Society's ChildS


USA

'We are better than this': Over 700 groups campaign against racism, bigotry and violence

American flag
© We Are Better Than This"When public figures demonize whole swaths of people for their own political gain, they are complicit in the escalation from words to deeds that follow," said Heather McGhee, president of Demos.
It is incumbent on every public figure, elected politician, and media outlet to stand up against the "dangerous tide of hatred, violence, and suspicion" taking hold in the United States, over 700 prominent organizations and people declared in a full-page ad in Thursday's New York Times.

"We grieve the many lives that have been lost or painfully transformed in recent weeks through extreme acts of violence. And we are appalled by the surge of divisive rhetoric that sows the seeds of more violence to come," reads the ad, which was organized by the National Domestic Workers Alliance, United We Dream, Center for Community Change, Demos, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Arab-American Association of New York, MPower Change, SEIU, Color of Change, and MoveOn.org.

Signatories warn that, in particular, violence is aimed at "Arab and Muslim Americans, women and the places we seek health care, Black people, immigrants and refugees, or people just going about their daily lives."

Comment: At least some segment of the population can see the ever more dangerous turns this country is taking. Will it be enough to stop Holocaust 2.0?


Eye 1

Tear gas, water cannons deployed in Leipzig, Germany as neo-Nazi march sparks massive counter rallies

Water cannon Leipzig
© Via twitter@denice_ruptly
Police have deployed tears gas and water cannon in the German city of Leipzig against crowds of protesters, who were holding a counter rally to a neo-Nazi march. Protesters hurled stones, bottles and fireworks at officers.

About 150 members of different far-right organizations marched through the southern part of Leipzig. They included the neo-Nazi party Die Rechte (the Right), xenophobic organization Offensive für Deutschland (OfD) (Offensive for Germany), and a division of the PEGIDA movement called Thugida.

The right-wing march faced large-scale opposition as about a dozen counter-protests organized by different movements and leftist groups were staged in the city, Der Spiegel reports citing local authorities. Thousands of demonstrators joined the counter protests, according to police sources.

Police mobilized about 800 officers to keep control of the situation. Law enforcers managed to separate the right-wing march and the counter protests, although "massive clashes" broke out between police and the counter protesters. "Some protesters from a group of about 1,000 people attacked police officers deployed to the scene [in the southern part of the city]," police officials said in a twitter post.


Comment: Refugee crisis in Germany - Nazis on the rise - 'Never again' is happening again


Cardboard Box

Gambia declared an Islamic Republic

Gambia President
© presstv.comGambian president gives the announcement his country is now an official Islamic Republic.
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has declared the West African country an Islamic republic in a move he described as a break with the colonial past. "In line with the country's religious identity and values, I proclaim Gambia as an Islamic state," Jammeh announced on state television. "As Muslims are the majority in the country, the Gambia cannot afford to continue the colonial legacy," he added.


Comment: President Jammeh hopes to discontinue the use of English as his country's language and substitute a local one or Arabic. Language is the last hold-over from British "colonial legacy."


Jammeh further noted that citizens of other faiths would still be able to practice their religious rituals. Gambia's population of 1.8 million people is 95 percent Muslim. The smallest country in continental Africa gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1965.

In October 2013, Jammeh pulled Gambia out of the Commonwealth, which is an intergovernmental organization of 53 previous colonies of the former British Empire, calling the bloc neo-colonial.


Comment: Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1964.


This comes as Gambia's relations with the West have also soured over the past few years. Last year, the European Union temporarily suspended its aid money to the West African nation over what it claimed as Banjul's poor human rights record.

Comment: A sovereign decision representative of its constituency and self-determination, it now joins other officially Islamic republics such as Iran and Afghanistan. Out of aid from Western sources, will Jammeh look towards the Arab world for resources?


Take 2

Islamic State releases new apocalyptic video depicting 'final' battle with 'crusaders' in Syria

ISIS video still
Three weeks ago, we highlighted what we dubbed "the greatest piece of terrorist video propaganda in history." The clip, a 5-minute Hollywood special produced by Islamic State's al-Hayat Media (the nerve center for a labyrinthine network of "Wilayats"), begins with a glorification of the "caliphate", as an English-speaking narrator notes that ISIS' territory is now "thirty times the size of Qatar."

The graphics-laden presentation goes on to mock the US military for its high suicide rates and ineffective air campaign before presaging the "final" battle with the crusaders where the nonbelievers will "burn on the hills of Dabiq."

Attention

Actor/Lawyer: Caleb Behn reaches out for a better way

''Lawyer by training, shitshow by life.''

Caleb Behn
Caleb Behn: Change 'happens way outside comfort zones.' Photo by Kate Harris.
Caleb Behn introduces himself a little apologetically, shoving aside boxes of bullets and books so I can squeeze into the front seat of his gunmetal-grey Tacoma. The back seat is a tangle of rifles, clothes and more books. On the dashboard, a Yoda figure sagely nods its plastic green head.

Dominoes

Iranian natural gas may go to EU through Turkey

Iranian gas pipeline
© www.dw.comIranian gas pipeline, connection Turkey
Iran has indicated willingness to pipe its natural gas to Europe through Turkey once the sanctions against the Islamic Republic are lifted. Javad Amin Mansour, the director of Trade and Energy Affairs Negotiations Department of Iran's Foreign Ministry, has been quoted by the media as saying that a plan to the same effect is currently under study in Tehran.

"If there is demand from European markets, it is possible to transport the natural gas via Turkey. There are many factors to lead to such trade, but it is now too early to speak about those factors," the Iranian official has been quoted as saying by Anadolu news agency. "We expect the sanctions to be fully eliminated; thereafter, we can consider the marketing of natural gas, the routes and the buyers," he added.

Iran had for years pursued plans to export natural gas to Europe. A tentative scheme that was developed in cooperation with Nabucco - a consortium led by Austria's OMV - envisaged piping Iranian natural gas from the southern energy hub of Assaluyeh to Turkey and thereon to Europe. However, Nabucco eventually abandoned Iran in 2008 after complications grew the most important of which were US-engineered sanctions against the Iranian energy sector.

Comment: This, on the heals of the KRG deal with Turkey, shows it is still all about "the oil" or its facsimile. Turkey will be raking in the pipeline transport fees in these deals as well. For Iranian sanctions to be completely lifted, concerning natural gas plans, it would not be hard to imagine the West will control the process by dictating those terms.

See also: Done deal: KRG gas to Turkey by 2017


Arrow Down

Empty promises: Monsanto's newest GM maize does not increase yields or reduce pest crop losses

gm maize
Monsanto promised that its latest and greatest GM crop, MON810, a genetically modified (GM) insecticidal maize banned by most of Europe, would increase yields and stop crop loss due to pests. A new report from the government of Aragon in Spain says those promises are empty. [1]

There is an inserted gene in the DNA of MON810 which allows the plant to make a protein that harms insects that try to eat it. The inserted gene is from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which produces the Bt toxin that is poisonous to insects in the Lepidoptera order, including the European Corn Borer. Three quarters of the corn grown in Aragon, Spain is currently genetically modified, but conventional varieties were tested against GM Maize varieties in 2014.

"Helen," "Zoom," and "Kayras" - the non-GM isogenic (parent) lines (plant varieties) - were compared with the GM varieties derived from each line. The genetic insert was the MON810 construct from the US company, Monsanto.

Comment: Monsanto's pesticide-producing GM maize, known as MON810 has been found to be detrimental to human cells. It is no wonder countries are banning these toxic GMO crops: Study: Genetically Engineered Bt Protein Toxic to Human Cells
Insecticidal Bt toxins such as those produced in genetically engineered plants can be detrimental to human cells. This is a result of recent research led by researchers at the University of Caen (France). Their experiments showed that toxins produced in, for example, the genetically engineered maize MON810, can significantly impact the viability of human cells. The effects were observed with relatively high concentrations of the toxins, nevertheless there is cause for concern. For the first time, experiments have now shown that they can have an toxic effect to human cells. According to companies like Monsanto, which produces genetically engineered maize with these toxins, the toxins are supposed to be active only against particular insects and should have no effect on mammals and humans at all. The investigation of effects of Bt toxins on human cells is not a requirement for risk assessment in Europe or in any other region.



Network

Done deal: KRG gas to Turkey by 2017

Oilman
© aa.com.trKRG: The source for Turkey and EU
Officials from Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced on Saturday that a plan has been drawn up to export natural gas to Turkey and thereon to Europe. The anticipated exports could start before the end of 2016, said Bewar Hansi, an economic adviser for the KRG.
"The government of Iraqi Kurdistan plans to deliver natural gas to Turkey by late 2016. The region will export annually 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe via Turkey. By early 2020, the supplies may be increased to 20 billion cubic meters," Hansi has been quoted as saying by Sputnik news agency.
He added that the natural gas reserves in the region are currently estimated at about 45 billion cubic meters. Other figures released by KRG show that the region holds as much as 5.7 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

Hansi further said that the KRG plans to build a gas pipeline to Asia across Iran. Among other projects will be the construction of three new oil refineries to supply fuel to Kurdistan and throughout Iraq, he added.

According to BP, KRG oil reserves may be 45 billion barrels, a third of the entire Iraq reserves. In July, the regional authorities announced that they have begun exporting oil independently from the Iraqi government. Earlier in late November, reports emerged that the KRG and Turkey had reached a strategic agreement over the delivery of natural gas in 2017.

"Kurdish gas will reach Europe via Turkey. The Kurdish region can fill the gap created by Russia's gas cut-off to Europe," said Jawdat Shirko, the head of KRG Parliamentary Committee for Industry and Energy.

The bulk of future gas supplies to Turkey is expected to be provided from Sulaymaniyah region which is believed to hold 80 percent of KRG's total gas reserves.

Comment: Turkish gas dilemma solved? They seem to have pulled this energizer bunny out of the hat! Is this the reason for the recent Turkish military's incursion into Iraqi territory or is there something else in the works?


Christmas Tree

SOTT Focus: Sott.net's Yearly State of the World Address

earth burning
Dear Readers,

2015 is about to end, and if you have been following SOTT closely, you will be aware that it has been one heck of a year! Even before the terrible event in San Bernardino, the whole world was awakening to the fact that things have changed drastically and dramatically since the Color Revolution was created by the US/NATO in Ukraine at the end of 2013. You might want to check this article to get a broad overview of things since the false flag chemical attack in Syria in 2013.

Many people are beginning to wake up and finally ask "What the heck is going on?" As our regular readers know, by paying attention to the truth behind events as they unfold on our planet, you begin to see the world more as it is rather than as you would like it to be. That knowledge can bring you a certain sense of liberation, where you finally understand what is wrong with our world. With that understanding, you can then begin to make the choices that will change your life for the better, despite the increasing chaos all around you. As we're fond of saying, 'knowledge protects'. And that is what we wish you for the incoming year: Knowledge and awareness, and hence protection.

SOTT bookmark
© Sott.net
Without accurate knowledge, there is no hope. We are collectively facing a world that is rapidly being polarized by propaganda and covert actions both by State powers and by those in opposition to those in power. With wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a small number of apparently pathological individuals, things can only get worse.

Too many people on our planet struggle daily to secure the basics for survival and too many people are having their lives stolen away from them by this same wealthy powerful elite. We should all never, ever forget that our governments are ruled by this 1%, and that their interests are not - absolutely not - those of the masses of humanity which includes you and me. The principle of valuing life everywhere cannot be trampled underfoot in a stampede of fear created by those who do not have our best interests at heart. The ruling classes not only lie to us daily, they seem to deceive themselves if they think that what they are creating is sustainable.

We should also tell you that those of us here at SOTT who daily monitor the news in order to bring together the most complete picture of the "State of the Planet" often find it difficult to keep going in the face of the apparent lack of hope. We are painfully aware of the struggle that must take place in order to right the wrongs and set things back on a positive footing; we are also aware that it will have to be a decision of the masses, not just 10% or 20% of the people. And that is why it is so important to continue to share knowledge. As conditions across all spheres of life continue to degrade, there will inevitably be more pain and suffering. With that, there will be more and more people who, having believed the chaos would never enter their lives, find that this is not the case: chaos is coming everywhere; and that makes it ever more important that we continue to fire the lighthouse for as long as we can.

Saying goodbye to the year 2015, we'd like to tell you a little bit about our accomplishments, since you may not be aware of them all. We have reason to be proud of our stamina and perseverance, and much more reason to be thankful for you, our readers and supporters, who make it all possible. Because, frankly, if we did not receive so many messages of thanks and support, we would have no hope either! There is always much more we can do, but this year, just as we thought our plates were too full, thanks to our readers' support, and the impetus from many new volunteers around the world, we have been expanding!

Bomb

Hysteria: Gwinnett teacher asks Muslim child if she has a bomb

Kids backpacks
© Getty Images
The parent of an eighth-grade Muslim student at Shiloh Middle School in Gwinnett County is angry after an incident in which a teacher asked his daughter if she was carrying a bomb in her backpack.

Abdirazik Aden, who was born in Somalia, said that on Monday, his 12-year-old daughter was going to class when a teacher stopped her and asked what she had in her bookbag.

He said his daughter told her books. The unidentified teacher responded by asking, her if she had a bomb in her bag?