January 2, 2015

Paul Krugman: How Soaring Inequality May Lead the World Down the Path of Fascism

January 2, 2015 | We live in scary times, Paul Krugman writes in his Friday New York Times column. So scary that they put the esteemed economist in mind of 1930s Europe.

The rising inequality problem, well established by Thomas Piketty’s “ Capital in the Twenty-First Century”, has concentrated so much wealth in the hands of so few, while millions of other live in what Krugman poetically calls the "Valley of the despond."

The only other group that is doing well, besides the global elite, says Krugman, is "what we might call the global middle — largely consisting of the rising middle classes of China and India." For a crystal clear view if what is going on he suggests consulting a remarkable chart of income gains around the world produced by Branko Milanovic of the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Of course, there is a huge plus side to rising incomes for those living in those developing nations where hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of terrible poverty. But in advanced countries, there are also worrisome signs on the horizon:

Full article http://www.alternet.org/economy/paul-krugman-how-soaring-inequality-may-lead-world-down-path-fascism

And don't think for a minute we're immune.

January 2, 2015

Germany's Cologne Cathedral To Turn Off Lights In Protest At Anti-Muslim March

Source: HuffPo


Posted: 01/02/2015 6:29 am EST Updated: 50 minutes ago

BERLIN, Jan 2 (Reuters) - One of Germany's most famous landmarks, Cologne Cathedral, will be plunged into darkness on Monday evening in protest at a march by a growing grass-roots anti-Muslim movement through the western German city, cathedral authorities said.

The rise of the group, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA), has shaken Germany's political establishment, prompting Chancellor Angela Merkel to say in her New Year address that its leaders were racists full of hatred and citizens should beware being used.

PEGIDA's last weekly rally in the eastern city of Dresden attracted some 17,000 people, and the movement plans further marches in other cities, including through the center of Cologne on Monday night with a rally by the cathedral.

"PEGIDA is made up of an astonishingly broad mix of people, ranging from those in the middle of society to racists and the extreme right-wing," Cathedral Dean Norbert Feldhoff told Reuters.

"By switching off the floodlighting we want to make those on the march stop and think. It is a challenge: consider who you are marching alongside."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/02/cologne-cathedral-anti-muslim-march_n_6405976.html

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Solid!

January 2, 2015

Oregon Football Players Chant ‘No Means No’ At Quarterback Accused Of Rape

Source: Think Progress

by Tara Culp-Ressler Posted on January 2, 2015 at 9:33 am

Several University of Oregon football players are facing potential disciplinary action after celebrating their recent Rose Bowl win over Florida State University by chanting “no means no” — apparently in mockery of Florida’s quarterback, Jameis Winston, who was accused of sexually assault in a case that has been fraught with controversy for the past two years.

On Thursday, Oregon beat Florida State by 59-20 in the College Football Playoff semifinal. As Oregon football players celebrated their win after the game, video taken on the field shows at least three of them chanting “no means no” to the tune of a chant that’s used by Florida State fans.

he chant was almost certainly intended to target Winston, who has been embroiled in a sexual assault scandal since 2012, when a female student accused him of raping her. He has not been officially charged or sanctioned for the incident, and won the Heisman Trophy amid the ongoing controversy.

Last month, the university decided to clear Winston of any student code of conduct violations related to the rape allegations. It remains unclear exactly what occurred between the star quarterback and his accuser. Regardless of the specific details, however, there’s widespread evidence that Florida State did not adequately investigate the allegations before declining to pursue the case. The New York Times concluded that “there was virtually no investigation at all.” The woman’s attorney accused university officials of conducting “an investigation into a rape victim, not a rape suspect.”

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2015/01/02/3607469/oregon-no-means-no-winston/

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Disciplinary action???

January 1, 2015

Phu Lam, 53, was shooter in Edmonton mass murder

Source: CBC News (Canadian)

Updated: Dec 31, 2014 7:58 PM MT

The man responsible for killing eight people in Edmonton’s worst mass killing in recent history has been identified by sources as 53-year-old Phu Lam.

Six adults, between ages 25 and 50, and two children under age 10 were found in two separate residences in Edmonton on Monday night.

Police spokesman Scott Pattison confirmed that the seven people found dead at a home in north Edmonton were shot and killed first. The shooter then went to a home in the Haddow neighbourhood of south Edmonton where he killed Cyndi Duong, 37.

Duong's body was discovered when police responded to a weapon's complaint at 6:53 p.m. MT Monday. They went to the north Edmonton house at 8:28 p.m. to check on the welfare of a potentially suicidal man but found nothing unusual.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/phu-lam-53-was-shooter-in-edmonton-mass-murder-1.2887143

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Definitely impolite.

January 1, 2015

Fed Up: Florida Crowd Forms Human Shield to Protect Man Police Try to Arrest for Smoking Marijuana

Source: AlterNet

December 31, 2014 | In addition to the mass protests nationwide against police brutality, incidents where ordinary citizens speak up, start recording and attempt to intervene when they see excessive and abusive cop behavior are being reported more frequently.

Earlier this month in New York City, a woman angrily denounced police who were beating an already restrained teenage boy as others made sure to film the incident to hold the plainclothes officer accountable. It is possible that the assembled and outraged crowd prevented further abuse, and with the help of the cellphone video, the cop faced at least some discipline from the department.

This past weekend in Delray Beach, Florida, dozens of people quickly organized to stop what they believed to be a petty and unnecessary arrest. That night, Delray Police entered a neighborhood after seeing a man walking down the street smoking. The officers thought the smoke smelled like marijuana, so they decided to pursue the man. When the man entered a home nearby, the police followed and tried to apprehend him. They were surprised when about 20 people came out of the home and surrounded the man to prevent the arrest from taking place.

“They formed this shield and started to get aggressive,” one of the officers said.

Read more: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/fed-florida-crowd-forms-human-shield-protect-man-police-try-arrest-smoking

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They formed a shield and started to get aggressive, Officer McChicken? Aww!

January 1, 2015

US 'strongly opposes' Palestinian ICC membership

Source: globalpost

Agence France-Presse December 31, 2014 6:00pm

The United States said Wednesday it "strongly opposes" a request from the Palestinian Authority to join the International Criminal Court, fearing this will further delay peace talks with Israel.

"We are deeply troubled by today's Palestinian action regarding the ICC," said Jeffrey Rathke, a State Department spokesman.

"Today's action is entirely counterproductive and does nothing to further the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a sovereign and independent state."

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas issued requests Wednesday for his authority to join 20 international conventions, including that governing the ICC, each a step on the road to statehood.

Read more: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/141231/us-strongly-opposes-palestinian-icc-membership-1

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What peace talks with Israel??? There are no true peace talks with Israel!!!

January 1, 2015

Raw: 26 Killed in Attack on Afghan Wedding

Please bring home all of our troops immediately, Mr. President. You tried. I know you tried. But, sad to say, there are places on this planet which lie beyond any redemption we could ever hope to provide.