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| Location of the four cities in north eastern Nigeria where the Boko Haram conflict took place. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| English: Map locator of Nigeria. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Nigeria's War Against Boko Haram is Intensifying. Boko Haram Gains A 'Foothold' In Neighboring Cameroon
File photo of Boko Haram militants. AFP *Nigerian Army Fights To Push Boko Haram Out Of Two Northeast Towns -- Reuters* Nigeria's military fought gun battles with Boko Haram Islamists in two key northeastern towns on Friday, after the militants killed dozens of people and drove soldiers out of Gwoza town two days ago, security sources and the military said. On Friday the military launched strikes to push the rebels out of Gwoza, the security sources said, and the garrison town of Damboa, which the militants sacked a month ago. Both towns lie on roads linking Nigeria to Cameroon a... more »
Christians flee Qaraqoush in Iraq as Islamic State takes over
Christians flee Qaraqoush in Iraq as Islamic State takes over. Source: Middle East Eye. Date Published: August 8, 2014.
On Bombing ISIS
War is politics by other, violent means. Proving the axiom right now is the arc of slaughter carving a great bloody crescent out of the Middle East. Start from the Mediterranean coast and move gradually in. The racist hysteria in Israel has found an outlet in the carefree pounding of the Gaza Strip. Civilians? Children? Collateral, Guv. Blame Hamas. Scan eastwards and we find Assad's regime just about clinging on. This secular but brutal monarchy has defended itself by any and all means at its disposal, be it torture, massacre and, arguably, chemical weapons. As despicable Israel's ... more »
Our Sacred Maiz is our Mother
Electronic billboard at the main library at the U of Arizona... Nice way to be greeted after being away for the summer...
Russian Bombers Are Increasingly Testing U.S. And Canadian Airspace (Updated)
In September 2006, a U.S. F-15 Eagle from Elmendorf Air Force Base intercepted a Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber on a training exercise near the west coast of Alaska.(Photo: U.S. Air Force) *Russian Bombers Increase Flights Near U.S. Airspace -- USA Today* For the second time since June, Russian nuclear bombers escorted by fighter jets have flown near U.S. and Canadian airspace around Alaska in recent days, prompting precautionary intercepts by American warplanes. The encounters come amid Russian war games along the border with eastern Ukraine, raising Western concerns that Moscow might ... more »
World Health Organization (WHO) Has Declared Ebola 'An International Emergency'
*WHO: Ebola 'An International Emergency' -- BBC* The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the spread of Ebola in West Africa is an international health emergency. WHO officials said a co-ordinated response was essential to stop and reverse the spread of the virus. In Nigeria, one of the latest countries to be affected, President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a national state of emergency. More than 960 people have died from Ebola in West Africa this year, two of them in Nigeria, the WHO says. There were 68 new cases and 29 deaths reported over the course of two days this w... more »
Afghanistan's Presidential Candidates Agree To Cooperate In A Future Government
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) speaks next to Afghan presidential candidates Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Abdullah Abdullah (R) during a news conference in Kabul August 8, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Omar Sobhani *Afghan Presidential Candidates Endorse Plan for Broad-Based Government -- Wall Street Journal* Candidates Vow to Step Up Cooperation So New President Can Take Office By Month's End KABUL—Afghanistan's two presidential candidates on Friday formally endorsed a political agreement that paves the way for a broad-based government, giving new life to a deal facilitated by Secr... more »
“Xbox Live Among Game Services Targeted by US and UK Spy Agencies”
*“Xbox Live Among Game Services Targeted by US and UK Spy Agencies”* NSA and GCHQ collect gamers' chats and deploy real-life agents into World of Warcraft and Second Life by James Ball "To the National Security Agency analyst writing a briefing to his superiors, the situation was clear: their current surveillance efforts were lacking something. The agency's impressive arsenal of cable taps and sophisticated hacking attacks was not enough. What it really needed was a horde of undercover Orcs. That vision of spycraft sparked a concerted drive by the NSA and its UK sister agency GCHQ t...more »
Cutest of cute
Bai Yun and Yun Zi - photographer unknown
The Grocery Store Rebellion: Here’s What We Ate During Week 1
Daisy Luther My family and I decided to embark on a revolution. We have banished the grocery store from our lives for the next 3 months. Our Grocery Store Rebellion began on August 1, and this is an update on our first week. The week began with two major upheavals. Our SUV went into the shop, and the cow in which we have milk shares died. Luckily, we had some extra milk on hand, frozen, while our dairy farmer works on getting a new cow. We have about a 2 week supply of milk left, so we’re either going to have to wait, find a new source, spend a whopping $18 per gallon at the loca... more »
U.S. CREATES ISIS AND THEN BOMBS IT
US military aircraft have conducted an airstrike on artillery used by the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). The real goal is Iraq is to break it up into three separate countries.
Russian Sanctions Expose West's "Global Disorder"
Tony Cartalucci In a report by the Sydney Morning Herald titled, "Julie Bishop says 'petulant' Russian sanctions reflect its lack of acceptance for role in MH17 disaster," it claims: Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Russia's "petulant" trade sanctions on Australian food imports is yet another example of Moscow trying to evade responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. However, Bishop fails to indicate why Russia should or would accept responsibility for downing an aircraft when no evidence whatsoever even suggests such culpability. Canberra, Washington, Lo... more »
Implausible Deniability - West's ISIS Terror Hordes in Iraq
image - Wikipedia Tony Cartalucci The US has pledged assistance for victims of and even possible "airstrikes" against terrorists who have surrounded and threaten to eradicate thousands of religious minorities in Iraq. However, the terrorists themselves are a product of US foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa, and instrumental in achieving Western objectives across the region. Punitive strikes and aid to the victims of what is essentially a Western mercenary army is part of maintaining plausible deniability. The terror hordes originated from NATO territory and have i... more »
Iraq's Refugee Crisis Now Numbers One Million Internally Displaced Persons
*Iraq's Displaced Top One Million -- Voice of America* GENEVA — The International Organization for Migration reports fighting in Iraq between Islamic State rebels and Kurdish Peshmerga military has pushed the number of internally displaced people in Iraq to over one million. IOM says this is the highest number of IDPs in Iraq since the Islamist advance began in January. According to IOM, more than 54 percent of Iraq's displaced have fled their homes since June. That is when Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, began an accelerated push for te... more »
Ukraine Preparing To Halt Russian Transit Gas Flows To Europe
The list of possible sanctions includes a “complete or partial ban on the transit of all resources,” Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told reporters in Kiev today in response to a question about halting gas flows. Photographer: Vincent Mundy/Bloomberg *Ukraine Open To Halting Gas Flows In Russia Sanctions -- Bloomberg* Ukraine said it’s open to halting Russian gas supplies to Europe through the country as it plans sanctions on President Vladimir Putin’s government as part of its battle against pro-Russian separatists. The list of possible sanctions includes a “complete or partial b... more »
Ukraine Is Preparing For A Very Cold Winter
Reuters / Gleb Garanich *Kiev Turns Off Hot Water Amid Fears Of Winter Gas Shortage -- RT* Kiev has turned off hot water throughout the city in an attempt to save gas for the winter months. The Ukrainian government is unsure how long people will be affected, or whether the measure will be enough to ensure winter heating. Utility company Kievenergo cut gas supplies to all thermal power plants that warm the water supplied to households, adding that it received the order from the Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining. “All the thermal power plants have had their gas supply cut as of Aug... more »
Mandatory Conscription Is Bringing The War Home For Thousands Of Ukrainians
*Photo*: Kiev investment manager Andriy Gerus may be drafted any day. Volodymyr Verbyany *Ukraine's Military Draft Brings War Home for Thousands -- Bloomberg* The knock on the door for Andriy Gerus came on a Monday morning in July. Fresh from getting his MBA in London, Gerus, a managing director at Ukrainian investment company Concorde Capital, was preparing to take his baby for a stroll in the pleasant Holosiyevo district of Kiev. Instead, the surprise visitor handed him orders to report to the Ukrainian army’s commissariat, the agency in charge of the draft. Gerus says his heart ... more »
August interlude: Upon our return from Maine!
*FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2014* *Bogus grades, fraudulent wine:* On our Amtrak-enabled sojourn to Maine, we learned an array of valuable lessons. Among them: You can’t convince a 2-year-old that fireworks are actually fun. Also, a bit more complicatedly: If an 8-year-old is actually funny, and if she can do an array of voices, she’ll hear your laughter as a request that her program continue for hours. The next day, she’ll be doing her impression of a blues singer from a raft in a swimming pool! As her Uncle Brendan asked at one point, “Where do they *get* this stuff?” He was live and d... more »
Standing Up For Jeff Merkley (D-OR)... Because He's Always There For Working Families
Click here to contribute today Yesterday we helped out with a Jeff Merkely money bomb. 2,528 contributors from all over the country helped raise $73,168.30 for Jeff's campaign. The Koch brothers' candidate, Monica Wehby, has already raised $2,049,732 but that isn't what worried progressives up in Oregon. What does is the limitless funds that anti-deomicracy plutocrats like the Kochs, the Adelsons and like-minded reactionaries can pour into the race. In 2008, when Jeff first beat Republican incumbent Gordon Smith, Smith raised $13,297,429 to Merkley's $6,512,231 but Merkley beat him ... more »
Ukraine Civil War News Updates -- August 8, 2014
*Ukraine Troops Break Out Of Encirclement, 15 Troops Killed -- Reuters* (Reuters) - Ukrainian army units which had been trapped by separatists on the border with Russia broke out of the blockade on Friday and rejoined government forces, but 15 soldiers and border guards were killed in the operation, the Ukrainian military said. Military sources quoted by Ukrainian media said Ukrainian units had been effectively encircled by the rebels on a section of the border with Russia south of the town of Luhansk and east of the main regional city of Donetsk. After government forces opened up... more »
World News Briefs -- August 8, 2014
*Gaza At War Again After Militants Fire Rockets Into Israel And The Jewish State Responds, Killing A Ten-Year-Old Palestinian In Mosque Air Strike -- Daily Mail* * At least 10 rockets fired into Israel as negotiators failed to extend ceasefire which expired at 8am today (5am GMT) * Israel declared truce over and hit 'terror sites' in new strikes as minister warned ground troops could invade again * Wave of attacks from land, air and sea hit Nour al-Mohammadi Mosque in Gaza City, killing boy and wounding five * Palestinian factions negotiated until 4am but would not extend truce un... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 8, 2014
*The New U.S. Military Mission In Iraq: What We Know Now -- Washington Post* President Obama said Thursday night that he has authorized two new, major actions by the U.S. military in Iraq: airstrikes against militants with the Islamic State if U.S. interests or personnel are threatened, and humanitarian assistance for thousands of civilians who have fled the Islamist advance in northwest Iraq and are now trapped on a mountain. Even those two specific missions are more complicated than that, however. First, the U.S. humanitarian mission on Mount Sinjar began Thursday with airdrops ... more »
Ed Delaney’s Son's 2012 Senate Race Funded by Corporate Ed
by Doug Martin Although state representative Ed Delaney has been a friend to public education so far, we better keep a close eye on his son, Edward Timothy Delaney—or simply Tim, if he decides to run for the Indiana state Senate in the future and better educate him on how all of this works. Although he lost the election, Edward Timothy Delaney's 2012 campaign was highly funded by many of the hedge fund managers and billionaires across the country deeply involved in turning our schools over the those with the most greed. In 2012, hedge fund manager David Tepper gave $1,000 to b... more »
The Economy: "One of the All-Time Greatest Investment Myths Exposed"
*"One of the All-Time Greatest Investment Myths Exposed" * by Bill Bonner Let's begin with a quote in Latin. That will put us in the right mood – reaching for the eternal verities: “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt.” That was penned by Julius Caesar in De Bello Gallico, his account of the Roman conquest of Gaul. We didn't know what it meant either, until last night. In case your Latin is a little rusty, we will give you a little WD-40. It means "Men willingly believe what they wish to be true." At least, they believe it as long as they can... As long as stocks rise, for... more »
Nagasaki: The Worst War Crime Ever
August 9th 2014 marks the 69th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki.... On this date, some 69 years ago, a US B29 nicknamed "Bocks Car" was running low on fuel and had to abort its original target of Kokura due to heavy cloud cover (The accompanying B29 aircraft "Great Artiste" was carrying camera equipment to record the gruesome event for posterity) and was therefore diverted to its secondary target being Nagasaki. However, when Bocks Car arrived over Nagasaki, it had almost overcast cloud conditions as well. There was talk about aborting the drop a... more »
Troops to Teachers is a failure. That kind of sucks.
I learned just now that the military’s initiative to encourage former soldiers to become teachers, called Troops to Teachers, has been a failure. There are legitimate critiques of the program, although not all veterans are coming from combat. Nevertheless, I first encountered mention of this program when I was looking for potential solutions to the […]
Bill Whittle: The Murderer in the Kremlim...
*you need to know who you're dealing with when you deal with Russians. * Russia is on the move. But as Bill Whittle shows in this searing FIREWALL, Americans simply cannot wrap their minds around the history of terror and murder of the Russian Secret Police. Bill presents that history in horrific fashion, and shows the West just what it is up against. I'm off to work. See you all later.
Why President Obama's Current Strategy On Using Air Strikes To Stop ISIS Will Fail
*Obama’s Iraq Plan Has a Killer Flaw—and Airstrikes Alone May Not Save It -- Jacob Siegel, Daily Beast* The U.S. gambled on local militias to keep ISIS in check. The president’s authorization of airstrikes is an admission that bet didn’t pay off. Friday morning, with a humanitarian mission already underway, the United States began airstrikes on ISIS in northern Iraq. What had been the U.S. policy—to rely on local forces to contain ISIS while waiting for a new Iraqi government to reach a political solution—is finished. The new policy is still taking shape, but it may eventually lea... more »
Contract interpretation a question of mixed fact and law
In Sattva Capital Corp. *v.* Creston Moly Corp., 2014 SCC 53 the Supreme Court has changed a long held view that contractual interpretation raises a question of law. The Court does so on the basis, in part, that when the rule was created jurors were often illiterate. Some might wonder at how illiterate an English commercial jury of the 1700s was? Indeed, some might suggest such juries might have greater literary expertise than a typical modern Canadian jury. Regardless the change has been made: [43] Historically, determining the legal rights and obligati... more »
Ed Delaney's Corporate ED Funders: SERIOUS ALERT
by Doug Martin When Indiana Senate Democrat Ed Delaney and his daughter never returned emails I sent to them when I was shopping for a lawyer for *Hoosier School Heist*, I figured Delaney didn’t need my business or my money, but now I know there is more to the story. Although Delaney has been a friend to public education so far, we better keep a close eye on him in the future because Delaney's 2012 campaign was highly funded by many of the hedge fund managers and billionaires across the country deeply involved in turning our schools over the those with the most greed. In 2012, ... more »
Everywhere Is War: World Edition
America is one hell of a schizophrenic bastion of phony democracy. Depending upon geography, the ethnicity of the target populations, and the politicians being bribed, America the Exceptional either drops proxy bombs on people (Gaza), direct-drones people ("tribal" areas), or drops packages of food, water and medicine on a carefully vetted few (a remote mountaintop in Iraq) as P.R. cover for a bombing campaign that benefits multinational oil companies ("American interests.") To be fair, if ISIS was attacking the Gaza Strip instead of Northern Iraq, I think President Obama would als... more »
Untitled
*Saints Game Day in the Who Dat nation, photos ~WVUE* *B&B Vs. Airbnb: Competition And Common Ground Between Traditional Inns And The New Sharing Economy ~Nina Feldman, WWNO* *Hurricane season starting to look more quiet than usual, NOAA reports ~Amy Wold, The Advocate * *Breeding the perfect oyster? ~Thanh Truong, WWLTV * *National Oyster Day! ~NOLA DEFENDER*
War Returns To Gaza
*Cease-Fire In Gaza Expires, And Strikes Resume -- New York Times* JERUSALEM — As a 72-hour truce in Gaza expired at 8 a.m. Friday, Palestinian militants fired barrages of rockets into Israel and the Israeli military responded with airstrikes, one of which killed a 10-year-old boy, according to relatives. The renewed hostilities interrupted the indirect talks in Cairo, brokered by Egypt and backed by the United States, for a more durable cease-fire agreement. While the rocket fire signaled Hamas’s refusal to extend the temporary lull and its desire to apply pressure for its demand... more »
Why We Must Worry About The Terrorist Havens That Now Exist In Iraq And Syria
*Terror Havens In Syria And Iraq: Five Reasons The West Should Worry -- Paul Cruickshank, CNN* (CNN) -- The Sunni Muslim extremist group ISIS has torn through eastern Syria and northern and western Iraq in recent months, seizing territory for what it says is its new Islamic caliphate and butchering those who stand in their way. The situation has become especially dire for minority groups. Iraqi Christians are on the run, with ISIS taking over their largest city, Qaraqosh, and giving them an ultimatum: Convert to Islam or die. In addition, thousands of families from the Yazidi min... more »
U.S. Launches Airstrikes Against ISIS In Iraq (Updated)
*U.S. Bombs ISIS Fighters In Iraq -- CBS News* The U.S. military backed up the Obama administration's vow to keep ISIS militants in Iraq out of a key northern city with at least one 500-pound laser-guided bomb dropped from American F/A-18 fighter jets on Friday. Sources confirmed to CBS News that two of the American jets targeted an ISIS artillery piece that was shelling Kurdish forces near Erbil. Both jets returned safely to the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush after the strike. Sunni Islamic militants have stepped up efforts to expand their territory in northern Iraq, and ... more »
It's Not Working
http://news.nationalpost.com/ Justin Trudeau's autobiography will soon hit the bookstores. It's probably been ghost written and -- because it's appearing now -- it's a blatantly political document. Predictably, Conservatives are not impressed. Tasha Kheiriddin writes: Writing an autobiography at a young age is fine if your experiences give you something valuable to teach others. Malala Yousafzai is 16, but she survived getting shot in the head while campaigning for girls’ education rights in Afghanistan. Anne Frank was only... more »
Real Democrats Don't Run Away When Right-Wingers Attack-- Meet Ohio's Michael Wager
OH-14, just east of Cleveland, is another swing district that Steve Israel is ignoring. It's a winnable seat and there's an exceptionally good Democratic candidate, Michael Wager, and a weak and vulnerable Republican, David Joyce. Joyce, a backbencher who other Republicans have noted is just a puppet of Boehner and the Republican Beltway Establishment, isn't well known by his constituents, who tell pollsters that are very much open to replacing him with a Democrat. Yesterday morning Michael Wager was on the radio with Bill Press (above) and when Press asked him, he immediately ... more »
12 Ways to Repurpose a Crib
Whenever I see that somebody is getting rid of an old crib, I have a hard time not snapping it up. There are SO many amazing things that can be made with old cribs, and many don't require that much work. Here are some of my favorites! Kids Art enter on Egnash Family. Crib Garden Trellis by Dandelions in my Vase. Bench made out of a Baby Crib by Cassandra Design. Craft Tool Station from Crafty Nest. Picnic Wagon from Tidbits Memory Board from The Painted Parsonage. Crib to Book Storage from DIY Home Sweet Home Crib to Chalkboard by the Red Kitchen. Jewelry Organizer by Infarran... more »
USA's Air-Strikes on ISIS
So, Wall Street puppet and imperialist shill Barack Obama has decided that the menace of the fundamentalist murderers of ISIS requires US airstrikes in Iraq to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe? I put forward some of my thoughts on these Sunni militants at this post. Basically, I'm just saying that there's a large portion of bullshit in this crisis. This post is just one of many wherein I announce my knee-jerk opposition to any and all cases for Western humanitarian intervention. Our leaders are vile, inhuman scum-bags who can't be trusted. There's just no way in hell that US satel... more »
President Obama Orders Contractors To Disclose Labor Violations, Stop Mandatory Arbitration
In a gutsy and controversial move, President Obama signed an executive order placing new tough restrictions on federal contractors. If your employer contracts with the federal government it may have to disclose all labor violations in order to bid, and also have to stop mandating arbitration of employment disputes. The pre-bid disclosure language is tough. It requires anyone bidding for a contract of $500,000 or greater to disclose: [A]ny administrative merits determination, arbitral award or decision, or civil judgment, as defined in guidance issued by the Department of Labor, ren... more »
Russian Arctic Helicopter Ready for Deliveries in 2015 - Source
[image: Mi-8 Hip]Deliveries of the Mi-8AMTSh-VA helicopters, a variant of the Mi-8 medium twin-turbine transport helicopter modified for use in the Arctic, may begin as early as next year, Leonid Belykh, managing director of the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP), said Friday. “Basically, everything is ready. A prototype model is in the works, and it is all up to the Defense Ministry now. If we sign a deal this year, then we will start [the deliveries] next year,” Belykh told RIA Novosti. The aviation plant reported that the helicopter meets all the requirements in order to excel in the... more »
India offers to buy more U.S. helicopters, hopes to drive down costs
[image: AH-64D Apache Longbow]India has offered to significantly increase an order for U.S. attack helicopters, Indian officials said, as U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel began a visit to New Delhi on Thursday aimed at boosting defence and strategic ties. The Apache gunships and a deal for Chinook helicopters, both built by Boeing, will top the agenda in Hagel's talks on Friday with the new administration led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India has offered a follow-on order of 39 AH-64D Apache helicopters in addition to the 22 now being negotiated, a Defence Ministry official s... more »
Poland Retains Su-22s, Wants New Attack Helicopters
[image: Su22M4 Fitter]Faced with a worsening security situation in neighboring Ukraine, Poland has issued a requirement for new attack helicopters that could be worth more than $1.3 billion. Meanwhile, however, the country’s choice of 72 new multirole helicopters worth nearly $2.7 billion is still undecided. Budget problems continue to frustrate the armed forces’ desire for new equipment. Earlier this year, Poland decided to retain one squadron of aging Su-22 strike aircraft for up to 10 more years, since it cannot afford a replacement. Read more
The Pathetic Hypocricy of Israel and USA on Palestinian ICC Plans to Probe War Crimes in Gaza
I've touched before on the hypocritical attitude of the USA regarding the activities – or lack of activities – of the International Criminal Court, ICC with regard to international conflicts: here and here. In that case, the conflict in question pertained to Syria. Now, a few days ago, there were news of an official visit of the foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority, Riad al-Malki, to the ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, where the former urged the ICC to probe alleged war crimes of Israeli soldiers, IDF high officers, state officials and politicians during the recent and ong... more »
Gold and silver Update ( August 8 , 2014 ) - Chins demand still going strong - total chinese gold reserves now at 15,000 tons , numerous items from GATA touching on the precious metals !
https://www.bullionstar.com/article/chinese%20gold%20demand%201063%20mt%20ytd Chinese Gold Demand 1063 MT YTD Total Chinese Reserves Reach 15,000 Tonnes Published: 04-08-2014 20:32 [image: Chinese Gold Demand 1063 MT YTD] For ten days I've been on vacation without internet, hence I missed one week to report on withdrawals from the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) vaults. Here is a quick overview of what happened in the Chinese gold market in week 29 and 30. In week 29 (July 14 -18) 32 metric tonnes were withdrawn from SGE vaults and in week 30 (July 20 - 25) 33 tonnes were withdrawn. Both... more »
Obama: "America is coming to help" Airstrikes on Iraq, alone?
*UPDATES HAVE BEGUN!* *Scroll down* *Obama- the man makes me want to vomit!**CBC-* *"America is coming to help,*" Obama said during a *(late night)* news conference in the White House dining room. Why a late night conference? Coming to help who and for what? And how is it that airstrikes really ever help anyone? We can already notice the contradictions? *Reuters photographs showed what appeared to be Islamic State fighters controlling a checkpoint at the border area of the Kurdish semi-autonomous region,* little over 30 minutes' drive from Arbil, a city of 1.5 million that is hea... more »
Bipartisan Duo Push Criminal Justice Reform With REDEEM Act
Republican Senator Rand Paul has joined forces with Democratic Senator Cory Booker in pushing for reform of the way that the U.S. criminal justice system treats non-violent youthful offenders. It is encouraging in these twisted times of toxic political acrimony to actually see signs of forward thinking senators rise above the trench warfare to advocate for a higher cause. It is a cause that represents the best interests of our shared society in the long-term rather than just the capsule of an election cycle. The duo are working on getting legislation enacted that would remove the ... more »
Aisha North: A short update on the energies
http://aishanorth.wordpress.com/2014/08/07/a-short-update-on-the-energies-53/ A short update on the energies by Aisha North August 7, 2014 As you all know by now, the highway lies before you ready to be taken into full use. And what do we mean by that? Simply that now it is up to each and every one of you to determine the speed you want to go at, for this time, there will be no limits at all as to how fast you can proceed into this brand new territory that lies before you. You see, the gates are open and the signal has been given, and as such, you can take off at any time you want ... more »
Greg Hunter, “Weekly News Wrap-Up 8.8.14”
*“Weekly News Wrap-Up 8.8.14”* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com “Every story I have could have been the lead story, but I am starting with the Ukraine crisis. I told you that the downing of Malaysian flight 17 would not have any effect on what was coming. The investigation has been halted because of fighting in the area, and it really makes no difference who shot it down because war is coming no matter what. Right now, the economic war has intensified with Russia imposing its own sanctions on the EU and the U.S. It will be stopping many different agricultural products from enterin... more »
Russian Sanctions Expose West's "Global Disorder"
*August 8, 2014 *(Tony Cartalucci - LD) - In a report by the Sydney Morning Herald titled, "Julie Bishop says 'petulant' Russian sanctions reflect its lack of acceptance for role in MH17 disaster," it claims: *Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Russia's "petulant" trade sanctions on Australian food imports is yet another example of Moscow trying to evade responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.* However, Bishop fails to indicate why Russia should or would accept responsibility for downing an aircraft when no evidence whatsoever even suggests such culpability... more »
Would the President deliberately float amnesty to bait the GOP ? ( August 8 , 2014 ) -- While the country waits to see what Amnesty Executive Order is rolled out in the near term , consider these highlights on the restive Border Lands of the US .....
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/384920/amnesty-impeachment-bait-charles-krauthammer AUGUST 7, 2014 8:00 PM Amnesty as Impeachment Bait The president’s breathtakingly cynical plan to ward off a midterm shellacking By Charles Krauthammer - Archive - Latest - RSS - Send (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Print Text Comments 104 Charles Krauthammer President Obama is impatient. Congress won’t act on immigration, he says, and therefore he will. The White House is coy as to exactly what the president will do. But the leaks point to an executive order essentially legalizi... more »
Australia slides into Police State Mode ( August 8 , 2014 ) ---- Australia's metadata debate is an utter shambles The goalposts are moving hourly and ministers are contradicting intelligence agencies and themselves ......
What the heck is Australis doing ???? http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/06/australias_metadata_debate_is_an_utter_shambles/ Australia's metadata debate is an utter shamblesThe goalposts are moving hourly and ministers are contradicting intelligence agencies and themselves By Richard Chirgwin, 6 Aug 2014 43 RELATED STORIES - Spooks, cops, say Oz metadata push is for consistency, not data grab - *POLL* Help Australia's PM and attorney-general to define metadata - A modest proposal: Australian ISPs should JUMP at the chance to store metadata - Yes, Australia's govern... more »
Su-25 Attack Aircraft Production May Resume at Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant
[image: Su-25 Frogfoot]The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP) may resume the production of Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets, the plant’s managing director Leonid Belykh said. “We used to produce the Su-25 jets and today our equipment is still in good condition, so the question is under consideration. S ome serious investment will be needed, and it is likely that another factory will take up the production. But if the government orders us to do it, we shall do it. If the production is to be transferred to somebody else, so be it,” Belykh told RIA Novosti. Read more
Implausible Deniability - West's ISIS Terror Hordes in Iraq
*August 8, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - The US has pledged assistance for victims of and even possible "airstrikes" against terrorists who have surrounded and threaten to eradicate thousands of religious minorities in Iraq. However, the terrorists themselves are a product of US foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa, and instrumental in achieving Western objectives across the region. Punitive strikes and aid to the victims of what is essentially a Western mercenary army is part of maintaining plausible deniability. The terror hordes originated from NATO territory and... more »
Shaping a Global A330MRTT Fleet: Shaping Sustainable Airpower Reach
[image: A330 MRTT]An insertion force is characterized by strike, defense, lift, tanking and air battle management that can be effectively integrated to get to an objective area, and then to operate over and within until mission success. Sustainable reach is a fundamental operational objective. This means that lift and tanking assets are much more than “support” assets, they are part of the overall sustainable assault force. Read more
Federal government scraps plans to buy four new spy planes
[image: CP-140 Aurora]The federal government is scrapping plans to purchase as many as four new manned spy planes for domestic and international surveillance missions. The Department of National Defence notified military contractors on Tuesday that Ottawa is no longer considering purchasing the new planes, citing “security and technical feasibility” reasons. Rather than purchase the new planes, the department said it anticipates buying “some elements” in a competitive bidding process, and others directly from the United States government. Read more
Japan, US to develop fuel-cell submarine: report
Japan and the United States will jointly develop a fuel-cell powered submarine that can run for a month under the sea on a single charge, a report said on Friday. The top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the unmanned, 10-metre (33-feet) long sub would be able to chart a pre-programmed course before returning to base. The story, citing unnamed Japanese defence ministry officials, comes as Tokyo and Washington look to beef up their security alliance as they warily eye an increasingly assertive China. Read more
NATO set to cut three aircraft from AWACS fleet
[image: NATO E-3A Sentry]NATO looks set to reduce its E-3 Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) fleet from 17 to 14 aircraft, according to an upgrade contract awarded to Boeing on 6 August. The USD250 million contract will see the flight decks of 13 AWACS aircraft modernised to make them Global Air Traffic Management (GATM)-compliant. This is in addition to one engineering manufacturing and development (EMD) aircraft, which is due to enter flight testing later this year. Read more
Assessing China's airborne early warning and control systems
[image: KJ-2000 Mainring]China has successfully developed it own airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system, with the KJ-2000 and the KJ-200, reported overseas Chinese news outlet Duowei on Aug. 4. After China's initial attempts to develop its own system in the 1970s, the nation looked to Russia but the price was too high and the functionality fell short of China's expectations. An attempt to import the Israeli A-501 in the mid-1990s was blocked by the US and eventually fell through. In 2002, China stopped importing Russian AEW&C systems and developed its own, the KJ-2000 an... more »
Obama authorizes airstrikes in Iraq
[image: F/A-18 Super Hornet]The United States intervened militarily in Iraq early this morning for the first time since Islamist militants seized control of nearly half the country, dropping humanitarian supplies to tens of thousands of people who fled their homes when the Islamic State captured the city of Sinjar in northern Iraq. In a nationally televised address, President Barack Obama said he had also authorized targeted airstrikes “to protect American personnel,” citing an Islamic State advance on the city of Irbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government... more »
Navy to base 6 littoral combat ships at Mayport
[image: USS Freedom (LCS 1) & USS Indepencence (LCS 2)]The Navy made it official Thursday: Six littoral combat ships will be homeported at Mayport Naval Station starting in 2016, and more of the Navy's newest ships could be assigned there by 2020. The six ships would bring 900 sailors and support personnel to the Mayport area. The ships are the future Little Rock, Sioux City, Wichita, Billings, Indianapolis and LCS 19 (name pending). "Naval Station Mayport should be the rightful home of the Navy’s cutting edge ships and technologies, and I’m pleased by what the LCS will mean for Fl... more »
Last of deactivated Malmstrom missile silos eliminated
[image: Deactivated ICBM silo]The last of the deactivated intercontinental ballistic missile silos operated by Malmstrom Air Force Base were eliminated Tuesday. The silos were previously activated by the 564th Missile Squadron, which was deactivated in 2008. Under New START, a nuclear arms-reduction treaty with Russia, those empty silos counted as nondeployed missile launchers. New START, which was ratified in 2011, limits the U.S. and Russia to 800 nondeployed launchers. Read more
Russian Strategic Bombers Conduct More Than 16 Incursions of U.S. Air Defense Zones
[image: Tu-95 Bear]Russian strategic nuclear bombers conducted at least 16 incursions into northwestern U.S. air defense identification zones over the past 10 days, an unusually sharp increase in aerial penetrations, according to U.S. defense officials. The numerous flight encounters by Tu-95 Russian Bear H bombers prompted the scrambling of U.S. jet fighters on several occasions, and come amid heightened U.S.-Russia tensions over Ukraine. Also, during one bomber incursion near Alaska, a Russian intelligence-gathering jet was detected along with the bombers. Read more
Untitled
*The hidden “persuaders” of the environmentalist elite* *We can scarcely imagine the countless ways the ultra-rich Big Green / Big Government movement acts in consort to control our lives – at the behest of the 0.01% of uber-elites ... and at the expense of the 99% of American taxpayers, consumers, workers and citizens. Even worse, just when we think we are beginning to grasp the enormity of the problem, another report emerges to demonstrate that we still don’t know the half of it, or even the fiftieth. In this article, Washington Examiner columnist and Center for the Defense of Fr... more »
"A Sign Of The Times: Real Church Sign"
"Yeah, we're doing great, thanks for asking..."
"A Sign of The Times: Real Church Sign"
"Yeah, we're doing great, thanks for asking..."
"The Trojan Horse Of Our Demise"
*"The Trojan Horse Of Our Demise"* by Former meretricious traveller of the IPC "Equo ne credite, Teucri. Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes." (”Do not trust the Horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts.”) –Virgil, "The Aeneid" "The Trojan horses of our demise: ignorance, arrogance, violence and greed. If we seek analogies for our financial collapse, Trojan horses are more instructive than horsemen of the apocalypse. The latter may be useful to the Fundies with their tiresome end-time fantasies. The horsemen externalize evil; they are children’s... more »
"Be My Friend..."
“Do not walk in front of me... I may not follow, Do not walk behind me... I may not lead, Walk beside me and just be my friend.” - Author Unknown
Inner Peace - A Guest Post by Saker Saloum
Source: *https://plus.google.com/+SakerSaloum1973/posts?cfem=1&hl=sv*
'Jihadist' flag flown in east London | World | The Guardian
When even the Guardian reports this sort of story you know the situation is getting bad. ' A black flag with white Arabic writing, similar to those flown by jihadist groups, was flying at the entrance of an east London housing state near Canary Wharf. In a highly provocative gesture, the emblem was planted on top of the gates of the Will Crooks estate on Poplar High Street, and is surrounded by flags of Palestine and slogans. The jihadi flag outside the Poplar estate showing the Arabic script The Arabic script on the flag The flag bears similar writing to the jihadi flags that ha... more »
Beware: Israel the Eager Provocateur
*August 8, 2014 *(Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - With hostilities once again erupting between Israeli forces and Palestine, onlookers must keep in mind the greater agenda in which the current violence is playing out and the stated agenda of achieving hegemony over the Middle East in which Israel plays a pivotal role - as the "unilateral aggressor." *FOB Israel * Of course, Israel does nothing unilaterally. It is a stunted, militaristic faux-state that depends entirely on the West for its continued existence. From the funds it builds its military with, to the very hardware it buys and ma... more »
Friday Afternoon Ramble: A Late Edition
*Yeah, it’s a bit late today. So shoot me.* Labour and the Greens don't understand why their Capital Gains tax doesn’t do overseas what they claim it will do here. But they'd implement it anyway. *Capital gains tax not 'panacea' for housing crisis, Labour admits* – ROYAL NZ HERALD “"Ms Devoy may not know that the process of removing race from the laws of a country is actively underway in other countries [including Fiji]. These countries are concerned by the divisions and injustice caused by laws based on race." Actually, most NZ journalists don’t know it either, going by their ... more »
Sum rule constraint on BSM models
*Guest blog by Paul Frampton, paper by PF and Thomas Kephart* It is good to back after my unexpected sabbatical of 2 years and 4 months in South America. During that time the BEH scalar boson (called \(H\)) was discovered on July 4th, 2012 at the LHC by both the CMS and ATLAS groups. The subsequent experimental study of the production and decay of \(H\) provides particle phenomenology with the first really new data for decades. Physicists who are less than 50 years old cannot remember the excitement in particle phenomenology of the 1970s. In the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s which included...more »
Will The Ugliness Of The GOP Primary In Mississippi Swamp McConnell In Kentucky?
On top of the court case he filed last week to vacate the results of the Mississippi Senate election, Tea Party sore loser Chris McDaniel has been trying to pick a new fight-- this time with poor, embattled Miss McConnell, threatening to turn Kentucky's far right fringe-- which he so desperately needs in his neck-and-neck fight against Alison Lundergan Grimes-- into a pack of stay at home protestors in November. McDaniel is mad at the world-- especially after the state GOP told him to go pound sand last night. “As Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell has the opportunity to sho... more »
Vegan Recipe & Cookbook Review - Raw Lime Parfait from The HappyCow Cookbook (#HappyCowRoadTrip)
When I first became vegan, eating out was difficult. There weren't many veg-friendly restaurants, let alone vegan establishments. Servers typically didn't know what the word "vegan" meant and had no idea what was in the meals they served. We were relegated to picking and choosing items off the "a la carte" menu ... workable but not ideal. The *HappyCow* site is a valuable tool for vegetarians and vegans. Simply type in the name of a city and it will list vegetarian, vegan, and veg-friendly establishments in the area. It's a great resource for traveling or simply keeping up with rest... more »
Israel Confirms That Rockets Have Been Fired Form Gaza Thereby Violating The Cease-Fire (Updated)
*Israeli military: Rockets fired from Gaza violate cease-fire -- CNN* Gaza City (CNN) -- Rockets from Gaza hit Israel early Friday morning, breaching a cease-fire that had held for more than two days, the Israeli military said. "Moments ago, 2 rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel. Terrorists have violated the cease-fire," the Israel Defense Forces wrote on Twitter. It wasn't immediately clear how Israel would respond. The IDF pulled its ground forces out of Gaza on Tuesday but said they were maintaining "defensive positions" around the territory. Earlier, negotiators in Ca... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
"What's that in front of Orion? Forty kilometers north of Kahta, Turkey, lies Mount Nemrut, a mountain adorned with the fragments of vast statues built over 2000 years ago. The stone sculptures once stood nearly 10 meters high and depicted lions, eagles, various ancient gods, and King Antiochus I Theos, who ruled Commagene from 86 BC to 38 BC. Ruins of the bodies of several sitting figures are visible on the hill above, illuminated by moonlight. Zeus' head can be found near the above image's center, while the king's head is seen next closest to the horizon. *Click image for larger si... more »
"The Object Of Life..."
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." - Marcus Aurelius
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Makes A Surprise Visit To Afghanistan To Promote Power-Sharing Agreement
*Kerry In Kabul To Try To Break Deadlock Over Afghan Presidency -- Reuters* KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday for his second visit in under a month to push a deal between the country's two presidential candidates on how to share power after an audit of a disputed election is complete. Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah shook hands on an agreement to resolve the election row after Kerry's visit in July but they remain far apart on critical components of their pact to form a united government. Although a painstaking audit of all ... more »
President Obama Gets It Right On Iraq; US Military Should Airlift Maliki Out of The Green Zone And Drop Him In The Mountains
*Iraq's religious and political leaders are telling Prime Minister Maliki to stop with the blame game. Eight years in power is enough. * President Obama Makes a Statement on Iraq. Source: The White House. Date Published: August 7, 2014.
We Are At War With Radical Islam
*The Geography of Horror -- Peter Berger, American Interest* We are in effect at war with Islamist radicalism. It is very unhelpful if this reality is denied, as the Obama administration has tried to do. Two news items, spread within days over all the media, must be seen together so as to disclose an ominous reality. One was the news that Meriam Ibrahim and her family had finally arrived safely in the United States. The other news was that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was proclaimed Caliph of the new Islamic State. The story of Meriam Ibrahim tells of yet another horrendous cruelty perpet... more »
An Epic Slaughter Is Now Engulfing The Entire Middle East
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *Apocalypse Ignored: As Gaza Grabs The Headlines, Epic Slaughter Engulfs The Rest Of The Region. But Where Are The Protests? * The fragile ceasefire in Gaza was still holding last night after three days, offering a glimmer of hope that the brutal conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas might be at an end. Israel believes it has killed more than 700 Hamas fighters in the past four weeks and destroyed at least 32 of the underground passages through which Hamas smuggles weaponry and launches terrorist attacks on the country. In their cold-bl... more »
The Islamic State’s Bloody Campaign To Exterminate Minorities
*The Islamic State’s Bloody Campaign To Exterminate Minorities: ‘Even Genghis Khan Didn’t Do This’ -- Washington Post* In the back of a cavernous hall, standing behind rows of solemn-looking men, an Iraqi politician known for her passion began to shriek. Her name was Vian Dakhil: the lone representative of the Yazidi people in Iraq’s parliament. And she was asking for someone, anyone, to listen. The Islamic State had just expelled thousands of her people from the northern town of Sinjar. Stranded on a barren mountain without food or water, they faced extermination. Women, she said... more »
Breaking News: Gaza Ceasefire Broken. Mortars Have Been Fired At Israel Hours Before End Of Cease-Fire
*WNU Editor*: From Haretz: *Mortars fired at Israel, hours before end of cease-fire* *Update #1*: Al Jazeera is reporting explosions *in northern Gaza*. *Update #2:* *Two rockets strike near Eshkol, violating ceasefire *-- Times of Israel *WNU Editor*: This ceasefire is collapsing.
Does Jindal Have a Case with Common Core as Federal “Scheme”?
It is no secret that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has aspirations for the White House. On June 13, 2014, Jindal visited the “presidential testing ground,” Iowa. Many in Iowa did not know who he was. To me, a Louisianian, it is absolutely no surprise that Jindal said that a 2016 presidential run is “something” he […]
Obama Authorizes Targeted Airstrikes In Iraq
Source Brandon Turbeville President Barack Obama has now authorized airstrikes in Iraq for the purposes of allegedly targeting Sunni extremists and ISIS militants currently running rampant across the country. Obama can now authorize the strikes if it is deemed necessary to “prevent a potential act of genocide.” "I therefore authorized targeted air strikes if necessary to help forces in Iraq as they fight to break the siege and protect the civilians trapped there,” Obama said. Obama reassured Americans that he will “not allow the United States to be drawn into fighting another... more »
"Hope..."
"Hope gives us the courage to confront our circumstances and the capacity to surmount them." - Jerome Groopman
"Twilight of the Psychopaths"
*"Twilight of the Psychopaths"* by Dr. Kevin Barrett "Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it." - John Lennon When Gandhi was asked his opinion of Western civilization he said it would be a good idea. But that oft-cited quote is misleading, assuming as it does that civilization is an unmitigated blessing. Civilized people, we are told, live peacefully and cooperatively with their fellows, sharing the necessary la... more »
"Why Bother?"
"Still and all, why bother? Here’s my answer. Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.” - Kurt Vonnegut
Rating Schools: Use Library Quality
--> Response to LA Times editorial: Grading California's Schools, August 7 More relevant than using outcomes (test scores, graduation rates) in rating schools is an "input" factor: the quality of the library. Study after study shows that that students living in states with better school libraries do better on tests of reading achievement. California ranks near the bottom of the country in school library quality and is dead last in the ratio of school librarians per student. Our students get little help from the public library: According to the latest "most literate cities" rep... more »
Adventures in pressure canning: Today's Romano green beans...
*first time with the new pressure canner. It was fun.* *We'll talk about Odumbo being an a-hole some other time. * After finishing weeding the veggie garden, I picked two big bowls of Romano style green beans. Roma's are a large flat bean, very tender with lots of flavor. To cook, I steam them for a very short time, maybe 5 minutes, slather on the ghee, salt, and pepper. Like eating candy! But these critters were headed to my new pressure canner. I had the gauge checked at the Kootenai County Extension office on Tuesday, and I'm doubly glad I did. The gauge was a pound shy,... more »
“When the Money Runs Out... So Does the Empire”
*“When the Money Runs Out... So Does the Empire” * by Bill Bonner "In 2006, we wrote a book with Addison Wiggin called "Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis." The idea of the book was as follows: Empires are not the result of conscious thought; they happen when a group is large enough and powerful enough to impose itself on others. But empires are expensive. They are typically financed by theft and forced tribute. The imperial power conquers... steals... and then requires that its subjects pay "taxes" so that it can protect them. The US never got the hang of it. It ... more »
Sean Hannity Is The #1 Israel Shill In The United States
Above: Sean Hannity with his wannabe lover or blackmailer or employer Bibi Netanyahu. Monday through Friday this week, I turned on my local rightwing radio channel 94.3 "The Talker" on my way home from work at 5pm. Hannity devoted 100% of his shows this week to being blatantly, rabidly, embarrasingly pro-Israel. While every word out of his mouth was being an apologist for Israel, every single one of his guests was like an infomercial for Israel. One day he had on the mother of one of the 3 Israeli teens that were killed which supposedly gave "the reason" for Israel to start their ... more »
President Obama Has Authorized Airstrikes Against Islamic Militants In Iraq
*Obama Authorizes Targeted Airstrikes In Iraq -- CBS* President Obama authorized airstrikes "if necessary" against Islamic militants who have advanced into the Kurdish region of Iraq and seized the country's largest dam Thursday. The president also announced that the U.S. launched air drops of food and water on a mountain in northern Iraq on Thursday where a religious minority group remains trapped by Islamic militants. "At the direction of the Commander in Chief, the U.S. military conducted a humanitarian assistance operation in Northern Iraq to air drop critical meals and water... more »
U.S. Drops Aid to Iraqis (Update: President Barack Obama Has Authorized Airstrikes In Iraq To Protect U.S. Personnel)
*U.S. Drops Aid to Iraqis; Militants Are Hit -- New York Times* WASHINGTON — United States military aircraft on Thursday dropped food and water to thousands of Iraqis besieged by Islamic militants on a mountaintop in northern Iraq, a senior Pentagon official said. The military made the announcement after the supplies had been delivered and the planes had left the area. President Obama was scheduled to discuss the mission in a televised address Thursday night. Kurdish and Iraqi officials said that airstrikes had begun Thursday night on towns in northern Iraq seized by the Islamic S... more »
Iraqi Officials Claim US-Led Airstrikes Begin Against ISIS Militants in Iraq
*Nick Bernabe | The Anti-Media* *Image credit: Ian Vaughan* According to the New York Times, Iraqi and Kurdish officials say that US airstrikes have begun in northern Iraqi areas controlled by ISIS militants, *“Kurdish and Iraqi officials attributed the bombing campaign to American forces. An announcement on Kurdish television of what was described as an American intervention prompted street celebrations and horn-honking by residents of towns under siege by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.”* Pentagon officials have denied these claims. ISIS, now known as IS or the Isla... more »
THE GAZA CONFLICT: IRRISISTIBLE FORCE MEETS IMMOVABLE OBJECT
It doesn’t look good for the people in the Gaza Strip. It’s unlikely that the present ceasefire will hold long enough for there to be any meaningful outcome for both the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Israelis are demanding the Palestinians disarm and the Palestinians flatly refuse to do so. It is an all too familiar tactic that the Israelis have always employed when dealing with the Palestinians whereby they make an unrealistic offer which they know the Palestinians cannot possibly accept and then, when the Palestinians reject the offer, the Israelis and their backers blame th... more »
Tomorrow night, for the 40th anniversary of Nixon's abdication, Dick Cavett shares his bird's-eye view of Watergate
"With the exception of the nightly network news shows, no one on television devoted more airtime to Watergate than talk show host Cavett. From 1972 to 1974, America watched the Watergate scandal unfold on *The Dick Cavett Show* as Cavett interviewed nearly every major Watergate figure — on both sides of the crisis — including John Ehrlichman, Alexander Haig, G. Gordon Liddy, Jeb Magruder and members of the Senate Watergate Committee: Senators Howard Baker, Daniel Inouye, Herman Talmadge, Lowell Weicker, and more." *-- from the PBS preview materials for Dick Cavett's Watergate,whic... more »
No Agreement To Extend Gaza Cease-Fire As Deadline Looms (Update: Hamas Will Not Extend Cease-Fire)
*Mediators Race Against Clock To Extend Gaza Truce -- Reuters* (Reuters) - Mediators worked against the clock on Thursday to extend a truce between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, as the three-day ceasefire entered its final hours. Israel said it was ready to agree to an extension as Egyptian go-betweens pursued talks with Israeli and Palestinian delegates in Cairo on ending a war that has devastated the Hamas-controlled enclave. Palestinians want an Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza lifted and prisoners held by Israel to be freed. Hamas's armed wing said it wa... more »
NSA Leaker Edward Snowden Has Been Given Russian Asylum For 3 Years
*Russia Extends Snowden’s Asylum For 3 Years – Lawyer -- RIA Novosti* MOSCOW, August 7 (RIA Novosti) — Russian authorities have extended the temporary asylum for fugitive National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden for three years starting from August 1, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said Thursday. Russia’s Federal Migration Service refused to comment on the report. Political asylum is not under consideration. In this case, a decision was made about his residence permit. The permission was issued for three years with a possibility of extension for another three year... more »
How Longterm And Widespread Corruption In Ukraine Brought About The Crisis Of Today
Banknotes of Ukrainian hryvnia are seen in Kiev in this May 23, 2012 file photo. Credit: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/Files *Special Report: How Scams And Shakedowns Brought Ukraine To Its Knees -- Steve Stecklow, Elizabeth Piper and Oleksandr Akymenko, Reuters* (Reuters) - Late last year, Ukraine’s consumer protection agency began filing lawsuits against Foxtrot, the country’s largest electronics retailer. By early March, Foxtrot faced at least 231 separate suits that demanded fines totaling more than $150 million. Many of the suits accused the company of minor violations of Ukraine’s l... more »
Russian Bombers Are Testing U.S. Air Defenses
Russian Tu-95 bombers (Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov) *Russian Strategic Bombers Conduct More Than 16 Incursions of U.S. Air Defense Zones -- Washington Free Beacon* ‘Spike’ in Bear H flights over past week seen as test of U.S. air defenses Russian strategic nuclear bombers conducted at least 16 incursions into northwestern U.S. air defense identification zones over the past 10 days, an unusually sharp increase in aerial penetrations, according to U.S. defense officials. The numerous flight encounters by Tu-95 Russian Bear H bombers prompted the scrambling of U.S. jet fighters on severa... more »
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: Iraq ‘Falling Apart,’ ‘Not The Way It Was Supposed To Be’
*Wolf Blitzer: Iraq ‘Falling Apart,’ ‘Not the Way It Was Supposed to Be’ -- Washington Free Beacon* CNN’s Wolf Blitzer described to viewers the grim reality Iraqis face. Speaking on television Thursday afternoon, Wolf said, “The whole country of Iraq is seemingly falling apart right now. This was not the way it was supposed to be after President Obama announced that all U.S. forces would be leaving. He was hoping obviously, that there would be some peaceful transition there.” He continued, “Iraq right now falling apart and tens of thousands of minorities- Christians and Yazidis a... more »
US participating in international Eager Lion exercise in Jordan - News - Stripes
AMMAN, Jordan — Eager Lion, a 12-day annual military exercise involving 8,000 personnel from 19 countries, is underway as the civil war rages next door in Syria. About 5,000 Americans from all services are participating in the Jordanian-led exercise, which will focus on “issues such as integrated air and missile defense and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to address current and future conflicts’ security issues,” said Maj. Gen. Awni al Adwan of the Jordanian army and chairman of the joint task force. Jordanian and U.S. officials played down any link between the exercise an... more »
Time to stick a stake through the heart of the Resource Management Act
[image: Whose_Bloody_Land_is_it_Anyway] I’ve waited twenty f’ing years for a mainstream politician to say this, and when they finally do it’s when their party is heading down the gurgler. But at least it’s finally being said: *Resource Management Act - It’s a failure - time to chuck it out – start again* "It is time the politicians admitted the RMA is a failure." said ACT Leader Dr Jamie Whyte. " National's Nick Smith has promised another series of minor amendments to the RMA saying the law is holding back the country's economy. He is just tinkering with a wreck. No one thinks... more »
Ukraine situation ( August 4 , 2014 ) - a detailed look at the state of play in the ongoing civil war , sanctions and counter sanction watch , economic impacts - intended and unintended !
Catharsis Ours - 20 hours ago
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2014/08/ukraine-sitrep-by-gleb-bazov.html MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2014 Ukraine SITREP by Gleb Bazov *The Shrinking Cauldron - The Surrender of the 72nd Brigade* The Southern Cauldron has entered the final stages of its existence; the agony of the units deprived of provisions has begun. The Surrender of the 72nd Brigade Original: Colonel Cassad LiveJournal Translated from Russian by Gleb Bazov Today, the remnants of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade fled into the territory of the Russian Federation. According to Russia Today: Four hundred and thir... more »
Iraqi And Kurdish Sources Are Reporting That U.S. Airstrikes On ISIS Militants Have Begun (Update: Pentagon Denies)
Islamic State militants stand guard after controlling a checkpoint in Khazer at the border area of the Kurdish semi-autonomous region, August 7, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer *Airstrikes On ISIS Militants Have Begun, Kurds and Iraqis Say -- New York Times* WASHINGTON — Airstrikes on towns in northern Iraq seized by Islamist militants began late Thursday in what Kurdish and Iraqi officials called the first stage of an American-led intervention to blunt the militants’ advance and provide emergency aid to tens of thousands of refugeeds. The Pentagon firmly denied that American force... more »
As Bombs Away in Iraq, Cass Sunstein/CIA Committee Prepares Snowden Response???
Isn't Cass short for Cassandra? Or just Miss Info? “Statement by the Press Secretary on the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology – On August 9, President Obama called for a high-level group of experts to review our intelligence and communications technologies. Today the President met with the members of this group: Richard Clarke, Michael Morell, Geoffrey Stone,
Russia Is Calling Up It's Military Reserves
Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square May 9, 2014. Grigory Dukor / Reuters *Russia Calls Up Military Reserves -- Guardian Liberty Voice* Russia’s Defense Ministry is calling up military reserve units for training and drills. The Defense Ministry website indicates that exercises and tactical training will be conducted from now through October. The notice gives details on the units, where they will train, and the nature of their exercises. Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, began calling up Ukraine’s reservists last week, and the Ukrainia... more »
Top Ukrainian Rebel 'Prime Minister' Of Donetsk Region Resigns
Alexander Borodai (left), the former leader of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic", shakes hands with his replacement, Alexander Zakharchenko. Credit: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters *Donetsk People’s Republic Prime Minister Resigns, Names Field Commander as Successor -- RIA **Novosti* MOSCOW, August 7 (RIA Novosti) — The prime minister of Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Boroday, announced his resignation Thursday. «I came here as a crisis manager, a startuper if you wish. A lot was done in the past days, and DPR has proven itself as a state. Now I cede my place to a res... more »
Ukraine Civil War News Updates -- August 7, 2014
*Ukraine’s Donetsk Becomes Ghost Town As National Forces Shell Separatists -- FOX News* DONETSK, Ukraine – Residents of this eastern Ukrainian city are fleeing in droves as national forces step up mortar attacks aimed at dislodging the pro-Russian separatists who are clinging to control of a city once populated by 1 million people. An eerie calm has descended over the nearly deserted city center and suburbs alike, the silence broken only by the sporadic shelling that becomes heaviest at night. Those Donetsk residents who have remained are on edge, as forces sent by Kiev have step...more »
Mahdi al-Harati (CIA/AQ/ MB) Selected mayor of Libyan capital Tripoli ?
*What a fortuitous turn of events for the NATO global war machine*!! To have their man in place in Tripoli, the Libyan capital..... WOW! AQ/CIA/Mossad/NATO- Mahdi is their man *The 'rebel warrior' Mr al Harati Mayor of Tripoli. Not really elected. Mahdi al Harati was S-elected.* *“An Irishman who commanded rebel groups in both Libya and Syria has been elected as the mayor of Tripoli, it has been reported.* *Mahdi al-Harati, an Irish citizen from Firhouse in Dublin, was chosen as the city head by the Libyan capital’s new municipal council on Wednesday, state news agency Lana said.* ... more »
Why Only Morons Will Buy Into Another US War
"Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, IT IS THE LEADERS of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is TELL THEM THEY ARE BEING ATTACKED, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the ... more »
Hypocrisy in the Debate about Income Inequality
A popular and frequently-cited “inequality” discourse has risen to challenge the dominant neoliberal discourse that economic deregulation and globalization will “raise all boats” by increasing the overall standard of living in western economies, particularly by increasing access to lending, as illustrated by Wolfowitz’s short tenure heading the World Bank (see Hitt, 2005). Several well-established academic economists – especially Emmanuel Saez (2008) and Thomas Piketty (2014) - have played particularly important roles in establishing the most-often cited discourse of economic ine... more »
Neil Young: Chemical Factory Farming Threatens the "Garden of the World"
Heather Callaghan While people have been torn over beloved astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson's recent comments on genetically modified organisms, another beloved Neil took a stand - largely unnoticed. While Tyson claims he never took a side, he still holds that genetic engineering is no different than what we've been doing for tens of thousands of years. One gets the impression from his view that corporatism and science become one for survival - despite negative consequences - and anyone who objects can go back to...being backward? Neil Young took an entirely different point-of-v... more »
IDF Hamas Human Shield Manual a Sloppy Forgery - The Evidence
*The Israeli Defense Force just got caught red handed manufacturing fake evidence to prop up their Gaza narrative* On August 4, 2014 the IDF released what they claimed to be scans of a captured Hamas combat manual which explains the benefits of human shields (Captured Hamas Combat Manual Explains Benefits of Human Shields). This juicy story got quite a few people excited, and within 2 days their blog post had over 81,000 likes on Facebook. It turns out though, that the documents that they uploaded were forgeries, and sloppy forgeries at that. The work was so shoddy that you ... more »
FORCED TO FIGHT IN UKRAINE
Some Ukrainian soldiers have been appalled by the methods used by the army in the east. Over 400 troops crossed the border to Russia seeking refuge there. Maria Finoshina met some of them.
A Centrist Platform Will Not Turn Out Democratic Voters In NY-19… And Neither Will Steve Israel's Bagels And Lox
After college, a whole lot of friends of mine chose to move out of NYC and raise their families in the northern Hudson Valley. The ones who moved up to Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia wound up in a quintessential swing district, NY-19. The district is 89.7% white and the median household income is $53,769, a bit below the state's $55,246. This area used to be part of the Republican heartland of the Northeast and even a very successful local boy, Franklin Roosevelt, never carried the area in any of his presidential runs! Even George Bush won the district both times. More recently, as... more »
Newspapers: Sponsored content, advertorials and the shifting balance of power
Norm Farrell has a useful post about sponsored content, the new name for advertorials. And The Gazetteer wondered what I thought, as a former newspaper manager. Farrell says sponsored content is bad. “How should readers react when business pages are presented by an industry lobby like the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers? I don't care to pay a newspaper that presents promotional pieces of advertisers as news nor do I wish to pay a newspaper that hesitates to publish stories that affect reputations of its sponsors,” he asks. “If the Vancouver Sun's business pages are pres... more »
Fetus Tunnel Vision and Lying for Baybeez
Just because it's so rare to see evidence of intelligence or self-awareness among fetus fetishists, I offer these two links. Here's an anti-choice "trainer"(whatever that is) who admits that *gasp* not everything is about abortion. One of my colleagues at Students for Life of America recently asked me for an example of pro-lifers doing things that appear weird to our society. The first thing that came to mind was something that my brother Timothy and I call FTV: “Fetus Tunnel Vision.” *fetus tunnel vision* *noun* 1. the inability to see and/or acknowledge human rights injusti... more »
World News Briefs -- August 7, 2014
*Twelve Hours Before Truce Ends, Israeli Official Says No Agreement On Extending Cease-Fire -- Haaretz* Israeli and Palestinian representatives in Cairo still trying to negotiate extension; senior official says Israel taking Hamas threats to renew fire very seriously. With 12 hours to go until the expiration of the cease-fire in Gaza, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday that at this stage there is no agreement on extending the break in fighting between Israel and Hamas, and that Israel was taking very seriously Hamas threats to renew its rocket fire toward Israel when the... more »
August 7:A pause to revisit August 5
I had a lot to cover in the last blog - so an important topic got lost. It's Tuesday's paper, p. A1 (NB's natural resources debate rages). It's on the development on shale gas, etc. It shows both sides - BUT - one side comes first and takes up half of a long article. Any journalist knows that not many readers will be sticking around after the first half. The first half is a cheer for development, and the cheerleader is Dr. Savoie of U de Moncton. (Have you ever heard Dr. Savoie make any criticism of anything the Irvings want?) There is also ample reference to Prof. Saillant's book... more »
Listen to teachers, read the research
Sent to the Jewish Journal, August 7, 2014 Ellie Herman ("To save education, listen to teachers," August 6) points out that many of those driving education policy in the US have never taught. The situation is even worse: Education policy makers are also ignorant of educational research: They are unaware that scientific studies published in professional journals provide no support for the massive amount of testing done in schools today, and that study after study shows that the most serious problem facing American education is our high rate of poverty, not the lack of tough standards... more »
Failure at An Early Age
Fourteen years ago Louisiana had the dubious distinction of being the first state in the Union to require elementary school students to pass a state test, the LEAP, to be promoted to the next grade. Parents, teachers, and principals in high poverty neighborhoods all over Louisiana knew what was coming, and all the "Lean on Jesus" test prep rallies that could be staged by parents and churches did not alter the plague of failure among 4th and 8th graders who were retained until they could pass the test. Test results predictably reflected family wealth and income, as all high stakes t... more »
Bolivia President declares Israel 'terrorist' nation, urges global boycott
President Morales speaks out against Israeli terrorism and US imperialism By Brenda Norrell Indigenous Resistance Bolivia President Evo Morales has called for a boycott against Israel. Morales, founder of the Network in Defense of Humanity, condemned both the genocide being carried out by Israel in Palestine, and the United States for its hypocrisy and feeding Israel's military. The
Mosul Archbishop Nikodimos Daoud: ISIS Perpetrates Genocide against Iraq's Christians
Mosul Archbishop Nikodimos Daoud: ISIS Perpetrates Genocide against Iraq's Christians. Date Published: August 7, 2014. Source: MEMRI TV.
Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone
I'm not ashamed to admit it. *Better Off Alone* is a damn fine tune from 1999, a song that soundtracked my summer in a sweltering factory.
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 7, 2014
*U.S. Weighs Airstrikes On Iraq -- Wall Street Journal* Washington Wants to Aid Religious Minority Besieged by Insurgents The U.S. military is considering launching airstrikes and dropping emergency relief supplies into Iraq to aid members of a religious minority driven into the mountains last weekend by Sunni extremist militants who now are imperiling other areas in northern Iraq, U.S. defense officials said. Last Sunday, the militant group Islamic State took over Sinjar, a Kurdish-controlled town with a large population of Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking group that follow a pre-Isla... more »
Road Trip Lego Boxes
We have had a crazy summer this year. My brother's wedding, a vacation and many, many sleepovers at grandmas, just to name a few. My sister brought her five boys out for 6 weeks this summer, after not being together for just about four years, it was so much fun to be able to be together this summer. The not fun part? The two 30 hour drives that her family had to take to get here and back home again. Road trips with kids can be exhausting, but these little Lego boxes are easy to whip up and provide hours of entertainment, without worrying about losing the pieces. You will need: ... more »
Obama Wines and Dines African Dictators as Ebola Spreads - Geneva Business Insider
This month on the Geneva Business Insider, James Corbett and David L. Smith discuss: the latest on the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the decision to send infected patients to Germany and the US for treatment; the conflict in Gaza and what it has done to the population of the world's largest open-air prison; and the latest moves on the Eastern European chessboard as Putin bristles at Poland's "Ukraine invasion" fears. *Be the Change! Donate Today!* *Get truth delivered to your inbox every week.* *Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter:* *Delivered b... more »
“Vonnegut on Nagasaki”
*“Vonnegut on Nagasaki”* by John LaForge “The rights and wrongs of Hiroshima are debatable,” Telford Taylor, the chief prosecutor at Nuremberg, once said, “but I have never heard a plausible justification of Nagasaki” — which he labeled a war crime. In his 2011 book “Atomic Cover-Up,” Greg Mitchell says, “If Hiroshima suggests how cheap life had become in the atomic age, Nagasaki shows that it could be judged to have no value whatsoever.” Mitchell notes that the US writer Dwight MacDonald cited in 1945 America’s “decline to barbarism” for dropping “half-understood poisons” on a civ... more »
CHOMSKY ON ISRAEL'S "SADISTIC" GAZA ATTACK
Hideous. Sadistic. Vicious. Murderous. That is how Noam Chomsky describes Israel’s 29-day offensive in Gaza that killed nearly 1,900 people and left almost 10,000 people injured. Chomsky has written extensively about the Israel/Palestine conflict for decades. After Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009, Chomsky co-authored the book, “Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians” with Israeli scholar Ilan Pappé. His other books on the Israel/Palestine conflict include “Peace in the Middle East? Reflections on Justice and Nationhood” and “The Fateful Tria... more »
The Politics of Artificial Intelligence and Automation
The Pew Research Internet Project released a report yesterday, “AI, Robotics, and the Future of Jobs” where it describes a bit of a contradictory vision: the future is bright and the future is bleak. The survey, issued to a nonrandomized group of “experts” in the technology industry and academia, asked particular questions about the future Continue reading
The Daily "Near You?"
Santo Estêvão, Santarem, Portugal. Thanks for stopping by.
“Gaia's Psychic Scream: Why Ecological Destruction Leads to Human Conflict”
*“Gaia's Psychic Scream: * *Why Ecological Destruction Leads to Human Conflict”* by Mike Adams “Can you feel it? Something isn't right with the world. Viral pandemics, wars, droughts, escalations of violence, irrational behavior, corporate greed gone wild, open border conflicts, media madness and more... Clearly, something has shifted away from balance. At first, I thought these events were lining up just by coincidence, but now I'm convinced there's a common cause behind it all. Something, in other words, is driving humanity into a state of madness. But what is it? I've pondered t... more »
"Missing Our Old Habits: Enduring Discomfort"
*"Missing Our Old Habits: Enduring Discomfort"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "Sometimes when we break a habit or addiction we find ourselves missing it like a dear friend. Whenever we make the effort to free ourselves of an addiction or a habit we no longer need, we are often surprised to find ourselves missing the old pattern as we would a familiar friend. This sounds counterintuitive, because we think we should instinctively gravitate toward that which is good for us. And yet, it makes a lot of sense when you consider that we humans are creatures of habit. This is why we gravita... more »
and tomorrow
Sarah Montague acts out the news headlines with colourful vocal intonation. It reminds me of a 12 year-old of my acquaintance practicing for a speech and drama recital. ‘You have to put expression in’ she said as she grappled with the challenge of injecting emotion into a poem about an owl. The way Sarah Montague says ‘Gaza’ is a typical example. She enunciates it as one trying to evoke a little kitten. ‘Aww, Gaaahza’. On the other hand, the word ‘Israel’ is expelled with audible spittle-fleck. She must be visualising a rattlesnake. We’ve already had an avalanche of emoting about... more »
“3 Ways Your Fear of Being Alone Sabotages Your Relationships”
*“3 Ways Your Fear of Being Alone Sabotages Your Relationships”* by Sherrie Campbell, PhD “Being single isn't fun. In fact, it can be a very lonely time, and that time only becomes worse if being single or being alone is your biggest fear. There are many benefits to alone time and the most significant benefit is learning how to love yourself, stand on your own and work on building your confidence. There is nothing more appealing than confidence and nothing more attractive. If you continue to end up in dead-end relationships, your fear of being alone is probably keeping you with the... more »
Greg Hunter, “Gregory Mannarino- System Is Dead- Cascade of Events Will Happen”
*Greg Hunter, * *“Gregory Mannarino- System Is Dead- Cascade of Events Will Happen”* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com “Analyst/trader Gregory Mannarino says the recent Argentina bond default is a big deal and is a symptom of a much bigger global problem—debt. Mannarino explains, “I’ve been talking about the insurmountable debt problem for years now. It is the greatest threat to humankind—period. What really needs to be understood here is that it is not just a financial issue, but also a resource issue. We have been allowed through this mechanism of failing monetary system that pulls... more »
Access to books helps close the reading gap in kindergarten
--> Access to books helps close the reading gap in kindergarten Stephen Krashen Fryer and Levitt (2004) examined reading and math test scores in kindergarten and grade 1 from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (about 1000 schools). Their focus was the gap between black and white children. For reading, the difference between black and white children at the start of kindergarten was .40 (where 0 = mean, sd = 1). Thus, black children scored 40% of a standard deviation below white children. When Fryer and Levitt controlled for SES, (parents occupation, parent occupation, household... more »
US will NOT work with Assad to fight AQ/ISIS aka Nato's Islamist mercs
*This news should come as no surprise to anyone, anywhere, at all!* *U.S. Rules Out Working With Syria’s Assad to Counter al Qaeda * *President Barack Obama has called on Mr. Assad to step aside* and has promised to step up military aid to the moderate Syrian opposition, though rebel leaders say U.S. support has been too small in scale to make a difference on the battlefield where they are fighting a two-front war against the Assad regime and Islamists. During the meeting with Caesar (PR created PSYOP hashed and rehashed twice here) and other opposition leaders, *the two White Hou... more »
SPECIAL FEATURE: David Rovics' Palestine
*SPECIAL FEATURE: David Rovics' Palestine Set on Soundcloud* All David's songs about Palestine in one place for free download or streaming, starting with "Gaza," just written in July, 2014. *Be the Change! Donate Today!* *Get truth delivered to your inbox every week.* *Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter:* *Delivered by FeedBurner*
PLEADING FOR LIFE IN IRAQ
The war of insurgency that ISIL Takfiri militants have waged in Iraq is indiscriminately affecting people from all faiths living in the country. Now concerns are rising over the plight of a specific minority, the Yazidis also known as Izadis, who face extermination as a result of the ISIL violence in the north. The Iraqi parliament has been urged to help do something for the plight of one of the world’s most ancient minorities. It's all very complicated in Iraq and I am not following the day-by-day story enough to have a good opinion. Here though is a report from the Vineyard of... more »
Can The Islamic State Be Stopped?
*Will Anyone Stop ISIS? -- Josh Levs, CNN* (CNN) -- If you're following the news about ISIS, which now calls itself the Islamic State, you might think you've mistakenly clicked on a historical story about barbarians from millennia ago. In a matter of months, the group seized territory in both Iraq and Syria and declared an Islamic caliphate, celebrating its own shocking slaughter along the way. "I don't see any attention from the rest of the world," a member of the Yazidi minority in Iraq told the New Yorker. "In one day, they killed more than two thousand Yazidi in Sinjar, and t... more »
PLANE CRASH VIEW FROM MALAYSIA
*MH 17: WHO STANDS TO GAIN? * By Chandra Muzaffar The Russian military has released military monitoring data which challenge allegations circulating in the media pertaining to the MH 17 crash in the Donetsk Region of Eastern Ukraine on July 17 2014. Questions have been raised about Kiev military jets tracking MH 17, Ukrainian air traffic controllers and the deployment of Buk missile systems. Kiev should also release military data on the circumstances leading to the crash. So should the Pentagon which re... more »
President Obama Is Considering Launching Air Strikes Or Airdrops Of Food And Medicine To Aid Trapped Iraqis Fleeing Islamic Militants
President Obama. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza *Obama Weighs Military Strikes To Aid Trapped Iraqis, Officials Say -- New York Times* WASHINGTON — President Obama is considering airstrikes or airdrops of food and medicine to address a humanitarian crisis among as many as 40,000 religious minorities in Iraq who have been dying of heat and thirst on a mountaintop after death threats from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, administration officials said on Thursday. The president, in meetings with his national security team at the White House on Thursday morning, has been... more »
Islamic State Has Captured Iraq's Biggest Dam
Reuters *Rebels Capture Iraq’s Largest Dam -- New York Times* ERBIL, Iraq — Sunni militants captured the Mosul dam, the largest in Iraq, on Thursday as their advances in the country’s north created an onslaught of refugees and set off fearful rumors in Erbil, the Kurdish regional capital. Residents near the dam and officials in the region confirmed that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, held the dam, a potentially catastrophic development for Iraq’s civilian population. The dam, which sits on the Tigris River and is about 30 miles northwest of the city of Mosul, provi... more »
New Spy Tech Can Recover Voice Imprints From Physical Objects
*Activist Post* Thanks to a new eavesdropping technology developed by MIT, speech can now be recovered from any physical object simply from the sound wave imprint left by an individual. Even more impressive is that researchers could detect speech from an object photographed from 15 feet away through soundproof glass, as well as analyze video recordings and extract the data from objects in a room even when the people targeted were off camera. You can see the full demonstration of how this "visual microphone" technology works, and how it combines with other similar discoveries, in ... more »
Searching For Answers About The Ebola Virus Fear: Ebola - Another Round For The Propaganda Matrix
With the situation in Gaza in a momentary "cease fire" and very suddenly and almost magically the Jew spew mainstream media distancing themselves from the LIES that the MH17/MH370 shoot down over the Ukraine was done by Russia, all news has suddenly turned towards the "outbreak" of the new and improved Ebola Virus in west Africa... I for one am not sold on this sudden outbreak and "epidemic" being a fluke and have indeed looked at all the evidence so far... I see this as definitely a manufactured and weaponized virus (explains the US "patent" on this new Ebola Virus as well as this ... more »
Kurdish Peshmerga claim to have killed ISIS leader Tarkhan Batirhvili aka Abu Omar al-Shishani
I do not believe this news to be true. Not based on this one report. I do not believe this news to be true because this killing is being claimed by the Peshmerga who are completely in bed with NATO/US/Israel/UK Until there is more verification of this claim, I am going to say worth noting, but absolutely worth questioning. Long time readers will know who/what Abu Omar al-Shishani is claimed to be: *Fierce ISIS fighter* Long time readers here will also be aware of what/ who I believe him to really be: *Specials ops/NATO affilited * *kurd.net * ISIS leader Tarkhan Batirhvili aka Abu... more »
Iraq's Largest Christian City Has Fallen To Advancing Islamic Militants. Tens Of Thousands Are Reported Fleeing
*ISIS Overtakes Iraq's Largest Christian City -- CNN* (CNN) -- Iraq's largest Christian town has been overrun by the same militant Islamists who have gained a foothold in parts of eastern Syria and western and northern Iraq. The latest advance by ISIS (or the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) has caused thousands of Christians in the city to flee, just as other minority groups targeted by ISIS have done, as well as Shiite Muslims. The French government confirmed that the Iraqi city of Qaraqosh has fallen into the hands of the militant al Qaeda ... more »
An Opportunity In Montana-- A Chance To Swap Out John Walsh For Progressive Icon Franke Wilmer?
*UPDATE:* John Walsh officially dropped out of the race this morning. When the DSCC under Schumer tried to insert a Beltway-oriented corporate DLC hack, John Morrison as the Democratic candidate against floundering Republican incumbent Conrad Burns in 2006, Montana Democrats rose up and slapped Schumer down by nominating insurgent populist John Tester (now *Senator* John Tester). Though Schumer made sure Morrison could outspend Tester two to one, Democratic voters gave Tester a 65,757 (61.8) to 38,394 (35.5%) drubbing and then went on to win a seat that the pundits said would be "... more »
Top 10 U.S. Military Helicopters Of All Times (Photo Gallery)
NUMBER 1. BOEING AH-64 APACHE is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 Chain Gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft's forward fuselage. It has four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons, typically carrying a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. The AH-64 has a large amount of systems redundancy to improve combat ... more »
Where The U.S. And Europe Get Their Fuel
(*Click on Image to Enlarge*) Simran Khosla/GlobalPost *Here's Where The US And EU Get Their Fuel [MAPS] -- Business Insider/Global Post* Using data from the World Trade Organization we created these maps to show which foreign nations the United States and European Union get most of their fuel imports from. The World Trade Organization defines fuels as petroleum, natural gas, coal, and other energy products. Russia is a prominent trading partner for both the EU and the United States. *Read more *.... *My Comment:* Bottom line .... the EU is screwed.
U.S. Sailor Survives Having A 50,000 lb F/A -18 Run Over Him On The Flight Deck Of The USS George H.W. Bush
The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, front, and the guided-missile cruisers USS Philippine Sea and USS Gettysburg participate in a group sail. All three ships are part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group and are underway conducting training operations in the Atlantic Ocean. Navy Visual News Service.Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Bash *Virginia Beach Sailor Loses Leg In Aircraft Carrier Mishap -- CBS* VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is said to be one of the most dangerous places in the world. It’s something Heather Kolhepp’s fami... more »
Rachel Roth : Are Texas jails safe for pregnant women?
Jails in the state are endangering pregnant women and their fetuses, despite the state’s professed interest in ‘unborn babies.’ By Rachel Roth | The Rag Blog | August 7, 2014 What’s going on in Texas? Jails in the state are … finish reading Rachel Roth : Are Texas jails safe for pregnant women?
A Jewish American Woman Who Lived In Palestine Speaks Out Against The Israeli Occupation
*A Jewish American woman (Anna Baltzer) who spent time in Palestine to observe and document human rights violations and to help with the overall situation there explains and shares photographs of her experiences while living in Palestine. * *"Anna Baltzer* is such an amazing person and the perspective she brings to the cause is beyond words. Check out her page and give her a like to show some support!" ~ Tone S. Listen to more *David Rovics* music below (featured in Anna Baltzer's video): *Listen to more David Rovics music here. **SPECIAL FEATURE: Palestine Set on Soundclo... more »
THE CAR CULTURE
Mr. Big loves cars especially the financing the oil is a nice additional addiction to the wallet We were taught to carry our wallet, like bearing the cross around our necks, a public acknowledgement of our servitude we are all on this sinking ship together Obama says to Africa *"Coca-Cola will help provide clean water, General Electric will assist with infrastructure development, and Marriott will build more hotels."* Look the hell out Africa! Mr. Big is coming to town tonight You gonna get, like India got, cars and wallets financing is nice from the west to the east Mr. Big ... more »
A Historical Look At Five U.S. Generals Killed By Hostile Forces
Maj Gen Dillard, Maj Gen Greene, Gen Sedgwick *Five US Generals Killed In Action -- Annie Waldman, BBC* Maj Gen Harold Greene, killed by an Afghan soldier in an insider attack, follows a long line of US generals killed in war. And their deaths say much about the changing nature of warfare. In the past decade, thousands of American soldiers have lost their lives to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet news this week of Maj Gen Harold Greene's death made headlines. Gen Greene is not only the highest ranking US military official to have been killed since the start of the war in Afgh... more »
When Old Meets New: the "Religion" Template
http://removingtheshackles.blogspot.com/2014/08/when-old-meets-new-religion-template.html THURSDAY, 7 AUGUST 2014 *When Old Meets New: the "Religion" Template* by D. Further to yesterdays article about Templates, today I would like to discuss another major template that has been playing out for eons and is a major part of controlling the people. This is the template of "Religion". http://removingtheshackles.blogspot.ca/2014/08/the-phoenix-that-wouldnt-rise.html Back in the "good ol' days", before printing presses, radio, TV's and the internet, the information that was given to ... more »
Harvesting Humanity
I sorry sorry I acted that way I told you the truth and even you would have to admit in a diplomatic way Now your angry that your will is denied as an emperor you have been a pretty good bride Experts at hard things find penetration of soft wings to delicate to be policy but if a bird could fly or a bumble bee could wonder at a hummingbird in flight it must make some thunder when immediate lighting does not make the situation right The world is very plain beneath our feet we understand a lot of things that previously lead to disastrous defeats So the question is now what about th... more »
Pan-Kurdish Force Tries Expel Islamic State From Sinjar In Northern Iraq With Help From Baghdad
The Islamic State (IS) wants to break down borders across the Middle East and create a new caliphate, which it announced in June 2014. Most of its attention has been on challenging the governments in Damascus and Baghdad. In early August however it turned its attention to northern Iraq and attacked areas under control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Earlier it was able to out duel the Kurdish peshmerga in Jalawla, Diyala. Then in August it seized several towns in northern Ninewa province including Sinjar. This caused a response by not only the KRG, but the Turkish Kur... more »
City Evicts Elderly Man from His Tent in the Woods – by Ruthlessly Demolishing it in Front of His Eyes
Lily Dane Sam is a 70-year-old man who lived in Tent City, an encampment site in the forest in Lakewood Township, NJ. He lived in a home he constructed out of a wood frame and tarps. Last month, the camp, which housed 80-120 people over the last ten years or so, was closed by local authorities. Housing structures in the camp were demolished. Police State USA reported that Sam was one of the unfortunate souls who lost his home when the government decided to come in and destroy the camp: An impoverished man learned the true nature of government as he watched tearfully as bureau... more »
Thursday Morning Linkage: Ebola Edition
The death total of the Ebola viral outbreak in West Africa now exceeds 900, leading the World Health Organization to declare it a “global health emergency.” Urbanization and weak states in the region, coupled with rural practices of bush meat consumption, appear to be some of the problematic drivers of the epidemic. Local populations skepticism Continue reading
Ken Wachsberger : Academic publishing is destined to fail without a publisher-author partnership
Publishers have to show that they give a damn about their writers because writers are paying attention. By Ken Wachsberger | The Rag Blog | August 7, 2014 In the May 26, 2014 issue of The Nation, Scott Sherman wrote … finish reading Ken Wachsberger : Academic publishing is destined to fail without a publisher-author partnership
Monkey gets copy rights to selfie
*Monkey chases Photographer, uses camera to take selfie* "Mr Slater has complained that Wikimedia’s decision to include his image in its database had affected his livelihood and resulted in a loss of earnings from royalties." Pray tell the world, Mr Slatter Exactly how many thousands you lost? The picture itself (rights to it) maybe worth $5K, *While the story on how it came to be was worth Much, Much More had you not behaved like a selfish Gorilla.* Seed Newsvine
Its Thursday and the world is still turning
Hamas says war will continue until demands are met. I asked the same thing of Steve Harper but no response as of yet. I expect Hamas is in the same boat. Which is a nice segway to Justin Trudeau's love of terrorists. Can we just have an intervention to stop him from going to Syria to join the ISIS jihad. Elboa out of control in Africa. How can this be, after all these countries spend an average of several dollars a year per capita on health care. Putin goes for the bacon in his mano a mano fat fight with fat Steve. Cant we just get along. Now due to the laws of supply and demand ba... more »
"What the financial press did not report [in last Friday’s payroll jobs report] is that the US is in a structural jobs depression. In the 12-month period from July 2013 through July 2014, 2.3 million Americans of working age were added to the population. Of these 2.3 million only 330 thousand entered the labor force." "As I have emphasized for years, the West already lives in the dystopia forecast by George Orwell. Jobs are created by hypothetical add-ons to the reported payroll figures and by inappropriate use of seasonal adjustments. Inflation is erased by substituting lower priced items in the inflation index for those that rise in price and by redefining rising prices as quality improvements. Real GDP growth is magicked into existence by deflating nominal GDP with the understated measure of inflation." "Every sphere of Western existence is defined by propaganda. Consequently, we have reached a perfect state of nihilism. We can believe nothing that we are told by government, corporations, and the presstitute media." --- Paul Craig Roberts
------------------------------ *Defining Away Economic Failure — Paul Craig Roberts* ------------------------------ August 4, 2014 | Original Here Go here to sign up to receive email notice of this news letter *Defining Away Economic Failure* * Redefinition Is America’s Most Powerful Factor of Production* Paul Craig Roberts Last week’s government guesstimate that second quarter 2014 real GDP growth will be 4% seems nonsensical on its face. There is no evidence of increases in real median family incomes or real consumer credit that would li... more »
High Level Government Pedophile To Be Exposed: Victim Speaks Out
In this video Luke Rudkowski talks to Brian Clare at the Children Screaming To Be Heard event in London England. Brian is one of the many victims of child sex abuse in England and details his story of what he had to go through. Brian currently has a criminal court case against a high level British elite who is responsible for the child sex abuse. Be the Change! Donate Today! *Get truth delivered to your inbox every week.* *Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter:* *Delivered by FeedBurner*
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