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Black Cat

US: 27 of 35 Bush Articles of Impeachment Apply to Obama as Well

David Swanson
Scoop World
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:08 UTC
Image
© historyking.com
When Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush on June 9, 2008, the 35 had been selected from drafts of nearly twice that many articles.

President Obama has accumulated his own massive list of high crimes and misdemeanors that were unavailable for Bush's list (thing's like openly murdering U.S. citizens, launching massive drone wars, selectively and abusively prosecuting numerous whistleblowers as spies, holding Bradley Manning naked in isolation, attacking Libya without so much as bothering to lie to Congress, etc.).
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Sun

Israel plans to demolish solar panels in village near Hebron


Middle East Monitor
Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:30 UTC
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© unkRateb Al-Jabour, told the media that the project provides more than 40 Palestinian families with electricity.
The Israeli occupation authorities have issued notice of their intention to demolish a renewable energy project which generates electricity and represents the only source of lighting for the houses in a Palestinian village near Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The people of Al-Mnazel received the demolition notice advising of Israel's plans to destroy the solar panels which provide them with electricity. The project was established a couple of years ago with funds from the Spanish government.

The coordinator of the People's Committees in the district, Rateb Al-Jabour, told the media that the project provides more than 40 Palestinian families with electricity. He warned that the project's destruction by the Israeli "Civil Administration", "will take the village back to the stone age".

Mr. Al-Jabour added that the Israeli occupation authorities have also given Khalil Al-Nwaja', who lives in Al-Mnazel, notice that his home will be demolished. The tents and caravans, claim the Israelis, do not have a licence.

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Light Sabers

Is Israel preparing to attack Iran? The saga continues...

David Ignatious
The Washington Post
Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:07 UTC
Dangerous times
When the rulers are psychopaths, it's a dangerous time for every being on the planet... planet included too.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has a lot on his mind these days, from cutting the defense budget to managing the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. But his biggest worry is the growing possibility that Israel will attack Iran over the next few months.

Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June - before Iran enters what Israelis described as a "zone of immunity" to commence building a nuclear bomb. Very soon, the Israelis fear, the Iranians will have stored enough enriched uranium in deep underground facilities to make a weapon - and only the United States could then stop them militarily.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't want to leave the fate of Israel dependent on American action, which would be triggered by intelligence that Iran is building a bomb, which it hasn't done yet.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak may have signaled the prospect of an Israeli attack soon when he asked last month to postpone a planned U.S.-Israel military exercise that would culminate in a live-fire phase in May. Barak apologized that Israel couldn't devote the resources to the annual exercise this spring.
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Eye 1

Google execs defend new privacy policy

Byron Acohido
USA Today
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00 UTC
Google executives faced tough questions Thursday, in a meeting with members of Congress, about changes to the company's privacy policy scheduled to go into effect March 1.
sign at Google headquarters
© Justin Sullivan, Getty ImagesA pedestrian walks by a sign at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

However, the search giant failed to assuage lawmakers' privacy concerns stemming from the company's controversial plans to step up the cross-referencing of data generated by consumers who use its popular online services, says Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., who arranged the closed-door briefing.

Pablo Chavez, Google's public policy director, and Michael Yang, its deputy general counsel, outlined how the company supplies consumers with a number of tools to protect their privacy. Lawmakers questioned whether tools that Google makes available to help consumers control their privacy were user-friendly and effective.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, says Chavez and Yang "danced around actual details, and instead spoke in generalities, highlighting their efforts to 'enhance the user experience' - but at what cost?"

Bono Mack said she expects Google to proceed with its planned March 1 change.
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Crusader

US: Alabama State Senator Thinks Increasing Teacher Pay Goes Against A 'Biblical Principle'

Amanda Peterson Beadle
ThinkProgress
Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:32 UTC
Bible
© n/a
According to Alabama state Sen. Shadrack McGill (R), the Bible says that increasing teacher salaries would only lead to less-qualified teachers. McGill said at a prayer breakfast that doubling teachers' salaries - starting pay for Alabama teachers begins at $36,144 - would not help education. In fact, he said that keeping teacher pay low is a "Biblical principle":
"If you double a teacher's pay scale, you'll attract people who aren't called to teach.

"To go in and raise someone's child for eight hours a day, or many people's children for eight hours a day, requires a calling. It better be a calling in your life. I know I wouldn't want to do it, OK?

"And these teachers that are called to teach, regardless of the pay scale, they would teach. It's just in them to do. It's the ability that God give 'em. And there are also some teachers, it wouldn't matter how much you would pay them, they would still perform to the same capacity.

"If you don't keep that in balance, you're going to attract people who are not called, who don't need to be teaching our children. So, everything has a balance."
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Dollar

Predatory Capitalism: Shell profits up 54% to £2m an hour

Terry Macalister
the guardian
Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00 UTC
Union anger grows over recent closure of oil company's pension scheme despite ever-rising corporate earnings

shell
© Newcast/ShellShell profits are up 54% for the full year.
Shell has been accused of "moral bankruptcy" by unions after unveiling a 54% rise in full-year profits less than a month after shutting its final salary pension scheme to new employees in Britain.

The oil company reported global annual earnings of $28.6bn (£18bn) - more than £2m an hour - while paying out $10.5bn to shareholders during 2011 and promising to raise dividend levels further in the coming months.

Peter Voser, Shell's chief executive, said "there is more [good profit] to come" as he outlined a new programme of increased global investment as well as cuts that he said would provide even better returns for investors.

"We have worked hard to generate a strong pipeline of investment opportunities for Shell ... All of this is supported by efficiency gains from our continuous improvement programmes," Voser said.

But Europe's largest oil group was attacked for displaying "predatory capitalism" by Len McCluskey, leader of the Unite union. "Shell reminds us of the moral bankruptcy of the corporate elite. The company is needlessly closing its final salary scheme while posting colossal profits," he said. "Rather than provide security to its future staff and still make a profit, it has chosen greed. Shell is not alone: Unilever is needlessly slashing its employees' pension benefits when there is no financial reason for doing so."
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Dollar

Rothschild wants one International Currency


You Tube
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00 UTC
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Target

Best of the Web: Nine Men Plead Guilty To Terrorism Charges; Inspired By Pentagon Asset

Keelan Balderson
Eyes Wide Shut
Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:43 UTC
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Nine Muslim men have admitted to various terrorism charges, after being inspired by a US Pentagon intelligence asset [1].

Mohammed Chowdhury, 21 of Stanliff House, Tower Hamlets, Shah Rahman, 28, of St Bernard's Road, Newham, Gurukanth Desai, 30, of Albert Street, Cardiff, and his brother Abdul Miah, 25, of Ninian Park Road, Cardiff, have all admitted to planning an attack on the London Stock Exchange. They are charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism.

Usman Khan, 20, of Persia Walk, Mohammed Shahjahan 27, of Burmarsh Walk and Nazam Hussain, 26, of Grove Street, all areas in Stoke, admitted attending operational meetings in Roath Park, Cardiff on 7 November and in a Newport country park on 12 December. They are alleged to have discussed leaving homemade bombs in the toilets of their city's pubs and travelling abroad for terror training. They are charged with engaging in conduct for the preparation of terrorism.

Omar Latif, 28, of Neville Street, Cardiff, admitted to attending meetings with the intention of assisting others to prepare or commit acts of terrorism.

Mohibur Rahman, 27, of North Road, Stoke, admitted possessing two editions of alleged al-Qaeda magazine "Inspire" for terrorist purposes.
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Laptop

U.S. Shuts 16 Sports Piracy Websites Pre-Super Bowl

Jonathan Stempel
Reuters
Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00 UTC
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© unknown
Three days before Super Bowl XLVI, U.S. prosecutors said they seized 16 websites that illegally streamed live sports and pay-per-view events over the Internet, and charged a Michigan man with running nine of those websites.

According to the government, the 16 websites provided links to give viewers easy access to other sites that hosted pirated telecasts from the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc ("WWE") and TNA Impact Wrestling. The latter is also broadcast on Viacom Inc's Spike TV.

Prosecutors said such piracy costs leagues and broadcasters millions of dollars a year, and some of this cost is passed on to ticket buyers and sports network subscribers.

"These websites and their operators deprive sports leagues and networks of legitimate revenue" in what amounts to "virtual thievery," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan, who announced the website seizures.
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Laptop

'Anonymous' Hackers Attack Brazilian Bank Websites


Agence France-Presse
Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00 UTC
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© Agence France-Presse/Mauricio LimaHackers from Anonymous's Brazilian branch said they attacked Bradesco, Itau and Banco do Brasil
The shadowy computer hacker group Anonymous said Wednesday it attacked the websites of three major Brazilian banks over the past few days to protest widespread inequality in Latin America's leading economy.

Hackers from Anonymous's Brazilian branch told the economy daily Valor that their attacks on Bradesco, Itau and Banco do Brasil did not aim to defraud clients, but were meant to protest "the countless inequalities in the country."

The last to be targeted was the website of Banco do Brasil, the country's largest state-run bank.

Monday, Itau, the country's biggest private bank and the biggest in Latin America, was attacked, followed a day later by Bradesco, Brazil's third biggest bank.

"Attention sailors: Target hit ! Itau is adrift. TANGO DOWN !," the hackers crowed.
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