Year: 2014

Informed Comment – by Juan Cole

The two great branches of Islam coexist in Iraq across linguistic and ethnic groups. There are Sunni Arabs and Shiite Arabs, Sunni Kurds and (a tiny minority of) Shiite Kurds. Arabs are a linguistic group, speaking a Semitic language. Kurds speak and Indo-European language related to English.

Sunnism and Shiism as we know them have evolved over nearly a millennium and a half. But the difference between them begins after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 AD (CE) in the city-state of Mecca in western Arabia. Muhammad, the son of Abdallah, had derived from the noble Quraysh clan. Those who became the Shiites insisted he should be succeeded by Ali, his cousin and son-in-law (and the next best thing to a living son). This dynastic principle was rejected by the group that became the Sunnis. They turned for leadership to prominent notables of the Quraysh, whom they saw as caliphs or vicars of the Prophet. The first three caliphs had given their daughters in marriage to the Prophet and so were his in-laws, but Sunni principles said that they needn’t have been– any prominent, pious male of the Quraysh would have done.   Continue reading “Who are Iraq’s Sunni Arabs and What did we Do to them?”

Washington’s Blog – by Charles Hugh Smith

Powers once granted are almost impossible to take back.

After 13.5 years, there is more than enough evidence for reasonable people to conclude that the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama are easily the most destructive in U.S. history.

When historians speak of failed presidencies or weak presidencies, they are typically referring to presidencies characterized by uneven leadership, petty corruption by self-serving cronies or in extreme cases such as the Nixon presidency, abuses of executive power.   Continue reading “The Most Destructive Presidencies in U.S. History: George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama”

New York Times – by ALAN SCHWARZ

ATLANTA — More than 10,000 American toddlers 2 or 3 years old are being medicated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder outside established pediatric guidelines, according to data presented on Friday by an official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report, which found that toddlers covered by Medicaid are particularly prone to be put on medication such as Ritalin and Adderall, is among the first efforts to gauge the diagnosis of A.D.H.D. in children below age 4. Doctors at the Georgia Mental Health Forum at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where the data was presented, as well as several outside experts strongly criticized the use of medication in so many children that young.   Continue reading “Thousands of Toddlers Are Medicated for A.D.H.D., Report Finds, Raising Worries”

NPR – by GABRIELLE EMANUEL

Suppose you spent five years in prison for a crime you didn’t commit. How much does the government owe you?

Over the past few decades, the rise of DNA exonerations has made this a more pressing question. And many states have created explicit policies to answer it.

But those policies vary wildly from state to state.   Continue reading “When Innocent People Go To Prison, States Pay”

The Big Picture

I’m not saying this article is true, but it IS possible, so you can save the comments. I didn’t write it, but whoever did no doubt feels they are right.

Is the writer a Jew-hater? Possibly. Or, are they, like many people, unaware that there is a difference between Jews and the Zionists (cabal), as a reader pointed out in the comments?

I must admit… I have wondered about Karen… but EVERYONE is suspect!  It’s difficult to know what to believe when so many whistleblowers are targeted for coming forward, and it smarts when someone we thought was championing our cause turns out to be an impostor. We’ve been lied to so many times.
Continue reading “Karen Hudes: Whistleblower or Deceiver?”

Mail.com

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire near the Arizona-New Mexico border grew Tuesday as it approached two communities and threatened traditional grazing lands on the Navajo Nation, where sheep are a staple of life, their wool is prized for its use in rugs, and mutton is on the menu of restaurants throughout the region.

The Assayii Lake Fire ballooned to more than 19 square miles in less than two days while making its way across winter and summer grazing lands in the Chuska Mountains. The flames destroyed at least four structures and threatened about 50 homes near the rural communities of Naschitti and Sheep Springs, fire officials said.   Continue reading “Navajo Nation wildfire threatens homes, livestock”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The prospect of the U.S. military returning to the fight in Iraq has turned congressional hawks into doves.

Lawmakers who eagerly voted to authorize military force 12 years ago to oust Saddam Hussein and destroy weapons of mass destruction that were never found now harbor doubts that air strikes will turn back insurgents threatening Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government and Baghdad.   Continue reading “Prospect of new Iraq fight turns hawks into doves”

Natural Society – by Christina Sarich

Eating phytonutrients-dense food is an easy way to boost immunity and slow the aging process. The greater our level of antioxidants, the fewer free-radicals have the chance to ravage our cells. While eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods is ideal since they all provide specific types of antioxidants, some foods stand out above others for their level of these disease-killing nutrients. Sumac, a high-tannin variety of sorghum, is one of them.

The antioxidant value of raw Sumac bran described in ORAC units is 312,400 μ mol TE/100g. This red-orange tangy spice is used the world over as a culinary delicacy, bust also to heal the body.   Continue reading “Sumac, the Super Food with an Off-the-Charts Antioxidant Value”

Mail.com

CAIRO (AP) — The Libyan militant suspected in the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 attack on Americans in Benghazi was not a difficult man to find.

Ahmed Abu Khattala lived openly and freely in the restive eastern Libyan city — seen at cafes and in public places — even after the U.S. administration named him and another militant as suspects in the attack two years ago that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya.   Continue reading “Nabbed Libyan militant lived openly in Benghazi”

The Daily Caller – by Blake Neff

A veteran in the student government at the University of Wyoming has been denied in his quest to have meetings open with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, reportedly out of the fear it would offend international students, Campus Reform reports.

Cory Schroeder, a six-year Army veteran who has served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, was elected in May to serve a year-long term as a senator on the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming, the university’s student legislative body. He told Campus Reform that he became upset when he attended meetings and discovered they did not open with the option to say the Pledge of Allegiance.   Continue reading “U. Of Wyoming Veteran Says He Was Barred From Saying Pledge”

Food Freedom News – by Dr. Mercola

As recently reported by CNN Health and Time Magazine, five things account for nearly two-thirds of all deaths in the US, or about 900,000 each year:

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Lung disease
• Stroke
• Unintentional injuries, including medication overdoses and car accidents

Continue reading “Top 3 Foods That Promote Premature Death: How Many Are You Eating?”

Mail.com

NEW YORK (AP) — A 1-cent postage stamp from a 19th century British colony in South America has become the world’s most valuable stamp — again.

The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta sold Tuesday at auction in New York for $9.5 million, Sotheby’s said. It was the fourth time the stamp has broken the auction record for a single stamp in its long history.

The stamp was expected to bring between $10 million and $20 million. Sotheby’s said the buyer wished to remain anonymous. The price included the buyer’s premium. David Redden, Sotheby’s vice chairman, called the sale “a truly great moment for the world of stamp collecting.”   Continue reading “Rare stamp sets record at NYC auction”

Healthy Life – by Elizabeth Seward

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Recent research has proven that higher intake levels of processed red meat are linked to higher risks of heart failure. While the dangers of red meat have been confirmed by science over and over again, this most recent study out of the Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden takes a closer look at processed red meats.

The processed red meats examined in this study are often preserved through curing, salting, adding preservatives, or smoking. Cold cuts, like salami and ham, as well as sausage, bacon, hot dogs, pepperoni, and many of the meats used in frozen dishes are some examples of common processed red meat.   Continue reading “Processed Red Meat Linked To Higher Risk Of Heart Failure”

Sovereign Man – by Simon Black

Shanghai, China

In one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted of China’s bubblicious property market, Professor Gan Li at Texas A&M University estimates that there are a whopping 49 million vacant homes in China right now.

As a percentage, this is twice the vacancy rate that the US housing market experienced at the peak of its recent bubble… suggesting that China has a rather painful housing collapse in store.   Continue reading “FUBAR II: China must import more water than the US imports oil”

Gov Slaves

(Suzanne Eovaldi)  Shocking statistics surfacing about record busting, low water levels in America’s Great Lakes make no mention of the sale of fresh water supplies by private companies to China, or of President Obama’s executive order and the legal loophole allowing these sales.

“Two of the Great Lakes have hit their lowest water levels EVER RECORDED,” the US Army Corps of Engineers reported early this year. Corps measurements taken in January of 2013 “show Lake Huron and Lake Michigan have reached their lowest ebb since record keeping began in 1918.”  The chief watershed hydrology expert warns Americans that “We’re in an extreme situation.”  Keith Kompoltowicz heads up the corps district office in Detroit as hand wringing, citizen angst, and shippers’ economic losses pile up.   Continue reading “Obama Admin Allowing China To Suck Water Out Of The Great Lakes”

SHTF Plan – by Mac Slavo

In recent weeks tens of thousands of illegal immigrants have flooded the southern border of the United States. So much so that border patrol agents are overwhelmed to the point where security along the Rio Grande river has become virtually non-existent. Instead of making arrests, detaining and deporting those who cross into America illegally, many immigration agents are reportedly mixing baby food and changing diapers for children left displaced by parents who’ve abandoned them in the hopes their kids would find greener pastures in the U.S.   Continue reading “Immigration End Game Revealed: New Law Would Give Illegal Immigrants The Right To Vote, Collect Government Benefits”

The Guardian – by Suzanne Goldberg

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, says saving the world’s oceans was a vital security issue, and has urged leaders at an international summit to take immediate action on overfishing and pollution.

Kerry, speaking at the start of the summit, said humans had caused “enormous damage” to the oceans, jeopardising the food security of three billion people on the planet.

The two-day conference includes officials from 80 countries, and is the most visible effort to date by the Obama administration to lead a global conservation effort for the oceans. To that end, the State Department on Monday announced that actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who recently donated $3m to Oceana, will attend the summit on Tuesday.   Continue reading “Obama to order ocean protections with executive powers, Kerry says”