Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100805/ts_afp/russiaheatwavefiresfarmcropscommoditiesgrain_20100805162243

Russia, the world's third wheat exporter, Thursday banned grain exports for the next four-and-a-half months due to a record drought that has destroyed millions of hectares (acres) of its land.

Link: http://www.activistpost.com/2010/08/fcc-abandons-efforts-for-net-neutrality.html

Federal regulators are abandoning efforts to negotiate a compromise on so-called "network neutrality" rules intended to ensure that phone and cable TV companies cannot discriminate against Internet traffic traveling over their broadband lines.

Link: http://socialistworker.org/2010/08/05/capital-crime-and-punishment

WHAT CONSTITUTES a crime? We are encouraged to see crime as something quite simple: Laws are made so that society can function smoothly. Steal or kill, and you are punished; disobey these laws, and you pay a price. This superficial view fails to explain some glaring contradictions in the law and its application, or the social context in which crime is defined. As Rosa Luxemburg once wrote, bourgeois justice is "like a net, which allowed the voracious sharks to escape, while the little sardines were caught."

Link: http://blogs.alternet.org/oleoleolson/2010/08/05/massive-censorship-of-digg-uncovered/

A group of influential conservative members of the behemoth social media site Digg.com have just been caught red-handed in a widespread campaign of censorship, having multiple accounts, upvote padding, and deliberately trying to ban progressives. An undercover investigation has exposed this effort, which has been in action for more than one year.

Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26092.htm

For most people in Britain and the US, Iraq is already history. Afghanistan has long since taken the lion's share of media attention, as the death toll of Nato troops rises inexorably. Controversy about Iraq is now almost entirely focused on the original decision to invade: what's happening there in 2010 barely registers.

Link: http://indyposted.com/36277/hellish-heat-wave-may-be-just-beginning/

Hellish heat is sweeping across the country setting new record high temperatures. A recent university study says to get prepared, because the next thirty years may be more of the same.

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-05/fannie-mae-seeks-1-5-billion-from-u-s-treasury-after-12th-straight-loss.html

Fannie Mae, the mortgage-finance company operating under federal conservatorship, is seeking $1.5 billion in aid from the U.S. Treasury Department after a 12th straight quarterly loss.

Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0517225620100805

The U.S. Postal Service reported a quarterly net loss of $3.5 billion on Thursday and said it will likely have a cash shortfall going into 2011.

Link: http://www.richardccook.com/2010/08/04/2010-humanitys-choice-as-foreseen-by-rudolf-steiner/

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was an Austrian philosopher and esotericist and founder of one of the key modern spiritual movements in the West. He is best known for his books and lectures before and after World War I, when he founded the Anthroposophical Society with its present-day headquarters in Dornach, Switzerland. After World War I, Steiner and his work were criticized viciously by right-wing nationalists in Germany, which caused him to give up his residence in Berlin. Among the critics was Adolf Hitler, who attacked him in print as a traitor to Germany for his efforts to promote peace.

Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129005079

The U.S. Senate by a 63-37 vote on Thursday confirmed Elena Kagan as the nation's 112th Supreme Court justice and its fourth-ever female member –- but, as predicted, with just a handful of votes from Republican senators.

Link: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article553494.ece

“The Navy has long had to fear carrier—killing capabilities,” said Patrick Cronin, senior director of the Asia—Pacific Security Programme at the nonpartisan, Washington—based Centre for a New American Security. “The emerging Chinese anti-ship missile capability, and in particular the DF 21D, represents the first post—Cold War capability that is both potentially capable of stopping our naval power projection and deliberately designed for that purpose.”

Link: http://www.infowars.com/poison-tap-water/

Alex Jones is launching a new campaign to inform the public about the toxic chemical fluoride being added to tap water across the country. While EPA scientists and workers are calling for an end to water fluoridation, the government is doing everything in its power to continue and even increase the amount of toxic chemicals being added to public water supplies. Poison tap water in Major USA Cities - Videos A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/08/201085125019989779.html

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Pakistan's Punjab province after some of the country's worst floods. The Pakistani army has been using boats and helicopters to evacuate villages to higher ground, as authorities warn of more rainfall. Fears of severe food shortages have also increased after floods wiped away farmlands and destroyed crops.

Link: http://mycatbirdseat.com/2010/08/philip-giraldi-and-ray-mcgovern-call-president-to-preempt-israeli-attack-on-iran/

We have disturbing and urgent news. Our new executive director, Philip Giraldi, and other former U.S. intelligence officers have just published an extremely important analysis warning that Israel may plan to attack Iran as early as this month (full-length article below).

Link: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

Latest Earthquakes Magnitude 2.5 or Greater in the United States and Adjacent Areas and Magnitude 4.5 or Greater in the Rest of the World - Last 7 days. This list contains all earthquakes with magnitude greater than 2.5 located by the USGS and contributing networks in the last week (168 hours). Magnitudes 4.5 and above are in bold font. Magnitudes 6 and above are in red. (Some early events may be obscured by later ones on the maps.)

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/08/201084205927569933.html

At least 48 people have died after hundreds of wildfires sparked by record heat waves in western Russia wiped out many forests and villages. Firefighters continue to battle the blazes but the mission is proving to be a massive challenge for as soon as one fire is extinguished, another is ignited.

Link: http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=13181

Snow in Brazil

Light snow storms in Brazil were concentrated in areas of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. O Globo network aired snow flakes falling in early morning, cars covered with a thin white coating and some roads dangerously slippery because of ice. In Argentina the phenomenon extended to Northern provinces, geographically sub-tropical while in the Patagonia and along the Andes snow reached over a metre deep, isolating villages and causing yet undisclosed losses to crops and livestock. The extreme cold weather is expected to peak Thursday dawn with below zero temperatures and even lower with the wind chill factor. After a harsh weekend, Argentina’s National Weather Forecast Service announced the cold weather is expected to stay until Thursday although it could again reach a freezing peak over the coming week-end.

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1300175/SOLAR-TSUNAMI-Northern-Lights-seen-far-Michigan-Suns-flare.html

Parts of northern America, in particular the state of Michigan, were lucky enough to be given clear skies the previous night and managed to catch the incredible display.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/08/201084101153407348.html

Barack Obama again stressed the connection between the war Afghanistan and the imperative to defeat al-Qaeda while talking to a war veterans group this week. It is the nature of politicians to take credit for whatever they can when things go well, and to avoid blame as much as possible when things do not. This week the administration of Barack Obama, the US president, has worked hard to do both in the context of Iraq and Afghanistan, but in so doing, it may be further entangling itself in a trap of its own making.

Link: http://www.aclu.org/blog/drug-law-reform-racial-justice/incredible-inevitable-how-politics-criminal-justice-reform-may-b

As I consider yesterday's White House signing of the crack-powder sentencing disparity reform in light of my experiences in Tulia, I realize that our country may be emerging from a dark period of drug war hysteria, in which fear overshadowed facts. While we still have to work toward full equalization of powder and crack cocaine sentencing, the significance of the Fair Sentencing Act's passage cannot be denied. And in many quarters, from state legislatures to Congress, those who envision and enforce criminal justice policy are seriously reconsidering the wisdom of lengthy prison sentences for relatively low-level, nonviolent crimes like drug possession. They are reconsidering the assumption that mass incarceration promotes public safety. And at the state level, policymakers are coming to the realization that if for no other reason than fiscal solvency, our obese and costly criminal justice system demands an intervention.

Link: http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/07/the-summer-camp-of-destruction-israeli-high-schoolers-join-in-the-destruction-of-a-bedouin-town/

On July 26, Israeli police demolished 45 buildings in the unrecognized Bedouin village of al-Arakib, razing the entire village to the ground to make way for a Jewish National Fund forest. The destruction was part of a larger project to force the Bedouin community of the Negev away from their ancestral lands and into seven Indian reservation-style communities the Israeli government has constructed for them.

Link: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/janetdaley/100049682/us-heads-for-civil-war-over-health-insurance/

The Battle of Obama’s Healthcare is looking to go down in history as a major confrontation between the power of federal government and the self-determination of individual states. And that eternal tension between what used to be called state’s rights and the coercive inclinations of federal authority has been at the heart of the most momentous struggles in national history – not least the civil war which tested the strength of the Union to breaking point.

Link: http://beyondthecurtain.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/intel-experts-warn-obama-israel-may-bomb-iran-this-month/

VIPS memo says Netanyahu planning surprise attack that will make it politically untenable for U.S. to do anything other than offer full support for military campaign. Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, a group of former intelligence and military officials, warns President Obama in a memo that Israel is preparing to attack Iran this month, and that Obama needs to publicly denounce such an attack in order to prevent a wider war and the ultimate destruction of Israel.

Link: http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/report-bp-says-static-kill-on-gulf-well-is-successful-as-seeps-continue-from-bop-and-sea-floor

BP turns out the lights as 'BOP Monitoring' shows largest leaks yet (VIDEO) (8)
Professor: NOAA reports 40-45% of total oil is in undersea PLUMES; Not going to disappear (VIDEO) (6)

Link: http://www.thenation.com/blog/153881/food-stamps-or-teachers

Now The GOP midterm election strategy is clear: stubbornly oppose anything and everything that might improve the economy and bank on voters to blame Democrats for these tough times come November.

Link: http://www.ogaden.com/editorial/866-castles-in-the-clouds-ethiopias-mythical-peace-process-in-ogaden.html

On April 9th 2010, Reuters reported “An Islamist rebel group which had threatened to attack oil and gas firms exploring a potentially mineral-rich region of Ethiopia has surrendered..“. The report went on to quote Ethiopian regime spokesman Bereket Simon as saying "After discussing with the government, the leaders of the organisation in totality have accepted to abide by the constitution of Ethiopia and desist from any armed practice,”… “The rebels would now disarm and form a political party” . With that began an well planned perception management strategy aimed at three audiences.

Link: http://news.antiwar.com/2010/08/04/iran-claims-s-300-air-defense-acquired-from-belarus/

Officials quoted in Iran’s Fars News Agency say that the Iranian government has obtained four batteries of S-300 air defense missiles, the backbone of Russia’s air defense, despite Russia’s refusal to deliver them.

Link: http://news.antiwar.com/2010/08/04/gen-petraeus-issues-air-strike-edict-no-strikes-near-civilians-except-in-secret-cases/

New US Commander in Afghanistan Gen. David Petraeus has issued new orders related to air and artillery strikes against civilians. The short answer is “don’t,” while the long answer is that troops shouldn’t use the strikes when they know civilians will be killed except in two cases.

Link: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52374

Compared to most internally displaced Kurds in northern Iraq, Shamal Qadir is almost lucky. Since the Turkish army devastated his village, Kuzine, in a bombing raid Jul. 1, he's been living in a schoolhouse, where room temperatures are comfortable and basic amenities are accessible.

Link: http://www.counterpunch.org/ginsburg08042010.html

Of all the farcical notions put forth during this time of high farce, casting America as “broke” places way up there on the list, as trillions of dollars are being stockpiled in the face of a national downsizing and its attendant growth in misery. Here we sit, a captive national audience to the president’s seemingly daily farce, “We are all in this together”.

Link: http://original.antiwar.com/porter/2010/08/03/obama-drops-2009-pledge/

Seventeen months after President Barack Obama pledged to withdraw all combat brigades from Iraq by Sept. 1, 2010, he quietly abandoned that pledge Monday, admitting implicitly that such combat brigades would remain until the end of 2011.

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed by President Bush in late 2008 legally required the U.S. to withdrawal all troops from the country by the end of 2011. The Bush administration was never keen on the plan, which was forced on U.S. leaders by Iraqi political official who were set on ending the occupation, in accord with the wishes of the vast majority of the Iraqi people. If Bush had remained in office long enough, there is little doubt that he would have opposed a full withdrawal, as setting a timetable for removing U.S. troops was long opposed by the President, who consistently and vigorously demanded that “conditions on the ground” dictate the removal or adding of forces.

Link: http://www.gcnlive.com/wp/2010/08/03/scientific-study-finds-40-of-all-store-receipts-covered-in-dangerous-hormone-disrupting-chemical/

Massive amounts of harmful sterilant may be absorbed into bloodstream. A scientific study has found that receipts from ATM’s, grocery stores, fast food restaurants and gas stations contain massive amounts of bisphenol A (BPA), the harmful chemical that is known to cause fertility problems and cancer.

Link: http://www.henrymakow.com/the_informers_unsung_masterpie.html

Bret Easton Ellis, 46, is known for the novel and movie "American Psycho" and other works that chronicle America's descent into insanity. His latest movie "The Informers" (April 2009) is a chilling portrayal of the moral vacuum that is America.

Link: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.politics/browse_thread/thread/e253b8f855a498e2/eadb966321eaade0?lnk=raot

The establishment media and the scientific dictatorship are promoting brain-eating vaccines that virtually lobotomize people and rewire their brains into a state of subservient compliance so that their natural instinct to get angry and rebel against the tyranny being imposed upon them is neutered and sterilized.

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/7925216/US-Treasury-yields-fall-to-record-low-on-Feds-QE-lite-plan.html

Yields on short-term US Treasury debt have fallen to the lowest in history on mounting expectations of extra stimulus from the Federal Reserve. Ben Bernanke needs fresh monetary blitz as US recovery falters. Two-year rates fell to 0.52pc after a further batch of grim data hinted at a sharp slowdown in the second half of the year. Factory orders fell 1.2pc in June, while consumer spending fell flat.

Link: http://bellaciao.org/en/spip.php?article20071

A senior judge was under investigation yesterday after being accused of making anti-Semitic remarks in court that may have swayed his jury into acquitting a group of protesters. The truth this Judge has spoken about the mass murdering war criminal state of Israel is being deflected by the accusation that he is anti-Semitic. No other nationality or people have a special catch phrase with which to cover up and defend their murderous behavior. Now a judge must defend himself. He is the one that is wrong and not the criminal state of Israel. If they had called him a racist that wouldn't have worked because it isn't racist to point out that the Israeli state is behaving like Nazis. They needed to use their special catch phrase which can mean whatever they want it to mean or need it to mean, but always has the same result, which is to silence criticism and put the offending person on the defensive.

Link: http://food.change.org/blog/view/senate_cuts_food_stamp_funds_leaves_oil_and_gas_subsidies_intact

America's poor rarely catch a break these days. The Senate is expected to vote today for a bill that will cut food stamp benefits by $6.1 billion to help fund Medicaid and teachers' jobs, reasoning they were too high now that food costs are lower than predicted. Proponents essentially argued that poor people had too much money for food.

Link: http://wsws.org/articles/2010/aug2010/pers-a02.shtml

Accusations from Obama administration officials and the media that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his sources have “blood on their hands” for revealing information on US military operations and informants in Afghanistan are contemptible slanders. Responsibility for blood spilled in Afghanistan lies with the US government, which launched the war.

Link: http://wsws.org/articles/2010/aug2010/soma-a02.shtml

Meeting at the African Union Summit in Kampala, African leaders have agreed to send more troops to Somalia to support the Transitional Federal Government against the Islamist militia al-Shabaab. US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson welcomed the decision. “We believe that it is necessary to have more troops on the ground,” he said, “and we in Washington have committed ourselves to support additional troops on the ground in the same fashion that we have supported the existing Burundi and Ugandan troops.”