NEWS FOR 2/18/2015 Wednesday February 18th 2015

DAILY USA PATRIOT'S TOP NEWS STORIES FOR 2/18/2015



Former Breitbart reporter and founder of GotNews.com, Charles C. Johnson, claims he has never before seen information that answers to why no one has seen photos of a pregnant Michelle Obama, why Obama’s family photos are fakes, and why his birth certificate is anything but authentic (but says he was born in Hawaii not Kenya).

But ‘serious’ death threats are so far keeping Johnson quiet, according to a barrage of recent Twitter posts.

If true, the former Breitbart reporter may be in an eerily similar position to that of his former boss, Andrew Breitbart, who promised to reveal bombshell info on President Obama on what turned out to be the day died, officially of a heart attack. In early 2012,Andrew Breitbart reportedly told Sinclair News, “Wait til they see what happens March 1st.” He added this teaser, “I’ve got video from his college days that show you why racial division and class warfare are central to what hope and change was sold in 2008 – the videos are going to come out.”

While the importance of the information Johnson claims to have cannot be verified, he gives some hints that would be – if proven true – not only embarrassing to the Obama family, but threaten to unravel his entire legacy and shatter the false history that has been presented as unverified fact.

(SHTFplan, feb 18th)

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/former-breitbart-reporter-receiving-death-threats-over-revealing-obamas-fake-past-ever-seen-a-photo-of-a-pregnant-michelle-obama_02172015




Obama administration to allow sales of armed drones to allies

The Obama administration will permit the widespread export of armed drones for the first time, a step toward providing allied nations with weapons that have become a cornerstone of U.S. counterterrorism strategy but whose remotely controlled power to kill is intensely controversial.

The new policy, announced Tuesday after a long internal review, is a significant step for U.S. arms policy as allied nations from Italy to Turkey to the Persian Gulf region clamor for the aircraft. It also is a nod to U.S. defense firms scrambling to secure a greater share of a growing global drone market.

(washington post, feb 18th)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-cracks-open-door-to-the-export-of-armed-drones-to-allied-nations/2015/02/17/c5595988-b6b2-11e4-9423-f3d0a1ec335c_story.html




Facebook says it’s developing its own apps for Oculus

Over the past year, as Oculus has gotten closer and closer to its consumer release, we’ve seen company after company unveil applications for the virtual reality system. From Super Bowl parties to utility company training tools to movies, everyone is developing for Oculus. And that includes Facebook.

On Tuesday night, Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox told attendees at Re/code’s Code/Media conference that the social networking giant — which bought Oculus last year for $2 billion — has been working on its own apps for the VR technology.

“Virtual reality is pretty cool,” Cox said, according to Re/code. “We’re working on apps for VR. … You realize, when you’re in [virtual reality], that you’re looking at the future, and it’s going to be awesome. When you’re in Facebook, you’re just sending around these bits of experience — a photo, a video, a thought,” Cox said. But by using Oculus, the Facebook experience could be “a fuller picture.”

(Venture beat, feb 18th)

http://venturebeat.com/2015/02/18/facebook-says-its-developing-its-own-apps-for-oculus/




DARPA Developing Matrix-Like Brain Implant Powered From The Spine

The secretive US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing a device that will plug directly into the brain and transmit images, bypassing the optical system altogether, according to reports.

Under the guise of developing a “cortical modem”, to enable blind people to see, DARPA researchers say that the device may also eventually replace all virtual and augmented reality technology.

(Infowars, feb 18th)

http://www.infowars.com/darpa-developing-matrix-like-brain-implant-powered-from-the-spine/




Across the board, young Americans fared poorly compared to those in the other countries studied. They tied for last, with Italy and Spain, in math skills. In problem-solving, they again performed at the bottom of the pack, with Ireland, Poland, and the Slovak Republic. U.S. millennials also had lower literacy scores than peers in 15 out of 22 countries, tied with a few, and outperformed only peers in Italy and Spain. Younger members of the cohort, who presumably grew up under the last decade of high-stakes accountability initiatives, were no more competitive globally than older millennials.

Moreover, the skills gaps persisted among students who are least likely to be considered academically at risk. Those who performed in the top 10 percent of all Americans in their age group still performed worse than the top performers in 15 other countries, including Germany and the Republic of Korea.

While a higher proportion of U.S. millennials versus those in other countries had earned a college degree, those with a four-year degree in the United States still showed lower math skills than those with college degrees in any country studied but Poland and Spain. Moreover, the percentages of Americans who demonstrated the lowest-level math skills increased from 2003 to 2012, regardless of what level of education they had achieved.

Even those with a master's or doctoral degree demonstrated lower numeracy skills than their counterparts in all but a few countries. The average U.S. math score for millennials with a postbaccalaureate degree, 308, was not only below the average for countries studied who are in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, but was below the average score for young adults with just a bachelor's degree in several countries, and near the score for top-performing students with less than a bachelor's degree in a few countries.

(edweek.org, feb 18th)

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/02/18/us-millennials-come-up-short-in-global.html



Connecticut public schools are far too quick to restrain or isolate unruly children against their will, leaving hundreds with injuries and many others with unmet educational needs, a state report released last week found.

The report cited "significant concern" that schools are overusing restraints and so-called seclusion, particularly on kids with emotional or intellectual disabilities. Over the past three years, Connecticut has recorded more than 90,000 instances of restraint and seclusion in public schools and more than 1,300 injuries—at least two dozen of them serious.

Excessive use of restraint and seclusion goes far beyond Connecticut schools. An investigation last year by ProPublica and NPR based on government data showed the practices were used at least 267,000 times nationwide in just one school year.

The actual number of incidents is almost certainly much higher. Several of the nation's largest school districts do not report the actual number of restraints to authorities despite the count being mandated by law.
Children with physical, emotional, or intellectual disabilities comprise nearly three-quarters of the total number of reported restraints. Hundreds of children are injured each year during restraints and at least 20 have died as a result.

(newsweek, feb 13th) (i know this was 5 days ago, sorry for being slow but this is important!!!)

http://www.newsweek.com/connecticut-school-restrained-one-child-700-times-one-year-306464




For months, the United States and its allies have withheld "classified negotiating details" from Israel over its nuclear diplomacy with Iran, the Obama administration acknowledged on Wednesday.

Accusing Israeli officials of "selective sharing of information" and "cherry-picking" in its public complaints over the diplomatic effort, US spokesmen said they were continuing "routine and frequent" contact with the Israelis.

But "not everything you're hearing from the Israeli government is an accurate depiction of the talks," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. And for that reason, "classified negotiating details stay behind closed doors."

(Jpost, feb 18th)

http://www.jpost.com/International/US-acknowledges-withholding-information-from-Israel-on-Iran-talks-391463



Gay Catholic group gets VIP treatment at Vatican for first time

A prominent American Catholic gay rights group was given VIP treatment for the first time at an audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday, a move members saw as a sign of change in the Roman Catholic Church.

"This is a sign of movement that's due to the Francis effect," said Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, which ministers to homosexual Catholics and promotes gay rights in the 1.2 billion-member Church.

(Reuters, feb 18th)

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/gay-catholic-group-gets-vip-treatment-vatican-first-150206499.html




POLICE STATE__________________


A former Bellefontaine Neighbors police officer has come out of the quota closet and is exposing the department’s highly unethical revenue collection scheme.

Ten-year veteran of the force, officer Joe St. Clair was ordered to carry out a policy that he says required cops to issue a certain number of traffic tickets, and even traffic arrests. If the cops failed to do it, they could be fired.

“I believe the chief put an illegal mandate on his officers. I think it’s unfair to the community,” St. Clair told KMOV.

A report conducted by KMOV, with the help of St. Clair, exposed the downright insane requirements for Bellefontaine Neighbors cops.

According to the report:

    The mandate was put in writing. It requires officers to take a specific number of “self-initiated activities” each month. St. Clair gave News 4 Investigates copies of spreadsheets used by the Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department to track those activities. It identifies seven different activities that officers are required to do. Those include writing ordinance violations, traffic arrests, uniform traffic tickets, parking violations and traffic warnings.

    St. Clair had to do 50 of them every month. The spreadsheet shows that Traffic Arrests represented up to 15 percent of the required activities for Bellfontaine Neighbors cops, an equivalent of up to 8 arrests per month, and that Uniform Traffic Tickets were up to 60 percent, or about 30 tickets per month.

Just to put that into perspective, 75 percent of all officers’ duties is forced revenue collection.

This department focuses 75 percent of all of its time on the act of revenue collection. This ratio is particularly disturbing.

It means that only 25 percent of the time are they trying to solve murders, prevent crimes, and investigate thefts. But that’s probably too generous of a number as well. If you take into account the immoral War on Drugs; solving murders, preventing crimes and investigating thefts is probably only a tiny fraction of that 25 percent.
(free thought project, feb 18th)

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/olice-department-caught-forcing-cops-arrests-give-tickets-fired/




Mentally Ill Man Waves Broom, Cops Shoot Him Dead And Cuff Him

A mother in Miami Gardens called police, asking them to help her calm her mentally disturbed son. But when the cops showed up, the man, 25, waved a broom at them so they shot him multiple times, killing him.

(Infowars, feb 18th)

http://www.infowars.com/mentally-ill-man-waves-broom-cops-shoot-him-dead-and-cuff-him/




VIDEO: A cellphone video circulating online shows a plainclothes Jefferson Parish sheriff’s deputy repeatedly punching a high school student in the face as he attempts to take him into custody.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office has not opened an internal inquiry into the Friday night incident but encouraged an attorney for the teenager’s family to file a complaint with JPSO’s internal affairs division, said Col. John Fortunato, a spokesman for Sheriff Newell Normand.

(the new orleans advocate, feb 18th)

http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/crime/11633848-123/video-shows-jefferson-parish-sheriffs



A 90-year old’s home was destroyed by police conducting a raid but it appears they got the wrong house.

The elderly woman shared her story of terror and what police are doing to clean up the mess.

She’s called Riviera Beach home for 25 years, but back on December 18th around 1 p.m., the 90-year-old woman, who asked not to be identified, had some uninvited guests.

“I don’t know how the cops got in here. The noise woke me up when something said boom! Like a bomb or something,” said the 90-year old.

There was shattered glass, a busted door, and traces of a flash bang device.

Riviera Beach Police said after evidence of criminal activity, they got a search warrant.

“Cops standing over here talking about where’s the drugs? I said what? What drugs? Ain’t no drugs in here,” she said.

Police searched the home with drug sniffing dogs but came up empty-handed.

“I’ve never been arrested, never been in jail,” said the 90-year old.

Riviera Beach Police said the search warrant was executed at the correct address and while the resident may not have had any knowledge of drugs being sold from her home, it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
(CBS miami, feb 17th)

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2015/02/17/police-raid-90-year-old-womans-home-find-nothing/




UKRAINE CRISIS__________________

Putin Says Russian Intelligence Shows U.S. Is Already Arming Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the U.S. is supplying Kiev with lethal weapons, telling reporters that the conflict in Ukraine will not be resolved through military escalation.

“According to our intelligence, [U.S.] weapons are already being delivered,” Putin was shown on state television Channel One as telling a press conference on Tuesday, when asked if a shipment of lethal hardware from Washington to Kiev would fan the flames of war in eastern Ukraine.

Putin, speaking in Bucharest during a presidential visit to Hungary, added that arms deliveries would only contribute to the loss of lives in the war-torn region.

“I am deeply convinced that whoever and whatever weapons are delivered to the conflict zone, the [outcome] will always be bad … the number of victims could increase,” he said in comments widely published by Russian media.
(Moscow times, feb 18th)

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/516135.html




US Sends “Tankbuster” Jets To Europe Over Russia Fears After Germany Says “A Large Scale War Could Develop”

Not exactly the act of a peace-seeking force following a "truce"

Karl-Georg Wellmann, a lawmaker in Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union has warned that, despite its efforts to avoid arms being provided to Ukraine, Germany “will no longer be able to stop weapons deliveries from from the U.S. and Canada.” Almost too coincidental to these comments, CNN reports, the U.S. Air Force is sending its A-10 “tankbusters” back to Europe in order to “increase rotational presence in Europe to reassure our allies and partner nations that our commitment to European security is a priority.” As Wellmann ominously concludes, seemingly confirming Putin’s warning yesterday that if Kiev aims at a military solution, war will never end, “a large-scale war could develop out of that.”

(zero hedge, feb 18th)

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-18/us-sends-tankbuster-jets-europe-over-russia-fears-after-germany-says-large-scale-war




Ukraine Truce Unravels as Rebels Advance into Government-Held Town

Pro-Russian rebels fought their way into an encircled government bastion and were battling street-to-street on Tuesday, all but dashing hopes that a European-brokered peace deal would end months of conflict.
Two days after a truce went into effect, an agreement reached at all-night talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk last week was unravelling rapidly, with both sides refusing to begin pulling back heavy guns on Tuesday as required.

The failed ceasefire has left thousands of Ukrainian troops surrounded, their fate uncertain. The rebels said they had captured hundreds of them and would not let the rest escape unless they surrender. Ukraine said some of its troops had been taken prisoner but denied the number captured was that high.

(free beacon, feb 17th)

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/ukraine-truce-fades-as-fighting-rages-arms-pullback-stalls/




ISLAMIC STATE VS THE WORLD___________


Italy Prepares for War with ISIS from the South

(breitbart, feb 18th)

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/02/18/italy-prepares-for-war-with-isis-from-the-south/



'Enemy of mine enemy' in Mideast conflict

New twist in ancient fight snags Israel, Iran, al-Nusra, ISIS

The race to take over the Syrian Golan Heights has pitted the strategic intentions of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah against those of Israel, which Middle Eastern sources say is giving material help to Sunni jihadists to thwart a perceived threat from Iran and its Lebanese proxy.

The infiltration of Syrian militants into Lebanon threatens Hezbollah’s presence in the strategic Golan, according to Middle East expert Jean Aziz.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, has made a universal appeal to fight the “takfiris,” or foreign fighters, of the al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS.

Aziz said that with Jabhat al-Nusra “controlling the southern border area of Syria and reports on cooperation between the group and Israel, the Syrian-Israeli border has become an area of concern for Hezbollah and Iran.”

Aziz pointed out that some strategic locations within the area controlled by Nusra militants are less than 12 miles from the Beirut-to-Damascus highway, according to Al-Monitor, the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East news site.

Any advancements or military infiltration the militants make from the Quneitra province in the Syrian Golan could lead to a “shift in the military balance of power in the Syrian conflict,” he told Al-Monitor.

“Such advances would allow Jabhat al-Nusra elements and other rebel groups to realize two goals to cut off the road between Damascus and Beirut, the supply route between Hezbollah and the Syrian army, and to represent a serious threat to Damascus for the first time since the war erupted,” Aziz said.

The free WND special report “ISIS Rising,” by Middle East expert and former Department of Defense analyst Michael Maloof, will answer your questions about the jihadist army threatening the West.

“The accomplishment of this would be highly dangerous for Hezbollah and thus cannot be taken lightly.”

Aziz said any gains by the Sunni militant groups opposed to Hezbollah in the area would constitute a new front for Hezbollah in south Lebanon.

“It would also constitute something of a siege, as Hezbollah would be stuck between Israeli forces on the southern border of Lebanon and armed groups to the east along the border with Syria,” he said. “For Hezbollah, such a scenario would be unacceptable and impossible to endure. Reports alleging cooperation between Israel and Jabhat al-Nusra makes this especially troubling for the organization.”

Because the Israelis are concerned that the Golan would become a new front for them, Israel has been providing humanitarian assistance to some of the Sunni militants, according to various Middle East sources.

Last October, for example, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz the Israeli army was providing such assistance as blankets, food and medical aid to village residents along the Lebanese-Syrian border.

Yaalon said “it’s no secret that they benefit from the humanitarian assistance that we provide to the residents.”

Other Middle East sources even say Israeli assistance to militant fighters include weapons and tactical intelligence, although WND could not confirm such assistance.

Zvi Barel, who writes for Haaretz, said Israel will accept Syrian militants on the Golan, but the presence of Hezbollah and Iranian forces would be looked at as a “strategic turning point” and likely be met with “violent Israeli resistance.”

While Israel views Hezbollah’s presence in the Syrian Golan as a threat, Hezbollah and its leadership regard Sunni jihadist occupation of the area as a threat to Lebanon, the group’s existence and to Islam itself.

“All the world countries consider [ISIS] a huge threat, except Israel,” Nasrallah said in a speech in Beirut Monday night. “[ISIS'] agenda had immensely served the Israeli one,” Nasrallah said

(WND, feb 18th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/02/enemy-of-mine-enemy-in-mideast-conflict/



Why Obama Refuses to Call it ‘Islamic Terrorism’

The Obama administration’s refusal to use the term “Islamic terrorism” has provoked widespread condemnation, but it fits perfectly with the federal government’s past approach to the war on terror, which has been to elevate the importance domestic extremism over the threat posed by Islamic terror.

In planning this week’s summit on ‘combating violent extremists’ the White House “has consistently avoided naming Islamic extremism as its central focus,” reports CNN, despite two deadly attacks carried out in the name of Islam in Paris and Copenhagen in just the last two months alone.

The New York Post’s Michael Goodwin sums up the controversy, noting that even liberal media outlets are comfortable with referring to Islamic terrorism on a routine basis.

“This is nuts. Although the Islamic State, al Qaeda, Boko Haram and the Taliban cite Islam as the basis of their death cults, Obama argues that their acts are contrary to Islam, and therefore, refuses to associate them with Islam,” writes Goodwin.

Concerns about not referring to religion in the context of terrorism were not shared by the Pope, who condemned the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians in Egypt by ISIS by remarking, “They were killed simply for the fact that they were Christians.”

In contrast, a 192-word statement from White House press secretary Josh Earnest about the killings was completely absent the words “Christian,” “Coptic,” “Islam” or “Muslim.”

A State Department spokeswoman made matters worse during a television interview on Monday night when she suggested that a better way of dealing with ISIS militants than killing them would instead be to encourage some kind of jobs program.

“We need … to go after the root causes that leads people to join these groups, whether it’s lack of opportunity for jobs, whether…” Marie Harf told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, prompting widespread ridicule.

During a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this month, Obama seemed to almost deliberately chide Christians by drawing parallels between ISIS’ recent brutality and the 800-year-old crusades, insisting that people get off their “high horse” and recognize the “terrible deeds” Christianity had wrought in the name of religion. It hardly seemed appropriate just days after a brutal video emerged of ISIS burning Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh to death.

However, none of this behavior should really surprise us given the federal government’s past fascination with domestic extremism, which served to diminish attention paid to the far more deadly threat of Islamic terrorism.

The FBI’s most recent national terror threat assessment list completely omits Islamic terrorists, instead focusing on sovereign citizens and the militia movement.

(Infowars, feb 18th)

http://www.infowars.com/why-obama-refuses-to-call-it-islamic-terrorism/




Obama Suggests Islamic Extremists Have “Legitimate Grievances”

President claims radical groups can be stopped if governments listen to them

President Obama suggested that radical Islamic groups such as ISIS, which beheads Christians and other Muslims for not obeying Sharia Law, can only be stopped if governments are willing to listen to their “legitimate grievances.”

“Governments that deny human rights play into the hands of extremists who claim that violence is the only way to achieve change,” he wrote in his op/ed published last night by the L.A. Times. “Efforts to counter violent extremism will only succeed if citizens can address legitimate grievances through the democratic process and express themselves through strong civil societies.”

(Infowars, feb 18th)

http://www.infowars.com/obama-suggests-islamic-extremists-have-legitimate-grievances/



The governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia have expressed outrage over the warm visit Muslim Brotherhood members allegedly received at the White House in January, which the State Department eventually admitted to only after the Muslim Brotherhood members boasted of their visit on social media.

(breitbart, feb 18th)

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/02/18/egypt-saudi-arabia-outraged-by-state-dept-reception-of-muslim-brotherhood-delegation/




The Obama administration is revamping its efforts to combat Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) propaganda. ISIS and its supporters produce “as many as 90,000 tweets and other social media responses every day,” reports The New York Times.

An empowered Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, currently a small component of the U.S. State Department, will spearhead the new campaign to fight the ISIS propaganda machine.

Rashad Hussain, a Muslim American with close ties to the White House, will replace Alberto Fernandez, the center’s director, according to The Times.

Hussain, who has reportedly participated in events linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, currently serves as Obama’s special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He will take over when Fernandez retires in April.

“Hussain, a devout Muslim, has a history of participating in events connected with the Muslim Brotherhood,” reported Cal Thomas in an article published by Townhall.
Citing Egypt’s Rose El-Youssef magazine, The Investigative Project on Terrorism reported that Hussain “maintained close ties with people and groups that [the magazine] says comprise the Muslim Brotherhood network in America.”

(breitbart, feb 17th)

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/02/17/report-obamas-new-anti-isis-propaganda-head-tied-to-muslim-brotherhood/




Marie Harf (State Department Deputy Spokesperson): My comment about ISIS needing jobs was ‘too nuanced’ for you boors
This is precisely how any organization would hope their spokesperson might respond when entangled in a controversy of their own making: Doubling down and petulantly insisting that your many critics are idiots.

On Monday, Harf was the subject of criticism after she claimed that the only real way to neutralize the danger posed by a messianic death cult that threatens to erode the foundations of Westphalian sovereignty is to provide them all with good paying jobs.

When Wolf Blitzer observed that the poverty-breeds-terrorism theory is hopelessly flawed and that high-profile attackers like Osama bin Laden and Mohamed Atta were relatively comfortable and privileged, Harf declined to acknowledge his point. Though she issued an emphatic “absolutely” so as to convey that she was, in fact, listening to Blitzer and understood the words that were coming out of his mouth, she instead plunged into a pre-canned attempt at damage control as her response:

“If we looked around the world and say long-term we cannot kill every terrorist around the world nor should we try, how do you get at the root causes of this?” she asked. “Look, it might be too nuanced of an argument for some like I’ve seen over the past 24 hours some of the commentary out but it’s really the smart way for Democrats, for Republicans, military commanders, our partners in the Arab world think we need to combat it.”

There’s really no other way to interpret that. If you don’t think that statements like “we can’t kill our way out of this war” and asserting that ISIS militants “lack opportunity for jobs” oversimplifies the crisis in the Middle East, Harf does not believe that you are her intellectual equal.
(Hot Air, feb 18th)

http://hotair.com/archives/2015/02/18/marie-harf-my-comment-about-isis-needing-jobs-was-too-nuanced-for-you-boors/




A top Iraqi diplomat told world leaders that ISIS is harvesting the organs of its victims to fund it murderous operations, the latest charge of barbarity in a list that already includes mass beheadings, burning people alive, crucifying children and throwing people off of buildings.

The shocking new claim was presented by the Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations, who said bodies have turned up in mass graves bearing surgical incisions and missing organs such as kidneys.

Ambassador Mohamed Alhakim leveled the charge as he asked the Security Council to investigate whether harvesting and selling the organs of those it executes.

(Fox news, feb 18th)

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/02/18/isis-reportedly-burns-alive-45-people-in-western-iraqi-town/



Libya crisis ‘created by NATO intervention’

Italy called on Wednesday for urgent international action to halt Libya’s slide into chaos, and pledged it was ready to help monitor a ceasefire and train local armed forces.

The U.N. Security Council is due to meet later on Wednesday to discuss Libya, where two rival governments, each backed by former rebels who toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, are battling for power.

The growing danger became apparent on Sunday when ISIS released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya.

Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni told parliament that possible alliances between local militias and ISIS militants, inspired by counterparts in Syria and Iraq, risked destabilising neighbouring countries.

(World bulletin, feb 18th)

http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/155272/libya-crisis-created-by-nato-intervention




Terror Inc.: How the Islamic State became a branding behemoth

With Vines, tweets and listicles, IS spreads its hateful message. Can the West find a way to fight back?

It’s been less than a year since IS burst onto the stage, seizing large amounts of territory and shocking the world with its brutally violent tactics. During that time, the group has evolved into a highly sophisticated multimedia organization, boasting slick social media strategies that could give major corporate marketing teams a run for their money. IS knows how to package its extremist ideology in the form of well-produced videos, attractive graphics, polished magazines and strategic online posts. It’s also strikingly savvy at spreading them online, tailoring their presentation and message to media sites like Twitter, YouTube and Vine. The messages are hypercustomized in language, tone and content to reach as many people possible and ultimately go viral. As Marshall Sella recently wrote in Matter, IS is “an entire brand family, the equivalents of the Apple logo’s glow ... terrorism’s Coca-Cola.” There’s no need to hold an IS-stamped watch or baseball hat in your hands to face the truth: IS is a powerful and terrifying brand that we were not prepared to reckon with.
(yahoo, feb 18th)

http://news.yahoo.com/terror-inc---how-the-islamic-state-became-a-branding-behemoth-034732792.html




IMMIGRATION__________________


Syrian refugee program called 'back door for jihadists'

McCaul’s panel sent a letter to the Obama administration Jan. 28 saying they have “serious national security concerns” about the U.S. State Department’s plans to accept tens of thousands of Syrian refugees into the U.S. by the end of 2016.

The letter implored the administration not to let the refugee resettlement program become a “backdoor for jihadists” to enter the country.

The United States has traditionally taken in the majority of the world’s displaced persons, but since 1980 the refugee program has been handled through the United Nations high commissioner on refugees, who approves individuals for refugee status and then assigns them to various host countries. The U.S. is responsible for vetting the refugees assigned by the U.N., a task that falls to the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. can reject any refugee during that process.

The four-year-old Syrian civil war has created a humanitarian crisis, with 3.2 million Syrians having fled their country. Most are staying in camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

The State Department said in December it was processing more than 9,000 applications referred from the United Nations, with tens of thousands more Syrians waiting in the U.N. pipeline. Resettlement agencies have lobbied the White House and Congress to allow up to 75,000 Syrians into the country as refugees over the next five years.

McCaul said the ISIS army is 50,000-men strong, but an article by WND earlier this week cited an Egyptian intelligence report that estimates the terrorist army could muster up to 180,000 or more fighters if it called in allied forces from al-Qaida, al-Shabab, al-Nusra and other like-minded Islamic groups.

What’s more troubling is the number of foreign fighters flooding in from the West. ISIS is not a nationalist movement with loyalties to any nation. Rather, it is an Islamic movement bent on building up the caliphate declared by Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

“We know that foreign fighters have gone from 15,000 to 20,000. We know that 5,000 of these foreign fighters have Western passports that could get them entrance into the United States,” McCaul said. “… There are hundreds of Americans who have traveled to the region to fight with ISIS. We know that some of them have returned, and that’s a classified number. But my first question is, for those who have returned to the United States, what assurances can you give the American people, and what are we doing about it to make sure they do not attack in the United States?”

(WND, feb 18th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/02/syrian-refugee-program-called-back-door-for-jihadists/



GOP DOUBLE-CROSSING TRAITORS

Now that a federal judge has held Obama's illegal executive amnesty unconstitutional, perhaps U.S. senators will remember that they swore to uphold the Constitution, too. Back when they needed our votes before the last election, Republicans were hairy-chested warriors, vowing to block Obama's unconstitutional "executive amnesty" -- if only voters gave them a Senate majority. The resulting Republican landslide suggested some opposition to amnesty.

Heading into the election, college professor Dave Brat took out the sitting House majority leader and amnesty supporter Eric Cantor in a primary, despite being outspent 40-1. It was the greatest upset in history since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" at the Lake Placid Olympics: Never before has a House majority leader been defeated in a primary. And Brat did it by an astonishing 55.5 percent to 45.5 percent. Again, the voters seemed to be expressing disquiet with amnesty.

After that, even amnesty-supporting Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., was denouncing Obama's executive amnesty. "If the president were to do that," he said, "and we have a Republican majority in the United States Senate, why, we have a number of options that we don't now have to remind him to read Article I of the Constitution."

Poll after poll showed Americans ranking illegal immigration as the No. 1 most important problem facing the nation. We haven't changed our minds. Last week, an Associated Press-Gfk poll showed that Obama's single most unpopular policy is his position on illegal immigration. In other words, Obamacare is more popular than amnesty. That's like losing a popularity contest to Ted Bundy.

(Ann Coulter, feb 18th)

http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2015-02-18.html




An estimated 5,000 aliens were either arrested for committing crimes or absconded over a three year period while they were participating in a supervision program that allowed them to be released from detention and into U.S. communities, the latest publicly available data shows.

In an audit released earlier this month, John Roth, the inspector general (IG) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), revealed that a total of 2,010 aliens were arrested for committing crimes while they were participating in a supervised release program in 2010 (576), 2011 (729), and 2012 (705).

Furthermore, the DHS watchdog found that a total of 2,760 aliens absconded while they were enrolled in the same scheme over the same period — 2010 (927),  2011 (982), and 2012 (851).

In 2013, the CIS found, “ICE freed 36,007 convicted criminal aliens from detention who were awaiting the outcome of deportation proceedings.”

Among those aliens were criminals convicted of serious crimes, including homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, and aggravated assault.

(breitbart, feb 18th)

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/18/dhs-ig-nearly-5000-aliens-in-supervised-release-program-committed-crimes-absconded/




U.S. ECONOMY_____________________



Is Washington Fabricating the Economic Data? 48 million Americans cannot provide for their most basic human needs
Bureaucrats in the U.S.S.R. kept issuing glowing economic reports right up until the Soviet state collapsed.

Of course, many snickered at those reports for years. Widespread poverty and unemployment were obvious and no amount of government bluster obscured that reality. People generally understood that economic reports were little more than another propaganda tool.

Here in the U.S., official data is considered more reliable. Americans have been told the economy is getting better since bottoming in 2009. There is some evidence to support this. In particular, real estate prices have made a big recovery due to cheap credit, and the stock markets are back to making new highs. So when officials tell us things are getting better, we have reason to believe them.

But, investors should be careful before suspending all disbelief. The well-paid bureaucrats in Washington have the same powerful incentives to support their government’s narrative as their peers did in Moscow.

While we don’t have bread lines, we do have record numbers of people on food stamps. But these 48 million Americans who cannot provide for their most basic human needs are hidden from public view because they get debit cards and coupons to blend in at the grocery store.

(market daily news, feb 16th)

http://marketdailynews.com/2015/02/16/is-washington-fabricating-the-economic-data/




The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidized over 100,000 apartments for tenants who do not meet work or community service requirements, costing taxpayers at least $37 million.

According to an audit released by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) on Wednesday, the federal government is at risk of losing an additional $448 million worth of subsidies this year on “noncompliant tenants.”

(free beacon, feb 18th)

http://freebeacon.com/issues/hud-paid-37-million-in-rent-for-deadbeats/




PRIVACY___________________


Jeb Bush endorses NSA program that tracks U.S. phone records

(daily dot, feb 18th)

http://www.dailydot.com/politics/jeb-bush-nsa-metadata-collection/



Google is boldly opposing an attempt by the US Justice Department to expand federal powers to search and seize digital data, warning that the changes would open the door to US “government hacking of any facility” in the world.

In a strongly worded submission to the Washington committee that is considering the proposed changes, Google says that increasing the FBI’s powers set out in search warrants would raise “monumental and highly complex constitutional, legal and geopolitical concerns that should be left to Congress to decide”.
The search giant warns that under updated proposals, FBI agents would be able to carry out covert raids on servers no matter where they were situated, giving the US government unfettered global access to vast amounts of private information.

In particular, Google sounds the alarm over the FBI’s desire to “remotely” search computers that have concealed their location – either through encryption or by obscuring their IP addresses using anonymity services such as Tor. Those government searches, Google says, “may take place anywhere in the world. This concern is not theoretical. … [T]he nature of today’s technology is such that warrants issued under the proposed amendment will in many cases end up authorizing the government to conduct searches outside the United States.”
(guardian, feb 18th)

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/18/google-warns-government-hacking-committee-hearing




UK Police Forces Have Secret Facial Recognition Database Of 18 Million People, Many Innocent

The UK already has a pretty awful reputation when it comes to surveillance, what with millions of CCTV cameras, DRIPA and two recent attempts to shove the Snooper’s Charter through Parliament without scrutiny. So perhaps it should come as no surprise to discover that UK police forces have created a giant facial recognition database that includes hundreds of thousands of innocent people:

    Police forces in England and Wales have uploaded up to 18 million “mugshots” to a facial recognition database — despite a court ruling it could be unlawful.

    They include photos of people never charged, or others cleared of an offence, and were uploaded without Home Office approval, [the BBC's] Newsnight has learned.

As BBC News notes, the photos of innocent people have been retained in contempt of an explicit order from the court to remove them:

(tech dirt, feb 18th)

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150203/09153529893/uk-police-forces-have-secret-facial-recognition-database-18-million-people-many-innocent.shtml




China To Require Real-Name Registration For Online Services And Bans On Parody Accounts

China has been trying for some time to clamp down on the Internet, in an attempt to prevent it from being used in ways that threaten the authorities’ control. Since the appointment of China’s new leader, Xi Jinping, the situation has deteriorated — China Digital Times speaks of the “new normal” of sharpened control. Here’s yet another move to that end, as reported by Reuters:

    China will ban from March 1 internet accounts that impersonate people or organizations, and enforce the requirement that people use real names when registering accounts online, its internet watchdog said on Wednesday.

The ban on parody accounts might seem strange, but is likely to have quite an impact on China’s online culture:

    The ban on impersonations includes accounts that purport to be government bodies, such as China’s anti-corruption agency and news organizations like the People’s Daily state newspaper, as well as accounts that impersonate foreign leaders, such as U.S. President Barack Obama and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said on its website.

    Many users of social media create parody accounts of prominent figures and institutions to poke fun at them.

However, once users have registered their real names, they will be permitted to use nicknames, as the new regulation explains:

    Internet information service providers shall, according to the principle of “real name backstage, voluntary choice front stage”, demand Internet information service users to register accounts after undergoing real identity information authentication.

    Internet information service users shall, when registering accounts, conclude an agreement with the Internet information service provider, and commit to respect the seven baselines of laws and regulations, the Socialist system, the national interest, citizens’ lawful rights and interest, the public order, social moral customs and the veracity of information.
(tech dirt, feb 18th)

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150205/07045929918/china-to-require-real-name-registration-online-services-bans-parody-accounts.shtml



HEALTH___________________


"Officials" Declare ‘Eating Healthy’ A Mental Disorder

In an attempt to curb the mass rush for food change and reform, psychiatry has green lighted a public relations push to spread awareness about their new buzzword “orthorexia nervosa,” defined as “a pathological obsession for biologically pure and healthy nutrition.” In other words, experts are saying that our demand for nutrient-dense, healthful food is a mental disorder that must be treated.
CNN, Fast Company, Popular Science, and other top outlets have all began to trumpet the talking points on cue relatively recently:

    “Orthorexia nervosa is a label designated to those who are concerned about eating healthy. Characterized by disordered eating fueled by a desire for “clean” or “healthy” foods, those diagnosed with the condition are overly pre-occupied with the nutritional makeup of what they eat”.

In short, if you turn your back on low quality, corporate food containing known cancer causing toxic additives and a rich history of dishonesty rooted in a continuous “profits over people” modus operandi, then you may suffer from a mental illness. The cherry on top is that if you have the pseudo-science labeled disorder of orthorexia nervosa, you will be prescribed known toxic, pharmaceutical drugs from some of the same conglomerate corporations that you are trying to avoid by eating healthy in the first place.

Orthorexia has not yet found its way into the latest edition of the psychiatric bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), yet is commonly being lumped in with other eating disorders. Stepping back and looking at the ones pushing this label on us shows highly questionable motives.

Psychiatry as a whole is deeply in bed with a pharmaceutical industry that makes the drugs to “treat” every one of these “disorders.” It is often these companies that are wielding influence behind the scenes to invent more mental health categories with their toxic products as the answer. This latest media push to popularize orthorexia as a mental disorder with a goal to marginalize or derail the food revolution appears to have been dead on arrival.

The psychiatric community has even deemed creativity to be a mental illness.

(Infowars, feb 18th)

http://www.infowars.com/officials-declare-eating-healthy-a-mental-disorder/



Shock Video! Government Caught Lying About Vaccine Dangers

This report has a lot of amazing information, please check out the links below.

The Danger of Excessive Vaccination During Brain Development – http://articles.mercola.com/sites/art…

22 Medical Studies That Show Vaccines Can Cause Autism
– http://www.activistpost.com/2013/09/2…

Vaccines are not associated with autism: An evidence-based meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies – http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/…

MMR vaccine isn’t safe after all, UK government forced to concede
– http://www.wddty.com/mmr-vaccine-isn-…

Is Alarming Rise in Autism Linked to 1988 Event? – http://articles.mercola.com/sites/art…

National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) Adjudication Categories by Vaccine for Claims Filed Calendar Year 2006 to Present – http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensati…

Vaccines and Chiropractic: Evidence-Based Medicine or Medical Dogma? – http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mp…

Infant Vaccines Produce Autism Symptoms in New Primate Study by University of Pittsburgh Scientists – http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releas…

New Published Study Verifies Andrew Wakefield’s Research on Autism – Again (MMR Vaccine Causes Autism) – http://www.thelibertybeacon.com/2013/…

Autism Rates Jump 30%, CDC Reports – http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/8…

Gandhi’s Anti-Vaccine Views Ring True A Century Later – http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/gand…

(Infowars, feb 18th)

http://www.infowars.com/shock-video-gov-caught-lying-about-vaccine-dangers/

NEWS FOR 2/17/2015 Tuesday February 17th 2015

DAILY USA PATRIOTS TOP NEWS STORIES FOR 2/17/2015



Video: Are You Crazy Like Alex Jones?

(infowars, feb 17th)

http://www.infowars.com/video-are-you-crazy-like-alex-jones/



UN “Peace” Forces in Haiti Prey on Civilians, Children

UN military officials cover up abuses and retaliate against whistleblowers

Rather than protecting local civilians, United Nations “peacekeeping” forces in Haiti are behaving as ruthless predators that systematically prey on Haitians, raping and sexually abusing even children with impunity, according to a new report detailing the horrors.

Instead of dealing with the ghastly and systemic abuses perpetrated under its latest decade-long occupation, UN military officials seek to cover it up and even retaliate against whistleblowers.

On top of that, the global outfit’s “peace” armies have been spreading deadly diseases among the traumatized population — particularly cholera, which has killed almost 10,000 Haitians so far. All the while, the UN continues to avoid any semblance of accountability under the guise of “immunity.”

According to the report, when UN peacekeepers were not partying and enjoying themselves at the beach, partly at U.S. taxpayer expense, many of them were sexually exploiting children, trafficking drugs, hiring prostitutes, and more.

(New american, feb 17th)

http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/item/20141-un-peace-forces-in-haiti-prey-on-civilians-children




“Optimistic” Putin Says US Already Supplying Arms To Ukraine

(Zero hedge, feb 17th)

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-17/optimistic-putin-says-us-already-supplying-arms-ukraine




Physical, moral or cognitive shortcomings eliminate 71 percent of potential military recruits

The majority of potential Army reservists are either hooked on prescription drugs, have too many tattoos, are overweight or have mental conditions that prohibit them from joining the military, recruiters say.

Seven out of 10 applicants fail to meet Army Reserve standards on “mental, moral and physical reasons,” said Capt. Eric Connor, U.S. Army Reserve Command spokesman.

The problem affects the broader service as well. According to Army Recruiting Command statistics compiled last year, 71 percent of young people wanting to join the military would fail to pass service tests because of their physical, moral or cognitive shortcomings.

(washington times, feb 16th)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/16/army-reserve-candidates-tattoos-obesity-prescripti/




CORRUPTED U.S. AND WORLD ECONOMY______


Greece Rejects Bailout Deal – Deadline To Avoid Financial Chaos In Europe Is March 1st

Europe is on the verge of a horrifying financial meltdown, and there are only a few short weeks left to avert total disaster.  On Monday, talks that were supposed to bring about yet another temporary “resolution” to the Greek debt crisis completely fell apart.  The new Greek government has entirely rejected the idea of a six month extension of the current bailout.  The Greeks want a new deal which would enable them to implement the promises that have been made to the voters.  But that is not going to fly with the Germans, among others.  They expect the Greeks to fulfill the obligations that were agreed to previously.  The two sides are not even in the same ballpark at this point, and things are starting to get very personal.  It is no secret that the new Greek government does not like the Germans, and the Germans are not particularly fond of the Greeks at this point.  But unless they can find a way to work out a deal, things could get quite messy very rapidly.  The Greek government has about three weeks of cash left, and any changes to the current bailout arrangement would have to be approved by parliaments all over Europe by March 1st.  And the stakes are incredibly high.  If there is no deal, we could see a Greek debt default, Greece could be forced to leave the eurozone and go back to the drachma, the euro could collapse to all time lows, all the banks all over Europe that are exposed to Greek government debt could be faced with absolutely massive losses, and the 26 trillion dollars in derivatives that are directly tied to the value of the euro could start to unravel.  In essence, if things go badly this could be enough to push us into a global financial crisis.

(Economic collapse blog, feb 17th)

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/greece-rejects-bailout-deal-deadline-avoid-financial-chaos-europe-march-1st




European Union states have been accused of “spending errors” of €12 billion on rural and agricultural projects because of incompetence and nepotism in the granting of contracts to ‘preferred’ suppliers.

In a damning report published on February 17, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) accused the EU member states of an “unacceptably high” rate of errors, which amounts to €12 billion – or 8.2% of the €150 billion EU rural development policy programme between 2007 and 2013.

The EU auditors highlighted a ‘jobs for the boys’ attitude in which member states often gave contracts to suppliers who they had dealt with over time – without going through a proper tendering process to allow for openness and value-for-money. Its report said:

“Certain beneficiaries preferred to work with specific contractors, most of whom had previously provided similar goods or services, and therefore awarded contracts directly. On no occasion did the paying agencies object to this, even though the basic procurement principles of transparency, objectivity, non-discrimination and appropriate disclosure had not been observed.”

It also said the complexity of rural development policy and Member States’ weak control systems were the chief causes of the high error rate in spending. Much of the budget is spent on grants given to states to purchase agricultural and food-processing machinery.

(Sputnik, feb 17th)

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150217/1018378266.html



30.3 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds are living with a parent, according to data from the Census Bureau.

The data comes from a Census release called “Young Adults: Then and Now,” which “illustrates characteristics of the young adult population (age 18-34) across the decades using data from the 1980, 1990 and 2000 Censuses and the 2009-2013 American Community Survey.”

In 1980, according to the Census, 22.9 percent of the total population ages 18 to 34 were living with a parent who was deemed the householder. In 1990, the percentage living with their parents increased to 24.2 percent. In 2000, the percentage dipped to 23.2 percent, and in 2009-2013 it reached the highest level recorded in the dataset to 30.3 percent.

(CNS news, feb 17th)

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/ali-meyer/census-bureau-303-millennials-still-living-their-parents



Obama wants massive spending, staffing increases for IRS in 2016 budget

The 11.29 percent increase in the IRS workforce would bring it to a total of 91,486, compared to its current 81,279 employee workforce, if Congress approves it as requested.

(washington examiner, feb 16th)

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-wants-big-spending-staffing-increases-for-irs-in-2016/article/2560283




In one of life’s bitter ironies, I recently found a book by Jonathan Gruber in the bin of a bookstore’s going-out-of-business sale. It’s called Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It’s Necessary, How It Works. Interestingly, the book is a comic, which made it a quick read. It’s just the sort of thing that omniscient academics write to persuade ordinary people that their big plans are worth pursuing.

In case you’ve forgotten — and to compound the irony — Gruber is the Obamacare architect who received negative media attention recently for some controversial comments about the stupidity of the average American voter. In Health Care Reform, Gruber focuses mainly on two topics: an attempted diagnosis of the American health care system, and how the Affordable Care Act (the ACA, or Obamacare) will solve them. I could write a PhD thesis on the myriad fallacies, half-truths, and myths propounded throughout the book. But instead, let’s explore eight of Gruber’s major errors.

(fee.org, feb 17th)

http://fee.org/blog/detail/8-goofs-in-jonathan-grubers-health-care-reform-book




Speaking in Washington this morning, US Attorney General Eric Holder made some rather disturbing (at least for financial market participants) statements, that made him appear to be ‘cracking-down’:

    -HOLDER SAYS HE HAS GIVEN U.S. ATTORNEYS 90-DAY DEADLINE TO BRING CASES AGAINST INDIVIDUALS FOR THEIR ROLE IN FINANCIAL CRISIS

Of course, the question is – does that mean after 90-days all bets are off (and everyone goes home free)?

(zero hedge, feb 17th)

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-17/holder-gives-90-day-ultimatum-bring-financial-crisis-cases-against-bankers




WAR ON TERROR_____________



Obama to Give Jihadists the Ability to Order Airstrikes

"Rebels" who pledged allegiance to ISIS to control American bombers in Syria

Members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) will be provided with radios to call in strikes from American B-1B bombers as well as pickup trucks with mounted machine guns as the president puts the final touches on plans to train as many as 3,000 rebels in Jordan and Turkey by the end of 2015.

“Negotiations have been concluded and an agreement text will be signed with the US regarding the training of the Free Syrian Army in the coming period,” said Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tanju Bilgic.

The planes will reportedly use similar munitions to those seen in Afghanistan, targeting anything from small vehicles to tanks with 500 and 2,000-pound guided bombs.

Aside from the Toyota Hi-Lux trucks, multiple groups of rebels will also be given mortars and possibly antitank weapons as well.
(Infowars, feb 17th)

http://www.infowars.com/obama-to-give-isis-ability-to-order-airstrikes/




Obama Admin. Says Muslims Join ISIS Because They Lack Job Opportunities

State Department says killing people builds economies
“We’re killing a lot of them and we’re going to keep killing more of them,” Harf said. “So are the Egyptians, so are the Jordanians. They’re in this fight with us. But we cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war. We need in the medium to longer term to go after the root causes that leads people to join these groups, whether it’s lack of opportunity for jobs… We can work with countries around the world to help improve their governance. We can help them build their economies so they can have job opportunities for these people.”

Did the United States build the economy of Libya or destroy it? Is the average Libyan better off now or before 30,000 of them were killed and their country destroyed by NATO warplanes and al-Qaeda mercenaries supported by the U.S.?

Despite the fact Muammar Gaddafi was a dictator, the average Libyan was far better off prior to the invasion designed to install the neoliberal version of democracy. This sort of “democracy” levels a country, destroys its economy, and then moves in to hold fire sales and steal resources.
(infowars, feb 17th)

http://www.infowars.com/obama-admin-says-muslims-join-isis-because-they-lack-job-opportunities/



U.S., Turkey soon to sign Syrian opposition train-and-equip deal

The United States and Turkey have reached a tentative agreement to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters and expect to sign the pact soon, U.S. and Turkish officials said on Tuesday with Ankara predicting a signing in days.

The U.S. military has said it is planning to send more than 400 troops, including special operations forces, to train Syrian moderates at sites outside Syria as part of the fight against the Islamic State.

U.S. officials have said they plan to train about 5,000 Syrian fighters a year for three years under the plan. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as Turkey, have publicly offered to host training sites.

Turkey hopes the training will also bolster the weakened and divided Syrian opposition in their struggle against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

(Reuters, feb 17th)

www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/17/us-mideast-crisis-training-turkey-idUSKBN0LL1GP20150217




Libyan Terrorists Take Dozens of Egyptians Hostage as Revenge for Airstrikes

There are reports that at least 35 Egyptians have been kidnapped in what appears to be a round-up at various locations in areas controlled by Ansar Al-Sharia and IS.

(the gateway pundit, feb 17th)

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/02/breaking-libyan-terrorists-take-dozens-of-egyptians-hostage-as-revenge-for-airstrikes/




ISIS burn 45 people to death in captured Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi
Attack is only five miles from air base with 320 US Marines

(daily mail, feb 17th)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2957471/ISIS-burn-45-people-death-captured-Iraqi-town-Baghdadi-Islamists-attack-homes-security-forces-families.html




NBC’s ‘Today’ Devotes 10 Times More Coverage To ‘SNL 40' Than ISIS Beheadings
(daily caller, feb 16th)

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/16/nbcs-today-devotes-10-times-more-coverage-to-snl-40-than-isis-beheadings/




PRIVACY___________________


China’s Censorship Agency Releases Theme Song

Song promotes censored Chinese Internet where "each individual represents the whole nation"

(infowars, feb 17th)

http://www.infowars.com/chinas-censorship-agency-releases-theme-song/



Last Friday, at the White House’s Cybersecurity Summit at Stanford, reporter Kara Swisher sat down for a half-hour interview with President Obama (and she even dragged her famous red chairs along). It’s a better, more in-depth interview than you’re ever likely to see from the established mainstream press, and touches on a variety of issues regarding technology and security. While I don’t agree with some of the answers, I will say that the President appears to be extremely well-briefed on these issues, and didn’t make any totally ridiculous or glaringly misleading remarks.

The area I found most interesting and want to focus on, the question of encryption. After discussing how he’s looking to update the rules for surveillance and his relationship with tech, the interview proceeds like this: (continued in article)

(tech dirt, feb 15th)

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150215/07152330024/president-obama-im-big-believer-encryption.shtml




GCHQ Will Have To Start Letting Everyone Know Whether Or Not They’ve Been Illegally Spied On

Because the IPT found the intelligence sharing to be illegal, anyone, inside or outside the UK, can file a complaint to the IPT and ask if their communications were part of that illegal sharing, and be legally entitled to an answer. [Privacy International's Eric] King explained, “If they don’t find anything, it’s likely they respond ‘no determination’. If they do find something, the IPT is obliged to give a declaration to the individual that their communications were illegally interfered with.”

This is far more transparency than has been granted by the NSA, which still responds to similar inquiries about files on citizens (from those citizens themselves) with its omnipresent Glomar declaration, neither confirming nor denying the collected results of its domestic surveillance programs.

So, anyone in the world will be allowed to ask — and receive an answer — about being swept up in shared GCHQ-NSA dragnets, provided the query only involves shared data and occurred before the IPT’s legalization of this partnership in December of last year. And there are even more restrictions. The data has to be something collected by the NSA and shared with the GCHQ, not vice versa, and must still be retained and accessible at the point the GCHQ receives the inquiry.
(tech dirt, feb 16th)

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150216/17271330031/gchq-will-have-to-start-letting-uk-citizens-know-whether-not-theyve-been-illegally-spied.shtml





POLICE STATE_________________



Police Have the Power to Seize Your Property. See Why the Issue Is Uniting Democrats and Republicans.

Through civil forfeiture, law enforcement agencies have made 55,000 seizures of cash and property worth $3 billion since 2008

Last month, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., introduced the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act of 2015. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Signal, Walberg talked about his plan and why he thinks it’s realistic to work with the Obama administration on the issue.

(daily signal, feb 17th)

http://dailysignal.com/2015/02/17/police-power-seize-property-see-issue-uniting-democrats-republicans/




Man Jailed for Feeding Cats

An elderly man in North Texas chose incarceration over paying a fine after committing an act of compassion he didn’t consider to be a crime. Gainesville resident David Parton, 76, languished in the Cooke County jail for nine days after feeding nine stray cats in violation of a city ordinance prohibiting the act.

(Infowars, feb 17th)

http://www.infowars.com/man-jailed-for-feeding-cats/




Head of New York’s Top Court Says Judges Should Oversee Grand Juries in Deaths Involving Police
New York’s top judge proposed on Tuesday that judges oversee grand juries deliberating police-related killings of civilians and be granted greater leeway to make the testimony to such juries available to the public.

In his annual State of the Judiciary address in Albany, Jonathan Lippman, the chief judge of the Court of Appeals, called the grand jury system “a relic of another time” that needed overhaul in light of deadly police encounters, apparently a reference to the case of Eric Garner, an unarmed man who died after a police chokehold last summer.

(NYT, feb 17th)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/18/nyregion/head-of-new-yorks-top-court-says-judges-should-oversee-grand-juries-in-deaths-involving-police.html?_r=0




IMMIGRATION_____________



The city’s new municipal ID program allows for personal info provided by applicants to be destroyed at the end of 2016, in case a conservative Republican wins the White House and demands the data, the law’s co-sponsor told The Post on Monday.

City Councilman Carlos Menchaca (D-Brooklyn) said the measure was crafted so data submitted by those seeking the cards can be destroyed on Dec. 31, 2016.

The cards are aimed at undocumented immigrants.

(NY Post, feb 16th)

http://nypost.com/2015/02/16/municipal-id-law-has-delete-in-case-of-tea-party-clause/




Obama vows to fight immigration ruling

US President Barack Obama claimed history and the law were on his side Tuesday, as he vowed to fight a court order freezing controversial immigration reforms.

Obama had used an executive order to bypass a hostile Congress and drive through measures to protect about four million undocumented foreigners from deportation.

But a judge in Texas issued an emergency injunction before the measures were to come into effect starting Wednesday.

Obama was defiant: "I think that the law is on our side and history is on our side, we are going to appeal it."

"This is not the first time a lower court judge has blocked something or attempted to block something that ultimately was shown to be lawful."

Twenty-six states -- all but two Republican-governed -- had pressed the Texas judge to intervene, claiming Obama had acted unlawfully.

(AFP, feb 17th)

http://news.yahoo.com/judge-delays-obama-immigration-order-084206941.html;_ylt=AwrBJSDjduNUdmAAOf7QtDMD




TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE_____________



The main driver of all weather and climate, the entity which occupies 99.86% of all of the mass in our solar system, the great ball of fire in the sky – has gone quiet again during what is likely to be the weakest sunspot cycle in more than a century. For the past 5 days, solar activity has been very low and one measure of solar activity – its X-ray output – has basically flatlined in recent days (plot below courtesy NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center). Not since cycle 14 peaked in February 1906 has there been a solar cycle with fewer sunspots. We are currently more than six years into Solar Cycle 24 and today the sun is virtually spotless despite the fact that we are still in what is considered to be its solar maximum phase. Solar cycle 24 began after an unusually deep solar minimum that lasted from 2007 to 2009 which included more spotless days on the sun compared to any minimum in almost a century.

(vencore weather, feb 17th)

http://vencoreweather.com/2015/02/17/29475/



Will These 12 Robots Makes Chefs Obsolete?

Robots are also behind the scenes at Wishdoing in Shanghai, preparing dishes like mapo tofu, Kung Pao chicken, and six other Chinese specialties in under three minutes each. At noodle houses across China, the laborious task of hand cutting noodles is carried out by Chef Cuis, the robot creations of restaurateur Cui Runguan. And at the Dalu Robot Restaurant, the entire wait staff is robotic.

These curious chefs de cuisine are now starting to get jobs overseas. Google employs a 3D printer to custom create pasta for its employees. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel was behind the funding of a 3D printer that in a few years will crank out replica steaks, hamburgers, and other vegetarian-friendly beef made from protein. 3D printers may lack the presence and personality of their chef counterparts, but their get-down-to-business attitude might be what's needed to make the transition from hometown hangouts to robot restaurants.

Take a food tour through the gallery to watch robots roll rotis, serve up sushi, steam lattes, twirl ramen, and even make pizza from scratch.
(pcmag, feb 17th)

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/331668/will-these-12-robots-makes-chefs-obsolete




HEALTH_____________


Is This the New Poster Child For 3rd Wave Feminism?

420 pound TV star says society needs to "make things bigger" to conform to her lifestyle

“Men don’t fancy skinny girls, they like an hourglass figure,” according to 420 pound Mikel Ruffinelli, who has seemingly become the latest poster child for the “fat acceptance” movement which has been embraced by third wave feminists.

Ruffinelli, who has a backside that measures a record 8ft around and has to take a reinforced chair with her everywhere she goes, claims she is “healthy” and that other women envy her figure.

“I love my curves, I love my hips, I love my attributes,” Ruffinelli told the Daily Mail, which describes her as “something of a minor celebrity”.

Of course, back in the real world, Ruffinelli is morbidly obese and is putting herself at risk of innumerable crippling health conditions linked with her size, but that doesn’t matter to the ‘size acceptance’ crowd which, egged on by unhinged feminists, claims that “body positivity” is more important and that criticism of their obese lifestyle is “fat shaming”.

The 39-year-old mother of four, who appears documentary called World’s Biggest Hips set to air in the UK for the first time this week, says she has an “extreme physique”.

(Infowars, feb 17th)

http://www.infowars.com/is-this-the-new-poster-child-for-3rd-wave-feminism/



GMO Spider Venom Could Soon Be ‘The New Viagra’

Just when you thought you had heard everything out there on the subject of GMOs...

(natural society, feb 17th)

http://naturalsociety.com/gmo-spider-venom-soon-new-viagra/



Vaccine Horror Stories They Don’t Want You to Know: Vaccines are NOT 100% safe and effective
Despite media talking heads constantly claiming vaccines are 100% “safe and effective,” these videos, and the very package inserts included with the vaccines, reveal that’s not the case at all.

(Infowars, feb 17th)

http://www.infowars.com/vaccine-horror-stories-they-dont-want-you-to-know/

NEWS FOR 2/16/2015 Monday February 16th 2015

DID YOU MISS ANY NEWS FROM A BUSY WEEKEND? CHECK OUT NEWS FOR THE 13TH, 14TH AND 15TH HERE


DAILY USA PATRIOT'S TOP NEW STORIES OF 2/16/2015



MI5 is facing allegations it was complicit in the sexual abuse of children, the high court in Northern Ireland will hear on Tuesday.

Victims of the abuse are taking legal action to force a full independent inquiry with the power to compel witnesses to testify and the security service to hand over documents.

The case, in Belfast, is the first in court over the alleged cover-up of British state involvement at the Kincora children’s home in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. It is also the first of the recent sex abuse cases allegedly tying in the British state directly. Victims allege that the cover-up over Kincora has lasted decades.

(guardian, feb 15th)

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/15/mi5-kincora-childrens-home-northwen-ireland-sexual-abuse



By executive fiat, the Obama administration intends to eliminate one of the most common types of .223-caliber ammunition, used by the AR-15 and other general-purpose rifles.

Why? Ostensibly because a type of handgun developed in recent years is also capable of firing the so-called “armor-piercing” or “green-tipped” rounds traditionally fired only by rifles.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced on Feb. 14 a proposed ban on the manufacture, sale or importation of a popular form of ammunition used by thousands of law-abiding gun owners. Within hours of the announcement, the prices on the green-tipped .223-caliber rounds started skyrocketing.

The rule change affects the Gun Control Act of 1968 as amended by Congress in 1986. Under pressure from the law-enforcement lobby, Congress in 1986 inserted language into the law designed to prevent so-called “cop killer” bullets from being used by pistol-toting criminals.

The law was never intended in its original form to affect ammunition for rifles, as it was a given that rounds from any high-powered hunting rifle could penetrate the soft armor worn by officers.

“This is just another example of the Obama administration using executive authority to attack the rights of gun owners,” said Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation. “Obama thinks he is ‘dictator in chief’ and can go around Congress to ban ammunition and punish legitimate gun owners. The Obama administration has doubled down on their war on gun owners.”

The Conservative Tribune said the move was an obvious political ploy.

“Obama is really stretching saying that M855 ammunition is an ‘armor piercing’ round being used in a handgun. The goal is obviously political… to ban common ammo to undermine the Second Amendment,” the Tribune said. “The White House knows that it can’t ban the firearms so going after the ammunition is the next best thing.”

(WND, feb 16th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/02/dictator-in-chief-unleashes-newest-attack-on-guns/



Bloomberg Blocks Footage Of His Calls For More Minority Gun Control
On February 7 2015 , I reported on a speech by Michael Bloomberg in which he suggested banning young minority males from gun ownership.

He made that suggestion during a February 5 speech at the Aspen Institute and has now asked the Institute not to release footage of the speech to the public.

    According to the Summit Daily, “Michael Bloomberg representatives have asked the Institute not to distribute footage of…[the] appearance…where the three-term New York City mayor made pointed comments concerning minorities and gun control.”

    Both the Institute and Grassroots TV, “the organization that filmed the event,” are honoring Bloomberg’s wishes and “will not broadcast the footage online or on television as planned.”

During the speech, Bloomberg talked about persons who are “male, minority, and between the ages of 15 and 25.” He claimed that “95 percent of all murders fall into this category,” so taking guns from them would not only reduce crime, but would also “keep them alive.”

He said “cities need to get guns out of [the]…hands” of young, male minorities for these reasons.

(Ammoland, feb 16th)

http://www.ammoland.com/2015/02/bloomberg-blocks-footage-of-his-calls-for-more-minority-gun-control/




Geoengineering Is Changing Extratropical Cyclones Which Drive Most of The Earth’s Weather

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has found aerosol pollution is changing weather and climate

Intense geoengineering activity across the planet is influencing weather patterns globally to unprecedented levels. After studying one year of video on aerosols emission and transport, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has found aerosol pollution is changing weather and climate around the planet and strengthening extratropical cyclones–a type of storm system that drives much of the world’s weather.

Scientists call airborne particles of any sort — human-produced or natural — aerosols. However, human-produced aerosals are now a top contributing source of pollution and a major concern, especially due to operations by international governments through military aircraft which pollute the sky almost daily to influence climate. The simplest effect of increasing aerosols is to increase clouds. To form clouds, airborne water vapor needs particles on which to condense. With more aerosols, there can be more or thicker clouds.

(Prevent Disease, feb 15th)

http://preventdisease.com/news/15/021515_Geoengineering-Extratropical-Weather-Cyclones-Which-Drive-Earths-Weather.shtml




Sen. Sessions Releases Lengthy Timeline Of Obama Administration’s Dismantling Of Immigration Law

In a lengthy timeline released Monday, Sessions — the chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest — lists every instance of the Obama administration ignoring, rewriting, delaying and breaking the nation’s immigration laws.

The timeline begins in January 2009 with the administration ending worksite enforcement actions and, 50 pages later, ends on February 13, 2015 with the House Judiciary Committee’s revelation that the administration included a “sneaky” avenue for illegal immigrants granted deferred status to be placed on a pathway to citizenship.

WARNING: TIMELINE IS 50 PAGES LONG, EXTREMELY WELL DOCUMENTED, AND IS SO HARDCORE THAT IT MAY LAG YOUR BROWSER, COMPUTER, SMARTPHONE, TABLET, ETC.

(breitbart, Feb 16TH)

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/16/sen-sessions-releases-lengthy-timeline-of-obama-administrations-dismantling-of-immigration-law/



Obama bundlers slow to back Clinton super PACS
Only a tiny fraction of the fundraisers who helped President Obama secure a second term have made significant contributions to the committee backing a potential run by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Of the 769 individuals and couples who raised money for Obama, just 54 people and firms have donated at least $5,000 to Ready for Hillary, the super PAC that has spent two years working to build grass-roots support for a Clinton campaign, according to the analysis.

(USA today, feb 13th)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2015/02/13/some-obama-fundraisers-slow-to-commit-to-clinton-2016-bid/23301923/




In D.C., fears of chaos grow as legal pot nears

The District of Columbia could soon earn a new nickname: the Wild West of marijuana.

In 10 days, a voter-approved initiative to legalize marijuana will take effect, D.C. officials say. Residents and visitors old enough to drink a beer will be able to possess enough pot to roll 100 joints. They will be able to carry it, share it, smoke it and grow it.

But it’s entirely unclear how anyone will obtain it. Unlike the four states where voters have approved recreational pot use, the District government has been barred from establishing rules governing how marijuana will be sold. It was prohibited from doing so by Congress, which has jurisdiction over the city.

(washington post, feb 15th)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/high-times-are-headed-for-dc--and-a-whole-lot-of-cannabis-chaos/2015/02/15/f6d49ade-b137-11e4-886b-c22184f27c35_story.html





WAR ON TERROR__________


Pentagon Deploys Boots on the Ground for ISIS War

Stars and Stripes reports more than 4,000 Fort Carson soldiers with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team left Colorado for Kuwait last week.

The deployment reveals the Pentagon plans to use tanks and armored vehicles in the war against ISIS, the terrorist army it trained at a secret base in Jordan.

“The unit is Fort Carson’s heaviest force, armed with M1 tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. Many of its soldiers are veterans of one or more of the brigade’s four combat tours in Iraq,” Stars and Stripes reports.

On Thursday, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said U.S. troops will not see combat in Syria and Iraq.

“You have to get the Iraqis and ultimately the Syrian moderate opposition groups up so they can fight the fight on the ground,” she said. “There has to be a fight on the ground. You can’t do this by air. Everybody acknowledges that.”

In November, the last moderate rebel groups fighting against the al-Assad government surrendered to al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda spawned terror group aligned with the Islamic State.

In January 3,000 Free Syria Army fighters defected to ISIS.

(Infowars, feb 16th)

http://www.infowars.com/pentagon-deploys-boots-on-the-ground-for-isis-war/



Egypt Strikes Back: Up to 50 ISIL Militants Reported Killed in Libya

According to state television Egyptian Air Force has killed between 40 and 50 Islamic State militants during airstrikes in Libya

(Sputnik, feb 16th)

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150216/1018325554.html




REPUBLICANS WORKING TOGETHER WITH DEMOCRATS______


By Standards Of Immigration Hawks, All 2016 GOP Contenders Support ‘Amnesty’

The immigration reform debate centers around many issues, but probably none is more explosive than what should be done about the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States. The loudest critics of comprehensive immigration reform in the Republican Party demand that there be no “amnesty,” which they define as any pathway to normalizing the immigration statuses of America’s illegal population, no matter whether those illegals would be forced to pay a financial penalty or even prevented from gaining citizenship.

Yet, despite the issue garnering so much ink, the reality is every major candidate supports an immigration policy that includes an “amnesty,” at least as defined by the GOP’s most ardent and vocal immigration hawks.

(daily caller, feb 16th)

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/15/by-standards-of-immigration-hawks-all-2016-gop-contenders-support-amnesty/



GOP cools on Loretta Lynch

To be confirmed by the Senate, attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch only needs four Republicans to support her nomination. But it is unclear where those votes will come from.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah) is the only Republican so far who has signaled his intention to vote for Lynch, though several others have spoken favorably about her.

But many Republicans are expressing concerns about Lynch's stance on immigration and what they suggest is a lack of “independence" from the White House.

Lynch’s confirmation was pushed back by two weeks Thursday amid “anonymous" objections from some Republicans. But Democrats say they are dragging their feet.

"What we’re trying to do is get an indication from her of the independence that she’s going to have from the White House,” Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told The Hill.

"I think [Attorney General Eric] Holder is running the Justice Department like a wing of the White House,” he added. "That’s not right, and I want her to show us that she can be independent.”

Holder has had a testy relationship with Republicans at the best of times. The nomination of Lynch was initially seen as a move that had the potential to ease those tensions.

Lynch received a friendly reception from Republicans during her 8-hour confirmation hearing last month. And one GOP-friendly argument in her favor is that her confirmation would bring down the curtain on Holder’s tenure.

"Admittedly, a lot on my side have felt that they would like to get a new attorney general there, because they’re not very happy with the current one,” said Hatch, “and this is one way that can happen. “

Other Republicans such as Grassley and Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) have indicated they are impressed with Lynch’s qualifications as a federal prosecutor, a role in which she enjoyed a reputation for being tough but fair on crime.

(The hill, feb 16th)

http://thehill.com/homenews/232854-gop-cools-on-loretta-lynch




US Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain has said that the United States has been training young Syrians in order to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

"training Syrians to fight against President Assad," McCain says "...to restrain [the president] in our authorization of him taking military action, I think frankly, is unconstitutional..."

(press tv, feb 16th)

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/02/16/397780/US-training-Syrians-to-fight-Assad




U.S. GOVERNMENT_____________________


C.I.A. Is Said to Have Bought and Destroyed Iraqi Chemical Weapons

The Central Intelligence Agency, working with American troops during the occupation of Iraq, repeatedly purchased nerve-agent rockets from a secretive Iraqi seller, part of a previously undisclosed effort to ensure that old chemical weapons remaining in Iraq did not fall into the hands of terrorists or militant groups, according to current and former American officials.

The extraordinary arms purchase plan, known as Operation Avarice, began in 2005 and continued into 2006, and the American military deemed it a nonproliferation success. It led to the United States’ acquiring and destroying at least 400 Borak rockets, one of the internationally condemned chemical weapons that Saddam Hussein’s Baathist government manufactured in the 1980s but that were not accounted for by United Nations inspections mandated after the 1991 Persian Gulf war.

The effort was run out of the C.I.A. station in Baghdad in collaboration with the Army’s 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion and teams of chemical-defense and explosive ordnance disposal troops, officials and veterans of the units said. Many rockets were in poor condition and some were empty or held a nonlethal liquid, the officials said. But others contained the nerve agent sarin, which analysis showed to be purer than the intelligence community had expected given the age of the stock.

A New York Times investigation published in October found that the military had recovered thousands of old chemical warheads and shells in Iraq and that Americans and Iraqis had been wounded by them, but the government kept much of this information secret, from the public and troops alike.

(NYT, feb 16)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/16/world/cia-is-said-to-have-bought-and-destroyed-iraqi-chemical-weapons.html




The US National Security Agency has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives made by Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba and other top manufacturers, giving the agency the means to eavesdrop on the majority of the world’s computers, according to cyber researchers and former operatives.

That long-sought and closely guarded ability was part of a cluster of spying programs discovered by Kaspersky Lab, the Moscow-based security software maker that has exposed a series of Western cyberespionage operations.

Kaspersky said it found personal computers in 30 countries infected with one or more of the spying programs, with the most infections seen in Iran, followed by Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Mali, Syria, Yemen and Algeria. The targets included government and military institutions, telecommunication companies, banks, energy companies, nuclear researchers, media, and Islamic activists, Kaspersky said.

(Stuff, feb 16th)

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/66279485/nsa-hiding-equation-spy-program-on-hard-drives



Are Spy Agencies Funding Weather Weapon Research?

Professor said the US had used weather in a hostile way in the 1960s

However concerns have been raised as to who would control the climate altering technologies.

During a debate on geoengineering to combat climate change, a leading climate scientist spoke of his concerns that the intelligence services are funding the research to find out if the new technologies could be used as potential weapons.

Professor Alan Robock from Rutgers University in New Jersey told the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Jose that he felt ‘scared’ when an organisation claiming to represent the CIA asked him about the possibility of weaponised weather.

Professor Robock said: “I got a phone call from two men who said we work as consultants for the CIA and we’d like to know if some other country was controlling our climate, would we know about it?

“I told them, that we probably would because if you put enough material in the atmosphere to reflect sunlight we would be able to detect it and see the equipment that was putting it up there.

Robock says the research on geoengineering must be open and international to avoid it “being used for hostile purposes”.

(sputnik, feb 16th)

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150216/1018338165.html




Democrats seek relief from health law penalties

The official sign-up season for President Barack Obama's health care law may be over, but leading congressional Democrats say millions of Americans facing new tax penalties deserve a second chance.

Three senior House members told The Associated Press that they plan to strongly urge the administration to grant a special sign-up opportunity for uninsured taxpayers who will be facing fines under the law for the first time this year.

The three are Michigan's Sander Levin, the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, and Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, and Lloyd Doggett of Texas. All worked to help steer Obama's law through rancorous congressional debates from 2009-2010.

The lawmakers say they are concerned that many of their constituents will find out about the penalties after it's already too late for them to sign up for coverage, since open enrollment ended Sunday.

That means they could wind up uninsured for another year, only to owe substantially higher fines in 2016. The fines are collected through the income tax system.

This year is the first time ordinary Americans will experience the complicated interactions between the health care law and taxes. Based on congressional analysis, tax preparation giant H&R Block says roughly 4 million uninsured people will pay penalties.

(AP, feb 16th)

http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2015-02-16-US--Health%20Overhaul-Penalties/id-b1c64dfc3f7946adba5dcd09c2ec5ff4




VA ‘I CARE’ slogan slammed by veterans, employees as mockery of reform

The embattled Veterans Affairs Department, now ranked by a government watchdog as among the most troubled federal agencies, is reminding employees in a memo why they should care about their work.

The document circulating among employees is titled the “I CARE Quick Reference” sheet, and it spells out the desired core values of the VA: integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect and excellence. The memo says the VA is “a model of unrivaled excellence due to employees who are empowered, trusted by their leaders, and respected for their competence and dedication.”

But after a year in which VA officials were accused of keeping secret waiting lists and concealing delayed care for veterans, some agency employees and veterans are questioning the “I CARE” program as a cosmetic effort that will do little to improve services.

“Management has made a mockery of it,” said one VA employee, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.

The head of a veterans group said veterans and active-duty service members are still waiting for “real, meaningful change” in the VA’s quality and promptness of health care services.

“Adopting a catchy acronym and circulating a checklist is not enough,” said Pete Hegseth, CEO of Concerned Veterans for America. “It’s easy to put on an ‘I CARE’ pin, but it doesn’t matter unless you actually demonstrate that care through your actions and the results you deliver. That’s what veterans, military members and their families are looking for: real results, not a slogan.”

(washington times, feb 15th)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/15/va-i-care-slogan-slammed-by-veterans-employees-as-/




Federal judge halts Obama's amnesty orders

Boehner says ruling should clear path for Homeland Security funding

A federal judge in Texas on Monday granted a temporary injunction halting President Obama’s executive-order driven amnesty program.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ordered the government not to proceed with any portion of the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, DAPA.

(WND, feb 16th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/02/federal-judge-halts-obamas-amnesty-orders/




POLICE STATE__________________


Two Chicago police officers are suing the city after they were outed for blowing the whistle on corruption. Now they’re also getting death threats for being “rats.”

Officers Shannon Spalding and Daniel Echeverria were involved in a 2012 investigation that led to charges against two officers accused of stealing proceeds from drug dealers. However, the department pulled the plug on the investigation before several suspected officers were investigated.

However, Spalding and Echeverria’s role in the undercover sting was intentionally leaked within the department, they said. That led to rampant harassment by other officers and ostracism within the force. That led the two to file a legal complaint.

Another officer, 20-year department veteran Janet Hanna has corroborated the harassment after they were assigned to her fugitive apprehension unit. She has testified that her bosses told officers they were to refuse any requests from Spalding and Echeverria for backup, setting up the possibility of a reenactment of a scene in Serpico where whistleblower Frank Serpico — played by Al Pacino — is shot by a dealer after his colleagues refuse to provide support.

Spalding was told that she had better wear a bulletproof vest or she might end up going home “in a casket.”

“It’s no secret that if you go against the code of silence, and you report corruption, it will ruin your career,” Spalding told a local Chicago news station

(Sputnik, feb 16th)

http://sputniknews.com/us/20150217/1018355815.html



In rare move, local cops reveal details to judges on “stingray” use

One of the largest local police departments in the American South has revised its surveillance applications to judges, making its judicial requests to use cell-site simulators much more explicit for the first time.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) in North Carolina has “revised court papers that judges review before granting officers permission to track phones, in an effort to ‘improve the effectiveness of the process and provide greater transparency.’"

The CMPD did not immediately respond to Ars’ request for comment and a copy of the new applications.

These devices, commonly known as "stingrays," can be used to determine a phone’s location, but they can also intercept calls and text messages. During the act of locating a phone, stingrays also sweep up information about nearby phones. Earlier this month, Ars reported on how the FBI is actively trying to “prevent disclosure” of how these devices are used in local jurisdictions across America.

The Observer added in its Sunday report:

    The agency would not provide examples of the new documents, but said the applications more clearly describe investigative tactics, including cellphone tracking.

    CMPD says it now includes definitions for each type of equipment officers deploy in its applications to judges. Documents also provide more information in each case about the legal grounds for an officer to make an arrest or search a property.

“Certainly the degree of transparency, this is very, very unique and it’s a pleasure to see,” Chris Soghoian, a privacy researcher at the American Civil Liberties Union and an expert on stingrays, told Ars. “It’s huge. It’s great that they’ve moved in this direction, but this isn’t happening in every town in America. In most parts of America, judges still don’t know what they’re being asked to authorize. In most parts of the country, police are keeping courts in the dark, in some cases intentionally. In most parts of the country, most courts don't have enough information to do their job.”

(ARS technica, feb 16th)

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/02/in-rare-move-local-cops-reveal-details-to-judges-on-stingray-use/



A cop who has been fired and now faces third-degree assault charges after brutally paralyzing a 74 year old man has received support from an online campaign that has already raised over $3000.

In a bizarre turn of events, an Indiegogo campaign has been set up by pro-police supporters for Officer Eric Parker of Madison, Alabama.

(Infowars, feb 16th)

http://www.infowars.com/sickos-set-up-fundraiser-for-cop-who-paralyzed-grandfather/



A lawsuit was filed, and charges have been dropped after dash cam video was released showing St. Louis cops turning off their cameras prior to further assaulting an 18-year-old man.

In a prime example of why police are lobbying to make their camera footage secret, St. Louis cops were caught coordinating the turning-off of their cameras during an arrest.

Officers who were following up on a report of shots fired pulled over Cortez Bufford at 10:00 pm on April 10, 2014. The video, released by Buford’s lawyer, Joel Schwartz, shows city officers pull Bufford from a car, kick him repeatedly and shock him with a taser.

Officers Nathaniel Burkemper and Michael Binz were the officers who originally pulled over Buford and his passenger. According to Burkemper’s report, both men in the Taurus raised their hands when asked.

(Free thought project, feb 16th)

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/hold-up-were-red-now-cops-caught-turning-cameras-beating-man/




A Minnesota man was released from jail this week after spending close to three months in custody for possession of vitamins.

The man, 31-year-old Joseph Burrell, was arrested last November after police claimed that a vitamin powder found in his vehicle was actually illegal amphetamines.

Charged with two counts of felony drug possession, Burrell was incarcerated on $250,000 bail while the substance awaited final testing at the state crime lab.

“I told the judge I couldn’t plead guilty to something I knew wasn’t a drug,” Burrell told the Mankato Free Press. “They set my bail at $250,000 for vitamins.”

After spending weeks behind bars, Burrell was quietly released only days before his trial. Man Released after Months in Jail for Possession of Vitamins

“I had been sitting in the jail since November with my bail set at $250,000,” Burrell said. “Then, two days before trial, they dropped the charges and let me go.”

Lab analysis corroborated Burrell’s claims after the powder did in fact turn out to be mere vitamins, not speed, as officers had claimed.

Even more concerning, Burrell stated that police waited more than a month to send the evidence to the crime lab after his arrest.

Similarly, the crime lab also waited one month after testing the substance to return it back to prosecutors.

As deplorable as Burrell’s situation is, many have not fared as favorably.

A multi-year investigation into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab by the Department of Justice uncovered rampant tampering of evidence.

(Infowars, feb 16th)

http://www.infowars.com/man-released-after-months-in-jail-for-possession-of-vitamins/



In a situation reminiscent of the Shaneen Allen case, a 72-year-old retired school teacher in New Jersey faces a 10-year felony sentence (a likely life sentence) and the jeopardization of his pension for possession of an unloaded 300-year-old flintlock pistol.

Gordon Van Gilder taught school for 34 years and is a collector of 18th-century memorabilia. He acquired an antique flintlock pistol from that era and had it unloaded and wrapped in a cloth in his glove compartment when he was pulled over for an alleged minor traffic violation.

Van Gilder consented to a requested search of his vehicle.

“When asked by the officer if there was anything in the car the officer should be worried about,” wrote Andrew Branca on Legal Insurrection, “Van Gilder informed him about the flintlock in the glove box. Although not arrested that day, the next morning several patrol cars woke him at his home and placed him under arrest.”

New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, and it classifies antique firearms the same way it classifies regular guns. Attorney Evan Nappen, who specializes in gun law cases, said despite the antique nature of the flintlock pistol, Van Gilder is “facing the same draconian penalty as if he had a .44 magnum loaded on his person … There’s no distinction.”

(WND, feb 16th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/02/man-72-faces-life-sentence-for-unloaded-antique-gun/



NEW COLD WAR______________


On February 16, Brussels sanctioned 19 more Russian and Donbas officials. Its blacklist totals 151 individuals, as well as 37 Russian companies and other entities. Sanctions are war by other means.

Imposing new sanctions shows Brussels wants confrontation, not conflict resolution.

Russia’s NATO representative, Alexander Grushko, calls relations with the Alliance “close to the freezing point.”

“(W)e…have (no) illusions regarding the dangers that might be caused by NATO,” he said. (It) found a new meaning of life. (It’s) play(ing) out against us, against Russia.”

Three top Russian military officials were added. Including Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, First Deputy Defense Minister, General Arkady Bakhin, and General Staff Operation Directorate head Lt. General Andrey Kartapolov.

Two additional lower House State Duma members were sanctioned, as well as Moscow Communist Party head Valery Rashkin and singer Iosif Kobzon.

Fourteen others are Donbas government and military officials. Eight rebel self-defense battalions and the Novorossiya movement were sanctioned.

Measures imposed include freezing assets held in European Union countries an an EU-wide travel ban.

State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Aleksey Pushkov said new sanctions are “contrary to the (letter and spirit) of Minsk. (They) will not solve anything, but will complicate political dialogue.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said new sanctions defy common sense. Moscow vows an “appropriate” response. Brussels shamelessly accommodates Washington and Kiev’s “party of war.”

Moscow’s EU representative, Vladimir Chizhov, said extending sanctions and adding new ones “will not only give a signal to Russian public opinion and force Russia to return to our own sanctions list, but will dissuade both sides of the conflict from the active implementation of the provisions of the Minsk documents.”

It shows no matter what efforts Russia makes toward resolving Ukraine’s conflict, it will continue being targeted unfairly.

Energy giant Roseneft CEO Igor Sechin said “(i)n the longterm, sanctions against Russia endanger Europe’s security of supply.”

Losers on both sides are assured. Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said “(s)anctions have had a heavy cost for us all.”

“The EU so far lost 21 billion euros. In Spain, we have been badly hit in terms of agriculture and tourism.

Czech President Milos Zeman called for lifting sanctions. Saying “I long for solid trade and economic relations between the Czech Republic and Russia, which shouldn’t be hampered by sanctions.”

“Esspecially if those sanctions are useless.” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras rhetorically opposes sanctions while approving their renewal. At the same time, he wants things resolved diplomatically, adding:

“The difficult way of talks is always favorable to the easy way of sanctions, which leads to a dead end.”

Dark forces in America, EU countries and Ukraine want war continued, not ended. Huge geopolitical issues are at stake.

Key is targeting Russia for regime change. Washington’s longstanding goal is eliminating a major rival, controlling its vast land mass, balkanizing it for easier control, plundering its resources and exploiting its people.

(Stephen Lendman, feb 16th)

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2015/02/post-minsk-eu-sanctions-on-russia.html




Head of the Russian National Centre for Reducing Nuclear Threat announced that Russian aviation inspectors will conduct two observation flights over the territory of the United States and one over the territory of Italy.

Russian aviation inspectors will conduct two observation flights over the territory of the United States and one over the territory of Italy in February under the Treaty on Open Skies, the head of the Russian National Centre for Reducing Nuclear Threat Sergei Ryzhkov has said.

It will be the second, third and fourth Russian observation flights over the territories of the treaty signatory states in 2015. Earlier in February, a group of Russian inspectors have conducted an observation flight over Greece.

According to Ryzhkov, the flights over the US are to be conducted from February 16 to February 28 from US air force bases McConnell and Wright-Patterson. The maximum range of the flights will reach 4,800 (2,980 miles) and 4,900 kilometres (3,040 miles) respectively.

The flight over Italy is scheduled to take place from February 16 to February 20. The Russian Antonov An-30 aircraft will take off from Ciampino, Rome. The flight will be carried out at a maximum range of 2015 kilometres (1,250 miles).

The Treaty on Open Skies was signed in 1992 in Helsinki and currently applies to 34 countries, including most of NATO member states, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden and Finland. The treaty establishes a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the entire territory of its participants.

(Sputnik, feb 16th)

http://sputniknews.com/military/20150216/1018316963.html



Ukraine now a ‘crisis for Russia and West’, says ex-MI6 boss
   
The conflict in Ukraine is now part of a much bigger crisis between Russia and the West, MI6′s former head has said. Sir John Sawers warned the crisis was no longer about just Ukraine, saying it was “much bigger and more dangerous.” Any attempt by Western countries to arm Ukraine could lead to an escalation on the ground and even cyber attacks by Russia against the West, he warned.

(BBC, feb 16th)

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31496933



Move over, Kim Jong Un. Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, are now the No. 1 villains in the eyes of Americans, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Only 2 percent of Americans saw Russia as a threat just two years ago, but now it has unseated both China and North Korea as the top enemy of the United States amid increasing political tension in the past year and a half.

Based on a poll conducted Feb. 8-11, 18 percent of Americans saw Russia as the country’s top threat in 2015, followed by North Korea (15 percent), China (12 percent) and Iran (9 percent). More than 800 people across all 50 states were sampled.

(washington times, feb 16th)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/16/russia-now-uss-greatest-enemy-americans-say/




MAINSTREAM AND SOCIAL MEDIA_____________________


It didn’t take long for conservatives to hijack an #ILoveObama hashtag that began trending on Twitter last night, with many pointing out that such fawning idolatry was more reminiscent of a cult than political activism.

Liberals announced their intention to “Twitter bomb” the hashtag beginning at 8pm eastern last night, with leftists vowing to “show their love and appreciation for President Obama”.

The campaign was promoted by Unite Blue, a “progressive community” that draws together Twitter users who support the Democratic Party.

Conservatives immediately drew attention to the cult of personality attitude being promoted by liberals.

(Infowars, feb 16th)

http://www.infowars.com/cult-of-personality-iloveobama-trends-on-twitter/



New York Times corrects Scott Walker column

In hindsight, perhaps the headline “Scott Walker Needs An Eraser” wasn’t the best idea.

In a recent column about the Wisconsin governor, a conservative Republican, New York Times columnist Gail Collins wrote that Walker had cut state aid to education, causing teacher layoffs in 2010. But Walker didn’t take office until 2011.

Whoops.

Collins wrote that Walker’s recent speech in Iowa was all about “waging war on public employee unions, particularly the ones for teachers.” She cited the case of a Claudia Felske, who took issue with Walker’s characterization of the layoffs.

Walker told reporters last week in London that Felske, who was named one of the state’s teachers of the year in 2010, is making a “petty distinction.”

(Politico, feb 16th)

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/scott-walker-correction-new-york-times-115229.html



TECHNOLOGY_____________________


Time is running out for ethicists to tackle very real robot quandries

By its nature, the Open Roboethics Initiative is easy to dismiss — until you read anything they’ve published. As we head toward a self-driving future in which virtually all of us will spend some portion of the day with our lives in the hands of a piece of autonomous software, it ought to be clear that robot morality is anything but academic. Should your car kill the child on the street, or the one in your passenger seat? Even if we can master such calculus and make it morally simple, we will do so only in time to watch a flood of household robots enter the market and create a host of much more vexing problems. There’s nothing frivolous about it — robot ethics is the most important philosophical issue of our time.

(extreme tech, feb 16th)

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/192492-time-is-running-out-for-ethicists-to-tackle-very-real-robot-quandries




The world's first drone circus is coming to Amsterdam

An airshow consisting entirely of drones will make its world premiere at the Amsterdam Arena sometime in the near future.

(Cnet, feb 15th)

http://www.cnet.com/news/the-worlds-first-drone-circus-is-coming-to-amsterdam/



AT&T charges $29 more for gigabit fiber that doesn’t watch your Web browsing

(ARS technica, feb 16th)

http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/02/att-charges-29-more-for-gigabit-fiber-that-doesnt-watch-your-web-browsing/



Nano-Manufacturing Makes Steel 10 Times Stronger: A new way to produce metals could have wide-ranging effects

(technology review, feb 16th)

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/534796/nano-manufacturing-makes-steel-10-times-stronger/




HEALTH_________________


What’s the best way to squash your competition? Buy them out. Applegate Farms, LLC really has no good reason to sell out to a GMO-supporting mega-corporation. They’ve been worth millions for years, and have gained success in the organic food industry like few others. But money talks, and the organic meat seller is in negotiations with industrial food giant Hormel Foods Corp. to become part of its conglomerate.

The sell-out is being described by Reuters, and is reportedly worth between $600 million and $1 billion, but both parties declined to comment since the matter is confidential.
Hormel swallowing up Applegate Farms isn’t the only pro-GMO company using cut-throat tactics and big money to get rid of competition. The sale of Applegate Farms comes amid a slew of merger activity for meat companies.

Recent high-profile deals also include:

    -Hershey Co’s acquisition of jerky company Krave

    -Post Holdings Inc’s $2.5 billion acquisition of food processing company Michael Foods

    -Tyson Foods Inc’s $8.6 billion acquisition of packaged meats producer Hillshire Brands

If you want organic chicken tenders, non-GMO sausages, lunch meats, or other healthier meat choices, you won’t find them in the Applegate Farms brand much longer.

Hormel is among companies like Monsanto, ConAgra, Kellogg, Smuckers, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi-Co who are trying to block your right to know what is in your food. They contributed heavily through the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA) to defeat Prop 37 in California which would have given people the right to know if genetically modified ingredients were in food.

This $1.2 trillion dollar industry can easily swallow even successful million-dollar companies like Applegate Farms – that is until we stop buying their products. Who really knows what is in SPAM, one of Hormel’s best-selling products? Hormel is also a notorious union buster and treat the animals used for their products poorly.

(natural society, feb 16th)

http://naturalsociety.com/top-organic-meat-company-selling-out-gmo-hormel/



Americans Sign Petition to Add “Soylent Green” to Michelle Obama School Lunch Menu

The famous line comes from the 1973 film Soylent Green starring Charlton Heston. The plot revolves around a dystopian future in which an oppressed population is forced to survive on rations of processed human flesh.

Although generally considered to be one of Heston’s best movies, San Diego beachgoers are seemingly unaware of its contribution to the sci-fi genre. ‘Man on the street’ specialist Mark Dice collected innumerable signatures to add soylent green to school lunches by telling people it was “for the children”.

“It’s a healthy all natural non-GMO food to help with the kids, help build them up nice and strong,” Dice tells one man as he signs the petition.

Another woman signs the petition while remarking that she was a “fat kid,” to which Dice responds that soylent green will help “reduce the childhood obesity problem that we’re facing today”.

“A lot of these kids are complaining about the new healthy standards….the soylent green is all natural, it’s high in protein,” Dice tells another woman as she signs her name.

“Not enough kids are eating Michelle Obama’s soylent green for the lunch program, so we’re just gonna support serving soylent green,” Dice tells another man who responds, “I’m in with the program!”

“The Republicans are trying to defund it and some of the schools are actually not going along with the program,” Dice tells another couple, adding, “We just want to make sure all the kids get their soylent green and get healthy.”

(Infowars, feb 16th)

http://www.infowars.com/americans-sign-petition-to-add-soylent-green-to-michelle-obama-school-lunch-menu/




PHOTOS: Bugs invade ‘healthy’ Michelle O lunches

“When they serve us pizza, sometimes it’s not reheated all the way and you can see the frozen pieces in the dough,” Martinez says. “It’s the same thing with the taco meat. And they serve us ices instead of juice,” referring to the liquids still being frozen.

“There’s not much taste to them,” another student, Justin Minaya, says of the sweet potato fries.

“The chicken looks too greasy. It’s just frozen food that’s been reheated. It’s not appetizing.”

For these students, it usually means a free school meal or going hungry. More often, they’re choosing the latter.

“What they are provided with is unappetizing and unsatisfying,” Sarah Camiscoli, a teacher at the school, says. “There is much more effort [on the DOE’s part] put into thinking about fine tuning the logistics of state exams rather than the logistics of nutritional needs of students on free lunch.”

As more fresh fruits and vegetables are being introduced into school lunches, students are reporting that they’re finding more unintended protein in the items.

(EAG news, feb 16th)

http://eagnews.org/photos-bugs-invade-healthy-michelle-o-lunches/




Meditation booms as people seek a way to slow down

One hundred fifty people sat in the big meeting room, hands on laps, eyes closed, feet flat on the floor.

"Bring your attention to this moment," Janice Marturano instructed. "Be open to sensations of warmth or coolness, sensations of fullness from breakfast, or perhaps hunger." Minutes later, the meditation ended with the traditional strikes of little hand cymbals.

Buddhists? Old hippies? New Agers?

Nope. The room was full of hospital executives and managers in lab coats and scrubs, jeans and sports coats at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. And the teacher was Marturano, once a top executive at General Mills.

The founder of the Institute for Mindful Leadership, Marturano is about as far from woo-woo as the spectrum allows — and a sign that meditation has snaked its way into every sector of our lives. The hospital employees were learning a practice shared by millions these days: college students, parents and prisoners; soldiers, the overweight and the lovelorn; the Seattle Seahawks, public school kids and members of Congress; Oprah, Chopra and Arianna.

And perhaps you. What? You're not meditating?

Meditation, primarily a 2,500-year-old form called mindfulness meditation that emphasizes paying attention to the present moment, has gone viral.

(LA times, feb 16th)

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-c1-meditation-20150216-story.html#page=1



A concerned citizen has launched a popular petition on the official White House website seeking a moratorium on legislation that may force Americans to obtain vaccinations.

The all-inclusive petition entitled, “Prohibit Any Laws Mandating the Force and Requirement of Vaccinations of Any Kind,” appeared on the “We the People” site earlier this month, and has already managed to garner some 34 thousand signatures.

“No human being should be FORCED to be vaccinated against their will and/or personal/religious beliefs,” reads the petition’s text.

“I petition against making vaccinations of any kind mandatory. This includes forcing children to be vaccinated to attend public schools, activities, and daycare centers. This also includes adults working in the public or private sector.”

(Infowars, feb 16th)

http://www.infowars.com/white-house-petition-seeks-to-ban-mandatory-vaccination-legislation/



While most U.S. public schools start sex education in the fifth grade, sex education will be coming to Chicago kindergartners within two years as part of an overhaul of the Chicago public schools sexual health program.

The new policy, which the Chicago Board of Education passed Wednesday, mandates that a set amount of time be spent on sex education in every grade, beginning in kindergarten. Chicago has the third-largest public school system in the country, with 431,000 students.

“It is important that we provide students of all ages with accurate and appropriate information so they can make healthy choices in regards to their social interactions, behaviors and relationships,” Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the CEO of the Chicago Public School System, said in a statement. “By implementing a new sexual health education policy, we will be helping them to build a foundation of knowledge that can guide them not just in the preadolescent and adolescent years, but throughout their lives.”

Under the new policy, the youngest students – the kindergartners — will learn the basics about anatomy, reproduction, healthy relationships and personal safety. Through the third grade, the sex-ed lessons will focus on the family, feelings and appropriate and inappropriate touching. In the fourth grade, students will start learning about puberty, and HIV. Discussions will emphasize that the virus cannot be transmitted through everyday contact such as shaking hands or sharing food.

From the fifth through the 12th grade, the emphasis will be on reproduction, the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS, and other sexually-transmitted diseases, bullying and contraception, including abstinence

(Barricuda brigade, feb 16th)

http://barracudabrigade.net/chicago-passes-sex-ed-for-kindergartners/