Reuters – by NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI

At least 310 pilgrims were killed on Thursday in a stampede at Mina, outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, where some two million people are performing the annual Haj pilgrimage, Saudi authorities said.

At least 631 others were injured in the crush, which occurred when two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads on Street 204 at the camp city at Mina, a few kilometers east of Mecca, the Saudi civil defense said.   Continue reading “More than 300 pilgrims die in stampede in worst Haj disaster since 2006”

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Free-Man’s Perspective – by Paul Rosenberg

* Before anything else, I need to clarify my meaning: There are “activists” whom I respect and support. (Ernie and Donna Hancock leap to mind, as do several Bitcoin “activists.”) I divide these people from the activism of my title, because these people act, encourage, and teach directly, not through third parties.   Continue reading “Why I’m Opposed to Activism*”

Ars Technica – by David Kravets

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is trying to turn copyright law on its head: in this instance, with the mug of a macaque monkey named Naruto, whose selfies went viral and have been seen around the world.

PETA filed suit Tuesday, asking the courts to declare Naruto the rightsholder and hence an owner of property: a copyright.   Continue reading “PETA wants court to grant copyright to ape that snapped famous selfie”

Fox News

The Pentagon said Tuesday that it was reviewing what it called an “unsafe” intercept of an Air Force reconnaissance plane by at least one Chinese jet over the Yellow Sea last week.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that the American RC-135 was intercepted by a Chinese fighter approximately 80 miles east of northeastern China’s Shandong Peninsula on Sept. 15. Cook said there was no indication that the planes came close to colliding, but the crew of the American plane reported that one of the Chinese jet’s maneuvers appeared to be unsafe.    Continue reading “Chinese fighter jet makes unsafe intercept of Air Force plane over Yellow Sea, Pentagon says”

New York Daily News – by Jason Silverstein

A veteran Florida sheriff’s deputy and a suspect have died after a shooting and subsequent standoff at a motel after a procedural step in a domestic violence investigation went awry, police said.

Deputy Bill Myers went to meet 33-year-old suspect Joel Dixon Smith around 8:20 p.m. near the Cotton & Gates law firm in the panhandle town, Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley said at an afternoon news conference. The suspect was meant to turn over his guns as part of a domestic violence injunction, but instead Smith opened fire on the 64-year-old lawman, authorities said.   Continue reading “Florida sheriff’s deputy, suspect killed after shooting related to ‘domestic violence case’: cops”

Rense.com – by JB Campbell, March 6, 2004

The US Constitution was a betrayal of the Declaration of Independence. Real patriots such as Patrick Henry, George Mason and a few others saw it as a blueprint for empire and fought it. The Bill of Rights was added at their insistence as a defense against the Constitution! Big Banker whores such as Hamilton and the Federalists didn’t want any enumerated rights – they said “You must trust us and our promises to observe your rights.” Henry said, “Not good enough – we need guarantees.”   Continue reading “Our Masonic Constitution”

Judeo-Masonic Conspiracy

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, a revolution was about to start against George III, King of Great Britain. It’s obvious that the American colonies had legitimate reasons to demand independence, but what’s odd about this uprising, is the fact that a large number of those promoting the revolt were actually members of secret societies (mainly Freemasonry). For example: from the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence at least 9 (16%) were freemasons; from the 39 signers of the US Constitution at least 12 (33%) were freemasons; and from the 74 generals in the Continental Army at least 34 (46%) were freemasons. [1] It’s also odd that every major building in Washington DC had a cornerstone laid down under a Masonic ritual (i.e. Capitol building -laid by George Washington-, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian, the White House, the Independence Hall in Philadelphia -laid by Benjamin Franklin-, and many others). [2] And it’s even odder that a Christian nation like the US was packed with multitude of Masonic, occult and pagan symbolism.   Continue reading “The Judeo-Masonic Conspiracy – The American Revolution”

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The endless talk of covenants and the encyclopedia Britannica known as legal terminology never ceases. Endless argument about which is right and wrong, the proper definitions for “people” or “property,” what really is “legal jurisdiction” and who has it or does not and when. What no one stops to think about is how this is enslaving us; the very fact anyone WOULD pick up let alone HAVE to pick up such books in order to defend their right to simply be left alone or because no one really knows what the word “people” means shows how far gone we are.   Continue reading “Of Covenants and Legal Bibles”

Associated Press – by Dan Elliot

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether cities can ban hydraulic fracturing, stepping into a high-stakes battle over whether local governments can impose tougher oil and gas rules than the state.

The court will hear cases from Longmont, where voters banned hydraulic fracturing in 2012, and Fort Collins, where voters approved a 5-year moratorium in 2013.   Continue reading “Colorado’s high court to decide if cities can ban fracking”

Reuters

The former owner of Peanut Corporation of America was sentenced in federal court on Monday to 28 years in prison for his role in a salmonella outbreak that was linked to nine deaths.

In a rare case of criminal prosecution linked to food contamination, Stewart Parnell, the former owner of Peanut Corporation of America, and his brother, Michael Parnell, who was a food broker on behalf of the company, were convicted on federal conspiracy charges in September 2014 for knowingly shipping salmonella-tainted peanuts to customers.   Continue reading “Peanut company CEO sentenced to 28 years for salmonella outbreak”

CNBC – by Andrew Pollack, New York Times

Specialists in infectious disease are protesting a gigantic overnight increase in the price of a 62-year-old drug that is the standard of care for treating a life-threatening parasitic infection.

The drug, called Daraprim, was acquired in August by Turing Pharmaceuticals, a start-up run by a former hedge fund manager. Turing immediately raised the price to $750 a tablet from $13.50, bringing the annual cost of treatment for some patients to hundreds of thousands of dollars.   Continue reading “Drug Goes From $13.50 a Tablet to $750, Overnight”

Fox News

Can mass killings be predicted and prevented?

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., hopes its new online tool will do just that by making both sophisticated statistical analysis and feedback from experts publicly available for the first time. The goal is to produce early warnings that can help governments, policy makers, advocacy groups and scholars decide where to concentrate their efforts.   Continue reading “Holocaust Museum tool aims to predict, prevent genocide”

Reuters

The United States will take in 15,000 more refugees from around the world next year, increasing the current level to 85,000, and to 100,000 in 2017, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said after talks with his German counterpart on Sunday.

The remarks may show an increasing willingness of the United States to help cope with the mass migration of Syrians although the offer is modest when compared with the hundreds of thousands that are moving alone to Europe and in particular, Germany.   Continue reading “Kerry says U.S. ready to take more refugees”

ABC News

A landscaper arrested in a series of Phoenix freeway shootings told a judge that authorities have “the wrong guy” as investigators stood by their detective work that traced the gun to the suspect after he took it to a pawn shop.

Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. was charged Saturday with counts including aggravated assault, criminal damage, disorderly conduct, carrying out a drive-by shooting and intentional acts of terrorism.   Continue reading “Phoenix Freeway Shooting Suspect: ‘I’m the Wrong Guy’”

Fox News

A homeless man convicted of trashing a Colorado national forest with more than four tons of garbage was sentenced earlier this week to prison.

Benjamin Yoho, 41, was given a six-month sentence behind bars after a judge found him guilty of littering a large area of Uncompahgre National Forest north of Telluride, Fox 31 Denver reports.   Continue reading “Notorious litterbug convicted of trashing Colorado national forest earns prison term”

NOLA

FORT WORTH, Texas — Evidence reviewed by The Associated Press confirms that police bullets hit bikers in the deadly shootout involving two rival motorcycle clubs that clashed last spring outside a Waco restaurant, though it isn’t clear whether those rifle shots caused any of the nine fatalities.

The AP reviewed more than 8,800 pages of evidence, including police reports, dash-cam video, photos and audio interviews related to the May 17 confrontation. The evidence offers the best insight yet into how the shootout unfolded. Four months later, authorities have released little information about what sparked the fight or how the gunfire played out, and no one has been charged with any of the deaths.   Continue reading “Waco biker gang shootout: Police bullets hit bikers in May melee”

ABC News

In a mixed decision, a federal appeals court on Friday struck down as unconstitutional parts of a gun-control law in the nation’s capital that imposed strict registration requirements on handguns and long guns.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that the city cannot ban gun owners from registering more than one pistol per month or require owners to re-register a gun every three years. The court also invalidated requirements that owners make a gun available for inspection and pass a test about firearms laws.   Continue reading “Appeals Court Quashes Some District of Columbia Gun Laws”

Sputnik

According to various estimates, up to 40,000 citizens have gathered outside the Japanese parliament building Friday to protest against the controversial law.

The new legislation, abolishing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution that renounces the use of force in settling international disputes, would allow the co-called Self-Defense Force to be sent overseas in an offensive military posture for the first time in seven decades.

Continue reading “Farewell to Pacifism: Japan Passes Bill Allowing Troops to Fight Abroad”

Yahoo News – by Matthew Daly

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key House committee endorsed a bill Thursday to lift the four-decade-old ban on crude oil exports, setting up a likely vote by the full House on a bill President Barack Obama opposes.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the legislation, 31-19, with three Democrats joining 28 Republicans to back the bill.   Continue reading “House panel votes to lift 40-year-old US ban on oil exports”