July 30, 2014

VIDEO: Death of a Photojournalist in Gaza

From Greg Mitchell:

http://gregmitchellwriter.blogspot.com/2014/07/death-of-photo-journalist.html

Death of a Photo Journalist

If you can handle this, video shot in the middle of the shelling at the Gaza market--you'll see the journalist, in blue with camera, near the start. Just horrible, never seen anything quite like it, even in the past two weeks. Also dead and injured kids on the ground. Send it to your president and Congress person. Now wait for the apologists to claim this is fake.

VIDEO AT LINK

July 30, 2014

AP Raw Footage: Weapons Fire Hits UN School in Gaza Sheltering Refugees

A Palestinian health official and a UN spokesman say Israeli tank shells hit a crowded UN school sheltering refugees in Gaza, killing at least 15 and wounding 90.(July 30)

July 29, 2014

U.S. Homeownership Rate Falls to 19-year Low in Second Quarter

Source: Reuters

U.S. homeownership rate falls to 19-year low in second quarter

Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:26am EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Homeownership in the United States hit a 19-year low in the second quarter as financially squeezed Americans opted to rent, pointing to a sluggish housing market recovery.

The seasonally adjusted homeownership rate fell to 64.8 percent, the lowest level since the second quarter of 1995, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday.

The rate, which peaked at 69.4 percent in 2004, was 65.0 percent in the first three months of 2013.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0FY1GD20140729

July 29, 2014

Breaking: Consumer Confidence in U.S. Rises to Highest Since October 2007

Source: Bloomberg

Consumer Confidence in U.S. Rises to Highest Since October 2007

By Nina Glinski
July 29, 2014 10:17 AM EDT

Confidence among U.S. consumers soared in July to the highest level in almost seven years on the heels of a strengthening labor market.

The Conference Board’s index rose to 90.9, the highest since October 2007, from a revised 86.4 in June, according to the New York-based private research group said today. Economists in a Bloomberg survey projected a reading of 85.4 for the month.

More employment opportunities, fewer firings and resilient equity markets are buoying spirits against a backdrop of geopolitical tension in Ukraine and the Middle East. Faster wage growth would help to further spur sentiment and provide the wherewithal for bigger gains in consumer spending.

“Stronger job growth helped boost consumers’ assessment of current conditions, while brighter short-term outlooks for the economy and jobs, and to a lesser extent personal income, drove the gain in expectations,” Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at the Conference Board, said in a statement. The figures “suggest the recent strengthening in growth is likely to continue into the second half of this year.”

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-29/consumer-confidence-index-in-u-s-increased-to-90-9-in-july.html

July 29, 2014

Tweets Coming Out Of / About Gaza Tonight: "I Feel I Am Going To Die"

July 28, 2014

BREAKING: US Appeals Court: Va. Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

Source: Associated Press / Reuters

@Reuters: RT @ReutersUS: #BREAKING: U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down Virginia's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

US COURT: VA. GAY MARRIAGE BAN UNCONSTITUTIONAL
By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM
— Jul. 28, 2014 1:34 PM EDT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court has struck down Virginia's same-sex marriage ban.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled Monday that state constitutional and statutory provisions barring gay marriage and denying recognition of such unions performed in other states violate the U.S. Constitution. The Virginia gay marriage case is one of several that could go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In February, U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen ruled that Virginia's same-sex marriage ban violates equal protection and due process guarantees. Lawyers for two circuit court clerks whose duties include issuing marriage licenses appealed.

The lawsuit was filed by two Norfolk men who were denied a marriage license and two Chesterfield County women whose marriage in California is not recognized by Virginia.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-court-va-gay-marriage-ban-unconstitutional

July 28, 2014

Israeli Airstrike Hits Main Gaza Hospital, Palestinian Officials Say

Source: CBS / AP

Israeli airstrike hits main Gaza hospital, Palestinian officials say

CBS/AP
Jul 28, 2014 10:54 AM EDT

REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- The Gaza police operations room and a Palestinian health official say separate Israeli airstrikes hit the compound of Gaza City's main hospital and a nearby park, causing casualties.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Camera crews were prevented from filming the area of impact at Shifa Hospital. Health official Ayman Sahabani says several people were wounded in the strikes.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/israeli-airstrikes-hit-main-gaza-hospital-palestinian-officials-say/

---

@GregMitch: NBC now says 30 dead in the strikes on camp and hospital and IDs Israel as culprit (despite Israel's usual denials). http://t.co/m7HopNSNiM/s/7Ioo

@AP: BREAKING: Israeli military: rockets misfired by Palestinian militants hit Gaza hospital, nearby park.

@GregMitch: Debunking Israel's claim--NBC journo says he saw missile that hit hospital fired from an Israeli drone. http://t.co/m7HopNSNiM/s/eJqm

@AP: MORE: Palestinian official says 10 people, including children, killed in strike on park in Gaza" http://t.co/YrWZ1vALjz/s/hB5Q

@Reuters: VIDEO: Baby delivered in #Gaza hospital from womb of mother whom medics said was killed in air strike: http://t.co/vjePpHLYoJ/s/RtFx

July 28, 2014

TOM TOMORROW: Cheney Family Interview

DAILY KOS LINK: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/07/28/1317102/-Cartoon-The-interview

Support independent cartooning: join Sparky's List—and be sure to visit TT's Emporium of Shopping Fun!

July 26, 2014

"...Say It Shows That The CIA Interrogation Program Was Far More BRUTAL Than Previously Understood"

http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/some-torture-report-denied-chance-read-it

Jul 26, 3:51 AM EDT

SOME IN 'TORTURE' REPORT DENIED CHANCE TO READ IT

BY KEN DILANIAN
AP INTELLIGENCE WRITER

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) -- About a dozen former CIA officials named in a classified Senate report on decade-old agency interrogation practices were notified in recent days that they would be able to review parts of the document in a secure room in suburban Washington after signing a secrecy agreement.

Then, on Friday, many were told they would not be able to see it, after all.

Some of them were furious, while Democratic Senate aides were angry that they were given the chance in the first place.

- snip -

Several people who have read the full report, and who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss still-classified material, say it shows that the CIA interrogation program was far more brutal than previously understood, and that CIA officials repeatedly misled Congress and the Justice Department about what was being done to al-Qaida detainees. The report asserts that no unique, life-saving intelligence was gleaned for the harsh techniques.

MORE

July 25, 2014

Confused Cats Against Feminism Tumblr

http://confusedcatsagainstfeminism.tumblr.com





MORE AT LINK