The contentious issue of West Bank settlement construction is threatening to dominate the first face-to-face talks for 20 months between Israel and the Palestinians, due to begin with a White House dinner hosted by President Barack Obama tomorrow night.The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, were en route to Washington today amid opposition, cynicism and indifference among their respective populations, despite Obama's insistence that a comprehensive peace deal can be reached within 12 months.
The contentious issue of West Bank settlement construction is threatening to dominate the first face-to-face talks for 20 months between Israel and the Palestinians, due to begin with a White House dinner hosted by President Barack Obama tomorrow night.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, were en route to Washington today amid opposition, cynicism and indifference among their respective populations, despite Obama's insistence that a comprehensive peace deal can be reached within 12 months.
Four Israelis have been killed in a shooting attack near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli police. The gunman opened fire on a car driving on Highway 60 near the Kiryat Arba settlement, according to Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Four Israelis have been killed in a shooting attack near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli police.
The gunman opened fire on a car driving on Highway 60 near the Kiryat Arba settlement, according to Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, has praised the drawdown of US troops from his country and called Tuesday a "bright day for the people of Iraq". Al-Maliki spoke during a televised address hours before what US commanders say is the formal end of combat operations in Iraq. Just under 50,000 US troops, who are expected to stay through until next year, remain in Iraq.
Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, has praised the drawdown of US troops from his country and called Tuesday a "bright day for the people of Iraq".
Al-Maliki spoke during a televised address hours before what US commanders say is the formal end of combat operations in Iraq.
Just under 50,000 US troops, who are expected to stay through until next year, remain in Iraq.
Colombia Reports: Former paramilitaries admit to cremating the bodies of some 150 of their victims in northern Colombia between 2000 and 2004, prosecutors told news agency AP.
Chile, SANTIAGO - The top health ministry official in northern Chile's Atacama region resigned Monday over his role in reopening the San Jose mine, where 33 miners are now trapped, after an accident in which one worker lost a leg. Raul Martinez Guzman signed the July 28 resolution authorizing the reopening of the mine, which had been closed since the July 3 accident that resulted in doctors having to amputate the leg of miner Gino Cortes.
GUATEMALA CITY - At least five people dead, eight missing and hundreds of homes damaged and flooded made up part of the harm done by a weather system that hit Guatemala over the weekend, authorities said Monday. The disaster-response agency, Conred, said in its latest report that one person died, four were injured and three have gone missing in the western province of Sacatepequez. Meanwhile in the eastern province of Chiquimula a strong current of water caused the death of two people, and another four have disappeared.
PANAMA CITY - Three people have died, almost 1,000 have been adversely affected in various ways and at least 170 homes have been severely damaged in the torrential rains that have fallen over the weekend in Panama, a government official said on Sunday. The head of Sinaproc, the national emergency management office - Arturo Alvarado - told Efe that "regrettably there are three deaths, one in the province of Bocas del Toro, another in Chiriqui and the third in Veraguas," all of them adults. During this year's rainy season, the levels of Panama's rivers have risen rather precipitously due to heavy mountain water runoff and "therefore we are urging people not to defy the waters by fishing, bathing or crossing them, because they are exposing themselves" to mortal danger, he said.
HURRICANE EARL
From Anguilla: Anguilla News: After battering the Northern Leeward Islands, especially Anguilla, where Police Commissioner Rudolph Proctor said at least two roofs were blown off on Monday, Hurricane Earl intensified and moved past the Northern Virgin Islands. The Tropical Storm warning was discontinued for Anguilla at 5:00pm by the Government of Antigua and the Hurricane warnings in the Virgin Islands were replaced with Tropical Storm warnings. From Antigua & Barbuda: Caribarena: From a statement by Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer - "...So far, I am advised that 259 persons were occupying shelters up to this morning, although this number could change over time. A total of 110 persons were occupying shelters in my own constituency of St. John's Rural West. Fifty (50) persons in St. Mary's North were in shelters up to this morning. In St. John's Rural South, 42 persons were in shelters. (...) APUA has advised that it is in a position to restore water supplies as soon as the hurricane has passed. Electricity supplies will take longer to be restored as there are reports of downed power lines and poles. APUA personnel will be working hard to restore power as quickly as possible. We are thankful that so far there has been no report of loss of life and minimal reports of damage to houses and other property... From Montserrat: The Montserrat Reporter: Flooding was the result as it thundered, lightening and rained all night from about 5.00 p.m. yesterday. Roads from the north to the south suffered damage as bridges and ghauts were blocked from the flood waters and boulders that came crashing down. Nantes River was blocked and the flood water flowed over on the road and found its way like the river and down into Rams Enterprises basement storage. Heavy equipment were still working on that bridge at 2.00 p.m., clearing it to ready it for the continuing threats of rain. Runaway Ghaut was blocked from mudslides, which made the road impassable from both sides. Casava Ghaut suffered most damage as the bridge barrier was broken after it became blocked and the result was boulders and other debris also blocked that passage. From St. Kitts & Nevis: BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - SEVEN men and a woman were giving praise and thanks to God yesterday (Aug. 30) for bringing them safely to St. Kitts, after the cargo vessel in which they were travelling was adversely affected by weather conditions caused by Hurricane Earl. From St. Martin/St. Maarten: Philipsburg:--- Cleaning up St. Maarten in all areas is a task the residents and members of public works have begun shortly after hurricane Earl passed across St. Maarten and its neighboring islands. While the island was spared from significant damage one of the most worrisome scenes is the areas where the different political parties had their posters. More photos HERE. From the US Virgin Islands: St. John, St. Thomas & St. Croix From the British Virgin Islands: Roadtown, Tortola: From as early as 5:00 a.m. residents of the Road Town areas stood surveying their streets and yards; and by 7:30 a.m. many had collaborated to remove many fallen trees and debris. A walk through Road Town as of 8:00 a.m. revealed minor damage. Some surprises included a tent that sailed all the way to the top of large tree at Botanic Station, damaged signs, etc. More HERE. ...And, of course, PUERTO RICO.
Anguilla News: After battering the Northern Leeward Islands, especially Anguilla, where Police Commissioner Rudolph Proctor said at least two roofs were blown off on Monday, Hurricane Earl intensified and moved past the Northern Virgin Islands. The Tropical Storm warning was discontinued for Anguilla at 5:00pm by the Government of Antigua and the Hurricane warnings in the Virgin Islands were replaced with Tropical Storm warnings.
From Antigua & Barbuda:
Caribarena: From a statement by Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer - "...So far, I am advised that 259 persons were occupying shelters up to this morning, although this number could change over time. A total of 110 persons were occupying shelters in my own constituency of St. John's Rural West. Fifty (50) persons in St. Mary's North were in shelters up to this morning. In St. John's Rural South, 42 persons were in shelters. (...) APUA has advised that it is in a position to restore water supplies as soon as the hurricane has passed. Electricity supplies will take longer to be restored as there are reports of downed power lines and poles. APUA personnel will be working hard to restore power as quickly as possible. We are thankful that so far there has been no report of loss of life and minimal reports of damage to houses and other property...
From Montserrat:
The Montserrat Reporter: Flooding was the result as it thundered, lightening and rained all night from about 5.00 p.m. yesterday. Roads from the north to the south suffered damage as bridges and ghauts were blocked from the flood waters and boulders that came crashing down. Nantes River was blocked and the flood water flowed over on the road and found its way like the river and down into Rams Enterprises basement storage. Heavy equipment were still working on that bridge at 2.00 p.m., clearing it to ready it for the continuing threats of rain. Runaway Ghaut was blocked from mudslides, which made the road impassable from both sides. Casava Ghaut suffered most damage as the bridge barrier was broken after it became blocked and the result was boulders and other debris also blocked that passage.
From St. Kitts & Nevis:
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - SEVEN men and a woman were giving praise and thanks to God yesterday (Aug. 30) for bringing them safely to St. Kitts, after the cargo vessel in which they were travelling was adversely affected by weather conditions caused by Hurricane Earl.
From St. Martin/St. Maarten:
Philipsburg:--- Cleaning up St. Maarten in all areas is a task the residents and members of public works have begun shortly after hurricane Earl passed across St. Maarten and its neighboring islands. While the island was spared from significant damage one of the most worrisome scenes is the areas where the different political parties had their posters. More photos HERE.
More photos HERE.
From the US Virgin Islands:
St. John, St. Thomas & St. Croix
From the British Virgin Islands:
Roadtown, Tortola: From as early as 5:00 a.m. residents of the Road Town areas stood surveying their streets and yards; and by 7:30 a.m. many had collaborated to remove many fallen trees and debris. A walk through Road Town as of 8:00 a.m. revealed minor damage. Some surprises included a tent that sailed all the way to the top of large tree at Botanic Station, damaged signs, etc. More HERE.
More HERE.
...And, of course, PUERTO RICO.
...Koch Industries is in the news again following an expose by Jane Meyer at the New Yorker titled, "Covert Operations: The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama": The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry--especially environmental regulation. These views dovetail with the brothers' corporate interests. In a study released this spring, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries one of the top ten air polluters in the United States. And Greenpeace issued a report identifying the company as a "kingpin of climate science denial." The report showed that, from 2005 to 2008, the Kochs vastly outdid ExxonMobil in giving money to organizations fighting legislation related to climate change, underwriting a huge network of foundations, think tanks, and political front groups. Indeed, the brothers have funded opposition campaigns against so many Obama Administration policies--from health-care reform to the economic-stimulus program--that, in political circles, their ideological network is known as the Kochtopus. .... But, here's a key piece of information: the Kochs haven't just given to right-wingers. Back in April of 2001, The American Prospect's Bob Dreyfuss reported that the Kochs also funded the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC): And for $25,000, 28 giant companies found their way onto the DLC's executive council, including Aetna, AT&T, American Airlines, AIG, BellSouth, Chevron, DuPont, Enron, IBM, Merck and Company, Microsoft, Philip Morris, Texaco, and Verizon Communications. Few, if any, of these corporations would be seen as leaning Democratic, of course, but here and there are some real surprises. One member of the DLC's executive council is none other than Koch Industries, the privately held, Kansas-based oil company whose namesake family members are avatars of the far right, having helped to found archconservative institutions like the Cato Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy. Not only that, but two Koch executives, Richard Fink and Robert P. Hall III, are listed as members of the board of trustees and the event committee, respectively--meaning that they gave significantly more than $25,000. The DLC board of trustees is an elite body whose membership is reserved for major donors, and many of the trustees are financial wheeler-dealers who run investment companies and capital management firms--though senior executives from a handful of corporations, such as Koch, Aetna, and Coca-Cola, are included. .... Fitting, isn't it? The entity that tries to undermine the progressive agenda from within the Democratic Party was getting funding from the guys who are trying to destroy the Democratic Party from the outside. Just a side note: The DLC's long-time CEO, Bruce Reed, is now the Executive Director of the Obama administration's Debt Commission, a.k.a. the Cat Food Commission.
The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry--especially environmental regulation. These views dovetail with the brothers' corporate interests. In a study released this spring, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries one of the top ten air polluters in the United States. And Greenpeace issued a report identifying the company as a "kingpin of climate science denial." The report showed that, from 2005 to 2008, the Kochs vastly outdid ExxonMobil in giving money to organizations fighting legislation related to climate change, underwriting a huge network of foundations, think tanks, and political front groups. Indeed, the brothers have funded opposition campaigns against so many Obama Administration policies--from health-care reform to the economic-stimulus program--that, in political circles, their ideological network is known as the Kochtopus.
....
But, here's a key piece of information: the Kochs haven't just given to right-wingers. Back in April of 2001, The American Prospect's Bob Dreyfuss reported that the Kochs also funded the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC):
And for $25,000, 28 giant companies found their way onto the DLC's executive council, including Aetna, AT&T, American Airlines, AIG, BellSouth, Chevron, DuPont, Enron, IBM, Merck and Company, Microsoft, Philip Morris, Texaco, and Verizon Communications. Few, if any, of these corporations would be seen as leaning Democratic, of course, but here and there are some real surprises. One member of the DLC's executive council is none other than Koch Industries, the privately held, Kansas-based oil company whose namesake family members are avatars of the far right, having helped to found archconservative institutions like the Cato Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy. Not only that, but two Koch executives, Richard Fink and Robert P. Hall III, are listed as members of the board of trustees and the event committee, respectively--meaning that they gave significantly more than $25,000. The DLC board of trustees is an elite body whose membership is reserved for major donors, and many of the trustees are financial wheeler-dealers who run investment companies and capital management firms--though senior executives from a handful of corporations, such as Koch, Aetna, and Coca-Cola, are included.
The DLC board of trustees is an elite body whose membership is reserved for major donors, and many of the trustees are financial wheeler-dealers who run investment companies and capital management firms--though senior executives from a handful of corporations, such as Koch, Aetna, and Coca-Cola, are included.
Fitting, isn't it? The entity that tries to undermine the progressive agenda from within the Democratic Party was getting funding from the guys who are trying to destroy the Democratic Party from the outside.
Just a side note: The DLC's long-time CEO, Bruce Reed, is now the Executive Director of the Obama administration's Debt Commission, a.k.a. the Cat Food Commission.
So it is only natural that the DLC can be bought and sold as any other entity in DC. Every senator with the possible exception of Bernie Sanders, is for hire to the highest bidder. They will tout for the security state, they will lobby on behalf of foreign dictators, they will lobby for growing pineapples in alaska and polar bears in florida, and corn all over the place in defiance of need, logic or the expressed will of the people.
America wanted the finest government money can buy. And now money owns it, lock stock and barrel. keep to the Fen Causeway
Rabbi convenes special religious court to carry out punishment against newly religious man who sang in front of integrated audience of men, women The sinner lifted his shirt and recited the confession. A court clerk pressed him against the tree pole and began flogging him with a special whip. The three judges declared, "May your evil be lifted and your sin atoned."
The sinner lifted his shirt and recited the confession. A court clerk pressed him against the tree pole and began flogging him with a special whip. The three judges declared, "May your evil be lifted and your sin atoned."
Retired Air Force Lieutenant General Thomas McInerney has officially joined the legions of birthers, after writing an affidavit in support of Army Lieutenant Colonel Terrence Lakin who refused to deploy to Afghanistan because he does not believe President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Lakin faces a court martial on Oct. 13 for his refusal. The affidavit from McInerney acknowledges concerns about Obama's Constitutional eligibility, and demands that he release his birth records or that the court authorize discovery
The affidavit from McInerney acknowledges concerns about Obama's Constitutional eligibility, and demands that he release his birth records or that the court authorize discovery
