FBI Performed Three Federal Background Checks Per Second On Black Friday – 1 December 2014

The FBI ran more than three background checks per second ‒ more than 175,000 total ‒ on Black Friday, thanks to the largest ever number of guns purchased on the biggest retail day in the US. It was the second most reviews ever during a single day.

Purchasing guns on Black Friday ‒ the start of the holiday shopping season in the United States ‒ has become an American tradition over the past few years. This year was no different, according to the number of federal background checks run by the FBI. It’s an incomplete, though telling, statistic: the agency has three business days to complete its review of each applicant, who could be purchasing multiple guns, before the weapon is released for sale.

“We’re processing approximately two checks per second. And starting around 11 a.m., we’ll bump that up to three checks per second,” Kimberly Del Greco, an FBI manager with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), told NPR’s Rachel Martin Friday morning.

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US Loses Bid To Re-Jail Kim Dotcom – 1 December 2014

Attorneys for the United States government have lost their attempt to revoke internet mogul Kim Dotcom’s bail as he awaits an extradition trial in New Zealand, scheduled for next June.

Dotcom – a German hacker-turned-entrepreneur who founded the file-storage website Megaupload – has been free on bail since shortly after New Zealand authorities raided his home in Coatesville, near Auckland, in January 2012 in connection with an FBI-led investigation. The probe left he and his colleagues facing charges of infringement and conspiracy in the US. As legal issues surrounding that matter linger on, Dotcom, 40, can forego worrying for now whether he’ll have to go back to jail anytime soon.

American authorities argued in Auckland last week that Dotcom should be sent back behind bars since he poses a flight risk ahead of next year’s extradition trial as a result of his immense wealth; by his own admission, Dotcom says he’s earned roughly $40 million since posting bail in early 2012, of which one-fourth has been spent on legal fees. Judge Nevin Dawson disagreed with US officials, however, and said Monday that Dotcom can remain free pending next year’s trial.

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Lisa Gawlas – December Unveiled!!! – 1 December 2014

Well, now I see (yup, joyful pun intended) what all the waiting/cooking was about!!  Wow did you come out of the quantum oven bright and different!! And it would take all 6 connections to really start to weave a coherent story to share.

There was a common theme in most connections, and energy that moved up from the earth, engorged and engulfed you, became one as you, that looked very much like the sun itself.  Fiery white, orange and yellow radiance.  Each presentation was as unique as you are, but the outcome the same in purpose.  You were born to radiate the light of the heavens.  Now it did take a significant amount of scrubbing within, but you scrubbed yourself to the degree the sun energy now matches your cell energy!!  Hurray!!!

UK’s £75Bn Overspend Threatens Osborne’s Deficit Recovery Plan – OBR – 1 December 2014

George Osborne’s plan to cut the UK’s budget deficit has been shattered by the revelation that the government will have to borrow as much as £75 billion more than it had originally planned over the next five years.

A fiscal forecast from the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) has revealed that the UK’s economic outlook is much bleaker than the government has let on. The coalition aimed to reduce the deficit in 2015 to £40 billion, but the latest figures show that it will actually be almost £100 billion.

The OBR forecast may force Osborne to admit that the government’s austerity plans to reduce the deficit are far off track in his autumn statement due on Wednesday.

The report suggests that the total borrowing figure will be revised upward, with the complete budget deficit expected to be £280 billion by 2020. The figures show that the UK will have a deficit of £75 billion more than previously expected.

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Sony’s New Movies Leaked Online After Suspected North Korea Retaliatory Hack – 1 December 2014

At least five new films produced by Sony Pictures have leaked online, resulting in around 2 million downloads from file-sharing sites. Sony is investigating allegations that North Korean hackers are responsible for the leaks, according to reports.

According to Variety, the leaks came from copies of DVD screeners of four unreleased Sony films – “Annie,” “Mr. Turner,” “Still Alice” and “To Write Love on Her Arms” – and one movie, “Fury,” already in theaters.

“Fury” has been pirated the most of the five films, according to the IT forensics firm Excipio, with more than 1.2 million downloads as of mid-Sunday. “Annie” was next, with more than 206,000 downloads.

“The theft of Sony Pictures Entertainment content is a criminal matter, and we are working closely with law enforcement to address it,” a Sony spokeswoman said in a statement to Variety.

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Steve Lendman – Aryan Nuremberg Laws In Israel – 1 December 2014

Arabs in Israel/Palestine are today’s Nazi Germany Jews. Denied fundamental rights. Persecuted for praying to the wrong God.

Treated like subhumans. Enduring virtually every type indignity, degradation and crime against humanity. Abuses too great to ignore.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) calls some Israeli citizens less equal than others. Saying when fundamental freedoms for some are threatened, “we are all in danger.” i

Arab citizens “are discriminated (against) in almost every aspect of their lives.” Including employment. Education. Healthcare. Housing. 

Former PM Gordon Brown To Resign From Parliament – 1 December 2014

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to announce his formal resignation from parliament on Monday night, just months away from the 2015 general election.

Brown, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997-2005 and as Prime Minister from 2005-2010, made the announcement Monday, although sources had already told British media that he was planning to leave parliament before May.

Brown, who has been Labour MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in Scotland for nearly 32 years, was defeated in the 2010 election, where Labour recorded its worst election result since 1983.

However, he was able to salvage his reputation with many throughout the UK during this year’s Scottish independence referendum, where he proved extremely effective in convincing Scots to remain in the union. Separately, he was known as one of the first politicians to voice his anger at the News of the World phone hacking scandal in 2011.

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Putin: Russia Forced To withdraw From S. Stream Project Due To EU Stance – 1 December 2014

Russia is forced to withdraw from the South Stream project due to the EU’s unwillingness to support the pipeline, and gas flows will be redirected to other customers, Vladimir Putin said after talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“We believe that the stance of the European Commission was counterproductive. In fact, the European Commission not only provided no help in implementation of [the South Stream pipeline], but, as we see, obstacles were created to its implementation. Well, if Europe doesn’t want it implemented, it won’t be implemented,” the Russian president said.

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Laura Bruno – John Beckett – Does Magic Undermine The Sovereignty Of Nature? – 1 December 2014

Another deep, multi-faceted post by John Beckett. Speaking of “Disbelief in Magic….”, John’s post explores everything from complete skepticism, to the practical effectiveness of magic, to alignment with and commitment to Nature vs. the idea of “dominion.” I can’t repost, but here’s the link to his latest piece, “Does Magic Undermine the Sovereignty of Nature?” 

John Beckett’s always a good read, no matter where you find yourself on the various continuum’s he addresses — sure to invoke at least one double-take each time, as he’s a master of the multi-angle. LOL, I keep wondering if he’s a Gemini! 😉

www.laurabruno.wordpress.com / link to original article

Occupy Wall Street Volunteers Defend Ferguson Protesters In Court – 1 December 2014

Building on experiences and strategies borne, in part, from the Occupy movement, lawyers, and legal volunteers from across the nation have coalesced to represent and assist protesters arrested amid civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri.

Led by a local group – Arch City Defenders, which was originally established to provide free legal representation to poor residents in the St. Louis area – and backed by a cadre of national organizations, this network of legal experts, law students, and volunteers have amassed a formidable support system for the hundreds of people arrested in Ferguson after the fatal shooting on Aug. 9 of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson.

Last week, a grand jury opted not to indict Wilson for Brown’s murder, setting off a new round of rage in Ferguson and nationwide over racial discrepancies within the American justice system and consistent police brutality seen in communities from coast to coast.

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