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Assyrian Christians in Sweden are on edge after receiving several threatening messages linked to the Islamic State recently. Graffiti that read “the caliphate is here” and “convert or die” was painted on two stores owned by Assyrians earlier this week, as was the Arabic letter ‘N,’ short for Nazarene, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reports. Chairman of the Assyrian district in Gothenburg, Josef Garis, told DN that the police are investigating the case. "The persecution of the past feels near," he said. Earlier this year, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that at least 150 people had travelled to Iraq and Syria to...

When waters start to flood a fire ant colony, they take evasive action. Worker ants link legs and mouths together, weaving a raft in a process that can take less than two minutes (see pictures).

An adventuresome Google executive who once dated TV star Sophia Bush met a harrowing death on Mount Everest in a a series of valanches triggered by Saturday’s giant earthquake. Dan Fredinburg, of San Francisco, was the only American confirmed by Saturday night to have died in the tragedy. He died from head injuries when the avalanche slammed into his base camp, according to family members and a statement from Jagged Globe, the mountaineering company that organized his summit attempt. “Today I, and so many of my loved ones, lost an incredible friend,” said Bush, who starred from 2003 to 2012...

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the masterminds behind Obamacare, has now explained that he wishes to die at age 75. In an article in The Atlantic, Emanuel writes, “Seventy-five. That’s how long I want to live: 75 years.” He explains that his daughters disagree; so do his brothers and his friends. But, he says, “I am sure of my position…here is a simple truth that many of us seem to resist: living too long is also a loss. It renders many of us, if not disabled, then faltering and declining, a state that may not be worse than death but

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs says investigators have found no proof that delays in care caused any deaths at a VA hospital in Phoenix, deflating an explosive allegation that helped expose a troubled health care system in which veterans waited months for appointments while employees falsified records to cover up the delays. Revelations that as many as 40 veterans died while awaiting care at the Phoenix VA hospital rocked the agency last spring, bringing to light scheduling problems and allegations of misconduct at other hospitals as well. The scandal led to the resignation of former VA Secretary...

There’s every reason to assume that US President Barack Obama has never heard of the pre-WWII demagogic question “Why die for Danzig?” The same can be as safely assumed regarding his Secretary of State John Kerry. Oddly enough, however, their policy appears to draw inspiration from the same ideological wellspring that gave the world the above rhetorical tease. The slogan, very famous (or infamous) in its day, made its debut on May 4, 1939 as the title of an op-ed in the Parisian newspaper L’OEuvre. Its author was French socialist Marcel Déat and his message was that another follow-up appeasement...

Oprah Winfrey has said racism is still a problem around the world and the only way for it to end is for generations of racists to die out. In an interview with the BBC to coincide with the release of her latest film The Butler, the chat show host said generations had been ´marinated´ in racism. The 59-year-old added that President Obama was treated with disrespect because of the color of his skin and said she feels fortunate to have been born after segregation ended in the U.S. [Snip] She highlighted an incident in 2009 when Republican congressman Joe Wilson

Take a look at the following list and tell me if anything strikes you: Prudence Justice Temperance Courage Faith Hope Charity Viewing these, the Seven Cardinal Virtues, anything make an impression? Okay, now try the Seven Heavenly Virtues of: Chastity Temperance Charity Diligence Patience Kindness Humility Anything? What strikes me is that equality is not among them. Scour great works, such as the Bible, and you won't find much talk of equality – that is, unless you consider The Communist Manifesto a great work. One thing about virtues – which are defined as "good moral habits" – is that their...

This story is going around the usual circles, but there are a few things wrong with it. First of all Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was actually arrested by an MBTA SWAT Team. The FBI tried to negotiate his surrender and he was eventually taken into federal custody. Considering how many people were involved in the actual arrest and how many agencies got involved, we’re talking about a lot of personnel that were in some way around. Special Agents Christopher Lorek and Stephen Shaw were members of a hostage rescue team. I’m having trouble finding any legitimate news sites, not counting the usual...

Mars One co-founder tells CBC about its proposed one-way trip to the Red Planet Mars One hopes to have people living on the planet — for the rest of their lives — by 2023.(Mars One/YouTube) The man behind the private space project dubbed Mars One is looking for people to travel to Mars, but he's not offering a return ticket. "The technology to get humans to Mars and keep them alive there exists," Bas Lansdorp told Day 6 host Brent Bambury in an interview that aired this week on CBC Radio. "The technology to bring humans from Mars back to...

Yesterday Sean Hannity interviewed on his radio show Jack Murphy and Brandon Webb for their new book Benghazi: The Definitive Report. I’ve clipped a portion of their interview below which describes something very different than what we’ve ever heard about what led to the attack on the ‘consulate’ and the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods. In short there were two operations going on in Benghazi, neither of which Stevens nor the CIA [Petraeus] were made aware, that made the situation on the ground in Benghazi far more dangerous than they even knew....

The elderly are being denied life-saving treatment for heart attacks and surgery following breast cancer, a report warns. [Snip]This year the Government promised to end ageism in the Health Service and introduced laws that enable the elderly to sue if they are unfairly refused treatment. But a report today warns that patients in their 50s are three times more likely to be offered an emergency treatment for heart attacks than those in their 80s. And some hospitals are refusing to offer the treatment to anyone over 75 at all. The procedure--a percutaneous coronary intervention--widens blood vessels and has been credited

Tens of thousands of patients with terminal illnesses are placed on a “death pathway” to help end their lives every year. However, in a letter to The Daily Telegraph, six doctors warn that hospitals may be using the controversial scheme to reduce strain on hospital resources. Supporters of the Liverpool Care Pathway, which allows medical staff to withhold fluid and drugs in a patient’s final days, claim it is the kindest way of letting them slip away. But the experts say in their letter that natural deaths are often freer of pain and distress. Informed consent is not

Say what you like about Afghans, but they’re admirably straightforward. The mobs outside the bases enflamed over the latest Western affront to their exquisitely refined cultural sensitivities couldn’t put it any plainer: “Die, die, foreigners!” And foreigners do die. USAF Lieutenant Colonel John Loftis, 44, and Army Major Robert Marchanti II, 48, lost their lives not on some mission out on the far horizon in wild tribal lands in the dead of night but in the offices of the Afghan Interior Ministry. In a “secure room” that required a numerical code to access. Gunned down by an Afghan “intelligence officer.”...

Here is your opportunity to ask the candidates your specific questions about income inequality. Let us know and we may include your question in the debate. Click to read Yahoo/ABC loaded question article

Babies Born Alive in Toilets at Abortion Center, Left to Die The documents reveal an almost typical abortion malpractice case of the kind that has occurred by the thousands over the years. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/07/27/babies-born-alive-in-toilets-at-abortion-center-left-to-die/

More inter-faith dialogue from the religion of peace and tolerance. Islamic Jew-hatred, it's pious, brother. UK: Taxi driver shouts "All Jewish children must die" outside Jewish school (Jihadwatch): Taha Osman lost his temper and his Islamic antisemitism overflowed at those whom the Qur'an calls the worst enemies of the Muslims (5:82). "Why is that man shouting at you mummy? Taxi driver hurled racist abuse at mums outside Jewish school in Crumpsall," from the Manchester Evening News, July 19 (thanks to Barry): A taxi driver ranted racial abuse outside a Jewish school after getting stuck in a traffic jam. Taha Osman...

The leader of Scotland's doctors has questioned whether society can afford to pay thousands of pounds to keep terminally-ill people alive for weeks or months when health service budgets are under unprecedented strain. Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the British Medical Association Scotland, said in some cases tens of thousands of pounds were spent on drugs to extend cancer patients' lives for relatively short periods.[Snip]But he stressed any decision had to be made at a society level, rather than being left to doctors. Patient groups are concerned that many cancer treatments are being rationed by the NHS

Posted by Caroline Glick Jun 18th 2011 at 11:00 am in Iran, Israel, Middle East | Comments (46) Every day, major stories come out of the Middle East. And behind each of these stories are major developments that deserve of our attention and, more often than not, our intense concern. Just this week, major stories have come out of Syria, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Yemen and Pakistan that are all deeply disconcerting. In Syria, dictator Bashar Assad’s violent repression of the popular revolt against his tyrannical, minority regime has exposed the Syrian leader as a vicious murderer. While...

The Commonwealth Fund has another one of its surveys showing how health care in the U.S. is so much worse when compared with so many other nations. A debate on what health care system is best is well worth having. But it’s hard to take such a debate seriously when the senior vice president for the Commonwealth Fund, Cathy Schoen, makes remarks like this: The U.S. is the only country in the study where having health insurance doesn’t guarantee you access to health care or financial protection when you’re sick. This is avoidable — other countries have designed their insurance...