggested the bloc wants its influence to spread into part of Asia and Africa. The EU foreign policy document said 'gradual synchronisation and mutua... more »
Editor's Note
Today is Canada Day. I have to attend a Bar-BQ .... so blogging will be light. But regular blogging will return later today, and Military and Intelligence News Briefs/World News Briefs will be posted in the early evening (around 19:00 EST).
The Reporter Who Broke The Clinton/ Lynch Private Meeting Says That The FBI Ordered ‘No Photos, No Pictures, No Cell Phones’
*WNU Editor:* The part of this story that caught my eye was the reporter's remark that the FBI ordered ‘no photos, no pictures, no cell phones’ during the Clinton/Lynch meeting (see above video). When is it the FBI's business to tell reporters on what to record and report. Bottom line .... the main stream media complied, but if it was not for this local reporter .... this story would never have made the news. On a side note .... why was Bill Clinton in Phoenix? They say he was there to play golf, but the temperature that day was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit .... for a man who has ... more »
One Of The Guns Used In The Deadly Paris Attacks Was Purchased Illegally Through The U.S. Government's 'Fast And Furious' Operation
The ATF operation was intended to build cases against drug cartels, like the Zetas seen here, by tracing weapons. *Judicial Watch:* *Law Enforcement Sources: Gun Used in Paris Terrorist Attacks Came from Phoenix* One of the guns used in the November 13, 2015 Paris terrorist attacks came from Phoenix, Arizona where the Obama administration allowed criminals to buy thousands of weapons illegally in a deadly and futile “gun-walking” operation known as “Fast and Furious.” A Report of Investigation (ROI) filed by a case agent in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (A... more »
Austrian Presidential Election Overturned. A New Election Has Been Called
*BBC*: *Austria presidential poll result overturned* Austria's highest court has annulled the result of the presidential election narrowly lost by the candidate of the far-right Freedom Party. The party had challenged the result, saying that postal votes had been illegally and improperly handled. The Freedom Party candidate, Norbert Hofer, lost the election to the former leader of the Greens, Alexander Van der Bellen, by just 30,863 votes or less than one percentage point. The election will now be re-run. Announcing the decision, Gerhard Holzinger, head of the Constitutional Cour... more »
Should Adultery Be The Military's Business?
*Noah Feldman, Bloomberg:* *Adultery Is None of the Military's Business* Is the military’s law making adultery a crime unconstitutional? So says a colonel who’s been charged with violating it. His motives aren’t great -- he’s trying to deflect attention from more serious charges, including rape. But he may be right. The law arguably discriminates by criminalizing only heterosexual adultery. And even if that vestigial aspect of the law could be fixed, there’s another problem: the anti-adultery law violates the fundamental right of privacy, which should extend even to armed-forces pe... more »
U.S. Navy Commander Decided To Surrender To Iran Rather Than Fighting Back And Endangering President Obama's Nuclear Deal
US sailors being apprehended by Iran's Revolutionary Guards after investigations showed their patrol boats had entered Iranian waters unintentionally © Iran's revolutionary guards website / AFP *Washington Times*: *Navy commander surrendered to Iran to protect Obama’s nuclear deal* The Navy commander in charge of a pair of patrol boats captured by Iranian forces in January opted to surrender rather than fight back, citing later fears that a confrontation could endanger the Obama administration’s efforts to lock in a deal with Tehran on its nuclear program. In an interview with inv... more »
Taiwan Navy 'Accidentally Fires' A Supersonic Missile Towards China
*ABC News Online**: Taiwan navy 'mistakenly fires' supersonic missile towards China, hitting boat* A Taiwanese warship has mistakenly launched a supersonic "aircraft carrier killer" missile towards China, the navy said, hitting a fishing boat and killing one person. The Hsiung-feng III (Brave Wind) missile flew about 75 kilometres before hitting the trawler in waters off Penghu, a Taiwanese-administered island group in the Taiwan Strait. The captain of the trawler was killed and three other crew on board, including a Vietnamese and a Filipino, were injured. "An initial investiga... more »
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch Will Accept FBI Recommendations On The Hillary Clinton Private Email Server Case
*New York Times:* *Lynch to Accept F.B.I. Recommendations in Clinton Email Inquiry, Official Says* Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch plans to announce on Friday that she will accept whatever recommendation career prosecutors and the F.B.I. director make about whether to bring charges related to Hillary Clinton’s personal email server, a Justice Department official said. Her decision removes the possibility that a political appointee will overrule investigators in the case. The Justice Department had been moving toward such an arrangement for months — officials said in April that ... more »
Canada To Deploy Troops To Latvia For New NATO Brigade To Deter Russian Aggression
Canadian troops take part in a joint exercise with Polish troops not far from Ukraine's western border earlier this year. More Canadian troops will be deployed to join a NATO force the region, the government will announce today. (CBC) *CBC:* *Canada to send troops to Latvia for new NATO brigade* *Trudeau government agrees to NATO troop deployment in Eastern Europe* The Trudeau government has decided it will send troops to join a NATO high-readiness brigade preparing to deploy in Eastern Europe. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says Canada will take a leadership role and establish on... more »
The Establishment Strikes Back?
We've been reading about how both Brexit and Trumpism are part of a reaction based on fear and loathing against elites and their policies that have left masses of people economically and socially insecure. But I hadn't read the perspective from the elites until yesterday when someone sent me a post at *Foreign Policy* by James Traub. At first I thought it was a parody. But it wasn't. If Traub is accurately representing the elites, they have a very different perspective than the conventional wisdom that is somewhat sympathetic with displaced and threatened workers. Train seeks to ... more »
Protectionism Won’t Make America Great
[image: Made in the USA - 900] Donald Trump is an optimist. He believes there is nothing wrong with America that autarky can’t fix. Trump’s trade speech was a high-octane assault on the American free-trade regime that has been a matter of a bipartisan consensus for decades... more »
Fluoride – The Only Drug Intentionally Added to Your Tap Water
*Michael Connett* - There’s no doubt about it: fluoride should not be ingested.
Dating Website ChristianMingle Must Include Gays, Judge Rules
[image: online dating - 900] ChristianMingle.com, an online platform for single Christians seeking relationships, must accommodate gay users, a California judge ruled. Two gay men in California brought a lawsuit against ChristianMingle's parent company Spark Network, which also administers CatholicMingle.com, AdventistSinglesConnection.com, BlackSingles.com, and a mobile application... more »
LOATHING THE OTHERS WELL: Now they've even got Kevin Drum!
*FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016Part 4—Learning to loathe by the millions:* If we were running Essex University, we might be concerned about our young philosophy lecturer, if only for reasons of possible liability. We'd guess that he's just an undergrown lad who has read too many books. That said, we'd be concerned by the eliminationist fervor which suffused his heartfelt piece about "my own personal hell," a personal hell caused by the existence of all other Britons. At best, Tom Whyman is just overwrought; at worst, he could be disturbed. But that's the way a university administrator might... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* US Joint Base Andrews is on lockdown due to active shooter report People in Japan are being paid to have babies, and it seems to be working Boris Johnson just announced he won't be running for prime minister 'My name is Theresa May and I think I'm the best person to run this country' Bill Clinton Holds 'Private' Meeting With Loretta Lynch As FBI Probes Hillary Who's Next To Exit? France... Or Maryland? FEMA Contractor: Unrest After 395% Food Price Spike Coming Soon Scathing New Report Shows Just How Bankrupt Social Security Really Is Hillary Superpac Has Taken...more »
Who you gonna call when the Jetstreams cross?
The Jet Stream has crossed the equator!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Legal Scholar Opines on Android Boxes
Spoilier alert its steal theft.
Under Ash Carter, the Military is Now Looking for a Few Good Men, Women or Whatever
[image: Military Man with Makeup - 900] The first, and natural, reaction to the news that Social Justice Warrior, and part-time Secretary of Peace Ash Carter, lifted the restriction on men-who-believe-they’re-women-and-aren’t-kidding from serving in the military is to assume that an expensive outside consultancy agency developed a... more »
Comtemplating Murder
--> Contemplating Murder Jim Horn Think about this. Your mother is sick and getting sicker. You and your family get her to a great doctor, then another, then a third, who is the best in the world. They all tell you that your mom has been poisoned by toxins that were in the food she ate all her life, and she must receive immediate treatment and surgery, followed by a lengthy convalescence with close medical monitoring. That, or die a long an agonizing death that will deplete the resources of your entire family, leaving you and them penniless and in a wasted state that will re... more »
Have 1 in 5 UK academics fabricated data?
A small survey of UK academics suggests misconduct such as faking data and plagiarism is occurring surprisingly often. The survey — of 215 UK academics — estimated that 1 in 7 had plagiarized from someone else’s work, and nearly 1 in 5 had fabricated data. Here’s how Joanna Williams and David Roberts at the University of Kent […] The post Have 1 in 5 UK academics fabricated data? appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Wind Turbines In China Aren’t Working And It’s Becoming A HUGE Problem
By Paul Homewood http://dailycaller.com/2016/06/29/wind-turbines-in-china-arent-working-and-its-becoming-a-huge-problem/#ixzz4D3l45cfm China is beginning to find out that wind power is not the answer, as Andrew Follett reports: China shut down numerous wind turbines because much of the new electricity was wasted, causing serious damage to the country’s electrical grid. China has poured more than $80 billion building new […]
Lavrov: Russia & Turkey, no differences on who are considered terrorists in Syria.
*Lavrov is also telling us that Turkey (non NATO) doesn’t support the terrorists they’ve been accused of supporting- Hmmm... I wonder if Turkey and Russia have been in agreement prior to the apology?* *I'll italicize Lavrov’s statement:* The Turkish side agrees with Russia that the Syrian opposition should withdraw from the terrorists’ positions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. The Russian foreign minister made this statement after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on the sidelines of a session of the foreign ministers from the Black Se... more »
Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protest Draws Tens of Thousands
[image: APTOPIX Hong Kong Dem_perr__1467379747_71.164.139.145] HONG KONG (AP) -- Tens of thousands of Hong Kongers took to the southern Chinese city’s streets for an annual pro-democracy protest march Friday, as tensions persisted over the high-profile case of a bookseller secretly detained in the mainland. Protesters... more »
Rights Group Documents Abuse of Migrants, Including Christians Abducted by ISIS
[image: Defense.gov_News_Photo_110305-M-2275H-537_-_Egyptian_refugees_fleeing_Libya_board_a_U.S._Air_Force_KC-130J_Hercules_aircraft_in_Djerba,_Tunisia,_on_March_5,_2011 (1)__1467377727_71.164.139.145] CAIRO (AP) -- An international rights group on Friday published “horrifying” accounts by migrants of exploitation and sexual abuse in Libya, including Christians who were abducted by Islamic State group militants and forced into sexual slavery. In a report titled... more »
Slovakia takes over the EU presidency
First, the Austrian Constitutional Court has agreed with suspicion held by people like me that there were irregularities in the voting that could have affected up to 77,000 votes. Those could have gone the other way and the gap was just 31,000. So the judges annulled the results and ordered the 2nd round of the presidential elections to be re-run. They emphasized that they have no proof that the leftists have stolen something from Hofer that belonged to him but they couldn't erase the doubts, either. Hofer may beat the little green man or not – I don't know in what direction Austria ... more »
Should fraudsters be criminally prosecuted?
After an AIDS vaccine researcher was sentenced to five years in prison for spiking samples, our co-founders Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus raised an important question: Should we criminally prosecute researchers who commit misconduct? (So has Richard Smith.) In last fall’s special issue of the Journal of Information Ethics, Michael Hadjiargyrou at New York Institute […] The post Should fraudsters be criminally prosecuted? appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Public Schools Told To Prepare ‘Safe Places’ For Students Hurt By ‘Trump Effect’
[image: Donald-trump-secim-840x420__1467378783_71.164.139.145] An official in the Washington education department has sent an email to the state's schools urging them to prepare students for "increasing levels of fear and anxiety" because of the so-called "Trump effect." Teachers are told to create "safe places," plan for "recovery"... more »
25 Years Later, How Clarence Thomas Has Transformed the Supreme Court
[image: Clarence_Thomas_official_SCOTUS_portrait__1467376340_71.164.139.145] When the Senate confirmed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court in the fall of 1991, he was still new to the flowing black robes that cloak federal magistrates. A rookie justice on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C.... more »
Does Schumer Wish He Had Vetted Patrick Murphy Before He Recruited Him To Run For The Senate?
I'm not supposed to write about this but last weekend Beltway party boss Chuck Schumer schlepped down to Florida for a come-to-Jesus meeting with his-- and Wall Street's-- puppet candidate, Patrick Murphy. No one taped the meeting but Schumer was down there to tell Murphy to stop screwing up, meaning that he should stop exaggerating his nonexistent accomplishments. This means, in effect, that he wants Murphy-- who already doesn't ever debate his opponents-- to stop doing any public appearances where the media may ask him questions, which is basically where Murphy already is. When t... more »
mississauga library workers vote overwhelmingly to strike
Yesterday, the members of CUPE Local 1989, Mississauga Library Workers Union, voted overwhelmingly to strike. Amid massive turnout in three separate meetings, 96% of the members in attendance said they are willing to take strike action in order to win a fair contract for all members. The July 4th strike deadline coincides with the start of summer programming, the Library's busiest time. We, the members of Local 1989, love our jobs. We are very proud of the quality services we provide to the community. We are skilled workers, and our services are valued and loved by the residents of... more »
Brexit Made Sense for Britain. It’s Still Having Babies. Migrant-Hungry Germany Isn’t.
[image: A boat decorated with flags and banners from the 'Fishing for Leave' group that are campaigning for a 'leave' vote in the EU referendum sails by the British Houses of Parliament as part of a 'Brexit flotilla' on the river Thames in London on June 15, 2016.] Britain's "Leave" camp argues that the deciding issue in the Brexit vote was sovereignty, not immigration. The two issues, though, inevitably will become linked. The continental members of the European Community, especially Germany, are on a slippery slope which will... more »
Judge Blocks Mississippi Law on Objections to Gay Marriage
[image: Religious Objections-_perr__1467374555_71.164.139.145] JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A federal judge blocked a Mississippi law on religious objections to same-sex marriage moments before it was set to take effect Friday, ruling it unconstitutionally establishes preferred beliefs and creates unequal treatment for gay people. U.S.... more »
Lynch: I’ll Accept Findings of FBI in Clinton Email Case
[image: 14721716270_51103c890e_k__1467373499_71.164.139.145] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorney General Loretta Lynch acknowledged Friday that her impromptu meeting with Bill Clinton “cast a shadow” on public perception of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email. She hastened to add that she would follow the recommendations of... more »
After 16 Years, Man in ‘Serial’ Murder Case to Get New Trial
[image: Serial Podcast Appeal_perr__1467372574_71.164.139.145] BALTIMORE (AP) -- After spending 16 years in prison for the killing of his former high school girlfriend, a man at the center of popular podcast “Serial” has a chance at freedom. Retired Baltimore Circuit Judge Martin Welch ruled Thursday... more »
U.S. Lab Worker Faked Tests Results in Environmental Research Projects Totaling $108 Million
[image: iStock_87156617_MEDIUM__1467371906_71.164.139.145] DENVER (AP) -- A worker at a federal laboratory in Colorado intentionally manipulated test results for years, possibly tainting research that includes toxic metals in the Everglades, uranium near the Grand Canyon and coal in Afghanistan, investigators say. The falsified... more »
New EU President Blames Brussels for Brexit
[image: Slovakia EU Presidenc_perr__1467370901_71.164.139.145] BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) -- Slovakia takes over the European Union’s presidency on Friday determined to help reconnect the EU with its citizens and put decision-making back in the hands of Europe’s nations as the bloc reels from Britain’s vote to... more »
US Congressman: Chechen Extremist Behind Istanbul Attack
[image: Turkey Airport Blasts_perr (2)__1467370230_71.164.139.145] ISTANBUL (AP) -- A Chechen extremist masterminded the triple suicide bombing at Istanbul’s busiest airport that killed at least 44 people, a U.S. congressman has said. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told CNN... more »
Sihasin Summer Tour 2016
Sihasin contact: Berta Benally tacoho@blackfire.net Sihasin, the multi award winning rock duo from the Navajo Nation, is excited to announce their coast to coast summer tour schedule. For over 20 years brother and sister Jeneda and Clayson Benally were the heartbeat of the critically acclaimed Native American punk band Blackfire. Their songs of resistance caught on around the
Gingrich, Christie Being Vetted for Trump VP
[image: GOP 2016-Trump-Veep_perr__1467369570_71.164.139.145] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has begun formally vetting prospective vice presidential picks. The New York billionaire is considering former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, among what he previously described as... more »
Mike Philbin - Introversions paintings - three new 50cm by 50cm smooth-smear abstracts....
so, where to go now with this conceptual Philbin-hands art style? As soon as I finished these three latest abstracts, below, I was very happy with the results. The spontaneity, the bravery, the flow of the colour scheme through the three non-connected works. Well, connected via red, purple, blue as a range scheme idea plaything concept. But not really ever intended to be a triptych or three parts of a whole, although... Now, having had time to sleep on it, I'm not sure where I want to take this Introversions (two border, two colour) style. In my head all night, yeah I didn't sleep w... more »
US Ratchets Up Tension South China Sea
*July 1, 2016 *(Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - The United States, as part of its stated agenda of raising tensions in the South China Sea to encourage cooperation across Southeast Asia with the US in encircling and containing Beijing's regional and global rise, has included several high-profile naval and aviation incidents. However, there is a legal battle lurking just behind these more spectacular headlines, and once again the United Nations is being brought in and undermined in the process. The Associated Press in their article, "Beijing to ignore South China Sea ruling," reported that... more »
Keyboard Grace: God Encourages Us in Unexpected Ways
[image: Playing Keyboard Piano Woman Music - 900] Six -- almost seven -- years ago, close to my birthday, I bought a portable keyboard. A piano-type keyboard for music, not a computer one for typing. It was an impulse buy that I had no business making. Life had...more »
Driver of Tesla killed in first fatal crash while in autopilot mode
By Paul Homewood http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/01/driver-of-tesla-killed-when-electric-car-crashes-while-in-autopi/?WT.mc_id=e_DM134924&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_FAM_New_AEM_Recipient&utm_source=email&utm_medium=Edi_FAM_New_AEM_Recipient_2016_07_01&utm_campaign=DM134924 From the Telegraph: The driver of an electric Tesla saloon car has been killed in a road accident while it was in autopilot mode. It is believed that the crash, which took place in Florida on May 7, is the first fatality involving a “self-driving” car. The driver […]
Five Most Popular Posts in June
Five most read last month were: 1. EU Referendum: What Would Trotsky Do? 2. Against the Corbyn Coup 3. The Lexit Delusion 4. A Socialist Case for Remain 5. The Culmination of Toxic Politics June 2016 was the month that broke politics. It almost broke the blog, too. 93,000 page views are a ridiculous number for a shoestring outfit like mine. To put it into context, the previous record was set in January when I toasted 67,000 page views. Well, there's a mass politicisation going on so why shouldn't the finest politics blog written in Stoke-on-Trent capture a slice of the action? But... more »
Without Subsidies, Drax Would Be Broke
By Paul Homewood Drax Power Station As I reported earlier, there is much environmental concern about the sourcing of biomass for use at power stations like Drax. Whether biomass has any real value, either from a genuine environmental point of view, or even as a way to reduce emissions of CO2, must […]
The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner - David Olney (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
*Video Title: The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Part The First - David Olney (Samuel Taylor Coleridge). Source: David Olney. Date Published: May 28, 2009. Description: * http://www.davidolney.com/"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" - a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Part The First Performed by David Olney. Filmed by Jack Irwin for Super 88 Films. Watch the complete series Parts 1 - 7 here: http://tinyurl.com/TheRimeOfTheAncien... http://www.davidolney.com/
Comparative Screenshots From Fukushima Daiichi Today
Here is an example of the view on an ordinary foggy night, June 17, 2016 at 1:16 (I have other screenshots from this day that show fog encroaching on reactors). Below are some samples from today's screenshots: The view today caught my attention because of the light's intensity and asymmetry. One explanation is the plant lights were simply reflecting oddly in encroaching fog. Another is that atmospheric radiation in that area burns off fog so as to amplify the light (although that doesn't explain the light moving north). Another explanation is something in the harbo... more »
107 Nobel Laureate Attack on Greenpeace Traced Back to Biotech PR Operators
. 107 Nobel Laureate Attack on Greenpeace Traced Back to Biotech PR Operators Dear Friends and Colleagues Apologies for the short interval but we could not resist writing up this short story. Published today (July 1st 2016) on Independent Science News: 107 Nobel Laureate Attack on Greenpeace Traced Back to Biotech PR Operators by Jonathan Latham, PhD https://
June 30: The worst, the very worst, ever.
Thursday is the day for piles of advertising flyers in the paper. I don't understand why - because few people ever read them. Most of them just get tossed out without ever being opened. Anyway, that means there's less paper for news. And the news that there is reminds of those ditzy mags that have headlines like 'Kate's Style Secrets'. The front page headline, get this, is about something that hasn't happened yet. (So, actually, there's nothing to report.) The 'story is that council is going to vote on setting up a proposed car booting committee. Moving along quickly, a woman in ... more »
Military Photo of the Day: Flying Into 4th of July Weekend With Old Glory
[image: Afghanistan] A fighter pilot unfolds an American flag shortly after arriving at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan on April 27, 2016. As Fourth of July weekend begins, let us pause to honor and pray for the thousands of U.S. troops still serving... more »
On this sombre day, a piece of video that really makes one think about the First World War
I can forgive Ben Elton a lot for his role in producing this in Blackadder...
They Also Begin At Home
During the 2015 election, Justin Trudeau made a number of promises to immigrant communities across the country. He has kept some of those promises. Avvy Go writes: To his credit, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has either delivered on a number of his promises, or has taken some critical first steps towards their implementation, not the least of which are the inquiry into the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, the reinstatement of the Court Challenges Program, and the acceptance of more than 20,000 Syrian refugees. In some immigrant communities, the change in governmen... more »
Today Is Canada Day!
Tomorrow is #CanadaDay! Find out about all the cross-country celebrations here: https://t.co/oc1G9pD12j pic.twitter.com/BGv8Las1Pj — CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) June 30, 2016 Canadian flags line the road around Parliament Hill. Reuters/Blair Gable The #CFSnowbirds and #CF18Demo team are in #Ottawa, getting ready for the #CanadaDay celebrations. #RCAFhttps://t.co/FitZdn1Faq — Canadian Forces (@CanadianForces) June 30, 2016
Tweet For Today
The Queen has led a night-long vigil to remember the sacrifice of soldiers at the Battle of the Somme https://t.co/rsU8rDdofg — Sky News (@SkyNews) July 1, 2016
After This Week's Istanbul Airport Bombing, Will Turkey Now Wage War Against The Islamic State?
*Roy Gutman & Nancy Youssef, Daily Beast: **Istanbul Ataturk Airport Attack: Turkey Could Knock Out ISIS, but Will It?* It’s got a huge army on ISIS’s doorstep—and all the motivation in the world to use it. Will Turkey finally go on the offensive this time? Cleaning crews were still clearing the rubble and broken glass, and barriers proclaiming a “maintenance zone” blocked what had always been the main arrivals area, but just a half day after suicide bombers staged a major terror attack at Istanbul’s main airport, the crowds had returned and most flights were operating. It wasn’t ... more »
Picture Of The Day
*Battle of the Somme, July 1, 1916* Still from film of the Battle of the Somme. Sequence 31 ("The Attack") - first stage. Courtesy of the Imperial War Museums (© IWM, Q 70164) London, England.
Vice President Chris Christie?
*CNN:* *Chris Christie being vetted for Donald Trump VP, source says* Washington (CNN)New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- a former Donald Trump rival turned top defender -- is being vetted as a possible running mate for the presumptive Republican nominee, a source confirmed to CNN on Thursday. Christie has received the official paperwork for the vetting process, according to a source with knowledge of the process. Trump has said he intends to announce his vice presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention in July in Cleveland. Though Christie ran against Trump in the GO... more »
British Columbia And Imperial Globalization. Part IV
*British Columbia And Imperial Globalization. Part IV* *Written by Robin Mathews June 2016* Attention across the world is, at last, focussing more and more on what is called ‘*imperial globalization’* – the growing power of unchecked international capital to poison grand attempts at democratic community such as the ones struggling in the European Community and the Mercosur countries of South America ... and, alas, also, in smaller, national attempts at democratic self-determination from Venezuela to Palestine. Very broadly, the poison is intrinsic to the ideas found in the... more »
Stanley Mandelstam: 1928-2016
A string theorist whose surname is known to every particle physicist, Stanley Mandelstam, Berkeley's emeritus professor, died on the Brexit referendum Thursday at age of 87. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. His mother has lived there from the wealthy years of gold, his father Boris moved there from Latvia. Throughout his childhood, they lived in a small town but moved back to Johannesburg. He was forced to earn a practical – chemical – degree which he has never used in his life. But he returned to theoretical physics and got his degrees in 1954 (B.A.) and 1956 (PhD) in C... more »
No, Hillary, It Is Not Time to Move On
[image: Former Secretary of State and Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Select Committee on Benghazi on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, October 22, 2015. Clinton took the stand Thursday to defend her role in responding to deadly attacks on the US mission in Libya, as Republicans forged ahead with an inquiry criticized as partisan anti-Clinton propaganda.] Am I fantasizing even to hope that Hillary Clinton will finally be held accountable for her lies and corruption -- to say nothing of her actions in her role as bimbo-slayer for her libidinous... more »
Brexit: Sovereign Kingdom or Little England?
[image: British Cuppa] WASHINGTON -- Given their arrogance, pomposity and habitual absurdities, it is hard not to feel a certain satisfaction with the comeuppance that Brexit has delivered to the unaccountable European Union bureaucrats in Brussels. Nonetheless, we would do well to refrain... more »
Also Tuesday: Peace Beat War-- Jerry Nadler's Landslide Against A Crooked Millionaire's Son
Wednesday, everyone I know was either celebrating Zephyr Teachout;s landslide victory in NY-19 or trying to figure what went wrong in NY-24, where Eric Kingson came in second of three Democratic primary candidates-- or both. Dave Weigel's analysis of what went wrong in Syracuse speaks to the problem with Bernie's revolution. It was pretty similar to what happened to Berniecrat Dave McTeague in OR-05 when Bernie won every county in the district but McTeague lost to head Blue Dog Kurt Schrader 72.6-27.4%-- and on the same day! *Turnout: Still terrible.* When he stumped in Syracuse, ... more »
GAIA PORTAL: Portals of recognition form along all Gaia grids
*Portals of recognition form along all Gaia grids* by ÉirePort Portals of recognition form along all Gaia grids. Higher connections manifest rapidly. Specialties of Hue-Beings are accepted and requested. Storms of dissonance are quelled. ÉirePort | June 30, 2016 at 11:11 | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-z4
U.S. State Department Wants A 27-Month Delay In Releasing Clinton Foundation Emails
The Hill *Daily Caller:* *EXCLUSIVE: State Department Won’t Release Clinton Foundation Emails for 27 Months* Department of Justice officials filed a motion in federal court late Wednesday seeking a 27-month delay in producing correspondence between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s four top aides and officials with the Clinton Foundation and Teneo Holdings, a closely allied public relations firm that Bill Clinton helped launch. If the court permits the delay, the public won’t be able to read the communications until October 2018, about 22 months into her prospective fir... more »
The Latest: Sanders Again Declines to Endorse Clinton
[image: This June 23, 2016, file photo shows Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., addressing supporters in New York. AP Photo/Craig Ruttle] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Latest on the U.S. presidential campaign (all times EDT): 8:35 p.m. Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t directly addressing Vice President Joe Biden’s claim that Sanders has said he will indeed endorse Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for president. Biden... more »
U.S. Takes Thailand Off Human Trafficking Blacklist, Despite Widespread Forced Labor
[image: Pictured is a label of someone who is enslaved in sex trafficking.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States removed Thailand from its human trafficking blacklist on Thursday, though forced labor remains widespread in the nation’s lucrative seafood industry. The State Department made the assessment in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which... more »
Remembering The Battle Of Somme 100 Years Later
*BBC:* *Battle of the Somme: Queen leads centenary remembrance events* The Queen has led events to mark 100 years since the Battle of the Somme, as overnight vigils got under way on the eve of the anniversary. Services have been held in Westminster Abbey in London and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. At a vigil in France the Duke of Cambridge paid tribute to the fallen soldiers saying "we lost the flower of a generation". On Friday at 07:28 BST a two-minute silence will mark the battle's start. It will be followed by events in the UK and near the WW1 battlefields in Franc... more »
Suicide by Job: Farmers, Lumberjacks, Fisherman Most at Risk, Librarians Least
[image: Cowboy Silhouette - 900] NEW YORK (AP) -- Farmers, lumberjacks and fishermen have the highest suicide rate in the U.S., while librarians and educators have the lowest, according to a large study that found enormous differences across occupations. The study didn’t explore the reasons... more »
Double Consciousness and The Souls of Black Folks
*"I've got 2 sides,* *and they're both friends..."* *-My Name is Prince* *"It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder."* *— W.E.B Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk*
Sin D.)
*"Excuse me:- **U Ever Danced with The Devil in the Pale Moonlight...?"* *** THUMP !!*** *- Batman* *The Two Fools* Here, I want you to meet somebody. This is Cindy. She me. She won't talk all that much, and certainly not to you, but we're going to work on that. She's my Depression. Today. Not just my Depression, the core and focus of all my negativity. As a girl. And she's *insane.* *She's the part of me that wants to keep me safe forever by murdering me.* The ink, the hair, the trollopy make-up and the piercings, and that degrading selfies is a form of self-harm. Say hell... more »
Spokane: Armed bank robber shot by concealed carry customer and starting tomorrow concealed carry is legal in Idaho without a license...
*YES!* *Looking forward to tomorrow. * SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. (emphasis mine) Deputies in Spokane Valley have responded to an attempted robbery at the Spokane Teachers Credit Union branch located in the 13200 block of E. 32nd Avenue. About 1:40 pm Spokane County Sheriff's deputies responded to the credit union on a report of an attempted bank robbery. An initial report, which Deputy Mark Gregory stressed hadn't been confirmed, was that *a customer inside the credit union was armed with a weapon and fired “a shot or shots” at the suspect.* “At this point the belief is the suspect ... more »
New Mexico High Court: Doctors Can’t Help Patients End Lives
[image: In this Oct. 26, 2015, file photo, right to die advocates rally outside the New Mexico Supreme Court in Santa Fe, N.M., after a lawyer asked justices to allow terminally-ill patients to end their lives. In a 5-0 opinion issued Thursday, June 30, 2016, the high court overturned a previous district court decision that doctors could not be prosecuted under the state's assisted suicide law, which classifies helping with suicide as a fourth-degree felony.] ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Thursday that terminally ill patients cannot end their lives with... more »
Border Agency Clears Employees in 4 Shooting Incidents
[image: A Border Patrol vehicle sits near the U.S.-Mexico border fence in San Ysidro, California on February 17, 2014.] SAN DIEGO (AP) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection found that employees acted properly when they fired guns in four incidents dating back to 2012 -- including two that left two people dead. The findings were released Thursday by the...more »
Turkish Official: Airport Suicide Bombers From Russia, Central Asia
[image: A woman reacts as Family members, colleagues and friends of the victims of Tuesday blasts gather for a memorial ceremony at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Thursday, June 30, 2016. A senior Turkish official on Thursday identified the Istanbul airport attackers as a Russian, Uzbek and Kyrgyz national hours after police carried out sweeping raids across the city looking for Islamic State suspects. Tuesday's gunfire and suicide bombing attack at Ataturk Airport killed dozens and injured over 200. Turkish authorities have banned distribution of images relating to the Ataturk ai... more »
Casualties From The U.S. Benghazi Consulate Attack Could Have Been Worse If It Was Not For The Actions Of One CIA Officer And Former Gaddafi Loyalists
A protester reacts as the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames during a protest by an armed group said to have been protesting a film being produced in the United States September 11, 2012. Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters *Daily Caller*: *If It Wasn’t For This CIA Officer, A Lot More People Would Have Died In Benghazi* Casualties sustained during the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi on September 11, 2012, could have been much higher if it was not for the work of a mysterious CIA officer, according to an official report from the House Select Committee on Beng... more »
What Do Beltway Party Bosses Chuck Schumer And Jon Tester Have Against Utah Democrat Misty K. Snow?
Yesterday we looked at the resistance of the establishment-- in this case, Pelosi and her incredibly incompetent and corrupt DCCC-- to getting behind progressives after they win their primaries against the more conservative candidates the DCCC prefers. I hope no one imagined I was exempting the DSCC from that dynamic just because I didn't mention them. But, just in case, let me mention them now. This is the DSCC's candidates page. It's not just their frontline candidates like conservative Democrats Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ), Patrick Murphy (FL), fracking lobbyist Katie McGuinty (PA), fa... more »
UPDATED: US "Justice" System just Jumped the Shark
*UPDATED: July 1, 2016* As a result of the uproar caused by US AG Loretta Lynch meeting Bill Clinton "privately" while his wife is under FBI investigation...US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has "stepped aside" from the investigation into the Hillary Clinton e-mail scandal...and presumably the other legal issues surrounding the Democratic Presidential Candidate. *Jumping the Shark* Jumping the Shark is an expression denoting something going waaaaaaay over the top and off the richter scale of believability. Just recently I did a post expressing grave concerns about the US Justice Sy... more »
The Hand That Feeds
You're keeping in step in The Line Got your chin held high and you feel just fine 'Cause you do what you're told But inside your heart it is black and it's hollow and it's cold *Just how deep do you believe?* *Will you bite the hand that feeds?* *Will you chew until it bleeds?* *Can you get up off your knees?* *Are you brave enough to see?* *Do you want to change it?* What if this whole crusade's A charade? And behind it all there's a price to be paid For the blood Which we dine Justified in the name of The Holy and The Divine...? *Just how deep do you believe?* *Will you ... more »
Friday Morning Ramble: Still only one big news story…
*“Either fraternity is spontaneous, or it does not exist. To decree it is to annihilate it.”* ~ Frederic Bastiat “Boris claims this year’s Mal Meninga prize.” *NoBoJo* – TIM BLAIR “Whinging about democracy when it doesn't go your way, whilst embracing it otherwise, is beyond the pale, as are some of the hate filled attacks on older votes coming from those whose own identity politics is supposed to *decry hate speech*. The truth being that the so-called liberal leftwing anti-hate, anti-violence activists are *full of hate* and quite *happily embrace violence* to get their ... more »
Benghazi Report: U.S. Marines Rescue Was Delayed For 3 Hours Because Washington Could Not Decide On What Uniforms They Should Wear
U.S. Marines and sailors assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response. Africom *Daily Mail: **House GOP Benghazi report – Marines' rescue was delayed because no one could decide whether they should wear uniforms or civvies * * On night of 2012 attacks, government officials whether Marines should wear military or civilian uniforms * Marines had to change FOUR TIMES in three hours * The U.S. also failed to scramble military assets in time to stop the attack on the U.S. Benghazi compound * Top official at Hillary Clinton's State Department said he was sensiti... more »
Untitled
*Make College Cheaper by Cutting Administrative Costs* RON UNZ The greatest problem with most universities today is that tuition is much too high, forcing an entire generation of students into long-term debt-servitude. Total student loans now exceed $1.2 trillion, and millions of students will probably never be able to pay them off. During the mid-1970s, tuition at UCLA, Berkeley, and the other UC campuses was only $630 per year. Now the annual cost averages around $15,000, having increased many times faster than inflation. An important factor has been the huge rise in education... more »
Palestinian Kills American-Israeli Girl, 13, Sleeping in Her Bedroom
[image: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Jerusalem, Tuesday, June 28, 2016.] JERUSALEM (AP) -- A Palestinian youth sneaked into a fortified Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Thursday, broke into a home and stabbed to death a 13-year-old Israeli-American girl as she slept in bed before frantic security guards arrived... more »
Geoff Nicholson Maps the Territory
*Title: Geoff Nicholson Maps the Territory. Source: LA Review of Books. Date Published: June 3, 2014. Description: * LARB A.V. teams up with LA Magazine to bring you a journey into Hollywood through the eyes of renowned author, Geoff Nicholson, celebrating the release of his new book "The City Under the Skin."
Award Winning Playwright to Sail to Break the Siege of Gaza
Acclaimed Playwright to Sail on Women's Boat to Gaza Photo of Naomi Wallace by Gregory Costanzo Acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Naomi Wallace has been selected by the International Women's Boat to Gaza to represent the United States on the Women's Boat to Gaza, scheduled to launch in fall 2016.Wallace has written over
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 30, 2016
People leave Turkey's largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016. REUTERS/OSMAN ORSAL *Peter Van Buren, Reuters:* *Washington still gets it wrong on Islamic State* Tuesday’s attacks at Istanbul’s main airport, which appear at this time to be the work of Islamic State, are the latest reminder that the United States should not downplay the group’s rudimentary – yet effective – tactics. Since the wave of Islamic State suicide bombings in May – killing 522 people inside Baghdad, and 148 people inside Syria – American officials have downplayed the strat... more »
Fundamental Freedoms and Limits on Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Constitution protects specific "fundamental freedoms"; these freedoms are seen as the core of Canadian liberty and are protected against governmental infringement at any level. The fundamental freedoms are freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of belief, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association. These freedoms are seen as being the essential basis of a functioning democracy. Despite their essential nature the fundamental freedoms are not without limits. Freedoms is not absolute especially when one freedom comes into ... more »
Self-Driving Car Driver Killed in Florida Collision, a First
[image: In this Monday, April 25, 2016, file photo, a man sits behind the steering wheel of a Tesla Model S electric car on display at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing. Federal officials say the driver of a Tesla S sports car using the vehicle’s “autopilot” automated driving system has been killed in a collision with a truck, the first U.S. self-driving car fatality.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The first U.S. self-driving car fatality took place in May when the driver of a Tesla S sports car using the vehicle’s “autopilot” automated driving system died in a collisio... more »
Ryan: House to Vote on Barring Guns for Suspected Terrorists
[image: In this June 23, 2016 file photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. With Democrats applying election-year pressure to act on gun control, Ryan said Thursday, June 30, 2016, that the House will vote next week on a GOP proposal aimed at keeping suspected terrorists from obtaining firearms.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- With Democrats applying election-year pressure to act on gun control, Republican Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday the House will vote next week on a GOP proposal aimed at keeping suspected terrorists from obtain... more »
Euro watch: Football first, Sunderland second!
*THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2016Portrait of a world:* International football remains a peculiar cultural expression. As we just saw with Portugal/Poland, they start with two hours of a format where it's virtually impossible to score a goal. Then, they switch to a tie-breaking format where it's virtually impossible not to. Countries live and die on this apparently irrational arrangement. They're almost as crazy as we are. Tomorrow, we'll start with this portrait of the British working class. It appeared in Tuesday's New York Times, written by Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura. (Be sure to note how... more »
‘Coming to the Nuisance’? What’s that about?
After reading Eric Crampton’s superb piece on solving the Auckland housing crisis, a few commenters here were asking about the Coming to the Nuisance doctrine, mentioned by Eric, that was a feature of common law jurisdictions until partially killed by statute, and all-but euthanased by the judiciary. (See for example Sturges v Bridgman – the case of a confectioner and a busybody doctor.) It lives on, partially, in Lord Denning’s famous dissenting opinion against a couple bewailing cricket balls coming through their greenhouse after moving next to a cricket oval. Conveniently, t... more »
A "Climate-Political Nightmare", But So Much More
The notrickszone site has a post, on the "climate-political nightmare" of Brexit (Britain leaving the European Union, due to a referendum of its outraged population, not its feckless political leaders). My response: *Here's a new word (I haven't seen it used yet, anyway), to describe the situation: Dementia. Total dementia, being "serious" about "climate policy". The REAL question is, how do we restore sanity, when the "top scientists", and the "97% consensus", are the loons? When the politicians pushing the alarm buttons are engaged in a criminal conspiracy for control, not reasone... more »
The Soap Opera Continues.....
You can't make this shit up......the script must be written in Hollywood. No, on second thought, they are writing it on Madison Avenue in New York City.....in conjunction with Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and Washington DC. All of the regional houses of the corporate gangster American oligarchy are writing this and laughing at the public as they fall for the soap opera now called 'The 2016 National Election'. The corrupt corporate oligarchies don't need us anymore - we are being turned against one another.
Outrage Continues in Sicily at U.S. Space Tech Base
A hundred miles off the coast of Africa, the American military has built a base in Niscemi, Sicily. Behind the cordoned-off facility, there is a new war instrument called the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). MUOS is used for drone-to-Earth communication. The MUOS is an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) (300 MHz to 3 GHz frequency range) SATCOM system, primarily serving the Pentagon. Intended primarily for mobile users (e.g. aerial and maritime platforms, ground vehicles, and dismounted soldiers), MUOS will extend users' voice, data, and video communications beyond their lines-of-sigh... more »
World News Briefs -- June 30, 2016 (Evening Edition)
Civilians inspect a site hit by an airstrike in the rebel-controlled city of Idlib, Syria June 29, 2016. REUTERS/AMMAR ABDULLAH *Reuters*: *U.S., Russia discuss Syria cooperation if Assad halts some strikes* The Obama administration is considering a plan to coordinate air strikes on Nusra Front and Islamic State militants in Syria if Syria'a government stops bombing moderate rebels, U.S. officials said on Thursday. The U.S. backs the moderate rebels, who are under pressure from Islamic State and government forces, but the plan depends in part on whether Russia is willing to press ... more »
Christianity and Islam: The Story of the Century
[image: Daily_Commentary_06_2_16b] If you're living in America or Europe, the biggest story of this century is probably not what you think it is. We told you recently on BreakPoint that despite appearances in our corner of the world, religion is not going... more »
Blog Stats
[image: image] I haven’t posted my blog stats here for a few months (well, apart from that permanent Google App down there on the left-hand sidebar you can consult anytime you feel like it, just above those automatically generated, and most incorrect, ‘popular posts), so there’s what Google says, above, about how things looked this month, and here below is what Statcounter says: [image: Stats1] Apart from both demonstrating that you lot don’t read much when you’re not at work … if you can reconcile the two then you’re a better man than I. So, anyway, here are Statcounter’s ... more »
Donald Trump Delivers Remarks on Trade in Manchester, NH (6-30-16)...
*well done, Donald.* Today I did something I've never done before. I donated to a political campaign. I *am* *getting a free hat.* Trump starts about 3 minutes after start of video
Roberto Rodriguez: 'Mexican as a slur and epithet'
Loving and Hating "The Mexicans" by Roberto Dr. Cintli Rodriguez Censored News Photo: Professor Roberto Rodriguez being searched at Tucson Unified School District meeting For many people in the United States, the very name "Mexican," is considered a slur or a racial epithet. No expletive is required. It is not to be used in public or uttered in polite company. And yet today,
Natives oppose Eagle Pass, Texas coal mine permit
. Eagle Pass, Texas is home to the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe on the border of west Texas and Mexico. Photo: Protest of coal mine in April 2016. Contact: Vanessa Ramos vanessa.ramos@sierraclub.org Matt Johnson matt.johnson@sierraclub.org ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** Austin: July 6, 2016: Demonstration at TCEQ Headquarters in Opposition to Dos Republicas Coal
Mark Mardell on Brexit
Mark Mardell's latest website article in the wake of the Brexit vote focuses on "society's sharp divides". It's classic MM, in that it doubtless believes itself to be impartial and to be acting as the 'BBC voice of reason' throughout whilst being riddled with bias from start to finish. Allow me to explain (with apologies, at some length)... It begins by saying that the referendum has been a bad thing, socially-speaking. It's done harm *in itself *and made even worse the problems that were there before: *The referendum has carved our country into two camps, sharpened existing d... more »
Duke Dumont - Ocean Drive
*Don't say a word while we dance with the devil*. Apt.
Japan’s High Top Court Approves Blanket Surveillance Of All Muslims
Several dozen mosques in Japan serve the tens of thousands Japanese Muslims. Pictured Tokyo Mosque [Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Newsmakers] *The Independent*:* Japan's top court has approved blanket surveillance of the country's Muslims* 'They made us terrorist suspects, we never did anything wrong,' says Japanese Muslim, Mohammed Fujita Japan's Supreme Court has upheld the government's blanket surveillance of the country's Muslim community. The court struck down the second appeal by Japanese Muslim plaintiffs against what they perceive as an unconstitutional invasion of their priva... more »
Casting a Web of Lies for Campaign Dollars-- A Guest Post By Lee Rogers
*The 2 most dishonest grifters trying to separate you from your cash today* Today is the day. I’m sure your inbox has already blown up. It’s June 30-- the most important day in political donations. But if you read these campaign solicitations, every day is the most important day in fundraising. If you’re involved in politics, or have ever donated to candidate, or to any interest group, your email inbox has come to realize there really isn’t any “season” for campaign fundraising. Requests for money are incessant. People often wonder, “How did I even get on this distribution list?” Wel... more »
Trump: My Appointees Would Have Reversed SCOTUS’ Abortion Ruling
[image: Pro-Lifers on Supreme Court Abortion Case: ‘We’re Coming Back in Full Force’] It took three days, but presumed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has issued his first comments on the Supreme Court's ruling against Texas' health and safety rules for abortion facilities. "There's your first example," Trump told conservative radio host Mike Gallagher...more »
2nd Electoral Reform Committee meeting
was held in camera yesterday. The entire three hour meeting from 10am til 1pm - with presentations from five in-house analysts and tech experts and questions from MPs - was held in camera. What happened to last week's decision to televise them? Meanwhile ... Former Ontario Progressive Conservative Party president Richard Ciano and Nick Kouvalis of *Campaign Research* - pollsters and managers of the Rob Ford and John Tory campaigns, harriers of Liberals - have teamed up with Liberal Toronto Councillor Justin Di Ciano to found a "grass roots advocacy group" *Keep Voting Simple* ... more »
France: Protestors Rise Up In Their Millions Against Ruling Class
French protestors are rising up in their millions against a ruling class determined to take away their rights. There is anarchy on the streets of France as the mainstream media continues to suppress the scale of events. Thousands of masked protesters and police fought running street battles in France this week, with police using water cannon to quell rioters who hurled projectiles at them and destroyed storefronts, joining the millions of French citizens who have protested against new anti-worker laws that are designed to protect and enrich a wealthy elite at the expense of ordinary ... more »
What KQED and FAIR aren't fair to
Straight talk. I posted this to KQED's discussion of the Diablo Canyon shutdown last night: But as more renewable energy comes online, running renewables, natural gas and other power sources all together sometimes creates more power than the state needs. At those times, the California ISO has to switch off solar farms to avoid overloading the grid. Retiring Diablo Canyon could help with that
Jeremy Bowen on Brexit
BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen hasn't had much to say about the news from Israel today on Twitter but he has had a fair about to say about the Brexit vote. I think it's not hard to guess how he voted from this - and note the re-tweet for the 'second referendum' call:
Marking a murder
Just for the record, neither BBC One's *News at Six *nor Radio 4's *Six O'Clock News *reported the brutal murder of a sleeping 13 year old Israeli girl, Hallel Yaffa Ariel, by a Palestinian man - news which has caused deep shock to the people of Israel. The BBC News website *has* included it among the featured headlines on its home page though. I note, however, that the BBC's online report hasn't used a photo of Hallel: Nor has it include any quotes from her grieving mother, Rena - unlike, say, the *Daily Telegraph*.
Screenshots from Today at Fukushima Daiichi
Here is a pdf of screenshots taken today: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ua91y77r7r5we62/July%201%202016%20Event%20final.pdf?dl=0 It is morning now and foggy. But it didn't look like fog at Daiichi when I took these screenshots.
Fukushima Daiichi Alert
Something strange is going on today at Fukushima. First, the atmospheric conditions look clear on the Futaba cam but there is some sort of haze/smoke/steam or whatever it is hanging in the sky, as viewed from cam 1: What makes this stuff more concerning is the strange glow in the sky over Daiichi visible from the Futaba cam: Whatever is going on is UNUSUAL. It follows a brief press release by TEPCO a couple of days ago that there was an electricity outage at the plant: Power outage at Fukushima nuclear power plant causes machinery to shut down. Kyodo Jun 28, 2016 http://... more »
Israel Linked To Istanbul Airport Terror Attack
A security firm from Israel linked to numerous false flag terror attacks handled the security at the Istanbul airport where 42 people were killed on Tuesday. ICTS was founded by “former” Israeli intelligence agents, and has a major presence all over the world in airport security. The company came under the public spotlight when it emerged that its staff “missed” several of the 9/11 hijackers who flew out of Boston’s Logan airport on September 11th 2001. The same Israeli security team also handled security for London’s bus network during the 7/7 London bombings. Newnationalist.net r... more »
Putin: GMO Food Is Now Illegal In Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlawed GMO food in Russia, making it a criminal offence to import or produce it in the country. Following Putin’s order to halt the production of all GMO-containing foods last year, the Federation Council has finally approved a bill that will heavily fine anybody caught producing or importing such foods in Russia. Citizens violating the new law will have to pay a fine of between 10,000 and 50,000 rubles ($155 – $770) and companies will be fined a much harsher 100,000 and 500,000 rubles ($1550 – $7700). Rt.com reports: Organizations that need g... more »
Facebook Changes News Feed Algorithm, Gives Priority To Friends And Family
Facebook’s News Feed is about to change again. The social network giant does not want users to miss out on “important updates” from friends and family. Facebook’s new News Feed will give more prominence to posts from loved ones than to those from publishers and companies. The BBC reports: The move reverses a trend towards giving more space to content posted by the news media and brands. One expert said it highlighted that newspapers and broadcasters’ interests did not always match those of the firm. Facebook said that in several surveys it had carried out, users had told it they wan... more »
U.S. Proposes New Military Partnership With Russia In Syria
Sputnik | AFP | Sputnik *Josh Rogin, Washington Post*: *Obama proposes new military partnership with Russia in Syria* The Obama administration has proposed a new agreement on Syria to the Russian government that would deepen military cooperation between the two countries against some terrorists in exchange for Russia getting the Assad regime to stop bombing U.S.-supported rebels. The United States transmitted the text of the proposed agreement to the Russian government on Monday after weeks of negotiations and internal Obama administration deliberations, an administration official... more »
Monsanto Sued Over Claims Weed Killer Gave 30 People Cancer
An historic class action lawsuit has been launched against Monsanto over claims that their popular weed killer caused cancer in 30 U.S. citizens. According to Yolanda Mendoza, the use of Monsanto’s “Roundup” weed killer nearly killed her. Mendoza used the weed killer once a week on her one-acre property, which she says gave her non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Cbsnews.com reports: During her five-month battle with the disease, her children were only allowed to visit once a week. There were moments when she didn’t think she’d make it, but Mendoza said her kids helped her through them, and the...more »
Turkey Blames ISIS Airport Attack On Russia
Turkey have blamed Russia for the Istanbul airport attack that killed 44 people on Tuesday. A senior Turkish official has said that the three alleged suicide bombers who carried out the attack were from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Ap.org reports: Turkish authorities have said all information suggested the Tuesday night attack on Ataturk Airport, one of the world’s busiest, was the work of IS, which boasted this week of having cells in Turkey, among other countries. The police raided 16 locations in three neighborhoods on both the Asian and European sides of Istanbul, roundin... more »
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