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Castro is not the Evil Zionist you might have thought he was


Desertpeace
Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:10 UTC
Image
© Unknown
Castro: "Israel, US killed [Iranian] nuke scientists."
Recently it was revealed that Fidel Castro was super critical of the Iranian President's views on Israel. When this became public the accusations came flying from every server on the Web... Fidel is a zionist, Fidel is senile, Fidel has lost his mind!

Today he proved that all of the above is false, and that his mind is as clear as it was when he and his forces toppled the Cuban dictator, Batista, in 1959. He probably holds the Guinness Book of Records' 'record' for the Longest Lasting Thorn in the Side of The United States' .... and here's why;

Cuban revolutionist blames Mossad, secret services of US, UK for recent assassination of Iranian scientist. 'I don't remember another time in history when killing of scientists was official policy of powers armed with WMDs,' he writes in local paper

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro on Friday accused Israel, the United States and Britain for the "massacre" of Iranian scientists.

The Cuban revolutionist claimed that the mercenaries who acted on behalf of these countries are also responsible for a series of other assassinations that are meant to thwart the development of an Iranian nuclear program.
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Life Preserver

A Teachable Moment

Joe Brewer
Cogitive Policy Works
Sun, 09 Jan 2011 21:44 UTC
arizona shooting
© AP Photo/Chris Morrison
A tragic event unfolded this weekend in Tuscon, Arizona when a political assassination attempt was made on the life of Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Several innocent people were killed and many more were injured. Our hearts go out to the victims.

We have been watching events unfold and looking for patterns that can help explain what caused this terrible act of violence and to discourage further escalations in domestic terrorism.

We see this event as a teachable moment in two respects. Firstly, it is clear that hate speech directed toward large groups of people (especially the villification of liberals, Jews, Muslims, and immigrants) adds legitimacy to the violent acts committed by unstable individuals. Hate speech should never be condoned, as it has been for years now by prominent public figures in the conservative movement.

Secondly, the unfolding media coverage offers a rare opportunity to watch political framing in action. We have a highly contentious event that is already being framed in a manner that conceals systemic causes. This provides us with an opportunity to watch agendas getting set in place and politically motivated interpretations established as the norms.
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Cult

Irish Protesters Demand End to Government Collusion with Catholic Church Child Rapists

Kevin Annett
The Intel Hub
Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:14 UTC

Protesters rallied yesterday outside government offices in Dublin to demand that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) stop shielding child rapists in the Catholic church, and threatening citizens who demand action.

Gerry O'Donovan, a member of the International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (ITCCS), joined with Kevin Flanagan, Dave O'Brien and others in delivering a formal letter of protest to the government because of the DPP's refusal to bring charges against a Catholic priest, "Brother B", who has raped at least nine girls.

The protesters also pointed out that the DPP has even threatened to sue anyone who demands the prosecution of suspected child raping priests.
      Read More...
Dollar

China Backs Europe, Euro for Investment, Central Bank Deputy Governor Says


Bloomberg News
Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:20 UTC
Image
© Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
People's Bank of China Deputy Governor Yi Gang.
Europe and the euro will remain among the most important areas of investment for China's world-record $2.65 trillion of foreign-exchange reserves, a central bank official said in the nation's latest show of support.

"The euro and the European financial markets are an important part of the global financial system and were, are and will be one of the most important investment areas for China's foreign-exchange reserves," Deputy Governor Yi Gang said in a statement on the central bank's website.

China's statements of support have included Vice Premier Li Keqiang this week expressing confidence in Spain's financial markets and pledging more purchases of that nation's debt. In backing European economies, China may help to prop up demand in the region that is its biggest market for exports and also the value of its euro-denominated assets.
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Radar

Thousands Of Egyptian Muslims Show Up As 'Human Shields' To Defend Coptic Christians From Terrorism

Zaid Jilani
ThinkProgress
Sat, 08 Jan 2011 11:54 UTC
On New Year's Day, a devastating terrorist bombing at a Coptic church in Egypt killed 21 people and injured 79 others. Although the identity of the culprits was not known, it was assumed that they were Muslim extremists, intent on targeting those they saw as heretics. Religious tensions immediately rose in the country, and angry Copts stormed streets, battled with police, and even vandalized a nearby mosque. The riots and heightened tensions between the Muslim and Coptic communities was likely what the terrorists wanted - to divide the Egyptian community and create sectarian strife between different religious groups.

Yet by Coptic Christmas Eve, which took place Thursday night in Egypt, things had changed completely. As Egyptian Copts attended mass at churches across the country, "thousands" of Muslims, including "the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak," joined them, acting as "human shields" to protect from terrorist attacks by extremists. The Muslims organized under the slogan "We either live together, or we die together," inspired by Mohamed El-Sawy, an Egyptian artist:
Egypt's majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light vigils held outside. From the well-known to the unknown, Muslims had offered their bodies as "human shields" for last night's mass, making a pledge to collectively fight the threat of Islamic militants and towards an Egypt free from sectarian strife.

"We either live together, or we die together," was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural centre distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night, and who has been credited with first floating the "human shield" idea. Among those shields were movie stars Adel Imam and Yousra, popular preacher Amr Khaled, the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak, and thousands of citizens who have said they consider the attack one on Egypt as a whole. "This is not about us and them," said Dalia Mustafa, a student who attended mass at Virgin Mary Church on Maraashly. "We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole, and I am standing with the Copts because the only way things will change in this country is if we come together."
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Bizarro Earth

UK: Yet another hanging in Bridgend


Walesonline.co.uk
Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:09 UTC
Talented young rugby player Andrew Evans was found hanging in a suspected suicide, it has emerged.

As reported in yesterday's Echo, Mr Evans, 22, was found by his family at their home on Monday morning in Sandfields, Aberkenfig.

He was described by friends as a real character who loved playing for Tondu Rugby Club.

South Wales Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

Mr Evans - popularly known as Evs - went to Pandy Infant School and Tondu Juniors before studying at Ynysawdre Comprehensive.

It is believed he was working with his father, John, who is self-employed, and was celebrating the start of 2011 with friends in Bridgend town centre on New Year's Eve and January 2 - the night before his death.

Comment: Interesting that these events still don't seem suspicious to the general public especially in light of the recent death of many species of animals.

For more information regarding Brigend deaths, see these Sott inks:

Suicide number 22: Three Bridgend 'hanging victims' lived in same street

What's going on? UK: Another hanging death in Bridgend

Bridgend Suicides: Another young person's body found

      Read More...
Arrow Up

World Food Prices Surge to Record, Passing Levels That Sparked 2008 Riots

Rudy Ruitenberg
Bloomberg
Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:57 UTC
World food prices rose to a record in December on higher sugar, grain and oilseed costs, the United Nations said, exceeding levels reached in 2008 that sparked deadly riots from Haiti to Egypt.

An index of 55 food commodities tracked by the Food and Agriculture Organization gained for a sixth month to 214.7 points, above the previous all-time high of 213.5 in June 2008, the Rome-based UN agency said in a monthly report. The gauges for sugar and meat prices advanced to records.
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Arrow Down

Ireland - Property prices down 40% from peak


RTE
Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:25 UTC
Image
© Cathal McNaughton / Reuters
Property developer Johnny Owens does odd jobs around his practically deserted housing development in Mullingar, Ireland, on July 28, 2010. Owens sold three houses of his 45-property Coill Rua estate in June 2007 and then nothing until last January.
A survey from property website Daft.ie has found that asking prices for homes fell by 14% last year, with prices falling by 5% in the final three months of the year.

Daft.ie says prices have now fallen by 40% from their peak, with the average price now just below €220,000.

During 2010, asking prices in Dublin fell 14% on average, compared to a fall of 15% outside major cities. Prices in Galway were 13% lower than a year before, after prices fell sharply in the final quarter of the year.

In Cork, Limerick and Waterford, prices fell by between 10% and 12% over the course of the year. Elsewhere, the extent of price falls varied from less than 10% in Mayo to 20% or more in Wexford and Kilkenny.
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House

U.S. Home Foreclosures May Top 100,000 In January

Tamara Keith
NPR
Mon, 03 Jan 2011 11:04 UTC
forclose
© Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A bank-owned home in Miami, Fla., where foreclosure sales made up 39.7 percent in the most recent quarter, according to RealtyTrac. Analysts expect more foreclosures in early 2011.

Over the holidays, many lenders put foreclosures on hold. But that temporary freeze is over now. Industry watchers are expecting thousands of foreclosed properties to hit the market in the weeks and months ahead.

Home foreclosure sales slowed down at the end of 2010 for two reasons: the regular holiday foreclosure freezes, and the remnants of the so-called robo-signing scandal.

In the fall, many lenders put evictions on hold while they reviewed their foreclosure procedures. Rick Sharga of RealtyTrac says that's behind us now - and the pace of foreclosure is about to pick up.
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Dollar

2011 year of US economic apocalypse?


Press TV
Sun, 02 Jan 2011 17:53 UTC
Image

US job seekers
US economy faces a grim outlook in 2011 as Washington's steps taken to handle the financial crisis, including money printing, have put the country on the verge of "bankruptcy," an expert says.

In an interview with Press TV's Max Keiser, Karl Denninger of market-ticker.org noted that neither Europe's austerity measures nor United States' money printing could solve their economic crisis.

"They are both wrong in that neither of these elements proposed in taking those people who made bad loans and holding them to account," Denninger said.

"You have to take these institutions like these banks or whoever has it, and forces them to take the writedowns and mark discredit off," he added.

"The problem is if you do that they are insolvent. So, we have a political system both in the United States and in Europe that is unwilling to stand up to these bankers and say you are bankrupt," Denninger argued.
      Read More...
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