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SOTT Focus: Eyewitness in Douma: Syrian Civilians from Ground Zero Expose Chemical Weapons Hoax

Eva K. Bartlett
In Gaza and Beyond
Sun, 03 Jun 2018 19:11 UTC
douma residents duma chemical attack
© Eva BartlettResidents of Douma, after being interviewed by Eva Bartlett on April 29, 2018.
Western media keeps referring to an alleged chemical attack on Douma, Syria, as an established fact, but have yet to produce one iota of evidence from the town that, until recently, was controlled by Jaysh al-Islam.

Unverified videos, emanating from the Western-funded propaganda construct the White Helmets, do not constitute evidence, nor do testimonies taken in Turkey or Idlib, Syria, which is under terrorist rule.

On the other hand, there are many testimonies that contradict the accusations, including those of 17 Syrians from Douma (among them doctors and medical staff), who, on April 26, spoke at the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague, stating that there was no chemical attack.

Comment: That chemical weapons were present in Douma is without question. Who they belonged to and who was supplying the manufacturing materials is another matter

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SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: 'Quitaly' Highlights EU's Democratic Crisis


Sott.net
Mon, 04 Jun 2018 16:00 UTC
italy eu flag
Quitaly?
The EU's 'democratic deficit' between its institutions and the half a billion people it claims to represent has long been noted, but it was again brought into sharp focus recently by the EU's pseudo-covert rejection of Italy's proposed new coalition government. As political crises at member-state level pile further internal pressure on the EU, can this project survive the rise of 'populist' national leaders AND successfully navigate a break-up with the US?

Also discussed on this show: Trump's on/off meeting with North Korean leader, Israel's problem with Palestinians, the cancellation of popular US TV show Roseanne, Tommy Robinson's imprisonment, and MBS' whereabouts...

That's Behind the Headlines with Joe and Niall, which aired Sunday 3rd June on Sott Radio Network.


Running Time: 01:48:45

Download: MP3

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SOTT Focus: The Truth Perspective: Atheism vs. Religion: Does It Make Sense To Believe in God? - Part 1


Sott.net
Sat, 02 Jun 2018 16:00 UTC
religiones
© Desconocido
Why are humans religious? Is God just a metaphor? Why have we believed in gods? Are we just irrational? Or is there something else going on? In this first part of a two-part discussion, we take a look at the rise in atheism - even so-called Christian atheism - and whether their claims are worth taking seriously. The celebrity atheists argue that belief in God is not only wrong, it's irrational. But most of their targets are low-hanging fruit.

As philosopher R. G. Collingwood argued, atheist types are guilty of the same sin as the fundamentalists: they take the language of religion literally. By doing so, they have blocked off entire regions of fact and experience from being taken seriously and they don't end up explaining why humans are religious, or what the real meaning behind the religious imagery might be.

But even Collingwood doesn't go deep enough. Because what is the source of religious experience? What's the source of the objects of imagination? Maybe the religious worldview has something to say not only about the way we should act, but also about the nature of reality. Maybe materialism isn't the whole cosmological banana.

Tune in Saturday, 12:00 pm EDT.

Running Time: 01:10:38

Download: MP3

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2 + 2 = 4

SOTT Focus: Truth Vs Lies and Jordan Peterson

Woodsman
Sott.net
Fri, 01 Jun 2018 23:55 UTC
Munk debate Peterson
I observed an interesting dynamic at the recent Munk debate event at Toronto's Roy Thompson Hall between Jordan Peterson and Michael Dyson and Michelle Goldberg.The subject was "political correctness".

The usual outpouring of enthusiastic applause as Peterson walked on stage was conspicuously absent (there was just the polite regular amount, thank-you). Peterson is not a hometown hero, it would seem.
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Binoculars

SOTT Focus: NATO Fake News Factory: 'Russian Journalist Assassination' Hoax by Ukrainian Intelligence Linked to Criminal Arms Deal


RT
Thu, 31 May 2018 18:42 UTC
Arkady Babchenko
© Valentyn Ogirenko / ReutersRussian dissident journalist Arkady Babchenko (R) holds his own memorial portrait in Kiev, Ukraine on May 31, 2018.
It didn't take long for the story of a brave operation to prevent a Russian assassination in Kiev by faking a journalist's death to start unravelling and revealing a crude publicity stunt.

On Wednesday, Ukraine's national security service SBU shocked the world by revealing that it had staged the murder of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko. The service claimed it was necessary to foil a real large-scale plot targeting Ukraine and masterminded by the Kremlin. By Thursday the shock effect wore off, and commenters started to tear apart the story they were fed.

According to the Ukrainian law enforcement, the biggest immediate win for the SBU in the case was the arrest of a Ukrainian businessman identified as "G". He is accused of serving as an organizer of the hit on Babchenko on behalf of Russian intelligence. He did hire a man, who was actually an SBU informant, and paid him $30,000 to kill Babchenko, the story goes. The SBU published footage of the arrest as well as a video taken by a hidden camera, which showed the money changing hands.

Comment: The one thing the SBU managed to accomplish is to demonstrate that they have no problem knowingly creating fake news. And having the gall to blame Russia for fake crimes the SBU manufactured. At least there's plenty of opportunity here for humor. Case in point:


And we wouldn't be happy if Luke "Worst Journalist Ever" Harding weren't to make an appearance:
​'A terrible crime. Arkady was a fearless and brilliant journalist, the best of his generation, committed to telling uncomfortable truths', gushed Luke Harding, author of 'Collusion: How Russia helped Trump win the White House'. His tweet was retweeted over 600 times, including by some leading members of the 'Punditocracy'. 'I do not know what it is if not the terrorism. There is no other word for it', wrote one person in reply. How about fakery? That fits quite nicely, I think.

These people are idiots. And they're not the only ones. Real journalists are not impressed, to say the least:
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the Ukrainian intelligence stunt with staging the murder of journalist Arkady Babchenko, stating it damaged credibility of Kiev and harmed international journalism.

"The profession's aim is to seek the truth and ... any manipulation of information can dramatically damage media credibility as well as journalism as a whole," the IFJ said in a statement on Thursday. The staged murder of Babchenko by Ukrainian authorities, who was "killed" on May 29 only to reappear a day later during the secret service's press conference, reinforced "the idea of journalists and politicians conspiring together," the organizations' president Philippe Leruth said.

"By spreading false evidence about his murder, Ukrainian authorities have seriously eroded the credibility of information, and their communication runs the risk of being considered a propaganda operation. Was it really necessary to stage his death in order to stop an alleged attack?" Leruth wondered.

The stunt was also inappropriate due to the fact that "killers and their backers" of journalists who were indeed assassinated, such as Pavel Sheremet, have never been identified by Ukraine's authorities. While IJF condemns the killings and "fights against impunity, which benefits journalists' murderers," it also advocates transparency of information, Leruth stressed.

Moreover, the whole affair was "a complete circus orchestrated by military figures and a journalist," and it was not "simple journalistic case anymore," IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger argued. The stunt misled journalists worldwide and "millions of citizens that were rightly moved by this so-called murder," he added.

Ukrainian authorities rushed to defend the stunt, with Interior Minister Arsen Avakov stating he was surprised with "pseudo-moral" criticism from abroad and that the secret services achieved with the operation "enough ... to be satisfied."
"Pseudo-moral." That single word says it all. The criminal minds involved in this are indignant at their 'normally-supportive' allies in the West, who are peeved at them for exposing them as gullible fools.

Just imagine how far all of these cretins would have gone if the SBU had waited a week, a month, or a year before revealing that Babchenko was actually alive. All those journalists bemoaning an assassination that never happened. And yet they're insulted when people call them 'fake'. That's rich. As Neil Clark writes:
'If he hadn't turned up alive, Arkady dead would have become the thing most people called 'truth'..... No one - none of us - would think to question it. And anyone who did would be dismissed as a lunatic', Catte writes.

If Babchenko had stayed dead, then British neocons - the real lunatics in our midst - would be demanding fresh 'punishment' against Russia. There would have been renewed calls for Ofcom and/or the government to 'take action' against Russian media operating lawfully in Britain, such as RT and Sputnik. Would any mainstream politician or journalist have dared to speak out against the Russophobes? In an age where scepticism of official narratives is shamefully equated to treason- one very much doubts it. But outside of the gates of the Bastille, the people are fooled no more.


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SOTT Focus: The Health & Wellness Show: Dementia and the Absolute Terror of Losing One's Mind


Sott.net
Fri, 01 Jun 2018 15:00 UTC
elderly_drugs
Alzheimer's Dementia is an organic brain dysfunction characterized by memory impairment, declining comprehension, behavioral and mood disturbances, changes in personality, disorientation and confusion leading to a complete inability to care for the self. There are over 47.5 million people worldwide with dementia and approximately 6 million Americans have Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment. Researchers estimate that the rate of dementia will double by the year 2060. It is truly an epidemic with what seems to be multiple causes and, according to mainstream medicine, it is an absolute death sentence.

But is it? Join us for this episode of The Health and Wellness Show where we discuss this cruel affliction, the risk factors and tell-tale signs of its development. Most importantly we highlight ways to prevent it, reduce the symptoms or reverse the disease altogether.

And stay tuned for Zoya's Pet Health Segment, where she discusses the age old question: "Why do elephants never forget?"

Running Time: 00:59:18

Download: MP3

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USA

SOTT Focus: Ron Paul: Accidental Isolationism? America's Incredible Shrinking Influence

Ron Paul
Ron Paul Institute
Mon, 28 May 2018 00:00 UTC
putin petersburg
Europe - Eurasia - Asia
Just two weeks after President Trump pulled the US from the Iran nuclear agreement, his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, issued 12 demands to Iran that could never be satisfied. Pompeo knew his demands would be impossible to meet. They were designed that way. Just like Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia in July, 1914, that led to the beginning of World War I. And just like the impossible demands made of Milosevic in 1999 and of Saddam Hussein in 1991 and 2003, and so many other times when Washington wanted war. These impossible demands are tools of war rather than steps toward peace.

Secretary Pompeo raged at Iran. The mainstream news media raged at Iran. Trump raged at Iran. But then a strange thing happened: nothing. The Iranians announced that they remained committed to diplomacy and would continue to uphold their end of the nuclear agreement if the Europeans and other partners were willing to do the same. Iranian and European officials then sought out contacts in defiance of Washington in hopes of preserving mutually-beneficial emerging commercial relations.

Washington responded to the European snub by threatening secondary sanctions on European companies that continued doing business with an Iran that had repeatedly been found in compliance with its end of the bargain. Any independent European relationship with Iran would be punished, Washington threatened. But then, again, very little happened.

Comment: Short, sweet and to the point.

Ron Paul is the president Americans should have had but couldn't have because normal folk need not apply.

No matter; Trump's bellicosity - whether he intends it or not - is bringing about Ron Paul's vision for America: a return to isolationism, aka 'Being a Normal Country'.

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Gold Seal

SOTT Focus: Stephen F. Cohen on the New US-Russian Cold War - Who is to Blame?

Stephen F. Cohen
The Nation
Wed, 16 May 2018 21:16 UTC
Russian Matryoshka dolls
© Denis Sinyakov / ReutersRussian Matryoshka dolls on display at a market in Moscow July 3, 2009
Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics at NYU and Princeton, and John Batchelor continue their (usually) weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (You can find previous installments of these conversations, now in their fifth year, at TheNation.com.)

On May 9, at a public event jointly sponsored by Columbia University's Harriman Institute and NYU's Jordan Center for Advanced Russian Studies, Cohen and McFaul-a Stanford University professor and previously President Obama's top Russia adviser in the White House and then his ambassador to Moscow-debated a crucial historical but also urgent contemporary subject: "The New US-Russian Cold War-Who Is to Blame?" Cohen argues that unwise American policies since the 1990s have been largely responsible. McFaul, drawing on themes in his new book, From Cold War to Hot Peace, argues that Russia's leader since 2000, Vladimir Putin, is to blame. (A video of the full debate can be seen here.)

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Cloud Precipitation

SOTT Focus: Floods Everywhere: Europe Battered By Sheets Of Rain, Hail and Thunderstorms

Bahar Azizi
Sott.net
Wed, 30 May 2018 12:49 UTC
mudslide
© Facebook/Jeannette Quadvlieg-van DamMuddy waters enter a house in the Dutch province of Limburg
The Dutch southern province of Limburg was hit by torrential rains and hail on Tuesday May 22nd. Streets, basements, and highways were flooded as a result. A couple of days ago, torrential rains hit the region for a second time, this time causing mud flows.

The deluge of mud hit primarily in the Dutch villages of Berg and Terblijt. Muddy waters reached some of the houses, causing damage. Other villages near the Dutch city of Maastricht, as well as the villages Bemelen and Cadier en Keer also reported serious flooding. According to the Dutch national weather forecasting service, between 20 and 44 mm of rain fell in a very short period of time.

The events in Holland were just one small example of widespread flooding that hit many areas of Europe. Over the past week, areas of Belgium, France, Germany, the UK, Spain and Italy were all inundated as a result of intense localized downpours.
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Cards

SOTT Focus: Irrelevant Elections? Colombia Joins NATO on Eve of Presidential Vote

Alejandro Rodríguez
Sott.net
Tue, 29 May 2018 15:33 UTC
On May 27th, Colombian citizens cast their ballots to elect their next president, with the result producing no majority winner and thus sparking a run-off vote. As is the case during political campaigns these days, numerous political strategies and narratives have been pushed by the media and are proliferating on social networks. Prior to the second round, which takes place on June 17th, I wanted to share a few observations.
santos nato colombia
"I'm leaving, but nothing's changing, so go ahead and vote!"
One theme in particular has been rather prominent. For years now, comparing Colombia to Venezuela, and scaring the population into thinking "well, we don't want to end up with a Chavez or a Maduro" has been a popular political sales pitch.

Given the campaign promises and political origins of some of the candidates, the possibility of taking the country towards a socialist system - which would be a first for Colombia - might in other circumstances be a credible scenario. However, there are subtle (and not so subtle) details that make such a radical change in the the country's ultra-Yankee outlook quite impossible.
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