On October 1 and 2, 2014, ISIS attacked the Kurds at the south border entrance to Kobane, also called Ain al Arab. There are several buildings manned by Kurdish guards who fled. The empty station is littered with liquor bottles. (None of the following videos contain graphic images or dead bodies.)

The attack by ISIS is in this video. The fighters appear to be Chechen, and for a few seconds, starting at 1 min 04 sec in, I think you can see ISIS military commander Omar al Shishani, as he talks into a radio and barks commands, which the others then repeat and relay to the other fighters.[More...]

It's sundown here, the official start to Yom Kippur -- the Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur is a day of reconciliation, when Jews strive to make amends with people and to draw closer to God through prayer and fasting. The ten days leading up to Yom Kippur are known as the Ten Days of Repentance. During this period Jews are encouraged to seek out anyone they may have offended and to sincerely request forgiveness so that the New Year can begin with a clean slate.

To those of you observing the holiday, G'mar Hatimah Tovah - May You Be Sealed for a Good Year (in the Book of Life).

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

ISIS, through al Furqan Media, released a video of the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning. The same black-clad executioner in the Foley, Sotloff and Haines videos appears with him. (Not a link to video, just to article describing it.)

The videos seem to be getting shorter. This one is only 1 minute and 11 seconds, and the first 30 seconds or so is a tv reporter announcing Britain's intent to conduct air strikes.

The video ends with American Peter Kassig, a former Army Ranger and aid worker in Lebanon, in the kneeling position and clad in orange. The killer says he is next. He says to Obama, since he keeps striking ISIS with airstrikes, ISIS will strike the necks of "your people." Here is a 2013 interview of Kassig by Time Magazine. CNN published this article in Kassig in 2012. From an article published in Sept. 2013:

SERA was founded in late 2012 by Peter Kassig, a 24-year-old Army Ranger and Indiana native who returned from Iraq intent on mitigating the carnage of war. Kassig, who’s an EMT, lives with Eliot in Gaziantep and frequently forays into war-torn Syrian towns like Deir Ezzor to lead training sessions, distribute supplies, and provide basic medical care.

[More...]

The U.S. has set up a webpage for the fight against ISIS. Here is the Defense Department's latest report.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Real Housewives of New Jersey co-star Teresa Giudiuce was sentenced to 15 months in prison yesterday, while her husband Joe received a 41 month sentence, in a federal fraud case. The Indictment included 41 counts of bank fraud, loan application fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and mail and wire fraud. Joe was also charged with tax offenses. Teresa pleaded guilty to four counts and Joe to five.

While I've never seen their TV show, I think the case has some interesting elements worth discussing.

Broadchurch is a really good English murder series that aired last year and will be back for Season 2. For some unfathomable reason, Fox has made a so-called "American" prime-time version of it called Gracepoint, which began airing tonight. Why bother? We didn't need translation, both were in English. It uses the screenshots from the English version and features the lead actor from Broadchurch(who now speaks with an American accent.) Even Ana Gunn can't save it. The actress playing her role in Broadchurch was much better. [More...]

Jean Moussa, a reporter with Arabic Al Aan TV, got a crew inside the the bombed out buildings at Al Reef Muhandeseen Aleppo, which the U.S. says were the headquarters for the Khorasan Group. Killed in the blasts were 50 Jabhat al Nusrah fighters, including Jabhat al Nusra's chief sniper, trainer and al Qaida veteran, Abu Yousuf al Turki, who the U.S. says was a leader of the Khorasan Group.

Moussa's crew found a document in the rubble with the names of 14 fighters, 13 of whom were with the "Wolf Unit" of Jabhat al Nusra. [More...]

Oklahoma will seek the death penalty will be filed against Oklahoma beheading suspect Alton Nolan. The grounds:

[DA Greg] Mashburn said he will allege the victim’s death was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel. He said he also will allege Nolen is a continuing threat to society, Nolen put more than one person at great risk of death and Nolen has been previously convicted of a felony involving violence against a person.

Nolan is being held without bond. He has not yet been appointed counsel and at his arraignment yesterday, asked for a Muslim attorney. The Judge said the public defender will be appointed, and he did not know if the PD's office had any Muslim attorneys.

Nolan reportedly confessed to the beheading, which happened the day he was fired from the food processing plant. Police say he was fired after a co-worker complained to Human Resources he didn't like white people. The co-worker was the second worker he attacked, who lived. Nolan had worked for the food processing plant since January, 2013.

Our last open thread is full, here's another one, all topics welcome.

Long day in Court today, which means an open thread for you. All topics welcome.

Al Furqan Media has released the second episode of British hostage John Cantlie's video series today. You can view it here (If You Tube removes it, you can get it here.)

The topic is President Obama's speech on 9/11 against ISIS. These propaganda videos are becoming redundant. What's new in this one? A flat-out denial of Obama's claim that ISIS kills innocent women and children. He says it's an undeniable fact that ISIS did not kill the Yazidi women and children of Mosul and Sinjar (whom he refers to as Christian). He says ISIS does not regard the Shia as Muslims and thinks they are worse than Americans. He says Isis regards the Shia as apostates claiming to be Muslim while worshiping the dead.

After disparaging the ground forces Obama says will be assembled from reconstituted Iraqi soldiers and syrian rebels, he ends with, "For their part, the Islamic State states they welcome meeting Obama's under-construction army."

An employee at a luxury hotel in Brasilia has been taken hostage, handcuffed, strapped in a suicide vest and paraded on the balcony of a room on the 13th floor, with a gun to his head. The hotel has been evacuated and police are trying to get the hostage taker to release him. Photo here.

Unconfirmed reports are that the hostage taker checked into the hotel this morning, is a minor public official who is demanding the President of Brazil step down. (There was a televised debate last night in the upcoming presidential election.) Negotiators are on scene.[More....]