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Friday 24 October 2014

Astronomers catch monster sunspot that turns towards Earth


© NASA/SDO

The sun on Oct. 23 as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The dark sunspot cluster in AR2192 is obvious in the HMI Intensitygram (left), which represents the sun's photosphere -- known, colloquially, as the solar 'surface' -- whereas the EUV images to the right (at wavelengths 171A -- top -- and 304A) show emissions from the multimillion degree solar corona (where coronal loops shine bright) and chromosphere



Just as the US prepares to watch the partial solar eclipse today, nearly 100 million miles away on the sun a possible solar storm is brewing.

Amateur astronomers have been wowed by a vast sunspot that has rotated to face Earth, the largest since this solar cycle began in 2008, and solar observatories (on the ground and orbiting Earth) are closely monitoring the region.


The sunspot, a dark patch in the sun's photosphere, represents intense solar magnetism bursting from the sun's interior known as an active region. This particular active region, designated AR2192, has been rumbling with intense flare activity, recently exploding with 2 X-class flares, causing some short-lived high-frequency (HF) radio black outs around the globe.


Such blackouts are triggered by the intense extreme ultraviolet and X-ray radiation that solar flares can generate, causing ionization effects in the Earth's upper atmosphere - a region known as the ionosphere. HF radio can be strongly hindered by this activity, triggering blackouts that can effect air traffic and amateur radio operators.


Currently, the sunspot located at the base of AR2192 has swelled to over 80,000 miles across - Jupiter could almost fit inside the sunspot's mottled diameter.


While making for a spectacular astronomy target, especially as it coincides with today's partial solar eclipse, space weather forecasters are trying to gauge whether the active region could explode with more powerful solar flares.


Since the start of this week, AR2192 has generated 27 C-class flares, 8 M-class flares and 2 X-class flares. Most recently, on Oct. 22 (Wednesday), an X1.6 flare erupted, creating an extremely bright eruption in the sun's lower corona (the solar atmosphere) that was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO):



© NASA/SDO

An X1.6 class flare erupted from the lower half of the sun, as seen in the bright flash of light in this image from NASA’s SDO. This image shows extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 131 Angstroms, which highlights the intense heat of a solar flare and which is typically colorized in teal.



According to Spaceweather.com, there's a "95 percent chance of M-class flares and a 55 percent chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours." Since rotating toward the Earth, AR2192 has not generated any Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

Solar flares and CMEs are both related magnetic solar phenomena. Flares are generated when huge magnetic fieldlines erupt from the sun's interior and are forced together, particularly within active regions. Superheated solar plasma flows around these huge loops - aptly known as coronal loops - causing them to shine brightly in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths. When forced together, however, and if the conditions are right, a phenomenon known as reconnection may occur. Reconnection causes magnetic fieldlines to "snap" and reconnect, causing the plasma trapped within coronal loops to be rapidly accelerated. It's this acceleration that generates huge amounts of energy, blasting powerful EUV and X-ray radiation into space as a flare.


CMEs can also be generated over active regions in the lower corona when magnetic bubbles containing energetic solar plasma expand and are hurled into space. Though CMEs can take hours to days to reach Earth (in other words, we can see them coming, whereas flares travel at the speed of light), the delivery of huge quantities of energetic particles from the sun (mainly protons) can boost the radiation environment around Earth and interact with our planet's magnetosphere. These geomagnetic storms are responsible for beautiful auroral displays at high latitiudes and can cause power outages on the ground and satellite damage in orbit.


Although flares and CMEs are rooted in magnetic eruptions, they are not necessarily generated at the same time. Flares can occur without generating a CME and vice versa.


As to whether AR2192 will unleash a large flare or CME at Earth, that remains to be seen, but if there's one thing history has taught us about the sun, it's worth being prepared.


Interestingly, this month marks the 11 year anniversary of the Hallowe'en Solar Storms. In 2003, through October and November, a series of flares and CMEs struck Earth generating vast aurorae and causing damage to satellites. Aircraft were advised not to travel through polar regions (due to the high-altitude uptick in radiation and possible communications outages) and astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station had to shelter inside well-shielded portions of the orbiting outpost. Parts of Sweden even experienced short power outages due to atmospheric currents overloading the national grid.


When the sun erupts, it has no regard for our planet or our technology, so it is up to space weather forecasters to learn as much as we can about solar conditions so the impact of the next great solar storm causes minimal damage to our technological civilization.


Mayor who promised to "restore dignity and never embarrass the community" arrested on child porn charges


© State's Attorney General's Office

Wilson Longanecker, Jr.



The former mayor of Sorrento, Louisiana faces 40 counts of possession of child pornography after he was unable to dispose of the material while police were raiding his home, reports.

Wilson Longanecker, Jr. entered office promising to "restore dignity," saying that he would never do anything that would "embarrass this community."


Less than a year after being elected, however, he stopped going to his office, citing a medical procedure - but he also stopped responding to emails, phone calls, and text messages. After five months, Randy Anny - the man Longanecker, Jr. beat in the election by a single vote - had to step in and act as mayor pro tem in order to manage the city's finances.


Dereliction of duty became the least of Longanecker, Jr.'s problem on Thursday, however, when investigators with a multiagency child pornography task force raided his home and discovered 40 videos depicting children between the ages of 3 and 14 engaged in sexual activities.


Longanecker, Jr. attempted to destroy the material while the investigators were collecting it, the Louisiana Attorney General's Office said, so he will also be charged with at least one count of obstruction of justice.


He faces between five and 20 years in prison, as well as a fine of $50,000, for each count if convicted.


"Crimes like this illustrate how important it is to actively, aggressively pursue those who exploit our children," Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell said in a statement.


Russell Brand admits to being 'open-minded' about U.S. government being behind 9/11 attacks


© Newsnight



In an interview on BBC2, comedian/activist Russell Brand stated that he is "open-minded" to the idea that the U.S. government was behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

During the interview with Newsnight's Evan Davis, Brand called the relationship between the families of former US president George Bush and the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden "interesting," reports .


Brand who is currently promoting his latest book, , was asked by Davis about references Brand made in the book to the 9/11 attacks that resulted in over 3,000 deaths.


Brand refused to rule out the possibility that the American government was behind the attacks, while accusing the BBC of pushing an "anti-Islamic narrative" during its coverage of the attack on the Canadian parliament by a gunman.


"I think it is interesting at this time when we have so little trust in our political figures, where ordinary people have so little trust in their media, we have to remain open-minded to any kind of possibility," Brand said.


"Do you trust the American government? Do you trust the British government?' he continued. "What I do think is very interesting is the relationship that the Bush family have had for a long time with the bin Laden family."


"What I do think is very interesting is the way that even the BBC report the events in Ottawa to subtly build an anti-Islamic narrative. I think that's very interesting. I think it's interesting that these tragic events are used to impose further controls on us."


When pressed to elaborate on his views with regard to 9/11, Brand shut down the line of questioning, saying he didn't want to discuss "daft" conspiracy theories.


"Mate, I don't want to follow you down blind alleys about silly administrative quibbles." Brand said.


An exasperated Davis told Brand, "I'm trying to take you seriously."


Watch the full video below from :


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Conman stole thousands from neighbor with dementia then faked a coma for two years to avoid trial




Let's pretend: Alan Knight in a 'coma' pictured with his wife Helen



He claimed to be a quadriplegic so ill he would frequently slip into a coma.

But when a judge saw video pictures of Alan Knight shopping in Tesco and driving across the Severn Bridge, he was unmasked as a callous fraudster.


Knight stole £41,000 from an elderly neighbour then spent two years pretending to be too sick to stand trial.


At Swansea Crown Court today, where the 47-year-old admitted 19 counts of forgery, fraud and theft, he appeared in a wheelchair and neck brace, only to be told by an unimpressed Judge Paul Thomas: "You should see the videos".


Knight, of Sketty, Swansea, who was living on benefits, claimed to be caring for next-door neighbour Ivor Richards who was suffering from dementia.


But DC Paul Harry, lead officer in the case, speaking after Knight's guilty pleas, said he systematically "drained" Mr Richards' accounts using cheques and withdrawals and taking money from Mr Richards' shares, spending the cash on "a nice caravan" and holidays in places like Dorset and Cardigan.


Knight even admitted writing out a false will with him as the beneficiary, claiming it had been written by Mr Richards, who is now aged 85 and being cared for in a nursing home.



The judge told Knight's barrister Stephen Rees he wanted the defendant to see the apparently healthy images of him, some taken as recently as August this year, so he could "come face to face with this in a literal and metaphysical sense".


The footage showed Knight pushing a trolley around various Tesco stores and it was confirmed he was there because his Club Card had been used.


Speaking of Knight's claims to be seriously ill after the hearing, DC Harry said: "There's nothing wrong with him.


"He has wasted thousands of pounds of NHS money going to places like Singleton and Morriston hospitals, claiming variously to be a quadriplegic, having seizures and going into a coma.


"Time after time they observe him and do tests and release him after a few days diagnosing nothing.


"I know there is nothing wrong with him because I obtained CCTV footage of him shopping with his wife and driving himself across the Seven tolls, sometimes towing his caravan."


DC Harry said: "Unfortunately, Mr Richards had no family and Knight took it upon himself to start caring for him.


"This is the most calculating, long-term deception of a vulnerable neighbour I have come across."


The CCTV images of Knight shopping at the Trostre, Llanelli, branch of Tesco and also at stores in Dorset where he was on holiday were shown to Judge Thomas at Swansea Crown Court on Monday ahead of what was due be Knight's trial on the fraud, theft and forgery charges today.


The judge ordered no mention of the hearing which examined Knight's state of health, but after the defendant changed his pleas to guilty he ruled the revelations made in the hearing should be made public.


Remanding Knight in custody for three weeks ahead of a sentencing hearing, Judge Thomas said: "I've already expressed concern about attempts that have been made to delay today's proceedings.


"There are aspects to this case which in my experience are unique and it seems a strong message needs to be sent out to anyone who seeks to adopt the same tactics in future."


Jim Davis, prosecuting, who did not open the case, said another aggravating feature was that Knight had made a "totally false" attempt to blame his own son for the offences.


And he added Knight had made completely false allegations against a police officer in the case.


He said: "It was all part of a concerted attempt by the defendant to avoid trial in this case."


Canada will introduce 'preventative detention' and other restrictions on civil liberties in wake of Ottawa shootings


© Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Constables guard the central rotunda of the Canadian Parliament one day after a deadly shooting



The Canadian government indicated on Thursday that it intends to speed up proposals to toughen the country's anti-terror laws in the wake of the attack on parliament in Ottawa, including a measure that would allow "preventative detention".


As the House of Commons opened to rapturous applause for the sergeant-at-arms, the ceremonial security chief who prevented further tragedy by apparently killing the perpetrator of Wednesday's brazen assault, prime minister Stephen Harper indicated that his government was resolved to toughen the country's security legislation.


The governing Conservatives have made no secret of their plan to install new anti-terror powers , giving the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) more powers to track, investigative and detain would-be homegrown terrorists. Harper promised the proposals would be brought forward.




"They need to be much strengthened, and I assure you, Mr Speaker, that work which is already under way will be expedited," Mr Harper said.

Details of those new powers have yet to be released, but justice minister Peter MacKay indicated to reporters that they will include measures to allow the preventive detention of suspected would-be terrorists.


"We're examining all those sections of the criminal code, and all measures under the law that will allow us, in some instances, to take pre-emptive measures," he said.




When asked about the schedule for the new legislation, government House leader‎ Peter Van Loan refused to say exactly when a bill would come forward, acknowledging only that Wednesday's events had changed the context. A security bill, was originally due to be tabled on Wednesday morning.

The Harper government contends that Canada's security agencies, tasked with thwarting attacks, are demanding greater powers, arguing that the current arrangements for judicial oversight hampers their ability to deal with imminent threats.


But despite the cross-party show of unity and defiance on Thursday, opposition parties are warning that the government, in the wake of the Ottawa attack, is rushing to adopt expansive new spying powers without considering the consequences.


The leader of the official opposition party, the New Democrats, Thomas Mulcair, said that one act of terrorism should not bend the Canadian way, nor should it even hamper the weekly yoga class that takes place on the front lawn of Parliament - a symbol, he said, of the openness of the Canadian legislature.


"We cannot allow that openness and freedom to be rolled back either," he said.


The Liberal party leader, Justin Trudeau, said those who attack Canada "will not make the rules about this land we share and they will not get to change us".


Harper acknowledged the strain that Wednesday's events put on the capital, calling it "beyond and above anything that any of us are really expecting to face".


But amid the determination and effort to return to normality, there was tight security in the downtown area - unusual for Ottawa. A security permitter around Parliament Hill meant that only a small number of staffers, parliamentarians and journalists were permitted through, and only at one checkpoint. Cordoned-off streets meant a headache for commuters.


Despite the contentious debate on how to respond to the threat of domestic terrorism, the political parties were unified in their tribute to the sergeant-at-arms, Kevin Vickers, who was given a prolonged standing ovation at the opening of the parliamentary session.


But Vickers was keen to praise his colleagues. "During extraordinary circumstances, security personnel demonstrated professionalism and courage," he said in a statement. "I am grateful and proud to be part of this team."


Reports emerged on Thursday that Vickers, after killing the shooter, rushed to a nearby room, where Harper was meeting with his caucus, to ensure the prime minister's security.


Gilad Atzmon: On cognitive partitioning


Acclaimed Israeli saxophonist Gilad Atzmon, author of , offers a theory of cognitive ability distribution to explain Zionism, Jewishness, anti-semitism, and identity politics generally. September 29, 2014 video by Joe Friendly

[embedded content]


Livestock animals sicker than ever, thanks to antibiotics


© Monty Rakusen/Getty Images



It has long been understood that feeding animals antibiotics can create resistant bacteria - bacteria that can cause problems for human health. That's why the Food and Drug Administration has been concerned for decades over the practice of giving livestock subtherapeutic doses to promote growth. While the agency has yet to do much of anything to curb the problem, save for some voluntary regulations, new research suggests that the steady supply of drugs could make animals sicker - and cause disease to spread more rapidly.


The new study, published this week in the journal , looked at how salmonella bacteria was spread in a population of mice. When treated with antibiotics, mice that were sick but showed relatively low amounts of salmonella in their droppings started behaving more like "superspreaders," shedding more bacteria and suffering more acute symptoms. Meanwhile, other mice that, before being treated, passed higher amounts of bacteria and showed fewer symptoms did not shed any less salmonella after receiving an antibiotic.


If the results hold true for other animals, such as chicken or cattle - and lead author Denise Monack, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University, believes they will - then the amount of antibiotics fed to livestock may be even more troubling than was previously thought.


"We need to think about the possibility that we're not only selecting for antibiotic-resistant microbes, but also impairing the health of our livestock and increasing the spread of contagious pathogens among them and us," Monack told Science Daily.


While the findings aren't quite as dramatic as higher-ups at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention talking about the post-antibiotic era, they are further ammunition for groups that are pushing for more, and more substantive, federal regulations.


This week also saw new action on that front, with Consumer Reports releasing the results from a survey of doctors. After speaking with 500 family doctors and internal medicine specialists, the groups report that 93 percent of M.D.s said they are concerned with antibiotic use in livestock, while 47 percent said they are "extremely concerned" with the practice.


"The use of antibiotics in animals for non-therapeutic purposes is contributing to their failure in humans, including the youngest of children, who are most prone to complications from bacterial illness," Maria Brown of the Maryland chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a press release from U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a partner on the survey. "Simply put, sick infants and children and the doctors like myself that care for them need effective antibiotic drugs."


Solar flare alert as vast sunspot turns toward earth with possible solar storm brewing

solar flare



The sun on Oct. 23 as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The dark sunspot cluster in AR2192 is obvious in the HMI Intensitygram (left), which represents the sun's photosphere -- known, colloquially, as the solar 'surface' -- whereas the EUV images to the right (at wavelengths 171A -- top -- and 304A) show emissions from the multimillion degree solar corona (where coronal loops shine bright) and chromosphere.



Just as the US prepares to watch the partial solar eclipse today, nearly 100 million miles away on the sun a possible solar storm is brewing.

Amateur astronomers have been wowed by a vast sunspot that has rotated to face Earth, the largest since this solar cycle began in 2008, and solar observatories (on the ground and orbiting Earth) are closely monitoring the region.


The sunspot, a dark patch in the sun's photosphere, represents intense solar magnetism bursting from the sun's interior known as an active region. This particular active region, designated AR2192, has been rumbling with intense flare activity, recently exploding with 2 X-class flares, causing some short-lived high-frequency (HF) radio black outs around the globe.


Such blackouts are triggered by the intense extreme ultraviolet and X-ray radiation that solar flares can generate, causing ionization effects in the Earth's upper atmosphere - a region known as the ionosphere. HF radio can be strongly hindered by this activity, triggering blackouts that can effect air traffic and amateur radio operators.


Currently, the sunspot located at the base of AR2192 has swelled to over 80,000 miles across - Jupiter could almost fit inside the sunspot's mottled diameter.


While making for a spectacular astronomy target, especially as it coincides with today's partial solar eclipse, space weather forecasters are trying to gauge whether the active region could explode with more powerful solar flares.


x1.6 class flare

© NASA/SDO

An X1.6 class flare erupted from the lower half of the sun, as seen in the bright flash of light in this image from NASA’s SDO. This image shows extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 131 Angstroms, which highlights the intense heat of a solar flare and which is typically colorized in teal.



Since the start of this week, AR2192 has generated 27 C-class flares, 8 M-class flares and 2 X-class flares. Most recently, on Oct. 22 (Wednesday), an X1.6 flare erupted, creating an extremely bright eruption in the sun's lower corona (the solar atmosphere) that was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO):

According to Spaceweather.com , there's a "95 percent chance of M-class flares and a 55 percent chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours." Since rotating toward the Earth, AR2192 has not generated any Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs).


Solar flares and CMEs are both related magnetic solar phenomena. Flares are generated when huge magnetic fieldlines erupt from the sun's interior and are forced together, particularly within active regions. Superheated solar plasma flows around these huge loops - aptly known as coronal loops - causing them to shine brightly in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths. When forced together, however, and if the conditions are right, a phenomenon known as reconnection may occur. Reconnection causes magnetic fieldlines to "snap" and reconnect, causing the plasma trapped within coronal loops to be rapidly accelerated. It's this acceleration that generates huge amounts of energy, blasting powerful EUV and X-ray radiation into space as a flare.


CMEs can also be generated over active regions in the lower corona when magnetic bubbles containing energetic solar plasma expand and are hurled into space. Though CMEs can take hours to days to reach Earth (in other words, we can see them coming, whereas flares travel at the speed of light), the delivery of huge quantities of energetic particles from the sun (mainly protons) can boost the radiation environment around Earth and interact with our planet's magnetosphere. These geomagnetic storms are responsible for beautiful auroral displays at high latitiudes and can cause power outages on the ground and satellite damage in orbit.


Although flares and CMEs are rooted in magnetic eruptions, they are not necessarily generated at the same time. Flares can occur without generating a CME and vice versa.


As to whether AR2192 will unleash a large flare or CME at Earth, that remains to be seen, but if there's one thing history has taught us about the sun, it's worth being prepared.


Interestingly, this month marks the 11 year anniversary of the Hallowe'en Solar Storms. In 2003, through October and November, a series of flares and CMEs struck Earth generating vast aurorae and causing damage to satellites. Aircraft were advised not to travel through polar regions (due to the high-altitude uptick in radiation and possible communications outages) and astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station had to shelter inside well-shielded portions of the orbiting outpost. Parts of Sweden even experienced short power outages due to atmospheric currents overloading the national grid.


When the sun erupts, it has no regard for our planet or our technology, so it is up to space weather forecasters to learn as much as we can about solar conditions so the impact of the next great solar storm causes minimal damage to our technological civilization.


Tiger attacks Australian tourist at animal park in Thailand


© Apichart Weerawong/AP

A juvenile tiger similar to this one attacked the Australian tourist, who insisted he didn’t want the animal killed.



An Australian man is recovering in a Thai hospital after being mauled by a young male tiger in a special tourist enclosure at an animal park on the resort island of Phuket.


Paul Goudie, from Werribee, near Melbourne, was attacked at the enclosure this week at the Tiger Kingdom tourist show after being given controlled access to a group of young tigers.


Goudie, 49, suffered serious bites to his left leg and stomach and is being treated at a Phuket hospital prior to surgery to avoid the risk of infection.


At the tiger park, tourists are invited into a special caged enclosure with handlers as part of the visitor experience.


"We did everything as the park people advised," Goudie told reporters from the online news service Phuketwan at the hospital.


"I am not sure why it bit me," he said.


He punched the tiger as it attacked him.


"When it did [attack] I had no choice except to whack it in the face a couple of times," he said.


Thai authorities say Goudie, who has two steel pins in an ankle, may have moved awkwardly as park handlers assisted him back to his feet, with the unusual movement triggering an attack. The tiger was tasered by park staff, forcing it to retreat.


A visiting doctor at the scene provided assistance until an ambulance and emergency staff arrived.


"The handler was with us the whole time. The tiger was 15 months old. I was patting him, everything was fine. I just stood up to leave," Goudie said.


Goudie is on a two-week holiday in Phuket with his family.


His son, 16-year old Jake Goudie, said the injuries were largely to his father's left leg and stomach.


"The tiger couldn't get a good grip on my dad's stomach," Jake said.


Thai officials said the tiger park was to be closed for two days while investigations into the accident were conducted. The young tiger will no longer have contact with visitors.


Goudie, who has a tattoo of a tiger, praised the park's staff and said he was even considering another tiger tattoo.


"I don't want anything to happen to the tiger," he said. "I don't want it killed."


BEST OF THE WEB: Putin: World is being destroyed by U.S. and its satellites, who pass themselves off as 'the international community'


© AFP PHOTO / POOL / MICHAEL KLIMENTYEV

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) sits next to former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (R) on October 24, 2014 during a meeting of members of the Valdai International Discussion Club in the Russian city of Sochi.



The modern global and regional security system is seriously fragmented and deformed, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.


"Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the existing system of global and regional security can protect us from disruption. The system is seriously weakened, shattered and deformed. International and regional institutions of political, economic and cultural cooperation are going through a very difficult period," Putin said at the plenary session of the 11th meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club.


The winners in the Cold War seem to be bent on reshaping the world so that it could better accommodate their own needs, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday in a comment on US foreign policy.


"It looks like the so-called 'winners' of the Cold War are determined to have it all and reshape the world into a place that could better serve their interests alone," Vladimir Putin said at the 11th conference of the Valdai Discussion Forum in the Russian city of Sochi.


"The existing system of international relations, international laws, the system of checks and balances have been therefore declared useless, obsolete and ready to be torn down," the Russian president stated.


The period of the Cold War is over, but the peace has never been made, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.


"The 'Cold War' is over. But it did not end with peace. [Neither did it end with] a transparent and clear agreement on new rules and standards," Putin said.


The idea of "national sovereignty" has lost its significance for many nations and is interpreted as they see fit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.


"The very concept of 'national sovereignty' is regarded by many countries as something relative. The proposed formula is virtually that the more loyal a regime is to the One Center of Global Power the stronger its legitimacy is," Putin said at the 11th annual Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi, Russia.


"In a world dominated by one country and a group of its satellites, the process of 'global decision-making' often boils down to pushing through their own recipes under the guise of a universal proposal. This group has in fact become so ambitious that its solutions are now passed off as decisions made by the entire global community," the Russian president said.


Disobedience on the international arena is punished with force, economic pressure and meddling in domestic affairs, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.


"The measures against the 'rebellious' actors are well-known and repeatedly used: forceful action, economic and propaganda pressure, interference in domestic affairs," Putin said at the 11th Valdai International Discussion Club meeting.


Putin also mentioned that 'disobedient' governments could be displaced using "supra-legal" actors.


The West is shooting itself in own foot by sponsoring extremist movements, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.


"By the way, I am constantly surprised that our Western partners make the same mistake over and over again. They once sponsored Islamist extremists that had fought in Afghanistan to fight the Soviet Union. Taliban and al-Qaeda originated from these [extremist] movements," Putin said at the 11th annual Valdai Discussion Club meeting.


Glimpses of the after-life: Life-changing near-death experiences




One man had a vision of his father sailing a canoe towards a huddle of loved-ones on a pier as he took his final breaths.



Neurosurgeon Dr Eben Alexander was convinced out-of-body experiences were hallucinations - until he went into a coma himself and had what he now believes was a glimpse of heaven.

In this second extract from his book The Map Of Heaven, Dr Alexander, who has taught at Harvard Medical School, reveals many others have also seen what he described.


A near-death experience will change your life in more ways than one. It means you have survived a serious illness or a major accident, for one thing, and that alone is one of the most significant events imaginable.


But the aftermath, as you adjust to your radical new perspective, can be even more significant. For me, it was as if my old world was dead and I had been reborn into a new one.


Coping with that is hard: how do you replace your old vision of the universe with a new one, without unravelling into chaos?


How do you take that step from one world to another one, without slipping and falling between the two?


So many people are going through similar versions of what I went through, and the stories I have heard from other near-death experience witnesses give me courage every day. They are a constant corroboration of everything that was revealed to me - how we are loved and cherished much more than we can imagine, how we have nothing to fear and nothing to reproach ourselves for.


If you have never seen yourself as a spiritual person, and perhaps did not even believe in God, this new dimension to your understanding has an even greater impact.


A man named Pascale wrote to tell me about his father, who had a PhD in astrophysics and was '100 per cent scientifically minded' - in other words, a complete atheist.


Pascale's dad (we'll call him Pierre) was a heavy drinker. He'd suffered a succession of emotional blows, and he used hard drink to numb the pain - so much that his organs started one by one to pack up. Kidneys, liver and then lungs gave way, and Pierre succumbed to double pneumonia.


He was not expected to live, but to give his body the best chance of repairing itself, the doctors placed him in an induced coma.


After three months in intensive care, he started to come round - and all this hard-headed scientific man wanted to talk about with his son were his experiences of heaven.


He had seen the after-life, just as I did. And he brought back the same message: there were angel-like beings who loved us more than we could imagine, and they would help us, if only we would let them.


Pierre faced a major challenge. He could never drink again. One glass would be enough to tip him back into alcohol abuse, and the end would be inevitable.


The stories I have heard from other near-death experience witnesses give me courage every day


Somehow, he found the strength to beat his demons. For the next four years, Pierre didn't touch a drop. But after his initial burst of spiritual fervour in the hospital, he stopped talking about heaven.


Pascale sensed that his dad, an intensely shy man, was embarrassed by the massive contradiction between the atheism he had always preached, and the heaven he had experienced during his coma. He found it easier to say nothing.


But he developed a quirky habit, which seemed to help him in his abstinence - in all the places where he might be tempted to relapse and have a drink, Pierre left Post-It notes. Every one was the same, with four cryptic letters written on it: GaHf.


Pierre would not say what the notes meant. All he would admit was that they helped him.


After four years, his heart gave out, and Pierre died. His son was deeply comforted by words his father had said in the hospital: 'I'm not afraid of dying any more. I know it'll be fine.'





Not every experience of heaven and the change is brings is so dramatic as others. One woman recalls feeling an overwhelming sensation of love at the exact moment her mother died.



After the funeral, as he collected up the Post-It notes, Pascale had a sudden insight. He knew what the letters GaHf meant, what his father was reminding himself . . . 'Guardian angels. Have faith.'

Not every experience of heaven, and the change it brings, is so dramatic. After I first shared my story with others in public, I received a charming letter from a lady named Jane-Ann, who told me that she underwent surgery for a brain abcess in 1952, when she was eight years old, and that for two weeks after the operation she was in a coma.


Her mother was beside her bed when she awoke, and what Jane-Ann remembers clearly is the expression of deep concern on that beloved face. Simply and matter-of-factly, as only a child can, Jane-Ann explained that there had never been any reason to worry - she had been with her great-aunt Julie, sitting on her lap and being comforted.


Sixty years later, that image of her great-aunt was one of her clearest memories.


Sometimes, it is the death of a loved one that induces or inspires a near-death experience in us. A lady called Jean wrote to tell me what she had experienced when her mother died, in 1980.


On a Saturday afternoon, Jean was in her garden. She was due to fly to New York on the Monday, to visit her mother who was being treated for cancer in hospital, and who was not expected to live more than six months.


As she tended her flowers, Jean was suddenly overwhelmed by 'a feeling of an unbelievable amount of love'. It passed through her, like a puff of air, and left her feeling exalted. As she stood wondering what she had just felt, the sensation travelled through her again, pervading every cell in her body.


No sooner had the feeling faded than it happened a third time. And suddenly, Jean understood what it meant. Her mother had died, and was telling her how much she loved her, as she departed this realm and embarked on her voyage through the next.


The feeling that Jean had initially thought was simply going through her had in fact enveloped and encompassed her, as only love can.


Sometimes, it is the death of a loved one that induces or inspires a near-death experience in us


'The feeling was like she was hugging me but going right through me. And every time she did this, I felt this supernatural, unbelievable, immeasurable amount of love.'


Jean went to sit by her phone in the house. She knew what would happen next, and within ten minutes it did: her sister phoned from New York, to tell her their mother had passed away.


As she wrote that letter, Jean told me she was crying - tears of joy, not of sadness. Ever since that moment in the garden, she has felt utterly safe and loved, confident that she will be reunited with her loved ones in heaven, and safe in the knowledge that death is nothing to be feared.


In fact, she confesses, she sometimes feels almost envious when people pass away.


One of the most extraordinary things about my own glimpse of heaven was that, back in this world, no one was aware of the transformation that I was undergoing. All the monitors and sensors and computers could detect no activity: my brain was flat-lining.


But sometimes, the eyes of those we love can see the change, as a sort of spiritual radiation.


A man called David experienced exactly that, when his father died. With his three siblings, he was sitting in a private room at a hospice where his dad had been for 13 days. They had kept a constant bedside vigil, and it was plain that the end was near.


At 4am, with the room in darkness except for a single night-light in the wall, their father took his last breath - and as he did, a speck of glowing dust seemed to settle on his temple. It was like a pinprick of gold.


No light was shining on the old man's face, yet this particle of dust was vivid and luminous. As David watched, it began to swell into a pea-sized orb. Now it was a translucent blue, like the light underneath a candle flame. White rays sparkled from it.


The orb lifted, hovered, and then drifted across the room, still effervescing with sparks, until it disappeared through the ceiling. David followed it with his eyes, not daring to speak, until it was gone - and then he turned to one of his sisters. 'Did you see that?' he asked.


His sister said: 'You mean that light that just came out of the side of Dad's head?'


People ask themselves these questions all the time, when a loved one passes and something inexplicable, something beyond the purely physical, occurs. We know what we've seen, but we can't quite bring ourselves to believe it, without corroboration from someone else: 'Did you see that?'


Perhaps the most extraordinary story of a near-death experience was told to me by John, the son of a war veteran, who believes he accompanied his father on the first stage of his journey into heaven.


His dad was a fighter, an ex-prisoner of war who was clinging to life in his hospice bed despite having suffered a massive pulmonary embolism.


His breathing was very laboured, and John was kneeling at the bedside, holding his hand, with his ear close to his father's chest - when suddenly, he was thrown into another dimension.





Dr Eben Alexander was convinced out-of-body experiences were hallucinations until he went into a coma himself.



The scene was more vivid than any dream, he said: it was like being immersed in a 3D movie. His perspective was airborne, like a helicopter shot, and he was looking down at a rapid stream, flowing over rocks.

In the water, clinging on for dear life, was his dad. A golden glow began to spread across the water, like a celestial spotlight. In the middle of the light, a white canoe appeared, with a red paddle, floating quite still on the rushing water.


With a shout of excitement, his father let go of the rocks and began to swim for the canoe. Suddenly, he wasn't a sick old man any more - he was an athlete, with the strength of a man in his 20s.


He leapt into the canoe, and John felt himself race down, like a camera zooming in, to ride behind his dad's shoulder.


His father turned and gave him a look of such love and joy as he had never seen on his face before. And then the perspective changed again, and John was high in the sky, watching as the white canoe raced towards a jetty where dozens of people were waiting and cheering.


He recognised them all - family members, friends and war buddies of his father's.


As the canoe docked, he saw his dad stand up and raise the paddle in a salute, grinning and almost beside himself with delight. Then he leapt ashore and disappeared into a huddle of embraces and back-slaps.


At that moment, John found himself back at the bedside. His father's heart had stopped.


'This experience was transformative, a gift from my dad I could not repay,' he wrote to me. 'I can actually feel myself glowing when I tell this story!'


New knowledge like this changes us for ever. It must do - that is its purpose. We evolve into someone fresh.


That's what happened to me after my near-death experience, and to every one of the people in these stories.


Two-month-old baby boy injured by chimpanzee in Uganda


© Francis Mugerwa.

Ms Rosemary Nyangoma nurses her son who was attacked by a chimpanzee last week. Doctors say his health has improved.



The family of a two-month-old baby boy, who was injured by a chimpanzee in Hoima District last week, is demanding compensation from government.

The victim's father, Mr Nyansio Byaruhanga, said his son sustained multiple injuries on his head and private parts. "Chimpanzees and other wild animals are supposed to be in parks and game reserves. But it strayed into our garden and injured my son. Government should compensate us," Mr Byaruhanga said. He expressed worry whether his son will be able to father children given the injury the baby sustained in the private parts.


The Uganda Wildlife Authority's (UWA) spokesperson, Mr Jossy Muhangi, described the incident as unfortunate, but said the authority would not compensate the family. "There is no provision in the law for us to compensate in such a case," Mr Muhanji said, adding that UWA does not compensate victims in communities neighbouring parks and game reserves.


"Out of charity, we at times give a helping hand to the victims," he said.

Mr Muhangi, however, said UWA would dispatch a team to track the animal and relocate it to Ngamba Island for protection. Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary was established in October 1998 to care for orphaned chimpanzees that have been rescued by the wildlife authority.


According to the victim's mother, Ms Rosemary Nyangoma, the animal carried the baby while he was sleeping in the garden under a makeshift structure in Kikinga village, Bugambe Sub-county.


She was stunned when she went to check on the baby and did not find him where she had left him. "I began looking around searching for the baby not until I heard him crying in the forest adjacent to my garden," Ms Nyangoma told journalists at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital. She sounded an alarm which attracted other residents to join her in searching for the baby.


"We saw the chimpanzee carrying the baby. When we moved towards where it was, it threw the baby and ran away," Ms Nyangoma said. The hospital's medical superintendent, Dr Francis Mulwanyi, said the baby's health has improved.


Other cases


Cases of wild animals attacking children in Hoima District have been common. In December 2013, a six-year-old was attacked by a stray ape at her parents' home in Bubaale village, Bujumbura Division, Hoima Municipality. In July this year, Mujuni Semata, 2, was reportedly killed by chimpanzees in Muhoro Town Council in Kibaale District. Mr Semata said his son was kidnapped by chimpanzees and died hours after being abandoned deep in the forest.


Moscow airport chiefs fired, staff arrested as investigation considers possibility of traffic control error in death of pro-Russian French oil company CEO


The general director and a deputy general director from Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport have resigned after the fatal crash that killed French oil giant Total's CEO earlier in the week, the airport's press service reported Thursday.

"In line with the tragic event that occurred [late Monday night on October 20], the following [individuals] have resigned: Vnukovo International Airport General Director Andrei Dyakov and Deputy General Director Sergei Solntsev," the press release reads.


Vnukovo accepted both resignations, according to the statement.


Several other airport managerial staff were dismissed as well on Thursday.


Total CEO Christophe de Margerie died in the crash of a Falcon 50 business jet late Monday night at Vnukovo-3 Airport. The incident happened when the aircraft, which was to fly to Paris, hit a snow removal vehicle when taking off. De Margerie was the only passenger on board along with three crew members, also French citizens. The crew also died in the crash.


Russia's Investigative Committee is considering two main possibilities as to the cause of the crash - a traffic control mistake and the actions of the snowplow driver.


Four Vnukovo Airport employees have been arrested as suspects in connection with the crash. The investigators suspect that they did not observe flight security requirements and failed to conduct ground checks, which later led to the tragedy.


Psychopathic war criminals: Shocking video shows Ukranian forces executing three civilians and throwing them into a mass grave


Ukraine execution

This video was provided by NAF. They had captured a vehicle, belonging to Donbass National Guard battalion. The vehicle had a dashboard camera, where a recording of a massacre of civilians was found. In it you can see people in uniform waiting in the dark in a countryside by a makeshift grave. When the second car arrives, a banderite greeting is exchanged: "Glory to Ukraine!" - "Glory to heroes!" (This is also a code for telling your own from the enemy.) Then you can hear a person inside the car shouting "F$%ken dogs!" at the captured, while trying to get them out of the car. Three people are dragged out of the car and thrown into a mass grave, two males and one female. You can see the flashes of gunfire in the dark, after which the executioners shout "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes" three times.

As we know, multiple mass graves have been found on the territory formerly occupied by Ukrainian forces.


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.



Comment: Remember this horrific scene the next time you hear a US spoke person claim that these neo-nazi criminals are somehow the victims of Russia. The only victims in this drama are the people of Ukraine who did not ask for a fascist takeover of their government, in particular those in the East who dared to opt out of such madness and who are now the subject of such brutality.

Moscow airport chiefs fired, staff arrested as investigation considers possibility of traffic control error in death of pro-Rusian French oil company CEO


The general director and a deputy general director from Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport have resigned after the fatal crash that killed French oil giant Total's CEO earlier in the week, the airport's press service reported Thursday.

"In line with the tragic event that occurred [late Monday night on October 20], the following [individuals] have resigned: Vnukovo International Airport General Director Andrei Dyakov and Deputy General Director Sergei Solntsev," the press release reads.


Vnukovo accepted both resignations, according to the statement.


Several other airport managerial staff were dismissed as well on Thursday.


Total CEO Christophe de Margerie died in the crash of a Falcon 50 business jet late Monday night at Vnukovo-3 Airport. The incident happened when the aircraft, which was to fly to Paris, hit a snow removal vehicle when taking off. De Margerie was the only passenger on board along with three crew members, also French citizens. The crew also died in the crash.


Russia's Investigative Committee is considering two main possibilities as to the cause of the crash - a traffic control mistake and the actions of the snowplow driver.


Four Vnukovo Airport employees have been arrested as suspects in connection with the crash. The investigators suspect that they did not observe flight security requirements and failed to conduct ground checks, which later led to the tragedy.


Pakistan to get full-member status of SCO next year





Source: Pak Observer

Pakistan to get full-member status of SCO next year


Islamabad—Pakistan will get full-member status of SCO next year, said Sherali. S Jononov, Ambassador of Tajikistan while briefing mediamen on Thursday on the outcome of SCO Summit held on September 11 and 12 in Dushanbe.


He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could not attend the Summit due to political situation at home. However, Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs attended it.


He said the SCO Summit presided over by Tajik President Emomali Rahman had reviewed progress on the implementation of the Plan of Action for 2013-2017 of Treaty on Long-Term , Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation of SCO member States on Multi-Trade and Economic Cooperation.


The Member- states resolved to continue cooperation in the fight against terrorism, separatism, extremism, illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, trans-boundary crimes and cyber threats. The next SCO Summit will be held in Ufa, Russian Federation.


While replying to a question on CASA-1000 energy project, he said ground –breaking ceremony for this mega regional project will be held next year and it will be completed in 2017.


Read More @ Source








Rare beaked whale found dead on Sunshine Coast, Queensland


© Sunshine Coast Council

The deep sea whales rarely come close to shore.



Marine experts will examine a rare deep sea whale that has washed up on a Queensland beach.

The five-and-a-half metre beaked whale was found dead this morning at Wurtulla on the Sunshine Coast.


It was believed to have died of natural causes.


It was at least the second beaked whale to wash up on the east coast of Australia this week, after one was found on Redhead Beach, south of Newcastle, last week.


The Queensland Museum will collect the Wurtulla whale's carcass tomorrow to conduct research into the rare species.


The Sunshine Coast Council has erected a sign around the Wurtulla Beach whale asking people not to touch the whale, saying it could carry viruses.


Whale Conservation Society's Paul Hodda said it was an exciting find because the mysterious whale is rarely seen anywhere in the world.


"Nobody knows a real lot about them. They are deep sea animals and they very rarely come close to shore," Mr Hodda said.


"Only in recent years have we found out what this thing looks like and that's how unusual and mysterious they are.


"We had a piece of one for 80 or so years before we knew what they even looked like."


Mr Hodda said they were called beaked whales because they have a beak out in front of their heads like dolphins do.


Fish biologist, surfer and recreational fisherman Kris Pitman has spent a lot of time on the water but has never seen a beaked whale.


"It's amazing and really interesting," he said.


Upon discovering a beaked whale on Redhead Beach last week, Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans Australia vice-president Shona Lorigan said the beaked whale was a "very cryptic species".


"They disappear very, very quickly," she said.


"So for a very, very long time not much has been known about them and so every time we even find one that is dead on the beach, it is a treasure trove for the scientists," Ms Lorigan said.


BEST OF THE WEB: MH-17: The Untold Story (Documentary)


Three months after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was violently brought down from the skies over Ukraine, there are still no definitive answers to what caused the tragedy. Civil conflict in the area prevented international experts from conducting a full and thorough investigation. The wreckage should have been collected and scrupulously re-assembled to identify all the damage, but this standard investigative procedure was never carried out. Until that's done, evidence can only be gleaned from pictures of the debris, the flight recorders or black boxes and eye-witnesses' testimonies. This may be enough to help build a picture of what really happened to the aircraft, whether a rocket fired from the ground or gunfire from a military jet.

[embedded content]



BEST OF THE WEB: The Politics of the Ottawa Shooting




CCTV footage showing the shooter making his way towards Parliament Building in Ottawa





Eric Draitser of StopImperialism.org appears on RT to discuss the Ottawa shooting and the political context in which it should be understood. Draitser explains that an investigation into the role of intelligence agencies in the event is critical to an understanding of how this event really happened. He also notes the convenient timing of the incident and how it will be capitalized on politically by the Harper government. Finally, Draitser outlines how this incident will harden the policies of the government as it relates to the US-led coalition in the Middle East, rather than forcing it to rethink them.

[embedded content]



Receiving gossip about others promotes self-reflection and growth


Gossip is pervasive in our society, and our penchant for gossip can be found in most of our everyday conversations. Why are individuals interested in hearing gossip about others' achievements and failures? Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands studied the effect positive and negative gossip has on how the recipient evaluates him or herself. The study is published in .

In spite of some positive consequences, gossip is typically seen as destructive and negative. However, hearing gossip may help individuals adapt to a social environment, illustrate how an individual can improve, or reveal potential threats.


Design of the study


The first study asked participants to recall an incident where they received either positive or negative gossip about another individual. Participants were then asked questions to measure the self-improvement, self-promotion, and self-protection value of the received gossip information. Individuals that received positive gossip had increased self-improvement value, whereas negative gossip had increased self-promotion value. Negative gossip also increased self-protection concerns.


"For example, hearing positive stories about others may be informative, because they suggest ways to improve oneself," lead researcher Elena Martinescu explains. "Hearing negative gossip may be flattering, because it suggests that others (the gossip target) may function less well than we do. However, negative gossip may also be threatening to the self, because it suggests a malign social environment in which one may easily fall victim to negative treatments."


Participants in the second study were assigned the role of a sales agent and asked to imagine they had written a job description that was presented to them. Participants received either negative or positive gossip about another's job performance. This scenario included an achievement goal manipulation with two conditions; a performance goal condition, and a mastery goal condition. People who have a salient performance goal strive to demonstrate superior competence by outperforming other people. People who have a salient mastery goal strive to develop competence by learning new knowledge, abilities, and skills.


Results of the study


Consistent with the first study, positive gossip had more self-improvement value, whereas negative gossip had self-promotion value and raised self-protection concerns. Negative gossip elicited pride due to its self-promotion value since it provides individuals with social comparison information that justifies self-promotional judgments. Negative gossip also elicits fear and anxiety due to increased self-protection concerns, since individuals may worry that their reputation could be at risk if they become targets of negative gossip in the future.


The second study found that individuals with a mastery goal are more likely to learn from positive gossip than individuals with a performance goal, while the latter experience more concern for self-protection in response to positive gossip. Individuals who pursue performance goals feel threatened by positive gossip because rivals' success translates to their own failure.


The researchers expected that individuals would be more alert after receiving positive rather than negative gossip because they might find positive gossip provides a source of information they can learn from. However, the results were surprising, and alertness was high for both positive and negative gossip, presumably because both types of gossip are highly relevant for the receiver.


Gender differences between men and women were also observed. "Women who receive negative gossip experience higher self-protection concerns possibly because they believe they might experience a similar fate as the person being the target of the gossip, while men who receive positive gossip experience higher fear, perhaps because upward social comparisons with competitors are threatening," Elena Martinescu elaborates.


Gossip provides individuals with indirect social comparison information, which is in-turn valued highly by receivers because it provides an essential resource for self-evaluation. Instead of eliminating gossip, Elena Martinescu and her colleagues suggest that individuals should "accept gossip as a natural part of our lives and receive it with a critical attitude regarding the consequences it may have on ourselves and on others." Receiving gossip about other people is a valuable source of knowledge about ourselves, because we implicitly compare ourselves with the people we hear gossip about.


The Trews: Who wins in the Ottawa killings?

[embedded content]




Text of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's speech to Canadians after Ottawa shooting

"For the second time this week, there has been a brutal and violent attack on our soil.


Today, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Cpl. Cirillo was killed today, murdered in cold blood, as he provided a ceremonial honour guard at Canada's National War Memorial. That sacred place that pays tribute to those that gave their lives so that we could live in a free, democratic and safe society.


Likewise, our thoughts and prayers remain also with the family and friends of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent who was killed earlier this week by an ISIL inspired terrorist. Tonight, we also pray for the speedy recovery of the others injured in these despicable attacks.


Fellow Canadians, we've also been reminded today of the compassionate and courageous nature of so many Canadians, like those private citizens and first responders who came to provide aid for Cpl. Cirillo as he fought for his life -- and of course the members of our security forces in the RCMP, the City of Ottawa police and in parliament who came quickly at great risk to themselves to assist those of us who were close to the attack.


Fellow Canadians, in the days that come, we will learn more about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had. But this week's events are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terrorist attacks that we have seen elsewhere around the world.


We are also reminded that attacks on our security personnel and our institutions of governments are, by their very nature, attacks on our country, on our values, on our society, on us Canadians, as a free and democratic people who embrace human dignity for all.


But, let there be no misunderstanding. We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated. In fact, this will lead us to strengthen our resolve and re-double our efforts and those of our national security agencies to take all necessary steps to identify and counter threats and keep Canada safe here at home. Just as it will lead us to strengthen our resolve and re-double our efforts to work with our allies around the world and fight against the terrorist organizations who brutalize those in other countries with the hope of bringing their savagery to our shores. They will have no safe haven.


Today has been, without question, a difficult day. I have every confidence that Canadians will pull together with the kind of firm solidarity that has seen our country through many challenges. Together we will remain vigilant against those at home or abroad who wish to harm us.


For now, Lorraine and Ben and Rachel and I join all Canadians in praying for those touched by today's attack. May God bless them and keep our land glorious and free."


Elephant herd tramples farmer to death in India


© Jagdeep Rajput



A 49-year-old farmer trampled to death by a herd of elephants in the Ragi field in Tagachikoppe village bordering Savanadurda forest area in Ramnagar on Friday morning.

The deceased, Rajendra Nayak, along with two others, had gone to the field in the early hours was caught by the elephant herd.


While Rajendra was trampled to death the two others managed to escape , Deputy Conservator of Forest (Ramnagar) , Ravishankar said.


According to the him, the three elephants who were separated from the group of 11 elephants heading towards the forest area strayed into the village.


The forest officials drove the elephants back into the forest area and shifted the body of Rajendra for post-mortem.


Ancient city ruled by Genghis Khan's heirs discovered

Ancient city of Ukek

© Dmitriy Kubankin

Archaeologists with the Saratov Regional Museum of Local Lore have uncovered part of the ancient city of Ukek, founded by the descendents of Genghis Khan.



Remains of a 750-year-old city, founded by the descendents of Genghis Khan, have been unearthed along the Volga River in Russia.

Among the discoveries are two Christian temples one of which has stone carvings and fine ceramics.


The city's name was Ukek and it was founded just a few decades after Genghis Khan died in 1227. After the great conqueror's death his empire split apart and his grandson Batu Khan, who lived from 1205 to 1255, founded the Golden Horde (also called the ).The Golden Horde kingdom stretched from Eastern Europe to Central Asia and controlled many of the Silk Road trade routes that connected China to Medieval Europe.


This city of Ukek was built close to the khan's summer residence along the Volga River, something which helped it become prosperous. The name "Golden Horde" comes from the golden tent from which the khan was said to rule.


Christian quarter


Archaeologists with the Saratov Regional Museum of Local Lore have discovered the Christian quarter of Ukek, shedding light on the Christian people who lived under the Khan's rule. Ukek was a multicultural city, where a variety of religious beliefs were practiced including Islam, Christianity and Shamanism.


While Christians did not rule the Golden Horde, the discoveries archaeologists made show that not all the Christians were treated as slaves, and people of wealth frequented the Christian quarter of the city.


"Some items belonging to local elite were found in the Christian district," Dmitriy Kubankin, an archaeologist with the Saratov Regional Museum of Local Lore, told Live Science in an email."Among other things, there is a Chinese glass hair pin, with a head shaped as a split pomegranate, and a fragment of a bone plate with a carved dragon image."


Stone temples


Lion bas relief

© Dmitriy Kubankin

A bas relief showing a lion being clawed by a griffin was found in the remains of a Christian temple at the Ukek city site.



Among the discoveries are the basements of two Christian temples. In eastern Christianity churches are sometimes called temples.

One of the temples was built around 1280 and was destroyed in the early 14th century. "It was roofed with tiles and decorated with murals and stone carving[s], both, from the outside and inside," Kubankinsaid.


"The best-preserved bas relief (a type of stone carving) features a lion being clawed by a griffin," said Kubankin, noting that another carving depicts a cross.


Within the basement of the temple, archaeologists found the remains of goods that may have been stored by local merchants, including fine plates and bottles that were imported from the Byzantine Empire, Egypt or Iran. "Any church cellar was considered a safe place to store goods in it, therefore, merchants from the nearest neighborhood used to keep (objects) of sale there," Kubankin said.


After the first Christian temple was destroyed in the early 14th century, a second temple was built in 1330 and remained in use until about 1350. "Most probably, it was stone-walled and had a tile roof. A part of its foundation with the apse has been unearthed," Kubankin said.


The fall of Ukek


The city of Ukek did not last for long. During the 14th century, the Golden Horde began to decline, and in 1395 Ukek was attacked by a ruler named Tamerlane, a man out to build an empire of his own. He destroyed Ukek and took over much of the territory formerly ruled by the Golden Horde, dealing them a blow from which they would never recover.


Today modern-day buildings cover much of Ukek. "This hampers any research and prevents complete unearthing of the entire [site], because it extends over several private land plots," Kubankin said.


"Nevertheless, digging just in one site may lead to significant discoveries. Archaeological expeditions from the Saratov Regional Museum of Local Lore [have made] yearly excavations since 2005," said Kubankin, adding thatthese discoveries will soon be featured in a museum exhibition.


Kubankin presented the team's finds recently at the European Association of Archaeologists' annual meeting in Istanbul.


Europe postpones next month's launch of first 'space plane'

ESA's space plane



A replica of the ESA's space plane IXV is on display during the presentation at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, on September 9, 2014



Europe said Friday it was postponing the launch next month of its first-ever "space plane" to give scientists time to finetune the mission's flight plan.

Dubbed the IXV, for Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, the plane had been scheduled for launch on November 18 by a Vega light rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.


"The European Space Agency (ESA), in conjunction with the French space agency CNES, has decided to carry out additional flight trajectory analyses," said Arianespace, which markets services by ESA's launchers.


"A new launch date will be announced as soon as possible," it said in a press release..


The size of a medium-sized car and developed over five years at a cost of 150 million euros ($193 million), the IXV is the test bed for a shuttle-like vehicle that would giving Europe the ability to return to Earth from orbit.


One idea is that in a future form it could bring back astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).


Studded with 300 sensors, the prototype IXV will collect data on the craft's handling and thermodynamics.


The preliminary test entails hoisting the IXV to a height of 450 kilometres (280 miles) where it will go into sub-orbital flight for 100 minutes.


It will then re-enter the atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific, where it will be recovered by ship


Ad campaign depicts African-American children in bulletproof vests


© Twitter/@Dreamdefenders



A public-service ad campaign in Florida, which depicts African American children in bulletproof vests, is urging voter participation to encourage the election of candidates who support repeal of the state's stand-your-ground gun law.

The "Vest or Vote" campaign, pushed by social justice organization The Dream Defenders, includes a billboard in Tallahassee, the state capital, and online ads that will appear on Facebook and Twitter. Dream Defenders said the campaign wants to put the state's loose gun laws - and their impact on communities of color - front and center.



Sale on bulletproof vests for kids! Pick yours up today! Visit http://t.co/mKHWBsh24z or call 1-800-462-2405 http://ift.tt/1tOsbUf


- The Dream Defenders (@Dreamdefenders) October 14, 2014



"In November, Florida's voters will be faced with the question first posed by Malcolm X, 'the ballot or the bullet,'" Ciara Taylor, political director for Dream Defenders, said in a statement reported by Ad Week. "That dichotomy is what this election is ultimately about."

The billboard mimics a clothing ad such as those one might associate with H&M or Gap, according to The BRPR Group, a Miami advertising agency that worked on the campaign. In the ad, an African American child is shown with arms outstretched, showing off a black bulletproof vest, called in the ad "The Dream Vest."


The online ad can be seen at The Dream Defenders website. A mother pleads with her son to wear a bulletproof vest, because she needs to know he will be safe when she's at work. He agrees, and the mother puts the vest on him as if she was helping him into a winter coat.


The ad ends with a statistic in text: "Every 28 hours an African-American is killed by a police officer, security guard or vigilante."


The message is accompanied by audio from news clips announcing the deaths of young black men in America, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Oscar Grant in San Francisco; and Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, gunned down in 2012 by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of second-degree murder and of manslaughter charges last summer based in part on the state's stand-your-ground law.


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The controversial law, which Florida pioneered before similar legislation spread across the US, allows someone, in a place they are legally allowed to be, to use deadly force if they reasonably believe they face an imminent and immediate threat of serious bodily harm or death.

The intentionally eye-catching video is designed to spark conversation, according to The BRPR Group, and to encourage young voters to "contest fear and insecurity in communities of color."


Others have said while the ad is catchy in its controversy, it might send an offensive message to African Americans, and that voter participation can be encouraged in other ways.


"You should be voting because it's the moral thing to do, not because you're voting out of fear," Dr. Irving Cohen, a community organizer at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, told CBS 47.


[embedded content]




Speaking about the ad, activist Solomon Comissiong told RT's that those fighting for social justice are seeking new and varied ways to raise awareness of police brutality, especially in minority communities, whether it means challenging local political structures or appealing to international organizations like the United Nations.

"These things are happening over and over again," Comissiong said. "Parents are trying to figure out how to protect their children from an outfit, an organizaiton (the police) that ... is allegedly supposed to be there to protect the interests of the community, but that's not the case when you look at those communities that are black and brown."


David Cameron demands emergency talks after £1.7bn EU bill


© AFP

British Prime Minister David Cameron gives a press conference on October 24, 2014 on the second day of a European Union summit at EU headquarters in Brussels



EU finance ministers have agreed to emergency talks after British Prime Minister David Cameron challenged a demand from the EU for an extra £1.7 billion by December 1, because the UK economy has done better than other EU members since 1995.

Cameron interrupted a meeting of EU leaders to tell Jose Manuel Barosso, the head of the European Commission, that the demand for extra cash from the UK was unacceptable.


The Prime Minister emphasized that a lot of money was being demanded and that it was not just a problem of dealing with Euroskeptic sections of the British media and public.


The demand from the EU will add about a fifth to the UK's annual contribution of £8.6 billion (US$13.8 billion).


The bill comes after the EU modified how it works out how much each state should pay based on national income. The surcharge now includes estimations from illegal trade in the so-called black economy, such as prostitution and drugs.


"It is not acceptable, it an appalling way to behave," Cameron told a press conference in Brussels on Friday. "I'm not paying that bill on December 1. If people think I am they've got another thing coming. It is not going to happen."


A spokesman for the British government said they would be pressing Brussels to explain the bill and that the amount of money they were demanding needs "a full political-level discussion."


"This money the European Commission was not expecting and does not need, and we will be working with other countries to do all we can to challenge this," said a British spokesman.


Cameron was supported by Matteo Renzi, the prime minister of Italy, who has also been hit for extra payments by the EU.


But although other countries were also asked for extra cash, including €642 million ($814 million) from the Netherlands, figures seen by the Financial Times suggest that Britain has been asked for the most by far.


In contrast Germany and France actually received a rebate from the EU worth €779 million and €1 billion respectively.


Chancellor George Osborne was furious at the "totally unacceptable" financial demand and said the UK along with other member states whose economies had fared better had been given "no warning."


"This is not the way an organization like the European Union should act. This organization is not working as it should and Britain's relationship with this organization is not as we would wish it to be," he said.



© AFP

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso



But an EU official insisted the cash demand was purely a "technical matter," while Borosso said he was unaware of the issue.

The budget demand could not come at a more awkward time for Cameron, who is facing a general election next May in which one of the key battleground issues will be Europe.


The EU's request also comes just weeks before a crucial by-election in Rochester and Strood, where the anti-EU UKIP is hoping to snatch a second seat from the Conservatives.


Several Tory MPs have described the financial demand as "illegal" and suggested that the UK should just refuse to pay.


"We are just being taken for ride. Roll on the referendum - this will just strengthen the resolve of the British public to get out of this superstate," said Peter Bone, Conservative MP for Wellingborough.


While Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan pointed out that the extra money being demanded could fund 60,000 nurses and their pension schemes.


There was also little patience with the demand from the Labour and Liberal Democrat camps.


A spokesman for the Lib Dems said the demand for such a large amount of money "at the drop of a hat" was "unacceptable" and that the UK should work with other EU states who have also been asked for extra money to challenge the decision.


However the Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls questioned the Treasury's insistence that they had only just found out about the request.


"How could [Cameron] suddenly be surprised about this, surely the Treasury has known about this for weeks and weeks and weeks?" he told the .


The economy is a mess: Fifty percent of Americans make less than $28,000 a year

income graph

The Social Security Administration has just released wage statistics for 2013, and the numbers are startling. Last year, 50 percent of all American workers made less than $28,031, and 39 percent of all American workers made less than $20,000. If you worked a full-time job at $10 an hour all year long with two weeks off, you would make $20,000. So the fact that 39 percent of all workers made less than that amount is rather telling. This is more evidence of the declining quality of the jobs in this country. In many homes in America today, both parents are working multiple jobs in a desperate attempt to make ends meet. Our paychecks are stagnant while the cost of living just continues to soar. And the jobs that are being added to the economy pay a lot less than the jobs lost in the last recession. In fact, it has been estimated that the jobs that have been created since the last recession pay an average of 23 percent less than the jobs that were lost. We are witnessing the slow-motion destruction of the middle class, and very few of our leaders seem to care.

The "average" yearly wage in America last year was just $43,041. But after accounting for inflation, that was actually worse than the year before...



American paychecks shrank last year, just-released data show, further eroding the public's purchasing power, which is so vital to economic growth.


Average pay for 2013 was $43,041 - down $79 from the previous year when measured in 2013 dollars. Worse, average pay fell $508 below the 2007 level, my analysis of the new Social Security Administration data shows.


Flat or declining average pay is a major reason so many Americans feel that the Great Recession never ended for them. A severe job shortage compounds that misery not just for workers but also for businesses trying to profit from selling goods and services.


Average pay declined in 59 of the 60 levels of worker pay the government reports each October.



And please keep in mind that "average pay" is really skewed by the millionaires and billionaires at the top end of the spectrum.

Median pay in 2013 was just $28,031.02. That means that 50 percent of American workers made less than that number, and 50 percent of American workers made more than that number.


Here are some more numbers from the report that the Social Security Administration just released...


-39 percent of American workers made less than $20,000 last year.


-52 percent of American workers made less than $30,000 last year.


-63 percent of American workers made less than $40,000 last year.


-72 percent of American workers made less than $50,000 last year.


I don't know about you, but those numbers are deeply troubling to me.


It has been estimated that it takes approximately $50,000 a year to support a middle class lifestyle for a family of four, and so the fact that 72 percent of all workers make less than that amount shows how difficult it is for families that try to get by with just a single breadwinner.


The way that our economy is structured now, both parents usually have to work as hard as they can just to pay the bills.


But there was one group of Americans that did see their incomes actually increase last year.


Those making over 50 million dollars had their pay increase by an average of $12.8 million in 2013.


For everyone else, the news was not good.


And of course this is a trend that has been going on for a long time.


Posted below is a chart that comes from the Federal Reserve. It shows how real median household income in the United States has declined since the year 2000...


real median income

Meanwhile, the cost of living has continued to rise at a steady pace.

Needless to say, this is putting a tremendous squeeze on the middle class. With each passing day, more Americans are losing their spots in the middle class and this has pushed government dependence to an all-time high. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 49 percent of all Americans now live in a home that receives money from the government each month. This is completely and totally unsustainable, but our long-term economic problems just keep getting worse.


Our politicians have stood by as millions upon millions of good paying jobs have been shipped out of the country. Millions of other middle class jobs have been lost to technology. This has resulted in intense competition for the middle class jobs that remain.


And at this point we are even losing lots of lower paying retail jobs. For example, it is being reported that Sears plans to close 110 more stores and lay off more than 6,000 workers. Sears says that the report "isn't accurate", but it isn't denying that stores will be closed either...



In an email to USA Today, Sears spokesman Howard Riefs said the store count and closures "isn't accurate,'' but did not provide store closures or layoff numbers.


"As we stated in our (second quarter earnings report), we disclosed that we would be closing unprofitable stores as leases expire and in some cases will accelerate closings when it is economically prudent. And that we would consider closing additional stores during the remainder of the year,'' Riefs said. "Make no mistake, we believe the store will continue to play an integral role in our transformation, however, if a store is not generating a profit, it is straightforward that the store should be considered for closure."



No matter how many stores Sears does end up closing over the next few months, the truth is that our economy is a complete and total mess at this point.

Our politicians and the mainstream media are trying to put a happy face on everything, but the cold, hard numbers prove that we are not anywhere close to where we were prior to the last recession.


Because it is so difficult to find a good job in America today, I often recommend to people that they should consider starting their own businesses.


But thanks to the bureaucratic control freaks in the Obama administration and in our state governments, small business ownership in America today is at an all-time low. It is almost as if they don't want the "little guy" to win. Every avenue of prosperity for the middle class is under assault, and there does not appear to be much hope that this will change any time soon.


And the truly frightening thing is that this is about as good as things are going to get for the middle class. We are rapidly approaching the next major wave of our long-term economic decline, but that is a topic for a future article.