Is it really much consolation to the president to be linkable to this pack of born-and-bred nitwits and liars?"For Obama, there is no escaping health care. He needs to engage in an aggressive new defense that acknowledges problems in the individual market. . . . But he also has to grapple with the wider causes of discontent. . . . He can survive his enemies. He needs to win back the citizens who were once his friends."-- E. J.
By Paul Craig Roberts | Press TV | November 14, 2013
In my last column, I emphasized that it was important for American citizens to demand to know what the real agendas are behind the wars of choice by the Bush and Obama regimes.
These are major long-term wars each lasting two to three times as long as World War II. Forbes reports that one million US soldiers have been injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Press TV – November 14, 2013
The US government has explicitly ordered Britain not to publish the contents of the four-year-long inquiry into the Iraq War carried out by Sir John Chilcot.
RT | November 14, 2013
The UK has rejected a call from an EU watchdog to probe how security agencies intercept metadata. Documents divulged by Edward Snowden revealed the covert practices of British spy body GCHQ in what has been described as “breach of fundamental rights.”
In his 1901 novel “Kim” (audiobook here) Rudyard Kipling paints a vivid portrait of an orphaned vagabond in 19th century India. After joining himself to a Tibetan lama on a spiritual quest, Kim stumbles into the middle of the Great Game for imperial conquest of Central Asia between Russia and Britain. Joining us to examine the continuing importance of this novel is David L. Smith of the Geneva Business Insider.
By Sandra Cuffe | Upside Down World | November 14, 2013
Canada and Honduras inked a bilateral free trade agreement on November 5, amid political repression, increasing militarization, and controversial Canadian investment in the Central American nation.
Jack Blood is back with the first installment of his JFK 50th Anny podcasts.
Renowned Secret Service Expert Vince Palamara joins Jack to discuss his newly published book:
“Survivor’s Guilt: The Secret Service and the Failure to Protect President Kennedy”
The veteran Canadian journalist, media critic and documentary film producer Barrie Zwicker joins us for an analysis of the term "conspiracy theory" or "conspiracy theorist." Weaponised by the CIA in the late 1960s as a device for its assets in the media to discourage criticism of the Warren Report, the term "conspiracy theorist" became a powerful thought-stopper and has functioned ever since as a tool of psychological control.
The veteran Canadian journalist, media critic and documentary film producer Barrie Zwicker joins us for an analysis of the term "conspiracy theory" or "conspiracy theorist." Weaponised by the CIA in the late 1960s as a device for its assets in the media to discourage criticism of the Warren Report, the term "conspiracy theorist" became a powerful thought-stopper and has functioned ever since as a tool of psychological control.
In his attempt to fool low-info New Jersey independents and Democrats that he's a moderate and not really a conservative, Chris Christie may have inadvertently convinced conservatives across the country. He was reelected governor of New Jersey last week-- while voters rejected his agenda and specifically overturned his veto of a bill raising the minimum wage.
While participating in Ashura holiday rituals today, many Shi'ites became easy targets for Sunni militants. Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and symbolizes the schism between Shi'ites and Sunnis. Nevertheless, about two million pilgrims safely reached the holy city of Karbala for observances there. At least 67 people were killed and 152 more were wounded.
Obama’s strategic pivot to Asia has been hamstrung by hard facts. Sequestration included cuts to the defense budget that officials say handicapped the planned military surge in East Asia. The Syrian civil war, nuclear negotiations with Iran, and efforts to get Israeli and Palestinian leaders back to the table have drawn the U.S. back into the quicksand of the Middle East. And the October government shutdown led Obama to cancel a trip to Southeast Asia, in what was widely regarded as a diplomatic victory for China.
Webster G. Tarpley, Ph.D. PressTV November 14, 2013 [download video] [download audio]
Time to end the failed experiment with rigged corporate trade and put in place fair trade for the people and planet before profits
Those in Congress who oppose U.S.-Iran negotiations to settle the nuclear issue essentially argue that Iran is untrustworthy and is simply trying to buy time in talks to build a nuclear bomb.
Former senior Obama official, Colin Kahl
Republicans did everything they could do sabotage Obamacare including running ads on TV urging people, especially young people, to not sign up. Now they want to use the low sign up rates to accomplish their political goal of repealing it.
In about a month and a half it will be 2014. As far as U.S. policy in Afghanistan is concerned, 2014 is a big year. When President Obama announced the military surge in 2009, he mapped out a so-called “withdrawal” plan and the date for the official end of the surge has always been 2014.
Welcome to http://NewWorldNextWeek.com — the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week:
Since Edward Snowden’s leaks, much attention has been paid to the domestic surveillance capabilities of the NSA, which have turned out to be more egregious than many predicted. But it’s worth remembering that the government has all kinds of ways to invade the privacy of innocent Americans.
Say Cheese
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Much like fingerprints, our faces are unique – no two exactly alike.
As human beings, we see the differences, but what can a computer see?
In the movie “Minority Report,” cameras in a shopping mall recognize Tom Cruise’s character and ads speak directly to him.
While that’s fiction, new technology at Carnegie Mellon University is not.
Trust them on this?
RT via the Stranger
Police in Seattle, Washington have responded to a major public outcry by disabling a recently discovered law enforcement tool that critics said could be used to conduct sweeping surveillance across the city.
‘Killer Robots’ could be made illegal if campaigners in Geneva succeed in persuading a UN committee, meeting on Thursday and Friday, to open an investigation into their development
* Keep in mind – What you see below is just what is admitted. We can only guess what’s in design or hidden away.
BAE Systems’ Taranis, a semi-autonomous unmanned warplane, that will use stealth technology and can fly intercontinental missions and attack both aerial and ground targets Photo: HANDOUT
By Rosa Schiano | International Solidarity Movement | November 13, 2013
Gaza, Occupied Palestine – On the morning of Sunday, 10th November, brothers Saddam Abu Warda (age 23) and Mahmoud Abu Warda (age 18) were captured by the Israeli navy in Palestinian waters off the Gaza Strip. They were released later in the evening and their boat was confiscated. Mahmoud was injured by a bullet in the right side of his abdomen.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
November 14, 2013
Defence industry, Allies urged to cooperate more closely at Istanbul NATO-Industry Forum
I know just where to go for some Inside-the-Beltway convention wisdom and yesterday I found out that momentum has swung away from House Democrats and towards House Republicans-- they're tied at 39-39%-- because Obama's image has suffered due to the amateurish roll-out of the Affordable Care Act website. The GOP-directed media frenzy over the website worked. And now it's time to get back to reality.
Hürriyet Daily News
November 14, 2013
Ankara asks NATO for extension on Patriots
ANKARA: Ankara has asked NATO to extend the deployment of Patriot missiles for another year, a Turkish official told Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.
With the request lodged, NATO still has not made a decision, the official added.
Prensa Latina
November 13, 2013
Intelectuales denuncian injerencia de EE.UU.en espacio postsoviético
Moscú: El libro La muerte de la democracia y las operaciones de la CIA y el Pentágono en el período postsoviético, de reconocidos intelectuales, presentado en la capital rusa, desvela las ocultas pretensiones de la ayuda de Washington a estados de la región.
The historic divide between the “respectable” vs. the “renegades” is the subject of historian Thaddeus Russell’s 2011 book A Renegade History of the United States, which argues that when renegade groups gain civil rights and social acceptability, they lose their renegade culture.
Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
Elio Vittorini
From In Sicily (1937)
Translated by Wildred David
“Ah, I’m in a cemetery,” I said.
“Hm,” the voice replied.
“Who are you?” I asked. “Are you the gravedigger?”
“No, no,” answered the voice. “I’m a soldier.”
F. was attacked on his land by settlers, and received an unsubtle hint from the police about its biases
York University is no longer running an ad that mistakenly implied that one of its graduates is a Peace Prize laureate.
Today we’re joined by Lisa Pease (Twitter: Lisa Pease), co-author of The Assassinations: Probe Magazine on JFK, MLK, RFK, and Malcolm X, to discuss the curious official story of Lee Harvey Oswald, alleged assassin of JFK.
As the pendulum swings wildly between unexpected rapid success and unexpected rapid falling apart at the P5+1 nuclear negotiations in Geneva, media reports continue, in virtually every article, to remind us of the fragility of diplomatic efforts due to "hardliners" both in America and in Iran. But, to imply an equality between the two groups […]
Edward Hasbrouck has spent the last 20 years or more helping people travel – travel safely, smartly, and cheaply. His book, The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World, is now in its fifth edition. To write it, he traveled 80,000 miles and visited 28 countries on six continents. While photos of Hasbrouck on […]
A few months ago, Senate Republicans agreed to start behaving and stop the ritual obstruction of all the president's judicial nominations. Basically, a handful of Republicans agreed they would help Democrats break the filibusters of routine nominees and only filibuster obviously really, really bad ones. A bunch of nominees got passed and then… the Republicans went back on the agreement.
Shi'ites were targeted in a wave of blasts and other attacks, while many of them were taking part in Ashura rituals. Overall, at least 50 people were killed and 131 more were wounded. This solemn holiday marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in the 7th century and has become a symbol of the Shi'ite-Sunni schism. Sunnis, however, also suffered casualties in today's violence. Millions of pilgrims are expected to arrive in the holy city of Karbala and will be easy targets for militants.
RT | November 13, 2013
Many of the people who were forced to evacuate after the 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant may never return, Japanese lawmakers admitted, overturning initial optimistic government pledges.
By Michel Chossudovsky | RT | November 14, 2013
Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), the strongest tropical typhoon ever recorded, has resulted in devastating consequences for the Philippines. The natural disaster took the lives of more than 10,000 people.
An estimated 615,000 residents have been displaced. Up to 4.3 million people have been affected, according to government sources.
State Sen. Mark Herring, Virginia's apparent AG-electby KenIn the end I decided to go conventional and lead with a photo of Virginia State Sen. Mark Herring, the Democratic provisional winner of the race for Virginia state attorney general. Most of the way, though, my plan was to lead with the tweet reproduced below, with the caption (from Alex Rogers's Time "Swampland" report (see below): "While Brian W.
The Charlatanism of Palestine-Denial
Vacy Vlazna
Here we go again. On Israel and the US losing their UNESCO voting rights, ‘Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO, Nimrod Barkan, ‘said in an interview that his country supports the U.S. decision [to suspend contributions], “objecting to the politicization of UNESCO, or any international organization, with the accession of a non-existing country like Palestine.” (AP 8-11-13)
Thursday, November 14th, 6:30pm at Huffington Center at St. Sophia Cathedral, a coalition of activists will be introducing LA vs NSA: How to Push Back Against Warrantless Spying as part of the Stop NSA Spying Coalition. The Huffington Center is located at 1324 Normandie Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90006. Parking is free.
In The Atlantic on Monday, Mischa Fisher, a GOP operative, tried making the case that Republicans aren't really the anti-science party. Really? Tell it to the victims of Global Warmiong in the Philippines-- or to the 5.6 million residents of Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties in South Florida who may have to decide between moving inland or drowning.
by Judith Curry Two new papers that discuss uncertainty in surface temperature measurements. The issue of uncertainty in surface temperature measurements is getting some much needed attention, particularly in context of the HadCRUT datasets. For context, some previous Climate Etc. … Continue reading →
Guillermo Jimenez | If not for the badge that designates the aggressors as duly authorized actors of the state, and therefore immune to the rules that you and I live by, this act of physical violence would be considered nothing less than first-degree rape.
Buck'n'Schmuck- California anti-Latino RepublicansCA-25 is divided into three valleys: Simi Valley in the west, the Santa Clarita Valley in the center, and the Antelope Valley in the east. Last year, Buck McKeon lost the Antelope Valley third of his district (Lancaster, Palmdale, Pearblossom). Latino voter participation has exploded in CA-25, but especially in the Antelope Valley.
Aaron reviews the new Arcade Fire album, Reflektor. A mysterious album to be sure, it leaves us needing to know: what does it mean? Deep philosophical concepts, Incredibly relevant social commentary, and esoteric symbolism abound. This podcast is an exploration of the many important themes found on Disc 1. A future episode of Trans Resister Radio will deal with Disc 2.
