No More Peace! Massacre or Civil War?

Over the last few days Syria has gone more violent than ever. In what can only be described by witness as massacre and urban warfare, Syrian troops have begun systematically clearing the suburbs of Damascus of any signs of opposition, whether it be armed or not. Some news sources have posted pictures of children slain, reportedly by the Syrian army and security forces, who have brought in tanks to crush the protesters and rebels alike.

Violence is not isolated in the capital though, and is seen in Homs and many other cities throughout the country. Death tolls are thought to be well over 100 since Friday, marking the bloodiest days of the opposition.

The Arab League has responded by announcing that they will put out their observers, a move which Syria has condemned. Syria states that the removal of the observers will only bring about more violence as it will encourage the rebels. The Arab League, mostly just fears for the safety of the observers, and realizes how ineffective they have been. Originally they had been sent in hopes that their presence would bring an end to violence, but it has only gotten worse since the arrived. Under the original agreement for observers, Assad's government was to, "cease all violence against civilians, free political detainees, remove tanks and weapons from cities and allow outsiders, including the international news media, to travel freely in Syria". Very little of which happened.

The United Nations is considering a resolution which would fully support an Arab League resolution which was passed last week. The Arab League's resolution requires that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad resign from his office and turn power over to his vice president. They furthermore called for the Syrian government to start a dialogue with the opposition within two weeks and for a unity government to be formed within two months. The temporary government would then have three months to write a new constitution and then hold parliamentary and presidential elections. The latest violence by the Syrian regime, seems to be to try and regain control before the UN could make any decision.

Either way, any UN resolution has little hope for passing as Russia has pledged to block anything that involves a demand for change of government or sanctions. Wednesday, Russia signed an agreement to sell jets to the Syrian government.

Teens Suspended for Sharing Inhaler

In Monument, Colorado two eighth grade girls have been suspended, after the one passed her inhaler to her friend when both thought she was having an asthma attack during gym class. The incident went unnoticed until the one girl had a slight allergic reaction to the inhaler medicine, and went to the school nurse.

The principal of the school has not only suspended both girls for "sharing a prescription drug", but is recommending expulsion from the school district. The school district's superintendent has backed up the principal saying that the punishment is totally appropriate, and that the girls need to learn from this.

The girls, and their families, defend their actions as the right thing to do. Both say they would do it again under similar circumstances.

North Korea Bans Cell Phones

He's pointing at you! You used your cell phone didn't you? You're a war criminal. That's right, per sources, North Korea has now made cell phone usage a war crime. Apparently punishing your people for "not mourning enough" wasn't enough to establish the tyrannical rule of Kim Jong Un.

Sparked by fears of last year's Arab Spring, North Korean seems to think that tightening down further will prevent similar events from happening there. Now why would the North Koreans wish for new leadership? Isn't the rule of the amazing son of the "Dear Leader" enough of a reason to be happy? How could it not be when your government starves you into submission? Is it any wonder that an estimated 23,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea?

Occupy, this is what a police state looks like. Real police states don't allow you to gather, let alone encamp in public spaces. Your precious I-phone, that you take those pictures of your so called "police brutality" on, is illegal in an actual police state. Freedom of information isn't a right in some countries. Your ability to tweet and use the internet to plan your marches and gatherings is a privilege. Think of that next time you're asked to clear a sidewalk or park, for a few minutes, so that the city can cleanse it of your filth.

Twitter vs. Freedom of Content

"We do not remove Tweets on the basis of their content. Our position on freedom of expression carries with it a mandate to protect our users' right to speak freely and preserve their ability to contest having their private information revealed." So said Twitter last January as revolutions began in the Middle East and North Africa.


Yet now Twitter has announced that they will begin censoring tweets. "Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country while keeping it available in the rest of the world. As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression. Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there. We do not remove Tweets on the basis of their content. Our position on freedom of expression carries with it a mandate to protect our users' right to speak freely and preserve their ability to contest having their private information revealed." Clearly a totally different message.


Whilst Twitter did not go into full specifics, they used France and Germany as examples. In both of those countries pro nazi messages are illegal, so any tweets deemed to be such would not be visible there. Twitter did state that users who's tweets are blocked would be informed of such. Likely in a way similar to how they're told of being over the daily status update allowance or that their tweet is a duplicate.


And thanks to their being unspecific on what content won't be allowed, Twitter has now given itself carte blanche to hide or remove any and all tweets. So much for being the leader of free speech, or as Twitter General Counsel Alex Macgillivray declared them to be "the free speech wing of the free speech party".

Pentagon Proposes Cuts

The Pentagon has announced it's proposal for a reduced budget. The reductions would total $487 billion over the next ten years. Included in the proposal are troop reductions, cutting planned purchases, closing bases, cutting pay raises, and increasing the costs of health insurance fees.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said that the Army would be reduced over the next five years from 570,000 troops down to 490,000. Meanwhile the Marines will drop from 202,000 to 182,000. A totally of 100,000 troops being removed would put the armed forces just barely above pre 9-11 strength. The Air Force would be losing six of it's tactical fighter squadrons and be forced to retire 130 troop moving aircraft. Whilst the Navy is required to retire seven cruisers and a few other ships. The Pentagon would also buy fewer F-35 jets. The Navy will delay buying around a dozen ships. As for closing bases, which are unclear, but the Army would begin by pulling two of its four brigades out of permanent bases in Europe to bases in the United States, and would increase rotational deployments to the remaining bases so that more units would have an opportunity to train with NATO allies.

The proposed changes to pay raises and increased costs of the health care for vets and their families would not begin until 2015. Currently the Pentagon spends almost a third of it's budget, $181 billion a year, on salaries and benefits. There are severe worries over active duty and retired members facing what could be a large part of the proposed cuts. Healthcare costs, going up would directly hurt the pocket books of all involved, especially disabled retirees who may be unable to bring in other forms of income.

Even before the proposal was official, various members of Congress were already coming out against it. Michigan Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was quoted as saying "I'm not going to be able to support" it. "These cuts reflect President Obama';s vision of an America that is weakened, not strengthened, by our men and women in uniform," said Howard P. McKeon of California, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

The Hippie Homemaker-Homemade Shampoo and "Conditioner"

Hey all!

First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Keely, I'm a baker, crafter and intrigued by all things domestic. I'll be guest blogging here at TORARADICAL once a week. You can also find me at kraftykeely.tumblr.com.

About 6 months ago I switched from using traditional hair care and body products and now use only natural/homemade products. That spurred my interest in all things natural and slowly I am attempting to even transition out of commercial house cleaning products (as it turns out there are so many natural things that are anti-bacterial it makes you wonder why cleaning products were invented in the first place).

Some may say I'm crazy (and some may say I smell like a salad, more on that later) but I would argue that neither of those are true. Why buy something that you can make in a mater of minutes? Why use products that claim they are good for your hair and skin when really they are just designed to make you use them more? Why cover your house in chemicals when you can use things from your pantry to achieve the same effect?

I first decided to switch to all natural bath products when I saw the huge success and following of the no-poo revolution. This involves using baking soda as "shampoo" and a vinegar rinse as "conditioner." At the time, I was dying my hair red and upon further investigation I found that baking soda will slowly strip the color out of your hair. This led me to search for an alternative to commercial shampoo that wouldn't ruin my hair color.

I found a handful of posts on using liquid castile soap to create a healthy, natural shampoo that allows you to only wash your hair every 3-5 days! How great is that!?!?! After some adjusting the recipe to my particular hair texture and a bit of a transition period (ok it was a little bit longer than a bit, but I was determined and decided that a month of greasy hair was worth it, sorry about that world). In the end I came up with this recipe. I hope you give it a shot! My hair is so much healthier and shiner!

Homemade shampoo

1 1/2 cups Dr. Bronner's castile soap (any scent you prefer)

1/2 distilled water (this can be bought in a gallon for about a dollar at any grocery store)

1 tablespoon avocado oil

8-10 drops of any essential oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients into an old shampoo bottle and shake gently. Enjoy!

FYI This shampoo is going to be a lot thinner than commercial shampoos because it does not contain any thickening agents. Instead of rubbing it in your hands first it is best to squirt directly on your head. If you feel that your hair is not getting clean you can add more soap.

So now that you have an all natural shampoo you must be wondering what you are supposed to do for conditioner. That's a toss up amongst us hippie folk. Some people make conditioners out of egg yolks, mayonnaise and other weird things that I don't really want to put on my head. My solution to the problem is quite simple. Are you ready for this? (It's also the reason some might argue that I smell like a salad...)

Homemade "conditioner"

2 cups water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

That's it, that's all you need. Put the two ingredients in a bottle and squeeze a bit over your head after you wash, then rinse. See, isn't that a simple solution to the problem.

Some science! (This is the part where I try to sound smart).

First off, I'm sure that you are concerned about the smell from the vinegar. I promise, you won't smell, once your hair dries the smell goes away. Also, you must be wondering why the vinegar is a conditioner. First off, it eliminates any potential residue from the soap.

Any vinegar will do, but apple cider vinegar is best. The unfiltered kind contains the vinegar "mother." The mother contains enzymes and minerals which are great for your skin and hair. Also, the acid in the vinegar will help to restore a pH balance on your scalp which will in turn keep your hair healthy. Simple as that.

As for the shampoo, the castile soap is naturally less harsh than soap that is made out of animal fat. This means that it removes less oil from your hair in the first place (which is why you don't have to replace it with a conditioner). This in combination with the vinegar rinse will leave your hair looking shiny and feeling nice, smooth, and in my case, my hair feels thicker, because it is healthier.

Enjoy! And I will chat with you next week!

Operation Sweet Leaf

After most of a year investigating, police arrested sixteen people around the Denver metro today for involvement in a drug trafficking ring, and more arrests are expected. Officers, including SWAT personnel, raided a total of twenty-five houses (fifteen in Adams County, three in Broomfield, four in Denver, and one each in Weld County, Erie and Breckenridge. Unfortunately seven children were found during the raids and had to be placed in children protective services. North Metro Drug Task Force Commander Jerry Peters said, "the illegal pot trafficking crackdown did not involve medical marijuana. The probe targeted illicit growers who were shipping the pot out of state using the U.S. Postal Service."

Due to medical marijuana being legal in Colorado, a growing amount of people have used the low level of laws to hide operations such as this, pretending to grow for legal purposes, but then smuggling the product to other states. This was by far the biggest operation seen. Some of the homes raided, had nothing in them except for the marijuana plants and the required growth facilities, clearly having been bought purely for the purpose of this organization. The homes were located in upscale neighborhoods, in an attempt to avoid any kind of notice.

Operation Sweet Leaf, as it was called, was aided by the joint forces of the North Metro Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Agency, Internal Revenue Service, United States Postal Service, South Metro Drug Task Force, Boulder County Drug Task Force, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Weld County Sheriff’s Office, Denver Police Department Narcotics Unit and Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

Middle East Rundown 1-25-12

First to Yemen, where President Ali Abdullah Saleh not only left the country to seek medical treatment in the US, but left power as well. In November he had signed an agreement to turn power over to Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, but it took til Monday for him to actually fully leave. Part of the agreement was that he was granted immunity from any prosecution. As he left Saleh said, "I ask for forgiveness from all sons of the nation, women and men, for any shortcomings during my thirty-three years in office." The fate of Yemen is yet unknown as, during the turmoil demanding Saleh's resignation, Al Qaeda made significant gains in the south of the country, including the town of Radda. Saudi Arabia and the United States, whilst stating their deep alliance with the country of Yemen, have done very little to combat the increasing presence of the terrorist organization.

In Bahrain, at least forty-one police were injured when mobs violently attacked and beat them after a leading Shia cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, let loose a tirade which included the statement, "Let us die for our honour." as he told his followers to "crush" the Sunni regime. Until today the protests in the country had been peaceful demonstrations. Now it seems the country may see violence take over the movement which opposes the the government of King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa. As in many parts of the Muslim world the differences are between the two different, prominent religious groups.

Jordan's King Abdullah welcomed the leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal. The terrorist organization has found it increasingly difficult to keep it's headquarters in Damascus as Syria and Iran have been most unhappy that the group has not put support behind President Assad's beleaguered regime. The Jordanian government had expelled Hamas back in 1999, but relations have warmed up over the last couple years. Unconfirmed reports have Mashall meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah, another terrorist organization. If correct it would suggest the rival groups are serious about unifying their efforts.

Demonstrators in Egypt are commemorating the year anniversary of the beginning of the Tahrir Square movement which was successful in toppling President Hosni Mubarak. But instead of festive celebration they are there to protest the continued control of the government by the military council, which they accuse of still carrying out the orders of Mubarak. The council is supposed to maintain power until the newly elected parliament is ready to do so. In the election, nearly half of the seats went to parties controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood, parties which had been illegal under Mubarak's rule.

The interim Libyan government, National Transition Council, found its militia chased out of Bani Walid. Fighters of the Warfallah tribe have taken control and been recognized as the official local government. Both sides agreed to concessions, stating that, "to keep the whole country peaceful and that national unity was a priority," per Salah al-Maayuf, a member of the Warfallah Elders Counci. Many other towns and villages are likely to have similar circumstances occur, as the central government has very little control.


Iran and Syria continue to be thorns in the side of the United States, European Union, and the United Nations. It has only increased due to continued Russian opposition towards any kind of sanctions or military intervention. Russia has placed naval troops in the area, and stated that she is their friend no matter what comes. She has also moved up to supplying them with military hardware. It had been expected Russia would back down from their support, after China did so on Saturday. The Chinese and Russians had been the only countries providing any kind of support to the two allies. But as long as the Russians continue this posture, no UN resolutions will be possible, due to Russia's veto powers on the UN Security Council.

Russian Jets for Syria

Russia and Syria have announced a deal in which Syria will purchase combat training jets. US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, "If it's accurate, it would be quite concerning. Our firm belief is that any country that is still trading in weapons and armaments with Syria really needs to think twice." Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin replied, "No one must interfere with Syria. This is dangerous." Russia is already taking heat for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution to sanction Syria and is under questioning as to why it's navy delivered munitions earlier this month, when on a 'show of friendship' mission.

Over the last ten months, the Syrian government has been brutally oppressing it's people for demanding that President Bashar al-Assad leave power. It is estimate that near ten thousand have been killed in the conflict, which has led to civil war in some parts of the country. One of the latest deaths was that of Syrian Red Crescent vice-president Abdulrazak Jbeiro, who was assassinated on his way to investigate the city of Idlib, which has been a center of the violence. The Red Crescent, is a Muslim organization that has much the same role of the Red Cross. Both the security forces and local anti government forces were quick to point fingers at each other.

Occupy Camp Igloo

Davos, Switzerland is now the home to Occupy's Camp Igloo, sponsored by Occupy WEF. They're in the process of building twenty-five to fifty igloos in preparation for the of arrival of the World Economic Forum, a group clearly likely to pay heed to their shrill whining about being the ninety-nine percent. Or not at all.

Why igloos? Cause it's mid winter in Switzerland and temperatures are between ten and twenty-three degrees Fahrenheit? Or is it because they hate snow and so are purposefully turning it into ice and then desecrating it with their foul stench, not to mention how they smell?

Random thought, but if you're taking all this time to build a home to protest people who have money, why not start a non profit construction company and build permanent houses for the homeless. But no, then you'd be thinking of someone other than yourself. And having to work! Perish that thought. Go have fun in your ice house.