National Security Letter issued to the Internet Archive in November 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: U.S. Senator Russ Feingold spoke on the Senator floor on his opposition to the USA Patriot Act. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
How Would a Patriot Act? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Grieg, Liszt, Schumann - Piano Concertos - Van Cliburn Piano, Cleveland SO, Eugene Ormandy, RCA (Photo credit: Piano Piano!)Sunday Classics Preview: Remembering Van Cliburn
*TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23: ii. Andantino
semplice; Prestissimo; Tempo I*
*Van Cliburn, piano; RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, Kiril Kondrashin, cond.
RCA-Sony, recorded mostly live in New York City, May 30, 1958*
*by Ken*
In the quick remembrance I posted following the death of Van Cliburn, I
ventured: "The easy way to go would have been with the Tchaikovsky First
Piano Concerto, the piece that became so identified with him when he
rocketed to fame in 1958 (at age 23) with his grand-prize win at the
International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow." ... more »
About Friggin' Time...
Image courtesy:
http://www.aclu.org/national-security-technology-and-liberty/national-security-letters
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=271838
*Federal Judge finds unconstitutional the National Security Letter
non-disclosure provisions of the Patriot Act*
Posted By: MrFusion
Date: Friday, 15-Mar-2013 19:19:49
I suppose a higher court will reverse this, but even an occasional glimmer
of judicial sanity is welcome...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gagging recipients of National Security Letters found unconstitutional
Ruling against key Patriot Act provision a setback for th... more »
Jews Are Definitely NOT A Distinctive Race: DNA Research Confirms That Modern Khazarian (Ashkenazi) Jews Are NOT The Descendants Of Israelites Or The "Seed Of Abraham"
I have recently viewed the works by others in this the real truth movement,
and again, I am puzzled... In spite of the evidence and even the recent
works by those within the Jewish community themselves that prove that the
Jews are absolutely NOT a distinctive race of mankind but are actually a
multitude of different races tied by both the fraud religion of Judaism and
their criminality, there are those who steadfastly stick to the notion of
these criminals being a separate race of man! It is puzzling, and shows
again how these criminals continue to lie and hoodwink the rest of us!
... more »
18 Imágenes bonitas para fondo de tu computadora
Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com
Let's face it, the Catholic Faithful really don't want to know what their new leader did during the Dirty War
"Beyond the details, the main thing is that it's clear that he was not --
by a long shot -- at the level needed in the dramatic circumstances,"
Gabriel Pasquini, an Argentine playwright and author of the online
current-affairs magazine *El Puercoespín*, told me. There were other
clergymen -- "Catholic and from other religions" -- who "did whatever they
could to save lives," Pasquini added. "For someone who aspires to be a
bastion of moral values, it doesn't seem like a great precedent. Never, in
the years he headed the Catholic Church in Argentina, did he acknowledge
its complicit... more »
Children Full of Life
Reader Michiyo wrote:
Dear all,
I would like to share this heart warming video.
It is 2002 NHK (Japanese broadcasting company)'s education video which
showing Mr. Kanamori's 4th grade class.
CBC (Canadian broadcasting company) translated/voice over to English.
Everyone like to live happy.
We are all allow to live happy.
Our purpose of life is to live happy.
And that learning start from childhood...
It will be wonderful, if we can spread this 4th grade class to the world.
...and that is my dream....
Love to all,
Michiyo
Friday Nerd Blogging: More Mashup
Here is a second helping of mashup (spoiler of GoT season 1), so good:
Too good.
A sneak peek... let's play with some gold.
Our value. That's what this whole experiment has been about. It's been
stolen, sold, enslaved and hidden.
For fun, here is a way to see lots and lots and lots of gold - which has
been used as a physical representation of *you*. It's time to play!
Thanks and love to Alexis for the video!
We are the Ones we've been waiting for.
~Sophia
Huxley & the "brave new world". For whose benefit?
Following up on this post :Aldous Huxley letter to George Orwell
Aldous I have read and reread the letter several times. What became
apparent is that Aldous Huxley was not talking about fiction. He was
talking about reality. He was discussing the real world.
Initially A Huxley starts out discussing the Orwell book, but, he turns to
discussing what he calls
the ultimate revolution
*"May I speak instead of the thing with which the book deals — the
ultimate revolution?" *
-"the ultimate revolution"
revolution- *a* *:* a sudden, radical, or complete change, *c* *:* activity
or... more »
Wimpy GOP weasels out of fiscal responsibility
I have to agree with Charlie Pierce. I think Brian Beutler missed the mark
a little in this piece about GOPers dealing with sequester cuts in their
own districts. You should, of course, read Charlie's post because he's
smarter and more eloquent than me. But I'll add this much.
Brian is right that Republicans love spending cuts. Their base loves
spending cuts. Everybody loves spending cuts as long as they're happening
somewhere else. Because *their* government handouts are necessary. It's all
those other people who are wasting the taxpayers' money.
But as Charlie says, it's no give... more »
Paul Moses, The Saint and the Sultan: Religion, Conflict and the Search for Peace
*"The Saint and the Sultan: The Crusades, Islam, and Francis of Assisi's
Mission of Peace," by Paul Moses. *
*Book Description (Courtesy of Amazon.com):*
An intriguing examination of the extraordinary–and little known meeting
between St. Francis of Assisi and Islamic leader Sultan Malik Al-Kamil that
has strong resonance in today's divided world.
For many of us, St. Francis of Assisi is known as a poor monk and a lover
of animals. However, these images are sadly incomplete, because they ignore
an equally important and more challenging aspect of his life -- his
unwavering c... more »
New Energy Source for Japan?
An Energy Coup for Japan: ‘Flammable Ice’ The New York Times, Hiroko
Tabuchi
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/business/global/japan-says-it-is-first-to-tap-methane-hydrate-deposit.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130313
*[Excerpted]
*TOKYO — Japan said Tuesday that it had extracted gas from
offshore deposits of methane hydrate — sometimes called “flammable ice” —
a
breakthrough that officials and experts said could be a step toward
tapping
a promising but still little-understood energy source.
The gas, whose extraction from the undersea hydrate reservoir was
thought
to be a ... more »
Untitled
*BP asks judge to block Gulf spill settlement payments ~David Hammer, WWL *
U.S. Intel Chief Says Iran Isn't Building Nukes.Is Anybody Listening?
(Photo
credit: AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
In testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday March
12, 2013, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper reaffirmed
what the U.S. intelligence community has been saying for years: Iran has
no nuclear weapons program, is not building a nuclear weapon and has
not even made a decision to do so.
The annual “Worldwide Threat
Battle for Hickory Ground: Casino desecrates Creek Ceremonial Ground
By Wayland Gray from Hickory Ground in Oklahoma.
Waylan is seeking support for "our War against the Poarch Creek Band
Officials in Alabama that are desecrating our ceremonial ground and have
dug up 56 remains and putting them in a Hitler style mass grave at the
corner of the property so they can build their over $300,000,000 Casino
Resort, Hotel, Bars, Retail Shops, Museum for the
Harper's Parade of Perps with Perks
Time to update Harper's Parade of Perps again, says Canadian Cynic.
Ok then ... let's add three more and make it an even ten Parade of Perps
with Perks.
New entrant below the still unidentified Mr RoboCon is Saskatchewan Senator
Pamela Wallin, seen here in 2000 advertizing her stint as host of Who
Wants to Buy a Millionaire? in New York where she owns an apartment.
Senator Wallin is not currently being investigated for clocking $321,027 in
"other" senate travel expenses because she does visit her Saskatchewan
residence even she holds an Ontario residency health card jus... more »
VIDEO Enbridge Blockade, Red Lake, Minn.
#RLblockade
Nizhawendaamin Inaakiminaan (We Love Our Land) is a group of Red Lake
Band of Chippewa Indians, joined by blockaders and solidarity activists.
The encampment is located in Northern Minnesota near the town of
Leonard. Tom Poorbear, vice president of the Ogalala Sioux Nation
declared, "We fully support the Red Lake Nation and its members who are
opposing the Enbridge pipeline to stop
Elsewhere: Medicare, ACA
Two today on Medicare, based on the latest evidence that the health care
cost curve could be flattening. At Greg's place, I asked: what if there's
no deficit problem?
At PP, I argued that the national press has basically been telling us a
completely backwards story about Medicare reform. I thought that one was
pretty good, actually.
Oh, and yesterday I had fun at the expense of Eddie Haskell because he
apparently still believes both that "repeal and replace" is still a thing
-- and that Republicans should and will get credit for the "replace" part
of it.
“Our military is an armed military.”
That's
DefMin Airhow's Spokesspeaker on the rebrand/naming/emphasizing of the
Canadian Forces to Canadian Armed Forces, accent on the armed, just in
case the Glorious Canadian People forget the military is armed and also
because Jean Chretien.
OK. I've long been mildly annoyed at the Canadian government's habit of
including "Canada" in department and agency names for those tailored to
Few chances to fly, but they bounce
My boss was telling me on the long drive back from San Pedro Sula yesterday
that there was some funding coming available soon out of Europe for
projects targeted at building resilience.
I got a (quiet) chuckle out of that, because Hondurans could write the book
on resilience. Like the song says: They get knocked down, but they get up
again.
Resilience has been a popular topic among socially aware types for many
years. I think it's a fascinating subject, and applaud all efforts to
understand the intangible things that permit one person to hang in despite
horrible life circumstance w... more »
Liberals on Iran
On Huffington Post today, Jamal Abdi, the Policy Director of the National
Iranian American Council, whom I gather is a liberal, takes the Senate and
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-Israel) to task for their war-mongering statements on
Iran. He correctly takes Schumer to task for his blatant lies claiming that
Iran "continues to enrich uranium into weapons-grade nuclear materials and
that "experts say that the type of fuel that they produce is sufficient to
arm a nuclear warhead."
But then he writes: "The overwhelming consensus of these basic facts
notwithstanding, there are, of course, real ... more »
Nancy Pelosi Owes Her Legacy A Classier Swan Song Than This
One fought off GOP efforts to stop Social Security & the other is working
with the GOP to dismantle it. Can you guess?
Nancy Pelosi's place in history is assured. She was the first woman elected
Speaker of the House and, until Hillary Clinton or Elizabeth Warren becomes
president, Nancy will be remembered as the highest-ranked woman elected
official in American history. I was living in San Francisco when she was
elected chairman of the California Democratic Party and when she won a
special election in 1987 that brought her to Congress. In 1991 she was one
of the founders of the Cong... more »
Definitely NOT a Couple of Farm Boys
I just watched this again. Cracked me up just as much as when I first saw
it this morning.
Pay attention to the guy on the left around the 2:30 mark.
If it's faked, these guys are genius actors.
Thanks to our very funny Twitter pal, SherryBGood.
Con Con comes to town
Yes, it's that time of year again. The annual CPAC confab, or as I like to
call it the Cirque du Crackpots, has come to DC. Or rather to some outpost
in Maryland that is sort of in the greater DC area. Can't get that
interested in it myself. Every year it gets a little less amusing, like an
aging comedian who keeps repeating the same stale jokes.
The most interesting thing that's happened so far is the reception they
gave Mittens. Politico boldly announced this morning, Mitt Romney gets
B-list treatment at CPAC, claiming the crowd was indifferent to his
arrival. He gave his speech ... more »
People aren’t smart enough for Democracy to flourish, scientists Say
[image: George W. Bush. Photo: Rex]
[“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Democracy simply doesn’t
work.” – Kent Brockman
By Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
28 February 2012
(LiveScience) – The democratic process relies on the assumption that
citizens (the majority of them, at least) can recognize the best political
candidate, or best policy idea, when they see it. But a growing body of
research has revealed an unfortunate aspect of the human psyche that would
seem to disprove this notion, and imply instead that democratic elections
produce mediocr... more »
PMsh chat with The Spaceship Commander
Is
it just me, or does anyone else feel like throwing-up a little at the
very concept?Plus I also want very badly to make a joke about the PM
asking the Spaceman about what the underside of the Earth looks like.
Misogynists United
What would unite Russia, the Vatican, Iran and other conservative Muslim
states in common cause?
Those uppity women.
An "unholy alliance" of Iran, Russia, the Vatican and others is threatening
to derail a U.N. declaration urging an end to violence against women and
girls by objecting to language on sexual, reproductive and gay rights, some
U.N. diplomats said Wednesday.
Delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women are
racing to reach a consensus deal on a final document by Friday and some
diplomats say the future of the commission - a global policy-making body ... more »
Once again, Goldman calls for the pain!
*FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013*
*Without the pain, swells can’t be glad:* Various atrocities occurred on
last Sunday’s This Week.
We’re going to wait until next week to record the way Senator Johnson
lectured the world about the Social Security trust fund. As it turns out,
the fund is a mere accounting fiction! Poor Krugman was forced to look on.
For today, here’s what Julianna Goldman had to say about a potential Grand
Bargain:
GOLDMAN (3/10/13): Look, both sides understand what a Grand Bargain is
going to look like. Republicans are going to have to give on revenues.
Democrats are goi... more »
TAYLOR SWIFT
*Taylor Swift*
Taylor Swift earned $57 million in 2012.
Taylor Swift has dated Kennedy heir Conor Kennedy.
*Conor Kennedy and Taylor Swift*
Taylor Swift has dated One Direction singer Harry Styles.
*Harry Styles (right) and boss Simon Cowell.*
Following President Obama's inauguration, Taylor Swift told Rolling Stone
that she supported the president.
Taylor Swift, born in 1989, in Reading Pennsylvania, is the daughter
of Scott Swift, who works for Merrill Lynch and who is the descendant of
three generations of bank presidents.
Her mother is Andrea (née Finlay), whose father w... more »
Kit Seelye reports on the Boston schools!
*FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013*
*Imitation of news reporting:* Remember when we told you that most of our
journalism is imitation of life?
Consider Kit Seelye’s report in today’s New York Times. It concerns the
Boston schools.
Yesterday, Boston dropped the remnants of the famous busing plan it
initiated in 1974 under force of a federal court order. Seelye describes a
complaint about the system’s new plan:
SEELYE (3/15/13): Instead of busing children across town to achieve
integration, the plan adopted by the committee is intended to allow more
students to attend schools closer to home.
... more »
St. Francis and the kitties...
Yesterday I used a photo of St. Francis with some kitties. I failed to
include the artist's name or any information about the artist. My bad! My
*very* bad!!
In order to correct this injustice, allow me to introduce you to Jill West,
of Witicha, KS.
From her Etsy shop "about" page:
Hi I'm Jill!
Thanks for visiting my little shop! I've been selling small canvas & wood
block paintings online for over 4 years now & decided to open up a shop so
I could offer more of my other little creations. I'm a big cat lover so ALL
of my creations will have a cat theme of some kind! I grew up ... more »
The Best Job Opportunity Ever
The Harvard economics department is now recruiting teaching fellows for its
popular undergraduate principles course, Ec 10, for the next academic year.
If you are a Boston-area graduate student with a solid background in
economics, please consider interviewing for the chance to introduce the
next Andrei Shleifer, Ben Bernanke, or Marty Feldstein (all former Ec 10
students) to the power of economic thinking.
If interested, email ec10@fas.harvard.edu for more information and to
request application materials.
Google Reader retired - alternatives
Well, Google Reader loved by many bloggers, a content application and RSS
platform, an aggregator of content served by web feeds will be retired July
1, 2013. You can read more about it at A second spring of cleaning.
Don't worry, there are plenty of alternatives and here are some of them:
1. Bloglines
2. The Old Reader
3. Feed Booster
4. netwipes Social Media Monitoring
5. NewsBlur
So I asked the Vatican about global warming…
[image: Seal of the Pontificia Academia Scientiarum (Pontifical Academy).
The Pontifical Academy calls on 'all people and nations to recognise the
serious and potentially irreversible impacts of global warming caused by
the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants.'
Graphic: pas.va]By Marshall Connolly
3/15/2013
LOS ANGELES, California (Catholic Online) – In the United States, the
issue of anthropogenic global warming, defined as an unnatural and rapid
rise in the Earth's overall average temperature caused by human activities,
is strongly associated with ... more »
Untitled
*Beneficial Use: Toward Balancing America's (Sediment) Budget ~Richard
Campanella *
Friday Nerd Blogging: Triple Mashup
Homeland is the series for national security folks. Walking Dead is the
series for those belonging to the Drezner cult. Combined? Oh my.
THE ORIGINAL SIN: War on the self!
*FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013*
*Part 5—In search of actual progress:* We were puzzled by various parts of
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ recent column.
Coates discussed the way Forest Whitaker was falsely accused of
shoplifting. (Repeat: Was *falsely* accused.) This false accusation
occurred in a deli where Coates and his family had frequently shopped.
In our view, Coates tried to cover a lot of topics in his 800-word column.
To our mind, this seemed to rob his piece of clarity, including at the end:
COATES (3/7/13): The other day I walked past this particular deli. I
believe its owners to be good p... more »
I come not to mock Rob Portman
This is the big news of the morning. Republican Senator Rob Portman now
supports gay marriage because he found out his own son is teh ghey.
Portman, an Ohio Republican, made the stunning revelation just a week
before the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on a 1996 federal law
asserting that gay marriage is not legal, a measure that Portman
co-sponsored as a member of the U.S. House.
This, of course, unleashed a tsunami of snark on the intertoobz. Me, I'm
not willing to give the man any huge huzzahs for coming out as it were
because I agree the timing is just a little too conv... more »
Will a Marriage Fight Break Out in GOP WH 2016?
With today's big news -- and it certainly is big news -- that Senator Rob
Portman has flipped to supporting marriage equality, the obvious question
is where that leaves the Republican Party. Portman joins Dick Cheney and a
handful of other prominent Republicans, and Portman was thought to have at
least some potential as a presidential candidate in 2016.
Just last week, I wrote a piece on the policy debates Republicans should be
having among themselves, and I didn't talk about marriage at all; in the
original draft, I said something about a debate on marriage still being too
unlikel... more »
Paul Krugman, climate, and inconceivable sins
Many folks have sent me quotes from a crazy new article by Paul Krugman
(who recently waged a violent war against those EU politicians who insist
on austerity):
Everyday Externalities
As a typical big government liberal, he wants to build lots of new railway
lines, send many more trains everywhere, and reduce the number of drivers.
Your humble correspondent and people with a similar historical experience
know very well how bad, loss-making, and unusually expensive the
out-of-control railway transportation may become. Even when it comes to the
fuel consumption and environmental impa... more »
Wayne LaPierre at CPAC...(video)
*And they call us crazy?*
Rob Portman Continued Voting Very Anti-Gay AFTER His Son Came Out To Him
There's something not quite right about the Rob Portman backs marriage
equality story. When Romney was desperately trying to put together a
winning ticket last year, one strategy was to win pivotal Ohio by picking
the state's Republican senator as his VP nominee. The chances of Portman,
elected statewide, being able to help him win Ohio's 18 electoral votes was
much, much greater than the chance of Ryan-- who has never run for anything
outside of his congressional district, where he had never even had a real
opponent and was never actually tested-- helping him win Wisconsin's 10
... more »
Reconciling Past & Present: Getting the Job Done!
FRIDAY, 15 MARCH 2013
Posted by D.
*Reconciling Past & Present: Getting the Job Done!*
Is it YOU? Or are you just feeling it? Is it coming FROM you? Or is it
just passing through you on it's way out?
Emotions are running very high right now. Last week seemed to be the week
of Anger & Frustration. This week the emotion du jour seems to be sadness,
despair and regret, with a healthy dose of guilt on the side.
But the questions to be asked are above: Is it you? Or are you just
feeling it? Is it coming FROM you? Or is it just passing through you on
it's way out?
This is the... more »
60 years later
skinny bob
moon rising
dome of the rock
lunar anomalies above the moon
The End of Sovereign America
America hasn't been sovereign since the establishment of the private
(Jewish) central bank known as the Federal Reserve in 1913, which literally
*prints money* and then *loans it* to the U.S. government and other banks *at
interest*. Why is it that the Jews seem to have a monopoly over the
illegitimate, criminal practice of usury? I say we arrest all the
bankers, end the Fed, and abolish usury permanently.
Also, another point *Brother Nathanael* fails to mention is that *during
the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration*, prior to WWII, key agencies
of and positions within th... more »
March 15th Reading n' Shit
So, today I'm reading a book recommended by a friend. (He's fucking weird
in that he's able to go buy these awesome second-hand books and then, when
he's done reading them, gets rid of them when there's no more room on his
shelf for new ones.)
Anyhow, it's by Alex Butterworth and it's called *The World That Never Was:
the true story of Dreamers, Schemers, Anarchists & Secret Police*. This nitwit
reviewer at the Guardian seems to think it's a scathing condemnation of the
anarchist dreamers, but most of the reviewers at the amazon.com link say
it's more a condemnation of the hypocrisy... more »
Spud time
When the daffodils bloom, Risa plants potatoes. Our straw-grown spuds have
produced progressively smaller crops of progressively smaller potatoes over
the last half decade, so this year, we're experimenting with traditional
rows of hilled spuds. A bed has been dedicated to this, so that's 150 row
feet.
We have a small electric Mantis tiller, which is seldom used. We're having
a dry spring -- most years, tilling has been unlikely in March, but right
now the soil is right for this -- precipitation is down, as we are on the
edge of the drought that California and eastern Oregon will ... more »
Some Love From Tar Sands Blockade
*From Texas to Appalachia, Putting Our Bodies on the Line*
Originally posted on www.tarsandsblockade.org
Wed, 03/13/2013 – By Eric Moll
[image: View from the Appalachian Trail showing the clear-cut Tennessee Gas
Pipeline easement.]View from the Appalachian Trail showing the clear-cut
Tennessee Gas Pipeline easement.
The directions take us just outside the New York City sprawl-zone: up
through the hills and bare forests of late winter, the houses and yards
getting bigger until they disappear altogether and suddenly we’re nearing
the highest point in New Jersey and one of the more strenu... more »
Friday Morning Linkage
It’s the Ides of March. Be careful out there. Here’s a random selection
of this week’s reads: How Fear made America. Scott Lemieux reviews Ira
Katznelson’s new book Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our
Time. Anatol Levien questions the “endgame” in Afghanistan. Ken Roth asks
what rules should govern drone attacks.
Continue reading
ALEC Legislation - Misleads Public - Has Pro-Corporate Bias
One of the things that I always find troublesome when reading articles
written by people who are not fully "educated about ALEC" is their tendency
to skim the legislation and not read it thoroughly and then not understand
the full nastiness of the legislation in regards to ALEC corporations.
Because of this error - sometimes people walk away from reading ALEC "model
legislation" thinking well that doesn't sound so bad - when in fact the end
result of the "model legislation" can be truly horrific to the country and
our citizens.
Sometimes people who are not "educated about ALEC" wil... more »
Whose safety?
A group of students stage an impromptu theatrical intervention, to welcome
Con MP Stephen Woodworth (of Motion 312 infamy) to the University of
Waterloo.
There are more students protesting his appearance at a *Campus Crusade for
Life* club than there are Zygote/Embryo/Fetus zealots present to hear him...
One of the proChoice agitprop performers said to the cops shielding
Woodworth from verbal remonstrations and the Vagina-Lady: "Why are you
concerned about his safety and not the safety of our uteruses?"
Here's an overview of DJ! previous posts about Woodworth's Wank.
Grand m... more »
Psychiatric Drugs Abused—From The Cradle To The Grave by Brian Daniels
Psychiatric drugs abused—From the cradle to the graveby Brian Daniels
Somerset News – UK, 8 March 2013
From the cradle to the grave, we are bombarded with dangerous psychiatric
drugs. It’s unrelenting.
The latest news covers the use of anti-psychotic drugs prescribed to
elderly patients in care homes.
It has been reported that elderly people in care homes, as opposed to those
in the community, are 20 times more likely to be on anti-psychotic drugs.
Often taken into care, the reality of life in many nursing homes today is
often far from the stylised image of communicative, intera... more »
Record 1 in 3 U.S. counties in severe decline as deaths exceed births – ‘These counties are in a pretty steep downward spiral’
[image: In this 9 February 2011 photo, a coal truck drives out of downtown
Welch, West Virginia. A record number of U.S. counties - more than 1 in 3 -
is now dying off, hit by an aging population and weakened local economies
that are spurring young adults to seek jobs elsewhere. 2012 census
estimates highlight the population shifts as the U.S. encounters its most
sluggish growth levels since the Great Depression. In the last year, Maine
joined West Virginia as the only two entire states where deaths exceed
births, which have dropped precipitously after the recent recession. Photo: ... more »
"Study: Radiation for Breast Cancer Can Harm Hearts, But Risk is Small"
by Marilynn Marchione (AP) (2013, March 14) The Arizona Republic, p. A3:
[Excerpted] "Women treated with radiation for breast cancer are more likely
to develop heart problems, even with lower doses used today, troubling new
research suggests. The risk comes from any amount of radiation, starts five
years after treatment and lasts for decades, doctors found...
radiation can hurt arteries, making them prone to harden and clog and cause
a heart attack...." [end]
Majia here: To repeat: "the risk comes from any amount of radiation" and
occurs because radiation hardens arteries. The risk... more »
Mohawk Nation News: Splitting the Sky: A Great Loss
SPLITTING-THE-SKY
Posted on March 15, 2013
SPLITTING-THE-SKY
MNN. MAR. 15, 2013.
Mohawk Warrior and Champion of the People Dies – March 13, 2013. A
great loss to the people, to the nation, to the resistance,
anti-imperialist movement right across Great Turtle Island.
On March 13th,
Dacajeweiah, Splitting-the-Sky, 61, left us forever when he passed away
in his
The Good Ol’ Cold War
In the aftermath of a long war, a new degree of suspicion ensues between
two powerful countries that were nominally on the same side…one rattles its
sabre, threatening small countries on its borders…the other shores up
relations with the very same countries… a tit-for-tat arms race begins,
waged with the advantages of recent technological advances…espionage
Continue reading
Mohawk 'Splitting the Sky' passes to Spirit World
Mohawk
activist Splitting the Sky addresses an audience at the Arrest Bush
protest in Surrey, British Columbia on October 20, 2011.
Mohawk Nation News 'New Godfather'
NEW GODFATHER
Posted on March 14, 2013
MNN. Mar. 14, 2013. The Catholic Church is the first
male hierarchical corporation. The Pope is the CEO of this corporation.
All other corporations in the world follow this model. One guy orders
everybody what to do and think.
Jesuit Italian immigrant, Jorge Bergoglio, has become Pope
Frances. He is a Jesuit who
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time being. Comments have been turned off for now. Thank you for your
participation.
Absolute love to all my readers, co-bloggers, and contributing sources. ♥
- American Kabuki
Yep, I Stepped On It
Not long after we were settling back into our routine after that guy
drove into our house yesterday, I got a phone call from an executive at
Createspace who was apparently alarmed by my post, "Steal This Book
Royalty" (which has just been deleted from both this blog, my book blog and
Scribd) and the acrimonious exchange of emails between me and Create
Space's Customer Service team.
Number One, this whole misunderstanding never would've happened had I
taken the time to read the TOS. But, number two (and the executive who'd
called me owned up to this, after having read the e... more »
the world fails to protect polar bears, canada leads the failure
A while back, I asked: "how can we live without polar bears?". The world
has taken one step closer to that vision, helping the polar bear along the
road to extinction. Stephen Harper's government was one of the worst
offenders.
From NRDC:
As I wrote last week, the international community rejected a US proposal to
ban the global commercial trade in polar bear parts (skins, teeth, claws,
skulls) at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) in Bangkok, Thailand. For the second time in three years,
parties to the convention turned their backs on t... more »
Hey ALEC - Where are Your Publicized Member Lists???
It has been a week since I posted this blog entry:
There has been no response.
*Are your ALEC members embarrassed & ashamed to admit they belong to the
right-wing, extremist, ultraconservative American Legislative Exchange
Council?*
*In an October 2010 Press Release ALEC stated:*
ALEC is a private organization similar to membership organizations such as
the YMCA. Federal law allows non-profits to protect the privacy of
non-profit donors, but requires all non-profits to publicly disclose annual
financial reports.
No - ALEC is not like the YMCA
I question why it was important i... more »
ten years since the invasion of iraq: a fundraiser for court martial defence for kimberly rivera
If you're in the Toronto area, please join us for an evening of community,
information, and fundraising in support of war resister Kimberly Rivera.
Kim is confined to the Fort Carson, Colorado army base, while her husband
and four children (two of whom were born in Canada) are in Texas. We expect
Kim's court martial to begin on April 29.
WHAT: Ten Years Since the Invasion of Iraq: The case for U.S. war
resisters: Fundraising dinner in support of Kimberly Rivera’s legal defense
WHEN: Monday, March 25, 6:00 dinner, 7:00 programme
WHERE: United Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street, Toron... more »
Bill Whittle has some questions for the President...
*don't expect any answers anytime soon.*
Human-induced climate change played big role in Somalia’s 2011 famine, new study finds
[image: A barefoot child stands among ragged tents at a refugee camp in
Dolo, Somalia on Wednesday, 18 July 2012. Photo: Jason Straziuso / AP Photo]
NAIROBI, Kenya, 15 March 2013 (Associated Press) – Human-induced climate
change contributed to low rain levels in East Africa in 2011, making global
warming one of the causes of Somalia’s famine and the tens of thousands of
deaths that followed, a new study has found.
It is the first time climate change was proven to be partially to blame for
such a large humanitarian disaster, an aid group said Friday.
Three climate scientists with B... more »
Mandatory Work in the UK: A Slave Economy, ruled by self-Chosen masters.
The UK may be a relatively modern country, founded only in 1707, but it has
a long history of despotism. The UK Establishment has been tyrannising the
people of the British Isles way back into history, to a time when the
ancient nations of England, Scotland and Wales were still independent.
Although referred to as the British Establishment - being as in every
incarnation it has officially used British territory as its power base -
for a very long time, the Establishment has been alien to the shores it
occupies.
The British Empire - and the English one which preceded it - was buil... more »
Hoping to save bees, Europe to vote on neonicotinoid pesticide ban
[image: Protesters on the streets of Warsaw in March 2012, trying to raise
awareness of the effects of pesticides on honeybees. Photo: Radek
Pietruszka / European Pressphoto Agency]
By DAVID JOLLY
14 March 2013
PARIS (The New York Times) – Will Brussels try to give bees a break?
In a case closely watched on both sides of the Atlantic, European officials
plan to vote Friday on a proposal to sharply restrict the use of pesticides
that had been implicated in the decline of global bee populations.
The vote in Brussels, by officials from all 27 European Union member
states, follows... more »
ERP
The *Economic Report of the President* was released today.
Are you IN the illusion or OF it?
*
* http://just4ublogdotcom.wordpress.com/
*Are you IN the illsuion or OF it?*
Posted on March 14, 2013 by sojournerbe
This evolution is not perfect but the message gets across in a fun way.
Compared to my first primitive pen, pencil, and marker rendition of “Are We
Ready?” [to jump out of the Illusion] last week, digital is the way to go
and I thank Word Press and some bloggers for the evolutionary leap. This is
my second attempt to use Sketchbook since Wednesday. I’m having tech
problems with Corel.
Now for the great question: ” Are you in the Illusion or of it?” Your
answer to ... more »
Social Sin
"We live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most
yet reduced misery the least. The unjust distribution of goods persists,
creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the
possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers."
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio
2007
Read Stuff, You Should
Happy Birthday to Ry Cooder, 66.
What about the good stuff?
1. Fine, I admit it: I really struggle to care about Ecuadorian elections.
But I'm linking mainly as a reminder of how terrific the Monkey Cage's
series of election reports from around the globe are. This one by two Ph.D.
candidates. Just a terrific public service.
2. Again, because it's really important: Scott Lemieux on magic and
presidents.
3. And the Boston Phoenix, R.I.P. A sad day, and not just because the
terrific reporter David S. Bernstein was there. The Phoenix has been one of
the leading alternative papers for ... more »
Our Very Dangerous Political Leadership
You might as well write off the grandkids right now because every day our
political leadership is telling you that they already have.
That could change. The day might come, probably sooner rather than later
if at all, that our political leadership accepts that we can consume just a
small fraction of our known fossil fuel reserves and implements policies to
leave the great majority of it safely underground, untouched. It's a
longshot but it could happen. Don't count on it.
Until that day arrives, consider the grandkids toast.
*The Guardian's* enviro-scribe, George Monbiot, reacts... more »
My Asthma Story and How To Be Better Prepared
I have asthma. Horrible, disabling asthma. The kind that has left me in
hospital beds more than once in my life. It is not something I talk a lot
about. The memories of being the kid in gym class who has to pull an
inhaler out of their waistband during a class run will always be burned
into my mind. As a child, asthma was humiliating. As an adult, it is
frustrating. Exercise can range anywhere from just uncomfortable to a
near-death experience if I am not careful.
It's funny, you'd think as often as asthma intrudes on my life I would
understand it better. I grew up in a house where ... more »
Battle Lines Are Drawn-- And Now We Know Which "Democrats" Boehner And Cantor Can Count On For Their Crackpot Agenda
Wednesday evening the House passed H.R. 890, one of the silliest bills
voted on by one of the silliest Congresses ever. Introduced by one of
Boehner's clownish puppets, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave
Camp (R-MI)-- and with 23 all Republican co-sponsors-- the bill is meant to
preserve the work requirements in Clinton's welfare reform legislation.
Although even 3 very right-wing Republicans-- Justin Amash (R-MI), Jim
Bridenstine (R-OK) and Tom Massie (R-KY)-- couldn't bring themselves to
vote for this foolish premise, 18 of the worst Democrats in the House lined
up be... more »
2011 Rugby Highlight of 2013
I really like rugby, but living in America forces me to be a very casual
fan. I don't know much about the teams and players, and sometimes the best
plays take years for me to see, like this amazing pickup and try by a
player named David Mead. Attention must be paid. Eventually.
ALECers Are Taught - Your Consitutents are Liars
When ALEC legislators aren't focusing on the legislation ALEC corporate
profit members are telling them to pass in the state legislatures - it
appears that they sit around in little groups looking for boogeyman
issues. Issues that really aren't issues. Issues that aren't really
problems until ALEC makes them a problem.
Well - that is what happened with this issue - asbestos litigation.
And the sad part about it is - that state legislators aren't the only
people who attend ALEC meetings. You have congressional members and
employees of state and federal agencies that are ALEC membe... more »
Employees: You Have The Right To Say No
I'm constantly surprised by the number of employees who come to me after
having signed things their employer shoved in front of them, released
claims, accepted transfers or demotions, or even admitted to stealing when
they didn't. I ask them, "Why didn't you say no?" They look at me like I've
turned into a Martian.
Too many employees don't realize that they do have some rights in the
workplace. One major right you have is the ability to just say, "no."
That's right. You can say no to your employer.
Does that mean you should say no when you get an assignment you don't like?
No. Does... more »
Life In The Land Of The Muzzled
When Hugo Chavez died last week, Stephen Harper said, “At this key
juncture, I hope the people of Venezuela can now build for themselves a
better, brighter future based on the principles of freedom, democracy, the
rule of law and respect for human rights.” Mr. Harper likes to lecture the
world on the meaning of democracy.
But the *Toronto Star* reports that, among the world's scientists, Canada's
lectures ring hollow. They know that when it comes to freedom of speech --
one of the cornerstones of democracy -- Canada is full of hot air:
But one researcher with well over a decade o... more »
Untitled
*St. Patrick's Day brings 4 parades to New Orleans over 3 days, starting
Friday at Molly's on the Market*
At right: St Patrick in Black and Gold, casting out The Serpent Roger
Godhell and his minions of bounty hunters who would prey on Our New Orleans
Saints. Even Pope Francis is a Saints fan!
*Friday, March 15, 2013*
Molly's at the Market Irish Parade -6:00 p.m.
*Saturday, March 16, 2013*
Irish Channel Parade - 1 p.m.
*Sunday, March 17, 2013*
St. Patrick's Day Parade on Metairie Rd. - 12 Noon
*Sunday, March 17, 2013*
Parasol's Block Party 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
*Sunday, March 17, 2013*
Trac... more »
SEX IN ARGENTINA; JEWISH BROTHELS
The sex trade in Israel is similar to that in Argentina.
gojka.blog.onet.pl
Rich Jews exploit poor Jews.
The Jewish *Zwi Migdal* group controlled the sex trade in Argentina.
*Zwi Migdal *brought young Jewish girls from Europe to Argentina; and
placed them in brothels.
Argentine Jewry's dark secret - Israel Jewish Scene, Ynetnews
*Buenos aires*
*
*
"Here is how it worked: A well-mannered and elegant man would appear one
day in a small Jewish town in Poland or Russia.
"He notified the local community and posted an ad in the synagogue saying
he was looking for nice young women t... more »
Girl Scout, Alicas Serratos - Making A Difference
Source of Picture: https://www.facebook.com/OccupyFood
*Girl Scout Starts Change.org Petition for GMO-Free Girl Scout Cookies*
by Mike Barrett
Natural Society, 14 Marrch 2013
Do you have any idea how far your activism is going? You are not only
helping to ignite necessary changes in the food supply today, you are
paving way for change for generations to come. Just one signification of
your ongoing activism can be seen through an astounding girl scout based in
Orange County, California, who has started a *Change.org petition* to stop
girl scout cookies from containing GMO ingredie... more »
spiritualism exists - believe it - reconnecting to ourselves
*the lie vs the truth?*you can communicate with the dead, you can glean
intimate details from them about your life, you can be assured that 'when
you die' you'll be welcomed into their arms, so say individuals like Colin
Fry, Derek Acorah and Sally Morgan to name three prominent spiritualist
mediums/healers.
"So, what's the point of being alive?" without this extra-dimensional
knowledge? Well, both issues i) why are we 'condenced down into flesh' at
all (like what's the point of 'putting oneself through the process?) and
ii) why do we do it WITHOUT (in most cases) understanding of '... more »
Arclein Diet a Complete Success
For the past two and one half years, I have been running a one person
experiment on myself that I have called the Arclein Diet. It has been
completely successful and trouble free and sustainable. Even better, it
turned out to be totally easy and natural.
There is one underlying assumption that should be first addressed. It is
that you are conscious of what you eat and generally eat a balanced diet
across a wide spectrum of sources. With our present knowledge, that means
elimination of processed foods generally outside rare exceptions of
expressing bad judgment and the... more »
Rat Brain Sharing
We are getting to the point that we can share primitive information. It
will be a little like the telegraph. Useful but terribly limited in a world
dominated by the internet. Before it gets useful we also need to establish
useful memory protocols. Like even accessing out own memory and pre
organizing it all. Besides, why bother when we already can go it better
with a smart phone.
And he is right, formed thoughts are roughly assembled and fussed with
before they are expressed. Thus sharing that process is extremely counter
productive.
What is useful is a direct link int... more »
Why Immigration Is a Top Priority for US Labor
The take home is that organized labor may even be coming to its senses and
perhaps the same may be true for management. Discovering that enforcing a
monopoly wage deal or a monopoly wage cut merely opens the door to
competition everywhere else was a painful lesson. Forcing an underground
economy to exist means that you lose control in terms of regulation and
many other things that are valuable.
Thus immigration reform is mandatory for everyone to prosper.
This is a development that I do welcome having seen much of the long
historical grind that labor has passed through ... more »
Sweet Potato DNA Indicates Early Polynesians Traveled to South America
Somehow the sweet potato traveled during prehistoric times, and
realistically that means in the preceding thousand years at least and
possibly much earlier. Actual direct contact as per Thor Heyerdahl is
possible but seems unlikely. I am more inclined to take advantage of the
Bronze Age sea based global polity formed between 3,000 BC and 1000 BC.
I have no doubt that plenty of plants were tested in new locales but I
also know that few succeeded from the resulting anomalies. Global
agriculture was still a rarity. Local prospects generally remained local.
Thus it was limited ... more »
Caplan on Card
In a blog post about the minimum wage, Bryan Caplan makes note of a tension
in some of David Card's research. For those who don't know him, Card is
one of the great empirical labor economists of his generation. In some of
his research, joint with Alan Krueger, Card finds that increases in the
minimum wage have negligible effects on employment. In other research, on
the Mariel boatlift, Card finds that increases in the supply of
unskilled workers have negligible effects on wages and employment of
existing workers.
Caplan notes that these results are hard to reconcile: *The former ... more »
Can you spot the factor missing from this BBC report
The BBC manage to report on a shortage of school places without mentioning
the main factor causing this shortage:
'*School places under real strain, spending watchdog warns *
A quarter of a million extra school places will be needed in England by
autumn 2014 to meet rising demand, the National Audit Office is warning.
The spending watchdog said one in five primary schools in England was full
or near capacity and there were signs of "real strain" on places.
The demand for places has been driven by England's birth rate rising
quicker than at any time since the 1950s.'
A long report ... more »
POPES AND PORN
*Scola*
Italian bishops were so convinced that an Italian would become pope that
they sent a congratulatory message to the media thanking God for the
election of Angelo Scola.
Italian bishops mistakenly hail Cardinal Angelo Scola as new pope
Why did Scola not become Pope?
Someone arranged a police raid.
Papal conclave: anti-mafia police raid offices in diocese of frontrunner
Scola
*Cardinal Bertone (right) reportedly wants to cover up Mafia links to the
Vatican Bank*
An unholy alliance between two other Italians, Tarcisio Bertone and Angelo
Sodano, set the ball rolling for Car... more »
Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 3.15.13"
*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 3.15.13"*
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
"New highs day after day on the Dow!! The economy is fixed, right? Wrong!!
I have been watching a lot of the business and mainstream media channels,
and there is hardly a mention of the $85 billion a month the Fed is
printing out of thin air to buy sour mortgage debt from the big banks and
Treasury bonds from the U.S. government. This is $1 trillion a year!!! The
Dow is going up, in part, because the big banks are buying their own stock
back. Where are they getting the money? $40 billion a month is being used
... more »
Alberta Health Services trimmers toss out a couple of market-fundy myths to save cash
Alberta Health Services Board Chair Stephen Lockwood demonstrates how to
trim a provincial health care budget. Actual AHS board members may not be
exactly as illustrated. Below: The real Mr. Lockwood in his official AHS
portrait. Two pernicious and slightly dissonant myths that cloud discussion
of public health care are the idea that to get ... more »
Blogger's Note: Americans with insufficient retirement savings to get by in the U.S. should seriously consider retiring in Mexico. You can live much cheaper here ...and see 4th video on right hand side.
------------------------------
Headlined to H4 3/13/13
*America's Retirement Crisis*
*By Stephen Lendman (about the author) *
Permalink
OpEdNews Op Eds 3/13/2013 at 02:16:41
opednews.com
*America's Retirement Crisis*
by Stephen Lendman
Crisis conditions exist.
Decades of class war leaves most Americans nearing retirement woefully
unprepared.
Since the mid-1970s, real wages haven't kept pace with inflation. Benefits
steadily eroded. High-paying jobs disappeared. Improved technology forces
wage earners to work harder for less.
So-called "free" mar... more »
March 14, 1973
Nixon and Dean, again.
I should note here, as I've noted before, that one has to be careful about
this material. Many of the transcripts here are from Kutler (essentially,
if I don't include a link or a specific citation, it's from Kutler). He
presents excerpts, not full transcripts; I'm usually taking excerpts from
those excerpts. Of course I'm doing my best to give the full meaning as I
read it, but there's clearly some room for slippage in the process. So for
example, here's what Kutler has from this one, which he describes as "a
long rambling conversation" but only gives us a ... more »
Official account of the 9/11 attacks based on false information
Official Account of the 9/11 Attacks Unraveling Forgetting Torture:
Lee Hamilton, John Brennan, and Abu Zubaydah
IformationClearingHouse
By Kevin Ryan March 14, 2013
"Information Clearing House" - The pervasive news surrounding the
confirmation hearing of John Brennan, Obama’s nominee for CIA director, is
paralleled by another, related story that has been largely ignored by the
U.S. media. That is the story of the man called Abu Zubaydah, whose alleged
torture testimony, obtained by the CIA while Brennan was the head of the
agency’s Terrorist Threat Center, built the foundatio... more »
Your moment of Zen
Those daring men in their flying machines.
Musical Interlude: Enya, “Watermark”
Enya, “Watermark”
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiFTXckh0zU
Shouldn't We All Want To See The Whole Country Getting A Livable Wage?
Andy Hounshell welcomes Obama to Cincinnati
This week I spoke with Andy Hounshell, the Ohio steelworker who was shocked
enough by seeing there was no candidate running against Boehner in 2012 to
jump into the race himself for 2014. We talked about a wide range of
subjects and we'll be highlighting them here at *DWT* in the coming weeks.
When I asked him about what political leaders he most admires, he talked
about how inspiring the Grayson-Takano No-Cuts letter was to him and then
immediately pivoted back to his home state. He admires the work Tim Ryan
has been doing for working fami... more »
Give Me Just One Good Reason
Do you ever feel that your green-living efforts don't matter? Sometimes
it's hard! Reports come out regularly saying that global warming is
escalating and that the only hope is if the world makes drastic changes.
But the world includes government leaders who don't take the warnings
seriously and entire countries who don't give the environment a passing
thought. There are many of us who do take the warnings seriously and take
action. Unfortunately, it sometimes feels like we're up against a wall.
Thinking about it is depressing ... and overwhelming ... and leaves us
asking ...
... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“On the right, surrounded by blue spiral arms, is spiral galaxy M81. On
the left, marked by red gas and dust clouds, is irregular galaxy M82. This
stunning vista shows these two mammoth galaxies locked in gravitational
combat, as they have been for the past billion years.
*Click image for larger size.*
The gravity from each galaxy dramatically affects the other during each
hundred million-year pass. Last go-round, M82's gravity likely raised
density waves rippling around M81, resulting in the richness of M81's
spiral arms. But M81 left M82 with violent star forming regions and
c... more »
Chet Raymo, “That Savage of Fire, That Seed...”
*“That Savage of Fire, That Seed...”*
by Chet Raymo
"Let me say this as simply as I can. The Sun, like the universe, is mostly
hydrogen. An atom of hydrogen is a single proton and a single electron,
bound together. The center of the Sun is so hot - half-a-million miles of
overbearing matter - that the electrons and protons can't hold together
(try holding hands in a surging, tumultuous crowd), so what you have is a
hot soup - a plasma - of protons and electrons, flailing about
independently. The electrical force between like charges is repulsive, so
every time two protons app... more »
Life Skills: “The Valley of Despair: Seeds of Light”
*“The Valley of Despair: Seeds of Light”*
by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM
“Even in our darkest times, there are seeds of light within ourselves, we
need only call them forward. Anyone who has walked through the valley of
despair and come out the other side knows that even in that darkness, seeds
of light can be found. Often their tendrils reach out of the gloom and into
the daylight alongside the journeyer who emerges from that deep sorrow.
When we find ourselves in a place of despair, it can help us to know this,
so that we don’t give up. We can stop, take a deep breath, and rem... more »
WAR CRIMINAL BECOMES ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER
Moshe Ya’alon, an ex-Israeli Chief of Staff and now Member of the Knesset,
has been appointed Israel’s Minister of Defence in Netanyahu’s latest
government coalition. Ya’alon replaces Ehud Barak.
Ya’alon was Chief of Staff of the IDF in July 2002 when Palestinian
activist Salah Shehade was murdered in the Gaza Strip by a one tonne bomb
dropped by an Israeli Air Force F-15 jet. Fourteen Palestinian civilians
were also killed in the attack.
In 2005 a group of relatives of victims of the 1996 Israeli shelling of the
Lebanese town of Qana, where some 106 civilians died, filed a suit
d... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Thanks for stopping by.
"The Paradox of Our Time"
Dr. Bob Moorehead, "The Paradox of Our Time"
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=181B7yainqY
Coming Clathrates
This post is contributed by a reader, a wonderful photographer who goes by
the name EyepilotXIII. I'll be posting more of his photographs soon but if
you can't wait, you can visit his DeviantArt site here. Meanwhile,
following is his introduction to a poem that he wrote, and kindly agreed to
contribute to Wit's End. Thanks, Eyepilot!
This is a satirical but scathing look at contemporary society, terms are
not meant to offend but make one think about the nature of so-called
Demokracy in 2013 Amerika... Poetry is the choice of the people, frustrated
beyond belief of corporate GREED... more »
History: “1863: The War Comes Home to Indiana”
*“1863: The War Comes Home to Indiana”*
By Stephen E. Towne
“In early March 1863, an officer in Terre Haute, Ind., ordered two veteran
Army sergeants to cross into Clark County in nearby eastern Illinois to
carry out a peculiar, though increasingly common, order: arrest a group of
Union Army deserters. It wasn’t an easy assignment: the men found swarms of
deserters, but also met armed resistance from local residents who were
fostering the runaway soldiers, and were even shot at a few times.
By then, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio were lousy with deserters. Union Maj.
Gen. Willia... more »
Beer O’Clock: Kauri Invalid Stout
[image: Kauri001]
As a thank you to all the beer historians who passed on information about
Woodville’s Kauri Brewery and its Kauri Pale Ale, my painter friend Mark
Wooller—who was particularly interested in the Gauguin connection—has
painted a bottle for us, which now hangs proudly on my wall.
[image: KauriPaleAle]
Sadly, however, it’s empty.
Still, since my photos of the small paintings are a bit lacklustre, by the
magic of technology I can immediately double the number of bottles. Take
your pick.
[image: Kauri002]
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author... more »
Bristol-Myers Squibb's 2013 ALEC Dues are Past Due
An Announcement made today (my emphasis):
“The Unitarian Universalist Association filed a shareholder resolution with
Bristol-Myers Squibb seeking expanded disclosure of the company’s lobbying
activities, both direct and indirect. After a constructive dialogue the
company agreed to changes in its disclosure of lobbying oversight and
expenditures, and the resolution was withdrawn. We commend the company for
its openness and commitment to put significant information on its website.
In addition, in the course of our conversation, *the company reported that
Bristol-Myers Squibb had b... more »
As Google pulls the plug on Google Reader, there's apparently a lesson for all of us who cast our lot with software we come to depend on
*People who loved Google Reader are in despair.*
"We launched *Google Reader* in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for
people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the
product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on
July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested
in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions,
with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months."
*-- from SVP Technical Infrastructure Urs Hölzle's Google website post "A
second spring of cleaning," announcing o... more »
ALEC - Screwing with Your Paycheck
Fourteen months ago – I posted this blog entry:
Because payroll is part of my job and because I like getting my pay direct
deposited into my checking account every couple of weeks I found this piece
of American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) legislation befuddling.
This is what your legislator WASTES their time on at ALEC meeting - to make
sure that the ALEC corporate members can look forward to MORE BUSINESS at
some time in the future.
The next issue is - why in the hell are state legislators even screwing
around with an issue like this - except for the fact that they sit as... more »
Alan Grayson...Knock Knock Kockin on Boehners Door
Congressman Alan Grayson personally delivered the "Cancel the Sequester"
petition to Senator John Boehner's office to day.
Here is a repost of a post I made in February, 2009
Power Hitter: Rookie Congressman Alan Grayson
Rep. Alan Grayson asked Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit about the terms of the
government assistance his firm received, and read comments from several
angry constituents. He is one of the more Progressive Democrats on the
Obama team and should prove to be a real asset, especially on issues of
accountability.
Grayson also has a record of combatting war protiteering a... more »
Sage Francis - UBUNTU (Water Into Wine)
Pope Francis should hear this.Related articles
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