Syrian Arab militias dispute they received U.S. airdrop of ammunition

More than a week after the Pentagon announced that it had dropped 50 tons of ammunition to Syrian Arabs to support a new offensive against Islamic State extremists, it’s uncertain who exactly it reached.

Leaders of two principal Arab militias said they hadn’t received any arms aid and doubted that any Arab forces had.

“We didn’t get anything,” Sheikh Humaydi Daham al Hadi, the head of the Shammar tribe, told McClatchy in an interview at his palatial compound in Syria’s Hasaka province. “Maybe our partners, the Kurds did,” a reference to the People’s Protection Units, the YPG militia, which, with the help of U.S. air power, now dominates much of northeastern Syria.

Humaydi’s son, Bandar al Humaydi, who heads the al Sanadid militia, said that no Arab militia had received aid “so far as we know.”

“We got nothing, and it’s not clear at all (if we will),” Bandar told McClatchy by phone Tuesday evening.

Another Arab militia commander, Abu Issa, the commander of Liwa Thurwar Al-Raqqa, the Raqqa Revolutionaries, told McClatchy his forces in Raqqa province had not received any U.S. support. He, too, said he knew of no other Arab group that had.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/middle-east/article40532349.html

Teen Who Hacked CIA Director’s Email Tells How He Did It

A HACKER WHO claims to have broken into the AOL account of CIA Director John Brennan says he obtained access by posing as a Verizon worker to trick another employee into revealing the spy chief’s personal information.

Using information like the four digits of Brennan’s bank card, which Verizon easily relinquished, the hacker and his associates were able to reset the password on Brennan’s AOL account repeatedly as the spy chief fought to regain control of it.

News of the hack was first reported by the New York Post after the hacker contacted the newspaper last week. The hackers described how they were able to access sensitive government documents stored as attachments in Brennan’s personal account because the spy chief had forwarded them from his work email.

The documents they accessed included the sensitive 47-page SF-86 application that Brennan had filled out to obtain his top-secret government security clearance. Millions of SF86 applications were obtained recently by hackers who broke into networks belonging to the Office of Personnel Management. The applications, which are used by the government to conduct a background check, contain a wealth of sensitive data not only about workers seeking security clearance, but also about their friends, spouses and other family members. They also include criminal history, psychological records and information about past drug use as well as potentially sensitive information about the applicant’s interactions with foreign nationals—information that can be used against those nationals in their own country.

The hacker, who says he’s under 20 years old, told WIRED that he wasn’t working alone but that he and two other people worked on the breach. He says they first did a reverse lookup of Brennan’s mobile phone number to discover that he was a Verizon customer. Then one of them posed as a Verizon technician and called the company asking for details about Brennan’s account.

http://www.wired.com/2015/10/hacker-who-broke-into-cia-director-john-brennan-email-tells-how-he-did-it/

The CIA director using AOL in 2015....lulz

San Francisco May Let Bicyclists Yield at Stop Signs

SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of defiant bicyclists lined up single file here in July to protest, halting car traffic in a one-mile zigzag of streets known as the Wiggle that is popular among riders. Motorists honked and heckled during their stalled evening commute, as cyclists crept along to make their point: that they want the common practice of treating stop signs as yield signs — rolling through them slowly and coming to a stop only if necessary — to be legalized, for practical reasons.

Law enforcement officials had threatened to crack down on cyclists who failed to stop at signs, and the Wiggle “stop-in” protest was in response to their threat. Still, the police made good on their warning, issuing 204 citations over two days in August. Not to be silenced, 100 cyclists showed up at a community meeting to vent, and the crackdown was suspended.

Angry confrontations among bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians are common in many cities, but tensions in San Francisco have been heightened with the introduction of a bill that would permit bike riders to yield instead of stop at stop signs (but not at red lights, which bikers would still have to observe the same way motorists do). The proposed ordinance, backed by a majority on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, is expected to come up for a vote in December. If it passes, Mayor Edwin M. Lee has vowed to veto it, telling The San Francisco Chronicle, “I’m not willing to trade away safety for convenience.”

If the supervisors prevail over a veto, San Francisco will become the largest city in the United States to pass a stop-as-yield law. Idaho and a few Colorado counties are the only places in the United States that permit the rolling stop, commonly called the “Idaho stop” because of its legality there since 1982. Paris adopted a similar law this summer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/us/san-francisco-may-let-bicyclists-yield-at-stop-signs.html

It's been amazing over the last ten years to see SF transformed. Thousands of cyclists where there were hundreds commuting just a few years ago. A big part of the credit goes to https://www.sfbike.org/

Here is a map of the thousands injured and killed by CARS in SF. (2005 and 2011) Bikes are not the problem. During that same time 2 pedestrians have been killed by cyclists. One in the castro the other embarcadero.




http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/02/15/san-francisco-cyclist-pedestrian-accident-maps

U.S. Agrees With Russia on Rules in Syrian Sky

Source: NYTIMES



MOSCOW — Russia and the United States signed an agreement Tuesday that regulates all aircraft and drone flights over Syria, the defense departments of both countries announced.

At a Pentagon briefing, Peter Cook, the department’s press secretary, said the agreement, called a memorandum of understanding, established safety protocols requiring the Russians and the United States-led international coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria to maintain professional airmanship at all times, use specific communication frequencies and establish a communication line on the ground.

Anatoly I. Antonov, the Russian deputy defense minister, said in a Defense Ministry statement, “The memorandum contains a set of rules and restrictions aimed at preventing incidents between the Russian and U.S. aviation.” He did not go into details, but said it had “important practical significance.”

The coalition has been bombing Islamic State positions in Syria since September 2014, so American officials were alarmed when Russia, with little warning, began launching its own airstrikes in Syria on behalf of its ally three weeks ago. Russia made no effort to coordinate the strikes with American air operations in the region, the United States has said.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/world/middleeast/us-and-russia-agree-to-regulate-all-flights-over-syria.html?_r=0

German human rights group files complaint against CIA ‘Queen of Torture’

A German human rights group has filed a criminal complaint against Alfreda Frances Bikowsky, a CIA official who allegedly authorized torture of suspected al Qaeda militants. The complaint, submitted in federal court on Monday, presents proof of Bikowsky’s involvement in the torture of German citizen Khaled El Masri and asks that she be prosecuted in Germany. It also puts Bikowsky, nicknamed the “Queen of Torture,” in the spotlight of European efforts to hold CIA officials accountable for allegations of abuse.

In 2003, Macedonian agents, mistaking El Masri for a suspected member of the 9/11 plot, seized the Kuwaiti-born car salesman as he was on his way to Skopje, the capital, for vacation, holding him for 23 days. Even after a CIA official warned her that El Masri was a victim of mistaken identity, Bikowsky, then deputy head of the CIA’s Alec Station — the unit in charge of tracking Osama bin Laden — insisted on having El Masri flown to Afghanistan for further questioning. After four months in Afghanistan, where he was violently interrogated, El Masri was put on a CIA flight to Albania and returned to Germany. “There are already arrest warrants in Germany for the air crew who flew El Masri to Afghanistan so we’re simply following the chain of command,” said Andreas Schüller, head of the International Crimes and Accountability Program at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the Berlin-based human rights legal organization that submitted the complaint against Bikowsky.

In the complaint, which was filed in July and has been seen by Al Jazeera America, the ECCHR asks the prosecutor to launch a criminal investigation into Bikowsky. The complaint notes that the U.S. Senate’s torture report, released in December last year, contains evidence linking Bikowsky to El Masri’s rendition and torture. “The CIA director … decided that no further action was warranted against XXX, then the deputy chief of ALEC Station, who advocated for al-Masri’s [sic] rendition,” the Senate report stated in a passage included in the ECCHR’s complaint. The allegations are consistent with findings by investigative reporters. In December last year, The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer reported that Bikowsky “gleefully participated in torture sessions,” and “falsely told congressional overseers that the torture worked.”

Should the German federal prosecutor decide not to launch a criminal investigation, ECCHR will file a criminal complaint with the state prosecutor in Munich, whose office eight years ago issued arrest warrants against 13 CIA officials involved in El Masri’s disappearance and detention.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/10/19/in-germany-cia-official-charged-with-torture.html

A close shave? Terrified jihadists leave their BEARDS on the battlefield as they shave their faces e

A close shave? Terrified jihadists leave their BEARDS on the battlefield as they shave their faces en masse and dress as women to flee Syria



ISIS fighters are reportedly shaving their beards and dressing up as women in order to flee Syria, in the wake of Russia stepping up its military campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

Pictures said to have been taken near Aleppo last week shows mounds of what looks like cut off facial hair, alongside discarded packets of razors.

In order to cross the border to Turkey undetected, ISIS jihadists are said to be shaving and disguising themselves in niqabs - a veil covering all but the eyes worn by some muslim women.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3279094/A-close-shave-Terrified-jihadists-leave-BEARDS-battlefield-shave-faces-dress-women-flee-Syria.html

Monsanto hid Roundup’s Cancer Risk According to California Lawsuit

Not that it is a stranger to product liability considering it was the primary maker of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, but St. Louis-based chemical giant Monsanto may be facing a plethora of class-action lawsuits over one of its flagship products, Roundup weed killer. In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the herbicide in Roundup, glyphosate, a “probable human carcinogen.” The declaration was followed-up by several countries banning or severely restricting the use of glyphosate, including the Netherlands, Bermuda, and Sri Lanka, with France banning it for use in gardens in June. Glyphosate is the world’s most common herbicide, with the most recent data from the U.S. Geological Survey estimating that 280 million pounds of it was used in the U.S. in 2012. Out of the 130 countries that still permit the product; the U.S. is by far the Monsanto’s largest consumer with over 20 percent of global sales. That may change, however, as California has followed the WHO’s lead earlier in the month. The state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a “notice of intent” that it will also list glyphosate as a probable carcinogen, which is required by the state’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 for any product that the WHO’s cancer division lists as a carcinogen. The OEHHA classification requires companies with 10 or more employees in the state to provide a “clear and reasonable warning” of any product on the list of its dangers.

Mere weeks after the designation was announced, former California field worker Enrique Rubio filed a lawsuit against Monsanto in Central California Federal Court on September 22nd, claiming that his 1995 bone cancer diagnosis at the age of 38 was caused by years of using Roundup commercially as part of his job, first in Oregon during the late 1980s, and then in California and Texas during the early 1990s. In the lawsuit, Rubio states his belief that his cancer was caused by spraying roundup in the fields attended on an average basis of two days a week year-round with a hand pump while driving a tractor and wearing a paper facemask. The complaint references Monsanto’s “prolonged campaign of misinformation” regarding glyphosate, adding that “Agricultural workers are, once again, victims of corporate greed. Monsanto assured the public that Roundup was harmless. In order to prove this, Monsanto championed falsified data and attacked legitimate studies that revealed its dangers.” Rubio has been unable to work due to his diagnosis, and says in the suit that he “has suffered and continues to suffer grave injuries.” Rubio is seeking compensatory and punitive damages to help with his economic losses, citing strict liability for knowingly marketing a product with a design defect, failure to warn consumers of the product’s risks, as well as willful negligence and breach of implied warrantee.

The lawsuit is alleging that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discovered that two laboratories hired by Monsanto to conduct safety testing of Roundup falsified data, first over a 1976 test in which three lab executives were convicted of fraud after the EPA audited its data, and again regarding a 1991 test in a different lab, also leading to three employees being convicted of fraudulent laboratory practices. Despite discovering the evidence of fraud, the EPA still changed its 1985 classification of glyphosate from “possibly carcinogenic” in 1991 to “evidence of non-carcinogenicity in humans,” (Group E), which includes the caveat that the grouping does not imply that the product definitively will not cause cancer in any circumstance. In addition to the multitude of international cancer studies, Roundup has also been linked to “chronic kidney and liver diseases, diabetes, heart disease, hypothyroidism, and leaky gut syndrome,” according to the Center of Research on Globalization. The lawsuit also points to studies that demonstrate traces of glyphosate in food, as well as in the urine of farm workers, and even in “urban dwellers who are not in direct contact with glyphosate.”

Although California’s pioneering classification in the U.S. may prompt a change by the federal regulators, the EPA continues to assert that the product is safe and environmentally friendly. Upon learning about the notice of intent, celebrity activist Erin Brockovich, of the eponymous award-winning 2000 film, posted on her Facebook account, “Monsanto had a bad day yesterday … It’s finally the beginning of the end.” Brockovich’s declaration may be premature, however, given the alleged coziness between the EPA and Monsanto, and the effectiveness of the chemical lobby. In an interview with Agri-Pulse, company spokesperson Charla Lord said, “Glyphosate is an effective and valuable tool for farmers and other users, including many in the State of California. During the upcoming comment period, we will provide detailed scientific information to OEHHA about the safety of glyphosate and work to ensure that any potential listing will not affect glyphosate use or sales in California.” Other activists are comparing Monsanto’s treatment of Roundup similarly to the tobacco lawsuits over the past 20 years, noting that it wasn’t the products’ original levels of harmfulness that was the cause for guilt, but the fact that companies concealed knowledge of the dangers for years. Much like tobacco, as global health studies continue to contradict Monsanto’s claims, the Rubio lawsuit may force the company to provide enough documentation to prove the plaintiff’s claim of foreknowledge. If that happens, the amount of class-action suits, as well as potential settlement size, may rival Big Tobacco.

http://www.legalreader.com/monsanto-hid-roundups-cancer-risk-according-to-california-lawsuit/

Fuming Bernie supporters: Why is CNN deleting our comments?

Seeing their comments repeatedly deleted by CNN, Bernie Sanders supporters are hopping mad today.

Already feeling the news network’s coverage had become rabidly pro-Hillary in the aftermath of last night’s debate, Facebook users leaving reactions on CNN’s page are now continually re-posting them, knowing they will be quickly removed. There are hundreds in a seeming battle with the network, with no explanation as to why.

Some users and messages appear to be specifically targeted, especially those accusing CNN of having conflicts of interest that make it naturally inclined to back Hillary.

In particular, they’re citing last night’s initial Facebook poll data showing Bernie had won the debate handily. They are claiming the network is now burying that information in today’s coverage.

http://mediaequalizer.com/brian-maloney/2015/10/fuming-bernie-supporters-why-is-cnn-deleting-our-comments

The RIP Bullet

Chinese middle class now the world's largest

Source: AFP

China's middle class has overtaken the United States to become the world's largest, Credit Suisse said Tuesday in its latest report on global wealth.

Asia will be the scene for the greatest expansion of the world's middle class, it predicted.

The Swiss bank said with 109 million adults "this year, the Chinese middle class for the first time outnumbered" that in the United States at 92 million.

While the number of middle class worldwide grew last year at a slower pace than the wealthy, it "will continue to expand in emerging economies overall, with a lion's share of that growth to occur in Asia," Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam said in a statement accompanying the bank's annual Global Wealth Report.

Read more: https://in.news.yahoo.com/chinese-middle-class-now-worlds-152813920.html