[Daily Beast] CHERKESSK, Russia -- On a recent morning, armed and uniformed policemen patrolled nearly every block in downtown Cherkessk, the capital of Karachay-Cherkessia, one of six republics in Russia's Northern Caucasus. Every so often, they had to break their stride to get around the garbage that covered the dirt sidewalks, and the water-filled potholes in the broken roads that reflected the sky.
Local police and federal anti-terrorism special units have re-enforced their positions all across the region, as ISIS-connected terrorist groups have targeted federal highways, attacked and murdered officials, killed tourists--and claimed credit for all these atrocities.
The Northern Caucasus, with 9.7 million people, could be famous for its spectacular natural beauty, snow-peaked mountains, and health spas built around mineral springs. Instead, it's known for its shaky peace and, recently, as a focus for activity by the so-called Islamic State, which is not only recruiting from the local population, but exacting retribution for what happens on the faraway battlefields of Syria.
For many young men here, ISIS has offered what seems a romantic action-oriented life, however brief, instead of the mire of poverty and unemployment that surrounds them here.
An old woman in house slippers and green socks is sweeping the street outside an old mosque by the city's canal; she asks that "the dirt and poverty" in her city not be photographed. "Such shame," she says.
Last year it seemed that Russian authorities had begun to win the ongoing war on terror. The number of attacks dropped by almost 50 percent, from 525 terrorist attacks in 2014 to 258 in 2015.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
02/20/2016
11:18 ||
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#1
Every so often, they had to break their stride to get around the garbage that covered the dirt sidewalks, and the water-filled potholes in the broken roads that reflected the sky.
Practiced technique to steer the patrol into a target zone or IED.
[NY Post] A cancer surgeon with a God complex boasted that her job saving lives made her far superior to the lowly NYPD officers who hauled her away in cuffs for hitting a cop with her car in Midtown, prosecutors said Friday.
"I am a doctor. I have patients who are dying. I'm the hero; the cops are not!" Dr. Rachel Wellner, 40, told police when she was arrested for striking an officer's leg with her Volvo on Thursday to avoid a parking ticket, prosecutors said at her arraignment.
"I don't accept a summons. The police assaulted me," she allegedly said.
Police sources said Wellner -- who was released without bail on charges including resisting arrest and leaving the scene of an accident -- was "a hot mess" when she was busted.
"She was saying, 'I don't have time for this. I have to get to the hospital,'â" the police source said.
"Officers were trying to reason with her about the summonses, but she wasn't having it. So she jumped in her car as the officer was trying to cuff her, and she sped off hitting the officer."
After she was arrested in her green scrubs, Wellner burst into tears and threw a fit about being handcuffed, punctuating her griping with medical jargon, the police source said.
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
02/20/2016 10:55
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Amazingly enough, when I did a Google image search for "Rachel Wesner, MD" most of the pictures showed a white woman.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/20/2016 13:11
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#4
Drug addiction problem?
How'd you guess?
Her twitter account shows links to bong user's site, "Feel the Bern" retweets and Black Lives Matter. Plus claims she is "100% nigga" and a "soul sista."
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
02/20/2016 13:42
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A little digging turns up quite the media profile for the good Dr. TV appearances, interviews, articles. A sock puppet for 3rd wave feminism who came to believe the mythology, with the usual tragic consequences.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/20/2016 14:00
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I'm also a doc; I think if I hit a cop with my car that I'd still be in jail with no bail. After I got thumped down elebenteen flights of stairs...
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/20/2016 14:11
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You'd be lucky if the stairs didn't dump out right into a busy street, Dr. Steve.
I'm not a doctor, so I'd probably just disappear somewhere near 26th and California.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/20/2016 14:30
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He probably provided better medical care than some 'real' doctors, for instance Kermit Gosnell.
#10
Wellner, who received her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth in 1997, begged The Post on Thursday to withhold her name for fear she would lose her job.
Here is how the nomination for Justice Antonin Scalia's successor comes together with Hillary Clinton's candidacy:
1. The FBI makes a criminal referral to the DOJ for Hillary's email crimes.
2. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announces that the DOJ is indicting Hillary on the charges specified by the FBI.
3. That this hands Bernie Sanders the Democrat nomination is irrelevant to Obama. He does not care who succeeds him and especially does not want the First Woman President to immediately succeed the Fist Black President, anyway. OTOH, it gives room for Biden to be begged (coff) to enter the race.
4. Once the wheels of justice are turning to topple HRC, Obama then nominates Lynch to the Supreme Court, and the Republicans are faced with rejecting a nominee who just proved her devotion to the law by indicting Hillary Clinton. The Republicans will cave. Almost immediately. As usual.
5. But don't worry, the fix is in. After the November election, when Lynch has been sitting on the Court for months and election drama is finally ended, Obama pardons Hillary for everything and garners massive acclaim from all the Left and all the oldline media.
6. On Jan. 20, President Sanders is sworn in. Or maybe President Biden. Doesn't matter.
[Rudaw] Iraqi Sunni rustics and Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) jihadists engaged each other in deadly festivities in and near ISIS-occupied city of Fallujah in Anbar Province on Friday.
Iraqi army's allied Sunni rustics fought ISIS's so-called Al-Hisba group, who enforce the groups strict religious laws in the territories the group control.
The exiled official responsible for Fallujah, ... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids... Issa Sayir, told AFP that, "Clashes took place between sons of the Al-Mahamda and Al-Juraisat tribes against the Al-Hisba group."
The fighting, he said, took place in Al Jolan to the northwest of the city and expanded to include Al-Askari to the east and the Nazal area in the city-center.
Deteriorating conditions, described by Anbar Governor Sohaib al-Rawi as having "reached a state of famine," seem to be resulting in more rustics seeking to oust ISIS from their Sunni Arab-majority province.
The US has urged Baghdad to win the trust of the Sunni rustics of Anbar and solicit their help when it comes to uprooting ISIS from Anbar. A policy not unlike the Sahwa, Sunni Awakening, strategy used during the Iraq War against ISIS's al-Qaeda predecessors in that same province.
There are an estimated 300 to 400 ISIS members still in Fallujah.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/20/2016
01:15 ||
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[AnNahar] Three non-combatants were killed in a roadside kaboomkaboom in a remote Philippine region where the army and Muslim rebels have engaged in sporadic fighting for days, police said Wednesday.
Muslim gunnies booby-trapped a highway to target military convoys, but it detonated when a van with six people aboard drove through late Tuesday, according to a report from the provincial police office that was sent to Agence La Belle France Presse.
Three of the van's passengers were killed while three others were maimed, according to police in nearby Datu Saudi Ampatuan town. They said they were also verifying reports one of the fatalities was a young boy.
The military has been battling a Muslim rebel faction near farming villages in the area since last week, regional military front man Major Filemon Tan told AFP.
He said about 300 soldiers had been providing protection for a flood control project in the area after the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters ...a MILF splinter group aligned with the Islamic State... (BIFF) set fire to the private contractor's dredging equipment last week.
Two air force helicopters also fired rockets as well as machine gun rounds at BIFF positions on Tuesday, he said, but there were no confirmed casualties.
The festivities followed a major setback in efforts to end decades of fighting in the region, when parliament earlier this month failed to pass a law granting the country's Muslim minority wider autonomy.
The BIFF is not party to the peace deal, which the government signed in 2014 with the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Four decades of fighting in the south have left 100,000 people killed according to official estimates. The setback in parliament derailed the peace timetable, including the disarmament of an estimated 10,000 MILF fighters.
After the collapse in 2008 of the last attempt to seal a peace deal with the MILF, hardline rebels raided Christian farming villages, triggering fighting that left more than 400 people dead and 600,000 displaced.
[AlAhram] The claims of the executions were reported by the SITE monitoring service
The Egyptian affiliate of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group claims it has beheaded two men in Sinai for "spying" for the Egyptian army, posting photos online of the killings.
The photos were circulated on Twitter accounts affiliated with the Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis group late on Thursday.
The claims were reported by the US-based monitor SITE Intelligence Group.
In the captions accompanying the photos, one of the men, named as Walid Ahmed Amer, is described as "a spy for the army intelligence" and the second man, Mostafa Zeraa Salmi, as "a spy for the army."
[IsraelTimes] Security forces kill driver as he heads directly for them; no Israelis injured in incident
A Paleostinian man was killed Friday afternoon as he tried to carry out a car-ramming attack against Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank.
The troops spotted the driver as he directed his vehicle at them during riots in the town of Silwad, the Ynet news website reported. They opened fire on the man and killed him, Army Radio said. There were no Israelis maimed in the attempted attack.
The attempted attack occurred at the British Police Junction, at the entrance to the village near Ramallah, the radio said.
"During a violent riot in Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, an assailant attempted to ram his vehicle into soldiers," the army said in a statement. "The soldiers responded to the immediate threat and fired towards the assailant, resulting in his death."
Paleostinian police sources identified the man as Raed Hamed, 20. His body was later handed over to the Paleostinian Authority, the Walla website said.
The attempted attack came hours after two Border Police officers and a bystander were maimed in a stabbing at Jerusalem's Damascus Gate on Friday morning.
One officer was stabbed in the upper body and moderately hurt. The other was stabbed in the arm and was in light condition. Both officers, in their early 20s, were taken to Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
According to the Magen David Adom ambulance service, the bystander, identified as a 50-year-old Paleostinian woman from East Jerusalem, was hit in the leg by fragments or ricochets from the shots fired at the assailant by security forces. She was lightly hurt. After being treated on the scene by medics, she was taken to an East Jerusalem hospital.
Later on Friday, two Paleostinian protesters were maimed by IDF fire during festivities near the northern Gazoo Strip, Paleostinian media reported.
According to the Walla News, Israeli soldiers opened fire on the protesters adjacent to the Erez border crossing after dozens approached the border fence and began hurling rocks at army patrols.
In similar demonstrations further south along the border fence, protesters inside the Paleostinian territory hurled rocks and rolled burning tires at IDF soldiers near the al-Bureij refugee camp and in the Nahal Oz area.
[IsraelTimes] Army says troops open fire on 21-year-old as he shoots at them during protests in Beit Fajjar
A Paleostinian man died Friday afternoon of wounds he sustained during a clash with IDF troops in the West Bank earlier in the day.
The man died at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem, where he had been taken after the incident in the town of Beit Fajjar, between Bethlehem and Hebron, the Walla news website said.
The IDF said that he and another protester had been shot after opening fire at troops on the scene. The second protester was lightly hurt.
The Paleostinian Authority's Health Ministry named the man as Khaled Taqatqa, aged 21.
[AlAhram] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... has detained three more suspects over the attack on a convoy of military buses in Ankara that killed 28 people, prosecutors said Friday, adding that the case was almost solved.
The government has blamed a Syrian Kurdish group classified as a terror organization by Ankara as well as homegrown Kurdish Lions of Islam for the boom-mobileing on Wednesday in the heart of the Turkish capital.
A total of 17 suspects have now been detained after nationwide raids in the wake of the attack, with one more still on the run, the official Anatolia news agency said, quoting Ankara prosecutors.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... had said on Wednesday that 14 suspects were tossed into the calaboose.
"The case has almost been solved. State officials will soon make the necessary announcements," Ankara chief prosecutor Harun Kodalak was quoted as saying.
The Anatolia report said Sherlocks were focusing on the links of those detained to the PKK. It said the raids took place in cities from Izmir on the Aegean to Diyarbakir in the mainly Kurdish southeast.
Davutoglu said the bomber was a Syrian national who according to press reports slipped into Turkey along with refugees from Syria's civil war.
Another Sidney Blumenthal missive, so maybe true, maybe invented out of thin air.
[AnNahar] The U.S. State Department's latest release of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as The Heroine of Tuzla and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Elihu B. Washburne ... 's e-mails revealed that she had received a message claiming Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... is seeking to set up a base in Cuba to carry out attacks in Latin America, several Cuban and Western news outlets reported.
According to the reports, the author of the e-mail, Sidney Blumenthal, stated that he received the information from "extremely sensitive sources."
The Israeli Mossad believes that Hizbullah's targets were "Israel's diplomatic and business interests" in the region, Blumenthal argued.
But he said the group had been "instructed to also begin casing facilities associated with the United States and the United Kingdom, including diplomatic missions, major banks, and businesses."
According to the e-mail, Hizbullah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... led negotiations with Cuba's intelligence agency, promising that his party would keep a "very low profile inside of Cuba."
"Nasrallah also promised to take measures to avoid any trail of evidence that could lead back to Cuba in the event of a Hizbullah attack in Latin America," said Blumenthal.
Clinton, a top White House candidate in the 2016 race, has been dogged by allegations that her use of a private email server while in office, rather than a secure government system, had put U.S. secrets at risk.
The State Department has so far released nearly 46,000 pages of emails out of a total 55,000 pages.
Clinton has repeatedly denied doing anything wrong but the issue has been a major source of controversy in her presidential campaign.
#2
STATEMENT OF ROGER F. NORIEGA, VISITING FELLOW, THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
Mr. NORIEGA. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, Members of the subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to testify on this subject today. I thank the committee, subcommittee for addressing this issue, which I think requires much more attention than it is getting today.
Hezbollah, backed by Iran and Venezuela, is a determined and deadly enemy of the United States that has made substantial progress in the last 6 years to increase its activities in Latin America.
This push is the result of a conscious offensive strategy to spread its influence, legitimize its cause, and advance its violent jihad and operational capabilities on our doorstep.
Unless our Government and responsible partners in Latin America act soon, I believe there will be an attack on U.S. personnel, installations, or interests in the Americas, as soon as Hezbollah leaders make a calculation that they are capable of carrying out such an operation without implicating their Iranian masters in that operation.
Of particular interest to this subcommittee, I am sure, are a series of published reports that Hezbollah operatives have provided weapons and explosives training to drug-trafficking organizations that operate across the U.S. border with Mexico. My conclusion is that U.S. authorities know more than they are willing to say publicly about this subject, and this Congress is right to insist on a thorough explanation of the threat and of our effective countermeasures.
Our research has identified at least two networks associated with Hezbollah growing at an alarming rate in Latin America. One is operated by Hezbollah itself, aided by its collaborators, particularly from Venezuela. Another is managed by a cadre of notorious operatives on behalf of the Iranian Qods Force. These networks conduct fund-raising, money laundering, narcotics trafficking, proselytization, recruitment, and training in the Americas. We can identify more than 80 operatives in at least 12 countries throughout the region, with the greatest areas of concern being Brazil, Venezuela, and the Southern Cone.
[IsraelTimes] Kurdistan Freedom Falcons say attack was retaliation for Turkish army killing 'vulnerable people,' warn tourists to stay away
A myrmidon Kurdish group linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on Friday claimed the suicide kaboom in Ankara this week targeting the Turkish military, in which 28 people were killed and dozens more maimed.
"On February 17 in the evening a suicide kaboom was carried out by a sacrifice warrior on a military convoy of the fascist Turkish Republic in Ankara... The attack was realized by the Immortal Battalion of the TAK," the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) said in a statement on their website.
The group named the jacket wallah as Zinar Raperin, born in 1989 in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's Kurdish-dominated eastern region of Van, who had been involved with the Kurdish "freedom struggle" and since 2011 with the TAK.
It said that the attack was carried out in Dire Revenge for the killing of "vulnerable people" who were hiding in basements during a two-month Turkish military operation against the PKK in the southeastern town of Cizre.
Turkish officials have blamed the Ankara attack on the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia which Turkey says is a branch of the PKK, a charge vehemently denied by the group.
The TAK's claim of the bomber's identity is in contradiction to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... , who said Friday that Turkey had "no doubt" that Syrian Kurdish fighters were behind the attack.
"We have no doubt that the perpetrators are the YPG and PYD," Erdogan said in Istanbul, referring to the main Syrian Kurdish militia and their political wing.
TAK's Friday statement also warned foreign tourists not visit Turkey, threatening to "destroy" the key tourism sector in the country.
"Tourism... is a major target we aim to destroy. We warn the foreign and native tourists not go to the touristic areas in Turkey. We are not responsible for who will die in the attacks targeting those areas," it said.
The TAK is a little-known group which has nonetheless risen to prominence in recent months after it claimed firing mortar shells on Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport on December 23. The firing left one airport cleaner dead and also damaged several planes.
Turkish officials say the TAK is a front for PKK attacks on civilian targets, but the PKK claims TAK is a splinter group over which it has no control.
In a statement on December 30, the TAK warned that the Sabiha Gokcen attack was just the start of a new wave of assaults.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Paleostinians on Thursday welcomed an initiative put forward by La Belle France to hold an international Middle East peace conference, a proposal which Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed.
"We definitely welcome the French initiative, we see it as a major possibility for challenging the status quo," Hossam Zomlot, an advisor to Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... , told news hounds.
Zomlot, however, said the Paleostinians insisted on their call for a United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... resolution against Israeli settlement building ahead of any renewed grinding of the peace processor.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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#1
Yes, a conference. By all means. With shrimp cocktail and a nice Chardonnay. If only we could find The Red Binder.
[ARA News] HASAKAH – Kurdish-Arab alliance of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Friday cut off a main supply route for the Islamic State (ISIS) radical group near Syria’s northeastern border with Iraq.
“SDF units have closed a strategic supply route near Shaddadi in Hasakah province after fierce clashes with ISIS militants,” the SDF leadership said in a statement.
“This progress by our forces will help paralyzing ISIS movements in Shaddadi and its surroundings, especially that the captured supply route has been for long used by ISIS to bring military reinforcements from Iraq in order to support its operations in Hasakah province against the Kurdish-led SDF,” it said.
Subsequent to clashes with ISIS fighters, the SDF recaptured on Friday a number of villages in eastern Shaddadi, including Alwah Fouqani, Mehsan and al-Hassan. The Kurdish-Arab alliance has blocked the road linking the ISIS-held areas in Hasakah with Mosul –the group’s main bastion in Iraq.
At least 23 ISIS militants were killed in Friday’s clashes, while four SDF fighters lost their lives and seven others were wounded.
The SDF, which includes Kurdish, Arab and Christian units, had earlier liberated more than 240 towns and villages from ISIS militants on the border with Iraq, including the key town of al-Hawl which has been for long used by the jihadis as a key supply route between Syria and Iraq.
Posted by: badanov ||
02/20/2016
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ISIS has been forced to cut all wages by half, slash benefits and ration electricity, after a number of air strikes hit their oil and cash reserves.
The terrorist organisation has asked residents in its 'capital' Raqqa to pay utility bills and taxes in black market American dollars instead of the local currency, and are are now releasing prisoners for a $500 fee.
ISIS has famously used benefits to build up loyalty among their fighters, offering good salaries and bonuses if jihadists get married and have children.
However, the terrorist group has now stopped providing even the smaller perks of fighting for ISIS: free energy drinks and Snickers bars.
Posted by: Betty Hitler2611 ||
02/20/2016
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#2
Going out of business sale? (note well some American businesses seem to have been going out of business for years if you check the old deadtree media)
[ARA News] ALEPPO – Dozens of civilian casualties were reported on Friday in bombardment by militants of al-Qaeda on a Kurdish district in Syria’s northern Aleppo province.
Militant fighters of al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda wing in Syria, launched an attack on the Kurdish district of Sheikh Maqsoud by mortar fire and “Hell” canon, bombing residential buildings in the war-torn district.
“More than 20 civilians were killed and dozens more wonded in the district under heavy bombardment by Nusra and its allies,” rights activist Rezan Hiddo told ARA News in Aleppo.
“Rescue teams have pulled dead bodies of dozens of victims from the rubble of the bombed buildings in Sheikh Maqsoud on Friday evening,” the local source reported. “We are still searching for victims stranded under the ruins.”
Sheikh Maqsoud has been repeatedly exposed to Nusra-led attacks over the past few months, amid sporadic clashes between the Islamists and Kurdish fighters from the People’s Protection Units (YPG)–who are in control of the district.
Hiddo pointed out that the Sheikh Maqsoud district suffers a sharp shortage of medicine and food supplies as a result of siege imposed by al-Nusra Front and the Islamic Movement of Ahrar al-Sham.
This comes just one day after Turkey’s military stationed on the Syrian border bombed the Kurdish city of Afrin and nearby villages in northwestern Aleppo, which caused casualties among civilians. The attack, which took place in the midnight on Thursday, hit residential neighborhoods in Afrin and its suburbs. Afrin is under the control of Kurdish forces from the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The city and its countryside have sheltered thousands of displaced people from war-torn Aleppo.
The Turkish bombardment has also reached the villages of Deir Ballout, Hammam, Firera, Hasna, Sanar and Hakjeh –administratively linked to Afrin. Dozens of civilian casualties, including children, were reported in the heavy artillery shelling by the Turkish army on Thursday.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Leb's Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Friday urged Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... to "reconsider" the suspension of a $3 billion aid package to its army to buy French arms.
"We express our deep appreciation for King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians.... bin Abdulaziz and his brothers in the Saudi leadership ... and we hope for a reconsideration of the decision to halt the aid for our army and security forces," the premier said in a statement.
"The Lebanese people hold Saudi Arabia in high regard, and they know well its longstanding historic positions in support of their country and its permanent keenness to bolster everything that would reinforce Leb's security, stability and unity," Salam added.
Premier Salam deemed the decision as "a sovereign affair to decided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it deems adequate," reiterating Leb's utter keenness on preserving historical, fraternal and friendship relations between Leb and Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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[ARA News] HASAKAH – Western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Friday midnight the liberation of Shaddadi city in Hasakah province from the Islamic State’s (ISIS) militants.
After months of battles with ISIS, the SDF has regained control of Shaddadi city –ISIS last bastion in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province.
ISIS militants have evacuated their headquarters in Shaddadi under heavy bombardment by the Kurdish-Arab alliance of the SDF.
“More than 50 Daesh militant fighters were killed in Fridays’ battle for Shaddadi,” a spokesman for the SDF told ARA News, using an acronym for ISIS.
The source added that eight SDF fighters were killed and 11 others injured, before the U.S.-backed alliance was able to expel the extremist group from the area.
“The U.S.-led coalition’s air cover has facilitated the SDF progress on the ground. Hasakah province is now free of Daesh terrorists,” he said.
This comes just hours after the SDF units cut off a main supply route for the ISIS radical group near Syria’s northeastern border with Iraq.
“SDF units have closed a strategic supply route near Shaddadi in Hasakah province after fierce clashes with ISIS militants,” the SDF leadership said earlier on Friday, adding that ISIS movement was paralyzed subsequent to losing its main supply line with Iraq’s Mosul.
The SDF, which includes Kurdish, Arab and Christian units, had earlier liberated more than 240 towns and villages from ISIS militants on the border with Iraq. The alliance has imposed its full control over the entire territory of Hasakah province on Friday midnight.
Posted by: badanov ||
02/20/2016
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Information Ministers of members of the Cooperation Council for Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), on Thursday denounced human rights violations committed by the rebel Houthi militias and forces loyal to now-ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen.
The GCC ministers also condemned as war crimes the Houthi-Saleh militia's deliberate blocking of humanitarian aid from reaching besieged Yemeni areas, targeting civilians, bombing residential areas and medical centres, using internationally banned mines in Yemen and continuing the unjust siege of Taiz city. They said these acts are violation of International Law and contradict human, Islamic and Arab values.
The GCC condemnation came in the final communique of an extraordinary meeting chaired by Saudi Minister of Culture and Information, Dr. Adel l Toraifi, at the Riyadh Airbase in Saudi Arabia in the presence of Secretary-General of the GCC, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Director of National Media Council (NMC) represented the UAE at the meeting.
They also denounced attempts by the Houthi-Slaeh militias to block UN-brokered peace talks overseen by the UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, to restore security, peace and stability to Yemen based on UN Security Council Resolution 2216, the outcome of Yemen's National Dialogue Conference and the GCC Initiative for Yemen.
In the communique, the GCC ministers agreed to boost coordination and a shared media discourse and said the meeting was held amid the current fast-paced regional developments making it inevitable for the Gulf states to implement media plans to support the GCC's political action.
They stressed that media agencies in the GCC members should shoulder their responsibility in exposing all the crimes being committed by the Houthi-Saleh militias and showing them to the Arab and international public opinion.
The ministers also discussed topics like strengthening joint action in the GCC media sector to promote the bloc's common identity and relations and bolster the region's security and stability.
They said the Houthi-Saleh militants continue to block humanitarian food aid and medical supplies sent by the GCC members' humanitarian agencies from reaching the long-civilian Yemenis.
These agencies include Saudi Arabia's King Salman Centre for Relief and Humanitarian Works, The UAE's Emirates Red Crescent and Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, Bahrain's Royal Charity Organisation, Oman Charitable Organisation, Qatar Red Crescent Society, Qatar Charity, Eid bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association, the Sheikh Thani Ibn Abdullah for Humanitarian Services (RAF) and Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society.
The GCC ministers' communique expressed support of the Saudi-led coalition's efforts to restore legitimacy in Yemen and back the internationally-recognised government of President
[Ynet] The United States and its allies conducted 22 strikes against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in Iraq and Syria Thursday, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement.
Thirteen strikes staged in Iraq were concentrated near djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... and Ramadi, where they hit three of the Death Eater group's tactical units as well as a weapons storage facility and a dozen fighting positions, the statement released on Friday said. Other strikes hit targets near Al Baghdadi, Albu Hayat, Hit and Sinjar.
In Syria, nine strikes were conducted near five cities, including Al Hasakah, where four strikes hit two Islamic State tactical units, five vehicles and two fighting positions.
[Ynet] The United States and its allies conducted 19 air strikes against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, the coalition leading the operations said.
In a statement on Thursday, the Combined Joint Task Force said seven strikes in Syria targeted tactical units, vehicles, an bomb and destroyed a building.
Separately, 12 strikes near eight Iraqi cities destroyed rocket rails, fighting positions and machine guns, among other targets, the statement said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/20/2016
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Yemen’s central bank has told traders and local banks it will stop proving lines of credit for the import of sugar and rice at the official exchange rate, merchants and local bankers said on Friday.
With this move taking immediate effect, it is likely that the country’s humanitarian crisis further worsens. Yemen is in the midst of a war between the Iran-allied Houthis, taking hold of the capital Sanaa, and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government, which is supported by an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
Until the beginning of February, the central bank had covered all the country’s import needs of medicine, wheat, rice, sugar and milk at the official exchange rate of 215 riyals to the dollar, Reuters reported citing a Yemeni merchant.
“With this decision, the lines of credit would be limited to wheat and medicines only,” said the merchant, who asked not to be named.
Also, a banker confirmed this, stating that the central bank had clarified it was no longer able to provide cover for imports at the official rate and had called on merchants to buy foreign currency on the black market, where the rate is 256 riyals to the dollar.
The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has previously warned of a “staggering” crisis, saying famine looms as over half the population, or some 14.4 million people, are short of food.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Five aid workers belonging to the International Committee of the Red Thingy (ICRC) were released after four days in captivity of the unknown gunnies in southeastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan.
According to a statement released by the Geneva-based aid organization, the five aid workers were kidnapped on 16th February from Ghazni province and were released unharmed on Friday.
"The ICRC welcomes their unconditional release and calls for greater respect for its work and staff in Afghanistan," the statement said.
Jean-Nicolas Marti, head of the ICRC delegation in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... , said "We are immensely relieved to know our five colleagues are free and in good health. We want to thank all involved for the swift resolution of the crisis."
The staff members were held while on their way to carry out an assessment, with the aim to assist conflict-stricken communities in the Waghaz district of Ghazni, the statement added.
Reaffirming the organization's commitment to continue supporting the victims of the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, Mr. Marti, said "We urge for greater respect for the ICRC's humanitarian work all over the country. Our staff must be allowed to work in safety. We are currently reviewing the security conditions in Ghazni with all parties to the conflict and hope to receive renewed security guarantees in order to resume our work in the province as soon as possible."
ICRC was established in 1987 in Afghanistan and operates to prevent violations of international humanitarian law, to protect detainees, to provide water, sanitation and means of support to civilians affected by the conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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[ARA News] ERBIL – A number of top ISIS officials were reported dead in a U.S. airstrike in Hasakah countryside, northeastern Syria, informed sources reported on Friday.
The airstrike has targeted a convoy for the radical group of Islamic State (ISIS) in the vicinity of Shaddadi city –which was announced a liberated city by the western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Friday midnight.
Rima al-Jarish, head of ISIS media center in northeastern Syria, was killed in the raid, along with a number of senior jihadis from the extremist group.
“The targeted convoy was carrying leading members of Daesh who were trying to escape Shaddadi after the city was stormed by Kurdish and Arab fighters from the SDF on Friday,” media activist and member of the Shaddadi local documentation center, Alwan Hamoud, told ARA News, using an acronym for ISIS.
“Among those killed in the American airstrike were Rima al-Jarish, director of ISIS media center in the region, Adam al-Chechani, commander of ISIS operations in Hasakah province, Abu Abeer al-Iraqi, Deputy Emir of Shaddadi, and Abu Aicha al-Jazrawi, head of Sharia Court in Shaddadi,” said Hamoud, who based his information on ISIS security sources.
Rima al-Jarish, a Saudi national, had led the media machine of the jihadi propaganda on behalf of the ISIS self-declared Caliphate over the last two years in northeastern Syria. She was involved in recruiting foreign jihadis to join the ranks of ISIS.
Al-Jarish was also known as one of the founders of the so-called al-Khansaa Brigade for female jihadis.
ISIS militants have evacuated their headquarters in Shaddadi under heavy bombardment by the Kurdish-Arab alliance of the SDF. “The U.S.-led coalition’s air cover has facilitated the SDF progress on the ground,” an SDF spokesman told ARA News on Friday. “Hasakah province is now free of Daesh terrorists.”
Posted by: badanov ||
02/20/2016
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[NBCNEWS] Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Walter Q. Gresham ... , who struggles with perceptions of dishonesty in polls, said Thursday that she doesn't believe she has ever told a lie and vowed to do her best to be honest going forward.
Jimmy Carter ... the worst president ever. Maybe the second worst. The votes aren't all in yet... famously pledged to the American people: "I will never lie to you." Clinton didn't quite go there when asked during an interview with CBS News if she could give a similar promise.
"You're asking me to say, 'Have I ever [lied]?' I don't believe I ever have. I don't believe I ever have. I don't believe I ever will. I am going to do the best I can to level with the American people," Clinton told anchor Scott Pelley.
Clinton also faced some questions about honesty during MSNBC's Democratic town hall in Las Vegas Thursday night.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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Top|| File under:
#3
A she-pastor preached to her choir,
"You know I ain't no kind of liar!"
"We truly believe you
And wouldn't deceive you --
Your pantsuit is no ways on fire."
#4
"You're asking me to say, 'Have I ever [lied]?' I don't believe I ever have. I don't believe I ever have. I don't believe I ever will. I am going to do the best I can to level with the American people."
#12
she doesn't believe she has ever told a lie and vowed to do her best to be honest going forward
Chuckling was heard coming out of her other head's mouth.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/20/2016 14:36
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#13
"It's not a lie if you believe it" -- George Costanza
Posted by: regular joe ||
02/20/2016 16:09
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#14
You're asking me to say, 'Have I ever [lied]?
I cannot imagine anyone asking anyone to say,
"Have I ever?" or even asking someone to say: 'Have I ever [lied]?
My Doctor has asked me to say "Aah" but that is the closest I have come to such a strange request.
So that very statement is probably a lie!
[THENEWSNIGERIA.NG] Two Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... jacket wallahs killed 20 people and injured 52 in a market in Meme, northern Cameroon ...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there... early today, according to updated official figures, published by L'oeil du Sahel.
The bombing is the latest in a string of deadly attacks in northern Cameroon, an area where Nigerian murderous Moslem group Boko Haram is active.
On 10 February, three Boko Haram bombers also attacked a funeral wake keep, in which they killed many people, including children.
The attack came a few days after Cameroon announced details of a major assault against a key Boko Haram base in Nigeria at the week end, in which it inflicted heavy losses on the Islamist group, seized arms and freed prisoners.
The Cameroonian army offensive took place from February 11 to 14 in Ngoshe, also spelt as Goshi, in Nigeria, some 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the northern town of Ashigashia on the border between the two countries, government front man and Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in the statement.
"162 Boko Haram faceless myrmidons were neutralised," or killed, and two Cameroonian soldiers also died, he said.
The minister said around 100 hostages had been released, including 15 Cameroonians, in the attack against the Boko Haram command post housing facilities for making bombs and mines.
The facilities were all destroyed.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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[UN.ORG] With senior United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... officials warning of escalating inter-communal violence and rampant human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. violations in South Sudan, the Security Council today strongly condemned all attacks and provocations against civilians and the UN by armed actors, and called for calm on all sides.
In a statement to the press, the Council condemned "in the strongest terms" violence committed by elements of the Shilluk and Dinka communities, which erupted in the protection of civilians site in Malakal managed by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), on February 17 and which continued into yesterday, resulting in more than 18 deaths and 50 injuries.
The members of the Council said they were particularly alarmed by credible reports of gunnies in Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) un uniforms entering the UNMISS camp and firing on civilians, and the looting and burning of tents.
Strongly condemning "all attacks and provocations against civilians and the United Nations by armed actors, including SPLA soldiers," the Council reminded all parties, including Government security forces, of the civilian character of the protection of civilian sites in South Sudan.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Young Australian Muslim teen Stephanie Kurlow hopes to break the stereotype and become the first hijabi – Islamic veiled woman – ballerina. Unfortunately, if you're gonna dance Giselle y'gotta wear the Giselle costume.
Kurlow, 14, converted to Islam along with her siblings, Australian father and Russian-born mother in 2010 and had initially feared the religion might derail her dream of dancing. Ballet's not real big in Arabia.
“I think that’s what may have stopped some other Muslims from following a career they want, but I know what I’m doing is right and I’m going to keep doing it,” she told the Sydney Morning herald when asked whether she thought Islam forbade dancing. She's only fourteen. She'll have to be older before she buys a car and somebody blows her up in it.
Kurlow hopes to turn her dream into reality by raising $10,000 to train full-time at ballet school. She also hopes to become certified to open her own performing arts school in Sydney. Versus becoming prima ballerina in the Karachi Corps de Ballet...
“Dancing is like flying for me. It makes me feel free,” Kurlow told the Daily News website. Then dump the veil and get serious.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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She's showing her legs in Lone Ranger's video, though her hair is covered. Also, she's a bit heavy as she goes up on point -- but if her goal is teaching rather than performance, that shouldn't be a problem.
#3
Goosesteppers who bid you g'day
And corset the corps de ballet
Will stomp down their heel
On this poor little sheila...
Well, them and the whole Muslim way.
#4
546. It is permissible for a woman to dance in front of her husband to please and arouse him. But it is not permissible for her to dance in front of other men; based on obligatory precaution, she must not dance in front of other women also. (See the question-answer section below.)
http://www.al-islam.org/a-code-of-practice-for-muslims-in-the-west-ayatullah-sistani/music-singing-dancing
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/20/2016 9:04
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#5
Guess there goes that career
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/20/2016 9:04
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#6
She has aquired name recognition. Next, some dance company director is going to realize that she might get them free press and ticket buyers.
Just working the system.
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
02/20/2016 10:59
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#7
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016 12:34
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#8
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016 12:40
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Precisely, Fred. There's no comparison, ignoring the veil completely.
There are unconfirmed reports that two kidnapped Serbian diplomats perished in the IS compound in Sabratha that was hit by US warplanes early this morning.
Serbian embassy communications officer Sladjana Stankovic and a colleague Jovica Stepic were seized in last November when their vehicle was stopped west of Sabratha near the Talil Tourist village by gunmen.
They had been travelling in a convoy which also contained the Serbian ambassador Oliver Potezica, whose vehicle escaped. At the time the Ghwell administration said that the diplomats had been travelling without authorisation from the Tripoli authorities.
Posted by: badanov ||
02/20/2016
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi told the interior minister on Friday to make accountable any policeman who attacks citizens and to submit proposals to parliament to achieve this goal, the presidency said.
The meeting came a day after a police officer rubbed out a man in the street, angering hundreds of people who protested in front of the Cairo security directorate on Thursday in the latest outburst over alleged police brutality.
A statement from the Cairo security directorate said the policeman had rubbed out a driver after an argument and was forced to flee a mob of local people who attempted to catch and kill him. Police later found the policeman.
Footage posted on social media showed hundreds of people massing outside the security directorate to protest the death.
The incident comes amid mounting public anger over alleged police brutality. Last week, thousands of doctors held a rare protest against police they say beat two doctors at a Cairo hospital for refusing to falsify medical records.
Anger over perceived police excesses helped fuel the 2011 revolt that ended Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... 's 30-year rule and began on a Police Day holiday.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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A 31-year-old man has been arrested over the murder of an imam in a children's playground, with police set to investigate if the attack was racially motivated.
Jalal Uddin, 56, was found covered in blood with serious head injuries in the play area near South Street in Rochdale, Manchester. Police were called to the scene around 9pm last night and he was taken to hospital, where he died a short time later.
Locals said he had been to evening prayers at a mosque before visiting a friend. It is believed the former Jalalia Jaame Mosque imam was taking a shortcut through the playground on his way home after eating dinner at the friend's house.
Forensic officers were examining the scene and the area was cordoned off today.
The force this afternoon confirmed a 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Rebekah Sutcliffe, said detectives are looking at the possibility that the incident was racially motivated but added: 'At the moment we just cannot say one way or the other.'
She continued: 'We have additional patrols in the area and we are working closely with partners in the local authority.
'There will be additional staff in the area this evening. We want to reassure the community that we are doing everything to identify who was responsible for this attack and understand what has happened.'
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/20/2016
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#1
Given the location, I can think of one possible motive.....
#2
When authorities not only refuse their responsibilities but openly side with the oppressors, the citizenry will take matters into their own hands.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/20/2016 13:32
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Okay, after eating dinner at a friend's house. Presuming that isn't a regular/ predictable thing, neither would be his shortcut. So he wasn't ambushed just for being him.
To be beaten to death by somebody just hanging out in the playground requires somebody with deficient, murderous impulse control be hanging out thinking about stuff....or waiting for the next shortcutter.
Or he was followed by somebody with murderous intent. Why?
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
02/20/2016 15:01
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The Justice Department's top watchdog is considering whether to review the legality of any payments that the U.S. government may have made for the release of Army Sgt. The Traitor Bowe Bergdahl and what role the FBI played in efforts to free the soldier from captivity in Pakistan, The Daily Beast has learned. Of course, the Chump, er Champ, didn't know anything about it.
The department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, wrote a letter to a member of Congress earlier this month saying that he had opened a "preliminary inquiry" into the matter, which concerns allegations that the U.S. government paid a ransom for Bergdahl's freedom, and that in February 2014 the FBI sent a representative to the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan expecting Bergdahl to be released.
Bergdahl didn't show up and wasn't freed until May of that year, when the Obama administration traded five Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the soldier, who had deserted left his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and was captured.
The Daily Beast obtained a copy of Horowitz's letter, which hasn't been previously reported. The inspector general's inquiry, which has not yet led to a full investigation, marks the latest development in the still-unfolding story of Bergdahl's capture, his time as a prisoner of the Taliban-aligned Haqqani Network, and what steps U.S. officials took to ultimately win his release.
Horowitz gave no indication when he would reach a final decision on whether to open a full investigation. He said that his office has been in touch with the FBI. Leave Hillary alone or we prosecute the FBI?
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/20/2016
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#1
And the FBI did that all on its lonesome? I want to see the email chain.
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
02/20/2016 7:17
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#2
Whenever I am given verbal direction by a client to do a questionable action I always send an email stating the requested action and asking for confirmation that I heard that direction correctly.
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
02/20/2016 7:21
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#3
The FBI budget has funds for foreign hostage ransoms? Riiigghht
must be getting too close to the Beest's indictment
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/20/2016 9:42
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Afghan security forces have cleared 70 percent of Achin district in eastern Nangarhar province of Daesh militants, said security officials on Friday. The district is considered as the main stronghold of the terrorist group in the region.
Security officials in the province said that they will expand their offensive against Daesh to other districts of the province.
After a long delay, Afghan security forces launched their operations in Achin district last week. Officials said that security forces have destroyed the main military base of the group and have seized a large number of weapons.
"Daesh rebels were executing and prosecuting people in this military base. Now, they have lost control over most of the area," said Zaman Waziri, the commander of Selab 201 Military Corps.
Nangarhar police chief, Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, said that a large number of Daesh rebels have also been killed in the district.
"Police, army and public uprising groups will jointly work to safeguard the district," he added.
Nangarhar governor, Salim Khan Kunduzi, asked internally displaced people from Achin district to return to their homes. He said that schools and hospitals will soon be reopened in the district.
"I call on the brave people of Shinwari tribe to come to their villages and we will help them to come to their homes," he added.
Meanwhile, residents of the district urged the government not to let Daesh rebels return to the district. A resident from the district said that foreign militants enter from across the border. The resident also said Daesh had planned to fight Pakistan, but then they started brutalizing locals.
Afghan security forces have been fighting Daesh militants in Achin district for the past eight months. Security officials said that they have killed around 1,000 Daesh rebels during this time.
Posted by: badanov ||
02/20/2016
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A Saudi woman who left Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... to join ISIS was killed on Friday in Syria, Al Arabiya News reported, citing social media.
Syrian activists posted on Twitter that Reema al-Juraish, who was part of the group's propaganda team, was killed by US-led coalition Arclight airstrikes, the report said.
It was reported that Juraish, who was wanted by the Saudi government, left the kingdom for Syria in November 2014. The wife of a Saudi detainee, Juraish fled the country with her four children (14-year-old Maria, 13-year-old Abdul Aziz, eight-year-old Sarah and six-year-old Ammar) to join ISIS in Syria, and to join her son who had already left Saudi Arabia to join ISIS a year before.
According to the report, Juraish posted on her Twitter account that she had escaped to Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... before going to Syria. She allegedly fled to al-Qaeda in Yemen, where she would get help to go to Syria.
Whilst in Yemen, Juraish reportedly met with another Saudi woman who had left Saudi Arabia in March 2009 to join her husband in al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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[IsraelTimes] No injuries in pre-dawn blast directed at Sheikh Hisham Salem, Iran-backed head of Strip's tiny religious minority
A kaboom targeted the home of a leader of a Paleostinian Shiite Muslim movement in the Gazoo Strip early Friday, causing damage but no injuries, the group and security sources said. The pre-dawn blast caused extensive damage at the home of Sheikh Hisham Salem, his Al-Sabireen group said in a statement.
Shiite Muslims are a tiny minority among Paleostinians who are almost exclusively Sunni Muslims or Christians.
Al-Sabireen, which says it is supported by Iran, accused "the occupier (Israel) and its collaborators."
The Israeli army declined to comment on the allegations.
Reliable information is difficult to ascertain in Gazoo, which is run by Islamist group Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and blockaded by Israel and Egypt.
Hamas, a Sunni terror group, seems to want to avoid conflict with Al-Sabireen, although there is no significant Shiite community in Gazoo.
Shortly after the kaboom, Gazook security forces went to the scene and opened an investigation to find the perpetrators, security sources said.
"We went out and found an bomb placed near the door of the house," said a brother of the leader, Issam Salem, who was in the house at the time of the blast.
"The windows of the house and those of a bus were blown out," he told AFP, adding that the kaboom had sent children inside the home into a panic.
Al-Sabireen was formed in 2014 by Hisham Salem, a former member of the Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... terror group, which also takes inspiration from the Shiite Iranian revolution but which is itself Sunni.
The Apple ID passcode for the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone was changed less than 24 hours after authorities took possession of the device, a senior Apple executive said today.
And Apple could have recovered information from the phone had the Apple ID passcode not been changed, Apple said. If the phone was taken to a location where it recognized the Wi-Fi network, such as the San Bernardino shooters' home, it could have been backed up to the cloud, Apple suggested.
If the "Sync this iPhone over Wi-Fi" had been checked in the backup options in iTunes, that is...
The Justice Department acknowledged in its court filing that the passcode of Syed Farook's iCloud account had been reset. The filing states, "the owner [San Bernardino County Department of Public Health], in an attempt to gain access to some information in the hours after the attack, was able to reset the password remotely, but that had the effect of eliminating the possibility of an auto-backup."
It's just a comfort to see our government agents being their usual, competent, reliable selves, isn't it...
The auto reset was executed by a county information technology employee, according to a federal official. Federal investigators only found out about the reset after it had occurred and that the county employee acted on his own, not on the orders of federal authorities, the source said.
So who told him to do it?
Apple executives say the phone was in the possession of the government when that passcode was reset. A federal official familiar with the investigation confirmed that federal investigators were indeed in possession of the phone when the reset occurred.
Missing the opportunity for a backup was crucial because some of the information stored on the phone would have been backed up to the iCloud and could have potentially been retrieved.
Correct, according to the Apple help file in iTunes.
According to court records, the iPhone had not been backed up since Oct. 19, 2015, one-and-a-half months before the attack and that this “indicates to the FBI that Farook may have disabled the automatic iCloud backup function to hide evidence.”
Or he's like the 50% plus iPhone owners who have no clue what back-up is...
The government got a warrant to search the car and get the phone in the early morning hours of Dec. 3, 2015, at 2:27 a.m. -- the day after the attack.
The development comes as the Justice Department is pushing forward with its legal fight against Apple, urging a federal judge to compel the tech giant to help the FBI crack open a cellphone left behind by one of the San Bernardino, California, shooters.
Apple at this point is justified to point out government stupidity, roll their eyes, look to the heavens and tell the judge that there isn't much they can do.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/20/2016
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#1
Yokay, I'll bite - is this an "OOOOOPPPPPSSSSS", OR "NOT-AN-OOOOOPPPPPSSSSS" MOMENT???
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Swiss inspections group SGS and U.S. group Weatherford International Plc traded recriminations on Thursday, both denying responsibility for the disappearance last year of radioactive material used to test pipes at an oil field in southern Iraq.
Rooters reported on Wednesday that Iraq was searching for a "highly dangerous" radioactive source whose theft in November had raised fears among Iraqi officials that it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... SGS said in a statement that the equipment and material, when not in use, had been stored in a "secured bunker" provided by Weatherford, which it said was the "main contractor" and had hired its Turkish unit to perform the tests.
"The disappearance of the equipment occurred while the equipment was stored in the Weatherford bunker," it said, adding the loss was discovered on Nov. 3.
Weatherford said on Thursday it holds no responsibility or liability in relation to the issue and had answered all inquiries raised by Iraqi and U.S. authorities to their satisfaction.
"SGS Supervise Gozetme Etud Control had sole control and access to the material and bunker," it said in a statement, referring to the Turkish unit of SGS.
Yet SGS said its staff required Weatherford's prior written approval to access the site.
"The site where these operations are conducted is fully secured and guarded by security guards under the responsibility of the owner of the site. SGS does not assume any responsibility for the site security and does not control accesses," SGS said, adding that many contractors used the site.
Its Turkish business immediately notified Iraqi authorities and cooperated fully with the investigation, it said.
SGS added that it has no contractual relation with Iraq-based security company Ta'az, which it said controlled the site and employed expatriate staff.
An operations manager for Ta'az previously declined to comment, citing instructions from Iraqi security authorities.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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#1
"...the loss was discovered on Nov. 3."
Material half-life of 73.83 days. Plenty of time to point fingers (or obscure the trail of possession.).
The imam of a mosque in Rochdale has died after being found with head injuries in a children’s playground. The man, named locally as Jalal Uddin, was believed to be walking home on Thursday night when he was injured.
Passers-by found him with a serious head injury in the playground in South Street shortly before 9pm. Police and paramedics were called to the scene but he died of his injuries in hospital. A post-mortem was scheduled to take place on Friday afternoon.
Mr Uddin had attended evening prayers before visiting a friend for dinner and was taking a short cut while walking home, ITV News reported.
“A major investigation has been launched and enquiries are ongoing to formally identify the man and establish the circumstances surrounding how he came to be injured,” a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
The Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim group trying to foster community cohesion, paid tribute to Mr Uddin, who was the former imam of Rochdale’s Jalalia Jaame Mosque. Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the foundation, said: “The news that a popular local Imam from Rochdale was murdered last night returning from prayers at a local mosque is shocking and tragic. Whilst it is too early to speculate about the circumstances of the murder we would urge the community of Rochdale to stay united and calm.
“Qari Jalaluddin saab was on his return home from Jalali Jame Mosque when he died. We pay tribute to him and his unique contribution to our community in Rochdale.
“We offer our sincere condolences and prayers to his family, friends and the wider community.”
Police have not confirmed speculation that Mr Uddin was attacked but Mr Shafiq urged mosques in the area to consider security precautions and measures to ensure people travelled homes from mosques safely.
Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick, from GMP’s Serious Crime Division, said police wanted to hear from anyone in the area as they try to establish how Mr Uddin was injured.
Superintendent Rick Jackson added: “We know local people will be worried when they hear the news of what has happened and we have extra patrols in place to try and reassure the community.
“If you have concerns or believe you may have seen, heard or know anything that can assist this investigation then please approach one of these officers.
“There has been a lot of speculation on social media about what has happened but I would to ask that people allow us to investigate this incident and if you have information then please contact police.”
According to The Guardian, 56 year old Jalal Uddin was originally from Bangladesh. The mosque's website says it opened to the public in the early 1980s, can accomodate up to 1500 worshippers, and has speakers available in English, Bengali, and Urdu.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/20/2016
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#3
Nothing to see here Gov'ner. Just move along please.
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/20/2016 9:00
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#4
My money is on either
1. Fellow Mohammadean immigrant got him for personal (not because of islam) vendetta reasons.
2. Mugging gone horribly wrong. (ordinary street crime)
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Amid efforts to bolster the capabilities of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) specifically the Afghan Air Force, a US General in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... has said the Afghan military is expected to fly the first surveillance drone next month.
Major General Gordon Davis, commander of the unit that procures new equipment for the Afghans, told Rooters "We are just getting the first drones that will be deployed by the corps."
"We've been preparing sites. The pieces and parts are coming in now," Gen. David added.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced in November last year that a contract worth $70 million ha sbeen awarded to a US-based company for the procurement of the ScanEagle drones.
A statement by DoD said the systems include 65 ScanEagle drones in total, along with spare parts, support equipment, field service support, as well as an in-theatre training facility.
The addition of the surveillance drones could play a vital role in helping the Afghan forces fighting the anti-government armed murderous Moslem groups amid deteriorating security situation across the country.
Meanwhile, ...back at the desert island, Bert was realizing to his horror that he'd had only one bottle for one message, and he'd forgotten to include a return address... the commander of the Afghan Air Force Major General Abdul Wahab Wardak said last week that the A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft will start combat operations with the Afghan Air Force from the month of March.
Gen. Wardak further added that the Afghan Air Force has so far received four of the eight aircraft from the United States and the remaining four will be handed over in the near future.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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#4
In olden times power was held by the king and the aristocracy> And who were they? They were the high government officials appointed by the king, and then become hereditary. The were the Judges who held Court. The aristocratic positions were gotten by people who helped the king usurp power and hold on to it. Success came from pleasing the powers that be, namely the king and his followers.
Socialism is the same thing, clothed in words aimed at fooling children. The powers that be are the high government officials (not yet hereditary) and success comes through influence with them.
#9
It's an old Chinese tradition of killing off other blood relatives to secure the throne, especially as the emperor had a rather large harem. The houses of York and Lancaster had nothing on the Chinese blood lines for mischief.
[CNN] An 18-year-old charged with posing as a doctor told ABC News that "just because someone has a title 'doctor' in front of their name does not necessarily imply M.D."
Malachi Love-Robinson, who police say posed as a medical doctor and treated patients in West Palm Beach, Florida, said his training involved shadowing many doctors. "I'm not portraying as an M.D. I never said I've gone to school to be an M.D.," he told ABC.
He said he had a Ph.D., but wouldn't disclose what field it was in.
The interview aired on "Good Morning America" on Thursday.
Sheriff's deputies in West Palm Beach nabbed ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... Love-Robinson on Tuesday afternoon and accused him of practicing medicine without a license. He was the head of his own practice, according to his website. Love-Robinson posted bail on Wednesday, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's narcotics unit, along with the Florida Department of Health, carried out an operation in which an undercover officer visited Love-Robinson's office, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.
Love-Robinson physically examined the officer and provided medical advice, said the statement, which detailed a nearly two-week investigation that culminated in Tuesday's arrest.
As police led Love-Robinson out of his office in handcuffs, he said, "I'm hurt because of the accusations and allegations. But like I said, this is not the first time where I've been accused and I will pursue this. And when I do, you guys will know," according to CNN affiliate WPBF.
The website for Love-Robinson's practice lists the teen as its president, CEO and founder. It refers to Love-Robinson as "Dr." and places acronyms after his name, including Ph.D. and HHP-C, which is used for those involved in home health and personal care. A Ph.D. is generally not a medical degree.
While Florida licenses medical doctors, it does not issue licenses for naturopathic doctors, or those who reject the use of medicines, Florida Department of Health front man Brad Dalton told CNN.
"When he crossed the line and started giving a physical and offering to treat the undercover agent, we were able to issue him a cease-and-desist for the unlicensed practice of medicine," he said.
It's not the first time Love-Robinson has run into trouble. After a tip to police, the Florida Department of Health filed a cease-and-desist notice in October accusing him of practicing medicine without a license, Dalton said.
Love-Robinson described himself as a "well rounded proffessional" (his spelling), according to his profile on HealthGrades.com, which has been removed since his arrest. The listing states that he is 25 years old.
"I utilize physiological, psychological, and mechanical methods, such as air, water, light, heat, earth (to treat patients)," the profile said.
HealthGrades says the information was supplied by or on behalf of the provider.
A Facebook event shows a January 16 "grand opening celebration" for the New Birth New Life Medical Center, which is at the same address where the arrest was made Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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#1
He no doubt provided better medical care than some 'real' doctors - e.g. Dr. Kermit Gosnell.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] French President Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... said on Friday he would do what is necessary to keep Britannia in the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... -- on condition that "Europe can still move forward".
"I'll do what is needed to keep the United Kingdom in Europe, but on condition that Europe can still move forward," Hollande told French radio as a key Brussels summit was set to go on late into the evening.
But with Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... seeking a package of reforms ahead of a referendum on British membership of the bloc, Hollande said Britannia could not have "special rules" for the City of London, its powerful financial sector.
One of Cameron's aims in the negotiations is to ensure that the City of London is not bound by rules governing the euro single currency area.
"We can take into action what the City represents for Europe... but there cannot be special rules for the City," Hollande told La Belle France Inter radio.
Cameron has said that unless he gets a satisfactory deal, he will not campaign for Britannia to stay in the 28-nation European Union in a referendum that he is expected to hold as early as June.
Hollande said the other EU nations "must not give in to blackmail" but he said he genuinely believed Britannia was seeking a deal that would allow it to remain part of the bloc.
"This is Britannia, through the voice of David Cameron, saying 'help me to stay in Europe'," he said.
But Hollande added: "If the British people want to leave, I will regret it for the sake of Europe, for Britannia and for La Belle France, but I will accept it."
Posted by: Fred ||
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[REUTERS] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's presidency said U.S. President Barack Obama If you have a small business, you didn't build that... had shared his concerns over the Syrian conflict and promised his support on Friday, hours after a tense exchange between the two NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... allies over the role of Kurdish myrmidons.
In a phone conversation that lasted one hour and twenty minutes, Ankara said Obama had told his counterpart President Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey had a right to self defense, and expressed worries over advances by Syrian Kurdish militias near Turkey's border.
Washington did not immediately comment on the call, beyond saying Obama has given his condolences over Wednesday's bombing in the Turkish capital..
Earlier on Friday, Erdogan had said U.S.-supplied weapons had been used against civilians by a Syrian Kurdish militia group that Ankara blames for the deadly suicide kaboom this week.
The State Department, which sees the Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters as useful allies against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... , said the United States had "not provided any weapons of any kind" to the group.
The issue risks driving a wedge between the NATO allies at a critical point in Syria's civil war, as the United States pursues intensive talks with Syria's ally Russia to bring about a 'cessation of hostilities'.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Well, the Kurds do want to be on good terms with America. Thus, O needs to screw them over as he has other traditional American 'allies'. BTW, when is he scheduled to be in Cuba?
[WASHINGTONPOST] In October of 2014, Steven Pratt was supposed to begin his life anew. He had served out a 30-year prison sentence and gone home to Atlantic City, N.J., where his family held a party to welcome him.
But a violent history would repeat itself all too soon.
Thirty years later, things should have been different. Pratt was 45 when he got out, and he returned to the Atlantic City neighborhood where his 64-year-old mother resided, the Press of Atlantic City reported. It was a quiet part of town, the kind of place where kids carved hearts around their initials in wet cement on the sidewalk.
Neighbors told the Press of Atlantic City that Gwendolyn Pratt was "kind and impeccably dressed." She took a 6 a.m. bus to work every day without fail.
No one guessed that she would lose her life less than two days after her son got his freedom.
On the Sunday morning after Pratt's release, police found Gwendolyn dead from blunt injuries to the head. Pratt was charged, and at his initial court appearance, he wept.
"I have failed," Pratt told the judge, his voice barely audible, the Press of Atlantic City reported. "I don't want a trial. I'm guilty."
A 2014 Bureau of Justice Statistics report found that about 77 percent of released prisoners were tossed in the slammer Book 'im, Mahmoud! for a new crime within five years. Among convicted murderers, however, the recidivism rate is much lower, especially when it comes to those who commit murder again.
The timing and gruesome repetition of Pratt's crimes make him an anomaly -- one that led many to ask whether he had been destroyed by juvenile incarceration.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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#1
After 30 years in prison this guy could not face existence outside. So he got himself put back in.
Put yourself in his place. Inside there are no worries about the future, about making a living, about relating to women. You get your room and board paid for, and clothing and exercise too. And no social workers to pester you.
Put yourself in his place. Coping with the world terrified him. He chose to go back inside. A disgusting way to do that, but an effective one.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] On the footsteps of Gaddafi, ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh appeared in his speech imitating the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, sending messages of intransigence and threats, and confirming that he still poses a hard number in the equation of the war in Yemen.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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[THEHILL] A spokesperson for Pope Francis clarified the pontiff's criticism of Donald Trump's plan to build a border wall, saying that the remark wasn't "a personal attack."
On Thursday, the pope told news hounds on his plane that building walls "is not Christian."
But the pontiff's spokesperson said it's a comment he's made before, adding that the pope wants to avoid weighing in on American politics.
"The Pope said what we already know, if we followed his teaching and positions: we shouldn't build walls, but bridges," the spokesperson said in a statement, according to CNBC. "It's his generic view, coherent with the nature of solidarity from the gospel."
"This wasn't, in any way, a personal attack or an indication on who to vote for," the spokesperson continued. "The Pope has clearly said he didn't want to get involved in the electoral campaign in the US and also said that he said what he said on the basis of what he was told [about Trump], hence giving him the benefit of the doubt."
During a Thursday rally in South Carolina, Trump needled the pontiff for his criticism and said that he publicly questioned his faith.
"For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. I'm proud to be a Christian and as president, I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now with our current president," he said.
But at a CNN town hall later that night, the real estate mogul said he respects Pope Francis, adding that "he has a lot of personality."
"I think he said something much softer than was originally reported by the media," he said.
[CNN] Nobody wants to tangle with the Pope -- not even Donald Trump.
One of the more unlikely battles to jolt a presidential campaign emerged Thursday when Pope Francis said Trump is "not Christian" if he wants to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump, true to form, shot back that the pontiff's comments were "disgraceful."
But by Thursday evening, the GOP front-runner was doing something unusual: de-escalating a fight.
"I don't like fighting with the Pope," Trump said at a GOP town hall in South Carolina hosted by CNN. "I like his personality; I like what he represents."
Trump called the Pope a "wonderful guy" and blamed the day's drama on the press.
"I don't think this is a fight," Trump said. "I think he said something much softer than was originally reported by the media."
Trump added he would meet with the Pope "anytime he wants."
On Friday, a Vatican front man said that, although the news hound at the papal presser asked Francis specifically about Trump, the Pope's answer should be interpreted more generally.
"It didn't intend to be in any way neither a personal attack nor an indication in how to vote," the Rev. Federico Lombardi told Vatican Radio.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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#1
This article leaves out the best rejoinder from Trump's campaign:
“If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened,”
#2
Also, Trump being a Presbyterian means he's not in the Pope's Catholic flock. The pope is crossing a line between churches just like he crossed national lines.
That said everybody in and involved this terms race is quickly approaching the calmness and sanity levels of another candidate for Prez - Libertarian John McAfee of anti-virus, possible murder and drug fame. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McAfee
#3
A popemobile covered with bullet proof glass, a fifty man armed security team, and a money grubbing racket that is the envy of even El Chapo ~ does not portray a lot of faith in the entity the Pope himself often refers to as his "Savior".
In my own (prejudiced ?) opinion, I consider the Pope's reckless words and actions to be an embarrassment to his church, as are Donald Trumps words an equal embarrassment to his religion and peers.
#9
King Pigeon filled britches with riches
From swarms of his miserable midges:
He'd save them from eagles
And ravens and seagulls
And build them invisible bridges!
No offense intended to Church, much less Dove. Just fooling around with "vestigial Roman Emperor" and out pops a tale of birds and bugs.
FAISALABAD: At least three policemen were killed in a gun attack on Friday evening in Faisalabad.
The suspected miscreants opened fire at policemen when they were stopped by patrolling police near Miran Wala Bangla Bypass, resulting in the killing of three policemen. The bodies were moved to hospital where they were handed over to heirs after autopsy. However, the suspects managed to escape. Heavy contingent of police cordoned off the area after the incident and launched search operation.
Punjab chief minister expressed profound grief over the killing of three policemen and directed the police inspector general to submit a report, besides bringing the culprits to book. Two days back, unidentified assailants targeted two policemen Asif and Mubashir in Lahore.
[WCHSTV] MARMET, W.Va. -- A three-judge panel has voted to remove Marmet Mayor Bill Pauley from office.
The panel voted on Thursday, according to Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper.
Pauley faces removal after 99 residents signed a petition saying they wanted him removed.
The complaint says Pauley encouraged ineligible voters who weren't Marmet residents to cast votes during early voting in 2013.
Pauley entered a conciliation agreement, similar to a plea bargain, with the state Ethics Commission Sept. 29 over two counts of violating the state Ethics Act for personal gain.
Pauley has been mayor of Marmet for 37 years. In November, he denied any wrongdoing to the newspaper.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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I can't find any articles that name his party registration which means Democrat
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/20/2016 9:40
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Saw the headline. Assumed the mayor was actually a marmot. Thought - must be one of the best mayors in the country. What could have happened?
Note: Was in Talkeetna last Fall. Met hizzonor. Look it up.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... said Friday it has stopped a $3 billion program for military supplies to Leb in protest against Hezbollah, the Shiite holy warrior group fighting in support of Syria's regime.
In response, Leb's PM Tammam Salam urged Saudi to reconsider the suspension of the package.
In light of positions taken by Hezbollah the kingdom proceeded to "a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic", an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency earlier.
The kingdom's loyal Gulf allies, the UAE and Bahrain, expressed support for Saudi's decision.
Saudi added that the remainder of a $1 billion financing package for Lebanese security forces had been suspended, in a separate decision.
The $3 billion program financed military equipment provided by La Belle France.
Leb received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against miliatnt threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April last year but the program then reportedly ran into obstacles.
Alleged leaders of Leb-based Hezbollah are under sanction by Saudi Arabia.
Hezbollah is supported by Iran.
In the statement, the Saudi official said Riyadh had always stood with Leb and supported the country through difficult times.
"Despite these honourable stands, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia had been met with Lebanese stands that are against it on Arab, regional and international arenas, in the shadow of the confiscation of the will of the state by the so-called Lebanese Hezbollah," the statement said.
Hezbollah is the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim group that wields major power in Leb. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia is the arch-regional rival of Shi'ite Iran.
The SPA statement said Leb, at recent meetings of the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... and the Organization of the Islamic Conference OIC is an international organisation with a permanent delegation to the UN, with 57 member states. It represents all countries with substantial Moslem populations (as opposed to the Arab League, which excludes members not of the Master Race) except those which member countries block from joining. These include India, which has more Mohammedans than does Pakistain, whose membership is vetoed by Pakistain... , had failed to condemn "the blatant aggression on the kingdom's embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad," last month.
It was referring to an attack by Iranian demonstrators protesting over the execution by Riyadh of a Saudi Shiite convicted of incitement to violence.
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran over the attacks on its missions.
Following the halt of a Saudi program to fund aid to the Lebanese army, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... expressed willingness to provide Leb with military aid worth $1.1 million, the National News Agency said.
Turkish ambassador to Leb Cagatay Erciyes told Defense Minister Samir Moqbel that his country is ready to "continue to support Leb and its army," NNA said.
"The Turkish government has decided to provide military aid worth $ 1.1 million to meet the needs of the Lebanese army, and to include Leb within a program to provide military aid to foreign militaries," the ambassador pointed.
From whom will Turkey get a loan to cover the $1.1 million they so grandly talk of giving away? Not Saudi Arabia, one assumes. China, perhaps? Or has Turkey's economy suddenly started growing?
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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[SAHARAREPORTERS] The Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Major General Lamidi Adeosun, promised more offensive operations against Boko Haram while on a visit to Maiduguri on Thursday.
Posted by: Fred ||
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So, the hits keep coming from the Oregon standoff. Cliven Bundy, the man at the center of the Nevada Bundy Ranch standoff two years ago, who was arrested last week for his role in the Oregon standoff, is being charged with nine counts stemming from Bundy Ranch.
It appears that the charges leveled against the Bundys and others in Oregon are intended to be leveraged against other participants once the Bundys and others start talking. Several high profile tactical trainers, as well as top officials with Oathkeepers, are potentially on the hook for the same charges for their role in the standoff, so last week's rumors about charges being prepared against those in Nevada and Oregon may turn out to be true.
The participants at the standoffs at Sugar Pine and in Nevada have their share of mutual recriminations. You may have read my version of events for the Bundy Ranch standoff here, but much more was unreported simply because I could not sort out all the characters involved. One of those whom I was unaware of, Lewis Arthur, has already spoken publicly and has leveled charges of his own against some of the patriots who were there, but that post was later deleted. The Facebook account he used was compromised, but he assured me he will rewrite it.
Oathkeepers was at the center in the Bundy Ranch and practically owned the Sugar Pine Mine incident, yet despite all the control they maintained over participants in Sugar Pine, a number of unfortunate incidents took place, mainly relating to collected money.
This ain't no way to run a political movement.
But the news isn't all bad. You can always convert your peasant army Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54mm(r) rifle into a .500 S&W hog rifle. The bullet drop on that thing must be the stuff of legends.
Loads.
Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:
Prices for pistol ammunition were mostly lower, while prices for rifle ammunition were mixed.
Prices for used pistols and for used rifles were mixed.
New Lows:
None
Pistol Ammunition
.45 Caliber, 230 Grain, From Last Week: -.02 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Goose Island Sales, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: SG Ammo, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Cased, .25 per round (From Last week: Unchanged)
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 Grain, From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (4 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Goose Island Sales, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel cased, .22 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Ammomart, Store brand, Brass, Reloads, .22 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks))
9mm Parabellum, 115 Grain, From Last Week: -.02 Each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Goode Island Sales, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Cased, .16 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: J&G Sales, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Cased, .16 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))
.357 Magnum, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Freedom Ammunition, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel cased, .26 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: J&G Sales, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel cased, .25 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (4Q, 2015))
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 Grain, From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Goose Island Sales, Tulammo, steel cased, FMJ, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: LAX Ammunition, Tulammo, steel cased, FMJ, .21 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (3 Weeks)
.308 NATO 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4Q, 2015)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Goo2e Island Sales, Tulammo, steel cased, FMJ, .37 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Vizards Guns and Ammo, Tulammo, steel cased, FMJ, .40 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (5 Weeks))
7.62x39 AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (5 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Munire USA, Wolf WPA, steel case, FMJ, .25 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Ammunition Supply Company, Wolf WPA, steel case, FMJ, .22 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each)
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 Each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammomen, CCI, RNL .08 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 325 rounds: LAX Ammunition, Federal, RNL, .08 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (4 Weeks))
If you suspect the January CNN piece on Saudi-Iran was no coincidence and the beltway party has big plans for Hudson Institute's Distinguished Fellow former Congressman Mike Rogers, you may just be correct.
[Ynet] Lebanese hackers supported by Hezbollah claim to have penetrated more than 5,000 Israeli targets last year, including sensitive data and security cameras.
A pro-Hezbollah hacker group calling itself We Are Coming claims it penetrated 5,000 Israeli websites, including some containing sensitive security data, in 2015, as well as security camera feeds, Lebanese network Al-Manar declared this week.
Pro-Hezbollah news outlets in Leb have reported in the past that the group successfully breached Israeli websites and Facebook pages.
The Al-Manar report, however, was novel in its claim that We Are Coming accessed security camera feeds located in Israel. Al-Manar aired images allegedly taken via such breaches. The hacker group also released photos from what they claimed were same camera feeds from previous days as part of a campaign it named Shattering Illusions, meant to mark the eighth anniversary of Imad Mughniyeh's assassination'>assassination.
Al-Manar aired photos purported to be taken from security feeds in Haifa, Tel Aviv, and a restaurant in an unidentified location. We Are Coming also relesaed a photo allegedly showing government offices in Nahariya, in which one can see Israeli flags. One picture featured the caption: "We are coming for you, even in your offices. What is coming next will be much greater."
A member of We Are Coming, who was interviewed on the condition of anonymity, told Al-Manar that his group succeeded in breaching 5,000 websites in 2015, including those belonging to Israel's official defense establishment.
We Are Coming has been attempting since 2013 to penetrate Israeli networks to mark important historical dates such as the anniversary of the liquidation of Imad Mughniyeh, the anniversary of the Second Leb War, and the assassination'>assassinations of Samir Kuntar and Jihad Mughniyeh.
The boastful claims by We Are Coming came soon after Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallahthreatened to fire missiles at the ammonia plant in Haifa, which he claimed would cause an kaboom similar to that of a nuclear bomb.
Meanwhile, ...back at the desert island, Irene was indignant at the thought of doing such a thing without benefit of clergy... as hackers become increasingly threatening, the IDF has stepped up its training to defend against potential cyberattacks.
[DAILYTARGUM] "We are here to show support," was repeated by nearly every person in the crowd as they introduced themselves at a forum to discuss Milo Yiannopoulos's visit to Rutgers last week.
Students and faculty gathered in the Paul Robeson Cultural Center on Busch campus to generate dialogue about Yiannopoulos's visit and the protest that occurred during his lecture. A variety of different organizations and departments were present to listen, answer questions and show support.
Students described feeling scared, hurt and discriminated against following Yiannopoulos's visit.
James was scared to walk around campus the next day. Many others agreed and said they felt unsafe at the event and around campus afterward.
Representatives from the RUPD said that if a student feels threatened, the first step they should take is to call them.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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#1
are these kids parents aware of what they are paying for?
#2
Probably, big time helicopter parents who've kept the real world at an arms distance. When the bubble pops, their ability to 'adapt' will be minimal if none existent.
#6
are these kids parents aware of what they are paying for?
They might find it is worth $60K per annum to get rid of a dysfunctional brat for 4 years. In most states, after a certain age, you can no longer drown them in a well.
Amusing that the students are having brainal spasms after listening to a talk by a gay guy. Tune in next week for a new episode of When Memes Collide.
#9
*snort*
would you hire one of these precious butthurt activists? More trouble than they're worth (if anything)
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/20/2016 21:24
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#10
The only jobs available are untenured associate positions at the university. Why do you think one of the main demands is expansion of their programs and mandatory indoctrination classes for the student body? /rhetorical question
#11
@#10: More University/College employees = bigger payroll and benefits nuts = higher tuitions. There was a time the students could figure this out, but no more. And I doubt Bernie will mention it.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] No one has taken advantage of the Sept. 11 attacks and their ramifications more than Iran, which exploited them and the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi. Unfortunately, the late Osama bin Laden ... who used to be alive but now he's not... succeeded in driving a wedge between Riyadh and Washington by using more Saudis than any other nationality in the attacks.
Since then, several American writers and political analysts have accused Soddy Arabia
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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#1
The author may have just handily outlined the current U.S. policy with regard to Iran and the region. The longer term strategy reaches back to at least WWII and later the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup.
Klingon fingerprints and their penchant for picking ME regional winners and losers encompass the terms of numerous U.S. Presidents. The puppet masters continue their efforts leveraging the historic faux mission of 'nuclear non-proliferation' more recently the looming threat of 'global warning' as their modus operandi. The real regional issues or root, as Churchill correctly stated, remain money, oil, and power.
After well over a half-century of involvement, extrication from this Persian morass appears improbable. Political administrations, congresses, and parliaments come and go. Few substantive changes occur, and for good reason. However well intended, elected officials of the political stage actually control little. Those who do attain high office quickly become aware of their impotence and bide their time with pocket lining, golf, or sexual escapade.
Harry Truman had it about right when he said:
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference. I, for one, believe the piano player job to be much more honorable than current politicians."
#2
As we ponder the wisdom of overthrowing strong men in counties and regions not likely to ever see real democracy in anyone's lifetime, let's remember Jimmy for failing to prop up the Shah. How's that all worked out? Dominoes - radical Islam, the hostages, the invasion of Afghanistan when the Beltway displayed weakness, a weakened Iran opening an opportunity for Saddam and the subsequent Iran-Iraq war, the invasion of Kuwait. The road to hell is often paved with good intentions.
#3
Amen P2k. Staying out of other people's business appears quite prudent. If someone gets into yours, clear warning is in order. Failing that, a very, very serious smack down.
#4
Staying out of other people's business appears quite prudent. If someone gets into yours, clear warning is in order. Failing that, a very, very serious smack down.
Or the immediate beating can stand as warning to others. Get froggy before they know you can hop.
[Ynet] At least two thousand Syrian rebel fighters re-entered the country from Turkey to reinforce insurgents fending off an assault by Syrian Kurdish-led militias seeking to capture the border stretch, several rebel sources said.
The rebel fighters, with weapons and vehicles, headed into the embattled rebel stronghold of Azaz, in Aleppo province.
The route across Turkey for fighters has become the only path for rebels to their north Aleppo enclave along the border after recent Syrian army advances in the northern Aleppo province closed the main lifeline into rebel territory for years.
The UK's Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence across the war torn-country, also confirmed that hundreds had already crossed with weapons via a border crossing into Azaz.
[Ynet] A 25-year-old Swiss man has been charged with supporting Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... , the first time Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... has brought a suspected "jihadi traveller" before courts, the attorney general's office said on Friday.
It said he was suspected of being bound for the Middle East to join up with Islamic State before his arrest at Zurich airport last year.
"This represents the first time in Switzerland in which a suspected 'jihadi traveller' who was tossed in the slammer I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! before embarking on a trip to a conflict zone has been brought before the courts," Attorney General Michael Lauber's office said in a statement.
The man, from near Zurich, is charged in Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court with violating the nation's so-called "Islamic State law" that bans the violent group and related organizations, the statement said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/20/2016
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#1
No chocolate for you!
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
02/20/2016 6:58
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A Saudi official has confirmed that Riyadh has sent warplanes to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's southern Incirlik airbase, a move considered as preparation for the campaign against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: "From the very beginning, Turkey and Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... have been in favor of a ground operation in the fight against [ISIS].
"We have been saying in all meetings of the [anti-ISIS] coalition that there should be a comprehensive and outcome-oriented strategy. We have said if such a strategy is implemented, we, as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, can join a ground offensive."
However, a woman is only as old as she admits... Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz on Monday said his country was not considering sending troops.
Cavusoglu says if ISIS is eradicated, the world will not have to accept Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... as the lesser of two evils.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/20/2016
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[NY Post] A cancer surgeon with a God complex boasted that her job saving lives made her far superior to the lowly NYPD officers who hauled her away in cuffs for hitting a cop with her car in Midtown, prosecutors said Friday.
Hillary Clinton
[NBCNEWS] Democratic presidential front-runner 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A Saudi woman who left 
The Apple ID passcode for the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone was changed less than 24 hours after authorities took possession of the device, a senior Apple executive said today. 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] French President 
David Cameron
[WASHINGTONPOST] In October of 2014, Steven Pratt was supposed to begin his life anew. He had served out a 30-year prison sentence and gone home to Atlantic City, N.J., where his family held a party to welcome him.
[DAILYTARGUM] "We are here to show support," was repeated by nearly every person in the crowd as they introduced themselves at a forum to discuss Milo Yiannopoulos's visit to Rutgers last week.
[Ynet] A 25-year-old Swiss man has been charged with supporting 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
