Disaffected Westerners: Move to Russia

Disaffected Westerners:   Move to Russia https://www.rt.com/politics/338775-duma-committee-approves-bill-introducing/ Land of plenty: Duma committee approves bill for free handover of Russian territory to foreigners Published time: 7 Apr, 2016 12:08 A plot of land in Russia’s Far East could be yours, after a Russian lower house committee approved a bill that, if passed, will introduce the free handover of land to Russians and foreigners who want to build homes or start businesses in agriculture or tourism in the region. The Russian lower house Committee for Real Estate and Construction recommended that the State Duma approve the bill in the second reading in a session coming up on April 12. The parliament already approved the draft in the first reading on December 18, 2015. The current document provides for the free handover of 1 hectare (about 2.5 acres) of land to foreign citizens. However, foreigners will only be allowed to use the land, and the registration of full property rights is only possible after the naturalization of potential owners. The original bill was drafted by the Russian government in November last year. The explanations attached to the document read that the authorities expect the free land handover to attract more people to the Far East Federal District, to slow or stop the outward migration of locals, and to boost the socio-economic development of the territory. READ MORE: Land grant: Govt drafts bill for ‘1-hectare per Russian’ in Far East Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has also ordered the development of a special web service that will allow Russians to obtain all the necessary papers confirming their property rights remotely and with a minimum of red tape. The plots will be divided from land that’s currently federal and municipal property. The idea of a ‘Russian Homestead Act’ was first proposed in early 2015 by the presidential envoy to the Far East Federal District, Yury Trutnev, who proposed offering large plots of land for free to anyone who resettled to the Russian Far East to start a farm or other business. The plan also included the handover of one-hectare plots, a ban on selling the land received, and a five-year trial period. READ MORE: Homestead Act for Russian Far East – Putin supports free land handout As Trutnev presented his plan to the press, he said President Vladimir Putin had called the initiative correct in principle and noted that similar programs had been successfully implemented historically in Siberia. Putin also urged all the officials responsible for the plan to be precise and cautious when detailing the conditions for land ownership.   https://www.rt.com/politics/338775-duma-committee-approves-bill-introducing/ COMMENT OMG!  This is soooooo cool.  Wish I could go. I've already been lobbying for a move to Russia (to no avail ... yet).  Wish I could go.  But I don't think I'd survive working a plot of land.  I have enough trouble working store-bought chicken wings for dinner.  LOL

Brazil Coup: Despicable Hybrid War Hyenas Usurp Democracy

Brazil Coup:   Despicable Hybrid War Hyenas Usurp Democracy Following condemn Brazil Coup: OAS - Organization of American States Mercosur - sub-regional bloc:  Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela (+ Brazil) Unasur - Union of South American Nations BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa https://www.rt.com/op-edge/342821-brazil-dilma-rousseff-impeachment/ RT News Dilma out: Brazilian plutocracy sets 54mn votes on fire Pepe Escobar is an independent geopolitical analyst. He writes for RT, Sputnik and TomDispatch, and is a frequent contributor to websites and radio and TV shows ranging from the US to East Asia. He is the former roving correspondent for Asia Times Online. Born in Brazil, he's been a foreign correspondent since 1985, and has lived in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Washington, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Even before 9/11 he specialized in covering the arc from the Middle East to Central and East Asia, with an emphasis on Big Power geopolitics and energy wars. He is the author of "Globalistan" (2007), "Red Zone Blues" (2007), "Obama does Globalistan" (2009) and "Empire of Chaos" (2014), all published by Nimble Books. His latest book is "2030", also by Nimble Books, out in December 2015 Published time: 12 May, 2016 16:00 Never in modern political history has it been so easy to “abolish the people” and simply erase 54 million votes cast in a free and fair presidential election. Forget about hanging chads, as in Florida 2000. This is a day that will live in infamy all across the Global South – when what was one of its most dynamic democracies veered into a plutocratic regime, under a flimsy parliamentary/judicial veneer, with legal and constitutional guarantees now at the mercy of lowly comprador elites.  [comment:  comprador = intermediary / middleman] After the proverbial marathon, the Brazilian Senate voted 55-22 to put President Dilma Rousseff on trial for “crimes of responsibility” – related to alleged window dressing of the government’s budget. This is the culmination of a drawn-out process that started even before Rousseff won re-election in late 2014 with over 54 million votes. I have described the bunch of perpetrators of what Brazilian creativity has termed ‘golpeachment’ (a mix of coup – “golpe” in Portuguese – and impeachment) as Hybrid War hyenas.  [comment:  ie coup+impeachment] Sophisticated golpeachment – supported by what amounts to an Electoral Inquisition College – has propelled Hybrid War to whole new levels. Hybrid War as applied to Brazil exhibited classic elements of a color revolution. Of course there was no need for no-fly zones or humanitarian imperialism to “protect human rights” – not to mention provoking a civil war. But considering the high resistance level of the victim state, where civil society is very dynamic, Hybrid War designers in this case bet on a mix of capitulation – and betrayal – of local elites, mixed with “peaceful protests” and a relentless mainstream media campaign. Call it ‘Civil War Light.’ That carried with it a fabulous cost-benefit ratio. Now the (immensely corrupt) Brazilian political system and the current executive/legislative/judiciary/mainstream media alignment can be used by the usual suspects for their geopolitical agenda. Welcome to regime change light – politics, in a nutshell – as war by other means on the BRICS. A new software, a new operating system. Carrying a pathetic corollary; if the US is the Empire of Chaos, Brazil has now gloriously reached the status of Sub-Empire of Scoundrels.   Scoundrels galore Rousseff may be accused of serious economic mismanagement, and of being incapable of political articulation among the shark pool that is (immensely corrupt) Brazilian politics. But she is not corrupt. She made a serious mistake in fighting inflation, allowing interest rates to rise to an unsustainable level; so demand in Brazil dramatically dropped, and recession became the norm. She is the (convenient) scapegoat for Brazil’s recession. She certainly may be blamed for not having a Plan B to fight the global recession. Brazil essentially works on two pillars; commodity exports and local companies relying on the teats of the state. Infrastructure in general is dismal – adding to what is described as the “Brazilian cost” of doing business. With the commodity slump, state funds dwindled and everything was paralyzed – credit, investment, consumption.    The pretext for Rousseff’s impeachment – allegedly transferring loans from public banks to the Treasury in order to disguise the size of Brazil’s fiscal deficit – is flimsy at best. Every administration in the West does it – and that includes Clinton’s, Bush’s and Obama’s. The Operation Car Wash investigation, dragging on for two years now, was supposed to uncover corruption in the Brazilian political system – as in the collusion of oil giant Petrobras executives, Brazilian construction companies, and political campaign financing. Car Wash has nothing to do with the golpeachment drive. Yet these have been two parallel highways converging to one destination: the criminalization of the Workers’ Party, and the definitive – if possible – political assassination of Rousseff and her mentor, former President Lula. When golpeachment reached the lower house of Congress – an appalling spectacle – Rousseff was eviscerated by Hybrid War hyenas of the BBC variety; “BBC,” in English, stands for “bullet,”“bible” and “cattle,” where “bullet” refers to the weapons and private security industry, “bible” to pastors and evangelical fanatics, and “cattle” to the powerful agribusiness lobby. The “BBC” hyenas are members of almost all Brazilian political parties, paperboys for major corporations, and – last but not least – corruption stalwarts. They all benefited from millionaire political campaigning. The whole Car Wash investigation ultimately revolves around campaign financing, which in Brazil, unlike the US with its legalized lobbies, is a Tarantino-worthy Wild West.    The Brazilian Senate is not exactly an “upper” – as in more polished – house. Eighty percent of members are white men – in a country where miscegenation rules. A staggering 58 percent is under criminal investigation – linked to Car Wash. Sixty percent hail from political dynasties. And 13 percent – as alternates – were not elected at all. Among those favoring impeachment, 30 out of 49 are in trouble with the law. Charges include mostly money laundering, financial crimes and outright corruption. Renan Calheiros, the president of the Senate – who oversaw today’s impeachment vote – is the target of no fewer than nine separate money laundering/corruption Car Wash lines of investigation, plus another two criminal probes.  Meet the three Banana Republic amigos Rousseff is now suspended for a maximum 180 days while a Senate committee decides whether to impeach her for good. Enter President-in-Waiting Michel Temer – a dodgy, shady operator – who has been branded a “usurper” by Rousseff. And usurper this provincial Brutus certainly is – according to his own words. On March 30 last year, he was tweeting that, “Impeachment is unthinkable, it would create an institutional crisis. There is no judicial or political basis for it.” His administration is born with the original sin of being illegal and massively unpopular; his approval rating floats between an epic 1 percent and 2 percent. He was already fined last week for violating campaign finance limits. And, predictably, he’s drowning in a corruption swamp – named in two Car Wash plea bargains and accused of being part of an illegal scheme of ethanol buying; he may become ineligible for the next eight years. Almost 60 percent of Brazilians also want him impeached – on the same charges leveled against Rousseff. Brutus 1 (Temer) would not bask in the glow of his 15 minutes of fame without the shenanigans of Brutus 2 (Brazil’s number one crook, former speaker of the lower house Eduardo Cunha, facing charges of bribery and perjury, holder of illegal Swiss accounts, and now finally sidelined by the Supreme Court). It was Brutus 2 who fast-tracked impeachment as pure vengeance; the Workers’ Party did not cover his back as he was facing a tsunami of corruption charges. Brutus 2 used all his vast powers – he runs a campaign financing scam inside Congress – to obstruct the Car Wash investigation. His replacement, the interim speaker, is also under investigation for bribery. So meet Temer, Cunha, Calheiros; these three amigos are the true stars of the Banana Republic of Scoundrels/Crooks. As if the Supreme Court would be rascal-free. Judge Gilmar Mendes, for instance, is a lowly plutocrat vassal. When an attorney for the government entered a motion to suspend impeachment, he quipped, “Ah, they can go to heaven, to the Pope, or to hell.” Another pompous judge received a request to sideline Cunha as early as December 2015. He only examined the request over four months later, when the whole golpeachment scam was in its decisive phase. And still he argued, “there’s no proof Cunha contaminated the impeachment process.” Finally, complementing the whole scam, we find Brazilian mainstream media, with the toxic Globo media empire – which lavishly profited from the 1964 military coup – at the forefront.  [comment:  Grupo Globo] All hail the neoliberal restoration  Wall Street – as well as the City of London – could not hide its excitement with golpeachment, believing Brutus 1 Temer will be an economic upgrade. Arguably, he might dare to tweak Brazil’s Kafkaesque tax code and do something about the enormous hole in the pension system. But what that mythical entity – the “markets” – and myriad “investors” are salivating about is the prospect of fabulous rates of return in a reopened-for-speculation Brazil. The Brutus 1 game will be a neoliberal feast, actually a restoration, with no popular representation whatsoever.   The golpeachment gang gets really incensed when they are identified as coup plotters. Still, they could not give a damn about the OAS, Mercosur, Unasur – all of them condemned the coup – not to mention the Holy Grail: the BRICS. Under Brutus 1, the Foreign Ministry, to be led by a sore loser senator, is bound to sink Brazil’s key role in BRICS cooperation, to the benefit of Exceptionalistan. All one needs to know is that neither Nobel Peace Prize-winner Barack “kill list” Obama nor Queen of Chaos Hillary “We came, we saw, he died” Clinton condemned the ongoing regime change light/golpeachment. That’s predictable, considering Exceptionalistan’s NSA spied on Petrobras and Dilma Rousseff personally – the genesis of what would develop as the Car Wash investigation. White House spokesman Josh Earnest limited himself to the proverbial platitudes: “challenging moment”; “trust in Brazilian democratic institutions”; or even “mature democracy.” Yet he added, significantly, that Brazil is “under scrutiny.” Of course, the current stage of a very sophisticated Hybrid War strategy has been accomplished. But there are countless cliffhangers ahead. The Car Wash investigation – currently in slow motion – will pick up speed as a rash of dodgy plea bargains is already in store to create the conditions to criminalize for good not only Dilma Rousseff but the key piece in the chessboard: Lula. Game over? Not so fast. The anti-golpeachment front does have a strategy: to imprint especially in “deep Brazil,” the vast masses of the working poor, the notion of illegality; to rebuild Rousseff’s image as the victim of a profound injustice; to re-energize the progressive political front; to make sure the Brutus 1 government will fail; and to create the conditions for the man who will come in from the cold to win the 2018 presidential elections. Brazilian House of Cards? Bets could be made this may even end up as Anaconda, with Lula immobilizing the Hybrid War hyenas in a cobra clutch. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT. https://www.rt.com/op-edge/342821-brazil-dilma-rousseff-impeachment/ COMMENT Hope this ends badly for the Hybrid War hyenas.

The Kitchen

The Kitchen Coleslaw Chicken Wings in Yoghurt Marinade  Chicken Wings Crumbed Chicken, Mash & Coleslaw This seemed like it was going to be fun. But having to handle raw chicken wings, pulling at bone from joint and cutting each wing into three pieces made me sort of ill.  It was slimy and horrible. Marinade/batter contained:  yoghurt, egg, flour, small portion semolina, paprika, chilli, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper & crushed garlic.  Refrigerated for a few hours. The crumbing was done just before frying.  Crumb mixture contained commercial breadcrumbs and a little gram flour (chickpea flour).  Turned out nice and crunchy. Frying was a nightmare.  The first three pieces were binned because the oil was too hot.  It took forever to get the oil to a reasonably  slow-cooking temperature, so that the chicken would cook through.  Very time consuming also, as I did an enormous batch. Timing was wrong.  Potato mash went cold and had to be microwaved.  Kitchen looked like a disaster zone.   Not a fun meal.  And I didn't get into eating this one because the memory of chopping raw chicken was a lasting deterrent to pigging out. It was well received though.

Germany - Hostage to Criminal Government & Criminal Press

Germany Hostage to Criminal Government & Criminal Press http://www.infowars.com/media-covering-up-muslim-migrant-background-of-munich-knife-attacker/ Media Covering Up Muslim Migrant Background of Munich Knife Attacker? Blogger says police sources told him knifeman's real name was Rafik Youssef Paul Joseph Watson - May 11, 2016 The German media is covering up the identity of the individual involved in yesterday’s knife attack in Munich to hide the fact that he is a Muslim migrant, according to a blogger who cites police sources. One person was killed and several injured during the incident, which took place in Grafing at a train station located to the south-east of the German city. Initial reports said that the attack was inspired by Islamist motives and that the knifeman shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the rampage. However, the story was soon corrected to state that the attacker had mental problems and was a German citizen named “Paul H.” from Giessen in the state of Hesse. This narrative is contradicted by blogger Von Marco Delgardo, who asserts that the ‘Paul H.’ explanation is a cover-up and that the attacker’s real name is Rafik Youssef. Delgardo writes that the attacker, “has a Muslim immigrant background and he is not demonstrably Paul H,” citing “very good contacts in police circles.” Delgardo also says that he was told by the State Criminal Investigation Department that “Paul H.” was a name that only appeared in media accounts and did not come from police sources. Police have not yet ruled out that attacker had an “immigrant background,” Delgardo was told. The notion that German police would seek to cover-up the nature of the attack in an effort to hide a connection to the large numbers of Muslim migrants currently entering the country is by no means far fetched. Last year we documented how German police were being ordered to cover-up details of rapes involving Muslim migrants so as not to “legitimize” critics of mass migration. It was also recently confirmed that police investigating the mass molestation of women in Cologne on New Year’s Eve “were ordered to remove the word “rape” from their initial report.” Accounts of the hundreds of sexual assaults, which were committed by predominantly Muslim migrants, were not reported on by the press for days despite circulating on social media. Germany’s top broadcaster ZDF is also refusing to run crime stories about Muslim rape suspects because, in the words of Editor in chief Ina-Maria Reize-Wildemann, “We don’t want to inflame the situation and spread the bad mood. [The migrants] don’t deserve it.” Authorities were also involved in another possible cover-up when explosives were reportedly found outside a soccer stadium in Hannover shortly after the Paris attacks. Authorities later claimed that no explosives were discovered, but a paramedic says he witnessed the bomb and was “told not to talk about it” after special forces arrived on the scene. Three police officers have also reportedly been disciplined for leaking information about the alleged discovery of the bombs. http://www.infowars.com/media-covering-up-muslim-migrant-background-of-munich-knife-attacker/ COMMENT So how long are hostage Europeans going to take this criminality and abuse from their governments and from the media, without taking any action?

Brazil Coup

Brazil Coup LINK Source | @WikiLeaks  [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE] [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE] [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE] Brazil Coup Michel Temer -- Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia -- lawyer, politician -- VP Brazil since 2011 -- Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) -- centrist 'big tent' party with no defined ideology / seeking to appeal to diverse -- assumed the presidential role as 'acting president' -- on suspension of Dilma Rousseff during impeachment trial -- Maronite Lebanese -- family migrated to Brazil, 1920s from north Lebanon -- due to post-WWI instability -- children spread over 3 women so far: --     -- wife #1 - Maria --     -- journalist --     -- wife #2 - Marcela (42 years Temer's junior, dating then 60yo at 17) -- second VP of Lebanese origin -- Temer subject of corruption investigations -- 'Operation Car Wash' -- re construction contracts from Petrobras US$1.5 million alleged kickbacks -- payments characterised by Temer as 'legal campaign donations' -- & wrongdoing denied -- Temer involved in Dilma Rousseff impeachment process -- 2015 sends letter to President Rousseff complaining he's not consulted enough -- Temer letter mocked on Brazilian social media -- Rousseff condemned him as a traitor to her administration -- 2016 - audio file of Temer leaked to media -- Temer speaks as if impeachment process under-way & he was the new president -- leak came hours before special lower house committee scheduled to vote re impeachment “Let’s not think that a possible change in government will solve everything in three or four months.” [Michel Temer] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Temer  Operation Car Wash -- Brazil Federal Police investigation -- since March 2014 -- money-laundering investigation expanded to allegations of corruption -- involving state-controlled Petrobas -- alleging executives accepted bribes -- for awarding contracts to construction firms at inflated prices -- alleged ring used currency exchange & money transfer service -- to move illicit money -- 2016:  Marcelo Odebrecht, CEO of Odebrecht -- convicted of paying more than $30 million in bribes to Petrobras executives -- sentenced 19 years prison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Car_Wash Petrobas -- 54% govt Brazil owned -- 5% Brazilian Development Bank -- 5% Brazil Sovereign Wealth Fund (Fundo Soberano) -- 36% privately held shares (BM&F Bovespa) -- f. 1953 under slogan 'the oil is ours' (& not the foreigners) -- 92% production = Brazil holdings -- significant oil & energy assets:  x16 countries, Africa, North & South America, Europe, Asia -- began processing oil shale 1953 -- Petrobas almost went bankrupt 1973 oil crisis -- 2005 joint venture Japan + supply ethanol -- 2007 & 2009 SEVERAL MAJOR OIL DISCOVERIES -- partnership incl:  --     Royal Dutch Shell (Anglo-Dutch multinational) --     Shell:  world's second largest oil company --     Galp Energia (Portuguese) -- 2009:  loans from China - US$10-bn -- 2013:  US government spying on Petrobras (US journalist Glenn Greenwald) -- 2015:  Petrobas accumulated $128-bn debt (84% foreign currencies) --     Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation sue Petrobras --     and its auditors, PriceWaterhouseCoopers --     arising from corruption scandal   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrobras   'NSA spied on Brazil's oil giant Petrobras'  [3:49]  PRESS TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GerSgjS_huE [Source - PressTV video (above) / Gloria La Riva, ANSWER Coalition]  [for quotation purposes, confirm audio]  SUMMARY US oil companies & military corporations  have a decided interest in domination & recapturing of oil resources throughout world. Spying on Mexico due to struggle in Mexico to privatise Mexican oil. Pressure from US to dominate oil as it did to 1938, along with British. US & British working in tandem & using British territory (Ascension) to spy on Brazil. US militarising several Latin American countries & building more bases Colombia, and trying to pressure Latin American countries to break friendships with anti-imperialist countries in Latin America.  -------/\/\/ The anti-imperialist Latin American nations: Antigua & Barbuda Bolivia Cuba Dominica Ecuador Grenada Nicaragua Saint Kitts & Nevis Saint Lucia St Vincent & the Grenadines Venezuela   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALBA NSA’s Top Brazilian Political and Financial Targets Revealed by New WikiLeaks Disclosure Glenn Greenwald, David Miranda July 4 2015, 8:59 p.m Top-secret data from the National Security Agency, shared with The Intercept by WikiLeaks, reveals that the U.S. spy agency targeted the cell phones and other communication devices of more than a dozen top Brazilian political and financial officials, including the country’s president, Dilma Rousseff, whose presidential plane telephone was on the list. President Rousseff just yesterday returned to Brazil after a trip to the U.S. that included a meeting with President Obama, a visit she had delayed for almost two years in anger over prior revelations of NSA spying on Brazil. That Rousseff’s personal cell phone was successfully targeted by NSA spying was previously reported in 2013 by Fantastico, a program on the Brazilian television network Globo Rede. That revelation — along with others exposing NSA mass surveillance on hundreds of millions of Brazilians, and the targeting of the country’s state-owned oil company Petrobras and its Ministry of Mines and Energy — caused a major rupture in relations between the two nations. But Rouseff is now suffering from severe domestic weakness as a result of various scandals and a weak economy, and apparently could no longer resist the perceived benefits of a high-profile state visit to Washington. CONTINUES https://theintercept.com/2015/07/04/nsa-top-brazilian-political-and-financial-targets-wikileaks/

Maronites | Sanjak of Alexandretta, Syria

Maronites -- Christians of Maronite Church -- from Mount Lebanon & surrounding regions, Levant -- name derived from Syrian Christian, Saint Maron -- followers migrated to Mount Lebanon from prior residence of Antioch -- Antioch formerly Greek city, site of early Christianity, in Anatolia -- subsequently fell to Islamic invaders -- sovereignty of Hatay province (capital the former Antioch) -- currently disputed with Syria Sanjak of Alexandretta (Hatay Province) -- province separated against stipulations of French Mandate of Syria -- subsequent to Syria's independence from Ottoman Empire post WWI -- Syria has never formally renounced title to Hatay Province -- earlier, Hatay Province controllers: --     -- Akkadian Empire (Semitic / Akkadian & Sumerian / now Iraq              /  Sumerian eventually assimilated) --     -- Amorite Kingdom (Semitic, Syrian) --     -- Hittites (Anatolian, Indo-European) --     -- Neo-Hittites (Hattena, giving Hatay name) = Syro-Hittites --     -- Neo-Hittite / Syro-Hittite languages: Luwian - language of Trojans Aramaic - ancient Aram, now Syria Phoenician - Semitic, Lebanon, Syria (lang. of Canaan) --     -- Assyrians (part Iraq, Syria, Turkey, part Iran)        -- capital:  Assur, (now Iraq) --     -- brief occupation:  Urartu (Ararat cognate) - Armenian --     -- Persians (Iran) --     -- Hellenistic Seleucid Empire (centre) - Macedonian --     -- Roman Empire regional centre --     -- 638 AD:  conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate --     -- 969 AD:  Antioch recaptured by Byzantine Empire --     -- 1084 AD:  captured by Seljuk Turk, Suleiman I --     -- 1098 AD:  captured by Crusaders --     -- 1268 AD:  captured by Mameluks (Arabic slave soldiers caste) -- -- Ottomans referred to Hatay Province region as 'sanjak' (governate of Alexandretta -- 1911:  majority Arab with smaller communities of Armenians & Turks -- considered by many to be traditionally part of Syria -- 1764 maps confirm this -- WWI Ottomans on losing side -- Alexandretta / Hatay Province occupied by British -- armistice of Mudros signed 1918 -- handed to France by British like rest of Syria -- Alexandretta / Hatay province within French mandate of Syria -- following signing of Treaty of Sevres (allies & turkey) -- treaty not ratified by Ottoman parliament or Turkish National Movement -- Treaty of Laussane (subsequent) -- also put Alexandretta / Hatay province with Syria -- Oct 1921 - French-Turkish treaty renders Alexandretta / Hatay autonomous -- Hatay / Alexandretta authonomous:  1921-1923 -- population inc. Turks, Arabs (of misc. religions), -- Greek Catholics, Syriacc-Maronites, Jews -- Syriacs, Kurds, Armenians -- 1923:  Hatay attached to State of Aleppo -- 1925:  Hatay directly attached to French mandate of Syria -- nonetheless, Turks remained in Hatay -- Mustafa Kemal argued Hatay had been 'Turkish homeland' for 4,000 years --  presuming that ancient peoples of Anatolia & Middle East --  eg. Sumerians & Hittites were related to Turks --  However, Turks first appeared in Anatolia --  during 11th Century invasion by Seljuk Turks --  who occupied Abbasid Empire eastern province & captured Baghdad --  1930s pan-Arab movement / suppressed by France & Turkey --  Republic of Hatay proclaimed 1938 --  joint French & Turkish military supervision -- 1939:  referendum - Hatay becomes Turkish province -- referendum / labelled phoney / rigged -- for referendum, Turkey crossed TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TURKS INTO HATAY TO VOTE -- Turks reportedly born Hatay but living elsewhere in Turkey -- note also:  League of Nations - 1938 registered Turkish voters no more than 46% of the population -- 1937 & 1938 Turkey govt had local authorities make lists of employees originally from Hatay -- those listed were sent by Turkish govt to Hatay to register as citizens & to vote     -- way for French to let Turks take over     -- in hope Turks would turn on Third Reich Germany -- Syrian president resigned in protest at French intervention in Syrian affairs -- French were obliged to refuse annexation under: -- Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence of 1936 -- Turkey then incorporated various districts into Hatay -- annexation then resulted in subsequent demographic changes -- inhabitants given choice between staying & becoming Turkish citizens -- or emigrating & acquiring citizenship of French mandated Syria or Greater Lebanon -- almost half Sunni Arabs leave -- many Armenian families (1,068) got to Beqaa Valley, Lebanon -- other Armenians fled to French Mandate of Syria -- total leaving for Syria estimated at 50,000 -- Syrians maintain land illegally ceded to Turkey by France (mandatory occupying power 1930s) -- Hatay is still considered integral part of Syrian territory -- Hatay known as:  Liwa' aliskenderun ('Sanjak of Alexandretta') rather than Turkish elected name of 'Hatay' -- Syrian maps still show Hatay as part of Syria    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatay_Province Sanjak of Alexandretta On behalf of the League of Nations, representatives of: France United Kingdom Netherlands Belgium Turkey prepared a constitution for Syrian Sanjak of Alexandretta new statute came into power in November 1937 Sanjak becoming 'distinct but not separated' from Syria on the diplomatic level linked to both France and Turkey militarily https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatay_State Antioch -- Antioch is the cradle of Christianity -- pivotal role in emergence of:     -- Hellenistic Judaism     -- early Christianity -- name 'Christian' first emerged in Antioch -- declined in significance Middle Ages -- due to:     -- warfare     -- repeated earthquakes     -- change in trade routes (after Mongol conquests) [wikipedia] COMMENT The French capitalists are as despicable as the English, and they're often in partnerships, I believe. Syria ought to be given a portion of France as compensation.  Turkey is right up there on the untrustworthy list.   *The list just got longer:  France, UK & Turkey robbed Syria, along with:  Netherlands & Belgium.

US-NATO Menace to the World

More: http://tass.ru/en/politics/875340 Russian envoy: NATO base in Romania poses considerable risk to Russian security Russian Politics & Diplomacy May 12, 22:23 BRUSSELS, May 12. /TASS/. The deployment of NATO’s missile defense base in Romania is creating considerable risks to Russia’s security, Russian Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko said on Thursday, commenting on putting on combat duty of a NATO missile defense base in Deveselu, Romania. "Putting into operation of the Deveselu base is another step in the series of measures creating considerable risks to the Russian Federation’s security," he told Russian reporters. "The commissioning of the American missile defense base in Romania should be considered not in isolation, but in complex with other US and NATO actions that have negative consequences for strategic stability and international security. In particular, it is necessary to take into account the full range of the US efforts aimed at the creation of a global missile defense system with an active and partially mobile European segment. In addition to the ground-based Aegis Ashore systems, it includes sea platforms that are now actively advanced to the waters adjoining Russia," the Russian ambassador said. "We also cannot ignore the strategic coupling of the American anti-missile project with the so-called ‘Prompt Global Strike’ program and Washington's desire to maintain a free hand in the possible deployment of weapons in outer space. In addition, by deploying at the Aegis Ashore facilities the universal launchers Mk 41 (Mark 41), capable of launching medium-range missiles, the United States seriously undermines the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty," he said. "The deployment of anti-missile bases in Poland and Romania also cannot be separated from the general military activity of NATO member countries on the "eastern flank" of the alliance, which resulted in the NATO military infrastructure moving closer to Russian borders. It is clear that these measures in no way can be detached from the alliance’s obligations on non-deployment of permanent additional substantial combat forces in Eastern Europe, which is fixed in the Founding Act on Mutual Relations between NATO and Russia. The stationary permanently combat-ready missile defense systems that are being deployed in the region fully meet the criteria of permanence and military significance," Grushko said. "The declarative assurances that the US and NATO missile defense system is not targeted against Russia cannot convince us. We can see their value by the example of the US and NATO unwillingness in any way to take into account the achieved international agreements on the Iranian nuclear program during the allegedly ‘adaptive’ alignment of the missile defense system. Notably, the so-called ‘Iranian nuclear threat’ had earlier been presented as the main incentive for its creation", he said. A special ceremony confirming the operational readiness of the US ground-based missile defense system Aegis was held at the military base in Deveselu, Olt county, in southern Romania on Thursday. The missile defense base there is located at an area of 175 hectares; it comprises a radar station, the missile batteries’ operations control center and Mk 41 mobile batteries with the SM-3 (Standard-3) interceptor missiles. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said more than once that Russia regards the deployment of Mk 41 launchers in Romania as a violation of the 1987 INF Treaty, because the Mk 41 is a dual purpose launcher. US ship-based systems of this type are capable of launching both interceptor missiles and medium-range cruise missiles Tomahawk. More: http://tass.ru/en/politics/875340 [CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE]   [CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE]  [CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE] [CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE]   [CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE] [CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE] -------/\/\/ COMMENT The US-NATO capitalists' mercenary forces not only used the staged 'threat' of Iran ruse to 'justify' obscene levels of US and allied taxpayer money spending on offensive weapons, they've used that same ruse to aggressively encroach on Russia's borders, and they've set up a missile system that is dual-purpose and in violation of the 1987 INF Treaty. US-NATO are the aggressors here, and they're a menace to the entire world.