Mail.com

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The regional parliament of Catalonia launched a plan Monday to set up a road map for independence from Spain by 2017, defying warnings from the central government in Madrid that it is violating the nation’s constitution.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy pledged to halt the effort. The chamber, based in the northeastern city of Barcelona, passed the secession resolution by 72 votes to 63. The proposal was made by pro-secession lawmakers from the “Together for Yes” alliance and the extreme left-wing Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP). The groups together obtained a parliamentary majority in regional elections in September that they presented as a stand-in plebiscite on independence after the central government in Madrid refused to allow an official referendum.   Continue reading “Catalan lawmakers approve plan for secession from Spain”

Mail.com

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A U.S. official says the death toll in a shooting at a regional police training center in Jordan appears to have risen to eight.

Jordanian officials have said four people, including two Americans, were killed when a Jordanian officer opened fire on foreign trainers Monday. The officer was shot and killed by troops, according to Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed Momani.   Continue reading “US official: Jordan shooting death toll apparently reaches 8”

WSWS – by Patrick Martin

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter delivered a pointed warning of future wars Saturday in an address to a forum at the Reagan Library in southern California. The reckless and provocative character of the Pentagon chief’s speech is underscored by the targets of his saber-rattling: Russia, with the world’s second largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, and China with the third.   Continue reading “US defense secretary threatens Russia and China”

End of American Dream – by Michael Snyder

Was the U.S. government trying to send a message to someone on Saturday night?  Just after sunset, an unarmed Trident II nuclear missile was fired from a ballistic missile submarine just off the coast of southern California that was later identified as the USS Kentucky.  It was the absolutely perfect time to attract the attention of millions of people living in the Los Angeles area.  If it had been fired during the day, the missile would have been far less visible.  If it had been fired in the middle of the night, most residents of southern California would have been asleep.  Those that planned the firing of this nuclear missile knew that it would be seen by hundreds of thousands of people and that it would make headlines all over the planet.  So why was this done?   Continue reading “Why Did The U.S. Launch A Nuclear Missile That Would Be Visible From L.A. Without Any Warning?”

ZME – by Tibi Puiu

Environmental cues like smoking, fat intake, even trauma it seems cause alterations to gene activity and expression, all while keeping the DNA sequence intact. Epigenetics is the study of such genetic alterations caused by physiological and psychological environmental exposure. The big question in the field right now is whether these genetic modifications are passed down from one generation to the next. One recent study seems to suggest that epigenetic modifications are indeed inheritable. Holocaust survivors, for instance, passed down genetic changes associated with stress disorder (the modification was there initially for obvious reasons) to their children. These alterations were not witnessed in the control group and mark the first evidence “of transmission of pre-conception stress effects resulting in epigenetic changes in both the exposed parents and their offspring in humans,” said Rachel Yehuda, the led researcher.   Continue reading “Holocaust survivors encode trauma in their genes and pass it on to offspring”

The Hill – by Bradford Richardson

The former U.S. comptroller general says the real U.S. debt is closer to about $65 trillion than the oft-cited figure of $18 trillion.

Dave Walker, who headed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, said when you add up all of the nation’s unfunded liabilities, the national debt is more than three times the number generally advertised.   Continue reading “Ex-GAO head: US debt is three times more than you think”

Anti-Media – by SM Gibson

No matter the subject you wish to illuminate under the spotlight of scrutiny — whether it be finance, intellect, or even morality — Washington D.C. habitually operates with a deficit. Though at a quick glance it might seem that generally everything on Capitol Hill is in short supply, there is an unquestioned surplus when it comes to warmongers.   Continue reading “Dick Cheney To Be Immortalized With Statue in US Capitol”

Cop Block – by Asa Jay

A newly purposed ballot measure that would lower the legal drinking age to 18-years-old in California has been cleared to collect signatures, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced at the end of last month.

Padilla said the initiative would reduce the amount of federal highway funds the state receives totaling roughly $200 million dollars annually for not complying with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984.   Continue reading “Proposed Ballot Measure Would Lower California Drinking Age To 18”

Bearing Arms – by Bob Owens

On the surface, 21-year-old Semantha Bunce doesn’t appear to be much different than any other new mom, but when home invaders kicked in her door as she fed her four-month-old son, she showed the soul of a warrior as she took the fight to those who dared to put her family in danger.

Bunce met the home invaders head-on in a gun battle, driving them from her home. Even though she took two hits in the exchange of gunfire, she managed to climb back up the stairs and check on her son before she dialed 911 and began taking care of her wounds before the ambulance arrived:   Continue reading “New Mother Feeding Baby Pulls Gun, Fights Off Home Invaders”

Breitbart – by Nick Hallett

Starbucks faces criticism from politicians and campaign groups today after it decided to remove all references to the festive season from its Christmas red cups, as revealed earlier on Breitbart London.

The coffee chain revealed this year’s version of its “red cups” this week – an annual tradition where it changes the colour of its cups from white to red around Christmas time, usually with a festive design.   Continue reading “MPs, Christian Groups Slam Starbucks ‘Scrooges’ Over Red Cups”

ABC News – by Jake Pearson, AP

Three people were shot, one fatally, in midtown Manhattan near Penn Station early Monday morning, police said. No suspects were immediately arrested.

The shooting happened at about 6 a.m. near the entrance of a subway station at 35th Street and Eighth Avenue, a block north of Penn Station, one of the nation’s busiest transit hubs.   Continue reading “NYC Officials: 3 People Shot, 1 Fatally, Near Penn Station”

Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist

Rockville, MD — FBI agent, Geral John Rogero, 45, was accompanying a friend on her way to pick her child from her estranged husband when things got out of hand.

Rogero, unable to contain his divine authority, began to get a little too involved in this family matter. When the estranged husband is late, Rogero begins to chastise him.   Continue reading “FBI Agent Found Guilty for Assaulting Innocent Child on Video — Keeps Job, Badge, Gun”

Idaho Statesman – by Cynthia Sewell

The family of an Adams County rancher involved in an encounter with two sheriff’s deputies says the deputies killed him in a “completely unjustified” shooting.

Survivors of Jack Yantis, the 62-year-old who died a week ago in the darkness on U.S. 95 north of Council, say they will pursue claims against Adams County for Yantis’ death.   Continue reading “Idaho rancher’s wife: ‘I saw them murder my husband’”

Sputnik

The Israeli military claims an old Palestinian woman was shot dead after she attempted to run over soldiers. The latest wave of violence in the Holy Land has already claimed dozens of lives.

The tragic incident took place in Halhul on the West Bank. Relatives of the 72-year-old woman, who lost her husband in the 1988 Intifada, say she had no reason to try to hit Israelis with her car and she was just driving by. Israel Defense Forces’ spokesperson countered that the Palestinian woman slowed her car down near a checkpoint and then speeded up, aiming at a group of soldiers. They opened fire at the car in response, the IDF says.   Continue reading “72-Year-Old Woman Shot Dead by Israeli Soldiers in West Bank”

ABC News 7

CINCINNATI, OH — A 6-year-old boy is facing a three-day suspension from school because he pretended to shoot an imaginary bow and arrow during recess.

The boy’s parents, Matthew and Martha Miele, told WLWT-TV their son was pretending to be a Power Ranger. When a teacher at his school noticed him pretending to shoot a bow and arrow, she took the boy to the principal’s office.   Continue reading “6-Year-Old Boy Suspended For Playing With Imaginary Bow And Arrow”