On our weekly radio show last Sunday, I commented that the response from the U.S. and its Western allies to Russia's launch of an actual war on terrorism in Syria has been largely silence, deafening silence, a bit like Netanyahu's 'silence spectacle' at the UN recently, only even more deafening. So deafening in fact, that it came full circle and I began to hear something.

At first it was just a mealy-mouthed American-accented, 'Russia is making things worse'. But it quickly grew in strength to announce in a Queen's English accent, "we're bombing ISIS too you know!" And before long it had become a cacophonous coprocopia about Russia "killing innocent civilians in Syria" and, most recently, "dangerously invading the airspace" of our NATO ally Turkey.

Still, it was, and is, all 'sound and fury', because the bottom line is that U.S. has had its 'war on terror' bluff called in spectacular fashion by Russia and there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that the terror masterminds in Washington and Langley can do about it, short of declaring war on Russia.

The only more or less honest statements about Russia's move into Syria from the West have come from the same person, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, head of U.S. European Command. Speaking on Sept. 28th at a meeting in Berlin of the 'German Marshall Fund' - a US think tank that commemorates the Marshall Plan, an initiative through which the USA gained economic control over most of Western Europe after WW2 - Breedlove said that Russia had installed "very sophisticated air defense capabilities/anti-access area denial" that were not aimed at the Islamic State but "about something else". Of course, "something else" here means "NATO bombs".

99% of the people on this planet have an entirely false understanding of how the world really works and, therefore, they totally misunderstand the true meaning and significance of major events that transpire on the political, social and environmental stages. This misunderstanding is the result of the deliberate dissemination of lies and propaganda by people in positions of power and the mainstream media that propagates these lies and propaganda.

In the two weeks since Russia began bombing ISIS positions in Syria from its airbase in Latakia, the mainstream media, both in the West and in Russia, has crafted a narrative about why this is happening. The Western narrative is that Russia is attempting to support the Assad government. The Russian perspective is that the West has not been effective in defeating the terror group and therefore the Russian military was required to get the job done. While both of these narratives describe basic truths of the situation, the true implications of, and background to Russia's moves in Syria are completely edited out and hidden from the global public record.

Suffice to say that the actions of the Russian government and military over the past few years have massive ramifications for the current world order. It is not an exaggeration to say that the world as we have all know it for 100+ years is on the brink of a profound change. Want to know what that change will involve, and how?

Join your hosts this Sunday Oct. 11th 2015, 2-4pm EST - 8-10pm CET, for the inside scoop that you won't hear anywhere else.

Running Time: 02:17:00

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Broadcasting from deep in the heart of the American Empire, join your host Elan Martin, and fellow Sott.net editors, as they discuss everything from current events and the latest machinations and manipulations of the global elite to history, science, and religion, and how it all fits together.

Propaganda has reached new hieghts in the information age. After decades of psychological study and experiementation, our media has honed their disinformation skills by exploiting the weaknesses of the human mind. We're faced with an information war that shapes public opinion and world events. Those lacking an understanding of our vulnerabilities are open to manipulation and deception, leading the world further into chaos. Join us today as we discuss the rampent propaganda in the media and how we might win the battle for our minds by recognizing our cognitive bias.

The Truth Perspective is brought to you by the SOTT Radio Network and SOTT.net, your one-stop source for independent, unbiased, alternative news and commentary on world events.

Live every Saturday from 2-4pm EST / 11am-1pm PST / 8-10pm CET.

Running Time: 02:12:00

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Here's the transcript of the show:

Exercise: What are the benefits? How much is too much? What's the best type? Does exercise have mental health benefits? Join us in our show today where we'll be discussing cardio vs strength training, Crossfit, Superslow, MovNat, Yoga and more. We'll dive into exercise's effects on the mind, body and spirit as well as the importance of play in adults.

Included, as always, will be Zoya's Pet Health Segment.

Join us live, Fridays at 10am EST!

Running Time: 01:47:00

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No matter the season or 'normal' climate, these days vehicles, homes and people are being washed away in deluges - the world over - on a regular basis. Forget "one month's average rainfall falling within hours" - last month, TWO MONTHS' average rainfall fell within a day and turned parts of southern Japan into inland seas. In the US, Utah experienced its worst ever flash-flooding, and the entire Eastern Seaboard was soaked with up to a foot of rain. This month, we also have clips of deluges in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Norway, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Sierra Leone, and New Zealand.

Violent volcanic eruptions in Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Indonesia foreshadowed a massive 8.3 magnitude earthquake off Chile, which sent a 4.5 meter tsunami crashing into the coast and causing widespread damage. Hailstones the size of footballs fell in Naples, Italy. Brisbane, Australia, was buried in up to 4 inches (8cm) of hail, while a gigantic hole opened up on a nearby beach and swallowed a campsite. The rate of meteor fireball sightings continues to increase; in September there were spectacular sightings over Bangkok and Los Angeles.

Wildfires continue burning up much of California, which last month saw its 'third-largest' wildfire in history as whole towns were consumed and tens of thousands of residents were forced to flee. The other major outbreak of wildfires on the planet in September occurred in Indonesia, from where a smoky haze enveloped much of southeast Asia for the second time in three years. 'Slash-and-burn' farming is being blamed, but the fires occur in peatlands that release lots of methane, leaving us wondering if the primary fuel source for these fires is coming up from below.

Extreme weather also hit the Middle East, which was engulfed in an 'unprecedented' sandstorm that stretched from Iraq to Cyprus and south to Saudi Arabia. A tragic and incredibly symbolic event occurred in the heart of Islam's 'holy city' on the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, when a powerful and unusual thunderstorm descended on Mecca and winds blew a large construction crane belonging to Bin Laden Construction onto the Grand Mosque. 111 people were killed and hundreds more injured.

These were the signs of the times in September 2015...

This week on Behind the Headlines your regular hosts, Joe Quinn and Niall Bradley, are once again joined by 'The Truth Perspective' host, Harrison Koehli.

Putin's Russia shocked the world, and Western elites, with their lightning fast move to fight ISIS in Syria. Caught off guard, the American empire is further demonizing Putin and Russia in the process in a desperate bid to save face. But they don't have a leg to stand on. From the shredded tatters of democracy on US soil to the transparent joke of a foreign 'War on Terror', decades of imperial hubris have left them wide open to having the entire facade crumble. The resurgence of Russia has exposed the man behind the curtain, and the US has nowhere to go but down.

But what's the real deal in Syria and the wider Middle East? Why is it so important to Russia to defend Assad and why has the West turned on Assad like they turned on Gaddafi?

For the answers to these questions and more, join us this Sunday October 4th 2015, 2-4pm EST - 8-10pm CET.

Running Time: 02:15:00

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Broadcasting from deep in the heart of the American Empire, join your host Elan Martin, and fellow Sott.net editors, as they discuss everything from current events and the latest machinations and manipulations of the global elite to history, science, and religion, and how it all fits together.

After nearly four years of Syria being attacked by proxy ISIS terror forces and creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades, Russia and its allies have stepped in and announced to the world that it will be addressing the problem head-on. Russia's proactive stance has left much of the Western powers reeling, and the people of Syria cheering. Join us as we look at the developments that are bound to profoundly change the geopolitical landscape, and set the world on a new course of awareness of the real problems we are seeing.

The Truth Perspective is brought to you by the SOTT Radio Network and SOTT.net, your one-stop source for independent, unbiased, alternative news and commentary on world events.

Live every Saturday from 2-4pm EST / 11am-1pm PST / 8-10pm CET.

Running Time: 02:04:00

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"I believe the perception caused by civilian casualties is one of the most dangerous enemies we face."

- U.S. General Stanley A. McCrystal in his inaugural speech as ISAF Commander in June 2009.

The dust had hardly settled on Russian airstrikes on ISIS positions in Syria before Western media reports claimed that 'civilians' had been killed "including women and children".

Leaving aside the dubious nature of these allegations - the first of which was made before Russian airstrikes had even begun, according to Putin - Western propaganda outlets and the politicians they serve are in no position to point the finger at Russia over any purported "collateral damage".

Comparing recent BBC headlines with BBC headlines from 4 years ago when NATO obliterated several cities in Libya, you could be forgiven for thinking that BBC journalists and editors have only now realised that bombs kill people, in particular Russian bombs (the British, French and American variety only ever killing 'bad guys' with 'pin-point accuracy').

We recently wrote about the 'parade of horribles' in Syria attributed to Assad's forces all coming from one primary source: the 'Syrian Observatory for Human Rights' (SOHR), an 'opposition group' run by a Syrian 'expat' living in Coventry, England. RT has since picked up the trail of the elusive 'Rami Abdulrahman' and his fantastic claims about events in Syria:


From the moment Russia launched airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria on September 30th, Abdulrahman's word was again repeated as fact across Western media, this time providing the claim that the initial wave of Russian airstrikes against terrorist sites had killed 36 Syrian civilians. Abdulrahman's powers of observation appear to be so astute that he 'confirmed' those civilian deaths before the airstrikes even began.

Far from being "isolated by the international community", as Obama claimed in New York City on Monday, Putin arrived today in Paris for talks with French president Hollande and German chancellor Merkel - ostensibly to discuss next steps for peace in Ukraine, but Russia's intervention in Syria and the systemic shift in the global balance of power it heralds will probably be top of their agenda.

'ISIS', meanwhile, has reacted to the airstrikes by posting a tweet warning 'Death to Putin: We are coming #soon' with a picture of the Kremlin in flames. Note the logo top-left: we once again have private US-Israeli SITE intelligence group to thank for 'speaking on behalf of the terrorists'...

Putin's strategy in Syria has worked like a charm. First, there were around 2 weeks of murky, rumor-filled reports of a build-up of Russian military activity in Tartus and Latakia, Syria. Some were false, some had a seed of truth, but it got everyone talking -- this at the same time that Western media was hyping the refugee crisis and the danger of ISIS 'infiltrating Europe'. Second, there was talk of a new coalition to fight ISIS. This irked the West: Russian assistance in Latakia makes any no-fly zone in Syria a no-go. And a real coalition risks actually defeating ISIS, which the West doesn't really want. (They were counting on ISIS as the means or pretext of taking out Assad.) Now, quick on the heels of Putin's talk at the UN and his meeting with Obama, Russia has begun airstrikes in Syria using the West's own pretext - the threat of radicalized nationals 'returning home' . (Of course, Russia has other reasons for going to Syria, too.)

Already, after just one day of airstrikes, the U.S. has pretty much folded, stating that they are stopping any additional training of radical Syrian jihadis, and 'adjusting' their policy regarding Assad, at least temporarily. News is coming fast, so here are a few of the highlights from the past two days. (Check out Joe Quinn's SOTT Focus for some real gems from yesterday's news.)

Russian Defense Ministry releases video of first day's airstrikes (Russian TASS - Sept. 30)

The footage shows what Russia identifies as ISIS command posts, destroying ammunition depots, weapons, fuel, and military equipment storage in the mountainous areas. As noted by Defense Ministry-General Major Igor Konashenkov, "all strikes were done after aerial reconnaissance and better clarify the data obtained from the headquarters of the Syrian army. According to him, Russian aircraft and weapons have not been used in the vicinity of civilian infrastructure."