Monday, February 03, 2014

3 Feb - Blogs I'm Following

English: "Operation Vigipirate". Pat...English: "Operation Vigipirate". Patrol of paratroopers of the french Foreign Legion, around Notre-Dame de Paris Français : "Opération Vigipirate". Patrouille de parachutistes de la Légion Etrangère autour de Notre-Dame de Paris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Promotion for Yingluck Shinawatra and...English: Promotion for Yingluck Shinawatra and her party at Pathum Thani Province ไทย: ป้ายหาเสียงให้ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตรและพรรคที่จังหวัดปทุมธานี (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Valentine's day countdownValentine's day countdown (Photo credit: Julie K in Taiwan)
12:07pm MST

bukowski

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 8 minutes ago

Afterburner with Bill Whittle: Some food for thought...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 15 minutes ago
and we thank him.

Let's "Stick" Together Valentine with Free Printable

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 28 minutes ago
[image: Housewife Eclectic: Let's "Stick" Together Valentine with free printable] If your young children are anything like mine, they are obsessed with stickers. This Valentine is perfect for getting their creativity going and letting them decorate the Valentine or other paper. You will need: - The Printable Valentine at the end of this post - Scissors - Sheets of stickers - Tape or stapler [image: Housewife Eclectic: Let's "Stick" Together Valentine with free printable] I found these huge sheets of stickers at the dollar store, if you cut them in the natural white s... more »

SUSY as a balanced budget amendment

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 50 minutes ago
Just a link. Kyle Cranmer of NYU (and ATLAS) at Quantum Diaries develops a fun analogy between the government and the Higgs naturalness: The Higgs Boson: A Natural Disaster! The tax revenues are the positive contributions to the Higgs squared mass, the government expenses are the negative contributions. The budget surplus or deficit (well, usually the latter) depends on the year (well, it is getting worse) while the total Higgs mass depends on the renormalization group (RG) scale (the cancellation looks increasingly fine-tuned if you look at it from the viewpoint of lower and lower ... more »

Thailand: Sham Elections Unravel in Humiliation

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 51 minutes ago
Less than half the nation bothers to vote at polling stations uninterrupted by protests indicating a vote of no confidence in both the current regime, or the so-called "democratic process" it presides over. *Image: Nepotist-appointed proxy PM Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of deposed dictator Thaksin Shinawatra would complete the humiliation of the regime's sham elections February 2, 2014, by placing her ballot witlessly into the wrong box. She would then blame election officials for misdirecting her in yet another display of serial deferral of personal responsibility. * *....* *Febr... more »

real life heroes

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 1 hour ago

McCAIN AND UKRAINE

Anon at aangirfan - 1 hour ago
*McCain in pain in Ukraine.* "The violence on the streets of Ukraine ... is merely the latest example of the rise of the most insidious form of fascism that Europe has seen since the fall of the Third Reich." In December 2013, John McCain and Victoria Nuland were seen in Ukraine lending their support to the 'fascist' protesters. *Ukraine and the Rebirth of Fascism in Europe* - Eric Draitser, January 31, 2014 shirlz007 suggests that some of these Ukranian fascists have been trained by the French Foreign Legion. There is a struggle between Russia and the USA-NATO for 'control' of... more »

Why Political Types In DC Don't Seem To Ever Know Anything About America

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 hour ago
The Inland Empire is represented in Congress by wanna-be Confederate General Gary Miller, a multimillionaire real estate swindler There are 4 serious candidates in the Inland Empire house race (CA-31), reactionary Arkansas Republican incumbent Gary Miller, progressive activist Eloise Reyes, former Congressman Joe Baca (Blue Dog), and the Steve Israel/DCCC recruit and last cycle's big loser, Pete Aguilar. As we mentioned recently, the DCCC put out some crazy story that Aguilar lost-- in a deep blue district-- not because he's an abysmal candidate but because he was too grief-stricken ... more »

Snow Days

freetoteach at Schools Matter - 1 hour ago
Snow days are good for lesson plans. Lesson in Democracy 101. How can we save our schools if grassroots education activists can't endorse or support candidates running for public office? This in my in box from Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action. The love fest is over. The high stakes have gotten too high. If SOS can not support Network for Public Education which has political clout and candidates, it is worthless. Stop wasting your time people and start endorsing candidates who support public education like Di Blosio in NY and other in your state, city, county, and ... more »

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 hour ago
*Drilling and Able: Nola Defender Talks to John Barry About Coastal Restoration as "Issue of Our Lifetime" ~Christopher Staudinger*

JPMorganChase Frauds:  American Corruption Success Story? (Epic in Scale, Unprecedented in World History)

I think William K. Black is one of the finest American patriots who has ever lived. I'd rank him right behind Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. He does us a further service by clarifying what we've lost as a democratically-inspired country illustrated by the JPMorganChase/Obama/Jamie Dimon lovefest debacle. I may be overspeaking, but Black is the real deal. In a world of shadows. Ellen

Breitbart "offended" by America the Beautiful Coke commercial...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 hour ago
*huh?* Executives at Coca Cola thought it was a good idea to run a 60-second Super Bowl ad featuring children singing "America the Beautiful" – a deeply Christian patriotic anthem whose theme is unity – in several foreign languages. The ad also prominently features a gay couple. read the rest at Breitbart Number one - it is not a "deeply Christian patriotic anthem." There is some question whether the author, Katharine Lee Bates, was even a Christian. She wrote the song while teaching for a summer in Colorado. One day, some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to... more »

Birds of a Feather~John Miller & Ali Soufan

Geezer Power at GEEZERPOWER - 1 hour ago
Is it just me or does this bring media spin to a whole new levelWordgeezer Feb 2, 2014 Ali Soufan, CEO of the Soufan Group has obvious ties to the main stream media as well as to the corporations who seem to be in control of the US government, He also has affiliations with the FBI, defense industries, etc. etc .John Miller has affiliations with the FBI and at the same time, during his interview with Bin Laden in 1998, he was a reporter for ABC News. Miller is now working as Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence of the NYPD, after a stint with CBS News where he was a senior corre... more »

RIP

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 2 hours ago

A panel of pundits covers for Gregory!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 2 hours ago
*MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2014* *The guild will take care of its own:* As noted in our last post, Maureen Dowd took her cue for yesterday’s column from last week’s Meet the Press. Bill Clinton’s ten acts of oral sex were discussed on last Sunday’s program. (Wikipedia says it was nine.) Dowd responded by telephoning Rand Paul to ask him to please tell her more. She wrote a column of 1200 words about the exciting topic. (Normal length: 800 words.) The New York Times put the piece on the front page of Sunday Review, where thrilling work belongs. Dowd was a bit more honest concerning one p... more »

Edward Snowden interview

Alison at Creekside - 2 hours ago
Edward Snowden Exclusive Interview for German TV (NDR) from Edward Snow on Vimeo. Great interview recorded a week ago, including a few choice words applicable to recent revelations about CSEC scooping up Canadians' IP IDs and tracking them across airports, hotels, conference centres, coffee shops, and libraries, and DefMin Rob Nicholson's response. "What we saw initially in response to the revelations was sort of a circling of the wagons of government ... Instead of circling around the public and protecting their rights, the political class circled around the security state and p... more »

Henry Kissinger: Through the Ukraine mirror Russia sees the regime change agenda

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 3 hours ago
And more Just a bit more then 7 minutes and extremely informative *FZ: You know Putin well. You've met him more than any American. Do you think he’s watching what is happening in Ukraine and thinking, the West and the United States is doing this essentially as a way of surrounding Russia?* HK- "I think he thinks that this is a dress rehearsal for what we would like to do in Moscow. And so..." *FZ: Regime change?* HK: A regime change issue. And the fact that it's happening so close to the Sochi Games will make him even more suspicious. But Putin thinks that the dissolution of t... more »

Mind Control in American Politics

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 3 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate... more »

Frucking fracking commercial and danger to environment

LeDaro at LeDaro - 3 hours ago
The following commercial - and similar commercials - are shown every day, singing the songs of fracking and how it is supposedly safe. The reality is quite different. Fracking causes serious health and environmental problems, including drinking water pollution and disposal of fracking waste-water (the latter is a common theme in the news in Nova Scotia where they are struggling with disposal of wastewater). The Nova Scotia, and more so the New Brunswick, governments are enthusiastic about fracking. Some fracking has been done in Nova Scotia and it is very problematic for reasons s... more »

Michigan police cuts the weave of a woman

LeDaro at LeDaro - 3 hours ago
What the Michigan police was trying to prove or achieve? It has become controversial and made an interesting headline: "Video showing cop forcibly cutting woman's hair weave makes waves." It looks inappropriate. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy *In the video, Charda Gregory, 23, of Detroit is tied in a restraining chair by four officers in Warren, Mich., before a female officer rips and cuts at her long braids. Gregory appears to protest and react physically, but the officer doesn’t stop until the entire weave is removed from her head.*

The Keystone Tarsands Pipeline Will Have Minimal Environmental Impact... Really?

LeDaro at LeDaro - 3 hours ago
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy A recently released State Department report claims the environmental impact of the Keystone pipeline would be "minimal." So... I guess we have no choice, but to build the tarsands pipeline. No need to address the environmental impact of tarsands extraction, we can ignore that Harper is moving ahead - and faster - on this while muzzling scientists who raise concerns about climate change. Harper's Tarsands Minister Joe Oliver was jumping up and down with this report, eager to use it to justify building the tar... more »

Conrad Black lost bragging rights for Order of Canada

LeDaro at LeDaro - 3 hours ago
Conrad Black stripped of Order of Canada. *"On Friday, Governor General David Johnston announced the termination of the former media mogul’s appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada effective immediately.The motion was recommended by an 11-member Advisory Council following Black’s 2007 convictions in the U.S. for fraud and obstruction of justice." The Huffington Post. *

Life In The Coalition Provisional Authority, An Interview With Nick Horne Who Volunteered With The CPA And Ended Up A Senior Advisor To The Electricity Ministry and Baghdad Council

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 3 hours ago
Nick Horne was a British national at a telecommunications company in Jordan who decided on a career change that led him to Iraq. He started working with Iraqi refugees in Jordan immediately after the 2003 invasion, but then hopped in a taxi, went to Baghdad, and caught on with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). His first job was on waste management in Baghdad, but then he quickly moved on to become an adviser to the Electricity Ministry, and then the Baghdad provincial council. Horne symbolized the idealistic staff of the CPA who worked hard to help Iraq despite having lit... more »

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 4 hours ago
*Chronic Failures of Louisiana Secretary of State’s Website Raise Serious Questions About the Integrity of Elections ~CenLamar* *Krewe du Vieux Unveils Theme, ‘Where the Vile Things Are’ ~NOLA DEFENDER* *Home prices up 4 percent in metro area in 2013 ~New Orleans Advocate* *Pac Man Maps are here: Which neighborhoods supported Mayor Mitchmo's re-election? ~Robert Morris, Uptown Messenger* *The Winter Olympics, For The Warm Blooded ~Renee Peck, WWNO* *World of Wheels! *

ALL ROADS LEAD TO BIAS: Dowd does it again!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 4 hours ago
*MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2014* *Part 1—Also, an apt rumination:* As MSNBC did it again; as Maureen Dowd went there again; as many liberals played the fool again, thrilling to a “revelation” (Anderson Cooper) which didn’t exist from a highly unreliable source: As all these pitiful moments occurred, the New York Times ran an interesting rumination on page 12 of Sunday Review. By way of contrast, Dowd’s column—it was much longer than usual—had been placed on page 1 of that section. She was discussing the way Bill Clinton engaged in oral sex with a 23-year-old federal employee in the mid-1... more »

SPACE ORGANIZING IN INDIA

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 4 hours ago
J. Narayana Rao lives in Nagpur, India and has been on the board of the Global Network for many years. He is a retired railroad union worker and lives very frugally. He's been involved in the Indian peace movement for a long time and also works hard to help poor people get what little bit of support from the government they can get. He's a tremendous inspiration to all of us. This weekend Rao organized a workshop on peace in space issues for young people in his community. I wanted to share his very moving report from that event. I'm sure you will be touched by it as I was.... more »

Self Service

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 4 hours ago
The numbers are in on Stephen Harper's trip to Israel. The Canadian Press reports: The survey, conducted from Jan. 23-Jan. 27 by Harris/Decima for The Canadian Press, suggests a third of Canadians held a favourable impression of Harper's first foray to the Middle East. Twenty-six per cent, meantime, said they held an unfavourable view.The majority of those polled, however — 42 per cent — said they had no opinion. The trip served Harper's interests quite well. That thirty-three percent represents his base. He'll need them in the next election. But did he serve Israel's interests... more »

The Hooters Have Signed A Hooter For Daylin Leach's Campaign-- And You Can Win It

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 5 hours ago
Daylin Leach with a hooter (left) and a Hooter (right) A few days ago our pals at the PCCC endorsed Pennsylvania "Liberal Lion," state Senator Daylin Leach for the open blue seat in Montgomery County and Northeast Philly (PA-13). "Alan Grayson and Elizabeth Warren have proven that bold progressives in Congress can change the national conversation. Daylin is one of those game changers," said Adam Green of PCCC. "When Wall Street front group Third Way attacked Elizabeth Warren and Social Security, Daylin could have remained silent-- especially since his outgoing Congresswoman, Allyson ... more »

LOLz

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 5 hours ago
Feb 10, 2014, New Yorker. From here. _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Argentina: UFO "Took Away The Jellyfish" from Monte Hermoso

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 5 hours ago
*Source: Hoy en la Noticia (newspaper) La Plata, ArgentinaDate: 02.03.2014* *Argentina: UFO “Took Away The Jellyfish” from Monte Hermoso* A video recorded by *Leandro Mitili*, showing a UFO emerging from the water on January 14 and which has received around 400,000 views, has become the talk of the town, particularly when the perspective of the mayor of this community is thrown in the mix. In an article appearing in the *Diario 3* newspaper, *Marcos Fernandez*insinuated that the unidentified flying object took away the bothersome jellyfish from the coastline of Monte Hermoso. “An ... more »

Signs Signs everywhere a sign

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 5 hours ago
Canaries are no longer allowed in the coal mine, nothing to see here folks, look its Justin Bieber. This starfish disaster, combined with seal and salmon all fucked up should be ringing some alarms high up on the food chain. So far no link to Fukushima. Meanwhile the new climate change denierin charge of Australia is saying, Great Barrier Reef, how can you harm that? No matter which side of the argument your on, could we all not just agree it makes no sense to subsidize environmentally destructive activities. If they make market sense, let the market pay to play.

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jonjayray at Food &Health Skeptic - 6 hours ago
*People slow to react are more likely to die prematurely, study finds* *Reaction time has a substantial correlation with IQ so we could just be seeing an IQ effect here. We already know that high IQ people are healthier and live longer. And low IQ people are much more likely to engage in violence and fighting* Whether you're naked and hungry on the savannah, driving in traffic or at the controls of your favorite video game, being slow to react can get you eaten, injured or splattered across the screen. While we intuitively know this, a new study offers dramatic evidence of how muc... more »

Overnight news for markets February 3 , 2014 - Japan enters contraction after Record Low China Services data..... European data including manufacturing data for the Eurozone , German says no new haircut in the event of a third greek bailout , ECB discusses stress tests for banks , other items of note from The Guardian business blog...

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 6 hours ago
Japanese Stocks Tumble - Down 10% In 2014 Following Record Low China Services PMI [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 02/02/2014 21:46 -0500 - Aussie - China - Japan - Nikkei USDJPY opened the evening under 102 with JPY holding its losses until around 1700ET when it broke back above the crucial level. *S&P futures and USDJPY recoupled for a few hours* but are now decoupling faster than the Seahawks and Broncos (S&P -1pt, USDJPY +30 pips). The catalyst for the disconnect (which Japan's Nikkei is also following) was weakness in Ch... more »

War watch February 1 , 2014 - Iraq carnage sees 1,840 killed just in the month of January as sectarian fighting roils Iraq - note terror attacks involving Baghdad are increasing ...... Syria's Geneva 2 Talks end not surprising without a deal on anything - 1,900 killed during Peace talks as the War rolls on...... MEK lobbying against US- Iran nuclear talks too - Howard Dean , former Ambassador Marc Ginsburg and retired General James Jones on the MEK payroll ? Iran consider Saudis more of an enemy than the US - is that what the US thinks ? Turkey news of the day - more information on the attempts to steamroll corruption probes by the Erdogan Government , another AKP lawmaker resigns over the ongoing corruption scandals , Turkey suddenly concerned about Syria Rebels ?

Catharsis Ours - 6 hours ago
Iraq...... 1,840 Killed in Iraq in JanuaryToll Soars on Anbar Province Conflict by Jason Ditz, January 31, 2014 Print This | Share This Death tolls in Iraq continue to reach new highs these days, with the month of January ending with 1,840 dead and 2,088 others wounded nationwide, up from 1,180 dead last month. Iraq’s own “official” death tolls were somewhat lower, claiming 1,202 killed (1,013 plus 189 militants) and 2,024 wounded, and Agence-France Presse was preposterously low, putting the toll at just over 900. Iraq’s toll was just slightly up from December though, which doesn’t m... more »

Ive been Slimed!

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 6 hours ago
I never stream more than one thing at a time, not taking a chance of crossing streams.

The Super-Incompetence of stephen harper

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 6 hours ago
Now, harper's never been much good at anything. For economic policy, the fact of the matter is that he's been coasting. Canada's economy was, for some reason, far more stable than that of the USA's. A big part of that was because harper hadn't yet been able to allow our financial sector to become as uncontrollably corrupt as the USA's. In the face of the present economic crisis, harper's content to stupidly indulge in a policy of austerity (albeit of lesser magnitude than the austerity of the Chretien-Martin years). The fruits of this brainless policy are beginning to show. Canada i... more »

Adobe to 'Harden' their Broken DRM

Martyn Daniels at Brave New World - 7 hours ago
Last week we asked questions about the state of Adobe’s widely adopted ACS4 DRM service and the implications of their announced migration to ACS5. Then we knew little of their plans and only of their intent, but today more has come to light on how they plan to achieve the move and the potential implications for those who sell the service and the consumer who has the files. Below is Youtube link to a webinar that Datalogics did alongside Adobe last week. It is not recommended that you watch it all as it is not user friendly and aimed at technicians. However some of the salient poi... more »

Solar Update: ... a little Deja Vu?

D ... Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 8 hours ago
The past 48 hours have definitely had a ring of Deja Vu going on in the realms of our finicky Sun. After weeks of silence, old spots 1944 & 1946- now renumbered 1967 & 1968- have almost rotated into direct Earth facing view and once again, we're in the middle of yet another epic light show! In the past 72 hours approximately, we've had 12 M Class flares according to Solarham, and yet Watchers is telling us that there have been 17 M Class flares ALL from spot 1967, between 1am Feb first and 9am Feb second, plus an assortment of C Class flares from both 1967 & 1968. 1967 is curre... more »

Monday Morning Linkage

Vikash Yadav at Duck of Minerva - 9 hours ago
Howdy. Here are your Monday links… A useful graphic on which countries are taking Syrian refugees. The best tribute to Pete Seeger I saw came from Outlook India, which has audio of Seeger singing Gandhi’s “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” and Indians singing “Hum Honge Kamyaab” (“We Shall Overcome”). The NY Times’ India Ink explains “Why Continue reading

philip seymour hoffman, 1967-2014

laura k at wmtc - 9 hours ago
If you care about independent film, you've been following the career of Philip Seymour Hoffman since the early 1990s. For a while, he was nearly ubiquitous, appearing in one brilliant small role after the next. When PSH achieved star recognition, it was as if a well-kept secret had been discovered, like hearing a song by your favourite unknown indie band suddenly sweep the pop-radio charts. He was a phenomenal actor. He also directed, but acting was his true talent. Although "Capote" is being celebrated as his best role - and he was incredible in that film - there were dozens of hig... more »

TOP POP STAR ACCUSED OF CHILD ABUSE

Anon at aangirfan - 9 hours ago
*A 'beloved pop star', one of the 'world's most famous' musicians, is said to have 'sexually abused a 10-year-old boy'*, reports the UK media on 3 February 2014. The police are examining a number of witness statements which allege sex assaults by the singer. *Meanwhile*, it is being reported that the police hushed up the fact that when Sir Jimmy Savile first visited Duncroft School he was accompanied by 'his friend' Princess Alexandra, a patron of the school. Savile reportedly sexually abused girls at the Duncroft School. So the* police blacked out talk of Savile's Princess pal*... more »

"The Mountain" Performed by Maxida Märak & the Downhill Bluegrass Band

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 9 hours ago
*Published on January 9, 2013* Maxida Märak & Downhill Bluegrass Band perform at Saltoluokta Folkmusik Festival 28 June 2012. More music from Maxida & Downhill at: *http://www.downhill.nu/* Maxida Märak from Jokkmokk is a young, promising multi-artist that is deeply rooted in the Swedish Sami indigenous people. Along with Downhill Bluegrass Band, she recorded the single "Mountain Songs". A single with two songs, where they come together musically to explore the similarities between the Sami culture's musical expression and the American traditional folk music from around the Appal... more »

Sedgwick, Maine First to Enact Free Food Trade Immune to Federal Law, Say NO to Forced GMO Regulations by Christina Sarich

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 9 hours ago
Source: http://newtribeearth.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/right-on-sedgwick-maine/ Sedgwick, Maine First to Enact Free Food Trade Immune to Federal Law, Say NO to Forced GMO Regulations by Christina Sarich Natural society, 2 jaanuary 2014 *Sedgwick, Maine, the first town in the US to legalize any kind of food transaction as free and legal in order to keep the right to produce raw milk, organic produce, free-range eggs, and more, is revolutionizing the way America keeps its food rights – including saying no to GMOs. In other words, it is the first town to declare food sovereignty... more »

140 characters of chickenshit

Boris at The Galloping Beaver - 9 hours ago
Industry Canada (and by extension the Conservative government) is apparently so afraid of public opinion (and the internet) that they have a 12-step program process for issuing Tweets.

The most incredible Countdown Numbers game ever?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 10 hours ago
I got 953 as well...

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 10 hours ago
Them there eyes... [photographer unknown]

Embrace The Earth - A Poem by M.N. Hopkins

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 11 hours ago
Source: http://roxanajones.com/es/ Embrace The Earth *Embrace the Earth* *Embrace Her as a Child* *A child unhindered by fear* *Intuitively directed by Love* *Intuitively knowing* *That a strong and healthy Mother* *Is better able* *To nourish and raise* *Strong and healthy* *Children* *M.N. Hopkins* *Note: *This poem was inspired by the picture above of a child embracing the Earth. The picture was originally from the inspirational blog of Roxana Jones.

Guest Post - Winter Check-Up for Energy Savings

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 12 hours ago
The middle of winter and the end of a long cold spell tagged a “winter vortex” gives plenty of reminders about the cost of energy and heating in the winter months. It is also an opportunity to do more than begrudgingly pay the bill. *It can be a perfect time to do some easy self-checks to save energy both now and in future years. *Some of the corrections can be done immediately, and others will require a contractor in the spring, but now is the best time to schedule those jobs as well. Mid-Winter Inspection for Energy Efficiency Take advantage of the very cold weather to do your own... more »

My Endorsement for Governor of New Mexico

Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE - 13 hours ago
I know what you’re thinking: “Why are you endorsing a candidate? You’re just an independent blogger who likes to rabblerouse!” And you would be right. But, c’mon, give me some credit. I’m also a community activist and organizer who likes to rabblerouse. I also pay attention–very close attention–to the goings on in my state of […]

Children should not be allowed to behave like children.

skrashen at Schools Matter - 13 hours ago
Sent to The Oregonian, Feb. 2, 2104 It's wonderful to know how seriously Oregon takes kindergarten entry testing. The kind of publicity from The Oregonian, proclaiming that "Kindergarten test results a 'sobering snapshot'" (Feb. 1) will ensure that preschools will take firm steps to make sure that children are ready for the rigors of kindergarten, as well as encourage parents to follow strict, sequential standards in teaching their toddlers to count and develop pre-phonics skills to prepare them for preschool. The unfortunate tendency of children to want to play and enjoy themselves... more »

Spesifikasi Fitur Kamera SLR Nikon D5200 Terbaru

irfan ganteng at Yaya Blog's - 13 hours ago
Spesifikasi Fitur Kamera SLR Nikon D5200 Terbaru - Nikon D5200 merupakan kamera DSLR yang dirancang untuk memenuhi hasrat kreativitas Anda. Temukan perspektif baru dengan resolusi ultra-tinggi pada layar vari-angle yang dapat anda putar ke tiap-tiap peringkat. Bidik klise yang memukau melalui sensor CMOS DX-format beresolusi 24.1 megapiksel maupun bagikan secara langsung via WU-1a Wireless

Podcasting: The Ketagalen Project

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 13 hours ago
The Ketagalen Project is a podcast on topics of interest. I've long been wanting to give them a shout-out here, but I am sooo absent minded, I'm constantly forgetting. Please forgive me, guys! So here is their latest piece on a theatrical adaptation of a 1970s novel, *Crystal Boys*, about gay life in the 70s in Taiwan. They also do political stuff, like this podcast with the great Peter Chow on Taiwan and trade. Go thou and listen! _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture pos... more »

Jennifer Garrison Is So Conservative Not Even EMILY's List Will Touch Her Flailing Campaign

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 14 hours ago
If Democrats want to support antigay, anti-Choice bigots, they can just vote for Republicans Wednesday is the filing deadline for candidates running in Ohio's May 6 primary. The DCCC and their wretched conservative recruit, Jennifer Garrison, will be in for a big shock when grassroots progressive and community activist Gregory Howard officially throws his hat into the ring. I've talked to him at some length and I'd say his as good a candidate as Garrison is a terrible one. Even though Garrison has a grotesque right-wing record as a state legislator, she's trying to blend in with Ste... more »

Lakotas Owe Aku: NO! Black Snake tarsands pipeline: 'We have painted our faces'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 14 hours ago
By Owe Aku International Censored News Lakota are united with our relatives and allies up north. We must stop this kxl from entering the territory our ancestors loved, lived on for thousands of generations, and gave their greatest gift of all to defend, their lives. Our Creation stories teach us that this is our Home on Unci Maka, our homeland is part of our identity, we have our inherent birth

Critics of education: Nostaglia for a time that never was

skrashen at Schools Matter - 14 hours ago
Sent to the Los Angeles Times Nicholas Meyer ("Better history through storytelling" (Feb. 2), thinks that "no one learns history (of civics ...) anymore" and blames the"dismanteld" school system. The same complaint appeared in the New York Times, Sunday, April 4, 1943, in an article with the title "Ignorance of US History shown by college freshman." The article said that only 25% of the students knew that Abraham Lincoln was the president during the civil war, and only 15% knew where Portland, Oregon was. In 1930, Thomas Briggs of Columbia Teachers College, who reported that high... more »

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JR at GREENIE WATCH - 15 hours ago
*Scientific Pride and Prejudice* *The article below by MICHAEL SUK-YOUNG CHWE discusses the biases common in science. I also append after it a comment by Martin Herzberg that points out the relevance of such biases to Warmism. I actually don't think there is much relevance to Warmism because Warmism has long gone from being science to being a political creed. The studies Mr Chwe discusses are rigorous compared with the rank speculation that is Warmism* SCIENCE is in crisis, just when we need it most. Two years ago, C. Glenn Begley and Lee M. Ellis reported in Nature that they w... more »

Bong Mendoza's Political Poetry

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 15 hours ago
Below are three of the various short poems and septons by a friend, Dr. Amado “Bong” Mendoza of the UP Political Science Department. Posted yesterday and today, reposting them here with his permission. My short comments after each poem. ------------ *(1) self-rule, anarchy and leadershipthere is without doubtgreater demand forthan supply of good leadersfor leaders, what's the recipe?mix vision and charisma?courage and resolve?no equilibrium in sightwe should eventually learnto lead ourselves.* Right Bong, but anarchy to mean "zero authority" and "zero government" is a p... more »

Deep tweets

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 15 hours ago
Super Bowl Sunday -- the anti-Zen. With Dick Cheney at #SB48 pic.twitter.com/zt2UpeGJoN — Katie Couric (@katiecouric) February 3, 2014

Motivation

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 15 hours ago
Some of you who overdid it in January, are going FebFast. This might help: [Hat tip Stephen Hicks] Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

Yesterday was Rand’s Day…

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 15 hours ago
…and this is one of my favourite photos of my favourite thinker. Photo of a young Ayn Rand, taken in 1931 by her husband-to-be Frank O’Connor, on top of her apartment building in Hollywood; the water towers in the background mark the studios of RKO and Paramount, where she worked as a clerk in the wardrobe department. To celebrate Randsday, you do something not done on any other holiday: you give *yourself* a present… Randsday is for reminding ourselves that pleasure is an actual need, a psychological requirement for a human consciousness… Randsday is the time to challenge ... more »

Thailand Politics and the Monarchy, Part 3

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 15 hours ago
A friend, Dr. Amado "Bong" Mendoza, Prof. of UP Political Science, wrote a brief but good analysis of the Thai political crisis. He gave me permission to post it here; photo from his fb wall. My comments below his article. -------- *Oh, Thailand* *Dr. Bong Mendoza* *February 01, 2014* *While we had delightful face-offs in Manila's Chinatown, there are dangerous ones going on in Bangkok.Thais cast their ballots in polling stations today hopefully to form a new government after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved parliament in the face of vocife... more »

Super Bowl 2014

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 16 hours ago
*Seahawks - 43* *Broncos - 8*

Knoxville Letting Bids to Install Cameras in Classrooms?

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 16 hours ago
From Tennessee Bid NetworkInstall Camera Systems in Each Classroom and Externally [image: Bid Date & Time: 02/03/14][image: Status: bidding] [image: Report: 5382952][image: Country :United States] [image: State: TN] [image: County:][image: Location: Knoxville][image: Scope: Install camera systems in each classroom and externally.][image: Project Notes: Contractors must have $1,000,000 General Liability Insurance and $500,000 Workers Comp. All bidders are encouraged to visit the job sites to take their own measurements and review job site conditions prior to bidding.This solicita... more »

Blood Vengeance for Beantown

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 16 hours ago
The Feds, particularly the Department of Justice have officially announced their intent to kill Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev which will likely provide an extra boost to alcohol sales in Beantown this Super Bowl weekend. Attorney General Eric Holder, Barack Obama’s top hatchet man released the news on Thursday that the U.S. government was seeking to exact the ultimate revenge even if the state in which the crime was committed does not allow the death penalty. Now before I even get into this at length I want emphasize that I am in no way defending the vicious lit... more »

Living the dream: Staten Island commuters no longer have to climb all those stairs to get to SI-bound ferries

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 17 hours ago
*What's the big deal? you ask. So there are escalators going up from street level to the "business" level of the Manhattan-side Staten Island Ferry Terminal? Well, it's a huge deal for Staten Island commuters, who have had to make the long climb up the stairs for the year and a quarter since Superstorm Sandy destroyed those escalators. Someday we hope to have down escalators too!* *by Ken* I know that other people's disasters have a limited shelf life, and become intensely uninteresting when they overstay their welcome. So I'm confident that nobody outside the Superstorm Sandy-aff... more »

Society must pay the cost of due process. That is expensive.

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 17 hours ago
R. v. M.J.O., 2005 CanLII 50809: [1.] In 1958 I entered law school. In the 1958-59 academic year I enjoyed the great privilege of being taught criminal law by G. Arthur Martin, Q.C. He was probably the finest criminal lawyer in Canadian legal history. I well remember my surprise when, in his opening lecture, he stated to the class that the least expensive way for society to deal with a car thief would be to give him a car. Of course, he was right. But society simply does not accept as justice that a criminal should be rewarded for his acts. The corollary of that position, ho... more »

Obamacare updates - February 2 , 2014 ........ Real Life Obamacare Small Business, Benefit-Shifting Example ......... Doctor sends letter to Aetna representative terminating contract. ......... Pelosi: ObamaCare incompetence “not my responsibility” ......... Worker says hours cut due to Obamacare; Obama cites as reason minimum wage has to increase

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 17 hours ago
Sunday, February 02, 2014 12:00 PM Real Life Obamacare Small Business, Benefit-Shifting Example Here is an interesting video regarding the effects of Obamacare on all the employees at at Simonetta's auto repair shop in Pennsylvania. The video was made by a local TV station. A couple premiums dropped, but most went up, some by huge amounts. In every case deductibles soared. Every person involved is worse off than before. Link if video does not play: Employees in Pennsylvania Company Learn of Increased Health Costs Due to Obamacare *Partial Transcript* Jeff and Dave used to hav... more »

OMGosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 18 hours ago
Did you just see that play????

Quote of the Day: On politicking

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 18 hours ago
“No doubt Boscawen would have been a safe pair of hands. But ACT needs something or someone more inspiring to become relevant again.” - John Armstrong, in “Act finally does something right” Discuss. Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

SUNDAY SONG

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 19 hours ago

White House to ‘Make Sure’ Syria Gives Up Chemical Arms

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 19 hours ago
*"Make sure"?* If I may make a suggestion? *Get your mercs out of Syria.* Stop supplying arms and assorted other sundries necessary to make war. Kill Syrian civilians. And impede this process.... *Cease the call of ** havoc and retrieve the dogs of war* unleashed in your regime change/remake the middle east agenda. *The White House said Sunday it would “make sure” the Syrian regime complies* with an accord to give up its chemical arsenal, insisting the deal can still be salvaged despite implementation delays and missed deadlines. “It’s not falling apart, but we would like to see it... more »

Postmodern spew

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 19 hours ago
*"To a figurative painter/sculptor and to postmodern artist, pushing the boundaries means two completely opposite things: to a figurative artist it means to advance art by creating new developments that add to the long line of accomplished artists through history. To a postmodern artist it means to shock us even if that involves destroying the very nature of art..."* - quoted in Michael Newberry’s, “Pandora's Box,Part 1” What’s next for new artists hoping to shock a jaded bourgeoisie? Stephen Hicks has been saying for some time that [image: millie-brown] the world is ready for... more »

Progressives Can Win Back Congress-- But Not Through The DCCC

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 20 hours ago
You may have noticed we keep complaining about Nancy Pelosi's selection and retention of Steve Israel as Chairman of the DCCC. The Democrats will never win back the House will Israel as chair. In fact, because of his agreement with the NRCC to not target certain vulnerable incumbents and his loyalty to members of his old Center Aisle Caucus, it is mathematically impossible for the Democrats to ever win back a majority while he's in power. And we're not the only ones who think so. I have spoken to dozens of Members of Congress, candidates and party operatives with horror stories ab... more »

Demolition Expert brings down Frankfurt Skyscraper- deja vu

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 20 hours ago
Found this demolition, interesting.... Made me think of building # 7 The building was 381 feet tall and ten of thousands gathered to watch *German skyscraper demolished in 10 seconds * *DW-* *Explosives expert Eduard Reisch was in charge of blowing up the 50,000-ton skyscraper, which was completed in 1972.It is almost 100% possible to blow up such a building without hurting people or neighboring buildings," Reisch said before the explosion. Barriers of up to six-meters-high (6.6 yards) were erected around the skyscraper to prevent any damage**to nearby constructions.* Another ... more »

“Six Habits of Highly Empathic People”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 20 hours ago
*“Six Habits of Highly Empathic People”* By Roman Krznaric “If you think you’re hearing the word “empathy” everywhere, you’re right. It’s now on the lips of scientists and business leaders, education experts and political activists. But there is a vital question that few people ask: How can I expand my own empathic potential? Empathy is not just a way to extend the boundaries of your moral universe. According to new research, it’s a habit we can cultivate to improve the quality of our own lives. But what is empathy? It’s the ability to step into the shoes of another person, aiming ... more »

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Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 20 hours ago
From Jenna Orkin Currency Collapse May Stimulate Economic Expansion, BIS Says The euro mutiny begins Spain: the new crisis in Euroland Spanish debt wilts Spain to Use $30 Billion "Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring"; Spain's Borrowing Costs Rise; Is an EU or IMF Bailout of Spain in the Works? Fed Ponders What To Do If Recovery Fails; Risks to Growth All on Downside Osborne gives Bank huge new powers on economy Marc Faber: The Financial Crisis Has Seen Governments Expand "Like A Cancer" Morgan Stanley Explains European Banks Were Perversely Incentivized To Load Up On The Shoddiest... more »

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Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 20 hours ago
White House Pushes to Clear Way for Oil-Drilling Permits ... Killer Undersea Oil Plumes From BP Spill Lurk in Gulf of Mexico ‎ From Jenna Orkin Links on this blog are provided for their inherent interest, either because of their content or because of their mere appearance in particular news outlets. Their presence here should not necessarily be construed as an endorsement of their message. The same can be said with even more intensity about comments from readers. It is not possible to vet all the links they send in. Nor do I feel it advisable to publish only those comments whic... more »

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Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 20 hours ago
From Jenna Orkin Links on this blog are provided for their inherent interest, either because of their content or because of their mere appearance in particular news outlets. Their presence here should not necessarily be construed as an endorsement of their message. The same can be said with even more intensity about comments from readers which may be posted. It is not possible to vet all the links that readers send in. Nor do I feel it advisable to publish only those comments which seem palatable. There are myriad reasons for publishing comments. Readers are advised to use the scrol... more »

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Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 20 hours ago
Time for a 'new euro' This, the day after announcement of the Wocu. Erdogan Tests Turkey's Role as Bridge Turkey may be turning from being a mediator with Israel to being an ally of Syria and Iran. BP's 'damn hole' - take sixJames Cameron and Kevin Costner among those trying to help plug leak. BP Needs 'Lottery Win' to Seal Oil Leak at First Try Physicist Michio Kaku on BP Disaster: "Obama may have to call out the military." Goldman Sachs Sold BP Shares in 2010 First Quarter The Flip Side of China's Economic Miracle China's metal stranglehold Government investigates resource shortag... more »

Economic Crisis Made Simple - YouTube

Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 21 hours ago
Economic Crisis Made Simple - YouTube ► 6:53► 6:53 www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHLrpaUNZ0M‎ Jenna *Orkin*, author of "The Moron's Guide to Global Collapse

No Justice No System

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 21 hours ago
wake up Zombies the leaf are leaf shit what we have to endure has made that franchise the richest in the NHL. I was Thinking aboot the other day a maglev train between Toronto and Montreal, a terrible waste of money I know but it would cost half as much as our victory in Afghanistan. Its going to be like Holland some day. I been there a hundred times and if I say I am Canadian the people get tears in their eyes, not everybody does that when I meet them. Sports and propaganda are twin sisters, setting young males off in a snow coloured world of male enhancements. Some half a millio... more »

Satire: “Troubled Man Seen Outside Super Bowl”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 21 hours ago
*“Troubled Man Seen Outside Super Bowl”* by Andy Borowitz EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (The Borowitz Report)—” A “visibly troubled” man was spotted today outside MetLife Stadium just hours before the kickoff of Super Bowl XLVIII. The man, his eyes darting about menacingly, alarmed passersby who were gathering at the Super Bowl venue. Harland Dorrinson, who was participating in a pregame tailgating party, said he overheard the belligerent man making several “threatening remarks.” “He said something like, ‘If I go down, I’m taking a lot of people with me,’” Mr. Dorrinson said. “He also said t... more »

Last rites for the Anglican Church?

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 22 hours ago
*Analysis* returned to Radio 4 this week, and as a lapsed-but-still-sympathetic Anglican I was interested in its subject - the apparent terminal decline of the Church of England. It was presented by the *Guardian*'s veteran religious affairs writer Andrew Brown, who painted a very dark future for the Church, with younger people seemingly falling away from it at a staggering rate. It was an interesting report, growing more nuanced as it proceeded. Its opening stages dwelt at length on the 'values gap' between an overwhelmingly socially liberal Anglican flock (churchgoing or othe... more »

Seeking Another Bite at the Apple: Neocons Push for War in Syria

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 22 hours ago
Weeks of escalating war propaganda culminated with today's appeal from the Washington Post for the Obama regime to get cracking and start another Middle Eastern war. The bellicosity emanating from the typical gaggle of blood thirsty war freaks has been ratcheted up another notch with each story of mass killings and torture (Gitmo anyone?), barrel bombs and crimes against humanity and now has reached a keening pitch as neocon chickenhawks have found Syrian leader Bashir al Assad in violation of his vow to eliminate chemical weapon stocks. The warmongers never have gotten over their... more »

Just thought you should know

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 22 hours ago
This announcement will affect some of you more than others: PRESS RELEASE For immediate release Libertarianz Party *Libz Announce Deregistration* Libertarianz leader Dr Richard McGrath today confirmed that the Electoral Commission had last week deregistered the party at its own request. "Senior party members had been discussing for several months how we might get more bang for our buck, and it was decided to continue as a ginger group and/or think tank rather than as a registered political party… The Libertarianz Party is realistic, and accepts the enormous difficulty faced by ... more »

#EdwardSnowden: Traitor? [updated]

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 22 hours ago
Think Edward Snowden is a traitor? Those who say so might like to watch this interview. [Hat tip Keith Weiner] *UPDATE*: *US Media Blacks Out Snowden Interview Exposing Death Threats* – SCOOP The interview, broadcast by the German television network ARD, was largely blacked out by the US media. The *New York Times* carried not a word of what Snowden said, while the cable and broadcast news programs treated the interview with near total silence. The American media’s reaction stood in stark contrast to that of both broadcast and print media in Germany, where the interview con... more »

The Experiment

Sophia Love at AMERICAN KABUKI - 23 hours ago
It is not an experiment of ONE. It was allowed to run because this is a free will Universe. How many experiments in creation have there been? There have been as many as there are beings here – all of life is a creative act. Some of what is created, most of what is created, has its purpose held only within the life of the creator being. It takes a being who desires more, who desires everything under the sun, to create on the scale of this experiment. Such a being is the one most refer to as G.O.D. G.O.D. wanted to feel and understand power and is addicted to worship and cont... more »

Turkey's Economy Minister says the Central Bank rate hike is temporary ? Speaking at a Turkish Exporters’ Assembly meeting in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, Nihat Zeybekçi said the “rate hike decision is temporary in nature and not a permanent interest rate decision.” ..... Wait until Markets digest that nugget !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 23 hours ago
Interest rate hike decision ‘temporary’ GAZİANTEP - Anadolu Agency Print PageSend to friend » - - - - - Share [image: AA Photo] AA Photo Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi said Feb. 1 the rate hike by the Central Bank is a temporary decision. Speaking at a Turkish Exporters’ Assembly meeting in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, Zeybekçi said the “rate hike decision is temporary in nature and not a permanent interest rate decision.” During the meeting in Gaziantep, Turkey announced its exports increased 9.6 percent in January compared to the same month last yea... more »

Fukushima nuclear debacle - February 1 , 2014 Weekend Thread.....Massive water leakages involving Reactor 1 and 3 - tons of water draining out and Strontium - 90 now confirmed as having moved underground and into the groundwater all over the facility...... considering the lies , misinformation , lack of information from Tepco and the Japanese government since the crisis began , why would the public believe anything said ( widespread public distrust over NHK ) ? Don't expect an honest answer , but is it presently safe for humans to work at any of the Fukushima Reactor facilities ?

Catharsis Ours - 23 hours ago
Energy News..... 03:03 PM EST on February 1st, 2014 | 32 comments Officials: Tons of Fukushima radioactive waste in area beyond Tokyo, 150 miles from reactors — Higher strontium levels there than spot 1 mile from Daiichi plant — “Southern wind directions and rainfall explain relatively high activity levels” 11:46 AM EST on February 1st, 2014 | 83 comments Nuclear Engineer: “Very huge catastrophe” for melted fuel to burn into ground — Radioactive material “will go all around the world” once in underground water — Chernobyl made cement barrier below reactor, #Fukushima did not (VI... more »

Is Philip Seymour Hoffman Dead or Alive? You Decide!

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 1 day ago
So it seems Twitter has collected its first actual casualty. After becoming but one of a large cast of celebrities to be last month prematurely killed on Twitter, it seems Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has died from an apparent drug overdose in New York City. This led Mediamass to state that today's report was a hoax, considering last month's hoax, which then led them to do a confusing retraction stating, "UPDATE 02/02/2014 : This story seems to be false" without telling us *which *report was false. For a confusing few minutes on Twitter and the internet in ge... more »

Pundits just want to embarrass themselves!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014* *Toobin and Gergen join in:* Allegedly, girls just want to have fun. Pundits just want to embarrass themselves. Two cases in point appeared with Anderson Cooper this Friday. (See our previous post.) Cooper made a very modest attempt to clarify the basic facts. Then, it was time to speculate about the way the boys feel: COOPER (1/31/14): Wildstein has also, it seems like, has taken issue with some of the things that Chris Christie has said about Wildstein, about himself. ZERNIKE: *And I think that is what the interesting personal dynamic here is that Chr... more »

Sleepy Sunday

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago

What has Christie actually said?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014* *Cooper failed to ask:* Through the miracle of On Demand, we watched Anderson Cooper’s Friday night program yesterday afternoon. Kate Zernike appeared on the show for its first two segments. In a sad demonstration of modern press culture, Cooper failed to ask! Ostensibly, Cooper and his panel of pundits were trying to determine if David Wildstein has the goods on Chris Christie. This was the exciting way Cooper started the show: COOPER (1/31/14): *We begin with breaking news.* A new question: Are Governor Chris Christie's one-time political allies now tu... more »

Another nasty side effect of Wealth Concentration

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 1 day ago
So basically they just blow it. Secular Stagnation is another way of saying way to much money chasing way to little returns. Listen to Krugman people he knows from using his head not his gut.

Sunday Classics: In our missing "Song of the Earth" song, Mahler's "Lonely One in Autumn" begs for "peace" and "consolation"

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
*Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano; Israel Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, cond. CBS-Sony, recorded live, May 18, 20, and 23, 1972* *by Ken* In the above audio clip we're near the end of the second song of *Das Lied von der Erde* (*The Song of the Earth*), "*Der Einsame im Herbst*" ("The Lonely One in Autumn"), where Mahler pulls another of those minor-to-major switcheroos we've talked about. It occurs at 1:25 of our clip. Well, that's the lead-in; the actual moment occurs at about 1:31 -- and it's one of the stupendous moments of this extraordinary song-symphony, the first new proj... more »

Disabled Workers of the World, Unite!

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 1 day ago
If you're a typical able-bodied McWorker, you're probably struggling to survive on a minimum wage of $7 or $8. If you're among the lucky handful of able-bodied McWorkers just now entering the McWorkforce of a federal contractor, President Obama has benevolently decreed that your pay must start at $10.10 an hour. Because it's the right thing to do, because it's the all-American thing to do. Because Ten-Ten is easy to remember, and because it's a perfect Democratic campaign slogan. (*When is the Ten? Ten, Ten, Say It Again! GOP Pays No AtTENtion!)* If, however, you are a disabled McW... more »

Obfuscations Galore (SOTU For Those Entirely Out of Luck) Welcome to Carthage! Formaldehyde In Your Water -- It's The New Normal (Thank You BIG BUSINESS!) Oh, You GUYS!

Still not really satisfied that you have a pretty truthful depiction after all the verbiage you've read about Obama's last State of the Union address? Really need just a little more enlightenment? (Or some light on the situation at all?) From our ever-attentive reporter at Down With Tyranny. (Don't read this yet if you're having a really bad Sunday. Trust me.) The corporate assault on culture,

Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, February 2nd, 2014

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
Yes, it is indeed Sunday again, and of course it is time for my weekly rant... For those who were wondering, I took the last few days basically "off" from blogging, and concentrated on doing some personal and family business.... I did not post up an article stating so, because I did not feel that I needed to. I run this blog, and sometimes it is necessary to take a break for a few days to do some other just as relevant activities and to recharge the batteries so to speak....It has been a very unusual week, and there is much to talk about, so lets get right to it! First, again I re... more »

SATANIC RITUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS; QUEEN ISSUED WITH ARREST WARRANT

Anon at aangirfan - 1 day ago
In the 1930s, both the British and the Nazis were experimenting in Mind Control. After World War II, the CIA and its friends continued these experiments. There is a link between mind control and satanic ritual abuse. Reportedly, *Helen G* became a victim of Mind Control, and subsequently, she was forced into taking part in Satanic Rituals. *The Who’s who of Satanic Child Abuse** - *Christopher Spivey Helen has multiple personalities. *'Satanists' at Bohemian Grove in California.* The following comes from a report about Helen G. that appears to have been compiled by the* Ritua... more »

School Discipline: The U.S. vs. The Brits

Angel Cintron Jr. at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
Quality teaching and student learning cannot occur in a chaotic classroom. Organized chaos, i.e. student-centered stations and activities, is extremely productive. Disruptive behavior, however, is extremely unproductive and problematic, to say the least. So, it’s rather interesting that while the USDOE is calling for schools to relax its “zero tolerance” disciplinary policies, the Brits are calling for […]

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago
*Drew and Brittany Brees expecting fourth child!*

Third Greek Bailout Package Is Finally On Deck ! Not shocking at all that Germany is preparing the ground for a May bailout ( allegedly 10 - 20 billion euros ) as this will be the only way Greece can repay 11 billion in bonds maturing in May ! The Slog has been speaking on this for awhile , along with Zero Hedge !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Here we go again....... so ironic this is put out on Ground hog Day ! 2 FEB [image: German FinMin prepares a third aid package for Greece]tagged: Greece , Schawuble, third aid package for Greece German FinMin prepares a third aid package for Greece Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Economy New loan for Greece? Additional ten to twenty billion euro? No! Really! My matraase is full with euro and so are my wardarboes and cupborads. Guests’ refreshing room is also full from the rescue aid we got in 2012, and the cellar is full too. Really! Please, do not give Greeks mor emoney, we are ove... more »

TREE Sponsors Elaine Weiss to Talk about What NAEP Means

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
Elaine Weiss offers a primer on NAEP and recent gains in Tennessee. Make a cup of tea and enjoy.

Handlers: Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Longer Winter !!!!!!! Now let's not drive angry folks !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
TPM NEWSHandlers: Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Longer Winter - [image: Fb-square] Share - - Email - Bookmark? [image: N44rn4rgw5ihixnfqyhw] AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar GENE J. PUSKAR AND MICHAEL RUBINKAM – FEBRUARY 2, 2014, 8:20 AM EST114 PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — The handlers for groundhog Punxsutawney Phil say he's forecasting six more weeks of what already has felt like a brutally long and cold winter. Pennsylvania's famed groundhog emerged from his lair in front of thousands of fans around daybreak Sunday. Legend has it that if the furry rodent sees hi... more »

Bitcoin news updates February 1 , 2104 - Bank Stops Working With Bitcoin Exchange CampBX Due to ‘Regulatory Uncertainty’ .... ‘Innocent’ Silk Road Seller to Sue to Stop Sale of Seized Bitcoins ...... Lithuanian and Estonian Central Bank Warn on Bitcoin - Estonian C.B says bitcoin " May be a ‘Ponzi Scheme " ......Happy Chinese New Year, Bitcoin! Biggest exchange opens for business despite bank warning ...... Vancouver ATM Operator Wants to Leave Bitstamp Following Breakdown ....... Community Debates What’s Next After New York Hearings ?

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://www.coindesk.com/bank-stops-working-bitcoin-exchange-campbx-regulatory-uncertainty/ Bank Stops Working With Bitcoin Exchange CampBX Due to ‘Regulatory Uncertainty’ Pete Rizzo (@pete_rizzo_) | Published on February 1, 2014 at 00:00 GMT | *Companies, Exchanges* inShare2 Share 13 [image: campbx, bank] US bitcoin trading platform CampBX has announced that it has temporarily halted automated clearing house (ACH) and wire transfers effective 31st January. Alpharetta, GA-based CampBX indicated in a blog post to its users that its bank has “made a business decision to n... more »

Libya updates February 2 , 2014 - Latest jailbreak ( Swani Road Jail ) ........ Wate running out in Sirte / Ajdabiya while Sarir Power Station hit by missile attack from an Army unit ......... Two victims die from wounds from assassination attempts ........ Petrol running short in Sebha ......... Maltese ferry company claims €800,000 over 2011 evacuation of US personnel from Libya ........ Libyan Investment Authority sues Goldman for 1.2 billion related to equity derivative trades.....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Breakfast breakout from Swani Road jail *By Ashraf Abdul-Wahab.* *Tripoli, 2 February 2014*: Fifty-five prisoners escaped yesterday from the Bawabat Al-Jibs prison on Tripoli’s Swani Road when they managed to overpower prison guards. It is the latest in a growing list of jailbreaks that has now seen more than 1,600 inmates escape over the past year. According to a spokesman for the Judicial Police, which is responsible for security at the prison, the breakout happened during breakfast. He said there were just five guards on duty at the time for 200 inmates. The prisoners who were st... more »

New Blogs January/February 2014

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 1 day ago
More new blogs! 1. Angry Immigrant (Unaligned) (Twitter) 2. A Room of Our Own (Unaligned/Feminist) (Twitter) 3. A World for the Future (Unaligned) (Twitter) 4. Chris McHugh (Labour) (Twitter) 5. Free North Campaign (Free North) 6. Mutare Orbis (Unaligned) (Twitter) 7. Northern Light (SPGB) 8. Political Eh-conomy (Canada - Unaligned) (Twitter) 9. Public Domain Productions (Unaligned) (Twitter) 10. Push Back Politics (Unaligned) 11. PWF (Labour) (Twitter) 12. The Anger Theory (Unaligned) (Twitter) 13. Unite Manchester Finance (Unite) (Twitter) 14. What is Wrong at the TUC? (Unaligned) That'... more »

dispatches from ola 2014, part 1: makerspaces, libraries, and me

laura k at wmtc - 1 day ago
Yesterday I attended one of the most exciting and inspiring sessions of the OLA Super Conference, one of three that I will write about. It was a presentation by two people from MakerKids, one of the world's only makerspaces dedicated to and for young people - and lucky for us, it's in Toronto. *Makerspaces... and MakerKids* In this previous post about attending "OLA" for the first time, I listed "Maker Culture in Action" as one of the sessions I wanted to attend. A reader asked what that meant, and a little discussion ensued: here. That was a good reminder that the makerspace conce... more »

wmtc posts now being tweeted

laura k at wmtc - 1 day ago
At the suggestion of a longtime reader - someone I had never heard from before, although he's been reading wmtc for many years - I will now be tweeting wmtc posts. For some people, this might be an easy way to follow or subscribe to this blog. I've been on Twitter for a little while, under a pseudonym, mostly to follow certain feeds, and to ask the occasional question. Now I've changed my account name to *@wmtcblog*. I like how Twitter let me change the name but keep the account; following and followers all stay the same. I suspect following me on Twitter will be redundant with foll... more »

Join the Battle to Stop Corporate Shutdown of Memphis Schools

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee MEMPHIS, TN - (WMC-TV) – Parents and students from Westhaven Elementary have been fighting for their school for months. Saturday they took to the streets to get signatures to try to keep their school open. They are asking the community to get behind their efforts and it's not every day you see this kind of support inside a mall. TN House Representative Karen Camper said, "It had been tremendous because most people know and understand how important it is to have neighborhood schools. And most people believe in neighborhood schools." Parents, students ... more »

William Burroughs is One Hundred

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 1 day ago
One hundred years old this Wednesday, though, unless he is somewhere, liberating The Western Lands, he's not going to notice. In my opinion William Burroughs is the most important author of the twentieth century. James Joyce is the obvious candidate, but Joyce is a very different type of writer. Ulysses (and perhaps Finnegans Wake) are an endpoint. They are the last stop of a journey taken by fiction (starting arguably with Jane Austen), where the author takes the reader deeper and deeper into the psychology of the characters. Burroughs work is anti-psychological. He was a remarkab... more »

No Tragic Hero

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 1 day ago
On Friday night, Conrad Black was stripped of his membership in the Order of Canada. Tim Harper writes: Black is now one of only six Order of Canada recipients stripped of the honour and forced to return the insignia. And what a photo op that would be when he hands it over. He joins a pack of fraudsters, a Métis leader who let loose with a string of anti-Semitic invective, and a one-legged kid who ran across the country, only to be convicted later of fraud, assault and drunk driving. Black fought to keep the honour, at the same time claiming that the people who would review his ... more »

China Shadow banking news and views - February 2 , 2014 -- 15 Trillion shadow over China's Banks ! Key takeaways from former Fitch China Analyst Charlene Chu - Regarding Shadow Banking in China -- “The banking sector has extended $14 trillion to $15 trillion in the span of five years. There’s no way that we are not going to have massive problems in China,” she says ....... On whether China's foreign reserves estimated at nearly 4 Trillion could be used to rescue the financial system in a crisis -- “The FX [foreign exchange] reserves cannot be used nearly to the extent that people think they can. There are some analysts that think they can’t be used at all, but I disagree with that. “I believe they can’t be used in their entirety by any means because they are offset by the other side of the balance sheet of the PBOC [People’s Bank of China]. Because of that, you can’t just run down one side of the balance sheet, the asset side, and not deal with the liability side of the PBOC balance sheet.” ....... regarding what a financial crisis in China might look like - - “This is going to be different from other markets where market forces are allowed to play out. Here the authorities get involved and that means these kind of defaults can remain one-off and isolated for quite a while,” she says. “The critical question is that, at some point are these one-off issues going to turn into a very big wave of defaults? That is going to be very difficult for the authorities to manage in the same way that they have been able to manage the one-offs.”

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/10611931/The-15-trillion-shadow-over-Chinese-banks.html The $15 trillion shadow over Chinese banksChina analyst Charlene Chu explains why the nation is on the verge of crisis [image: The $15 trillion question hanging over Chinese banks] Charlene Chu is adamant that a Chinese banking collapse of some description is a certainty Photo: Bloomberg [image: Harry Wilson] By Harry Wilson 9:30PM GMT 01 Feb 2014 [image: Comments]29 Comments Drawing attention to the problems at an individual bank is never likely to make you popular,... more »

And We Continue To Do Nothing

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 1 day ago
Obama is a cynical con-man. harper is contemptuous of parliamentary democracy. harper devastates science. Fantino insults veterans. Carbon emissions are increasing, not decreasing. Inequality runs rampant and the welfare state lives on fumes. Etc., etc., and so forth. Some people put their faith in a political system that harper is continuing to sodomize with a splintery broomstick. A political system that barfs out the pretty-boy Justin Trudeau ("He beat Patrick Brazeau in a boxing match! He's prime minister material for sure!") and the centre-right, Zionist apologist, Thomas Mulca... more »

Things you MUST know for Super Bowl Sunday...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*really.* *and* *How about this???* *Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich.* Can we hear an, OH YEAH?? *Recipe HERE*

"It's a bunch of toffs"

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
Oh, he really just can't help himself it seems. I used to chronicle in great detail Paddy O'Connell's apparent pro-Labour proclivities, but haven't really bothered for a few years - even though I've heard him snap at guests on *BH* and* PM* who've started criticising Labour in ways he never seems to do when they criticise Conservatives. This morning's *Broadcasting House* (which I used to sneer at as *Gordcasting House *in the days of Mr Brown) contained a classic though, which I've just got to record for posterity, as Paddy's political passion appeared to pour out all over the ... more »

More Class War From A Clueless San Francisco Billionaire

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
I expect that by now you've been hearing about the *Wall Street Journal*OpEd by grotesque, clueless Belvedere billionaire Thomas Perkins whining about how working families are Nazis who want to put the makers Wall Street predators in concentration camps. One of the worst avatars of gentrification of working class neighborhoods, Perkins bought the top of the Millennium Tower on Mission St. in a traditional working class area, in San Francisco and was able begin his missive "Writing from the epicenter of progressive thought, San Francisco…" No one in the South of Market area wants h... more »

SC’s Low Self-Esteem, Florida Addiction, and Education Policy

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
In the 1980s and 1990s, the decades of my career as a public high school English teacher, South Carolina was early and all-in as an accountability/standards/testing education reform state. One interesting aspect of that commitment is that SC has had at least 4 generations of standards and tests (including the current adoption of Common Core), […]

Venezuela items of note - Maduro's new economic order results in food and basic good shortages........ Oil shipped to US hits 1985 low as China is beneficiary of slowing Venezuela oil production - even as loan and shipping costs impact Venezuela net receipts ....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Venezuela’s toilet-paper shortage oddly worsening, despite Maduro’s “new economic order” POSTED AT 5:31 PM ON FEBRUARY 1, 2014 BY ERIKA JOHNSEN *When will President Nicolas Maduro finally free Venezuelans from the tyrannical shackles of supply and demand ruining their lives? *Despite his best efforts at establishing price caps, government rationing, currency controls, and stationing troops at places of business in order to prevent the collusion of greedy profit-seekers and American imperialists in their “economic war” against him, the mass shortages of basic goods plaguing Venezu... more »

Untitled

jonjayray at Food &Health Skeptic - 1 day ago
*Milk and Brazil nuts will send you off to sleep: Scientists concludes certain minerals and acids are linked to a sound slumber* *This is self-report data and probably includes an element of data dredging so it is no substitute for controlled experimentation* Searching for the recipe for a good night’s sleep? It could be as simple as a glass of milk and a few handfuls of nuts. Scientists in the US studied the diets and sleep patterns of more than 4,500 adults and concluded that certain minerals and acids are linked to a sound slumber. And their report suggests that a late-night s... more »
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