10:33pm MDST
Picture Of The Day
Stinger Rounds Marines fire stinger simulation rounds aboard the USS Wasp in the Atlantic Ocean, April 17, 2016. The Marines are assigned to Medium Marine Tiltrotor Squadron 264, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is underway for an amphibious exercise. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan G. Coleman
A Look At How The Afghan Army Will Survive The 2016 Fighting Season
An Afghan policeman inspects passengers at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Jalalabad province, Afghanistan, April 29, 2016. REUTERS/ PARWIZ *Shawn Snow, Foreign Policy*: *How Afghanistan Survives the 2016 Fighting Season* *Off to a grim and tragic start, Afghanistan must heed lessons from the 2015 fighting season and get creative in their strategies if this year's is to be any better.* Spring has finally arrived, and with it, the beginning of another bloody season of fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan central government. On April 12, the Taliban announced the start of it... more »
Ukraine And Pro-Russian Rebel Forces Have Agreed To An Orthodox Ceasefire
*DW:* *Ukraine troops and pro-Russia rebels agree Orthodox Easter ceasefire* Ukraine's government has agreed a new truce with pro-Russian insurgents, which is set to take effect on Orthodox Easter weekend. The ceasefire comes amidst reports that fighting has reached levels not seen for months. An agreement has been reached to halt violence in eastern Ukraine - at least until May 9, announced the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Friday. The truce is set to begin at midnight on Saturday and covers Orthodox Christian Easter and International Workers' Day ... more »
The Syrian War Against The Criminal US/Israel/NATO Cabal: Exposing The Truth About The "White Helmet" NGO's Operating Inside Syria
For the last year at least, when I have been researching and studying the "war" in Syria, there periodically are articles or videos concerning this group of "NGO's" operating inside Syria that are supposed to be there to aid and assist the Syrian civilian population.....But more and more when I looked at these "White Helmets" something really stank to high heaven, and evidence began to surface showing these NGO's to not be "impartial at all"..... Well, lo and behold, it seems that these "White Helmets" are not as they appear and how the Jew spew media portrays them at all...For acco... more »
Would You Believe Campaign Cash-- Bribes Basically-- Keeps Up The Price Of Medications?
This afternoon we looked at David Jolly's STOP Act, an attempt to start chipping away at the domination of big money over Congress. Several people told me I should have included some concrete examples of how the money chase influences policy. Of course, that's been one of the major themes of *DWT* since 2005 but let me offer a specific example I ran across today regarding how Big Pharma bribes Congress to keep drug prices high. Ryan Grim pointed out that pharmaceutical industry lobbyists are desperate to slow down an Obama administration plan to reduce drug prices and that they're... more »
U.N. Report: 10,000 Killed Since Ukraine Conflict Began
A member of the forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic stands by the wreckage of a car destroyed in an explosion in the rebel-controlled village of Yelenovka outside Donetsk, Ukraine, April 27, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS/ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO Radio Free Europe: *UN Raises Ukraine Death Toll Estimate To 9,333* The United Nations on April 28 raised its estimate of the total killed during the conflict in eastern Ukraine to 9,333 from 9,160 in March. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Taye-Brook Zerihoun told the UN Security Council that the total number of ... more »
U.S. Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Court Has Never Denied Any FBI Or NSA Surveillance Request
Image from Slashgear *Bruce Brown, Digital Trends: Can you say ‘rubber stamp?’ FBI and NSA requests never denied by secret court* You likely don’t know much about the U.S. Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Court. Though it keeps a low profile, this is the court the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency go to when they want permission to put someone under surveillance. And they don’t get turned down, according to Reuters, citing a Justice Department memo. In 2015 the court received and approved 1,457 requests from the FBI and NSA. There were a bit fewer requ... more »
North Korea Vows To Continue Developing Its Nuclear Weapon Capabilities
*Bloomberg:** N. Korea Vows to Rapidly Advance Nuclear Attack Capabilities* * S. Korea-U.S. drills 'worst' provocation: official news agency * Kim Jong Un regime to hold Worker’s Party Congress on May 6 North Korea vowed to make rapid advancements on nuclear attack capabilities if South Korea and the U.S. continue with joint military drills, with the warning coming days before predictions that the nation may conduct its fifth nuclear test for the Worker’s Party Congress on May 6. “Our capability to make nuclear attacks will make fast advancement every time enemies conduct war exerc... more »
The Doctors Without Borders Kunduz Afghanistan Hospital Slaughter: The US Government "Investigates" And Finds Its Murderous Military "Not Guilty" Of This Serious War Crime! (Why Am I Not Shocked?)
I posted three previous articles about the American murderous attack on a Doctors Without Borders (Medicine Sans Frontieres)hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan back on October 3, 2015 that resulted in the slaughter of some 42 innocent people and leaving some other 30 crippled.... It was an unprovoked act of genocide against unarmed civilians conducted by the US airforce using a US airforce AC-130U gunship, and to this day the US government has never accepted full blame for this callous act.. The US government instead has said it was a 'mistake' and that they would conduct a thorough "in... more »
Politicians Allied To Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Gain In Run-Off Elections
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, in this March 26, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/FAISAL MAHMOOD *Reuters:* *Iran's moderates make modest gains in run-off election* Politicians allied to President Hassan Rouhani came out strongest in a second round of parliamentary elections in Iran, early results showed on Saturday, but his moderate faction appeared unlikely to clinch an overall majority. If confirmed, the results suggest Iran's next parliament will be more supportive of Rouhani's drive for economic reforms, but conservatives will ... more »
White House Iraq Plan Thrown Into Disarray After Today's Storming Of The Parliament By Pro-Shiite Protestors
*Washington Post:* *Protests in Baghdad throw administration’s Iraq plan into doubt* President Obama’s plan for fighting the Islamic State is predicated on having a credible and effective Iraqi ally on the ground in Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. And in recent days, the administration had been optimistic, despite the growing political unrest in Baghdad, about that critical partnership. But that optimism — along with the administration’s strategy for battling the Islamic State in Iraq — was thrown into severe doubt after protesters stormed Iraq’s parliament on Saturday and a stat... more »
More CO2 still greening the Earth
NASA via WUWTThe shrill keep speaking of *carbon pollution*. This is a double lie. The late Bob Carter wrote in his book; *"Taxing Air:"* Why all this talk about carbon instead of carbon dioxide? Because it evokes the image of dirty smokestacks, long a thing of the past in Australia. Since the 1970s, green lobby groups have come to realise the power that resides in defining the language used in environmental debates — generally by substituting deliberately emotionally-charged words for factually accurate ones. To further compound the lie, the shrill tack *"pollution" *onto *carb... more »
Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind, "Balance (Galaxies)"
Liquid Mind, "Balance (Galaxies)" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKKzFk-FiZM
“The 13th Warrior: Prayers Before Final Battle”
*“The 13th Warrior: Prayers Before Final Battle”* *Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: * “Merciful Father, I have squandered my days with plans of many things. This was not among them... But at this moment, I beg only to live the next few minutes well. For all we ought to have thought, and have not thought; all we ought to have said, and have not said; all we ought to have done, and have not done; I pray thee God for forgiveness.” *Buliwyf, and others:* “Lo, there do I see my father. Lo, there do I see my mother and my sisters, and my brothers. Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginn... more »
My Fabulous, Wonderful Adventure At Stony Brook This Week
This was a pretty special week for me. My doctor gave me permission to fly for the first time since my stem cell transplant left me without an immune system. I've spent the last 6 months gets immunized for everything from whooping cough and diptheria to polio and dozens of strains of influenza. But she told me I can start going to concerts again and even go on planes-- crowded places where germs are known to lurk. My old university, Stony Brook, had planned a ceremony to honor my support of the EOP/AIM program, which provides access to higher education-- and the opportunities that ... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Makemake, second brightest dwarf planet of the Kuiper belt, has a moon. Nicknamed MK2, Makemake's moon reflects sunlight with a charcoal-dark surface, about 1,300 times fainter than its parent body. Still, it was spotted in Hubble Space Telescope observations intended to search for faint companions with the same technique used to find the small satellites of Pluto. Just as for Pluto and its satellites, further observations of Makemake and orbiting moon will measure the system's mass and density and allow a broader understanding of the distant worlds. *Click image for larger size.* ... more »
"Be Kind..."
"Be kind, for everyone you know is fighting a hard battle." - Plato
“Embracing Life-Affirming Death Awareness: How to Transform Yourself and Possibly Save Human Civilization”
*“Embracing Life-Affirming Death Awareness: * *How to Transform Yourself and Possibly Save Human Civilization”* By Fred Branfman “I never want to forget the prospect of death. Because, if I am ever able to block out those emotions, I will lose the sense of purpose and focus that cancer has given my own life." —Hamilton Jordan, "No Such Thing as a Bad Day" "My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. The '80s were about acquiring. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. The country (is)... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Salinas, California, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
Chet Raymo, "In the Cave"
*"In the Cave"* by Chet Raymo "I have mentioned here before the ospreys that patrol our beach - or "fish hawks," as they call them here - generally in the afternoon at about the time I take my long walk to the palm point. Magnificent birds with broad wings that glide seemingly effortlessly on the wind. And here's the thing: As often as not I am startled by a bird's shadow before I see the bird itself. That wide-winged shadow, sweeping across the white sand, sometimes across me. That flicker of chill as the osprey blocks the sun. And generally when it happens I think of Plato's all... more »
"The Most Important Of All The Lessons..."
“Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted. That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.” - Aldous Huxley
The Poet: Margaret Atwood, "The Moment"
"The Moment" "The moment when, after many years of hard work and a long voyage you stand in the centre of your room, house, half-acre, square mile, island, country, knowing at last how you got there, and say, I own this, is the same moment when the trees unloose their soft arms from around you, the birds take back their language, the cliffs fissure and collapse, the air moves back from you like a wave and you can't breathe. No, they whisper. You own nothing. You were a visitor, time after time climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming. We never belonged to you. You never found ... more »
Judge Delays Allowing Female Guards at Gitmo to Touch Muslims as Jab to Obama Admin
[image: Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, Gitmo] Military judge Army Col. James Pohl has extended the ban on female guards touching five Muslim detainees at Guantanamo Bay in order to punish Obama administration officials for trying to interfere with the case. While Pohl said the ban will eventually end, he's... more »
Iraq Declares State Of Emergency As US Created System Crumbles
Hundreds of demonstrators in Iraq stormed and are now occupying the country’s parliament. Iraqi officials declared a state of emergency in Baghdad on Saturday after protesters loyal to popular Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr breached the heavily fortified Green Zone which houses government buildings and foreign embassies, including the American one. Video from inside the building showed jubilant crowds waving Iraqi flags and shouting “peaceful, peaceful” and there were no immediate reports of major violence. Zero Hedge reports: Less than two years ago, the US set up another puppet gov... more »
Google Develops Electronic Eye Implant
Internet giant Google has created an artificial lens for the eye. The development of the ‘intraocular device’ is the latest attempt by the tech giant to get inside people’s heads to improve their eyesight among other things. RT reports: The unnamed product is designed to improve ailing eyesight and is currently at the patent stage of development, so details are sketchy. However, the web giant appears to be working on new wearable – or should we say livable – tech that would see an electronic lens inserted into people’s eyeballs. The device could help fight degenerative eye diseases ... more »
Hillary Clinton Insults Native Americans, Says Trump ‘Off The Reservation’
Hillary Clinton has roused controversy over her claim that she is the best champion for minorities in the US. The Democratic presidential front-runner gave an interview to Jake Tapper on CNN in which she insulted native Americans by referring to Donald Trump as a man who has gone “off the reservation,” in reference to his unpredictable character and wild rhetoric. Native Americans feel insulted, as the phrase “gone off the reservation” refers to their historical fight for self determination on their own land, on which they are now a minority. The Daily Mail reports: Clinton was aske... more »
April 30: Why count killings by U.S. police?
It's not an attack on the U.S. police in particular or on police in general though, sometimes, I think The Guardian leans a bit to placing all the blame on the U.S. police. It's important to keep a record of the killings and to know why they happened. U.S. police kill more people in a few days than most western democracies kill in a year and more than a year. When that happens, it's a signal of social breakdown - and where that can take us is anybody's guess. That's why it's important to know how many are dying, to seek out imbalances in the numbers, and to find out the conditions ... more »
"Morning Joe Mocks Hillary The 'Working Man Hero'"
*"Morning Joe Mocks Hillary The 'Working Man Hero'"* "The Morning Joe panel mocks Hillary's attempt to position herself as the 'Working Man's Hero.' When Hillary says she has spent time with regular people, she must be referring to Secret Service agents, chauffeurs, and her friends on Wall Street." - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_xfEQaBDNM Well, let's not be too hasty or harsh to judge this self-proclaimed champion of the common folks with whom she shares so much, the average Americans who work hard, pay their taxes, do the best they can under very difficult conditions. They, we,... more »
33 Rescued Lions Arrive in South Africa in Airlift
[image: Airport cargo handlers attend to cages of former circus lions on their arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Thirty-three lions rescued from various circuses in Peru and Colombia are heading to Johannesburg to live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa, organized and paid for by Animal Defenders International.] JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- The roars of lions filled the cargo section of Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport Saturday evening as 33 lions rescued from South American circuses... more »
South Africa: Opposition Leader Warns President to Step Down
[image: Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party leader, Julius Malema, foreground, second from right, greets supporters on his arrival at the launch of their municipal election manifesto in Soweto, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Fiery South African opposition politician Malema told 40,000 cheering supporters that President Jacob Zuma should step down before the army turns on him because of the corruption allegations against him.] JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Fiery South African opposition politician Julius Malema told 40,000 cheering supporters that President Jacob Zuma should step down before the ... more »
Reality comes to starry-eyed Greenie
The following is an extract from a post on *HuffPost Green* by Amy Porterfield Levy: A confession I cringe at how naïve I was when I first got into this, all wide-eyed and excited to save the planet (I cringe at that phrase now too.) Then, I got called a climate change denier because I suggested nuclear power should be in the clean energy mix since it’s, you know, CLEAN ENERGY. I felt like a big dumbass, holding out my hand with all the nice little stats about nuclear safety and radiation and my hooray-for-baseload-power excitement. I thought, “Oh, if people weren’t so scared of nuc... more »
Grayson: "Money Is The Original Sin Of Politics And Governance"
Campaign money is very bipartisan and is also the root of power for the congressional leadership. It takes a special kind of crooked mind-- a Rahm Emanuel, a Mitch McConnell, a John Boehner, a Chuck Schumer, a Steny Hoyer, a Debbie Wasserman Schultz-- to suck up to the corrupt sources of cash and then use it to buy influence from your colleagues without those kinds of inclinations but with the same all-encompassing need to raise ungodly sums of money for reelection. Jolly, a former lobbyist himself, told the CBS News audience this week that to chase the money-changers out of the ... more »
Former California Gov. Pete Wilson Endorses Ted Cruz
[image: FULLERTON, CA - SEPTEMBER 22: Former Republican state Gov. Pete Wilson introduces former eBay CEO Meg Whitman at an event announcing her candidacy for the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination on September 22, 2009 in Fullerton, California. Whitman will vie for the Republican nomination with state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell. Gov. Arnold Shwarzenegger is prevented from running again under term limits. Wilson will serve as Whitman's campaign chairman.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a key pickup for his California campaign, Ted Cruz is bein... more »
Kunduz Hospital Attack ‘Unacceptable’ War Crime, MSF Seeks New Inquiry
The attack by the US military on a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan is deemed a war crime by the surviving victims. MSF (Doctors Without Borders ) are asking for an impartial and independent inquiry after the U.S. military failed to secure any criminal charges against its personnel. Kunduz survivors are outraged by the Pentagon claim of no war crime, as Common Dreams reports: “Unacceptable.” That’s the reaction from 27-year old Hamdullah to the Pentagon’s announcement Friday that the U.S. military’s deadly airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital... more »
Local Council By-Elections April 2016
Party Number of Candidates Total Vote % +/- March Average/ contest +/- March +/- Seats Conservative 5 4,031 37.0% +11.3% 672 +351 -1 Labour 6 1,633 15.0% -3.4% 272 -28 0 LibDem 5 1,658 15.2% -4.2% 332 +15 +1 UKIP 5 766 6.7% -3.2% 153 -25 0 Green 3 202 1.9% -0.3% 67 -11 0 SNP* 1 1,327 12.1% +5.6% 1,327 -56 0 PC** 1 134 1.2% +1.2% 134 0 TUSC 0 +142 0 Ind*** 2 1,143 10.5% +1.7% 5... more »
"You Can’t Handle the Truth: How Confirmation Bias Distorts Your Opinions"
*"You Can’t Handle the Truth: * *How Confirmation Bias Distorts Your Opinions"* by Jake Van Der Borne "The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him." – Leo Tolstoy "Your thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and worldviews are based on years and years of experience, reading, and rational, objective analysis. Right? Wrong. Your thoughts, opinions, b... more »
Viewing vs Victims of the Wreck
It’s funny how things sometimes work out. The investigation into the Ramey Memo seemed to have stagnated with nothing to really report. Then Rich Reynolds publicly wondered what was happening, so I finished up the post about it. And now, I have received both publicly at this blog and privately a number of emails about it, suggesting the critical word in that critical phrase might not be “victims.” David Rudiak will tell us that the word “victims” has the right number of letters, and that words that begin with a “V” that fit with his word count and positioning are very few. Many can b... more »
The Pesticide That Is Killing Bees Is Also Harming Humans
Scientists believe that the widespread use of pesticides such as neonicotinoids are not only harmful to bees and other pollinators, but also to humans. Although neonics are used to target invertebrates, there is mounting evidence that suggests they are have far-reaching effects. The European Food Safety Authority concluded in 2013 that neonics could affect the human nervous system. An international symposium on the use of neonicotinoids held recently at York University in Toronto which focused mainly on the effects on pollinators and integrated pest management. Howevere, one of the...more »
Media Accuses Eric Metaxas of Equating Gay Activists With Nazis, Metaxas Pushes Back
[image: Eric Metaxas giving an interview concerning criticism of his comments in Australia] Christian author and commentator Eric Metaxas has just concluded a speaking tour in Australia under a storm of criticism, after he compared the modern church’s accommodation of same-sex ‘marriage’ with the passive German church in 1930s Nazi Germany. The charge: He... more »
rtod: we only want the earth
On the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising, these Revolutionary Thoughts of the Day are brought to you by the great Irish socialist, James Connolly. The day has passed for patching up the capitalist system; it must go. (1910) This speech, from 1897, is recreated in the excellent Ken Loach film "The Wind that Shakes the Barley": If you remove the English army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organisation of the Socialist Republic your efforts would be in vain. England would still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, t... more »
US Ambassador to Ukraine Gives Nazis Green Light
US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt on Friday made a trip to Mariupol in eastern Ukraine to praise the May 9, 2014 neo-Nazi battalion shooting of unarmed people in Mariupol. Pyatt is the other person in the now famous phone call with Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, when she told the ambassador who the US was supporting to lead the 'new' Ukrainian government after the US sponsored coup d'etat in Kiev. Nuland told Pyatt, "Fuck the EU". The events in Mariupol, Donetsk region (when neo-Nazi Azov fighters shot at a peaceful demon... more »
Framing Civilian Airstrikes
I was rather flabbergasted by the front page of the USA Today newspaper yesterday: The front page above features two stories that are united by the headline: "Airstrike kills almost 30 in Syria." (April 29, 2016 print edition) The story on the left reads: "Pentagon Punishes 16 for War Blunder" by Jim Michaels: "The Pentagon disciplined about 16 military personnel, including a general officer, for their role in last year's mistaken airstrike on a hospital in Afghanistan that killed 42 people, a senior Defense official said Thursday." The story on the right reads: "Fighting Raise... more »
Fukushima Update: "Your Radiation This Week, April 23 to April 30, 2016"
*"Your Radiation This Week, April 23 to April 30, 2016"* By Bob Nichols "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” - Shiva (San Francisco) April 30, 2016 – "Good Day, this is “Your Radiation This Week.” These are the recorded Radiation Highs that affected people this week around the United States and in your neighborhood. There is no way to recover from these kinds of exposures. There is no medicine and there is no cure. Millions now possess a shortened life span due to their radiation exposures. Welcome to Casper, Wyoming, the newest addition to the list of the doomed. Ca... more »
Tony Blair Lobbied Chinese Government For Saudi Oil Company
Tony Blair helped a Saudi Arabian-owned oil company lobby the Chinese government during his time as Middle East peace envoy Documents have revealed that during his time the former British prime minister helped an oil company, owned by a Saudi prince, lobby Chinese leaders in exchange for £41,000 a month and a 2 percent commission on any contracts he helped secure. Blair courted Chinese leaders on behalf of Saudi prince Turki bin Abdullah, who agreed to the hefty fees the former Labour leader charged to act as a go-between. The Guardian reports: A series of documents, seen by the Gua...more »
Editor's Note
Blogging will return later tonight.
How Do You Make The Criminal Justice System Fairer? Ted Lieu Is Working On It
Ted Lieu: "We cannot both be a nation that believes in the principle of innocent until proven guilty, yet incarcerate over 450,000 Americans who have not been convicted of a crime" When Blue America endorsed Ted Lieu for Congress in 2014 we didn't expect him to just kick back in his prestigious new job and vote correctly. His record of achievement in the California legislature made us certain he would go to Congress as a leader, not a follower. And his peers saw him the same way; he was immediately elected president of the freshman class. And we were right about him. Ted's the oppos... more »
Alien Jellyfish Seen In Deep Ocean Trench
A stunning yet strange looking jellyfish was encountered by a deep sea probe in the world’s deepest ocean trench. The creature resembled something from another world; a dark watery world with a lot of atmospheric pressure, never frequented by man. Sputnik reports: While probing the ocean depths in the vicinity of the Mariana Trench with a remotely piloted craft, researchers working aboard the Okeanos Explorer ship belonging to the US NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) have encountered a bizarre-looking specimen of a jellyfish. oceanexplorergov YouTube video: The... more »
How corrupt is government climate science?
By Paul Homewood http://www.cfact.org/2016/04/09/how-corrupt-is-government-climate-science/ We know that the IPCC Summary for Policymakers (SPM) does not always reflect what is actually in the scientific chapters. But evidence is now emerging that the US State Dept has attempted to influence what was written in both the SPM and chapters. Ron Arnold has this damning essay […]
Anti-Semitism Excuse Used To Enforce Israeli Will & Crush Palestinians
The recent anti-Semitism which-hunt in the Labour Party will have far reaching consequences for the party and politics in the UK. Besides putting in place pressure to stifle criticism of Israel, it also subjects the Palestinians to suffer quietly, for even words would not be permitted to direct conversation and action towards their plight. In the meantime men of honour will be humiliated, freedom curtailed and anti-Semitism used as a baton to bash the Palestinians and their supporters, both figuratively and literally, at home and abroad, for the ever present needs of Israel. A repo... more »
Iraq Government In Chaos. Shiite Protesters Storm Parliament. Baghdad In A State Of Emergency
*New York Times*: *Iraq Protesters Storm Parliament, Demanding End to Corruption* BAGHDAD — Hundreds of protesters stormed Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Saturday and entered the Parliament building, waving Iraqi flags, snapping photographs, breaking furniture and demanding an end to corruption. As the chaos unfolded in the afternoon, Baghdad Operations Command announced a state of emergency, deploying additional forces around the capital city. Checkpoints at city entrances were closed, even as the protests remained largely nonviolent. The scenes of protest, circulated... more »
Iraqi Protesters Breach Baghdad’s Green Zone, ISIS Target Shiites
For the first time protesters have breached Baghdad’s heart of government in the Green Zone. Dozens of protester waving Iraqi flags and chanting anti-government slogans climbed the walls of the security zone and stormed the parliament. In another part of the capital ISIS has claimed responsibility for car bombing a Shiite district during holy pilgrimage and killing dozens. The Scotsman reports: After months of protests, sit-ins and demonstrations outside Baghdad’s Green Zone – home to most ministries and foreign embassies – Saturday’s escalation marks the first time protesters have ... more »
60,000-Pound Whale Carcass Removed from California Beach
[image: Whale - 900] SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) -- It literally was a whale of a job. Crews on Friday finished removing the estimated 60,000-pound carcass of a rotting whale from a Southern California beach. A contractor working for the state parks department spent... more »
Just thought I'd share...
I agree with Chris... chrisH April 30, 2016 at 11:02 am I`ve been going to Tolpuddle now for many years as an ex-Lefty who finds out quite a lot about what they`ll be up to in the coming year. When I first started going , there would always be a Christian Socialist group down from the East Midlands with their Methodist tracts, on the main route to the festival-good natured arguments alright, how do you square Communism with Christianity…Marx or Methodism etc? But they`d been coming for years, were good union activist types, often retiring soon. There would also always be a Friends of... more »
"Extreme right-wing UKIP" - BBC Turkish
DB has come across a tweet from the BBC's Turkish feed . It concerns UKIP: DB is quite right about that. In every translation I've tried, the phrase "aşırı sağcı UKIP" means "extreme right-wing UKIP" ('aşırı' being the word that translates as 'extreme'). Why is the BBC telling its Turkish audience that UKIP is "extreme right-wing"?
Fly With The Fighter Pilots Of The Chinese Air Force (Video)
*Popular Mechanics*: *Scramble with Fighter Pilots of the Chinese Air Force* This video promoting China's air arm has a little bit of everything. A video promoting the People's Liberation Army Air Force—informally known as the Chinese Air Force—has surfaced on YouTube. The video attempts to show the PLAAF as a service fully prepared to defend the country's air space, as well as contribute to fights on the ground and at sea, at a moment's notice. The video starts with children playing in a field of flowers, wearing various national dresses of China's various regions. Suddenly, sh... more »
The F-35 Prepares For War Against China Or Russia
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian West watches an Air Force F-35 Lightning II joist strike fighter aircraft approach for the first time July 14, 2011, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo by Samuel King Jr.) *National Interest*: *F-35 Stealth Fighter Prepares for the Unthinkable: War with China or Russia* The Air Force F-35 is using “open air” ranges and computer simulation to practice combat missions against the best Chinese and Russian-made air-defense technologies – as a way to prepare to enemy threats anticipated in the mid-2020s and beyond. The testing is aimed a... more »
U.S. Congress Tells The Pentagon To Not Retire The A-10 Fleet
ONE BY ONE, THE AIR FORCE KEEPS PEELING OFF PLANES FROM THE A-10 WARTHOG FORCE. IMAGE SOURCE: NORTHROP GRUMMAN. *FoxTrotAlpha*: *The A-10 Warthog May Be Kept Out Of Retirement By Law* The U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II AKA “Warthog” has become one of the most-recognized and beloved warplanes since it started flying in the 1970s. We’ve been hearing about its impending retirement—and the reason many in the armed services community are against that—for ages, but proposed legislation could keep it in the sky for at least a little longer. This week House Armed Services Committee (HA... more »
NATO Sending 4,000 Troops To ‘Reinforce’ Border With Russia
NATO allies are preparing to put four battalions, a force of about 4,000 troops, in Poland and three Baltic States as part of an effort to reinforce the border with Russia. US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work said the deployment was in response to Russia stepping up military activity around the Baltics “The Russians have been doing a lot of snap exercises right up against the borders, with a lot of troops,” the Wall Street Journal cited Work as saying “From our perspective, we could argue this is extraordinarily provocative behavior.” Russia meanwhile has repeatedly said that... more »
Weekend reads: Research parasite awards; money-back research guarantees; Sci-Hub takes over the world
This week at Retraction Watch featured a confession about research misconduct, and a debate over whether a paper should have been retracted. Here’s what was happening elsewhere: This is great: The Parasites awards “recognize outstanding contributions to the rigorous secondary analysis of data.” 13 things authors hate about submitting manuscripts, courtesy of Chris Chambers in Times Higher […] The post Weekend reads: Research parasite awards; money-back research guarantees; Sci-Hub takes over the world appeared first on Retraction Watch.
early morning - walk - goring whitchurch goring
wifey, because she loves to organise on the fly, found us an early morning walking circuit from Goring Train Station via Whitchurch back to Goring. It was a lovely walk in lovely weather in lovely company, picnic in a clearing in a secluded hillside woods. Four and a half hours in total, and half way round we stumbled across Modern Artists Gallery right on Whitchurch high street, slap-bang in the centre of rural Berkshire. Gallery founder Peggy Gibson Brody took time out of her busy day to accompany us around her delightful art space on two floors and was very pleasant and personabl... more »
Any Answers?
Today's *Any Answers* was wholly given over to the Labour anti-Semitism row. Anita Anand is another of those BBC types who pronounces anti-Semitic “anti-Sem*e*tic” (see Sue earlier). She did it throughout the programme. She also didn't seem to have much of a clue what 'BDS' involved either, apparently thinking it's all about 'no platforming'. (This arose when Israel-bashing BDS campaigner Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi rang in and took centre stage). Those defending Israel got the worse end of the stick from the ever-interventionist Anita, but there was a fair spread of opinion and some ... more »
'Far-right' or 'right-wing'?
The BBC News website has changed its mind. When it began covering the violence outside Alternative for Germany's conference in Stuttgart its online headline ran as follows: *Germany AfD meeting: Clashes before far-right conference* and the opening paragraph of its report ran as follows: Hundreds of left-wing demonstrators have tried to block people entering a far-right party conference in the German city of Stuttgart. After about four hours though (according to NewsSniffer), the headline was changed to: *Germany AfD meeting: Clashes before right-wing conference * and the opening... more »
Snapshot
A snapshot from this morning's *BBC Breakfast *paper review, featuring Nazir Afzal, former Chief Prosecutor here in the North West: *Naga Munchetty*: Something we've been talking about this week. we're talking about this morning as well - and something all the papers have picked up on. Jeremy Corbyn has announced changes to recognising anti-Semitism, if there is any, in the Labour Party, and this focus in *The Times*. *Nazir Afzal*: Naga, I suspect when I was growing up - I'm older than you - in the 60s and 70s, racism and the like was so overt. Now it's much more subtle. But I ... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* "It's Hard To Believe" - Establishment Stunned As Trump Gains 'Wealthy, Well-Educated' Voters "Why Our Children Should Hate Us" - Read The Lance Simmens Article Banned By The Huffington Post Denmark's "Recipe For Integration" - Segregated Swimming Hours Congress Fixes "Sexist" Draft - Votes To Require Women To Register For Selection Psychologist Whose Lawyers Say He Didn't Design CIA Torture Program Writes Book Bragging That He Did Dr. James Hansen - Mr. Buffett’s Ark Iran summons Swiss envoy over $2 bn US court ruling US-Created System In Iraq Is Collapsing:... more »
Green Energy Fiasco
By Paul Homewood In an energy news round up: GWPF carry a report from Germany’s Wirtschaft Woche: Because of the boom of renewable energy, more and more wind turbines have to be switched off. The reason is power overloading. The network operators must turn down electricity generated from windmills when their power […]
Syrian Government Hits Aleppo, Country Close to Humanitarian Disaster
[image: air strikes Aleppo - 900] BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian government warplanes and helicopter gunships launched new airstrikes Saturday on insurgent-held neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo. The fresh violence comes as the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that the intensification of fighting... more »
Iraqi Protesters Breach Green Zone, Storm Parliament
[image: Iraq - 900] BAGHDAD (AP) -- Hundreds of protesters climbed over the blast walls surrounding Baghdad’s highly-fortified Green Zone for the first time on Saturday and stormed into parliament, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. The breach marked a major escalation... more »
Prince Donated $50,000 To 9/11 Truth Protest Event
Is it possible that Prince was murdered to prevent him from using his fame and spending his money to expose 9/11 and the New World Order agenda? In 2015 Prince donated $50,000 to one of the largest pro-9/11-truth protest events ever. Prince actually appeared to warned about 9/11 attacks three years before they happened and spoke out about chemtrails and the NWO-illuminati depopulation agenda. The cause of his untimely death at 57 is still unknown, a murder investigation has been launched and meanwhile conspiracy theories about his death abound. As Baxter Dimitry warns: “There is a l... more »
Why All Of Us Should be Afraid Of The Group 'The Hacking Team'
*David Kushner, Foreign Policy*: *Fear This Man* *To spies, David Vincenzetti is a salesman. To tyrants, he is a savior. How the Italian mogul built a hacking empire.* As the sun rose over the banks of the Seine and the medieval, half-timbered houses of Rouen, France, on July 13, 2012, Hisham Almiraat opened his inbox to find “Denunciation” in the subject line of an email. “Please do not mention my name or anything,” wrote the sender, Imane. “I do not want any trouble.” The editor and co-founder of Mamfakinch, a pro-democracy website created in Morocco during the Arab Spring, Alm... more »
Is it a good idea for academics to keep track of their failures?
In the recent weeks there has been some buzz over the academic corner of the internet and social media about the "CV of failures", made public by Johannes Haushofer, assistant economics professor at Princeton. He writes: "Most of what I try fails, but these failures are often invisible, while the successes are visible. I have noticed that this sometimes gives others the impression that most things work out for me. As a result, they are more likely to attribute their own failures to themselves, rather than the fact that the world is stochastic, applications are crapshoots, and sele... more »
Economic News & Views ( April 30 , 2016 ) Overview For Saturday ( 1. Sadr Threatens To Destroy Iraq Gov't And Shortly Thereafter Green Zone Stormed -- Iraq Political Situation Hitting Critical Point Due To : Cabinet Reshuffle Standoff & Endless Political Infighting ; Budgetary & Financial Problems ; Suppression Of Social Media and Traditional Media Such As Al Jazeera. 2. Quicks Hits From Around Europe. 3. Quick Hits From US And Puerto Rico. 4. Odds & Ends . )
Iraq...... *fred walton* @fredwalton216 24s 24 seconds ago fred walton Retweeted Rudaw English Protesters now in Council of Ministers...... in Green Zone. fred walton added, 0:30 *Rudaw English* @RudawEnglish Protesters enter the building of the council of ministers in #Baghdad *fred walton* @fredwalton216 54s 54 seconds ago fred walton Retweeted Rudaw English PM Building sees protesters outside... fred walton added, *Rudaw English* @RudawEnglish NOW: protesters are around the building of prime ministry in Baghdad *fred walton* @fredwalton216 3m 3 minu... more »
Hollywood’s ‘Strong’ Female Characters Only Obscure Real Feminine Strength
[image: Strong Female Characters - 900] Coming to theaters yet again: One more action flick with warring women in the lead role. But most of these movies only obscure real feminine strength. "Anything you can do I can do better!" sang the title character in the... more »
John McCain Fundraiser Busted For Running Meth Lab
Senator John McCain’s re-election fundraiser has been arrested on suspicion of drug possession. Sheriff deputies found an operating meth lab at her home in north-central Phoenix during a search on Tuesday. Emily Pitha, Maricopa County Sheriff’s office Sputnik reports: On Tuesday, 34-year-old Emily Pitha was arrested for narcotics distribution and manufacturing when Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies found an active meth lab and illicit drugs during a search of her north-central Phoenix home. Pitha, a former staffer for retired Arizona Republican US Senator Jon Kyl, was serving as th...more »
Democrats Protect Social Security, Right? Well... Not THESE Democrats
A small gaggle of greed-obsessed billionaires and multimillionaires are financing another of their endless attempts to wreck the most successful and beloved social safety net programs in history, Social Security. Greed-obsessed billionaires and multimillionaires have always hated Social Security and even tried fomenting a coup d'état against Franklin Roosevelt for signing it into law. Of course, all the plotters were conservatives, including Irénée du Pont, J.P. Morgan and, of course, Nazi sympathizer Prescott Bush. Today, Republicans are still denigrating the government and still... more »
Racing the Giants: Girl Accidentally Runs Half Marathon
[image: LeeAdianez Rodriguez 12 yo half-marathon - 900] In the movie Facing the Giants, there’s the so-called “death crawl” scene. A football player has given up hope his team will win an upcoming game. The coach asks him to crawl 50 yards with a teammate on his back, and do it blind-folded.... more »
Reaganism is Dead If the GOP has Forgotten That Bigger Government Enables More Corruption
[image: Ronald Reagan Red Line Reaganism Dead - 900] A longtime Republican conservative emailed me after Donald Trump’s Tuesday night romp through the “Acela corridor.” “Is the GOP now the anti-trade, anti-immigrant party?” I don’t think so, but take no comfort in the reason: Republicans haven’t signed on to protectionism... more »
Sorry Hollywood: Reagan’s Second Term Was Incredibly Successful
[image: Ronald Reagan - 900] Hollywood liberals are known for their contempt of conservatives, but their idea to produce a "comedy" about a demented President Ronald Reagan in his second term is far more offensive than usual. It's also at total variance with the facts.... more »
Ed Schultz Chooses Limelight Over Principles
[image: Ed Schultz - 900] Like most people, I never paid much attention to Ed Schultz. A loud, bullying, meaty man in the even meatier middle of the distribution when it comes to smarts, Schultz was your classic “lunch pail populist” as host of MSNBC’s... more »
"A World Of Lies..."
"I think we are living in a world of lies: lies that don't even know they are lies, because they are the children and grandchildren of lies. One of the hardest things to accept is that the reality of our world is buried under so many layers of official deception and well-cultivated public ignorance about our history and our political system. Even if you break through somehow, momentarily, and hold up a fragment of the truth, most people have no context for dealing with it. It's like a bolt from the blue, they can't process the information. And so the sea of lies closes over us agai... more »
Jet Stream Slows Down As It Gets Faster!!
By Paul Homewood https://www.newscientist.com/article/2084297-record-early-ice-melt-in-greenland-due-to-freak-warm-weather/ As a footnote to the New Scientist piece on Greenland meltdown, it is interesting to note that Jennifer Francis is pushing her widely derided theory that loss of Arctic ice is causing the jet stream to slow down – something she then uses to blame every […]
China Claims Okinawa
The Ryukyu Islands, as seen on a map at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor. Samurai Wiki *Michael Peck, National Interest:* *China Claiming Okinawa Is Like Japan Claiming Hawaii* Unless you are nostalgic for the last two world wars, let's hope it’s nothing more than posturing. Hawaii belongs to Japan, the Japanese press suddenly proclaims. Tokyo publishes ancient maps and documents that purport to show that the Hawaiian islands were historically part of the Japanese homeland until they were illegally annexed by the Americans. To hammer the point home, a Japanese warship ... more »
Untitled
*Sleeping Dogs Are Waking* The university will either change soon or simply implode; its present course is unsustainable and rests on the premise that schizophrenic deans and presidents can still manage to write and say things to student cry bullies that they hope their donors and alumni never read or hear. Colleges overcharge insolvent students through tuition increases far beyond the annual rate of inflation—the Ponzi scheme predicated on guaranteed federal loans that cannot be repaid by poorly educated graduates and drop-outs, many with little skills or demonstrable education. ... more »
Claude Shannon at 100: who are his living peers?
Claude Shannon was born exactly 100 years ago, on April 30th, 1916. After I quick read the Wikipedia page, it seems to me that he is rightfully considered a father of the digital age and one of the greatest 20th century engineers whose work was important enough to impact science, too. He died in 2001. (Interestingly enough, an important "she" from my undergraduate years was born exactly 40 years ago, i.e. 60 years after Shannon. Congratulations. In Czechia, April 30th is the day of burning of the witches, see some videos, although they're mostly less real than those in Salem, MA. F... more »
Untitled
*Bill Nye, UN Climate Scientist Warn Moviegoers to Shun Film’s 1-Day Theater Release: ‘Not in Our National Interest’* *Reviews: ‘Climate Hustle’ is ‘the most dangerous documentary of year’ – ‘Wickedly effective use of slapstick humor’ – ‘Lays waste to Gore’ – ‘Brutal & Extremely Funny’* Leading climate activists are warning moviegoers to shun the May 2nd nationwide one-day theater screening of “Climate Hustle,” a new film debunking climate alarmism and its big government solutions. Bill Nye (not a real “science guy,” FYI), who entertains the idea of throwing climate skeptics in ...more »
An Interview With A Former Islamic State Fighter
Harry Sarfo appeared in an Isis propaganda video issued in 2015, where two prisoners were executed by other militants *The Independent*: *Former Isis militant who grew up in the UK says coalition bombing campaign will drive more jihadists to launch attacks* In an interview with The Independent, the former jihadist revealed he once worked for Royal Mail as a postman The US-led bombing campaign against Isis will drive more jihadists to launch terror attacks in the West, a former militant who grew up in the UK has said. Harry Sarfo joined the so-called Islamic State in Syria and appe... more »
A Look At how Japan Lost The $40 Billion Australian Submarine Deal
Australia's then Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama (not pictured) at the G20 leaders summit in Brisbane November 16, 2014. REUTERS/Ian Waldie/pool *Tim Kelly, Cyril Altmeyer and Colin Packham, Reuters:* *How France sank Japan's $40 billion Australian submarine dream* In 2014, a blossoming friendship between Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe looked to have all but sewn up a $40 billion submarine deal. Then French naval contractor DCNS hatche... more »
A Very Old Lesson
Alberta isn't the only province caught between a rock and a hard place. Newfoundland is in the same boat -- and for the same reasons. Alan Freeman writes: We’ve all heard about that special connection between Newfoundland and Alberta — stories of hard-working labourers from the island province flying out to Fort McMurray to make their fortunes in the oilsands. Unfortunately, the east-west linkages went deeper. When politicians in Newfoundland hit their own gusher in offshore oilfields like Hibernia, they looked to Alberta for guidance. What to do with the billions in windfall roy... more »
Boys are Boys and Girls are Girls, Say Pediatricians and Pope
[image: LGBT protesters] A movement whose acronym keeps growing has set its sights on a cultural revolution that denies the objective reality of sexual difference. That's bad enough. But worse, it now wants to wield the police power of the state to compel... more »
16 Blamed for Mistakes in Deadly U.S. Attack on Afghan Clinic
[image: Afghan clinic attack - 900] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Human error, violations of combat rules and untimely equipment failures led to the mistaken U.S. aerial attack on a charity-run hospital in Afghanistan last fall that killed 42 people, a senior American general said. Investigators called the... more »
Obama Admin Wants Some Federal Agencies to Delay Asking Job-Seekers About Criminal History
[image: 1prisonhands] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration wants federal agencies to stop asking early questions about some job applicants’ criminal history, part of an effort to help ex-convicts enter the job market and decrease the number of those who end up... more »
"Curious..."
"Curious how often you Humans manage to obtain that which you do not want." - Mr. Spock
U.S. Army Chief Warns Cadets That They Must Prepare For 'Little Green Men' And 'Hybrid Armies'
*Inquisitr:* *U.S. Military Prepping For Alien Invasion? Army Chief Warns Cadets, "Prepare For Little Green Men And Hybrid Armies Hybrid Armies"* At a symposium marking the 100th anniversary of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program held at Norwich University on Thursday, April 21, 2016, General Mark A. Milley, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, delivered a speech in which he warned an audience composed mainly of ROTC cadets that as officers they would be dealing with “little green men” and “hybrid armies.” Members of the UFO community took the message from the army chief and be...more »
"Humans Crave Violence, Just Like Sex, Food"
*"Humans Crave Violence, Just Like Sex, Food"* by LiveScience "New research on mice shows the brain processes aggressive behavior as it does other rewards. Mice sought violence, in fact, picking fights for no apparent reason other than the rewarding feeling. The mouse brain is thought to be analogous to the human brain in this study, which could shed light on our fascination with brutal sports as well as our own penchant for the classic bar brawl. In fact, the researcher say, humans seem to crave violence just like they do sex, food or drugs. Scientists have known that mice and oth... more »
Scorching Heat Wave Kills 300 In India With Hottest Months Still Ahead
A blistering heat wave has been setting temperature records through much of South Asia since early April As hundreds of people suffered severe heat strokes in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, the death toll in India has risen to 300. Officials have banned daytime cooking in some parts of the drought-stricken country in a bid to prevent accidental fires that have already killed 80 people India’s meteorological department have said that the heat wave will continue over the weekend and is likely to get get worse throughout May and June, which are traditionally India’s hottest months Thi... more »
"A New Day..."
"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good." - Author Unknown
"A New Day..."
"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good." - Author Unknown
u.s. iraq war resisters: the struggle continues
Still war resisters. Still in Canada. Still fighting to stay. So far, the change in government hasn't helped the Iraq War resisters who remain here, nor the ones who were forced out of Canada who would like to return. The Trudeau government could do this so easily. And yet. The CBC Radio show "DNTO" recently did an excellent segment about the US Iraq War resisters and the fight - still going on - to let them stay in Canada. When American soldier Joshua Key fled to Canada in 2005, he never imagined that ten years later he would still be fighting a war — against the U.S. army, agains... more »
Colorado Woman Gets 100 Years for Cutting Baby From Womb
[image: Wilkins - baby stolen - 900] BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- A judge sentenced a Colorado woman who cut a baby from a stranger’s womb to 100 years in prison, including the maximum penalties for attempted murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy. Judge Maria Berkenkotter said... more »
CDC: Teen Birth Rates Plunge, But Racial Disparities Persist
[image: Woman holding ultrasound photographs of pregnancy] NEW YORK (AP) -- Birth rates are falling dramatically for black and Hispanic teenagers, but they continue to be much higher than the birth rate for white teens. The Hispanic teen birth rate fell by half over about eight years,... more »
Trump and the End of Pieties
[image: British surrendering - 900] When the Americans defeated the British at Yorktown, the surrendering British forces supposedly played “The World Turned Upside Down.” The song should be on the soundtrack at Donald Trump rallies. The mogul is marching toward the Republican nomination by trampling... more »
No, Greenland Is Not Melting Down
By Paul Homewood h/t Malcolm Bell https://www.newscientist.com/article/2084297-record-early-ice-melt-in-greenland-due-to-freak-warm-weather/ Malcolm drew my attention to this article in New Scientist: After record low amounts of sea ice across the Arctic Ocean last winter, spring has begun with an unprecedented early melt of land ice on Greenland. Temperatures soaring above 10 °C caused more […]
Moderate Iran Bloc Wins Runoff Seats: Iran State Media
[image: Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventieth session.] TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran’s moderate-reformist bloc secured more than 30 more seats in parliamentary runoff elections, according to a Saturday report on state TV. The bloc, which supports President Hassan Rouhani and a nuclear deal the country reached with... more »
Ma Ying-jeou's last little vicious gift to Beijing: roiling relations with Japan
*Dear reader: my apologies. After I saw this structure, my brain malfunctioned for several hours. I am completely unable to explain anything about this image.* Ma has spent the last couple of months trying to help Beijing by stirring up trouble in the South China Sea. This is a deliberate strategy, as I have noted for several years now, of irritating relations with Taiwan's key neighbors to the south and southeast, to help impede the formation of an anti-Beijing front -- even though Taiwan faces the same threat of expansion that they do. This is Ma doing what he can for China. But... more »
Think and Act For the Long Run
[image: kemp] Video Devotion Guide Need some help and inspiration to keep the long run in view? Check out this single mom's example and some eternal perspective that impacts the here and now. Game Plan: So prepare your minds for action... more »
My annual lacewing larva image
As always, a lacewing larva. It glues debris to its body to disguise itself. _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
My plea to the left: treat Jews the same way you’d treat any other minority per Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian
'On the left, black people are usually allowed to define what's racism; women can define sexism; Muslims are trusted to define Islamophobia. But when Jews call out something as antisemitic, leftist non-Jews feel curiously entitled to tell Jews they're wrong, that they are exaggerating or lying or using it as a decoy tactic – and to then treat them to a long lecture on what anti-Jewish racism really is. The left would call it misogynist "mansplaining" if a man talked that way to a woman. They'd be mortified if they were caught doing that to LGBT people or Muslims. But to Jews, they... more »
Black Chemtrails Being Reported Across The World
Reports of black chemtrails are being reported across the world, as users have begun uploading images and videos showing thick black smoke being emitted from aircraft in the skies above cities worldwide. This new phenomenon was captured on video recently, and so far nobody has been able to explain what these black lines in the sky are. Awarenessact.com reports: In the video below you will see other chemtrails not making a shadow directly beside one that is making a shadow, so the theories about shadows cannot be correct. The fact is, clouds cast shadows on the ground, not the sky, ... more »
Harvard Students With Mumps Were Already Vaccinated
Harvard University have admitted that a recent outbreak of mumps occurred in students who were already vaccinated against the disease. The University have sent out an urgent appeal to students, asking them to take “better precautions against infecting each other with mumps”. Authorities at Harvard have admitted in a letter to students that being vaccinated against mumps does not give them immunity: [T]hose who have been vaccinated for mumps—though much less likely to contract the virus—can still be infected. Naturalnews.com reports: By the way, the letter – from Paul J. Barreira, M... more »
Trump Jumps Fence To Escape Mob Of Protestors
Donald Trump narrowly escaped a mob of protestors on Friday after being forced to jump over a highway barricade after a campaign rally held in California. The Republican presidential front-runner jumped a highway barricade in order to safely exit the rally held outside a hotel in Burlingame, near San Francisco. Thesource.com reports: As video from CBS News video shows, protesters were, for the most part, successfully restrained by police barricades and officers, but the anti-Trump crowd eventually proved victorious, and several members of the protest crowd was able to get around the... more »
Queen Elizabeth Slams Obama Over Invictus Games
A social media war broke out between Queen Elizabeth and the Obama’s on Friday, as the Queen and Prince Harry responded to a video posted by first lady Michelle Obama challenging the royal’s in the upcoming Invictus Games. The Invictus Games are an international event in which injured or sick armed services members compete in sports. The video challenge was published on Twitter, with Michelle Obama asking “Hey, Prince Harry. Remember when you told us to bring it at the Invictus Games?“ CNN.com reports: Obama then says, “Careful what you wish for.” Behind them are service members. T... more »
Sandy Hook Judge Orders Killers Files To Be Made ‘Top Secret’
A Superior Court Judge has ruled that documents seized from the home of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza will remain sealed, meaning that the public and media will never get a chance to find out what they contain. Judge Carl J. Schuman overturned a ruling by the state Freedom of Information Commission ordering the release of the records. Courant.com reports: Schuman concluded that state statutes requiring the return of seized property supersede the state’s open-records law and shield such records from disclosure. The Freedom of Information Act, he ruled, does not apply to “documents t...more »
White House: Obama To Push For Smart Gun Technology
President Obama is going to use his executive power as President to push for smart gun technology, in a last-ditch attempt to limit the use of traditional firearms, the White House announced on Friday. Obama will tackle gun violence head-on in his final months at the White House amid fierce opposition from the NRA and other pro-firearms groups. Nytimes.com reports: But critics of smart gun technology, including some police officials, are expected to fight a proposal that they see as unproven and an unwarranted restriction on the freedom to use firearms. The initiative was unveiled ... more »
Monsanto To Sue Argentinian Government Over GM Seed Row
Monsanto are aggressively tackling the government in Argentina over their refusal to enforce royalty payments owed by farmers to the GMO agricultural giant. Monsanto insist that farmers must pay royalties on the use of genetically modified soybean seeds. Activistpost.com reports: While the Argentine government has agreed to collect monies owed by small farmers in royalties on genetically modified soybean seeds, the government requested additional time to do so. Even this, however, was unacceptable to Monsanto as the corporation rejected the government’s request according to two unn... more »
Russian Troops Prepare Major ISIS Assault In Raqqa
Russia have announced plans to launch an attack on ISIS at their de facto capital Raqqa alongside the Syrian Army. Russia’s envoy to the UN office in Geneva, Aleksey Borodavkin, announced the plans, saying that it is imperative the fight against ISIS/ISIL doesn’t lose its momentum. “This is what the Syrian Army is doing with support from the Russian Air Force. As a result of these actions, Palmyra has been recaptured and now they are planning to launch an operation towards Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa. Fighting is taking place against groups like Al-Nusra Front in Aleppo and a few other pl... more »
US Supreme Court Expands FBI Hacking Powers To Entire World
The US Supreme Court has given permission to the FBI to legally search computers belonging to members of the public worldwide, expanding the agencies hacking powers at home and abroad. The rule change means that the US Department of Justice (DoJ) can obtain search warrants from a judge for computers located anywhere in the world, where previously a judge would have been limited to operate only within the jurisdiction of their court. BBC News reports: A remote search typically involves trying to access a suspect’s computer over the internet to explore the data contained on it. It ha... more »
The Lingering Danger of Google & Facebook
How two tech-giants helped destabilize the entire MENA region, and how they are far from finished. *April 30, 2016 *(Ulson Gunnar - NEO) - During the 2011 Arab Spring, it was clear to those who bothered to look, that the US State Department and the various arms of soft power attached to it were directly responsible for what was otherwise initially passed off as a spontaneous, region-wide uprising. Eventually, what was dismissed as "conspiracy theory" regarding the US-backed nature of the uprising, was finally admitted to by the New York Times in an April 2011 article titled, "U.S.... more »
Bohmian mechanics is incompatible with loop corrections
*...meaning the Feynman diagrams...* Florin Moldoveanu wrote his review of Hardy's paradox. Like the GHZM experiment, it's another "mostly qubits-based" quantum thought (or real) experiments that behaves in a way predicted by any local realist theory to be impossible. Florin's presentation is a bit shallower than my blog post on Hardy's paradox or his treatment of the GHZM case but I am willing to believe that he understands how it works. The original paper by Lucien Hardy included the annihilation of an electron and a positron into two photons; and Jean Bricmont, a pro-Bohmian i... more »
Google AI Has Access To Confidential NHS Patient Data
A leaked data-sharing agreement between Google-owned artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepMind and the NHS reveals that Google has access to sensitive patient data belonging to 1.6 million citizens in the UK. The collaboration between Google and the UK’s National Health Service goes beyond what has publicly been admitted, according to the document obtained by New Scientist magazine. Newscientist.com reports: The agreement gives DeepMind access to a wide range of healthcare data on the 1.6 million patients who pass through three London hospitals run by the Royal Free NHS Trust –...more »
Military Photo of the Day
[image: Okinawa Marines Orphan - 900] Marine Corporal Earl Brunitt (left) and Private Genare Nuzzi share a fighting hole and a couple of ponchos on Okinawa with a war orphan. April 1945. Sgt. W.A. McBride or Sgt. Howard S. England. (Marine Corps ) Exact Date Shot...more »
East - West Tensions Grow Over The Baltics
*WSJ*: *NATO Allies Preparing to Put Four Battalions at Eastern Border With Russia* U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense says buildup is response to Moscow’s military activity near the Baltics Western allies are preparing to put four battalions—a force of about 4,000 troops—in Poland and the Baltic countries as part of an effort by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to reinforce its border with Russia as Moscow steps up military activity, officials said Friday. The U.S. is likely to provide two battalions, while Germany and Britain would likely provide a battalion each, according... more »
Set No Limits
Back in the fall of 2001 I left a teaching position in the Northwest Territories to begin teaching grade 6 in a small fly-in community in northern Manitoba. Northern Canada was still very much an alien place to me back then and I'm sure I appeared very much to be an alien to the young charges for whom I found myself responsible. To say it was a difficult year would be an understatement. I developed a rather serious skin rash due in part to the community being under a "boil water advisory" for the entire school year. A close relative of one of my students was murdered. A young ... more »
Watch A F-22 Do A Low-Level Pass In Lithuania (Video)
*U.S. Air Force:* *F-22 Raptors fly into Lithuania as part of European tour* ŠIAULIAI AIR BASE, Lithuania (AFNS) -- A pair of F-22 Raptors and one KC-135 Stratotanker arrived at Šiauliai Air Base on April 27, following a short stay in Romania. The F-22s, with about 20 supporting Airmen, are from the 95th Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The KC-135 is from the 100th Air Refuel Wing at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. The aircraft and Airmen were welcomed by Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė and other distinguished visitors from the Lithuanian governme... more »
Tweet For Today
Kenya to torch huge stockpile of elephant tusks seized from poachers https://t.co/uIgeCqPAk5 pic.twitter.com/ljwoIzU6sM — AFP news agency (@AFP) April 30, 2016
Mundane Urban Oddities in RPG Cities
One of the temptations when making a city for long-term use in an RPG is making it "perfect". I don't mean getting every detail (though that is another temptation) but rather to optimize every aspect of it - awesome public transport, carefully thought out highways, etc. - Real cities are awfully imperfect. Off the top of my head, here are some issues major cities have had to deal with (with a focus on the cities I'm most familiar with, Boston and New York City). - In Boston, whenever winds exceeded 45 miles per hour, giant windows would fall off the Hancock tower.... more »
This Video Lines Up U.S. Military Weapons From Small To Large (Video)
*Popular Mechanics*: *This Two-Minute Video Lines Up U.S. Military Weapons From Small to Large* Aircraft carriers, they are big. The best way to appreciate the size difference between objects is just to lay 'em all out in a row and behold. That's what this two-minute video does with the weaponry of the U.S. military. The clip starts at the small end with a .45-caliber bullet, which measures just 3.2 centimeters long, or about an inch and a quarter. Then things get bigger, through grenades and guns, through drones and tanks, through fighters and bombers until it reaches the macro ... more »
Picture Of The Day
A radio transmission operator, 1st Armored Division takes the brunt of debris caused by the firing of an M777 howitzer as he calls in another strike for his gun, at Fort Bliss, Texas, Nov. 3, 2015. IMAGE: STAFF SGT. MARCUS FICHTL, USA
Do You Like Your Senators?
*A pile of crap that no one likes even in their own states* Thursday, Morning Consult published the approval and disapproval ratings of every senator. Only their own constituents were asked to vote. Bernie is the most popular senator in America once again-- with an 80% approval rating. Although Miss McConnell remains the most disliked senator in the country among his own constituents-- his disapproval is 49%-- the Republican senators who ran for president are unpopular with their own constituents, especially Little Marco. Of all senators who ran for president, his approval took the ... more »
Decorated Green Beret Will Not Be Discharged From The Army Because He Confronted A Child Rapist
*FOX News*: *Army retains decorated Green Beret it planned to kick out over confronting Afghan child rapist* EXCLUSIVE: In a stunning reversal, the U.S. Army decided late Thursday to retain a decorated Green Beret it had planned to kick out after he physically confronted a local Afghan commander accused of raping a boy over the course of many days. Sgt 1st Class Charles Martland, confirmed the Army's decision to retain him when reached by Fox News, who has been covering the story in depth for the past eight months and first broke the story of the Army's decision in August to kic... more »
(Bernie Should NOT Drop Out!) Election Fraud Gone Wild (Behind Prince's Low-Profile Generosity to Green Causes) Alumni World Turns (Is Hillary Clinton 'Honest'? Does She Need to Be?) Former Tax Lobbyists Are Writing the Rules on Tax Dodging
Bernie Should Drop Out? Baloney.By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Facebook Page27 April 16ere's what I say to all those who are telling me Bernie should leave the race: Baloney. He should – and will – fight on, despite the worsening odds of his winning the nomination. His campaign isn’t and has never been mainly about Bernie Sanders. It’s about a movement to reclaim our democracy from the
Couple Proves Nature Can be Healed by Transforming Barren Land into Sanctuary
*Anna Hunt* - Driven by their passion for nature, this couple has done the impossible.
The Old Oil Order Has Collapsed
*Michael Klare, Real Clear World/Tom Dispatch*:* The Collapse of the Old Oil Order* Sunday, April 17th was the designated moment. The world's leading oil producers were expected to bring fresh discipline to the chaotic petroleum market and spark a return to high prices. Meeting in Doha, the glittering capital of petroleum-rich Qatar, the oil ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), along with such key non-OPEC producers as Russia and Mexico, were scheduled to ratify a draft agreement obliging them to freeze their oil output at current levels. In a... more »
This is What Government Sponsored Mass Surveillance is Doing to Your Mind
*Alex Pietrowski* - Research into the effects of government spying proves how dangerous it is to the individual.
An Analysis On Chinese President Xi Jingping
Chinese President Xi Jinping (pictured) has been dogged by foreign media reports of great family wealth. Daily Mail *Andrew J. Nathan, New York Review of Books*:* Who Is Xi?* More than halfway through his five-year term as president of China and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party—expected to be the first of at least two—Xi Jinping’s widening crackdown on civil society and promotion of a cult of personality have disappointed many observers, both Chinese and foreign, who saw him as destined by family heritage and life experience to be a liberal reformer. Many thought Xi... more »
Economic News , Data & Views ( April 29 , 2016 ) Overview For Friday ( 1. Markets - Global Equities Returns Through April , Commodities - Returns through April , Crude Oil Bounce Since February Lows , USD Index - YTD Low While Oil Rebound To YTD High , Credit , Bond , NIRP Items De Jour. 2. Greece Updates - Primarily Focused On State Of Talks With Creditors , Greece Unemployment at 24.4% In January . 3 Libya In Focus - Political Updates , General State Of Play . 4. Brexit Items De Jour. 5. Refugee Crisis / Border Security Items.)
Markets..... *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 4h 4 hours ago Global Equity returns (local currency) through April... *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 4h 4 hours ago Commodity Returns through April... *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 22m 22 minutes ago Crude Oil in 2016... Feb 11: -30% YTD Today: +24% YTD $WTIC $CL_F *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 11h 11 hours ago Dollar Index at YTD low. Crude Oil at YTD high. $DXY $CL_F *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 3h 3 hours ago Inflation Expectations end the month at their high... more »
KIPP and Duncan's ED Under Scrutiny
It has been a long time coming, but legitimate watchdog groups are finally coming to the "no excuses" charter school scandal. This investigative piece is from the Center for Media and Democracy. the volume of such private philanthropic support begs the question of why the American taxpayer ought to be subsidizing schools that are touted as public but act like private ones when it comes to executive compensation and roadblocks to transparency, especially at a time when traditional public schools are facing such budgetary pressures? KIPP is a taxpayer-subsidized school franchise that ...more »
Hester Berry - crumbling imagery - pseudo abstract landscapes
I love these paintings by Devonshire artist Hester Berry because the closer you get to them the more the image diffuses or cracks or shatters to impsto marks that made them. *I try to use the marks available to me as economically as possible, distilling the image/feeling/moment into what is necessary. Paint enables me to explore my world, and lends a voice with which to comment on modern life. *HESTER BERRY
Hillary Is Much Better Than Trump, Right?
Eric Levitz's *New York* Magazine story after the quintet of northeast primaries this week, seems to indicate that Trump will fight Clinton for the Bernie supporters-- or, at least, use some of the populist Bernie messaging to clobber her and her and her cronies' corporate instincts. His racism, sexism, xenophobia and penchant for fascism isn't going to play well among any of the Bernie supporters I know. Other than that though, he's ready to take her on in the battle of the evil of two lessers shaping up for November. "[T]he Donald," writes Levitz, "plans to read up on this democ... more »
Russian Authorities Are Preparing For Mass Protests
Riot police stand guard during a march to commemorate Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead in central Moscow on March 1, 2015. (Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters) *Washington Post*:* This is how the Russian police say they will put down mass protests* MOSCOW — It has been years since Russia's protest movement showed much moxie, sending tens of thousands onto the streets of Moscow for raucous demonstrations against electoral fraud and Vladimir Putin's third term as president. But with the economy now mired in its longest recession in 20 years and parliamentary elections set for t... more »
Musical Interlude: Bruce Springsteen, “My Hometown”
Bruce Springsteen, “My Hometown” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSRH4vh7fb8
Kiev Sends Fox to Guard the Chickens in Odessa
US puppet in Kiev Petro Poroshenko to send Nazi battalions to 'keep peace' at May 2 memorial to remember those killed by Nazis in Odessa in 2014..... Not a good sign.....
Armed Military Arrives in Gangjeong
As a group of Navy soldiers go through Gangjeong village [Jeju Island, South Korea] on April 28, carrying assault rifles with their fingers on the trigger, ready to shoot the gun, Gangjeong residents are protesting. Villagers just want peace, living in their village without fear. Drop the Navy and Samsung construction division demanded damage lawsuit against the village! Don't walk around Gangjeong in military uniform!! Close the Navy base!
New UK Guardian interview with Albert Woodfox, two months after his release
In a UK Guardian article published today, Albert Woodfox reflects upon two months of life outside of prison walls and solitary confinement. The article concludes with the following excerpt: *The most disturbing part of freedom, Woodfox says, has been the dawning realisation since his release that in America in 2016 there is very little sense of political or social struggle. When he entered prison in the 1970s the country was on fire with political debate; now, as he puts it, “everybody seems to be ‘Me, me, me, me, me.’ It’s all about me, what I need and how I’m going to get it.... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What makes this spiral galaxy so long? Measuring over 700,000 light years across from top to bottom, NGC 6872, also known as the Condor galaxy, is one of the most elongated barred spiral galaxies known. *Click image for larger size.* The galaxy's protracted shape likely results from its continuing collision with the smaller galaxy IC 4970, visible just above center. Of particular interest is NGC 6872's spiral arm on the upper left, as pictured here, which exhibits an unusually high amount of blue star forming regions. The light we see today left these colliding giants before the day... more »
The Universe
“Believe me, I know all about it. I know the stress. I know the frustration. I know the temptations of time and space. We worked this out ahead of time. They're part of the plan. We knew this stuff might happen. Actually, you insisted they be triggered whenever you were ready to begin thinking thoughts you've never thought before. New thinking is always the answer.” “Good on you,” The Universe “Thoughts become things... choose the good ones!” - www.tut.com
"We Are All..."
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
"The Road to New Beginnings: Completion"
*"The Road to New Beginnings: Completion"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "Just as new beginnings are important, so is honoring the experience of closure. Life is a collage of beginnings and endings that run together like still-wet paint. Yet before we can begin any new phase in life, we must sometimes first achieve closure to the current stage we are in. That’s because many of life’s experiences call for closure. Often, we cannot see the significance of an event or importance of a lesson until we have reached closure. Or, we may have completed a certain phase in life or path of le... more »
Untitled
San Antonio, Texas, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
The Poet: Herman Melville, “The Martyr”
*“The Martyr”* “Good Friday was the day Of the prodigy and crime, When they killed him in his pity, When they killed him in his prime Of clemency and calm- When with yearning he was filled To redeem the evil-willed, And, though conqueror, be kind; But they killed him in his kindness, In their madness and their blindness, And they killed him from behind. There is sobbing of the strong, And a pall upon the land; But the People in their weeping Bare the iron hand: Beware the People weeping When they bare the iron hand. He lieth in his blood- The father in his face; They have killed him, th... more »
Pro-Life Activists Behind Planned Parenthood Sting Videos Reject Plea Bargain
[image: HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 04: David Daleiden, a defendant in an indictment stemming from a Planned Parenthood video he helped produce, arrives for court at the Harris County Courthouse after surrendering to authorities on February 4, 2016 in Houston, Texas. Daleiden is facing an indictment on a misdemeanor count of purchasing human organs, and along with defendant Sandra Merritt, is charged with tampering with a governmental record. (Photo by Eric Kayne/Getty Images)] The two undercover investigators who exposed Planned Parenthood’s fetal baby part-selling operation have rejecte... more »
"What Foolish Forgetfulness..."
"You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, so all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last. You have all the fears of mortals and all the desires of immortals… What foolish forgetfulness of mortality to defer wise resolutions to the fiftieth or sixtieth year, and to intend to begin life at a point to which few have attained." - Denis Diderot
The Economy: "Goldman Sachs 'Bail-in' Plot Designed to Steal Your Bank Account"
*"Goldman Sachs 'Bail-in' Plot Designed to Steal Your Bank Account"* by Dave Hodges "Bail-outs, Bail-ins, the average consumer has trouble keeping these terms and their meanings straight. Both terms are relatively new on the American economic scene. Here is what these terms mean: “*A bail-out* is when outside investors rescue a borrower by injecting money to help service a debt. Bail-outs of failing banks in Greece, Portugal and Iceland were primarily financed by taxpayers. *A bail-in* occurs when the borrower’s creditors are forced to bear some of the burden by having a portion of...more »
Midday Musical Interlude: Two Steps from Hell, “Downstream”
Two Steps from Hell, “Downstream” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Lf2qtNTUc
Midday Musical Interlude: Ludovico Einaudi, “Lady Labyrinth and Nightbook”
Ludovico Einaudi, “Lady Labyrinth and Nightbook” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw6kv8nlPbE
"Persist!"
"You are capable of more than you know. Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive to be the best, however hard the path. Aim high. Behave honorably. Prepare to be alone at times, and to endure failure. Persist! The world needs all you can give." - E. O. Wilson
Beech Marten Puts LHC On ‘Paws’
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has been shut down by a wayward beech marten. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) released a weekly report on Friday blaming a hungry beech marten for the shut-down of LHC in Geneva. The furry animal made its way into the world’s most powerful particle accelerator and caused a short circuit. Sputnik reports: MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The fouine appears to have found its way into an LHC transformer where it gnawed through the wiring, causing a “severe electrical perturbation.” “Short circuit caused by fouine on 66kV transformer… Transformer...more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 29, 2016
A lookout watches on the bridge of the U.S.S. John C. Stennis aircraft carrier in the South China Sea on April 25, 2016. Chiara Goia for TIME *Hannah Beech, Time*: *The Dispute About the South China Sea Is Also a Dispute About History and America’s Role* After patrolling Asia-Pacific waters for 160 years, the U.S. feels a historic interest in the region's security. Beijing couldn't see things more differently The U.S.S. John C. Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, plowed through the azure waters of the South China Sea in late April, as implacable as one of the... more »
Supreme Court Empowers FBI To Legally Hack Computers Worldwide
The Supreme Court just made it easier for the FBI to hack innocent people. New rules approved by the court on Thursday could allow any U.S. judge to authorize the FBI to potentially hack any computer in the United States or overseas with a single warrant. “Possibly the broadest expansion of extraterritorial surveillance power since the FBI’s inception,” according to security expert and law Professor Ahmed Ghappour. Motherboard reports: On Thursday, the court approved a controversial change in in Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, a procedural rule that regulates when... more »
Under Pressure From LGBT Groups, Obama Administration Publicizes Names of Schools Granted Title IX Religious Exemption
[image: Christian College - 900] LGBT activists have been pressuring President Obama’s Department of Education to publicly name the colleges granted religious exemptions from Title IX’s transgender mandates. Today, those groups got their wish. Title IX was enacted in 1972 and was designed to open... more »
Arkansas Medical Board Puts ‘Unborn Child’ Wording Back in Abortion Regs
[image: fetus - 900] The Arkansas Board of Health has voted to put the phrase "death of the unborn child" back into regulations implementing a 2015 abortion law, after an attempt to strike the phrase from the rules failed. Although the 2015 law refers to... more »
California Looks to Cover Illegal Immigrants Under Obamacare
[image: California Obamacare - 900] In an unprecedented move, California legislators look to extend Obamacare health coverage to the state's estimated 2.6 million illegal immigrant population. If passed and signed into law, California would be the first state in the nation to request illegal immigrants... more »
The end of Iraq is Nigh: Gorran Leader Nashirwin Mustafa returns from London.
*Properly groomed, no doubt. And by groomed, I’m not talkin’ hair and nails.* *Gorran leader Nawshirwan Mustafa returns to Iraqi Kurdistan* *SULAIMANI*, Kurdistan region ‘Iraq’,— Change Movement (Gorran) head Nawshirwan Mustafa arrived in Sulaimani International Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan on Thursday* after seven months in Europe. (Europe? How about London)* Gorran Politburo member Aso Mahmud said the* Gorran leader’s return would affect the political situation in the Kurdistan Region.* Mahmoud predicted* Mustafa’s return would initiate a political movement in the region and sai... more »
April 29: Why are Terrorists Terrorists....?
Donald Trump will tell you it's because they're a lower form of human made evil by their religion and, therefore, not intelligent and peaceful like us Christians. In fact, all the leadership candidates will tell you that - or something close to that. All this is based on what is essentially racist ideology. So let's go to a different starting point. Let's presume that terrorists are people of normal intelligence who have reasons for what they do. Let's start with 9/11. On that day, they killed over 3,000 Americans. Why? Did they think the U.S. would instantly surrender? Not bloody ... more »
Chinese Biker Narrowly Escapes Collision With Truck
A Chinese biker waiting at a junction in Nantong City, China, narrowly avoided serious injury or death when he saw an accident pile up approaching his way. The biker saw the danger and abandons the scene on two legs in the nick of time, leaving behind his bike. NBC reports: Chinese Biker Miraculously Escapes Collision With Cargo Truck A biker narrowly escaped certain death after a traffic collision involving a large cargo truck and a small truck took place in Nantong City, China. Toddler Falls Out Of Van On Busy Chinese Road
World News Briefs -- April 29, 2016 (Evening Edition)
*Reuters*: *'Monstrous' violence in Syria as government excludes Aleppo from truce* Syria called local truces near Damascus and in a northern province on Friday but no halt to combat on the main battlefield in Aleppo, after a surge in fighting the United Nations said showed "monstrous disregard" for civilian lives. A new "regime of calm" would begin from 1:00 a.m. on Saturday and last one day in the capital's eastern Ghouta suburb and three days in the northern countryside of the coastal province of Latakia, the army said in a statement. But by excluding the city of Aleppo, scen... more »
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