12 Nov - Blogs I'm Following II

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7:31pm MST

Eat it, Chicago! The Freedom Tower One World Trade Center is taller than the Sears Willis Tower

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 4 minutes ago

*Yes, the mast counts! One World Trade Center (right) wins!* *by Ken* It all came down to the meaning of "tall." Or maybe "building." But just in time for the opening tomorrow of the modest 72-story 4 World Trade Center tomorrow, the Council on Tall Buildings and Habitat (what? you didn't know there was a Council on Tall Buildings and Habitat? how else would such great questions be decided?) has issued its longest awaited ruling: The mast atop New York's still-unfinished One World Trade Center, which brings it to the full 1776-foot height envisioned by original architect Daniel Li... more »

mars anomalies

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 27 minutes ago

Unintended consequences: US ethanol revolution causes 'ecological disaster' ......... Meanwhile , as Over 50 US officials are in Brussels to negotiate the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) , folks debate whether by by limiting health, safety and environmental regulations in order to boost trade, the US and EU are“putting the corporation above the nation ? Another red flag is whether the trade agreement could behoove giant corporations like Monsanto, who could use the new ‘de-regulation’ to sue the EU for billions of dollars if they refuse to import GMO products ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 34 minutes ago

Unintended consequences: US ethanol revolution causes 'ecological disaster' Published time: November 12, 2013 19:15 Get short URL [image: John Moore / Getty Images / AFP] John Moore / Getty Images / AFP Share on tumblr Tags Biology, Ecology, Global economy,Global warming, Natural disasters,Politics , Science, Security, USA A new investigation has revealed that the United States’ ethanol mandate is severely harming the environment without producing enough tangible benefits. Since the Obama administration began implementing the ethanol mandate – requiring a certain level of the biofuel to ... more »

Europe watch - Germany sets forth its terms for governing Europe as CDU / CSU and SPD come closer to forming their Grand Coalition........Spain continues trying to baffle with BS - is that game coming to a close ? When does Greece go boom again - stated another way , when does play Lucy with the football to Greece's Charlie Brown ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 34 minutes ago

Germany ...... http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/eu-future-breaking-berlin-moves-germany-out-of-the-line-of-fire-and-squarely-into-the-driving-seat/ EU FUTURE BREAKING: Berlin moves Germany out of the line of fire…and squarely into the driving seat BY JOHN WARD NOVEMBER 12, 2013 'BUSINESS-FRIENDLY' EU = VICTORY FOR BANKERS AND MULTINATIONALSS DANGER AHEAD FOR GREECEEC TO BE SIDELINED IN EZONE BANKING UNION HITLER WON AFTER ALL VICTORY FOR THE BANKFURTERS WOLFGANG SCHÄUBLE It is no longer possible to deny the Grossdeutschland “business friendly” agenda in Europe [image: scha... more »

NSA Blowback - Germany warns US facilities could be targeted ( by Germans not Al Qaeda ) in wake of NSA leaks !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 34 minutes ago

http://rt.com/news/nsa-german-snowden-protest-619/ Germany warns US facilities could be targeted in wake of NSA leaks Published time: November 12, 2013 22:13 Get short URL [image: The entrance to the US Airbase is pictured in Ramstein, southern German (AFP Photo / Daniel Roland)] The entrance to the US Airbase is pictured in Ramstein, southern German (AFP Photo / Daniel Roland) Share on tumblr Trends NSA leaks Tags Germany, Intelligence, Internet, Protest,USA, Violence Officials in Germany have cautioned authorities to prepare for possible attacks against United States facilities overs... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 hour ago

*Jefferson, Plaquemines parishes file wetland damage lawsuits against dozens of oil, gas, pipeline companies ~Mark Schleifstein*

STOPPED FOR SAYING HELLO

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 2 hours ago

The police in Philadelphia stop a black man for walking down the street. His crime, he said hello to someone on the street. You can hear how the cops feel about black people and how they treat people. How much have things changed for blacks since slavery days?

Quickening of energy systems via the 11-11 portal brings accelerated changes…

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 2 hours ago

* * * * *Quickening of energy systems via the 11-11 portal brings accelerated changes…* 12 November 2013 Quickening of energy systems via the 11-11 portal brings accelerated changes in the inner and so-called outer. Increased levels of hu-man (hu-being) and Hue-Being participation have allowed expansion of portal breadth and depth. Expected results include enhanced sensitivity to energetic changes by “hu-manity” class of beings, upgraded mission awareness by Hue-Manity, and highly accelerated consciousness upgrades in all Gaia groups. Gaia Whole embraces this process, as it is l... more »

Spiraling Blue Higher Energetics Appear Around Gaia Globe…

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 2 hours ago

* * * * *Spiraling Blue Higher Energetics Appear Around Gaia Globe…* by ÉirePort Spiraling blue Higher Energetics appear around Gaia Globe, indicating full Gaia Ascension Portal activation. This point has been awaited for millenia, and (although minor adjustments may be indicated) is now complete. Subsequent required steps for hu-manity and Hue-manity Up-rising are now viable. ÉirePort | November 10, 2013 at 03:38 URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-qa

HOLLY GREIG AND THE CIA

Anon at aangirfan - 3 hours ago

Campaigner* Robert Green* has alleged that a pedophile ring abused a girl called *Hollie Greig* and a number of others. The claim that Hollie Greig had been sexually abused was first reported to Grampian Police in Scotland by Hollie's mother in 2000. *Hollie Greig and her mother.* "One of the children abused, according to Green... was Sylvia Major's daughter Cath. "Cath was already an adult, and a successful footballer, by the time her mother made friends with Hollie and Anne Greig. "'I wasn't a victim of child sex abuse,' the 37-year-old said. 'I was playing half-back for Sco... more »

Listen to @KarenLewisCTU. Studio Version @thechalkface!

Timothy D. Slekar at @ THE CHALK FACE - 3 hours ago

Shaun and I are headed back to MidWest Family Broadcasting this week to record new STUDIO episodes of @the chalkface. We love the internet show but check out this studio version with Karen Lewis. What do you call it when you close 50 public schools that serve mostly minority and low income children? Be careful […]

Wednesday mini-ramble

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 4 hours ago

If the press told the truth: [image: Embedded image permalink] “…*a fiscal nightmare that would only ever be undertaken by a government or council…” **Len's Trainset: "A fiscal nightmare"* – PM of NZ “Every job ‘saved’ in the Australian auto industry by assistance through the government costs taxpayers around $300,000.” And every new Ford and Holden costs them around $60,000 in subsidies. *The cars that ate taxpayers* – ANDREW BOLT Not before time. *Republicans Are Wising up on Immigration* – Alex Nowrasteh, CATO “I can only say: I'm sorry, America. As a former Federal Reserv... more »

This is how the highest court works, in Ontario, Canada

Denis Rancourt at Activist Teacher - 4 hours ago

From "U of O Watch": http://uofowatch.blogspot.ca/2013/11/court-of-appeal-for-ontario-finds-no.html Osgoode Hall -- Court of Appeal for Ontario The Court of Appeal for Ontario heard and decided the appeal of the champerty motion in the St. Lewis v. Rancourt case on November 8, 2013. The Court dismissed the appeal without wanting to hear the responding parties (St. Lewis and University of

Ancient Pashtun Proverb: A Woman's Place Is In The Home-- Or In The Grave

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 4 hours ago

Monday morning, Nasiruddin Haqqani, the son of the founder of Afghanistan's Haqqani network-- and that group's chief financial officer-- was shot deadin Islamabad by gunmen on a motorcycle. He was definitely on a worldwide "most wanted" list and the only surprise about his violent end is that he wasn't killed in a drone strike. His younger brother, Sirajuddin, heads the Haqqani network which is connected to the Taliban and has been one of the most effective groups against the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. Syed Munawar Hassan has been the emir of Pakistan's biggest religious part... more »

Parsing the Anti-Drone Debate

Charli Carpenter at Duck of Minerva - 4 hours ago

As captured in the final images of this important new documentary, there seem to be at least three different debates going on about drones: The first is reflected in a recent op-ed titled “Five Ways Obama Could Fix Drones Right Now.” Here, Sarah Holewinski of CIVIC and Larry Lewis, a Center for Naval Analyses researcher Continue reading

The Trick To Being Rich In America Is Stealing From the Poor While Shaming Them for Being Poor (And Ignorant) (And Many Will Bless You for It!) Kidney Transplant = Higher Taxes On Rich? Untaxed Corp. Pass-Through Profits Knocking Out USA!!!  Koch Plot Blots Pub Ops?

Cirze at Welcome to Pottersville 2 (Blogging Against Fascism!) - 4 hours ago

The following essays are so simplified that after reading them almost everyone should understand (if they so desire) why the poor (or just lazy middle class) are being blamed for being poor (or not rich) by the rich, and further, why there is a concerted push to rid the U.S. of all social welfare programs (and middle-class jobs). After all, if none of the rich (corporations and individuals)

Why I Expect Nothing Out of Bauer-Ginsberg

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 4 hours ago

Sparked by my dismissal of the president's electoral administration commission yesterday, Rick Hasen got an update about what the Bauer-Ginsberg Commission is up to. Short answer: holding hearings, doing research, planning on a January report. Which is all fine, and I have nothing against Bob Bauer and Ben Ginsberg. But I'll stick to what I said back in February: a presidential commission is the wrong way of going about this, and Bauer and Ginsberg are the wrong people to head it if the goal is to really change things. In particular: presidential commissions are excellent for one ki... more »

Where the Wild Things Were

What Is Sustainable at What Is Sustainable - 5 hours ago

For the first billion years of life on Earth, all of our ancestors were single celled. One day, we aren’t sure why, a hungry organism ate a delicious bystander, and became the first predator. Predation inspired evolution to become very creative. Some organisms became mobile by developing cilia or tails. Others shape shifted into multi-celled life forms. Critters developed scales, spikes, shells, fangs, and many other clever defenses. Thus, one group survived by dining on the unlucky, and the bigger group survived by evolving every imaginable trick for cancelling lunch dates w... more »

Project Moon Dust Revisited

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 5 hours ago

As I worked on a new book about the UFO secrets found in various government files, I was scanning one of the Project Blue Book microfilms, searching for a specific case. As the files slipped by I thought I saw the words “Moon Dust.” I stopped and reversed course much more slowly. On one of what they called the “project card” which was a short summary of the case, I did see the term Moon Dust. I located several different project cards that contained “Moon Dust” references. In those few files, I found indications that there was coordination between Blue Book and Moon Dust, at least b... more »

That pale blue dot again

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 5 hours ago

Again turning aside from the subject of BBC bias, the BBC News website reports on the latest image of Planet Earth taking from the further reaches of our solar system - this time an image taken by NASA's Cassini probe, seizing a rare opportunity to slip out of reach of the sun's rays and look back towards the inner solar system - and at us - from behind the Planet Saturn. This is the charismatic image on the BBC News website: But where is Earth? Well, go to NASA's own website and you will find out. Either that, or click on the image below: Ah, if only Sir Patrick Moore had stil... more »

Holy Trademark Infringement!

noreply@blogger.com (fern hill) at DAMMIT JANET! - 5 hours ago

So, today our Crack Mayor signed bobbleheads for idiots people who waited in line for hours. He signed and schmoozed for four hours. It's all good. It's for charity. But then the bobbleheads ran out, but the line-up didn't, so he started signing t-shirts. Ruh-roh. Wonder what the Ford Motor Company thinks of being connected to a crack-smoking, criminal-associating moron. Not to mention trademark infringement. Stay tuned. And if you're on the Twitter, retweet this. Hey @FordCanada! Have a look at this. pic.twitter.com/2iqgaaQXs7 You good with it? #topoli — Fern Hill (@fernhilldam... more »

Paiute children walking with Longest Walk 4 in Utah

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 6 hours ago

. . . . . Video by Bad Bear Photos by Carl 'Bad Bear' Sampson Censored News Carmelita shared this photo of her son, 7, running a mile today! As police and frackers return to Mi'kmaq land, and snipers reported jumping out of plane at 2 pm, the resistance camp continues in New Brunswick in severe cold. Meanwhile, the Long Walkers, including women

Arctic Icecap melting (NEW THEORY)

Abraham Ben Judea at Abraham says - 6 hours ago

Look below at the Ocean current map of 1943 Made for the state department When this map was made already Seed Newsvine

The Realist Report with John Friend

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 7 hours ago

On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined by *Ace Baker*, producer of the documentary *9/11 - The Great American Psy-Opera*. Ace and I will be discussing his 9/11 research. You can download the mp3 for this program *here*, or visit *The Realist Report* on BlogTalkRadio to subscribe via iTunes and view past programs.

Koch brothers aim to kill college kids

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 7 hours ago

Okay, so the Koch boys aren't hiring snipers to murder young people, but they may as well be randomly shooting them dead. The billionaire brothers new front group invented Creepy Uncle Sam to convince them to opt out of health care. Worth clicking to see the rest of the photos at the link. On Saturday, Generation Opportunity, a group in part funded by billionaire activists Charles and David Koch, threw a tailgate party with College Republicans outside the University of Miami football game to advocate against signing up for the insurance plans. What a humanitarian plan. Okay kids, ... more »

Court of Appeal strikes down mandatory minimum gun sentence

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 7 hours ago

R. v. Nur, 2013 ONCA 677: [59] For convenience, I repeat the terms of s. 12: Everyone has a right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. [60] Section 12 provides constitutional protection against state-inflicted punishment that is cruel and unusual. Section 12 claims can be based on the nature of the punishment, the conditions in which the punishment is served, the duration of the punishment, or some combination of those factors: see Peter W. Hogg, *Constitutional Law of Canada*, loose-leaf (2007-Rel. 1), 5th ed. (Toronto: Thomson Reut... more »

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 7 hours ago

New York City, 45th Street, 1954: [Andreas Feininger photo via BechlossDCand hudsonette]

May Love bid him welcome

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 7 hours ago

I really enjoyed listening to *Start the Week *yesterday. It was everything thoughtful, engaging radio should be - which makes a change. Plus it marked Andrew Marr's return to the programme after his illness. Its focus was on the poetry of George Herbert. That's partly why I listened to it - as Herbert is my favourite poet. The other reason was that Sir John Tavener, a composer who has fascinated me for well over twenty years, was one of the guests. I was curious to hear how Andrew Marr and he would engage with each other. Herbert, as a poet, was wholly preoccupied with matters o... more »

Star Wars: The Icelandic Saga

Southern Man at Southern Man - 7 hours ago

The whole thing, all six films, in one long post. Many liberties are taken, some of necessity and some of editorial choice; for example, Jar-Jar is slain early on. Here are a few excerpts: Long did they fight, and the lava burned around them all the while, and the ash fell upon them and choked them, and neither got an advantage on the other, and each fought with utmost ferocity. Their battle was both hard and long, but it ended when Víga-Óbívan cut Anakinn on the right thigh, so that almost all the muscle was hewn out, and Anakinn fell nearly into the lava and was unable to fight f... more »

Are Typhoon Disasters Getting More Common?

noreply@blogger.com (Roger Pielke, Jr.) at Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog - 7 hours ago

This morning I have been engaged in a Twitter debate with Jeff Sachs, of Columbia Earth Institute, motivated by his tweet as follows. "Increasing Intensity of the Strongest Tropical Cyclones," published 2008, demonstrated that disasters like Haiyan becoming more common. — Jeffrey D. Sachs (@JeffDSachs) November 12, 2013 The reference is to a paper by Elsner et al. (2008) in *Nature* which shows an increase in the strongest tropical cyclones in some basins over the sub-climate time period of 1981-2005. Unfortunately for Sachs that paper does not show trends significant at the >90% l... more »

If it’s Sunday, they must have books to sell!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 7 hours ago

*TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013* *The monetization of everything in the post-journalistic guild:* David Gregory had his hands full with Sunday’s Meet the Press panel. He was hosting a four-member panel, but three of his guests were peddling books! Here’s how the segment started: ANNOUNCER (11/10/13): Meet the Press is back with our political roundtable. Here this morning, Mark Halperin, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Donna Edwards and Joe Scarborough. Now, David Gregory. GREGORY: And welcome all! A lot to get to, including Chris Christie and the future of the Republican Party. *Joe, your bo... more »

Why Is The DCCC Leaning So Heavily In Favor Of Conservatives And Against Progressives?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 8 hours ago

Steve Israel works to elect conservatives to Congress; Garrison and Aguilar Sean Sullivan covers national politics for *The Fix*. Prior to joining the *Washington Post* in the summer of 2012, Sean was the editor of Hotline On Call, *National Journal Hotline’*s politics blog. He has also worked for NHK Japan Public Broadcasting and ABC News. Sean is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a degree in Philosophy. He lives in Washington, D.C. If you read Sean's latest for the *Post*, Democrats Are Looking To Exapnd The 2014 House Map, Here's Where, you will have a better unders... more »

ENDA (Banning Sexual Orientation Discrimination) Passes In Senate What It Will Mean If It Becomes Law

Donna Ballman at Screw You Guys, I'm Going Home - 9 hours ago

ENDA is the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and the Senate just passedit. I wouldn't get too excited yet, because unless Republicans lose their majority in the House in the midterm elections we aren't likely to see this become law anytime soon. Still, I thought it would be worthwhile to discuss what the law will do (and what it won't do) if passed in the House and signed into law. Read my article in AOL Jobs to find out what ENDA will do if it becomes law, and what it won't do, despite what detractors are saying.

Freedom Flame Awards 2013

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 9 hours ago

Last Sunday night, November 10, I was one of the 14 individuals who were given the “Freedom Flame Awards” by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) Philippine office. It was a great honor for me. The citation why I was given the award was for “for his staunch advocacy for economic freedom and for his continuous support to the work of FNF.” Thank you very much to Jules Maaten, Country Director of FNF for the Philippines, for his trust and recognition of my modest contribution to spreading the ideas of economic freedom, rule of law and limited government in this part of t... more »

I WAS A FREE MAN

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 9 hours ago

MB and I went to see "12 Years a Slave" last night and everyone should go see this important film. It shares the deeply sad and sadistic story of slavery in the US in pre-Civil War times. I am always struck in such stories by the total disruption of the African-American family and psyche. How can anyone of good conscience not see how several hundred years of slavery bears a multi-generational scar on the backs of black people to this day? Cotton fields have now been replaced by jails as the majority of black youth find themselves shackled inside prisons. There is no doubt to ... more »

Wild Bill: Ginding Up The Little Boys...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 9 hours ago

Most the time when I become a bit "silent" it's because I have nothing to say. Now I'm suffering the reverse - I have *too* much to say and not enough time to slap some syllables down on the page. Plus, trying to nail down the most important issues is difficult because I think it's *all *important One issue bleeds into another and it's difficult (almost impossible) to narrow the focus. So, instead I will have breakfast, go outside and get some gardening done before it rains, and maybe later, after partaking of some hard labor and sunshine, I'll be back. This is all part of t... more »

Catch of the Day

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 9 hours ago

Greg Sargent (his emphasis) Let’s face it, the spin war over initial low enrollment figures just doesn’t matter that much. Because the story here is the same as it always was: *All that matters is whether the policy works in the long run.* If it does, then all of the spin of the moment — *low enrollment proves the law is in total collapse! Red state Dems are fleeing the wreckage wholesale*! — will be forgotten entirely, and Republicans will have to readjust to a political landscape in which the law is working for lots and lots of people. If it doesn’t — if the website doesn’t work i... more »

Vaccination During Pregnancy: Is It Safe?

Barbara Loe Fisher at Vaccine Awakening - 9 hours ago

* posted 11/12/2013* * **by Barbara Loe Fisher* It was 1977 when I found out I was going to become a Mom. I instinctively knew I needed to be careful while I was pregnant, especially during the first two trimesters when the major organ systems of the fetus develop at a rapid rate. In the 1960’s there had been a lot of publicity about babies dying or being born without arms or legs because women had taken a drug (Thalidomide) for morning sickness in the first or second trimester of pregnancy1 and I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to protect my health and the health of m... more »

As Opposed to Female Semen?

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 9 hours ago

This bloated moron doesn't even know what a tautology is. OK, here are some examples of single mothers who are "semen receptacles": Widows of soldiers, marines and sailors who died fighting for their country in needless wars started by the same politicians Limbaugh champions. Widows of police officers and firefighters who died in the line of duty. Widows whose husbands were suddenly killed or died from illness. Women who were impregnated then given a Fare Thee Well by shiftless scumbags who didn't want the responsibility. Women who were "legitimately"... more »

The Challenger Disaster: Feynman on TV

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 9 hours ago

On November 16th, Science Channel and Discovery Channel will air "The Challenger Disaster". Academy Award winner William Hurt will star as Richard Feynman. We were only shown 31 seconds but my preliminary feeling is that it might be enough to say a rather unexpected thing – that what this actor is missing to really resemble Richard Feynman is playfulness, some charisma (visually, in the behavior, gestures, as well as voice), and showmanship. But it should be very interesting, anyway. I hope that we, the viewers outside America, will eventually be able to watch it, too. Via... more »

WEATHER & WAR

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 10 hours ago

- The typhoon that battered the Philippines with winds almost 200 mph should remind us that there is an emergency at hand. More than 700,000 people were displaced. Yes climate change is real. Yes our Mother Earth's body is in a state of toxic shock and she is thrashing about in pain. Yes we must change the way we live immediately if we hope to offer our children and their children any real chance of life. Yes that means we have to get off our fossil fuel addiction. Yes that means that the Pentagon, with the largest carbon boot print on the planet, must... more »

When Income Inequality Is All the Rage

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 10 hours ago

Everybody who's anybody in the ruling media class is all atwitter over Noam Scheiber's *New Republic* piece, officially introducing Elizabeth Warren as the antidote to the serial inevitability of Hillary Clinton. With the ascension of mildly progressive Bill de Blasio to the New York City mayorality this month, Occupy has risen from the premature grave that the corporate media dug for it in 2011 in order to make room for the re-election campaign of Barack Obama. But the president's approval ratings have plummeted to all-time lows. Obamacare is a universally acknowledged mess, not l... more »

The Panic Room

gail zawacki at Wit's End - 11 hours ago

Announcing the creation of The Panic Room - a facebook group for Ozonists, Ozonistas, Cassandras, Malthusians, and other doomers of all sorts...all are welcome! I was tired of being accused of being too dismal, even at sites that purport to be doomy, so TPR (it's a joke! I got over the panic part years ago!) is for those who know or even suspect that there is no hope humanity is going to wake up no matter how obvious it is to the few that we are despoiling the earth. And now...it's time for another comparison that depicts the mind-boggling deterioration of autumn leaves. November... more »

Plain Blogger Smackdown

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 11 hours ago

Over at Greg's place yesterday, I used the hook of Virginia's wild count in the AG election as an excuse to call for more attention to election administration. Reid Wilson liked it: Good point from @jbplainblog: States really aren't that good at administering elections And then a backlash started. Michael McDonald: usually don't see errors from election night reporting >> cavass. Virginia very transparent unfair to VA election officials to use that transparency against them HHH Election Program: With all due respect, it's a silly argument; states are just using the canvass to ... more »

Tuesday Linkage

Charli Carpenter at Duck of Minerva - 11 hours ago

Killer Robot Blogging: This week, NGOs are massing in Geneva to encourage states party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons to consider banning autonomous weapons under the auspices of this treaty. This follows the UN Disarmament Committee meetings in New York in October, where multiple countries expressed concern about this issue. As in New York, Continue reading

The Endlessly Fatiguing Japanese-Korean Squabbling is the Worst it’s been in Decades

Robert Kelly at Duck of Minerva - 11 hours ago

I am so burned out on this issue, I’m ready to say we should just nuke the Liancourt Rocks (left) to end this whole thing. But it’s everywhere now in the regional media. Park pointedly won’t meet Abe, which the Japanese media is reading as a huge snub. She even said she’d talk to Pyongyang Continue reading

Uruguay: CRIDOVNI to Analyze UFO Photos

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 11 hours ago

*Source: Planeta UFO and CRIFAT http://www.crifat.org/modules/news/article.php?storyid=19* *Date: 11.11.2012* Uruguay: CRIDOVNI to Analyze UFO Photos The issues raised by extraterrestrial life are as ancient as the story of civilization. Various sightings have already been reported in Punta del Este and its vicinity time and again. One of them took place on 9 October, when Fernanda Romero had the chance to photograph an unidentified flying object in the sky over Punta del Este – an image that could perhaps be evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial life. Starting with the ... more »

Continuing: Are the two tribes alike or different!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 11 hours ago

*TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013* *Holland and Mooney diverge:* Are the two tribes alike or different? Are “conservatives” basically similar to us “liberals?” Or are they basically different from us? Are they perhaps not fully human, due to the way their brains work? Down through the annals of time, wars have emerged from questions like these. Tribal members, convinced of their greatness, have always tended toward the claim that The Others are totally different. Something is wrong with the brains of The Others! They don’t seem fully human! We humans are wired to think that way, but t... more »

DoDEA: What Can Happen without Corporate Education Reform, NCLB, RttT, etc.

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 11 hours ago

When NCLBA exempted Department of Defense schools, some whined that it was unfair: after all. Rather than protesting the grandiose stupidity of the law to begin with, the National School Boards Association contended that DoDEA schools should be put into the same vice as the the rest of America's schools that receive federal funds. Misery truly loves company. So what do we see as a result at the DoDEA schools (see earlier post here) after all these years of living without corporate charter schools, teacher evaluation based on test scores, value-added assessment, corporate missiona... more »

Is Charlie Crist A Real Democrat-- Or Just An Opportunist?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago

Good time Charlie and Nan Rich-- only one is a Democrat In recent weeks, we met two congressional candidates, Jason Thigpen (D-NC) and Michael Cole (D-TX), running, respectively, againstRepublican incumbents Walter Jones and Steve Stockman. Both are recent converts to the Democratic Party. Thigpen was a Republican and Cole was a Libertarian. Each went through a personal oddessey that awoke them to the fact that their values were in line with those of the Democratic Party. Switching for each may not have been easy, but it was very natural. Neither had to change the platforms they were... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 12 hours ago

Happy Birthday to Max Grodenchik, 61. And some good stuff: 1. Information and the structure of the Obama White House, from Andrew Rudalevige. 2. While Ezra Klain interviews Peter Baker about Bush and Cheney. 3. Henry Farrell on the new research on "cyber Pearl Harbor." Sounds right to me. 4. Rick Hasen on what might happen in VA-AG: the legislature could step in. 5. And goodbye, Thomas. Hannah Hess lets us know that it's gone next week.

What The Hell Is Wrong With Canada's Conservatives - "Conservatives Without Conscience"

leftdog at Buckdog - 12 hours ago

“Conservatives Without Conscience” by John W. Dean should be a 'must read' for all progressive*s* who are wondering what is wrong with Canada's Conservatiives. The author, John W. Dean, is a self admitted *'recovering conservative,*and was White House legal counsel for President Richard Nixon for three years but later become a key witness for the prosecution in the Watergate trials. Dean was NOT a Bush supporter, His book, published 7 years ago, *provides urgent warnings concerning the political mind set and aggressive behavior of the Right-wing in North America.His analysis of w... more »

A Silver Foot?

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 12 hours ago

Ann Richards, the late governor of Texas, claimed that George Bush the Elder was born with "a silver foot in his mouth." Justin Trudeau runs the risk of being tagged with the same epithet. His reference to China last week was another example of his tendency to speak before he thinks. Andrew Coyne writes: It’s just … weird. He was not challenged to “say something positive about China,” to which he might have replied with the standard hope that “prosperity and trade with the West will in time lead to a relaxation of the regime’s grip” or a backward glance at “the success of the m... more »

So that's how to get the house cleaned!

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 12 hours ago

Wodka Vodka Commercial

The Overoptimism of Research Assistants

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 12 hours ago

How long will it take to fix the health exchange website? I have no idea. But thinking about this issue reminded me of a time when I was a grad student, and Larry Summers was an assistant professor. Larry told me that his research assistants always vastly underestimated how long any task would take. His rule of thumb: Double the estimate the RA gives, and then move to the next higher time unit. So, if the RA says the task will take an hour, it will take two days. If the RA says it will take two days, it will take four weeks.

Fraud: Drug Companies Selectively Publish Studies to Push Anti-Depressants by Christina Sarich

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 12 hours ago

Source: http://deadmansvitamin.com/2012/12/ Fraud: Drug Companies Selectively Publish Studies to Push Anti-Depressants by Christina Sarich Natural Society, 12 November 2013 The rate of psychiatric drug prescriptions has increased by more than 1000% in the last decade or so, and antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications are making pharmaceutical companies more money than a successful day at the race track.* But have they told you the truth about the effectiveness of their medications? In a telling study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, it was reported that dru... more »

STALKING THE FAUX EDUCATION REPORTERS: The wages of hiring straight outta Harvard!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 12 hours ago

*TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013* *Part 2—Big-ass confusion in comments:* It isn’t Julia Ryan’s fault that she got hired by the Atlantic to write about an important subject she seems to know nothing about. Julia Ryan, Harvard ’13, didn’t hire herself! As for those who performed the hire, you can hardly blame them. Darlings! Ryan prepped at Exeter, then moved on to Harvard, from which she graduated in June! To the withered beings who run what’s left of an historic American journal, those credentials made Ryan the perfect choice to write about low-income kids! For whatever reason, and it... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 13 hours ago

*Stephanie Grace: Will oil, gas lawsuit keep erosion conversation going? ~N.O. Advocate* *Gaps in local storm data pose problems for estimating storm surge risk to local levees ~Sarah Drew, The Lens* *Red Cross helping U.S. families locate relatives in the Philippines ~Meg Gatto, WVUE* *#YolandaPH: Map Tour by StandbyTaskForce and GISCorps (DHN Members)* *Harry Shearer will discuss film comedy at a free New Orleans forum ~Chris Waddington*

“Fahrenheit 451″ 60 Years Later: “Why do we need the things in books?”

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 13 hours ago

\”Fahrenheit 451\” 60 Years Later: \”Why do we need the things in books?\”. via “Fahrenheit 451″ 60 Years Later: “Why do we need the things in books?”.

Hey Twitter, where's my $595?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 14 hours ago

Twitter's floatation has provided a handy basis for measuring the value that each Twitter user has contributed to that company's valuation. Time has produced a simple calculator that tells you how much Twitter 'owes' you based on the value you created for it. So where's my $595?

TWA Terminal, by Eero Saarinen, gets a makeover

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 14 hours ago

[image: TWA Terminal at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport, Eero Saarinen, New York, NY] When it was built, Eero Saarinen’s 1962 TWA Terminal at New York’s JFK Airport was a dramatic celebration of the New Age of Modern Flight—which in 1962 virtually meant the modern age. Having just been renovated for the new New Age of Mass Modern Flight, one lucky blogger got a chance to look around. As they say, “This was the cathedral to aviation, if there ever was one, and you [still] feel through the design the pride and optimism [of] the aviation industry.” [Pics by Untapped Cities, Ezra Stolle... more »

North Korea 'Publicly Executes 80 People' - Yahoo News UK

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 14 hours ago

'North Korea has reportedly publicly executed 80 people for watching South Korean television shows.The unconfirmed killings, said to be the first known large-scale executions by the Kim Jong-Un regime, took place across seven cities earlier this month, a source told South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo Daily. Eight people had their heads covered with white sacks and were tied to stakes at Shinpong Stadium in Wonsan, in Kangwon Province, as they were shot dead by North Korean forces, the newspaper reported. Witnesses apparently told the source that authorities forced some 10,000 people, i... more »

Report: Jordan vetoes Israeli request to allow Jewish prayer on Temple Mount | JPost | Israel News

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 15 hours ago

Jews denied the right to worship at the holiest site for Judaism by a state that banned almost all Jewish access to The Temple Mount when they occupied Jerusalem 1948-1967. More here http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Report-Jordan-vetoes-Israeli-request-to-allow-Jewish-prayer-on-Temple-Mount-331443

Influx of Roma migrants could spark city riots, warns Blunkett | Mail Online

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 16 hours ago

'The Mail yesterday quoted the mayor of two Romanian villages as saying half of their residents will move to the UK when restrictions are lifted in January.Koller Gabriel-Adrian said he believed '50 per cent' of the 1,100 people in poverty-stricken Berini and Uliuc could travel to Britain in search of higher salaries – and the generous welfare system – in the New Year. He added: 'In January, the only thing left in the village will be the goat.' More here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2502072/Influx-Roma-migrants-spark-city-riots-warns-Blunkett.html Sensible creature the... more »

The Bechdel Test

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 16 hours ago

The Bechdel Test received quite a lot of coverage on the BBC, Women's Hour were especially excited by the idea of rating films according to how female friendly they were - if only all films could be like Fried Green Tomatoes! Here's a cartoon that explains a problem with the Bechdel Test... Well I did really enjoy Alien, mostly for the action and suspense but not at all for the female to female conversation between Ripley and Lambert. However these images may also partly explain my fondness for Alien and the soft spot that I still have for Sigourney Weaver...

KEVIN ANNETT, POPE FRANCIS, CHILD ABUSE

Anon at aangirfan - 16 hours ago

Disney on Ice, Our Favorite Outing of the Year

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 16 hours ago

The first time we took my daughter to Disneyland, she was two weeks old. Yup, two weeks. She even went on It's a Small World, The Haunted Mansion and Pirates. Quite the adventure for a little tiny baby. Unfortunately, we haven't been back since. It is part of the reason we are always sure to hit Disney on Ice when it rolls into town. We can share the Disney Magic with our little one without making the trek to California or Florida. This fall's show Passport to Adventure, is phenomenal, it is a trek through Africa with The Lion King, Under the Sea with The Little Mermaid, Hawaii ... more »

Typhoon Haiyan: similar unspectacular cyclones arrive every 2-3 years

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 16 hours ago

Today in the morning, I was stunned by the dishonesty of the professional climate alarmists again. Their moral defects are just shocking. It seems completely obvious to me that they must know that they are lying 24 hours a day. This controversy is about the claim that the typhoon Haiyan was the strongest tropical cyclone that ever made a landfall, and so on. You can see this preposterous misinformation almost everywhere. For example, start with the first sentence of the Wikipedia article on Typhoon Haiyan. The original source of this "verbal meme" is arguably Jeff Masters of Weath... more »

IPCC: Fixing the Facts | Climate Audit

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 17 hours ago

http://climateaudit.org/2013/09/30/ipcc-disappears-the-discrepancy/

Don’t Divest, Educate—An Open Letter to American Universities | Center for Industrial Progress

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 17 hours ago

http://industrialprogress.com/signatures/

11.11: lest we forget, let's not forget: there is no glory in war.

laura k at wmtc - 18 hours ago

For Canadians who fear and distrust the steadily growing militarism suffusing the culture of our country, two recent books are indispensable: *What We Talk About When We Talk About War*, by Noah Richler, and *Warrior Nation: Rebranding Canada in an Age of Anxiety* by Ian McKay and Jamie Swift. Richler's book focuses on the re-writing and re-framing the distant past. And as the title (with its homage to Raymond Carver) suggests, Richler focuses on language. He analyzes how Canada's image of itself, in relation to war-making and the military, has been radically altered, bit by increm... more »

Postscript on Typhoon Haiyan: Hazard Vulnerability, Disasters, and Security

Josh Busby at Duck of Minerva - 19 hours ago

I found two pieces that asked similar questions to my earlier post on why this typhoon appeared to be so destructive and why similar storms in Asia are especially deadly. Both raise interesting questions for scholars of security studies and environmental politics. Max Fisher raises a similar set of concerns in the Washington Post asking why the Continue reading

a bear in duck’s clothing: reflections on the end of my blogging career

Laura Sjoberg at Duck of Minerva - 19 hours ago

Blogging is an exercise of academic freedom, like writing journal articles or books. Blogging is something that has evolving norms and rules, like writing journal articles or books. However, given its nature, the evolution of the field, and the evolution of technology, the norms of blogging are, for better or worse, unique. It is the Continue reading

The Data Quality Campaign: Encouraging States to Ramp Up Data Collection

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 19 hours ago

In April 2013, I wrote a post about the inBloom database and Louisiana Superintendent John White’s secret arrangement with inBloom. White’s inBloom arrangement is not the only student data sharing agreement into which White has entered. It is one of many arrangements White has made and about which the public has been kept in the dark. So […]

Rich Coleman, British Columbia`s Minister of Giving Away Public Assets To BC Liberal Friends(An LNG Story)

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 20 hours ago

* **Written and assembled by Grant G** * *B.C.'s Auditor General John Doyle has condemned former forests minister Rich Coleman for allowing a forestry company to remove land from three tree farm licences for residential development, citing the possibilities of conflicts of interest and insider trading by government staff.* * * *The report, released Wednesday in Victoria, said Coleman's decision to remove private forest lands from three tree farm licences (TFLs) on southern Vancouver Island was made without sufficient regard for the public interest.* * **The auditor general also... more »

Common Core’s nonsensical, corporate questions confuse even Shinonome Nano!

Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene at @ THE CHALK FACE - 20 hours ago

Common Core’s nonsensical, corporate questions confuse even Shinonome Nano! #CCSS #LAUSD http://t.co/L1qOH2gQqi — Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) November 12, 2013 Tagged: ccss, common core, common core state standards, corporate education reform, david coleman

Common Core’s nonsensical, corporate questions confuse even Shinonome Nano!

Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene at Schools Matter - 21 hours ago

Common Core’s nonsensical, corporate questions confuse even Shinonome Nano! #CCSS #LAUSD http://t.co/L1qOH2gQqi — Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) November 12, 2013

Leonard Peltier 'Inside Looking Out' Nov. 11, 2013

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 21 hours ago

Inside Looking Out By Leonard Peltier Nov. 11, 2013 http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/ Greetings my relatives, friends and supporters,I am communicating to you today to address some of the concerns about the changes that have taken place within the organization that leads the efforts to bring about my freedom. I am referencing the LPDOC as you well know, those of you who are

"Big Chris" Christie is all but elected president; can someone explain how he's going to get nominated?

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 21 hours ago

[*Click to enlarge.*] *by Ken* Now that the nomination of Chris Christie as the 2016 Republican candidate for president is all but official, even as the sure-to-be-virulent "hell no" of the party's farthest-right wing is acknowledged, a spell of craziness. So, for example, we have the normally cool-headed Froma Harrop imagining arguing the Large One coming to ground in the White House and arguing, "A President Christie Would Spell Tea Party's Doom." Can you hear the smashing of tea party china? Christie is everything the right-wingers can't stand. If he becomes the face of the Re... more »

Montessori's Genius: Independence

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 22 hours ago

*Guest post by Jennifer Rogers* Any genius possesses rare talents of the mind and heart. They are usually awkward introverts, strange, muttering fellows who boil vast quantities of complex information down to a useful truth. Stephen Hawking fit the universe in a nutshell. Charles Darwin explained the evolution of all life through the wizened smile of a tortoise. Jonas Salk pondered millions of polio cells and created the tiny vaccination that rescued humanity. Genius and talent are not commonly attributed to parents. Parenting is not a competitive field of inquiry, tho... more »

Measuring ghosts

mollymew at Molly'sBlog - 22 hours ago

*MEASURING GHOSTS* A recent article in Science Translational Medicine asks the question "Can We Measure Autism ?" To my mind this begs the question, "is there really something called "autism" that we should be trying to measure ?". The authors Isaac S. Kohane and Alai Eran inadvertently make the case in the negative. They first of all note the controversy that recent changes in the "psychiatric Bible", the DSM, have provoked. To their credit they mention the "changes in funding" behind some of the debate, though they stop short of a robust criticism of the "mental illness compl... more »

Libtards Seven Deadly Sins

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 22 hours ago

Seven deadly sins of being a libtard 1) not believing in a Skygod. Every text we have says the world is 6000 years old, only a libtard could not believe the Flintstones was not a documentary. 2) Not believing in natural law. Both Mormons and Muslims at one time justified polygamist relationships as Gods will. If you look at nature that's a very solid position. Look at all the advanced mammals that have a harem. Hmm that would lead to a defence of evolution so lets stop there. 3) Practicing best practices. Like a blood transfusion will save your life, but sorry I gotta die cause its m... more »

Scranton , Pa facing another fiscal crisis ? Moody's issues warning on Scranton - bankruptcy or default at risk if Scranton fails to close 20 million budget deficit by November 15 , 2013 deadline to introduce spending plan for the fiscal year commencing January 1 , 2014 ! Apart from the 20 million budget gap , Scranton needs to borrow somehow another 28 million owed to its police and fire unions to pay a court ordered settlement . And in sum , Scranton has 100 million in unfunded pension debt , to accompany another 195 million in other debt owed .

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 22 hours ago

http://watchdog.org/115443/moodys-warns-bankruptcy-scranton-city-faces-20-million-budget-gap/ Moody’s warns of bankruptcy in Scranton as city faces $20 million budget gap By Eric Boehm / November 11, 2013 / No Comments [image: Print This Article] By Eric Boehm | PA Independent *Scranton* could be headed towards another fiscal crisis like the one that resulted in city workers having their pay cut to minimum wage in 2012, according to a major credit ratings agency. [image: GOING BUST: Scranton could default or face bankruptcy before the end of the year, if the city doe... more »

The Realist Report with John Friend

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 23 hours ago

On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined by long-time JFK assassination researcher and author *Pat Shannan*. Pat and I will be discussing his new book, *The JFK Assassination and the Uncensored Story of the Two Oswalds*. You can download the mp3 for this program *here*, or visit *The Realist Report* on BlogTalkRadio to subscribe via iTunes and view past programs. Be sure to visit Pat's website *www.PatShannan.us* where you can find more information about the books he has authored. Also, if you purchase two books, you will receive a third book of your choice for fr... more »

The Day After Remembrance

Zoe Brain at A.E.Brain - 23 hours ago

I can remember sitting on my Grandfather's knee, fascinated by the different anatomy he had on his right arm. The missing fingers, the muscles that weren't there. Souvenirs of Passchendaele. The story he told about taking shots from a very long distance to knock out the Berlin-Istanbul telegraph line, miles behind the lines at Gallipoli. Every morning, at first light, a group of snipers would be tasked with infiltrating behind the Turkish lines, to take out the milk-bottle sized insulators from about a mile - as close as they could get. It took many shots, but they'd do it. And tha... more »

In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan , survivors try to pick up the pieces .......State of National Calamity ( nice way of saying martial law ) declared and is needed as incredible structural damages not just to homes and building but the national grid , transportation and communications - coupled with rampant looting ( survival tactics by the devastated , opportunism by others naturally ) has crushed the nation.....Total devastation which wiped out television , radio and naturally internet communication hampering relief efforts as food , potable water , medicines in short supply if supplied at all presently..... .... with half of the country 80 provinces impacted , no way at this time to accurately account for dead, displaced or missing.... rebuilding costs - economic damages could hit 14 billion ( USD ) , Monies the government has to fund reconstruction - 429 million.......

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago

http://rt.com/news/philippines-state-national-calamity-544/ Death, hunger and looting: Typhoon-ravaged Philippines declares state of national calamity Published time: November 11, 2013 16:21 Edited time: November 11, 2013 21:41 Get short URL [image: A surivor walks among the debris of houses destroyed by Super Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban in the eastern Philippine island of Leyte on November 11, 2013.(AFP Photo / Noel Celis)] A surivor walks among the debris of houses destroyed by Super Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban in the eastern Philippine island of Leyte on November 11, 2013.(AFP Phot... more »

Who Will Protect Us From The NSA If Not Congress?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago

The new letter to Blue America members earlier today is all about electing a progressive U.S. Senator in Maine, Shenna Bellows. If you contribute to Shenna, or any Blue America candidate-- any amount-- you'll be a member too… and you'll get the e-mail blasts long before they're up on our blogs. Overall, we see Shenna as a fearless and proven fighter, someone of the calibre of Elizabeth Warren. Her big issues can be summarized into 5 easy categories that she has consistently brought up to us as we've gotten to know her: *•* Restoration of our constitutional freedoms, particularly ... more »

RAG RADIO / Thorne Dreyer : October Interviews with Poppy Northcutt, Maneesha James, Seth Holmes, and Thomas Zigal

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 1 day ago

Frances "Poppy" Northcutt with Rag Radio's Thorne Dreyer in the studios of KPFT-FM in Houston, Friday, October 25, 2013. Photo by Guy Schwartz / The Rag Blog. Rag Radio podcasts: Thorne Dreyer interviews Poppy Northcutt, Maneesha James, Seth Holmes, and Tom Zigal Our October guests address Texas feminist history, issues involved with death and dying, the plight of migrant farmworkers, and the

France Is Now Officially Israel's Bitch: French Obey Their Jewish Masters, Derail Iranian Nuclear Talks, And Get Rewarded For Obeying Their Masters' Wishes!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago

I really do not like being proven right again… I have said time and time again that these "talks" between the innocent and peaceful nation of Iran, and the so called "P5+1" states over Iran's non-existent "nuclear weapons" program were doomed from their onset…. Israel and the Jews would never allow their minion states to sign off on any agreement with Iran, simply because these psychotic criminals have always wanted Iran destroyed, and to have their minions do all the fighting and dying in a war for that nation's destruction. That is why I have looked at these "talks" as nothing mo... more »

Remembrance Day/Veterans Day: Poppycock - Why Remembrance Rituals Make Me See Red

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, and Veterans Day in the United States…. This day marks the 95th anniversary of November 11th, 1918, when at 11am European time, the guns on the Western front went silent and the fighting of World War I officially came to a bitter end…. It is not my place to vilify those brave individuals that gallantly fought for their nations in these conflicts…. Many believed in the cause and they had faith in their leadership and at the time went off to fight and die under the assumption that they were fighting for liberty, freedom, and justice….. But now that ... more »

Libya updates November 11 , 2013 - PM Ali Zeidan has his hands more than full trying to hold things together in forgotten Libya ! Libyan separatists take over oil exports as PM Ali Zeidan predictably warns of foreign intervention - and with whom's Army will this foreign intervention be launched ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago

Libya = Chaosistan ? Libya Herald...... Zeidan floats idea to buy up illegally-held arms with outside help *By Ahmed Elumami.* *Tripoli, 11 November 2013:* The government may need international help to organise the purchase and collection of weapons not held by the police, army and affiliated units, prime minister Ali Zeidan has said. Zeidan proposed yesterday at his press conference that Libya needed to take advantage of international experience, to set up a programme to buy up all illegally-held arms in the country. Zeidan said that if the GNC approved his plan, the government woul... more »

Keynes’s Ghost Continues To Haunt Economics

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago

*Guest post by William Anderson** * According to Keynesian economics, recession is not supposed to accompany inflation. So when the U.S. economy dipped into an inflationary recession in 1969, Murray Rothbard noted (in his introduction to the Second Edition of *America’s Great Depression*) that while the Keynesian paradigm could * not* explain that phenomenon, Austrian economics *could*. If Rothbard was correct — and he was — then one might think Keynesian “economics” should have been deep-sixed permanently, given it could not explain what everyone saw happening. Likewise, during ... more »

Quote of the Day: On nonconformity

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago

“Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore it if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, from *Self-Reliance and Other Essays* Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

Angel Flight...(must see video)

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago

*best in full screen.*

Weekend ObamaCare items of note November 8-10 , 2013 .... Website Czar paving the way for delays as more software and capacity issues come to the surface ? Most uninsureds ignoring healthcare exchanges anyway - the point of this exercise called ObamaCare was what again ? Vulnerable Dems squealing like stuck pigs to the White House to fix this clusterfark pronto - or else Congress will go take matters in their own hands ......Additional items of note and some well earned mockery..........

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago

Saturday items..... http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2013/11/09/implementing-health-reform-the-individual-market-mental-health-and-substance-abuse-parity/ Implementing Health Reform: The Individual Market; Mental Health And Substance Abuse Parity ------------------------------ November 9th, 2013 *by* *Timothy Jost* The first week of November, 2013, was a very bad week for the health care reform project. Healthcare.gov continues to stumble. Although the Department of Health and Human Services continues to insist in daily briefings that the performance of the website is improving, an... more »

COST OF OCCUPATION / BETRAYAL AND MISERY

Allen L Roland, Ph.D at Allen L Roland's Weblog - 1 day ago

** ** *In five years, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Barack Obama, the agent of hope and change, has become the prince of darkness and his presidency has become a farce ~ an absurdly futile exercise in pretense and broken promises from a president who cloaks himself with drones and armor and who answers only to the corporate global elite.* *The cost of occupation in both Iraq and Afghanistan is the silence of moral disillusion and betrayal by a dying Empire ~ for our military has bought into a War on Terror farce which will not go away and continues through this Veterans day in 201... more »

Disaster help

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago

A Filipino friend tells me the best way to help those devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) is through the Philippines Embassy. You can find the necessary details halfway down the Embassy website’s front page, i.e., the Federation of Filipino Associations, Societies and Clubs in New Zealand Inc. (FFASCNZ Inc.) is now making the necessary arrangements. Donations may be made at the following bank account: • FFASCNZ Inc Westpac Bank Account:* 03-1702-0149293-00* • Particulars: *Individual’s Name or Name of Organization* • Analysis/Reference: *YOLANDA*... more »

St. Paul Teachers in Historic Battle

Judy Rabin at Schools Matter - 1 day ago

Sign the petition and support the St. Paul teachers. A message from Jesse Hagopian: I have been in close contact with the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers union president Mary Catherine Ricker who is leading one of the most important struggles for public education in the nation. Mary is very inspired by the Seattle MAP boycott and has asked for my support in their struggle against standardized testing. *When I met Mary in L.A. a few weeks back, she told me the full story of how she got major community and parent support to attempt to get rid of a state mandated standardized ... more »

Veterans' Day Links

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 1 day ago

Here's a sampling of some great writing to mark Armistice Day (which, connoting peace the way it does, has been changed in the Land of Forever-War to Veterans' Day): The sanctimony of phony politicians paying lip service to vets once or twice a year is pissing Harry Leslie Smith off. He explains why he'll stop wearing the traditional red poppy in remembrance of the fallen war dead: (h/t Pearl.) However, I am afraid it will be the last time that I will bear witness to those soldiers, airmen and sailors who are no more, at my local cenotaph. From now on, I will lament their passing i... more »

E.1027, by Eileen Gray

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago

[image: cat] The unromantic sounding name of this concrete and steel house in the South of France disguises a romantic past, and a controversial present. [image: E-1027 house by Eileen Gray] Designed with her lover Jean Badovici; painted with murals by Le Corbusier (without Gray’s permission); home to a murder in 1996; and now subject to a restoration that has been called a “massacre” of the original. A house is *not *a machine to live in," wrote the pioneering modernist Eileen Gray in response to Le Corbusier's oft-quoted line about a house being a *machine á habiter*. "It is t... more »

Is Mainstream Media Hiring from Write for America?

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago

Bob Somerby at the daily howler seems to be onto something with this analysis of an article on NAEP by Julia Ryan* at The Atlantic: Ryan is typical of the people who are being hired to write about low-income schools. At Time, at the Nation, at the Atlantic, even at the New York Times, the […]

Politicians Seek To Stab Veterans In The Back On-- What Else?-- Veterans Day

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago

John Mica (R-FL), no friend of veterans Today, every candidate and every congressmember who ever managed to get their grubby paws on my e-mail address-- both parties-- sent out Veterans Day greetings. They were all pretty much the same pious ass-kissing, many from conservatives who expect the most from the military and who had actually voted against veterans over and over again. A Daily Kos diarist, War on Error, delineated 7 bills to benefit veterans that conservatives killed in Congress: *H.R. 466*-- Wounded Veteran Job Security Act-- This bill would actually provide job security... more »

Monday Evening Linkage

Megan MacKenzie at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago

Transgender Veterans are fighting to get their military paperwork to match their preferred gender identity. This raises SO many interesting and important issues for the US military- ones that it will have to face. For example, discharge papers -which may include an individuals former gender identifier- are used for future employment, benefits, funeral instructions etc. Continue reading

The John Lewis Christmas Advert

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 1 day ago

Bah humbug! There's uneaten pumpkin pie sitting in the fridge, *and* at least another evening of fireworks to look forward to as bonfire month draws to a close. And yet, there it was. Like a nativity star fizzing in the sky John Lewis have unveiled the two minutes, ten seconds of their festive advert. Yeah, so choosing November 10th to launch your advent advertising campaign jumps the shark a little bit, but we live in a world where Tesco and Sainsbury's start flogging Christmas gear *at the end of August*. John Lewis is Johnny-come-lately. I also gather the advert has become somet... more »

Typhoon Haiyan and Asia’s Special Vulnerability to Climate-Related Hazards

Josh Busby at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago

You probably saw the horrific photos and video of Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Yolanda) that made landfall over the weekend in the Philippines, with winds nearing 200 miles an hour and an immense 13 foot storm surge that decimated infrastructure, leading to wide-scale loss of life due to drowning and collapsed buildings. According to Continue reading

Weekend Update

Southern Man at Southern Man - 1 day ago

Another busy weekend with Teen Daughter in town, a family birthday dinner, movie night with the church men's group, and lunch with the area geocachers. After work on Friday Southern Man dashed up to get Teen Daughter and raced back into town for the fall birthday dinner... Three Southern Cousins, all fine young men even if some of them go to the wrong state university... ...and their father, Southern Brother. Southern Father and Teen Daughter at the dominoes table. ...after which Southern Man zipped across town to meet up with some men from church at a local grill and then a... more »

Top Jewish leaders in America slam Obama administration

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 1 day ago

*The Algemeiner*, a popular online Jewish news source, reported yesterday that many top Jewish leaders in America are not happy with the Obama administration, especially in light of Secretary of State John Kerry's remarks regarding the ongoing talks between the U.S. and Iran centering around Iran's nuclear proliferation program, in addition to statements he made about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Top American Jewish leaders had harsh words Sunday for U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, and the Obama administration. Their comments came after recent remarks made by Kerry on Isra... more »

Test and Punish Moratorium: “I Won’t be Ignored!”

Timothy D. Slekar at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago

On Friday a colleague and I attended a meeting at a community center. We were there to talk about how our college was going to help the community center continue a program that helps low income children develop cultural capital. Why? Because like any program funded through a grant the money was just about gone. […]

Deeply Conflicted About Weather Extremes

noreply@blogger.com (Roger Pielke, Jr.) at Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog - 1 day ago

Last week I gave a talk on how the IPCC has treated the issue of extreme weather events over the years. I concluded that despite some very positive signs that the community is reclaiming scientific integrity on this issue (see IPCC SREX and AR5), some part of the community -- especially visible leaders -- remain deeply conflicted. Following my talk a few colleagues asked me for evidence of that deep conflict. Here is a good one. Have a look at the picture above (courtesy @JPvanYpersele on Twitter) of IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri presenting the findings of AR5 and SREX to COP19 ... more »

Compare and contrast.

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago

North Korea a “prison camp”? “Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Gareth Morgan back in September. Now, it’s reported that North Korea has publicly executed 80 people for watching banned television programmes, including in the eastern port of Wonsan, [where] the authorities gathered 10,000 people in a sports stadium to watch the execution of eight people by firing squad… Public executions on trumped-up charges are so common in the slave state, it’s clear North Korea has little interest in concealing what it is. Unlike Gareth. Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Ple... more »

Iran's Nuclear Rights vs. the West's "Bombastic Diplomacy"

Nima Shirazi at Wide Asleep in America - 1 day ago

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Undersecretary Wendy Sherman meet with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Geneva, November 9, 2013. (AP) Reports following the end of the most recent round of talks between six world powers and Iran in Geneva early Sunday morning revealed that, while a preliminary deal was

Word salad, dummy, dummy

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago

Breaking my personal embargo on 2016 speculation and any mention whatsoever of Klondike Blarbie because this is too delicious not to share. It's clear our Griftzilla of the Frozen North is testing the waters for her next big grift. She's in Iowa. She's at the fundie confabs. She's dishing up her special brand of bizarre word salad on the Today Show. When asked to explain her alternative proposal for Obamacare, she spewed this out: "The plan is to allow those things that had been proposed over many years to reform a health-care system in America that certainly does need more help s... more »

Remembrance Day and World Peace

LeDaro at LeDaro - 1 day ago

World needs peace and not wars.

World's Best London Broil

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 1 day ago

When I say we eat this London Broil in our house almost every other week, I am not lying. My husband and I both love this so much, that it seems like every time we pass a London Broil in the grocery store is just ends up in our cart. We have tried lots of other recipes, but nothing compares to this one. The blend of spices is just perfect and when cooked right, the meat is absolutely divine. We have never had leftovers on a night when we have made this recipe. It is just that good. Marinating is absolutely essential for this recipe. You need to let meat sit in the marinade in your... more »

Kristof discusses low-income kids!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago

*MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2013* *Fails to pursue basic questions:* Yesterday was a very rare day at the New York Times’ Sunday Review. Don’t misunderstand! The section featured its usual frippery from Maureen Dowd. In her column, Dowd was concerned about the insults the dumbasses dish at each other on Comedy Central’s roasts. (Can we talk? They do this to garner minimal ratings from the rest of nation’s dumbasses.) We’ll put Dowd alongside Ta-Nehisi Coates, who is concerned about the insulting things NFL players say to each other, in a situation where it’s very hard to know what’s go... more »

“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” ― Voltaire

Paul Coker at News Spike - 1 day ago

Will John Boehner Be Able To Defeat Independent-Minded Republican Justin Amash In A Primary?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago

Last year, when Justin Amash first ran for reelection to Congress in a west Michigan district centered on Grand Rapids and Battle Creek (MI-03) the Democratic Party put up a corrupt conservative hack, Steve Pestka, who could never heart him. It was the first time ever, *DWT* suggested voters consider voting for a Republican over a Democrat. Obama had narrowly beaten McCain in 2008, but fell short against homeboy Mitt Romney, 177,772 (53%) to 153,053 (46%). Almost 10,000 of those Obama voters didn't bother casting ballots for Pestka-- an anti-Choice fanatic-- that day. Three months ... more »

FALLING LEAVES

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago

We've got a yard full of leaves with still more to fall in the many trees surrounding our house. I did some raking and cleaning up of the flower gardens this morning but much more yet needs to be done. Bit by bit. Still have several of the vegetable garden beds to clean out. My door-to-door work last week has set me back but hopefully will get caught up in the coming days. The last two nights were fun for MB and I as we took a couple neighborhood girls to a play at Bowdoin College. One of our Bowdoin student friends was in the play and we all were excited to see her in action... more »

PHILIPPINES TYPHOON CAUSED BY US MILITARY WEAPON - REPORT

Anon at aangirfan - 1 day ago

Dr Michio Kaku, the Weather Channel and CNN have discussed tropical storms caused by microwave beams (pulses). Reports have emerged that the typhoon which hit the Philippines was caused by a microwave beam. The microwave beam was observed in the West Pacific and it appears to have created the typhoon. Reportedly, a U.S. Airforce base is located near the source of the microwave beam. The U.S. base is reportedly a satellite communications hub. After the microwave beam emission, satellite images showed a "heavy rotation" begin to develop, eventually becoming a large tropical stor... more »

Another useless climate conference: Warsaw

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 1 day ago

Today, COP19/MOP9 began in the Polish capital. It will continue through November 22nd. Yes, it's already the 19th COP (Conference of the [UNFCCC] Parties). The previous United Nations climate hysteria conferences took place in Berlin, Geneva, *Kyoto*, Buenos Aires, Bonn, The Hague, Bonn, Marrakech, New Delhi, Milan, Buenos Aires, Montreal, Nairobi, *Bali*, Poznań, * Copenhagen*, Cancún, Durban, and Doha. Next year, they will travel somewhere to Peru. I tried to use the bold face for some of the conferences that were more memorable than others – Kyoto because it gave the world the su... more » 

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