SAR #14221

“If you bomb, drone, invade, desecrate and slaughter - collaterally or otherwise - a people and their lands, they might find ways to return the favor.” David Stockman

Fog Of War: Kurdish fighters crossed from Syria and opened up a passageway for 20,000 (or 40,000?)of the trapped Yazidis, after the IS killed at least 500 of them. Meanwhile the main focus of the IS seems to be an attack in Baghdad. The Kurds are begging for additional weaponry from the international community after forcing IS out of two towns they had previously overrun. Hillary Clinton maintains that the IS grew out of the US failure to intervene in Syria, while most analysts concede thatBush's invasion of Iraq was greatly responsible for the current collapse and chaos. [Saudi Arabia is ultimately responsible, of course.]

Spade, Spade: The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the “enhanced interrogation techniques” approved by Dick Cheney and papered over with legal jujitsu by John Yoo were torture and that calling them something else did not change the reality.

Rose/Rose: A judge has ruled that the NCAA must allow colleges to acknowledge that many of their athletes are professionals who deserve to be paid for their contribution to the colleges' budgets. About time.

Birds of a Feather: The NSA, taking a page from their brother spooks out at Langley, have tried to delete court testimony in a trial over their deleting evidence in a previous case.

Car/Pool: GM is advising a couple hundred thousand owners of its SUVs to park them outside so they won't burn the house down when if they spontaneously combust. Next to the swimming pool would be good. 
 
On Your Mark, More Marks: The banksters, with the blessing of Fair Isaac, the FI of FICO, having decided that there are not enough risky mortgages being approved, has found a magic elixir. From now on, not paying your bills, especially your medical bills, will not count against your FICO score. What, pray tell, will? This will let another 80 million or more Americans – those who have already proven their credit unworthiness – take out mortgages they won't be able to repay. Step right up, buy an MBS today! 
 
Release Release: The University of Stockholm has released a report by scientists who have discovered massive releases of methane from the Arctic seafloor, with concentrations as much as 50 times above normal levels.

Action Distraction: The NFL is renting out the 'red zone' to advertisers this fall – but only on the TV screen, where – whenever a team is inside the 20-yard lines – annoying ads will be superimposed. This will have no effect on the voting for wife-beater of the week, which will take place in the end zones.

Discussion Prompt: “Which long-term moral debt of the extended Bush family would you like to discuss first?”

Teaching Point: The judge in the Apple and Friends vs tech employees Sherman Antitrust trial says the $324.5 million settlement is simply too low. Estimates are that $3 billion would be more appropriate especially if most of it comes from Apple and Steve Jobs' estate .

Eugenics Are Them: Israel admits secretly giving Ethiopian women birth control shots to keep them from reproducing. Kinder than their approach to the Palestinians in Gaza.

No Sale: Verizon's “all the other kids do it” excuse for limiting its customers with 'unlimited' accounts did not go over well with mother FCC chairman Tom Wheeler. Who said it never worked with his mom and it wasn't going to work with him either.

Porn O'Graph: Objects in the mirror may be smaller than they appear.