Fair Use Note

WARNING for European visitors: European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent. As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies. You are responsible for confirming this notice actually works for your blog, and that it displays. If you employ other cookies, for example by adding third party features, this notice may not work for you. Learn more about this notice and your responsibilities.

Thomas Paine

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

Friday, May 6, 2016

6 May - Blogs I'm Following

BC Place, Vancouver, BCBC Place, Vancouver, BC (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

.



4 Pictures worth 10 000 Words
Trust Your Gut! Stay Healthy!
🐸 Frog Study (Intestines Non-GMO vs GMO)
www.i-sis.org.uk/Commercial_Formulations_of_Bt_Toxins_Letha…

🐭 Rat Study (Stomach & Intestine GMO vs Non-GMO) 
http://www.thelancet.com/…/PIIS0140-6736%2898%2905…/fulltext


🐷 Pig Study (Stomach GMO vs Non-GMO)
www.organic-systems.org/journal/81/8106.pdf

😭 Human (Rates of BT GMO Corn vs Intestinal Disorder Hospitalization USDA)
http://www.examiner.com/…/intestinal-disease-immune-disease…

‪#‎gmofreecanada‬ heart emoticon
10:30pm MDST

Picture Of The Day

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 17 seconds ago
A concert by the symphony orchestra of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater was held at the Roman amphitheater of Palmyra, Syria. IMAGE: SPUTNIK/AP/MIKHAIL VOSKRESENSKIY

It’s Trump! The Republicans Take Their Future, And Ours, To The Big Casino

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 30 minutes ago
*By Noah* *For those who didn’t watch The Sopranos or don’t know: "The Big Casino" is a slang term often used by East Coast Italian-Americans instead of the word cancer, or, "The Big C."* Trump is their guy! The best of the best of the 17 Repug contestants! Are Republicans missing a chromosome or two? Well, they don’t believe in science, so what does it matter? Donald Trump, a birther, bankruptcy king, game show host, and F5 tornado of bigotries, who made his money by parlaying an inheritance into Atlantic City casinos that play on the delusional instant winner get rich hopes of ... more »

Life Aboard A U.S. Nuclear Attack Submarine (Video)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 30 minutes ago
*CNN:* *Life aboard a U.S. submarine* (CNN)Sailing on a U.S. nuclear attack submarine is a trip into a cramped, timeless, windowless undersea world. My team and I got an exclusive trip on the USS Missouri during exercises in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. The first thing we noticed is how just how precious space is on board -- and how the crews, who spend six months at sea on deployment, manage to stay out of each other's way. About a third of the 337-foot vessel is taken up by the onboard nuclear reactor and propulsion, leaving a tiny living and work space for the ... more »

I Came Not to Bring Peace, But To Kick Ass and Take Names.

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 hour ago
*I Came Not to Bring Peace, But To Kick Ass and Take Names.* *And I'm Fresh Out of Names. * The early Christian Church depicted Jesus in images and iconography as clean-shaven, and with short hair. However, as the underground, outlawed and officially suppressed followers of the faith began a gradual infiltration and subversion of the various organs and branches of State power and authority , before ultimately taking over full control of the Roman Empire and imposing monotheism, they needed to present an image of their God that could seem to be at least measure up physically to ... more »

Praying For Palmyra: Russia's Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra Performs A Concert Honoring Victims Of Syria War (Full Video)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 hour ago
From *YouTube:* Renowned conductor Valery Gergiev is leading a concert in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra to support the restoration of the UNESCO site and honor victims of the war. The city of Palmyra was devastated by Islamic State terrorists who occupied the site for some 10 months before it was liberated by Syrian troops with Russian air support. *WNU Editor:* Wow .... the music and the historical setting .... wow . I know that Palmyra is a war zone .... but wow .... I wish I was a spectator to this.

Court Rules Child Who Was Unborn When Father Died Can Sue Over His Death

DAVID PITT at The Stream - 1 hour ago
[image: In this Feb. 13, 2005 file photo, Paul Gray from the group Slipknot arrives for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The Iowa Supreme Court says the deceased Slipknot bassist's daughter may sue for loss of a parent's companionship, even though she was born after her father died. The ruling Friday May 6, 2016, comes in the wrongful death lawsuit that Gray's widow filed after the heavy metal bassist died of a drug overdose in May 2010.] DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The daughter of the late Slipknot bassist Paul Gray can sue a doctor for the loss of her father’s companionsh... more »

This is How Unconcerned Hillary Clinton is About Bernie

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 2 hours ago
(Tip o' the tinfoil hat to faithful reader CC) I guess we should expect some degree of propaganda not only during election years but one could argue that propaganda has been part and parcel to politics since the days of ancient Rome. ("At his last sex orgy, Paladius fornicated with a sheep instead of a boy. Is that who you want as Proconsul? Vote Severinus, a true pederast, this November!") But astroturfing, as the phrase was coined by Nancy Pelosi years ago, has become a lucrative business and is now as much a part of politics as fellating Iowa corn dogs, pointing at... more »

Orange is the New Antiblack

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 2 hours ago
(By Cyril Blubberpuss, Conservative-American) *P*oor, poor Republicans. When their presidential field still looked like a party at the 19th hole at Augusta with an embittered hostess and a black waiter, they had a choice between someone who could make them richer and someone who could make them even richer. The latter, of course, is Donald Trump. And now that he has the field all to himself, Republicans are clutching their pearls and whatever passes for their testicles. And I do not feel sorry for them one Goddamned bit. The Republican field was very diverse this year. You had ... more »

Russia Stages Classical Concert in Recaptured Palmyra Amphitheater

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 2 hours ago
*Time*: *Russian Orchestra Plays Bach Amid Ruins of Palmyra* *Musicians staged a concert in a second-century amphitheater in the freed Syrian city* A Russian symphony orchestra played a surprise concert in Syria’s ruins of Palmyra, on the site where ISIS killed 25 people in 2015. Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre performed in a Roman amphitheater to a crowd that included flown-in reporters, Syrian soldiers, Russian officials and UNESCO dignitaries, reports the New York Times. Thursday’s concert comes after Russia’s military helped dictator Bashar al Assad’s forces push ISIS out of the a... more »

Gobekli Tepe - after 9,600 BC - a burgeoning reassessment of the Neolithic period

Mike Philbin at Mike Philbin's free planet blog - 3 hours ago
very telling phrase in the first video, "Yes, the earlier sculptures and megaliths (discovered at Gobekli Tepe) were more competently dressed, carved, decorated, than later pillars." This is something that's also evident in the ante-diluvian sites in Peru and Bolivia and Egypt namely vast polygonal walls made of mortarless interconnected blocks of super-hard stone like marble and andesite that were then found by later Mayan Inca Toltec cultures and repaired to the bronze age standard of the day. Such findings break the whole 'mankind slowly evolved as his artistic brain was given... more »

Turkey's Erdogan Tells The EU: "We Will Go Our Way, You Go Yours"

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 3 hours ago
*The Guardian*: *EU-Turkey visa deal on brink as Erdoğan refuses to change terror laws* Refugee pact appears in danger of falling apart as Turkish president tells Europe: ‘We’ll go our way, you go yours’ A visa-free travel deal between the EU and Turkey was on the brink of collapse on Friday night, after Turkey’s president insisted he would not change his country’s anti-terrorism laws, a key condition of the agreement. “We’ll go our way, you go yours,” said Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. When the European commission made a conditional offer of visa-free travel earlier this week, it said A... more »

Sierra Club Wades Into The Muck In South Jersey

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
The video above is of Alex Law. He's not the corrupt conservative, Donald Norcross, who was just endorsed by the crackpot who runs New Jersey's Sierra Club and who Alex and progressives across New Jersey and across America are hoping to defeat in the June 7th primary. I checked around among progressives in New Jersey I know and-- with one exception, an official who told me Jeff Tittel is "crazy"-- everyone described Tittel, Sierra Club's director in the state, in far worse terms than "crazy." One top staffer in the legislature told me Tittel is "one of the state's most destructiv... more »

Breaking News: Heavily Armed Marines Arrive at US Embassy in Baghdad

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 3 hours ago
Caught this as I was about to stop reading news: *I do not think this has anything to do with the regular occurring protests.* Will their be a false flag type attack on Iraq's parliament? With the special ops forces appearing in ISIS garb? Anything is possible. It's certainly coming down to the wire in Iraq. Interesting admission in this CNN news article! *CNN * *(CNN)**Twenty-five additional heavily armed U.S. Marines arrived at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad within the last several hours, a U.S. official tells CNN. * *The Marines were requested by the State Department, which is in cha... more »

The Big Nuking of '59 How the US would have Nuked East Asia. ISIS to East Asia?

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 3 hours ago
*Two articles that seem not to go together, but, maybe they do?* *The ways of waging war are many. The result death, destruction, disease and chaos are the consistencies- And though the method may change it seems past targets can still be future targets..* *From the past:* *A recent collaborative project between(you'll want to check the image at the link) the Future of Life Institute and Nukemaps has created a visual representation of U.S. plans to use nuclear weapons against the Soviet bloc in 1959. The strikes, derived from a declassified list of U.S. nuclear targets published by... more »

Western Shoshone Run Nears Peace Camp

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 3 hours ago
Today Friday May 6, 2016 Photos by Carl Bad Bear Sampson Western Shoshone On the weeklong Western Shoshone Peace and Friendship Walk and Run, Western Shoshone are asserting their Treaty rights as recognized in the Treaty of Ruby Valley of 1863, defending burial grounds and sacred Yucca Mountain. Scroll down Censored News for more www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

Untitled

Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 4 hours ago
*From* *Jenna Orkin* Notorious Hacker Makes 'Bombshell' Claim: "I Got Inside Hillary's Completely Unsecured Server" How A Collapse In South America Could Trigger Martial Law In The U.S. EU Plans $290K Per Person Fine For Countries Refusing "Fair Share" Of Refugees; Angry Response Ensues The War On Paper Currency Officially Begins: ECB Ends Production Of €500 Bill "We'll Respond Totally Asymmetrically" - Russia Answers NATO With Three New Deployments Rule on Arbitration Would Restore Right to Sue Banks 'Barefoot doctors' from a small Chinese town now control 80% of China's private h... more »

Biologist Targeted for Exposing the Gender Bending Pesticide Poisoning America

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 4 hours ago
*Christina Sarich* - Big-Ag doesn't want the public to know how dangerous this pesticide is.

Maggot Brain

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 4 hours ago

Waiting for the big one

Steve at GlobaLove Think Tank - 4 hours ago
Chronologically I am 57 years old Biologically I am under 40 for sure compared to my compartment Physiologically not a day over 19 so with trepidation but not every day I wait for the big one the unifying theory that gives me the big bang knocking all the lifelines into a singularity How many people out there feel star crossed? I do and have good reasons it does not mean for a second there is any truth some people just cant handle good luck and its seems to be no more than that I showed up and x happened Halliup praise the lord Allie Akibar inshalla and Thor's hammer and Odin who is my ... more »

Why Christians Should Oppose Calls to Punish ‘Climate Skeptics’

Calvin Beisner at The Stream - 4 hours ago
[image: Stop Questioning - global warming - 900] Since human nature hasn't changed, it should come as no surprise that, even in our supposedly enlightened age, some people still want to use force, masquerading as law, to end debate. It started with people just voicing their opinions that... more »

Trump Will Testify After Election in Trump University Suit

ELLIOT SPAGAT at The Stream - 4 hours ago
[image: Trump University - 900] SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Donald Trump will testify after the presidential election on a class-action lawsuit that accuses the billionaire businessman and his now-defunct Trump University of defrauding people who paid up to $35,000 for real estate seminars, his attorney... more »

Obama to Flint: Drink Up and Pipe Down

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 5 hours ago
President Obama finally got around to bringing the pipes to the residents of Flint, Michigan this week. His rich baritone pipes, that is - not the kind they desperately need to replace the corroded crap still leaching toxic lead into the drinking water supply of thousands of families. Did you really think that the slow genocide of an entire city full of non-rich working people would qualify as a national disaster prompting an emergency presidential declaration and the immediate presence of billions of dollars and the Army Corps of Engineers? Since there is no immediate profit to be ... more »

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 6, 2016

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 5 hours ago
*Ian Bremmer, Time:* *4 Reasons the War Against ISIS Is Working—and 1 Reason It’s Not* The U.S.-led coalition has had increasing success in the war on ISIS, especially in Iraq and Syria—but the terror organization is regrouping in Libya ISIS remains the best-funded, best-equipped terrorist organization the world has ever seen. But for the first time since its rise in 2014, real progress is being made against the jihadist group. These five facts explain what you need to know. *Read more* .... *Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 6, 2016* Finding A Way Forward in The Wa... more »

World News Briefs -- May 6, 2016 (Evening Edition)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 5 hours ago
*Reuters:* *Convoy leads Canada fire evacuees through burning city to safety* A convoy of evacuees from the Canadian oil hub of Fort McMurray made its way on Friday through the heart of an out-of-control wildfire on the only highway out of the region, passing through the burned ruins of the city. High winds and parched timber and brush from a spring heat wave stoked flames, which have engulfed 247,000 acres (101,000 hectares) in Canada's energy heartland since erupting on Sunday. Some 88,000 people were forced to flee Fort McMurray and two oil sands sites south of the city were t... more »

Japanese PM Abe Meets Russian President Putin At Sochi

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 5 hours ago
*VOA:** Russia-Japan Leaders Meet as Tensions Loom* MOSCOW—Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Russia Friday hoping to ease strained relations between Tokyo and Moscow before President Vladmir Putin heads to China for a bilateral summit next month. At the top of the agenda was a long-running dispute over the group of islands Russia calls the southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories. But Moscow and Tokyo were both quick to dismiss any suggestions that Friday’s meeting would lead to a quick fix to their long-standing territorial dispute. The governments in Tok... more »

A Trump Proposal for National Debt Would Send Rates Soaring

Josh Boak at The Stream - 5 hours ago
[image: Trump - 900] WASHINGTON (AP) -- In the event that the U.S. economy crashed, Donald Trump has floated a recovery plan based on his own experience with corporate bankruptcy: Pay America’s creditors less than full value on the U.S. Treasurys they hold. Experts... more »

Obama on Trump: This is Not a Reality Show

KATHLEEN HENNESSEY at The Stream - 5 hours ago
[image: Obama - 900] WASHINGTON (AP) -- In his first remarks about Donald Trump’s status as the GOP’s presumptive nominee, President Barack Obama on Friday urged the media to undertake tougher scrutiny of presidential candidates. “We are in serious times and this is a... more »

Plague Panic Politics - Eat Shit and You Will Die

Spike EP at News Spike - 5 hours ago
And that's what the doctor hired to be one of the Fox News Commentators hired to supply medical expertise says may well have happened to Prince. Because they say he had had the 'flu for around 3 weeks before being found dead. To support this potential diagnosis, he points out that Prince's plane had to make an emergency landing on April 14, requesting an ambulance and paramedics to rush him straight to hospital. The pilot reported that they had a non-responsive male patient on board, and that was the emergency - when Prince arrived at the hospital, he was seen being carried int... more »

Professor Anastasios Tsonis Joins GWPF Academic Advisory Council

Paul Homewood at NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT - 6 hours ago
By Paul Homewood Announcement from GWPF: Dr Tsonis is an American atmospheric scientist and distinguished professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. His research focuses on the study of climate dynamics and global change. His work has led to the Tsonis criterion, a research method bearing his name. The GWPF Academic Advisory Council is […]

Wild Looking Sunrise at Fukushima Daiichi

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 6 hours ago
Really wild looking sunrise. Its hard to tell from the screenshots the exact location of the sun because at times there appear almost to be two suns rising over plant. Here are more screenshots here: Why does the sunrise look so lopsided?

Cesium Detections in Japan's Soil

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 6 hours ago
Japan's citizens are testing soil for traces of Fukushima contamination. Note that among the 1,000 radionuclides released by Fukushima, they are testing for cesium alone: Masakazu Honda. May 6, 2016. 30 groups show radioactive soil levels to address Fukushima fears. The Asahi Shimbunb http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201605060006.html A coalition of 30 private groups is digging deeper into radiation contamination from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster to address persistent concerns from the public around Japan…. ...The highest reading so far was 135,000 becquerels of radio... more »

The Voodou, Hoodoo, What-You-Don't-Dare-Do People

Spike EP at News Spike - 6 hours ago
*"If you look at cave art – the first art was done; the first writing that was done, basically as art. * *And if someone wanted to make something happen; like, if you were in the — like, if you were some fucked up caveman in a cave somewhere, worrying about your dinner. * *What do you do? You draw a bison on the wall; stick some spears in it. * *Go out, and the bison dies filled with spears."* *Grant Morrison * *"Do you know much about voodoo? That's a fascinating practice. * *No real doctrine of faith to speak of - more an arrangement of superstitions; the most well-known of wh... more »

Federal Officer in Custody After Three Fatal Shootings

Ben Nuckols at The Stream - 6 hours ago
[image: shooting - 900] SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) -- A federal security officer suspected in three fatal shootings outside a high school, a mall and a supermarket in the Washington, D.C., area was arrested Friday, police said. Three people were also wounded in the... more »

New Theory on the WOW! Signal

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 7 hours ago
There is something new in the story of the WOW! Signal. This is signal detected by radio astronomer Jerry Ehman in 1977. It was a strong blast that lasted for 72 seconds and was never repeated. One explanation for the signal was that it was from an alien civilization on a far distant planet (which, of course, would describe any planet not in our solar system). He circled that point and wrote, “Wow!” next to it. The WOW! Signal Now a fellow at Florida’s St. Petersburg College, Antonio Paris, is suggesting he has a possible explanation for the signal. It wasn’t from another planet in ... more »

World’s Longest Insect Found In Southern China

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 7 hours ago
Researchers in China have discovered the world’s longest insect. A two-foot-long stick insect was found wriggling on a mountain road in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2014 , according to state media. Xinhua reports: Zhao Li, with the Insect Museum of West China (IMWC) in Chengdu, found the 62.4-cm-long stick insect during a field inspection in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2014, breaking the record for length for all 807,625 insects discovered so far, according to the IMWC. The previous record holder was a stick insect found in Malaysia in 2008. It measured 56.7 c...more »

Outrage In France Over Police Brutality Of Triple-Amputee

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 7 hours ago
There has been outrage in France after police were caught on camera subjecting a disabled homeless man with no legs and one arm to a humiliating public strip-search on the Paris underground. The footage shot at Paris Gare de Lyon railway station was posted on Facebook by Jean-Didier Bakekolo, who said he witnessed the incident on May 2nd The video starts with police officers walking away from the amputee who was sitting on the floor in his top and underwear after the officers made with him remove off his jeans and prosthetic legs. The victim of the alleged harassment was later ident... more »

#NeverTrump, #NeverHillary-- Unity Camp? Please... Down With Tyranny

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
The *Washington Examiner* isn't a place I got for news, but now that I've excised Rachel Maddow's show from my regular viewing I do wander over to Fox sometimes in the slot when I used to watch her and Wednesday night Philip Klein-- no relation, but the *Examiner*'s managing editor-- was a guest. He switched his party registration from Republican to Independent in light of the Trump takeover of his party. His explanation of why he would never vote for Trump closely shadows the reason why so many Bernie supporters will never vote for Hillary. (Yes, yes, calm down-- she's the lesse... more »

Americans Duped by White House on Iran Deal, Top Adviser Boasts

Al Perrotta at The Stream - 7 hours ago
[image: Switzerland US Iran] President Obama played the American people when it came to the Iran nuclear deal and used the easily pliable media as his instrument. That's the take-away from a New York Times Magazine profile of the man who says he orchestrated the...more »

Joe Slept Though The Verdict

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 7 hours ago
If you want to know what the Conservatives have learned since their election defeat, Michael Harris writes, you should read the op-ed which Joe Oliver recently penned for the *National Post*: Oliver tried to make the argument that the Trudeau government is overturning all the wonderful things done by Side Door Steve (he doesn’t sit in Parliament — he *lurks* there). Take the Office of Religious Freedom (ORF). Joe sees this Harper-era initiative as a giant step forward for mankind. Others, whose comfort zone isn’t necessarily the Middle Ages, prefer the separation of church and sta... more »

Waiting for the big one

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 8 hours ago
Chronologically I am 57 years old Biologically I am under 40 for sure compared to my compartment Physiologically not a day over 19 so with trepidation but not every day I wait for the big one the unifying theory that gives me the big bang knocking all the lifelines into a singularity How many people out there feel star crossed? I do and have good reasons it does not mean for a second there is any truth some people just cant handle good luck and its seems to be no more than that I showed up and x happened Halliup praise the lord Allie Akibar inshalla and Thor's hammer and Odin who is my ... more »

Wages and telegenicity watch: Obama know-it-all slanders youth!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 8 hours ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016Though he may have a bit of a point:* Via Kevin Drum, we were struck by a comment by Obama foreign policy guru Ben Rhodes. A profile of Rhodes will appear in Sunday's New York Times magazine. In this excerpt, he discusses the relative youth of the modern press corps: SAMUELS (5/8/16): It is hard for many to absorb the true magnitude of the change in the news business—40 percent of newspaper-industry professionals have lost their jobs over the past decade....*“All these newspapers used to have foreign bureaus,” [Rhodes] said. “Now they don’t.* They call us to ex... more »

‘Grim Sleeper’ Serial Killer Convicted Of 10 Murders In LA

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 8 hours ago
Los Angeles serial killer known as the “Grim Sleeper,” who preyed on destitute and vulnerable black women for over three decades, was convicted on Thursday of murdering 10 people. His victim’s families can now reconcile with the memory of their loved ones. Christian Science Monitor reports: It took decades for an arrest to occur, and even more time passed before a conviction was reached. But on Thursday a jury in Los Angeles County convicted Lonnie Franklin Jr., a former garbage man and mechanic, guilty of 10 murders. Mr. Franklin earned the “Grim Sleeper” moniker for a spate of kil... more »

Researcher who unsuccessfully sued journal to stop retractions earns another expression of concern

Shannon Palus at Retraction Watch - 8 hours ago
A journal has added expressions of concern (EOCs) to four papers about diabetes, including one co-authored by an author who previously sued a different journal when it took a similar action on his papers. The Journal of Physiology flagged the papers after an investigation “could not rule out the possibility” that they contained duplicated Western blots. Though the […] The post Researcher who unsuccessfully sued journal to stop retractions earns another expression of concern appeared first on Retraction Watch.

Israel - Hamas Conflict is Escalating

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 8 hours ago
*VICE News*: *Hamas and Israel Trade Blows in Gaza During Worst Week of Violence Since 2014* For much of the last week, Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas have been trading blows: Israeli warplanes and tanks have been firing into the densely populated Gaza strip, while Palestinian fighters lob mortars at Israeli troops — it's the sharpest uptick in hostilities since Israel's 2014 invasion of Gaza. The escalation of violence comes as Israeli soldiers crossed into Gaza on Wednesday as part of an operation the army says will root out and destroy underground tunnels that... more »

North Korea Leader Kim Jong-un Hails Nuclear And Missile Advances At The Start Of The Party Congress

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 8 hours ago
*BBC:* *N Korea congress: Kim Jong-un praises nuclear tests* North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has opened a rare party congress by praising his country's nuclear achievements. Appearing before thousands of delegates, he said: "Unprecedented results have been accomplished." This year saw the country announce its fourth nuclear weapon test and that it sent a rocket into space. The showpiece congress, the first in 36 years, is a chance for the North Korean leader to cement his power. More than 100 foreign journalists were invited into the country to cover the event but were barred fr...more »

Students Warned Against Racist Sombreros, Tequila on Cinco De Mayo

Blake Neff at The Stream - 8 hours ago
[image: Lady with Sombrero Prohibited Not allowed - 900] The college newspaper at the University of California, Davis has issued a stern warning to students hoping to celebrate Cinco de Mayo: Don't drink too much or you're a racist engaging in cultural appropriation. The editorial board of The California... more »

New Study: Prayer Reduces Cravings for Alcohol

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 9 hours ago
[image: 1prayerhands] A new study from the NYU Langone Medical Center found that prayers reduce cravings for alcoholics. In the study published May 3, researchers discovered that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) members who prayed after viewing images of alcohol reported fewer cravings, as opposed to members... more »

Myths of the Campaign Trail

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 9 hours ago
Click here to read my column in Sunday's *NY Tiimes*.

All For the Love Of

Russell Duffy at GlobaLove Think Tank - 9 hours ago

Thoughts about Trump...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 10 hours ago
*from one of our most conservative activists in North Idaho.* Brent Regan is a force to be reckoned with in North Idaho. Well versed in local politics he has long held the reputation for clear thinking. Mr. Regan is an engineer who engineers stuff that I don't even understand for the aviation and aerospace industries. He's counts among his friends well known aerospace engineer Burt Rutan (who now lives in Coeur d' Alene), and flying enthusiast conservative Bill Whittle. Even with his very busy life, he has managed to devote thousands of hours to local issues from zoning, land use,... more »

Panama Papers Leaker Speaks Out For The First Time

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*DW*:* Panama Papers source 'John Doe' sends manifesto to explain data-release actions* *The anonymous source of the 'Panama Papers' has issued a manifesto explaining the motives for releasing the data. "John Doe" also called for action on corruption at the heart of income inequality.* The German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung published on its website a manifesto written by the anonymous source of the "Panama Papers," the 11.5 million files on offshore tax havens from the law firm Mossack Fonseca released last month. The source denied being a spy: "For the record, I do not work for an... more »

Royal Navy Fires Warning Shots At Spanish Naval Vessel Harassing A US Nuclear Sub As It Attempted To Dock At Gibraltar

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
Spanish Guardia Civil vessel Rio Cedena twice tried to disrupt the visit by ballistic missile sub USS Florida (shown in this file picture) as it was approaching the British Overseas Territory on the southern tip of Spain *Daily Mail:* *Royal Navy fires warning shot at Spanish patrol boat ‘hassling’ US nuclear submarine attempting to dock at Gibraltar* * Spanish Guardia Civil vessel Rio Cedena twice tried to disrupt sub's visit * USS Florida was trying to dock in Gibraltar when the incursion took place * Royal Navy 'fired flares' and dispatching squadron patrol boat HMS Sabre The Roya... more »

Donald Trump Will Ban Generals From Talking To The Press

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
Donald Trump addresses a campaign rally in Farmington, New Hampshire, January 25, 2016. REUTERS/Gretchen Ertl *Military Times*: *Trump: Military leaders shouldn't talk to the press* If he becomes commander in chief, Donald Trump won’t let military generals speak to “the dishonest press,” out of fear they’ll spill national security secrets. “I don't want them saying things like ‘our nation has never been so ill-prepared.’ Even though it's true, I don't want the enemy knowing that.”“A general should not be on television,” the Republican front-runner told a crowd of supporters during... more »

U.S. Pacific Admiral Rattles Both China And Washington

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*New York Times:* *A U.S. Admiral’s Bluntness Rattles China, and Washington* HONOLULU — He has called China “provocative and expansionist,” accusing it of “creating a Great Wall of sand” and “clearly militarizing” the disputed waters of the Western Pacific. “You’d have to believe in a flat earth to think otherwise,” he said in one appearance before Congress. These are the words of the American commander in charge of military operations in the Asia-Pacific region, Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., who has turned heads — and caused headaches — in Beijing as well as in Washington with langua... more »

U.S. Navy: Low Risk Of Accidental China-US Clash In South China Sea

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
The U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ships USS Bonhomme Richard (bottom) and USS Boxer (second from top) are pictured during Exercise Ssang Yong in the East Sea, March 8, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS/U.S. MARINE CORPS/CPL. DARIEN J. BJORNDAL/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS *Straits Times:* *Low risk of accidental China-US clash in South China sea: US navy official* HONOLULU - The risk of an accidental armed clash between China and the United States in the South China Sea is "still pretty low", says Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, Director of Operations of the US Pacific Command. The greater risk was a cl...more »

China Warns Critics Of Its South China Sea Policy To Not Pressure Beijing

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*Voice of America:* *Beijing Warns Critics Over South China Sea Dispute* BEIJING—As China awaits an international arbitration ruling over its claims to almost all of the South China Sea, Beijing issued a warning Friday to its critics, stating that the more they challenge its position regarding disputed territories in one of the world’s busiest waterways, the more it will push back. Speaking at a special briefing on the dispute, Ouyang Yujing, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, said China is willing to take into consideratio... more »

Is The U.S. Navy Now Avoiding the Strait Of Hormuz After Recent Iranian Threats?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*Voice of America:* *US Navy to Avoid Hormuz After Iran Threat to Close Strait* CAIRO—U.S. Defense Department spokesman Colonel Steven Warren says U.S. warships have stopped accompanying U.S. and British-flagged commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. The move came after Iran threatened to close the waterway to U.S. and allied vessels. The threat to close the Strait of Hormuz follows an announcement last week by Iran’s naval commander, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, that his country would hold maneuvers in the Persian Gulf in the near future. The deputy head of Iran’s Revol... more »

World News Briefs -- May 6, 2016

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
A member of Iraqi security forces stands guard in Baghdad's Kadhimiya district, May 2, 2016. Fearing a repeat of last week's turmoil when protesters stormed into the fortified Green (International) Zone, Baghdad was on lockdown Friday. *VOA*:* Baghdad on Lockdown as Anti-government Protesters Gather* BAGHDAD—Baghdad was on lockdown Friday. Fearing a repeat of last week's turmoil when protesters stormed into the fortified International Zone (IZ), also known as the Green Zone, and broke into parliament forcing lawmakers to flee for their lives, the government set up concrete barrier... more »

Trougher Charles Hendry To Take Charge Of “Independent “ Review Into Tidal Lagoons

Paul Homewood at NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT - 10 hours ago
By Paul Homewood h/t Philip Bratby Former MP, Charles Hendry In February, DECC announced an independent review into the feasibility and practicality of tidal lagoon energy in the UK. Today the news has been released that the review will be led by former MP, Charles Hendry. From DECC: The Independent Review […]

Ben Rhodes, Part the Second: Or, Journalistic Interpolations are Not Evidence

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 10 hours ago
For those of you not on Twitter. FWIW, Samuels’ appears to be walking a very fine line in the piece. /1 — Daniel Nexon (@dhnexon) May 6, 2016 Here’s his inference from the ‘grand deception’ of focusing on the 2013-2015 round & critics are seizing upon: 2/ pic.twitter.com/HZeUSEoggj — Daniel Nexon (@dhnexon) May 6, 2016 […]

Judicial Watch: New Batch of Emails Proves Hillary Clinton Misled

Rachel Alexander at The Stream - 10 hours ago
[image: Hillary Clinton Blank Stressed Worried Caught - 900] Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said she turned over all her work-related emails from her private server to the state department, declaring under penalty of perjury that she “directed that all my emails on clintonemail.com in my custody that... more »

Army Investigates 16 West Point Cadets for Political Involvement in Black Lives Matter

Jonah Bennett at The Stream - 10 hours ago
[image: BLM - 900] West Point officials are conducting an investigation into 16 black female cadets for appearing in a picture raising their fists, a symbol emblematic of the nascent Black Lives Matter movement. (You can see the photo here.) If that's the case,... more »

Terminal Cancer Patient Says Cannabis Stopped Brain Tumour Growing

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 11 hours ago
A man suffering from a terminal stage four brain tumour says his quality of life has been transformed since he started using cannabis oil Two years ago, Kieran McCrory, 38, was given just three to five years to live but doctors have now told him his tumour has stopped growing and no other treatment is needed at this stage. Even though it is illegal Kieran says he is going to continue using it. The Mirror reports: Kieran is hoping to shrink the tumour with continued use of cannabis oil in the hope that he can be treated with chemotherapy if necessary, Belfast Live reported . Kieran, ... more »

Pope, Charlemagne, walls, and European dreams

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 11 hours ago
There are situations in which I envy other countries their religious credentials but at the end, it's likely that I consider Czechia's status as the most atheist country of Europe (and 3rd in the world) to be a net benefit. That's surely the case when I look at the comments by the newest winner of the Charlemagne Prize. Left-wing Argentine pundit Jorge Mario Bergoglio wasn't expected to accept the Charlemagne award because Charlemagne was as earthly and as physical as you may get while the Vatican claims to be a spiritual country – and Bergoglio runs it under the artistic name "Po... more »

The Assassination of JFK Jr.

greencrow at Greencrow As The Crow Flies - 11 hours ago
*The Assassination of John F. Kennedy Jr.* With the likely nomination of Hillary Clinton to be Democratic Candidate for president in the upcoming Fall election, it is timely to return to one of the most egregious allegations made about her and her husband,, former president Bill Clinton. This is that they were involved in the conspiracy to kill John F. Kennedy Jr. Above is a very good link that includes all of the evidence that JFK Jr. his wife and her sister were murdered by some very powerful forces (including government, military and intelligence services) on July 16, 1999. *... more »

Why Shaun King Thinks Trump Will Beat Clinton

Gaius Publius at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago
*Writer Shaun King* *by Gaius Publius* I'm looking ahead to the next stages of this unfolding drama, and setting up another installment in that series (Look Ahead part one here, Look Ahead part two here). This is not part three, which will consider the question of who beats who in the general election. But this is preliminary to it. These are Shaun King's thoughts on the "who beats who" (I know, whom) question. For King, Trump easily trumps Clinton. After an introduction, he gives his reasons. Some I'll quote in full, others I'll just give a taste of his thinking. It's a good read... more »

RNC Chair Says Nominating Someone Other Than Trump ‘Not Impossible’

Juliegrace Brufke at The Stream - 11 hours ago
[image: Priebus - 900] Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus says the chances of anyone but Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump becoming the GOP nominee is "highly unlikely," but "nothing is impossible" at the Politico Playbook breakfast Friday. When asked whether the rules process could... more »

The Truth About The Fraud Known As ISIS: The Criminal Pentagon's Plan To Convert The (US/Israel Run) Islamic State Caliphate Into A US-Backed Syrian Rebel Puppet Regime!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 11 hours ago
Ever since the US/Israel/NATO criminal cabal "renamed" their fraud known as "Al Qaeda" into their new and more "sinister" fraud known as "ISIS", I knew that there was a hidden agenda for this "terrorist group" operating and raising havoc across the Middle East.... I knew that eventually other alternative news sources would come up with some real evidence to show what that hidden agenda was all about, and I would report those findings right here..... I came across the following very important article that comes from the Global Research group right here in Canada, at www.globalresearc... more »

Court Clears Algerian Man Of Sex Assault Charges In Cologne

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 11 hours ago
An Algerian man accused of sexual assault against a woman during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Cologne had his case thrown out by a German court on Friday after the victim failed to identify him. The Local reports: The panel said it had no evidence that the 26-year-old was part of a group of about ten men who allegedly surrounded, groped and robbed the woman at Cologne central railway station. The man was later found to be in possession of the woman’s mobile phone, but he told the court that he had bought the cellphone from an acquaintance. The court did find the man guilty of hand... more »

The White House Pushes for its Policies, and Other Surprises from Ben Rhodes

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 11 hours ago
It seems that everyone (at least on the political right) is in a tizzy about the “revelations” in David Samuels’ New York Times Magazine story on Ben Rhodes. For example, Lee Smith, at the Weekly Standard, headlines “Obama’s Foreign Policy Guru Boasts of How the Administration Lied to Sell the Iran Deal.” As I’ll explain below, […]

Gunman Opens Fire On Turkish Journalist ‘Can Dündar’ Outside Court

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 11 hours ago
Turkish opposition journalist Can Dündar narrowly escaped an assassination attempt outside a courthouse in Istanbul where he is on trial accused of revealing state secrets. The shooting happened during a break in the court proceedings where Dundar was awaiting a verdict that could see him imprisoned for life. Dündar, editor-in-chief of the leading opposition daily Cumhuriyet and Gül, the newspaper’s Ankara bureau chief, face life sentences for publishing a story that said Turkey was delivering arms to Islamist rebels in Syria. The Mirror reports: The shooting came just before the co... more »

THE ART OF THE CON: The problem our heroes will never discuss!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 12 hours ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016Part 4—Our own tribe's art of the con:* Goofus and Gallant are fighting today in the New York Times. Their columns appears on the same op-ed page. At issue is the way they regard tens of millions of voters. Goofus likes to generalize about tens of millions of voters. In his hands, they quickly become Those People. He lets his bombs fly: GOOFUS: I can almost guarantee that *we’ll see attempts to sanitize the positions and motives of Trump supporters, to downplay the racism that is at the heart of the movement* and pretend that what voters really care about are ... more »

Ken's way

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 12 hours ago
Ken Livingstone is on BBC Politics again defending the historical accuracy of his comments about Hitler. He says “any Jew will tell you that I’m right” and “It’s a pity that MPs don’t know their history”. It’s interesting to watch the video of Ken on an Arabic TV station that’s been doing the rounds recently, in which he sets out his position on western interference in the Middle East. It does give one an insight into his thinking, but his theories about our disastrous interventions in Iraq and Libya and the creation of Israel feature one glaring omission. He see... more »

Study on pregnant women with HIV lied about having ethics approval

Shannon Palus at Retraction Watch - 12 hours ago
We recently discovered a relatively old retraction notice — from 2014 — of a study on pregnant women with HIV. The paper was retracted two years ago when BMC Research Notes discovered the authors falsely claimed they had obtained ethics approval from an institution in Kenya. The study looked at the effectiveness of an antiretroviral therapy in 50 […] The post Study on pregnant women with HIV lied about having ethics approval appeared first on Retraction Watch.

Russian, Syrian Officials Deny Their Planes Hit Refugee Camp

PHILIP ISSA at The Stream - 12 hours ago
[image: Syrian airstrike - 900] BEIRUT (AP) -- Russian and Syrian officials denied Friday that their aircraft struck a camp for people displaced by fighting in an airstrike that killed 28 the previous evening. The denials came as activists said a coalition of rebels and... more »

Met Office Issues Snow Warning On UK’s Hottest Day

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 13 hours ago
The Met Office issued a severe weather warning yesterday saying snow was expected in many parts of the UK on the hottest day of the year. The leading weather service for the UK and parts of the world has admitted that it made a mistake and called its forecast a “technical error.” The country basked in temperatures of 21.5C. Metro reports: As Britons sat in beer gardens enjoying 21C temperatures, the forecaster was sending out an amber snow alert for London, south-east England and south Wales. The Met Office later blamed a ‘technical error’. The snow alert, they said, was a test warn...more »

French Police To Protest Against ‘Anti-Cop Hatred’

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 13 hours ago
French police will be staging a protest against the level of brutality they are receiving from members of the public. A major police union said that 300 officers have been hurt since the start of the year and the police will protesting on May 18. RT reports: Police believe they have been unfairly treated by the public for simply trying to do their job. A major French police union, Alliance, says that police are already stretched following a step up in security following November’s terrorist attacks. The organization says there is a mounting “anti-cop hatred” becoming evident in Fran... more »

Pope Francis Seeks to Renew European Dream as He Accepts Unity Prize

DANIELA PETROFF at The Stream - 13 hours ago
[image: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, exchanges gifts with Pope Francis on the occasion of their private audience, at the Vatican, Friday, May 6, 2016. Merkel is in Italy to attend a ceremony at the Vatican to give Pope Francis the International Charlemagne Prize, one of Europe's most prestigious prizes, for his message of tolerance, solidarity and encouragement. (Alberto Pizzoli/Pool Photo via AP)] VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis, accepting a prize for promoting European unity, on Friday bemoaned that the continent’s people “are tempted to yield to our own selfish interes... more »

Feds Put Credit Card Felon in Charge of Major VA Purchasing Program

Luke Rosiak at The Stream - 13 hours ago
[image: Stealing Medical Files Thief Fraud Corruption Healthcare - 900] Almost immediately after Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate #11109-017 completed a 14-month sentence for using sensitive credit card data on his previous employer's computer system to steal $70,000, he was hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs in a position that... more »

An Inconvenient Review

Paul Homewood at NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT - 13 hours ago
By Paul Homewood http://dailycaller.com/2016/05/03/an-inconvenient-review-after-10-years-al-gores-film-is-still-alarmingly-inaccurate/ From the Daily Caller: It’s been nearly one decade since former Vice President Al Gore released his film “An Inconvenient Truth.” It sent shockwaves through American politics and emboldened environmental activists to push for more regulations on American businesses. Gore warned increasing carbon dioxide emissions would spur catastrophic […]

Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump Similarities

CM at LILITH NEWS - 13 hours ago
And the similarities don't stop there. Hitler and Trump have a lot more in common. The context in which Adolf Hitler was elected is that he was first nominated and appointed as chancellor during a period in which multiple political parties were vying for power and there were successive minority governments and coalition governments. At the time Hitler couldn't secure a majority because of a lot of the crazy/funny things he said. He was considered by many Germans to be a joke candidate, so far to the right wing that over half the population didn't even take him seriously. In Feb... more »

When the DOJ (Department of Justice) Became the DOGA (Department of Gay Activism)

Michael Brown at The Stream - 14 hours ago
[image: DOJ DOGA Department of Justice LGBT Activism - 900] In 2014, Attorney General Eric Holder invited attorneys-general across America to not defend laws banning same-sex "marriage" if they could not do so in good conscience, stating that he would not have defended segregation laws in the past if he... more »

House Republicans to Move Forward on Spending Without a Budget Number

Philip Wegmann at The Stream - 14 hours ago
[image: Rep. Kevin McCarthy _900] House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., just ended a civil war that has raged inside the chamber's Republican conference for months. GOP leadership will not bring a budget plan to the floor next week for a vote, McCarthy's office told... more »

Shah Hussain only stating what happened

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 14 hours ago
There are a lot of abandoned essays on my computer. Bits and pieces that have become too convoluted, or have taken so long to write that by the time I’m satisfied that they’re reasonably lucid, they’re stale. Sometimes you can rescue the best bits for use at a later date, which, now I come to think of it, is is borderline hoarding. I’ve decided to ditch the entire preamble to this next post and just put it out without any window dressing because I spent quite a while transcribing. Waste not want not. It is stale; only three whole days old, but seems like a lifetime. The Burnley co... more »

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- May 6, 2016

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
*CBS*: *Why were Navy SEALs on front line in ISIS fight?* BAGHDAD -- New video has emerged of the intense battle in Iraq that left a Navy SEAL dead on Tuesday. His team was called in when ISIS attacked U.S. allies and their American advisers north of Mosul. Only twenty minutes into the battle, U.S. forces knew they were in trouble and they called for back-up. Then things got worse. The Navy SEAL rescue team found themselves pinned down in an intense firefight with over 120 ISIS militants. Kurdish soldiers and their U.S. advisers were forced to take cover. The attack seemed to com...more »

To Save The City The Iraqi Military Destroyed It

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
*WNU Editor:* A depressing read on how the conflict against the Islamic State destroyed the Iraqi city of Ramadi that was once home to one million people ....* Iraq Routed ISIS From Ramadi at a High Cost: A City Destroyed* (NBC/AP). A photo gallery of the destruction can be seen here .... *Photos: Iraq defeated IS in Ramadi at a high cost: A city destroyed *(AP).

Syria's 'Monument Men' Are Working To Save Its History

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
*CBS:* *Syria's "monument men" save thousands of historic artifacts* DAMASCUS, Syria -- In five years of Syrian civil war, 320,000 have been killed. But another cost has been the lost of irreplaceable history, the inheritance of all humanity. Inside Syria, we met the heroes in that fight. The music filled the ancient Roman amphitheater, that only three months ago was under ISIS control. It -- like most of the ruins -- only survived that occupation by luck. But a trove of Palmyra's smaller treasures were saved by dedicated archaeologists -- Syria's very own Monument men and women, ... more »

U.S. Congress Urge President Obama To Not Arm Syrian Rebels With Shoulder-Fired Anti-Aircraft Missiles

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
*Photo:* Jihadi with MANPAD in northern Allepo, Syria (Asia Times) *The Hill*: *Lawmakers urge Obama not to send shoulder-fired missiles to Syria* A bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling on President Obama not to supply shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad. “We urge you to maintain your stance in opposition to sending MANPADS into Syria and also request that you strongly discourage all nations from doing so,” the 27 House lawmakers wrote in a letter to Obama this week. Obama has long opposed sending the missiles — Man-Portabl... more »

Syria's 'Moderate' Rebels Are Facing Defeat

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
Mainstream Syrian rebels are facing a difficult choice: accept the terms of amnesty set by President Assad, fight against the regime alongside extremist groups, or flee Syria entirely. Photo: Erin Trieb for The Wall Street Journal *Sam Dagher, Wall Street Journal*: *Moderate Syrian Rebels Torn Between Giving Up, Joining Islamic Extremists* Cornered and weakened, they can accept a settlement with the Assad regime or fight alongside al Qaeda’s Islamist allies YAYLADAGI, Turkey—Ali Othman is among a shrinking band of Syrian rebels in the mountains across from this border town who fac... more »

Is The War In Ukraine About To Reignite?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
*Newsweek*: *Heavy Armored MIlitary Column Spotted Moving Toward The Frontline In Ukraine* A video that appears to show pro-Russian rebels moving heavy weapons toward the contact line with Ukrainian troops is adding fuel to warnings by independent observers that neither side is upholding the withdrawal agreement. Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s eastern region of Luhansk are bound by a ceasefire agreement to pull high-caliber guns from the contact line between them. Violence has flared a few times over recent weeks, with two Ukrainian soldiers reported... more »

This French Defense Minister Has Sold Billions In Arms

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian sits in a Rafale B jet fighter during a visit at the factory of French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation in Merignac, near Bordeaux, southwestern France, January 10, 2014. REUTERS/BENOIT TESSIER France 24: France's salesman: The quiet minister who sold billions in subs and jets France's Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the man behind a string of lucrative military contracts won by French contractors, is an oddity in the cabinet of President François Hollande: he is popular, successful, and a purveyor of good news. When soft-spo... more »

Adverse inferences from failure to tender a witness

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 14 hours ago
R. *v*. Jolivet, [2000] 1 S.C.R. 751: 25 The general rule developed in civil cases respecting adverse inferences from failure to tender a witness goes back at least to *Blatch v. Archer* (1774), 1 Cowp. 63, 98 E.R. 969, where, at p. 65, Lord Mansfield stated: It is certainly a maxim that all evidence is to be weighed according to the proof which it was in the power of one side to have produced, and in the power of the other to have contradicted. 26 The principle applies in criminal cases, but with due regard to ... more »

Lawmakers Urge Obama Not To Supply Syrian Rebels With Stingers

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 14 hours ago
Over two dozen U.S. lawmakers have urged US President Barack Obama not to supply Syrian rebels with American-made shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. The US has been ready with their ‘Plan B’ with officials saying last month that ‘select’ moderate groups could get antiaircraft weapons if the Syrian cease-fire collapses. According to DodBuzz : The 27 members of Congress, led by Reps. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, and Ted Yoho, a Republican from Florida, on Tuesday sent a letter to the president “urging him to maintain his policy of refusing to transfer shoulder-fired s... more »

A guilty plea by a co-accused, not called at trial, cannot be used to support the Crown’s case

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 14 hours ago
*R. v. C.G*., 2016 ONCA 316: [7] This was an error. The trial judge also erred in using K.I.'s guilty plea to corroborate the evidence of the complainant. Had K.I. been available to be called as a witness – which he was not, as he died before the appellant's trial – his guilty plea would have been relevant to his credibility and to his own involvement in the sexual assault. However, a guilty plea by a co-accused, not called at trial, cannot be used to support the Crown's case. [8] For example, in *R. v.* *C. (P.)*, 2015 ONCA 30, 321 C.C.C. (3d) 49, a young offe... more »

Peer review scam leader now up to 20 retractions

Shannon Palus at Retraction Watch - 15 hours ago
We’ve unearthed four more retractions for Khalid Zaman, an economist who lost 16 papers in 2014 for orchestrating fake peer review. That brings Zaman’s total to 20, and ties him at the #18 spot on our leaderboard. One of the more recently discovered retractions is for fake peer review, attributed to Zaman; one is for plagiarism, and two […] The post Peer review scam leader now up to 20 retractions appeared first on Retraction Watch.

California Teachers Unions Force Nonmembers to Pay for LGBT, Other Political Goals

Kevin Mooney at The Stream - 15 hours ago
[image: In this 2013, photo provided by Center for Individual Rights, Rebecca Friedrichs, a veteran Orange County, Calif., public school teacher, poses for a portrait. A tie vote from the Supreme Court means public sector unions in about half the states can continue collecting fees from workers who choose not to join. The justices on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, divided 4-4 in a case that considered whether public employees represented by a union can be required to pay "fair share" fees covering collective bargaining costs even if they are not members. (Greg Schneider/Courtesy of the Ce... more »

BWorld 57, Eric Hoffer, Machiavelli and Duterte

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 15 hours ago
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday. Mass movements and electoral mobs for “real change” promise the moon and the stars for the people, and many supporters are mobilized by that promise of change from the state, change from the outside, never mind changing the behavior of individuals from within based on existing laws and continuing evolution of voluntary and civil society. The philosophy and sociology of mass movements including the rise of Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, and Stalin in Russia was aptly discussed by Eric Hoffer (1898-1983), an American philosophe... more »

Newt Gingrich has a way of putting things in perspective...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 15 hours ago
*people would be wise to listen.*

“Global Warming May Be A Good Thing” – Bjorn Lomborg

Paul Homewood at NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT - 15 hours ago
By Paul Homewood http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/05/no-one-ever-says-it-but-in-many-ways-global-warming-will-be-a-go/ Bjorn Lomborg tries to inject a bit of sanity into climate reporting. From the Telegraph: Last week, a study in the prestigious journal Nature revealed just how much CO₂ increases have greened the Earth over the past three decades. Because CO₂ acts as a fertilizer, as much as […]

US Tried To Include Al-Nusra Positions In Syrian ‘Silent Period’

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 15 hours ago
The United States tried to include areas captured by the al-Nusra Front terrorist group in Syria’s Aleppo in a recently established ‘silent period‘ according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Lavrov told Sputnik news that this was bought up during ceasefire negotiations between Moscow and Washington. Al Qaeda in Syria calls itself “Al Nusra” and they along with Daesh terrorists are not covered by the US-Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement in Syria. Sputnik news reports: Lavrov pointed to evidence that linked the Turkish government with al-Nusra Front and Daesh terrorists, w... more »

The Marcianos - Tanker Enemy - Chemtrails: The Secret War

Mike Philbin at Mike Philbin's free planet blog - 15 hours ago
A new Italian film, *Chemtrails: The Secret War* has been released showing a disturbing covert military agenda behind the sinister phenomenon, one that according to evidence presented includes far more than weather manipulation for “climate change.” *“The US Air Force has the capability of manipulating climate either for testing purposes or for outright military-intelligence use,” economist Chossudovsky wrote. “These capabilities extend to the triggering of floods, hurricanes, droughts and earthquakes. In recent years, large amounts of money have been allocated by the US Departme... more »

How Far To The Right Will Hillary Pivot?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
Trump has raised the prospect of trying to entice some Bernie voters who feel no allegiance to a corrupted and corporatized Democratic Party. The strategy makes sense on paper and Trump has even made some gestures in their direction, talking vaguely to Wolf Blitzer, for example about raising the minimum wage. And while there may be the tiniest handful of ill-informed Bernie supporters who gravitate towards Trump, I'd guess that for every Bernie supporter he gets, Jill Stein will get 10. Hillary will probably get the most and some will simply stay home or just vote in down-ticket r... more »

Friday Shorts: Trump wins it all edition

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 15 hours ago
[image: DSC01872] *At last... cyclists I can keep up with!* *CHINA'S SOFT POWER IN THE MEDIA*: Reuters turned out two pieces on incoming President Tsai Ing-wen's policies and Beijing's responses to them. At least this piece By J.R. Wu does cite some people from the pro-democracy, pro-independence side, but the framing is entirely pro-Beijing. Meanwhile Ben Blanchard churns out a stenographic exercise in which Beijing gets to speak and the pro-democracy, pro-independence -- and let's not forget, pro-US -- side is silenced. The familiar formulae are all there -- Beijing "distrusts" Ts... more »

Thank You, Ted Cruz — and Please Stick Around. We Will Need You.

John Zmirak at The Stream - 16 hours ago
[image: Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, points as he speaks at a campaign stop at Waukesha County Exposition Center, Monday, April 4, 2016, in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)] I was a little giddy when Ted Cruz announced he was running for president. It seemed too good to be true -- and of course, now we know that it was. But Senator Cruz came much closer than any other... more »

An Economist Explains Why America is Moving Toward Totalitarianism

Rob Bluey at The Stream - 16 hours ago
[image: screenshot via youtube] PHILADELPHIA--"We're heading toward totalitarianism," economist Walter Williams tells The Daily Signal in an interview at The Heritage Foundation's annual Resource Bank meeting. The famed George Mason University professor says the government is gradually gaining more control over the lives... more »

Yellowstone Supervolcano is Unstable — Signs Are Not Good

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 16 hours ago
Folks look at the sheer scale of the Yellowstone hot spot and imagine the whole hot spot blowing up like mount St Hellens. If that were even possible the hot spot today would be covered with a monster ten thousand foot mountain. That such does not exists tells us that nothing of the kind is likely or even possible. What is possible is local eruptions and subsidence into a magma lake. That though is what happened when this volcano first erupted to produce the Snake River Basalts or so I suspect. I may be quite wrong on this but it appears coincidental and ages needs to be che... more »

Police Launch Investigation Into Alleged Tory General Election Fraud

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 16 hours ago
Gloucestershire police are investigating allegations of electoral fraud committed by the Conservative Party ahead of the 2015 general election. The Tory party has been accused of violating key spending regulations over claims that they should have declared the cost of bussing in activists to campaign for constituency candidates on local election expenses, rather than on its national return. The party blamed “an administrative error” for the failure to register accommodation costs of activists involved in the ‘Battlebus 2015 operation’, which saw supporters travel the country to camp... more »

Wildfire Rages in Canadian Oil Sands

AP at The Stream - 16 hours ago
[image: A wildfire flares up near Fort McMurray, Canada, Thursday, May 5, 2016. Canadian officials will start moving thousands of people from work camps north of devastated Fort McMurray in a mass highway convoy Friday morning if it is safe from the wildfire raging in Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT] FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (AP) -- Canadian officials waited for dawn Friday to see whether it will be safe for a convoy of evacuees to get out of the fire-ravaged Fort McMurray area. Gasoline tankers were being sent in to top... more »

China Seeks Global Support for South China Sea Policies

CHRISTOPHER BODEEN at The Stream - 16 hours ago
[image: Ouyang Yujing, Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaks during a press briefing about China's South China Sea policies in Beijing, Friday, May 6, 2016. China is rallying Russia and other friendly states to back a push to exclude the U.S. and its allies from the festering South China Sea dispute, despite its insistence that countries without a direct territorial claim should remain firmly neutral. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)] BEIJING (AP) -- China is seeing mixed results in its effort to enlist friendly st... more »

Democratic Advertising Blitz Awaits Trump

CHAD DAY & JULIE BYKOWICZ at The Stream - 17 hours ago
[image: In this Jan. 6, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton applauds while speaking in Las Vegas. Now that Iowa and New Hampshire are in the rear-view mirror, the Democratic presidential contest shifts to markedly different terrain in Nevada, whose largely urban and diverse electorate will test the breadth of Bernie Sanders’ appeal and the durability of Hillary Clinton’s coalition.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Long before Donald Trump swatted away his Republican presidential rivals, his likely Democratic opponent and her allies began laying traps for him. Priori... more »

Planned Parenthood Gets Ready for Transgender Healthcare Market

Austin Roscoe at The Stream - 17 hours ago
[image: A shuttered Planned Parenthood clinic in Indiana, pictured on September 7, 2011.] Planned Parenthood isn’t just about “planning” your parenthood anymore -- now they’re about “planning” your gender identity, too. With younger generations leaning more pro-life and recent backlash over the company’s profits from aborted baby body parts, Planned Parenthood is losing its base.... more »

Trump Eyes General Election Amid Republican Backlash

STEVE PEOPLES & ERICA WERNER at The Stream - 17 hours ago
[image: Donald Trump] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Just days into his tenure as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump is brushing off a stinging rebuke from the GOP’s top elected official while vowing to unite a fractured party. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s declaration... more »

Researchers Keep Lab Grown Human Embryo Alive for 13 Days

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 17 hours ago
Researchers have broken the record for growing human embryos in the laboratory and keeping them alive beyond the stage when they would naturally implant in a mother’s womb. The human embryos were grown in labs for twice the length of time previously possible in what has been hailed as a breakthrough that could “revolutionise” medicine…..but it also raises fresh ethical questions about when life begins. UK and US scientists have developed a new technique enabling an embryo to live outside the womb far longer than before, but future experiments put scientists into direct conflict with... more »

Al Qaeda Wants To Forge Stronger Ties With The Afghan Taliban

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 17 hours ago
© REUTERS/ Stringer *Washington Times*: *Al Qaeda seeks partnership with Taliban for comeback* *U.S. counterterrorism operations expand focus.* Al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan are plotting a comeback, forging strong ties with the Afghan Taliban and other indigenous terrorist groups in an attempt to reassert its presence as the Islamic State continues to gain ground in the eastern part of the country. Roughly 100 to 300 al Qaeda members are active in Afghanistan, concentrated in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Ghazni and in Kandahar province in the south, Army Brig. Gen. Char... more »

Tweet For Today

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 17 hours ago
A wildfire in Canada is now 85,000 hectares, which is larger than the entire city of Calgary https://t.co/Lg1u7tVhaK https://t.co/BaAuJjfyK6 — BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 5, 2016

The Afghan Army Has A Problem Getting Boots For Its Soldeirs

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 17 hours ago
An Afghan National Army soldier shows his boot, which is falling apart after only two months. *Washington Post*: *Despite billions in U.S. funding, Afghan forces have a problem with boots* CAMP SHAHEEN, Afghanistan — If first impressions really can be gleaned from footwear, ­Afghan security forces may be about as disjointed and ragged as a state-run military can get. As recruits stood in formation here last week, some wore nearly paper-thin black boots one stumble away from an exposed heel or toe. Others had on boots better suited for trekking through feet of snow than standing on... more »

Safe From Fort McMurray Wildfire

Way Way Up at Fort McMurray Adventures - 17 hours ago
The past 3 days have been incredibly challenging and difficult in many ways. I'm writing this post tonight from Lac La Biche after been forced to flee Fort McMurray Tuesday evening due to the current forest fire situation. There is much to say and will no doubt be commenting more in the coming weeks. I am also writing this very post very much off the cuff, so to speak. For now though, know that I am well and safe. I left work early Tuesday afternoon after learning that the fire situation had rapidly deteriorated that morning. In a nut shell I left the main gate of Suncor in a c... more »

Los Angeles Man Guilty in 10 ‘Grim Sleeper’ Serial Killings

BRIAN MELLEY & AMANDA LEE MYERS at The Stream - 17 hours ago
[image: Lonnie Franklin Jr., center, sits in count in Los Angeles, Thursday, May 5, 2016. The former trash collector in Los Angeles was convicted Thursday of 10 "Grim Sleeper" serial killings that spanned two decades and targeted vulnerable young black women in the inner city.] LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A former Los Angeles trash collector was convicted Thursday of 10 counts of murder in the “Grim Sleeper” serial killings that targeted poor, young black women over two decades. Lonnie Franklin Jr. showed no emotion as... more »

Seeking Worlds, Finding Aliens

Russell Duffy at GlobaLove Think Tank - 18 hours ago

UKIP and the English Local Elections

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 19 hours ago
It's a good job I'm not a professional psephologist. On Tuesday I said Labour would make net gains, and last time I checked we're currently down 22 councillors. There's still some distance to go, but it looks pretty much like we're standing still. Not ideal, but not disastrous, and I'd argue that it's difficult to see how Labour would have done better under any of the other Labour leadership candidates. Here's why. In the pre-election commentary on the Welsh Assembly elections, UKIP were widely tipped to secure its first seats via the list system. Presently the purple party has tak... more »

Saudi Arabia Supported Al Qaeda Before and After But Not On 9/11?

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 20 hours ago
*May 6, 2016 *(Ulson Gunnar - NEO) - The BBC in its 2004 article, "Al-Qaeda's origins and links," would frankly admit that (emphasis added): *Al-Qaeda, meaning "the base", was created in 1989 as Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan and Osama Bin Laden and his colleagues began looking for new jihads. * *The organisation grew out of the network of Arab volunteers who had gone to Afghanistan in the 1980s to fight under the banner of Islam against Soviet Communism. * *During the anti-Soviet jihad Bin Laden and his fighters received American and Saudi funding. Some analysts believe ... more »

Interesting priorities on show

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 20 hours ago
This Telegraph article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/05/jeremy-corbyn-forced-to-abandon-speech-calling-for-turkey-to-joi about Jeremy Corbyn deciding not to call for Turkey to join the EU is fascinating for this part: 'Figures within Labour are understood to have been furious at what has been described as a "malicious, naive and incendiary" decision by Mr Corbyn to endorse Turkish accession to the EU, fearing it would damage the campaign to remain in the European Union.' No worries about the future of the UK or the truth being told, just damaging the REMAIN campaign.

The Negation of Labour

Spike EP at News Spike - 20 hours ago
More than they should and more than they needed to. Nobody addressed what they said on its merits or the facts, they just suspended people because the Labour Friends of Israel demanded heads. When one is accused of Anti-Semitism (whatever that means), there is a presumption of guilt, with no appeal and no mitigation. So no, the fact that they have acted (actually RE-acted) does not mean there is a problem - quite the reverse, if the problem existed or was real, it would be possible to act intelligently to take steps to address it - if you have to force people to react to phantoms... more »

Cyril Wecht - Hired Liar

Spike EP at News Spike - 20 hours ago
You could not make this shit up (only, they have, and they did) - *Cyril Wecht,* as I live and breathe! *"Dr. Wecht is the go-to expert to almost every news organisation in the world."* Yes, because he is a Liar for Hire, that will say anything! Of course you can, but Prince is alive, and the coroner doesn't even claim to have the toxicology results yet. They say the released the body to the family, who immediately cremated it, before making a finding of death by misadventure or natural causes and ruling out murder - which is illegal. So that didn't happen. If a murder is com... more »

San Andreas Fault Is Ready To Blow, Says Expert

Sean Adl-Tabatabai at Your News Wire - 21 hours ago
A leading earthquake scientist has said that the San Andreas fault in Southern California is ready to blow any day now. According to Thomas Jordan, director of the Southern California Earthquake Center, the San Andreas fault is “locked, loaded and ready to roll”. Latimes.com reports: “The springs on the San Andreas system have been wound very, very tight. And the southern San Andreas fault, in particular, looks like it’s locked, loaded and ready to go,” Jordan said in the opening keynote talk. Other sections of the San Andreas fault also are far overdue for a big quake. Further sout... more »

US Army Captain Sues Obama Over Illegal Wars

Sean Adl-Tabatabai at Your News Wire - 21 hours ago
A U.S. Army Captain with “ISIS Operation Inherent Resolve” stationed at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait has filed a lawsuit against President Obama due to his ongoing illegal wars in the Middle East. “To honor my oath, I am asking the court to tell the president that he must get proper authority from Congress, under the War Powers Resolution, to wage the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria,” Army Captain Nathan Michael Smith said in the 53-page document filed with the DC US District Court. Mintpressnews.com reports: He contends that this war violates the War Powers Resolution, is illegal, and ... more »

Americas Fukushima Leaves 33 Ill From Radiation Exposure

Sean Adl-Tabatabai at Your News Wire - 21 hours ago
A nuclear waste leak in the U.S., which has become known as ‘Americas Fukushima’, has left 33 workers ill from exposure to radiation, as authorities scramble to clean up the facility at the Hanford Site in Washington state. The leak was found back in 2011 on the inner hull of one of the site’s 28 double-wall storage tanks. Weather.com reports: The previous leak posed an insignificant threat, but workers came across an even larger leak in recent weeks while attempting to clear the inner hull of its remaining waste. The number of those who have been reported ill as a result of the le... more »

Future Options: From Militarism And Monsanto To Gandhi And Bhaskar Save

Colin Todhunter at EAST BY NORTHWEST - 21 hours ago
CounterPunch, Countercurrents, RINF, Global Research Now on Twitter: *here* Don't take free content on the web for granted. Please read *this *I could not continue to produce these articles without public support. US Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders recently tweeted: “It is no mystery why Monsanto fights against our right to know about GMOs in food – business is booming for this huge chemical company.” Supporters of GMO are fond of telling everyone that this technology will ‘feed the world’ and those who oppose it are below the standards of common decency. But Sanders hits the na... more »

Military Photo of the Day

Tom Sileo at The Stream - 21 hours ago
[image: Coast Guard Rescue-900] Good Samaritans and the U.S. Coast Guard rescue nine people from a boat taking on water near Venice, La., on Apr. 23, 2016. Thank you to the selfless men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard for always being ready... more »

7 Inspirational Stories of People Who Beat Their Cancer with Cannabis Oil

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 21 hours ago
The claim stories are out there as usual long before science can respond properly. Read them as they are quite compelling. The oil is likely an unnecessary step but then who knows. What can be done easily is to drink raw cannabis juice and monitor your response. No harm is reported on this while the act of processing might allow for unwanted changes. The take home is that this is a tool strongly indicated as powerfully helpful in cancer treatment.. 7 Inspirational Stories of People Who Beat Their Cancer with Cannabis Oil *http://www.wakingtimes.com/2016/04/24/7-inspi... more »

Airbnb: Regulation without Government

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 21 hours ago
Airbnb is naturally self regulating because users do post comments and bad actors are easily weeded out. It is really a rather public market place and no expectation of confidentiality should exist as in a hotel situation. It really works well because bad apples are really far and few. You also have the added moral advantage of direct contact between the owner and user in most cases. Thus problems have been few and easily handled in the majority of cases and the company has been able to handle it as well. Better yet the level of activity is simply too low. You send a food in... more »

The Hero of Hickory Farms

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 21 hours ago
This is a reminder of why young men and women work and strive to build. Recognizing that needs to be a mainstay of our human story and culture and kept that way. There is many ways to improve the process but none involve bad mouthing of the ignorant and the envious. Enterprise means that you eat. Denying that is simply silly. Yet millions of words have been wasted attempting that. A great story. *The Hero of Hickory Farms* *RIP, Richard K. Ransom* - Lawrence W. Reed Friday, April 22, 2016 https://fee.org/articles/the-hero-of-hickory-farms/ Last Sunday, at a he... more »

Switzerland To Guarantee All Citizens $2,600 Monthly Income

Sean Adl-Tabatabai at Your News Wire - 21 hours ago
Citizens in Switzerland are to vote on whether the country will become the first to guarantee a basic monthly income next month. Swiss voters will decide whether every citizen and legal resident will earn $2,600 tax-free per month, on the June 5 elections. Sputniknews.com reports: “This is a great idea,” Chloe Hubert, a student at the University of Geneva, told USA Today. “I only work on weekends, so this income would really help.” Switzerland allows any proposal to be placed on the ballot, so long as a minimum of 100,000 signatures are obtained. This particular initiative was put ... more »

Anonymous Declares War On Bank Of England

Sean Adl-Tabatabai at Your News Wire - 21 hours ago
Anonymous have begun their month-long campaign against the world’s biggest banks, and have set their sights on the Bank of England as their top target. The hacktivist group have warned that big banks worldwide will see their power “come crashing down”. Express.co.uk reports: The eerie threat came as the group started its thirty-day campaign against international banks with an attack on the central bank of Greece. A new video by the group – called Shut Down the Banks – has said it will begin a cyber attack campaign against major financial instituions including in China, America and ... more »

Ken Livingston Calls Israel ‘A Great Catastrophe’

Sean Adl-Tabatabai at Your News Wire - 21 hours ago
Former London mayor Ken Livingston has said that he believes the creation of Israel to be “fundamentally wrong,” and “a great catastrophe”. According to Ken, the existence of the country in the Middle East could lead the world into a nuclear war. Timesofisrael.com reports: “The creation of the state of Israel was fundamentally wrong, because there had been a Palestinian community there for 2,000 years,” Livingstone told an Arabic language TV station based in London, in a clip posted and translated by the watchdog MEMRI group. “The creation of the state of Israel was a great catastr... more »

FBI To Question Hillary Clinton Over Email Server

Sean Adl-Tabatabai at Your News Wire - 21 hours ago
FBI officials have confirmed that they will interview Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server before the California primary. According to CNN, the FBI interviewed top Clinton aide Huma Abedin over the server, along with other senior aids. USuncut.com reports: Bryan Pagliano, who originally built Clinton’s private server, has agreed to provide testimony to the Department of Justice in exchange for legal immunity. FBI officials stated they had yet to procure sufficient evidence that any laws were willfully broken, though the investigation is still ongoing. As of May 5, ... more »

Trump Can Sell a More Entertaining Story Than Hillary

Jonah Goldberg at The Stream - 22 hours ago
[image: Clinton-Trump3 - 900] By conventional rules, Donald Trump should lose to Hillary Clinton in a landslide. But if God were enforcing the conventional rules, Trump would be brooding atop his midtown Manhattan aerie, wondering how he came in last behind James Gilmore. This... more »

An Unmitigated Disaster

Thomas Sowell at The Stream - 22 hours ago
[image: In this April 27, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during a campaign stop in Indianapolis. Trump has a Plan B on campaign money, and it involves the sort of outside groups that he has called "corrupt." While the political newcomer might lock up the Republican presidential nomination in the next six weeks of voting, he and his allies are simultaneously mounting a public pressure campaign in case he falls short and finds himself at a contested convention this summer in Cleveland.] Republican party leaders may have worried that Donald Trum... more »

The Jury Is Still Out

David Limbaugh at The Stream - 22 hours ago
[image: Donald Trump Shrugging - 900] Where am I with the #NeverTrump movement? Well, I almost never say “never.” Notice I qualified that “never” with “almost.” I have said consistently throughout this campaign that I would support the Republican Party’s nominee. As the campaign has progressed,... more »

Proposed draconian weapon ban shows EU's cluelessness

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 23 hours ago
*...and maybe something worse: a very evil intent...* If there were a referendum about the departure of Czechia from the EU, some polls indicate that as little as 25% of the population could be voting "Stay". Well, that was yesterday. An hour ago, the percentage could be lower than 25% because lots of Czechs who hold weapons – and their relatives – were terrified by the news about the EU proposals to ban lots of guns: A stringent EU regulation may help terrorists, the (ministry of) interior warns In the poll next to the article, 52% of respondents say that the hold a gun with a li... more »

O(+>-ology : The Main Schools of Lyrical Analysis

Spike EP at News Spike - 23 hours ago
*The Fundamentalist Literalist : * *"He means what it say. * *Who am I to question it? * *God works through Prince in mysterious ways."* *The Anglican-Episcopalian :* *"Yes, Prince says that, but what he actually means is this... : "* *The Preist : * *"My son, in our faith, we not only have the lyrics, we have our dogma, by the grace of God, we have the commentaries and dissertations written by all of the wise and venerable Saints, Martyrs, Blessed and ordinary clergy to aid in our understand of Prince's true meaning with this lyric - I would suggest that you consult the following... more »

Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Kickstarter Checkpoint

Daniel Stack at 19th Level - 1 day ago
There's been a bit more news than normal for the *Call of Cthulhu *RPG. It's been over a year since I've played it so while I'm enjoying Icons, I'd be lying if I said I've no desire to return to it... Geek and Sundry seems to be providing a lot of coverage lately. A few days ago they had an article covering how Chaosium's *Horror on the Orient Express* and *Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition *were tremendously successful - and nearly destroyed the company. The article in question is Cthulhu Company Kickstarted Itself to Death, Then This Happened. It discusses how despite making around th... more »

Picture Of The Day

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Sunset Hawk* An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter supports air assault training at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., April 27, 2016. Army photo by Capt. Brian Harris

Does Our Perception Precede Our Decisions?

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Josh Richardson* - Have our decisions been made far before we make them?

Russian Aircraft Over Syria (Video)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Sputnik*:* WATCH: Russian High-Tech Aircraft Conducting Flights in Syria (VIDEO) * The Russian Defense Ministry published a video of the Russian Aerospace Forces conducting flights in Syria on its official YouTube channel. The video shows the incredible Su-25 fighter jet, Mi-8 transport-combat helicopter, Su-35s, the Su-24M and fighter-bomber Su-34. The video was made using action cameras and unmanned aerial vehicles. *Read more* .... *WNU Editor*: No comment necessary.

Trump’s Establishment Yes Men

Heather Wilhelm at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.] Back in September of 2015 -- ah, those wonderful days, when someone might still merrily laugh like a gin-soaked Daisy Buchanan if you told them Donald Trump was a presidential candidate to be reckoned with -- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal... more »

Conservative Democrats Are On The Verge Of Taking Over The Democratic Party Entirely

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Earlier today we talked about a partisan re-alignment that sees an acceleration of socially quasi-moderate but fiscally conservative Republicans migrating to the Democratic Party, the way Hillary Clinton, Charlie Crist and Patrick Murphy did, all of whom have worked diligently to undermine core Democratic values and hard-fought policies. The Republican-wing of the Democratic Party is more and more dominant, with the right-leaning, Wall Street owned New Dems, having completely captured, for example, congressional recruitment. Almost all the candidates being pushed by the DCCC and ... more »

"The Medication U Were Given Has Put U in Suspended Animation"

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 day ago
*ART OFFICIAL AGE* *ARTIFICAL CAGE* *"Mr. Nelson...?* *Mr. Nelson, can u hear my voice...?* *"We just want to let U know, the medication U Were Given Has Put U in Suspended Animation 4 quite some time...* *Well, in fact : about FOURTY-FIVE YEARS...."* *"I did try, once, to play guitar, with flat shoes on - and it was like Samson without his hair..."* *Prince does not count birthdays - but he was legally 57 when he died.* *He was therefore 56 when he wrote, and released these words.* *He told Mel C that he had entered the music industry (and presumably put on Cuban heels) a... more »

Did Pakistan's Intelligence Service Poison The CIA Chief After The Osama Bin Laden Raid?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Washington Free Beacon*: *Report: CIA Operative Thought He Was Poisoned By Pakistan’s ISI After Bin Laden Raid* The CIA chief in Pakistan who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 left the country with an ailment and suspicions that he had been poisoned by the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency. The Washington Post reported: *The CIA station chief was so violently ill that he was often doubled over in pain, current and former U.S. officials said. Trips out of the country for treatment proved futile. And the cause of his ailment was so mysterious,* *the of... more »

Now is never the time ....

Alison at Creekside - 1 day ago
PM Kim Campbell : An election is not the time to discuss serious social policy issues. PM Stephen Harper after Boston Marathon bombing : Now is not the time to figure out 'root causes' of terrorism. PM Justin Trudeau : Now is not the time to link Ft Mac wildfires to the global climate crisis. So when is the right time? Other than, you know, when it's on everyone's mind because a disaster is affecting people where they live and it's your job to tell us what you're doing to alleviate the broader context in which it will only get worse. .

Western Shoshone Bad Bear: Raising teepee symbol of hope on Peace and Friendship Run

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 day ago
Photos by Carl Bad Bear Sampson Western Shoshone Article by Brenda Norrell Censored News On the Western Shoshone Peace and Friendship Run today, in Western Shoshone land recognized in the Treaty of Ruby Valley of 1863, the raising of the teepee is a symbol of hope, an affirmation of Treaty Rights and an harbinger of a new generation healing the scars of the

A Big Disease With a Little Name

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 day ago
Those people who always tell me they think I'm paranoid, distrusting and borderline psychotically delusional should understand something : *You cannot know what it means to grow up being taught by your Government that rain is poison, sex is death and the sun would cause you to die of cancer.* *This "health advice" was mailed to EVERY HOUSEHOLD in Britain by the Thatcher Government in 1987.* I was made afraid of sex before I even knew what it was, because I had been told by the State that making love was fatal, and the main way of catching *The Worst Disease in The World.* *My ... more »

Video Shows Intense Fire-Fight In Iraq Where U.S. Navy SEAL Was Killed

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*The Guardian:* *Video shows Navy Seal's death was result of intense combat with Isis* Exclusive footage obtained by the Guardian shows firefight between US special forces, Kurdish commandoes and Isis fighters, in which Charles Keating IV died. Video footage obtained by the Guardian shows the grueling firefight between US special forces, Kurdish commandoes and Islamic State fighters this week, in which a US Navy Seal was killed. The footage – filmed on a cellphone during the battle, which lasted more than half a day – reveals the extent to which the US military is once again eng... more »

Taking it to the max: The life of a serial obsessionist

Jody Paterson at A Closer Look: Jody Paterson - 1 day ago
I’ve always been mad for the rush of falling head-first into new things. It’s a habit that made my love life a bit challenging for many years, but I’m much better at channeling that intensity into more constructive pursuits now that I’m older. Whatever it is that I’m falling into, it’s got all my attention. If it's romance, you're going to feel profoundly treasured, at least for a little while (and much longer if you're Paul). If it’s a work project, I’m going to be your dream employee, because I will think non-stop about that project from a million different angles...more »

Telecom Oligopoly 4, Smart bro's inefficient service

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 1 day ago
*Friday, 6am.* I bought a Smart bro prepaid pocket wifi in late December 2015. Earlier it was good. Then about 3 week ago, April, I experienced service interruption despite having a load. I reported it to their Ayala office, the lady asked several questions, I answered them, then said something like I reached the data cap because I used frequently some data-heavy sites like youtube, fb, etc. Then said that the service will resume after about 12 hours. The problem was indeed solved that time when I reloaded my pocket wifi number. Then two days ago, Wednesday, I experienced the same ... more »

Our Final Video from Odessa Before Heading Home

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
Regis Tremblay and I return back to Maine tomorrow after several days in Odessa, Ukraine. It's been a heart breaking trip to this beautiful city on the Black Sea. Sadly Ukraine is coming apart at the seams following the 2014 US sponsored coup d'état in Kiev that installed a puppet regime fully under the control of corporate interests. Today Regis and I were able to go to the Trades Hall and we made this short video about the entire incident. I urge you to take a look at it and to share it widely with your contacts. Many thanks.

Best Film Yet on Odessa Massacre

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
A film examining the arson attack on Odessa's Trade Unions House at the start of the civil war in Ukraine and the role played by ultranationalism, the police and politics in post-Soviet space. It is the best film on the subject that I have yet seen. Several survivors of the massacre are interviewed. By Ulrich Heyden & Marco Benson - produced by leftvision.de

UNICEF: 460 Million Children Live In Countries Facing War, Famine, And Other Catastrophes

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Internally displaced children run inside a refugee camp in Dana town after fleeing Palmyra, in northern Idlib province, Syria April 2, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS/KHALIL ASHAWI *Annalisa Merelli, Quartz*: *Half a billion of our children are growing up in war, famine and other catastrophes* An estimated 462 million children of school age live in countries affected by humanitarian crises—including war, famine, and deadly epidemics—a UNICEF report published on May 4 found. It’s an astonishing number, nearly one and a half times the total population of the US. For many of these children, liv... more »

An Anti-Trump Tsunami? DCCC Incompetence Will Protect The GOP Majority In The House

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
*No one likes to blame her, but Steve Israel is Nancy Pelosi's fault-- 100%* Otherwise sane commentators have been repeating an absurdist DCCC line that Trump is so toxic and the Republican Party brand so polluted that November could see the Democrats take back the House. It can't. Dream all you want, it cannot happen. Now, had Pelosi cleaned out that nest of corrupt vipers last year or the year before or the year before that-- as they managed to lose dozens and dozens of Democratic seats-- and replaced the leadership with capable Democrats like Keith Ellison or Mark Pocan or Donna E... more »

Obama Commutes Sentences for 58 Federal Prisoners

ERIC TUCKER at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: In this photo taken May 4, 2016, President Barack Obama speaks in Washington. The Obama administration on Thursday, May 5, 2016, commuted the prison sentences of 58 federal convicts, including 18 who were given life sentences. The action is part of a broader effort to overhaul the criminal justice system and ease punishments for nonviolent drug offenders.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than a decade ago, a judge bemoaned that the life sentence she was about to impose on Charles C. Brown was overly harsh. This week, relief finally came to Brown, along with 57 other offenders. Presid... more »

THE ULTIMATE REALITY SHOW / PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

Allen L Roland, Ph.D at Allen L Roland's Weblog - 1 day ago
*The Donald with Attitude* *I used to think that America had achieved the pinnacle of H.L.Mencken’s famous quote about the eventual election of a moron with the disputed election of George W Bush but that was just a rung above the growing possibility of a President Trump. Donald Trump represents the last desperate hope of an American electorate who have been left out of the political process and have lost respect for our Oligarchy ~ so in their powerless dilemma, many have turned to a billionaire huckster who will gleefully voice their fears and concerns while creating a gra... more »

FDA Bans Sale Of E-cigarettes To Minors

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
For the first time e-cigarettes are to be regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. The sale of electronic cigarettes and cigars will be prohibited to under 18s. RT reports: Under the new regulations, businesses will not be allowed to sell e-cigarettes, cigars, hookah tobacco, and other tobacco products to people under 18 years of age, nor will they be allowed to hand out free samples of these products. E-cigarettes and others will also be prohibited from being sold in vending machines, except in adult-only locations. Additionally, e-cigarette manufacturers will have to plac... more »

The Trump Quake and the Aftermath

Charles Krauthammer at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Donald Trump2 - 900] WASHINGTON -- What lies behind Donald Trump’s nomination victory? Received wisdom among conservatives is that he, the outsider, sensed, marshaled and came to represent a massive revolt of the Republican rank and file against the “establishment.” This is the narrative: GOP... more »

Stream Exclusive: Interview With Going Red Author Ed Morrissey

Dustin Siggins at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Going Red Book Cover - 900] In 2016, Hot Air senior editor Ed Morrissey is making his mark not just as a blogger, columnist and radio host, but also with a new book he says outlines a presidential path to victory for both the conservative movement... more »

This Is Not The Time To Cut Fire-Prevention And Fire Fighting Budgets

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Reuters:* *Canada fire hit as government cut spending on prevention, planes* CALGARY (Reuters) - Alberta's cash-strapped government cut funding for wildfire prevention, including millions for programs created in response to the province's last major fire disaster, just weeks before a raging fire swept across the city of Fort McMurray, forcing a mass evacuation as hundreds of homes burned to the ground. The cuts, some of which have not previously been reported, came as Alberta struggled to cope with a prolonged slump in oil prices that has reduced tax revenue, and as climate chan... more »

The Ramey Memo Negative

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 1 day ago
Since this has become an issue in the last couple of days, and there are those who wonder if the new scans were made from the original negative, I thought this might be of help. Those who traveled to Fort Worth to examine the negative were experts in photography and forensic photographic analysis. Those at the University of Texas at Arlington, who received the negatives from the Fort Worth Star - Telegram, assured us that these were the original negatives, and there is no reason to doubt them. Others have suggested that the negatives needed to be examined on a light table and under ... more »

Evidently Tony Blair doesn't subscribe to the old proposition "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies"

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
*by Ken* If you believe that Tony Blair is "one of the most respected and admired world leaders of the last 50 years," you're going to seethe with envy that I got this e-mail from NYC's 92nd Street Y and you didn't. I got it, as the e-mail explained, "because you are a loyal patron of 92Y" -- by which they mean, I presume, that back in June 2011 I indeed bought a ticket for Keith Olbermann's lollapalooza of a tribute to James Thurber, one of my idols, with participants including Calvin Trillin, another of my idols. (And it was a grand night. I wrote about it here in a post called ... more »

Army Captain Sues President Obama For Sending Him To Fight Illegal War

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
US Army Captain Nathan Smith filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against President Obama arguing that the administration failed to obtain congressional authorization for Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria and that he was deployed to fight an illegal war. The administration is still relying on the “Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)” that congress passed within days of the 9/11 attacks to deal with terrorists from Al Qaeda to ISIS and beyond. Lawyers for the 28-year-old military intelligence officer say that the conflict against ISIS/Daesh , is an illegal war without c... more »

The Evil of Two Lessers

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 day ago
That's a fantastic title, first off. The thing is - if you make a conscious choice between what you tell yourself and rationalise as being *the lesser of two evils* : guess what? You're still choosing *EVIL*.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 5, 2016

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Tin Arango and Ceylan Yeginsu, New York Times*: *How Erdogan Moved to Solidify Power by Ousting a Pivotal Ally* ISTANBUL — In pursuit of more power, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has purged the judiciary of enemies, jailed journalists and crushed anti-government protests. Now, he has ousted his closest political ally, the country’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, whose modest effort to check Mr. Erdogan’s ambition was too much for the president. Mr. Davutoglu, publicly loyal to Mr. Erdogan even as he pushed back privately on some of his excesses, said Thursday that he... more »

Economic News , Data & Views ( May 5 , 2016 ) Overview For Cinco De Mayo ( 1. Markets - Japan Back Tonight After Three Days Off , European Stocks Break 4 Day Skid , US Stocks End Mixed For The Day , Bond Markets News - NIRP Annual Toll About 24 Billion , Atlantic City Ten Days From Running Out Of Money , Hong Kong / China Early Items . 2. Greece Block Of News - Creditor Talks , Strikes , State Of Pension Funds . 3. UK Issues Of Note - Brexit , TTIP , EU- Turkey Deal . 4. Libya In Focus - Security Remains A Key Issue As Political Insecurity Continues , Refugee Crisis Shifting To Libya , Military Intervention Looms. 5. Brazil Political Free For All Continues - Even As Rousseff Awaits Inevitable Impeachment , The Lower House Speaker Cunha Has Been Suspended And Vice President Temer Ineligible To Take Over For Rousseff. 6. Odds & Ends - Around Global Horn . )

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Markets........ *RANsquawk* ‏@RANsquawk 10m 10 minutes ago #HappyFriday Asia!! Japan back after 3-day close.. Note: S&P500 and Nky futures down 0.73% & 0.65% respectively since last Nikkei cash close *Venezuela News Links* ‏@dlVenezuelanews 1h 1 hour ago Europe Markets: *European* stocks break four-day losing run as oil prices rally:
*European* *stock markets* ros... http://bit.ly/24vgrrL *Danilo Masoni* ‏@damasoni 5h 5 hours ago European shares edge higher led by BT and Repsol | Reuters http:// mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL5N1825NJ … *zerohedge* ‏...
 more »

EPA Shut Down Enough Coal Power in US to Blackout Great Britain

Andrew Follett at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Castle_Gate_Power_Plant,_Utah - 900] America shut down enough coal power plants last year to blackout Great Britain, according a report published by pro-industry Institute For Energy Research (IER), citing data from The Sierra Club. The total amount of electrical power generation going offline in America is equivalent... more »

House Speaker Paul Ryan Refuses to Back Donald Trump

ERICA WERNER at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: In this March 23, 2016, file photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Trying to win over conservatives, House Republicans are sweetening their budget proposal by putting several programs on the chopping block, including President Barack Obama’s health care law and tax credits for children of immigrants living in the country illegally. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)] WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker Paul Ryan is refusing to support Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for president, insisting Thursday that the businessman must do mor...more »

$15 Minimum Wage Advocate Sets Sights On $21

Connor D. Wolf at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Protesters demonstrate at a Fight for $15 rally outside of McDonald's Canadian Headquarters in Ontario on April 15, 2015.] The leader of a group fighting to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour revealed she actually wants an increase that goes much higher, according to a video released Wednesday. The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) has done a lot... more »

Chart: Wood Produces More Energy Than Wind and Solar

Andrew Follett at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Wood Pellets Burning, Biomass, Renewable Energy] Burning wood for power still produces more energy than wind or solar, according to an infographic published Wednesday by a global warming researcher. Burning wood provides nine percent of the world's energy, according to the United Nations' Food And Agricultural Organization. Solar power provides...more »

High Speed Car Chase On Belgian-French Border Ends In Shootout

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
At least one person died on Thursday in a car chase and motorway shootout that started in Belgium and ended in France. The Belgian police pursued people smugglers through Belgium and France in a dramatic chase that included three crashes and a pile-up. The Irish Examiner reports: The 140mph pursuit which, left a motorcyclist dead and at least four others seriously injured began on a main road in Belgium and ended in Dunkirk in France. Media reports state that the incident began around 5.30am this morning when a lorry driver discovered 17 immigrants in his vehicle and was threatened ... more »

Friday Morning Ramble–06.05.16

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
*Clearing my tabs again …* “Gareth Morgan’s “Foundation” was at it again last week. Attacking personal freedoms to achieve the society Gareth wants. ‘Instead of a facile debate over whether a sugar tax would work or not, we should be discussing which we value more – living in a free society where you can eat what you like and burden the state, or whether we value having a healthy, productive society. …” *Morgan Foundation attacks personal freedom ... again* – LINDSAY MITCHELL "Another nasty and stupid Government scheme bites the dust." We hope. *'Social Bond' programme stalled b... more »

UPDATE: Russian Orchestra has concert at recently liberated Palmyra ruins

greencrow at Greencrow As The Crow Flies - 1 day ago
*UPDATE: May 6, 2016 *- Great to be Right! I did correctly identify the solo cellist as Putin good friend Sergei Roldugin. This was a BRILLIANT "in your face" move by the one and only *great chessmaster Putin. * I'm sure the evil ones are gnashing their fangs tonight...that Putin actually blessed and de-toxified/cleansed...one of their sites of horror and atrocity. *Bravo Putin!!!!* *"Prayer for Palmyra" - St Petersburg Orchestra* *Concert filmed by RT at Palmyra, Syria* Amazing tribute to and triumph of freedom and civilization...*no wonder Kerry was having a coniption fit yes... more »

College retracts press release about sociologist reviewing manuscript

Ivan Oransky at Retraction Watch - 1 day ago
The Pennsylvania College of Technology, aka Penn College, has retracted a press release about a sociologist there reviewing a manuscript. Now, although we’ve covered a few retracted press releases, we don’t typically write about such events. This one, however, struck us as odd: Is reviewing a paper really the bar for sending out a press release? […] The post College retracts press release about sociologist reviewing manuscript appeared first on Retraction Watch.

World News Briefs -- May 5, 2016 (Evening Edition)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Reuters:* *Canadian wildfire explodes in size, forces more evacuations* A catastrophic wildfire that has forced all 88,000 residents to flee Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada exploded tenfold in size on Thursday, cutting off evacuees in camps and shelters north of the city. The out-of-control blaze has burned down entire neighborhoods of Fort McMurray in Canada's energy heartland and forced a precautionary shutdown of some oil production, driving up global oil prices. Three days after the residents were ordered to leave Fort McMurray, firefighters were still battling to protect ho... more »

Apocalypse Programming and “Knowing” the End of Days

WTStaff at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Zen Gardner* - The social programmers love the subject of the end of days.

Digging Deeper Into Conventional vs. Organic & Why We Should Grow Our Own

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Dr. Ben House* - Being able to attain healthy, nutritious, clean food should be your right as a human.

NATO Needs to Be Ready to Fight Russia ‘Tonight’ Says New Commander

Russ Read at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: NATO's supreme allied commander Europe U.S. Army General Curtis M. Scaparrotti addresses the media after a change of command ceremony at NATO military headquarters in Mons, southern Belgium on Wednesday May 4, 2016. U.S. Army General Curtis M. Scaparrotti was installed as NATO's 18th supreme allied commander Europe (SACEUR). The commander, by tradition an American general or admiral, is responsible for the overall direction and conduct of NATO's global military operations.] The newly minted Supreme Allied Commander of NATO said Thursday that the alliance needs to be prepared ... more »

Poll: Almost Half of Americans Say US is Just Not as Important as It Used to be

Jonah Bennett at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: American flag - 900] Almost a majority of Americans think that the United States is in decline as a world power, according to a new survey released by Pew Research Center. A total of 46 percent of Americans think the U.S. is not as... more »

ISIS Style Killing Spree In Bangladesh Concerns India

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
Bangladesh has recently suffered at the hands of Islamic Jihadist terrorists, with the government and media labeling the terrorists as Al Qaeda, ISIS or home-grown fanatics. The fact remains that Islamic State terrorism has spread eastward from the Middle East and is now a major concern for the Indian subcontinent. Whatever label you give it, ISIS, Islamic State(IS), ISIL, Daesh, the ideology is the same, and their victims will suffer for it all over the world, from the Middle East to China. English professor Karim Siddiquee was hacked to death in Rajshahi two weeks ago. Last week B... more »

Hacker Who Broke Into Clinton’s Server Says ’10 Other’ Outsiders Had Access

Jonah Bennett at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Hillary Clinton Emails - 900] Now sitting in a Virginia jail cell, the legendary hacker known as Guccifer has described just how easy it was to break into Hillary Clinton's private email server in early 2013. In an interview with Fox News, Guccifer, also known... more »

Canadian Wildfire Explodes Tenfold Forcing Even More Evacuations

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
The devastating wildfire that has already forced all 88,000 residents to flee Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, exploded tenfold in size on Thursday, cutting off evacuees in camps and shelters north of the city. Firefighters are trying to battle the out-of-control blaze, which has already destroyed homes and is threatening infrastructure. Wildfire Spreads in Fort McMurray https://t.co/WP4HnKjL7T#NASApic.twitter.com/7dUTDAmqRd — NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) May 5, 2016 Officials estimated that 1,600 structures had been damaged or destroyed by Wednesday night. As flames fanned south on Thu... more »

Tiny Floating Houses

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 1 day ago

President Obama's Deputy National Security Adviser Reveals How The White House Spins Its Media Message On Foreign Policy

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Rhodes (center) and Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, listening as President Obama spoke to reporters during an off-the-record discussion. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times *New York Times:* *The Aspiring Novelist Who Became Obama’s Foreign-Policy Guru* How Ben Rhodes rewrote the rules of diplomacy for the digital age. Picture him as a young man, standing on the waterfront in North Williamsburg, at a polling site, on Sept. 11, 2001, which was Election Day in New York City. He saw the planes hit the towers, an unforgettable moment of sheer disbelief followed by... more »

We've Forgotten Recent History

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 1 day ago
Now that Donald Trump has become the one and only Republican candidate for president, it's worth returning to a column that Henry Giroux wrote in December of last year. Its title was Fascism in Donald Trump's United States. Giroux wrote the column after Trump proposed banning Muslims from the country: Donald Trump's blatant appeal to fascist ideology and policy considerations took a more barefaced and dangerous turn this week when he released a statement calling for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." Trump qualified this racist appeal to voters'... more »

Princess Books for Every Age

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 1 day ago
When I was a little girl, I loved Princess books and now that I am an adult, I still love them. The books have changed over the years, but I have found some truly delightful books featuring princesses for every age. The princesses in these books are strong, witty and willing to stand for what they believe it. I am not sure why princesses get such a bad rapt, it is definently not from these books. Picture Books: *The Paper bag Princes*s- Quite possibly my favorite princess book of all time. The princess ends up saving the princes from the dragon and then discovers he might not h... more »

British Arms Company Defends Weapons Sales To Saudi Arabia

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
The chairman of British arms manufacturer, BAE systems, has defended his company’s extensive deals with Saudi Arabia, describing the Saudi monarchy as an appropriate customer for its weapons and services. “We are not here to judge the way that other governments work, we are here to do a job under the rules and regulations we are given,” Sir Roger Carr said Wednesday, after being confronted by shareholders affiliated with Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) movement, during an annual general meeting. Press TV reports: The shareholder-turned-activists interrupted Carr five minutes into... more »

Romanian Hacker ‘Guccifer’ Claims He Hacked Hillary Clinton’s ‘Completely Unsecured’ Email Server

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*FOX News*: *Romanian hacker Guccifer: I breached Clinton server, 'it was easy'* EXCLUSIVE: The infamous Romanian hacker known as “Guccifer,” speaking exclusively with Fox News, claimed he easily – and repeatedly – breached former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s personal email server in early 2013. "For me, it was easy ... easy for me, for everybody," Marcel Lehel Lazar, who goes by the moniker "Guccifer," told Fox News from a Virginia jail where he is being held. Guccifer’s potential role in the Clinton email investigation was first reported by Fox News last month. The ha... more »

Is War Between The U.S. And Russia Possible?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Stephen F. Cohen, The Nation*:* Is War With Russia Possible?* The US is undermining opportunities for cooperation in Syria and Ukraine, while escalating NATO’s military presence near Russia. *Nation contributing editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions—after a two-week “sabbatical”—about the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com.) Cohen laments that during the past two weeks the Obama administration appears to have been undermining cooperation with Moscow on three Cold War fronts.* Refusing to accept President Puti... more »

NATO's New Commander Sparks Criticism From Moscow

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
United Nations Commander Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti. © Jeon Heon-kyun / Reuters *TASS:* *Kremlin comments on remarks of new NATO commander in Europe* *New commander of NATO’s armed forces in Europe US General Curtis Scaparotti mentioned Russia among NATO’s main security challenges in his first speech at the ceremony of assuming command* MOSCOW, May 5. /TASS/. Russia will safeguard its national interests should there be any threat to them, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said about statements by the newly appointed commander of NATO’s forces in Europe, US General Curtis Scapar... more »

Maddow watch: Obama takes the waters in Flint!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016Maddow forgets to say so:* Yesterday, Barack Obama spoke at a community event in Flint. Before he spoke at that event, he received a briefing about the state of the city's water. In the New York Times, Shear and Bosman report what happened there: SHEAR (5/5/16): Mr. Obama had been under pressure for months to visit Flint. White House aides said he had decided to make the trip after receiving a letter from an 8-year-old girl, Amariyanna Copeny, who is known among many in the city as Little Miss Flint. *After receiving a briefing from federal officials who hav... more »

Preparing for National Race, Trump Moves on Fundraising

JONATHAN LEMIRE & JULIE BYKOWICZ at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Donald Trump - 900 - 2] NEW YORK (AP) -- Donald Trump is taking his first steps toward raising the massive amounts of money needed for a national presidential race, aiming to broaden his primary insurgency into a full-fledged general election campaign and unite the fractured... more »

Army Captain Sues Obama Claiming ISIS War Is Illegal

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
An Army Captain is suing US President Barack Obama, claiming that the war against ISIS is illegal because it was not authorized by Congress. In court documents filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, Captain Nathan Michael Smith, a 28 year old military intelligence officer said: “Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, when the President introduces United States armed forces into hostilities… he must either get approval from Congress within sixty day to continue the operation, in the form of a declaration of war… [the] President did not get Congress’s approval for ... more »

Author: I’ll sue if publisher doesn’t retract my retraction

Shannon Palus at Retraction Watch - 1 day ago
An author is preparing to sue a publisher for retracting his paper. John Bishop, the CEO of an independent media company called Crocels, argues that by taking down his paper, De Gruyter is breaching a contract — their agreement to publish his work. Perhaps appropriately, the paper suggests ways to combat negative online comments — including litigation. Bishop told us he […] The post Author: I’ll sue if publisher doesn’t retract my retraction appeared first on Retraction Watch.

NATO's European Missile Defense System Goes Live Today

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
© Flickr/ US Army Corps of Engineers Europe District *New York Times*: *NATO Ratchets Up Missile Defense Despite Russian Criticism* LONDON — NATO’s European missile defense system will go live on Thursday when a base in Romania becomes operational. The next day, Poland is scheduled to break ground on its NATO missile-defense base. The decision by the United States and its allies in Eastern Europe to proceed with ballistic missile defense in the face of increasingly loud Russian criticism is an important stage in the alliance’s new stance toward Moscow. Those deployments will be c... more »

Majority Of Americans Sceptical Of U.S. Involvement Overseas

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*PEW Research Center:* *Public Uncertain, Divided Over America’s Place in the World* *Growing support for increased defense spending* The public views America’s role in the world with considerable apprehension and concern. In fact, most Americans say it would be better if the U.S. just dealt with its own problems and let other countries deal with their own problems as best they can. With the United States facing an array of global threats, public support for increased defense spending has climbed to its highest level since a month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when 50% favored... more »

The Impact On Oil Prices From Tthe Fort McMurray Fire Disaster

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*CBC*: *Oil prices jump as Fort McMurray wildfire slows down oilsands production* What's the impact on the oil market? And on the workers? The price of crude is rising this morning as the wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., slows oilsands production. The Wood Buffalo region of Alberta is the economic heart of the province, and key to world oil markets. It produces more than half of Canada's oil each day and is an important exporter to the United States. While the oilsands plants themselves are not at risk at this moment, production has not just slowed down, but in some cases has st... more »

Dramatic Footage From The Fort McMurray Disaster

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*CTV News:** Fort McMurray in flames: The most dramatic footage from the disaster zone* Fort McMurray residents fleeing a ferocious wildfire are sharing jaw-dropping footage of their escapes through what resembled apocalypse-like conditions. More than 80,000 people have fled the municipality on a mandatory evacuation order that was expanded late Wednesday night. Residents travelling on the main highway out of the city captured footage of towering trees being devoured by flames, while burning debris fell onto the roadway. *Read more* .... *Update:* 11 jaw-dropping videos from th...more »

Fire Disaster In Fort McMurray -- News Updates

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*CTV*: *Evacuation zone expanded in Fort McMurray* Wildfires continue to burn out of control in Fort McMurray on Thursday and the situation prompted officials to expand the evacuation zone overnight. Residents, many of whom who had already escaped the city, were now told to evacuate further as the fire expanded, threatening Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates and Fort McMurray First Nation. The communities are about 50 km south of Fort McMurray itself. All residents were transported to Lac La Biche. *Read more* .... *Fire Disaster In Fort McMurray -- News Updates* LIVE BLOG: Breaking u...more »

Neither Former Presidents George HW Bush Or George W Bush Will Endorse Donald Trump

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*The Guardian*: *Neither George HW nor George W Bush will endorse Donald Trump* Non-endorsements come as Trump has become presumptive nominee and many have tried to come to terms with fact that he will be party’s standard-bearer Neither George HW nor George W Bush, the only two living former Republican presidents of the United States, will endorse Donald Trump. In statements released to the Guardian on Wednesday evening, spokesmen for both former presidents said they would be sitting out the 2016 election. Freddy Ford, a spokesman for George W Bush, told the Guardian: “President ...more »

World News Briefs -- May 5, 2016

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Reuters*: *Truce takes hold in Aleppo but fighting goes on elsewhere in Syria* A cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by Russia and the United States brought a measure of relief to the battered Syrian city of Aleppo on Thursday but President Bashar al-Assad said he still sought a total, crushing victory over rebel forces. Syrian state media said the army would abide by a "regime of calm" in the city that came into effect at 1 a.m. (6.00 p.m. ET on Wednesday) for 48 hours, and relative calm prevailed on Thursday morning after two weeks of death and destruction. The army b... more »

Trump Invictus? - Indiana Primary Postmortem

greencrow at Greencrow As The Crow Flies - 1 day ago
*Trump wins Indiana Primary and is now* *(unofficial) Republican Presidential Nominee* Surfing the Internet and blogosphere this morning...as the dust continues to settle after the definitive Trump victory in the Indiana Primary...I have a few thoughts as to what the future holds in the US Presidential campaign. First of all, I was wrong. Yes, folks, I miscalled the GOP race from the beginning. I felt sure that Cruz would take the nomination and that Trump was beatable...perhaps not even a serious candidate. But like many other "pundits" I'm eating crow this morning...wait...is tha... more »

US Dept of Ed Executive Heads Chan-Zuckerberg Drive to Treat Students and Teachers as Waste Products

Susan O at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
by Susan Ohanian *Philanthropic Effort* Synonyms for effort: *try, push, struggle, stab* The Thesaurus is way behind-the-curve on synonyms for Philanthropic, linking it to *big-hearted, bountiful, liberal*. Forget verbal shortcuts. Instead, I suggest reading No Such Thing as a Free Gift: The Gates Foundation and the Price of Philanthropy by Linsey McGoey, which provides solid research on the mega-rich replacing governments on issues of social policy, and The Falling Rate of Learning and the Neoliberal Endgame by David J. Blacker, which makes critical connections showing the sh... more »

The Natural West

What Is Sustainable at What Is Sustainable - 1 day ago
Dan Flores is an environmental historian. His book, *The Natural West*, focuses on the region of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. This ecosystem has been radically changed in the last 300 years, and a number of these changes have resulted in irreversible degradation. Flores has a misty vision of restoring the West, and his work explores issues that contributed to ecological imbalances. We can’t address challenges that we don’t understand. At the time Flores was writing, many green thinkers were indulging in a fantasy that imagined an environmental Golden Age, when the c... more »

Politics/The Economy: “Dawn In America?”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*“Dawn In America?”* by Karl Denninger “Is that the sun I see this morning? It might be. Look folks, I don't trust Trump. Then again I don't trust politicians generally, no matter who they are, simply because they have a proven record of lying and yet while their lies are never punished ours are turned into felonies whenever those they empower are asking the questions- including themselves! So here's the challenge before us: As I've pointed out repeatedly in these pages since 2009 when the health care debate came into the forefront of American politics, and turned into Obamacare, ... more »

"Together..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together." - Desmond Tutu

"How to Effectively Antagonize Latino People on Cinco De Mayo"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*"How to Effectively Antagonize Latino People on Cinco De Mayo"* by Ellie Guzman "Ah, Cinco De Mayo. I can smell it now: the tacos, the margaritas, the racism. Cinco De Mayo is about Mexicans, but all other Latinos get lumped in with Mexicans so often that on Cinco De Mayo we know that more than any other day, we’re all Mexican and we’re all vulnerable and we’re all going to be treated as subhuman (more than usual, at least). Here’s how to show the Latino people around you that you don’t really care for them as humans: *1. Wear a Costume:* Yes, these are actually being sold by Party... more »

Musical Interlude: Medwyn Goodall, "Eyes of Heaven"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Medwyn Goodall, "Eyes of Heaven" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC0-RJ3P1G0

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
"Near first quarter, the Moon in March lights this snowy, rugged landscape, a view across the top of Tenerife toward La Palma in the Canary Islands Spanish archipelago. The large Teide volcano, the highest point in Spain, looms over the horizon. Shining above are familiar bright stars of Orion, the Hunter. *Click image for larger size.* Adding to the dreamlike scene is the 1 meter diameter prototype telescope of the global network project called the Stellar Observations Network Group or SONG. The SONG's fully robotic observatory was captured during the 30 second exposure while the ob... more »

Chet Raymo, "Life"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*"Life"* by Chet Raymo "ACCTCCTCTAATGTCA ACCTCCCCTAATGTCA The first string of letters above represents an actual sequence of amino acids on human chromosome 10. The second string is the corresponding sequence for an elephant. I copy the strings from a New Yorker article on Neanderthals by Elizabeth Kolbert. She tosses them in more or less at random just to show what a DNA sequence looks like. Still, they jump off the page. Humans and elephants. A four-letter code. Four molecules called neucleotides, arranged in pairs along a spiraling ladder, the double-helix - adenine, thymine, g... more »

Kahlil Gibran, "On Time"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
* "On Time"* "You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable. You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons. Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing. Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness, And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream. And that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space. Who among you does not feel that his power to love is ...more »

Musical Interlude: Medwyn Goodall & Twilight, “Invocation Part 3”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Medwyn Goodall & Twilight, “Invocation Part 3” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfLtNRIKzTI

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Saint Denis, Centre, France. Thanks for stopping by!

"The Ultimate Ignorance..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago

"How Do You Know When Your Society Is In The Midst Of Collapse?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*"How Do You Know When Your Society Is In The Midst Of Collapse?"* by Newsroom "As economic turmoil worldwide becomes increasingly apparent, We have been receiving messages from readers expressing some concerns on the public “perception” of collapse. That is to say, there are questions on the average person’s concept of collapse versus the reality of collapse. This is a vital issue that I have discussed briefly in the past, but it deserves a more in-depth analysis. What is collapse? How do we define it? And, are some of the notions of collapse in the public consciousness completely... more »

“The Coming Financial Collapse of PENSION Programs Across America”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*“The Coming Financial Collapse of PENSION Programs Across America”* by Mike Adams "• Pension programs across America are under-funded by $3.4 trillion. • The strategy for pension programs is to cook the books and then, when they can no longer cover up the financial facts, claim to be “too big to fail” and demand a bailout. • Pensions all across America are going into default. How many pension plans can the federal government bail out? • Most of these pensions provide monthly retirement incomes to former government workers. • The government repeatedly LIES to you about all economic num... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Special snowflakes, indeed...

"On Border Incident, US Sources Give One Perspective, Own, While Russian Source Gives Multiple, Including US"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*"On Border Incident, US Sources Give One Perspective, * *Own, While Russian Source Gives Multiple, Including US"* by Robert Barsocchini "These two stories make a fine illustration of why it is crucial to read broadly, pushing one’s comfort zone and challenging the tendency towards confirmation bias. This one, by Buzzfeed (an outlet funded, for example, by a $200 million dollar investment from the NBC Universal corporation, a division of Comcast and General Electric), reports on Trump saying the US should shoot down Russian planes when they intercept US spy-planes that have their tr... more »

The Economy: Gregory Mannarino, “ALERT! More Proof Of A Global Meltdown: Prepare For Impact”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*“ALERT! More Proof Of A Global Meltdown: Prepare For Impact” * by Gregory Mannarino - https://www.youtube.com/ ◆ *“Governments Will Fall As The Financial System Fails”* ◆ *Related:* • "’Nothing Has Been Fixed’- Citi's Five Reasons Why This Sucker Is Going Down” • “Eight ‘New Normal’ Charts That Are Insanely Abnormal–and Dangerous”

"A Trump Landslide in November?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*"A Trump Landslide in November?"* by Bill Bonner BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – "First, we would like to thank you, dear reader, for your many words of encouragement, sympathy, and pity. We read the Mailbag every day. We’re sorry we cannot respond, but we get ideas… thoughts… suggestions. Many readers have offered helpful thoughts on how to run the ranch more profitably… or how to get more water… or how to make the electrical system function better. We can’t implement all these suggestions… but we listen! *Objective Reality: *After spending three weeks with objective truth at the ranc... more »

Satire: “Saddest People In America: Senate Officially Mourns Return Of Ted Cruz”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*“Saddest People In America: * *Senate Officially Mourns Return Of Ted Cruz”* by Andy Borowitz WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— “The United States Senate declared an official day of mourning on Wednesday to mark the impending return of Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to the legislative body. Ordering all flags at the U.S. Capitol to half-staff, the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, announced the day of mourning in a somber proclamation. “We mark this day with a deep personal sense of loss that will never completely heal,” he said. To recognize Cruz’s return, which is expected to ...more »

The Insanity Of Judaism: Israeli Man Seeks Restraining Order Against "God" (This Is NO Joke!)

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
I have constantly come under fire for my stance that ALL religion is a fraud and nothing but mind control for suckers.... There have been so many comments sent my way from those bible (the book of lies I call the "buy- bull") thumpers and other brainwashed fools that have called me every name under the sun and have even come in forms of "threats"... I always ignore these idiots and refuse to publish their trash... And of course I also get those weird and obnoxious comments from what I call my "favorite fan club", which is of course the members of the JIDF/Hasbara group of rejects fro... more »

Very Important Video: Ken O'Keefe Tells The Truth About The Middle East

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
I am doing a bit of catching up as usual today... Many readers, colleagues, and friends, have been sending me a wealth of links and videos pver the last little while, and in many cases have asked me to put them up here at this blog..... I have been spending a lot of time over the last few days finally looking at the material sent my way, and I will be presenting a lot of that material here at this blog over the next while... About three weeks ago, Ken O'Keefe released another very amazing and truthful video that I finally got around to viewing.. And as usual it is dynamite..... In t... more »

ISIS In Control Of Key Gas Field In Syria’s Homs

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
ISIS militants have captured the al-Shaer gas field, located 120 kilometers east of Homs. The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the terrorists came to the rear of the Syrian army which is advancing eastwards into the desert and the Iraqi border. The key gas field in the central province of Homs has changed hands several times in the past between Syrian government forces and ISIS. The Islamic Sate is now partially in control of the al-Shaer gas field following three days of intense fighting. Tass reports: Al Mayadeen said Islamic State groups unexpectedly came into the rear of the Syrian ... more »

North Carolina Leaders Denounce Federal Threat on Bathroom Law

GARY D. ROBERTSON & EMERY P. DALESIO at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: McCrory - 900] RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Giving no indication of yielding to pressure, North Carolina’s Republican leaders called a federal warning about the legality of the state’s new law limiting LGBT anti-discrimination rules a broad overreach by the government. Gov. Pat McCrory... more »

Untitled

Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 1 day ago
*From* *Jenna Orkin* 'Kill! Kill! Kill! - How China Recruits For Its Massively Underpaid Army Can you say ‘rubber stamp?’ FBI and NSA requests never denied by secret court Woman Who Made Viral ‘Naked Trump’ Painting Was Assaulted, Beaten Near Her Home (IMAGES) NBC Nightly News with Lester HoltLike Page "JUST IN: Pres. George H.W. Bush and Pres. George W. Bush say they will not participate in the 2016 presidential race." Perhaps that's why we're suddenly hearing about how Laura Bush plans to vote (Hillary over Trump.) That allows the prezes to appear more loyal to the party ... more »

Anonymous Declares War On Big Pharma

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
Anonymous have declared war on Big Pharma, the CDC, FDA and Monsanto over the poisoning of our children #Op_Pharma is focused on exposing and spreading awareness on the lies and corruption of the Medical establishment, Big Pharma Corporations and their cronies. HealthyFoodPro reports: An “Anonymous” YouTube user named “TheAnonMessage” has just announced #Op_Pharma, a coordinated effort to expose the “lies and corruption of the medical system” and Big Pharma. War has been declared. But it’s not the tax increasing, lie and slavery inducing wars like President Johnson’s war on poverty,... more »

Does Cruz Exit Help Sanders? Will Hillary Appoint Bill Her "Minister of Jobs and Trade"?

Gaius Publius at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
*Clinton wants to bring her husband "out of retirement."* *by Gaius Publius* The two topics in the headline are related. We're in the next phase of the campaign, with an uncontested candidate in the Republican Party (who knew that would happen first?) and a still-contested race on the Democratic side. How much does this change the dynamic? For one thing, if Sanders continues to battle to the convention, as he's promised again and again to do — and also to combat Clinton regarding the culture of corruption (my phrase) in the Democratic Party — Clinton will have to fight on two fr... more »

Thousands Pay Homage to Holocaust Victims in Auschwitz March

AP at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Holocaust march - 900] OSWIECIM, Poland (AP) -- Thousands of people from around the world, many draped in Israeli flags, have paid homage to the victims of the Holocaust with a somber march from the barracks of Auschwitz to nearby Birkenau. Organizers of the... more »

THE ART OF THE CON: The craziness of Donald Trump's steaks!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016Part 3—The craziness of Matthews and Dowd:* Yesterday, in the 5 PM hour, we're fairly sure we saw Mark Preston make an unusual statement. Preston is "executive editor for CNN Politics, reporting on campaigns, polling and politics across the network's platforms, including CNN, CNN International and CNN.com." We're fairly sure we saw him compliment Donald J. Trump for the way he had dropped all that "Lyin' Ted" blather. We say we're fairly sure we saw Preston compliment Trump because CNN has failed to post a transcript for yesterday's 5 PM hour of The Situation...more »

Lost Alligator Attempts To Ring Door Bell, No One Home

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
An alligator was captured on video attempting to ring a door bell and enter a house in South Carolina. A passer-by saw the cold blooded reptile crawling up the front door of a family’s home, scratching at the door, attempting to gain entry. abc4 News reports: Gary Rogers says he was walking his dog down a street in Foxbank Plantation Monday morning when construction workers stopped what they were doing to watch an alligator meander into the yards of two homes. Rogers says he reached for his phone as the big reptile headed for the front porch of one home. “He was walking around in f... more »

Robert Stacy McCain: The Despicable David Brooks...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*my sentiments exactly.* In my opinion, Stacy McCain is one of the great writers of our time. His background in journalism hearkens back to a time when journalists actually knew what they were doing. While he devotes this column to the fisking, with fisking being too mild of a word, of David Brooks of the New York Times, I would gladly add some of the other anti-Trumpers like George Will, Erick Erickson, Mark Levin (oh, how you've disappointed me, Mark), and the elitist cabal over at National Review. These people, who live in their very own rarefied bubble of isolation, do not sp... more »

How Full is Your Stadium?

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
*Susan V. Lacerra is an awakened former investment banker living in San Francisco. -AK* By Susan V. Lacerra http://inspiredstrategies.com/2015/09/20/how-full-is-your-stadium/#more-296 *How Full is Your Stadium? * This week, I’m back to MY THEME SONG from a few weeks ago, BUDAPEST by George Ezra, and this awesome line, *“give me one good reason why I should never make a change.” * *One day a DREAM gave me a darn good reason to want to change * For years I fondly held the memory of my childhood dreams. Growing up, how I wished the world was different. But in my dreams, there e... more »

North Dakota Will Dump Common Core, Write New Standards

Blake Neff at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: common core - 900] North Dakota is going to dump Common Core and replace it with rewritten standards crafted by the state's teachers, the state's top education official announced Tuesday. Superintendent for Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler said the state will create two committees of about... more »

Data manipulation flushes paper on gut bacteria

Shannon Palus at Retraction Watch - 1 day ago
Data manipulation in a Cell Reports paper blew the importance of a kind of bacteria out of proportion. Retracted this month — less than three months after it was published — the paper showed, according to a summary on the cover page: B. subtilis is a symbiont that resides in the gut of C. elegans and generates nitric oxide that […] The post Data manipulation flushes paper on gut bacteria appeared first on Retraction Watch.

The Rolling Stones Tell Donald Trump To Stop Using Their Music

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 1 day ago
The Rolling Stones have issued a stern warning to Donald Trump telling him not to use their songs during his presidential campaign. The Legendary British band released a strongly worded statement telling the Republican presidential nominee that he does not have permission to use the their music. “The Rolling Stones have never given permission to the Trump campaign to use their songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately” Russia Today reports: For months, Trump has featured numerous songs from the group including the 1969 hit, You Can’t Always Get What You Want. The...more »

Cruz’s Long White House Run Could Mean Newfound GOP Clout

WILL WEISSERT & SCOTT BAUER at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas pauses while speaking to the media about events in Brussels, Tuesday, March 22, 2016, near the Capitol in Washington. Cruz said he would use the "full force and fury" of the U.S. military to defeat the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)] AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- In finishing the Republican presidential race well ahead of Donald Trump’s other rivals, Ted Cruz is likely to be a leading GOP voice for the foreseeable future. Less clear is whether Cruz harnesses that clout to... more »

House Bill Counters New FDA Move to Regulate E-Cigs

MARY CLARE JALONICK at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: vaping - 900] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vape away. Increasingly popular e-cigarettes and cigar varieties could be exempt from new Food and Drug Administration rules if House Republicans have their way. The effort alarms Democrats and public health advocates who argue it could lead... more »

Russians Post Billboards Honoring Stalin

AP at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: People walk past a billboard with WWII Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. The campaign to honor Stalin was sponsored by a local branch of the Communist Party celebrating Victory Day in Novosibirsk, Russia, Thursday, May 5, 2016. Russia celebrates victory in WWII on May 9. (AP Photo/Ilnar Salakhiev)] MOSCOW (AP) -- Billboards honoring Soviet dictator Josef Stalin have appeared across Russia’s third-largest city ahead of Monday’s celebration of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The Communist Party branch in Novosibirsk said it put up dozens of... more »

More On Syria’s Support For Iraq’s Insurgency 2011-2012

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 1 day ago
The Syrian government was one of the earliest supporters of the Iraq insurgency. Fearing that U.S. presence next door, Damascus began allowing its nationals and other foreign fighters go to Iraq even before the 2003 invasion. The Syrians maintained that backing all the way up to 2012 even when their own country fell into war. Iraqi officials complained about Syria’s support for militants throughout 2011. At the end of January a group of insurgents were caught in Anbar crossing over from Syria. (1) The head of the provincial security committee claimed they got aid from the Syrian... more »

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- May 5, 2016

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Reuters*: *Russia warns of retaliation as NATO plans more deployments in Eastern Europe* Russia will reinforce its western and southern flanks with three new divisions by the year-end, officials said on Wednesday, threatening retaliation to NATO's plans to boost its military presence in eastern members Poland and the Baltic States. While Moscow accuses the Western alliance of threatening its Russia's security, NATO says intensified military drills and its plans for increased deployments on its eastern flank are purely defensive after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and b... more »

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Resigns As Turkish President Erdogan Tightens Grip

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Washington Post*:* Turkey’s prime minister resigns amid high-level rifts and deepening crises* ISTANBUL — Turkey’s prime minister stepped down Thursday, possibly paving the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to consolidate power amid complaints from opponents over his increasingly hard-line policies. The decision by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to bow out of upcoming elections marks another potential step by Erdogan to move Turkey toward a presidential system and reduce the powers of parliament — further cementing the president’s authority and probably stirring more outrage...more »

North Korea Workers’ Party Congress To Start Friday

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*CNN*: *North Korea prepares for highest political gathering in 3 decades* Pyongyang, North Korea (CNN)The sound of loudspeakers blaring at 6 a.m. is something I've come to expect when traveling to the North Korean capital. The citywide alarm signals the beginning of each new workday. But on this particular morning, the wake-up call went off an hour earlier -- at 5. For more than two months, most Pyongyang citizens have been expected to rise early and go to bed late. Sometimes they go without sleep at all, so they can fully maximize productivity during the "70-day battle" -- a nat... more »

A Look At Britain's 'Propaganda' War Against The Islamic State In Syria

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Free Syrian army fighters, one of the groups often considered to be part of the moderate armed opposition. Photograph: Reuters *The Guardian:* *How Britain funds the 'propaganda war' against Isis in Syria* Government contractors effectively run a press office for opposition fighters but communications conceal UK’s role. The British government is waging information warfare in Syria by funding media operations for some rebel fighting groups, in the foreign front of what David Cameron has called “the propaganda war” against Islamic State. The campaign aims to boost the reputation of ... more »

What Are U.S. And NATO's Rules Of Engagement When Russian Planes Buzz NATO Aircraft Or Ships

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
A Russian Su-24 fighter jet buzzes the USS Donald Cook, a guided-missile destroyer, on April 12 in the Baltic Sea. (Photo: U.S. Navy/Sipa USA/Newscom) *In From The Cold*: *Grounded* Our friends in Western Europe can sleep well; NATO's air forces are on guard, and ready to defend the alliance against potential airliner threats. For the second time in less than a week, NATO fighters scrambled to intercept a commercial jetliner that lost radio contact in European skies. In the latest incident (which occurred yesterday), a pair of RAF Typhoons escorted an Air France jet traveling fro... more »

A Former Special Forces Officer Explains Why You Only Need To Be 70% Certain Before You Act In Battle

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
("60 Minutes"/CBS News) Former Delta Force commander Dalton Fury, a pseudonym, appeared on "60 Minutes" wearing prosthetics and colored contact lenses in 2008. *Richard Feloni, Business Insider:* *Former Delta Force officer says the elite military unit taught him you only have to be 70% certain before you act — here's why* Over more than 20 years in United States Army special operations, first as a Ranger and then a Delta Force operator, Dalton Fury learned that effective leaders never wait for perfect certainty to act. Fury is the pseudonym he uses for both his nonfiction and fi... more »

What Science Fiction Movie Inspires The 'Wonks' At The Pentagon?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) relies on the JARVIS artificial intelligence to help pilot his Iron Man suit. (Marvel Comics/Paramount Pictures) *Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Breaking Defense*:* Iron Man, Not Terminator: The Pentagon’s Sci-Fi Inspirations* WASHINGTON: “When most people when they hear me talk about this, they immediately start to think of think of Skynet and Terminator,” said the deputy secretary of defense. “I think more in terms of Iron Man.” The Pentagon wants artificial intelligence, said Bob Work, but it doesn’t want “killer robots that roam the battlefield” without... more »

Should The Pentagon Buy Running Shoes That Are Made In America?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*CBS*: *New Balance's sneaker fight with Pentagon hits Congress* New Balance has taken its nearly decade-long fight with the Pentagon over the sale of athletic shoes to the halls of Congress, which is currently debating the annual appropriations bill that funds the Pentagon. According to the Massachusetts-based company, defense officials are ignoring a little-known 1941 federal law called the Berry Amendment that requires the Pentagon to outfit members of the military in uniforms and other equipment that are "100 percent made in the U.S." The Pentagon has argued that it should be ... more »

Israel Discovers Cross-Border Tunnel From Gaza

DANIEL ESTRIN at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Israeli soldiers stand in silence as sirens wailed across Israel for two minutes marking the annual Day of Remembrance for victims of the Holocaust, near the Israel Gaza border, Thursday, May 5, 2016. (AP photo/Tsafrir Abayov)] JERUSALEM (AP) -- The Israeli military discovered a tunnel Thursday stretching from the southern Gaza Strip into Israel, built by Palestinian militants to carry out attacks on Israel, the military said. The military announced the discovery amid a new escalation... more »

Public Housing Execs, Already Making Six Figures, Are Getting HUGE Tax-Funded Bonuses

Mark Tapscott at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Julian Castro - 900] Eighty public housing authority officials are paid more than $200,000 annually and 340 receive more than $150,000 every year, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data. At least 74 of... more »

The spherical look

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
I know the wide-angle camera lens can stretch the image horizontally of anyone caught at either edge of the frame, but even so, it looks as if Jeremy Bowen has been eating as much as he’s been tweeting. Bowen; the rotunda Not quite as flattering as the Twitter image. Anyway, if one looks at Bowen’s Twitter this comment is apt. Four days in J'lem & W. Bank @BowenBBC; lots of photos: Palestinian children; Christian pilgrims; not a single Israeli who's not a soldier — Yiftah Curiel (@yiftahc) 3 May 2016 There is absolutely no hiding Bowen’s biased attitude. The problem that ...more »

No comments:

Post a Comment