Reader’s links for Feb. 27 – 2016

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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

75 Replies to “Reader’s links for Feb. 27 – 2016”

  1. Afghanistan blast near market kills at least 10 (BBC, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35677171

    “A suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people in an attack near a market in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, officials say.

    The provincial governor’s office said the bomber rode up on a motorcycle to the entrance of a government office in the provincial capital Asadabad before detonating his device.

    Some of the victims were reported to be children playing in a nearby park.

    No group has yet said it carried out the attack…”

  2. ‘I’m going to die’: Swedish girl tells of life under Isis (thelocal, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.se/20160227/im-going-to-die-swedish-girl-tells-of-life-under-isis

    “The girl was just 15 years old, and pregnant, when she left Sweden with a jihadist recruit, though she did not realise what a mistake she had made until she was in Iraq.

    Desperate, she called home from the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul in northern Iraq begging for help, and was ultimately rescued by Kurdish forces.

    On Friday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Veronica Nordlund told AFP that the girl has “returned to Sweden with her family”.

    She landed Thursday in Stockholm with her parents, who had travelled to Iraq several times over the past eight months to try to bring her home, according to regional newspaper Boras Tidning.

    Police said her boyfriend, a Moroccan who reached Sweden as an unaccompanied minor three years ago, was dead…”

  3. Woman starves maid to death: Dubai Court told (emirates247, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.emirates247.com/crime/local/woman-starves-maid-to-death-dubai-court-told-2016-02-26-1.622369

    “An Emirati housewife, FA, allegedly confined, beat up and starved her maid to death, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

    Prior to the death of KA, Indonesian, a number of complaints were made by previous domestic helpers to police against the 61-year-old woman.

    In the years 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013, maids sponsored by FA had complained to police about ill-treatment including beating, confining, non-payment of salaries and not giving enough food…”

  4. Taliban’s shadow governor for Zabul’s Atghar district killed (khaama, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/taliban-shadow-district-governor-killed-in-zabul-4597

    “Security forces have launched operation against militants in Atghar District of southern Zabul which according to officials has been successfully going on.

    Deputy Police Chief of the province told reporters on Friday that security forces killed the so-called governor of Taliban for Atghar district and his body guard during a three hour clash in Zeyarat village last night.

    Colonel Ghulam Jailani identified the Taliban shadow governor as Mullah Nasir.

    He said Taliban left the dead bodies of their colleagues on the battle field.

    Col. Jailani added that the operation would continue until security is maintained in the area.

    Taliban have not yet commented on the report.”

  5. Afghan army release 35 including women and children from Taliban cell (khaama, Feb 27, 2016?
    http://www.khaama.com/afghan-army-release-35-including-women-and-children-from-taliban-cell-0182

    “The Afghan National Army (ANA) forces released a group of thirty five civilians imprisoned by Taliban during a night raid in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan.

    The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the raid was conducted by the Special Operations Forces of the Afghan National Army (ANA) in Nad-e-Ali district.

    A statement by MoD said the group of thirty civilians included five women, five men and twenty five children who were kept in a cell run by the Taliban militants.

    The statement further added that seven Taliban militants were also arrested during the operation.

    The Taliban militants group has not commented regarding the report so far which comes as the Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant in this province during the recent weeks.

    The deteriorating security situation in Helmand forced the Afghan army to retreat from three bases last week with the Afghan defense officials saying the step was taken in a bid to help the resources for the improvement of security in other parts of the province.

    The bases were located in the restive Musa Qala and Nawzad districts where around 400 security personnel were stationed.

    Helmand has been witnessing constant fighting since the combat mission by the coalition security forces formally concluded by the end of 2014.”

  6. Landmine blast leaves five civilians wounded, one killed in Nangarhar’s Khogyani district (khaama, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/landmine-blast-leaves-five-civilians-wounded-one-killed-in-nangarhars-khogyani-district-4598

    “A bomb blast has killed one person and wounded five others in Khogyani district of eastern Nangarhar province.

    Local officials say the bomb was planted on a road side in Kaga Bazaar area and that all of the victims of the incident are civilians.

    Two victims with minor injuries were treated at the medical facility in the district but three others who sustained life threatening injuries were shifted to Nangarhar Regional Hospital in Jalalabad.

    No group has so far claimed responsibility for Friday’s explosion but security agencies have launched an investigation into the incident.

    Taliban militants who plant IEDs on road sides as one of their tools in their fight have a strong presence in this district .”

  7. Drone strike leaves 3 Al-Qaeda militants dead in Paktika province (khaama, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/drone-strike-leaves-3-al-qaeda-militants-dead-in-paktika-province-0183

    “At least three militants affiliated with the Al-Qaeda terrorist network were killed in a drone strike in eastern Paktika province of Afghanistan.

    The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the airstrike was carried out by the coalition forces in Gomal district targeting the militants in Dadul village on Friday.

    The Afghan Special Operations Forces Operational Coordination Command said two motorcycles belonging to the militants were also destroyed in the air raid.

    The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far.
    Paktika is among the relatively volatile provinces in eastern Afghanistan where anti-government armed militant groups, including the Taliban militants and Al-Qaeda linked Haqqani network are actively operating.

    At least six people were killed and eleven others were injured after the explosive device was detonated inside the bakery shop in Yahya Khel district earlier this month.

    The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the two suspects were arrested during a special military operation in connection to the incident who have confessed that they placed an explosive device inside the bakery shop afer receiving instructions from the Taliban group.”

  8. Afghan army thwart IED attack plot in Kabul (khaama, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/afghan-army-thwart-ied-attack-plot-in-kabul-0184

    “The Afghan armed forces thwarted an attack plot by anti-government armed militants involving Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Kabul province.

    According to 111th Division of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces in Kabul, the militants had planted two Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on a roadside in Moosahi district of Kabul.

    A statement by 111th ANA division in Kabul said the two IEDs were discovered and defused while the Afghan army forces were patrolling in the area.

    No further details were given if any suspect was arrested in connection to the attack plot with the anti-government armed militant groups yet to comment regarding the report…”

  9. Defense Ministry says 48 militants killed in latest operations (khaama, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/defense-ministry-says-48-militants-killed-in-latest-operations-4597

    “Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday killing 48 militants in latest operations across the country.

    A statement released by the ministry states that the operations were conducted in Farah, Baghlan, Kabul, Nooristan, Jawzjan, Ghazni, Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Kundoz and Urozgan province.

    According to the statement, nine militants were killed and two wounded in Pusht Rud district of Farah, 10 killed and as many others wounded in Dand-e-Ghori district of Baghlan, six killed and one wounded in Sarubi district of Kabul, three killed and four wounded in Kamdish district of Nooristan, six killed and one wounded in Qara Bagh district of Ghazni, one killed and two arrested in Nadir Shah Kot district of Khost, six killed and two wounded in Zurmat district of Paktia, four killed and as many others wounded in Imam Sahib district of Kundoz, three killed in Gomal district of Paktika, one killed and another wounded in Dehrawoud district of Urozgan province.

    The statement further states that 15 militants were also arrested from Khwaja Sabj Posh district of Jawzjan province with a number of heavy and light weapons.

    Three Army personnel embraced martyrdom during these operations, the press release adds.”

  10. Casualties feared as suicide attack rocks Kabul city (khaama, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/explosion-heard-in-capital-kabul-0186

    “A relatively heavy explosion rocked capital Kabul after a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the Ministry of Defense compound.

    A security official confirmed the incident and said a suicide bomber targeted the personnel of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Pul-e-Mahmood Khan area of the city.

    Preliminary reports suggest at least two people have been killed and over 10 others were wounded in the attack. However, the security officials have not commented regarding the casualties so far.

    Footage and pictures emerging from the site of the incident showed thick white smoke rising in the sky as the security forces cordoned off the area immediately after the blast.

    No group including the Taliban militants has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident.

    Today’s incident takes place almost a month after a suicide bomber targeted the compound of the Afghan Public Order police forces in Deh Mazang area of the city, leaving at least 10 people dead and 25 others wounded.”

  11. Kingdom tightens noose around Hezbollah (saudigazette, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/kingdom-tightens-noose-around-hezbollah/

    “The Kingdom on Friday blacklisted four companies and three Lebanese men for having links to Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, a close ally of Riyadh’s arch regional adversary Iran.

    “The Kingdom will continue its fight against the terrorist activities of the so-called Hezbollah with all available means,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency SPA.

    Saudi Arabia last week suspended aid worth $3 billion to the Lebanese army over the Beirut government’s failure to sign up to statements condemning attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.

    The ministry identified the four companies as Vatech SARL, Le-Hua Electronics Field Co. Limited, Aero Skyone Co. Limited and Labico SAL Offshore, and the men as Fadi Hussein Serhan, Adel Mohamad Cherri and Ali Zeaiter.

    The statement did not elaborate. It was not known what effect Riyadh’s blacklisting had on the companies’ activities or whether they had business in the Kingdom.

    Last year, the US Treasury Department sanctioned the same firms and men as “Hezbollah procurement agents…responsible for providing material support to enhance the group’s military and terrorist capabilities”.

    This week, Saudi Arabia called on its citizens not to travel to Lebanon for safety reasons and ordered those staying there to leave. Its Gulf allies Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar predictably followed suit, issuing similar warnings. The United Arab Emirates also banned its citizens from traveling to Lebanon and withdrew a number of diplomats from the country.

    Lebanon’s political elite is deeply divided between two powerful Saudi and Iran-backed coalitions. The spat has exacerbated divisions among Lebanon’s notoriously fractious politicians, who traded accusations over the billions of dollars lost. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 and parliament has failed to elect a new head of state because of lack of a quorum.

    Concerns have been sparked that further steps could be taken by Saudi Arabia and its neighbors, such as Gulf airlines halting flights to Beirut or the eviction of thousands of Lebanese who work in the oil-rich region, a move that would have a devastating effect on Lebanon’s crumbling economy.

    There are some half a million Lebanese living in the Gulf. They transfer billions of dollars to their home country in remittances, giving a boost to Lebanon’s economy, which has among the highest debt in the world — currently standing at $70 billion or 145 per cent of GDP.

    Lebanese economist Louis Hobeika said the eviction of Lebanese migrant workers in the Gulf would be the most damaging move Saudi could make. Yet, he suggested that such retaliation would be mutually harmful. “Lebanese hold key positions in companies and it is not very easy to replace him,” he said.

    Media reports in Beirut say some worried citizens were changing their accounts in Lebanese pounds to US dollars but officials say people should not worry about the pound since the Central Bank can defend it with its $40 billion foreign currency reserves.

    Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh told the daily Al-Akhbar that “markets did not show any fears and were very normal this week.” — Agencies”

    • Macedonia reopens border for Syrian, Iraqi refugees

      Hours after migrants protested peacefully on the Greek side of the border, Macedonia said it would admit 300 migrants Saturday.

      IDOMENI, GREECE—Macedonia reopened its border to Iraqi and Syrian asylum-seekers on Saturday, hours after migrants protested peacefully on the Greek side of the border, demanding admission into Macedonia.

      Haider Sahd, a U.N. field officer in Macedonian town of Gevgelija, confirmed the border opening to the Associated Press. According to Greek police, Macedonia will admit 300 migrants Saturday.

      Macedonian authorities said the number let in could reach 350. A similar number of migrants, who had entered Macedonia earlier in the week, boarded a train in Gevgelija on Saturday, heading to Macedonia’s border with Serbia.

      Macedonia had effectively shut down the border to all migrants since late Thursday night, enraging the Greek government. Macedonia has repeatedly said it has only slowed down or shut down migrant flows in response to bottlenecks further up along the Balkans migrant route.

      In two separate protests Saturday, about 450 refugees gathered close to the fence marking the Greece-Macedonian border, carrying placards reading “Open the border” and shouting the same slogan.

      Before Macedonia decided to open its border, about 6,000 migrants had crowded a nearby tent camp, braving rainy weather overnight, Greek police said. Another 500 migrants are camped at a gas station 17 kilometres away.

      Although the protests were peaceful, tempers were fraying among the migrants.

      “No one can stop the refugees, because people are dying in Syria and Iraq,” said Mohamed Kamel, 39, an Iraqi Kurd from Kirkuk, who was travelling with his wife and 7-year-old daughter.

      “People (at the camp) are hungry and angry,” Kamel added. “If this situation continues, we will break down the fence.”

      In Athens, about 300 protesters marched to the Austrian embassy, demanding unfettered passage for refugees. Austria has taken the lead in slowing down the refugee flows from Balkan countries, a decision that has strained its relations with Greece.

      http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/02/27/macedonia-reopens-border-for-syrian-iraqi-refugees.html
      ==========================================================
      DAILY MAIL – Macedonia reopens its border to Iraqi, Syrian migrants
      pics :
      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3466904/Migrants-stage-protests-Greek-Macedonian-border.html

  12. Drones above Bangor has Navy Base Buzzing

    On Feb. 8, a drone was seen flying above Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor and reported by a civilian employee, spokeswoman Silvia Klatman said.

    The airspace above the base is designated as “prohibited.” It’s illegal and hazardous to operate there without permission and coordination of authorities, according to the Navy, which is investigating.

    “It’s our intent to support the investigation and prosecution of this reported act, and any others that may occur, in coordination with civilian law enforcement,” Klatman said. She wouldn’t provide more information while the investigation is ongoing except to say the Navy is committed to the security of its infrastructure, people and neighbors.

    Agents interviewed neighbors outside the fence last week, said Al Starcevich, whose family’s 110-year-old homestead on Olympic View Road is pinched between the base and Hood Canal. He told a couple of men in suits that he hadn’t seen anything unusual. The drones were reported at night.

    “It could be a hoax, but worst-case scenario, it could be clandestine, a foreign government, a cell,” Starcevich said. “The creepy thing is they’re only doing it at night. What are you going to see at night unless you have an infrared camera?”

    Kitsap Drones owner Joe Sullivan hasn’t heard from the Navy or about drones over bases.

    “I keep up on all the drone news,” he said. “Every drone pilot I know knows that all of Bangor is a no-fly zone.”

    On Friday it became much easier to track down drone owners, he said. A regulation kicked in requiring all drones of more than 0.55 pounds be registered with the FAA.

    Drones can fly at night, at least for now. In fact, they can go farther in the dark because it’s easier to see their green and red flashing lights, Sullivan said. They must always remain within the pilot’s sight.

    http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/25/drones-bangor-navy-base-buzzing.html

  13. US Air Force unveils picture of new stealth bomber

    Washington (AFP) – The US Air Force on Friday unveiled the first image of its next-generation bomber that will replace antique B-52s first developed during the Cold War.

    The all-black plane has a distinctive, zigzagging shape and a super-low profile that will make it hard to spot on radar, and bears more than a passing resemblance to the Air Force’s B-2 bomber, which is also made by Northrop Grumman.

    The new stealth bomber has yet to be built, so Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James displayed an artist’s rendering at an Orlando event.

    She said the plane, previously known as the Long Range Strike Bomber, would be called the B-21 until a new name has been agreed on, and she invited air crews to help.

    “This aircraft represents the future for our Airmen, and (their) voice is important to this process,” James told the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium.

    http://news.yahoo.com/us-air-force-unveils-picture-stealth-bomber-160158472.html;_ylt=AwrC1C7.f9BW2m0AiN3QtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTByNXM5bzY5BGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg–

  14. Italian city to limit ‘ethnic eateries’ after explosion in kebab shops
    Italian city passes ruling limiting the number of “ethnic food” restaurants in the historic centre, saying it is concerned about protecting its cultural and culinary heritage in the wake of a boom in kebab shops

    The northern Italian city famed for its slowly simmered red-wine risotto is fed up with kebabs and fried fast food.

    A ruling came into effect in the city of Verona this week prohibiting the openings of any new restaurants offering mostly “ethnic” or deep-fried food.

    “Thanks to this provision there will be no more openings of establishments that sell food prepared in a way that could impact the decorum of our city,” said Verona Mayor Flavio Tosi, who was elected as an independent after breaking from the far-right Northern League party he adhered to for years.

    “This protects not only our historic and architectural patrimony of the city centre, but also the tradition of typical culture of the Verona territory.”

    In the land of creamy cheese-smothered polenta and slow-cooked duck ragu, Middle Eastern kebabs, Greek gyros and take-away deep fried food typical of southern Italy are the unwelcome newcomers, an apparent culinary stain on the Verona’s cultural heritage.

    Shakespeare set the story of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet here in this quaint and romantic city, which boasts a stunning Roman amphitheater and 2,000 years of history, hence its designation on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/12175002/Italian-city-to-limit-ethnic-eateries-after-explosion-in-kebab-shops.html

  15. Every man in Iranian village ‘executed on drugs charges’
    Human rights groups condemned the executions and the support given to the men’s families

    Every man in an Iranian village has reportedly been executed by the government on drug charges

    Shahindokht Molaverdi, the vice president for women and family affairs, was arguing for increased provision for convicts’ families when she made the admission.

    “We have a village in Sistan and Baluchestan (province) where every single man has been executed,” she told the Mehr news agency.

    “Today their children are potential drug traffickers; either because they will seek revenge for the deaths of their fathers or because they will need to financially provide for their families, as a result of lack of support by the government.”

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/every-man-in-iran-village-executed-on-drugs-charges-death-penalty-capital-punishment-human-rights-a6898036.html

  16. Deepening default fears cast shadow over Venezuela’s oil flows

    HOUSTON (Reuters) – As Venezuela grows closer to exhausting nearly every means of paying its debt, some oil market participants are seriously pondering the possible implications of an unprecedented event: the default of a major crude producing company.

    State-run firm PDVSA faces around $5.2 billion in payments to bondholders in 2016, much of it in October and November, a sum that some experts say it will be hard-pressed to meet after the government used nearly all of its available cash reserves to pay $1.5 billion in maturities last week.

    A default could curtail some of the OPEC member’s exports by crippling its ability to import crude and fuels used to blend its extra heavy oil, experts and sources say. It could also degrade the quality of domestic gasoline by limiting purchases of necessary components.

    http://news.yahoo.com/deepening-default-fears-cast-shadow-over-venezuelas-oil-111933253–business.html;_ylt=AwrC1DHCotFW.HUA1IbQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTByNXM5bzY5BGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg–

    • I don’t think that Venezuela alone could cause a major recession/depression, but given the weak state of the worlds economy (thanks to the socialist borrow, print and spend binge) a major recession/depression would be especially devastating to nations like Venezuela.

    • The major problem here is the expected court ordered seizure of the oil companies assets this will destroy the Venezuelan economy (I know Chavez has already destroyed it, this will drive a stake through its heart) and increase the period of utter poverty that the vast majority of its people have been sentenced to by the socialist economic practices of Chavez.

      A spin off of this collapse will be increased problems for Cuba since Chavez and successors have been providing gas, oil and possibly crud oil to Cuba. If this occurs while Obama, Hillary or Berni is in the Oval Office they will want the US Tax Payers to provide the economic relief that Venezuela use to.

      The socialist governments around the world have created the perfect economic storm that is hitting us just as the major fighting in WWIII starts.

  17. Boeing plans layoffs for airplane engineers

    NEW YORK (Reuters) – Boeing Co said on Friday that it is considering layoffs of airplane engineers, a plan that it said may cause it to reorganize or consolidate its engineering teams, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

    Boeing said in a memo to employees that the company is deciding whether to make voluntary layoffs available to those workers, according to the document.

    The company also said it does not intend to replace higher-level employees who leave, except in rare situations.

    “We do not intend to backfill for people who retire from their executive or management0 roles unless the position is absolutely vital to carrying out our work statement,” said the memo, signed by Mike Delaney, vice president of engineering at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

    The internal announcement comes two weeks after Ray Conner, chief executive of Boeing’s airplane business, warned employees that job cuts were necessary to “win in the market, fund our growth and operate as a healthy business.”

    Conner said job reductions would begin with executive staff and managers.

    The memo sent Friday by Delaney said Boeing was currently considering offering voluntary layoffs to its professional engineers and technical workers, who are union employees.

    http://www.oann.com/exclusive-boeing-plans-layoffs-for-airplane-engineers/

  18. U.S. Navy to look at alternatives for remote mine-hunting vehicle

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said on Friday he was not satisfied with the reliability of the remote mine-hunting vehicle being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp and would look for alternatives.

    In October the Navy ordered an independent review of the Remote Minehunting System. The system has faced criticism recently from some lawmakers and defense officials.

    A joint statement by Navy officials to a House of Representatives subcommittee on Thursday said the review team recommended not purchasing the second round of low-rate initial production of the system.

    Captain Thurraya Kent, a Navy spokeswoman, confirmed that the Navy had stopped procurement in line with the review team’s recommendation.

    “So we’ve got 10 of these, we’re going to upgrade them to make them more reliable, but it’s not a long-term answer,” Mabus said at a Washington think tank.

    http://www.oann.com/u-s-navy-to-look-at-alternatives-for-remote-mine-hunting-vehicle/

  19. Why do special operators have to pay out of own pocket for basic gear? Don’t ask Congress

    For reasons still unclear, elite special operators are often let down by their respective services and have to pay out of pocket for the most basic gear.

    Private military suppliers have started to notice this phenomenon. During a panel discussion on Capitol Hill Thursday, heads of supply companies met with Congress to discuss the shortages and raise the issue with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Stars and Stripes reports.

    In one case, former Navy SEAL Sean Matson had to pay $900 for an advanced ballistic helmet after the military measured his head four times but subsequently failed to provide him with the necessary equipment. This same scenario has repeated itself with GPS devices and medical gear.

    The shortages may come as a shock to some, since according to GOP Rep.Duncan Hunter ?
    67%
    , “These are the guys we assume have the best gear all the time.”

    That assumption, however, does not hold much water.

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/02/27/why-do-special-operators-have-to-pay-out-of-own-pocket-for-basic-gear-dont-ask-congress/

  20. The Millennial plight of Yelp’s ‘Talia Jane’
    By J.E. Dyer February 26, 2016
    The Millennial plight of Yelp’s ‘Talia Jane’

    There’s a raft of emotional responses out there to the now-viral “open letter” written by the young woman who goes by Talia Jane to her Yelp boss, CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. So I’m not going to rehash the points in those responses here. Search on “Talia Jane” and you can gorge on them to your heart’s content.

    I will pause to point out that neither your opinion nor mine matters, on the topic of whether Stoppelman should have fired her for posting her open letter on Medium.com. Until you’re on the hook to the investors and employees of Yelp to make the company profitable, your opinion isn’t worth a bucket of warm spit.

    Other than that, I just want to make two points about the Talia Jane controversy.

    The ugly truth

    One is that what Talia Jane wants – a cost of living and take-home pay that are more in line with each other – is illegal in San Francisco today. Regulation prohibits it.

    This problem is much worse now, in a number of places, than it ever was for older generations. Most of us had to struggle in our 20s too, living in squalid quarters, with weird roommates and unrepaired cars, and getting along on bags of rice. But even so, the infrastructure of regulation wasn’t stacked as steeply against us as it is in much of urban American today. Young people are a large percentage of “the poor” at any given time, and the poor are always the hardest hit by the costs that come with regulation.

    A lot has been written about the economic costs of regulation in wildly, insanely overregulated San Francisco. For what’s most on-point in Talia Jane’s situation – the cost of housing, which has been taking up 80% of her income – there’s agreement between small-government analysts and big-government fans: local regulation is the culprit.

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/02/26/the-millennial-plight-of-yelps-talia-jane/

  21. Obama foreign policy: Watching a total meltdown happen is less fun than you’d think
    By J.E. Dyer February 26, 2016
    Obama foreign policy: Watching a total meltdown happen is less fun than you’d think
    (Image: Department of State)

    166 Share Tweet Pin Plus

    It’s hard to write much about foreign policy when the news is invariably bad. Sure, my predictions are coming true. But I never wanted them to.

    And the overriding point continues to be – must be – that no new president can simply take up in January 2017 as if it’s January 2009 again. There’s no way to frame things now as if there is something incremental or conventional that the U.S. can do about any of this. It’s broken beyond repair. If the USA is to have a world we can actually function in again, something new will have to be built.

    That building project has to start at home, in fact. We have to stop attacking our own economy and national spirit. There’s no quick solution to this.

    It’s going to get more broken between now and next January, so there’s not much point even in speculating today as to where we start, when Obama is finally gone. We don’t know yet what the starting line will look like. (We do know it will look like opportunity. And we know that evil is incapable of organizing itself for sustainable operations and consensual rule. So it’s not all doom and gloom. More on that at another time.)

    In the meantime, if you want to understand how little Team Obama is going to do about the world’s growing threats, you can’t do better than to survey the cavalier idiocies of the secretary of state. I’m sorry to have to put it in such terms, but it’s been a long time since it was evidence of “temperance” to avoid using that language in discussing Obama’s foreign policy. All it is today is fear of being criticized. John Kerry is uttering idiocies, and we do better to face up to that.

    Please don’t say something shallow to yourself like “Kerry is stupid,” however. This isn’t about Kerry being stupid. This is about there being nothing responsible, but also feasible, to do in the situations Obama has backed us into – and the Obama administration not caring that everyone can see that. At the highest level, the Obama team barely bothers to pretend anymore that it has a conventional perspective on American national security interests.

    The banality of anti-terrorism

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/02/26/obama-foreign-policy-watching-a-total-meltdown-happen-is-less-fun-than-youd-think/

    • This one is one that needs to be read, in hte article she mentions things she will address at a later date. Having said that the tone of the article is that we are living in uncertain times and that Obama has around 11 more months to screw things up and we have no idea what they will be just that we can be sure what he does won’t be good for the west. Also don’t expect things to turn around with a massive reset when Obama is out of office, it will take time for us to rebuild the military and intelligence assets we need, time the bad guys will use to do further damage. There is also good news in that she expects the alliances of the bad guys to more or less fall apart.

        • In the movie “The Longest Day” in the lead up to the invasion the General that John Wayne was playing told a subordinate that he was getting impatient (I don’t remember the exact wording) and wanted the invasion to start. I know how he felt, I don’t want the violence to start but thesuspense of waiting for it to start is bugging me.

            • Yup, I have a tension headache, I am going to finish this thread then lay down and read for a while before going and buying a few cans of cat food. Should have gone yesterday, had to open a can of tuna this morning.

  22. Why did CBS place quotes around ‘hero’ in story about cop who ‘saved hundreds’?
    By Ben Bowles February 27, 2016
    Why did CBS place quotes around ‘hero’ in story about cop who ‘saved hundreds’?
    Factory where the shooting occurred (Image: YouTube screen grab, via AP)

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    By now you’ve probably heard about the latest shooting rampage. It happened Thursday in the town of Hesston, Kan., where 38-year-old Cedric Ford drove around in his truck, opening fire at several locations before heading to the lawn mower factory where he worked to “settle a score.” (Then again, you may not have heard of it because the profile of the shooter, who was black, fails to conform to the liberal narrative that all gunmen are white bible-thumping conservatives.)

    Before all was said and done, Ford had killed three people and wounded 14 others.Ultimately, he was himself taken out by a police bullet.

    Which brings us to the coverage of the incident by CBS News. Their telling of the events ran under the curious headline “Hero” cop protected hundreds from Kansas gunman, sheriff says.

    Did you will notice that hero is in quotations marks? The apparent reason for that stylistic decision is that the headline draws on a comment by the local sheriff:

    Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton described the officer as a “tremendous hero” because 200 or 300 people were still in the factory and the “shooter wasn’t done by any means.”

    “Had that Hesston officer not done what he did, this would be a whole lot more tragic,” Walton said.

    Even so, was the decision to place the word in quotes intended to show that CBS News does not consider the officer a hero?

    As to why Ford went on a killing spree, the New York Post advises:

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/02/27/why-did-cbs-place-quotes-around-in-story-about-cop-who-saved-hundreds/

  23. klahoma Democrats want Christian Business Owners to Wear a Scarlet Letter

    By Onan Coca / 27 February 2016 / 73 Comments

    Democrats legislators in Oklahoma are tired of all this religious liberty talk, and they’re ready to fight against the 1st Amendment.

    Democrat state Rep. Emily Virgin believes that Christian businesses should be forced to post a public notice that they will be discriminating against homosexuals, if those businesses are to be allowed to claim the right to refuse service based on religious beliefs.

    That’s right, if you’re a Christian businessman in Oklahoma and you don’t believe that you should be forced to participate in a gay wedding, Democrats want to force your business to post a public scarlet letter detailing your “bigoted” beliefs!

    Here’s what Oklahoma’s HB 1371 says:

    “Any person not wanting to participate in any of the activities set forth in subsection A of this section based on sexual orientation, gender identity or race of either party to the marriage shall post notice of such refusal in a manner clearly visible to the public in all places of business, including websites. The notice may refer to the person’s religious beliefs, but shall state specifically which couples the business does not serve by referring to a refusal based upon sexual orientation, gender identity or race.”

    http://eaglerising.com/30947/oklahoma-democrats-want-christian-business-owners-to-wear-a-scarlet-letter/

  24. Gay Rape, Masked Men and Sheep in Restaurants
    One Month of Islam and Multiculturalism in Sweden: January 2016

    by Ingrid Carlqvist
    February 27, 2016 at 5:00 am

    January 4: After an autumn of chaos, when huge numbers of asylum seekers flooded into Sweden, the government was finally forced to implement border controls on its border with Denmark. Now, only those with valid identification documents are allowed to board trains and ferries to Sweden — effectively keeping people who have destroyed their IDs out of the country. How long it will take before most asylum seekers bring identification papers — genuine or fake — remains to be seen. So far, nine out of ten people seeking asylum in Sweden have not had identification. They can then adapt their background stories to increase their chances of being granted asylum.

    January 5: The alternative news site Nyheter Idag reported that two 15-year-old boys living at an asylum house for “unaccompanied refugee children,” in the small town of Alvesta, were detained on suspicion of raping a younger boy. When the victim reported the incident, the police were alerted and the 15-year-olds were brought in for questioning. One of them has confessed to some of the accusations.

    January 6: In another case of homosexual child-rape, two men who claiming to be 16-years-old were arrested on suspicion of raping a boy at an asylum house for “unaccompanied refugee children” in Uppsala. The rape was discovered when the younger boy visited a hospital, along with his legal guardian. One of the suspected rapists was released after being questioned by police, but is still under suspicion. The other was remanded into custody.

    The most publicized rape of a boy so far is now awaiting a verdict from the Court of Appeals. In December 2015, two 16-year-olds were sentenced by the District Court to juvenile detention for eight and ten months, respectively. The sentences stand out as extremely lenient, considering what was done to the 15-year-old victim. All involved parties came from Afghanistan and lived in the same asylum house for “unaccompanied refugee children.” One day, the older boys asked the 15-year-old if he wanted to come to the store with them. On their way back, the older boys pushed the 15-year-old onto a muddy field, hit and kicked him, shoved mud into his mouth, and then raped him — twice. They warned him that if he told anyone, he would lose his “honor.” That night, however, the boy broke down and told the staff at the asylum house what had happened.

    http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7486/sweden-gay-rape-islam-multiculturalism

    • I followed some of her links.

      Sweden has been bonkers for years and years! Only now its insanity has become manifest for the world to see. Many will have emigrated; few still have sense enough to be embarrassed.

      Like a lab experiment from the Frankfort School gone _berserk_!!

      ~~ Remember that tuna-noodle casserole way in the back of your refrigerator?
      ~~ Now think of it lurking there for years and years, turning greenish-purple…
      ~~ Growing feelers and feeties…

  25. Yemen conflict: air strike on market ‘kills 30 people’ (BBC, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35678326

    “At least 30 people have been killed in an air strike on a market near the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, witnesses say.

    Residents said at least 30 people were injured, most of them civilians, the Reuters news agency reported.

    It is not clear who carried out the strike, but Houthi rebels have accused the Saudi-led coalition.

    The Saudi offensive is aimed at restoring the government and driving back rebels loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh…”

  26. ‘It’s terrifying’: Texas Muslims grapple with the rise of Donald Trump

    The resounding electoral success of Trump’s Islamophobia has astonished and frightened the Muslim community.

    […]The anti-Muslim bigotry of the favourite for the Republican presidential nomination has been normalized. At Thursday’s CNN debate in Texas, an entire segment on “religious liberty” started and ended without anyone challenging Trump on his proposal to ban 1.6 billion adherents of Islam from entering the United States, his intention to shut down mosques, or his musings about a mandatory Muslim registry.

    Muslims have not forgotten.

    Trump’s Islamophobia has deeply alarmed a faith community that has long been optimistic about its place in America. And his resounding electoral success has created a kind of crisis of citizenship for Muslim Americans, little children and prosperous professionals alike, who now wonder whether they belong like they thought they did.

    “What we thought was inconceivable,” said Ali Zakaria, a Houston litigator, “is in fact taking place.”

    […]Muslims in Houston and Dallas said they were at once concerned about their safety and not nearly frightened enough to change their behaviour. And they expressed confidence Americans would reject Trump in a general election.

    But they worried, anyway, about what the billionaire’s mainstreaming of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policy might mean for their future. Trump, said medical researcher Nashwa Khalil, has created a bigotry template that will be adopted by candidates for lower offices.

    more :

    http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/02/27/its-terrifying-texas-muslims-grapple-with-the-rise-of-donald-trump.html

  27. CANADA Feb 27 2016 – Pegida Canada rallied in Thornhill, Ontario: “Rapefugees Not Welcome”

  28. UK: Pro-refugee protesters face-off with EDL supporters in Newcastle

    A pro-refugee demonstration was held in Newcastle, Saturday, at the Grey Monument in the city centre. The event, which started at 12.00 local time, lasted for around two hours. A counter-protest was held by the English Defence League (EDL), with the two groups exchanging their views while a police cordon kept them apart.

  29. Germany: ‘We are the border’ – anti-refugee protest held on Austrian border

    Over 100 protesters rallied in Freilassing, on the German-Austrian border, Saturday, to protest against the recent influx of refugees into Germany and a nearby refugee reception centre. Under the slogan “we are the border,” the protesters marched through the streets of Freilassing waving German flags and holding banners decrying the arrival of refugees, such as “No way, you will not make Europe home.”

  30. Mystery of the three young Muslims shot dead execution style at ‘party house’ in Indiana (dailymail, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3467517/Mystery-three-young-Muslims-shot-dead-execution-style-party-house-Indiana.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

    “Three young Muslim men were killed execution style in a party house frequented by teens and young adults in Indiana.

    An autopsy released on Friday showed 23-year old Mohamedtaha Omar, 20-year old Adam Mekki and 17-year old Muhannad Adam Tairab all died of multiple gunshot wounds.

    The men died in the shooting on Friday at a house authorities said is frequented by teens and young adults of Chadian and South Sudanese decent.

    Safety Director Rusty York told ABC 21 Alive the home belongs to owners who live in Indianapolis, Indiana.

    ‘Hopefully, you know, we’ll be able to focus in on exactly what the reason was, but as I said before, no reason to believe this was any type of hate crime, or focused because of their religion or their nationality whatsoever,’ York said.

    The deaths have been ruled homicides and that an investigation is underway to find the killer or killers….”

  31. Shocking claims Tony Blair led a mass migration conspiracy to ensure Labour’s rule (express, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/648008/Tony-Blair-Labour-immigration-asylum-seekers-UK-Brexit-EU-referendum

    “TONY Blair betrayed Britain for his own political ends by overseeing a massive conspiracy to flood the country with millions of migrants, an explosive book has claimed.

    The controversial Prime Minister cynically dismantled UK border controls so that two million migrants could settle in the country – and vote for him in future elections.

    He then gagged Labour officials and his most senior ministers, telling them not to discuss immigration in public under any circumstances for fear of a backlash, it is alleged.

    The Labour leader knew the British people would ferociously oppose his conspiracy if they realised what was happening.

    So he banned politicians from discussing even the positive aspects of immigration in case doing so brought the public’s attention to the huge numbers of people entering the country from abroad, the book claims.

    The disturbing conspiracy claims have been put forward by award winning investigative journalist Tom Bower, who interviewed 200 MPs, ministers and civil servants from the Blair years to build up a picture of his Government.

    Shocking interviews claim to show how the former prime minister betrayed the electorate for political and ideological reasons, with one saying he “shudders” at the thought that such a man was ever trusted with running the country.

    They also accuse Blair of hushed up members of his own party as he carried out a great multiculturalism experiment without the permission or backing of the British people.

    Blair and Labour had barely mentioned immigration in their campaigning ahead of the 1997 election, and did not actively portray themselves as pro-immigration.
    But as soon as he had the keys to Downing Street the book reveals the new Prime Minister ordered border chiefs to open the floodgates, even telling them to reclassify unskilled asylum seekers as people moving to Britain for work so that he could drum up the economic benefits of mass migration.

    He also appointed a fervently pro-immigration minister to the border control brief, who astonishingly ruled against deporting failed asylum seekers because it would be too “emotional” for them, it is claimed.

    As a result Britain’s population was swelled with more than two million foreigners during the Blair years, the vast majority of whom would back the Labour party who let them in and lavished them with benefits at future elections.

    According to the claims the aim of the project was to make the country “see the benefit of a multicultural society”. Government insiders have also said that Blair did not see it as his job to “control immigration” to Britain.

    But the controversial leader knew his conspiracy was against the British people’s wishes from the very start, telling ministers and officials: “Don’t mention the advantages of immigration in public because they won’t even want that.”

    Instead he quietly relaxed rules on allowing foreign spouses and students in and effectively opened up an asylum seeker free-for-all in which nobody was ever deported, even if their application to stay in the UK failed.

    The book says 350,000 asylum seekers benefited this way. In 2002 alone, Blair gave the go-ahead for 150,000 work permits with most of the recipients, including the unskilled, going on to become UK citizens.

    Some of the most shocking revelations centre around the role of former immigration minister Barbara Roche, who was handpicked for the role by Blair and served from 1999 to 2001.

    During this period she quietly adopted policies – with her leader’s approval – that dramatically changed the face of the UK forever.

    Upon her appointment, it is said she told a senior immigration official: “Asylum seekers should be allowed to stay in Britain. Removal takes too long and it’s emotional.”

    She changed the rules to allow more work permits to be issued, especially to people who would previously have been considered asylum seekers.

    Stephen Boys Smith, who was then head of the Home Office’s immigration directorate, said: “It was clear that Roche wanted more immigrants to come to Britain. She didn’t see her job as controlling entry into Britain, but by looking at the wider picture in a ‘holistic way’ she wanted us to see the benefit of a multicultural society.”

    Former Labour speech writer Andrew Neather allegedly told the author of the book that the aim was to “rub the right’s nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date”.

    According to the book an extraordinary row between then Home Secretary, Jack Straw, and Blair illustrated the divisions within the Government.

    Mr Straw reportedly asked the then-prime minister: “Isn’t immigration the sort of issue which can blow up in our face?”

    But Blair simply replied: “Immigration won’t be an issue. Immigration is good for Britain.”

    The revelations come as Britain prepares for a referendum on its membership of the EU, to take place on June 23.

    Immigration is expected to form a key part of the debate, with Europe undergoing an unprecedented migration crisis which has brought the Schengen zone to the brink of collapse.

    The Blair government oversaw mass migration from eastern European countries who gained membership of the 28-nation bloc and there are concerns that Turkish citizens could gain the right to move to Britain when they are granted visa-free travel within the EU from October.

    Express.co.uk has contacted Tony Blair’s office for comment.

    The book Broken Vows: Tony Blair – The Tragedy of Power will be out on March 3.”

  32. Man charged with murder of Rochdale imam Jalal Uddin (express, Feb 27, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/648114/man-charged-murder-Rochdale-imam-Jalal-Uddin

    “A MAN has been charged with murdering an imam in Rochdale.

    Detectives investigating the killing of religious leader Jalal Uddin on his way home from a mosque have charged a man with his murder.

    Mr Uddin was found with head injuries in a children’s play area in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, after being attacked on February 18.

    The 64-year-old was taken to hospital but died a short time later.

    Mohammed Hussain Syeedy, 21, of Ramsay Street, Rochdale, has been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder, Greater Manchester Police said…”

  33. Number of arrests of immigrants using sham marriages to stay in the UK soars (express, Feb 28, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/648065/Home-Office-officials-arrests-sham-marriages-stay-UK-soared

    “THE number of arrests in cases where immigrants try to use a sham marriage to stay in the UK has shot up tenfold in the past five years.

    “Arrests rose from 137 in 2010 to 1,545 in 2014, while the number of enforcement visits, where Home Office officials suspect something untoward is taking place and attend to investigate, rose from 204 to 2,488.

    Commenting on the figures, which came from a Freedom of Information Act request, Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said they showed the authorities could not cope with the rapid increase in the number of sham marriages.

    “The numbers of people abusing the system through sham marriages has increased alarmingly,” he said.

    “The evidence is clear, criminal gangs are arranging sham marriages for huge profits all over the country.

    “Enforcement raids have increased, with a record 2,488 enforcement visits at weddings in 2014, but despite their best intentions the authorities appear overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases.

    “The burden on enforcement officials could and should be lifted by providing the power to registrars to cancel weddings rather than just refer suspected sham marriages, where in many cases action is not being taken.”

    A report by the Home Office in 2013 said bogus weddings pose a “significant threat to immigration control”.

    It estimates that between 4,000 and 10,000 applications a year to stay in the UK, under the Immigration Rules or under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, are made on the basis of a sham marriage or civil partnership.

    When the Home Office has reasonable grounds to suspect a scam, they can extend the notice period from 28 days to 70 days in order to investigate the genuineness of the couple’s relationship and, where it is established that the marriage is a sham, take appropriate action”

  34. UK: Protesters clash with neo-Nazi group outside Liverpool town hall

    A demonstration on Saturday in Liverpool saw the far-right Neo-Nazi group, “North West Infidels”, fight running battles with police and anti-fascist protesters.

  35. Russia – Moscow – Bolshoi Theatre – 2015- Giselle – Svetlana Zakharova – Sergei Polunin – HD
    ( 1 h 53 )
    Act I – 00:00 to 54:12
    Act 2 – 54:30 to the end

    • Hope you enjoy it ….
      It a nice production – there are very great moments especially in the second act …
      er…. maybe keep it for tomorrow… it’s almost 2 hours and it is already late 🙁 🙂