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Category: Power Struggle
Owning responsibility or just saving face? Saudi Arabia creating a coalition of Muslim countries to fight terrorism.
Filed under: Military Maneuvers, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, War on terror, Wars and Rumors of War — Leave a comment
Saudi Arabia Creates Anti-Terrorist Coalition to Save Face in Mideast
© REUTERS/ Saudi Press Agency
Recently, Saudi Arabia announced it was creating a coalition of Muslim countries to fight terrorism. Such a plan was initiated by Riyadh's intention to restore its position in the Middle East.
© AP Photo/ Mosa'ab Elshamy
Is Saudi Anti-Terror Coalition Created to Challenge Russia, Iran in Syria?
Saudi Arabia's call to arms has gained supporters. As of now, 34 nations have expressed their interest in joining the anti-terrorist Muslim coalition Riyadh is forming.Among them are countries with a majority of Shiite or Sunni population, including Jordan, the UAE, Palestine, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Qatar, Yemen, Turkey, a number of African Muslim nations as well as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia. Another 10 nations said they would be ready to join the coalition in the future.
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry Mohammad bin Salman did not elaborate on what measures would be taken against terrorists. He only said that a headquarters will be established in Riyadh to "coordinate military operations."
Tags: Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Muslim world, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Yemen
Iraqi Commander – A mobile phone found with one of the killed ISIL ringleaders contain messages from the Turkish intelligence agency proving that Ankara supports and provides security to ISIS.
Filed under: Black Ops, Corruption, Deception / Lies, Espionage, Government Overreach, Greed, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Provocation / Incitement, War Crimes, War on terror, Wars and Rumors of War — Leave a comment
ISIL Ringleader's Mobile Phone Speaks Loud of Turkey's Support for Terrorism
TEHRAN (FNA)- A commander of the Iraqi volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) revealed that a mobile phone found with one of the killed ISIL ringleaders proved the Turkish spy agency's support for the terrorist group.
"The mobile phone was found with one of the killed ISIL leaders in the Northern parts of Salahuddin province two days ago," Jabbar al-Ma'mouri told Soumeriya news on Monday.
He said that the mobile set and history files contain messages from the Turkish intelligence agency which show that Ankara supports the ISIL terrorist group through providing security at the points of entry used by ISIL militants from Turkey to Iraq.
"The mobile phone also contains other important information which cannot be disclosed now, and it has been delivered to the specialized security groups for further scrutiny," Ma'mouri said.
Tags: Ankara, Iraq, Iraqi volunteer forces, ISIS, Islamic State, that Ankara supports t, Turkey
The Texas senator,Ted Cruz,, said America should focus on its own security rather than toppling dictators abroad.
Filed under: Accountability, Blow back, Excessive Use Of Force, Government, Government Overreach, Hypocrisy, Ineptitude, Military Maneuvers, Oppression, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Provocation / Incitement, Special Interests, War on terror, Wars and Rumors of War — Leave a comment
'It's not even a close call': Ted Cruz insists the Middle East was a safer place when dictators Saddam Hussein and Colonel Gaddafi were alive
The presidential candidate, 44, said US should focus on its own security
Said Middle East was more secure when Iraq and Libya dictators were alive
Cruz said Libya was now a 'chaotic war zone ruled by radical Islamic terrorists'
By Julian Robinson for MailOnline
Published: 04:10 EST, 11 December 2015 | Updated: 19:04 EST, 11 December 2015
Ted Cruz believes the Middle East was a safer place before the US helped to overthrow tyrants Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, it has been reported.
The Texas senator, a Republican presidential candidate, said America should focus on its own security rather than toppling dictators abroad.
He said it was 'not even a close call' when asked whether the Middle East was more secure when Gaddafi and Hussein were dictators of their respective countries.
Ted Cruz believes the Middle East was a safer place before the US helped to overthrow Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, it has been reported
Cruz said the toppling of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had shown the US has not learned lessons from history
In an interview with MSNBC, Cruz told Joe Scarborough: 'Now, what has been a mistake – and we've seen a consistent mistake in foreign policy – is far too often, we've seen Democrats and a lot of establishment Republicans in Washington get involved in toppling Middle Eastern governments.
'And it ends up benefiting the bad guys. It ends up handing them over to radical Islamic terrorists,'
He described Syrian president Bashar Assad as a 'monster' but warned that ISIS extremists would sweep further across the country were he to be overthrown.
He said: 'My view, instead of getting in the middle of a civil war in Syria, where we don't have a dog in the fight, our focus should be on killing ISIS. Why? Because ISIS has declared war on America. They're waging jihad.'
Read More and Watch Video Here
Tags: Interventionist Foreign Policy, Iraq, ISIS, Lybia, Middle East, Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Syria, Ted Cruz
Russians demolish 200 ISIL targets , a column of oil tanker trucks and over 100 fuel-transfer stations in 7 Syrian provinces over the past 24 hours,
Thu Dec 17, 2015 12:33
Russian Warplanes Destroy ISIL's Tanker Column, 100 Fuel-Transfer Stations in Syria
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Russian Air Force has conducted 59 combat missions hitting 200 ISIL targets in 7 Syrian provinces over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense ministry said.
"Over the past 24 hours Russian warplanes have conducted 59 sorties, hitting 212 ISIL targets in the Syrian province of Aleppo, Idlib, Lattakia, Hama, Homs, al-Hasakah an Raqqa," the Defense Ministry spokesman told journalists.
Aircraft from Russia's Aerospace Forces in Syria have also destroyed more than 300 militants and scores of armored vehicles over the last 24 hours, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday, Sputnik reported.
"More than 320 militants and 34 armored vehicles of terrorists, including two tanks, one infantry fighting vehicle, 15 jeeps equipped with large-caliber guns were destroyed," Konashenkov told journalists in Syria's Lattakia.
In the past 24 hours, Russian jets have also destroyed a column of tanker trucks and more than 100 fuel-transfer stations used by terrorists, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov added.
"In order to disrupt terrorists' sources of income, Russian Su-34 bomber jets destroyed 94 fuel-transfer stations near Deir Ezzur," he said.
Tags: 212 ISIL targets, al-Hasakah, Aleppo, Fuel Transfer Stations, Hama, Homs, Idlib, Islamic State, Lattakia, Raqqa, Russia, Syria
The EU says it may retaliate if the US goes ahead with plans to impose visas reform on members already part of the Visa Waiver Program.
Filed under: Accountability, Blow back, bureaucracy, Government, Legislation, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Security, War on terror, Wars and Rumors of War — Leave a comment
EU warns of visas for US citizens if Washington implements visa waiver reforms
Published time: 17 Dec, 2015 14:59Edited time: 17 Dec, 2015
© Fred Greaves / Reuters
The EU says it may retaliate if the US goes ahead with plans to impose visas for some members of the bloc who are currently part of the Visa Waiver Program. Brussels says it will not increase security and that US nationals may require visas to enter the EU.
A letter signed by 28 European member state ambassadors to the US was published in The Hill after Europe reacted furiously and with disbelief to plans by Washington to tighten-up the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which currently lets millions of citizens from the bloc travel to the US each year without a visa.
OP-ED: EU warns of visas for US citizens if Washington implements visa waiver reforms
Last week, the US House of Representatives adopted a bill to reform the visa program that would ban certain EU nationals from entering the US without a visa if they had visited Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan after March 2011. Some US politicians want the legislation introduced to tighten security following the November 13 Paris terror attacks.
"A blanket restriction on those who have visited Syria or Iraq, for example, would most likely only affect legitimate travel by businesspeople, journalists, humanitarian or medical workers while doing little to detect those who travel by more clandestine means overland," the letter signed by the 28 ambassadors stated.
At present, 23 of the EU's 28 member states enjoy visa-free travel to the US, with the remaining five nations keen to join the VWP. The bloc says it is imperative to keep the visa waiver program intact for business and tourism purposes, while the current system does not mean that it is "a license to enter the US with nothing more than the wave of a passport of an allied country."
Tags: BRUSSELS, EU, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, US, visa waiver reform, visas
US-Led Coalition Strikes on Syrian Army Possibly Not Accidental – UN Envoy
Filed under: Accountability, Black Ops, Corruption, Government, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Special Interests, War on terror, Wars and Rumors of War — Leave a comment
© US Air Force
09:08 14.12.2015(updated 09:13 14.12.2015) Get short URL
The US-led anti-terrorist coalition's airstrikes on the Syrian Army may not have been an accident and could be repeated, Russia's envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin said.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The Syrian Army confirmed earlier in December an airstrike on Syrian Army positions by US-led coalition aircraft in the Deir ez-Zor area that killed three and wounded 13 servicemen.
"Naturally, there is the suspicion that it was not accidental, that despite all assurances given to the Syrian government that these strikes would not target the Syrian government's forces, the strikes could target government troops from time to time," Churkin told RIA Novosti.
"This will intensify tensions and only complicate the situation in Syria. But let's hope it won't happen," he added.
Churkin said that Moscow was not currently planning to raise the issue of coalition strikes on the Syrian army at the UN Security Council.
Tags: Russia, Syrian Army, UN Security Council, US, US-Led Coalition Airstrikes
Montenegro : Thousands flooded the streets of the capital to protest membership to the North Atlantic Alliance and remind people of the NATO invasion of 1999.
Filed under: Accountability, Activism, Collateral Damage, Community, Corruption, Costs of War, Crossroads News : Changes In The World Around Us And Our Place In It, Deception / Lies, Government, Human Rights, Human Sovereignty, Humanity, Justice, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Protests, Provocation / Incitement, War Crimes, Wars and Rumors of War — Leave a comment
'Murderers': Thousands gather in Montenegro capital to protest NATO membership (VIDEO)
© Ruptly
Shortly after Montenegro's bid to join the North Atlantic Alliance was given the green light, thousands flooded the streets of the capital to protest the upcoming membership and remind people of lives taken during the NATO invasion of 1999.
Former Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic and opposition leaders called the rally on Saturday in Montenegro's capital, Podgorica. They gathered at least 5,000 supporters outside the parliament, according to the local Vijesti newspaper. The protesters held national flags while patriotic and pro-Russian chants ringing out from the assembled crowd.
Bulatovic, who was also prime minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1998 to 2000, told the rally that joining NATO would mean "blood of innocent people on our hands," and emphasized his country had been against the alliance's wars until recently.
"What has Afghanistan done wrong, what has Iraq done wrong? Why has Libya been destroyed, what's happening today in Syria? Can we close our eyes to that?" he said.
Tags: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Montenegro, Nato, North Atlantic Alliance, Syria
US , Daesh and Turkey the makings of a depraved (wealth, oil and Serin nerve gas) and deadly threesome.
Filed under: Accountability, Bio-Weaponry, Black Ops, Depravity, Government, Greed, Loot and Pillage, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Terror Plots / Suspects, Tyranny/Treason, Unethical, War Crimes, Wars and Rumors of War, Weaponry / Armament — Leave a comment
Daesh acquiring sarin nerve gas materials via Turkey: Turkish MP
Mon Dec 14, 2015 11:52PM
United Nations arms experts collecting samples as they inspect the site of a suspected chemical weapons strike near the Syrian capital Damascus (AFP)
The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group acquired the necessary materials to produce deadly sarin gas via Turkey, a Turkish MP says.
Citing evidence from a suddenly-closed criminal case, Eren Erdem, a member of Turkish main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), told RT on Monday that Ankara had failed to investigate the supply routes used to provide Daesh with the ingredients of the toxic gas.
"There is data in this indictment. Chemical weapon materials are being brought to Turkey and being put together in Syria in camps of Daesh," he said.
On August 21, 2013, a chemical weapon was used in the Ghouta area of Damascus suburbs. Hundreds of people died in the attack. According to reports, the rockets used in the attack were handmade and contained sarin.
Erdem, who claims the Turkish government is covering up the subject, brought the matter up in parliament on Thursday. He referred to a criminal case with the number 2013/12 opened by Adana's General Prosecutor's Office.
TOXIC TERROR: ISIS 'obtained nerve gas via Turkey' to use on the WEST
ISIS militants obtained the deadly nerve gas Sarin via Turkey sparking fears the murderous regime is producing chemical weapons to use against the West.
By Rory McKeown/Published 14th December 2015
THREAT: Claims have emerged ISIS obtained sarin gas material via Turkey
TWITTER CLAIMS: Turkish MP Eren Erdem
"There are phone recordings of this shipment like 'don't worry about the border, we'll take care of it' and we also see the bureaucracy is being used"
Turkish MP Eren Erdem claims Daesh warmongers obtained the materials to produce the deadly chemical in Turkey – and said a cover-up may have taken place.
It was feared ISIS murderers may have smuggled the nerve gas into Europe by militants posing as migrants.And officials believe ISIS are "aggressively developing chemical weapons" and even set up a new cell dedicated to creating weapons of mass destruction.
European MP Claims 'US Doing Business on Daesh Oil'
© Flickr/ olle svensson
10:46 12.12.2015(updated 10:53 12.12.2015)
Turkey is buying oil from Daesh terrorists at half the price and resells it to third countries, a Polish member of the European parliament said Friday, adding that the US shows a great deal of interest in the oil supplied by the terrorists.
Janusz Korwin-Mikke said that the United States was "doing business" on buying stolen oil from Daesh terrorists using Turkey as a middleman.
"I have information from America. America is doing business. Turkey is buying oil from the Caliphate [Daesh] at half the price and America is showing a great deal of interest in this oil," the European MEP emphasized, adding that this information had been confirmed by top government officials in Lebanon.
EXCLUSIVE: Sarin materials brought via Turkey & mixed in Syrian ISIS camps – Turkish MP to RT
Islamic State terrorists in Syria received all necessary materials to produce deadly sarin gas via Turkey, Turkish MP Eren Erdem has told RT, insisting there are grounds to believe a cover up has taken place.
TrendsIslamic State, Syria unrest
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) member, Erdem, brought up the issue for public discussion in parliament last week, citing evidence from an abruptly-closed criminal case. He accused Ankara of failing to investigate Turkish supply routes used to provide terrorists with toxic sarin gas ingredients.
"There is data in this indictment. Chemical weapon materials are being brought to Turkey and being put together in Syria in camps of ISIS which was known as Iraqi Al Qaeda during that time," Erdem told RT.
Sarin gas is a military-grade chemical that was used in a notorious attack on Ghouta and several other neighborhoods near the Syrian capital of Damascus in 2013. The attacks were pinned on the Syrian leadership, who in turn agreed to get rid of all chemical weapons stockpiles under a UN-brokered deal amid an imminent threat of US intervention.
Addressing parliamentarians on Thursday, Erdem showed a copy of the criminal case number 2013/120 that was opened by the General Prosecutor's Office in the city of Adana in southern Turkey.
The investigation revealed that a number of Turkish citizens took part in negotiations with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) representatives on the supply of sarin gas. Pointing to evidence cited in the criminal case, he said that wiretapped phone conversations proved that an Al-Qaeda militant, Hayyam Kasap, acquired sarin.
"These are all detected. There are phone recordings of this shipment like 'don't worry about the border, we'll take care of it' and we also see the bureaucracy is being used," continued Erdem.
Based on the gathered evidence Adana authorities conducted raids and arrested 13 suspects in the case. But a week later, inexplicably, the case was closed and all the suspects immediately crossed the Turkish-Syrian border, Erdem said.
Tags: Adana's General Prosecutor's Office, Chemical weapon, Daesh, Eren Erdem, Interventionist Foreign Policy, ISIS, sarin nerve gas, Syria, Turkey
A new report says mercenaries and military advisers from the infamous US security firm, formerly known as Blackwater, are replacing UAE troops in the Saudi war in Yemen.
Filed under: Accountability, Black Ops, Corporatocracy, Corruption, Deception / Lies, Government, Government Overreach, History, Human Rights, Indoctrination, Main Stream Media Manipulations/Lies, Misappropriation of Funds, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Provocation / Incitement, Rule Of Law, Torture / Water-boarding, War Crimes, Wars and Rumors of War — Leave a comment
'Blackwater troopers replacing Emirati forces in Yemen'
Thu Dec 10, 2015 10:15AM
A tank operated by Saudi-led forces fires at a position of Yemeni fighters in the Labanat area, between Yemen's northern provinces of al-Jawf and Marib on December 5, 2015. (Reuters photo)
The Beirut-based al-Akhbar newspaper said on Thursday UAE forces are being gradually replaced by recruits from the US-based private military contractor, which now goes by the name, Acamedi.
The move came after the UAE evacuated some of its military sites in Yemen following its failures in several operations, the Lebanese daily added.
According to al-Akhbar, UAE's move to involve the private military contractor in the Yemen conflict has raised objections among some members of the Saudi-led coalition.
On Wednesday, Yemen's Arabic-language al-Masirah news website said the commander-in-chief of Blackwater mercenaries in the country was killed in the al-Omari district of Ta'izz Province.
Blackwater: Shadow Army
Uploaded on Mar 14, 2007
The Nation's Jeremy Scahill describes the rise of Blackwater USA, the world's most powerful mercenary army.
Scahill – Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
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Uploaded on Apr 24, 2011
Author and journalist, Jeremy Scahill, talks about the private contractor mercenary company, Blackwater, on the Portland stop of his book tour for the launch of the paperback edition of his book, BLACKWATER: THE RISE OF THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL MERCENARY ARMY.
pdxjustice Media Productions
Producer: William Seaman
BLACKWATER: SHADOW GOVERNMENT
MrIlluminati82
Jeremy Scahill on Obama's Orwellian War in Iraq: We Created the Very Threat We Claim to be Fighting
http://democracynow.org – As Vice President Joe Biden warns it will take a "hell of a long fight" for the United States to stop militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, we speak to Jeremy Scahill, author of the book, "Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield." We talk about how the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 that helped create the threat now posed by the Islamic State. We also discuss the role of Baathist forces in ISIS, Obama's targeting of journalists, and the trial of four former Blackwater operatives involved in the 2007 massacre at Baghdad's Nisoor Square.
Watch all the Democracy Now! reports about the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in this YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=…
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11.12.2015 Yemen Crisis News
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The commander-in-chief of Blackwater mercenaries in Yemen, a Mexican national was killed in clashes with Houthi Ansarullah fighters and allied forces in the Ta'izz Province on Wednesday. According to the reports, the recent fatality has brought to 15 the number of foreign forces with the Blackwater killed in clashes in Yemen since Tuesday. The mercenaries are part of the UAE forces that help Saudi Arabia in its intervention in Yemen.
Yemeni security officials say governor of the embattled southern province of Aden has been assassinated after his convoy came under a rocket-propelled grenade attack. The incident took place when Jaafar Mohammed Saad was travelling with his entourage in the Tawahi district of the port city on Sunday. They said several members of his convoy also died in the act of terror.
Some 1,500 Moroccan soldiers will be dispatched to Yemen to participate in the Saudi aggression against the Arab country. According to the reports, the troopers will assist Saudi soldiers in ground operations against Yemen. We remember, in October, about 6,000 Sudanese forces entered Yemens southern port city of Aden to join Saudi soldiers. Emirati, Bahraini and Qatari soldiers are also participating in the Saudi operations.
Warring factions in Yemen are preparing to observe a week-long truce from December 15 while UN-mediated peace talks take place in Switzerland. A source in the cabinet of Saudi-backed President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi said the truce would last seven days, as specified in a letter sent by Hadi to the UN Security Council. Earlier attempts at ceasefires in the conflict fell apart after the two sides accused each other of violations.
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Tags: Acamedi, Blackwater, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United States, White House
Turkey's 'Sunnistan' in Iraq. Sultan Erdogan's calculated move into the ultimate 'Pipelineistan' war.
Filed under: Accountability, Corruption, Deception / Lies, Government, Greed, Hypocrisy, Kickbacks, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Psy - Ops, Special Interests, Unethical, Wars and Rumors of War — Leave a comment
Crippled in Syria, Turkey goes for a 'Sunnistan' in Iraq
Published time: 9 Dec, 2015 13:01
© Fatih Saribas / Reuters
Turkey's "incursion" into Iraq is a cold, calculated move. And once again, the name of the game is – what else? – Divide and Rule.
TrendsSyria unrest, Syria-Turkey
Turkey sent to Iraqi Kurdistan – which is part of the state of Iraq – no less than a 400-strong battalion supported by 25 M-60A3 tanks. Now the Turkish boots on the ground at Bashiqa camp, northeast of Mosul, have reportedly reached a total of around 600.
The short breakdown: this is not a "training camp"– as Ankara is spinning. It's a full-blown, perhaps permanent, military base.
The dodgy deal was struck between the ultra-corrupt Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and then-Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu in Erbil last month.
Torrents of Turkish spin swear this is only about "training" Peshmergas to fight ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.
Absolute nonsense. The crucial fact is that Ankara is terrified of the "4+1" alliance fighting Islamic State, which unites Iran, Iraqi Shiites and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), as well as Hezbollah, with Russia.
In Syria, Ankara is virtually paralyzed, after the "stab in the back"downing of the Su-24; the Russian revelations of complicity between Turkey's first family and stolen Syrian oil (Bilal Erdogan, a.k.a. Erdogan 'Mini Me', denies everything); and the Russian Air Force relentless pounding of Turkey's fifth column Turkmen. Not to mention the deployment of S-400s and even a third-generation submarine complete with Kalibr cruise missiles.
So Ankara now switches the attention to Iraq with a "counter-alliance", made up of Turkey; the KRG (which – illegally – sells oil to Turkey); and Sunnis in northern Iraq under the supposed leadership of the sprawling Nuceyfi tribe in Mosul.
© Stringer / Reuters
This is textbook neo-Ottomanism in action. We should never forget that for the AKP in power in Ankara, northern Syria and northern Iraq are nothing but former Ottoman Empire provinces, an eastward extension of Turkey's Hatay province. 'Sultan' Erdogan's (unstated) wet dream is to annex the whole lot.
Pepe Escobar is an independent geopolitical analyst. He writes for RT, Sputnik and TomDispatch, and is a frequent contributor to websites and radio and TV shows ranging from the US to East Asia. He is the former roving correspondent for Asia Times Online. Born in Brazil, he's been a foreign correspondent since 1985, and has lived in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Washington, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Even before 9/11 he specialized in covering the arc from the Middle East to Central and East Asia, with an emphasis on Big Power geopolitics and energy wars. He is the author of "Globalistan" (2007), "Red Zone Blues" (2007), "Obama does Globalistan" (2009) and "Empire of Chaos" (2014), all published by Nimble Books. His latest book is "2030", also by Nimble Books, out in December 2015.
Tags: Baghdad, Iraq, KRG, military base, Qatar gas pipeline, Syria, Turkey, United States


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Tim Farron was true to his faith – is that such a bad thing?
By Andrew Lilico @andrew_lilico
Tim Farron: no longer leader of the Lib Dems. Photo: Chris J Ratcliffe / Getty Images
Is it possible to lead a liberal party as a Christian?
We are not obliged to tolerate everything
If we can't tolerate believers, how liberal are we?
Tim Farron says he has resigned as Liberal Democrat leader because he found the role incompatible with being a faithful follower of Christ. Less kind souls than you and I, Dear Reader, might speculate that Vince Cable would have taken his leadership job anyway, whether he resigned or not. But let us take him at his word and ask whether it is indeed possible to be a leader of a liberal party as Christian.
Traditionally, liberalism was regarded as having arisen from Christianity, not being in tension with it. Classical English liberalism is typically seen as reflecting the principles of John Locke, as set out in his famous Second Treatise of Civil Government. Locke, in that book, is heavily influenced by (and quotes at length) the Anglican theologian Richard Hooker. Locke's model of political society is an extension to the political realm of the principles Hooker sets out for the organisation of an earthly church.
Hooker regards the specific organisation of earthly churches or political society as one of the "things indifferent" to God. We can organise our society this way or that, have this policy or that one, and even if the policy is not the perfect one, that is only a secondary matter that we should not allow to conflict with our personal piety.
Hooker, in turn, gets the doctrine of "things indifferent" from the reformation humanist Melanchthon — a man you've probably never heard of partly because so many of his ideas became utterly dominant that we later thought of them as the standard or orthodox view. Only thinkers who have "alternative" schools of thought need their names attached to them. The truly great thinker is so victorious that everyone forgets his.
Melanchthon sought to find a means by which Catholics and Lutheran Protestants could coexist, perhaps even within one Church. His concept was that, provided all could agree on a set of core doctrines (in particular, concerning the means of salvation) other practices such as what vestments priests wore and some other aspects of worship and even of Christian conduct could all be regarded as things indifferent.
In modern parlance, we might say that provided people are not violent, respect private property, obey the law (driving offences and tax deadlines aside) and respect democracy, it's fine if they think it's taboo/sinful/wrong (whatever you want to call it) to eat kosher food or carry out kosher butchery, or not eat meat or be a vegan, or allow your daughter to go out in public with her face showing or to forbid your daughter to go out in public with her face showing, or to listen to heavy metal or to make your children learn to play the violin, or to divorce your spouse or to stay in a loveless marriage.
A classical liberal would also normally believe people could be classical liberals while holding a range of opinions. For example, you could believe kosher butchery immoral/taboo/sinful (whatever you want to call it) and at the same time believe the law ought to permit kosher butchery.
That has the convenient result of allowing not only that a range of secondary matters ("things indifferent") be permitted as everyday conduct, but also that those that make the laws can come with a range of personal opinions provided they defend classical liberal policymaking. We would think it a rather rum sort of "liberalism" that said, for example, you can be a Muslim or vegan or a heavy metal fan in everyday life, but Muslims and vegans and heavy metal fans are forbidden from being MPs.
Not everything is a secondary matter, though, and not everything needs to be tolerated. The Elizabethan settlement in the Anglican church excluded the papist and the puritan. Toleration has its limits. And opinions that we might tolerate as oddball views among individuals might rule you out from being in charge.
Someone who claimed that he was Julius Caesar and had found that the Ides of March attack had made him immortal might be regarded as an amusing eccentric but that view might be seen as rendering him unsuitable to be an MP. A woman who said that of course she wouldn't lynch interracial couples herself and accepted such marriages should be permitted by the law, but didn't see why past lynching of such couples was such a big deal might be tolerated if she were the only person one ever met with that view, but you wouldn't want her as prime minister.
The question then, is, whether in our society orthodox Christian beliefs have ceased to be secondary matters that wider society can disagree with but tolerate, either in general or more specifically in policymakers such as MPs, even if those MPs are themselves classical liberals.
For Farron, the point he was most challenged on was his attitude to homosexual sex. He was repeatedly asked if he believed it wrong, because the Christian fellowship of which he was a member quite straightforwardly does regard gay sex as taboo/sinful/wrong (or whatever you want to call it). He initially tried to defend himself as any classical liberal would — saying that the core of his politics is the view that one's personal beliefs about right and wrong do not and should not determine one's views as to what should be forbidden or required by the law.
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That wasn't enough. He was pressed and pressed and finally said he did not regard gay sex as wrong. The only conclusion one could draw from that was that his initial reluctance to state his view was because he did not want to confess to fellow members of his church that he did not agree with them. It's perfectly possible that, if his congregation was very conservative, stating publicly that he dissented from them on a matter as fundamental as that (which is basically saying he doesn't believe the Bible is right) might lead to his being de facto dis-fellowshipped (ex-communicated). If that was the result, I hope the journalists who hounded him feel proud of their work.
If indeed for a Christian to have the same view of gay sex as a Jew has of pork-eating is now a primary matter in political society to the extent that political leaders are not permitted to have such a view even if they do not state it publicly and even if they have classical liberal views about how the law should regard gay sex, that quite straightforwardly means that orthodox Christians cannot be political leaders — certainly not political leaders of classical liberal parties.
Because let us be quite clear: for Bible-believing Christians, the belief that gay sex falls into the same category vegans place egg-eating (sinful/wrong, or whatever you want to call it) is a primary, not a secondary matter. To believe that gay sex is not wrong is to not be a Bible-believing Christian. And if you are not a Bible-believing Christian that is likely to mean you are not in full fellowship with other Christians.
The question, then, we as a society need to grapple with is a simple one. We are not obliged to tolerate everything — indeed we should not do so. Do we want to tolerate Bible-believing Christians? And in particular, do we want to tolerate Bible-believing Christians among our political leaders? If the answer is no, does that mean we also believe we cannot have political leaders from other groups that, likewise, regard gay sex as belonging to the same category as Jews place pork-eating — Muslim political leaders, for example?
And if we feel we cannot have either Bible-believing Christian or Muslim political leaders, can we really claim, with a straight face, to be a liberal society at all?
Andrew Lilico is an economist and political writer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Setup and Deployment of Visual Studio templates, locating devenv.exe to call in custom actions I am working on a project that consists of installing some Visual Studio templates.  Part of the requirement is that the VS executable must be called during Commit and Uninstall phases to make VS aware of the templates.  I don't have much information or any proper examples to go on, and I'm pretty new to setup and deployment projects.  So, my question is:
How, within the context of a Custom Action in a Setup and Deployment project, can I determine the location of the VS 2008 executable and call "devenv.exe /setup"?  I know that this information exists in the registry (and I've located it), however I have no idea to add this as logic within a custom action.
Additionally, if anyone has any experience in this area and has any good links or any advice on the subject of things to know and be aware of, please feel free to chime in.

A: Two methods i used to simplify complex operation in deployment projects, which I believe can assist you:

*

*Create a external DLL, with Install/Uninstall methods, that will be called. example.

*Use Wix as an alternative.

With an installer class, you can easily check the registry for devenv location:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\X.X\InstallDir

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
A right Royal outing: Princess Anne joins her little granddaughter on her first public appearance
Updated: 18:02 EST, 26 March 2011
Peering out from the safety and warmth of her blanket-covered push chair, little Savannah Phillips might well have been curious about her surroundings.
The three-month-old daughter of Peter Phillips and his Canadian wife Autumn - and the Queen's first great-granddaughter - made what was thought to be her first public appearance since her birth on December 29.
Mother Autumn took her little daughter to the Gatcombe horse trials in Gloucestershire to watch her husband's sister Zara Phillips compete.
Keeping mum: Autumn Phillips takes motherhood in her stride with baby Savannah
Baby's day out: Little Savannah enjoyed a day out with mum Autumn as they watched Zara in the Gatcombe horse trials
And they were joined by Zara's mother - and Savannah's grandmother - Princess Anne along with the Princess Royal's second husband Tim Laurence.
The little girl - who is 12th in line to the throne - was wrapped up against the elements as the family watched Miss Phillips and other riders move through a series of jumps.
Savannah is the first child of Peter and Autumn Phillips after the pair married in 2008.
Family outing: Autumn and Savannah were joined by Vice-Admiral Tim Laurence, second husband to Princess Anne, right, who also attended the event
Although he is 11th in line to the throne, Peter does not have a royal title as his mother declined to give her children the HRH title at birth.
Autumn was born and brought up a Roman Catholic but renounced her faith shortly before their wedding in May 2008 so her husband-to-be did not have to give up his claim to the throne.
Their decision to accept £500,000 from Hello! magazine for exclusive use of photographs of their wedding ceremony - featuring the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Harry and royal girlfriends Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy - caused controversy at the time.
Covered up: The tiny Royal looked snug in her blankets
New surroundings: Little Savannah peers out from her push chair
Several senior members of the Royal Family expressed their displeasure and Buckingham Palace later made clear that it regarded the sale as a serious error of judgment.
The Queen herself allowed the couple to use Frogmore House at Windsor for the reception free of charge.
The couple have since made amends, however, and have been allowed to join the Queen for other engagements.
Easy rider: Zara took part in the Gatcombe horse trials in Gloucestershire


Former President Barack Obama campaigns for Democrats ahead of the 2018 midterms. Image via screengrab.
During a campaign stop in Nevada, former President Barack Obama took a thinly-veiled jab at Donald Trump for creating and promoting conspiracy theories.
Though he did not mention Trump by name, the remarks could easily be seen as a reference to the president who has been repeatedly criticized for lying about everything from the size of his inauguration crowd to "widespread" voter fraud.
Earlier on Monday, Trump twice mentioned a new evidence-free conspiracy theory — that there are "unknown Middle Easterners" amongst the undocumented migrants traveling in a caravan headed for the United States border.


Code adoption activity in the south will continue through the remainder of this year and is expected to remain vibrant in 2017.
The Florida Building Commission scheduled a rule development workshop on December 13, 2016, to complete the final draft of the sixth edition (2017) Florida Building Code. The updated code includes the 2015 International Code Council codes (I-Codes) and 2014 National Electrical Code® (NEC). The new code will go into effect on December 31, 2017.
The Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council unanimously adopted the 2014 NEC in July. The updated edition was adopted as published, with no state or local amendments. Upon approval by the state legislature, the 2014 NEC is expected to go into effect on July 1, 2017. The 2015 I-Codes are also expected to go into effect on that date.
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance held a rulemaking hearing to adopt the 2011 NEC on September 27, 2016. The updated code is expected to go into effect on January 1, 2017. The update to the 2012 I-Codes went into effect in August.
The Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development held a code adoption hearing on September 19, 2016, to review the first draft of the 2015 Virginia Construction Code. The updated code includes the 2015 I-Codes and 2014 NEC. Several additional code hearings will be held in 2017. The current timeline indicates an effective date of March 1, 2018 for the new code.
Georgia and Texas are expected to begin the code adoption process early next year to update to the 2017 NEC. A review of code adoption activity in these two states will be provided in the February 2017 issue of this magazine.
For up-to-date code adoption information in all 50-states, subscribe to the NEMA Code Alerts email service at www.nema.org/technical/code-alerts.
View the current NEC and energy code adoption maps and informational spreadsheets at www.nema.org/technical/fieldreps.


There is no wrong way. Works upside down, or is this right side up?
Using crane shots to show Real Estate (This video is produced by Eric Ortlieb the original designer of the CobraCrane and SteadyTracker). Thanks Eric.


Every moment during a project that you spend looking for the right tool is wasted time and results in frustration and bad decisions.
The ingenious HOLDSaBIT slips on or off a drill in seconds. Simply pull one loop over the front of the drill and pull the second loop to the back of the drill.
The HOLDSaBIT will hold any 1/4″ hex shank item as well as pencils, nut drivers and hex shank drill bits. Tips and bits are easily inserted and removed.
Sold in a kit with bits or sold separately.
Hold any 1/4″ hex shank items as well as pencils, drill bits, etc.
Can be used on drill or tool belt.
BLUE #2 Phillips - 4"


Colorado, aka the Centennial State, is the 21st most populous state. It had an estimated population of over 5.5 million in 2016.
Colorado offers regulated and tribal casinos, horse racing, social gambling, lottery and charitable bingo and raffle games. Overall, Colorado is a pro-gambling state, but their online gambling regulations are a gray area.
Here's an overview of what you should know about Colorado gambling sites.
Is online gambling legal in Colorado?
"Internet gambling is illegal under state and federal laws. Colorado law prohibits the transmission or reception of gambling information by any means. The federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, signed into law in October 2006, prohibits online gamblers from using credit cards, checks and electronic fund transfers to place and settle bets. Further, the federal 1961 Wire Act also prohibits the use of wire communications in interstate or foreign commerce for the placing of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers.
In addition, the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission prohibits persons and businesses licensed in the casino industry in Colorado from having any involvement with internet gaming sites that can be accessed by Colorado residents."
Based on this information, we would say that online gambling is illegal in Colorado.
The thing is, the laws referenced above were not specifically written for online gambling.
Also, Colorado has no laws specifically disallowing online sports betting at offshore companies or race betting in other states through the Internet. We offer several recommendations for reputable offshore sports books on our site - most of them are happy to do business with residents of Colorado.
Can I get arrested for gambling online in Colorado?
Based on the information above, gambling online seems to be a gray area in Colorado. While the Colorado Department of Revenue says that online gambling is illegal, the laws they reference are aimed at professional gamblers--not casual gamers or online gamblers.
The state government is against online gambling, and has tried to rid the internet of sweepstake cafes, but no one has ever been arrested in Colorado for online gambling.
If you try to start an online casino, bookie or other gambling organization in Colorado, you'll almost certainly be arrested. The state's enforcement activities focus almost entirely on people running illegal gambling businesses. Customers of those businesses are usually ignored.
Our advice, of course, is to obey the law no matter where you live. But realistically, if you're just placing bets online, you shouldn't have any worries.
What does the future of gambling look like in Colorado?
"'Gambling' means risking any money, credit, deposit, or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device, or the happening or outcome of an event, including a sporting event, over which the person taking a risk has no control"
The only legal casino games in Colorado are blackjack, poker, craps, roulette and slot machines.
"Limited gaming permitted pursuant to article 47.1 of title 12, C.R.S., shall include only the following games: blackjack (21); poker; slot machines; craps; and roulette. All such games shall be conducted by licensees only in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission."
"No licensee shall conduct or permit on its licensed premises any wagering or gambling, except limited gaming which is conducted according to all the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission and except other wagering activities licensed or approved by an agency of the State of Colorado."
"(1) A person who engages in gambling commits a class 1 petty offense.
(2) A person who engages in professional gambling commits a class 1 misdemeanor. If he is a repeating gambling offender, it is a class 5 felony."
Colorado has no regulated sports betting, and has prohibited live bookies or online sports betting organizations.
Colorado residents can bet online at offshore sports betting businesses. We discussed that earlier, but we'll mention it again here. If you're looking for a legitimate, trustworthy Colorado sports betting site, most of the sports books we recommend here are happy to do business with sports bettors in Colorado.
According to a letter from Attorney General Suthers and the Gaming Commission, you can also participate in sports betting, if it qualifies as social gambling.
"office sports pools are allowed under a 'social gambling' exception under state law. For an activity to be considered 'social gambling', all participants must have a 'bona fide social relationship', meaning that they have an established social relationship based upon some other common interest other than the gambling activity, and no one other than the participants can profit from the game or activity in any manner"
"12.212 - All wagers on any race meet licensed or approved by the Colorado Racing Commission shall be made in person at a licensed facility unless the wager is incidental to a bona fide social relationship.
12.213 - Association and Simulcast facilities shall set up wagering accounts in conjunction with an onsite portable wagering unit that is checked out to an individual customer of the facility. Accounts shall only be opened with a cash deposit, and shall at no time have a negative balance. Units used in conjunction with the account must be approved in advance by the division."
Colorado has only one horse race track: Arapahoe Park. There are 12 off-track betting locations for Arapahoe Park.
Several locations statewide offer simulcast horse and greyhound racing for different parts of the United States.
Colorado outlawed dog racing in 2014.
"No live greyhound racing involving the betting or wagering on the speed or ability of the greyhounds racing shall be conducted in Colorado. The commission shall not accept or approve an application or request for race dates for live greyhound racing in Colorado."
"Only non-profit organizations that have been in existence in Colorado for five or more years are eligible to be licensed and conduct bingo and/or raffles."
Any for-profit organizations are prohibited from holding bingo or raffle games.
A maximum of $15,000 worth of prizes can be given out at bingo or raffle games. Alcohol as a prize is prohibited.
It cannot be professional gambling.
The players must have some social relationship besides gambling.
"Colorado law allows a 'social gambling' exception, which allows 'gambling' that is incidental to a bona fide social relationship and is participated in by natural persons. A 'bona fide social relationship' means that the parties must have an established social relationship based upon some other common interest other than the gambling activity.
These two criteria - a bona fide social relationship and no profit motive - must be present for a gambling activity to be considered legal 'social gambling.' "
You can find a variety of casinos in Colorado. But the only cities they're allowed in are Central, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek.
All other casinos in Colorado are Indian reservation casinos.
The first full U.S. casino opens. The Brown's Salon casino was opened on the land where Utah, Whyoming, and Colorado meet. Brown's was a popular gambling establishment for fur trappers who were common in that area. 169 years later, Colorado legalized their first casino.
The law allowing casinos to be opened in Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, and Central City is passed. This law barely passes with over 41% of the Colorado population against it. Stakes are limited to a maximum of $5, and the only games allowed are poker, blackjack and slot machines. Even though almost half the state opposes this law, it brings a developmental boom to these three towns.
The Attorney General of Colorado makes a statement about online gambling. He claims that online gambling can be covered by the existing laws and definition of gambling.
The Colorado state lottery begins with scratch off cards. The state lottery game Powerball is introduced in 2001, and Mega Millions is introduced in 2009.
Colorado signs two compacts, one with the Ute Mountain Tribe and the other with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. These compacts allow casinos on their reservation land. These casinos are free from taxation, but they're required to keep their betting limits and games offered in line with the state guidelines. Keno is added t othe list of allowed casino games.
The Bingo-Raffle Advisory Board is created to license non-profit organizations to run charity casinos, bingo, and raffle events to raise funds for their causes.
Amendment 50 becomes a law. This amendment allows residents of Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, and Central City to vote on extending the operation of their casinos. The original curfew is set at 2 am.
Colorado offers a variety of gambling to choose from. These include a handful of casino games, horse betting, online sports betting, social gambling, a state lottery and charitable bingo and raffle games.
While Colorado has relaxed gambling laws, they have gone out of their way to speak out about online gambling. Their gambling laws were not written originally for online gambling because it didn't exist then. They have yet to act on statements of online Colorado gambling sites being illegal, and no one is getting arrested for it.
Based on Colorado's track record of continuously approving more gambling options, we would say that state regulated online gambling is not far out. Colorado gambling sites aren't going anywhere. In fact, we're predicting they'll become more common.


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We've seen a trend occurring here on DailyPet where someone starts a new thread, writes what they'd like to write and then submits it for approval. We approve the thread and then we see another thread created a little while later. This new thread is almost identical to the previous one. We then notice that the member deleted the previous thread because they wanted it replaced by the new one. The reason they give for deletion is something like, "Needed to update some information..." or something like that.
I'm here to say that there's no need to delete an existing thread due to updated information. All you need to do is simply edit it. To edit a post inside of a thread, scroll down to the bottom of the thread and then click on the Edit link. From there, the post will become editable once more and you can update whatever you'd like to update. When you're finished, save the post and if it hasn't been approved by us yet, we'll approve it. If it's already been approved, the post will update immediately. It's really that easy, so again, there's no need to delete what you've already created. Simply edit it from now on to update the information contained within it.


Join psychic mediums Susan Schueler, Julianna Davis and Cheryl Murphy for an evening of messages from your loved ones on the other side. During this healing event you will witness first hand that love never dies and how our loved ones in Spirit are always around.
The mediums will also be doing some psychic audience readings and activities too, so bring your psychic questions and sense of humor!
Susan Schueler: Susan believes in the importance of improving her gift as a psychic medium and attends Arthur Findlay College in England several times a year. One of the reasons Susan values learning is because she was a high school English teacher for almost 25 years. She holds her BA in English Literature and Theater and her MA in Literature and Women's Studies. She has spent years in spiritual development circles, where she continues to find new ways to communicate with the Spirit world and improve her natural psychic gifts. Susan Schueler is an ethical and accurate psychic medium with Shay Parker's Best American Psychics, The Lisa Williams' International School of Spiritual Development and Bob Olson's Best Psychic Directory.
Julianna (Jules) Davis: Julianna's Psychic and Mediumistic abilities have been evident since she was a very young child. Many of her earliest memories include experiences with Spirit. She has studied extensively with the highly regarded Arthur's Findlay College tutors Paul Jacobs, Chris Drew, Mavis Pittilla, and Andy Bing. Julianna comes from a long lineage of Intuitves and natural Mediums, and was raised in a home where Spirituality, Holistic Health and Alternative Healing took precedence. She believes that in order for healing to be most effective it should include a combination of modalities that enhance the body, mind, spirit and soul. Julianna loves to learn and is always looking for new ways to help her own healing process and those she works with and teaches.
Cheryl Murphy: Cheryl has studied metaphysics for over 20 years, including international studies in Brazil and Germany, as well as seminars and classes in Colorado. She has oriented her practice as a spiritual medium towards channeling loved ones who have passed over, and psychometry. She is a clairvoyant, healer, and ordained minister, as well as a certified hypnotherapist and an intuitive facilitator. Cheryl has studied Mediumship and Advanced Mediumship classes. She is a member of the American Association of Psychics, an organization where membership is by invitation only. She loves helping people find their inner strength.
***Note: This is an audience reading and not everyone is guaranteed a reading.


E-mail is 30 years old today! Ray Tomlinson sent an e-mail (in all caps, tsk, tsk!) via ARPANET (predecessor of the Internet), and was the person who picked the now ubiquitous "@" character.
Dmitry Sklyarov is now being represented, pro bono, by high powered San Francisco defense attnorney John Keker. And he's out to win.
France, Brazil, Mexico and China are all considering legislation that would require government use and support of Open Source software over proprietary software.
Vulnerabilities found in both SLRN (newsreader) and WindowMaker (window manager). The former is already patched in Debian.
id Software will be releasing Quake4.
The 2nd "Matrix" movie has been delayed due to the death of singer Aaliyah.
Class action suit being made against PacBell for DSL install techs. not showing up.
Demo - The Sept. 29th demo was cancelled because we couldn't get enough helpers. We're planning to hold the next demo in late October. Contact Henry House if you can help!!!
Installfests - The next IF will be at UC Davis on October 21st. Rusty is offering to burn CDROMs for $2.50 per disk (most distros are 2-3 discs, and often you only need the first to get started), which installees can keep. Profits will be donated to LUGOD.
Library - Bill Kendrick donated Teach Yourself Linux Programming in 24 Hours, Pete Salzman donated Linux Device Drivers, 1st ed, New Riders donated their MySQL: Building User Interfaces, LUGOD purchased a copy of Programming Linux Games, Bill Alexander donated a boxed copy of "Linux Firewall Suite," and Joe Arruda donated a number of books.
Food - Steve Nguyen of Maxim Group donated a number of large Togos sandwiches. Christine Scobee brought veggies, dips, and breads. Bill Kendrick brought chips, drinks and donuts. They were devoured!
LUGODer of the Quarter - LUGOD recognized Doug Barbieri, as the first "LUGODer of the Quarter," due to his enthusiasm and his eagerness volunteer in the 6 months he's been a member. Pete Salzman awarded him with a copy of Quake 3 Arena for Linux.
Mandrake 8.1 - We gave out two copies of Mandrake 8.1 (3 disc set) which Rusty Minden burned and donated to the club. Sam Peterson won one for pronouncing Dmitry Sklyarov's last name correctly. Henry House another for guessing what Doug's award would be: Quake for Linux.
Financial Report - $61.46 in voluntary dues were collected.
Robert Doss, a Cocoa developer at Apple Computer in Sacramento, talked about Apple's new Darwin (BSD) based Mac OS X operating system.


12" x 2000' Medium Duty 70 Ga, Clear. 4 Rolls per Case.
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New Democratic Party federal leadership candidate Jagmeet Singh is unorthodox in more ways than one.
His supporters — and Singh himself — argue that the 38-year-old Brampton politician is best-positioned to persuade younger voters, as well as those from the ethnically diverse ridings of suburban Canada, to vote NDP.
But Singh has also shown on an unusual willingness to take on established party policy. In particular, he is breaking with the NDP's long-held support for universal Old Age Security.
His Canada Seniors Guarantee would scrap OAS and roll it, along with three other programs aimed at those 65 and over, into one means-tested benefit for the elderly poor.
It's a bold move that bears an uncanny resemblance to an idea floated — but never acted on — by Jean Chretien's Liberal government in 1996.
Given the NDP's affinity for universal social programs it may also be foolhardy.
Singh argues, as he did earlier this month during a Saskatoon leadership debate, that OAS is not universal now. And technically, he is correct.
Under rules put in place in 1989 by Brian Mulroney's Conservative government, every eligible senior receives OAS — currently up to $583.74 a month. But the wealthiest must pay all or some of it back to the federal treasury.
Currently, this so-called clawback begins when a senior's annual income exceeds $74,788. Those who earn $121,279 or more face having all of their OAS clawed back.
But only a very small percentage of seniors earn such high incomes. The Caledon Institute calculated that in 2012 just 6 per cent of seniors were affected by the clawback. Only 2.3 per cent had to repay the entire amount.
The dispute over universal social programs has a long history. On the one side are those, including many on the liberal-left as well as the hard right, who argue that social programs should be targeted to the truly needy.
"It's offensive to me that millionaires or people who are earning over $100,000 are receiving payments while people are living in poverty right now," Singh said in Saskatoon.
That's not much different from the argument Conservative Mulroney made in the '80s when he complained about universal social programs that benefitted the apocryphal wealthy bank president.
Nor does it differ much from Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's rationale for doing away with the Conservatives' universal child care benefit. Families like his, said millionaire Trudeau, simply don't need the money.
On the other side are those who argue that social programs must benefit a broad swath of the middle class, as well as the very poor, if they are to have political legitimacy.
Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent used to make this case eloquently when defending universal programs, such as OAS and the baby bonus.
The easiest way to erode social programs, he would say then, was to limit them to people like the very poor that most voters don't care about.
Even medicare could be means tested — as is the U.S. health care program for the poor known as Medicaid. But if so, it would no longer be the popular nation-defining symbol that it is in Canada.
Until now, it seemed that most New Democrats agreed with this analysis. Some still do.
"You, my friend, you make it seem as if this is a great progressive idea," fellow leadership contender Charlie Angus told Singh during the Saskatoon debate. "Well where I come from that's not progressive.


text:
Comments >
Time to look beyond organised crime to stop match-fixing
Many clubs in smaller European football leagues lack income and that leaves them vulnerable to match-fixing. Photo: Mark Botham/Flickr
Analysis by Steve Menary
Organised crime is not the only driver behind match-fixing. Financial instability and unequal distribution of revenue in European football are other factors, explains Steve Menary and calls on sport authorities to help find solutions.
An obvious consequence of the lockdown should have been that less sport equals less match-fixing. Yet, this year looks likely to set a record for alerts over suspicious matches, particularly in European football.
At the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), 32 alerts were escalated on European matches in 2019. By the third quarter of 2020, 25 match alerts have already been issued. As the sport emerged from corona lockdown, plenty of others have attracted suspicion from Armenia to Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Russia, the Ukraine and Turkey.
This summer, Europol warned of increased involvement from organised crime in match-fixing, but this increasingly accepted narrative is a simplistic explanation that absolves sport itself for any responsibility.
Khalid Ali, IBIA's chief executive officer, says:
"Organised criminal activity is clearly involved in betting related match-fixing and is a major threat, but it's not the only threat. We've seen from a range of sports that match-fixing can be triggered by players in the lower levels betting on their own matches to subsidise the lack of income from their sporting activities."
Sporting reasons is a key driver for match-fixing
The notion of the mob fixing games gains more traction in the media than a club owner in some impoverished eastern European country trading points for a better league position. However, sporting reasons have long been a key driver for manipulating matches and this has not changed.
In 2011, a report called 'The Prevalence of Corruption' by the European Sports Security Association (now the International Betting Integrity Association) and Coventry University found that 42% of match-fixing cases identified in sport were for sporting reasons. And 83% of overall cases were in Europe, mainly within football.
The point is further underlined in the 'Typology Framework of sports manipulations' that was published this summer by the Council of Europe Network of National Platforms – also known as the Copenhagen Group. The first two categories refer directly to types of match-fixing undertaken for sporting reasons:
Exploitation of governance – for example, the owners of two sports clubs agree the outcome of a sports competition and instruct their teams to ensure that outcome is achieved.
Exploitation of power/influence – for example, a sponsor of a club promises a new sponsorship contract to a player of a rival club if they 'help' their team to lose their next game.
Organised crime certainly plays an increasing role in match-fixing and should never be discounted but the underlying reasons for increasing manipulation, particularly at a lower level in European football, are far more complex.
Andy Harvey, a lecturer in sports science and exercise at Swansea University, who worked for players union FIFPro on its research on match-fixing, says:
"There are two narratives on match-fixing. The first was that the players were at fault. FIFPro did a lot of work around this and yes, players are involved but there are a lot of other actors. It's coaches, directors, agents and a host of others involving outside companies."
"Then there are the other issues like gambling and non-gambling related match-fixing. This all connects to good governance."
Lower leagues in Europe lack income
Attempts to improve governance in football are increasingly undermined by financial instability and the unequal distribution of revenue in European football.
Aggregate revenue at UEFA from the Champions League, Europa League and Super Cup in 2019/20 is expected to be around €3.25 billions. Of this total, €10 millions were set aside to subsidise solidarity payments to clubs eliminated in the qualifying rounds of the Champions and Europa Leagues.
"We have always argued for fairer distribution of revenue," says Tony Higgins from international footballer's union, FIFPro.
"The pandemic has exposed the lack of resources amongst the smaller federations and leagues."
Simply surviving is a challenge in many of UEFA's smaller members. In Lithuania for example, 20 clubs vanished in the decade up to June 2015 and this is not a problem restricted to the Baltic. In Eastern Europe, some clubs survive in name, going bust then being resurrected in a new form under a version of the old name.
Starting up a club is not expensive. Grounds are often rented and some clubs play in daylight to avoid paying for floodlights. The main expense is wages for players. The problem is income.
If domestic fans prefer to watch the English Premier League or Spain's La Liga on television to watching their own domestic football, income from ticket sales, TV rights and sponsorship becomes hard to find.
UEFA revenue is very important in many leagues
UEFA's latest club licensing benchmarking report, which covers the 2018 financial year, illustrates the growing gap between rich and poor.
In 2018, net profits rose to record levels at clubs in the leading 20 leagues. In the remaining 35 UEFA members, only eight competitions made an aggregate profit. Four of those countries – Croatia, Iceland, Moldova and Ukraine – were reliant on money from transfers to stay profitable. With the exception of Iceland, match-fixing has been a constant issue in the remaining trio.
TV income is virtually negligible for the 15 smallest leagues in UEFA, and in an era of spiralling wage inflation losses at clubs in smaller leagues are rising. Amongst the smaller leagues where profitability remains elusive, the number of countries reporting net loss margins of more than 20% has increased from 11 to 13.
In the Czech Republic, Georgia, Gibraltar, Israel, Kosovo, Latvia and North Macedonia, the margin of losses was more than 30%. And nearly 400 clubs outside the top 20 league had a loss margin of 11% - and this was before the virus.
In its benchmarking report, UEFA notes:
"Revenue from UEFA club competitions is very important for clubs in most middle and lower-income leagues. In 16 of the bottom 35 countries, UEFA payments accounted for a third or more of all revenue."
The importance of UEFA money was illustrated this summer, when an attempt to manipulate the Andorran Cup final was reportedly based on a wish to gain access to European competition.
Ownership of football clubs is another issue
For clubs not playing in Europe, benefactors are increasingly essential, particularly in Eastern Europe, where many federations have been trying to ease clubs out of public ownership. This was a holdover from Soviet times, when state control was omnipotent. The Eastern bloc has gone but many councils or state bodies still find themselves subsidising professional football cubs in partnership with private owners, whose suitability rarely comes under the microscope.
The UK's Fit and Proper Persons Test for owners of football clubs has been criticised – sometimes rightly – but in many European countries, no such test exists. And in most of these countries, match-fixing is a problem.
"Ultimately, it's about how clubs are owned and run and pretty much anyone can become an owner of a football club," says Andy Harvey.
With the financial impact of the lockdown reverberating throughout European football, income from sponsorship is likely to further diminish. Fixing a game to subsidise the running of a club is an increasing temptation.
In the Copenhagen Group's typology, 'direct interference in the natural course of a sporting event or competition instigated by exploitation of governance' is the primary type of manipulation.
Lack of governance for friendly matches
This year has seen a surge in concern over friendly matches in European football, mainly played by lower league clubs, with more than 80 games attracting suspicion so far in 2020. This is because virtually no governance exists for friendlies.
These games invariably find their way onto the Asian markets, where demand for betting on European football – even clubs few in Europe might have heard of – is burgeoning, in part because many bettors in Asia do not want to place wages on their own often corrupt leagues.
On the amorphous Asian markets, a fix aimed at generating €30,000 to €40,000 for a club owner that is either unscrupulous or desperate barely registers. These clubs are not all in the grip of organised crime. Some owners are criminals, some are opportunists and some are morally flexible owners trying to keep their club afloat.
The financial pressures faced by clubs outside the elite are growing. Even more so in the second and third tier leagues where clubs are stuck in a kind of limbo, chasing a place amongst their national elite but often unable to afford wages as sponsorship, transfer fees and TV rights all flow remorselessly towards the bigger leagues and clubs.
Time for a new narrative on match-fixing
How match-fixing is framed needs to change argues Marcelo Moriconi, researcher and guest assistant professor at Portugal's Centro de Estudos Internacionais. He explains:
"The official preventative narrative was used in a successful way to create a narrative that put the responsibility outside the sports world. So, you transform something that is historically part of football like match-fixing and you transform yourself into an integrity warrior."
Match-fixing has always existed in football and pinning all the blame on organised crime lets sports authorities off the hook when it comes to finding a solution. Wider structural changes in how football is funded, particularly outside elite leagues, are needed to stem the tide of fixing that is undermining the credibility of European football on the increasingly forgotten fringes.
Betting companies and data companies could be openly discouraged from offering many of these games but the integrity of these leagues can – and should have – been bolstered by UEFA. FIFPro's Tony Higgins says:
"With the pandemic and the lack of resources, you don't expect there to be much progress but this should have been done before."
Last year, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin conceded that sport could not deal with match-fixing alone and commissioned a feasibility study into the idea of creating a pan-continental integrity body.
Work is due for completion by the end of this year. With football across Europe creaking under the weight of escalating financial pressure and the temptation to fix games only growing, there has never been a more urgent time to address the problems of governance and inequality in European football that are at the root of the fixing.
Keywords: match-fixing, football
The same clubs dominate Champions League despite the corona pandemic: CL Diversity Index 2020/21 - 24.08.2020
Friendly matches between clubs are wide open for match- fixing - 28.05.2020
Football Leaks raises many questions – also for the media - 02.03.2020
European football 2020: The year so far in match-fixing
Belarus: A group of 16 players are suspended or banned from football for match-fixing before the trial is abandoned due to coronavirus.
Cyprus: The Cyprus Football Association suspends the Second Division due to suspicious betting after a bomb attack and then strips five clubs - Ermis Aradippou, Digenis Morphou, Onisilos Sotiras, Othellos Athienou and PO Xylotymbou - of TV funding.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Local media reports claim that 500 people have been interrogated as part of the State Investigation and Protection Agency's probe into match-fixing.
Ireland: More than €20,000 in cash, electronic devices and a stun gun are seized by police in Limerick in connection with an investigation into alleged match-fixing in the League of Ireland.
Slovakia: Six lower league clubs are sanctioned and 20 individuals banned from football, some for up to eight years, for their involvement in fixing matches in 2018.
Cyprus: Police arrest a second division club chairman and a referee in connection with manipulation of a game between Ayia Napa and Othellos Athienou.
Portugal: Five people are jailed for involvement in fixing a match involving second-division club Leixoes as part of an illegal betting ring funded from Malaysia. Leixoes are also banned for two years.
Spain: Spanish police unearth a match-fixing ring with links to Spain and alleged car bombings in Cyprus.
Russia: A swathe of friendly matches involving amateur teams attract suspicion. In the midst of one match, a club president claims on social media that his team is not involved. Bookmakers are forced to void bets on games.
Scotland: The coach of Hamilton Academicals is arrested in a probe after suspicious betting involving bookings and yellow cards.
Ukraine: The Azov Cup is staged with players pretending to represent real clubs in matches that are fixed to try and dupe betting companies The tournament is abandoned after two rounds.
Greece: Olympiakos is threatened with relegation over claims by the country's ethics committee that the club fixed a 2015 match with Atromitos.
Latvia: Footballer Andrejs Pereplotkins is banned from all football for six months for his involvement in manipulation while playing for Lithuanian club FC Kupiskis.
Spain: A betting ring including five former directors of Osasuna and two ex-Real Betis players are given prison sentences after being found guilty of involvement in match-fixing. The jail terms are the first ever handed out in Spain for sporting corruption.
Sweden: Amateur matches are abandoned after betting companies start offering the games and players are besieged for inside information on social media.
Sweden: Dickson Etuhu is banned from football in Sweden after a teammate informed on the Nigerian for attempting to influence the outcome of a game between his club AIK and IFK Gothenburg in May 2017.
Ukraine: The Ukrainian federation bans top tier side PFK Sumy and a swathe of players and officials, including three for life, after a string of match-fixing incidents including friendlies.
Andorra: Local newspaper Diari d'Andorra claims to have uncovered evidence that Inter agreed to let rivals UE Sant Julià win the cup and thereby gain access to UEFA's Europa League and guaranteed prize money of around €220,000.
Armenia: A misguided attempt to start a professional second tier backfires. Financially weak clubs paying players as little as £150 are drawn into match-fixing, and 58 people are banned – 45 for life – and five clubs wound up. The entire competition is cancelled.
Ireland: Latvian goalkeeper Igor Labuts wins his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport over a ban for match-fixing while playing for League of Ireland club Athlone Town in 2017. CAS agree that a 3-1 defeat to Longford Town was manipulated but rules that Labuts was not involved.
Sweden: An attempt to influence Division 1 club Nykoping BIS by a Hungarian group is exposed by the newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
Belarus: The match-fixing trial resumes and 16 more people are found guilty of match-fixing. BATE Borisov defender Zahar Volkov is banned for two years and some people are sent to prison.
Cyprus: A new Sports Ethics Committee requests detailed financial information from 33 clubs as part of an investigation into suspected match-fixing.
France: National gambling regulator ANJ bans betting on a European league match due to strong suspicions of match-fixing.
Lithuania: Police opens a case in Mazeikiai into complaints by the football federation over betting related match-fixing.
Scotland: Scottish international Marc McNulty is arrested in a police probe over bookings given to players during matches.
Cyprus: An investigation by the ethics committee starts into alleged manipulation in two friendlies involving Karmiotissa Polemidion and AEL Limassol in July and another in August involving Karmiotissa Polemidion and Apollon Limassol.


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Drug Abuse Statistics in Illinois
Over 2,200 people died of opioid overdoses in Illinois in 2017. The state's rate of 17.2 deaths per 100,000 residents is almost 20% higher than the national opioid overdose death rate. Each year, over 5,000 people in Illinois lose their lives due to alcohol or drugs. If you need help with drugs or alcohol, you can find a drug treatment center in IL that can help.
Drug Abuse Statistics in Illinois: Opioids
Alcohol and DUI in Illinois
Methamphetamine Drug Abuse Statistics in Illinois
What do Drug Abuse Statistics in Illinois Say About Getting Treatment?
In 1999, fewer than 500 people died of opioid overdoses in Illinois. In the late 90s, OxyContin had cost hundreds of lives in Illinois, but the crisis didn't cost the number of lives that it would 20 years later. By 2017, over 2,200 people in Illinois lost their lives from opioids. The deadly drugs included heroin, prescription opiates, fentanyl, or a combination of them. Statistics gathered by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) show that opioids are a major problem throughout Illinois, not just in the Chicago area.
Since 2015, overdoses due to fentanyl have risen dramatically. Over 100 times stronger than morphine, fentanyl is mixed into heroin or pressed into pills. Street sales of opioids continue to increase, but physician prescriptions are going down. Illinois physicians wrote 51.1 prescriptions for opioid pain relievers per every 100 people in 2017, the lowest rate since 2006.
If pregnant women use opiates, their baby is at risk of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). NOWS babies are born dependent on opioids and will go through withdrawal symptoms. Over 390 babies were born with NOWS in Illinois in 2016. About 1,380 people in Illinois were diagnosed with HIV in 2016. Among new HIV cases, about 10% involved IV drug use, primarily heroin.
The Illinois Secretary of State reported 2019 statistics on DUI offenders. Men are much more likely than women to be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Most DUI offenders are under age 35, and 75% are men. The times they're likely to be picked up? No surprise: between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. during weekends. DUI also doesn't just include alcohol anymore. It includes cannabis and other drugs.
More than 27,000 people in Illinois were arrested for DUI in 2017. The arrests by age group include:
Age 18-34: 13,154
Age 45-54: 2,487
Over 55: 1,682
Binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks at a time for women, and five or more at a time for men. In 2018, 20.3% of Illinois residents engaged in binge drinking and 21.4% identified themselves as problem drinkers. That's one out of every five people.
Opioids get a lot of attention, but Illinois is experiencing more methamphetamine use. Meth lab seizures in the U.S. have declined since 2010, but more meth is coming in from Mexico and other countries. Over 3,300 people were arrested for meth use or sales in Illinois in 2017. McHenry County had a high rate of meth arrests in 2017 at over 165 people per 100,000 residents. About 6.5% of Illinois residents who sought treatment for drugs in 2017 were using methamphetamine.
Statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse don't just track how many people die of overdoses. They don't just monitor people who get a drug-related illness like HIV or Hepatitis C. Statistics also show that the sooner people seek treatment, the better chance they have of recovery. You can get help to recover from drugs and alcohol. Contact us at Northern Illinois Recovery Center 855.786.1978 today to find out what the best treatment plan for you will be.
Categories: Addiction Treatment, Drug Information, treatment, UncategorizedBy Northern Illinois Recovery
Tags: drug abuseIllinoisstatistics
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Yahoo! launches mobile site for men's bball tourney
By Brian Osborne 03.18.2008 :: 1:05PM EDT 03.18.2008
March Madness us upon us, and Yahoo! is ensuring you get your NCAA Men's Basketball fix even if you are on the go. Yahoo! announced some tools that will allow you to keep track of your favorite team on the quest toward a national title. Toward this goal, Yahoo! has launched a mobile tournament website.
The website, which can be found at http://m.yahoo.com/ncaa, will feature "top-tier" content from Yahoo! Sports and Rivals.com. You will also be able to sign up for mobile alerts. Fans can also count on the Yahoo! Men's College Hoops mobile widget to keep them abreast of scores, news, schedules, and images. The widget can be found in Go 3.0 or the Yahoo's mobile home page.
There is a special thing that happens in March in which Men's College Basketball becomes a religion for some. This means that in order to keep track of their favorite teams, there are individuals who may not leave the home for the whole month of March until their team loses. This can naturally affect one's social life. It's nice for Yahoo! to create a mobile website and widget to keep track of the tournament. This is truly a public service for those addicted to men's college basketball and the inevitable office pool.
Read more from the Yahoo! press release.
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About the Author Carol Aebersold is the co-author of The Elf on the Shelf®: A Christmas Tradition and the sequel, launching this season: The Elf on the Shelf®: A Birthday Tradition. She is also the mother of Christa Pitts and Chanda Bell, the twin CEOs of CCA and B (Creatively Classic Activities and Books), the publishing company Aebersold founded with her daughters. To many children (and many of her employees), Aebersold is nothing less than a direct line to Santa—and that is especially clear during the holiday season, when she travels for as much as 8 weeks to do as many as 100 events in support of The Elf on the Shelf®. Chanda Bell is one of the true visionaries behind the beloved holiday brand, The Elf on the Shelf®. A former reading and English teacher, Bell is the co-author (with her mom, Carol) of The Elf on the Shelf®: A Christmas Tradition and the new sequel, The Elf on the Shelf®: A Birthday Tradition. At CCA and B, the company Bell co-founded with her twin sister, Christa Pitts, and her mom, Bell leads the creative side of the business, cultivating a careful focus on products and traditions that create meaningful family moments.


It is that time of year again... end of the school year and yearbooks! Both girls got their high school yearbook yesterday and I asked them if they were in it besides the class photo. They told me there was a shot of the two of them together and casually showed it to me.
I screamed out loud like whaaaat??!!! Those are my babies!! I was so thrilled to see that they were a part of a feature they did on students that share the same house and school. They thought I was crazy with how excited I was seeing them together in the yearbook. I think it is neat that they can look back at this many years from now and remember those times. I still glance through my high school yearbooks from time to time.
Just seeing how happy and vibrant they are when they are hanging out warms my mommy heart. It is such a wonderful thing when siblings, especially teenagers get along so well. I tell them all the time that they have a best friend for life! I love my girls so much! I just had to share this with you all.
How cool is that! You have some pretty special girls. Then again they have a pretty special mom. Must run in the family.
What a great picture! I so understand you about how it makes your heart happy that your daughters get along so well. Even though my daughter is 16 and my son is 12 they have this amazing relationship. I just sit back watch them and smile because, I know that they will always have one another backs. Oh, I too would have screamed out loud at such an awesome picture and feature.
That is a great picture! They look so pretty and joyful! the oldest one looks so cool and laid back. Nice!
Look at them! How cool is that? They are best friends for life! You have every reason to be proud Shelly and Dwayne!!


This is Darby from Florence Oregon. We winter in Florida and she was scratching non stop. She was on flea prevention meds. I had blood tests done for environmental allergies. Came back that she was highly allergic to dust mites. Dust mite thrive in humidity so unless you live in a desert you have to deal with them. Darby was chewing her back legs and tail until they were bloodied. Meds could help her allergies but she would need periodic liver tests. I didn't like that option. Tried a natural remedy and had moderate success. After her last out break and vet visit, I ordered Canna Biscuits. Darby has been on them for three months and she's not scratching! I want to shout it in the streets 'she isn't scratching '! Lol it's just been that frustrating!


Shared learning is becoming increasingly well-recognised as an effective way of helping people to develop. Lynne is experienced in facilitating groups using an action learning approach to help group members achieve their individual development goals. Typically this might involve 6 group members who meet with Lynne on a regular basis (for example every 4 to 6 weeks) to support each others' learning on particular competencies.
The safe yet challenging environment that is created enables participants to explore and experiment, using the experience and support of the group as a resource to help them to reach their development goals.