Sunday, September 08, 2013

Blogs I'm Following III

Español: Cartel en protesta del enjuiciamiento...Español: Cartel en protesta del enjuiciamiento injusto de Vanunu por revelar el peligro que representa Israel. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Village of Ma'loula, Syria Français :...English: Village of Ma'loula, Syria Français : Village de Maaloula, en Syrie (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: The rock above . Français : Le rocher...English: The rock above . Français : Le rocher surplombant Maaloula. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
New Zealand: New draconian spy law passed

Vanunu -- Israel's whistleblowing...
officials contend that restricting Vanunu’s freedom upon his release is necessary to prevent him from divulging further secrets about Israel’s nuclear arsenal. But after almost 28 years, Vanunu has no secrets or information left that could damage Israel’s nuclear program or any other Israeli military or government secrets.
What Israel fears is bad publicity if Vanunu were set free of its draconian measures. It wishes to make an example of him to deter others from pursuing similar actions.
On May 28, Vanunu posted this message to supporters about his situation: “The new interior minister renew the restrictions, not to leave the country, for one more year. Now the 10th year since my release, 2004-2014.

Venezuela, Palestine conclude solidarity oil deal

Venezuela has agreed to sell oil to the Palestinian Authority (PA) at a “fair price” as part of new energy agreements with the Middle Eastern government. The deals, made during a meeting between Venezuelan foreign minister Elias Jaua and his PA counterpart Riyah al-Malki in Caracas on August 24, include the training of Palestinians in the handling and distribution of oil. Jaua referred to the deal as “an agreement of cooperation and solidarity … the sale of fuel at a fair price”

United States: The great 'success' of a carbon trading failure
Friday, September 18, 2009
It happened in Europe earlier this year — for the second time. And now it has happened again.
The biggest carbon trading scheme in the United States has collapsed.

10:42pm MDST

By Attacking Syria, The Obama Administration Will Be Throwing Syrian Christians Under The Bus

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 3 minutes ago
* **Maaloula, Syria (northeast of Damascus).** Photo Source: M.Torres / Travel-Images.com.* "Rebels including al-Qaeda-linked fighters gained control of a Christian village northeast of the capital Damascus, Syrian activists said Sunday. Government media provided a dramatically different account of the battle suggesting regime forces were winning. It was impossible to independently verify the reports from Maaloula, a scenic mountain community known for being one of the few places in the world where residents still speak the ancient Middle Eastern language of Aramaic. The village... more »

"No cliché is an island," says "New Yorker" cartoon editor Bob Mankoff, and he reports on his cliché challenge to readers

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 43 minutes ago
*"Relax, honey -- change is good."* *by Ken* Last week *New Yorker* cartoon editor Bob Mankoff, in the newsletter-blogpost "No Cliché Is an Island," issued a challenge to readers, having to do with clichés in cartoons. He had been set off by a blogpost by Teju Cole, "In Place of Thought," which bemoaned "too many standard formulations in our language" that "stand in place of thought" yet are proclaimed "due to laziness, prejudice, or hypocrisy -- as though they were fresh insight." "Cole's statement resonates with me," Bob wrote, "being a lazy, prejudiced hypocrite." Yet, for me... more »

Gareth Morgan v Liberty Scott: update

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 46 minutes ago
I reported on last Friday’s ramble the online stoush ‘tween Captain Morgan and Liberty Scott that began when Gareth left North Korea decrying how badly the prison state has been misunderstood by everyone but him and Kim Jong Il. Turns out Gareth has backed down—in exactly the same way that Soviet historians used to back down, i.e., by rewriting the past. Scott reports that Gareth has removed his libel threat and his lengthy ad-hominem attack on me which started with a diatribe against ad-hominem attacks. He has edited many of my comments extensively, and has done the same to hi... more »

Russell Means to be Honored in Denver Nov. 7 -- 10, 2013

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 hour ago
Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Russell Means http://russellmeanshonoring-denver.com/?p=1 Mitakuy Oyasin (we are all related) Denver, CO – November 7 – 10 The Denver Russell Means Honoring Committee is working on a series of events to commemorate the life of Russell Means and honor him as a cultural, political, artistic visionary American Indian Leader. Russell Means was an Oglala

Demonising Part-Time Workers

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 1 hour ago
They call it a recovery. The OECD has raised its forecast of UK economic growth from 0.8% to 1.5%. This follows on from the British Chambers of Commerce who've floated a similar figure. While economics wonks are muttering "caveats, caveats" the *Daily Express* have had no hesitation proclaiming "Britain's economic recovery is now in overdrive". Resting arguments on evidence might be out of sorts when it comes to punditry, but as someone who thinks commentary should fit the facts and not the other way round it would be dumb to deny the numbers are, handily, falling like pennies from... more »

Ask NOT What the Standards Can Do for You…

Kris Nielsen at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 hour ago
Instead, make sure you’re reflecting on just how well you, dear teachers, are promoting the Common Core State [sic] Standards in your classrooms. Common Core-aligned lesson plan templates are starting to make an appearance, right alongside the Common Core-aligned lesson modules that are infiltrating ELA and math classes across the country. These templates don’t look […]

“The Ghost With Consciousness And Potential”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 hour ago
* * *“The Ghost With Consciousness And Potential”* by The DailyOM “One day a ghost paid Ari a visit. She had long blond hair and wore a banana-colored satin nightgown. Even though she had the power to interrupt and to come and go as she pleased, she arrived between sessions as a gesture of respect and good will. "I never got to use my talents!" the ghost wailed. She floated about the room, agitated and unable to alight. "Now I'm dead and buried!" "You can't create where you find yourself these days?" Ari asked the miserable ghost. "No! I just wander the universe, pointlessly an... more »

From Chris Lubienski: Do Charter Schools Promote Social Justice, Privatize Public Education (or both)?

Chalk Face, PhD at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 2 hours ago
Some liberals are quite enthralled with the social justice possibilities of school choice. While district and enrollment boundaries reflect segregated residential patterns in the US, in theory, choice allows families to select schools across these artificial barriers, eradicating an important institutional impediment to equity. Moreover, schools then must compete to attract students, just like businesses […]

The Elegant Solution

George Henderson at The High-fat Hep C Diet - 2 hours ago
Peter D has been running a fantastic series on PUFAs and cancer. Lots of references to linoleic acid promoting the growth of hepatoma cells. "In the lab situation rapid hepatoma tumour growth needs either arachidonic or linoleic acids. The acids must be taken up in to the hepatoma cells, they must be acted on by lipoxygenase to produce 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid, better known as 13-HODE. 13-HODE appears to be the mitogen which promotes rapid cancer growth. 13-HODE looks like a repair signal gone wrong in cancer cells." Wonderful stuff in line with all the other deleterious effec... more »

never forget, onion style

laura k at wmtc - 2 hours ago
I think The Onion has outdone itself this time. From the Structural Steel Melt on Tower 7–Grain bread to the Twin Chowers cold cut combo with Ground Zero–Carb vinaigrette on a Let’s Whole Wheat Roll, we’ve got something for everybody this Subtember 11. Click here.

personal update, our new (rental) house, and why we'll never own a home

laura k at wmtc - 2 hours ago
We've moved! We're renting a much larger, newer, and more comfortable house in central Mississauga. We've lost the huge backyard of our old rental home, but the backyard here is still a decent size, the largest of any house we saw that we'd want to live in. (The choices were huge backyards with old, un-maintained, falling-apart houses, beautiful new townhouses with either no backyard or a tiny square of cement, or this place!) We have more space - *way* more space - in this house on two floors than we had in the old place on three floors. And after two major floods, we're pretty hap... more »

John White Shoots Self in Foot with Loaded SLTs

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 2 hours ago
Former-TFAer and Broad-trained Louisiana “Superintendent” John White must broadcast something data-ish to demonstrate that He Is Right and Reforms Are Working. Mind you, his reforms are not working; they are a repeatedly demonstrated con perpetrated on Louisiana’s education system. Nevertheless, White insists on issuing the following press release regarding the “usefulness” of Louisiana’s first student learning […]

Nothing left to lose

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 3 hours ago
This is criminal. Witness government sponsored predatory debt collection. On the day Bennie Coleman lost his house, the day armed U.S. marshals came to his door and ordered him off the property, he slumped in a folding chair across the street and watched the vestiges of his 76 years hauled to the curb. Movers carted out his easy chair, his clothes, his television. Next came the things that were closest to his heart: his Marine Corps medals and photographs of his dead wife, Martha. The duplex in Northeast Washington that Coleman bought with cash two decades earlier was emptied a... more »

Why announcing who replaces Bernanke has anything to do with Syria is a puzzler - an announcement tomorrow doesn't mean Hearings on the Nomination would occur Wednesday - this only makes sense if Obama is going with Summers and just doesn't need further uproar from Dems who want Yellen - no need to give another reason to vote NO before the votes on the War Resolution are cast....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 3 hours ago
Sounds like it's going to be Larry Summers...... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-08/obama-set-delay-bernanke-replacement-decision-amid-syrian-paralysis Obama Set To Delay Bernanke Replacement Decision Amid "Syrian Paralysis" [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/08/2013 19:50 -0400 - Barack Obama - Ben Bernanke - Ben Bernanke - Federal Reserve - White House inShare Preferring to "wait until the dust settles," to make a decision on who will replace Ben Bernanke as Fed Chair, Bloomberg reports. Former Obama advisor David Plou... more »

Videos: Thousands Pray For Peace In Syria + Pope Francis: War is a defeat for humankind

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 3 hours ago
Title: Thousands Pray For Peace In Syria. Source: MOXNEWSd0tC0M. Date Published: September 8, 2013. Description: September 07, 2013 KING 5 News http://MOXNews.com Title: Pope Francis' homily during peace vigil: War is a defeat for humankind. Source: Rome Reports TV. Date Published: September 7, 2013. Description: http://en.romereports.com "Leave behind the self-interest that hardens your heart, overcome the indifference that makes your heart insensitive towards others, conquer your deadly reasoning, and open yourself to dialogue and reconciliation. Look upon your brother's sorr... more »

Is There A Remedy For The Dysfunction Of American Politics?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
Financiers of the far right's anti-democracy jihad: 2 Kochs Elizabeth Drew, in a fascinating piece for the *NY Review of Books*, The Stranglehold on Our Politics, talks about the determinative properties of voter turnout in midterm elections. Normally turnout sinks from between 51.7 to 61.6% for presidential elections into the high 30s for midterms. When the Democrats took back the House and Senate from the GOP in 2006, they managed to turn out a whopping 40.4%. The GOP learned a lesson and, with the help of right-wing billionaires and their zombie Tea Party brigades turned out 41.6%... more »

John White Shoots Self in Foot with Loaded VAM

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 3 hours ago
Former-TFAer and Broad-trained Louisiana “Superintendent” John White must broadcast something VAM-ish to demonstrate that He Is Right and Reforms Are Working. Mind you, his reforms are not working; they are a repeatedly demonstrated con perpetrated on Louisiana’s education system. Nevertheless, White insists on issuing the following press release regarding the “usefulness” of Louisiana’s first value added […]

Empty-headed know-nothingism not good enough, says educator

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 4 hours ago
*This is a long post, but it is, I think, worth your time. There is no subject that could be more important than this—and I bring good news…* [image: Ministry_of_Miseducation] I was overjoyed to see Associate Professor of Education Elizabeth Rata writing in the *Weekend Herald* about a serious affliction brought on by the Ministry’s national curriculum. Knowledge, she says, has been removed from school curricula, “increasingly abandoned for a misguided focus on skills and the process of learning.” I was overjoyed to see her say that—not because I’m happy it’s happened, but becau... more »

Opening bell rings for 2016

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 5 hours ago
Amusing story of the day. Peter King first to announce for 2016. WOLFEBORO, N.H. — Rep. Peter King won’t be the best known Republican presidential candidate in 2016, but he is the first. King, making his second of four scheduled visits to the state in the summer and fall, told a New Hampshire radio station Friday that he’s there “because right now I'm running for President.” To which I can only say:

Rep. Amash: ‘If Americans Could Read Classified Docs, They’d Be Even More Against Syria Action’

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 7 hours ago
* * * * *Rep. Amash: ‘If Americans Could Read Classified Docs, They’d Be Even More Against Syria Action’* http://www.thedailysheeple.com/rep-amash-if-americans-could-read-classified-docs-theyd-be-even-more-against-syria-action_092013 Melissa Melton The Daily Sheeple September 7th, 2013 Congressman Justin Amash (R-MI) has been a very outspoken opponent of any military intervention in Syria. He has been all over the media warning that we as a nation should not strike Syria, and he has even used social media sites to warn his fellow Congress members that if they vote for military act... more »

Sunday Question for Liberals

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 7 hours ago
Which is more important to you in your evaluation of Barack Obama's presidency: the resolution of the war in Iraq; the resolution of the war in Afghanistan; the drone wars in Pakistan and elsewhere; the intervention in Libya; or the resolution of the situation in Syria? (Note: yes, these are not the only foreign policy/national security events of the Obama presidency; I'm just thinking about these, but feel free of course to discuss whatever is of interest to you).

DOWN TO THE DOCTOR’S: So, somebody had an election

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 7 hours ago
*This week, Doc McGrath is looking westward again ... and notes with pleasure a surprise entrant to the Australian Senate.* It was no surprise to anyone that Tony Abbott cleaned up at Saturday's Australian general election. It appears his coalition of conservative parties will gain around 89 seats, with the shambolic Labor Party formerly lead by narcissist Kevin Rudd back on about 57. The Aussies have a rather complex voting system with preferences, which does not result in a parliament based on proportional representation. Not many people will realise that the Labor Party actual... more »

The Fed Chair, Inequality And Barack Obama

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
In his searing and incisive book analyzing the Cheney presidency, Angler, Barton Gellman goes into how Cheney was able to neutralize his old crony, Fed Chair Alan Greenspan when he decided to cripple the American economy with a catastrophic tax cut for the wealthy, specifically designed to foster and accelerate economic inequality. They violated a principle that keeps a country's central banker independent of partisan politics. Greenspan never met with Al Gore one on one in eight years and visited the White House to see the Secretary of the Treasury one a month. He and Cheney hud... more »

I'm reposting here for the second time in 7 days the stirring video featured in my post of August 30, 2013, just in case you missed it. See and hear(!) why Paul Craig Roberts declared British MP George Galloway to be "the only real leader in the entire Western world."

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 7 hours ago
This video is taken from my original re-posting to Cherchez la Verite of an important article in Veterans News Now. ------------------------------ *George Galloway's HEATED Speech British Parliament Debate On Military Action Against Syria. 8/29/2013* http://youtu.be/Han5fgzy4KU Cherchez la Verite

Sunday Question for Conservatives

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 8 hours ago
What sort of an issue will marriage be in Republican primaries in the 2014 and 2016 cycles?

Story of Iran "Rape Threat" Written by Neo-Con Cartoon Character "Reza Kahlili"

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 8 hours ago
*September 9, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - "Reza Kahlili" is not his real name. Appearing either masked or silhouetted, "Reza Kahlili" is a reoccurring character in the US Neo-Con's long-running pro-war, anti-Iranian propaganda campaign, stretching all the way back to the Bush administration. His biography, as stated on Neo-Con warmonger Joseph Farah's "World Net Daily" (WND), is as follows: Reza Kahlili, author of the award-winning book "A Time to Betray," served in CIA Directorate of Operations, as a spy in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, counterterrorism expert; currently serves o... more »

Counties!

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 8 hours ago
[image: image] It’s taken a few years—fifty-seven long-overdue years, to be as precise as I can—for Counties to finally lift the Shield! It’s seen a lot of beer over the last three weekends. Thank goodness it can now be safely locked up for a few more… [image: image] Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

Story of Iran "Rape Threat" Written by Neo-Con Cartoon Character "Reza Kahlili"

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 8 hours ago
Despicable war propaganda primes stage for false flags and expanded war with Syria and Iran. "Reza Kahlili" is not his real name. Appearing either masked or silhouetted, "Reza Kahlili" is a reoccurring character in the US Neo-Con's long-running pro-war, anti-Iranian propaganda campaign, stretching all the way back to the Bush administration. His biography, as stated on Neo-Con warmonger Joseph Farah's "World Net Daily" (WND), is as follows: Reza Kahlili, author of the award-winning book "A Time to Betray," served in CIA Directorate of Operations, as a spy in the Iranian Revolution... more »

Too Bad There Can't Be A Mental Health Test For Voting -- Many In GOP Couldn't Vote

Manifesto Joe at Manifesto Joe's Texas Blues - 8 hours ago
By Manifesto Joe I honestly don't take much pleasure in demonizing conservatives. In an intended democratic republic such as this one, the system needs liberals for vision, conservatives for grounding. In history we have seen examples of both sides producing great statespeople. Why, then, do contemporary American "conservatives" act like such psychos? I suppose that one could argue that it's their turn. Within my lifetime, I can recall cases of delusional left-wing behavior. Jane Fonda's infamous antics in Hanoi around 1972 come immediately to mind. But that era ended quickly. By t... more »

Please welcome the inimitable and pollster’s worst nightmare Mercedes Schneider to @thechalkface

Chalk Face, PhD at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
Check out her author bio and page here. Her great analysis joins our team. We are excited. Tagged: mercedes schneider, statistics

Put On Your Hip Boots: NCTQ Is At It Again.

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
Today, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released its “first ever” “comprehensive” report to the American public “with US News and World Report as publisher.” And according to the NCTQ press release, the results of this sure-to-be-high quality report are “dismal.” Actually, what is “dismal” is how incredibly lame this report is. NCTQ believes that […]

Forget Evidence: White, BESE, and Corporate Reform Ideology

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
Last week, the NCTQ report of teacher training programs was published in US News and World Report. Mind you, NCTQ doesn’t bother with anything so real as mandatory site visits to the programs it rates, which can make for a really embarrassing moment when a site that receives high marks doesn’t exist except on paper. I have […]

RSD’s Watered-down Incremental Miracle and Continued Fiscal Embarrassment

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
It is very important to those promoting corporate reform in The Big Easy to show just how wonderful, how miraculous, how “rebirthful,” state takeover of New Orleans schools has been. Hurricane Katrina hit almost eight years ago (August 29, 2005); in the storm’s aftermath (and already itching to get their hands on New Orleans’ schools), […]

John White: “I’ll Just Tell Them Reforms Are Working.”

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
I have learned that if John White writes something it must be true. Gotcha. Today among the letters to the editor at nola.com is an entry from John White. Despite his history of lying, the readers of nola.com simply must trust what John White has to tell them. Not. Let us examine what John wishes for his readers to […]

Reformer Love for the Opinion Pages

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
For reformers advancing their cause in the ubiquitous education reform battle, no medium is too insignificant for promoting privatization. As such, an important yet unassuming battlefield involves the opinion pages in community newspapers. My first experience with this opinion-page battle involves reading then-Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) President Penny Dastugue’s October 9, 2012, defense of Louisiana’s […]

The Resignation: Why Bennett and Not White?

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
John White is Louisiana’s Tony Bennett. Both engage in the same shady reformer manipulations, yet Bennett has resigned and White still has a job. How is that? How, indeed. On July 29, 2013, LDOE was supposed to publicize the 2013 school letter grades. No grades yet. In 2012, the school letter grades were not released until […]

Kira Orange-Jones’ TFA Promotion and LDOE-TFA Contracts

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) member Kira Orange-Jones is once again in the news, this time for her promotion as state ”liaison” for Teach for America (TFA). In August 2012, the ethics board declared no conflict of interest for Jones since her salary “is not in any way dependent on the contracts that TFA gets.” […]

A Brief Tutorial on Reading “Miracle” Graphs

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
On August 8, 2013, Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) founder and director Caroline Roemer Shirley sent out an email announcement regarding the supposed superiority of the state-run RSD charter schools over non-charters. She even states that her child will attend a charter this year (no specifics provided). Roemer Shirley is the sister of Louisiana Board […]

The AP and Gallup Polls: A Commentary

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
The theme of this past several days appears to be the national education poll and how much one should (or should not) trust the results. On August 17, the Associated Press (AP) released a twisted version of what they would like for parents to want for their children– high-stakes tests– except that the term “high stakes” does not […]

Why Does a “Turnaround” District Need to Purchase Buildings?

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
When the Recovery School District (RSD) was formed, it was supposed to “turn around” schools and return the schools to the original districts: Intended as a mechanism for restructuring and reform, the RSD was never meant to be a permanent part of the public school governance landscape in New Orleans. Instead, the RSD was meant […]

What is John White Promoting as Common Core Sample Assessment Materials?

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
In the four brief videos below, “Dianne X” examines the content of the Louisiana Believes website, including excerpts from the Race to the Top (RTTT) agreement that contradicts White’s “mission in Louisiana to have every child achieve a college degree or professional career” and sample Enhanced Assessment of Grade Level Expectations (EAGLE) test items offered to the […]

A Brief Audit of Bill Gates’ Common Core Spending

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
This is a post about Bill Gates and his money, a brief audit of his Common Core (CCSS) purchases. Before I delve into Gates accounting, allow me to set the stage with a bit of CCSS background. A Bit of CCSS Background It is important to those promoting CCSS that the public believes the idea that CCSS is “state-led.” […]

Gates Money and Common Core: Part II

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
On August 27, 2013, I wrote a post about Bill Gates’ financial involvement in advancing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Though CCSS promotes itself as “state led,” in my previous post, I showed that all four major organizations responsible for CCSS from inception for its principal development– the National Governors Association (NGA), the Council of Chief […]

UPDATE: Core Knowledge, Amplify, and “Free” Materials

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
UPDATE 09-05-13: Don Hirsch, Core Knowledge founder, has provided this link for the free CK ELA K3 materials: http://www.coreknowledge.org/ckla-files#! Note: The links in my post are still live and do not lead to free downloads. These links also contain no message or redirect to the free downloads. They do, however, make it easy to locate […]

Reflections on Amplify’s Core Knowledge Profit Potential

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
In this post, I would like to offer my response to this information included as part of Diane Ravitch’s post on my exchange with Core Knowledge (CK) founder E.D. Hirsch. Regarding my strong statements on Amplify’s profit motive, Hirsch writes the following: The only way Amplify can make money from CK Pre-K-through 3 is if a school […]

UPDATE: Core Knowledge, Amplify, and “Free” Materials

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
UPDATE 09-05-13: Don Hirsch, Core Knowledge founder, has provided this link for the free CK ELA K3 materials: http://www.coreknowledge.org/ckla-files#! Note: The links in my post are still live and do not lead to free downloads. These links also contain no message or redirect to the free downloads. They do, however, make it easy to locate […]

Reflections on Amplify’s Core Knowledge Profit Potential

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
In this post, I would like to offer my response to this information included as part of Diane Ravitch’s post on my exchange with Core Knowledge (CK) founder E.D. Hirsch. Regarding my strong statements on Amplify’s profit motive, Hirsch writes the following: The only way Amplify can make money from CK Pre-K-through 3 is if a school […]

AACTE Endorses CAEP; Testing Companies Win.

deutsch29 at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 9 hours ago
Once again a major education organization has proclaimed its intention to grade teachers (this time, teachers in training) using student test scores. Talk about “status quo.” Allow me to begin this post by addressing this foolish notion. I realize this topic has been written about repeatedly, yet reformers (and those yielding to reformers) insist that grading teachers using student […]

Lessons for Stevie . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 9 hours ago
1513. FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, Niccolo Machiavelli finished The Prince, the practical guide to political survival. Because it's practical, it's cogent today: our milieu may change, but our motivational rainbow remains the same. Boston University's BU Today blog has a fine posting by John O’Rourke, “Machiavelli’s The Prince: Still Relevant after All These Years”; check it out. The article

FROM NEW HARBOR, MAINE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 9 hours ago

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago

Free Download: Orison Swett Marden, "An Iron Will"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
"An Iron Will" by Orison Swett Marden "Orison Swett Marden (1850 - 1924) was an American writer associated with the New Thought Movement. He also held a degree in medicine, and was a successful hotel owner. Marden was born in Thornton Gore, New Hampshire to Lewis and Martha Marden. When he was three years old, his mother died at the age of 22, leaving Orison and his two sisters in the care of their father, a farmer, hunter, and trapper. When Orison was seven years old, his father died from injuries incurred while in the wood, and the children were shuttled from one guardian to ... more »

"The Grapes of Wrath" (Excerpts)

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
"The Grapes of Wrath" (Excerpts) by John Steinbeck "They breathe profits; they eat the interest on money. If they don't get it, they die the way you die without air, without side-meat." [referring to the banks- CP] "The bank is something more than men, I tell you. It's the monster. Men made it, but they can't control it." "It ain't that big. The whole United States ain't that big. It ain't that big. It ain't big enough. There ain't room enough for you an' me, for your kind an' my kind, for rich and poor together all in one country, for thieves and honest men. For hunger and fa... more »

"We Would Rather..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
"We would rather be ruined than changed; We would rather die in our dread Than climb the cross of the moment And let our illusions die." ~ W.H. Auden

Tough Times For Sea Ice Melt Enthusiasts…

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 10 hours ago
Watts Up With That has some information on sea ice levels that the warmist BBC will not be reporting. Read here http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/07/tough-times-for-sea-ice-melt-enthusiasts/

Beating the Tin Drum

Martyn Daniels at Brave New World - 10 hours ago
As far as the consumer is concerned is it the device, or the functionality it enables, or is it the content it can render that is ultimately the decider? Is it in fact cyclical and does the technology always come first, closely followed by the features and functions and the actual content come last, or are we now at a point of change? Who today would buy, or even want the pre iPhone mobile? Was it purely down to the iconic design and presentation of the iPhone, or the apps it unleashed and app store? Would the device have been enough without the digital content? We then have the d... more »

U.S. Congress wavering on Syria

LeDaro at LeDaro - 10 hours ago
Obama: No boots on the ground. Any chance that the U.S. Congress will pass a resolution for a strike on Syria. It looks quite grim for Obama.

High-Level U.S. Intelligence Officers: Syrian Government Didn’t Launch Chemical Weapons

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 10 hours ago
High-Level U.S. Intelligence Officers: Syrian Government Didn’t Launch Chemical Weapons Submitted by George Washington on 09/07/2013 02:09 -0400 http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-09-07/high-level-us-intelligence-officers-syrian-government-didn%E2%80%99t-launch-chemical- *Preface: Without doubt, intelligence is being manipulated to justify war against Syria. Here, here, here, here and here.* Without doubt, the Syrian rebels had access to chemical weapons … and have apparently used them in the recent past. Associated Press reported last week: *An intercept of Sy... more »

Spain: A Dimensional Doorway in the Vicinity of Aznalcóllar? (1998)

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 10 hours ago
*Spain: A Dimensional Doorway in the Vicinity of Aznalcóllar?* *By José Manuel Garcia Bautista* In the early morning hours of 25 April 1998, near the locality of Aznalcollar in Seville, one of the greatest ecological disasters to ever affect our country took place. The toxic waste containment pond owned by the Swedish-Canadian firm Boliden-Apirsa, overwhelmed by its hazardous contents, cracked and sent froth a “toxic wave” that covered the region, halting at the border of the Doñana Natural Park. The damage caused to this wildlife sanctuary was minimal, although all local resident... more »

Syria President Assad both the President media blitz on Monday and the Tuesday night speech - with his own television interview for the American public with Charlie Rose....... He denies having anything to do with any alleged chemical weapon attack ( which he has doubts as to what occurred based on evidence produced to date , if an attack did occur he suggests the Rebels may be behind it. ) If there is conclusive proof Assad ordered the attack , that commanders under his direction and / or control received orders to deploy chemical weapons , now would be the time to come forward with hard evidence. Based on the commentary from Congress , the evidence produced to date is not compelling !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 10 hours ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-08/assad-interviewed-charlie-rose-highlights ( Assad preempts Obama's media blitz with his Charlie rose interview. 0 Syria's President al-Assad Interviewed By Charlie Rose: Highlights [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/08/2013 12:52 -0400 - Middle East - New York Times inShare Earlier today, Charlie Rose who traveled to Damascus previously, interviewed Syria's president al-Assad at the presidential palace. The interview will air in its entirety on PBS's "Charlie Rose" show on Monday night just as Obama... more »

What Humans Need

gail zawacki at Wit's End - 11 hours ago
"Mark Twain" felled in 1892This is one depressing film. In the script for the narration, from 1947, there is displayed not one regret, not a hint of scepticism, about the destruction of the redwood forests. This has been the fate of forests over the course of our history, and is ongoing in the tropical rainforests around the world.

PARTLY ORDERED; PARTLY RANDOM; GOD AND NUMBERS

Anon at aangirfan - 11 hours ago
If God is all-powerful, all knowing, and all good, why does Barack Obama exist? Martin Rees, the UK's Astronomer Royal, has written about *Six Numbers that shape the Universe* "Six numbers in physics are *just right* for the emergence of galaxies, stars, chemistry and people... *"Says Rees: suppose... you were the intended victim of a firing squad and every bullet missed you...* "Wouldn't you be inclined to wonder if something special had been arranged on your behalf... "That, somewhere in the Looking Glass world of modern physics, there might be some deeper reason for the pr... more »

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 11 hours ago
Peaches and Cream dahlia.

Not being able to see the bias for the Redwood trees?

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 11 hours ago
Returning, like a cat to a bird-table, to the subject of the BBC's reporting of the Australian election results, I see that Tory MP John Redwood is not impressed by the corporation's coverage: As news breaks of a large conservative victory by Tony Abbott’s Liberal/National Coalition in Australia the BBC sets about the task of retailing propaganda from the losing Labour party. We are told Mr Abbott became Prime Minister merely because Labour had been split and divided. We are assured his policies are not popular and played no part in his stunning victory. They underplay the magn... more »

Obama vs. The NSA

Paul Coker at News Spike - 11 hours ago
From Psy-op to MindWar - Paper by NSA Gen. Michael Aquino and Gen. Paul Vallely from Spike1138 on Vimeo. "MindWar...is, in fact, the strategy to which tactical warfare must conform if it is to achieve maximum effectiveness. The MindWar scenario must be preeminent in the mind of the commander and must be the principal factor in his every field decision. Otherwise he sacrifices measures which actually contribute to winning the war to measures of immediate, tangible satisfaction. (Consider the rational for 'body counts' in Vietnam). * "In its strategic context, MindWar must reach... more »

Sunday Classics: In "Patience," "The pain that is all but a pleasure will change for the pleasure that's all but pain"

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago
*"The soldiers of our Queen are linked in friendly tether"* *-- at the Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company, Minneapolis, 2002* *The officers of the *DRAGOON GUARDS* enter, right, led by the* MAJOR*. They form their line across the front of the stage.* *Chorus of Dragoons, "The soldiers of our Queen"* *DRAGOONS*: The soldiers of our Queen are linked in friendly tether; upon the battle scene they fight the foe together. There ev'ry mother's son prepared to fight and fall is; the enemy of one the enemy of all is! The enemy of one the enemy of all is! [*On an order from the *MAJO... more »

NSA going back door on your smart phones folks........ I Phone , Blackberry and Android are part of the Matrix now ! Say what ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 11 hours ago
Say what ? [image: View image on Twitter] http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-08/nsa-has-full-back-door-access-iphone-blackberry-and-android-smartphones-documents-re NSA Has Full "Back Door" Access To iPhone, BlackBerry And Android Smartphones, Documents Reveal [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/08/2013 10:51 -0400 - Apple - national security - Obama Administration - SPY inShare3 Two months ago, when we reported that the NSA has successfully inserted illegal access protocols into the Android OS, thus granting it back door acc... more »

Venting my Spleen

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 12 hours ago
Were I a splenetic right-wing critic of the BBC, I might well fulminate against today's *Broadcasting House *on Radio 4*, *guest-presented by Jane Garvey of *Woman's Hour *fame (though we right-wing Beeb-bashers know her best for her comment that "the corridors of Broadcasting House were strewn with empty champagne bottles - I will always remember that", in connection with Labour's general election victory in 1997). My blood-pressure would, therefore, have already begun to rise at the mere mention of the name 'Jane Garvey'. I would then tut at the predictability of wheeling Sir M... more »

While We're Focused on Chemical Warfare

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 12 hours ago
It's interesting how selective the United States can be about weapons of mass destruction given that the U.S. continues to be responsible for widespread and ongoing death and destruction from its own chemical and nuclear weapons. The gas that Obama-Kerry are blaming on Assad appears to have killed somewhere between a few hundred and a thousand or more Syrians. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the locals are left to live with the radiation hazard created by American depleted uranium (DU) shells and bullets. D.U. is known to cause cancers, birth defects and stillbirths and D.U. contaminat... more »

Crowded Stadium in Moscow -:)

LeDaro at LeDaro - 12 hours ago
*OPEN SEATS: Spectators attended the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations)* *World Championships in Athletics at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow Sunday. (Dylan Martinez/Reuters)WSJ.*

Savage Strikes In Syria: Not Surprising, Not Smart, And Not Sanctioned By International Law: What Can Possibly Go Wrong?

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 12 hours ago
President Obama seeks to eat the heart of a nation by taking out Assad, while the Syrian "rebels" aka foreign Jihadist terrorists enjoy the leftovers.

Demonstrations around the world against the proposed Syrian strike by U.S.

LeDaro at LeDaro - 13 hours ago
**** *"A survey by The Associated Press shows that House members who are staking out positions are either opposed to or leaning against Obama's plan for a military strike by more than a 6-1 margin. The Senate is more evenly divided ahead of its vote. Nearly half of the 433-member House and a third of the 100-member Senate remain undecided." * Read more here. Obama has quite an uphill battle to convince the U.S. Congress to approve his plan.

Valdimir Putin at G-20 Photo-op

LeDaro at LeDaro - 13 hours ago
*PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, center, shrugged as he walked by U.S. President Barack Obama to take his place at a group photo of G-20 leaders outside the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday. (Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press) WSJ.* I wonder what the shrug is about. *Update:* It was pointed out to me by CuJoYYC about the whereabouts of Harper. He was indeed in his favourite place:

Happy Birthday, Pearl

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 13 hours ago
Please join me in congratulating regular commenter Pearl Volkov on the occasion of her 90th birthday. Pearl has brought a lifetime of erudition and compassion to this forum and also to the *New York Times *reader commentariat, where she posts under the handle "pvolkov." I got to know Pearl several years ago, when a bunch of us diehard *Times* posters started an email correspondence circle. Here's wishing you a happy day with your children, Pearl, and many more years of agitating and educating.... here, there, and everywhere. L'Chaim!

Who Benefits from Ignoring Poverty and Race? | the becoming radical

plthomasedd at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 13 hours ago
Who Benefits from Ignoring Poverty and Race? | the becoming radical.

Winter approaches . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 13 hours ago
THE LEFORTOVO TUNNEL, aka “The Tunnel of Death” runs under the river, and there are leaks. During the summer, you can, as you see in the opening seconds, drive a hot Bimmer at 220 kph through it with no problems. However, winter comes, and the leaking water freezes, and as they say in the collision biz, “That's the way the Mercedes bends”. I wanna ride at the back of the bus! Wear a helmet

Symposium — The Mother of All isms: The paradigm is dead. Long live the paradigm!

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 13 hours ago
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Stacie E. Goddard. It is the sixth installment in our “End of IR Theory” companion symposium for the special issue of the European Journal of International Relations. SAGE has temporarily ungated all of the articles in that issue. This post responds to Andrew Bennett’s article (PDF). His post appeared earlier today. Other entries in the symposium–when available–may Continue reading

From PsyOp to Mind War: Snowden, Assange, Greenwald and Blagojevich

Paul Coker at News Spike - 13 hours ago
President Kennedy Seeks Advice from Gen. MacArthur on China & The Guns of August 1914 from Spike1138 on Vimeo. * * *"MacArthur believes it would be a mistake to fight in Laos. It would suit the Chinese Communists whom he feels we should have destroyed at the time of the Korean War. * * **He thinks we should fight a rear-guard action in the southeast of Asia. * * **He does not feel we should interviene at this time in Cuba because it does not represent a military danger to us although the time may come when we may have to do so. * * **He thinks our line should be Japan, Formosa, and ... more »

Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, September 8th, 2013

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 13 hours ago
Sunday again.. And time for my usual weekly rant.... I am hoping that the world does not go to hell this week and that I will be able to do these in the future... Lets first get one thing straight... I have been called a "hater" and even a "racist" for my stance against the true criminality on this planet, which is of course the Jews.... Many have said that I have now gone too far in naming these criminals by name.... I tell them to get their heads out of their butts and to examine closely ALL of the crimes ever done against humanity and dig deep... You will always find a member of ... more »

The Most Intelligent Political Discussion About Syria to Appear on TV

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 13 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] *Bill Moyers* Guest host Phil Donahue examines the deadly civil war in Syria and the consequences of another American intervention in the Middle East. Our guests include NPR Middle East correspondent Deborah Amos and historian and analyst Andrew Bacevich. Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.

NYC Protest To Stop The War in Syria

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 13 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] *Youtube* Subscribe to WeAreChange's Channel Support WeAreChange.org Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.

Exposing The Global Elite with Bill Vander Zalm

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 13 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] *Press For Truth* In this exclusive Press For Truth interview Dan Dicks sits down with Bill Vander Zalm former Premier of British Columbia to discuss his views on politics, the global elite and their end game agenda. Subscribe to Press for Truth's Channel Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.

Tseng Case Round Up

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 14 hours ago
*A turn on my favorite cycling route, from the 130 onto the Miaoli 49 to the Lungtung Broken RR Viaduct. Show up with a bike, I'll take you there.* Well, updated articles on the Tseng influence peddling case hitting the news cycle. The Taipei Times reports briefly.... Politicians in the pan-blue camp yesterday expressed concern about the incident and urged the Ma administration to handle it carefully. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said the incident involves administrative, legislative and judicial issues, and such a constitutional matter should be addressed carefully. * Former T... more »

Have vaccines contaminated with hidden cancer viruses given to unsuspecting Americans ? According to a recording made by a leading major pharmaceutical company scientist - the shocking answer appears to be ... YES !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 14 hours ago
Merck developer admits vaccines contain hidden cancer viruses derived from diseased monkeys - [image: The Alex Jones Channel][image: Alex Jones Show podcast][image: Prison Planet TV][image: Infowars.com Twitter][image: Alex Jones' Facebook][image: Infowars store] *Mike Adams* NaturalNews September 8, 2013 If you haven’t yet realized the truth about how vaccines contain hidden cancer viruses, prepare yourself to be shocked by the admission you’re about to hear. Decades ago, one of the most prominent vaccine scientists in the history of the vaccine industry — a Merck scient... more »

The Truth About How The US Will Save Syria

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 14 hours ago
*Stefan Molyneux* Stefan Molyneux discuses the rush to war, chemical weapon attacks, red line hypocrisy, endless violence, the military industrial complex and blood soaked economic illusions. Subscribe to Stefan Molyneux's Channel [image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.

Boston Protest to Stop War in Syria Leads to John Kerry's House

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 14 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] *YouTube -- Andrew Pontbriand* Our NoWarWithSyria march led us to John Kerry's Beacon Hill Residence (five-story, 10,000 sq. ft. valued at $7 million), where we let him know our stance!!! Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.

Stevie Wonder Interviewed by Rev. Al Sharpton

LeDaro at LeDaro - 14 hours ago
Last night I watched a program "Advancing The Dream" (celebrating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's speech "I have a Dream") hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton. He had numerous guests and one of these guests was Stevie Wonder. I have heard him sing but never his views before. In this interview he talks about his life and how he became an artist. I found it quite interesting. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Soros

Paul Coker at News Spike - 14 hours ago
*Soros says he wants "Open Societies".* * * *Fine. So did Franco.* * * *You can talk and discus and leak and disclose anything you like...* * * *You're just completely unable to change anything.* * * *Real change only comes from grass roots, bottom-up popular revolutionary movements.* * * *Not Occupy Wall Street.* * * *Why not Occupy the Council on Foreign Relations...? And start by cutting their phone and data lines...* *George Soros Interview On 60 Minutes* When the Nazis occupied Budapest in 1944, George Soros' father was a successful lawyer. He lived on an island in the Danu... more »

New York Times Casts Obama As Tragic Hero

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 14 hours ago
Sickening: *The next phase of the campaign will be more individualized, and more from Mr. Obama himself. Democrats who are balking are being asked at least to vote against Republican procedural moves meant to delay or derail an up-or-down vote. After all the arguments are exhausted, aides said, it will come down to a personal pitch: the president needs you to save him from a debilitating public defeat.* That paragraph is hidden within the latest paroxysm of chest-thumping by the Gray Lady, characterizing Barack Obama's fight for military strike votes in Congress a "taut, uphill ba... more »

The Complexities of Intervening in Syria

Jeffrey Stacey at Duck of Minerva - 14 hours ago
Well into the Syrian civil war the Assad regime has made a costly miscalculation by staging a significant chemical weapons attack. The U.S. and its allies have been wary of a full-scale military operation in Syria, but spurred by this attack they are now preparing to intervene. To succeed western allies must be focused not Continue reading

Symposium — The Mother of All Isms: Curmudgeon Edition

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 14 hours ago
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Andrew Bennett. It is the fifth installment in our “End of IR Theory” companion symposium for the special issue of the European Journal of International Relations. SAGE has temporarily ungated all of the articles in that issue. This post refers to Bennett’s article (PDF). A response, authored by Stacie E. Goddard, will appear at 10am Eastern. Other entries Continue reading

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 15 hours ago
*Vargas: ‘Playoff feel’ awaits Saints’ opener vs. Falcons* *Road near sinkhole deformed ~David J. Mitchell, N.O. Advocate*

Karl Rove Attacks Obama From Sweden (Again)

Paul Coker at News Spike - 15 hours ago
This one from September 5th, 2013, courtesy of Democracy Now. *Karl Rove has been a political advisor the Swedish prime minister since at least 2010. It is the only foreign consulting job listed by Rove.* Sweden: Political Interference by the Swedish Prime Minister Swedish Prime Minister interferes in Assange case with fresh attacks on Assange - 25 January 2012 This is typical of someone accused of a crime in a different country - to try to cast suspicion on that country or its legal system. One can see similarities with other cases where this technique has been used. Of ... more »

A Nexus Between The DCCC And Miss McConnell-- Here's What's Wrong With Inside The Beltway Politics

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
The DCCC has been howling for 3 days about how Staten Island Gambino crime family congressman, Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm was first for war and then anti-war. "He changed his mind, he changed his mind" has been the constant, annoying refrain, although they haven't said anything about Ami Bera (D-CA) doing exactly the same thing. Even more interesting, when I called the DCCC candidate for Grimm's seat, Dominic Recchia, they said he has *no* position on Syria "yet." I found that consistent with nearly all the DCCC-manufactured candidates. None of them have positions; all of them are... more »

Poland ( variation of Cyprus bail - in template ) decides to just seize the bulk of private pension fund assets - 51.5 percent of the pension funds assets or about 140 billion zloty / back of envelope calculation - 44 billion USD worth of bonds and non equity assets ( without compensation ) - to make the public debt debt look better ( which then allows the government to borrow more - until the public debt looks bad again ) ..... you know what will come next , right ?

Catharsis Ours - 15 hours ago
Home Poland Confiscates Half Of Private Pension Funds To "Cut" Sovereign Debt Load [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/06/2013 14:50 -0400 - Bond - Fund Flows - Gross Domestic Product - Nomura - PIMCO - Poland - recovery - Reuters - Sovereign Debt inShare16 While the world was glued to the developments in the Mediterranean in the past week, Poland took a page straight out of Rahm Emanuel's playbook and in order to not let a crisis go to waste, announced quietly that it would transfer to the state - i.e., confi... more »

Canada's Sonny Corleone

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 15 hours ago
Scott Reid writes in *The Ottawa Citizen* that the Senate scandal has forced Stephen Harper to give the Prime Minister's Office a makeover. That makeover isn't merely cosmetic: But the shakeup of his staff in favour of flinty longtime loyalists tells us not only that the prime minister is girding for war in the style of Sonny Corleone. It also provides clues about his inherent instincts as a leader, his gnawing distrust of many fellow Conservatives and even the truth behind that controversial cheque cut to Mike Duffy. David Orchard wrote recently that Harper didn't engineer a me... more »

Who's dithering over Syria?

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 17 hours ago
*Biased BBC *David Preiser has been patiently pursuing Mark Mardell, the BBC's North America editor, over the latter's agonised response to President Obama's twisting and turning over the issue of Syria. David's charge is that Mark Mardell is a very biased reporter who allows his opinions to show throw in report after report, and that he often acts as if he were Barack Obama's official defender-in-chief. I have to say that if there's one area where BBC bias is particularly clear it's over its coverage of U.S. politics and that David's posts and comments carefully demonstrating wh... more »

Democrats of Europe, wake up!

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 17 hours ago
Daniel Cohn-Bendit is a notorious Franco-German leftist. In 1968, he would be a fighter at the barricades of Paris; his nickname has been Danny the Red (Dany le Rouge) ever since. In the 1970s, he would "love" children in an "anti-authoritarian kindergarten" which is why he also fought for the sex with the children to be legalized in the 1980s. Germany's Green Party recently made a huge U-turn and it now seems to claim that it was "unacceptable" to demand the legalization of peadophilia. In a normal society, such a man would probably oscillate in between a mental asylum and a priso... more »

Further Complications with the US Argument for 'Punishing' Syria for Chemical Attacks: Hypocricy and Lack of Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Munthe) at Philosophical Comment - 18 hours ago
So, yesterday I had a post pointing to a piece by Udo Schuklenk, rather convincingly picking apart the US case for military attacking Syria as a 'punishment' for the current regime's alleged chemical warfare attacks against civilians. Today, I found two further reasons against any such idea, besides the numerous ones presented by Udo: 1. Articles in *The Daily Mail*, making public solid evidence to the effect that the UK, whose prime minister David Cameron has apparently swallowed president Obama's argument for an attack whole and unchewed and made motions in parliament to gain supp... more »

Tho-Radia Beauty Products

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 18 hours ago
In 1933, a pharmacist, Alexis Moussali and a Parisian doctor, Alfred Curie, launched a French range of radioactive beauty products, first from the Rue des Capucines and then from 146 Avenue Victor Hugo. Alexis Moussali was probably the brains behind the commercial operation, with Alfred Curie possibly brought along either because of his surname – (he was not in fact related to Marie or Pierre Curie) and/or the fact that he was a doctor. The product range, which included cleansing milk, skin cream, powder, rouge, lipstick and toothpaste, was called Tho-Radia as it contained thorium... more »

Treating A&E

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 18 hours ago
Sky News is leading in a big way today with the hot issue of A&E treatment in NHS hospitals. The BBC is also making it a main story, thanks to an investigation on Radio 5 Live. The two media organisations have very different emphases, however. Besides a live feed from a medical centre in Nottingham, the Sky News website has two stories this morning. One is based on its own poll (of 1,106 people carried out by Survation), showing that more that 70% of those questioned believe that patient "who visit A&E while drunk or under the influence of recreational drugs should pay for the t... more »

The Exorcist, polygamy in the UK, chancel repair liability and Syria

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 18 hours ago
So what happened on this morning's *Sunday*? 7.10 *Introduction*, by William Crawley 7.11 *Catholic child abuse*. A Scottish priest, Fr Patrick Lawson, has apparently been sacked for speaking to the *Observer* about his own abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest. He says, "The Church is a big Mafia". Catherine Deveney of the *Observer *talked to William and put Fr Lawson's case against the Church. The programme wanted to speak to the Scottish church, but no one would speak to the programme. 7.17 *The Arms Trade*. William interviewed an Anglican priest, Rev Keith Hebden, who is ... more »

Why There is a Recession/Depression During Every GOP Regime

Len Hart at The Existentialist Cowboy - 18 hours ago
* by Len Hart, The Existentialist cowboy* Every major economist has espoused the 'LABOR THEORY of VALUE'. That includes the conservative Adam Smith andthe left-leaning Karl Marx. ERGO: a declining "real' wage that should be going to labor TRICKLES (in fact, FLOWS) upward to the ruling elites. The Axis of Reagan/GOP are wrong. Wealth does not and has never "trickled down"."Suppy Side Economics" was and remains a scam, a con sketched out, it is said, on a napkin by Arthur Laffer. Laffer is remembered for his "Laffer curve" said to illustrate the theory that by reducing taxes for the v... more »

How to Stop the War

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 19 hours ago
On Sep 7, 2013, at 10:48 AM, Garret // Wayseers wrote: Is it time to protest or pray? ...or both? Here are some wise and inspiring words on "How to Stop the War": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLUx9oH_IVA Maybe if this message gets around more, it could bring some sanity to our situation. Find your local peace rally this weekend. Here's a list Pray for the sanity of our leaders - that they put down their online poker games and pay attention to the actual long-term ramifications of what they are proposing. We could be on the verge of World War III here... With Russia and China... more »

Political policing

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 19 hours ago
Two hundred a fifty anti-fascists were arrested en masse for trying to stop the EDL from marching (yes, comrades, the EDL didn't march in Tower Hamlets - they *did* march in Southwark I'm afraid). If you ever had any doubt as to which side the police are on this is for you. The police are trying to destroy militant anti-fascism. Solidarity to the arrested comrades.

U.S. 'Space Fence' Radar System Goes Silent, After 50 Years

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 19 hours ago
*U.S. 'Space Fence' Radar System Goes Silent, After 50 Years* by BILL CHAPPELL September 03, 201312:02 PM The Space Fence is down. That's the message we get from the SatWatch site, following up on our report last month that the U.S. Air Force was poised to shut down the radar system that tracks thousands of objects orbiting Earth. It had been in operation since 1961. The Space Fence — also known by its formal name, the Air Force Space Surveillance System — consists of three transmitters and six receivers that stretch across the southern U.S., using radio waves to paint a pictur... more »

The world's greatest blog post... again... part one...

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 19 hours ago
It's been so long since we've done a music mash-up. This was the first (seelink). You get the idea? This time we're doing music and animals, and this is only part one, there's more to come. Thanks to Keith Watermelon, The Doc of Rock, Sharon, Bishop Colenso and Ted Splitter. Faith No Boar Deer-vana Mouse of Love. Mouse of pain System of a Cow-n Cat-jagoogoo Catsabian Baby I'm Ready to Goat by Republicat Ram-stein R.A.M. Anteaters in the uk Anchovy in the UK. King of the toad Hit the toad jack Kings of Lion Metallicat Dog on the Tyne Ibex Pistols Orkestrel Manoeuvres in the Lark Gecko ... more »

Satire:A majority of U.S. citizens believe congressional leaders in both the House and Senate must be sent to war-torn Syria immediately.

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 20 hours ago
http://www.theonion.com/articles/poll-majority-of-americans-approve-of-sending-cong,33752/ A majority of U.S. citizens believe congressional leaders in both the House and Senate must be sent to war-torn Syria immediately. WASHINGTON— As President Obama continues to push for a plan of limited military intervention in Syria, a new poll of Americans has found that though the nation remains wary over the prospect of becoming involved in another Middle Eastern war, the vast majority of U.S. citizens strongly approve of sending Congress to Syria. The New York Times/CBS News poll sho... more »

The Economy: "Footnotes on Myths, Lies, Deceptions, Millstones"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 20 hours ago
* * *"Footnotes on Myths, Lies, Deceptions, Millstones"* By: Jim Willie CB "Many are the myths held so firm by the public. Many are the lies told so boldly by the leaders. Many are the millstones around the neck of the system that is fast losing its momentum. Many are the frauds committed routinely in full view. The entire US system is unraveling, myths exposed, lies contradicted, while the millstones weigh down the financial and economic system. The absent Gold Standard, the invalidity of money, the insolvency of banks, the toxic nature of sovereign debt, the illegitimate money,... more »

OBAMA AND HOLLANDE PANIC

Anon at aangirfan - 20 hours ago
*Busted: UK-US Backed Terrorist Doubles as Rebel Fighter AND fake Sarin Gas Attack Victim* The world has turned against Obama and Hollande. *They know that US Funded Syrian Rebels Gang Raped and Executed a 15-Year Old * * **France Backs off Support for Syrian Strike* * Sep 07, 2013. Military.com| by Richard Sisk* * * *France Backs off Support for Syrian Strike** * On 6 September 2013, "France backed away from joining the U.S. in swift military action against Syria. "France had been the only nation to agree to the joint use of force with the U.S. against Syria..." "French President... more »

Depravity Redefined: Selling US Slaughter in Syria

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 21 hours ago
*September 8, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - The corporate interests driving the United States, its resources, and policy, have invoked dead children in the latest and grisliest propaganda campaign yet, directed at the American public to build support for an otherwise unjustified and universally unwanted war with Syria. *Image: The Summer of 1939, after staging border incidents to frame Poland for unwarranted aggression, Hitler orders the Nazi invasion of Poland. This would not be the first or last time a Western nation used a manufactured "casus belli" to start a war of aggression, now... more »

New Jersey Subsidies More Out of Control than Ever Under Christie

Kenneth Thomas at Middle Class Political Economist - 21 hours ago
I have written before how state and local subsidies are more out of control than ever, and more recently how the number and size of megadeals has increased substantially since the Great Recession. Now a new study from *Governing* magazine (h/t to Al at LinkedIn group Economic Development 2.0) exhaustively analyzes New Jersey's five largest incentive programs and their growth since 2011. Governor Chris Christie has made aggressive use of incentives a centerpiece of his economic development strategy, but the magazine's comparison of New Jersey's job performance with than of surroundin... more »

Breakthrough Energy Conference: Address to our International Leaders

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 22 hours ago
Published on Sep 6, 2013 At the conclusion of the Breakthrough Energy Conference Sacha Stone addresses our international 'leadership' with a powerful and eloquent monologue. He touches upon topics that were discussed during the three days of presentations as well as topics that should be discussed. http://globalbem.com/ http://www.globalbemvoices.com/ http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/globalbem-breakthrough-energy-movement/x/2328129 * Want to receive ALL our updates and quality content we continue to post to this page? This is how: http://bit.ly/GetOurUpdates * ... more »

TEACH Documentary Delivers Same, Tired Infomercial

Kris Nielsen at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 23 hours ago
On the evening of September 6, CBS aired Davis Guggenheim’s latest tear-jerker hack job dedicated to public education: TEACH. While featuring four young and relatively inexperienced teachers, we were told much of the same nonsense we’ve been hearing for years, since the release of the anti-teacher and anti-public-education Waiting for Superman (another Guggenheim assault). The messages […]

Longest Walk 4 reaches Columbia, Missouri

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 day ago
Photo April Rhodes By Brenda Norrell Censored News COLUMBIA, Missouri -- The Longest Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz reached Columbia, Missouri, today, on the five-month walk across America for Native American sovereignty and Indigenous rights. "The Walk has now reached Columbia, Missouri. On September 8th, we will start walking at 9:00 am from St. Charles road just North of exit 131 on

Fracking... In Los Angeles? Yes-- And It Must Be Stopped

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
You may have read that Boehner is promising his oily allies an effort to gut the Department of the Interior's modest fracking regulations-- despite new findings in Ohio that show, conclusively, that fracking there has triggered over 100 earthquakes. A single fracking wastewater well triggered 167 earthquakes in and around Youngstown, Ohio, during a single year of operation. That’s according to a study published in the *Journal of Geophysical Research* by Won-Young Kim, a researcher at Columbia University. Earthquakes had never been recorded at Youngstown before 2010. Then, at th... more »

PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING CRISIS - Short on Teachers , School Aides , supplies - Philadelphia schools will open anyway ( sums things up neatly . )

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://thenotebook.org/blog/136394/tweeting-philly1stday-experiences Countdown, Day 2: Tweeting #Philly1stDay experiencesby thenotebook on Sep 07 2013 Posted in Countdown to calamity? Share on email COMMENTS (16)PRINT The *Notebook* has been counting down the days before schools open. For 40 days, we tried to follow each dramatic twist, every political turn that arose in what many believe is Philadelphia's worst school funding crisis in history. Though the summer's unofficially over and the school year will start on time, the uncertainty of what schools will look like when they open ... more »

Fifty percent of seawater goes out Fukushima plant port to the Pacific every day - here is the moneyshot - - Tepco says Pacific is not contaminated enough to be harmful yet ! Tepco won't stop at killing Japan , it's apparently on a mission from God to kill the globe !

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Fukushima = Little Shop of horrors ? 50% of the seawater in Fukushima plant port goes to the Pacific everyday Posted by *Mochizuki* on September 6th, 2013 · No Comments Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services Following up this article..*Tepco “30,000,000,000,000 Bq of Cs-137 and Sr-90 leaked to the Pacific” / 30,000,000,000 Bq still leaking per day* [URL ] In the press conference of 9/6/2013, Tepco’s spokesman commented approx. 50% of the seawater goes out of Fukushima plant port to the Pacific every single day. About half of all the leaked c... more »

If liberal democrats were serious about opposing the looming Syria war - why not discuss Libya ? First , Libya ( as is the case pro-offered for Syria ) , stemmed from an alleged humanitarian crisis . Second , both Libya and Syria are pro-offered under the guise of " limited kinetic actions " - limited as far as American lives lost and time spent on the actions ( regretfully neither will be limited for the libyan or syrian people who die / are maimed are are left to mop up the aftermath. ) Third , Libya was sold as moderate rebels would replace a dictator who savagely repressed his people and dissension - ditto for Syria , even the same Al Qaeda stamp on the Rebel forces there ( as in Libya . ) Fourth and finally , why won't the descent into miltia rule and absence of a credible government that has befallen Libya be the template for an " Assadless " Syria - insert for islamic jihadist " militias and Al Qaeda linked forces with libyan militias and you are right there , right ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://washingtonexaminer.com/why-dont-liberal-syria-intervention-critics-talk-about-libya/article/2535371 Why don't liberal Syria intervention critics talk about Libya? BY BYRON YORK | SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 AT 5:54 PM 2COMMENTS TOPICS: BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL LIBERTARIAN PARTY SYRIA [image: Photo - In this June 8, 2013 image made from video provided by Associated Press Television, Libyans run for cover after fighting broke out outside the office of Libya Shield pro-government militia in Benghazi, Libya. The violence which left dozens of people dead broke out Saturday when protesters s... more »

It Wasn't The Arabs, Stupid....It Was ALWAYS The Jews!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
With this impending insane war by the United States and their masters in the criminal and terrorist state of Israel, it is important to bring forward valuable information from time to time to understand the real enemy of all mankind, which are not the Arabs as the Jewish run mainstream media continues to falsely promote, but the Jews themselves.... I want to present here a new article, from Joe Cortina, who writes the very important blog: "My Name Is Joe Cortina" at www.mynameisjoecortina.wordpress.com, entitled: "It Wasn't The Arabs, Stupid -It Was Always The Jews". This article ... more »

You know what’s stupid, what’s really stupid? The academic publishing industry. #highered

Chalk Face, PhD at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
I’m in the classroom now. When I was in graduate school and a college professor, I collected PDFs of articles from EBSCO and JSTOR and elsewhere as if I was attempting to stockpile for some kind of intellectual apocalypse. A fraction of a percent were ever really read. But I’ve been scanning for some advice […]

A Gathering of the Tribe -- Mission COMPLETE

Brian Kelly at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
*A Gathering of the Tribe -- Mission COMPLETE* September 7, 2013 http://www.realitysandwich.com/gathering_tribe All I can say is, reading this gave me goose bumps. Whoa nelly! Blessed is the day a piece of literature (data) resonates to one's very core. A huge thank you to Jewell for sharing and even more gratitude to Charles Eisenstein for composing. This piece is very synchronistic considering all of the gatherings popping up all over the country and world lately. Even more synchronistic considering the plan a few of us are getting ready to launch in the not so far off future. I... more »

Neko Case – "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu"

Batocchio at Vagabond Scholar - 1 day ago
NSFW. Some of the other songs on Neko Case's new album are quite good and pretty catchy, but this is the one that's been sticking with me the most. It's unconventional, pretty but raw, personal and powerful. As Neko Case explained in a frank NPR interview, it's based on a real incident she witnessed. Given her description of her own upbringing, the pain and empathy in the song become all

The Upcoming (Illegal And Very Criminal) War On Syria: "Coalition" Of Nations That The US Has Counted On For Attacking Syria Is Collapsing - France Has Backed Out!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
The rush to war is on... Right now, the US has moved large naval forces into the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and has placed its operatives in and around Syria for the planned assault on that innocent nation that could happen as early as this coming Tuesday! It is sickening to see that the absolutely brainwashed and ignorant American public are still not doing enough to stop this insane rush to war based on lies..... But today there is some good news... The United States has been banking on a "coalition" of many allied nations to support it when it launches its attack on Syria. But... more »

Suckage . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 1 day ago
FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY are steadily eroding, it seems, which has prompted Alex Henderson at AlterNet to post “10 Ways America Has Come to Resemble a Banana Republic”. It's a fascist's wish-list come true. In the post-New Deal America of the 1950s and '60s, the idea of the United States becoming a banana republic would have seemed absurd to most Americans. Problems and all, the U.S. had a lot

Leonard Peltier International Tribunal on Abuse of Indigenous Human Rights

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 day ago
Tribunal planning session Click image to enlarge  International Tribunal on the Abuse of Indigenous Human Rights By Brenda Norrell Censored News ONEIDA, Wisconsin -- The abuse of Indigenous Peoples rights will be the focus of testimony when Native Americans put the US government on trial in Oneida, Wisconsin, during a three day tribunal on Oct. 2, 3 and 4, 2013, at the Radisson Hotel.

Another Alleged gas attack in Syria by Syrian government , so says Al - Arabiya ....... Looks like the " regime change team " getting quite desperate after the G- 20 embarrassment of Team US ( Note Team France going to sit this out until the UN report gets finalized and delivered to the UN Security Council ) ..... Going to war with the clowns you have - Ah , so apropo ! Sometimes you laugh to keep from crying about the state of play in the world today and the clowns trying to take all of us into a huge war for a pipeline ..... ......

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
If at first you don't succeed ..... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-06/we-have-officially-jumped-shark-al-arabiya-reports-another-gas-attack-syrian-regime We Have Officially Jumped The Shark: Al-Arabiya Reports Another "Gas Attack" By Syrian Regime [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/06/2013 15:12 -0400 - Iran - Israel inShare3 The script just jumped the shark: - *SYRIA GOVT FORCES SHELL QABUN, DAMASCUS WITH GAS: AL-ARABIYA* - *AL-ARABIYA CITES UNIDENTIFIED ACTIVISTS - *so the same CIA-trained, al Qaeda funded, Qatari mercen... more »

Moving Image Watch: From "The Sopranos" to "Breaking Bad" (by way of "Rear Window") --

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
TO MY *OTHER* FAVORITE W.W. IT'S AN HONOUR WORKING WITH YOU. FONDLY G. B. *by Ken* Maybe if I'd had any idea it was there, I wouldn't have been so taken aback. But suddenly there I was, standing in front of the glass case, with a pair of headphones on listening to the audio of one of the exhibit video displays, and it slowly dawned on me *that I was looking at The Book!* Tell me these things don't all fit together! It was just last week in TV Watch that I *wrote* about the book -- the fateful copy of Walt Whitman's *Leaves of Grass* ... more »

Really skillful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
― Miyamoto Musashi, *A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy* 47 people liked it

The People Strike Back, cont.

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 1 day ago
Welcome to another chapter in the endless soap opera known as *War/Not-War*, brought to you today by yet another lonely voice in Not-Corporate Media. This edition will comprise three *New York Times* comments I wrote in response to Maureen Dowd, Frank Bruni and Ross Douthat. (I skipped Tom Friedman, because I just ate. And besides, Secretary of State of Rage John Kerry, during his Congressional harangue last week remarked that he agrees with almost everything Tom Friedman writes. And that is probably all you need to know.) First Dowd, who gleefully pushes the buttons of Obamabots ev... more »

Win Phil’s Money

Phil Arena at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago
My views on the role of assumptions are no secret. Nor are they without detractors. In hopes of advancing the debate, I invite anyone who disagrees with me to enrich themselves while proving me wrong. Pick any scholarly paper you have written, published or not. If I cannot identify three patently false or fundamentally unfalsifiable Continue reading

Warp factor . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 1 day ago
SET PHASERS ON STUN: Captain Kirk watches the VMA 2013 Miley Cyrus performance. My, how time brings change. Put your coffee down, then press go. Brilliant.

Mohawk Nation News 'Poker and War'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 day ago
Poker and War Mohawk Nation News MNN. Sep. 7, 2013. US Senator John McCain was caught playing poker on his cell phone during the planning session to kill Syrian people. He laughed, “The worst part is that I lost $10 grand!” Corporate war-mongers are amoral serial killers. They are sex offenders on a large scale. Both get a kick out of killing masses of people.  Some sex offenders keep

Say Goodbye To Hollywood (Readying for Syrian/Iran Offensive (As Great Britain Bows Out) While Selling Off USA Piecemeal - Koch/ALEC Boys' Cheers Abound!)

Any president has a limited amount of political capital to mobilize support for his agenda, in Congress and, more fundamentally, with the American people. This is especially true of a president in his second term of office. Which makes President Obama's campaign to strike Syria all the more mystifying. President Obama's domestic agenda is already precarious: implementing the Affordable

Henry Geiger - The Glory Of Our Species (1981)

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 day ago
*Related: * *Henry Geiger - The Meaning Of War (1988). * *Wikipedia:* Henry Geiger (1908?-15 February 1989) was the editor, publisher, and chief writer of MANAS Journal which published from 1948-1988. Abraham Maslow called him “the only small ‘p’ philosopher America has produced in this century.” *Below is an excerpt from, "The Glory Of Our Species" by Henry Geiger. Source: MANAS Journal, Volume XXXIV, No. 37. September 16, 1981.* There are epochs of history when men are confident that they know right from wrong, are sure of what they should do to fulfill the meaning of life,... more »

Can A Real Democrat-- Not A Jim Matheson Republican-Lite Thing-- Win In Utah?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Chris Stewart's Utah congressional district-- the 2nd-- is gigantic, basically most of the western part of the state and almost half the southern part of the state. But most of the population is in the far northeast corner of the district, the northern part of Salt Lake City, the city's western suburbs and West Valley. That part of the congressional district is also Utah's 1st senatorial district, a nice blue bastion that includes Rose Park, Glendale and Poplar Grove. The state Senator there, Luz Robles, beat a Democratic incumbent at the party convention in 2008 and then went on ... more »

It's the 'telemed' part, not the 'abortion' part they object to

noreply@blogger.com (fern hill) at DAMMIT JANET! - 1 day ago
What do you do when you are a fetus fetishizing tea bagger but governor of a fairly progressive state? Or at least one that was the first in the US to offer medical abortions by teleconferencing? When you're Iowa ReThuglican Governor Terry Branstad, this is what you do. First, appoint all ten members of the Iowa Board of Medicine. Check. Then, hold hearings into the 'safety' of the procedure. Check. Make sure the former anti-choice legislator and chair of the board is an idiot. Check. Dr. Greg Hoversten, the state board’s chairman, suggested that the system amounted to an experime... more »

Stumbling into a micro-organismatic adventure

Jody Paterson at A Closer Look: Jody Paterson - 1 day ago
There are days when the frustrations of a new work culture pile up on me. And then there are days like the one I had this week, when it’s all just a total blast. The occasion was a workshop in a neighbouring community to demonstrate how to make two kinds of organic fertilizers. I like the hands-on workshops anyway – always interesting, loads of picture-taking opportunities – but looked forward to this one in particular because a couple of *campesinos* I always enjoy talking with were going to be there. Workshop days virtually always start with having to load heavy thing... more »

Holy Joe

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
This is an old link I never got around to but it's still relevant. In case you were wondering what Joe Lieberman is doing now: This is what the political afterlife looks like for the 71-year-old Stamford native, who is starting his second month as a part-time senior counsel at the Manhattan commercial litigation firm of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman. "This is Broadway. Right around the corner is `The Book of Mormon' and `Chicago,' " he says. Mother of God, please don't let this happen: Going forward, Lieberman envisions playing a role similar to that of George Mitchell a... more »

Reminder - Worst Politics Blog Poll 2013

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 1 day ago
In a week's time the polls will close and the counting starts on the one vote that matters - the worst politics blogs the UK has to offer. Just to recap: * Rank order the five blogs you love to hate. Number one will get ten points, number two eight points, three six points, etc. * Only one set of votes per person. * No anonymous voting. Only votes with an ID, which may itself be an anonymous nom de pleume will get counted. * Participants must nominate at least three blogs. Votes with less will be discounted. * Votes can either be cast in the comments box or confidentially at hu... more »

ITV v BBC

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
Fusing a few of the last couple of day's posts together, a look at tonight's pair of quarter-hour long main evening news bulletins on BBC One and ITV News confirmed a few of the points being made by BBC viewers in the *Radio Times. * The BBC bulletin managed just four stories, reported in this order: 1. An intruder enters Buckingham Palace 2. Tony Abbott wins the Australian general election 3. Ed Miliband is under pressure over the report into Unite in Falkirk 4. 2020 Olympics. Who'll be awarded it? Despite being the same length, the ITV bulletin had time for more news: 1. An intrud... more »

While We Wait

theozarker at The Conflicted Doomer - 1 day ago
September 7, 2013 Well, since most of the world community seems unwilling to do much more than, as one political wag put it, “hold the President’s coat” while he kills Syrians with missiles and bombs to keep them from getting killed by poison gas, he has decided to go to Congress for permission or something […]

The Framing of Bashar Assad

Geezer Power at GEEZERPOWER - 1 day ago
They Don't Want Us to Know About Israel's Nukes Salem-News.com (September 06, 2013 15:51) Stuart Littlewood Salem-News.com So let's ask about the rogue state's chemical weapons... (LONDON) - UK Foreign Office ministers seem to have great difficulty answering simple questions about Israel’s terror capabilities. It’s as if they don’t want to admit to the awful truth about the violent and lawless regime to which they’ve pledged everlasting support. Here’s a very recent example. Another “Dear Henry....” To: Henry Bellingham MP, North West Norfolk 6 September 2013 Dear Henry, Thank yo... more »

G-20 Summit - while economic issues abound , the focus or eye of the storm has Syria and NSA spying front and center.....Concerns of manipulation abound - both abroad and in Congress ....

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://rt.com/news/g20-political-tension-syria-473/ Despite pleasant views of St. Petersburg and a large list of economic challenges on world leaders’ agendas, political tension was apparent at the start of the G20 summit as the US faced questions regarding its stance on Syria and the NSA spying program. Gorgeous weather and the serenity of Konstantinovsky Palace – where the first day of the G20 summit kicked off – could seem a bit misleading as the world’s largest economic powers braced for political battles, RT’s Aleksey Yaroshevsky reported from Strelnya. The situation in Syria t... more »

Libya updates - September 7 , 2013.... Postcards from the edge of Nato's most recent failed state intervention

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Libya items of note...... Zeidan’s government must go, says Grand Mufti *By Ashraf Abdul-Wahab.* [image: Sheikh] The Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani *Tripoli 7 September, 2013*: In a scathing attack on its performance in office, the Grand Mufti has demanded that the government of Ali Zeidan be sacked. Calling it incompetent, he said it had lost its right to remain its office. He is the latest to do so in a mounting campaign against it. “The government’s failure to fulfill even the minimum requirements for its existence in power deprive it of its right to remain in office”, Sheik... more »

Congress needs to call for Hearings asap and then actually direct some real hard questions UNDER OATH pertaining to TechWise - what would Colonel Anthony MacDonald ( Ret. ) , DOD current employee Eugene Furst , Jennifer MacDonald and Mary Shapiro testify about concerning their knowledge or what they were informed about pertaining to the August 21 , 2013 alleged chemical attack in Syria - if we are contemplating an attack on Syria because of alleged chemical weapon use , we need to know whether the US has dirty hands in pulling off a scam !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://intellihub.com/2013/09/07/questions-arise-defense-contractor-involvement-syrian-gas-attack/ Questions Arise As To Defense Contractor Involvement In Syrian Gas Attack 3 Amidst mounting concerns about the genesis of the Syrian chemical attack of 8/21, a new player has entered the stage — a Colorado-based defense contractor named TechWise. [image: Caption: ARLINGTON, VA - U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel listens during a press conference British Secretary of State for Defense Philip Hammond at the Pentagon May 2, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia. During the press conference, Hag... more »

UPDATED: Just To REITERATE Some Basic Facts About The OPPT....

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
1. The OPPT was a legal tool to recapture value for the One People. 2. The OPPT is a reconciled entity, no longer active, its job having been finished for the purposes of legal filings.... The OPPT was never affiliated with the ITCCS. 3. The OPPT Trustees never signed any documents with Swissindo. Nor did they agree to Swissindo's "plan". 4. Swissindo is not the OPPT. They are whatever it is they are. 5. The OPPT has *never* asked for donations. It was self funded by the trustees. 6. Anyone asking for donations in the *name* of the OPPT *is not the OPPT. * 7. Many attempts ... more »

Team Yellen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
Considering the ongoing dismal state of our so-called economic recovery, it's rather clear the Fed's monetary policy under Bernake was (as the kids say) all fucked up and bullshit. So now that we got rid of Helicopter Ben, Obama has a clear choice. It's between the Bankster's best friend, Larry Summers or the Bankster's greatest fear, Janet Yellen. Joseph Stiglitz is on Team Yellen. So am I because: The controversy over the choice of the next head of the Federal Reserve has become unusually heated. The country is fortunate to have an enormously qualified candidate: the Fed’s curren... more »

THE INSIDE STORY

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
The Wall Street Journal recently revealed new details about how Prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud — Saudi’s former ambassador to the United States — is leading the effort to prop up the Syrian rebels. Intelligence agents from Saudi Arabia, the United States, Jordan and other allied states are working at a secret joint operations center in Jordan to train and arm hand-picked Syrian rebels. The Journal also reports Prince Bandar has been jetting from covert command centers near the Syrian front lines to the Élysée Palace in Paris and the Kremlin in Moscow, seeking to undermine the As... more »

Bolivian butterflies

Carlos at Viva Bolivia - 1 day ago
The above are Bolivian butterflies, in a case in the collection of Gene and Christine Philcox of Long Island. The Latin names are: *Heraclides torquatus, Callicore cynasura, Dione juno, Urania leilus*, and *Smyrna blomfildia.* Bolivia is renowned for its wildlife, from birds to orchids to insects. It is one of the least explored countries in the world, making it ripe for discovery and adventure.

The New York Times attempts to report!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2013* *Race in the national parks:* Sometimes, the New York Times attempts to engage in reporting. Sometimes, these attempts at reporting appear on the paper’s front page. That’s what happened yesterday via this front-page report about race and the national parks. Kirk Johnson reported from La Push, Washington. This is the way he began: JOHNSON (9/6/13): Thrusting out into the Pacific Ocean, Olympic National Park can feel like a lost world, with its ferny rain forests, violent surf and cloud-shrouded peaks. *But to the four women who hiked down to the sand ... more »

Obama Weekly Address: Syria Would Not Be Another Iraq Or Afghanistan

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 day ago
It would be worse. Title: Obama Weekly Address: Syria Would Not Be Another Iraq Or Afghanistan. Source: sealightfilms.

Why I Believe that Nuclear Power is the Safest Form of Energy

Charles Barton at The Nuclear Green Revolution - 1 day ago
One of the advantages of having a father who was a nuclear safety researcher is that I had a chance to look at nuclear safety from the inside rather than from the outside. Most of my father's work during his twenty-nine year Oak Ridge career was either directly or indirectly related to nuclear safety. My father made significant contributions to the safety of reactors in several respects. He also made contributions to the study of the release of radioisotopes in the environment through a number of sources including natural gas. He concluded that radioisotopes from natural gas could b... more »

What Mattered This Week?

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 day ago
Well, Syria. Sure. I'm not sure what I'd say for something that doesn't matter. I may have missed some silly hype about something over the holidays, but barring that...how about the talk that whatever happens between Congress and the president over Syria will be precedent-setting and either constrain or empower future presidents? I'm not convinced. But perhaps you have more. What do you think mattered this week?

A Sane Reply To Bill McCallum: Why I Cannot Support the Common Core “State” Standards

Michael Paul Goldenberg at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
William McCallum is, by his own description, a man who was “born in Australia and came to the United States to pursue a Ph. D. in mathematics at Harvard University, a professor at the University of Arizona, working in number theory and mathematics education.” He is also the chair of the Common Core mathematics […]

Hands off Syria

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
*Straight from the Syrian people:* *People from Syria hold placards reading "We are against the attack against the cradle of civilization and we want peace in Syria" *

SWISSINDO and ITCCS and the case of the exploding head

Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 1 day ago
While most of the time I refrain from the "He said" "She said" type crap that proliferates the Internet, occasionally something get's posted that jacks up my ire so much that I HAVE to respond ..... otherwise my head might explode. These were brought to my attention about 15 minutes ago. After I cleaned up the floor from all the exploding brain matter, I decided that I would finally address this openly and with full transparency. Here is the first link for those of you who haven't read it yet: http://giftoftruth.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/2013-08-15-itccs-oppt-donations.pdf 20... more »

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