thereisonly14

sciencesoup: Bioluminescent Invasion In the Australian summer...

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 22:12:22 -0400

Bioluminescent Invasion

In the Australian summer of 2008–2009, the shores of the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria were awash with an algae known as Noctiluca scintillans. A remarkable chain of events led to this never-seen-before occurence. In 2006, Victoria suffered from alpine bushfires that ravished over a million hectares for 69 days, including the catchment for the chain of Gippsland Lakes. Torrential rainfall followed the fires, causing a once-in-a-century flood that washed ash and nitrogen-rich soil from the bushfire into the lakes, increasing salinity and leading to an outbreak of the Synechococcus algae. This only gave the water a disconcerting greenish tinge, but soon a new species arose, Noctiluca Scintillans, which began to prosper by feeding on the Synechococcus. At night it produced a brilliant form of bioluminescence, glowing whenever the water was disturbed, such as when waves washed on the shore or ripples broke the surface. Phil Hart, a specialist in astrophotography and a long-time visitor to the lake, captured the amazing phenomenon.

.Ao10a)=

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 22:49:07 -0400

Today I came to the conclusion all these thoughts and no where near fusion, sitting on the sidelines watching lists of guidelines, I don’t understand your rules, looks can be deceiving but we’re not all tools, some of us see what you are, the lines you draw what’s good for one isn’t good for all, it’s all for you, the more you show the less you do, trying to find reasons is like trying to stop seasons, I can’t make out where your faith comes from, conflicting pictures produced by your perception of scripture, instead of figuring out what underlies why not read with your fucking eyes, again it’s only good if it doesn’t benefit everyone, if it feeds and clothes yours but starves and kills my son, or hers or his, only sense in this, is greed and hate, filling your plates, hiding behind your god or flags you don’t even believe in, it’s you who’s getting raped the rest of us are leavin. Further attempts to…. Bye for now. Got sense.

.death.

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:32:40 -0400

So here I am again. I spent my twenties in a band delivering flowers, running gas lines, doing construction, having kids, and becoming a heroin addict. The band broke up, I quit the flower shop, got fired from a couple construction jobs and the gas line company went out of business. I never had a problem continuing my heroin addiction though. I did manage to stop at three kids although later a bitch killed a baby of mine. I’m pro choice but the circumstances were really fucked up which seems to strengthen my anger at her choice to do so. Now I’m in my late thirties. I’ve spent four of those years behind bars. Most of which were important years to my kids. The last years of those days when they want to spend time with their parents. Now my kids are teens. One of which has the mentality of a 5 or 6 years old the result of a rare disorder than causes any number of problems mental growth being one of them. That’s the youngest. The oldest has managed to graduate high school on time something me or her mother couldn’t or didn’t accomplish which is something to be proud of. The middle child, my son. He’s been on the run now for about 5 days from the cops for leaving the house after being placed on house arrest. I realize now this is my fault. I’m a horrible father and I never should have been allowed to have children. Maybe I never should have been allowed to continued living after the way I treated my teen years. The past few months I’ve been reawakened to the shitty state of this world. Maybe that has kept me sidetracked from watching what has been going on with my son, further evidence that I’m lacking in my ability to be a good decent functioning parent. I used to think that if I could go back I would do better in school or try harder to find something I was really interested in career wise. Today I think, I would avoid meeting my kids mother. I would avoid causing all the pain I have caused her and my kids. When I first went to jail, my ex was forced to live in all sorts of places with people she wouldn’t have ended up with had I not been so fucking stupid. This time, it was thanks giving 2003, I make a phone call to my mother in law, who normally would three way a call to Colorado so I could talk to my kids. This night when I call I find out that I can’t talk to the kids they aren’t there. The two youngest are at a babysitters, while my oldest who was ten at the time was at the hospital being tested for rape. While I was sitting in jail, and her mom was at work, her uncle Ed Turner raped my ten year old girl, his niece. This is my fault. My son being the way he is is my fault. I am a horrible father and someone should shoot me. Further attempts to…. Bye for now. Got bullets.

Opera browser unblocks the Pirate Bay #TPB

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:32:18 -0400

Opera browser unblocks the Pirate Bay #TPB:

anonymissexpress:

In 2006 Opera was the first browser to include BitTorrent support. Recently, it has introduced a new feature for BitTorrent users. Opera is offering a “Turbo” service, which makes web pages load a lot faster on a slower connection by compressing compressible files on the pages you are trying to load.

“When Opera Turbo is enabled, webpages are compressed via Opera’s servers so that they use much less data than the originals. This means that there is less to download, so you can see your webpages more quickly,” Opera explains.

You may be thinking what has that got to do with torrent users? Well, when enabling Turbo mode in Opera, The Pirate Bay loads fine for those users whose ISP blocks The Pirate Bay. So if you’re struggling to get online with the Pirate Bay then Opera could be for you, if you want a hassle-free integrated solution. Or you could just use one of the thousands of proxies and workarounds available on the internet currently if you’d rather not use Opera as your browser.

Opera browser unblocks the Pirate Bay

Anonymous Pr

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:30:54 -0400

Anonymous Pr:

Please watch and reblog and spread everywhere you are able.

#Anonymous, Jr.: #German police search scores of underage ‘hackers’

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:34:46 -0400

#Anonymous, Jr.: #German police search scores of underage ‘hackers’:

anonymissexpress:

By Thomas Peter, 14 June, 2012

German police have carried out a massive operation targeting people connected to a DDoS attack by hacktivist group Anonymous. Surprisingly, the majority of the hundred or so suspects turned out to be underage.

Police have conducted searches in the houses of some 106 individuals suspected of being involved into the Anonymous attack on the website of GEMA, a company protecting copyright laws.

According to police, for many parents, the police visit came as a big surprise, leading to a tough talk with their kids.

The organizer behind the attack on GEMA was a user calling himself AnonLulz, who on December 17 published a script that allowed sending multiple simultaneous requests to the website to disrupt its services.

Although the attack failed, the website was significantly slowed down.

All those who used the script have been considered by police as suspects in the case.

Police initiated a criminal case into the incident on charges of computer sabotage. In Germany, such a crime is punished by a fine or jail sentence.

It was also reported that Anonymous representatives are now offering legal assistance to all suspects.

The German branch of the group has written on its Twitter account that “innocents have been raided.”

The very fact that the IP addresses of the attackers were easily traceable also speaks against the presumption that those suspected belong to Anonymous.

Anonymous, a group of online activists that originated in the early 2000s, regularly attacks websites of different institutions all over the world. The group usually confirms or refutes its involvement via Twitter. Since the beginning of this year, Anonymous has claimed responsibility for attacking websites of such high profile organizations as the CIA, Interpol and the FBI.

Anonymous, Jr.: German police search scores of underage ‘hackers’ — RT

a.

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 23:26:53 -0400

There is no one close for me to care about so I just care about everything and go without. I see this I say to those that read, no matter it seems for they pay no heed. I’m alone in my head, my world, all around, it’s hard to fly when you’re not quite on the ground. Further attempts to….Bye for now. Got clothes.

Anonymiss Express: Race To Oblivion: How people are led to war? #antishock

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 11:07:12 -0400

Anonymiss Express: Race To Oblivion: How people are led to war? #antishock:

anonymissexpress:

The above vids may contain “old news” but this eerily resembles the propaganda moves the MIC (Military-Industrial-Complex) is making with regard to Syria now. A president sets intent to go to war, and from that time on, people have to deal with rationalization and justification for the war…

The American police state takes a major step forward with passage of bill accelerating integration of drones into American airspace #policestate

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 11:06:39 -0400

The American police state takes a major step forward with passage of bill accelerating integration of drones into American airspace #policestate:

On February 8, 2012, the President of the United States of America was presented with H.R.658, also known as the “FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act.”

On February 3 the House agreed to the conference report with a vote of 258-169 and on February 6, the Senate agreed to the conference report by a vote of 75-20.

This legislation, which was covered sparingly in the establishment media for reasons which will likely become quite obvious, includes some troubling provisions regarding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, better known simply as drones) in the United States.

Section 320 states that the legislation, “Requires the FAA Administrator to: (1) develop plans to accelerate the integration of unmanned aerial systems into the National Airspace System, and (2) report to Congress on progress made in establishing special use airspace for the DOD to develop detection techniques for small unmanned aerial vehicles and to validate sensor integration and operation of unmanned aerial systems.”

This section addresses both the increasing use of drones over America, which is obviously being accelerated, along with the Department of Defense’s efforts to develop systems to detect small drones and coordinate the sensor integration and operation of drones.

The same section also directs the Secretary of the Department of Defense to create a process to develop certification and flight standards which will be used for military drones at certain test sites.

The increasing use of drones in the United States, before this legislation was even passed, has been a matter of great concern for me along with many other analysts who have been keeping tabs on the issue.

Previously I have covered how drones can be used to track individuals over great distances, even tracking who they associate with and when, along with creating so-called “threat assessments” based on biometric information. These threat assessments effectively criminalize individuals before anything illegal is actually done, by detecting (or at least supposedly detecting) malicious intent.

There was also the case in North Dakota where a military drone, in this case the Predator B, was launched form an Air Force Base to assist police in finding and arrested suspects. This case obviously had sweeping implications due to the fact that it heavily blurred what used to be quite clear lines between law enforcement and the military.

This effectively circumvents the Posse Comitatus Act, something which is a disconcerting prospect for many individuals in the United States who believe in liberty and a constitutional government.

With the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, or simply the NDAA as it is better known, the military has gained unprecedented new powers to detain Americans indefinitely without charge or trial based on nothing more than suspicion.

The American police state is growing in many ways, but the increasing use of the military on United States soil and the acceleration of the integration of drones – both military and civilian – is one of the most concerning.

The number of drones which could be operating in the American airspace is nothing short of astounding. Indeed the Washington Times reports that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has projected that some 30,000 drones could be flying over our country by 2020.

Seeing how the Obama administration refuses to even explain why they think they have the ability to kill American citizens with drones without any due process whatsoever, I find this quite troubling indeed.

There is essentially nothing keeping the Obama administration and future administrations from killing Americans with drones – in America no less – and then claiming it is a state secret and thus refusing to even confirm that the program exists, all while admitting it does whenever it is advantageous to do so.

With just about everyone in the United States being classified as a possible terrorist (while the definitions become even broader with every government-sponsored report made publicly available) I do not think it is out of line to be concerned about how this newest development might end up rearing its ugly head.

Even if armed drones are never utilized in the United States – a possibility which I am hesitant to get behind given the precedents set by our criminal government – there are grave implications for the privacy of Americans and our most essential civil liberties like the right to free association and unreasonable search and seizure as protected by the Fourth Amendment.

Indeed if surveillance drones are deployed over the United States it would be quite easy for the government or private entities to track the movements of individuals including their daily routine, who they associate with and just about anything else.

The problem here is that there is no need for probable cause or any semblance of justification in order to authorize the surveillance of a suspect. This spells the total loss of privacy in America with the ultimate decision making left up to unaccountable, faceless bureaucrats.

Consider the new drone sensor which is able to capture 36 square miles in a single blink of its powerful camera. This could monitor entire cities with ease and track multiple individuals over an extensive area.

Technology like this could be utilized in conjunction with facial recognition and biometric databases along with threat assessments in order to create lists of people participating in demonstrations, rallies, meetings, or other gatherings which the government might not approve of.

This would greatly increase the ease with which the government can identify and harass individuals who the government might think are possible terrorists, and of course the criteria for this designation is constantly expanded to the point of absurdity.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has echoed my concerns, writing, “Unfortunately, nothing in the bill would address the very serious privacy issues raised by drone aircraft. This bill would push the nation willy-nilly toward an era of aerial surveillance without any steps to protect the traditional privacy that Americans have always enjoyed and expected.”

The privacy concerns are nearly endless, along with the considerable questions it raises in the realm of civil liberties and the slow descent of the United States into a comprehensive surveillance state in which nothing you say or do is not recorded somewhere for later recall should it be desired.

[…]

I find the approval of civilian use of drones almost as worrisome as law enforcement and military applications in the United States, mostly due to behemoth corporations with strong government ties like Google.

Google’s role as a Big Brother intelligence gathering tool just got much bigger with their new privacy policy, and considering their nearly incomprehensible resources and intimate relationship with intelligence agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA), their usage of drones could mean an entirely unheard of level of surveillance conducted by the private sector.

Indeed considering that Google has been busted “accidentally” collecting data from Wi-Fi networks with their Google Street View cars in the past, there are some concerns about what exactly they might collect using newly available drone technology.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has done a phenomenal job of tracking the Google Street View controversy and all that is involved, all of which should be considered when analyzing the potential of Google-owned-and-operated drones.

In Forbes, Kashmir Hill actually raises this prospect in writing, “a company such as Google for example could finally buy drones and use them for mapping purposes. Yes, we may finally have Google Street Drone View.”

Finally? I didn’t know that people were yearning for a Google Street Drone View, nor am I quite sure why such a thing would ever be necessary given the satellite images one can already display over maps along with Google Earth.

Then again, I never cease to be amazed by the excitement with which people will watch their privacy stripped away, especially if there is something “cool” involved.

This is especially true in my generation, where people are quick to hand over every tiny scrap of privacy they have left with the reliance on technology like smartphones – most of which are equipped with the Carrier IQ monitoring software – and social networks like Facebook which Dr. Richard Stallman recently called “a surveillance engine.”

In the United States government’s quest to monitor, track and analyze everything done across the entire world, this new legislation could prove invaluable.

[…]

Read full article.

What Israel’s anti-African pogroms tell us about Zionism

Thu, 31 May 2012 20:57:17 -0400

What Israel’s anti-African pogroms tell us about Zionism:

nezua:

A week ago, on the night of Wednesday 23rd May, South Tel Aviv erupted, becoming the epicentre of an attack by an angry, violent mob against members of the city’s African migrant population, deliberately targeted because of no other reason than their ethnicity.

African-owned businesses and homes were destroyed and looted. There were no fatalities but many were injured. Social media was alive with images and information regarding the attacks, pointing out the absolute apathy, even complicity, of the authorities.

This attack on the African minority in Tel Aviv is not an isolated event. Wednesday night’s violence was the culmination of a series of racist attacks, including the firebombing of homes and a kindergarten in south Tel Aviv neighbourhoods. In fact, these attacks illustrate the prevalent high level of racial tension within theuilt on ethnically cleansed land, thus operates under the veil of a democracy in which the Jewish population is the exclusive beneficiary of the democratic process.

However, Israel’s Jewish population is itself stratified within an ethnic hierarchy, where the prosperous Ashkenazi (white Jews of European descent) dominate the economy, media and politics. In comparison, the Mizrahi and Sephardi (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent) suffer socio-economic hardship.

Ethnic and religious minorities are uniformly oppressed, from Palestinian Muslims and Christians to African migrants. The disparity is well-documented. Human Rights Watch states that in Israel’s segregated school system ‘Palestinian Arab children get an education inferior to that of Jewish children, and their relatively poor performance in school reflects this.’

Discrimination continues into higher education, employment, healthcare and housing. If we consider the core principle of Zionism, the construction of a Jewish homeland in order to preserve Jewish identity and ensure Jewish security, this oppression is inevitable. However, it is the treatment of black Jews that reveals most about the racism ingrained in Israeli society.

Hanan Chehata writes, in the Race and Class journal, that ‘the Falasha, Ethiopian Jews … brought to Israel in mass transfer operations, have found themselves relegated to an underclass.’ Chehata argues that black Jews are not only racially discriminated against but are also used to bolster the populations of illegal settlements.

In 2010, the Israel lobby group FLAME (Facts and Logic About the Middle East) ran an advertisement in Jewish American newspapers in an attempt to refute claims that Israel is an apartheid state. The advertisement argued that ‘Israel has brought in about 70,000 black Ethiopian Jews, who despite their backwardness have become fully integrated citizens of Israel.’ The advertisement perpetuates the image of the uncivilised savage; we might expect to find such language in nineteenth century European colonial texts.

Jonathan Cook wrote an extensive piece for The National, an English language newspaper, published daily in Abu Dhabi, that examines Israel’s treatment of Ethiopians. Cook writes that ‘Health officials in Israel are subjecting many female Ethiopian immigrants to a controversial long-term birth control drug.’ He further states that ’57 per cent of Depo Provera users in Israel are Ethiopian, even though the community accounts for less than two per cent of the total population.’

The drug has a wide range of damaging side effects and was used by the South African apartheid government to limit the fertility of black women. Yali Hashash, a researcher at Haifa University said similar practices were used against Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews in the 1950s and 1960s because ‘Israel’s leading gynaecologists regarded Arab Jews as ‘primitive’ and incapable of acting ‘responsibly’.’ The evidence is difficult to refute and presents a compelling conclusion: the preservation of Jewish identity in the eyes of the state appears only to encompass white Europeans.

Although oppression takes on many guises, the language of oppression is universal. From the top down, prominent Israeli parliamentarians have fanned the flames of racial hatred and undoubtedly incited violence. In a cabinet meeting last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described African migrants in Israel as ‘illegal infiltrators flooding the country … threatening our existence as a Jewish and democratic state … our national security and our national identity.’

A familiar tune: in 1915, the CUP described the Armenian minority in Ottoman Turkey as a threat to Turkish security and identity. The Ottomans’ chief propagandist, Ziya Gokalp, insisted Turkey could only be revitalised if it rid itself of its non-Muslim minorities, arguing that Armenians were ‘a foreign body in the national Turkish state.’ A few years later, Nazi propagandists Goebbels and Rosenberg propounded the central notion that Germany needed to be Judenfrei (free of Jewish presence) in order to revitalise itself. In both instances, these fabrications created the cultural space for racial hatred and were the pretext for genocide.

Why am I immediately reminded of Der Kristalnacht?

Cambodia and U.S. war crimes

Thu, 31 May 2012 20:56:16 -0400

Cambodia and U.S. war crimes:

fuckyeahmarxismleninism:

The Vietnamese National Liberation Front (NLF) and Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge at one time fought together against the U.S. invaders. With weapons and logistical support from the Soviet Union and China, they eventually drove the Pentagon out of Cambodia and handed U.S. imperialism its first military defeat.

On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge rebels toppled Lon Nol and declared a people’s republic. They inherited a ruined country devastated by years of war. Fearing renewed U.S. bombing and with millions facing starvation, the new government hastily evacuated overcrowded Phnom Penh. Most of the population went to work in agricultural communes as the country struggled to rebuild.

In 1977, the Khmer Rouge began a border war against their neighbor, socialist Vietnam. Divisions grew within the movement as well. These developments had roots in the USSR/China conflict that split the world communist moents and human rights groups claim more than one million people died while the Khmer Rouge held power from 1975-1979. Whatever the accuracy of these accounts, many sources verify that most died of malnutrition, disease and exhaustion rather than execution—conditions originating in the U.S. war against Cambodia.

Read more

humanformat: Monsanto Shareholder Meeting Infiltrated by...

Thu, 31 May 2012 19:28:55 -0400

humanformat:

Monsanto Shareholder Meeting Infiltrated by Activist (Video)

In an exciting act of grassroots resistance to Monsanto and their GMOs that are ravaging the planet, activist Adam Eidinger has infiltrated a Monsanto shareholder meeting and posted the video up on Youtube. Eidinger discusses the negative impact of GMO crops, Roundup, and other Monsanto creations on human health and the environment. As a result, a shocked Monsanto spokesman (identified as CEO Hugh Grant by Eidinger) does his best to brush off the concerns and assure the activist that the company — the same company that has been found to be running slave rings on their GMO crop fields — cares very much about the concerns of their shareholders.

One of the major concerns highlighted by activist Adam Eidinger, who identifies himself as an ‘occupy activist’, is the increased usage of pesticides on crops as a result of Monsanto’s failing Bt-infused GMO crops. Bt is a toxin incorporated into genetically modified crops in order to kill different insects, though recently it was exposed that Bt usage has subsequently spawned insect populations which are resistant to the biopesticide. At least 8 populations of insects have developed resistance, with 2 populations resistant to Bt sprays and at least 6 species resistant to Bt crops as a whole.

What is the result? Farmers are being forced to spray substantially more pesticides as a result, leading to further pesticide-laden genetically modified foods being unknowingly consumed by a large number of individuals.

This is also further demonstrated by the EPA, which has also found Monsanto’s GMO corn to be ineffective. It even found that the crops were creating resistant rootworms. The EPA found that the resistant rootworms, which are evolving to resist the insecticide, are currently found Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska.

In a follow-up video, Adam Eidinger asks just how much Monsanto spends to squelch GMO labeling campaigns. Of course you may remember that Monsanto had admitted to influencing the outcome of the Colorado labeling initiative which ended in failure. With a number of phony pro-GMO protests and farmers likely paid off by Monsanto, the company managed to alter the result. The actions bring into question why Monsanto would deny consumers the right to know if their foods contain genetically modified ingredients.

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that sales would decrease substantially, as consumers are catching on to the dangers of GMO foods. Monsanto managed to rake in $11.8 billion in sales during the 2011 fiscal year that ended Aug 31, and they have no intention of slowing down their hazardous production — even if it means destroying your health along with the genetic integrity of the planet.

_________________

Explore More:

France Asks EU to Halt Monsanto GMO Corn Approval

World Bank Nominee Tied to Monsanto Shareholder Bill Gates, Soros

USDA Steps Back and Gives Monsanto More Power Over GMO Seeds

Scientists Warn EPA Over Monsanto’s GMO Crop Failures, Dangers

Monsanto’s Roundup Spawns Superweeds Consuming Over 120 Million Hectares

Monsanto Investor Bill Gates Says GMO Crops Needed to Fight Starvation

Things to remember when you're taking photos at a protest and the police think they can go all bad ass on you

Thu, 31 May 2012 19:09:32 -0400

Things to remember when you're taking photos at a protest and the police think they can go all bad ass on you:

selchieproductions:

The United Kingdom

The police’s counter-terrorism powers cannot be used to stop people legitimately taking photographs or filming.

It is not an offence for a member of the public or a journalist to take photographs or film public buildings. They do not need a permit to photograph or film in a public space, and the police have no power to stop the photographing or filming of incidents or police personnel (that, of course, does not mean that photographers can obstruct an officer or breach a cordon).

Additionally, police officers do not have powers to delete pictures or destroy film. Under counter-terrorism legislation, cameras, film and memory cards may only be seized when an officer suspects they may constitute evidence that a person is a terrorist.

Photographers are encouraged to engage in positive dialogue with police officers to build trust and develop mutual understanding.

Wording approved by the Home Office.

The United States:

In the United States, it is part of your First Amendment rights to film and/or take photos of police officers in the public, cf. Glik v Cunniffe. In this case, it was noted that:
“Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting “the free discussion of governmental affairs”.
and that:
“A citizen’s right to film government officials, including law enforcement officers, in the discharge of their duties in a public space is a basic, vital, and well-established liberty safeguarded by the First Amendment.”
Sweden:

In Sweden you’re always allowed to take photos of or film police officers as well as members of the public in public spaces. You may not sell the photos or use them for monetary gain if the people in your photos can be identified, but you may use them for newspaper articles. You may not take photos of a person if they feel threatened or offended by your actions. This rule is however rendered invalid if the purpose is to collect evidence of a crime being committed.

Furthermore, a police officer may not seize your camera or delete your photos lest ordered to do so by a prosecutor.

anoncentral: From Occupy Frankfurt. May 19, 2012.The German...

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:24:13 -0400

anoncentral:

From Occupy Frankfurt. May 19, 2012.

The German police took off their helmets and marched with the protest clearing the way for them.

The police coming over to serve and protect the people… Blockupy Frankfurt. Police are escorting, not participating. Reports of an estimated 20,000+ protesters. Nice to see their faces…. and their humanity coming through…

WATCH THIS VIDEO: #blockupy. Frankfurt

German police officers escort an anti-capitalism protest march with some 20,000 people in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, May 19, 2012. Protesters peacefully filled the city center of continental Europe’s biggest financial hub in their protest against the dominance of banks and what they perceive to be untamed capitalism, Frankfurt police spokesman Ruediger Regis said. The protest group calling itself Blockupy has called for blocking the access to the European Central Bank, which is located in Frankfurt’s business district.

(AP Photo/Michael Probst) - source

Photo/news source

Associated Press Photo verified

Wall Street journal Verified

Washington Post verified

RT @petrakramer: Please spread: Dokter Co van Melle (74) gearresteerd in Ter Apel | Doctor Co van Melle (74) arrested in ter Apel

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:23:07 -0400

RT @petrakramer: Please spread: Dokter Co van Melle (74) gearresteerd in Ter Apel | Doctor Co van Melle (74) arrested in ter Apel:

anonymissexpress:

English translation below

Dokter Co van Melle (74) gearresteerd in Ter Apel.

Tijdens het uitvoeren van zijn werkzaamheden als arts is dokter Co van Melle gisteren in een ME bus geduwd en overgebracht naar detentiecentrum Groningen.

Omdat gedurende de dag de spanningen van de bewoners hoog opliepen en het erg warm was besloot de dokter op het terrein te blijven nadat was aangekondigd dat het kamp ontruimd zou worden.

Hij stond onder andere een oudere Somalische vrouw bij die in elkaar zakte tijdens de ontruiming waardoor er behoorlijke paniek uitbrak onder de andere Somalische vrouwen die vreesden voor haar leven.

De dokter werd tijdens het uitvoeren van zijn taken waarvoor hij een eed heeft afgelegd als arts gesommeerd te vertrekken waarbij hij vertelde arts te zijn en zijn taken te moeten uitvoeren, daarna werd hij hardhandig vastgepakt meegetrokken en bij de ME bus gefouilleerd en in de bus gezet.

Meerdere mensen waaronder ik zijn hier ooggetuige van geweest.

Ik heb de agenten aangesproken op het feit dat er een dokter in de ME bus was gezet en dat het m.i een onrechtmatige daad is een arts op te pakken die medische bijstand verleent; dit mag zelfs in oorlogstijd niet.

De agenten trokken zich niets aan van mijn relaas en beweerden dat hun mandaat boven dat van de arts ging en dat hij gewoon het terrein had moeten verlaten, terwijl hij dit vanuit zijn medische verplichting niet kon en wilde doen.

Er kan dus niet gezegd worden dat ze niet wisten dat het een arts was, hij maakte dit zelf bekend.

Hij werd overgebracht naar het detentiecentrum in Groningen waar wij lang hebben moeten wachten voordat hij losgelaten is. In eerste instantie is hij daar in een soort verzamelkooi met de andere arrestanten vastgezet en vervolgens verhoord waarbij de apparatuur niet werkte waardoor het onnodig lang duurde.

Op aandringen van ons zijn wel verschillende agenten behulpzaam geweest bij het proberen de procedure te bespoedigen.

Een andere arts aanwezig op het kamp was bij aanvang van de ontruiming de spullen uit de medische tent over aan het brengen naar de auto. Dit kon niet eerder omdat er nog mensen geholpen werden en hij tevens nog op zoek was naar een asielzoeker die dringend diabetes medicatie moest hebben. Tijdens het inladen is hij hard in zijn rug geslagen door een ME’er die hem toeschreeuwde dat hij moest opschieten.

Dokter Co van Melle gaf gisteravond op de terugweg aan dat hij niet het middelpunt wil worden van de ontruiming omdat het om de asielzoekers gaat en niet om hem, maar ik ben de mening toegedaan dat hier kamervragen over gesteld moeten worden.

Het lijkt mij dat er bij de politie bijvoorbeeld in hun opleiding beter uitgelegd moet worden dat je medici die hun taak aan het uitoefenen zijn niet mag arresteren (of slaan). Indien dergelijke praktijken worden toegestaan glijden we als land af naar een zeer bedenkelijk niveau.

English

Doctor Van Melle Co. (74) arrested in Ter Apel.

While performing his duties as a doctor, Dr. Co Van Melle was pushed in an ME bus and transferred to a detention center in Groningen.
During the day the tensions among the residents ran high and because it was also very hot the doctor decided to remain on the site after the announcement the camp would be evacuated.

He was attending an elderly Somali woman who collapsed during the evacuation, causing considerable panic among the other Somali women who feared for her life.

While performing the duties he was sworn in to do as a doctor, he was ordered to leave. When he said he was a doctor and had to perform his duties, he was brutally grabbed, pulled, searched and put in the ME bus.

Several people including me, have witnessed this happening.

I have called the police out on the fact that a doctor was put in the ME Bus and that is it unlawful to arrest or detain a doctor who is providing medical assistance; even in wartime this is not allowed.

The officers did not pay attention to my story and claimed that their mandate was above that of the doctor and that he should have left the area, something he could not and did not want to do due to his medical obligation.

It can not be said that they did not know he was a doctor, he made himself known.

He was transferred to the detention center in Groningen where we had to wait for his release for long time. At first he was in a kind of collective cage with other detainees, and subsequently interrogated which took unnecessary long because the equipment was not working properly.

Several officers tried to expedite the process at our urging.

Another doctor present at the camp was moving stuff from the medical tent to his car when the evacuation started. He could not have done this any earlier because there were still people that required his attention and he was also still looking for an asylum applicant who urgently needed to have diabetes medication. During the loading of the stuff he got his back beaten by a ME’er who shouted he had to hurry.

Doctor Co Melle asked last night not to become the center of media attention around the eviction, for it must be about the people and not about him, but I am of the opinion that some serious questions must be asked in parliament.

It seems to me that the police in their training must be better explained that doctors exercising their medical duties are not to be arrested (or beaten). If such practices are allowed as a country we’re going down a very slippery slope.

Letting the days go by

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:58:13 -0400

I’m not sure where I’m going with this today. Just sort of typing. So some violence this weekend at the NATO summit. Not as much as I expected but I didn’t see everything and any is too much really. Some of the things I’ve seen over the last week or so are putting a smile on my face. Things like Blockupy in Germany, which after initially arresting or detaining 400 or so protesters, apparently they relaxed a little and decided to escort some protesters during a march a couple days later. The picture I saw showed the police walking in front of the protesters with helmets off and smiles on some of the faces. This is truly a good sign to me. I wish it would happen here in America but we still have a few more people to wake up. This does however remind me and lift me when I remember that this is a global revolution not a local revolution. Those of us awakened to things know that fixing one government isn’t going to be enough. The power needs to shift and it needs to shift everywhere not just America or Germany, but everywhere. Also another thing I saw is Canada. And seriously, wow. I don’t do the wow lightly, it takes a lot to get a real non sarcastic wow out of me. Reports of 250 thousand plus taking the streets in Montreal to protest the anti-protest law they are attempting to pass. That is amazing, and we could all learn from that. I’ve been reblogging and reposting pics of Germany and Canada all day. These things give me hope. I don’t do much. I sit around reading news and trying to get it out to people to see. That isn’t fulfilling and I don’t feel like I’m doing all that I can in doing just that. I want, need to be out there supporting and helping this cause in a physical way. Currently with my kids still in school and me needing to be here when my youngest gets home everyday is keeping me from participating exactly how I’d like to. I am dedicated to helping in anyway I can, I just don’t know how much more I can do from a computer at home. If anyone who reads this can think of something I’m not thinking of please feel free to message me or contact me however you can and let me know some ideas. I know I can do more, I just don’t know exactly what it is I can do from here. I love this world, I love the chance we have to just exist and be. Some days I don’t love it so much but those are bad days. Whatever I’m feeling each day about the world. There is always something or someone around me or that I talk to that makes me remember what it is I am trying to fight for. I love my kids. I love my ex wife. I love my friends. I love my friends on the internet who I talk to everyday more so than anyone else I know off the net. Some people complain about my constant talk of changing the world. I can’t help it some days. I wouldn’t say it to them if I didn’t believe in their abilities to seriously help in the cause. I believe some of the people I know on the internet to be incredibly intelligent and creative. I think if we all joined together in some of this we could spread word more and become more active in this fight at least internet wise. I believe in my friends and family I just wish I could motivate them or inspire them or convince them that this cause is worth fighting for, that we can help change things, that spreading awareness and participating is not only helpful but necessary. You are important, your voice matters, we are legion. Expect us. Further attempts to…. Bye for now. Got voices.

"If the workers of the world want to win, all they have to do is recognize their own solidarity. They..."

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:46:35 -0400

“If the workers of the world want to win, all they have to do is recognize their own solidarity. They have nothing to do but fold their arms and the world will stop. The workers are more powerful with their hands in their pockets than all the property of the capitalists…”

- Joseph Ettor, IWW organizer (via anoncentral)

anoncentral: From Occupy Frankfurt. May 19, 2012.The German...

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:46:08 -0400

anoncentral:

From Occupy Frankfurt. May 19, 2012.

The German police took off their helmets and marched with the protest clearing the way for them.

The police coming over to serve and protect the people… Blockupy Frankfurt. Police are escorting, not participating. Reports of an estimated 20,000+ protesters. Nice to see their faces…. and their humanity coming through…

WATCH THIS VIDEO: #blockupy. Frankfurt

German police officers escort an anti-capitalism protest march with some 20,000 people in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, May 19, 2012. Protesters peacefully filled the city center of continental Europe’s biggest financial hub in their protest against the dominance of banks and what they perceive to be untamed capitalism, Frankfurt police spokesman Ruediger Regis said. The protest group calling itself Blockupy has called for blocking the access to the European Central Bank, which is located in Frankfurt’s business district.

(AP Photo/Michael Probst) - source

Photo/news source

Associated Press Photo verified

Wall Street journal Verified

Washington Post verified

Race To Oblivion: Top #Obama Officials, Secretive Process Create #AssassinationList #MIC

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:45:49 -0400

Race To Oblivion: Top #Obama Officials, Secretive Process Create #AssassinationList #MIC:

anonymissexpress:

May 22, 2012

US officials with firsthand knowledge of how the government determines who gets put on the CIA and Pentagon’s lists for ‘targeted killing’ have confessed concern over the implications and nature of the process. In conversations with the Associated Press, one official involved — who spoke with assurances of anonymity — said that some of those carrying out the policy have become leery of “how easy it has become to kill someone,” under the rules established under the Obama administration and orchestrated by Obama’s top counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan.

Brennan, who last month offered the first public admission by a White House official of the existence of the clandestine drone assassination program in places like Pakistan and Yemen, has amassed unique powers by consolidating the decision-making process to a select and tightly-controlled group of people, according to AP’s reporting.

“Under the new plan, Brennan’s staff compiles the potential target list and runs the names past agencies such as the State Department at a weekly White House meeting,” the report cites officials as describing. “Previously, targets were first discussed in meetings run by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen at the time, with Brennan being just one of the voices in the debate. Brennan ultimately would make the case to the president, but a larger number of officials would end up drawn into the discussion.”

Human rights and civil liberties groups have called for the White House to disclose to the public the legal process by which names end up on the targeting lists, but this report will likely give them little comfort.

[…]

Top Obama Officials, Secretive Process Create ‘Assassination List’ | Common Dreams

nationalpost: The hunters become the hunted: Indian state...

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:45:00 -0400

nationalpost:

The hunters become the hunted: Indian state sanctions shooting animal poachers
A western Indian state has declared war on animal poaching by sanctioning its forest guards to shoot hunters on sight in an effort to curb rampant attacks against tigers, elephants and other wildlife.

The government in Maharashtra says injuring or killing suspected poachers will no longer be considered a crime.

According to the Wildlife Protection Society of India, 14 tigers have been killed by poachers in India so far this year — one more than for all of 2011. The tiger is considered endangered, with its habitat range shrinking more than 50 per cent in the last quarter-century and its numbers declining rapidly from the 5,000-7,000 estimated in the 1990s, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. (AP Photo/Corbett Tiger Reserve)