Video: Syrian rebels have a nice chat with decapitated head, offer it some bread

HT/YH

A Feminist Defense of Masculine Virtues

‘What you’re seeing is how a civilization commits suicide,” says Camille Paglia. This self-described “notorious Amazon feminist” isn’t telling anyone to Lean In or asking Why Women Still Can’t Have It All. No, her indictment may be as surprising as it is wide-ranging: The military is out of fashion, Americans undervalue manual labor, schools neuter male students, opinion makers deny the biological differences between men and women, and sexiness is dead.

Rampant Canadian pharmacy fraud

One pharmacist cheated British Columbia taxpayers out of $471,000 in an elaborate methadone billing scheme.

An Ontario regulatory body proclaimed itself “almost speechless” at the extent to which it found another pharmacist had “milked” the provincial drug plan.

And more than a dozen pharmacists in Saskatchewan billed the province for one drug but dispensed an alternative in exchange for rebates and other discounts from the manufacturer.

Aside from their fraudulent billing schemes, these pharmacists have two other things in common: Each was disciplined by his or her respective regulatory body and each was given another chance to practice pharmacy.

At a time when pharmacists face heightened scrutiny of their billing practices and drug costs are growing, the cases illustrate how few pharmacists who commit fraud in Canada are permanently stripped of their licences.

Licence revocations are extremely rare in all matters of discipline involving pharmacists. Of the 334 publicly disclosed discipline cases adjudicated by provincial pharmacy boards across Canada in the past 10 years, just 22 of them resulted in a licence being permanently revoked, an investigation by The Globe and Mail reveals. (Disclosure is erratic, with Quebec putting only a small number of cases on the CanLII legal website and New Brunswick nothing at all.) Most of the revocations involved serial offenders, who had been punished multiple times before losing their licences for good.

The cases expose deep flaws in the way the health-care system deals with fraud – and the conflicting responses these cases are getting from premiers. Much of the fraud goes undetected because the pharmacy sector largely polices itself and private-sector managers of drug benefits plans are not doing enough to catch questionable billings. What’s at stake, say health-care experts, is not only the costly drain on the health-care system but the public’s trust in the pharmacy profession and the safety of patients who depend on receiving the proper medication.

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And now, evil Zionist dried insects

Iranian news agency Fars reported Friday that Iran’s UN office received a threatening letter originated in Israel. According to the report, within the envelope carrying the threat letter, which was signed with an Israeli stamp, were also dried insects.

We Are the Radicals Now

FFF is right – this is a must-read:

Despite their grimly statist ways, the utopians continue to pass themselves off as well-meaning hipsters, anti-establishment rebels and earthy pro-underdog types, united by a devotion to freedom and tolerance. This has to be the most successful PR exercise in history – no less astonishing than if Hitler had convinced the world he was an avid Judeophile. The people responsible for hate crimes, speech codes, the smoking ban, debilitating taxes, and a soul-sucking state bureaucracy would have us believe that they are chilled-out hepcats, who totally dig your scene. If you think what they think, do what they say, and accept the terms of their ‘generosity’, it might be possible to enjoy their simulacrum of freedom as though it’s the real thing. But wander too far from the coop and soon you’ll soon collide with the chicken wire.

 

The purveyors of the utopian vision would have us believe they are doing us a favour by facing down the monocled toffs, mega-bonus bankers and goose-stepping genocide enthusiasts who are out to get us. But while we are free to snub these right-wing bogeymen, they give us no such choice. They are tolerant of everything, save dissent. And anyway, they’re the puppet masters now. Their anti-establishment poses are meaningless, because they are the establishment. They are not sticking it to the man, because they are the man. It’s cognitive dissonance gone ape.

READ THE WHOLE THING

Why Saudi women languish in jail

Perfectly reasonable explanation:

“Having a guardian’s consent is a prerequisite for the release of female prisoners who have completed their jail terms. Current prison and detention regulations forbid keeping anyone in jail after they have served their sentences but nearly 35 percent of female prisoners remain incarcerated after finishing their jail terms because they are rejected by their families, Al-Sharq newspaper reported Friday.

Many families sever ties with their daughters because the crimes they committed had brought shame on them, especially in cases involving honor. Statistics indicate that 104 out of 196, or 53 percent, of inmates in women’s care institutions were involved in honor crimes while 10 percent involved in murder cases.

Calls for allocating homes for released female prisoners have lately become more and more vocal. These homes, which are to fall under state supervision, will offer both shelter and social protection to released prisoners. The calls were made because current regulations do not compel guardians to receive female relatives released from prison if the guardians renounce the relationship and sever all ties with them.

In other cases, female prisoners fear returning home and facing their families. They are afraid that they might fall victim to violence. In both cases, the female inmate is in a state of loss and prefers to remain away from society.”

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Video: THIS is CNN

Anderson Cooper Discusses His Mother and ‘Cunnilingus’.

9-11 families can sue Saudi Arabia, court rules

A federal appeals court on Thursday reinstated Saudi Arabia as a defendant in lawsuits claiming it provided support to al-Qaeda before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said restoring Saudi Arabia was necessary to be consistent with a ruling by a different 2nd Circuit panel that allowed another lawsuit to go forward in which a man sued Afghanistan and other defendants for the death of his wife in the Sept. 11 attacks.

The 2nd Circuit and a lower court had previously ruled that Saudi Arabia was protected by sovereign immunity, which generally means that foreign countries can’t be sued in American courts. But in its latest ruling, the 2nd Circuit said a legal exception existed that would allow Saudi Arabia to remain as a defendant, just as Afghanistan remained in the similar case.

‘Palestinian group carried out Lockerbie bombing’

Twenty-five years after Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, with the loss of all 259 passengers and crew and 11 people on the ground, a former senior member of the Israeli security establishment said he was certain the bombing was carried out by Ahmed Jibril’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.

The Israeli source, who spoke to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity, said Israel was “listening in” during the months prior to the December 21, 1988 bombing on preparations for what “we thought was a plan to target an Israeli plane” and that it was “clear that Jibril prepared the operation.”

Video: Your daily palestinian nazi

The True Number of Palestinian Arab Refugees

Western policymakers and media have misconstrued/misrepresented the Palestinian refugee issue, ignoring its global context and core data. Moreover, the Palestinian claim of dispossession — which impacts the U.S. financial aid to UNRWA, and is defined as a key issue in the peace process — fails the reality test.

Morsi sent to trial for conspiring with Hamas, Hezbollah

Egypt’s public prosecutor charged former President Mohammad Morsi and 35 other top Islamists on Wednesday with conspiring with foreign groups to commit terrorist acts in Egypt, in a case that could result in their execution.

Declaring it “the biggest case of conspiracy in the history of Egypt”, a statement detailed a “terrorist plan” dating back to 2005 and implicating the Palestinian group Hamas, the Shiite Islamist government of Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

2 New York City Colleges Draft Rules That Restrict Protests

At Cooper Union, it was outrage over a new tuition policy. At City College, it was anger over the closing of a community center. At both Manhattan colleges, student protest shut down buildings, garnered headlines and largely defined campus life over the past year. Now those two very different institutions are considering policies that could restrict how, when and where students can express dissent, while raising the penalties for those who disobey.

Representatives of Cooper Union’s student government were surprised when, a few weeks ago, administrators showed them a draft of a new code of conduct. In addition to addressing matters like fire safety and drug use, the document would forbid “deliberate or knowing disruption of the free flow of pedestrian traffic on Cooper Union premises” and “behavior that disturbs the peace, academic study or sleep of others on or off campus.” A section on bullying and intimidation mentions communication, in any medium, that “disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the Cooper Union.”

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Inside the Saudi 9/11 coverup

After the 9/11 attacks, the public was told al Qaeda acted alone, with no state sponsors.

But the White House never let it see an entire section of Congress’ investigative report on 9/11 dealing with “specific sources of foreign support” for the 19 hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi nationals.

It was kept secret and remains so today.

President Bush inexplicably censored 28 full pages of the 800-page report. Text isn’t just blacked-out here and there in this critical-yet-missing middle section. The pages are completely blank, except for dotted lines where an estimated 7,200 words once stood (this story by comparison is about 1,000 words).

A pair of lawmakers who recently read the redacted portion say they are “absolutely shocked” at the level of foreign state involvement in the attacks.

Reps. Walter Jones (R-NC) and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) can’t reveal the nation identified by it without violating federal law. So they’ve proposed Congress pass a resolution asking President Obama to declassify the entire 2002 report, “Joint Inquiry Into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001.”

Some information already has leaked from the classified section, which is based on both CIA and FBI documents, and it points back to Saudi Arabia, a presumed ally.

The Saudis deny any role in 9/11, but the CIA in one memo reportedly found “incontrovertible evidence” that Saudi government officials — not just wealthy Saudi hardliners, but high-level diplomats and intelligence officers employed by the kingdom — helped the hijackers both financially and logistically. The intelligence files cited in the report directly implicate the Saudi embassy in Washington and consulate in Los Angeles in the attacks, making 9/11 not just an act of terrorism, but an act of war.

Today in Quebec language Nazis

Two Montreal hospital workers of Haitian origin who sometimes speak to each other in Creole — and not exclusively in French — have raised the ire of the Office québécois de la langue française.

On Dec. 3, the OQLF warned the Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, an 88-bed psychiatric facility, to take action after an employee of the hospital complained to the French-language watchdog about the two workers.

The hospital was given until Dec. 20 to respond or face an investigation by an OQLF inspector and a fine of as much as $20,000. The two employees in question do speak French, and there appears to be no evidence that they refused to speak to patients or co-workers in French. But on occasion, they engaged in private conversations in Creole while on lunch or during some shifts in the presence of colleagues and patients.

SEPARATE ALREADY

Jews getting the hell out of France

“Since Toulouse, my family and I worry every day that my grandchildren go to school,” says Menache Manet, a 64-year-old Parisian who will be leaving for Israel in several weeks with his son and four grandchildren.

“I grew up in a civilized country,” he adds, his voice trembling with anger. “Nowadays, I take off my kippah on my way to synagogue.”

According to a European Union survey of nearly 6,000 Jews from nine countries released last month, France ranked second only to Hungary in the number of Jews contemplating emigration because of anti-Semitism, with a staggering 46 percent of 1,137 French Jews polled. France also was second in the number of Jews who feared self-identifying as such in public, with 29 percent.

The figures correlate with an explosion in anti-Semitic attacks registered last year: A total of 614 recorded incidents that constituted a 58 percent increase from 2011. Some 40 percent of the increase happened within 10 days of Toulouse.

After latest shooting, murder manual author calls for book to be taken ‘immediately’ out of print

It was an accessory in the arsenal of Karl Pierson, the student who opened fire last week inside a Colorado high school, leaving one girl in a coma before taking his own life.

“The Anarchist Cookbook,” which Pierson read before his rampage, isn’t a guide to culinary revolution. It’s the original how-to of homicide and mass murder — and sales are still raging, with distribution from the likes of Amazon and Barnes & Noble, even as the work is linked to terrorist acts around the world.

Organizations currently officially designated as terrorist by various governments

This is a list of designated terrorist organizations by national governments, former governments and inter-governmental organizations, where the proscription has a significant impact on the group’s activities. Many organizations that are accused of being a terrorist organization deny using terrorism as a military tactic to achieve their goals, and there is no international consensus on the legal definition of terrorism.

Boy Trouble

Family breakdown disproportionately harms young males—and they’re falling further behind.

Video: “International law is a construct in the mind of a bunch of left wing academics”

VIA INN:

Esteemed advocate Alan Dershowitz says that Israel should ignore international law when deciding how to deal with Iran.

International law is “a construct in the mind of a bunch of left wing academics,” he said, in a lecture at the Institute of National Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv last week “There is no basis for international law in any reality. It’s not based on legislation. Much of it is not based on treaty. It is the ultimate exercise in elitist nondemocracy.”

Government failed to curb sorcery says MP

A BAHRAINI MP has accused the government of failing to stamp out “sorcery” and “witchcraft” – claiming a woman used it to paralyse her own husband.

The allegations were made in parliament yesterday by MP Mohammed Buqais.

He is calling for more awareness of the subject, which he argued was tearing families apart.

“I studied in school for 12 years and worked as a teacher for 15 years, but never came across any subject that addresses sorcery or witchcraft,” he claimed.

“This means the government is failing to raise awareness.

“There are families that have been broken apart because of those acts.

“There is one case of a Bahraini wife who went to someone because she wanted her husband to be obedient.

“He (the practitioner) told her to mix her period blood with his food, which eventually caused her husband paralysis. He has been in that state for the past seven years.”

Mr Buqais called on authorities to round up alleged practitioners who charge clients large amounts of money for their services.

“Most people committing those acts ask for BD1,000, but there are some known people who remain untouched,” he said.

However, Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowment Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa responded by saying authorities would investigate any such complaint.

He also claimed religious leaders should do more to tackle to problem, accusing them of getting too caught up in politics and neglecting their duty to the community.

“When people have low faith in religion they tend to turn to witchcraft and sorcery,” he said. “It should be the role of clergymen to speak about the wrongs of following such superstitions. “The problem is that clergymen are so busy with politics that they forget to raise awareness about these acts among others. “But people can contact us and we will take legal action immediately against those committing such acts.”

SOURCE

5 Technologies that Keep the IDF on the Cutting Edge

In a major speech last October, IDF Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz described the wide-ranging threats facing Israel in the near future. According to the Chief of Staff, the IDF could be forced to contend with anything from missile strikes on military sites to large-scale battles and cyber attacks that would paralyze Israel’s infrastructure.

But after reviewing a range of doomsday scenarios, Lt. Gen. Gantz concluded his address with a message of hope and optimism. “We are strong enough to face every challenge, the expected and the unexpected,” he said. “It is our duty to invest in whatever is necessary to provide the response, even by looking years into the future.”

Innovators throughout the IDF have heeded the Chief of Staff’s message, developing technologies that keep civilians safe and allow Israel to strike accurately far from its borders. In every sector, cutting-edge technologies are advancing Israel’s capabilities and eliminating threats, keeping the IDF steps ahead of its enemies.

Federal light-bulb ban set for 2014

A federal ban on inefficient light bulbs goes into effect Jan. 1, 2014, almost seven years after it was announced with fanfare by a then-rookie Conservative government.

Palestinian People Who Came Into Existence 50 Years Ago Plan Mural of Their 3,500 Year History

“So far I’m just seeing an Arafat mural. And that makes sense because the project is probably another glorification bid by Arafat’s unelected band of militias who insist on calling themselves a government even though their president refuses to stand for an actual election.

And because Palestinian history began with Arafat.”

Audit: EU pays Palestinians in Gaza who don’t work

The European Union should stop paying the salaries of Palestinian civil servants in Gaza who don’t work, EU auditors recommended Wednesday.

The findings were made public by the European Court of Auditors, which scrutinized how 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in EU financial support to the Palestinian Authority has been used.

About 61,000 civil servants and members of the security forces in Gaza stopped reporting to their jobs in 2007, when the Islamic militant Hamas seized the territory from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, leaving him with only the West Bank.

Abbas decided at the time to keep paying their salaries, on condition they stay home and don’t work for the Hamas government. The practice is a key tool for Abbas to maintain political support in Gaza and counter Hamas’ efforts to deepen its control.

Many of the civil servants in the pre-Hamas government were loyalists belonging to Abbas’ Fatah movement.

The auditors said the EU pays one-fifth of the salaries of the Palestinian Authority’s 170,000 civil servants, both in the West Bank and in Gaza. European auditor Hans Gustaf Wessberg said spot checks found that in one Gaza agency, out of 125 employees, 90 weren’t working.

Wessberg said the auditors have recommended halting EU payments to Palestinian civil servants in Gaza and using the aid instead on the West Bank. But Peter Stano, a spokesman for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, defended keeping the current system.

‘‘If the Palestinian Authority is not paying these people, who is going to provide for them?’’ Stano said. ‘‘If you have people running around without income, they are more prone to be taken by extremism, by forces we have no contact with.’’

Palestinian Labor Minister Ahmed Majdalani also defended keeping people on the payroll who don’t work.

‘‘The issue is political, legal and human. Those are government employees first, and they are victims of a military coup, and they have families to feed. We can’t throw them in the street,’’ Majdalani said.

Faisal Abu Shahla, a Fatah leader in Gaza, said at the time of the Hamas takeover, the civil servants ‘‘responded to the orders of the leadership to stay home, and they are ready to resume their duties when the leadership orders them to do so.’’

SOURCE

Confirmed: Panetta Revealed Top Secret Information to Hollywood Filmmaker

On June 24, 2011, then CIA Director Leon Panetta gave a speech at an agency awards ceremony. Despite the fact that a filmmaker from Zero Dark Thirty was on hand, Panetta included top secret information in his speech. Judicial Watch confirms after a lengthy Freedom of Information Act quest.

Chinese Hackers Successfully Baited Foreign Diplomats with Nude Carla Bruni Pics

Chinese hackers have accessed the servers of several foreign ministries Europe, using one of the oldest tricks in the book. Software company FireEye reported on Tuesday, that the breaches began in 2010 and may still be ongoing. Though FireEye did not call out specific nations, The New York Times identified Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, and Portugal as victims of the breach.

None of the countries listed responded to the Times’s request for comment, which makes sense, because whoever clicked on the malware links fell for a pretty embarrassing phish.

Algonquin College mulls bid for more campuses in Saudi Arabia

Algonquin College is mulling a potential bid to manage more campuses in Saudi Arabia, and this time it’s looking to add female students, according to a staff report.

Some staff at the college were critical after it expanded on a prior partnership and opened a male only campus this fall in Jazan. Critics cited Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

Mandela memorial sign language interpreter was just “flapping his arms around”

South Africa’s deaf community on Wednesday accused the sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial of being a fake, who had merely flapped his arms around during speeches.

“He’s a complete fraud,” Cara Loening, director of Sign Language Education and Development in Cape Town.

“He wasn’t even doing anything, There was not one sign there. Nothing. He was literally flapping his arms around.”

The interpreter, who translated U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech, looked as if he was “trying to swat a few flies away from his face and his head”.

B.O. takes selfie at Nelson Mandela’s funeral

Classy.

Bamboo Forest

Genius celebrity of the day

Beyonce wears fur to vegan lunch.

There’s no such thing as a global citizen

The call for global solutions to global problems has become a familiar refrain: If only we could see past our petty national interests, we could come together to solve everything from climate change to poverty to terrorism. Schools like mine are increasingly being called upon to educate “global citizens” who belong to the world rather than to their nation of birth or state of choice — and who seek challenges to address rather than enemies to defeat.

But the global citizen is like the Himalayan Yeti: a figment of the imaginations of a few, not a living member of the political fauna of the world. And it isn’t something we should try to create.

Protest: End Rock Attacks by Firing Back

Uh, good thinking.

Good news: Al Qaeda in Judea & Samaria

An al-Qaeda-linked group said three militants killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces last week were its members, and that their presence there showed that the Islamist network had taken root in the Palestinian territory.