Wednesday, January 29, 2014

29 Jan - My Feedly!

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Bruce Lee's Best Productivity Tricks
Bruce Lee is one of history's most productive people, which is pretty amazing considering he died at 32 years old. He was not only an action film star and martial artist, but also an instructor, screenwriter, director, and philosopher. Here's just a small bit of what we can learn from him.
Bitcoins
My Grandfather was a small town lawyer in the 1930s.  One of his less fond memories was the difficulty of getting paid for his work (plus ça change, plus cest la même chose).  People did not have money but they did have other items and he would often have to take his fees in chickens or eggs or firewood.  Even today, when I do work in , I am asked to take carvings or sealskins rather than money.The problem, of course, with barter is that you do not always get what you want or need – I have plenty of carvings and have very little need of sealskins.  My Grandfather had a lot more chickens than h
“Shame” on you, ISA
Dear ISA Governing Council, Greetings.  You probably don’t know me but I’m a long-time user of your services.  My first real conference experience was at ISA Chicago in 2007.  I practiced my 10 minute presentation for hours in my hotel room and had to borrow $250 from my mom to attend.  I really benefited, however, from the feedback I received from all 7 people in the audience.  I’ve routinely attended ISA conferences in the time since 2007 and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  I’ve reviewed and contributed to ISA journals multiple times and am currently serving the Association as both

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Scientist sues NASA over alien life on Mars
Rhawn Joseph is taking legal action on the basis that NASA isn't doing enough to investigate alien life. The author and researcher has filed the unusu...
The Very First Porsche Was an Electric Vehicle
Via: Cnet: The very first Porsche, an electric carriage, sat untouched in a warehouse for 111 years, but now it’s come home. On June 26, 1898, Ferdinand Porsche’s “Egger-Lohner C.2 electric vehicle,” better known as the “P-1,” rolled on to the streets of Vienna for the first time. In 1899, the P-1 took the gold […]
Ukraine: Is Yanukovych Finished?
Flickr/thierry ehrmann read more
Flatulent cows cause methane gas explosion
A herd of cows managed to cause a significant gas explosion on a dairy farm in Rasdorf, Germany. Police investigating the peculiar incident concluded ...
Top of the Morning: New Polio Strain in Pakistan (title unknown) / by Eric Martin of TP... / 2h 

Tax funded namecallers? Clive Hamilton, The Conversation are the same: beyond reason
What we need is a mature national discussion. But what The Conversation (and the Business Spectator) gives us is logic-according-to-Clive, which is a black and white world where complex debates are reduced to yes or no answers and there are no shades of gray. How much will our climate warm? Clive says “Yes”. Clive Hamilton is an Australian “intellectual” a Professor of Public Ethics and holds the
“What have you heard about Barry Seal having flown a get-away plane out of Dallas after the Kennedy assassination?”
Via: Mad Cow Productions: Is there evidence that there was a get-away plane? The answer is yes.
Scientists film how brain makes memories
For the first time ever, researchers have caught on video the process responsible for memory formation. The remarkable footage depicts the complex pro...
Climate change violates Newton’s Third Law of Experts
Climate change violates one of Newton’s Laws First published on OnlineOpinion Dec 2007 and unfortunately still very applicable. by William York The claim that the science debate over cimate change is settled violates the most important of Newton’s Laws. This violation is not of the famous Laws of Motion but of a little known set of derived bylaws, Newton’s Laws of Experts, a major contribution to
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The Corbett Report 28 unread articles  //  actions

The NSA and the 9/11 Deception
by James Corbett GRTV.ca January 26, 2014 As the public finally becomes outraged over the NSA’s illegal spying, members of government and the corporate media wage an information war to misdirect that anger to issues of less importance. To counteract this, a bold new citizen-led initiative to nullify the NSA is now gaining momentum around the United States. This is the GRTV Backgrounder on Global R
Divide and Conquer: Politics and the Left/Right Fraud
by James Corbett BoilingFrogsPost.com January 28, 2014 From education to the environment, business to banking, housing to health care, it seems that there is no issue in the world that the industrialized western democracies cannot reduce to a simplistic paradigm of “liberal” vs “conservative.” In fact, this point has been so hardwired into the modern political system that it has been distilled int
Who is Behind the Ukrainian Riots? – New World Next Week
Welcome to http://NewWorldNextWeek.com — the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week: Story #1: Ukraine Opposition Sets 24-hour Deadline As Protests Rage http://ur1.ca/ghhxb Putin Scores a New Victory: What Really Happened In Ukraine http://ur1.ca/ghhxc Ukraine Texts Citizens: Hey, We See Yo
Interview 811 – New World Next Week with James Evan Pilato
Welcome to http://NewWorldNextWeek.com — the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week: Story #1: Ukraine Opposition Sets 24-hour Deadline As Protests Rage http://ur1.ca/ghhxb Putin Scores a New Victory: What Really Happened In Ukraine http://ur1.ca/ghhxc Ukraine Texts Citizens: Hey, We See Y
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The EnvironmentaList 24 unread articles  //  actions

Where have all the sea cows gone?
Something is killing Florida’s manatees, but no one’s sure what. Scientists try to piece together the puzzle
“All of the Above” Still a Big Disappointment
Greens largely unexcited by State of the Union
Bees With ‘Backpacks’ Might Help Unlock the Mystery Behind Die Offs
Australian scientists fit bees with radio sensors to monitor behavior
Fracking is Shaking the Earth in Texas
When Texans say “no” to oil and gas development, it’s a sign that times are a-changin'
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(title unknown) 5 unread articles  //  actions

Central African Republic Elects First Female President
Source: BlackAmericaWeb.com Congrats are in order for Catherine Samba-Panza. This beauty has been elected as the first female president of the Central African Republic. Previously, Ms. Samba-Panza was the mayor of Bangui and became the interim president after beating rival, Desire Kolingba, son of the ousted president. President Samba-Panza is tasked with ending the sectarian violence that has be
What is more detrimental to the Black community: Gay Marriage vs. Interracial Marriage
In light of the all the media buzz about Good Morning America host Robin Roberts publicly announcing her same-sex relationship (here), and in the wake of the Duck Dynasty Phil Robertson controversy (here), I wondered to myself: “why are we as a society so fascinated in who’s f*cking who!?” There are numerous media outlets, from TMZ to Bossip, which feeds our cravenous appetites for such informatio
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A Closer Look: Jody Paterson 3 unread articles  //  actions

The soundtrack of our lives
      I think I'll have to make some sound files as keepsakes of our time here before we head back to Canada this spring.     The blog posts, the photos, the videos – sure, they’ll all keep the memories alive. But an audio clip of all the noises that go on outside our door every day would probably be the thing that would instantly bring me back to this kitchen table, where the soundtrack of daily
Nothing sudden about the death of newspapers
    My journalist friends and I are doing a lot of hand-wringing these days over the death of the Kamloops Daily News, which has a history as a good, strong community newspaper.  The News is not the first nor the last newspaper to die in these difficult times, but that a paper should die that journalists themselves thought of as a good paper perhaps feels weightier to us.     It’s all very sad, of
Nice face, shame about the rep
   We're newly back from two weeks of travelling on the Caribbean side of Guatemala and through Belize. It's easy travel in Belize, where English is the primary language, and the little country is clearly a popular choice for North American and European travellers. But while I totally get how nice it is to just breeze through a welcoming country with great tourism infrastructure, hopefully we conv
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A Different Perspective 3 unread articles  //  actions

Philip Corso and The Day After Roswell, Again
(Blogger’s Note: In the last few days I have been asked about Philip Corso and his tales of seeing the Roswell bodies and of seeding alien technology into American industry. I have updated the information to reflect what we now know. This is my take on the stories Corso told, and once again, I find myself attempting to explain why I don’t accept what he said as real.) As everyone now knows, Philip
Rumor Control
There are a couple of things that I think need to be straightened out. First, as I was surfing the net (yes, I googled my name… Oh yeah, you’ve never done that) I discovered a number of my books were being offered as free downloads. There are apparently many out there who believe that if a book is twenty years old, there are no copyright issues. Well, this isn’t true. The books are still under cop
Unsealed: Alien Files.... Seriously?
While searching for something interesting to watch, I stumbled across a program called Unsealed: Alien Files and my only comment is, “Seriously?”This is one of the reasons that we have trouble getting science and journalism to take UFO reports seriously. It is one of the reasons that so many people have so little time for UFOs or who believe those seeing UFOs are deluded. This program, in the guis
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A plain blog about politics 8 unread articles  //  actions

Friday Baseball Post
It's Hall of Fame time. Can't miss this one.As we all know, this year's ballot for the real voters is unlike any normal one: instead of being about which marginal guys deserve to be in, it's about dealing with the strategy of what to do with far more deserving players than the rules allow. There was a bit of this last year, but now it's getting silly.So. Some sorting is in order. Last year I had n
Recently at Bloomberg View
I suppose I'll start a new post, and update it throughout the week, with links to current posts over there. As always with these, I may or may not update here in a timely way; your best bet is just to go over to my main page there.Here are the weekend links:Friday Baseball PostWhat Mattered?Sunday Question for ConservativesSunday Question for LiberalsAnd Monday, January 13:Read Stuff, You ShouldWh
Looking For Me? I'm Over At Bloomberg View
First post is up:Will Scandal Cost Christie the Invisible Primary?Yes, I got "party actors" and who they are into my first post...just worked out that way. More to come!Again, my general page over there is also up (will get you first paragraphs of each post, click through for full thing...alas, true blogs just aren't happening any more).Also yesterday:Catch of the DayAnd today, beginning
Moving Day
Yes, boxes are being packed and unpacked at Plain Blog world headquarters today for the big move...well, figuratively at least. But in fact the big day is tomorrow.Bloomberg View is here. And they already have a page for me, here. Empty now, but by late morning tomorrow there should be something there. I'm afraid at first there won't be a dedicated rss feed, but they're actually a few weeks away f
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A Way to Live 6 unread articles  //  actions

Update to Collected Poems
collected poemsBy risa bearView this Author's SpotlightPaperback, 74 Pages PreviewPrice: $9.99Ships in 3-5 business daysThese poems, collected for the first time, appeared in the books Desire for the Land and Lettuce in Winter, and in the journals Bellowing Ark, Sand River Journal, New Zoo Poetry Review, Lynx: Poetry from Bath, Aerious, Disquieting Muses, Ariga: Visions, Writtenmind, and Rockhurst
Fogged in
The neighbor's sheep.Fog for the last two weeks, fog predicted for the next two, hovering around the freezing mark. I feel as if I've retired from farming and am spend my time, as you may have noticed, bringing my titles up to date at Stony Run Press, to meet the requirements for Amazon distribution.The ducks have been banished from the garden, to their great dismay, and the chickens have been let
New blog (like you don't have enough to read)
With the high-ridge fog continuing at about 32F much of the time, I've been mostly doing plumbing and housework. And, umm, being a nuisance on the Internet. So this is an announcement of a new blog, which will consist initially of the buddhism/permaculture posts that appeared here late in 2013, and maybe go on from there. Here's the link, if ya wanna go there.http://buddhismpermaculture.blogspot.c
New cover for Viewing Jasper Mountain
Viewing Jasper MountainBy Risa BearView this Author's SpotlightPaperback, 163 Pages     PreviewPrice: $9.99Ships in 3-5 business daysA journal, with a chapter for each month of the year, of the author's thoughts during a year of living at Stony Run Farm, a small homestead in Oregon's Willamette Valley. By the author of Starvation Ridge.This thing is a bit anachronistic by now, as it chronicles lif
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Abraham says 8 unread articles  //  actions

Tools to Terrafom Mars
Herschel telescope detects water on dwarf planet in asteroid beltFor the last century, Ceres was known as the largest asteroid in our solar system. But in 2006, the International Astronomical Union, the governing organization responsible for naming planetary objects, reclassified Ceres as a dwarf planet because of its large size. It is roughly 590 miles (950 kilometers) in diameter. When it first
All seeing Narus
Narus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/NarusNarus may refer to: Narus, South Sudan, a community in Eastern Equatoria State of South Sudan Narus River, Kapoeta, a river in Kapoeta County of South Sudan Narus ...Narus Announces Latest Product Upgrade: NarusInsight 8 …finance.yahoo.com/news/narus-announces-latest-product-upgrade...Mar 06, 2012 · SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwire -03/0
CIA connects the Dots
NOT....The Camp Chapman attack was a suicide attack by Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi against the Central Intelligence Agency facility inside Forward Operating Base Chapman on December 30, 2009. FOB Chapman is located near the eastern Afghan city of Khost, which is about 10 miles northwest of the Pakistani border. One of the main tasks of the CIA personnel stationed at the base was to provide in
Femen العنف تركيا الاحتجاج ضد المرأة

الانضمام للاحتجاج أو المساهمةhttp://www.femen.org/ناشط من Femen النسائية المدافعة عن حقوق يستعد للمشاركة في تظاهرة ضد العنف المنزلي مارس اسطنبول 8، 2012. وكالة رويترز / عثمان أخترنا.الشرطة تعتقل أحد الناشطين في مجال حقوق المرأة الأوكرانية، وأكدت تنظيم مظاهرة عاري الصدر للاحتجاج على العنف المنزلي ضد المرأة في تركيا، في اسطنبول، الخميس 8 مارس، 2012، بعد ساعات فقط من رجل قتل بالرصاص احدى قريباته. ورد
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Activist Teacher 1 unread article  //  actions

Dr. Denis Rancourt files application to the Supreme Court of Canada for his right to an impartial court
An Ontario superior court judge had strong personal, family, emotional, and contractual financial ties to a party intervening for the plaintiff in [the] case, and also to the law firm representing the party in court, and did not disclose any of these ties. This party was also the employer of the plaintiff in the lawsuit, and funded the plaintiff’s litigation. The judge was tasked with
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Adventures with Kurt and Lori 2 unread articles  //  actions

Addict
Saturday night, I made this spur of the moment decision to stop drinking caffeine.I drink diet pop ALL DAY LONG, so this seemed to be a daunting task.  I pretty much get up in the morning, open a pop and sip it while getting ready, drink about half.  Come to work, open another drink it until about lunch time. Drink another and sometimes another in the late afternoon.  Come home, drink 1-2 more.  I
Two Months
Hi from me and baby Midas, who now tops the scales at 16 pounds!  He is growing like a little weed and seems to have increasing energy every day which exhausts Kurt and I as well as Gretel. We still love the little guy though,.I have no clue where to start and cannot believe it's been 2 months since my last post!  Life has been crazy busy.  So much to do, so little time. Literally.Plan right now i
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Allen L Roland's Weblog 5 unread articles  //  actions

America'S Nuclear Radiation Cover Up 1946 - 1958 / Barbaric Racism
Bravo nuclear explosion / Project 4.1 / March 1st, 1954The Public Broadcasting Industry paid for and is now suspressing a documentary film "Nuclear Savage" that explored nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands 1946-1958 ~ that exposed Pacific Islanders to deadly overdoses of radiation just to send a message and get more data on killing and maiming people: Allen L RolandThe Republic of t
WHAT MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr WOULD DO TODAY
Martin Luther King was above all a truth teller, the ultimate whistle blower, and we can carry on his legacy by insisting on nothing but the truth and settling for nothing less than the truth. King was far more than a moderate reformer ~ King was a change agent who advanced strong policy changes that went against the grain of the nation’s corporate state, and insisted that  “only by structural ch
Celebrating My Sunset Years
As I approach my 80th birthday on this planet, I realize I'm still celebrating life with good health, a deep loving relationship with my partner, Keiko and a life filled with many fulfilled dreams as well as a major gift for mankind ~ which probably won't be recognized until after I've passed on. My gift for the planet is my discovery and sharing of the  Unified Field ~ A Unified field of love an
Revolt Is In The Air Again
 WW I Veterans Bonus March on Washington,1932Here's a blast from the past that clearly shows that the public can be mobilized for a cause as it once was in 1932 ~ when thousands of WW1 veterans marched for their promised bonus electrifying the country in the process ~ but now, with the Internet, true revolution and change is possible: Allen L Roland Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to governmen
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American Scofflaw 4 unread articles  //  actions

untitled
智慧的話,我覺得!
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1101&MainCatID=11&id=20140115000029
请邮寄此无处不在,你看到的文章声称,沙特做9-11,是恐怖分子等,这是为下一步的入侵又一石油资源丰富的国家。 作为媒体试图帧沙特阿拉伯9-11(就像他们在伊拉克所做辩解战争),你可能要花点时间回去看一些的9-11的故事。
The Secret Service at Booker Elementary: The Dog That Did Not Bark SUPPRESSED DETAILS OF CRIMINAL INSIDER TRADING LEAD DIRECTLY INTO THE CIA'S HIGHEST RANKS The Five Dancing Israelis Arrested On 9-11 Odigo Workers Received Warning of 9/11 Attacks All 9/11 Airports Serviced by One Israeli Owned CompanyThe Israeli Spy Ring THE CONTROLLED COLLAPSE OF WTC 7 The BBC Announced WTC 7's Collapse 26 Minut
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Angola 3 News 4 unread articles  //  actions

A Message to Supporters from Albert Woodfox
(Page one of Albert's letter to supporters)I would like to take this time to express my profound gratitude to all the wonderful friends, supporters and comrades around the world for your unbelievable solidarity and support!I'm not sure what the New Year means to you. For me, it's the realization that another year of mental and emotional torture has started! I constantly ask myself, is this the yea
A Moral Outrage: Albert Woodfox's Third Overturned Conviction and 41 years in Solitary Confinement
Rev. Dr. Patricia Bates speaks A Moral Outrage: Albert Woodfox's 41 Years in Solitary Confinement, Despite Three Overturned Convictions  --An interview with Rev. Dr. Patricia Teel BatesBy Angola 3 News This past Fall, Herman Wallace of the Angola 3 made news headlines around the world when his conviction was overturned and he was dramatically released from prison after 41 years in solitary confin
Albert Woodfox's Hour in the 5th: A reportback on the Jan. 7 oral arguments
MEDIA COVERAGE:  Lauren McGaughy, Times-Picayune  II  Daily Journal / Associated Press  II  UPIVIEW / DOWNLOAD:  A3 info flyer for Jan. 7  II  Listen to audio from the oral arguments  II  Rev. Patricia Bates / NRCAT statement(PHOTO: A3 supporters at the Court on Jan. 7)For those who were unable to attend, Albert's oral argument in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, defending Judge Brady's decision
Amnesty International says: Drop the vengeance! Free Albert Woodfox!
Featured below is the full text of an action alert for Albert Woodfox, released today by Amnesty International, timed to build public pressure in the days leading up to Albert's oral arguments in New Orleans on Tuesday, January 7.(PHOTO: Louisiana State Capitol, April 17, 2012)This could be the end of Albert Woodfox's 40-year plus prison nightmare, if you act now.On Tuesday morning, Jan. 7, the 5t
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ArmsControlWonk 9 unread articles  //  actions

Failures of Intelligence
US intelligence agencies have been guilty of four general types of error — or more, depending on counting rules. The most costly type of error is a failure to recognize and pull together “actionable” intelligence in time to foil bad surprises. Type I errors are typically abetted by compartmentalization within the intelligence community. The failure “to connect the dots” prior to 9/11 wasn’t new; i
A Chinese “Nuclear Umbrella” for Ukraine?
No. Two of our graduate students review Chinese-language materials to shoot down that silly story from a few weeks ago about China giving Ukraine a nuclear umbrella.   That’s Not What Xi Said!  By Catherine Dill and Jonathan Ray Catherine Dill is a research assistant at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Jonathan Ray is a former MIIS student and now Research Analyst at Global Commercial Insi
Handling Iran’s Weaponization File
The following post was authored by Mark Hibbs and Andreas Persbo. When the six powers and Iran announced in Geneva on November 24, 2013 that they had agreed to an “initial step” toward comprehensive resolution of the nuclear crisis, some critics glumly predicted that a final deal would never materialize. It was more likely, they asserted, that Western states keen to curb Iran’s nuclear program wo
Whatever Happened to Minimum, Credible Deterrence?
This graphic of the nuclear competition on the subcontinent was compiled by my colleagues, Julia Thompson and Lita Ledesma, to illustrate the contents of Stimson’s new book, Deterrence Stability and Escalation Control in South Asia. It’s a sobering depiction of high-octane missile development programs and lethargic diplomacy. It still doesn’t begin to reflect the difficulties national leaders in I
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bastard.logic 1 unread article  //  actions

Freedom and Responsibility (Phil Robertson Edition)
Via Bob Mann: Gay people, more often than not, throw the baby out with the bath water when it comes to religion. But we have a good reason. We’ve been scarred. Religion has damaged us. And I try to share with them the light I have seen in the Episcopal Church. But every time I get close to a breakthrough, something happens that brings out the worst in people. One year it was Chick-fil-a. This yea
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BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com 2 unread articles  //  actions

Music For Those Who Hate the Grammys. Progressive Music Classics: "Joe Hill" by Paul Robeson
..By MARC McDONALDWelcome to another edition of Progressive Music Classics.I didn't watch the Grammy Awards this year. In fact, I never watch the Grammys (which are nothing more than a wankfest of the corrupt U.S. corporate recording industry to celebrate another year of the utter mediocrity that clogs up today's pop charts). Anyone who thinks the Grammys celebrate the "best" of U.S. pop
Progressive Music Classics. "Punk Prayer" by Pussy Riot
..By MARC McDONALDWelcome to another edition of Progressive Music Classics.I have to laugh when I hear bands like Green Day described as "punk." Green Day is about as "punk" as a cup of Starbucks coffee. Green Day wouldn't know real "punk" if it walked up to them and grabbed them by the balls. (Not that corporate cowards like Green Day have any balls in the first plac
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Big Dan's Big Blog 2 unread articles  //  actions

Republicans, the "right to life gang", freezing Unemployed Americans (including FETUSES) in the Northeast
I just took this snapshot of our weather here in the Northeast:Right now in the northeast, we're experiencing a multi-week cold snap of the sorts that I cannot remember, including a Polar Vortex. It's safe to say, knowing we're experiencing extremely high unemployment, that many thousands of Americans in the northeast need their unemployment to purchase heat to keep warm. Since January 1, the unem
"We, The Jewish People, Control America, and the Americans Know It" ~ the recently deceased Ariel Sharon
You've probably seen the MAINSTREAM MEDIA eulogizing the "great" former leader of Israel Ariel Sharon. In all the coverage you've seen, have you seen his quote: “Every time we do something you tell me Americans will do this and will do that. I want to tell you something very clear, don’t worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans kn
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Brave New World 5 unread articles  //  actions

AuthorCare Begins With Transperancy
Today we read Hugh Howey’s blog post ‘Bread and Roses’ on what he believes the Authors Guild should be focused on and an author’s perspective on today’s marketplace. His views will not be shared by all, but they convey a frustration that is often felt by many, not necessarily on the activities of the Guild, but on their position within the market. It is a given that we have to both encourage autho
Digital Warming: Can We Avoid the Destruction of the Physical Book Habitat?
In our last article we wrote about the market impact of Digital Warming, which like its more famous environment equivalent, global environment warming, can result in unpredictable effects. Today we have to ask the question of whether it is now not wise to adjust our behaviour, not only to mitigate some of the extremes of today’s trade, but to also protect and reduce the risk from irreversible dama
Digital Warming
Global warming is effecting our weather and being blamed for the extreme weather we are witnessing around the world. This year alone we have had exception gales and flooding across the UK, a heat wave down under and polar freezing weather in the US and Canada. We understand some of the causes, but we still appear powerless to predict the future weather past the short term.Publishing has been effec
Adobe Accept ACS4 Broken?
Adobe have long been associated with publishing and the development tools associated with the development of content and although they have successfully seen off the likes of Quark and established InDesign as the tool of choice to many, they have long floundered in the area of DRM.Today we read of their latest step change to introduce ACS5, which is aimed at tightening the security and replacing t
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Buckdog 4 unread articles  //  actions

It starts ....Even MSM Political Opinion Starting To Turn On Harper's Dictatorial Ways....
The political columnist of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix gives a fairly accurate opinion of what is going down in the ranks of the Federal Conservative Parliamentary Caucus lately:"This newly found sense of independence among federal Conservative backbench MPs is obviously a good thing.What's so often lost on us is that we elect individual members of Parliament, of whom we require that they form
Happy New Year
Happy New Years greetings to Progressives all across Canada!! 
Just sayin' .....
We are well into 2014. The Canadian political scene has remained relatively quiet in the post Christmas/New Year period. The current lull should not be considered an accurate reflection of the raucous year that ended 2013 for the embattled Harper Conservative administration. Expect things to heat up at the national political level very soon. In a big way ...  Just sayin' ..
Sask Progressive Doug Taylor Passes
 Douglas James Taylor1956 - 2014I lost a very good friend this week. Doug Taylor, author of a number of progressive Canadian political blogs died on Monday, January 13, 2014.Doug obtained a BA in sociology at the University of Regina in the 1970's.. His first employment after university was a contract to write the history of SGEU. This was the first of a number of works he authored, edited or cont
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Craig Murray 4 unread articles  //  actions

Signifying Nothing
  The image was the thing.  Those serried American flags beneath their burnished and distinctly imperial eagles.  Obama’s speech on the NSA was devoid of meaningful content.  The threats against Snowden and the references to America’s right to spy on its potential enemies – which seemed to mean everybody – were obviously heartfelt.  The “restrictions” on the NSA were devoid of intent, mumbled and
Syria and Diplomacy
The problem with the Geneva Communique from the first Geneva round on Syria is that the government of Syria never subscribed to it.  It was jointly chaired by the League of Arab States for Syria, whatever that may mean.  Another problem is that it is, as so many diplomatic documents are, highly ambiguous.  It plainly advocates a power sharing executive formed by some of the current government plus
War Criminals on TV
Seeing Tony Blair speaking at Ariel Sharon’s Funeral – one war criminal eulogising another – was so horrifying it has jolted this blog back out of retirement.  There may be no justice, but there can be truth.
Those Romanians and Bulgarians
One achievement of which I am very proud was my part in ensuring that the UK did not place restrictions on the right to free movement of the first EU Eastern European accession wave.  The arrival of so many Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, Latvians etc in the UK has been a brilliant social and cultural development and provided some support for an economy wrecked by the reckless greed of bankers. There c
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Current news updates, World current news 5 unread articles  //  actions

Europe's Rosetta comet-chaser phones home
Rosetta, Europe's comet-chasing spacecraft, has woken from its sleep. A signal confirming its alert status was recognized by controllers in Darmstadt, Germany, at 18:17 GMT. Rosetta has spent the past 31 months in hibernation to preserve power as it arced beyond the orbit of Jupiter on a path that should take it to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August. Engineers will at the present poise the
In-App Purchases by Kids: Apple Will Refund $32.5 Million to clients
Apple Inc will repay clients at least $32.5 million to settle venerable complaints that the technology company billed U.S. consumers for charges incurred by children buying mobile apps without their parents’ consent. Under the conditions of the settlement, announced on Wednesday by the national Trade Commission, Apple also will be necessary to change its billing practices to ensure it has obtaine
China overtakes US as world’s biggest goods dealer
China has claimed that it is very likely that it overtook the US as the world's top trading nation, a title the US has held for decades. According to the most recent data, China's total trade grew at an annual rate of 7.6% to $4.16tn last year. The US is yet to release its full-year information, but its trade for the first 11 months of 2013 totalled $3.5tn. China became the world's largest goods
Samsung unveils Amazing Bendable TV
Samsung has shown off the Bendable TV - an 85in prototype that allows the curvature of its screen to be managed by remote control.The LED set was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. LG has also announced a smaller 77in flexible TV of its own that is based on OLED technology.The tech would allow the sets' owners to determine how bent the screens should be taking into account how
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Danger Room 4 unread articles  //  actions

A Holodeck Videogame Designed to Train Soldiers
If the Army is going to keep up with military readiness pressures while also seeing a reduction in troop size and stagnant budgets, then it's going to need more cutting-edge videogames.    
Navy’s 757-Sized Drone Will Provide Big-Time Surveillance
A new drone with the mammoth wingspan of a Boeing 757 is set to give the U.S. Navy some serious surveillance power.    
The Pentagon Wants to Communicate With Big Inflatable Balls
The Pentagon has seen the future of communications, and it is ... inflatable.    
Congress Blocks Plan to Transfer Drone Control From CIA to Pentagon
An effort by President Obama to transfer America's lethal, highly classified drone program from the CIA to the Pentagon appears to have been thwarted by lawmakers wielding a secret weapon of their own.    
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Dr Cintli 4 unread articles  //  actions

Smiling Brown: Gente de Bronce – People the Color of the Earth
Re the Smiling Brown: Gente de Bronce – People the Color of the Earth Project:  A draft of a preliminary article appears in Truthout.org: http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/17461-smiling-brown-people-the-color-of-the-earthIt has been reworked and updated and submitted as an academic article for the spring of 2014. It is slated to become a book, play and videologues. This week, I’ve received ab
President Obama, You Are Invited To Visit Arizona’S Operation Streamline At The Federal Courthouse
SPECIAL INVITE TO OBAMA & HOLDER RE OPERATION STREAMLINE: Please sign and share this far and wide... 24 human rights activists put their lives and liberty on the line to end this for-profit scheme called Operation Streamline.http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/2014/01/24/streamline/ To: President Barack ObamaTo: First Lady Michelle ObamaTo: Honorable Attorney General Eric HolderWe are writing
Maiz Origins & Migrations History Channel Segment
MAIZ ORIGINS & MIGRATIONS: I got interviewed for a program below by the History Channel. It will be airing Saturday January 18th at 9PM EST/8PM CST on the H2 network. They did not give me a script about the rest of the program. They asked me about Aztlan... but O told them that was not my primary research, rather, maiz. Think they were more interested in Aztlan, but I did get to speak about th
New Year’s Resolutions from the State of Arizona
A new sunrise                                       New Year’s Resolutions from the State of Arizona:#1 Force President Obama and Attorney General Holder to come to Arizona to visit Operation Streamline…. so that we can permanently shut it down, with or without the assistance or actions of the above: End this criminalization, dehumanization and for-profit scam!#2 Force President Obama and Attorne
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Dying in Haiti 2 unread articles  //  actions

Dangerous Corporate Medicine in Peoria
[caption id="attachment_1989" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Daniel--January 2014 (Photo by John Carroll)[/caption]Dangerous Corporate Medicine in PeoriaI am going to make a case that Peoria's OSF-Saint Francis Medical Center’s CEO Keith Steffen should be terminated from his position at OSF. In my opinion Keith should be removed by whoever in the huge OSF System has
Catholic Tribunal Courts Not Used Often Enough
Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria refused a Tribunal Court against OSF. He wanted to protect OSF like other bishops wanted to protect pedophile priests.Bishop Jenky declined Tribunal Court...Pope Benedict Defrocked 400 Priests in 2 Years for Child Abuse http://t.co/X91S68DEWF via @TIMEWorld— John A. Carroll (@haitianhearts) January 17, 2014
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Fort McMurray Adventures 2 unread articles  //  actions

This Is My Hiroshima
Initially, I was a bit hesitant to do this but spurred on by fellow blogger Theresa, and also because I haven't posted anything in forever and a day, I decided to take the plunge.  If you are at all familiar with the latest ramblings of Neil Young you have a pretty good idea as to the motivation behind this post.  Theresa raises an excellent point (which I don't think is emphasized enough) that of
The Birds of Hiroshima
Evening grosbeaks and Pine grosbeaks eeking out their existence in a nuclear winter.
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GEEZERPOWER 2 unread articles  //  actions

Early Whistle Blower Ex CIA John Stockwell @ Stop Watching Us Ralley
                     John Stockwell in 1989   John Stockwell - CIA's War on Humans Soliloquy Monologues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ioJGMCr-Y#t=227   _________________________   THE SECRET WARS OF THE CIA:by John StockwellA lecture given in October, 1987Part I - Part IIJohn Stockwell is the highest-ranking CIA official ever to leave the agency and go public. He ran a CIA intelligence-gatherin
The Zionist City of Tel-Aviv was designed before Israel was formed
              The Streets of Tel Aviv: The New City and Its Setting As Tel Aviv expanded, rows of apartment blocks and commercial structures were erected where previously there were sand dunes, orange groves, olive orchards, and vineyards. Agrarian villages, too, were swallowed up by the forces of urbanization. During the early 1940s the adjacent German colony Sarona was also annexed to Tel Aviv.
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GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING 1 unread article  //  actions

New Snowden Interview (Full Video)
Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.
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Jay Allbritton 1 unread article  //  actions

Lightning Round--Year End Edition in Review Edition Edition of 2013 Edition
NYTimes: Six months ago, Russia passed a law that limited what they broadly define as "homosexual propaganda." Journalist Mark Gevisser looks at life in one of the areas where the ban was piloted.  Open Culture: Kate Rix offers a primer on the International Children’s Digital Library, which collects "outstanding children's books from all over the world."Ethan Siegel: 2013 saw t
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Left I on the News 1 unread article  //  actions

Syrian Sarin
A new report, authored by Richard Lloyd, a former United Nations weapons inspector, and Theodore Postol, a professor of science, technology and national security policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has cast serious doubt on the claim that sarin-carrying missiles were launched from Syrian government-held positions, and thus serious doubt on the charges made at the time by the Unite
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Lexicon Daily 2 unread articles  //  actions

Maira interview
Prof. Sunaina MairaWhat follows is a complete transcript of an email interview I recently conducted with UC Davis professor of Asian American Studies, Sunaina Maira:Rifkin: As you know, the members of the American Studies Association have endorsed the Association’s participation in a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. You are listed as being on the ASA Council. I would appreciate your respo
Wolf interview
Prof. Diane WolfI posed the same questions I asked of Sunaina Maira to other faculty at UC Davis, including Professor Diane Wolf. What follows is a complete transcript of her response to my inquiry.Wolf: Thank you for your questions which are very thorough and thoughtful. This is clearly a very complicated issue.  I think that the ASA and the Association of Asian American Studies which was the fir
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LILITH NEWS 2 unread articles  //  actions

New Rob Ford video, Toronto mayor drunk
A new video of crack smoking Toronto mayor Rob Ford has surfaced, this time showing a drunk (and possibly high) Rob Ford talking to some men in a fast food restaurant while speaking in a fake Jamaican accent.The photo from the right and further below are from the new Rob Ford drunk video.The video has reignited calls for Rob Ford to resign as mayor and seek rehab for his drug and alcohol addiction
The Parti Québécois has lost touch with reality
The first week of hearings into the Parti Québécois’ new "charter of values" concluded Thursday - and it is self evident that the Parti Québécois has lost touch with reality. Why? Because they are making up fictional scenarios to justify the implementation of the charter.The charter is a proposed ban on public-sector workers in Quebec wearing religious symbols - specifically kippas, yama
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Manifesto Joe's Texas Blues 2 unread articles  //  actions

On Vacation, Back Soon
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song. I may be worried now, but I won't be worried long.Will be back with a vengance in February. -- mj
MSM Again Fail To Tell All Sides Of Story On 'Obamacare'
By Manifesto JoeWhen it comes to the Affordable Care Act, known pejoratively to critics as "Obamacare," our Mainstream Media have, again and again, generally failed to tell the whole story. The reports have mostly focused on the early failures of the federal website, admittedly a debacle at first.But there are other sides to this story that are rarely being told. One rare case was a rece
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Middle Class Political Economist 4 unread articles  //  actions

January Tax-Cast Focuses on Romney's Favorite Tax Haven
The January Taxcast, from the Tax Justice Network, is just out.Though of course it says nothing about Mitt Romney, there is a great deal of focus on Romney's favorite tax haven, the Cayman Islands.In addition, another valuable nugget, though given in far less detail, concerns transfer pricing. The bottom line is very simple: If you want to combat transfer pricing abuse, look at what India does, an
Boeing Saga Ends with 51% Favoring Revised Contract
As I argued last month, the Puget Sound area of Washington state was easily the best place, from a strictly economic point of view, for Boeing to build its new 777x jetliner. This was confirmed when, despite the rejection of  its union contract offer by a 2:1 margin and opening an auction for a new facility, Boeing came back to the union with a second contract offer (h/t New York Times). Yesterday
Cost of Recession and Austerity in Convenient Clock Form
You've probably heard of the U.S. Debt Clock. I'm not linking to it because its goal is to strengthen deficit hysteria, one of the techniques used to try to destroy the welfare state.But have you seen the U.S. Lost Output Clock? This is much more informative, showing us just how high the cost of recession and slow recovery (due to austerity, especially at the state and local level) has been. The t
France Flirts with Recession as it Incomprehensibly Embraces Austerity
Dean Baker and Paul Krugman are just two of the economists who have noted recently that French President François Hollande has lost his mind. As Krugman notes, Hollande has quite literally invoked the discredited doctrine known as Say's Law, when Hollande said “supply actually creates demand.”In other words, Hollande has fallen victim to austerity fever, despite its lack of success in other Eurozo
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Molly'sBlog 1 unread article  //  actions

CNT-f Faces Eviction
CNT-F FACES EVICTION FROM LONG-TERM HEADQUARTERS     The CNT-f is the larger of the two anarchosyndicalist/revolutionary syndicalist union federations in France. They have traditionally been called the 'CNT-Vignoles' after their headquarters at 33 rue Vignoles in Paris. They have survived a previous attempt to evict them in 1996, but now they are facing a fresh attack from the Mayor of Paris.    
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News Center PK 3 unread articles  //  actions

Fighting the Mysterious and Merciless Enemy
Written by Sajjad Shaukat In the past era, the two warring parties used to follow the rules of the game and Geneva Conventions, while knowing each other’s target. Contrarily, war against terrorism is quite different, as it is against an invisible, mysterious and merciless enemy which does not respect any rule.  It is a war in which offence knows its target, but defence does not know. In this regar
Uncertainty in Bangladesh Frightens Pakistani Investors
By Sajjad Shaukat Basically, prosperity of a Third World country depends upon foreign investment which needs political stability in that country in the modern era of economic development. On the other side, political instability which creates uncertainty in a less developed country, is not conducive for external businessmen. In these terms, the case of Bangladesh is of special consideration, where
Indian Diplomat’s Arrest Exposed US Double Game
By Sajjad Shaukat During his visit to India in 2010, US President Barrack Obama signed multiple agreements with New Delhi in various fields such as $10 billion in trade deals and creation of more than 50,000 US jobs besides the measures, America would take regarding removal of Indian space and defence companies from a restricted “entities list”, and supported Indian demand for a permanent seat in
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News From Atlantis. 2 unread articles  //  actions

Don't choose sides in the false rivalry of Judaism and Islam: Reject BOTH.
In Europe today we are faced with a pincer-style assault on all that we hold dear. From the top we have the fully Judaised Establishment's legal obliteration of our culture, traditions, freedom to speak the truth and - which is the worst of all - freedom to have pride in ourselves and our kin. From the bottom we have the Islamic colonisation of our towns and cities, with its destructive use of rap
2013 - 2014. Different date, same liberal genocidal agenda
2013 was a year of absolute liberal lunacy. The New Year is already shewing signs of continuing the ever-accelerating march to the total genocide of the European nation and all that we hold dear.In 2013, the liberal bigots shewed their true colours in their hypocritical reactions to the deaths of Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela. Whilst anti-Internationalists treated the deaths as simply a wel
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Not Quite Unhinged 1 unread article  //  actions

In Defense Of the Right to Be Outrageous
"Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white!" Justine Sacco via Twitter. The viral reaction to the above tweet resulted in Justine Sacco losing her job. Many condemned and judged her as racist and agreed with this as just punishment. My reaction to that sentiment, "What the fuck is wrong with you people?" I don't find that statement racist. I find it to be
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Our Manmade Disasters 7 unread articles  //  actions

Vatican's unsuccessful Dove message of peace & love since Pope Benedict XVI
Ill omen? Pope’s doves of peace for Ukraine attacked by angry birds (PHOTOS)Published time: January 26, 2014 19:23 Edited time: January 27, 2014 10:39Get short URLPope Francis (C) watches as children release doves during the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican January 26, 2014 (Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi)Pope Francis on Sunday prayed for the start of a “constructive dialogue” in
All Wars are Bankers' War - youtube link not allowed
please watch and share. Youtube do not allow posting of links.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfEBupAeo4Published on Feb 4, 2013Written and spoken by Michael Rivero. The written version is here:http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTI...Video by Zane Henry.This video is in the public domain. The producers have waived their copyright to this video.Listen to a post production conversation between the p
Who had weapons Tesla September 11, 2001? Study elements of the global ekotsidno-genocidal program
The search for truth is not done with joy, and with the excitement and anxiety, but still need to look for it because without finding the truth and not love it, you will die.Blaise Pascal , French mathematician, physicist and philosopher ( 1623-1662 ).Opening Keely would lead to the acquisition of one of the most occult secrets, secrets that can never be given to the disposal of the masses.EP Blav
Zionist global Imperial journey - summary
by BK Lim, FASEI, et al (Dec 14, 2013). Note & forward: (Dec 31, 2013) We apologise for the delayed publication of this series of articles. Our original investigation into BPGOD (BP Gulf Oil Disaster) led us into a rabbit hole much deeper and wider than we had originally thought. When it became abundantly clear in 2011 that BPGOD was a planned mega disaster (PMD), almost all of our insider fr
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Paying attention 5 unread articles  //  actions

Another bad quarter for Postmedia, and a plan that's not working
The latest grim quarterly report from Postmedia sharpens questions about the company’s future.Continuing declines in revenue and circulation are too great to be solved by the company’s current approach.The corporate strategy is straightforward. Cut costs, find ways to get readers to pay more, in part through innovations like tablet editions, and convince advertisers that they should pay more for m
Tax increases in Honduras, and linking aid to fair, effective tax policies
Taxes are big new in Honduras, as the outgoing Congress pushes through a bunch of last-minute increases.The Congress is controlled by the National party, which won the November election. The increases are a way to get the unpopular deeds done before the new president takes over in two weeks.It doesn’t look much like good governance, mostly because there are apparently no studies of the impact of t
The strange obsession with school uniforms in Honduras
I’ve come up with a clever, no-cost way to reduce poverty and increase school attendance in Honduras.Get rid of school uniforms.The uniforms - white dress shirts, navy blue pants or skirt, black shoes and white socks - are mandatory in public schools. Teachers are quite crabby about it, to the point of telling kids to stay home if they aren’t dressed in the right kit.No desk, but kids better have
Grimmer news for League Investors - some $355 million of their money gone
The news keep getting worse for investors in Victoria-based League Assets. And the financial disaster is still not getting adequate media coverage.Back in November, I predicted massive losses for the investors League, which promised investors security and great returns through real estate investments.Based on the latest filings from PWC, the news is even worse than I expected.League Assets, the cr
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Philosophical Comment 2 unread articles  //  actions

UK Set to Sell Out it's Population's Medical Data and Records to Private Industry and Health Insurers
I posted almost a year back about a then apparently more restrictive, but to my eyes still outrageous, move of the UK government to frivolously open up a genomic database created out of the medical records and samples collected within the NHS in the course of normal health care (for diagnostics, safety and quality assurance purposes) for research not only by public research institutions, but also
More on the UK Sellout of NHS Medical Data and Records: How to Opt Out and How It's Being Hidden
Just a few days ago I once again pointed to the relentless determination of the UK government to set up a sellout of individual medical data and information, collected in the medical records of the National Health Service to private interests, such as the pharmacological industry and health insurance companies. This apparently without any type of safeguard for the many misuses easily imagined as a
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Real History Blog 1 unread article  //  actions

Who killed the Palestinian Ambassador with an exploding safe, and other questions
First, Happy New Year! I closed my FB page - keeping up with the comments was too time-consuming. Here, I can decide when I want to set time aside to go through comments - there, I couldn't. So I will likely be posting here more often. I love Twitter for sharing news stories, like this one: "The safe that exploded and killed the Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic had been in daily
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Reduce Footprints 8 unread articles  //  actions

Vegan Recipe - Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf (Gluten-Free)
I love the holidays and all the associated culinary indulgences. By January, though, I'm ready to get back to healthy, clean food. While on hiatus, I cruised the vegan boards on Pinterest and found a ton of recipe inspiration. I also discovered some great blogs like the Gluten-Free Goddess. Karina, head chef and blog owner, creates amazing dishes. All of her recipes are gluten-free and quite a few
Review & #Giveaway - Homemade Cleaners by Mandy O'Brien & Dionna Ford
Have you ever considered making your own household cleaning solutions? I have! Commercial varieties usually contain toxic chemicals which are bad for our health and bad for the environment. There are "green" cleaners available but one has to be careful about them because they aren't always as green as the label implies and, they tend to be expensive. Making my own just makes sense.But he
Holistic Living - A Definition
Since receiving your comments asking for posts on holistic living, I've given the topic a lot of thought. While the way I live my life is holistic in many ways, I've never really thought about it or considered it's relationship to living green. To get us started, I'd like to share my thoughts on what holistic living means to me. It is, by no means, the absolute definition ... it is simply my defin
Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) - Adjust The Thermostat
Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)! Wondering how to live greener? You've come to the right place. Each week we challenge ourselves to try a new task ... or "amp up" something we're already doing. We raise our awareness, learn from each other and develop Eco-friendly skills which will improve our lives and protect our planet. Doing so together gives us power ... the power to C
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Sandra Guzman 1 unread article  //  actions

I'm taking long walks in the woods, along the banks of the frozen Exeter River, but mostly writing, writing, writing...
Thanks for stopping by though. If you can, embrace quiet moments by a body of river. Beauty never fails to show up...
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Screw You Guys, I'm Going Home 9 unread articles  //  actions

Help! My Employer Is Making Me Work Overtime Off The Books. What Do I Do?
This question from an AOL Jobs reader reflects an all too common situation that many hourly workers face: Hello. I was reading an article 10 Tricks Employers Use To Cheat Workers Out Of Their Overtime. Here's my problem. My fiancée works at a restaurant, and she recently received a raise from $9/hr to $12/hr. But the owner asked her to take her overtime off the books. The first 2 weeks went by wit
Does Your Religion Excuse Homophobic, Racist or Sexist Behavior At Work?
When I wrote the piece about Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson and his suspension for making racist and anti-gay comments in an interview done to promote his show, many readers told me that Mr. Robertson should be protected by religious discrimination laws. After all, the argument went, he was only expressing his religious beliefs about gays. Bob Tt is not freedom of speech, it is freedom of RELIGION-
Just Because Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson Survived Doesn't Mean You Have Free Speech At Work
Unless you've been out of the country for the holidays, you probably heard about the brouhaha over Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson's anti-gay and racist comments. He was interviewed by GQ and made comments that got him suspended indefinitely by A&E Television Networks, LLC. That caused an uproar, with petitions from Robertson supporters flying and claims that A&E violated his First A
If My Office Is Closed For Snow, Do I Get Paid?
With a blizzard hitting the Northeast and Midwest, now is a good time to discuss what happens to your pay when your office is closed.Whether you're entitled to be paid when the office is closed depends on whether you are "exempt" salaried or not. If you're salaried, it doesn't necessarily mean you're exempt from the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Many employers misclassify
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Syria Comment 4 unread articles  //  actions

The Battle between ISIS and Syria’s Rebel Militias
The Battle between ISIS and Syria’s Rebel Militias by Joshua Landis (with invaluable help from A.J.N.) For Syria Comment, January 4, 2014 A major confrontation has broken out between the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Syria’s other rebel militias. It is being led by two newly organized coalitions, called Jaysh al Mujahidiin and the Front of Syrian Revolutionaries. But many other militi
“Observations of a Homsi living in Tartous,” by Aboud Dandachi
Aboud Dandachi in Istanbul, where he recently acquired his residency card. Observations of a Homsi living in Tartous by Aboud Dandachi Written for Syria Comment, January 20, 2014 *Aboud Dandachi is a Syrian activist from Homs, currently living in Istanbul. He is the author of the blog “From Homs to Istanbul” at www.adandachi.com/istanbul (The Dandashi family is a well known Sunni family.) Over th
New ISIS Leaks Reveal Particulars of al-Qaida Strategy
by Matthew Barber A new Twitter account that appeared last month is making waves within the jihadi community and rebel groups of Syria. It has not yet been noticed by the international media, but if the author’s claims are legitimate, it may significantly help to shape our understanding of ISIS. The author of the @wikibaghdady Twitter account claims to be leaking inside information about the backg
“Why Syria’s Assad heads to Geneva from a position of strength,” by Joshua Landis
Analysis: Why Syria’s Assad heads to Geneva from a position of strength By Joshua Landis for Aljazeera America, Edited by Tony Karon January 22, 2014 His army is stronger, his allies are more committed and regime’s capacity for brutality has kept it in charge. Syrian troops celebrate as they take the village of Haydariya on May 13 as part of a push to cut supply lines to their opponents in the str
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The Conflicted Doomer 4 unread articles  //  actions

Reshaping the World
The elite of the planet met in Davos, this week, for the World Economic Forum, as they have for over forty years. The theme of this year’s get together was, “Reshaping the World”, with global inequality one of the “hot” topics. This same week, Oxfam International released a report, “Working for the Few” that showed, among other things, the world’s 85 richest individuals owned as much wealth as the
This World IS My Home
January 18, 2014  I have no real blog post today. I am too tired and frustrated with the endless warnings that business as usual can’t continue and the constant propaganda that it can/will/must. A few weeks ago, I put up a picture on my Facebook page of Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil, with a quote from him that said, “What’s the point of saving the planet if humanity suffers?” Most people, read
Coming out of the Cold
January 11, 2014  We went from zero for a high (with a low of -10) on Monday or Tuesday of last week to thirty-four for a low tonight and sixty degrees for a high tomorrow. Like much of the country, I have weather whiplash. The backyard went from eight or nine inches of snow to what seems like an equal amount of mud after a day or two of sunshine and above freezing weather followed by rain and te
Thinking About Food in the Coming Year
January 4, 2014  Image courtesy of Simon Howden/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net Yesterday afternoon, my friends, Kathi and Mary, took me on what turned out to be a most excellent adventure. After taking me to pick up my medications, they treated me to lunch at a local Korean restaurant, followed by a trip to Sam’s Club for grocery shopping. The lunch platter (served, literally, folks, on a small platter,)
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The Earth and Man: Setting the Stage 

"Emergent Phenomena": Failed Thinking Infesting Science
I submitted the following comment to the wuwt site of Anthony Watts, where Willis Eschenbach reiterates his idea of climate as "emerging phenomena" (and which I understand as "magical self-creation"): "Emergent phenomenon" is an argument from incompetent, third-rate thinkers like Richard Dawkins, determined to push Darwinian, or undirected, evolution upon students of
The True Origin of Geocentrism: Another Truth That Must Not Be Mentioned
When you are a scientist with research findings that strike at the heart, not only of the current consensus, nor even the current paradigm in science, but at the whole tangle of man's most obsessively and religiously affirmed beliefs, and their uncounted variations, over the full course of known history--well, suffice it to say that you find yourself in the land of perpetual experiment, strugging
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The Ergosphere

The Fukushima Dai'ichi Unit 4 tragedy continues
TEPCO has announced that 220 fuel bundles have been transferred from the Unit 4 fuel pool to the common storage pool, roughly 1/8 of the total.  Despite this, the islands of Japan, the west coast of the USA, and the world in general remain habitable. This on-going tragedy affects the scaremongers, whose credibility may be irreparably damaged by this continuing state of normality.   Perhaps they
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Not Even Wrong 

Top Stories 

Scientific Bookstores, RIP
A few days ago I tried to stop by the Barnes and Noble store here in New York at Fifth Ave. and 18th St., just to find that it had closed earlier this month. This was the first book store I had access to as a high school student that had a serious collection of math, physics and astronomy books, and I’ve been buying such books there for about 40 years. The huge 18th St. store dates back to 1932, and by the early 1970s was the only Barnes and Noble store, at the time that the company was revived and started its huge expansion. With the closing of this store, there now are no longer any bookstor
Platonism CageMatch at MoMath
After spending two hours in the middle of the day hearing about unexpected uses of twistors to study particle scattering amplitudes, yesterday I went down to Manhattan’s relatively new Museum of Mathematics, which had scheduled a “Family Friday” event, featuring Edward Frenkel and Jim Holt. The event began with Frenkel giving a presentation about math, kind of an introduction to his wonderful new book Love and Math. Everyone in the audience hoped that the kids in attendance didn’t catch his comment about a typo in reference to the LHC (given Frenkel’s film experience, some had suggested that a
The Principle
I just found out about a new film coming out this spring, which appears to exemplify exactly the dangers I was pointing to in my last posting. It’s entitled The Principle, and features physicists Michio Kaku, Lawrence Krauss and Max Tegmark, with Kate Mulgrew (aka Captain Janeway) as narrator. You can take a look at the trailer, this blog, or this interview to start to get some idea of what’s going on. The person behind this is Robert Sungenis, a bizarre figure with extreme religious views. He holds a Ph.D from an institution located in Vanuatu, and is an advocate of the idea of “geocentrism”,

Jan 26

I am not now and never have been a creationist
Max Tegmark seems to have decided that my criticism here of the emptiness of ideas in his recent book is “similar to hate-mail I’ve been receiving from a Young-Earth Creationist”. Also, the fact that I have fans at a certain Intelligent Design blog shows that I’m “against the spirit of science”. Given this, I guess I need to formally make the statement that I am not now and never have been a creat

Jan 25

The Amplituhedron and Twistors
Yesterday Nima Arkani-Hamed was here at Columbia, giving a theory seminar on the topic of the Amplituhedron, which is a characterization of the integration region in a calculation of scattering amplitudes by integrating over regions in the so-called positive Grassmannian. This is a modest advance in mathematical physics, one that for some reason a few months ago garnered a lot of hype (see here fo
Topcites 2013
The people at SLAC for a long time have been compiling “Topcites” data which includes various lists of the most heavily-cited papers in HEP. From 1997-2003 Mike Peskin each year would write something about the significance of the lists. I first wrote a blog post about one of these lists nearly 10 years ago, about the 2003 list (see here). The 2013 list has just appeared, with a blog entry here, an

Jan 23

Not Giving Up
One question I’ve been wondering about for the last 20 years or so has been what SUSY proponents would do when the LHC finally gathered data and found no SUSY. Would they finally admit this was an idea that hadn’t worked out, or would they never give up, no matter what the data said? The answer is now in. John Ellis was a co-organizer of a Royal Society conference earlier this week, and a report f

Jan 17

Our Mathematical Universe
Max Tegmark has a new book out, entitled Our Mathematical Universe, which is getting a lot of attention. I’ve written a review of the book for the Wall Street Journal, which is now available (although now behind a paywall, if not a subscriber, you can try here). There’s also an old blog posting here about the same ideas. Tegmark’s career is a rather unusual story, mixing reputable science with an

Jan 13

What Scientific Idea is Ready for Retirement?
Every year John Brockman’s Edge web-site hosts responses to a different question. This year the question was What scientific idea is ready for retirement?. It shouldn’t be too hard to guess what I chose to write about, with results available here. Every year Brockman manages to attract more responses, so this is now getting to be a statistically significant sampling drawn from the population of pe

Jan 06

Scientists Find a Practical Test for String Theory
This sort of thing seemed to be dying down (2013 required a record low number of “This Week’s Hype” postings), but 2014 is starting off with the usual promotion by physicists of nonsense about how they have “found a test for string theory”. This time the news that Scientists find a practical test for string theory comes from a group at Towson University, who are basing their claims on this paper,
19 Not Even Wrong / by woit / 22d

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