Hong Kong: Streets blocked as pro-democracy protests spread

Democracy!

(BBC) - Thousands of people have remained on the streets of Hong Kong for another day of pro-democracy protests, defying tear gas and ignoring appeals to leave.

Overnight, riot police advanced on crowds who ignored official warnings that the demonstrations were illegal.

Protesters are angry at Chinese government plans to vet candidates in Hong Kong's 2017 elections.

Hong Kong's chief executive reassured the public that rumours the Chinese army might intervene were untrue.

"I hope the public will keep calm. Don't be misled by the rumours," CY Leung said.

"Police will strive to maintain social order, including ensuring smooth traffic and ensuring public safety."

Study: Allowing blood donations from gay men could help save over a million lives in U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Lifting a ban on blood donations from gay men would increase the amount of available blood by hundreds of thousands of pints (liters) each year and save more than a million lives a year, a California study showed.

The U.S. Federal Drug Administration has banned gay men from donating blood since 1983, when it was discovered that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was being transmitted through transfusions.

Eliminating the ban could bring in roughly 615,300 pints (291,145 liters) of blood annually, while allowing donations from gay men who had not had a sexual partner in a year could yield 317,000 pints (150,000 liters), the study estimated.

With a five-year policy, nearly 300,000 pints (142,000 liters) could be collected, according to the study by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Read more Here

Kansas: KU sees more students report sexual assaults

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas is receiving more sexual assault reports from students after the school’s handling of an alleged on-campus rape set off protests.

The Kansas City Star reports that the recent complaints include two reports of stalking, seven of sexual harassment, one of sexual assault, one of date violence, one of domestic violence and seven so recent the office had not yet categorized them.

The reports began rolling in after a student who said she was raped in 2013 complained of her attacker’s lenient punishment. The university has declined to comment on the case. Other women have come forward to say the school didn’t take sexual violence seriously.

The university is among 76 schools being investigated by the federal government for their handling of sexual assault cases.

International Zionist Conspiracy: Even We Can’t Keep Track Of All Our Conspiracies Anymore [satire]

(Via BCF)

- The twenty-first century is a pretty complex place. The world is teeming with more than seven billion souls, with international and domestic crises to manage absolutely everywhere. As you can imagine, the level of International Zionist Conspiracy involvement has never been higher, but the sheer number of events going on at any given time means that sometimes, even we can’t keep track of all our conspiracies.

It wasn’t always that way. Back when we assassinated Lincoln, there couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen active conspiracies, tops…

And now, with more than four thousand active plots, depending on how one categorizes them, things have gotten hairy. We nearly messed up on 9/11 by not using bigger planes, but at least the backup plan of having explosives planted in the construction of the Twin Towers back in the early seventies made the collapse happen anyway. Every now and then someone in the Muslim world gets wind of gentile blood used in Jewish matza, and we have to track down who dropped the ball. Our agents work almost around the clock, but recruiting and training more of them presents a serious problem: there are only about 15 million Jews in the world, and we don’t trust anyone else…

Woman Who Really Hates Mexican Flag Loses Her Job Over Hatred Of Mexican Flag

Because it looks like Italy flag?

(YahooNews) - A Southern California woman is out of a job and facing death threats after she used her cell phone to videotape an encounter with a homeowner over a Mexican flag flying in the homeowner’s front yard — and published the video on YouTube.

The woman, Tressy Capps, a political activist and a city council candidate in a town amid the Inland Empire’s endless suburbia, placed the video on YouTube on Aug. 11, 2014.

“Hello? Hi. Is that a Mexican flag in your front yard,” Capps asks, pleasantly enough, in the video.

The woman to whom she is speaking, Maria Banuelos, is standing behind a window. Banuelos doesn’t respond because she doesn’t speak English, reports CBS Los Angeles.

Full Story

"Withholding Sex" now considered "Sexual Violence"

(National Review) The University of Michigan has released a list of relationship behaviors that it considers violent and abusive — including “withholding sex.”

“Discounting the partner’s feelings regarding sex,” “criticizing the partner sexually,” and “having sex with other people” are also examples of “sexual violence,” according to the list.

The school also offers definitions of domestic abuse. Under the section for “verbal or psychological abuse,” it states that not only is “insulting the partner” considered “abuse,” so is “ignoring the partner’s feelings.”

Read more at HERE

Police: FBI probing past of suspect in Oklahoma beheading

(CNN) -- First came word of a woman stabbed. Then screams. Then gunshots.

But the full story of Thursday's gruesome beheading at an Oklahoma food processing plant -- especially why it happened -- is still waiting to be told.

One day later, there are tears for Colleen Hufford, the 54-year-old woman whose head was severed. There are prayers for 43-year-old Traci Johnson, who is in stable condition at a nearby hospital for treatment of "numerous wounds," according to police.

And there are questions about 30-year-old Alton Alexander Nolen, the man who authorities say attacked them both and might have gone after more people if not for the company's CEO, also an off-duty reserve sheriff's deputy, who confronted and shot him twice. Read More

Catalonia challenges Spain with independence vote

DEMOCRACY!

(USAToday) - The president of Spain's Catalonia region mounted a serious challenge to the Spanish state early Saturday when he signed a decree calling for a referendum on independence.

Catalan President Artur Mas wants to hold the vote on Nov. 9 and the move comes just a week after Scotland voted against breaking away from the United Kingdom.

"Like all the nations of the world, Catalonia has the right to decide its political future," said Mas. "We want to vote and we want to decide and now we have to means to do so."

However, unlike the recent independence vote in Scotland, which was backed by the U.K.'s central government in London, Catalonia's vote would not be legally binding and it does not have the support of the Spanish government in Madrid.

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Chechnya also comes to mind with its never ending struggle for independence from Russia. Let's hope Catalonia makes the right choice.

Puppy rapist gets 5 years in prison

Florida folks.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A man convicted offondling and raping his 8-month-old pit bull puppy will spend five years in a state prison, according to the Florida State Attorney's Office.

James Guy Bull, 62, of Daytona Beach, Fla., pleaded guilty to two counts of felony cruelty to animals, misdemeanor animal cruelty charges and misdemeanor sexual activities involving animals, prosecutors said. He was to face trial on the charges

Indonesia: Catholic university cancels seminar on homosexuality after Islamist threats

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Giving into Islamic extremists, the Catholic University of Sanata Dharma (USD) in Yogyakarta, in the province of Central Java, has canceled a seminar on "different" sexual orientations, including homosexuality, lesbianism, transgender . The meeting promoted by the USD Faculty of Psychology on theme of the seminar "LGBTI: We are different, we are unique and we are One" was canceled in a hurry last night. Yesterday, the Islamic Society Forum (FUI) is the meeting went ahead its members would have "infiltrated" it to stop a discussion that would have "dishonored Islam".

Johanes Eka Priyatna, USD dean, confirmed the cancellation of the seminar, after a closed-door meeting with the police chief, professors and members of the student council.

Among Indonesian cities, Yogyakarta has always stood out as the most "tolerant" and home to dozens of universities of different inspirations. However, in recent years it has registered incidents of sectarian intolerance, the work of local Muslim extremist groups that have targeted the local Catholic and Protestant communities.

Among the many episodes, there was the attack on the Catholic leader Julius Felicianus last May; a week later, the extremists targeted a "house of prayer"belonging to a Protestant community; and again, at the end of June unidentified persons attacked the parish of the Sacred Heart shouting "Allah is great".

Muhammad Fuad, head of the local branch of FUI, welcomed the cancellation of the seminar. He accuses the Catholic University of fomenting deviant sexual practices, which are not accepted by the people of Indonesia. "Deviant sexual behaviors are contagious - says the Islamic leader - and if we do not stop this 'virus', it is sure that one day gays and lesbians will claim equal rights and ask to see same-sex marriage recognized." 

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, where Catholics are 3 per cent of the population, is becoming as one of the main centres of Islamic activism in the Asia-Pacific region. As AsiaNews recently reported, fundamentalist movements and local Muslim leaders have found inspiration in the exploits of Sunni fighters in Syria and Iraq and plan to support the struggle for the establishment of the Islamic Caliphate, even in Asia.

Full Story

Ebola could drain billions of dollars from African economies: World Bank

(Reuters) - The largest-ever outbreak of Ebola could drain billions of dollars from economies in West Africa by the end of next year if the epidemic is not contained, the World Bank said in an analysis on Wednesday.

The global development lender predicted that slow containment of the deadly virus in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone could lead to broader regional contagion, particularly through tourism and trade.

Under the worst-case scenario, Guinea's economic growth could be reduced by 2.3 percentage points next year while Sierra Leone's growth would be cut by 8.9 percentage points. Liberia would be hardest hit, with a reduction of 11.7 percentage points next year.

"We really need to scale up our response and what we have learned from this study is that time is of the essence," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim told reporters.

Even under the best-case scenario, countries would need a "massive" scaling up of their response to contain the disease in the next four to six months, the bank said. Read more

US: Senate blocks pay equity bill

EQUAL PAY FOR EVERYBODY!

Politico - Senate Republicans rejected a measure written by Senate Democrats aimed at bridging differences in pay between men and women.

The Paycheck Fairness Act fell short 52-40, failing to clear a 60-vote procedural vote hurdle on Monday evening, the third time the measure has failed since spring of 2012.

That might be the last vote this year on Democrats’ poll-driven, election-year legislation aimed at creating a national contrast between Democrats and Republicans, aides said, given this is likely the last week the Senate is in session before recessing for the midterms.

Read more: HERE

Russians Campaign to Crown President as ‘Czar Putin’

(TheTrumpet) - A campaign is underway in Russia to coronate Russian President Vladimir Putin as the nation’s czar, according to a September 9 report by Ukrainian daily, Eizvestia.com.

The Moscow-based movement called “For the Coronation of the Russian President” is collecting signatures for its petition both online and at its offices across Russia.

The organization’s stated mission is to “re-institute a monarchy in Russia and to appoint Vladimir Putin to the position of czar” of the nation. “We believe Putin has done so much for Russia and deserves to govern Russia until the end of his days, and then hand power over by inheritance to one of his sons or daughters.”

The statement continues: “We invite all concerned people to contribute to the consolidation of the outstanding achievements in the economy that have occurred in recent years in Russia, thanks to the wise leadership of our great chief and leader Vladimir Putin.”

Russia was ruled by monarchs from the mid-ninth century until 1917 when Emperor of all Russia Nicholas II abdicated. Soon after, Nicholas and his family were executed as part of the Russian Revolution that destroyed the czarist autocracy and brought about the creation of the Soviet Union. Read more

'The Simpsons' Groundskeeper Willie Has a Message on Scottish Independence

With the vote of the Scottish independence referendum only five days away, it's time to make a decision. Luckily, for any undecided voter out there, everyone's favorite Scottish groundskeeper has decided to share his thoughts. Take a look.

In the official FOX-released clip, posted to YouTube on Friday, Groundskeeper Willie, the lovably Scottish and terrifyingly awesome groundskeeper of Springfield Elementary School in The Simpsons, shares his take on the situation.

Initially, Groundskeeper Willie doesn't want to commit his support to either side, "the right one or the obviously wrong one," and points out that, "both sides of this argument have valid points: The freedom-loving heirs of the Highland tradition, and those who enjoy crawling like worms beneath British boots."

From that point, it was on. And eventually, Groundskeeper Willie then takes it a step further by offering his own services as the candidate to lead the would-be independent Scotland.

"Vote Groundskeeper Willie, the sane and sensible choice."

North Korea 'backs Scottish independence'

Vote Yes because England suck

(Telegraph) - North Korea is quietly backing the Yes vote in Scotland and would be keen to increase trade with a newly independent Edinburgh, according to officials of the Pyongyang regime.

"I think that independence would be a very positive thing for Scotland," Choe Kwan-il, managing editor of the Choson Sinbo newspaper, told The Telegraph.

Supported by Pyongyang, the Tokyo-based publication provides news to an estimated 200,000 Koreans who live in Japan but swear allegiance – and send vast amounts of financial support – to North Korea.

"We have not reported on the vote in Scotland yet, but we will after it has happened," Choe said.

"I believe that every person has the right to be a member of an independent nation, to have sovereignty, to live in peace and to enjoy equality," he said. "And I believe that a majority of Scots feel the same and will vote for independence." Full

Sh*t just got real: Fast Food Customers Protest Workers

Illegal immigration is the greatest threat facing America.

MIAMI, Florida (WNB) - Thousands of fast food customers across the nation took to the streets Monday to protest fast food employees.

"These people are demanding $15 an hour, but they can't remember my fries or a freaking napkin?" asked one protester marching with a group of approximately 200 outside a Miami McDonald's. "How 'bout this, you get a quarter an hour raise when you've learned how to say 'thank you' instead of 'no problem.'"

A spokesperson for a group of customers protesting outside of a Tucson Burger King summed up the feelings of many: "If I wanted to pay an illiterate, surly underachiever for bad service, I'd eat lunch at the DMV."

What Would Happen if We Got Rid of the Minimum Wage?

(Slate) - Most voters love the idea of raising the minimum wage. But Republican politicians, with a handful of notable exceptions, do not, because they’re convinced that even a small boost will kill jobs. And as my colleague Jamelle Bouie points out this week, a few are honest enough to take their opposition to its logical conclusion and advocate abolishing the minimum wage entirely.

So what would happen if they got their way? What if we bid the minimum wage goodbye for good?

The Econ 101 answer is that it would create more jobs for low-skill workers, such as teenagers and high school dropouts, as wages drifted down to their market rate. When the cost of labour falls, the argument goes, employers should demand more of it. It may not be profitable for your local Five Guys to hire an extra burger cook at $7.25 an hour, but at $5 or $4 an hour, the math might change. The Cato Institute’s James Dorn and the Hoover Institution’s Russell Roberts made this point at length during an Intelligence Squared debate last year in which they advocated doing away with minimum wages. “Right now there are people within a few blocks of where we are sitting who cannot find work simply because their skills are not worth $7.25 an hour,” Russell told the audience. “Why would you condemn those men and women to a wage of zero?”

It’s easy to think up reasons why nixing the minimum wage might not lead to a flood of new career opportunities for the unskilled. Because we have minimum wages today, businesses are required to work at a certain level of efficiency. Unless a business is understaffed, adding a new worker, even a cheaper one, might not be particularly profitable. Or take technology. Minimum-wage skeptics often point out that when employing a real live human being becomes too expensive, companies start buying computers and machinery instead. In a post-minimum-wage world, it seems unlikely that businesses would suddenly throw their profitable business models into reverse, and start scooping up cheap workers to handle tasks they had already purchased fancy new equipment to accomplish. Your local McDonald’s, for instance, wouldn’t suddenly return the fancy new soda machine that lets customers fill their own cups with umpteen variations on Diet Coke, just so that it could hire another person to work behind the counter for $4 an hour.

Of course, there’s another big question to answer: If we ripped up the wage floor, would pay for low-skill workers actually fall all that much? It’s hard to say. First, many low-wage businesses still offer their workers more than the absolute minimum. Second, wages tend to be “sticky,” meaning that once they go up, they tend not to come down. The reason why is still a bit of a mystery, but it likely has a lot to do with the fact that making your employees take a pay cut is a) emotionally unpleasant for both parties and b) a good way to sap their motivation on the job. Continue Reading

Related: Should the Minimum Wage Be Abolished (i.e. Reduced to $0.00)?

Saudi anti-Christian sweep prompts calls for US involvement

(FoxNews.com) - Dozens of Christians arrested at a prayer meeting in Saudi Arabia need America's help, according to a key lawmaker who is pressing the State Department on their behalf.

Some 28 people were rounded up Friday by hard-line Islamists from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in the home of an Indian national in the eastern Saudi city of Khafji, and their current situation is unknown, according to human rights advocates.

"Saudi Arabia is continuing the religious cleansing that has always been its official policy," Nina Shea, director of the Washington-based Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, told FoxNews.com. "It is the only nation state in the world with the official policy of banning all churches. This is enforced even though there are over 2 million Christian foreign workers in that country. Those victimized are typically poor, from Asian and African countries with weak governments."

In Friday's crackdown, several Bibles were confiscated, according to reports from the Kingdom.

Full Story

On this day: Macedonia marks 23 years of independence from Yugoslavia.

Yugoslavia formally dissolved in 2006.

Skopje. On Monday, September 8 Macedonia marks its Independence Day, Radio Free Europe reported.

23 years ago on this date the country held a referendum at which the citizens voted for country’s independence from Yugoslavia. 

The question asked at the referendum was: “Do you support independent Macedonia with the right to join future union of sovereign countries of Yugoslavia?”

“Democracy, stability, known name at the international political scene – this is what Macedonia represents two decades after the historical referendum on its independence and this is something to be proud of.”

This is what Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said on the occasion of Macedonia’s Independence Day, Macedonian Sitel TV commented.

According to him, Macedonian nation showed responsibility in the management of its own fate when making important decision.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, on the other hand, said that Macedonia was a country of brave people, who are persistent in the realisation of century-old ideals.

On September 8, 1991 Macedonia organised a referendum at which the citizens supported country’s independence, backed by 95% of the voters. 

Bulgaria was the first to recognize Macedonia’s independence.

Some 23 years ago Macedonia’s independence inspired respect, while 23 years later it is a motive to revise the mistakes made, the missed chances and the big reforms that will help it pull up from the stagnation, Deutsche Welle radio comments in its programme for Macedonia. 

According to the media, almost a quarter of a century is enough for a country to pave its way of development and secure itself a respectful place on the map.

Nowadays, when the independence is a relative notion in a world dependent on the cooperation, integration and looming globalisation, what can Macedonia really be proud of, Deutsche Welle asks.

Gawker: Brave Teen Refuses to Attend Middle School, Chooses Jail Instead

Tax payer dollars in action.

- Middle school is a nightmare, and any impulse to avoid it is totally understandable. A Florida teenager who had the courage to fight back, however, was rewarded for his bravery this week with a pair of handcuffs and a trip to the St. Johns County jail.

According to an arrest report obtained by The Smoking Gun, the 14-year-old boy, whose name was redacted, repeatedly refused to go to school after moving from New York to Florida, resisting even after his mother took away his cell phone and laptop and disconnected their home’s internet. This week—two weeks after the district’s August 18 start date—the mother called the police, who reported to the house and told the teen he could either go to school or go to jail. His stoic reply, delivered from bed: “Do what you gotta do. I’m not going to school.”

The martyr for teens everywhere was arrested for misdemeanor resisting without violence/obstruction of justice, cuffed, and taken in, before eventually being released into his mother’s custody. Is this how America treats its heroes?

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Calling this boy "Brave" is a little excessive seeing as he is not a homosexual.

Ukraine: Russia Has Invaded

That was quick..

(thetrumpet) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Thursday that Russian troops have invaded Ukraine. He is calling on the international community for help.

“Russia has sent a number of armoured personnel vehicles, tanks and troops. We can confirm that Russian military boots are on Ukrainian ground.”

The prime minister called for emergency meetings of the United Nations Security Council, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the European Union. He also called for more sanctions.

“We urge the EU and the United States to frozen [sic] all Russian assets until Russia pulls back its forces, its military, and stops the supply of Russian-led guerrillas.”

Earlier on Thursday, President Petro Poroshenko called an emergency meeting of Ukraine’s national security council. Concerns continue to grow about the opening of a new front in the conflict with Russia. Poroshenko summoned the council after the strategic southeastern Ukrainian town of Novoazovsk appeared to be taken over by Russia-backed separatists.

Russia holds veto power in the UN security council, so it is unlikely the UN will be able to pass any measures. The United States and the EU also have proven unwilling to use their power to control Russia.