“Plagiarism is a firing offense. Don't: a) lift passages from other sources without attribution and link…” This is what read the first slide of a presentation deck published a few days back by Steve Buttry which goes on to list all of the situations where it's possible to run the risk of being accused of plagiarism,. The presentation is an outline of tips for online journalists who have to deal daily with adding link references, providing credit and attribution and avoiding being accused of plagiarism. Good advice not to be taken lightly. Useful. 8/10 Original slide deck: http://www.slideshare.net/stevebuttry/attribution-workshop
Der Spiegel Interviews Bashar al-Assad: WEST Supported al-Qaeda For 10 Years
President Bashar al-Assad said that all the political decisions that have been taken by the west in the last ten years have been in support of al-Qaeda, intentionally or inadvertently.
In an interview with the German Der Spiegel News Magazine, President al-Assad said that through Western support, now there are thousands of al-Qaeda fighters from 80 countries in Syria.
Following is the full text of the interview:
Click on Image to Enlarge
Der Spiegel: Mr. President, do you love your country?
President Assad: Of course, and in this I am no different from most people. This is not merely about emotions, but rather about what one can do for his country if he has the power and especially in times of crisis; and at this particular time, I realize more than ever how much I love my country and so I must protect it.
Der Spiegel: Wouldn’t you be more patriotic if you stepped down and allowed for negotiations over an interim government or for a cease-fire with the armed opposition?
President Assad: The Syrian people determine my fate; no other party can determine this issue. As for the armed opposition or factions, who do they represent – the Syrian people? If so, this can be proven only through the ballot box.
Corruption – Henrik Alexandersson: In the upcoming extradition request against Gottfrid Svartholm-Warg, co-founder of The Pirate Bay, Danish judicial authorities are disregarding an important acquittal in Swedish courts. This is remarkable, as European courts are bound to respect each others’ verdicts. It’s not hard to get the gut feeling that the establishment unites against the troublemakers and pushes all its safeguards aside, letting rights only apply to the Goliaths and not the Davids.
Read this story and then the next one, and think about what they are both saying. This is how badly out of whack our economy has become serving the purposes of the uber-rich.
Pakistan: Pakistani media reported that the retirement announcement by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani was a surprise. Kayani said, “My tenure ends on 29th November 2013. On that day I will retire.” He made the public statement to quell speculation that he might seek extension.
The post of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) also is vacant. The outgoing CJCSC General Khalid Shameem Wynne retired on 7 October, after 42 years of service.
In the statement today, Prime Minister Sharif said that while expectations regarding the announcement of the successor to the outgoing CJCSC before 8 October were reasonable, the issue needed comprehensive consideration due to the fact that the office of the COAS also was becoming vacant on 29 November.
Here is an excellent fact-based assessment of what has happened to the Republican Party. It confirms what I have been saying for several years now, and presents the facts as to why I think these gerrymandered districts — the Suicide Caucus, as Lizza calls it — are going to present a permanent minority. And why I believe the Republican Party may well schism into two parties. The party has created a mons! ter that may devour it.
On August 21st, Congressman Mark Meadows sent a letter to John Boehner. Meadows is a former restaurant owner and Sunday-school Bible teacher from North Carolina. He’s been in Congress for eight months. Boehner, who has served in Congress for twenty-two years, is the Speaker of the House and second in the line of succession if anything happened to the President.
Meadows was not pleased with how Boehner and his fellow Republican leaders in the House were approaching the September fight over spending. The annual appropriations to fund the government were scheduled to run out on October 1st, and much of it would stop operating unless Congress passed a new law. Meadows wanted Boehner to use the threat of a government shutdown to defund Obamacare, a course Boehner had publicly ruled out.
