Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

What is ISIS? A U.S. smokescreen for regime change and war ops Madi Darius Nazemroaya Global Research 2015-11-04 12:56:00 Comment: Nazemroaya pretty much sums it up with this article. Just look at the Islamic State'slatest propaganda (warning: disturbing images). Remarkably, ISIS's goals seem to always match up with the U.S.'s goals: Assad must go, attack Russia. Funny, it was the same with al-Qaeda... Ahead of a meeting scheduled between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama and their speeches to the United Nations General Assembly in late September, the Russian President branded Washington's support for the insurgent forces in Syria as both illegal and ineffective in an interview with Charlie Rose for the U.S. CBS and PBS television networks. Aside from saying that U.S. support to the insurgents was a "provision of military support to illegal structures" that violates "the principles of modern international law and the United Nations Charter," Putin pointed out that the militants being trained and armed by the U.S. were actually joining the so-called Islamic State. Washington is fighting a multi-dimensional global war on several fronts using proxies. In Europe it is using the Ukrainian government and the European Union to confront the Russian Federation while in Arabia it is using Saudi Arabia and a group of Arab regimes to gain control over Yemen. In East Asia, the U.S. is using tensions between the People's Republic of China and its neighbours to confront Beijing. In this context South Korea is being used to confront the North Koreans as a means of ultimately targeting the Chinese. The so-called Islamic State or ISIL/ISIS is a creation of the U.S. It has been incubated by Washington as a proxy to wage the very same multi-dimensional war that has been described above. In fact, the U.S. military build-up in Iraq and Syria that the U.S. is leading is a smokescreen for regime change and war operations in Southwest Asia that target Syria, Iran, and their regional allies. The U.S. has been using parallel tracks of engaging these players while it continues to build-up the means for war and regime change. This is why mission creep is setting in and the U.S., along with Canada and France, has been bombing Syria and its infrastructure under the pretext of bombing ISIL/ISIS. The fact that the U.S. and its allies are engaging with Iran or Syria is only a repeat of the scenario of what happened to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; while the U.S. engaged with Muammar Qaddafi, it built-up the means for regime change against him. Moreover, it is precisely due to these regime change plans that Russia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria have setup a coordinating cell in Baghdad to fight the ISIL/ISIS and that the Russians are reinvigorating their military presence inside Syria.

Puppet Masters

What the media won't share about the new NDAA Derrick Broze Activist Post 2015-11-13 21:41:00 The annual military budget has been approved by U.S. lawmakers and is expected to be signed by President Obama, but what are we not being told? On Tuesday the U.S. Senate approved the latest version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2016. Voting 91 to 3 last week, the Senate approved the revised bill, which includes $607 billion in defense spending as well as $5 billion in cuts. The bill then passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Obama vetoed the previous version of the bill because it would have limited the transfer of detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to the United States. However, the new version of the bill retained provisions which will likely prevent Obama from keeping his promise to close Guantanamo. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he expects the president to sign the bill, stating, "That certainly does not reflect a change in our position, or the intensity of our position, about the need to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay."

Comment: Business, as usual, in the ongoing spread of freedom and democracy.

Another anti-Russian story: Media reports of Russian athletes' drug abuse about politics and propaganda, not sports equality Finian Cunningham Sputnik 2015-11-10 21:08:00 When Western news media react in unison to purvey some negative story about Russia - as they have done again this week - it has the telltale hallmark of a Pavlovian response. Somebody rings a bell and suddenly the Western media are salivating like well-trained hounds. This week the "story" was of alleged systematic drug abuse in Russia's sports. And the Western media are full of howling headlines impugning Russia for running a "state-sponsored" doping program among its athletes. The unverified findings have swiftly led to predictable calls for the Russian authorities to be sanctioned and even for its athletes to be banned from next year's Olympic Games in Brazil. This is trial-by-media with an unmistakable political agenda. A veritable show trial by the Western media based on no evidence, stacked up on allegations and prejudice.

Comment: As Finian notes, taking drugs to enhance athletic performance is rampant around the world. This is not about a country going rogue and doping their athletes. Every country has that problem, and probably none more so than the hypocritical US. This is clearly a political witch-hunt just like the FIFA corruption was, a bunch of propaganda aimed at demonizing and undermining Russia with the public.

No-fly zones and surface-to-air missiles: The US looks to be getting ready for war with Russia in Syria Finian Cunningham Strategic Culture Foundation 2015-11-13 20:13:00 As US Secretary of State John Kerry convenes with diplomats from Russia and other nations for a second round of political talks on the Syrian conflict in Vienna this weekend, it is becoming clear that Washington is gambling on a two-prong strategy. But the US gamble carries a grave risk of blowing up into a war with Russia. The New York Times reported this week: «For the first time in the four-year Syrian civil war, President Obama is beginning to execute a combined diplomatic and military approach to force President Bashar al-Assad to leave office and end the carnage». Forcing Syria's leader Assad «to leave office» is the key objective. That is, regime change. While «ending the carnage» is only a bit of public relations window-dressing.  The NY Times explains further what this combined diplomatic and military approach entails. «As 50 Special Operations [American] troops arrive in Syria to bolster the most effective opposition groups,the [Obama] administration is gambling that Secretary of State John Kerry will have more leverage to push Russia, Iran and other players toward two objectives: a cease-fire to limit the cycle of killing and the establishment of a timeline for a transition of power».

US and Israel rewrite history of UN resolution declaring Zionism is racism Ben Norton Mondoweiss 2015-11-13 19:47:00 "Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination," reads UN General Assembly Resolution 3379. The measure was adopted 40 years ago, on Nov. 10, 1975, and the majority of the international community backed it. 72 countries voted for the resolution, with just 35 opposed (and 32 abstentions). Although little-known in the US today (it is remarkable how effectively the US and its allies have rewritten history in their favor), UN GA Res. 3379, titled "Elimination of all forms of racial discrimination," made an indelible imprint on history. The geographic distribution of the vote was telling. The countries that voted against the resolution were primarily colonial powers and/or their allies. The countries that voted for it were overwhelmingly formerly colonized and anti-imperialist nations.

By targeting RT the Western 'elite' expose their deep loathing of real journalism Sputnik 2015-11-13 12:01:00 Charismatic Russian leader Vladimir Putin is mastering the world of media and public relations and "is without equal," an article in Observer read. According to the article, while US President Barack Obama is saber-rattling, Russia is sending in tanks and warplanes. Whether in 2013, when Moscow successfully pressured the US not to launch an offensive against Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, or in 2014, when Crimea reunited with Russia without any serious interference from the West, it is clear that in the world of media and PR Russian President Vladimir Putin "is without equal," Ronn Torossian, director of 5WPR PR agency, wrote in his article forObserver. According to him, the US now is not prepared to face-off against the former Soviet Union.

Comment: RT is a huge thorn in the side of the US imperialists. It's been broadcasting a message of truth concerning 9/11 and the West's many imperial machinations before and after. Obviously someone doesn't like that. For more examples of Russia's integrity, and how the West is reacting, check out: Full text and video of Vladimir Putin's speech at the 70th U.N. General Assembly Totally tasteless - European police 'target' Putin during firearm training McCain think tank goes after first amendment, wants to shut down RT to "knock Putin on his heels"

'Our guy Yats' presiding over Ukraine's economic disintegration Kenneth Rapoza Forbes 2015-11-12 18:27:00 Our guy Yats is failing miserably. As predicted. The government of Arseniy "Yats" Yatsenyuk now holds the coveted credit rating of D in the capital city Kyiv, which means a default on some of its foreign debt is now imminent. Major global fund managers Templeton Asset Management, holds billions of Ukrainian bonds. It is unclear who owns Kyiv debt. B It is unlikely Ukraine will be paying them back. On Thursday, Fitch Ratings lowered Kyiv's credit rating from triple C to D, the default rating. The national sovereign debt is still CCC-. The downgrade shows just how fragile the economic situation is in the country following nearly two years of political crisis. Kyiv failed to carry out payments on $250 million in eurobonds on Friday. Kyiv introduced a temporary moratorium on debt on November 6, 2015. The default includes another payment of $300 million, which the capital city will miss. Ukraine's government recently failed to convince Russia to restructure a $3 billion loan. The two former political and cultural allies have parted ways since the 2014 ousting of Russia friendly leader Viktor Yanukovych and the subsequent secession of Crimea, now part of Russia. Meanwhile, the nation's sovereign debt is in what Fitch calls "restricted default" after it missed a $500 million payment due Sept. 23. Ukraine's currency, the hryvnia, is down 30.9% year-to-date. It is currently surviving on European and IMF bailout packages. Kenneth Rapoza covers business and investing in emerging markets.

Comment: Russia is trying to force the West to play by its own rules. But psychopaths feel they can change rule whenever it suits them. Bloomberg source reveals Moscow may block IMF lending to Ukraine Ukraine to get new IMF loans despite inability to repay private lenders Hypocrites: IMF changes its rules so Ukraine can default on Russian debt with no penalties

French media claims CIA gave rebels weapons capable of downing Russian Airbus A321 Sputnik 2015-11-13 16:45:00 The CIA urged Turkey and Saudi Arabia to provide certain Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft weapons capable of shooting down airplanes, including high-flying passenger jets, Hildegard von Hessen am Rhein wrote for Boulevard Voltaire. The fact that Syrian rebels fighting against Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally, had CIA-sponsored weapons capable of downing a commercial airliner flying above 10,000 meters, makes a very uncomfortable situation for the US government amid the crash of the Airbus A321 operated by the Russian airliner Kogalymavia on October 31, the author said. "I really wonder how John Kerry can still look Sergei Lavrov straight in the eye during the [upcoming] talks on Syrian reconciliation in Vienna," Hildegard said, according to Boulevard Voltaire, adding that the United States treats Russia as if it was Honduras or Grenada.

Comment: What a tangled web of lies the West has woven. The West has, ever since the crash, been desperately and manipulatively pushing the narrative that terrorists are responsible for downing the Russian Airbus A321. Leaving aside the question of what really brought down the airplane, which is still being responsibly investigated, Russia has been proving to the world, through their intervention in Syria, that the US is directly responsible for most terrorist groups. So for, thinking peoples, the West has practically admitted to either directly, or indirectly, being responsible for the plane crash. Whether or not they are, and there is reason to suspect something very fishy occurred, what a tangled web of lies! Also see: Syria's civil war and the uprising against Assad was engineered in Washington What is ISIS? A U.S. smokescreen for regime change and war ops Say what? John Kerry blames Assad for creation of Islamic State

Today's battle progress In Iraq and Syria - jihadis getting whupped Moon over Alabama 2015-11-13 17:59:00 (Sorry for the lack of maps but as I am time constricted.) The fight against Islamic fundamentalist in Iraq and Syria rapidly progressed today. U.S. air support in Iraq and Russian air support in Syria enabled the various ground forces to take significant amounts of ground. Russia continues to build out its arsenal in Syria and may soon introduce more ground and air components. After several days preparations by U.S bombing 7,000 Kurdish and Yezidi forces today attacked the Islamic State from the Sinjar mountain range southwards towards Sinjar city. Sinjar is about 50 kilometers east of the border between Syria and Iraq. Just south of the city lies the important Highway 47 which is the main transport artery between Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. The attackers were supported on the ground by U.S. Forward Air Controllers who called in pinpoint airstrikes whenever the attack was held up. The operation succeeded faster than expected. The city is surrounded by YPG and Peshmerga forces and a wide stretch of the highway is now under Kurdish control. First units are breaking onto the city. The main problem are now snipers, mines and booby traps and the bloody phase in the city will take a while. Counterattacks on the highway are to be expected but are unlikely to succeed over the open land as long as the U.S. air force provides cover for the Kurds.

Comment: See here for visuals: South Front: Syrian Army taking back strategic areas from ISIS (VIDEOS)

America's debt serfdom: Spiraling household debt, mortgages, student loans and credit cards Liaquat Ali Kahn Huffington Post 2015-11-10 14:29:00 As of October 2015, American consumers owe $8.17 trillion in mortgages, $900 billion in credit cards, and $1.19 trillion in student loans. Home mortgages, credit cards, and student loans occupy the most of the consumer credit market. The consumer credit market is the dream paradise of money merchants, known as moneylenders. Just as pharma companies sell drugs to make money by way of profit, money merchants sell money to make money by way of interest. Note again, money merchants sell money to make money. They sell money to millions of American consumers needing to buy houses, cars, or home appliances. They sell money to millions of American students becoming physicians, lawyers, managers, as well as to college students. Big operators set up banks, brokerage houses, and credit unions. Small operators run payday loans and pawnshops. The rich and the wretched, the lord and the tenant, teachers and students, men and women, all this and all that, except the privileged few, are obligated, in one form or the other, to money merchants. Carrying debt has become a quintessential attribute of American life. And creditworthiness, the ability to borrow money, is the most valued personal asset an individual may garner. Credit monitoring companies gather information about an individual's "bill payment history, loans, current debt, and other financial information." Credit reports also inform money merchants where the individual works and lives and whether the individual has been "sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy." Losing creditworthiness can have more severe consequences for an individual than losing liberty, even body limbs. Interest rates ranging from 3% to 30% lie at the core of the credit market. After nullifying laws against usury, federal and state legislatures have rewarded money merchants with handsome legal names, such as creditors, mortgagees, card issuers, and secured parties. In turn, money merchants use various "credit products" to compose the ensemble of interest rates. They sell money for fixed periods with structured payments, such as a 30-years mortgage. They sell money as endlessly spinning Ixion wheels, known as credit cards. These credit spinning wheels could carry an interest rate over 30% for individuals with questionable credit. Occupying all nooks and crannies of American life, the money merchants have unbolted an ever-expanding credit juggernaut, much larger than equity markets. The Federal Reserve Board controls the interest-rate push button to modify the behavior of Pavlovian money merchants.

Comment: The situation is likely to deteriorate further with the capitalist system of 'profits for the few at the expense of the masses'. Why debt slavery destroyed Rome - and why its continued use in the West will lead to more destruction Americans ready to sell their organs to repay student loans Feudal America: How student loan debt is turning us into serfs

UK refuses to share all intelligence on A321's crash with Russian authorities Sputnik 2015-11-13 17:46:00 UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammonds said on Monday that the crash of the Russian A321 plane en route from Egypt's resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg could have been caused by a terrorist attack. The London authorities provided Moscow with a dossier of intelligence data about the A321 plane crash, but stated that the UK will not be able to reveal all the national intelligence information related to the tragedy.  The UK intelligence said that there was a bomb brought on the plane that caused the crash of the aircraft. The version was announced before the Russian and the Egyptian investigation into the catastrophe was completed.

Comment: The West is obviously using this opportunity to feed their 'terrorism agenda' - despite the fact that they are currently being exposed as the #1 source of terrorism in the world. Also see: What is ISIS? A U.S. smokescreen for regime change and war ops

Totally tasteless - European police 'target' Putin during firearm training Sputnik News 2015-11-13 17:57:00 In October, German magazine Das Deutsche Waffenjournal (DWJ), which positions itself as a magazine for gun owners, published an article about the fourteenth international firearm training for law enforcement officials. The training took place in one of the Austrian districts (Kennelbach near Bregenz) and was attended by 241 police and bodyguards from 5 countries: Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Monaco. DWJ also published a photo depicting figures of President Putin and his bodyguard as targets on a shooting stand. The figures revealed numerous traces of bullets.

Russian Sherlock Holmes: The case of Alexander Litvinenko - game-changing clues Harrison Koehli Sott.net 2015-11-13 17:14:00 The Western demonization of all things Russian didn't just start a year or two ago, as the Litvinenko affair makes clear. This documentary focuses on 3 aspects of the case that haven't been covered by Western media. That's convenient, given that they totally contradict the official story: that Andrey Lugovoy poisoned him with polonium at the Millennium Hotel in London on November 1, 2006. Here's what the documentary shows: A professional, internationally recognized English polygraph expert, Blake C. Burgess, administered a lie detector test to Andrey Lugovoy - he told the truth when denying he had anything to do with the death of Litvinenko. Princeton physicist William Happer, one-time nuclear forensics advisor for the U.S. government, demolishes anti-Russian writer Masha Gessen's claim that Russia was the only possible source for polonium, and Putin must have been the one who ordered its use to poison Litvinenko. Polonium is relatively easy to acquire and from countless sources. The owner of the Abracadabra Restaurant and Bar, where Litvinenko was a frequent patron, says Litvinenko was there in the week before the day he was supposedly poisoned. But polonium traces were found in the restaurant on Litvinenko's regular seat, the stair rail, and at reception. According to the official story, Litvinenko left the Millennium Hotel on Nov. 1, went home, got sick, stayed in bed for three days, then went to the hospital. If that was true, there shouldn't have been any polonium traces in the restaurant. The owner also said he never saw Lugovoy (or exiled Russian arch-criminal and oligarch Boris Berezovsky, an associate of Litvinenko with whom he had been in contact in the days before November 1) in his restaurant. Here's the video, courtesy of Russian Insider and The Russian Hour:

With Russian support, Syrian Army offensive is gaining momentum Aleksander Orlov New Eastern Outlook 2015-11-13 16:59:00 Throughout last week Russian airpower in Syria has been busy obliterating the positions of the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra and a number of other terrorist groups, while carrying out up to 65 sorties a day. The number of targets destroyed exceeds the 800 mark, including command centers, training camps, underground facilities, ammunition and explosives factories, pickups mounted with heavy machine guns, armored vehicles, and warehouses. According to Western military sources, at least 7,000 Islamist militants have been killed, including high-ranking officers. Officials confirmed the neutralization of at least three Islamist warlords that fell victims to airstrikes carried out by the Syrian Air Force. Among them was the leader of a Jabhan al-Nusra branch Saraya al-Tawhid wal-Jihad Abu Muaz al-Sham. Seven more deaths of prominent commanders of various terrorist groups closely affiliated with al-Qaeda were reported earlier this month. Those are Abu Ali al-Naimi and Ashraf Jamia al-Muhar (Harakat Ahrar al-Sham), Abu Muaz al-Shami (Jabhat al-Nusra), Saleh Sindh (Jaysh al-Islam), and Uqba Abu Ahmad (Livaa Umar al-Farooq). In the last week it has been officially reported for the first time that Russia's warplanes dropped highly accurate KAB-1500L bombs. These were specifically designed to destroy underground infrastructure. Another novelty that has been employed by the Russian Defense Ministry are BETAB-500s, concrete piercing bombs. Moreover, in a number of provinces in order to support the offensive of the Syrian pro-government forces, Russian is using gunships operating at low altitudes and high speeds to provide close air support to the Syrian army. In recent days, intense fighting has been reported in the majority of Syrian provinces, with jihadists trying to launch a counter-offensive in order to preserve their holdings. Nevertheless, on November 10, Syrian troops managed to break the three-year blockade of the Kwaires airbase near Aleppo. It's is now possible that Russia would redeploy a part of its air group there, namely ground attack helicopters.

Comment: Russia has learned from its history. You can be sure she has carefully calculated the extent she is willing to get involved in the Syrian crisis. Enough to give the Syrian Army the chance it needs, but definitely nowhere near approaching the 'quagmire' Washington is hoping for

Grandmaster Putin beats 'Mush for Brains' Uncle Sam at his own game Mike Whitney Counter Punch 2015-11-13 17:12:00 Imagine that you despised your brother-in-law and wanted to kill him. But you didn't have the guts to do it yourself so you hired a hit-man to do the job for you. Would you still be guilty of murder? You're darn right, you would be. So let's apply this same rule to US foreign policy: Would it be just as wrong to invade a country, kill its people and topple its government with militants that you funded, armed and trained as it would be with your own US troops? Yep, it sure would be. So while some people might think that it was smarter for Obama to use a proxy-army in Syria instead of US soldiers, morally or legally speaking, there's really no difference between what he did and what Bush did in Iraq. A US invasion is a US invasion. Period. It doesn't matter if you use for-hire killers or your own guys. It's all the same. Obama is just as guilty as Bush. Why does it matter? It matters because Obama's Syrian policy has resulted in the deaths of 250,000 people and created 11 million refugees. That's more refugees than Iraq. And the funny thing is, the media doesn't even talk about it, in fact, there's not one major media outlet in the entire country that has stated what everyone knows to be the obvious truth; that the United States is 100 percent responsible for the refugee crisis. 100 percent! Assad had nothing to do with it. US policy and our buck-passing president are entirely to blame. The point is, the Democrats pursue the same policies as the GOP with some minor-tweaking at the edges. So if the hard-charging, but dimwitted Republicans decide to drag the country to war on a pack of lies, then the shifty Dems will try to be smarter about it; they'll try to micromanage the public relations, preempt antiwar marches in US cities and avoid US casualties at all cost. Obama has succeeded in all of these things. There's nobody in the streets protesting, the media has convinced most people that Syria is in the throes of a civil war, and there have been no flag-draped coffins returning to Andover Airbase because their are no US boots on the ground. For all practical purposes, the Democrats have created our first completely invisible war. That's quite an accomplishment, don't you think?

Comment: A hat tip to Putin and his advisors who have navigated the situation in the Middle East brilliantly so far.

Get in line: Ashton Carter fires 3-star general over allegations of misconduct RT 2015-11-13 17:07:00 US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter sacked three-star general Ron Lewis after "learning about allegations of misconduct," the Pentagon announced. Carter hinted that his Senior Military Assistant failed to meet "the highest possible standards of conduct." "I directed that this matter be referred to the Inspector General of the Department of Defense for investigation. I have confidence in the Inspector General's ability to determine the facts. The Department of the Army will then take action as appropriate," the Pentagon chief said in a statement on Thursday. According to an unnamed senior Defense Department official cited by Reuters, Carter was did not see the misconduct allegations coming, which were announced on Tuesday evening. "The secretary was very surprised to learn of these allegations," the official said.

Comment: Since "misconduct" is rather rampant in the military, one wonders if this isn't about something else, like a message to the military brass to fall in line with the hawkish Ashton Carter over foreign policy decisions.

Society's Child

More Americans turn to squatting as the economy tanks Mac Slavo SHTFplan.com 2015-11-12 21:17:00 There have always been squatters, but the trend may be rising. And the growing clash of squatters and abandoned properties suggests a boom-bust housing disaster for the economy. The phenomenon was notable after the 2006 housing bubble popped, and has resurfaced in strikingly similar circumstances for many struggling Americans. News8 in Tampa reported on the caustic reaction by law enforcement to squatters it believes may be using a manual that has been published and sold on Amazon on strategies about how to squat, for those "willing to take the risk": Crooks find empty houses all over Tampa Bay and make themselves at home. And now, 8 On Your Side uncovered training manuals on the internet. They teach how to get away with squatting. The handbooks are brazen. A pamphlet for sale on Amazon for $61.20. An entry on Wiki-How entices tells squatters how to "take a whole house from someone if you're willing to take the risk." It points out the best areas to squat and even advises to spruce up the home to throw off suspicious neighbors.

Comment: If your only choice is to be exposed to the elements or take shelter in a perfectly intact home, which would you choose? Expect to see more of this as the American economy goes further down the toilet.

Report cites significant threat of explosive crude oil 'bomb trains' traveling across neglected US railways Candice Bernd Truthout 2015-11-13 13:48:00 With the White House's recent rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline, oil and gas energy analysts are already projecting a modest boost for the crude-by-rail business, despite the fact that US State Department officials indicated on November 6 that the extent to which railways may become a major form of transport for Canadian tar sands crude oil into the United States still "remains uncertain." But according to a new report out this week from Waterkeeper Alliance, ForestEthics and Riverkeeper, since 2008, oil train traffic has increased more than 5,000 percent along routes "leading from oil fields in central Canada, the Great Plains and the Rockies to refineries and crude oil hubs along our nation's coasts." The environmental advocacy groups' report describes the significant threat posed by explosive crude oil "bomb trains" traveling across aging and neglected US rail infrastructure.

Comment: While the US infrastructure has been crumbling for decades, there may be something rather suspicious linking a few of the recent oil train derailments that bears further consideration: Another Buffett-owned oil tanker train derails in Wisconsin one day after Obama kills Keystone XL pipeline

Watch out for cats! Five superstitions for Friday the 13th The Connexion 2015-11-13 19:02:00 It's the third and final Friday 13th of the year, but what superstitions are key to France? 1. AVOID CATS  In the past black cats were linked with witches and the devil and so it is still seen as unlucky when a black cat crosses your path in France. Records show that during the Middle Ages cats of all colours were so feared they were gathered together and burnt in villages and especially on Shrove Tuesday and the Fête de la Saint-Jean in June. Black cats in the UK, in contrast, bring good luck. The difference in outlook could be explained by the story that Napoleon saw a black cat before the battle of Waterloo, the outcome showing that it brought luck to the English and was a bad omen for the French. 2. DON'T CARRY CATS ACROSS WATER It is unlucky to cross a stream with a cat in your arms and the death of a cat will be followed by the death of someone under the same roof. 3. LOOK OUT FOR SNEEZING CATS  On a positive note, if a cat sneezes near a bride on her wedding day the marriage will be a happy one. 4. AS FOR DOGS... One French superstition, which many might feel difficult to avoid while walking in a town, is stepping in dog dirt. If the left foot is the unfortunate offender that is seemingly all right as it will bring you good luck, but if it is the right foot you are unlucky - in either case you have dog dirt on your shoe. 5. AND HORSES  Horseshoes above the door bring luck in France as in the UK, but many hang them with the points to the bottom, so that the luck and its protective powers will shower down on you.

Mafia hitman claims in prison interview to have been part of Mafia/CIA plot to assassinate JFK James Murray Express UK 2015-11-08 18:46:00 A Mafia hitman who claims to have fired the bullet that assassinated US President John F Kennedy is due to be freed from prison after 36 years next spring. James Files, 72, has been moved from a high-security jail to a less secure one in Illinois in preparation for his release. His extraordinary claims in a filmed prison interview have become an internet sensation since being put on the web by Dutch film-maker Wim Dankbaar. Now the CIA and other US secret agencies are bracing themselves for a fresh wave of conspiracy theories as Files identifies himself as the missing piece of the jigsaw in the Kennedy plot. Controversially, he says there was collusion between the Mafia and the CIA to kill 46-year-old Kennedy, claims which could lead to him being called to give testimony on oath in Washington.

Comment: James Files' claims are hardly new. He has been saying for quite a while that he was involved in the JFK assassination. The question is whether he is speaking out to muddy the waters, or was truly involved. Gerald Blaine and the Kennedy Detail - Was the Secret Service 'Stood Down' in Dallas? JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters Was JFK Killed Because of His Interest in Aliens? Secret Memo Shows President Demanded UFO Files 10 Days Before Death Confession: Jury verdict prove CIA killed JFK Who killed Kennedy: CIA, LBJ, or the Truly "Unspeakable"? SOTT Talk Radio: Hank Albarelli Interview - CIA Mind Control, Frank Olson and JFK

MIT student challenges Monsanto to prove there are safety standards for GMOs RT 2015-11-13 17:34:00 One of the world's largest GMO producers has been challenged by an MIT graduate who claims there are absolutely no GMO safety assessment standards. He earlier alleged that GMO-engineered plants accumulate high levels of formaldehyde. Livingston (New Jersey) High School Hall of Fame member, Dr. V A Shiva Ayyadurai threw down the gauntlet to the Monsanto Company, claiming it would be next to impossible for the agro-giant to disprove his claim that safety assessment standards for genetically-modified organisms (GMO) are nonexistent. "If Monsanto can disprove the fact that there are no safety assessment standards for GMOs, the conclusion of our fourth paper, then I will give them my $10 million building," Ayyadurai, also a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, told Patch.

Who has deported more people than any other US president? Obama Press TV 2015-11-13 01:32:00 President Barack Obama has "humanely" deported more immigrants than any US president in history, according to American writer and political activist Mickey Z.  The author of Occupy This Book and Occupy These Photos made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Friday while commenting on a statement by Obama who has denounced Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's plan to use a "deportation force" to deport millions of undocumented immigrants as unrealistic. "The notion that we're gonna deport 11, 12 million people from this country — first of all, I have no idea where Mr. Trump thinks the money's gonna come from," Obama said on Thursday in an interview with ABC News. "It would cost us hundreds of billions of dollars to execute that." Comment: A really good guess or he knows this personally because it has already been spent. "Imagine the images on the screen flashed around the world as we were dragging parents away from their children, and putting them in what, detention centers, and then systematically sending them out," he said."Nobody thinks that that is realistic. But more importantly, that's not who we are as Americans." Commenting to Press TV, Mickey Z. said, "What's most fascinating to me is the psychological manipulation at play here, because facts don't matter. We're trained to not bother ourselves with how much Trump's alleged plan might cost and to ignore the reality that Obama has 'humanely' deported more human beings than any US president in history," he added.

Comment: The devil you know...isn't much better than the one you don't!

Texas cops respond to suicide attempt by county deputy by killing him David Edwards Raw Story 2015-11-12 09:35:00 The mother of a Texas deputy said this week that Laredo police officers did not have a good reason to shoot and kill her son after they showed up at his apartment to respond to an attempted suicide. The Laredo Morning Times reported on Monday that two female officers responded to a suicide attempt at around 11 a.m. The department said that the officers opened fire after "repeated commands to the individual who was armed with a handgun." The man was identified as 25-year-old Cesar Cuellar, a Webb County sheriff's deputy. Cuellar's mother later told KGNS that officers overreacted. "Don't shoot, don't shoot, don't shoot, please, please, please. It's my son," the mother recalled telling the officers, according to a translation provided by the station. "Both of them were pointing at him. My son was like this with the gun pointed down, not saying a word. He was surprised, he was frozen. He didn't say a word. They had scared him." "They shot him, they shot him once and then it took a while and after another boom again. It wasn't continuous but my son never lifted his gun. Never," she insisted. "They shot him without having to, not one reason." The woman said that her son would not have justice until the Laredo officers had their "guns and badges taken away." In a statement, Laredo Police Chief Raymond Garner promised that there would be a full investigation into the case. "The Laredo Police Department respectfully sends the family, friends and colleagues of Mr. Cesar Cuellar Jr it's most sincerest condolences," Garner said. "The Laredo Police Department is committed to conducting a thorough investigation into this case."

Comment: People are 55 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a terrorist

How nonprofit hospitals scam the under and uninsured Lena H. Sun Washington Post 2015-11-13 15:37:00 A lot of people who don't have health insurance worry about getting hit with huge bills if they go to the hospital. Most consumers probably don't realize that many hospitals are supposed to let you know if you qualify for free or reduced-price care--and charge you fairly, even if you don't have insurance. But a recent study found that less than half of nonprofit hospitals surveyed were telling patients they could be eligible for charity care. There are nearly 3,000 community hospitals in the United States that qualify for tax-free nonprofit status. In return for that tax break—worth $25 billion in 2011 —hospitals are supposed tell the Internal Revenue Service each year how much care they write off for those who can't pay. Under the Affordable Care Act, hospitals are supposed to follow several rules, which take full effect next year.

Comment: Non-profit hospitals are suing poor patients and seizing their wages US: Study Finds Uninsured Trauma Patients Much More Likely To Die In ER

Colorado to vote on single-payer state health-care system David Olinger Denver Post 2015-11-09 14:49:00 Colorado voters will decide next year whether this state should be the first to pay for comprehensive health care for residents. Proponents of a single-payer state system gathered enough signatures to put ColoradoCare on the ballot, the secretary of state's office announced Monday. They needed 98,492 valid signatures to put a state-governed health care system to a vote. After reviewing a 5 percent sample of the 158,831 signatures submitted, the secretary of state projected that the valid total would be 110 percent of the number required — and certified that Initiative 20, the "State Health Care System," will be on the 2016 ballot. Residents would choose their own health care providers, but ColoradoCare would pay the bills.

US agrees to EU labeling guidelines for Israeli goods from illegal settlements Press TV 2015-11-13 01:25:00 The United States has backed a decision made by the European Union to label goods from the illegal Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian land. The US State Department on Thursday [said] it doesn't consider the new EU rule banning "Made in Israel" tags on goods produced in the occupied West Bank as a boycott of the Zionist regime. The European Commission "adopted this morning the Interpretative Notice on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967," Reuters quoted an EU official as saying on Wednesday. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) welcomed the EU rule. PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat referred to the decision as a "significant move toward a total boycott of Israeli settlements, which are built illegally on occupied Palestinian lands." The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the labeling "a politically motivated and unusual and discriminatory step, that [the European Union] learned from the world of boycotts," referring to theinternational movement of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, known as BDS. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Thursday that American officials "do not believe that labeling the origin of products is equivalent to a boycott. And as you know, we do not consider settlements to be part of Israel. We do not view labeling the origin of products as being from the settlements as a boycott of Israel," Toner added.

Comment: So here's the deal. If the settlements are not legitimately Israeli, then any labeling decision does not imply a boycott of Israel...sneaky semantics. US gets a half point for threading a needle. Unfortunately, this thimble-full message is about as leverage-flimsy as it gets, more a solidarity ploy for the EU and other Palestinian sympathizers. In turn, Israel will demand more US subsidy. Oh yeah, it just did...

Seven babies' bodies found in German town The Local 2015-11-13 13:47:00 The house where the bodies were found in the small town of Wallenfels in northern Bavaria is unremarkable in every way. A home-made butterfly is stuck to a window, reports The Süddesutche Zeitung (SZ). But the picture of tranquillity is deceptive.

Comment: Bodies of seven babies found in Utah house Massachusetts mother charged with murder after three dead babies found in home

Russia may launch probe into Facebook after Belgium surveillance disclosure RT 2015-11-13 13:20:00 A Russian nationalist MP has asked prosecutors to launch a probe into Facebook and other major social networks after a court in Brussels ruled Facebook must pay a daily fine of €250,000 for its cookie policy tracking non-users. On Monday, the Belgian court gave Facebook 48 hours to stop tracking the online activities of non-users in Belgium unless they have their explicit consent, or face a daily fine of €250,000. "If a surfer doesn't have their own Facebook account, Facebook from now on will have to explicitly solicit consent and provide the needed explanations," the Brussels court of first instance said. Facebook lawyers said they would appeal the ruling.

Comment: Belgium gives Facebook 48 hours to stop tracking non-users or pay €250K per day

Massive fire engulfs building site in heart of London's tech district Dina Spector Business Insider, UK 2015-11-12 09:48:00 A massive fire that broke out Thursday morning in the heart of London's Tech district is now under control, according to the London Fire brigade. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The fire, which broke out before 9 a.m, occurred in a six-storey building that's under demolition on Old Street, the fire department said. "Crews worked hard to contain this blaze and to stop it from spreading. The main fire was concentrated around the building's central lift shaft. This created a chimney effect, which is why smoke could be seen for miles around during the early stages of the incident," Station Manager Gareth Cook said in a statement. The blaze was under control by 10:15 a.m., after the first emergency calls started rolling in around 8:44 a.m. Eight fire engines and 58 firefighters were on the scene.

Comment: There was another huge fire in London the previous day: Blaze on London's Fleet Street near Goldman Sachs offices

Daughter gets 18 years for killing mom, texting corpse photo to dad Margaret Matray The Virginian-Pilot 2015-11-10 04:03:00 Susan Lee Hutson didn't think her daughter was serious when she lifted the shotgun. She told Rachel she was crazy, that she would tell her dad about this when he got home, Rachel Hutson testified. Then Hutson pulled the trigger.

Bizarre behaviour: Cop attacks woman in parked car, drags her by hair and punches her Jackson Marciana Counter Current 2015-11-12 20:20:00 Police officials in Oklahoma just acknowledged what eye-witnesses have said since Saturday morning: that a police officer attacked a woman inside of a parked car, brutally beating her. The Oklahoma City police say that now they are considering recommending charges against a Yukon police officer as a result of the assault. The police report, obtained by KOKO states that the innocent woman had reported the attack early on Saturday morning. The report tells us that witnesses observed 29-year-old Zachary Dean Bradford dragging the woman from her car. He was observed dragging her by her hair and then punching her. Strangely enough, Bradford then took off his shirt and tucked it in his pants. Right after that he left the scene of the attack. As for the woman, she told the responding officers that she did not know Bradford before being attacked by him. She was simply sitting in a vehicle and was talking to one of the witnesses of the attack. That's when Bradford came from a nearby home.

Comment: Police are walking time-bombs. No one can predict when they are going to go off.

Secret History

Massive tsunami devastated northwest Europe 8,150 years ago Richard Gray Daily Mail, UK 2015-11-13 19:56:00 It was a time when stone-age hunter gatherers were spreading across northern Europe and into Britain as the glaciers of the last ice age retreated. But just as these mesolithic tribes were settling in these newly uncovered areas a giant tsunami triggered by an underwater landslide off the coast of Norway devastated large parts of Europe. Waves of up to 65 feet (20 metres) are thought to have smashed into Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Scotland and parts of England's northern coastline. Scientists have now uncovered evidence that shows just how powerful these huge waves were and the huge area that they effected.

Science & Technology

New theory might tell us how galactic magnetic fields form Carrie Poppy Tech Times 2015-11-12 18:12:00 Physicists have figured out why we're all so attracted to stars. For the first time ever, physicists from Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (which they call PPPL, even though that's essentially just making a spitting noise) believe they have begun to understand how stars and galaxies form their magnetic fields. We already know how planets get their magnetic fields. It starts with swirling plasma-like liquids at the planet's core. Those churning liquids conduct electricity and create an electric charge. However, until now, the origin of magnetic fields around stars and galaxies (which are by definition areas that share a large magnetic field) has been a mystery.

Comment: The effects of magnetic fields on the body Galaxies' Mysterious Magnetic Fields Grew Up Fast Young Galaxies Have Surprisingly Strong Magnetic Fields: Contradicts Popular Theories Magnetic Field Exposures Found to Cause Biological Responses

New Horizons photo shows psychedelic colors of Pluto RT 2015-11-13 17:25:00 A newly-released photo of Pluto shows the dwarf planet like you've never seen it before - shining in a rainbow of vivid colors. Released by NASA, the 'Psychedelic Pluto' image is the latest in a series of photographs taken by the New Horizons spacecraft. According to NASA, scientists created the image using a technique called principal component analysis, which highlights the "many subtle color differences between Pluto's distinct regions." The exaggerated colors make it easy for scientists to determine the varied texture and composition of Pluto's surface. The original photo was taken by the Ralph/MVIC color camera on the New Horizons spacecraft during its historic flyby of the dwarf planet in mid-July. It was snapped from a range of 22,000 miles. This is just the latest in a string of photos released from the flyby. Last month, an image was released showing the dwarf planet's crescent. Other photos released in October showed Pluto's tiniest moon, which measures just five miles across, and its largest moon,Charon.

NASA announces discovery of new pulsar in faraway galaxy RT 2015-11-13 17:18:00 Space-watchers have a lot of news to digest after the discoveries of a new pulsar in a faraway galaxy. A Venus-like exoplanet was also spotted, a mere 39 light-years away, and a rocky dwarf planet in our own solar system. NASA announced on Thursday that its Fermi space telescope has found a gamma-ray pulsar in another galaxy. Dubbed PSR J0540-6919, the rapidly spinning neutron star lies outside the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy about 163,000 light-years away. "It's now clear that a single pulsar... is responsible for roughly half of the gamma-ray brightness we originally thought came from the nebula," said Pierrick Martin, an astrophysicist at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Toulouse, France, and lead researcher on the project. "That is a genuine surprise." Pulsars are neutron stars, left over from supernova explosions. The rapidly spinning magnetic field of the extremely dense star core sends out beams of radio waves, visible light, X-rays and gamma rays. J0540 spins just under 20 times per second, according to data obtained by the Fermi probe.

10x sharper than Hubble: Giant Magellan telescope being built in Chile's Atacama Desert Press TV 2015-11-12 03:01:00 The most powerful ground-based telescope in the world is being built in Chile, enabling astronomers to take pictures of the deep space ten times sharper than those delivered by the Hubble Space Telescope. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) was held on a remote mountaintop in northern Chile on Wednesday with prominent scientists, top officials, and supporters from an international consortium of universities and research institutions in attendance. Chilean President Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria also took part in the ceremony, hosted by the 11-member consortium of the GMT. The new astronomical facility, expected to begin its early stargazing in 2021, will be constructed on-site at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert, known for its clear, dark skies and outstanding astronomical image clarity. The unique design of the $500-million optical marvel employs seven huge mirrors, each 8.4 meters (27.5 feet) wide, to make a single telescope with a resolving power of a telescope with a 24.5-meter primary mirror system and a collecting area equivalent to a 22-meter (72.2 ft) telescope -- about 368 square meters (3,961 square ft). "The Giant Magellan Telescope will revolutionize our view and understanding of the universe, and allow us to see and study objects whose light has been traveling for over 13 billion years to reach us.

Comment: Going "beyond" seeing.

Why science needs metaphysics: It doesn't make sense without it Michael Egnor Evolution News and Views 2015-11-04 13:17:00 Over the past couple of days I have been commenting on the modern debate about philosophy of the mind (see here and here). What follows are some thoughts on scientific versus philosophical discussions of the mind and other matters. I was at a conference recently and was asked by friends who are quite sympathetic to the immaterial understanding of the mind if I could discuss some of the scientific evidence for it and not rely as heavily as I otherwise do on philosophical reasoning. It's an understandable request, and one that I hear often from allies and adversaries alike. Indeed there is much scientific evidence that the mind cannot be explained adequately in material terms, especially if one understands matter according to modern mechanical philosophy. I have an aversion to the use of scientific arguments to bolster claims that are inherently logical and metaphysical. Such recourse to scientific, rather than logical and metaphysical, arguments are the mainstay of materialist arguments about the mind, about biology, and about many aspects of physics. The difficulty with using raw scientific evidence, untethered from a valid metaphysical framework, is that it gives free reign to ideological bias. In that sense our metaphysical framework -- whether explicit or implicit -- is analogous to train tracks, where the trains are our scientific investigations, and the destination is the truth. Our scientific investigations are restricted to the tracks that the trains run on, and if we are to understand the truth of our science we must understand the tracks that constrain our work. If our metaphysical framework is materialistic, the destination of our inquiries will always be materialistic -- we can do no other.

Comment: Science cannot work without certain metaphysical principles, such as the existence and validity of reason and logic, and the existence of truth. These are what make one theory better or worse than another, e.g. more consistent with the facts and non-contradictory. Scientific theories need to measure up to some kind of non-physical standard. But if a scientific philosophy cannot allow for the existence of such a standard, it has no legs to stand on. Without good metaphysics, good science can't exist.

Main-belt asteroid shows evidence of March collision Phys.org 2015-11-12 00:00:00 The main-belt asteroid (493) Griseldis was probably hit by another object last March. The results were reported on November 12 at the annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society near Washington, DC. Observations taken with the 8-meter Subaru Telescope on Maunakea on 17 March 2015 UT showed that the main-belt asteroid (493) Griseldis had "an extended feature," which is astronomer-speak for a tail. However, unlike the tails of comets, which flow in the direction opposite from the sun due to the solar wind, the extension on Griseldis was not in the antisolar direction, and the extension proved to be a short-lived phenomenon. Additional observations taken with the 6.5-m Magellan telescope four nights later still detected the extension, though it was weaker, but exposures taken with the 2.2-meter University of Hawaii telescope on 24 March UT or Magellan on 18 April UT and 21 May UT showed no such feature, nor did images from telescope archives taken in 2010 and 2012.

"Spooky action at a distance" is really real ScienceDaily 2015-11-12 00:00:00 Einstein was wrong about at least one thing: There are, in fact, "spooky actions at a distance," as now proven by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Einstein used that term to refer to quantum mechanics, which describes the curious behavior of the smallest particles of matter and light. He was referring, specifically, to entanglement, the idea that two physically separated particles can have correlated properties, with values that are uncertain until they are measured. Einstein was dubious, and until now, researchers have been unable to support it with near-total confidence. As described in a paper posted online and submitted to Physical Review Letters (PRL), researchers from NIST and several other institutions created pairs of identical light particles, or photons, and sent them to two different locations to be measured. Researchers showed the measured results not only were correlated, but also--by eliminating all other known options--that these correlations cannot be caused by the locally controlled, "realistic" universe Einstein thought we lived in. This implies a different explanation such as entanglement.

5400mph winds discovered hurtling around planet outside solar system ScienceDaily 2015-11-13 00:00:00 Winds of over 2km per second have been discovered flowing around planet outside of the Earth's solar system, new research has found. The University of Warwick discovery is the first time that a weather system on a planet outside of Earth's solar system has been directly measured and mapped. The wind speed recorded is 20x greater than the fastest ever known on earth, where it would be seven times the speed of sound. Commenting on the discovery lead researcher Tom Louden, of the University of Warwick's Astrophysics group, said: "This is the first ever weather map from outside of our solar system. Whilst we have previously known of wind on exoplanets, we have never before been able to directly measure and map a weather system."

Ancient mass extinction led to dominance of tiny fish, paleontologist shows ScienceDaily 2015-11-12 00:00:00 When times are good, it pays to be the big fish in the sea; in the aftermath of disaster, however, smaller is better. According to new research led by the University of Pennsylvania's Lauren Sallan, a mass extinction 359 million years ago known as the Hangenberg event triggered a drastic and lasting transformation of Earth's vertebrate community. Beforehand, large creatures were the norm, but, for at least 40 million years following the die-off, the oceans were dominated by markedly smaller fish. "Rather than having this thriving ecosystem of large things, you may have one gigantic relic, but otherwise everything is the size of a sardine," said Sallan, an assistant professor in Penn's Department of Earth and Environmental Science in the School of Arts & Sciences. The finding, which suggests that small, fast-reproducing fish possessed an evolutionary advantage over larger animals in the disturbed, post-extinction environment, may have implications for trends we see in modern species today, such as in fish populations, many of which are crashing due to overfishing. The research is reported in Science.

New species of duckbilled dinosaur neatly fills an evolutionary gap ScienceDaily 2015-11-12 00:00:00 A previously undiscovered dinosaur species, first uncovered and documented by an adjunct professor at Montana State University, showcases an evolutionary transition from an earlier duckbilled species to that group's descendants, according to a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE. The paper was written by that professor, Elizabeth Freedman Fowler, and her mentor, MSU paleontologist Jack Horner, Montana University System Regents Professor and curator of paleontology at MSU's Museum of the Rockies. Their findings highlight how the new species of duckbilled dinosaur neatly fills a gap that had existed between an ancestral form with no crest and a descendant with a larger crest, providing key insight into the evolution of elaborate display structures in these gigantic extinct herbivores. "It is really gratifying to see Dr. Freedman Fowler's work, which is essentially her dissertation, published in PLOS ONE," Horner said. "It is confirmation that she is an excellent paleontologist, helping further cement MSU's reputation for offering graduate students a chance to be part of something extraordinary." In their paper, Freedman Fowler and Horner named the dinosaur Probrachylophosaurus bergeiand suggest it is a previously missing link between a preceding species, Acristavus, which lived about 81 million years ago, and later form Brachylophosaurus, which lived about 77.5 million years ago.

Earth Changes

Big M7.0 earthquake hits 159km WSW of Makurazaki, Japan USGS 2015-11-13 21:09:00 A powerful earthquake has reportedly struck off the southwestern coast of Japan, near Satsuma. The Japanese Meteorological Agency has reportedly issued a tsunami advisory following the 7.0 quake. The US Geological Survey measured the quake as a magnitude 7.1.

Potentially catastrophic earthquake in Siberia could rip Eurasian continent in half Selina Sykes Express UK 2015-11-06 18:39:00 A wave of unusual seismic activity has prompted fears that a catastrophic earthquake could be on its way to Siberia which could tear Europe and Asia apart. Scientists have predicted the earthquake could cause widespread devastation after more than 50 major tremors have been recorded around the north of Lake Baikal - the world's deepest lake. Many scientists believe the constant activity in the region will eventually lead to the entire Eurasia continent being ripped in half. The tremors have varied in magnitude from 3.0 to 5.0 on the Richter Scale. Experts from around the world have been monitoring the situation, with some warning the whole Baikal rift zone in Siberia is going through a phase of rising tectonic activity.  Such activity can take place every 50 to 60 years according to scientists, with a quake potentially having a disastrous impact on towns and cities in the area. Experts have even speculated that the constant seismic activity will lead the Eurasian land mass being torn in two at Baikal in 650million years.

Severe weather system sweeps through U.S. Plains, Midwest spawning multiple tornadoes, power outages, wildfires Sean Breslin Weather Underground 2015-11-13 00:00:00 A powerful low-pressure system swept through the Midwest, spawning severe thunderstorms and high winds. Several tornadoes were reported in Iowa, which was among numerous states reporting damage from the fast-moving system. The Wednesday evening event qualified as a derecho, according to Stu Ostro, Senior Director of Weather Communications at The Weather Channel. The storms "met the criteria for length and concentration of the swath of wind damage reports," said Ostro. "This fit more into the 'serial' derecho type of classification than a 'progressive' derecho." Here are the latest impacts from each state affected by this round of severe weather.

Flooding death toll rises to 48 in Tamil Nadu, India The Quint 2015-11-13 15:35:00 Schools and colleges in Chennai will remain shut on Friday as the MeT has predicted heavy rainfall.The flood situation has already claimed the lives of 48 people in Tamil Nadu.  The MeT office forecast another spell of heavy showers in the next week, following the formation of a new low-pressure trough. The maximum number of deaths have been reported from Cuddalore. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa offered her condolences to the families of the victims who perished in flood waters and announced a sum of Rs 4 lakh to the berieved families as assistance from the Disaster Relief Fund. "A new trough of low pressure has formed in South Andaman Sea. It is expected to develop into a low pressure in South Eastern Bay of Bengal on 14 November," Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Chennai Director S R Ramanan told reporters.

15 die in fresh heavy flooding across Iran Press TV 2015-11-12 15:09:00 Floods cause by unprecedented rainfall across Iran have left at least 15 people dead, Iranian media say. According to reports on Thursday, 13 people were confirmed dead after flash floods, triggered by torrential rains, hit various areas in the southernmost province of Hormozgan. The provincial governor, Jasem Jaderi, said the fatalities included a family of five who were driving in a car, and another one who died in a separate incident in the town of Rudan, about 100 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Bandar Abbas. One person was also killed in the nearby town of Minab while another lost his life in Bandar Abbas. He said another five drowned while sailing a wooden ferry near the resort island of Kish.

Ground gives way under 8 houses in Ceiba, Puerto Rico Strange Sounds 2015-11-12 14:14:00 Eight houses are on the edge of a 20-feet hole as the ground collapsed just in front of them. The dangerous landslide that even destroyed the wall of containment has occurred on November 9, 2015, at night and hasn't been secured yet. Luckily, only two families were sleeping in their homes since the state agency for emergency management and administration of disasters ( Aemead) had given orders of eviction last Monday. This ground instability isn't new. These houses are suffering for more than one year from cracks and land movements. But it is only on November 6, 2015 that the sidewalks began to collapse and the streets to crack. And here a first video of this terrifying geological event:

Apocalyptic weather: Gigantic hailstones pound Conscripto Bernard in Argentina Strange Sounds 2015-11-12 13:45:00 An apocalyptic hailstorm hit Conscripto Bernardi in Argentina on November 9, 2015. On average, the stones were the size of a tennis ball or an orange. Some were measuring more than 15 centimeters in diameter. Insane... The extreme storm hit the city of Conscripto Bernardi in the late afternoon hours on Monday. The strong winds accompanied by rain and large hail, affected several homes, shattered roofs, broke window panes, shop windows and cut off most of the electrical, telephone and cable service.

Man bitten by alligator while gardening in Lake County, Florida kirotv.com 2015-11-11 13:27:00 A man was taken to the hospital Wednesday after being bitten by an alligator in Lake County, fire officials said. William Bechard, 68, was bitten on the arm. He was taken to Florida Hospital Waterman and released Wednesday night. Bechard was attacked while pulling weeds outside his home, which is on a canal on Lynn Circle in Tavares. Bechard said he is shaken up by the incident, but won't let that stop him from going near the water. "I was pulling out the weeds and all I (felt) was pressure. No splash, no nothing, and I got up like this and it splashed right here," he said.

Comment: See also these other recent reports: Alligator killed swimmer in Blue Spring, Florida; medical examiner confirms Alligator rips off woman's arm near Wekiva Island, Florida Father, grandfather rescue boy from alligator attack at Lake Charlotte, Texas Alligator kills man swimming at marina in Orange, Texas 400 pound alligator attacks 9-year-old boy, Florida

Fire power: Hill in Wyoming ablaze within seconds threatening dozens of homes RT 2015-11-13 07:00:00 A video posted on YouTube shows a fire racing up a hill, turning it from pale yellow to charred black in a matter of seconds. The unbelievable speedy blaze put 30 to 50 homes in danger and triggered evacuation warnings. Around 30 acres of land were affected by the fire, but luckily no one was injured and neither did any homes burn down in Dead Horse Hill in Casper, Wyoming. "Oh my God. It's so scary. It's crazy!" you can hear someone say on the clip.

Comment: All over the world we are witnessing extensive wildfires, which in some regions have been described as "unprecedented". The National Interagency Fire Center has described the 2015 wildfire season in the United States as a record breaker. A record 52 percent of the U.S. Forest Service's budget was dedicated to fighting wildfires this year, compared to 16 percent in 1995. Two massive wildfires that burned up parts of Northern California did nearly $2 billion in damage according to one insurance company. Could some of these wildfires have been fueled from outgassing, then possibly 'sparked' by an increase in atmospheric electric discharge events, such as lightning strikes and other 'cosmic' ignition sources? See also: Study: Wildfire seasons are more destructive and lasting longer almost everywhere on Earth

The Arctic is unaware of global warming: Sea ice and snow cover reaches highest extent of the last eleven years Translated & edited by P Gosselin No Tricks Zone 2015-11-08 22:28:00 With an ice extent of 8 million square kilometers at the start of November, the Arctic has reached the highest sea ice extent of the last eleven years. A chart (above) from the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) clearly shows the highest extent for sea ice cover with 30% or more ice on 7 November 2015. This chart comes as no surprise for those who have been monitoring the weather and ice developments in the North Atlantic and Greenland. The net growth of the Greenland ice sheet, which surely is a surprise for many, saw an increase in October of approximately 200 km³ (200 billion cubic meters) since September 1, 2015, i.e. in just 2 months:

Comment: The once high hyped canary-in-the-coal mine Arctic is just not getting much attention from the alarmists this year - because it is doing the very opposite of what they predicted!

Fire in the Sky

No new articles.

Health & Wellness

WHO furthering depopulation agenda? Declares contraceptive safe despite its numerous adverse side effects Betsy Hartmann Truthout 2015-11-12 00:00:00 The controversy that has been swirling since late October around the World Health Organization's (WHO) sudden about-face on the safety of the Depo-Provera injectable contraceptive is a mystery begging to be solved. Countries rely on the WHO to give impartial advice on the safety of medicines. The expectation is that the agency will carefully scrutinize the available scientific evidence for and against a drug before it makes a policy recommendation, but in the case of Depo-Provera, the WHO appears to be forsaking science for the sake of special interests. Depo-Provera has long been the subject of scientific debate. Produced by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, the progestin-only hormonal shot is given to women at three month intervals. While it's highly effective in preventing pregnancy, Depo-Provera has a number of troubling side effects. These include prolonged and irregular bleeding, suppression of immune response, loss of bone mineral density in young women, significant weight gain, depression and loss of libido. Many women discontinue use because of these side effects. There are clear racial disparities in how Depo-Provera has been promoted. In the US, family planning providers mainly give it to young women of color. Globally, sub-Saharan Africa is a primary target. For more than 25 years, scientific studies have provided compelling evidence that Depo-Provera significantly increases the risk of women and their partners becoming infected with HIV. A growing number of contraceptive researchers and epidemiologists now question the wisdomof promoting Depo-Provera, especially in places with a high HIV/AIDS incidence. A petition currently before the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requests that a warning about possible HIV risk be added to prescribing information about Depo-Provera. In South Africa, where about one-third of young women are HIV-positive, the government is taking steps to phase out Depo-Provera from its national family planning program.

Comment: As the second largest donor to the WHO, The Gates Foundation undoubtedly has a huge influence on the organization's decisions. Given that Bill Gates has been linked with global population reduction efforts, it's not difficult to see this decision as furthering the eugenics depopulation experiment. Pathological new world: Bill Gates' "temporary" sterilization microchip in beta female testing by end of year The Kenyan Tetanus Shot: Vaccine conspiracy or racist population control campaign? Big owner of Monsanto shares: Does Bill Gates want population control? Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: "Vaccines reduce population growth" Bill Gates and the Re-Colonization of Africa

The role of the shaman versus the psychiatrist Dylan Charles. The Mind Unleashed 2015-11-10 18:21:00 Medicine healers would be appalled at how we approach mental health in our culture. Nowhere is the disconnect between science and spirit felt more intimately than in matters of mental health. We can speak empirically on this by saying things like, "America spends over $113 billion a year on mental health treatment," or "depression affects over 14.8 million adults," but, cold data marginalizes actual human experience, so if you're suffering, this doesn't really help much. The statistical view does, however, tell us that mental illness is epidemic in our culture, that an enormous economy has risen around the mainstream medical approaches to treating mental illness, and that this industry does not appear to be effective in reversing the growing epidemic of mental illness.

Comment: See more: Face life with Éiriú Eolas, a stress relief program The fascinating ways meditation transforms your brain - and why it makes you feel better

AMA admits medical over-diagnosis, over-treatment is common and causing more harm than benefit Sayer Ji GreenMedInfo 2015-11-10 01:15:00 What if millions of medical diagnoses, procedures, and treatments were based on, at best, questionable scientific evidence, but still performed daily, the world over, in the name of saving patients lives or reducing their suffering? A new JAMA review indicates this may be exactly what is happening. A concerning new review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association online ahead of print on the topic of overuse of medical care, i.e., health care for which "risk of harm exceeds its potential for benefit," finds that many commonly employed medical procedures, to which millions are subjected to each year, are based on questionable if not also, in some cases, non-existent evidence. According to the review, which was co-authored by researchers from some of the country's most esteemed medical institutions, medical overuse can also be defined as a health care practice that patients would forego consenting to if fully informed. They elaborate further on the definition of medical overuse: [Medical] Overuse encompasses overdiagnosis, which occurs when "individuals are diagnosed with conditions that will never cause symptoms," and overtreatment, which is treatment targeting overdiagnosed disease or from which there is minimal or no benefit."

Comment: Good Medicine: Do as much nothing as possible Our medical industry and corrupted data: The Cancer media war for your mind and body Overdiagnosis as a Flaw in Health Care Study reveals cancer screening does not save lives

World's largest honey bee, the Himalayan Cliff Bee produces rare honey Time Wheel 2015-11-13 01:51:00 Near the peaks of the Himalayan Mountains, a harsh region in which no human settlements are found, lives the world's largest honey bee, the Himalayan Cliff Bee which can grow as large as three centimeters in length. The red honey produced by these bees is unlike any honey you'd find on a supermarket shelf as it possesses fascinating psychoactive properties that are prized by the locals of Nepal and China for its ability to help those with diabetes, poor sexual performance, hypertension, and more.

Three ways hair analysis can be more accurate than blood tests Karen Foster Prevent Disease 2015-11-12 22:18:00 Hair is very important biomaterial within our bodies and primarily composed of protein, notably keratin. Cosmetically it gives many the perception of beauty, identity and also happens to be a multibillion-dollar industry. But hair in all its variability, also has the ability to mirror our metabolic system and give us incredible insight into our health. On a healthy head, 80 to 90 percent of the hair follicles are in the anagen phase where the hair is actively growing, and materials are deposited in the hair shaft by cells found in the follicle. It is during this phase where hair can tell us a great deal about our body. During the telogen phase, the hair is anchored in the follicle only by the root, which is club-shaped. The germ cells below the club-shaped root will give rise to the next generation of an anagen hair. 10 to 18 percent of hair follicles are in the telogen phase. Once the hair reaches this phase, the follicles have achieved a mature, stable stage of quiescence.

Science of the Spirit

Tell-tale signs that you are in a relationship with a narcissist Julie Ann Hart SelfGrowth.com 2015-11-13 00:00:00 A Narcissist is someone who after taking the trash out gives the impression he just cleaned the whole house" Have you ever got the sense that your partner thinks he/she is generally superior to you, or more entitled to things than you are? Does he/she find a host of ways to devalue you or ignore you? Does he/she try to control you? If so, you may be living with a Narcissist. If you are in a relationship with a Narcissist, it will be a one-way relationship, as he/she is particularly self- absorbed. Narcissism is considered a spectrum Disorder, which means that there are degrees of manifestation of the characteristics, so a person could have a couple of Narcissistic traits, or have many and be considered to have a full blown Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as defined in the DSMIV, or sit anywhere in between.

Comment: Trying to maintain a relationship with a narcissist is exhausting and futile. The best way to protect yourself from the depredations of narcissists is to learn how to spot them before you become entangled. Learning how to set healthy boundaries by being able to say No to their outrageous demands will make you unpopular with these types of people and could help you escape from a toxic relationship. How to tell if you were raised by a narcissist Hurting you isn't something narcissists do by accident You can never win in a relationship with a narcissist Are you an introvert or just a covert narcissist?

The psychology of death Steve Taylor Interdisciplinary Psychology 2015-10-30 17:16:00 We all have to face it at some point; an event of such enormity that it can make everything else in our lives seem insignificant: death, the end of our existence; our departure from this world. We live in a culture that denies death. We're taught that death is something we should shy away from, and try to forget about. If we start contemplating our own mortality - so this traditional wisdom goes - we'll become anxious and depressed. And there's no doubt that this is often the case. In psychology, Terror Management Theory suggests that a large part of all human behaviour is generated by unconscious fear of death. This fear generates a fundamental anxiety and unease, which we try to offset with behaviour such as status-seeking or strongly defending the values of our culture. We feel threatened by death and so seek security and significance to defend ourselves against it. Studies have shown, for example, that when people are made more aware of their own mortality, they tend to become more nationalistic and tribal and more materialistic.

Comment: Mindfulness, Living in the Now, and the Last Hour of Life: A Grudge Match between Humanity and Death - Who Wins? What good is thinking about death?

The stark lack of wisdom in the age of information Michael Welton Counterpunch 2015-11-13 00:00:00 The US National Geographic Society published a survey of geographic literacy. This international survey of young people in the US and either other countries—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, and Britain—asked 56 questions about geography and current events. The organization's survey discovered that about 87% of Americans, aged 18 to 24, the prime age for military service, could not place Iraq on the map. Americans could find on average only seven of the 16 countries in the quiz. Only 71% of the surveyed Americans could locate the Pacific Ocean, the world's largest body of water. John Farley, president of the National Geographic Society, thought that these results reflect something deeper than lack of geographic knowledge. He referred to the "apparent retreat of young people from a global society in an era that does not allow such luxury." This survey occurred over 10 years ago. Fahey said that this "generation is highly skilled in what they want to block out and what they want to know." "Unfortunately, the things they block out seems to include knowledge of the world we all live in." One can also assume that the inability to locate Iraq on a world map means that these students know next to nothing about Middle Eastern culture and politics or anything much about Islam.

Comment: wis·domˈwizdəm/noun the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise. synonyms: sagacity, intelligence, sense, common sense, shrewdness, astuteness,smartness, judiciousness, judgment,prudence, circumspection; More the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment." some questioned the wisdom of building the dam so close to an active volcano" synonyms: sagacity, intelligence, sense, common sense, shrewdness, astuteness, smartness, judiciousness,judgment, prudence, circumspection; More the body of knowledge and principles that develops within a specified society or period. plural noun: wisdoms "the traditional farming wisdom of India" synonyms: knowledge, learning,erudition, sophistication, scholarship, philosophy; lore "the wisdom of tradition"

High Strangeness

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Don't Panic! Lighten Up!

The great Jeremy Corbyn Prime Minister Test: did he kneel in front of Her Majesty? Mark Steel The Independent, UK 2015-11-13 09:14:00 Corbyn wants to stop wars because he can't be bothered to bow when asked to respect those killed in them Did he kneel? How can we know whether Jeremy Corbyn is fit to make decisions about interest rates and dealing with Isis unless we know whether he knelt in front of Her Majesty? It looks as if he didn't - but even if he did, I bet he did it in an ungainly fashion, creaking down like someone looking under the settee to find the remote control while groaning 'ooh me back', because he's a traitor. If he was a real Englishman he'd have glided to the ground and begged the Queen's forgiveness for not being able to get any lower, then sawed through the floorboards so he could crawl under the joists and live behind a cobweb for a month to demonstrate how unworthy he was to be on the same level as the monarch. Any potential Prime Minister must, after all, be capable of meeting the challenges of the modern world: following etiquette such as lightly brushing the hairs of his forearm across the left knee of the Queen while kissing her right buttock with his lower lip, then dragging a thistle across her neck and whistling into a cheese grater with his toenail clippings wrapped in an order of the garter dipped in stag droppings and signed by Princess Anne. It proves he takes Britain seriously.

Comment: The demonization of Jeremy Corbyn continues. Yet there was hardly any fuss from the British media after Downing Street admitted photoshopping a poppy onto David Cameron Facebook profile picture. This is how they should have placed it... #poppygate pic.twitter.com/01iLf9eNZN — Darren Lock (@darren_lock) November 2, 2015

Meet the 'wake up' machine Amanda Kooser CNET 2015-11-12 10:10:00 Simone Giertz describes herself as a professional maker and robotics enthusiast. She also acknowledges a special expertise in crummy robots. Her latest project is the stuff nightmares are made of. It's a mechanized alarm clock that uses a fake arm to smack the sleeper awake. The Wake-Up Machine is a DIY wall-mounted robot that you position above your head. When the alarm goes off, a rubber arm whips around, slapping you until you get up and get out of the way. Giertz posted a video on November 11 that follows along with the build process. There's enough information there to get you started on making a robo-alarm of your very own if you already have some maker tendencies.