The Raw Story

A non-profit news blog, focused on providing independent journalism.

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

Count 'em! Twenty-six things about the Islamic State (ISIL) that the U.S. gov't would rather you don't know

© UnknownAn ISIL convoy that, with all of the billions of dollars of high-tech military gadgetry at the U.S.'s disposal, could conceivably be turned to dust at just the touch of a button. But just like the caves that Osama bin Laden hung out in, they are oh so hard to reach! The US led war against the Islamic State is a big lie.Going after " Islamic terrorists", carrying out a worldwide pre-emptive war to "Protect the American Homeland" are used...

Israel attacks Palestinian cities following synagogue assault

© UnknownIsraeli forces keep their position during clashes with Palestinians near the West Bank city of Ramallah, on November 18, 2014. Tensions have been escalating in the occupied Palestinian lands as Israeli forces attack several cities and towns across the West Bank.Israeli forces with armored vehicles attacked Palestinian cities of Ramallah, al-Bireh and Wadi al-Joz in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, leading to rising tensions between Israelis...

Model and TV host Janice Dickinson joins list of women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault

© File 2012/InvisionJanice Dickinson Model and TV host Janice Dickinson is adding her name to the women who have accused comic Bill Cosby of sexual assault.In an interview that aired Tuesday, Dickinson said that the 1982 incident occurred in Lake Tahoe, Calif., where he was performing.Dickinson said that she wrote about the assault in her 2002 autobiography, but that Cosby and his lawyers pressured her and the publisher to remove the details. She...

Married same-sex couples refused housing by Christian homeless shelter

The City Union Mission in Kansas City announced that even if same-sex marriage becomes legal in both Missouri and Kansas, it would not allow same-sex couples to cohabit in its family shelter, the reports."We are a Christian, faith-based organization that really does adhere to biblical standards," executive director Dan Doty told the . "Our view is that it [same-sex marriage] is inappropriate. Our intent is not to shelter same-sex couples together."Doty...

China: Evil aunt cuts 3-year-old nephew's penis off for bursting in on her in the bathroom

Distressing scenes: Three-year-old Qiang Qiang being carried by his parents at hospital after his aunt, Xue Paan, 37, cut his penis off when he burst in on her on the loo and asked to use her mobile phone. Qiang Qiang interrupted his aunt Xue Paan as she was texting her beauShe stormed into the kitchen, picked up a knife, and hacked off his penisDoctors were able to re-attach the appendage in emergency procedureBut knife was blunt and cut was not...

Forest Service caves in to fracking largest national forest on East Coast

© United States Forest ServiceFracking the George Washington National Forest will threaten the water supply for over 5 million people living in and around Washington D.C. Threatening the water supply for millions of Americans, the U.S. Forest Service has opened the doors for oil and gas companies to drill by fracking the largest national forest on the East Coast, the George Washington National Forest, according to an updated federal management plan...

Global social decay: 36 million people worldwide subjected to slavery

© Reuters / Desmond Boylan Nearly 36 million people across the world are involved in some form of slavery, from forced labor to forced marriage, a survey by a global human rights organization has revealed, describing modern slavery as a "hidden crime" and "big business."Modern slavery contributes to the production of at least 122 goods from 58 countries worldwide, according to the report by the Australian anti-slavery campaign group Walk Free. The...

Teacher pulls knife on students for talking during pop quiz

A middle school math teacher in New Mexico waved a big, sharp knife at two students who were talking too much during a pop quiz, police say.The incident happened on Friday at Bernalillo Middle School in Bernalillo, a small suburb maybe 20 miles north of Albuquerque, area affiliate KOB-TV reports.The teacher, Benjamin Nagurski, had the knife out in the middle school classroom because he was digging staples out of a bulletin board on the wall.He...

Record breaking cold weather blankets U.S. - 85% surface area at or below freezing

Tuesday morning, America 'as a whole' awoke to the coldest it has been in November since 1976 -- 38 years ago. The Lower-48 or CONUS spatially average temperature plummeted overnight to only 19.4°F typical of mid-winter not November 18th! DataAn astounding 226-million Americans will experience at or below freezing temperatures (32°F) on Tuesday as well -- if you venture outdoors.More than 85% of the surface area of the Lower-48 reached or fell below...

Greedy and criminal: Big Pharma markets deadly and ineffective cancer drugs

Medical experts are saying that the biggest flaw of Big Pharma today is a high percentage of ineffective products being sold without previous clinical trials. This is particularly true when anti-cancer medications are concerned.The sad fact is that Big Pharma prefers to invest in advertising and bribing officials instead of attempting to make their products truly effective. Today pharmaceutical manufacturing is handsomely funded by politicians...

California's Chinook salmon Fall spawning run slowed by drought

© Shutterstock The annual fall migration of Chinook salmon has been delayed by warmer water temperatures and slow-flowing streams in parts of California as the state's three-year drought drags on, hatchery officials said Monday.Cool November temperatures usually bring thousands of adult salmon from the Pacific Ocean into streams and rivers to spawn. But this year, fish have been slow to migrate up the American River to the state's hatchery near...

Unconscionable: US child homelessness sets new record

© National Center for Family HomelessnessNew report, America’s Youngest Outcasts, looks at child homelessness nationally, ranks the states, and examines causes of child homelessness and the solutions. The annual levels of homelessness among children have never been higher in the United States, according to a new comprehensive report released on Monday.Prepared by the National Center on Family Homelessness, the report - (pdf) - shows that with...

What really happened at G20 summit in Brisbane

So what did in fact happen at the G20 summit? The short answer is that it was a shriller rerun of the ASEM summit in Milan.The same line up of European leaders joined this time by the Australians and the Canadians (Obama and Putin barely met) tried once again to bully Putin into doing what they wanted in the Ukraine, believing on this occasion that the fall in oil prices and in the rouble would make him more amenable.In order to drive the point...

Unconscionable: US Child homelessness sets new record

© National Center for Family HomelessnessNew report, America’s Youngest Outcasts, looks at child homelessness nationally, ranks the states, and examines causes of child homelessness and the solutions. The annual levels of homelessness among children have never been higher in the United States, according to a new comprehensive report released on Monday.Prepared by the National Center on Family Homelessness, the report - (pdf) - shows that with...

“Um, we’re, um, I, you know, it, uh,” Missouri Governor Explains Who’s In Charge in Ferguson

The governor of Missouri activated the National Guard on Monday ahead of what could be a new wave of mass protests, but doesn’t seem certain at all about who will be in charge of law enforcement operations in the coming days.Gov. Jay Nixon’s decision to call up the Guard and declare a state of emergency raised questioned on Monday about what authorities are anticipating will happen when a federal grand jury will decide — likely within days — whether...

Space rock explodes in atmosphere? Strange 'explosion' in the sky turns night to day in the Urals, Russia

© Vyacheslav BulatovA local observatory indicated nothing fell from the sky on the day of the flash. A huge flash lit up the early evening darkness, as shown by images taken from a dashcam on a road close to Yekaterinburg. The sky suddenly turns orange-red at 17.39 local time (though the dashcam records it as 18.39). For the next 11 seconds an orange light with yellow and white in the middle engulfs the entire sky. 'For a few moments night turned...

Former NASA consultant, climatologist John L. Casey: 'a radical shift in global climate is underway, 30-year cold spell will strike Earth

With nasty cold fronts thrusting an icy and early winter across the continental U.S. - along with last winter described by as "one of the snowiest, coldest, most miserable on record" - climatologist John L. Casey thinks the weather pattern is here to stay for decades to come.In fact, Casey, a former space shuttle engineer and NASA consultant, is out with the provocative book , which warns that a radical shift in global climate is underway, and...

Russians say it as it is: ISIL and the tale of too many coincidences

© Flickr.com/ Thierry EhrmannPainted portrait of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi After surviving what was reported to have been an assassination attempt on his convoy last weekend, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi released an audio recording where he singled out targets for his new regional offensive, focusing on the Mideast and parts of Northern Africa. A deeper look at his plans shows that they might coincidentally aid certain interests of the international coalition...

Masai people living in Tanzania facing eviction so that Dubai royals can hunt there

© AFP Photo / Joseph EidA Massai woman walks in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, northern Tanzania Masai people living in northern Tanzania are facing eviction from their historical homeland, as the government has reportedly reneged on a promise and is proceeding with plans to remake the land into a hunting reserve for Dubai's royal family.There are about 40,000 Masai people living on the 1,500 square kilometer "wildlife corridor" bordering Serengeti...

Putin's doing what no one else will: Fighting the oligarchs

The Kremlin has launched a campaign to rein in Russia's wealthy elite in a move that is creating a backlash of discontent against Vladimir Putin.The government has proposed new tax laws that will seriously limit the ability of the country's moneyed classes to hide their wealth abroad.The legislation will seek to clamp down on companies and individuals using offshore tax havens and make Russian citizens liable for tax at home regardless of which...

Unusual groundhog attack causes scare in Hampton, New Hampshire

A groundhog tries to get inside a Little River Road home in Hampton after attacking a man who ran inside. (Courtesy photo) Animal to be tested for rabies after it is killed by officerThe McGraths are used to friendly critters stopping by their Little River Road backyard, but a frenetic visit Tuesday morning from their resident groundhog was anything but a welcomed encounter. The McGraths are used to friendly critters stopping by their Little River...

The 'homeland security industrial-complex's' huge business of endless war

Unintimidated by the efforts of two administrations to force him to reveal a confidential source who disclosed the betrayal of the public by the government, Pulitzer Prize- winning New York Times reporter James Risen exposes more about the reality of greed, power and endless war in his new book, Pay Any Price. You can get the book now with a contribution to Truthout by clicking here.Mark Karlin: In your third chapter, you state that the "corporate...
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