This appears to be the reporting of the same event as the previous entry, but, the dates are different. Curious.

15 March 2013
By Jeromy Taylor

Photo of construction being done at Islam’s holiest site, the Grand Mosque in Mecca

Archaeologists fear billion-pound development has led to destruction of key historical sites. (click here)

The authorities in Saudi Arabia have begun dismantling some of the oldest sections of Islam’s most important mosque as part of a highly controversial multi-billion pound expansion.

Photographs obtained by The Independent reveal how workers with drills and mechanical diggers have started demolishing some Ottoman and Abbasid sections on the eastern side of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.

The building, which is also known as the Grand Mosque, is the holiest site in Islam because it contains the Kaaba –  the point to which all Muslims face when praying. The columns are the last remaining sections of the mosque which date back more than a few hundred years and form the inner perimeter on the outskirts of the white marble floor surrounding the Kaaba.

The new photos, taken over the last few weeks, have caused alarm among archaeologists and come as Prince Charles – a long-term supporter of preserving architectural heritage – flew into Saudi Arabia yesterday for a visit with the Duchess of Cornwall. The timing of his tour has been criticised by human rights campaigners after the Saudis shot seven men in public earlier this week despite major concerns about their trial and the fact that some of the men were juveniles at the time of their alleged crimes....

I am not going to depart to some under reported events.

12 September 2015

At least 107 people (click here) have been killed after a crane toppled over at Mecca's Grand Mosque, less than two weeks before Islam's annual Hajj pilgrimage.

In addition to the deaths, 238 people were wounded in Friday's disaster, according to Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence Authority.

The Saudi Press Agency quoted a spokesperson for the two holy mosques as saying that the crane was brought down by strong wind and heavy rain.

Pictures circulating on social media showed pilgrims in bloodied robes and debris from a part of the crane that appeared to have crashed through a ceiling....

...Official statement

A statement by a spokesperson for the administration of the mosques in Mecca and Medina said the crane toppled in the part of the Grand Mosque where worshippers circle the Kaaba - the black-clad cube towards which the world's 1.6 billion Muslims face to pray.

Al Jazeera's Hasan Patel, reporting from Mecca, said witnesses told him that the crane fell on the third floor of the Grand Mosque at around 5.30pm on Friday....

Reinhold Niebuhr identified evil in the world and as a philosopher attracted spiritual people to his philosophy.

"The Irony of American History" (click here)

November 2007
By Paul Elie

In the debate over the war on terror (click here) (and just about everything else, too), neocons and liberals, theocons and Christian pacifists, idealists and realists have all called upon the writings of the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. What does the promiscuous invocation of his work tell us about the man—and about his would-be acolytes?...

...Where, he asked, was the wisdom of his old friend Reinhold Niebuhr when the country needed it? “Why, in an age of religiosity, has Niebuhr, the supreme American theologian of the 20th century, dropped out of 21st-century religious discourse?”

Schlesinger was evidently unaware that the Niebuhr revival he called for was already under way. In think tanks, on op-ed pages, and on divinity-school quadrangles, Niebuhr’s ideas are more prominent than at any time since his death, in 1971. The seminary professor who was anointed the national conscience during the atomic era is once more a figure whose very name suggests a principled, hardheaded approach to war and peace....

Who is James Comey?

Earth's anthropogenic warming tragedy isn't going anywhere, but, perhaps Mr. Comey is. 

I think he is a closeted evangelical that perfers his career rather than his soulfull identity.

August 14, 2016
By Marcy Wheeler

...Then Deputy (click here) Attorney General Jim Comey sprinted up hospital stairs to arrive “only a matter of minutes” before Alberto Gonzales tried to force a gravely ill Attorney General John Ashcroft to reauthorize domestic wiretapping, the tale describes in cinematic detail. After Gonzales failed, but the president reauthorized his illegal wiretapping program anyway, a number of top DOJ officials threatened to resign. “I couldn’t stay, if the administration was going to engage in conduct that the Department of Justice had said had no legal basis,” Comey explained in 2007 Senate testimony. As a result, President Bush agreed to shut down the domestic collection and data mining of Internet metadata, among several other things.

So it was that men of Justice forced a lawless presidency back within the bounds of law....

He indicted and tried Martha Stewart. He was also appointed by "W" to the justice department under Ashcroft. Sometimes it is best to promote those that are your enemies and leave them to wonder their fate if turning against the very person responsible for their status and wealth. 

By Chris Smith

...Comey (click here) has been savaged by William Safire and lauded by Chuck Schumer; just what kind of Republican is he, anyway? This sets Comey howling again. “I must be doing something right!” he says. “In college, I was left of center, and through a gradual process I found myself more comfortable with a lot of the ideas and approaches the Republicans were using.” He voted for Carter in 1980, but in ’84, “I voted for Reagan—I’d moved from Communist to whatever I am now. I’m not even sure how to characterize myself politically. Maybe at some point, I’ll have to figure it out.”

Or maybe he’s being disingenuous. Because three hours later, Comey gets a phone call from Washington: President George W. Bush is nominating him as the No. 2 man to Attorney General John Ashcroft. On the surface, it’s an odd pairing: Comey—who cites liberal theologian Reinhold Niebuhr as a formative influence, and who can sing along with Good Charlotte pop-punk hits—and Ashcroft, a reactionary born-again Christian who breaks into spirited renditions of biblical hymns. There’s little risk Comey will lose his sense of humor in his new job. It’s only his soul that’s up for grabs....

It's Sunday Night

The live performance was in Leiden, South Holland. Leiden (click here) is a very sweet city with sonnets and writings on the buildings. 

During the performance there is real shortness of breath, real sweat, but most of all pure joy.

"Twilight Zone' by Golden Earring (click here for official site)

(somewhere in a lonely hotel room,
There's a guy starting to realize
That eternal fate has turned its back on him,
It's two a.m...........)

It's two a.m., the fear has gone
I'm sittin' here waitin', the gun still warm
Maybe my connection is tired of takin' chances
Yeah there's a storm on the loose, sirens in my head
I'm wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
I cannot decode, my whole life spins into a frenzy

Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
The place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far
Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
The place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far
Soon you will come to know,
When the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know, when the bullet hits the bone

I'm falling down a spiral, destination unknown
A double-crossed messenger, all alone
I can't get no connection, can't get through, where are you
Well the night weighs heavy on his guilty mind
This far from the borderline
And when the hit man comes
He knows damn well he has been cheated

Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
The place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far
Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
The place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far
Soon you will come to know, when the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know, when the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone

Instrumental and dance

Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
The place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far
Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone
The place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon's been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far
Soon you will come to know, when the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know, when the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know, when the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know, when the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone

Ohhhhhhhhh...
Ohhhhhhhhh...

Instrumental and dance

Credits

Celebratory gun fire. Where? Kansas City. Kansas City? Actually. That sounds right.

November 13, 2016

...Kiwi expat and an American (click here) hoping to move to New Zealand have described what it was like to experience first-hand the post-election violence unfolding across the United States.
As protests across the country continue for the fourth consecutive day since citizens elected Donald Trump as their next president, American residents remain fearful.
 Steve Schellhamer, an American father-of-two living in the midwestern state of Kansas said he was "genuinely scared" of what was happening in the US and hoped to move to New Zealand to escape the escalating violence.
He told the Herald he had heard gunshots echo through the streets of his usually peaceful neighbour every night since the election.
He believed the shots were fired by "Trump supporters celebrating and I guess as a form of intimidation against others".
Schellhamer described the social climate in the US as an "extremely toxic situation" and said it was "much worse" than it was portrayed to be in international media.
At an anti-Trump protest this week in his hometown of Kansas City, Schellhamer overheard Trump supporters saying "the most vile things" to Asian and African-American protesters....

Celebratory gunfire is a recent develop in Kansas City, Missouri. Celebratory gunfire is a element of fearful living. It will change the behavior of people.


 

Hillary Clinton was elected to the presidency by popular vote, unfortunately it doesn't matter.

The Republican strategy to oppress the vote is working.

I think there is a very real argument developing in the country to repeal the Republican voter oppression. Blue States turned out in large numbers, but, the Red States could not produce comparable percentages of Democratic voters.

I would turn to the Bloomberg organization to research these realities. The Bloomberg organization has always been centered on democracy, fairness and freedom.

November 12, 2016
By Andrew McGill

...Unfortunately, (click here) that graph is missing something important. (And not just a properly scaled y-axis.) The numbers that came out on Election Night were enough to secure Trump the presidency, but they weren’t complete. State officials are still counting millions of provisional and absentee ballots, and within two weeks, Clinton will likely have another few million votes in the bank....

...“We probably have about 7 million votes left to count,” said David Wasserman, an editor at Cook Political Report who is tracking turnout. “A majority of them are on the coasts, in New York, California, and Washington. She should be able to win those votes, probably 2-1.” By mid-December, when the Electoral College officially casts its ballots, Wasserman estimates that Clinton could be ahead by 2 percentage points in the popular vote....

November 10, 2016
By AP
 
Canonburg, Pa. (AP) — The coroner (click here) says one of two western Pennsylvania police officers shot while responding to a domestic situation has died, and police are searching for a suspect.
Washington County Coroner Tim Warco wouldn't identify the Canonsburg officer who was slain because relatives are still being notified.
Canonsburg and state police say the incident began about 3:15 a.m.

Trooper Melinda Bondarenka tells reporters the officers were immediately met with gunfire when they arrived at the scene.

The surviving officer has been flown to a hospital in Pittsburgh. His condition wasn't immediately available....

Don't get caught up in Trump's hate speech on his Twitter feed or otherwise, it is a distraction to other issues.

Rudy Guilliani, the Trump surrogate, states the USA will expand by up at least 20 percent and deploying more troops into war zones.

There is no money for that. 

Before any expansion of the USA military takes place the wasteful spending as to end. A twenty percent expansion of the USA military is to line the pockets of Republican cronies.

Look for provisions with every military bill, spending or otherwise, to remove rights of women, minorities and the LGBTQ community. It will happen and the American people have a right to know how victimizing this White House is going to be. 

Yes, victimizing. When rights are removed from people based on hatred and discrimination that is victimizing innocent people. It is also beyond victimizing and human rights violations. I have no doubt the Trump White House and Congress will accumulate human rights violations on a regular basis. 

Don't forget about the elderly. AARP really screwed up this election. The entitlements are on the table.  The poor will do worse and the working poor will expand and grow. The repeal of the Medicaid Expansion is going to hack into the working poor and their families.

Count on it. It will happen. The argument over the Russel Amendment is already an issue.

The words human rights violation means nothing to Republicans. 

October 25, 2016
By Karoun Demirjian

Senate Democrats (click here) are insisting that negotiators drafting a final defense policy bill leave out a provision that would allow federal contractors to discriminate against workers on the basis of sexual or gender orientation, an issue that could become a major political fight in the post-election “lame-duck” session.
“Our government should have no part in funding discrimination,” reads a letter penned by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and signed by 42 Democrats and independents – enough to filibuster the defense bill if they hold the line. It is being delivered to the chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday....

  

It is always an uphill battle for the City of Flint, Michigan.

This is from "The Guardian."

The Flint River Water Project is ongoing.

12 November 2016
By Ray Felton

Residents of Flint, Michigan (click here) who are facing the risk of lead contamination in their water are entitled to water bottle delivery to their home, a federal judge ruled this week:

David Lawson, a US district judge, said in a preliminary injunction that officials must deliver each week four cases of bottled water per resident to Flint households that do not have properly installed taps.

"The interim relief is intended to provide a rough substitute that municipal water systems must furnish: delivery of safe drinking water to the point of use," Lawson wrote in the 37 page order. "The court is convinced that this service can be achieved by means of the current water main and service line infrastructure, augmented by effective water filters that are installed and maintained properly."...

The judges order primarily focuses on the delivery of potable water at the point of use. If the point of use even with the filters does not deliver safe drinking water than the solution is otherwise.

The order while helpful does raise the question about replacing the pipes as a necessary function to having safe drinking water at the point of use.

The water in Flint, Michigan will have to be monitored and sampled. Residents need to accompany those tests with a record of filters and replacements. A town registry can be ordered by the mayor and council and it can become a legal record to present to the courts as pipe replacement goes forward.

I worry about the hate far more than any other promise by Trump.

Legislative measures to undo DACA have been tried in the Congress since President Obama wrote the executive order. The reason they did not fail is because the US Senate Democrats demanded a 60 count vote. I would expect the same with the Senate having 51 seats this session which is down from 52.

It is always a question as to whether the US Senate will continue the filibuster. Last session it was changed to pass nominations with a simple majority. I would imagine that will stand for this session of Congress for obvious reasons, namely Supreme Court nominees.

But, will the US Senate completely eliminate the filibuster? I think there is a chance.

Outside any legislation from the US Congress, a lot of Mr. Trump's promises will be through executive order. My concern is the violence that will break out following his signing of such orders.

The idea Mr. Trump's executive orders will be any more potent than existing law is questionable. ICE already has a law called the 287(g) Program.

...The 287(g) program, (click here) one of ICE’s top partnership initiatives, allows a state and local law enforcement entity to enter into a partnership with ICE, under a joint Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).  The state or local entity receives delegated authority for immigration enforcement within their jurisdictions....

There is also "The Criminal Alien Program."

The Criminal Alien Program (CAP) (click here) provides ICE-wide direction and support in the biometric and biographic identification, arrest, and removal of priority aliens who are incarcerated within federal, state, and local prisons and jails, as well as at-large criminal aliens that have circumvented identification. It is incumbent upon ICE to ensure that all efforts are made to investigate, arrest, and remove individuals from the United States that ICE deems priorities by processing the alien expeditiously and securing a final order of removal for an incarcerated alien before the alien is released to ICE custody. The identification and processing of incarcerated criminal aliens, before release from jails and prisons, decreases or eliminates the time spent in ICE custody and reduces the overall cost to the Federal Government.
Additionally, integral to the effective execution of this program is the aggressive prosecution of criminal offenders identified by ERO officers during the course of their duties. ERO, in conjunction with the Offices of the United States Attorneys, actively pursues criminal prosecutions upon the discovery of offenses of the nation's criminal code and immigration laws. This further enhances public safety and provides a significant deterrent to recidivism.

Besides ending DACA through an executive order, Mr. Trump is threatening to remove federal funding to sanctuary cities. There is going to be a problem with that. There are approximately 300 sanctuary cities in the USA of which are both liberal and conservative. The major cities have already stated they will not bend to the Trump threats of federal monies.

Sanctuary cities began in the 1980s when there was a great deal of death in Central America. I don't know that Central America has changed all that much, but, the original people protected in these cities were refugees. Can modern day Undocumented be called refugees? Possibly. We have witnessed children placed on trains to the USA to escape the ravages of drug lords and the violent culture that accompanies them.

The area of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras is where the narrowing between the continents occurs and the children came from those three countries.

The Sanctuary Movement began with a document called Special Order 40.

Special Order 40 (click here)
Special Order 40 was enacted in 1979 by the Los Angeles City Council and Los Angeles
Police Chief Daryl Gates, directing police officers not to initiate police action “with the objective of discovering the alien status of a person” (otherwise known as racial profiling) or to arrest or book persons in violation of federal immigration laws. Supporters of the order argue that the order is necessary to encourage illegal immigrant crime victims and witnesses to report crimes to police. Critics argue that the order encourages illegal immigration and prevents police from identifying and detaining suspected alien criminals and gang members for federal immigration authorities.

In 2006, public interest group Judicial Watch filed suit against the Los Angeles Police Department arguing that police should not undermine the nation’s immigration laws. Most recently, in 2008, the alleged murder of 7-year-old Jamiel Shaw, son of a U.S. Army sergeant serving in Iraq, by a suspected illegal immigrant gang member, raised calls to remove Special Order 40 protections for alien gang members. Nevertheless, most of the Los Angeles political establishment and current Police Chief William Bratton continue to resist any modification of the order.

In 2011, the LA Police Department reaffirmed Special Order 40 NR11039kr to protect human life. There is no way to adequately address the numbers of the undocumented. As a result that same principle of preserving the truth in reporting regarding crimes still holds it's purpose.

...The LAPD (click here) recognizes that criminals often prey on those who are most vulnerable, and those living in Los Angeles without legal sanction often are vulnerable to crime and criminals.  LAPD Chief Charlie Beck understands the fear that can grip an illegal immigrant, but stresses, “It is imperative that our immigrant communities, regardless of their country of origin, understand that they are not at risk of being deported or subject to any other penalty for reporting crimes that they have either been the victim of or a witness to.”

By joining with the many Consul Generals and Immigrant Organizations, it is hoped that the myth about reporting crimes will be dispelled, and that community members will be better informed and less fearful. The LAPD knows that without the communities help, it is impossible to combat the fear and incidents of crime within Los Angeles. We ask that everyone do their part in making our neighborhoods safe, and we pledge to uphold our promise, “To Protect and To Serve.”...

DACA in many ways did the same thing. It provided protection of young people that grew up in the USA and provided a platform for their safety, continued education, but, more over their way into a job that would provide them with an employer that could then sponsor their Green Card. Hopefully that has happened in large numbers over the past years that DACA has been in place. DACA never provided for any path forward, it simply ended the necessity of Homeland Security's ICE to pursue these individuals. By doing so, the load on the immigration courts could be relieved and sincere criminals could be better processed. This also provided long standing cases with the courts to move along.

The real issue before the USA is Immigration Reform. I don't care how many executive orders Mr. Trump writes the immigration laws of the USA are broken and the entire process of carrying out immigration hearings is severely backlogged and lengthy by it's nature alone. Only with Immigration Reform will this change.

The end of the Daesh regime is being realized by the Iraqi military.

There is still the possibility of a backlash in nations around the globe as loyalists resist surrender. The regime in France has been tenacious, but, there will be no more training grounds once the civil war in Syria ends. If it ever ends.
 
November 12, 2016
Baghdad, Considering their stonghold (click here) over Mosul threatened as the Iraqi army advances, the Islamic State (IS) fighters have started employing boys as young as 12 to the frontlines with suicide belts. Witnesses in Raqqa and Mosul – as well as the UN’s high commissioner for refugees – said Isis had also displaced tens of thousands of residents for use as human shields as it came under increasing military pressure, the Guardian reported. Of the nearly 48,000 refugees that have fled Mosul, many have described how the Islamist occupiers are becoming more brutal.
Several residents have said that in the past week, many had been killed by Isis for reasons as trivial as carrying a mobile phone sim card. According to the UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Isis has killed nearly 60 alleged spies and battlefield deserters in Mosul in the last two days. On Monday, an underground prison was found in the Shura district, containing 961 emaciated men and boys who had been forced into tiny cages and had been tortured....

In all honesty, the concern over the Asian Pacific region and trade is somewhat premature. Trump likes Russia, so the issue is will Russia continue it's movement into isolationism or not? Then there is China and it's relationship to the region. In my opinion, as noted with the Philippines, China is already isolating and claiming it's sovereign territory. As of today, it seems to me the 'Family of Nations' is a faux security to financial stability. 

If Congress agrees with all Trump's musings the world will be a very different place by the year 2016. 

I sincerely believe China and Russia are already isolationist powers in transition from globalization.

Evidently, Trump gave an interview with 60 minutes where he makes more empty promises without specifics.

November 12, 2016
 
...Meanwhile, (click here) protesters angered by Mr Trump's election gathered in several US cities for a third night on Friday. Thousands took to the streets of Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, voicing anger at the president-elect's comments about immigrants, Muslims and women.
Police in Portland are investigating the shooting and wounding of a protester on a bridge where anti-Trump demonstrators were marching. Officers had earlier used stun grenades to disperse a crowd of hundreds of people in the city centre....

Where is the sample policy for "Trumpcare?"

None of this is making news in the USA.

California is where the gunman attacked people at a polling place.

November 12, 2016

Indian-New Zealand doctor (click here) and former Young New Zealander of the Year Diyva Dhar claims she was threatened with a knife and racially abused in California the day after Donald Trump was elected president.
The incident was among a wave of hate crimes since the shock US election result on November 9.
In a Facebook post, Dhar said: "I just had a white man shove me, point a knife at me and call me n***** very aggressively for several minutes. And...I'm in California. I'm praying for my friends and all targeted minorities across the country."
Dhar said she and two to three bystanders called police about the incident.
"I just wanted people to know because change often happens quietly and if we aren't aware it can catch us unguarded. Please reach out to your friends and tell them to stay safe," she said....

The protests have moved outside of the USA.

Donald Trump is going to have a difficult time traveling, but, probably no more than "W."

 

Nov 12, 2016

Kiwis clashed (click here) over US President-elect Donald Trump at a protest in Auckland today.
Opponents and pro-Trump supporters squared off during a protest in Aotea Square which saw an American flag burned and heated confrontations.
People opposing Trump's election announced this morning that they would be staging a peaceful protest at 2:30pm, run by a group calling itself 'Aotearoa Against Trump.'
The group describes itself as a 'grassroots movement established in reaction to Trump's election to facilitate education, discussion and ultimately, change of the system that has led us to this point.'...
...California legislators have released a joint statement expressing their rejection of Trump's politics of "resentment, bigotry and misogyny."
International demonstrations are also being organised, including a protest outside the American embassy in Israel.

November 12, 2016

...A relaxed Kerry, (click here) jeans and open-neck shirt, landed at Christchurch early this evening after a whistle-stop tour of the ice continent where he was struck by its "majesty and awe".

Kerry, 72, spoke to assembled media briefly on the tarmac before jetting off to Wellington where he will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister John Key tomorrow.

The long-time champion for action against climate change described his two-day trip to Antarctica as "an extraordinary experience".

He visited New Zealand's Scott Base where he was given a "terrific tour" and saw scientists preparing for field missions.

Yesterday, Kerry took a helicopter ride where he says he got a "sense of the majesty and awe of the place".

But most importantly, Kerry said, was to see the "really vital science" being done in Antarctica, which is providing "critical knowledge" on the Antarctic ice sheet, melt rates, its potential impact, and helps guide policy decisions.

"For those of us deeply concerned and involved in climate change this was very, very helpful, very instructive," he said....

This morning New Zealand is encouraging Nobel Laureates to consider a new place to call home.

November 11, 2016

...Within just a 24-hour period, (click here) the Immigration New Zealand website received 56,300 visit from the US - up 2500 per cent from its daily average of 2,300 visits....