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Russian Finance Minister: Western nations harming themselves by imposing sanctions


RIA Novosti
Sat, 13 Sep 2014 00:00 UTC
anton siluanov
© RIA Novosti, Sergei GuneevRussian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov says that the European Union and the United States are harming their own business by imposing sanctions against Russia.
The European Union and the United States are harming their own business by imposing sanctions against Russia, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Saturday.

"The sanctions are having a negative impact on all sides. This concerns any restrictions - in trade, financing, investment - these are the worst decisions of the governments that go against their own business," Siluanov said.

"Of course, when we talk about economic growth, when we talk about removing all trade barriers, speak against protectionism , when we talk about the goal of increasing economic growth by 2 percent (set by the G20 in February in Sydney) - it cannot be achieved under trade, financial and other restrictions," the minister added.

Comment: The US led sanctions war has done nothing but prod Russia to become more aligned with China and other BRICS nations. Western businesses are already suffering, yet the idiot empire marches on with its misguided attempts to weaken Russia.

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V

Youth anti-war manifesto gets it right: There is no future in war, except for the elite pathocrats

CodePink
Common Dreams
Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:00 UTC
american peace flag
© Archive / History ChannelA peace sign printed on the American Flag is raised during a protest against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C.
Statement written by Ben Norton, Tyra Walker, Anastasia Taylor, Alli McCracken, Colleen Moore, Jes Grobman, Ashley Lopez

Once again, US politicians and pundits are beating the drums of war, trying to get our nation involved in yet another conflict. A few years ago it was Iran, with "all options on the table." Last year it was a red line that threatened to drag us into the conflict in Syria. This time it's Iraq.

We, the youth of America, have grown up in war, war war. War has become the new norm for our generation. But these conflicts - declared by older people but fought and paid for by young people - are robbing us of our future and we're tired of it.

There is no future in war.

We, the youth of America, are taking a stand against war and reclaiming our future.

War does not work. Period.

Comment: War is profitable for the global elites and particularly the owners of arms manufacturing companies. They are predatory psychopaths unable to care about the worldwide devastation they cause. As long as the profits keep rolling in and their exuberant style of living continues, they are happy to continue destroying everything in their path.

The abject horrors of War

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Target

New York judge inundated with hate mail after jailing anti-drone protester for exposing U.S. war crimes


RT
Fri, 12 Sep 2014 01:19 UTC
Image
© Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
A small-town New York judge - who recently sentenced a grandmother to one year in jail over her involvement with an anti-drone protest near a US military base - is receiving a barrage of hate and anti-Semitic e-mails from people all across the country.

"Are you considering a career change moving to Israel to judge Palestinian rock throwers, for 'Publicity at any cost, without any regard for the rules of society?'" reads one of the e-mails sent to DeWitt Town Judge David S. Gideon, who is Jewish. Another statement called him a "Nazi."

This incident stems from a case involving a grandmother of three - 58-year-old Mary Anne Grady-Flores - who was charged in July with a second-degree criminal count for violating an order of protection while protesting with the Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones at the Hancock Air Base back in October 2012.

People expressed their outrage in the emails to Judge Gideon, with letters coming from different states across the US. These letters were acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request by Syracuse.com

Some of the reactions included harsh swearing while others questioned the judge's understanding of the Constitution.

"This Judge bring shame to our Country - he stands in opposition to moral law, the Nuremberg protocols and other International Law statutes," and comments like, "Judges and military tribunals like this should be disrupted and confronted," are just some of the feedback he received.

Comment: Another activist busted by "The Man". The First Amendment to the Constitution states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Freedom of expression is gone in the U.S.
  • Illegal conscience: U.S. activist sentenced to prison for photographing a war protest
  • Psychopaths on the Hill: "Unmanned: America's Drone Wars"
See also:
A freedom to live or a freedom to die?

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Handcuffs

Justice for the rich: Same NJ prosecutor throws young mother in jail for 3 years on minor gun offense yet lets Ray Rice walk after beating his girlfriend

Anddrew Jerrell Jones
The Intercept
Fri, 12 Sep 2014 20:01 UTC
Ray Rice
NJ prosecutor James McClain lets Ray Rice walk after violently attacking his girlfriend, but throws the book at a mother who did not understand her PA gun permit is not legal in NJ
From time to time, the American public gets a glaring reminder that the elite play by their own set of rules. A county prosecutor in New Jersey, James McClain, is offering up a prime example: After going easy on NFL player Ray Rice for violently attacking his girlfriend, he's throwing the book at a single mother of two for having the wrong paperwork on her gun.

The mother, Shaneen Allen, spent 40 days in jail and faces a minimum three-and-a-half year prison sentence. The 28-year-old was arrested last October for not knowing that her legal gun permit in Pennsylvania is not recognized in New Jersey. Allen was pulled over for a traffic stop and could have never mentioned the gun. But Allen was forthright in telling the officer about her weapon. Allen figured she had nothing to hide. She had no criminal record and only purchased the gun to protect her family after being robbed twice in the past.

It seems rational to conclude that her honesty would lead to a quick resolution of the matter and no long-term damage to Allen and her children's lives. Instead, she was arrested and charged with a felony.

Comment: Another glaring instance where it is painfully obvious that the 'justice system' for the rich and famous is decidedly different than for ordinary people. Those not wealthy enough to buy their way out of the system find themselves rotting in the prison industrial complex where Wall Street enjoys profiting from their misery.

Why Are So Many Americans in Prison?

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Cardboard Box

Poorest Americans suffering highest debt ratio on record

Mark Whitehouse
Bloomberg View
Fri, 12 Sep 2014 17:04 UTC
US families debt burden
U.S. Families' Debt Burden
U.S. consumers have made a lot of progress in paring down the extreme debt loads that helped make the 2008 financial crisis such an epochal disaster. Fresh data from the Federal Reserve, though, offer an important caveat: Millions of the poorest families are still very deep in the hole -- and might be getting deeper.

The triennial Survey of Consumer Finances, released by the Fed last week, confirms an overall improvement in the state of U.S. household finances. The average debt burden for all families stood at about 105 percent of pretax income in 2013, down from about 125 percent in 2010 and the lowest level since the 2001 survey.

Comment: It is obvious that only the wealthiest are insulated from the economic free-fall that the US is experiencing. While there is always sufficient funding for the military and police departments, most Americans are struggling to make ends meet - there has been no recovery for those most vulnerable. The student population is drowning in debt. When students finally do graduate, there are few jobs available and many resort to taking low wage fast-food jobs that in no way enable them to pay the loans they incurred.

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Mail

Best of the Web: Dear Putin: A letter from Westerners apologizing for their corrupt governments and media


Dearputin.com
Sat, 13 Sep 2014 21:00 UTC

Comment: The following letter is addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin on behalf of Westerners ashamed of the behavior of our governments and media when it comes to their malicious rhetoric and coverage of all things related to Putin and Russia. Since it was first published on August 30, it has received over 22,000 signatures from citizens of over 190 countries. Soon after it was published, a malicious attack brought the site offline, which caught the attention of the Moscow Times.

Very few politicians get Sott.net's seal of approval -- practically all our heroes are dead, many assassinated by the same forces currently lining up Putin in their crosshairs -- but Putin has proven himself to be a statesman and politician of the first order and has done more than anyone on the world stage not only for their own country, but the world at large, countering the U.S. Empire's arrogance and greed. And the amount of lies and barely veiled aggression leveled against Putin has been extraordinary and practically unprecedented.

So we encourage all our readers to take a stand for what's right and sign the letter. We have!


dear putin

Dear President Putin and Russian People,

Please accept our apologies for the behavior of our Governments and Media. Western Nations, led by the United States, seem determined to start a war with Russia. A sane person would recognize the terrible consequences of such a war and would do everything in their power to avoid it. In fact it appears that this is exactly what you are doing. In the face of an endless stream of lies and provocations you have managed to keep Russia from being drawn into a nuclear war.1, 2

Events surrounding the war in Ukraine are twisted to represent you as an aggressor when the facts clearly show otherwise. Neo-Nazi gangs commit atrocities against the citizens of Novorussia on a daily basis and they receive political and financial support from Western governments. The Ukrainian army has attacked Russian checkpoints and towns and regularly bombs refugees attempting to flee the country. Russia was blamed for the destruction of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, even though the evidence suggests that the flight was shot down by the Ukrainian army. You offer humanitarian aid to the people of Luhansk and you are accused of smuggling weapons into Ukraine.3
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Books

Why indie bookstores are on the rise again

Zachary Karabell
Wealthydebates.com
Sat, 13 Sep 2014 15:05 UTC
Image
The recent news of the opening of an independent bookstore on Manhattan's Upper West Side was greeted with surprise and delight, since a neighborhood once flush with such stores had become a retail book desert. The opening coincides with the relocation of the Bank Street Bookstore near Columbia University, leading the New York Times to declare, "Print is not dead yet - at least not on the Upper West Side."

Two stores don't constitute a trend, but they do point to a quiet revival of independent bookselling in the United States. They also underscore the shifting sands of physical bookselling, where the biggest losers are not - as was once assumed - the independent booksellers, but rather the large book chains.

Comment: Thankfully, it seems that some people are still hungry for knowledge. While independent bookstores definitely fill a need, unfortunately, many books revealing the reality of our existence still can't be found there. For more information on those, have a look at these links:
Political Ponerology (A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes)
The Secret History of the World and How to Get Out Alive
Comets and the Horns of Moses
Earth Changes and the Human Cosmic Connection: The Secret History of the World - Book 3

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Pills

Suicide drug: New anti-obesity pill to help curb appetite of 78 million Americans


RT
Fri, 12 Sep 2014 10:04 UTC
Image
© Getty images
US regulators have approved a weight-loss drug called Contrave, the third type of such prescription medication introduced in over 10 years, despite carrying some possible heavy side-effects of its own.

Contrave, which won its official stamp of approval this week from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is being trumpeted as the latest wonder treatment in America's seemingly endless quest to shed weight.

However, the drug is not without possible health risks.

Produced by Orexigen Therapeutic Inc, the weight loss medication is a cocktail of two drugs, naltrexone, which is used in the treatment of alcohol and narcotic addiction, and bupropion, an antidepressant, also prescribed to people who want to quit smoking.

The FDA said the drug is approved for treatment of individuals who are considered to be clinically obese.

However, because the pill contains an antidepressant, the FDA said Contrave would carry a warning about the "risk of suicidal thoughts" when taking the medication. Experts point to the potentially hazardous drug combinations for users who may be taking other pharmaceutical drugs in addition to the new pill.
Contrave, Newest Weight Loss Option: FAQ http://t.co/h4b9ld2PAp
- WebMD (@WebMD) September 11, 2014
"Physicians prescribing these brain medications have to review patients other medications because they're frequently on antidepressants and there's an interaction," Dr. Ronald Tamler of Mount Sinai Hospital's diabetes center told AP.

Comment: Naltrexone is an opiate-blocking drug that can cause mental depression, or other mood and cognitive changes. It also can have an amphetamine effect on the body which will certainly curb your appetite. It's been reported to cause anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, or it can make you tired.

Bupropion is the generic name for Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin has been shown to cause seizures, hallucinations, hostility, thrill-seeking behavior, unexplained fear and anxiety. It also doesn't work!
  • Slap on the wrist: GlaxoSmithKline fined $3bn for laundering drugs they know won't cure you through doctors bought and sold for
  • A drug recall that should frighten us all about the FDA
Bupropion is also sold under the name Zyban which has been linked to suicides:
  • Suicide Warnings Required for Anti-Smoking Drugs
A better way to lose weight and improve your mood is to ditch the carbs and increase the fat. Carbs, once metabolized by the body, are essentially sugar and sugar is what makes you fat.
  • Low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet fuels rapid weight loss
What on earth is so wrong with being overweight anyway!? To get a better understanding of the social programming behind the idea, read Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting

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Ambulance

Detroit: 8 people shot, 2 killed in apparent family feud after prayer vigil


Detroit.cbslocal.com
Sat, 13 Sep 2014 20:21 UTC
Image
© Mike Campbell/WWJ Newsradio 950
Detroit police say a prayer vigil on the city's west side turned into a deadly family feud with several people shot, a car wreck and multiple suspects under arrest.

"It appears we have eight people shot; two in custody, fleeing the scene; five in custody at the hospital that, instead of going to show support, decided to act stupid - we had to lock them up; and we have three weapons we've recovered," Detroit Assistance Police Chief Steve Dolunt told WWJ's Mike Campbell.

The situation unfolded just before 2 a.m. Friday after a prayer vigil near Patton and Kendall streets, in a neighborhood near Outer Drive and I-96.

As the vigil was wrapping up, a vehicle drove by and a gunman opened fire on the group of people standing outside. At least eight people were struck by gunfire; one man was killed.

Maurice Westley lives behind the house where the shooting took place.

"There was a short intermission and then I heard a different type of gun going off. People were screaming and yelling and banging on doors. The shots went off, back and forth for like five minutes, or even longer," he said. "It's a mess but I'm not surprised at all, not in this neighborhood."

When officers arrived on the scene, a vehicle was speeding away from the home. Police pursued the vehicle for about two miles until it crashed into a fire hydrant and front porch of a home at Burt Road and West Chicago Avenue, near Rouge Park.

Police say a woman in the vehicle was ejected and declared dead at the scene. Another passenger who was in the back seat of the car is hospitalized in critical condition. Two other passengers were arrested.
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Pistol

State troopers ambushed outside police barracks in Blooming Grove, PA

Joe Sutton and Ed Payne
CNN
Sat, 13 Sep 2014 17:28 UTC
PA shooting bloomington grove
Two Pennsylvania State Police troopers shot late Friday night, one fatally, were ambushed just outside the police barracks in Blooming Grove, Pennsylvania, Commissioner Frank Noonan told reporters.

Investigators were interviewing a "person of interest" Saturday morning, but no arrests had been made, state police spokeswoman Trooper Connie Devens said.

Earlier, Noonan said police had no description of the shooters or any information about the motive. But Noonan said "this attack seems to be directed particularly at the Pennsylvania State Police."

The shooting happened at 10:50 p.m. Friday night.

One trooper died in the shooting. Another was wounded, had surgery and is in stable condition, Noonan said.
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