COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Kobani 'Poster Child' For Kurdish Female Fighters 'Beheaded' By IS

Kobani 'Poster Child' For Kurdish Female Fighters 'Beheaded' By IS

A Kurdish female fighter named 'Rehana' has become an iconic figure in the fight against Islamic State ever since this picture was widely circulated on social media.
A Kurdish female fighter named 'Rehana' has become an iconic figure in the fight against Islamic State ever since this picture was widely circulated on social media.
On October 27, rumors began to spread on social media that a Kurdish female fighter known by the pseudonym Rehana may have been beheaded by Islamic State (IS) militants in Kobani.
Dubbed the "poster child for Kobani female warriors," Rehana, a fighter in the Kurdish YPJ (People's Protection Units) militia, captured the public's imagination after her photograph was circulated on the internet. The image of Rehana making a "victory sign" was retweeted hundreds of times, along with the claim that she was singlehandedly responsible for killing over a hundred IS militants.
While there has been no confirmation of Rehana's death, several news outlets, including Australia's 9News reported that she may have been beheaded, citing a graphic image of a beheaded Kurdish female fighter that had been shared on pro-IS social media accounts.
There is no way to verify if the image -- which shows an IS militant holding the head of a decapitated woman -- is genuine, or if it is Rehana. However, the same gruesome photograph has been circulating since at least October 5 on pro-IS accounts. 
The fact that the claims and rumors of Rehana's possible brutal killing have garnered so much attention is testament to the enormous public interest in female fighters in the Syrian Kurdish YPJ and Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga militias. 
Reports have dubbed the women "badass", "battle-hardened" and "fanatical" fighters. The interest is unsurprising: these are all-female fighters waging war on IS militants, who are not only a formidable military force but whose repressive and violent Islamist ideology is in stark contrast to any progressive, feminist philosophy that allows women to go to war.
Throughout the 40-day siege of Kobani, images of female Kurdish fighters have circulated widely on social media

The widespread interest in Kurdish female fighters and their battle against IS militants in Kobani has given rise to a number of rumors, one of which -- that IS militants are afraid of being killed by women soldiers because if a woman kills a muhajid (jihadi fighter), he won't go to Paradise -- has become ingrained in the popular narrative about IS and the Kurds.  However, the source of the rumor was not an IS scholar but a female Kurdish fighter. 
Many of the news and magazine reports about the Kurdish women militias lauded these fighters as "inspirational" feminists. 
Yet are all-female Kurdish fighters really a sign that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) -- or wider Kurdish society -- is a bastion of feminism?
The Marxist-inspired PKK boasts one of the largest numbers of armed women militias in the world. According to the BBC, women have been integral to the Kurdish movement since the PKK's founding in 1978. At that time, it was strongly influenced by Marxist-Leninist ideas.
However, the story of the PKK's all-female-militias is complex.
The PKK was one way for Kurdish women to advance themselves. (Norwegian academic Dr Kariane Westrheim told the BBC that Kurdish women had "struggled hard to get their voices heard.")
Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a Middle East analyst with the Jamestown Foundation specializing in Kurdish politics, says the hype over "feminist" Kurdish female militias is "part of sensationalist reporting."
"There is a feminist tradition with the Kurdistan Workers Party based on the ideology of Abdullah Ocalan. It's not much different from other Marxist rebel movements that have female fighters, but what makes it unique is that in the Middle East, there are a lot of militant groups, including many Islamist ones, but they don't use women like the PKK movement," van Wilgenburg told RFE/RL.
In an op-ed in Turkey's Hurriyet News (Turkey considers the PKK to be a terrorist organization, as does the United States and the EU), Berfu Kiziltan of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva offers an even less rosy picture of the PKK. 
According to Kiziltan, while the PKK has historically recruited women as well as men, some of the recruitment has been by force. More than half of the PKK's suicide attacks in Turkey have been carried out by women, because it was easier for them to evade security, and because suicide bombings allowed women a way to "prove they could be as fierce as their male counterparts," she writes. 
At least one Kurdish female fighter has also carried out suicide bombings in Kobani.
Earlier this month, Kurdish fighter Arin Mirkan reportedly killed 10 IS militants when she blew herself up outside the northern Syrian town, the first report of a Kurdish female fighter carrying out a suicide attack in Syria.
-- Joanna Paraszczuk

141 comments:

  1. A dozen things happen in the Middle East, every day, that could evoke an emotional response that would, eventually, be inimicable to U.S. interests.

    The stated purpose of our actions is to stop, and then, roll back, ISIS. Nothing more.

    We're not there to help the Kurds. We're not there to empower women. We're not there to overthrow Assad (not this time, anyway.) We're not there to impose moral, or hygienic standards on the people. We're not there to create a region of Jeffersonian Democracies.

    We're there to kill headcutters.

    And, the timeline is very flexible.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Replies
    1. You don't want to be there, don't be a fighter pilot.

      Delete
    2. How about repealing the 14SEP2001 AUMF, if the US does not want to be 'over there' ?

      Where is the political 'ground swell' clamoring for 'Ending the War' ?

      Delete
  3. Dallas is now officially Ebola-free.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dallas is now officially Ebola-free.

    Too late, Ruf, we already voted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And, you elected Democrats. Good for you.

      Delete
    2. So, the Democratically controlled Washington State has the Highest Minimum Wage in the country, and an unemployment rate that is 0.2% Below the national average.

      Delete
    3. Am I to understand that millions of Americans have not fallen dead in the streets, cut down by Ebola? ... all those body bags and coffins with no where to go ...

      Delete
  5. Q: Why is the PKK a Terrorist Organization, in Turkey, the US and the EU ?

    A: Because they are just like Hamas.

    PKK = Hamas
    Kurds = Palestinians

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dispossessed and dis-empowered minorities in their own homelands.
      Persecuted and pilloried by the European political powers that drew the lines on the map.

      Mostly the Brits and the French, but the Russians signed on, too.

      Sykes–Picot Agreement
      "the British were embarrassed, the Arabs dismayed and the Turks delighted."

      And to think, it happened more than six years ago and still has an effect on what is happening, today.

      At least one contributor thinks the idea that ...
      Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
      Is stupid.

      He believes that politics in the Middle Eat started six years ago, and nothing that came before the inauguration of Barack Obama matters. Silly billy, or should that be 'boobie' ?

      Delete
    2. We are all familiar with the story of Palestinian persecution, but there are those amongst us not as familiar with the Kurds.
      The two peoples have so much in common ... disrespected and denied by the powers that govern the world.

      Delete
  6. More news from the JPost ...

    Israel has 4th highest child poverty rate in developed world

    Israel has the fourth highest poverty rate among developed countries, according to a new United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report released Tuesday.
    ...
    According to the findings, in 2013 Israel had a poverty rate of 35.6% after Spain, Latvia, and Greece – three countries that were hard hit by the 2008 recession.


    http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/UNICEF-report-Israel-has-4th-highest-child-poverty-rate-in-developed-world-380160

    ReplyDelete
  7. While the folks at Haaretz report ...

    Israel second worst globally for gender wage equality
    Only one other country – Angola – receives lower score in annual gender gap report.


    Israel was the second least equal country in the world in terms of wage equlity between men and women, a global report released on Tuesday found.

    Occupying the 130th place, Israel is second only to Angola in wage inequality for similar work, and dropped 16 places from its 2013 ranking of 114, according to the World Economic Forum's 2014 Gender Gap Report.

    In overall gender inequality, Israel did not fare so well either, dropping 12 spots to number 65 from its previous ranking, indicating that gender inequality in the country has worsened in the past year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Russia Delivers Cargo to Space Station After U.S. Setback

    A robotic Russian supply ship delivered nearly 3 tons of cargo to the International Space Station on Wednesday, just hours after a commercial U.S. rocket exploded while attempting a similar mission.

    The robotic Progress 57 spacecraft blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Russian Soyuz rocket at 3:09 a.m. ET to begin its space station mission. The spacecraft linked up with the orbiting lab six hours later after a trouble-free trip.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Russia ready to deliver US supplies to ISS after Antares rocket explodes

      “So far NASA has not asked us, but we have a gentleman’s agreement to help each other should a need arise such as after the loss of a supply ship or another emergency,” Aleksey Krasnov, the head of Roscosmos’ manned spaceflight department, told Ria Novosti.

      “In such cases we always put our partners on a priority list and they do the same thing for us. If a request comes for an emergency delivery of any cargo to the ISS with our cargo ship, we will do it,”

      Delete
  9. Now there is continuing 'Bad News' for Sodastream ...

    "O"rdure tells us that this news is just bogus, lies ...
    But, there is no disputing the stock price, no disputing the loss of sales YoY.

    If the fundamentals of Sodastream are sound, if the stock is just taking a beating ...
    The only reason for that ...

    The power of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel
    The true state of public opinion about Israel, being stated not in push polls or pundit opinions, but by the spending patterns of people.

    The real existential threat to Israel, as allen told us, is its economic weakness. Its dependency on exports and foreign trade.
    Their weakness being illustrated by Sodastream, especially if "O"rdure's position on the company's underlying strength is valid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since Jack Hawkins cannot post actual quotes by me say the words "bogus or lies" he INVENTS comments for his fiction.

      Sodastream sales last 5 years

      2009 146.03M
      2010 212.59M
      2011 309.76M
      2012 436.32M
      2013 562.72M


      Consolidated Net Income for the last 5 years

      2009 9.92M
      2010 12.87M
      2011 29.47M
      2012 43.86M
      2013 42.03M


      http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/soda/financials


      No disputing the real numbers....

      a matured market place of 1/2 a billion a year in sales is no flat soda no matter how you spin it....

      it's called business.

      What I said was your focus and comments are a HANDJOB on the truth.

      Delete
    2. The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

      Mark Twain

      Delete
    3. Step by step ...

      Is the failure of Sodastream to sell their product in the US, the decllning sales an indicator that their nich strategy if flawed or is it an indicator that the BDS Movement is much stronger than any of the Zionists want to admit?

      Is it politics or product?

      Delete
    4. Stock price down YoY from $63.75 to $21.21 today ...
      A loss of $42.54 a share

      No lie, no hyperbole, pure unadulterated fact, the reality of Sadastream
      Their shares have dropped 66.7%
      Simply put two thirds of Sodasream's value had evaporated

      Product or politics you decide

      Delete
    5. If Sodastrem is essentially healthy, its products in demand around the world, and still sales plummet in the US ...

      What is the cause of that?

      If it's politics, then that is much more scary a reality, for Israel, than the idea that Sodastream is a company whose product has become passe.

      The rader can decide for themselves which is the cause, poor product placement or BDS politics.

      Delete
    6. The reader can decide for themselves which is the cause, poor product placement or BDS politics.

      Delete
    7. The primary target of the BDS Movement, Sodastream, has taken a real licking in the US.

      Is the management of Sodastream inept, or has the BDS Movement scored a break through victory?
      If it is the BDS Movement, which Israeli company do they target, next?

      Delete
  10. The Congressional Research Service Finds that Boehner’s Lawsuit Has No Legal Basis

    Three months ago, John Boehner threw a bone to the tea-party faction that was nipping at his heels and demanding action against the lawless tyrant Obama and his executive orders that routinely defied both the Constitution and the duly enacted laws of the land. The bone took the form of a planned lawsuit against the administration because it had delayed certain aspects of the employer and employee mandates under Obamacare.

    One of the big moments in House Speaker John Boehner’s campaign of posturing to convince his restive troops not to proceed with an impeachment resolution against the president was a much-trumpeted decision to file a lawsuit against Obama for “changing the health care law without a vote of Congress, effectively creating his own law.” The House (with not a single Democrat concurring) authorized the suit back in July. For all the wild rhetoric surrounding it, the authorization focused on one small aspect of the Affordable Care Act’s implementation, a one-year delay in the employer mandate requiring an offering ACA-compliant health plans under penalty of a tax.

    When, back in July, Speaker John Boehner secured House authorization to file suit against President Obama for “changing the health care law without a vote of Congress, effectively creating his own law,” cynical Democrats derided the planned litigation as a “political stunt,” a talking point for the fall campaign playbook. But a report by the apolitical Congressional Research Service (CRS), completed on September 4, but never released by the member who sponsored it, nor mentioned in the press, indicates that the Democrats were not cynical enough.

    http://bit.ly/BonerCRSReport
    http://bit.ly/BonerCRSReport2
    http://bit.ly/BonerCRSReport3
    http://bit.ly/CRSFinalReport

    #ObamaLawsuit #JohnBoehner #GOPFail 

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did not dodge the draft, killer.

      Duece should take you down.

      Delete
  12. I got an E- Card from my Niece.

    It has piano music.

    It has candles.

    And a chocolate cake.

    With strawberries on top.

    I am the luckiest man alive to have such a Niece.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (there are some wonderful people out there in the world)

      Delete
    2. It says

      "May you have all the Joy your Heart can hold, always"

      :)

      Delete
  13. WiO,

    One should be careful for what one asks.

    Sodastream is relocating. This means that hundreds of Palestinians will lose their jobs. Obviously, this move is all part of "The Plan."

    On the upside, hundreds of new jobs will be available to Jews in a secure location.

    http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-29/sodastream-to-close-factory-at-center-of-israel-palestinian-spat.html
    SodaStream Closing West Bank Factory Targeted by Boycotts in ScarJo Split

    ScarJo will cry all the way to the bank. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I pray that her reported death and humiliation are untrue.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Jack HawkinsWed Oct 29, 01:20:00 PM EDT
    Step by step ...

    Is the failure of Sodastream to sell their product in the US, the decllning sales an indicator that their nich strategy if flawed or is it an indicator that the BDS Movement is much stronger than any of the Zionists want to admit?

    Is it politics or product?


    Sodastream NEVER had more than 1% of US household.


    Jack HawkinsWed Oct 29, 01:25:00 PM EDT
    Stock price down YoY from $63.75 to $21.21 today ...
    A loss of $42.54 a share

    No lie, no hyperbole, pure unadulterated fact, the reality of Sadastream
    Their shares have dropped 66.7%
    Simply put two thirds of Sodasream's value had evaporated
    Product or politics you decide


    If you owned the company "Sodastream" you are a very rich person.

    To those that gamble on "stocks and the market" Good luck.

    Buy some Amazon and tell me about "real value"


    Jack, the business tycoon of Horse Manure states: Simply put two thirds of Sodasream's value had evaporated

    Hardly.

    Stock valuation is not the "value" of the company, it's the market cap.

    There are actually two parts to the value of any business. The first part is the current value of all the business's assets and liabilities, including buildings, employees, inventories, and so forth. The second part is the value of the profits the business is expected to make in the future. Some companies get most of their value from the first part. These types of companies tend to be mature, stable businesses without a lot of growth prospects, such as utilities and real estate companies. For these firms, the assets are in place, and the future cash flow is relatively predictable.

    Jack, simply put?

    You are a moron.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stock price down YoY from $63.75 to $21.21 today ...
      A loss of $42.54 a share

      No lie, no hyperbole, pure unadulterated fact, the reality of Sadastream
      Their shares have dropped 66.7%
      Simply put two thirds of Sodasream's value had evaporated

      Product or politics you decide

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  16. Jack HawkinsWed Oct 29, 01:36:00 PM EDT
    The primary target of the BDS Movement, Sodastream, has taken a real licking in the US.

    Is the management of Sodastream inept, or has the BDS Movement scored a break through victory?
    If it is the BDS Movement, which Israeli company do they target, next?




    epic FAILS of BDS in America

    Across college campuses, SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) attempts to divest from the Israeli economy, and only the Israeli economy, in order to ‘bring it to its knees’, but intelligent college students see right through it. Unfortunately, the divestment campaign has succeeded at UC Riverside and Wesleyan University, but many more campuses have seen the light and have condemned or fought back against these insidious attempts to destroy the Jewish State.

    The student government does not have the power to control university investments. What they are actually doing is voting on whether or not to draft a referendum recommending to the administration that they divest from companies ‘profiting from the Israeli Occupation’. This is entirely symbolic and has no economic success across the board; no university, even where this has passed, has taken it up. In fact, Israel’s GDP, since the creation of the BDS campaign, has doubled.

    BDS has been active on college campuses since 2005, with the divestment campaign being central for the past five years; in the last 10 years or so, there has been zero financial success on the university level in the divestment campaign.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jack HawkinsWed Oct 29, 01:36:00 PM EDT
    The primary target of the BDS Movement, Sodastream, has taken a real licking in the US.

    Is the management of Sodastream inept, or has the BDS Movement scored a break through victory?
    If it is the BDS Movement, which Israeli company do they target, next?



    It's apparent from Jack's statement he doesn't understand the American soda market.

    He is clueless about Coke and Pepsi and their amazing distribution networks in the USA that are unparalleled anywhere else on the planet.

    His questioning of Sodastream's success in the USA verses the rest of the world shows he doesn't understand business and the concept of "finding and filling a need".

    Truly Jack should return to North Africa where his siblings all reside.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies


    1. Why did Coke take a pass ...
      Why did Pepsi take a pass and choose to do a 'market study' in only two Florida markets?

      Why did Sodastream equity holders take such a licking ...
      Why has it dropped 20+% since "O"rdure said it was 'undervalued'?

      Stock price down YoY from $63.75 to $21.21 today ...
      A loss of $42.54 a share

      No lie, no hyperbole, pure unadulterated fact, the reality of Sadastream
      Their shares have dropped 66.7%
      Simply put two thirds of Sodasream's value had evaporated

      Product or politics you decide

      Delete
    2. The 'soda market'?

      What is quite clear, Sodastream only gets 25% of revenue from flavor sales ...
      75% from hardware ... Which has cratered

      Product or Politics, which caused Sodastream equity to evaporate?

      Delete
    3. Because evaporate it did.

      Two thirds of the market value of Sodastream has vanished

      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    5. Bon, would you stop?

      At least a HUMAN ASSHOLE has a purpose.

      Jackshit is just a retarded jackass....

      Delete
    6. Jack HawkinsWed Oct 29, 04:28:00 PM EDT
      Because evaporate it did.

      Two thirds of the market value of Sodastream has vanished


      Once again Jack you play loose and fast with words.

      When proven wrong you simply change your words...

      Sodastream went from 9 million a year in net profit to about 40 million a year 5 years later....

      Sales are constant.

      Of course you can point and wiggle your bony little finger and sob and scream and act like a hysterical 9 year old girl.....

      But you of course do not have a 1/2 billion a year in sales, international corporation that rakes in cash....

      40 million a year in profit...

      How much did you make from your illegal pot sales last year?

      Oh, not enough to cover 40k in polo for the season....

      Did Sly like your screenplay? Or did you get no response?

      I bet you got no response.

      Why?

      Cause he's now KNOWS who you are and KNOWS about your anti-semeitc rantings....

      You aint going to be doing any screen play sales in Jew controlled Hollywood anytime soon...

      LOL

      fucktard

      Delete
  18. Let's hear what the CEO of Sodastream has to say ...

    SodaStream International's (SODA) CEO Daniel Birnbaum on Q3 2014 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

    With us on the call as well is Danny Erdreich, CFO, and Scott Guthrie, General Manager America's region. Following Daniel’s remarks, we will open up the call for questions.

    I would like to remind everyone that certain statements will be made during today’s conference call which are forward-looking within the meaning of the Securities Laws. Due to the uncertainty of these forward-looking statements, our actual results may differ materially from anything projected in these forward-looking statements. As such, we can give no assurance as to their accuracy and we assume no obligation to update them.
    ...
    As previously announced, the third quarter fell well short of our expectations. Our sales in the US have been challenging year-to-date and we are starting to experience pockets of softness in other markets as well.

    Clearly our current performance is an indication that a change in course is necessary to get the business back on track. Today we are introducing a comprehensive growth plan that will serve as our blueprint for retuning the company to profitable growth.

    In addition to issuing a press release with the actual third quarter results, we posted a presentation outlining our growth plan on the IR section of our website. I'll be referencing the contents of the presentation later in the call.

    But first, I am going to walk through the actual numbers for the third quarter reviewing the puts and takes of our results by region and their impact on margins and profitability.

    Looking at the third quarter, revenue was $125.9 million for the quarter compared to $144.6 million a year ago with the change driven by declines in sales and soda makers and flavors, partially offset by a gain in gas refills.

    On a year-over-year basis, soda maker units were down 32% to 818,000, flavor units were down 8% to $7.6 million, while gas refill unit increased 10% to $6.4 million.

    Our performance was driven primarily by softness in the US market where consumer demand has been challenging. On a sell in basis, US soda maker units declined 60% to 160,000, flavor units declined 28% to $1.5 million and gas refills were flat at $1.2 million.


    Then he begins to make remarks that Sodastream admits ... we can give no assurance as to their accuracy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ... we are starting to experience pockets of softness in other markets as well.

      Product or Politics ?

      Delete
    2. Are you a nitwit or a retard?

      Have you stopped beating your horse?

      Do you have sex with the illegals you smuggle into the USA?

      When you are selling illegal weapons are you high on pot?

      Delete
    3. Jack is a liar and slanderer and piece of human crud.

      Delete
  19. Netanyahu needs Israel in constant state of despair and fear

    Haaretz columnist explains why he thinks peace with Palestinians isn't possible in our time.

    "There is every reason for the current government to keep peace as far away as possible,"
    Burston told Haaretz's Aimee Amiga.
    "It is in their interest because it creates a situation that energizes the right in this country, and drives the rest of the country into a kind of state of permanent despair, which keeps them neutralized and keeps any kind of broad coalition, broad opposition, from forming against them."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    2. Reuters

      UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israel's decision to accelerate planning for some 1,000 new settler homes in East Jerusalem raises serious doubts about the Israeli commitment to peace with the Palestinians, a senior U.N. said on Wednesday.

      Delete
  20. .

    Why Middle-Class Americans Can't Afford to Live in Liberal Cities

    If you line up the country's 100 richest metros from 1 to 100, household affordability falls as household income rises, even after you consider that middle class families in richer cities have more income. [The graph below considers only the 25 richest US metros to keep city names moderately legible within the computer screen.]
    ________________________________________

    Rich Households = Unaffordable Houses?
    ________________________________________

    The line isn't smooth—and there are exceptions—but the relationship is clear: In general, richer cities have less affordable housing.
    But there's a second reason why San Francisco's problem is emblematic of a national story. Liberal cities seem to have the worst affordability crises, according to Trulia chief economist Jed Kolko.

    In a recent article, Kolko divided the largest cities into 32 “red" metros where Romney got more votes than Obama in 2012 (e.g. Houston), 40 “light-blue” markets where Obama won by fewer than 20 points (e.g. Austin), and 28 “dark-blue” metros where Obama won by more than 20 points (e.g. L.A., SF, NYC). Although all three housing groups faced similar declines in the recession and similar bounce-backs in the recovery, affordability remains a bigger problem in the bluest cities.
    ________________________________________

    Super-Liberal Cities, Super-Unaffordable Houses
    ________________________________________

    "Even after adjusting for differences of income, liberal markets tend to have higher income inequality and worse affordability,” Kolko said.

    Kolko's theory isn't an outlier. There is a deep literature tying liberal residents to illiberal housing policies that create affordability crunches for the middle class. In 2010, UCLA economist Matthew Kahn published a study of California cities, which found that liberal metros issued fewer new housing permits. The correlation held over time: As California cities became more liberal, he said, they built fewer homes.


    http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/why-are-liberal-cities-so-unaffordable/382045/


    The anthem of Liberalism (these days): "What's yours is mine, what's mine is mine"

    :o)

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As California cities filled to their geographic limits there was no where to build 'more' homes except in the 'new' cities (Inland Empire).

      The older cities, Burbank, Hollywood, Pomona, etc. implemented zoning restrictions that 'froze' the housing styles of those communities.
      No high rise apartments, etc. Preserving the 'lifestyle' but driving up the value of the existing housing, often to 'unaffordable' levels. Burbank is a good example of this, i do believe, especially after visiting Burbank this past month.
      'Leave it to Beaver' would still feel right at home there.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    3. Careful there Robert ...
      You are approaching what you yourself described as unacceptabe

      Delete
  21. Turkey allows Kurdish troops to cross into Kobani

    Kurdish fighters in the besieged Syrian town of Kobani welcomed the arrival of a vanguard of 50 fighters on Wednesday, despite fears that the reinforcements are too small to end the siege.

    The troops from the Syrian Free Army crossed into Kobani from Turkey on Wednesday to stiffen the town’s resistance to fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS). A further 150 troops with artillery are expected to arrive later on Wednesday from the Kurdish Regional Government(KRG) in Iraq.

    Anwar Muslim, the head of the local government of Kobani, said he was confident that the arrival of the troops from Iraq and Syria would help end the almost month-long siege. The Kurdish militia defending the city, known as The People’s Protection Units, had destroyed “about 70% of Daesh’s heavy weapons,” he told TIME, referring to ISIS by its Arabic acronym. “The re-inforcements will give us huge support and perhaps now we’ll finish the job in a very short time.”

    ReplyDelete

  22. Syrian Free Army column enters Kobane ahead of Iraqi Peshmerga

    KURDISH fighters defending the Syrian town of Kobane were tonight reinforced by 50 members of the Free Syrian Army, providing an unexpected vanguard for 150 heavily armed Kurdish Pesh­merga fighters from Iraq.

    Idriss Nassan, a Kurdish official from Kobane, said the FSA cohort joined the fight against Islamic State through the Mursitpinar border crossing with Turkey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    2. Not that I much care. I probably go back to sleep.

      I do wish Quirk would work up the energy to start a news Croc Shit Free blog though.

      Delete
    3. Sure you dodged the draft, Robert Peterson, you told us so yourself.
      You may have been drunk, but the truth shines through.
      In vino veritas

      BobSun Jun 22, 01:42:00 PM EDT

      When did I ever say I was a scholar??

      I don't recall saying that.

      I have a college degree in English Lit. from U of Washington.

      To avoid being drafted in part. ...


      To avoid = To dodge
      To avoid being drafted = To dodge being drafted = Draft Dodger

      Delete
    4. Once again your logic is impeccable for an retarded 4th grader.

      Keep it up....

      Delete
    5. False cause

      I. False Cause: the fallacy committed when an argument mistakenly attempt to establish a causal connection. There are two basic interrelated kinds.

      Post hoc ergo propter hoc: (literally "after this, therefore because of this") the fallacy of arguing that one event was caused by another event merely because it occurred after that event.


      I.e., mere succession in time is not enough to establish causal connection. E.g., consider "Since hair always precedes the growth of teeth in babies, the growth of hair causes the growth of teeth."


      Consider also "Every severe recession follows a Republican Presidency; therefore Republicans are the cause of recessions." Accidental generalizations need not always be causal relations.


      Causal connections are difficult to establish; the nature of causality is an active area of inquiry in the philosophy of science.


      Non causa pro causa: (literally "no cause for a cause") in general, the fallacy of making a mistake about the ascription of some cause to an effect. This is the general category of "false cause."


      II. The informal structure of the fallacy is usually similar to one of the following.


      Event x is related to (or is followed by) event y.
      Event x caused event y.
      or

      Events of kind x are followed by events of kind y.
      Events of kind x cause events of kind y.

      Delete


    6. III. Examples of false cause:


      "We hear that a writer has just filed a two million dollar lawsuit against the Coors beer company for pickling his brain. It seems that he had been consuming large quantities of Coors' 3.2 beer, containing only 3.2 percent alcohol and so supposedly non-intoxicating, at his local tavern. But, the suit contends, the stuff was insidiously marinating his mind; and as a result he has been unable to finish writing his second novel. The author may have a point. But we have to wonder whether the damage was caused by the beer, or by the current fad of product liability suits." Wall Street Journal (02.14.79).

      There are two cases of false cause here, but the second, the Journal's, is tongue-in-cheek


      "Napoleon became a great emperor because he was so short."

      (If this were a causal inference, then all short people would become emperors.)


      "Dear ABBY: If GOING BALD doesn't have any sighs of rash, or sores on her head, she should make a mixture of castor oil and sheep dung, and plaster it on her head every night. (Tell her to wear a shower cap so she won't mess up her pillow.) I started losing my hair after the birth of my child. My grandmother gave me this remedy and it worked. Index Journal (02.01.80).


      "Defense attorney Ellis Rubin claims Ronald Zamora's constant exposure to TV crime shows such as re-runs of 'Kojak' and 'Police Woman' was responsible for 'diseasing his mind and impairing his behavior controls.' 'Without the influence of television ... there would not have been any crime,' Rubin argued." Index Journal (08.13.77).


      "When the telephone was first introduced to Saudi Arabia, some contended it was an instrument of the devil. But others pointed out that, according to Moslem doctrine, the devil is incapable of reciting the Koran. When several verses of the Koran were recited and heard over the phone, skeptics were convinced that the instrument wasn't evil." Wall Street Journal (11.11.79).


      "Especially bothersome to some parents whose children have chest pain, are reports in the media of sudden death in what appeared to be otherwise healthy athletes. There are many causes of chest pain in children. The most common cause is called idiopathic chest pain. Idiopathic means the cause is unknown. One can only call chest pain idiopathic after they have ruled out other causes." Randy Robinson, M.D. "Family Practice Notes," Index Journal (n.d.).
      IV. Establishing causality in science is difficult. Usually if all A's are followed by B's then one suspect that A caused B. But even this generalization could be a coincidence. For the most part, causality is no longer used in science; correlation is sought instead.

      Delete
  23. Think of it.

    A wonderful place to discuss, and share.

    Without Croc Shit !

    The liar and slanderer enabled by Deuce.

    Quirk !!!!

    I just don't have the skills.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll set it up for you, "Draft Dodger Peterson.
      If you promise to never come back, if I do.

      What would you like to call it?

      Delete
    2. I'll set it up for you, "Draft Dodger" Peterson.

      Delete
    3. Croc Shit is a liar and slanderer.

      He is nothing but a piece of croc shit.

      I did not dodge the draft.

      Got a high lucky number.

      Croc Shit is nothing but a liar and slanderer and Deuce is his enabler.

      Delete
    4. Deuce may be convinced to manage it for you, for a fee.
      He says he does that now, better yet, have Deuce set it up and manage it for you, for a fee.

      That's the 'American Way', pay as you go.

      Delete
    5. Just more Croc Shit

      Endless Croc Shit.

      Deuce may be convinced to manage it for you, for a fee.


      For a fee....

      Deuce ain't for sale, whatever else he may be.

      Delete
  24. I did not dodge the draft.

    Got high lucky number.

    Thinking back on it, I got no real problem with those that did.

    I am concerned for my Niece.

    That is a proper human concern.

    We can turn to Croc Shit's Schopenhauer for quotes if we wish.

    USA will have power boats in Vietnamese harbors one of these days.

    Invited.

    That history for ya.

    Deuce should take down Croc Shit's slanders.

    Deuce is Croc Shit's enabler if he does not do so.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Robert, you ddged the draft, you told us so, back on 22June2014

      In vino veritas

      Embrace your cowardice, Robert, embrace your liberalism and your anti-American past.
      Do it before you die, go to the grave being honest with yourself about yourself.

      Delete
    2. Yes, Robert, you dodged the draft, you told us so, back on 22June2014

      Delete
    3. Your usage of the English language is quite, shall we say, foreign?

      The way you twist words, mislead and lie?

      You must be an Arab.

      Delete
  25. Croc Shit is a self confessed war criminal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Post a timestamped copy of that alleged confession, will you please?
      I complied with your request, why won't you do the same with mine?

      It is because you cannot, because you are fabricating another of your fictions with this talk of 'war crimes'.

      Stick to the truth "Draft Dodger" you will 'feel' better.
      Embrace your liberalism your deep down Anti-Americanism

      Your hatred of liberty and freedom, when other people get to enjoy those treasures.
      Treasures which you have enjoyed, but never earned.

      Delete
  26. Croc Shit needs a life.

    He will, though, never have a decent life.

    He is Croc Shit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In vino veritas

      BobSun Jun 22, 01:42:00 PM EDT

      When did I ever say I was a scholar??

      I don't recall saying that.

      I have a college degree in English Lit. from U of Washington.

      To avoid being drafted in part. ...


      To avoid = To dodge
      To avoid being drafted = To dodge being drafted = Draft Dodger

      Delete
    2. Going to college to avoid the draft is not a "draft dodger"

      But the English language is not a native tongue to our arab blogger named Jack.

      Delete
  27. That's pretty clear, bob. You're either a draft dodger, or a liar.

    Pick one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See below:

      You stupid ignorant illiterate asshole.

      Delete
    2. You admitted to being a "Draft Dodger" embrace your past, Robert.

      Delete
  28. Hersh would also go on to chronicle American political and financial support that was being provided to the Muslim Brotherhood, even then under then US President George Bush.

    In all, the supposedly “spontaneous” uprisings referred to by the Western media as the “Arab Spring” in 2011 were being engineered years ahead of time – not in an attempt to promote peaceful pro-democratic aspirations, but to serve as cover for ultra-violent foreign-backed inssurections that would leave a trail of destruction stretching along Africa’s northern coast, all the way to the borders of Iran, Russia, and even China.


    After denying any role in the “Arab Spring” unrest, the US would soon not only openly support the protesters in the streets, but also support armed militants that followed in the wake of protests. This support included that of a military dimension – with militants in Libya being provided aircover and special forces initially, to eventually the air-dropping of weapons, equipment, and other supplies.

    US Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) would even travel to the terrorist capital of Libya – Benghazi – and offer US support in person. He would stand literally upon the footsteps of Benghazi’s courthouse where Al Qaeda rallies would be held shortly after, promising weapons to men who would later slaughter a US ambassador in that very city.

    http://journal-neo.org/2014/10/28/isis-america-s-terrorist-mercenaries/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Clearly, the rise of the so-called “Islamic State” or ISIS, did not happen overnight, nor by accident. It was not only the logical result of the United States continuing its strategy of proxy warfare it had carried out against Libya, now unfolding in Syria, it was also the premeditated, documented result of what veteran journalist Seymour Hersh had warned about in 2007.

      It is a threat that not only Syria understands all too well, but a threat its allies including Iraq, Iran, and Russia fully understand and are mobilizing against.

      The US has found itself revising history, attempting to explain the existence of ISIS lurking in the footprints of its massive support of so-called “moderates” in Syria’s ongoing conflict. The US has attempted to claim ISIS has built itself on “donations,” selling oil to the black market, and by taking hostages for ransom. If only building a multinational terrorist mercenary force was that easy, we could imagine Syria, Iraq, and Iran would likewise have vast mercenary armies to outmatch ISIS in an afternoon.

      The reality is, to explain how the US and its regional partners have provided “moderates” with billions in aid only to have ISIS rise up and displace these “moderates,” we must realize that there were never any “moderates” to begin with, and that the US intentionally armed and funded terrorists, just as Hersh warned in 2007, to create a terrorist mercenary army that “espouses a militant vision of Islam” and is “sympathetic to Al Qaeda.”

      ISIS didn’t displace the “moderates,” the truth of what America has done in the Middle East has displaced the lies the West has been telling the public starting in 2011 at the height of the so-called “Arab Spring.”

      It is essential that people around the world continue to spread this this truth faster than the West can spread its chaos.

      http://journal-neo.org/2014/10/28/isis-america-s-terrorist-mercenaries/

      Delete

  29. Deuce may be convinced to manage it for you, for a fee

    "For a fee."

    Big Mistake there Croc Shit.

    Deuce isn't for hire.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Much as dislike him.

      He is a Gentleman.

      Delete
    2. Sure he is, Draft Dodger, he said he manages over a dozen blogs, for hire, for a fee..

      Your reading retention just sucks,

      Delete
  30. RUFUS, MY BIRTH DATE IS 10/29/46

    Go look it up.

    Lucked out.

    ReplyDelete
  31. You godamned illiterate fucked up know zero dumb shit motherfuckless asshole you.

    ;)

    ReplyDelete
  32. draft dodger
    Examples Word Origin
    noun
    1.
    a person who evades or attempts to evade compulsory military service.

    If going to college eliminated your requirement to be in the draft? Then it was not compulsory military service.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Going to college, to avoid the draft, makes one a Draft Dodger.
      Not a criminal, but a Draft Dodger.

      Do not try to conflate the two, "O"rdure.

      Delete
    2. nonsense.

      Your abuse of the English language is only 2nd to your abuse of the woman that left you as your wife.

      Delete
  33. Rufus IIWed Oct 29, 06:39:00 PM EDT
    That's pretty clear, bob. You're either a draft dodger, or a liar.

    Pick one.


    You are a lowlife.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I went to collage.

    I had a draft card.

    Got high number in the draft.

    10/29/46

    Now am in love fore ever and ever with my Hindu Niece, who sent me a E-mail gift thingy in the email todays from Dresden, Germany.

    She works at the Institute of Brain Research there, Max Planck division.

    Information flows is her specialty.

    I am sending her Ruf's case number.

    She gave up on the Croc Shit.

    Spaghetti, she said.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now am in love fore ever and ever with my Hindu Niece...

      Out here in non-Idaho states we never say we are "in love" with our kin. We love them, naturally, but out here in non-Idaho states pumpkin is a noun, not a verb.

      Delete
    2. Incest is the norm, in Draft Dodger land.

      Delete
    3. Incest.

      Wow, just wow

      Hardly.

      Be a MAN

      Take him down, Deuce.

      Delete
    4. That's what 'lovin' a Niece is all about, Draft Dodger.

      Delete
    5. Matthew 5:28

      28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
      Same goes for incest, Robert.
      {;-)

      Delete
  35. The MSM made their bundle stoking Ebola hysteria, but now they realize it's hurting Democrats by doubling down on the incompetence narrative, so here in the homestretch before the election we're getting stories about how Dallas is Ebola-free, new cases in Africa are down, etc., as though Obama did it, just like he personally put two rounds in OBL's head.

    ReplyDelete
  36. The tragic drama unfolding in Hawaii underlines a need to understand more about the science of volcanoes, says Professor Edwards, a volcanologist who specializes in volcanic eruptions, natural disasters, and the links between volcanoes and climate.

    He hopes that such a visible event will provide a teachable moment – not just about volcanoes’ potential for disaster, but also about how they can be a resource. Among other things, “there is great potential for geothermal energy,” he says.

    “And it is a clean source of energy,” one that is already used in Iceland and New Zealand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately volcanoes are also big emitters of greenhouse gases, so we need more study.

      Delete
    2. I assume you are referencing Croc Shit, Miss T.

      Delete
  37. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In vino veritas

      That's what your 'lovin' on a Niece is all about, Draft Dodger.

      Delete
    2. You are shameless if you do not.

      Delete
    3. Admit it ...
      You've talked about her 'Sweet Ass'

      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    5. In vino veritas

      If you do not want your 'secrets' revealed, stay off the sauce.

      Delete
    6. Oh, and be polite ...

      You life is an open book, you've told us your secrets, exposed your inner desires ...
      From your fingers to our eyes, Draft Dodger.

      Delete
  38. While many races remain close, it’s just getting harder and harder to envision a plausible path for the Democrats to retain control of the Senate. Ultimately, with just a few days to go before the election, the safe bet would be on Republicans eventually taking control of the upper chamber.

    ...

    The wealth of GOP targets is a reflection of the structural advantages that have favored Republicans in this election, some of which don’t have anything to do with a specific campaign.

    Those are:

    Obama’s troubles: President Obama’s approval ratings are in the low 40s, and midterm elections are very often a vote against the party that occupies the White House, particularly if the occupant is unpopular.

    A great map: This Senate map is the most-Republican leaning of the three Senate classes up for election once every six years. These seats were last on the ballot in 2008, a big Democratic year.

    ...

    Partisan polarization: The increasing partisanship of American politics and the American people makes it harder and harder for Democrats to win in Republican states and districts, and vice-versa. Seven Democrats hold Senate seats contested this year in states that supported Mitt Romney in 2012.


    Senate Majority


    ReplyDelete
  39. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robert, all I've done is post your quotes ...

      You find that offensive, watch your P's and Q's.
      Be polite, stay civil and grow a spine.

      Delete
    2. Don't drink and then post on a blog.

      Delete
    3. Do not accuse others of what they have not done, when what you have admitted to is ...
      Well, what you've admitted to.

      Delete
  40. I got a Birth Day Cake - email - from my Niece today.

    She is a representative of an ancient and honored culture.

    The homeland and birthplace of the monomyth.

    She is beautiful, bright and true.

    She is WOMAN.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matthew 5:28

      28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
      Same goes for incest, Robert.
      {;-)

      Delete
  41. Bob, dude, you have been pwned!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pwned is now primarily used in the Internet gaming culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated (e.g., “You just got pwned!”)

      Derived from the traditional meaning of the verb “own”, as meaning to appropriate or conquer to gain ownership.
      The term strongly implies domination, severe defeat, and/or humiliation of a rival.

      Delete
    2. Yeah, and at its root it is just a typo.

      Delete
    3. And for the keener it is pronounced "poned" with a long o.

      Delete
    4. I wouldn't know much about typos or World of Warcraft, Ash

      I find this more entertaining.

      Well, to be honest, I do know a little bit, about typos ....
      Maybe even more than a little .

      {;-)

      Delete
  42. .

    Damn, the IQ on this blog is plummeting rapidly.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  43. Why aren't the Governors of NY and NJ insisting on quarantining the Doctors and Nurses that are treating Michael Spencer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That would backfire on 'em, quickly.
      Multiple lawsuits, etc.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  44. Real education in current UAV technology - in just eleven minutes of video !

    ReplyDelete
  45. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  46. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  47. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You ought to embrace your past Robert ...
      Then let it go.

      Then get real polite, real quick.
      Or it'll just get worse.

      Promise.

      {;-)

      Delete
  48. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  49. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  50. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  51. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete