News links and other items links for Aug. 15 – 2015

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About Eeyore

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

32 Replies to “News links and other items links for Aug. 15 – 2015”

  1. A friend was “deathly afraid” for the future of humanity with the world fertility rate and how that is going to cause the earth to crumble or something.

    Anyway I noticed this:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_fertility_rate#Parameter_characteristics

    Look at the chart on the right. It’s going down very steady which blows the population bomb out of the water but look at it now we are at a near net zero population growth world wide. Between 2.1 and 2.2 babies per woman is net zero. Now look at China 0.4 babies per woman. This shocked me really.

    Yes, it’s good their population is stabilizing but how can it drop that much? When their one baby per woman law was in effect it should have been near 1.0 babies per woman. The law was removed it should have gone up some. I’m wondering if there is a limited sterilization going on? I’m I crazy?

    • The reason the Chinese birth rate is so low is that they have been selecting boys and aborting girls, the normal ratio is somewhere around 1.2 to 1.3 girls for every boy but in China is is between 4 to 6 boys for each girl. the lack of women to bear the next generation is what is causing the massive drop in population.

        • That I didn’t know, FYI India had a one child policy for a while and the same situation was developing, and to a much lesser extend the western nations see the same thing among the groups where abortion is socially acceptable. Here in the states the conservative states are having more babies (the birth rate is still below replacement) then the liberal states. That is one reason the left is trying to do so much with Obama in office. given another 16 years and the political demographics will have changed to the point that the conservatives will be the ones dominating the political spectrum

          FYI the imbalance in the sexual ratio is one reason so many Chinese women are trying to get to nations with ratios closer to the biological norm. .

  2. Turkey guards accused of shooting Syrian civilians

    Monitoring group says troops killed three Syrians trying to cross border amid rise in “direct shootings” of refugees.

    Three Syrians trying cross the border into Turkey have been killed by Turkish border guards, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported.

    At least seven others were also injured by the troops near the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad in al-Raqqa province on Friday, Rami Abdelrahman, the Syrian Observatory’s head, told Al Jazeera.

    Two of those killed were reportedly women.

    The Syrian Observatory is a UK-based monitoring group that relies on activists on the ground for information.

    Abdelrahman said that witnesses had told him that border guards urged the Syrians to “back off and return” before opening fire on them at close range.

    He said that Friday’s deaths were the latest in a wave of lethal shootings by Turkish troops of Syrians attempting to flee their country’s conflict over the last three months.

    “Since May 30, at least 29 Syrian civilians have been killed by Turkish border guards,” he said.

    The Turkish foreign ministry, which was contacted by Al Jazeera on Friday for comment, said it was preparing a response.

    Turkey, which has registered about two million Syrian refugees since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, continues to see large numbers of Syrians seeking refuge in the country.

    Ankara has repeatedly called on the international community to help it deal with the refugee crisis.

    The reports of the killings by Turkish border guards came as Ankara stepped up its border security amid an ongoing military offensive against fighters from the outlawed Kurdistan’s Workers Party (PKK) in Iraq.

    http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/turkey-border-guards-accused-shooting-syrians-150814183613359.html

  3. CANADA – Quebec bill targets “people who write against the Islamic religion”

    “Bill 59 assigns new powers to the Quebec Human Rights Commission (QHRC) to combat hate speech, as well as a variety of other provisions meant to protect against extremism, by censoring speech that promotes ‘fear of the other.’ Ominously, the bill would allow the QHRC to pursue websites that in its estimation describe and denounce Islamism

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/08/quebec-bill-targets-people-who-write-against-the-islamic-religion

    ——————————————————————-
    National Post View: Quebec hate speech bill would re-establish bureaucratic despotism

    […]Bill 59, on which consultations are to start next week, is far more worrisome. Bill 59 assigns new powers to the Quebec Human Rights Commission (QHRC) to combat hate speech, as well as a variety of other provisions meant to protect against extremism, by censoring speech that promotes “fear of the other.” Ominously, the bill would allow the QHRC to pursue websites that in its estimation describe and denounce Islamism.

    The bill takes its inspiration from recommendations made public by the QHRC in November 2014. Jacques Frémont, the commission’s president, explained that he planned to use the requested powers to sue those critical of certain ideas, “people who would write against … the Islamic religion … on a website or on a Facebook page.”

    http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/national-post-view-quebec-hate-speech-bill-would-re-establish-bureaucratic-despotism

  4. USA – MAINE – Judge seals file in Somali-Muslim suspects’ murder trial

    Maine case involving resettled U.N. refugees shrouded in secrecy

    Authorities in Portland, Maine, have arrested three Somali-American men in connection with the brutal killing of a man inside his apartment, then moved quickly to seal the case from public view.

    Police arrested Abil Teshome, 23, Mohamud Mohamed, 36, and Osman Sheikh, 31, on Thursday. All three are charged with the murder of 49-year-old health-care worker Freddy Akoa.

    Police have provided almost no information on the killing, not the cause of death, not the type of weapon used, nor any possible motive for the killing. They even refused to release prison mugshots of the suspects. The Associated Press and local TV stations failed to identify the three suspects by their country of origin or race.

    Akoa was found dead in his apartment at 457 Cumberland Avenue on Tuesday and it was revealed at a court hearing Friday that he had been dead since Sunday. He lived alone and, according to his LinkedIn page, worked as a hospital and health-care professional in the Portland area.

    Police said all three suspects were arrested on unrelated charges and placed in custody Wednesday and Thursday when they were charged with Akoa’s murder.
    Osman Sheikh Said, 31, of Maine, is one of three suspects charged with the murder of 49-year-old Freddy Akoa.

    Osman Sheikh Said, 31, a Somali-American living in Maine, is one of three suspects charged with the murder of 49-year-old Freddy Akoa.

    WND found a mugshot of a man named Osman Sheikh at an online police mugshot site that matches the age and place of residence of the Osman Sheikh who was arrested.

    […]An autopsy was performed on Akoa’s body, but police declined to release the results, the Bangor Daily News reported.

    […]Police announced Wednesday they were investigating the death as a homicide but refused to say how the killing was carried out.

    http://mobile.wnd.com/2015/08/judge-seals-file-in-somali-muslim-suspects-murder-trial/

  5. NYT – AT&T Helped N.S.A. Spy on an Array of Internet Traffic

    The National Security Agency’s ability to spy on vast quantities of Internet traffic passing through the United States has relied on its extraordinary, decades-long partnership with a single company: the telecom giant AT&T.

    While it has been long known that American telecommunications companies worked closely with the spy agency, newly disclosed N.S.A. documents show that the relationship with AT&T has been considered unique and especially productive. One document described it as “highly collaborative,” while another lauded the company’s “extreme willingness to help.”

    AT&T’s cooperation has involved a broad range of classified activities, according to the documents, which date from 2003 to 2013. AT&T has given the N.S.A. access, through several methods covered under different legal rules, to billions of emails as they have flowed across its domestic networks. It provided technical assistance in carrying out a secret court order permitting the wiretapping of all Internet communications at the United Nations headquarters, a customer of AT&T.[…]

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/us/politics/att-helped-nsa-spy-on-an-array-of-internet-traffic.html

  6. Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 3 in Nigeria’s Borno (nbcnews, Aug 15, 2015)
    http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/suicide-bomber-kills-least-3-nigerias-borno-n410536

    “MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device strapped on her body near a market in the northeastern Nigerian State of Borno, killing at least three people, police and civilian vigilante sources said on Saturday.

    No one claimed responsibility for the attack that bore the hallmarks of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has conducted a six-year insurgency to carve out a caliphate in Nigeria’s northeast.

    A vigilante source said four people were killed and seven injured when the explosive went off at a checkpoint, targeting the vigilantes at the entrance of the Ramirgo market.

    Ishiaku Dawa, a resident who helped take victims to the hospital, said the blast damaged two patrol vehicles and that four bodies were sent to the hospital….”

  7. Palestinian Killed After Stabbing Israeli Police Officer (abcnews, Aug 15, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israeli-troops-shoot-palestinian-stabbed-soldier-33102067

    “Israeli military and police shot two Palestinians, one fatally, after separate stabbing attacks on security forces in the West Bank on Saturday, authorities said.

    Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said a Palestinian approached officers conducting a routine security check and stabbed one in the back with a knife, moderately wounding him. An officer nearby opened fire and killed the attacker, identified by doctors at Rafidia hospital in Nablus as 21-year-old Rafeq Ahmad al-Taj.

    Earlier in the day, a Palestinian was shot by Israeli troops after asking soldiers at a West Bank border crossing for a glass of water, then stabbing the soldier who turned to get it, the military said.

    The soldier was treated at the scene and the Palestinian was taken to a hospital with a light shoulder wound, the military said.

    Israeli media said the Palestinian told investigators he carried out the attack after arguing with his father. Channel 10 TV identified him as a 19-year-old from a nearby village and cited security officials as saying he acted independently from any militant group….”

  8. Migrants Transiting Through Macedonia Jam Trains (abcnews, Aug 15, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/migrants-transiting-macedonia-jam-trains-33106365

    “Pushing and shoving each other, hundreds of migrants trying to get to Serbia overflowed the train platforms of this southern Macedonian town, near the border with Greece, on Saturday.

    The migrants, mostly from the Middle East but also from Afghanistan, want to arrive in Serbia, the last country that stands between them and a European Union member state, Hungary.

    The route partly avoids deadly boat crossings in the Mediterranean and is becoming increasingly popular among migrants desperate to gain asylum in Europe. Migrants either travel from Turkey to Greece by boat, or to Bulgaria by land, and from there on they move to Macedonia and Serbia. Along the way, they often fall prey to people smugglers and criminal gangs.

    The migrants have taken to the trains because they are the cheapest mode of transport and because they save the money they would normally hand over to smugglers, who bundle as many as possible into cars and trucks, sometimes with fatal results.

    Chaotic scenes ensued at Gevgelija railway station as the migrants try to secure a place onboard the train that will take them to the border with Serbia. Tempers flared at the ticket booths and the platform. Those who had not secured platform space early, or who had sought shelter from the blazing sun in idle cargo wagons, darted in front of the oncoming train, some with children in tow, to gain a foothold.

    Soon the train, packed through the rafters with people, departed the station. But many were left on the platform, waiting for the next train.

    Macedonian authorities provide 3-day transit visas so that migrants are not left stranded in the country. But it is up to the migrants to make the border crossing by whatever means.

    The migrants’ urgency to reach Europe has become more pronounced as they race to reach Hungary before the Hungarian government finishes building a razor-wire fence.

    Some 1,000 migrants per day were trying to cross before Hungary announced plans for the fence a few months ago.

    That number has shot up to 1,500.”

  9. Yemeni Rebels Withdraw From a Provincial Capital in South (abcnews, Aug 15, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yemeni-rebels-withdraw-provincial-capital-south-33102453

    “Yemen’s anti-rebel fighters said Saturday they took over the capital of southern Shabwah province, as officials close to the Iran-allied rebels confirmed they withdrew after coming under attack.

    Groups fighting the rebels known as Houthis are consolidating their control over the province after taking the capital, Ataq, anti-rebel security officials said. The Saudi-led coalition also fighting the Houthis has been sending heavy ground weaponry, including tanks and armored vehicles, to anti-rebel forces at a Shabwah sea port the past four days, the security officials said.

    Security officials close to the Houthis said the withdrawal was a tactical move, without elaborating.

    Witnesses in Ataq said they heard explosions early Saturday as anti-Houthi forces began to claim the town. Government buildings were looted after the Houthi withdrawal, witnesses said.

    Jubilant crowds welcomed the anti-Houthi forces in Ataq, firing weapons into the air, resident Hisham Nasser said….”

  10. Iraq Officials: Bombs in and Around Baghdad Kill 22 People (abcnews, Aug 15, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-officials-car-bomb-baghdad-auto-dealership-kills-33104232

    “A car bomb at a popular auto dealership Saturday killed 13 people and injured 52 in eastern Baghdad’s volatile Sadr City neighborhood, where a market bombing two days earlier killed dozens, police said.

    The Habibiya car dealership, widely-known for buying and selling used vehicles, has been targeted multiple times in the past.

    A massive explosion in a Sadr City market on Thursday killed at least 67 people and wounded more than 100. It was one of the worst single-day attacks in Baghdad in a decade.

    No one claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack but the Islamic State group said it was behind Thursday’s attack.

    Elsewhere in and around the capital, a series of bombings killed at least nine people and wounded 33.

    The largest took place in the town of Madain, just south of Baghdad, when a bomb tore through a popular market killing three people and wounding 10, police said.

    In the town of Taji, north of Baghdad, a bomb hit a row of auto repair shops, killing two people and injuring eight.

    In Baghdad’s al-Askan district, an improvised explosive device detonated on a busy commercial street, killing at least two people and wounding eight. And in Baghdad’s southeastern suburb of Jisr Diyala, police said two were killed and seven wounded when a bomb exploded on a commercial street.

    Hospital officials corroborated the casualties. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.”

  11. Italy: At Least 40 Migrants Dead at Sea, 320 Others Rescued (abcnews, Aug 15, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/italy-40-migrants-dead-sea-300-rescued-33102073

    “At least 40 migrants died Saturday in the hold of an overcrowded smuggling boat in the Mediterranean Sea north of Libya, apparently killed by fuel fumes, and some 320 others aboard were saved by the Italian navy, the rescue ship’s commander said.

    Migrants by the tens of thousands are braving the perilous journey across the Mediterranean this year, hoping to reach Europe and be granted asylum. They are fleeing war, persecution and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

    “The dead were found in the hold,” said Cmdr. Massimo Tozzi, speaking from the navy ship Cigala Fulgosi while the rescue was still ongoing. Asked by RaiNews24 how the migrants died, Tozzi said “it appears to be from inhaling exhaust fumes.”

    When rescuers stepped aboard the boat, the bodies of migrants were “lying in water, fuel, human excrement” in the hold, Tozzi said.

    The death toll was not yet final….”

  12. Racist rumors may have affected how police handled Ikea stabbing case

    Sweden was shaken this Monday by a double murder in Ikea’s store in Västerås. A 55-year-old woman and her 27-year-old son got stabbed to death while shopping in the kitchen section.

    The police arrested the same day two men who were living in the same asylum center in the nearby city of Arboga. The story got extensive media coverage in Sweden and abroad, politicians weighed in and some websites started publishing racist comments and rumors.

    Criminology professor at Stockholm University Jerzy Sarnecki thinks the foreign background of the suspects could have encouraged police to reveal more information than usual, in an attempt to stop the racist rumors.

    “Many of these rumors were directly related to racist opinions and it was disturbing both for society and for police work. And many of these rumors were obvious lies, so I think the police made the judgement that they needed to tell more about what happened than they usually do in this kind of cases,” Sarnecki says.

    The older suspect, aged 36, confessed to the crime yesterday after being questioned over the phone from hospital, where he is recovering from serious injuries he got in connection with the attack.

    “It was a very quick hearing. It’s not that surprising, given that my client has confessed to two murders. In this case, it was obvious that he’d be remanded into custody,” Per-Ingvar Ekblad, the suspect’s lawyer, tells Swedish Radio News.

    The other suspect, aged 23, was released yesterday, as the court said there was not enough evidence against him. His lawyer, Maria Wilhelmsson, says her client needs protection, as he has received multiple threats.

    “Yes, considering the threats and what is being written on several websites, I think he needs protection,” Wilhelmsson says.

    Police in Västmanland have confirmed that they have already set up a protection protocol for him, but declined to reveal any further details.

    http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=6232699

  13. Undocumented immigrants picked for city posts say U.S. ‘progressing’ (CNN, video, Aug 15, 2015)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/08/us/huntington-park-undocumented-immigrants-city-commission-appointees/index.html

    “The two young men from Mexico contend they are role models at the forefront of U.S. history, but critics denounce them as illegal immigrants whose seating on city commissions is wrong.

    Julian Zatarian, 21, and Francisco Medina, 29, were appointed to advisory commissions this week even though they are undocumented immigrants, becoming what the sponsoring councilman calls among the first for local governments nationwide.

    At the vanguard in this Southern California town are Zatarian, now a junior college student who graduated at the top of his class at Huntington Park High, and Medina, a graduate of a California state college who works with working-class immigrants and recently interned for a state legislator.

    “I believe this is a historic moment. It is the first time that we have undocumented persons who are taking positions of this magnitude in a city, and that shows our society is progressing,” Zatarian told CNN en Espanol.

    “It’s a great message that we’re sending not only here in Huntington Park but in other cities as well,” Medina added….”

  14. Wrath of Khan?
    Is this the WOK that I’m thinking about?
    You finally took a moment to have your own opinion.
    Dickhead!