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Joe Quinn
Sott.net 2016-01-10 18:05:00
A headline, from today, on the British Guardian newspaper's web site: 'Oh, those terrible Russians and that ruthless Putin are up to their old extrajudicial murder tricks again! Will they never learn about real democracy! At least we, the great Western public (and therefore representatives of the 'global community'), are holding them to account as best we can by imposing 'sanctions' and hysterically demonizing them every time they fly a plane near Scotland.' The above reflects, more or less, the thoughts that would have rattled around the, largely empty, vessel that is the cranium of the average Western citizen, as he or she read the above Guardianheadline. And what else can we expect when such pernicious propaganda is catapulted at them on a daily basis? Look at that headline again: "Murder". Well, right there you have the judgement... MURDER! And who did? The KREMLIN! Who else! And the victim? A CHECHEN! Oh dear Lord! Those poor chech-y people who have, for decades, if I vaguely remember, been trying to tear themselves away from the greedy grasp of the new Russian/Soviet Empire! There's no need to read any further, we have all the information we need! | |
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Eric Draitser
Stop Imerialism 2016-01-07 12:00:00
US and international media have been abuzz in recent days with the ongoing armed occupation at the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. The social media space has been, quite predictably, polarized with many on the far right lionizing the armed occupiers as "patriots" and "heroes" defending a just cause in the name of "liberty." Naturally many liberals and assorted leftists have condemned the occupation, pointing out both the relevant legal and historical issues at play here, including the vicious tradition of white militias in the US, the blatant disregard of environmental regulations, and much more that is well beyond the scope of this article. | |
Comment: Also worth mentioning is the media slant. If these armed 'protesters' were muslims they would most certainly be called "terrorists" and if they were black, labeled "thugs" or "militants".
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Vladimir Putin
Sott.net 1999-12-31 18:39:00 Comment: The following essay by Vladimir Putin first appeared on the website of the Government of the Russian Federation on December 31st, 1999, when Putin was prime minister and had just been named acting president of Russia by the departing Boris Yeltsin. While it was obviously too early to specify the steps Russia would take to come back from the brink of collapse, it did recognise where Russia was at that point, and outlined the broad strokes of what might be considered Putin's 'strategy' - pragmatic reform, selectively assessed and implemented, and based on the world as it is, not on 'the world according to ideology'. At that point, Putin had had relatively little experience in politics, much less as an administrator or civil servant. It is remarkable for someone without the maturity earned from decades of experience in government to produce such a document immediately after landing a job he was neither anticipating nor wanted. Remarkably, Putin estimated back then that it would take Russia 15 years to get back on its feet...
Humankind is witnessing two major events: the new millennium and the 2000th anniversary of Christianity. I think that the general interest and attention paid to these two events is more profound than the usual celebration of red-letter dates. New Possibilities, New Problems It may be a coincidence - but then again, it may not be - that the beginning of the new millennium coincides with the dramatic turn in world developments in the past 20-30 years. I mean the deep and rapid changes in humankind's whole way of life related to the formation of what we call the post-industrial society. Here are its main features:
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Comment: New Year address by Vladimir Putin, December 31, 1999 (with English subtitles):
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| Puppet Masters |
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RT
2016-01-10 09:38:00
The second top deputy of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and chief of staff of Islamic State's Military Council was killed in an airstrike, the Iraqi Air Force has claimed. The airstrike allegedly took place in western Anbar province, east of the town of Haditha. The deceased commander is reported to have been Assi Ali Mohammed Nasser al-Obeidi. He was formerly a colonel in the Iraqi Republican Guards during the reign of Saddam Hussein. He spent some years in American prisons before joining Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). Al-Obeidi became acquainted with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the current IS leader, in Camp Bucca prison. The Americans released al-Baghdadi from Camp Bucca in 2009, while al-Obeidi was transferred to the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, from which he escaped in 2013. He became a top IS commander and went under the name of "Abu Omar al-Obeidi." Al-Obeidi hailed from the small town of Hawija to the west from Kirkuk. His last post was chief of staff of Islamic State's Military Council. Al-Obeidi adds to the long list of top rank IS commanders reported to have been eliminated by the Iraqi Army in recent months. They include al-Baghdadi's top deputy Abu Ali al-Anbari and the head of IS' intelligence committee Abu Hassan al-Sahabi. As recently as Friday, January 8, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced: "ISIL Spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani was killed during the terrorist group's offensive at the town of Barwani in Iraq's Western territories," although the terrorist group is yet to make any official statement on al-Adnani's death. In October 2015, a convoy of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was targeted by an Iraqi Air Force airstrike, also in western Anbar province bordering Syria. It was heading to Al-Karable to attend a meeting with other IS commanders. The airstrike reportedly killed dozens of jihadists who were accompanying the IS leader. Al-Baghdadi was wounded himself and evacuated to safety to undergo medical treatment. | |
Comment: Another one bites the dust!
See also: Western media AWOL as 'Islamic State' regroups in Libya: Interview with James & Joanne Moriarty | |
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Paul Craig Roberts
Paul Craig Roberts Org 2016-01-09 18:19:00
Unique among the countries on earth, the US government insists that its laws and dictates take precedence over the sovereignty of nations. Washington asserts the power of US courts over foreign nationals and claims extra-territorial jurisdiction of US courts over foreign activities of which Washington or American interest groups disapprove. Perhaps the worst results of Washington's disregard for the sovereignty of countries is the power Washington has exercised over foreign nationals solely on the basis of terrorism charges devoid of any evidence. Consider a few examples. Washington first forced the Swiss government to violate its own banking laws. Then Washington forced Switzerland to repeal its bank secrecy laws. Allegedly, Switzerland is a democracy, but the country's laws are determined in Washington by people not elected by the Swiss to represent them. Consider the "soccer scandal" that Washington concocted, apparently for the purpose of embarrassing Russia. The soccer organization's home is Switzerland, but this did not stop Washington from sending FBI agents into Switzerland to arrest Swiss citizens. Try to imagine Switzerland sending Swiss federal agents into the US to arrest Americans. Consider the $9 billion fine that Washington imposed on a French bank for failure to fully comply with Washington's sanctions against Iran. This assertion of Washington's control over a foreign financial institution is even more audaciously illegal in view of the fact that the sanctions Washington imposed on Iran and requires other sovereign countries to obey are themselves strictly illegal. Indeed, in this case we have a case of triple illegality as the sanctions were imposed on the basis of concocted and fabricated charges that were lies. | |
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Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor
2016-01-09 00:00:00
1 October 2015 - 8 January 2016 Executive Summary It has been 100 days since grassroots, mostly youth-led protests broke out in Jerusalem, in reaction to increasing Israeli incursions into and restrictions on Islam's Al-Aqsa Mosque. Since then, mass protests and individual attacks have spread across the West Bank and into Gaza and communities of Palestinian Israelis. The story told primarily by the international media is one of Palestinian stabbers and Israeli retaliation in self-defense. However, as the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor documents in this 100-day report, proven Palestinian attacks are relatively small in number and often committed by lone youth, while the number of arrests, harassment and executions committed by Israeli forces are increasingly excessive and disproportionate. As such, the behavior of the Israeli military constitutes violations of international law, and thus Euro-Med demands that the United Nations and other international bodies, as well as governments doing business with Israel, act now to pressure Israeli authorities to stop the abuse of human rights and end the root cause of the unrest: its decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories. | |
Comment: There is no stopping Israeli atrocities if there is no one committing to stopping them.
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South Front
2016-01-10 00:00:00
Russia Defense Report (Jan. 10): Caspian Fleet
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Rudy Panko
Russia Insider 2016-01-10 13:32:00
A viral photo depicting a "malnourished Syrian child" being "starved" by the "evil Syrian army" is a bona fide fraud. The details, via Lebanon's Daily Star ('Starving Syria child' revealed as south Lebanon girl): The family of a south Lebanon girl depicted in a photo that went viral alleging to show a starving child from a besieged Syrian border town has expressed anger over the incident.
She said the photo of her smiling brown-haired, blue-eyed granddaughter was originally posted to Facebook three years ago and had been doctored several times in the past by individuals promoting different causes. | ||
Comment: This propaganda has really gone too far. Is anyone still buying this nonsense? If NATO has their way in Syria children will suffer even worse fates than starvation. For a hint of what they have in mind just look at what they're doing to Libya:
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Sputnik
2016-01-10 11:05:00
Many US officials obstinately refuse to understand the benefits from Russian-US cooperation and they willfully try to tarnish Russia's image, according to former CIA officer Philip Giraldi. A whole array of US experts and officials create and use Russia's hostile image in order to hold down their jobs, former CIA officer Philip Giraldi, who is now executive director of the Council for the National Interest, said in his article published by the opinion journal American Conservative. He said that when in Moscow, he often met ordinary Russians who asked him why Washington hates Russians so much and "why does the American press seemingly have nothing good to say about them?" | |
Comment: Also see:
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Sputnik
2016-01-10 11:13:00
German MPs lashed out at the country's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier over his plans to attend a cultural festival in Saudi Arabia, according to the German newspaper Die Welt. A decision by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to attend a cultural festival in Saudi Arabia infuriated German lawmakers, the Die Welt newspaper reported. The festival is due to take place in Janadriyah, about 42 km northeast of the capital Riyadh, in February. Among those who expressed their dissatisfaction with the move was Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the German parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. "In light of the mass executions in Saudi Arabia, I believe that [the German FM] taking part in the Janadriyah Festival is irrelevant," Rottgen said. | |
Comment: If it was Saudi Arabia's plan to isolate Iran through these executions it looks like its plans are backfiring. Also see:
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Sputnik
2016-01-10 10:55:00
The Syrian army and allied forces have made significant gains against Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) terrorists in Homs province, Iran's Fars news reported on Saturday. Government forces carried out several offensives on Daesh positions in the province, shelling and storming their strongholds. They attacked the terrorists in the al-Dowah region west of Palmyra, and close to the towns of Tir Ma'ala, Quaryatayn (south of Homs), Talbiseh (north of Homs) and near the village of Maksar al-Hassaan in the east of the province. The army reported a heavy death toll among the terrorists. | |
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Sputnik
2016-01-10 00:53:00
Human rights activists are concerned about the grave humanitarian situation in besieged Kurdish towns of southeastern Turkey. Ankara is to face a trial in Strasbourg over its security forces' operation which is due to be over by the end of January. Schools remain closed in areas under curfews, civilian death toll along with the number of displaced people rises as bloody clashes between government forces and local youth resistance continue across major Kurdish towns in Turkey's southeast, according to multiple reports. Ozturk Turkdogan, a prominent Turkish human rights activist expressed grave concern about the current situation, in which civilians, including women and children, are being killed every day, he claimed, while the government is preventing human rights activists from visiting the areas under blockade. | |
Comment: Turkey's current leadership says that they have an 'obligation, responsibility and right to provide security and comfort' to their citizens even as they bomb, humiliate, and terrorize thousands of them. This is criminal madness, and, as a remedy, these criminals should see the inside of the justice system.
Also see: Turkey's terror state: 150 civilians dead in one week as Erdogan promises to 'annihilate' more | |
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Rudy Panko
Russia Insider 2016-01-08 00:00:00
NATO members are conducting ground operations in Libya — but you're not supposed to know
One of the major advantages of being a NATO member is that you are allowed to conduct military operations in any country of your choosing, with minimal (or no) news coverage and absolutely zerodebate. This delightful perk is more or less written into NATO's charter. And it's been an especially perky perk with regards to Libya —once the richest, most developed nation in North Africa; now a moon crater. NATO's "no fly zone" was actually a highly coordinated air and ground campaign to topple (and ultimately murder) Gaddafi. The power vacuum created by the complete destruction of Libya has created a "democracy" plagued by warring tribes and general anarchy, in which the NATO-backed "legitimate" government is not even in control of Tripoli. | |
Comment: The US and NATO's war of aggression against Libya destroyed a thriving and peaceful country and turned it into a hell on earth. See more:
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| Society's Child |
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Press TV
2016-01-08 10:57:00
The last Kuwaiti inmate at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been transferred to his country, the Pentagon says. After spending more than 13 years in the notorious detention facility, Faez Mohammed Ahmed al-Kandari was transferred to Kuwait on Friday. He was accused of being an al-Qaeda propagandist. The Pentagon said in a statement that al-Kandari's detention "does not remain necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States." Al-Kandari is slated to undergo a rehabilitation program to help him reintegrate into society, Eric Lewis, his lawyer in Washington, said. Lewis noted that al-Kandari was the last of 12 Kuwaiti inmates who had been kept at Guantanamo. The release reduced the number of detainees at the prison to 104, 45 of them already approved for transfer, according to Reuters. "It's a good illustration of our effort to chip away at the population there and to try to resolve these individual cases in a way that's consistent with our national security interests," Josh Earnest, White House spokesman, said Friday. | |
Comment: Out of the almost 800 men who have been held at Guantanamo, only seven have actually been convicted of crimes, and eight have died while in detention.
Even after his release, Faez will be required to check in weekly at his local police station and to be visited at home on a regular basis by the rehabilitation professionals. Faez' internet usage, religious instruction, social networks and financial affairs, among other things, will be monitored, and he will surrender his passport and not travel. He will be subject to electronic and physical surveillance and curfew measures. | |
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John Vibes
Activist Post 2016-01-10 18:57:00
Amid stock market panic in China, many of the country's most prominent billionaires are disappearing without a trace. This week, Zhou Chengjian, the chairman of the clothing company Metersbonwe became the most recent wealthy Chinese businessperson to go missing. Metersbonwe said in a statement on Thursday that it would be suspending its shares on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and that they were unaware of Chengjian's whereabouts. According to Bloomberg, as many as 36 companies reported executives missing from January to September. Just a few weeks ago, Chang Xiaobing, the CEO of the state-owned telecoms giant China Telecom, resigned and then went missing. There were rumors that Xiaobing was taken by police or government agents in a widening corruption investigation that is touching every corner of the Chinese economy. | |
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Andrew Emett
The Free Thought Project 2016-01-10 16:46:00
Six police chiefs publicly accused the local sheriff on Friday of stealing drugs from their departments and lying about his involvement with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The police chiefs also blamed the state's attorney general and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) of stalling the investigation for political purposes. In April 2015, Sandusky County Sheriff Kyle Overmyer met with Police Chief Mark Kaufman at Bellevue Police Department and allegedly told the police chief that he was collecting drugs for the DEA. Loosely managed by the DEA, the drug disposal boxes at Bellevue and the surrounding police departments were intended to keep unused pills, including antibiotics and painkillers, from being improperly discarded or illicitly sold. Relatively new to the job, Chief Kaufman agreed to hand the drugs over to the sheriff without verifying his claims. Unbeknownst to Kaufman, the sheriff subsequently appeared two more times to steal drugs without his presence. | |
Comment: "Do as we say, not as we do." The link between cops and drugs is no secret.
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Gianluca Mezzofiore
Daily Mail 2016-01-10 17:05:00
Adolf Hitler's autobiography Mein Kampf was an instant sellout when it hit bookstores in Germany for the first time since the Second World War. More than 15,000 advance orders were placed, despite the initial print of 4,000 copies, with one copy even put up for resale on Amazon.de for €9,999.99 (£7,521.43). Mein Kampf, which means My Struggle, returned into the public domain on January 1. | |
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RT
2016-01-10 14:17:00
An armed group who arrived at an Oregon wildlife refuge swiftly departed after the leader of the occupation movement said they were "not needed." The occupation group is now negotiating with the FBI. The self-styled militias from around the Pacific Northwest were asked to leave, as those occupying the wildlife refuge did not want to inflame the situation even further. The leader of the occupation movement, Ammon Bundy, had not asked the armed men to come. "This was the last thing in the world they wanted to see happen," Todd MacFarlane, a Utah lawyer who is acting as a mediator, told the Oregonian, as cited by AP. He added that Bundy, who has his own group of around two dozen men, had "tried to put out the word: 'We don't need you.'"
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Comment: Perhaps there is hope for a quiet resolution to the situation. It's encouraging that the originators of the protest recognized the potential for escalation, and asked those elements to leave.
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My Fox Boston
2016-01-08 03:36:00
An explosion at Dow Chemical plant in northeastern Massachusetts injured four people and damaged part of the building Thursday afternoon. Firefighters, paramedics and police responded to the plant in North Andover at about 2:30 p.m. Several people were injured and rushed to the hospital. The State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said a chemical reacted with water in a lab in Dow Chemical, which caused the explosion. The chemical called Tri Methyl Aluminum is used to make electronics, things like circuit boards and LED lights. Fire officials say it's not the same chemical that exploded in 2013, killing a Dow worker at the same plant. What caused Thursday's reaction and explosion is unclear. Fire officials in North Andover say the town works closely with Dow and after an event like this is ready to help. Lt. Bone said, "One of the techs will meet us and give us guidance on what we are doing and dealing with." Coan said no nearby residents were in danger, but four employees received critical burns and shrapnel like wounds. The victims were rushed to the hospital.
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Comment: The explosion was so powerful that neighbors felt it blocks away. Kaela Henessey said"We heard a very loud boom and the house shook." See also: Massive blast rocks another chemical plant in China's Hunan province
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RT
2016-01-09 03:14:00
Baltimore native Keith Davis Jr. was shot in the face by police after an alleged attempted robbery in June 2015. But according to Davis' girlfriend Kelly Holsey, the evidence found at the scene supports neither the police's story nor the charges he faces. According to The Baltimore Sun, Police Officers Catherine Filippou and Lane Eskins received a call at 10:00am on June 7. Responding to a car accident, the officers were informed by an unlicensed cab driver, or hack, that he was being robbed. According to Baltimore City Paper, the police affidavit claims that Keith Davis Jr., 23, ran into a garage with his gun drawn and proceeded to point the weapon at police. When Davis entered the garage, police opened fire. By the time police finished shooting, they fired 44 bullets, three of which hit Davis - including once in his jaw. However, the version Davis gave to Holsey tells a very different story. First, Davis claims he did not rob the driver. Rather, he and a group of people were checking out a hit-and-run car accident when a police officer approached the crowd with his gun drawn. As Holsey explained to RT, "It wasn't [pointed at] Keith in specific, it was at the crowd." As a result, the crowd scattered. Davis and a group of others ran to seek shelter at a nearby auto garage. Davis was then shot in the arm and called Holsey. Holsey described hearing a "constant pop-pop-pop" while Davis told her, "Babe, I'm gonna die." The phone call ran for one minute and seven secondsbefore Kelly heard one last gunshot and the call dropped. Photos of Davis with his face badly wounded have circled around social media. Baltimore police claim that he told officers he would put his gun down if the officers would stop firing. The officers agreed and entered the garage to find him shot in the face and a .22 caliber gun nearby. | |
Comment: It's time for these thugs to cease being shielded and protected from their unjustified shootings, brutal beatings and killing. Enough already.
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RT
2016-01-09 03:23:00
Emails show that high-ranking officials in Michigan were aware of elevated lead levels in Flint's water six months before the state of emergency was declared. Calls are mounting for the governor to resign or face criminal charges. Internal emails, obtained by NBC News, were written by Governor Rick Snyder's former chief of staff, Dennis Muchmore, to the state health department saying he was frustrated by the water issue in Flint. "These folks are scared and worried about the health impacts and they are basically getting blown off by us (as a state we're just not sympathizing with their plight)," Muchmore wrote in the email,according to NBC News. "I really don't think people are getting the benefit of the doubt," Muchmore continued. "Now they are concerned and rightfully so about the lead level studies they are receiving." | |
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Andre Damon
World Socialist Web Site 2016-01-09 02:05:00
The jackpot in the US Powerball lottery has hit $800 million, since there were no winners in Wednesday's drawing. In the current round, which began on December 2, over 431 million tickets have been sold, a figure substantially larger than America's population. Go into any corner store in America and you will see workers of every age and race waiting in line to buy lottery tickets. With the current round, the lines are longer than ever. Americans spend over $70 billion on lottery tickets each year. In West Virginia, America's second-poorest state, the average person spent $658.46 on lottery tickets last year. Powerball players pick six random numbers when they purchase their tickets, with a certain percentage of sales going to the jackpot. If no winning ticket is sold, the jackpot rolls over to the next round. The totals for the Mega Millions and Powerball national lotteries have been growing every year. This year's jackpot has eclipsed 2012's record of $656.5 million, the $390 million payout in 2007 and the $363 million prize in 2000. The jackpots have grown in direct proportion to ticket sales. State-run gambling programs such as Powerball have been promoted by Democrats and Republicans alike as a solution to state budget shortfalls, even as the politicians slash taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals and gut social programs. From the standpoint of government revenue, lotteries and casinos are nothing more than a back-door regressive tax, soaking up money from the poor in proportion to the growth of social misery. The boom in lotteries is global. Lottery sales grew 9.9 percent worldwide in 2014, after growing 4.9 percent in 2013. Psychology Professor Kate Sweeny has noted that lottery sales grow when people feel a lack of control over their lives, particularly over their economic condition. "That feeling of self-control is very important to psychological well-being," Sweeny says. There is ample reason for American workers to feel they have no control over their lives. According a recent survey by Bankrate.com, more than half of Americans do not have enough cash to cover an unexpected expense of $500 or more—roughly the price of four name-brand tires. | |
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RT
2016-01-09 17:57:00
A massive fire broke out after a chemical plant exploded in the city of Lengshuijiang, in China's southeastern Hunan province, local media reports. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze, local media reported, adding that there were no casualties as a result of the incident. While there is no information available about the cause of the explosion, specialists are monitoring the air near the plant to check whether there has been any chemical contamination. Last year, China was hit by a wave of explosions rocking its industrial facilities. In December, a blast was reported at a pesticide plant in the city of Jilin in northeastern China. Authorities were forced to issue a warning to locals not to approach the plant. In November, an explosion was reported at a chemical factory in Fushun, also in northeastern China. While no casualties were reported during this incident, a previous blast in October at a civilian-use explosives factory in eastern China left two people injured and nine were reported missing.
Chemical plant exploded and was on fire in #Lengshuijiang city, S #China's #Hunan on Jan. 9. Rescue ongoing. pic.twitter.com/VtdGj0G89G— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) January 9, 2016
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Comment: There have been an extraordinary number of explosions at chemical plants in China recently.
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Sputnik
2016-01-10 01:09:00
New Jersey high school student Bethany Koval has gained thousands of followers in social media overnight following accusations of bullying over her pro-Palestine messages. The 16-year Israeli-American high school student with Jewish roots prompted public interest earlier this week after her anti-Israel tweets where she railed against the Netanyahu government's treatment with Palestine. Legality of her brave actions have been, however, put under consideration by Fair Lawn High School which she is attending after an alleged complaint by a classmate over the Christmas holiday. On Wednesday, school officials called Koval down to discuss her activity on the internet, she live tweeted updates to her account, later making it private. #IStand WithBenny went viral on Twitter as Koval's followers blamed the school administration and the large Jewish lobby in the US for reportedly calling her a terrorist sympathizer. | |
Comment: What an inspiring example of speaking truth to power, and what a fearless child - hopefully she'll receive the support she deserves. After all, what happens to this girl could happen to us all.
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WashingtonsBlog
2016-01-07 21:39:00
Widespread corruption destroys empires. By way of example, corruption was one of the main causes of the collapse of the Roman Empire: The Praetorian Guard—the emperor's personal bodyguards—assassinated and installed new sovereigns at will, and once even auctioned the spot off to the highest bidder [and see this]. The political rot also extended to the Roman Senate, which failed to temper the excesses of the emperors due to its own widespread corruption and incompetence. As the situation worsened, civic pride waned and many Roman citizens lost trust in their leadership.The Ottoman Empire started its decline when the sale of offices, bribery and corruption became widespread. Indeed: | |
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| Secret History |
No new articles.
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| Science & Technology |
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David L. Chandler
Phys.org 2016-01-07 22:07:00
Imagine if your clothing could, on demand, release just enough heat to keep you warm and cozy, allowing you to dial back on your thermostat settings and stay comfortable in a cooler room. Or, picture a car windshield that stores the sun's energy and then releases it as a burst of heat to melt away a layer of ice. According to a team of researchers at MIT, both scenarios may be possible before long, thanks to a new material that can store solar energy during the day and release it later as heat, whenever it's needed. This transparent polymer film could be applied to many different surfaces, such as window glass or clothing. Although the sun is a virtually inexhaustible source of energy, it's only available about half the time we need it—during daylight. For the sun to become a major power provider for human needs, there has to be an efficient way to save it up for use during nighttime and stormy days. Most such efforts have focused on storing and recovering solar energy in the form of electricity, but the new finding could provide a highly efficient method for storing the sun's energy through a chemical reaction and releasing it later as heat. The finding, by MIT professor Jeffrey Grossman, postdoc David Zhitomirsky, and graduate student Eugene Cho, is described in a paper in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. The key to enabling long-term, stable storage of solar heat, the team says, is to store it in the form of a chemical change rather than storing the heat itself. Whereas heat inevitably dissipates over time no matter how good the insulation around it, a chemical storage system can retain the energy indefinitely in a stable molecular configuration, until its release is triggered by a small jolt of heat (or light or electricity). | |
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| Earth Changes |
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Prensa Latina
2016-01-10 20:14:00
A four-magnitude earthquake in Richter's scale was felt in some regions in El Salvador on Sunday, especially in the department of Usulutan, 117 kilometers from this capital. The earth tremor was reported at 03:52 hours, local time, on Sunday, and its epicenter was located 10 kilometers deep, off the coast of that region. No material damage or human victims were reported. El Salvador is in a highly-seismic region due to the volcanic chain that is part of the Pacific fire belt, which runs along the country's territory. Another earthquake-generating source is a system of geological faults that run from northwest to southeast on Salvadorian territory. | |
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Brian Lada
Accuweather 2016-01-10 11:30:00
It has been a stormy week across California with several El Niño-enhanced storms slamming the state, resulting in widespread flooding and road closures. Southern California has been one of the areas hit the hardest by the train of storms with inches of rain falling in the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Diego.
"Drainage systems have been unable to handle the deluge, forcing partial closures of roads and major interstates, including Interstate 5," AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said. | ||
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wsls.com
2016-01-09 19:16:00
Grayson County Sheriff's office has confirmed the 15 month old child attacked by a dog has died. Officials said the child died last night. They have not released any more information at this time. According to the Grayson County Sheriff's Office, deputies, rescue personnel and Animal Control responded to a 911 call at 443 Penn Ford Road on Wednesday, January 6, around 9:30 p.m. When they arrived they met with the residents, John Underwood and Terra Connell. Underwood told investigators he woke up after hearing the screams of a 15-month-old child he and Connell were babysitting. Underwood said their Pit Bull mix "E.J." mauled the child and had the girl's head in its mouth. Underwood was bitten in the face while trying to stop the attack. The child was flown to Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where she remains in critical condition.
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ABC 10 News
2016-01-10 19:18:00
A large sinkhole developed near a seawall in the La Jolla Shores area Thursday morning after a series of storms pummeled the region. The 10-foot-wide sinkhole developed sometime before 5 a.m. at the bottom of Avenida De La Playa and Camino Del Oro, across from the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. Both city of San Diego and San Diego Gas & Electric crews were on scene working on repairs. SDG&E said it will have to build a new gas line to divert service in the area away from the hole. Because of the tide flowing in and the next storm coming Friday as well, city crews may not be able to start repairs until later this week.
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Redouan Bodauaou
You Tube 2016-01-06 18:15:00
Strange sounds in the air above the Netherlands.
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Sputnik
2016-01-10 17:52:00
The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Kamchatka erupted once again on Sunday, as the volcano's activity continues to grow, potentially leading to a major eruption. The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Kamchatka territory woke up on Sunday morning local time, releasing a plume seven kilometers up in the atmosphere, the Kamchatka Branch of the Russian Academy of Science's Geophysical Service said. | |
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RT
2016-01-10 14:09:00
A violent hailstorm has wreaked havoc in Johannesburg, South Africa, causing the roof of a shopping mall to collapse and local residents to take shelter in their homes. It's summer in South Africa, but dark clouds gathered over the African nation's largest city at around 3pm on Saturday, covering the streets with an unseasonable layer of snow and hailstones the size of golf balls.
— Nicole de Metz (@demetz_) January 9, 2016
Emergency services were called to the Key West Shopping Center in a town west of Johannesburg after the ceiling began to sag and disintegrate, the local Krugersdorp News reported. Amazingly, nobody was killed, but three people were injured. Pictures show how steel beams and debris caved in under the weight of heavy rain, the worst to hit the area in years. | |
Comment: Violent and freak hailstorms are being increasingly reported from around the world. A selection from the past few months include:
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Kirstie McCrum
Daily Mirror, UK 2016-01-09 14:26:00
This petrifying footage shows one driver's quick thinking when faced with a deluge of flood water heading his way. The video shows him driving along a empty road in the rain with no sign of any trouble. But within seconds, muddy brown floodwaters and debris comes rushing towards him in scenes straight out of a Hollywood movie. Thanks to some quick thinking, he throws the car smoothly into reverse and starts backing away from the danger at some speed.
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The Himalayan Times
2016-01-10 14:05:00
A fresh tremor of local magnitude 4.4 was felt in eastern Nepal on Saturday midnight. According to the National Seismological Centre, the light tremor was recorded at around 11:23:28 pm and it has been listed as an aftershock of the April 25 earthquake. The epicentre of the aftershock was in Ramechhap district, with the coordinates of the location 27.48°N, 86.01°E. The location lies around 15 kilometres northwest of the district headquarters, Manthali. With this, the NSC records show that as many as 424 significant aftershocks (of local magnitude 4.0 or above) have followed the devastating earthquake on April 25. Around 9,000 people were killed in the earthquake and its powerful May 12 aftershock in Nepal. Earlier on January 4 morning, tremors of the powerful earthquake that struck northeast India were felt in the eastern Nepal also. | |
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witn.com
2016-01-07 13:39:00
State biologists now say a record number of turtles were rescued earlier this week from our coast. In all, 600 cold-stunned turtles were caught in frigid waters near the shore, as they were not able to swim. The North Carolina Aquariums took in nearly 450 turtles, including the one at Pine Knoll Shores. Many of the turtles have made a quick recovery, but others need additional time and care before they can return to the ocean. State officials say about 200 of the turtles will be transported to South Carolina & Georgia beaches tomorrow where they will be released into warmer waters. The rest will stay here for a couple of weeks for rehabilitation. | |
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Wales Online
2016-01-10 11:11:00
'I've never seen anything like it,' says an eyewitness at the Tesco superstore A mini tornado swept through a supermarket car park with such force it turned a large online delivery van on its side, a man has claimed. Paul Boyce, who lives in Raven Hill, Swansea, told the Swansea Evening Post he was at Tesco in Fforestfach when he heard a loud bang. When he went outside, he claims he found the van overturned and the store front's Tesco Extra sign partially ripped off by the wind's strength. He said: "The noise was absolutely incredible. It was so loud. It was like a metal being ripped, and the wind was absolutely howling. I had no idea what it could be. "I saw the manager and he told me there had been a mini tornado that had touched down just outside. "I didn't believe him at first, but I went to have a look and I couldn't believe what I was seeing." | |
Comment: Other incidents of 'rare' UK tornadoes in the past year include: West Sussex,Northampton, Somerset, Newport and Northern Ireland.
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Aneeta Bhole
Daily Mail, UK 2016-01-08 13:16:00
A huge 1,000ft waterspout caused a storm on a popular beach after swirling around at incredibly high speeds - forcing a yacht to flee in a hurry. As a storm turned the sky grey this week, a wispy cloud emerged and began to swirl around and headed towards the water just off the coast of Bungan Beach, in the northern suburb of Sydney, Mona Vale. The freak occurrence - known as an intense columnar vortex - was spotted by a photographer as she glanced out of her window.
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Jessica Miller
Enid News & Eagle 2016-01-07 16:32:00
More than two dozen earthquakes have been recorded in northwest Oklahoma since Wednesday night. Four of the temblors measured magnitude 4.0 or stronger, and one was the strongest quake recorded in Oklahoma so far this year, according to U.S. Geological Survey records. Despite all the shaking, there have been no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The earthquake swarm began at 10:27 p.m. Wednesday with the strongest quakes — measuring magnitude 4.4 and 4.8 — 30 seconds apart at Waynoka, in Woods County. Over the next hour, those were followed by two quakes measuring 3.4 magnitude at Waynoka, and one 3.3 magnitude temblor in the Major County town of Cleo Springs. According to USGS, the 4.4 magnitude quake was 3 miles deep. It was originally reported to be 4.3 magnitude, but it was later upgraded to 4.7 before being downgraded again to 4.4 magnitude. The 4.8 magnitude quake was 3.7 miles deep. The other temblors were all about 3 miles deep. In the hours that followed, there were 12 magnitude 3.0 or greater temblors, and 11 measuring below magnitude 3.0. The two strongest quakes since Wednesday night both measured magnitude 4.0, and both were about 3 miles deep. The first, at 2:37 a.m. Thursday was recorded at Aline, in Alfalfa County. The second occurred at 1:59 p.m. Thursday in Waynoka. There were two other quakes less than 30 seconds apart in the swarm. A 3.0 magnitude temblor was recorded at 4:48 a.m. Thursday at Waynoka. It was 2 miles deep. A 3.5 magnitude quake followed 24 seconds later, within the same minute, at Waynoka. It was 3 miles deep. | |
Comment: See also:
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Rumble Viral
Youtube 2016-01-05 13:00:00
A waterspout is essentially a tornado over water, and in this case we manage to see one form and disappear right in front of us! Watch this natural phenomena travel across the ocean off the small fisherman town of Praia da Cova do Vapor in Costa da Caparica, 15 kilometers from Lisbon.
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Strange Sounds
2016-01-07 12:48:00
Dramatic lenticular clouds have been offered as an explanation for some UFO sightings. Well looking at this one in the sky of Sicily I don't blame ufologists. Mario Pappalardo captured these insane lenticular clouds at sunset on January 5, 2016 and published them on his Facebook page. Lenticular clouds in scientific jargon also known as Altocumulus lenticularis are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form in the troposphere.
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| Fire in the Sky |
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sittal
Youtube 2016-01-09 14:49:00
January 9, 2016 Meteor - Tulsa Oklahoma
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| Health & Wellness |
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Justin Gardner
The Free Thought Project 2016-01-10 19:10:00
Five years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was commissioned by Congress to undertake a study on the impacts of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on drinking water. This newer method of oil and gas extraction involves the pumping of highly pressurized water, sand and chemicals into underground rock formations. Fracking has driven the boom in U.S. oil production and contributed to the steep drop in gasoline prices, but the environmental impacts of this relatively new technique are not well understood. The EPA's draft study—released in June to solicit input from advisers and the public—found that fracking has already contaminated drinking water, stating in the report:
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