May 31, 2014

Sudanese woman sentenced to die for Christian faith to be freed, report says

Published May 31, 2014

The Sudanese woman sentenced to death earlier this month after refusing to renounce her Christian faith will reportedly be freed in the next few days.

A foreign ministry official told the BBC that Meriam Ibrahim, 27, is guaranteed religious freedom in the country, despite a judge's earlier ruling that she should be hanged for apostasy.

Ibrahim gave birth to a girl early Tuesday at a prison clinic in Omdurman, near Khartoum, one of her attorneys told FoxNews.com by phone.

She also faces 100 lashes for adultery – for being intimate with her husband, Daniel Wani, who fled to the United States as a child to escape the civil war in southern Sudan, but later returned.

International outrage against Ibrahim’s sentence has grown significantly in recent weeks, as more than a million people signed online petitions protesting the sentence. One such effort on Change.org has garnered more than 630,000 signatures as of Friday, and Amnesty International officials have characterized the punishment doled out by a judge to be a “flagrant breach” of international human rights law. It’s also a violation of Sudan’s own Constitution, according to the State Department.

It is not clear what diplomatic pressure the U.S. can bring to bear on Khartoum. Although American taxpayers send roughly $300 million per year in economic aid, the help is largely in the form of food and medicine. Cutting it off would only hurt the people, and not the regime of President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court.

Fox News' Joshua Rhett Miller contributed to this report

9:39 AM, MAY 30, 2014 • BY DANIEL HALPER

Startling charts from the Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee about male participation in the labor force, particularly men between the ages of 25-54:

"There are currently 61.1 million American men in their prime working years, age 25–54. A staggering 1 in 8 such men are not in the labor force at all, meaning they are neither working nor looking for work. This is an all-time high dating back to when records were first kept in 1955. An additional 2.9 million men are in the labor force but not employed (i.e., they would work if they could find a job). A total of 10.2 million individuals in this cohort, therefore, are not holding jobs in the U.S. economy today. There are also nearly 3 million more men in this age group not working today than there were before the recession began," the Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee claim.

"Although defenders of the current economy attribute shrinking labor force participation to the increasing pace of retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, these new statistics above confirm a trend that Barron’s recently diagnosed: 'The ratio of those over 55 in the workforce actually ticked up'—in other words, older Americans are being forced to return to work in a poor economy to make ends meet while many younger Americans simply aren’t working at all. In short, there is an unprecedented supply of working-age Americans who do not hold jobs."

May 30, 2014

Dinesh D'Souza's 'America' warns Hillary Clinton will 'finish off' the country

BY PAUL BEDARD | MAY 30, 2014 | 1:51 PM

In his highly anticipated new book and movie "America," conservative author Dinesh D'Souza is warning that Hillary Clinton won't be a clone of her moderate husband, but will instead take the baton fromPresident Obama to continue radicalizing the country and “undo the nation's founding ideals.”

"America -- Imagine a World Without Her," published by Regnery and set for release Monday, charges that as students of radical organizer Saul Alinsky, Obama and Clinton could have enough time to “unmake and then remake America” into a nation the founding fathers wouldn't recognize.

“They may not be responsible for the suicide of America, but they certainly will have helped to finish off a certain way of life in America, and they will leave us with a country unrecognizable not only to Washington and Jefferson but also to those of us who grew up in the 20th century,” wrote D’Souza.

“If they succeed, there may be no going back. Then it will be their America, not ours, and we will be a people bereft of a country, with no place to go,” he adds on page 87.

“America” is D’Souza’s latest book and movie on how he sees progressive politics hurting the nation. He also created the movie “2016: Obama’s America,” which was the second highest-grossing political documentary.

An advance copy of the book provided to Secrets suggests that progressives aim to remake the nation into one that is less powerful, less wealthy and less influential. If that happens, he warns, “We have committed national suicide.”

He focuses on Obama’s and Clinton’s links to Alinsky in a chapter titled “The Plan.” He claims the two followed the radical’s master plan that they hide their views and ideas until they get into power.

“If you see early pictures and video of Hillary, she looks and sounds like a former hippie. Overtime, however, Hillary started dressing like a respectable middle-class mother and speaking in a clipped, moderate sounding voice. Young Barack Obama, too, looked like a bit of a street thug -- in his own words, he could have been Trayvon Martin. Over time, however, Obama started dressing impeccably and even practiced modulating his voice,” the popular author writes.

“Hillary and Obama have both learned the Alinsky lesson that your should aggressively pursue power while pretending to be motivated by altruism,” he added.

“More importantly, Hillary and Obama both adopted Alinsky’s strategic counsel to sound mainstream, even when you aren’t,” wrote D’Souza. “These are the ways in which our two Alinskyites make themselves palatable to the American middle class, which to this day has no idea how hostile Hillary and Obama are to middle-class values.

“If Hillary Clinton is elected in 2016, the baton will have passed from one Alinskyite to another. In this case, Alinsky’s influence will have taken on a massive, almost unimaginable, importance. Obama will have had eight years to remake America, and Hillary will have another four or perhaps eight to complete the job,” he wrote.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted atpbedard@washingtonexaminer.com.

May 29, 2014

That West Antarctic melting couldn’t be caused by volcanoes could it?

We’re all doomed:

West Antarctic ice sheet collapse ‘unstoppable’[ABC]

Irreversible Changes Now Affect Antarctica and the World[Live-science]

‘Nothing can stop retreat’ of West Antarctic glaciers[BBC, By Jonathan Amos]

West Antarctic ice collapse ‘could drown Middle East and Asia crops’[The Guardian, Suzanne Goldenberg]

Antarctica’s ice collapse threatens metres of sea level rise within decades [The Ecologist]

Global warming: it’s a point of no return in West Antarctica.[The Guardian Eric Rignot]

“Last week saw a ‘holy shit’ moment in climate change science. A landmark report revealed that the collapse of a large part of Antarctica is now unstoppable”

What else is going on in West Antarctica? Oh. Look where those volcanoes are…

Guess which science correspondent mentioned the word “volcano”? None of the above. Did any of those responsible publicly funded climate scientists mentioned it in their press releases? (A gold star to anyone who can find one). Lucky Antarctic volcanoes are not hot.

Thanks especially to Janama, Jaypac, John, Sophocles and Tom. That is what comments are for!

Locations of volcanoes in Antarctica known to have been active since the peak of the last ice age (the Last Glacial Maximum)

Map Source: The Conversation. See also: Subglacial volcanoes

Despite the 95% certainty of doom, it’s not like we have all the data on heat sources in Antarctica either. Until November last year we didn’t even know one particular volcano was smoldering under a kilometer of ice in West Antarctica.

Do volcanoes melt much ice? Could be…

“Eruptions at this site are unlikely to penetrate the 1.2 to 2-km-thick overlying ice, but would generate large volumes of melt water that could significantly affect ice stream flow.” Lough et al 2013

The fastest warming areas of Antarctica — the Peninsula and West Antarctica are part of the Pacific Rim of Fire. Not worth a mention in any “news” service? Not the right kind of propaganda…

Remember — if it’s broadcast on the ABC, BBC or CBC, the whole chain of one-sided-information is fully government funded. They have specialist science units trained not to ask hard questions.

Antarctic Doom in a nutshell:

The Cryosat study telling us melting was twice as fast as expected had only 3 whole years of data.
Longer studies (800 years) show that this has all happened before.
The same areas that are warming the fastest happen to be over areas of volcanic activity. (Compare the warming below to the volcano’s above).

Warming Trends in Antarctica NASA, Earth Observatory 1957 – 2006. In the same location as the volcanic chain above. Hm?

[NASA] This image, based on the analysis of weather station and satellite data, shows the continent-wide warming trend from 1957 through 2006. Dark red over West Antarctica reflects that the region warmed most per decade. Most of the rest of the continent is orange, indicating a smaller warming trend, or white, where no change was observed. The underlying land surface color is based on the Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA) data set, while the topography is from a Radarsat-based digital elevation model. Sea ice extent in the Southern Ocean surrounding the continent is based on data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) collected on May 14, 2008 (late fall in the Southern Hemisphere).

Coming soon: Yale / UWA / UQ study looking at whether a carbon tax can reduce volcanic activity…

I see Anthony Watts pointed out this coincidence a long time ago.

REFERENCE

Heavy Hitters: Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2014

This list includes the organizations that have historically qualified as "heavy hitters" — groups that lobby and spend big, with large sums sent to candidates, parties and leadership PACs. Individuals and organizations have been able to make extremely large donations to outside spending groups in the last few years. While contributions to outside groups like super PACs do not factor into an organization's designation as a "heavy hitter" (a listing of about 150 groups), those numbers are included for the roster below.

For example, this list does not include casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. He and his wife Miriam donated nearly $93 million in 2012 alone to conservative super PACs — enough to put him at No. 2 on this list. Similarly, the list excludes former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has donated more than $19 million in the past two years, largely to groups that support gun control. Neither Adelson nor Bloomberg — or the organizations they report as their employers — qualifies as a "heavy hitter" under our current definition. It's also important to note that we aren't including donations to politically active dark money groups, like Americans for Prosperity, a group linked to the Koch brothers, or the liberal group Patriot Majority — because these groups hide their donors; see a list of top donors that we've been able to identify to such groups. We are working to revise this list to take into account the new realities of campaign finance created by the Citizens United decision, but as it currently stands, there are significant omissions.

It is also worth noting that certain organizations, such as ActBlue and Club for Growth, are included although they function for the most part as pass-through entities: individual donors give to them with the contributions earmarked for specific candidates.

LEGEND: Republican Democrat On the fence
	= Between 40% and 59% to both parties = Leans Dem/Repub (60%-69%) = Strongly Dem/Repub (70%-89%) = Solidly Dem/Repub (over 90%)

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% as money can be given to third party
candidates or outside spending groups and PACs not affiliated with either party.
Rank	Organization	Total '89-'14	Dem %	Repub %
1	ActBlue	$102,669,137	99%	0%
2	American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees	$61,819,929	80%	1%
3	National Education Assn	$58,988,290	56%	4%
4	AT&T Inc	$57,026,335	41%	57%
5	National Assn of Realtors	$55,559,528	41%	44%
6	Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers	$45,572,151	91%	2%
7	Goldman Sachs	$45,270,985	53%	44%
8	United Auto Workers	$41,923,428	71%	0%
9	Carpenters & Joiners Union	$41,577,299	71%	9%
10	Service Employees International Union	$38,711,298	84%	2%
11	Laborers Union	$38,401,420	83%	7%
12	American Federation of Teachers	$37,271,825	89%	0%
13	Communications Workers of America	$36,472,773	86%	0%
14	Teamsters Union	$36,355,957	88%	5%
15	JPMorgan Chase & Co	$35,122,566	47%	51%
16	United Food & Commercial Workers Union	$34,172,703	86%	0%
17	United Parcel Service	$32,687,492	35%	64%
18	Citigroup Inc	$32,519,262	48%	50%
19	National Auto Dealers Assn	$32,267,410	31%	68%
20	EMILY's List	$31,892,295	98%	0%
21	American Bankers Assn	$31,629,002	36%	63%
22	AFL-CIO	$31,597,075	60%	3%
23	Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union	$31,407,747	98%	1%
24	American Medical Assn	$30,175,387	40%	59%
25	Microsoft Corp	$29,718,801	55%	43%
26	Blue Cross/Blue Shield	$29,598,024	36%	63%
27	National Beer Wholesalers Assn	$29,457,760	35%	64%
28	General Electric	$28,600,823	47%	52%
29	National Assn of Home Builders	$27,891,848	34%	65%
30	Lockheed Martin	$27,655,369	42%	57%
31	Bank of America	$27,265,950	41%	57%
32	Morgan Stanley	$26,375,897	42%	56%
33	National Assn of Letter Carriers	$26,362,109	84%	9%
34	Verizon Communications	$26,025,007	40%	58%
35	Deloitte LLP	$25,451,447	36%	63%
36	Plumbers & Pipefitters Union	$24,684,398	83%	4%
37	Credit Union National Assn	$24,555,655	47%	51%
38	Newsweb Corp	$24,546,871	40%	0%
39	Operating Engineers Union	$23,705,723	82%	14%
40	Ernst & Young	$23,596,351	42%	57%
41	International Assn of Fire Fighters	$23,304,560	79%	16%
42	American Hospital Assn	$23,203,351	52%	46%
43	Time Warner	$23,063,677	73%	25%
44	PricewaterhouseCoopers	$22,770,631	35%	64%
45	Sheet Metal Workers Union	$22,676,178	95%	2%
46	Boeing Co	$22,112,183	46%	52%
47	American Dental Assn	$22,102,908	43%	54%
48	UBS AG	$21,765,986	40%	58%
49	Altria Group	$21,548,432	29%	69%
50	Comcast Corp	$21,017,234	56%	43%
51	Northrop Grumman	$20,330,101	42%	57%
52	Honeywell International	$20,214,400	44%	54%
53	AFLAC Inc	$20,151,059	43%	56%
54	Pfizer Inc	$20,126,269	35%	64%
55	Air Line Pilots Assn	$19,923,047	82%	17%
56	National Rifle Assn	$19,894,153	17%	82%
57	Union Pacific Corp	$19,830,643	27%	72%
58	Natl Assn/Insurance & Financial Advisors	$19,592,624	41%	58%
59	Koch Industries	$18,446,823	8%	91%
60	American Assn for Justice	$18,337,858	80%	3%
61	American Postal Workers Union	$18,033,408	86%	2%
62	Club for Growth	$17,767,232	0%	95%
63	Raytheon Co	$17,628,034	43%	55%
64	Ironworkers Union	$17,626,840	92%	6%
65	United Steelworkers	$17,450,830	94%	0%
66	Credit Suisse Group	$17,411,840	41%	57%
67	United Transportation Union	$17,320,750	87%	11%
68	New York Life Insurance	$17,279,357	49%	50%
69	National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn	$16,926,890	47%	52%
70	FedEx Corp	$16,904,627	39%	59%
71	General Dynamics	$16,852,677	46%	53%
72	Akin, Gump et al	$16,714,100	62%	37%
73	American Institute of CPAs	$16,221,545	41%	58%
74	National Air Traffic Controllers Assn	$16,216,800	77%	20%
75	Chevron	$15,930,380	19%	64%
76	National Cable & Telecommunications Assn	$15,758,510	47%	52%
77	Anheuser-Busch	$15,757,263	48%	51%
78	Reynolds American	$15,617,048	22%	77%
79	Exxon Mobil	$15,306,377	13%	85%
80	Wal-Mart Stores	$15,234,332	32%	67%
81	KPMG LLP	$15,200,903	34%	65%
82	DLA Piper	$15,053,278	68%	31%
83	Merrill Lynch	$14,881,817	37%	62%
84	GlaxoSmithKline	$14,692,693	30%	69%
85	CSX Corp	$14,613,830	34%	65%
86	News Corp	$14,258,063	58%	41%
87	Walt Disney Co	$14,253,507	68%	30%
88	Wells Fargo	$14,040,360	36%	62%
89	American Financial Group	$14,004,235	15%	73%
90	Indep Insurance Agents & Brokers/America	$13,961,400	34%	64%
91	American Health Care Assn	$13,900,328	51%	48%
92	Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance	$13,868,204	39%	60%
93	University of California	$13,813,509	89%	9%
94	American Crystal Sugar	$13,765,209	61%	38%
95	Associated Builders & Contractors	$13,710,832	1%	98%
96	Prudential Financial	$13,528,813	48%	50%
97	American Society of Anesthesiologists	$13,497,537	41%	58%
98	WPP Group	$13,416,734	53%	45%
99	Southern Co	$13,308,489	28%	70%
100	National Restaurant Assn	$12,785,391	16%	82%
101	Securities Industry & Financial Mkt Assn	$12,599,598	40%	59%
102	Human Rights Campaign	$12,348,409	89%	8%
103	American Optometric Assn	$12,240,683	57%	42%
104	MetLife Inc	$12,236,761	51%	47%
105	Home Depot	$12,178,415	25%	74%
106	American Academy of Ophthalmology	$12,021,708	50%	49%
107	United Technologies	$11,903,194	46%	52%
108	Natl Active & Retired Fed Employees Assn	$11,833,700	78%	21%
109	Eli Lilly & Co	$11,770,205	31%	67%
110	Saban Capital Group	$11,733,772	89%	0%
111	General Motors	$11,498,739	39%	60%
112	National Assn of Broadcasters	$11,420,039	44%	55%
113	Associated General Contractors	$11,335,397	14%	85%
114	Painters & Allied Trades Union	$11,327,480	85%	12%
115	American Maritime Officers	$11,161,331	46%	53%
116	Ford Motor Co	$10,948,747	39%	60%
117	UST Inc	$10,932,393	22%	77%
118	Exelon Corp	$10,822,095	42%	56%
119	Skadden, Arps et al	$10,806,209	77%	22%
120	Independent Community Bankers of America	$10,709,335	42%	57%
121	Seafarers International Union	$10,566,343	83%	16%
122	AIG	$10,549,205	49%	50%
123	Amway/Alticor Inc	$10,511,613	0%	96%
124	National Cmte to Preserve Social Security & Medicare	$10,428,606	82%	17%
125	Freddie Mac	$10,298,609	43%	56%
126	MBNA Corp	$10,280,913	16%	83%
127	Patton Boggs LLP	$10,228,956	72%	27%
128	American Airlines	$10,197,706	43%	56%
129	Blackstone Group	$10,049,253	45%	51%
130	American Trucking Assns	$10,041,068	27%	72%
131	American Physical Therapy Assn	$9,991,483	49%	50%
132	BellSouth Corp	$9,804,479	43%	56%
133	National Fedn of Independent Business	$9,725,684	6%	93%
134	Lehman Brothers	$9,725,364	52%	46%
135	Greenberg Traurig LLP	$9,616,536	62%	37%
136	Amalgamated Transit Union	$9,608,718	93%	6%
137	Harvard University	$9,574,356	87%	12%
138	American Council of Life Insurers	$9,567,128	38%	61%
139	Transport Workers Union	$9,560,399	95%	4%
140	MGM Resorts International	$9,554,692	44%	50%
141	Archer Daniels Midland	$9,451,317	42%	57%
142	Aircraft Owners & Pilots Assn	$9,342,513	43%	56%
143	Fannie Mae	$9,141,977	53%	46%
144	National Rural Letter Carriers Assn	$9,032,100	71%	28%
145	Wachovia Corp	$8,572,244	30%	69%
146	National Cmte for an Effective Congress	$8,447,690	99%	0%
147	Interpublic Group	$8,330,017	65%	33%
148	Marine Engineers Beneficial Assn	$8,190,179	73%	25%
149	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$7,971,249	23%	76%
150	MCI Inc	$7,659,436	45%	54%
151	Bear Stearns	$7,287,973	55%	43%
152	BP	$6,952,952	30%	69%
153	Enron Corp	$6,546,528	28%	71%
154	Andersen	$6,267,620	37%	62%
155	Vivendi	$5,999,018	61%	32%
156	Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp	$5,542,281	36%	62%

Based on data released by the FEC on April 20, 2014.

Occupy Wall Street Useful Idiots.