Pants on Fire: Duncan Hunter makes unconfirmed claim Border Patrol caught at least 10 ISIS fighters

"At least 10 ISIS fighters have been caught coming across the Mexican border in Texas" and there are "dozens more that did not get caught by the Border Patrol."

— Duncan Hunter on Tuesday, October 7th, 2014 in an interview with Greta Van Susteren of Faux News

by Dylan Baddour and W. Gardner Selby 

Duncan Hunter, r-California, made his comment about the Border Patrol capturing ISIS fighters on Faux News Oct. 7, 2014.

Duncan Hunter this week declared terrorists have been crossing the Rio Grande.The California repugican, speaking to Greta Van Susteren on Faux News Oct. 7, 2014, said he’d learned from the U.S. Border Patrol that Islamic State fighters had been nabbed trying to enter the country from Mexico. "ISIS is coming across the southern border," Hunter said, adding a moment later: "I know that at least 10 ISIS fighters have been caught coming across the Mexican border in Texas."
Border Patrol agents "caught them," Hunter also said, but "you know there's going to be dozens more that did not get caught by the Border Patrol."
Our eyebrows were raised. We sought detail.
No federal or state confirmation
No state or federal law enforcement agency confirmed Hunter’s account when we inquired, and Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper declined to reveal the congressman’s sources.
Faux News, in its original Oct. 8, 2014, online news report on Hunter’s declaration, quoted the Department of Homeland Security disputing his account.
Homeland Security told PolitiFact Texas that no such apprehensions have occurred. An agency spokeswoman, Marsha Catron, emailed: "The suggestion that individuals who have ties to ISIL have been apprehended at the Southwest border is categorically false, and not supported by any credible intelligence or the facts on the ground. DHS continues to have no credible intelligence to suggest terrorist organizations are actively plotting to cross the southwest border."
And after Hunter spoke, the Texas Department of Public Safety wrote state legislators, saying in an Oct. 8, 2014, email it "does not have any information to confirm" statements about Islamic terrorists or ISIS fighters entering the country. A DPS spokesman, Tom Vinger, confirmed the message’s authenticity.
In the message, a DPS deputy director, Robert Bodisch, mentioned the Hunter interview and an Oct. 8, 2014, news report by Judicial Watch, a conservative news website, stating Islamic terrorists had entered the country from Mexico. According to unidentified Homeland Security sources, Judicial Watch said four terrorists had been apprehended in the previous 36 hours by federal authorities and the DPS in McAllen and Pharr.
In the message to legislators, Bodisch further wrote: "An unsecure border is certainly a vulnerability that can be exploited by criminals of all kinds, and it would be naïve to rule out the possibility that any criminal organization would not look for opportunities to take advantage of security gaps along our international border. That said, DPS does not have any information to confirm the specific statements recently reported in the press."
On Sept. 17, 2014, PolitiFact in Washington analyzed an August 2014 Judicial Watch story, finding Mostly False another congressman’s claim that "we know that ISIS is present in Ciudad Juarez," which neighbors El Paso. Research did not turn up any law enforcement official or news outlet that independently verified or corroborated the claim, making the declaration that "we know" with certainty ISIS is in Juarez a big stretch.
For this fact check, a terrorism expert said Hunter’s claim doesn’t make much sense.
"It’s implausible given the way the criminal-justice system works to have 10 ISIS fighters arrested at the border and never charged," said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, director of the Center for the Study of Terrorist Radicalization at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington.
Gartenstein-Ross said by phone he knows of "no reporting coming through DHS suggesting that a large number of ISIS fighters have been intercepted at the border. I’ve talked to a large number of people within the department, and the department has unequivocally denied it. There’s not one shred of evidence this is the case."
Kasper, informed we'd not confirmed Hunter's statement, said Hunter stands by what he said.
Kasper also expressed doubt federal agencies are revealing the facts about fighters getting caught.
"Problem here is that this is always a zero-sum game," Kasper wrote. "We make the point. Official channels deny. Then, maybe in a few years from now the information will pop up on the front page of the Washington Post,"  much like that newspaper this week reported new details about the Secret Service prostitution scandal, Kasper said.
Our ruling
Hunter said "at least 10 ISIS fighters have been caught coming across the Mexican border in Texas" and there are "dozens more that did not get caught by the Border Patrol."
No government agency confirms anything remotely close to the idea that at least 10 ISIS fighters have been caught coming across the Mexican border. Notably, too, the lead Texas agency entrusted with public safety alerted legislators of its own lack of confirmation. Similarly, the idea there are "dozens more that did not get caught by the Border Patrol" is missing a factual basis.
All told, this statement strikes us as incorrect and ridiculous. Pants on Fire!

The Truth Hurts

This Giant Macaron Is a Sumo Wrestling Prize

Can you drive your opponent to the ground? Then, obviously, you should bear this giant green macaron as a trophy. Rocket News 24 reports that this giant cookie was a prize at the Sumo Senshuraku championship. The famous French pastry chef Pierre Hermé made it for the tournament.

Diabetes News

Scientists discover a ‘good’ fat that fights diabetes

Scientists at the Salk Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical […]

Harvard scientists claim giant leap against diabetes via stem cell production

Harvard stem cell researchers announced today that they have made […]

So, You're On A Diet ...

Hunger Games: How the brain ‘browns’ fat to aid weight loss

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have uncovered a molecular […]

An Apple a Day May Keep the Pounds Away

If you’re looking to lose weight, add apples to your […]

Bittersweet News for Dieters: Grapefruit Really Helps

In the pantheon of fad diet crazes, perhaps the most […]

Dwarf given children's coloring book by waitress as he ate dinner with his fiancée

A dwarf took his fiancée to a restaurant for a romantic meal and was handed a children's coloring book and crayons by a waitress. James Lusted, 26, who is just 3ft 7in, was on a date with his 5ft 7in fiancee when the waitress picked up two menus and some crayons and a coloring book. It was only when the waitress heard James's deep voice that she realized her embarrassing blunder.
But it was the highlight of the night for James and his bride-to-be Chloe Roberts, 20, who have been laughing about it ever since. James said: "As I said thank you to the waitress she heard my voice and knew I wasn't a child. She immediately put the coloring book behind her back in shock. But I am man enough to see the funny side - I would never take offense."
James and Chloe said they realize they look different when they are out together in Cardiff where she is a third-year education student. But the pair say their miss-matched heights make no difference to them and they are getting married in the summer of 2016. James, of Colwyn Bay, said: “Life has not been easy - when I was young I had a lot of surgery and went through a time of being bullied in school.
“I have often thought from an early age ‘Who would want to marry me, a dwarf from Wales?’ But then I met Chloe and everything just fell into place.” Chloe, also from Colwyn Bay, said: “All little girls dream about having their tall, dark and handsome prince charming. Never in my life did I think I’d date someone like James. People sometimes get a bit confused when they see us for the first time but we always laugh it off. I felt a bit sorry for the waitress - she looked very uncomfortable.”

The Truth Be Told

Man told crumbling concrete beams on his home held together with sticky tape are safety hazard

A DIY enthusiast whose house was in urgent need of repair is facing a fine from local officials after he stuck crumbling concrete beams back together with Sellotape. Home-owner Kang Hsiao, 36, was told he needed to repair the outside of his apartment in Lishan East Road in eastern China’s Jinan City after housing officials noticed the supporting beams were a health and safety hazard.

But instead of buying new ones or getting professionals in to help, nifty Kang decided to stick them together with sticky tape. Kang said: "I’ve used the tape before for many things and it’s always proved to be durable, strong and effective. So when they told me I needed to repair the beams it was the obvious choice and a lot cheaper than new beams. "
But now Kang is facing a hefty fine from city officials who have slammed the shoddy DIY after receiving complaints from worried neighbors. One local said: "I like Kang and I like his attitude, he takes a hands-on approach to problems and has always been keen to do things himself rather than get others to help him. But this is just insane.
"How he seriously thinks tape will hold that lot together beggars belief. We feel unsafe and can’t help covering our heads with our hands when we are coming and going," he added. A spokesman for the city said: "We have told him that he needs to improve the safety of his building or be fined for endangering people’s lives."

Woman who hit own car while driving employer's van seeks payment from them for damage done

By her own recollection, Megan Campbell, an employee of St. Paul Parks and Recreation in Minnesota was driving a supply van back from a city storage building when she turned a corner, causing serious front-bumper damage to a parked car.

The damaged 2001 Nissan Pathfinder in question wasn't just anybody's vehicle. It was her own. Now, Campbell has filed a claim against the city seeking $1,600 to $1,900 from public coffers for damage caused to her personal vehicle by a city worker - herself.
"Because I was working for the city and driving the city vehicle, I feel they are responsible for paying for the damage done to my car," Campbell wrote in a "notice of claim" form received this week by the city clerk's office. Campbell, a 2014 college grad, has worked for the Parks and Recreation Department since May.
"I think I can safely say this is a very unusual claim," said City Clerk Shari Moore. Parks department spokesman Brad Meyer said the incident will be reviewed by the city's accident review board, as is customary for any accident involving city employees driving city vehicles. "The outcome of that will determine next steps with the employee ... and help inform the claim proceedings," he said.

Tar-covered man on store roof said he was visiting family

Police in Florida did not buy a tar-smeared man’s story that he was visiting family on the roof of a convenience store at 3am on Tuesday.

Joshue Holoman, 30, covered in roofing tar from trying to break into the Sunoco in Daytona Beach through an air conditioning shaft, was charged with two counts of attempted burglary of an unoccupied structure, possession of burglary tools and criminal mischief. Holoman of Orlando was also seen earlier on the roof of another business, the comedy club Grandview Live, police said.
Officers were called to the closed business by a witness who heard a strange noises like whistling, snorting, a torch sound and rattling fence coming from the back of the business, police said. When police arrived, they saw Holoman on the roof, covered in tar. He first said he was visiting family and then changed his story, saying he was an air conditioning technician trying to fix the units because he could hear them making noise from the ground.
Holoman then said he was on the roof sleeping and rubbed roofing tar on his body so he could not be seen from the ground. Police found Holoman with a makeshift prying tool used on the Sunoco’s air conditioning shaft. While being taken to jail, Holoman became violent and broke a $500 metal panel inside the prisoner transport vehicle, police said. He remains jailed on $4,000 bail.

Crematorium fire caused by 500-pound body

A fire that damaged the roof at Southside Cremation Services Henrico, Virginia, was likely caused by a “rather large body,” according to fire investigators. The fire started when the furnace used to cremate the 500-pound body got too hot, Henrico Fire spokesman Capt. Daniel Rosenbaum said.

Burning Witches

Seven Accused African Witches Burned to Death

Seven people in East Africa were killed earlier this week after being accused of witchcraft.

9 Female Warriors Who Made Their Mark On History

They were mothers, sisters, daughters, and wives. But above all these women were warriors. All across time, and all around the globe, they brandished swords and guns, fought battles, and faced off with royalty.

Though outnumbered by their bands of brothers in battle, these fearsome female fighters have each made an indelible mark on history.

'Titanic of the Ancient World'

'Titanic of the Ancient World' Reveals Treasure Trove

An international expedition recovers antiquities from one of the richest shipwrecks of antiquity, with more to come.

Rainbow Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus deglupta, commonly known as the rainbow eucalyptus, is the only Eucalyptus species found naturally in the Northern Hemisphere. Its natural distribution spans New Britain, New Guinea, Seram, Sulawesi and Mindanao.

The unique multi-hued bark is the most distinctive feature of the tree. Patches of outer bark are shed annually at different times, showing a bright green inner bark. This then darkens and matures to give blue, purple, orange and then maroon tones.

YouTube link

Los Angeles-Area Wilderness is now a National Monument

Los Angeles-Area Wilderness Named National Monument

About 350,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles will become the next national monument, the White House said.

Our Oceans and Global Warming

What Do Our Oceans Reveal About Global Warming?

A new NASA study has revealed that the ocean abyss has not warmed in the past few years. What does this mean for global warming? Crystal Dilworth is here to explain.

Samhain Sun

NASA Slideshow

Our sun gives us a perfect Samhain Jack-o-Lantern

Pakistan's scorpion hunters

In Pakistan, a black scorpion weighing 60 grams sells for around $50,000 to medical researchers. Al Jazeera's Maham Javaid investigates the country's scorpion trade and its possible harm to the country's ecosystem.
From Al Jazeera:

Shahid and Sohail, two friends who grew up together in a housing colony in Sindh province's Thatta district, have never been scared of the scorpion's venomous sting.
"As teenagers, we caught and killed scorpions as a game," Sohail told Al Jazeera. "Last year we found out that if we caught a live one, we could be instant millionaires."
On the hottest nights of the year, these hunters search for the nocturnal creatures in the 200-hectare dry forest behind their colony. Scorpions hibernate in cold weather, so Sohail says it is easier to catch them when it's hot.
Their broker, Faraz, is constantly in contact with other brokers who can sell the scorpion to foreign companies for thousands of dollars.
"I spend all my spare time connecting scorpion buyers with sellers," Faraz, who also works at Karachi Port Trust, told Al Jazeera. "When a big deal goes through, it will be like winning the lottery."

Nature's Vampires

Lampreys are eel-like water creatures that can grow up to 40 inches in length. While only 18 out of the 38 lamprey species actually suck blood, both the non-blood sucker and vampire lampreys (scientific name: vamp lamps) have a menacing appearance, with tooth-lined, suction cup mouths.
Lampreys inhabit both fresh and salt waters and are considered invasive. In fact, a number of bodies of water in the U.S. are strictly controlled with regard to the lamprey populations, using barriers and a chemical solution called "lampricide."
When the Great Lakes were first connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Erie Canal, lampreys invaded and rendered several native species of lake fish extinct. In rare cases, lampreys have been known to attack humans as well.
Read about other blood-sucking animals here.

City Raccoons Are Smarter Than Their Country Cousins

Toronto has a problem with raccoons. For years, the critters have been overturning garbage cans and entering people’s homes to find food, and they are good at it. Design a new garbage can lit, and the raccoons will figure out a way to get in. In fact, research shows that raccoons that live in a city are smarter than their woodland counterparts.

Suzanne MacDonald, a comparative psychologist who studies raccoon behavior at York University in Toronto, has compared the problem-solving skills of rural and city raccoons. The result? Urbanites trump their country cousins in both intelligence and ability. For the past few summers, she videotaped rural and urban racoons toying with containers baited with cat food. While both rural and city racoons readily approached familiar containers, they dealt differently with unfamiliar ones. Where rural raccoons took a long time to approach novel containers, city raccoons would attack them the moment she turned her back.

One particularly persistent urban raccoon even learned to open doors leading into MacDonald’s garage, where she keeps her garbage bins. It stood up on an overturned flowerpot, and kept pulling and pushing on the round knob of the door handle with its five-digit paws until it turned. “Normally, they can’t do that, they can’t grasp and turn things very easily,” MacDonald says. “Raccoons in the city are extraordinary, not only in their ability to approach things, but they have no fear, and they stick with it, they will spend hours trying to get food out of something.”

I dunno, is that intelligence or desperation? It’s possible that rural raccoons may be less interested in solving a difficult problem because they have other food sources that are easier to deal with and they aren’t as hungry as a city raccoon anyway. Nevertheless, the urban raccoon’s persistence results in learning. And Toronto is having a hard time staying ahead of them. Read about the city’s effort to outsmart the urban raccoon at Nautilus.

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

 That works ...!

 

Carolina Naturally is read in 200 countries around the world daily.   

Your face when trying to use reason and logic on a wingnut ... !

Today is  - International Moment Of Frustration Scream Day
 

Don't forget to visit our sister blog: It Is What It Is

Some of our readers today have been in:

The Americas

Moncton, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, Regina, Youngs Crossing, Vancouver, Joliette and Winnipeg, Canada

Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Sao Paulo, Rio De Janeiro and Londrina, Brazil

Boaco, Nicaragua

Cuenca, Ecuador

Tijuana, Mexico

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Europe

Minsk, Belarus

Hluboka Vltaou, Prague and Horni Pocernice, Czech Republic

Milan, Treviso, Naples and Rome, Italy

Cerny, Lyon, Saint-Maurice, Rouen and Velizy-Villacoublay, France

Hull, Haringey and Stoke-On-Trent, England

Stockholm and Kista, Sweden

Porto, Cacem and Lagoa, Potugal

Alicante, Madrid, Ourense and Eixample, Spain

Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

Waterford, Ireland

Moscow, Russia

Tbilisi, Georgia

Sofia and Varna, Bulgaria

Edinburgh, Scotland

Kiev, Ukraine

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bergen, Norway

Vienna, Austria

Asia

Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Chaiyaphum and Bangkok, Thailand

New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Pune and Bangalore, India

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Beijing, China

Tehran, Iran

Kuala Lumpur and George Town, Malaysia

Kuwait, Kuwait

Jakarta, Indonesia

Singapore, Singapore

Africa

Lusaka, Zambia

Monrovia, Liberia

Accra, Ghana

The Pacific

Homebush, Australia

Mabalacat, Philippines

Today in History

1492		Christopher Columbus and his crew land in the Bahamas.
1576		Rudolf II, the king of Hungary and Bohemia, succeeds his father, Maximillian II, as Holy Roman Emperor.
1609		The song "Three Blind Mice" is published in London, believed to be the earliest printed secular song.
1702		Admiral Sir George Rooke defeats the French fleet off Vigo.
1722		Shah Sultan Husayn surrenders the Persian capital of Isfahan to Afgan rebels after a seven month siege.
1809		Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, dies under mysterious circumstances in Tennessee.
1899		The Anglo-Boer War begins.
1872		Apache leader Cochise signs a peace treaty with General Howard in Arizona Territory.
1933		Alcatraz Island is made a federal maximum security prison.
1943		The U.S. Fifth Army begins an assault crossing of the Volturno River in Italy.
1949		Eugenie Anderson becomes the first woman U.S. ambassador.
1960		Inejiro Asanuma, leaders of the Japan Socialist Party, is assassinated during a live TV broadcast.
1964		1964 USSR launches Voskhod I, first spacecraft with multi-person crew; it is also the first mission in which the crew did not wear space suits.
1970		President Richard Nixon announces the pullout of 40,000 more American troops in Vietnam by Christmas.
1971		The House of Representatives passes the Equal Rights Amendment 354-23.
1984		The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonates at bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; 5 others are killed and 31 wounded.
1994		NASA loses contact with the Magellan probe spacecraft in the thick atmosphere of Venus.
1999		Chief of Army Staff Perez Musharraf seizes power in Pakistan through a bloodless military coup.
2000		Suicide bombers at Aden, Yemen, damage USS Cole; 17 crew members killed and over 35 wounded.
2002		Terrorist bombers kill over 200 and wound over 300 more at the Sari Club in Kuta, Bali.

Nobel winner Malala: Kids 'should stand up for their rights'

Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi won the 95th Nobel Peace Prize for their work promoting education rights for children. The pair was selected over rumored front-runners Pope Francis and NSA leaker Edward Snowden. VPC

Malala Yousafzai said Friday she is "honored" to be sharing the 95th Nobel Peace Prize with Kailash Satyarthi.
"We should all consider each other as human beings and we should respect each other," said Malala, who was in chemistry class when she found out about the award. "It is my message to children all around the world that they should stand up for their rights."
The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited the two "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education."
Yousafzai, 17, the youngest Nobel winner, is from Pakistan, and Satyarthi, 60, is from India — adding significance to the award, given the tumultuous history between those two nations.
The committee "regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism," it said.
In 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen but recovered to advocate for education for girls around the world.

 

Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, 17, right, and India's Kailash Satyarthi, 60.

Satyarthi, the Nobel committee said, has spent a lifetime "focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain." The committee said Satyarthi was "maintaining (Mahatma) Gandhi's tradition."
From Ukraine to the Islamic State to Israel-Gaza and Ebola — 2014 has seen the world stumble from one peace-defying crisis to another.
That just means there's been no shortage of raw material for Norway's Nobel committee to work with, said Øivind Stenersen, a historian of the prize.
"There's always talk that with the world so full of troubles it's time to just drop the prize because everything is in chaos, but I must say in times like these the prize has a really important role," said Stenersen, who also runs Nobeliana, a publishing company devoted to the Nobel awards.
"It gives us hope it's possible to find solutions to really difficult problems," Stenersen said.
Since 1901, the committee each year has recognized, in Alfred Nobel's words, "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."
Over time, the committee has widened its eligibility requirements to include efforts to improve human rights, fight poverty and clean up the environment.
On 19 occasions, the prize has not been given due to failure to meet the committee's standard.
Officially, there is no list of candidates and nominations are withheld from the public for 50 years. However, because the nominators themselves — politicians, academics and other Nobel laureates, mostly — are permitted to talk, it's known there were 278 candidates for this year's $1.2 million award.
That was winnowed down to a handful of serious contenders by the committee comprised of three women and two men. The Nobel committee indicated this year's choice was especially difficult to make.

President James Madison may have had epilepsy

Skimming through Lynne Cheney's new biography of James Madison one is particularly interested in the evidence she presents of Madison's seizures, here summarized in her interview by the American Enterprise Institute:

He was not sickly, but he was sidelined from time to time. At the end of his presidency he drafted an autobiography explaining that he had a “constitutional liability to sudden attacks, somewhat resembling epilepsy, and suspending the intellectual functions.” Madison’s principal biographer deduced from this that he suffered “epileptoid hysteria,” but it is much more likely that he suffered what physicians today call complex partial seizures, in which those afflicted can hear, but not understand, speak but not make sense. The seizures can be disabling. Madison apparently experienced one while in militia training, and it kept him from serving in the Revolutionary War.

That last-mentioned episode has been judged by other biographers as being evidence that Madison's "bilious episodes" were psychogenic or a conversion disorder.  From the evidence Cheney cites at numerous places in her book, convinces one that he did have an organic seizure disorder.

First Ebola, Now Marburg

How Do We Stop Future Outbreaks?

Marburg, a virus similar to Ebola, has hit the radar in the African country of Uganda, raising concerns about another deadly outbreak. With two lethal viruses threatening public health, many are questioning why these contagions seem to be flaring up more often — and more important, what we can do to avoid them in the future.

The current Ebola outbreak originated in West Africa and has killed more than 3,800 people, more than all other past outbreaks combined. The first Marburg death was confirmed recently in Kampala, Uganda. Both viruses cause hemorrhagic fevers and are passed from animals to humans, which has experts examining how humans and African wildlife interact.

One mystery surrounding these viruses is where they live between outbreaks, when they aren't infecting humans, author and Ebola expert David Quammen told National Geographic. For example, health officials know Ebola likely goes dormant in an animal, called its "reservoir host," but they have yet to identify exactly which species. At least one of the suspects is the fruit bat, which is believed to host several other viruses (including Marburg and SARS) without getting sick. These bats usually live in large, tightly packed groups, allowing the virus to spread easily among the animals.

In the past, there was enough room in Africa for humans and fruit bats to exist without much contact. Deforestation has changed this, according to an editorial in the Guardian. West Africa was once covered in rain forests, a common habitat for fruit bats. During the past decade, loggers have stripped the land, reducing the habitable area for the animals. Laws governing more responsible logging practices in that part of the world could help reduce the risk of future outbreaks, but civil wars and political corruption are slowing progress.

As the forests shrink, the mining industry has been moving more people into Africa to tap its vast mineral reserves. These miners often have to travel through high concentrations of bats, which increases the likelihood of someone being infected. Like the rain forests, mines are also popular habitats for animals that might carry these viruses, and miners have been among the victims in several Marburg outbreaks in the past. In 1998, one of the largest Marburg outbreaks to date occurred in Congo, in an area pocked with several illegal gold mines. During the course of the epidemic, there were 149 cases and 123 deaths. 

But animals in the wild are not the only threat to spread these viruses; wild animals — including primates, birds, and reptiles — captured and sold for food or as exotic pets are also a risk. Some experts believe the illegal wildlife trade market — which brings in between $10 billion and $20 billion each year — is one of the greatest threats due to its global reach and the lack of health standards. "As wildlife is traded between hunters, middle marketers, and consumers, there are, quite literally, billions of opportunities for disease transmission among wildlife, humans, and domestic animals," wrote Timothy Bouley and Sara Thompson for the World Bank. Research has found that outbreaks resulting from wildlife trade have caused hundreds of billions of dollars of economic damage globally. It has been such a problem the researchers suggested that eradicating the illegal trade market would be more practical and effective at stopping outbreaks than attacking the virus directly.

Did you know ...

That repugicans still have a hard time believing in racism

Hey, isn't snow supposed to be white?

About the repugican cabal's scorched earth policies

Just how long do CD's last? not forever

About how Wall Street is hitting the jackpot by fleecing workers' pensions
This man gets 4 1/2 months for tweeting rape threats
That George Zimmerman's family wanted their own reality show
The U.S. death scorecard:  Ebola -1; Flu - 50,000

That 9 out of 10 climate science deniers have ties to Exxon Mobile money
That old energy is doing everything it can to stop solar power
Can farmers outsmart climate change?
And, if not, is martian soil good for farming?

And you won't believe how bad air pollution is in China
That U.S. hospitals unprepared to handle infectious hospital waste
That it's a great time to be rich
And get ready for some damn fine coffee...twin peaks is coming back!

That sustainable businesses applaud corporations for leaving ALEC
That Iceland bankers convicted and unemployment is down
Here's 6 billionaires who have moved somewhere and ruined it
Here's the human body, according to venture capitalists

About global of warming and global warring
About the irrational strain of sexism in the rational thought movement
The Dallas hospital alters account of Ebola patient admittance
That the world's first affordable robot butler coming in 2015

About placing gun violence in a human rights issue
That the FBI can't find files after spending $55 million to digitize them

That multi-tasking makes your brain smaller

Here's the worst colleges in America

That tyranny is when you regularly fear being summarily executed
That repugican budget cuts severely limited our ability to respond to Ebola
Here's inside the Koch brothers toxic empire
Naomi Klein says capitalism is stupid

That voter registration surges after Michael Brown shooting
Marriott fires Florida Democrat after learning she's running against company-backed repugican cabal candidate
About the 5 biggest mistakes in the Ebola outbreak
That this garden can kill

About the christian wingnuts' love of corporal punishment
That the Rockefeller heirs move to divest oil stocks
That it's open carry for whites and open season on blacks
About why you bear economic risk and Donald Trump doesn't

That facebook, twitter & youtube get an 'f' for handling harassment
That domestic violence is 2 to 4 times more prevalent in police families than in regular American families
That abortion hurts the dudebros
Just who's paying the pro-war chickenhawks?

That the cops seize couple's home following son's first drug arrest
That this "officer of the year" arrested for stalking a woman using police resources
That cops have a much bigger domestic abuse problem than the NFL
This idiot judge rules police can use swat team to shut down twitter parody

And is Obama going easy on banks that break the law?

About the militia next door

These veterans send a letter to faux news after the "boobs on the ground" remark

Can Ebola become airborne??!!??!?!!  yeah, probably not

Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal of science teacher fired for teaching creationism

On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of an Ohio science teacher who was fired for teaching creationism instead of evolution, Americans United for Separation of cult and State announced.
John Freshwater taught eighth-grade science at Mount Vernon Middle School until 2011, when the Board of Education removed him after it was revealed that he decorated his science classroom with bible verses, attacked the theory of evolution, and gave extra credit for attending creationist films.
In 2008, he allegedly used a high-voltage Tesla coil to burn a cross into a student’s arm.
Freshwater sued the school district shortly after his firing, claiming that it had violated his First Amendment rights. The lawsuit was dismissed, but Freshwater appealed all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, which upheld the firing.
In its decision, the majority wrote that “we recognize that this case is driven by a far more powerful debate over the teaching of creationism and intelligent design alongside evolution, [but] here, we need not decide whether Freshwater acted with a permissible or impermissible intent because we hold that he was insubordinate, and his termination can be justified on that basis alone.”
The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the case means that the lower court’s decision will stand.
“This case should serve as a reminder to public school teachers and administrators that classrooms are not cults,” the Reverend Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United, said in a statement. “School-sponsored religious activity is a violation of students’ rights.”

The Truth Be Told

In NC Senate Debate repugican cabal Shrieking Point Addict Tillis Says Hagan uses Talking Points

Senator Kay Hagan outperformed her repugican opponent Thom Tillis and libertarian candidate Sean Haugh during North Carolina’s third and final debate for the Senate race, on Thursday night.  Hosted by WECT and sponsored by the League of Women Voters, this debate was the candidates final chance to reach a large block of voters.

The addition of Haugh added a new dynamic, but the focus was on Hagen and Tillis.

From the beginning of the hour-long debate, Hagan used the opening statement to clearly state her views on the issues and defend her record. Conversely, Tillis followed the repugican cabal’s generic approach to this election campaign.  He attacked Hagen and the President but avoided, at all costs, stating his policy alternatives.

The question and answer section began with a discussion on ethics. Earlier in the week, ethics complaints were filed against both candidates, alleging that both of them benefited financially from the votes they cast in the Senate and the House.  In Hagan’s case, the complaint alleged that her husband’s business benefited from the stimulus package.  Hagan said categorically “I’ve had no role in my husband’s business.”  Before pointing out that Tillis voted to benefit from his investment in a bank.

In a moment of irony, Tillis accused Hagan of reciting talking points, while using repugican attack dog shrieking points. Once again, Tillis dodged when asked to identify the policy areas where he departs company with the repugican cabal’s leadership. That infers that he wouldn’t part company with the leadership on anything. The inference is strengthened by the fact that Tillis relied on the repugican cabal’s formula for candidates’ debates of running on a platform of attacking the President and the candidate while dodging questions and avoiding disclosure of policy alternatives at all costs.

A striking example is seen in the discussion on ISIS. Hagan restated her view that U.S. needs to use airstrikes and keep American ground troops out of the fight. Conversely, Tillis used the occasion to attack Hagan’s attendance record at Armed Service Committee records, without offering a policy alternative.

During the discussion on Ebola, Hagan outlined a comprehensive approach in which a travel ban would be part of the strategy of boots on the ground for logistics and building better healthcare facilities in affected countries as well as training and developing treatments for the disease.  Hagan also noted, if needed, North Carolina is “well prepared” to deal with a potential Ebola outbreak.

After saying Hagan’s plan wasn’t a plan, Tillis depended on the standard repugican formula of fear mongering and calling for a travel ban.

“We’re not safe and secure. We’ve got to get this situation under control, we’re not ready.”

When the discussion turned to same sex marriage, Tillis relied on populist rhetoric to justify his opposition to marriage equality. It was clear that Tillis really didn’t want talk about this issue when he could use the opportunity to recite a litany of repugican cabal shrieking points including the debunked claim that Obamcare will cost jobs. It really got interesting when he went on yet another tangent to claim the state’s cuts in education weren’t really cuts. Then Tillis launched into a screed in defense of his vote suppression law.

Senator Hagan’s approach to the question showed she had a far better grasp of the issue and that she wasn’t ashamed of her opinion on the subject of marriage equality. First, she said very directly that she opposes the state’s ban on same sex marriage. Hagan used the opportunity to remind voters that Tillis is going to waste tax dollars defending the ban despite developments at the Supreme Court. Earlier this week, the Court refused to hear cases brought by several states seeking a reversal of lower court rulings that marriage bans are unconstitutional. She went on to discuss the economic costs that go with a ban on same sex marriages.

Haugh said he also opposes the marriage ban before launching into a discussion of the lawmaker’s role in upholding the constitution rights of everyone.

During a discussion on income inequality, Hagan hit Tillis hard for his opposition to the minimum wage and his opposition to pay equity. Hagan’s decision to remind voters of Tillis’ opposition to pay equity had to hurt because Hagan has a solid lead over Tillis among women.

Tillis stuck to the standard repugican cabal shrieking points of deregulation and blaming Democrats for unemployment.  He avoided answering the question of what the candidates thought is a fair wage and if the minimum wage should be raised.  Once again he resorted to repugican mythology and fear mongering with the claim that a minimum wage increase would cost jobs and hurt the economy. By this point in the debate, Tillis’ use of the repugican cabal debate formula was getting old fast.

The debate included a discussion on energy and dredging.  Hagan used the opportunity to attack Tillis’ record on fracking.

“Tillis has made it a crime to disclose the fluids used in fracking,” Hagan said, referring to the passage of a law that opens the door to hydraulic fracturing in the state.

“I think we’ve got to be sure that we protect our water and we protect our coastal economies,”

In a nod to corporate interests including the Koch brothers, Tillis ranted about the EPA being “out of control” but then he said the Federal government falls short on dredging.

The last phase of the debate was closing statements.  Tillis’ final appeal to the voters of North Carolina conformed to the formula of pretending that the American dream is attainable with hard work, attacking Obama, calling Hagan a part of the establishment.

Hagan began her closing remarks with important information about the election. She reminded voters that Friday is the deadline to register and that early voting ends on October 23. She reminded voters that Tillis still can’t (or won’t) name a single issue where he parts company with the repugican leadership. Hagan used the opportunity to say that governing involves reaching across the aisle to get things done. She closed with a sentence that summarizes the difference between her and Tillis: it is not how you grow up, but how you treat people.

There weren’t any knockdown punches, nor were there any surprises. Hagan continued to show voters that she cares about the issues that matter to North Carolina by answering the questions directly while Tillis dodged. Hagan showed a comprehensive understanding of complex issues, while Tillis stuck to repugican cabal shrieking points filled with jingoistic phrases. On the rare occasion that he ventured into policy, Tillis parroted the same simplistic ideas offered by repugicans across the country.

Most importantly, Hagan showed leadership ability. During the discussion on marriage equality, Hagan defended the constitution and the constitutional process, while Tillis emulated other repugicans by placing ideology above everything – including the U.S. Constitution.

Crowd Shouted ‘Fuck the Palins!’ At Brawl That Showed The Real Meaning Of Family Values

Cruel, cruel world in which a family goes from imagining moving into the White House to being told “Fuck the Palins!” in their home state.

The Anchorage police report was released from the Palin Family Values brawl last month. Bristol Palin’s take on things? Someone shouted “Fuck the Palins!” because it’s a mean world out there in Alaska, where polls show that Sarah Palin would lose her home state to Hillary Clinton were she to try to run for the White House in 2016.

On September 6th, Todd and Sarah Palin and their grown children Willow, Track and Bristol attended a party at a friend’s house in South Anchorage that turned into the drunken brawl heard round the world, because Todd is married to America’s foremost Obama-stalker, Sarah Palin. Ms. Palin is also renown for hawking her specific brand of christian hate on a pay Youtube channel, because the repugican cabal dog only loves winner$.

After this drunken brawl took place, America’s down home pit bull, Mama Grizzly, former repugican Vice Presidential candidate and lunatic fringe wingnut sat in a white stretch limo — as all of middle America does when they attend a party.

It was into this limo that her bloody, drunken son Track, described in the report as “angry and intoxicated”, was directed in an attempt to avoid the po-po after the entire drunken clan got into what seems to be two separate fights after much alcohol. How she got there when she was also described in the report as “upset and and in a verbal argument with other individuals at the scene” is anyone’s guess. But in the white limo Ms. Palin sat, perhaps pretending it was the White House at 1400 Pennsylvania Ave.

TMZ described the melee from Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol’s point of view, claiming she was “slut-shamed” by homeowner Korey Klingenmeyer, per her description to police, including being dragged around. Bristol is described as “heavily intoxicated and upset.”

But the homeowner and several witnesses had a different story to tell. In the witnesses’ version, “Bristol punched him in the face — he says he let her hit him 5-6 times before grabbing her fist and pushing back … sending her reeling to the ground.”

ABC described it starting thus, “The drunken brawl involving Sarah Palin and her family last month was a wild one, according to police reports released today, and at the center of the report is a Palin daughter repeatedly punching a man in the face, being pounced on by a group of women and then dragged by her legs across the lawn.”

Whatever happened, it led to this, in which people at the party chanted “Fuck the Palins!”:

That scrap then sparked the all-out brawl — witnesses say Track and 3-4 other people came running to defend Bristol … and all hell broke loose … with the Palins, including dad Todd, taking on all comers.

Willow says several people at the party we’re chanting, “Fuck the Palins!”

One witness says Todd got jumped by 4 people, and Track jumped in to help his father. He emerged from the scrum with a torn shirt and bloody mouth. Bristol says she was uninjured, though one cop described her as having “dirt on her knees.”

Worth nothing … cops described almost everyone at the party as being “intoxicated” … including the Palins.

See, Alaska is no different than the rest of the country. They scream “Fuck the Palins!” at parties, too.

ABC:

Police wrote that when they approached the scene Track Palin was being pushed into a limousine, described in the report as a “long white limousine,” where his mother was sitting. He got out of the limo to speak to police after his mother told him to. Police described Track Palin as being shirtless and having “blood around his mouth and on his hands and he appeared to have an injury under his left eye, on his upper cheek.” The officer said that Track Palin was “angry and intoxicated and I had a hard time getting him to calm down.”

Luckily for the Palins, no one will be charged. And this is how the family values roll in repugican America. This is what dog, Guns, and Liberty look like when the lights go down. This is the precious America that Sarah Palin tried so valiantly to protect us from being changed by Kenyan usurper Barack Obama. Sadly, the President has found ways of investing in education and manufacturing in spite of Palin’s ceaseless dedication to trolling his agenda.

Much like the rest of America, the “moderately intoxicated” homeowner was “angry that the Palins had showed up and were causing problems.” Tell it to the hand, dude.