Sunday, November 11, 2012

Making waves in Putin's Russia, now is the time.

His music (click here) may have been outlawed by the pre-perestroika Soviet authorities, but Boris Grebenshchikov, lead singer and sole constant member of Russia’s legendary folk-rock group Akvarium, insists he was never against the socialist system that did its best to stop his recordings finding their public.
“To be against something, you have to be on the same level as it,” Grebenshchikov, 58, smiles from behind dark glasses. “But I was outside of it – I didn’t care. I just knew you don’t ever trust the authorities or anyone with the mark of authority.”
“Like Bob Marley said, ‘Babylon,’” he adds, the first of many references to the Rastafarian byword for evil, oppressive authority. “If you don’t trust Babylon, you don’t deal with it.”
Grebenshchikov is speaking ahead of a concert in the central Russian city of Kostroma, part of a tour to celebrate the moment forty years ago this summer when, after wandering the streets of his hometown Leningrad for over 48 hours, he finally came up with a name for his fledgling band.
As the Soviet Union lurched towards its seventh and final decade of existence, Akvarium would become a crucial part of the underground rock scene that sprang up from seemingly nowhere in Leningrad, the cradle of the Bolshevik Revolution, but also the spiritual home of the country’s intellectual and artistic heritage....

Six killed in Gaza as Palestinians, Israelis exchange fire




Last Updated 11/12/2012 00:32
By YAAKOV LAPPIN, TOVAH LAZAROFF









Over 100 rockets, mortar shells hit South in past 24 hours, (click here) Israeli officials weigh "dramatic response."

Israel will not hesitate to launch a major IDF operation against Gaza-based terrorist factions if necessary, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned on Sunday – after some 100 rockets hit southern Israel in 24 hours.
Rockets wounded three people in Sderot during a barrage fired to coincide with the morning commute to work. One man was moderately wounded in his car by shrapnel and flying glass....
It is all coming apart at the seams Vladimir! A return to extremism isn't going to fix this, this time.

It is the first time since the Yom Kippur War that Israel fired into Syria. That can't be good.


I don't know how many times I have to write this, but, Russia's indulgence of Assad is spilling over every border Syria has.
Last Updated 11/11/2012 14:34
IDF ground forces (click here) fired a warning shot at the Syrian military on Sunday for the first time since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
They shot the guided missile after a stray Syrian shell from civil strife in that country exploded on the Golan Heights for the second time in recent days....

For refugee children, school back in session (click title to entry - thank you)



While addressing its country's problems, Jordan is absorbing large 
numbers of refugees from Syria. If Russia supports the Assad regime, 
then why the refugees and what is Russia doing to supportthe refugee 
camps?


AMMAN –– The Criminal Court (click here) on Sunday ordered that former General Intelligence Department chief Mohammad Dahabi receive a 13-year-prison sentence and a fine of JD21 million, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
Dahabi was standing trial on several corruption-related charges including embezzlement, money laundering and exploitation of public office.
He spent 10 months in custody while the prosecution was probing the case, collecting evidence and questioning witnesses....

Cabinet endorses draft illicit fortunes law (click here)

by JT | Nov 10, 2012 | 21:59

AMMAN — The Cabinet endorsed the draft illicit fortunes law during a session late last week, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Saturday.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said on Saturday that the bill will be referred to Parliament after the January 23 elections, according to Petra.
Under the draft law, “illicit fortunes are movable or immovable assets acquired by any person subject to this law — for his/her benefit or for others — by means of exploiting public office or title”.
The law also stipulates that “any increase in an employee’s movable or immovable assets that occurs during his/her time in office… is an illicit gain if that increase is not proportionate to his/her financial income, and if he/she fails to clarify the source of these financial revenues”....

Syria is Russia's Israel.


PARIS, October 31 (RIA Novosti)
The removal of (click here) President Bashar al-Assad from power will do nothing to end the 19-month civil war in Syria but will only escalate the violence, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.
“It is like daydreaming to speculate on the subject, to the effect that if the [Syrian] government is overthrown everything will fall into place,” Lavrov said after a meeting with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius.
“If this is a priority for somebody, bloodshed will continue, and for quite a while, too.”
“Assad’s fate should be decided by the Syrian people,” he added.
There is no military solution to the Syrian conflict as mercenaries fighting on the side of the Syrian insurgents keep arriving in the country from neighboring states, the minister noted....

It is time for Europe to stop the Cold War with Russia. It has asked to
become a member of NATO. It is time to bring them all in from the cold.
Rather than continuing to wage war with Georgia as a member, it would
be best to bring them all into the same alliance against terrorism. The 
international dialogue is wrong. It is perpetrating more extremism on
both sides of the with only an impetus to conflict. 

Tartus hosts a Soviet-era naval supply and maintenance base, under 
a 1971 agreement with Syria, which is still staffed by Russian naval 
personnel. Tartus is the last Russian military base outside the former 
Soviet Union, and its only Mediterranean fueling spot, sparing Russia’s
warships the trip back to their Black Sea bases through straits in 
Turkey, a NATO member.

President Putin is getting carried away with his KGB beginnings.

...Although the organizers (click here) attempted to slightly change the format 
of the meeting by having moderators from among the participants to group 
questions from their peers into broad subjects, it was largely the same type of 
a question-and-answer session lasting more than two hours, albeit somewhat 
losing steam. Nikolai Zlobin, director of Russia and Eurasia programs in 
Washington’s Center for Defense 
Information and popular Russian media figure, said this year’s was the least 
exciting meeting for both Putin and group members. “The president ended up 
having to give us a short lecture on the political economy,” Zlobin said.
In fact, Putin’s subjects ranged from commenting on the Rosneft-BP deal (he 
was not originally approving of it because it ran contrary to the government’s 
policy of reducing the state sector in energy business) to an in-depth 
evaluation of the euro crisis (it is a systemic crisis and up to the competent 
European bodies to resolve, but Russia is interested in a closer relationship 
with the EU despite the fact it will not become a member). Russia and China, 
Putin said, need to be moving to increase their turnover to $100 billion and 
begin trading in rubles and yuans rather than in dollars, which is not easy. And 
the Eurasian Union is taking European experience in account and thus does not 
want to introduce a single currency until the economic conditions and practices in its parts are more even.
When presented with the recommendations from Valdai Club discussions on 
how an institutional reform is needed in order to speed up the country’s 
economic growth, 

Putin took them in stride.
“He certainly recognized what needs to be done economically,” said Angela 
Stent, director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European studies 
at GeorgetownUniversity. “Most of the recommendations people spoke about 
he agreed with. His line on all inadequacies of the Russian institutions was that 
he understands those problems and they are working on it.”

"The only moment when you saw Putin angry was when he spoke about Pussy Riot," said Orietta Moscatelli, chief editor of Italy’s TMNews press agency. “He was 
clearly very angry when he saw double standards in treating Pussy Riot as the 
rights defenders while the producer of the anti-Islam film was put in prison [in the United States]. On the eve of the day, when there is a chance that Pussy Riot 
would get the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize, he was making it clear 
that the majority of Russians consider it logical and desirable that they should 
be prosecuted. He was really passionate about that.”
Russia is receiving its cues for permission of their government to exert control by
the USA actions, including the Defense Appropriation Bill. The world looks to the
USA regarding freedom and democracy. The Defense Appropriation Bill is an example
of what is not suppose to occur in the USA even under the most extreme of elected
officials.

By MARK DUELL



Civil rights groups today (click here) voiced major concern over a defence bill 'allowing the military to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism.
The $662billion bill was signed by Barack Obama on Saturday despite his ‘serious reservations’ and pledging he would not support that element.
But human rights advocates said the bill is a ‘blight on his legacy’ and ‘dangerous because it has no temporal or geographic limitations’....

The only margin of safety is President Obama. Why aren't moderates winning 
across the globe? One of the reasons is the extremism that has become a part
of the Post September 11th fears in political dialogue leading to insults against
our democracy and civil rights.
MOSCOW, October 31 (Dan Peleschuk, RIA Novosti)
The new anti-treason bill (click here) approved today by Russia’s upper house 
of parliament has prompted concern from experts, academics and human rights advocates, who say it could be used against almost anyone.
“I see a lot of people around me who are experts and journalists who have 
become cautious, and who are becoming more and more cautious every day,” 
said intelligence analyst Andrei Soldatov, the co-founder of Agentura.ru.
The bill, proposed by the Federal Security Service (FSB), broadens the 
definition of treason in Russia’s Criminal Code to include steps that endanger 
Russia’s “constitutional order, sovereignty and territorial and state integrity.”
While supporters argue that the bill’s wording was meant to eliminate arbitrary interpretation, critics say the new version has the exact opposite effect....
The opposition to the new Russian oppression has never been more important.


MOSCOW, October 8 (Marc Bennetts, RIA Novosti)
Russian opposition leader (click here) Sergei Udaltsov said on Monday he had been summoned by investigators over allegations aired on federal television that he had conspired to launch a violent revolution.
The summons came less than 72 hours after state-run television channel NTV 
broadcast what it said was secretly-filmed footage of Udaltsov meeting leading 
Georgian politician Givi Targamadze to discuss plans to seize power in cities 
across Russia, including the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.
The grainy, low quality footage also showed the two men discussing an offer by 
Andrei Borodin, the self-exiled, ex-head of Bank of Moscow, to contribute $50 
million to the protest movement. Borodin also allegedly pledged to obtain 
another $150 million from other Russian emigres living in London....

Is Freedom of Speech under attack or is extremism now an enemy?

You can say what you want about the Middle East uprising regarding an inflammatory film by someone on parole for exactly that reason, but, 
what about the political extremists of the political Right Wing in the USA? Where does extremism find definition and why is it selective?

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, right, is shown in a drawing making his court appearance last 
week on alleged probation violations. (Mona Shafer Edwards, AFP / Getty Images / 
September 28, 2012)

By Victoria Kim, Abby Sewell and Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times
October 2, 20129:42 p.m.

As rioting (click here) over the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims: spread 
across the Muslim world, President Obmaa and Secretary Hillary Clinton
both deplored the film's message but defended the free speech rights 
of its creators. In Clinton's words: "We do not stop individual citizens 
from expressing their views, no matter how distasteful they may be."...

'Innocence of Muslims' filmmaker sentenced in probation case (click here)

November 7, 20129:05 p.m.

Mark Basseley Youssef, whose anti-Islam film sparked rioting across the globe, gets a one-year sentence for violating terms of his probation.

While the USA was self absorbed in elections, our neighbor to the north was terrified by an earthquake.


General

2000 km
1000 mi
Powered by Leaflet
52.480°N, 132.793°W
Depth: 20.0km (12.4mi)

Event Time

  1. 2012-10-28 18:54:16 UTC
  2. 2012-10-28 09:54:16 UTC-09:00 at epicenter
  3. 2012-10-28 14:54:16 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

52.480°N 132.793°W depth=20.0km (12.4mi)

Nearby Cities

  1. 177km (110mi) SSW of Masset, Canada
  2. 262km (163mi) SW of Prince Rupert, Canada
  3. 358km (222mi) SW of Terrace, Canada
  4. 593km (368mi) WNW of Campbell River, Canada
  5. 656km (408mi) S of Juneau, Alaska
6.3-magnitude aftershock hits near B.C.'s Haida Gwaii (click here for video)

No injuries or major damage reported in tsunami-ready British Columbia, Hawaii

Last Updated: Oct 28, 2012 3:43 PM PT



...Erin Wilson, who lives in Skidegate, B.C., was speaking to the CBC News as the tremor shook.
"It's non-stop," she said. "You hear things creaking and cracking and you hear — oh, another one right now. It's pretty scary."
More than 30 aftershocks have hit the area after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Saturday evening, and several of the aftershocks measured at least 4 in magnitude.
The initial quake triggered tsunami warnings from the Washington border to Vancouver Island and as far away as Hawaii. But the warnings were cancelled early Sunday, several hours after they were issued.
Saturday's quake struck at 8:04 p.m. PT and was also centered off Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands. Some residents reported feeling the quake as far away as Edmonton and Yukon...
USGS 

M6.3 - 177km SSW of Masset, Canada 2012-10-28 18:54:16 UTC (click here)


Sixteen year old creates app for teenagers. It creates good habits for citizenship.

...London-born Nick D'Aloisio, 16, (click here) who spent some of his early 
years in Melbourne and Perth, is living back in his homeland and this week 
the whiz kid has made the most of his school's semester break, as his creation 
Summly goes live.

The app, designed for Apple's popular smartphone, condenses news 
articles into three key paragraphs that fit on an iPhone screen, reports 
British newspaper the Daily Telegraph.
Users can customise news categories and select links to original articles.
"I designed Summly because I felt that my generation wasn't consuming traditional news any more," said the teenager.

It was a huge natural gas explosion.



This aerial photo shows two homes that were leveled and the numerous neighboring homes that were damaged from a massive explosion that sparked a huge fire and killed two people, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012, in Indianapolis. Nearly three dozen homes were damaged or destroyed by the blast that could be felt at least three miles away. /AP PHOTO/THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR, MATT KRYGER
...The powerful nighttime blast (click here) shattered windows, crumpled walls and could be felt at least three miles away.
Seven people were taken to a hospital with injuries after the explosion and fire, Deputy Fire Chief Kenny Bacon said....
...Mark Lotter, a spokesman for the mayor, said about three dozen homes were damaged or destroyed. He said 27 were uninhabitable and another eight had significant damage....
...All power, gas and other utilities in the area were shut off as a precaution as emergency officials swarmed the site....
...Pam Brainerd, a 59-year-old hospice nurse, said she was asleep when the explosion blew out the upstairs windows in her house.
"I was sleeping on the sofa and all of a sudden, my upstairs windows were blowing out and my front door was falling in," Brainerd said. "My front door came off the frame. It was the largest bang I've ever heard."
She stepped outside and saw what she described tall flames one street away. "There was a house engulfed in flames, and I could see it spreading to other houses," she added.
The pictures below are of the San Bruno, California natural gas explosion. Same thing.
...Eye witnesses reported the initial blast "had a wall of fire more than 1,000 feet high".

...Among the eight deaths (click here) was 20 year old, Jessica Morales, who was with her boyfriend, Joseph Ruigomez, at the epicenter of the fire (his home) on the corner of Earl Ave. Despite his proximity to the epicenter of the fire, Mr. Ruigomez survived but spent nearly five months recovering in the St. Francis Hospital Burn Center. Two other people at the Claremont address close to the explosion were among those killed: Jacqueline Greig, 44, and her 13-year-old daughter Janessa Greig. Greig worked for the California Public Utilities Commission, in a small unit that advocates for consumer rights pertaining to natural gas regulations. She had spent part of the summer evaluating PG&E's expansion plans and investment proposals to replace out-of-date pipelines.,Also killed in the blast were Lavonne Bullis, 82, Greg Bullis, 50, and Will Bullis, 17....

The Supreme Court is not only activist, but, treasonist under Roberts.

I know that is an inflammatory statement, but, the truth is the 
truth.

The Robert's Court is becoming 
more and more extreme. What 
is completely appalling is the 
way this is directly effecting the political fairness of a region of 
the country.

Since when does political corruption of a region of the country become dominant to the rights of the entire country? This is a designer court 
and acts in disregard to the US Constitution. This is not about states 
rights, it is about dismantling civil rights and removing the vote as the 
only means nominating and electing our 'representative democracy.' 

It is time to seriously consider impeachment of the judges willing to 
weaken the strength of the citizen in favor of political power. This 
directly relates to the disseminating of citizen's rights to corporate 
cronys.


The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (click here)

This site at the Justice Department is safe as accurate for at least the next four years.

The 1965 Enactment

By 1965 concerted efforts to break the grip of state disfranchisement had been under way for some time,but had achieved only modest success overall and in some areas had proved almost entirely ineffectual. The murder of voting-rights activists in Philadelphia, Mississippi, gained national attention, along with numerous other acts of violence and terrorism. Finally, the unprovoked attack on March 7, 1965, by state troopers on peaceful marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, en route to the state capitol in Montgomery, persuaded the President and Congress to overcome Southern legislators' resistance to effective voting rights legislation. President Johnson issued a call for a strong voting rights law and hearings began soon thereafter on the bill that would 
become the Voting Rights Act.

These attacks on the Middle Class won't end until Scalia leaves the 
court. Since the Bush appointments the Supreme Court has been openly
hostile toward the citizen while yielding to corporations. There is a lot
wrong here and it is time to begin serious hearings on impeachment. The
Court has become to emboldened with 'anti-citizen' themes. Roberts 
was densely linked to The Heritage Foundation before his appointment
to the Court. I am confident his priorities for same comes from attachments
to that foundation as well. Scalia is nothing but hubris anymore. We 
already know the irreverence of Alito. Thomas will probably write one of
the two opinions on this priority of this Court.


November 9, 20124:18 p.m.

WASHINGTON — Acting just three days (click here) after the election, 
the Supreme Court announced Friday it would consider lifting a legal 
cloud that has hung over the South since the 1960s by striking down 
part of the landmark Voting Rights Act as outdated and unfair....

The Supreme Court should be strengthening voter rights by demanding 
standardization across the country of early voting, voting mechanisms
and opening opportunity to the citizen rather than weakening it. The 
electorate is growing with every generation coming of age, the need for
expanding the voting opportunity is paramount to a functioning election.

This decision by the Roberts' Court came on the heels of President Obama stating "...and we need to do something about that." The statement was
in regard to teh voting rights fiasco this year. This decision to assail this 
law is a direct attack on the results of the 2012 election when Citizens' 
United failed to buy the elections in the Senate and Executive Branch.

Abstract: The right to engage in free speech--particularly political 
speech-- (click here) and the right to freely associate are two of this 
nation's most important founding principles. That is why the Supreme 
Court's recent decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election 
Commission is so important: It protects these principles against those, including President Barack Obama, who favor a federal ban on 
independent political advocacy by corporations....

Chief Justice John Robert's decision in regards to The Affordable Care 
Act is in line with his Heritage Foundation connections.

...On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court (click here) upheld the constitutionality of Obamacare, particularly its core provision – the 
so-called individual mandate under which most Americans would be 
required to buy health care insurance with at least the minimum 
amount of coverage stipulated by the federal government or pay a 
fine. The Court upheld the mandate on the grounds that it was within 
the taxing authority of Congress. Chief Justice John Roberts provided 
the swing vote to give the liberal justices on the bench the majority 
they needed to uphold the controversial law.

In a 5-4 decision written by Chief Justice Roberts, he concluded that 

“Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid
 it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.”...

The Affordable Care Act was originally authored by The Heritage 
Foundation. Why would it be inconsistent for Roberts to align his authority
against a law he probably contributed to nearly two decades before? I
haven't done a study on the parallels between The Heritage Foundation
and the decisions of the Roberts' Court, but, my guess is the comparison 
is very strong.