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Julian Assange: Isis and Clinton Foundation are both funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar

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Julian Assange: Isis and Clinton Foundation are both funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar

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‘This is the most significant email in the whole collection’

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Wealthy officials from Qatar and Saudi Arabia who donated money to Hillary Clinton's charitable foundation also provided financial support to Isis, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has claimed.

In an extended interview at the Ecuadorian embassy in London with documentary maker John Pilger for RT, Mr Assange said the same Saudi and Qatari officials could be seen to be supporting both the Clinton Foundation - founded by Mrs Clinton's husband Bill - and funding the activities of Isis.

Mr Pilger asked if Mr Assange believed that "this notorious jihadist group, called Isil or Isis, is created largely with money from people who are giving money to the Clinton Foundation"

"Yes," Mr Assange replied.

The WikiLeaks founder pointed to an email exchange between presidential hopeful Ms Clinton and her campaign manager John Podesta, leaked by his organisation last month, which he believes "is the most significant email in the whole collection".

In the email sent on August 17 2014, Ms Clinton asked Mr Podesta, who at that time worked under president Barack Obama, to help put "pressure" on Qatar and Saudi Arabia regarding the countries' alleged support for the terrorist group Isis.

"We need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to Isil and other radical Sunni groups in the region," Ms Clinton wrote.

Mr Assange noted the US government had never acknowledged governments of Middle East nations had financially supported Isis, instead arguing such support was isolated to "some rogue princes using their cut of the oil money to do whatever they like, although the government disapproves", according to the WikiLeaks founder.

According to the Clinton Foundation, the Saudi Arabian government has donated between $10m (£8m) and $25million since the foundation was set up in 1997. Last month it was reported the government of Qatar offered to donate $1m to the foundation in celebration of Bill Clinton's birthday.

Representatives from the Clinton Foundation have repeatedly denied accusations Ms Clinton has solicited funds and used donations to boost her campaign. There were no donations from Saudi Arabia while she was acting as secretary of state between 2009 and 2013.

Mr Assange also used the interview to dismiss the prospect of a Donald Trump victory in next week's election, which the polls show will be close.

"My analysis is that Trump will not be permitted to win. Why do I say that? Because he has had every establishment against him. Trump does not have one establishment, maybe with the exception of the Evangelicals, if you can call them an establishment.

"Banks, intelligence, arms companies, foreign money, etc are all united behind Hillary Clinton. And the media as well. Media owners, and the journalists themselves."

In October, Ecuador's government confirmed it had "temporarily restricted" Mr Assange's internet access at its London embassy, to prevent him "meddling in the election process" in the US.

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Clinton Foundation 'funded by same money as Isis', says Julian Assange

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Wealthy officials from Qatar and Saudi Arabia who donated money to Hillary Clinton's charitable foundation also provided financial support to Isis, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has claimed.

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It’s ignorant to vote for Hillary Clinton without reading WikiLeaks

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It’s ignorant to vote for Hillary Clinton without reading WikiLeaks

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Those voting for Hillary Clinton, defending Clinton and supporting Clinton without reading the information reported by WikiLeaks are intellectually no different than those who criticize climate science without ever having read the science.

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Those voting for Hillary Clinton, defending Clinton and supporting Clinton without reading the information reported by WikiLeaks are intellectually no different than those who criticize climate science without ever having read the science. In short, if you defend Clinton and ignore WikiLeaks, you have something in common with Sarah Palin. Let that sink in for a moment. Finished processing that? Now process this - if the journalists responsible for reporting on Watergate were labeled "Russian sympathizers," charged by the media as "attempting to influence an election," and banned from travel or communication access, how would history judge the event? This is exactly what has happened to Julian Assange, who has done more for journalism than any of these corporate-owned, brand-named media products have done this election cycle. Either you support access to information or you have a problem with an informed public. Which side are you on?
Submit a letter to the editor via this form or check out our guidelines for how to submit by e-mail or mail.

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Letter: It's ignorant to vote for Hillary Clinton without reading WikiLeaks

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Those voting for Hillary Clinton, defending Clinton and supporting Clinton without reading the information reported by WikiLeaks are intellectually no different than those who criticize climate science without ever having read the science. In short, if you defend Clinton and ignore WikiLeaks, you have something in common with Sarah Palin.

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Neuspela tranzicija v Sloveniji (slovenska verzija)

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Maska demokracije  Neuspela tranzicija v Sloveniji (slovenska verzija)

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Slovenija je bila prva nekdanja jugoslovanska republika, ki je postala članica Nata in EU. Pokazala je tudi zadostno gospodarsko trdnost za vstop v evroobmočje. Takrat je bila v mnogih pogledih zgled, kako socialistični narod, ki ga je usmerjal komunistični režim, preobraziti v demokratičnega.

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Katarska centralna banka tarča hekerskega napada

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Katarska centralna banka tarča hekerskega napada

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1.5TB podatkov o klientih, transakcijah, številkah kreditnih kartic dumpano na internet.

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The Panama Papers leak was for appetizers. The real leak, one which took place quietly and under the radar a few days ago, and may have exposed far more wealthy and important individuals, was that of the Qatar National Bank - the Middle East's largest lender by assets - where a massive 1.5 GB data dump posted online last week exposed the personal data of thousands of clients.

According to IBT, the massive data dump appears to contain hundreds of thousands of records including customer transaction logs, personal identification numbers and credit card data. Additionally, dozens of separate folders consist of information on everything from Al Jazeera journalists to what appears to be the Al-Thani Qatar Royal Family and even contains a slew of records listed as Ministry of Defence, MI6 (the UK foreign intelligence service) and Qatar's State Security Bureau, also known as "Mukhabarat".

The bank told Reuters it had taken immediate steps to ensure customers would not suffer any financial loss after the security breach although it was not clear how the bank planned to protect accounts whose details, including customer names and passwords, have already been published.

"We are taking every measure to protect the privacy of our customers and have engaged an external third party expert to review all our systems to ensure no vulnerabilities exist," the bank said in a statement on Sunday. "All our customers' accounts are secure."

Except, of course, all those thousands whose data is already in the public domain.

According to Reuters, the 1.5GB trove of leaked documents posted online included the bank details, telephone numbers and dates of birth of several journalists for satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera, supposed members of the ruling al-Thani family and government and defense officials.

Some files had pictures of account holders from Facebook and LinkedIn, a potentially sensitive issue in a conservative country where privacy is valued.

The bank said the breach was an attack on its reputation, rather than specifically targeted at the customers, and only involved a portion of Qatar based customers.

The statement did not mention the identity of the hackers.

QNB said some of the data released may be accurate but much of it was constructed and "contains a mixture of information from the attack as well as other non-QNB sources, such as personal data from social media channels." Which is merely another word for damage control.

A copy of the leaked content seen by Reuters contained transaction data of QNB customers that showed overseas remittance data from as recently as September 2015. One file had information on what appeared to be 465,437 QNB accounts, although only a fraction of these accounts had anything resembling full account details.

Several known Qatari figures in the government and media whose names appeared on the list confirmed to Reuters that their account details were accurate. Middle Eastern banks are attractive targets for cyber criminals because of the high levels of wealth in the oil-rich region. Qatar is the wealthiest country in the world on a per-capita basis, according to the World Bank.

As Security Affairs reports, "one researcher, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that he had successfully used leaked customer internet banking credentials from the data dump to begin logging in to the customer's account, purely for research purposes. But he said the bank's systems then sent a one-time password to the customer's registered mobile number, which would serve as a defense against any criminals who might now attempt to use the leaked data to commit fraud."

But perhaps the most notable information contained in the leak a folder listed as "SPY, Intelligence" that quickly catches the eye. As IBT wrties, it contains a slew of records listed as Ministry of Defence, MI6 (the UK foreign intelligence service) and Qatar's State Security Bureau, also known as "Mukhabarat".

The MI6 file, which sits alongside similar documents reportedly from Polish and French intelligence, opens up an in-depth report on an alleged agent. This includes names of close relations, phone numbers, social media accounts and credit card data. Furthermore, in one instance, a file marked "wife", opens a photo showing a woman and two children. There are roughly a dozen of these intelligence dossiers included in the Qatar data dump.

As noted above, the alleged banking leak also openly lists a folder marked "Al Jazeera" that stores nearly 30 separate profiles alongside an Microsoft Excel file that holds more than 1,200 records - including national ID numbers, telephone numbers and home addresses. Much like the intelligence files, the Al Jazeera disclosure contains a number of entries labelled "SPY" and also includes images of the person alongside social accounts, banking data and passwords.

The massive leak was initially uploaded at Global-Files.net however was quickly removed without explanation. Then, the website Cryptome mirrored the entire data dump in an easily-accessible format.

1/2 As @aljazeera______ tweeted, Qatar National Bank hacked. 15,460 files 100Ks accounts, pwds, PINs, "Spies" pic.twitter.com/cnjdumTlJu
- Cryptome (@Cryptomeorg) April 25, 2016

2/2 QNB hack: 15.4K docs, 1.4GB, most tiny, dozens big. Zip (431MB): https://t.co/R4jiU8iXEy (RU?) /@aljazeera______ pic.twitter.com/KXjI2ELvzi
- Cryptome (@Cryptomeorg) April 25, 2016

If the QNB hack https://t.co/R4jiU8iXEy site goes down, we'll offer the Zip. Unless irresistably bribed to dribble, redact and talk big.
- Cryptome (@Cryptomeorg) April 25, 2016

After analysing the data Simon Edwards, cybersecurity expert with Trend Micro, told IBT that "the breach seems to be a classic attack on a bank, with the majority of data leaked online exposing customers' bank account details, such as account numbers, credit cards and addresses.

"There's also a lot of information on banking transactions, suggesting that the perpetrators were trying to expose specific transactions. This theory can be further strengthened by the hacker's attempts to profile the bank's customers into different categories, mostly focusing on Qatar's TV network along with other foreign agencies, some of which are categorised as 'spies'."

He added: "Interestingly, there is also additional data about mainly foreign bank account holders, which includes information such as their Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, along with 'friends' associated through those social networks. This data doesn't appear to have come directly from the bank itself, rather the perpetrator used the data held by the bank to then build up profiles of further targets."

Unlike the Panama Papers which were greeted to resounding global media fanfare, virtually no outlets have reported on the Qatar bank's hack, which suggests to us that the data contained there is much more relevant and sensitive, and public attention will be diverted at all costs.

We are currently going through the source data.

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British "Spies" Among Thousands Of names Exposed Following Massive Leak At Largest Mid-East Bank

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The latest mega data leak which hit the Qatar NationL Bank last week contains hundreds of thousands of records including customer transaction logs, personal identification numbers and credit card data.

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Ku Klux Klan doniral 20.000$ predsedniški kampaniji Hilary Clinton

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A prominent Ku Klux Klan leader says that the group has raised thousands of dollars for Hillary Clinton's campaign and that the Klan is officially endorsing the Democratic frontrunner for president-a claim the Clinton campaign vigorously denies.

Shortly after setting a giant cross on fire with dozens of other members of various white nationalist groups in Georgia on Saturday, Will Quigg, a Grand Dragon in a California branch of the KKK, sat down with Vocativ-which was there for a larger reporting trip about the modern state of the hate group-to talk about the 2016 election. According to Quigg, "For the KKK, Clinton is our choice."

"She is friends with the Klan," Quigg said. "A lot of people don't realize that. She's friends with Senator Byrd. He's been an Exulted Cyclops in the Klan. He's been King Kleagle." (King Kleagle is another KKK title for the leader of an entire "realm," or state. Quigg is the King Kleagle for California.) Quigg was referring to the late U.S. senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia, who organized and served as the leader of a West Virginia Klan chapter in the 1940s. In 2005, Byrd publicly disavowed the Klan and called his involvement "wrong." Upon the senator's death in 2010, Hillary Clinton called Byrd a "friend and mentor."

Quigg said that he and other Klan members have raised more than $20,000 for the Clinton campaign and donated it anonymously.

"In the Bible, it says when you pray, pray in a closed, dark place by yourself," Quigg said. "Do not pray on the street corners where people can see you ... that's why I got $20,000 together and sent it to Hillary Clinton's campaign anonymously."

The Clinton campaign strongly denies receiving any donations from the Ku Klux Klan and rejects the organization's endorsement. "This is completely false," Clinton campaign spokesman Josh Schwerin told Vocativ. "We want no part of them or their money and vehemently reject their hateful agenda."

It's possible for the Klan to have donated the money without the Clinton campaign knowing -Federal Election Commission rules allow for small anonymous donations. And members of the Klan wouldn't need to disclose their affiliation with the group if they did donate to Clinton's campaign-only their names would appear on Clinton's campaign finance filings.

According to Schwerin, the campaign has "not received anywhere close to $20,000 in anonymous donations in total, [so] it is impossible that they are telling the truth." Vocativ independently verified this through FEC filings.

The endorsement seems a clear attempt to mar Clinton's reputation-or perhaps a backhanded way to push voters towards Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner whose stance on issues like illegal immigration falls more in line with the KKK's. But Quigg denies this. Trump "couldn't run this country more than he could run a county," he says. "He knows nothing about politics, or about foreign affairs. He went to Israel and almost got thrown out."

Former Klan leader David Duke previously endorsed Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign-an endorsement Trump didn't immediately disavow. Duke, however, does not speak for the Klan, according to Quigg.

As for Clinton, "All the stuff she's saying now, she's saying so she can get into office, okay? She doesn't care about illegal immigrants-she's acting like she does so she can get into office. Once she's in office, then she'll implement her policies. She's a Democrat. The Klan has always been a Democratic organization," Quigg said.

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KKK Endorses Hillary Clinton, Claims $20,000 Campaign Donation

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A prominent Ku Klux Klan leader says that the group has raised thousands of dollars for Hillary Clinton's campaign and that the Klan is officially endorsing the Democratic frontrunner for president-a claim the Clinton campaign vigorously denies.

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Kako je 16 letna aktivistka na srečanju delničarjev dobila odgovore, kaj je GMO

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In a classic remake of David vs. Goliath, GMO activist Rachel Parent is taking some of the world's biggest bullies head on.

She is no stranger to bullying whatsoever. After developing an interest in GMOs while studying for her sixth grade speech assignment, she quickly decided this was something she needed to take a stand against. Not long after that, the teasing and bullying began. And intensified.

Little did she know at the time that this very bullying would prepare her to take on some of the world's biggest and most notorious bullies.

Two years later, she challenged billionaire TV personality Kevin O'Leary (from Dragon's Den and Shark Tank) to a debate on GMOs after Kevin publicly said the following in regards to people protesting against Monsanto:

"I have an answer to these people: stop eating. Then we can get rid of them."

Rachel's response:

"Well, I challenge you Mr. O'Leary to have me on your show next week. And if you promise not to use the word 'stupid,' then I won't use the word "fascist.' "

He accepted and she definitely stood her ground.

Fast forward another 2 years and she found herself directly in belly of the beast, sitting in the Monsanto shareholder meeting where she had the opportunity to confront Hugh Grant, the CEO of Monsanto, and ask some really important questions.

We wanted to know if Monsanto really is "the most evil corporation in the world," as they have been dubbed.

But first, who exactly is Monsanto?

According to Wikipedia:

Monsanto Company is a publicly traded American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation headquartered in Creve Coeur, Greater St. Louis, Missouri. It is a leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed and Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide. Monsanto's role in agricultural changes, biotechnology products, lobbying of government agencies, and history as a chemical company have made the company controversial.

You might also be wondering what exactly Genetic Engineering is. As defined by Wikipedia, it is:

a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes within and across species boundaries to produce improved or novel organisms.

The main controversy around these organisms is that they have been released into the marketplace to unsuspecting customers without any long term studies having been conducted to determine their effects on human health and on the environment (which ultimately affects our health, too). Moreover, genetically modified products are not required by law to be labelled as such, so consumers have no choice about whether they will participate in this experiment or not.

With many close ties to the FDA, including former employee Michael Taylor, who now heads the FDA, many people question how safe Monsanto's products and practices really are.

Are they using fair practices and tactics to move forward with their technology in a safe and cautious manner or are they pillaging the earth and the people who live on it in order to make a profit?

According to their website, they want to combat climate change, end world hunger, and save the bees. A company with these intentions seems like a company I would love to work for, so how could they be dubbed the most evil corporation in the world?

I think this is why millions of people around the globe march each year in protest against GMOs.

If ending world hunger means having a monopoly over the world's food supply, then maybe Monsanto is the wolf masked in sheep's clothing.

We got to speak with Rachel about her experiences as a 16 year old activist and to find out what went on at the Monsanto shareholder meeting (and much, much more).

To support Rachel and learn more about her organization you can visit her website: www.kidsrighttoknow.com

Key Points in the podcast:

4:00 Rachel's Bullying Experiences

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Ep.4 Rachel Parent - 16 Year Old GMO Activist "Crashes" Monsanto Shareholder Meeting

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In a classic remake of David vs. Goliath, GMO activist Rachel Parent is taking some of the world's biggest bullies head on. She is no stranger to bullying whatsoever. After developing an interest in GMOs while studying for her sixth grade speech assignment, she quickly decided this was something she needed to take a stand against.

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Mikkrovalovna medicina: Biološki in energetski učinki elektromagnetnega sevanja

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Mikkrovalovna medicina: Biološki in energetski učinki elektromagnetnega sevanja

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The 1998 US Army document ‘Bioeffects of Selected Nonlethal Weapons’ says “investigators are even beginning to describe similarities between microwave irradiation and drugs regarding their effects on biological systems. For example, some suggest that power density and specific absorption rate (SAR) of microwave irradiation may be thought of as analogous to the concentration of the injection solution and the dosage of a drug.

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George Soros Warns Europe: Absorb 500k Refugees Costing $34Bn, Or Risk "Existential Threat"

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George Soros Warns Europe: Absorb 500k Refugees Costing $34Bn, Or Risk "Existential Threat"

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Authored by George Soros, originally posted at NYBooks.com,
The asylum policy that emerged from last month's EU-Turkey negotiations - and that has already resulted in the deportation of hundreds of asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey - has four fundamental flaws.

First, the policy is not truly European; it was negotiated with Turkey and imposed on the EU by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Second, it is severely underfunded.

Third, it is not voluntary. It imposes quotas that many member states oppose and requires refugees to take up residence in countries where they don't want to live, while forcing others who have reached Europe to be sent back.

Finally, it transforms Greece into a de facto holding pen without sufficient facilities for the number of asylum seekers already there.

All these deficiencies can be corrected. The European Commission implicitly acknowledged some of them this week when it announced a new plan to reform Europe's asylum system. But the Commission's proposals still rely on compulsory quotas that serve neither refugees nor member states. That will never work.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans is inviting an open debate. Here is my contribution.

A humanitarian catastrophe is in the making in Greece. The asylum seekers are desperate. Legitimate refugees must be offered a reasonable chance to reach their destinations in Europe. It is clear that the EU must undergo a paradigm shift. EU leaders need to embrace the idea that effectively addressing the crisis will require "surge" funding, rather than scraping together insufficient funds year after year. Spending a large amount at the outset would allow the EU to respond more effectively to some of the most dangerous consequences of the refugee crisis-including anti-immigrant sentiment in its member states that has fueled support for authoritarian political parties, and despondency among those seeking refuge in Europe who now find themselves marginalized in Middle East host countries or stuck in transit in Greece.

Most of the building blocks for an effective asylum system are available; they only need to be assembled into a comprehensive and coherent policy. Critically, refugees and the countries that contain them in the Middle East must receive enough financial support to make their lives there viable, allowing them to work and to send their children to school. That would help to keep the inflow of refugees to a level that Europe can absorb. This can be accomplished by establishing a firm and reliable target for the number of refugee arrivals: between 300,000 and 500,000 per year. This number is large enough to give refugees the assurance that many of them can eventually seek refuge in Europe, yet small enough to be accommodated by European governments even in the current unfavorable political climate.

There are established techniques for the voluntary balancing of supply and demand in other fields, such as with matching students to schools and junior doctors to hospitals. In this case, people determined to go to a particular destination would have to wait longer than those who accept the destination allotted to them. The asylum seekers could then be required to await their turn where they are currently located. This would be much cheaper and less painful than the current chaos, in which the migrants are the main victims. Those who jump the line would lose their place and have to start all over again. This should be sufficient inducement to obey the rules.

At least €30 billion ($34 billion) a year will be needed for the EU to carry out such a comprehensive plan. This includes providing Turkey and other "frontline" countries with adequate funding to maintain their very large refugee populations, creating a common EU asylum agency and security force for the EU's external borders, addressing the humanitarian chaos in Greece, and establishing common standards across the Union for receiving and integrating refugees.

Thirty billion euros might sound like an enormous sum, but it is not when viewed in proper perspective. First, we must recognize that a failure to provide the necessary funds would cost the EU even more. There is a real threat that the refugee crisis could cause the collapse of Europe's Schengen system of open internal borders among twenty-six European states. The Bertelsmann Foundation has estimated that abandoning Schengen would cost the EU between €47 billion ($53.5 million) and €140 billion ($160 million) in lost GDP each year; the French Commissioner for Policy Planning has estimated the losses at €100 billion ($114 billion) annually.

Moreover, there is no doubt that Europe has the financial and economic capacity to raise €30 billion a year. This amount is less than one-quarter of one percent of the EU's combined annual GDP of €14.9 trillion, and less than one-half of one percent of total spending by its twenty-eight member governments.

It is Europe's political capacity that is lacking, at least at the moment-its ability to make effective unified decisions about such an urgent matter. Most member states are restricted by the EU's fiscal rules from running larger deficits and financing them by issuing new debt in the capital markets. Even though German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble lifted hopes in Davos in January when he spoke of a European Marshall Plan to deal with the migration crisis, he also insisted that any spending should be financed out of revenues rather than by adding to the existing government debt.

Taking on new common European debt, backed by the joint and several guarantee of the EU's members, would raise strong objections, particularly in Germany. Even if the debt were restricted to addressing the migration crisis, Germany and others would see it as a dangerous precedent toward creating debt backed by EU members collectively, with Germany responsible to step in if other countries fail to repay their share of the debt. Berlin has diligently avoided providing such a precedent throughout the euro crisis. That is why the question has not even been raised, let alone seriously considered. But there are other ways to raise the necessary funds using existing EU structures.

Member states could raise new tax revenue in order to fund what is needed. However, Europe does not have the political capacity to raise the necessary sums needed in time to contain the crisis. For a new tax to be perceived as fair, it would have to be imposed equitably across the EU. The proper route for such a tax increase would be for the European Commission to propose new legislation to be adopted with the unanimous support of all members. This would likely fail, since it would give every country the right to veto the tax. If a "coalition of the willing" of at least nine countries could be assembled, the Commission could opt for "enhanced cooperation," the approach used for the proposed European financial transaction tax (FTT). If the recent experience with the FTT is any guide, this process would take months to conclude.

A more promising alternative would be to re-open the European Commission's Multiannual Financial Framework, which establishes the EU's broad budgetary parameters, including the maximum amounts the EU may spend in different areas. The forthcoming mid-term review of this EU budget offers an opportunity to increase the VAT contribution of member states, and designate that some of the new funds raised should go to a refugee crisis fund. This would also be difficult but offers the most realistic path forward.

It will be crucial, however, to make a large part of the funding available very quickly. Making large initial investments will help tip the economic, political, and social dynamics away from xenophobia and disaffection toward constructive outcomes that benefit refugees and countries alike. In the long run, this will reduce the total amount of money that Europe will have to spend to contain and recover from the refugee crisis. This is why I call it "surge" funding.

Where will the necessary funds come from? There is a strong case to be made for using the EU's balance sheet itself. The EU presently enjoys a triple-A credit rating that is underused and that allows it to borrow in the capital markets on very attractive terms. And with global interest rates at near historic lows, now is a particularly favorable moment to take on such debt.

Tapping into the triple-A credit of the EU has the additional advantage of providing a much-needed economic stimulus for Europe. The amounts involved are large enough to be of macroeconomic significance, especially as they would be spent almost immediately and exercise a multiplier effect. A growing economy would make it much easier to absorb immigrants, whether they are refugees or economic migrants-a win-win initiative.

The question is: How to use the EU's triple-A credit without arousing opposition, particularly in Germany? The first response is to recognize that the EU is already a triple-A borrower in the global bond markets, through facilities created to deal with the Eurozone crisis. Indeed, it was during the financial crisis that the EU repeatedly put its borrowing capacity on display, establishing financial instruments (such as the European Financial Stabilization Mechanism, or EFSM, and the European Stability Mechanism, or ESM) capable of borrowing tens of billions of euros on attractive terms in very short order. Once Europe's leaders made a political decision to act, they were capable of doing so very quickly.

Some of these European financial entities, which still have considerable borrowing capacity, could be redirected to the refugee crisis. This would be far more efficient and faster than creating a new borrowing mechanism for the purpose. And such a redirection would require only a political decision-one that can be taken at short notice if the political will can be generated.

Two sources of money in particular-the EFSM and the Balance of Payments Assistance Facility-should be put to the task. These sources complement each other: the EFSM was designed for loans to euro-area members, whereas the balance of payments facility is for EU members that do not belong to the Eurozone. Both kinds of loans will be necessary for a comprehensive approach to the crisis. Both also have very similar institutional structures, and they are both backed entirely by the EU budget-and therefore do not require national guarantees or national parliamentary approval.

The combined gross borrowing capacity of the EFSM and the Balance of Payments facility is €110 billion ($125 billion), a number meant to coincide with the annual revenue ceiling of the EU budget. The amounts of each facility were set so that the EU never has more than its annual budget in debt outstanding. The Balance of Payments Assistance Facility's €50 billion of borrowing power is almost completely unused. The EFSM has made some €46.8 billion worth of loans to Portugal and Ireland but has substantial spare capacity. They jointly have well over €60 billion of capacity, and this capacity grows each year as the loans to Portugal and Ireland are repaid.

The EFSM, the ESM, and its precursor, the EFSF, were all established in response to the euro crisis. The task back then was to provide cheap credit to countries like Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and Greece that had otherwise been frozen out of the credit markets. The expectation was that these countries would repay their loans from the EU once they had been restored to financial health.

Now the task is fundamentally different. As with the euro crisis, the refugee situation is at a critical point and requires a very quick response. But it differs from the euro crisis in that the countries to which the funds would be aimed-like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece-are merely on the frontlines of what must be a collective European undertaking; they are entitled to grants, rather than loans, and should not be obliged to repay the monies they receive.

If we accept this reality, how then will the surge funding get repaid? The answer is that the EU and its member states must find new sources of tax revenue, and do so in a way that spreads the repayment obligation as widely as possible. This could be done by levying special EU-wide taxes. The new tax revenue could come from a variety of sources, including the EU-wide VAT, which already provides revenue to the EU; a special tax on gasoline, as Minister Schäuble has suggested; or a new tax on travel into the EU and on visa applications, which would shift some of the burden onto non-EU citizens wishing to travel to the EU.

It was noted above that the process of levying new taxes inside the EU is one that will take a long time to complete. However, those looking after the finances of the EFSM and the Balance of Payments facility will want to know that the loans they make have a sure source of repayment. That's why the EU must guarantee that it will find this new tax revenue by the time it is needed, even if the exact source of the new revenue has yet to be determined.

The question remains, how can the necessary political will be generated? The European Union is built on democratic principles. I believe there is a silent majority that wants to preserve the European Union even if it is currently not a well-functioning institution. The leaders will listen if this silent majority makes its voice heard.

The refugee crisis poses an existential threat to Europe. It would be irresponsible to allow the EU to disintegrate without utilizing all the resources it has at its disposal. The lack of adequate financing is the main obstacle standing in the way of successful programs in the frontline countries. Throughout history, governments have issued bonds in response to national emergencies. That is the case in Europe today. When should the triple-A credit of the EU be mobilized if not at a moment when the European Union is in mortal danger?

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George Soros Warns Europe: Absorb 500k Refugees Costing $34Bn, Or Risk "Existential Threat"

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The asylum policy that emerged from last month's EU-Turkey negotiations has four fundamental flaws, according to Billionaire puppet-master George Soros, which combined pose an "existential threat to Europe." His solution is 'simple' - Accept 500,000 refugees per year costing $34 billion year (via "surge" funding through more borrowing, and a newly-created refugee crisis fund from increased VAT on member states) or else, in his words, "the European Union is in mortal danger?"

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Slovenia faces crisis because of illegal immigrants crossing schengen EU borders

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Sprejemni center Brežice je te dni pod najhujšim pritiskom prihoda migrantov v Slovenijo. Pripravljen za nekaj sto ljudi jih je naenkrat moral sprejeti tudi nekaj tisoč. Tam se dogajajo nemiri, pretepi, danes je šotorišče celo pogorelo. Dejansko situacijo v sprejemališču je danes na svojem Facebook profilu opisal Matija Kolarič iz Brežic, ki je tam pomagal kot predstavnik Civilne zaščite.
Situacija ni črno-bela

"Ker se o situaciji z begunci veliko piše in ker se veliko piše predvsem o nepreverjenih informacijah, bi rad z vami delili izkušnjo iz prve roke," zapis začenja Kolarič in obenem poudarja, da je zagovornik ideje o enakosti narodov, podpira človeško pomoč in se ne boji mešanja narodov.

Kolarič pravi, da situacija ni črno-bela in da begunci niso bodisi "problematični" ali bodisi "ubogi", ampak je to povsem odvisno od raznih skupin prebežnikov.

"Prva skupina beguncev, ki je v ponedeljek prišla v Brežice je precej problematična. Zažgali so šotore, se medsebojno pretepali za hrano in za sabo pustili svinjarijo. Druga skupina, ki je prišla včeraj, je pravo nasprotje. Begunci so se sami organizirali, ko smo delili hrano," piše in dodaja, da so sami preprečili prerivanje s formiranjem vrst, da so hrano na zalogo spravili tudi za speče otroke, obenem pa so Civilni zaščiti in Rdečemu križu pomagali iskati pogrešane svojce.

Varnost in organizacija sta dobri, težave delajo prostovoljci-aktivisti

Kolarič zavrača očitke, da za varnost in organizacijo ne bi bilo dobro poskrbljeno.

"Zadeve tečejo tako kot morajo, obstaja hierarhija. Najprej se registrirajo in odpeljejo družine z majhnimi otroci in bolni. Zdravniška služba skrbi za bolne in poškodovane. Rdeči križ deli hrano. Vodje posameznih služb imajo redne sestanke tako, da se ve kdo kaj dela, "

Edine težave vidi v nekaterih prostovoljcih (aktivistih), ter navaja problem Poljakinje, ki je samovoljno pred 1500 beguncev prinesla 4 sendviče. "Lahko si predstavljate za kakšno prerivanje in nemir je s tem poskrbela," piše Kolarič.

Sploh pa so se po njegovem prostovoljci pokazali šele, ko je bilo treba deliti hrano, pri tem pa žugali, da določene begunci niti nočejo, ker je preveč suhoparna (kruh, paštete, sirni namazi, sardine, jabolka, mleko, voda).

"Ko smo predstavniki Civilne zaščite in Rdečega križa čistila SRANJE za prvo skupino beguncev NI BILO NIKJER NOBENEGA PROSTOVOLJCA, ki so kasneje skakali naokoli v jopičih z napisi "no borders" ali "we are all equal"," jih je pogrešal pri pomembnem opravilu.
"Lahko je deliti hrano. Težje je čepeti na vseh štirih in brisati razmazano pašteto in sardine ter v rokah nositi prenosna stranišča. Za čiščenje ni nikoli premalo ljudi. Če želi kdo biti koristen, naj pomaga tam. Za deliti hrano, nas je dovolj. Izjema so prostovoljci prevajalci. Ti so rešili marsikatero težavo."
Vojska prisotna, a neaktivna, policistom kapo dol

Mnogo lepih besed Kolarič namenja policistom.

"Policistom kapo dol. Večina jih dela drugo ali tretjo 12urno izmeno v zadnjih dveh dneh. Izredno spoštljivi do beguncev, razen seveda, ko je potrebno narediti red," piše in dodaja, da je bilo s strani beguncev slišati veliko število "thank you" na njihov račun.

Vojaki so v Brežicah sicer bili prisotni, vendar niso opravljali kakšnih nalog.

O novinarjih neusmiljeno

"Brez besed. Mrhovinarji brez srca in duše. Iščejo najboljši možni posnetek in razmišljajo o najbolj senzacionalističnem naslovu, s katerim bodo prikazali tisto kar želijo," si dobrega mnenja o prisotnih predstavnikih sedme sile Kolarič ni ustvaril.

Nad stanjem pretresen

"Živim v Brežicah, pa do včeraj nisem vedel kakšna je situacija v sprejemnem centru. Občutek sem imel, kot da sem v neki drugi državi in v neke drugem času," piše in dodaja, da je nad stanjem pretresen.

"Situacija ni črno bela, kot jo nekateri prikazujete. Ograje niso rešitev. Prav tako ni rešitev, da sprejmemo vse, ki pridejo. Problem je kompleksen," še navaja in v zaključku izreka dobrodošlico vsem, ki so pripravljeni pomagati.

Nekaj fotografij današnjega požara v Brežicah s Twitterja:

Takle imamo v Brežicah...s prve roke župana Brežic g. Molana. pic.twitter.com/l7msOOYGWE

- Mateja Matjašič (@mateja_matjasic) October 21, 2015

Bo naredil še en selfi za spomin na Brežice... pic.twitter.com/h4fWpiB9n4 - Mateja Matjašič (@mateja_matjasic) October 21, 2015

Looks like some refugees at Brežice set fire to plastic toilets & then tents caught fire pic.twitter.com/5EWjGEmC4i

- Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) October 21, 2015

Migrante vozijo iz namestitvenega cdntra Brežice, saj naj bi bil ta popolnoma uničen pic.twitter.com/GV8cHh5Iv7 - Maruša Gorišek (@MarusaGorisek) October 21, 2015

Video footage of the fire, via @S_Schwarzkopf #refugeecrisis #Slovenia pic.twitter.com/gnTbjQrlrw - Balkan Newsbeat (@BalkanNewsbeat) October 21, 2015

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Kaj se je v resnici dogajalo v sprejemnem centru Brežice (član Civilne zaščite na FB)

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Sprejemni center Brežice je te dni pod najhujšim pritiskom prihoda migrantov v Slovenijo. Pripravljen za nekaj sto ljudi jih je naenkrat moral sprejeti tudi nekaj tisoč. Tam se dogajajo nemiri, pretepi, danes je šotorišče celo pogorelo. Dejansko situacijo v sprejemališču je danes na svojem Facebook profilu opisal Matija Kolarič iz Brežic, ki je tam pomagal kot predstavnik Civilne zaščite.

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Slovenija skandira Donald Trump

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Breaking: Uprising In Europe, Slovenia Chants "Donald Trump, Donald Trump!"

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How it is killing you

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Television is a staple of almost every household in the developed world. Many kids spend more time watching TV than going to school, and the average time spent in front of the tube is 4.5 hours a day and rising. What effect does spending so much time absorbed in watching television have on our spiritual development?
You probably already know that watching television is the world's most popular leisure activity.

In the 1970s it was uncommon for kids to watch TV before the age of four, now it's uncommon for kids not to be watching TV when they're four months old. In the developed world, 99% of houses have a television and 66% of homes have three or more sets.

TV has been proven to increase cravings for junk food, and increase the likelihood of becoming overweight, being bullied, underperforming at school, being inactive, and becoming prone to misbehaviour. Every hour you spend in front of a TV takes 22 minutes off your life; that means you'll die five years earlier if you watch six hours of television a day.

We know too much TV is bad for us, but have you ever stopped to consider the effect that television might be having on your spiritual growth?

Here are 12 things to think about the next time you sit down to your favourite sitcom, movie or news show.

#1 TV is one of the biggest time-sinks ever

The average person will spend 9.1 years of their life watching television (that includes 2 years of mind numbing commercials!). If you have a spouse and watch TV, you probably spend 3 to 4 times more time in front of the television than you do talking to your partner.

That number is set to increase with the introduction of online and time-shifted viewing, letting us watch what we want when we want it.

Television on demand has given rise to a new craze known as " binge watching " where people lock themselves in a room and watch television seasons or movies back-to-back, barely surfacing for days or weeks.

Some people believe it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything. There are almost 80,000 hours spent in front of the tube in nine years of television viewing. Just think how many meditation techniques someone could master, or how good their awareness of the present moment would become if they devoted even two thirds of this time to their inner development.

If you feel like you don't really watch that much TV, use this handy tool for an objective analysis - the results might surprise you!

With so much time spent in front of the screen you'd think we must enjoy everything we're watching, but it's not always the case. When was the last time you stayed in front of the TV, even when there was nothing worth watching, just because you couldn't summon the energy to drag yourself away?

#2 We're TV addicts

We are addicted, but it's not entirely our fault - network programmers want it that way.

I got addicted.

News, particularly daily news, is more addictive than crack cocaine, more addictive than heroin, more addictive than cigarettes.

- Dan Rather

Researcher Herbert Krugman discovered that endorphins were released while watching TV, a kind of naturally produced opiate. TV programming is never-ending, and TV networks use psychological tricks to addict us which are hard to see and harder to break free of as they play on our instinctual drives.

Television stimulates desire and curiosity by constantly showing us promos for upcoming shows and leaving episodes in cliffhanger scenarios, creating a knowledge gap that acts like a mental itch that we can't help but scratch by tuning into the next show.

Addictions of any kind are harmful spiritually as they chain us to something external and make us psychologically dependant upon it. When those addictions also steal our time there is much we lose out on.

#3 Concentration - a dying ability?

We are trained from birth not to concentrate on what we're doing - a trait reinforced through years of living in a hyper connected society and multitasking.

Researchers have found that there is a close link between attentional disorders and time spent in front of the TV. Television shows are increasingly so fast paced (seriously, watch that video and your head will spin) that regular life is unexciting in comparison and we can easily have trouble paying attention to the slower pace of everyday existence, which lacks explosions and rapid scene changes to keep us amused.

We improve in whatever we do repeatedly, so it's unsurprising that if we spend a lot of time zoning out in front of the TV then we can find it hard to focus our minds on anything. That's bad news if you're interested in meditation, astral projection or awareness of the present moment - all activities that require a focused mind.

The next time you turn on the television, try to notice what you're doing while you watch it. Are you focusing on what you're watching? Or are you eating dinner, checking your emails, playing a game on your phone or any number of other things that split and strain our attention?

#4 TV changes our perception of reality

Spiritual development wakes us up to what's really going on in the world by developing an awareness of the present moment and an ability to see through illusion. By doing so we discover who we really are and learn about reality.

More and more, however, television is becoming a filter through which all our human experiences are validated and even lived - "life" can be experienced vicariously through the characters in our favourite movies or TV shows. This vicarious experience threatens to numb us to events in the real world, and we are pressured to maintain the status quo of consumerism and animalistic behaviour promoted by advertisers and network programming.

Practically everything we see on television is scripted and fake - even so-called "reality TV" shows - but it's easy to feel inadequate in comparison to the high-flying personas that make for entertaining viewing. Feeling insufficient we are more prone to daydreaming about how we wish our lives were, even going so far as to create imaginary relationships with our favourite characters.

TV urges us to escape from our lives rather than see and understand our lives for what they are, and use the real-life circumstances we have each day to awaken consciousness and develop spiritually.

#5 TV can put you in a trance-like state

Watching lots of television can cause us to live our lives in a dream world, but the act of watching itself can put us into a trance-like state.

Jerry Mander, author of Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, explains how the brainwaves of viewers' slow down while watching TV, regardless of what they're watching.

Researchers have discovered that we become mesmerised by the technical aspects of television editing including cuts, edits, pans, zooms and sudden noises, which trigger involuntary responses and keep our attention glued to the screen.

We can see a close relationship between the speech patterns of news presenters and those of hypnotists, as both speak in an even monotone voice while looking directly into the eyes of the subject. News shows in particular are also known to employ other hypnotic techniques such as the use of mnemonic imagery and numerical countdowns before relaying the so-called "news".

If you have ever noticed yourself become completely absorbed in the TV, unaware of what's around you, you know what I'm talking about. In this state, the left side of our brain used for analysis and critical thinking is switched off in favour of our more emotional right brain. What we see on TV is delivered directly into our subconscious mind where it influences our beliefs about the world. If these beliefs implanted in the subconscious are not consciously uncovered, they are often acted upon rather than moderated. TV's trance-like effects on our brains can linger - even when we switch off the television our brains can remain in a state of lowered alertness.

Do we really want people we don't know implanting behaviours and beliefs deep within our minds?

#6 TV makes you passive

Television is commonly considered one of the most effective tools to pacify and subdue psyche ward patients and prison inmates around the world.

And if you've ever heard the phrase 'veg out' in front of the TV that's exactly what we're doing - while watching TV our brains have less activity than when we are asleep.

Researchers Kubey and Csikszentmihalyi found that for many people television elicits a conditioned relaxation response.

The sense of relaxation ends when the set is turned off, but the feelings of passivity and lowered alertness continue. Survey participants commonly reflect that television has somehow absorbed or sucked out their energy, leaving them depleted.

Regular TV viewers can have their world view essentially mediated for them by television networks. The job of the audience is to passively accept and absorb the point of view TV presents. This results in a public with similar conditioning who in real life are more likely to accept the world view presented to them by others.

This begs the question - are our thoughts our own? And if not, whose are they?

Shortly, the public will be unable to reason or think for themselves. They'll only be able to parrot the information they've been given on the previous night's news.

- Zbigniew Brzezinski

To live spiritually in the moment we need to be active, to see for ourselves how we and the world really are. If you've ever tried to observe your thoughts and emotions you would have noticed that depression, anxiety, and other negative states come and go without any effort on our behalf, draining our energy as they go. While watching TV this process happens on autopilot.

The more time we spend passively absorbing entertainment rather than actively engaging in life, the more we train ourselves to watch rather than partake in our existence. Without activity, our consciousness is less likely to manifest and the more difficult awakening becomes.

#7 TV activates your reptilian brain

As well as making us passive, television alters our brain function, reducing activity in the neo-cortex and other higher brain regions and increasing activity in lower brain regions known as the ' reptilian brain' and the limbic system. These lower parts of our brains are used to moderate negative emotions and instinctual behaviours related to aggression, dominance, fighting over territory and procreation.

The reptile brain is unable to distinguish between reality and the simulated reality of television. To the reptile brain, if it looks real, it is real. Thus, though we know on a conscious level it is "only a film," on an unconscious level we do not-the heart beats faster, for instance, while we watch a suspenseful scene. Similarly, we know the commercial is trying to manipulate us, but on an unconscious level the commercial nonetheless succeeds in, say, making us feel inadequate until we buy whatever thing is being advertised-and the effect is all the more powerful because it is unconscious, operating on the deepest level of human response. Source

The next time you're watching advertisements or music videos - two types of media which particularly appeal to our animalistic drives - you might find it interesting to try to understand what drives or emotions the programmers are trying to evoke in you.

By viewing critically we are more able to separate ourselves from this influence. Over time we can replace the animalistic parts of ourselves with greater consciousness which benefits our spiritual experience.

#8 TV stirs up emotions

Researchers have found that the happiest people do not watch television.

Most advertising is based on making people feel self-conscious, insecure and inadequate. If we just buy this latest gadget, we'll finally be happy! But it's not physically possible to compete with the fake reality shown in movies and TV shows and comparing our lives to the people we see on screen can leave us feeling depressed and dissatisfied with our existence. While this might have the effect of causing us to search for a deeper purpose to life, the common response to negative emotions is to hide them by searching out more intense entertainments and distractions - which TV networks readily supply, perpetuating the cycle of TV dependence.

TV's influence on our emotions doesn't stop there. Watching scary or violent movies can cause us to relive traumatic memories from the past. Viewing of violent or grotesque imagery creates chemical changes in our brain similar to those seen in post-traumatic stress, and if we see enough repeated acts of violence, our body reacts as if we are the ones being abused.

Researchers have discovered that when we watch negative news broadcasts, not only are our lower emotions such as sadness, anxiety and depression stimulated, but unrelated worries in general become heightened. Test subjects were found to be more likely to catastrophise their concerns, blowing any worries they already had out of proportion.

TV creates a wide ranging emotional impact that we live with long after we have turned it off. Television programmers are experts in emotional manipulation and when they can control people's emotions they can turn them against you and anyone they see fit. Spiritual minorities are a common target for demonisation. TV programming can cause people to become afraid and distrustful of anything not supported by the televised norm, and without awareness of this mechanism of fear people can readily give up their freedoms for an illusion of security.

#9 TV might be the death of emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your own and others emotions and to use an understanding of emotions to guide your behaviour.

Unfortunately, television is dulling our awareness of our feelings and creating a generation of people grossly lacking in emotional intelligence. A recent study by the Millennium Cohort found that kids who watch more than 3 hours of TV a day had a higher chance of emotional symptoms and problems in relationships. Psychologically it's well known that children who watch more TV are less likely to display empathy, will resort to aggression or sadistic behaviour, will be argumentative and will seek instant gratification.

Others have found that children who watch too much TV lose the ability to read social cues, and that increased TV viewing leads children to have a poor understanding of other people's emotional states, and to be unable to distinguish the thoughts and feelings of others from those of their own.

Are we creating a generation of people who will be unable to develop spiritually because they are unable to understand their own emotions?

#10 Almost all TV has an agenda

All television is educational television. The question is: what is it teaching?

- Nicholas Johnson

TV propagandists and advertisers more than anyone would benefit from the creation of a public with an inability to determine their own thoughts from those of others. And it's a vicious cycle. It's been proven that kids who watch entertainment TV are less likely to read books, so those who watch lots of TV often end up getting all their information about the world from just one source.

It's fairly well-known that only a handful of corporations own almost all of the media outlets that we tune into. But do we stop to consider that those behind the networks and their advertisers with billion dollar budgets all have an agenda to push?

Through shows, movies, and the news we are repeatedly told how to act, what to think, and which products or entertainment we need to consume.

A Harvard University researcher concluded that for every extra hour of television someone watches per week they spend an extra $200 a year. It's not uncommon for people to go into debt chasing the dream lifestyles portrayed on television. We then have to work more to pay our bills, come home exhausted and lacking free time and energy crash out in front of the TV, perpetuating the cycle and losing valuable time that could be used more effectively.

Beyond simple physical guidelines it seems we are also being given a guideline to our spiritual life (or an imposed lack thereof).

Some of this programming is fairly out in the open. Take this Versace commercial for instance which seems to be all about conformity and having our lives and desires dictated by powerful people in society.

Or the 2014 grammy awards which seem to display a barely disguised black magic ritual.

Other programming is more subliminal. Take these images from kids shows for example, or this screenshot from Ke$ha's Die Young Video, where the door of her car says 'Evil'.

#11 Who are you really? TV changes our behaviour

Have you ever found yourself quoting lines from your favourite TV show? Do you walk or dress like your favourite character? Are your political and spiritual opinions your own or are you just repeating what you saw on the latest political debate or morning variety show? What would your life be like if you'd never watched TV?

As a species we model or mimic behaviours of those in positions of authority, and we are definitely set up to feel that the people on TV have more authority than us.

Unsurprisingly as TV becomes more violent and shows more acts of sexual promiscuity, these behaviours are increasingly prevalent in society.

Studies have found that:

Even the Disney Channel is not immune as one Mother discovered when her daughter began acting arrogantly and hurtfully towards her friends after too much exposure to Disney programming.

Our morals and behaviours are influenced through the emotively driven storylines of television shows and movies and we can begin to unquestioningly accept the reality that they present about how people should behave in the world.

As we do so true spiritual values like empathy, compassion, inner peace and patience are increasingly becoming lost to the world and are seen as bizarre, replaced by acts of indulgence, violence and consumerism.

#12 What goes into your subconscious affects your dreams

Anything we do repetitively during the day will re-occur at night in our dreams. That includes thoughts, emotions and behaviours. That's why you might find yourself working in your office in your dreams every night, or living out the scenarios you're most anxious about.

Movies and TV shows hijack and accelerate this process, embedding images directly into your subconscious which then can come back as dreams. If you've been watching a lot of horror movies and keep having strongly emotional nightmares about being attacked, chased or killed this might be why (it can also be due to the state of your psyche).

For as long as people have been sleeping, dreams have been amazing source of spiritual and divine guidance, a way for people to tap into the mystical side of life and get access to teachings from beyond the physical realm. In order for this to happen dreams need to be as clear as possible - a process helped by being as clear and free of emotion as we can be during the day.

Watching too much or the wrong type of television can hinder this process as the heavy imagery embedded in our subconscious takes the place of other more meaningful experiences.

Next time you sit down to watch TV, don't turn it on

Television is not all bad. Choosing and critically watching the right movies or shows can inspire us, inform us, teach us new skills or give us spiritual strength. But be mindful of what you are putting into your subconscious, and try and uncover the emotional and behavioural effects your TV viewing - particularly the violent or animalistic programming - has on your spiritual development.

Next time you get the urge to watch TV, you could sit down and do a meditation practice instead. Or go for a walk in nature and try to be aware. You might get cravings and withdrawal symptoms, but if you stay strong these withdrawal symptoms will be shortlived and your life will be so much better. Have a really good practice and you'll wonder why you ever watched TV in the first place.

Remember that almost everything on TV is scripted. Even the news is a form of entertainment. It's not your life, and it's not reality.

I wanted to leave you with part of a speech from the 1976 movie Network.

Listen to me! Television is not the truth. Television's a [..] amusement park. Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, sideshow freaks, lion tamers, and football players. We're in the boredom-killing business. So if you want the Truth, go to God! Go to your gurus. Go to yourselves! Because that's the only place you're ever gonna find any real truth. But, man, you're never gonna get any truth from us. We'll tell you anything you wanna hear. [..]

We deal in illusions, man. None of it is true! But you people sit there day after day, night after night, all ages, colors, creeds. We're all you know. You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here. You're beginning to think that the tube is reality and that your own lives are unreal. You do whatever the tube tells you. You dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube. You even think like the tube. This is mass madness. You maniacs. In God's name, you people are the real thing. We are the illusion. So turn off your television sets. Turn them off now. Turn them off right now. Turn them off and leave them off. Turn them off right in the middle of this sentence I am speaking to you now. Turn them off!

One thing is certain. Any real spiritual revolution will not be televised.

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12 Little-Known Ways that Television Stifles Spiritual Awakening - The Conscious Reporter

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Television is a staple of almost every household in the developed world. Many kids spend more time watching TV than going to school, and the average time spent in front of the tube is 4.5 hours a day and rising. What effect does spending so much time absorbed in watching television have on our spiritual development?

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You Can't Understand ISIS If You Don't Know the History of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia

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You Can't Understand ISIS If You Don't Know the History of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia

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Updated: 10/27/2014 5:59 am EDT

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BEIRUT -- The dramatic arrival of Da'ish (ISIS) on the stage of Iraq has shocked many in the West. Many have been perplexed -- and horrified -- by its violence and its evident magnetism for Sunni youth. But more than this, they find Saudi Arabia's ambivalence in the face of this manifestation both troubling and inexplicable, wondering, "Don't the Saudis understand that ISIS threatens them, too?"

It appears -- even now -- that Saudi Arabia's ruling elite is divided. Some applaud that ISIS is fighting Iranian Shiite "fire" with Sunni "fire"; that a new Sunni state is taking shape at the very heart of what they regard as a historical Sunni patrimony; and they are drawn by Da'ish's strict Salafist ideology.

Other Saudis are more fearful, and recall the history of the revolt against Abd-al Aziz by the Wahhabist Ikhwan (Disclaimer: this Ikhwan has nothing to do with the Muslim Brotherhood Ikhwan -- please note, all further references hereafter are to the Wahhabist Ikhwan, and not to the Muslim Brotherhood Ikhwan), but which nearly imploded Wahhabism and the al-Saud in the late 1920s.

Many Saudis are deeply disturbed by the radical doctrines of Da'ish (ISIS) -- and are beginning to question some aspects of Saudi Arabia's direction and discourse.
THE SAUDI DUALITY
Saudi Arabia's internal discord and tensions over ISIS can only be understood by grasping the inherent (and persisting) duality that lies at the core of the Kingdom's doctrinal makeup and its historical origins.

One dominant strand to the Saudi identity pertains directly to Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab (the founder of Wahhabism), and the use to which his radical, exclusionist puritanism was put by Ibn Saud. (The latter was then no more than a minor leader -- amongst many -- of continually sparring and raiding Bedouin tribes in the baking and desperately poor deserts of the Nejd.)

The second strand to this perplexing duality, relates precisely to King Abd-al Aziz's subsequent shift towards statehood in the 1920s: his curbing of Ikhwani violence (in order to have diplomatic standing as a nation-state with Britain and America); his institutionalization of the original Wahhabist impulse -- and the subsequent seizing of the opportunely surging petrodollar spigot in the 1970s, to channel the volatile Ikhwani current away from home towards export -- by diffusing a cultural revolution, rather than violent revolution throughout the Muslim world.

But this "cultural revolution" was no docile reformism. It was a revolution based on Abd al-Wahhab's Jacobin-like hatred for the putrescence and deviationism that he perceived all about him -- hence his call to purge Islam of all its heresies and idolatries.
MUSLIM IMPOSTORS
The American author and journalist, Steven Coll, has written how this austere and censorious disciple of the 14th century scholar Ibn Taymiyyah, Abd al-Wahhab, despised "the decorous, arty, tobacco smoking, hashish imbibing, drum pounding Egyptian and Ottoman nobility who travelled across Arabia to pray at Mecca."

In Abd al-Wahhab's view, these were not Muslims; they were imposters masquerading as Muslims. Nor, indeed, did he find the behavior of local Bedouin Arabs much better. They aggravated Abd al-Wahhab by their honoring of saints, by their erecting of tombstones, and their "superstition" (e.g. revering graves or places that were deemed particularly imbued with the divine).

All this behavior, Abd al-Wahhab denounced as bida -- forbidden by God.

Like Taymiyyah before him, Abd al-Wahhab believed that the period of the Prophet Muhammad's stay in Medina was the ideal of Muslim society (the "best of times"), to which all Muslims should aspire to emulate (this, essentially, is Salafism).

Taymiyyah had declared war on Shi'ism, Sufism and Greek philosophy. He spoke out, too against visiting the grave of the prophet and the celebration of his birthday, declaring that all such behavior represented mere imitation of the Christian worship of Jesus as God (i.e. idolatry). Abd al-Wahhab assimilated all this earlier teaching, stating that "any doubt or hesitation" on the part of a believer in respect to his or her acknowledging this particular interpretation of Islam should "deprive a man of immunity of his property and his life."

One of the main tenets of Abd al-Wahhab's doctrine has become the key idea of takfir. Under the takfiri doctrine, Abd al-Wahhab and his followers could deem fellow Muslims infidels should they engage in activities that in any way could be said to encroach on the sovereignty of the absolute Authority (that is, the King). Abd al-Wahhab denounced all Muslims who honored the dead, saints, or angels. He held that such sentiments detracted from the complete subservience one must feel towards God, and only God. Wahhabi Islam thus bans any prayer to saints and dead loved ones, pilgrimages to tombs and special mosques, religious festivals celebrating saints, the honoring of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad's birthday, and even prohibits the use of gravestones when burying the dead.

Those who would not conform to this view should be killed, their wives and daughters violated, and their possessions confiscated, he wrote.

Abd al-Wahhab demanded conformity -- a conformity that was to be demonstrated in physical and tangible ways. He argued that all Muslims must individually pledge their allegiance to a single Muslim leader (a Caliph, if there were one). Those who would not conform to this view should be killed, their wives and daughters violated, and their possessions confiscated, he wrote. The list of apostates meriting death included the Shiite, Sufis and other Muslim denominations, whom Abd al-Wahhab did not consider to be Muslim at all.

There is nothing here that separates Wahhabism from ISIS. The rift would emerge only later: from the subsequent institutionalization of Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's doctrine of "One Ruler, One Authority, One Mosque" -- these three pillars being taken respectively to refer to the Saudi king, the absolute authority of official Wahhabism, and its control of "the word" (i.e. the mosque).

It is this rift -- the ISIS denial of these three pillars on which the whole of Sunni authority presently rests -- makes ISIS, which in all other respects conforms to Wahhabism, a deep threat to Saudi Arabia.
BRIEF HISTORY 1741- 1818
Abd al-Wahhab's advocacy of these ultra radical views inevitably led to his expulsion from his own town -- and in 1741, after some wanderings, he found refuge under the protection of Ibn Saud and his tribe. What Ibn Saud perceived in Abd al-Wahhab's novel teaching was the means to overturn Arab tradition and convention. It was a path to seizing power.

Their strategy -- like that of ISIS today -- was to bring the peoples whom they conquered into submission. They aimed to instill fear.

Ibn Saud's clan, seizing on Abd al-Wahhab's doctrine, now could do what they always did, which was raiding neighboring villages and robbing them of their possessions. Only now they were doing it not within the ambit of Arab tradition, but rather under the banner of jihad. Ibn Saud and Abd al-Wahhab also reintroduced the idea of martyrdom in the name of jihad, as it granted those martyred immediate entry into paradise.

In the beginning, they conquered a few local communities and imposed their rule over them. (The conquered inhabitants were given a limited choice: conversion to Wahhabism or death.) By 1790, the Alliance controlled most of the Arabian Peninsula and repeatedly raided Medina, Syria and Iraq.

Their strategy -- like that of ISIS today -- was to bring the peoples whom they conquered into submission. They aimed to instill fear. In 1801, the Allies attacked the Holy City of Karbala in Iraq. They massacred thousands of Shiites, including women and children. Many Shiite shrines were destroyed, including the shrine of Imam Hussein, the murdered grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

A British official, Lieutenant Francis Warden, observing the situation at the time, wrote: "They pillaged the whole of it [Karbala], and plundered the Tomb of Hussein... slaying in the course of the day, with circumstances of peculiar cruelty, above five thousand of the inhabitants ..."

Osman Ibn Bishr Najdi, the historian of the first Saudi state, wrote that Ibn Saud committed a massacre in Karbala in 1801. He proudly documented that massacre saying, "we took Karbala and slaughtered and took its people (as slaves), then praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and we do not apologize for that and say: 'And to the unbelievers: the same treatment.'"

In 1803, Abdul Aziz then entered the Holy City of Mecca, which surrendered under the impact of terror and panic (the same fate was to befall Medina, too). Abd al-Wahhab's followers demolished historical monuments and all the tombs and shrines in their midst. By the end, they had destroyed centuries of Islamic architecture near the Grand Mosque.

But in November of 1803, a Shiite assassin killed King Abdul Aziz (taking revenge for the massacre at Karbala). His son, Saud bin Abd al Aziz, succeeded him and continued the conquest of Arabia. Ottoman rulers, however, could no longer just sit back and watch as their empire was devoured piece by piece. In 1812, the Ottoman army, composed of Egyptians, pushed the Alliance out from Medina, Jeddah and Mecca. In 1814, Saud bin Abd al Aziz died of fever. His unfortunate son Abdullah bin Saud, however, was taken by the Ottomans to Istanbul, where he was gruesomely executed (a visitor to Istanbul reported seeing him having been humiliated in the streets of Istanbul for three days, then hanged and beheaded, his severed head fired from a canon, and his heart cut out and impaled on his body).

In 1815, Wahhabi forces were crushed by the Egyptians (acting on the Ottoman's behalf) in a decisive battle. In 1818, the Ottomans captured and destroyed the Wahhabi capital of Dariyah. The first Saudi state was no more. The few remaining Wahhabis withdrew into the desert to regroup, and there they remained, quiescent for most of the 19th century.
HISTORY RETURNS WITH ISIS
It is not hard to understand how the founding of the Islamic State by ISIS in contemporary Iraq might resonate amongst those who recall this history. Indeed, the ethos of 18th century Wahhabism did not just wither in Nejd, but it roared back into life when the Ottoman Empire collapsed amongst the chaos of World War I.

The Al Saud -- in this 20th century renaissance -- were led by the laconic and politically astute Abd-al Aziz, who, on uniting the fractious Bedouin tribes, launched the Saudi "Ikhwan" in the spirit of Abd-al Wahhab's and Ibn Saud's earlier fighting proselytisers.

The Ikhwan was a reincarnation of the early, fierce, semi-independent vanguard movement of committed armed Wahhabist "moralists" who almost had succeeded in seizing Arabia by the early 1800s. In the same manner as earlier, the Ikhwan again succeeded in capturing Mecca, Medina and Jeddah between 1914 and 1926. Abd-al Aziz, however, began to feel his wider interests to be threatened by the revolutionary "Jacobinism" exhibited by the Ikhwan. The Ikhwan revolted -- leading to a civil war that lasted until the 1930s, when the King had them put down: he machine-gunned them.

For this king, (Abd-al Aziz), the simple verities of previous decades were eroding. Oil was being discovered in the peninsular. Britain and America were courting Abd-al Aziz, but still were inclined to support Sharif Husain as the only legitimate ruler of Arabia. The Saudis needed to develop a more sophisticated diplomatic posture.

So Wahhabism was forcefully changed from a movement of revolutionary jihad and theological takfiri purification, to a movement of conservative social, political, theological, and religious da'wa (Islamic call) and to justifying the institution that upholds loyalty to the royal Saudi family and the King's absolute power.
OIL WEALTH SPREAD WAHHABISM
With the advent of the oil bonanza -- as the French scholar, Giles Kepel writes, Saudi goals were to "reach out and spread Wahhabism across the Muslim world ... to "Wahhabise" Islam, thereby reducing the "multitude of voices within the religion" to a "single creed" -- a movement which would transcend national divisions. Billions of dollars were -- and continue to be -- invested in this manifestation of soft power.

It was this heady mix of billion dollar soft power projection -- and the Saudi willingness to manage Sunni Islam both to further America's interests, as it concomitantly embedded Wahhabism educationally, socially and culturally throughout the lands of Islam -- that brought into being a western policy dependency on Saudi Arabia, a dependency that has endured since Abd-al Aziz's meeting with Roosevelt on a U.S. warship (returning the president from the Yalta Conference) until today.

Westerners looked at the Kingdom and their gaze was taken by the wealth; by the apparent modernization; by the professed leadership of the Islamic world. They chose to presume that the Kingdom was bending to the imperatives of modern life -- and that the management of Sunni Islam would bend the Kingdom, too, to modern life.

On the one hand, ISIS is deeply Wahhabist. On the other hand, it is ultra radical in a different way. It could be seen essentially as a corrective movement to contemporary Wahhabism.

But the Saudi Ikhwan approach to Islam did not die in the 1930s. It retreated, but it maintained its hold over parts of the system -- hence the duality that we observe today in the Saudi attitude towards ISIS.

On the one hand, ISIS is deeply Wahhabist. On the other hand, it is ultra radical in a different way. It could be seen essentially as a corrective movement to contemporary Wahhabism.

ISIS is a "post-Medina" movement: it looks to the actions of the first two Caliphs, rather than the Prophet Muhammad himself, as a source of emulation, and it forcefully denies the Saudis' claim of authority to rule.

As the Saudi monarchy blossomed in the oil age into an ever more inflated institution, the appeal of the Ikhwan message gained ground (despite King Faisal's modernization campaign). The "Ikhwan approach" enjoyed -- and still enjoys -- the support of many prominent men and women and sheikhs. In a sense, Osama bin Laden was precisely the representative of a late flowering of this Ikhwani approach.

Today, ISIS' undermining of the legitimacy of the King's legitimacy is not seen to be problematic, but rather a return to the true origins of the Saudi-Wahhab project.

In the collaborative management of the region by the Saudis and the West in pursuit of the many western projects (countering socialism, Ba'athism, Nasserism, Soviet and Iranian influence), western politicians have highlighted their chosen reading of Saudi Arabia (wealth, modernization and influence), but they chose to ignore the Wahhabist impulse.

After all, the more radical Islamist movements were perceived by Western intelligence services as being more effective in toppling the USSR in Afghanistan -- and in combatting out-of-favor Middle Eastern leaders and states.

Why should we be surprised then, that from Prince Bandar's Saudi-Western mandate to manage the insurgency in Syria against President Assad should have emerged a neo-Ikhwan type of violent, fear-inducing vanguard movement: ISIS? And why should we be surprised -- knowing a little about Wahhabism -- that "moderate" insurgents in Syria would become rarer than a mythical unicorn? Why should we have imagined that radical Wahhabism would create moderates? Or why could we imagine that a doctrine of "One leader, One authority, One mosque: submit to it, or be killed" could ever ultimately lead to moderation or tolerance?

Or, perhaps, we never imagined.
This article is Part I of Alastair Crooke's historical analysis of the roots of ISIS and its impact on the future of the Middle East. Read Part II here.

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You Can't Understand ISIS If You Don't Know the History of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia

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BEIRUT -- The dramatic arrival of Da'ish (ISIS) on the stage of Iraq has shocked many in the West. Many have been perplexed -- and horrified -- by its violence and its evident magnetism for Sunni youth.

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150.000 Flüchtlinge im Anmarsch ++ EU warnt vor »Katastrophe«.

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150.000 Flüchtlinge im Anmarsch ++ EU warnt vor "Katastrophe".

An der Südgrenze herrscht die Ruhe vor dem nächsten Flüchtlingsansturm: 450 waren Dienstagmittag in der Sammelstelle. „1.500 weitere warten auf slowenischer Seite auf den Übertritt", schilderte Polizeisprecher Jürgen Makowecz gegenüber ÖSTERREICH.

++ Nachlesen: Grenz-Zaun spaletet die Regierung ++

Doch schon in den nächsten Tagen werden die Zahlen sprunghaft steigen. Aus zwei Gründen: Zum einen macht das gute Wetter Tausenden Hoffnung, jetzt noch die Flucht zu wagen. Die See um die griechischen Inseln ist ruhig. Die Nachttemperatur auf dem Balkan erträglich.

Prognose: 5.000 Ankünfte täglich den ganzen Winter

Zum anderen hat der viertägige Streik der griechischen Fähren zu einer Verschnaufpause in Form eines Rückstaus auf den Inseln der Ägäis geführt: Über 25.000 Menschen hingen dort fest. Seit Freitag werden sie abgeholt.

Verzögert macht sich diese Gruppe auf den Weg über die Westbalkanroute. Rund 30.000 Menschen sind derzeit unterwegs, Tendenz steigend (s. Grafik rechts). Die Ersten sind bereits in Mazedonien. In Spielfeld rüstet man sich: „Es werden so viele wie noch vorige Woche werden, 5.500 am Tag", sagt Makowecz. „Diese Zahl haben wir zuletzt gut gemeistert."

Doch der Ansturm dürfte laut Prognosen im Winter anhalten: Laut UNHCR wollen bis Ende Februar 150.000 im Monat über die Türkei nach Europa, das Wetter könnte zu höheren Zahlen führen. Die EU fürchtet aber eine „Katastrophe": „Wir können die Menschen nicht am Balkan erfrieren lassen", warnt etwa Luxemburgs Außenminister Jean Asselborn.(küe)

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150.000 Flüchtlinge im Anmarsch ++ EU warnt vor "Katastrophe". An der Südgrenze herrscht die Ruhe vor dem nächsten Flüchtlingsansturm: 450 waren Dienstagmittag in der Sammelstelle. „1.500 weitere warten auf slowenischer Seite auf den Übertritt", schilderte Polizeisprecher Jürgen Makowecz gegenüber ÖSTERREICH. ++ Nachlesen: Grenz-Zaun spaletet die Regierung ++ Doch schon in den nächsten Tagen werden die Zahlen sprunghaft steigen.

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'Communists will be hanging': Nationalist march commemorates Poland's Independence Day

     

    

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'Communists will be hanging': Nationalist march commemorates Poland's Independence Day

     

    

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Published time: 11 Nov, 2015 14:56Edited time: 11 Nov, 2015 15:28

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A nationalist march is underway in Warsaw to commemorate Poland's Independence Day, with authorities bracing themselves for a crowd of around 50,000. Marches in recent years have turned violent, with police using rubber bullets and water cannons.

The Independence March - an annual event marking the anniversary of the country gaining autonomy from Russia, Prussia, and Austria in 1918, following 123 years of partitions - is organized by the National Front Group. It is seen as a showcase for anti-EU politicians who are seeking to revive Polish nationalism. Such politicians accuse the EU of being the biggest threat to the country's sovereignty.

The march was organized under the slogan "Poland for Poles. Poles for Poland," which is an allusion to a famous anti-Semitic slogan from before World War II.

Marching through the streets on Wednesday, the protesters shouted: "On the trees, instead of leaves, Communists will be hanging," according to reports on social media.

A nationalist leader shouted: "God, honor, motherland!" while the crowd chanted "Poland for Poles."

Video footage showed flag-waving protesters with flares and firecrackers on Warsaw's Poniatowski Bridge.

Police in riot gear closed of streets in central Warsaw ahead of the march, anticipating an attendance of around 50,000.

Although marches in previous years have turned violent, Ewa Gawor, director of the city's security and crisis management office, told a news conference on Tuesday that authorities have "assurances from the organizers that this is going to be a calm march this time. Let's hope that this is going to be the case."

Last year, police used water cannon and rubber bullets to disperse a group of masked rioters who broke away from the demonstration and hurled stones and flares, destroying traffic signs and bus stops, Bloomberg reported. One year prior, a guard's booth was burnt down near the Russian embassy and clashes left 12 officers injured. Three years ago, a cameraman was beaten and 176 arrests were made.

Warsaw brought in additional law enforcers ahead of the march and have "several thousand" officers on hand, according to police spokesman Mariusz Mrozek. He said police are deploying helicopters to monitor the area.

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'Communists will be hanging': Nationalist march commemorates Poland's Independence Day

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A nationalist march is underway in Warsaw to commemorate Poland's Independence Day, with authorities bracing themselves for a crowd of around 50,000. Marches in recent years have turned violent, with police using rubber bullets and water cannons.

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T3's Take 3: Fed Head Mania Ahead of Friday the 13th

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T3's Take 3: Fed Head Mania Ahead of Friday the 13th

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The big economic news today was the unusually large number of Fed officials speaking at conferences today.

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Today's financial recap and tomorrow's financial outlook.

Did You Miss the T3 Live Finance Festival?

If you couldn't join us in Miami last weekend for the T3 Live Finance Festival,click here to check out Jeff Saut's recap of the event.

FedMania

The big economic news today was the unusually large number of Fed officials speaking at conferences today.

St. Louis Fed President Bullard said that it's time for a rate hikie because the labor market and inflation are near the Fed's goals.

Chicago Fed President Evans said that US economic fundamentals look "pretty good." He also noted that he sees a Fed funds rate in the 0.75%-1.00% range as appopriate for the end of 2016.

Richmond Fed President Lacker said that the Fed's ability to influence inflation remains intact, and that he doesn't see inflation staying far away from the Fed's 2% target.

NY Fed President and FOMC Vice Chair Bill Dudley said that liftoff conditions may soon be satisfied but declined to comment on whether he favors a December rate hike. Dudley also mentioned that the Fed is still falling substantially short of its inflation goal.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen made welcoming remarks at a monetary policy conference but did not comment on Fed policy.

While the overall picture of the Fed's strategy appears a bit muddled, traders still expect the Fed to move on rates soon. According to Bloomberg, Fed fund futures markets imply a 66% probability of a December rate hike.

Around the Horn

Stocks were weak across the board today following mixed overseas action.

Cruide oil fell sharply following the release of inventory data this morning, which served to sour sentiment.

Additionally, following a brief flirtation with positive territory, the key biotechnology sector posted large losses in the afternoon, dragging down the indices.

The S&P 500 fell 1.4% to 2045.97. The Russell 2000 fell 2.0% as risky stocks fell out of favor.

The drop in crude oil prices drove down energy stocks hard, with the Energy Select SPDR ETF (XLE) dropping 2.3% to $66.25.

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index ETF (IBB) fell 2.1% to $320.11, breaking the key 50 day moving average.

And even with lower US treasury yields, housing and utility stocks fell, giving back some of the impressive gains they posted earlier in the week.

China Credit Crunch

For the second day in a row, Chinese economic data raised questions about a slowdown.

Chinese banks issued 513.6 billion in new yuan loans in October, missing economists' expectations by 36%. That number also represented a huge slowdown from the 1 trillion yuans' worth of loans issued in September.

The data miss was a contributor to the aforementioned drop in crude oil prices, and also hit copper, which fell 2.4% today.

The Shanghai Composite fell 0.5%.

China has indicated it is ready and willing to attack any economic weakness with monetary stimulus, which is likely reducing volatility in the region.

Friday the 13th's Financial Outlook

Tomorrow will be a busy day for US economic data. October retail sales and PPI detail will be reported at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by business inventories and the University of Michigan sentiment report at 10:00 a.m. ET.

The Baker Hughes Rig Count will be released at 1:00 p.m.

JC Penney (JCP) reports earnings before the open.

Overseas, German and Euro-Zone GDP, and Swiss PPI numbers will be released.

No positions in stocks mentioned.

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T3's Take 3: Fed Head Mania Ahead of Friday the 13th

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Today's financial recap and tomorrow's financial outlook. Did You Miss the T3 Live Finance Festival? If you couldn't join us in Miami last weekend for the T3 Live Finance Festival,click here to check out Jeff Saut's recap of the event. FedMania The big economic news today was the unusually large number of Fed officials speaking at conferences today.

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15 jihadists arrested in Europe-wide raid while planning attacks

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15 jihadists arrested in Europe-wide raid while planning attacks

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At least 15 suspected members of an Islamist group have been arrested during police raids in six European countries, the Italian authorities report. The Islamists are said to have been preparing terrorist attacks in northern Europe and the Middle East.

Police issued 17 arrest warrants and 15 suspected Islamists were immediately detained and face terrorism charges. Almost all of them are Kurds, except one who is from Kosovo. The location of one suspect is unknown, while another is believed to be in Iraq.

The arrests took place in Italy, Britain, Norway, Finland, Germany and Switzerland on Thursday.

"This was an incredibly difficult and complicated investigation that has been going on for five years," said prosecutor Franco Roberti, the head of Italy's anti-mafia and anti-terrorism unit, as cited by Reuters.

The arrested are said to belong to the Rawti Shax ("The New Course") group, a network organization whose cells communicate via the internet. The group, also known as Didi Nwe (Towards the Mountain), planned to carry out attacks on Norwegian and British diplomats in the Middle East as well as politicians in Norway.

The group also sought to topple the Iraqi Kurdistan government to replace it with the rule of Islamic sharia law. It provided logistical and financial support to send jihadists to Iraq and Syria, hoping that they will be trained there for a future conflict in Iraqi Kurdistan.

"During the course of our investigation we saw some fighters leave for Syria and die in the conflict," Rome prosecutor Giancarlo Capaldo said, according to Reuters.

The members of the group also wanted to free their leader, Mullah Krekar, who is being held in a Norwegian jail. He was sentenced for issuing death threats, encouraging others to commit murders, and praising the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

General Giuseppe Governale, from Italy's police described the raid as "the most important police operation in Europe in 20 years," the Telegraph reports.

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15 jihadists arrested in Europe-wide raid while planning attacks

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At least 15 suspected members of an Islamist group have been arrested during police raids in six European countries, the Italian authorities report. The Islamists are said to have been preparing terrorist attacks in northern Europe and the Middle East.

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Instrant brown rice

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Invazija: V Evropo prihajajo milijoni migrantov; zaradi njih se bo morala Slovenija dodatno zadolžiti

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Invazija: V Evropo prihajajo milijoni migrantov; zaradi njih se bo morala Slovenija dodatno zadolžiti

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Drugi migrantski val je slovenske davkoplačevalce do zdaj stal okoli sedem milijonov evrov. Če se bo nadaljeval s sedanjo dinamiko, bodo stroški konec leta presegli 20 milijonov evrov. Prihodnje leto pa se bo morala Slovenija zaradi ilegalnih migrantov zadolžiti.

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Združenje Manager: Vlada gospodarstvo kaznovala z davčno antireformo	

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Združenje Manager: Vlada gospodarstvo kaznovala z davčno antireformo	

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Ukrepi, predvideni v predlagani davčni reformi, so po ocenah Združenja Manager v nasprotju s ciljem rasti in razvoja. "Jasno je da smo rasti potegnili ročno zavoro. Vlada podjetjem izstavlja račun za njihovo uspešnost, namesto da bi ustvarjala spodbudnejše poslovno okolje," so v združenju zapisali v današnjem sporočilu.

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Se na hrvaško-slovenski meji uresničuje zla prerokba Angele Merkel? Grošelj: “Stvari so nepredvidljive, zato lahko eskalirajo.”

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"Hrvati so užaljeni, ker so se znašli na napačni strani ograje," meni obramboslovec Klemen Grošelj, ki je sicer prepričan, da vojne zaradi migrantov ne bo: "Če pa pride do vojne, bo prišlo zaradi drugih interesov. Povod je lahko marsikaj, tudi begunska kriza."
Postavljanje bodeče žice je med Slovenijo in Hrvaško zanetilo spor. Hrvati so Sloveniji postavili ultimat, da naj žico na spornih delih ozemlja odstrani sama, sicer jo bodo njihovi specialci. Po neuradnih podatkih naj bi jo danes tudi zares odstranili.

Prva napovedala vojno
Pred dobrim tednom je nemška kanclerka Angela Merkel svetovno javnost opozarjala, da lahko na Balkanu zaradi begunske krize pride celo do vojne. Hrvaški predsednik vlade Zoran Milanović pa ji je arogantno odgovarjal, da to ni mogoče. A že včeraj je bil prav on krivec za spor na slovensko-hrvaški meji, ki bi lahko vodil v konflikt neslutenih razsežnosti.

Hrvaška je za svojo mejo pripravljena rušiti ograjo
"Konflikt je bil pričakovan, ker slovenska stran zapoznelo reagira na celotno begunsko krizo. Vedeli smo, da bodo begunci prihajali in da se bo hrvaška znašla v situaciji, ko tega ne bo mogla več obvladovati. A na naši strani smo preveč odlašali z ukrepi in sedaj gasimo požare, " je prepričan obramboslovec Alojz Kovšca, ki meni, da bi Slovenija morala iskati kompromise ne le z Nemčijo in Avstrijo, ampak tudi s Hrvaško.

"Mislim, da je možno, da bodo ograjo dejansko porušili, saj s tem zavarujejo svoj nacionalni interes. Hrvaška se je tudi že v preteklosti obnašala tako, da je na nedoločenih obmejnih teritorijih to območje pač zavzela. Potem mejo tam establirajo, kjer jo želijo. Tudi odstop od arbitraže to potrjuje," je hrvaške grožnje še komentiral Kovšca.
Hrvati so užaljeni, ker so na napačni strani ograje

Podobnega mnenja je tudi obramboslovec Klemen Grošelj: "Konflikt je odraz tako hrvaških notranjepolitičnih razmer kot tudi začetnega šoka Hrvatov. Hrvaška je presenečena, da je Slovenija sploh postavila ograjo."

Kot je še dejal, so sebe vedno doživljali za regionalno silo na balkanu, ki je promotor zahodnih, nemških interesov. " Sedaj pa postavitev žice pomeni, da je Hrvaška na napačni strani ograje. Celotna Hrvaška je nad tem presenečena," je še poudaril Grošelj.

Milanović kaže svoje "mišice", Cerar želi izgledati resen
Nekdanji minister za obrambo Aleš Hojs je mnenja, da je konfliktposledica kazanja mišic hrvaškega premierja, ki je izgubil volitve, a želi pridobiti na javnomnenjski podpori, da bi lahko sam sestavil koalicijo. "Podobno kot v Sloveniji, ko ob zmagi desnice levica aktivira vsa svoja sredstva. Po drugi strani pa se za našo vlado zdi, da je izgubila kompas. Štiri mesece govori, da ograje ne bo, potem pa čez noč spremeni mnenje in postavi ograjo. Konflikti so normalna posledica. Gre za politično merjenje moči med poražencem hrvaških volitev in našo vlado, ki se želi pokazati kot odločna."

Napake Angele Merkel, ki jih plačujemo mi
Košca je napovedi Merklove o morebitni vojni na Balkanu označil zgolj za politično floskulo, s katero želi omiliti posledice lastnih napak. Kot je pojasnil, je begunce sama povabila v Nemčijo in se je sedaj lažje sklicevati na interese drugih, kot pa priznati svojo lastno napako. Tudi po mnenju Hojsa so njene napovedi zgolj besede iz obupa, ko je ugotovila, da so bila povabila migrantov prenagljena. Izjave, ki lahko nestabilnosti, predvsem v Bosni in Hercegovini, le poslabšajo, ocenjuje kot neprimerne. Razmere so že apriori nestabilne in take izjave lahko napetosti le še povečajo. Vsekakor pa lahko begunska kriza in velika masa ljudi nestabilnost na tem območju le še poveča.

Možna je tudi vojna
Begunska kriza kot taka vojne ne bo povzročila. Lahko pa njene posledice vodijo tudi v hujše razmere. "Zaradi migrantov vojne ne bo. Če pa pride do vojne, bo prišlo zaradi drugih interesov. Povod je lahko marsikaj, tudi begunska kriza. Merklova sporoča javnosti, da so razmere na Balkanu takšne, da zaostrovanje begunske krize lahko še dodatno destabilizira razmere, kar lahko vodi v vojno. Vidijo se napetosti, predvsem med Srbijo in Hrvaško, ki bi lahko vodile v hujše razmere. Stvari so nepredvidljive, zato lahko eskalirajo," meni Grošelj.

M. G.

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Se na hrvaško-slovenski meji uresničuje zla prerokba Angele Merkel? Grošelj: "Stvari so nepredvidljive, zato lahko eskalirajo." | Nova24TV

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"Hrvati so užaljeni, ker so se znašli na napačni strani ograje," meni obramboslovec Klemen Grošelj, ki je sicer prepričan, da vojne zaradi migrantov ne bo: "Če pa pride do vojne, bo prišlo zaradi drugih interesov. Povod je lahko marsikaj, tudi begunska kriza." Postavljanje bodeče žice je med Slovenijo in Hrvaško zanetilo spor.

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Breaking free from Spain

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On Monday, Catalonia's parliament approved a " democratic disconnection " resolution which will see the region push to separate from Spain and establish an independent republic. The so-called "democratic disconnection" passed by a vote of 72 to 63 and calls for parliament to create a taxation authority independent of Spain as well as a social security system. Work on those two bureaucracies should begin within 30 days, while the separation process is expected to take 18 months.

This comes ahead of national elections in Spain next month and significantly muddies the waters for PM Mariano Rajoy. As Carlos Flores Juberías, a constitutional law professor and political analyst at the University of Valencia told WSJ, "he has to show firmness, but any action he takes must be surgically targeted to avoid more people rallying around the separatist camp."

As we also noted, if Catalonia were indeed to break away, it could very well end up costing Spain in the debt-to-GDP department. As DB warned before September's parliamentary elections, "the impact would be significant on the Spanish economy, [as] without an agreement to share the stock of debt with Catalonia, Spain's' projected public debt for 2015 would move from just above 100% of GDP to about 125% of GDP. And this accounts only for the mechanical impact. On 21 September Mas stated that if the central government refuses to negotiate, Catatonia might not pay back its liabilities to the central government."

Well in the latest from Catalonia's secession bid, the government moved on Wednesday to have The Constitutional Court suspend the Catalan resolution. The leader of the secessionists, Artur Mas was told he could be arrested if he defies the order.

Meanwhile, today Mas made another bit for re-election as Catalonia's President - and failed. If that seems strange - i.e. that parliament would vote for secession and then not support the leader of the movement for President - consider the following from WaPo, who has the details:

The leader of a Catalan secessionist alliance promising to break away from Spain by mid-2017 failed again Thursday to get the backing of regional lawmakers for his re-election as president, posing a setback for the economically powerful region's independence drive. Artur Mas' candidacy was rejected by 73-62 in the Catalan parliament, with only his "Together for Yes" alliance supporting him. He lost a previous vote Tuesday by a similar margin.
Lacking a majority in the 135-seat parliament, Mas had been reliant on the support of the pro-secession, far-left CUP group, which has 10 seats. But the CUP has refused to back Mas as regional president, because of his austerity policies of recent years and his party's links to corruption scandals. The parliament has until Jan. 10 to elect a leader and form a government or it must call fresh elections. The CUP's rejection came even though it joined forces with Mas' alliance Monday to approve a resolution announcing a road map to independence. But that resolution needs a government in place if it is to be acted upon.

So basically, Catalonia can't move forward with a bid to secede without a government in place and parliament is refusing to back Mas even as they back his idea to break away from Spain. They have until January to sort this out or they'll have to hold another round of elections and this all comes as Spain itself has ordered the resolution blocked and threatened to arrest Mas. To top it all off, Spain has elections in December.

You can bet that Brussels is watching this very closely. Clearly, this is an extraordinarily tenuous situation and comes just as Portugal Socialists in combination with The Left Bloc and the Communists overthrew Pedro Passos Coelho just days after his reappointment (the latest on that scenario is here).

Put simply: the PIIGS are restless.
* * * Here's some additional bonus color from RBS' Alberto Gallo
The Catalan independence campaign is aiming high, but the result will be lower: separation is unlikely, in our view. We think greater financial autonomy rather than separation will be the endgame, for several reasons:

Political discord in the pro-separation coalition. The Catalan pro-independence majority is fragile, as demonstrated by the struggle to elect Artur Mas as Catalan President this week. The Junts pel Si alliance needs the pro-independence CUP's 10 parliamentary seats in order to hold a majority, but political views are disparate and could lead to further discord in the coming months.

Uncertainty around Eurozone membership for an independent Catalonia. Under the Lisbon Treaty, Catalonia would need to be recognised as a "state" by all 28 member states, including Spain, for it to gain EU membership. Uncertainty of continued EU membership could deter Catalan voters.

Additional financial costs associated with running an independent state. Catalonia does make fiscal transfers to the central government which it could retain if independent - the regional government claims to have transferred 8% of its GDP to the rest of Spain in 1986-2011. But Catalonia benefits from other kinds of fiscal transfers from Madrid, in the form of defence spending and national security, and infrastructure spending such as hospitals and transport. An independent Catalonia would also likely need to share part of the national debt burden. Catalan debt is currently 32% of its regional GDP (Spanish debt is 98% of GDP).

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Spain's Black Swan In Muddied Waters As Court Ruling, Political Turmoil Threaten Catalan Secession Bid

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Spain's Constitutional Court has ordered the suspension of Catalonia's independence bid and threatened to arrest its leader Artur Mas. Separately, Mas lost a bid for re-election as the same lawmakers who support his push for independence are unwilling to support him as President citing corruption.

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