31 Oct 2014

UN: Foreign Fighters Joining Terror Groups On 'Unprecedented Scale'

A new United Nations report says the world faces a challenge of foreign fighters in terror groups on an "unprecedented scale," with about 15,000 in Syria and Iraq alone. The report by a panel of experts monitoring al-Qaida and the Taliban, obtained Friday by The Associated Press, has been submitted to the U.N. Security Council.

isis

"Numbers since 2010 are now many times the size of the cumulative numbers of foreign terrorist fighters between 1990 and 2010 - and are growing," the report says. The panel was set up to support the council's al-Qaida sanctions committee. The panel says fighters from more than 80 countries working with al-Qaida associates in Syria and Iraq "form the core of a new diaspora that may seed the threat for years to come," and that domestic terrorism could rise as fighters return to their home countries.

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The diversity of countries means wider sharing of skills and training on the ground in Syria and Iraq, the report warns. "There are instances of foreign terrorist fighters from France, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland operating together," it says.

Full story at Huffington Post

Must see documentary:

A Mother's Mission: The Shooting of Milton Hall

Police officers in Saginaw, MI, USA, fired more than 45 shots at Jewel Hall's son Milton. Despite abundant evidence that officers showed a reckless disregard for Milton's life, the U.S. Justice Department did not charge any of the officers responsible for the killing.
In Washington D.C., the ACLU of Michigan is playing Jewel Hall's testimony at a hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on “Reports of Racism in the Justice System of the United States.” Learn more at http://www.aclumich.org/MiltonHall

30 Oct 2014

Atheists at the Creation Museum

TheThinkingAtheist

Humans Broke Off Neanderthal Sex After Discovering Eurasia

Neanderthals apparently last interbred with the ancestors of today's Europeans after modern humans with advanced stone tools expanded out of Africa, researchers say. The last sex between Neanderthals and modern humans likely occurred as recently as 47,000 years ago, the researchers added.

Modern humans once shared the globe with now-departed human lineages, including the Neanderthals, our closest known extinct relatives. Neanderthals had been around for about 30,000 years when modern humans appeared in the fossil record about 200,000 years ago. Neanderthals disappeared about 30,000 year ago.

neanderthals

In 2010, scientists completed the first sequence of the Neanderthal genome using DNA extracted from fossils, and an examination of the genetic material suggested that modern humans' ancestors occasionally successfully interbred with Neanderthals. Recent estimates reveal that Neanderthal DNA makes up 1 percent to 4 percent of modern Eurasian genomes, perhaps endowing some people with the robust immune systems they enjoy today.

The Neanderthal genome revealed that people outside Africa share more genetic variants with Neanderthals than Africans do. One possible explanation is that modern humans mixed with Neanderthals after the modern lineage began appearing outside Africa at least 100,000 years ago. Another, more complex scenario is that an African group ancestral to both Neanderthals and certain modern human populations genetically diverged from other Africans beginning about 230,000 years ago. This group then stayed genetically distinct until it eventually left Africa.

More at livescience.com

28 Oct 2014

Don't Be a Sucker

In this anti-fascist film produced in 1947 by US Military in the wake of WWII, the producers deconstructs the politically motivated social engineering of Germany by the Nazi regime.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

27 Oct 2014

To Serve and Protect

Let there be Hitch

Christopher Hitchens, what an exquisitely unique man. An Oxford educated international gangster who feared no one. A profoundly beautiful mind and a razor sharp wit that operated like a guillotine. At the same time, he was brave, private, outspoken, eloquent, charming, confrontational, stylish, hilarious, compelling, moving, brilliant, shocking, honorable, and devilish.

26 Oct 2014

Atheism is Unstoppable

Yoav Shamir confronts Norman Finkelstein

Norman Finkelstein has an interesting philosophical view of how he feels about "anti semitism."

Yoav Shamir Films

24 Oct 2014

How Words Absolve Mass Murder

Abby Martin goes over some of the phrases and terms that are used by politicians in order to dehumanize victims of war and absolve top policy makers from responsibility.

22 Oct 2014

Limits

The Cult of the Dead Fish Orchestra

21 Oct 2014

Top 5 Most Annoying American Conservative & Christian Women

A list of the 5 most annoying American christian conservative women, as of 2011. These women are not only dumb and loud, but their pervasive ignorance is also dangerous and destructive.

20 Oct 2014

VICE News Daily: Beyond The Headlines

Graffiti Artist Banksy Arrested In London

manNYC_13

The elusive graffiti artist, political activist, film director, painter and long time fugitive that for years has gone by the pseudonymous name of Banksy, was arrested early this morning by London’s Metropolitan Police. After hours of questioning and a raid of his London art studio, his true name and identity have finally been revealed.

banksy-arrested

The City of London Police say Banksy’s real name is Paul Horner, a 35-year old male born in Liverpool, England. The BBC has confirmed this information with Banky’s PR agent Jo Brooks along with Pest Control, a website that acts as a handling service on behalf of the artist.

banksy

London Police Chief Lyndon Edwards held a press conference to answer questions about Banksy and how Horner was finally apprehended after all these years on the run. “We had a 24-hour Anti-Graffiti Task Force monitoring different groups where Banksy was known to frequent. We received word that around 2am a group of individuals left a flat speculated to be one of Banky’s art studios. This group was followed by agents and once vandalism had occurred, we then arrested the group, 5 men total. These individuals all had ID on them except for one, and that is the one we believed to be Banksy,” Edwards said. “We then raided the studio where this group was last seen leaving from. Inside we found thousands of dollars of counterfeit money along with future projects of vandalism. We also found a passport and ID of a Paul Horner who matched the description of the man that we are currently holding.” Edwards continued, “Horner is currently being held without bail on charges of vandalism, conspiracy, racketeering and counterfeiting. We are also holding the other four individuals whose names we are not releasing at this time.”

More at National Report 

But it is all not true:

Banksy Arrest Was A Giant Hoax, The Elusive Street Artist Has Not In Fact Been Caught - Hoax 'Banksy Arrested in London' Story Dupes the Internet Again - No, Banksy hasn’t been arrested

 Banksy website

18 Oct 2014

Pakistan court upholds death penalty for Asia Bibi

The first Christian woman to be sentenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws had her appeal rejected by the High Court in Lahore on Thursday.

Aasiya Noreen, commonly known as Asia Bibi, received the death penalty in 2010 after she allegedly made derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed during an argument with a Muslim woman. While the two women were working together, the Muslim woman had refused water from Noreen on the grounds that it was unclean because it had been handled by a Christian.

The Muslim woman, together with her sister, were the only two witnesses in the case, but the defence failed to convince the appeals judges that their evidence lacked credibility. Noreen, first arrested in the summer of 2009, has already spent five years in prison. Her defence team has one more opportunity to appeal her case by taking it to Pakistan’s Supreme Court.

Asia Bibi demo

Noreen was accused of blasphemy against the Prophet of Islam and the Qur’an in June 2009, when she was working in the fields as a laborer in Sheikhupura. A religious argument broke out between her and her co-workers after she brought water for one of them. One of her co-workers objected that the mere touch of a Christian had made the water haram, or religiously forbidden for Muslims. Noreen was told to convert to Islam in order to become purified of her ritual impurity. Her rejoinder was perceived as an insult of Islam and hence she was accused of committing blasphemy.

Muhammad Amin Bukhari, the Superintendent of Police who investigated Noreen’s case, testified in the trial court that the religious argument broke out over the drinking water, and not about the Prophet or the Koran. The trial court judge nonetheless convicted her and gave her the death penalty.

worldwatchmonitor.org

16 Oct 2014

Ukraine's Neo-Nazis Demand Respect

For months, the New York Times and other major U.S. news outlets have insisted that it's just Russian propaganda to say that a significant neo-Nazi presence exists inside Ukraine, but thousands of these "non-existent" neo-Nazis battled police on Tuesday outside the parliament building in Kiev demanding recognition of their Hitler-collaborating forebears.

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The parliament, aware of the obvious public relations fiasco that would follow if it bowed to far-right demands to honor members of the Nazi-affiliated Ukrainian Insurgent Army (or UIA), defeated the proposal. That touched off riots by an estimated 8,000 protesters led by Ukraine's right-wing Svoboda party and the Right Sektor.

Historians blame the UIA and other Ukrainian fascist forces for the extermination of thousands of Poles and Jews during World War II as these right-wing Ukrainian paramilitaries sided with the German Nazis in their fight against the Soviet Union's Red Army. Svoboda and the Right Sektor have elevated UIA leader Stepan Bandera to the level of a Ukrainian national hero.

Full story at OpEdNews - The GuardianBBC

The Disturbing Expansion of the Military-Industrial Complex

Unfortunately instead of putting more energy into providing help for E.U. citizens and others, we are witnessing the growing militarisation of Europe, its role as a driving force for armament and its dangerous path, under the leadership of the United States/NATO, towards a new ‘cold’ war and military aggression.

The European Union and many of its countries, which used to take initiatives in the United Nations for peaceful settlements of conflict, are now one of the most important war assets of the U.S./NATO front.  Many countries have also been drawn into complicity in breaking international law through U.S./U.K./NATO wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and so on.

The whole of civilisation is now facing a challenge with the growth of what President Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961) warned the U.S. people against – the military/industrial complex – saying that it would destroy U.S. democracy. (Full speech here)

We know now that a small group made up of the military/industrial/media/corporate/academic elite, whose agenda is profit, arms, war and valuable resources, now holds power worldwide and has a stronghold on elected governments.  We see this in the gun and Israeli lobbies, among others, which wield great power over U.S. politics.

Full column by Mairead Maguire, peace activist from Northern Ireland and Nobel Peace Laureate 1976 at Inter Press Service

15 Oct 2014

Monsanto Records $156 Million Loss For Fourth Quarter

Monsanto Co. reported that the company recorded a loss of $156 million in the latest quarter, a loss that was considerably higher than expected. The loss amounted to about 31 cents per share. Analysts expected a loss of around 24 cents per share. Revenue rose to $2.63 billion in the quarter, an increase of more than 19 percent. That was higher than analysts’ forecasts of revenue of $2.42 billion. The company expects to post earnings of $5.75 to $6 for the full fiscal year.

monsanto

During the quarter, two of the company’s business units, genetically-engineered seeds and herbicide, posted higher than average sales. Sales of biotech seeds increased to $1.38 billion, a 16 percent rise. Herbicide and agricultural product sales increased to 1.25 billion, a 23 percent rise.

rinf.com - Occupy Monsanto

14 Oct 2014

Thai Authorities To Promote 'Martial Law Tourism'

The Tourism Authority of Thailand says its preparing to add one more tourist attraction to the Kingdom's long list of temples, beaches, and mountains: life under martial law.   "The TAT is preparing a campaign called '24 Hours Enjoy Thailand' to attract foreign tourists to visit Thailand under martial law," TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik told Thai Rath newspaper on Friday.

thai tourists

Thawatchai said that martial law is beneficial to tourism, because it ensures that foreign tourists can be safe 24 hours a day. "We want the tourists to be confident that they can travel in Thailand both day and night with safety at all times," Thawatchai said, adding that he hopes to promote this concept by creating a "buzz" on social media.

thai tourists 2

The military imposed martial law over the entire nation on 20 May and seized power two days later. Human rights activists have decried the sweeping power of the 100-year-old law, which includes the authority to detain individuals and search properties without warrants, ban public protests, and try dissenters in military court. 

Khaosod

Going Underground

The Jam

The Ringworm Scandal: When Israeli Doctors Killed Tens of Thousands of Arab Children

The Ringworm Children, presents the historical context of this immigration and is dedicated to the greatest national medical scandal in the state’s history.  During this early period, Israel looked with deep suspicion on the Arab olim.  They were viewed not only as culturally inferior, but as reservoirs of disease.  To be fair, these same views had been prominent in the U.S. during the heights of immigration to this country.

But unlike here, Israel allowed one senior health official, Dr. Chaim Sheba, to conduct a massive program of unnecessary medical treatments, at enormous expense, which actually killed many of the victims.  At that time, many children developed ringworm, a non-lethal condition of fungal origin which affected the scalp.  Unlike in other countries, 100,000 Jewish (and Palestinian) Arab children were irradiated in order to treat the condition.  While medical protocol of the day directed that no technician receive a dose higher than .5 Roentgen, those treated could received a higher dose.  A lethal dose was considered 200 Roentgen (R).  The children treated received individual doses of 350R.  Sometimes they received two doses (for a total of 600R).  6,000 of the victims died within the first year or so after treatment.  To this day, many of the remaining victims suffer cancers, epilepsy, infertility and other brain disorders.  Even their children have been impacted through genetic abnormalities passed on from one generation to the next.

RichardSilverstein.com

Kissinger Wanted to Bomb Havana for Fighting Apartheid

In the new book, "Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana," authors Peter Kornbluh and William LeoGrande use recently declassified documents to expose the secret history of dialogue between the United States and Cuba. Among the revelations are details of how then-U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger considered launching airstrikes against Cuba after Fidel Castro sent troops to support independence fighters in Angola in 1976. In the years that followed, top-secret U.S. emissaries, including former President Jimmy Carter and Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez, worked to normalize relations with Cuba. The book's release comes as Cuban leader Raúl Castro is set to participate for the first time in next year's Summit of the Americas in Panama. Cuba recently denounced the Obama administration for extending the more than 50-year embargo for another year in a little-noticed move in September.

13 Oct 2014

One Powerful Illustration Shows Exactly What's Wrong With How the West Talks About Ebola

ebola-carillo

The Ebola epidemic has killed 3,431 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia; it has killed one in the United States. Liberia's Defense Minister Brownie Samukai told the U.N. Security Council in September that the disease poses a "serious threat" to the country's existence; the Obama administration recently reminded everybody that "[America's] structure would preclude an outbreak." Health care workers are threatening to strike over dissatisfaction with wages; the U.S. sent 3,000 military personnel directly into the area to help combat the epidemic.

mic.com

Watch live coverage of the Turkey border with Syria near embattled Kobane

Watch a live video feed from Turkey's southeastern province of Sanliurfa near the key Syrian border town of Kobane, which Jihadists have been trying to seize for weeks. The town was the scene of continued fighting over the weekend:

Kurdish defence forces in Kobane managed to repel Islamic State jihadists on Saturday morning after a night of heavy clashes.

The Telegraph

The Canary Effect: Kill the Indian, Save the Man

Delving deeply into the often misunderstood and frequently over looked historic realities of the American Indian, The Canary Effect follows the terrifying and horrific abuses instilled upon the Indigenous people of North America, and details the genocidal practices of the US government and its continuing affects on present day Indian country.

filmsforaction.org

12 Oct 2014

Shut Up

Madness (1981)

It's a big club and you ain't in it

George  Carlin was an American comedian, social critic, actor, and author. Carlin was noted for his black comedy as well as his thoughts on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and various taboo subjects

Here is a 3 minute clip of  the late George Carlin at his best. A tightly compressed 3 minute nugget of pure truth.

“You see, the owners of this country know the truth. It’s called the American dream. Cause ya have to be asleep to believe it”.

yournewswire.comFull show Life Is Worth Losing (2007)

11 Oct 2014

What is the Evidence for Evolution?

Gut-Wrenching Images Show The Brutal Reality Of The Ebola Outbreak In Liberia

Grim news emerged in the battle against Ebola on Friday as the World Health Organization announced that more than 4,000 people have died from the disease since the outbreak began. Most cases were recorded in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The U.N. special envoy for Ebola, David Nabarro, explained the number of cases is probably doubling every three-to-four weeks and warned that it will be impossible to quickly combat the disease without mass mobilization of international support.

Photographers John Moore and Mohammed Elshamy have been working on the front lines of the fight against the disease, documenting its brutal effects on patients and their loved ones in West Africa. Their gut-wrenching pictures from the Liberian capital Monrovia reveal the devastating impact of the disease.

John Moore

A woman throws a handful of soil towards the body of her sister as Ebola burial team members take her Mekie Nagbe, 28, for cremation on October 10, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. Nagbe, a market vendor, collapsed and died outside her home earlier in the morning while leaving to walk to a treatment center, according to her relatives. The burial of loved ones is important in Liberian culture, making the removal of infected bodies for cremation all the more traumatic for surviving family members. (John Moore/Getty Images)

More pictures at The World Post

10 Oct 2014

Auschwitz - Surprising Beginnings

'That’s A $500,000 Vagina Tax!'

To kick off a new campaign calling for equal pay, Sarah Silverman says she’s doing the only thing she can to ensure her wages won’t be stolen just for being a women: getting a penis.

The video launches the National Women’s Law Center’s Equal Payback Project campaign. Silverman says that for women who want to take less extreme measures than getting new genitalia, the campaign is aimed at crowdfunding the wage gap. And with 69 million women in the workplace, that sets the goal to nearly $30 trillion. The money raised, however, will actually go to the NWLC, which is fighting to end the wage gap through legislation.

More at Alternet and equalpaybackproject.com

Loukanikos dead: News of Greek riot dog's death prompts outpouring of tributes

Loukanikos, the much-loved Greek riot dog who became internationally famous for appearing on the front line of anti-austerity protests in Greece, has sadly passed away.

Greek media reports that Loukanikos, or ‘Sausage’ in English, died two years after he retired from protests in Athens. The canine became a symbol of resistance in Greece after he was pictured facing off with riot police and surrounded by tear gas during various demonstrations.

More at The Independent

9 Oct 2014

Fox Host Spews An Obama/Ebola Conspiracy Theory That Would Make Sarah Palin Proud

In a rant that would make Sarah Palin blush with pride, Fox host Gretchen Carlson strung together all the conservative manufactured conspiracies and scandals they’ve tried to pin to President Obama and connected them all to the Ebola virus.

Despite the fact that health and science experts have repeatedly shot down Fox fear mongering about Ebola in America over the last few days, Carlson went on her own show to push her own theory because she apparently felt that she needed to out-crazy everyone else.

During her “My Take” segment, Carlson said that the government can’t be trusted to tell the truth about Ebola because of the IRS, Obamacare, the Secret Service screw-ups, the Veterans Affairs situation, and of course, Benghazi.

More at Addicting Info

Shut Up, Conspiracy Theorist!!!

Corbett Report

Hollow Talk

Choir of Young Believers

Stewart Lee

Stewart Lee, Officially the 41st Best Stand Up Ever

8 Oct 2014

Ich Will

Rammstein

Israelis Chant “N*ggers Go Home” Carrying ISIS-Style Flags At Anti-African Rally

Video footage of Jewish Israelis with ISIS-style flags, chanting “niggers go home” at an anti-African rally in Tel Aviv on October 5 has surfaced. Hundreds of protesters could be heard in streets of Tel Aviv chanting anti-African racial slurs, following an Israeli High Court ruling to close down “Holot” detention facility within 90 days. Holot is essentially an internment camp holding about 2,300 of 60,000 African asylum seekers in Tel Aviv. Israelis are outraged by the court decision to close “Holot,” where African migrants from Eritrea and Sudan have been locked in facilities overnight and are forced to sign in several times per day.

More at Addicting Info

Islam - The Most Pathetic, Evil, Hateful Religion On Earth

7 Oct 2014

6 Oct 2014

Who is REALLY behind ISIS?

The Corbett Report

The Rediscovery of Vimanas

Video about how the Synagogue of Satan through the Nazis rediscovered Atlantis and its flash frozen technology by channelling evil spiritual entities along with using occult knowledge found during their Ahnenerbe project.

Godless in America

The extraordinary life story of Madalyn Murray O'Hair.

Ethnic Germans: A Forgotten Genocide

A forgotten genocide: the ethnic German cleansing. Germans migrated down the Danube in three major waves beginning more than 700 years ago, and settled in mountainous areas of Bohemia and Moravia. These Ethnic Germans became very prosperous and those in Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia were known as Danube Swabians.
1939 the Czech President expelled German minority to be executed with utmost brutality resulting 1 million sudeten Germans losing their lives.

Enemies Of Reason

Also see The God Delusion

5 Oct 2014

Call the Cops

Rob Hustle ft. Bump

Murder in the Bible

The act of murder is rampant in the Bible. In much of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, there are laws that command that people be killed for absurd reasons such as working on the Sabbath, being gay, cursing your parents, or not being a virgin on your wedding night.  In addition to these crazy and immoral laws, there are plenty of examples of God's irrationality by his direct killing of many people for reasons that defy any rational explanation such as killing children who make fun of bald people, and the killing of a man who tried to keep the ark of God from falling during transport.  There are also countless examples of mass murders commanded by God, including the murder of women, infants, and children.

bible dore

Kill People Who Don't Listen to Priests
Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge or of the priest who represents the LORD your God must be put to death.  Such evil must be purged from Israel.  (Deuteronomy 17:12 NLT)

Kill Nonbelievers
They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.  (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 NAB)

Gustave_Doré_bible

Kill the Entire Town if One Person Worships Another God
Suppose you hear in one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you that some worthless rabble among you have led their fellow citizens astray by encouraging them to worship foreign gods.  In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully.  If you find it is true and can prove that such a detestable act has occurred among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock.  Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the street and burn it.  Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God.  That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt.  Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction.  Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you.  He will have compassion on you and make you a great nation, just as he solemnly promised your ancestors.  "The LORD your God will be merciful only if you obey him and keep all the commands I am giving you today, doing what is pleasing to him."  (Deuteronomy 13:13-19 NLT)

More Murder in the Bible here

3 Oct 2014

Kim Jong-Un has lost control of North Korea

A former North Korean counter-intelligence officer has claimed that Kim Jong-Un is no longer in control of the nation and is now just a 'puppet leader'. The capital, Pyongyang has been placed into lockdown with even the elite banned from entering or leaving, according to a respected news site. This adds weight to claims, as a North Korean expert said that this kind of measure is only put in place when a coup has taken place - or is suspected.

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Kim Jong-Un was actually overthrown in 2013 and that the political strings in North Korea are being pulled by the powerful Organization and Guidance Department (OGD), which used to report directly to Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-Un's father. North Korea is currently embroiled in a sort of civil war, he said in his speech. Some officials want to keep the communist status quo, he said, others are open to elements of capitalism being introduced.

Daily Mail Online

2 Oct 2014

Banksy confronts racism

It comes as a genuine shock, then, that a council has removed one of his paintings instead of calling in the valuers. Tendring district council says it destroyed the new painting that materialised in Clacton-on-Sea – where Tory defector Douglas Carswell is about to fight a byelection for his new party Ukip – after getting a complaint that it was “offensive and racist”. Was it?

Not in a million years. This is the best Banksy I have never seen: a clever and succinct satire on some currents of feeling in contemporary Britain, terrified of “migrants”, menaced by otherness. Far from being by any stretch of the imagination “racist”, it is – was – a witty putdown of the drab, dour vision of Britain touted by those who would push down diversity and hold back the tide of modern human movement.

Banksy-anti-immigration

Then again, the council’s story is at best incomplete – it did not have to instantly act on the reported complaint. Some will suspect its claim of racism is an excuse for removing a work it knows to be precisely the opposite. How convenient to use the language of political correctness to censor an anti-racist artwork.

I know one thing. Banksy suddenly matters again. He has created a powerful image of our prejudiced times. Far from a stupid mistake by a confused council, its destruction is a real and vicious act of censorship. Banksy has not been banned from Clacton-on-Sea because he is a racist. He has been suppressed because he exposed the truth.

More by Jonathan Jones at the GuardianBanksy website

banksy-cleaner

ISIS's Harsh Guide to Education