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Michael Grab balances rocks into beautiful shapes. He calls it Gravity Glue.
"…I am referring to meditation, or finding a zero point or silence within yourself. Some balances can apply significant pressure on your mind and your patience. The challenge is overcoming any doubt that may arise."
I think this would be useful in life, outside of your rock balancing efforts.
This is our daily open thread — Breathe.


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A top Veterans Affairs administrator in Philadelphia insisted Wednesday that the pictures of Oscar the Grouch peppered around its internal training guide were not meant to depict cranky veterans.
Instead, director Diana Rubens said, the image of the crass Sesame Street character who lives in a trash can was a message to VA employees to keep "our inner Oscar" inside.
Rubens made the comments as she opened the first of two town-hall meetings Wednesday for veterans and their families. They followed a report by The Inquirer that employees who volunteered to help at the meetings were given a training guide last week titled "What to Say to Oscar the Grouch - Dealing With Veterans During Town Hall Claims Clinics."

subset: commoncrawl


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April 1, 2014
Blurred Lines: The Myth of Guerrilla Tactics
Friedman, Brett, "Blurred Lines: The Myth of Guerrilla Tactics", Infinity Journal, Vol. 3, Issue No. 4, winter 2014, pages 25-28.
Irregular warfare is in style. As the United States and its allies waged two wars against irregular actors in the last decade, the need to understand the conflicts in which the West was engaged spawned an industry of theorists discussing the phenomenon, and a few evangelists who feared a US shift to irregular warfare. The discussion is based on one assumption: that conventional tactics and irregular tactics are different. This conversation garnered so much emphasis that glaring issues of strategy were largely ignored. It is built on a false assumption: that there are two different styles of warfare.
To read the full article follow the link. Registration required.
Tags: Future War, Historic War
The goal of the Straus Military Reform Project is to secure far more effective military forces and much more ethical and professional military and civilian leadership at significantly lower budget levels.
We would like to thank Philip A. Straus Jr. and family for their generous support.
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Rent Human-Built World 2nd edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Thomas P. Hughes. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by University of Chicago Press.
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Officials have broken ground on restoration of the drained Lake Delhi in northeast Iowa.
The Telegraph Herald reports more than 100 people gathered Thursday for a ceremonial event, which involved area residents and restoration leaders.
The first phase of construction is already underway, with work on a new concrete dam. The second phase, installation of a spillway, is waiting on permit approval from the state Department of Natural Recourses.
The project is expected to cost up to $17 million.
The 9-mile-long lake on the Maquoketa River was drained when the dam collapsed during flooding in 2010. The lake bed has been dry since then.


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Video: The Concert Corner - Summerfest, Harley-Davidson's 110th, Garbage and more
Lot to run through in the Concert Corner chat this week. A whopping 96 bands were announced last week to play Summerfest and the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary. And then there was Garbage's return to Milwaukee for the first time since 2005. Plus there's a lot to look forward to this week: the Joy Formidable, the Last Bison, the WAMI Awards.
So I tried to condense all this in my chat with CineStars' Brittany Umar, but of course couldn't get terribly deep. You can follow the links for more information on Summerfest 2013 headliners, the Harley-Davidson 110th anniversary lineup, the Garbage Eagles Ballroom show, Joy Formidable at Turner Hall Ballroom and the WAMI Awards. »Read Full Blog Post
Skylight Music Theatre finds heart, hope with 'In the Heights'
In the Act 1 finale for "In the Heights" — which opened Friday night at Skylight Music Theatre, under the direction of Ragnar Conde (stage) and Jeff Schaetzke (music) — a nighttime power blackout sends a careening Washington Heights barrio toward the brink.
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MSO program blends different sounds with shared roots
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra held a musical reunion of sorts Friday evening at the Marcus Center, performing music of Leonard Bernstein, Lukas Foss and Samuel Barber.
The three composers, who were trained within a relatively small window of time at the Curtis Institute of Music, wrote with distinct and disparate voices. Their music — programmed for a single concert and conducted by another Curtis alum, MSO associate conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong — was a fascinating look at the variety of style in American orchestral music of the 20th century. »Read Full Article
Aaron Rodgers makes brief appearance on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got a little revenge Friday night on Jimmy Fallon's writing staff.
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Weekend Activities: Antiques show, winter carnival and Duck Decoy Day
One of a kind
The Wisconsin Antiques Dealers Association's 40th Winter Wisconsin Antiques Dealers Show takes place Friday and Saturday. Comprising more than 50 dealers, the show is held in the Forum Building of the Waukesha Country Expo Center, 1000 Northview Road, Waukesha. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. There will be food available both days with a fish fry Friday. Admission is $6, but there is a $1-off coupon at www.wisconsinantiquesdealers.com. »Read Full Blog Post


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Russian and Pakistani servicemen conducted their first joint military exercises in Pakistan in a historic moment of cooperation between the former Cold War rivals.
India's director general of military operations, Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, said India received "very credible and specific information" that militants located in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir were planning attacks on Indian-controlled Kashmir and "in various other metros in our country", UPI reported. "Significant casualties have been caused to the terrorists and those who are trying to support them," Singh said in New Delhi. Indian officials said Wednesday night's attack was in response to two militant attacks on Indian positions in September, including one in which 18 Indian soldiers were killed when militants stormed an army base near the Pakistani border, an attack Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said would "not go unpunished." The circumstances surrounding India's purported cross-border attack are not fully clear. India and Pakistan both contest the Kashmir Valley, which has led to two wars over control of the territory since its independence from Britain in 1947.
India conducted "surgical strikes" on suspected terrorist camps just across the border in Pakistan, marking its first direct military response to an attack on an army base it blames on Pakistan. The military offensive was the worst since 1999, when then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee - also a member of Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party - responded to what he said was repeated cross-border infiltrations by militants in Kashmir.
At the same time, Pakistan said two of its soldiers had been killed in exchanges of fire and in repulsing an Indian "raid", but denied that India had made any targeted strikes across the de facto frontier that runs through the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
The region is held equally by India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both. Terrorist violence killed 201 people in Kashmir in 2016, the deadliest year since 2010, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.
It seems that India has "responded" to the Uri terrorist attack, which New Delhi says was perpetrated by Pakistani-trained terrorists. The Indian Express has the details: India conducted surgical strikes last night along the [Line of Control] to safeguard our nation, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday. "Significant casualties have been caused to terrorists and those trying to shield them. We don't have a plan to further conduct such strikes. India has spoken to Pakistan," DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said. "… Now, based on very specific and credible information we received yesterday, that some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launch pads along the LoC with an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes in J&K and various other metros in our country. There were launch pads at the LoC where terrorists were present waiting to infiltrate the nation and attack areas in Kashmir and metros across the country," the DGMO said.
We would recommend Super Sour Diesel Haze with a White Rhino concentrate 91% THC chaser. Happy Trails!
Tonight's debates have all the excitement of a national sporting event, with the added joy of extreme global consequences. For some, this may be too much to handle. So for people who don't want to drink alcohol or meditate to deal with their anxiety, Oregon's legal cannabis might be the answer. We turned to the experts to find out which strains of weed are most likely to get you through tonight without too much trauma.
India accused Pakistan of being behind Sunday's separatist attack on an army base near their disputed frontier that killed 17 soldiers, in one of the most deadly attacks in Kashmir in a quarter-century-old insurgency.
Four commando-style gunmen, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and grenades, burst into the brigade headquarters in Uri at 5:30 a.m. (midnight GMT) and were killed after a three-hour gunfight, a senior Indian army officer said.
The incident sharply increased tensions between the bitter, nuclear-armed rivals and will raise fears of a potential military escalation. Indian and Pakistani troops are in close proximity in many places along one of the world's most heavily militarised frontiers, and exchanges of fire are not uncommon.
I would strongly encourage Prime Minister Modi to do the only moral, and reasonable thing possible to stop this horrific fighting; offer the Kashmiris a referendum, long promised, but never delivered, which will give Kashmiris the choice between staying as part of India; becoming independent; or joining Pakistan.
Because, until that has been accomplished, nothing will be resolved for the Kashmiri people, and - unfortunately - the violence will most likely continue.
People in Indian-controlled Kashmir have defied a curfew and taken to the streets in the main city of Srinagar to protest during the funeral of a schoolboy killed by Indian forces.
Thousands attended the funeral Saturday of 11-year-old Nasir Shafi, a boy whose body was found a day earlier on the outskirts of Srinagar after he was reportedly shot with pellet guns.
Clashes erupted in much of the southern parts of Kashmir as people expressed anger at the increasing brutality of Indian forces in quelling popular protests in the disputed Himalayan region.
"Forces responded when large crowds defied restrictions. Many were injured on both sides during the clashes that followed," a local police officer said. Other officials said at least 100 people were injured.
A memo to the Indian government: the curfews are not going to be observed, every time there is another outrage, and another Kashmiri killed.
The only way for you to prevent further violence is to give the Kashmiri people the long-promised referendum as to whether they want to stay with India; join Pakistan; or become an independent entity.
And until that happens, any bit of violence that takes place here rests squarely on the collective shoulders of the Indian government!!
A University of California, Berkeley class, 'Palestine: A Settler-Colonial Analysis', was suspended after Chancellor Nicholas Dirks determined that the student teaching the course had not followed the appropriate procedures for its approval.
The one-credit student-taught class has become the center of a bitter debate. The class was meant to teach the history of Palestine "from the 1880s to the present, through the lens of settler colonialism," its syllabus once read, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The syllabus has since been removed.
Israel's blockade of Gaza frequently leaves the Palestinian territory starved of vital resources such as fuel and electricity.
Indian security forces will use shells full of a chilli compound as an alternative to shotgun pellets, to control crowds in Kashmir, the interior minister said on Monday, after widespread use of the weapons wounded thousands and inflamed public anger.
More than 3,800 people have been wounded and one killed by shotgun pellets since protests against Indian rule erupted in the disputed territory in early July, with more than 100 left partially or fully blinded, official figures show.
Doctors say most cases go unreported, and critics want the government to use less harmful ammunition.
"The committee has given its suggestions and the alternative of the non-lethal weapon has been suggested as PAVA shells," Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters as he led an all-party delegation to Srinagar, the summer capital of India's northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir.
A short memo to Home Minister Rajnath Singh: sir, forgive me, but you are missing the point entirely.
You have a restive population in Kashmir which has been promised an opportunity for a referendum on its status for decades, which the Indian government has never allowed to go forward.
IF India continues on this path of repression, and does not honor the principal of peaceful self-determination by allowing the Kashmiri people to choose their own fate, you may well have a civil war on your hands, and that could get ugly, and very quickly.
Such a civil war, when you have the logical, peaceful tools through which to avert it, would be an horrific, moral stain on one of the most diverse democracies on this planet.
Please tell me you don't want that, won't you?!?
Senior Pakistani military spokesman Asim Bajwa said at a Thursday news conference in the city of Rawalpindi that Daesh terrorists had made inroads into Pakistan, however, their expansion has been stopped by the Pakistani army. "The reverse process has begun now as Pakistani society has refused to accept the militant phenomena," Bajwa said.
As part of joint military drills in the United States, Israeli jets have operated along their Pakistani and United Arab Emirates counterparts for the first time.
Wait until those Israelis and Pakistanis find out they are being set up to go against the Russians!
Nureddin Sabir says the proliferation of the Muslim veil, including the controversial swimwear, the "burkini", is an indicator of the spread of a pernicious ideology propagated by the Muslim Brotherhood and should concern everyone of us.
May! The Neocons love Hillary and Fear The Trumpster.
War is the Neocons business....their Only Business!
As India plans to equip its troops along the Chinese border with the BrahMos missile, China's Defense Ministry has called for calm. A long term territorial dispute between Beijing and New Delhi has been brewing along the Tibetan border. China lays claim to roughly 35,000 square miles ruled by India, while India says that China is currently occupying 14,600 square miles of its territory.
India Accuses China of Sending Troops, Helicopter Across Border To assert its own claims, New Delhi plans to deploy advanced BrahMos cruise missiles to the region. Introduced in 2007, the projectile is one of India's most versatile weapons, capable of being launched from ships, submarines, aircraft, or land.
As reported at rbth.com last year:
In September 2010 India's newly constituted tri-services Strategic Forces Command (SFC) submitted a proposal to the Defence Ministry for setting up two dedicated squadrons of aircraft comprising 40 Su-30MKI air dominance fighters. The task of this "mini air force" is to deliver nuclear weapons. The picture became clearer in October 2012 when the Cabinet Committee on Security green lighted a programme to carry out structural and software modifications on 42 Su-30MKIs and acquire 216 air-launched Brahmos missiles. Until then, the Brahmos – the product of an India-Russia joint venture – was for exclusive use by the Navy. пустым не оставлять!! FGFA may be armed with BrahMos cruise missiles In March 2015 the SFC received the first of these 42 Sukhois equipped with the air launched version of the supersonic BrahMos. This is the first time that the SFC, which at present depends on the Indian Air Force (IAF) for delivering nuclear weapons under its command, is acquiring its own aerial assets.
Translation: the Indian military has moved nuclear-capable fighter aircraft to the Tibetan border.
The Indo/Chinese conflict in this region gets very little US corporate press, but it is, indeed, one of those hair-trigger conflicts which could well generate World War III.
Let us hope that cool heads on both sides of a hastily-called peace conference on this issue, prevail.
And an earnest, honest plea to Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov; you two gentlemen are "the adults in the room" when it comes to ratcheting down geopolitical tensions.
Please, start working the phones here and see what areas of agreement you can create between these two nuclear armed countries to keep things from spiraling out of control.
More than 40 days of clashes between protesters and security forces have overwhelmed the main hospital in Indian-administered Kashmir, where some patients with severe injuries said they had been beaten in their homes by troops.
House-to-house searches continued on Friday, authorities said, for suspected ringleaders of street protests set off by the killing on July 8 of a popular field commander of a Pakistan-based separatist group.
At least 65 people have been killed and 6,000 injured in the ensuing clashes, many of them wounded by shotgun rounds fired by security forces enforcing a curfew across the Muslim-majority region.
Pictures taken by a Reuters photographer at Srinagar's main SMHS Hospital on Thursday showed men with wounds across their backs and buttocks they said had been caused by beatings.
Another showed a crying boy, his head swathed in bandages, being comforted by his family, who said he had been wounded by shotgun pellets.
I have a memo for Indian President Pranab Mukherjee; sack Lieutenant Hooda, and right the heck now!!
Apparently, those under his command thought that this behaviour was perfectly acceptable against the protesters.
And while you are at it, I have a word for you, nearly guaranteed to de-escalate tensions in the Kashmir region: that word, sir is: referendum.
You know, peaceful, self-determination as enshrined in the charter of the UN to which, I believe India is still a signatory?!?
There is a concept in the Hindu religious tradition: that concept is karma, which means you are constantly exercising both moral, and spiritual, responsibility for your actions, and your choices.
You, sir, as the President of India, have a chance to create some very good karma for yourself, Kashmir, and the nation of India, by making what I know has to be a difficult, and perhaps, almost dangerous choice; to give the long promised referendum to the people of Kashmir as to whether they wish to stay with India; join with Pakistan; or to become an independent nation in its own right.
The costs for not going ahead with this referendum, may well mean more riots, more bloodshed, and ultimately, a civil war erupting in Kashmir: I cannot believe, for one moment, that either you, or the Indian people want to see this happen.
"This will be a game-changer for Pakistan. Linking up the Gwadar port with China through the rest of the the country will vastly enhance our infrastructure. When roads, rail lines and telecom links are constructed, they will open up whole areas of the country where there was little connection to anything. This would include the establishment of new townships and industrial estates."
When China wants to accomplish something, it makes deals; when the US government wants to accomplish something, it wages wars.
To those who despair of the endless cruelty and slaughter in the Holy Land he will be forever remembered as the shameless British foreign secretary who apologised to Israel's gangsters for the risk they ran of being arrested if they set foot in London. Back in 2009 the gruesome trio Ehud Barak, Tzipi Livni and retired general Doron Almog cancelled engagements in London for fear of 'having their collar felt'. Israel complained bitterly and Miliband responded by promising the odious Lieberman that UK laws relating to 'universal jurisdiction' would be changed. He asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Justice Minister Jack Straw for urgent action.
International war games being fought this week in the Nevada desert suggest the U.S. military is preparing for new, large-scale warfare against powerful enemies. This year marks the 41st year of the Red Flag military exercises, which are considered among the most important training exercises carried out in the United States. A grab bag of international troops are also invited to participate in the Air Force drill, including Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan, according to an Aug. 3 report from The Times Of Israel. The report, which cites unnamed U.S. and Israeli military officials and an amateur aviation blog as its sources, emphasizes that U.S. forces remain in charge of the drills, with other countries treated as "guests." But it also suggests the exercises can be interpreted as a sign of strengthening ties between countries' troops in an increasingly volatile world.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed has called on Pakistan to send troops to Kashmir to "teach" India "a lesson", as the death toll in the violence in Jammu and Kashmir climbed on Tuesday.
Pakistan's media reported Saeed's latest statement, which he addressed to Pakistan military chief Gen Raheel Sharif.
Saeed, who has been accused of having engineered the November 26, 2008, terrorist attack in Mumbai, had warned India in July that he would avenge killings in the ongoing protest.
Saeed had said at a gathering last month: "This time, the people in Kashmir are on the streets. This protest has become a mass movement. All groups in Kashmir have united. All wings of the Hurriyat have become one. The Muttahida Jihad Council and all other groups have come on to the same platform. Those who have died in Kashmir, their deaths will not be in vain."
A short memo to JuD chief Hafiz Saeed: what you are advocating is nothing short of a Pakistani invasion of (currently) Indian territory.
And just how soon after that invasion please, sir, do you calculate that the nuclear weapons both sides have will be flying, decimating most of the populations, both Muslim and Hindu, in this area?!?
Are you morally happy with the concept of mass murder, which is what such an invasion will unleash?!?
The only real and lasting solution here is a political solution, in which India finally gives Kashmir and Jammu the long-deserved referendums on their status, where the people of these areas will be able to decide, in a free and fair election, whether they want independence, to remain a part of India, or to become a part of Pakistan.
India has to be persuaded, by not only the people of Kashmir and Jammu, but also the people of the world, through a peaceful, logical process, to stop the bloodshed here by making this referendum happen.
Far too many people have died, and will die, should the Indian government continue to ignore these horrifically explosive situations, which may well become flash points for World War III.
Frankly, sir, I would really not like to see this happen; and I would like to believe, in your heart of hearts, because you truly understand the consequences of such actions by the Pakistani military, that you don't either.
It appears, through these incendiary statements, that you are attempting to goad the Pakistani civilian and military into "doing something" regarding the status of these areas when what is truly needed is a racheting down of tensions, so that a true dialogue can exist between both countries, working together to support these referendums.
In India, kidney trafficking is big business.
This week, the police arrested five top doctors from Mumbai's elite Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, including its CEO and medical director, for their alleged involvement in a sophisticated organ-harvesting racket that extracted kidneys from poor villagers.
Baluchistan is a place that desperately needs lawyers.
Pakistan's largest province by area, it is the home of a decades-old separatist insurgency, fueled by real grievances over neglect and lack of political representation. It is also increasingly the target of Sunni extremists, who bomb and kill its Shiite minorities. What leaders the province has are widely considered corrupt. Dozens of local journalists have been kidnapped in the past few years. It is nearly impossible for foreign reporters to enter Baluchistan. Lawyers are almost all that give the province a semblance of justice.
At least 54 people were killed on Monday in the restive Pakistani city of Quetta when an explosion, apparently caused by a suicide bomber, struck a hospital where dozens of lawyers had gathered to condemn the killing of a prominent colleague.
Officials in the southwestern city said that at least 50 people were wounded, most of them critically, and that the death toll was likely to rise.
Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan, a province bordering Afghanistan and Iran that has been a center separatist and sectarian violence for more than a decade. Much of the violence in Quetta has come from sectarian extremist groups that have targeted Hazaras, a mostly Shiite ethnic minority that makes up a large part of Quetta's population.
The Pakistani government appears to be absolutely impotent to stop this madness, and perhaps that is the point the jihadists here want to make; that the Pakistani government is no longer in control.
Unfortunately, hatred and killing only begets more hatred and killing; not love, dialogue, or a common understanding which can nurture the future.
Despite the recent US charm offensive against India, New Delhi has resisted the temptation, remaining committed to the BRICS ideal of multi-polarity. India maintains mutually beneficial relations with China, regardless of "brief bumps" in the relationship, geostrategic analyst Matthew Maavak told Sputnik.
Indian legislators say they are exploring alternative channels to force the UK to return the priceless Koh-i-Noor diamond after the British government said it would not hand over the Crown Jewel to its country of origin.
Professional hatchet bitch McCrummen misleads that Khans came to U.S. from Pakistan for liberty. No mention of their life in UAE where son (who resembles neither) was born.
The US owes some $300 million in "military reimbursements" for Pakistan under he Coalition Support Fund deal, in which the Pentagon agrees to reimburse certain nations for costs incurred supporting US wars. Pakistan is normally a large recipient, because of the protracted US occupation in Afghanistan.
They're not going to be seeing that $300 million any time soon, according to the Pentagon, however, because Congress recently moved to condition all funds to Pakistan on the Secretary of Defense certifying that Pakistan is taking military action against the Haqqani Network.
That's not to say that Pakistan isn't doing so, rather Secretary Ash Carter simply doesn't seem to intend to certify it one way or another any time soon, and because of that, the Pentagon can get away with just not paying the money they owe to Pakistan.
That the US government is perfectly fine sending crates of millions dollars to Iran to insure the safety and return of political prisoners, yet is unwilling to pay a promised sum to Pakistan, demonstrates to me that we have more than a little schizophrenic thinking going on in Foggy Bottom.
One of the most valuable things you can do, as an individual or government, is to keep your promises; apparently, the US government has completely forgotten that little piece of wisdom.
In capitalism, the state's primary role is to secure the interests of private capital. The institutions of globalised capitalism – from the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO right down to the compliant bureaucracies of national states or supranational unions – facilitate private wealth accumulation that results in the forms of structural inequalities and violence (unemployment, poverty, population displacement, bad food, poor health, environmental destruction, etc) that have become 'accepted' as necessary (for 'growth') and taken for granted within mainstream media and political narratives.
In a tiny hamlet at the heart of the cotton belt in northern India, Ramandeep Mann planted Monsanto's genetically modified Bt cotton seed for over a decade, but that changed after a whitefly blight last year.
Mann's 25-acre farm in Punjab's Bhatinda district now boasts "desi", or indigenous, cotton shrubs that promise good yields and pest resistance at a fraction of the cost.
Mann is not alone.
Thousands of cotton farmers across the north of India, the world's biggest producer and second largest exporter of the fiber, have switched to the new local variety, spelling trouble for seed giant Monsanto in its most important cotton market outside the Americas.
In violent clashes in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahedeen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8, more than 5,600 people have been injured, Hindustan Times reported. The Valley remained shut for the 24th straight day with curfew and restrictions in place and the separatist leadership's call for shutdown. Senior separatist leader and chief of the hardliner Hurriyat faction, Syed Ali Shah Geelani led a graffiti drawing campaign. Intense clashes between residents and security forces were reported from certain parts of the Valley, and sources said pellet injuries were reported in an incident in Qazigund area of South Kashmir. A group of doctors also protested at the SKIMS Medical College and Hospital at Bemina in Srinagar, demanding an end to the human rights violations on Kashmiris with placards proclaiming "We want Freedom". Shops, schools, colleges, business establishments and private offices remained closed while public transport remained off the roads.
General Dumbford head of the joint chiefs of staff is headed to Turkey to convince Erdogan that the US didn't try to overthrow him.
Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.
The world no longer believes the lies that spew from the mouths of American politicians and generals like vomit!
China 1949 to early 1960s
Albania 1949-53
East Germany 1950s
Iran 1953 *
Guatemala 1954 *
Costa Rica mid-1950s
Syria 1956-7
Egypt 1957
Indonesia 1957-8
British Guiana 1953-64 *
Iraq 1963 *
North Vietnam 1945-73
Cambodia 1955-70 *........
Add Turkey to the list!
Webmaster addition: Also Cuba in 1898 and 1955, Chile in 1973, Philippines in 1899 and 1965, Hawaii in 1893, China 1900, Panama and Honduras in 1903, Mexico 1914, Panama again in 1989, Dominican Republic 1965, Cuba again in 1961 (failed), etc.
Three journalists have been expelled from India including Xinhua's New Delhi and Mumbai bureau chiefs in what many view as a diplomatic attack against Beijing.
The Hindustan Times reports that India has expelled three Chinese journalists working with the Chinese-owned Xinhua news agency following "concerns" flagged by intelligence agencies. The journalists' visas were revoked and the individuals were banned from re-entry into India – a move that can worsen relations between the two countries at a time when tensions are at a fever pitch.
The journalists must leave India by July 31. The three reporters who were banned from India include Wu Qiang who heads Xinhua's bureau in New Delhi and Lu Tang who manages the Mumbai headquarters. A third journalist, She Yonggang based out of Mumbai was also evicted.
This kind of activity can generally be characterized as one component in the prelude to a shooting war.
And yet, we are getting absolutely ZERO coverage on this from the presstitutes and whorespondents on the corporate news.
There is no formal agreement between India and the US government on a broad spectrum mutual defense pact; there have been attempts, but at the last minute, these have never quite gelled.
However, that being said, should such a military confrontation occur between India and China, my bet would be that the Us government will move quickly to India's aid militarily.
The long ignored suffering of the Kashmiri people carries with it the world's greatest risk of full-scale nuclear war between two long-standing adversaries.
Tensions have reemerged in the disputed territory of Kashmir, a Muslim-dominated region that has long been controlled by India, but whose population longs to be reunited with their brethren in Pakistan exacerbating longstanding tensions between the two nuclear powers.
The situation in Kashmir today is now as dire as it was when over a million soldiers were always a hair-string trigger way from turning the territory into one of the world's worst conflict zones. Since July 8, when a popular young Muslim rebel Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with Indian security forces, the Kashmiri people have erupted in anger with demonstrations leading to at least 42 killed, hundreds blinded, and some 3,500 people injured.
Kashmir has never had the referendum it should have had, in order to decide if it wanted to stay with India; become independent; or join Pakistan.
I would like to hope that cooler heads in both Pakistan and India will prevail, and that there is an intelligent negotiation and dialogue which, soon, gives Kashmiris those choices, and that the referendum is honored in the execution of the will of the Kashmiri people.
James Dorsey highlights the dilemma confronting Pakistan, which is facing a Turkish demand to shut secondary schools associated with preacher Fethullah Gulen, while the real threat to its security is posed by the Saudi-funded Wahhabi schools.
The situation in Kashmir today is now as dire as it was when over a million soldiers were always a hair-string trigger way from turning the territory into one of the world's worst conflict zones. Since July 8, when a popular young Muslim rebel Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with Indian security forces, the Kashmiri people have erupted in anger with demonstrations leading to at least 42 killed, hundreds blinded, and some 3,500 people injured.
Today, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif aspires to take back control of Kashmir from India, the granting of which many historical scholars deem a tragic mistake by British administrators.
I would like to hope that Putin, one of the few geopolitical "adults in the room", is working the phones like crazy, with both Presidents Pranab Mukherjee of India, and Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan, in order to de-escalate this situation.
Even if such a such a struggle does not go nuclear between these two nuclear powers, the potential, horrific damage for both sides could be intense.
The Kashmiri people desperately need a referendum in order for them to decide if they want to remain with India, become independent, or join Pakistan.
India refuses this at its peril.
Indian Air Force's AN-32 plane goes missing: A pilot looks at what could have gone wrong
Missing An-32: The technical logs shows that the plane had reported a pressure leak on July 14
The Indian Air Force's An-32 aircraft, that was on a courier flight from Chennai to Port Blair was last seen on radar at 9:12 am, when it left the range of Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR). IAF claims the aircraft was in contact till 08.46 am on high frequency.
With tensions rising between China and India, New Delhi has deployed nearly 100 tanks to its eastern border.
Indian-administered Kashmir is witnessing some of its most violent protests.
More than 30 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in clashes with security forces in the past week following the killing of popular rebel leader Burhan Wani, 22.
After Wani's death, young people, who constitute the largest chunk of Kashmir's population, have taken to throwing stones in protest on the streets and using social media to tell their stories.
Demonstrations continue despite heavy a security presence and a shutdown of mobile Internet and phone services.
Al Jazeera went to the streets of Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, to meet some of those involved.
Sameer Ahmad Bhat, 23, cricket player
We are forced to hurl stones at them. They incite us. I will continue to throw stones at them until they stop inflicting such atrocities on us.
Sameer Ahmad Bhat [Al Jazeera]
That the Indian government continues to deny Kashmiris a referendum in which to decide if they want to be independent, stay as part of India, or join with Pakistan, is a complete moral outrage.
And the late President Kennedy said it best: "If peaceful revolution becomes impossible, violent revolution becomes inevitable."
Eager to hold the political "center," Hillary Clinton has budged little on Bernie Sanders's policy proposals beyond nice-sounding platitudes, a strategy that could lead to clashes at the Democratic convention, says Lawrence Davidson.
Hillary Clinton has pursued the presidency for almost a decade with a tenacious determination. She almost achieved the nomination in 2008 only to lose to Barack Obama. That led to an eight-year stifling of this ambition.
Finally, in the long run-up to the 2016 election, she was convinced the nomination was hers.
The much-edited Chilcot Report finally arrived and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has issued a pretty-sounding apology for his party's decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003. He called it the most serious foreign policy calamity of the last 60 years and "a stain on our party and country".
It's unfortunate that he dignifies the evil Iraq war conspiracy by suggesting it had anything to do with policy of the British people. It was a private venture, pledged in secret, by a Labour prime minister and his closest henchmen, and backed by the Cabinet.
First and foremost it was not so much a foreign policy disaster as a flat-out war crime for which Blair as chief perpetrator must be tried. And so must his Cabinet, who carry collective responsibility.
There will be mega-trouble if heads don't roll.
US Republican Senator John McCain, who is on a rare trip to Pakistan, has called for better cooperation between Washington and Islamabad to fight what he calls a common enemy.
Hopefully, a result of the Brexit will be the breakup of the European Union and NATO
Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) could probably prevent the United States from launching World War III, says Dr. P C Roberts.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 laid down a US unipolar geo-strategy and toxic, financial globalization, that sowed monstrous inequality at the local/regional/global levels. This was harnessed by mass unemployment and suffocating austerity.
Half a century after dangerous period of deregulation under Thatcher and 27 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Brexit marks the start of a sorrowful route to de-globalization [1]. This involves geostrategic changes that emphasize the dynamic trend of multi-polarity.
Brexit shifts a geostrategic plate and this will have serious consequences for the new global order, now defined as having three poles, with the US, Russia and China occupying one each.
In the short and medium term, Brexit ranks of equal importance to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
An exclusive interview with Dr. Alan Sabrosky
Q. Does a US-inspired NATO-generated Cold War climate already exist?
A. Not yet, but it is heading that way. Watch for it to intensify under Clinton, and to ameliorate under Trump.
Cold War Climate to intensify under Clinton, and to ameliorate under Trump.
Q. As an American, Alan, how can you be enthusiastic about America's choices of US Presidential candidates in 2016?
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, here I am...
A political beacon is about to be extinguished unless he breaks with the doomed Labour Party and sets up on his own
Well I don't know why I came here tonight
I got the feeling that something ain't right,
I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you.
Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,
And I'm wondering what it is I should do,
It's so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place,
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right…
— Lyrics from 'Stuck in the Middle with You'
Brexit is a game-changing event. Now Euro-sceptics all over Europe has got fresh wind in their sails.
Few people expected the positive outcome of Brexit referendum. Among other doubters, I expected the UK government will borrow a trick from the Clinton collection, and proclaim the "Bremain" hath it.
The political establishment of both leading parties, the Tories and Labour, wished to remain in the cosy lap of the EC. This was the will of the Bank of England, and of the City of London; of the powerful media lords, of the creative minority of yuppies, of cosmopolitan intellectuals.
Britain's exit from EU deals a body blow to the US' trans-Atlantic leadership.
The unthinkable has happened with the United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union. (BBC)
Arguably, this is potentially the most serious development in world politics since the collapse of the Soviet Union. (Curiously, both catastrophes happened 'voluntarily'.)
What lies ahead?
What you are seeing with the Brexit is the result of the Obama administrations pro-war, new Cold War policy.
With us to discuss the economic and political context of the Brexit is Michael Hudson. He is a research professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and author of Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Destroy the Global Economy. Also, he is an economics adviser to several governments.
Over the past decade the United States has seen an exponential growth of the Hindu practice of Yoga, which has inspired the government of India to create International Yoga Day every June 21st in an effort to encourage peace and harmony. Yet, India has a long history of perpetuating brutal violence on its many minority populations and is using International Yoga Day as a tool to brand itself to yoga tourists by promoting a false narrative that Western yoga practitioners are eating up through cultural commodification and appropriation.
India has access to almost 99 percent of the United States' military know-how as it is a "major defense partner" of Washington's, says a White House official.
No other country outside the US formal treaty allies has such an access, the unnamed official told Press Trust of India news agency as cited by English-language Indian daily newspaper the Hindu on Sunday.
The danger to the rest of us is not Trump, but Hillary Clinton. She is no maverick. She embodies the resilience and violence of a system whose vaunted 'exceptionalism' is totalitarian with an occasional liberal face."
Hillary Clinton has shown no real remorse over her support for neocon "regime changes," aggressive wars and belligerence toward Russia, leaving the oft-obnoxious Donald Trump as the relative peace candidate, says John V. Walsh.
Let us hear from these heretics, among them William Greider, Glen Ford, John Pilger, Jean Bricmont, Stephen F. Cohen and William Blum. Their words are not to be construed as "endorsements," but rather an acknowledgement of Trump's anti-interventionist views, the impact those views are having and the alternative he poses to Hillary Clinton in the current electoral contest.
It would appear Clinton has been coronated and not elected.
Too quick to judgment? The Democratic Party establishment and the media now call Hillary Clinton the presumptive nominee to face off Donald Trump in November. Though this is before the Democrats hold their convention and while Clinton is still short of pledged delegates.
Choosing to speak in San Diego, home base of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, on a platform draped with 19 American flags and preceded by half an hour of military marching music, Hillary Clinton was certain of finding a friendly audience for her celebration of American "strength", "values" and "exceptionalism". Cheered on by a military audience, Hillary was already assuming the role to which she most ardently aspires: that of Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
As usual, she goes for the military solution, ridiculing the notion of diplomacy.
As Sherlock Holmes would say, "We are entering in deep waters, Watson".
The executive leadership now faces the problem of how to deal with a traitor, who may be the Democratic Party nominee for US President. How do the executive leadership and intelligence agencies back a foreign spy for president, who has been deeply compromised and can be blackmailed? This may explain why the FBI, NSA, and CIA hesitate to press charges; hesitate to even seriously investigate, despite the obvious nature of her offenses. Most of all it explains why there is no indication of the identity of Secretary Clinton's correspondents in the various reports so far available.
Even as Hillary Clinton closes in on the Democratic nomination, facts continue to emerge indicating that her sloppy email practices may have endangered secrets, including the identities of covert operatives, writes Peter Van Buren.
These are facts. You can look at the source documents yourself. This is not opinion, conjecture, or rumor. Hillary Clinton transmitted the names of American intelligence officials via her unclassified email.
From a series of Clinton emails, numerous names were redacted in the State Department releases with the classification code "B3 CIA PERS/ORG," a highly specialized classification that means the information, if released, would violate the Central Intelligence Act of 1949 by exposing the names of CIA officials.
A stunning revelation from MSNBC's Chris Matthews...
Matthews flat out states that there is a plan in place at MSNBC to announce Hillary as the clear winner, hours before anything is officially declared, to make people think they will be wasting their time by going out to vote for Bernie.
This is a stunning example of the dirty tricks that the mainstream media will play to further their preferred establishment candidate's position in the race:
There are several lines of inquiry against Mme. Clinton:
(1) Did she work with, as yet unnamed, foreign governments and intelligence services to strengthen their positions and against the interest of the United States?
(2) Did she provide information on the operations and policy positions of various key US policymakers to competitors, adversaries or allies undermining the activities of military, intelligence and State Department officials?
(3) Did she seek to enhance her personal power within the US administration to push her aggressive policy of serial pre-emptive wars over and against veteran State Department and Pentagon officials who favored traditional diplomacy and less violent confrontation?
(4) Did she prepare a 'covert team', using foreign or dual national operative, to lay the groundwork for her bid for the presidency and her ultimate goal of supreme military and political power?
Nobody deserves to be the victim of a drone strike, even Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, the leader of the Afghan Taliban. Even if, as John Feffer wrote in Foreign Policy in Focus last week, citizens of FATA (the Federally Administered Tribal Areas), however counterintuitively, actually favor drone strikes. Perhaps that's because the Pakistani government doesn't seem up to the task of rolling back the Taliban.
The targeted assassination of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour last weekend wasn't just another drone strike.
In other words, if the United States is sending drones after targets in Balochistan, what will prevent it from taking out a suspected terrorist on the crowded streets of Karachi or Islamabad?
The Obama administration is congratulating itself on removing a bad guy who was targeting US military personnel in Afghanistan. But the strike itself may not produce any greater willingness on the part of the Taliban to enter into negotiations with the Afghan government. Mansour, according to the administration, opposed such negotiations, and the Taliban has indeed refused to join talks in Pakistan with the Quadrilateral Coordination Group – Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, the United States – unless foreign troops are first removed from Afghanistan.
This "kill for peace" strategy of the Obama administration may backfire.
The American people need to demand far better from our civilian and military leadership than a "crapshoot", which could just push the Taliban even further away from any reconcilliatory talks with the Pakistani government and beyond.
The head of a powerful Islamic council is refusing to back down from a proposal that make it legal for husbands to "lightly beat" their wives in Pakistan, despite ridicule and revulsion including calls that maybe the clerics should stand for their own gentle smack down.
Speaking to reporters, the chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Muhammad Kahn Sherani, said a "light beating" should be a last resort.
"If you want her to mend her ways, you should first advise her. … If she refuses, stop talking to her … stop sharing a bed with her, and if things do not change, get a bit strict," Sherani said, according to Pakistan's Express-Tribune newspaper.
If all else fails, he added, "hit her with light things like handkerchief, a hat or a turban, but do not hit her on the face or private parts."
I have to wonder if covert knife-throwing seminars will become all the rage for Pakistani women, after this "religious" ruling; at the moment, I wouldn't bet against it.
Between acid attacks, honor killings, female genital mutilations, consistent beatings,and forced marriages, women in this part of the world do not have an easy time of it at all.
Pakistan summoned US ambassador David Hale on Monday to express concern over the drone strike by American forces in Pakistani territory to kill Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour, which it said was a "violation of its sovereignty".
According to a statement by the Foreign Office, special assistant to Prime Minister on foreign affairs Tariq Fatemi pointed out to the US envoy that the drone strike was a "violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and a breach of the UN's Charter that guarantees the inviolability of the territorial integrity of its member states".
Fatemi also emphasised that "such actions could adversely impact the ongoing efforts by the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) for facilitating peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban".
Glyphosate is the world's most widely used weed killer. Some claim it is completely harmless, others say it is a serious health hazard for man and animals. A topical investigation into a controversial substance.
That is high risk, because drugs made in India can be fakes, or contaminated with deadly chemicals.
The US' 'inhumane' use of drone strikes to target terrorists kills prospects for peace in Afghanistan, which in turn undermines security in Pakistan.
The rise of China, changing power dynamics, territorial disputes in the East and South China Sea, and the U.S. rebalance to Asia have all led to the re-emergence of the Indian Ocean as the center stage for power politics in the Indo-Pacific.
'We will determine our own paths powered by our technology', declares PM
Russia and India are yet to sign a contract for the supply of advanced S-400 air defense systems, a senior Russian official said in response to an Indian claim, which said the deal was already signed.
Pakistan is expected to sign commercial agreements with Chinese and Russian government in two months for construction of Gwadar-Nawabshah and Karachi-Lahore gas pipelines, Dawn, a local newspaper reported Friday. The Gwadar-Nawabshah will be constructed by a Chinese firm while Karachi-Lahore pipeline will be built by a Russian company. Both the pipelines are expected to complete by 2017, Managing Director Inter State Gas Systems (ISGS), Mobin Saulat told National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources on Thursday.
The Pakistani Taliban have claimed the killing of a provincial minister for minority affairs for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province who was shot dead in a restive northwestern Buner district.
Gunmen on motorbikes stopped Sardar Soran Singh 's car on Friday evening and opened fire, killing him on the spot.
"These activities will continue until implementation of Islamic system in Pakistan," Muhammad Khurasani, spokesperson for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, said in an emailed statement late Friday.
Singh's murder was widely condemned by his fellow lawmakers and rights activists.
Lockheed Martin, a premier member of the US military-industrial complex, has announced that it is eager to begin manufacturing its prized fourth-generation fighter jet, the F-16, in India. According to Lockheed Martin India head Phil Shaw, the company is in discussions with New Delhi about producing F-16s in India for both the Indian air force and other militaries.
At least 102 people have died and more than 200 were injured after celebratory firecrackers reportedly caused a massive blast and fire at a Hindu temple.
At least 15 people were injured, 12 seriously, after police opened fire during a doctors' demonstration in the city of Quetta in Pakistan.
A bridge dramatically collapsed in Lower Dir after torrential rains triggered flash floods in northwest Pakistan.
In March 2016, executives at the McGraw-Hill textbook publishing company removed a title from its selection titled Global Politics: Engaging a Complex World. The company, in well- disciplined commissar fashion, destroyed the books held in inventory because they featured a map illustrating "Palestinian loss of land from 1946 to 2000." Apparently, the maps say too much about the US-supported Israeli occupation and expansion of settlements in Palestine and run the risk of corrupting young learners. On the market since 2012, Global Politics was designed to "offer students a number of lenses through which to view the world around them."
Hundreds of millions of pounds in British aid are being poured into education in Pakistan – where corrupt officials have creamed off vast amounts of cash by creating thousands of fake teaching jobs and pocketing the salaries.
A judicial inquiry in one province, Sindh, uncovered how the money was being siphoned off to as many as 5,000 schools and 40,000 teachers – which exist only on paper.
The fraud is just one of the scandals in education across Pakistan, to which Britain's Department for International Development (DFID) has committed £700 million, supposedly to help the country's impoverished children.
Dozens of world leaders are arriving in Washington, D. C. for the fourth Nuclear Security Summit, a biennial event dedicated to minimizing the threat of loose nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue nations.
Pakistan Army deployed troops on the streets of the capital Islamabad Sunday after thousands of stone-throwing supporters of Mumtaz Qadri, who was hanged in February, clashed with police in chaotic scenes.
Supporters of executed Mumtaz Qadri during an anti-government rally in Islamabad Sunday
Qadri was executed on February 29 for killing a Punjab governor over his call for blasphemy reform in what analysts said was a "key moment" in Pakistan's long battle against religious extremism.
An estimated 25,000 supporters of the former police bodyguard gathered in Islamabad's twin city Rawalpindi in the afternoon to offer prayers, before turning toward the heavily-barricaded capital, which was patrolled by hundreds of police and paramilitary soldiers.
A Taliban faction called Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack that killed at least 65 people in Lahore on Sunday, saying the target of its attack was Muslim Pakistan's small Christian minority, Reuters reports. More than 300 people were wounded.
Someone is trying to start a war between Christians and Muslims!
"Innocent Muslims were accused of being "suicide bombers" yet CCTV footage and honest eye-witness accounts exposed the explosions as detonations via a remote control or through timers. Virtually all the terrorist attacks outside of conflict or war zones are staged by elements of the security services (especially Zionist/Jewish/Israeli and their assets in organized crime and intelligence agents throughout the Western world targeting the West and to a certain extent in Turkey and the Gulf Arab States targeting Muslim countries). Islam clearly forbids the killing of innocent civilians - especially in kamikaze operations. Most Muslims, including the most militant ones don't even believe in the validity or necessity of kamikaze operations as a military tactic."
India said that US agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto is free to leave the Indian market and lose its 90 percent dominance if it does not want to accept the government-imposed price and royalty cuts for its genetically modified cotton seeds.
India conducted another successful test of the Agni-I medium range ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island off the country's shores on Monday morning, the missile's developer said.
"Sanctions! Sanctions! No ... wait ... they're on our side, aren't they?" -- Official White Horse Souse
Over the weekend, Indian media reported sighting Chinese troops in an area of the disputed Kashmir region administered by Pakistan along a crucial road-rail corridor. Experts say that the reports, if true, are an indication of China's intention to back its economic interests by military power, and its goal to bypass US naval power on the high seas.
Up to the states he says. A Constitution Man. I can dig it!
Published on Oct 29, 2015
Trump answers legalization of marijuana question at Reno, NV rally on 10/29/15. His answer: he supports medical marijuana FULLY, and supports state legalization of RECREATIONAL marijuana.
As we reported earlier this month, Russia and China are now settling oil payments in yuan, a move that western analysts say is responsible for Russia overtaking the Saudis as China's leading oil exporter. Iran (not a BRICS member, but considered a key partner, as well as a potential member) has also sent clear signals that it wants to abandon the dollar: Tehran is now demanding euros for all oil sales.
While these developments have so far centered around oil, Moscow is looking to conduct all trade in national currencies. Moscow and New Delhi are already drawing up the plans:
India and Russia are developing a road map for mutual settlements in national currencies which could open prospects for both countries, India's Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
Even if the TTP DOES get railroaded through Congress (and there is still some question about that happening), the US and US dollar are not going to be in a great place economically, because of the drive to dump the dollar in favor of national currencies.
Commentators grossly oversimplify when they reduce the revolt to incoherent expressions of 'anger'.
The presidential elections of 2016 have several unique characteristics that defy common wisdom about political practices in 21st century America.
Clearly the established political machinery – party elites and their corporate backers -have (in part) lost control of the nomination process and confront 'unwanted' candidates who are campaigning with programs and pronouncements that polarize the electorate.
But there are other more specific factors, which have energized the electorate and speak to recent US history. These portend and reflect a realignment of US politics.
In this essay, we will outline these changes and their larger consequences for the future of American politics.
We will examine how these factors affect each of the two major parties.
If the rebels grasp the chance and enter serious negotiations for a coalition government, peace is possible.
The Russians accepted the US proposal to cease fire in Syria (or rather to end hostilities). They had made a similar proposal a few weeks ago, so this is in line with their thinking. Russians have made huge successes in Syria; they achieved an astonishing and unexpected victory with very few losses.
It was a reputational victory it was as well as a military one. Russia entered the Syrian war at a low point internationally.
Reading mainstream media news, analyses, and opinion pieces about this war is completely useless, as everything is either uninformed and clueless gibberish or propaganda and deception.
I wrote this text over several days and every time I sat down again to continue there came another headline to my mind. The first headline was "Nobody said, that it will be easy," the second "Waiting for the Turkey-Russia showdown," the third "Playing the terrorism game," the fourth "Everything is better than war."
In the end I settled for the header "The empire doesn't retreat or compromise."
This statement stands the test of time, it has been proven throughout human history, and there is only one single exemption, only one short period where retreat and compromise are a possibility. This short period is the time when the empire is in terminal decline and in the process of collapsing.
We were joined by Reverend Dr. Kapya Kaoma who is the senior researcher at Political Research Associates, and the author of American Culture Warriors in Africa: A guide to the exporters of homophobia and sexism.
Pakistan has confirmed its participation in military exercises in Saudi Arabia along with other Islamic nations.
The confirmation came on Monday, a day after the Saudi Press Agency reported that the military forces from 20 countries are scheduled to begin military maneuver in Saudi Arbia.
The news agency described the maneuver, dubbed "Thunder of North," as the region's most important military drills involving ground, air and naval forces.
In response to a media question regarding joint military exercise in Saudi Arabia, the Pakistani foreign ministry said the country is participating in a multi-national exercise on counter-terrorism being held in Saudi Arabia.
"A small Pakistani defence contingent also remains stationed in Saudi Arabia under a bilateral arrangement," the foreign ministry spokesperson said late on Monday.
The question left unasked here, is will Pakistan be providing nuclear weapons to Saudi Arabia if this alleged drill "goes hot"?!?
Remember, Saudi Arabia provided a great deal of investment to Pakistan for its nuclear program, with the understanding that should the Saudi Arabian government believe it needed nuclear weapons, it could get them from Pakistan.
Washington and its allies are not interested in peace. They want regime change – by hook or by crook.
An end to the Syrian conflict is desperately needed. But the latest plan for a cessation of violence is unlikely to take hold, as the deal struck by international powers is based on fundamentally opposing premises.
In short, Washington and its allies want regime change, while Russia and Iran insist that President Bashar Al-Assad and his government are the legitimate ruling authorities in Syria. All sides are mandated by UN resolutions to respect the sovereign will of the Syrian people – to determine the political future of their country.
Now the deed is done, the corridor is blocked.
If and when Aleppo and the whole Aleppo district will be taken by the Syrian army, we would be able to congratulate Putin and Assad – and Syrian people – with a great victory.
The Russians raise alarms that a Turkish invasion into Syria is imminent. Russian media is foaming at the mouth about the perfidious Turks; a veritable Two Minutes Hate ritual (vide Orwell) on the state-managed TV channels being repeated a few times a day. The idea is to scare Turks stiff so they will not move while the operation in the North lasts. On the other side, the Russian opposition draws frightful scenarios of Janissaries slaughtering the Russian boys on the Syrian terrain. The Turkish media also tries to instil fear in the Russkies by saying what they can do.
The presidential candidates' irresponsible remarks about Iran - as though it is a politically convenient football to be kicked around...
After watching both the Republican and Democratic debates on TV, I intend to exclude two main categories from my principle concerns in the upcoming presidential elections that will determine who will replace President Obama next year: one is the entire roster of the Republican Party, and the other, anything other than the foreign policy issues; the main area of my personal interest.
I am disregarding the entire Republican roster because I don't think any Republican has a chance to beat Ms. Clinton in the general elections, at least this time around.
The ships of the Navy of India and the U.S. may join the joint Navy patrols, according to a number of media with reference to sources in the military command in these countries. In the patrol area may include the South China sea... According to sources, a preliminary decision was made during the visit of President Barack Obama in new Delhi in January 2015 and was confirmed during the recent visit of Indian defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Hawaii. However, all sources were asked to keep their names in secret, as a final agreement, apparently, is still not achieved. The fact is that India is fundamentally not sending it's ships to participate in military operations of other countries.
One man is dead and three injured following a reported meteorite strike in India.
Indian media report police officials saying the death was the result of an explosion on university grounds in the Southern town of Vellore that shattered windows and killed the unnamed bus driver.
If confirmed it would be the first recorded death from a meteorite strike.
Photos from the scene show members of a police bomb squad inspecting a hole perhaps three feet in diameter with debris or rubbish scattered.
Police have not found evidence of a bomb blast at the impact site.
Whenever Mariam Aljamal's children hear the sound of thunder at night, they wet their beds. Their reaction is almost instinctive, and is shared by a large number of children throughout the Gaza Strip.
Pakistan is once again mourning mass casualties from an armed assault on one of its schools. At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday when gunmen stormed the northwest Bacha Khan University under the cover of morning fog.
Every false flag in the making is detected ahead of time by somebody's intelligence services—usually more than one country—because spying today is so effective and so universal. Officials in possession of this secret information often pass it on to the country that's targeted, in the sincere belief that a heads-up will be appreciated.
But often the information isn't welcomed—-because the fix is already in. Treasonous assets within the targeted country's chain of command, who are prepared for the possibility of a leak, take measures to block the information from reaching those who might act on it in a meaningful way.
In the last years of the 20th century fraud entered US foreign policy in a new way. On false pretenses Washington dismantled Yugoslavia and Serbia in order to advance an undeclared agenda. In the 21st century this fraud multiplied many times. Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Libya were destroyed, and Iran and Syria would also have been destroyed if the President of Russia had not prevented it.
Obama administration announced new online initiatives to bolster its foreign policy narratives and as a means to counter others, for example, this network, RT.
Maybe a better course of action would be for the US State Department to ask itself why fewer and fewer people trust and believe it?
CrossTalking with Mark Sleboda, Don DeBar and James Carden.
Also see: Uncle Sam Got a Shiny New Propaganda Bullhorn for Christmas
The EU has no-one else to blame for its present stresses and strains but itself, owing to its craven subservience to Washington's reckless policies.
The American and British governments are launching yet another media campaign to demonize Russia, with tall claims that the Kremlin is infiltrating European political parties and news media. The dastardly Russian aim, we are told, is to destroy the European Union.
Twenty-five years after the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Washington and its trusty sidekick in London are desperately seeking to turn back the clock to the "good old days" when they could control their public through scare stories.
By Amanda Froelich
Amazing news! Sikkim has become India's first fully organic state. According to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the monumental achievement was a result of implementing organic practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land...
Democracy has been projected on to a fictitious screen of good guy and bad guys. The people watch as impotent spectators, no longer even aware of the real story out there.
Ever since armed white ranchers took over federal property in Oregon the unfolding drama has resembled a parody of a Hollywood Western. Trouble is, no-one is quite sure who's wearing the white hats as opposed to the black ones.
The White House has officially admitted that fake vaccination programs have been used by the United States as a cover for covertly stealing DNA samples from the public as part of the so-called "war on terror." The aim of the scheme, carried out in the Middle East, was to use DNA analysis to identify suspected terrorists who would then be targeted to be killed by the United States.
As the New York Times reported in 2011, "In the months before Osama bin Laden was killed, the Central Intelligence Agency ran a phony vaccination program in Abbottabad, Pakistan, as a ruse to obtain DNA evidence from members of Bin Laden's family thought to be holed up in an expansive compound there." (1)
"CIA agents recruited a senior Pakistani doctor to organize the vaccine drive in Abbottabad, even starting the "project" in a poorer part of town to make it look more authentic," reports The Guardian (2).
Absoflippinglutely unbelievable!!
Osama Bin Laden died in 2001 of natural causes; who the Navy Seals assassinated in Abbottabad was some poor schmuck who some Pakistani identified, wrongly, as Bin Laden.
This is why his carcass was unceremoniously dumped at sea, because the White House didn't want to have to live with the humiliation of having killed the wrong guy once pictures of the corpse became public.
According to the BBC, citing a local minister, the blast took place in the city of Quetta in the morning as workers were reporting for duty. Pakistani militants oppose polio vaccination, considering it to be a Western conspiracy to sterilize children, the media outlet said. Attacks against health workers are common in Pakistan. In 2013, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan group attacked a polio vaccination team, killing 11. At least 20 people sustained injuries, according to local TV channels. The police are investigating whether the explosion was a suicide bombing.
Clashes broke out between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters in Bethlehem.
Iran and India have announced that they intend to settle all oustanding crude oil payments in rupees, as part of a joint strategy to dump the dollar and trade instead in national currencies.
Pakistani forces firing artillery shells into two districts of eastern Nangarhar province late last week, causing financial losses to local residents, officials said on Monday.
At least six people were killed and 100 injured in the Indian state of Manipur when a 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit northeastern India early Monday, The Times of India reported on its website. "There is large-scale damage in Imphal with many houses reporting huge cracks. Walls of many buildings have also collapsed," the report said. "According to the Indian Meteorological department, the epicentre was in Tamenglong district, in Manipur and state government officials said the epicentre was at Noney village in Tamenglong around 35 kms from Imphal," it said. "Principal Secretary Suresh Babu told TOI that the government is assessing the situation and providing all help to the victims," the report said.
Unidentified gunmen have attempted to break in into the Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, a governor's spokesman said, as cited by Reuters. Numerous reports say blasts and gunshots have been heard at the scene.
ISLAMABAD: Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Alexey Dedov inaugurated first Solo painting exhibition of Pakistan's Russian Federation Trade Representative Yuri Kozlov at Art Gallery of University of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, (CIIT) jointly organised by Association of Pakistan Graduates from Russia and CIS and CIIT.
(AP) — A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a government office in a northwestern Pakistani city on Tuesday, killing at least 22 people and wounding 45. A breakaway Taliban group quickly claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Saturday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again justified the 2011 U.S. policy of regime change in Libya, citing, at least in part, the fact that dictator Moammar Gadhafi had killed Americans.
"We have to continue to do what is necessary when someone like Gadhafi, a despot with American blood on his hands, is overturned," Clinton said during the weekend's Democratic presidential debate in Manchester, New Hampshire. "But I'll tell you what would have happened if we had not joined with our European partners and our Arab partners to assist the people in Libya, you would be looking at Syria."
But early in the administration, Clinton had championed an allegiance with the Libyan regime under Gadhafi, during a time when some of the major U.S. corporations doing business in Libya were also donating heavy sums to the Clinton Foundation.
Do not for a moment imagine that this "pay to play" mentality will suddenly leave her consciousness, if she is able to win (or steal) the election; it will simply continue, unabated. For her and Bill Clinton, inhabiting the White House is simply another way to make millions of dollars through her foundation, and the public be damned.
And this is why we have to bring her past behaviour to the unblinking gaze of documented fact, because, if in fact, past is prologue to the future, we can expect massive international interventionism from a second Clinton presidency.
And has anyone out there had the "male attributes" to ask her if the current post-Ghadaffi situation in Libya, which has been rife with civil war since 2011; whose leadership has been badly factionalised and has just this month created a basis for a national unity government, was the outcome she desired when she green-lit Ghadaffi's assassination?!?
And what about the reality that Libya has become a
second home to ISIS?!?
Because if all I have stated here were not the outcomes Clinton desired as Secretary of State, and were simply "unintended consequences" of her policies here, please consider Libya a thoroughly terrifying, but very real, "prequel" to what a Clinton presidency will look like.
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text: richard is driving home to visit his parents. 150 miles of the trip are on the interstate highway where the speed limit is 65 mph.normally richard drives at the spped limit but today he is driving at 77 mph. How many minutes does he save going 77 mph vs 65 mph over the 150 mile trip?


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This activity teaches students about the albedo of surfaces and how it relates to the ice-albedo feedback effect. During an experiment, students observe the albedo of two different colored surfaces by measuring the temperature change of a white and black surface under a lamp.
This short video, is the fifth in the National Academies Climate Change, Lines of Evidence series. It focuses on greenhouse gases, climate forcing (natural and human-caused), and global energy balance.
The purpose of this activity is to identify global patterns and connections in environmental data contained in the GLOBE Earth Systems Poster, to connect observations made within the Earth Systems Poster to data and information at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, and to understand the connections between solar energy and changes at the poles, including feedback related to albedo.
Hands-on laboratory activity that allows students to investigate the effects of distance and angle on the input of solar radiation at Earth's surface, the role played by albedo, the heat capacity of land and water, and how these cause the seasons. Students predict radiative heating based on simple geometry and experiment to test their hypotheses.
In this classroom activity, students access sea surface temperature and wind speed data from a NASA site, plot and compare data, draw conclusions about surface current and sea surface temperature, and link their gained understanding to concerns about global climate change.
Students use real satellite data to determine 1) where the greatest concentrations of aerosols are located during the course of a year in the tropical Atlantic region and 2) their source of origin. This is an inquiry-style lesson where students pull real aerosol data and attempt to identify trends among data sets.
In this hands-on lesson, students measure the effect of distance and inclination on the amount of heat felt by an object and apply this experiment to building an understanding of seasonality. In Part 1, the students set up two thermometers at different distances from a light bulb and record their temperatures to determine how distance from a heat source affects temperature. In Part 2, students construct a device designed to measure the temperature as a function of viewing angle toward the Sun by placing a thermometer inside a black construction paper sleeve, and placing the device at different angles toward the Sun. They then explain how distance and inclination affect heat and identify situations where these concepts apply, such as the seasons on Earth and the NASA Mercury MESSENGER mission.
In this activity, students analyze data detailing global energy sources and sinks (uses) and construct a diagram to show the relative scale and the connections between them. Discussions of scale; historical, socio-environmental, and geographic variation in this data; and implications for future energy use are included.
This engaging activity introduces students to the concept of albedo and how albedo relates to Earth's energy balance.
This activity covers the role that the oceans may play in climate change and how climate change may affect the oceans. It is lesson 8 in a nine-lesson module Visualizing and Understanding the Science of Climate Change.


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HourlyHours to be determined
Intermediate LevelI am looking for a mix of experience and value
The preliminary name of the business is "Canadian Hot Dog" based in The city of Abu Dhabi. This will be the prototype concept.
The main items will be Hot Dogs, Fries, Poutine (Fries, Cheese and Gravy), Smoked Meat and Soft Drinks.
Targeted audience will be the younger crowd (teenagers, high school, singles, young couples) and parents with children that enjoy the casual comfort food eateries. Also, we plan to target neighboring offices with the option of delivery.
The plan is to lease a 60sqm space (+/-) with 30 sqm kitchen space, 15sqm bathroom space (2 flexible bathrooms), and a 15sqm seating area.
The theme will based on 2 colors, the Red & White (Canadian Flag).
Similarly, the following attributes would be great to consider in the interior design: Modern, Playful, Loud, Simple, and Obvious.
One concept I really like is the Shish Shawerma (www.shishshawerma.com) in Abu Dhabi.
About the Client
United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi 12:46 PM
Jobs Posted
91% Hire Rate, 1 Open Job
Total Spent
10 Hires, 0 Active
Avg Hourly Rate Paid
4 Hours


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Moonlighting on the Bay
More than 300 people attended the first Moonlight on the Bay at Perry Monument on Presque Isle on Sept. 7. The outing raised funds for the Center for Crime Victims of Erie County. Former first lady of Pennsylvania, Michele Ridge was the honorary chairperson. The event included local wines and craft beers, live music and food from Make It Fabulous. Major sponsors included: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Northwest Savings Bank, Penelec and Eriez Magnetics.
Crime Victim Center of Erie County has been serving Erie County victims since 1973. In 2011, the nonprofit provided services to 5,859 people and more than 17,000 children took part in prevention education programs. Photos courtesy of Jeremy Korwek/Tropikal Studios


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The University of Ibadan in Nigeria is hosting a methodological workshop from 24 - 28 August 2009 for Nigerian students and researchers interested in infusing their writing with qualitative data.
27 Jul 2009
The Nigeria telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has handed down a penalty of N5 million to the Second National Operator (SNO), Globacom Limited, due to the network's deteriorating quality of services (QoS).
Remmy Nweke 3 Sep 2007
Nigeria has beaten South Africa in the roll-out of the DVB-H mobile TV... Details Nigeria, MultiChoice Africa's local business partner in Nigeria, has launched Africa's first commercial mobile broadcast TV service in the city of Abuja.
30 Aug 2007
MagnaQuest Technologies Pty Ltd, a global customer management and billing solution provider with its headquarters in Hyderabad, India, has announced that its flagship product MQSubscribe has been chosen by Gateway Broadcast Services.
28 Aug 2007
This spectacular event was held at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg from 17 - 19 August 2007. The annual event is a platform to showcase powerboats, yachts, outdoor adventure and watersports. The show has grown steadily in its five years of existence, with both exhibitor and visitor numbers increasing dramatically.
Right Stuff 24 Aug 2007
Tanzania, Ghana are two of the top 10 global reformers for 2005-2006 and the continent as an entity moved up the rankings.
24 Aug 2007
President Mwai Kibaki has refused to sign a media bill into law on the grounds that a last-minute amendment limiting the confidentiality of sources posed a threat to press freedom.
24 Aug 2007
With Zimbabwe's economy in meltdown, drastic and fundamental changes are crucial if there is to be a return of international investment and a recovery in that country.
10 Aug 2007
Investigative reporter for the Weekly Observer in Uganda, Richard Kavuma outstripped more than 1500 other African journalists to lift CNN's/Multichoice's African Journalist of the Year in Cape Town at the weekend.
23 Jul 2007
SA cartoonist who was detained by the apartheid regime – and is now being sued for defamation by a high-ranking member of SA's present ruling party – has seen off tough competition from other African cartoonists and won the Cartoonists Rights Network 2007 award for courage.
12 Jul 2007
The Pan African Media Research Organisation (PAMRO) is holding its 9th annual meeting and All Africa Media Research Conference at Lake Malawi in August this year. The keynote address will be by Amandou Mather Ba, the president of All Africa Global Media in the USA. He will be discussing internet penetration in Africa, and its impact on social behaviour and business practice.
9 Jul 2007
Sometimes I wonder if all that brands ask their agencies for these days are reality shows because I've lost count of the number. There are no dull moments… One ends, another begins and Nigerians just love them all.
Emeka Enyadike 4 Jul 2007
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) currently meeting in Cape Town has issued a number of resolutions highlighting restrictions to press freedom around the world and how this could be dealt with.
6 Jun 2007


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January 22, 2013, 01:36 PM
Just curious: I got the lifetime membership about 2 weeks ago and as of today have not received any info on it (email, snail mail, nothing, they DID say they were running behind because of so many new members which is great) - more than anything I'm looking forward to those NRA decals and hat. Gotta let everyone know there's a pro-2A guy driving my car! :cool:


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Corkbin Wine App for iPhone and Android
Get the App
App Store
Google Play Play
2 posts
Peju 1999 Cabernet Franc Reserve
4 years ago
My all time favorite red.
Pearmund Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
4 years ago
Great red from Virginia. Second only to my fave red: Peju cab franc reserve.


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Albany firefighters say a house fire at a duplex located at 605 N. Jackson Street is a case of arson.
This is the second fire officials responded to at this residence in one day.
The first was a trash fire. The second blaze started when someone set a chair on fire.
The chair on the back carport erupted in flames causing damage to the back of the structure.
Fire officials have placed a watch on the home for the next two weeks.
The residence has been vacant for some time and no one was injured in the fire.


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All users of Humboldt State University's computing lab resources are responsible for the well-being and continued availability of the computing, network, and information resources we use. Ensuring a pleasant and productive working environment for all users requires that each user of the computing lab facilities abides by the California State University Responsible Use Policy [1].
Misuse of the computer facilities, whether by theft, mutilation, vandalism, interference with the study and research activities of other users, or hundrance of HSU employees' performance of their duties shows disrespect for the institution and disregard for the rights of others, and will not be tolerated. Such misuse of the computer lab facilities is a violation of one or more of the following regulations:
and other University policies and local, state, and federal laws.
The University will actively pursue disciplinary action, prosecution, or other legal action when cases of such misuse are discovered. Examples of misuse include but are not limited to:
If you are unsure as to whether a planned activity will violate these conditions of use, please consult with your system administrator, the Technology Help Desk [6] or other staff in Information Technology Services, your dean, project director, supervisor, chair, or advisor, or the Information Security Coordinator.
[1] https://www2.humboldt.edu/its/sites/default/files/docs/CSU%20Responsible%20Use%20Policy%208105-00.pdf
[2] http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=civ
[3] http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=edc
[4] http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=pen
[5] http://www2.humboldt.edu/studentrights/sites/default/files/images/code_of_conduct.pdf
[6] http://humboldt.edu/tech-help


text:
Rosen Centre Hotel
Video Credit: Unity Event Videography
Photo Credit:
Celeste Sheaffer Photography
Thelma Brathwaite, wedding officiant, came through for us on our special day.
Due to a cancellation of the previously booked officiant, Thelma was recommended to us.
With only three days until the wedding, she accepted and was extremely, personable, helpful and patient with finalizing all the details to make sure our ceremony was a memorable success. She is very flexible and professional. It was a pleasure and a blessing to have her as part of our wedding.
We are glad the cancellation happened because it led us to Invitation to a Wedding
....Thank you, Thelma!!!
Kristin and Matthew
"Thelma, was absolutely wonderful! Not only did she write a beautiful vow renewal ceremony but by the end of the evening she was a part of the family. Our day would not have been as such a success without her there!" I highly recommend her to anyone in need of an Officiant.
I will design a one-of-a-kind Wedding Ceremony just for you, with your input.
Thelma Brathwaite, is a Licensed Ordained Wedding Minister / Wedding Officiant in Orlando, FL. I can take your wedding ceremony preparations off your shoulders but never out of your hands.
That starts with a personal consultation where I get to know the two of you – your style and your story. I listen and take your story and carefully customize it and make it into a heartfelt and meaningful wedding ceremony, your ceremony. This leaves you free to relax, to get ready to walk down the aisle and say your wedding vows and "I DO."
Choosing a Wedding Officiant is an important aspect to your Wedding, after all you are both making a serious commitment and although it is not to be taken lightly, at the same time your wedding ceremony can be eloquently fun as well. It helps take some of the nervousness away.
This is my MINISTRY "Weddings" - my true passion "Officiating Weddings in and around Orlando, Central Florida and all surrounding areas." I get to see the look on the couples face as they recite their vows to one another, the love, the joy, the emotion and their smiles- it is priceless. This is why I enjoy what I do. Thankful and Grateful to Almighty God!
Orlando Wedding Officiant
(407) 232 0520


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Best route map between Waynesboro, GA and Augusta, GA. This route take about 29 Miles.
The distance and estimated time is placed on the right depending on the status of the road.
, 15:08
* You can see Waynesboro, GA and Augusta, GA photos above. We provide this photos from Google Panoramio service.
* Waynesboro, GA weather as celsius: °C
* Augusta, GA weather as celsius: °C
* Weather information on route, provide by Open Weather Map.
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text:
PlayStation 3
This is a split board - You can return to the Split List for other boards.
- Boards
- PlayStation 3
- Does Sony own Wild Arms franchise?
Aww, so Sony doesn't own it...
Sony DOES own it, I said yes to your thread title.
graveyouto 4 years ago#22
If you like Wild arm or final fantasy/othe tactics you probably need to check out the one for the psp it awsome
Go away im bay'ting
You can download Wild Arms 1 from the Playstation Store.
theofficefan99 4 years ago#24
OtakuGamera posted...
Wild Arms 2 is terrible. Don't waste your money on it. If the story and characters were worth anything in the original Japanese version, it's all ruined by the horrible, horrible translation. The gameplay itself is dull and the battles are laughably easy-- in fact, it might be the easiest RPG I've ever played. I skip around 80% of the battles and I still kill regular enemies in one or two hits and I'm overleveled for all bosses. Visuals are an eyesore, even for the PS1. The music is the only okay thing about it.
Explain how it's the best?
How can you enjoy the story and characters, when the translation is so horrible? There are some ENTIRE scenes that make no sense, and these aren't just the Liz and Ard scenes.
How can you enjoy the battle system, when it's so bare-bones and laughably easy? I've already fought a few optional bosses with no problems, though I didn't fight all of them. And, if I found one or two of the optional bosses to not be laughably easy... tell me, how does that rectify the issue of the entire main game being a joke, difficulty-wise?
Not even the puzzles save the game. Half of them are insanely basic, a good amount have ridiculous solutions (such as having to re-enter a certain room multiple times to get a password or item or something), and only a few are actually well-designed puzzles that are not ridiculous and not overly easy.
The visuals are also an eyesore, even for the PS1. It was released in 2000, and late 1999 for Japan. By that time (or during the same year), we've had games that look FAR better, such as Grandia, Final Fantasy VIII, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Final Fantasy IX, and more. The only part of the visuals that AREN'T an eyesore are the two anime cutscenes in the game that aren't even animated that well for the PS1. Xenogears, Tales of Destiny and Tales of Eternia/Tales of Destiny II had better, smoother animation.
It's not a good game at all. It even has a laughable Metacritic and Gamerankings average of 68.
"Dyin' is easy. It's the livin' that's hard..." Grim Reaper, Maximo vs. The Army of Zin
theofficefan99 4 years ago#25
21_21 posted...
Hmmm, so now 2 is worth playing? Okay then, I'll look into the first three!
It's not worth playing.
"Dyin' is easy. It's the livin' that's hard..." Grim Reaper, Maximo vs. The Army of Zin
ORANGE666 posted...
21_21 posted...Aww, so Sony doesn't own it...
Yeah I read your post, but for some reason I thought that yes was for another question I asked.
That's nice, though. So I guess there' still a chance to see Wild Arms represented in All stars!
Currently playing:
999, Megaman ZX Advent, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Scribblenauts Unlimited
Media.Vision developed the games but SCE Japan owns it. It was localized by SCE America til 3, Agetec localized the remake of 1, and XSEED localized the rest.
_Matt_Engarde_ 4 years ago#28
I'd also like to give a shout-out to WA5, but you should play it last due to how much more impact the myriad cameos from previous games would have. Plus, save the best for last, right? (Yep, WA5 is my favorite...)
Official Matt Engarde of GameFAQs/Metatron of the SMTIV board.
"Hold on a sec. I'm gonna consult myself, OK?"
they can be in playstation all stars battle royale even if they aren't owned by Sony *cough* Raiden, Dante, Heihachi *cough*
also Wild Arms 2 is an awesome game, in fact the entire series is awesome, play them.
pokemon_45_79_1 4 years ago#30
From: 21_21 | Posted: 1/9/2013 8:34:57 PM | #003
I'm gonna check out those games for PS 1 hopefully soon. I hope the first two are worth playing since one of the music in 2 is simply amazing.
Wild Arms for ps1 is a great game good music, story and a very long game as well. You should enjoy it, it has 8 different boss songs in it.
Ryoma / Sora / Naruto / Luffy / Ginta
Young heroes between the ages of 12-17 make RPG and other video games better then older heroes 18-21 and over.
- Boards
- PlayStation 3
- Does Sony own Wild Arms franchise?
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