Links from our readers for Aug 13 – 2015

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In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

54 Replies to “Links from our readers for Aug 13 – 2015”

  1. Ok – this is a stretch, but I’m putting this out there as food for thought. Last night’s horrific explosions in Tienjin, satellites and Clintons e-mails and Chinese hackers and cloud storage….patience…

    I noticed that updates at China.org specifically listed their tech facility status in greater detail than info about human casualties:

    “Firefighting efforts at the site of the blast in Tianjin have been suspended, because the number of hazardous chemicals at the explosion site is unknown, CCTV reported.
    Tianhe-1 supercomputer stopped due to safety concerns Scientists have stopped the Tianhe-1 supercomputer due to safety concerns after the Tianjin warehouse blasts.
    The Tianhe-1 supercomputer is located at the National Supercomputer Center in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin Municipality.
    The warehouse blasts on Wednesday night broke some parts of the outer wall and glass of the center’s building.
    According to scientists at the supercomputer center, Tianhe-1 has not been affected by the blasts, but out of safety considerations, they temporarily shut down the computer.
    Executives of company responsible for blasts in police custody
    Company executives of Richsea International Logistics, whose warehouse caused the two blasts in Tianjin, have been taken into police custody, pending further inquiries.

    This tidbit triggered a memory of a link which tracked ‘hackers’ around the globe – which had at the time prolific activity emanating from China at that time. I checked the site map.norsecorp.com moments ago as I prepared this comment, and – lo and behold – China is dark!

    Helix Nebula in Tianjin, China (CERN collaboration) conducts ‘cloud’ research?

    Cloud research at Tianjin…cloud technology is for storage of info? Right?

    Can’t help but think hmmmmmmmm….

    • Updates:

      CNSNews: As is customary during disasters, Chinese authorities are trying to keep a tight control over information.

      Star.com:
      “State media said senior management of the company had been detained, and that President Xi Jinping demanded severe punishment for anyone found responsible for the explosions.
      In a sign of sensitivity over the hazardous materials stored at the warehouse, state broadcaster CCTV went into a live broadcast of a news conference in Tianjin when the head of the municipality’s Environmental Protection Bureau chief, Wen Wurui, was speaking. He said there had been no apparent impact on air monitoring stations, but that water samples were still being examined.
      However, when a reporter asked him whether the chemicals at the warehouse had been stored far enough away from residences in the area and Wen seemed at a loss for a response, the broadcaster suddenly cut away from the news conference, only to return to it again later.”…
      “As is customary during disasters, Chinese authorities tried to keep a tight control over information. Police kept journalists and bystanders away with a cordon about 1 or 2 kilometres from the site. On China’s popular microblogging platform of Weibo, some users complained that their posts about the blasts were deleted, and the number of searchable posts on the disaster fluctuated, in a sign that authorities were manipulating or placing limits on the number of posts.
      The website of the logistics company became inaccessible Thursday.”
      ***Norsecorp live map confirms China’s hackers remain in the dark.

  2. Iraq Officials: Huge Truck Bomb in Baghdad Market Kills 54 (abcnews, Aug 13, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-officials-huge-truck-bomb-baghdad-market-kills-33051861

    “Iraqi police officials say a massive truck bomb has ripped through a popular Baghdad food market in the early morning hours, killing at least 54 people.

    The two police officials say the truck detonated in the Jameela market in Baghdad’s crowded Sadr City neighborhood shortly after dawn on Thursday. They say at least 86 people were wounded in the attack.

    Three hospital officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they’re not authorized to speak to the media.

    No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but Islamic State militants commonly target predominantly Shiite neighborhoods such as Sadr City, with the goal of sending a message to the Shiite-dominated government.

    The Sunni militant group currently holds territory in about a third of Iraq.”

    • ISIS truck bomb in Baghdad kills more than 70 and injures 200

      A powerful truck bomb blast has hit the Shia-dominated Sadr-City district of the Iraqi capital, killing dozens and injuring more than 200 people. Islamic State fighters claimed responsibility for the explosion.

      “A refrigerator truck packed with explosives blew up inside the Jamila market at around 6 a.m. [0300 GMT],” police official Muhsin al-Saedi told Reuters. “Many people were killed and body parts were thrown on top of nearby buildings.”

      A local witness told Reuters that he saw blood and bodily remains among the fruit and vegetables at the market.

      https://www.rt.com/news/312317-truck-bomb-blast-baghdad/

    • Authorities brace for ugly scenes as Australian ‘patriots’ plan mosque protests

      Ugly scenes are expected at mosques across the country in October, with neo-Nazis and far-right activists planning co-ordinated protests against Muslim migration and Islam.

      The protests, which will create a security nightmare for authorities, are timed to coincide with anti-Islam protests in the United States, where demonstrators have been urged to bring guns, Canada and parts of Europe.

      The global protests, planned for October 10, were called by ex-Marine Jon Ritzheimer, who asked Americans to bring guns to the protests.

      In Mr Ritzheimer’s home state of Arizona, the Council on American and Islamic Relations civil liberties group has reported him to the FBI for his repeated threats against Muslims, according local reports.

      In an online call to arms directed at Australians, Mr Ritzheimer called on his allies in the United Patriots Front, the Australian Defence League and Reclaim Australia, and their supporters, to “[do] what’s right for humanity”.

      “You’re either with us or against us,” he ranted. “Humanity gets attacked daily by Islam. In every country that is run by Islam it holds its followers captive …. We here have made the mistake of opening our arms to these f-cking savagesthat now want to come here and f-ck with our way of life. … our governments will not fix this problem.

      “Any mosque that you have in your neighbourhood, that’s where your location is to go and protest.”

      In another video, he pulls out a pistol and shoots a Koran.

      In Australia, the call to arms was enthusiastically backed by the United Patriots Front, a fringe splinter group of the Reclaim Australia movement, and others.

      The self-styled “great Aussie patriot” Shermon Burgess, organiser of the UPF, told followers in a video that “the whole world is going to rally against Islam”, and called on Australians to follow suit.

      “It doesn’t matter where you are in the country, you find a mosque and you get there. That’s how it goes.”

      Mr Burgess said Australia should ban the building of mosques, and vowed to “keep fighting against your mosques”.

      Last week, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal upheld a planning permit for a new mosque in Bendigo, after a sustained campaign by anti-Islam activists. The decision has been met with fury by far-right groups online, and plans are underway for a separate protest in Bendigo against the decision in the next fortnight.

      Mr Burgess claimed that anti-Islam movements were building worldwide, because western governments and media were not listening.

      “No backing down,” he vowed. “Let’s do it. Let’s have our voices be heard, let’s rally across the nation, in every goddamn European country on this planet. Say no to Islam and the death cult it is.”

      One of the American organisers, Heather Briggs, posted a video online that hinted at the violence that could follow the protests.

      “You get to these locations, and you f-ckin’ do something,” she told followers. “It’s time to say no. It’s time to stand and it’s time to run ’em out.”

      The Australian Federal Police would not comment on security matters, referring inquiries to state police.

      A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force was aware of the protest and would carry out a risk assessment to plan the police’s response.

      She said every Victorian had the right to feel safe and that while police respected the right of people to express their views, any illegal activity would not be tolerated.

      “It is critical that all Victorians are accepting of cultural diversity and respect the right for individuals to practice their faith, pursuing their values, beliefs and interests,” she said.

      “We ask anyone who witnesses, or is subject to, racism, discrimination or victimisation on the basis of religion, culture or ethnicity, to inform Victoria Police.”

      NSW Police have been contacted for comment.

      Anyone with information about a crime, including those motivated by prejudice, can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

      http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/authorities-brace-for-ugly-scenes-as-australian-patriots-plan-mosque-protests-20150813-giy69k.html

  3. China cannot risk the global chaos of currency devaluation

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11799504/China-cannot-risk-the-global-chaos-of-currency-devaluation.html

    I am not sure what to say on this one, China is in a lot of trouble and the info they have may be telling them that risking a massive currency war is the lesser of two evils.

    I also know that 1) the Chinese tend to lie about their economy by doing things that would have landed me in the pen when I was working as an accountant. 2) They manipulate the market by having dummy purchasers make buys to drive up the market.

    What we need to do is put all of the economic news from around the world into one single picture and then remember that what the stock markets do is not necessarily tied to the economy, the market raises and drops when individual and groups of investors see a chance to make money.

  4. If this doesn’t make you nervous you obviously live someplace other then North America

    • Tips on Deleting Emails From Email Book Hillary Clinton Wanted to Read

      The last batch of Hillary Clinton emails released by the State Department included one from Clinton asking to borrow a book called “Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better,” by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe.

      Clinton has not said why she requested the book, but it includes some advice that is particularly interesting in light of the controversy over her unconventional email arrangement at the State Department and her decision to delete tens of thousands of emails she deemed to be purely personal.

      The copy that ABC downloaded for $9.99 had some interesting revelations.

      Take, for example, Chapter Six: “The Email That Can Land You In Jail.” The chapter includes a section entitled “How to Delete Something So It Stays Deleted.”

      “Some people are hoarders, some are checkers,” the authors write. “The main thing to consider is that once you do decide to delete, it’s like taking the garbage from your kitchen and putting it in your hallway. It’s still there.”

      The chapter advised that to truly delete emails may require a special rewriting program “to make sure that it’s not just elsewhere on the drive but has in fact been written over sixteen or twenty times and rendered undefinable.”

      But Shipley and Schwalbe warn that deleting emails could lead to future legal troubles.

      On page 215, the authors list “Stupid (and Real) Email Phrases That Wound Up in Court.” Number one on the list? “DELETE THIS EMAIL!’ Later, on page 226, the writers warn, “If you’re issued a subpoena, your deletion binge will only make you look guilty.”

      The FBI is investigating the handling of classified information in Clinton’s emails, while she maintains she has done nothing illegal or improper.

      Instead of deleting, the authors suggest never putting sensitive information in an email, quoting disgraced former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer: “’Never talk when you can nod. And never write when you can talk. My only addendum is never put it in an email.’ (We know…we know. Spitzer resigned. And before that, his short-lived administration was embroiled in a controversy where the smoking guns were on email. But it’s still really good advice.)”

      http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tips-deleting-emails-email-book-hillary-clinton-wanted/story?id=33046042

  5. Hamas chief meets Turkish leaders in Ankara

    Ankara (AFP) – Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal held closed-door talks with Turkish leaders in Ankara late on Wednesday, officials said.

    Meshaal, who often shows up at events hosted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

    No statement was made to the press after the talks.

    The visit came just weeks after Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon accused Turkey of hosting a senior member of the Islamist movement’s exiled leadership who was actively planning attacks.

    Attempts to activate cells in the West Bank originate in “Hamas headquarters in Gaza and Istanbul, from where Salah Aruri plans severe attacks against us by proxies in the West Bank and in neighbouring countries,” he said.

    “Salah Aruri is acting from Turkey — a NATO member, which at the same time allows a terror base on its territory,” he charged.

    Israeli media subsequently reported that Turkey had bowed to the US pressure and agreed to order Aruri to leave the country.

    A Turkish official on Wednesday said that Aruri was not in Turkey.

    “He is not in Turkey according to information I have,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

    http://news.yahoo.com/hamas-chief-meets-turkish-leaders-ankara-204115709.html
    ——————————————————————————————
    Hamas leader Mashaal in Ankara for talks with Erdogan

    http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_hamas-leader-mashaal-in-ankara-for-talks-with-erdogan_396341.html

  6. Muslim Scholars Prepare Call for Action on Climate Change

    Islamic scholars and religious leaders are preparing a call for action on climate change that will say it’s the religious duty of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims to fight global warming.

    The declaration will be made in Istanbul next Tuesday during a two-day meeting in the Turkish city coordinated by three religious-environmental groups, according to Climate Action Network, a network of non-governmental organizations.

    “Islam teaches us: ‘Man is simply a steward holding whatever is on Earth in trust,’” Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, Uganda’s grand mufti, said in a statement e-mailed by CAN. “Therefore man should ensure that we do everything possible to protect for this and future generations in order to leave this world a better place than we found it.”

    A growing list of religious leaders have made interventions on climate change to spell out the moral imperative to reduce manmade greenhouse-gas pollution and prevent the worst effects of climate change.

    Foremost was Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Catholics, who in June published a 181-page encyclical urging drastic cuts in fossil-fuel emissions to arrest the planet’s “spiral of self-destruction.”

    The Church of England in April said it was divesting 12 million pounds ($19 million) from thermal coal and tar sands, adding to a growing number of pension funds and endowments at churches, universities, philanthropic groups and financial organizations that are shedding investments in the dirtiest fossil fuels.
    ‘Role to Play’

    Tuesday’s declaration will call for action in madrassas and mosques around the world to emphasize the role Islam can play in combating climate change, according to CAN’s statement. It will also call on the richest nations to drastically reduce emissions and help support the people most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including rising seas, more intense storms and more prolonged droughts.

    The groups co-ordinating next week’s symposium in Istanbul are the charities Islamic Relief Worldwide and the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and GreenFaith, an interfaith coalition of religious groups working to protect the environment.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-12/muslim-scholars-prepare-call-for-action-on-climate-change

  7. Turkey Coalition Talks Fail; New Elections Loom

    Efforts on Thursday by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to forge a coalition alliance with the country’s pro-secular party failed, edging Turkey closer toward new elections as it grapples with escalating violence.

    Davutoglu said discussions with pro-secular party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu were frank but the two party leaders could not reach common ground for a power-sharing deal.

    “The likelihood of going to (elections) has increased. In fact, it has become the only option,” Davutoglu said after the talks that lasted less than two hours.

    He did not say when the elections could be held but said a date should be set “at the closest time possible.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/13/world/europe/ap-eu-turkey-politics.html

    ***************************************************************
    At a separate press conference, Kilicdaroglu said his party hadn’t been offered “a normal coalition.” The AKP wanted either a three-month arrangement leading up to elections or CHP support for a minority AKP government, he said.

    “I’ll say it openly, AK Party will benefit the most from an early election,” Davutoglu said. “Why? Because if we win 18 more deputies in parliament, we have a single-party government. None of the other parties have such a chance.”
    ***********************************************************************

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-13/early-election-now-only-option-for-turkey-davutoglu-says

  8. DAILY MAIL – EXCLUSIVE: Tech company which maintained Hillary’s secret server was sued for ‘illegally accessing’ database and ‘stealing White House military advisers’ phone numbers’

    Platte River Networks was used by Clinton to maintain ‘homebrew’ server in her New York State house which held her State Department emails
    She handed over the server and a thumb drive this week to FBI after emails were found to contain ‘above top secret’ material
    Her White House campaign is said to be in ‘panic’ over the growing scandal which comes out of probe into US diplomats’ deaths in Benghazi
    Daily Mail Online can reveal Denver, Colorado, based firm was sued for illegally accessing master database of US phone numbers
    It was also accused of causing chaos to White House military advisers when their numbers stopped working as it took their numbers
    Case raises questions over how Platte River Networks’ ability to secure server which would have been major target for foreign spy hackers

    BOAST: The firm’s website describes it as having ‘connections in all the right places’.

    National Intelligence Community Inspector General Charles McCullough told members of Congress in writing that two of Clinton’s emails were so sensitive that it would have been illegal to show them to any foreigner

    on this page :

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3197093/Tech-company-maintained-Hillary-s-secret-server-sued-illegally-accessing-databases-creating-chaos-stealing-White-House-phone-numbers.html

          • Since Greece to a large extend depends on tourism this really hurts them, worse then the high gas prices hurts the tourist trap areas in Southern Missouri.

            Branson, Silver Dollar City, the area around both big lakes in the Southern part. They do have good fishing.

  9. Turkey builds 3-meter tall concrete wall on its Syrian border

    Turkish authorities are putting up a concrete wall along the country’s border with Syria after the recent wave of terrorist attacks hitting the southern border regions.

    The construction in the Reyhanl? district of Hatay province comes as part of the tightened security measures along the border following a series of terrorist attacks starting with the Suruç suicide bombing on July 20 that killed 33 people, and with at least 33 security force members and 12 civilians killed since.

    The Hatay Governorate and the 2nd Border Regimental Command are cooperating to erect a 3-meter concrete wall in Reyhanl?’s Bükülmez neighborhood, just across from the town of Atme in Syria.

    According to Anadolu Agency, the 2-meter-wide concrete blocks weighing 7 tons each are being aligned on the border with a crane.

    The wall, which will stretch 8 kilometers, will be completed soon.

    Since July 24, around 1,700 people have been detained in a wave of counterterrorism raids, amid a spike in attacks targeting police and the military after a deadly suicide bombing July 20 in the southeastern town of Suruç, which killed 33 civilians.

    Police have been carrying out nationwide counterterror operations to apprehend suspected PKK, Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) terrorists. All three groups are designated terrorist organizations in Turkey.

    The attacks have since led to an extensive counterterror effort by the government, which had warplanes bomb PKK camps at home and in northern Iraq, including the Qandil Mountains, along with airstrikes on ISIS positions in Syria.

    http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2015/08/13/turkey-builds-3-meter-tall-concrete-wall-on-its-syrian-border