From the Trenches World Report

RT News

General Keith Alexander, the soon-to-be departed chief of the NSA, admitted Thursday in front of a congressional committee that the massive intelligence agency may be open to extracting less, or more targeted metadata from communication companies.

Classified documents leaked last summer by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that the intelligence agency currently compels at least three major telephone providers – Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T – to turn over call information on millions of Americans. Among that information, known as metadata, is the duration of the call, the time the call was made, who the phone call was to, and where it originated.   Continue reading “Limit surveillance to ‘terrorist communication,’ says outgoing NSA boss”

RT News

President Barack Obama is pressuring Israel to stop carrying out assassinations of top nuclear scientists in Iran as the Islamic Republic continues its negotiations with world powers over its uranium enrichment program, according to a new book.

Apart from pressure from Washington that Israel give up the assassination program, sources close to Israel’s intelligence agencies told CBS News’s Dan Raviv that Mossad itself viewed the campaign as too dangerous to continue. Raviv, who was updating a book he co-wrote about the history of Israel’s intelligence agencies, said the pressure form the Obama administration was “more than a hint.”   Continue reading “Obama pushes Israel to stop assassinations of Iran nuclear scientists – report”

RT News

“Significant construction flaws” have been found in at least 6 of the 28 double shelled radioactive waste storage tanks at the Hanford nuclear waste complex in Washington State, which may lead to additional leaks, documents obtained by the AP say.

After one of the 28 huge underground double shelled tanks was found to be leaking in 2012, subsequent surveys performed for the US Department of Energy by one of its Hanford contractors found that at least six of the other tanks shared the same defects, according to the documents. A further 13 tanks may also be compromised, the inspectors found.   Continue reading “‘Construction flaws’ in six Hanford nuclear waste tanks, 13 more may be compromised – report”

Truth Revolt – by Rip Curl

In one of the weirdest episodes of his presidency, Barack Obama yesterday popped up in the White House briefing room to somberly warn Russia not to intervene in Ukraine in what critics called an incredibly weak statement, and less than 30 minutes later declared “Happy Hour” with a band of fellow Democrats.

In a hastily scheduled appearance after a day in which Russian troops swarmed into Crimea, the president urged an end to the violence and encouraged Ukrainians “to pursue a course in which they stabilize their country, forge a broad-based government and move to elections this spring.”   Continue reading “Obama Warns Russia on Ukraine, Then 30 Minutes Later Declares ‘Happy Hour’ For Democrats”

Underground Medic – by Liz Bennett

Survival in extreme situations often depends on an individuals ability to respond to the threat they are faced with. The stress response in humans has for decades been referred to as the ‘fight or flight’ response.

Now if you have a couple of Uzi’s and enough ammunition none of this applies to you because you could probably wipe out any number of malcontents advancing towards your property. For the rest of you, well, I hope you find some use in what I have to say.   Continue reading “Understanding The Stress Response: It Can Buy You Valuable Seconds”

Before It’s News

The Ukraine is mobilizing for war this Sunday morning, after Putin declared he had the right to invade, creating the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the cold war.

President Barack Obama is a little dazed and confused. It took US President Barack Obama 90 minutes of intense dialogue with the Russian President Vladimir Putin to grasp that Putin is unshakably fixed on the course he has set for Ukraine and has no intention of withdrawing the Russian troops he has positioned in the Crimean peninsula.   Continue reading “Ukraine Mobilizes Troops After Putin’s ‘Declaration Of War’ Leaves Obama Dazed And Confused”

World Events and the Bible

WEB Notes: 675,000 Ukrainians pour into Russia as ‘humanitarian crisis’ looms

(RT) – The majority of resigned Ukrainian armed forces dispatched to Crimea have switched to the side of local authorities and are expected to take military oath soon, Russian news agencies report.    Continue reading “Most Ukrainian troops dispatched in Crimea switch to region’s side – sources”

Reuters

A U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornet fighter jet crashed Saturday during a training mission near a Nevada air base, the Navy said.

The status of the pilot was not immediately clear, Navy spokesman Commander Ryan Perry said in a statement.

Perry said an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the crash, which occurred on a training range about 70 miles east of Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada.   Continue reading “F/A-18 fighter jet crashes during training in Nevada”

Town Hall – by Michelle Malkin

This may be the first and last time I ever write these words: America, follow Canada.

Our neighbors to the north finally have wised up to the international cash-for-visas scam. Last week, the country ended its foreign investor program that put residency up for sale to the highest bidder. We should have done the same a long time ago.   Continue reading “When Will America End Cash-for-Visas Racket?”

Santa Fe Reporter – by Peter St. Cyr

Even as videos of officer-involved shootings and stories of forced rectal exams on drug suspects make national headlines, officials at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Training Academy plan to reduce peace officer cadets’ basic training time by more than 25 percent.

On Monday, 60 cadets, including 18 recruits from the Santa Fe Police Department and two from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office, are scheduled to begin four months of training before they earn their law enforcement credentials, swear an oath, and pin on a shield. But the training program for those men and women will be six weeks shorter than the academy’s last graduating class.   Continue reading “Beauty and the Beat Cop: State rules require longer basic training for hairstylists than peace officers”

Washington’s Blog

Took Screenshots of Whistleblowers’ Computers Every 7 Seconds for YEARS

We reported in 2012:   Continue reading “FDA Spies On Whistleblowers to Protect Big Pharma”

All Self-Sustained

What’s on your feet?  All through history, there have been civilizations that have run around their whole lives bare footed.  I’m not one of them.  I like shoes.  Especially in an emergency, shoes protect your feet from injury that can be incurred through unstable walking surfaces and debris on the ground.  They will help you walk farther and faster than you could with your bare feet.  Shoes are an important part of your preparedness plans.  Here are ten tips to keep shoes on your feet no matter what happens.    Continue reading “Shoes for Survival–10 Tips for Keeping Shoes on Your Feet No Matter What”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Saturday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate the tense atmosphere in Ukraine by pulling his forces back to bases in the country’s Crimean region and to refrain from interfering elsewhere in the former Soviet republic.

Obama delivered the message to Putin during a 90-minute telephone conversation, the White House said. But Obama’s request appeared likely to go unheeded as the Kremlin said Putin, in turn, emphasized to Obama the existence of real threats to the life and health of Russian citizens living in Ukraine and that Russia has the right to protect its interests there.   Continue reading “US calls on Russia to withdraw forces from Ukraine”