A wave of violence in Mexico has led to a string of gruesome discoveries.
The bodies of nine people were found hanging from a bridge in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, just 6 miles from the U.S. border. Five were men and four women.
Pictures showed the nine bound, gagged and hanged.
A message left with the bodies identified them as members of the Gulf cartel. A rivaling cartel, Los Zetas, is believed to be responsible for the deaths.
All of the victims showed signs of torture. Their hands were tied and their eyes covered, sources tell WTOP.
Mexican authorities say they also discovered 14 headless bodies stuffed into black bags and left inside a van. Fourteen heads were later found outside the mayor's office, preserved in ice boxes.
Mexican military and police authorities are investigating the 23 deaths. U.S. Homeland Security officials are watching the situation carefully because of its proximity to the U.S. and the encroaching violence growing out of the cartel drug wars.
The bodies of three Mexican journalists were discovered Thursday afternoon in the state of Veracruz. They had been dismembered and stuffed into black plastic bags dumped into a waste canal.
At least seven current and former reporters and photographers have been slain in Veracruz over the last 18 months. more

Friday, May 4, 2012
Chen case is another human rights issue for Obama
With his re-election campaign just hitting full stride, Obama hoped to capitalize on foreign policy successes, such as last year's raid that killed Osama bin Laden, to blunt Republican attacks on the sluggish U.S. economic recovery.
However, the increasingly strange and challenging case of Chen provides potential fresh fodder for opponents to continue their attempts to portray the Obama presidency as soft or acquiescing to brutal regimes that abuse their own people.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney led the attack Thursday, saying at a campaign event that circumstances of the incident -- if true -- meant a "dark day for freedom, and it's a day of shame for the Obama administration." Read More
Categories:
POLICE STATE,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
4.2 Magnitude Earthquake GUATEMALA - 4th May 2012
The epicenter was 10 km (6.2 miles) SSW from Santiago Atitlán, Sololá, Guatemala
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
4.9 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS - 4th May 2012
The epicenter was 433 km (269 miles) SSW of NUKU`ALOFA, Tonga
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
May Day 2012 protests much larger than mainstream media dared to show (New posts below)
Generously written for the CC by Gail from Wit's End, our neighbour blog. Gail is also a regular writer for the CC Magazine, whose massively enlightening first piece will appear in our May 2012 issue. Subscribe today to read her words of wisdom!
Perhaps it shouldn't have come as such a powerful shock, but untold numbers of people who rallied on May Day with Occupy Wall Street to protest growing income disparity and corporate domination woke up the next morning, incredulous, to discover there had been a bloodless media massacre of their huge demonstration. The silence was deafening about actions from other cities around the country and indeed, mass turnouts around the world.
Tens of thousands of protesters in New York, who had taken over Broadway from the early beginnings of the day at Bryant Park in Midtown, marching all the way through the night to the furthest reaches of the Financial District in lower Manhattan, were jubilant and celebratory at the overwhelming turnout. Hundreds of banners, balloons, musicians, street artists and flags had contributed to a festive, peaceful demand for the end of a capitalist system that values profit over people and the environment. No one anticipated such a gigantic resurgence would receive a near total blackout of news coverage, or that of the few truncated articles that did appear, a grotesquely disproportionate focus would feature arrests.
Since then the organizers have been bitterly reminded once again that, just as occurred at the beginnings of Occupy last fall, corporations and banks control not just government - the legislature, along with the Federal Reserve and other agencies, plus most notoriously, the judiciary - but have an iron grip on that last bastion of freedom, the Fourth Estate - the press.
Even though representatives from the media amply recorded the participation of dozens of disparate labor and justice groups that had organized in support, most of the pictures, videos, interviews and articles were ignored by their editors and never made it into the public eye.
Nobody needs to be fooled more than twice, and it's hard to imagine that Occupiers will rely on the veracity of mainstream media in future. Expect them to implement plans for drastically improved, coordinated, self-produced information going forward. Reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated by the propaganda that passes for news in America.
Event photos:
For more photos of protestors (and the police brutality used against them), check out this article here (the very top photo of the goading donuts is also from this article):
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/05/may-day-around-the-world/100289/
Categories:
PETITIONS/PROTESTS,
POLICE STATE
Misery Continues to build for the euro zone
Friday's purchasing managers indexes (PMIs), primarily covering services, suggested a recession across Europe's currency union could now extend to mid-year and be deeper than previously thought.
They did, however, indicate better progress among Chinese companies.
Still, the overall tone of economic data on Friday was gloomy, given news the U.S. economy added only 115,000 non-farm jobs in April, far less than the 170,000 predicted.
Following the European Central Bank's policy meeting on Thursday, President Mario Draghi spoke of a gradual economic recovery taking place in the euro zone during the course of the year, although he did speak about risks. Read More
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Chen Guangcheng village remains heavily guarded and under Lockdown
Guards chased away two Reuters reporters who attempted to enter Dongshigu village, in northeast Shandong province, on Friday afternoon. The four heavy-set guards ran slowly, yelling at the reporters as their car drove away.
Chen, a self-taught legal activist, has triggered a diplomatic crisis between China and the United States after he staged a dramatic escape from house arrest and travelled to the U.S. embassy in the capital where he took refuge for six days.
He left the embassy on Wednesday after Chinese assurances that he and his family would receive better treatment and that Beijing would investigate his treatment by Shandong officials. But he almost immediately changed his mind after hearing that his family and friends had been badly treated since his escape.
"Don't go, they're still there and inside where you can't see them. They will beat you up," said a woman shopkeeper on the road approaching the town. Read More
Categories:
POLICE STATE,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
U.S. sets new rules for fracking on federal lands
The Interior Department proposal would require companies to obtain government approval to use hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in drilling for natural gas on federal lands.
The rules would not affect drilling on private land, where the bulk of shale exploration is taking place. Still, the administration has said it hopes the rules could be used as a template for state regulators.
"Most shale plays are out of the reach of Interior," said Whitney Stanco, an analyst with the Guggenheim Washington Research Group.
A Guggenheim analysis found that only about 5 percent of shale wells drilling in the United States in the past decade occurred on federal lands.
The proposal would also require that companies disclose the fluids used in hydraulic fracturing after completing the process, which involves injecting water, sand and chemicals under the ground to extract fuel. Read More
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Two British Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan
Their families have been informed.
More follows...
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
NATO: Russia talk of pre-emptive strike unjustified
NATO has long insisted that the anti-missile shield it is developing is aimed at protecting member states from a possible Iranian attack, but Russia fears the system could undermine the effectiveness of its own nuclear arsenal.
In a stark escalation of rhetoric ahead of Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency next week, Russia's military chief-of-staff said on Thursday that Moscow might be forced to carry out pre-emptive strikes on NATO missile defense installations.
"These statements are unjustified," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in Berlin after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Read More
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
The Unknowns, steal codes from Nasa, the U.S. military... and the Jordanian Yellow Pages
The group, who professes to use its hacking abilities as a force of good, contacted a range of security-conscious firms and revealed a list of passwords and sensitive documents that they had plundered.
It is unclear whether the companies affected even knew that their security systems had been bypassed.
The Unknowns posted the names and passwords of employees at Nasa's Glenn Research Center, the U.S. Military's Joint Pathology Center, the European Space Agency, Thai Royal Navy, the ministries of defence of France and Bahrain, Harvard University and the Renault automotive firm.
Bizarrely, FoxNews also reports that the group targeted the Jordanian Yellow Pages. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Adam Yauch dead at 47 after battle with cancer
The performer, also known as MCA, passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer.
Rapper Russell Simmons' website GlobalGrind was the first to report the news.
Yauch revealed in 2009 that he was undergoing surgery and radiation therapy to treat a tumor in his salivary gland.
Yauch also turned to a vegan diet and eastern medicine to help his fight.
Last year he denied reports he had beaten the disease, but said he was 'staying optimistic and hoping to be cancer free in the near future.'
Yauch co-founded Beastie Boys in 1979 with Michael Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad Rock).
He is survived by his Dechen and his daughter, Tenzin Losel. Read More
Categories:
GERMS AND PLAGUES
UK Screwed Up Society, where Criminals have more Rights than Law Abiding Citizens ... Doing a Great Job Cameron!
Police were called the luxury home which comes with two swimming pools, 34-seat cinema and nuclear bunker, after intruders were discovered.
But officers left without making arrests after the group of seven squatters put up a legal notice stating their rights to stay at the ten-bedroom residence called Golden Hill, in Romsey, Hampshire, which is still being built.
Squatter Ian Randall, 38, who moved into the house with common law wife Jade, 24, said: ‘I used no force to enter.
‘Me, my wife and another person were offered £500 pounds between us to leave quietly. The place was unsecured and unlocked and there is no damage to the property.
‘It is a smashing house. We just camped out in the room, played cards in our sleeping bags and had a few sandwiches.
Take notice: The squatters have refused the leave the property - despite claiming to have been offered £500 to get out
Take notice: The squatters have refused the leave the property - despite claiming to have been offered £500 to get out
‘We stayed there because our friends were squatting and they phoned us offering a place because we are homeless.
‘The police came but left in the morning. They said there was nothing they could do because it was a civil matter.’ Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WEAK JUSTICE
America's 300-pound 'flying' bear who fell 15 feet from a tree is killed by a CAR
Authorities say a bear tranquilized on a Colorado campus last week and photographed as it fell from a tree has been killed by a car.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say the black bear was struck on U.S. 36 around dawn on Thursday.
Spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill tells the Boulder Daily Camera that officials positively identified the animal as the bear that caused the stir by an ear tag placed on him after the brush with authorities at the University of Colorado. Read More
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say the black bear was struck on U.S. 36 around dawn on Thursday.
Spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill tells the Boulder Daily Camera that officials positively identified the animal as the bear that caused the stir by an ear tag placed on him after the brush with authorities at the University of Colorado. Read More
Categories:
ANIMAL DEATHS,
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Plot to create super-powerful EU president 'that will mean the end to nation states' ......And NONE of us will get a Vote, welcome to Fascist Europe
A group of Eurocrats have secretly devised a scheme to merge the jobs currently done by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.
The new Europe chief would be in charge of both the administrative and political arms of the EU and have sweeping control over the entire union.
The UK has been excluded from the covert discussions, which were were uncovered by Independent Labour peer Lord Stoddart of Swindon.
Critics fear David Cameron is doing nothing to prevent the ominous plans, according to the Daily Express.
'This is a plot by people who want to abolish nation states and create a United States of Europe,' said Lord Stoddart.
'The whole thing is barmy. These people are determined to achieve their final objective. Read More
"The year 1941 will be, I am convinced, the Historical year of the Great European New Order"
- Adolf Hitler
- Adolf Hitler
"Whoever Dominates Europe will thereby assume the leadership of the world"
- Joseph Goebbels 8th May 1943
- Joseph Goebbels 8th May 1943
Rise of the Fourth Reich, how Germany is using the financial crisis to conquer Europe. Source
"The hand of God is creating a new world & working miracles...We are becoming the United States of Europe under German Leadership, a United European Continent"
- Wilhelm II - 1940
- Wilhelm II - 1940
Categories:
POLICE STATE,
RANTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Ibrahim Giwa Jailed for Just 5 Years for Leading his Street Gang to Rape a 11 Year old Girl on More than one Occasion
The girl had met Ibraheem Giwa, now 15, at a summer camp and was raped by him in his bedroom in east London before he watched as six other gang members attacked her.
He had previously raped her in a park and before that a fellow gang member aged 14 had raped her in the toilet of a McDonald's.
The girl said she was crying all the way through the attacks but was told by the gang of up to eight boys to shut up as people would think they had done something wrong to her.
As if the ordeal of being raped wasn't enough, the teenagers, thought to be part of the notorious Say No More Gang, beat her up as a warning not to tell anyone about what had happened.
Only two were convicted and two more boys were acquitted at trial but prosecutor Emily Smaller warned further prosecutions may follow. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WEAK JUSTICE
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake NORTH INDIAN OCEAN - 4th May 2012
The epicenter was 738 km (459 miles) WSW from Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Suicide bombers kill 12, wound 110 in Dagestan, Russia
The attacks outside Makhachkala late Thursday were the deadliest in months, undermining efforts by Russian security forces to contain an Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus region near Sochi, where Russia will host the Winter Olympics in 2014.
More than a decade after federal troops toppled an Islamist government in Chechnya, also in the North Caucasus, security forces are fighting militants whose ranks are swollen by anger at poverty, clan feuds and pervasive corruption. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WARS AND RUMOURS
European shares fall sharply as U.S. outlook worsens
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index provisionally closed down 17.32 points, or 1.7 percent, to 1,027.07 points and the Euro STOXX 50 index fell 37.83 points, also 1.7 percent, to 2,249.27 .STOXX50E.
Equities extended losses in the afternoon, when data showed U.S. employers cut back on hiring in April, further raising doubts about economic momentum in Europe's largest export market after an already weak services sector report on Thursday. (ID:nL1E8G414Y)
Cyclical sectors were the worst hit, with basic resources .SXPP and automotives .SXAP falling 3.9 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. Source
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS
Fresh clashes outside Egyptian defence ministry
The protesters ignored a warning not to approach the ministry building and threw rocks. Police responded with water cannons and tear gas.
Calls to join the demonstration have also been broadcast in Tahrir Square.
On Wednesday, unidentified assailants attacked people protesting against the ruling military council outside the ministry, leaving at least 20 dead.
The unrest comes just three weeks before presidential elections are due to be held - the first since Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down.
Islamists blamed
Earlier on Friday, thousands once again gathered in Tahrir Square - the focus of the uprising that ousted President Mubarak in February 2011 - to protest against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Read More
Categories:
PETITIONS/PROTESTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Chen Guangcheng to leave China soon.....Well according to the US
The US state department said Mr Chen had been offered a fellowship at an American university, and it would allow his wife and children to accompany him.
Earlier, Beijing said the blind activist could apply to study abroad - paving the way for a resolution to a tense diplomatic stand-off with the US.
Mr Chen fled house arrest last month and spent six days in the US embassy.
He left but now says he wants to go to the US with his family.
His case has overshadowed high-level US-China talks taking place in Beijing.
"Mr Chen has been offered a fellowship from an American university, where he can be accompanied by his wife and two children," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.
She said the US expected Beijing to process their application for travel documents "expeditiously". Read More
Categories:
POLICE STATE,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Conrad Black Freed From Florida Prison after serving around three years of the six and a half years sentence
The 67-year-old was freed from a Florida jail after serving around three years for fraud and obstruction of justice.
The former Daily Telegraph owner was convicted of swindling shareholders of £3.8m from the now defunct media holding company Hollinger and trying to cover up his crimes in 2007.
He was originally sentenced to six and a half years - but launched several appeals.
Black had only served two years when he successfully appealed to have his sentence cut short in July 2010.
Last September, he returned to prison after a judge ordered him to serve another year. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WEAK JUSTICE
Ranger Michael Maguire Killed during Live firing exercise at Castlemartin military firing ranges in Pembrokeshire, Wales
Ranger Maguire died during a live firing exercise at the military training area in Wales.
An MoD spokeswoman said: "Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time."
The soldier's death is being investigated by Dyfed Powys Police with the assistance of the Health and Safety Executive.
Dyfed Powys Police said the soldier's family and the Coroner have been informed.
More to follow...
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Falklands TV Advert Condemned By Own Agency
A controversial Argentinian TV advert showing an Olympic hopeful training on a British war memorial in the Falklands has been condemned by the agency behind it.
Young & Rubicam said it had asked the government in Buenos Aires to pull the commercial, accusing its creators of behaving "in a manner that is unacceptable to our company".
President Cristina Fernandez Kirchner's government released the advert linking the Games to its demand to rule the South Atlantic islands.
The 90-second clip says the athlete is preparing for London 2012 on "Argentine soil".
It shows Argentina hockey captain Fernando Zylberberg running in the Falklands capital, Port Stanley, and exercising on the island's Great War Memorial, which honours British sailors who died in the First World War.
The advert calls the islands by their Argentinian name, the Malvinas, and carries the tagline: "To compete on British soil, we train on Argentinian soil."
It ends with the words: "Homage to the fallen and the veterans of the Malvinas. Presidency of the Nation." Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION - 4th May 2012
The epicenter was 355 km (220.1 miles) West of Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Categories:
QUAKES/VOLCANOES
Emma Winnall, 94, Viciously' Beaten In Her Own Bed
Police said Emma Winnall also suffered a broken arm and wrist in the "vicious" and "sickening" assault at her West Midlands home.
Her carer raised the alarm at 9am on Tuesday but detectives said the attack, which left her with potentially life-threatening injuries, could have occurred at any time from 9pm on Monday night.
Mrs Winnall, of Pensby Close, Moseley, in Birmingham, was taken to hospital and remains under sedation after emergency surgery, which involved inserting metal plates into her arm.
Detectives have been unable to determine a motive for the attack. Nothing was stolen from the property and the interior was largely undisturbed. Read More
Anyone with information is asked to contact West Midlands Police on the 101 number or the independent charity Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Four sheep confirmed dead in wolf attack outside Weston
Department biologists on Wednesday confirmed two ewes and two lambs were killed in a pen by a single wolf on private land. Another lamb is missing and is believed to have been killed by a wolf. Source
Categories:
ANIMAL ATTACKS,
ANIMAL DEATHS
Oil spill alert on River Bourne in Hampshire
The slick is stretching out across the water which is a popular site for salmon fishing.
Officials say that no dead fish have yet been reported but they are advising dog walkers to keep their pets out of the water. Source
Categories:
ANIMAL DEATHS,
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Dead Pygmy Sperm Whale Washes Ashore In West Hampton Dune
The estimated 800-pound, 9-foot-long whale was discovered by Village Trustee Catherine Woolfson and her son Liam while they were combing the beach, according to village officials. The mammal, believed to be an adult, was already dead. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Officials with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation were contacted by Ms. Woolfson and Village Police Constable John Jacobs. Crews removed the mammal on Thursday afternoon, with assistance from Bruce Hubbard of Hubbard Contracting of Westhampton, whose employees had to manually carry the whale more than 500 feet to a flatbed truck on Dune Road. Workers had to carry the dead mammal because it is piping plover season and vehicle beach access is limited. Read More
Categories:
ANIMAL DEATHS
Newborn Baby Girl Dumped On Doorstep in Reading
Police said a note written in Polish was left with the baby, who was found on London Road yesterday evening.
The girl, who is thought to be between two and three weeks old, is being cared for by medical staff at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Thames Valley Police said they are concerned for the mother, who could need medical help.
“Early indications are that the baby appears unharmed, with no immediate evidence of any injuries or trauma," superintendent Stuart Greenfield said.
"Our main concern now is for the welfare of her mother, who may need medical assistance," he added. Read More
"Although we cannot say for certain that one or both of her parents are Polish, the fact that the note was written in Polish leads us to think that this may be the case.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Detective Inspector Mark Tucker at Thames Valley Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Detective Inspector Mark Tucker at Thames Valley Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Putin criticizes Euro 2012 boycott calls...and So he Should, .....Remember Bahrain F1 2012?
German chancellor Angela Merkel has raised her concerns at Tymoshenko's treatment, while European Union president Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and the governments of Austria and Belgium have all said they will not be attending any matches in Ukraine in protest.
But Putin has waded into the row, telling journalists in Russia that sport and politics should be kept separate.
"In absolutely every case, you can't mix politics, business and other issues with sport," Putin told Russian news agency Novosti.
"I stick to the principle professed and supported by the International Olympic Committee -- sport is outside politics."
Putin's statement echoes the sentiments of Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone, who defended the elite motorsport's decision to race in Bahrain last month despite widespread concerns over human rights issues. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Iran dismisses Western demand to close nuclear bunker
Last month a senior U.S. official said the United States and its allies would demand that Iran halt higher-grade enrichment and immediately close the Fordow facility at talks over Tehran's nuclear standoff with the West.
The New York Times reported that negotiators for Western countries would press Iran to ultimately dismantle the site near the city of Qom, which has been used to expand the higher-grade enrichment the Islamic Republic began just over two years ago.
But Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told Reuters he saw "no justification" for closing Fordow, which he said was under IAEA surveillance.
"When you have a safe place, secure place under IAEA control, then why do you tell me that I should close it?" he said, making clear Iran built the site to better protect its nuclear program against any Israeli or U.S. attacks.
"Fordow is a safe place. We have spent a lot of money and time to have a safe place," Soltanieh added. Read More
Categories:
NUCLEAR DISASTERS,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Spread of chemical weapons feared in Syria
Syria is one of just eight states - along with its arch foe Israel and nearby Egypt - that have not joined the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which means the world's chemical weapons watchdog has no jurisdiction to intervene there.
Western countries believe that Damascus has the world's largest remaining stockpile of undeclared chemical weapons - including mustard gas and the deadly VX nerve agent - which Assad maintains as a counterbalance to Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal.
The Syrian army is trained to use poison gas and, according to US and Israeli intelligence, can deploy it on long-range missiles. In a sign of growing concern, an Israeli factory was refinanced to ramp up production of gas masks to prepare for a possible attack, an Israeli member of parliament told Reuters. Read More
Note: If all else Fails mention the Chemical Weapons: Was starting to wonder when they were going to throw chemical weapons into the mix, nothing else has worked so I guess it was bound to come along sooner or later.
So now the rebels turned terrorist will add chemical weapons to there bombs and weaponry? I thought they were not well armed and prepared according to many reports? And surely the countries providing finances and weapons should start taking some responsibility for creating this dangerous situation?
Notice how they have attached the gas mask production in Israel to this story, you may remember we posted about increased production months ago (February 8th to be precise) because of the tensions, they realized they only had enough gas masks for half population of Israel.
http://thecomingcrisis.blogspot.com/2012/02/nearly-half-of-israelis-wont-receive.html
Categories:
RANTS,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Japan shuts last nuclear plant; will it cope?
The shutdown leaves Japan without nuclear power for the first time since 1970 and has put electricity producers on the defensive. Public opposition to nuclear power could become more deeply entrenched if non-nuclear generation proves enough to meet Japan's needs in the peak-demand summer months.
"Can it be the end of nuclear power? It could be," said Andrew DeWit, a professor at Rikkyo University in Tokyo who studies energy policy. "That's one reason why people are fighting it to the death."
Japan managed to get through the summer last year without any blackouts by imposing curbs on use in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. Factories operated at night and during weekends to avoid putting too much stress on the country's power grids. A similar success this year would weaken the argument of proponents of nuclear power. Read More
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
NUCLEAR DISASTERS
Global shares, oil fall before U.S. payrolls
Investors also kept a wary eye on weekend elections in the euro zone, with evidence of a sharp contraction in the region's dominant services sector suggesting its recession could last longer than feared.
Voting in France and Greece is likely to provide a litmus test of popular tolerance for further austerity, a day after the European Central Bank ended near-term hopes of more policy easing to boost the ailing economy.
The FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top European shares dropped 0.35 percent by 1055 GMT while U.S. stocks were expected to open flat with the DJIA future up 0.02 percent. Read More
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS
Clinton says U.S. willing to work with North Korea if it reforms
Speaking in Beijing at the end of two-days of high-level meetings overshadowed by a crisis over a Chinese dissident who had sought refuge at the U.S. embassy, Clinton sought to underscore that Washington and Beijing could still work together on key international issues.
"We see two nations that are now thoroughly and inescapably interdependent," Clinton said in prepared remarks in the closed door meeting.
On North Korea, where the United States wants China to put more pressure on the isolated nation's leadership to reign in its nuclear ambitions, Clinton said Washington was still willing to work with Pyongyang if it changes its ways.
"The new leadership in Pyongyang still has the opportunity to change course and put their people first. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WARS AND RUMOURS
Argentina nationalizes oil company YPF
The Chamber of Deputies voted 207-32 in favor of expropriating YPF, clearing the way for President Cristina Fernandez to sign the bill into law. The Senate last week approved the measure by a similarly overwhelming margin.
Fernandez, who has tightened state control of the economy, unveiled the plan to seize a majority stake in YPF from Spain's Repsol six months after her landslide re-election.
The move drew a swift reprisal from Spain, which curtailed Argentine biodiesel shipments. Wall Street warns that Argentina risks scaring off investment needed to bolster growth against fallout from Europe's debt crisis and slower demand from key trade partner Brazil. Read More
Categories:
FINANCIAL EVENTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Florida house is nearly engulfed by 100ft wide sinkhole
Luckily, no one was hurt in the freak accident, though the massive hole displaced a family of six, which had to be evacuated with aid of the fire department.
The cause of the sinkhole is unknown, but officials believe the dry weather conditions experienced in parts of the south could have contributed to the hole.
The hole ends a mere three feet from the family’s two-storey house, WESH reported.
One of the homeowners discovered the pit in their backyard around 7am this morning when they let the dog out. Read More
Categories:
NATURAL DISASTERS,
UNEXPLAINED/WEIRD
Nasa probe flies past Saturn's icy moon Enceladus just 46 miles up - and captures mystery 'jets' of ice which may harbour life
Cassini captured a startling new picture of the jets, which a scientist claimed earlier this year could be 'snowing microbes' onto the icy moon.
These jets, which spew through cracks in the moon's icy shell, could lead back to a habitable zone that is uniquely accessible in all the solar system.
This week, Cassini flew past the moon just 46 miles above the surface.
The radio science team is particularly interested in learning how mass is distributed under Enceladus' south polar region, which features jets of water ice, water vapor and organic compounds spraying out of long fractures.
A concentration of mass in that region could indicate subsurface liquid water - where life could lurk. Read More
Categories:
COSMIC EVENTS,
UNEXPLAINED/WEIRD
Jordan Hill appears in court accused of 'choking his girlfriend'
Hill, 24, who plies his trade as a forward for the club, attended a court in Houston yesterday to answer a domestic violence charge.
The 6ft 10 ins defendant was briefly taken into custody following the hearing.
However, he was released after paying a bail bond of $5,000 (£3,092)
If convicted, Hill, who hails from Newberry, South Carolina, faces up to 10 years in jail.
The domestic violence incident is alleged to have taken place on February 29. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Joseph E. Wright slashed throats of his mother and grandmother
Joseph E. Wright, from Boston, is due in court today to face murder charges in the brutal killing of his mother Donna Breau, 54, and grandmother Melba Trahant, 83.
He has a history of violence towards family members as well as a number of other charges including destruction of property and theft.
In 2011 he was charged with assault after menacing his dad with 'balled fists' and kicking a family computer when told to help with the dishes, according to the Boston Herald.
His father Joseph, 52, told the paper yesterday: 'What my son did was evil.' Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Memphis boy, 2, accidentally shoots dead his 16-month-old sister after finding gun ... just DAYS after similar shooting in Kentucky
Calvuna Reese was killed on Tuesday when her brother allegedly accidentally pulled the trigger of a loaded gun.
The girl's father confirmed the shooting to neighbors, but the case is still under investigation by police.
'Oh it tears me up. It really really hurts,' neighbor Randy Lark told local station WMCTV.
'I'm so shocked and hurt by what happened to this child.'
'She was real sweet, she was obedient.'
The tragedy has left many unanswered questions, but Mr Lark feels there is at least one lesson to come out of it.
Everyone should learn from that lesson, not to leave a loaded gun around a kid,' he said.
This shooting comes just two days after a similar incident in Kentucky.
Bella San Martin, 15-months-old, was shot dead by her 3-year-old brother in their family's Hardin County home on Sunday.
Police involved in the Kentucky say it was a tragic accident and that the parents were home at the time. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE,
WEAK JUSTICE
Bungling anarchist attacks Nike store during Occupy protest on May Day... wearing Nike sneakers
An Occupy activist missed the irony in his own dress sense during Tuesday's May Day protest by attacking a Nike store wearing a pair of the brand's sneakers.
The instantly recognizable Nike tick can be seen emblazoned on the side of his shoe, as the unidentified man, his face covered with a bandana, stands in front of 'death to capitalism' graffiti on the shop window in downtown Seattle. Read More
Categories:
PETITIONS/PROTESTS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Richard Din died while working with dangerous strain of meningitis identified
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that for the past several weeks, 25-year-old Richard Din, a biology major working with the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, had been researching the germ Neisseria meningitidis that can cause meningitis and bloodstream disease.
A state laboratory has confirmed that the rare strain that Din was studying -- Serotype B -- was the same one found in his body, according to the website Military.com.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease caused by this particular strain is relatively uncommon in the United States, with only about 1,000 cases reported each year. In 2010, an estimated 75 people died from this type of meningococcal infection. Read More
Categories:
GERMS AND PLAGUES,
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Plane crash in Chicago kills two
Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Gene Lowery says the plane crashed Thursday afternoon just west of the Lake in the Hills Airport, about 50 miles northwest of Chicago.
Lowery says the plane went down in a marshy, former gravel mine pit after, according to one witness, abruptly banking to the left while appearing to approach the runway.
Lowery says officers had to trek 200 to 300 yards through mud and marsh to reach the wreckage. Read More
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Myron Chisem Shot Dead with a Single Bullet to his Head by 14 year old Son, from the backyard into the television room
Myron Chisem, an Immigration and Custom Officials agent, was struck in the head while he sat in the home's television room in Carson, California.
The boy, who has not been identified, shot his 42-year-old father from the backyard using the agent's ICE-issued handgun, authorities said.
The teen then called 911 saying his father had been shot.
Chisem, a U.S. Navy veteran, had worked as a special agent in Los Angeles since 2007. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His girlfriend also lived at the home but was not present at the time of the shooting, which occurred around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A preliminary investigation indicated the fatal round was fired from outside the home and through a window in the back of the house, police said.
The service weapon was found in the front garden.
Police did not announce a motive, but LA County Sheriff's Lt. Holly Francisco called it a 'domestic violence incident'. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Kidnapper who targets college students on the loose in Atlanta after two women escape his clutches less than an hour apart
The women were accosted outside of their east Atlanta homes just 30 minutes apart, but were each able to get away.
'We have a predator that’s roaming the streets of Atlanta right now, and it’s very serious to us,' police Sgt. Curtis Davenport told WSB-TV.
The kidnapper approached his first would-be victim early Wednesday morning as she sat on her porch with a friend on Mayson Avenue.
'He had a gun in his pocket and he, you know, grabbed her, marched her off the porch, marched her up the street and stuffed her into the trunk of his car,' the friend, who wished to remain anonymous, said to Fox.
She said the man sped off at about 2 a.m., but she called 911 and jumped into her car to chase after him.
After 15 minutes of following him, her friend somehow managed to escape and sprung out of the moving vehicle.
Just 30 minutes later, the man struck again and tried to snatch another Georgia State University student less than a mile away on Hawthorne Street.
The second woman screamed out for help and the kidnapper ran off. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Giant Croc Trapped After Eating Nine Pet Dogs, Northern Australia
A crocodile with a taste for pet dogs has finally been caught in northern Australia.
The crocodile was pulled from a river bank in a remote part of the Northern Territory and had, according to police, eaten nine dogs in the last month.
The 4.4-metre (14.5-feet) crocodile was trapped at Daly River community, about 225km (139 miles) south of Darwin, where it was terrorising residents and animals, the Northern Territory News said.
Community police officer Mark Casey told the newspaper: "Crocs are an ever-present danger but you don't see them. Read More
Categories:
ANIMAL ATTACKS
Jo Ann Bain and her 3 Daughters Missing as police name family friend 'Adam Christopher Mayes' as 'person of interest'
Jo Ann Bain, from Tennessee, and her daughters Adrienne, 14, Alexandria, 12, and Kyliyah, eight, went missing last Friday from their home in Whiteville, between Jackson and Memphis.
The mother-of-three's SUV was then found abandoned on a country road less than three miles away on Sunday.
Her credit card and cell phone have not been used since they disappeared.
The Hardeman County Sheriff's Department told ABC they had brought in family friend Adam Christopher Mayes, 35, from Mississippi, for questioning on Sunday.
On Tuesday they learned he had given them false information and issued a warrant for his arrest, charging him with filing a false report based on statements he'd made to investigators about the Bain family. Read More
Categories:
MISSING PEOPLE
PM 'Sorry' After Tories Take Polls Battering
Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is "sorry" for all the "hard-working Conservatives" who have lost their seats in the local elections while Labour racks up a series of significant victories across the country.
On a bruising night for the Tories and Liberal Democrats, Labour claimed it was "exceeding expectations" by seizing control of key councils such as Thurrock, Harlow, Southampton and Birmingham.
The Opposition also took Great Yarmouth, Chorley and Plymouth and a number of councils in Wales.
The Prime Minister suffered the added embarrassment of losing in the backyard of his Commons constituency - with Labour taking Witney Central, Witney East and Chipping Norton. Read More
Categories:
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Russia threatens military strike over NATO missile defence 'if U.S doesn't back down'
President Dmitry Medvedev said last year that Russia will retaliate militarily if it does not reach an agreement with the United States and NATO on the missile defense system.
Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov went further in his statements yesterday.
'A decision to use destructive force pre-emptively will be taken if the situation worsens,' he said at an international conference attended by senior U.S. and NATO officials.
Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov also warned that talks between Moscow and Washington on the topic are 'close to a dead end'.
U.S. missile defense plans in Europe have been one of the touchiest subjects in U.S.-Russian relations for years. Read More
Categories:
WARS AND RUMOURS
'Welcome to Chicago, capital of Illinois and Obama's childhood home': Embarrassing errors in NATO video promoting summit host city
A video promoting the upcoming NATO summit later this month inadvertently moved the meeting 200 miles south when it declared that leaders would convene in the capital of Illinois.
The summit, is of course, planned to take place in Chicago, not Springfield, but the film, produced by NATO staff, included three embarrassing errors that made native Chicagoans cringe.
The narrator of the five minute video, meant to introduce Chicago to international journalists and visiting dignitaries, also called the city Barack Obama's childhood home -- another glaring mistake. Read More
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS,
SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE
Sleepwalking girl, 4, hangs herself
Her seven-year-old sister, Channelle, found her the next morning and alerted her parents.
Tegan was found hanging from her bed by the strap of her bag with her feet two inches off the ground.
Her mother, Becky Hancox, lifted her daughter and began resuscitation, even though the girl was obviously dead.
The young girl had a habit of sleepwalking during the night, a trait apparently inherited from her biological father. Read More
Categories:
MAN-MADE DISASTERS