Wednesday, December 28, 2016

In the news, Saturday, December 10, 2016


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DEC 09      INDEX      DEC 11
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from Asia Times Online

Is the human rights protection regime in India crumbling?
The recent summoning of Chhattisgarh officials by the National Human Rights Commissions (NHRC) for abuse of power is significant as it underlines expectations from the human rights protection institutions in the country to deliver on their mandate on which they have been lacking lately.

How the US ends up training al-Qaeda and ISIS collaborators
In November 2015, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D‐HI) in the House Armed Services Committee led bipartisan bill H.R. 4108 to stop the abuse of American taxpayer money in the CIA’s illegal arming and funding of al‐Qaeda affiliates in Syria. Unfortunately, it was blocked, but after the recent deaths of three special forces assigned to train jihadists in Jordan, perhaps it is time to revisit a similar bill and stop this madness.


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from CommonDreams
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

'Unfathomable': Trump Expected to Name Exxon CEO as Secretary of State
Trump is poised to formally appoint Rex Tillerson after reports on Friday

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Progressives Must Confront Their Racist Roots
The embarrassing truth: In the early 20th century, the progressive definition of the common good was thoroughly infused with scientific racism. The progressives believed, first and foremost, in the importance of science and scientific experts in guiding the economy, government, and society. Against the selfishness, disorder, corruption, ignorance, conflict and wastefulness of free markets or mass democracy, they advanced the ideal of disinterested, public-spirited social control by well-educated elites.

The Catastrophic Results of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1929-30
What exactly was Smoot-Hawley? Its stated purpose sounds eerily similar to the goals that Trump has espoused. It was, said its title, “an Act to provide revenue, to regulate commerce with foreign countries, to encourage the industries of the United States, to protect American labor, and for other purposes…” Apart from Republican politicians, who spotted votes in protectionism, few who knew anything about the subject were enthusiastic about Smoot’s ideas.

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from The Gem State Patriot

A little more than two weeks ago, during a confrontation between protesters and law enforcement, an improvised explosive device was detonated on a public bridge in southern North Dakota. That was simply the latest manifestation of the “prayerful” and “peaceful” protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

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from The Guardian (UK)
[Information from this site may be unreliable.]

Medieval statue that survived persecution is back on show
Early English alabaster Virgin and Child that withstood the Reformation and the French Revolution dates from 14th century

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from HumanProgress.org  Education Website

No Discernible Rise in Well-Being? Look at the Data...
People in the developing world are lifting themselves out of poverty wherever they have the economic freedom to do so. The U.S. emits less CO2 today not because of EPA regulations or costly subsidies for unreliable wind & solar energy, but because the market delivered a technological breakthrough (hydraulic fracturing) that reduced reliance on more polluting energy sources

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from LifeZette (& PoliZette)

Trump Blasts CNN for ‘Fake News’ Report on ‘The Apprentice’
President-elect hammers coverage suggesting NBC hit show would be a time drain

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from Mises Institute
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Portland Asks Businesses to Move Elsewhere
Okay, maybe not exactly. They are using state coercion to force companies not to pay their CEOs more than 100 x the companies' median employee. Businesses in Portland, OR, who pay such "too high" salaries to their CEOs will be hit by a 10% surcharge on their taxes. This, if policy-makers and other economic illiterates are to be believed, will make Portland more equal.

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from Rolling Stone
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Read Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize in Literature Banquet Speech
"Kipling, Shaw, Thomas Mann, Pearl Buck, Albert Camus, Hemingway. These giants of literature whose works are taught in the schoolroom, housed in libraries around the world and spoken of in reverent tones have always made a deep impression. That I now join the names on such a list is truly beyond words."

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from The Spectator (UK)

The centenary of the Russian revolution should be mourned, not celebrated
As its centenary looms, never forget the brutal oppression ushered in by the Russian Revolution

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from The Spokesman-Review

More snow, frigid temperatures on the way
The Spokane area saw its first significant snowfall of the season overnight, with about 4 inches of new snow hitting the ground by Saturday morning. The snow was expected to start falling again Saturday evening and to continue off and on until Monday morning, Kalin said. Spokane should see another 2 to 3 inches during the weekend. Temperatures are expected to plunge Monday night, with overnight temperatures in the low single digits – or maybe lower – for several days, Kalin said. Highs will be in the low to mid-teens.

Bill allows the return of Kennewick Man to tribes
The Yakama Nation and other Columbia Basin tribes praised the passage of a bill in Congress on Saturday that will return their ancestor, known as Kennewick Man, to the tribes so that they can rebury him in the manner their people have followed “since time immemorial.”

Colombia’s Santos accepts Nobel Peace Prize, urges shift in drug war
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday, saying it helped his country achieve the “impossible dream” of ending a half-century-long civil war. A smiling Santos received his Nobel diploma and gold medal at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, for his efforts to end a conflict that has killed 220,000 people and displaced 8 million.

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from The Telegraph (UK)

Exclusive: Churches warned of 'deceptive cult' linked to South Korea infiltrating congregations
The Church of England has issued a formal alert to almost 500 parishes in London about the activities of the group known as Parachristo. The organisation, a registered charity, runs Bible study courses at an anonymous industrial unit under a Botox clinic and a personal training company in London Docklands. But it is understood to be linked to a controversial South Korean group known as Shinchonji (SCJ) – or the “New Heaven and New Earth” church (NHNE) – whose founder Man-Hee Lee is referred to as God’s “advocate”.

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from Zero Hedge
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Senate Quietly Passes The "Countering Disinformation And Propaganda Act"
The Senate has passed the Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act: legislation designed to help American allies counter foreign government propaganda from Russia, China, and other nations.

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