Wednesday, May 16, 2012 
Ad execs say jury still out on Facebook as medium. NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - General Motors Inc's decision to stop advertising on Facebook may be a wake-up call for the No. 1 social network, but Top advertising executives say it's far too early to know if the site will take off as an advertising platform.
Talking Surveillance Cameras Coming to U.S. Streets
infowars.com Barroso waarschuwt Grieken voor pijnlijk alternatief - De Standaard
standaard.be Wilders sleept Staat voor rechter om eurofonds. PVV-leider Geert Wilders begint een kort geding tegen de Staat om het permanente noodfonds voor de euro (ESM) van tafel te krijgen. Wilders zei woensdag dat Bram Moszkowicz het kort geding namens hem gaat voeren.
Obama budget defeated 99-0 in Senate. President Obama's budget suffered a second embarrassing defeat Wednesday, when senators voted 99-0 to reject it. Coupled with the House's rejection in March, 414-0, that means Mr. Obama's budget has failed to win a single vote in support this year.
Mystery object nearly causes mid-air collision. DENVER – The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a mystery in the sky. A mysterious object flying over Denver nearly caused a mid-air collision Monday evening, 9Wants to Know has learned. As far as investigators know, the mystery object did not show up on...
Obama warns of Defense spending bill veto. The White House is threatening to veto the $642 billion 2013 Defense authorization bill passed last week by the House Armed Services Committee because it spends too much on national security.
And its back! NDAA for 2013. I gots some readin' to do.
thomas.loc.gov Mystery object nearly causes mid-air collision over Denver
denverpost.com Google's Richard Gingras: We are at the beginning of a journalism renaissance. Richard Gingras, the head of news products for Google, visited the Nieman Foundation last Friday to talk about Google's approach to news and information discovery, but also the pace of change in technology and how it has affected the future of news. Recently Gingras has spent time talking about his 8 questions that will define...
Saturday, May 12, 2012
'Europe on the brink of armed-revolution'. AP: The first thing is to collectively negotiate the debt. Each country has been left alone to its own devices. This is not a good idea when you face a full-fledged financial assault;Â this isn't just a crisis. And secondly, there must be a debt auditing. We are lumping together different types of debts, and we don't know what are the serious and really guaranteed and transparent debts, and what are shadow financing operations for which I don't know why we should pay collectively as Europeans.
BreakingNews: Moderate 5.7 magnitude earthquake strikes near Kulob, Tajikistan - USGS via Reuters http://t.co/AKThGaLP
twitter.com Greece will run out of money soon, warns deputy prime minister.
3x6.butt.org Dutch Judge Who Ordered Pirate Bay Links Censored Found To Be Corrupt - Falkvinge on Infopolicy.
3xb.butt.org Syria Accuses US, Allies of Aiding ‘Terrorists' on the Ground. Syria accused the U.S. and its allies on Saturday of colluding with al Qaeda-linked militants to target the the government of Bashar al-Assad, as the aftermath of a string of bombings in Damascus and Aleppo by shadowy militant groups. "Western countries and the United States,...
Dimon retapes his MTP appearance. Did he not know of losses a day before the investors call?
dealbook.nytimes.com Why Going "Naked To The Strip" Means More Pain For Nat Gas Companies. By Martin Katusa of Casey Research Which Stocks Will Lose the Most in the Coming Energy Bloodbath Yesterday, I made a prediction that should scare a lot of investors. I predicted a massive loss in market valuation for some of North America's largest energy producers. You might...
Great example of how news pundits are expected to 'behave'
freebeacon.com Judge keeps CIA volume on Bay of Pigs secret. A federal judge has ruled that a final volume of the CIA's three-decade-old history on the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba can remain shrouded in secrecy because it is a draft, not a finished product.
Good article by Matt Taibbi, but his use of non-words like 'ginormous' is annoying.
m.rollingstone.com Rebuilding Haiti: Why is it taking so long? Many international organizations working in Haiti are disconnected from the people they're here to help, which directly affects their ability to aid those people. Additionally, compared to locals and Haitian institutions, foreign organizations usually work on much shorter...
Fareed Zakaria: Is democracy part of Europe's economic problems? "...This is a sad state of affairs because what many people are worrying about, at root, is whether democracy has become part of the problem. After all, politicians have gotten elected over the last four decades in the West by promising voters more benefits, more pensions...
CONFIRMED: Sunni-Extremists Behind Damascus Bombings. US "officials" admit Al Qaeda running loose in Syria, fail to mention 2007 US plan to put them there. by Tony Cartalucci May 12, 2012 - Regarding the recent, devastating bombings in Damascus, Syria, an Associated Press report, " Syria opposition: Assad trying to destroy UN peace...
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Defense Department Briefing. Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey held a press briefing. Secretary Panetta began by calling on Congress to abide by the Budget Control Act of 2011 rather than passing the House Republican budget reconciliation bill. He warned that if Congress reverses the "tough decisions" the Defense Department has already made in its proposed budget, they risk potential gridlock and "could force the kind of trade-offs that could jeopardize our national defense." Other topics included President Obama's announced support of same-sex marriage, and the nomination of General Mark Welsh to replace retiring Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz.
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0b6.blork.ly This doesnt bode well. Olympic Flames blows ourt during ceremony
bbc.co.uk Americans with Disabilities Act covers 'bashful bladder syndrome,' could cost employers billions. It could cost U.S. employers between $2 billion and $4 billion to comply with an obscure Americans with Disabilities Act regulation meant to protect workers who are gun-shy in public restrooms.
According to an informal discussion letter the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued in August 2011, "paruresis" more commonly known as "shy bladder syndrome" qualifies as a disability under the amended Americans with Disabilities Act.
The International Paruresis Association defines the odd affliction as the "inability to urinate with others present." The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the gold-standard of psychiatrists, categorizes it as a social phobia that affects roughly seven percent of the population approximately 17 million Americans.
Marijuana Law Reformation in last night's session of the house. Representatives Rohrabacher (R-CA), Hinchey (D-NY) McClintock (R-CA) and Farr (D-CA) have introduced an amendment to the FY 2013 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill that would prevent the DEA from wasting taxpayer money by raiding medical marijuana facilities that are in compliance with state laws. This amendment is being referred to as the "Rohrabacher-Hinchey Amendment."
Barney FRank: "We Shouldn't Be Debating This At 7:30! And I Agree We Should Have Been Debating It At 4:20"
youtube.com "IT'S REEFER MADNESS I TELLS YA!" Congressman Frank Wolf Loses ALL Credibility
youtube.com euronews correspondent at scene of Damascus blast.
euronews.com "All The Sudden States Have No Rights To Determine What's Best For Their Citizens!" Congressman Farr
youtube.com Russia's Sukhoi Superjet-100 Missing in Indonesia.
en.rian.ru Sukhoi SuperJet 100: New hope for Russia's commercial aviation industry.
en.rian.ru Russian plane crash: rescuers recover bodies but no survivors.
guardian.co.uk Barack Obama's Bullshit Gay Marriage Announcement. The president stressed that this is a personal position, and that he still supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own. [...] Is it a politically wise dodge? Maybe. This was obviously a hastily arranged interview—we're told that ABC News' Robin Roberts, who is close to Michelle Obama, was only tapped in the last 48 hours by the White House to come down—designed to clean up the mess left by Biden's pro-gay marriage comments in as advantageous way as possible.
Multiple explosions in Damascus. Operation Syria is definitely Go.
youtube.com Al Qaeda Working To Surgically Implant Bombs In People & Even Pets!
youtube.com US politicians condemn leak of CIA's al-Qa'ida sting operation - AP knew a week in advance
independent.co.uk Gitmo Nation Low Lands: Weed pass sparks new problems. (video). In cities in the weed pass area, like the eastern border town of Venlo, growing numbers of illegal drugs dealers are hanging out near coffeeshops. They're harrassing not only drugs tourists but also local residents. The police say they're monitoring the situation, but...
Machine Casts Phantom Votes in the Bronx, Invalidating Real Ones: Report - WNYC
wnyc.org
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Congress Moves To Stop DEA Funding To Attack Medical Marijuana Patients & Care Givers
youtube.com Bank Of Spain Formally Nationalizes Bankia, Says Insolvent Bank Is "Solvent", Adds There Is No Cause For Concern.
zerohedge.com "It will lead to war" -- Ron Paul fights to end military aid for Israel.
dprogram.net FBI Director Discusses Surveillance Authority.
c-span.org Outcry Against Banking Practices with Michael Tellinger
youtube.com Hairstyling giant Sassoon dies in LA at 84; wash-and-wear hairdos freed women from beehive.
washingtonpost.com DutchNews.nl - No relaxation of eurozone rules for the Netherlands: Brussels.
dutchnews.nl Europe writes off biggest environment satellite.
rawstory.com CIA Plane Crash Lands With Four TONS of Coke on Board. Seventeen months after an American-registered DC9 airliner was busted with 5.5 tons of cocaine, a major international scandal is brewing over a second drug trafficking incident in Mexico's Yucatan involving an American-registered jet owned by a dummy front company
Engdahl on Putin, "The Putin Tape" (video). F. William Engdahl on the world with Putin back as Russian President: Engdahl explains US Missile Defense it is not Ballistic Missile Defense; it is Ballistic Missile Offense--a trigger to possible nuclear war. Clinton's "Reset" has given Russia only problems. Now Putin faces...
Trailer :: "ARGO" starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston and John Goodman | TheOriginalWinger
theoriginalwinger.com United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012
thomas.loc.gov Almost forgot about this River of News I've been running for months: chemtrailpics.com.
chemtrailpics.com Message -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Actions of the Government of Syria.
whitehouse.gov Republicans finally getting nervous about Ron Paul's secret delegate strategy
businessinsider.com It's Like An Advertisement For Airport Security Bomb Detecting Technology [VIDEO]
youtube.com 'Greece out of euro' calls multiply in Germany - The Local.
thelocal.de Sukhoi SuperJet Disappears During Indonesia Demo Flight.
bloomberg.com 'One in six cancers worldwide are caused by infection'.
bbc.co.uk Haiku Herman: "Crisis is fruitful for *more* Europe"
youtube.com State Opening of Parliament. In an annual ceremony at Westminster, Queen Elizabeth II convened the British Parliament and delivered a speech prepared by her government. In her remarks she outlined the government's legislative agenda which included financial and economic reforms, aid to families and...
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Olympics Nuclear Attack Teaser. Gillian writes - 100,000 To Die at the London Olympics? Hi Tap, I've just watched this 14min video on YT. '100,000 to Die at the London Olympics?' (NB the ? mark) The video's maker points out that prior to both 9/11 and 7/7 there were clues in card games, comics, film and TV...
Fellow Texans: Lets jail these douchebags. At least vote them out!
youtube.com U.S. warns gas pipeline companies of cyberattacks. Natural gas pipeline operators in the United States have reportedly been the target of sophisticated phishing attacks since last year, and the Department of Homeland Security has been helping firms deal with incidents since March. "DHS's Industrial Control Systems Cyber...
Beastie Boys Face New Suit Over Sampling. The company that controls the rights to songs by the group Trouble Funk sued over music it says was used on the Beastie Boys' albums "Paul's Boutique" and "Licensed to Ill."
When did the term "douchebag" enter the popular parlance?
quora.com "Half Of America's Largest Companies Are Thinking Of Moving Manufacturing Back From China To The US" May 08, 2012 C-SPAN http://MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tC0M Views: 155 23 ratings Time: 22:06 More in News & Politics
youtube.com AF: F-22's Extreme Performance May Be Behind Oxygen Problems. Well, the Air Force has figured out that its likely some combination of high operating altitudes and intense maneuvering at those altitudes that is causing either toxins to seep into the F-22 pilots' oxygen supplies or allowing insufficient amounts of oxygen to reach the pilots'...
EU Plot To Scrap Britain. "....Tellingly, the UK has been excluded from the confidential discussions within the shady “Berlin Group” of Europhile politicians, spearheaded by German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle."
The Countdown To The Break Up Of The Euro Has Officially Begun. The Economic Collapse The results of the elections in France and Greece have made it abundantly clear that there is a tremendous backlash against the austerity approach that Germany has been pushing. All over Europe, prominent politicians and incumbent political […]
Ron Paul Is Hosting A Hearing On Ending The Federal Reserve (BusinessInsider) – Texas Congressman Ron Paul will once again face off against his central bank nemesis this morning, during a Congressional hearing on monetary policy and the Federal Reserve. The hyped-up hearing is titled "The Federal Reserve System: Mend It Or End...
Le grand mensonge: why Francois Hollande's end-to-austerity message is just smoke and mirrors
blogs.telegraph.co.uk Review of my Samsung Galaxy Note after a full week of use
blog.curry.com
Sunday, May 06, 2012
Michael Specter: Can geoengineering solve global warming? Late in the afternoon on April 2, 1991, Mt. Pinatubo, a volcano on the Philippine island of Luzon, began to rumble with a series of the powerful steam explosions that typically precede an eruption. Pinatubo had been dormant for more than four centuries, and in the volcanological...
The Cybercrime Wave That Wasn't. Structurally, the economics of cybercrimes like spam and password-stealing are the same as those of fishing. Economics long ago established that common-access resources make for bad business opportunities. No matter how large the original opportunity, new entrants continue to...
Are We in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction? [Agenda21] Benefits provided by ecosystems are vastly undervalued. Take pollination of crops as an example: according to a major United Nations report on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, the total economic value of pollination by insects worldwide was in the ballpark of $200 billion in 2005. More generally, efforts to tally the global monetary worth of the many different benefits provided by ecosystems come up with astronomically high numbers, measured in tens of trillions of dollars.
Newsmakers with Richard Trumka. Richard Trumka talked about the role jobs and labor unions will play in the 2012 presidential election. Topics included unemployment statistics for April 2012, President Obama's relationship with labor, and the AFL-CIO's political action committee and agenda for the next...
The 2 hikers held in Iran to marry in SF Bay area. Remember the two hikers who just accidentally happened to stroll into Iran across from Iraq through one of the best guarded and heaviest mined border crossings in the world? Now they are getting married! I wonder if the CIA is invited to the ceremony.
Al-Qaeda urges firebombing Australia. AL-QAEDA has named Australia as a prime target for terrorism by firebombing in an online terrorism and bomb-making magazine. ''Sydney city on fire'' - has been used to illustrate a story that promotes using bushfires as a weapon of terrorism.
Armenia votes in parliamentary elections. Armenians are voting to elect a new parliament, with the authorities hoping to avoid a repeat of the violence that followed the 2008 presidential vote. The vote is being monitored by about 300 observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Hundreds arrested as violence spreads in Egypt. Egypt's ruling military council has arrested 300 people and introduced an overnight curfew for the second night in a row following violent clashes in Cairo. Meanwhile, public anger has overflowed from Cairo into the city of Suez. ÂMilitary prosecutors say 300 demonstrators,...
Antipsychotic drugs versus placebo for relapse prevention in schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
thelancet.com Charlie Munger: Gold is Only for Jews in 1939 Vienna. Warren Buffett partner Charlie Munger went on a vicious attack of gold, in Omaha, Nebraska before the start of the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting, where Buffett is Chairman and CEO and Munger is vice-chairman. "Gold is a great thing to sew into your garments if...
Whitney Houston's Mystery Friend Was Also Michael Jackson's Pal - Forbes
forbes.com Cyber Attack on Information Infrastructure of US Natural Gas Company? according to reports coming out US DHS (via media outfits like CSM, risk intel, etc.): "A major cyber attack is currently underway aimed squarely at computer networks belonging to US natural gas pipeline companies." Hard to say if more info will be released on this 'incident'...
Nicotine vaccine prevents nicotine from reaching the brain. An injection of synthetic nanoparticles prompts the immune system to create antibodies. The antibodies bind to incoming nicotine molecules so that they're too large to cross the blood-brain barrier. If the brain doesn't know you're smoking, you don't experience the normal smoking kick.
Iran to build 220-km natural gas pipeline to Iraq. Iran to build 220-km natural gas pipeline to Iraq. TEHRAN - Director of Iran Gas Engineering and Development Company said that Iranian local contractors will build a 220-km natural gas pipeline to Iraq, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported Saturday.
Subcommittee to Examine Proposals to Reform or Abolish Federal Reserve | House Committee on Financial Services
financialservices.house.gov The religious fanatics behind Tory plans to block porn. I've just been reading through Clare Perry's ‘ Independent Parliamentary Inquiry into Online Child Protection ‘ which, of course, recommends the introduction of opt-in porn filters on internet connections in the UK. Its fair to say that I've spotted one or two...
"The Goal That I Set To Defeat Al Qaeda & Deny It A Chance To Rebuild Is Within Reach" Pres Obama May 05, 2012 White House http://MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tC0M Views: 27 19 ratings Time: 04:18 More in News & Politics
youtube.com
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Eruption Spotted at Mt. Curry in the South Sandwich Islands
m.wired.com Britain's Osborne hits out as EU bank capital talks stall. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain's George Osborne accused fellow EU finance ministers of trying to water down Europe's bank capital rules and said this would make him "look like an idiot", as talks about a law to stop another financial crisis unraveled in Brussels.
Peace Prize Winner Obama ACCELERATES WAR ECONOMY! Peace Prize Winner Obama ACCELERATES WAR ECONOMY! Barack Obama has taken the war baton from George Bush and ran with it in unbelievable ways. From: ARSONomics Views: 9 3 ratings Time: 06:25 More in News & Politics
Operation: Entrapment - Cleveland bomb "plot" masterminded by FBI agents
rt.com Massale drugscontrole aan Nederlandse grens - De Standaard
standaard.be Ook Oostenrijk boycot EK voetbal - De Standaard
standaard.be Capgemini Nederland heeft de overheid het advies gegeven Facebook en DigiD teintegreren
webwereld.nl Echo Chamber: Killer Mike on Trayvon Martin | News | Pitchfork
m.pitchfork.com Thousands join girl in urging Seventeen magazine to publish unedited images. A teenage reader of Seventeen magazine is hoping to change the title's practice of airbrushing images to make young girls appear flawless and thin.
Eighth-grader Julia Bluhm, 14, from Maine, delivered a 15,000-name petition to the Hearst magazine's editor-in-chief, Ann Shoket, on Wednesday calling for the magazine to publish at least one unaltered photo spread a month
Summer Jobs+. Summer Jobs+ is a call to action for businesses, non-profits, and government to work together to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth in the summer of 2012. To date, companies, non-profits and governments have committed to creating nearly 300,000 summer jobs, mentorships and other employment opportunities for young people this summer. Learn more about the companies and organizations that have answered the President's call and have committed to either directly hiring youth, or providing corporate mentorship experiences, internship, and other opportunities that connect young people to jobs, or find out how your company can get involved in this initiative.
U.S. Department of Labor -- Summer Jobs+. As the nation continues to recover from the deepest recession since the Great Depression, American youth are struggling to get the work experience they need for jobs of the future. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics:
48.8 percent of youth between the ages of 16-24 were employed in July, the month when youth employment usually peaks. This is significantly lower than the 59.2 percent of youth who were employed five years ago and 63.3 percent of youth who were employed 10 years ago.
Minority youth had an especially difficult time finding employment this past summer. Only 34.6 percent of African American youth and 42.9 percent of Hispanic youth had a job this past July.
My First Job: Jimmy Fallon. ost of Late Night, Jimmy Fallon, talks about his first job, the lessons he learned and how they still apply to his work today. Go find you first job at http://www.whitehouse.gov/summerjobs
A Dissident's Smuggled Video Messages. One of the most extraordinary aspects of a Chinese dissident's dramatic standoff with his government is how he has managed to evade China's attempts to isolate him by posting startling video messages online.
Another headline from the front lines of the war on chicken
m.npr.org Who Was at Obama's $35,800 Dinner? An almost-comprehensive guest list of the people who attended the president's March 1 fund-raiser at ABC Kitchen that was discussed in Nicholas Confessore's piece on the difficulties the Obama campaign has had recruiting Wall Street donors this year.
CNN: Land Mines Found In Luggage. CNN: Land Mines Found In Luggage May 02, 2012 BBC News http://MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tC0M Views: 19 1 ratings Time: 00:24 More in News & Politics
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
How The White House Smothered The News Of Obama's Trip To Afghanistan.
03v.blork.ly Key Underwear Bomber Witness Runs for U.S. Congress. (AJC) – Just wanted to post something for all of you following along that Kurt Haskell decided yesterday that he is going to run for Congress! Our district is the 7th District of Michigan. Recently, the state lines changed, and John Dingell is no longer in our District....
Abuse in Dutch children's homes 'shockingly common'. Children with a mild mental retardation living in group homes are ten times more often the victims of sexual abuse. National daily de Volkskrant writes that a group of scientists from the University of Leiden conclude that abuse among children in youth care was 'shockingly...
Vlaams Belang eist recht op discriminatie - De Standaard
standaard.be Meer politie aan Nederlandse grens tegen drugstoerisme - De Standaard
standaard.be Wilders roept moslims op islam te verlaten - De Standaard
standaard.be Absolutelfuelsllc.com
Retracted autism study an 'elaborate fraud,' British journal finds - CNN.com
edition.cnn.com Absolutelfuelsllc.com
Call it America's newest reality show: Who wants to be vice president?
usatoday.com President Obama Remarks on Home Care Worker Wage Protection. President Obama spoke to labor leaders and promoted infrastructure projects, criticizing Republicans for being more interested in tax cuts for the wealthy than creating jobs for construction projects. He also outlined his administration's efforts to speed up loans and grants for...
President Obama Remarks on Home Care Worker Wage Protection. President Obama spoke to labor leaders and promoted infrastructure projects, criticizing Republicans for being more interested in tax cuts for the wealthy than creating jobs for construction projects. He also outlined his administration's efforts to speed up loans and grants for projects and reverse bans on project labor agreements. The reversals would allow federal agencies to require that contractors on large-scale public construction projects agree to union representation for workers.
UK Parliament Finds Rupert Murdoch Not Wow. So this is what a responsive government looks like . Rupert Murdoch is "not a fit person" to exercise stewardship of a major international company, a committee of MPs has concluded, in a report highly critical of the mogul and his son James's role in the News of the World phone-hacking affair. The Commons culture, media and sport select committee also concluded that James Murdoch showed "wilful ignorance" of the extent of phone hacking during 2009 and 2010 -- in a highly charged document that saw MPs split on party lines as regards the two Murdochs.[..] Rupert Murdoch, the document said, "did not take steps to become fully informed about phone hacking" and "turned a blind eye and exhibited wilful blindness to what was going on in his companies and publications". The committee concluded that the culture of the company's newspapers "permeated from the top" and "speaks volumes about the lack of effective corporate governance at News Corporation and News International". That prompted the MPs' report to say: "We conclude, therefore, that Rupert Murdoch is not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of major international company." That's gotta sting a bit. Murdoch shuttered the News of the World last summer as the realization that the publication was routinely phone tapping celebrities, politicians and subjects of their reporting, like Milly Dowling. The thirteen year old was abducted and murdered in 2002. But for six agonizing months, her parents held onto the hope that Milly might be alive, because messages on her mobile phone were being accessed and deleted by a News of the World employee who wanted keep it from maxing out on memory. It's not clear how binding this report is, nor what impact it will have on Murdoch's broadcasting license of acquisition BSkyB . Off the back of phone hacking and policy bribery allegations targeted at News Corp-owned News International, Ofcom decided to launch an investigation into whether Murdoch's News Corp is "fit and proper" to hold a broadcasting license in the UK, which it and he does through ownership of BSkyB. The "fit and proper" assessment comes from the Broadcasting Act 1990 and offers discretion to Ofcom in its judgement as to whether a media owner or operator meets this requirement. It is the use of the phrase "not a fit person" in the select committee report Tuesday that may suggest the MPs who wrote it and voted to back the report's conclusions are themselves broadcasting a strong signal to Ofcom to revoke BSkyB's license. Our buddies at TPM have the report in its scathing entirety.
Executive Order -- Prohibiting Certain Transactions with and Suspending Entry into the United States of Foreign Sanctions Evaders with Respect to Iran and Syria. EXECUTIVE ORDER PROHIBITING CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS WITH AND SUSPENDING ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES OF FOREIGN SANCTIONS EVADERS WITH RESPECT TO IRAN AND SYRIA By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq .) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq .), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, as amended (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, hereby find that efforts by foreign persons to engage in activities intended to evade U.S. economic and financial sanctions with respect to Iran and Syria undermine our efforts to address the national emergencies declared in Executive Order 12957 of March 15, 1995, as relied on for additional steps in subsequent Executive Orders, in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified in scope and relied on for additional steps in subsequent Executive Orders, in Executive Order 12938 of November 14, 1994, as relied on for additional steps in subsequent Executive Orders, and in Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001, as relied on for additional steps in subsequent Executive Orders, and in order to take additional steps pursuant to these national emergencies, I hereby order: Section 1 . (a) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to impose on a foreign person the measures described in subsection (b) of this section upon determining that the foreign person: (i) has violated, attempted to violate, conspired to violate, or caused a violation of any license, order, regulation, or prohibition contained in, or issued pursuant to: (A) any Executive Order relating to the national emergencies declared in Executive Order 12957 of March 15, 1995, or in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified in scope in subsequent Executive Orders; or (B) to the extent such conduct relates to property and interests in property of any person subject to United States sanctions concerning Iran or Syria, Executive Order 13382 of June 28, 2005, any Executive Order subsequent to Executive Order 13382 of June 28, 2005, that relates to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938 of November 14, 1994, or any Executive Order relating to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001; (ii) has facilitated deceptive transactions for or on behalf of any person subject to United States sanctions concerning Iran or Syria; or (iii) is owned or controlled by, or is acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person determined to meet the criteria set forth in subsection (a) of this section. (b) With respect to any foreign person determined to meet the criteria set forth in subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of the Treasury may prohibit all transactions or dealings, whether direct or indirect, involving such person, including any exporting, reexporting, importing, selling, purchasing, transporting, swapping, brokering, approving, financing, facilitating, or guaranteeing, in or related to (i) any goods, services, or technology in or intended for the United States, or (ii) any goods, services, or technology provided by or to United States persons, wherever located. (c) The prohibitions in subsection (b) of this section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the date of this order. Sec . 2 . I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type of articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of any person subject to the measures described in section 1 of this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergencies identified in the preamble to this order, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order. Sec . 3 . The prohibitions in section 1 of this order include but are not limited to: (a) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person subject to the measures described in this order; and (b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. Sec . 4 . I hereby find that the unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of aliens determined to meet one or more of the criteria in subsection 1(a) of this order would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and I hereby suspend the entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of such persons. Such persons shall be treated as persons covered by section 1 of Proclamation 8693 of July 24, 2011 (Suspension of Entry of Aliens Subject to United Nations Security Council Travel Bans and International Emergency Economic Powers Act Sanctions). Sec . 5 . (a) Any transaction by a United States person or within the United States that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited. (b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited. Sec . 6 . Nothing in section 1 of this order shall prohibit transactions for the conduct of the official business of the United States Government by employees, grantees, or contractors thereof. Sec . 7 . For the purposes of this order: (a) the term "person" means an individual or entity; (b) the term "entity" means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization; (c) the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States; (d) the term "deceptive transaction" means any transaction where the identity of any person subject to United States sanctions concerning Iran or Syria is withheld or obscured from other participants in the transaction or any relevant regulatory authorities; (e) the term "person subject to United States sanctions concerning Iran or Syria" means (i) any person, including the Government of Iran or the Government of Syria, with whom transactions are restricted pursuant to any Executive Order relating to the national emergencies declared in Executive Order 12957 of March 15, 1995, or in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified in scope in subsequent Executive Orders, or (ii) any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to IEEPA in connection with Iran's or Syria's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction, or Iran's or Syria's support for international terrorism; (f) the term "Government of Iran" means the Government of Iran, any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including the Central Bank of Iran, and any person owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, the Government of Iran; and (g) the term "Government of Syria" means the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, its agencies, instrumentalities, and controlled entities. Sec . 8 . For those persons subject to the measures described in section 1 of this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render those measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergencies identified in the preamble to this order, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1 of this order. Sec . 9 . The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order. Sec . 10 . This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. Sec . 11 . The measures taken pursuant to this order with respect to Iran are in response to actions of the Government of Iran occurring after the conclusion of the 1981 Algiers Accords, and are intended solely as a response to those later actions. BARACK OBAMA THE WHITE HOUSE, May 1, 2012.
Old $50 bill found real, but not before bearer arrested
t-g.com 5 arrested for allegedly trying to blow up Ohio bridge | Fox News
foxnews.com 5 Ways to Spot a B.S. Political Story in Under 10 Seconds. An election year is a shit blizzard. Every place you go for news online -- whether it's portal sites like Reddit, or aggregators like Google News or Yahoo! News or RealClearPolitics, or goddamned clips from late night talk shows -- they're all about to get buried under a brown storm of bullshit inflammatory headlines desperate for your click. This turdstorm of pointless click-bait filler is a problem for anyone who wants to be an informed voter. To learn anything useful, you need to be able to sort through all of the garbage to find the actual information and insight.
The Advance of a One World Government and a North American Union. The evil inside the White House operative, Cass Sunstein, is out this morning with a short essay in WSJ. In the , under the guise of filling us all in on what his White House department is doing to "clear away red tape", the evil bastard is really informing his followers about...
Man sues BMW for 20-month erection after bike ride
freep.com NASA study: Texas wind farms cause local warming
earthsky.org NASA - NASA Satellite Measurements Imply Texas Wind Farm Impact on Surface Temperature
nasa.gov ALQaeda terror porn in pants
cnn.com
Monday, April 30, 2012
Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining. Germans should know that there are no free lunches, and the greatest free lunch of all was the belief that Germany could lock in a permanently cheaper exchange rate off which to export without a price. Of course, the quid pro quo of their huge trade surplus was massive inflows of money to Germany, which has to be spent somewhere. Had they their own currency, it would have risen in response to these inflows and German exports would have become very expensive. This didn’t happen, so Germany got turbo-charged export conditions, a massive current account surplus and huge financial exposure to its neighbours because German banks re-lent this cash to the periphery of Europe.
Ron Paul: NO support for Romney and In it to WIN it! Ron Paul: NO support for Romney and In it to WIN it! Ron Paul comments on how he cannot support Romney's policies and is in this race until ALL of the votes are counted. From: ARSONomics Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 01:58 More in News & Politics
Local News Continues To Hype Anarchist Threat Local News Continues To Hype Anarchist Threat "Plain Clothes Officers Will Be In The Crowd" April 30, 2012 MSNBC News http://MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tC0M Views: 84 0 ratings Time: 00:33 More in News & Politics
CNN: AL QAEDA PLANNING NEW ATTACKS. CNN: AL QAEDA PLANNING NEW ATTACKS April 30, 2012 CNN http://MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tC0M Views: 6 1 ratings Time: 03:48 More in News & Politics
BLOCKBUSTER: Navy Seal Says, From an article posted earlier today – a direct quote from Chris Kyle, former Navy Seal sniper with 160 confirmed and another... more
Pills for war thrills: 110k US troops on prescribed meds. RussiaToday Thousands of US soldiers are going into battle fueled by all sorts of prescription medications, be they amphetamines, antidepressants, sedatives or others. Largely unmonitored consumption of drugs can lead to aberrant behavior and mental disorders. Over 110,000...
Nabeel Rajab. Interview with Nabeel Rajab , President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.
Ron Paul Smashes Paul Krugman (The Proof). You know someone has really gotten demolished in a debate when they immediately rush to their blog to "set things straight". Paul Krugman rushed to his blog after his debate with Ron Paul and had this to say: Don't Know Much About (Ancient) History The things I do for book...
500,000 chickens killed in egg farm fire
kdvr.com Ehud Barak restates case for military strike on Iran's nuclear programme
m.guardian.co.uk BBC changes the entire script: "Ugandan army says Sudan is backing Joseph Kony's LRA." Wil Kony be the new boogy man to be used to take over the oil rich nations of Sudan and south sudan?
bbc.co.uk EU mulls 'Marshall plan' for Europe. EurActiv The European Commission is preparing a €200 billion "pact for growth" to be presented at the next EU summit in June. According to leading Spanish newspaper, El PaÃs, the plan aims to raise funds valued at €200 billion for […]
Associated Press is also changing the description of the Uganda consultants: US special forces help in hunt for warlord Kony.
news.yahoo.com Washingto Post reporting Obama sent 'elite troops' to hunt Joseph Kony. What happened to 'consultants'??
washingtonpost.com
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Gillard backs tougher line on Syria if UN plan fails. (WTF is the Australian Prime Minister doing in Turkey??) In Istanbul yesterday for talks with the Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, Julia Gillard said Australia also was willing to impose sanctions of its own.
2012 White House Correspondents' Dinner. Journalists, politicians and celebrities gathered for the White House Correspondents' Association Annual Dinner. President Obama gave humorous remarks and was followed by comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
Opnieuw paspoort tonen aan Duitse en Franse grens? - De Standaard.
standaard.be New Mexico Town Residents May Lose Utilities for Unpaid Red Light Violations - Page 1.
abcnews.go.com Vogue deletes glamour story on Assad's wife.
smh.com.au Poll: Feds' favorability at 15-year low - Tim Mak - POLITICO.com.
politico.com Distraction of the week Egypt's 'plans for farewell intercourse law so husbands can have sex with DEAD wives' branded a 'complete nonsense'.
Te veel fouten aan de kassa: geen betaling meer met cash geld - De Standaard.
standaard.be Aussie minister takes brown-nosing to a new level.
thesun.co.uk Greece-Cyprus-Israel undersea cable is announced. PPC Quantum Energy S.A., a subsidiary of electricity giant Public Power Corporation, this week formally announced the launch of the construction of a 2,000-megawatt undersea electricity cable to link up the electricity grids of Israel, Cyprus and Greece.
Europe's Other "Union" Is Ending. Almost a year ago, we observed the first crack in that other fundamental core of the European "union" experiment - the Schengen visa-free and customs-union zone. We wrote: "While Europe may have sold its soul to the [monetary union] devil over the past decade it still retained...
First Real Greek Bailout: Electricity. While Greece has had its fair-share of EURs funneled to it and through it over the course of the last year or two, it appears they have now created their first 'internal' bailout as things go from bad to worse. As Athens News reports , Greece will provide EUR250mm in emergency...
FCC-Required Political Ad Data Disclosures Won't Be Searchable. By Justin Elliott, ProPublica The Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1 Friday to require broadcasters to post political ad data on the Web, making it easier for the public to see how as much as $3.2 billion will be spent on TV advertising in this election, but the...
Guest of Obama White House – National anti-bullying campaign organizer Dan Savage has been a guest of the Obama White House and received financial support from Barack... more
Sarkozy snaps at DSK over claims. French President Nicolas Sarkozy rejects claims by Dominique Strauss-Kahn that his party was behind the ex-IMF chief's downfall, as he continues to trail in the polls.
Sudan detains foreigners in disputed area. Reading the Sudanese version of this these foreigners were likely mercenaries. In the 50 years of conflicts surrounding South Sudan mercenaries were used extensively by both sides. It also explains how a rag tag rebel bunch suddenly can defeat an organized military army.
Mel Gibson Justified Taped Rant, Admits To 'Temper' On 'Tonight Show'. By Radar Staff Mel Gibson did his best to make light of his most recent taped outburst, where he threatened screenwriter Joe Eszterhas and his baby mama Oksana Grigorieva , during an appearance with Jay Leno Friday night. As RadarOnline.com has been reporting , Gibson completely lost it as he sat down to dinner with Eszterhas at the actor's Costa Rica home. The screaming and ranting so upset Eszterhas' son, who was there with his dad, he ran a tape, which the famed screenwriter later released to The Wrap . Gibson was upset with Eszterhas over the state of his script for The Maccabees , a film Gibson hoped to make, but his rage also extended to Grigorieva who he called a "filthy little c**ksucker." PHOTOS: Mel Gibson In Costa Rica Leno never asked Gibson about his latest threats against Grigorieva and let Gibson justify his rant against Eszterhas. The actor claimed he was simply upset that Joe hadn't delivered an acceptable screenplay in "14 or 15 months" of working on it. He also claimed that Warner Bros. had "rejected" the script. Gibson closed out by joking about the vile incident. PHOTOS: Mel Gibson's Greatest Movie Roles "Maybe you don't know this about me," Gibson said to Leno, "but I've got a little bit of a temper." Actually, we think everybody knows that. RELATED STORIES: MEL AUDIO TAPE #1: Mel's Racist Rant MEL AUDIO TAPE #2: Mel Gibson Admits Hitting Oksana, Threatens To Kill Her MEL AUDIO TAPE #3: Another Mel Gibson Slur Caught On Tape In Crazed Rage MEL AUDIO TAPE #4: Out Of Control Mel Gibson Says He'll Burn Down House After Demanding Sex MEL AUDIO TAPE #5: Mel Gibson Completely Loses It: 'B*tch, C*nt, Wh*re, Gold Digger!' MEL AUDIO TAPE #6: The Tape That Could Destroy Mel: "No One Will Believe You", He Says After She Charges: "You Hit The Baby" MEL AUDIO TAPE #7: Mel Gibson's Twisted Rant Includes Jealous Rage Over Timothy Dalton
Massive MASSIVE Protest In The Streets Of Montreal. Massive MASSIVE Protest In The Streets Of Montreal From: http://www.youtube.com/user/djmaloney2010 April 27, 2012 Independent Reporter http://MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tC0M Views: 11 1 ratings Time: 05:27 More in News & Politics
Carney: 'I Never Lie'. (video). Jay Carney said he never lies in his capacity as White House press secretary at a Friday scholarship lunch hosted by the White House Correspondents' Association
Executive Order -- Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members.
whitehouse.gov Pete Fornatale, a Pioneer of FM Rock, Dies at 66.
00q.blork.ly UKIP Nigel Farage - BBC Question Time April 2012. UKIP Nigel Farage - BBC Question Time April 2012 UK independence party leader answers questions on The economy, Jeremy Hunt, Housing & Contraception From: ukipmedia Views: 10 1 ratings Time: 15:19 More in News & Politics
Friday, April 27, 2012
Cervista HPV 16 18 PI 15 3101 Rev B pdf free ebook download from www.cervistahpv.com.
ebookbrowse.com Recently-Approved Devices > Cervistaâ„¢ HPV 16/18 - P080015.
fda.gov Product Promotion Strategy Links Drugs and Devices: The trend toward disease management is forging alliances between device manufacturers and pharmaceutical houses that may ultimately benefit both the patient and the corporate bottom line. The strategy underlying these partnerships makes use of diagnostic products to increase demand for drug treatments.
m.mddionline.com UPDATE 1-Hologic's cervical cancer device gets FDA nod: The Cervista HTA system automates our Cervista HPV HR test, providing higher throughput, improved chain of custody and accurate results," Chief Executive Rob Cascella said in a statement.
mobile.reuters.com CDC - HPV - 2010 STD Treatment Guidelines. : Four tests have been approved by the FDA for use in the United States: the HC II High-Risk HPV test (Qiagen), HC II Low-Risk HPV test (Qiagen), Cervista HPV 16/18 test, and Cervista HPV High-Risk test (Hologics).
cdc.gov QIAGEN - Merck and QIAGEN Collaborate to Accelerate Access to Cervical Cancer Vaccination and Screening in Developing Countries.
qiagen.com The FDA has accepted the above interpretation of current medical science, as reflected in its March 31, 2003 announcement on approval of the Digene HC2 High-Risk HPV DNA Test while making the following public statements on record [I] :
"The FDA today approved expanded use of a laboratory test to detect the presence in women of human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted infections ."
"The HPV DNA test does not test for cancer, but for the HPV viruses that can cause cell changes in the cervix . If left untreated, these changes can eventually lead to cancer in some women."
"Most women who become infected with HPV are able to eradicate the virus and suffer no apparent long-term consequences to their health . But a few women develop a persistent infection that can eventually lead to pre-cancerous changes in the cervix."
". . .most infections are short-lived and not associated with cervical cancer."
cogforlife.org Major Obama 'bundler' gets Dutch ambassador's post. D.C. lawyer Timothy Broas, who has funneled more money to the political campaigns of President Obama than nearly anyone else, last week was recommended by Mr. Obama as the next U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands.
Check Out This New Obama Ad Called "One Chance". Saman Mohammadi The Excavator In this new political ad by the Obama camp, former Pres. Bill Clinton reinforces the popular myth that the president of the United States is the "Decider in Chief." If Obama is really the "Decider in […]
House panel approves higher pension contributions for feds. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday approved a budget plan that would raise federal employees' retirement contributions by five percentage points over five years. The increase would effectively mean a 5 percent pay cut for federal employees.
Who Wants to Buy a Stealth Ship? Who wants to buy the U.S. Navy's original stealth ship? Yup, the Lockheed Martin-built Sea Shadow is being auctioned off from its home in the Suisun Bay ghost fleet in California. You'd better hurry up and bid since the price is already north of $100,000 (still  bargain, you...
DW: My plan is to eventually have all this integrated into one sort-of personal radio station, that connects up with other people's stations.
worknotes.scripting.com H.R.2096. Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2011 (04/27/2012 legislative day)
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 4/26/12. James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 12:55 P.M. EDT MR. CARNEY: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for coming to the White House for your daily briefing. I want to welcome -- we have a group of Haitian journalists here visiting. I want to welcome you to...
White House approves broader Yemen drone campaign. The United States has begun launching drone strikes against suspected al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen under new authority approved by President Obama that allows the CIA and the military to fire even when the identity of those who could be killed is not known, U.S. officials said.
BEGGARS - THE RESULT OF THE ARAB SPRING. Tunisian beggars Tunisia, which greatly prospered before the Arab Spring, is now a typical African basket case. Tunisians have become beggars. In April 2012, The Globe and Mail reports: http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article2409257.html#ixzz1tF9tiHUs "The...
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Techdirt: CISPA Just Got Way Worse, And Then Passed On Rushed Vote.
zs.blork.ly Bin Laden's Death Warrant. Ok, not literally, but in case you haven't yet seen the piece of paper shown above, its the April 29, 2011 memo by then CIA Director Leon Panetta authorizing the May 1, 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden at his home in Abbottabad, Pakistan. It reads: MEMO FOR THE RECORD Apr....
Ron Paul WON Iowa After All! Ron Paul WON Iowa After All! The Iowa straw poll beauty contest was supposedly decided. Then the winner changed. Now the real winner has been declared: Ron Paul. From: ARSONomics Views: 6 2 ratings Time: 09:19 More in News & Politics
40,000 Norwegians Defy Anders Breivik With Song. Near the Oslo courtroom where Anders Behring Breivik is on trial, as many as 40,000 Norwegians filled a square with the lyrics of "Children of the Rainbow," a song that praises multiculturalism and that Breivik described as Marxist propaganda.
Extract on the European Investment Bank. Extract on the European Investment Bank Extract from speech by Herman VAN ROMPUY, President of the European Council, during the European Business Summit, in Brussels, on the subject of the European Investment Bank. From: HermanVanRompuy Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 01:47 More in...
Pakistan to Speed Up Work on IP Gas Pipeline. The proposed pipeline will begin from Iran's Assalouyeh Energy Zone in the south and stretch over 1,100 km through Iran. In Pakistan, it will pass through Baluchistan and Sindh but officials now say the route may be changed if China agrees to the project, Fars news agency...
Doctors Change Names of Diseases When Vaccines Do Not Work. Doctors around the world are being faced with children catching the diseases they have been vaccinated against. Rather than diagnosing these children correctly, professionals have discovered that the doctors are giving the diseases new names.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Cattle futures rebounded from a nine-month low as countries from Canada to Japan said they’ll continue to import American beef after the U.S. reported its first case of mad cow disease in six years.
mobile.bloomberg.com Rodney King promoting his just-published memoir, "The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption."
boston.com 61 euro voor pakje sigaretten in Nieuw-Zeeland? In Nieuw-Zeeland wil men het aantal rokers flink terugschroeven door uit te pakken met een fikse prijsverhoging. Een pakje sigaretten zou rond 2020 maar liefst 61 euro moeten kosten. Het doel is om in 2025 heel Nieuw-Zeeland rookvrij te maken. Het ministerie van Gezondheid is van mening dat het verhogen van de prijs het beste resultaat zal opleveren. Als dit voorstel effectief wordt goedgekeurd, zal een pakje sigaretten niet onmiddellijk 61 euro kosten. De prijs zal dan eerst worden verhoogd met 30 tot 60 procent, om nadien ieder jaar de prijs op te drijven. Rond de periode van 2020 zal iedereen die rookt en in Nieuw-Zeeland woont 61 euro moeten betalen voor een pakje sigaretten.
U.S. Policy Toward Burma. Apr. 25, 2012: Assistant Secretary Campbell's statement before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Ron Paul Wins Iowa & Minnesota. Youtube Enter Your Email To Receive Our Newsletter Close var fnames = new Array();var ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';var err_style = ''; try catch(e) var mce_jQuery =...
Remarks to the Media on Sudan and Syria. Apr. 24, 2012: Press statement on Sudan and informal comments to the media on Sudan and Syria by UN Ambassador Susan Rice following a Security Council stakeout.
Debt Collectors Take Places Alongside Hospital Staffs.
yn.blork.ly
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
How Ron Paul's "Delegate Strategy" is Working
reason.com Wait! Ron Paul Won Iowa and Minnesota Primaries? If I didn't know better, I'd think that Republicans are completely FUBARing their primaries to prove their contention that government is not the answer. But I think the truth of it is that Republicans are so fundamentally incompetent in running efficient systems that they're not capable of not messing up. After hemming and hawing and literally designating at different times three of the then four Republican primary candidates the winner, it looks like Ron Paul has won both the Minnesota primary and the Iowa caucus away from presumptive nominee Mitt Romney. Et tu , Paul? The Texas congressman took 20 out of 24 of the delegates from the Minnesota Congressional Districts, RNC committeewoman Pat Anderson tweeted . Those delegates will go on to the state convention, scheduled to be held May 18-19, where the final 13 delegates representing Minnesota at the GOP convention will be chosen. The news was ignored by the mainstream media, including the Associated Press , which estimated the delegate breakdown would go 17 Santorum, 10 Paul, and 6 Romney. Tweet from Minnesota's RNC National Committeewoman announcing Ron Paul's win. In Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports that "six of the new Iowa GOP state central committee members elected at district conventions Saturday have publicly expressed support for Paul," and "two more new central committee members have close ties to Paul." The new state chairman is also a Ron Paul supporter, who served as a co-chairman for the congressman's Iowa state organization. While the pundits are quickly scrambling to say how Iowa doesn't really matter , this kind of stealth victory (which Paul has continually claimed to be his strategy ) really fuels his already rabid supporters. Given these symbolic challenges to Romney's ascendance, I think the convention may be very, very fun to watch. Grab your popcorn.
Senate to vote on amendment to cut conference spending. The Senate is expected to approve a measure Tuesday that would cut federal conference spending by 20 percent from 2010 levels in response to the recent General Services Administration scandal involving a $822,000 conference in Las Vegas.
Internet Hall of Fame inducts Al Gore for something Internet related. On Monday the newly-created Internet Hall of Fame welcomed Current TV CEO Al Gore as one of its first inductees. The ceremony took place in Switzerland. Gore was placed in the "Global Connectors" category for having "made significant contributions to the global growth and use of the Internet." The group's description of Gore states: "Al Gore, the 45th Vice President of the United States, was a key proponent of sponsoring legislation that funded the expansion of and greater public access to the Internet. Instrumental in helping to create the 'Information Superhighway,' Gore was one of the first government officials to recognize that the Internet's impact could reach beyond academia to fuel educational and economic growth as well." What a ripoff. Everyone knows Gore created the entire Internet in its present form. By. Him. Self. [ Politico ]
pray for Bo Despite the economic and international disaster that is Barack Obama, it's nice to see Americans still have not yet lost... more
DutchNews.nl - Political crisis: we all have to work together, says prime minister. 'The economy is faltering, employment is under pressure and the national debt is growing faster than we can credit,' Rutte said. 'These are the facts.' It is now up to parliament and to the general public to decide what happens next, Rutte said. 'I hope the parties in this room will do what is necessary to help the Netherlands through these difficult economic times.
Violence (bullying) ages children's DNA, shortens their chromosomes
usatoday.com Moslims in Nederland worden gediscrimineerd,
nieuws.nl Congress Takes Fresh Look at MF Global. A Congressional panel is set to examine the collapse of MF Global and the firm's misuse of customer money, as lawmakers seek to find ways to prevent a repeat of the financial debacle.
Monday, April 23, 2012
How Will Obama Protect Us From Onion Speculators?
m.reason.com Dutch Prime Minister Resigns - WSJ.com. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his cabinet have resigned after failing to reach agreement on reducing the country's budget to meet European guidelines, the Dutch government information service said Monday.
The information service said that Mr. Rutte had met with Queen Beatrix and she had accepted his resignation, asking him to tend to pressing matters of state with a caretaker government for the time being. Mr. Rutte is due to address parliament Tuesday afternoon to discuss interim budget cuts and schedule new elections.
Prototype Quadrotor with Machine Gun - YouTube.
youtube.com The Norway Killer Trial: Week One. Western governments have for decades promoted open-border policies of mass immigration. They have aggressively sought to marginalize, harass or silence those who questioned the wisdom of such policies. As a result, millions of people throughout the Western world today feel like aliens in their own cities, and disenfranchised by a dysfunctional political system that they no longer believe takes care of their long-term interests.
RT TV: Riots Erupt in Montreal Over Tuition Hikes. (RussiaToday) – On Friday, student protesters confronted police in Montreal, Canada. Riot police used stun grenades, pepper spray and batons to beat student protesters in the city' downtown. The outrage comes from anger over rising tuition costs in the country. A crowd of...
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DEBATE ON SYRIA. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DEBATE ON SYRIA April 20, 2011 C-SPAN http://MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tC0M Views: 14 0 ratings Time: 45:41 More in News & Politics
MONOLITH SPOTTED ON MARS! MONOLITH SPOTTED ON MARS! April 22, 2011 CNN http://MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tC0M Views: 28 0 ratings Time: 01:55 More in News & Politics
Adam Levine Wants Adults To Take Responsibility For Their ADHD. Should for pharma company
looktothestars.org
Friday, April 20, 2012
Benelux Army in the Making. The armies of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are to be largely merged into a Benelux army. The three countries will make a joint statement today at a NATO meeting in Brussels, according to Defence Minister Hans Hillen.
Brain cancer vaccine proves effective. A new brain cancer vaccine tailored to individual patients by using material from their own tumours has proven effective in a multicenter phase 2 clinical trial at extending their lives by several months or longer.
Army surgeon to test vaccine that could prevent cancer. An Army doctor has come up with a vaccine he thinks will prevent cancer, Army.mil reported. Col. George Peoples -- chief of surgical oncology at the San Antonio Military Medical Center -- said the drug NeuVax has begun phase III clinical trials and could eventually lead to FDA...
First UK Crop Circle of 2012 Reported. The first United Kingdom crop circle of the year was found in Hill Barn near East Kennett in Wiltshire on Sunday, April 15. It has been described as an "orb". Check out more photos at: http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2012/hillbarn/hillbarn2012a.html
Meet the Media Companies Lobbying Against Transparency - Truthdig.
truthdig.com Remarks on Syria. Apr. 19, 2012: Secretary Clinton delivers remarks at the Ad Hoc meeting from the "Friends of Syria" group which is looking for ways to help Special Envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan to end the violence in Syria.
Press Release: IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Welcomes Pledges by Members to Increase Fund Resources by Over US$430 billion.
imf.org Whooping cough vaccine fades in pre-teens: study. During a whooping cough outbreak in California in 2010, immunized children between eight and 12 years old were more likely to catch the bacterial disease than kids of other ages, suggesting that the childhood vaccine wears off as kids get older, according to new research.
Smokefree NZ by 2025? - Story - Inside Politics - Politics - 3 News. The Government will commit to the goal of making New Zealand smokefree by 2025 as part of its plan to get tough on tobacco.
In a response to a Maori affairs select committee inquiry into the tobacco industry and Maori smoking rates, tabled in Parliament today, the Government agreed to develop targets for reducing smoking rates with the goal of becoming a smokefree nation.
It will also consider law changes around the promotion, packaging and display of tobacco products as part of the Smokefree Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Bill currently before Parliament.
Here's Why The Bo Xilai Scandal Could Unravel Everything In China - Business Insider. I'm convinced that history will one day show that corrupt Communist party officials, in cahoots with shady developers and construction moguls, systematically plundered the Chinese economy, getting rich off the hard work and savings of the average person.
It's been happening on an unimaginable scale... and the fuse for the whole rotten mess to explode may have just been lit with this Bo Xilai scandal.
Nationalising YPF: Cristina scrapes the barrel. The world should stop indulging Ms Fernández. Argentina remains in default on its debt to the Paris Club of sovereign creditors, and has not paid the sums that the World Bank's International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes has determined it owes foreign companies. Last month the United States suspended duty-free access for some Argentine exports. Yet the country still belongs to the G20 and can borrow from multilateral organisations, and its citizens can visit all of Europe without a visa. That amounts to a free pass in foreign policy. If the West revokes these privileges, Argentines might see the true cost of their president's antics.
The Humble Botanicula Debut (pay what you want and help charity).
humblebundle.com World News - Vietnam pleads for help as mystery disease kills 19, sickens 171. Le Han Phong, chairman of the People's Committee in Ba To district in Quang Ngai province, says patients first experience a rash on their hands and feet along with high fever, loss of appetite and eventually organ failure.
He says nearly 100 people remain hospitalized, including 10 in critical condition. Patients with milder symptoms are being treated at home.
Stigmatizing Resistance to Authority. The current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) list Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) under "disorders usually first diagnosed infancy, childhood, or adolescence."
Troubled Slaughterhouse to Remain Closed. The city attorney accused the family-owned business of stonewalling investigators ever since December, when a suspicious city staffer sent a drone aircraft to photograph pigs' blood flowing out the plant and into a creek that feeds the Trinity River.
Political Correctness moves forward #NBHNC The owner of a notorious "revenge porn" blog has closed the website, selling its domain to an anti-bullying group. IsAnyoneUp.com had been encouraging people to send in intimate pictures of ex-girlfriends and ex-boyfriends for more than a year. Guess they bullied him...
Ron Paul Campaign Nets Almost $10.4 million in Q1. The Ron Paul 2012 Presidential campaign announced today that it raised nearly $10.4 million in the first fundraising quarter of 2012, providing it with ample resources to sustain a 50-state race against establishment-choice Mitt Romney. The Paul campaign has zero debt. "Total...
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Retired Park Service employees sound alarm over proposed border security bill
ktvq.com We know who the active denialists are –not the people who buy the lies, mind you, but the people who create the lies. Let’s start keeping track of them now, and when the famines come, let’s make them pay. Let’s let their houses burn.
forbes.com UN Agenda 21 – In Your Face! UN Agenda 21 is being implemented in EPA regulations which are being used to force farmers off their land and force populations into mega-dense living areas.
Forget Obama -- Who wants to meet George Clooney?! Apparently "Dinner with Barack" wasn't drawing in enough dough. The Obama campaign is now hoping to woo some donors by raffling off a chance to meet the president and actor George Clooney. A fundraising email sent out from the Obama campaign today reads: Friend -- George Clooney...
CIA Claims Release of its History of the Bay of Pigs Debacle Would "Confuse the Public.".
feedproxy.google.com Survey Finds Majority of Wikipedia Entries Contain Factual Errors. (Eurekalert) Sixty percent of Wikipedia articles about companies contain factual errors, according to research published today in the Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) scholarly publication, Public Relations Journal. Findings from the research will help establish a...
South Sudan joins World Bank, IMF. In addition to becoming a member of International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), South Sudan joined the International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Development Association (IDA), the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID),...
US, Haiti kick off vaccination campaigns. On a two-day visit to Haiti, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the effort to vaccinate Haitians against such diseases as diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough is critical because the country is especially vulnerable to diseases brought from outside.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
CIA Seeks Authority to Kill Unidentified Targets in Yemen Drone War. The CIA is officially seeking authority to expand its covert drone war in Yemen by assassinating individuals even when their identities are not known in a move that would codify what appears to already be current practice. The agency's director, David H. Petraeus, has...
Fitch: Nederland op randje afwaardering. Kredietbeoordelaar Fitch Ratings waarschuwt Nederland voor een dreigende afwaardering. Fitch kent Nederland nu nog de hoogste kredietstatus toe, AAA. 'Nederland staat op het randje van een negatieve waarderingsactie. We houden in juni een ...
Export-Import Bank of the United States.
exim.gov Russian space probe destroyed by blast from sun - by Terrence Aym - Helium.
helium.com We are socialists, we are enemies of today's capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions." (Speech of May 1, 1927. Quoted by Toland, 1976, p
jonjayray.tripod.com Why is the presidentional citizens medal now a reality show?
whitehouse.gov 4:44 Last Day on Earth Official Trailer #1 - Willem Dafoe, Abel Ferrara Movie (2012) HD - YouTube.
youtube.com Free the Press Campaign. Apr. 18 ,2012: FPC briefing on "Free the Press Campaign" with Under Secretary of State Tara D. Sonenshine and Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner
US House Appropriations Committee ignoring requirement to stream and archive hearings.
theverge.com White House threatens veto of highway bill over Keystone pipeline provision - The Hill's E2-Wire.
thehill.com NO v. Breivik :: Uncensored: Oslo Court Instructs Media Breivik Defense is Necessity (Nodrett); English Media Ignore; continue with 'Self Defense'.
norway-v-breivik.blogspot.com DNC Press Secretary Melanie Roussell Blasts Ted Nugent on Twitter.
theblaze.com
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Angelina Jolie Named As UNHCR Special Envoy. The UN refugee agency announced on Tuesday that actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie will take on a new and expanded role for UNHCR as Special Envoy of High Commissioner António Guterres. During a decade of service as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Jolie has conducted more...
Treating depression with electrodes inside the brain.
cnn.com Meeting with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II. Meeting with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II Herman VAN ROMPUY, President of the European Council, meets the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, in Brussels. From: HermanVanRompuy Views: 1 0 ratings Time: 01:08 More in News & Politics
Outback earthquake stirs up seismic interest - Yahoo!7. An earthquake in the remote central Australian outback has given scientists a rare glimpse into the continent's seismic activity.
The epicentre of the 5.7 magnitude quake was near the South Australian Aboriginal community of Ernabella (Pukatja).
It happened two weeks ago and was the largest quake recorded in Australia in 15 years.
Doctor Dan Clark from Geoscience Australia says his team is constantly analysing the nation's earthquake potential but getting first-hand information is hard.
Harry Mason Scalar EM Weapons Test In West Australia (1997 Documentary) - YouTube.
youtube.com Phil Mocek: The TSA's Worst Nightmare - Page 1 - News - Seattle - Seattle Weekly.
seattleweekly.com Report examines disappearance of ex-district attorney in light of Sandusky case - The York Daily Record. A new report by The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News examines the disappearance of former Centre County district attorney Ray Gricar, whose status has come back into question in light of the child-sex-abuse charges filed against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
Gricar chose not to file charges after a complaint was made against Sandusky in 1998. He disappeared seven years ago and was declared legally dead in July.
The case has drawn many leads but few facts. The grand jury report listing the charges against Sandusky mentioned the 1998 investigation, and Gricar's disappearance rose back into the limelight.
Cold Case Posse - Obama's Birth Certificate Investigation - Sheriff Joe Arpaio - Full Version - YouTube.
youtube.com Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik trial: day one as it happened.
telegraph.co.uk The Bling Ring (2013) - IMDb. Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the Internet to track celebrities' whereabouts in order to rob their homes.
Director:
Sofia Coppola
Writer:
Sofia Coppola (screenplay)
Stars:
Emma Watson, Kirsten Dunst and Leslie Mann
Being P. Diddy: Fan Breaks Into Mansion to Wear Clothes, Hang Out. We all want an invite to a mansion in the East Hamptons, but some impatient people simply invite themselves. That's what 30-year-old Quamine Taylor did when he decided to hang out at P. Diddy's for almost 24 hours. The weirdest part of this story: Taylor pulled the same stunt at the same mansion over a decade ago.
War on drugs 'not working,' Harper says - Politics - CBC News. "What I think everybody believes," Harper said, "is that the current approach is not working. But it is not clear what we should do."
This would be intriguing from any prime minister. From Stephen Harper, whose government's crime bill ratchets up the penalties for drug possession, it was startling.
Lest anyone think he'd undergone a conversion in Cartagena, Harper quickly added the other side of the story.
Drugs, he said, "are illegal because they quickly and totally � with many of the drugs � destroy people's lives."
Was marijuana the exception he had in mind? We never got to ask. But perhaps that was enough eyebrow-raising for one day.
As ice cap melts, militaries vie for Arctic edge. To the world's military leaders, the debate over climate change is long over. They are preparing for a new kind of Cold War in the Arctic, anticipating that rising temperatures there will open up a treasure trove of resources, long-dreamed-of sea lanes and a slew of potential conflicts.
By Arctic standards, the region is already buzzing with military activity, and experts believe that will increase significantly in the years ahead.
Sleepy Air Canada pilot thought Venus was a plane. A sleepy Air Canada pilot first mistook the planet Venus for an aircraft, and then sent his airliner diving toward the Atlantic to prevent an imaginary collision with another plane, an official report said on Monday.
Sixteen passengers and crew were hurt in the January 2011 incident, when the first officer rammed the control stick forward to avoid a U.S. plane he wrongly thought was heading straight toward him.
Prescription Drug Abuse Drives Huge Spike In Poisoning Deaths Among Children: Report. An uptick in teenagers overdosing on prescription drugs drove the almost doubling of fatal poisonings among American children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports Monday.
From 2000 to 2009, the number of children aged 15 to 19 who died from poisoning increased by 91 percent, the CDC says. The big jump in poisonings ran counter to the overall rate of deaths from unintentional injuries to people up to age 19, which fell 29 percent to 11 in 100,000 children, or 9,143 fatalities, in 2009.
CARPE DIEM: Let's Abolish the Boutique Gasoline Regime. "Quick: How many kinds of gasoline do we use in America? Most people would say three or six: regular unleaded, mid-grade, and premium, along with the ethanol blends of the same that have become nearly universal. The actual number is somewhere above 45, though hard to pin down exactly, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). It might even be closer to 70. Thirty-four states use specially blended gasoline, usually during the summer, which is one reason gasoline prices always rise during the "driving season."
Reason Magazine - Hit & Run - Ron Paul Roundup: Racking Up Delegates, Will Let Israel Choose Its Own Capital, Winning Over Santorum Fans. Colorado Republicans are heading to their national convention with their most conservative delegation in years, as supporters for Ron Paul and Rick Santorum masterminded a stunning upset in electing delegates.
At the state convention in Denver today, Paul forces easily were the most vocal, adding their candidate's name at almost every opportunity. When Republicans sang "Hey, hey, hey, good-bye" to President Barack Obama, Paul backers changed the words to "Hey, hey, hey, Ron Paul."
The momentum was painful for Mitt Romney supporters, who had assumed when Santorum dropped out of the presidential race this week they'd have a much easier time in winning Colorado's delegate and alternate seats to the Republican National Convention....
Instead, some of the Santorum's supporters united with Paul's backers to form the "Conservative Unity Slate" to win a slew of delegate slots. Four years ago, only one Paul supporter was elected to attend the national convention.
EUobserver.com / Economic Affairs / MEP cries foul on Greek pay-out to political parties. The leader of the Liberal group in the EU parliament, Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt, has asked the European Commission to justify letting Greece dish out 29 million Euros to its top political parties.
The Greek parliament on Monday (9 April) narrrowly passed the measure by 155 votes out of 300.
The money is to go to the five parties which made the parliamentary threshhold in the last elections in 2009: the centre-left Pasok, the centre-right New Democracy, the far-right Laos and the far-left Syriza and KKE factions.
Get the Flick: Mad as Matt Taibbi. Matt Taibbi wants Bank of America to sue him so he can get some bankers to testify under oath...or depose them...or some kind of legal jujitsu. In this article in Rolling Stone he goes after Bank of America. With abandon.
Obama Lawyer Admits In Court Birth Certificate On White House Website Is A Forgery
fedupusa.org Mali names Microsoft Africa chief as interim PM. BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali authorities have named Cheick Modibo Diarra, Microsoft Corp's chairman for Africa, as interim prime minister charged with helping to restore civilian rule to the West African country after last month's coup.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Drug legalization. During the summit this weekend, Central American countries would like to decriminalize drugs to better combat the drug cartels. However, the U.S. does not want to for that is what is keeping our economy going where the banks are transferring billions of dollars. Actually, the...
Cyber crime official optimistic on new legislation. CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Obama administration's top cyber security official says companies would not be unduly burdened by a Senate bill that would phase in security standards for key parts of the country's privately held infrastructure.
European railway companies eye Greek network sale. Three European railway companies are interested in buying all or part of Greece's railway business, as the debt-laden country sells assets to satisfy its lenders, people familiar with the discussions told Reuters
Zombie survival 'Google Map' that will help you find food and guns. Mapped out in an ominous black and red colour scheme, the map, the map shows the nearest location for key locations in the fight against zombies, such as convenience stores, gun shops, and hardware stores. Usefully, it also points out liquor stores, shopping malls, military...
Balochistan being pushed to civil war: Raisani. Balochistan Chief Minister Sardar Aslam Raisani has said the province is being pushed to civil war through a plan.While chairing a meeting to review law and order situation in the province, Aslam Raisani said that the government would launch a targeted operation in Quetta for...
Shaky start: Shelling in Syria continues as UN monitors arrive. The first batch of unarmed military observers has arrived in Damascus to monitor compliance with the fragile, four-day-old ceasefire negotiated by special envoy Kofi Annan. But some reports on the ground suggest continuing violence. ÂThe team, drawn from military missions in...
V-22 Ospreys Heading To UK, Okinawa; Will Carry White House Press. Filed under: Sea NATIONAL HARBOR: Last week's crash in Morocco won't slow down the V-22 Osprey program, which in 2013 can be expected to win its first foreign sale and is poised for visible growth over the next two... V-22 Ospreys Heading To UK, Okinawa; Will Carry White House...
GREECE EXCLUSIVE: Electoral stalemate brings new Troika pressure to install their man. Sources in Athens were convinced this afternoon that elements within the EU/IMF/Berlin Troika were behind a flood of media articles in Greece over the last two days concerning the probable need for a 'compromise' candidate for Prime Minister in the likely event of a dead-heat election on May 6th. The emerging name is that of New Democracy Vice-President Stavros Dimas (above)...a former Wall Street banker and EU Commissioner.
Dan Meridor: We misquoted Ahmadinejad. Al Jazeera's Teymoor Nabili talks to Dan Meridor, Israel's minister of intelligence and atomic energy and deputy prime minister, about this and questions him over Israeli politicians' claims that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, said Iran would...
Noble Energy CEO striving for Tamar gas by April 2013
globes.co.il
Sunday, April 15, 2012
1500 British Soldiers Killed In Libya, Revealed In German Parliament. Gordon Logan sent us a report that 25% of the SAS was wiped out during the 'capture' of Libya, and the murder of the Gaddafis. As there were no reports of any casualties at the time in the media, Gordon's report seemed hard to credit. I made a mental note to look out for other...
Truancy fines should be deducted from child benefit, says behaviour adviser. Report calls for bigger penalties for parents whose children play truant or take term-time holidays Headteachers will be able to impose increased fines on parents whose children miss school without a valid reason and the money will be docked automatically from child benefit if they fail to pay. Proposals published on Monday by the government's expert adviser on behaviour, Charlie Taylor, would allow schools to impose fines of £60 for truancy, rising to £120 if they are not paid within 28 days. The money would be recovered automatically from child benefit if parents failed to pay within that time. Parents who do not receive child benefit and fail to pay fines would have the money recovered through county courts. Currently, parents of children who play truant face a fine of £50, rising to £100 if unpaid after 28 days. Taylor's review of truancy will call for a crackdown on term-time holiday, with absence only allowed in "exceptional circumstances". In the past school year, term-time holiday was the reason for 9.5% of absences from school, up from 9.3% the previous year. The education watchdog, Ofsted, will also be urged to set timed targets for improving attendance in schools where there are high rates of truancy. Taylor is due to say: "We know that some parents simply allow their children to miss lessons and then refuse to pay the fine. It means the penalty has no effect and children continue to lose vital days of education they can never recover. "Recouping the fines through child benefit ... will strengthen and simplify the system. It would give headteachers the backing they need in getting parents to play their part." A r eport on the effectiveness of fines , commissioned by the last government, found that 79% of local authorities said penalty notices were "very successful" or "fairly successful" in improving school attendance, but councils felt court action was often a long-winded process that achieved little. In 2010, out of 9,147 parents taken to court and found guilty over their children's truancy, only 6,591 received a fine or a more serious sanction. The average fine imposed by the court was £165. Fines for school absence were introduced by the Labour government in 2004 and the levels of the fines have not been revised since then. Taylor, the headteacher of a special school in west London, is currently on secondment as an expert adviser on behaviour to the government, which is expected to adopt his recommendations. His review calls on all primary schools to analyse their data on attendance to quickly identify children who are developing a pattern of absence. He will say: "The earlier schools address poor attendance patterns, the less likely it is that they will become a long-term issue. The best primary schools realise this and take a rigorous approach to poor attendance from the very start of school life." Education secretary Michael Gove announced the review of sanctions for truancy in a speech made after the riots last year. Gove said policing of the existing sanctions was "weak". "When fines are imposed, they are often reduced to take account of an adult's expenditure on satellite TV, alcohol and cigarettes. And many appear to shrug off fines and avoid existing sanctions, refusing to take responsibility for their actions," he said. More than 32,600 penalty notices for school absence were issued to parents last year, and more than 127,000 have been issued since their introduction in 2004. However, about half of all notices have gone unpaid or been withdrawn; schools or local authorities have to withdraw the penalty notice if it is unpaid after 42 days. The only further option is to prosecute parents. Truancy Schools Pupil behaviour Education policy Benefits Jeevan Vasagar guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
No Behaviour is a Disease. [VIDEO] A recent story on the CBC news website writes about ADHD and how younger children who lack maturity are having that lack of maturity misinterpreted as symptoms of ADHD, a neurobehavioural "disorder" that has been one of the great scams of the tyrannical...
DutchNews.nl - Bankers to swear oath of integrity. Bankers and senior financial service staff will soon have to swear under oath that they will carry out their jobs with integrity, put their clients first and ensure confidence in the banking sector, finance minister Jan Kees de Jager said in a briefing to MPs.
White House Doors Open for Big Donors. He was accompanied by Antoinette C. Bush, a well-connected Washington lawyer who has represented companies like Viacom, Sony and News Corporation for 30 years. A friend of the president and a cousin of his close aide Valerie B. Jarrett
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Engdahl: CIA plays ugly role, trains Syrian rebels. CIA Director David Petraeus makes weekly visits to Turkey. Video : Via RT - "Researcher and author of Full Spectrum Dominance, F. William Engdahl talks to RT from across the Syrian border about his take on the latest developments in Syria and Turkey." Read more of F. William...
The Live Videos Of The "Shelling Of Homs" Are Staged. My impression is that this whole thing is a staged to impress on the people voting today at the UN Security Council. This foreign financed revolution in Syria has routinely used fake video and untrue accounts of events on the ground. Today's "shelling of Homs"...
Tobacco. The UK is talking about banning brands from cigarette packages. The opposition is dishonest, pretehding that this discouragement to marketing is a prohibition of tobacco. I would oppose prohibition of tobacco, dangerous and harmful as that drug is, but prohibition is not the...
Summit of the Americas, a gathering of 33 of the hemisphere’s 35 leaders to discuss economic policy and trade.
washingtonpost.com So why IS John Humphrys in Liberia? Listeners baffled by veteran Today host's jaunt to Africa
dailymail.co.uk Small makeshift bomb explodes outside Greek bank. ATHENS (Reuters) - A small makeshift bomb exploded outside a branch of Greece's second largest lender, Eurobank, in central Athens early on Saturday, causing no injuries or serious damage, a police official said.
Iceland Forgives Mortgage Debt for the Population. See Also: (OilPrice) – Is Oil Smuggling and Organized Crime the Cause of Greece's Economic Crisis? – Read More Here Also: (ZeroHedge) – Does Obama Pay Less Taxes Than His Secretary? – Read More Here (SherrieQuestioningAll) – This is awesome. It...
Looting in Bahrain amid F1 disquiet. Pro-democracy groups in Bahrain have called for the race to be cancelled, but Bernie Ecclestone, who runs Formula 1, has now said the race is "200â2 going to happen.
Clinton backs women entrepreneurs in Americas. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a new public-private partnership to promote (African-American) women entrepreneurs in Latin America. One of these private partners is Walmart.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Bloomberg: "They don't give a damn whether innocent people are shot and killed."
qs.blork.ly Evangelical Community Reaching Out to Ron Paul. This could get interesting. In the wake of Sen. Rick Santorum's departure from the presidential race there are signs that some evangelical leaders are refusing to jump on board the Mitt Romney bandwagon and are turning to Congressman Ron Paul instead, reports Newsmax. This is a...
NATO Reports: Syria at Any Cost. But prefers "cheapest" method possible - exposes Annan "peace deal" as insidious gambit to "buy time." Tony Cartalucci, Contributor Activist Post As if there was any doubt, NATO's official "Alliance News Blog " has confirmed that the US is committed to the overthrow of Syria's...
A bullshit argument about mandated healthcare. #noagenda
tnr.com Making politicians look bad: 'A fireable offense' - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com.
salon.com Is there a simple way to make a pdf call home? (Lessig Blog).
lessig.org Executive Order -- Supporting Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources. EXECUTIVE ORDER SUPPORTING SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OF UNCONVENTIONAL DOMESTIC NATURAL GAS RESOURCES By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to coordinate the efforts of Federal agencies responsible for overseeing the safe and responsible development of unconventional domestic natural gas resources and associated infrastructure and to help reduce our dependence on oil, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1 . Policy . In 2011, natural gas provided 25 percent of the energy consumed in the United States. Its production creates jobs and provides economic benefits to the entire domestic production supply chain, as well as to chemical and other manufacturers, who benefit from lower feedstock and energy costs. By helping to power our transportation system, greater use of natural gas can also reduce our dependence on oil. And with appropriate safeguards, natural gas can provide a cleaner source of energy than other fossil fuels. For these reasons, it is vital that we take full advantage of our natural gas resources, while giving American families and communities confidence that natural and cultural resources, air and water quality, and public health and safety will not be compromised. While natural gas production is carried out by private firms, and States are the primary regulators of onshore oil and gas activities, the Federal Government has an important role to play by regulating oil and gas activities on public and Indian trust lands, encouraging greater use of natural gas in transportation, supporting research and development aimed at improving the safety of natural gas development and transportation activities, and setting sensible, cost-effective public health and environmental standards to implement Federal law and augment State safeguards. Because efforts to promote safe, responsible, and efficient development of unconventional domestic natural gas resources are underway at a number of executive departments and agencies (agencies), close interagency coordination is important for effective implementation of these programs and activities. To formalize and promote ongoing interagency coordination, this order establishes a high-level, interagency working group that will facilitate coordinated Administration policy efforts to support safe and responsible unconventional domestic natural gas development. Sec . 2 . Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources . There is established an Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources (Working Group), to be chaired by the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, or a designated representative. (a) Membership . In addition to the Chair, the Working Group shall include deputy-level representatives or equivalent officials, designated by the head of the respective agency or office, from: (i) the Department of Defense; (ii) the Department of the Interior; (iii) the Department of Agriculture; (iv) the Department of Commerce; (v) the Department of Health and Human Services; (vi) the Department of Transportation; (vii) the Department of Energy; (viii) the Department of Homeland Security; (ix) the Environmental Protection Agency; (x) the Council on Environmental Quality; (xi) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; (xii) the Office of Management and Budget; (xiii) the National Economic Council; and (xiv) such other agencies or offices as the Chair may invite to participate. (b) Functions . Consistent with the authorities and responsibilities of participating agencies and offices, the Working Group shall support the safe and responsible production of domestic unconventional natural gas by performing the following functions: (i) coordinate agency policy activities, ensuring their efficient and effective operation and facilitating cooperation among agencies, as appropriate; (ii) coordinate among agencies the sharing of scientific, environmental, and related technical and economic information; (iii) engage in long-term planning and ensure coordination among the appropriate Federal entities with respect to such issues as research, natural resource assessment, and the development of infrastructure; (iv) promote interagency communication with stakeholders; and (v) consult with other agencies and offices as appropriate. Sec . 3 . General Provisions . (a) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. BARACK OBAMA THE WHITE HOUSE, April 13, 2012.
Battle for the Soul of Occupy | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters
adbusters.org Netherlands: Compulsory contraception urged for addicts, psychiatric patients
dutchnews.nl
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Russia bans transit of NATO heroin through its territory. At the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, President Dmitry Medvedev renewed the offer to make Russian rail lines available for the transportation of non-military material from Europe to Afghanistan and vice versa.On 5 April 2012, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander …...
Murdoch hacking scandal moves to US. The international hacking scandal that disrupted Rupert Murdoch's media empire and ended his trademark paper The News of the World is officially coming to America. A prominent British lawyer has confirmed he will be filing related charges in the US. Attorney Mark Lewis has...
The Real Cost of the Australian Carbon Tax. Andrew Puhanic The Globalists Report On July 1 2012, the Australian Government will introduce a Globalist backed carbon tax. The carbon tax will begin at a fixed price of $23 per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. Cloaked by […]
North Korea Missile Test Failed. North Korea attempted to launch a long-range rocket on Friday, but it instead malfunctioned and broke apart before even escaping Earth's atmosphere. "This was supposed to be associated with (Kim Jong Un's) ascension to power. So for this thing to fail … is incredibly...
Top 5 Banks Hold 95.7%, Or $221 Trillion, Of Outstanding Derivatives. WASP writes - Every quarter the Office of the Currency Comptroller releases its report on Bank Derivative Activities, and every quarter we find that the Too Big To Fail get Too Bigger To Fail. To wit: in Q4 2011, of the total $230.8 trillion in US outstanding derivatives, the...
AFRICOM's Military Campaign: Natural Resources. Washington's "hunt" for Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group, is a sideshow masking America's intention to fulfill a long-held dream to gain a foothold in the DRC's minerals sector.
US Attempting to Trigger Color Revolution in Pakistan. As Pakistan reasserts national-sovereignty, the US responds with arming & backing Baluchi terrorists. by Tony Cartalucci April 13, 2012 - Carving up Pakistan by fomenting separatist movements along Pakistan's western border has been on the US geopolitical drawing board for...
Is Turkey preparing for an intervention in Syria? Michael Weiss TheTelegraph The short answer is yes. Although it won't happen tomorrow or without assistance especially from the United States, which is evidently first going to allow Kofi Annan to try his luck getting Iran to broker a peace […]
PM: Turkey may invoke NATO's Article 5 over Syrian border fire. In a statement that may be interpreted as the harshest response yet to the escalating 13-month-old Syrian crisis, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan for the first time on Wednesday raised the possibility of calling on the NATO military alliance to protect Turkey's...
Why does this pdf keep 'updating' when in my dropbox? Is it phoning home?
adam.curry.com Azerbeidzjan wil hoogste gebouw ter wereld. Azerbeidzjan heeft ambitieuze plannen om het hoogste gebouw ter wereld te bouwen. De voormalige Sovjet-staat wil zich hiermee nog verder profileren. Het grootste ontwikkelingsproject van Bakoe, de hoofdstad van Azerbeidzjan, zal bestaan uit ...
First new concentration camps in Europe set to sprout on Greek soil. By Richard Cottrell Contributing writer for End the Lie As if the current circumstances of austerity-riven Greece were not bad enough already, it seems that the country is set to have a dozen or so concentration camps dotted around the country. In language that might have been...
Forrestal Lecture Q & A. Apr. 10, 2012: Secretary Clinton answers questions after delivering the Forrestal Lecture at the Naval Academy
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
CNET News Reports ISP's Set to Track User Downloads Starting July 1st.
sfgate.com Visibly Annoyed Obama Gets Lecture From Female President of Brazil
breitbart.com Remarks at Now, just a few days ago, we joined the world in celebrating her election. I did tell her in one of our recent telephone conversations she was moving from an icon to a politician. (Laughter.) Having made sort of the same journey to some extent, I know that that's not easy because now you go to a parliament and you start compromising, which is what democracy is all about. It is not a dirty word. You cannot expect to have one person or one party -- one leader -- be the repository of everything that is true. And so you have to work with other people, some of whom you disagree with deeply. (Laughter.) But it is part of the commitment you make to a democratic process, even one as fragile as that being embraced by the leadership and the people of Burma.
The Lady (2011) - IMDb. The story of Aung San Suu Kyi as she becomes the core of Burma's democracy movement, and her relationship with her husband, writer Michael Aris.
About. National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation, with chapters throughout the U.S. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, national origin, and gender.
Soco agrees to sell Yemen ops to China company - Yemen Petroleum Company.
ypcye.com Oil pipeline bombed in southeast Yemen - Xinhua. ADEN, Yemen, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Suspected al-Qaida militants blew up an oil pipeline in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa on Tuesday night, causing huge fire in the area, a security official told Xinhua.
Unhappy With Even Minimal Scrutiny, US Removes Last Pretense Of TPP Transparency. The stakeholder presentations have offered detailed expert analyses of the legal issues and implications of TPPA proposals that many countries' negotiators do not have time, resources or knowledge to develop themselves.
They also provide important support for the positions that countries are taking in the negotiations, especially against the very aggressive demands from the US.
Even though it is voluntary for the negotiators to attend, they often ask for follow-up discussions on the issues and how they might protect their interests -- without, of course, the advisers having access to the draft text.
Costa Rica's 35,000-seat National Stadium opens / News / Top Story / Current Edition / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times. Or maybe it is just a sign of what the Chinese are capable of doing.
While a giant Costa Rican flag waves on the western side of the National Stadium, the "Jewel of La Sabana," as it was deemed by former President Oscar Arias, was constructed by a staff of entirely Chinese workers. In June 2007, Arias severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan to officially establish Costa Rica's new partnership with China. As a token of appreciation, the Chinese government offered Costa Rica a new National Stadium as "a gift", and spent an estimated $100 million on its construction.
The War on Cash (Spain Edition). Spain plans to limit cash transactions to EU2,500 to fight tax fraud. Italy was the first to implement cash limitations. Does anyone doubt that such a regulation will eventually be adopted in America? Of course, with limitations on how much can be withdrawn from banks. Another...
Anderson Cooper's 70 second giggle. Anderson almost made it a year without another giggle attack. I think this one is the best. The cutaway at the end seemed a little off though.
Get Ready for a New Air Force One. Yup, the Air Force is moving to buy a brand new pair of big jets for the president. Well, whomever is president at the end of the decade, anyway. We mentioned (tweeted) this last September when Air Force Secretary Michael Donley mentioned that the service will look at buying a...
Cellphone Radiation Detector App Banned by Apple. Mike Barrett Activist Post Although many individuals think nothing of radiation emitted by cell phones, or even believe it to be true, there is a large amount of evidence showing how damaging cell phone use can actually be. In response to the released information and growing...
Erdogan Lost His Marbles. Is the Turkish premier Erdogan going insane? Speaking to reporters travelling with him during his official visit to China, ErdoÄŸan said Turkey may consider invoking NATO's fifth article to protect Turkish national security in the face of increasing tension along...
NASA Says This Is NOT An UFO Being Shot Down - YouTube.
youtube.com The Tiny Home Movement. The Tiny Home Movement April 10, 2012 Q13 News MOXNews.com From: MoxNewsDotCom Views: 135 12 ratings Time: 01:26 More in News & Politics
MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski: Joe Scarborough is ‘like a gay stylist'. Look at the picture above. Doesn't MSNBC's Joe Scarborough (right) fit the idea of 'gay stylist' to a T? Maybe. If that gay stylist was actually a lesbian professionally trained in cage fighting. Yet in an interview with New York Times magazine, Scarborough's morning show...
President Obama Speaks on the Buffett Rule. President Obama explains why we need the Buffett Rule, which make our tax system more fair by ensuring that people who make more than $1 million a year pay at least the same share of their income in taxes as middle-class families.
The Tiny Home Movement. The Tiny Home Movement April 10, 2012 Q13 News MOXNews.com From: MoxNewsDotCom Views: 135 12 ratings Time: 01:26 More in News & Politics
Eurozone crisis live: Markets steady after sharp falls. Greek PM confirms elections to be held on May 6 Spanish PM says Spain will not need bailout Tsunami warning after 8.7 quake in Indonesia ECB member Coeure defends LTRO 2.21pm: News in from Athens where our correspondent Helena Smith says the Greek prime minister Lucas Papademos has announced that elections will be held, as expected, on May 6. Five months to the day after Lucas Papademos was sworn in, the former central banker is meeting president Carolos Papoulias to inform him of his intention to take Greece to the polls and request the dissolution of Athens' 300-seat House. That gives Greece's feuding political parties exactly 25 days to campaign for an event that many in Europe - starting with Germany, Athens' main provider of rescue funds - would prefer not to take place. With polls indicating that no party will win enough seats to form a government, fears are growing that Greece is heading for protracted political instability in addition to navigating its worst economic crisis in modern times. Officials representing Greece's troilka of creditors [the EU, IMF and ECB] will be conducting a crucial inspection tour in June when Athens will be asked to provide evidence of how it plans to make an extra €11.4bn in spending cuts. Meanwhile troika officials will also meet government officials today to discuss how best to proceed with the recapitalisation of Greek banks - a vital step to re-energising the country's cash-strapped economy. 1.58pm: The gold price could break through $2,000 next year, on fears of another flare-up in the eurozone crisis. Metals consultancy GFMS said gold prices are likely to be driven above $2,000 as concerns over the debt crisis persist and the prospect of more quantitative easing (QE) in the US gains ground. Gold is a safe haven in troubled times and can protect against the inflationary effects of QE. But GFMS chairman Philip Klapwijk said that move could be short-lived as those factors dissipate, particularly if US interest rates rise. We are expecting still that we are going to see a push above $2,000 in 2013, but it may be that 2013 marks the high water mark for the market. Gold is currently trading between $1,657 and $1,658. 1.36pm: US import prices rose 1.3% in March, the largest month-on-month gain since April 2011 , driven by higher oil prices. That's going to dampen hopes of more quantitative easing, as it will stoke concerns about inflation. Export prices rose 0.8% compared with a 0.4% increase in February. 1.20pm: European markets continue to rise after the sell-off yesterday. In the UK, banks drove the index higher after HSBC raised its call on the sector to "overweight" for the first time in four years, because it is cheap. FTSE 100: up 0.7%, or 38 points, at 5634 points Spanish IBEX: up 1.6% at 7551 Italy's FTSE MIB: up 2% at 14770 German DAX: up 1.1% at 6679 French CAC: up 1.3% at 3258 12.52pm: Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy said Spain will not need a bail-out. He also said the deficit target was "unconditional". Talking in parliament in Madrid, he said Spain overspent by €90bn last year. We have to ask (creditors) for this and, if they don't give it to us, it puts us in a difficult position. He also asked other EU leaders to be cautious in their comments on Spain. There was no explicit connection, but Italy's prime minister Mario Monti is reported to have blamed current problems in the debt markets on Spain. Rajoy said: We are not against anyone, we don't speak out against other countries. What is good for Spain is good for the eurozone. The Spanish government is going to be pretty busy in the coming month. Rajoy said that in April it will push forward the programme to tackle tax and employment fraud, reform of the healthcare system, reform of the banking system and privatisations of public sector assets. He said: The government's economic policies are tough and costly and will not produce results in the short term but they are what we have to do in these moments. 12.39pm: It's a mystery what they've found to be cheerful about, but Irish consumer sentiment rose to a five-month high in March. The KBC Bank Ireland/ERSI consumer sentiment index rose to 60.6 in March, compared with 57 in February, and 49.2 in December, when the index nosedived on fears of a European meltdown. Austin Hughes of KBC Bank Ireland said: While consumers remain very cautious and are particularly concerned about their personal finances, the extreme fears that prevailed late 2011 seem to be slowly easing. Irish consumers are not quite as gloomy as they were at the peak of the crisis but they continue to see the major obstacles that preclude a return to solid growth in economic activity and incomes. 11.46am: The euro is inching up today but traders say the currency has nothing to push it dramatically in either direction. €1 is currently worth around $1.30. David Bloom, currency strategist at HSBC and master of the descriptive analogy, says: It's like a lazy dog, it just sits there doing nothing. Occasionally it moves towards the fire, then it gets a bit hot and moves away again but it never goes far. It just hangs around. I think people just don't know what to do anymore. We're in a very bad spot because the economy is not strong enough to be self-sustaining but not weak enough to warrant more [quantitative easing]. The market wants more liquidity or more growth but its getting neither. It's like a boat drifting out at sea. You're waiting for the wind to pick up, or you're waiting for there to be no wind at all so you put the motor on. There's enough wind not to put the sails down but not enough to put the motor on. 11.37am: Nouriel Roubini, he who called the first crash, joins critics of austerity measures... Spain's industrial production is free falling and the draconian fiscal austerity will make its recession much worse... — Nouriel Roubini (@Nouriel) April 11, 2012 11.27am: The European Commission is turning the screws on Spain. It wants a "full picture" of Spain's budget consolidation plan, not only by central government. It says that, without information on regional budgets, it cannot provide any recommendations to Madrid. It's asking for the additional information by the end of April. With regards to a bailout, the Commission is standing by its view that Spain will not need eurozone help for the recapitalisation of Spanish banks. We shall see... 11.18am: We've got some analysis of the various bond auctions from Gavan Nolan at Markit: Overall, they were on the weak side. In the Italian auction, the yields on the one-year paper is twice what they were in March, so that's clearly disappointing. They managed to sell the full €11bn but with significant concessions and the bid/cover ratio wasn't great suggesting demand is waning on the domestic front. On the German one, you could call it a failed auction because they haven't covered it. The fact that they had to retain a large amount of paper shows that Germany can't sell paper with unlimited demand. Spanish and Italian bond yields continue to drop back from yesterday's levels. The yield on Spain's 10-year bond is currently 5.85%, while Italy's is 5.51%. However, it is still getting more expensive to insure against a default in both countries. Spanish credit default swaps are trading at 4.85%, and Italy's at 4.35%. Nolan says that is probably due to a lack of liquidity rather than anything more dramatic. 11.08am: Lest we forget, Greece's seaman are still striking. Greek TV channel SKAI reports that the two-day strike started yesterday has prompted more than 10,000 ferry passengers to cancel their tickets and another 3,000 to change their dates of travel. Greek news site ekathimerini.com reports: The strike, which has been held to protest the impact of the government's austerity drive on seamen's pensions and benefits, has fueled the exasperation of hoteliers and traders who had hoped to make up for sluggish business in Orthodox Easter week. 10.56am: There's a nice tweet from Geoffrey Smith of Dow Jones, putting some perspective on the German Bund auction, which got bids for €4.1bn of bonds, vs the target of €5bn. Refusing to buy a 10-year Bund at 1.77% is like refusing to pay £10 for a pint of beer. Everybody chill. — Geoffrey Smith (@Geoffreytsmith) April 11, 2012 10.42am: Now it's the UK's turn. We did better than the Germans, but demand was muted with bids for just 1.4 times the amount of debt on offer. The UK sold £4.5bn of 5-year gilts at 1.147%. 10.34am: But Germany has been punished for the low yields on its bonds and hasn't sold all of the debt on offer at an auction this morning. It sold €3.87bn of 10-year bonds at an average yield of 1.77%, when there was up to €5bn on offer. The yield has also moved away from the record low of 1.637% reached earlier this week. 10.21am: There's quite a contrast between Italian and Swiss debt. Switzerland just sold 872m Swiss francs of 30-year bonds at a yield of 1.168%. 10.11am: Italy's one-year borrowing costs have risen for the first time since last November (when they hit a high of 6%). The yield rose to 2.84% at an auction this morning, from 1.4% in mid-March. There was plenty of demand, with bids for 1.6 times the amount of debt on offer, primarily from Italian investors. The yield on the three-month debt more than doubled to 1.25% from 0.49%. The yield on 10-year bonds has come back since this morning to 5.54%. 10.06am: UK prime minister David Cameron is out in Jakarta, but they haven't felt any tremors there according to ITV News political correspondent Chris Ship. No tremors felt from Aceh quake here in Jakarta. We have press conf shortly with Cameron & Indonesian President. Will update if anything new — Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) April 11, 2012 10.04am: DJ FX Trader says the magnitude is being revised down, but still very high... Magnitude For Quake Off Sumatra, Indonesia Revised To 8.7 from 8.9 - USGS — DJ FX Trader (@djfxtrader) April 11, 2012 9.59am: There's been a tsunami warning issued after an earthquake, of magnitude 8.9 , off the west coast of northern Sumatra. To put that in context, the Boxing Day quake had a magnitude of 9.1. 9.33am: There is also growing support for the view that austerity cuts will only deepen the recession. Elisabeth Afseth, fixed income analyst at Investec, wrote: The market did not take any comfort from the government's announcement on €10bn of savings on health and education. It is becoming much more an issue of growth, budget savings are all well and good, but with 22.85% unemployment, deficit reductions will come from getting the economy moving and people back to work. It is a point of view shared by the people who won't get their money back if bailouts fail. Over the weekend the Institute of International Finance, the banking group that represented Greece's creditors during the restructuring of its debt, said the same thing. IIF chief Charles Dallara wrote in a letter addressed to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank released on Monday: The emphasis so far on fiscal austerity, while to a degree necessary for the countries facing market funding difficulties, is excessive when carried out across the board, and has already contributed to a steep contraction in domestic demand in the Euro Area as a whole. It is important to move beyond just fiscal discipline, so as to avoid the risk of an austerity overload. 9.26am: There's plenty of analyst reaction coming through following yesterday's market rout, mainly focusing on the short-lived nature of the relief provided by the LTRO. Jim Reid at Deutsche Bank says: The bad news is that it seems from our fixed income analysts that Spanish banks may be running out of spare LTRO money so the buying momentum has perhaps been lost. We also have a situation where for any bail-out to be accessed (if needed), the situation may need to get a lot worse from here. Even if a package was taken, the experience of this crisis so far should warn markets that this might not be the end of the problem. So overall whether Spain is a systemic risk at some point in 2012 is probably down to its growth prospects and whether the market believes its reform packages are credible. We always thought the sovereign crisis would re-emerge as we approached H2 after a justifiable honeymoon period in H1. It's difficult to say whether this is the start but it's at least becoming clear that the LTROs were very powerful but were not the Holy Grail. 9.14am: But Rajoy's anti-fraud measures will have limited effect in Spain, says Sony Kapoor of think tank Re-Define. Tax Avoidance & Evasion in #Spain is less widespread than in #Italy & #Greece so the effectiveness of #Rajoy 's latest measures wd b limited! — Sony Kapoor (@SonyKapoor) April 11, 2012 8.59am: There's a few lines coming through from the speech by Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy. He will approve measures against tax fraud this week and opted for a tax amnesty rather than raising taxes. The government will enforce a law that stops people making transactions of more than €2,500 in cash, presumably to clamp down on black market activity. Anyone found breaking the law will be fined 25% of the transaction. Thanks to Bloomberg economics editor @lindayueh for those. 8.37am: European Central Bank board member Benoît Coeuré is trying to calm the markets this morning and defend the LTRO. He says that the market situation in the eurozone has improved since February, but could still go the other way. On Spain, he says the Spanish government is taking reform steps, and there is no reason why the market should not improve there too. He says the ECB decided on the LTRO because there was a risk of deflation. He accepts that there is now €800bn of excess liquidity in the euro system, which will persist throughout 2012. But he argues that there is not enough demand in the eurozone to create a risk of inflation risks. He says the ECB has instruments to mop up excess liquidity, and that the bank's focus is on exiting crisis mode rather than responding to future catastrophe. We can withdraw the ample liquidity created as a side effect of the long-term operation whenever the governing council deems liquidity conditions are excessive in view of the outlook for price stability. He says the European capital market has been fragmented by the crisis and needs a "financial compact" to return to normal. 8.19am: Looking at the debt markets, Spanish and Italian bonds dropped again in value this morning pushing up their yields (the measure of the interest rate). Spanish 10-year bonds opened 4 basis points higher at 6.01%, although they have since slipped back below the 6% mark. Italy's 10-year bond opened 4 basis points higher at 5.73%. Spanish bonds are still a way off their high (since the euro was brought in) of 6.78% in November last year. That was before the ECB flooded the markets with cash under the Long Term Refinancing Operation, which supressed bond yields. The fear is that was just a quick fix. As Suki Mann of SG notes: It appears that the LTRO was a game changer -- for just a quarter. By contrast, German sovereign debt was in demand yesterday, as it is seen as a safe place to put your money in troubled times. The value of German bonds rose to near highs, pushing their yields lower. That trend has reversed slightly this morning, as there's an auction of German debt coming up. But the yield on the 10-year bonds remains low at 1.67%. 8.08am: Markets inched up this morning after yesterday's tumble. FTSE 100: up 0.17%, or 9.5 points, at 5605 points Spanish IBEX: up 0.1% Italy's FTSE MIB: up 0.2% German DAX: up 0.4% French CAC: down 0.1% 8.02am: Spain's industrial output for February fell 5.1% year-on-year, lower than forecasts of a 5% drop and the biggest fall in three months. (Found it! Thanks, KhakiSuit ) 7.54am: There's plenty going on today to give the markets some direction. * ECB board member Benoît Coeuré speaks: 7.30am BST * Spain's prime minister Mariano Rajoy speaks: 8.00am BST * Italian Senate labour committee meets: 8.30 BST * Germany wholesale price index for March: 8.00am BST * Greek prime minister meets president re election: 3.00pm BST * French finance minister François Baroin speaks: 3.00pm BST * IMF releases parts of global financial stability report: 3.00pm BST * US Federal budget for March: 7.00pm BST * US Beige Book economic survey: 7.00pm BST In the bond markets, Italy is due to sell €3bn of 3-month debt, and €8bn of 12-month debt, Germany will sell €5bn of 10-year bonds and the UK debt management office will sell £4.5bn of a 1% 5-year treasury gilt. 7.19am: Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the eurozone financial crisis . Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy will be making a speech this morning, after yesterday's market rout, which saw the Madrid Stock Exchange drop to levels not seen since 2009 and bond yields rise above 6% . We'll cover that as news comes in. Benoît Coeuré, a member of the ECB executive board, has already been speaking at a breakfast meeting. French finance minister François Baroin, meanwhile, will present the government's multi-year budget plans to the senate this afternoon. Then later we're expecting Greece to formally announce that its elections will be held on 6 May. Eurozone crisis Spain Stock markets Euro Euro Josephine Moulds guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
U.S. Not Seeking New Enemies in Asia: Clinton. CRI U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that Washington is not seeking new enemies in Asia, dismissing the notion of a new Cold War in the dynamic region. "We are not seeking new enemies. Today's China is not […]
Alert: Canada to Issue Digital Money. The development of a money that tracks what you do with your funds is about to go into overdrive with a test of digital money in Canada. Last week, the Canadian Royal Mint announced the release of MintChip, a completely digital currency. "Money, as we know it, is fine for today,...
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Chinese Troops Reportedly Amassing Near US-Mexico Border. Wiki Image Brandon Turbeville Activist Post If recent accounts coming from some in the alternative media are to be believed, then Operation Fast & Furious may soon give way to an even bigger story surrounding the U.S./Mexico border. Indeed, even the notorious Mexican drug...
Launching Apps for Energy! Developers, Are You Ready? The Energy Department’s first ever Apps for Energy competition challenges the American developer community to build apps that help consumers get the most out of their utility data. Apps for Energy leverages Green Button -- an open standard for sharing electricity usage information. For the competition, developers will mash-up Green Button data with other public data sources to create innovative, energy-focused apps (visit our developer page for a list of resources). Submissions can be any kind of software application broadly available to the public -- including apps for the web, personal computers, and mobile devices. Developers who take on the Apps for Energy challenge have an opportunity to significantly impact the way millions of Americans think about and use their electricity usage data. Building apps that provide insight and useful information into everyday electricity consumption will help empower consumers to effectively manage their energy use in ways that save money and energy. read more
European stock markets rocked by panic selling as debt crisis reignites.
ob.blork.ly TSA Whistleblower: Body Scanners Routinely Fail. Guns, knives, explosive material not recognized by $1 billion dollar fleet of scanners (PaulWatson) – A TSA screener has lifted to lid to reveal how the federal agency's $1 billion dollar plus fleet of body scanners is completely useless in that the machines routinely fail...
DutchNews.nl - Thousands of volunteers prop up police forces. Fourteen of the 25 Dutch police forces use members of the public as volunteers to carry out police tasks, RTL news reports. Thousands of ordinary people volunteer for police tasks and some wear police uniforms and take part in surveillance or minor detective work, RTL says.
Santorum suspends GOP presidential campaign
o7.blork.ly Matt Taibbi: JOBS Act Encourages Fraud in Stock Markets. Click here to view this media Matt Taibbi sat down with Current TV's Eliot Spitzer to discuss the bipartisan debacle just passed by the Congress and signed by President Obama last week called the JOBS Act and the potential political fallout if this is made into an issue in the...
Saakashvili inspects Georgian drone. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili inspected on Tuesday unmanned aerial systems. The new unmanned system is unique and has been tested in difficult weather conditions, the Georgian Defense Ministry said. It consists of an aircraft and the ground segment. Flight control is...
GLOBAL INTERNET VOTING FIRM BUYS U.S. ELECTION RESULTS REPORTING FIRM. As reported by BlackBoxVoting.org in 2008, the bad news is that this centralizes one middleman access point for over 525 jurisdictions in AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, KY, MI, KS, IL, IN, NC, NM, MN, NY, SC, TX, UT, WA. And growing.
Iran To Shut Down Internet Permanently; 'Clean' National Intranet In Pipeline - International Business Times.
img.ibtimes.com U.S. Government, Carriers Plan a National Database of Stolen Cellphones - WSJ.com. The nation's major wireless providers have agreed to a deal with the U.S. government to build a central database of stolen cellphones�part of a broad effort to tame an explosion of thefts nationwide.
The database, which the wireless companies will build and maintain, will be designed to track phones that are reported as lost or stolen and deny them voice and data service. The idea is to reduce crime by making it difficult or impossible to actually use a stolen device, reducing resale value.
U.S. Navy Focus Shifts To Asia-Pacific. The U.S. Navy's expanding mission in Asia and the Pacific Ocean is a striking example of early planning turned on its head by changing threats. That upset is now being righted by innovations on the fly.
New technologies—including aircraft carriers and stealthy strike aircraft—will be transferred to the Asia-Pacific theater. But equally new, foreign-built surveillance systems, electronic attack weapons and cyberinvasion tools are unexpectedly threatening crucial sensors and communications on advanced ships and aircraft, say top Pentagon officials.
The advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, for example, has a new vulnerability. Its wide-angle field-of-view radar can be attacked with cyberweapons through its active, electronically scanned array (AESA) antennas. Airborne cyberÂweapons form data beams that can be packed with malware and directed into a target antenna. These devices are being developed by several nations specifically to electronically attack, jam, invade and exploit high-value, airborne targets, say U.S. electronic warfare (EW) specialists.
Exclusive: Madonna Madonna's "MDNA" album had the biggest second week drop in chart history last week, I am told. When all the numbers are in on Tuesday night, "MDNA" will have fallen from number 1 by 88%--from 359,000 copies in its first week to roughly 46,000 the second week. Wow.
NYT Insults Intelligence in Latest Syrian Op-Ed. Dear New York Times, It Takes Two to Tango. an editorial by Tony Cartalucci April 10, 2012 - In New York Times' (NYT) latest, anonymous editorial , they berate the Syrian government for not making good on Kofi Annan's alleged "peace deal," openly admitted by US policy...
Navy Grounds Firescout Drone Choppers. Well, then. With Navy MQ-8B Firescout drones doing everything from violating the airspace restrictions around Washington DC to crashing around the world from Libya to Afghanistan, it seems that the Navy has grounded the little helicopter drones indefinitely. The grounding comes...
Monday, April 09, 2012
Ron Paul Supporters OCCUPY C-SPAN! Ron Paul Supporters OCCUPY C-SPAN! REAL Ron Paul supporters aren't screened by C-SPAN like they are with other media outlets, so we get to hear what America really thinks! From: ARSONomics Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 14:56 More in News & Politics
Material World: Balochistan - Redrawing the Map of Southwest Asia.
1l3.butt.org The Ugly Truth For Northern Europeans. "...The income and savings of Northern workers must be ploughed (directly or indirectly) into the rest-of-Europe or the entire structure becomes insolvent and the breaking of that social contract (that they will be looked after when they are old) will inevitably lead to...
For rent: Greek cops, cars. The cash-strapped Greek state is now looking to a new way of raising revenues - renting out its policemen at an hourly rate of �30, with patrol cars going for �10 more.
Dolphin: Universal Cancer Vaccine Developed. Universal Cancer Vaccine Developed A vaccine that can train cancer patients' own bodies to seek out and destroy tumor cells has been developed by scientists. The therapy, which targets a molecule found in 90 per cent of all cancers, could provide a universal injection that...
Netflix creates pro-SOPA super-PAC. As United States lawmakers continue to consider anti-piracy legislation in Congress, they've found an ally in Netflix. Now the streaming content giant has created its own super PAC, whose main goal is to promote SOPA-like legislation. Hollywood and record industry support didn't...
Liberian LGBT Rights Under Spotlight : NPR. Anti-gay sentiment in Liberia has been growing since the U.S. announced plans, last year, to promote LGBT rights overseas. New legislation in Liberia calls for punishing homosexuality with longer jail time, and one group has been handing out fliers targeting gay-rights supporters. Host Michel Martin talks with freelance journalist Tamasin Ford.
Download the Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments. Supposedly the US government had the book removed from libraries and banned for sale on the grounds that the projects were too dangerous for kids. I don't know whether the banned-book story is true or not, but The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments remains one of the best...
Matt Taibbi: Why Obama's JOBS Act Couldn't Suck Worse.
n6.blork.ly Asia Times Online :: Japan's lost libido and America's asexual future. Pharmaceutical companies are racing to market a pill to revive fading female libido, to no avail: women do not want to be sex objects, and a culture that objectifies women will make them hate sex, as I wrote in this space five years ago [3]. But the problem has gotten worse than I imagined it would.
State-Dominated Media and Iran we now turn over our media outlet to the pronouncements of anonymous government officials, who will explain under the guise of a "news report"
Carbon Tax FAQ. The money raised by a carbon tax will be used to reduce other taxes, like income and payroll taxes.
Gas prices will rise due to increased distribution costs, networks warn
m.guardian.co.uk American Universities Infected by Foreign Spies Detected by FBI. Hearkening back to Cold War anxieties, growing signs of spying on U.S. universities are alarming national security officials. As schools become more global in their locations and student populations, their culture of openness and international collaboration makes them...
Orlando's Rep. Adams fears Obama power grab. (OrlandoSentinal) – A White House order updating federal emergency powers has raised alarm among some conservative commentators, and U.S. Rep. Sandy Adams, that President Barack Obama is attempting to grab unconstitutional powers. A columnist with The Washington Times...
The Media Will Sabotage The Syrian Cease-Fire. Yusuf Kanli writes for the Turkish daily Hurriyet on the situation in Syria: Will it be possible to achieve a cease-fire? Indications are that before Tuesday's withdrawal of troops deadline, Damascus will undertake whatever possible to strengthen its position. The...
GREECE BREAKING: GOVERNMENT BUILDING TORCHED BY ARSONISTS. Same bomb type as last week's attack on former Prime Minister A deliberately planted home-made gas canister gutted the Ministry of Administrative Reform's ground floor offices in the Neos Kosmos district of Athens earlier this morning (Monday). The MAR has … Continue...
Al-Qaeda Claims Credit for 2 Gas Pipeline attacks in Yemen. In the last week, Yemen has been affected by 2 atta cks aimed at gas pipelines in the southern gas-rich province of Sabwa. This 21" pipeline is 204 km long with a capacity of 268,976 BPD, transporting product from the Sabwa region to the Bir Ali terminal. The most recent attack...
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Drug War Insanity. According to the IRS, the American Opportunity Credit cannot be taken by a taxpayer if he has a felony drug conviction. Not murder, not rape, not armed robbery just drugs.
"Is Someone Hunting Black People?". "Is Someone Hunting Black People?" April 07, 2012 ABC News MOXNews.com From: MoxNewsDotCom Views: 1 0 ratings Time: 02:38 More in News & Politics
Access Denied! Colleges Withhold Transcripts From Grads in Loan Default
alternet.org Germany's Hidden Support of Greece, Spain and Portugal (Wonkish). Bob Engilsh emails: Just got to this in my reading stack and it supports your post(s). Â It's pretty interesting. Â The gist of the 40 page paper is that Germany has been stealth printing with TARGET loans to make up for the capital flight from the periphery:...
Powder Keg In The Caucasus: What Israel Sent To Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan angered its neighbor, Iran, when it recently purchased $1.6 billion in military equipment from Israel. Details of this purchase were never mentioned, but now the veil of secrecy is being lifted.Among the items ordered were Gabriel anti-ship missiles. These are 522 kg...
Motley Crew: Using Force to Maintain a Standing Army in Tajikistan. Hunger, unheated barracks, beatings and regular outbreaks of disease: it could be life in a penal colony. But in this case, it describes the existence of a fresh military conscript in Tajikistan.The brutal conditions are the reason many young Tajik men go to great lengths to...
UK firms in secret talks on joining Burmese gold rush. British businesses are looking to invest once more in Burma, as Western multinationals prepare for a gold rush inside one of South-east Asia's least developed -- and potentially lucrative -- economies.JCB, Shell, HSBC and Standard Chartered are among the British firms said to be...
US Army Prepares For Riot Control – Photos! (BeforeItsNews) – The following photos are from March and February of this year and were taken at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The photos are similar to a collection from May 2010 that depict several National Guard units from different parts of the U.S. quelling...
High fructose corn syrup responsible for bee problems ?
1hp.butt.org SO LONG CHRISTOULAS, BYE-BYE, ARRIVEDERCI, CIAO, GEIASOU! Thousands of weeping mourners said farewell on Saturday to Dimitris Christoulas, a pensioner who became a symbol of the pain inflicted by Graecokleptocracy when he shot himself in the head outside the Grand Brothel on Syntagma Square. Greece is the queen of political corruption...
Himalayan avalanche buries 100 soldiers. At least 100 Pakistani soldiers have been buried alive in a remote area in the Himalayas when an avalanche smashed into their camp.
Troops with sniffer dogs, aided by helicopters, were frantically trying to find signs of survivors in the snow after the avalanche engulfed the camp in Gayari, Siachen, in Pakistan's north, close to the sensitive border with India.
A team of doctors and paramedics has also been rushed to the mountainous area, which suffers extreme weather conditions, a security official said.
Monsanto threatens the sue the entire state of Vermont � RT. If the bill in question, H-722 (the "VT Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act") passes the state Senate and House, manufacturers will be required to label products that are created either partially or in full from a genetically modified organism, or GMO. Such man-made crops have become a trademark of the billion-dollar Monsanto corporation, and in the past the company has gone to great lengths to keep themselves the number-one name in American agriculture, even if those profits are made possible from playing God.
Monsanto is going mad over the proposal, however, which would also make them unable to label their productions as "natural," "naturally made," "naturally grown" or "all natural," if, in fact, they are not. For the corporation, it would seem that moving products and making money is much more of a worthwhile venture than telling its customers what exactly they are consuming.
Britse supermarkten moeten sigarettenpakjes 'verstoppen' voor klanten. In de Britse supermarkten mogen vanaf vandaag geen sigarettenpakjes meer te zien zijn. Ze mogen wel nog verkocht worden. De vorige socialistische regering had deze wet al goedgekeurd, maar de huidige regering van conservatieven en liberaal-democraten wilde de maatregel eerst bestuderen alvorens hem daadwerkelijk in te voeren. Volgens Anne Milton van het ministerie van Volksgezondheid zou de nieuwe wet jonge rokers ontmoedigen. "Zij kunnen gelokt worden door de kleurrijke en opvallende verpakkingen in de etalage. Bovendien zijn de volwassenen die vandaag roken hiermee vaak al begonnen in hun jeugd. Wij willen die tendens beëindigen." De Britse minister van Volksgezondheid, Andrew Lansley, voegde op de BBC daaraan toe dat de regering stap per stap het idee wil uitroeien dat roken normaal is. Een volgende stap, waarover later dit jaar overlegd wordt, is een neutrale verpakking voor sigarettenpakjes, met daarop enkel de gezondheidswaarschuwingen. Voorlopig geldt de nieuwe wet enkel voor supermarkten die groter zijn dan 280 vierkante meter. Overtreders kunnen een boete krijgen tot 6.000 euro of een gevangenisstraf oplopen. Kleinere winkels hebben nog tot april 2015 om de verplichtingen na te komen. Canada, Ierland en Finland voerden eerder al een gelijkaardige wet in.
IN BED WITH THE PASTOR? Archbishop Sentamu and the Queen. Five teenagers claimed that they were sodomised by a very important pastor. One teenager testified: "A few minutes after I had eaten and taken the juice, I lost my senses, and by the time I woke up on Monday morning I was on the same bed with...
The White House news briefing referred to in this report occurred this past Thursday (5 April) when Obama regime officials were queried about the latest shock downgrade of the United States credit rating stating that to the American people this critical event should be kept in the category of a “non-story” so as not to confuse and/or shock them.
whatdoesitmean.com
Friday, April 06, 2012
Is Everyone You Know an Alcoholic? he problem is that people who fall into the existing "alcohol abuse" categories generally aren't considered for any kind of treatment because they aren't technically addicts. If there's no treatment plans, that means no one ever does anything about it. In planning the revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual psychologists are now considering placing many conditions, including alcoholism, on a spectrum, which would help both individuals and doctors understand problems in a different way. Check out this list of behaviors that place people in the "almost alcoholic" zone:
Two Killed In Central California Fighter Jet Crash. (1 year ago today!)
foxnews.com 'Dossier over schutter Alphen verdwenen'. De politie moet in 2005 al hebben geweten van de psychische problemen van Tristan van der V. Een map waarin informatie stond waaruit zou blijken dat Van der V. onder psychiatrische behandeling stond, is echter verdwenen.
A Shift Toward Digital Currency - Room for Debate.
nytimes.com National Drone Tour to Start in Brooklyn. The 2012 Know Drones Tour, a public education campaign focusing on legal, ethical and civil liberties concerns raised by the surge in drone warfare and drone surveillance, begins in Brooklyn, New York on April 12, 2012 with sidewalk displays of large-scale replicas of the...
Wow. Red book prediction comes true: President of Malawi 'dies of heart attack' -
dailymail.co.uk PUTIN HELPS NATO. Kenny's sideshow: Putin Fails the 9/11 Litmus Test In March 2012, it was reported that Russia is planning to let NATO use one of its airfields as its Afghan hub. Russia 'has expressed willingness' to allow NATO to use an airfield in Russia as a transit centre for moving troops...
Prof Jim Hansen to use lecture at Edinburgh International Science Festival to call for worldwide tax on all carbon emissions
m.guardian.co.uk
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Obama's NSA: Close to knowing all about us. Attorney General Eric Holder has officially and publicly declared "new guidelines that permit the federal counterterrorism investigators to collect, search and store data about Americans who are not suspected of terrorism, or anything ... "According to the Justice...
Is DHS ready to oversee private cybersecurity? Lawmakers are debating whether to empower the Department of Homeland Security to regulate the security of some privately owned information networks. But even if Congress passes such a bill, many experts question whether the department has the resources and expertise to handle...
Chemtrails Are A NATO Operation. When I flew from Amsterdam to Manila two weeks I sat on the port side of the aircraft, and carefully observed the sky. The conclusion I came to was that the countries being chemtrailed were NATO members and the countries not being, were not NATO members. It might seem a strange...
Task force expected to release draft insider threat policy - FederalTimes.com. A draft policy to guard against insider information security threats such as the WikiLeaks breach will be sent to the White House in the next month or two.
Minimum standards for a governmentwide program to detect and prevent internal threats have yet to be finalized, and they may address training and employee awareness protocols to help employees better identify potential insider threats, said John Swift III, senior policy adviser to a task force now working on the draft policy. Swift discussed the effort Wednesday at the FOSE convention in Washington.
NATO Triggers African Terror-Wave. NATO Libyan "liberation" unleashes terror "tidal wave" over North Africa. by Tony Cartalucci April 5, 2012 - Western nations, including the United States, England, and France - the neo-imperial trifecta - have decried a recent military coup in the North African nation of Mali...
Boeing's Phantom Eye completes first taxi test (Video). Boeing is one major step closer to flying its hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system for the first time following a taxi test March 10 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The medium speed test showcased Phantom Eye's autonomy and laid the ground work for the high-altitude long-endurance aircraft's historic first flight.
Breaking: Obama Announces $26 Billion Dollar Mortgage Deal - YouTube.
youtube.com Bank Settlement Becoming a Nightmare. What exactly happened to other massive amount of people that were expecting relief though? Why are they no longer being recognized? The answer has been angering countless people. It's because the banks that issued the borrower's mortgage(s) simply did not hold their mortgage. In other words, several banks have been selling mortgages to both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac without the knowledge of the homeowners. How many of the loans were sold-off though? Well that number is far higher than anyone would have imagined. The housing boom that occurred at the turn of the millennium until 2007 saw 20% of the loans go into the bank's own portfolios. The other 80%, well you can find those loans in the possession of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other random investors.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
French militant attack underscores need for U.S. vigilance: U.S. official Canada. "We just need to look, unfortunately, overseas to what happened in France with the murders there," Napolitano told a training event in Phoenix for federal, state and local law enforcement.
"The recent attack in Toulouse underscores the need ... for analytical capabilities and law enforcement capabilities on the ground in every community," she added.
The DSM: Psychiatry's Deadliest Scam - YouTube.
youtube.com Israel, Greece conduct joint naval drill amid ongoing tension with Turkey - Haaretz Daily Newspaper.
haaretz.com First contingent of 200 US Marines arrives in Darwin. The troops are there on a six-month rotational basis and will take part in training exercises with the Australian Defence Force.
The two countries are boosting defence ties, with the US eventually deploying a 2,500-strong force in northern Australia by 2017.
The move has irked Beijing but US and Australian leaders have stressed it is not an attempt to contain China.
TSA screener at JFK 'hurled hot coffee at American Airlines pilot who told her to stop swearing'.
dailymail.co.uk Russia Eyes Development of Futuristic Weaponry. "The development of weaponry based on new physics principles; direct-energy weapons, geophysical weapons, wave-energy weapons, genetic weapons, psychotronic weapons, etc., is part of the state arms procurement program for 2011-2020," Serdyukov said at a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
"We will draft the proposals for the next program by December 2012," he said.
The Russian government has already prepared a draft bill on the establishment of an advanced military research agency, similar to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the United States, and would submit it to the parliament in the near future.
Study finds air clean-up link to US hurricanes. Cleaning up air pollution from factories in North America and Europe could have helped to cause more disastrous hurricanes in the US in recent years, new research suggests.
In a study with important implications for the insurance industry, scientists from Britain's Met Office say they have established a link between pollution wafting across the ocean -- and efforts to remove it -- and events such as drought in the Sahel region of north Africa and hurricane activity in the US...
4/4/12: White House Press Briefing - YouTube.
youtube.com Royal Canadian Mint's MintChip, named after the Mint, the chip enabling the system, and perhaps inadvertently the ice cream flavor, is just a way of securely exchanging Canadian dollars (or at some point, they would hope, other currencies) by means of trusted hardware and straightforward accounting. The actual chip can be fitted into a number of devices, from micro SD cards to POS systems. MintChip value is transferred onto a chip by a MintChip broker, and can then be transferred independently between chips, online or off.
Militants blow up another Yemen oil pipeline. Islamist militants have claimed responsibility for blowing up an oil pipeline in southern Yemen late on Monday in a second such attack in retaliation for a U.S. drone strike that killed five suspected Al-Qaeda militants on Friday.
'Not a country': ICC blocks Palestine war crimes probe. The ICC has refused Palestine's bid for an investigation into the Israeli military offensive on the Gaza strip on the basis that Palestine is not a recognized state. Human rights groups have strongly criticized the move, while Israel has praised it. A prosecutor from the...
Remarks on Burma. Apr. 4, 2012: Secretary Clinton speaks about supporting human rights and reform in Burma.
MQ 9 incident in the Seychelles. (Reuters) – A U.S. drone crash-landed at the Seychelles main airport and careered into the ocean on Wednesday, the second remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper aircraft to crash on the Indian Ocean archipelago in four months. The Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) said the...
State Department seeks a global drone fleet. From NextGov By Bob Brewin 04/04/2012 The State Department wants to acquire its own fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles to help protect diplomats posted to Iraq and other dangerous countries and in March, issued a request for proposals for contractors to provide the aircraft,...
Pakistani militant leader thumbs nose at US bounty. The bounty offers could complicate U.S. efforts to get the NATO supply line reopened. Pakistan's parliament is currently debating a revised framework for ties with the U.S. that Washington hopes will get supplies moving again. But the bounties could be seen by lawmakers and the country's powerful army as a provocation and an attempt to gain favor with India
"I am here, I am visible. America should give that reward money to me," he told reporters Wednesday, mocking Washington for placing a bounty on a man whose whereabouts are no mystery. "I will be in Lahore tomorrow. America can contact me whenever it wants to."
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed born 1950) is the amir of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah,[1] a charity organization that is widely considered to be a cover organization for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), one of the largest and most active Islamic organizations in the world, operating mainly from Pakistan. India considers him one of its most wanted terrorists because of his alleged ties with Lashkar-e-Taiba and his involvement in attacks against India.[2] The United Nations declared Jama'at-ud-Da'wah a terrorist organization in December 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader.[3] According to Hafiz Saeed, he has no links with LeT.[4][5] United States of America has announced a bounty of $10 million on Hafeez Saeed's head, for his alleged role in 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.[6][7]
Rewards for Justice-saeed - english. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed is a former professor of Arabic and Engineering, as well as the founding member of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a radical Ahl-e-Hadith Islamist organization dedicated to installing Islamist rule over parts of India and Pakistan, and its military branch, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. Saeed is suspected of masterminding numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 166 people, including six American citizens.
NATO Response Force - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a "coherent, high-readiness, joint, multinational force package" of up to[1] 25,000 troops that is "technologically advanced, flexible, deployable, interoperable and sustainable".[1] Its role is to act as a stand-alone military force available for rapid deployment by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as a collective-defense, crisis-management or stabilization force, or to act as an initial entry force for a subsequent primary deployment. The NRF comprises land, air and sea components provided by NATO members. Contributed forces first train together and then become available for a 6-month period before being replaced by a new force.
The purpose of the NRF is to provide a quick reaction force of high quality to support NATO missions as required. The concept of NRF was first endorsed with a declaration of NATO's Heads of State at the Prague Summit on 22 November 2002. It was then approved by NATO Defence Ministers in June 2003, and the first headquarters created in October 2003 in Italy under command of NATO Joint Force Command in Brunssum, Netherlands, designated NRF 1. Its rotation replacement was designated NRF 2 (2004) at the same time.[2]
Allied Command Transformation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is a NATO military command, which was formed in 2003 after North Atlantic Treaty Organisation restructuring. It is intended to lead military transformation of alliance forces and capabilities, using new concepts such as the NATO Response Force and new doctrines in order to improve the alliance's military effectiveness.
Too much happiness can make you unhappy, studies show. Too much happiness can make you unhappy, studies show : The happier you are, the better, right? Not necessarily. Studies show that there is a darker side to feeling good and that the pursuit of happiness can sometimes make you ... well, less happy. Source:Â http://wapo.st/HQD9uJ
Clinton warns of 'destabilizing' Iran options. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Tuesday that a nuclear-armed Iran or a conflict over its ambitions would both destabilize the region as she pressed Tehran to make progress in key talks.
U.S. Marines Arrive in Australia to secure offshore natural gas and oil fields.
feedproxy.google.com Syria Fighting Continues as UN Moves to Send Peacekeepers. Ahmad Fawzi, a spokesman for U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, announced Tuesday that an advance U.N. team is due to arrive in Syria within 48 hours. He told VOA the team would work out the details of deploying international monitors to the country.
Meanwhile, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (Jakob Kellenberger) is in Damascus in a bid to arrange a two-hour humanitarian cease-fire in areas where fighting continues. An ICRC spokesman, Saleh Dabbakeh, said the organization has made progress recently in reaching victims of fighting and refugees that have become displaced inside Syria.
Five Accused 9/11 Plotters To Face Trial. [oh they finally found time to get to this, are they? Wonder what they want to distract us from now] The United States military has said it is ready to resume the trial of the self-proclaimed mastermind of the September 11 terror attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four other...
Impeach the Supreme Court Justices If They Overturn Health-Care Law - The Daily Beast. We can argue about whether President Jefferson was right to try to impeach Justice Chase. But there's no question that he was right to say that impeachment is an option for justices who undermine constitutional values. There are other options, as well. We might amend the Constitution to establish judicial term limits. Or we might increase the number of justices to dilute the influence of its current members (though FDR could tell you how that turned out). In the end, however, it is the duty of the people to protect the Constitution from the court. Social progress cannot be held hostage by five unelected men.
Read Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson's Letter to Employees About Layoffs - Digits - WSJ. Data: Our massive data sets must become a genuine competitive advantage for Yahoo!. We have to unlock the value in our data to allow us to really understand our 700 million users, encourage and win their engagement and trust, leverage everything they do with us to more fully personalize their experiences, and to give our advertisers the immediate insights they are rightfully demanding.
Bill Text - 112th Congress (2011-2012) - THOMAS (Library of Congress).
thomas.loc.gov
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Spanish general strike protesters clash with police. Spanish police have clashed with demonstrators on the day of a general strike called in protest at the government's labour market reforms.
Some of the marchers in Barcelona smashed windows and set rubbish bins alight. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges.
There were also protests in the capital, Madrid, and other cities.
Land and air travel were all affected, and domestic and European flights cut to a fraction of normal levels.
The centre-right government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will unveil measures on Friday aimed at saving tens of billions of euros and making it easier for businesses to sack employees.
It hopes the changes will cut unemployment which is currently the highest in the EU at 23%.
Nearly half of Spain's under 25s are out of work.
Shops burnt out
Continue reading the main story
"Start Quote
Protesters in Bilbao carry a banner reading "You are not just cutting our money, you are cutting our rights", 29 March 2012
The unions see it not just as a trial of strength but as a battle over the future of the welfare state"
Gavin Hewitt Europe editor
Read more from Gavin
Q&A: Pain in Spain
In pictures: Spanish workers strike
Unions said 800,000 people joined the protest in Barcelona. Police put the number at 80,000.
Drie maanden cel voor jongeman die daden Merah verdedigt - De Standaard. Een twintigjarige jongeman is vrijdag in Toulouse veroordeeld tot drie maanden cel omdat hij de daden van Mohamed Merah, de seriemoordenaar van Toulouse, had verdedigd. Dat is bij het parket vernomen.
Mohamed Redha Ghezali moest onder een Franse vorm van snelrecht voor de rechter verschijnen en werd veroordeeld wegens 'het aanzetten tot rassenhaat' en 'het verdedigen van terrorisme'. Ghezali moest evenwel niet meteen de cel in aangezien de rechtbank het arrestatiebevel niet op de zitting had ingediend.
'Mijn maat Mohamed is een echte man. Jammer dat hij de tijd niet gekregen heeft om zijn werk af te maken', zo zou Ghezali volgens La Dépêche du Midi gezegd hebben bij een politiecontrole. Op de zitting zong Ghezali al een toontje lager: 'Wat Mohamed Merah gedaan heeft, is onaanvaardbaar.'
Italiaanse apothekers dreigen: 'Geen viagra meer!' - De Standaard. Italiaanse ziekenhuisapothekers dreigen met een verkoopstop van het erectiemiddel Viagra. Ze zijn boos over de hervormingen die de Italiaanse regering wil doorvoeren. Een verkoopstop van het middel heeft volgens de vakbonden 'geen gevolgen voor de gezondheid van patiënten'.
De regering van premier Mario Monti wil de economie liberaliseren en wil dat er vijfduizend nieuwe apotheken worden geopend. Volgens de ziekenhuisapothekers krijgen private apothekers voorrang bij de afgifte van een nieuwe vergunning. Zij vinden dit oneerlijk en eisen dat de regering het hervormingsvoorstel aanpast.
De ziekenhuisapothekers zijn van plan in april acties te gaan voeren. Als niet tegemoet wordt gekomen aan hun grieven dan wordt viagra niet langer verstrekt.
FBI's Top Cyber Official Discusses Threat - YouTube.
youtube.com FBI � Cyber Threat: On the Front Lines with Shawn Henry. Shawn Henry realized a lifelong dream when he became a special agent in 1989. Since that time he has traveled the world for investigations and become one of the FBI's most senior executives and its top official on cyber crime. FBI.gov recently sat down with Henry�who is about to retire from the Bureau�to talk about the cyber threat and his FBI career.
Vaccine to stop heart attacks could be here in 5 years. A vaccine delivered in an injection or nasal spray to prevent heart attacks could be available within five years.
Scientists have discovered that the drug stimulates the body's immune system to produce antibodies which prevent heart disease by stopping fat building up in the arteries.
New York police officers defy order to cut marijuana arrests. Police officers in New York are "manufacturing" criminal offenses by forcing people with small amounts of marijuana to reveal their drugs, according to a survey by public defenders.
Nearly half of New Yorkers picked up for small amounts of marijuana possession in recent months were not displaying the drug before they were stopped, the study shows, despite an order by New York police chief Ray Kelly that officers should not charge people in such circumstances.
Understanding Medications for Autism Spectrum Disorders. Most often, the medications have been officially approved by the US FDA for another disorder, but are prescribed for children with autism "off-label." Children with co-morbid conditions, such as anxiety or depression, epilepsy, or ADHD are prescribed additional medications to treat those symptoms.
New autism diagnostic criteria may encourage symptomatic approach to drug use - FT.com. The fifth edition of the DSM--the "Holy Grail" of diagnosing psychiatric disorders--proposes the umbrella term of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), replacing the current "autistic disorder." ASD will incorporate current diagnoses of Asperger syndrome, pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder, thereby eliminating these diagnostic distinctions.
DSM-5 is expected to be officially published in May 2013, according to Dr Darrel Regier, director, division of research, American Psychiatric Association (APA) and vice-chair of DSM-5 Task Force. New ASD diagnostic criteria will emphasize social communication deficits as well as fixated interest and repetitive movement, while the severity of symptoms will be characterized as mild, moderate, severe and extreme, Reiger said, noting individuals such as Asberger and PDD-NOS patients would still fall within the spectrum.
Lilly Will Reward Patient Investors - Seeking Alpha. Eli Lilly (LLY) after being in business for 135 years is facing its most challenging period. Last year worldwide sales reached a record $24 billion, but top medicines are facing the loss of patent protection. Zyprexa, the #1 product with sales of $4.6M, lost patent protection in Q4 2010.
Dr. Reddy's Launches Geodon Generic - Analyst Blog - NASDAQ.com. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories ( RDY ) recently announced the US launch of its generic version of Pfizer Inc. 's ( PFE ) antipsychotic drug, Geodon (ziprasidone). Earlier this month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved Dr. Reddy's abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for the generic drug.
Geodon is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Drugs Used to Treat Autism - How to Treat Autism. Some of the newer "atypical" antipsychotics may be a better choice, particularly for children. Tests are in their early stages, though: No one has seen the long-term effects of atypical antipsychotics on autistic children. Of these drugs, Risperdone, Zyprexa and Geodon are the most promising. Clonidine, an antihypertensive,is sometimes prescribed for impulsiveness, aggression or anxiety.
Screening and Diagnosis of Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders - Diagnosing Autism. How Do Professionals Screen for and Diagnose Autism?
Because autism cannot be diagnosed with a medical test, screening and diagnosis involves interviews, observation and evaluations. Even when a professional provides an opinion, the opinion may be couched in such terms as "it LOOKS like a pervasive developmental disorder, but your child doesn't have all the symptoms of autism." While this kind of uncertainty can be extremely frustrating, it's sometimes unavoidable -- and even clearcut autism diagnoses can change over time.
Definition Of Autism. The symptoms of Autism tend to lessen as people grow older. Or, perhaps the symptoms may present in different forms. For example, children diagnosed with Autism during their early childhood years may exhibit different problems once they reach their teen years ie. depression or other behavioral problems. Other children with Autism may show very few symptoms of it when they reach their teen and adult years. Therefore, treatments may need to be changeable over time, depending on the individual.
Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders � Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 Sites, United States, 2008.
cdc.gov CDC Features - New Data on Autism Spectrum Disorders. More children than ever before are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Like the many families living with ASDs, CDC considers ASDs an important public health concern. CDC is committed to continuing to provide essential data on ASDs, search for risk factors and causes, and develop resources that help identify children with ASDs as early as possible.
AAP Autism Subcommittee Chair Addresses new CDC Prevalence Data - YouTube.
youtube.com tumblrownpau. Animated GIF of NASA ATREX mission, five suborbital rockets launched within seconds of each other from Wallops Island, VA, to release clouds of luminous tracer gas in the upper atmosphere to study a high-altitude jet stream.
To get this photo I waited through to the end of the launch window (12AM-5AM), then went up to the roof in the freezing cold and took multiple 15-second exposures with my point-and-shoot on a Gorillapod. The ones that came out well, I combined into animation frames in Photoshop to save as a GIF.
Ken Sunshine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. He was featured on No Agenda Show in 2012 in a controversial episode in which Adam Curry described him as quote, "A douche bag." No comment has yet been made by a representative of the No Agenda Show as to the basis of these remarks. The controversy has sparked conversation about freedom of speech in podcasting and liability.
The United States Senate Committee on Finance: Newsroom - Ranking Member's News. according to the analysis by Congress' non-partisan tax scorekeeper, the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), of the "Paying A Fair Share Act of 2012" (S. 2059), the Buffett Rule would generate a meager $47 billion over ten years, or less than $5 billion a year - a minute fraction of either the deficit that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirmed is over $1 trillion for a fourth straight year or the AMT that would lose revenue of $864 billion just to patch for ten years, according to the JCT.
Bill Text - 112th Congress (2011-2012) - THOMAS (Library of Congress).
thomas.loc.gov Bill Text - 112th Congress (2011-2012) - THOMAS (Library of Congress).
thomas.loc.gov Simultaneous action needed to break cultural inertia in climate-change response
LONDON — (March 26, 2012) — Resistance at individual and societal levels must be recognized and treated before real action can be taken to effectively address threats facing the planet from human-caused contributions to climate change.
uonews.uoregon.edu Clinton offers Gulf states joint AMD shield against Iran. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has proposed improved collaboration with Gulf Arab states on maritime security and missile defense to counter potential threats from Iran. Clinton told a security conference in Saudi Arabia on Saturday that US commitment to the Gulf is...
Is sugar toxic? (video). "...as Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, new scientific research seems to support his theory that sugar is toxic, including some linking the excess ingestion of sugars to heart disease...."
Dutch government wobbles in talks on EU budget goals. In what opposition parties have called "a very strange display", the Dutch coalition government on Thursday (29 March) narrowly managed to avert collapse as it continues to haggle over spending cuts needed to bring it in line with EU budget rules.
Everything coming up ROSES in Afghanistan! (or was it POPPIES?). Everything coming up ROSES in Afghanistan! (or was it POPPIES?) A US General says that all is going relatively well in Afghanistan. But deaths are up, the cost is still high, recent reports of violence seem to be escalating. So what could he be referring to? Is it the Narcotics...
Defense Department seeks new authorities for counterterrorism fight - The Hill's DEFCON Hill
thehill.com Putting the Squeeze on Iranian Oil. In a move rife with political risk, President Obama gave the go-ahead for robust sanctions to take hold in June aimed at choking off Iran's oil exports. AFP via Yahoo News: With just hours to go before a deadline to decide, Obama determined the United States could punish banks...
Time running out for diplomacy with Iran, warns Hillary Clinton. US secretary of state says Istanbul talks over Iran's nuclear programme will resume, but they 'will not remain open forever' The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, has said time is running out for diplomacy over Iran's nuclear programme and confirmed talks aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon would resume in mid-April. With speculation over a possible US or Israeli strike adding urgency to the next round of discussions in Istanbul, set for 13 April, Clinton said Iran's "window of opportunity" for a peaceful resolution "will not remain open forever". She also expressed doubt over whether Iran had any intention of negotiating a solution that satisfies the US, Israel and other countries that believe Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran contends the programme is solely for peaceful energy and research purposes. "We're going in with one intention: to resolve the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear program," Clinton said after attending a security conference in Saudi Arabia. "Our policy is one of prevention, not containment. We are determined to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. "We enter into these talks with a sober perspective about Iran's intentions. It is incumbent upon Iran to demonstrate by its actions that it is a willing partner and to participate in these negotiations with an effort to obtain concrete results." Clinton's remarks followed President Barack Obama's announcement on Friday that the US was moving ahead with penalties aimed at depriving Iran of oil revenue, while also working with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states to safeguard global petroleum supplies. Clinton also urged Gulf governments to develop a co-ordinated defence strategy against Iranian missiles. With tensions rising in the region, she said American and Gulf militaries should cooperate to improve maritime security as well. She also said the US would co-operate with the region's Sunni governments to counter Iranian threats against shipping in the Gulf and Tehran's support for "the Assad regime's murderous campaign". Before heading to Turkey for a 60-nation "Friends of the Syrian People" meeting on Sunday, Clinton condemned the Assad government for shelling civilian neighbourhoods and targeting mosques and churches. She said these attacks have continued despite Assad's acceptance of UN mediator Kofi Annan's plan to end the crisis. That plan includes an immediate ceasefire and an eventual democratic transition. Iran Middle East and North Africa US foreign policy Nuclear power Energy Nuclear weapons Hillary Clinton Damien Pearse guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Climate change causing extreme weather conditions: IPCC report. Evidence suggests that climate change has led to extreme weather conditions such as heat waves, record high temperatures and, in many regions, heavy precipitation in the past half century, according to a report released Wednesday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Fighting Erupts as Rebels Advance in Mali. Heavy weapons fire broke out Saturday as Tuareg and Islamist rebels entered Gao, the main city of northeast Mali still under army control, local officials and witnesses said.
Bankers, grannies & cocaine. Bankers, grannies & cocaine Follow Max Keiser on Twitter: twitter.com Watch the full Keiser Report 269 on Saturday. In this episode, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, discuss global economic passengers strapping on the parachutes to protect
Weekly Address: Passing the Buffett Rule So That Everyone Pays Their Fair Share.
whitehouse.gov
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Internal Revenue Code Section 199: Domestic Production Activities Deduction. (4) DOMESTIC PRODUCTION GROSS RECEIPTS-
(A) IN GENERAL- The term `domestic production gross receipts' means the gross receipts of the taxpayer which are derived from--
(i) any lease, rental, license, sale, exchange, or other disposition of--
(I) qualifying production property which was manufactured, produced, grown, or extracted by the taxpayer in whole or in significant part within the United States,
(II) any qualified film produced by the taxpayer, or
(III) electricity, natural gas, or potable water produced by the taxpayer in the United States,
(ii) construction performed in the United States, or
(iii) engineering or architectural services performed in the United States for construction projects in the United States.
(B) EXCEPTIONS- Such term shall not include gross receipts of the taxpayer which are derived from--
(i) the sale of food and beverages prepared by the taxpayer at a retail establishment, and
(ii) the transmission or distribution of electricity, natural gas, or potable water.
Bill Summary & Status - 112th Congress (2011 - 2012) - S.2204 - THOMAS (Library of Congress).
thomas.loc.gov US Military 'Can't Access' Massacre Site to Collect Evidence. The Obama Administration's promises to prosecute Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales over the Kandahar massacre seem to be in serious doubt today, as US military officials revealed that they haven't been able to access the sites of any of the killings.
CDC: U.S. kids with autism up 78% in past decade.
cnn.com U.S. Department of State. Mar. 28, 2012: U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing by Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner in Washington, DC
Assistance to Tunisia. I am pleased to announce today that pending Congressional notification and review, the United States will provide a $100 million cash transfer to the Government of Tunisia for short-term fiscal relief. This will go directly to debt that Tunisia owes the World Bank and African Development Bank, allowing the Government of Tunisia to instead use this money for its priority programs, accelerating economic growth and job creation.
Ron Paul WON Nevada, and took over GOP Convention! Ron Paul WON Nevada, and took over GOP Convention! Ron Paul's success is racking up delegates continues to go unnoticed by the media, with the exception of smaller outlets such as this. From: ARSONomics Views: 1 0 ratings Time: 11:17 More in News & Politics
Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton is ‘terrific'. America's favorite game show host is screwing with everyone about the presidency again. This time several years in advance. On Fox News today Donald Trump said he thought Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would run for president in the 2016 election . About every two minutes...
What NPR means by NPR national security reporter Dina Temple-Raston does what she (and NPR reporters generally) typically do: gathers a couple of current and former government officials (with an agreeable establishment think-tank expert thrown in the mix), uncritically airs what they say, and then repeats it herself. This is what establishment-serving journalists in Washington mean when they boast that they, but not their critics, engage in so-called "real reporting"; it means: calling up Serious People in Washington and uncritically repeating what they say
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
City avoids placing taboo topics (that kids may actually know about) on public school exams - NYPOST.com. In a bizarre case of political correctness run wild, educrats have banned references to "dinosaurs," "birthdays," "Halloween" and dozens of other topics on city-issued tests.
That's because they fear such topics "could evoke unpleasant emotions in the students."
Dinosaurs, for example, call to mind evolution, which might upset fundamentalists; birthdays aren't celebrated by Jehovah's Witnesses; and Halloween suggests paganism.
Even "dancing'' is taboo, because some sects object. But the city did make an exception for ballet.
The forbidden topics were recently spelled out in a request for proposals provided to companies competing to revamp city English, math, science and social-studies tests given several times a year to measure student progress.
Boom time for Mozambique, once the basket case of Africa. A construction boom is under way here, concrete proof of the economic revolution in Mozambique. Growth hit 7.1% last year, accelerating to 8.1% in the final quarter. The country, riven by civil war for 15 years, is poised to become the world's biggest coal exporter within the next decade, while the recent discovery of two massive gas fields in its waters has turned the region into an energy hotspot, promising a £250bn bonanza.
Biden gives special thanks to ‘Dr. Pepper'. Speaking to voters in Iowa, Vice President Joe Biden thanked "Dr. Pepper." He meant to say "Dr. Paper," as in Dr. Theresa Paper , president of Scott Community College, according to the Washington Examiner. It's okay, Joe. We're thirsty, too.
Ron Paul SMACKS Piers Morgan over Delegate Fraud! Ron Paul SMACKS Piers Morgan over Delegate Fraud! Ron Paul hits back, albeit in his nice guy way, when Piers Morgan asks why he doesn't quit the Republican GOP Presidential race. From: ARSONomics Views: 10 2 ratings Time: 02:20 More in News & Politics
Obama Election Team Preparing For First few days of SC going well for us. Yesterday rocked them back. Today not as explosive but real panic setting in among the Obama people. Discussion last night with -Name Deleted - told me his contact at -Deleted- indicated administration is already putting up warnings regarding summer chaos plan if SC decision goes against them. Called it a "Healthcare Warfare" plan. Muck up the administrative machine so badly there will be delays, confusion, and then anger. They are serious about it.
Booms continue in Clintonville. The booming and shaking continues in Clintonville.
Clintonville police say they received about 65 calls Tuesday night, from people reporting three or four loud booms. Officials say the calls came in from 10:35 until 11:40 p.m.
LOVE BY THE NUMBERS - ADAM CURRY & MICKY - YouTube.
youtube.com Scientists find gene that can make flu a killer. A genetic discovery could help explain why flu makes some people seriously ill or kills them, while others seem able to bat it away with little more than a few aches, coughs and sneezes.
In a study published in the journal Nature on Sunday, British and American researchers said they had found for the first time a human gene that influences how people respond to flu infections, making some people more susceptible than others.
Cameron 'tucked in bed' by Obama during US trip - FRANCE 24. "It was 4 o'clock UK time so he (Obama) said 'David, why don't you use my bed and put your feet up,' so I duly did," he told members of his constituency in Witney, south England.
"Barack went to the back of the plane and explained to my private secretary and the team 'don't worry, the British Prime Minister is fine I have just tucked him up in bed'. I don't think that has happened before," added Cameron.
New College Major In 'Drone Studies' Has Graduates Pulling In Up To $200K A Year.
businessinsider.com Major ISPs agree to American Internet users, get ready for three strikes "six strikes." Major US Internet providers�including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Cablevision, and Time Warner Cable�have just signed on to a voluntary agreement with the movie and music businesses to crack down on online copyright infringers. But they will protect subscriber privacy and they won't filter or monitor their own networks for infringement. And after the sixth "strike," you won't necessarily be "out."
After Trayvon Martin, Will Fox Pull Ben Stiller Comedy 'Neighborhood Watch'? - Forbes.
forbes.com 'Het is wrang dat Wilders juist de allerarmsten pakt' - Politiek - VK. Maar het CDA heeft al laten weten dat extra bezuinigingen op ontwikkelingssamenwerking niet op haar goedkeuring kan rekenen. 'Wij zijn daar altijd heel duidelijk in geweest, dat was ook bij de formatie het eerste waar het CDA mee naar buiten kwam [...] dat wij vasthouden aan onze internationale afspraak van 0,7% Bruto Nationaal Product (BNP)', aldus CDA-Kamerlid Kathleen Ferrier eerder dit jaar.
Nederlandse soldaten op missie slikken gevaarlijk middel - BINNENLAND - PAROOL. Nederlandse militairen op missie slikken een anti-malariamiddel dat psychoses opwekt. Het middel Lariam staat opnieuw ter discussie na een recente moordpartij in Afghanistan.
Een Amerikaanse militair draaide door en schoot 17 burgers dood. Mogelijk waren zijn hersens aangetast door het jarenlange gebruik van Lariam.
Het Amerikaanse leger heeft het gebruik ervan sinds 2009 drastisch teruggeschroefd. Lariam wordt echter nog altijd voorgeschreven aan Nederlandse militairen.
Oppositiepartij SP noemt het 'schokkend'. De PvdA gaat vragen aan minster Hans Hillen van defensie of er naar kan worden gekeken. Ook de VVD klopt aan bij de minister.
Twitter racism: how the law is taking on the 'Twacists'.
guardian.co.uk Ken Sunshine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Kenneth Mark Sunshine (born March 12, 1948) is an American public relations consultant. He grew up in Long Island and attended Cornell University. Sunshine started his career working for the ASCAP and then moved on to politics, serving as chief of staff for David Dinkins during his time as Mayor of New York City (1990-1993). After Dinkins lost the 1994 election to Rudy Giuliani, Sunshine started a public relations firm, Ken Sunshine Consultants, where he represented public figures, non-profits, and entertainers.
Sunshine's clients include Leonardo DiCaprio,[1] Barbra Streisand,[1] Ben Affleck,[1] Michael Moore,[1] John Mayer,[1] Justin Timberlake,[2] Lance Bass,[3] and several unions including 1199SEIU and the Transport Workers Union Local 100. He has gained notoriety for his fight against the "stalkerazzis" and has filed numerous lawsuits against many of the top celebrity gossip magazines. He was recently listed as one of New York magazine's most powerful people in New York City.
Kony 2012's Old-Fashioned War Propaganda - Reason Magazine. Invisible Children's media contact is the PR firm Sunshine Sachs Associates. Co-founder Ken Sunshine is a self-described former community activist, Obama event organizer, and "New York Democrat" who specializes in representing labor unions, environmental groups, and celebrities.
Kony video used SPK bot? lol... It seems corporations are using BH tricks just like us.. - Black Hat Forum Black Hat SEO.
blackhatworld.com How Cameron is linked to ITV Digital hacking. Now here's something the BBC story missed out.
On Digital's biggest shareholder was Carlton Communications, along with Granada TV. The company folded in May 2002 after spectacularly failing.
Carlton and Granada effectively ran ITV Digital as the companies who conceived and launched it.
Guess what? David Cameron was director of Corporate Affairs at Carlton from July 1994 to February 2001 -- while ITV Digital was being allegedly hacked.
Poland Exhumes 2010 Plane Crash Victims - TIME. One autopsy report describes organs that had been removed years before. Another adds 20 centimeters (nearly 8 inches) to a short man, making no mention of bones disfigured by childhood polio. One family doubts whether an autopsy was performed at all.
Kaczyński suggests Smolensk catastrophe was an assassination - Warsaw Business Journal - Online Portal - wbj.pl. Jarosław Kaczyński, the Law and Justice (PiS) leader and twin brother of former President Lech Kaczyński, has appealed to EU authorities to investigate the April 10, 2010 Smolensk airplane catastrophe.
He has suggested that foul play helped cause the incident, which claimed the lives of 96 people, including Lech Kaczyński.
He even implied that the Polish government could have been involved in helping to kill his brother.
"If there were explosions, if this catastrophe is starting to look more and more like an assassination, then we have a new era in politics. And tolerating this era could cost us very much," said Mr Kaczyński in a conference call with Brussels.
Mr Kaczyński also questioned the Polish government's reaction to the plane crash.
"How did the foreign minister [Radosław Sikorski] know just a few minutes after 9 AM that everybody had died? And a few minutes later he already knew it was as a result of pilot error," said the PiS leader, adding that there was a "propaganda campaign" surrounding the crash, which had been "planned earlier."
Twin says Polish leader's death likely no accident. Kaczynski, the head of the conservative Law and Justice party, and many of his supporters do not believe the official explanations. Kaczynski has often suggested that the accident might not have been an accident, but his comments Wednesday were stronger than usual.
"If there were explosions (on board), if this catastrophe looks increasingly like an assassination, then this means there is a new quality to international politics," Kaczynski said. He called on EU lawmakers and leaders to investigate the crash, arguing that it's a matter of importance not only to Poland.
Rep. Bobby Rush Reveals Hoodie, Gets Kicked Off House Floor [VIDEO].
mashable.com Federal Income Tax Laws for Not Paying Taxes. Cheating on your taxes is a felony act. Punishment for tax evasion, which includes not paying your taxes, can result in you spending up to five years in a federal prison. The federal government can also require you to pay fines of up to $250,000 for an individual and $500,000 for businesses.
Outsourcing to the Autistic Rather Than to India. The newest entrant into the space in the U.S. is a Los Angeles-based software and design firm called Square One. The company has a small pilot program working to design a software-testing training program for people on the autism spectrum. The project grew out of conversations between company co-founder Chad Hahn and his wife, Shannon, who works with the developmentally disabled. Hahn, along with experts his wife led him to, has put together a software-testing curriculum that he's now in the process of teaching to an inaugural class of three. The course he's designed relies not on written instructions but on a software tool called iRise to create simulations of the sort of problems the trainees would confront in an actual work setting.
Donald Verrilli Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Verrilli was a senior litigator with Jenner & Block, a U.S. law firm. He specialized in telecommunications, media and First Amendment law. In 2005, he represented the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) before the Supreme Court in MGM v Grokster. In 2007, he represented Viacom in the Viacom v. Google. During the same year, he also represented RIAA in Capitol v. Thomas and opposed the retrial of the case.[9][10]
Monday Oral Argument on Anti-Injunction Act and Health Care Law. 57 minute mark: Felony if you don't comply with the mandate.
c-span.org The Massacre of the Afghan 17 & the Obama Cover-Up. The Obama Regime's Priority: Defend the Empire with Whatever Personnel is Available at his Disposal By James Petras The March 11 Massacre of the 17 Afghan citizens, including at least nine children and four women, raises many fundamental issues about the nature of a colonial...
A New Indian Ocean Global Hawk Base? Here's one more sign that we're serious about shifting resources to the Pacific region. The Pentagon is eyeing the Cocos Islands off the coast off northwest Australia (they're actually closer to Indonesia than Oz) as the next base for RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned spy planes. DoD...
Bill Maher: Racism, gun laws killed Trayvon Martin - YouTube.
youtube.com Another Sign Oil Prices Don't Reflect Reality. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Why are crude oil futures for delivery three years from now $30 cheaper, or almost $1 a gallon less, than current oil prices? That just doesn't seem possible, unless the oil trade is totally overrun with speculators and Fed-inspired cheap-money investors....
MERAH WORKED FOR THE SPOOKS? Squarcini Certain top French intelligence officials have suggested that Mohamed Merah, the alleged gunman in Toulouse, worked for French intelligence. Merah has been linked to the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DCRI), run by Bernard Squarcini, who is very close to...
Thousands riot over fuel prices in Indonesia. Thousands of Indonesians protesting at plans to push up fuel prices by more than 30% have clashed with riot police. Rallies were held under tight security in big cities all over the country as parliament debated the need for a rise. Some MPs said the government had no choice but...
UK PM Cameron holds emergency meeting over fuel strike fears. David Cameron and ministers from across Government are to discuss contingency plans in case a strike by tanker drivers over the Easter weekend goes ahead. The strikes are allegedly about fuel companies using inexperienced drivers and putting the public at risk. But it's a...
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Israel severs working relations with UN Human Rights Council over settlement probe
washingtonpost.com Metal detectors can count money through magnetic ink. Metal detectors already know if you're concealing a weapon, and eventually they might know if you're concealing large sums of cash too. University of Washington physicists Christopher Fuller and Antao Chen have discovered that American banknotes contain enough magnetic inks that metal detectors can actually pick up their signal. For instance, Fuller and Chen found that a handheld detector could pick out a $1 bill from three centimeters away � which may not sound impressive, but with every five additional bills the strength of the signal increases. It's possible to know how many bills a person is carrying, but because all the bills contain the same amount of ink (i.e. a $5 bill is the same as $100), the machine won't know how much each one is actually worth.
A Second Person Has Been Found Dead In The MASSIVE Las Vegas Homeowners Association Scandal. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that attorney David Amesbury, who was cooperating with a federal investigation into fraud and corruption at homeowners associations, was found dead in California this weekend. His death is believed to be a suicide.
Amesbury was the first of 10 people to have pleaded guilty in the HOA scheme, which investigators say involved stacking HOA boards with favorable candidates who then pushed construction defect lawsuits to attorneys and contractors involved in the conspiracy.
Marx Brothers "Go West" song 'Clippity Clop' - YouTube.
youtube.com EU leaders fear Spain threatens stability - World News - World - General - Illawarra Mercury. Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, faces the toughest week of his three months in office as he is forced to announce up to �40 billion ($50.7 billion) in spending cuts and taxes in a budget on Friday, the day after a general strike.
Mr Rajoy's conservative People's Party achieved victory in key regional elections in southern Andalusia at the weekend, but did not secure the outright majority it had hoped for.
The result denies him unprecedented control over troublesome regional governments whose inability to reduce deficits helped to put Spain centre stage in the eurozone crisis.
It came as other European leaders and the markets signalled that Spain was now the biggest single threat to the stability of the eurozone.
Mr Rajoy was recently forced to backtrack by fellow European Union leaders who refused to accept the deficit target of 5.8 per cent of GDP that Spain set unilaterally for this year. They told him to cut it to 5.3 per cent.
Google should be forced to censor search results, say MPs. A cross-party committee of MPs and peers has urged the government to consider introducing legislation that would force Google to censor its search results to block material that a court has found to be in breach of someone's privacy.
In a report published today, the joint Commons and Lords committee said Google should proactively monitor its search results, highlighting evidence given by Max Mosley, the ex-Formula One boss who said he had spent at least £500,000 in 23 countries attempting to remove traces of a video filmed covertly by the News of the World from the internet.
Google was criticised by the committee for its "totally unconvincing" objection to requests to filter its search results. The search giant argued that such a policy could threaten the unfettered flow of information online.
â--¶ Doc Hollywood x Ras Kass - The Great Recession by RasKassCentral.
soundcloud.com A NetJets Case, Warren Buffett and Taxes. The United States government, in a little-followed case in Ohio, filed a lawsuit this month against a unit of Mr. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, seeking $366 million in taxes and penalties. The Berkshire division at the center of the suit is NetJets, the private-aircraft company that caters to the nation's wealthiest � the people Mr. Buffett says should pay more in taxes.
FTC Issues Final Commission Report on Protecting Consumer Privacy.
ftc.gov Four Unanswered Questions About the Cybersecurity Bills.
eff.org Blackwater's Afghan HQ Is Really Called 'Camp Integrity'.
wired.com 'Pedofielen kunnen opgespoord worden met hersenscans' - De Standaard. Jorge Ponseti, een onderzoeker aan de universiteit van het Duitse Kiel, heeft een methode gevonden om met 95 procent zekerheid te zeggen of iemand een pedofiel is of niet. Dat gebeurt door middel van hersenscans.
Aan het onderzoek deden 24 pedofielen en 32 personen die geen pedofiele neigingen hebben mee. Zij moesten onder een MRI-scanner gaan. Hun hersenen werden gescand op het moment dat ze verschillende naaktfoto's van kinderen kregen te zien.
Passengers subdue 'screaming' JetBlue captain as mid-air rant diverts flight - NYPOST.com.
nypost.com High court throws out human gene patents. The Supreme Court on Monday threw out a lower court ruling allowing human genes to be patented, a topic of enormous interest to cancer researchers, patients and drug makers.
The court overturned patents belonging to Myriad Genetics Inc. of Salt Lake City on two genes linked to increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Myriad's BRACAnalysis test looks for mutations on the breast cancer predisposition gene, or BRCA. Those mutations are associated with much greater risks of breast and ovarian cancer.
The American Civil Liberties Union has been arguing that genes couldn't be patented, a position taken by a district court judge but overturned on appeal.
Richard Clarke: China has hacked every major US company. "Every major company in the United States has already been penetrated by China. My greatest fear is that, rather than having a cyber-Pearl Harbor event, we will instead have this death of a thousand cuts. Where we lose our competitiveness by having all of our research and development stolen by the Chinese. And we never really see the single event that makes us do something about it. That it's always just below our pain threshold. That company after company in the United States spends millions, hundreds of millions, in some cases billions of dollars on R&D and that information goes free to China....After a while you can't compete." Clarke notes that while the U.S. government is involved in espionage against other governments, it doesn't hack Chinese companies and then hand over intelligence to their American counterparts. He argues that the same cannot be said for the Chinese government.
Oy Vey: Trayvon Martin case: He was suspended three times and caught with 'burglary tool'.
dailymail.co.uk Video: ObamaCare at the Supreme Court, Day One. Here's a brief recap of yesterday's arguments before the Supreme Court, via Reason : Today is Day Two and oral arguments made against the individual mandate may signal the end for President Obama's health care overhaul. Over at Bench Marks, NRO notes how even if -- and it's a...
Gold Nears $1,700/oz After Bernanke QE Hints, OECD $1.3 Trillion Eurozone 'Firewall' And Despite Indian Gold Strike. From GoldCore Gold Nears $1,700/oz After Bernanke QE Hints, OECD $1.3 Trillion Eurozone 'Firewall' And Despite Indian Gold Strike Gold's London AM fix this morning was USD 1,694.00, EUR 1,266.54, and GBP 1,059.55 per ounce. Yesterday's AM fix was USD 1,658.00, EUR 1,255.02 and...
Angola: U.S. Africom Official Visits Country. The commander of the U.S. African Command (FRICOM), General Carter F. Ham, is due to visit Angola on 27 March, Angop learnt Monday from the embassy of the United States of America (USA) in a statement.
Obama and Medvedev exchange caught on open microphone - YouTube.
0om.butt.org FBI explanation of missing Oklahoma City bombing tapes not credible, judge says.
feedproxy.google.com UK politicianclaimshis extraterrestrial mother tookhim on a UFO
openminds.tv
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Australian Gov't Bans Chiners From National Network Bids. Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon appears to have confirmed that her department has banned Chinese networking giant Huawei from participating in the multi-billion dollar National Broadband Network tendering process, despite the company not being accused of having broken any...
THE CLINTONS AND THE BATTLE FOR GREEK AND CYPRIOT OIL AND GAS. Bill Clinton, a lobbyist for Noble Energy. The Eastern Mediterranean has a huge amount of oil and gas. The Eastern Mediterranean means Libya, Egypt, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey and Greece . The conflicts in those countries are partly linked to oil. On 5...
Mali Coup Militants Were Trained In America By The US Military. In an apparent bid to fend off growing criticism of the coup from the international community, the leader of the coup Amadou Haya Sanogo, began making television appearances during which he stated he had been trained by the U.S. government.
Today, the Patrick Barnes, a U.S. Africa Command official based in Washington, came forward and admitted that the allegations are true.
Barnes told that Washington Post that United States provided the coup leader with professional military training on several occasions inside of the United States times as part of their International Military Education and Training program.
Barnes explained that the program is meant to train security forces so they can improve their ability to track down al-Qaeda sympathizers who kidnap Europeans and other foreigners for ransom.
Psychologist flagged Sandusky as 'likely pedophile' in 1998 report. Years before Jerry Sandusky was charged with child sexual abuse, a psychologist told Penn State police in 1998 that the former assistant football coach acted the way a pedophile might.
In her assessment, Alycia Chambers described her involvement in a case in which the mother of a young boy reported that Sandusky had showered with her son and may have had inappropriate contact with him. A redacted version of that evaluation was published Saturday by NBC News.
Parental Consent Act - Petition. Kent Snyder, Presidential Campaign Manager for Ron Paul 2008 and former Executive Director of the Liberty Committee discusses the federal plan to screen all US schoolchildren for mental disorders, and how this prompted Congressman Ron Paul to introduced the Parental Consent Act to counter this Orwellian plan which lead to more US children diagnosed with subjective mental disorders and put on psychiatric drugs.
Second Twitter user accused of apostasy in Saudi Arabia.
dh.blork.ly Portuguese unions began a 24-hour general strike on Thursday to protest government austerity measures agreed to as part of a rescue deal with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
mobile.france24.com
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Europol chief warns about 'lone wolf' jihadist threat - FRANCE - FRANCE 24. "We prefer the term self-starting over lone wolf," the official told the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his work. "But the reality is that there are hosts of people like this out there and most of them will never do anything. You have to have information to suggest they are about to do something. Unfortunately, there are no thought police." There are, nonetheless, plenty of recent examples of the dangers of terrorists working in isolation:
Hulu - Editor's Picks: New Black Panthers Offer Reward for Zimmerman.
hulu.com Italian Soldier Killed, 5 Wounded In Afghanistan. A statement from the joint chiefs of staff in Rome said the soldiers were attacked early Saturday evening in Gulistan. The wounded soldiers were flown by helicopter to a military field hospital.
Italy is participating in the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
MERAH BRAINWASHED IN PSYCHIATRIC UNIT? Merah never went to the mosque; he liked night-clubbing; he'd been held in a psychiatric unit. According to the mainstream media, Mohamed Merah is related to Sabri Essid who has connections to the CIA's al Qaeda. ( France's Jihadist Shooter Was No Lone Wolf ) So, we cannot rule...
Brazilian schools microchip T-shirts to cut truancy. Schools in Brazil have started to place computer chips in school uniforms to keep track of pupils and reduce truancy.
Some 20,000 pupils in the north-eastern city of Vitoria da Conquista will have microchips embedded in their school T-shirts.
The parents will get a text message when their children arrive at school, or if they are late for classes.
The authorities say the measure will help teacher-parent relations.
LOVE BY THE NUMBERS - ADAM CURRY & MICKY - YouTube.
youtube.com Tungsten-Filled 1 Kilo Gold Bar Found In The UK. a report from ABC Bullion of Australia, which provides photographic evidence of a new gold bar that has been drilled out and filled with tungsten rods, this time not in Germany but in an unnamed city in the UK, where it was intercepted by a scrap metals dealer, and was supplied with its original certificate. The reason the bar attracted attention is that it was 2 grams underweight. Upon cropping it was uncovered that about 30-40% of the bar weight was tungsten. So two documented incidents in two years: isolated? Or indication of the same phenomonenon of precious metal debasement that marked the declining phase of the Roman empire.
Austin Tops San Francisco In Study Of Fastest Download Speeds. Pando Networks is releasing new data today about American broadband speeds, taken from over 10 million downloads facilitated by the company's consumer-facing software throughout the course of 2011. The study's goal was to discover which cities in the U.S. had the fastest average download speeds, and not surprisingly, major tech hotspots like San Francisco, Austin, Seattle and New York all led the pack.
But topping the list? Not San Francisco. Instead, the honors go to Austin, which saw speeds of 841 KBps, Pando found.
Man Climbs NY Times Tower, Says He Wanted a Paper - ABC News.
abcnews.go.com Feeding The Homeless BANNED In Major Cities All Over America. Sometimes a well-timed sandwich or a cup of warm soup can make a world of difference for a homeless person. But many U.S. cities have decided that feeding the homeless is such a threat that they had better devote law enforcement resources to making sure that it doesn't...
Coroner's Ruling In Whitney Houston's Death By Drowning The Tip Of The Iceberg - Forbes. "Something happened that caused her to go down, and we know that when she slipped under the water she was still alive," he explained. "We have evidence of drowning, since there was water in the lungs."
Upon learning those findings, a TV forensics expert suggested that the way to understand what happened to Houston is to reverse the events. That would help explain why, after slipping underwater in a hotel bathtub, Houston was unable to help herself.
The Soros Connection to the Medicine Man Nominee to the World Bank. You knew it had to be there---the bankster connection to the nominee to be president of the World Bank. And what a connection. Earlier this month  Jim Yong Kim, President Obama's nominee for president of the World Bank was interviewed on "The Charlie Rose Show". Huh, how lucky...
Climate Fund Seeks UN-Style Diplomatic Immunity. The Green Climate Fund, which is supposed to help mobilize as much as $100 billion a year to lower global greenhouse gases, is seeking a broad blanket of UN-style immunity that would shield its operations from any kind of legal process, including civil and criminal prosecution,...
NYC's Mayor Bloomberg Bans Feeding the Homeless. enlarge Are you one of those kind-hearted people with a nice little garden, more veggies than you can possible eat yourself who takes the time to drop off your extras to the local homeless shelter? Or perhaps you have your own little bakery or grocery store, and you gladly take...
FRANCE TURNS FASCIST? TOULOUSE LOW TRICK. A teacher at a school in France asked her class to observe a moment's silence for Mohamed Merah. The 56 year old female teacher called Merah a 'victim,' and said his links to al-Qaida had been faked by Sarkozy and the media. Fifteen of the twenty pupils in the class reportedly...
@Ky0ritsu Thanks for the compliment! I'm working on some new ideas re: DSC in the future...
twitter.com
Friday, March 23, 2012
MF Global's Corzine Ordered Funds Moved to JPMorgan, Memo Says. (dun Dun DUN!)
l.shank.in Dangerous and Bizarre Obama Nominee for World Bank Prez. This looks like major trouble. President Obama has nominated Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim for the position of President of the World Bank. All bets were on Jeffrey Sachs. Sachs even thought he was the man, as countries around the world were lining up behind him....
US Military Base in South Korea Threatens China: The Threat of Warships on an "Island of World Peace".
globalresearch.ca Land Destroyer: Monopolizing Africa. In the wake of celebrity endorsed pro-intervention publicity stunts, public opinion in the United States is now being mobilized in favor of a greater military presence on the African continent.
Public Corruption Provisions to the STOCK Act Withering on the Vine. With Congress' approval ratings at an all-time low, passing the STOCK Act with these provisions should be a no-brainer. So why was House Majority Leader Eric Cantor so intent on preventing these changes to the law? And why is Sen. Reid playing into his hands?  Sen....
Bird Man Hoax: A Lesson in Critical Thinking. March 23, 2012 - A Dutch man named Floris Kaayk who bills himself as a filmmaker and animator recently revealed that the viral video " Flying Like a Bird " was an elaborate hoax spanning several months and consisted of at least 14 videos systematically uploaded chronicling the...
To Be Black in America ... For every black man in America, from the millionaire in the corner office to the mechanic in the local garage, the Trayvon Martin tragedy is personal. It could have been me or one of my sons. It could have been any of us.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that French who visit Internet sites supporting terrorism will be punished by law
huffingtonpost.com Al Qaeda misses Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. According to a 21-page media strategy letter found in Osama bin Laden's compound during last year's raid in Abbottabad, al Qaeda operative Adam Gadahn (aka Adam Pealrman from Oregon) is no fan of Fox News, thinks CNN is better in Arabic and liked MSNBC... that is, until Keith...
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Alaska Considers New China Pipeline Project. Three major oil companies and authorities in Alaska are discussing a $40 billion pipeline project to export liquefied natural gas from Alaska's North Slope to China and other Asian countries.
Statement by the President on the Passage of the STOCK Act. Release Time: For Immediate Release In my State of the Union Address, I laid out a blueprint for an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules, including those who have been elected to serve the...
MERAH IS INNOCENT? " Mohamed Merah" The alleged Toulouse shooter, Mohamed Merah, would appear to be an innocent patsy. Reportedly, the REAL Mohamed Merah had never been in prison in Afghanistan. Reportedly, the REAL Mohamed Merah was a fun-loving young chap who liked girls, who was described as...
Is Your New HDTV Watching You? While Web cameras and Internet connectivity are not new to HDTVs, their complete integration is, and it's the always connected camera and microphones, combined with the option of third-party apps (not to mention Samsung's own software) gives us cause for concern regarding the privacy of TV buyers and their friends and families.
Samsung has not released a privacy policy clarifying what data it is collecting and sharing with regard to the new TV sets. And while there is no current evidence of any particular security hole or untoward behavior by Samsung's app partners, Samsung has only stated that it "assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable" in the event that a product or service is not "appropriate."
Samsung demoed these features to the press earlier this month. The camera and microphones are built into the top if the screen bezel in the 2012 8000-series plasmas and are permanently attached to the top of the 7500- and 8000ES-series LED TVs.
A Samsung representative showed how, once set up and connected to the Internet, these models will automatically talk to the Samsung cloud and enable viewers to use new and exciting apps.
These Samsung TVs locate and make note of registered viewers via sophisticated face recognition software. This means if you tell the TV whose faces belong to which users in your family, it personalizes the experience to each recognized family member. If you have friends over, it could log these faces as well.
US reveals Iran petro penalty hit list after exempting allies. The US State Department has revealed the list of 12 countries which may be subjected to American financial sanctions for failing to cut oil imports from Iran. The number of countries was mentioned earlier on Tuesday, as Washington announced a penalty waiver for Japan and 10 EU...
UN Security Council backs Annan peace plan. After months of deadlock, the UN Security Council has adopted a non-binding statement on Syria. The move endorses special envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan, calling on both sides to agree to a ceasefire and to secure humanitarian access to the country. ÂHowever, the US is still...
Baffling Illness Strikes Africa, Turns Children Into Violent "Zombies"
dailytech.com Bank Trouble. Obama's plan to impose Summers as head of the World Bank has come apart.
EPA Whitewash. The EPA whitewashed fracking-related pollution problems in water in Pennsylvania.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
White House admits censoring news on the Obama family. President Obama had no problem sending his 13-year-old daughter on Spring Break to Mexico, notoriously known for teenagers partying and getting wasted on time away from school. The problem he had though was with the media reporting it. On Monday reports by The Huffington Post,...
Ron Paul: 'Secret Service is a form of welfare'. Among the controversial issues discussed by the remaining GOP candidates, all find it necessary to protect themselves from the ever present threat of glitter bombs. All candidates but one. Ron Paul is the only Republican presidential hopeful who doesn't find it necessary to...
33 Senators introduce bipartisan resolution condemning Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army
coons.senate.gov Ron Paul: Other 3 Candidates should DROP OUT. Ron Paul: Other 3 Candidates should DROP OUT. Ron Paul appeared on Jay Leno's Tonight Show and had some laughs at the other candidate's expense. From: ARSONomics Views: 3 1 ratings Time: 00:58 More in News & Politics
@MickyHoogendijk But not your looks :-) xxx
twitter.com Madonna Announces Concert For Peace In Tel Aviv. Madonna and Live Nation Entertainment announced today that they will be adding a second show at Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv on May 31st. The added show has been declared by Madonna as a "Concert for Peace." Madonna is inviting several peace organizations to the May 31st show...
Ron Paul and the pink slip that could decide the election. And so it must be with the RNC and Ron Paul. There can be no brush-off. No "Phew, he's gone. Now let's get down to business." No booby prize. Ron Paul needs to be given a role that really means something to him --- a role with influence and voice.
The details of this role are not for us to identify � they can only emerge from the kind of good-faith negotiations that party officials should initiate soon with the candidate. All we can say is, in this kind of setting, as in the best-practice business parting, the "victor" must err on the side of bigheartedness and dignity. Whatever speaking role Dr. Paul wants at the convention, give it to him. If he wants some sort of advisory role in the new administration, the answer is: "Of course." Like a business leader designing a severance package with a key player, the GOP leadership's mindset must be: "When he walks out that door, Ron Paul is going to be a friend for life."
Because if he isn't, Ron Paul and his followers will make their unhappiness known. And for the mishandling of this defining moment, the GOP will deserve their ire.
The Class War in Europe. The euro's purpose was not to facilitate the creation of a Europe of transfrontier love, peace, harmony, boosted trade and economic efficiency, but to attack the economic, social and political gains of working people, accumulated over two centuries in the most bitter struggles. What is happening in country after country, starkest of all in Greece, Ireland and Portugal, but also -- just as visibly to anyone who is paying attention - in Britain, is nothing less than the opening salvoes of a new, more intense and more dangerous phase of class war.
Clintonville Trembles for a Third Night: Updated - WBAY-TV Green Bay-Fox Cities-Northeast Wisconsin News. ity officials say they received around 150 reports about the noises from underground shaking their houses Sunday night into Monday morning in the northeast corner of town. The next night, they received another 100 calls starting around 8 P.M.
For residents, it's a situation that's very unsettling.
"They're pretty loud when they vibrate the windows and you can feel the vibration on the floor and on the ground," Verda Schultz said.
Clintonville awaits answers as officials, experts investigate night noises. Not only did they spend Tuesday checking off an extensive list of potential causes for their mystery late-night booming noise, they did so on little sleep since the noise persisted a second night.
The booms that woke the northeast neighborhood Sunday night came back Monday night into Tuesday. Police say they received nearly 100 calls throughout the night about the loud explosion sounds that shake the ground.
March 20-22, 2012 Next Mega Earthquake, AXIS Shift / US Could Be Next! - YouTube.
youtube.com IMF to Cut Off Greece if Austerity Isn't Made in 3 Months. A new report by the International Monetary Fund on Greece requires 12 billion euros of more austerity measures in order to close the funding gap for both 2013 and 2014.
The IMF expects Greece to pass these new measures within the next three months. Otherwise, it will withhold the next tranche of aid to Greece, due in 3 months.
This goes to show that the successful completion of the second bailout for Greece just bought more time, even though it finally included a huge restructuring of debt, worth over �00 billion of debt forgiveness.
Tight Schedule After Restructuring
Greece just got around �1.6 billion from the IMF and around �5.9 billion from the EU. The vast majority of the money went back to the European Central Bank -- a payment on bonds. Only a small portion went to the Greek government. The ECB was exempt from the haircut that private bondholders received.
Paper: Marines down on Obama. The Marine Corps Times previews its cover story about anti-Obama Marines at their 'Battle Rattle' blog.
According to the article, of the 792 active-duty troops and mobilized reservists who responded to this year's Military Times Poll, 44 percent said that they disapprove of the way Obama is handling his job as commander in chief.
The article cites hot button issues such as repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," relaxing restrictions of women in combat, and steep budget cuts, behind the disapproval numbers.
They're Here: Cyber Experts Warn Senate That Adversary Is Already Inside U.S. Networks. Filed under: Intel & Cyber With attacks on U.S. networks increasing even as both government and industry pour more money into defense , top officials told the U.S. Senate Tuesday that the nation needs a new approach - one... They're Here: Cyber Experts Warn Senate That Adversary Is Already Inside U.S. Networks originally appeared on AOL Defense on 2012-03-21T08:30:00Z. Permalink | Comments
Umar Farooq. Umar Farooq, intern at The Nation, discusses his article "Our immoral drone war;" why the media pursues a cause-and-effect rationalization when an American commits an atrocity, but not when a Muslim does; the cycle of violence and radicalization in the US and Pakistan; why...
US sets duties on Chinese solar cells. After complaints from US competitors that Beijing provides manufacturers significant subsidies. Not mentioned is that these US competitors also get huge subsidies from Washington.
Researchers unveil global plan in TB vaccine hunt. There is more and more media interest in tuberculosis. Wether this is artificially generated by a PR campaign is unclear. What is clear though is that Big Pharma would make a killing with such a vaccine.
Private prisons -- the best investment in America? If you're looking to make a buck but gambling isn't your cup of tea, a billion-dollar business opportunity awaits you still. The largest for-profit private prison operators in America have a sales pitch, and boy should you hear it. The Corrections Corporation of America is the...
OZAR HATORAH SCHOOL ATTACK - INSIDE JOB. In 2001, at an Ozar Hatorah school in Paris, a classroom was burned down. This turned out to be an inside job. The perpetrator turned out to be a pupil. ( From Middle East to France, a Jewish school's journey Reuters ) On 19 March 2012, in Toulouse, an Ozar Hatorah school was...
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Drug Lawsuits Hinge on the Detail of a Label. The financial outcomes were radically different for one reason: Ms. Schork had received the generic version of the drug, known as promethazine, while Ms. Levine had been given the brand name, Phenergan.
Professor Bernanke rails against gold standard - Economy. The United States abolished the gold standard in 1933, and fully moved away from a fixed exchange rate in 1971. Bernanke defended that decision Tuesday, saying a gold standard creates an "awful big waste of resources."
"To have a gold standard, you have to go to South Africa or someplace and dig up tons of gold and move it to New York and put it in the basement of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and that's a lot of effort and work," he said.
ECONOMICS - One-third of Greek land on sale: official. "We would like to see Bota� (Turkey's state-owned pipeline firm) taking part in tender for Greek gas pipeline operator DEPA," he told the Daily News. Recently, Russia's Gazprom also announced that it was considering bidding for DEPA.
Insitu Announces ScanEagle Contract with Netherlands Ministry of Defense. Insitu announced today that it has signed a contract to deliver its ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to the Netherlands to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) for the Ministry of Defense (MOD). The Netherlands will use ScanEagle with the MOD both domestically and abroad.
In economically devastated Greece, internet-enabled barter economy rises. An interesting piece in the Guardian this week about cashless commerce in Greece, where the currency crisis has prompted citizens to take unusual measures to obtain essential goods. One exchange website in particular is cited, and a unit of barter known as "tems." The network has been online for about a year and a half. Snip from a portion of Jon Henley's report about the open-air markets where tems are exchanged for daily neccessities:
NBC's Harry's Law: If No One's Watching Your Show, Make a Young Girl's Face Do This. By the way, you may remember conversion disorder from a recent New York Times Magazine cover story (and our prior coverage) about a group of girls in the upstate New York town of LeRoy who've come down with a series of tics and twitches in what is being called "mass hysteria." Conversion disorder: So hot right now. It's not just a health trend, but a media one, too.
Coup in Beijing, Says Chinese Internet Rumor Mill. According to the message that went viral on China's Internet, a military force with unknown designation quickly occupied many important places in Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leadership compound in Beijing, and Beijing in the early morning of March 20, with the cooperation of Beijing armed police.
The troops entered Beijing to "get and protect Bo Xilai," according to the message.
A mainland Chinese reader has told The Epoch Times that a military coup has taken place in Beijing.
It is still unknown who, if anyone, has been arrested.
CIA threatens Australian coal industry: Palmer. While brandishing a copy of the report this afternoon, Mr Palmer said it was the result of a CIA conspiracy involving the US-based Rockefeller Foundation.
"This is funded by the CIA," he said.
"You only have to go back and read ... the report to the US Congress that sets up the Rockefeller Foundation as a conduit of CIA funding.
"You only have to look at the secret budget which was passed by Congress last year - bigger than our whole national economy - with the CIA to ensure that.
"You only have to read the reports to US Congress where the CIA reported to the president that their role was to ensure the US competitive advantage - that's how you know it's funded by the CIA."
Sound Effects, Royalty Free Music, Sound Effect, Music Loops, Sound FX.
sfxsource.com BREAKING: ELECTION FRAUD? Why Did ABC-TV Post Illinois GOP Primary Results 24 Hours Early?! - YouTube.
youtube.com Islamic extremists use Call of Duty to plan terror attacks.
thesun.co.uk Russian Anti-Terror Troops Arrive in Syria. A Russian military unit has arrived in Syria, according to Russian news reports, a development that a United Nations Security Council source told ABC News was "a bomb" certain to have serious repercussions.
ATM Charges Are The Start Of A War Against Cash. The elites parade their fine dresses, while the peasants are cut off from cash. The Daily Express reports today that cash dispensers are to be subject to charges, and will no longer be free. This is nothing to do with banks' profits or costs. They are all in robust health,...
Chicago bans anti-NATO protests. In an attempt to try to counter Obama's tricky maneuvers to relocate the G-8 Summit to Camp David, the group of demonstrators who originally planned on protesting the G-8 summit now seeks to reschedule their protest march for the NATO summit. According to a statement release by...
BOYS CASTRATED; LINKS TO DUTCH PRIME MINISTER. Henk Heithuis, while a minor, reported priests to the Dutch police for sexually abusing him in a Catholic boarding home. Heithuis, the victim, was taken by police to a Catholic psychiatric hospital and then to the St. Joseph Hospital in Veghel. Heithuis was then castrated, by...
HUGE DEMAND FOR YOGURT, PREPARING FOR MARCH 25, YOGURT HURLING DAY. Syntagma Square and Panepistimiou Street will be full of yogurt on March 25! Greeks now accumulate yogurt for March 25, independence day of Greece, in order to hurl it at all Graecokleptocrats they could find during the parade! Venizelos introduced the stupidest law on Earth...
"Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive," he said, according to the pool report. "Think about it."
huffingtonpost.com Are There or Aren't there Russian Troops in Syria? Well, things in Syria are getting a bit more complicated. Weeks after the news that special operators from NATO countries may be inside Syria advising the rebels, comes the news that Russia has dispatched counterterrorism troops to the embattled nation. Now, some news reports...
Monday, March 19, 2012
Sudan eyes up to $1.5 bln with pipeline-backed sukuk. Sudan aims to raise $1 billion to $1.5 billion this year with Islamic "sukuk" bonds that offer stakes in an oil pipeline, a move the African country hopes will draw more Gulf Arab investment to its debt market, a senior official said on Monday.
Mysterious nodding disease debilitates children.
032.butt.org Juctice for Khojaly (International Civil Awareness Campaign). Khojaly was Azerbaijan settlement situated within the administrative borders of the Nagorno Karabakh region of the country, on the road Agdam -- Shusha, Khankendi (Stepanakert) — Askeran near the only airport of the region. Its population constituted over 7 thousand people. Because of its communication advantage of harboring the civil airport just before the start of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict it had become shelter for refugee Meskhetian Turks fled the bloody inter-ethnic clashes in central Asia as well as Azerbaijani refugees deported from Armenia.
Fred Hochberg Remarks - C-SPAN Video Library. Fred Hochberg was interviewed at an Atlantic summit on economic recovery in the United States and globally. He said the largest threat to the U.S. export agenda was China and other nations that did not play by the rules. He also discussed America's "brain drain" problem and how immigration policy could be used to fix it.
New 'super' aspirin shrinks tumours for 11 different cancers.
dailymail.co.uk C-Span Founder, Brian Lamb, to Step Down as C.E.O.
nytimes.com Why the update? If one takes a look at EO 12919, the big change is in the Cabinet itself. In 1994, we didn't have a Department of Homeland Security, for instance, and some of these functions would naturally fall to DHS. In EO 12919, the FEMA director had those responsibilities, and the biggest change between the two is the removal of several references to FEMA (ten in all). Otherwise, there aren't a lot of changes between the two EOs, which looks mainly like boilerplate.
In fact, that's almost entirely what it is. The original EO dealing with national defense resources preparedness was issued in 1939 (EO 8248) according to the National Archives. It has been superseded a number of times, starting in 1951 by nearly every President through Bill Clinton, and amended twice by George W. Bush.
Barack Obama may be arrogant, and the timing of this release might have looked a little strange, but this is really nothing to worry about at all.
hotair.com Russia wants to secure gas supplies in Greece The Russian gas giant Gazprom is trying to secure gas supplies in Greece. By the end of the month to the Greek gas utilities and pipeline operators are privatized. Gazprom has now announced its intention to enter into the bidding process. Thus, Russia would gain even more influence on Europe's energy policy (Europe is already heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies - more here ).
Are Greeks the hardest workers in Europe? But the statistics suggest the country has not lost its way due to laziness. If you look at the average annual hours worked by each worker, the Greeks seem very hard-working.
Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the average Greek worker toils away for 2,017 hours per year which is more than any other European country.
Out of the 34 members of the OECD, that is just two places behind the board leaders, South Korea.
On the other hand, the average German worker - normally thought of as the very epitome of industriousness - only manages 1,408 hours a year. Germany is 33rd out of 34 on the OECD list (or 24th out of 25 looking at the European countries alone).
KONY 2012 Director Detained, Org. Tied to Antigay Groups | News | The Advocate
advocate.com 'People yawning, developing goose bumps could be terrorist' says US Homeland Security.
feedproxy.google.com Four Dead After French School Shooting. [didnt know there were so many shootings going on in france lately] A teacher and three children have been killed in a shooting outside a Jewish school in southwest France. A gunman riding a motorbike opened fire at the Ozar Hatorah school in Jolimont, Toulouse, at just after...
Holder 1995: We Must 'Brainwash' People Against Guns. (video).
00i.butt.org
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Queens: *Building Collapsed* Beach 72 St & Gouverner Ave U/D FDNY transmitting a 2 Alarm for the building collapse with victims trapped NY02
01.sobr.org Israel Security Cabinet Votes 8 To 6 To Attack Iran
zerohedge.com Syrian Rebels are Foreign-backed Terrorists. Latest terrorist attack in Damascus illustrates illegitimacy of both Syria's rebels & the UN/NATO backing them. by Tony Cartalucci March 18, 2012 - A twin terrorist bombing in the Syrian capital of Damascus, allegedly targeting government buildings, ripped through a...
Eritrea: Ethiopia attacked us over border dispute. The Eritrean government said Friday that an attack on its military outposts by neighboring Ethiopia was carried out with the help of the U.S. and meant to divert attention from a decade-old border dispute between the two countries.
Gulf Arabs offered bribe to Russia for yes vote on Syria. Informed diplomatic sources have reported to the Wayne Madsen Report (WMR) that Bahrain, representing the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), offered Russia a bribe of $5 billion if it did not use its veto in the Security Council to defeat an Arab League-sponsored...
US threatens sanctions against India over Iran oil. The Obama administration is threatening to impose sanctions on India over its continued economic ties with Iran amid disagreements between Washington and New Delhi over how much and how soon the latter is reducing oil imports from the (in US eyes) pariah nation.
Why RON PAUL does not ask for 9/11 TRUTH. - YouTube.
youtube.com Obama agency rules Pepsi's use of aborted fetal cells in soft drinks constitutes 'ordinary business operations'. The Obama Administration has given its blessing to PepsiCo to continue utilizing the services of a company that produces flavor chemicals for the beverage giant using aborted human fetal tissue. LifeSiteNews.com reports that the Obama Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) has decided that PepsiCo's arrangement with San Diego, Cal.-based Senomyx, which produces flavor enhancing chemicals for Pepsi using human embryonic kidney tissue, simply constitutes "ordinary business operations."
Right Honourable Amama Mbabazi, Prime Minister of Uganda.mov - YouTube.
youtube.com Panetta: US will 'take action' if Israel hits Iran. "Obviously Israel is an independent country, and they'll make whatever decisions they make on their own based on what they think is in their national interests," Panetta told Al Hurra, an Arabic news outlet, today. "If they should make that decision, then obviously the United States will -- would take action to protect our facilities in this area and protect our interests in this area." Panetta had been asked specifically if the United States would "intervene with Israel" in the event of an attack.
Probe team: Women sexually assaulted before killing in Panjwai « RAWA News. US soldiers were alleged to have sexually assaulted two female victims before they were killed in the Panjwai massacre in southern Kandahar last Sunday, a high-level Afghan probe team revealed.
The Wolesi Jirga's, or lower house of Parliament, delegation investigating the Kandahar shootings by US troops said besides killing 16 civilians, the soldiers sexually assaulted them.
On the ill-fated Sunday, US troops shot 16 civilians, including nine children and three women, and injured five others when they opened fire on houses in Zangabad village, in Panjwai district.
Some of the victims' bodies were later set on fire.
China's ever increasing aid to Ethiopia and the proposed 'Berbera-Addis' pipeline would increase China's chances of profiteering from oil both in the Eastern Ethiopia and Kismayo. Rumours are swirling that China plans to build an Oil export Base in Kismayo in order to set up offshore oil rigs.
somalinet.com
Friday, March 16, 2012
10 Reasons Why Fisker May Be Worse Than Solyndra. "...Automotive and green technology advocacy Web sites are abuzz with a story about a former employee of Fisker Automotive who claims the company released its $102,000-plus Karma electric sport sedan prematurely, in order to meet targets set forth by the Department of...
Invisible Children co-founder Jason Russell Naked In Street 7 min version #MK-Ultra
youtube.com News from The National Training Center and Fort Irwin including stories and updates from The High Desert Warrior published by Aerotech News and Review. #SgtBales
webcache.googleusercontent.com 'Kony 2012' Honcho Jason Russell's NAKED MELTDOWN VIDEO - YouTube.
youtube.com White House Announces New Executive Secretary/Chief of Staff for the National Security Staff. With this move, the position of Executive Secretary, previously held by Nate Tibbits, and the position of Chief of Staff will be merged into one, creating a more integrated approach to the management of the NSS. Ambassador Brooke Anderson, who had been serving as Deputy Assistant to the President, Chief of Staff and Counselor on the National Security Staff is leaving government service to move to Bozeman, Montana.
President Obama Announces Another Key Administration Post. Release Time: For Immediate Release WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post: Ward Brehm – Member, Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation President...
Executive Order -- National Defense Resources Preparedness. WTF are we preparing for????
whitehouse.gov Universal music exec talks about SOPA and the music/tech relationship [video].
venturebeat.com DutchNews.nl - Growing numbers of people cannot pay their bills. Around 30% of people are behind with payments and 70% have debts in more than one area. In 2009 that figure was 56%. Not only are people in the red, but automatic payments are being cancelled and demands for payment of the rent or mortgage are being ignored, says the Nibud
Turkey may consider buffer zone at tense Syrian border. Turkey is doing its best to facilitate the accommodation of terrified Syrians fleeing the violence in their country at refugee camps in Hatay province, but may consider the creation of a buffer zone if it is deemed necessary, Deputy Prime Minister BeÅŸir Atalay has said. Atalay,...
Heard about the colloidal silver 'Blue Man?' Here's why the scare story is public relations fraud. The case of the legendary "Blue Man" whose entire body turned blue after taking a liquid concoction that the mainstream media continues to refer to as "colloidal silver" is a fraud. Contrary to what you may have heard about the incident, 57-year-old Paul Karason from California had not been taking real colloidal silver at all when he turned blue, and the entire charade appears to have been nothing more than a shock-factor story to detract the public from exploring the truth about properly-prepared silver colloids and their incredible power to heal when taken appropriately.
Remarks in Burma. And I want to announce here that to that end the United States is going to provide 1.5 million dollars in additional funding to the UNHCR for that purpose to assist the internally displaced persons.
CIA Chief: We'll Spy on You Through Your Dishwasher. The CIA has a lot of legal restrictions against spying on American citizens. But collecting ambient geolocation data from devices is a grayer area, especially after the 2008 carve-outs to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Hardware manufacturers, it turns out, store a...
US Launches PR Campaign for Ugandan Oil Intervention. (GRTV) As the scramble for Ugandan oil heats up, a documentary about Joseph Kony's 20 year campaign of terror has become an online cause celebre and is once again energizing the public for military campaigns abroad. But what is the public not being told about the background of...
Amnesty International's Ultimatum to Russia. US State Department-run Amnesty International demands Russia allow US & NATO to commence the ruination and plundering of Syria. Tony Cartalucci, Contributing Writer Activist Post As Libya splinters into infighting factions, with racist genocidal death squads scouring...
Democratic Senators Warn About Use of Patriot Act. The senators, who also said that Americans would be "stunned" to know what the government thought the Patriot Act allowed it to do, made their remarks in a letter to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. after a Justice Department official last month told a judge that...
Ron Paul PRAISED by Black Swan Author Taleb. Ron Paul PRAISED by Black Swan Author Taleb Discussing Signs of the Black Swan, author Nassim Taleb explains why only Ron Paul can fix the problems facing the country. From: ARSONomics Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 00:43 More in News & Politics
Monday, March 12, 2012
Emergency Medicine Resident Physician Iltifat Husain believes that Watson could never replace a doctor, but he says that it could be turned into a useful medical triage system, where patients tell Watson their symptoms and it figures out whether they need to come into the hospital for treatment.
m.wired.com Neilson’s new endeavor has offices in Los Angeles, New York City and Seattle.
Here’s his video pitch:
humanosphere.kplu.org Neilson isn’t a household name,
but he’s quickly establishing his Santa Monica,
California-based Global Philanthropy Group as
the premier charity consultant to the
entertainment industry’s biggest and brightest.
Neilson is a former Hillary Clinton staffer and
Gates Foundation director who has been the
subject of glowing profiles in Details and
the New York Times.
ashtonkutcherisasextraffickingidiot.wordpress.com Malawi: Africa's 'warm heart' feels chill of creeping dictatorship
m.guardian.co.uk Mozambique: No Objection to Beira-Malawi Pipeline -Minister
allafrica.com Energy Production Revolution Begins In Mideast.
foxnews.com STAND-TO! - Task Force 120, July 10, 2009. TRADOC formed a special task force from across the Army focused on supporting an affordable Army Modernization Plan that includes the incremental modernization of brigades and operational requirements for a new ground combat vehicle. The task force is charged with leading a comprehensive review of force designs, refining the Brigade Combat Team Modernization Plan, establishing integrated network architectures, and codifying new ground combat vehicle operational requirements.
Ron Paul: "OF COURSE THERE IS VOTE FRAUD!". Ron Paul: "OF COURSE THERE IS VOTE FRAUD!" Doug Wead discusses the reality that vote fraud IS present in the republican nominating process on RONPAULFLIX.COM From: ARSONomics Views: 179 4 ratings Time: 02:04 More in News & Politics
United Nations Security Council Meeting News Conference. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to reporters at the United Nations meeting, where she called on members to back the Arab League approach to ending violence in Syria. She also condemned the murders of 16 Afghan civilians by a U.S. Army sergeant.
Lawmaker Bashes Proposed Space Code of Conduct. By Bob Brewin Nextgov.com WASHINGTON -- Senior Defense Department officials defended a recently proposed international space code of conduct against a steady assault by the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee during a hearing on the fiscal 2013 Defense space...
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Libya's Big-Oil PM Rolls Over for Western Masters. El-Keib obfuscates/defends Libyan support for terrorist militants in Syria. by Tony Cartalucci March 9, 2012 - Libya's Prime Minister, and British Petroleum, Total, and Shell-funded Petroleum Institute chairman Abdurrahim el-Keib, flatly denied allegations by Russian UN...
Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 347. Release Time: For Immediate Release On Thursday, March 8, 2012, the President signed into law: H.R. 347, the “Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011,” which makes it a Federal crime to enter or remain knowingly in any restricted area...
Hoax Resignation. Someone hoaxed France 24 . She pretended to be the Syrian ambassador to France, and said she was resigning in protest against Assad's actions.
The Road We've Traveled Official Trailer - Obama for America 2012 - YouTube.
youtube.com Mock Cyber Attack on New York Used by Obama to Pitch Senate Bill. The mock attack on the city during a summer heat wave was "very compelling," said Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who is co-sponsoring a cybersecurity bill supported by President Barack Obama. "It illustrated the problem and why legislation is desperately needed," she said as she left the briefing.
FAA Asks for Public Input on UAS Test Site Selection. WASHINGTON--Â The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today asked for public input on the agency's selection process for six unmanned aircraft system (UAS) test sites. Once the pilot program is established, the agency expects it will provide valuable data to help the FAA...
Remarks With Prime Minister Elkeib After Their Meeting.
state.gov Panetta: 'International Permission' Trumps Congressional Permission For Military Actions.
breitbart.com The Future of The New York Times. Jill Abramson is executive editor of The New York Times since September 2011. Previously she was managing editor of the paper from August 2003 until August 2011. As managing editor, Ms. Abramson has helped supervise coverage of two wars, four national elections, hurricanes and oil spills. She also writes about politics, in the Week in Review and Book Review sections. She served as Washington bureau chief from December 2000 until July 2003. She joined the newspaper in September 1997 and became Washington editor in 1999.
IC's corporate ties Invisible Children has partnered with two other organizations, Resolve and Digitaria, to create the LRA Crisis Tracker, a digital crisis-mapping platform that broadcasts attacks allegedly committed by the LRA. On its list of corporate sponsors, Resolve lists Human Rights Watch and the International Rescue Committee. Digitaria's website boasts commercial clients such as CBS, FOX, MTV, ESPN, Adidas, NFL, Qualcomm, NBC, National Geographic, Hasbro and Warner Brothers. While KONY 2012 attempts to portray itself as an indigenous activist movement bent on bringing justice to African children, its parent organization is affiliated with the upper echelon of the US corporate media and a network of foundation-funded pro-war civil society groups with a long history of fomenting pro-US regime change under the banner of democratic institution building.
Land Destroyer: Kony 2012: Wrapping Imperialiam in Russell presents various montages of ethically diverse groups of students raising their fists in the air, sporting KONY t-shirts, and scenes of mass celebration in response to President Obama signing the S. 1067: Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009.
The bill was passed without congressional approval, and allows the US to deploy military forces in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan (at the consent of those nations) in pursuit of LRA rebels. The film further advocates the requirement of public support for US military operations in the region through forms of street activism, encouraging viewers to purchase Action Kits ($30.00) and posters ($10.00) featuring images of Joseph Kony. Russell then targets specific celebrities and US policy makers and pressures them to endorse the campaign against Kony. Perhaps most absurdly, Russell suggests that without mass public support from the American public, the US would withdraw its military presence from the region.
AFRICOM, the ultimate objective, would allow the U.S. to be able to counter resource-hungry China by having boots on the ground near the oil-rich northern part of Uganda, South Sudan, Congo's region bordering Lake Albert, and the Central African Republic. The troops would also be near by in case a decision is made to support regime-change in Khartoum, Sudan. After all, the U.S. foreign policy reasoning is that since Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his defense minister have both been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), few would shed tears for them.
blackstarnews.com By blindly supporting Uganda's current government and its military adventures beyond its borders, as Invisible Children suggests that people do, Invisible Children is in fact guaranteeing that there will be more violence, not less, in Central Africa.
huffingtonpost.com BBB Report on Invisible Children
bbb.org Obama Set To Sign Obama Set To Sign "Trespassing Bill" Ending Freedom Of Speech In America March 07, 2012 Russia Today News MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 302 176 ratings Time: 07:39 More in News & Politics
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Greek Cyprus launches exercises with France. Greek Cyprus and France on Monday launched search and rescue exercises focused on marine accidents and piracy from the Greek Cypriot port of Limassol after signing an armed forces cooperation agreement on Jan. 24.
Turkey says could annex north if Cyprus stays split. TURKEY would consider annexing northern Cyprus if talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots failed to reach a deal on reunification of the island, Turkey's European Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis told a Turkish Cypriot newspaper.
Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. - News Releases. Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. ("Cheniere Partners") (NYSE Amex: CQP) announced today that it has entered into an exclusive arrangement with Blackstone Energy Partners L.P., Blackstone Capital Partners VI L.P., and certain affiliates (collectively, "Blackstone") to finalize and execute definitive agreements under which Blackstone would purchase newly issued CQP Senior Subordinated Paid-in-Kind Units ("CQP PIK Units") for $2 billion (the "Financing"). CQP would use the proceeds of the Financing to fund the equity portion of the costs of developing, constructing and placing into service its Sabine Pass liquefaction project being developed at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal (the "Liquefaction Project"), the purchase of the Creole Trail pipeline from Cheniere Energy, Inc. and other partnership business purposes.
US LNG exports would keep gas bubble from becoming a 'sausage': Centrica CEO - Natural Gas. There are six proposals in the US to move domestically-produced LNG to markets in Asia and Europe. Of those, only Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass in Louisiana has secured the necessary federal approvals to export LNG to countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the US, as well as those that do.
Other US export proposals, meanwhile, are somewhere in the process of getting the federal green light, with a handful still getting ready to file with the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Mitt Romney v. Stephanopoulos on the Silly Nonquestion of Contraception - YouTube.
youtube.com Internal NASA Video Memo: NASA Employees ~ PREPARE Self & Family for IMMINENT EMERGENY
youtube.com Rados�aw Sikorski - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sikorski has overseen a wide-ranging modernisation of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, transforming the internal organisational structure and infrastructure, introducing the use of new technologies, and carrying out a merger with Poland's European Integration Committee (UKIE).[20] On 20 August 2008, Sikorski signed a missile defence agreement with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the objections of Russia.[21] The agreement came less than two weeks after the breakout of the 2008 South Ossetian war in Georgia.[22] "Parchments and treaties are all very well," Sikorski said, "but we have a history in Poland of fighting alone and being left to our own devices by our allies."[22] Although the Obama administration later cancelled plans for a larger missile defence shield, Sikorski successfully negotiated hosting a battery of Patriot missiles and the presence, for the first time in history, of American troops on Polish territory.[18]
In March 2010, Sikorski took part in the Civic Platform Presidential primaries against the then Parliamentary Speaker Bronis�aw Komorowski, who went on to be elected President. Sikorski enjoys some of the highest approval and trust ratings among Polish politicians.[23]
There was much press speculation that Sikorski would be named secretary general of NATO, a position held by Jaap de Hoop Scheffer until July 2009.[24] In the event, NATO named Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen, despite previous Turkish objections.[25]
Remarks With Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski After Their Meeting.
state.gov Violence and Political Unrest in Syria - C-SPAN Video Library.
c-spanvideo.org Obama begs taxpayers to buy a Chevy Volt. Despite General Motors temporarily halting production of its Chevy Volt this week, President Obama is moving forward with his own advertising campaign , pumping the alternative automobile. Need more convincing? The Obama administration now wants to offer you an instant $10,000...
Is Germany About to Start a Run on Gold Held at the New York Fed? German lawmakers are to review Bundesbank controls of and management of Germany's gold reserves. Parliament's Budget Committee will assess how the central bank manages its inventory of Germany's gold bullion bars that are believed to be stored not only in Frankfurt, but at...
ISA to Host Sensitization Seminar in New York.
isa.org.jm Rising energy tensions in the Aegean�Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria [Voltaire Network]. One significant problem, aside from the fact the IMF demands Greece selloff its public oil interests, is the fact that Greece has not declared a deeper exclusive economic zone like most other countries which drill for oil. There was seen little need until now. An Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) gives a state special mineral rights in its declared waters under the Third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which came into force in November 1994. Under UNCLOS III, a nation can claim an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its coastline. [7]
Turkey has previously stated it would consider it an act of war if Greece drilled further into the Aegean. [8] Until now that did not seem to have serious economic consequences, as no oil or gas reserves were known. Now it's an entirely different ballgame.
ManTech International - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
57.butt.org US gov IT services vendor swallows HBGary. US government IT services firm ManTech International has bought HBGary, the network forensics and malware analysis firm best known for last year's hack by Anonymous against its now-defunct sister firm, HBGary Federal.
Idris of Libya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Overthrow and exile
Further information: Libyan coup d'etat (1969)
On 1 September 1969, while Idris was in Turkey for medical treatment, he was deposed in a coup by a group of Libyan army officers under the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi. The monarchy was abolished and a republic proclaimed.[5] The coup pre-empted Idris' abdication and the succession of his heir the following day.
From Turkey, he and the queen travelled to Kamena Vourla, Greece, by ship and went into exile in Egypt.
After the coup of 1969, Idris was placed on trial in absentia in the Libyan People's Court and sentenced to death in November 1971.
Idris died at the Sultan Palace in Dokki, Cairo in 1983, aged 94. He was buried at Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia.
A young Benghazian carrying King Idris's photo during the 2011 revolution
[edit] 2011 Libyan civil war
Although the king died in exile and most Libyans were born after his reign, during the 2011 Libyan civil war, many demonstrators opposing Colonel Gaddafi carried portraits of the king, especially in the traditional Sanussi stronghold of Cyrenaica. The tricolour flag used during the era of the monarchy was frequently used as a symbol of the revolution and was re-adopted by the National Transitional Council as the official flag of Libya.[6]
Libya's oil-rich east declares autonomy from Tripoli. The Benghazi gathering also named a leader of the breakaway region. It decided on Ahmed al-Zubair, a cousin of King Idriss. Zubair is also a member of the National Transitional Council, which opposes a federal Libya
The Zubair Corporation - Corporation Overview. Strategic Interest In Diverse Sectors
Corporation Overview
The Zubair Corporation has flourished through a combination of entrepreneurial leadership, courage and vision since its early days as the Muscat Trading Company. The progress of The Zubair Corporation in many ways reflects the development of the Sultanate, with the Corporation playing a key role in Oman becoming a respected contributor to international trade and business.
Over four decades, The Zubair Corporation has expanded and diversified, bringing new business thinking from around the world into the Sultanate of Oman to help build a vibrant and modern nation. Today it is a group with over 60 wholly owned companies, subsidiaries and associates in Oman, the Middle East, India, the Far East, Europe and the USA.
The Zubair Corporation's portfolio comprises investments, automotive, energy, real estate and construction, electric, tourism, furnishing, home and business solutions, information and communication technologies, cultural heritage and publishing.
G8 Summit Moved from Chicago to Camp David: White House. Chicago - A G8 Summit stunner came out of nowhere Monday afternoon: the White House yanked the summit out of Chicago, and moved it to Camp David.
Chicago will still host the NATO Summit May 20-21. But the G8 meetings on May 18 and 19 have been moved to a secluded spot in Maryland.
Mark Ames: Why is Ron Paul's Superpac Headquartered in Mitt Romney's Backyard?
nakedcapitalism.com US Can Only Intercept 33% Of Drug Smugglers It Tracks, Says General. Filed under: Strategy & Policy The U.S. military command covering South America intercepts only about a third of the drug shipments and other illegal traffic that it knows about, because it and allied nations simply lack the... US Can Only Intercept 33% Of Drug Smugglers It...
China pulls workers from Syria. China is bringing workers home from Syria, its Commerce Minister said on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to avoid a repeat of last year's eleventh-hour rescue of Chinese nationals from Libya when violence engulfed the country.
[voice of sanity] Opposition blasts PM's Holocaust comparisons. Opposition blasts PM's Holocaust comparisons "Israel is not about to be destroyed, not every enemy is Hitler and not every problem is Auschwitz," Gal-On says. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s political foes chastised him on Tuesday for comparing Israel’s...
Get Lost, Law of the Sea Treaty! Filed under: Sea AOL Defense's February 29 piece, " Hill Turns Up Heat On White House Over 'Law Of The Sea' " gives a good presentation of the reasons supporters believe the 1982 Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) should be... Get Lost, Law of the Sea Treaty! originally appeared on...
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
'Winkelier stort wisselgeld binnenkort op bankpas'. Binnen enkele maanden wordt het mogelijk om het wisselgeld van een winkelier op de bankpas te ontvangen, in plaats van contant. Dat verwacht Henk Kok, directeur van Detailhandel Nederland, zo zegt hij tegen het ND. Kok ziet allerlei ...
Senator asks for FTC probe on Apple and Android. A Senator from New York State is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate if the privacy policies users must agree to on iPhone and Android devices really do much at all to protect the customer's personal information. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is asking the FTC to...
Slate: Israel may one day bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. But it won't be as soon as Netanyahu wants you to think.
1d.blork.ly UPDATE 2-Blast hits Egypt gas pipeline serving Jordan, Israel. An Egyptian pipeline carrying gas to Israel and Jordan was bombed on Monday, the 13th such attack since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011, witnesses said.
The attack on the installation that crosses the increasingly volatile Sinai region occurred in the Massaeed area west of the Mediterranean coastal town of al-Arish, in north Sinai.
Witnesses in al-Arish told Reuters that two blasts were set off within 15 m (yards) of each other using remote-controlled explosive devices.
The bombs were planted by at least six armed men who arrived in two pickup trucks, the witnesses added.
Security in Sinai was relaxed after Mubarak's fall as the police presence thinned out across Egypt.
No group has claimed responsibility for the pipeline attacks.
Egypt's 20-year gas deal with Israel, signed in the Mubarak era, is unpopular with some Egyptians, with critics accusing Israel of not paying enough for the fuel.
Previous explosions sometimes have forced weeks-long shutdowns along the pipeline run by Gasco, a subsidiary of the national gas company EGAS.
Gasco said it had resumed pumping gas to households and industrial factories in al-Arish and began experimental pumping to Jordan and Israel last week.
The pipeline has been shut since an explosion on Feb. 5.
Egypt said in November it would tighten security along the pipeline by installing alarms and recruiting security patrols from Bedouin tribesmen in the area. (Reporting By Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Tamim Elyan; Editing by Michael Roddy)
Online Application for U.S. Passport Card. Versatile Document
The U.S. passport card is valid for 10 years and allows you to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land-border crossings or sea ports-of-entry. The wallet-sized card also serves as identification to apply for state and federal benefits, prove employment eligibility, and visit federal buildings. The passport card cannot be used for international air travel.
Lehman emerges from 3.5-year bankruptcy. Lehman, which exited bankruptcy just after midnight early on Tuesday, according to court documents, will start distributing about $65 billion to creditors on April 17, it said in a statement.
Uitgifte staatsbon flopt - De Standaard. Terwijl er in december vorig jaar nog een stormloop op de staatsbon was met een recordopbrengst van 5,7 miljard, haalde de recentste uitgifte slechts 59,28 miljoen op. De overheid stelt zich als doel dit jaar 6miljard op te halen via de staatsbon. Omdat ze maar vier keer per jaar een staatsbon uitgeeft, had de schatkist eigenlijk 1,5 miljard moeten oogsten. Hoe zit dat dan met de jaardoelstelling?
"Iran Has Killed & Maimed More American Troops Than Any Other Country In The World!" Rick Santorum March 06, 2012 C-SPAN MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 71 20 ratings Time: 03:16 More in News & Politics
youtube.com The First Amendment According to Stanley Fish. By Marie Burns: Stanley Fish, who blogs in the New York Times, is a professor of law. He has taken it upon himself to rewrite the First Amendment, or a part thereof. The new clause, which Fish himself doesn't specify, would apparently read something like this: "Congress shall make no law prohibiting the enforcement of extremism on [...]
I Sold My Soul to the Department of Homeland Security.
0y.blork.ly CORRECT: Tullow Says Investments In Uganda Oil Sector Has Hit $1B - WSJ.com.
online.wsj.com Air France passengers speak of terror on plane that plummeted towards sea.
guardian.co.uk Senator Barry Goldwater UFO Files Now posted. A second collection of Goldwater UFO related letters will also be posted shortly. These letters contain Goldwater correspondence with famous people rumored to have been involved in UFOs. These people include General Curtis LeMay who was involved in the Blue Room event,
Bobby Ray Inman who was rumored to have headed up the UFO back-engineering efforts for the US government (and who Goldwater promised to set up a meeting in 1994 for Dr. Greer)
President may order killing of American terrorists, Holder says - latimes.com. Speaking to an audience at Northwestern University Law School, Holder gave the most complete explanation to date of the Obama administration's legal rationale for killing people such as American-born Anwar Awlaki, who was targeted in a U.S. airstrike in Yemen last year.
Such killings can be ordered "in full accordance with the Constitution," but it requires "at least" an imminent threat in a situation where capture is not feasible, and when the strike is "conducted in a manner consistent" with the rules of war, Holder said.
"In this hour of danger," Holder said, "we simply cannot afford to wait until deadly plans are carried out. And we will not."
NASA - Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX). The five rockets will release a chemical tracer that will form milky, white tracer clouds that allow scientists and the public to "see" the winds in space. In addition, two of the rockets will have instrumented payloads, to measure the pressure and temperature in the atmosphere at the height of the high-speed winds.
Syria: Game Over for Western Propaganda. Syrian Activists Caught Lying, Syrian Rebels Caught Committing Atrocities . by Tony Cartalucci March 6, 2012 - Why should the West intervene in Syria when it turns out "activists" giving daily body counts, the sole source of "evidence" for the UN's ever climbing grand total ,...
Monday, March 05, 2012
Paul McBride death: QC refused medical aid days before death - Scotland - Scotsman.com. The solicitor had gone to bed early on Saturday evening, and was found dead the next morning, when hotel security at the Pearl Continental broke into his room at the request of Mr Anwar, who became concerned when Mr McBride failed to respond to phone calls and knocks at the door.
Following an initial investigation on Sunday, the Lahore police had said they did not suspect "foul play" and that he had died of "natural causes".
Actor (Steve Bridges) who impersonated Obama (better known for his Bush impersonations) dies at 48..
freerepublic.com "Some Have Called Such Operations "Assassinations" THEY ARE NOT!" Attorney General Eric Holder pt.1 - YouTube.
youtube.com Still a bit confused about the setup of the urlShortener. Bear with me
itm.im U.S. Department of State. Secretary Clinton hosts a bilateral meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh at the Department of State.
Militants attack Egypt gas pipeline for 12th time - Boston.com. EL-ARISH, Egypt—Egyptian security officials say militants have again blown up a gas pipeline in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula that transports fuel to neighboring Israel.
The attack on the pipeline is the 12th since the popular uprising that ousted longtime Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak last year.
Police officials said gunmen attacked the pipeline in the north Sinai city of el-Arish on Monday. There were no details on the extent of damage. Previous explosions have shut down gas flow for days or weeks.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with police rules.
Previous bombings of the pipeline have been blamed on Islamist militants who have stepped up activity in the Sinai, taking advantage of a security vacuum caused by a thin police presence in the post-Mubarak era.
Indian tobacco helps smokers kick the habit and repair their lungs. Indian tobacco is known as Lobelia inflate or lobelia, which some herbalists, unafraid of being politically incorrect for using an herb once banned by the FDA, use medicinally today. Not necessarily to smoke, but dispensed as tinctures or tablets.
Lobelia for asthma and other lung/bronchia disorders was a topic of another article from this author. This article will focus on lobelia as the most effective smoking cessation agent without side effects today.
Sibel Edmonds' Boiling Frogs Post. According to a report from Greek political analyst Aristotle Vassilakis published in July 2011, Washington's motive for pushing Greece to join forces with Turkey on oil and gas is to force a formula to divide resulting oil and gas revenues. According to his report, Washington proposes that Greece get 20% of revenues, Turkey another 20% and the US-backed Noble Energy Company of Houston Texas, the company successfully drilling in the Israeli and Greek offshore waters, would get the lion's share of 60%.[12]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's husband, Bill, is a Washington lobbyist for Noble Energy. [13]
Major Dutch political party calls for referendum on dropping euro, return to guilder.
washingtonpost.com CVS Hands Kids Breast Cancer Drugs Instead Of Fluoride Pills. For almost two months, some children in New Jersey were taking breast cancer drugs instead of fluoride pills for their teeth. CVS made a big whoopsie, as parents were picking up tamoxifen unbeknownst to them, and handing it out to their kids at home.
ABC News says the drug switcheroo went on for two months or longer before anyone figured it out.
New Israeli search method at West Bank checkpoint worries Palestinians - Haaretz Daily Newspaper. A foreign resident who works at an international organization and must pass through the checkpoint several times a week told Haaretz that the tube is left connected for approximately 10 minutes. Afterward, the filter is removed and taken to a nearby building. The worker says she was under the impression that some kind of chemical was disseminated into the vehicle, as she and another passenger began feeling nauseous and suffered from headaches several days afterwards. The worker has informed her country's embassy.
Lebanon Speaker on EEZ: Our problem is with Israel not Cyprus.
yalibnan.com Enbridge Canada-U.S. pipeline shuts after fatal crash
cbc.ca Drone crashes into SWAT team tank during police test near Houston. There will be no doubt many more reports like this one from Houston, the real applications for day to day applications in Policing are a little doubtful. Search and Rescue yes, but in a fast moving chase or somewhere stealth needs to be deployed we think not. sUAS cannot stand...
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Tajikistan blocks Facebook, news sites. The Tajikistan government on Saturday ordered Internet service providers (ISPs) to block Facebook, along with several independent news websites. The shutdown was ordered by the state-run communications service because the websites were critical to the president Emomali Rakhmon, according to the Tajik news agency Asia Plus.
Baba Amr oil pipeline attacked by Syrian troops - video.
guardian.co.uk Conroy: Marie Colvin targeted, murdered.
cnn.com Video: Conroy on Syria: 'It's a slaughterhouse' -- Anderson Cooper 360 Blogs. Paul Conroy, a British photojournalist who was recently smuggled out of Syria, spoke with Anderson by phone earlier tonight. He was injured in the same shelling that killed his friends and colleagues Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik. "This was murder" Conroy told us, "professional artillerymen targeted and murdered Marie Colvin. They murdered Remi." Conroy, who has covered wars and conflicts all over the world says what he's witnessed in Syria is a systematic slaughter of civilians by the regime. He calls this the most ferocious and unnecessary violence he's seen, and that the world has stood by and watched this assault continue while doing nothing. Although Conroy just escaped Syria, he says he would go back to confront Assad. "I would go face to face with anyone in the Syrian regime and refute their lies," Conroy told us.
Syria: Sunday Times Photographer Paul Conroy On 'Massacre' In Homs As Marie Colvin's Body Released.
news.sky.com Journalist smuggled out of Syria - Washington Times. The activist group Avaaz, which said it organized the evacuation with local Syrian activists, said 35 Syrians volunteered to help get the journalists out and bring aid in. Of those, 13 were killed.
Avaaz said three were killed in government shelling while trying to help Mr. Conroy through the neighborhood and 10 others were killed trying to bring in aid while Mr. Conroy was on his way out Sunday evening.
It said the remaining foreign journalists who had been stuck in the area with Mr. Conroy "remain unaccounted for."
Partners In Health History. 2000 -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announces a $44.7 million dollar grant to PIH and Harvard Medical School to fund MDR-TB research and treatment efforts in Peru, Haiti, and the former Soviet Union. During the next five years, PIH and Socios En Salud will use these funds to expand their community-based treatment program to cover all of Peru, while training health personnel from other countries with high rates of MDR-TB. A foreign aid moratorium on Haiti paralyzes state agencies, and the patient load in Cange climbs dramatically. Encouraged by the remarkable return to health of patients in the pilot AIDS treatment project, ZL launches the HIV Equity Initiative to provide antiretroviral therapy to as many patients as possible, using the existing TB infrastructure to deliver care according to its community-based model.
Res Publica - About Us. Ricken Patel: Ricken is Canadian and has consulted for the International Crisis Group, the United Nations, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Gates Foundation, Harvard University, CARE International and the International Center for Transitional Justice, in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Afghanistan, Sudan and New York. He has a Master in Public Policy from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a Bachelor's degree from Balliol College, Oxford University. He graduated first in a class of 350 from Oxford, and led student governments and student activism at both universities.
Avaaz's Ricken Patel talks to PM about Iranian or Russian drone being used on Syria - YouTube.
youtube.com
Saturday, March 03, 2012
Japan supply deal brings Ichthys final investment decision closer | 06/12/11 | ICIS Heren
icis.com The Little White Box That Can Hack Your Network.
wired.com Nigel Farage: Mass anger could trigger Euro's Greek Spring (RT Video).
youtube.com AP Sources: CIA-led force may speed Afghan exit. Top Pentagon officials are considering putting elite special operations troops under CIA control in Afghanistan after 2014, just as they were during last year's raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, sources told The Associated Press.
The Global Shipping Industry's Most Profitable Sector: LNG Shipping. With high costs to build new ships, and low returns, the industry has not ordered new ships for a few years.
Then events happened that changed everything.
The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan in January 2011 forced the closure of many of its nuclear power facilities. This forced Japan, which was already the world’s largest importer of LNG, to import even more. Luckily for the country, it had already embarked on a major project to expand its existing LNG terminals and to build new ones.
The CEO of Norway’s Hoegh LNG said in May “I’ve been in the LNG market for more than 20 years and I’ve never seen the market change this rapidly or this strongly.”
Japan warms to US liquefaction prospects. The US DOE has yet to give its approval to any of the three planned LNG export projects, citing the need to study the potential effects of exports on domestic natural gas price.
US Censors Report Of Possible Pandemic From H5N1 Mutation (NHK World Video).
youtube.com Hungarian, Georgian PMs agree on importance of AGRI pipeline. Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Georgian counterpart Nika Gilauri agreed on the importance of establishing a pipeline that will transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Azerbaijan to Central Europe via the Black Sea and Romania, Prime Minister's spokesman Peter...
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan%E2%80%93Georgia%E2%80%93Romania_Interconnector
en.m.wikipedia.org Waking up to the war in Balochistan. Just a few weeks ago, Interior Minister Rehman Malik even hinted that Israel and the US were supporting the Baloch separatists, while the army had totally ''Indianised'' the Baloch problem.
Could Iceland adopt the loonie?
cbc.ca The dark side of Facebook. Once something is reported by a user, the moderator sitting at his computer in Morocco or Mexico has three options: delete it; ignore it; or escalate it, which refers it back to a Facebook employee in California (who will, if necessary, report it to the authorities). Moderators are told always to escalate specific threats -- "I'm going to stab Lisa H at the frat party" is given as the charming example -- but not generic, unlikely ones, such as "I'm going to blow up the planet on New Year's Eve."
Excessive Channel Stuffing Forces GM To Halt Chevy Volt Production, Fire 1,300.
zerohedge.com Saudi Arabian Government Tied To 9/11 Attacks! "Is ANYONE Surprised By This?" Answer: Slience - YouTube.
youtube.com WHY SYRIA? The Obama, Hilary Lucifer Clinton PIPELINE WARS! - YouTube.
youtube.com Guardian open journalism: Three Little Pigs advert - video - YouTube.
youtube.com Iran discovers huge oil field in south-report - Yahoo! "The preliminary studies show enormous crude reserves in
this oil field, which can be considered as one of Iran's biggest
fields," Mahmoud Mohaddes, head of the exploration office at the
state National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) told Mehr.
Mohaddes gave no further details about the field but said it
was located in the country's southern border region. Oil
Ministry officials were not available to comment.
Iran is looking to discover 2.5 billion barrels of
recoverable oil and 23 trillion cubic feet of gas in the course
of the country's fifth five-year development programme
(2010-2015) now under way.
Friday, March 02, 2012
Ex-Olympic site for sale. (Euronews Video). Trying to raise cash to pay off its debts, the Greek government pushes ahead with privatisation plans and has invited bids for the future management rights to the International Broadcasting Centre in Athens
Pak vows to push energy ties with Iran; disregards US. Pakistan's top leadership on Thursday underlined the country's commitment to pursue energy projects with Iran, including a multi-billion dollar gas pipeline, despite growing pressure from the United States to abandon such ventures.
Gazprom eyes Israeli natural gas. A delegation from Russian energy company Gazprom planned meetings with Israeli officials to discuss the Leviathan natural gas field, local media reports.
Pentagon Confirms: US Troops in South Yemeni City of Aden. Pentagon officials today confirmed that a "security team" of US forces came under attack from Ansar al-Sharia loyalists in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, but denied any injuries as a result of the attack. Ansar al-Sharia claimed one "CIA officer" killed in...
Knight News Challenge Gives Away $5 Million On Tumblr.
blork.ly Syria accuses int'l community of supporting opposition. Syria has been targeted by armed groups since the very beginning of the unrest, and that armed groups have killed civilians across the country with the aim to inflame people's emotions and feelings and to achieve "cheap gains" regionally and internationally.
Domestic SPY BILL Puts 1st Amendment Rights at Stake. Stated in HR 6304 "(2) Probable Cause" section under (C)(Order): "No United States person may be considered a foreign power, agent of a foreign power, or officer or employee of a foreign power solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to...
Attorney may challenge use of drone in North Dakota arrest - TwinCities.com. LAKOTA, N.D. - The attorney for the Nelson County farmer charged with terrorizing and theft felonies in the unusual standoff last summer that started with wandering cows said Thursday he may challenge the use of a federal drone in the farmer's arrest.
"We will be filing several motions in the case by the end of March and that certainly is something we are considering," said Bruce Quick from his Fargo office when asked if he will contest the use of a U.S. Border Patrol Predator unmanned aerial aircraft in the arrest last summer of Rodney Brossart and four of his children.
Revealed: government plans for police privatisation. West Midlands and Surrey have invited bids from G4S and other major security companies on behalf of all forces across England and Wales to take over the delivery of a wide range of services previously carried out by the police.
The contract is the largest on police privatisation so far, with a potential value of £1.5bn over seven years, rising to a possible £3.5bn depending on how many other forces get involved.
Passport to Engineering - IEEE Spectrum. A new professional card�resembling a European driver's license�documents educational and professional qualifications in accord with internationally recognized standards. It's available now in Germany and the Netherlands, with several more countries slated to adopt it next year.
The new "engineerING card" comes as demand rises for internationally mobile engineers in Europe. Countries like Germany and Sweden are reporting an acute shortage of engineers, particularly in high-tech sectors. At the same time, firms need engineers who can be flexibly deployed throughout Europe.
Andrew Breitbart Talked Politics in L.A. Bar an Hour Before Dying (Exclusive) - The Hollywood Reporter.
hollywoodreporter.com Arizona Sheriff Unveils Obama Birth Probe - YouTube.
youtube.com After-birth abortion: why should the baby live? -- Giubilini and Minerva -- Journal of Medical Ethics. Abstract
Abortion is largely accepted even for reasons that do not have anything to do with the fetus' health. By showing that (1) both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons, (2) the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant and (3) adoption is not always in the best interest of actual people, the authors argue that what we call 'after-birth abortion' (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.
Yahoo! News. Egyptian authorities had accused the campaigners, including the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, of working for groups receiving illegal foreign funding and prevented them from leaving the country.
Extract on Syria. Extract from speech of Herman VAN ROMPUY, President of the European Council, on Syria, in [...]
Thursday, March 01, 2012
UN, Russia and China urge Syria let in UN envoy. Russia and China have joined the UN Security Council's calls for the Syrian government to allow humanitarian aid workers immediate access to the embattled city of Homs. The Syrian military has said it will only let the Red Crescent in the morning. ÂThe UN Security Council,...
Sebelius: Decrease in Human Beings Will Cover Cost of Contraception Mandate
cnsnews.com In Syria, Total is present on the Deir Ez Zor permit (100%, operated by DEZPC of which 50% is owned by Total)
total.com Foreign NGO workers leave Egypt after travel ban lift. Officials said the US posted bail for the all the Americans charged in the case, including those who had already left Egypt before the travel ban, set at $300,000 (£188,000) for per person, or $4.8m total.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expressed relief, but noted no decision had been made about US aid.
Shtokman. On July 13, 2007 Gazprom and Total signed the Framework Agreement on the major terms and conditions of cooperation when developing Phase 1 of the Shtokman gas and condensate field. The identical Agreement between Gazprom and StatoilHydro (present Statoil) was signed on October 25, 2007.
Saudi Arabia's Eastern Revolution hits the oil sector: pipeline under fire ~ The Arab Digest. For the first time in decades, the Eastern Saudi Arabian volatile situation has reached the vital oil sector. A pipeline between Awamiya and Safwa has been reportedly targeted, and is under fire; the Saudi government sources were quick to claim that the fire is one kilometer away from the pipeline. Our correspondent in Qatif confirmed that it is indeed a pipeline area that is targeted
U.S. Threatens Pakistan: Drop Iran Pipeline - India Real Time - WSJ. Mrs. Clinton told a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee Wednesday that sanctions could be triggered if Islamabad presses ahead. As Pakistan's economy already is in dire straits, the sanctions could be "particularly damaging" and "further undermine their economic status," Mrs. Clinton said.
U.S. Wants You to Hunt Fugitives With Twitter. "So we thought: Let's test this. Let's test this question," he adds. "Could you really use these strategies to find a person of interest, a vehicle of interest, or some actionable intelligence?" A proposal quickly followed, and State Department...
Lady Gaga Unveils Born This Way Foundation. Yesterday at Harvard University, Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, officially unveiled the Born This Way Foundation ( BTWF ), a new non-profit charitable organization, before a crowd of policy makers, non-profit organizations, foundation leaders, students and youth...
Tripartite Social Summit. Herman VAN ROMPUY, President of the European Council, at the Tripartite Social Summit, in the [...]
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
EconomicPolicyJournal.com: NYT Comes Pretty Damn Close to Reporting that Obama and Geithner May Have Known Each Other When They Were Children in Asia. Whoa! It's buried deep in an NYT profile of the Geithner-Obama relationship, but check this out:
Born two weeks apart in August 1961, the president and Mr. Geithner each spent childhood years in Asia because each had a parent working for the Ford Foundation on overseas development.
As I have reported many times, I suspect Geithner's father is/was high level CIA and used the Ford Foundation as cover to travel Asia.
What NYT fails to mention is that Geithner's father was in charge of microfinance in Asia for the Ford Foundation and the Obama's mother ran microfinance for the Ford Foundation in Indonesia. In other words, Geithner's father was the boss of Obama's mother. This is what I wrote in March. 2009:
Geithner's father, Peter Geithner, was head of the Ford Foundation's Asia grant making for a period in the early 1980s, including micro finance grants. He traveled and lived throughout Asia--which to me smells like a perfect CIA cover.
Obama's mother Ann Dunham-Soetoro developed the micro-finance program in Indonesia.
Geithner's father and Obama's mother most certainly knew each other.According to Ian Wilhelm of the The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Ford Foundation says, "they met at least once in Jakarta."
Bird flu, pig flu, now bat flu? [contagion!] For the first time, scientists have found evidence of flu in bats, reporting a never-before-seen virus whose risk to humans is unclear.
The surprising discovery of genetic fragments of a flu virus is the first well-documented report of it in the winged mammals. So far, scientists haven't been able to grow it, and it's not clear if � or how well � it spreads.
Obama issues new guidelines for indefinite detention and torture. however, nowhere in the directive, do anything to dismiss Section 1021 of the Defense Act, where alleged terrorists, "including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces," can be detained "under the law of war without trial until the end of the hostilities."
Carlos Pascual (diplomat) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Selected by President Barack Obama as ambassador to Mexico, he was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 7, 2009.[3] He presented his credentials to the Mexican government on August 9, 2009[3] and personally to President Felipe Calderón on October 21, 2009.[6]
Pascual submitted his resignation as Ambassador to Mexico on March 19, 2011 in part due to tensions with Calderón.[7] Tensions with President Calderón arose as a result of the WikiLeaks release of diplomatic cables in which Pascual criticized the Mexican military's ability or willingness to fight the Mexican drug cartels. Pascual is considered to be the first casualty of the Wikileaks affair.[8][9][10]
He was appointed the State Department's Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs in May 2011, succeeding David L. Goldwyn.
State Department Launches On October 14, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that the Department of State is establishing, for the first time, a Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR). As the Secretary noted, "You can't talk about our economy or foreign policy without talking about energy. With a growing global population and a finite supply of fossil fuels, the need to diversify our supply is urgent."
The Energy Resources Bureau is now operational and will ensure that all our diplomatic relationships advance our interest in having access to secure, reliable, and ever-cleaner sources of energy. The Bureau of Energy Resources has three principal goals:
Weapons-grade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. While it has been claimed that spent LWR fuel could be reprocessed to produce plutonium that, while not weapons grade, could be used to produce a nuclear explosion (even if only one of fizzle yield),[2] this has never been demonstrated. In particular, a 1962 test at the US Nevada Proving Grounds using non-weapons-grade plutonium used plutonium produced in a Magnox reactor in the United Kingdom. The plutonium used was provided to the US under the 1958 US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement. Its isotopic composition has not been disclosed, other than the description reactor grade and it has not been disclosed which definition was used in describing the material for this test as reactor grade.[3] The plutonium was apparently sourced from the military Magnox reactors at Calder Hall or Chapelcross. The content of plutonium-239 in material used for the 1962 test is estimated to have been at least 85%, much higher than typical spent fuel from currently operating reactors. Therefore, this test does not prove that constructing a bomb from plutonium sourced from modern spent fuel, which contains no more than 70% Pu-239, is possible.[4]
North Korea's Nuclear Attitude: What's Next? Uncle Don on NewsHour
pbs.org African Growth and Opportunity Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The legislation authorized the President of the United States to determine which sub-Saharan African countries would be eligible for AGOA on an annual basis. The eligibility criteria was to improve labor rights and movement toward a market-based economy. Each year, the President evaluates the sub-Saharan African countries and determines which countries should remain eligible. As of August 2009, there are 41 AGOA-eligible countries.
Additional rules of origin are applied to apparel. Having AGOA eligibility does not imply automatic eligibility for a "Wearing Apparel" provision. To export apparel and certain textile to the United States under the AGOA duty-free, an eligible country must have implemented a "Visa System" that satisfies American authorities and proves compliance with the AGOA rules about origin.
[edit] Benefits, results and criticism
AGOA provides trade preferences for quota and duty-free entry into the United States for certain goods, expanding the benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. Notably, AGOA expanded market access for textile and apparel goods into the United States for eligible countries, though many other goods are also included. This resulted in the growth of an apparel industry in southern Africa, and created hundreds of thousands of jobs. However, the dismantling of the Multi Fibre Agreement's world quota regime for textile and apparel trade in January 2005 reversed some of the gains made in the African textile industry due to increased competition from developing nations outside of Africa, particularly China. Some factories shut down in Lesotho, where most of the growth occurred. Orders from African manufacturers stabilised somewhat after the imposition of certain safeguard measures[which?] by U.S. authorities, but Africa's share of the U.S. market was still reduced after the phaseout.
Bureau of Energy Resources. Ambassador Carlos Pascual, the Secretary's Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, is leading the Bureau. Ambassador Richard Morningstar will remain the Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy and will work closely with the Bureau of Energy Resources. The Bureau will operate under the oversight of Under Secretary Robert D. Hormats (E).
Johnnie Carson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Johnnie Carson (born April 7, 1943) is a career diplomat from the United States who has served as United States Ambassador to several African nations. In 2009 he was nominated to become U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs by President Barack Obama.
Japan and Korea 'cooking on' Russian Gas Gazprom has been meeting Japanese officials to push forward the Vladivostok's liquified natural gas (LNG) project.
ÂÂThe LNG facility in Vladivosok will be built in a partnership with Japanese engineering companies such as Mitsui and Mitsubishi. The project is expected to cost around 7 billion Euros, and will eventually be able to produce 10 million tonnes of gas per year. Gazprom and the Japanese Government agreed a feasibility study at the beginning of the year. It's looking into how the project will be run, and possible markets and transportation routes in the Asia-Pacific region.
Russia threatens to use HAARP type Tsunami weapon NWO WMD PROOF - YouTube. and what remains is Russia possessing orbital launch capability:space power. Russia with lots of money, resources, and new weapons, that no oneknowsabout them yet. With them WE WILL DESTROY any part of the planet within 15 minutes. Not an explosion, not a ray burst, not some kind of a laser, not alightning, no, but a quiet and peaceful weapon.Whole continents will be put to sleep forever.And thats all You will have to dig in the wreckage and debris of your buildings. And all of you 120 million will die, if you will ever demand theKuriles from us!So goes for the rest of the world.Everybody should think about their future.About the future of everyone, you all should start thinking . You think now about selling your wine, Georgian wine, to Russia.And you demand UN observers at the border. Do you want the World to forget the word Georgia completely? It will be Russian-Turkish border insteadPresident Saakashvili , you think about it! And then there will be another tsunami.On the other side of the planet, in the Caucasus.Thats it for you. "
Greece Invites Bids for Assets - WSJ.com. Greece Wednesday invited bids for state-owned gas company DEPA and natural-gas grid operator DESFA, moving ahead with a long-awaited privatization program aimed at raising �19 billion by 2015 to aid in addressing its huge debt crisis.
The government is considering a sale of its natural gas company�together with its wholesale, trading and gas supply operations�as well as DEPA's natural gas grid operator DESFA, a statement by Greece's privatization agency said.
DEPA's sale combined with the majority stake in DESFA could net �1.5 billion to �2 billion, according to analysts' estimates. Greek budget estimates value DEPA alone at �991 million.
UPDATE: Loan Recipient Abound Solar To Cut Jobs, Retool Colorado Factory - WSJ.com. U.S. solar-power firm Abound Solar said Wednesday it will stop making solar panels while it retools a Colorado factory as part of a project backed by $400 million in federal loan guarantees.
The company has laid off 280 employees and delayed plans to open a new factory in Indiana that was also part of the government-backed deal.
The announcement was the latest sign of trouble for a manufacturing company backed by the Department of Energy's loan guarantee program, which has already lost more than $500 million on loans to failed California solar panel maker Solyndra LLC.
Russia's Putin warns West not to meddle. Western nations are too quick to "grab for the cudgel of sanctions or even military action," he said. "I remind you, this is not the 19th century - or even the 20th."
Putin also warned against putting too much pressure on North Korea, saying that its nuclear status is "unacceptable for Russia" but that "efforts to test the strength of the new leader are impermissible" because they could provoke countermeasures.
He suggested Western military intervention in various nations, from the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to NATO's air strikes against Gaddafi's forces in Libya, were only encouraging nuclear proliferation.
Leaders may think, "'Hey, I've got an atomic bomb in my pocket, nobody will touch me," Putin said.
"Like it or not, it's a fact that foreign intervention leads to such thoughts."
Safety Alerts Cite Cholesterol Drugs' Side Effects. It is the first time that the Food and Drug Administration has officially linked statin use with cognitive problems like forgetfulness and confusion, although some patients have reported such problems for years. Among the drugs affected are huge sellers like Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor and Vytorin.
How a billionaire fills gas tank for $1 a gallon.
cnn.com Kim Jong Un. North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong Un, supports an agreement to build a natural-gas pipeline from Russia to South Korea via his communist state, the Russian envoy in Pyongyang said.
"All these existing agreements are supported by the new leadership in North Korea," Russian Ambassador Valery Sukhinin said in a phone interview today from the North Korean capital. "Talks now are taking place between the parties implementing the project, from our side Gazprom, and from the North Korean side, the oil industry ministry." OAO Gazprom is the state-run Russian gas-export monopoly.
US backed jundallah terrorist group claims Pakistan bus attack. Pakistan's Federal Interior Minister has also called for an immediate arrest of the perpetrators involved in the terrorist attack.
Jundallah terrorists are notorious for their numerous deadly bombings and assassination attempts in Iran, mainly in the country's Sistan-and-Baluchestan Province, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Obama admits his intentions are to skyrocket oil prices - YouTube.
youtube.com Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com. Apparently, not only does NBC continue to present McCaffrey to its viewers as some sort of objective analyst, but NBC News executives use him as some kind of private consultant and briefer on the news.
Ron Paul Assaults Ben Bernanke On Parallel Currencies - YouTube.
youtube.com Students Know Pauly D, But Not Benny B - YouTube.
youtube.com U.S. Cuts Iran Cash Pipeline - WSJ.com. The U.S. Treasury Department disrupted a Dubai-based banking operation that Washington believes had become Tehran's primary conduit for evading international sanctions and processing its oil sales, according to people briefed on the operation.
Privacy betrayed: Twitter sells multi-billion tweet archive
rt.com DutchNews.nl - Q-fever death toll reached at least 24. The number of people killed by Q-fever, a flu-like illness which mainly infects sheep and goats, was at least 24, the head of the public health institute RIVM told television current affairs show Nieuwsuur on Tuesday
Senior executives from Gazprom (Nasdaq: OZGPY; LSE: OGZD; DAX: GAZ; RTS: GAZP) have been in Israel over the past few days to examine possible cooperation over the large offshore gas fields discovered off Israel's coast.
globes.co.il Members Of Anonymous Identified & Arrested.
youtube.com
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Three gas pipelines blown up in Dera Bugti. According to official sources, unidentified militants planted explosive materials along three gas pipelines, which were supplying gas to the purification plant and detonated it with a remote control.
Ben Fulford (Feb 27 2012) ~ U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Arrested, Questioned And Released; Asian Negotiations Continue. The latest scam they are working on involves the $6 trillion worth of 1934 gold back securities that were seized in Switzerland recently. These bonds were tied to financier and Bush/Clinton bagman Mark Rich of Glencore Commodities. The plan was to place Hillary Clinton at the head of the World Bank and have her use the World Bank to launder the bonds and give the money to the communist government in China. The Chinese, in return, were supposed to turn a blind eye to the continuing European Central Bank and Federal Reserve Board scams.
Victims of 9/11 plane crashes dumped in landfill. The report adds that mortuary officials first believed that, "after final incineration, nothing remained" of the victims. Reviewing the report, the Washington Post reveals that residual material from 9/11 victims did exist, however, which were handed to a "biomedical waste disposal contractor" hired by the Pentagon that then approved for the remains to go to the landfill.
Presidential Policy Directive -- Requirements of the National Defense Authorization Act. Any time an individual is captured or detained by, or otherwise taken into the custody of, the Department of Defense, the requirement under section 1022(a)(1) of the NDAA will have been satisfied, regardless of whether there has been a final determination as to whether the individual is a Covered Person, and regardless of the authorities under which the individual is captured, detained, or otherwise taken into custody. Therefore, individuals captured or detained by, or otherwise taken into the custody of, the Department of Defense shall not be subject to the procedures outlined in sections II through IV of this Directive.
Goodbye, First Amendment: 'Trespass Bill' will make protest illegal � RT. The US House of Representatives voted 388-to-3 in favor of H.R. 347 late Monday, a bill which is being dubbed the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011. In the bill, Congress officially makes it illegal to trespass on the grounds of the White House, which, on the surface, seems not just harmless and necessary, but somewhat shocking that such a rule isn't already on the books. The wording in the bill, however, extends to allow the government to go after much more than tourists that transverse the wrought iron White House fence.
Under the act, the government is also given the power to bring charges against Americans engaged in political protest anywhere in the country.
Fostering ties, Iran offers to fund pipeline in Pakistan - World Watch - CBS News. But an Iranian official in Islamabad who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity said, "The IP [Iran-Pakistan] gas pipeline is very close to our heart. President Ahmedinejad indicated Iran's intent to finance the project on the Pakistani side if Pakistan has difficulty with finding the money".
Though an exact cost is not known yet, the Iranian official said that "Iran was ready to start from financing $1.5 billion for the project and build it up further if needed."
The project is proposed to transport surplus gas from southern Iran. In the past, Pakistani officials have speculated that the supply line could be extended to India and China.
US drones circle over the Philippines. The airstrike, which was reported to have been US-led and launched by a drone that tracked the sensor planted at the Abu Sayyaf hideout, has however raised political hackles in Manila. One Philippine representative, Luz Ilagan, has called for the abrogation of the US Visiting Forces Agreement and an end to US military intervention in national affairs in the wake the attack. That agreement bans the US, the Philippines' former colonial ruler, from establishing permanent military bases in the country.
New USTRANSCOM Commander visits Tajikistan. DUSHANBE, February 14, 2012, Asia-Plus -- On Monday February 13, General William M. Fraser III, Commander of U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), made his first visit to Tajikistan, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said.
General Fraser recently took command of USTRANSCOM, which is responsible for meeting all U.S. Department of Defense global transportation requirements.
While in Dushanbe, General Fraser met with Colonel-General Sherali Khairulloyev, Minister of Defense for the Republic of Tajikistan and Lieutenant-General Sherali Mirzo, Head of the Border Guard Administration. General Fraser formally introduced himself and personally thanked them for Tajikistan's continued support and cooperation.
General Fraser is currently on a multi-nation tour, which includes several European and Central Asian countries.
Obama administration requests Congress to nearly double military assistance to Tajikistan. DUSHANBE, February 15, 2012, Asia-Plus -- CA-News reported on February 15 that according to Silk Road Newsline, the Obama administration has requested U.S. Congress to authorize funds to the tune of $1,5 million to provide direct military assistance to Tajikistan in 2013, nearly double the amount authorized for the current year.
Submitted to the U.S. Congress on February 13 under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program run jointly by the U.S. Department of State and the Pentagon, the FY2013 request for Tajikistan is 87 percent higher than the amount of FMF funds authorized for Tajikistan in FT2012 when it amounted to $800,000.
Prospects of cooperation between Tajikistan and IMF discussed in Dushanbe. DUSHANBE, February 20, 2012, Asia-Plus -- State and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were discussed at a meeting of Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sharif Rahimzoda with Mr. Todd Schneider, the head of IMF mission, and Mr. Ari Aizen, Permanent Representative of the International Monetary Fund in Tajikistan.
A source at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) says the sides exchanged views on prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation aimed at promoting enhancement of various sectors of Tajikistan's economy.
The IMF mission arrived in Tajikistan on a two-week visit to conduct discussions for the last Sixth Review of the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement.
Pakistan has proof of foreign powers trying to destabilise Balochistan: FO [newKerala.com News # 163789]. Asking foreign powers not to interfere in Pakistan's internal matters, Basit said Islamabad did not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and expected the same from them.
The spokesman said Pakistan was fully aware of the problems in Balochistan and was trying to resolve them politically.
Condemning the US resolution on Balochistan, he said: "Pakistan considers the US resolution on Balochistan as an arrogant step and ignorance on the part of few US legislators." (ANI)
Official List Of Words Feds Monitor On Social Networking Sites - BlackListedNews.com. The 39-page "Analyst's Desktop Binder" used by the department's National Operations Center includes no-brainer words like ""attack," "epidemic" and "Al Qaeda" (with various spellings). But the list also includes words that can be interpreted as either menacing or innocent depending on the context, such as "exercise," "drill," "wave," "initiative," "relief" and "organization."
New Navy Rail Gun Fires 50 Miles With No Propellant; Latest Tests Use Smaller Guns. The Navy has fired six test shots with the first of two industry prototypes of an electromagnetic rail gun, a weapon that uses a massive surge of electricity to propel a 40-pound hunk of metal to seven times the speed of sound in an instant, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) said today. The device produced by BAE Systems already has demonstrated a power level strong enough to fire a projectile 50 nautical miles, Roger Ellis, EM Rail gun program manager at ONR, said.
Sec. Clinton Defends State Dept Budget Proposal.
c-span.org Lawrence Solomon: Israel's gas diplomacy. The sea change in the attitude of Greece and Cyprus is breathtaking. Until recently, these two ethnically Greek nations were frigidly cold toward Israel, partly because they believed their economic interests lay in the more populous Arab world, partly because they feared for the safety of the 250,000-member Greek community in Egypt if they were to establish good relations with Israel.
Today the Greek calculus has changed. Not only did Greek trade with Arab states fail to blossom, the Greek presence in Egypt has all but vanished. Egypt's Greek-owned industries were nationalized; Egypt's Greeks were persecuted for their Christian faith. The official remaining count for Egyptian Greeks, once the most affluent and influential minority in Egypt, is but 3,000.
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Haiti seeks to rebuild, or just build, power grid. The Bill Clinton foundation is spending half a million on a few solar panels in Haiti. The other 260 million earmarked for power in Haiti is going to Tetra Tech inc from Pasadena. This is one of the biggest recipients of US aid money in recent years.
The new plan hits active duty personnel by increasing co-payments for pharmaceuticals and eliminating incentives for using generic drugs.
freebeacon.com Animal Rights Drone Shot Down in South Carolina (VIDEO) Total PR!
guns.com Bill Maher and Piers Morgan talk second amendment.
youtube.com Newt Gingrich's Skeleton Closet -- political scandals, quotes and character
realchange.org
Monday, February 27, 2012
The United States' Other initiatives seek to match energy from Central Asia with Pakistan and India � two markets with significant electricity needs. The TAPI pipeline project would bring on-shore natural gas from Turkmenistan across Afghanistan to markets in Pakistan and India. Other efforts would facilitate the transmission of electricity from Central Asia to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
Jay Carney, 2/27/12. "The original war" WTF? I think the President made clear when he was a candidate for this office and has made clear since he took this office that, unfortunately, prior to his taking office, because of the focus on Iraq and the U.S. efforts there, that the original war, if you will,
More bad news: U.S. water bills to triple. First high gas prices, now water. A shocking new report about the nation's crumbling drinking water system says that Americans should expect their bills to double or triple to cover repairs just to keep their faucets pouring. That means adding up to $900 a year more for water, nearly equal the amount of the newly extended payroll tax cut.
Quran-burning an accident, U.S. tells Afghanistan. "It was not a decision that was made because they were religious materials," Allen said. "It was not a decision that was made with respect to the faith of Islam. It was a mistake. It was an error. The moment we found out about it, we immediately stopped and we intervened."
Why Did Hillary Clinton "And finally on Afghanistan, look Matt, we deeply regret the incident that has led to these protests. We are condemning it in the strongest possible terms. But we also believe the violence must stop and the hard work of trying to build a more peaceful, more prosperous, secure Afghanistan must continue."
An Analysis of the National Defense Authorization Bill » Publications » The Federalist Society. Finally, Section 1043 of the bill, whose language was added on the House floor through an amendment by Rep. Vern Buchanan, would require a military commission trial for any terrorism suspect who is amenable to trial before a military commission. It reads as follows:
After the date of the enactment of this Act, any foreign national, who—
engages or has engaged in conduct constituting an offense relating to a terrorist attack against persons or property in the United States or against any United States Government property or personnel outside the United States; and
is subject to trial for that offense by a military commission under chapter 47A of title 10, United States Code;
shall be tried for that offense only by a military commission under that chapter.
World Energy, 2012 Edition: Global Maps and Geospatial - Platts.
platts.com Provocation behind the US resolution on Balochistan - Arab News. Zardari did not mince words when he said Pakistan would never provide Americans with an airbase to launch an attack on Iran. He added that Pakistan's relationship with "brotherly countries cannot be undermined by international pressures of any kind." He pointed out that Pakistan and Iran need each other and "no foreign pressure can hinder their ties."
U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher : 46th District Of California. "The Baluchi, like other nations of people, have an innate right to self-determination," says Rohrabacher. "The political and ethnic discrimination they suffer is tragic and made more so because America is financing and selling arms to their oppressors in Islamabad."
2012 Funding Information about Immunization Action Coalition - IAC Contributors. 2012 Funding
The Immunization Action Coalition receives funding from a variety of sources, but maintains strict editorial independence in all publications and print materials. Funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is provided for specific projects. Contributions from pharmaceutical companies are in the form of educational grants. The grants are made with the strict understanding that the company does not have input into publication content or our editorial policies.
Letter -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Libya. However, the situation in Libya continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and we need to protect against this threat and the diversion of assets or other abuse by certain members of Qadhafi's family and other former regime officials. Therefore, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with respect to Libya.
Ann Coulter: Jeb's Going to Run - And 'we don't need another Bush'.
newser.com Gasoline Prices Are Not Rising, the Dollar Is Falling - Forbes.
forbes.com Catholic Church Shredded Evidence About Priest Suspected Of Sexually Abusing Children February 26, 2012 CNN MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 3 0 ratings Time: 02:45 More in News & Politics
youtube.com Mysterious Siberian Blasts Warned Point To Rapid Pole Reversal. To the validity of Director Seleznyov's predictions, should they come horrifyingly true this year, one need look no further than the letter conversations held between arguable two of the greatest minds of the 20th century; Albert Einstein (1879-1955) the German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, and Immanuel Velikovsky (1895-1975) the Russian-born American independent scholar of Jewish origins.
Neil Gabler on How Pop Culture Influences Political Culture on Vimeo.
vimeo.com New Mediterranean oil and gas bonanza The fly in the Mediterranean energy soup is the fact that Israel, like the USA, has never ratified the 1982 UN Convention on Law of the Sea dividing world subsea mineral rights.
Remarks on Syria. Feb. 26, 2012: During a press conference in Morocco, Secretary Clinton called on Syrian military and businesses to stop supporting the Assad regime's campaign of violence. Reuters Soundbite
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Clinton AMBO "Coincidentally, White and Case LLT, the New York law firm that President William J. Clinton joined when he left the White House also has a stake in the AMBO pipeline deal.
The Oil factor in Kosovo independence :: www.uruknet.info :: informazione dal medio oriente :: information from middle east :: [reg.de]. Kosovo does not have oil but its location is strategic as the trans-Balkan pipeline - known as AMBO pipeline after its builder and operator the US-registered Albanian Macedonian Bulgarian Oil Corporation - will pass through it.
The pipeline will pump Caspian oil from the Bulgarian port of Burgas via Macedonia to the Albanian port of Vlora, for transport to European countries and the United States. Specifically, the 1.1 billion dollar AMBO pipeline will permit oil companies operating in the Caspian Sea to ship their oil to Rotterdam and the East Coast of the USA at substantially less cost than they are experiencing today.
Libya plans oil and gas pipelines to Tunisia THE GOVERNMENT of Libya is planning to construct oil and gas pipelines to Tunisia as part of its plans to boost energy co-operation with its North African neighbour, Energy Minister Taieb al-Safi reported to have said. He said that Libya also sought to construct an oil refinery in Skhirat, 250km south of Tunis.
File:Gas pipelines across Mediterranee and Sahara map-en.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
en.wikipedia.org Somalia: Hillary Clinton's lack of motherhood instinct [Opinion]. Thanks to Al-Shabab and the other Islamists the internally displaced people in and around Mogadishu are well looked after and no case of rape, robbery or killing was reported because no one, other than Islamist soldiers, dares to carry a fire arms in the area under their jurisdiction. The foot soldiers of the Islamists are people who have principles and conviction that can't be corrupted or tempted by any material worldly gains and as such a paper tiger, America, can't intimidate them -- they are men with a noble mission who are prepared to sacrifice their life for the wellbeing of their country and religion.
The war of re- liberation of Somalia started in the Christmas of 2006 when the President Bush's hired gun, Ethiopia, was given the green light to invade Somalia as their charismas present. When the Americans were bombarding from the air and sea and the Ethiopian troops chasing them on the ground those young Muslims who responded to Somalia's hour of need were handful of volunteers equipped with no more than an AK47 and as such only contributed moral support as their number never exceeded at the height of the war more than three hundred fighters. To accuse AL- Shabab and the Islamists of using foreign fighters is completely misplaced, misleading and utterly irrational because most of the young foreign fighters are married to Somali women and as such can't be called foreign unless America is resorting back to its racist history to coin a new abusive word to create segregation among the Somali people.
History of Somalia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Somalia formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya on its southwest, the Gulf of Aden with Yemen on its north, the Indian Ocean at its east, and Ethiopia to the west.
SEALS Invade Somalia. Obama's Shadow Wars in Africa
But all of that is changing, and changing quickly.
The current U.S. military is the greatest fighting force the world has ever known. It is a hardened fighting machine.
It has been in multiple wars for more than a decade � and not just in Iraq and Afghanistan. You don't hear a lot about it, but the U.S. has had an independent Africa Command since 2008.
Just a few days ago, four U.S. soldiers died after they crashed a u-28 spy plane in Djibouti. Don't expect this story to make the news.
Today Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, Arab sheiks, Turkish diplomats, and other representatives from about 40 countries are in London working out a fix for Somalia.
It seems the world is finally fed up with this rouge state.
And given that Iran oil to Europe is shut down � or about to be � they need new sources...
Release the Hounds! UAVs Strike in Somalia. In last week's attack, local officials told the Associated Press that military aircraft struck a convoy carrying the militants as they drove along the coastline of the southern port city of Kismaayo late Thursday. Other local residents told journalists that an air attack had taken place on a militant camp near Kismaayo, an insurgent stronghold. Several residents were quoted as saying that more than one explosion had occurred over a period of several hours and that they thought that at least helicopters had taken part in the attack.
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Board of Directors. General Chilton retired as Commander of the United States Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska in February 2011, where he was responsible for the plans and operations for all U.S. forces conducting strategic deterrence and U.S. Department of Defense space and cyberspace operations. General Chilton served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 34 years in a wide variety of assignments including pilot, test pilot, instructor and astronaut, while earning numerous major awards and decorations. General Chilton serves as a director of Orbital Sciences Corporation and has been a director of Anadarko since May 2011.
Tullow Oil plc - About us - Board and management - Tullow Board of Directors. Simon Thompson was appointed as a Non-Executive Director in May 2011 and was appointed non-executive Chairman from 1 January 2012. He holds a degree in geology and brings a wealth of international investment banking and natural resources knowledge and experience, especially in Africa. From 1985, he held investment banking roles at N M Rothschild and S G Warburg.
East Africa's Oil and Gas: Drilling, Exploration Rising - TIME. They're hoping to mimic London-based Tullow Oil, which discovered some 2 billion bbl. of oil in landlocked Uganda over the past four years. Last month, Texas-based oil company Anadarko Petroleum Corp. announced that it had tapped a giant reservoir of natural gas off the coast of Mozambique. "Anadarko's find went off like a bomb here in Houston," says Robert Bertagne, a Texas-based oil wildcatter. "It was, 'Wow, we are finding large quantities of gas, and that means we have hydrocarbons in the area.' Once you have a discovery, more people are going to go in there."
UPDATE 1-Noble Energy post loss on charges. Feb 9 (Reuters) - Oil and gas producer Noble Energy Inc posted a loss for the fourth quarter as a steep drop in natural gas prices forced it to lower the value some U.S. fields.
The net loss for the quarter was $296 million, or $1.67 per share, compared with a year-earlier profit of $52 million, or 29 cents per share.
Somalia's Transitional Government - Council on Foreign Relations. The negotiators who established the TFG tried to give fair representation to each of Somalia's clans through the so-called "4.5 formula." The four major clans—Darood, Hawiye, Dir, and Digil-Mirifle—all received sixty-one parliament seats, while the remaining groups together received thirty-one seats. Despite this attempt at equity, "there were groups that felt they didn't get their fair share," says David Shinn, the former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia.
Lucifer gets great question QUESTION: Sorry. Thank you. Secretary of State, thank you very much. You just indicated in your speech that Somalia will inform their own parliament and choose president as well as the speaker of parliament and they will be appointed by prime minister. And Somalis are sick and tired of a political representative that has been selected rather than by -- elected by Somali people. So would that mean business as usual, another years of anarchy and chaos in Somalia? Because there will be a government that does not have the trust and confidence and support of people.
Somalia promises west oil riches as diplomats vow to defeat al-Shabaab. Somali prime minister says his country will give west a share of natural resources in return for help with task of reconstruction
They expect the oil to flow within weeks. Coming from two miles underground, the crude should reach the arid plains of Puntland in the north-east corner of Somalia by April.
South Sudan, Ethiopia Sign Accord on Djibouti Oil Pipeline. South Sudan and Ethiopia's governments signed a memorandum of understanding to build an oil pipeline via Djibouti, South Sudanese Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said.
South Sudan also held talks with an unidentified Texas- based construction company about building a pipeline to the Kenyan coastal town of Lamu, Benjamin said on the government's website in Juba, the capital. Kenyan and South Sudanese officials agreed on the pipeline last month.
Britain leads dash to explore for oil in war-torn Somalia. Britain is involved in a secret high-stakes dash for oil in Somalia, with the government offering humanitarian aid and security assistance in the hope of a stake in the beleaguered country's future energy industry.
Riven by two decades of conflict that have seen the emergence of a dangerous Islamic insurgency, Somalia is routinely described as the world's most comprehensively "failed" state, as well as one of its poorest. Its coastline has become a haven for pirates preying on international shipping in the Indian Ocean.
David Cameron last week hosted an international conference on Somalia, pledging more aid, financial help and measures to tackle terrorism. The summit followed a surprise visit by the foreign secretary, William Hague, to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, where he talked about "the beginnings of an opportunity'' to rebuild the country.
Lucifer on Somalia Al-Shabaab's announcement recently that it has joined al-Qaida proves yet again it is not on the side of peace, stability, or the Somali people. Negotiating with al-Shabaab would be the wrong path. But the United States will engage with Somalis who denounce al-Shabaab's leadership and embrace the political roadmap and the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Somalis.
President Obama Announces the 2012 Launch of African Americans for Obama - YouTube.
youtube.com Air traffic controllers caughton camera apparently sleeping, texting
foxnews.com China: US, Europe have hegemonistic goals in Syria. (Xinhua is the official Chinese take on the Syrian matter) China contended that the function and purpose of the conference was ambiguous, while Russia said that it was unfair to keep out the Syrian government.
300 GERMAN TAX COLLECTORS ARE GOING TO GREECE! All citizens should avoid and evade sales tax and VAT all the way! If you live in USA, you should refuse paying sales tax, and if you live in Fourth Reich, you should refuse paying VAT. If a shop owner does not respect your refusal, go to the next shop. In this depression, you...
Top Social Media Websites Caught Censoring Controversial Content. (Washington's Blog) Facebook pays low-wage foreign workers to delete certain content based upon a censorship list. For example, Facebook deletes accounts created by Palestinian resistance groups. Digg was caught censoring stories which were controversial or too critical of the...
Benjamin Fulford: A March 31st Deadline Has Been Delivered To The Committee Of 300 By The Gnostic Illuminati Faction.
consciouslifenews.com Gold to reach $1,800 by next week? By Jeremy Holcombe Contributing writer for Goldco Direct and End the Lie Gold has been on a very nice run to open the first couple months of this year. As of right now the general consensus is that gold will continue to perform strong and will more than likely hit $1,800 per...
Activist Post: State Department Uses 'Nuclear Option' Propaganda to Justify More Preemptive War.
activistpost.com The Dreary Dutch Economy In 2012 The Netherlands? That stalwart of the euro zone? The same Netherlands that's lending billions of euros to Greece, Portugal and Ireland?
Zbigniew Brzezinski's Vision for America. (video). Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor under President Carter and author of a new book, "Strategic Vision: America and the Crisis of Global Power," talks with WSJ's John Bussey about the way forward in relations with China and Iran and his concerns about...
Clinton: Syria opposition credible -- CNN Security Clearance Blogs. The Obama administration has been conflicted about the opposition. Just last week, top intelligence and military officials spoke of how undefined the opposition is. But it seems the U.S. is moving towards supporting the opposition even with concerns about who they are comprised of.
Weekly Address: An All-Of-The-Above Approach to American Energy.
whitehouse.gov
Friday, February 24, 2012
LUNCH WITH THE FT - AYMAN AL ZAWAHIRI. Ayman al-Zawahiri We meet at a nice kosher restaurant, in the city of Islamabad. The Chateau Margaux arrives and we are soon tucking in to steaming bowls of chicken soup. My guest is 'an Egyptian' called Ayman al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri was born into an upper middle class family...
Jeb Bush eyed as latest 'white knight' candidate in GOP presidential race.
guardian.co.uk Kofi Annan appointed UN-Arab League envoy to Syria. The United Nations and the Arab League have appointed former UN chief Kofi Annan as their joint special envoy to deal with the Syrian crisis. This follows a report by a UN-appointed panel on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country. UN Secretary-General Ban...
Marie Colvin: Syria regime accused of murder in besieged Homs. [It has been CLAIMED]
telegraph.co.uk 'Sovereign citizen' movement now on FBI's radar - latimes.com.
latimes.com CIA-NATO Front Group Drafts On Thursday, Secretary of State Clinton gave her blessing to a move to arm the Syrian opposition. CNN attempted to soften the deadly impact of Clinton's move to initiate a fresh round of terror and murder by stating that "the opposition will find willing sources to supply them with munitions to counter the Syrian government onslaught blamed for thousands of deaths."
"There will be increasingly capable opposition forces," Clinton hinted. "They will from somewhere, somehow, find the means to defend themselves as well as begin offensive measures."
Bill Maher gives $1 million to Obama Super PAC during stand-up special.
laughspin.com Fed is bailing out Eurozone "The Fed is using what is termed a "temporary U.S. dollar liquidity swap arrangement" with the European Central Bank (ECB). Simply put, the Fed trades or "swaps" dollars for euros. The Fed is compensated by payment of an interest rate (currently 50 basis points, or one-half of 1%) above the overnight index swap rate. The ECB, which guarantees to return the dollars at an exchange rate fixed at the time the original swap is made, then lends the dollars to European banks of its choosing.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
John C Dvorak interview for The Dirty Disbelievers. John C Dvorak is an interesting guy with a unique journey through the world of tech and finance. Never scared to say what he really thinks, this doesn't always make him popular. That's why I like him. As the co-host of No Agenda with Adam Curry he unpacks the bogative wherever...
Judge Nepalitano For Ron Paul Vice Presidential Running Mate? (9-8-11) - YouTube.
youtube.com BBC Today Program - Pakistan Foreign Minister - Red lines and illegality.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object).
dl.dropbox.com Mother angry after daughter vaccinated without her permission.
wxyz.com Land Destroyer: Syria: Seeking a Convenient Casus Belli. Western leaders are unanimously calling this the "breaking point." France's Nicolas Sarkozy even stated, "that's enough now, this regime must go and there is no reason that Syrians don't have the right to live their lives and choose their destiny freely."
Crowd Boos Stephanopoulos Question to Romney - YouTube.
youtube.com aangirfan: CIA FELL OUT WITH SYRIA OVER HEROIN? Lester Coleman, a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officer worked with the secret unit, Middle East Collection 10 (MC10) in Cyprus.
Two senior MC10 members, Mathew Kevin Gannon and Major Charles Dennis McKee, were on PanAm flight 103 when it exploded; they had just returned from a mission in Beirut.
Coleman explained that the Drugs Enforcement Administration (DEA), with the narcotics squad of the Cypriot national police, the German BKA police and British customs, ran an operation through Cyprus and airports in Europe, including Frankfurt.
Giffords joins National Institute for Civil Discourse board -- USATODAY.com. Giffords will be a member of the unpaid advisory board, serving with other such notable national figures as retired Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Colin Powell, former secretary of state and retired Army general, and former secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton serve as honorary chairmen of the nonpartisan institute.
Unlucky BBC weather presenter swears C*NT accidently Live! Weather man Fail - YouTube.
youtube.com Odyssey Thera: Overview. Odyssey Thera Inc. is a drug discovery company that has developed a global cellular pharmacology strategy for the identification of safe and effective medicines for a wide spectrum of human diseases.
Disulfirame (Antabuse) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Disulfiram is a drug discovered in the 1920s[1] and used to support the treatment of chronic alcoholism by producing an acute sensitivity to alcohol. Trade names for disulfiram in different countries are Antabuse and Antabus manufactured by Odyssey Pharmaceuticals. Disulfiram is also being studied as a treatment for cocaine dependence, as it prevents the breakdown of dopamine (a neurotransmitter whose release is stimulated by cocaine); the excess dopamine results in increased anxiety, higher blood pressure, restlessness and other unpleasant symptoms. Several studies have reported that it has anti-protozoal activity as well.[2][3] Research for possible disulfiram use in cancer therapy has been announced.
Chunk & Alex are infighting. How dumb is this.
youtube.com
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
CHINESE CHANG'E 2 ORBITER FOUND ALIEN BASE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE MOON 17TH FEBRUARY 2012 Video.
disclose.tv Portable Backyard Nuclear Reactors Ready to be Installed by 2013 : TreeHugger. The waste that comes out of our reactor after powering 20,000 homes for 8-10 years is about the size of a football. Using coal and gas over the same time frame, the waste stream for just you, after factoring in CO2 emissions, would overflow Mile High Stadium in Denver. So our waste stream is very concentrated, and yes, we have to do something with it, but there are known ways of dealing with it.
Intel Exclusive: Trillion Dollar Terror Exposed. Below is one of the strangest stories in financial history, one involving the US government lying about hundreds of thousands of sons of imaginary gold, illegal wire transfers and loans totalling $15 trillion. The video, from the House of Lords, is amazing in itself. What it...
UKIP Nigel Farage - Greece being destroyed by EU fanatical ideology. UKIP Nigel Farage - Greece being destroyed by EU fanatical ideology Greece will require bravery if it is to avoid being destroyed by EU ideology. It simply must leave the Euro to have any chance of returning to growth From: ukipmedia Views: 3 0 ratings Time: 15:04 More in News...
DRUDGE: SANTORUM'S SATAN WARNING. "Satan is attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity, and sensuality as the root to attack all of the strong plants that has so deeply rooted in the American tradition."
Obama fights to keep unconstitutional warrantless wiretapping powers. Continuity of agenda anyone? (photo: Getty) Madison Ruppert, Contributing Writer Activist Post So much for change. The Obama administration is continuing their efforts to go back on every single campaign promise, and beyond all odds make themselves look even worse than the...
"The President Claims The Right To Kill ANYBODY American Or Not American" Lew Rockwell - YouTube.
youtube.com Spectrum Crunch: The cell phone industry hits its limits - Feb. 21, 2012. The problem, known as the "spectrum crunch," threatens to increase the number of dropped calls, slow down data speeds and raise customers' prices. It will also whittle down the nation's number of wireless carriers and create a deeper financial divide between those companies that have capacity and those that don't.
United States Achieves Breakthrough on Movies in Dispute with China. "This agreement with China will make it easier than ever before for U.S. studios and independent filmmakers to reach the fast-growing Chinese audience, supporting thousands of American jobs in and around the film industry," said Vice President Biden, who spent the day in the Los Angeles area with Vice President Xi Jinping of China. "At the same time, Chinese audiences will have access to more of the finest films made anywhere in the world."
Tweets on Trial: Law enforcement subpoenas Twitter account.
endthelie.com Drone journalism takes off - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Even without firing a shot, the drone, remote pilotless aircraft (RPA), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), call it what you will, is the perfect weapon of intimidation.
The Israeli fixed-wing drone above us that day carried no weapons, but high-resolution cameras and sensors, hunting targets for fighter aircraft that were doing lazy circuits out high above the Mediterranean Sea - sitting on a kind of deadly supersonic cab rank.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Ron Paul--The Forbidden Name. Iris emails: Ron Paul - the forbidden name Fox News just went to commercial. Prior to doing so, they said the following TWICE: "President Obama is putting his focus on THIS GUY." And who would that be? Â Dr. Paul. They flashed his photo, but refused to say his name
Student Photos 'hijacked', Used on Porn Site
youtube.com C-SPAN Callers School Terror War Profiteers Cheerleader On Underwear Bomber Fairy Tale - YouTube.
youtube.com parislemon * Hollywood's Next Great Business Model: Praying That Stars Die. I just went and talked to my main supervisor as to why the movie had been pulled and the reason it was pulled was the production company pulled the streaming rights from us because all the publicity after Whitney Houston's passing there was an opportunity to make really a very large amount of money on the DVD sales of her movies. So they're going to pull all the streaming titles we have of Whitney Houston so they can make more money off the DVD sales of her movies.
2TTH Assistant U.S. attorney dies while snowshoeing
Emmanuel Kelly The X Factor 2011 Auditions Emmanuel Kelly FULL - YouTube.
youtube.com En route to a natural gas army - Haaretz Daily Newspaper. The IDF is apparently going to establish a new military body � a marine border police. Security publications are talking about buying submarines and missile ships, and about an Israeli air station to be built on Cyprus to protect gas rigs.
France. Copyrighted furniture designs in France mean that many photos of people at home can't be published.
Silencing The Critics. Paul Craig Roberts | Last week in one fell swoop the last two remaining critics of Washington/Tel Aviv imperialism were removed from the mainstream media.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sen. McCain Leads Push to Arm Syria Rebels. The march to a US war with Syria appears to be picking up pace considerably today, with Sens. John McCain (R -- AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R -- SC), the usual advocates for any given war, loudly calling for the US to begin arming Syrian rebel factions.
Victim Impact Statement by Kurt Haskell. Below is a copy of the victim impact statement I gave today at the Underwear Bomber sentencing hearing. When reading my statement, keep in mind that I am a practicing attorney in the State of Michigan. In addition, I regularly practice in the Court the hearings are taking place at and therefore, I am somewhat limited as to what I can say. We were limited to 5 minutes each.
CNN's carefully timed attack on nuclear energy and NRC credibility. That means that the film had to have been shot on December 14, 2011 when all five commissioners were invited to testify in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. That event was well publicized before it happened. There is almost no conceivable way that CNN producers would not have known that the commissioners were unavailable that morning.
It also means that video footage is more than two months old, yet the segment was timed to air just one week after a lot of positive news about the first approval for the construction of a new nuclear power plant since 1978.
Foreclosure abuse rampant across U.S., experts say. A report this week showing rampant foreclosure abuse in San Francisco reflects similar levels of lender fraud and faulty documentation across the United States, say experts and officials who have done studies in other parts of the country.
Lage btw-tarief toch omhoog? Toen Weekers vorig jaar april voor het eerst met zijn ideeën op de proppen kwam, berekende het Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel (CBL) onmiddellijk dat een btw-verhoging van 6 naar 8 procent op levensmiddelen de boodschappen voor alle Nederlanders samen 640 miljoen euro per jaar duurder maken.
In de Tweede Kamer stuitte Weekers op veel verzet, ook van regeringspartij CDA en van gedoogpartner PVV. Die maken zich nog steeds zorgen over de koopkracht, over grenseffecten en over arbeidsparticipatie, maar ze willen nu eerst concrete plannen van Weekers zien.
Manhunt launched in dramatic Greek museum robbery. A manhunt was under way Saturday in Greece for two suspects who tied up a guard, stormed the Archeological Museum of Olympia, smashed glass casings and stole dozens of small statues, state media reported.
The robbers took 65 to 68 clay and brass statues, and a gold ring, police spokesman Athanassios Kokkalakis said Friday, the day of the theft.
Closed-circuit video footage showed the suspects as they seized about 65 statuettes, Greece's official AMNA news agency reported.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Pfizer Gets 6-Month Patent Extensions For Viagra, Revatio - WSJ.com. Don't worry, Pfizer isn't planning to market Viagra to kids.
The additional exclusivity arises because Viagra shares an active ingredient, sildenafil, with another Pfizer drug, Revatio, which is marketed to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, or high blood pressure in the lung's arteries.
The patent extension applies to any drug containing sildenafil, even Viagra, which is only approved for use by men with erectile dysfunction and not for use by children.
As a result, the U.S. period of exclusivity for Viagra would extend by six months until April 2020, said Pfizer spokeswoman Victoria Davis. That is based on a patent due to expire in 2019, which covers sildenafil's use to treat ED. This patent was upheld by a federal judge last year, though Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA), which challenged the patent's validity, has appealed that decision.
The basic patent for sildenafil was due to expire in March 2012. The pediatric exclusivity period now extends to September.
The U.S. periods of exclusivity for Revatio will extend to September for its tablet formulation, and to May 2013 for its intravenous formulation, Davis said.
Pfizer recorded Viagra sales of $1.98 billion for 2011, and $535 million for Revatio.
GREEK D-DAY: SLOG US SOURCE CONFIRMS WALL ST PLANS AS SECRET BERLIN TIMETABLE EMERGES. "The [Telegraph] piece cites Wall Street rumours about preparations for default, and so now the formal German work is coming out, US planning will be assumed pretty soon," the source began, "They're kind of preparations, but really they're plans. And I'd say your chances of laying your hands on physical evidence are slim. No government-sourced papers exist as far as I know. There were only two maybe three meetings, and the attendees were barely in double figures. But the position was made brutally clear: for well over a month now, the Obama Administration's conclusion has been a dead cert Greek default. The job of the President, the security services, the Reserve and the Treasury is to protect the United States from the consequences of that, and that's just what they've been doing."
ICE Agent Shot His Boss Because He Was Denied Approval Of Transfer - YouTube.
youtube.com Zee op verkiezingsaffiche Nicolas Sarkozy is Grieks - De Standaard. Al vlug probeerden freaks te achterhalen welke zee als achtergrond dient. Niet eens zo moeilijk want veel foto's op internet bevat een pak informatie over de auteur van de foto, de naam van het agentschap en een korte beschrijving van het onderwerp.
Verbazing toen bleek dat het helemaal geen Franse zee was maar dat bij omschrijving stond 'Greece, Clouds over Aegean Sea' (Griekenland, wolken over de Egeïsche Zee). De foto is eigendom van het fotoagentschap Tetra Images
Santorum Nostalgic for Abortions "in the Shadows," Warns of Euthanasia Increase - YouTube.
youtube.com Ownership of Airspace Over Property - Aviation. The dividing line between the portion of the airspace in the public domain and the portion protected as an incident of land ownership against invasions by aircraft, is the line delineated by the Federal Aviation Administration as the minimum safe altitude of flight[ix].
The common law stance on the relative rights of the landowner and the aviator to the use of air space above the surface of the earth is that an unprivileged intrusion in the space above the surface of the earth, at whatever height above the surface, is a trespass[x].
Air rights - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Specifically, the Federal Aviation Act provides that: "The United States Government has exclusive sovereignty of airspace of the United States."[1] The act defines navigable airspace as "airspace above the minimum altitudes of flight...including airspace needed to ensure the safety in the takeoff and landing of aircraft."[2]
Drones With an Eye on the Public Cleared to Fly. Under the new law, within 90 days, the F.A.A. must allow police and first responders to fly drones under 4.4 pounds, as long as they keep them under an altitude of 400 feet and meet other requirements. The agency must also allow for "the safe integration" of all kinds of drones into American airspace, including those for commercial uses, by Sept. 30, 2015. And it must come up with a plan for certifying operators and handling airspace safety issues, among other rules.
The new law, part of a broader financing bill for the F.A.A., came after intense lobbying by drone makers and potential customers.
Opium found at Pearson airport in shipment from Iran - Toronto - CBC News. The Canadian Border Services Agency said it found 13 kilograms of opium at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.
Officials said the opium, with an estimated value of over $820,000, was in a shipment from Iran labeled "spare parts" on Jan. 9.
The opium was found when shock absorbers that would not compress were X-rayed.
It was handed over to the RCMP.
In 2011, the CBSA seized 73 kilograms of opium with a value exceeding $4.3 million at GTA airports, postal and cargo processing facilities
ICE Agents: While you might believe the mainstream media narrative that this was just a workplace rage incident, it’s actually far deeper than that. It’s a direct result of how bad things have gotten under the Obama administration and John Morton, the man the President picked to run the agency . . . into the ground. And it’s about Janet Napolitano, who is really running ICE through her surrogates, Suzie “Stripper Pole†Barr and Beth Gibson.
CE Deputy Special Agent in Charge for Los Angeles, Kevin Kozak, was initially shot by ICE Senior Supervisory Special Agent Zeke Garcia at ICE's Long Beach office. Garcia was then shot and killed by ICE Assistant Special Agent in Charge Perry Woo. Garcia was in a "counseling session" with Kozak, reportedly over a disciplinary matter, and Woo was there as the witness, the typical procedure for such matters. Garcia shot Kozak four times and then was shot and killed by Woo.
Authorities: Suicide attack on U.S. Capitol foiled.
cnn.com Hints of a heroin vaccine from Mexico - FierceVaccines. At an Addiction Technology Transfer Network presentation at the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, the Mexican Health Secretary Salomon Chertorivski announced his nation's government has patented a vaccine for heroin addiction, and researchers are working on vaccines against other drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamines.
AM980 News Talk Sports OxyContin to be Pulled From Pharmacy Shelves by March Local News. First Nations leaders say a health crisis is about to be unleashed on northern Ontario reserves because thousands of residents addicted to OxyContin will soon be cut off from the prescription opiate.
The maker of OxyContin, which is up to twice as strong as morphine, will stop manufacturing the drug in Canada at the end of the month. As of March 1, Purdue Pharma Canada will replace OxyContin with a new formulation called OxyNEO.
OxyContin, taken orally in pill form, is a long-acting form of the highly addictive opioid oxycodone. But when the pill is chewed or crushed, then injected or inhaled, it produces a ``heroin-like euphoria,'' Health Canada says.
OxyNEO will also be made with oxycodone, but it's formulated to make abuse more difficult: the tablet is hard to crush and when added to liquid, it forms a thick gel that stops oxycodone from being extracted for injection.
GORE: NO STOCK TRADE IN - WWW.THEDAILY.COM. This week, the former vice president urged companies to give bonuses to long-term investors and stop issuing quarterly guidance, regular forecasts that investors use to estimate future profits and share prices. The practice has been in place for years, particularly after new financial regulations passed in 2000.
The bold recommendations were part of a 33-page report issued by Generation Investment Management, a London-based firm that Gore founded in 2004 with David Blood, former CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Both men have benefited considerably from the system they are now scrutinizing � Blood on Wall Street, and Gore through stock he has held in Google and Apple.
Microchip Controlled Injections.
wifr.com Solar Turbines: Power Generation Industry>Packages. Solar offers factory packaged gas turbine-driven generation sets from 1.1 - 22.4 MW. The sets have three-phase generators, meet or exceed numerous European and North American standards, and can be equipped to operate in harsh environments. Solar turbine generator sets can be applied in combined-cycle systems or the turbine exhaust heat can be recovered for processes requiring thermal energy.
Landmark visit was 'all about the gas' - Cyprus Mail. Netanyahu's reference to warming ties and pledges to cooperate on the transport and sale of natural gas to foreign markets came just hours after Turkey warned that it will use "all necessary measures" to prevent gas exploration in contested areas of the eastern Mediterranean.
The Israeli PM and his delegation arrived at the presidential palace at around midday yesterday, after an eleventh-hour diversion of his plane to Paphos airport instead of Larnaca for security reasons.
NBC poised to re-sign special correspondent Chelsea Clinton despite her 'monochromatic' and 'boring' reports.
dailymail.co.uk After first Anon hack, PR firm failed to update other .gov websites. Media Temple chief marketing officer Kim Brubeck told Ars, "we have actually asked Fleishman-Hilliard to remove any [remaining] .gov sites" from Media Temple's servers. In an email to Fleishman-Hilliard on February 18, Brubeck requested that the company complete the transfer of its remaining government websites to other hosting providers within 48 hours.
Vox Popoli: Fascist America and the technostasi. A research team led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently broke the code behind tiny tracking dots that some color laser printers secretly hide in every document.
The U.S. Secret Service admitted that the tracking information is part of a deal struck with selected color laser printer manufacturers, ostensibly to identify counterfeiters. However, the nature of the private information encoded in each document was not previously known.
"We've found that the dots from at least one line of printers encode the date and time your document was printed, as well as the serial number of the printer," said EFF Staff Technologist Seth David Schoen.
Accused Suicide Bomber Thought He Was Working With Al Qaeda But It Was The FBI - YouTube.
youtube.com Top GOP Senator Says 'If Romney Loses Michigan, We Need a New Candidate' - ABC News. The senator believes Romney will ultimately win in Michigan but says he will publicly call for the party to find a new candidate if he does not.
"We'd get killed," the senator said if Romney manages to win the nomination after he failed to win the state in which he grew up.
"He'd be too damaged," he said. "If he can't even win in Michigan, where his family is from, where he grew up."
What about Rick Santorum?
"He'd lose 35 states," the senator said, predicting the same fate for Newt Gingrich.
It would have to be somebody else, the senator said. Who?
"Jeb Bush," the former Florida governor.
FBI Arrest Man Plotting To Bomb U.S. Capitol Building - YouTube.
youtube.com
Friday, February 17, 2012
See big bank money-laundering evidence.
wnd.com Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Secretary Clinton delivered remarks at a State Department event commemorating the Ninth Anniversary of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C).
The Daily Bell - BBC: Let's Kill the Internet and Start Over. It is clear to us by now that the Anglosphere power elite is increasingly desperate to shut down the Internet any way it can. This article posted at the BBC (whether or not the author understands he's been enlisted on behalf of a larger Western elite agenda) is a good example of a sub dominant social theme within the context of this aim.
Whitney Houston Death: Unanswered Questions, Weird Grammy Parties/Rituals and the Illuminati - BlackListedNews.com.
blacklistednews.com Arrest Reported in Suicide-Bomb Plot. The man had been under surveillance, however, and the people he thought were assisting him on behalf of Al Qaeda were secretly working for the F.B.I., the report said. They had provided the vest, and the bomb it concealed was inert.
Fake Outbreaks: Mass Hysteria in New York Can a fake disease spread? Surprisingly, the answer seems to be yes, and it's called "mass hysteria." The power of suggestion can convince people they have the same illness as friends -- even if nobody is really sick at all.
Days if not weeks.... The United States is congratulating Libya on the anniversary of the uprising that toppled Moammar Gadhafi (MOO'-ah-mar gah-DAH'-fee), while noting that a democracy and institutions will take time to build.
White House press secretary Jay Carney issued a statement Friday. Carney says the revolutionaries who fought for liberty have a responsibility now to protect their freedoms by working with the government to establish stability, peace and reconciliation.
Ex-Goldman programmer's conviction overturned. NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal appeals court has thrown out the conviction of Sergey Aleynikov, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc computer programmer who had been convicted of stealing part of the Wall Street bank's high-frequency trading code.
UFO crashes, explodes in South Carolina. (video). According to local Fox affiliate, Fox Carolina, this UFO disturbed many upstate South Carolina residents. Dispatchers in Spartanburg reportedly fielded dozens of 911 calls from concerned witnesses just before 2:00 AM.
Germany; Electricity dealers put grid on brink of blackout. Germany's electricity grid came to the brink of blackout last week -- not because of the cold, but because traders illegally manipulated the system. They tapped emergency supplies, saving money but putting the system at risk of collapse.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Anonymous tweeter posts Internet Privacy Bill author's messy divorce. “Vic wants to know about you,†reads the description for Twitter account @Vikileaks30. “Let’s get to know about Vic.†A critic of Vic Toews’ online surveillance bill has shown their opposition to the proposed legislation by creating a Twitter account that recounts...
Steve Spinner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. n 2011 he was involved in the Solyndra loan controversy where it has been alleged that he pushed for the loan while his wife worked for the firm that represented Solyndra.[5] Because of his wife, Allison Spinner's, work he had publicly recused himself in 2009. Time Magazine reported in 2011 though that they had emails showing that "Spinner played a central role in making sure the process to review the company's credit risk was moving forward in August of 2009".[6]
Plane-crash pilot 'extraordinarily' high on meth. Felix Boston, 61, the owner of the stolen plane, said that when emergency crews arrived at the crash site, they found that the cockpit was filled with "Pop-Tarts, energy drinks, chips and Cheez Whiz."
Pirro had to take drug tests as part of his parole for auto theft, authorities said. He passed a test Feb. 2, two days before the plane was stolen, said Luis Patino, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Pirro was not a licensed pilot, although he was listed as the owner of a single-engine, 1959-vintage Cessna plane, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
ESM PARTICIPATION: China protest too much, speak forked tongue. Hmm. Of course -- when given the chance -- China didn't buy Greek bonds; instead, it bought Paraeus Harbour. Watch what the buggers do, and ignore what they say.
But even what they say this time seems to be coming out differently depending on who you talk to.
Lou Jiwei, the head of China's $410 billion sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corp (CIC), said that European government bonds were not ideal for long-term investors such as the fund. Instead, he said, the CIC would look at infrastructure and real industrial projects that could help a recovery. Sounds a bit like buying up Europe to me, but what do I know? Mr Lou is on the fringes of the politburo, but he also works in the real world.
NASA eyes plan for deep-space outpost near the Moon. NASA is pressing forward on assessing the value of a "human-tended waypoint" Earth-moon libration point 2 (EML-2) � a places in space where the combined gravitational pull of the Earth and Moon roughly balance each other out, allowing spacecraft to essentially "park" there.
EML-2 could serve as a gateway for capability-driven exploration of multiple destinations, such as near-lunar space, asteroids, the moon, the moons of Mars and, ultimately, Mars itself, according to NASA officials.
I'm the girl who makes the thing. - YouTube.
youtube.com Indiana's HB 1169 risks unleashing zero-tolerance House Bill 1169, pushed by the special-interest lobbyists for school administrators, would unleash school principals to control essentially anything their students do -- anytime, anywhere -- that they disapprove of.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, would let public schools suspend or expel students who do or say anything that may "reasonably be considered to be an interference with school purposes or an educational function," even on a Saturday at the shopping mall.
USDA: Preschooler's meal was not 'replaced,' mom was never charged fee. The Journal initially reported that a state agent was inspecting lunchboxes in a West Hoke Elementary School 'More at Four' classroom. The report has since been edited and no longer reads that it was a state agent but a "person who was inspecting lunches."
The Journal reported the inspector decided that a girl's lunch � which consisted of a turkey and cheese sandwich, a banana, apple juice and potato chips � "did not meet USDA guidelines."
The Journal reports the child was then provided with a full cafeteria tray, from which she ate three chicken nuggets. The Journal reported they spoke with the girl's mother after her daughter returned home with her home-packed meal untouched. The mother has not been publicly identified.
Remarks Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu After Their Meeting. Well, good afternoon, everyone. And let me say what a great delight it is for me to welcome my friend and colleague for intensive negotiations and discussions over a range of issues that are of importance to both of us. I am always pleased to have time to meet with Minister Davutoglu because of what the United States and Turkey are working on together, the values that we share, and the commitment to a peaceful, prosperous future, not only for the Turkish and American people but for people everywhere.
I want to say a word about the bombing of an Israeli diplomatic vehicle in India, the attempted attack on Israeli Embassy personnel in Georgia. Terrorism anywhere is an affront to the international community. There are many kinds of attacks that take place around the world. We condemn all forms of terrorism and we stand ready to assist in investigations of these acts and others because of the importance we place on having a strong international front against terrorism.
I think it's important also to look at the Turkish-American relationship, not only bilaterally but what it means regionally and globally. We stand shoulder to shoulder in so many different ways: as NATO allies in transatlantic defense and stability; as partners united against terrorism from the PKK to al-Qaida; as economic partners working for mutual prosperity through trade and investment and so much more. In the past year, we have spent a lot of time consulting because of the challenges of a fast-changing Middle East and North Africa, from Libya's transition, to the efforts to strengthen inclusive governance in Iraq, to certainly the situation in Syria.
Clinton: We need Assad's consent to put troops in Syria. Clinton and Davotoglu spent the afternoon preparing for the upcoming inaugural meeting of the "Friends of Syria" group this weekend in Tunisia. Following the meeting, they both urged the international community to support the Arab League's recommendations for Syria following their Sunday meeting in Cairo, which included a request for a U.N.-Arab peacekeeping force in Syria. But Clinton said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who the State Department accuses of murdering civilians, would have to agree first.
Anti-smoking drug Chantix works for alcohol too. The drug varenicline is already on the market under the brand name Chantix to help smokers kick the habit but new preliminary research now suggests it could also be useful in helping heavy drinkers quit.
The research which was carried out on rats provided the rodents with intermittent access to 40 proof alcohol for four months and by varying the access to the liquor supply the rats were made to crave it.
Pfizer Issues Statement On Voluntary Recall
pfizer.com Netanyahu Visit to Cyprus May Stoke Mediterranean Gas Dispute. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the divided island of Cyprus tomorrow in a trip that will thrust him directly into a dispute over Mediterranean gas drilling rights.
Both Turkey and Lebanon are demanding pieces of the natural gas bonanza that a group led by Noble Energy Inc. discovered off the coasts of Israel and Cyprus, estimated to be worth billions of dollars in exports. Israel's energy minister has said his nation is willing to use force to protect its gas field from outside claims.
US Chamber of Commerce applauds the Online Pharmacy Safety Bill. US Chamber of commerce has sent a letter to Senators Feinstein and Sessions applauding the introduction of Online Pharmacy Safety Act of 2011. This important bipartisan bill, introduced in the Senate by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Jeff Sessions, aims to protect American consumers from rogue pharmacies posing as legitimate pharmacies. Once passed, this act will be another weapon in the battle against rogue pharmacies that has become a health hazard and a public menace. The rogue pharmacies are illegal websites that peddle fake, counterfeited or substituted drugs. Sometimes these rogue online pharmacies collect money from unsuspecting consumers and deliver nothing.
The Prescription Drug Epidemic Sparks Blame Game. Most recently, war has been waged against online pharmacies. Anyone, young or old, can easily purchase prescription drugs on the Internet, often without a prescription. An estimated 10 percent of prescription drug users get their medications online. Because of the difficulty in targeting online providers of illegal drugs, which often operate overseas, efforts to regulate online pharmacies have been generally unsuccessful.
ON BEACON HILL: Senate passes legislation to combat prescription drug abuse - Plymouth, MA - Wicked Local Plymouth. The Drug Enforcement Agency reports that Vicodin is the second-most abused drug by high school seniors, behind marijuana, and opiate addiction is the leading cause of property crime. Meanwhile, taxpayers are spending hundreds of millions of dollars annually in costs associated with the epidemic -- including hospital visits, court appearances, jail time and social services.
The bill increases prescription drug security by making enrollment in the state's Prescription Monitoring Program mandatory. The top 30 percent of prescribers, who provide 90 percent of all controlled substances, are required to enroll immediately. All others would be phased-in over three years. Currently, participation in the program is voluntary, with only 1,700 out of 40,000 prescribers signed up.
Drug Registry To Combat Controlled Substance Abuse Slated For March - News Story - NBCMontana NBC Montana. If a patient abuses a controlled substance by getting a prescription filled at "pharmacy A," then tries to get it filled at "pharmacy B," pharmacy B can check the prescription history through a statewide data base for the controlled substance.
"Providers may look into it and see if people are abusing their relationship with their doctor or pharmacist," said the Montana Pharmacy Association's Tony King.
All outpatient Montana pharmacies must have prescription information uploaded into the system by March 1st. Pharmacists and providers will go through a training session by the state board of pharmacy.
Then they have to register with the state to gain access to the registry. "It is a patient safety issue," said King, "it's the number one issue."
As blockbuster drugs fade, so does TV advertising - FiercePharma. But by far the biggest driver has to be the dwindling stable of mass-market blockbusters. Between 2007 and 2012, drugs worth some $63 billion in sales lost market exclusivity. And between 2011 and 2015, the NYT says, the total is $100 billion. Drugmakers have been laying off sales reps by the thousands, because detailing those fallen brands isn't necessary, and the specialty drugs of the future are highly targeted, so they can be handled by fewer reps. Same goes for TV ads: As fewer new primary-care drugs hit the market, there's less need to reach the masses with commercials.
UFO sightings reveal more strange metal boxes along coastal beaches. As of late afternoon Feb. 8, Bill Hanshumaker, a public marine specialist and (Ph.D) doctor of marine science at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in nearby Newport, told Huliq in an interview that, "I don't know what they are." In turn, Doctor Hanshumaker said he's advised "surf monitoring" about these strange metal boxes that suddenly appeared along local beaches Feb. 6, and now seem to be multiplying like Star Trek "Tribbles." The photograph that accompanies this report -- taken during the afternoon of Feb. 8 near Bray's Point -- of yet another strange metal box stuck in the surf up is one of a possible group of a dozen or more that have been sited up and down West Coast beaches. Meanwhile, the British government also photographed similar huge metal boxes on beaches in Sri Lanka in the late 1990's and in early 2004 and 2005. The discovery of the boxes is detailed in updated previously classified reports from the British government that document sightings of unidentified flying objects by both the military and the general public dating back to the 1950s.
BBC - Democracy Live - Italian PM Monti defends austerity measures.
news.bbc.co.uk The next World Bank president: Bill Clinton? Alongside names such as Larry Summers and Tim Geithner, speculation in Washington has been rampant if unsourced that Bill Clinton's name is in the frame, and the constant rumours that Hillary Clinton was interested in the job -- repeatedly denied by her -- were in fact a misunderstanding over which Clinton was a candidate.
More Doctors 'Fire' Vaccine Refusers - WSJ.com. Pediatricians fed up with parents who refuse to vaccinate their children out of concern it can cause autism or other problems increasingly are "firing" such families from their practices, raising questions about a doctor's responsibility to these patients.
Medical associations don't recommend such patient bans, but the practice appears to be growing, according to vaccine researchers.
TSA says woman has 'cute figure,' asks for three body scans.
rawstory.com Bachman Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - YouTube.
youtube.com Farage: EU-ECB-IMF Troika Driving Greece Towards Violent Revolution
youtube.com Former Greek PM says government to blame "Our political system is collectively responsible for all staff that we hired through patronage, the privileges granted by our law, outrageous claims that we have met, trade unionists and businessmen that we have fostered, and thieves that we have not put in jail. "
French Court Fines Google $660,000 for Offering Free Maps.
pcmag.com Content Wars -- Could Meltwater-Versus-AP And UK Papers Spill Over? The Associated Press today filed suit against Meltwater News for copyright infringement and misappropriation of its breaking news content. The complaint, filed in a New York federal court, alleges that Meltwater U.S. Holding Inc. and its Meltwater News Service, a news clipping service, have been illegally selling unlicensed AP content that competes directly with AP and its customers.
Meanwhile in the UK, there's been a ruling today which has relevance for how links to newspapers are shared online.
PressTV - Iran cutting oil export to six European states �. In response to the latest sanctions imposed by the EU against Iran's energy and banking sectors, the Islamic Republic says it is cutting oil exports to six European countries.
Iran on Wednesday said it's cutting oil exports to six European countries including Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Greece and Portugal.
Iran says it will only sell oil to those European companies that agree to strike long-term agreements and guarantee payment.
DutchNews.nl - Fortis executives did mislead investors over solvency, rules court. The court ruled Votron and Mittler are guilty of making wrongful statements. They and the bank itself, are liable to pay the investors compensation, the court said in a statement. Details of the settlement still have to be determined.
Maurice Lippens, president of the supervisory board, was found not guilty because he was too far-removed from everyday events at the bank, the court said.
NRC journalist Philip de Wit said the ruling is 'spectacular'. 'This is the first time a court has ruled investors were misled and that former executives are liable,' he said.
Ageas, the new name for the remains of the Fortis group, said in a statement it 'regrets this judgement and will lodge an appeal against it with a view to protecting the interests of its stakeholders'.
Fortis is embroiled in two other court cases following its nationalisation in October 2008, in the wake of the takeover battle for ABN Amro.
News from The Associated Press. The Federal Communications Commission sought comments Wednesday on revoking LightSquared's permit after a federal agency that coordinates wireless signals, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, concluded that there's no way to eliminate the risk of interference with GPS devices.
Troika inspectors review Portugal bailout. Portugal is the latest stop for officials from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank on their debt crisis tour.
It is their third evaluation of the country's bailout programme and if they find it is on track, Lisbon will get the next 15 billion euro instalment of the 78 billion euros of aid it needs.
FreemanTV.com - Occult Symbolism of Madonna at Superbowl Halftime.
freemantv.com Robert Zoellick - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former U.S. First Lady and former U.S. Senator from New York, has frequently been mentioned as a possible successor to President Zoellick at the end of his term in mid-2012. Clinton has publicly expressed the desire to hold no further political office (specifically ruling out another four years as U.S. Secretary of State in a possible second Obama term). Anonymous sources cited by Huffington Post claimed that Clinton had been in discussions with the White House about leaving her present position to assume leadership of the World Bank. The White House declined to comment and a spokesman for Clinton was quoted by Huffington Post as denying that Clinton wanted the job or had held conversations with the White House about it.[29]
Google conspiring for regime change in Syria through maps? Hardly.
ogleearth.com Syrian opposition seeks to wipe the Assad name off the map � via Google. On Google, names have changed over time as the maps are updated with user proposals, which are approved by other users as well as Google editors. The names on Google Maps are sometimes different from those on Google Earth. The overall result, however, has been a patchwork of Assad-era and revolutionary names, sometimes side by side.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Keen On... Bob Weir: Why MP3 Music Is An Assault On Your Nervous System (TCTV).
techcrunch.com 'Balls-up': $3.1m Parliament House website a year late. The figure and breach was revealed in senate estimates yesterday by parliamentary librarian Roxanne Missingham and President of the Senate John Hogg, who reported that the total cost of the new aph.gov.au site, which was meant to go live February 2011, had so far come to about $3.1 million.
Eisenhower had three secret meetings with aliens, former pentagon consultant claims. The former five-star general in the United States Army who commanded the Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War, was also keen on pushing the U.S. space programme.
His meeting with the cosmic life forms is said to have taken place while officials were told that he was on vacation in Palm Springs, California, in February 1954.
Ron Paul Campaign "We May Be In First Place In Delegates!" - YouTube.
youtube.com Accusations Mitt Romney Bought The Maine Caucus & The CPAC Straw Poll - YouTube.
youtube.com UK Seize Popular Music Blog, Arrest Operators and Threaten Readers. As part of a criminal investigation the UK Government has shut down the popular blog RnBXclusive which posted news, commentary and links to music. Authorities have arrested the owners of the site for allegedly defrauding the music industry. In addition, the Serious Organised Crime Agency is threatening users of RnBXclusive that they face 10 years in prison if they downloaded music through the site.
Cybersecurity Bill in U.S. Senate Seeks Industry Rules to Thwart Hackers. "We are on the brink of what could be a calamity," Senator Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said in announcing the bill on the Senate floor. "A widespread cyber attack could potentially be as devastating to this country as the terror attacks that tore apart this country 10 years ago."
'Mortgage Deal from Hell' Hurts Responsible Borrowers: Bove - US Business News - CNBC.
cnbc.com Greek Energy. The Greek natural gas industry is controlled by the state-owned Greek Public Gas Company (DEPA), which was created in 1988. HP and the Greek government currently own 35 percent and 65 percent of DEPA, respectively. In March 2004, Spain's Gas Natural (GN) agreed to purchase 35 percent of the government's share of DEPA, contingent on approval of the contract by Greece's new government. Such a move would reduce the state's holding in DEPA to a minority interest. DEPA's largest customer, Public Power Corporation, also has the option to acquire a 30 percent share of the company.
Arwa Damon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Damon graduated from Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey, with honors in 1994, where her father, Dr. George H. Damon, was a teacher and middle school director from 1988 to 1998. An American, her father went from there to Isıkkent School in Izmir, and is presently headmaster of the American Community School at Beirut. Damon's mother, Joumana, is a Syrian Sunni Muslim and grew up in Damascus.
Special Ops Now Defines the Pentagon's Expanding Wars. The NY Times refers to his guys somewhat vaguely as "elite units" that "have traditionally operated in the dark corners of American foreign policy." That shines light on it, doesn't it? What it says is: forget transparency and accountability. The hidden government is always hiding. These units like Special Forces, Delta Force, SEALs, and Rangers often operate outside the chain of command, and as they become institutionally stronger they tend to dominate military decision-making.
Insitu and Boeing being sued over landing system patents. (AP) ST. LOUIS â€" A member of the St. Louis family that ran McDonnell Douglas is suing Boeing Co., which bought the aerospace company in 1997, alleging Boeing infringed on his patents for an unmanned drone landing system. William "Randy" McDonnell is seeking $160 million in...
Whitney Houston death probe shifts to prescription drugs - latimes.com. Authorities have collected several bottles of drugs from Houston's suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, law enforcement sources told The Times. But the sources said the amounts of drugs did not seem unusually large, leaving it unclear whether the medications had anything to do with the singer's death.
Revolutionary Politics::Revolutionary Politics : Media Matters Conspires with Obama to Influence News.
revolutionarypolitics.tv Oops -- Obama Administration Reveals Global Government Plan If Given Second Term - The Ulsterman Report.
theulstermanreport.com Austerity Riots Continue In Greece. Austerity Riots Continue In Greece February 13, 2012 CBC News MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 189 12 ratings Time: 03:57 More in News & Politics
Extract on China's interest in aiding Europe. Extract on China's interest in aiding Europe Extract of press conference of Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Union, following the 14th EU-China Summit, in Beijing From: HermanVanRompuy Views: 3 0 ratings Time: 01:04 More in News & Politics
14th EU-China Summit. Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, at the 14th EU-China Summit, in Beijing [...]
Monday, February 13, 2012
"I just called the State office to make sure they had the numbers from Belfast and the number they had wasn't not even close to the actual vote. They said that Romney won, when in fact Ron Paul won" - Chairman of the Belfast caucus in Maine.
reddit.com Democracy at any cost: Obama's $800 million for 'Arab Spring' states. Despite the protests and the tightened belts at home, President Obama still reckons the US has enough spare cash to hand over the sum of $800 million to support the "young democracies" of the Arab Spring. ÂHe made a statement outlining his proposals at his annual budget message...
Ron Paul could be the real winner of Maine caucus. The mainstream media reported Mitt Romney the victor of the Maine caucus on Saturday, claiming another win for the frontrunner who had slipped in standing behind Rick Santorum during the previous week's contests. Then again, when you ignore an entire county, it's easy to come...
Monsanto found guilty of chemical poisoning in France. A French court has declared the US biotech giant Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, a judgment that could lend weight to other health claims against pesticides.
In the first such case heard in court in France, the grain grower Paul Francois, 47, said he suffered neurological problems including memory loss, headaches and stammering after inhaling Monsanto's Lasso weedkiller in 2004.
Oklahoma is lone maverick in national mortgage settlement signed by 49 states. Pruitt said his concerns with the national settlement negotiation began last March when the scope of the investigation went beyond fraud and illegal practices to requiring loan modifications, principal reductions and a fine up to $25 billion.
He said he thought the national settlement overreached the power of state attorneys general. Also, he said it inappropriately benefited homeowners who stopped making house payments over those who kept paying even though they owned more than their houses were worth after the national housing market crash.
Missing Settlement Document Raises Doubts on $25B Deal - American Banker Article. That's because a fully authorized, legally binding deal has not been inked yet.
The implication of this is hard to say. Spokespersons for both the Iowa attorney general's office and the Department of Justice both told American Banker that the actual settlement will not be made public until it is submitted to a court. A representative for the North Carolina attorney general downplayed the significance of the document's non-final status, saying that the terms were already fixed.
Wisconsin to use part of national mortgage settlement for budget hole. Wisconsin plans to use about $26 million of its $140 million share of a national mortgage settlement to help plug a state budget hole, a move that drew criticism from Milwaukee's mayor.
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's office made the decision in consultation with Gov. Scott Walker, and they announced their plan Thursday.
The rest of Wisconsin's share of the $25 billion national settlement will go toward helping homeowners who were affected by foreclosure abuses between 2008 and 2011.
White House Misleads Country On Budget Law - YouTube.
youtube.com WH Chief of Staff Errs on Senate Budget Rules - ABC News. "You can't pass a budget in the Senate of the United States without 60 votes and you can't get 60 votes without bipartisan support," Lew said. "So unless... unless Republicans are willing to work with Democrats in the Senate, [Majority Leader] Harry Reid is not going to be able to get a budget passed."
That's not accurate. Budgets only require 51 Senate votes for passage, as Lew � former director of the Office of Management and Budget � surely must know.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The Pentagon has drawn up plans for military intervention in Syria. - BlackListedNews.com.
blacklistednews.com Ron Paul campaign implies foul play in Romney victory in Maine.
rawstory.com Thousands rally against nuclear power in Japan. Thousands demonstrated in Tokyo on Saturday against nuclear power generation, 11 months after a massive earthquake and tsunami sparked reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Psy-ops. Same with Clinton documentary. Meant to desensitized to what. Is to be revealed about Obama?
dailymail.co.uk Jolie, showing directorial debut, says Afghanistan is next - FRANCE 24. Angelina Jolie says it was only natural that her directorial debut should tackle some of the toughest issues facing humanity and after wartime Bosnia, Afghanistan is likely to be her next subject.
At the Berlin film festival to present her unflinching drama about rape as a weapon of war, "In the Land of Blood and Honey", the Hollywood icon-cum-humanitarian told AFP her turn behind the camera was aimed at using cinema as a force for reconciliation.
911 IS A JOKE - WWW.THEDAILY.COM. Justifiable homicide in the city shot up 79 percent in 2011 from the previous year, as citizens in the long-suffering city armed themselves and took matters into their own hands. The local rate of self-defense killings now stands 2,200 percent above the national average. Residents, unable to rely on a dwindling police force to keep them safe, are fighting back against the criminal scourge on their own. And they're offering no apologies.
Obama Pulls Combat Pay for U.S. Troops. A member of a uniformed service may be entitled to Hostile Fire and Imminent Danger pay at the rate of $225 for any month in which he/she was entitled to basic pay and in which he/she was:
Subject to hostile fire or explosion of hostile mines;
On duty in an area in which he was in imminent danger of being exposed to hostile fire or explosion of hostile mines and in which, during the period he was on duty in that area, other members of the uniformed services were subject to hostile fire or explosion of hostile mines;
Killed, injured, or wounded by hostile fire, explosion of a hostile mine, or any other hostile action; or
On duty in a foreign area in which he was subject to the threat of physical harm or imminent danger on the basis of civil insurrection, civil war, terrorism, or wartime conditions.
Dolphin gas field estimate cut by 85% - Globes. The companies said, "In view of the large estimated size of the contingent gas resources at the Leviathan reservoir, the main potential market for these resources is the international market. The partners are therefore reviewing alternatives for commercialization of the gas, including exporting the gas and selling it on the international market."
They added, "Each of the development alternatives has a fundamentally different timetable and set-up costs, so until the preferred alternative is chosen, it is not possible to make a reasonable estimate for the development timetable and budget of the reservoir."
Noble Energy owns 39.66% of Leviathan and Dolphin, Delek Group units Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L) and Delek Drilling LP (TASE: DEDR.L) each own 22.67%, and Ratio owns 15%.
Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears party at Beverly Hilton Hotel where Whitney Houston died. A somber Davis, reading from a sheet of paper, said: 'I personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me. She was full of life, looking forward for tonight. She loved music and she loved this night that celebrated music.'
He added: 'Whitney was a beautiful person and she had a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage ... so many times. So simply put: Whitney would have wanted the music to go on.'
He dedicated the evening to her and asked for a moment of silence as a photo of the 48-year-old, hands wide open, looking to the sky, appeared on the screen.
Then, he said with excitement: 'Now ladies and gentlemen, let the music begin.'
Tony Bennett, the evening's first performer, recounted other recent big-name deaths in the music industry. 'First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now the magnificent Whitney Houston. Let's legalize drugs, like Amsterdam, it's a very sane city now.'
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Jennifer Hudson To Pay Tribute To Whitney Houston At Grammy Awards? Whitney Houston's passing has put Grammy producers in a scramble to drastically modify their show which airs live in less than 24 hours. According to one report, Jennifer Hudson has been asked to pay tribute to Whitney at the Grammy Awards.
Hudson received her first Grammy from Houston, an event which she described as one of the most thrilling moments of her career.
Davis: Hudson could be next Houston - YouTube.
youtube.com Whitney Houston emerges from a nightclub looking worse for wear.
dailymail.co.uk Remarks With Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata. You know, Madam Secretary, that we are particularly engaged in Mediterranean issues, especially developments in the societies which are leaning towards, we hope, democratic institutions and which are reaffirming the sense of the Arab Spring, but we are also concerned about developments in Syria and Iran. And that is something where we should have a common purpose and a common understanding on how to proceed. So I thank you very much.
Viagra Patent Expires, Goes Generic. The fight between Pfizer and Teva escalated June 15 through July 13, 2011 as the 12 day bench trial took place. Teva was shot down in it's hopes to put a generic Viagra on the market. Pfizer's patent stands solid until 2019. There are pages and pages devoted to the procedural history of the case, which began in March 2010 when Pfizer Inc. sued Teva Pharmaceuticals after Teva gained tentative approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market a generic version of Viagra.
Viagra effective in treating rare kids' disease. Stanford researchers may have discovered a drug for a rare and often untreatable disease that leaves children with massive, and sometimes deadly, growths on their faces, necks and other parts of their bodies.
Here's the twist: The drug is Viagra.
In very early reports, sildenafil - best known under the brand name Viagra and sold as a treatment for erectile dysfunction - reduced the size of growths in three children with lymphatic malformation, a disease that causes spongy cysts to swell and clog up the lymphatic system.
"If We Counted ***ALL*** The Votes It Wouldn't Make Any Difference" Maine GOP Chair
youtube.com Greece names privatisation agency chief. Greece on Monday named the team that will head a privatisations agency set up to undertake billions of euros in asset sales to help pay down public debt, asking parliament to approve the appointments.
Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos picked Eurobank Equities executive Costas Mitropoulos as the privatisations agency's managing director.
Factbox: Greek austerity and reform measures. - Cumulative privatization receipts since June 2011 should be at least 4.5 billion euros by end-2012, 7.5 billion by end-2013, 12.2 billion by end-2014 and 15 billion by end-2015. An initial privatization target of 50 billion euros should be achieved "over the medium term."
- Increased powers for Greece's privatization agency to sell an asset in pieces, or liquidate it if it cannot be sold in its current form.
- The list of companies whose full or partial privatization will be launched in 2012 includes gas company DEPA, gas grid operator DESFA and refiner Hellenic Petroleum.
Greece bailout: PM Lucas Papademos gives final warning. The Greek PM has warned the nation of a collapse in living standards if MPs fail to pass an unpopular austerity bill demanded in return for a 130bn-euro ($170bn; £110bn) bailout.
In a TV address, Lucas Papademos said Greece was "just a breath away from Ground Zero".
The cabinet has approved the measures but five government ministers resigned.
Unions are holding a 48-hour strike, and thousands of protesters rallied in central Athens against the measures.
Riot police were on standby after clashes on Friday, but the demonstrations were mostly peaceful.
The austerity measures are being demanded by the eurozone and IMF - they must now be passed by the Greek parliament and approved by European finance ministers.
Syrian military hospital chief 'killed in Damascus'.
bbc.co.uk Ron Paul Secretly Won the Caucuses. They were serious about it. Paul's people believe that they understand the delegate process, and that the media does not. There is truth here: The delegate process is confusing, and I assume that Paul supporters have used their four years of organizing and studying in a fruitful manner. In an e-mail to supporters, they try to get granular about what's occuring.
We are confident in gaining a much larger share of delegates than even our impressive showing yesterday indicates. As an example of our campaign's delegate strength, take a look at what has occurred in Colorado:
- In one precinct in Larimer County, the straw poll vote was 23 for Santorum, 13 for Paul, 5 for Romney, 2 for Gingrich. There were 13 delegate slots, and Ron Paul got ALL 13.
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- In a precinct in Delta County the vote was 22 for Santorum, 12 for Romney, 8 for Paul, 7 for Gingrich. There were 5 delegate slots, and ALL 5 went to Ron Paul.
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- In a Pueblo County precinct, the vote was 16 for Santorum, 11 for Romney, 3 for Gingrich and 2 for Paul. There were 2 delegate slots filled, and both were filled by Ron Paul supporters.
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- We are also seeing the same trends in Minnesota, Nevada, and Iowa, and in Missouri as well.
For this to stick, Paul's activists have to show up at the next votes -- small affairs, not much media, happening in March -- and control the delegate process. Then they have to show up at conventions and repeat it. This is actually doable.
AP News: Vatican besieged by leaks, conspiracies. VATICAN CITY (AP) - Money laundering at the Vatican bank. Corruption in the awarding of Vatican contracts. Even a purported plot to kill Pope Benedict XVI.
The Vatican is being besieged by near-daily leaks of confidential documents and tabloid-style reports of alleged financial mismanagement, political infighting and gossip about who might be the next pope - all coming out at an exceedingly delicate time for the Holy See and Benedict himself.
As War Looms Iran Hits Kill Switch, Cuts off access to Millions! To counter any such operations, Iran has hit their internet kill switch today which has left their millions of citizens without access to Gmail, Yahoo and other email services as well as Facebook and other social networking sites. Also, sales of Red Roses have been banned [color revolution?]
Brad Pitt's Illegal Gun Cache: Is He Really in Serious Trouble? - E! Online. Over 85 guns ranging from AK-47s to sniper rifles along with ammunition were stored in a customs-free area of Budapest's international airport. That is, until Hungarian SWAT moved in to lock them down since the country has a law against transferring such weapons, no matter that they were being used to stage fake zombie firefights.
But here's the funny part: while the bureau couldn't figure out who the owner was so they could press charges, officials there did contradictorily acknowledge to returning the firearms to "their owner."
North Korean Leader Kim Backs Natural-Gas Pipeline, Russia Says. Russia wants to construct a pipeline that would carry as much as 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year to South Korea via the North, which would earn transit revenues. Russia may also build a power grid along the route.
Korea Gas Corp., the world's biggest importer of liquefied natural gas, and Gazprom have been trying to identify a supply route since at least 2003, when they signed a cooperation accord.
Russia has also proposed a railway project that would connect the Trans-Siberian Railway to South Korea via North Korea, opening up an "Iron Silk Road" that would cut shipping costs of South Korean companies to Europe.
DownstreamToday.com - News and Information for the Downstream Oil and Gas Industry. Significance: This is a stop-gap for Israel--albeit somewhat tardy on the Infrastructure Minister's own admission, with Uzi Landau stating earlier this week that gas shortages could ensue from early 2012 given the current gap in availability before the sizeable reserves offshore Israel can start to come online, likely in 2013. In the interim, there has been some cheer from the resumption of Egyptian gas imports last month, with volumes now up to over half of previous levels.
If Egyptian supplies were to reach full contracted levels, this would be enough to nearly cover Israeli needs, but the issue is that after around eight sabotage attacks on the pipeline this year, continuity of supply and the security of that infrastructure is limited, raising the likelihood of further cut-offs. Meanwhile, issues with maturity at Israel's domestic Mary B field mean a focus on supplying long-term contracts, pushing the Israeli Electric Corp. and other gas users to coal and fuel products at an increased cost, which is being passed onto consumers in the form of higher electricity rates.
The development of the Noa field will provide some relief, but overall the near-term outlook is for higher cost energy use, with LNG also set to raise costs compared with domestic or piped gas supply, but at least giving some security of supply.
World's longest power cable planned to reap gas riches - Cyprus Mail. CYPRUS could become an "energy bridge" between the European and Asian continents by 2016, if a project looking to set up a submarine power cable linking Israel, Cyprus and Greece is deemed viable.
If realised, the EuroAsia Interconnector project would constitute the world's longest underwater power cable and would connect Israel with mainland Greece, passing through Cyprus and Crete. The cost of the project is estimated at around €1.5 billionÂ
Similar projects have been set up between Norway and the Netherlands, mainland Italy and Sardinia and mainland Spain and Mallorca, with much success.
The project's costs - which include building electricity plants in Cyprus, Crete and Peloponnesus - would be borne entirely by the Cypriot company DEI-Quantum Energy and its partners; the Greek state-controlled power utility (DEI) and different institutions in Israel.
U.S. must bring pressure to bear on Bahrain. U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf emirate of Bahrain continues to be disturbing. In some respects, the year-old conflict in that island nation is the inverse of Syria's: A Sunni ruling family and elite is battling a disempowered Shiite majority. The same Sunni Arab states that demand a "democratic transition" in Syria have sent troops to Bahrain to help ensure the regime's survival, while Shiite Iran, which has given military support to the Assad regime, is calling for democracy for Bahrain.
Obama "In The Wake Of The Worst Economic Crisis Of Our Lifetimes We're Getting Things Going
youtube.com Barack Obama's $25 Billion Dollar Campaign Laundering Fund (Insider Related) - The Ulsterman Report.
theulstermanreport.com Mortgage Deal Props Up California House of Cards: Steven Greenhut.
bloomberg.com Jeffrey Zaslow dies at 53; Wall Street Journal reporter, author - latimes.com.
latimes.com
Friday, February 10, 2012
Dow Falls 89 Points, Its Worst Day of 2012. Stocks were dragged down for their worst one-day loss this year by tumult over the Greek bailout, disappointing readings on the U.S. economy and a downgrade of nearly three dozen Italian banks.
A few alternate pipelines that follow Nabucco’s route through southeastern Europe have been proposed, including the Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy (ITGI) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Less ambitious in their territorial reach and cheaper, they might succeed where Nabucco seems to have failed.
greenprophet.com Federal Reserve Takes 33 Maiden Lane. The Federal Reserve of New York has stepped in to buy 33 Maiden Lane, a 570,000-square-foot downtown skyscraper that the Fed uses for a portion of its Manhattan offices.Â
"The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has entered into an agreement to acquire the building at 33 Maiden Lane in lower Manhattan," a New York Fed spokesperson confirmed in a prepared statement issued yesterday afternoon to The Commercial Observer. "The Bank is now in a final due diligence phase prior to the expected closing in the first quarter."
33 Maiden Lane.
The building, which is being sold by the real estate investment company Invesco, serves as a large ancillary office for the New York Fed, which bases its operations in the neighboring building 33 Liberty Street.
Video: Secretary Clinton with Cypriot FM Kozakou-Marcoullis
still4hill.com LNG - Advantages and Disadvantages - Interesting energy facts. Regarding the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions LNG supply chain emits more greenhouse gases than for instance the supply chain for pipeline gas, primarily because of the extra processing steps needed for LNG shipment. This difference tends to be much narrower when LNG is compared to remote pipeline deliveries. In most cases the greenhouse gas performance gap is smaller than the energy efficiency gap, largely due to the unavoidable methane leaks from pipelines. Generally speaking LNG isn't exactly something you would refer to as the ecologically acceptable fuel.
One thing that LNG is definitely superior to pipeline gas is its quality. This is because LNG is purer, has more methane as well as other energy content, and also because of its chemical structure since it has more stable composition than pipeline gas. It has to be also said that this superior quality of LNG has its price in higher costs in not only terms of energy but also in total amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.
Ships that are transporting LNG can be even longer than 300 meters. When being full, minimum water depth must be 12 meters for normal sail.
Of all the LNG advantages its shipping costs look to be the most favorable cost component in the overall LNG supply chain without which LNG supply would totally lack competitiveness. LNG is unlikely to cause significantly bigger shipping costs, even if more ships are needed to meet greater demand, unless stricter safety rules or some security rules for handling LNG carriers are introduced. The only real challenge to LNG ships is the fact that there are too little skilled crew available. With this on mind if LNG becomes more important energy source ships will need more maintenance and more crew which could result in more employment opportunities to many EU workers, especially in South Europe.
Navy names USS Gabrielle Giffords - The Hill's DEFCON Hill. The secretary of the Navy announced on Friday that a new littoral combat ship will be named after former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
The announcement comes the same day that President Obama signed the last piece of legislation sponsored by Giffords, a bill aimed at reducing drug trafficking along the American borders with Canada and Mexico.
King says UAW prepping for nationwide protests. United Auto Workers President Bob King used the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Flint Sit-Down Strike to call for "direct action" — including nonviolent civil disobedience — to take back America from the "right-wing Republicans" and "one-percenters" who he says have hijacked this democracy.
Arab Gas Pipeline Project-Third Stage (Aleppo-Kalas Section). The project aims at strengthening the role played by the Syrian grid in the project to
link the natural gas pipelines of Turkey and the Mashreq Arab countries. This will be
accomplished by completing the remaining part of the project, namely the Syria -- Turkey
interconnector. The project will allow the Syrian Government to meet its demand for
natural gas by importing it from Iran, via Turkey. The project will also enable the Egyptian
Government to export its natural gas to Turkey, via Jordan and Syria.
"American Psyche Can Easily Be Manipulated" Hackers Releases Syrian Govt E-Mails
youtube.com High School In Leroy NY Twitching Syndrome Prediction : The Amazing Kreskin. The Amazing Kreskin is making a major prediction regarding this increasing infection of nervous tics, etc. that began at LeRoy High School in New York.Â
 "I predict that these afflicted young people will, within 3 months, be completely healed, and it will be accomplished without massive doses of antibiotics, intense psychotherapy, shock therapy, or other extreme measures. The key that will cause the healing is a priceless factor....."
Vostok Energy plans IPO on LSE to raise $150-200 mln. Russian oil and gas company Vostok Energy plans to float a third of its shares on the London Stock Exchange in March or April to raise $150-200 million, a banking source said on Thursday.
The company had planned to hold the Initial Public Offering in October but postponed it due to unfavorable market conditions, the source added.
"The issuer must prepare its financial reports for first nine months of 2010 by spring. The company plans to offer investors 25-30 percent of shares at most," the source told RIA Novosti.
Deutsche Bank and Uralsib have been appointed lead managers.
Vostok Energy is a private Britain-registered company. Its founder and CEO is Alexander Kapelson, who owns a 22.1 percent stake of the firm.
Putin Hails Antarctic Lake Discovery - ABC News. Scientists believe that microbial life may exist in the dark depths of the lake, despite its high pressure and constant cold — conditions similar to those believed to be found under the ice crust on Mars, Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus.
American and British teams are drilling to reach their own subglacial Antarctic lakes, but they are smaller and younger than Vostok.
Israel Gas Explorers Rise as Discoveries Make LNG Plant Viable. Noble Energy Inc. (NBL), a partner of Delek Drilling and Avner, said Dec. 28 a field off the coast of Cyprus may hold as much as 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Noble operates the well with a 70 percent working interest, while Delek and Avner Oil each hold 15 percent.
"The more the gas discoveries, the higher the chances for the viability of the construction of a liquified-natural gas plant for the area that will enable exports," Richard Gussow, a Tel Aviv-based analyst at Deutsche Bank AG in Tel Aviv said by phone. The size of the find "improves the chances for finding further discoveries for all the gas companies."
Iron Sky: trailer shows dark side of the moon PR
ironsky.net Study Explores Electrical Stimulation to Aid Memory.
nytimes.com Noble Energy seeks strategic partner for Leviathan - Globes.
globes.co.il How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy - Magazine - The Atlantic.
theatlantic.com GREEK DEBT CRISIS BECOMES INSURRECTION AS POLICE WARN TROIKA: WE WILL NOT PUT DOWN DISORDER.
hat4uk.wordpress.com Hacked Syrian E-mails Advise Pres. Assad That 'American Psyche Is Easily Manipulated' - exactly what this report proves!
readability.com Does EU/India free trade agreement spell the end of cheap drugs for poor countries?
guardian.co.uk
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Congress passes bill giving the FAA $11 billion to get off radar, onto GPS. It took awhile, and the price tag is quite a bit steeper than previously thought (shocking, right?), but the FAA is finally getting the funding it needs to bring the nation's air traffic control system up to date. Congress just passed the bill to make it happen, allotting $11 billion to the FAA to upgrade the nation's 35 busiest airports air traffic controls from radar to GPS. The deadline for the conversion is June 2015, and when complete, it'll allow for more precise positioning of aircraft -- GPS pings for the planes' locations every second, while radar updates their locations every 6 to 12 seconds. With such technology enabled, airplanes will be able to take-off and land more closely together while utilizing steeper descents than is currently possible to conserve fuel. So, now that we've got the new traffic control system to improve airline punctuality, we just need the FAA and the FCC to team up and eliminate the "Terrible 10,000 feet" and flying might actually be fun.
Supreme Court Rules Americans Can Eat Sick Pigs, Cows - Forbes. The ruling comes as the non-profit news organization, the Food and Environment Reporting Network, reports that ractopamine hydrochloride, a controversial feed additive fed to 60 percent to 80 percent of pigs in the United States, "has sickened or killed more of them than any other livestock drug on the market."
The drug, marketed as Paylean by Elanco, a division of Eli Lilly, speeds up the pigs' hearts in a way that causes them to lose fat. Pigs fed Paylean in their last weeks of life, according to Elanco, produce an average of 10 percent more meat, or a profit of $2 more per pig. (According to the report, the drug has been tried on humans in only one study, involving six healthy men, one of whom had to be removed because his heart was "pounding abnormally.")
After the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine received hundreds of reports of sickened animals, the FDA suggested that Elanco add a warning label on Paylean, which it did in 2002.
Superintendent: All of L.A. school's teachers to be replaced. The entire staff of a Los Angeles elementary school where two teachers were arrested last week for lewd acts involving pupils will be replaced when the students return to class, the school district's superintendent said.
Los Angeles School District Superintendent John Deasy made the announcement during a Monday evening meeting at South Region High School #2, parents told CNN.
Deasy said everyone from the custodians to teachers at Miramonte Elementary School -- who are not being fired and are expected, after undergoing special training, to later resume work at another location -- are being removed because school administrators do not want any more surprises.
'Lone wolf' terror threat warning. The UK could face a growing threat from "lone wolf" terrorists returning from fighting overseas in the next few years, a think tank has warned.
The Royal United Services Institute estimates about 50 Britons are fighting with Somali extremists al-Shabab.
Returnees from "wars in Somalia, Yemen or Nigeria" could use their experience on UK streets, Rusi said.
The Home Office said its security arrangements would reflect "the nature of the terrorist threat we face".
Former spy boss moves to Deutsche Bank - The Local. A spokesman for the bank on Sunday confirmed a report in Der Spiegel news magazine that the former intelligence chief is now working as a freelance "global risk analyst" at the bank, and that this new job had been cleared by the Ronald Pofalla, chief of staff at the German chancellery.
The 65-year-old Uhrlau retired at the end of last year, when he reached the age limit for his office at the BND. He spent six years as president of the overseas intelligence agency and was also secret service coordinator for the German government.
One of Uhrlau's more controversial acts in office was to buy the personal data of suspected tax evaders from people who had stolen the information from foreign banks. One of the high-profile victims of the initiative was Klaus Zumwinkel, former head of Germany's postal service Deutsche Post.
Nazi Swastika Found In Ancient Antarctica Lake Sparks Russian Fears. A shocking Ministry of Defense report on the Russian scientific team [photo top left] that has successfully drilled 3,768 meters into the world's largest submerged lake on the continent of Antarctica, believed to be untouched for over 20 million years, states that the underwater video camera discovered the "striking image" of a "golden-like swastika" estimated to be no less than 100 meters in height and width.
According to this report, the discovery of this underwater swastika was made on 30 January after which the Ministry ordered into silence the scientists who have been working on this project for the past 20 years until highly specialized encrypted communication devices could be delivered to them and sparking fears among many that they were missing as they had been "out of communication" for 5 days.
In Le Roy, enter PANDAS. A New Jersey neurologist who has examined a number of the students from Le Roy who've come down with unusual neurological symptoms said last night he found evidence they could be suffering from Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections, known by the welcome acronym PANDAS.
Dr. Rosario Trifiletti said he found evidence of infection by one or both of two bacteria in eight of the afflicted students from the Genesee County school district. You can read his full news release here.
PANDAS is a disorder in which young people can react to infection by streptococcus bacteria or other pathogens by displaying symptoms such as tics or obsessive compulsive behavior. Some physicians, like Dr. Trifiletti, say it's more common than one might think. I gather not everyone in the medical community agrees.
NIMH Pediatrics Developmental Neuroscience Branch. PANDAS, is an abbreviation for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. The term is used to describe a subset of children who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and/or tic disorders such as Tourette's Syndrome, and in whom symptoms worsen following strep. infections such as "Strep throat" and Scarlet Fever.
The children usually have dramatic, "overnight" onset of symptoms, including motor or vocal tics, obsessions, and/or compulsions. In addition to these symptoms, children may also become moody, irritable or show concerns about separating from parents or loved ones. This abrupt onset is generally preceeded by a Strep. throat infection.
What is the mechanism behind this phenomenon? At present, it is unknown but researchers at the NIMH are pursuing a theory that the mechanism is similar to that of Rheumatic Fever, an autoimmune disorder triggered by strep. throat infections. In every bacterial infection, the body produces antibodies against the invading bacteria, and the antibodies help eliminate the bacteria from the body. However in Rheumatic Fever, the antibodies mistakenly recognize and "attack" the heart valves, joints, and/or certain parts of the brain. This phenomenon is called "molecular mimicry", which means that proteins on the cell wall of the strep. bacteria are similar in some way to the proteins of the heart valve, joints, or brain. Because the antibodies set off an immune reaction which damages those tissues, the child with Rheumatic Fever can get heart disease (especially mitral valve regurgitation), arthritis, and/or abnormal movements known as Sydenham's Chorea or St. Vitus Dance.
Putin woos Russians by pledging to turn back clock. President Dmitry Medvedev, who will step down in May, scrapped winter time in 2011, arguing that switching the clock back and forth was bad for people's health. Medvedev's critics joked it was the incumbent's boldest move during his presidency.
"I am not going to stick to this decision. This is not some kind of a fetish. We can go back to it (winter time), but let's not do it in a hurry," Putin told a meeting of volunteers who will campaign on his behalf.
Putin is expected to win the March election but is facing growing protests from urban Russians unhappy with his decision to seek a third presidential term. The demonstrations also focused on accusations of fraud in December's parliamentary election, won by Putin's party.
In another populist move Putin also pledged to reduce the number of government cars using flashlights, which give them the right to ignore traffic rules and bypass traffic jams - a major irritant for Russian motorists.
Can Vaccines Break Cholera's Deadly Hold On Haiti? : NPR.
npr.org Cold kills 33 more in Europe, dam breaks in Bulgaria. Gas supplies to the European Union from Russia improved at the weekend but have not fully recovered, the European Commission said, as Italy convened a crisis committee to handle what it called critical shortages of Russian gas.
The Federal Reserve's Explicit Goal: Devalue The Dollar 33% - Forbes. The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) has made it official: After its latest two day meeting, it announced its goal to devalue the dollar by 33% over the next 20 years. The debauch of the dollar will be even greater if the Fed exceeds its goal of a 2 percent per year increase in the price level.
Spying on Europe's farms with satellites and drones. Farmers who claim more EU subsidies than they should, or who break Common Agricultural Policy rules, are now more likely to be caught out by a camera in the sky than an inspector calling with a clipboard. How do they feel about being watched from above?
Ter·ror·ist (Noun): Anyone Who Disagrees with the Government. Any American Who Criticizes the Government May Be Labeled a Terrorist
I noted in 2009:
The Department of Homeland Security and police forces label anyone who they disagree with -- or who disagrees with government policies -- as "terrorists".
Don't believe me?
Well, according to a law school professor, pursuant to the Military Commissions Act, "Anyone who ... speaks out against the government's policies could be declared an 'unlawful enemy combatant' and imprisoned indefinitely. That includes American citizens."
And according to an FBI memo, peace protesters are being labeled as "terrorists".
***
Anyone who disagrees with the "acceptable" way of looking at things is a terrorist.
How is this different from Stalin or Mao's use of labels such as "enemy of the state"?
This may have seemed over-the-top to some, but events have proven it true.
Mr. Harry G. Sachinis. Mr. Sachinis was also Group Vice President of Standard & Poor's, where he grew key strategic businesses and developed one of them into the largest global financial quote distributor on the Internet.
Government Finalizes Privatization List. * The concession of ports and airports with long-term contracts
* The extension of concession period for Athens International Airport
* The sale of a stake of Public Gas Corporation
* The sale of a 49% stake of Casino Mont Parnes
* The privatization of state lotteries through concessions
* Finding a strategic investor in Hellenic Post
* The sale of a stake of OTE, Hellenic Defense Systems and Larko
* Renewal of OPAP's licenses
* Licenses for online betting and "slots"
* The concession of Egnatia Odos
* The sale of TRAINOSE
* The sale of state stakes in banks (Hellenic Postbank, ATEbank, Consignment and Loans Fund)
* The privatization of water supply companies (EYDAP, EYATH)
The Greek premier is on a visit in Moscow. While the European finance ministers were discussing the financial troubles of Greece, the prime minister of the country George Papandreou arrived on a working visit in Moscow. His official talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were expected today. Papandreou was supposed to discuss in the Russian capital economy, energy and military issues. According to the Novosti news agency Greece and Russia are actively cooperating in the realisation of the oil pipeline project "Burgas-Alexandroupolis", in which Bulgaria is also participating. The agency reminded the problems with the unclear Bulgarian position on the project and the possibility the pipeline to be united in a joint consortium with another oil pipeline project Samsun-Ceyhan, on which Russia is negotiating with Greece, Turkey and Italy.
Burgas-Alexandroupolis - death of a great pipeline project? Rumours abound that the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project, intended to give Russia a new outlet for its oil exports, avoiding the busy Bosporus Strait, will be scrapped. After years of negotiations, the Russians are said to considering withdrawing from the project, frustrated as they are by what they perceive as lack of cooperation from the Bulgarian government. Theodoros Tsakiris, the Director of EKEM's Observatory for European Energy Policy in Athens, explains what is behind the bickering around the Trans Balkan Pipeline.
Random Fact: Hitler Time Magazine's 'Man Of The Year' In 1938.
allvoices.com Clinton Working to Win U.S. Senate Approval of Oceans Treaty. Protecting U.S. security and enhancing business strength are two reasons that the U.S. Senate should affirm U.S. adoption of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Speaking in a videotaped message to the Pew Business Roundtable December 16, Clinton said acceptance of the treaty secures American rights to ocean resources off its shores, and puts maritime industries in a stronger competitive position against business in other countries.
"For example, Chinese, Indian and Russian companies are exploring deep seabeds for rare earth elements and valuable metals, but the United States cannot sponsor our companies to do the same," Clinton said. "Joining the Convention will level the playing field for American companies so they have the same rights and opportunities as their competitors."
New Virus Spreading Through Europe's Livestock : TreeHugger. Assessment of Risk to Humans
At this time, authorities believe the new disease poses no health threat to humans, although the loss of young animals can quickly devastate farmers. Viruses most similar to the new disease do not communicate to humans. However, a rapid risk assessment document released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control indicates that Schmallenberg virus belongs to the family of orthobunyaviruses, at least 30 of which are known to cause effects in humans, ranging from mild to severe.
'We the People' Loses Appeal With People Around the World. In 1987, on the Constitution's bicentennial, Time magazine calculated that "of the 170 countries that exist today, more than 160 have written charters modeled directly or indirectly on the U.S. version."
A quarter-century later, the picture looks very different. "The U.S. Constitution appears to be losing its appeal as a model for constitutional drafters elsewhere," according to a new study by David S. Law of Washington University in St. Louis and Mila Versteeg of the University of Virginia.
The study, to be published in June in The New York University Law Review, bristles with data. Its authors coded and analyzed the provisions of 729 constitutions adopted by 188 countries from 1946 to 2006, and they considered 237 variables regarding various rights and ways to enforce them.
"Among the world's democracies," Professors Law and Versteeg concluded, "constitutional similarity to the United States has clearly gone into free fall. Over the 1960s and 1970s, democratic constitutions as a whole became more similar to the U.S. Constitution, only to reverse course in the 1980s and 1990s."
DHS: TSA Pre✓™ Pilot to Expand to Busiest US Airports. If TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening following the TSA Pre√™ vetting process, information will be embedded in the barcode of the passenger's boarding pass. TSA will read the barcode at the security checkpoint and then may refer the passenger to a TSA Pre√™ lane, where they will undergo expedited screening, which could include no longer removing the following items:
Shoes
3-1-1 compliant bag from carry-on
Laptop from bag
Light outerwear/jacket
Belt
FRIDAY: President Obama to Sign Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012. On Friday, February 10, President Obama will sign H.R. 3801, the Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012. This bill is the last piece of legislation that former Representative Gabrielle Giffords sponsored and voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives. The President will be joined in the Oval Office by the Vice President, former Representative Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly.
Congresswoman Giffords' bill gives law enforcement greater authority to combat illicit drug trafficking on the borders between the United States and Mexico and the United States and Canada. It passed by a vote of 408-0 in the House of Representatives and by voice vote in the Senate. More details, including press coverage information, will be released as they are available
Europe braces for natural gas crisis - Business - CBC News. The European Union is bracing for another potential energy crisis in the dead of winter as Russian gas supplies to some member states have suddenly dwindled by up to 30 percent.
The European Commission put its gas coordination committee on alert Friday, but insisted the situation had not yet reached an emergency level as nations have pledged to help each other if needed and storage facilities have been upgraded.
[VIDEO] Greece plans to export Israeli gas to Europe. The new government in Athens could open a pipeline to export natural gas from countries including Israel to destinations in northern Europe, as Greece seeks to become a regional center for the transit of this energy source.
"We are trying to make Greece the hub for gas transit to northern European countries either via Italy or through the Balkans," Greece's environment, energy and climate change minister stressed to The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview on Monday morning in Jerusalem.
The minister, Giorgos Papakonstantinou, was the first Greek official to visit Israel since the country's November 11 formation of a new coalition unity government headed by interim Prime Minister Lucas Papademos.
Lebanon joins volatile Med gas scramble. Hezbollah, the heavily armed, Iranian-backed Lebanese "resistance movement," has warned it will repel Israeli efforts to "plunder" what it considers Lebanese energy reserves. Israel has vowed to use force to protect its assets.
Greece's Depa Studies Mediterranean Gas Pipeline, Minister Says - BusinessWeek. Greek natural-gas supplier Depa has conducted a preliminary study into building an underwater pipeline between Cyprus and Greece, Environment and Energy Minister George Papaconstantinou said.
The pipeline, which would carry natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean, would run from Cyprus to the southern Greek Peloponnese region via the island of Crete and is "entirely feasible" from a technical aspect, Papaconstantinou told a Cypriot newspaper, according to an e-mailed transcript of his comments sent late yesterday from his Athens-based Ministry.
The project's economic viability must be investigated, and Depa is also looking at building a liquefied natural-gas terminal as a possible alternative, Papaconstantinou said. As well as being destined for export markets, Greece has a growing demand for natural gas, he said.
Both Cyprus and Israel have discovered natural-gas reserves in their exclusive economic zones. Greece will start the process to sell Depa and its fully owned gas grid operator Desfa SA by the end of this month.
Energy: Greece latest to join black gold rush - Cyprus - ANSAMed.it. Greece's reluctance to carry out offshore hydrocarbon research has been justified for decades by the fear that Athens may offend Turkish sensibilities over the thorny issue of territorial waters, which Ankara believes are not limited to the Aegean Sea. "When I worked on a Foreign Ministry commission on energy," the oil expert Ilias Konofagos said some time ago, "I saw that the Greek diplomats were excellent but fearful. They did not want to rock the boat".
Oil and gas for Cyprus and Israel: Where there's gas, will there be a pipeline? One last complication is the fact that next July Cyprus takes over the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union—and Turkey is a candidate for EU membership. Could that be an incentive for a Cyprus settlement and for regional collaboration between Cyprus, Turkey and Israel (whose alliance with Turkey is now under severe strain)? I am doubtful. But let us leave the last word to Cyprus's President Dimitris Christofias, who told the conference:
The era of gunboats and war cries belongs to other, bygone times...I firmly believe that finding and exploiting hydrocarbons could and should work as a catalyst to achieve an agreed solution.
PressTV - US scenario in Syria: Turkish incursion, Israeli invasion. Washington will then task Turkey with sending troops across the border into Syria to incite internal friction and civil war within the country by arming Syrian civilians and the opposition against the government.
In the next step, Washington will arm Wahhabi fighters and members of the Fath al-Islam in Tripoli, supported by the Qatari army and Libyan fighters, and order them to attack Syrian border villages.
Israel will jump into the fray by expressing readiness to carry out military operations against Syria. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently announced he would be visiting the US next week. He is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US senators and other senior officials.
Officials close to Lieberman were quoted by Israel sources as saying that the he will ask the US government to increase international pressure against Syria, urging Washington to go beyond sanctions in line with efforts to overthrow the Syrian government.
Bin Laden death photos may be released after all; U.S. renews warning of backlash: reports - NY Daily News. Former Justice Department privacy official Dan Metcalfe told the Website that a government brief in the case effectively concedes "portions of the records that are legally required to be disclosed."
PHOTOS: MEME'S THE WORD! OSAMA BIN LADEN'S DEATH SPARKS INTERNET FRENZY
That could mean redacting portions of the images that show U.S. military personnel or technology, but not the slain terror leader, according to the report.
The CIA has argued that such a disclosure would "trigger violence" around the globe, Wired.com reported.
After offing the terror leader in Pakistan last May with a "double tap" of gunshots to the torso and head, Navy SEALs snapped pictures of his corpse to show they got their man.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Fact Checking the Media: Iran. The media coverage on Iran is mirroring the coverage in the lead-up to the Iraq war: grand claims about a smoking gun that doesn't exist. For example, The New York Times incorrectly reported last month that the latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran concluded that their nuclear program had a military objective. The paper's public editor, Arthur Brisbane, was forced to acknowledge their mistake and wrote: "Some readers, mindful of the faulty intelligence and reporting about Saddam Hussein's weapons program, are watching the Iran nuclear coverage very closely." Other media outlets such as National Public Radio, PBS and The Washington Post have been challenged on their coverage too.
CNN: US preparing military contingencies f... JPost - Middle East. The United States has begun an internal review of its military capabilities vis-a-vis Syria despite remaining committed to diplomatic and economic pressure on Damascus, CNN's "Security Clearance" blog reported on Tuesday.
The report did not specify whether the White House had ordered the review or if it was initiated in the Pentagon. One senior US official told CNN that the US military "would not be doing its job if it did not put some ideas on the table," adding that "absolutely no decisions have been made on military support for Syria."
Syrian Signals: Assad 'ready for talks' after meeting Lavrov
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Tuesday, February 07, 2012
U.S. ties to Turkey face new strains :: Middle East Clarity. U.S.--Turkey ties are being complicated by tensions in the Mediterranean at a time when President Barack Obama views Ankara as central to helping the U.S. manage the Middle East's political upheavals.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been pressing Turkish officials to back off from threats to send warships to waters around Cyprus in a dispute over energy deposits, as it could jeopardize U.S. interests in the Mediterranean over gas fields that are being jointly developed by Cyprus and Houston-based Noble Energy Inc.
U.S. officials are also concerned by Turkish threats to deploy naval vessels to accompany flotillas headed to Gaza, which could heighten the potential for a military conflict between Turkey and Israel. Some strategists in Washington and Europe are calling on the Obama administration to use more aggressive diplomacy and the U.S. Navy. This is seen as crucial for guarding against any miscalculations by Turkey, Israel or Cyprus, though they acknowledge such steps could anger Ankara.
\'Obama answers to big corps. on offshore drilling\' - Noble Energy Inc. Videos : Firstpost Topic. President Barack Obama has been vacillating on offshore oil drilling because "he answers to corpocracy, oligarchy and the financial elite" in the United States, says online columnist Allen Roland. In an exclusive interview with Press TV's US Desk on Tuesday, Roland also criticized the mainstream press for poor coverage of the aftermath of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. "They just buried the story. People are getting sick all over the Gulf. I'm hearing horror stories about people havi .
Noble Energy finds 5-8 tcf of gas offshore Cyprus - Oil & Gas Journal. Christofias said the "utilization of natural gas could constitute an incentive for reaching a solution to the Cyprus problem, a solution that would terminate the illegal occupation, reunify the country...and restore the human rights and the basic freedoms of our people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike."
Earlier this week, Cyprus's Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis met with Sec. of State Hillary Clinton to discuss the find and its implications for regional security.
In September, Washington announced its support for the exploratory drilling offshore Cyprus despite objections from Turkey, a main US ally.
"The United States supports Cyprus' right to explore for energy. Having a US company involved in developing the energy resources of Cyprus is also positive," said State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner.
Israel Acts Ignobly Towards Noble Energy « What Would Shmuel Say? Unfortunately, what's set to mar this happy news is the potentially third-world behavior of Israel's government. One of the main reasons energy companies took a chance on exploring the region was a 1952 Israel petroleum law that granted generous royalty and tax benefits to exploration companies. Now that those companies have actually found something -- at great expense and risk -- Israel's government wants more of the action.
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz is debating whether to change the terms of the lease retroactively so that the government could get better terms. The Wall Street Journal quoted Noble Energy's Davidson as saying a retroactive change would be "egregious". Davidson said such a move "would quickly move Israel to the lowest tier of countries for investment by the energy industry".
To defend its interests, Noble pulled in the State Department and former President Bill Clinton. "Mr. Clinton raised the issue in a private meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York in July, according to a Clinton aide. 'Your country can't just tax a U.S. business retroactively because they feel like it,' the aide said Mr. Clinton told Mr. Netanyahu," according to the Journal.
The real reason Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich - Bill Clinton - Salon.com. Echoing Barak's pleas on behalf of Rich were Clinton's old friend Shimon Peres, former Mossad director general Shabtai Shavit, and a host of other important figures in Israel and the American Jewish community. Winning the pardon was a top priority for Israeli officials because Rich had long been a financial and intelligence asset of the Jewish state, carrying out missions in many hostile countries where he did business. Although commentators in the mainstream and right-wing media have discounted this aspect of the controversy, they often seem as unfamiliar with critical facts as the average senator.
Unpardonable: Holder's Marc Rich Shuffle - Andrew C. McCarthy - National Review Online. Holder is President Obama's choice to become attorney general. That means the Rich case is a big problem for him today--just as it was in 2001, when an outraged Congress demanded an explanation of the controversial affair. President Clinton had pardoned the fugitive financier on the recommendation of Holder, who was then deputy attorney general. The only feeble response Holder could muster was that he didn't really know much about Rich's case and that, as Justice's number two official, he was simply too busy to learn about it.
Is The American Mainstream Media A Watchdog For The People Or A Lapdog For The Elite?
youtube.com Privacy Death Stars Approved By Congress. The FAA is... required under the bill to provide military, commercial and privately-owned drones with expanded access to U.S. airspace currently reserved for manned aircraft by Sept. 30, 2015. That means permitting unmanned drones controlled by remote operators on the ground to fly in the same airspace as airliners, cargo planes, business jets and private aircraft.
Obama Flip-Flops On Super PACs! Obama Flip-Flops On Super PACs! February 07, 2012 MSNBC MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 33 2 ratings Time: 06:16 More in News & Politics
Oil and gas for Cyprus and Israel: Where there's gas, will there be a pipeline? Would petroleum wealth change the political picture in 2012? The question exists because the eastern Mediterranean is home to vast reserves of natural gas (at least if the hoopla surrounding exploratory work by America's Noble Energy proves accurate). Noble has already got promising results from the Leviathan field, off the coast of Israel (and edging into an area claimed by Lebanon), and is now drilling in the waters just south of Cyprus. Hence plenty of optimistic talk at the conference of co-operation between Cyprus and Israel to construct LNG terminals or a pipeline to transmit gas to energy-hungry Europe in competition with the network of pipelines, actual or proposed, from Russia and central Asia. Indeed, Noble apparently reckons a pipeline could be in operation as soon as 2014 or 2015.
This particular Cassandra is sceptical. Turkey, arguing that Cyprus has no authority to search for oil and gas while the island's division is not resolved, is furious at the idea that any gas revenues would go only to the Greek part of Cyprus, and is mounting its own exploration effort—complete with a military escort—in the sea to the north of the island.
One last complication is the fact that next July Cyprus takes over the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union—and Turkey is a candidate for EU membership. Could that be an incentive for a Cyprus settlement and for regional collaboration between Cyprus, Turkey and Israel (whose alliance with Turkey is now under severe strain)? I am doubtful. But let us leave the last word to Cyprus's President Dimitris Christofias, who told the conference:
aangirfan: ISRAEL IN CYPRUS. On the evening of 11 January 2010, Greek Cyprus's most powerful publisher was murdered. (Cyprus newspaper boss gunned down)
On 13 and 14 January 2010, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Greek Cyprus. (Israeli FM begins official visit )
Despite Fallout With Turkey, Israel Forms Strategic Alliance With Greece and Cyprus - The Huffington Post. Israel, moving towards a strategic alliance with Greece and Cyprus?
Strategically, a possible modus operandi behind Athens desire to cultivate strong military relations with Israel is its unresolved maritime border dispute with Turkey. Under international law, every state is entitled to declare its own exclusive economic zone up until 12 nautical miles. However, in 1995 the Turkish Parliament declared that in the event Greece would extend its territorial waters beyond its current six nautical miles, Ankara would regard such as decision as "Casus Belli."
For Netanyahu, Athens seems to have the potential to bring Tel Aviv financial markets closer to Europe and add a certain degree of regional stability, especially following Israel's newfound energy riches. A robust partnership with Greece, in particular following Nicosia's decision to begin its oil and gas drilling as early as September/October 2011 seem to at least partially explain Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias landmark visit to Israel in March this year.
Lawrence Solomon: Israel's new energy. The new energy order is founded on rock -- the shale that traps vast stores of energy in deposits around the world. One of the largest deposits -- 250 billion barrels of oil in Israel's Shfela basin, comparable to Saudi Arabia's entire reserves of 260 billion barrels of oil -- has until now been unexploited, partly because the technology required has been expensive, mostly because the multinational oil companies that have the technology fear offending Muslims. "None of the major oil companies are willing to do business in Israel because they don't want to be cut off from the Mideast supply of oil," explains Howard Jonas, CEO of IDT, the U.S. company that owns the Shfela concession through its subsidiary, Israel Energy Initiatives. Jonas, an ardent Zionist, considers the Shfela deposit merely a beginning: "We believe that under Israel is more oil than under Saudi Arabia. There may be as much as half a trillion barrels."
Lebanon-Israel Tensions Rise over Offshore Oil and Gas - TIME. The stakes are enormous. Both Lebanon and Israel currently have little or no oil or gas deposits, and are dependent on neighboring countries for importing fuel and power. Israel presently relies on Egypt for most of its gas, but the durability of that arrangement has been cast into doubt following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak's regime. The Egyptian pipeline supplying gas to Israel and Jordan was blown up in January and only began operating again only a couple of weeks ago.
Gas and Oil Rush to Israel--Will Russia and Her Muslim Allies Too? If memory serves, Dallas Seminary Professor John Walvoord writing about middle east oil and end time prophecy, predicted Russia would lead a confederacy of Arab nations against Israel enticed to gain control of Israel's oil supplies. Like other prophecy teachers, Walvoord believed this was the hook God would use to draw Israel's enemies to the final showdown at Armageddon.
A recent article in the on-line magazine, Israel Today, announced expectation of Israel becoming the center of a new 'oil and gas rush' of western oil producers. According to the Israeli financial newspaper Globes, the largest natural gas reserve (122 trillion cubic feet) was discovered as well as a 1.7 billion barrel crude oil reserve in the Levant Basin.
God has given the people of his covenanted land another weapon potentially of equal power her enemies in the international politics of oil. Just as the Islamic nations use oil against Israel and Russia uses them for their geopolitical agendas, Israel's new resource may tip the perceive scale of power inciting the response previewed by the prophets like Ezekiel, John, the writer of the book Revelation, and Prof. Walvoord's Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis.
Elder of Ziyon: This is huge: Israel offers to sell natural gas to India. India sources most of its natural gas from Qatar and Oman. Iran, which could have been a major supplier of LNG, cancelled a huge deal to India after it had been signed, following India's vote against its nuclear programme in the IAEA. A gas pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan too has run aground on security considerations. Within the country, India's much hyped Krishna-Godavari gas basin has run into trouble after disagreement over pricing resulted in a drop in production. So India is in the market for big gas flows.
ISRAEL: Neighbors watchful as Israel demarcates maritime borders with Cyprus - latimes.com. Maritime borders are a fluid affair. There are several methods for calculating these in lieu of a direct bilateral agreement, which is not an option for Israel and Lebanon.Â
Israel had neglected to sort this out with Cyprus, which "owns" the other end of the Mediterranean. Now the two countries have divvied up the roughly 200 nautical miles between them and the maritime border was demarcated in a recent agreement signed in Nicosia by Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou and Landau. Israeli diplomats say the agreement should secure Israel's economic interests in the Mediterranean. Cyprus says this doesn't conflict with a similar agreement signed with Lebanon, still awaiting ratification in parliament.Â
Now Egypt is watching, to ensure the agreement doesn't infringe on Egyptian maritime territories and its interests. It too has signed a deal with Cyprus.
Agreement in the region is a short blanket; cover one side, and someone else's feet stick out. Now Turkey is angry.Â
Although Turkey has no claim to the area demarcated with Israel, the Turkish foreign ministry fiercely criticized the agreement saying it didn't consider "Turkish Cypriot" rights and jurisdiction over the maritime areas of the island.
Eastern Mediterranean - nobleenergyinc.com. Leviathan represents the largest exploration success in Noble Energy's history, with gross mean resources of 16 Tcf of natural gas. We are actively studying multiple export options, including both LNG and pipeline scenarios. We anticipate returning to appraisal drilling at Leviathan in mid 2011. Supported by 3D seismic acquisitions in 2009 and 2010, we have identified a number of additional prospects and leads on our significant acreage position offshore Israel and Cyprus, with plans to drill three to four exploration/appraisal wells in 2011.
Noble Energy brings forward Cypriot drilling - Globes. The Cypriot media report that Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL) will begin drilling an offshore exploratory well at Block 12 on September 21. The well is located in Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone, just 12 kilometers from Israel's Leviathan gas field, and previously Noble Energy had reported that it would not begin drilling until October.
Leviathan Gas Field Decelopment He said that this new find could impel neighboring countries, including Cyprus, Lebanon and Syria, to explore and possibly develop their potential gas fields, and warned that Israel needed to move quickly to be the first to export its gas. Delek estimates that if it moves aggressively, it could begin producing gas from Leviathan in five to six years.
Israel Confirms Major Natural Gas Discovery. Exploratory drilling off Israel's northern coast this week has confirmed the existence of a major natural gas field — one of the world's largest offshore gas finds of the past decade — leading the country's infrastructure minister to call it "the most important energy news since the founding of the state."
Russia pushes Syria reforms as bloodshed mounts - WAVE 3 News - Louisville, Kentucky. Days after blocking a U.S.-backed peace plan at the U.N., senior Russian officials pushed for reforms Tuesday during an emergency meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad, promoting a settlement to end the uprising without removing him from power.
Thousands of flag-waving government supporters cheered the Russians in the Syrian capital of Damascus, while to the north, Assad's forces pounded the opposition city of Homs - underscoring the sharp divisions propelling the country toward civil war.
3.1-magnitude earthquake shook central Oklahoma on Tuesday morning, just 15 minutes after an event meant to help Oklahomans and residents across the United States be prepared in the event of a big temblor.
koco.com "Beheaded Bodies Of Women & Children Laying In The Road Meanwhile The Civilized World Does
youtube.com How Much Will Race Be A Factor In The 2012 Presidential Election?
youtube.com Ron Paul "The More Drone Missiles WE Use To Kill People The LESS Safe WE Are!" pt.2
youtube.com Haiku Herman visits the Humboldt University
youtube.com MSNBC Poll: Do You Support Israel Attacking Iran In The Next Few Months?
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Monday, February 06, 2012
'Lone wolf' terror threat warning. 'Lone wolf' terror threat warning
Budget cuts are likely to extend to counter-terrorism operations, the think tank warns
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
MPs fear far-right terror threat
Met terror role should end - MPs
UK's terror threat level reduced
The UK could face a growing threat from "lone wolf" terrorists returning from fighting overseas in the next few years, a think tank has warned.
The Royal United Services Institute estimates about 50 Britons are fighting with Somali extremists Al Shabaab.
They and others returning from wars in Yemen and Nigeria could use their experience on UK streets, RUSI said.
Examples of War-Hungry Propaganda & Lies *** SYRIA: Who is Behind The Protest - Pastebin.com
pastebin.com Last week,the Obama Administration launched the Equal Pay App Challenge. We're inviting software developers to help women ensure that they're being paid fairly -- which in turn will help restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules.
What is this bullcrap?
huffingtonpost.com Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 2/6/2012. Release Time: For Immediate Release James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 12:39 P.M. EST MR. CARNEY: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for coming to the White House for your daily briefing. Before I take questions let me read a brief announcement....
F-35 Production Was 'Acquisition Malpractice:' Top DoD Weapons Buyer. Filed under: Strategy & Policy WASHINGTON: Given earlier comments by the F-35 program head, today's remarks by the acting head of Pentagon acquisition that "putting the F-35 into production years before the first test flight... F-35 Production Was 'Acquisition Malpractice:'...
Google, Facebook Censor Themselves in India After Court Order.
mashable.com Bill Text - 112th Congress (2011-2012) - THOMAS (Library of Congress). (a) In General- Section 2703 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(h) Retention of Certain Records- A provider of an electronic communication service or remote computing service shall retain for a period of at least 18 months the temporarily assigned network addresses the service assigns to each account, unless that address is transmitted by radio communication (as defined in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934).'.
(b) Sense of Congress- It is the sense of Congress that records retained pursuant to section 2703(h) of title 18, United States Code, should be stored securely to protect customer privacy and prevent against breaches of the records.
Bill Text - 112th Congress (2011-2012) - THOMAS (Library of Congress).
thomas.loc.gov More pupils wetting themselves, say teachers.
bbc.co.uk Shipping Crash Survivor Turning Profit as Fleet Expands: Freight. Precious Shipping is increasing earnings because of its contrarian strategy. When rivals ordered a record number of new handysizes in 2007 after rates almost doubled, the company sold 10 carriers. Prices of secondhand vessels plunged as much as 63 percent since then as capacity exceeded demand. While rates may take at least another two years to rebound, ship prices are now low enough for acquisitions, Hashim said.
"Once the market turns around, we'll have a huge fleet bought at very low prices," said the 58-year-old executive, who has worked in shipping for more than three decades. "We buy ships at what we think is the right time at the right price."
Executive Order -- Blocking Property of the Government of Iran and Iranian Financial Institutions.
whitehouse.gov Ron Paul "I Don't See A Lot Of Difference Among Our Other Candidates Or Between The Two Parties"
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Saturday, February 04, 2012
Is Iran trying to develop a missile that could reach America? The missile under construction at an Iranian research-and-development facility, which was damaged by a mysterious explosion in November, was a long-range missile prototype with a range of 6,000 miles -- enough to hit the United States, a senior Israeli official said Thursday in a speech to a defense and security forum.
Euro zone loses patience with Greece. Euro zone ministers had hoped to meet on Monday to finalize the second Greek bailout, which has to be in place by mid-March if Athens is to avoid a chaotic default. But the meeting was postponed because of Greek reluctance to commit to reforms.
Instead, the ministers held a conference call on Saturday to take stock of progress on the second financing package, which euro zone leaders set at 130 billion euros back in October.
"There was a very clear message that was conveyed from all participants of the teleconference ... to the Greeks that enough is enough," one euro zone official said. "There is a great sense of frustration that they are dragging their feet.
"They should get their act together and start talking honestly, decisively and speedily with the Troika on the aspects of the programme that remain to be finalized - on fiscal and labor market reforms," the official said.
Flight transcript from Micron CEO Steve Appleton's plane crash: 'We've got a problem'. Steve Appleton tried to take off twice Friday. Here are key passages from his discussions with the Boise control tower:
FIRST ATTEMPT Appleton: "One Lima Charlie is going to land here and stop. We've got a problem. Thanks." Tower: "One Lima Charlie, roger." Tower: "One Lima Charlie, do you need assistance?" Appleton: "Negative. I'm going to taxi back and see if I can figure it out."
Micron appoints Durcan CEO after Appleton's death. Hours after Appleton's death on Friday morning, Micron's board named Durcan, the president and chief operating officer, as temporary CEO and analysts speculated he could be asked to stay on full- time.
Science behind the big freeze: is climate change bringing the Arctic to Europe? - Science - News - The Independent. A dramatic loss of sea ice covering the Barents and Kara Seas above northern Russia could explain why a chill Arctic wind has engulfed much of Europe and killed 221 people over the past week.
The death toll from Arctic blast has been particularly severe in the Ukraine, where many of the dead have been people sleeping on the streets. Heating and food tents have been set up to ease their hardship. In Romania 24 people are known to have died and 17 in Poland.
Statement by the President on Syria. Thirty years after his father massacred tens of thousands of innocent Syrian men, women, and children in Hama, Bashar al-Assad has demonstrated a similar disdain for human life and dignity.  Yesterday the Syrian government murdered hundreds of Syrian citizens, including women and children, in Homs through shelling and other indiscriminate violence, and Syrian forces continue to prevent hundreds of injured civilians from seeking medical help. These brutal killings take place at a time when so many Syrians are also marking a deeply meaningful day for their faith.  I strongly condemn the Syrian government's unspeakable assault against the people of Homs and I offer my deepest sympathy to those who have lost loved ones. Assad must halt his campaign of killing and crimes against his own people now. He must step aside and allow a democratic transition to proceed immediately.
More mystery illness details emerge in Le Roy. "But it's just amazing to me that the Department of Health and the school wouldn't release this report weeks and weeks ago when the issue first came up and people were asking for more information," she said.
Expert: Mystery illness is stress - Roanoke.com. The girl had been under a lot of stress when her leg inexplicably started to shake. The twitching then spread to a group of girls in her high school, sparking widespread anxiety.
It was 1939, in Bellevue, La.
Almost seven decades later, something similar is happening at William Byrd High School in Roanoke County.
Today, scientists say the Louisiana twitching was a case of "mass psychogenic illness," a psychological condition caused by anxiety that can produce seemingly inexplicable symptoms.
Robert Bartholomew, who has studied the phenomenon extensively, said he has no doubt that what caused the Louisiana symptoms is also causing the symptoms at William Byrd.
"The events at William Byrd High have all the hallmarks of a collective stress reaction," he wrote in an e-mail.
Russia, China Veto U.N. Call for Assad to Resign. Russia and China blocked a U.N. resolution condemning the bloodshed in Syria and calling for Bashar al-Assad to step down as president. The vote came on the heels of the slaughter of more than 200 people in the city of Homs by government forces and a demand from President Obama...
H.R. 1981: Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 (GovTrack.us). Status: This bill was considered in committee which has recommended it be considered by the House as a whole. Explanation: Although it has been placed on a calendar of business, the order in which legislation is considered and voted on is determined by the majority party leadership. Keep in mind that sometimes the text of one bill is incorporated into another bill, and in those cases the original bill, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned. [Last Updated: Dec 17, 2011 6:15AM]
Two female American tourists kidnapped at gunpoint in Sinai, Egypt, are released. Security officials secured the release of two female American tourists and their guide, hours after they were kidnapped at gunpoint while vacationing in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula yesterday.
But after their release, one of the American women said that they had been well-treated and were 'not at all afraid' of their kidnappers.
'They were very nice,' said the woman, who has not been named. 'They kept on reassuring us that we will be fine... they treated us like family.'
Min 23: Nederland beleefde de koudste nacht in 27 jaar. De temperatuur in het binnenland daalde vannacht op sommige plekken naar bijna 23 graden onder nul. In een groot deel van Nederland was sprake van zeer strenge vorst (kouder dan min 15 graden). Daarmee beleefde Nederland de koudste nacht in 27 ...
Record 1.2 Million People Fall Out Of Labor Force In One Month, Labor Force Participation Rate Tumbles To Fresh 30 Year Low.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Congress Calls for Accelerated Use of Drones in U.S. A House-Senate conference report this week called on the Administration to accelerate the use of civilian unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or "drones," in U.S. airspace.
The pending authorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration directs the Secretary of Transporation to develop within nine months "a comprehensive plan to safely accelerate the integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system."
"The plan... shall provide for the safe integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as soon as practicable, but not later than September 30, 2015."
"Ron Paul Bless You". "Ron Paul Bless You" February 03, 2012 News MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 1 0 ratings Time: 02:54 More in News & Politics
THE DARK WEB. THE DARK WEB February 03, 2012 BBC News MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 546 11 ratings Time: 02:42 More in News & Politics
The Local - Breathalyzers to be compulsory in all cars.
m.thelocal.fr KBOI fatal crash, N321LC (Micron CEO, Steve Appleton) "National Transportation Safety Board air investigator Zoe Keliher said Appleton tried to take off once but landed again immediately, and then taxied to a hangar for about five minutes. She said witnesses reported the plane then took off again and only got to 100 or 200 feet in the air before it steeply banked or rolled, appeared to stall and crashed. Appleton's body was thrown from the wreckage."
NASDAQ Hits 11 Year High; Dow at 3 1/2 Year High. Bernanke money printing is working its way through the system. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 145 points, or 1.2%, to 12850. A rise above 12876 would put the Dow at levels last seen in May 2008. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index tacked on 18 points, or 1.3%,...
» TSA Trains Super Bowl Hot Dog Sellers To Spot Terrorists Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!
infowars.com Presidential Memorandum -- Delegation of Authority Pursuant to Sections 110(d)(4) and 110(f) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as Amended. MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE
SUBJECT: Delegation of Authority Pursuant to Sections 110(d)(4) and 110(f) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as Amended
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby delegate to you the authority conferred upon the President by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (Division A of Public Law 106-386), as amended (the "Act"), to determine, consistent with sections 110(d)(4) and 110(f) of the Act, with respect to Burma for fiscal year 2012, that assistance described in section 110(d)(1)(B) of the Act would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States.
Greek rescue package talks blocked by unions and employers. Greece's economy will be crippled if lenders' demands for pay cuts and tax rises are implemented, claim coalition's critics Greek unions and employers' associations have blocked a critical element of a rescue deal put forward by the European Union, accusing negotiators of crippling the economy with wage cuts and tax rises that will undermine growth. In a joint letter to the Greek prime minister, Lucas Papademos, the employers and unions said a cut in the minimum wage was non-negotiable and the focus of talks should switch to the tax system, the complexity of regulation and corruption. Athens is under pressure to wrap up talks on a bond swap and a €130bn (£108bn) bailout to avert a chaotic default. But hopes of an imminent deal faded after eurozone finance ministers put off a meeting expected on Monday to finalise the rescue. The ministers may meet later next week instead, said its head, Jean-Claude Juncker. The unions' and employers' statement undermined efforts by the coalition government to agree a package of reforms as demanded by the country's international lenders if Athens is to receive the crucial €130bn second rescue package. The three main parties in the coalition will meet on Saturday to discuss the situation, though sources close to the talks said a quick resolution was unlikely. The refusal of unions to accept further wage cuts and the discovery earlier in the week of an extra €15bn hole in Athens's accounts are expected to force negotiators to rethink their tactics over the weekend. The troika of officials from the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and EU want Greece to agree a package of spending cuts and reforms before they release the fresh €130bn of funds. Splits have opened up inside the Greek coalition, which includes right- and leftwing parties, as leaders jockey for position in the runup to the elections scheduled for March. Antonis Samaras, the leader of the conservative New Democracy (ND) party, which is leading in opinion polls, opposes cuts to pensions and to wages in the private sector , which he argues would deepen the current recession. The ND leader joined employers in proposing a salary freeze, though even this plan is rejected by unions, which have already accepted 14% wage cuts. Disagreements within the ranks of the troika have also undermined the talks. The IMF's lead negotiator said earlier this week that the deepening crisis in Greece should persuade negotiators to relent on some cuts in favour of more far-reaching reforms. The EU, with the backing of the German government, has made it clear that Greece must accept severe austerity measures as the price of a bailout. The coalition is ready to agree a framework deal struck last week with banks that hold around €206bn of the country's debt. The banks are ready to accept a near-70% writedown in their loans to Greece in exchange for new 30-year bonds. Weeks of negotiations with a team of bankers led by Charles Dallara, head of creditors group the International Institute of Finance, were close to being finalised last weekend before the talks became dependent on an agreement with the troika. The government must conclude negotiations on its second rescue package "that will ensure debt sustainability of the country in the long run, and that will bring remedies to a number of serious problems that the Greek economy has had even before this crisis," said Amadeu Altafaj Tardio, spokesman for the EU's monetary affairs commissioner, Olli Rehn. "And one of the main problems of the Greek economy, as we have said time and again here, is the chronic loss of competitiveness over the past decade," Tardio said. "Therefore all the elements, including elements linked to the labour market, wage formation, are part of these discussions." Without the new bailout deal and agreement with lenders, Greece would go bankrupt in March, when it faces a €14.5bn bond redemption it cannot afford. Government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis said the bond swap deal -- known as the private sector involvement, or PSI -- and the parallel negotiations with the troika were almost complete. "The PSI, I think, in its basic elements is ready," he told Real FM radio, adding that talks with the debt inspectors were "in the final stage". He added: "Within the day, we will have to finalise a series of alternative proposals which will be put before the political [party] leaders so we can take the final decisions." A meeting between Papademos and the heads of the three parties in his interim coalition government was expected to be moved from Friday to Saturday, according to government officials. Asked whether there was any alternative plan, Kapsis said that "there will necessarily be a Plan B" but that he did not want to discuss what it might be. "Clearly, if we don't close the deal and we let go and say we will default on our own, we would be heading to an open bankruptcy. But I don't think anyone supports that." Speaking from Brussels, Tardio said that while negotiations were "extremely complex," he believed an agreement was within reach "in the days to come". Greece has been surviving since May 2010 on rescue loans from a €110bn bailout package from other eurozone countries and the IMF. In return, it has pushed through tough austerity measures, including public sector salary and pension cuts and repeated rounds of tax hikes. Despite the measures, however, the country has failed to meet the targets set out in its bailout agreement, and now needs a combination of the bond deal and a second bailout to prevent a default that would send shockwaves through the single currency. The Greek finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, warned parliament that while the situation was difficult now, the alternative the country faced was catastrophic. "We are not playing with fire when we are dealing with the fate of our people," he said. "Yes, the people have become poorer. Yes, we are living a drama. Yes, our standard of living has gone down. Yes, it is dramatic to be obliged to cut wages and pensions. But what we could live through, and we are trying to avoid, is indescribable." Eurozone crisis European Union Economics Banking Financial crisis Financial sector Greece Europe Phillip Inman guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Cooked eggs recalled in California, 33 other states - latimes.com.
latimes.com Greenhill Profit Jumps, and Firm Honors Its Fallen Bankers. Greenhill & Company had a lot of good earnings news to report on Wednesday â€" but it acknowledged its continued sadness over the deaths of two senior bankers last month.
For its fourth quarter, Greenhill said that it earned $20.4 million in net income allocated to common shareholders, up nearly tenfold. For all of last year, the boutique investment bank earned $48.9 million, up 42 percent from 2010.
Chris Rock: 'I'll Pay Higher Taxes'. From The Hill's "Hill Tube" -- Actor Chris Rock: 'I'll pay higher taxes' : Actor Chris Rock doesn't mind paying more in taxes. The way he sees it — in the end he'll have to spend the money anyway. "I'll pay higher taxes. I look at it this way I can pay higher taxes and people can have jobs or I can pay lower taxes and I have my kid's teacher asking me for a loan, which is true," said Rock to The Associated Press. "So I'm going to lose the money no matter what." Rock also told the AP that as president of the United States, President Obama is like a father figure to the country. "That's your job when you run anything is to reassure, so that's all I hope for, some reassurance." Read on... Cue the feigned outrage at Fox where they're screaming for him to mail in a check in 10... 9... 8....
Obama Gets Biblical on Republican Tax Critics. Click here to view this media President Barack Obama proved on Thursday that conservatives don't have a monopoly on using religion to advocate for specific public policies. Speaking to a group of mostly-conservative politicians at the annual National Prayer Breakfast, the president quoted scripture in a effort to get Republicans to support a fairer tax code and caring for the poor. "When I talk about our financial institutions playing by the same rules as folks on main street, when I talk about making sure insurance companies aren't discriminating against those who are already sick or making sure that unscrupulous lenders aren't taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us, I do so because I genuinely believe it will make the economy stronger for everybody," Obama explained. "But I also do it because I know far too many neighbors in our country have been hurt and treated unfairly over the last few years. And I believe in God's command to love thy neighbor as thyself." "And when I talk about shared responsibility, it's because I genuinely believe at a time when folks are struggling, at a time when we have enormous deficits, it's hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income or young people with student loans or middle class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the burden alone. And I think to myself, if I am willing to give something up as someone who has been extraordinarily blessed, give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy -- I actually think that's going to make economic sense." He added: "But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus's teaching that for unto whom much is given, much shall be required." "Treating others as you want to be treated, requiring much from those who have been given so much, living by the principle that we are our brother's keeper, caring for the poor and those in need, these values are old and they can be found in many denominations and many faiths and among many believers and among many non-believers. They're values that have always made this country great when we live up to them, when we just don't just give lip service to them, and we just don't talk about them one day a year."
How 'Space Weather' Affects Planes And Power Grids : NPR.
npr.org ekathimerini.com. Skai TV and radio reported on Friday that should the leaders fail to agree a deal, Papademos will tender his resignation on Monday.
Speaking to Bloomberg, government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis denied that Papademos is considering quitting.
Could an infection be behind mysterious Tourette's-like syndrome affecting teenagers? Marge Fitzsimmons, who works with developmentally disabled patients and has no immediate ties to the town's high school at the centre of the outbreak, has had to stop going to work because her body tics and twitches have gotten so severe that she can no longer work with her patients.
Details of her condition emerged today as researchers offered a new explanation for the strange symptoms that have been diagnosed in 14 teenage girls and one teenage boy.
Doctors have singled out the possibilty of paediatric acute-onset neuropsychaitric syndrome, or PANS, as a solution.
The Matrix Is Here: We Are Now Able To Harvest Electricity From Cockroaches - BlackListedNews.com.
blacklistednews.com Creative New Videos Support the Release of the Asics 33 Collection. Asics has recently released its "33" collection--representing the number of joints in the human foot. The company describes the new shoes as "an exciting lightweight series that takes the concept of performance in a whole new direction." It also is releasing some exciting new videos to support the footwear.
FBI Friday: Anonymous Hackers Release Internal Conference Call Recording - International Business Times.
ibtimes.co.uk Sugar=Fructose. Really?? The researchers say that abundance of sugar — often in the form of high fructose corn syrup — now found in the processed foods that make up a growing part of the global diet leads directly to a host of chronic health disorders such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
UCSF scientists declare war on sugar in food. Comparing sugar to alcohol and tobacco is "simply without scientific merit," the American Beverage Association said. "There is no evidence that focusing solely on reducing sugar intake would have any meaningful public health impact."
Syria resolution text agreed. United Nations Security Council members have agreed to the text of a resolution on Syria, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said after a closed session at the UN. The new draft will be sent back to the council's member governments for consideration. "We have the text, which we...
FASCISM, TOP FAMILIES, FALSE FLAG OPS. Website for this image Former spy Annie Machon describes how the security services represent certain families. She describes how the spooks carry out false flag operations. The people who founded the European Union have fascist origins. Fascists are not always easy to spot....
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Elsevier's Publishing Model Might be About to Go Up in Smoke - Forbes. A start was made by British mathematician Tim Gowers, in a blog post here. That wasn't the very start, but it looks like one of those pebbles that starts the avalanche rather than the one that just tumbles down the hillside. And there's a great deal to be said for a scientific post which references Spike Milligan's superb book, Adolf Hitler, My Part in his Downfall.
As he says:
"I am not only going to refuse to have anything to do with Elsevier journals from now on, but I am saying so publicly. I am by no means the first person to do this, but the more of us there are, the more socially acceptable it becomes, and that is my main reason for writing this post,"
Paying cash in hand is 'diddling the country', says HMRC's Dave Hartnett. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Hartnett says that householders have a duty to ensure that other people do not evade paying their share of tax.
Paying a builder or cleaner in cash, allowing them to evade VAT or income tax, will result in even deeper government cuts to public services, he says. People who contribute to the cash economy cannot then complain about austerity measures, he adds.
BBC admits receiving millions in grants from EU and councils. The news prompted MPs to raise questions about the BBC's impartiality when its journalists report on events in the EU.
The BBC admitted in a letter to a Tory MP that it has received nearly £3million in grant money from the European Union over the past four years.
Other grants totalling £16million came from local authorities across the UK. The money was spent on "research and development projects".
The broadcaster also disclosed that its commercial arm BBC Worldwide borrowed over £141million from the European Investment Bank since 2003. Of that figure £30million is still due to be repaid by the end of May this year.
These figures are disclosed in the commercial arm's annual report, while the BBC's annual report does not make clear where the grant money comes from.
Statement by the President on Passage of the STOCK Act. In my State of the Union Address, I laid out a blueprint for an economy built to last, where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules -- especially those of us who have been sent here to serve the American people.
Last week, I called on Congress to pass a bill that makes clear that Members of Congress may not engage in insider trading. No one should be able to trade stocks based on nonpublic information gleaned on Capitol Hill. So I'm pleased the Senate took bipartisan action to pass the STOCK Act. I urge the House of Representatives to pass this bill, and I will sign it right away.Â
And while this is an important step to rebuild the trust between Washington and the American people, there is much more work to be done, like prohibiting elected officials from owning stocks in industries they impact, and prohibiting people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress from lobbying Congress, an idea that has bipartisan support outside of Washington. These are straightforward proposals that will help eliminate the corrosive influence of money in politics.
Quarterly Profit Takes a Tumble at NYT. Heads are no doubt bowing at The New York Times as the paper's parent company reported a fourth-quarter profit decline of 12.2 percent—a consequence of the group's inability to make up for continuing drops in print advertising revenue with rising subscription and digital...
Agent Provocateur sales boosted by US First Lady Michelle Obama.
telegraph.co.uk James Cameron plans move to NZ. Hollywood movie mogul James Cameron is coming to live in Wairarapa - and he is bringing his family with him.
The director of blockbuster films Titanic and Avatar has purchased two large plots of land along Western Lake Rd in south Wairarapa, where he is expected to arrive and live later this year.
Records released today from the Overseas Investment Office show that James F Cameron, of Canada, was given consent in December to purchase two separate properties, one 817 hectares and the other nearly 250 hectares.
Contraceptive recall could put Pfizer at risk of multimillion-dollar lawsuit, attorney says.
foxnews.com Meteor sightings reported across Texas to Oklahoma. A spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration said late tonight that the flying fireball in the sky was most likely a meteor.
"Given that it was seen by a large number of people across so many miles makes it likely it was a meteor or a piece of space junk, but most likely a meteor," said spokesman Lynn Lunsford with the FAA's Southwest region office.
The administration has received reports from as far north as Oklahoma to as far south as Houston, Lunsford said.
Earlier: Possible meteor sightings have been reported in Texas and Oklahoma this evening, according to news reports.
Google will now also censor by country “Migrating to localized domains will allow us to continue promoting free expression and responsible publishing while providing greater flexibility in complying with valid removal requests pursuant to local law. By utilizing ccTLDs, content removals can be managed on a per country basis, which will limit their impact to the smallest number of readers. Content removed due to a specific country’s law will only be removed from the relevant ccTLD. “
"It Actually Looks More Like A UFO Than It Does A Meteor" CNN METEORologist February 01, 2012 CNN MOXNews.com WFAA received more than 200 reports Wednesday night from people who said they saw what appeared to be a meteor streaking across the North Texas sky shortly after 8 o'clock. Many people also said they heard what sounded like a sonic boom (or booms) associated with the fireball, which was apparently witnessed all the way from San Antonio to Oklahoma City. The Federal Aviation Administration told TV station KWTX in Waco that it was a meteor. A camera in Hawley, Texas that is designed to record the night sky shows a bright object briefly streaking across the image (watch the clip above). Channel 8's Facebook page was filled with descriptions. "VERY bright blue across the sky in Benbrook," said Stephanie Clingman Guyer. "It looked so close, long tail -- very cool!" "We saw it in far West McKinney," Kathy Stulting Escobedo wrote. "Seemed very low (I thought it was a low flying plane). Of course, it may have been very high and very large. It was gold with a trail of sparkling, dripping fire. Wasn't moving as fast as most meteors I've seen. It moved from east to west and then seemed to burn out. Shortly after that, we heard a double boom (reminded me of the sonic booms we heard as kids in the 60s). Was pretty incredible!" In Carrollton, James Gates said he "heard a light boom and my house lightly shook... then I heard dogs barking." Dawn Caddell Delarosa was out sitting on her porch about 15 miles west of Denton. "It was HUGE. It was very low
... From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 16 0 ratings Time: 01:20 More in News & Politics
youtube.com MF Global Missing Money Mostly Found. Most of the $1.2 billion reported missing from the failed brokerage MF Global has been traced to customer accounts and banks, people briefed on the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
ESM: Als de pers zwijgt. Op 11 juli 2011 werd een nieuw Europees verdrag (pdf) ondertekend, het Verdrag tot Oprichting van het Europees Stabiliteitsmechanisme (ESM). Niemand hoorde er over want de pers zweeg. Pas later kregen een aantal wakkere Duitsers door wat er in dit verdrag stond. In de eurozone...
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Don Cornelius' Ex-Wife Viktoria Chapman Cornelius Scores Huge Life Insurance Payout
m.tmz.com The Dutch are the world's most active twitterers.
blogs.rnw.nl Miami New Times to Ron Paul: "You Can Stop Existing Now". In one of the more nutty anti-Ron Paul attacks, Gus Garcia-Roberts of the Miami New Times, calls for Ron Paul to "stop existing" (in a political way). Ron Paul did not focus on Florida during the recent primary because it is a winner take all delegates state. Still he came in...
Sugar Should Be Regulated As Toxin, Researchers Say. Sugar and other sweeteners are, in fact, so toxic to the human body that they should be regulated as strictly as alcohol by governments worldwide, according to a commentary in the current issue of the journal Nature by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco
Mitt Romney to Receive Secret Service Protection. Secret Service protection is being given to the campaign not because of a specific threat but because of the increase in crowd sizes as the primary season has progressed over the past few weeks, according to the sources, who refused to be identified because they don't have...
CALIF. RESEARCHERS NOW WANT SUGAR CONTROLLED LIKE ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO
theblaze.com At the Super Bowl, ‘if you see something, say something'. Amid all the hysterics that will no doubt take place at this year's Super Bowl, football fanatics are expected to follow the "if you see something, say something" rule. That should go well. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano took a tour of Lucas Oil stadium in...
Reporter to the Gingrichs: ‘Are you in an open-marriage?'. Wow. The video, produced by Liz Glover for Vice.com , speaks for itself. Technical difficulties are prohibiting me from embedding the video on our site, but in short: At Newt Gingrich 's speech following the Florida Primary, Glover asks Gingrich and his wife Callista if they're...
Urgent: STOCK Act. US citizens: support the STOCK act, which would make it illegal for congresscritters and senators to do stock trading based on their knowledge of upcoming legislative action.
Al Gore And Richard Branson Blog Climate Change From Antarctica. Al Gore and Richard Branson continued their fact-finding mission to Antarctica yesterday by visiting the Weddell Sea. The pair are on the frozen continent to witness first-hand the effects of climate change , with Gore comparing what he finds with what he saw when he last...
Threats to U.S. National Security - C-SPAN Video Library. The nation's top intelligence leaders testified at an annual hearing about security threats facing the nation at home and abroad. Among the issues they discussed were al-Qaida, Iran, Pakistan, and cyber threats. National Intelligence Director James Clapper told the committee that al-Qaida had been weakened but remained a threat,and warned that the U.S. still faced significant threats from terrorist organizations, foreign entities, and computer hackers.
Statement after the Informal European Council - update
youtube.com Statement after the Informal European Council
youtube.com Extract on the creation of a seperate treaty
youtube.com Schulz's Law: Farage vs Schulz - The First confrontation
youtube.com Who Benefits From Food Stamps? Who Benefits From Food Stamps? January 31, 2012 CNN MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 115 8 ratings Time: 03:17 More in News & Politics
Monday, January 30, 2012
Shipwreck hunters stumble across mysterious find. At first glance, team leader and commercial diver Peter Lindberg joked that his crew had just discovered an unidentified flying object, or UFO.
"I have been doing this for nearly 20 years so I have a seen a few objects on the bottom, but nothing like this," said Lindberg.
"We had been out for nine days and we were quite tired and we were on our way home, but we made a final run with a sonar fish and suddenly this thing turned up," he continued.
CIA Claims Publication of Bin Laden Death Photos Would 'Trigger Violence'.
wired.com Bill Would Require Independent Study of X-Ray Body Scanners - ProPublica.
propublica.org RTL XL. Verplicht identificeren bij kopen alcohol
Anthony Albanese caught plagiarizing lines from actor Michael Douglas - YouTube.
youtube.com California's ports: The fickle Asian container. The risk comes from the Panama Canal, which the Panamanians are digging wider and deeper. In an inexorable shipbuilding trend, each generation of freighters is larger than the previous one. So the canal today accommodates only ships that carry up to about 5,000 containers, whereas large freighters already carry 12,000, and the largest carry even more. This is why it is currently best to move a box from Guangdong Province to New York by floating it to Los Angeles or Long Beach, then putting it on a train. But the digging in Panama is about to change that calculation.
In this section
Newt's (fleeting?) moment
Back in the saddle
Caught in the net
Next, walk on water
»The fickle Asian container
A burning issue
The union's state is dire
Reprints
Related topics
Apple iPad
Panama Canal
Asia
California
United States
The Panamanians (who took control of the canal from the Americans in 1999) have been working at it since 2007 and are due to be ready for the big ships in 2014. Their speed and efficiency has taken rivals everywhere by surprise. And their business plan explicitly assumes that a lot of the trade between Asia and America's east and Gulf coasts will be diverted from California's ports to the canal. This is why America's eastern ports—such as Miami, Savannah and Charleston—are dredging eagerly to welcome these ships.
Anonymous Reveals The Arcane Legal Trick Behind ACTA. Article 27 of the Vienna Convention says that all international treaties take precedence over any internal laws. The secret parts of ACTA will take precedence over any national laws. Governments will have no choice. Citizens will have no choice. The internet, as we know it, will end.
The last major obstacle in ACTA's path is the European Parliament. In June 2012 the European Parliament will have its final vote on ACTA. If they vote to ratify ACTA, the world, as we know it, will end. Your freedoms will gradually disappear. Your internet will be gradually turned into a controlled, censored channel where you can only view content produced by a handful of companies.
ACTA is a declaration of war against every man, woman, and child on this planet.
Authorities ID Md. Pilot In Pa. Plane Crash « CBS Baltimore. Authorities are trying to determine what caused a small plane crash that killed a Maryland man not far from a central Pennsylvania airport.
The York County coroner's office identified the pilot killed in Sunday afternoon's crash as Douglas Helms, 56, of Westminster, Md. Deputy Coroner Onalee Gilbert says Helms had left an airport in Frederick, Md. around 11 a.m. and crashed less than two hours later.
Banksters High Pay. The Treasury Department under Obama approved high pay for banksters that got bailed out, as exceptions to the bailout rules.
DHS Detains and Sends Back Brit for Using UK Slang. Well the DHS has finally caught someone who wants to "destroy" America, a Brit, where the word destroy is slang for party. Two British tourists were barred from entering America after joking on Twitter that they were going to 'destroy America' and 'dig up Marilyn Monroe',reports...
Collision Course: Europe Developing Asteroid Shield. A new consortium of EU researchers is exploring options for dealing with an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Plenty of ideas are already on the table, such as deflection with projectiles or explosives and using gravity to pull it off course. But the project's...
MegaUpload User Data Soon to be Destroyed.
blork.ly
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Lehigh Valley Superfund Site. EPA added the Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment site in the Town of LeRoy, New York to the Superfund National Priorities List on January 19, 1999 because hazardous chemicals were found in the soil and ground water. The site in Genesee County is the location of a chemical spill that resulted from a train derailment in 1970. Approximately one ton of cyanide crystals and around 30,000 gallons of Trichloroethene (TCE), which is a volatile organic compound (VOC) that is a potentially harmful contaminant that can easily evaporate into the air, spilled onto the ground. The site consists of portions of Gulf Road, the former railroad bed, and the properties next to the railroad crossing. The site is surrounded by residential, recreational and commercial areas.
As an immediate action, a cleanup including the removal of the cyanide crystals and the overturned car took place. Drinking wells in the area were found to have TCE contamination. The Lehigh Valley Railroad provided drinking water to residents with contaminated wells beginning in June 1971, and later provided the installation and maintenance of charcoal-filtering systems at the affected wells. Sampling of private wells between 1990 and 1994 detected TCE in approximately 50 wells located east or southeast of the site.
EPA installed water-treatment systems at 37 locations where TCE levels were high. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation selected soil vapor-extraction and bedrock vapor-extraction to address the source of the contamination. A water-line extension was selected to provide a safe, potable water supply to all affected residents and businesses. The EPA has assumed responsibility for the design and implementation of the source-control remedies. Before the final source cleanup remedy is put in place, extensive sampling of the soil, bedrock, groundwater, and indoor air quality around the site are taken. The data from these tests will be used to assess the environmental conditions of the site and present the most appropriate remedial alternatives.
Erin Brockovich uncovers possible break in medical mystery on 'Dr. Drew' At least 15 high school students in Le Roy, N.Y. are suffering from the same mysterious illness that's causing Tourette-like outbursts.
In an eye-opening interview Friday night, environmental activist Erin Brockovich talked to HLN’s “Dr. Drew” about the findings in her own investigation.
“I think the first thing that hit me in my gut was, ‘well, you haven't necessarily ruled anything and everything in or out,’” she said. “It just seemed to be a very quick diagnosis.”
Brockovich explained how one of the affected family members received a note in their mailbox about a 1971 train derailment.
“The contaminated rock, fill and soil was used to build the new school,” she said. “We are still trying to corroborate that [story]."
She immediately researched the derailment, and discovered it had caused one ton of cyanide to spill and 45,000 gallons of Trichloroethylene (TCE).
“I have read and been involved in cases that we have that,” she said. “TCE can be associated with neurological disorders.”
Brockovich noted that the actual location of the site of derailment was four miles from the school.
Thousands march in Poland over Acta internet treaty. Several marches had taken place in cities across the nation on Wednesday, says the BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw.
Crowds of mostly young people held banners with slogans such as "no to censorship" and "a free internet".
After convening a special government meeting to discuss the issue, Mr Tusk said the government would not be blackmailed by the treaty's opponents.
There would be ample time for public discussion about the treaty before it was ratified by the Polish parliament, he said.
Poland was one of several European Union countries, including Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Greece, to sign the treaty on Thursday but it appeared to be the only place where it caused protest.
Transcript - No Agenda Episode 377 (2012-01-26) "Cleanest Dirty Shirt" - Fanscribed.
377.readnoagenda.com No Longer Is Vajazzling Enough. Now We Can Re-Fur! Yes, that's right. After you've shaved/waxed/lasered off your pubic hair, New York salon Completely Bare will apply real feathers and real fur to your Down There. Salon owner and former Real Housewives of New York cast member, Cindy Barshop has recently added "foxy bikini" and "carnivale bikini" to her list of available services.
ADHD Now Diagnosed in 4 Year Olds. ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a condition that causes children and teens to have difficulty controlling their behavior. Until recently, ADHD was a condition that was only diagnosed in children between the ages of 6 and 12 years of age. The American Academy of Pediatrics released new ADHD guidelines at the annual pediatric meetings last year. Now it is possible to diagnose and treat kids as young as 4 years of age.
LIVEBLOG: President Obama in Ann Arbor - January 27, 2012. President Obama is proposing a financial aid overhaul that for the first time would tie colleges' eligibility for campus-based aid programs — Perkins loans, work-study jobs and supplemental grants for low-income students — to the institutions' success in improving affordability and value for students, administration officials said.
Under the plan, which the president is expected to outline on Friday morning in a speech at the University of Michigan, the amount available for Perkins loans would grow to $8 billion, from the current $1 billion. The president also wants to create a $1 billion grant competition, along the lines of the Race for the Top program for elementary and secondary education, to reward states that take action to keep college costs down, and a separate $55 million competition for individual colleges to increase their value and efficiency.
The administration also wants to give families clearer information about costs and quality, by requiring colleges and universities to offer a "shopping sheet" that makes it easier to compare financial aid packages and — for the first time — compiling post-graduate earning and employment information to give students a better sense of what awaits them.
Natural-born-citizen clause of the U.S. Constitution He reiterated his statement in 1866:
Every human being born within the jurisdiction of the United States of parents not owing allegiance to any foreign sovereignty is, in the language of your Constitution itself, a natural-born citizen; but, sir, I may be allowed to say further that I deny that the Congress of the United States ever had the power, or color of power to say that any man born within the jurisdiction of the United States, not owing a foreign allegiance, is not and shall not be a citizen of the United States. Citizenship is his birthright and neither the Congress nor the States can justly or lawfully take it from him.[12]
OBAMA ELIGIBILITY COURT CASE.BLOW BY BLOW - Grendel Report. June 27th, 1962, is the date on those documents. Obama's father's status shown as a non citizen of the United States. Documents were gotten through the Freedom of Information Act.
Testimony regarding the definition of Natural Born Citizen is given citing Minor vs Happersett opinion from a Supreme Court written opinion from 1875. The attorney points out the difference between "citizen" and "Natural Born Citizen" using charts and copies of the Minor vs Happersett opinion.
It is also pointed out that the 14th Amendment does not alter the definition or supersede the meaning of Natural Born. It is pointed out that lower court rulings do not conflict with the Supreme Court opinion nor do they over rule the Supreme Court Minor vs Happersett opinion.
The point is, to be a natural born citizen, one must have 2 parents who, at the time of the birth in question, be citizens of the United States. As Obama's father was not a citizen, the argument is that Obama, constitutionally, is ineligible to serve as President.
The Future of Warfare - Global Guerrillas. It's an autonomous aircraft/drone that has a full weapons bay (4,500 lbs). Â Say that word again: Â autonomous. Â That's the breakthrough feature. Â This also means:
It can make its own "kill decision." Â Again and again and again. Â That decision is going to get better and better and cheaper and cheaper (Moore's law has made insect level intelligence available for pennies, rat intelligence is next).
It isn't vulnerabe to a pilot in Nevada directing it to land in Iran. Oops.
It will eventually (sooner than you think) be the "Queen," making decisions for thousands of smaller swarmed (semi-autonomous) drones it lays on a battle zone (aka "city"). Â Â
In sum: Â It allows an unprecedented automation of conventional violence. Â Â
Obama hosts George H.W. and Jeb Bush at White House - POLITICO.com. Unbeknownst to the press, President Obama met Friday evening with former president George H.W. Bush and his son, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, in the Oval Office.
White House officials did not list the meeting on the president's schedule but released a photo on Flickr. According to the photo's time stamp, the meeting occurred shortly after 5 p.m., about the time the president returned to the White House from a fundraiser.
A New Book Examines 'The Real Romney' "They made [the Mexican colony] a very prosperous community," says Kranish. "I have been down to Mexico and visited the community today, and there are still many Romneys living there. The Romneys there are very proud of their heritage."
Aardige kluif aan eindrapport De Lazard-deskundigen kwamen tot de conclusie dat de Nederlandse delen van de Fortis-boedel 12,8 tot maximaal 20 miljard euro waard waren. Maar een dreigend en niet gedekt verlies bij een onderdeel van die boedel ter waarde van 2,3 miljard namen ze niet mee in die waardering.
Zowel Wouter Bos als de toenmalige DNB-president Nout Wellink suggereerden gisteren dat Lazard dat probleem wel had moeten verwerken in de waardering. Die had daardoor op een bandbreedte van pakweg 10 tot maximaal 18 miljard uit moeten komen. "Daar huur je dit soort deskundigen voor in", zei Bos.
Of die fout er ook toe geleid heeft dat Nederland daardoor teveel betaald heeft voor ABN Amro en de overige Nederlandse Fortis-delen is minder duidelijk. Volgens Bos was de waardering slechts het uitgangspunt voor moeizame onderhandelingen met de Belgische staat. Die zouden resulteren in een verkoopprijs van 16,8 miljard. Daarnaast nam Nederland ook nog eens een pakket van zo'n 50 miljard euro aan leningen over van de Belgen.
Bournemouth resident mystified by 'blue sphere shower'.
bbc.co.uk Newsnight - Paxman grills Salmond on independence. Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond is expected to announce planned legislation on the vote, which he wants to see held in autumn 2014, as part of a public consultation.
The SNP leader debated the issues surrounding Scotland's future with Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman.
Protests in Romania: Romania's winter of discontent. THEY have been called "worms", "violent and inept slum-dwellers", and "suckers". And yet hundreds of them, exasperated about austerity measures, political incompetence and lack of public consultation over laws, keep coming out on to the freezing winter streets of Bucharest and other Romanian cities to urge the president and government to resign.
"Now is the winter of our discontent—Suckerspeare" read one banner in Bucharest's University Square—the same spot where anti-Communist protesters were beaten and killed in the early 1990s in clashes with government-controlled miners. Now the demands are more diverse: no to shale-gas exploration and gold-mining with cyanide, yes to the return of the long-defunct monarchy, higher pensions, lower taxes, more bicycle paths
Jamie Dimon Tells Charlie Gasparino: Anti-Banking Sentiment Is 'A Form Of Discrimination' (video).
dailybail.com Forget Greece; it's Portugal that'll destroy euro. There was no fiddling of the figures. It didn't run massive deficits, indeed in the run up to the crisis of 2008, Portugal was running deficits of less than 3% of GDP, well within the euro-zone rules. It wasn't irresponsible. The problem was simply that it...
Friday, January 27, 2012
Cocaine sent to U.N. headquarters. The narcotics were uncovered on January 16 inside hollowed-out books that had been shipped from Mexico City in a bag made to look like a diplomatic pouch, according to New York police spokesman Paul Browne.
ICANN responds to smut portal antitrust lawsuit * The Register. ICANN and .xxx manager ICM Registry want a California judge to throw out an antitrust lawsuit, saying plaintiff Manwin Licensing is just miffed that it missed out on the juiciest domain names.
Manwin, which runs major online porn networks including YouPorn and Brazzers, sued ICANN and ICM in November claiming that they had illegally colluded to create the "monopolistic and anti-competitive" .xxx top-level domain.
But in its recently filed motion to dismiss, ICM claims that it's a nuisance lawsuit, and wants it kicked out of court under California's so-called anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) statutes, which are designed to protect free speech.
In its exhibits, ICM also provides evidence that Manwin offered to invest in it in 2010 and later made demands for thousands of free premium .xxx domain names under the threat of litigation.
Syria: Watch the weather forecast. What makes Syria peculiar is that the so-called unpatriotic opposition here has no center, no leaders, no agenda and no specific premises. Nor do they have the numbers to create disturbances in multiple locations at a time. Most often there is unrest in a specific neighborhood, while other areas are calm.
The people behind the explosions are the same people who shoot at passing vehicles, plant IEDs targeting oil pipelines and attack random targets with grenade launchers. There have been six terrorist attacks targeting railway tracks. A female student dormitory in Homs was recently assaulted with grenade launchers. Many of its inhabitants are girls coming from rural communities and low-income families, because rich families rent apartments for their girls.
Inside Kim Dotcom's life of bizzare luxury. Court documents released this week show United States authorities accessed emails the seven Megaupload defendants sent in 2009 and Skype conversations dating back to 2007, before Kim Dotcom came to New Zealand two years later.
College Presidents Have Problems With Obama's Message On Tuition : The Two-Way : NPR.
npr.org Who is Accountable when Drones Kill? - IEEE Spectrum. "I do not condemn these strikes; I support most of them. What troubles me, though, is how a new technology is short-circuiting the decision-making process for what used to be the most important choice a democracy could make. Something that would have previously been viewed as a war is simply not being treated like a war."
U.S. Department of State. an. 27, 2012: Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland conducted the fourth Twitter briefing during 21st Century Statecraft Month.
Statement from the President on the Departure of Aneesh Chopra. WASHINGTON, DC — The White House today announced the departure of Aneesh Chopra, Assistant to the President and the federal government's first Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
Â
President Obama said, "As the federal government's first Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra did groundbreaking work to bring our government into the 21st century. Aneesh found countless ways to engage the American people using technology, from electronic health records for veterans, to expanding access to broadband for rural communities, to modernizing government records. His legacy of leadership and innovation will benefit Americans for years to come, and I thank him for his outstanding service."
Hillary Clinton dodging political 'high wire'. "I have made it clear that I will certainly stay on until the president nominates someone and that transition can occur" if Obama wins re-election, she told a town hall meeting. "But I think after 20 years, and it will be 20 years, of being on the high wire of American politics and all of the challenges that come with that, it would be probably a good idea to just find out how tired I am."
But, she appeared to leave the door open for a possible eventual return, adding to laughter from the crowd that "everyone always says that when they leave these jobs."
Franse EU-rapporteur noemt ACTA 'poppenkast' en treedt af. De Franse politicus Kader Arif heeft zijn taak als ACTA-rapporteur in de commissie voor internationale handel neergelegd. De Europarlementariër heeft principiële bezwaren tegen het anti-piraterij verdrag, dat de komende maanden door het Europees Parlement beoordeeld moet worden. De Europese Commissie heeft vandaag in Tokio een handtekening op het document gezet. 22 van de 27 landen ondertekenden. Nederland zou ook tekenen, maar door een probleem met de volmacht voor de ambassadeur kon dat niet doorgaan. Verwacht wordt dat de handtekening alsnog volgt. De Europese Commissie is dus al akkoord, nu moeten de parlementen van de 27 lidstaten en het Europees Parlement nog instemmen. Vier commissies in Brussel zullen zich de komende maanden over het rapport buigen, alvorens het Europees Parlement plenair zal stemmen. De commissie internationale handel is de belangrijkste van de vier. De onvrede van Arif zit hem vooral in de totstandkoming van het document. "Er is geen rekening gehouden met het maatschappelijk belang, er was een gebrek aan transparantie vanaf het begin van de onderhandelingen. Keer op keer werd de ondertekening uitgesteld, zonder enige vorm van uitleg. Op verzoeken van het Europees Parlement werd niet in gegaan, ondanks dat ze in verschillende resoluties werden weergegeven." Verder krijgt de sociaal-democraat een vieze smaak in zijn mond van de druk die hij als rapporteur ervaart om het rapport snel goed te keuren. "Ik zie ongekende manoeuvres vanuit de rechterkant van het Parlement om de overeenkomst snel goed te keuren, voor het publiek gewaarschuwd is. Daarmee wordt in feite het Europees Parlement beroofd van zijn recht op vrije meningsuiting en van de instrumenten waarover zij beschikt om aan de legitieme eisen van de burger te voldoen." De Europese Commissie stelt dat de zorgen om ACTA onterecht zijn, omdat het verdrag niets verandert aan de geldende wetten in de Europese landen. Arif ziet dat anders. Hij denkt dat ACTA wel degelijk de burgerlijke vrijheden aantast en verantwoordelijkheden oplegt aan internet providers. "Deze overeenkomst kan grote gevolgen hebben op het leven van onze burgers, en toch is er alles aan gedaan om te voorkomen dat het Europees Parlement er iets over te zeggen heeft. Vandaag, bij de indiening van mijn rapport, wil ik een sterk signaal afgeven en het publiek waarschuwen over deze onaanvaardbare situatie. Ik zal niet deelnemen aan deze poppenkast."
Meer dan 5 miljoen Spanjaarden zitten werkloos thuis - Economie - VK.
volkskrant.nl Costa to offer 11,000 euros to passengers on Concordia. ROME (Reuters) - Several of Italy's consumer groups signed an agreement with Costa Cruises to offer about 11,000 euros ($14,500) to each of the more than 3,000 passengers aboard the Costa Concordia when it hit a rock and capsized near the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, a statement from the consumer groups said.
Cocaine seized at UN headquarters in New York.
bbc.co.uk "Gingrich & Romney Did Pretty Badly! The Winners Were Santorum & Paul!" January 26, 2012 CNN MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 301 49 ratings Time: 04:30 More in News & Politics
youtube.com
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Julian Assange Get His Own TV Show! Julian Assange Get His Own TV Show! January 25, 2012 Russia Today News MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 102 7 ratings Time: 04:23 More in News & Politics
8 Things To Know About the Navy SEAL Raid in Somalia. Special operations have been on the rise under President Obama: Despite what the Republicans presidential candidates tell you, special operations forces have seen quite the spike in personnel and budget in the years since Obama took office; the raid in Somalia is just the most recent well-publicized example.
PolitiFact lays out the build-up in US special ops:
The numbers of personnel authorized for [the United States Special Operations Command] have increased from 55,890 in fiscal year 2009 to 63,779 for fiscal year 2012, according to the Pentagon. Meanwhile, the budget has increased from $8.9 billion to $10.5 billion over the same period.
England Expects: A different view of the Croatian referendum. Contrary to official claims, the Croatian people did not overwhelmingly support Croatia's membership of the European Union.
In fact, most Croats abstained from the EU referendum resulting in a record low participation level of only 43%, which means that even if all those who turned out, voted in favour of EU membership, they would still constitute a minority not only of voters, but of the Croatian people.
At the first-ever referendum held in Croatia in 1991, the turnout was 83.5%, of which 94% voted in favour of independence.
Fully aware that the Croatian People do not want to give up their hard earned independence, the ruling elites changed the Croatian Constitution prior to the EU referendum to eliminate the rule which invalidated any referendum unless 50 percent participation was achieved.
Prior to the EU referendum, the Croatian people were subjected to a massive North Korea-style pro--EU propaganda campaign, which relentlessly extolled the benefits and virtues of
membership, and denigrated any attempts to say otherwise.
Â
The Government spent huge amounts of public funds to pay for a massive YES campaign, whilst denying any funding to the NO case. In addition, the European Commision ran its own very expensive YES campaign. State enterprises and corporations were also enlisted. State Television aired pro-EU adverts for free or at discounted rates, Croatia Post home delivered more than 2 million government leaflets for free, and the City of Zagreb provided free EU advertising on its trams.
Soros Mouthpiece Calls On Google To Police "Conspiracy Theories" Former fellow of George Soros' Open Society and current Stanford University scholar Evgeny Morozov has called on Google and other search engines to become thought crime enforcers, by providing warnings about websites that contain "conspiracy theories" such as the belief, held by a majority of Americans, that global warming is not primarily man-made.
Morozov, whose biography confirms him as a well-connected insider, decries in a Slate piece how the Internet is a useful tool for "People who deny global warming" as well as "the anti-vaccination movement," calling on Google to provide a "socially responsible curated treatment" that would marginalize such beliefs by amending search results.
His solution is to, "Nudge search engines to take more responsibility for their index and exercise a heavier curatorial control in presenting search results for issues like "global warming" or "vaccination." Google already has a list of search queries that send most traffic to sites that trade in pseudoscience and conspiracy theories; why not treat them differently than normal queries? Thus, whenever users are presented with search results that are likely to send them to sites run by pseudoscientists or conspiracy theorists, Google may simply display a huge red banner asking users to exercise caution and check a previously generated list of authoritative resources before making up their minds."
Secret military maneuvers OK'd by LR mayor. Kathy Wells sent a note to Mayor Mark Stodola about unusual helicopter flights over downtown Saturday Friday night.
His response:
Kathy—-the military exercise last night was a training exercise for the same military unit that captured and killed Osama Bin Laden. These type of missions are critical which is why we agreed to participate at the military's request. The owner of the old VA hospital also agreed.
Navy Seal operations over the old VA hospital on Roosevelt Road? I don't know if this included activities beyond hovering, such as dropping down by ropes to objectives on the ground. Anybody who spotted this is invited to report.
CRIMINALLY CORRUPT - Eric Holder, Top DOJ Lawyers Were Partners With Big Banks - BlackListedNews.com. Reuters reported in December that under Holder and Breuer, the Justice Department hasn't brought any criminal cases against big banks or other companies involved in mortgage servicing, even though copious evidence has surfaced of apparent criminal violations in foreclosure cases.
The evidence, including records from federal and state courts and local clerks' offices around the country, shows widespread forgery, perjury, obstruction of justice, and illegal foreclosures on the homes of thousands of active-duty military personnel.
Exchange of the Day. Pelosi: "He's not going to be President of the United States. That's not going to happen. Let me just make my prediction and stand by it, it isn't going to happen."
King: "Why are you so sure?"
Pelosi: "There is something I know. The Republicans, if they choose to nominate him that's their prerogative. I don't even think that's going to happen."
DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security. Three weeks after Tehran threatened action against any US aircraft carrier entering the Strait of Hormuz, Washington made two moves: US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta disclosed Sunday, Jan. 22, that the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group would steam through the strategic strait in March; a few hours later, the US Navy sent the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier through the strategic strait without incident, accompanied by British and French warships.
LA Military Exercises. Joint military training exercises will be held evenings in downtown Los Angeles through Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The LAPD will be providing support for the exercises, which will also be held in other portions of the greater Los Angeles area, police said.
Training sites ``have been carefully selected to ensure the event does not negatively impact the citizens of Los Angeles and their daily routine,'' a department official said.
The training, which a department official said would involve helicopters, has been coordinated with local authorities and owners of the training sites, police said.
Police said safety precautions have been taken to prevent risk to the general public and military personnel involved.
The exercises are closed to the public, police said.
The exercises are designed to ensure the military's ability to operate in urban environments, prepare forces for upcoming overseas deployments, and meet mandatory training certification requirements, police said.
Hicks: Julian Assange to get TV show - San Jose Mercury News. Controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is getting into the television game.
Assange, who has made headlines with his disclosure of government secrets along with allegations of sexual misconduct, will host a TV series comprising "in-depth conversations with key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries from around the world," WikiLeaks said late Monday.
The title of the series has not been announced yet, but the theme will be "the world tomorrow."
Hey, you know what's funny? When a bar puts up a sign saying "Free beer tomorrow."
Sorry. Anyway, the series, scheduled to premiere in mid-March, "will draw together controversial voices from across the political spectrum -- iconoclasts, visionaries and power insiders -- each to offer a window on the world tomorrow and their ideas on how to secure a brighter future," WikiLeaks said.
Kaiser Permanente Study Finds Gardasil Does Not Trigger Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis or Type 1 Diabetes After Vaccination - MarketWatch. Kaiser Permanente researchers used electronic health records to conduct an observational safety study of 189,629 females aged 9 to 26 years old in California who were followed for six months after receiving each dose of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine in 2006-2008. Researchers found no increase in 16 pre-specified autoimmune conditions in the vaccinated population compared to a matched group of unvaccinated girls and women.
The study looked for autoimmune conditions such as immune thrombocytopenia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto's disease, Graves' disease, multiple sclerosis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, other demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, vaccine-associated demyelination, Guillain-Barre syndrome, neuromyelitis optica, optic neuritis and uveitis.
Ben Heck invents controller-mounted Hot Pocket holder - Joystiq. You want to play Xbox games, but you also want to eat a piping hot microwaved meat turnover. What do you do? If you're us, you have to clean your controller. If you're renowned modder Ben Heckendorn, you go into your workshop and build a Hot Pocket pocket that clips to your Xbox controller.
Heck's device is literally the most impressive Hot Pocket technology we've ever seen, allowing the hungry gamer to slowly slide the sandwich out of the holder as it is eaten. It is also the only Hot Pocket technology we've ever seen.
The Power At Play Within Michelle Obama's Box... — theulstermanreport.com — Readability. There has been a long -- standing tradition in Washington D.C. that the president's  White House director of legislative affairs has a seat in the First Lady's box during the State of the Union. Last night's speech by President Barack Obama appears to have broken this tradition -- and the replacement is none other than the power-behind-the-throne --  Valerie Jarrett.
Photography For Real Estate » Warning: FAA Says US Airspace Is Closed To ALL Commercial. you will need a normal FAA Pilot License, yea... to fly a regular plane with an RC Helicopter endorsement on your license.
If you have a FAA Pilot License now, you get endorsements is normal, to fly a bigger aircraft, multi-engine aircraft, helicopter etc, so it is just an added certification that goes on your license.
FAA new rules, 2013? 2014? who knows. I do know of one other major aerial company out of business too, these guys in New York.
One more item. In discussions with staffers about FAA regulations they indicated that a first time offense minimum fine is $10,000, up to $100,000, plus carries a possible 3 to 10 years in the pen. Not a light thing to consider, even if you get probation for the time !
AttoPilot International -- User friendly, cost effective and highly accurate UAV Autopilots. #DCDSystems
attopilotinternational.com New pill with ingestible microchip monitors you from the inside. Helius, and they come with 'ingestible event markers.' These can be taken with pills or incorporated directly into medicines by the manufacturers. The sensors are embedded in a placebo to be taken alongside the actual meds.
The sensors are activated by stomach acid, and as Nature News explains, they're powered much like potato batteries (where 2 different metals generate a current when inserted into the tuber).
Each sensor -- about the size of a grain of sand -- contains a tiny amount of copper and magnesium. When you swallow one of these devices, you become the potato that creates a voltage. That then is used to power the device, which creates a signal.
The digital signal can't be detected except by an adhesive patch attached to your skin, like a bandage.
It monitors things like heart rate, respiration, temperature, body posture, and even sleeping patterns -- to show how you're responding to the medication.
These data are then relayed to your cellphone to be shared with whomever you like. Your doctor might decide to change dosages or medication based on that info.
Is The NYPD Experimenting With Drones Over The City? Evidence Points To Yes « CBS New York. A website named Gay City News posted an e-mail it says it acquired through the Freedom of Information Act. It's purportedly from a detective in the NYPD counterterrorism division, asking the Federal Aviation Administration about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles as a law enforcement tool.
And the following is part of a recent interview with Commission Ray Kelly that raised more questions than it answered.
"In an extreme situation, you would have some means to take down a plane," Kelly told "60 Minutes."
Somalia: Western hostages freed in US military raid. Two foreign aid workers kidnapped in Somalia three months ago have been freed in a rare US military raid.
US officials have confirmed that elite US Navy Seals were dropped into Somalia to carry out the overnight operation which resulted in a shoot-out.
Jessica Buchanan Jessica Eugenia Buchanan (formerly Santi, Vega, Brennan, Ford, and Wentworth) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She is the daughter of original heroine Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan. The character is the fraternal twin sister of Natalie Buchanan.
Statement by the President on Successful Hostage Rescue. On Monday, I authorized an operation to rescue Jessica Buchanan, an American citizen who was kidnapped and held against her will for three months in Somalia. Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home. As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts.
Jessica Buchanan was selflessly serving her fellow human beings when she was taken hostage by criminals and pirates who showed no regard for her health and well-being. Last night I spoke with Jessica Buchanan's father and told him that all Americans have Jessica in our thoughts and prayers, and give thanks that she will soon be reunited with her family. The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice. This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people.
Are George Soros, The IMF And The World Bank Purposely Trying To Scare The Living Daylights Out Of Us? - BlackListedNews.com. "I am not here to cheer you up. The situation is about as serious and difficult as I've experienced in my career," Soros tells Newsweek. "We are facing an extremely difficult time, comparable in many ways to the 1930s, the Great Depression. We are facing now a general retrenchment in the developed world, which threatens to put us in a decade of more stagnation, or worse. The best-case scenario is a deflationary environment. The worst-case scenario is a collapse of the financial system."
Later on in that same article, Soros is quoted as saying that we could soon see the U.S. government using "strong-arm tactics" to crack down on rioting in the streets of major U.S. cities....
As anger rises, riots on the streets of American cities are inevitable. "Yes, yes, yes," he says, almost gleefully. The response to the unrest could be more damaging than the violence itself. "It will be an excuse for cracking down and using strong-arm tactics to maintain law and order, which, carried to an extreme, could bring about a repressive political system, a society where individual liberty is much more constrained, which would be a break with the tradition of the United States."
Comcast Releases Detailed Analysis of NASA.gov DNSSEC Validation Failure. Did you see all the tweets and mentions on the web last week about Comcast apparently blocking NASA's website on their network? While it made for great headlines, the truth was that there was an error with the DNSSEC signing of the NASA.gov domain and now that Comcast has deployed DNSSEC-validating DNS servers those DNS servers were correctly responding with a failure and blocking access to the site.
Chicago's ShoreBank fails, is bought by investors - Chicago Tribune. Major investors in Urban Partnership include American Express Co., Bank of America Corp., Citigroup, Ford Foundation, GE Capital's equity investments arm, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Key Community Development Corp., Morgan Stanley, Northern Trust Corp., PNC Investment Corp., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and Wells Fargo & Co. Former First Chicago executives who joined ShoreBank in recent months will run the bank.
Urban Partnership Bank In July 2011, Urban Partnership Bank was certified as a Community Development Financial Institution. As such, other institutions can receive Community Reinvestment Act credit for depositing their funds in the bank. It is also eligible to apply for programs through the CDFI Fund that support its mission to revitalize its urban neighborhoods.
Shorebank In 1973 the South Shore Bank attempted to relocate from 71st Street and Jeffery Boulevard in the economically declining South Shore to the Loop. At the time, one third of all apartment buildings in South Shore were tax-delinquent and in danger of abandonment by landlords. Angered by the bank's racist lending practices, community banker-activists Milton Davis, James Fletcher, Mary Houghton, and Ron Grzywinski purchased the bank after successfully petitioning the federal Comptroller of the Currency to stop the move.[14] Urban planner Stanley Hallett was a founding board member and was vice president of the bank's holding company its first five years.
In 2000 the South Shore Bank was officially renamed ShoreBank.
Barack Obama Steals From Barack Obama Who Stole From Barack Obama... (Video) - The Ulsterman Report.
theulstermanreport.com Massive Solar Storms Force Airlines To Reroute Planes
youtube.com Roswell Park Makes Major Announcement on Cancer Vaccine.
wgrz.com NPR.org » Transcript: Obama's State Of The Union Address.
m.npr.org Education loans interest rates to double July 1st
finaid.org
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Texas Cancels Its Drone Program For Maintenance Issues. Texas hasn't flown its drones since a final training flight in August 2010. The drones were constantly having maintenance issues because they weren't designed to land in a rocky environment like Texas and didn't fly well in high winds. The supplier, AeroVironment (AV), took a long time to fix the drones so they were often out of service. There also may have been some issues with the frequency used to operate and control the device. Ultimately, according to Mr. Nabors, the drones did not offer Texas significant advantages over the agency's existing airplanes and helicopters so the agency cancelled its 2010 order for two additional drones. Mr. Nabors said he was not sure patrolling the border was a good use of the small drones or even whether they should be used in the National Airspace. He does believe the FAA should strictly control the use of unmanned aerial systems within the National Airspace. According to Mr. Nabors, he doesn't see going back to using unmanned systems. Texas' experience should be taken seriously by other law enforcement looking into spending tax dollars to purchase these devices.
Wide Area Aerial Surveillance System (WAASS) - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities.
fbo.gov Greek default is essentially a given: S&P - Jan. 24, 2012.
money.cnn.com Behind the Scenes: Writing the 2012 State of the Union Address.
whitehouse.gov "If You Don't Listen To Ron Paul...The Federal Reserve Is Gonna Destroy Our Monetary
youtube.com GM's business in Iraq is booming. Long before the first U.S. soldier laid a boot on Iraq soil in the first Gulf War, General Motors planned to build a manufacturing facility in the country. According to The Detroit News, the years since haven't been entirely kind to the automaker's sales efforts in Iraq. That's no shock given America's reputation in the Middle East nation, but its prospects are beginning to look up. Whereas GM once trailed even Renault in sales, the company managed to move 35,000 vehicles last year. Not bad considering the entire new vehicle market in Iraq totaled just 115,000 in 2011.
GM's sales largely consisted of SUVs and pickup trucks (like the locally available version of the Colorado seen above), though The Detroit News notes that some Chevrolet and Cadillac sedans have sold as well, too. That's particularly impressive given that Iraqi drivers aren't required to have insurance and kidnappers in the country have been known to favor those who drive high-dollar luxury vehicles.
Vivek Ranadive Profile - Vivek Ranadive TopCom Software - Esquire. It is a private communications platform for the two hundred most powerful people in the world.
TopCom is being officially launched in late January at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It is basically a customized, ridiculously secure version of tibbr, a platform developed by Tibco as a kind of combination Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, texting, and Skype. It is a private social network, essentially — in this case, for world leaders.
With tibbr, in addition to following people, you choose and follow subjects — issues, crises, topics of discussion, upcoming events. You don't have to remember which people you're supposed to include on an e-mail about a subject, because they're all following it. You just post your message and the right people see it. You can talk one-to-one or to everyone who's following the subject. When you use tibbr, you get the feeling it's one of those innovations that five years from now we're all going to think we've used forever.
Weasel Zippers » Blog Archive » Former John Kerry Staffer Arrested For Disclosing Identities of CIA Operatives Who Interrogated Top Al-Qaeda Leaders To The Media.... A former CIA officer was charged Monday with disclosing the identity of a covert CIA officer and with telling journalists the name an agency officer involved with the interrogation of alleged Al Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah.
The Justice Department charged that John Kiriakou, 47, who worked as a CIA officer from 1990 to 2004, revealed the information to journalists and that one reporter passed some of the secrets onto attorneys representing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Kiriakou's case is the sixth leak-related criminal prosecution brought since President Barack Obama took office, a figure that exceeds the number of such cases in all previous administrations combined.
John Kerry Breaks Nose Playing Hockey « CBS Boston. Senator John Kerry surprised a few people at the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup ceremony at the White House Monday afternoon.
The 68-year-old senator had two black eyes and a swollen nose.
His spokeswoman Whitney Smith told WBZ-TV Kerry broke his nose playing ice hockey recently.
COICA Fact Sheet. It's S. 3804, the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA), introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). It's currently being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
GPS spying: Supreme Court says police need a warrant. Justices Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan added that, while in agreement, the practice would also violate a person's "reasonable expectation of privacy."
In the case of Jones, authorities in favor of GPS-tracking had insisted that installing a small, physically non-invasive device while an automobile is parked in public property did not necessitate a warrant, citing that the installation would be conducted in public space and would only track a vehicle on public roads.
Justice Scalia remarked his opposition for some time, saying last year that "When that device is installed against the will of the owner of the car, that is unquestionably a trespass ... an unreasonable search and seizure."
"If you win this case then there is nothing to prevent the police or the government from monitoring 24 hours a day the public movement of every citizen of the United States. ... So if you win, you suddenly produce what sounds like '1984′," Justice Breyer added.
Currency Wars -- Iran Banned From Trading Gold and Silver - BlackListedNews.com. The Iranian geopolitical tension is supporting gold as Britain, America and France have delivered a clear message to Iran, sending six warships led by a 100,000 ton aircraft carrier through the highly sensitive Strait of Hormuz.
Reuters report that the EU has agreed to freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank and ban all trade in gold and other precious metals with the Iranian Central Bank and other public bodies in Iran.
Bill Maher Comes Out In Support Of SOPA/PIPA Despite Knowing Nothing About The Bills.
techdirt.com DHS Pumping Money into Drones for Domestic Surveillance, Hunting Immigrants and Seizing Pot. DHS is building its drone fleet at a rapid pace despite its continuing inability to demonstrate their purported cost-effectiveness. The unarmed Predator and Guardians (the maritime variant) cost about $20 million each. Yet DHS has little to show for its UAV spending spree other than stacks of seized marijuana and several thousand immigrants who crossed the border without visas
Dallas Meat Packing plant investigated after drone images reveal pollution. A Dallas sUAS enthusiast testing his camera equiped drone noticed something awry with the images he had taken. Speaking to sUAS News he said.
I was looking at images after the flight that showed a blood red creek and was thinking, could this really be what I think it is? Can you really do that, surely not?Â
Readout of the President's Call to Susan and Jay Paterno.
whitehouse.gov Buffett's Burlington Northern Among Winners From Keystone Denial.
bloomberg.com
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Death of a Political Operative -- The Troubling Timeline... - The Ulsterman Report.
theulstermanreport.com Romney Admits 'Mistake,' Will Release Tax Return. Click here to view this media After being soundly beaten by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is pledging to release tax returns for at least one year. On Sunday, Romney admitted to Fox...
Subculture of Americans prepares for civilization's collapse. "In an instant, anything can happen," she told Reuters. "And I firmly believe that you have to be prepared."
Tegeler is among a growing subculture of Americans who refer to themselves informally as "preppers." Some are driven by a fear of imminent societal collapse, others are worried about terrorism, and many have a vague concern that an escalating series of natural disasters is leading to some type of environmental cataclysm.
They are following in the footsteps of hippies in the 1960s who set up communes to separate themselves from what they saw as a materialistic society, and the survivalists in the 1990s who were hoping to escape the dictates of what they perceived as an increasingly secular and oppressive government.
Raw Milk Link to Brucellosis in Massachusetts? A man who drank raw milk from the dairy in late December has received a preliminary  diagnosis of brucellosis. Test results are pendng.
Brucellosis is a highly contagious disease caused by ingestion of unpasteurized milk or meat from animals infected with Brucella. Massachusetts public health authorities say they haven't seen Brucella in livestock there in decades.
Twin Rivers Farm in Ashley Falls is being investigated as the possible source of infection, and the dairy's raw milk sales have been suspended. The dairy sells raw milk only at the farm, not in retail stores.
Will the Real Captain Schettino Please Stand Up?
newslook.com Is the US Military Hiding Data on Dead Russian Mars Probe? Breaking with standard practice, the military removed links from the Space Track website, which is operated by U.S. Strategic Command, to information on the defunct Russian Phobos-Grunt spacecraft's predicted re-entry, and did not publish any confirmation of the probe's fall, reported Aviation Week.
On Jan. 12, the Space Track website originally published information on the estimated re-entry track for Phobos-Grunt, a Russian probe that malfunctioned shortly after its November 2011 launch and was stuck in low-Earth orbit for more than two months.
After routine updates and revised estimates over the course of the next two days, the military removed links to these re-entry predictions and did not publish final confirmation data on the spacecraft's fall on Jan. 15, according to Aviation Week.
The Case For Regime Change in Iran. Matthew Kroenig thus deserves credit for advancing the argument that the repercussions of a military attack on Iran's nuclear program are a worthwhile risk, given the far more dangerous consequences of Iran getting the bomb ("Time to Attack Iran," January/February 2012). There are, however, problems with Kroenig's strategy for avoiding the nightmare scenario. Namely, a limited military strike would only be a temporary fix, and it could actually do the opposite of what it intends -- drive the program further underground and allow Iran to retain the ability to threaten the United States and its allies.
If the United States seriously considers military action, it would be better to plan an operation that not only strikes the nuclear program but aims to destabilize the regime, potentially resolving the Iranian nuclear crisis once and for all.
Greek debt talks hit snag. The 130bn euro ($168bn; £108bn) rescue package from the EU and IMF is crucial if Greece is to meet its next debt repayment deadline in two months.
The Institute of International Finance (IIF), which represents the private creditors, denied that its managing director Charles Dallara and his adviser Jean Lemierre had left unexpectedly on Saturday, saying that they had "longstanding personal appointments".
A deal now seems unlikely before eurozone finance ministers meet on Monday.
The SECRET FACEBOOK OF POWER used by global premiers at G20 * The Register. Despite keeping the network codenamed "V20" under wraps at the time, Opentext execs are now keen to discuss the world's most elite social network, not least because the aura of power and secrecy around the summit gives their cloud-based document-sharing software a little more sex appeal than the average cloud-based document sharing software package enjoys.
At the Toronto based G20 summit in 2010, the men and women holding the purse strings of the world were forced to get on the Facebook-style network to access documents and communicate with each other, because email was strictly banned. Only 125 members were accepted - the finance and deputy finance ministers of the twenty countries along with a "sherpa" or guide for each member state. 55 of them decided to upload profile pictures too, giving the financial negotiations a more personal touch. It's highly likely that the remaining 60-odd invites were parcelled out to the global premiers, which means that it is likely, though not certain Barack Obama was/is on there.
UK Undercover Police Had Children With Activists They Were Spying On. Two undercover police officers secretly fathered children with political campaigners they had been sent to spy on and later disappeared completely from the lives of their offspring, the Guardian can reveal.
In both cases, the children have grown up not knowing that their biological fathers -- whom they have not seen in decades -- were police officers who had adopted fake identities to infiltrate activist groups. Both men have concealed their true identities from the children's mothers for many years.
One of the spies was Bob Lambert, who has already admitted that he tricked a second woman into having a long-term relationship with him, as part of an intricate attempt to bolster his credibility as a committed campaigner.
The second police spy followed the progress of his child and the child's mother by reading confidential police reports which tracked the mother's political activities and life.
The disclosures are likely to intensify the controversy over the long-running police operation to infiltrate and sabotage protest groups.
Ron Paul Explains Why It's OK That iPhones Are built In China
youtube.com Romanians stone police as anti-government anger grows. Romania is in the grip of its worst protests in over a decade. For the second week running, amid outbreaks of violence, demonstrators have taken a stand against a government they say has brought in low wages, cuts and rising corruption.
At least 7,000 people took to the streets of Bucharest on Thursday to demand the resignation of the country's government and its president, Traian Basescu.
The protests that have been raging since last Sunday have already left at least 60 people injured. On Thursday alone, about 100 people were questioned by the police on suspicion of throwing stones and using iron fences to attack police lines.
Obama To Ignore Judge's Ruling To Appear In Court Over Eligibility Hearing — theulstermanreport.com — Readability. This past week saw Georgia Deputy Chief Judge Michael Malihi rule that President Barack Obama is to appear in court this Thursday regarding a hearing that refutes Obama's eligibility to run for president. It appears the Judge's order will be completely ignored by the administration.
What, if any repercussions will face the president are unknown. Presently, it appears his administration has little fear of reprisal as the mainstream media continues to ignore the case. The White House has indicated the president will be campaigning in Las Vegas and Denver next Thursday.  It will be interesting to see what Judge Malihi does following Barack Obama's violation of a legally issued subpoena.
Newt Gingrich "The American Elite Media Is Trying To Force Us To Quit Being Americans"
youtube.com Turn your camera phone into a Geiger counter - Hack a Day.
hackaday.com aangirfan: NEWT GINGRICH. During the 1983 congressional page sex scandal, Gingrich was among those calling for the expulsion of representatives Dan Crane and Gerry Studds.
Irish journalist humiliates EuroBank technocrat who won't stop ducking hard questions.
boingboing.net
Thursday, January 19, 2012
the entire universe is a holographic illusion
kipnews.org Russia Discussing Moon Base With NASA, Space Chief Says. Russia is talking with the US and Europe on plans to create a manned research base on the moon, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos said Thursday.
Roscosmos is discussing the possibilities for a permanent moon base with officials from NASA and the European Space Agency, the agency's chief, Vladimir Popovkin said.
"We don't want man to just step on the moon," Popovkin told Vesti FM radio station, according to the Ria Novosti news agency. "Today, we know enough about it, we know that there is water in its polar areas ... we are now discussing how to begin [the moon's] exploration with NASA and the European Space Agency."
He said the plan was either to set up a base on the moon or launch a station to orbit around it.
Russia also is planning to send two unmanned mission to the moon by 2020, Popovkin said.
The comments come after a string of high profile space failures by the Russians. On Sunday, the doomed Mars probe Phobos-Grunt plummeted to earth following a malfunction.
It was the latest mishap for Roscosmos and came after Russian president Dmitry Medvedev threatened to punish those responsible for previous space failures, which included the loss of satellites and botched launches.
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LightSquare says tests rigged LightSquared is now claiming that interference tests on GPS devices in the presence of its broadband signal were "rigged" and it's asking the FCC to redo the tests. In a news release Wednesday, LightSquared officials claimed those running the tests "cherry picked" the most vulnerable devices for testing and then applied unrealistic standards. A panel of representatives from nine government agencies said on Friday that LightSquared's proposed broadband service would cause "significant interference with GPS" and "there appear to be no practical solutions or mitigations" that would allow the two systems to co-exist. The National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Executive Committee (PNT) told the Commerce Department that no further testing of the system is needed. LightSquared was quick to protest, and filed a conflict-of-interest complaint against the "deeply flawed" process, claiming that PNT is biased in favor of GPS manufacturers.
Dancer on bridge with Capt. when it hit rocks: report. A 25-year-old Moldovan dancer has told a TV station she was on the bridge of the Costa Concordia with the captain when it struck rocks near a Tuscan island and sank last week, killing at least 11 people.
Dominica Cemortan, who was not on the passenger list, has said in Moldovan media interviews and on her Facebook page that she was with Capt. Francesco Schettino when the accident was unfolding.
"He did a great thing, he saved over 3,000 lives," she told Moldova's Jurnal TV.
The Italian newspaper II Secolo XIX published photographs of her on the bridge of the ship with the captain.
She was apparently there to translate evacuation orders for Russian passengers.
Cemortan had worked as a hostess for Costa but was not on duty when she boarded Jan. 13 in the Roman port of Civitavecchia.
Notice -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Terrorists who Threaten to Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process. On January 23, 1995, by Executive Order 12947, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by grave acts of violence committed by foreign terrorists who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process. On August 20, 1998, by Executive Order 13099, the President modified the Annex to Executive Order 12947 to identify four additional persons who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process. On February 16, 2005, by Executive Order 13372, the President clarified the steps taken in Executive Order 12947.
Because these terrorist activities continue to threaten the Middle East peace process and to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, the national emergency declared on January 23, 1995, and the measures adopted to deal with that emergency must continue in effect beyond January 23, 2012. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to foreign terrorists who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process.
This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.
BARACK OBAMA
Letter -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Terrorists who Threaten to Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process. Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared with respect to foreign terrorists who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process is to continue in effect beyond January 23, 2012.
The crisis with respect to grave acts of violence committed by foreign terrorists who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process that led to the declaration of a national emergency on January 23, 1995, has not been resolved. Terrorist groups continue to engage in activities that have the purpose or effect of threatening the Middle East peace process and that are hostile to United States interests in the region. Such actions constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with respect to foreign terrorists who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process and to maintain in force the economic sanctions against them to respond to this threat.
Tulsa Man Shoots Himself During Homeland Security Interview - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com.
newson6.com Paula Deen Hawks a Dubious Diabetes Drug. What pushed me over the edge was her debut this week as a spokesperson for pharma giant Novo Nordisk's diabetes treatment Victoza. As Anthony Bourdain tweeted in response to the announcement, "Thinking of getting into the leg-breaking business, so I can profitably sell crutches later." Here, Deen isn't making a private decision on how to treat an ailment; she's turning her ailment into a quite-public revenue stream. And she's broadcasting a clear message to her legion of fans: Eat all the junkie food you want, and don't worry, because the pharmaceutical industry will bail you out.
A debate over surveillance cameras is raging in Paris, where police are in the process of establishing a widespread system of "video protection". Is it a necessary security measure or a needless infringement of civil liberties?
mobile.france24.com
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
In Haiti, former dictator 'Baby Doc' Duvalier is thriving. Duvalier is back in Haiti, and it is very possible that he will never be tried for the crimes that his alleged victims and international human rights groups assert, forced disappearances, illegal detentions, intimidation, torture, and executions of journalists, activists,...
Australia joins race to defend space. AUSTRALIA has announced it is backing a European Union push for a new international code of conduct for behaviour in space, following a rise in space junk and the clandestine development of satellite-destroying weapons.
The Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, made the announcement yesterday, on the same day the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, declared humankind's involvement in space was at risk from ''irresponsible actors''.
Outgoing Governor Haley Barbour's pardons shock Mississippi - latimes.com. Four of those pardoned were convicted killers who had worked as prison-system trusty laborers at the antebellum governor's mansion in Jackson.
Two others were from well-known families: Earnest Scott Favre, who pleaded guilty to killing his friend in a 1996 drunk driving incident, is the brother of former NFL star and Mississippi native Brett Favre, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. Karen Irby, whom the Clarion-Ledger refers to as a "former Jackson socialite," was granted conditional clemency for two manslaughter charges stemming from an alcohol-related 2009 auto wreck.
Presidential Memorandum -- Implementing Provisions of the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 Relating to the Keystone XL Pipeline Permit. The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 requires a determination, within 60 days of enactment, of whether the Keystone XL pipeline project as set forth in the permit application filed on September 19, 2008 (including amendments) (the "Keystone XL pipeline project") would serve the national interest. The State Department had previously explained, on November 10, 2011, that it was seeking additional information concerning whether that project served the national interest, as necessary to grant the permit. Based on its experience and in order to consider relevant environmental issues and the consequences of the project on energy security, the economy, and foreign policy, the State Department indicated that its review could be complete as early as the first quarter of 2013.
I have determined, based upon your recommendation, including the State Department's view that 60 days is an insufficient period to obtain and assess the necessary information, that the Keystone XL pipeline project, as presented and analyzed at this time, would not serve the national interest.
Accordingly, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and in furtherance of Executive Order 13337 of April 30, 2004 to the extent compatible with this memorandum, I direct you to submit the report to the Congress as specified in section 501(b)(2) of the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 and to issue a denial of the Keystone XL pipeline permit application.
Ron Paul Moves To Repeal Indefinite Detention Of American Citizens Without Trial
youtube.com Rent the Acropolis for just $2000 a day. Yesterday, the Greek cultural ministry announced that it will begin renting some of its most well known, and iconic, archeological sites, starting with the Acropolis itself, for about $2000 per day.
Russia Allocates $160 Mln for Drone Development. Russian Helicopters has received 5 billion rubles ($160 mln) from the federal budget for the development of three types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). After charging that smaller domestic developers wasted public funds -- and pointedly purchasing Israeli drones for military trials -- the Defense Ministry has switched to a big holding with sufficient capacity to develop and produce indigenous UAVs.
Phobos-Grunt Falls into the Pacific; Russians Blame America. Most Western analysts believe the failure of Phobos-Grunt had to do with poor quality control during its processing. But the U.K. Telegraph reports a story that some Russians are blaming an American radar for causing the failure of the probe. The Russians are conducting a number of experiments to see whether this explanation is plausible.
GREEK DEBT WRANGLING: PAPADEMOS THREATENS TO LEGISLATE. In a slightly barking bit of brinkmanship late yesterday GMT, Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos told the Greek media that, if necessary, he would introduce special Greek legislation to force bondholders to the agreement his Athens Government needs. Quite how you can 'force' anyone to do a deal without storing up serious repercussions down the line is a bit beyond me, but it is beginning to look like some form of bargain will be struck in the next 36 hours.
Costa Concordia: Ship's previous close pass of Giglio. The Costa Concordia sailed closer to Giglio island last August than it did on Friday, according to satellite tracking information given to the BBC by the shipping journal, Lloyd's List Intelligence.
Lloyd's List told the BBC's Newsnight programme the vessel passed within 230m of the island on 14 August 2011 to mark La Notte di San Lorenzo - the night of the shooting stars festival on the island.
Amateur footage from the island shows the cruise ship as it passed the island last year.
Inside story of the UK's secret mission to beat Gaddafi. British efforts to help topple Colonel Gaddafi were not limited to air strikes. On the ground - and on the quiet - special forces soldiers were blending in with rebel fighters. This is the previously untold account of the crucial part they played.
Kissinger vows to China: According to this report, Kissinger told Keqiang that the Republican Party election process to select their nominee to run against President Obama was "completely manipulated" to ensure that their 2012 Convention would be "deadlocked" thus allowing for Jeb Bush to be nominated as a "consensus candidate" and thus his parties leader.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Miss America's Father Was Part of a $6.3 Million Ponzi Scheme. Kaeppeler was one of three men accused in 2002 of defrauding 117 investors of a whopping $6.3 million in what investigators called a classic Ponzi scheme. The ringleader was Kenneth Hackbarth, who set up a front called Homestead Investments and then used it to prey mostly on members of his own Kenosha church
Sean Penn's Diplomatic New Gig - In the News - Truthdig. He's certainly been rehearsing for this role for years (remember his post-Katrina floating photo op?), and now Sean Penn has an honest to goodness new post as the ambassador at large to Haiti, as of a special ceremony held in his honor last weekend.
International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. The long-term sustainability of our space environment is at serious risk from space debris and irresponsible actors. Ensuring the stability, safety, and security of our space systems is of vital interest to the United States and the global community. These systems allow the free flow of information across platforms that open up our global markets, enhance weather forecasting and environmental monitoring, and enable global navigation and transportation.
Unless the international community addresses these challenges, the environment around our planet will become increasingly hazardous to human spaceflight and satellite systems, which would create damaging consequences for all of us.
In response to these challenges, the United States has decided to join with the European Union and other nations to develop an International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. A Code of Conduct will help maintain the long-term sustainability, safety, stability, and security of space by establishing guidelines for the responsible use of space.
As we begin this work, the United States has made clear to our partners that we will not enter into a code of conduct that in any way constrains our national security-related activities in space or our ability to protect the United States and our allies. We are, however, committed to working together to reverse the troubling trends that are damaging our space environment and to preserve the limitless benefits and promise of space for future generations.
Lawyer in WikiLeaks Case Wants to Depose Clinton. A lawyer for an intelligence analyst charged with leaking classified information to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks wants to question Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before his client is tried.
UKIP Leader Nigel Farage first speech to new President Schultz Jan, 2012
youtube.com OT - Leroy 12.. Gardasil much!?? - None/Select/Delayed Vaccinations - BabyCenter. My cousin is one of the girls. Once I heard what was going on with her I asked my dad if he knew if she had received the gardasil shot recently. He knew nothing about the shot or what it can do. So he called my Uncle and guess what? She had just had the third dose when her symptoms were so bad she could no longer walk. So far all of her doctors and specialists have denied that there could be any relationship. Rediculous. and worse her parents, according to my dad, had no idea that gardasil could lead to any of those symptoms. Sooo glad I looked into vaxing when I did and stopped with my ODS and do not vax my other children. I can't believe this is news you all have heard of!
Cause of Epidemic in Le Roy is Hush-Hush. According to the article from Channel 2 News, Gardasil has been ruled out. Actually, the article states: " NYS Health Department spokesman Jeff Hammond also says vaccines such as Gardasil were investigated as a cause and ruled out."  Here we go again. Jeff Hammond works for the New York State Health Department. His salary is funded by the sale of vaccines. Think about it. What do health departments do?  They admnister vaccines. They do other things, too, but vaccines comprise a significant percentage of the medical procedures performed by those who work in and for health departments.  Officials who have a monetary interest in seeing that vaccines are widely used have no business investigating or deciding if cases like this are due to vaccine-injury. That's a conflict of interest that certainly has the potential to influence Mr. Hammond's determination. The fact that Mr. Hammond names Gardasil specifically makes me think this vaccine was at least suspected as a cause.
Conversion disorder - PubMed Health. Conversion disorder is a condition in which a person has blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system (neurologic) symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation.
U.K. police officer loses Olympic security documents A British tabloid reported Tuesday that it had been handed documents about security arrangements for the London Olympics that were left on a train by a police officer, the latest in a series of embarrassing mishaps involving British authorities misplacing government documents.
London police confirmed Tuesday that one of its officers lost a bag containing documents on Jan. 5 and reported it to his bosses, but downplayed the incident, adding that the papers were not "operationally sensitive."
Contant betalen wordt veel moeilijker - De Standaard. 'Dit is een stap in de goede richting, maar 5.000 euro of zelfs 3.000 euro is nog altijd veel te hoog', zegt Geert Noels. 'Er is toch geen reden voor iemand die in het officiële circuit zit, om grote bedragen in cash te betalen. Ik zie niet in waarom bedragen hoger dan 400 euro niet altijd elektronisch betaald zouden moeten worden.'
Volgens Noels is het cashgeld-circuit voor een groot stuk het spiegelbeeld van de 'zwarte' economie. En die coulante houding van ons land tegenover cash geld is volgens hem nog altijd de reden waarom België hoog scoort in de lijstjes van de Oeso over zwartwerk.
Island emerges from nowhere In the Red Sea, off the west coast of Yemen, is an island emerged after an undersea volcanic eruption. Reported that the U.S. space agency NASA.
Late last year marked the NASA Earth Observing-1 satellite that a mysterious cloud of smoke came from the sea. Barely one week later, on January 7, there was a complete volcanic island. It is not the first time that this phenomenon occurs. "Every few years creates a new island in this way", the experts know. It is remarkable that the new island has formed so quickly. The space agency now believes that the strip of land 530 to 710 meters high. Guess how long it will remain the island it will stick. Most islands occurring after an underwater volcano eruption are in fact short lived.
Politie neemt vingerafdruk af op straat. De politie kan binnenkort met een speciaal apparaatje vingerafdrukken afnemen op straat. Dat moet het politiewerk vergemakkelijken en is in eerste plaats bedoeld voor intensievere controle op illegale vreemdelingen.
Bij wijze van proef krijgen ongeveer 125 agenten bij verscheidene regiokorpsen zo'n scanner, een soort smartphone, zo heeft het ministerie van veiligheid en justitie besloten. De proef is al begonnen en agenten kunnen via hun Blackberry bepaalde informatie opvragen ter controle van iemands identiteit.
ICANN chief Beckstrom says he will go in July 2012 * The Register. But Beckstrom regularly came under fire for the way in which ICANN was perceived to have been managed, in particular for the fact that many senior staffers quit or were fired over the last two years.
ICANN was seen as tardy in replacing key personnel, while at the same time making a few curious hires, such as the secret appointment of a self-help guru as vice president, which did not go down well in the ICANN community.
Black Box Voting - America's Elections Watchdog Group. In a major step towards global centralization of election processes, the world's dominant Internet voting company has purchased the USA's dominant election results reporting company.
When you view your local or state election results on the Internet, on portals which often appear to be owned by the county elections division, in over 525 US jurisdictions you are actually redirected to a private corporate site controlled by SOE software, which operates under the name ClarityElections.com
Rioting in Romania: The battle of Bucharest. "POLENTA doesn't explode" is the gnomic phrase Romanians use to describe the attitude of resigned acceptance typical to the country. But this weekend something snapped. Thousands of people took to the streets in Bucharest and 40 other towns, venting their anger at their leaders' perceived incompetence in dealing with Romania's economic crisis.
The centre of Bucharest was hit by violence on a scale unseen in two decades. Traian Băsescu, the centre-right president, is the main target of the protesters' ire. "Get out, you miserable dog" they chanted, as they hurled paving stones and smoke bombs at riot police. Water cannons and tear gas were used to dispel the crowds.
Ask Haiku Herman: Why did you force Greek and Italian PM's out of office?
youtube.com Divers blast holes in Italy ship to speed rescue - CBS News. Italian naval divers on Tuesday exploded holes in the hull of a cruise ship grounded off a Tuscan island to speed the search for 29 missing people while seas were still calm. One official said there was still a "glimmer of hope" that survivors could be found.
Valerie Jarrett Uses Ebenezer Baptist Church To Give Political Speech
youtube.com News - U.S. privatizes war on drugs? The Department of Defense United States, the Pentagon is delegating its fight against drug trafficking through multimillion-dollar contracts with private companies that are responsible for providing advice, training and conducting operations to drug producing countries and with links to so-called "narco-terrorism" including Latin America.
Ron Paul Tied with Obama? In this video, the Council of Foreign Relations representative Erin Burnett of CNN asks some people why young people are voting for the oldest candidate. The last question she even asks how they feel about Ron Paul being the oldest President. Is this discriminating against Older...
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Activist Post: What IAEA reports on Iran's nuclear energy/medicine: how US War Criminal 1% lie
activistpost.com "Ron Paul Plays This Weird Game With The Press" January 15, 2012 CNN MOXNews.com From: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views: 48 0 ratings Time: 03:34 More in News & Politics
youtube.com Update on Tourette-Like Illness in Leroy. Administrators in the Leroy Central School District updated parents and students about a mysterious disorder that's affected twelve female high school students, causing them to exhibit symptoms similar to Tourette Syndrome. Â
FBI: Carrier IQ files used for "law enforcement purposes"
muckrock.com Ian Schuler Senior Program Manager, Internet Freedoms Program U.S. Department of State explains the 'Internet in a suitcase'
youtu.be Romania govt withdraws controversial healthcare bill. Romania's government pulled its controversial draft healthcare reform bill on Friday after street protests and criticism from experts who say it lacked detail on private sector involvement and risked further damaging the outdated medical system.
Romanian protests [via google translate] Two nights in a row, took to the streets târgoviştenii more to protest against President Traian Basescu except to support Dr Raed Arafat. Tonight, a new meeting is announced Tricolorului Square downtown.
So far events have degenerated into violence, even if people were fiercely. Last night, even simulated a job as president of the funeral. To be convincing, they brought home cage and candles. Chanted slogans were quite harsh at Traian Basescu - "Get out, ordinary cur," "Resignation, resignation," etc..
The Worst White House Aide †Jarrett clearly has the first couple's ears. She seems to function as a sort of third party to the Obama marriage, guarding the president and his wife from bad news and outside influence while meeting with Lady Gaga.
US for new time standard, China, Britain say no. The proposal, put forward by the United States, suggests a switch to International Atomic Time (TAI) from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the timekeeping standard currently followed across the world.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Cyber cop wants Whois privacy shake-up. Registrars should be obliged to vet registrants' Whois details for accuracy, and ICANN should be obliged to vet registrars, he said.
Proxy privacy services could continue, he said, but police want a single, global agreement that ICANN would sign with registries and registrars, modelled on the existing RAA contract.
Such an agreement would make it easier for police to quickly have sites taken down based on breaches in the terms and conditions.
Does Obama endorse Whois privacy? In this future, individuals and businesses can quickly and easily obtain the tools necessary to set up their own presence online; domain names and addresses are available, secure, and properly maintained, without onerous licenses or unreasonable disclosures of personal information.
ICANN publishes Whois reform wish-list. Here are the highlights:
Create a public, machine-readable directory of Whois servers.
Standardize query, response and error message structure.
Oblige Whois services to let users search not just by domain, but also by other data elements, such as name and address.
Add more data, such as IM handles, abuse contacts, and the history of a domain's ownership (Whowas?), to Whois records.
Create a way to authenticate Whois users. This could support more standardized privacy services, with only police, for example, able to access the private data of individual registrants.
Make all new gTLD registries host a "fat" Whois and encourage VeriSign to migrate away from its "thin" .com database.
Whois verification rules coming this year. No more Donald Duck in the Whois?
Registrars could be obliged to verify their customers' identities when they sell domain names under new rules proposed for later this year, according to ICANN president Rod Beckstrom.
He told National Telecommunications and Information Administration boss Larry Strickling today that the new provisions could make it into the new Registrar Accreditation Agreement by March.
Beckstrom wrote:
ICANN expects that the RAA will incorporate -- for the first time -- Registrar commitments to verify WHOIS data. ICANN is actively considering incentives for Registrars to adopt the anticipated amendments to the RAA prior to the rollout of the first TLD in 2013.
ICANN Takes Charge of Internet Time Zone Master List. The Time Zone Database provides an essential service on the Internet and keeping it operational falls within ICANN's mission of maintaining a stable and dependable Internet," said Akram Atallah, ICANN's chief operating officer, in a statement. ICANN took control of the database at the request of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
The TZ Database, as it is known, keeps track of all the different time zones of the world as an offset of Greenwich Mean Time, including leap seconds, various regional modifications for daylight saving time, and other temporal variances.
Operating systems such as Unix, Linux and Apple's MacOS rely on this database to coordinate times across different geographic regions, as do the Oracle and MySQL databases and many programs written in Java, Perl and PHP.
Afghan opium prices soar as production rises. 12 January 2012 - The full Afghan Opium Survey for 2011 points to a dramatic increase of 133 per cent in the farm-gate value of opium compared with 2010 (the summary findings of the survey were issued in September 2011). Released today by the Ministry of Counter-Narcotics of Afghanistan and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the survey reveals that the farm-gate income generated by opium probably amounted to $1.4 billion, equivalent to 9 per cent of the GDP of Afghanistan in 2011.
Even more striking is the potential income derived from opium production. Export earnings from Afghan opiates may be worth $2.4 billion - equivalent to 15 per cent of GDP. Such vast sums cannot easily be earned in other ways. "Opium is therefore a significant part of the Afghan economy and provides considerable funding to the insurgency and fuels corruption," said Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC.
United States Coast Guard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the US military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission (with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters) and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set. It operates under the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime, and can be transferred to the Department of the Navy by the President at any time, or by Congress during time of war.
Obama seeks new If Congress assents, it will essentially be handing Obama "fast track" authority which limits Congress' ability to hinder the President's agendas. Once agreed, any government restructuring mergers the President proposes to Congress that promise ("promise") to save money or benefit consumers will require Congress to provide a simple up-or-down vote within 90 days.
For all his deviousness, this move is very cunning on Obama’s part. If Congress agrees, then it relinquishes power and submits to Obama’s leadership and authority. Obama comes out looking good. If Congress balks, it can be accused of not wanting to cut government size and spending after all. Congress looks bad. Heads he wins, tails they lose.
BusinessUSA. The goal is to make it easier for businesses to search the full range of government information, programs, and services they need to compete globally without having to navigate their way through an overwhelming bureaucracy.
Karen Mills - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Mills is the daughter of Mr. Melvin and Ellen Gordon, the CEO and President of Tootsie Roll Industries, respectively. She is married to Barry Mills, the president of Bowdoin College, and has three sons. She has a B.A. in economics from Harvard University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.[4]
Government Reorganization Fact Sheet. The President's first focus under the Consolidation Authority Act would be to make it easier for America's small businesses -- which are America's job creators -- to compete, export and grow.
Reform Leader ElBaradei Quits Egypt's Presidential Race. Mohamed ElBaradei, the Egyptian reform leader, dropped out of the presidential race on Saturday, rebuking the military for failing to engender social conditions in which Egyptian democracy could be possible. —ARK The Guardian: The Nobel laureate, regarded as a driving force...
The true Pew data And while Ron Paul fared well in the early GOP contests, just 44% of voters identify Paul as the Republican candidate who opposes U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.
Voters struggle to answer basic questions about GOP field - latimes.com. Forty-three percent of voters answered at least three of the questions correctly, compared with just 16% of non-voters. Voters were least able to name the candidate who opposes U.S. involvement in Afghanistan (Ron Paul), and to name the (upcoming) primary that follows nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire (South Carolina).
Obama Administration wants to 'avoid' manipulation of DNS We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet. Proposed laws must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System (DNS), a foundation of Internet security. Our analysis of the DNS filtering provisions in some proposed legislation suggests that they pose a real risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online. We must avoid legislation that drives users to dangerous, unreliable DNS servers and puts next-generation security policies, such as the deployment of DNSSEC, at risk.
S&P downgrades euro zone The outlooks on our long-term ratings on all but two of the 16 eurozone
sovereigns are negative; the outlooks on the long-term ratings on Germany and
Slovakia are stable.
Urgent Action Needed to Support Organics and Non-GE Crops. Seven years ago Monsanto petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to deregulate GE alfalfa which would allow it to be planted anywhere. Now, within a few days, the USDA will announce its decision whether to:
1) fully deregulate GE alfalfa OR
2)Â conditionally deregulate it by placing certain rules and restrictions on growing GE alfalfa that would minimize or limit contamination of non-GE crops (including organic).
GREEK CRISIS: HEDGE FUNDS WALK OUT. As The Slog spent much of the week predicting, talks between Athens and its bondholders have broken down on the ‘haircuts' issue. The FT this morning offers an unconsciously amusing rearrangement of history in order to justify its incompetence: ‘Talks …...
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Russian Move Against US Called First Shot Of World War III. Prime Minister Putin is warning today that the decision by Iran to cease taking US Dollars for its oil could very be the "first shot" fired in World War III, and one which Russia will be blamed for by the Obama regime.
According to this report, Iran swiftly countered planed US sanctions against its Central Bank yesterday by announcing that it will no longer accept the US Dollar as payment for its oil shipments to India, Japan and China, and further announced that bilateral trade between itself and Russia will, also, break from the US Dollar for settlement in favor of the Iranian Rial and Russian Rubles.
Sure to enrage the Obama regime, this report continues, was that the proposal to switch to the Ruble and the Rial was raised by President Medvedev at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Astana, Kazakhstan, of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
How The Feds Brought Down Arizona's Suspected White Supremacist 'Serial' Bombing Brothers. "We thought we were doing the right thing. We were just trying to send a message," Daniel Mahon told Williams. "When I would take someone's car out, it wasn't anger. It was a sense of duty. It is like a military operation. You plan for it, equip for it."
Williams often egged the brothers on. In one conversation, she asked Dennis Mahon if he ever had any success with sending a package bomb to someone.
Court records say he leaned in close and whispered, "In Tempe, Arizona, Goddamn diversity officer, Scottsdale Police Department, had his fingers blown off." He then caught himself, paused and told her that he had advised "white cops how to do it."
It's clear from the court records that Dennis Mahon liked talking to Williams. He developed a strong emotional and physical attraction to her.
ATF and Williams used this to their advantage. In one example, Williams testified that the investigators got her to pose for photographs wearing a bathing suit with a grenade hanging down from her neck in between her breasts. For the pictures, she stood in front of a pickup truck and a swastika flag. The photos were then mailed to the brothers.
BLDGBLOG: Drone Tax. A post on sUAS News—a blog tracking the "small unmanned aviation system industry"—we read about the possibility of drone aircraft being used to enforce residential property tax.
Citing a recent court ruling in Arkansas that "has approved the use of aerial imagery to collect data on property sizes," and making reference to the already-controversial state deployment of aerial surveillance tools, sUAS suggests that drones could someday be used to manage a near-realtime catalog of local property expansions, transfers, and other tax-relevant land alterations.
'US builds hospitals in Georgia, readies for war with Iran'
rt.com Sami Osmakac 'planned to cause havoc in Florida with car bomb, assault rifle and explosives belt'. Authorities do not believe he planned to attack the Republican National Convention, which will be in Tampa in August. But they thanked the local Muslim community for assistance in the investigation.
According to the affidavit, he also told the agent: 'Honestly, I would love to go for the Army people, but their bases are so locked up, I have to do something else.'
'We all have to die, so why not die the Islamic way?'
'Sami Osmakac'
Osmakac said he wanted to take down bridges that link Tampa to neighbouring Pinellas County.
'This will crush the whole economy,' authorities claimed he said to the agent. 'This would crush everything man, they would have no more food coming in. They would, nobody would have work.'
He was allegedly arrested after he was shown by the agent how to arm a bomb and he connected what he believed was a detonator, preparing to drive off.
Osmakac has been charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and if convicted could be fined $250,000 and jailed for life.
Furor in Greece over pedophilia as a disability. Greek disability groups expressed anger Monday at a government decision to expand a list of state-recognized disability categories to include pedophiles, exhibitionists and kleptomaniacs.
The National Confederation of Disabled People called the action "incomprehensible," and said pedophiles are now awarded a higher government disability pay than some people who have received organ transplants.
Paraphilias There is also a category called Paraphilia Not Otherwise Specified to cover paraphilias not falling into the already named diagnoses such as those involving dead people, urine, feces, enemas and obscene phone calls.
Woman Says Cops Pepper-Sprayed, Urinated On Her. A judge has refused to dismiss the lawsuit of a western Pennsylvania woman who claims state troopers pepper sprayed and later urinated on her while she was shackled hand and foot, saying the troopers' claim of sovereign immunity doesn't apply because the alleged misconduct is outside the scope of their official duties.
Derena Marie Madison, 40, of Smithfield, sued five troopers from the barracks near Uniontown in August for conduct she claims occurred when she was riding in her car while a friend was stopped for drunken driving on Feb. 3. Madison named two of the troopers, Chad Weaver and Cpl. Michael Zampagona, but doesn't know the names of the others.
Study raises new concerns about safety of genetically modified food. Monsanto's website states, "There is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in humans." This viewpoint, while good for business, is built on an understanding of genetics circa 1950. It follows what's called the "Central Dogma" (PDF) of genetics, which postulates a one-way chain of command between DNA and the cells DNA governs.
The Central Dogma resembles the process of ordering a pizza. The DNA knows what kind of pizza it wants, and orders it. The RNA is the order slip, which communicates the specifics of the pizza to the cook. The finished and delivered pizza is analogous to the protein that DNA codes for.
BLITZER'S BLOG: A salute to politicians -- The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer Blogs. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul and Rick Perry could have taken the easy path and relaxed and enjoyed life. Instead of playing golf and hanging out with their children and grandchildren, they are working hard trying to get the Republican presidential nomination. In the process, they are bitterly attacked - often for good reason.
Why do they do it?
I know what they say. They say they are interested in public service and want to help the American people. They say they believe in what they are trying to achieve.
The cynics say they have huge egos and are simply seeking power and glory.
That is certainly true of some politicians.
But having covered many of them over the years, I also know some are trying to do the right thing, and I salute them.
Jesse Benton, Ron Paul's Campaign Chair Interview With Piers Morgan After N.H 2nd Place Finish
youtube.com GOP's Best Kept Secret: Ron Paul Is Electable and Can Beat Obama
youtube.com Doug Wead discusses Ron Paul with Andrea Mitchell
youtube.com Doug Wead Wikipedia Doug Wead (Muncie, Indiana, 1946[1] ) is a presidential historian, philanthropist and public speaker. He was Special Assistant to U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and is the author of more than thirty books, including the New York Times best-seller All the Presidents’ Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of the First Families.[2] He has authored a sequel which examines the parenting of presidents of the United States, The Raising of a President: The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders.[3]
Marijuana doesn't appear to harm lung function, study finds. Smoking a joint once a week or a bit more apparently doesn't harm the lungs, suggests a 20-year study that bolsters evidence that marijuana doesn't do the kind of damage tobacco does.
The results, from one of the largest and longest studies on the health effects of marijuana, are hazier for heavy users - those who smoke two or more joints daily for several years. The data suggest that using marijuana that often might cause a decline in lung function, but there weren't enough heavy users among the 5,000 young adults in the study to draw firm conclusions.
12 Infected With New Swine Flu Strain - US News and World Report. The days of medical masks at airports and widespread panic may be coming back—that's because at least 12 humans are believed to have been infected with a new strain of swine flu that's not covered by this season's vaccine.
The new swine flu strain, H3N2v, has shown at least some potential for human-to-human transmission in those 12 individuals, which makes it especially dangerous. Between 2009 and mid-2010, more than 17,000 people died worldwide from the highly contagious H1N1 swine flu strain, leading the World Health Organization to call the strain a pandemic.
Mystery Bye Bye Blackbird, Solved... USDA Has Admitted To Poisoning Millions Of Animals *sticky* - Earth-issues.com.
earth-issues.com Homeland Security watches Twitter, social media.
reuters.com Clinton denies any U.S. role in killing Iranian scientist
youtube.com Russian Official Suggests Weapon Caused Spacecraft Failure. "We don't want to accuse anybody, but there are very powerful devices that can influence spacecraft now," Mr. Popovkin said in the interview. "The possibility they were used cannot be ruled out."
Mr. Popovkin also suggested that equipment on the spacecraft may have broken down while the vehicle was stored on the ground, waiting for the time when Earth and Mars would be in the right places in their orbits for the mission to proceed, something that happens only every two years. "If we had not sent it to Mars in 2011, we would have had to throw it away," he said of the craft.
Iran car explosion kills nuclear scientist in Tehran. "The bomb was a magnetic one and the same as the ones previously used for the assassination of the scientists, and the work of the Zionists [Israelis]," deputy Tehran governor Safarali Baratloo said.
Witnesses said they had seen two people on the motorbike fix the bomb to the car, reported to be a Peugeot 405. The driver died of his wounds after the attack though the car itself remained virtually intact.
Bloomberg needs a history lesson on prohibition
m.nypost.com What we have here is a fight to the death between private debt-holders on the one hand, and sovereign debtors worried about their banking systems on the other.
hat4uk.wordpress.com
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Dana Bah worried about Paul campaign's success
youtube.com Sources Sought Notice - RADIATION DOSIMETRY SERVICES - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities.
fbo.gov Issa Announces Oversight Hearing on DNS & Search Engine Blocking.
blork.ly White House chief of staff stepping down. Just in time for tomorrow's release of "The Obama's" book...
edition.cnn.com The TSA Blog: TSA Top 10 Good Catches of 2011. [But where's the terrorists?]
blog.tsa.gov U.S. expels Venezuelan diplomat in Miami. Spokesman William Ostick declined to comment on specific details behind the decision to expel Livia Acosta Noguera, who has headed Venezuela's consulate in Miami since March 2011.
The Venezuelan Embassy in Washington was informed of the decision Friday, Ostick said in a written statement, and the State Department said Acosta must depart the United States by Tuesday.
It was unclear Sunday whether or not she was still in the United States.
Largest Dutch clog goes missing. The clog, which at four metres (13 feet) in length and weighing almost two tonnes is the largest example of the Dutch icon, police said.
Nicotine could ward off memory loss:. People on nicotine therapy showed better results on cognitive tests for attention, memory, as well as how fast and consistently they could process information.
Gold may extend best rally since 1920. By Jeremy Holcombe Contributing writer for Goldco Direct and End the Lie Gold may be able to extend its best rally since around 1920, as investors and collectors alike are sure to store their wealth away based on the still continuing issues facing Europe and the world at large....
The US schools with their own police. "I'm weird. Other kids don't like me," said Sarah, who has been diagnosed with attention-deficit and bipolar disorders and who is conscious of being overweight. "They were saying a lot of rude things to me. Just picking on me. So I sprayed myself with perfume. Then they said: 'Put that away, that's the most terrible smell I've ever smelled.' Then the teacher called the police."
The policeman didn't have far to come. He patrols the corridors of Sarah's school, Fulmore Middle in Austin, Texas. Like hundreds of schools in the state, and across large parts of the rest of the US, Fulmore Middle has its own police force with officers in uniform who carry guns to keep order in the canteens, playgrounds and lessons. Sarah was taken from class, charged with a criminal misdemeanour and ordered to appear in court.
Critics call for probe into aid money sent to Haiti. The ongoing aid effort has included thousands of non-governmental organizations from around the world, leading observers to call Haiti "the republic of NGOs."
In that climate, it has been difficult to track where exactly the money is being used, said Roger Annis of the Canada Haiti Action Network.
"It's really hard to quantify what's happening in Haiti because there's an absence of real, concrete facts and statistics - if you want to find out, you have to go there and see for yourself," said Annis, who was part of a three-person delegation which travelled to Haiti's earthquake zone in June 2011. "The overarching story is that everything is going at a snail's pace."
Drones make up one-third of U.S. military aircraft.
slate.com
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Obama Nominates Carlyle Group Partner to The Federal Reserve. This is not the first time Barack Obama has placed Bush Sr.'s minions into influential positions. In August 2010, Daniel F. Akerson, a managing director of the Carlyle Group, in what was called a "surprise move" was named the CEO of General Motors (GM), otherwise known as...
Mexico's cartels build own national radio system. The network allowed Zetas operatives to conduct encrypted conversations without depending on the official cellphone network, which is relatively easy for authorities to tap into, and in many cases does not reach deep into the Mexican countryside.
PIP implants sold to Dutch firm under new name. Potentially dangerous breast implants made by a now-defunct French company were sold to about 1,000 Dutch women under a different name, a Dutch health official said on Monday, broadening a scandal that could affect some 300,000 women worldwide.
Congressmen's incomes triple while America gets poorer. If you feel like Congress fat cats can't relate to their fellow Americans anymore, the truth behind the matter might just be that they can't. While Americans have seen a recession ravage savings accounts, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have only gotten richer. Between the US Senate...
New York Times Staffers Express 'Profound Dismay' With Management.
r2.ly Welcome to the cactus outliner dev list. Cactus outliner is in it's infancy and here I'd like to talk and listen about development, wishes, forks and direction of development.
groups.google.com Bill Clinton Details Charity Work As Preview To CNN's 'Big Stars, Big Giving'. (video).
my.butt.org Another Blow to Krugman: Consumer Confidence at 8 Month High. The Conference Board reports that its Consumer Confidence Index rose almost 10 points to 64.5, up from a revised 55.2 in November. The surge builds on another big increase in November, when the index rose almost 15 points from the month before. Krugman-like Keynesian analysts...
Army to Sent Three Unmanned Spy Helos to Afghanistan. The drone war in Pakistan may be on a temporary hiatus, that hasn't stopped the Army from moving to send three of its newest drones to neighboring Afghanistan this Spring. The service is sending three of Boeing's A160 Hummingbird drone choppers downrange for up to one year to...
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Obama changes court-martial rules, but doesn't explain how | Government Security News
gsnmagazine.com ABN Amro kan fluiten naar ruim 600 miljoen aan leningen Griekse bedrijven
volkskrant.nl Should the world intervene in Syria? Pressure is growing for world leaders to respond to Syria's brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests.
Earlier this week, the United Nations' Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said more than 5,000 people had been killed in Syria since the uprising began in March.
The Syrian government has issued activists in the restive city of Homs an ultimatum: Cease their protests, or face bombardment, prompting fears of an increase in hostilities.
Board Meeting: Highway Accident Report: Gray Summit, MO: Collision Involving Two School Buses, a Bobtail and a Passenger Vehicle. To the 50 states and the District of Columbia:
1. (1) Ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers; (2) use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration model of high visibility enforcement to support these bans; and (3) implement targeted communication campaigns to inform motorists of the new law and enforcement, and to warn them of the dangers associated with the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices while driving. (H-11-XX)
NTSB: "This is becoming the new DUI" - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina.
wistv.com Who is Nordine Amrani? Liege, Belgium Attacker Had 9,500 Gun Parts in 2008. Amrani was sentenced to 58 months in prison in September 2008 after police found several weapons in his home. He was allowed early release last year, a report noted.
According to the Telegraph, authorities found an arsenal of 10 firearms and 9,500 gun parts. Police also found 2,800 cannabis plants.
Police find body at Liege attacker's home. LIEGE, Belgium (AP) � The body of a woman has been found in the garage of the man who lobbed hand grenades and fired weapons into crowds in the Belgian city of Liege, killing four people and wounding 123, officials said Wednesday.
Liege Prosecutor Daniele Reynders said the body of a woman in her forties was discovered during a search of Nordine Amrani's property, and that she was killed before Tuesday's murderous spree at Liege's main square.
"It was a cleaning lady. This is how she met him yesterday morning," Reynders said. "She dies, shot with a bullet in the head."
Reynders said Amrani, 33 years old, died in Tuesday's attack in an apparent suicide, and he was found with a number of grenades still on him.
DICK Cheney "Obama Should Have Done Airstrike In Iran To Destroy Downed Drone"
youtube.com EconomicPolicyJournal.com: Behind the Crash in Gold. Oil and most other markets are also down significantly. This comes on the heels of major downside action in European stock markets. I suspect European traders fear the European Central Bank will not do enough to prop up eurozone government debt and in the panic traders are liquidating commodities as well as stocks.
Oprah Makes Charity Trip To Haiti. Oprah Winfrey has been in Haiti this week to visit some of the efforts being made to help the earthquake-ravaged country as the second anniversary of the disaster approaches.
The Talk Show Queen visited refugees with Sean Penn on Monday, saying "This is part of the next chapter, going around the world to see interesting and fascinating cases of profound examples of what can be done to make a difference in the world."
Oprah also dined with Haiti President Michel Martelly during her trip, and visited several charity ventures, including Caribbean Craft, a business that was established through a loan scheme launched by Bill Clinton earlier this year.
"Everybody who has spent time in Haiti knows how important it is for the world to see what is going on here," said Sean Penn. "We really appreciate that she's here with us."
Oprah will feature her visit on a special program on her Oprah Winfrey Network.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Second lesbian blogger exposed as a man. Paula Brooks, who claimed to be editor of LezGetReal.com, admitted to the Washington Post that 'she', too, was a man A second supposedly leading lesbian blogger was exposed as a man masquerading as a gay woman, a day after the Gay Girl in Damascus blog was revealed to be the fictional creation of a married male student from Edinburgh. Paula Brooks, who claimed to be the executive editor of a US-based lesbian site LezGetReal.com, told the Washington Post that "she", too, was a man -- in this case, a 58-year-old retired construction worker from Ohio called Bill Graber. The LezGetReal blogger's identity began to come into question last week as doubts over the Gay Girl in Damascus blog intensified, voiced, among others, by the feminist blogger Liz Henry, who writes at BlogHer.com. Before starting the Gay Girl in Damascus blog in February, Tom MacMaster, the Edinburgh student masquerading as Amina Abdullah Araf al Omari, had written posts on LezGetReal.com. Graber, masquerading as Brooks, had supplied information to a number of news outlets, including the Guardian, which pointed towards an Edinburgh IP address for the Amina blog. But the LezGetReal editor's own conduct increasingly led to questions over her own identity. Material released online on Sunday, which resulted in an admission by MacMaster that he was Amina, also raised questions about Brooks, including speculation over whether the two were creations of the same person. MacMaster, in a contrite blog post on Monday, even apologised to "Paula Brooks" as a handful of named victims of his deception. Challenged on Monday by the Washington Post, Graber said he had started the blog after witnessing the mistreatment of close lesbian friends. "I didn't start this with my name because ... I thought people wouldn't take it seriously, me being a straight man," he said. He said his interaction with Amina was purely coincidental, "a major sock-puppet hoax crash[ing] into a major sock-puppet hoax." "Sock puppet" is the term used by bloggers to describe a fake persona adopted by a blogger who may also be posting under another name. Amina often "flirted" with Brooks, the paper said -- with neither man apparently realising that the other was also a man pretending to be a lesbian. Brooks told reporters that "she" was deaf, and so telephone interviews had to be conducted through her "father". The Guardian spoke a number of times to a man masquerading as Brooks's father, after which suspicions were raised that Brooks was a man and was also potentially posing as Amina. Further investigations established that, rather like the supposed young woman in Syria, even close associates had never met Brooks, and that her claims to have a PhD in archaeology from Bryn Mawr college, a masters from Gallaudet University and a BA from Duke University, were false. In an email to the Guardian on Thursday, during our investigations, Brooks said: "Now I have a real day job ... and a real off blog life ... and I will be real annoyed if you intrude in that ... you get my message?" The blogger, who claimed to have three children, said her "father" was "totally up [her] ass" following the paper's inquiries. In another email Graber/Brooks wrote: "Let me be clear here ... we are both the victim of this 'woman's' scam." Challenged directly by email on Sunday, before MacMaster's admission, about the allegations that she was Amina, Brooks confirmed that "she" was an avatar, or false identity, and directed this reporter to a blog dated 2007 that described a woman's experience of coming out. It was headed with the following Shakespeare quotation: "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." Melanie Nathan , an LGBT and human rights advocate who was a partner in LezGetReal.com and had also been taken in by Graber, told the Guardian of her feelings of betrayal. "I left the site because I believed that Amina 'the Gay Girl from Damascus' was not authentic," said Nathan. "I told Paula -- Bill -- that Amina was suspect and she went ballistic on me and called me a bigot." "I was completely taken in. She [Paula] is a person to me, a real person with this persona, with children." "The whole gay community of bloggers is freaking out right now because everyone in some shape or form has encountered Paula Brooks. It has had a severe impact on the trust among the web of bloggers who are interconnected and work with each other. "In my opinion, what Graber has done, to be a straight man calling himself a lesbian, is tantamount to impersonating an entire community." Linda LaVictoire, a contributor at LezGetReal.com who writes as Linda Carbonelli, told the Washington Post: "I was completely taken in. I have been completely taken in for three years." Blogging Gay rights Syria Middle East Esther Addley Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
President Obama's phony accounting on the auto industry bailout. The Washington Post's Fact Checker lets him have it.
jr.ly Q&A with Pierre Thomas. Pierre Thomas spoke about his career and current position as senior justice correspondent for ABC News. He focused on several recent stories including the death of Osama bin Laden and the shooting of Arizona U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Other segments included the use of cell phones in prisons, gang violence in Chicago, lax security at federal buildings, and the trial of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. He explained how the stories came about, his use of sources, and ABC News' handling of stories for its different programs and platforms. Pierre Thomas was CNN Justice Correspondent from 1997 to 2000. Prior to that he was at The Washington Post. He has been with ABC News since 2000.
