Society's Child

Russian military: Jaysh al-Islam militants start evacuating from E. Ghouta

RT
Mon, 02 Apr 2018 08:39 UTC

© Bassam Khabieh / Reuters
Rebels pray before they are evacuated from the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria April 1, 2018

Militants from Jaysh al-Islam have agreed to leave the enclave of eastern Ghouta near Damascus, Syria. They will have to clear barricades and provide maps of minefields they had laid in the area.

The Reconciliation Center in Syria, tasked by the Russian Defense Ministry with restoring stability in the war-torn country, says "a preliminary agreement has been reached for extremists from the Jaysh al-Islam group to leave eastern Ghouta."

Jaysh al-Islam is one of the last major militant groups holding out in Douma, a major city in the eastern Ghouta area. The group has been accused of using terrorist tactics by Russia and Syria, including the use of civilians as human shields.

Comment: Earlier, a source familiar with the matter said to Sputnik that four major cities of the embattled Damascus suburb had been freed from the terrorists.

The Syrian army's command has said that its forces have liberated all the territory of Eastern Ghouta, including cities and settlements.

"After a series of carefully planned battles and military operations conducted by our armed forces with the help of friendly and allied forces, control over all the cities and settlements of the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta has been restored," the army stated.

We're in a time of great transition - watch and see

Doug "Uncola" Lynn
The Toll Online
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 00:00 UTC

Like the weather when a storm approaches, or as the seasons turn, or waves pounding on a shoreline, any deviations are measured and compared by speed and intensity. The same can be said for headlines: Omnibus, discouraged Deplorables, rumors of war, prospects of peace, economic bubbles, fluctuating markets, and political intrigue. Round and round it goes; when it ends, nobody knows. It's a time of transition; and when traveling over mountaintops, through valleys, and on rough seas, no one has all of the answers.

Even when looking at maps.

The books, Generations (1992) and The Fourth Turning (1997), were written by the historians William Strauss and Neil Howe. These recent explorers identified recorded cycles of history and categorized them across multiple cultures and eras. In both books, historical timelines were analyzed and populations were correlated to specific life-cycles labeled as generational types. Strauss and Howe additionally addressed the concept of time in the context of both circular and linear perspectives and defined what is called a "saeculum" as a "long human life" measuring roughly 80 to 90 years. Every saeculum is comprised of four turnings, each lasting around 20 years.

'Leading expert' on Russia falls for April Fool's joke about Belarus expelling Moscow diplomats

RT
Mon, 02 Apr 2018 01:49 UTC

Anders Aslund's deep knowledge of Eastern European politics was no match for April Fool's, when the supposedly all-knowing Russia commentator fruitlessly cheered fake news about Belarus expelling Russian diplomats.

Aslund, who was presented by the American think tank the Atlantic Council as a "leading specialist" on Russian economic policy and Eastern Europe in general, has been featured on the BBC, CNN and the Washington Post as a commentator on Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration.

In 1999, he predicted the imminent collapse of Russia (something he is still waiting for). Now, in 2018, Aslund appears to have been left slightly red-faced after he provided online commentary on a breaking news prank regarding further expulsions for Russian diplomats.

Plastic surgeon: People who want to look like Barbie, Ken need psychotherapist

Sputnik
Sun, 01 Apr 2018 23:52 UTC

More and more people in Italy are asking plastic surgeons to make them look like Barbie or Ken. Carlo Gasperoni, an associate professor in aesthetic surgery at the University of Rome Tor Vergata commented on the issue in an interview with Sputnik.

Psychological problems are the main factor behind people's desire to undergo plastic surgery in order to look like dolls, Italian surgeon Carlo Gasperoni believes.

Comment:

Jewish activists from Labour party defend Jeremy Corbyn as the Israel lobby attacks

Asa Winstanley
The Electronic Intifada
Mon, 26 Mar 2018 00:00 UTC

© TLA Newscom
Jeremy Corbyn speaking against the 2009 Israeli bombing of Gaza. An estimated 50,000 people demonstrated in London.

Jewish Labour activists demonstrated in support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday afternoon in London.

Left-wing group Jewish Voice for Labour has praised Corbyn's "consistent commitment to anti-racism" and condemned current right-wing attacks.

The show of support comes after two Israel lobby groups issued a call on Sunday to demonstrate against alleged anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, for which they hold Corbyn responsible.

But Jewish Voice for Labour has called an emergency rally as a counter-demonstration, accusing the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council of "playing party politics" ahead of May's local elections.

Mick Davis, chief executive of the ruling Conservative Party, is former chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council - a leading part of the UK's Israel lobby.

On Monday morning's edition of BBC Radio 4's flagship Today program, the Jewish Leadership Council's current chairperson Jonathan Goldstein issued an unprecedented personal attack on Corbyn.

Goldstein claimed that "Jeremy Corbyn is now the figurehead for an anti-Semitic political culture, based upon obsessive hatred of Israel, conspiracy theories and fake news."

Comment: Corbyn's growing power as a reasonable, articulate voice for non-imperialism must be stopped at all costs. However desperate, smearing Corbyn with the 'anti-semitic' label is merely another emotionally charged tool being used to delegitimize him and all he stands for.

Systematic segregation and racism is the norm in Israel

Jonathan Cook
Middle East Eye
Thu, 29 Mar 2018 13:55 UTC

Town freezes new housing project to stop entry of Palestinian citizens. But the mayor insists he's not racist

How would you describe a white town in a southern state in the United States that froze the tender for plots of land in a new neighbourhood because it risked allowing blacks to move in? As racist? What would you think of the town's mayor for claiming the decision was taken in the interests of preserving the "white character" of his community? That he was a bigot?

And how would you characterise the policy of the state in which this town was located if it enforced almost complete segregation between whites and blacks, ghettoising the black population? As apartheid, or maybe Jim Crow?

And yet, replace the word "white" with "Jewish" and this describes what has just happened in Kfar Vradim, a small town of 6,000 residents in the Galilee, in Israel's north. More disturbing still, Vradim's policy cannot be judged in isolation. It is a reflection of how Israeli society has been intentionally structured for decades.

'Shut it down!' Thousands demand closure of toxic landfill in Moscow Region

RT
Sun, 01 Apr 2018 18:06 UTC

Thousands took to the streets of the Moscow region town of Volokolamsk on Sunday as locals continued protesting against a leaking waste depot nearby, blaming authorities for not doing enough to solve the crisis.

Around 6,000 people took part in the rally in the center of Volokolamsk, Mayor Petr Lazarev said. The turnout was considered large given that the town, located some 130km northwest of Moscow, has a population of just 23,000.

Protesters of all ages chanted "Shut it down!" demanding the closure of the local Yadrovo waste-deposit site, which has been leaking landfill gas in recent months and was linked to illness among nearly 60 children in March. There were also calls for the resignation of acting Volokolamsk District head Andrey Vikharev, and the release of protest leader, Artyon Lyubimov, who was detained for disobeying police orders of Saturday.

"We want Yadrovo to be shut down. We want to breathe clean air. We don't want our kids and us to be sick. Living here is simply impossible due to the awful smell," one of the protesters told RT.

Mainstream media says in unison: 'This is extremely dangerous to our democracy'

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Sun, 01 Apr 2018 15:55 UTC

When the propaganda 'snake' starts eating its own scripted 'tail' you know the end is close...

Paul Joseph Watson shows how mainstream media outlets are gushing the same prepared rhetoric about fake news, warning viewers to trust 'them' and not 'the other fake news media'...

MSNBC and CNN employ lying CIA apologists to spin intelligence stories

Mel Goodman
Counterpunch
Sun, 01 Apr 2018 20:56 UTC

MSNBC prides itself for progressive reporting on national security issues but continues to use apologists for the Central Intelligence Agency in reporting on key intelligence issues. The network's reliance on former deputy director of the CIA John McLaughlin is an excellent example of the skewed and tailored information that it offers to viewers on matters dealing with CIA. McLaughlin, a former colleague of mine at the CIA who I remember as an amateur magician, regularly pulls the wool over the eyes of such MSNBC veterans as Andrea Mitchell.

The most recent example took place over the past several days, when McLaughlin made the case for confirmation of Gina Haspel as the first woman to become director of the CIA. McLaughlin and former CIA directors Leon Panetta and John Brennan referred to Haspel as a "seasoned veteran" who had the support of senior CIA leaders. Perhaps MSNBC should acknowledge the fact that Deputy Director McLaughlin was Haspel's boss during this terrible period in American history.

Comment: Yet another reason to tune out the MSM.There are better source of information out there.

China's four-decade plan made it the world's strongest economy

Peter Wong
South China Morning Post
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 11:03 UTC

Within our lifetimes, China has transformed from an agrarian economy to a world-beating digital and consumption-led powerhouse, driven by smartphone-wallet shoppers.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's economic reform and opening. In December 1978, China's "open door" policy signposted a turning point in its economic management and trajectory.

Over the period, the character of China's economic management has evolved from being strictly centrally planned, export oriented and state led to one that is more market led and oriented towards domestic consumption.

China's gross domestic product has achieved an average annual growth rate of 10 per cent in the past 40 years - three times the rate in the United States over the same period.

Comment: The opposite of what is going on in the US, hence: US-China trade war: Trump imposes $60bn in tariffs - China vows to retaliate - US says 'buy more American gas' to avoid more tariffs

Comment: See:

Also check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: 'Containing' Russia-China and Global Economic Collapse