http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=more Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:13:26 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=more Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:19:31 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5bd_1371575674 Amusing CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -The last several days in Chicago have been especially violent bringing the issue to what some would call a "tipping point." More than 50 people have been shot since Friday. But what can be done to stem the violence? State Rep. Ken Dunkin, whose constituents live in the shooting-plagued neighborhoods, and Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church, weighed in on steps toward a solution for Good Day Chicago on Tuesday. The detectives in the district housing the intersection of 51st and Wentworth are some of the best in the country, and have been inundated with cases due to the escalating violence in Chicago. Still, the Chicago Police Department says the number incidents compared to the same time last year are decreasing. State Rep. Ken Dunkin's constituents live in Englewood and other areas of the city that are currently plagued with shootings. He said the reports are hard for people to understand. "It's very difficult to understand first why we're having crimes with young people in general across the city. The police have jobs, an image to protect. Higher ups I'm sure are concerned about their boss - which is us," Rep. Dunkin said. "We need protection in our neighborhoods. As we try to create jobs, come up with quality schools, health care, we need to emphasize safety and protection. The citizens deserve equal protection under the law." There were 46 people shot over the weekend and eight more shot on Monday beginning at 1:00 p.m. Rep. Dunkin ( @RepKenDunkin ) described the increased amount of activity as astonishing. He thinks the National Guard needs to get involved. "We have to come together and identify those individuals who are being the urban terrorists that we so detest. The police have to play a page role. If the police can't do it, we need to consider calling in the National Guard or the state police, where citizens can be protected," Dunkin said. "A large proportion of those individuals who are shot are innocent bystanders. This wouldn't happen in any other community in the city, as often as it is on the South and West Sides." There is also concern throughout the city that the violence will, or has already had a negative impact on tourism. Rep. Dunkin is the chairman of Illinois' tourism committee. He spoke to encouraging tourist to visit Chicago despite the violence in some areas. "We have an incredible city in spite of this rare uptick of gun violence. It's important to make sure tourism is live and well, because a lot of the people in these neighborhoods depend on that economy. It's a matter of us getting a handle on it right now," Dunkin said. "My emphasis is on the superintendent, the mayor, us and the community to wrap our arms around this and we have to be protected. It's not a good conscience for politicians not to have an opportunity to protect the people. If the superintendent of police cannot do it effectively, we need reinforcement at the state and possibly national level to sees this culture in our community." Rep. Dunkin said that unfortunately, the socioeconomic status of the next victims will have a large impact on the type of help Chicago will receive and how fast it will come to the city. "We have come up with strategies that add value to the lives of all the people," Dunkin said. "We're disgusted with this violence." Community activist and religious leader Father Michael Pfleger said he didn't initially believe the report when he heard about crime being "down" in the City of Chicago. Regardless of the headlines, he said the community wants to hear about solutions. "I don't know that I'm believing it, but I know it's something we need to hear. We don't need to hear when there's 46 people shot, seven killed on the weekend, or that things are better," Pfleger said. "We need to hear how we're going to deal with this. People are afraid. A 10-year-old kid in my church didn't want to come home from vacation. Kids shouldn't have to live like that and think like. That college kids are not coming home from college." Father Pfleger announced on Facebook and shared via Twitter ( @MichaelPfleger ) that he wants people to get involved this Friday, the last day of the public school year: Father Michael Pfleger on Facebook: "I'm asking my FB Family to join me at St. Sabina this Friday June 21st at 7pm on the Church steps for a Rally and March to call the Community to OCCUPY THE STREETS this Summer! Friday marks the end of the School Year and the 1st Day of Summer. AFTER LAST WEEKENDS BLOOD BATH, WE MUST MAKE A DECISION TO BE THE SOLDIERS ON OUR STREETS THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, WHO ARE VISIBLE AND TAKE AUTHORITY! PLEASE JOIN ME AND SPREAD THE WORD THRU ALL YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA..... LET'S SEND A STRONG MESSAGE AND TAKE A STAND! OCCUPY THE STREETS!!!!!" "We need the communities to get out in the streets and take advantage of the Occupy Movement," Pfleger said. "Go out in our neighborhood. Go out in your streets. Let's take authority and take presence in the streets and let's make sure we control our streets. Stop waiting for the police to do it. Let's do it ourselves." Father Pfleger doesn't think the National Guard is the only thing Chicago needs to curb the violence. He thinks the community needs much more. "These are abused, neglected communities. Let's get jobs, good education systems, alternatives. Let's give some infrastructure," Pfleger said. "We have abandoned these communities and they are perfect storms for violence." But the question is, how can the community convince kids not to resort to activities that lead to violence when some can make $1,500 per transaction. The activity pays pretty well short term, compared to the hard work over time it would take to walk away and lead a more productive life. "We have done it," Pfleger said. "For seven months we have watched young people out here. 95% of the brothers in the street do not want to shoot, kill or sell drugs. We have given them jobs and GED classes - and they do well." Read more: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/22619240/chicago-at-the-tipping-point-city-violence-escalates-residents-desperate-for-solution#ixzz2WaaEZT24 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5bd_1371575674 Amusing Chicago; <span class="highlight">More</span> than 50 people shot since Friday Chicago, Democrats, Violence, Shootings, Guns, Crime, Blame, Suspects, Did I mention democrats?, Crime Statistics, Department of Justice, Police Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:08:44 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=61a_1371567928 cathy winslow A volcano in central Mexico wakes with a column of ash more than four kilometers, causing fires in grasslands. It is feared that the smoke covers the whole Southeast. The current emergency security covers a radius of 12 kilometers and the authorities monitor the area to report any change in the activity of this crater. The alert level remains at yellow. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=61a_1371567928 cathy winslow Popocatepetl Volcano throws ash <span class="highlight">more</span> than four miles in Mexico Mexico,Volcano,eruption,ash,volcanic ash Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:51:01 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c40_1371634882 Ruptly A hunger strike has begun in the city of Philadelphia in response to the closure of public schools. The strike started on Monday 17 June and is currently composed of four individuals, two parents and two staff. Twenty three schools face closure in in the city, which will lead to the firing of 3,783 education professionals. The strikers are camping in front of Governor Corbett's Centre City field office and stated that they do not intend to move until the authorities take measures to reduce layoffs. As Earlene Bly, one of the hunger strikers stated: "As long as I can sit up straight and look healthy and be healthy, then I'm going to sit here." The aim of the action is to improve student safety, 1,202 of those facing unemployment are safety staff, responsible for food hygiene and school security. As Bly, went on to express: "I'm fasting for safe schools because I believe that our children are not safe in the school district." The strike was organized by the union Unite Here Local 634 under the motto "Fast for Safe Schools". Around thirty youth from various Philadelphia elementary and middle schools joined the hunger strikers on Tuesday for a picket. The students carried banners and chanted "the people united will never be defeated!" and "we're fired up, we can't take it no more!" as Philadelphia residents were handed leaflets about the cause. The closure of schools and layoffs were approved by the Philadelphia's School Reform Commission in May. Philadelphia has had heavy cuts to state aid and are being forced to address a $304 million (EUR227 Million) budget deficit in the school budget. The Philadelphia City Council and the Pennsylvania State Legislature will meet in the next two weeks to discuss the possibility of supplementing school funding. In that case, the dismissed employees would be able to return to work for the fall semester. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c40_1371634882 Ruptly USA: Hunger strikes in America?! austerity, cuts, hunger strike, education, Philadelphia Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:32:24 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=077_1371634248 AlunHill Russia v USA Military In Syria: Russian Army Prepares For Victory While USA Has Cutbacks As the US and Rusisan military forces prepare to face each other in Syria, resulting inevitably in potentially thousands more deaths America cuts back on military spending on aircraft, training, food and even food for its forces. Meanwhile Russia flexes their muscles once again and prepares for a victory as the US Military takes the side of terrorists against the elected Syrian Government. Here we see the machinery which will take part. The soldiers are training, ready.... http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=077_1371634248 AlunHill Russia v USA Military In Syria: Russian Army Prepares For Victory While USA Has Cutbacks us military, russian army, syria, us cutbacks Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:53:03 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b8e_1371627822 Curious_George June 18, 2013 President Bashar al-Assad gave the following interview to the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper: Interviewer: Mr President, how do you view the situation in your country? The Syrian Army has lost control over large parts of Syria, in other words those areas are outside the control of central government. What's your take on the situation? President Assad: Your question requires us to put things into their proper context: this is not a conventional war with two armies fighting to control or liberate particular areas or parts of land. What we are in fact dealing with is a form of guerrilla warfare. As for the Syrian Army, there has not been any instance where our Armed Forces have planned to enter a particular location and have not succeeded. Having said this, the Army is not present - and should not be present - in every corner of Syria. What is more significant than controlling areas of land, is striking terrorists. We are confident that we can successfully fight terrorism in Syria, but the bigger issue is the ensuing damage and its cost. The crisis has already had a heavy toll but our biggest challenges will come once the crisis is over. Foreign element seeks politically and militarily to prolong crisis Interviewer: In your recent interview with Al-Manar it appeared as though you were preparing the Syrian public for a protracted struggle. Was that your intention? President Assad: No, this was not specific to Al-Manar. From the early days of the crisis, whenever I was asked, I have stated that this crisis is likely to be prolonged due to foreign interference. Any internal crisis can go in one of two ways: either it is resolved or it escalates into a civil war. Neither has been the case for Syria because of the foreign component, which seeks to extend the duration of the crisis both politically and militarily; I think its fair to say that my predictions were right. Genuine re-construction is reconstructing mentalities, ideologies and conceptions Interview: Mr President, how do you expect to overcome the large-scale destruction that has been inflicted in Syria? President Assad: In the same way you, in Germany, overcame the devastation after World War II, and in the same way many other nations have progressed and been rebuilt after their wars. I am confident Syria will follow the same path. As long as we have resilient people, we can rebuild the country. We have done this before and we can do it again, learning from all we have been through. In terms of funding, we have been a self-sufficient country for a very long time. Of course we will need to be more productive than before as a result of the situation. Friendly countries have helped us in the past and continue to offer their support, maybe in the form of loans in the future. It may take a long time, but with our determination, our strength and our solidarity, we can rebuild the country. However, the more arduous challenge lies in rebuilding, socially and psychologically, those who have been affected by the crisis. It will not be easy to eliminate the social effects of the crisis, especially extremist ideologies. Real reconstruction is about developing minds, ideologies and values. Infrastructure is valuable, but not as valuable as human beings; reconstruction is about perpetuating both. Interviewer: Mr President, during the crisis some areas of the country have become either more self-reliant or more reliant on external support. Do you think this could potentially lead to the re-drawing of borders? President Assad : Do you mean within Syria or the region in general? Interviewer: The region - one hundred years after the Sykes-Picot Agreement. President Assad: One hundred years after Sykes-Picot, when we talk about re-drawing the borders in our region, we can use an analogy from architecture. Syria is like the keystone in the old architectural arches; by removing or tampering with the keystone, the arch will collapse. If we apply this to the region, to the world, - any tampering with the borders of this region will result in re-drawing the maps of distant regions because this will have a domino effect which nobody can control. One of the superpowers may be able to initiate the process, but nobody - including that superpower, will be able to stop it; particularly since there are new social borders in the Middle East today that didn't exist during Sykes-Picot. These new sectarian, ethnic and political borders make the situation much more complicated. Nobody can know what the Middle East will look like should there be an attempt to re-draw the map of the region. However, most likely that map will be one of multiple wars, which would transcend the Middle East spanning the Atlantic to the Pacific, which nobody can stop. Interviewer: Mr President, in your opinion what will the region look like in the future? President Assad: If we rule out the destructive scenario of division in your last question, I can envisage a completely different and more positive future, but it will depend on how we act as nations and societies. This scenario involves a number of challenges, first of which is restoring security and stability; our second challenge is the rebuilding process. However, our biggest and most important challenge lies in facing extremism. It has become extremely clear that there has been a shift in the societies of our region away from moderation, especially religious moderation. The question is: can we restore these societies to their natural order? Can our diverse societies still coexist together as one natural whole? On this point allow me to clarify certain terms. The words tolerance and coexistence are often used to define our societies. However, the more precise and appropriate definition, of how our societies used to be - and how they should be, is harmonious. Contrary to perception, the issue is neither about tolerance - since there will come a day when you are not tolerant, nor is the issue about coexistence - since you co-exist with your adversaries, but rather it is about harmony. What used to characterize us in the region was our harmony. You cannot say that your hand will coexist with or tolerate your foot because one compliments the other and both are a part of a harmonious whole. Another challenge is political reform and the question of which political system would keep our society coherent: be it presidential, semi-presidential or parliamentary, as well as deciding the most appropriate legislation to govern political parties. In Germany, for example, you have the Christian Democratic Party. In Syria we could not have religious parties, neither Christian nor Muslim, because for us religion is for preaching and not for political practice. There are many other details, but the essence is in accepting others. If we cannot accept each other we cannot be democratic, even with the best constitution or the best legislation's. we are a secular state that essentially treats its citizens equally Interviewer: Mr President, where do you see secularism in the midst of the rising Islamic current in the region? President Assad: This is a very important question; many in the region do not understand this relationship. The Middle East is a hub of different ideologies. Arab society is primarily based on two pillars: Pan-Arabism and Islam. Other ideologies do exist, such as communism, liberalism, Syrian nationalism, but these are not nearly as popular. Many people understand secularism as synonymous with communism in the past, in that it is against religion. In fact it is the complete opposite; for us in Syria secularism is about the freedom of confession including Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and the multiple diverse sects within these religions. Secularism is crucial to our national unity and sense of belonging. Therefore we have no choice but to strengthen secularism because religion is already strong in our region, and I stress here that this is very healthy. What is not healthy is extremism because it ultimately leads to terrorism; not every extremist is a terrorist, but every terrorist is definitely an extremist. So in response to your question, we are a secular state that essentially treats its citizens equally, irrespective of religion, sect or ethnicity. All our citizens enjoy equal opportunities regardless of religious belief. Syria is passing through most difficult circumstances, definitely not a spring Interviewer: Mr President, how do you view the two-and-a-half years since the so-called 'Arab Spring?' President Assad: This is a misconception. Spring does not include bloodshed, killing, extremism, destroying schools or preventing children from going to their schools, or preventing women from choosing what to wear and what is appropriate for them. Spring is the most beautiful season whilst we are going through the direst circumstances; it is definitely not Spring. Is Spring compatible with what is happening in Syria - the killing, the slaughtering, the beheading, the cannibalism, I leave it to you to decide. Interviewer: What are the issues that the so-called "Arab Spring" is supposed to resolve? President Assad: The solution doesn't lie in the 'Spring' or in anything else, the solution lies in us. We are the ones who should provide the solutions, by being proactive instead of reactive. When we address our problems proactively we ensure that we get the right solutions. Solutions imposed re-actively by the 'Spring' will only lead to deformed results. Like many countries in the Middle East, we have numerous problems that we are aware of and view objectively. This is how these problems should be solved, in that the solutions are internally manufactured and not externally administered, as the latter would produce a distorted or stillborn solution. It is for this very reason that when we call for dialogue or solutions, they need to be home-grown in order to ensure that they lead to the Syria we aspire to. what is happening in Iraq now, and in Lebanon previously, are repercussions of the situation in Syria Interviewer: Mr President, you have rejected any form of foreign intervention and have warned that this would extend the battle to wider areas, have you reached this? President Assad: Let's be clear about this, there are two types of foreign intervention: indirect through proxies or agent s, and direct intervention through a conventional war. We are experiencing the former. At the beginning of the crisis I warned that intervention in Syria - even indirectly, is similar to tampering with a fault line, it would lead to shockwaves throughout the region. At the time, many people - especially in the media, understood this as President Assad threatening to extend the crisis beyond Syria's borders. Clearly they did not understand what I meant at the time, but this is exactly what is happening now. If we look at the reality in front of us, we can see clearly that what is happening in Iraq now, and in Lebanon previously, are repercussions of the situation in Syria, and this will only extend further and further. We are seeing these ramifications and the intervention is still indirect, so imagine the consequences of military intervention? The situation will, of course, be much worse and then we will witness the domino effect of widespread extremism, chaos and fragmentation. Relations with Russia and Iran are cooperation guaranteed by international law Interviewer : You criticize countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Britain for their interference in the Syria crisis, isn't it true that Russia and Iran are also involved? President Assad: There is a significant difference between the co-cooperation of states as opposed to the destabilization of a certain country and interference in its internal affairs. Cooperation between countries is conceived on the concept of mutual will, in a way that preserves their sovereignty, independence, stability and self-determination. Our relationship with Russia, Iran and other countries that support Syria are cooperative relations certified under international law. The countries you mentioned, have adopted policies that meddle in Syria's internal affairs, which is a flagrant violation of international law and our national sovereignty. The difference therefore, is that cooperation between countries is intended to preserve stability and perpetuate the prosperity of these nations, whilst foreign interference seeks to destabilize countries, spread chaos and perpetuate ignorance. Interviewer: Sir, you have discussed the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Iraq and Lebanon whose societies are based on what one might call a sectarian system. Do you think that such a system with Sunni and Shiite pillars could be established in Syria? President Assad: Undoubtedly, sectarian systems in neighboring countries, sectarian unrest or civil wars - as in Lebanon 30 years ago, will inevitably affect Syria. That is why Syria intervened in Lebanon in 1976 - to protect itself and to safeguard Lebanon. It is for this reason that we are observing carefully the unfolding events in Iraq - they will affect us directly. This was also for this reason that we adamantly opposed the war on Iraq, despite a mixture of American temptations and threats at the time. We rejected losing our stability in return for appeasing the Americans. Sectarian systems are dangerous and that is why we insist on the secular model where all citizens are equal regardless of religion. Jabhat al-Nusra is a branch of al-Qaeda, they uphold same ideology Interviewer : Mr President, you are fighting Jabhat Al-Nusra." Can you tell us about it, what is this organization, who supports them, who supplies them with money and weapons? President Assad : Jabhat Al-Nusra is an Al-Qaeda affiliated group with an identical ideology whose members live in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan as well as other Arab and Muslim countries; they are very well financed and have plenty of arms. It is difficult to trace their sources due to the fact that their support resides in a covert manner through wealthy individuals and organisations that adopt the same ideology. Their primary aim is to establish an Islamic State in accordance to their interpretation of Islam. Central to their political thought is the Wahhabi doctrine - comparable to Al-Qaeda's in Afghanistan. This ideology is administered wherever they are present, especially on women. They claim to be applying Sharia Law and the Islamic Religion; however, in reality their actions are a complete distortion of the real religion of Islam. We have seen examples of their brutality on our satellite channels taken from footage they publish on purpose on YouTube in order to spread their ideology; a recent example was the beheading of an innocent man, which was aired on Belgian TV. Interviewer: What is the motivation for Saudi Arabia and Qatar to assist and arm the terrorists against you, what do they seek to achieve? President Assad: Firstly, I believe that this is a question they should be answering. I will respond by raising a few questions. Do they support the armed gangs because of their vehement belief in freedom and democracy as they claim in their media outlets? Do they harbor any form of democracy in their own countries, in order to properly support democracy in Syria. Do they have elected parliaments or constitutions voted on by their people? Have their populations decided at any time during the previous decades on what type of governing system they want - be it monarchy, presidency, principality or any other form? So, things are clear: they should first pay attention to their own nations and then answer your question. France and Britain look for puppets to carry out their interests Interviewer: In this quagmire, why do Britain and France delegate leadership to Saudi Arabia and Qatar? What do they hope to achieve? President Assad: I also cannot answer on behalf of Britain or France, but I can give you the general impression here. I believe that France and Britain have an issue with the 'annoying' Syrian role in the region - as they see it. These countries, like the United States, are looking for puppets and dummies to do their bidding and serve their interests without question. We have consistently rejected this; we will always be independent and free. It seems as though France and Britain have not forgotten their colonial history and persist in attempting to manipulate the region albeit through proxies. Indeed, Britain and France can direct Saudi Arabia and Qatar on what they should do, but we must also not forget that the policies and economies of France and Britain are also dependent on petrodollars. What happened in Syria was an opportunity for all these countries to get rid of Syria - this insubordinate state, and replace the president with a "yes man." This will never happen neither now nor in the future. Interviewer: The European Union has not renewed the arms embargo imposed on Syria and yet it has not approved arming the opposition. What is your assessment of this step? President Assad: Clearly there is a split within the European Union on this issue. I cannot state that the EU is supportive of the Syrian government; there are countries, especially Britain and France, who are particularly hostile to Syria. On the other hand, there are countries - Germany in particular, which are raising logical questions about the future consequences of arming the terrorists. Well firstly, that would perpetuate the destruction in Syria, forcing the Syrian people to pay an even heavier price. Secondly, by supplying arms, they are effectively arming terrorists, and the Europeans are well informed that these are terrorists groups. Some are repeating the American rhetoric of "good fighters and bad fighters," exactly as they did a few years ago with the "good Taliban and bad Taliban, good Al-Qaeda and bad Al-Qaeda." Today there is a new term of "good terrorists and bad terrorists" being promoted. Is this logical? When terrorism prevails, it will spread towards Europe They are aware that weapons sent to the region will end up in the hands of terrorists, which will have two consequences. First, Europe's back garden will become a hub for terrorism and chaos, which leads to deprivation and poverty; Europe will pay the price and forfeit an important market. Second, terrorism will not stop here - it will spread to your countries. It will export itself through illegal immigration or through the same terrorists who returned to their original countries after being indoctrinated and trained more potently. These pressing issues in my opinion are creating a considerable split or disagreement within the European Union; they may not like it, but they have no other choice than to cooperate with the Syrian government, even if they disagree with it. Interviewer: Your Excellency has stated that if European countries were to send weapons to Syria, they would effectively be arming terrorists. Do you consider all armed militants as terrorists? President Assad: As a European or German citizen I will pose the following question: does your country allow you to carry arms, intimidate or kill innocent people, vandalize and loot? Any individual or group excluding the army and police who carries arms, kills people, threatens and intimidates public safety are by definition terrorists, this is a norm in every country. Regardless of their background, be it extremists, criminals or convicted felons, those who are carrying weapons in Syria are essentially committing these acts. Therefore, they are terrorists. We differentiate between terrorists and conventional opposition groups, since the latter is a political entity and has a political agenda. Killing and slaughtering is terrorism and plunges the country back years into regression. Interviewer: So Mr President, you see the future as being against terrorism? President Assad: This is the logical conclusion; however in Europe you have many illogical, unrealistic and irresponsible politicians who are applying their negative sentiments instead of their reason. Politics should not be fueled by love or hatred, but by interests. As a German citizen, you should ask yourself what do you stand to gain from what is happening in our region? Basically, what is happening now is against your national interests, your genuine interest lies in fighting terrorism. Interviewer: Some view Hezbollah as a terrorist organization; we know that it has fought alongside Syrian troops in al-Quseir. We have also heard that there are fighters from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard fighting with you. Do you really need these forces? President Assad: The media is trying to portray Hezbollah as the main fighting force on the ground and the Syrian Army as weak and unable to achieve victory. In reality, over the last months we have achieved significant victories on the ground in different parts of Syria; in all of these victories, some of which were more important than al-Quseir, the Syrian army fought alone. None of this is highlighted in the media. One of the reasons for these victories is the National Defence Forces - local citizens fighting alongside the army to defend their communities and regions. Al-Quseir received more international attention because of statements by western officials projecting it as a strategic town, to the extent that even some United Nation's officials claim to understand the situation in al-Quseir! There was a lot of exaggeration, but there were also a large number of arms and militants. These terrorists started attacking the bordering towns loyal to Hezbollah, which warranted their intervention alongside the Syrian army in order to restore stability. The Syrian Army is a large army capable of accomplishing its missions across Syria, with the support of the local communities. If we were in need of such assistance, why not use these forces in the rural parts of Damascus, close to the capital? Damascus is certainly more important than al-Quseir, as is Aleppo and all the other major cities; it doesn't make any sense. But as I said at the beginning, the aim of this frenzy is to reflect an image of Hezbollah as the main fighting force and to provoke Western and International public opinion against Hezbollah. Interviewer: How strong and large are the Hezbollah brigades currently in Syria? President Assad: There are no brigades. They have sent fighters who have aided the Syrian army in cleaning areas on the Lebanese borders that were infiltrated by terrorists. They did not deploy forces into Syria. As you are aware, Hezbollah forces are positioned towards Israel and cannot depart Southern Lebanon. Additionally, if Hezbollah wanted to send fighters into Syria, how many could they send? A few hundred? The Syrian Army has deployed hundreds of thousands of troops across the country. Several hundred would make a difference in one area, but it would not conceivably constitute enough to tip the balance across all of Syria. Interviewer: Mr President, Britain and France claim to have clear evidence that chemical weapons have bee n used. The White House has stated that it possess information to ascertain this claim, which consequently led to the death of 100 to 150 people in one year, in addition to that you have denied the UN investigators access to areas in Syria except for Aleppo. How do you explain the situation? President Assad: Let's begin with the statement from the White House regarding the 150 casualties. Militarily speaking, it is a well-understood notion that during wars, conventional weapons can cause these number of deaths, or even higher, in a single day, not in a year. Weapons of mass destruction generally kill thousands of people at one given time; this high death toll is a primary reason for its use. It is counter-intuitive to use chemical weapons to create a death toll that you could potentially reach by using conventional weapons. America, France, Britain and some European officials claimed that we have used chemical weapons in a number of areas. Regardless of whether such weapons exist or not, we have never confirmed or denied the possession of these weapons. Had they obtained a single strand of evidence that we had used chemical weapons, do you not think they would have made a song and dance about it to the whole world?, then where is the chain of custody that led them to a such result? These allegations are ludicrous. The terrorist groups used chemical weapons in Aleppo; subsequently we sent an official letter to the United Nations requesting a formal investigation into the incident. Britain and France blocked this investigation because it would have proven the chemical attacks were carried out by terrorist groups and hence provided conclusive evidence that they (Britain and France) were lying. We invited them to investigate the incident, but instead they wanted the inspectors to have unconditional access to locations across Syria, parallel to what inspectors did in Iraq and delved into other unrelated issues. We are a sovereign state; we have an army and all matters considered classified will never be accessible neither to the UN, nor Britain, nor France. They will only be allowed access to investigate the incident that occurred in Aleppo. Therefore, all the claims relating to the use of chemical weapons is an extension of the continuous American and Western fabrication of the actual situation in Syria. Its sole aim is to justify their policies to their public opinion and use the claim as a pretext for more military intervention and bloodshed in Syria. Interviewer: The protests started in Syria peacefully before they turned into an armed struggle. Your critics claim that you could have dealt with the protests through political reforms, which makes you partly responsible for the destruction in Syria . What is your take on this? President Assad : We started the reforms from the first days of the crisis and, perhaps even to your surprise, they were initiated years before the crisis. We issued a number of new legislation's, lifted the emergency law and even changed the constitution through a referendum. This is a well-known fact to the West; yet what the West refuses to see is that from the first weeks of the protests we had policemen killed, so how could such protests have been peaceful? How could those who claim that the protests were peaceful explain the death of these policemen in the first week? Could the chants of protesters actually kill a policeman? From the beginning of the crisis, we have always reiterated that there were armed militants infiltrating protesters and shooting at the police. On other occasions, these armed militants were in areas close to the protests and shot at both protesters and police forces to lead each side into-believing that they were shot at by the other. This was proven through investigations and confessions, which were publicized on a large scale in the media. Interviewer: Mr President, it is reported that the Syrian Army has bombarded certain areas. Was there no other option? President Assad : We are pursuing terrorists who repeatedly infiltrate populated areas. If we take Al-Qseir as an example, there was a western media frenzy claiming that there were 50,000 civilians, which is more than the town's original population. In fact, when the terrorists entered the area, the inhabitants consequently fled; when we entered we did not find civilians. Usually wherever the terrorists infiltrate, civilians flee and battles occur afterwards. The evidence clearly shows that most of the casualties in Syria are from the armed forces. Civilians mostly die in suicide bombings. They also die when terrorists enter an area, proceed to carry out executions and use them as human shields. The rest of the causalities are either foreign or Syrian terrorists. Interviewer: After the momentum you have achieved in Al-Qseir, do you feel it is now time to extend a hand to the opposition and consider reconciliation? President Assad: From day one we have extended a hand to all those who believe in dialogue; this position has not changed. At the start of the crisis, we held a national dialogue conference whilst simultaneously fighting terrorists. But when we talk about the opposition, we should not put them all into one basket; it is imperative to differentiate between terrorists and politicians. In Germany, you have an opposition but they are not armed. Opposition is a political act, and so when we refer to the opposition, we mean the politicians to whom we are always committed to dialogue, regardless of what happened in Al-Qseir. As to national reconciliation, I do not think that it can be accurately applied to Syria. It implies a scenario of civil war, as was the case in Lebanon, or the conflict between black and white in South Africa. In our case it is about a national dialogue to determine a way out of the crisis and for the terrorists to put down their weapons. In any case, we are awaiting the Geneva conference, which essentially aims at the same political solution. However there are external impediments; Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, France and Britain, continue to exert all their efforts at sabotaging dialogue in order to prolong the Syrian crisis and prevent a political resolution. Interviewer: How would you define the legitimate political opposition? President Assad: Essentially, any opposition party that does not support terrorism, does not carry weapons, and has a clear political agenda. But opposition groups are also linked to elections; their clout will depend on how well they fare in local administration elections and more importantly, in parliamentary elections. We are dealing with many groups who call themselves opposition, their success will be determined by two important questions: what is their popular base? And what is their political manifesto? We will then act accordingly. Interviewer: Segments of the opposition claim that you have not taken steps to form a united front with them against foreign intervention. Is this true Mr President? President Assad: On the contrary, in the national dialogue conference in 2011, there was an open invitation to all those who considered themselves in the opposition to come forward. Some chose to participate whilst others chose to boycott and blame us for not taking steps towards a solution. But we must ask ourselves, what do they mean by making advances towards them? What should we be offering? Ministerial positions in the government? The opposition in the current government has won hard-fought seats in parliament. When an opposition, made up of hundreds, does not have any seats in parliament how does one ascertain who deserves to be part of the government? We need clear criteria; it should not be haphazard. To put it another way, the government is not owned by the President for him to bestow gifts upon others in the form of ministries. It requires national dialogue and a political process through which the electorate can choose among other things their government an d the constitution. Interviewer: What are your set criteria for dialogue between you and the opposition, could this include foreign-based opposition? President Assad: We have no issues with autonomous opposition groups who serve a national agenda. With regards to the foreign-based opposition, we need to be very clear; its members live abroad and report to western foreign ministries and intelligence agencies. They are based outside their country and are in essence manipulated by the states that provide their flow of finance. They are best described as a "proxy opposition." As far was we are concerned, genuine Syrian opposition means representing the Syrian people - not foreign countries, it means being based in Syria and sharing the burdens and concerns of the Syrian people. Such an opposition would inevitably be pa rt of any political process. Interviewer: Fighting terrorism has become the priority now. In reference to your recent interview most probably on Al-Manar television, you stated that if you were to engage in a dialogue, you would rather do so with the master than the slave. To what extent are you prepared for dialogue with these entities in the future once you have effectively fought terrorism? President Assad: It is for this precise reason that we will attend the Geneva conference. I used the notion of the master and the slave to explain what we know will happen in reality. Negotiating with those who have no autonomy over their own decisions essentially means that you are in fact negotiating with the decision makers who dictate to them how to act, what to accept and what to reject. You will have seen on television recently footage o f the French Ambassador to Syria giving the external opposition orders and insulting them, or the American Ambassador to Syria shouting and insulting them. Therefore in reality, we are negotiating with the United States, Britain, France and their regional instruments, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Those groups who call themselves external opposition are mere employees; hence the masters and the slaves. We hope Geneva conference will push forward the dialogue process in Syria Interviewer: What are your expectations from the conference? Will it be followed by progress or a continued stalemate? President Assad: We hope that the Geneva conference will push forward the dialogue process in Syria especially since, earlier this year we presented a vision for a political solution based on the Geneva I communiqu'e. However, even though we will attend the conference with this understanding, we should be clear on the facts. First, the same countries I mentioned earlier that are supporting the terrorists in Syria have a vested interest in the talks failing. The logical question is: what is the relationship between the Geneva conference and terrorism on the ground? Simply, if the Geneva conference is successful - as is our hope, in preventing the smuggling of weapons and terrorists - there are over 29 different nationalities documented to be in Syria, then this would be a catalyst for resolving the Syrian crisis. However if the smuggling of weapons and terrorists continues, there is no value for any political solution. We hope that the Geneva conference will make this its starting point; it is the single most important element in the Geneva talks, which would ultimately determine its success or failure. Interviewer: If Geneva II fails, what are the consequences? President Assad: The countries I mentioned previously would continue to support the terrorists. Failing to solve the Syrian crisis will make it spread to other countries and things will only get worse. Logically speaking therefore, all parties have a vested interest in its success. As to the external opposition, if Geneva succeeds they will lose their funding; if you don't have money and you don't have popular support, you end up with nothing. Interviewer: Could Geneva II propose a government from different political entities? President Assad: This is what we have suggested in our political initiative. We proposed the formation of an extended government from diverse political entities that would prepare for parliamentary elections; the winners of these elections would have a role in the future. This is an approach that we have been open to from the beginning. Interviewer: Mr President, some of your critics claim that much blood has been shed in Syria; they blame the leadership and see it as an obstacle standing in the way of Syria's future. Would you consider stepping down in order to bring about a new Syria? President Assad: The president has a mandate in accordance with the constitution; my current term ends in 2014. When the country is in a crisis, the president is expected to shoulder the burden of responsibility and resolve the situation, not abandon his duties and leave. I often use the analogy of a captain navigating a ship hit by a storm; just imagine the captain jumping ship and escaping in the lifeboat! If I decide to leave now, I would be committing treason. If on the other hand, the public decided I should step down, that would be another issue. And this can only be determined through elections or a referendum. As an example, in the previous referendum on the constitution, there was a 58% turnout - which is pretty good in the circumstances, and the constitution was approved by 89.4%. The issue was never about the president, however they tried to project it as such in order to force the president to sell out to those countries backing the opposition, in order to install a puppet president. Interviewer: Mr President, you live with your family in Damascus. How much public support do you and your family enjoy? President Assad: When numerous neighboring and regional countries as well as the West are all opposing you, you couldn't possibly continue without popular public support. The Syrian people are highly aware of what is happening and have understood the dynamics of the crisis early on; hence their support for their government and their army. Interviewer: Next year there will be presidential elections, how do you see these elections playing out? President Assad: They will follow the new constitution, in other words multi-candidate elections. It will be a new experience, which we cannot predict at this point. Interviewer: Mr President, what is your vision for Syria in the next five years? President Assad: I reiterate that our biggest challenge is extremism. If we can fight it, with better education, new ideas and culture, then we can move towards a healthy democratic state. Democracy, as we see it in Syria, is not an objective in itself, but rather a means to an end - to stability and to prosperity. Legislations and constitutions are also only tools, necessary tools to develop and advance societies. However, for democracy to thrive, it needs to become a way of life - a part of our culture, and this cannot happen when so many social taboos are imposed by extremist ideologies. In addition to this, there is of course the reconstruction process, reinvigorating our national industries and restoring and opening up our economy. We will continue to be open in Syria, continue to learn and benefit from the lessons of this crisis. One of these lessons is that ignorance is the worst enemy of societies and forms the basis for extremism; we hope that Europe has also learned from these lessons. Interviewer: Mr President, thank you very much. I have been greatly influenced by your personality and your vision; I hope Europe and the West will benefit from this interview and look at you and your country differently. President Assad: Thank you very much and welcome again to Syria. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b8e_1371627822 Curious_George President Assad Interview 18 June 2013, long read Assad, Interview, June 2013, Germany, Terrorists, Regional Conflict Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:35:38 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a61_1371626600 AnotherDayInAustin While walking to a concert I passed this lady who lost a game of chicken with a city bus. NO WORRIES - she ended up walking away after a lawyer and medics arrived. Morale of the story? Make sure the street is not a one-way street if you're only going to look to one side before crossing! SUBSCRIBE here on LiveLeak for more raw videos of Austin! -AnotherDayInAustin http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a61_1371626600 AnotherDayInAustin Random lady hit by city bus in downtown Austin, Texas Hit, Bus, Austin, Texas, Lady, City, Lawyer, Medic, Lawsuit, Police, Street, Pedestrian, Driver Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:26:18 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7fc_1371626458 travisjhake http://www.huffingtonpost.com/justin-guay/us-taxpayers--the-great-b_b_3461659.html A scathing new report out today outlines just how risky some of the world's largest coal export projects are. Funnily enough, they're not the risks environmentalists care about - the fact that they're going to be built inside the great barrier reef for instance. No, what the report is concerned with are the risks to the billions in investment at stake if the projects go sideways. If I had my money on the line (which I might if US Ex Im Bank President Fred Hochberg uses US taxpayer dollars to subsidize this boondoggle ) I'd pay attention because the report doesn't come from just anyone, but from financial industry heavyweights Tom Sanzillo (former New York State Comptroller) and Tim Buckley (former head of Australasian equity research at Citigroup). Before we get into the risks outlined in the report let's start with the project as the developer (GVK) sees it: India has 300 million people without electricity, the country is facing a supply crunch of epic proportions ), and the government is hell bent on building a massive pipeline of projects. GVK is well suited to help fuel this pipeline and alleviate the supply crunch by developing one of the world's largest integrated coal mine, rail, and export project in nearby Australia. Seems pretty cut and dry, what exactly has these analysts so worried? Leverage, leverage, leverage. It turns out GVK is trying to pull a fast one on Australian investors by getting them to pony up the cash for the project to cover the holes in their own balance sheets - which are enormous. Check out the graph below comparing the projects costs ($10 billion) with the current market capitalization of GVK ($243 million). That combined with net deb t of ~$2.7 Billion and GVK faces a whopping 1,149% debt to market ratio. For the financially illiterate - it's a financial crisis waiting to happen. One of the biggest reasons for the crash is likely the fact that despite claiming to be a "leading global infrastructure owner, manager and operator" GVKPIL (a shell company created to hide the company's debt - more on that later) has no experience operating any business outside of India. Worse, it has never successfully built and operated a coal mine - ever. That's right, the company planning to develop the world's largest vertically integrated coal export project smack dab in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef has no experience doing anything like this. This should turn out well. But there's a coal supercycle, never ending demand shall save this from catastrophe right? Not quite. Under existing financial assumptions, the Alpha Project's cost of coal production is likely to render the project uneconomic. The Newcastle FOB thermal coal price is currently around US$88/t, 30% below the peak seen in 2008. This leaves little headroom to move against a largely debt-funded US$10bn project proposal with a cash cost of production estimated to be at least US$70/t. Why does this matter? Because GVK is claiming production costs of US$55/t. Add to that Australian mining history which suggests capital cost blowouts of over 20% are likely, and you have a lot of lost cash. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7fc_1371626458 travisjhake Crown eco management jakarta-US Taxpayers &amp; The Great Barrier Reef Coal Scam Crown eco management jakarta, US Taxpayers &amp; The Great Barrier Reef Coal Scam Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:12:16 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fa0_1371625343 socialism-rocks Is it advisable for one who is not an expert on economic and social issues to express views on the subject of socialism? I believe for a number of reasons that it is. Let us first consider the question from the point of view of scientific knowledge. It might appear that there are no essential methodological differences between astronomy and economics: scientists in both fields attempt to discover laws of general acceptability for a circumscribed group of phenomena in order to make the interconnection of these phenomena as clearly understandable as possible. But in reality such methodological differences do exist. The discovery of general laws in the field of economics is made difficult by the circumstance that observed economic phenomena are often affected by many factors which are very hard to evaluate separately. In addition, the experience which has accumulated since the beginning of the so-called civilized period of human history has -- as is well known -- been largely influenced and limited by causes which are by no means exclusively economic in nature. For example, most of the major states of history owed their existence to conquest. The conquering peoples established themselves, legally and economically, as the privileged class of the conquered country. They seized for themselves a monopoly of the land ownership and appointed a priesthood from among their own ranks. The priests, in control of education, made the class division of society into a permanent institution and created a system of values by which the people were thenceforth, to a large extent unconsciously, guided in their social behavior. But historic tradition is, so to speak, of yesterday; nowhere have we really overcome what Thorstein Veblen called "the predatory phase" of human development. The observable economic facts belong to that phase and even such laws as we can derive from them are not applicable to other phases. Since the real purpose of socialism is precisely to overcome and advance beyond the predatory phase of human development, economic science in its present state can throw little light on the socialist society of the future. Second, socialism is directed toward a social-ethical end. Science, however, cannot create ends and, even less, instill them in human beings; science, at most, can supply the means by which to attain certain ends. But the ends themselves are conceived by personalities with lofty ethical ideals and -- if these ends are not stillborn, but vital and vigorous -- are adopted and carried forward by those many human beings who, half-unconsciously, determine the slow evolution of society. For these reasons, we should be on our guard not to overestimate science and scientific methods when it is a question of human problems; and we should not assume that experts are the only ones who have a right to express themselves on questions affecting the organization of society. Innumerable voices have been asserting for some time now that human society is passing through a crisis, that its stability has been gravely shattered. It is characteristic of such a situation that individuals feel indifferent or even hostile toward the group, small or large, to which they belong. In order to illustrate my meaning, let me record here a personal experience. I recently discussed with an intelligent and well-disposed man the threat of another war, which in my opinion would seriously endanger the existence of mankind, and I remarked that only a supranational organization would offer protection from that danger. Thereupon my visitor, very calmly and coolly, said to me: "Why are you so deeply opposed to the disappearance of the human race?" I am sure that as little as a century ago no one would have so lightly made a statement of this kind. It is the statement of a man who has striven in vain to attain an equilibrium within himself and has more or less lost hope of succeeding. It is the expression of a painful solitude and isolation from which so many people are suffering in these days. What is the cause? Is there a way out? It is easy to raise such questions, but difficult to answer them with any degree of assurance. I must try, however, as best I can, although I am very conscious of the fact that our feelings and strivings are often contradictory and obscure and that they cannot be expressed in easy and simple formulas. Man is, at one and the same time, a solitary being and a social being. As a solitary being, he attempts to protect his own existence and that of those who are closest to him, to satisfy his personal desires, and to develop his innate abilities. As a social being, he seeks to gain the recognition and affection of his fellow human beings, to share in their pleasures, to comfort them in their sorrows, and to improve their conditions of life. Only the existence of these varied, frequently conflicting strivings accounts for the special character of a man, and their specific combination determines the extent to which an individual can achieve an inner equilibrium and can contribute to the well-being of society. It is quite possible that the relative strength of these two drives is, in the main, fixed by inheritance. But the personality that finally emerges is largely formed by the environment in which a man happens to find himself during his development, by the structure of the society in which he grows up, by the tradition of that society, and by its appraisal of particular types of behavior. The abstract concept "society" means to the individual human being the sum total of his direct and indirect relations to his contemporaries and to all the people of earlier generations. The individual is able to think, feel, strive, and work by himself; but he depends so much upon society -- in his physical, intellectual, and emotional existence -- that it is impossible to think of him, or to understand him, outside the framework of society. It is "society" which provides man with food, clothing, a home, the tools of work, language, the forms of thought, and most of the content of thought; his life is made possible through the labor and the accomplishments of the many millions past and present who are all hidden behind the small word "society." It is evident, therefore, that the dependence of the individual upon society is a fact of nature which cannot be abolished -- just as in the case of ants and bees. However, while the whole life process of ants and bees is fixed down to the smallest detail by rigid, hereditary instincts, the social pattern and interrelationships of human beings are very variable and susceptible to change. Memory, the capacity to make new combinations, the gift of oral communication have made possible developments among human beings which are not dictated by biological necessities. Such developments manifest themselves in traditions, institutions, and organizations; in literature; in scientific and engineering accomplishments; in works of art. This explains how it happens that, in a certain sense, man can influence his life through his own conduct, and that in this process conscious thinking and wanting can play a part. Man acquires at birth, through heredity, a biological constitution which we must consider fixed and unalterable, including the natural urges which are characteristic of the human species. In addition, during his lifetime, he acquires a cultural constitution which he adopts from society through communication and through many other types of influences. It is this cultural constitution which, with the passage of time, is subject to change and which determines to a very large extent the relationship between the individual and society Modern anthropology has taught us, through comparative investigation of so-called primitive cultures, that the social behavior of human beings may differ greatly, depending upon prevailing cultural patterns and the types of organization which predominate in society. It is on this that those who are striving to improve the lot of man may ground their hopes: human beings are not condemned, because of their biological constitution, to annihilate each other or to be at the mercy of a cruel, self-inflicted fate. If we ask ourselves how the structure of society and the cultural attitude of man should be changed in order to make human life as satisfying as possible, we should constantly be conscious of the fact that there are certain conditions which we are unable to modify. As mentioned before, the biological nature of man is, for all practical purposes, not subject to change. Furthermore, technological and demographic developments of the last few centuries have created conditions which are here to stay. In relatively densely settled populations with the goods which are indispensable to their continued existence, an extreme division of labor and a highly centralized productive apparatus are absolutely necessary. The time -- which, looking back, seems so idyllic -- is gone forever when individuals or relatively small groups could be completely self-sufficient. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that mankind constitutes even now a planetary community of production and consumption. I have now reached the point where I may indicate briefly what to me constitutes the essence of the crisis of our time. It concerns the relationship of the individual to society. The individual has become more conscious than ever of his dependence upon society. But he does not experience this dependence as a positive asset, as an organic tie, as a protective force, but rather as a threat to his natural rights, or even to his economic existence. Moreover, his position in society is such that the egotistical drives of his make-up are constantly being accentuated, while his social drives, which are by nature weaker, progressively deteriorate. All human beings, whatever their position in society, are suffering from this process of deterioration. Unknowingly prisoners of their own egotism, they feel insecure, lonely, and deprived of the naive, simple, and unsophisticated enjoyment of life. Man can find meaning in life, short and perilous as it is, only through devoting himself to society. The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a huge community of producers the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labor -- not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules. In this respect, it is important to realize that the means of production -- that is to say, the entire productive capacity that is needed for producing consumer goods as well as additional capital goods -- may legally be, and for the most part are, the private property of individuals. For the sake of simplicity, in the discussion that follows I shall call "workers" all those who do not share in the ownership of the means of production -- although this does not quite correspond to the customary use of the term. The owner of the means of production is in a position to purchase the labor power of the worker. By using the means of production, the worker produces new goods which become the property of the capitalist. The essential point about this process is the relation between what the worker produces and what he is paid, both measured in terms of real value. In so far as the labor contract is "free," what the worker receives is determined not by the real value of the goods he produces, but by his minimum needs and by the capitalists' requirements for labor power in relation to the number of workers competing for jobs. It is important to understand that even in theory the payment of the worker is not determined by the value of his product. Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of the smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights. The situation prevailing in an economy based on the private ownership of capital is thus characterized main principles: first, means of production (capital) are privately owned and the owners dispose of them as they see fit; second, the labor contract is free. Of course, there is no such thing as a pure capitalist society in this sense. In particular, it should be noted that the workers, through long and bitter political struggles, have succeeded in securing a somewhat improved form of the "free labor contract" for certain categories of workers. But taken as a whole, the present-day economy does not differ much from "pure" capitalism. Production is carried on for profit, not for use. There is no provision that all those able and willing to work will always be in a position to find employment; an "army of unemployed" almost always exists. The worker is constantly in fear of losing his job. Since unemployed and poorly paid workers do not provide a profitable market, the production of consumers' goods is restricted, and great hardship is the consequence. Technological progress frequently results in more unemployment rather than in an easing of the burden of work for all. The profit motive, in conjunction with competition among capitalists, is responsible for an instability in the accumulation and utilization of capital which leads to increasingly severe depressions. Unlimited competition leads to a huge waste of labor, and to that crippling of the social consciousness of individuals which I mentioned before. This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow-men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society. Nevertheless, it is necessary to remember that a planned economy is not yet socialism. A planned economy as such may be accompanied by the complete enslavement of the individual. The achievement of socialism requires the solution of some extremely difficult socio-political problems: how is it possible, in view of the far-reaching centralization of political and economic power, to prevent bureaucracy from becoming all-powerful and overweening? How can the rights of the individual be protected and therewith a democratic counterweight to the power of bureaucracy be assured? http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fa0_1371625343 socialism-rocks Why Socialism? By Albert Einstein socialism einstien Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00:42 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=814_1371615436 Omar-knows Do you ever look at a ufo video and wonder if it is a hoax? UFO videos are fake. We all know that. Lots of people make fake pictures and videos using software like photo shop, ect. More power to you, have fun. I just don't like it when they try to say their fake pictures are real and not a hoax. We all hear stories of ufo abduction or a ufo crash, or area 51 or whatever. We grow up hearing about Roswell, Men in Black , and secret government cover up conspiricy theories. I have two things to say about all that. Number one, some of those stories are true. I have first hand knowledge that ufos are real. Take that to the bank. Number two, some of the stories are fake...a hoax. We all know that. There have always been fake pictures and fake ufo video footage. Sometimes a hoax is so good, you can't tell it's fake. That makes it difficult to ferret out the truth. People have managed to blur the line between the truth and the lie. That makes it difficult for genuine truth seekers. One thing I hope to accomplish with this video is to give people a sense of healthy scepticism. I want people to be open minded, while at the same time... not believe everything they see and hear. Find a balance. You need to learn to not be so closed minded, but then again, you don't need to be a sucker either. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=814_1371615436 Omar-knows How To Make Realistic UFO Sightings..Trick Of The Trade how to, ufo, sighting, create, fake, video, trick, tips, exposed, realistic, Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:04:59 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=710_1371616253 RealityChecker Crimes statistics repeatedly have proven that male homosexuals are remarkably more likely to be child molesters than heterosexuals once you adjust for numerical representation, no matter how frequently homosexuals use Hitlers Big Lie Technique to try to deny such. They refer to homosexual child predators as their "prophets" !!!!!!!! Sick monsters...... You can read more proof and admission by homosexual community leaders themselves admitting to their child molesting epidemic here: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ab5_1365392528 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a5a_1363621443 We also previously reported homosexuals admitting they are attacking parental civil rights and children by trying to brainwash and recruit them: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8dd_1353468758 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e2c_1344310149 We previously reported ANOTHER homosexual predatory monster being on the FBI's Most Wanted list where homosexual monster Eric Justin Toth was filming his homosexual attacks on children. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=687_1366691080 Like the founder of the first homosexual hate political organization called the Mattachine Society, the notorious child molesting homosexual monster and NAMBLA leader Harry Hay told many that homosexual community leader Walter was a known pedophile. Numerous students reported that Walter homosexually harassed them, and the homosexual community helped cover up the notorious criminal acts of this homosexual predator. It is being reported that Walter has been caught producing child porn of his homosexual attacks on underage children in Third World countries. What a sick homosexual hate mongerer. And this homosexual monster was a teacher at a University!!!!!! If you have any information on Walter, please contact the local FBI, but do not approach him, he is considered extremely dangerous. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=710_1371616253 RealityChecker Homosexual Community Leader - Serial Child Molester on FBI's Most Wanted walter lee williams homosexual child molester, walter lee williams fbi's most wanted, homosexual child molestation epidemic, homosexual pedophilia epidemic, homosexual pedophiles, walter lee williams homosexual child pornographer, Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:10:02 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=323_1371614612 pontiaku A Canadian couple digging a fence earlier this month dredged up more than just dirt and roots. They found the skeleton of a 400-year-old aboriginal woman. But that wasn't their only surprise: she ended up coming with a $5,000 price tag as well. According to the Toronto Star, Ken Campbell dug up a few bones at first and at his wife's prodding, they looked for more. "I said, 'They're not animal bones, Ken. Let's dig some more and see what we can find,'" Nicole Sauve, told the Star. The couple from Ontario are appealing a law that requires them to pay for excavation of their yard after a historic skeleton was discovered. (Photo: Nicole Sauve, via The Star) Upon discovering a full human skeleton, the coupled called in forensic anthropologist Michael Spence. Here's more from the Star on what he concluded: Spence told the Star that the skeleton was that of a woman who was about 24 years old when she died, probably in the late 1500s or early 1600s. The condition of her teeth led him to suspect she was part of hunting, gathering and fishing society. The couple lives by the Blue Water Bridge, an area that once was the centre of an Ojibwa trade network. Spence said the woman is probably a descendant of those merchants. It was after this assessment though, which discovered no foul play, that the couple learned they would be responsible for a full archaeological investigation of their yard, per Ontario's Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act. When all was said and done, it cost them $5,000 . The couple is appealing the mayor to foot the bill, according to the Star. They could appeal to the Registrar of Cemeteries, which could decide if the excavation was an "undue financial burden." A member of the province's parliament told the paper he spoke with the minister of consumer services who said they will ensure the family doesn't have to pay for the survey of their property. As for the skeleton, it was reburied at a Aamjiwnaang First Nation cemetery. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/06/18/homeowners-digging-fence-make-startling-discovery-and-get-stuck-with-5000-bill/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=323_1371614612 pontiaku Homeowners Digging Fence Make Startling Discovery - and Get Stuck With $5,000 Bill Ontario, Canada, skeleton, Ojibwa, archaeology, government, idiocracy Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:42:45 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d74_1371605415 MAKMAK On Monday, Saatchi accepted a caution of assault from police, essentially admitting to cops that he attacked his wife at a London restaurant. Charles Saatchi, husband of TV chef Nigella Lawson, was photographed with his hands around Lawson's neck during an alleged argument the couple had at a restaurant on June 9. The art tycoon husband of sexy celebrity chef Nigella Lawson admitted to cops Monday that he attacked and throttled her at a London restaurant. Charles Saatchi's admission came a day after shocking photos ran in a British tabloid showing him with his hand gripping his wife's throat. Saachi said in a statement that the photos appear 'more drastic' than what actually happened, but his wife's facial reaction suggests she was uncomfortable. Saatchi, a millionaire advertising guru who owns art galleries in London and New York, had earlier brushed the incident off as a "playful tiff." He was hit with caution for assault - the British equivalent of a legal warning - after voluntarily going to a London police station and being grilled for five hours. Saatchi has his hands on Lawson's face and neck, unaware that photographers captured their alleged dispute. The couple was celebrating his birthday at Scott's, a seafood restaurant in London. Lawson did not seek charges. The disturbing pictures, published in the London Mirror's People Sunday section, were taken June 6 as the power couple dined al fresco at posh restaurant Scott's in central London. TV chef Nigella Lawson looks to be arguing with her husband, Charles Saatchi. The series of photos appear to show Saatchi and Lawson engaged in an argument that turned violent. The pictures show Saatchi clutching Lawson's throat with his left hand and also grabbing her nose. Lawson, 53, was also photographed leaving the restaurant in tears. Lawson appears distressed as her husband has his hand around her neck. "I can confirm that she has moved out of the family home," Lawson's spokesman said without elaborating. Before going to the police station, Saatchi downplayed the incident. Saatchi appears to be pinching Lawson's nose. The exchange may have appeared violent to onlookers. "About a week ago, we were sitting outside a restaurant having an intense debate about the children, and I held Nigella's neck repeatedly while attempting to emphasize my point," Saatchi told the London Evening Standard, where he writes a column. "There was no grip," he said. "It was a playful tiff." Other patrons at Scott's seafood restaurant noticed the dispute between Lawson and Saatchi. One woman is seen turning around in her seat, perhaps disturbed by what was going on. Nigella Lawson appeared tearful after an alleged public dispute with her husband. The television chef was seen with her husband's hands around her neck during their lunch at Scott's seafood restaurant in London. Lawson is seen crying as she leaves the restaurant, heading into a taxi cab. Charles Saatchi outside his multi-million pound London home, after pictures emerged of his wife Nigella Lawson with his hands on her neck during an alleged argument. The couple have been married nearly 10 years. It is her second marriage, and his third. Original story BY BILL HUTCHINSON http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d74_1371605415 MAKMAK British Celebrity TV Chef, Nigella Lawson Choked By Husband During Lunch Charles Saatchi, Nigella Lawson, Saatchi Gallery, art collector, advertising executive, spousal abuse, wife beater, choke, grounds for divorce, MAKMAK