I crave the opportunity to see an anti-establishment candidate win the election. I would exult in seeing our corrupt establishment shattered. So, while I do not like Trump the man (as it would appear he has never done anything that didn't entirely serve his own self-interest and pompous ego), I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing him upset establishment Republicans and establishment Democrats alike. (And, yes, they are "alike," so let's just call them "the establishment" because whether they are Republican or Democrat is not relevant; both parties exist to serve the same rich people and themselves either way.)

I'll even acknowledge that perhaps it takes someone as brazen and blusterous as Trump in order to stand up to such a powerful assemblage of egoists as we have embedded in congress and in the president's administration, which now rules by decree. Nearly all of them strive to make sure you have only globalist options to vote for; but their new-world odor is, I'm sure, a stench that rises all the way to heaven.

This derelict congress is a worse evil than either candidate as it continues to sink the US deeply into debt with no plan or action to right the economy since it first capsized in the waves of the Great Recession. Each party is more worried that the other party will get credit than they are concerned about saving the nation, and there is nothing less patriotic than putting your party before you country.

My desire to see the economy righted and the establishment overturned (peacefully), however, is exactly what makes me cautious about any gold-plated politician who has lived all of his life in the realm of the one percenters and who has defaulted on more grandiose debts than anyone I know. Nevertheless, while I have never liked this particular publicity whore, I'd put up with his relentless boasting and forgive his audacious past if it takes that kind of brassy, risk-taking adventurer to find someone with enough spine to stand up to the intimidations of congress. I'm willing to admit that it might take all of that, so whether or not I like him is not important unless it is leading me to see flaws that may mean Trump is not what he makes himself out to be.

The Russian warships stationed in Syria's coastal waters targeted and destroyed a foreign military operations room, killing over two dozen Israeli and western intelligence officers

"The Russian warships fired three Caliber missiles at the foreign officers' coordination operations room in Dar Ezza region in the western part of Aleppo near Sam'an mountain, killing 30 Israeli and Western officers," the Arabic-language service of Russia's Sputnik news agency quoted a battlefield source in Aleppo as saying on Wednesday.

The operations room was located in the western part of Aleppo province in the middle of sky-high Sam'an mountain and old caves. The region is deep into a chain of mountains.

Several US, Turkish, Saudi, Qatari and British officers were also killed along with the Israeli officers. The foreign officers who were killed in the Aleppo operations room were directing the terrorists' attacks in Aleppo and Idlib.

Events in Syria over this last week have thoroughly shattered the Russian-US ceasefire agreement reached in Vienna on September 9th between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Last Saturday the US led coalition comprised of US, Australian and UK fighter jets (2 F-16's and 2 A-10's) delivered four airstrikes on Syrian Arab Army troops near the ISIS besieged Syrian airbase in Deir ez-Zor, for the first time killing Syrian soldiers (estimates of 62-83 dead and up to 120 injured). Within 7 minutes after the Syrian troops occupying the high ground overlooking the nearby airbase were attacked, Islamic State militants were opportunistically able to launch an assault and successfully seized control of that strategic high ground. Several hours later the Syrian Arab Army eventually was able to push back to retake its lost position.

But Saturday's rapidly unfolding events of the airstrike followed so closely by the on-the-ground terrorist attack unquestionably points to air to ground coordination between US and ISIS that strongly indicates the US led airstrike was premeditated and designed to completely undermine the already tenuous ceasefire. This incident alone decisively kills any prospect for peace that would finally end the five and a half year war that's killed more than 300,000 Syrian people and displaced over 11 million more.

The second critical incident that placed the final nail in the peace prospect coffin was Monday's attack on a UN and Syrian Red Crescent Society convoy delivering much needed humanitarian aid to residents of Syria's second largest city Aleppo, still largely occupied by ISIS and al-Nusra Front forces but for months under siege by the advancing Syrian army. The US immediately began blaming both Russia and Syria as an "act of revenge" for Saturday's airstrike that the US feebly claims was an accident. A closer analysis of these two very much related, highly disturbing acts of violence speaks volumes on just how low the imperialistic US Empire is willing to stoop to sabotage peace in the war ravaged nation that's killed or displaced more than half the Syrian population.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spent more than a quarter of a million dollars of funds from his charity, The Donald J. Trump Foundation, to settle lawsuits involving his own businesses, according to tax records. Expenditure records also reveal the charity's money was used to buy a self-portrait of the tycoon.

The Washington Post reviewed a series of legal documents and discovered a total of $258,000 was taken from the charity to settle lawsuits involving the billionaire's for-profit businesses.

"Self-dealing" laws prohibit nonprofit leaders from using charity money to benefit themselves or their businesses. If Trump's practices are found to be in violation of these laws by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) he could be ordered to pay penalty taxes or reimburse the foundation.

A rebel group operating in northern Syria has been designated by the US as a terrorist organization. Since its founding, Jund al-Aqsa has worked closely with the Al-Nusra Front and ISIS, but has not been viewed as terrorist until now.

The State Department announced the designation on Tuesday, calling Jund al-Aqsa (JAA) "a terrorist group... that primarily operates in Idlib and Hama provinces" of northern Syria. Though the group has officially split and operates independently, "it is still openly aligned" with the Al-Qaeda affiliate known as Jabhat al-Nusra, the State Department said in a statement.

To justify the designation, the State Department listed two suicide bombings conducted by the JAA in March 2015 on the outskirts of Idlib, as well as the February 2014 massacre of 40 civilians in Maan, a village in the central Hama province. There was no further explanation as to why it took so long to designate JAA a terrorist group, however.

We all live in the Age of the Algorithm.

So here's a story that not only encapsulates the age, but dwells on how the algorithm obsession can go horribly wrong.

It all started when Facebook censored the iconic photo of «napalm girl» Kim Phuch, which became a symbol of the Vietnam War recognized all over the world. The photo was featured in a Facebook post by Norwegian writer Tom Egeland, who wanted to start a debate on «seven photographs that changed the history of war».

Not only his post was erased; Egeland was also suspended from Facebook.

Aftenposten, the number one Norwegian daily, owned by Scandinavian media group Schibsted, duly relayed the news, alongside the photo.

Facebook then asked the paper to erase the photo - or to render it unrecognizable in its online edition. Yet even before the paper responded, Facebook censored the article as well as the photo in Aftenposten's Facebook page.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg protested it all on her Facebook page. She was also censored.

Aftenposten then slapped the whole story on its front page, alongside an open letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg signed by the newspaper director, Espen Egil Hansen, accusing Facebook of abuse of power.

Google Allo, the new "smart" chat app launched on Wednesday, is 'dangerous' and should be avoided, according to whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The ex-NSA contractor posted a series of Tweets to warn everyone away from the chat app, which he says will "record every message you ever send and make it available to police upon request".

Allo, designed to unseat chat pack leader WhatsApp, promises to deliver quick conversations with features like; "Smart Reply" that can guess your answers and respond to messages with just the tap of a button, and "Google Assistant", which answers your questions and helps you search for things directly in your chat.

Venezuela will affirm its support for President Bashar Assad's government in Damascus and oppose the ongoing foreign military intervention in Syria during a United Nations Security Council debate on Wednesday, Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations Rafael Ramirez told Sputnik. "We are going to have a debate tomorrow... we are going to expose our position, first of all, supporting the legitimate government of Syria, President Bashar al-Assad. Secondly, asking to avoid foreign intervention in the conflict," Ramirez said on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The UN Security Council will convene on Wednesday with the conflict in Syria and faltering ceasefire on the top of the agenda.

The 71st UN General Assembly has focused heavily on the refugee crisis, which has been exacerbated in Syria after five years of civil war. Ramirez explained that "the best help for the Syrian refugees is to stop the war." He went on to condemn the United States intervening directly in Syria, and violating the cessation of hostilities with the Sunday airstrikes that hit a Syrian Army position outside the city of Deir ez-Zor.

A sinkhole the size of 300 Olympic swimming pools at a Florida fertilizer plant has leaked radioactive wastewater into the state's aquifer. It took the company more than three weeks to alert the public. Fixing the leak will cost $20 to $50 million.

The retention pond which dissolved into the 45-foot wide sinkhole contained hazardous waste, including phosphogypsum, a radioactive byproduct resulting from the production of phosphate fertilizer. The 215 million gallons of waste contained uranium, radium and radon gas.

Samples from the groundwater in the Tampa area have so far showed no contamination, according to Mosaic, a phosphate fertilizer facility. But residents with private wells are worried.

Iran has displayed some of its latest military hardware in a parade in the capital Tehran held to mark the anniversary of the 1980 invasion by Iraq, while also warning the US to end its naval presence in the Persian Gulf.

Tanks, missiles and the Russian-made S-300 air defense system were just some of the military units that Iran put on show at the parade, which took place in front of the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The chiefs of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, including Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri and various other military general commanders, were in attendance to salute local soldiers and special forces, as well as to observe the display of heavy Iranian and Russian-made artillery.

Parades were held across the county and in the port of Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. Around 500 vessels, submarines and helicopters were put on show, as Iran commemorated the 36th anniversary of the start of its eight-year war with neighboring Iraq.