11:00 pm MDT
Do Senate Democrats Want to Block Kavanaugh? Feinstein Withholds Damaging #MeToo Document from Fellow Democrats
*Subtract Anthony Kennedy from the image above and add Brett Kavanaugh. Thanks to Senate Democrats, he's as good as confirmed. This is your Supreme Court for the next generation (source; click to enlarge)* *by Gaius Publius* In years to come, when Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, smart as a whip and Koch brothers–ideologue to the core, spearheads destructive 5-4 decision after tragic 5-4 decision, blame Senate Democrats for what the nation will suffer under. Our constitution-as-practiced is about to change radically, starting as soon as October, thanks to Senate Democrats. ... more »
NYT lies about climate – by omitting the past
From Watts Up With That: Guest Blogger / September 12, 2018 By Dr. John Christy, Alabama State Climatologist Meteorological summer (June, July and August) is now over and it’s time to check how the summer temperatures compare with other years. For a research project a few years ago we developed a statewide summer temperature index […]
Scientists find evidence for early planetary shake-up
Originally posted on Tallbloke's Talkshop: NASA mission to Jupiter’strojan asteroids Could evidence from a specific binary asteroid pair upset existing planetary theories? ‘The Jupiter trojans, commonly called Trojan asteroids or just Trojans, are a large group of asteroids that share the planet Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun.’ – Wikipedia. There are over a million…
Florance Not a Climate Fortune Teller
Originally posted on Science Matters: Some rare and timely common sense from David Kreutzer Hurricane Florence Is Not an Omen About Climate Change Excerpts from Daily Signal article in italics with my bolds. In today’s hyper-politicized world of climate science, hardly a thunderstorm passes without somebody invoking the “scientists say” trope to blame it on carbon emissions.…
Scandinavian Heatwave–The Real Facts
Originally posted on NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT: By Paul Homewood ? Back in July, Carbon Brief reported on the “European heatwave” this summer: ? A rapid assessment by scientists of the ongoing heatwave across northern Europe this summer has found that human-caused climate change made it as much as five times more…
Heat Analysis of NOAA Data Suggests the US Is Not Seeing Increased Warming
From Watts Up With That: Guest Blogger / September 13, 2018 Guest essay by Leland Park Given the impending global warming crisis declared by scientists, it should be easy to unambiguously demonstrate the crisis from the instrumental record. Unfortunately, when looking at the high temperature record for the US, it does not show any warming. […]
7 NYPD Cops Arrested Dozens More Investigated For Running Massive Prostitution Ring
[image: NYPD] At least seven NYPD cops have been arrested and dozens more are wanted for questioning after they were busted running a massive prostitution ring. The post 7 NYPD Cops Arrested Dozens More Investigated For Running Massive Prostitution Ring appeared first on The Free Thought Project.
Breitbart leaks Google tape...
* telling us absolutely nothing we didn't already know.* I started to watch the tape, but after hearing the word "values" bandied about in the first 5 minutes, common sense kicked in and said, "Why exactly would you want to waste one hour of your life listening to a bunch of mediocre whiny chicken breasted slobs bloviate about their "values?" I decided to use Google to research the "values" of the left. Guess what I discovered? Commie/marxist/libtard values are all good and conservative (right wing) values are all evil. It's over at *Breitbart and they very nicely provided a list... more »
Recommendations for the Potential U.S.-U.K. Executive Agreement Under the Cloud Act
(Wikimedia/Rennett Stowe) Congress this fall will likely face the first executive agreement negotiated under the new Cloud Act. The U.S. and United Kingdom have been negotiating such an agreement since at least 2016. Recently, the British government introduced a new bill designed to create the legal structure for the U.K. side of the agreement. The Justice Department this summer has met with academic experts, civil-society members, and others who have been involved in issues related to the agreement. As part of the Cross-Border Data Forum’s ongoing work on these issues, this arti... more »
LaRouchePAC Fireside Chat with Gerry Rose, September 13, 2018
LaRouchePAC Fireside Chat with Gerry Rose, September 13, 2018 Video of LaRouchePAC Fireside Chat with Gerry Rose, September 13, 2018 Gerry Rose, fresh from the New York Schiller Institute conference held today, will report on the prospects for a four power agreement, involving, the United States, Russia, China, India and others to reorganize the world’s financial system. Rather than the imperial free trade austerity and resource looting system of today, the agreement must be for the Roosevelt-LaRouche vision of Bretton Woods, a system in which credit is freely available for full s... more »
Calm before the storm
Sitting four hours inland in North Carolina, we are in a holding pattern with Hurricane Florence. She will hit hard and large on the Carolinas coast and may linger over the eastern parts of the two states dumping a lot … Continue reading →
Florida couple who painted their house as a beacon for son with autism wins battle with city
After a year-long battle, Mount Dora residents Nancy Nemhauser and Lubomir Jastrzebski, who painted their entire home to look like Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night have won the right to keep the mural intact. RELATED STORY: If you’re whitewashing autism, you’re part of the problem You see, the Florida couple has an adult son with autism and Van […] The post Florida couple who painted their house as a beacon for son with autism wins battle with city appeared first on Health Nut News.
Why mammograms don’t appear to save lives
The “early” detection that mammograms promise is actually really late. Without mammograms, breast cancer may not be caught for an average of 22.8 years, but even with mammograms, breast cancer may only grow and spread for 21.4 years. RELATED STORY: Women deserve to know the truth about mammograms And so, because “early” detection is actually […] The post Why mammograms don’t appear to save lives appeared first on Health Nut News.
Farmer’s Almanac predicts a “teeth-chattering”, cold, snowy winter
(Editor’s Note: In many parts of the country summer is only technically over. But, winter is coming and according to this article, it’s going to be a cold one.) Many people are huge fans of long, cold, winter months that are filled with snowy days and icy temperatures, while others find such weather to be positively devastating. No […] The post Farmer’s Almanac predicts a “teeth-chattering”, cold, snowy winter appeared first on Health Nut News.
Dissolves pain like an opioid, but is harmless and costs nothing
By definition, a placebo is an inert substance that has no effect on your body. In medical research, placebos (such as sugar pills) are used as controls against which the effects of drugs are measured. However, the placebo-effect, in which a patient believes he or she is getting an actual drug and subsequently improves despite […] The post Dissolves pain like an opioid, but is harmless and costs nothing appeared first on Health Nut News.
Bringing Down a President
[image: undefined] If anyone doubted that the top level of the intelligence agencies in Washington have dedicated themselves to ousting President Donald Trump, the past two weeks should have demonstrated precisely how such a plan of action is being executed. First came the leaked accounts of chaos in the Trump Administration derived from the Bob Woodward book Fear: Trump in the White House. Then a New York Times op-ed entitled “I am part of the resistance inside the Trump administration” written by one Anonymous who claimed to be a senior official in the White House, exploded on th... more »
Scandinavian Heatwave–The Real Facts
By Paul Homewood Back in July, Carbon Brief reported on the “European heatwave” this summer: A rapid assessment by scientists of the ongoing heatwave across northern Europe this summer has found that human-caused climate change made it as much as five times more likely to have occurred. The preliminary analysis, by a team […]
Brunswick Nuclear Power Station’s “Cliff Edge” Barriers Appear To Fall Almost 8 Feet Short Of Required Storm Surge Protection Level
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission NTTF [Near Term Task Force] observed that, “some [nuclear] plants have an overreliance on operator … Continue reading →
This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 13
1961 Gen Qasim ordered airstrikes to put down Mustafa Barzani Kurdish revolt 1980 In 2 days Iraq seized 5 border posts from Iran Tehran didn’t retaliate making Saddam think reports that Iran weak after revolution were true 1987 Iran said it would agree to UN ceasefire if Iraq named as aggressor in war (Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War) (Musings On Iraq review *The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988*) (Musings On Iraq review *Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988*) (Musings On Iraq review *The Iran-Iraq War*) 1997 Iraqi soldier a... more »
Turkey’s Latest Power Grab: A Naval Base In Cyprus?
"If Greek-Turkish tensions escalate, the possibility of another ill-timed military provocation could escalate with them... Moreover, such a conflict might open up an even greater opportunity for Russian interference." — Lawrence A. Franklin. The post Turkey’s Latest Power Grab: A Naval Base In Cyprus? appeared first on The Duran.
“Leaking Like Mad”: FBI-DOJ-MSM Collusion Went Far Deeper Than Previously Known
Fox News notes that the "leaking like mad" reference was texted the same day that several US news outlets reported that Russian President Putin personally approved, Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The post “Leaking Like Mad”: FBI-DOJ-MSM Collusion Went Far Deeper Than Previously Known appeared first on The Duran.
‘Catastrophic’: EU Passes Copyright Directive Including Internet ‘Link Tax’ and ‘Upload Filter’
Some are pointing out that the new copyright push could potentially block or ban memes from being shared on the European internet. The post ‘Catastrophic’: EU Passes Copyright Directive Including Internet ‘Link Tax’ and ‘Upload Filter’ appeared first on The Duran.
THE PLATONIST FILE: Goldstein tries to explain what Godel believed!
*THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018Professor takes Platonist challenge:* Rebecca Goldstein is a ranking philosophy professor. She's also a highly-regarded novelist. For our money, her inclination to tell the human story didn't serve her especially well when she wrote her 2005 general interest book, Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Godel. Goldstein goes into substantial internal detail about the way Godel "fell in love" when he was still a teen—about the "ecstatic transfiguration" produced by his love affair with Platonism. She goes on and on, then on and on, about this "t... more »
San Francisco to Remove 19th Century Statue Some Call Racist
A San Francisco board has voted unanimously to remove a 19th century statue that activists say is racist and demeaning to indigenous people.
Karen Pence Wants to Help Ease Burden for Military Spouses
One example is getting states to accept out-of-state professional licenses instead of making spouses get new licenses every time they have to relocate.
Nixon Hopes for Big Upset in Primary Battle with Cuomo
Democrats across New York state are picking the winner of a long and sometimes nasty primary contest between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and activist and former "Sex and the City" star Cynthia Nixon.
Kavanaugh: I Didn’t Recognize Parkland Dad Seeking Handshake
Brett Kavanaugh's explanation for the encounter with Fred Guttenberg was among a 263-page response to written questions from senators on a range of issues.
Trump Rejects Hurricane Maria Death Toll in Puerto Rico
President Donald Trump is rejecting the widely accepted death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria,
Banned Drugs Found in Your Meat
*Dr. Mercola* - Another important reason to find quality, locally sourced meats.
The U.S. Air Force Plans to Arm F-15s, F-22s and F-35s with the Ultimate Weapon
*Kris Osborn* *Security, * The Air Force and DARPA are now testing new hardware and software configured to enable 4th-Generation aircraft to command drones from the cockpit in the air. *At the moment, multiple humans are often needed to control a single drone, and new algorithms increasing autonomy for drones could greatly change this ratio. Air Force scientists have explained a potential future scenario wherein one human is able to control 10 – or even 100 - drones.* The Air Force and DARPA are now testing new hardware and software configured to enable 4th-Generation aircraft t... more »
Why the Biggest Russian Nuclear Bomb Ever Built Would Have Been Useless in Battle
*Steve Weintz* *Security, Asia* With the Cold War escalating no time was spared. Andrei Sakharov's team at Arzamas-16, the "USSR's Los Alamos," skipped the careful mathematical analysis require for H-bomb design and worked out "Big Ivan" on the fly using approximations. At the time the largest device the Soviets had tested yielded much lower, so to achieve 100 megatons Sakharov's team used clustering and staging. *Setting aside its declared political purpose, the Tu-95N bomber—the USSR's only way of delivering the Tsar Bomb—was not a practical delivery platform: NATO fighters wo... more »
Why Japan's Navy Feared the Battleship USS Washington
*Robert Farley* *Security, * USS Washington and its sister, North Carolina, were the first American battleships built since 1921. *The Japanese poured fire into South Dakota, leading to severe damage and electrical failures. The Japanese lacked radar, however, and didn’t notice the approach of Washington. Washington subjected Kirishima to a withering, point blank barrage of sixteen- and five-inch shells, reducing it to sinking condition in about ten minutes. The rest of the Japanese force retired shortly afterward. Washington suffered no damage* The London Naval Treaty of 1936 w... more »
Notorious jihadist who had been evacuated from Damascus killed in northern Hama
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (3:25 P.M.) – A senior rebel commander who had spent years fighting the Syrian Army near Damascus was killed today in northern Hama countryside. Khalid al-Tinawi, nicknamed Abu Omar al-Dimashqi, was killed when the Syrian Army bombed caves and hidouts for jihadi groups in Lataminah village; killing and injuring scores. Al-Dimashqi was one […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Jihadists crack down on civilians in west Aleppo as airstrikes halted
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (2:50 P.M.) – Militants in west Aleppo launched a wide-scale security campaign; arresting scores of civilians under the pretext of promoting reconciliation with the Syrian government. Gunmen fighting for the recently-formed National Liberation Front stormed several houses in Urum Kubra in west Aleppo countryside; detaining civilians who supposedly call for concluding surrender deals […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Russia, Turkey join efforts to prevent humanitarian disaster in Idlib — defense ministry
Turkey is working with Russia and Iran to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Syria’s Idlib, said Hulusi Akar, Turkish Minister of National Defense, on Thursday. “Any military actions in Idlib will lead to a disaster in a region that is already experiencing difficulties. We’re cooperating with Russia and Iran to prevent a humanitarian disaster,” Anadolu […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Breaking: Syrian Army unleashes big assault across Hama-Idlib axis
BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:10 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) unleashed a big assault across the Idlib-Hama axis this afternoon, following a rather quiet morning in northwest Syria. Led by the Tiger Forces, the Syrian Arab Army began the attack by heavily targeting the Islamist rebels near the Masasneh Checkpoint. According to a military source […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Any military operation in Idlib will be disastrous – Turkish MoD
Any possible military operation in Syria’s Idlib would be disastrous, Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said as quoted by the Anadolu news agency, adding that Turkey was working alongside Russia and Iran to avoid the crisis. While the Syrian authorities have managed to regain control over most of the country’s territories after several years of fighting against terrorists and opposition groups, […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Battle map update of northeast Latakia as Syrian Army prepares to launch offensive
BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:20 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is gearing up for their last offensive in the Latakia Governorate, as they look to seal the Idlib provincial border once and for all. Led by their elite 42nd Brigade of the 4th Armored Division, the Syrian Arab Army is preparing to launch a big […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Saudi-backed forces reportedly cutoff key highway between Sanaa and Hodeidah
BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:00 P.M.) – The Saudi-backed forces announced on Thursday that their troops managed to cutoff the key highway between the cities of Hodeidah and Sanaa. According to the Yemeni Republican Guard’s official media wing, their troops and the Southern Resistance Army captured several points around Hodeidah city, today, forcing the Houthi forces to […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Large Turkish Army convoy enters Idlib province
BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:40 P.M.) – Another large Turkish military convoy has entered the northwestern province of Idlib, today, as the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) offensive approaches. According to Syrian opposition activists via social media, the Turkish military convoy entered the Idlib Governorate from the Hatay Province in order to reinforce their observation posts near the […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
"It’s famous for its 123-metre spire..."
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spire John Constable. Salisbury Cathedral Viewed by Innocent Russian Tourists from the Meadows God bless @BBCSimonMcCoy. Just spray-spat tea. pic.twitter.com/TfwoQWdEi5 — Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) September 13, 2018
(Special Forces) boys and their (flying) toys
The 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment, also known as the Night Stalkers) recently held exercises in New York City, to the consternation of some residents who, after 9/11, aren't comfortable having aircraft fly past their windows at halitosis range. Some of their pilots took advantage of the opportunity to show those near the river what they can do. I doubt very much that was in the operations plan, but I bet they enjoyed it . . . and I'm sure they used the excuse of "But it's an important exercise!" to get away with it. Boys in uniform are still boys at heart. ... more »
STATISTICS ARE DEMOCRATIC. ANECDOTES AND BASELESS SPECULATION ARE REPUBLICAN. (updated)
Yeah, he's really doing this -- he's challenging Puerto Rico's recent declaration that the death toll from Hurricane Maria was 2,975 rather than 64: 3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2018 .....This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfull... more »
Despite repeated warnings...
Did you hear Sir Paul McCartney on this morning's *Today*? His BBC interviewer, Mark Savage, has now written it all up for the BBC News website... ...and his report contains a turn of phrase (from Mark himself) that caught my eye: Is it fair then to say that, despite repeated warnings, BBC reporters keep on expressing themselves in ways which seem to show their personal approval for controversial statements (here about Donald Trump and climate change 'deniers')? That said, the interview itself caught my ear by featuring a particularly fine new Macca song - very catchy (and Be... more »
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. - Paul Krugman offers a reminder that the great global policy failure following the 2008 finance-driven crisis was to bail out bankers alone, while leaving people to fend for themselves in the face of subsequent austerity. And Wayne Swan highlights how the continued race to the bottom when it comes to corporate taxes and regulations represents a threat to both economic justice and democracy. - Patrick Butler notes that new research shows the UK's most severe cuts to social benefits have cruelly targeted toward the people who need help the ... more »
Rio Hosts Tribute Concert to Hip Hop Legend Tupac Shakur on Saturday
By Jack Arnhold, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This Saturday, September 15th, ‘Baile do Ademar’ (Ademar’s Dance) will present ‘2PAC the Tribute’ a night of music dedicated to the late legend of hip hop. The event will be taking place at famous samba venue Terreirão do Samba. The team at Baile do Ademar […]
NOAA Attempting To Rewrite US History
Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. George Orwell “1984” NOAA claims the past summer in the US was fourth hottest on record, and tied with 1934. Summer 2018 ranked 4th hottest on … Continue reading →
Persistence pays off for plagiarized author: emails spur retraction, sanctions against researcher
Here’s an object lesson for scientists who find out they’ve been ripped off by other researchers: Taking matters into your own hands can produce results. An aggrieved author’s doggedness led to the retraction of a 2013 paper that plagiarized his work, along with the revocation of a doctoral degree by one of the scientists … Continue reading Persistence pays off for plagiarized author: emails spur retraction, sanctions against researcher
Havasupai Gathering Opposing Uranium Mining in Grand Canyon, Oct. 4 -- 7, 2018
Join Havasupai and oppose uranium mining in the Grand Canyon. Camping at Red Butte, south of Grand Canyon entrance. Four day agenda.
We’ll “Just Do It,” Says College — We’re Dumping Nike Products
[image: we-ll-just-do-it-says-college-we-re-dumping-nike-products] Nike just did it, taking the plunge into anti-Americanism by making ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick their latest ad campaign’s face. While this caused nationwide outrage among traditionalists, many wouldn’t expect higher education to take the higher road here. But there is an exception: Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia.
Hurricanes Not a Problem for Nuclear Power
Dr, James Conca explains in his Forbes article Hurricane Florence No Problem For Nuclear Power Plants Excerpts in italics with my bolds. Along with most everyone else, nuclear power plants in North and South Carolina, as well as Virginia, have been preparing for the natural onslaught. Hurricane Florence will most likely hit two nuclear power plants […]
New column day
Here, on how the needless use of the notwithstanding clause is just one more of the ways in which Scott Moe's Saskatchewan Party is dangerously similar to Doug Ford's PC government. For further reading... - CBC News reported on the Saskatchewan Party's own use of the notwithstanding clause to avoid a court decision it didn't like - and without waiting for the appeal process to play out first. And as a reminder, Brad Wall also mused about using the notwithstanding clause to suppress labour rights. - Meanwhile, Ford's use of the notwithstanding clause has of course received far more a... more »
Severe Weather Events and America's Vulnerable Nuclear Infrastructure
*Updated September 13, 2018* The possibility of a significant hurricane wreaking havoc on the East Coast of the United States has transfixed the media. While many Americans are preparing to evacuate or protect their personal property, there are fears that one key part of America's energy infrastructure could suffer a massive failure. Currently in the United States, there are 99 active nuclear power plants; 65 of which are pressurized water reactors and 34 of which are boiling water reactors. Almost all of America's nuclear generating capacity is sourced from reactors built betwee... more »
World News Briefs -- September 13, 2018
*Reuters: **North Carolina feels first bite of mammoth Hurricane Florence* WILMINGTON, N.C. (Reuters) - Coastal North Carolina felt the first bite of Hurricane Florence on Thursday as winds began to rise, a prelude to the slow-moving tempest that forecasters warned would cause catastrophic flooding across a wide swath of the U.S. southeast. The center of Florence, no longer classified as a major hurricane but still posing a grave threat to life and property, is expected to hit North Carolina’s southern coast Friday, then drift southwest before moving inland on Saturday, enough ti... more »
Animals are dominating Halifax’s news cycle
News 1. The Whalley trial and Cecil Clarke I’m still wading through Parts 4 through 8 of Mary Campbell’s Whalley trial series, but I skipped ahead to Part 9 (the most recent) to read this: I told you that I was interested in the Whalley trial because I was hoping to get answers to a […]
Argentina: Another Fireball - This Time in Constitución
*Source: Cronica.com.ar and Fundación Argentina de Ovnilogia (FAO)Date: 09.05.2018* *Argentina: Another Fireball - This Time in Constitución* Pedestrians walking past the vicinity of the train station locaed in the Buenos Aires district of Constitución were stunned at the sight of an impressive "fireball" that fell from the sky. One witness submitted the images to *Crónica* and detailed the incredible event. "I was waiting for a bus near the train station this Wednesday at noon. Wehn I looked at the sky, I saw [the object] fall. It was a very strange object. It was ball shaped... more »
UK Defending Al-Qaeda on 9/11 Anniversary! Trump Was Always Right About Leaving Syria
[image: Realities of warfare on the ground in Idlib province, Syria - June 11, 2018 (Qasioun News Agency/Screengrab)] The Schiller Institute remains mobilized against obvious British-led attempts to organize a UK-France-U.S. missile attack against Syria, and against Russian forces there, whether by using a "false flag" chemical attack, or even without the chemical-weapons pretense. The threat of war even between the leading nuclear powers remains grave. The Schiller Institute's representatives and its collaborators were covered in Southwest Asia in recent days exposing the "false fl... more »
Petrov, Bashirov look suspicious to me
A week ago, I mentioned Petrov and Bashirov, two Russian nationals that were named as suspects in the Skripal poisoning case. I was mocking the British accusation but now I must say that the two Russian guys' defense looks even stranger and locally comical to me. Read the transcript of an RT interview (The Telegraph) ------------------------------ 90-second video excerpt from that Margarita Simonyan interview It's really the cathedral that made me laugh. Just to be sure, I do realize that none of the feelings I have may be considered terribly strong evidence. People have different in... more »
Where's Caroline?
That's Bob Hepburn's question in this morning's *Toronto Star*: Mulroney, who was appointed as attorney general in June by Premier Doug Ford, is turning out to be a huge disappointment to progressives within the Conservative party. Indeed, Mulroney, who is viewed as decent, hard-working and compassionate, is virtually missing in action as Ford tramples all over her justice portfolio, stomping on the rights of citizens and thumbing his nose at democratic practice and decency. When The Federal Court ruled against Ford, it did not declare that Ford could not pass his legislation. I... more »
Bureau wins landmark press freedom case at the European Court of Human Rights
Mass surveillance by UK government agencies breaches human rights by failing to protect the confidentiality of journalistic material, rules the court
3 Million Year Old Footprints Suggest Human-Like Walking Evolved Long Before Humans Did
The transition from ape-like shuffling to upright walking (bipedalism) as we do has long fascinated scientists. Why did it happen? When? The second question is a little closer to being solved. An analysis of 3.6 million year old hominin footprints in Tanzania suggests our ancestors evolved the hallmark trait of extended leg, human-like bipedalism substantially earlier than previously thought. Many millions of years before humans. Like the chicken and the egg, there is a clear science answer about which came first even if philosophers are baffled. read more
WATCH: Man Tells Cop He’s Not So Tough Without a Gun, So 6 Cops Beat Him to a Pulp
[image: video] After a man says cops began cursing him out, he challenged their authority and was seen on video getting the beat down of his life for it. The post WATCH: Man Tells Cop He’s Not So Tough Without a Gun, So 6 Cops Beat Him to a Pulp appeared first on The Free Thought Project.
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- September 13, 2018
A Belgian F16 fighter plane demonstrates the interception of an air force transport plane as they fly over Belgium, September 12, 2018 as part of NATO drills. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir *Reuters:* *European NATO jets showcase unified Russian deterrence* ON BOARD A BELGIAN AIR FORCE PLANE (Reuters) - British, French and German fighter jets simulated flight interceptions over Western Europe on Wednesday as part of NATO drills to deter Russian planes from entering allied airspace and to showcase European efforts to integrate their air defenses. Fighter pilots carrying air-to-air missil... more »
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From Jenna Orkin Kavanaugh: Presidents Can Ignore Laws They Think Are Unconstitutional Hurricane Florence could bring 40 inches of rain and 13 feet of floodwater in a 'catastrophic' landfall Sri Lanka is building a $15 billion metropolis to rival cities like Hong Kong and Dubai "This Really Scares Me": Hurricane Florence Turns South; Nuclear Plants To Shut DownIn Sweden, Europe’s Drift To The Right ContinuesNational Solar Observatory Mysteriously Closed As Geomagnetic Storm Looms US Identifies Suspect Behind Mysterious Havana Embassy 'Sonic' Attacks Dramatic Footage From Vostok-2018,... more »
History lesson: Operation Mockingbird - CIA's media control
Jesse Ventura and Brigida Santos discuss Operation Mockingbird and how America’s most powerful news outlets worked with the CIA for 25 years to plant false stories and mislead the public. Documentarian John Barbour talks about the surveillance of journalists. The Church Committee was the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, a U.S. Senate committee chaired by Idaho Senator Frank Church (D-ID) in 1975. The committee investigated abuses by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bure... more »
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*Attempt to Diminish Heroism of Alamo Defenders Is a Shameful War on History* The next generation of Texans may not care to “remember the Alamo” after a recent decision by the Texas State Board of Education. The Battle of the Alamo, which occurred during the Texas Revolution of the 1830s, is one of the most famed military actions in Texas and American history. Just a few hundred Alamo defenders, who hailed from numerous countries and all walks of life, held off a Mexican army, led by Gen. Santa Anna, of nearly 2,000 for hours before being overrun. The brave actions of a few, pat... more »
U.S. Secretary Of State Pompeo: U.S. Supports Saudi Arabia And The UAE's War In Yemen
*NPR:* *U.S. Stands By Saudi Arabia, Despite Criticism Over Civilian Casualties In Yemen* Human rights groups have repeatedly accused a Saudi-led coalition of causing disproportionate civilian deaths in the Yemen conflict because of airstrikes that have hit markets, weddings and even a bus carrying children from summer camp. On Tuesday, the Trump administration signaled that it remains firmly behind the coalition: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified to Congress that "the governments of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are undertaking demonstrable actions to reduce the r... more »
Dalai Lama Says 'Europe Belongs To Europeans'
Dalai Lama. © TT News Agency/AFP *France 24:* *Dalai Lama says 'Europe belongs to Europeans'* The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said Wednesday that "Europe belongs to the Europeans" and that refugees should return to their native countries to rebuild them. Speaking at a conference in Sweden's third-largest city of Malmo, home to a large immigrant population, the Dalai Lama -- who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 -- said Europe was "morally responsible" for helping "a refugee really facing danger against their life". "Receive them, help them, educate them... but ultima... more »
What Is The Real Cost Of Post-9/11 Wars?
*Sputnik:* *‘Credit Card Wars’: Pentagon Grossly Underestimates Cost of Post-9/11 Wars* The Pentagon estimates that the cost of war since the fateful terror attacks on 9/11 rounds out to $1.5 trillion, yet experts maintain that this figure wildly underestimates the true financial burden of perpetual war. "After 16 years, should the taxpayers of America be satisfied we are in a ‘stalemate?' I don't think so," the late Sen. John McCain said in 2017. The Pentagon's $1.5 trillion figure purports to cover the time period from September 11, 2001, until March 31, 2018. While this may seem... more »
Tanzania defends move to withdraw from int'l arbitrations
bilaterals.org - 16 hours ago
13-Sep-2018 Authorities in Tanzania defended their move to amend public-private partnership laws and withdraw from international arbitrations.
RCEP deal can be disastrous for India
bilaterals.org - 16 hours ago
13-Sep-2018 India's FTA experience and existing trade imbalance with RCEP nations show that such a trade pact will hurt Indian producers.
Taiwan wants to sign free trade deal with US: foreign minister
bilaterals.org - 16 hours ago
13-Sep-2018 Foreign Minister Joseph Wu made a recorded video for a conference organized by a Washington-based research institute on Sept. 12.
Plan to upgrade China-ASEAN trade agreement unveiled
bilaterals.org - 16 hours ago
13-Sep-2018 Chinese Vice-Premier announced that China will work with ASEAN to upgrade the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement signed in 2004 and accelerate talks for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
Pakistan seeks rejig of economic corridor, trade pact with China
bilaterals.org - 16 hours ago
13-Sep-2018 Pakistan seeks to renegotiate FTA as well as China Pakistan Economic Corridor deals
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*Government for Hire? Emails Show ‘Climate Industry’ Funds Jobs in Offices of Governors, Attorneys General* California Gov. Jerry Brown is host of a three-day “Global Climate Action Summit” in San Francisco organized by an “activist donor network” that has burrowed into state government agencies, a climate change skeptic says in a new report. Chris Horner, a senior fellow with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, is the author of two reports detailing how a well-endowed “climate industry” steers donor money through nonprofit organizations into the offices of state governors and ... more »
The other side of the story
This morning's *Today *featured the following interview with Annabel Croft. Annabel was so good that I thought I'd transcribe it for you: *Chris Dennis*: Let's speak to Annabel Croft, who was in New York and witnessed the whole incident first-hand. Annabel, good morning to you. *Annabel Croft*: Morning Chris. *Chris Dennis*: How much damage, Annabel, do you think this will do to tennis moving forward? *Annabel Croft:* Well, that's a really good question because, as you've just said, I think at the moment it *has *rather divided the game. It's opened up a huge amount of debate. But, ... more »
Why should we taxpayers support Planned Parenthood?
[image: image] Snopes skids and slips on this one. Claims that Planned Parenthood Votes is not the same as the Planned Parenthood, largest abortion provider in the USA.
Argentina: Facebook User Claims Seeing UFO at El Sosneado
*Source: Diario San Rafael (Argentina) and Fundación Argentina de OvnilogÃaDate: 09.13.2018* *Argentina: Facebook User Claims Seeing UFO at El Sosneado* Social media is a space in which users are able to share any opinion, or share experiences with persons they do not know and are never likely to know. This was the case with Pablo Pierre, who appealed to a Facebook pace to publish two photographs in which a dark horizontal line is shown in the sky. He and his friend believe the artifact appearing in the photo to be a possible unidentified flying object (UFO). The sighting, acco... more »
This Is How the Army Would Wage a War Against Russia or China
*Kris Osborn* *Security, * As part of the cross-domain effort, the Army and Navy are looking at improving ways to connect their respective networks; senior Pentagon leaders often say that “joint effects” in combat can be challenged by a lack of integration between different services’ “tactical ISR, target acquisition and fire control systems.” The US Army is preparing to more fully unveil its fast-moving strategic shift toward “Multi-Domain Operations” in coming weeks as part of a long-term effort to further operationalize joint-warfare techniques and tactics. Senior Army strat... more »
Musical Interlude: Kevin Kern, “Another Realm”
Kevin Kern, “Another Realm” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oSOMLWvHuI
“$21 Trillion 'Lost': Largest Theft in History Buried Under Guise of US National Security”
*“$21 Trillion 'Lost': Largest Theft in History * *Buried Under Guise of US National Security”* by Redacted Tonight "Comedian Lee Camp on his show Redacted Tonight recalls the first-ever audit of the Pentagon, which is taking 2,400 auditors to do the job, trying to understand where *$21 trillion* in unsupported adjustments went. In his show, Camp recalled that a couple of years ago professor Mark Skidmore of Michigan State University heard Catherine Austin Fitts, former Assistant Secretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, say that the Department of Defense Inspect... more »
Attribution For North Carolina Hurricanes
North Carolina has been hit by 56 hurricanes since 1851, including six from 1953 to 1955 – but according to the Washington Post, the next one is President Trump’s fault. http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/All_U.S._Hurricanes.html If Trump cares about Hurricane Florence, his policies don’t … Continue reading →
Brazil Judge Cancels Rio-Maracanã Concession Agreement
By Nelson Belen, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Wednesday, September 12th, Rio Justice Marcello Alvarenga Leite from the Public Treasury Court canceled the 2013 public-private concession agreement between the state of Rio de Janeiro and Consórtio Maracanã, SA, which had granted the consortium the right to operate the famed stadium for 35 […]
Rio Must Improve Security Systems at Six Museums or Face Closure
By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A judge in Rio has given six federally-run museums in Rio de Janeiro thirty days to make improvements in their security system or they will be shut down. The order was issued a week after a massive blaze destroyed thousands of priceless artifacts from […]
The Ruling Class-- Republicans AND Democrats
Today, Andrew Cuomo is expected to win a resounding primary victory in New York. Think about that next time you smear at Republicans who are so enamored of Señor Trumpanzee and who-- with help from the Kremlin-- saddled our country with him. Overall, Cuomo probably isn't as bad as Trump; but when it comes to corruption... the two are in the same category of horrible. On Tuesday, Aida Chavez reported on another aspect of Cuomo-- his manipulation of Republicans and the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- in New York, the IDC-- to control the state's legislative process and kee...more »
"Tell Yourself..."
“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could.” - Louise Erdrich
“Parasitic Derivatives - One Quadrillion Dollars: Too Big to Understand”
*“Parasitic Derivatives - One Quadrillion Dollars: Too Big to Understand”* By David Hague “I recently returned from two weeks of ‘high level’ meetings with a group of Bankers [this is code for two weeks of subsidized debauchery with bankers] in Rome. As I sat at my desk, I was hoping to motivate myself to pursue a more chaste and pure existence. Unfortunately the Polar Vortex experienced by North America drained me of my good intentions. The bone chilling cold once again had me reaching for my trusty bottle of Jack Daniels for warmth and inspiration. My time in Rome had not been com... more »
Lessons from White House disinformation a century ago: 'It's dangerous to believe your own propaganda'
Meghan Menard McCune, Ph.D. candidate, Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 17 hours ago
Forged documents were used by the US government 100 years ago to justify hostile actions against Russia. All but one US newspaper accepted the government's propaganda. The lessons for today are stark.
Procession of the Dead: Shopping Malls and Shit
ChennaiDeccan Herald, London Progressive Journal, Countercurrents, CounterPunch, Global Research Today in Chennai, I witnessed a dead-end journey. A deafening firecracker was set off bya gathering of men at the head of a funeral procession. Stray dogs flinched and onlookers cowered. Shutters were hastily pulled down. The raucous entourage made its way along the street in Triplicane. Cows scattered, dust swirled and the afternoon humidity made for uncomfortable viewing. Cheap alcohol swilled from small glass bottles could not disguise the poverty on show. It was etched in the men’s... more »
Don't be Fooled: The Indian Media's Love Affair with Hillary Clinton
Morning Star 11/5/2012, London Progressive Journal 10/5/2012 and Countercurrents 24/5/2012 Add captionYou always know when a high-ranking US politician is in India. Much of the media turns sycophant. It happened when Obama visited in 2010, and it occurred again as Hillary Clinton recently touched down in Kolkata for a three day visit to India. The media hung on Clinton’s every utterance, looking for the odd phrase that, in their eyes, confirmed India as the great global power. Unsurprisingly, news channels and the press fell over themselves to cover the Clinton visit. According t... more »
Connaught Place New Delhi: A Case of Ever Diminishing Circles
Deccan Herald 1/5/2012 The impressive Georgian heritage buildings around Connaught Place (CP) are something Delhi is rightly proud of. CP was developed as a showpiece by Lutyen in the late 1920s and early 1930s and is at the hub of New Delhi’s business district. These days, it is overlooked by various modern, high-rise office blocks. In theory, CP should be what the Champs Elysees is to Paris - the capital’s jewel in the crown. In reality, it’s not. How many times have I passed through the covered walkways and thought about what CP could be like? Just imagine, no rain stai... more »
Looking in the Mirror, Living in Denial: The Arundhati Roy Effect
London Progressive Journal 16/4/2012, Countercurrents on 9/6/2012 and Current (11-17 June edition) Arundhati Roy’s recent 6,000 word article in India's *Outlook* magazine contained a wide ranging critique of US foreign policy, capitalism, imperialism, globalisation, India’s industrialisation and the nation’s various internal conflicts and numerous other matters. All the things she has become noted for. Predictably, it provoked the kind of personal attacks that Roy has become accustomed to. You either agree with Roy’s overall analysis, or at least parts of it, or you do not, and it... more »
Silent Killing
Deccan Herald, 5/4/2012, London Progressive Journal 3/4/2012 and Meghalaya Guardian and North East Times 9/4/2012 The recent claims about India’s poverty having fallen by around seven per cent provided a stark reminder of the violent times we live in. Whether you believe the dubious new figures, the fact remains that a staggering amount of people still live in devastating poverty in India. We should therefore not underestimate the extent of this violence. It is too often a form of violence that goes unnoticed and is so institutionalised that it is seldom regarded as actually consti... more »
India's Great 'American' Nightmare
London Progressive Journal 27/3/2012, Countercurrents 25/5/2012 and Global Research 14/10/2012 There was recently an article in the *New York Times* by Akash Kapoor that positively salivated over the ‘Americanisation’ of India. And the author was not referring to Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina or any other country on the American continent when he referred to ‘Americanisation’. He was referring solely to the US, which has hijacked the term. Now, there’s arrogance for you. The article in question praised America’s capitalism, exuberance and free spirit and therefore the libe... more »
Billboard Beauty Queens and The Men Who Rule The World
London Progressive Journal 17/3/2012, Countercurrents 14/6/2012 and Global Research 16/9/2012 Trashy beauty queens adorn the billboards, whoring themselves in low cut tops to sell the trash heap materialistic dream. A bit of pout here, a lot of cleavage there and the latest car, jewellery or fashion accessory is sold to the highest bidder with the weakest will. And beneath the billboard, the rush hour traffic winds its way through the evening pollution. What’s your poison – exhaust fumes or low cut, pouty-mouth seduction? The gleaming poster girl smile to go with the gleaming post... more »
In Search of Home
Deccan Herald 4/3/2012 ‘Home sweet home’ or ‘home is where the heart is’. A multi-storey penthouse or a rural cottage? A place by the sea or a mountain retreat? Take your pick because cosy notions of home are almost ten a penny. Home is, ideally, the welcoming nest, a place to relax in and return to the family after a day’s work. It’s a place of familiarity and security. Over the years, however, our perceptions of home have been shaped by various influences. Town planners and urban designers are well aware that spaces become places because of how they are laid out. Similarly, house... more »
Next Stop Iran: Who Will Save Us?
Deccan Herald 18/2/2012 and Countercurrents 6/6/2012 One of the most awe inspiring photographs ever taken was by a machine, not a person. The ‘Pale Blue Dot’ is the name of the photograph.It is an image of the Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager spacecraft, some six billion kilometres away from our planet as the craft was about to leave the Solar System. The Earth appears as a miniscule dot, almost lost in the vastness of space. The ‘Blue Marble’ is another image from space that also shows the Earth. It was taken by the US Apollo 17 spacecraft in 1972. The entire planet is a vivid,... more »
Fuming Brits Find India A Convenient Whipping boy
Deccan Herald 11/2/2012 Last year, British PM David Cameron led one of the largest-ever business delegations to India, comprising six Cabinet ministers and around 60 business leaders. He lobbied heavily in favour of the British built Eurofighter. But, asFrance emerges as the firm frontrunner to supply India with 126 fighter jets, the knives are now out in Britain – for Cameron and for India too. The loss of the defence contract to the French company Dassault, which makes the Rafale fighter, would deny Eurofighter's Typhoon an important export order that could in turn jeopardise th... more »
Wallowing in Consumerism, Passive Citizens Will Make Us Pay
Deccan Herald 3/2/2012 and Countercurrents 1/6/2012 As the debate rumbles on about India opening its doors further to powerful transnational companies, the question to be asked is just what is there to discuss? The neo liberal agenda of the US via the policies of various institutions, such as the World Bank and World Trade Organisation, has generally negatively impacted local economies, democracy and people’s rights, while fuelling inequality and lining the pockets of the rich and a relatively small section of the population. Too ideological a standpoint? Not really, especially if ... more »
Myth and Reality: The Lies of Neo Liberalism
Appeared in Deccan Herald on 21/1/2012 It is often said that there’s a fine line between success and failure. But any evaluation depends on where you draw the line and who is actually doing the drawing. Despite upbeat public statements from the Pentagon about Afghanistan, a recently leaked CIA report says the situation there is stuck in a stalemate. Khalil Nouri, co-founder of the New World Strategies Coalition, says the position is so grim that the US might be having second thoughts about withdrawing. After almost 11 years, the occupation is a failure. US government spokespers... more »
Poison, Eat, Inject: Big Pharma and the Food and Healthcare Scam
Appeared in the Deccan Herald on 11/1/2012, State Times on 19/1/2012 and Countercurrents on 8/6/2012 Walk down the local high street and see the shell of what it once was. Where local grocery stores, banks and quality clothes stores used to comprise the cornerstone of a thriving local community, there now exists a sense of decay and loss. The only people who shop here these days are the low paid, those in receipt of old age pensions and people on welfare. Most of the manufacturing jobs were outsourced abroad because it was ‘good for the country’, but not good for many of the people... more »
Softening Up a Population for War
Appeared in Deccan Herald on 15/12/2011, Morning Star on 12/12/2011 and Countercurrents on 29/5/2012 Many in the UK swore that it would never happen again. A hugely unpopular decision to go to war at the time, Tony Blair is still vilified to this day by large sections of the British public for his decision to support the Bush administration and illegally invade Iraq. Fast forward eight years, and the now British PM David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague are spewing out a similar brand of finger pointing bravado that we once heard from Blair towards Iraq, but this time in... more »
The Battle for the Corporate Control of India
Appeared in Deccan Herald on 1/12/2011, Meghalaya Guardian and North East Times on 2/12/2011, Countercurrents on 4/6/2012 and Morning Star on 7/12/2011 In recent years, India has increasingly conformed to an US-led economic agenda driven by the policies of the World Bank, World Trade Organisation and associated institutions. The likes of Cargill and Monsanto could smell big profits and moved into the agricultural sector with their costly, non-renewable chemical-dependent seeds. Apart from undermining biodiversity and an indigenous agricultural sector, many farmers became trapped i...more »
From Libya to Pakistan: A Tragedy of Epic Proportions
Appeared in Deccan Herald on 29/11/2011 and in Morning Star on 13/12/2011 It’s a familiar scenario. A major political event occurs and the mainstream media opts for simplistic explanations. Take the so-called ‘Arab Spring’, for instance. The overriding narrative is about how Facebook and Twitter has changed that part of the world. The premise is that widespread, spontaneous, grass-root uprisings spread within individual countries and then from one country to another, largely as a result of the use of social media technology. What we were not informed of, however, was the extent to w... more »
Why US Hates Assange
Deccan Herald 16/11/2011, Countercurrents 28/5/2012, Meghalaya Guardian and North East Times 17/11/2011 and Southern Times 4/12/2011 The US craves global dominance. Don’t take my word for it. As defence secretary in the1990s, Dick Cheney said the US wanted to rule the world. WikiLeaks’ cables and the US National Strategy for Counter-terrorism show that some 60,000 US special forces operate in 75 countries across the globe.Factor in the hundreds of US military bases on foreign soil, and you don’t need to refer to an old Dick Cheney quote to get the point. To achieve compliance, mili... more »
The Contemptuous Lathi Charged Cattle Prod of Indian Officialdom
Appeared in Deccan Herald on 8/11/2011, Morning Star on 9/11/2011 and Countercurrents on 30/5/2012 When a rich tycoon was interviewed about India’s inaugural Formula 1 race and asked if the nation’s priorities should lie elsewhere (with alleviating poverty, for example), he said let’s concentrate on what India has, rather than what it hasn’t got. Easy for him to say. With a mouthful of dust and a rock for a pillow, the poor have for too long received little airtime or column inches when compared with the concerns of the middle classes and elites. When the Sensex goes up, we are le... more »
With Gadhafi Gone, the West Acquires Licence to Loot Africa
Appeared in Deccan Herald on 22/10/2011 and London Progressive Journal on 26/10/2011 - a slightly shorter version also appeared in the Morning Star on 24/10/2011 So, Nato got its man. After actively intervening in Libya’s internal affairs, under the lie of ‘protecting civilians’, along with an estimated 30,000 others, Muammar Gadhafi is finally dead. There are conflicting reports about his end, but some suggest the remnants of his entourage fled Sirte in a convoy of armoured vehicles, but were attacked by Nato planes or a US drone. Much of the media has lapped it up. According to m... more »
Bollywood Novacaine and the Dull Pain of Poverty
Appeared in Deccan Herald on 13/10/2011, State Times on 21/10/2011, London Progressive Journal on 4/11/2011 and Countercurrents on 27/5/2012 And so the issue of poverty has reared its inconvenient head once again. The Planning Commission has put the poverty line at 32 rupees a day. Ludicrously low. But playing fast and loose with India’s poverty line has almost become a trendy pastime. The truth is that poverty is an embarrassment. It is an embarrassment to many of India’s rich and to a good number of politicians who like to portray the country as an emerging superpower, with its s... more »
The Great Arms Bazaar
Appeared in Deccan Herald on 22/9/2011 and State Times on 27/9/2011 Buy one, get one free! It's the biggest show on earth, the biggest sales event this side of armageddon. It's the largest arms fair in the world, and it recently took place in London. Countless ways to maim and kill were on show with various sophisticated weaponries designed to pierce, explode and annihilate. The three day event took place in one of the world's richest cities and in what could have been just another exhibition centre exhibiting garden furniture, children's toys, river boats or some other benign consu... more »
Bombed and Bludgeoned into 'Freedom'
Deccan Herald 14/9/2011, Countercurrents 13/6/2012 and Global Research 9/9/2012 The tenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York was a sombre occasion. In front of tearful crowds gathered at the site of the towers, president Barack Obama read from the Bible and George W. Bush read a letter written by Abraham Lincoln as president to a widow who had lost five sons in the Civil War. The letter said that those deaths were “a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.” The crowd heard that the US had overcome slavery and Civil War, bread lines, fascism, recession, ri... more »
Dying to be Different
Appeared in the Deccan Herald on 11/9/2011 Being famous and dying young can be a great career move. It’s highly recommended. But there is an obvious twist. You will not be around to cash in on the benefits. Soon after British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse died in July, her records re-entered the charts and were hits all over again. Jimi Hendrix also went to the top of the charts after his death in 1970, as did John Lennon in 1980. It's been a common theme down the years. But, career strategy apart, why is it that fame too often appears to be a passport to oblivion? Kurt Cobain, V... more »
Till Death Do Them Part - Libya, Nato and the Mainstream Media
Deccan Herald 30/8/2011, Countercurrents 12/6/2012 and Global Research 12/9/2012 There are lies, more lies and then there is the media. Take the BBC, for instance. As Britain’s national state broadcaster, it is duty bound to provide impartial news coverage - after all, it is the ordinary person who funds it. However, the question to be asked is why folk should pay for a ‘service’ that consistently misleads in order to secure compliance for state-corporate policies? The reporting on events in Libya has been disgracefully one-sided by most of the mainstream media in Britain. This c... more »
Libya - Blood, Lies and Oil
Appeared in Deccan Herald on 24/8/2011 After six months of fighting, the Nato-backed rebel forces have finally entered the Libyan capital, Tripoli. During this period, parts of Libya have been devastated by the fighting, and some estimates have put the death toll in the tens of thousands. Reports coming out of Libya claim that over 1,300 have been killed in the 24 hour period following rebel forces entering the capital. Nato’s active involvement in stoking this civil war began under the auspices that a no-fly zone must be implemented in order to prevent a bloodbath in Benghazi, a... more »
Free Trade Agreements: Bypassing Democracy To Institute Plunder
Global Research and Countercurrents 14/10/2013 and Morning Star 17/10/2013 The EU is currently negotiating a far-reaching free trade agreement with the US, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). There are plans to enshrine extra powers for corporations in the deal as a result of a strong and persistent campaign by industry lobby groups and unscrupulous law firms to allow powerful corporations to challenge regulations both at home and abroad if they affect profits. The watchdog organization Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) states that EU member states could fin... more »
Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement: A Corporate Power Grab
Countercurrents and Global Research 4/10/2013 and AC24 5/10/2013 The Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) between the US and EU intends to create the world's largest free trade area, 'protect' investment and remove ‘unnecessary regulatory barriers’. Corporate interests are driving the agenda, with the public having been sidelined. Unaccountable, pro-free-trade bureaucrats from both sides of the Atlantic are facilitating the strategy (1) In addition to the biotech sector and Big Pharma, groups lobbying for the deal have included Toyota, General Motors, IBM and the powerful lo... more »
Globalisation: A Vote In 2014 Will Be A Vote For India?
Global Research and Countercurrents 3/10/2013, Morning Star 19/11/2013, Deccan Herald 29/3/2014 and North India Patrika 2/4/2014 In India, the race for the 2014 national elections is heating up. The country faces many issues and, with 17% of the global population, how it resolves them could have a large bearing on the future direction of humanity, or could even be an inspiration for it. India is where modernity is meeting tradition head on. But it is a specific form of ‘modernity’, one which has been defined by powerful transnational corporations. It goes under the guise of ‘globa... more »
Hanging In The Mist: Mercury Contamination In South India
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Global Research and Countercurrentas 26/9/2013, Morning Star 30/9/2013 and Deccan Herald 15/10/2013 Mountains rise. Fog rolls. The plains below bake. On a plateau at 2,133 metres in the Palani Hills, South India, Kodaikanal nestles in the mist. It’s a place where eucalyptus trees tower and water spills down rocky mountain facades from cascading streams. A place where cypress, acacia and fruit trees stand next to rhododendron, magnolia and dahlia. Kodai is one of India’s many ‘hill stations’ that provide respite from the summer heat below. But this station was set up by American mis... more »
The Future Is Local, The Future Is Organic
Deccan Herald 26/9/2013 and Countercurrents 25/9/2013 and Ki Kisan Awaaz Vol 4, No10, October 2013 The future is local. The future is organic. Well, at least it could be if we base our food production on an increasing body of evidence that indicates the harmful effects of petrochemical, corporate-controlled agriculture. In June, researchers at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand concluded that the GM strategy used in North American staple crop production is limiting yields and increasing pesticide use compared to non-GM farming in Western Europe. Led by Professor Jack Hein... more »
The Global Elite’s Crimes Against Humanity: The Subversion Of Happiness And Truth
Global Research and Countercurrents 19/9/2013 and Kashmir Observer 20/9/2013, CounterPunch 2015, New Age (Dhaka-based newspaper) For thousands of years, people have been writing about happiness. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristippus concluded that happiness lies in the pursuit of external pleasure. Other philosophers, from Antisthenes to Buddha, have stressed that looking inwards and leading an ascetic life based on virtue, simplicity and inner peace is the route to happiness. And then there are others who seem to think that we can only be occasionally happy in what is essentia... more »
Hamster Happiness: A Pile Of Unethical Crap
Deccan Herald 15/9/2013 For thousands of years, people have been writing about happiness. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristippus concluded that happiness lies in the pursuit of external pleasure. He is considered to be the founder of Hedonism. Other philosophers, from Antisthenes to Buddha, have stressed that looking inwards and leading an ascetic life based on virtue, simplicity and inner peace is the route to happiness. And then there are others who seem to think that we can only be occasionally happy in what is essentially a miserable world. The German philosopher Arthur Schop... more »
Obama On Syria: Hitting All The Right Notes For All The Wrong People
Global Research and Countercurrents 7/9/2013 and Northern India Patrika 24/9/2013 Somewhere in Washington, a conversation may have taken place along these lines: How are we going to sell this one to a public that is sick of war and sick of being lied to? The response is given: Don’t worry, we can bank on people’s ignorance, play to their emotions and just keep on lying - about the whole policy of attacking Syria being open to debate, about Assad having used chemical weapons (CWs) and about how this whole conflict resulted from a mass uprising by the Syrian people themselves. The sc... more »
Fooling The Public Over Syria
Photo by Narciso Contreras Countercurrents 28/8/2013 and Global Research 1/9/2013 *"Attempts to bypass the Security Council, once again to create artificial groundless excuses for a military intervention in the region are fraught with new suffering in *Syria* and catastrophic consequences for other countries of the *Middle East* and *North Africa*."* *Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.* Despite the stance expressed by Lukashevich, Russia has been depicted by various prominent Western politicians as an obstacle to ‘humanitarian' military intervention in ... more »
Syria And The Warmongering Peddlers Of Cheap, Skin-Deep Morality
AP Photo/Narciso ContrerasCountercurrents 26/8/2013 And here we go again. In Syria, things were getting desperate for Washington. It needed a major made-for-TV, cross-the-red-line incident involving chemical weapons. Unsurprisingly, by hook or by crook – probably crook (1) – it got it. The BBC, British Foreign Secretary William Hague and a multitude of other media outlets and politicians now clamour, or at least strongly imply the need, for direct military action to bolster the illegal ‘indirect’ military intervention from the West and its allies that has already been taking place ... more »
India's Tryst With Destiny: Independence For Whom And From What?
Countercurrents 26/7/2013, Global Research 30/7/2013, The 4th Media 1/8/2013 and Morning Star 19/8/2013 On 15 August, India will celebrate Independence Day. There will be the usual celebratory flag waving and nationalist sentiments. The mainstream media will wallow in it, and key figures will indulge in the type of self congratulatory back-slapping that is common across the world when celebrating nationhood. But what will people be celebrating? The throwing off of British colonialism, the development of nationhood? Perhaps both of those things, but maybe neither, for what has ‘the ... more »
What Price Our Future: A Bulging Swiss Bank Account?
Global Research and Countercurrents 23/7/2013, CounterPunch May 2015 Drip and drip again. It’s a walk through Triplicane. It’s a walk through the Triplicane and Royapettah areas of Chennai in July. It’s hot here. It’s always hot here. Watch your back. Watch your front. And, by the way, watch your side as well. Those mopeds, those scooters, those autos, those guided missiles from all directions. Around here, you walk in the road. Around here, city planners didn’t plan for much. A rush past half a dozen dimly lit pharmacy shops stacked to the rafters with boxes, bottles and more bo... more »
The Great EU-India Corporate Heist: Uncovering the Free Trade Agenda
Global Research and Countercurrents 10/7/2013 and Deccan Herald 13/7/2013 Help fight the secrecy by donating HERE The current far-reaching free trade talks between the EU and India are being carried out behind closed doors. People and groups are therefore rightly concerned that proper accountability and effective public scrutiny are being sidelined in favour of a business-led agenda (1) Demands for transparency were however dealt a blow by a recent ruling. It was discovered a while back that the European Commission (EC) withheld information about the EU-India talks from the public,... more »
Propaganda And Puppets: The GM Sector And The Battle For The Future Of Humanity
Global Research and Countercurrents 9/7/2013 Last year, the then British Agriculture Minister Jim Paice told the Cereals 2012 conference that the public is softening its views towards GM crops (1). He said more work needed to be done to communicate the ‘full facts’ about GM crops. He stated: “GM is not the panacea and it isn’t going to produce all the food on its own, but it has a role to play as long as it is applied safely and all the tests on its application are properly carried out… But yes… I do believe that the famous tanker is beginning to turn.” Reality check for Jim Paice: ... more »
From Boardroom to Field: Manufacturing the Global Food and Agriculture Crisis
Countercurrents and Global Research 6/7/2013 and The 4th Media and The Market Oracle 7/7/2013, Counterpunch 2015 In 2012, Professsor Seralini of the University of Caen in France led a team that carried out research into the health impacts on rats fed GMOs (genetically modified organisms) (1). The two-year long study concluded that rats fed GMOs experienced serious health problems compared to those fed non GM food. Now comes a new major peer-reviewed study that has appeared in another respected journal. This study throws into question the claim often forwarded by the biotech sector ... more »
Info Wars: Paranoia, Surveillance and an Empire in Decline
Global Research and Countercurrents 1/7/2013 Back in 1992, the academic Francis Fukuyama mistakenly informed the world that, with the apparent triumph of western capitalism and the downfall of the USSR, we had arrived at the end of history, the end of ideology. Fast forward a couple of decades and in 2011 Hilary Clinton announced the US was at war. She wasn’t talking about the US’s ongoing illegal invasions, occupations and mass slaughters, as if that wasn’t enough, but an ideological war for the hearts and minds of the global community. While the likes of Voice of America were agg... more »
Big Cat Plunder
Deccan Herald 30/6/2013 “Save the planet!” We hear this all the time. This statement has almost become a meaningless sound-bite. But the underlying message it attempts to convey is neither meaningless nor banal. ‘Saving the planet’ implies that we must act to save ourselves as a species and all other living creatures from our actions by living in harmony with the natural environment that has till now sustained us for tens of thousands of years. We appear to be hell-bent on doing the opposite though. And in the process, we are driving many species to the point of extinction, none mor... more »
The Surveillance State: Let US Hold IT To Account
The 4th Media, Countercurrents and Global Research 28/6/2013 “If you are a law-abiding citizen of this country, going about your business and your personal life, you have nothing to fear.” British Foreign Secretary William Hague, responding to the revelations of mass surveillance in the US and the UK (BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show on 9 June). What does William Hague take the British public for? This bureaucrat politician stands in front of the cameras time and again setting out to mislead with his self righteous platitudes. He did it over Libya and tens of thousands lost their lives.... more »
Full Spectrum Dominance: Weaponising The Weather
Countercurrents 26/6/2013 The US military is striving to achieve what it calls ‘full spectrum dominance’ of the planet by controlling the weather. But it is not just the US that is involved in climate modification, China and Russia are too. Thanks to people like researcher Dane Wigington, however, we are getting to know a good deal about the massive US programme and how the very essentials needed to sustain life on Earth are being recklessly destroyed. Geo-engineering is not a topic that will begin to affect us in several years, but is already causing massive animal and plant die o... more »
The Surveillance State: In Britain, Everything Is Not Okay!
Global Research and Countercurrents 22/6/2013, The Market Oracle 23/6/2013 and Deccan Herald 27/6/2013 “The innocent have everything to fear, mostly from the guilty, but in the longer term even more from those who say things like ‘The innocent have nothing to fear.’" Terry Pratchett (British author), in Snuff (Doubleday, 2011). For many people, personal privacy *vs* widespread surveillance has been a major issue for decades. However, some thought mass spying on us has been happening but chose to downplay it. Others didn’t want to know and just didn’t care. Edward Snowden’s recent ... more »
US-EU Free Trade Agreement: A Corporate Stitch Up By Any Other Name
Countercurrents 20/6/2013, Global Research 22/6/2013, The 4th Media 24/6/2013 and the Weekly Mirror (Nepal) 28/6/2013 The Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) between the US and EU is currently being negotiated. The deal plans to create the world's largest free trade area, 'protect' investment and remove ‘unnecessary regulatory barriers’. All well and good for big business, but the treaty poses a serious threat for ordinary people as it could weaken labour, social, environmental and consumer protection standards. Given the issues at stake, just how much transparency and democ... more »
Are You Roundup Ready? Spray, Poison, Eat: Glyphosate In Our Food
Countercurrents 14/6/2013, Global Research and GreenMedInfo16/6/2013, Pravda 20/6/2013 and Ki Kisan Awaaz, vol.4, no.7, July 2013 Historians may look back and write about how willing we are to sacrifice our children and jeopardize future generations with a massive experiment that is based on false promises and flawed science just to benefit the bottom line of a commercial enterprise. So said Don Huber in referring to the use of glyphosate and genetically modified crops. Huber was speaking at Organic Connections conference in Regina, Canada, late 2012. Huber is an emeritus professor ... more »
Don’t Worry About Surveillance: In Britain, Everything’s Okay!
*Global Research and Countercurrents 12/6/2013 and The 4th Media 21/6/2013* *In the name of ‘humanitarian intervention’, a ‘war on terror’, fighting for ‘democratic freedoms’ or whatever the script happens to be this week, British Foreign Secretary William Hague can be relied on to sell US-British militarism to a public fed up with constant wars and (increasingly less) ignorant of their underlying reasons (1). * In Syria, Hague has worked to try to replace Assad with a regime that could be controlled by the US and Israel. He has also campaigned for the EU to lift its arms embarg... more »
The EU-India FTA: Access All Areas, But Only For Corporate Plunder
Photo by Claude RenaultGlobal Research and Countercurrents 7/6/2013, The 4th Media 8/6/2013, Deccan Herald 12/6/2013 and State Times 18/6/2013 The EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is something that could fundamentally restructure Indian society and impact the lives of hundreds of millions of Indians. It is being negotiated ‘on the behalf of the public’ in secret by politicians and bureaucrats on both sides. Negotiations began in 2007, covering a wide range of areas, including various goods, products and services, as well as investment rules, government procurement; and intellec... more »
The Alternative To Cockroaches: Countering Imperialism
Global Research and Countercurrents 6/6/2013 and The 4th Media 7/6/2013 Many of us have a vision, an alternative vision to the tyranny of those who control the world. But we are ridiculed, dismissed, put on trial (Manning), confined to a small embassy in London for months on end (Assange), called unrealistic or subversive and told to 'get real'. Are we destined to be the 'I told you so bunch'? The current wholly corrupt system is edging humanity towards the precipice of oblivion. When that happens, we (if we are still alive - if anything is still alive, apart from cockroaches) wil... more »
Not Science, Just Lies And Propaganda: The Massive Fraud Behind GMOs Exposed
Counterpunch, RINF, Global Research, Countercurrents, The 4th Media, Morning Star This is not what the GMO industry wanted to see: banner headlines in major newspapers and across the internet exposing the fraud behind GMOs. But this constitutes much more than a PR nightmare. The story behind the headlines shakes the very foundations upon which the industry is built. ‘Altered Genes, Twisted Truth’ is a new book by the US public interest lawyer Steve Druker. The book is the result of more than 15 years of intensive research and investigation by Druker, who initiated a lawsuit agains... more »
Fast Food Nations: Selling Out To Junk Food, Illness Ad Food Insecurity
The 4th Media, Global Research, RINF and Countercurrents, CounterPunch Western agribusiness, food processing companies and retail concerns are gaining wider entry into India and through various strategic trade deals are looking to gain a more significant footprint within the country. The Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture (KIA) and the ongoing India-EU free trade agreement talks have raised serious concerns about the stranglehold that transnational corporations could have on the agriculture and food sectors, including the subsequent impact on the livelihoods of hundreds of million... more »
Handing The Thieves The Key To Your Home: Stop The TTIP
RINF, Global Research, Countercurrents Some 375 civil society organisations from across Europe have today called on EU decision-makers to protect citizens, workers, and the environment from threats the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) it poses. The call comes as European Parliament committees are discussing a draft resolution on the TTIP negotiations to be voted upon in May. It will not be legally binding on negotiators but will be a significant political signal, as any final TTIP deal would have to pass a vote in the European Parliament. In an open letter sen... more »
GMOs And Green Blob Hallucinations: The Twisted World Of Mr Paterson
RINF, Global Research, Countercurrents, The Nation (Sri Lanka, on 8/3/2015) Speaking last week in Pretoria, former UK Environment Minister Owen Paterson described critics of GMOs as comprising part of a privileged class that increasingly fetishizes food and seeks to turn their personal preferences into policy proscriptions for the rest of us. He called them backward-looking and regressive. He claimed their policies would condemn billions to hunger, poverty and underdevelopment because of their insistence on mandating primitive, inefficient farming techniques. He called them: “… th... more »
So You Want To Help Africa Mr Paterson? Then Stop Promoting Ideology And Falsehoods To Push GMOs
Countercurrents and RINF 23/2/2015, Global Research and The 4th Media 24/2/2015, Il Cambiamento 25/2/2015, London Progressive Journal 21/3/2015 According to Mathew Holehouse in the UK’s Telegraph newspaper (here), former UK Environment Minister Owen Paterson will this week accuse the European Union and Greenpeace of condemning people in the developing world to death by refusing to accept genetically modified crops. Speaking in Pretoria, South Africa, on Tuesday, Paterson will warn that a food revolution that could save Africa from hunger is being held back and that the world is on ...more »
Corporate Power Grab: The Wild Claims And PR Spin Of The Pro-GMO Lobby
RINF 21/2/2015, Countercurrents 22/2/2015, Global Research 23/2/2015 A recent report by US Right to Know (‘Seedy Business: What Big Food is Hiding with Its Slick PR Campaign on GMOs’, see here) outlines how agrichemical firms have spent more than $100 million since 2012 on political and PR campaigns to shift the media narrative on GMOs. The non-profit food research group is now calling on media to accurately report that the science on GMOs is contradictory and has been largely controlled by corporations that profit from GMO seeds and the pesticides that go with them. Stacy Malkan, ... more »
Demonizing Scientists And Opponents Of GMOs: The Cheap Propaganda Of The Pro-GMO Lobby
RINF, Countercurrents 17/2/2015, Global Research, The 4th Media 19/2/2015 The pro-GMO lobby always demands that its opponents produce scientific evidence to back up their claims. Parts of this lobby smear and attack people like Vandana Shiva, Professor G.E. Seralini and others for supposedly being incompetent, ‘liars’ or ideological/politically motivated (for example, read this piece on Shiva that calls her a liar, especially the part on farmer suicides - then see the evidence that Shiva provides to back up her claims here). In its view, anti-GMO campaigners or certain scientists ... more »
Why Do People Doubt Science? Monsanto Wants To Know
RINF, The 4th Media, Countercurrents 12/2/2015, Global Research 13/2/2015, Counterpunch 27/2/2015 On Twitter this week, someone asked the question “Why do people doubt science?” Accompanying the tweet was a link to an article in National Geographic that implied people who are suspicious of vaccines, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), climate change, fluoridated water and various other phenomena are confused, adhere to conspiracy theories, are motivated by ideology or are misinformed as a result of access to the ‘University of Google.’ The remedy, according what is said in the a... more »
Monsanto's Shares Surge As Its Drive To Force GM Crops Into India Gathers Pace
RINF and Countercurrents 4/2/2015, The 4th Media and Global Research 5/2/2015, Morning Star 10/2/2015, Counterpunch 27/3/2015 It was a case of Modi mania when Narendra Modi and his BJP ‘swept’ to power in last year’s Indian general election. It was however hardly the sweeping endorsement from the voters that much of the corporate media liked to portray it as. The BJP might have took 282 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, but it ‘swept’ to power on only 31 percent of the vote. Parts of corporate India and the well-off middle classes nevertheless celebrated Modi’s rise to Prime Minis... more »
Slow Death, Fast Profits: Pesticides And Chemical Conflicts In Europe
RINF 2/2/2015, Countercurrents 3/2/2015, Global Research 4/2/2015, OffGuardian 23/8/2016 A report released last year by the watchdog body Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) revealed huge conflicts of interests in the Scientific Committees under DG SANCO, the European Commission's department in charge of consumer issues (see here 'Chemical Conflicts'). These Committees assess the risk to humans and the environment of chemicals found in a huge range of everyday items, from shampoo to baby bottles. Their opinions guide European Commission regulators, who decide which chemicals are s... more »
There Is No Scientific Consensus On GMO Safety
Countercurrents and RINF 29/1/2015, Global Research 30/1/2015, Il Cambiamento 9/2/2015 In an attempt to try and justify the case for genetically modified organisms (GMOs), supporters of GM technology often churn out the baseless claim that there is a consensus within the ‘scientific community’ over the human, animal and environmental safety aspects of GMOs. A statement signed by over 300 scientists and legal experts to the effect that there is “No consensus” on the safety of genetically modified (GM) crops and foods has now been published in a peer-reviewed open access journal, Env... more »
‘Regulatory Cooperation’ And The TTIP: Opening The Floodgates Even Further For Corporate Plunder
RINF 28/1/2015, Global Research 29/1/2015, Countercurrents 30/1/2015 A new leak concerning the talks around the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) indicates that the floodgates could be opened even further for corporate influence. The leak has been analysed by the corporate watchdogs CEO and LobbyControl and shows that* corporate influence on EU and US policies might dramatically increase via the chapter on so-called ‘regulatory cooperation’.* The leak of the EU draft negotiating proposal dated January 23rd makes unmistakably clear that the EU is seeking a very a... more »
GMO Biotech Companies And Compliant Politicians: Infiltrating India Using Baseless Claims And Deception
RINF 24/1/2015, Global Research 25/1/2015, Countercurrent 26/1/2015, The 4th Media 27/1/2015 A study of GMOs over a four-year plus period by India’s multi-party Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture recommended a ban on GM food crops, stating they had no role in a country of small farmers. The Supreme Court appointed Technical Expert Committee recommended an indefinite moratorium on the field trials of GM crops until the government devised a proper regulatory and safety mechanism. As yet, no such mechanism exists, but open field trials are being given the go ahead. GMO c... more »
'Uncaged Corporate Parrots' And The False GMO Narrative
RINF 15/1/2015, Global Research 16/1/2015, The 4th Media 17/1/2015, Countercurrents 18/1/2015 British Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss has stated that genetically modified (GM) food should be grown in Britain because it is more ‘eco-friendly’. She adds that steps should be taken to speed up this development. Her statements come as little surprise to many because Truss's predecessor, Owen Paterson, was also a staunch supporter of GM technology. He was so staunch in his support that fellow Conservative Party MP Zak Goldsmith stated Paterson was little more than an industry puppe... more »
The Government's Drive to Force GMOs into Britain Against the Will of the People Continues
RINF 6/1/2015, Global Research and Countercurrents 7/1/2015 The UK government and its associated bureaucracy is colluding with powerful global agritech corporations to get genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into Britain (see here). Politicians and officials whose views of GMOs are based on ignorance or whose statements are distorted as a result of their conflicts of interest have been spearheading this campaign (see hereand here). Government departments, academics and industry lobby and media bodies are working to push a pro-GM agenda and weaken regulations regarding GMOs and ... more »
The Future Is Local, The Future Is Not Monsanto
Countercurrents, RINF, Global Research, The 4th Media, CounterPunch The US as a nation consumes more than anyone else, virtually at the expense of everyone else. The petrodollar system has ensured that imports into the US have been cheap and readily available. Post 1945, Washington has been able to take full advantage of the labour and the material resources of poor countries. Consider that ‘developing’ nations account for more than 80 percent of world population but consume only about a third of the world’s energy. Also bear in mind that US citizens constitute 5 percent of the wor... more »
GMOs And The Seeds Of Profit, Power And Geopolitics
4th Media, Global Research RINF 15/12/2014, Countercurrents 16/12/2014, London Progressive Journal 22/12/2014, Counterpunch 13/3/2015. This article also appears in Bengali in the book Understanding Environmental Challenges in Contemporary Bangladesh (Concern Universal, 2015) Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not essential for feeding the world [1,2], but if they were to lead to increased productivity, did not harm the environment and did not negatively impact biodiversity and human health, would we be wise to embrace them anyhow? The fact is that GMO technology would still... more »
The Pro-GMO Lobby: Anti-Science And A Politically Motivated Agenda
RINF 5/12/2014, Global Research and Countercurrents 6/12/2014 The pro-GMO lobby claims that there is a scientific consensus on the safety of GM food and therefore the GMO debate is over. It claims that GMOs guarantee higher yields and less pesticide/herbicide use. The claim is also made that GM agriculture has no adverse impact on soil, the nutritional value and health of crops or biodiversity. The industry and its supporters claim that the ‘scientific community’ believes GMOs can only have positive effects and point to research to back this up. These claims are bogus. Many analyse... more »
“Motivated by greed with a complete disregard for food safety and biodiversity.” Why Food Sovereignty Should Not Be Handed To GMO Biotech Corporations
RINF and Countercurrents 2/12/2014, Global Research 3/12/2014, Morning Star 5/12/2014 After a four*-*year legislative battle, the European parliament has granted member states the ability to decide for themselves whether or not they want to allow crops of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on their soil. Writing in The Parliament Magazine, Member of the European Parliament Marc Tarabella notes that the wishes of several pro-GMO lobbies, led by several multinationals and Britain, did not prevail [1]. A legal basis was obtained for allowing member states to ban the implementation... more »
Menace On The Menu: Development And The Globalization Of Servitude
RINF, Countercurrents 25/11/2014, The 4th Media, Global Research 27/11/2014, London Progressive Journal 17/12/2014, Counterpunch 7/4/2015 In his book ‘The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective’, economist Angus Maddison noted that Indiawas the richest country in the world and had controlled a third of global wealth until the 17th century [1]. Political unity and military security helped evolve a uniform economic system, increased trade and enhanced agriculture productivity. Indiawas an exporter of spices, food grains, handicrafts, handloom products, wootz steel, musk, camphor, sa... more »
Washington's Gamble: Russian Roulette, The Pale Blue Dot And All Out War
RINF 20/11/2014 (This is an updated and extended version of an article that was originally published in early September) The ‘Pale Blue Dot’ is the name of the photograph of the Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager spacecraft, some six billion kilometres away from our planet as the craft was about to leave the Solar System. The Earth appears as a miniscule dot, almost lost in the vastness of space [1]. The late astrophysicist Carl Sagan commented on it by saying that from out there in space, there is no inkling, no clue whatsoever, that there is life here; there is no hint of humank... more »
CETA AND TTIP: Don't Let Them Get Away With It
RINF, Countercurrents, Global Research 20/11/2014 and The 4th Media 24/11/2014 As part of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), there are plans to enshrine massive powers for corporations that will allow them to challenge regulations both at home and abroad if they affect profits. EU member states could find domestic laws quite useless as they become challenged in secretive, offshore tribunals where national laws have no weight and politicians no powers to intervene [1]. It would enable US companies investing in Europe to bypass European courts and challenge E... more »
Food Security A Hostage To Wall Street And US Global Hegemony
RINF 17/11/2014, CounterPunch 26/6/2015 (This is an extended version of a piece that initially appeared in various other publications during October 2014) Last month, World Food Day celebrated ‘Family Farming: Feeding the world, caring for the earth’. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s website: “The 2014 World Food Day theme – Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth” – has been chosen to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farmers. It focuses world attention on the significant role of family farming in eradicating hunger and p... more »
Contaminating The Nation’s Food: GM Food On The Shelves Of UK Supermarkets
Global research, Countercurrents, RINF 11/11/2014, Il Cambiamento 13/11/2013, Morning Star 15/11/2014 From the USto India, the GMO biotech industry appears to have a ‘contaminate first then push for regulatory authorisation later’ policy. The contamination of our food seems to be a deliberate strategy of the industry [1]. In the UK, there is a multi-pronged approach to try to get GM food onto the nation’s plates. The majority of the British public who express a view on GM food do not want it [2]. However, we are experiencing a consistent drive to distort the debate over the GM iss... more »
The Criminality Of The GMO Biotech Industry: Poison First, Regulate Later
Global Research and Countercurrents 14/11/2014, The Nation (Sri Lanka) 16/11/2014 The GM Contamination Register database has been run by Genewatch and Greenpeace for about ten years and contains cases dating from 1997 to the end of 2013 [1]. The authors of a new paper, published in the International Journal of Food Contamination, analysed the 400 or so cases in the database by crop and country [2]. GM rice accounts for about a third of contamination cases, despite the fact there is officially no GM rice grown anywhere in the world. The authors suggest this high level might be rela... more »
"All Is Not Lost..."
"If you can't answer a man's arguments, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names." - Elbert Hubbard
Free Download: Theodor Rosyfelt, “The Foolish Almanak For Anuthur Year, 1906"
*Click image for larger size.* “It is said that nothing is impossible; but there are lots of people doing nothing every day.” "The Foolish almanak for anuthur year; the furst cinc the introdukshun ov the muk-rake in magazeen gardning, and the speling reform ov owr langwij by Theodor Rosyfelt" - “The Foolish Almanak For Anuthur Year, 1906" *Download the complete and fascinating * *“The Foolish Almanak For Anuthur Year, 1906” here:* - https://archive.org/details/foolishalmanakfo00bostiala Fascinating, the spelling and sentence structure look remarkably similar to that of today's coll... more »
Does Marijuana Harm Your Heart?
We get plenty of emails regarding marijuana…is it heart healthy? As more states legalize marijuana for recreational and medicinal uses, it appears here to stay. So, let’s talk about options for using and possible medicinal uses. Like anything, speak with your holistic doctor prior to acting on any information in this post. Over half the […] The post Does Marijuana Harm Your Heart? appeared first on The Drs. Wolfson.
Heh
Received via e-mail, origin unknown (clickit to biggit): Peter
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
I read *Swann’s Way*, the first volume of Marcel Proust’s seven volume novel* Remembrances of Things Past*, about five years ago. Then I could not make an investment of time and attention that is required for reading the entire set of seven volumes (which consists of about 3000 pages). Now I am seriously thinking of finishing the six volumes that I couldn’t read earlier. The title of Proust’s novel is inspired by the Shakespearean sonnet: “When to the sessions of sweet silent thought; I summon up remembrance of things past.” Proust loved music, and the first chapter of *Swann’s Way... more »
Russia: White Helmets Using Orphans to Fake Chemical Attack Video
RT America Published on Sep 12, 2018As tensions increase in Idlib, Russia is now accusing the White Helmets of using orphans to film videos simulating a chemical attack to be blamed on the Syrian government. For analysis, RT America’s Scottie Nell Hughes is joined by former US diplomat Jim Jatras. end
More than 85 per cent of British Jews think Jeremy Corbyn is antisemitic
This report in the JC https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/more-than-85-per-cent-of-british-jews-think-jeremy-corbyn-is-antisemitic should be headline news on the BBC, but they won't mention it at all. 'More than 85 per cent of British Jews think Jeremy Corbyn is antisemitic, according to polling carried out for the JC. A similar percentage believe there are significant levels of antisemitism at all levels of the Labour Party. The survey, undertaken by polling company Survation between August 12 and September 4, shows that 85.9 per cent of British Jews regard the Labour leader as ant... more »
Creating confusion in Syria is a step towards ‘regime change’ in US
The so-called Resistance is going all out – Ã outrance – both to discredit Trump politically before the mid-term elections, and to discredit, and to demonise Russia (with the UK - as usual - doing its supporting act by indicting two Russians in the Skripal case). The post Creating confusion in Syria is a step towards ‘regime change’ in US appeared first on The Duran.
‘Moscow should accept Donbass,’ says Russia’s communist party
Communist Party leader offers Donbass solution that seems sensible until one examines the actual details of the present situation. The post ‘Moscow should accept Donbass,’ says Russia’s communist party appeared first on The Duran.
Report: Warsaw Ghetto Vandal Quits Labour Momentum Speaking Event
The Labour Party haven't had the cojones to disinvite the Warsaw Ghetto Vandal, they had to rely on her pulling out. Breitbart https://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2018/09/13/report-warsaw-ghetto-vandal-quits-labour-momentum-speaking-event/ reports: 'Anti-Israel activist Ewa Jasiewicz, who once desecrated the Warsaw ghetto and called for the death of Israeli politicians, has withdrawn from a panel event run by Momentum at a Labour Party conference in Liverpool. Jewish News reports Jasiewicz will no longer appear at the hard-left forum after it was revealed she was also praised by L... more »
Hurricane Florence Latest
By Paul Homewood Latest information from hurricane hunter aircraft is that sustained wind speeds are now down to 110 mph, Cat 2, following disruption of the inner core by upper level wind shear. Florence is expected to make landfall in S Carolina on Friday morning as a Cat 2: Advertisements
The HPV Vaccine On Trial: Seeking Justice for a Generation Betrayed
“This book reveals the tragedy of the HPV vaccine scandal.” —Dr. Luc Montagnier, Nobel Prize Winner for Discovery of HIV The HPV Vaccine on Trial: Seeking Justice for a Generation Betrayed paints a devastating picture of corporate and government conflicts...
Armenia is sending 100 soldiers to Syria as part of humanitarian mission
BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:30 P.M.) – The Armenian Army is sending approximately 100 soldiers to Syria as part of a humanitarian mission, Armenian Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan stated on Wednesday, as quoted by Panarmenian. “These are the humanitarian experts of the Armenian Armed Forces, including doctors, sappers, as well as personnel who will ensure their […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Syrian Army hits southeast Idlib hard as offensive approaches (video)
BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:20 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their missile and artillery strikes on the southeastern countryside of Idlib this week after taking a short hiatus to observe a silent ceasefire. Led by their Tiger Forces, the Syrian Arab Army heavily targeted the fortifications of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham near the Abu Dhuhour […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Haley threatens Russia, Syria, Iran over alleged chemical weapons threat
BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:30 A.M.) – In a video interview with Fox News on Wednesday, the U.S. Ambassador to the Unied Nations, Nikki Haley, issued a stern warning to the governments of Russia, Syria, and Iran about using chemical weapons. Haley told Fox News that the U.S. has repeatedly warned these three nations about using chemical […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
YPG wrecks havoc on Turkish-backed rebels in Afrin
BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:00 A.M.) – The Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units continued their operations against the Turkish-backed rebels in the Afrin region this week. According to the official media wing of the YPG, their troops killed two Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters inside the city-center of Afrin this past weekend. “On September 9th, YPG carried a […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Syrian Army advances 3.5km deep into ISIS-held territory
BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:15 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army has been steadily advancing inside the Al-Safa region of the Sweida Governorate this month, liberating several areas from the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). Led by their 3rd and 10th divisions, the Syrian Arab Army has taken advantage of the Islamic State’s lack of provisions to liberate […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
White Helmets carry out strictly humanitarian missions in Syria – Pentagon
The United States maintains that the non-governmental organization White Helmets continues to save many lives in Syria, a US Department of Defense official told Sputnik. “The White Helmets are a humanitarian organization that has saved thousands of lives and continues to respond to bombardments by Russian and [Syrian] regime military forces,” the official said on Wednesday. The United States and […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Houthi forces carry out devastating attack in southern Saudi Arabia (video)
BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:30 A.M.) – The Houthi forces carried out a devastating attack in southern Saudi Arabia this week that caused several casualties inside the ranks of the Saudi Army. According to the official media wing of the Houthi forces, their rocket battalion fired an anti-tank guided missile towards a Saudi military pick-up truck that […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
Putin arrives at Vostok-2018 military exercises (video)
BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:15 A.M.) – Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at Russia’s largest-ever military exercises, the Vostok-2018, taking place in the Trans-Baikal Region on Thursday. The drills are being held from 11 to 17 September, in the Far East of Russia. Around 300,000 troops, 1,000 aircraft, 36,000 armoured vehicles and 80 vessels are to take part […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source
St Paisios prediction throws up shield of legal protection around Greek people as the man identified by him as the Anti Christ seems to readying for purges and epidemics. My case can also be used to convict Alexis Tsipras of attempted murder, and eventually murder with 99% likelihood in one to three weeks
Read and download the case against the Anti Christ caught pushing the depopulation of the globe below in Greek My case can also be especially used if Tsipras and his helpers murder me either through a terrorist hit man or through a political execution at a show trial on October 5th St Paisios’ prediction […]
Austrian prosecutor made night time phone call to bounce uninformed official on duty to rubber stamp illegal raid of Globalist resistance, trademark of Soviet and Nazi terror is ignoring due process
The prosecutor who ordered an illegal search of Austrian anti terrorism body resisting the eugenicist Globalist agenda gave the order by telephone and during the night to the judge on duty who had no knowledge of the case of evidence, it has emerged. The prosecutor, who is now under investigation, also did not inform superiors of the plan […]
Tsipras’ mentor could have been assigned the role of coordinater of a purge
Alekos Flambouraris, Alexis Tsipras’ mentor, serves as the Minister of State for Coordinating Government Operations and is set to play a key role in any purge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alekos_Flambouraris Although accused of corruption, Flambouraris is so important to the Tsipras operation that his house in Exarchia, beside the parliament, is guarded by 80 police. http://thegreekobserver.com/greece/article/16305/state-minister-flambouraris-residence-attacked/ http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/alexis-tsipras-vertrauter-kaempft-mit-korruptionsskandal-13807958.html Flambourari... more »
Rio Nightlife Guide for Thursday, September 13, 2018
We have the top three picks for this Thursday, and below there is a list of bars and lounges that are always a good option. PARTY: BomBástic Hits @ Pub Kriok (Lapa) – Three floors and two dancefloors with all the hits from Brazilian funk and international pop. Featuring DJ Slim, DJ Gabriel Velmont, and […]
MODEST MUSSORGSKY, RUSSIAN SINGING DESPITE WAR AND HUMBUG
By John Helmer, Moscow Falling for a honey trap of their own imagining is what over-educated fools do. There is nothing new about the present American belief in the malevolent power of Russia to have penetrated the American mind; that’s to say, American bedrooms, smartphones, chat networks, voting machines, power grids, and most intimate of […]
America Has Tested 1,032 Nuclear Weapons On U.S. Soil
*Kyle Mizokami, National Interest:* *America Has Dropped 1,032 Nuclear Weapons (On Itself)* In the form of nuclear tests. During the early years of nuclear testing it was anticipated that nuclear weapons would be used on the battlefield, and that the Army and Marine Corps had better get used to operating on a “nuclear battlefield.” During the 1952 Big Shot test, 1,700 ground troops took shelter in trenches just seven thousand yards from the thirty-three-kiloton explosion. After the test, the troops conducted a simulated assault that took them to within 160 meters of ground zero... more »
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