Parent group urges Ontario Catholic school trustees to defy law supporting gay clubs

Ontario Catholic school trustees should commit civil disobedience by refusing to obey a new provincial law that would allow gay-straight alliance clubs in separate schools, a lobby group for Catholic parents says. “A legal opinion we obtained argues Catholic trustees are obliged to refuse to implement gay-straight alliances [GSAs] in Catholic schools,” Teresa Pierre, head of Parents As First Educators, said at a news conference Thursday in Toronto. “Trustees have the legal right to avoid anything that would undermine the school’s religious character...

Adolf Hitler protected his Jewish former commanding officer

Hitler made the dramatic intervention to protect Ernst Hess, his old company commander from the Flanders trenches of the First World War, who had risen to be a judge in post-war Germany. In a letter from August 27, 1941 to the Dusseldorf Gestapo, Heinrich Himmler, one of the architects of the Final Solution, instructed the secret police to grant Hess "the relief and the protection as per the Fuhrer's wishes". Himmler also instructed all authorities that Hitler's old comrade in arms was not "to be in-opportuned in any way whatsoever". The letter was...

UN calls for 'billionaires tax' to help world's poor

AFP - The United Nations on Thursday called for a tax on billionaires to help raise more than $400 billion a year for poor countries. An annual lump sum payment by the super-rich is one of a host of measures including a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, currency exchanges or financial transactions proposed in a UN report that accuses wealthy nations of breaking promises to step up aid for the less fortunate. The annual World Economic and Social Survey says it is critical to find new ways to help the world's poor as pledged cash fails to flow...

Report: FBI Hopes To Launch Iris-Scan Database To Track Criminals

First it was fingerprints, then DNA. Now databases of iris scans are next on the biometrics list for law enforcement agencies in their efforts to track criminals. As part of a $1 billion upgrade, the FBI is implementing a Next-Generation Identification System that will expand its old fingerprint database to allow for “rapid matching” of physical identifiers including iris scans, facial images, and palm prints, Mashable reported today. The FBI, which is reportedly working with Massachusetts-based BI2 Technologies, aims to launch a pilot nationwide...

Computer Virus Could Leave Thousands Unable to Use Internet

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world could be in for an unwelcome surprise Monday, unless they check their computers now for malware that infected their machines a year ago. The virus caused by Eastern European computer hackers will make it impossible to access the Internet. Facebook and Google, websites used by billions of people every day, are alerting users who they suspect may have infected computers. They also provide information on what people can do to fix the problem. The hackers used an online advertising scam...

As U.N. Finalizes Arms Trade Treaty, Opponents Warn of Global Gun Grab

(CNSNews.com) – Amid energetic lobbying from both sides, the Obama administration is taking part in month-long negotiations at United Nations headquarters aimed at finalizing a conventional arms trade treaty, which supporters say will save millions of lives but opponents fear threatens to restrict Second Amendment rights at home and U.S. arms sales policies abroad. U.N. bureaucrats insist that the U.N. Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) will have no impact on civilian gun ownership, saying that it will deal only with the arms trade...

Muslim Congressman: U.S. Schools Should Be Modeled After Madrassas

"America will never tap into educational innovation and ingenuity without looking at the model that we have in our Madrassas, in our schools where innovation is encouraged. Where the foundation is the Koran," Rep. Andre Carson (D-Indiana) said at the ICNA-MAS convention at the end of May.

Israel issues stark warning to Hezbollah amid political instability in Syria, Iran

The significance of top IDF officers' recent statements on another Lebanon war lies not in their content but in their timing. No less than four times in the past ten days, senior officials in the IDF's Northern Command briefed representatives of the Israeli and foreign press.

Of robots and history (and humans)- New technologies spread arrival of robots into our lives

SAN FRANCISCO – Notre Dame came back from an early deficit and took the lead over Ohio Northern University on a pass. Its defense stiffened in the second half, and it stymied ONU, 26-7. But these weren't student athletes on the gridiron in a spring scrimmage in late April. Eight robots about the size of big printers slugged it out for each side in the world's first intercollegiate football game with robots on Notre Dame's campus in South Bend, Ind. Organizers are comparing the historical significance of the so-called Mechatronic...

Lab-grown human organs closer than ever, according to scientists

Science is one step closer to the creation of a functional, artificial human liver thanks to a team of American researchers and their work in the emerging field of "bioprinting." Scientists have been experimenting with artificial cells for years, using high-tech 3D printing machines to build up layers of artificial cells into tissue structure. Unfortunately, these synthetically engineered cells often die before the tissue is formed due to a lack of blood vessels, and in turn, a lack of nutrients and oxygen. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the...

Scientists race to unlock mind-blowing potential of 'God particle' after breakthrough

THE world's leading physicists are facing months and years of painstaking work to unlock the mind-blowing potential of the "God particle" after a breakthrough discovery. Scientists at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced yesterday they had discovered a new sub-atomic particle consistent with the elusive Higgs boson, a theoretical particle that is key to the scientific understanding of all matter. The find was hailed across the globe, with renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking calling for the man who lent...

An unnecessary overreaching of U.S. tax law into Canada

Faced with ever-increasing sovereign debts and galloping deficits, governments are ramping up their tax-collection efforts to avoid the Greek malady of tax leakage. In the process, however, the United States is extending its territorial reach and making victims of nearly a million innocent Canadians with dual Canadian-American citizenship. The United States is one of the few countries that taxes its citizens, regardless of where they live, on their worldwide income. The theory is that citizenship implies duties and responsibilities that require...

Drone "hijackings" in U.S. raise security concerns

(CBS News) The use of drones is taking off in America. Local governments and private businesses see them as a cheap and effective way of maintaining an eye from the sky. But will the drones be fully under their control? A college professor and his students say not necessarily. A civilian drone aircraft was "hijacked" by Prof. Todd Humphreys and his graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin. They were able to hack into the drone's GPS signals. Later, in an exercise done in conjuneciton with the Department of Homeland...

Ex-FBI agent: I saw angels at Flight 93 crash site....but no human bodies!

(AP) PITTSBURGH - A former police officer who retired from the FBI due to post-traumatic stress disorder linked to her role in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks has written a book about seeing legions of angels guarding the Pennsylvania site where a hijacked airliner crashed. Lillie Leonardi served as a liaison between law enforcement and the families of the passengers and crew members killed in the United Airlines Flight 93 crash. She arrived on the scene about three hours after the crash. Although Leonardi's book, "In the Shadow...

Saudis are buying nuclear-capable missiles from China

debkafile’s military sources report that Saudi Arabia has set its feet on the path to a nuclear weapon capability and is negotiating in Beijng the purchase of Chinese nuclear-capable Dong-Fen 21 ((NATO-codenamed CSS-5) ballistic missile. China, which has agreed to the transaction in principle, would also build a base of operations near Riyadh for the new Saudi purchases. As we reported last year, Saudi Arabia has struck a deal with Pakistan for the availability on demand of a nuclear warhead from Islamabad’s arsenal for fitting onto...

Iran: We can hit US, Israeli targets 'within minutes'

Iran has threatened to destroy US military bases across the Middle East and target Israel within minutes of being attacked, Iranian media reported on Wednesday, as Revolutionary Guards extended test-firing of ballistic missiles into a third day. Israel has hinted it may attack Iran if diplomacy fails to secure a halt to its disputed nuclear energy program. The United States also has mooted military action as a last-resort option but has frequently nudged the Israelis to give time for intensified economic sanctions to work against Iran. "These bases are all in range of our missiles, and the occupied lands (Israel) are also good targets for us," Amir Ali Haji Zadeh, commander of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division, was quoted by Fars news agency as saying. Haji Zadeh said 35 US bases were within reach of Iran's ballistic missiles...

New U.S. law: IRS to confiscate passports of Americans owing $50,000+ in taxes....Penalize offshore banks that don't bow down to IRS

Transportation Act Passed June 29, 2012 to affect Offshore Banking for USA Persons, Big Time – This bill passed on the eve of the Fourth of July Holiday has taken the rights away from Americans big time. They used the cover of the Supreme Court Obummer Care decision and the Eric Holder Contempt to conceal it form the public. It is an attempt to lock down the funds of the Americans in the USA where they are subject to confiscation by government and lawyers. Obummer supporters despise people who bank offshore. If you were working for the...

A Fingerprint Scanner That Can Capture Prints From 20 Feet Away

Gaining access to your gym or office building could soon be as simple as waving a hand at the front door. A Hunsville, Ala.-based company called IDair is developing a system that can scan and identify a fingerprint from nearly 20 feet away. Coupled with other biometrics, it could soon allow security systems to grant or deny access from a distance, without requiring users to stop and scan a fingerprint, swipe an ID card, or otherwise lose a moment dealing with technology. Currently IDair’s primary customer is the military, but the startup wants to open up...

Severed head linked to 'cannibal' porn actor

Police have found what appears to be a human head in a park in Montreal and are investigating whether it is the last missing remains of a Chinese student they believe was dismembered by a Canadian porn actor. Luka Magnotta is accused of mailing parts of the body of his lover, Jun Lin, to political parties and schools, with Mr Lin's head the only piece still unaccounted for. Last month Mr Magnotta pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Lin, a Chinese student who was attending university in Canada. Investigators made their way to...

Washington building ‘Pentagon’ in Kabul

The United States is spending $92 million to build Afghanistan a new “Pentagon,” a massive five-story military headquarters with domed roofs and a high-tech basement command in the capital of Kabul. “Once it’s finished, it will be a permanent and a very significant illustration of the United State’s support for Afghanistan,” Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak said in an interview, the Washington Post reported. The United States is still working its way through a $10 billion menu of construction projects aimed at bolstering the Afghan security forces.

Cops Probe Clash between Christians Protesters, Muslims

Law enforcement officials in Dearborn, Mich. said they are investigating reports that dozens of Muslims shouting “Allahu Akbar” threw rocks, eggs and chunks of concrete at Christians marching through the 2012 Arab International Festival. Bible Believers, a Christian ministry known for its ‘confrontational evangelism,’ drew outrage from Muslims after they marched through the annual Arab International Festival with a pig’s head and signs denouncing Islam. According to local reports, some of the signs declared “Islam is a religion of blood and...

Government Demands Growing for Twitter User Data

In its first ever transparency report, Twitter reported Monday that the United States leads the pack when it comes to government demands for user data, having filed 679 requests in the first half of the year. Worldwide, Twitter said it has received more government demands for data in the first six months of this year than all of last year. In Twitter’s Transparency Report, it said it has complied with 75 percent of user-data disclosure demands by producing “some or all information” requested by U.S. authorities. Globally, the average was 63 percent...

Meteor plunges into ocean lighting up Perth sky

THIS fiery streak in the sky amazed Perth beachgoers at sunset as a suspected meteor plunged into the ocean off the WA coast. PerthNow reader Gavin Trought snapped the 'fire in the sky' as it appeared over Cottesloe, Perth, just before sunset on Friday, with remnants of the phenomenon still visible in the sky this afternoon. "The weird streak in the sky as seen from Cottesloe last night. I noticed it just before sunset," he told us. Perth journalist Pip Moir also posted the photo she took at Cottesloe Beach to Twitter shortly after 6pm as puzzled...

Lucifer's Olympic Games? Dark, satanic mills of Industrial Revolution take center stage at Olympics opening ceremony

The £27million Olympics opening ceremony will feature smoke stacks, pits and steam power as it showcases Britain's industrial past, new aerial photographs suggest. Danny Boyle is expected present a grim picture of Britain's satanic mills with a towering factory chimney the centrepiece of a scene showing off the country's coal-powered past. The organisers have already revealed how they will show off cricket on the village green, dancing happily around the maypoles and singing for joy in the background. But they are expected to show a darker side to our past in the second scene. This dramatic image of what the opening ceremony is expected to look like was caught by a cameraman in an airship which passed near the Olympic Stadium in East London. The river snaking through the centre of London seems to resemble the aerial...

Lolong, a massive crocodile captured in the Philippines in 2011, is the largest croc in captivity in the world: Guinness World Records

MANILA, Philippines — A huge crocodile blamed for deadly attacks in the southern Philippines is the largest in captivity in the world, Guinness World Records has declared. The giant reptile has brought fear, pride, tourism revenues and attention to the remote town where it was captured. The saltwater crocodile named Lolong, which was captured last September in Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur province, measures 20.24 feet and weighs more than a ton, Guinness spokeswoman Anne-Lise Rouse said in a statement Sunday. The reptile took...

Noriega finds God - ready to forgive and apologize

Panama’s former dictator, Manuel Antonio Noriega has converted to Christianity and is ready to apologize to the Panamanian people says a missionary evangelist. The Rev. Jorge Raschke, one of the few people able to visit the former strongman since he was extradited from France last December, made the statement on the web site “Cry of God”. He gave permission to La Prensa to publish the information The Puerto Rican missionary evangelist, ,said he has visited Noriega in El Renacer prison and the Santo Tomas hospital. He said that the...

Obama Contributor, Who Helped Enact Assault-Weapons Ban, Ran ‘Fast and Furious’

(CNSNews.com) – Dennis K. Burke, who as a lawyer for the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 1990s was a key player behind the enactment of the 1994 assault-weapons ban, and who then went on to become Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano’s chief of staff, and a contributor to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential primary campaign, and then a member of Obama's transition team focusing on border-enforcement issues, ended up in the Obama administration as the U.S. attorney in Arizona responsible for overseeing Operation...

Cesium found in urine of Fukushima children

A small amount of radioactive cesium was found in urine samples from 141 infants and young children in Fukushima Prefecture, home to the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, a research group said Saturday. Three samples had over 10 becquerels of cesium per kilogram, including one with 17.5 becquerels. Up to 10 becquerels were detected in the other 138 samples, the Isotope Research Institute said. The three children found to have the highest levels of cesium were on a steady diet of home-grown vegetables, it added. The average...

Russian Military to Hold Over 1,000 Drills in June-October

The Russian Armed Forces will conduct over 1,000 command-and-staff and tactical exercises during the summer training period from June to November this year, the Defense Ministry said. The summer training will focus on improving interoperability of all branches of the Armed Forces and efficient use of automated battlefield management systems, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The training will be carried out on average 2-3 times a week with the emphasis on weapons proficiency and driving skills. The training period will culminate...

Iran to deploy subs in Caspian Sea

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A semiofficial Iranian news agency says Tehran plans to deploy submarines in the Caspian Sea. The Saturday report by Fars quotes Adm. Abbas Zamini as saying Iran plans to deploy “light submarines” to the oil-rich sea that adjoins Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. He did not elaborate. Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have soured in the past year. Iran accuses Azerbaijan of harboring anti-Iranian terrorists linked to Israel’s Mossad spy agency. Azerbaijan in return says Iran supports...

Al Qaeda 'plot to blow up passenger jet' in run up to Olympics uncovered by security forces

A terrorist plot to blow up a U.S. passenger jet timed to coincide with the Olympics has been uncovered by security agencies, according to intelligence sources. Al Qaeda intended to use a radicalised Norwegian Islamic convert to attack U.S. planes in the build-up to the London Games - which start in 26 days on July 27 - it is understood. The plan centred on using the so-called ‘clean skin’ – a terrorist with no previous criminal record and are unlikely to raise suspicions among the security services – in order to evade airport security. ‘If you are blowing up aeroplanes you are likely to be killing Brits or having a big impact on the European or British economy. [So it] would in effect be an attack against Britain,’ a Whitehall official told the Sunday Times. It is believed the suspect tasked with the attack uses the Islamic name Muslim...