New Syria Deal Proves Yet Again: The U.N. Is Russia's Home Court

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met under the steely gaze of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, whose portrait hung over their negotiating table at U.N. headquarters, and hammered out their latest agreement Thursday on a U.N. Security Council resolution to scrap Syria's chemical weapons.
The presidential portrait was a subtle reminder that Putin's top diplomats hold the home-court advantage at the United Nations. Lavrov headed Russia's U.N. delegation for a decade; Putin's U.N. envoy, Vitaly Churkin, has served here for more than seven years. Together, they enjoy vastly greater experience navigating the intricacies of the U.N. Security Council parliamentary rules than their American counterparts. Russia's deputy foreign minister, Gennady Gatilov, a former member of the Russia diplomatic delegation, was actually a U.N. employee.
America's national security team is hardly composed of novices on U.N. matters. As a former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry frequently engaged in U.N. diplomacy. Susan Rice, President Barack Obama's national security advisor, is one of the longest-serving American envoys to the U.N. -- and a willing and able sparring partner of Churkin. Samantha Power, while still untested around the Security Council's horseshoe table, has been a keen student of the United Nations for years, reporting from the field in Africa and the Balkans and authoring a biography of slain U.N. official Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Still, for most of the past two years, Lavrov and Churkin have largely defined the rules of the game in the U.N. Security Council, effectively constraining American and European attempts to use the U.N. Security Council to apply economic or political pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The relatively toothless deal struck Thursday is just the latest example.
After the Syrian government's alleged chemical weapons attack on Aug. 21 in the Damascus suburbs, the United States for the first time threatened to bypass the United Nations and launch punitive U.S. airstrikes against Syrian targets. That threat prompted Syria to offer its most far-reaching concessions during the two-and-a-half-year civil war, agreeing to a Russian plan to destroy Assad's chemical stockpile under international supervision. But Putin has since convinced Obama to manage the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons through the U.N. Security Council, where Moscow possesses the power to veto any future sanctions or military threat against the regime.
"Throughout the Syria crisis, Lavrov's modus operandi has been to entangle the U.S. in U.N. procedural issues; he is an absolute master of U.N. procedure," said Richard Gowan, a U.N. specialist at New York University. "Hillary Rodham Clinton and Kerry are both very experienced diplomats, but Lavrov has the upper hand in understanding U.N. rules and procedures. We have seen that play out over the Geneva agreement and how this is being translated into a relatively soft Security Council resolution." The Geneva agreement, which was negotiated in 2012 by Lavrov and Clinton, calls for the establishment of a transitional government in Syria.

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"Lavrov's great skill is that he projects gravitas as a man you can do business with, and I think that probably appeals to Kerry," said Gowan. "You sense in the Geneva negotiations that perhaps Kerry has been placing weight on his personal relationship with Lavrov and the ability to strike a real man-to-man relationship with Lavrov. Lavrov offsets this by getting back to the rule book. Lavrov is less willing to bend the U.N. rules than Kerry."
The United States, as Obama's national security team has repeatedly pointed out, has never taken the threat of military action entirely off the table. But a Russian-American pact that was struck nearly two weeks ago in Geneva to place Syria's chemical weapons under international control will considerably raise the threshold for approving a future strike. "As Sergei knows, under any circumstances, there would be a debate in the Security Council" to determine whether sanctions or military force will be permitted, Kerry told a joint press conference with Lavrov on Sept. 14. "With respect to the question of the use of force … [our] commander in chief always retains the right to defend the United States of America and our interests."
The reality, however, is more complicated.
A draft U.N. resolution that was endorsed this afternoon by the U.N.'s five big powers -- and which is expected to be approved by the full Security Council in a matter of days -- threatens no automatic penalties against Syria if it fails to comply with its obligations or even if it launches a fresh chemical attack.
The deal was cinched following Kerry's meeting today with Lavrov. U.S. officials lauded the agreement as a landmark pact that strengthens the international effort to halt the use of chemical weapons. Kerry voiced hope that "this resolution can now give life hopefully to the removal and destruction of chemical weapons in Syria." If Syria complies, the arrangement would mark a major diplomatic achievement for Obama and for Kerry.
But if Syria cheats, the president will find himself constrained from acting. Under the terms of the resolution, a committee of diplomats and functionaries from the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will determine whether Syria has violated the terms of the agreement.
The matter would then be taken up by the U.N. Security Council. In principle, Russia has agreed that in the event of a Syrian violation, it is prepared to impose measures under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter -- a provision that is used to authorize sanctions or the use of military force.
But it doesn't have to. A provision of a confidential draft resolution proposed last week by Russia suggests how difficult it may be to convince Russia to press ahead with any stern measures. First, Russia insisted that evidence of a violation be "indisputable and proved" and that it must be of a particular "gravity" to merit the adoption of a new resolution. So far, according to U.S. and European officials, Russia has disputed what they believe is indisputable evidence that Assad used chemical weapons against his own people on Aug. 21. The latest draft has also dropped a provision calling for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and prosecute those responsible for using chemical weapons. Instead, it merely states that perpetrators of such an attack should be held accountable for their crimes.
"By dropping the ICC referral early on, Kerry allowed himself to get bullied by Russia without putting up much of a fight for Syria's victims of horrific crimes," said Philippe Bolopion, the U.N. representative for Human Rights Watch. "Any progress to lock away or destroy Syria's chemical weapons can only be welcomed but should not come at the price of impunity for those responsible for the gassing of hundreds of children, and so many other grave crimes."

Ty McCormick contributed to this article. 

Source;  http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/09/26/new_syria_deal_proves_again_the_un_is_russias_home_court?wp_login_redirect=0

Use Activated Charcoal to remove toxins and reduce cholesterol

(NaturalNews) As long ago as 1550BC, activated charcoal was documented for use in treating medical conditions. It has been used by North American Indians to treat bruises, inflammation and skin infections. Activated charcoal has also been reported to help lower cholesterol, triglycerides and lipids found in the blood.

A single teaspoon of activated charcoal has a surface area of approximately 10 000 square feet. It adsorbs (binds to and helps eliminate from the body) poisons, heavy metals, chemicals and intestinal gases that have thousands of times more weight than it has, making it very effective in detoxing and eliminating toxins and poisonous substances from the body. It is also able to adsorb many different pharmaceutical drugs, opium, cocaine, morphine, pesticides (among them DDT), chemicals, mercury and even lead.

Activated charcoal can be used to treat skin ailments, diarrhoea, bad breath, constipation and body odour. It can be used as a poultice to treat insect stings, mushroom poisoning, poison ivy, cholera, dysentery, bites and inflammation. It can also be used to treat snake bites in an emergency. Babies born with jaundice have been known to be treated with activated charcoal as well.

Activated charcoal is available in many different forms such as powder in a capsule, liquid form, suspension, chewable tablets and powder form. It is often used as an ingredient in body detox products and colon cleansers. Some people report that using activated charcoal when they have flu or other viruses helps them to recover quicker. The reason for this is that it is able to prevent viruses and bacteria from remaining active in the body while absorbing a great deal of their toxins before they have a chance to spread or multiply.

Studies have shown that activated charcoal even has anti-aging properties. It helps improve liver, adrenal gland and kidney functions with regular use. Those suffering from digestive ailments such as indigestion, bloating or gas can benefit from activated charcoal because the charcoal enters the digestive tract and absorbs excess gas, which may be present there. It also improves the functioning of the liver, heart and brain and helps to decrease cholesterol levels and the risk of coronary artery disease.

When using activated charcoal, it is best to take it between meals and a few hours after using any vitamin or mineral supplements, as it may interfere with the absorption of these into the body. It must also be stored in a properly sealed container away from heat and moisture. It should preferably be used with water only, or taken alone, as anything else such as fruit juice or ice cream will cause it to lose a great deal of its effectiveness.

In large doses, activated charcoal may cause stools to turn black. This is normal. In large doses, it may also lead to diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting. Those suffering from obstruction of the bowel should not use this product.

Sources:

http://www.ehow.com/about_5158458_benefits-activated-charcoal.html
http://www.zimbio.com/Health+and+Wellness/articles/163/Activated+Char...
http://hubpages.com/hub/Medicinal-Benefits-of-Charcoal
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5533631_activated-charcoal-benefits.html
http://www.natural-holistic-health.com/the-benefits-of-activated-char...

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/032570_activated_charcoal_cholesterol.html#ixzz2g3ZlbRpV

Around 30 Warships to Participate in War Games in North Russia

Forces of Russia's Northern Fleet on Friday began to deploy troops in designated areas and training grounds to prepare for large-scale exercises in the Kola Peninsula and in the Barents Sea, a Russian Navy source told Itar-Tass.
The exercises will be held from September 21 to 25 and will be the main final event of combat training of the Northern Fleet in 2013, he noted.
The exercises will include operations to plan actions of troops, control forces when they are deployed to carry out tasks, prevent "enemy" landing when the coast is defended and participate in rescue operations, the official said.
Commanders in the training will obtain practical skills to control naval forces with the use of modern automated systems, he added.
According to the plan, ships and naval groups will defend the air space over the training grounds in the Barents Sea, search for and track submarines, use antisubmarine and anti-ship weapons and train to fire at coastal targets when naval troops land. Particular attention will be paid to rescue operations and help for ships in distress. The Northern Fleet's coastal troops and reinforced airborne troops brought to the Kola Peninsula from central Russia will repulse landing forces.
It will be large-scale exercises with the participation of 2,500 servicemen, up to 30 warships and support vessels, 50 combat vehicles and 20 planes and helicopters.
The Northern Fleet's manoeuvres will be held practically at the same time with the Russian-Belarusian strategic exercises West 2013.

Source;  http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=111560&frid=22&seccatid=45&cid=22&fromval=1

Israeli special forces said to be aiding Kenya rescue operation

Israeli forces were Sunday reportedly helping Kenyan officials end a deadly siege at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, where al-Qaeda-linked terrorists have been holed up for a day with some 30 hostages.

According to a Kenyan security source, Israeli forces entered the mall, where a siege has been ongoing since Saturday, and “are rescuing the hostages and injured,” AFP reported.

However, an unnamed security source told Reuters that Israeli advisers were helping in negotiations, but not in operations.

“There are Israeli advisers helping with the negotiating strategy, but no Israelis involved in any imminent storming operation,” the Israeli source said.

Kenyan officials say 59 people have been killed and 175 injured in the coordinated terror attack, carried out by a group of up to 15 terrorists aligned with the Islamic Somali al-Shabab movement.

The attack began on Saturday, when witnesses said at least five gunmen — including at least one woman — first attacked an outdoor cafe at Westgate Mall, a shiny, new shopping center that hosts Nike, Adidas and Bose stores. The mall’s ownership is Israeli, and security experts have long said the structure made an attractive terrorist target.

Over 1,000 people have been evacuated or have fled from the mall, officials said, and the terrorists remained inside with an unknown number of hostages in an ongoing siege.

President Shimon Peres, in a Sunday letter to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, said, ”I wish to extend my deepest condolences to the people of Kenya on the horrific terror attack in Nairobi. From the Holy Land we pray for the release of the hostages, the full recovery of the injured, and comfort for the families of the victims.

“Terrorism is a global threat and those who perpetrate it make no distinction between young and old, men and women,” Peres wrote. “There is no justification for the murder of innocent civilians and Israel stands shoulder to shoulder with the Kenyan government and people at this difficult time. We in Israel know the pain of terror and will do whatever we can to support the people of Kenya.”

Kenyatta said Saturday that he had lost “very close family members” in the attack carried out by “despicable perpetrators.”

In August, Mossad agents, along with officials from the FBI, aided in investigating whether a massive fire at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was a terrorist attack. According to foreign media reports, the Mossad runs an outpost in Nairobi, tasked with maintaining security ties with Kenya and other East African nations.

In 2002, terrorists in Mombasa blew up an Israeli-owned hotel and unsuccessfully tried to shoot down an Israeli passenger plane as it was taking off.

Joshua Davidovich contributed to this report.

Source;  http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-special-forces-said-to-be-aiding-kenya-rescue-operation/

Princess Diana: MI6 and Army sniper in death plot claim

LINKS between MI6 and the soldier at the centre of the Diana and Dodi murder plot allegations emerged yesterday.

 

The SAS sniper, known as Soldier N, is being advised by a lawyer who is a serving member of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service. The solicitor, an ex-Army officer, joined the world of espionage as a legal adviser based at MI6 headquarters in London.

A further potential MI6 connection was disclosed during the Army probe which led to the court-martial of Soldier N and fellow SAS sniper Danny Nightingale for illegal possession of weapons and ammunition.

Investigators were told two Glock pistols found at the house they shared in Hereford were gifts from Iraqi special forces who had completed training courses given by the SAS.

It has now been alleged that among the Iraqis were MI6 agents recruited to spy for Britain.

Soldier N was presented with his Glock by the Iraqis in 2003. Nightingale told investigators he was given his gun in 2007.

Official records show Soldier N’s weapon was purchased in October 2003 and Nightingale’s in December of the same year.

It is one of the mysterious aspects of the case that two pistols bought in 2003 should turn up in the same house in Hereford in the possession of soldiers who served in Iraq four years apart.

The two weapons proved to be the downfall of Soldier N and Danny Nightingale when they were discovered along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition at their semi-detached home near SAS headquarters in September 2011. West Mercia Police raided the house following allegations that Soldier N’s wife was the victim of domestic abuse.

Nightingale initially pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition and was jailed for 18 months by a military court last year. His conviction was quashed after a public outcry. In July, he was found guilty by a court-martial and sentenced to two years detention suspended for 12 months.

Soldier N admitted the charges and was given two years detention. The former sergeant has since been released and discharged from the Army after a career spanning 20 years. Allegations that the SAS were involved in Diana and Dodi’s deaths – contained in a letter written by Soldier N’s mother-in-law – became public after Nightingale’s trial. She told how Soldier N had told her daughter it was the SAS “who arranged Princess Diana’s death and that has been covered up”.

When extracts of the letter were published, Soldier N was described as a “loose cannon” and claims of SAS involvement in the deaths of Diana and Dodi were dismissed as “rubbish”.

Dodi’s family were dismayed by the reaction as Soldier N had been regarded as a “witness of truth” when he gave evidence for the Crown at Nightingale’s trial.

Related articles

• Diana movie shows poignant last moment of princes with their mother
• The key questions about Diana and Dodi's death that still remain
• SAS troops: ‘Princess Diana was killed in a murder plot, but we didn't do it’
• 'Joy as I dressed Princess Diana all over again'

Source; http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/427982/Princess-Diana-MI6-and-Army-sniper-in-death-plot-claim

Obama Goes to War

President Obama likes to invoke his predecessors in the Oval Office, as all Presidents do, but in one sense he is unlike the others: Presidents traditionally try to reach a rough domestic consensus if they are faced with going to war abroad. Mr. Obama wants to smooth everything over abroad so he can get back to his favorite pursuit of declaring war at home.
At least that's how it's gone the last week, as Mr. Obama all but wrapped up that ghastly business in Syria and turned his attention to the real enemy—Republicans. Backed by the good offices of Vladimir Putin and the assurances of Bashar Assad, United Nations inspectors will now remove Syria's chemical weapons from the battlefield. Congress doesn't even have to vote on it, and the American people can forget the recent unpleasantness. Peace in our time.
Which means it's now safe for Mr. Obama to begin the war he really wants to fight. The President spoke Monday afternoon at the White House in remarks pegged to the fifth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the financial panic of 2008. But the financial crisis was merely an excuse for Mr. Obama's real purpose, which was to demand unconditional surrender from his domestic opposition.


Mr. Obama assailed Republicans for an "ideological agenda" that he called "the height of irresponsibility." Among other crimes against humanity, he said the GOP refuses to abandon the budget restraint of the sequester spending cuts or to greet the Affordable Care Act with flowers and sweets.
"Are they really willing to hurt people just to score political points? I hope not," Mr. Obama said, transparently suggesting that they do want to hurt people. At least he didn't accuse them of using chemical weapons, but when it comes to stopping atrocities like opposition to his domestic agenda, let him be clear: He doesn't do pinpricks.
Mr. Obama did at least once or twice suggest he's willing to compromise, sort of. He said he'll call off his domestic strikes if Republicans agree to a framework for political and fiscal disarmament, including another tax increase on top of the one extracted as recently as January.
"As far as the budget goes," the President warned, "it's time for responsible Republicans who share these goals—and there are a number of folks out there who I think are decent folks, I've got some disagreements with them on some issues, but I think genuinely want to see the economy grow and want what's best for the American people—it's time for those Republicans to step up and they've got to decide what they want to prioritize."
With malice for all, and charity toward none. Perhaps to honor Lincoln's memory, Mr. Obama will suspend habeas corpus for those indecent folks who genuinely want what's worst for Americans.
There really has never been anything like this in the White House, at least not in the modern era. Ronald Reagan compromised on budget issues with a Democratic majority rather than trigger a debt limit crisis. George H.W. Bush signed onto a tax increase in 1990 in part so he could get Democratic support for the brewing Gulf War. Bill Clinton struck a budget deal and worked with Republicans on foreign policy. And facing a new Democratic majority in 2007, George W. Bush signed onto a fiscal "stimulus" and rotten energy bill well before the financial crisis compelled bipartisan votes.
Mr. Obama declares that he won't even deign to negotiate over an extension of the debt limit, which expires within a month or two. And he carpet-bombs Republicans only two weeks after House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor took a political risk and declared they'd vote for the President's Syrian war resolution against the views of most of their own Members.
The evidence suggests that Mr. Obama wants a showdown with Congress that ends with a government shutdown or a dance with default. He can then mount an offensive against Republicans that will rally his base, which soured on his Syrian plans and vetoed Larry Summers for the Federal Reserve. With his domestic agenda dead on Capitol Hill, Mr. Obama may also figure that stigmatizing Republicans over a shutdown-default crisis is the only way that Democrats can retake the House in 2014.
The question is how well all of this will play with a war-weary public. Mr. Obama is no longer the fresh young idealist President, and Americans are beginning to figure out his methods. Like Assad and Mr. Putin, they may conclude that he's no longer a President whose words they can take seriously.

A version of this article appeared September 17, 2013, on page A16 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Obama Goes to War.

Source:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324665604579081144245072978.html

Cannabis may provide novel ‘cure’ for prostate cancers

Cannabis, Indian Hemp or rather marijuana may provide the novel treatment for prostate cancer by acting as analgesia on bone pain, improving quality of life, while reducing narcotic consumption and preventing opioid dependence. CHUKWUMA MUANYA writes.
THE verdict is out: besides its use in the treatment of diseases and health problems such as Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), glaucoma, eye problems, cachexia (wasting syndrome), pain, muscle spasticity, convulsion, insomnia, asthma, hypertension, depression, among others; Cannabis sativa also called Indian hemp or marijuana has been confirmed to be effective in is managing prostate cancer patients.
Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, is a hemp plant that grows freely throughout the world. The cannabis plant most commonly is known today as a potent psychoactive substance, but for many years it was harvested primarily for its fibre.
  Researchers in a study published recently in Indian Journal of Urology concluded: “It is our conclusion that it would be of interest to conduct clinical trials involving medicinal cannabis or other cannabinoid agonists, comparing clinical markers such as Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) with controls, especially in men with bone metastatic prostate cancer, whom would not only benefit from the possible anti-androgenic effects of cannabinoids but also from analgesia of bone pain, improving quality of life, while reducing narcotic consumption and preventing opioid dependence.”
  Cannabinoids are present in Cannabis sativa and occur naturally in the nervous and immune systems of animals. They are structurally related to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or that bind to cannabinoid receptors.
PSA is screening test for prostate cancer.
  An opioid is any psychoactive chemical that resembles morphine in its pharmacological effects.
  The study titled “The role of cannabinoids in prostate cancer: Basic science perspective and potential clinical applications” was published by Juan A. Ramos and Fernando J. Bianco.
  Also, Nigerian researchers from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba –Akoko, Ondo State, in study published in IOSR Journal of Pharmacy Vol. 2, Issue 3, May-June, 2012, pp.460-463 concluded: “Cannabis sativa (marijuana) is a wonderful and sacred plant that is grown all over the world. It is a plant, which is plagued, ignorantly, with suspicions and controversies that greatly prevented its usefulness to mankind.  
  “Apart from being used for recreational purposes, Cannabis sativa is useful for the treatment of some chronic diseases which defied medical cure such as HIV/ AIDS, cancer, asthma etc. Marijuana is also a plant that has some commercial and economical value.
  “Consequent upon these values, it is recommended that: Cannabis sativa should be legalised so that it can provide employment for the producers, distributors and traders of the commodity. More researches should be carried out on Cannabis Sativa so that mankind could harness the Medical, commercial, agricultural, social, recreational and economic utility inherent in then crop.”
  Dr. G.O. Ayenigbara of the Human Kinetics And Health Education Unit, Science And Technical Education Department, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba – Akoko, Ondo State, published the study titled “Medical Utility of Cannabis Sativa”.
  Despite the medicinal uses, marijuana has been shrouded in controversy. There are three hypothesized social\environmental consequences of Cannabis use that have received attention, the role of marijuana in enhancing interpersonal skills, the effect of Cannabis on aggression and violence, and the role of marijuana use in what has been called the amotivational syndrome. Many users of marijuana have s aid they use the drug because it enhances their social skills and allows them to be more competent in social situations.
  Prostate cancer is an established public health concern in modern society and has been for decades. It is the most common cancer in men and the second most common cause of cancer death in most countries.
  Even with widespread screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA), still five per cent of cases present with metastatic lesions at the time of diagnosis. Because of all this, there is a fundamental necessity to search for and find new and novel treatments to this common pathology.
  Cannabis and cannabinoids have often been an issue of much polemics in the realm of science, but since the discovery of cannabinoid receptors in rat brain in the late 1980s, there has been a growing interest in the research of these compounds and the knowledge continues to expand.   There has been experimental evidence that cannabinoids possess anti-androgenic proprieties.
  The researchers wrote: “Prostate cancer is a grave public health problem worldwide. Despite the fact that most cases currently present with localized disease, at the time of diagnosis, about five per cent of men still present with metastatic disease.
  “The most common site of spread is bone, and these lesions are frequently symptomatic, causing pain, debility, and functional impairment. Many of these men do not have curative treatment options, and this remains a crucial clinical problem, both in terms of the number of men affected and its impact on their quality of life. For these reasons, it is fundamental to invest time and intellectual resources into finding new and novel targets for the treatment of prostate cancer.
  “It seems that the studies of Sarfaraz and colleagues lead to the direction that cannabinoids should be considered as agents for the management of prostate cancer, pending support from in vivo experiments. This would not only make sense from an anti-androgenic point of view but also for men with bone metastatic prostate cancer, perhaps from a pain management or palliative point of view. Among the patients suffering with chronic pain and receiving opioids, one in five abuse prescription controlled substances, and it is not difficult to see that opioid dependence and abuse is becoming a public health problem. Different methods of managing pain should be addressed to avoid these scenarios.
  “The presence of pain in men with advanced prostate cancer is an immediate indication for aggressive management with analgesics, while adequate treatments that address directly the cause of the pain are pursued.
  “Cannabinoids possess attributes that have impact in both cancer pain and prostate cancer pathophysiology. These compounds harbor analgesic properties that aid bone cancer pain, reduce opioid consumption, side effects, and dependence, as well as exhibiting anti-androgenic effects on experimental prostate cancer cells.
  “Cannabis sativa and its main active component delta-9-THC have long been used for numerous purposes throughout history including medicinal, textile, and recreational. Since its legal banning in the United States in 1937, it has become an issue of taboo and controversy, frowned upon for its recreational uses and psychotropic effects.
  “Nonetheless, the endocannabinoid signaling system has recently been the focus of medical research and considered a potential therapeutic target since the late 1980s when Howlett and colleagues identified and characterised the distinct cannabinoid receptor in rat brain.
  “The antagonising effect of cannabinoids in the male reproductive system and physiology can be dated to 1974 where experimental models in male rats showed depression of spermatogenesis and decrease in circulating testosterone levels.
  “In 2005, Sarfaraz and colleagues showed increased expression of both CB1 and CB2 receptors in cultured prostate cancer cells when compared with normal prostate cells, treatment of prostate cancer cells with cannabinoid CB1/CB2 agonist WIN-55, 212-2 results in a dose and time dependent decrease in cell viability, and increased apoptosis along with decrease in androgen receptor protein expression, PSA expression, and secreted PSA, suggesting that cannabinoids should be considered as agents for the management of prostate cancer.”
  According to the Adekunle Ajasin University study, the plant is one of the most hated, maligned and detested any where in the world and huge sums of money and efforts are being expended to annihilate its production, distribution, marketing and consumption.
  Aiyenigbara wrote: “Cannabis sativa is erroneously believed to cause deleterious health problems among other controversies. However, studies have shown that this plant, apart from being regarded as one of the five sacred crops, has a lot of medical, recreational, commercial and social uses. Evidences have also shown that marijuana is useful in the control and management of chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, asthma, glaucoma, cachexia, hypertension, depression, etc. Nevertheless, further research is required to make this wonderful plant more useful to humanity.”
  Marijuana is a wonderful plant that is known and grown all over the world. This plant is so popular and revered to the extent that it was worshipped in India. The plant has a lot of uses commercially, agriculturally, medically and socially. The leaves, the stems including the outer covering of the back are very useful.
  While the leaves are smoked recreationally, the stem has been known to be used for producing the strongest rope and pot ship builders used marijuana ropes in ship sails. Evidences have also shown that the hemp fibers were employed in the production of clothes and pots. According to Maisto, Galizio & Connors, Hemp fibres were also used for house building in Southern Africa.
  Medically, Indian hemp has been used in the treatment of diseases and health problems such as HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, eye problems, cachexia, treatment of pain, muscle spasticity, convulsion, insomnia, asthma, hypertension, depression etc. Moreover, cannabis was consumed for recreational purposes. Besides, cannabis is being used as a shampoo and for other cosmetic purposes. In addition, the cultivation of cannabis is a lucrative business that yields substantial revenue to producers and marketers locally and internationally.
  The therapeutic uses of marijuana today are much more circumscribed. For the most part, synthetic products such as Levontradol, Nabilone, and Marinol, that chemically resemble the Cannabinoids have been used in current treatment efforts. These synthetics are used because they provide the active elements of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in a more stable manner, Synthetics also can provide better solubility. Nevertheless, it was Cannabis THC that opened he way for the synthesis. And rapid effect is experienced when marijuana is smoked than when the synthetic THC is taken orally. Therefore, marijuana in its natural form is more efficacious and faster in action than synthetic THC.
  There has been a recent resurgence in efforts to legalise, marijuana for medicinal purposes. Much of this effort has been spurred by an increased use of marijuana by AIDS patients who claim that marijuana reduces the nausea and vomiting caused by the disease and because it stimulates appetite, thus helping them to regain weight lost during their illness. The sympathy for this position led to the establishment of “Cannabis clubs” on several major cities in the United States. These organizations purchases marijuana in bulk and provide it, in some cases, free to patient with AIDS, cancer and other diseases.
  According to the Adekunle Ajasin University study, specific health problems for which cannabis is prescribed in synthetic forms are:
  Glaucoma: Glaucoma is a generic term used to denote ocular diseases involving increases in intraocular pressure.
  This pressure damages the optic nerves and represents the leading causes of blindness in the United States. While drug and surgical interventions are available, their effectiveness is variable. Cannabis has been shown to decrease intraocular pressure, therefore, it is preventive, although patients have experienced side effects regardless of whether the Cannabis was administered orally, through injection or by smoking.
Nausea and Vomiting:Cannabis and THC synthetics have been used to counter the nausea and vomiting frequently associated with chemotherapies for cancer. Positive outcomes have continued toe emerge from the use of marijuana by cancer patients and particularly that children undergoing cancer chemotherapy may benefit from administration of orally administered high doses of Cannabinoids.
  Even though THC has some side effects, many patients undergoing chemotherapy find the THC side effects an acceptable price to pay.
  Cachexia: Cachexia is a disorder in which an individual physiologically “wastes away” often due to HIV infection or Cancer.
 Based partly on anecdotal reports that marijuana use is associated with increased frequency and amount of eating, it could be proposed that marijuana be used with patients with cachexia to stimulate appetite and thus weight gain. Besides, appetite and weight may also produce strength and a sense of well being. These anecdotal reports have some empirical support. Plasse et al (1991) found a relationship between marijuana ingestion and appetite. Accordingly, some individuals experiencing disorders that include cachexia have been turning to marijuana to stem the tide of weight loss and to gain weight.
  Other Medical Uses: Literature, according to Maisto, Galizio and Connors (1999), have shown that Cannabis and THC synthetics have been used to a much extent in the treatment of pains, muscle spasticity, convulsant activity, insominia, hypertension, asthma and depression. However, the data in support of these uses have been equivocal (Workshop on the Medical Utility of Marijuana, 1997). More research is needed to identify the utility of Cannabis in medical treatment of these and other disorders.
  Agricultural and commercial uses of Cannabis sativa: The Cannabis plant for many years was harvested primarily for its fiber. These strong hemp fibers were employed in the production of rope, clothes and ship sails (Maisto, Galizio and Connors 1999). Archeologists at a Taiwanee site also discovered pots made of fibers presumed to be from the Cannabis plant. In the North American Colonies, the Cannabis plant was raised for fiber by the Jamestown settlers in Varginia in 1611. Not long after, this hemp plant was firmly entrenched as a basic stable crop and was cultivated by George Washington, among many others. Cannabis was harvested in New England starting 1629, it remained a Core U.S Crop until after the civil war. The center of this hemp production was Kentucky, where it was a major crop product for decades, all for its fiber content.
  Recreational Uses: Cannabis was consumed for recreational purposes, though, only to a limited degree, and descriptions of its psychoactive effect were not common. However, the 1920s marked a wider use of Cannabis. Increased use of marijuana was attributed to alcohol prohibition. According to Brecher (1972), not until the eighteenth amendment and the Volstead Act of 1920 raised the price of alcohol beverages and made them less convenient to secure and inferior in quality did substantial commercial trade in marijuana for recreation use spring up, and the popularity soared, and that popularity has remained strong ever since.
Author of this article: CHUKWUMA MUANYA 

Source:  http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/natural-health/131865-cannabis-may-provide-novel-cure-for-prostate-cancers

U.S. Doesn't Say Much as Russia Violates Georgia's Turf

On September 17, three days after the announcement of a U.S.-Russian agreement to end Syria's chemical weapons program, Moscow made a small but significant move that ordinarily would have irritated Washington. The Russian military began all-but-annexing a tiny chunk of territory for Georgia's separatist region of South Ossetia.
That Russia would again violate its 2008 ceasefire agreement with Georgia, which requires Russian forces to go back to positions held prior to the outbreak of hostilities, did not surprise regional experts and U.S. lawmakers. But Washington's relative silence in the face of the violation did.
The U.S., arguably Georgia's strongest ally in the West, has issued no formal statements from Washington. The European Union, on the other hand, is publicly raising objections to the process of "erecting fences and other physical obstacles along the administrative boundary lines with South Ossetia." And on Wednesday, NATO's special representative for the Caucasus James Appathurai said "this violates the agreement and makes political progress more difficult." The State Department did not respond to a request for comment by The Cable on a formal response to the developments although a Georgian official notes that U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland did say the incursions were "in violation of international law" on Thursday.
The muted reaction "is unusual," Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow for Russian and Eurasian studies at the Heritage Foundation, said. "But it would be consistent with the U.S. engaging Russia on Syria right now."
The relative quiet is troubling some Georgian officials, who are afraid that their issues are about to get shoved aside as the American and Russian government try to work through an agreement to rid Syria of chemical weapons.
Reports of Russian troops building barbed-wire fences along the border of Ditsi emerged on Tuesday as a group journalists attempting to travel into South Ossetia witnessed the wiring of fences. Georgians accuse the troops of trying to annex as much as 500 square meters of Georgian-controlled territory and committing acts of violence against local residents, while Russia maintains that its troops are there to maintain peace in a country still recovering from its five day war with Georgia in 2008. It's not a lot of territory, of course. But Cohen said the transgression warrants a response from the State Department.
"The principle of territorial integrity is an important principle of U.S. foreign policy, which cannot tolerate countries encroaching and deciding borders unilaterally," he told The Cable. "Moreover, if European countries are objecting, then Washington needs to be singing from the same sheet of music."
Of course, the dispute is not just about Georgia. Last week, Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed to the Syria framework which could take a decade or more to complete given the intense logistical difficulties involved.  Analysts have already hailed the Russian-brokered agreement as a sly maneuver by President Vladimir Putin to avoid a U.S. military strike and bog down the U.S. in the painstaking process of arms control verification and disposal. Proponents of the deal say U.S. diplomats were nimble in responding to an opportunity that punishes Assad for using chemical weapons and doesn't further entangle the U.S. into the messy conflict.
Regardless, Russia continues to cement its influence in the Middle East and among its former Soviet neighbors. Some in Congress are beginning to notice. As of late, Russia has pressured former Soviet states into declining agreements with the European Union ahead of the EU's Eastern Partnership Summit. It's also pressuring Ukraine, Armenia and Moldova into joining its own customs union, which Eliot Engel, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee spoke out against yesterday.
"I am calling on the State Department to speak out strongly against recent attempts by Russia to prevent Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and others from strengthening their economic and political ties with Europe," Engel said in a statement. "Russia's campaign of intimidation and pressure blatantly violates the fundamental sovereignty and independence of these countries.  Each nation has the right to form its own partnerships, in keeping with its interests and values."
The developments raise the question as to whether the U.S. can successfully compartmentalize its diplomatic issues with Russia as it relies on Moscow to keep pressure on Assad to give up his chemical weapons.

Source:  http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/09/19/us_doesnt_say_much_as_russia_violates_georgias_turf

Faking It: How the Media Manipulates the World into War

This GRTV production by James Corbett was first released in January 2012. In the light of the recent media disinformation campaign in relation to Syria, we bring this carefully researched video-documentary report to the attention of GR readers. 

As the drums of war begin to beat once again in Iran, Syria, the South China Sea, and other potential hotspots and flashpoints around the globe, concerned citizens are asking how a world so sick of bloodshed and a population so tired of conflict could be led to this spot once again.

To understand this seeming paradox, we must first understand the centuries-long history of how media has been used to whip the nation into wartime frenzy, dehumanize the supposed enemies, and even to manipulate the public into believing in causes for war that, decades later, were admitted to be completely fictitious.

As the US and Iranian governments escalate tensions in the already volatile Straits of Hormuz, and China and Russia begin openly questioning Washington’s interference in their internal politics, the world remains on a knife-edge of military tension. Far from being a dispassionate observer of these developments, however, the media has in fact been central to increasing those tensions and preparing the public to expect a military confrontation. But as the online media rises to displace the traditional forms by which the public forms its understanding of the world, many are now beginning to see first hand how the media lies the public into war.…

The term “yellow journalism” was coined to describe the type of sensationalistic, scandal-driven, and often erroneous style of reporting popularized by newspapers like William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal. In one of the most egregious examples of this phenomenon, Hearst’s papers widely trumpeted the sinking of the Maine as the work of the Spanish. Whipped into an anti-Spanish frenzy by a daily torrent of stories depicting Spanish forces’ alleged torture and rape of Cubans, and pushed over the edge by the Maine incident, the public welcomed the beginning of the US-Spanish war. Although it is now widely believed that the explosion on the Maine was due to a fire in one of its coal bunkers, the initial lurid reports of Spanish involvement stuck and the nation was led into war.

In many ways, the phrase infamously attributed to Hearst in reply to his illustrator “You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war,” apocryphal as the story may be, nevertheless perfectly encodes the method by which the public would be led to war time and again through the decades.

The US was drawn into World War I by the sinking of the Lusitania, a British ocean liner carrying American passengers that was torpedoed by German U-boats off the coast of Ireland, killing over 1,000 of its passengers. What the public was not informed about at the time, of course, was that just one week before the incident, then-First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill had written to the President of the Board of Trade that it was “most important to attract neutral shipping to our shores, in the hopes especially of embroiling the United States with Germany.” Nor did reports of the attack announce that the ship was carrying rifle ammunition and other military supplies. Instead, reports once again emphasized that the attack was an out-of-the-blue strike by a maniacal enemy, and the public was led into the war.

The US involvement in World War II was likewise the result of deliberate disinformation. Although the Honolulu Advertiser had even predicted the attack on Pearl Harbor days in advance, the Japanese Naval codes had already been decipheredby that time, and that even Henry Stimson, the US Secretary of War, had noted in his diary the week before that he had discussed in a meeting with Roosevelt “how we should maneuver them [the Japanese] into the position of firing the first shot without allowing too much danger to ourselves,” the public were still led to believe that the Pearl Harbor attack had been completely unforeseen. Just last month, a newly-declassified memo emerged showing that FDR had been warned of an impending Japanese attack on Hawaii just three days before the events at Pearl Harbor, yet the history books still portray Pearl Harbor as an example of a surprise attack.

In August 1964, the public was told that the North Vietnamese had attacked a US Destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin on two separate occasions. The attacks were portrayed as a clear example of “communist aggression” and a resolution was soon passed in Congress authorizing President Johnson to begin deploying US forces in Vietnam. In 2005, an internal NSA study was released concluding that the second attack in fact never took place. In effect, 60000 American servicemen and as many as three million Vietnamese, let alone as many as 500,000 Cambodians and Laotians, lost their lives because of an incident that did not occur anywhere but in the imagination of the Johnson administration and the pages of the American media.

In 1991, the world was introduced to the emotional story of Nayirah, a Kuwaiti girl who testified about the atrocities committed by Iraqi forces in Kuwait.

What the world was never told was that the incident had in fact been the work of a public relations firm, Hill and Knowltown, and the girl had actually been the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador. Once again, the public was whipped into a frenzy of hatred for the Hussein regime, not for the documented atrocities that it had actually committed on segments of its own population with weapons supplied to them by the United States itself, but on the basis of an imaginary story told to the public via their televisions, orchestrated by a pr firm.

In the lead-up to the war on Iraq, the American media infamously took the lead in framing the debate about the Iraqi government’s weapons of mass destruction NOT as a question of whether or not they even existed, but as a question of where they had been hidden and what should be done to disarm them. The New York Times led the way with Judith Miller‘s now infamous reporting on the Iraqi WMD story, now known to have been based on false information from untrustworthy sources, but the rest of the media fell into line with the NBC Nightly News asking “what precise threat Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction pose to America”, and Time debating whether Hussein was “making a good-faith effort to disarm Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.” Reports about chemical weapons stashes were reported on before they were confirmed, although headlines boldly asserted their existence as indisputable fact. We now know that in fact the stockpiles did not exist, and the administration premeditatedly lied the country into yet another war, but the most intense opposition the Bush administration ever received over this documented war crime was some polite correction on the Sunday political talk show circuit.

Remarkably, the public at large has seemingly learned nothing from all of these documented historical manipulations. If anything, the media has become even bolder in its attempts to manipulate the public’s perceptions, perhaps emboldened by the fact that so few in the audience seem willing to question the picture that is being painted for them on the evening news.

Later that year, CNN aired footage of a bombed out Tskhinvali in South Ossetia, falsely labeling it as footage of Gori, which they said had been attacked by the Russians.

In 2009, the BBC showed a cropped image of a rally in Iran which they claimed was a crowd of protesters who assembled to show their opposition to the Iranian government. An uncropped version of the same photograph displayed on the LA Times’ website, however, revealed that the photo in fact came from a rally in support of Ahmedinejad.

In August of 2011, the BBC ran footage of what they claimed was a celebration in Tripoli’s Green Square. When sharp-eyed viewers noticed that the flags in the footage were in fact Indian flags, the BBC was forced to admit that they had “accidentally” broadcast footage from India instead of Tripoli.

Also that month, CNN reported on a story from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claiming that eight infants in incubators had died in a hospital in Hama when Syrian authorities cut off power in the area. Some news sites evencarried pictures of the infants. The images were later admitted to have been taken in Egypt and no evidence has ever emerged to back up the accusations.

As breathtaking as all of these lies, manipulations and so-called “mistakes” are, they in and of themselves don’t represent the only functions of the media for the war machine. Now, the US government is taking the lead in becoming more and more directly involved with the shaping of the media message on war propaganda, and the general public is becoming even more ensnared in a false picture of the world through the Pentagon’s own lens.

In 2005, the Bush White House admitted to producing videos that were designed to look like news reports from legitimate independent journalists, and then feeding those reports to media outlets as prepackaged material ready to air on the evening news. When the Government Accountability Office ruled that these fake news reports in fact constituted illegal covert propaganda, the White House simply issued a memo declaring the practice to be legal.

In April 2008, the New York Times revealed a secret US Department of Defense program that was launched in 2002 and involved using retired military officers to implant Pentagon talking points in the media. The officers were presented as “independent analysts” on talk shows and news programs, although they had been specially briefed beforehand by the Pentagon. In December of 2011, the DoD’s own Inspector General released a report concluding that the program was in perfect compliance with government policies and regulations.

Earlier this year, it was revealed the the US government had contracted with HBGary Federal to develop software that create fake social media accounts in order to steer public opinion and promote propaganda on popular websites. The federal contract for the software sourced back to the MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

As the vehicle through which information from the outside world is captured, sorted, edited and transmitted into our homes, the mass media has the huge responsibility of shaping and informing our understanding of events to which we don’t have first-hand access. This is an awesome responsibility in even the most ideal conditions, with diligent reporters guided by trustworthy editors doing their level best to report the most important news in the most straightforward way.

But in a media landscape where a handful of companies own virtually all of the print, radio and television media in each nation, the only recourse the public has is to turn away from the mainstream media altogether. And that is precisely what is happening.

As study after study and report after report has shown, the death of the old media has accelerated in recent years, with more and more people abandoning newspapers and now even television as their main source of news. Instead, the public is increasingly turning toward online sources for their news and information, something that is necessarily worrying for the war machine itself, a system that can only truly flourish when the propaganda arm is held under monopolistic control.

But as citizens turn away from the New York Times and toward independent websites, many run and maintained by citizen journalists and amateur editors, the system that has consolidated its control over the minds of the public for generations seems to finally be showing signs that it may not be invincible.

Surely this is not to say that online media is impervious to the defects that have made the traditional media so unreliable. Quite the contrary. But the difference is that online, there is still for the time being relative freedom of choice at the individual level. While internet freedom exists, individual readers and viewers don’t have to take the word of any website or pundit or commentator on any issue. They can check the source documentation themselves, except, perhaps not coincidentally, on the websites of the traditional media bastions, which tend not to link source material and documentation in their articles.

Hence the SOPA Act, Protect IP, the US government’s attempts to seize websites at the domain name level, and all of the other concerted attacks we have seen on internet freedoms in recent years.

Because ultimately, an informed and engaged public is far less likely to go along with wars waged for power and profit. And as the public becomes better informed about the very issues that the media has tried to lie to them about for so long, they realize that the answer to all of the mainstream media’s war cheerleading and blatant manipulation is perhaps simpler than we ever suspected: All we have to do is turn them off.

Source:  http://www.globalresearch.ca/faking-it-how-the-media-manipulates-the-world-into-war/5336838

Young Nairobians fall into Illuminati trap

After months of investigations, The Nairobian has established that the secret society Illuminati is vibrant in the city and is now attracting hundreds of desperate unemployed young people.
Young men who The Nairobian has had contact with have even promised to pay thousands of shillings to join the society which is believed to offer money and power.
But as alleged recruiters of the secret society lure many young people to become members, others who claim to be linked to the organisation are involved in a massive scam on Facebook.
It is believed many of those enthusiastic about joining the sect have lost money through the scam.
Peter, a young man who sells mogoka in Rongai town, is willing to give a blood sacrifice of anyone including his family members and Sh50,000 as a registration fee to join Illuminati.
“I feel that Illuminati is interesting,” Peter said during a phone interview on September 11 with The Nairobian when we posed as recruiters of the secretive and satanic organisation.
“I want to join so as to make money. I am tired of being jobless and broke.”
He is among jobless youth willing to make any sacrifice to put a meal on the table.
Although, the Illuminati, founded in Europe in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment, was a society of intellectuals with an active interest in science, young Kenyans, jobless and fresh graduates are using every means to join the organisation.
Does Illuminati really exist? Is it still active around the world? Are there Illuminati members in Kenya?
For the last three months, The Nairobian has been investigating the Illuminati issue.  Last month, we believed that we had reached a dead end.

However, when pursuing information on devil worshippers we also came across contacts of people, predominantly the youth, wanting to join the Illuminati in search of power, money and influence.
We picked 20 phone numbers and started the intriguing journey to contact them.
The first four phone calls were not picked. On Wednesday evening, we were lucky when a man who uses Zac Babel, a Moi University student, as his Facebook name picked his mobile phone.
“Hi Zac, you contacted us a while back about joining us. However, you went silent. Are you still interested?” The writer asked after identifying himself as a member of Illuminati.
“That was such a long time,” he replied. “There is a way through which I managed to get in. I am now a full Illuminati member. I have been a member for about one year and a half.”
The answer was so shocking that colleagues in the newsroom who were seated next to the writer as he made the phone call went dead silent.
“There is no problem if you have already joined us,” I pressed on. “So, can I invite you to our meeting at our temple?”
“I don’t have any problem attending the meeting as long as you follow the set down rules and regulations,” he answered back. “You must know about the procedures involved when calling other members to your meeting.”
As we pressed further, Zac started responding with more caution.
“What is your registration number so that I may know where you belong?” he asked.
For the first time, it hit us that we needed a registration number so as to keep the conversation going. What could such a registration number be? Would it be starting with a number, letter or symbol?
“Let me email you the details. I still have your contacts,” I answered quickly so as to save myself from being cornered with the registration number issue.

Such revelations are shocking in a country where majority of the population are Christians.
From our investigations, we have established that there is a growing number of young people willing to join the secretive society.
They range from university students who believe that it will be easier for them to get jobs, jobless graduates who want money to start their own businesses, up-coming musicians looking for fame to business people who want to become billionaires overnight.
There are groups on various social networks that claim to recruit individuals to join devil worship and the Illuminati.
“The Illuminati is the secret society responsible for the development of the cultural operating system behind every decisions, big or small, you have ever made in your entire life. A select, yet growing group of massively successful entrepreneurs, musicians, actors and other high-ranking social placeholders make up the Illuminati,” the Facebook group Kenya Illuminati describes the secret organisation.
From our investigations, the Umbrastar (an official of the fraternal brotherhood) of Illuminati visited Africa in April.
“I have a good news for you now that you have come for your rescue: if you are in Africa, ‘umbrastar’ is now there in the following cities; Nairobi, Acra, Johanesburg, Cairo, Abuja, for more details email the prince’s; blueivy97@yahoo.com,” a message that was sent across the Illuminati network reads.
In one of the Facebook groups, a user by the name EliestCash Prince Juma writes, “I wanna join bro,even nw jst shw me that way n i will follow. Tired of being a looser.”
The Facebook group, Illuminati in Kenya, has 177 likes. Its members abuse God with one of them writing, “How can I join, am so tired with foolish god.”
According to the Facebook Group, Illuminati in Kenya, the society is divided into two big groups – Banking and Money Group and Secret Societies Group.
Other groups include political, intelligence, religious and education groups.
Another Facebook group is the Kenya Devil Worshipers and Illuminati JOIN NOW has 1,047 likes.

The recruitment is also a massive con business. One of the alleged recruiters is known as Mark Wills who wrote to us. “Join the Illuminati and have all your heart desires come through, Fast cars, Spot Lights, Money, Influence and power. Earn $250000 monthly for becoming a member and $1000000 for doing what you like to do.”
A man identified as Steven MaCain tried to explain. “They charge about $70 to $100 depending on your occupation and age... You can check their recruitment website,” he wrote.

Source:  http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000093466&story_title=young-nairobians-fall-into-illuminati-trap

Russia adds 3 ships to naval fleet near Syria, more than doubling U.S. presence

MOSCOW — The Russian Navy plans to send a task force to the eastern Mediterranean that would outnumber the U.S. presence in the region.
The Russian Navy said it would deploy 10 warships in the eastern Mediterranean near Syria. Officials said seven surface vessels were already in the region.

“The tasks are very clear: to avoid the slightest threat to the borders and national security,” Russian Navy commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov said.
In a briefing on Sept. 13, Chirkov identified the three ships that were being sent near the Syrian coast. They are the Moskva guided-missile cruiser, the Smetlivy destroyer and the Nikolai Filchenkov assault ship.
“This is the practice of all navies of the world — to be located where the level of tension is increasing,” Chirkov said.
“They [ships] are all acting according to the operational command plan of the offshore maritime zone.”
The Russian plan would deploy a naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean that was more than double that of the U.S. Navy. By mid-September, the U.S. Navy’s European Command, hampered by budget restrictions, sent four warships near Syria.
The Russian announcement came hours before Moscow and Washington reached agreement on the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile. That agreement suspended U.S. plans for an imminent air strike on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The Russian presence was part of a Kremlin plan to deploy a permanent
task force in the eastern Mediterranean. Officials said the Russian Navy
began its buildup in 2012, and in May 2013 the warships came under a single
task force.
Officials said Moskva was scheduled to arrive in the eastern
Mediterranean on Sept. 16. They said some of the ships could receive
supplies from the Syrian port of Tartous, the only Russian Navy facility
abroad.

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Source:  http://www.worldtribune.com/2013/09/16/russian-add-3-ships-to-naval-fleet-near-syria-more-than-doubling-u-s-presence/

(US chemical weapons) 2,600 tons of mustard gas in Colorado

The US started developing chemical weapons around World War I, steadily increasing its capabilities through World War II until 1968. The stockpile grew to about 31,500 tons of sarin, VX, mustard gas and other agents, according to the Army. Russia, by comparison, has said it amassed about 44,000 tons. The move toward destroying the United States' chemical weapons started in the 1970s, building momentum in the 1980s when Congress directed the Defense Department to start eliminating the stockpile. That commitment became an international obligation when the US signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993 and ratified it four years later. That started the clock on a 10-year period in which the US was supposed to destroy the rest of its chemical weapons. The process is complex. The two basic methods _ chemical neutralization and incineration _ both require specialized facilities. Using incineration, chemicals must be heated to thousands of degrees. Decades-old storage containers can be leaky and tough to handle. Destruction produces highly hazardous waste that must be carefully stored. And assembled weapons, like those chemicals already loaded into rockets and packed with explosives, pose their own dangers. The army used to destroy chemical weapons at nine sites across the country. By January 2012, troops had completed 90 percent of the job, and only two active sites now remain. In an arid stretch of desert about 64 kilometers south of Colorado Springs, Colorado, sits the Pueblo Chemical Depot. The army says that's where about 2,600 tons of mustard gas is situated in projectiles and mortar cartridges. The destruction facility is finished but still being tested, with plans to start operations in 2015. The depot employs more than 900 people and is expected to end its work by 2019. The other site, just outside Richmond, Ky., isn't as far along. The destruction plant at the Blue Grass Army Depot is only about 70 percent complete as of this summer, and the army doesn't expect to open it until 2020. Work at Blue Grass to destroy 523 tons of nerve and blister agents stored in rockets and projectiles should wrap up by 2023, if everything goes as planned. The US has long since missed its original 2007 deadline, which was extended to 2012, then missed again. Russia is behind schedule too. –AP   Source:

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=40844&icid=4&d_str=

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Russia’s naval Syria deployment largest since Soviet times

Russia has dispatched a “carrier killer” missile cruiser and other ships to the eastern Mediterranean in its largest naval deployment since Soviet times. The move comes as the US secretary of state, John Kerry, and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, examine Moscow’s plan to place Syrian chemical weapons under international control. Both Russia and the US have been beefing up their naval presence in the Med over the past several weeks.
The destroyer Smetlivy left a naval base in Sevastopol, Ukraine, on Tuesday on a mission to the Syrian coast, a military source told the state news agency Interfax on Thursday.
The source said the Smetlivy would travel to the Mediterranean with the amphibious assault ship Nikolai Filchenkov, which left Novorossiysk on Monday carrying unidentified supplies for the Damascus government.
The missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, is also on its way to the Syrian coast to lead the Russian force there. The ship is reportedly known as a “carrier-killer” because it is outfitted with Vulkan missiles, that are designed to destroy large ships.
Observers have speculated that the buildup is in preparation for an evacuation of Russian citizens in Syria or even to repel a possible US attack against the Assad regime. According to a scientist working on military research, who asked not to be named, the deployment will put Russia in a position to evacuate its citizens currently in Syria and serve as a deterrent against military actions by Turkey and other players in the region.
“The demonstration of strength, the demonstration of the flag, is an additional argument for Russia to be seen as important player,” they said. However, the Russian fleet will not be able to stop an American missile or aircraft strike against Syria, they added
Ruslan Pukhov, the director of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said that the Mediterranean force is part the biggest deployment of Russian ships worldwide in the post-Soviet era. However, Pukhov denied that the concentration of ships in the eastern Mediterranean was a direct reaction to the growing tensions over the Syrian conflict.
“The rest of the Russian navy is now exercising all over the globe, including a visit to Australia, and all of these were planned months before and are not a reaction to events in Syria … in the past two months,” Pukhov said.

In recent months, Russian ships have also conducted training exercises in the Barents Sea and in the Pacific Ocean near Kamchatka. At the end of August, it was reported that the missile cruiser Varyag and two other ships were preparing to set out for the south Pacific to make the Russian navy’s first-ever visit to Sydney and to conduct joint exercises with the Australian navy.
Moscow dispatched ships to the Med starting in late August, but officials have maintained that the deployments are routine and not part of a naval buildup. The size of the fleet there has nonetheless increased: Russian forces in the Med will grow to 11 ships by mid September, the newspaper RBC Daily reported.
The US navy deployed an additional destroyer – its fifth – to the eastern Mediterranean at the end of August. The force could launch Tomahawk missiles at targets in Syria if Barack Obama orders an attack.
Retired admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, chairman of the defence committee of the state Duma and the former commander of the Black Sea fleet, told RBC Daily that the increased Russian presence is a demonstration of force that will nonetheless not be able to match US strength in the eastern Mediterranean.
“The fact that we’re building up our forces on the Syrian coast is the normal reaction of a government whose interests there are being interfered with,” Komoyedov said. “But unfortunately, the force we’ve assembled there is made up of pretty aged ships built 30 years ago. To compete with the United States, we need a fresh horse.”

Guardian

Source: http://www.yalibnan.com/2013/09/12/russias-naval-deployment-in-syria-largest-since-soviet-times/