This is default featured slide 1 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

This is default featured slide 2 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

This is default featured slide 3 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

This is default featured slide 4 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

This is default featured slide 5 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Editor's Note

Stuck with household chores .... again. The joy of having a small hobby farm and getting ready for winter. Blogging will return tomorrow morning.

Update Sunday 10:00 EST: Still stuck on the farm. It is taking a bit longer than what I had thought .... much longer. Blogging will return late tonight.

Editor's Note

Stuck with household chores .... again. The joy of having a small hobby farm and getting ready for winter. Blogging will return tomorrow morning.

Al-Shabab Headquarters 'Attacked' By Western Forces On Coast Of Somalia


Al-Shabab Militant Base 'Attacked' On Coast Of Somalia -- BBC

Islamist fighters in southern Somalia say Western forces have launched a night-time raid on one of their bases.

The militant group al-Shebab told the BBC "white soldiers" had arrived by boat at the port of Barawe and rebels had repulsed them, losing a fighter.

No-one has admitted the attack. US and French special forces have carried out raids in Somalia in recent years.

It is not clear whether it is linked to last month's attack in neighbouring Kenya, which al-Shebab has claimed.

At least 67 people were killed after militants stormed the Westgate shopping centre in the capital, Nairobi, on 21 September.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That Al-Shabab Headquarters Was 'Attacked' By Western Forces

Somali militants say 'Western' forces attack coastal base from beach -- Reuters
'Western special forces' raid al-Shabaab stronghold in Somalia -- The Telegraph
Foreign military raid al-Shabaab headquarters in Somalia, reports say -- The Guardian
Military strike reported in southern Somali town -- USA Today/AP
Somalia's Al-Shabab Says Special Forces Attack One Of Its Bases -- Radio Free Europe
Unidentified Military Strike Targets Somali Town -- Voice of America
Somali group says 'Westerners' attacked base -- Al Jazeera
Somalia’s al-Shabaab claims ‘Westerners’ attacked base -- Al Arabiya

Iran's Supreme Leader Criticizes President Hassan Rouhani’s Overtures To The U.S.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the ultimate word on political and religious affairs under Iran's clerically dominated system. Radio Free Europe

Ayatollah Questions Aspects of Rouhani’s Trip -- New York Times

TEHRAN — Iran’s supreme leader expressed support on Saturday for Iran’s diplomatic outreach at the United Nations but criticized some of President Hassan Rouhani’s moves as “inappropriate.”

Analysts had been waiting for the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to take a position on the trip after powerful commanders of the Revolutionary Guards criticized the historic phone call between President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and President Obama. Critics said that Mr. Rouhani should not have taken the call from Mr. Obama.

Speaking to students of an military aeronautical university in Tehran, Mr. Khamenei said he supported the government’s diplomatic efforts during Mr. Rouhani’s trip to New York but said that “some of the events” had been “inappropriate.” Mr. Khamenei’s comments were published on his Web site.

Read more ....

More News On Iran's Supreme Leader Criticizing President Hassan Rouhani’s Overtures To The U.S.

Iran's Khamenei says part of diplomatic opening in New York 'not proper' -- Reuters
Hassan Rouhani's New York diplomacy 'not proper' says Iran's Supreme Leader -- The Telegraph
Iran's Khamenei: Part of Diplomatic Push in New York 'Not Proper' -- Voice of America
Iran's Khamenei criticises 'some' of Rouhani's UN trip -- AFP
Iran's Khamenei Says U.S. Cannot Be Trusted -- Radio Free Europe
Iran's supreme leader criticizes president over New York trip -- Deutsche Welle
Khamenei criticizes ‘some’ of Rowhani’s diplomatic efforts at U.N. -- Al Arabiya

Veterans Push Back Against Washington

Veterans tour the World War Two Memorial in Washington October 1, 2013. (Reuters / Kevin Lamarque)

Veterans Don’t Want To Be ‘Pawns’ In Shutdown Fight -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — As the impact on veterans becomes part of the contentious debate over the government shutdown, the commander of one of the nation’s leading veterans organizations said Friday that they should not become a political “pawn” for warring lawmakers.

In a press conference in front of the barricaded World War II Memorial, American Legion Commander Daniel Dellinger said that the veterans are concerned about the shutdown’s impact on their benefits and services, which he said “transcend politics.”

“You cannot use American veterans or servicemen and -women as pawns in this issue,” Dellinger said. “Veterans earn their benefits through their honorable service, many of them seriously disabled as a result of that service. To threaten suspension of their benefits is not only absurd, it’s cruel.”

Read more ....

My Comment: Many of these veterans .... if not all of them .... are deeply worried that because of the debt crisis some of their benefits may eventually be cut. This growing realization has resulted in everyone .... veterans included .... in trying their best to position themselves to not be impacted. Sadly .... the money is not there to sustain this entitlement society .... and in the end everyone is going to be impacted .... veterans and visiting their memorials included.

Who Are The Craziest Rulers In The World


Who Are The World's Craziest Rulers? -- Robert Colvile, The Telegraph

With the deaths of Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkemenistan – a maniac so megalo- that he renamed the days of the week after himself and his family – and of Kim Jong-un – a golfer so talented that he shot 38 under par on his first ever round, including five holes-in-one – some feared that the golden age of the crazed dictator had gone for good.

But Yahya Jammeh's decision to leave the Commonwealth, and subsequent outlining of his more unpleasant characteristics, has reminded us that there are still some old-fashioned brutes plugging away out there – and, more soberingly, that there are millions of people around the world who have to bear the consequences of their capricious decisions. Here are the leaders most likely to send you scurrying to the emigration queue:

Read more ....

My Comment: I would add Islam Karimov from Uzbekistan, the Castro brothers, Kirchner from Argentina, and about a dozen other leaders. Putin is not crazy .... I would put him in the category of being ruthless.

More Cuts Planned For The British Military

Armed Forces To 'Axe 3,000 More Jobs Next Year In Further Cost-Cutting Drive' -- Daily Mail

* Soldiers, RAF staff and Navy medical personnel 'in line for redundancy'
* Sources say David Cameron keen to avoid bad publicity of job losses
* Military chiefs reportedly want to choose how many redundancies to make
* Downing Street set to prefer troop numbers to fall through retirement
* In 2010 plans announced to cut Army size by 20,000 to 82,000 by 2020

Thousands of soldiers could lose their jobs in a new wave of redundancies set to embarrass the Prime Minister, it has been reported.

An announcement is expected to be made next January with the final number of those losing their jobs confirmed in May.

The final figure due to be made redundant could reach 3,000. Under plans set out in 2010 the size of the Army will be cut by 20,000 to 82,000 by 2020.

Read more ....

Update: Army faces losing another 3,000 soldiers in January as No 10 and military chiefs clash over redundancies -- The Independent

My Comment: Morale in the British armed forces must be rock bottom.