for life and liberty

Syrian Christians ‘pray for peace’

"In the heart of Damascus, more than 1,000 people attended Christmas mass on Monday, praying for peace to return to Syria, after almost two years of bloodshed. The church entrance was thinly decorated, a far cry from the usually ornate facade that welcomes the faithful. But a donations box at the entrance gives away the sea-change that Syria has suffered ever since the outbreak of an anti-regime revolt in March last year. Many Christians have remained neutral in a conflict estimated to have killed more than 44,000 people. Most church leaders have taken President Bashar al-Assad’s side, for fear of the rise of Islamic extremism." Continue reading →

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Glenn Greenwald: Newtown kids v Yemenis and Pakistanis: what explains the disparate reactions?

"It's easy to express rage over the Newtown shooting because so few of us bear any responsibility for it and there is ultimately little we can do to stop psychotic individuals from snapping. Fury is easy because it's easy to tell ourselves that the perpetrator has so little to do with us and our actions. Exactly the opposite is true for the violence that continuously kills children and other innocent people in the Muslim world. Many of us empowered and cheer for the person responsible for that. US citizens pay for it, enable it, and now under Obama, most at the very least acquiesce to it if not support it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Newtown kids v Yemenis and Pakistanis: what explains the disparate reactions?

We Love You – Iran & Israel

"I don't even know you. No Iranian ever did me no harm. I never even met an Iranian...Just one in Paris in a museum. Nice dude. My name is Ronny, I'm 41 years old. I'm a father, a teacher, a Graphic Designer. I'm an Israeli citizen and I need your help. Lately, in the news, we've been hearing about a war coming while we, the people are sitting, watching like it has nothing to do with us. On March 15th, I posted a poster on Facebook. The message was simple. Iranians. We love you. We will never bomb your country." Continue reading →

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Christianity ‘close to extinction’ in Middle East

"The report, entitled Christianophobia, highlights a fear among oppressive regimes that Christianity is a 'Western creed' which can be used to undermine them. State hostility towards Christianity is particularly rife in China, where more Christians are imprisoned than in any other country in the world, according to the report. It claims George Bush’s use of the word 'crusade' after the September 11 attacks on New York created the impression for Muslims in the Middle East of a 'Christian assault on the Muslim world'." Continue reading →

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US deploying troops to 35 African countries

"The United States Army will be deploying troops to nearly three-dozen African nations in the coming year. Soldiers based out of Fort Riley, Kansas’ 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division will begin training in March 2013 in order to prepare for a project that will send troops to as many as 35 African nations. Citing a growing threat from extremist groups, including those with ties to al-Qaeda, the Department of Defense is hoping to install American soldiers overseas in order to prepare local troops there for any future crises as tensions escalate." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS deploying troops to 35 African countries

UN Takes on Al Qaeda in Mali

"War and more war. There are plenty of questions about the legitimacy of what is about to occur. It all begins with the Tuaregs, a blue-daubed fierce tribe of warriors who are part of the larger Berber peoples that were recognized by the UN in the 1990s as legitimate claimants of the northern African Maghreb that spans Tunisia, Libya, Niger and Algeria. After the destabilization of Libya, a Tuareg rebellion took place throughout the African Maghreb and also destabilized parts of Mali. What is evident is that the fighting between secularist Tuaregs and Islamic Tuaregs has now resolved itself in favor the Islamic factions. And this is supposedly the reason for the UN involvement." Continue reading →

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8-child family defies China’s one-child policy

"China’s one-child rule has numerous critics, but perhaps none have so emphatically defied the policy as a couple who have accumulated four boys and four girls — some born to two surrogate mothers. Authorities are calculating how high a fine to impose on the family, described as 'rich merchants' in the southern province of Guangdong, estimating that it could reach 10 times their annual income. While the triplets born to the mother via artificial insemination were deemed legal, they were delivered in Hong Kong — a popular option for wealthy Chinese who want to secure residency there for their children and evade the mainland China quota." Continue reading →

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Asian economies turn to yuan

"A 'renminbi bloc' has been formed in East Asia, as nations in the region abandon the US dollar and peg their currency to the Chinese yuan — a major signal of China's successful bid to internationalize its currency, a research report has said. Seven out of 10 economies in the region — including South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand — track the renminbi more closely than they do the US dollar. Only three economies in the group — Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Mongolia — still have currencies following the dollar more closely than the renminbi, said the report, posted on the institute's website." Continue reading →

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Kyle Bass at AC2012: The Engtanglement

"Kyle Bass is the managing director and principal of Hayman Advisors LP’s, general partnership which was formed in December 2005. Kyle Bass is also a mortgage credit portfolio advisor to few asset management companies and manages or advises over $4 billion of investments in the residential mortgage-backed securities market. Mr. Bass is also a Director of the Asset Backed Securities at Credit Derivatives Users Association. He is also a member of the Serengeti Asset Management Advisory Board and is a member of the endowment’s board of the University of Texas Investment Management Co which bought $1 billion Gold bars in 2011." Continue reading →

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Tiny gold bars latest rage for jittery investors

"Private investors in Switzerland, Austria and Germany are lining up to buy gold bars the size of a credit card that can easily be broken into one gram pieces and used as payment in an emergency. Now Swiss refinery Valcambi, a unit of U.S. mining giant Newmont, wants to bring its 'CombiBar' to market in the United States and build up its sales presence India - the world's largest consumer of gold where the precious metal has long served as a parallel currency. The 'CombiBar' - which has been dubbed a 'chocolate bar' because pieces can be easily broken off by hand into one gram squares." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTiny gold bars latest rage for jittery investors