July 4th 2012
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World News |
Already Plagued by Inflation, Iran Is Bracing for Worse
Bedeviled by government mismanagement of the economy and international sanctions over its nuclear program, Iran is in the grip of spiraling inflation. Just ask Ali, a fruit vendor in the capital whose business has been slow for months. “Who in Iran can afford to buy a pineapple costing $15? Nobody.”
2 million displaced from homes as monsoon floods kill 81 in India’s northeastern Assam state
The worst monsoon floods in a decade to hit a remote northeastern Indian state have killed more than 80 people and forced around 2 million to leave their homes, officials said
Monday.
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U.S. News, Politics & Government |
“Everygreen” CIA Owned Airline: Dropping Poison On You And Your Family
Confirmed suspicions that Evergreen (International Aviation) is part of the major crap dump on the planet. Chemtrails made up aluminum, barium and other ingredients contribute to respiratory ills and change the acidity of the soil.
Feds label liberty lovers 'terrorists' ... again!
The government is once again promoting the idea of “those who are reverent of individual liberty” being terrorists with a new study funded by the Department of Homeland Security.
US sends ships, planes to Persian Gulf as tension mounts
The United States has quietly moved significant military reinforcements into the Persian Gulf to deter the Iranian military from any possible attempt to shut the Strait of Hormuz and to increase the number of fighter jets capable of striking deep into Iran if the standoff over its nuclear program escalates.
U.S. building Afghanistan a huge $92 million military headquarters
The United States is spending $92 million to build Afghanistan a new "Pentagon," a massive five-story military headquarters with domed roofs and a high-tech basement command center that will link Afghan generals with their troops fighting the Taliban nationwide.
Millions still without power as stifling heat wave hammers eastern US
Nearly 2 million people are still without power Monday, with the biggest concentration of outages in the Washington, D.C. area. Power companies warned it could take several days to restore electricity completely in some areas.
Power Outages From Storms Across Mid-Atlantic Could Last For Days
Two days after storms slammed the mid-Atlantic region, power outages were forcing people to get creative to stay cool in dangerously hot weather. Temperatures approached 100 degrees in many storm-stricken areas, and utility officials said the power will likely be out for several more days.
Texas college hacks drone in front of DHS
A group of researchers led by Professor Todd Humphreys from the University of Texas at Austin Radionavigation Laboratory recently succeeded in raising the eyebrows of the US government. With just around $1,000 in parts, Humphreys’ team took control of an unmanned aerial vehicle owned by the college, all in front of the US Department of Homeland Security.
Whistleblowers win $46.5 million in foreclosure settlement
Getting served with foreclosure papers made Lynn Szymoniak rich. While she couldn't have known it at the time, that day in 2008 led to her uncovering widespread fraud on the part of some of the country's biggest banks, and ultimately taking home $18 million as a result of her lawsuits against them.
U.S. researchers create 30 genetically modified human babies
US fertility researchers from the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of Saint Barnabas in New Jersey have created 30 healthy babies who have been genetically altered. It has been confirmed that two of these children have the DNA of three parents.
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2012 Election News |
Romney losing ground to Obama without support from Paul Nation
Governor Romney has lost ground to President Obama and is now trailing in all of the national polls with the exception of the Rasmussen Reports poll which has been the poll most favorable to Governor Romney. Governor Romney is now tied with President Obama in the latest Rasmussen poll, which is a steep decline in that poll for Governor Romney relative to President Obama since early June.
Ron Paul Opposition to Obamacare Highlights Libertarian Alternatives in Medicine
Ron Paul says: “Today we should remember that virtually everything government does is a ‘mandate.’ The issue is not whether Congress can compel commerce by forcing you to buy insurance, or simply compel you to pay a tax if you don’t,” said Paul. “The issue is that this compulsion implies the use of government force against those who refuse. The fundamental hallmark of a free society should be the rejection of force. In a free society, therefore, individuals could opt out of ‘Obamacare’ without paying a government tribute.”
Tea Party and Occupy phonies: Ron Paul's Liberty Movement is the real deal
Ron Paul has lived and dreamed his simple message of liberty for thirty years, a message of free markets, sound money, ending the Federal Reserve, ending our wars overseas, and restoring our liberties.
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Veteran News |
William C. Stacey dies at 23; Marine sergeant from Seattle
'If my life buys the safety of a child who will one day change the world, then I know that it was all worth it,' Marine Sgt. Will Stacey wrote in a final letter to his family.
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Occupy Wall Street Protest |
New York judge orders Twitter to hand over OWS messages
In a flashpoint for online privacy and free speech in the United States, micro-blogging platform Twitter has been ordered by a court to release tweets relating to an Occupy Brooklyn Bridge march last year, which resulted in more than 700 arrests. New York's district attorney ruled that Twitter should hand over three months’ worth of Occupy activists’ messages connected with an OWS protester arrested last year.
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Economy |
US Economy May Be Bottoming Out says Economist
A surprise contraction in U.S. manufacturing activity in June has raised the prospects of a worsening slowdown in the U.S., but one economist says the economy may actually be showing signs of bottoming out.
Spain bank could get bailout money within weeks
Spain's ailing banks could get their rescue money within weeks as talks over the terms of their bailout from a European fund are moving swiftly, the economy minister said Tuesday. Spain will have access to up to €100 billion ($126 billion) in rescue loans from the 17-country eurozone's bailout fund for its banks, many of which were stung by the collapse of a real estate bubble and left holding billions in bad loans and foreclosed property.
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Energy & Environment |
Solar fireworks might be heading our way for the 4th
The sun sent out a flare powerful enough to disrupt radio communications over Europe today, along with an eruption of electrically charged particles that just might sweep past Earth's magnetic field in time to spark a Fourth of July show of auroral fireworks.
Record high radiation levels detected at Fukushima reactor
Measurements taken recently at the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear complex in northern Japan have revealed record levels of radiation contamination, officials with the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, said.
10 sobering realizations the Eastern U.S. power grid failure is teaching us about a real collapse
In the wake of violent storms, the power remains out today for millions of Americans across several U.S. states. Governors of Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio have declared a state of emergency. Over a dozen people are now confirmed dead, and millions are sweltering in blistering temperatures while having no air conditioning or refrigeration. As their frozen foods melt into processed goo, they're waking up to a few lessons that we would all be wise to remember. Read More...
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Health |
Shocking Anatomy of a Hot Dog - What’s Really Inside?
Without further ado, before the Fourth of July grills are aflame, read the skinny on America’s winning wiener, the Original Ball Park frank!
This exercise lowers diabetes risk, study finds
Among people at high risk for diabetes who get very little exercise, those who manage to walk more throughout the day are less likely to actually develop the blood sugar disorder, according to a U.S. study. Earlier studies have shown that walking more is tied to a lower risk of diabetes, but few studies have looked into precise measures of how many steps people take each day, said Amanda Fretts, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Popular Big Pharma blood pressure drug linked to gluten sensitivity, Celiac disease
Is it possible that the massive rise in diagnoses of gluten insensitivity and Celiac disease is in some way linked to the medications people are taking? A new study published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings seems to suggest so, having found that the popular blood pressure drug Benicar (olmesartan) often causes patients to develop symptoms of Celiac disease that later subside when the medication is ceased.
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Pet News |
What to Do When You See A Dog in a Hot Car
RedRover advises that if you see a dog in distress in a hot car, you should call the local animal control agency, police or 911 right away and, if possible, you can also try to find the dog’s owner by going into the adjacent business and making an announcement.
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July 3rd 2012
Pacific Rim trade talks open in San Diego
SAN DIEGO - Negotiators from the United States and eight other Pacific Rim countries opened a round of talks Monday aimed at producing one of the most ambitious trade deals in decades amid criticism that the deliberations are shrouded in secrecy.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Everygreen CIA Owned Airline: Dropping Poison On You And Your FamilyConfirmed suspicions that Evergreen (International Aviation) is part of the major crap dump on the planet. Chemtrails made up aluminum, barium and other ingredients contribute to respiratory ills and change the acidity of the soil.
U.S. building Afghanistan a huge $92 million military headquarters
The United States is spending $92 million to build Afghanistan a new "Pentagon," a massive five-story military headquarters with domed roofs and a high-tech basement command center that will link Afghan generals with their troops fighting the Taliban nationwide.
US sends ships, planes to Persian Gulf as tension mounts
The United States has quietly moved significant military reinforcements into the Persian Gulf to deter the Iranian military from any possible attempt to shut the Strait of Hormuz and to increase the number of fighter jets capable of striking deep into Iran if the standoff over its nuclear program escalates.
Governor Romney has lost ground to President Obama and is now trailing in all of the national polls with the exception of the Rasmussen Reports poll which has been the poll most favorable to Governor Romney.
Health News
There is a medicinal spice so timelessly interwoven with the origins of human culture and metabolism, so thoroughly supported by modern scientific inquiry, as to be unparalleled in its proven value to human health and well-being.
7/3, Raven Clabough, New American, Senate Working on Cybersecurity Bills
7/3, Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III, Politic365, Decline of Civil Liberties: SCOTUS, Stand Your Ground and Stop-and-Frisk
7/3, Walter Bird Jr., GoLocal Worcester, Activist Groups Want More Rights For Immigrants
7/3, David Kravets, Wired, Wiretap Stats Decrease, But Don’t Go Celebrating Yet
7/3, Jennifer Banks & Rebekka Schramm, CBS Atlanta, Georgia implements new driver's license requirements
7/3, Maria Dinzeo, Courthouse News Service, Partial Judgment Sought in Federal Wiretap Case
7/3, Kansas City (MO) InfoZine, National Security Agency Whistleblowers Back EFF's Lawsuit Over Gov's Spying Program
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July 2nd 2012
World News
Mohamed Morsi Sworn in as Egypt's President Under Generals' Eyes
60-year-old Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, an American-educated engineer who had won 52% of the vote in Egypt's first post-Mubarak democratic election, was formally sworn in on Saturday at the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo.
Top Egyptian presidential candidate doubts al Qaeda role in 9/11
Egypt's likely next president has long called for the U.S. to hold a "scientific conference" to determine the real culprits of the Sept. 11 attacks, having cast doubt on al Qaeda's role in 9/11 for years.
Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's New President, Vows To Free Blind Sheikh Tied To WTC Bombing
CAIRO -- Egypt's president-elect Mohammed Morsi has vowed to free the blind sheik jailed in the U.S. for a plot to blow up New York City landmarks.
Mohamed Morsi Sworn in as Egypt's President Under Generals' Eyes (Video)
60-year-old Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, an American-educated engineer who had won 52% of the vote in Egypt's first post-Mubarak democratic election, was formally sworn in on Saturday at the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo.
Turkey scrambles jets as Syria aircraft near border
Turkey scrambled six F-16 fighter jets in three separate incidents responding to Syrian military helicopters approaching the border on Sunday, its armed forces command said on Monday.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Reconciliation Act H.R.4872 Brings Microchipping to America
During the thorough coverage of H.R.3590 America thought it was free of a 'Healthcare System' that allowed a national medical registry to be created and the population to be tagged with implantable RFID chips. But a second heath care related bill called "The Reconciliation Act of 2010" (2300 pages) was recently passed by the Senate on March 25th after being passed by the House on March 21st.
Power grid goes down for millions of Americans as Mother Nature reminds us all to get prepared
"Millions of people across nine states were reeling without power Saturday to deal with thermostat-popping temperatures after fierce thunderstorms pounded parts of the Midwest and Atlantic Seaboard," reports CNN.
Pet News
What to Do When You See A Dog in a Hot Car
Most of us are all too familiar with the feeling of dread that comes upon us when we pass by the window of a car and realize that a dog has been left inside on a hot day. What should I do? Do I break the window? Do I call the police? Do I try to find the car owner? There's no easy answer, unfortunately, and those decisions are ones that only you can make, but now you can be better prepared for your next encounter.
Energy & Environment
Alert: Four M-Class Solar Flares in the Last 48 Hours
Expect shift in Earth's ElectroMagnetic field and turbulence in human consciousness. "Watch for extreme weather break-outs over the next 72 hours. They could take many forms such as tropical storms turning into hurricanes, earthquake or volcanic eruptions, sudden temperature rapid shifts, tornadoes, straight-line winds, micro-burst. Since latest research on cosmic rays and thunderstorms, I now add to watch for extreme lightning storms." ~ Mitch Battross
Health News
Healthy Diet, Not Prescription Drugs
A woman who turned 104 in June, newspaper reporters wanted to know her secret for a long lifei. Her answer consisted of just two simple rules that she's always lived by: Watching what she eats, and Staying away from doctors
7/2, Tazeen Ahmad, NBC News, How I see America, from a former Gitmo prisoner
7/2, Howard Fischer, Arizona Daily Star, SB 1070 foes weigh need for injunction
7/2, Andy Greenberg, Forbes, As Reports Of Wiretaps Drop, The Government's Real Surveillance Goes Unaccounted
7/2, David Dayen, Fire Dog Lake, US House Plans to Sue Administration Over Executive Privilege in Fast and Furious Case
7/2, Glenn Greenwald, Common Dreams, Dianne Feinstein Targets Press Freedom
7/2, Ben Wolfgang, Washington Times, Drone industry releases ethics code
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June 29th 2012
World News
Europe summit surprises with bold moves
BRUSSELS (AP) -- After 18 disappointing summits, Europe's leaders appeared Friday to have finally come up with a set of measures that show they are serious about solving their crippling debt crisis.
VIDEO: 3 in 4 Pakistanis now consider US an enemy as resentment grows
RT - The polls show increasing hostility towards the US and new lows in the already strained relationship between the two countries. The Pew Research poll conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project has published stark numbers.
Olympic Roof Missiles: Residents to Launch Legal Action
Guardian - A group of residents are today expected to launch legal proceedings against proposals to station surface-to-air missiles on the roof of their tower block during the Olympics.
VIDEO: Media Whitewashes Olympics Security Scandal
Paul Joseph Watson - British news channel ITV has whitewashed the Olympics security scandal by failing to mention the explosive revelations of 'Lee Hazledean', an undercover journalist who infiltrated G4S, the world's largest security provider, and blew the whistle on how 200,000 casket linings have been prepared for a terrorist attack that could prompt the evacuation of London.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Everything You Need To Know About The Obamacare Decision In 23 Eye-Opening Quotes
Business Insider - The Supreme Court's historic Obamacare ruling was a whopping 200 pages long. And while we know you're all eager to dive in the behemoth document, we thought we'd do it for you. We scoured the ruling, reading everything from the majority opinion to the dissents, to find the most interesting pieces of information that shed some light on what the justices were thinking.
Lone Star Watchdog - Has any of the Supreme Court Justices read the Constitution lately? I can say five of the justices will have to be held accountable for how they ruled. There is no reason why Obama care should be ruled Constitutional.
Obamacare Complicated? Check Out The Flow Chart
Daily Bail - As this graphic shows, the new law creates 68 grant programs, 47 bureaucratic entities, 29 demonstration or pilot programs, 6 regulatory systems, 6 compliance standards and 2 entitlements.
YouTube: Judge Napolitano: "Individual Mandate Most Bizarre Tax in the History of the Country"
Published on Jun 28, 2012 by TheLeakSource - Supreme Court rules key part of ObamaCare will become a tax. [Judge Napolitano at the 4:18 minute mark]
Holder Found In Contempt Of Congress
NPR - In a dramatic showdown between the branches of government, the Republican-led House voted along party lines to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress.
One dead, 2 wounded in Fort Bragg shooting
USA Today - A soldier from the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade is dead and two others are wounded, including the shooter, according to a statement from Fort Bragg.
VIDEO: NYPD Spent $10 Million on Radiation Detecting Helicopter
Intel Hub - On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) sponsored rhetoric, the NYPD made a new purchase with federal funding. According to some sources the number one terror target in America is New York City by way of sea they say.
Economy
Rahm Emanuel defends $41 million school property tax hike
Press TV - Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday defended his decision to authorize a $41 million school property tax increase - the second tax-to-the-max increase during his first year in office.
Housing Market
Bank of America slapped with $300k sanction for violating Beaumont woman's mortgage settlement
As the Southeast Texas Record previously reported, Trudie Crutchfield filed a lawsuit May 7 in Jefferson County District Court against Bank of America Corp., formerly known as Countrywide Home Loans.
Veteran News
Fifty-Two US Troops Who Crashed On This Glacier 60 Years Ago Have Finally Been Found
Business Insider - Thanksgiving was just five days away on November 22, 1952 when a huge Air Force plane nicknamed "Old Shaky" went down East of Anchorage, AK killing all 52 servicemembers on board.
Science & Technology
World's First GM Babies Born
Daily Mail - The world's first geneticallymodified humans have been created, it was revealed last night. The disclosure that 30 healthy babies were born after a series of experiments in the United States provoked another furious debate about ethics.
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading
Organic Gardener - Looking for an easy way to preserve the fresh taste of summer herbs? Make frozen herb cubes!
Health News
Statins Prevent Vitamin D Formation, Causing Muscle Pain & Worse
Gaia Health - It isn't hard to see that there's a connection between serious conditions known to be caused by both inadequate Vitamin D and statins. It shouldn't be surprising, though. The purpose behind statins is to lower cholesterol.
TPH Product of Interest: Vitamin D Tablets 60 ct
Avoid the dangers of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and treat your acid reflux naturally
(NaturalNews) A recent report by the New York Times (NYT) explains how PPIs, which include popular heartburn medications like Prilosec or Zegerid (omeprazole), Prevacid (lansoprazole), Aciphex (rabeprazole), Protonix (pantoprazole), Nexium (exomeprazole), and Kapidex (dexlansoprazole), essentially block nutrient absorption, which as we all know leads to disease.
6/29, M, Dysfunctional Federal Law Enforcement, American Citizen Brenda Vazquez Stranded for Months in Mexico after Abusive Seven-Hour Interrogation by CBP Agent
6/29, Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, TruthOut, Arizona's SB 1070 2(b) and Not to Be
6/29, Carol Rosenberg, Miami Herald, Pentagon drops Kuwaiti’s war crimes charges
6/28, Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, FOIA request forces DoJ to reveal National Security Letter templates
6/28, Yana Kunichoff, TruthOut, Chicago Decriminalizes Marijuana, but Will It Curb Racialized Policing?
6/27, Peter Bergen, CNN, Time to declare victory: al Qaeda is defeated (Opinion)
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June 28th 2012
World News
Turkey deploys anti-aircraft guns at Syria border
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey deployed anti-aircraft guns and other weapons alongside its border with Syria, state television reported on Thursday, days after the downing of a Turkish military jet by Syrian forces heightened the tensions between the two countries.
Global stocks fall again ahead of EU summit
LONDON (AP) -- Doubts over the ability of European leaders to cobble together measures to deal with the debt crisis kept markets on edge Thursday. Stocks fell and the euro edged lower as expectations for the European Union summit that starts later in Brussels diminished in the wake of comments from German Chancellor Angela Merkel that jointly-issued eurobonds would not resolve Europe's debt crisis on their own.
'UK, US want Annan Syria plan shelved'
Press TV - Britain and the US have begun efforts to openly derail the UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's six-point plan for ending the violence in Syria by pressuring him to change plans and seek ouster of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, reports say.
Britain introduces law to hide torture
Press TV - If the Justice and Security Bill becomes law, Ministers will be able to demand secret hearings, and to prevent the victims from ever seeing evidence about their claims.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
BOEHNER: Contempt vote on Holder will proceed; last-minute talks fail
AP - The Obama administration and House Republicans refused to find a middle ground in a dispute over documents related to a botched gun-tracking operation, and the GOP plunged ahead with plans for precedent-setting votes Thursday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in civil and criminal contempt of Congress.
Medical Examiner: Causeway Cannibal Not High On Bath Salts
CBS News - The much-anticipated toxicology report released by Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce Hyma found marijuana in Eugene's system, something CBS4 News had previously reported, but no evidence of any other street drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs, or any adulterants found in street drugs.
Obamacare Survives Supreme Court
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- simply known as Obamacare.
Ron Paul's audit-the-Fed bill advances
The Hill - The House Oversight Committee easily cleared legislation Wednesday that would require a top-to-bottom audit of the Federal Reserve. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), was advanced by the committee on a bipartisan voice vote with no vocal opposition.... The measure, which has garnered 257 co-sponsors from both parties, would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a full audit of the Fed's operations, including its monetary policy deliberations, for the first time.
VIDEO: Good News! Americans Reject the "Values" of Ruling Elite
Kurt Nimmo - Billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman's The Atlantic has conducted a poll with the Rockefeller and Ford (CIA) Foundation funded Aspen Institute and Penn, Schoen & Berland, a Bill Clinton connected market research and Democrat propaganda outfit.
It's official: News Corp. to split into 2 companies
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- News Corp. confirmed Thursday that it is planning to split into two publicly traded companies, with one company for its television and film assets and the other including its publishing entities.
VIDEO: U.S. Army Admits Troops Conducting Law Enforcement Is Illegal
Paul Joseph Watson - As military vehicles roll down streets and highways in St. Louis, Missouri amidst rising concerns about martial law, the U.S. Army has admitted that having troops conduct law enforcement duties is illegal in the United States.
Energy & Environment
VIDEO: Colorado wildfires: Several fires explode across Front Range
Denver Post - "This is a firestorm of epic proportions," said Colorado Springs Fire Chief Richard Brown. The Waldo Canyon fire in El Paso County - which had been growing in the forested hills on the city's west side - blew into an inferno late in the afternoon, raging over a ridge toward densely populated neighborhoods.
Economy
How US states fared on jobless aid applications
Weekly U.S. unemployment applications dipped last week but not by enough to suggest job growth is picking up. Applications declined to 387,000 from an upwardly revised 389,000 in the previous week. But the four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose for the fourth straight week.
Health
Top five ingredients to avoid in deodorant
(NaturalNews) The primary ingredient used in most antiperspirants is aluminum. Aluminum is a metal, which is used in antiperspirants to help block the sweat from escaping the pores. Aluminum has been linked to breast cancer in women and has also been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Stupid News
WTA aims to 'drive excessive grunting' from tennis
Yahoo Sports - WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- The WTA says it is working with Grand Slam tournaments and the International Tennis Federation to ''drive excessive grunting'' out of tennis.
SWAT tries to take down Internet meanie; raids grandma instead
RT - An Evansville, Indiana SWAT team recently attempted to execute a search warrant that was issued to make an example out of an anonymous Internet user who made malicious remarks on the Web.
6/28, John Thomas Didymus, Digital Journal, Texas college researchers hack US government surveillance drone
6/28, Associated Press, inShare SF mayor considering police stop-and-frisk policy
6/28, Peter Maass, Pro Publica, How a Lone Grad Student Scooped the Government and What it Means for Your Online Privacy
6/27, Sasha Hippard, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Resisting the police state: Berkeley activists demand local control
6/27, Elizabeth Goitein, Nieman Watchdog, What about whistleblowers? And why the big Obama turnaround on state secrets?
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June 27th 2012
VIDEO: Security Report: Massive Cyber Attack In Progress In the USA, Europe, Latin America: $2.5 Billion Siphoned From Financial Institutions So FarMac Slavo - Leading cyber security firm McAfee has issued a startling breaking news report that indicates the U.S., European and Latin American financial systems are under a massive financial attacks that have digitally siphoned some $2.5 billion from thousands of accounts from various financial institutions.
China bypasses Big Pharma patents, authorizes low-cost generic drug manufacturing(NaturalNews) The Chinese government has officially amended its patent laws to allow drug companies to reproduce generic, low-cost versions of expensive, patented drugs, a daring move that is sure to shake up the pharmaceutical industry.
YouTube: Turkish Tanks Deploy to Syrian Border
Turkey has sent troop reinforcement to the Syrian border, after Erdogan's warning that soldiers approaching the border will be treated as target, the Turkish daily Zaman reported citing the Cihan news agency.
Russia halts plans to supply S-300 missile system to Syria - reportsRT -Russia's main weapons producer has allegedly suspended its contract with Syria to supply S-300 long-range missile systems.
VIDEO: South Korea plans new naval base near North Korea border
RT - South Korea plans to build an advance front-line naval base along the disputed Yellow Sea border with North Korea. The government has approved the project and hopes to bolster its forces along the border with a dock for small warships, according to South Korea's Defense Minister.
Egyptian court rules army cannot arrest civiliansRT - An Egyptian court has overturned a government decree allowing the army to arrest civilians. The decree was originally issued by the army-backed interim government on June 13, before the presidential election earlier this month. It was challenged by human rights activists and politicians who accused the military council of reviving an unpopular emergency law that lapsed in May.
UN Receives Agenda 21 Funding from World Governments and Corporations
Intel Hub - Governments and private sector corporations have pledged to fund the United Nations' endeavors toward global governance with a generous %513 billion for Agenda 21 project that will restrict the movements of humans, perverse biodiversity and assist the UN in attaining their Millennium Development Goals.
Guilty until proven innocent: Families will have to pay £20 to show they DIDN'T illegally download music under new lawDaily Mail - Families who illegally download free music, movies and eBooks face a new crackdown with warning letters and court action for copyright theft.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
VIDEO: Pentagon holds first gay pride event
Washington Times - The Pentagon on Tuesday saluted open gays in the ranks, with a civilian lawyer calling on fellow homosexuals to "stretch a little" and become more visible inside the military in the drive for benefits for same-sex couples."
Afraid of whistleblowers, TSA acquiring technology to spy on its own employees
(NaturalNews) What does it say when an agency is so afraid of what its own employees might say, that it is willing to invest in technology to spy on them to prevent (or, at a minimum, identify) whistleblowers? In this day and age, the Leviathan seems unwilling to stop at anything to protect its growing police state.
Ariz. congressmen: Administration has declared war against Arizona
Daily Caller - Arizona Republican Reps. Paul Gosar, Dave Schweikert and Trent Franks have signed onto a letter set to be sent to [ICE Director John] Morton Wednesday, in response to the agency's Monday announcement that they have terminated Arizona's 287(g) Task Force agreements - which allow state law enforcement agencies to verify the immigration status of suspected illegals. "I write in response to what appears to be the Administration's declaration of war against Arizona," The letter reads...
CBS pulls down billboards calling for end to US aid to Israel
mondoweiss.net - Two weeks back we reported on 23 billboards being put up in the Los Angeles area calling for an end to aid to Israel. The ads have been torn down by the billboard operator, CBS Outdoor, which is part of CBS, the media giant.
Los Angeles Adult Protective Services Refuses to Accept Reports of Conservator Abuse
Activist Post - The elder abuse hotline runs round the clock in Los Angeles County. Twenty four hours a day, a social worker is available to take incoming complaints of abuse and neglect of elderly and dependent adults.
Executive Order: Obama Declares National Emergency over Russian Enriched Uranium
Infowars.com - On Monday, Obama sent a letter to the Speaker of the House declaring a national emergency "to deal with the threat posed to the United States by the risk of nuclear proliferation created by the accumulation in the Russian Federation of a large volume of weapons-usable fissile material," according to a post on the White House website.
2012 Election News
VIDEO: Ron Paul Blimp, Tampa And The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
In Dr. Seuss's famous Christmas classic, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", the main character of the film (the Grinch) steals all the presents from the Christmas loving "Whos" in the nearby town of Whoville, on Christmas eve.
Exclusive: Cheating Charley ... in Maine and Massachusetts?
Daily Paul - Charley Najedly was caught by Paul supporters handing out fake ballots at the Maine convention favoring Mitt Romney under Ron Paul's name. http://www.dailypaul.com... A new video, surfacing from Massachusetts, regarding provisional voting ballots not being counted... seems to have a familiar face looming in the background. But is it Cheating Charley? You decide. http://www.dailypaul.com/...
Economy
Study: Major US banks curbing loans
Press TV - Major banks in the U.S. are toning down their lending practices amid ongoing concerns about the state of the American economy, new research has established.
Bank chiefs enjoy double-digit pay rises
Press TV - Top U.S. and European bankers, including JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon and Citigroup's Vikram Pandit, have enjoyed double-digit annual pay rises averaging almost 12 per cent, despite widespread falls in profits and share prices, Financial Times research shows.
Health
Health Basics - What's really behind the ingredient 'Natural Flavors?'
(NaturalNews) What does the term "natural flavors" really mean? Could it be that the term "natural flavors" includes genetically modified, pesticide-laden food? There are also plenty of "food products" on the shelves that read "all natural" on the label, but they still contain large amounts of synthetic, laboratory-concocted food agents, many of which cause diseases and disorders.
Lady Gaga's new perfume created using blend of human blood, semen, and poisonous extract
(NaturalNews) If you have ever doubted the truly satanic essence of the infamous Lady Gaga, then you need look no further than her new perfume, which is expected to debut this fall.
6/27, Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, Wall Street Journal, The FBI’s Secret Surveillance Letters to Tech Companies
6/27, Associated Press, Supreme Court turns down Guantanamo Bay appeals
6/26, Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter, Revisiting CIA Torture on International Day of Support for Victims
6/26, Associated Press, Feds ask judge to reject Ariz. sheriff's request to dismiss parts of racial profiling lawsuit
6/26, Ryan Devereaux, Guardian (UK), New York City terrorism suspect faces trial over synagogue bomb plot
6/25, Andrea Ritchie, Rights Working Group, WHAT’S GENDER GOT TO DO WITH RACIAL PROFILING?
6/25, Cora Currier, Pro Publica, Drone Documents: Why The Government Won't Release Them
Sweeping Effects as Broadband Moves to Meters
Cable executives would have you believe data caps are good for consumers and makes pricing more "fair." But others say that the marketplace lacks sufficient competition, which keeps the price of broadband -- a high-margin product -- higher than it otherwise would be. And the caps will tamp down consumer demand for new products, which will slow innovation.
Cable giants like Comcast and Time Warner have come to dominate information access in the United States. And they're using this new power to squeeze out competitors and remake new media in their old image. For anyone online that means a future of fewer choices among broadband providers and less control over the digital diet that's fed across their networks.
Data Caps, SpectrumCo Key Future of Video Issues
Not surprisingly, the Democratic staffers of the House Communications Subcommittee have a slightly different to-do list than their Republican counterparts. While over-the-top video, retrans rules and Dish's ad-skipping DVR are on both lists of key topics that might come up in the June 27 future of video hearing, Democrats have a couple more on their list: data caps and the the sale of spectrum from cable operators to Verizon.
How College Towns Could Lead the Way to Gigabit Broadband
For the first time since the dawn of the commercial Internet, there are few plans in the works for major network upgrades. Most American households have no reason to expect that they'll see another order-of-magnitude increase in broadband speeds any time soon. One man who is trying to change that by demonstrating the potential of high-speed Internet service by promoting the construction of privately financed fiber networks in American college towns.
State Department: Human Rights Exist in Digital Realm
With the Arab Spring's aftermath being felt around the world, the State Department is continuing to emphasize the importance of Internet freedom, both home and abroad. Building off Secretary Hillary Clinton's ongoing speeches of the last two years, Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe -- currently serving as the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council -- writes that "human rights and fundamental freedoms are not eroded simply because they are being exercised in the digital realm."
T-Mobile, Verizon Agree on Spectrum Deal
Once a fierce opponent, T-Mobile is now backing the controversial spectrum transaction between Verizon Wireless and SpectrumCo after cutting a deal for a share of the bounty. Public interest groups, which have just lost a key ally in fighting the deal, remain concerned about SpectrumCo's potential anti-competitive effects.
Verizon, T-Mobile Deal Not a Fix, Say Opponents
Challengers to Verizon Wireless' purchase of nationwide AWS spectrum say the operator's agreement to swap spectrum with T-Mobile USA won't fix the competitive harms of the transaction.
Verizon-Cable Deal Gains Steam
By agreeing to a spectrum swap with T-Mobile, Verizon won over one of the leading critics of its proposed deal with a group of cable companies. T-Mobile had warned that the cable deal would allow Verizon to dominate the wireless market, but the company pulled its opposition after striking the deal.
The Newsonomics of the News Corp. Split
If Murdoch's empire cleaves in two, his newspapers will no longer be able to count on the latest blockbuster to disguise their financial woes. And the next Murdoch generation has made it abundantly clear it wants to focus on the global entertainment business.
Shareholders have been carping for years that Rupert Murdoch should get rid of his newspapers and focus on the real moneymakers. So word that he's seriously considering that sent the company's shares up sharply yesterday. It's worth noting that this is a financial move that will leave Murdoch's political power intact. Rupert and family will continue to control both companies and he will continue to leverage the power of one for the benefit of the other.
Who Owns the News Media Database - A Summary of Findings
The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism has compiled a new interactive database to help users make sense of the changes in the news media companies at the highest levels. Who Owns the News Media provides detailed statistics on the companies that now own our nation's news media outlets, from newspapers to local television news stations to radio to digital, and this accompanying summary highlights the major changes of the year.
Want to Save Local Newspapers? Break the Chains that Hold Them Back
The economies of scale that once helped place the journalism business among the economy's most profitable now threaten to help sink the industry. America's newspaper chains missed their moment of opportunity to use their scale to dominate the information business online. Now, it's time for those chains to break up, in a last-ditch effort to save many of their newspaper titles.
It May Not Be Televised, but the (Journalism) Revolution Will Be Hacked
What a weird weekend for journalism. On Sunday, a day once reserved for fat feature-laden newspapers, a new television show and a San Francisco hackathon brought the future of the media into the limelight in very different ways.The TV show was HBO's "The Newsroom," the newest project of "The Social Network" scribe Aaron Sorkin. The hackathon was NewsHack Day, an ambitious attempt to bring self-proclaimed "hacks and hackers" -- journalists and coders -- together for a mad weekend of learning, brainstorming and creating.
How Do You Tell When the News Is Biased?
Many people have tried to define what media bias is and attempted to measure it. But maybe we should ask a different question: not how we can decide if the news is biased, but how each of us actually does decide -- and what it means for journalists.
Out of the Local News Business
KSAX-TV in Alexandria, Minn., has dropped its local news programming and shuttered its website. The station is the sister of the Hubbard Broadcasting flagship KSTP in the Twin Cities.
In Other News...
After Winning Right to Spend, Political Groups Fight for Secrecy
FCC Stops Verizon-SpectrumCo Shot Clock for 14 Days
If CPB Is Defunded, 130 Stations 'at High Risk'
Media Outlets Unite to Boost Black Ad Buys
Web Privacy Census Shows Tracking Pervasive
California Bill on Social Media Privacy Moves Forward
What I Said in Full to the Grio
Authors Guild Slams e-Book Settlement
Should Google and Amazon Be Allowed to Control Domains?
International Newsworthy
US Beefs Up Persian Gulf Forces
Iran to Close Hormuz if New Sanctions Begin
Putin Backs Iran’s Nuclear Rights
US Still Opposed to Iran’s Participation in Meeting on Syria
Afghanistan: Bomb-Ambush Kill 10 Police
UN Report: $30 Billion Worth of Drugs Transit through Pakistan
Pakistan Militants Threaten Revenge
Pakistan Court Asks Zardari to Give Up Political Office
Syria: Assad Forces World Powers to Think Again
Rebels Storm Pro-Assad Syrian TV Station-Kill 7
Turkey Sends Tanks to Syrian Border
French Support Waning for Any Action in Syria
US “Dangerously Short-sighted” on Yemen
Kuwaitis Protest after Elected Parliament Thrown Out
Iraqi PM Maliki Calls for Early Elections
Egypt: Presidential Loser Leaves Egypt Amid Investigation
Libya in Chaos
Boko Haram Internal NOT International Threat
Somalia: US Drone Attacks Kill 29
Mali: Islamists Seize Tuareg Positions in North Mali Clashes
UN: ‘Rwanda Backing DRC Rebels’
China Laces Up the Foreign-Policy Gloves
Russia: Communists Target NATO in Response to Magnitsky Bill
Azerbaijan-Turkey-Europe: Raising a Glass to Gas
Kazakhstan to Boost Cooperation with Iran
Dutch Diplomat Arrested for Spying for Russia
National Newsworthy
130 Members of Congress Bought Stocks in Companies that Lobbied Their Committee
Supreme Court to Rule on Military Lying
The Vindictive Prosecution of CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou
The Legal Calculus Behind Assange’s Asylum Request
Issa: Gun-Control Agenda Behind Fast & Furious
Biggest Banks Preparing Plan B in Case of Fall
Stockton-California to Take Up Bankruptcy Budget Plan
The Sharp-Sudden Decline of America’s Middle Class
Noteworthy Editorials
Pepe Escobar: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Philip Giraldi: The Wake-Up May be Too Late
Rick Rozoff: NATO Expands Military Network to All Continents
Stephen Lendman: Boland Amendment Redux
The Sanctions Highway
Obama’s Watergate?
====================================================================================
June 26th 2012
World News
Moody's cuts ratings of 28 Spanish banks
RT - Ratings agency Moody's has cut the ratings of 28 Spanish banks following a June 13 downgrade of Spain's sovereign rating by three notches. The banks' long-term debt and deposit ratings have been downgraded by one to four notches. The rating of Bankia, one the country's largest banks, has been cut to junk status.
YouTube: Exclusive: Undercover Reporter Infiltrates Security Firm to Expose London Olympics
Highlights: Foreign troops drafted in; drug deals in training classroom; ineffective screening processes and detection technology; photographs of sensitive mock-up screening areas taken by un-screened trainees; 200k 'casket linings' delivered [believed to be from America]; uniforms being stolen; plan for an evacuation of London; drones on-line (incl. armed); poor standard of security recruits -- cant speak English....
IDEO: Radioactive "Dirt" Hits Tokyo
Washington's Blog - Tokyo Residents: Don't Touch the Black or Blue Dirt.... Tokyo soil has been blanketed by Fukushima radiation, even though the Japanese capital is 170 miles from the Fukushima nuclear complex.
Up to 20,000 Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Released in Australian Towns
Natural Society - Two towns in Northern Australia have recently been gifted with 10-20 thousand genetically modified mosquitoes - almost completely replacing mosquitoes naturally occurring in the outdoors.
Turkey Might Use Jet Downing as Excuse for NATO Intervention
Kurt Nimmo - It looks like NATO and Obama's international coalition might have the excuse they need to intervene in Syria and depose Bashar al-Assad and his regime.
US and Israel to hold largest ever joint military exercise
Times of Israel - Israel and the US are set to hold their largest ever joint military exercise in October, featuring thousands of soldiers and advanced anti-missile defense systems, and simulating simultaneous fire from Iran and Syria. News of the drill comes amid ongoing violence in Syria, and with Israel and the US closely discussing the means to thwart Iran's nuclear drive.
YouTube: US deploys 4 minesweepers to Iranian Hormuz oil shipping lane
RT - Four US minesweepers have arrived in the Persian Gulf - the vital shipping route for the global economy. It comes after an Iranian military chief said the Islamic State might try to block the Strait of Hormuz to defend its interests. To discuss the situation RT talks to Ali Rizk, who is an expert on Middle East affairs.
'Islamic Awakening': Morsi's Egypt turns to Iran, as Israel frets
RT - Newly-elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi sent a clear signal about the thrust of his future foreign policy by promising to rekindle dormant ties between Egypt and Iran and to re-consider his country's peace accord with Israel.
Confirmed: Iraq orders closure of BBC and 43 other media outlets
RT was one of the first to publish reports of the potential closures - and can now confirm that Iraqi officials from the media commission have forwarded the list of 44 outlets to the Interior Ministry. They will be the ones responsible for the actual closures once they begin. Only offices without an operating license will be closed down, the commission's chairman Safaa Rabie told journalists.
Italian Court Reignites MMR Vaccine Debate After Award Over Child with Autism
Dr. Mercola - The Italian Health Ministry recently conceded that the MMR vaccine caused autism in a now nine-year-old boy. The Bocca family has subsequently been awarded a 15-year annuity totaling 174,000 Euros (just under $220,000), plus reimbursement for court costs. The judge ruled the boy "has been damaged by irreversible complications due to vaccination (prophylaxis trivalent MMR"
Supermarket spies: How the Government plans to use loyalty card data to snoop on the eating habits of 25million shoppers
Daily Mail - The shopping habits of Britain's 25 million supermarket loyalty card holders could be grabbed by the Government in an attempt to halt the UK's dangerous obesity crisis, it was claimed today. People who buy too much alcohol, fatty foods or sugary drinks would be targeted with 'tailored' health advice under plans being considered by the Coalition.
British queen gets pay rise despite recession
Press TV - The Queen's annual pay is about to jump by 20 percent from 30 to 36 million pounds, at a time when Britain is in recession and many families are feeling the pinch of higher household costs and taxes.
9/11 Vancouver Tribunal expected to issue Indictments in 9/11 events around Labor Day 2012
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The 9/11 Vancouver Tribunal is a citizen's tribunal of conscience that was duly constituted by the 9/11 Vancouver Hearings June 15-17, 2012 in Vancouver, B.C.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
FBI eyes over 100 suspected extremists in US military
RT - The FBI reportedly probed more than 100 people within the US military, who were suspected of Islamic extremist sympathies. About a dozen of those are considered serious "insider threats" demonstrating a strong intent to attack military targets.
Show-stopper: Supreme Court upholds controversial AZ immigration law
RT - The high court ruled that Arizona's policy of imprisoning undocumented immigrants for not possessing federal registration cards was unconstitutional. Related Video: Joe Arpaio talks to Cavuto
U.S. expanding military efforts in Africa
The U.S. is carefully expanding efforts to provide intelligence, training and at times small numbers of forces to African nations, to help counter terrorist activities in the region, the top American military commander for Africa said Monday.
Master Sgt. says no to Chinese-made boots
Air Force Times - Master Sgt. Steve Adachi is willing to fight for his country, but not in the Chinese-made boots his unit gave him. "I'm troubled that the military continues to downsize because of the budget deficits - budget deficits which are in part a result of millions of unemployed American workers," Adachi wrote in a letter to Air Force Times. "How many American workers are unemployed because military clothing is being produced in foreign countries?"
New Research: Drones Can Easily Be Hijacked
Steve Watson - Professor Todd Humphreys and his team at the University of Texas at Austin's Radionavigation Laboratory are warning that the drones could be "spoofed" and taken over by anyone with the right readily available equipment.
VIDEO: Media Promotes Troops On Streets to "Cut Down on Crime"
Paul Joseph Watson - According to a Fox 2 St. Louis report, "people who live and work in the area think the army training is a good idea." Indeed, the report features interviews with two residents, one of whom states, "I think it's the same way when you go to other countries...they don't have police officers they have troops, and I think it kind of scares a lot of people...it might cut down on a whole lot of crime because they don't know if they're military or the police."
Drills of the dead: Maine prepares for zombie attack
RT - Emergency officials in Maine have taken part in a training exercise in preparation for a zombie apocalypse.
Energy & Environment
VIDEO: Cesium 137 Detected in Virginia Rain
Published by antiprotons June 24, 2012 - As you all know, I have always maintained that there is Fukushima fallout in the rain... but that the levels (even if they are unsafe) are too low for a Geiger counter to detect. My sensitive Gamma Spectrometer has now (I believe) detected Cs137 in a rain water collection bucket which concentrates, or so it seems, the Cs137.
Health
Ten home remedies for relieving eczema
(NaturalNews) Eczema is often attributed to some sort of food or airborne allergy and can be minimized by determining the allergens and adjusting accordingly. Most eczema sufferers resort to using pharmaceuticals pills, creams, or steroids. Of course, what many tend to ignore is that improving life style choices of diet and exercise does more to curb skin problems than topical or oral pharmaceuticals.
Progresso: Stop poisoning people with your soup!
Progresso soup cans are lined with bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting chemical that studies show is linked with cancer, obesity, heart disease, and other life-threatening diseases.A recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard tested individuals who ate Progresso Soup. Levels of BPA spiked in their blood samples.
Plastics Chemical Linked to Obesity in Kids
HealthDay News - It's hard to imagine a pacifier or a rubber ducky making your child fat. But new research suggests that chemicals called phthalates, which are found in the plastics that pacifiers and toys are typically made of, may be linked to higher rates of obesity in children.
The Champion of Painkillers
ProPpublica.org - The news about narcotic painkillers is increasingly dire: Overdoses now kill nearly 15,000 people a year -- more than heroin and cocaine combined. In some states, the painkiller death toll exceeds that of car crashes.
American Medical Association: GMO Labeling Not Necessary
The American Medical Association announced in a statement this week that they saw no health purpose for labeling genetically modified foods -- those made with GMOs (or genetically modified organisms) -- as such.
6/26, Larry Margasak, Associated Press, Issa challenges Obama executive privilege claim
6/26, Tana Ganeva, AlterNet, Why Is the Government Collecting Your Biometric Data?
6/26, Guy Adams, The Independent (UK), Wikileaks: Prosecuting lawyers in the Bradley Manning case ordered to hand over key documents
6/26, Alexander Abdo, Guardian (UK), The White House's blemished record of disclosure on Bush-era torture
6/25, Marjorie Cohn, Huffington Post, Killer Drone Attacks Illegal, Counter-Productive
6/25, John Whitehead, Rutherford Institute, In a Police State, Everyone Loses: The Supreme Court’s Ruling in Arizona v. United States Endangers Us All
News Corp. Considering Splitting into Two Separate Companies
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is considering splitting into two to separate its publishing assets from its more lucrative entertainment business. The Murdoch family is not expected to lose its effective control of any of the businesses involved if the plan goes ahead.
News Corp.'s Murdoch Said to Consider Splitting Company
Rupert Murdoch is considering splitting his News Corp. media company into two, one unit focusing on publishing and the other on entertainment. According to reports, shareholders have been asking to separate the U.K. newspaper assets to keep clear of any negative exposure.
News Corp. Closer to Spinning Off Newspaper Division
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is considering splitting into two companies. Such a split, which could be announced this week, would separate News Corp.'s low-flying publishing assets, including its scandal-riddled British papers, from its profitable TV and film divisions. There have been rumors of massive layoffs are coming to News Corp.'s Australian newspapers since rival Fairfax Media announced large cuts earlier this week.
Coalition to FCC: Take a Look at Black Radio
A few weeks ago, one the most popular radio stations in New York City -- 98.7 KISS-FM -- abruptly shifted gears. Without warning, it abandoned its urban programming and became a sports talk station. What happened? Disney took over programming for the station. And now coalition of African American, media justice and public interest groups as well as black media professionals and scholars are calling on the Federal Communication Commission to study the state of black radio and the devastating impact of media consolidation.
FCC Eyes Easier NCE Fundraising for Third Parties
The FCC is asking whether noncommercial educational radio and TV stations should be routinely permitted to interrupt their regular programming for fundraising activities for the benefit of any nonprofit entity other than the station itself. Historically, NCE stations have been prohibited from breaking into their regular programming for extended third-party fundraising even when the entity to be benefited was itself nonprofit.
FCC Backs Off Special Access Vote
The FCC yesterday did not vote on a special access reform proposal, in turn granting by default petitions by AT&T to deregulate special access service in San Francisco, San Antonio and Oakland, Calif.
T-Mobile, Verizon Agree on Spectrum Deal
Once a fierce opponent, T-Mobile is now backing the controversial spectrum transaction between Verizon Wireless and SpectrumCo after cutting a deal for a share of the bounty. Public interest groups, which have just lost a key ally in fighting the deal, remain concerned about SpectrumCo's potential anti-competitive effects.
Verizon, T-Mobile Deal Not a Fix, say Opponents
Challengers to Verizon Wireless' purchase of nationwide AWS spectrum say the operator's agreement to swap spectrum with T-Mobile USA won't fix the competitive harms of the transaction.
Verizon-Cable Deal Gains Steam
By agreeing to a spectrum swap with T-Mobile, Verizon won over one of the leading critics of its proposed deal with a group of cable companies. T-Mobile had warned that the cable deal would allow Verizon to dominate the wireless market, but the company pulled its opposition after striking the deal.
Hearst Fires Reporter for Serial Fabrication in at Least 25 Stories
Paresh Jha, an award-winning reporter for Hearst Newspapers' New Canaan News in Connecticut, has been fired for fabricating sources and quotes in at least 25 stories over the nearly two years he worked at the weekly.
Is the Guardian Planning to Ditch Print for Digital Future Sooner Rather than Later?
There are rumours that the Guardian is planning widespread redundancies and possibly even closing all or some of its print editions in a radical move to turn itself into an entirely digital operation in 2013. It's possible that the paper could be forced into making compulsory redundancies to stem heavy weekly losses.
White House Warned Not to Delete 'Leak' Emails
As the leak investigation into the unauthorized disclosures of classified information enters into its third week, White House staffers have been warned not to delete any emails or destroy other information that could be pertinent to investigators.
In Other News...
AT&T and ALEC Pushing Anti-Consumer Telecom Bill in California
DirecTV, Dish Said to Receive Justice Department Requests
Liberty Media Awarded Nearly $1 Billion in Vivendi Lawsuit
WIPO Is Quietly Agreeing to Give Hollywood Stars Special Copyright Protection
EU Will Make Broadcasters Give Up Spectrum to Broadband
EU Commissioner Reveals He Will Ignore Rejection of ACTA by European Parliament
International Newsworthy
The Israeli Endgame in Iran
Iran Busts 4 Terrorist Groups
EU Affirms Iran Oil Ban-Dismisses Greek Concerns
EU’s Iran Sanctions Trouble India
South Korea Gives Up Iranian Oil
Afghanistan: New Poppy Blight Poised to Boost Opium Price
Afghans Flee Shelling from Pakistan
Scores of Afghan Policemen Poisoned
Pakistan US Drone Strikes Kill at Least 5 in Waziristan
Gen John Allen to Visit Pakistan for NATO Route Talks
NATO War Council to Target Syria
Turkish PM Vows to “Liberate Syria from Dictatorship”
Syria Shot at Second Turkish Jet-Ankara Claims
Reports of British Forces in Syria
Iraq to Curb Media including BBC & Voice of America
Egypt’s New President Takes Revolution to Palace
Egypt Army Arrest Power Suspended
Israel to Deploy Radars along Egypt Borders
Uganda Detains 5 Pakistanis Suspected of Rebel Ties
Russia: Gazprom-Rosneft Tighten Energy Grip on Europe
Russia Raps Israel Settlement Expansion
Russian Scientist who Spied for China Freed
Russian Lease to Tajikistan Military Base under Threat
Azerbaijan: Baku Business Bosses Win Right to Secrecy
Uzbekistan Destroys 1,650 kg of Drugs
UK Spy Chief: Arab Spring Provided New Breeding Ground for British Terrorists
Colombia: FRAC Changes Tactics
National Newsworthy
Massive US-Israeli Military Drill Set for October
Drone Documents: Why the Government Won’t Release Them
Stuxnet Cyberweapon Set to Stop Operating
FBI Eyes Over 100 “Suspected” Extremists in US Military
Military Industrial Complex Sounds Alarm on Sequestration
Police State: House Bill Extends TSA Intel Sharing to Mass Transit
Bradley Manning Wins Battle over Documents
Romney to Jewish Donors: “I Get Israeli Briefings”
Senators Ask Holder to Appoint Independent Counsel to Investigate Leaks
White House Threatens Leakers with Polygraph
More than 25% of Americans Don’t Have Emergency Savings
Noteworthy Editorials
Eric Draitser: War At Any Cost: Another Manufactured Pretext for War with Syria
Chris Floyd: Grand Tradition- Obama does it the Old-Fashioned Way in Honduras
The American War Racket
Wiretapping Run Amok
Money-Power & Politics in America
=================================================================================
June 25th 2012
World NewsVIDEO: Muslim Brotherhood candidate declared winner in Egypt elections
Al Jazeera - Morsi picked up 13.2 million votes out of just over 26 million, giving him about 51 per cent of the vote. His competitor, Ahmed Shafik, the final prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, received 12.3 million. More than 800,000 ballots were invalidated. Related RT video/article here.
VIDEO: Syria Shoots Down Turkish Jet Fighter Jet Over Its TerritoryKurt Nimmo - Syria has shot down a Turkish aircraft, according to Lebanon's Hezbollah-owned al-Manar television station.
Clinton Says Iran Wants to Be Attacked
ynetnews.com - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed on Wednesday the top priorities of US diplomacy around the world, saying that Iran wants to be attacked by somebody because it would unify the Iranian public and legitimize the Islamic regime.
Obama Administration Accused of Blocking UN Report on Congo Rebels to Protect Dictator AllyAll Gov -A United Nations Group of Experts has uncovered information revealing Rwanda's support for a Congolese rebel leader who is wanted internationally for using child soldiers.
VIDEO: Nukes away: Thousands protest Japan's return to atomic energy
RT - Around 20,000 people gathered in Tokyo to protest the Japanese government's unilateral decision to restart two nuclear reactors. Many in Japan are wary of nuclear power, as memories of last year's devastating Fukushima disaster as still fresh.
World stocks fall on skepticism over Europe summitAP - World stocks fell Monday amid concern that a critical European summit later this week will not yield a deal that might restore confidence in the future of the 17-country euro currency. Investors already worried about an economic slowdown in the U.S. and China were preparing for the European leaders to disappoint at their June 28-29 gathering in Brussels.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Data Mining: Big Corporations Are Gathering Every Shred Of Information About You That They Can And Selling It For Profit
Economic Collapse - When most people think of "Big Brother", they think of the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, the Department of Homeland Security and other shadowy government agencies.
VIDEO: Drone Controllers executing Hellfire strike simulation!Live Leak - We have all seen the UAV drone videos, but you never get to see who is behind the control and what is going on. All of it is controlled from Nevada. In this simulation they demonstrate their ability to control dozens of these units at the same time.
VIDEO: "Don't Be Alarmed": Army Trains MPs To Drive Tanks On U.S. Streets
Paul Joseph Watson - St Louis City residents have been warned to not be alarmed at the sight of U.S. Army tanks.
U.S. plans more drone flights over CaribbeanBoston Herald - After quietly testing Predator drones over the Bahamas for more than 18 months, the Department of Homeland Security plans to expand the unmanned surveillance flights into the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico to fight drug smuggling, according to U.S. officials.
US Army to smite enemies with lightning bolts?
RT - In the era of remote-controlled drones, invisible planes and microwave guns, no military innovation should come as a surprise. But among the array of new weapons none are more satisfying than a cannon that allows you to unleash bolts of lightning.
Unplugged metal detector causes evacuation at JFK airportNY Post - The TSA's bungling reached a new low yesterday when a JFK Airport terminal had to be evacuated and hundreds of passengers marched back through security screening all because one dimwitted agent failed to realize his metal detector had been unplugged, sources told The Post.
Here's How US And Israel Are Preparing For A Possible Attack On Iran
Business Insider - Israel continues to "prepare all other options" for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, as diplomatic talks go nowhere, according to Reuters.
House bill extends TSA intel sharing to mass transitfederalnewsradio.com - The Transportation Security Administration already shares intelligence it collects with airports. Now a House bill would expand TSA's intel sharing to local mass transit systems as well.
Does MAP-21 Bill Revoke Second Amendment for Unpaid Taxes?
Kurt Nimmo - A post on the Franklin County Va. Patriots blog reports that gun rights activists are also concerned the government will use additional legalese in the bill to deny the Second Amendment to gun owners also behind taxes the IRS claims they owe.
Dying for tickets? Contest rewards Morrissey fans for their best suicide noteRT - Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before: a DC-based website has pulled the plug on a promotion that had them asking readers to write their best original suicide notes for a chance to win tickets to see British rock singer Morrissey.
Arkansas Supreme Court rules that execution is unconstitutional
RT - Death row inmates in Arkansas were awarded a major victory on Friday after the state's Supreme Court threw out the 2009 law that established policies for executing prisoners, calling it unconstitutional.
Jerry Sandusky Guilty On 45 CountsBELLEFONTE, Pa. (CBS/AP) -Jerry Sandusky showed little emotion as the jury in child sex abuse trial read the verdict finding him "guilty" on 45 counts and "not guilty" on three. The judge immediately revoked his bail and he was handcuffed and sent to the Centre County Correctional Facility.
Economy
Bernanke Bails Out Europe
Solon - Warning that America's sputtering economic recovery was grinding down, this week the Federal Reserve noted in classic Fed-speak that "strains in global financial markets continue to pose significant downside risks to the economic outlook.
Occupy Wall Street Protest
Occupy movement plans California foreclosure rallyPress TV - A coalition of homeowners, Occupy groups, unions, clergy, community groups and others from throughout California will hold a major rally at the State Capitol June 25 to demand the governor, the attorney general and the legislature declare an immediate foreclosure moratorium.
Health
Merck recalls batch of MMR vaccine released early
NEW YORK (AP) - Merck & Co. said Thursday it is recalling 39,000 doses of a vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella because it was shipped before the company finished an internal approval process.
Top seven vegan sources of protein
(NaturalNews) It's a great time to be a vegan. As the numbers of vegans grows, the demand for vegan products increases. There are lots of nutrient dense foods with a decent protein content. Even meat eaters ought to vary their protein sources, and try some of these.
Nature offers safe and effective blood thinning alternatives to mainstream drugs
(NaturalNews) Millions of people in the United States take either prescription medications, aspirin or a combination of those drugs to thin their blood.
Why Half of America May Be Stupid by 2030
by Dr. Mercola - It's a fact that excess dietary fructose can harm your body by setting up the conditions for diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver, but what does it do to your brain? Studies have not addressed this question-until now.
Scientists have come up with a blue strawberry by splicing them with fish genes
Scientists are genetically modifying strawberries in order to allow them to resist freezing temperatures better. They're doing it by artificial transfer of genes from a species of fish called the Arctic Flounder Fish. The Arctic Flounder Fish produces an anti-freeze that allows it to protect himself in freezing waters.
FDA urges stores to remove Korean shellfish
WMUR.com - After evaluating Korea's shellfish sanitation program, the FDA said it found significant deficiencies, including inadequate sanitary controls, ineffective management of land-based pollution sources and the presence of norovirus in shellfish growing areas.
Rand Paul Votes NO on GMO Labeling Farm Wars - Thought that endorsing Romney was bad enough? In another turn of events that exposes the corporatist leanings of Rand Paul, Senator from Kentucky, he has voted NO on a GMO labeling amendment to the farm bill "to permit States to require that any food, beverage, or other edible product offered for sale have a label on indicating that the food, beverage, or other edible product contains a genetically engineered ingredient
6/25, Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times, Congress keeps closer watch on CIA drone strikes
6/25, David Kravets, Wired, Much-Abused ‘State Secrets Privilege’ Under Fire in Congress
6/25, Guardian (UK), US govt deliberately blocking Manning from fair trial: Lawyer
6/25, Stephen Dinan, Washington Times, Homeland Security suspends immigration agreements with Arizona police
6/25, Adam Liptak, John Cushman jr, New York Times, Blocking Parts of Arizona Law, Justices Allow Its Centerpiece
6/24, Jimmy Carter, New York Times, A Cruel and Unusual Record
Verizon, T-Mobile Stop Bickering, Enter Spectrum Pact
It was only yesterday that T-Mobile was lobbying hard to halt Verizon's acquisition of the cable operators' unused 4G spectrum. Today it's not opposed to the deal at all. What changed? T-Mobile and Verizon revealed an agreement to swap some of those same 4G airwaves if Verizon's $3.9 billion purchase gets regulatory approval.
T-Mobile Likely to End Attempt to Block Verizon Spectrum Purchase
When Verizon Wireless struck a deal to buy new spectrum for $3.9 billion, T-Mobile USA was the first to ask the government to block the sale. But this morning, Verizon announced a deal that seems all but certain to end T-Mobile's opposition. The companies will trade spectrum and cash, with the deal being contingent on the approval of Verizon's purchase of licenses from SpectrumCo, Cox and Leap Wireless.
SpectrumCo Critics Weigh In on Verizon-T-Mobile Trade
Reaction from SpectrumCo deal skeptics came thick and fast to Verizon Wireless' announcement Monday that it had struck a new deal to trade spectrum with T-Mobile, subject to FCC approval of both this deal and SpectrumCo, Verizon's proposed purchase of advanced wireless spectrum from cable operators, some of which will be part of the T-Mobile exchange.
Verizon Deal with T-Mobile Deserves Careful Scrutiny
Verizon and T-Mobile announced a deal to exchange specific AWS licenses in markets across the nation. The evidence presented in Verizon's deal with SpectrumCo definitively proves that Verizon is badly overstating its need for the cable companies' spectrum. Consumers need access to a more competitive wireless market. Spectrum policy should be used to achieve, not thwart that goal.
Big Cable's Plan to Lock Down Your Future
While the likes of Comcast and Time Warner Cable have every right to profit from their investments and services, they shouldn't abuse their dominant market share to remake our Internet in their image. The rise of online video is causing fits among cable executives. The "data caps" they're using to stifle cord-cutting take away user choice and could dismantling the open and democratic architecture that has been the cornerstone of the Internet's success.
Does Kansas City Own the Business of Broadband?
Studying the more than 150 successful community broadband networks and listening to mayors of cities that are driving significant innovations with broadband, a serious question comes to mind. Has Kansas City taken full ownership of the business of broadband? Communities nationwide with broadband hopes should ask the same question of their efforts.
The Short-Sightedness of Wall Street When It Comes to Broadband Infrastructure Investment
Wall Street functions on a quarterly basis mostly -- with an occasional nod to looking out a full year, but rarely anything further than that. This creates stupidly short-sighted incentives that are deathly towards anyone with any long term goals or strategy. It's unfortunate how many companies find themselves slaves to Wall Street analysts views in making their strategic planning efforts. Because that holds them back from actually making the important big strategic investments they often need for the future.
Why You Will Need a 300 Mbps Broadband Connection
The growing popularity of connected TVs and efforts to build interactive programs will drive the next wave of broadband demand. But are you prepared to shell out more than $200 a month for a 300 Mbps connection?
A New Treaty Could Cost You Skype, Freedom or Both
An international telecommunications treaty is being re-examined. Why should you care? Because it could affect the future of the Internet. The International Telecommunications Union has been around since 1865, establishing rules for countries to follow. The last updates to the rules came in 1988. And now some countries may look to make big changes to those agreements to clamp down on the open nature of the Internet.
Informed Societies: Towards a Code of Conduct for Government Leaders
The World Economic Forum has proposed a code of conduct for governments that includes transparency, media literacy and open Internet policies. The draft code was presented by the Global Agenda Council on Informed Societies, a group of journalists, academics and media entrepreneurs. The council will create an "Informed Societies Index" to measure government compliance with the code.
Japan Criminalizes Unauthorized Downloads, Making DVD Backups -- And Maybe Watching YouTube
The Japanese government has approved a bill that makes downloading copyrighted material a criminal act. The bill makes it illegal to upload or download the data, even if it's to backup a DVD or watch a YouTube video. Since people will inevitably carry on doing all these things, Japan's legislation will simply crimininalize an entire generation.
Former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin recently quoted blogger Matt Drudge, saying "Every citizen can be a reporter, can take on the powers that be." But will citizen reporters rush toward destruction, disaster and genocide to get the stories or pore over budgets and complicated court rulings to help the rest of us understand our cities, nation and the world? No.
Digital Media Flourishing Despite Global Economic Uncertainty
Media brands around the world may be using a wider range of digital assets and rely on digital sources in their reporting more than ever, but a new report says that journalists will only use social media to research or support their work when they know the source.
Shock at the BCC as Reporters Are Told to Start Making Money
There are fears for the future editorial independence of the BBC after news journalists were ordered to come up with money-generating ideas for the corporation, a leaked email reveals. BBC bosses have told reporters to think of money-making schemes and present them to their line managers at forthcoming job appraisals -- raising concerns that the organization's prized editorial standards will be compromised by commercial imperatives.
Iraq Orders Closure of 44 Media Outlets
An Iraqi regulatory body has ordered the closure of 44 media outlets in the country including the BBC and Voice of America in a dispute over broadcast licenses. Other organizations targeted for shutdown include privately-owned local TV channels Sharqiya and Baghdadia as well as U.S.-financed Radio Sawa.
Vatican Hires Fox News Journalist to Help Media Relations
The Vatican, stung by communications blunders and mired in a leaks scandal, has hired an American journalist from Fox News and member of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei to help improve its relations with the media.
In Other News...
Federal Funds Called Vital for Many Public Stations
Judge Rips Apart Apple's Patent Litigation Strategy
In Bid for Sanity, Judge Throws Out Entire Apple/Motorola Case
The FTC Should Take a Broader Look at Transparency
Why Are MVNOs So How Right Now?
Supreme Court to Hear Comcast Appeal of Class-Action Decision
A New Boomlet in TV for Preschoolers
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Why We Owe It All to Alan Turing
International Newsworthy
The Saudi Endgame for Iran
Iran to ‘Strongly’ Confront Possible Attacks
Iran-Afghanistan to Build Joint Oil Pipeline
Barzani Set Up Mossad Den against Iran in Iraqi Kurdistan-Report
Pakistan: Osama’s Shadow Haunts CIA Doctor
Pakistan Promises Full Protection to US Diplomats
UAE Opens 40 Schools in Pakistan (Ask Why)
US-Myanmar Eye Military Links
Syria Puts Double Whammy on Turkey
Northern Syria Clashes Kill 16 Soldiers
Gunmen Blast Oil Pipeline in Eastern Syria
Iraq Orders Mass Closure of Media Outlets
Yemen Oil Route Reopens after Military Pullout
Libya Descending into Chaos after NATO “Success”
All Rise for the People of Egypt
Obama Accused of Blocking UN Report on Congo Rebels to Protect Dictator Ally
Kenya Protests US Terror Advisory for Mombasa
Somali Defense Minister Promises to Expand War on Al Shabab
Oil Greases Russia’s Repression
Russia to Double Troops in Armenia
CASA Power Link Looks Fragile
Kyrgyzstan: Lax Western Banks Make Money-Laundering Easy
Ethnic Tensions Smolder in Kyrgyzstan
Donald Rumsfeld Hangs Out in Georgia
UK Mass Surveillance Bill: The Return of a Bad Idea
Germany: Use of Drones on the Rise
Cyprus Applies for EU Bailout
National Newsworthy
Police State: Amtrak & the TSA
US Spy Agency Launches New Satellite
Jimmy Carter: ‘US Antiterrorism Policy Violates Human Rights’
Is the Roberts Supreme Court in the Pocket of US Chamber of Commerce?
Assange Seeking US Legal Guarantee
Bradley Manning Lawyers Accuse Prosecutors of Misleading Judge
US Points Finger, and Arms Exports, at Human Rights Abusers
Obama’s Approval in Freefall in Stagnant Economy
In Big Ad Buy ‘Committee for Israel’ Urges US Attack on Iran
Cryptome: CIA Stopping Unauthorized Disclosures 2002
Noteworthy Editorials
Pepe Escobar: The Phantom War
Rick Rozoff: Saudi Arabia: Persian Gulf of Strategic Interest to NATO
Andrew Napolitano: King Barack Obama
Jacob Hornberger: Needed- A National Debate on US Support of Dictatorships
Follow the Dark Money
Is Barack Obama Morphing into Dick Cheney?
==================================================================================
June 22nd 2012
World News
VIDEO: Ship bound for Syria was carrying 3 old helicopters repaired in Russia - Lavrov
RT - Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed in an exclusive interview to RT that a Russian ship bound for Syria was carrying 3 Syrian helicopters that had been repaired in Russia.
British school calls police to remove pupil 'obsessed' with studying
Fox News - The school accused Gagliardi, who is predicted to be an A-grade student, of being "obsessed" with after-school tuition and said that it called the police because the pupil was causing a "nuisance.".
AP sources: U.S. mulls new covert raids in Pakistan
U.S. military and intelligence officials are so frustrated with Pakistan's failure to stop local militant groups from attacking Americans in neighboring Afghanistan that they have considered launching secret joint U.S.-Afghan commando raids into Pakistan to hunt them down, officials told The Associated Press.
Greek healthcare system collapses, hospital workers now working without pay
(NaturalNews) The economic situation in Greece is only continuing to worsen, as reports indicate that hospitals and care centers throughout the nation are running completely out of medicines, and many healthcare workers are now voluntarily providing care services without pay.
Spanish Activists Seek Arrest of Banksters
WideShut.co.uk - Juan Moreno Yague, the lawyer of the activists said in a statement:
"This is only the beginning," claiming to have "inside information" that also implicates the Bank of Spain and its former governer, Miguel Angel Fernandez Ordonez, in the fraud.
VIDEO: Inhofe: Why Isn't Obama in Rio?
National Review Online - "The bottom line is simple: President Obama is running for reelection and is too busy trying to tell American voters that he is the new fossil-fuels President and that he actually supports the development of oil, gas, and coal," Inhofe said in the video. "I don't think that message would sell too well with his friends in the U.N.
Christ Turns 'Green' at U.N. Earth Summit - Literally
National Review Online - Green guru James Lovelock was right. He warned last week that "the green religion is now taking over from the Christian religion." Now at the U.N. Earth Summit, even the image of Christ has been made a forcible convert to the eco-faith, as the city of Rio is bathing the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer (Christo Redentor) in green light.
New red threat? Virus stole, sent thousands of blueprints to China
RT - A previously unknown cyber worm preying on machinery blueprints has been exposed in Latin America. The new virus steals the blueprints and sends them to e-mail accounts registered in China.
US, Japan begin naval drills near China
Press TV - The U.S., Japan and South Korea began joint naval exercises in waters near China and the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, underscoring efforts to tighten military cooperation between the three nations.
VIDEO: Ship bound for Syria was carrying 3 old helicopters repaired in Russia - Lavrov
RT - Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed in an exclusive interview to RT that a Russian ship bound for Syria was carrying 3 Syrian helicopters that had been repaired in Russia.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
VIDEO: Fox News Got An 'Angry Phone Call' From The White House After Airing An Attack Ad On President Obama
Business Insider - Last month, "Fox & Friends" produced this four-minute piece that came across as a hit piece on President Barack Obama and earned the network a ton of criticism - even from conservatives.
Obama Hides Behind "Executive Privilege" In Damage Control Over "Fast and Furious"
Global Research - The federal government's diabolical plan to "create crime" along the US border and then ride in as the savior with new gun restrictions - is now in retreat.
'Checkpoint of the future' takes shape at Texas airport
USA Today - At a terminal being renovated here at Love Field, contractors are installing 500 high-definition security cameras sharp enough to read an auto license plate or a logo on a shirt. The cameras, capable of tracking passengers from the parking garage to gates to the tarmac, are a key first step in creating what the airline industry would like to see at airports worldwide.
VIDEO: Newly Released Footage Proves TSA Body Scanners Are Useless
Paul Joseph Watson - Newly released video shows engineer Jon Corbett passing through a TSA body scanner with a metal object sown inside his clothing, illustrating how the federal agency's $1 billion dollar fleet of scanning machines are completely useless.
Miami law will ban "bath salts" zombie-drugs
RT - Zombie fears will soon be a thing of the past, Floridians! Commissioners in Miami, FL have approved a ban that will bar the selling of the synthetic "bath salt" drugs that are believed to turn users into flesh-starved psychopaths.
Economy
Press TV - Banks such as Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America were among the firms downgraded by the rating agency - a move that could require the banks to pony up billions in additional collateral to cover their derivatives transactions, and also make it more expensive for them to borrow.
Will Toledo, Ohio Be The First Major American City To Be Owned By China?
Economic Collapse - By running a gigantic trade deficit with us, China has been able to become incredibly wealthy. We have begged them to lend us back some of the money that we have sent them and this has made them even wealthier.
Housing Market
Woman Forcibly Removed From Home, In Spite Of Restraining Order Against Citibank
Consumerist - A woman in El Paso has been fighting foreclosure for several months, saying she was making payments and that Citibank was crediting them to an escrow account without telling her or explaining why.
Health
12.8 Million Americans To Get Health Insurance Rebates
Consumerist - Good news for 12.8 million Americans - insurers will start doling out $1.1 billion in rebates to reimburse consumers for spending too much of premiums on overhead, instead of mostly on medical care.
New Hampshire Passes First State-Wide Fluoride Warning Law
Intel Hub - Beginning August 4, 2012, New Hampshire will require notification that 6-month-olds should not be routinely fed infant formula mixed with fluoridated water to avoid discoloring babies' unerupted teeth (fluorosis), reports the Fluoride Action Network (FAN).
The Top 5 Toxic Home Cleaning Products and their Natural Alternatives
Activist Post - Home cleaning products are often overlooked when it comes to examining the toxic substances that may be currently present in your lifestyle. While food and water are more 'obvious' factors, toxic home cleaning products may also be taking a toll on your health.
6/22, Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, The Increasingly Absurd Conceit That Drone Strikes Are Secret
6/22, Democracy Now!, Torture in U.S. Prisons? Historic Senate Hearing Takes Up Solitary Confinement’s Devastating Toll
6/22, Jason Silverstein, Huffington Post, Stop and Frisk -- and DNA Test?
6/21, Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times, Poland shaken by case alleging an illicit CIA prison there
6/21, Associated Press, Lawyers for Guantanamo detainee appeal to Canada for transfer
6/21, Eli Clifton and Ali Gharib, TruthOut, Suspended U.S. Military Instructor Taught Officers To Wage ‘Total War’ On Islam
After Supreme Court Ruling, FCC Must Give Clear Indecency Standards
A Supreme Court ruling on FCC indecency rules for broadcast TV calls for less vague standards but seems to back the public interest in safeguarding children from vulgarities and nudity on public airwaves. Now the FCC must provide clarity for such rules.
Can You Say That on TV? Broadcasters Aren't Sure
Imagine a world where it would be okay to use particularly foul language in an email sent from your smartphone, but where you would be fined if you uttered the same words during a phone call. That is in essence the world that television and radio broadcasters continue to occupy, after the Supreme Court unanimously refused to wade into the dispute over whether the First Amendment should apply to 21st-century communications in the same, compartmentalized way that the court commanded in the 20th.
AT&T Fighting FCC Over Special Access
AT&T is girding for another regulatory battle with the FCC -- this time over special access regulations. Special access isn't as high-profile as fights between AT&T and the FCC over other issues, such as Net Neutrality regulations or the telecom company's failed bid to acquire T-Mobile USA. But it makes for another bitter dispute between AT&T and the FCC, one that could wind up in court.
FCC Order on Business Line Pricing May Not Fully Reregulate
A FCC proposal to address the price of dedicated telecom and broadband lines for businesses would stop large telecom carriers from seeking new price flexibility but would not scrap the underlying rules that allow price deregulation, said members of a coalition calling for changes in the rules.
Has Europe Fallen Out of Love with the Mobile Phone?
Forget the fact that it's summertime: it must feel pretty chilly right now if you're a mobile operator in Europe. Across the continent, evidence is mounting that people are starting to change their relationship with the mobile industry -- and it has operators worried.
The Best Smartphone: What to Buy on Every Carrier
What's on top right now in the smartphone world? Let's break it down.
4G Users Considering Replacing Wired Broadband
Despite conflicting and confusing definitions of what exactly constitutes "4G," it seems that users of high-speed wireless services are happy enough with them that they're considering replacing their home broadband connections with it. That may not be possible for everyone just yet, but it looks like the demand is there.
China Mulls Over Nationwide Broadband Plans
The Chinese government is considering details of a national strategy to increase broadband Internet connectivity country wide.
African Americans Take Greater Hit in Times-Picayune Layoffs
African Americans were disproportionately hit in last week's layoffs at the Times-Picayune, meaning the newspaper serving the majority-black city will become less diverse unless the difference is made up with new hires.
Politico Is Making Money with Subscriptions
In an era where it has been difficult to get anyone to pay for quality reporting, Politico is finding ways to make some cash.
Reporting from the Battlefield, Uninsured
More and more news organizations are relying on freelancers to cover dangerous international stories. But these freelancers don't enjoy the same protections as the staff writers and photographers who once covered those stories.
Hong Kong Newspaper Charged with Downplaying Dissident's Death
A prominent Hong Kong newspaper has been accused of playing down coverage of the death of a Chinese dissident, stoking new concerns that Communist Party rulers in Beijing are seeking to limit news media freedom in the former British colony.
======================================================================================
June 21st 2012
World News
Hosni Mubarak in coma, but off life support
RT - Egyptian security officials report former president Hosni Mubarak remains in a coma but has been taken off life support systems he was on after heart failure Tuesday night. His heart and other vital organs are said to be functioning properly.
Washington Post - A Russian ship carrying attack helicopters to the Syrian government turned back toward home Tuesday after its London-based insurance carrier canceled coverage, following a warning from the British government that the delivery would violate European Union sanctions.
More Icelandic bankers arrested
Ice News - Iceland's special prosecutor into the banking crisis has confirmed that raids have taken place today and that arrests have been made. The Central Bank of Iceland is among the institutions under investigation. Special Prosecutor, Olafur Thor Hauksson told Visir.is that house searches are taking place in at least three places today as part of investigations into the central bank, MP Bank and Straumur Bank.
Assad could be given clemency if he agrees for a UN-backed political transition in Syria
Guardian - Britain and America are willing to offer the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, safe passage - and even clemency - as part of a diplomatic push to convene a UN-sponsored conference in Geneva on political transition in Syria.
Syria denies war games with Russia, China, Iran-Ifax
MOSCOW, June 19 (Reuters) - An adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has denied an Iranian media report that Syria would host Russian, Chinese and Iranian military forces for joint exercises, the Russian news agency Interfax reported on Tuesday.
Starving Greeks queue for food handouts amid economic crisis
Press TV - This comes as the recession-bound country is hit hard by rising unemployment and crippling austerity measures. Native Greeks, immigrants, the elderly and children stood in a queue on Wednesday to receive vegetable handout from a coalition of farmers in Athens.
'Germany still owes Greece wartime reparations'
ATHENS - Reuters - Greece's new leaders may want to renegotiate the country's 130 billion euro bailout package with Germany and other lenders but a veteran icon of Greek resistance is pursuing a more ambitious goal with Berlin.
Palestinian village faces demolition by Israel
Boston.com - Palestinians in this hamlet have clung to their arid acres for decades, living without proper electricity or water while Israel provides both to Jewish settlers on nearby hills. But the end now seems near for Susiya: Demolition orders distributed last week by the Israelis aim to destroy virtually the entire village.
Top UK doctor's chilling claim: The NHS kills off 130,000 elderly patients every year
Daily Mail - NHS doctors are prematurely ending the lives of thousands of elderly hospital patients because they are difficult to manage or to free up beds, a senior consultant claimed yesterday.
Sweden on nuclear facility alert as explosives found at plant
RT - Sweden has raised the alert at all its nuclear facilities after bomb sniffer dogs discovered an explosive device in the back of a truck near Stockholm's Ringhals atomic power station.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Obama bars Congress from obtaining Fast and Furious papers
RT - In the midst of an investigation being spearheaded by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, President Obama once more departed from his campaign promise of a transparent presidency by granting executive privilege on behalf of Holder early Wednesday to keep Congress from obtaining documents involved in the gunwalking scheme.
VIDEO: Fast and Furious scandal: House panel votes to hold Eric Holder in contempt
Washington Post - The panel's actions will be reported to the full House, where Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and GOP leaders have scheduled a floor vote for next week unless Holder hands over the documents before then.
2012 Election News
YouTube: Ron Paul on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe'
MSNBC News June 20, 2012.
IDAHO and OREGON State and District Conventions June 21st-23rd
Daily Paul - Important information for Idaho and Oregon delegates.
VIDEO: Ron Paul Short Film "Elektable" World Premiere Thursday, June 28th, 7PM
Daily Paul - This is the first of several promotional videos that are being shared to get the word out about this world class piece. I hope you guys ove this broader glimpse. Please help me up the subscribers to my channel, as that will be the easiest way to get the word out over the next few weeks. Many more details coming soon.
Jesse Benton Keeps Ron Paul from Attending Another Grassroots Event
Liberty Chat - Jesse Benton, the man famous for his work in Borat & Bruno, has made another genius decision. This one will keep Ron Paul away from yet another major grassroots event. When asked about Ron Paul events in Tampa, Jesse says "Ron Paul will avoid events where his campaign doesn't set the tone and message.
Occupy Wall Street Protest
VIDEO: Occupy activists protest genetically modified foods
Press TV - Dressed in contamination suits and waving around boxes of children's cereal they say are pumped with Genetically Modified Organisms, protesters planted themselves outside of the International BIO Convention in Boston to fight against a week-long meeting of mega-companies and biotechnology firms.
Economy
SocGen: Gold Could Surge Over 500%
Business Insider - In the report, SocGen discusses the historical relationship between the price of gold and the U.S. monetary base.
Who Destroyed the Middle Class
The Burning Platform - The Federal Reserve released its Survey of Consumer Finances last week. It's a fact filled 80 page report they issue every three years to provide a financial snapshot of American households.
Housing Market
For Billionaires Only: Uncle Sam's Real Estate Fire Sale
New American June 14, 2012 - "The largest transfer of wealth from the public to private sector is about to begin. The federal government will be bulk-selling the massive portfolio of foreclosed homes now owned by HUD, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to private investors - vulture funds."
Health
Helpful Tips For Healing A Gluten-Ravaged Body
Green Med Info - Many of us ate wheat and gluten-containing products from infanthood into adulthood, unaware of the many adverse health effects that came with this socially-sanctioned dietary practice, until our bodies forced us to fully appreciate the darker side of wheat.
Top four causes of degenerative disease
(NaturalNews) Some people might say that the greatest threat to human health is fear, an inability to forgive and a lack of love in our heart. In addition, many health experts simply warn us about the dangers of genetically-engineered foods, chemtrails and over-exposure to radioactive isotopes. Today, let's look at four (basic) areas that could be putting you at risk for disease
Sun exposure reduces pancreatic cancer risk by nearly 50 percent
(NaturalNews) The health benefits of vitamin D are almost becoming too numerous to count, with yet another new study presented at the recent American Association for Cancer Research Pancreatic Cancer Conference in Lake Tahoe, Nev., shedding light on the hormone's specific anti-cancer benefits.
6/21, Connie Cass, Associated Press, What is executive privilege?
6/21, Associated Press, Obama administration rejects requests for ‘targeted killing’ papers, citing national security
6/21, Marjorie Cohn, Jurist, Hope Dies at Guantanamo
6/20, Mike Lapointe, Washington Times, Senate debate over cyber security bill fails to address privacy concerns
6/20, Shaun Waterman, Washington Times, Views of Islam clash at House panel hearing
6/20, Doug Oakley, Mercury News, Berkeley council backs police reforms with civil liberties in mind
FCC's Rules for Ad-Spending Disclosure Not Blocked! It's a Win for Transparency and Democracy
The House Appropriations Committee dropped an amendment to an FCC appropriations bill that would have prevented the agency from requiring that broadcasters post their political ad spending records online. This is a significant win for transparency in the political process.
Groups Urge Court: Don't Cave in on Political Disclosure Online
A half-dozen public interest groups that advocated for the FCC's new rule to move TV stations' political files online, petitioned a federal court to defend the rules in the case brought in May by the National Association of Broadcasters.
Free Press Action Fund Praises House Members for Choosing Transparency in Political Ads
The House Appropriations Committee withdrew a measure that would have prevented the FCC from carrying out its new rule requiring broadcasters to put political ad spending records online. Instead, the House adopted a new measure requiring the Government Accountability Office to study the issue. We are pleased that members of the Appropriations Committee have sided with the public and chosen transparency over secrecy, accessibility over inconvenience.
Supreme Court Rejects FCC Fines for Indecency
The Supreme Court declined to address whether the government still had the authority to regulate indecency on broadcast television, but excused two broadcasters from potential fines for several past violations of rules against cursing and nudity.
Supreme Court Ruling Doesn't Touch FCC's Indecency Rules
The Supreme Court vacated a lower court decision that the FCC's enforcement of its indecency rules was unconstitutional. The ruling is a blow for broadcasters, who were hoping that the high court would toss the FCC's ability to police content on radio and television.
New Report: Cutting Public Media Funding 'Risks the Collapse of the System'
According to a new independent analysis of funding sources for public media, "the loss of federal support for public broadcasting risks the collapse of the system." Here at Free Press we've long made this same case about the crucial need for federal funding, but this report provides striking new evidence of just how bad it would be if this money were cut.
CPB Report to Congress on Alternative Funding Finds No Viable Substitute for Federal Support
If Congress were to zero out federal appropriations to public broadcasting, 54 public television stations in 19 states and 76 public radio stations in 38 states would be at "high risk" of shutting down, CPB reported in Alternative Sources of Funding for Public Broadcasting Stations.
Building a Multi-Platform Media for -- and by -- the Public
Rather than trying to patch a broken system, policymakers should instead consider options that would require broadcasters to give back something more concrete in exchange for access to the public airwaves. An alternative approach: In lieu of public interest obligations, assess an annual spectrum fee on commercial broadcasters.
Public Media Policy, Spectrum Policy and Rethinking Public Interest Obligations for the 21st Century
Throughout the history of U.S. policymaking, access to spectrum and the airwaves has been linked to free speech and expression. The public sphere now includes not just one-way broadcast, but two-way broadband and mobile communications platforms. Given this, spectrum allocation has to be considered not only in terms of how it can serve the historic priorities of the nation's Communications Act -- localism, diversity and competition -- but also the fact that anyone can produce and distribute media in the digital era.
Reading Rainbow Might Stop the iPad from Ruining the Brains of All Children
For a generation now creating advanced things and placed in corridors of power, LeVar Burton was a god-king: both Star Trek's Geordi La Forge, and the guy who taught us to like books on Reading Rainbow. Now the two Burtons are fused -- and it's pretty incredible.
There is no denying how the Web has been used of late by those who want to spread misinformation -- public relations people, activists, people who may tweet and retweet fake information in an effort to target influential Twitter users and change the frame of a debate. But is all the Web one shade -- a darker one at that? And is all investigative journalism honest and factual?
Should Writers Be Allowed to Recycle Material?
Writers often develop ideas for books through magazine articles and use their same ideas in public speaking engagements, but the cross-pollination of content in various media outlets raises questions about the ethics of self-plagiarism in journalism.
Egyptian Journalist Fined for Libel
An Egyptian journalist has been fined for defamation after calling for changes to the editorial staff of Egypt's state-run newspapers.
Chinese Whispers: Citizen Journalism Behind the Great Firewall
The news in China is closely regulated by state-run agencies such as the General Administration of Press and Publication and the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television. In a society where the Internet is highly controlled, and official news channels are also restricted, hearing an alternative voice can prove difficult.
In Other News...
Welcome to the New Freepress.net
How America Can Get More Startup Talent
ACTA Fails to Gain ITC Approval, MEPs Vote to Reject Controversial Piracy Treaty
Time Warner Cable Patents Method for Disabling Fast-Forward Function on DVRs
City Council Approves Plan for Free Wi-Fi At LAX
=====================================================================================
June 20th 2012
Report: 15,000 American forces stationed in Kuwait: Senate account
Press TV - A US Senate report indicates that the United States has now nearly 15,000 troops in three bases across Kuwait- - triple the average number of American forces in the Middle Eastern country before the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Olympic sponsor scraps slave shoesPress TV - London Olympics sponsor Adidas has been forced to scrap Olympic-time 'slave shoes' that could add to the shame from explosive revelations that the clothing it is producing for the games are prepared in near-slavery conditions in Indonesian sweatshops.
Armed groups in Syria receive weapons from Israel: Reports
Press TV - Armed gangs in Syria have been receiving Israel-made weapons found in Latakia Province near the border with Turkey, Press TV has learned. The revelation comes days after the Syrian army regained control over the northwestern Syrian village of al-Haffeh in Latakia, at the request of the local residents.
Syria, Iran, Russia and China Reportedly Plan War GameKurt Nimmo - Media outlets in Iran are reporting that Iran plans to participate in a war game with Russia, China and Syria in the near future and preparations will be carried out in the next few days.
Unjustified killing: UN wants US drone attacks explained
RT - A UN investigator has called on Washington to provide justification for the increasingly widespread use of military drones to carry out targeted killings. He says drone attacks, which take innocent civilian lives, may be violating international law.
Tahrir Square fills again as protesters contest Egypt's military ruleCS Monitor June 19, 2012 - Thousands of people gathered in Tahrir Square Tuesday to protest a move by Egypt's military rulers to limit the authority of the incoming president and extend their own power past the end of this month, when they had promised a full handover to a civilian government.
Debt crisis: Greek government will be forced to seek third bail-out
Telegraph - Greece is expected to ask for a third international bail-out agreement as soon as a government is formed, ramping up the pressure on Germany and Brussels to back the eurozone or break it.
Debt crisis: Spain and Italy to be bailed out in £600bn dealTelegraph - European leaders are poised to announce a £600?billion deal to bail out Spain and Italy, it emerged at the G20 summit on Tuesday night. Two rescue funds are to be used to buy the debts of the troubled economies, the cost of which have reached record highs in recent weeks.
Globalist Control Freaks Worried About European Secessionist Movements
Kurt Nimmo - Business Insider posted an article the other day breaking down the various secessionist movements in the United Kingdom and Europe. If Scotland manages to get out of the United Kingdom, it will serve as an example for potential breakaways in Spain, Belgium, Serbia and even France, according to the website.
GLOBAL ELITES THROWN OUT OF ICELAND: Iceland Dismantles Corrupt Govt Then Arrests All Rothschild Bankersitmakessenseblog.com - Last week 9 people were arrested in London and Reykjavik for their possible responsibility for Iceland's financial collapse in 2008, a deep crisis which developed into an unprecedented public reaction that is changing the country's direction.
WHO Declares American Weight Problem Draining Worlds Resources
Activist Post - Researchers at the BMC Public Health have published a study regarding the increasing levels of "fatness" worldwide and the impact such weight gain has on global resources. They contend that over-weight people are likening to an extra billion humans born on the planet.
UN Official Declares: Western Nations 'Don't Need More Cars, More TVs'CNS News - United Nations Development Programme head Helen Clark told AFP in an interview: "So the issue is how to get human development that will see it continue to rise for the world's poorest people and people in developing countries.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Call to Action: NDAA Resolution Presented to OH Sheriff; Immediate Support Needed
Activist Post - On June 1st, the largest anti NDAA organization, PANDA, mobilized in over 25 states across the nation. This showed that We the People will not stand idly by and watch as our country is torn apart by unconstitutional legislation, tyrannical government, and the swift slide towards an American Police State. It is now time for our first major action. The Wood County, OH Sheriff, Mark Wasylyshyn, has been presented with a resolution (PDF) on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
NC Senator Phil Berger Refuses to Take Action on Nullify-NDAA, Betrays His Constituents!Intel Hub - Note: We Are Change NC and USWGO are going to confront Sen. Berger on July 9th 2012 and have his remarks on video as to why he betrayed his 216+ constituents. 221 signatures are on the petition with 3-5 found to not be actual constituents but still Americans against the NDAA.
Drones: Coming soon to an airspace near you
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it's an unmanned drone! Congress today approved a bill that allows unmanned aircraft to fly in the same airspace as commercial airliners, private planes, and cargo jets. The legislation allocates $63.4 billion over the next three and a half years to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), $11 billion of which will be used to update air traffic control systems at 35 US airports to handle the remote-controlled aircrafts. The deadline for the systems update is June 2015.
YouTube: Rachel Maddow: Ron Paul insurgents seize control of state Republican partiesPublished on Jun 19, 2012 by RonPaulFriends.
VIDEO: Rachel Maddow: Mitt Romney Is Using His Ex-Contenders Against Ron Paul to Neutralize Paul Factor
RunRonPaul.com - The Rachel Maddow show explains how Ron Paul is still a factor in the presidential race. Will there be a showdown in Tampa at the RNC?
Health
Be a Sticker Stickler: How to determine certainty whether produce is GMO, conventional or organic!
Stickers on produce contain 4-5 digit number, known as a Price Look-Up (PLU) code, for stores to identify produce and distinguish between conventionally-grown, GMO, and organic produce.
6/20, G.W. Schulz, The Bay Citizen, Police, lobbyists defeat attempt to regulate license-plate scanners
6/20, Richard Serrano, Los Angeles Times, Obama invokes executive privilege over Fast and Furious documents
6/19, Jeffrey Ross, Baltimore Sun, Drones are different
6/19, Annika McGinnis, McClatchy Newspapers, Sen. Richard Durbin urges revamping prison solitary confinement
6/19, David Kravets, Wired, House Committee Approves Sweeping, Warrantless Electronic Spy Powers
6/19, John Knefel, TruthOut, Eight Defendants Found Guilty in Occupy Trespass Case
Hey, Broadcasters ... Where's the Beef?
What exactly is the broadcasters' beef with the FCC rule? They argue that uploading public and political files to the Internet would be too costly and burdensome, and that posting information about what stations charge for political commercials reveals "sensitive" data about ad rates. Look under the bun, though, and these claims don't have a lot of meat to them.
Last week, Reps. Ed Markey and John Conyers sent letters to the FCC and the Justice Department urging them to take a closer look at the Verizon-Cable deal. It's encouraging to see that some members on Capitol Hill haven't forgotten why they're in Washington: to serve the people who elected them -- and not the companies that paid for their campaigns.
Powell: Don't Look for FCC to Do Any Retrans Game Changing
Don't look for any game-changing decisions on retrans out of this FCC, says National Cable & Telecom Association President Michael Powell.
Do machines speak? If so, do they have a constitutional right to free speech? This may sound like a fanciful question, a matter of philosophy or science fiction. But it's become a real issue with important consequences.
Chinese Online Censorship Targets 'Collective Action' Posts
New academic research from Harvard published Monday suggests that China's filtration policy may be more complex, and, oddly, more open than previously thought.
AT&T and XM/Sirius to Get More Spectrum Online? And What Does It Mean for LTE in the U.S.
AT&T deserves credit for working with XMSirius on this and coming up with something positive and pragmatic rather than continuing the endless cycle of blame between satellite radio and WCS licenses. On the other hand, like the current AT&T effort to refarm its 2G spectrum for 4G, AT&T had to be pushed into it kicking and screaming when it was denied the right to buy out T-Mo. This should also emphasize the next direction for the wireless industry: more efficient multiband radios.
Markey, Barton: 'Do Not' Means 'Collect' as Well as 'Track' and 'Target'
Reps. Ed Markey and Joe Barton have asked the World Wide Web Consortium to continue its work in devising global standards for do-not-track regimes. "Do not collect and target" will be part of the definition.
The Tor Project Helps Journalists and Whistleblowers Go Online Without Leaving a Trace
Originally built in a U.S. Naval laboratory as a way to protect government communications, Tor has grown into a wide-reaching project that helps individuals stay anonymous online. With an infusion of Knight News Challenge funds, Tor will establish a multilingual help desk so that people using the software around the world can get instant assistance at any time.
Another A1 Times-Picayune Press Release
Not content with dominating the Times-Picayune's front page with a press release from its editor, the paper ran an awfully similar piece by the new publisher on page one headlined "The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com are here to stay." As if the Times-Pic needed to remind New Orleanians that its absentee owners have brought in an outsider to gut their hometown paper.
News Corp. Makes Bid for Australia's Consolidated Media Holdings
News Corp. has made a roughly $2-billion offer for Consolidated Media Holdings, an Australia-based holding company that co-owns, with News Corp., substantial media assets in that region.
In Other News...
'Sesame Street' Movie in the Works from Fox
Sesame Street Tops at Children's Emmy Awards
Steal This Album: What Happens if No One Pays for Music?
What the Internet Looks Like, Physically: Tubes Reviewed
Senators Ask Supremes to Televise Health-Care Decision
International Newsworthy
Will the BRICS Rescue Iran?
China & Japan Secure Iran Oil Supply-Bypassing EU Sanctions
Afghanistan: Hamid Karzai Government Under Fire for Oil Deal with Company Run by Cousin
Missing in Action: Afghan Lawmakers
Pakistan: Gilani Pays the Price for Loyalty to Zardari
Pakistan: Was it a Coup? Who Controls the Nukes?
Pakistan: Agencies Told to Produce Balochistan’s ‘Missing’ in Next Hearing
Syria: Private Security Companies in Syria Supporting Rebels-Foreign Mercenaries Detained
Putin on Syria: No State Can Decide Another’s Government
Iraq Asks Obama to Halt Exxon’s Kurdish Deal
The OPEC Bogeyman
Israel’s Peripheral Pact
US Clings onto Gulf with Tens of Thousands of Troops in the Region
Egypt: Shafiq Campaign Challenges Reports of Mursi Presidency Victory
Egyptian Junta Proclaims a Military Dictatorship
Fake Anti-Kony Campaign Threatened by Invisible Children
Mali Islamists Want Sharia Not Independence
South African Presidency Defends IMF Investment
Nigeria Sectarian Violence Kills 100
Massive Explosives Hideout Discovered in North Caucasus
Caspian Oil Tensions Break Out Between Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan: Foreign Business Exodus Continues
Chevron Keeps Knocking at Turkmenistan’s Door
World Bank Backs First Uzbek Loan
UK Police: Assange Subject to Arrest
Dutch Media Reportedly Spied on China
National Newsworthy
Congress Unlocks America’s Hidden Shame of Solitary Confinement
House Panel Recommends Holder Contempt Citation
Obama Bars Congress from Obtaining Fast & Furious Papers
Obamacare Hidden Panel of Unelected Officials Beyond Congressional Control
CIA Ordered Cage to Hold Prisoners in Poland
Lone Senator Resists the Renewal of Bush-Obama Wiretap Program
Fed Expands Operation Twist by $267 Billion through 2012
Theft, Pedophilia, Murder Among TSA Employees’ Crimes
Nonprofit “Social Welfare” Industrial Complex Dwarfs Super PACs in Campaign Financing
Voters Kept in Dark on Ads
Cryptome: FAA Sets Large ND Drone Training Airspace
Noteworthy Editorials
Pepe Escobar: It is Ecuador or Guantanamo
Ron Paul: When will we Attack Syria?
Paul Pillar: The Limitless Global War
Jacob Hornberger: The Moral Abomination of Sanctions
M K Bhadrakumar: When Putin Meets Netanyahu
Drones, Special Operations & Whimsical Wars
=========================================================================================
June 19th 2012
Israel deploys tanks near Egypt border violating Camp David accord
Press TV - Two Israeli tanks have been spotted moving toward the border fence on Monday. Both Egypt and Israel are obliged to keep the area demilitarized under the Camp David Accord.
MAP: Big Powers Move In On Syria: WW3 Set To Blow?WRH - As we saw in Iceland, and Egypt, and historically in the French, Russian, and American revolutions, popular uprisings start in the core of the nation, in the big cities. The millions of Egyptians in Tahrir square have no parallel in Damascus.
Proposed international trade rules would give corporations the power to overrule governments
(NaturalNews) According to a report from the Citizens Trade Campaign (CTC), a "national coalition of environmental, labor, consumer, family farm, religious, and other civil society groups founded in 1992 to improve the North American Free Trade Agreement," transnational corporations would be given unprecedented authority to resolve trade disputes.
UK protesters to face corporate OlympicPress TV - British campaigners are to hold a demonstration on the doorstep of the 2012 Olympic Games to protest the government's turning of the games into a showcase for corporate, financial and military power at a time people are crushed by sweeping austerity measures.
Iceland economy grows at fastest pace since crash
Ice News - Increases in domestic consumption, tourism and exports have seen the Icelandic economy expand in the year's first quarter at its fastest pace since the 2008 banking crisis.
Super Typhoon Sets Aim at JapanAccuweather - Guchol, a tropical cyclone in the western Pacific, has its sights set on Japan. Winds currently are 120 mph, with even higher gusts. If Guchol were an Atlantic hurricane, it would be considered a Category 3 storm.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
VIDEO: In His Own Words: Obama Says He is a Constitution Violating Dictator
Kurt Nimmo - Last week we reported on the increasingly dictatorial trend of the Obama administration. Now we feature a video highlighting this disturbing trend in Obama's own words.
VIDEO: New Obama Birth Certificate Lawsuit Heads to CourtHuffington Post - The suit was filed by Michael Voeltz, a car salesman and self-proclaimed registered Democrat in Florida.
17,000 border agents: Holder must resign
WND - The National Border Patrol Council, which represents all 17,000 of the agency's nonsupervisory agents, called Monday for the resignation of Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. for his role in the botched "Fast and Furious" gunrunning operation that resulted in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
Anthrax alert system at risk as cost estimate hits $5.7 billionWashington Post - Funding for BioWatch, an early warning system to detect deadly pathogens in 30 U.S. cities, may be in jeopardy after cost estimates surged to $5.7 billion, six times the initial assessment.
Chicago more dangerous than Afghanistan?
RT - Barely six months into 2012, Chicago has already hosted 228 homicides this year; overseas in Afghanistan, the body count for US troops has reached a comparably meager 144.
VIDEO: Silent march against NYPDs stop-and-frisk turns chaoticPress TV - It appears that the trouble began as the tail end of the march, which has been estimated as at least 50,000 people, reached the destination point of Fifth Avenue and 78th Street.
Adidas Sparks Outrage with 'Shackle' Sneakers
NY Daily News - A new shoe unveiled by Adidas last week has kicked off a chain reaction, as sneaker fans around the world slammed the company for creating a racist design. The post was "liked" by more than 36,000 people by Monday morning and had received more than 2,000 comments - but the reaction was mainly negative. "These shoes are the WORST idea EVER!
VIDEO: Clinton N.C. third-grader strip-searched after being accused of stealingWRAL- The mother of a Clinton third-grader says a school administrator went too far when she strip-searched her child after accusations that he stole from another student.
Cambridge Mayor: Should we ban soda and sugared drinks from restaurants completely? (update)
Cambridge Day - [Mayor Henrietta] Davis said that despite the language she used in the policy order - "the matter of a ban on soda and sugar-sweetened beverages in restaurants," as opposed to New York's "plan to limit the serving size of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages" - she intended her policy order only to mirror New York's proposal. [emphasis added]
Economy
Made in the USA Label Will Disappear If the World Trade Organization Plan Succeedseconomyincrisis.org - "Made in the USA" labels may be disappearing more quickly than most consumers realize. As if buying American made goods was not difficult enough, shoppers may soon not even be able to determine where a prospective purchase is manufactured.
2012 Election News
VIDEO: Lawyers for Ron Paul on The Power Hour - 6/18/12
runronpaul.com - Porter Davis, one of the Lawyers for Ron Paul, discusses the Ron Paul Campaign and the lawsuit filed against the GOP with Joyce Riley on The Power Hour
Rubio autobiography proves he's not eligible for VP?
(WND) Marco Rubio's autobiography is finally hitting the shelves today, and inside the book, does the Florida senator actually disqualify himself from being Mitt Romney's VP pick?
YouTube: Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk 6/18/12: Unconstitutional Uses of Drones Must Stop
Ron Paul: "The use of drones overseas may have become so convenient, operated as they are from a great distance, that far more "collateral damage" has become acceptable.
Health
Associated Press caught lying about water fluoridation
(NaturalNews) In a recent piece published at emissourian.com... the Associated Press (AP) bemoans the fact that Pevely, Missouri, a local community near St. Louis, has decided to stop adding fluoride to its water supply in order to conserve much-needed funds.
Watermelon extract lowers blood pressure better than dangerous pharmaceuticals(NaturalNews) atural methods of lowering high blood pressure can allow the body to heal damaged vessels and arteries, dramatically lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke.
What's New and Beneficial about Summer Squash
World's Healthiest Foods - Although summer squash has long been recognized as an important food source of carotenoids, only recently have research studies documented just how fantastic summer squash can be when it comes to these key antioxidants.
Natural antibacterial alternatives to triclosan & other toxic chemicals
(NaturalNews) There are several chemicals used today in "antibacterial" personal care and hygiene products which are toxic to the human body. Perhaps the most toxic is one named triclosan. Triclosan is a controversial chemical linked to hormonal disruption and various types of cancer.
Vaccinated children have up to 500% more disease than unvaccinated children(NaturalNews) Suspicions have been confirmed for those wary of vaccinating their children. A recent large study corroborates other independent study surveys comparing unvaccinated children to vaccinated children. They all show that vaccinated children have two to five times more childhood diseases, illnesses, and allergies than unvaccinated children.
6/19, Waris Husain, Dawn, Deteriorating case of defendant rights for Guantanamo detainees
6/19, Associated Press, Talk of drones patrolling U.S. skies spawns anxiety
6/18, David Kravets, Wired, US Demands for Google User Data Growing, But Full Picture Remains Murky
6/18, Wall Street Journal, McGurn: Eric Holder's Politics of Contempt
6/18, Spencer Ackerman, Wired, NSA: It Would Violate Your Privacy to Say if We Spied on You
6/18, Frederick Bernas, CNN, Thousands march in silence against NYPD's 'Stop and Frisk'
Connected Company Muscled State Agency Out of Internet Contract
Connected Nation, the company that won the contract to map the gaps in broadband Internet use in Florida, got state lawmakers to remove the agency in charge and to expand its own role.
Connected Nation Faces Heat in Florida
Connected Nation, supposedly designed as as a broadband-mapping firm that helps improve broadband coverage, has been criticized as a lobbying extension of the major phone companies, tasked with funneling subsidies toward incumbent companies and away from their competitors (or municipal government operations). The group is now facing heated criticism in Florida for using lobbying muscle and cash to crush any other firms that might have done a better job mapping broadband in the state.
U.S. Leads World in Government Removal Requests to Google
The United States government leads the world in content-removal requests to Google, as measured by specific items, according to the company's latest transparency data report for the second half of 2011.
Google Calls Increasing Requests to Remove Political Content 'Alarming'
Political commentary remains a prime target as governments increase the number of requests for Google to remove material from the reach of Internet users. The Internet giant released its fifth semi-annual transparency report, which provides insights into requests by countries around the world to "take down" content from search results or Google-owned sites like YouTube.
With more than half of all U.S. mobile phone buyers picking smartphones, we're all relying heavily on wireless Internet. Seven major U.S. wireless carriers are all promising some form of "4G" now or in the near future, but not all 4G is the same. So for the third year in a row, we sent drivers out to see the state of the 4G nation and bring home 240,000 lines of data to figure out which network is the fastest near you.
Die, Contracts! Prepaid Mobile Phone Use Surges
We all want more service on more devices. But we also want to save more money while doing it, and that may mean moving toward prepaid services.
The Future of News: Mobile, Video, Data -- and Crowdsourced
The Knight Foundation announced the winners of the first round of its Knight News Challenge -- a contest aimed at funding the next generation of news entrepreneurs. This round was aimed at startups that are taking advantage of existing networks such as Ustream and Twitter, and the winners who are sharing the $1.37 million in prize money are trying to develop video, mobile and crowdsourced solutions to the problem of filtering the vast ocean of news that washes over us every day.
Media Stereotypes of Asian Americans Mask Reality of Community's Struggles
The mainstream media usually portray Asian Americans -- from New York Knicks basketball star Jeremy Lin to Mark Zuckerberg's wife, Priscilla Chan -- as wealthy, well-educated and foreign. The dominant cultural narrative routinely ignores working- and middle-class Asian Americans, people of various nationalities who struggle with the same socioeconomic conditions as do other Americans.
Coverage of Scandal Dents Credibility of Pakistani TV News
Not long ago, judges and journalists were clearly on the same team in Pakistan, reveling in a shared crusade to expose the corrupt, hold the powerful to account and reshape the dynamics of a fragile democracy. Now, following a cascade of explosive scandals, they are at each other's throats.
In Other News...
ACTA Not Dead Yet: Supporters Make Final Push for EU Approval, May Seek Secret Ballot
House Panel Probes Chinese Telecoms
Facebook's $10 Million Privacy Payout: Why You Get Nothing
How to Blow $6 Billion on a Tech Project
International Newsworthy
Massive War Game Planned by Iran, Russia, China & Syria
Saudi Arabia & Yemen Use MEK against Iran
Iran’s New Oil Discovery May be in Azerbaijan’s Water
India Clears Rupee for Iranian Oil
US Urges Iranian Exiles to Leave Iraq Camp
Afghanistan Needs $7 Billion/a Year in Aid after Western Pull Out
Afghanistan Accuses Pakistan over Suicide Attack
Pakistan: Waziri ‘Oasis’ Braces for Attack
Pakistan’s Top Court Declares PM Gilani Ineligible
Kayani: ‘Pakistan Army Won’t Leave Waziristan’
Syria: Western Intel Agencies Feeding Information to Syrian Rebels
Syria UN Mission Headed by Spy?
US Attempting to Trigger Full Proxy War in Syria
US Plans Significant Military Presence in Kuwait
Iraq: War Crimes, Lies & Statistics
Saudi-Bahrain Union Reflects Gulf Rivalry
Yemen Foils Plot to Attack Foreign Embassies
Egypt’s Arab Spring Replaced by Military Dictatorship
Africom Forms Military Relationship with Libya
Tunisia: Gunmen Attack Consulate in Benghazi
Eritrea: UN Right Chief Accuses the Country of Torture & Killing
Mali: Breakaway Azawad Forms Interim Government
Curfew Imposed on Restive Nigerian City
Rendition Case Shames Hong Kong
Russia Kicks Off Air Force Drill in Arctic
Kyrgyzstan: Rail Link is Threat and a Promise
Uzbekistan: Back to the USSR?
UK: Plan to Split Army into Two Forces Revealed
Greece’s German Rage
Hand Grenades Attack NATO Compound in Kosovo
BRICS Pour Cash into the IMF in Exchange for a Bigger Say
National Newsworthy
NSA: It Would Violate Your Privacy to Say if We Spied on You
FBI Wants to Ban New Internet Protocol
Obama Administration’s Drone Death Figures Don’t Add Up
Federal Subcontractors: Beware of the Guys
Texas to Have One of Three New US Biodefense Centers
UN Wants US Drone Attacks Explained
US Sets Another Record on Defense Sales-Already!
Why did US Wait Two Weeks to Admit Extent of American Casualties in Afghan Attack?
Congress Push to Cut Food Stamps
Obama’s Professor Rallies against his Former Student
Group that Promoted Gingrich ‘Sells Liberal Case’ for Israel
Noteworthy Editorials
Nat Hentoff: 40 Years of Growing Surveillance
Pepe Escobar: Austerity Not a Greek Goal
Paul Craig Roberts: Silent Spring for Us?
Andy Worthington: The Supreme Court Abandons the Guantanamo Prisoners
Stephen Lendman: Fraud at the Polls
Ideas on the US Empire
======================================================================================
June 18th 2012
World News
Russia Announces It Will Send Warships to Syria
Kurt Nimmo - On Friday, the Russian General Staff announced it will send warships from the Black Sea Fleet to the Syrian coast. The deployment will protect the Russian logistics base in Tartus, Syria. Russia has historically maintained a strong bilateral relationship with Syria. Its only Mediterranean naval base for the Black Sea Fleet is located in the port of Tartus.
US senators take aggressive stance ahead of Iran nuclear talks
RT - As Moscow braces to host the third round of talks on Iranian nuclear program the US Senators are urging President Obama to ramp up pressure against Tehran and show that "credible military option" exists should Iran fail to curb its nuclear program.
Israels strategy for Iran nuclear talks: Comply...or else
RT - Israel is calling on its allies to convincingly threaten Iran with military action during the current talks in Moscow, media reports say. Tehran, it seems, should be clearly given to understand that "all options are on the table". 
Pro-austerity party wins Greek election
RT - The pro-bailout New Democracy party has come out on top in Greece's parliamentary elections, having gained 29.6 per cent of the votes. With nearly all the votes counted, the anti-austerity leftist Syriza party is trailing on 26.9 per cent.
Anti-protest law lands Canada on UN human rights watch list
RT - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is set to criticize Canada for the controversial law passed by the province of Quebec to clamp down on student tuition protests. 
Japan Proposes Next Phase of Centralized Surveillance
Activist Post - Although moving slower in some areas than others, there is little doubt that the plan to number, track, and trace every human being on the planet via biometric data and other digital means is moving forward in every country in the world.
BP Announces that Venezuela Now Have the Largest Oil Reserves in the World
oilprice.com - BP has just released its annual Statistical Review of World Energy in which it claims that Venezuela now holds the largest proven oil reserves in the world, overtaking the original leader Saudi Arabia. The South American nation's oil deposits were increased from last year's figure to an estimated at 296.5 billion barrels, more than Saudi Arabia's 265.4 billion barrels.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
VIDEO: Breaking: Massive Nuclear Secret Uncovered In Austin, Texas
The Infowars crew investigates a nuclear secret buried in Austin, Texas. A nuclear reactor started in the 60s is hidden beneath the monolith of the LBJ Library on the University of Texas campus, even as the nearby J.J. Pickle Research Center admittedly runs two research reactors. Meanwhile, nuclear waste is said to be dumped and sealed in limestone caves located in what was once the outskirts of Austin, according to an inside source.
DHS claims terrorists want to attack theaters and similar venues based on 'no specific or credible information'
Intel Hub - Another day, another fear mongering report from the megalithic Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and this time it is almost more absurd than the previous laughable reports, if you can believe it. 
Border Control Measures Using License Plate Tracking Halted by Activists in Utah (Updated)
Activist Post - The truth of the matter is that the DEA has been working closely with the Department of Homeland Security for some time, and has implemented license plate readers at border checkpoints and key corridors.
Border Control Measures Using License Plate Tracking Halted by Activists in Utah (Updated)
Activist Post - The truth of the matter is that the DEA has been working closely with the Department of Homeland Security for some time, and has implemented license plate readers at border checkpoints and key corridors.
VIDEO: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Talks to ABC15 About Illegal Immigration Change
ABC15 - Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio sat down at ABC15 to talk about the new changes by the Obama administration to stop deporting younger illegal immigrants.
Related article: Obama to Legalize Illegal Immigration by Decree; Will Add 800,000 Voters In November.
Rodney King dead: Face of LA riots dies at age 47
Press TV - According to TMZ, King's fiancee found him dead at the bottom of a pool. CNN has confirmed his passing. King recently marked the twentieth anniversary of the Los Angeles riots -- the six-days of mayhem that took place after four police officers were acquitted of beating King in 1991. 
These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America
Business Insider - This infographic created by Jason at Frugal Dad shows that almost all media comes from the same six sources. That's consolidated from 50 companies back in 1983.
VIDEO: Parents' lawsuit: Third-grader forced to bathe at Texas school
MSNBC - A school nurse and counselor forced an 8-year-old Texas boy to bathe after telling him he "smelled badly, was dirty and had bad hygiene," according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.
2012 Election News
Ron Paul Wins Iowa
RunRonPaul.com - 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul has won a significant majority of Iowa's Republican delegates to the national convention in Tampa. Related video here
YouTube: Paul On CNBC: More Inflation Than Our Statistics Say
Airing Date June.15, 2012 - Ron Finally appeared to discuss the dollar, fed and debt. No words on Rand. He was also introduced as Representative Paul and not Presidential candidate Paul.
Paul's disciples seek local offices
Star Tribune - Having made their mark at the Republican state convention, Ron Paul-styled libertarians are stepping forward to stand for political office - many for the first time - in cities and counties across the state.
VIDEO: Ron Paul Message to Supporters
Daily Paul 6/15/2012 - Full email message and video from Ron Paul.
YouTube: Caller Fights For Ron Paul On C-Span Live
By matlarson10 - An example of how to stand up against the establishment media.
Economy
Unemployment rates rise in 18 US states
Press TV - Unemployment rates rose in 18 U.S. states in May, the most in nine months. Increasing unemployment in more than a third of U.S. states is the latest evidence of a weaker job market.
Energy & Environment
Reality check: When the power grid goes down, all grid-tie solar systems will go down with it
(NaturalNews) A lot of people believe they are becoming "power independent" by installing grid-tie solar systems, but what many don't realize is that virtually all such systems are designed to actively go offline when the power grid goes offline.
Obama Administration Proposes Tougher Rules on Soot Pollution
MSNBC - In another case of environmental rules becoming election fodder, the Obama administration on Friday proposed tighter restrictions on soot, a pollutant caused mainly by smokestacks and diesel engines.
Press TV - Crews in northern Colorado braced for powerful fire-fanning winds as they battle a blaze that has scorched about 85 square miles of mountainous forest land and destroyed at least 181 homes, the most in state history.
Science & Technology
FCC to consider changing cellphone radiation standards
The Hill - John Walls, vice president of public affairs for wireless trade group CTIA, said he welcomes the commission's continued oversight of the issue.
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading
VIDEO: Woman Sues City of Tulsa For Cutting Down Her Edible Garden
newson6.com - Denise Morrison said she has more than 100 plant varieties in her front and back yards and all of them are edible and have a purpose.... She got a letter from the city saying there had been a complaint about her yard.
Health
4 Treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Natural Society - Foods can be used as great natural treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis is caused by inflammation, and therefore anyone with arthritis or trying to prevent arthritis should consume anti-inflammatory foods. Some of these foods can be ginger, turmeric, and many fruit and vegetables.
If you only choose one remedy for survival and pain relief, grab some Arnica
(NaturalNews) If you've ever driven by a field of yellow daisy-like flowers and felt a sense of calm, you've experienced the embrace from Arnica, soothing your earthly and invisible aches and pains.
Discover the gateway to remarkable health with a diet rich in color
(NaturalNews) The color in fruits and vegetables contain an astonishing 25,000 bioactive chemicals that are found to be beneficial for optimum health. 
10 Healthy Reasons To Enjoy Real Butter
Green Med Info - Butter has gotten a bad rap for many years, starting in the last century with the rise of margarine, which we now recognize as a deadly trans fat. More recently, butter has been shunned in favor of olive oil and canola oil. But here's why we should reserve a place at the table for good old-fashioned butter.
Beat the heat with these dairy-free chocolate pudding pops
(NaturalNews) This summer, try making your own. It's a great way to control the quality of your ingredients! 
Cure poison ivy naturally with jewelweed
(NaturalNews) Jewelweed, or Impatiens capensis, has long been used as a remedy for skin disorders by indigenous North Americans.
6/17, John Feffer, Nation of Change, Gaurding the Empire from Four Miles Up
6/17, Laurie Smolenski, Nation of Change, Marching for an End to Stop-and-Frisk
6/15, Christi Parsons, Brian Bennett, and Joseph Tanfani, Los Angeles Times, President Obama limits deportations for some immigrants
6/14, Petra Bartosiewicz, The Nation, FBI Terror Plot: How the Government Is Destroying the Lives of Innocent People
6/13, Greg McNeal, Forbes, Sen. Paul Proposes Bill Requiring Warrants for Drone Use
6/8, Anthony Cuthbertson, WhoWhatWhy, Words the Government Uses to Spy on You
Time Warner Cable Posts Its Political File Online, So Why the Fuss, NAB?
If posting already-public information on political ad spending is so damaging to broadcasters, as the National Association of Broadcasters argues, then why has one of the country's biggest cable providers been doing it since 2010?
Future of the Ispan style=nternet
The Justice Department is right to investigate whether cable TV operators, by penalizing customers for high use of bandwidth, are hampering rivals.
U.S. Probe of Comcast, Broadband Giants Echoes Net Neutrality Battles
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a "wide-ranging" investigation into whether cable, satellite and telecom providers are stifling fast-growing Internet video services like Netflix, according to multiple reports. The probe carries echoes of recent battles over Net Neutrality, the idea that broadband providers shouldn't discriminate against rival services.
Verizon: A Surge in Data -- and Costs
Verizon Wireless announced plans for a double-digit increase in the entry-level price for using a smartphone. The company defended the move, saying it should help subscribers with multiple wireless devices. But the heart of the plan is higher charges for using Verizon's network to transmit data, which is what customers have increasingly been doing since the advent ofApple's iPhone. The announcement was a worrisome reminder that a handful of companies stand as potential gatekeepers to one of the most vibrant sectors of the U.S. economy.
Verizon: Let Us Charge You More for Less!
Verizon Wireless introduced data-sharing plans that will give users a monthly allotment of data to be used across all of their devices. With this new shared-data model, unlimited data is still not an option, but customers will be forced into unlimited voice and text plans. The new option to share data will push customers to pay more for a limited amount of data, and it comes with a fee just to connect a device to the network.
The New Math on Smartphone Plans and Providers
Soon you'll be able to use an iPhone for as little as $30 per month. Alternately, your iPhone could lock you into a contract that costs upwards of $140 monthly. A new lineup of shared family plans from Verizon might run far more than that. Considering the huge range in prices, as well as the recent changes in plans and providers in the marketplace, it's time to at least start thinking about switching wireless services.
Newsrooms Need to Do More to Reach Out to Communities
The media landscape is shifting and becoming more participatory, and people want to do more than just read the news. They want to be co-creators, collaborators and distributors. While newsrooms have invested in various forms of community engagement, there is still a lot we don't know about how to assess and measure the impact of this work.
The run-up to the 40th anniversary of the Watergate break-in -- the burglary that gave rise to America's gravest political crisis -- has inevitably been accompanied by the mythology that has shaped and distorted popular understanding of the epic scandal.
Reporter Interrupts Obama During Statement on Immigration
Neil Munro from the Daily Caller interrupted President Obama at his news conference on immigration last week. The interruption stunned White House correspondents and television viewers. And it clearly surprised President Obama, too.
The Hard Truth: Newspaper Monopolies Are Gone Forever
Many newspapers seem to have forgotten what business they are actually in, and that misunderstanding goes a long way toward explaining the rush to implement monopoly-style features like paywalls. This kind of rear-guard action will ultimately be futile for all but a select few.
In Other News...
FCC Chief Asks to Open Phone-Radiation Review
Google Says U.S. Government Takedown Requests Have Doubled in Last Six Months
Mergers of European Mobile Carriers Expected to Grow
Networks Look to Clean Up with Nighttime Soaps
Verifying Ages Online Is a Daunting Task, Even for Experts
The Secret of a Successful Programming Language? A Really Great Beard
International Newsworthy
Iran will Sell Three-Step Strategy in Moscow Talks
Iran Ready to Negotiate over 20% Uranium Enrichment
Israel: ‘Make Military Threats Against Iran More Real’
US Drone Crashes in East Afghanistan
US to Allay Pakistan’s Concerns over New Afghan Forum
Pakistani Taliban Bans Polio Vaccination Campaign
India: The US Doormat into Asia?
Syria Begins to break down
Syria Strategy Looks Like a Bloody Repeat
Russian Warships ‘on way to Syria’
US Trying to get Britain to Stop Russian Arms Shipments to Syria
Saudi-German Tank Deal Twice Bigger than Reported
Israeli Warplanes Injure 5 Palestinians in Gaza
Egypt: Power Struggle Overshadows Egypt’s Vote
Egypt’s Generals Act to Negate Outcome of Presidential Poll
IDF Moving Tanks to Egypt Border
Western Libya Declared a Military Zone
Russia: Communists to Stage Protests against WTO
Russia Opposes US Military Donations to Central Asia
Central Asia: Closed-Door Talks Underway to Leave Pentagon Goodies Behind
Tajikistan Attracts more Chinese Funds
Kyrgyzstan: Officials Sound Alarm on Arms Proliferation
Secret EU Summit Document Shows First Step to Banking Union
What is NATO/KFOR Really Doing in Kosovo?
Germany Charges Alleged Moroccan Spy
French Cabinet Resigns after Parliamentary Election
National Newsworthy
Obama’s Secret Hypocrisy
Obama Nominee for Iraq Steps Down Amid Scandal
Secretive Nonprofits Outspent Super PACs in 2010-The Trend to Continue
44 Senators, Including Many Democrats, Sign AIPAC Letter to Obama against Iran Negotiations
US Court Rules for Rumsfeld in Iraq Torture Suit
C-SPAN is Ravished by Neocons
$50+ Billion in US Foreign Arms Sales for 2012
1000s March against NYC’s ‘Stop & Frisk’ Policy
Congress’ 2011 Personal Financial Records Released
Google: Western Governments Increasingly Indulge in Online Censorship
Cryptome: USA vs. Ryan Cleary (LulzSec) Court Filing
Noteworthy Editorials
Pepe Escobar: Drone me down on the Killing Floor
Rick Rozoff: Libya- New AFRICOM & NATO Beachhead in Africa
Philip Weiss: Rebranding Israel
Stephen Lendman: Washington’s Imperial Brinksmanship
M K Bhadrakumar: Death in Arabia-Saudi Conundrum
Unwarranted Intrusion
=========================================================================================
June 15th 2012
World News
Obama War Machine Announces Invasion of Syria
Infowars.com - CNN reports this afternoon that the Pentagon has finalized plans to attack Syria and forcefully depose its leader, Bashar al-Assad, under the cover of securing weapons of mass destruction and preventing "sectarian violence" it has fomented by supporting and training the Free Syrian Army.
U.S. Military Wants More Drones In Latin America
Huffington Post - As US forces come home from Afghanistan, the US military seems to have a surplus of predator drones -- remotely operated unmanned aircraft vehicles often used to carry out attacks and intelligence gathering missions.
Barack Obama honors Israeli president with Medal of Freedom
Press TV - US President Barack Obama has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Israeli President Shimon Peres, the man who has overseen the killing of Palestinian women and children by Israeli forces in the occupied territories for decades. Obama awarded the 88-year-old Israeli president the highest civilian honor in the United States during a dinner ceremony in the White House on Wednesday.
Greeks withdraw money ahead of key election
Press TV - Greeks are withdrawing money out of the banks and stockpiling foodstuff ahead of a key parliamentary election on Sunday that many think will force the country out of the eurozone.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
US Congressmen demand justification for drone strikes
Express Tribune News - Twenty-six US Congressmen have sent a letter to President Barack Obama "demanding a legal justification from the White House for signature drone strikes." According to a press release, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and 25 other members of the Congress said that drone strikes "could significantly increase risks of killing innocent civilians or those with no relationship to a potential attack on the US and further inflame anti-American sentiment abroad".
U.S. and Multinational Military Forces Train in South Dakota's Black Hills
Infowars.com - The Rapid City Journal reports today that the Golden Coyote training exercise is underway in the Black Hills of South Dakota: Here for the Golden Coyote training exercise, military units are working to re-create the stress of combat and mixture of civilian, tourist and wildlife populations soldiers encounter in war theaters such as Iraq and Afghanistan, all while training with foreign soldiers. In addition to military units from six countries and 17 states, the exercise includes units from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Suriname.
U.S. rebellion ignited against U.N.'s globalization
(WND) Alabama move intended to 'shelter' Americans from environmental agenda
Photo gallery: Military plane mistaken for UFO on the DC Beltway
6/15, Joseph Kishore, World Socialist Web Site, The Chicago frame-up: The “war on terror” comes home
6/14, James Mann, Salon, The CIA’s secret push to keep Bush-era torture rules
6/14, NewsChannel5 (Tennessee), Groups Seek Supreme Court Block Of 287(g) Program
6/14, Associated Press, Organization wants details on Homeland Security probe into officer's racially charged email
6/13, Ramzi Kassem, The Nation, The Long Roots of the NYPD Spying Program
===========================================================================================
June 14th 2012
World News
VIDEO: Russia Denies Sending Helicopters to Syria, Says West Arming Rebels
Kurt Nimmo - Responding to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the establishment media on
Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country is not arming the al-Assad regime in Syria with attack helicopters.
VIDEO: Taliban Patsy Sentenced to Life for Dealing CIA Heroin
Kurt Nimmo - Fall guy Haji Bagcho was sentenced to life in prison today for trafficking heroin in Afghanistan. U.S. officialdom characterized Bagcho as "one of the largest heroin traffickers in the world and who used proceeds of his drug sales to support the Taliban insurgency," according to the Washington Post.
Israel rounds up African migrants for deportation
Reuters - Israel said on Monday it had started rounding up African migrants in the first stage of a controversial "emergency plan" to intern and deport thousands deemed a threat to the Jewish character of the state.
London Express - DEMANDS for the British people to have a say on our role in Europe got a huge boost yesterday. A new poll showed more than 80 per cent of voters are crying out for a referendum.
Chart Shows The Bilderberg Groups Connection To Everything In The World
Business Insider - A chart found on Facebook illustrates most Bilderberg attendees' close ties with the major corporations that run the world. This graph we found on Facebook shows the members' connections to a ton of corporations, charities, policy groups and media.
VIDEO: CNN Floats Idea Of US Assassinating Syria's President Assad
Alexander Higgins - Now, America's most "trusted" news network is openly floating the idea that the United States should once again ignore the foundation of liberty that our great nation was built upon and planting seeds into the psyche of the masses that we should murder Assad with no evidence of crimes and no due process.
UN warns of global collapse due to pesticides; Agenda 21 is pushed as solution
(NaturalNews) The United Nations (U.N.) Environment Program has released a 525-page report in conjunction with its upcoming Rio+20 conference on sustainable development that warns about "sudden, irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes" that will occur in the world if drastic measures are not taken to stop them.
Flame virus forced to commit suicide
RT - The Flame virus is believed to have already infected at least 600 computer systems across Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Palestine, but machines infiltrated by the malicious program are expected to have the corrupt entity eliminated after its developers have sent out a "suicide" command that extinguishes the malware.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
TPP secrets: Obama covertly granting more power to multinational corporations
RT - The United States has been engaged in discussion with eight Pacific nations to come to agreement on the terms of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade contract that would allow for a more open system of exchange between the US and less developed nations.
U.S. Navy Will Spend $34 Million to Switch Drones to Linux
mashable.com - According to a new contract announced last Wednesday, the U.S. Navy will use Linux as the foundation for its drone fleet. The endeavor will cost about $34 million for the entire fleet of MQ-8B Firescouts.
Rand Paul takes on drone surveillance
RT - Sen. Paul, the son of Republican presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced legislation before Congress on Tuesday that aims to ensure that Americans aren't unlawfully spied on by unmanned drone aircraft.
Poll: U.S. Citizens Approve of Drone Killings
Kurt Nimmo - If we are to believe the Pew Research Center, more than half of the American public support targeted assassinations (including innocent women and children) with drones.
Springdale, Utah Police Stop Cash-for-tickets Practice
Infowars.com - About a month ago, we reported on cops in Tennessee legally "stealing" $20,000 cash from a New Jersey man who was driving through the state to purchase a vehicle. It seems that "policing-for-profit" has taken a new form in Springdale, Utah where the AP reports that cops outside of Zion National Park have been stopping foreign tourists and accepting cash for citations.
VIDEO: North Dakota votes 'no' on ending property tax
CNN Money - Voters in North Dakota, where the economy is swelling with money from the oil boom, have voted against abolishing property taxes in the state. More than 76% voted "no" in Tuesday's initiative to get rid of the property tax, according to returns from the North Dakota Secretary of State.
YouTube: "There Will Be Blood" How People Can Regain their Power
Published on Jun 11, 2012 by TruthNeverTold. "You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew." ~ Albert Einstein
2012 Election News
YouTube: Carol Paul Speaks about Rands Endorsement of Romney and Ron Paul 6-13-12
This is a recording of Carol Paul being interviewed 6-13-12 on Ron Paul Radio, Rand apparently didn't consult his family before endorsing Mitt.
GOP Delegates Revolt Against Romney & RNC
(Daily Paul) SANTA ANA, Calif. (CN) - In a revolt against Romney, 123 would-be convention delegates claim the Republican National Committee has used violence, intimidation and ballot stuffing to deter them from voting for the candidate of their choice on every ballot at the national convention, including the first. All 123 named plaintiffs are from states in the 9th Circuit. They sued the Republican National Committee, its Chairman Reince Priebus, and every state party chairman in the 9th Circuit.
Texas town elects officials with dice
RT - Choosing a new city council member for Webster, Texas recently came down to a decision that more closely resembles a move out of the game Risk than a direct Democracy. After an open election ended in a tie that was then confirmed by a subsequent recount, officials in Webster relied on rolling dice to determine the next city councilperson.
Common Dreams - A report released today by US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has revealed the names of 18 former and current directors from Federal Reserve Banks who directly benefited from financial bailouts after the 2008 crisis. The Reserve directors worked in banks and corporations that collectively received over $4 trillion in bailout money allocated by the Federal Reserve.
Health
Gaia Health - Science has truly gone mad when it sets out to create a compliant populace through a vaccine. Yet that's precisely what's in development and promoted as an anti-stress vaccine.
Major Yeast Infection Drug Causes Birth Defects: Natural Remedies Better
Gaia Health - The FDA admits Diflucan causes birth defects. When you consider that natural fungal treatments are often more effective and always safer, why would you use the drug? (Includes natural solutions for fungal/candida infections.)
B vitamins lower homocysteine levels and provide significant stroke risk reduction
(NaturalNews) Stroke remains the third leading cause of death in the US, taking the lives of more than 140,000 people each year, and is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability.
Sulphite preservatives in wine and food can cause significant health issues
(NaturalNews) Sulfites are present in many foods such as ready meals, pizza, wine and beer. Whilst it acts as a preservative, it also has health implications for 10 percent of all consumers.
Quit Smoking Naturally by Consuming More of These Foods
Natural Society - While smokers try everything from hypnosis to electronic cigarettes, research is showing that if you simply eat more of these foods, you may have an easier time staying tobacco-free for longer. The research should be of even greater interest to those who want to quit smoking naturally.
6/14, Brittany Anas, Daily Camera, Boulder County sheriff buys new armored vehicle with Homeland Security grant
6/14, Aaron Mehta, iWatch News, Drones not used effectively on U.S. borders
6/13, Joe Wolverton, New American, Rhode Island House Defends Constitution, Passes Anti-NDAA Resolution
6/13, Sandra Miller, Examiner.com, The Fast and Furious Scandal
6/13, Roque Planas, Fox News Latino, ACLU Threatens to Sue Feds Over Arizona Immigration Detention
New Orleans Meets the Hamster Wheel
The gutting of New Orleans' beloved Times-Picayune and Advance Publications' plan to turn it into a sort of major-market AnnArbor.com looks set to bring journalism built on "motion for motion's sake ... volume without thought" to a city built on doing the opposite. For the Newhouses, who own the Times-Pic, the hamster wheel is a business model -- one the absentee chain owners are trotting out across the country like McDonald's with a new chicken sandwich.
New Orleans Times-Picayune to Lay Off 200
As expected, the move by the New Orleans Times-Picayune to a less frequent publication schedule has been followed by deep cuts to the newspaper’s workforce. On Tuesday, the publisher announced that the newspaper will cut 201 employees, or 32 percent of its total workforce, including 84 out of 173 newsroom staff -- almost half the editorial team.
'A Morning Ritual': New Orleans Fights for Its Newspaper
What happens when a media company wants to take away your daily newspaper? In New Orleans, you take to the streets. A recent rally to preserve daily publication of the Times-Picayune featured high-profile musicians as part of a campaign launched by the city's most prominent residents and powerful leaders to save the paper.
600 Newspaper Layoffs in One Day Is, Unfortunately, Not a Record
Does Tuesday’s massive layoff of 600 in a single day at four Advance Publications newspapers in New Orleans and Alabama earn a place in newspaper-layoff history? Sadly, no. News organizations have announced other job reductions of even larger or similar size in recent years.
'Fit to Print' Documentary Profiles Decline of Print Newspapers, Laid Off Journalists
Laid-off journalists speak out about the death of newspapers in the upcoming documentary Fit To Print. The documentary features interviews with staffers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal. It also follows three investigative reporters — Stephen Janis, Andrew Schneider and Laura Frank — as they attempt to carry on their work despite having been laid off.
It's About Time: U.S. Almost Gets Serious About Broadband Buildout
It's good to see our politicians actually thinking about broadband and connectedness in a thoughtful manner. Almost! President Barack Obama will sign an order to make the approval process for broadband network buildout on roads and federal property smoother, easier and simpler. This is good news. But the funded academic projects won't produce the results that mass use and public innovation will.
The President will sign an executive order to make broadband construction along federal roadways and properties up to 90 percent cheaper and more efficient. The order also creates the U.S. Ignite Partnership, a national network of communities and campuses with ultra-fast, programmable broadband services that will be a test-bed for designing and deploying next-generation applications for education, healthcare, energy and manufacturing.
Building the Next Internet, 250 Times Faster
As President Obama signs an executive order to make broadband construction cheaper and more efficient, developers in 25 cities are getting a playdate with GENI, an ultra-fast broadband sandbox, to build apps that push beyond the limits of today's Net. The goal is to build at least 60 new applications in strategic areas: health care, education, clean energy, manufacturing, transportation and security.
ICANN Criticized over 'Commercial Land Grab' of Internet
More than 1,000 new Internet "top-level domains," such as .app, .kids, .love, .pizza and also .amazon and .google, could come online beginning early next year, with the potential to radically change the face of the Web. But the move by ICANN, the U.S.-appointed company that decides what new domains can be added to the Web, has been criticized by some as allowing a commercial land grab of the Internet.
U.S. Lawmakers Create Website to Crowd-Source a 'Digital Bill of Rights'
Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Darrell Issa have started drafting a crowd-sourced digital bill of rights in hopes of preventing piecemeal laws like SOPA and CISPA from over-regulating the internet. The two have created a website where everyone is encouraged to contribute.
Consumer Groups: Verizon's New Data Pricing Is Awful
Verizon finally unveiled its new shared data pricing, and the results call for steep increases for data consumption. Not too surprisingly, consumer groups aren't too impressed with the new offer, and say it's a prime example of duopoly power run amok.
Justice Investigating Cable and Over-the-Top Video
The Justice Department is contacting cable operators as part of an investigation into whether cable operators are trying to suppress over-the-top video competition through data caps, TV Everywhere "collusion," contract language and more.
Watchdog Groups Love Justice Dept.'s Data-Cap Probe -- Cable Industry, Not So Much
A Justice Department antitrust investigation into whether cable companies are unfairly discriminating against online-video providers is playing to rave reviews from watchdog groups but getting panned by the cable industry. The investigation is important because it could set the ground rules for how consumers receive TV in the future.
U.S. Probe of Comcast, Broadband Giants Echoes Net Neutrality Battles
The Department of Justice has opened a "wide-ranging" investigation into whether cable, satellite and telecom providers are stifling fast-growing Internet video services like Netflix, according to multiple reports. The probe carries echoes of recent battles over Net Neutrality, the idea that broadband providers shouldn’t discriminate against rival services.
House Democrats Urge Scrutiny of Verizon-Cable Deals
A group of House Democrats called on federal regulators to closely scrutinize Verizon Wireless' bid to buy spectrum from and enter into marketing agreements with a group of cable firms, saying the deals could threaten the competitive goals of the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
In Other News...
Survey: Fox Most Uncivil, PBS Most Civil News Organization
At British Inquiry, Cameron Denies 'Deals' with Murdoch
Groups Ask Senate Not to Block FCC Political File Order
Lieberman Warns July Is Deadline for Cybersecurity Bill
RiP: A Remix Manifesto -- Taken Offline Due to Copyright Claim?
How Microsoft and Yahoo Are Selling Politicians Access to You
International Newsworthy
Iran Arrests Elements behind Killings of Nuclear Scientists
US Congress Pushes for War with Iran
Japan to Pass Bill to Insure Iran Oil Imports
Afghanistan: Taliban Offshoot Targets Peacemakers
Afghanistan’s Karzai Lauds Iran’s Role in Security
Pakistan: CIA is Blamed for Fresh Polio Cases
Pakistan: The Real Tragedy of Memogate
Arab Spring is West-Pushed Process Out of Control
How the US is Using Technology to Aid Syria’s Rebels
Israel May Use Military Force’ to Secure’ Syria’s “Alleged” Chemical Weapons
Syrian Rebels Terror Zone Shift
Russia Accuses US of Arming Syrian Rebels
Car Bombing Rocks Syrian Capital
Africa: China’s Promised Land?
US Spy Operations on the Up in Africa
Nigeria: Boko Haram-FG Faults Calls for Foreign Intervention
Egypt’s Highest court: ‘Parliament Must be Dissolved’
Egypt Recreates Emergency Law Situation
Chechen Militant Zakayev Wants Back to Russia
Georgia: American Investor Detained in Money Laundering Probe
Turkmenistan: China Lifts Turkmen Gas Sales
Azerbaijan Warns of Anthrax Outbreak in Georgia
Azerbaijan Gunships Threatened Turkmenistan’s Caspian Oil Rigs-Cables Show
NATO’s Libya Blitzkrieg & the Coming Colonial Wars
Germany-Italy Urge Funding for Missile Program
Vatican & Israel to Sign Economic Agreement
National Newsworthy
Police State: Pentagon Lists 110 Potential Drone Bases inside the United States
Police State: Spying on Americans- 64 Drone Bases on US Soil
US Congressmen Demand Justification for Drone Strikes
Federal Reserve Board Members Gave their Own Banks $4 Trillion in Bailouts
US & Multinational Military Forces Train in South Dakota’s Black Hills
Study Shows Widespread Global Opposition to US Drone Attacks
Rhode Island House Defends Constitution-Passes Anti-NDAA Resolution
How Microsoft & Yahoo are Selling Politicians Access to You
Suspected British LulzSec Hacker Could be Extradited to US
Noteworthy Editorials
Rick Rozoff: Pentagon’s Last Frontier: Battle-Hardened Troops Headed to Africa
Andrew Napolitano: Squealing vs. Killing
Bill Fisher: TSA & Scientific Method- Sworn Enemies
M K Bhadrakumar: US Unleashes the Indian Poodle
Exposing Obama’s Not-so-Secret War
=================================================================================================
June 13th 2012
Australian Government Begins Testing Three-Year-Old Children for Mental Illness
Activist Post - In an another attempt by Big Brother to intrude on the development of our children, the Australian Federal Government has begun to systematically test three-year-old children for signs of mental illness via a national program aptly named "healthy kids check".
$28 cabbage, $65 chicken, and other insane food prices in Northern CanadaIt's not just food, either - necessary sundries like diapers and sanitary napkins are also outrageously expensive.
What might be the final major U.S. offensive of the Afghanistan war has begun
Press TV - Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the outgoing operational commander in Afghanistan, said that U.S. and Afghan troops recently began a push in the eastern province of Ghazni to reduce the potency of the Taliban in an area neglected by the 2010 troop surge.
US Withdraws Negotiators After Pakistan Border Deal Talks Stallantiwar.com - The Obama Administration has withdrawn its negotiators from Pakistan after failing to reach a deal with the Pakistani government on reopening the border to occupied Afghanistan. The border has been closed since November, when US warplanes attacked Pakistani border outposts, killing 24 soldiers.
Japan Apologizes For Setting High Radiation Limits For Children
Alexander Higgins - Last year Japan set the Fukushima fallout radiation limit safety limit to 20 millisieverts per year which in effectively forced school children to be subjected to high levels of radiation.
Related video/article: Japan Lied About Fukushima Radiation..
U.S. News, Politics & Government
VIDEO: DHS Agencies to Buy Up to 7,000 New 5.56x45mm NATO Personal Defense WeaponsIntel Hub - The newest weapons order - which was originally posted on June 7, 2012 and has a response date of July 9, 2012 - is for so-called personal defense weapons which would be used in close quarters combat situations when maximum concealment is required.
Eric Holder Seeks Deal On Fast And Furious Docs To Avoid Contempt Charge
Huffington Post - Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday morning, Holder said he believed that a deal over the documents could be reached.
24-Year-Old Gets 3 Life Terms in Prison for Witnessing a Drug DealThis is a simple truth: the United States is the only country in the first world that imposes life sentences to teenagers for small-time, non-violent drug offenses. In fact, the American legal system does so with alarming regularity, spending $40 billion a year to lock up hundreds of thousands of low-level dealers.
Illegals Pass Bar, Demand Law Licenses
WND - Sergio Garcia, a 35-year-old Mexican-born illegal alien, was brought to the U.S. by his parents when he was 17 months old, according to the Daily Journal.
Stephanopoulos, ABC Sink to New Lows on 'This Week'Perhaps we need not explain how ludicrous it is to invite Coulter onto a supposedly traditional news network.
Related video: Ann Coulter Says Radiation Is Good For You.
Residents Of NY Town Face $1,000 Fines If They Fail To Mow Lawns
Consumerist - According to 880-AM out of New York City, the village board of Massapequa Park village board passed a law yesterday that first-time offenders could be hit with $1,000 fines. If they continue to let their yards be overgrown, those fines could get as high as $10,000.
2012 Election News
Fraud confirmed in Texas. Election judge says votes were switchedDaily Paul - Could Ron Paul have gotten 72% of the vote instead of 12%? Anne Beckett, election judge for Austin (Travis County), says it is so.
Ron Paul scores surprise delegates in New Mexico!
Doug Wead: There is a report that six of the newly elected delegates to the RNC from New Mexico are Ron Paul supporters. This happened last Saturday at the GOP State Convention. Nine other Ron Paul supporters were elected as alternate delegates. Amazing. According to the Romney campaign they will still have to vote for Mitt Romney in Tampa. New Mexico will be represented by only 20 delegates, so this is a significant haul. Related Article: Federal Law Proves All Delegates Are UNBOUND!
Minority rules: Scientists discover tipping point for the spread of ideas
Phys.org - Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteSyrian Rebels Terror Zone Shift have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society.... The finding has implications for the study and influence of societal interactions ranging from the spread of innovations to the movement of political ideals.
Housing Market
VIDEO: Citibank Refuses to Accept Minneapolis Moms Mortgage Payments; Home to be Auctioned Wednesday
stopforeclosurefraud.com - For months, Colleen McKee Espinosa, a single mother of three-including Nick Espinosa, a volunteer organizer who has helped other homeowners fight foreclosure-has repeatedly asked Citibank officials to allow her to catch up on her mortgage and keep her home.
Energy & Environment
North Dakota Landowners Fight State Over Oil RightsBloomberg - North Dakota landowners claiming the state is usurping their subterranean oil and mineral rights and costing them millions of dollars are asking a state court judge to let them proceed with a lawsuit.
Health
"Strawberry Flavor" Consists of 50 Different Chemicals
Natural Society - What goes into mimicking the flavor a strawberry? Well, instead of simply using real strawberry, food manufacturers have decided to opt for a much cheaper (and toxic) method of creating what has come to be known as 'strawberry flavor'.
How to prevent Osteoporosis - naturally(NaturalHealth365) The numbers are staggering! Globally, osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures per year - resulting in a fracture every 3 seconds.
Magnesium is the Underrated Master Mineral
(NaturalNews) Magnesium is a very underrated, virtually ignored mineral for our diets, yet it is the most crucial and essential to over 300 bodily biochemical and cellular metabolic processes. It has been called the "Master Mineral" because of its central importance to so many cellular functions and proper body glucose balance. Because of poor topsoil conditions and poor eating habits, almost everyone is magnesium deficient to some extent.
6/13, PostStar, NYC City Council members propose police oversight
6/13, Michael Schmidt, New York Times, U.S. Security Expands Presence at Foreign Airports
6/12, Michael Stone, Examiner.com, Wyden protects privacy - blocks FISA surveillance law
6/12, CNN, Sen. Paul says no to domestic drones
6/11, Pete Kasperowicz, The Hill, House members attempt to curb president's power of indefinite detention
6/11, Michael Tarm, Associated Press, States in Unchartered Waters Using Own Terror Laws
Justice Department Launches Antitrust Investigation Into Data Caps
The Justice Department has been quietly conducting a wide-reaching investigation into whether cable operators are using Internet overcharging schemes like usage caps and metered billing to squash online video competition.
U.S. Probes Cable for Limits on Net Video
The Justice Department is conducting a wide-ranging antitrust investigation into whether cable companies are acting improperly to quash nascent competition from online video, according to people familiar with the matter.
Free Press Welcomes DoJ Investigation of Cable and Online Video Market
News broke of a Justice Department investigation into anti-competitive conduct by cable operators. Press reports indicate that the DoJ is examining tactics cable operators deploy to discourage use of online video services like Netflix or YouTube that may compete with cable's traditional video business. This Justice Department investigation is great news for consumers and cable's competitors alike.
In Less than One Year, Verizon Data Goes from $30/Unlimited to $50/1GB
Verizon Wireless announced its new pricing plans for mobile phones and data. If you mostly use your phone for data, this is bad news.
Verizon Wireless' New Data-Pricing Plan Promises Flexibility, and Generates Static
Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett calls Verizon Wireless' new Share Everything fee plan "the most profound change to pricing (that) the telecom industry has seen in 20 years." But entertainment companies will want to know whether the arrangement will encourage or discourage video streaming and downloading on smartphones and tablets.
Verizon Hikes Data Fees in Pricing Revamp
Verizon Wireless is undertaking a massive overhaul of its prices by raising fees for data services like mobile Web surfing while offering unlimited calls and texts as it aims to increase data revenue and protect its older business lines.
Verizon Wireless to Base Smartphone Plans on Data Use
Under new plans, Verizon Wireless users will pay based on the amount of data they expect to use for email, Web surfing and video. The change comes as talking and texting on cellphones decline.
New Verizon Plans: Who Wins and Who Loses?
The nation's biggest wireless carrier is drastically changing how it charges for data, voice minutes and texts. Such changes generally don't end up putting money in the pockets of consumers, but is everyone going to lose out or will a lucky few actually get more for their money?
Reforms May Cut Broadband to Remote Areas
Adak Island lies in the Bering Sea 1,200 miles from Anchorage and neither cyclone winds, tsunamis nor unexploded artillery from its days as a World War II base prevent its 326 or so residents from expecting a high-speed Internet connection to the rest of the world. That service may end soon for some because of a fight with federal regulators over subsidies.
NAB Asks OMB to Reject FCC Estimate of Online Political File Paperwork Burdens
The National Association of Broadcasters has asked the Office of Management and Budget to reject the information-collection requirements of the FCC's new online public file order. The NAB particularly wants the OMB to reject the requirement that stations provide the commission with their political files, including spot prices, so they can be posted on an FCC website for everyone to see.
CWA to Hold FCC Rally to Push Verizon/SpectrumCo Conditions
The Communications Workers of America says hundreds of its members, joined by activist group representatives, will gather outside the FCC to call for conditions on the Verizon/SpectrumCo deal, in which the telco is trying to buy advanced wireless spectrum from cable operators Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House and Cox.
AT&T's Stephenson: FCC Decision on Verizon Deal Will Provide Industry Guidance
AT&T's chief said that his company is watching to see if federal regulators approve Verizon's bid to buy spectrum from a group of cable firms so that the industry has clearer guidance on what types of deals are acceptable.
Advance Publications Lays Off 600 People at Times-Picayune, Alabama Papers
Advance Publications announced that it will cut about 600 jobs at the Times-Picayune and its papers in Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville, Ala., when the papers stop printing daily and shift focus to their websites.
New Orleans Struggles with Latest Storm, Newspaper Layoffs
It is one thing to find out that the print edition of the paper will disappear four days a week, as the owners of the Times-Picayune announced in May. But it is another thing to find out that so many familiar names may be gone, too. In New Orleans and across the state of Alabama, as part of a restructuring of the news business at four papers owned by Advance Publications, scores of employees walked into one-on-one meetings and walked out 10 minutes later with severance packages. They included advertising employees, copy editors, press operators, crime reporters, photographers and graphic artists.
Publisher Says Layoffs Coming to Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press publisher Paul Anger told employees he anticipated layoffs would be coming to the newspaper.
Why Traditional Media Should Be Afraid of Twitter
As we've mentioned a number of times, Twitter has been gradually tip-toeing further and further into the media business for some time now. It has already become a real-time newswire for many, a source of breaking news and commentary on live events, and now it is showing signs of becoming a full-fledged editorial operation.
In Other News...
The Most Expensive Internet in America
Google 'Wi-Spy' Files Reveal Missed Cues
Palo Alto Set to Abandon Quest to Bring Fiber to the Home
Here Comes the Greatest Internet Land Grab in History
Record Labels Are Paying Students to Narc on Students Who Pirate Music
Durbin Still Hopeful for Action on Net Sales Tax Bill
The Day Netflix Met Its Heaviest User
Netroots Nation Grows Up, and in Some Cases Goes Pro
Kinect to Watch Your Emotions and Serve Up Ads
Army Wants 50-Foot Wireless Charging; So Do We
International Newsworthy
Iranians Beheaded in Saudi Arabia
Iran Tanker Firm Says it Insured despite Sanctions
Afghanistan: 5 Children a Day Victims of War
US Deploys Pint-Sized Drones in Afghanistan
Afghan Police Costs Spike
‘Pakistan Must Bite the Bullet on NATO Supplies’
Pakistan Commission: Haqqani Sought US Help against Army
3 Killed in US Drone Strike in NW Pakistan
OPEC in the Driving Seat
Russia Sending Syria Attack Helicopters?
Syria: Arab States Arm Rebels as UN Cries Syrian Civil War
‘Some UN Monitors Spying in Syria’
Annan Calls for Governments to “Twist Arms” over Syria
Iraq: Multiple Attacks Kill 60+
Yemen: US Terror Drone Kills 9 in Southeast
Report Slams Israeli PM over Deadly Flotilla Raid
What China Really Wants in Africa
Egypt Justice Ministry Authorized Civilians Arrest by Military
Libya: Tribal Fighting Erupts South of Capital
Tunisia: Curfew Declared after Protests
Algeria Sentences Man to 20 Years for Spying
US Pushed for Regime Change in Russia
Wikileaks: Uzbekistan’s Karimov- Saudi Arabia & Money for New Mosques
Azerbaijan: Parliament Throws Veil of Secrecy over Business Sector
Kazakhstan to Ban Soviet-Made Planes
NATO Preparing Vast Misinformation Campaign
Vatican amidst Mafia Money-Laundering Scandal
Balkan Armies to Build Joint Simulation Federation
National Newsworthy
Exposed: Obama Covertly Granting More Power to Multinational Corporations
Northrop Grumman Gives VP Half Million Dollar Bonus before he Goes to Work for Congress
Dimon-JP Morgan Chase have History with Senate’s Banking Panel
SOPA Opponents Release Digital Bill of Rights
FEC Approves Texting for Campaign Dollars
US Navy will Spend $34 Million to Switch Drones to Linux
Google to Be Investigated Over Data Cover-Up Claims
Noteworthy Editorials
Pepe Escobar: The Art of War-with a Glass of Wine
Glenn Greenwald: What might Cause another 9/11?
Philip Giraldi: Another Senator for Israel
Obama’s Drone Wars & the Normalization of Extrajudicial Murder
Revolt in the Ranks
The CIA & Polio in Pakistan
==========================================================================================
June 12th 2012
US Ousts Israel From Counterterrorism Forum
Israel National News - The United States blocked Israel's participation in the Global Counterterrorism Forum's (GCTF) first meeting in Istanbul on Friday, despite Israel's having one of the most extensive counterterrorism experiences in the world. Israel was excluded from the meeting due to fierce objections by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Washington-based source told Globes news.
US predicts another Houla-style massacre in Syria
Press TV - US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Monday that the Syrian government "may be organizing another massacre, this time in the village of al-Haffa, in Latakia province, as well as in the towns Deir el-Zour, in Daraa, in Homs, in Hama, and in suburbs of Damascus."
Israel considering military attack on Syria
Press TV - Israel is apparently laying the groundwork for a possible military attack on Syria by alleging that Damascus could be using chemical weapons against the Syrian people.
Somali "Terrorists" Offer Bounty on Obama: 10 Camels for Obama, 20 Chickens for Clinton
ABC News - The al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia has mocked the new $33 million bounty on its top leaders heads by offering its own bounty for President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - 10 camels for Obama and 20 chickens for Clinton.
Times of India - International rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) has warned that India risks a sovereign downgrade which would result in the country dropping off the list of countries with an investment-grade rating.
The Turin Shroud is Fake: One of 40 Linen Cloths Produced 1,300 Years After CrucifixionMail Online - Not only is the Turin Shroud probably a medieval fake but it is just one of an astonishing 40 so-called burial cloths of Jesus, according to an eminent church historian. Antonio Lombatti said the false shrouds circulated in the Middle Ages, but most of them were later destroyed.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
House GOP Plans First Vote on Holding Eric Holder in Contempt
WSJ - California Republican Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, who has helped lead the congressional investigation into Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Operation Fast and Furious, announced Monday that his committee will take up a contempt report on June 20.
Pentagon stops giving out free guns to policeRT - A Pentagon-led program that equipped more than 17,000 police and sheriff's departments across the country with military-grade surplus weaponry will be put on hold while auditors try to account for $2.6 billion
VIDEO: Navy drone crashed in a marsh near Salisbury, Maryland
The RQ-4A Global Hawk drone crashed during a routine training flight from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, according to Jamie Cosgrove, a spokeswoman for the Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons Program at the base. Related article: Attack of The Drones.worth of handouts.
Lawsuit: Architect In Diabetic Shock Beaten, Pepper Sprayed, and Repeatedly Tasered Before DyingJonathan Turley - A disturbing lawsuit has been filed against the Baltimore County Police Department by Linda Johnson over the death of her husband, Architect Carl D. Johnson on May 27, 2010.
WND takes new action against Esquire
WND has filed notice to appeal a federal judge's decision to dismiss its $250 million lawsuit against Esquire magazine
Fukushima - is there anything we can do to protect ourselves?
Just recently, the topic came up about what if anything can we do to protect ourselves from the aftermath of Fukushima.
Video: "The truth behind the 1991 Gulf War invasion" - 5 minutes
Family net worth plummets nearly 40%
CNN Money - The average American family's net worth dropped almost 40% between 2007 and 2010, according to a triennial study released Monday by the Federal Reserve.
Science & Technology
Computer Experts Discover Flame and Stuxnet RelatedKurt Nimmo - If research conducted by Kaspersky Labs is correct, the Flame virus is related to a previous malware virus developed by Israel and the United States.
VIDEO: New York Is Trying To Outlaw Anonymous Internet Use
Alexander Higgins - New York is trying to use cyber-bullying as an excuse to ban online anonymity by making illegal to use the Internet without being personally identifiable.
2012 Election News
The Revolution is NOT About Ron PaulActivist Post - Like many of you, I sat in disbelief as I watched Rand Paul publicly endorse a gun-grabbing, healthcare-socializing, flip-flopping, border-opening, war-mongering, banker-controlled statist puppet.
Health
Diabetes Drugs Avandia, Actos Linked to Vision Woes
HealthDay News - British researchers report that thiazolidinediones, diabetes medications that are used to help control blood sugar levels, may cause eye problems in those who take them. The drugs that fall into this group include Avandia and Actos, which have been tied to increased risk of heart attack in the case of Avandia and bladder cancer in the case of Actos. Now it is possible that these drugs may also cause diabetic macular edema, the study authors said.
Diabetes Rising Rapidly Among U.S. KidsHealthDay News - Diabetes is increasing among U.S. children at an alarming rate, say researchers who report jumps of more than 20 percent since 2001 for type 2 disease, which is linked to excessive weight and sedentary lifestyles, and type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease.
Home remedies help restore your health after eating GMO foods
(NaturalNews) There have been various reports on NaturalNews and in the mainstream media concerning the side effects of consuming food that has been genetically modified. Symptoms ranging from digestive and reproductive disorders to liver failure, internal bleeding and immune system dysfunction are being reported. A combination of home remedies, nutrition and homeopathic medicines may help restore your health.
The Truth about Canned SoupOrganic Gardening - Your soup could be canned up in a chemical stew. Often sold under a healthy halo, processed soups are full of a lot of ingredients that won't be listed on the label-such as industrial chemicals, pesticides, and weird food additives.
Infographic - Ten ways to use Apple Cider Vinegar
(NaturalNews) You may not think of apple cider vinegar as something that is a boon to your overall health, but it can be, and here are 10 ways you can use it to help pave the way to a better you.
(NaturalNews) There have been various reports on NaturalNews and in the mainstream media concerning the side effects of consuming food that has been genetically modified.
Rep. Markey to FDA: Why are lindane shampoos still allowed?
PANNA - Lice shampoos containing lindane continue to be allowed in the U.S., despite being slated for a global ban due to the organochlorine pesticide's persistence and toxicity.
Students now snorting ADHD drugs before taking academic tests
(NaturalNews) n schools all across the country, students bent on getting better scores on SAT exams and others are snorting ADHD amphetamines like Adderall before tests to help them focus, as well as during late-night study sessions and other times when they are preparing for a test.
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading
Vertical Farms Sprout into Reality
LiveScience.com - Seven billion humans need farms that cover a land mass equal to South America, but tomorrow's farmers may need even more space to grow food for hungry mouths.
Such urgency has given root to a new agricultural idea in the past few years - building vertical farms that climb toward the sky or burrow beneath the Earth.
6/12, Katrina Heuvel, Washington Post, Obama's 'Kill list' is unchecked presidential power
6/12, Jason Leopold, TruthOut, Guantanamo Attorney: Landmark Supreme Court Habeas Ruling Now "No More Effective Than a Law Review Article"
6/12, Jonathan Hafetz, Al Jazeera, Lawsuit challenges US surveillance powers
6/11, David Porter, Boston.com, AP sues NJ police department over Muslim spy data
6/11, Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, Ahead of September Trial, Bradley Manning Seeks Withheld Gov’t Evidence and Dismissal of 10 Charges
List Political Ads' Sponsors on Web
This election campaign has been extraordinary. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent by groups outside the political parties with no disclosure of their donors. All these ads appear on broadcast stations, particularly TV. The 1934 Communications Act requires disclosure of the person or entity paying for the ad. The Commission should remind stations and all those dealing with the stations of the need to comply with this rule.
Why Do House Republicans Want to Keep Super PAC TV Ad Files Offline?
Last week, House Republicans in an appropriations subcommittee won a party-line vote to block the FCC from requiring TV broadcasters to post files detailing political ad buys on their websites. Several of the GOP lawmakers have received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from broadcasting groups opposed to the FCC's rule.
Commissioners Vote to Sunset Viewability Rule
Despite some last-minute lobbying by broadcasters and their allies, the FCC commissioners voted on an order to sunset the viewability rules, according to sources inside and outside the FCC.
Reddit Co-Founder: 'You Are the Hero the Internet Needs'
Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, believes that every Web user has the potential to be a guardian of the Internet -- a "Batman or Batwoman," as he put it. "You don't need to be a billionaire with anger management issues to help save the Internet," said Ohanian at the Personal Democracy Forum. "[The hero] is you, it's always been you, it has to be you," he added. "What [the SOPA debate did] was show that you can be the hero. Millions got together to say, 'these bills shall not pass.'"
Anti-SOPA, PIPA Lawmakers Want Internet Bill of Rights
Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Darrell Issa say they want a Bill of Rights to protect Web users against censorship and those who would limit their online freedoms.
Wyden, Issa Call for Internet Bill of Rights
Speaking at a technology conference in New York on Monday, Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Darrell Issa called for a "digital bill of rights" to protect Internet users from intrusive legislation.
Monticello Hopes Private Company Can Help Struggling Municipal Broadband
A new company will run a financially struggling, municipally owned broadband network, the city of Monticello, Minn., decided. The Monticello City Council voted unanimously to bring in Gigabit Squared, of Cleveland Heights, to conduct a 90-day study of the publicly owned broadband network, called Fiber-Net, and will run it for at least the next six months.
Why Verizon's Shared Data Plan Is a Raw Deal
Verizon Wireless' newly unveiled "Share Everything" plan may be a revolution in the industry, but it's going to leave a lot of individual customers unhappy with the change.
How Prepaid iPhones Will Remake the Mobile Market -- Eventually
Apple has lots of big iPhone news, but last week's announcement that Sprint Nextel and Leap Wireless will begin offering iPhones without a contract could actually be just as significant -- starting a massive change in how Americans buy and use mobile phones.
Verizon and AT&T Galaxy S III Customers Are Getting Screwed Out of 50GB Dropbox Promo
If you are planning to preorder a new Samsung Galaxy S III from top two U.S. cellphone carriers, you should know that you won't be able to take advantage of some third-party promotional opportunities. Such is the case with Verizon and AT&T, both of which have opted out of an opportunity that would give their customers 50GB of free space on cloud storage service Dropbox.
FaceTime Over 3G? A Bargain vs. Carrier Voice Plans
While you would think a high-quality video chat and collaboration service would be poison to consumers' restricted data plans, there's another way to look at it: Compared to what mobile operators charge for voice, FaceTime is really a bargain.
New Media -- but Familiar Lack of Diversity
Traditional journalism outlets did not and do not report "for everyone," but demonstrably exclude and marginalize many people and perspectives, particularly the less politically and economically powerful. Critics and activists, seeing corporate journalism's "crisis" as an opportunity, hoped that newly emerging outlets would avoid repeating those myopic patterns. To what extent have digital media lived up to these hopes?
What Media Companies Could Learn from a Student Newspaper
It's become obvious by now that many newspaper companies are struggling when it comes to making the transformation from print to digital. Shutting down the print version on certain days and putting up paywalls are seen as desperation moves, part of a forced march toward digital made as a result of financial distress. But not everyone sees it this way: The Daily Emerald, a student newspaper at the University of Oregon, is going "digital first" not because it has to, but because it sees that as the future, and ultimately a better way to serve its readers.
NYPD Officials Pretending Journalists Weren't Arrested at Occupy Wall Street
Ignoring the odd reality that the NYPD gets to decide who's a credentialed journalist and who's not, that account is still off: A spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg said at the time that five reporters with valid NYPD press passes were arrested, along with at least two others who may have had expired credentials, with the Committee to Protect Journalists counting seven, at least. Beyond the quibble about numbers, treatment of the journalists by police was an issue throughout the protests, one still being diminished by the NYPD, apparently.
New Orleans Clamors for Its Paper
New Orleans business and community leaders are pressing the publisher of their city's only daily newspaper to reverse its decision to reduce print publication to three days a week. They also are talking with investors, media companies and journalists about setting up print and digital alternatives, should the publisher go ahead with its plan for the Times-Picayune.
Times-Picayune Advertisers Voice Opposition to Newspaper's Planned Changes
Several major Times-Picayune advertisers have added their names to the list of business and civic leaders opposing a plan to reduce publication of the dailly newspaper to three days a week.
Orange County Register, Six Sister Papers Are Sold to Boston Group
The Orange County Register and six other daily newspapers have been sold to a Boston investment group in what is expected to be the final sale of properties owned by Freedom Communications.
In Other News...
In Protests and Online, a Youth Movement Seeks to Sway Mexico's Election
Why the World's Most Perfect News Tweet Is Kind of Boring
Feds Tell Megaupload Users to Forget About Their Data
Sprint Cedes Its Majority Stake in WiMAX Carrier Clearwire
French Publisher Group Strikes Deal with Google Over e-Books
Patent Granted to Encourage Purchase of Digital Textbooks
International Newsworthy
Iran: The Dangers of Stalled Nuclear Talks in Moscow
Iran to Send Humanitarian Aid to North Korea
China’s Iranian Crude Imports Remain in US Firing Line
US Exempts 7 Economies from Iran Oil Sanctions
Iran Designing Nuclear Submarine
China’s Afghan Oil Deal on the Skids
Pakistan: Supply Route Talks with US on Hold
Pakistan Commission’s Report Says Haqqani Behind Controversial Memo
India to Greenlight State-Sponsored Cyber Attacks
Syria: Violence Invites Further Foreign Intervention
Syrian Rebels’ Arsenal Includes Remote-Controlled Truck Bombs
Russia Prepares Army for Syria Deployment?
China: ‘Syria Should Not be on Agenda at G20′
Damascus Puts Squeeze on Militants amid Accusations of Extreme Cruelty
Iraq Rise will Upset OPEC Power Balance
Turkey: Hasankeyf Damn Can Drown Kurds’ Hideaways
Israel Begins Rounding Up African Migrants
Israel: Tel Aviv ‘Exodus’ Planned in Event of Missile Strike
US to Deploy More than 3000 Troops to Africa
Somalia: Al-Shebaab Fighters Retake Town of Elbur
Libya: British Diplomat Convoy Attacked- at Least One Injured
Libya Splitting into Militia Zones
Egypt’s Youth Movement Endorses Muslim Brotherhood Candidate
Russia: Tens of Thousands March against Putin
What Washington Wants in the Caucasus
Uzbek Thorns on SCO’s Path to Kabul
Kyrgyzstan: Could Microfinance Bubble Burst?
Macedonia: New Mosque Causes Ethnic Rift in Southwest
National Newsworthy
Police State: US Cities Embrace Software to Automatically Detect “Suspicious” Behavior
Supreme Court OKs Torture on US Soil & Elsewhere
Stuxnet: The Worm that Turned on the US
Flame & Stuxnet: Two Cyber Weapons Unleashed by Same Master
EX-Diplomat: US Thinks Israeli Spy Pollard was not Acting Alone
Israel’s Peres to Present Obama with Signed Petition for Pollard’s Release
Border Agency Overextended on Drone Program
GOP Lawmakers Bash ‘Unconscionable’ Cuts to Afghan War Funding
Noteworthy Editorials
Paul Craig Roberts: Hubris as the Evil Force in History
Chris Floyd: The Liberals’ Clumsy Dance across Obama’s Killing Floor
Glenn Greenwald: Leon Panetta: Macho Renaissance Man
Jacob Hornberger: The Pentagon-The Troublemaker
Obama’s Virus Wars: Mutually Assured Cyber-Destruction
Guilty Till Proven Innocent: Wire Transfer=Terrorist?
============================================================================================
June 11th 2012
World News
US plotting a military return to Vietnam
From the Trenches - On Sunday, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta flew in to Cam Ranh Bay, the first Pentagon chief to come to this deepwater port 200 miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City since the war.
$125 Billion Bank Bailout Announcement Sparks Massive Protests In Spain
Alexander Higgins - Within hours of the announcement a massive number of citizens are now flooding the streets of the capital city of Madrid to protest the bailout.
NATO apologizes for civilian deaths in airstrike that killed 18 Afghans
RT - Marine Gen. John Allen, who is currently in Logar province told the locals they "have my apology and we will do the right thing by the families." This is the first time NATO publicly confirmed that civilians died in the strike.
Syrian rebels aim to use chemical weapons, blame Damascus - report
RT - The armed Syrian opposition has got their hands on chemical weapons, which they acquired from Libya, a media report claims.
U.S. And Israel Enlist Jihadist Terrorists To Bring Down Syria
Saman Mohammadi - The U.S. and Israeli governments cannot be taken seriously when they try to sell to the world the lie that Islamic terrorism is a threat to Western civilization while it is secretly funding and arming Sunni terrorists to wage war against governments that they don't like.
Here They Come: Ireland Demands Renegotiation Of Its Bailout Terms To Match Spain
Zero hedge - Recall that mere hours ago we asked: "We also wonder how will Ireland feel knowing that it has to suffer under backbreaking austerity in exchange for Troika generosity, while Spain gets away scott free.
You Tube: Coast to Coast AM - 6/9/2012 - Fukushima Special / Arnie Gundersen Part 1
John B. Wells welcomed various experts in nuclear power, energy, and health, including Arnie Gundersen, David Blume, Dr. John Apsley, Theresa Dale, for a discussion on the situation in Fukushima, and what the possible outcomes are for containing the crippled reactor, as well as how the situation may affect our health and environment.
Argentina loses a third of its dollar deposits
Reuters - Argentine banks have seen a third of their U.S. dollar deposits withdrawn since November as savers chase greenbacks in response to stiffening foreign exchange restrictions, local banking sources said on Friday.
LOST is Centralized Control of the World by the UN
Activist Post - The UN's Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) will deliver American sovereignty and seven-tenths of the world's surface through allocation of oceans and seas to the UN by way of the entanglement of global bureaucracy.
U.S. News, Politics & Governments
VIDEO: California grad student on no-fly list gets home after stranding
MSN - An American student who discovered he was included on the government's no-fly list and
was barred from a U.S.-bound flight from Costa Rica was reunited with family and friends
after he flew to Mexico and then walked across the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday evening.
The Trouble with Rand Paul
Zero Hedge - Rand Paul just endorsed a man who is deeply hostile to human liberty. Perhaps that's Rand's idea of playing politics? Come to the table, strike a deal, get what you can.
Astronomers hold bake sales to protest NASA budget cuts
Students, professors,scientists at the University of Central Florida will sell super nova brownies, Milky Way cupcakes
by POX - Missouri has no illegals. Why has Missouri's approach to the problem of illegal immigration been more advanced, sophisticated, strict and effective than anything to date in Arizona?
End of era: G-Man saying good-bye to talk radio
(WND) Veteran of Korea, FBI, Watergate, Special Ops lived what others 'fantasize' about
2012 Election News
Doug Wead Blog: Ron Paul Surprise in Arkansas!
Monica Serrano June 10, 2012 - Today was a most amazing day and for so many reasons. Where do I begin? Arkansas held their district conventions. We have 4 districts. We elected 3 delegates and 3 alternates from each district. And they will be going to Tampa. On June 23 we will elect 21 "at large" delegates and alternatives who will also go to Tampa with the top 3 State GOP officials.
YouTube: Lew Rockwell on RT Abby Martin: Ron Paul and Rand Paul are different!
RT - Senator Rand Paul shocked many supporters yesterday when he endorsed Mitt Romney as a presidential candidate for the upcoming November election.
Economy
Bernanke warning: Taxmaggedon is real
RT - Bernanke's warning centered on a call for Congress to quickly address the issue of $1.2 trillion scheduled spending cuts and tax breaks entered during the George W. Bush administration that are slated to expire at the end of the year. Should Congress not figure out a way to handle the problem, American taxpayers are expected to pay around $310 billion more in 2012.
The U.S. Economy By The Numbers: 70 Amazing Facts That Barack Obama Does Not Want You To See
Activist Post - Why is the economy going to collapse? Have you ever been asked that question? If so, what did you say?
Health
Home Remedies for Sinus Infection - Natural Sinus Infection Treatment
Natural Society - Not surprisingly, antibiotics are prescribed all too often for this
condition - with around 20% of all antibiotic prescriptions going toward sinus infection
treatment.
Effective alternative treatments for Lyme disease and protection from tick bites
(NaturalNews) No tests can confirm Lyme disease; rather, a diagnosis is made from the
constellation of symptoms. Antibiotic therapy is the conventional treatment; often
suppressing symptoms, driving them deep into the tissue, to surface years later in a wide
range of troubling diseases.
Vitamin D Guide' infographic explains importance of vitamin D for optimal health
(NaturalNews) The vital importance of getting plenty of vitamin D as part of a healthy
lifestyle cannot be overstated, and a newly released NaturalNews infographic explains some
of the many reasons why vitamin D is crucial to health, as well as how much of it you should
be getting.
100 percent false labeling - and it's legal!
(NaturalNews) In yet another wave of "truth in advertising" lawsuits, embattled Tropicana is
now fending off approximately 20 lawsuits at once because of blatant truth-slanting labeling
that misleads consumers to think that they are buying fresh, unadulterated, good-for-you OJ.
Coca Cola: Protecting profits at all costs (opinion)
(NaturalNews) Coca Cola, in their efforts to save their profits, has taken the offensive by
saying that Mayor Bloomberg's proposal has no scientific evidence proving a connection
between obesity and consuming sodas.
How to create a natural first-aid kit for travel
(NaturalNews) All of the products listed below are available at health food stores, by mail-order, or off the internet. Wrap glass bottles in cloth such as flannel to protect from breakage. These products are safe for use on children and pets as well. A small padded lunchbox makes a nice place to keep your stuff.
6/11, Warren Richey, Christian Science Monitor, Supreme Court declines case accusing Donald Rumsfeld of torture
6/11, CARL J. MAYER, CounterPunch, As High a Daughter of Liberty, as Any American Judge Forrest and the NDAA
6/11, Pete Kasperowicz, The Hill, House members attempt to curb president's power of indefinite detention
6/11, Matthew Feeney, Reason, Public Defender in GA: Cops Can't Use Thermal Images of Possible Grow Lights For Search Warrants
6/11, Michael Boyle, Guardian (UK), Obama's drone wars and the normalisation of extrajudicial murder
6/11, Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News, Loophole in Law May Allow Warrantless Surveillance of Americans
6/11, Associated Press, Guantanamo Appeals Rejected by Supreme Court
After becoming the epicenter for press suppression and journalist arrests over the last nine months, the NYPD is trying to rewrite history and pretend like nothing ever happened.
The Rise of Citizen Journalism
Factual filmmaking has in some senses become hostage to these new, "immediate" technologies. But many working in the genre praise the developments for adding a richer dimension to current affairs and factual documentaries and everyone seems to agree that the genre will never be the same again.
Chicago PD Sued for Deleting Footage, Strip Searching Citizens Over Cop Car Crash
Chicago Police Captain Kevin Navarro was driving a marked police car down the wrong way of a busy street when he collided head-on with a motorcycle last year. The incident just happened to be caught on camera because a group of residents had been video recording their friend on the motorcycle. And they continued shooting photos and videos of the aftermath, documenting the police SUV in the wrong lane. But by the time a multitude of cops showed up to the scene, they began arresting the citizens with cameras and deleting their footage. The citizens were acquitted and now they are suing.
Mike Elk Will Press Charges Against Honeywell for Blocking Him from Asking Questions
The reporter who was physically attacked for trying to ask a powerful CEO questions said that he is pressing charges over the incident. Mike Elk was at a public meeting on Capitol Hill last Thursday when he had his microphone yanked out of his hands after he tried to ask Honeywell CEO David Cote about the company's labor practices. He was then shoved and forcibly barricaded in a room by Honeywell personnel when he tried to approach Cote outside the meeting.
New York Times Journalist Defends National Security Leaks
Two stories published by the New York Times, which exposed the extent of U.S. involvement in cyber attacks against Iran and the White House's secret "Kill List," have sparked scrutiny over the last week amid allegations that administration officials had leaked classified information for political gain.
There is a growing worry that the falling value and failing business models of many American newspapers could lead to a situation where moneyed interests buy papers and use them to prosecute a political and commercial agenda. That future appears to have arrived in San Diego, where the U-T San Diego, the daily newspaper bought by the local developer and hotelier Douglas F. Manchester, often seems like a brochure for his various interests.
Network Neutrality and Quality of Service: What a Non-Discrimination Rule Should Look Like
Over the past ten years, the debate over Network Neutrality has remained one of the central debates in Internet policy. Governments all over the world have been investigating whether legislative or regulatory action is needed to limit the ability of providers of Internet access services to interfere with the applications, content and services on their networks.
Why Do So Many Bloggers Get Arrested After Internet Freedom Conferences?
While returning from the Human Rights and Technology Conference in Rio De Janeiro, Nadim Kobeissi had to change planes in the United States. At the airport, he was detained and had his passport confiscated for an hour. This time, he was asked about the technology used in CryptoCat. Maybe CryptoCat wasn't the reason Kobeissi was flagged. But he isn't the only activist who has faced legal trouble after attending an Internet freedom conference.
Debunking Rumors of an Internet Takeover
This just in from Geneva: The United Nations has no plans to seize control of the Internet. The Web-snatching black helicopters have not left the hangar.
China Tightens Internet Controls, Real-Name System to Expand
China unveiled a draft of new Internet regulations that, if finalized, will force the nation's Twitter-like social networking platforms, along with all the blogs and online forums, to require users to register with their official IDs.
Lack of Computer Access a Major Hurdle for the Poor
Throughout the nation, a stark divide separates those with access to computers and computer training, and those without. For low-income Americans, it's akin to being stuck yelling out a window to communicate while everyone else is using the phone.
The Specter of 'Search Neutrality' Raises Its Head Again
Every few months, it seems, a hue and cry emerges from somewhere about how Google is a monopoly and is being unfair to competitors, either by promoting its own services in search results or penalizing others, or both.
Is the iPhone Overcrowding the World's 3G Networks?
Regardless of which platform is winning today's smartphone race, the installed base of active iPhones remains huge, and according to a new report, those iOS devices are having an outsized impact on the world's 3G networks.
In Other News...
Will W.V. Public Broadcasting Survive?
Radio Royalty Deal Offers Hope for Industrywide Pact
$422,000 to Stream a Movie? The Continued 'Success' of Phone Cramming
Low Voter Turnout Means New Facebook Privacy Policy Wins
Swedes' Twitter Voice: Anyone, Saying (Blush) Almost Anything
Twitter Just Aired Its First-Ever TV Commercial Promoting Its Brand-New Hashtag Pages
Anti-Piracy Patent Stops Students from Sharing Textbooks
International Newsworthy
Iran Wants Leadership at OPEC
Tensions Rise again Between Iran & Azerbaijan
The IAEA & Parchin: Do the Claims Add Up?
Heroin Trade Entrenched in Afghanistan (No Kidding!)
Pakistan: US Assistant Defence Secretary ‘Cold-Shouldered’
Pakistani PM: Obama Using Drone Strikes for Political Gains
US Doublespeak on Pakistan
Insurgents Named Responsible for Syrian Massacres
Syria: Fighting Intensifies as US Pushes for Expanded Intervention
Armed Groups Blast Gas Pipeline in Eastern Syria
China Has No Reason to Abandon Syria Stance
HRW: Israel Violates International Human Rights Law
A Turning Point in Lebanon?
Libya: 23 Killed in Recent Clashes
Mali: Rebels Announce New Council to Govern North
Sudan: Negotiations Strive for a Consensus
Child Soldiers Forced to Fight as Mercenaries in Ivory Coast
Russian Oil Interests Expending in Germany
Homes of Russian Opposition Figures Searched ahead of Rally
Russia Hints at Intervention in Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict
SCO Launches Joint Exercises in Tajikistan
UK: New Bill Allows All Phone & Internet Activity to be Recorded
French Socialists Heading to Win Parliament
Albania: Political Standoff Stymies Presidential Vote
National Newsworthy
Pentagon to Deploy Pint-Sized Lethal Switchblade Drones
House Committee Schedules Contempt Vote
28% of Federal Contract Funds Go to Just 10 Companies- All Make Weapons System
Senators Quietly Laying Groundwork for Looming Defense Sequestration Fight
NJ Republican Candidate for Congress Spent Election Day in Israel-Meeting with Netanyahu
Bradley Manning’s Motions to Dismiss Charges Rejected
Colin Powell: Another War Criminal Cashes in
Vacuum Cleaner Sucks $440 Million from Navy
Wall Street CEOs Got 20% Raises Last Year-Did You?
Suicides are Surging among US Troops
Cryptome: DOJ 2006 Memo on NSA Domestic Spying
Noteworthy Editorials
M K Bhadrakumar: SCO-Coping with Changing Times
David Gibbs: Welcome to the Balkan Propaganda Machine
Philip Weiss: Jane Harman-The Media Mogul
Glenn Greenwald: Obama Defender Rep. Peter King
One Nation under Surveillance
America is Deluded by its Drone-Warfare Propaganda
===========================================================================================
June 8th 2012
freerepublic.com - Russian military announced Thursday they have successfully test-fired a new version of the Topol-M series codenamed RS-12M. The rocket, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), was fired from a military base in southeast Russia, Interfax news agency quoted military sources as saying. The missile hit its target in Kazakhstan republic in central Asia precisely. The new generation of the Topol-M family aims to counter the US-developed missile shield system being deployed in Western countries. Related article/video: Was UFO a Russian ballistic missile?
Innocent, but still locked-up: Guantanamo prisoners stay behind bars years after being cleared for releaseRT - President Obama didn't keep his promise of closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison, but has the White House even tried? A new report reveals that more than half of the detainees cleared for release from Gitmo are still imprisoned there.
Worlds largest, most advanced underground hospital opens in Haifa
Times of Israel - The world's largest and most advanced "fortified hospital" was unveiled this week at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.
Russia supports Iran's right to civil nuclear energy - PutinRT - President Vladimir Putin stressed at negotiations with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday that Russia has always supported Tehran's right to develop a civilian nuclear industry. The Russian leader pointed out, however, that Iran's atomic program must be strictly for peaceful purposes.
Last warning? Panetta threatens Pakistan
RT - Only days after US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta admitted that American troops are engaged in a war in rural northwest Pakistan, the Pentagon's top-dog says that the United States is losing patience with their once amiable ally.
Fitch cuts Spains rating three notches to BBBRT - Fitch Ratings moved to cut Spain's sovereign credit rating from A to BBB, a three-notch downgrade that has put the country a mere two notches above junk status. The agency further predicts a negative outlook for Spanish debt's creditworthiness.
Rockefeller Foundation Predicts 13,000 Dead at London 2012 Olympics
James Britpod - A 2010 Rockefeller Foundation document entitled "Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development" outlines a scenario which results in the death of 13,000 during the 2012 Olympics.
Icelanders Force Accountability for Banks - Why Cant We?Waking Times - Ever since Iceland's economy collapsed in 2008, the country has been busy reinventing itself. The first step was to restore democracy through a turbulent nonviolent struggle, then to force resignations in the financial sector and secure a criminal conviction of their prime minister for dereliction of duty. Now they are exploring getting a new currency: the Canadian dollar.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Video: Obama Has Signed 923 Executive Orders In 40 Months
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: Obama has signed 923 Executive Orders in 40 months!
What did Congress do in those 40 months?
Gilad Atzmon - Back in 2009, in Houston Texas, Mimi Adams, a distinguished Palestinian solidarity and human rights activist, gave me a present- a USS Liberty baseball cap. She put it on my head and said: "Gilad, in the next two weeks, make sure you have it on your head everywhere you go in America. You will see what happens."
NDAA unconstitutional: Federal judge bans Obama from indefinitely detaining Americans
RT - Judge Katherine B. Forrest has answered a request made by US President Barack Obama last month to more carefully explain a May 16 ruling made in a Southern District of New York courtroom regarding the National Defense Authorization Act.
Holder ducks questions on who highest-ranking official with Fast and Furious knowledge wasDaily Caller - Attorney General Eric Holder again today would not answer who the highest-ranking Obama administration official was that had knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious and the gunwalking tactics it employed before Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was murdered.
Energy & Environment
Nuclear Cover-Up: Explosions, Military Helicopters Filmed Near Blacked Out Radiation Zone
Anthony Gucciardi - Eyewitnesses on the ground near the media-blacked-out elevated radiation zone near the border of Indiana and Michigan, where radiation levels hundreds of times higher than normal were quickly removed from public viewing by the EPA, are now sending in a large number of photos and videos documenting massive explosions accompanied by unmarked helicopters, A-10 Thunderbolts, and military personnel. These reports come after a Department of Homeland Security hazmat fleet was sent out to the location after 'years' of inactivity.
2012 Election News
VIDEO: Hannity / Politico: Rand Paul Endorses Mitt Romney!Daily Paul - Mitt Romney today made the following statement on receiving the endorsement of Sen. Rand Paul: "I am honored to have earned the endorsement of Rand Paul. Senator Paul has been a leading voice in the effort to scale back the size and reach of government and promote liberty....
*** Rand Paul's contact info... paul.senate.gov/?p=contact
*** His DC Office # 202-224-4343
Health
Vitamins more effective at Type 2 Diabetes treatment than pharmaceuticals
(NaturalNews) A dramatic rise in obesity rates across the country in recent years has led to a parallel increase in new cases of diabetes, but not everyone who develops the chronic illness will need medication to deal with it. Some diabetes can be better controlled through the use of vitamins, contends noted pharmacist Stuart Lindsey.
Spirulina explained: Here's what you need to know about this healing superfood(NaturalNews) One of the oldest life forms on Earth, spirulina is a blue-green microalgae that helped produce the oxygen in our atmosphere billions of years ago so that other life forms could appear (www.chinese-herbs.org/spirulina). The original 'superfood,' spirulina is so nutrient dense that you could survive on it and water alone.
TPH Recommended Item: Purium_Carob_Mint_Spirulina 1lb
Turmerics Powerful Life-Promoting Properties Put Pharmaceuticals to Shame
(Natural Society) This certainly isn't the first time turmeric has been shown to prolong life. Researchers experimenting with curcumin in the treatment of a fatal brain cancer known as glioblastoma (GBMs) published groundbreaking findings, where curcumin was shown to decrease brain tumor size in animals by 81 percent in more than 9 studies.
6/8, Sen. Mark Udall and U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, CNN, Detaining people without trial harms America
6/8, Editorial, Guardian Express, Is America becoming a dictatorship
6/8, David Sirota, Salon, War on whistleblowers widens
6/8, Denver Nicks, Daily Beast, The Real Problem With Leaks: Too Many State Secrets
6/7, David Kravets, Wired, Court Halts Law Allowing Indefinite Detention of Americans
NYPD Spokesman Says Stories of Reporters Arrested At Occupy Raid Were a 'Total Myth'
NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and his top spokesman, Paul Browne, gave a lengthy, exclusive interview to the Queens Chronicle in which they discussed one of the biggest controversies surrounding the Department in recent months -- the arrests of journalists during last November's raid on the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Zuccotti Park. Browne apparently denied reports of journalist arrests at Zuccotti Park and attributed them to protesters using fake press credentials.
The Future of News in New Orleans
Last week's announcement that the New Orleans Times-Picayune would be slashing its staff and cutting its print run to just three days a week has sparked a new round of debates about the future of news. But one piece has been missing in this discussion: the role of media policy.
Forty Years After Watergate, Investigative Journalism Is at Risk
Investigative reporting in America did not begin with Watergate. But it became entrenched in American journalism -- and has been steadily spreading around the world -- largely because of Watergate. Now, 40 years after Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein wrote their first stories about the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington's Watergate office building, the future of investigative reporting is at risk in the chaotic digital reconstruction of journalism in the United States.
The New York Times: Barack Obama's Not Leaking to Us
Caught in the crosshairs of a contentious dispute between the White House and Congress, the New York Times is vowing to charge ahead with its coverage of developments in U.S. national security -- and denying that the paper is on the receiving end of silver-platter leaks from the Obama administration.
Top British Politicians to Appear at Hacking Inquiry
The judicial inquiry investigating the ethics and behavior of the British press following the phone-hacking scandal unveiled an A-list of politicians -- including prime ministers past and present -- to testify over four days next week about their ties to the media, particularly the Murdoch empire.
House Subcommittee Tries to Hide Political Ad Info
From the Department of No Good Deed Goes Unpunished comes news of yet another attempt to block that new FCC transparency rule requiring television stations to post online the identity of political ad buyers -- and the vast amounts of money they’re spending.
FCC Grilled Over USF Reform Impact on Telecom in Native Lands
The FCC came under some fire in a Senate committee for the impact of Universal Service Fund reforms on carriers serving Native lands. These reforms are being implemented beginning July 1.
KUSF Sale Completed, FCC Probe Ends
The multimillion-dollar sale of the University of San Francisco-owned classical music radio channel was finalized after more than a year of discussion when all parties in the transaction agreed to pay $50,000 each to end an FCC investigation, officials announced.
Cable, Telecoms See Data Caps as Future Success
Just a few years ago, the Internet seemed like the biggest threat to the cable and telecom business. But now, through their ability to charge for Web access, those broadband service providers see the Internet as their key to future success. Their business models, analysts say, may lie in data caps -- the monthly tiers Comcast, Verizon, AT&T and others have set for consumers on broadband to the home and on mobile devices.
Why is the world's biggest democracy cracking down on Facebook and Google?
Campaigns Blitz Nine Swing States in a Battle of Ads
The presidential campaigns and their allies are zeroing in mainly on nine swing states, bombarding them with commercials in the earliest concentration of advertising in modern politics. Much of the heaviest spending has not been in big cities with large and expensive media markets, but in small and medium-size metropolitan areas in states with little individual weight in the Electoral College.
The Internet v. Citizens United
Micah Sifry and Andrew Rasiej, co-founders of Personal Democracy Media, discuss two new factors that could help shape the 2012 elections: the growing power of social media and the Internet and the explosive influence of corporate money post-Citizens United.
In Other News...
U.S. Government Still Insisting It Can't Be Sued Over Warrantless Wiretapping
Change.org Tests the Line Between Activism, Profits
To Singers, an Ad Seems a Too-Sincere Form of Flattery
Twitter Knows When You Sleep, and More
Millennials: They Aren't So Tech-Savvy After All
==============================================================================================
June 7th 2012
Pentagon Finally Admits U.S. Is at War in Pakistan
Alexander Higgins - Following three years of classified top-secret drone bombings in Pakistan Defense Secretary Leon Panetta finally declared on Wednesday that we are at War in Pakistan.
RT - Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians flooded Cairo's Tahrir Square ahead of the upcoming presidential runoff as voters voice frustration with the choice of candidates. Many fear the military plans to use the disorder in the country to stay in power.
Blatant Corporate Media Propaganda Inciting Hatred of Syria to Justify Intervention
Activist Post - It's more obvious everyday that propaganda is getting more blatant, more in our face.
US post-Assad Syria plan: Intervention in the cards?RT - Hillary Clinton has put forward a new plan to remove Syrian president Bashar al-Assad from power. Echoing recent US threats to take action on Syria independently of the UN, the plan's announcement coincides with yet another tragic massacre.
US calls for tougher sanctions on Syria
Technology World - US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday called for tougher sanctions against Syria to hasten political change in that Middle East country.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Obama Threatens Veto of NDAA 2013: Too Many Restrictions on His "Exclusive" AuthorityNew American - In the SAP [Statement of Administration Policy], President Obama lays out 32 reasons why he is likely to veto the newest iteration of the NDAA. The headlines announcing the President's promise to reject the NDAA are identical to those published early last December, just a couple of weeks before the President took time off from his Hawaiian vacation to sign the measure into law.
2012 Election News
Massachusetts GOP upholds election of Ron Paul delegates in Mitt Romney's congressional district
boston.com - The Ron Paul supporters from Mitt Romney's congressional district whose delegate selections were jeopardized by a ballot challenge are going to the Republican National Convention after all.
Economy
VIDEO: Colorado Asks Unemployed To Pay Back $128 Million In Jobless Benefits
From The Trenches - In one state, the jobless now have to pay the government. Colorado accidentally overpaid $128 million in unemployment benefits last year, and now the state is billing the jobless to get that money back, the Denver Postand Associated Press reported.
Science & Technology
ACLU wants to know how Michigan cops use 'data extraction devices'
ACLU wants more information on how Michigan State Police are using handheld devices it says could download information from the cell phones of motorists they pull over.
75% of physicians in the world refuse chemotherapy for themselves
(NaturalNews) Research using polls and questionnaires continue to show that 3 of every 4 doctors and scientists would refuse chemotherapy for themselves due to its devastating effects on the entire body and the immune system, and because of its extremely low success rate.
CT scans in childhood can triple brain tumor, leukemia risk: study
(LA Times) As few as two CT scans of the head in childhood can triple the risk of developing brain tumors, while five to 10 such scans can triple the risk of leukemia, British researchers reported Wednesday.
GSK Argentina fined for experimenting vaccines in babies from poor families
GlaxoSmithKline Argentina Laboratories company was fined 400.000 Pesos (approx 90.000 dollars) by Judge Marcelo Aguinsky following a report issued by the National Administration of Medicine, Food and Technology (ANMAT) for the killing of 14 babies during illegal lab vaccine trials conducted between 2007 and 2008.
TIME Magazine pushes death agenda: Remove feeding tubes from the dying elderly (and get a cash bonus!)
(NaturalNews) TIME Magazine is peddling a death agenda propaganda piece with a new issue that features these words on the cover: "HOW TO DIE."Inside, the magazine promotes a cost-saving death agenda that encourages readers to literally "pull the feeding tubes" from their dying elderly parents, causing them to dehydrate and die.
Vaccine madness: New mumps jab cultured from dog kidneys linked to canine allergies
(NaturalNews)An unlicensed vaccine being quietly shipped into the U.K. from the Czech Republic is sparking controversy as it may be linked to causing severe allergic reactions. Medi-Mumps, a single mumps vaccine cultured from dog kidney cells, is being touted by some as an alternative to the controversial combination measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, but others have major concerns about both its source and its potential for triggering severe canine allergies.
Cheap calcium supplements can raise risk of a heart attack twofold: Are you at risk?
Researchers from Germany are now sounding the alarm to warn unsuspecting individuals that calcium from supplements should be 'taken with caution', as they have found boosting overall calcium intake from supplementation and certain dietary sources confers no significant advantage in terms of staving off heart disease and stroke.
NutritionMD: 21-Day Vegan Kickstart - Get ready to kickstart your health!
6/7, Editorial, Detroit Free Press, Editorial: Guest commentary: The U.S. owes an apology to tortured traveler
6/7, Todd Miller, TomDispatch, Bringing the Battlefield to the Border
6/7, Nat Hentoff, StarDem, Coming: Even more FBI warrantless searches?
6/7, Doug Bandow, The Daily Caller, In constitutional republics, presidents don’t have ‘kill lists’
6/6, Mac Thornberry, USA Today, Opposing view: Leave counterterrorism policy alone
6/6, Charlie Savage, New York Times, Detention Provision Is Blocked
6/6, Ed Pilkington, Guardian (UK), Bradley Manning defence gets report on WikiLeaks damage to US interests
House Republicans Vote to Protect Broadcasters' Interests, Ignore the Public Interest
So determined are Republican members of Congress to kowtow to the broadcast industry that members of a House Appropriations subcommittee voted to strip the FCC of its ability to post online information that is already supposed to be public about who is paying for campaign ads.
House Panel Moves to Nullify FCC's Political Ad Disclosure Rules
A House appropriations subcommittee slipped language into a federal budget bill that would strip the FCC of its ability to disclose political-ad spending by TV stations online. The FCC adopted the new online disclosure requirements for broadcasters April 27 in an effort to shed more light on political spending.
House Approps Bill Would Bar FCC's Political Ad Rule
A House Appropriations subcommittee approved legislation that includes a provision that would bar the FCC from implementing a rule requiring broadcasters to post online how much political candidates pay for television ads.
FCC Disclosure Rule Knocked Down by House Panel
Voting along party lines, a House panel rejected a new FCC rule that would shed some light on political advertisements by candidates and others -- including secretive outside groups.
White House Seeks New Term for Clyburn
The White House has nominated FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn to a second term, this time a full five years.
FCC Proposing to Sunset Dual-Carriage Viewability Rule
Cable operators will no longer be required to provide both analog and digital versions of must-carry TV station signals as of December 2012 if FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski gets his way. Genachowski considers low-cost converter boxes a sufficient vehicle for allowing analog customers to continue to view TV station signals.
Community Broadband Legislation Alert: South Carolina
Yesterday the South Carolina Senate voted in a second reading of H 3508, a bill that has been debated in the State Legislature since it was introduced in January 2011. The bill would revoke local authority to pick up the slack where the private industry has failed. If this bill passes, South Carolina will entrust its future to AT&T, which has admitted it has no solution for rural broadband. The bill has been pushed by AT&T and ALEC.
A Call for More Clarity on Net Access in Europe
In Europe, the debate over unrestricted Internet access -- so-called Net Neutrality -- has shifted to a core question: How much should the European Union intervene when mobile Internet service providers restrict Web access?
Companies Try to Create Room on Radio Spectrum
Cellphone carriers like AT&T and Verizon say they are worried about running out of the radio spectrum that carries wireless calls and data, and they want the government to give them more chunks of it. But a number of companies are developing technology that could change the whole spectrum game by using radio frequencies more efficiently.
Broadcasters Air Complaints About Royalty Deal
House lawmakers got an earful about the policy implications of radio's migration from its transistor days to an era in which Internet and satellite services are accessed from virtually anywhere.
New Orleans and the Future of News
Last week's announcement that the New Orleans Times-Picayune would be slashing its staff and cutting its print run to just three days a week has sparked a new round of debates about the future of news. But one piece has been missing in this discussion: the role of media policy.
Tribune Pushes to Exit Bankruptcy into Depressed Market
Tribune Co. begins its last big court fight today, one of two steps remaining before the publisher exits bankruptcy into a newspaper market where values have dropped by half.
Ethiopian Government Steps Up Control of News and Information
Ethiopia's only ISP, state-owned Ethio-Telecom, has just installed a system for blocking access to the Tor network, which lets users browse anonymously and access blocked websites. At the same time, the state-owned printing presses are demanding the right to censor the newspapers they print. Reporters Without Borders is very worried by these attempts to reinforce government control of news and information.
In Other News...
Why Comcast's Price-Discrimination Strategy Makes Me Hate Them
Majority of U.S. Seniors Now Going Online
The MPAA Would Be OK Seeing Legit Megaupload Files Restored
Verizon Offers Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans for Galaxy S3 Owners Who Are Existing Customers
The Facebook Phone: Why Facebook Has to Try, and Why It Will Probably Fail
International Newsworthy
Obama Allies: Iran Attack ‘Wrong Move’
Iran Offers Pakistan to Finance Entire Gas Pipeline
Iran May Build Gas Pipeline in Iraq
Iran Rejects [P]GCC Claims on 3 Iranian Islands in Persian Gulf
Afghanistan: Karzai Condemns NATO Airstrike & Civilian Victims
Russia Supports Iran’s Right to Civil Nuclear Energy
Pakistan: Drone Attacks Violation of Human Rights
UN to Investigate Drone Attacks Inside Pakistan
Panetta Threatens Pakistan
Foreign (CIA-Israel) Hand in Balochistan
Syria: War Profiteers Cash in on Insurgency
US Post-Assad Syria Plan
Syria Foils Suicide Bombing Attempt in Daraa
UN Unable to Reach Syria Massacre Site
UAE Turns to Deportation to Silence Regime’s Critics
Israel Erects New Outpost Near Lebanon
Egypt: Tahrir Square Round 2
Egypt Military Urge Parliament to Elect Constituent Assembly Next Tuesday
China as a Vital Force for Africa
US Offers $33 Million Bounty on al-Shabab Insurgents
Niger: ‘Afghans& Pakistanis are Training Islamists in Mali’
Russia’s Quiet Rapprochement with Pakistan
Russia Warns US on Georgia Support
Clinton Pledges Increased Military Assistance to Georgia for New Conflicts
Kazakhstan: Riot Trials Spread Punishment
Azerbaijan’s SOCAR sees $17 Billion Turkey Investments
Kyrgyzstan Military Men to Participate in SCO Joint Anti-Terrorism Military Exercise in Tajikistan
British Government to Boycott Euro 2012
Spain Downgraded
National Newsworthy
Judge Upholds Ban on NDAA Detentions
Bradley Manning Defense Gets Report on Wikileaks Damage to US Interests
FBI Probes White House Officials’ Leaking Info about Cyberattacks against Iran
FBI Accused of Stealing ‘Megaupload’ Evidence
Eric Holder Pushes Fast & Furious Toward Bush Admin in House Hearing
FCC Disclosure Rule Knocked Down by House Panel
US House Approves Sanctions on Russia
Cryptome: DHS Sets New Spying Operations Records
Guantanamo Prisoners Stay Behind Bars Years after Cleared for Release
TSA Waste & Fraud
More Scrutiny for Imam Gulen Charter Schools in the US
Noteworthy Editorials
Andrew Napolitano: Where is the Outrage?!
Paul Pillar: The Selective Approach to Deterring Iran
Indefinite Detention is Un-American
With Freedom & Justice for Some
The End of Israeli Impunity
====================================================================================================================================
June 6th 2012
Vladimir Putin begins three-day visit in China to reaffirm alliance
Technology World - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in China on Tuesday for a three-day visit aimed at bolstering a crucial alliance that has seen the giant neighbours block further action against Syria. Both energy and foreign policy co-operation are high on the agenda, with Putin also participating in a regional summit Wednesday and Thursday where he will separately meet the presidents of Iran and Afghanistan.
Syria bans US and European diplomatsGuardian - Syria has barred a string of US and European diplomats, saying they are "no longer welcome" in the country, but has signed an agreement to admit humanitarian aid.
US-led night raid kills 17 Afghan civilians
Press TV - At least 17 Afghan civilians, including women and children, have been killed in an overnight attack by US-led forces in a village in Afghanistan's eastern Logar province,Press TV reports. The victims lost their lives in a Wednesday pre-dawn operation by US-led forces in Baraki Barak district. Maj. Martyn Crighton, a spokesman with US-led forces, claimed that there were no civilian casualties in the nighttime strike.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Daily Paul - The Liberty movement lost two great patriots yesterday. Tom Cryer - Tax Honesty Advocate: died June 4, 2012 he was 62. Tommy K. Cryer, also known as Tom Cryer (born September 11,1949 in Lake Charles, Louisiana), is an attorney in Shreveport, Louisiana who was charged with and later acquitted of willful failure to file U.S. Federal income tax returns in a timely fashion. Tom's website. Bob Chapman died Monday, June 4, 2012 Bob Chapman, editor of the International Forecaster had been fighting pancreatic cancer. We will all miss him terribly. He was a hero in his tireless efforts to educate people of the world to the plans of the globalist banking cabal. Bob's website.
*** Sign Robert Chapman's Guest Book
KFC to Pay $8.3M to Brain-Damaged Girl in Salmonella Case
Lawsuit determines a KFC worker's mishandling of chicken led to the Australian girl's septic shock and paralysis!
Another boost for Obama's 'gay' accuser
(WND) Two recent developments have bolstered a campaign by Larry Sinclair to advance the sensational claim in his 2009 book "Barack Obama & Larry Sinclair: Cocaine, Sex, Lies & Murder" that he and Barack Obama twice engaged in homosexual acts accompanied by cocaine use.
VIDEO: Kansas towns drone plans caught up in controversy
KCTV 5 - A Kansas town has landed in the middle of controversy over unmanned drones due to privacy concerns. Herington, population 2,500, was looking for an economic boost. City leaders thought a project to build and launch unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, was the answer. "I got excited," City Manager Ron Strickland said. "I was really excited because we had a nice alternate use for our airport."
President Obama's secret kill list
(Fox News) By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
The leader of the government regularly sits down with his senior generals and spies and advisers and reviews a list of the people they want him to authorize their agents to kill. They do this every Tuesday morning when the leader is in town. The leader once condemned any practice even close to this, but now relishes the killing because he has convinced himself that it is a sane and sterile way to keep his country safe and himself in power. The leader, who is running for re-election, even invited his campaign manager to join the group that decides whom to kill.
(NaturalNews) A single-celled, water-grown micro-algae, chlorella is widely known as a powerful "superfood" supplement with extraordinary nutrient density. It is believed to have been around for eons.
Breastfeeding can transmit dangerous vaccine viruses to newborns
(NaturalNews) Mothers who are vaccinated for certain diseases with vaccines that contain live viruses could pass on these viruses to their children through their breast milk.
Radiological protection - More ways to prevent radiation sickness
(NaturalNews) With the situation in Fukushima, Japan actually being much worse than reported by the mainstream media, more and more people are concerned about the increasing possibility of a nuclear accident, terror attack or other radiation release event.
6/6, Sam Walker, Huffington Post, President Obama and Civil Liberties: Unraveling a Very Mixed Record
6/6, Christopher Robbins, Gothamist, A First Look At The NYCLU's New Stop & Frisk App
6/6, Gene Johnson, Washington Post, Seattle terror suspect wants judge to toss evidence from secret foreign-intelligence warrant
6/6, Will Potter, TruthOut, Newly Released FBI “Domestic Terrorism” Training on Anarchists, Environmentalists, Show COINTELPRO Tactics
6/6, Eileen Sullivan, MSNBC, Muslims sue to stop NYPD surveillance
Reform in the Age of Corporate Lawyers
The FCC decision requiring television broadcasters to post data about political ad spending online is a milestone in the fight against political dominance by traditional media and the one percent. It defies every ounce of conventional wisdom in Washington by proving that activists, bloggers, consumer advocates and everyday people could join forces to defeat a corporate agenda. Don't let the lawyers undo that.
House Committee Siding with Powerful Broadcasters to Keep Americans in the Dark
A House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee voted on a misguided measure that would decrease transparency for political ads aired on local television stations. If signed into law, the draft appropriations bill would deny the FCC funding to provide the public with better access to information about the individuals and groups that purchase these political ads, and the amounts they pay to air them on local stations.
/pAppropriations Bill Would Block FCC Political File Rule
A provision has been inserted in a draft of a House appropriations bill that would defund the FCC's effort to put broadcaster political files online.
Google Fiber Set-Top Box Pops Up on FCC Site
The FCC's website lists a Google Fiber IP set-top box equipped with Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet, HDMI input and output, IR and coax. This probably means a super-fast Google broadband connection is on its way to consumers.
FCC Looks to Regulate Middle-Mile Connections
The FCC will look into new regulations of middle-mile broadband connections used by many businesses and owned largely by AT&T and Verizon Communications, the agency said.
Smartphones Bring Hope, Frustration as Substitute for Computers
The mobile telecom industry portrays smartphones as a progressive force, one that is delivering Web access to historically disadvantaged communities. It cites data showing that African Americans and Latinos are now more likely to own smartphones than whites. But as many have discovered, mobile devices come with the built-in limits of stripped-down Web browsers, offering connections that are typically slower and less reliable than wired broadband links.
Is the U.N. Really Trying to Take Over the Internet? Nope.
At a U.S. House of Representatives hearing earlier this week, a number of government officials from both sides of the aisle, as well as Google's chief Internet evangelist and inventor of the TCP/IP protocol Vint Cerf, warned that the U.N.'s International Telecom Union could try to wrestle control away from the U.S.-centric ICANN and "take control of the Internet." For the most part, all of these fears are completely speculative at this point.
As ISPs Throttle, Europe Hopes Competition Will 'Discipline Operators'
At least one-fifth of mobile broadband users in Europe face technical or contractual restrictions on their use of VoIP products, while more than a third of European mobile users also have restrictions on their P2P usage. When it comes to the fixed-line Internet market, the situation with regard to blocking and throttling is better. VoIP is almost never limited, though P2P usage can be. But the real concern comes from wireline companies which manage their network to offer "specialized services" -- think TV, like AT&T's U-verse in the U.S.
Is It Possible to Wage a Just Cyberwar?
This digital evolution means that it is now less clear what kind of events should reasonably trigger a war, as well as how and when new technologies may be used. With cyberweapons, a war theoretically could be waged without casualties or political risk, so their attractiveness is great -- maybe so irresistible that nations are tempted to use them before such aggression is justified.
FBI Probes Leaks on Iran Cyberattack
The FBI has opened an investigation into who disclosed information about a classified U.S. cyberattack program aimed at Iran's nuclear facilities.
Senate Democrats Blast National Security Leak About Cyberattack Against Iran
Senate Democrats blasted leaks to the press about a cyberattack against Iran and warned the disclosure of President Obama's order could put the United States at risk of a retaliatory strike.
The Sometimes Picayune: Want to Damage New Orleans (Again)? Decimate Its Newspaper
Here, for your reading pleasure, are two familiar cliches: 1. New Orleans is a unique city. 2. The newspaper business is changing. Several days ago, when it was announced that the Times-Picayune would get out of the daily print newspaper business, the second cliche kicked the first one's ass. This makes no sense to me.
What Happens When a Newspaper Is Just Another Digital Voice?
The fact that print is declining as a medium for journalism, and that newspapers are going to have to deal with that in a variety of ways, was brought home with a thud recently when Advance Publications and Postmedia announced they would no longer print some of their papers on certain days, in order to save money. As more newspapers are forced to make similar decisions, what impact will that have on their ability to serve a public purpose as an information source about the community?
Politico Goes for 'Fair and Balanced'
Last week, Politico rocked the insidery world of political journalism with an article that criticized the New York Times and the Washington Post for media bias.
Attack on Venezuela Newspaper Highlights War on Media
Gunmen opened fire on a newspaper headquarters in northwestern Venezuela, the third attack against a local media outlet in a week. This is worrying evidence of an increasingly brazen war against the press in the crime-ridden state of Zulia.
In Other News...
Clear Channel and Taylor Swift's Label Agree to Reinvent Royalty System
After 95 Years, a Royalty Deal for Artists
Pandora Is Lobbying Congress to Establish Fair Royalty Rates
Google Starts Showing Users Alerts for Accounts Hacked By 'State-Sponsored Attackers'
Five Ways Your ISP's Failure to Move to IPv6 Could Affect You
Trying to Make Dollars and Sense Out of YouTube's Partner Program
Pro Golfer Doesn't Want to Let Cellphones Play Through
International Newsworthy
US Rejected Iranian ‘No Nukes’ Offer in 2005
Israel ‘Super Ready’ to Attack Iran
Russia Rejects Further Iran Sanctions
US Cyberattack on Iran Opens New Chapter in Modern Warfare
Iran-China Sign Industrial MoU
Afghanistan: NATO Night Raids Kills 15+ Civilians
US Troops Attack Afghan Journalist Home
Suicide Bombing Kills 22 in Afghanistan
US Terminates Funding of Pakistani Sesame Street
Panetta: US to Keep Up Pakistan Attacks
Can SCO Free Pakistan from West’s Stranglehold?
Syria: Army Clashes with Armed Groups on Border with Lebanon
Foreign Powers Waging Media War on Syria
Iraq Kurds Indefinitely Postpone Provincial Elections
Chevron Readies for New Iraq Auction
Gaza Government: Qatar Fuel Held on Egypt Border
Egyptians Pour Out in Anger at ‘Hijacked’ Revolution
Bomb Targets US Embassy in Libya
Kuwait Energy Hosts Libyan Oil Delegation
Nigerian Troops Attack Boko Haram Hideout in Maiduguri
China & Russia Flex Muscle at the West
Marking Territory in South China Sea
Kyrgyzstan Fears “American Gangster” Syndrome
Uzbekistan-China: Incentives for Partnership Expansion
US Promises Military Training to Georgia
China Lends $1.1 Billion for Kazakh Refinery Upgrade
New Zealand Signs NATO Partnership Deal
Canada Plans Military Bases in Global Hot Spots
Deepening European Banking Crisis: G7 Holds Emergency Meeting
National Newsworthy
Police State: 30,000 Secret Surveillance Orders Demanded Annually to Spy on Americans
Police State: Obama Admin Argues No Warrant Required for GPS Tracking of Citizens
Police State: San Francisco to Get Pre-Crime Surveillance Cameras
EPA Defends Use of Spy Drones
Nuclear Weapons Contractors’ Millions in Campaign Contributions
EFF Tells California Supreme Court Warrantless DNA Collection Unconstitutional
Rep. Issa: ‘Documents Prove Senior DOJ Officials Approved Fast & Furious’
Senate Spent $381+K since 2011 Printing Feel-Good Declarations
Raw Story’s Liberal Rhetoric
Google’s New Warning Tool Flags ‘State Sponsored’ Attacks
Noteworthy Editorials
Tom Engelhardt: Praying at the Church of St Drone
Obama’s “Total War” Doctrine
Asia Pacific: Pumping Up the Next Military Conflict
NYT Soft-Pedals the Racism & Hate in Tel Aviv Anti-African Protests
Defiance: A Lost Virtue?
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June 5th 2012
World News
Syrian rebels abandon ceasefire, call on UN for no-fly zone
RT - A Syrian rebel spokesman says they are no longer committed to Annan's ceasefire. He has called for a UN-backed "peace enforcement mission" or a no-fly zone to replace the monitoring mission, demands the UN chief has rejected. 
Obama Mulling Aircraft and Sea Vessel Embargo on Iran
Infowars.com - From a DEBKAfile exclusive report issued on June 4, 2012: Any national airline or international aircraft touching down in Iran will be barred from US and West European airports.
Syrian rebels abandon ceasefire, call on UN for no-fly zone
RT - A Syrian rebel spokesman says they are no longer committed to Annan's ceasefire. He has called for a UN-backed "peace enforcement mission" or a no-fly zone to replace the monitoring mission, demands the UN chief has rejected. 
Israel bars activist as terrorist for refusal to open e-mail
RT - An American peace activist entering Israel has been ordered by airport security officers to open her e-mail account. When she refused, they alleged she is a terrorist and sent her back to the US the next day. Her experience is not unique.
China expects respect after US naval shift
RT - China has expressed mild concerns with the American plans to shift most of its warships to the Pacific region by 2020. Beijing called on to Washington to respect the interests of all sides in the Asia-Pacific, including that of China.
Western banks 'reaping billions from Colombian cocaine trade'
Guardian - The vast profits made from drug production and trafficking are overwhelmingly reaped in rich "consuming" countries - principally across Europe and in the US - rather than war-torn "producing" nations such as Colombia and Mexico, new research has revealed.
VIDEO: AIG Chief Sees Retirement Age as High as 80 After Crisis
Bloomberg - American International Group Inc. (AIG) Chief Executive Officer Robert Benmosche said Europe's debt crisis shows governments worldwide must accept that people will have to work more years as life expectancies increase. 
Seeds of doubt: Brazilian farmers sue Monsanto
RT - Five million Brazilian farmers are locked in a lawsuit with US-based biotech giant Monsanto, suing for as much as 6.2 billion euros. They say that the genetic-engineering company has been collecting royalties on crops it unfairly claims as its own.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Empire State Building in blue and white
The Empire State Building was lit up in blue and white this weekend in honor of Israel's Independence Day in New York: The Empire State Building in New York will form the focal point of Manhattan's Israel independence celebrations from June 1-3 when it will be lit up in blue and white in honour of the Israeli flag.
CFR Proposes Using Army To Enforce Domestic Law
Steve Watson - The Council On Foreign Relations, the elite think tank long associated with globalist policy making and subversion of the principles of the US Constitution, has published an article that proposes using the army to plan and carry out domestic law enforcement missions in the US.
Alabama Adopts First Official State Ban on UN Agenda 21
New American - The Alabama Senate Bill (SB) 477 legislation, known unofficially among some supporters as the "Due Process for Property Rights" Act, was approved unanimously by both the state House and Senate.
Veteran News
A Long-Awaited Welcome Home to USS Liberty Survivors
Scott Rickard - Join the memorial service for the USS Liberty victims on June 8, 2012 at noon at the Mass Grave #1817, Section 34, in Arlington National Cemetery. Please call for an investigation to help bring closure to the sailors and their families who have suffered and felt betrayed. Related video: John McCain Confronted About USS Liberty...
2012 Election News
YouTube: Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk 6/4/12: On a Fast Track to War in Syria; Time to Put on the Brakes!
Ron Paul: War drums are beating again in Washington. This time Syria is in the crosshairs after a massacre there last week left more than 100 dead. As might be expected from an administration with an announced policy of "regime change" in Syria, the reaction was to blame only the Syrian government for the tragedy, expel Syrian diplomats from Washington, and announce that the US may attack Syria even without UN approval.
VIDEO: South Dakota Ron Paul Pro Life Ad
This is one of our ads playing on the radio in South Dakota. South Dakota for Liberty Paid for and authorized by the Conservative Republican Victory PAC. Not paid for or authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Tucker: Bilderberg Wants Mitch Daniels As Romneys VP
Paul Joseph Watson - According to veteran Bilderberg sleuth Jim Tucker's source, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels' presence at the 2012 Bilderberg Group meeting indicates that he is the elite's choice pick to become Mitt Romney's running mate.
YouTube: Federal Law Proves All Delegates Are UNBOUND!
Published on Jun 4, 2012 by matlarson10 - All delegates must see this!
Economy
VIDEO: The Income Tax: WWII Disney Propaganda
RevolutionaryPolitics.tv - Funded and approved by the US Department of Treasury in 1943, this Disney featurette was to encourage every good American to do his \"duty\" and pay his taxes, which, at this time, were at an all time high. 
10 Things That We Can Learn About Shortages And Preparation From The Economic Collapse In Greece
Activist Post - When the economy of a nation collapses, almost everything changes. Unfortunately, most people have never been through anything like that, so it can be difficult to know how to prepare. For those that are busy preparing for the coming global financial collapse, there is a lot to be learned from the economic depression that is happening right now in Greece.
Science & Technology
Secret mission accomplished: America's mysterious space plane to land after a YEAR in orbit - and no one knows what it did up there
Daily Mail - The experimental Boeing X37-B has been circling Earth at 17,000 miles per hour and was due to land in California in December. It is now expected to land in mid to late June. At launch, the space plane was accompanied by staff in biohazard suits, leading to speculation that there were radioactive components on board.
Health
This Everyday Outdoor Mistake Can Make You a Magnet for Melanoma
By Dr. Mercola - With the height of the sun season upon us, health officials are telling everybody to pull out their sunscreen and slather it on. But before you do that, it might be best to check the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) 2012 Sunscreen Guide to see if your sunscreen is one of the 75 percent with potentially harmful ingredients in it. Contrary to popular belief, many sunscreen products may actually increase the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer because they contain vitamin A and its derivatives, retinol and retinyl palmitate, as well as other hazardous ingredients.
4 Eating Mistakes That Lead to Rapid Aging
Activist Post - Whether it be aesthetic changes, or strengthening internal arteries, there are many ways to prevent aging naturally and subsequently ensure that your age does not take a toll on your body. Here are 4 common eating mistakes that lead to negative symptoms oftentimes associated with aging.
Ibuprofen Kills More Than Pain: Here are the Top 10 Alternatives
Activist Post - Ibuprofen is, in fact, not unique in elevating cardiovascular disease risk and/or mortality. The entire category of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) appears to have this under-recognized dark side; of the 100 unintended adverse health effects associated with their use, cardiovascular disease and cardiac mortality score highest on the list.
Stupid News
Water Purification Device Prompts TSA to Close Down Minneapolis Airport
Kurt Nimmo - In another stupendous incident of comical over-reaction, the TSA ordered the evacuation of two airport terminals in Minneapolis after a water purification device was found in a woman's luggage.
6/5, Zia Khan, International Herald Tribune, As scars from Gitmo heal, former inmate wonders: Why me?
6/5, Mark Bowes and Reed Williams, Aerospace and Defense Media Group, Drone use in Va. up in the air; McDonnell open to idea, but some raise civil liberty concerns
6/5, David Scheurmann, The Daily Reveille (LSU), Cybersecurity act deserves criticism, harms civil liberties
6/5, Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Judge orders more talks for Pittsburgh, protestors in G-20 suit
6/5, Joe Wolverton, II, New America Media, Obama Threatens Veto of NDAA 2013: Too Many Restrictions on His "Exclusive" Authority
6/5, Rev. Al Sharpton, Huffington Post, 'Stop-and-Frisk' Is the New Racial Profiling
6/5, Kurt Madar, Daily Times (New Mexico), Farmington's CRC hears racial profiling complaints
Forget he said/she said. In mainstream media, it's more like he said/he said. 4th Estate's new study of 2012 election-year coverage shows that major American newspapers and TV news programs feature up to seven times as many quotes from men than women. This is true even when "women's issues" are the subject.
Times-Picayune Citizens' Group Aims to Stop Publication Changes at Newspaper
More than 70 business and civic leaders and organizations have joined together to express frustration at a recently announced plan to reduce print publication of the Times-Picayune. Calling itself the Times-Picayune Citizens' Group, the body said in a press release issued today that its purpose is to "ensure the continuation of the delivery of a high-quality, seven-day-a-week newspaper, with access to the entire community."
Journalists Killed Around the World, Visualized
Taking the Guardian's data on journalists' deaths, interactive designer Julian Koschwitz has created an art installation.
Hopi High Connects with Community Through Airwaves
Many schools in Arizona have journalism courses. Some even give their kids the chance to be heard on the airwaves in radio or television. But students at Hopi High School in Keams Canyon probably reach more people. "Hopi Community Radio is the largest public Native American radio station in the continental U.S. in terms of its reach," said journalism teacher Stan Bindell of the 69,000-watt station.
In five days, GOOD went from being a media darling to the media's latest jerk when the company laid off most of its editorial staff. Just what happened to the do-gooder publication is still pretty murky.
In Thailand, Moderate Comments or Go to Jail
For 20 days in 2010, a user comment, later deemed by Thai officials as offensive to the king, was posted to a message board on the Thai news website Prachatai. Last week, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, the Prachatai webmaster who failed to delete that comment in a timely fashion, was fined and given an eight-month suspended prison sentence. It could have been worse: Premchaiporn faced up to 20 years in prison for failing to quickly delete 10 such user comments.
The United Nations Could Seize the Internet, U.S. Officials Warn
Several emerging countries are rallying behind a campaign to have the International Telecom Union, the U.N.'s global standards body for telecom, declare the Internet a global telecom system, U.S. officials said in testimony before the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Led by China, Russia, India and now Egypt, which recently launched its own proposal, such a move would allow state-owned telephone networks to expand into VoIP. It would also give them the opportunity to charge fees for Internet service -- and put the Internet at the mercy of international politics.
Civil Society Is Key to the Debate on International Control Over the Internet
Civil society will be the critical player in a policy debate that has dominated recent tech news -- whether the International Telecom Union will be given the power by its member states to regulate Internet access and the Internet itself. Despite the fact that the U.S. government and U.S. industry have vocally opposed this outcome, it is U.S. civil society that has the biggest role to play to ensure that the Internet continues to be open and decentralized.
Russian Internet Policy at Odds with That of Western Countries
Nearly all Western Internet users believe in the general principles of information sharing that date back to the Enlightenment-era values of freedom of expression. Or, expressed more succinctly in the 20th century: Information wants to be free. But, says Keir Giles, a veteran Russia analyst, the Kremlin doesn't quite see things the same way.
Talk of Tiananmen Muzzled on Chinese Web
China's Internet monitors have unleashed a broad clampdown on online discussion of the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, restricting even discussion of the nation's main stock market when the Shanghai Composite Index fell by 64.89 points -- a number that made for an eerie allusion to the sensitive date: June 4, 1989.
Isolationist No More: The Internet Goes to Washington
The launch of a new think tank call DisCo that wants to educate Congress about disruptive technologies is just one of several new efforts proposed by the Internet and startup community to get their voices heard. No longer will the conversation between Silicon Valley and D.C. rely solely on big tech firms like Amazon, Google, Facebook and others. The Internet upstarts are hoping they can disrupt politics too.
Pre-Paid iPhone Parade: Can the Networks Cope?
Cricket Communications will become the first pre-paid wireless operator to sell an iPhone later this month, and Sprint's subsidiary Boost Mobile is rumored to follow in the fall. If the pre-paid iPhone matches the success of its post-paid brethren, the wireless operators may be in for a data tsunami unlike anything they've experienced so far.
Canada on Track to Pass 100 Percent Wireless Penetration Rate
Canadians' growing love affair with mobile devices is putting the country on track to achieving a wireless penetration rate that exceeds 100 percent in about three years.
As airlines try to persuade passengers to pay for Internet access at cruising altitudes, more airports and hotels are offering it free on the ground. Half of the busiest airports in the United States now have free Wi-Fi, teaming with AT&T in a service that will give travelers 40 minutes of free Wi-Fi in exchange for viewing a 30-second advertisement. That type of sponsored access is one way airports are balancing consumer pressure for free access to Facebook, Twitter and email accounts with the cost of providing a bigger pipe for growing data needs.
In Other News...
AT&T, Rivals Square Off on Interoperability
Rupert Murdoch Blasts Google on Twitter, Gets Blasted Back
Lawmakers Wary of Facebook for Kids
Dump Facebook, Keep Your Friends: A Step-By-Step Guide
Over-55s Pick Passwords Twice as Secure as Teenagers'
Disney to Stop Some Junk Food Ads on Kids' TV, Websites
International Newsworthy
Iran President Heads for China
Iran to Lodge Complaints against EU Non-Suppliers
US Wants India to Play ‘More Active Role’ in Afghanistan
Pakistan: Three US ‘Diplomats’ Detained for Illegally Carrying Weapons
Pakistan Summons US Envoy (Again!)
Balochistan: Middle-Class Rebellion?
India: Military Intelligence Staffer Caught Trying to Sell Secrets
Syria: America versus Israel
Iraq: Sadr & Secular Bloc Push for PM to Quit
Turkey Supports Efforts to Unseat Iraq’s Maliki
Yemen: Dissidents Could Face UN Sanctions
Yemen, Drones & the Imperial Presidency
Israel is New South Africa as Boycott Calls Increase
Israel’s Deployment of Nuclear Missiles on Subs from Germany
Egypt: American NGO Worker Faces his Fate in Court
Libya’s Delayed Elections are Hard to Call
Mali: The World’s Next Jihadi Launchpad?
Rampant Oil Theft Ravages Nigeria’s Delta
Making Territory in South China Sea
Russia & China Tout Strategic Partnership Amid Global Breakdown
Retired Russian Colonel Convicted of Spying for US
NATO Signs Supply Deal for Afghanistan Through Central Asia
China’s Top Brass on Central Asia Tour
Tajikistan Risks Backfire on Mosque Closure
Uzbekistan: Putin-Karimov Talk Afghan Security
Five Azeri Soldiers Killed in Clash with Armenians
Austrian Military to Use Surveillance Drones
Denmark Professor Jailed for Spying
EU-Pakistan Establish Counterterrorism Body
International Development Aid Going to Private Companies
National Newsworthy
The Age of Drones: Military May Share Domestic Surveillance Data with Police
The NSA Un-Chained
Ex-BlackWater Executives Finger CIA in Weapons Trial
US State Department Silent on ‘Massive’ China Spy Revelations
How Bank of America Executives Hid Losses-in Their Own Words
Why are State Taxpayers Subsidizing Big-Budget Films & TV Shows?
Record Number of US Households on Food Stamps
Super PAC Targets Independents in California House Race
Newly Released CIA Documents on 9/11
Cryptome: Beware of Imitators by al-Qaeda Secretary
Noteworthy Editorials
Ron Paul: War Drums for Syria
Doug Bandow: The Case for Ending Aid to Israel
Nat Hentoff: FBI Free to Ambush Our Bill of Rights
Paul Craig Roberts: Collapse at Hand
Totalitarian Collectivism: The Killer Elite Hit List
Blowback & the Consequences of Obama’s Foreign Policies
When Cops Become Robbers
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June 4th 2012
Kurt Nimmo - On a recent segment of his CNN program, Fareed Zakaria called for imposing crippling sanctions on Syria in order to force regime change on the country.
Iran: Response to attack will come 'like thunderbolt'RT - Any Israeli "misstep" against Iran will fall on their own heads "like a thunderbolt", Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei warns. His senior military adviser earlier reminded that all Israeli and US bases in ME are within reach of Iranian missiles.
US assassination drones kill 30 people in Pakistan since Saturday
Press TV - As many as 16 people have been killed and several others injured in two airstrikes carried out by US assassination drones on the northwestern Pakistan tribal area of North Waziristan.
Destitution and Hunger In Greek Prisons: "Not Even One Grain of Rice Left In Warehouses"
The Daily Sheeple - All indications suggest that basic services in Greece have begun to break down, with reports from several Greek prisons and military installations indicating that prisoners are malnourished and starving. Food shortages caused by austerity related spending cuts and truck stoppages are also reportedly reducing daily rations for soldiers stationed in the area of Corinth, Greece. Related article: Greek Power Regulator Calls Emergency Meeting to Avert Collapse of Power Grid...
Iran: Response to attack will come 'like thunderbolt'
RT - Any Israeli "misstep" against Iran will fall on their own heads "like a thunderbolt", Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei warns. His senior military adviser earlier reminded that all Israeli and US bases in ME are within reach of Iranian missiles.
US to move the majority of its naval fleet to Asia
Telegraph - Speaking in Singapore, Mr Panetta said the shift from the Atlantic to the Pacific would take place by 2020, at the same time as military cooperation with nations including Vietnam and the Philippines was enhanced.
Assad on Houla: 'Not even monsters would carry out such an ugly crime'
RT - Syria's president announced his country is facing a "real war" and blamed terrorists and outside forces for the violence. The defiant speech comes a day after the UN special envoy warned that the specter of all-out civil war grows daily in Syria.
Mubarak suffers heart attack moments after being told he will spend the rest of his life in jail for killings of protesters during Arab Spring
Daily Mail - Following a lengthy trial, the man who ruled over the country for 30 years was sentenced after being found guilty of being complicit in the killings of protesters during the country's uprising.
Global organ harvesting a booming black market business; a kidney harvested every hour
(NaturalNews) WHO says wealthy patients in developed nations are paying tens of thousands of dollars for a kidney to India-, China- and Pakistan-based gangs, who harvest them from desperate people for as little as a few hundred dollars.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
PHOTO: Obama's Chief Economist Attends Bilderberg Meeting
Intel Hub - During the Bilderberg 2012 meetings, theintelhub.com was able to catch numerous globalists attending the meetings. We have now been able to positively identify one of Obama's chief economics, Austan Goolsbee.
National Guard Magazine Cover Story Specifies Americans as Greatest Terror Threat
Adan Salazar - The latest edition of The Guard Experience, the National Guard's official magazine, features a cover story titled, "The Threat at Home." While the title itself is quite shocking, the ideas presented are definitely meant to desensitize guard member readers to the idea of pursuing and capturing Americans on American soil, thus finalizing the end of posse comitatus.
Taxpayer-funded gun control gets huge foundation boost
Ron Arnold - Gun rights advocates recently discovered that the gun control group Mayors Against Illegal Guns has burrowed its "gun violence prevention coordinators" (read "anti -gun lobbyists") into city payrolls from Augusta, Maine to Seattle, Washington, at taxpayer expense.
UN calls for investigation of US school's shock treatments of autistic children
Guardian - The UN's special rapporteur on torture has made a formal approach to the US government over a special-needs school near Boston that inflicts electric shocks on autistic children as a form of behavioural control. Juan Mendez has told the Guardian that he has opened discussions with the US mission to the UN in Geneva as a first step towards investigating the school.
Philadelphia Begins Enforcement Of Ban On Outdoor Feeding Programs In City's Parklands
CBS News - Mayor Michael Nutter has said the ban will protect the dignity of the homeless, cleanliness of the parks, and eliminate food health concerns. But dozens of opponents testified at a City Council Committee hearing on Thursday, calling the Mayor's reasons for the ban misleading.
2012 Election News
Ron Paul Wins Louisiana Convention
Daily Paul - Ron Paul sending 27 out of 46 Louisiana delegates to Tampa... 59% !!! After Convention Chairman Henry Herford's arrest, the delegates proceeded to elect a new chair and continued with the business of the convention. They reportedly elected a slate of 27 Ron Paul supporters to fill 12 of the 18 district delegate slots and 15 of 20 at-large delegate slots, before certifying the results with the RNC.
Ron Paul supporter has fingers broken at contested Louisiana GOP convention
Examiner Jun 2, 2012 - Louisiana's Republican convention in Shreveport on Saturday resulted in unexpected assaults and arrests, including one man who had his fingers broken. Many were expecting disagreements over the choice of delegates, especially after the state party's executive committee issued 16 pages of new rules before the convention, but it's doubtful that many guessed the severity of the disagreements. The Ron Paul campaign team explained the conflicts in detail. Related video: Police Assault Ron Paul Delegate...
Ron Paul Is Coming To Fort Worth, Texas June 7th
Facebook Event Page: Congressman Ron Paul will speak at the Texas Liberty Concert in conjunction with his appearance at the TX State Republican Convention. The event will be held at The River Ranch in the Fort Worth Stockyards 500 NE 23rd Street Fort Worth, TX on Thursday, June 7th, 2012 ... 6:30 pm to 10 pm.
Veteran News
A Long-Awaited "Welcome Home" to USS Liberty Survivors
Scott Rickard - Join the memorial service for the USS Liberty victims on June 8, 2012 at noon at the Mass Grave #1817, Section 34, in Arlington National Cemetery. Please call for an investigation to help bring closure to the sailors and their families who have suffered and felt betrayed. Related video: John McCain Confronted About USS Liberty...
Cops Gun Down Man For Legally Carrying Firearm
WND - Erik Scott was a West Point graduate who went on to serve honorably in the Army, get his MBA from Duke and establish a lucrative career in real estate and as a sales rep for a medical device company.
Bail Denied for Veteran Arrested Twice at Bilderberg 2012 Protest
Activist Post - Update just in from Luke Rudkowski from We Are Change: A veteran who was arrested twice for what amounts to jaywalking, and who was fondled, and forcibly vaccinated has had his $1,000 bail denied until his hearing on Monday. He will miss his flight which is scheduled for tomorrow, incurring further cost for peacefully protesting in the land of the free. Intel Hub video: [explicit language] Veteran Forcefully Vaccinated...
Health News
CONSUMER ALERT: BPA-Free Goods Still Contain Toxic Bisphenol
Activist Post - Breaking new research indicates that manufacturers throughout the world who were using the toxic hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA), have simply switched to an equally toxic analogue in the same bisphenol chemical class known as bisphenol S (BPS), to evade regulatory oversight and trick consumers with their misleading "BPA-FREE!" labels.
Magnesium - The Weight Loss Cure
(NaturalNews) Magnesium and the B-complex vitamins are energy nutrients: they activate enzymes that control digestion, absorption, and the utilization of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Lack of these necessary energy nutrients causes improper utilization of food, leading to such far-ranging symptoms as hypoglycemia, anxiety, and obesity.
Homeopathic remedies and Herbal medicines may stop the spread of parasites causing Chagas disease - the new AIDS of the Americas
(NaturalNews) The latest health horror known as Chagas disease, or the AIDS of the Americas has appeared in both Latin and Central America, infecting over 8 million individuals.... Several homeopathic remedies and herbs may help stop the spread of parasites causing this disease before it gets deeply imbedded in the system -- if it's caught it time.
6/4, Adrianne Jeffries, Observer (UK), New York Civil Liberties Union’s ‘Big News’? An App to Combat Stop and Frisk
6/4, Thomas Frisbie, Chicago Sun-Times, Did torture put you in prison? Too bad
6/4, Joe Wolverton, II, New American, Obama Administration Argues No Warrant Required for GPS Tracking of Citizens
6/4, Mark Karlin, TruthOut, An Interview With Medea Benjamin About the Life-and-Death Decisions of Drone Warfare
6/4, Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash, Illinois Law Makes It a Felony to Record Comments of Police in Public
6/3, Ed Pilkington, Guardian (UK), Bradley Manning lawyer in struggle to have government documents released
6/3, Editorial, Los Angeles Times, Closing a loophole in the war on terror
Can the White House Declare a Cyberwar?
The Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war -- but it's silent on cyberwar. That's causing consternation on Capitol Hill in the wake of a recent report detailing how President Barack Obama joined forces with Israel to launch secret cyberattacks on Iran's nuclear program. For some lawmakers, it's further evidence that the White House has taken too much war-making power from Congress.
Expert Issues a Cyberwar Warning
When Eugene Kaspersky, the founder of Europe’s largest antivirus company, discovered the Flame virus that is afflicting computers in Iran and the Middle East, he recognized it as a technologically sophisticated virus that only a government could create.
Which Internet Companies Protect You from the Government -- and Which Don't
Earlier this year, Twitter was subpoenaed for the account information of an Occupy Wall Street protester. It has resisted, but would other online companies do the same? If you break the law, in many cases, the government is going to turn to the digital services you frequent -- Facebook, email, your phone carrier -- to find evidence. But will those companies go to bat for you?
Farmers Don't Need Fast Broadband, Says Labour MP
Rural broadband funding should be spent elsewhere because "farming has existed without the Internet for eternity," a Labour MP has claimed.
Jamming Tripoli: How Insurgents Fought Back Against Gaddafi's Spy Network
By now, it's well-known that the Arab Spring showed the promise of the Internet as a crucible for democratic activism. But in the shadows a second narrative unfolded, one that demonstrated the Internet's equal potential for government surveillance and repression on a scale unimaginable with the analogue techniques of phone taps and informants. Today, with Gaddafi dead and a provisional government of former rebels in charge, we can begin to uncover the spying machine that helped the dictator cling to power.
The question of civil liberties versus privacy carries with it an entire set of tired arguments and predictable political posturing. The debate, however, is changing radically, because the capabilities to invade and control privacy have become extremely granular, and the profit motive has now changed the traditional actor in surveillance from the state to the private corporation.
Brussels to Tackle Online Blocking and Throttling
Brussels Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes is to draft legislation on Net Neutrality in light of data showing that between 20 and 50 percent of European Internet providers use software to block online access.
Newspapers Cut Days from Publishing Week
Almost two weeks ago, the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, which is owned by Advance Publications, announced that it would cut back its print schedule to just three days a week. Within hours, its sister publications the Birmingham News, the Press-Register of Mobile and the Huntsville Times followed suit. Four days later, Postmedia announced that three of its papers, the Calgary Herald, the Edmonton Journal and the Ottawa Citizen would all eliminate their Sunday editions.
A Big, Not Easy Solution to the Journalism Crisis in New Orleans
Let's focus, for the sake of simplicity, just on the situation in New Orleans. There are solutions -- not easy solutions, but big solutions, and if folks have the gumption to pull off these ideas, the Big Easy could actually have better journalism and a better informed citizenry. I would call them (although political junkies might cringe at this term) a Third Way for saving journalism in the Crescent City.
Safety Concerns in the Age of Citizen Journalism
When foreign blogger and cellphone video reporters are censored there is an outcry. Why then do those same Western audiences seem to accept the oppression and censorship of civilian journalism when it happens in our own cities?
Media Portrayal of Black Youth Contributes to Racial Tension
Mainstream media often portray African-American youths, especially black men and boys, as criminals, crime victims and predators. These stereotypes, according to social justice advocates, can create a racially charged atmosphere that results in violence such as the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin.
Most newspapers have profit margins that, while not what they were in the '90s, would still make other local businesses quite happy. Here's the illustration: Warren Buffett wouldn't buy newspapers if he didn't think they made money. So the real question isn't "where is the money?" The real question is, what is the newspaper spending its profits on?
The Chart That Explains Media's Addiction to Print
The past few weeks have seen some fairly dramatic moves by U.S. and Canadian newspaper chains that have chosen to stop printing their papers on certain days in an attempt to save money. But in most cases this has been a result of a "forced march" toward digital, rather than a choice to embrace the online world at the expense of print. A single chart illustrates why that decision is so difficult: because print is still a massive source of advertising revenue. But the chart also shows why the print-based media industry is so afraid of the future.
In Other News...
Watch Those Commercials -- Or Else
Turning Off the Phone System? What Do You Mean We're Turning Off the Phone System?
FCC Vows to Monitor Location-Based Services
Don't Mean to Be Alarmist, But the TV Business May Be Starting to Collapse
Facebook Explores Giving Kids Access
Facebook Nation: Privacy Changes Go to a 270 Million-User Vote
In a Skirmish to Control the Screens
On China's Twitter, Telling Lies Will Get You Kicked Out
Delta Air Lines Wants to Pull in More a La Carte Fees
International Newsworthy
Iran Sets Up New Oil Storage Facility in Bushehr
Unrest in Balochistan: NATO Not Afghanistan Responsible
China Steps Up Afghan Role
Drone Blitz on Pakistan Enters Third Straight Day
US Drone Strikes Kill 16 in NW Pakistan
US-Pakistan Freeze Chokes Fallback Route in Afghanistan
Pakistan: SC Suspends Malik’s Senate Membership
Saudis Plotting Against Syria
Syrian Rebels Abandon Ceasefire
UK to Set Up Syria Camps to Aid Rebels
West Desperately Attempts to Spin Syrian Crisis
An Unwelcome Turn in the Arab Spring?
Iraq: Death Toll from Attack on Shia Endowment Rises to 15
Yemen: 30 Killed in Sectarian Clashes
Israel Government Calls for Mass Deportation of African Immigrants
Egypt: Hamas Denies Taking Part in Turmoil
Libya Armed Brigade Surrounds Tripoli Airport
24 Eastern European ‘Mercenaries’ Convicted in Libya for Aiding Gaddafi
Somali Soldiers Train in Rural Uganda
SCO Enlargement to Give Fresh Boost to Organization
Japan Investigates Senior Chinese Diplomat for Spying
Russia: Putin Ishayev a Far East Challenge
Hillary Plays the Caucasus: of Conflict & Civil Rights
Tajikistan Officially Asks for Iran Oil
Proposed Military Sale to Azerbaijan Raises Controversy in Washington
Western Banks Reaping Billions from Columbian Cocaine Trade
UK: Cyber Strike a ‘Civilized’ Option
German Submarines for Israel Outfitted with Nuclear-Tipped Cruise Missile
New Documents Leaked from Vatican
National Newsworthy
Cyber-Warrior Obama Drops Imperial Cloak
Documentary Unveils Rape in US Military with Testimonials
EPA is Using Spy Drones to Fly Over Midwestern Farms
Police Swarm Louisiana State Convention-Assault Chairman-Arrest Ron Paul Delegates
The Truth about Military Healthcare
US Job Growth Stutters
Regulators Ignored JP Morgan Unit that Lost Billions
Republican Party Blocking Massive Ron Paul Event in Tampa?
Noteworthy Editorials
Andrew Gavin Marshall: The Maple Spring & the Mafiocracy
Glenn Greenwald: US Again Bomb Mourners
Stephen Lendman: Wisconsin’s Recall Election
The Paranoid Style of American Governance
Outraged Over Atrocities
Militarism & Neoliberalism: Two Sides of the Same Coin
===========================================================================================================================================================
June 1st 2012
Russia to build second reactor for Iran
RT - Russia's state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom says it is ready to help Iran build another power generating unit at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran.
VIDEO: Covert Ops and Washingtons Contingency Plans for North KoreaActivist Post - As the long-standing tensions between Washington and Pyongyang remain inflamed, a media report accusing South Korean and US Special Forces of parachuting into North Korea to spy on underground military facilities has sparked further controversy.
Exclusive: Obama weighs action to prevent Al Qaeda grabbing Syrian WMD
DebkaFile - The US president is trying to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept his new plan for the immediate assignment by the UN Security Council of 3,000 armed monitors to Syria to take charge of the six chemical and biological stores.
VIDEO: Clinton and Rice: Strike On Syria in the WorksKurt Nimmo - U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice emerged from a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council Wednesday and said the Council and the United States are prepared to attack the al-Assad government in Syria.
Was Flame super-virus created in the US? Cyber weapon threatening to cripple entire nations has ˜hallmarks of the NSA
Daily Mail - As the United Nations prepares to issue its 'most serious warning' to guard against the superbug, cyber experts said it carried all the markings of a U.S. espionage operation. Specifically, they have pointed the finger at the highly secretive National Security Agency.
Iran 'finds fix' for sophisticated Flame malwareBBC News - Iran's National Computer Emergency Response Team (Maher) said in a statement that the detection and clean-up tool was finished in early May and is now ready for distribution to organisations at risk of infection.
Europe Is About to Implode... Are You Ready?
(Zero Hedge) I've warned time and again that the EU would collapse in May-June. That collapse is here right on schedule. And NO ONE will be able to stop it. Here's why.
Bilderberg 2012: The Official List of ParticipantsInfowars.com - Editor's note: The Bilderbergers now post the participant list on their "official" website. In the past, moles inside the organization would release the secretive list to journalists, most notably Jim Tucker of the American Free Press.
Washington Times Breaks U.S. Media Blackout On Bilderberg
Paul Joseph Watson The Times reports that a half-mile security perimeter has been set up around the Westfields Marriott hotel and that a photographer for the newspaper was told by police, "any attempt to get close to the building would result in arrest.".
Bilderberg Meeting is IllegalKurt Nimmo - On June 6, 2008, we reported on Obama and Hillary secretly attending the Bilderberg meeting held at the Marriott Hotel in Chantilly, Virginia. The rendezvous was kept secret for a good reason - Obama and Hillary had committed a felony. It is illegal for "unauthorized citizens" to negotiate with foreign governments under the Logan Act, a law passed under the John Adams administration in 1799.
VIDEO: Worried About The Soda Ban? Fear Not, Bloomberg to Support National Donut Day
Politicker 5/31/12 - At Mayor Michael Bloomberg's press conference touting his efforts to stop the sale of large soft drinks in restaurants, one reporter in attendance brought up the interesting fact that his administration also supporting "National Donut Day" tomorrow and inquired as to whether that muddled the mayor's message on the issue.
John Edw
ards Not Guilty On Count 3, Jury Hung On Other Counts
(Huffington Post) GREENSBORO, N.C. - John Edwards was acquitted on one charge of campaign finance fraud and a mistrial was declared on five other counts Thursday when jurors said they couldn't decide if he illegally used money to hide his pregnant mistress while he ran for president.
Soldier acquitted in AIDS assault case after HIV tests shown to be completely bogus
(NaturalNews) An Army sergeant who was falsely accused of being HIV positive, and who spent 240 days in pretrial custody as a result, has officially been acquitted of the charges levied against him.
YouTube: 100K To Attend Ron Paul Festival!Published on May 31, 2012 by matlarson10 - Information about Ron Paul Festival and a warning about H.R. 347 during the GOP convention.
Health
Diabetes Drug Actos May Increase Bladder Cancer Odds
HealthDay - People with type 2 diabetes taking Actos (pioglitazone) to control blood sugar may put themselves at risk for bladder cancer, according to a new Canadian study. Although the absolute risk of anyone developing bladder cancer remains very low, taking the Actos pill for two years can double the risk, the researchers said.
Ancient curry spice boosts innate immune response to fight infection and chronic disease(NaturalNews) A research team from Oregon State University has released the result of a study in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry that demonstrates how curcumin exerts a measurable increase in levels of a protein that's known to be important in the innate immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans and other animals.
Is your cookware killing you?
(NaturalNews) Our health is greatly influenced by the food we eat and how we cook it. The nutrient density of food can be easily damaged by overheating our foods along with the damaging chemicals and heavy metals that leach into it from our cookware. Heavy metals from cookware alter enzymes and tastes and ultimately end up in the body. You can buy the very best organic food and inadvertently turn it into poison by cooking it wrong.
Current News
6/1, Associated Press, Judge in Trayvon Martin Case Revokes Bond of Zimmerman
5/31, Cora Currier, Pro Publica, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Drones
5/31, Art Keller, Foreign Policy, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed: The outsourcing of extraordinary rendition?
5/31, Daphne Eviatar, Gabor Rona, Foreign Policy, Kill the Kill List
5/31, David Kravets, Wired, Congress Looking Happy to Reauthorize Broad, Secret Spying Powers
5/31, Marc Thiessen, Washington Post, The Obama-Bush doctrine
5/31, Greg Miller, Julie Tate, Washington Post, CIA probes publication review board over allegations of selective censorship
Silenced: Gender Gap in the 2012 Election Coverage
Women are significantly underrepresented in 2012 election coverage in major media outlets. In analysis of news stories and transcripts from the past six months, men are much more likely than women to be quoted on their subjective insight in newspapers and on television. This pattern holds true across all major news outlets, as well as on issues specifically concerning women.
Buckeye Cablevision Sues Channel 36 Owner Over Broadcasting Fees
Buckeye Cablevision filed a lawsuit in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas against a Toledo TV station and the owner of another. The suit was filed against local Fox station WUPW-TV, Channel 36, its owner, American Spirit Media, and Raycom Media, which owns WTOL-TV, Channel 11. The suit stems from a disagreement over whether Buckeye should pay more to broadcast WUPW, which is a Fox station.
23 Years After Tiananmen, China Is Still Paying
The annual crackdown on commemorations of the June 4 anniversary of the brutal suppression of student-led demonstrations based in Tiananmen Square in 1989 Beijing is under way, according to Agence France-Presse. What's concerning is the number of writers and activists for whom "crackdown" is the new normal.
British Minister Concedes Sympathy to Murdoch TV Bid
With his career in the balance, Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt said at a judicial inquiry into the British media that he had been personally sympathetic to a bid by Rupert Murdoch to take over Britain's most lucrative pay-television network, but that he did not act with improper bias.
ACLU, EFF: Subpoena for Twitter Data Would Chill Free Speech
Three consumer rights groups filed a friend of the court brief arguing that allowing the government access to an individual's Twitter account information would chill free speech.
Cable Still Beating Telcos at the Broadband Game
Cable continues to crush telcos when it comes to stealing broadband customers, according to new data.
AT&T Mulls Upgrading Rural Lines Instead of Selling Them
AT&T, the largest U.S. telephone company, is considering a plan to upgrade its rural phone lines to handle higher-speed Internet service, potentially putting off an effort to sell off the underperforming assets.
California Senate's Anti-VoIP Regulation Bill Moves Forward
Members of the California State Senate voted 30 to 6 to pass a bill that will prevent the California Public Utilities Commission from regulating VoIP services.
C Spire: How AT&T Conspired to Squash Our Regional Wireless Firm
The Mississippi-based wireless operator Cellular South, a.k.a. C Spire, says in a lawsuit that AT&T conspired with suppliers to run it out of business.
Is the UN the Next Big Threat to Internet Freedom?
Even as Internet-control bills like SOPA and PIPA were making their way through Congress earlier this year (only to be short-circuited by public opinion), there was another potential firestorm brewing just beneath the surface -- one that is expected to erupt in a matter of months in Dubai.
U.N. Takeover of the Internet Must Be Stopped, U.S. Warns
A U.N. summit later this year in Dubai could lead to a new international regime of censorship, taxes and surveillance, warn Democrats, Republicans, the Internet Society and father of the Internet Vint Cerf.
EFF Asks Which Tech Companies 'Have Your Back'
The Electronic Frontier Foundation released its second annual "When the Government Comes Knocking, Who Has Your Back?" report. The tech advocacy group surveyed the privacy policies and advocacy and transparency practices of 18 major tech companies.
Google Confronts the Great Firewall
In the second clash between the Internet search giant and the Chinese government, will freedom of speech win?
In Other News...
Obama Order Sped Up Wave of Cyberattacks Against Iran
U.S. Argues to Preserve GPS Tracking
Scandinavian Public Media Fight for Their Right to Grow
New Netflix iOS App Capitulates to Bandwidth Caps
Judge Weighs 'Slippery' Legality of Barry Diller's Aereo in Day Two of Key Hearing
Google to Require Retailers to Pay
Amazon to Build New Jersey Warehouses and Collect State Tax
Vacationing Abroad This Summer? Keep iPhone Charges in Check
Media Watch
================================================================================================
May 31st 2012
World News
Russia will veto military intervention in Syria at UNSC - Foreign Ministry
RT - Russia is firmly dedicated not to let pass an initiative of foreign military intervention into Syria in the UN Security Council. 
Iranian oil industry was target of world's nastiest cyber worm
Brisbane Times - A cyber attack that targeted Iran's oil ministry and main export terminal was caused by the most sophisticated computer worm yet developed, experts have said.
Iranian oil industry was target of world's nastiest cyber worm
Brisbane Times - A cyber attack that targeted Iran's oil ministry and main export terminal was caused by the most sophisticated computer worm yet developed, experts have said. 
United Nations to issue warning against 'world's most powerful computer virus' over fears it could cripple entire countries
Daily Mail - Dubbed 'Flame', the Trojan bug worms its way into computer systems and reportedly turns infected machines into listening devices. It can activate a computer's audio system to eavesdrop on Skype calls or office chatter, take screenshots or log keystrokes and even suck information from Bluetooth-enabled phones left nearby.
China condemns U.S. gun ownership as human rights violation
Examiner - A report issued by the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China has included U.S. gun ownership among a list of human rights violations, Law Enforcement Examiner Jim Kouri reported yesterday.
Investors flee Spain as financial crisis spirals
AFP - Spain battled to contain fears of financial collapse Wednesday, scrambling to fund a major banking rescue as its debt risk premium rocketed to a euro-era record.
VIDEO: CNN - Massive Anti-Govt Protests In Japan Over Fukushima Lies
Alexander Higgins - The latest outrage is over the government's refusal to stop burning radioactive debris to deal with problems such as massive amounts of radioactive sludge building up in Japan's sewage systems.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
VIDEO: Bilderberg 2012: Itinerary and Radio Appearances (Updated)
Intel Hub - As you may already know we will be covering the Bilderberg meeting and protests in Chantilly Virginia (Westfields Marriott) Between Thursday, May 31st and Sunday June 2nd.
Source: Bilderberg Planning Fake Bomb Threat
Paul Joseph Watson - Bilderberg's security apparatus is planning to announce a fake bomb threat as an excuse to widen the exclusion perimeter around the Westfields Marriott hotel and keep protesters and journalists away from arriving attendees, according to our source close to the secretive organization.
U.S. Drone Policy: Standing Near Terrorists Makes You A Terrorist
Huffington Post - Obama, Becker and Shane write, was angry when informed that the first drone strike after he took office had killed innocent Pakistanis. But one of the measures the administration embraced to prevent future innocent casualties was to embrace a method of counting combatants that would rope in more innocents.
Forbes Calls Out Media, Govt For Lying About Safety Of ‘Low-Dose’ Radiation
Alexander Higgins - Forbes calls out the Government and Industry officials downplay the effects of low doses of radiation and reporters for being complicit in hiding the truth from the public.
YouTube: Illinois rep EXPLODES on the House floor!
A state representative blew his top Tuesday on the floor of the Illinois State House of Representatives, flinging a copy of a new pension reform proposal into the air and telling his stoic colleagues that they "should be ashamed" of themselves.
Chris Christie is a hit on Israel trip
Politico - Chris Christie's credentials for making the vice presidential short-list grew this week. The New Jersey governor just completed his first swing through Israel, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, touring areas of the region and getting a quick course in an area that has dominated the foreign-policy discussion in recent months
2012 Election News
GOP Seeks to Disenfranchise Ron Paul Supporters in Massachusetts
Daily Paul - "It's hilarious that they would fight this hard for these (Romney) delegates," he said. "It's not going to change the outcome." OH YES IT WILL! Dozens of Ron Paul backers showed up at a state Republican Party meeting last night to protest what they say is a manipulation of power aimed at decreasing their influence at the party's national convention.
Economy
Report: Banks Make It Really Difficult To Take Your Business Elsewhere
Consumerist - Outrage over fees assessed by banks on checking accounts and other unfair practices has led to consumers attempting to leave their institutions in droves. But as a new report by Consumers Union points out, bank's throw up a myriad of obstacles that can confuse consumers who are trying to switch banks.
California 9/11 fund raided to plug deficits, finance other programs
AP - After the 2001 terrorist attacks, California lawmakers sought a way to channel the patriotic fervor and use it to help victims' families and law enforcement.
Health
Magnesium and Diabetes | This Mineral Could Halt Diabetes
Natural Society - There is actually a magnesium and diabetes connection, with research showing that magnesium may play an integral role in helping prevent type 2 diabetes. 
Fenugreek: nature's aphrodisiac
(NaturalNews) (NaturalNews) Fenugreek, who's name means "ram's horn clover," is an herb that has been used by many cultures for its medicinal properties. It has been shown to be effective in treating everything from loss of appetite to digestive disorders to diabetes.
How to Improve Your Eyesight - 4 Natural Ways to Enhance Vision
Natural Society - Our eyes require a number of key nutrients to properly function. Without proper intake of these nutrients, some of the other implemented techniques on how to improve your eyesight may not suffice, and poor vision may follow. For sharper vision, incorporate these dietary powerhouses into your daily nutritional regimen.
5/31, Jordy Yager, The Hill, Lawmakers consider extension of overseas surveillance powers
5/31, Phil Vinter, Mail Online, Sesame Street songs were repeatedly played for days on end to torture Guantanamo Bay prisoners, report claims
5/31, Eli Clifton, ThinkProgress, Report: Biometric Data Collection And Database Sharing Poses Serious Privacy Concerns
5/31, Common Dreams, Plan X: US Military Building Digital 'Armored Tank' for Cyber Battlefield
5/30, Gabor Rona, Jurist, Broad Definitions of Terrorism Will Continue to be Struck Down
5/30, Editorial, New York Times, Too Much Power for a President
5/29, Micah Zenko, Emma Welch, Foreign Policy, Where the Drones Are
5/29, Shaun Waterman, Washington Times, It’s no secret: There are more government secrets than ever
Don't Taze Us, We're with the Media
As the line between press and protester blurs, more and more reporters are getting cuffed -- and worse -- as they cover the counterculture.
Conan O'Brien Goes to the Dogs
If you've ever doubted the existence of "fake news" -- the trend in which newscasts pass off paid advertisements as actual reporting -- these segments, courtesy of volcanic-haired late-night funnyman Conan O'Brien, should put those doubts to rest.
Cable News Ratings Fall Across the Board, from Fox to MSNBC
Is a presidential election a turnoff to news viewers, even those who generally like to hear political opinions reflected in cable news shows? In what seems an incongruous development, the month of May -- in the middle of what is shaping up as a close presidential campaign -- generated some of the worst recent ratings for cable news television.
The One Chart That Should Scare the Hell Out of Print Media
Venture capitalist Mary Meeker presented her annual analysis of Internet trends, and among the dozens of charts is one showing the steep imbalance between where people spend their time and where advertisers spend their money.
Why We Need to Blow the Article Up in Order to Save It
Many media outlets -- and not just traditional players like newspapers or magazines, but even some newer and more digital-savvy ones -- still think of the article or the story as the bedrock foundation of news and journalism. But with so many different sources of content, and so many different ways of distributing it and displaying it, is that really still the case?
Colombian Rebels Free French Reporter After Month in Captivity
Colombia's FARC guerrillas freed French reporter Romeo Langlois a month after taking him hostage in a firefight that showed the leftist group is still a menace despite a decade of military blows.
Obama Video on Fox News Criticized as Attack Ad
The Fox News Channel came under withering criticism for a four-minute video broadcast on its morning show Fox & Friends that portrayed President Obama's tenure as a series of failed promises. The video had most of the hallmarks of a campaign attack ad, except that it was produced and paid for by a news network rather than a candidate or a political action committee.
Regional Carriers Call AT&T's Bluff on Spectrum Interference
A group of small regional carriers says in an FCC filing that AT&T is using interference issues as an excuse to avoid building a 4G LTE network that interoperates with its 4G LTE network.
FCC Wireless Chief Rick Kaplan Resigns
The head of the FCC's Wireless Telecom Bureau has resigned after a tumultuous one-year term.
House Passes FCC Reform Measure on Voice Vote
A bill designed to simplify how the FCC reports to Congress on competition in the media industry passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote under suspension of the rules.
Congress to Look at Future of Internet Control
U.S. lawmakers will delve into an international debate on whether to hand more control of the Internet to the United Nations, a move many fear would turn it into a political bargaining chip for censorship and global taxes on Web companies.
U.S. Officials Unified in Fears of More U.N. Internet Regulation
American officials are moving to head off potential proposals they say could give the United Nations a bigger role in regulating the Internet. Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced a resolution aimed at preserving the "multi-stakeholder" model of Internet governance.
Cisco Says Internet Will Quadruple in Four Years
Internet traffic is poised to quadruple in four years thanks to the proliferation of Internet-connected devices, users and faster networks, according to a study by Cisco.
Conviction in Thailand Worries Web Users
A Thai court convicted a local webmaster for failing to quickly delete posts considered insulting to Thailand's royal family, adding to worldwide concerns over governments adopting increasingly tough tactics to police the Internet.
In Other News...
Seven Behavioral Ad Companies Called Out
Reddit Co-Founder's Rise to the Top of the Internet, in His Own Words
MegaUpload Asks U.S. Court to Dismiss Piracy Charges
How Facebook Killed the Virtual World
Broadcasters Finally Tell a Judge: Aereo's Business Violates Copyright
Two Publishers Deny Claim of e-Book Price Fixing
Facebook IPO Review Finds No Listing Violations