I doubt this regime will have much longevity.

The greatest asset the Islamic State ever had was surprise. As long as the victories were easy and the casualties were few it was popular. Popular is the war lord structure.

They are sustaining losses without high levels of citizen deaths which translates into a greater fear of the Islamic State among their people. Fear is the only thing binding the people together. They learn the rules and surrender to them.

December 27, 2014

A 14-year-old Syrian boy (click here) has given himself in to Iraqi guards wearing a vest full of explosives, The New York Times reports. The teenager, recruited by the Islamic State, said that a mission to bomb a Shiite mosque was his only chance to escape militants.

Usaid Barho, 14, told a NYT reporter that he played soccer, loved Jackie Chan movies, and dreamed of becoming a doctor.

That was before he was recruited by the Islamic State (IS/ISIS/ISIL) in Syria and forced to convert to radical Shiite-hating beliefs....

There have been many successful attacks upon the Islamic State. Something in the number of over 2000 bombs. It really is not that big of a place. So, the people still living in the land occupied by the Islamic State are receiving regular bombing alerts and/or the noise of war very frequently. This regime is relying on child soldiers. That is not a productive society; it is one relinquishing their lives to power. There is a ruling class and they have nothing to lose but to be feared. At the very least they are wanted for crimes against humanity, but, they are genocidal and face many, many murders.

There was a jet shot down a day or so ago. That is anti-aircraft gun(s). It takes only a few people to fire those missiles. They probably found it among the ruins somewhere. The allied coalition denies it was downed by a surface to air missile. The pilot lived, it doesn't sound like it was destroyed by a missile actually.

If one listens to the noise coming out of the regime it is too embellished to be believable. They are going to take over the world and kill and destroy any other religion into oblivion. I don't think so. I heard that before? "I will destroy you." Now, where was that. Oh, yeah, the United Nations. The 902nd plenary meeting. 1960. Nikta Sergeyevich Khrushchev  didn't throw his shoe, he simply banged the desk with it. It left most with the feeling he was very frustrated. He at least had the weapons to make that a real threat though. After a while, one has seen them come and seen them go.

This is the Kurds below. Not the Islamic State. It does look as though the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak.

Go, Kurds, Go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The officer has a right to defend himself.

Young black men are afraid of police officers. It is legitimate to estimate the one young man that was drifting away from the scene was reasonably scared of being shot for no reason, except, he and his friend was talking.

The other aspect is investigating the gun 18 year old Mr. Martin was carrying. Was it his? Where did he get it? Why was he carrying it? If he was carrying it because he was frightened to police killing him that is problem.

December 24, 2014
Staff

BERKELEY • Several dozen protesters (click here) gathered tonight near the Mobil gas station where an 18-year-old man was fatally shot Tuesday night.

The protesters chanted and screamed at officers who were guarding the station. 

Some of the protesters marched from there onto Interstate 170 nearby, at times closing the highway. Police used pepper spray on some of the protesters.

The crowd included the mother and the stepfather of the teenager who was killed.

The protest came a night after a Berkeley police officer fired at least three shots at a suspect who pulled a gun on him....

...The officer's attorney, Brian Millikan, said one of the men spoke with the officer, while the other kept wandering away despite the officer's commands to stay near him, Millikan said....

...Belmar said one round struck the suspect, Antonio D. Martin, 18, and one struck a tire of the police car....

His parents would know him and can estimate their son's actions when he pulled a gun on the police officer. I am not questioning the right of the police officer to defend himself, I am saying there are other questions here that need to be answered. 

It is unclear why the police officer, who was alone in his police cruiser, would stop when there was no crime being committed. Harassment as a chronic condition in a neighborhood or city will raise tensions between citizens and police. This is the second time there has been confrontation first by police before there was any killings. There was the case in St. Louis where three African Americans were talking together and the police stopped without responding to a crime and now this. This may be unjustified harassment and the cities young black men have come to a conclusion about their self-defense.

There is a difference between responding to a crime and harassing citizens.

Matthew 1:18-25New International Version (NIV)

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dreamand said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Are we connected or not?

Matthew 1:1-17New International Version (NIV)

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

4 Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

12 After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

14 Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

"But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

December 19, 2014

NPR Staff

This Christmas Eve (click here) people all over the world will log on to the official Santa Tracker to follow his progress through U.S. military radar. This all started in 1955, with a misprint in a Colorado Springs newspaper and a call to Col. Harry Shoup's secret hotline at the Continental Air Defense Command, now known as NORAD.

Shoup's children, Terri Van Keuren, 65, Rick Shoup, 59, and Pam Farrell, 70, recently visited StoryCorps to talk about how the tradition began....

Norad Track Santa (click here)

'Twas the Night Before Christmas" (click here)

The author of " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" was born in New York in 1779 and any closer to 1776 it might have written the US Constitution himself. The biography is at the bottom of the poem.

Clement Clarke Moore's famous poem, which he named "A Visit From St. Nicholas," was published for the first time on December 23, 1823 by a New York newspaper, the Sentinel. Since then, the poem has been reprinted, translated into innumerable languages and circulated throughout the world.

Clement Clarke Moore was born in 1779 to a well-known New York family. His father, Reverend Benjamin Moore, was president of (what is now) Columbia University and was the Episcopal Bishop of New York. Moore's father also participated in George Washington's first inauguration and gave last rites to Alexander Hamilton after Hamilton was mortally wounded in an 1804 duel with Aaron Burr. Moore himself was an author, a noted Hebrew scholar, spoke five languages, and was an early real-estate owner and developer in Manhattan...

Sorry to hear Former President Bush has become ill.

I don't want to make light of a serious situation, but, 90 years of living does have it's set backs. Wasn't it just this year when he skydived again? So, with all the excitement of the holidays, the food and beverages, he tipped the scales a little bit.

I can only guess, but, since he has a heart condition we all know about, he might have a little fluid in his lungs and maybe some puffy ankles. He might even have a touch of pneumonia.

Those were the classic symptoms my maternal grandmother had in her coming century birthdate. She lived to be 94 years old, but, every year about the same time and it right after the holidays she'd get shortness of breath, too. They'd check her blood count and sometimes she'd even need a transfusion of a pint. So, we called it her "Annual Tune-Up." A few days and she was ready to go for another year.

I hope the senior Bush has a speedy recovery. He might not be able to be home for Christmas as he needs to be ready to go home, not must maybe ready to go home. A little medical attention is good for the soul from time to time. I wish he and Mrs. Barbara Bush a Merry Christmas. 

The former President should have no problem finding many socks to hang by the chimney.

December 24, 2014
By Bruna Nessef

George H.W. Bush (click here) is currently hospitalized after experiencing a shortness of breath earlier this evening.

The former president was taken by ambulance to the Houston Methodist Hospital as a precaution, his spokesman Jim McGrath said tonight, adding that the 90-year-old will be held for observation. No other details are available at this time.

Bush began experiencing health problems back in 1991 when, as president, he entered the hospital with an irregular heartbeat. Doctors diagnosed him as having Graves Disease, a thyroid condition that his wife, Barbara Bush, also had.

However, H.W. seemed to be in good spirits recently, and even celebrated his 90th birthday by skydiving from a helicopter over Kennebunkport, Maine, back in June. Bush made the jump at 6,000 feet, accompanied by former members of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights....

There could up to or somewhat more than 4000 worker deaths by the time the World Cup comes around again.

A Qatari official poses with the World Cup trophy during a tour last year. (Getty Images)

June 1, 2014
By Greg Doyel

...Workers (click here) are dying over there, more than 200 from Nepal alone in 2013, with more than 4,000 migrant workers projected to die in Qatar by the time the football cathedrals and palaces are in place....

If Qatar wanted to host the world games I am sure they would have taken into account the heat that would accompany such an event. I am also fairly sure Qatar can afford indoor air conditioned stadiums powered by solar and/or wind. So, this may be quite a wonderful event for the World Cup, but, they need oversight to the project because the workers constructing the venues are in peril.

US House Speaker Boner doesn't have to do a thing about Congressman Grimm.

As a matter of fact Speaker Boner should feel proud of Congressman Grimm. Why only a month ago, a week ago the Congressman was voting on things like the US Budget. Today, Congressman Grimm has done the right thing, he plead guilty. So, with the Congressman finally giving up on telling fairy tales to the law and threatening death to a member of the press there is every reason for Speaker Boner to swell with pride in Grimm becoming a more wholesome citizen.

It isn't as though he killed the media person or anything like that even though threatening the man with death is an ethics violation and a crime that can be prosecuted.

December 23, 2014
By Tom Hayes

NEW YORK (AP) — People (click here) familiar with plea negotiations say U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm of New York City plans to plead guilty to a federal tax evasion charge rather than go to trial next month.

A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn. The Staten Island Republican is expected to enter the plea in a case stemming from an investigation of his campaign financing....

It isn't even like Grimm knew he was committing crimes so much as believing he was privileged as a member of Congress and basically untouchable.

It is a shame poor Grimm's Christmas is tainted with such drudgery and menial issues.

The Fourth Circuit does it again. It is the only anyone within North Carolina can move outside the corrupted courts.

These right wing legislators are horrible. They don't care about the US Constitution at all. 

December 22, 2014

...Informed consent (click here) frequently consists of a fully-clothed conversation between the patient and physician, often in the physician’s office. It is driven by the “patient’s particular needs and circumstances” …  so that the patient receives the information he or she wants in a setting that promotes an informed and thoughtful choice. This provision, however, finds the patient half-naked or disrobed on her back on an examination table, with an ultrasound probe either on her belly or inserted into her vagina. … Informed consent has not generally been thought to require a patient to view images from his or her own body much less in a setting in which personal judgment may be altered or impaired. Yet this provision requires that she do so or “avert her eyes.” Rather than engaging in a conversation calculated to inform, the physician must continue talking regardless of whether the patient is listening. … The information is provided irrespective of the needs or wants of the patient, in direct contravention of medical ethics and the principle of patient autonomy. Forcing this experience on a patient over her objections in this manner interferes with the decision of a patient not to receive information that could make an indescribably difficult decision even more traumatic and could “actually cause harm to the patient.” … And it is intended to convey not the risks and benefits of the medical procedure to the patient’s own health, but rather the full weight of the state’s moral condemnation.

In July 2011, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Woman’s Right to Know Act over then-Gov. Beverly Perdue’s veto. Doctors and abortion providers filed suit, asking that the act be enjoined. One provision of the law, the “Display of Real-Time View Requirement,” forces doctors or technicians to perform an ultrasound on any woman seeking an abortion at least four but not more than 72 hours before the abortion is to take place....

North Carolina pig farms are aerosoling raw waste particles and vapors into the air.

Smithfield Foods farms in N. Carolina (Still from Youtube video, SpeciesismTheMovie)

December 22, 2014

Thousands of huge pig farms (click here) in N. Carolina are spraying untreated animal waste into the air and contaminating neighboring communities, Mark Devries, who shot a shocking aerial video with a spy drone, told RT.

This environmental problem “has for some reason received very little attention in the American press,”says documentary filmmaker and activist Mark Devries, whose drone captured footage of cesspools at over 2,000 industrial pork factory farms in the US state.

“These pools are near people’s homes, people’s schools, people’s neighborhoods,” Devries said in an interview Monday to RT. “And in order to get rid of these giant open-air cesspools, the manure is actually sprayed into the air with giant spraying devices, which causes it to turn into a fine mist.”...

Thank you.

December 22, 2014

By Joel Connelly 

The New York Times (click here) has called for a “full and independent investigation” into torture of terrorism suspects, arguing that “any credible investigation” should include possible commission of crimes by former Vice President Dick Cheney and ex-C.I.A. director George Tenet.

The 534-page executive summery of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s exhaustive investigation “erases any lingering doubt” about the “depravity and illegality” of “sadistic tactics like ‘rectal feeding’” as well as water boarding and hanging suspects by their wrists, the newspaper argued Monday in an editorial.

The Times’ editorial came as two groups, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union, called on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor.

“The question everyone will want answered, of course is: Who should be held accountable?” The Times said. “That will depend on what an investigation finds, and as hard as it is to imagine Mr. Obama having the political courage to order a new investigation, it is harder to imagine a criminal probe of the actions of a former president.

“But any credible investigation should include former Vice President Dick Cheney; Mr. Cheney’s chief of staff, David Addington; the former C.I.A. Director George Tenet; and John Yoo and Jay Bybee, the Office of Legal Counsel lawyers who drafted what became known as the torture memos.”...

Are police cars outfitted with bullet proof glass? If not, why not? And if they are, why didn't it work?

February 6, 2014
By Marcos Ortiz

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Utah) – A bullet proof (click here) windshield may have saved the life of Sgt. Cory Wride.

He was killed last week in Utah County. According to the sheriff, Wride was sitting in his vehicle confirming information of two people pulled over. Authorities say the shooter used a handgun and the bullet came through the windshield.

At Wednesday’s funeral, Wride's son called for bullet proof glass for law enforcement vehicles.

“The bullet proof glass idea, however we can make that possible,” Nathan Mohler told those at the service. “We won't stop until we make it a reality. Our dad didn't die for nothing. You guys won't either.”

The family has started a petition asking the President to make this happen. Anyone can sign the petition found at:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/ and click “view petitions”....

In last week's deadly shooting, Deputy Greg Sherwood was wounded when a bullet penetrated the windshield.

A spokesman for the Utah County Sheriff's Office says bullet proof glass would have changed the outcome....

October 31, 2014

Kids all over (click here) are dressing up in their scariest, funniest and prettiest costumes to celebrate Halloween and collect lots of candy! But last week, it was man’s best friend’s turn to get all dolled up…and for a good cause.

Meet Dona, the newest member of Binghamton, New York’s K9 unit and the only one without a bulletproof vest. The K9s are “very active in many drug investigations, they find lost people, people who wander away, they are amazing, amazing partners.” Because they are exposed to dangerous situations on a regular basis, it is essential for each K9 dog to wear a bulletproof vest. However, the bulletproof vests cost $1,000 each, leaving many cities struggling to afford them....

This is a Kevlar panel that can be placed in any door, roof, trunk or hood in any car.

Kevlar Ballistic Panel NIJ II - Door Skin Needed (click here)

Asia has been fighting the avian flu because it has been hit with the largest number of outbreaks. I would expect South Korea to take this measure.

December 21, 2014

...South Korea (click here) has suspended imports of U.S. poultry and poultry products because of an outbreak of bird flu in the United States, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

The suspension, from Saturday, comes as South Korea is struggling to contain its own outbreak of bird flu in birds.

"This import suspension is a quarantine measure to prevent the HPAI virus from entering the country," the ministry statement said, referring to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus.

The ministry said 18 countries including South Korea had been hit by the HPAI virus this year. South Korea has had no human cases.

Avian flu is an infectious viral disease of birds. Most bird flu viruses do not infect humans, but some have caused serious infections in humans.

Two strains of avian influenza - H5N2 and H5N8 - have been confirmed in wild birds in Washington state, near the U.S. border with Canada, but there was no immediate cause for public health concerns, U.S. agriculture officials said on Wednesday.

Neither virus has been found in U.S. commercial poultry.

South Korea's imports from the United States in the first 11 months of the year included 63,245 tonnes of poultry meat and 264,000 chicks, according to ministry data.

The ministry said the import suspension would not cause a shortage as domestic poultry meat supply is projected to rise by 17.5 percent to 67,000 tonnes this month from a year earlier on top of 9,000 tonnes in inventory.

There is a chance the virus actually arrived to the USA and Canada with some of the large storms that have come across the Pacific from Asia. That is one potential source. If that is the cause, the virus won't stop infecting this wildlife until it is wiped out in Asia.

December 21, 2014

By Jane Deason

The avian flu virus (click here) infecting B.C. poultry farms is a North American first, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed.

The strain, a highly pathogenic form of H5N2, contains gene segments from the Eurasian H5N8 virus — which marks the first time this lineage has caused a bird flu outbreak in poultry in North America.

The finding is significant because of its ability to cause high mortality among infected birds, reports the CFIA. More than half of the B.C. birds hit with the virus have died, while the rest are humanely euthanized.

Despite quarantines and strict biosecurity protocols at infected sites, a 10th Fraser Valley farm was hit last week, bringing the total number of infected chickens and turkeys to nearly 250,000. The source of the virus and how it has spread between farms remain unknown.

Health officials report that transmission risk to humans remains extremely low if poultry products are cooked and handled properly.

The BC Turkey Farmers association says it’s importing birds from other provinces to meet demand for the Christmas season....

December 21, 2014

By Bloomberg News

The disease known (click here) as bird flu has been found in a “backyard” poultry flock in Oregon, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday, adding that there is no immediate public health concern.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in the flock of about 100 birds, comprised of guinea fowl and chickens, in Winston, Ore., a unit of the USDA said in a statement on its website.

“Birds from the affected backyard flock will not enter the food chain,” the USDA said. “All poultry, poultry products and wild birds are safe to eat as long as they are properly handled and cooked.”

The virus strain is H5N8 and has not been found in commercial poultry anywhere in the United States, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said. The agency also reported cases this week of virus strains of avian influenza in wild birds in Washington state....

Where would law enforcement find the largest Medicare fraud?

December 18, 2014
By the AP

NEW ORLEANS — The organizer (click here) of a $56 million Medicare fraud conspiracy and a doctor have entered guilty pleas to health care fraud charges in federal court in New Orleans.
The U.S. Department of Justice says 51-year-old Mark Morad, of Slidell, and 53-year-old Dr. Divini Luccioni, of Kenner, each pleaded guilty Wednesday before Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance.
Morad and Luccioni pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Morad also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to falsify records in a federal investigation.
Sentencing for each is set for April 1....

Louisiana because they receive exorbitant amounts of federal dollars both in Medicare payments and Medicaid funding as well as some of the lowest paid workers and contractors in the country.

December 1, 2013
By Jordan Rau
This Kaiser Health Network story was produced in collaboration with The Washington Post

...Researchers (click here) have discovered huge discrepancies in how much is spent on these services in different areas around the country. In Connecticut, Medicare beneficiaries are more than twice as likely to end up in a nursing home as they are in Arizona. Medicare spends $8,800 on each Louisiana patient getting home health care, $5,000 more than it spends on the average New Jersey senior. In Chicago, one out of four Medicare beneficiaries receives additional services after leaving the hospital—three times the rate in Phoenix....

"Morning Papers"

The Rooster 

"Okeydoke"

You mean to tell me Texas has enough former inmates to actually create a support group?

Texas has paid over $65 million to 96 exonerees under the nation's highest paying compensation statute. (click here)

And Texas still has the death penalty with the highest number of executed in the country? Something has to be done with Texas and it's idea of law enforcement. To begin the people that actually committed the crime are still at large created risk for all of us.

"Good Night, Moon" on the Winter Solstice.

I think this is the best way to see a "New Moon." A sincere New Moon is nearly invisible for the lack of sunlight it reflects.

New Moon

0% Full / Lit

0 days old

December 21, 2014
By Joseph Stramberg

The article (click here) below said that, due to the rotation of the Earth gradually slowing down over time, this winter solstice would feature the longest night ever.

I got this wrong. The Earth's rotation is gradually slowing on an extremely long timescale, but on a shorter year-to-year basis, geologic factors can alter the speed as well.

Data indicates that the rotation speed has actually sped up slightly over the past forty years (likely due to melting of ice at the poles and the resulting redistribution of the Earth's mass), and before that, the trend was up-and-down for most of the 20th century — so, as far as we know, the longest night in Earth's history likely occurred in 1912. I apologize for the error. Thanks to Steve Allen and Ryan Hardy for pointing it out....