Thursday, September 04, 2014

4 September - Blogs I'm Following

4:51pm MDST

Catching up on Ukraine- Ceasefire talk/NATO in Wales/MH-17 no press conference

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 5 minutes ago
Just a couple of items that seem interesting- *The Gulf Today * DONETSK: Pro-Russian separatists need “proper guarantees” that Ukraine will honour any ceasefire agreement, a rebel leader said on Thursday, underscoring the lack of trust between the two sides after six months of conflict. Leaders of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics proposed the creation of a “security zone” split into five sections, each of which would be monitored by 40 observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe. Rebels also said they would allow a humanita... more »

Mother Jones Story on Gates Core

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 29 minutes ago
A clip from a big story in Mother Jones. How to Spend $200 million to buy what you want:

Seven Leftwing Reasons for Staying With Us

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 1 hour ago
Viewed from afar, Better Together has been a poor show. Not in terms of numbers involved out canvassing day after day. I'm on about the politics on offer. The vision thing. Yes have it. That an independent Scotland will share the monarchy, be a semi-colony of the Bank of England and fancies a corporation tax race to the bottom with rUK and the Irish doesn't really matter. *It won't be this forever*. Where Salmond and the SNP have been really clever is allowing 'Scotland' to be populated by all kinds of aspirations. It's a sail catching every gust of hope, and one that may well blow... more »

Supplemental: Did Frank Nixon kick his sons?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 hour ago
*THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014The way Fawn Brodie reasoned:* In 1981, an influential book was published by the late Fawn Brodie, who had succumbed to cancer before publication. Richard Nixon: The Shaping of His Character was a work of psychobiography. Sadly, the weird influence of Brodie’s weird book has continued into the present: One unfortunate part of the book seemed to transmigrate into the press corps’ coverage of Campaign 2000. Eight years later, Rick Perlstein cited the book as a major source for an early, cartoonized part of his important best-seller, Nixonland. Yesterday... more »

Al-Qaida Fighters Are Now Stationed Along Israel's Border In The Golan Heights

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 hour ago
*Israeli Golan Residents Tell Government To 'Wake Up' -- Al-Monitor* Sgt. Shahar Shalev, the 72nd casualty of Operation Protective Edge, was laid to rest Sept. 2 at a funeral in the Hispin community on the Golan Heights. Shalev hailed from the neighboring community of Alonei HaBashan, less than a kilometer from the Syrian border. Echoes of nearby explosions could be heard in the area, resonating from the battles between the Syrian army and the rebels opposing the government. The Israel Defense Forces occasionally blocked roads and redirected traffic onto alternative routes, worrie... more »

Progressive Frauds Unmasked-- Hochul Raises from Democrats Against Education

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 hour ago
When Clinton was president, my industry's trade association contributed $50,000 to the DNC in my name. I've been plagued by ravenous, contribution-hungry Democratic candidates ever since then-- and almost never good ones. Yes, it's how I came to meet Howard Dean and make him a raw vegan brunch at my house once, but other than Dean, it's been one monstrosity after another, from Dick Gephardt, the author of the legislation allowing Bush to invade Iraq, to wheeler-dealers like Terry McAuliffe. This week I got an invitation in the mail from the most unlikely of Democratic corporate s... more »

Sept. 4: hysteria?

Graeme Decarie at The Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad - 1 hour ago
Section A has a few pages of N.B. party platforms worth reading. Alward's platform is already dead in the water because we know what he'll do ----whatever Mr. Irving tells him to do. Gallant's platform? I would award it two yawns, possibly three. There's nothing in it that has a grip on anything this province needs. If either of them is elected, I would expect Mr. Irving to do another arrogant repeat, and call for a provincial conference of his human hamsters to plan the economic future (in one weekend at a good hotel.) I have lots of sympathy for the Greens, but their programme i... more »

The Gaza War Cost Billions

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 2 hours ago
*Israel Says Gaza War Cost $2.5 Billion -- Voice of America* Israel says its 50-day war against Hamas militants in Gaza cost more than $2.5 billion. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told an economic conference in Tel Aviv this week that a large part of the cost came from more than 6,000 attacks Israeli forces carried out on targets in the Palestinian enclave along the Mediterranean, mostly airstrikes. But he said the country also spent $100,000 each time its Iron Dome missile defense system shot down one of the 600 rockets the militants fired across the border at the Jewish state - ... more »

Beware: Facebook's "Soft Censorship"

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 2 hours ago
*September 5, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - LocalOrg) - The Land Destroyer Report maintained a Facebook page under the name Anthony Cartalucci. Since 2009 it was used to express my personal thoughts regarding the news of the day, as well as share relevant links with followers. Today, Facebook, without warning or opportunity to appeal, decided that the Facebook account must be changed over to a "page." By doing so, all those following my account no longer would receive updates, because of Facebook's "news feed" filters. The premise behind news feed filters is that people have too many "fr... more »

Russian General Wants A Preemptive Nuclear Strike Doctrine Against The U.S. And NATO

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 2 hours ago
Russian military vehicles drive down Tverskaya Street during rehearsals for the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow May 5, 2014. Vladimir Filonov / MT *Russian General Calls For Preemptive Nuclear Strike Doctrine Against NATO -- Moscow Times* A Russian general has called for Russia to revamp its military doctrine, last updated in 2010, to clearly identify the U.S. and its NATO allies as Moscow's enemy number one and spell out the conditions under which Russia would launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the 28-member military alliance, Interfax reported Wednesday. R... more »

U.S. Teachers Need to Stand with Teachers in Canada

freetoteach at Schools Matter - 2 hours ago
Haven't seen much info on the ongoing teacher strike in British Columbia on the evening news or even education blogs but it's happening. Vancouver teachers Teachers chose to go on strike and only teachers can end the job action, Premier Christy Clark said Wednesday in her first recent public comments about the strike. Clark was pressed by reporters on how long her government would allow the strike to continue, but she insisted a deal must come through negotiation, not legislation. “We need to get teachers to suspend their strike while we get back in the classroom and while we barga... more »

Bears

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 2 hours ago
Photographer unknown

Joan Rivers RIP

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 2 hours ago
Joan Rivers on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show from 1986 http://youtu.be/-lEX6HI4Mew

Ukraine Has Few Options To End The Civil War In It's Favor

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 2 hours ago
*Russian Muscle Turns Tide, Leaving Ukraine Few Options -- Wall Street Journal* *President's Choice is Negotiating With 'Terrorists' or Bloody Defensive War* MARIUPOL, Ukraine—With his army in retreat amid an influx of Russian soldiers and heavy weapons, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is facing a tough choice between making concessions to Kremlin-backed separatists or fighting a bloody defensive war. The dilemma seemed unthinkable until last week, when what Western officials describe as an incursion from Moscow turned the tide of a five-month conflict that Ukrainian offici... more »

Supplemental: Please don’t agree with what I just said!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 3 hours ago
*THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014Blasphemy conquers all:* We saw a lot of funky work in the Washington Post this weekend. That report about the Ferguson police was extremely muddled. Ruth Marcus wrote a column which disappeared large chunks of modern press history. We were struck by this piece in Outlook, which described a misunderstanding on the Cape May ferry. Last April, something similar happened to us, with an adorable great niece of ours! (We avoided having a nervous breakdown, since the other parties were trying to do the right thing. Increasingly though, the Post seems to enjo... more »

The F35 "Lightning II" Fighter Fiasco: F35 - Zombie Fighter Bomber Of American "Defense" Fantasies?

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 3 hours ago
It was over two months ago when the Lougheed Martin boondoggle known as the "F35 Lightning II" was unable to make an airshow in the United Kingdom due to the single aircraft that was to make the appearance caught fire on a runway at at military base in Florida in the United States... Since that time I have heard that ALL flights of this piece of crap aircraft were grounded until the designers behind this white elephant were able to determine what caused that fire, and to work on other "design flaws" in this aircraft.....I have been all over this lemon for a while now with past repor... more »

Loss of deference to sentencing judge because of a failure to advert to relevant sentencing principles

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 3 hours ago
Normally a sentencing judge`s decision is entitled to considerable deference however, if the sentencing judge does not expressly reference a relevant sentencing principle at deference may be lost – see *R. v. Doran*, 2014 ONCA 621 holding, The failure of the sentencing judge to expressly state that she had considered the principle of totality disentitles the sentencing judge's decision to the deference that is normally its due``.

Screwball Chris Matthews Says President Obama Should Invade Syria In Response To ISIS's Beheadings of American Journalists

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 3 hours ago
*Source: Angry Arab - this is the liberal US media*: "MATTHEWS: I put the question to you, you`re president of the United States and an enemy is beheading one of your people every couple of weeks. What do you do? Can you do nothing? Can you sit and watch it happening? This open-ended barbarism against your people? *But what if the one thing you can do to stop the beheadings is invade Syria and begin taking control of the country, city by city, village by village?*" So, the conclusion that the intellectually dishonest U.S. media is drawing from recent events in the Middle East is ... more »

Talks For A Ukraine Ceasefire Gain Momentum (Updated)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 3 hours ago
*Battlefield Losses, Politics Push Ukraine Leader To Seek Peace -- Reuters* * Ceasefire without military victory risky for Poroshenko * Truce will cement battlefield "draw", avert risk of defeat * President wants election to go ahead, to tackle economy KIEV, Sept 4 (Reuters) - In a week that has confused many Ukraine watchers, President Petro Poroshenko accused Moscow of launching "direct and open aggression" against his country and two days later said a peace process could begin as early as Friday. As his office announced Poroshenko and Russia's President Vladimir Putin had reache... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 3 hours ago
*Corps of Engineers tries to pass blame for failures 8-29-05 that flooded New Orleans ~David Hammer *

Ukraine Civil War News Updates -- September 4, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 3 hours ago
A man runs past a burnt truck belonging to Ukrainian forces near the village of Berezove, southwest from Donetsk, September 4, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov *Ukraine to Call Cease-Fire as Russian Tanks Advance -- Bloomberg* Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he’ll call a cease-fire tomorrow if peace talks with pro-Russian rebels take place as scheduled, amid reports of Russian tanks moving toward a key eastern seaport. Poroshenko, in Wales for a NATO summit, said on Ukrainian television he’ll declare a halt to the fighting at 2 p.m. Minsk time if negotiations begin as planne... more »

In The War Against ISIS And Jihadist Terrorism, Money Still Talks

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 4 hours ago
* Cheap oil and arms deals trump fighting terrorism. If the U.S. and NATO really wanted to eradicate ISIS they would sanction Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Turkey, not attack Syria and Iraq.* German Minister Accuses Qatar of Funding ISIL, Germany then Regrets Upsetting its Rich Partner. Source: Eretz Zen. Date Published: August 23, 2014. Description: German Development Minister, Gerd Müller, accused Qatar on Wednesday of financing militants of the so-called "Islamic State", formerly known as "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL), who have seized wide areas of northern Iraq... more »

(Final Round of Chicken Occurring?) Beware the Coming for US Gig!  (Millennials Not Coming to the Rescue - Not Even Riding Hard)

According to Bloomberg News, the Treasury Department has informed the nation’s major banks that they would trigger an obscure law to pay back any bank that suffers major losses from a hacking assault on their computer networks. They would accomplish this with taxpayer money, though you could certainly argue that the bank’s information security defenses, not taxpayers, would ultimately be

AT LAST SOME TIME OFF

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 4 hours ago
After another eight hour drive MB and I returned to Maine yesterday from Syracuse, New York. We arrived at the lake island home of a friend where we will stay for two days. This morning we both went for a kayak paddle around the lake and I just came in from an invigorating swim. The water is cool but not cold and felt wonderful. Next up is some reading while sitting in the sun and some lazing around. On Saturday we'll drive to Belfast where a peace festival is being held. I'll speak on a panel along with a couple other members of Maine Veterans for Peace.

NATO Summit News Updates -- September 4, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 4 hours ago
*Nato Summit Wales: Isil And Ukraine Top Agenda - Latest -- The Telegraph* World leaders including Barack Obama, David Cameron and Petro Poroshenko convene in Wales for the 2014 Nato summit to discuss Iraq, Syria, Russia, Ukraine and Afghanistan • Poroshenko, Ukraine rebels close to peace deal • Tory MPs canvassed on support for air strikes on Isil • What is Nato - explained in 90 seconds • Jihadi John will be caught, vows Cameron • Nato surrounded by an “arc of crisis”, says Sec-Gen • Afghanistan and Ukraine sessions this afternoon *Read more* .... *NATO Summit News Updates -- Se... more »

GOP LIES - Deciding Vote On ACA - State by state by state

2old2care at Because I Can - 4 hours ago
*GOP Lies * *ONE* *McFadden: Franken Was Deciding Vote for Obamacare, but Does Nothing Today to Fix It* https://www.mikemcfadden.com/mcfadden-franken-was-deciding-vote-for-obamacare-but-does-nothing-today-to-fix-it/ *TWO* *Scott Brown Lied About Shaheen's Deciding Vote For Obamacare* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_rfuH1befk *THREE* *Did Mary Landrieu cast the ‘deciding’ vote for Obamacare?* http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2013/11/22/did-mary-landrieu-cast-the-deciding-vote-for-obamacare/ *FOUR* *"Jeff Merkley was the deciding vote on Obamacare,"* http://www.ore... more »

UKIP - Nigel Farage - talks about 'arming the rebels abroad' and 'multiculturalism at home'.

Mike Philbin at Mike Philbin's free planet blog - 4 hours ago
here he is again, talking about our Empire and its intel unit 'arming the rebels' abroad in foreign countries and 'multiculturism' at home here in UK Like him or not, he's out there shouting from his soap box:

Robin Williams, Robert De Niro and the Night John Belushi Died,

Spike EP at News Spike - 5 hours ago
*John Belushi* *1949 - 1981* *Cause of Death:* Non-consensual Injection of Speedball and Mocking Iran-Contra in 1981 *Likely Suspects:* The FBI, DEA, Col. Oliver North & The National Security Council, "The Secret Team". "So if you think that Belushi was not overly-political, forget it... One of the movies that Belushi was about to make was a comedy about the FBI and drug smuggling from Colombia to Miami. It is probably the biggest going industry in Florida, and also the United States. And these people don't appreciate comedy." *An excerpt from the book* *Untouchable - A Biog... more »

World News Briefs -- September 4, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 5 hours ago
French President Francois Hollande, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Barack Obama meet to discus Ukraine at the NATO summit at the Celtic Manor resort, near Newport, in Wales September 4, 2014. REUTERS/Alain Jocard/Pool *Ukraine And Rebels To Seek Peace Plan, Ceasefire On Friday -- Reuters* (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the main pro-Russian rebel leader said they would both order ceasefires on Friday, provided that an agreement is signed on a new peace plan to end the five month war in Ukraine's east. The first apparent breakthrough of... more »

Nail down this climeate

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 5 hours ago
We are so politically correct we have thrown the education baby out with the racist bathwater The purpose of education is simply to create good citizens black white purple or brown it make no difference we should all be the same if you cant learn do not be a citizen that sounds a little harsh and Robert Hienlien of course we have compassion for the challenged things The fact of life is that we are all challenged everyday to keep it all together and both hands on the steering wheel The masters we elect and now servee have become too comfortable and its mostly their fault that living o... more »

The Miracles/Mirror. If it isn't One Miracle it is Another, Bringing Miracles into your life, Through Self Love

Sherrie at Sherrie Questioning All - 5 hours ago
I am stepping outside my comfort zone more and more to express myself and what I feel is important in my understanding. Miracles the mirror of self. Self Love, something I have just started to do in the recent past. Changing our own lives and our world, simply by Loving Self!

Is inflation dead?

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 5 hours ago
No, says Ken Rogoff.

Are You Surprised That The Chamber Of Commerce Is Backing Incumbents From The Republican Wing Of The Democratic Party?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 5 hours ago
Last night when we were looking at vile DC lobbyist John Breaux, formerly a very conservative Louisiana senator, I recalled that he was a New Dem, a Wall Street-funded organization of business-oriented Democrats. It should come as no surprise that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, delights in finding anti-family Democrats and endorsing them the same way they endorse anti-family Republicans. In 2012 the Chamber of Commerce attack machine spent $27,912,717 smearing Democrats with TV and radio ads. But they also spent $305,044 bolstering 2 of the most right-wing Democrats in the House, ... more »

Syrian Rebels (NATO's mercs) Offer to Serve as Ground Troops for US airstrikes

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 5 hours ago
Had this one saved from yesterday, but, didn’t get it posted- Still relevant today! Very relevant. As you read the Bloomberg piece below you should understand how the lines between ISIS/FSA blur, so much so that they have become indistinguishable. Despite the spin of the NATO media Because there are no moderate rebels in Syria. *There are only NATO backed Islamist fighters, of one regiment or another. Promoted under varying brand names*-* ISIS being the latest updated AQ rebranded marketing launch * *First a couple of digressions, always related, always thoughtful* *Flashback! **T... more »

Biggest false flag news week ever!

Kevin Barrett at truthjihad.com blog - 6 hours ago
*False Flag News* 1) Obama/Cameron call on NATO to confront ISIS http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/world/middleeast/obama-and-cameron-call-on-nato-to-confront-isis.html?rref=world/middleeast&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Middle%20East&action=click&region=FixedRight&pgtype=article 2) Zionist propaganda SITE reports "Beheading of U.S. Reporter Steven Sotloff by ISIS" http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/world/middleeast/steven-sotloff-isis-execution.html?_r=1 3) Fake reporter's fake beheading staged in Israel http://www.veteranstoday.com/2014/09/02/make-israel-stop-beheading-journ... more »

Harry Targ : Lies and war!

Thorne Dreyer at The Rag Blog - 6 hours ago
U.S. administrations ever since Truman have justified aggressive foreign policies by lying and distorting the realities behind complex international relationships. By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | September 4, 2014 Post-modernists talk about “discourses,” “narratives,” “tropes,” and verbal “deconstructions.” … finish reading Harry Targ : Lies and war!

Post Labour day blues

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 6 hours ago
I took a pauser because of the weather I was afraid it would look all clammy on me Maybe if I had antiperspirant I could have preformed better There are many things in our current toolbox that could make me serve a burger to you. Mother nature never no mind if you are comfortable and well air conditions I just ask you to consider a fact as if one had passed your mind and could find a location where the message would be relayed in real time From the time of the civil war until 1934 the people of America fought for a five day week an 8 hour day and no children in their way What they won ... more »

Warning to the World: Washington and its NATO & EU Vassals are Insane

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 6 hours ago
[image: Crazy Uncle Sam] http://www.degaray.com/misc/143-Reality-Behind-Europe.html#Warning_to_the_World:_Washington_and_its 03-Sep-2014 Warning to the World: Washington and its NATO & EU Vassals are Insane Paul Craig Roberts · September 3, 2014 Herbert E. Meyer, a nutcase who was a special assistant to the CIA director for a period during the Reagan administration, has penned an article calling for Russian President Putin’s assassination. If we have “ to get him out of the Kremlin feet-first with a bullet hole in the back of his head, that would be okay with us.” As the crazed ... more »

Argentina: A UFO Over San Francisco de Bellocq

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 6 hours ago
*Source:La Voz del Pueblo (Argentina) and Planeta UFODate: August 27, 2014* *Argentina: A UFO Over San Francisco de Bellocq* 08.27.14 - it was captured yesterday morning in a photo taken by an aide to municipal delegate Gerardo Chedrese. Last night they noticed the presence of an oval, plate-shaped figure. There is even a similar one that is less visible. A report from the author of the image that has caused interest and renewed speculation. There was considerable surprise last night in San Francisco de Bellocq when what looked like a spot or dot on the screen resulted in the dis... more »

Democratic Platform: Wishy-Washy Worry

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 6 hours ago
"I worry a lot," Elizabeth Warren admitted this week. "I worry across the board." If whining and complaining is how the Great Progressive Hope of the Senate inspires enthusiasm in voters, then despair all ye who enter the fresh hell of her Yahoo! interview with Katie Couric. What's really worrisome to me is how narrowly Warren defines the "core economic issues" of our time (hint: it's not the record wealth inequality that was a popular talking point of Democrats for a couple of minutes last year before a plutocratic temper tantrum sent them all scurrying to fetch imaginary "opport... more »

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- September 4, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 6 hours ago
*Ukraine’s Poroshenko Gets Show of Support from NATO Leaders -- Voice of America* Ukraine's president received a show of support from Western leaders at a NATO summit on Thursday as a Kremlin peace offer failed to halt fighting the country’s east where pro-Russia rebels have been gaining the upper hand against Ukrainian troops. The West has backed Kyiv with words and imposed economic sanctions against Moscow, but offered Ukraine only non-lethal military support after Russia annexed Crimea in March, and rebels, widely believed to be supported by Moscow, have risen up against Kyiv ... more »

Clark's press conference bad news for province's court prospects

paul at Paying attention - 6 hours ago
The tit-fot-tat press conferences by Premier Christy Clark and BCTF head Jim Iker did nothing to advance negotiations, and left most people appalled by both sides. But Clark’s comments seem especially damaging to the government’s long-term interests. Assume the union holds out and the government legislates teachers back to work and imposes a new contract. Teachers would then challenge the agreement in court, pointing to the failure to negotiate class size and composition issues, as the B.C. Supreme Court has said it must. The court didn’t say the provisions, stripped in 2002, must b... more »

Argentina: Cattle Mutilation in Santa Fe

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 6 hours ago
*Argentina: Cattle Mutilation in Santa Fe* *By Andrea Pérez Simondini* Thanks to our friend Marcelo Fasano we have learned of new cattle mutilation events in the locality of Reconquista, Santa Fe. The story was covered by local station Radio Amanecer and is very interesting. It states that the animal's owner found the animal in a state of nevers and trembling on Friday the 15th, and the found it dead with these injuries on Monday the 18th. Two new cases occurred during this instance: one of them in Villa Adela, in the Villa Ocampo district, at the farm of Osvaldo Marega; another o... more »

Ravitch Warms to Tuckerism: Can Randi Be Far Ahead?

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 6 hours ago
I posted the other day on the new (old) Tuckerism that Joe Nocera was promoting (again) in the New York Times. Obviously, Tucker's THL (Testing Hysteria Lite) has resonated with the neolibs as a way to stave off the revolution against testing, while preserving its worst features and maintaining the attack on collective bargaining and due process. Here is a key Tucker conclusion tucked into his report: In the most facile and misleading way, Diane Ravitch has posted a select few points of the new old Tuckerism that Tucker and the Hillaryites obviously want Ravitch readers to kno... more »

69 Hoops and No Appeal: Teacher Observation--Memphis Style

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 7 hours ago
Point one that has to be remembered: half of Tennessee teacher evaluations are based on invalid, unreliable, and unfair test scores. The other half is based on observations. Teachers who worked for months on a new observation process last year were eventually dismissed when they disagreed with the two most outrageous aspects of CorpEd's recipe for disaster: 1) an observation checklist with 69 items that have to done in order to score the highest rating, and 2) no way to disagree and no appeal for an administrator's score. With teachers ready to riot, the non-educator in charge has ... more »

Rosemary's Baby

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 7 hours ago
About four weeks ago in his byline here, Mike Flannigan opined that we've become so wearied by and used to corruption, we can no longer be trusted to identify it and respond appropriately to it. I will add here and now that not only is that true, we're outraged by the most ridiculous things and are led astray as easily as a pod of whales inexplicably beaching themselves. No one knows why it happens. It just does. Even the so-called "liberal media", that Goldstein of American journalism that doesn't exist any more than unicorns and ethical Republicans, doesn't think there'... more »

Ringling Brothers and Barnum &Bailey Circus SLC Giveaway

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 7 hours ago
I was given tickets to Ringling Brothers in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own. I am getting so excited for the Circus! This year we are taking my mom who hasn't been in more than 30 years. I absolutely can't wait to experience it with her and my girls! Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be in Salt Lake City September 24-28th. *Featuring over 100 performers spanning 25 countries plus more than 85 animals from nearly every continent around the world, the Ringling Bros. 144th Edition features several unique acts including:* - *China National Acrobatic Trou... more »

Brain-to-brain communication

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 7 hours ago
Science Alert and many others bring us the gospel about the research reported in PLOS in which thoughts were sent directly from one brain to another brain, using no other human organs, over the Internet. The two sides of the communication were located in France and in Spain or India. *Except for a couple of extra wires in between, the technology is really nothing else than telepathy.* They were sending binary messages (they have used "Ciao vs Hola" instead of "zero vs one", probably because they confused France with Italy LOL) and the input side has typed the words by the power of... more »

ISIS to the Rescue

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 7 hours ago
*Amid NATO's failures in Ukraine, America's terrorist mercenaries threaten war with Russia.* Tony Cartalucci As the crisis in Ukraine continues to fare poorly for Kiev and its NATO-backers, an "unlikely" ally has emerged - ISIS. Threatening to "liberate" Chechnya and the Caucasus, ISIS would essentially be handing over regions of Russia to its Western and Persian Gulf sponsors. While one would imagine the West would attempt to at least appear to stand in solidarity with Russia in the face of this recent threat, it has instead used the threat to stir fear among Russians, and as ... more »

Newly Revealed NSA Program ICREACH Extends the NSA's Reach Even Further

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 7 hours ago
Nadia Kayyali *Electronic Frontier Foundation * Turns out, the DEA and FBI may know what medical conditions you have, whether you are having an affair, where you were last night, and more—all without any knowing that you have ever broken a law. That’s because the DEA and FBI, as part of over 1000 analysts at 23 U.S. intelligence agencies, have the ability to peer over the NSA’s shoulder and see much of the NSA’s metadata with ICREACH. Metadata is transactional data about communications, such as numbers dialed, email addresses sent to, and duration of phone calls, and it can be inc... more »

I grew Up in Canada

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 7 hours ago
Thanks for the recommendation. I grew up in Canada and was about five years old when I heard Gords Guitar pluck for the first time ribbons not steel but more forged with humankind to document a black day in July. My parents opinion was like a sailboat ill equipped headed with no recourse into a hurricane. The storms that bloodied America and never would subside would blanket Canada and we would have no choice but to abide. Pierre Trudeau changed all that, he did not piss his pants when LBJ raised him off the floor to make the point that Canada was pissing on his grass. Not Amer... more »

THE HOUSES OF JOURNALIST COUNTY: Vieira provides some comic relief!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 7 hours ago
*THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014Part 3—The bullroar of Journalist County:* When we rose from our [hyperbaric] chamber this morning, the analysts were loudly wailing. We found them huddled around a copy of the New York Times. Purposefully shoving the youngsters aside, we found they had the paper open to page A19. The source of their distress was clear. They’d been huddled around a full-page ad which was headlined like this: The New York Times *INTERNATIONAL LUXURY CONFERENCE* Art. Technology. Fashion. Forward. December 1-3, 2014/Mandarin Oriental, Miami For the general background, clic... more »

Russia Warns Ukraine That Joining NATO Will Derail Peace Talks

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 8 hours ago
*Kremlin Warns Ukraine Against Joining NATO -- Washington Post* MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Thursday underscored Russia’s opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine, warning that such a move could derail efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as leaders of the alliance gathered for a key summit in Wales. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also told the United States not to try to impose its own will on Kiev. Lavrov’s comments came one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a plan to end the fighting that would entrench gains by pro-Russian rebels and hand a ... more »

UK to spend $80 million to protect world Leaders at NATO summit in Nation on highest threat level due to suspected ISIS and Putin Infultration

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 8 hours ago
So how did Harper spend a Billion in Toronto and lose two police cars to flames? False Flags Flying everywhere and I almost cut my hair.

Russian Media Reporting Progress In An Agreement For A Ukraine Ceasefire By Friday

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 8 hours ago
Speaking about NATO’s cooperation with Ukraine, the secretary general said he would have a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on September 4 and they would adopt a joint declaration and outline specific steps needed to enhance the NATO-Ukraine partnership. © REUTERS/ Yves Herman *NATO Welcomes Putin's Ukrainian Crisis Settlement Plan -- RIA Novosti* MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti) - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that the organization welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan on the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine as an effort to solve... more »

The Hidden Bipartisan Agenda Behind Eliminating the Export-Import Bank

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 8 hours ago
Brandon Turbeville It is increasingly true that whenever one sees Democrats and Republicans joining forces in Congress the end result will inevitably be that the American people are sold down the river. Thus, when we see a formation of both Democrats and Republicans coming together for the purpose of eliminating the Export-Import Bank, red flags should immediately go up in regards to the true motivation and result of their newfound alliance. For instance, leading the charge against the Export-Import Bank is the Republican Congressman Jeb Hensarling of Texas. Hensarling has repe... more »

MERS-CoV and OFWs, Part 3

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 8 hours ago
Four months after she died in Riyadh, my sister in law, a former nurse in a Saudi government hospital, is finally home in our province in Negros Occ. Welcome home, Gemma. Lois, their only child, 13 yo, with her in this photo which I took from Gemma's fb wall. She should have been brought home last August 17 via Cathay Pacific (Riyadh-HK-Manila). But about one or two days before she would be transported, Cathay demanded a new requirement before they would transport Gemma. First they demanded an "import permit" from Manila. When I wrote to them what is that “import permit” and wha... more »

NATO PUSHES FOR EXPANDED MILITARY SPENDING

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 8 hours ago
NATO pushes its "member" states to increase military spending as the global alliance turns Russia and China into enemies and reinvigorates war in Iraq. NATO fits the term of war machine now more than ever.

The Israeli Army's Newest Elite Unit Is Made Up Of Exclusively Lawyers

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 8 hours ago
Israeli soldiers look towards Gaza from Israel. Daily Mail *Israeli Army Develops Exclusive Lawyers-Only Elite Unit -- Washington Free Beacon* *Unit will deal with charges of war crimes.* JERUSALEM—In the wake of its 50-day confrontation with Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli army has formed a new elite unit—made up entirely of lawyers. The unit, part of the Military Advocate General’s Corps, will deal with charges of war crimes raised by Palestinians and human rights organizations following the deaths of some 2,200 Gazans, most of them civilians, from air and artillery attacks. Senior ... more »

The Islamic State Is Now Threatening To Go To War Against Russia

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 9 hours ago
*'This Message Is Addressed To You, Oh Putin': ISIS Now Threatens Russia Over Its Ties To Syria's Assad And Promises To 'liberate Chechnya And All The Caucasus' -- Daily Mail* * Vladimir Putin was threatened because of close ties to Bashar al-Assad * In video, ISIS rebel sits in cockpit of captured Russian-made fighter jet * Second fighter warns Putin that his 'throne is in danger and will collapse' * Added: 'With permission of Allah we will liberate Chechnya and Caucasus' * It puts Putin on same side as the West in holding back Muslim extremism * At same time, Krelim leader remains a... more »

Failure of every institution

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 9 hours ago
The Nobel prize seems set to join the list if Stephen Harper is nominated for the Nobel Peace prize. Please help them to help themselves. I believe there is a case that he is technically a war criminal. He should be called by the international commute to the Hague not Stockholm. http://www.change.org/p/norwegian-nobel-committee-deny-the-nomination-of-pm-stephen-harper-for-2014-nobel-peace-prize?recruiter=6636926

Remove Vaccine Safety Oversight From DHHS

Barbara Loe Fisher at Vaccine Awakening - 9 hours ago
Posted 9/2/2014 *By Barbara Loe Fisher* On Aug. 27, 2014 a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control 1 publicly admitted 2 that he and other CDC officials, including the current CDC’s Director of Immunization Safety, 3 4 published a study about MMR vaccine safety in 2004 5 that “omitted statistically significant information” and “did not follow the final study protocol. “ He said the study “omitted relevant findings in a particular study for a particular sub group for a particular vaccine” and added that “there have always been recognized risks for vaccination” and “it is... more »

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel Supports President Obama's ISIS Strategy To Combat ISIS

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 9 hours ago
*Hagel Backs Obama On ISIS Strategy -- CNN* (CNN) -- A good soldier never publicly contradicts the commander in chief, at least not intentionally, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is a good soldier. A Vietnam War veteran, Hagel provided a robust defense of President Barack Obama's approach to ISIS jihadists in Iraq and Syria when interviewed Wednesday by CNN National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto. With Obama facing criticism over what even a fellow Democrat called too much caution, Hagel sought to make clear that the President wants to eliminate any ISIS threat to the Unite... more »

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel: More Than 100 Americans Are Fighting For The Islamic State

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 9 hours ago
Foreign fighter: Abdirahmaan Muhumed, pictured in Syria, was killed while fighting for ISIS. He had access to planes at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport before he joined the Islamist terror group *Hagel Reveals 'Over 100 US Citizens' Are Fighting Alongside ISIS In The Middle East – A Huge Increase From Previous Estimates -- Daily Mail* * US defense secretary hints that a growing number of Americans are taking up arms with jihadi army in Iraq and Syria – more than 100, up from just a dozen estimated a week ago * Insists of ISIS: 'You've got to destroy it, because if we don'... more »

harpercons; No Idea How Stupid They Are

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 9 hours ago
So, it's now obvious to people of normal intelligence, how embarrassingly empty was the blustering on the Ukraine Crisis by Misters harper and baird. Evidently they'll "stand-up" against Putin's (imaginary) aggression in the Ukraine, but please don't think that this means actually contributing militarily! For domestic consumption, Harper's government claims to be leading the Western response. Foreign Minister John Baird has insisted that "no other government has stood up more forcefully and aggressively against the Russian aggression in Ukraine." Really? Those are big words. But... more »

A Look At A British Warship Squeezing Into Cardiff Bay With Just 30inches To Spare Ahead Of The Upcoming Nato Summit

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 9 hours ago
*(Click on Image to Enlarge) * Carefully does it: Type 45 air-defence destroyer HMS Duncan arrives at Cardiff, south Wales, in preparation for the upcoming Nato summit. Daily Mail *WNU Editor*: More photos can be* found here*.

Can A Paltry Minimum Wage Increase Save The Senate For The Democrats?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 9 hours ago
It's no coincidence that Florida Democrats put a referendum on the November ballot legalizing medical marijuana. Aside from passing a really good proposal, the referendum should draw lots of pro-marijuana voters to the polls where, it is hoped, most will vote for Democrats. Unfortunately, no one took Debbie Wasserman Schultz and her financiers at the private prison industry into account, The people who are helping-- along with Big Sugar-- her run for the top Democratic House leadership post need those arrested pot smokers to keep their prison cells full-- so that they can make big ... more »

Where Do Pro-Russian Rebels In Ukraine Go For R&R

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 9 hours ago
Refugees at the Izvarino checkpoint in the Lugansk Region. (RIA Novosti / Valeriy Melnikov) *Fighters Unwind in Russia Where Beer Doesn’t Spell Death -- Bloomberg* For separatist fighters, the trip from Ukraine’s war-torn east to unwind over the Russian border is a chance to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. “We’re here to take a breather,” said Arslan, a native of Russia’s North Caucasus region who declined to give his last name. “The penalty for drinking a beer on the front is death.” Arslan, who said he provides the rebels with military intelligence, was kicking back at a river-... more »

Untitled

jonjayray at EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL - 9 hours ago
*Skool Daze: life as a teacher at a British inner-city comprehensive school* *The Telegraph is following one young teacher, Jack, who is brimming with energy and enthusiasm ahead of the new academic year – but for how long?* My name is Jack and I’m a 20-something teacher based in London. I’m not from London, which is quite important I think. Makes me seem a bit worldly to the children. I’m about to go into my third year of teaching (which so far I have loved) at Moosewood School. It’s a good school, the outcomes are great and the kids come from a range of backgrounds, but mostly ... more »

fast-food workers are on strike today. you can support their cause.

laura k at wmtc - 10 hours ago
Fast-food workers all over the US are on strike today, demanding a living wage and the right to form a union without retaliation. Did you know that the majority of fast-food workers are adults trying to support families on those crap wages? Their pay is so low, they qualify for food stamps! So taxpayers are subsidizing McDonald's, as the fast-food industries rakes in billions in profits. If you're in the US and you pass a fast-food outlet today, especially a McDonald's, please stop by to show support for these courageous workers. They are the cutting edge of the labour movement to... more »

All Hat And No Cattle

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 10 hours ago
http://www.windsorstar.com/ Stephen Harper is in Wales today, bellowing at the Russian bear. NATO will discuss the necessity of increasing defence spending to meet the challenge from Russia -- something which Stephen Harper has flatly rejected. He has an election to win and tax cuts to deliver. Jeffrey Simpson writes: Mr. Harper has cut defence spending hard in the past two years, attempting to balance his budget so that he can offer Canadians tax cuts and targeted spending in next year’s pre-election budget. He’s not going to ... more »

Ukraine situation updates ( August 31 , 2014 ) --Putin puts resolution of crisis in East Ukraine on political will of Kiev Authorities ......Putin and Poroshenko discuss need for substantial talks to deescalate crisis in E.Ukraine..........EU sets ‘deadline’: Russia faces sanctions if Ukraine crisis worsens over next week ....... Key tweets of the morning on Ukraine situation !

Catharsis Ours - 11 hours ago
Tweets..... *Ryskeldi Satke* @RyskeldiSatke · 4m Putin response to Brussels summit: EU "backing a coup d'etat" in Ukraine http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29003116 … pic.twitter.com/S16RA18SX0 [image: Embedded image permalink] *Ryskeldi Satke* @RyskeldiSatke · 4h Several EU member states: Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic & Cyprus oppose next round of sanctions against Russia http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1 f0a66a4-3038-11e4-9914-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3BxT6fYs1 … - Retweeted by Ryskeldi Satke *Melinda Haring* @melindaharing · 46m Huh? Merkel says it's unclear if R... more »

Iraq / Syria Regional War Updates ( September 4 , 2014 ) Iran's IRGC and US / German Special Forces on the ground in Iraq ? As said before , Mission sprint in Iraq and who knows what might be going on in Syria already ? News of the day and tweets of note ....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 11 hours ago
http://news.antiwar.com/2014/09/03/irans-iraq-policy-shifts-as-isis-expands/ Iran’s Iraq Policy Shifts as ISIS ExpandsQuds Force Chief on the Ground in Amerli by Jason Ditz, September 03, 2014 Print This | Share This While publicly they both are constantly condemning one another, Iran and the United States have had extremely similar policies with respect to Iraq in recent years. And as the US changed their policy toward Iraq earlier this year, Iran followed suit. Like the US, Iran was long a fan of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and as the losses to ISIS mounted, they cut him lose at... more »

Spiritual Love vs Ego: Choose Carefully..... by Saker Saloum

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 12 hours ago
*Source:* *https://plus.google.com/+SakerSaloum1973/posts*

Escaping Death in Northern Iraq - NYTimes.com

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 13 hours ago
A truly fascinating story from Iraq. Read it here http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/world/middleeast/surviving-isis-massacre-iraq-video.html Here's an extract Ali Hussein Kadhim, an Iraqi soldier and a Shiite, was captured with hundreds of other soldiers by Sunni militants in June and taken to the grounds of a palace complex in Tikrit where Saddam Hussein once lived. The militants, with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, separated the men by sect. The Sunnis were allowed to repent for their service to the government. The Shiites were marked for death, and lined up in groups.... more »

ISIS to the Rescue

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 13 hours ago
Amid NATO's failures in Ukraine, America's terrorist mercenaries threaten war with Russia. *September 4, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - As the crisis in Ukraine continues to fare poorly for Kiev and its NATO-backers, an "unlikely" ally has emerged - ISIS. Threatening to "liberate" Chechnya and the Caucasus, ISIS would essentially be handing over regions of Russia to its Western and Persian Gulf sponsors. While one would imagine the West would attempt to at least appear to stand in solidarity with Russia in the face of this recent threat, it has instead used the threat to stir fear a... more »

History, Trends and Digital Changes in Media

Martyn Daniels at Brave New World - 13 hours ago
Digital Music News have taken RIAA data and produced an interesting animated graphic of the changes in music purchases over the last 30 years. We strongly recommend that you view this as it shows how transient some technologies are and how it’s not just the technology that changes but how people buy and relate to media. It would be great to be able to step forward and predict what will happen in the next twenty years but many of us would be struggling to see further than the next five years. What is interesting is that the base content hasn’t radically changed, a song is a song ... more »

Mysterious Phony Cell Towers Could Be Intercepting Your Calls

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 13 hours ago
Unencrypted Connection Les Goldsmith*I am not sure what to make of this article, it will probably sell some encrypted phones. Popular Science magazine has long been an outlet the military uses to let out data to the public it wants known about technology. Often years after the fact. * *This is a sign people are really waking up. A few years ago it was revealed PacBell (now AT&T) was handing off telephone Asynchronous Transport Mode (ATM - the core of DSL, fiber Internet, VOIP) packets (voice and data) to the NSA through a San Francisco switching center. The major telecom compan... more »

Ukrainian patrol ship sunk by artillery fire

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 13 hours ago
[image: Zhuk-class patrol boat BG-119]A Ukrainian patrol ship has been sunk in the Azov Sea after coming under artillery fire, the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service (DPSU) announced on 1 September. Two Ukrainian Coast Guard vessels based in Mariupol had been patrolling three miles off the Ukrainian coast near Bezimenne when they came under shore-based artillery fire on 31 August, the DPSU said. The vessels attacked were a Zhuk-class patrol boat and a Kalkan-class patrol craft, with the Zhuk-class vessel being sunk. According to the DPSU eight personnel - seven of whom were injure... more »

Malaysian Su-30s to launch live Kh-31s for first time in SCS drill

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 13 hours ago
[image: Su-30MKM Flanker]The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) will conduct the first live firings of Kh-31A anti-ship and Kh-31P anti-radiation missiles (AS-17 'Krypton') from its Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighters during a joint exercise with Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) in the South China Sea this month. The Kh-31 firings against a sea target will take place in a designated part of the South China Sea routinely used by the RMN for firing practice. The exact location of the firing area is unknown but military sources confirmed that it is well away from the disputed Spratly Islands to avoid pro... more »

Expert: NATO’s Missile Defense System Has No Capability Against Russian Deterrent Force

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
[image: Patriot missile defense system]Proposals from Baltic and Polish leaders ahead of the NATO summit, requesting that NATO’s anti-ballistic missile defense system be focused on Russia are unrealistic, as the system has no capability against potential Russian threat, according to representatives of the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA). “From a technical standpoint, it’s really not arrayed or capable against a Russian threat. It’s not designed that way, it has no capability that way,” Brigadier General Kenneth Todorov, Deputy Director of the MDA told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. “Our... more »

Fix for F-35 fighter engine near done, Pratt to pay

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
[image: F-35 Engine fire]US officials said yesterday they were nearing a fix for the engine that powers Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet and the United Technologies Corp unit that makes the engine has agreed to pay to retrofit 156 already delivered. Pentagon chief arms buyer Frank Kendall told reporters that the US military was close to determining the root cause of a major engine failure in June, and test fixtures were being set up to ensure that Pratt's proposed corrective actions were acceptable and adequate. The failure of Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine grounded the entire... more »

Musical Interlude: Moody Blues, “Candle of Life”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 14 hours ago
Moody Blues, “Candle of Life” By Moody Jill, who “gets it...” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0p1MwX6vG4

Moment ​Libyan fighter jet crashes into building caught on camera

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
Three people were killed and nine injured when a Libyan war plane crashed on Tuesday in a residential part of the eastern city of Tobruk. The plane went down around half a mile from the seat of the country's elected parliament. Footage appeared on YouTube today appearing to show the crash, filmed from a rooftop. The authenticity of this video has not been verified. Read more

The Ukraine crisis shows that all of Europe should pay more for Nato – Scotland included

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
[image: Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmerans]Barack Obama will touch down in Estonia today, in a visit designed to reassure the tiny states of the Baltic that whatever happens in Ukraine (where a permanent ceasefire has apparently just been announced), they won't be next to have Vladimir Putin's armies marching into them. The difference, of course, being that while Estonia, was once a satellite of the Soviet Union like Ukraine, today it's a proud member of Nato, and benefit from Nato's three musketeers-style policy that an attack on one is an attack on all. It will no doubt be a... more »

Northrop Grumman, US Navy Successfully Conduct E-2D Aerial Refueling Preliminary Design Review

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
[image: E-2D Advanced Hawkeye]The Northrop Grumman and U.S. Navy team has successfully conducted the preliminary design review (PDR) for its E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Aerial Refueling system. Completion of this critical milestone allows the program to proceed to its critical design review, moving closer to manufacturing the system and installing it on new production E-2Ds as well as retrofitting it onto E-2Ds that are currently operating in the Navy fleet. "I'm very pleased with the progress the team has made," said Capt. John Lemmon, program manager, E-2/C-2 Airborne Tactical Data Syst... more »

The low-cost fighters to serve tomorrow’s air forces

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
[image: Textron Scorpion]At this summer's Farnborough Air Show in England, the talk was dominated by the mishaps of one plane: the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter. Due to be adopted by major air forces in the decades to come, it was supposed to be the star of the show. But in the end, the $100m-a-unit jet failed to turn up to its coming-out party after an engine fire in one of the production models grounded the fleet. But another new jet fighter, which had taken less than two years to design, build and fly, did make it to Farnborough. The Te... more »

France won't deliver warship to Russia

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
[image: Vladivostok LHD]Saying conditions "were not in place," France announced Wednesday it would not deliver an under-construction warship to Russia. A statement from the Elysee, the French presidential palace, blamed Russia's actions in Ukraine, and said the first of two Mistral-class assault ships would not be delivered to Russia by the deadline of late October. The ship, named the Vladivostok, is essentially a small aircraft carrier suitable for helicopter takeoffs and landings, and is completing construction at a shipyard in the French port city of St. Nazaire. Read more

Israel is the Safest Place for an Arab in the Middle East

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 14 hours ago
For the morons who call Israel an apartheid state, here's an article to read and learn from. http://linkis.com/bit.ly/ut75M If you want the key phrase... "My grandmother always says that "it is better to be in hell with the Jews than in paradise with the Arabs..."

Boeing KC-46 tanker exports to Poland possible, could mean a boost for Everett line

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
[image: KC-46]Poland is the latest country to issue a request for proposals for four tankers, which, if Boeing wins, could increase sales of the Boeing’s KC-46 tankers, according to a report by Flightglobal. This follows the start of bidding in June for another order by South Korea for four tankers. If Boeing wins in either case it would be a big boost for the region because it would bolster the Everett-built tanker's prospects, by expanding its market beyond the U.S. government. Read more

Kaggle Higgs: back to K2

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 14 hours ago
The ATLAS Kaggle Higgs contest ends in less then two weeks, on September 15th or so, and I wanted to regain at least the second place among the 1,600 contestants seen in the leaderboard – because I still believe that it is unlikely for me to win a prize. After many and many clever ideas and hundreds of attempts, my team returned to the second place where I have already been for one hour in June. Gábor Melis is ahead of my team by 0.005. I am learning Hungarian in order to revert this gap. I've tried about a hundred of amusing ideas to improve the recognition of the Higgs sign... more »

INS Sumitra commissioned into Navy

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
[image: INS Sumitra]INS Sumitra, an indigenously built naval offshore patrol vessel (NOPV), was commissioned into the naval fleet at a function in Chennai on Thursday. The vessel will give a boost to coastal surveillance and anti-piracy and counter maritime terrorism operations of the Navy. The vessel is the fourth in the series of indigenous NOPV developed for Indian Navy. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan was the chief guest at the commissioning ceremony. Read more

PLA reveals how captain 'stopped submarine from falling into 3,000-metre trench'

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 14 hours ago
[image: Kilo class SSK]China’s military has given top awards to the captain and crew of a submarine that stopped their ailing vessel from plummeting into an ocean trench 3,000 metres deep and averting a fatal crash. However, the incident, which appeared in a front-page PLA Daily report about the awards, also constituted a rare admission by the People’s Liberation Army of a malfunction in military hardware. The Central Military Commission cited Wang Hongli, captain of the submarine number 372, for calmly reversing the disaster during a routine patrol in deep waters. It happened at an... more »

New Russian submarine completes missile testing

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 15 hours ago
[image: RFS Severodvinsk]The Russian Navy's new multi-purpose nuclear submarine, the Severodvinsk, has successfully completed its missile testing phase in the White Sea, naval sources confirmed Wednesday. "The tests have confirmed the high efficiency of the nuclear submarine and its weapons," Rear Admiral Konstantin Kobanov, deputy commander of the submarine division of Russia's Northern Fleet, was quoted by local media as saying. The new sub will now head to the Zapadnaya Litsa naval base near the Norwegian border to begin its official duties. Read more

Untitled

JR at GREENIE WATCH - 15 hours ago
*Psychologizing skeptics, another episode* At least since 1950, there has been a mini-industry among psychologists and other social scientists devoted to finding something mentally deranged in conservatives. I spent 20 years from 1970 on and had over 200 academic journal articles published which pointed out in detail the flaws in such endeavours. I persuaded no-one, of course. Leftists need their myths and neither logic nor evidence is enough to discredit those myths. So after 1990 I hung up my spurs and left them to it. I no longer read their journals so I don't even know what... more »

NATO Vs Russia (In 99 Seconds)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 15 hours ago

It's those 'men' again

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 16 hours ago
The BBC report here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-29054064 that 'Eight men have been charged with sexually abusing girls under the age of 16 by police investigating child sexual exploitation dating back to 2005. ... The men arrested come from Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Buckingham and Chesham.The men in custody are aged between 28 and 45.` The eight men and their charges are: ' Arshad Jani, 32, of Cousins Drive, Aylesbury, charged with one count of conspiracy to rape a girl under the age of 16, one count of rape of a girl under the age of 16 and one count of sexua... more »

Brian Cox's incompetence

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 16 hours ago
Like Sean Carroll, Brian Cox pretends to be a scientist but in reality, he is confused about some very rudimentary facts about modern physics and science in general. It's not just the lunar phases or locality or the exclusion principle that he totally misunderstands (be sure that I haven't discussed every misconception of his that has made me very angry). He actually doesn't build on science; he builds on licking the rectums of the powerful and those who are brainwashed by currently fashionable political deviations. Cox is a kitsch for the least demanding audiences. Yesterday, The ... more »

Is This The Real Reason Why Presdient Obama Is At The NATO Summit In Europe This Week?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 16 hours ago
*Is This Why Obama Is Rushing To This Week's NATO Summit? -- Zero Hedge* As is well-known, tomorrow, September 4, a NATO summit begins in Wales to discuss and coordinate the western response to ongoing "Russian intervention" in Ukraine (not to be confused by US intervention in Ukraine meant to remove an standing, democratically-elected president), a summit for which Barack Obama has demonstrated impressive enthusiasm following his blitz tour of Europe, a continent reeling on the edge of a recessionary abyss courtesy of the "costs" Obama has imposed on Germany Russia in the afterma... more »

More New Yorkers Have Died From Afghan Heroin Since 9/11 Than U.S.Soldiers Have Died During The Same Period Of Time IServing n Afghanistan

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 17 hours ago
*The Consequences Of America’s Invasion Of Afghanistan: NYC Heroin Deaths Highest In A Decade -- Zero Hedge* While back in May Obama promised America's mission in Afghanistan was over, and all US troops would leave the country by the end of 2016, the "unintended" consequences of the US presence in this favored by al-Qaeda country will haunt America for a long time. And especially New York, where according to a new report by the Department of Mental Hygiene, the number of people who died from unintentional heroin overdoses in New York City last year was the highest in over a decade... more »

A Look At The Mindset Of A Young Jihadist

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 17 hours ago
Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Stringer *Path To Jihad: From Upscale Cairo To Islamic State Beheadings -- Reuters* (Reuters) - After leaving his upscale Cairo neighborhood to fight with the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq, Younes says he learned how to work as a sniper, fire heavy weaponry and behead prisoners using the proper technique. One year later he harbors the kind of ambition that could create a security nightmare for Egyptian authorities: to return home and... more »

Vice President Biden Vows To Chase The Islamic State To Hell

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 17 hours ago
*Biden's Warning To ISIS Militants: 'We Will Follow Them To The Gates Of Hell' -- CNN* (CNN) -- Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued a sharp warning to ISIS militants, saying after the United States is done grieving the death of two American journalists, their killers will have to answer for their actions. "They should know we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice," he forcefully told an audience at an event on the New Hampshire-Maine border. "Because hell is where they will reside. Hell is where they will reside." Biden opened his remar... more »

Is Cantor Technically A Lobbyist Yet?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 17 hours ago
Since first being elected to Congress in 2000, Eric Cantor has raised $32,386,930 and spent $30,889,639 on his reelection bids-- and on building power for himself inside the GOP caucus. He spent $5,794,611 in the current cycle, significantly more than the $392,316 his primary opponent no one had ever heard of spent. Eric Cantor, on the night he lost his primary election to Dave Brat addressed his supporters at what everyone assumed would be a victory party: "I believe in this country," he declared. "I believe there's opportunity around the next former… for all of us." He basically... more »

On Economic Support From U.S, NATO, And The European Union For The Islamic Terror State In Iraq And Syria

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 19 hours ago
ISIS was murdering journalists in Syria for sport for three years, but nobody in the Western political establishment panicked, because it was all part of the plan. But when it beheaded two American journalists and publicized their deaths for maximum dramatic effect, everybody lost their minds. The same Western political leaders who yesterday defended their policy of funding, training, and arming these terrorists against Assad are now supposedly leading the fight against them in Iraq. It would be hilarious if it weren't totally insane. It's important to reflect on recent history... more »

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
“Bright star Markab anchors this dusty skyscape. At the top right corner of the frame, Markab itself marks a corner of an asterism known as the Great Square, found within the boundaries of the constellation Pegasus, the flying horse. The wide and deep telescopic view rides along for some 5 degrees or about 10 times the angular diameter of the Full Moon, with blue reflection nebulae scattered around the scene. * Click image for larger size.* And even though this line-of-sight looks away from the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, it covers a region known to be filled with nearby molecular... more »

"When Eyes Are Blinders of the Soul"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
*"When Eyes Are Blinders of the Soul"* By Peter Michaelson "One way to diminish our suffering is to become conscious of when our eyes go looking for something that upsets us. Another way is to be watchful of what our imagination is up to. Just as sponges can soak up dirty water as easily as clean water, our eyes can also take in impressions from the world around us that leak misery into our soul. We like to think we use our visual faculty in pursuit of pleasure, but we also use it to entertain old hurts, grievances, and longings. Our eyes go looking for pleasure and stimulation-but... more »

New book from SOAS: Political Changes under Ma Ying-Jeou

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 19 hours ago
SOAS just launched *Political Changes in Taiwan under Ma Ying-jeou*. A great line-up of scholars and thinkers, you can preview it on Google Books. The Kindle edition is available on Amazon.com. _______________________ [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!

The Poet: Mary Oliver, "What I Have Learned So Far"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
*"What I Have Learned So Far"* "Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside, looking into the shining world? Because, properly attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion. Can one be passionate about the just, the ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit to no labor in its cause? I don't think so. All summations have a beginning, all effect has a story, all kindness begins with the sown seed. Thought buds toward radiance. The gospel of light is the crossroads of- indolence, or action. Be ignited, or be gone." ... more »

"Survival"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago

"Despair and Survival"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
"Despair and Survival" by Sam Smith "Ever since I read Thoreau in high school and adopted as my own his declaration that he would rather sit alone on a pumpkin than be crowded on a velvet stool, I have made the pursuit of individual freedom a part of my daily business. I follow it like others follow football. I know the game, the players, and the rules. And one of the most important things I have discovered is how few people are able to help you much. The psychiatrist with his elegant degree, the minister with an eye on the vestry's budget, the philosophy professor just short of te... more »

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
Walnut Creek, California, USA. Thanks for stopping by.

"A Tribute To Dogs"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
*"A Tribute To Dogs"* by George Graham Vest "George Graham Vest (1830-1904) served as U.S. Senator from Missouri from 1879 to 1903 and became one of the leading orators and debaters of his time. This delightful speech is from an earlier period in his life when he practiced law in a small Missouri town. It was given in court while representing a man who sued another for the killing of his dog. During the trial, Vest ignored the testimony, but when his turn came to present a summation to the jury, he made the following speech and won the case." "Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend... more »

"Rest Is Not Idleness..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." - Sir John Lubbock

Letter: Dutch Intellectuals 'Apologize to Putin' for LIES on MH17, Syria, Ukraine

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 20 hours ago
*Who would you follow into battle? The question doesn't even have to be asked.* *Excerpts from, "Dutch Intellectuals Apologize to Putin for Lies on MH17, Syria, Ukraine... " macedonia online, Wednesday, August 27, 2014:* A letter sent by a prominent Dutch Professor to Russian president Vladimir Putin has attracted much media attention in Europe. *The letter was written by Professor Cees Hamelink and signed by dozens of Dutch intellectuals and professors. Below is the letter in its entirety.* Dear Mr. President Putin, Please accept our apologies on behalf of a great many people he... more »

"How's Your Inner Beggar?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 20 hours ago
"How's Your Inner Beggar?" by Henry Makow, Ph.D. "I am reflecting on the timeless question of human happiness. What do people want? Simple creatures, we want to feel good. If you can make other people feel good, they'll love you. But how many of us bother? We are too busy trying to make them make us feel good. We are feel good addicts, hoping to wring our happiness from the world. Food, drink, drugs, sex, money, power, love. In "The Power of Now," Eckhard Tolle has a story about a beggar who asks a stranger for money. The stranger tells the beggar to look under his seat. Turns out... more »

Diagramming sentences

The Arthurian at The Rules of Exposition - 20 hours ago
From A Picture Of Language: The Fading Art Of Diagramming Sentences at NPR: That reminds me... I was taught diagramming sentences in elementary school -- fifth or sixth grade probably, 1958-1960, certainly not later. Years later, in the late 1970s, I walked past an open college classroom door and overheard a student complain that diagramming sentences was difficult. Stuck in my mind. From the NPR piece: "It was a purely American phenomenon," Burns Florey says. "It was invented in Brooklyn, it swept across this country like crazy and became really popular for 50 or 60 years and th... more »

UFO

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 20 hours ago

Is The U.S. Military Losing It's Technology Advantage To China And Russia?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 20 hours ago
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, August 21, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Yuri Gripas *Russia, China Aim To Close Military Technology Gap With U.S.: Hagel -- Reuters* (Reuters) - Russia and China are trying to close the technology gap with the U.S. military and developing weapons systems that appear designed to counter traditional U.S. advantages, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday. Hagel was speaking before a NATO summit expected to bring Russia's souring relations with the West into sharp focus and the goals... more »

obey giant

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 20 hours ago
obey giant you've felt it your entire life

Labour’s Kiwibuild policy "will quickly run out of money" [updated]

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 20 hours ago
Surprise, surprise, house-builders raise their arms in the air about government paying house-builders to build 100,000 houses. Hardly even worthy of a headline. Except it got one: Labour's housing plan 'achievable,' says Master Builders. Labour says the scheme to get the rate of new homes being built up to 200 per week is realistic and has been devised in consultation with experts in the building sector… Master Builders spokesperson Brendon Ward says the scheme could be a positive step towards addressing New Zealand's housing issues, as well as an exciting opportunity for the... more »

Panda in the rain

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 20 hours ago

Rankin Inlet

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 20 hours ago

Knowledge requires subjective, not objective, knowledge

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 20 hours ago
R. v. Tyrell, 2014 ONCA 617: [30] Proof of knowledge, or of its close cousin, wilful blindness, demands a subjective inquiry. The question is "what did the accused know" and not "what ought he to have known": see *R. v. Beaver*, [1957] S.C.R. 531, at pp. 538, 541-42. Generally speaking, the doctrine of constructive or imputed knowledge based on what a person "ought to have known" has no place in the criminal law: *R. v. F. W. Woolworth Co. Ltd.* (1974), 18 C.C.C. (2d) 23 (Ont. C.A.), at p. 30:

Mental distress damages

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 20 hours ago
Fernandes v. Penncorp Life Insurance Company, 2014 ONCA 615: [88] In *Fidler*, at paras. 51-53, the Supreme Court observed that the jurisprudence speaks of two different types of aggravated damages. The court clarified that the term "aggravated damages" is misplaced in a case of mental distress damages arising out of a contractual breach. This was the nature of the damages claimed and awarded in the case under appeal. [89] In *Fidler*, the Supreme Court held that damages for mental distress for breach of contract may be awarded "where they are established on the e... more »

The Undoing of US "Interventionism?"

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 21 hours ago
*September 3, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Russian journalist Andrey Stenin, missing for a month in Ukraine, has been confirmed dead. He was part of a convoy of refugees fleeing the fighting in Ukraine's eastern region when he came under artillery fire. The vehicle he was in, along with several others, was destroyed, the occupants killed, and the evidence covered up. Officers representing the regime in Kiev had apparently rifled through the destroyed vehicles beforehand, collecting evidence and looting belongings. It is even suggested by Russian sources that the regime in Kiev ... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 21 hours ago

“30 Million Americans On Antidepressants And 21 Other Facts About America's Endless Pharmaceutical Nightmare”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 21 hours ago
*“30 Million Americans On Antidepressants And 21 * *Other Facts About America's Endless Pharmaceutical Nightmare”* by Michael Snyder “Has there ever been a nation more hooked on drugs than the United States? And I am not just talking about illegal drugs – the truth is that the number of Americans addicted to legal drugs is far greater than the number of Americans addicted to illegal drugs. As you will read about below, more than 30 million Americans are currently on antidepressants and doctors in the U.S. wrote more than 250 million prescriptions for painkillers last year. Sadly,... more »

The Autumn cycles begin

risa bear at A Way to Live - 21 hours ago
There is fog along the river in the mornings now, geese are honking their way over the pass, pumpkins are turning bright orange, and the cornstalks are falling all over like tiddlywinks. I'm not sure what that's about with the corn; in the past it has meant the arrival of raccoons but the ripe ears have not been molested (except by us). I have been carrying a cloth shoulder bag on walks and doing a bit of foraging. There are apples and plums along the fencerows, but I'm looking for things for tea: crimson clover, blackberry leaves, chickory, dandelion, thistledown, oregon grapes, an... more »

Cyber crime update ( September 3 , 2014 ) -- Home Depot hit , nearly all of their stores , by latest card breach ...... A review of the latest travails of merchants fighting cyber crime !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 21 hours ago
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/09/data-nearly-all-u-s-home-depot-stores-hit/ Data: Nearly All U.S. Home Depot Stores Hit [image: facebook][image: twitter][image: google_plus][image: reddit][image: pinterest][image: linkedin][image: mail] New data gathered from the cybercrime underground suggests that the apparent credit and debit card breach at *Home Depot* involves nearly all of the company’s stores across the nation. Evidence that a major U.S. retailer had been hacked and was leaking card data first surfaced Monday on the cybercrime store *rescator[dot]cc*, the shop that was princi... more »

Queen of the FAKE Bin Laden videos Rita Katz/SITE is the "source" for the fake ISIS "beheading" videos...as usual

Big Dan at Big Dan's Big Blog - 21 hours ago
*Nobody verifies her claims. Rita Katz/SITE says "Al Qaeda" "ISIS" did it, it hits the "news":* I used to do a post per day, sometimes two or more per day. Now I do a post it seems every couple of weeks. I guess that's what getting a job will do to your blogging time. Anyway, this was an easy post to do. You know these (fake) beheading videos? I immediately noticed they were brought to you by the Israel-Zionist linked SITE group overseen by Israeli-Zionist liar Rita Katz. I wrote a post about SITE/Rita Katz on May 7, 2012, entitled: *Queen of the FAKE Bin Laden videos Rita Katz... more »

The Economy: "The Real Reason American Capitalism Is Failing"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 21 hours ago
*"The Real Reason American Capitalism Is Failing" * by Bill Bonner Beijing, China - "We've come to China to check on our investments. Not that we have many. But the fewer you have, the more each one is important to you. Of all the world's major stock markets, only two are reasonably priced. China is one. Russia is the other. We are long-term bullish on both. It is raining here in Beijing. Outside, the roads are clogged with slowly moving traffic. The scene appears normal for a big city. It could be New York, London or Paris. What is remarkable about the view from our window is th... more »

In case you were worried about how our boy Eric Cantor would pay his mortgage . . . (And his poll guy's doin' fine too!)

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 21 hours ago
*Will our boy's new employer be providing him with flags, or will he have to bring his own to NYC?* *"After [Teabagger challenger David] Brat's victory, 'many analysts accused Eric Cantor of paying more attention to Wall Street than to the people of Virginia's 7th District,' Kevin Broughton, a spokesman for the Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund, a super-political action committee that supports Brat, said in an e-mailed statement. 'He certainly didn’t waste any time validating that theory.' "* -- *from* Bloomberg Businessweek *by Ken* An impudent tweeter raises the question of "prio... more »

Shoud The West Arm Ukraine?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 21 hours ago
A Ukrainian self-propelled artillery gun is seen near Slaviansk September 3, 2014. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich *Why Arming Ukraine Would Only Make Matters Worse -- Simon Shuster, Time* Supplied with Western weaponry, Ukraine's leaders would be tempted to walk away from peace talks win Russia and try their chances in a war they can't win The arguments for sending weapons to Ukraine have felt convincing in part because their premises are true. Ukraine’s military has fallen back. The separatist rebels have advanced. The Russian military’s role in the conflict has become so overt that calli... more »

Rip-off News round-up. Our pick of the last week's media (Thu 4th Sept)

Jake at Ripped-off Britons - 21 hours ago
Gas costs you THREE times what the energy firms pay: Millions of households being ripped off after wholesale cost halves in six months Wholesale costs have halved in six months yet bills have not fallen. British Gas customers are paying between £1.35 and £1.50 per therm. Its parent company, Centrica, announced profits of £900million for the first six months of the financial year. Yet the

Democracy

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 22 hours ago
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

The Potential For War Between Russia And NATO Is Escalating

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 22 hours ago
BBC *Are NATO And Russia Setting The Fuse For A Hot War? -- Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor* *NATO's plans for a 'rapid response' force, in combination with the Kremlin's intention to declare NATO an 'adversary' of Russia, could inadvertently spur open conflict.* Moscow — As NATO moves to install a symbolic "rapid deployment" force near Russia's border and the Kremlin plans to rewrite its official military policy to explicitly define NATO as an adversary, the potential for a wider war may be looming. President Barack Obama on Wednesday visited Estonia, a tiny Baltic member ... more »

Marilyn Katz : It’s time to speak out for Gaza

Thorne Dreyer at The Rag Blog - 23 hours ago
Why have American politicians and editorial boards been silent in the face of extreme violence? By Marilyn Katz | The Rag Blog | September 3, 2014 The latest seven-week war in Gaza is over. More than 2,000 people are dead … finish reading Marilyn Katz : It’s time to speak out for Gaza

Snake Oil: Fracking’s False Promise

What Is Sustainable at What Is Sustainable - 23 hours ago
When a dark and furious storm is racing in, and the tornado sirens are howling, smart folks stop staring at their cell phones, and head for shelter. But what if the cell phones were streaming messages that the storm warnings were a hoax, and there was nothing to fear? Twenty years ago, Peak Oil was a ridiculous absurdity conjured up by notorious idiots on the lunatic fringe. Ten years ago, it had become an acceptable topic for polite conversation. Today, an extremely effective disinformation campaign has inspired many to toss their energy concerns out the window. This made Rich... more »

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- September 3, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 23 hours ago
*NATO’s Dilemma: How Tough To Get With Russia -- Charlotte McDonald-Gibson, Time* The alliance must decide at its leaders summit this week how to react militarily to the incursions into Ukraine without getting into a dangerous standoff with Moscow. The NATO leaders’ summit taking place in Wales this week was always going to be a crucial opportunity for the alliance to redefine its role in a changing world. One year ago, it was expected to be dominated by soul-searching over its relevancy, with its troops finally gone from Afghanistan. A lot changes in a year. Russia’s military i... more »

Amy Adams’s meddling dirtier than the dairying

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
[image: newtechsample]National’s environment minister Amy Adams is following up the stellar record of National’s previous environment minister Nick Smith in pandering to the idea that "industrial dairying," Russel Norman’s term, needs to pull its head in. Russel has been talking down “dirty dairying,” his other term, as one of the country’s greatest pollution problems and getting worse. This ignores that, under current rules, the number of convictions due to dairying is falling, not rising. The number due to council sewage treatment however is rising, not falling. Therein is a c... more »

MIDWEEK AIMLESS THREAD

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
As my blogging will be rather slack this month (before bursting out with renewed vigour in October), I think another introspective post is required. (Oh, we do like our introspective posts, me and Sue!) I'm feeling a little like Dante tonight: Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost. Or like Christian in the *Pilgrim's Progress*: As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep: and, as I slept, I dreamed a dream... more »

World News Briefs -- September 3, 2014 (Evening Edition)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Ukrainian self-propelled artillery guns are seen near Slaviansk September 3, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich *Putin Unveils Ukraine Ceasefire Plan, France Halts Warship -- Reuters* (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin outlined plans for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday but Ukraine's prime minister dismissed the proposal, while France expressed its disapproval of Moscow's support for separatist forces by halting delivery of a warship. After speaking to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko by phone, Putin said he believed Kiev and pro-Russian separatists could reach ag... more »

In Defence of Free School Meals

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 1 day ago
The Conservative/LibDem Coalition has proven itself the most incompetent and vicious government this country has seen since the 1930s. In future decades historians of politics will damn it for the food bank queues, the severely disabled people being forced into work, for allowing the super rich to coin it while hammering the worst off and, of course, failing utterly to rebuild an economy that can hold its own in the cut and thrust of global capital flows. But among the foot notes, two positives will get highlighted. One will be the piloting of equal marriage through the Commons, at... more »

Quote of the day: “…the majority of British people have twigged”

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
“The impression given was that to be against multiculturalism is like being against chicken tikka masala, or bhangra, or arts festivals or smiley brown-skinned people or fun generally. But multiculturalism isn’t and never was a handy synonym for ‘multi-ethnic.’ And at last, it seems, the majority of British people have twigged.” - James Delingpole, “Multiculturalism: What the left would prefer you didn't know” RELATED POSTS: - The west's suicide bomb - The Reformation of Manners – Mark Steyn, STEYN ONLINE - Home-grown horror - Home-grown horror - Quote of the D... more »

Another Suspicious Beheading by the ISIS Bogeyman

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 1 day ago
Beheading is certainly in vogue these days as the convenient and mysterious Islamist bogeyman army of ISIS has allegedly chopped off the dome of another American journalist. The victim this time is Steven Sotloff who found himself on the wrong end of the sword in a video released yesterday. Sotloff's beheading follows that of James Foley whose fate has been milked by all of the usual fear-mongers to preserve the permanent state of war and domestic mass surveillance that has been enforced upon Americans since September 11, 2001 aka the day that changed everything. There is much mon... more »

Cory Gardner…The Far Right's Very Own Champion Of Free Sex?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Cory Gardner has never tried to sell himself as anything but a hard core right-wing ideologue. His district, CO-04 is the eastern third of the state, most of it the part that wants to secede. It's 91% white and very, very Republican. The R+11 district gave Romney a 210,019 (59%) to 140,855 (39%) victory over Obama-- even while Obama was winning the whole state, 51-46%. As we explained last month, Gardner never had any reason to paint himself as a moderate or even a mainstream Republican. His reputation is hard right. Part of the deal to get him the Republican Senate nomination th... more »

NATO Wants New Bases, Troops, And Equipment In Eastern Europe To Blunt Russia’s Aggression

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*NATO Plans New Military Outposts to Stop Putin—Just Don't Call Them Bases -- Eli Lake, Daily Beast* *To blunt Russia’s aggression, the Western alliance is considering new bases, new troops, and the economic equivalent of a nuclear bomb. Will the Obama administration go along?* With Russian forces entering into Ukraine, NATO is putting together a plan to place the alliance’s troops in bases behind the former Iron Curtain. One U.S. official who was not authorized to speak to the press said the presence of U.S. troops inside these bases in Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, and E... more »

Shepherd Bliss : Neighbors come together to build the village

Thorne Dreyer at The Rag Blog - 1 day ago
Small-town Sebastopol, California, sets 10-day festival to ‘shape common spaces in a way that promotes beauty and community.’ By Shepherd Bliss | The Rag Blog | September 3, 2014 SEBASTOPOL, California — Village Building Convergence (VBC) activists and their supporters … finish reading Shepherd Bliss : Neighbors come together to build the village

Able Danger & Door Hop Galley - Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer is a Liar

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 day ago
*I have personally been called a Conspiracy Theorist by an agent of the Shaddow Government - after I caught him out lying to The People.* The Way that the Shadow Government applies pressure to control Presidential Administrations in their second term is not through coups, or false flags, or October Surprise, but through *scandals*; the Vicuña Coat, Vietnam the Liberty Incident, Watergate, Iran-Contra, the Lewinski nonsense... Benghazi, the IRS, shutting down the government. *And Able Danger.* By late 2013, former Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer (Ret.) of the Defense Intelligence Agency ... more »

France Suspends Delivery Of Mistral Navy Assault Ship To Russia

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
The Mistral-class helicopter carrier (Reuters/Stephane Mahe) *France Halts Warship Delivery To Russia -- BBC* *France has said conditions are "not right" for delivery of the first of two Mistral navy assault ships to Russia.* President Francois Hollande's office blamed Moscow's recent actions in Ukraine. France had until now resisted pressure to halt the delivery. It had said it needed to respect an existing contract, to which EU sanctions could not apply retroactively, and that it would have been too costly to cancel. The Vladivostok, the first of the two helicopter carriers, wa... more »

Keira Knightley topless... again! Rule 5 Wednesday NSFW

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
The internet is all aflutter because Keira Knightley has posed topless for Interview magazine. The pictures are all over the web of course and why not! However I would bring to your attention the fact that I posted such pictures and some video in November 2012. So here's the new... And here's the old... According to The Mail, 'Keira Knightley bares her modest cleavage as she blasts Hollywood bosses for giving her 'droopy' big bust on film poster'. It seems that: 'She also told how she has a strict 'no bottom half' clause when it comes to getting naked on film. She told the U.S... more »

Supplemental: Examining Brodie’s chains!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014How often did Nixon get spanked:* More than thirty years later, Fawn Brodie’s psychobiography of Richard Nixon remains a fascinating read. We refer to Brodie’s 1981 book, Richard Nixon: The Shaping of His Character. For background, see yesterday's post. The book is fascinating because of Brodie’s relentlessly fractured logic. Beyond that, it’s fascinating because the New York Times couldn’t see, in real time, how remarkably strange the book was. But then, neither could Rick Perlstein! In 2008, he made the book a primary source for a major part of his... more »

President Obama Comments On The Crisis In Eastern Europe

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Obama Calls Ukraine A ‘Moment Of Testing’ For NATO -- New York Times* TALLINN, Estonia — President Obama on Wednesday declared the conflict in Ukraine a “moment of testing” for the United States and Europe, calling Russia’s intervention a “brazen assault” on the nation’s territorial integrity that warrants a unified response. On a day of conflicting reports of a cease-fire agreement between President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that both soon walked back, Mr. Obama condemned what he called “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine” and said... more »

Sept. 3: I don't usually write a blog on Wednesday .... but...

Graeme Decarie at The Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad - 1 day ago
... there are big things happening in the world, big things (or one) in the Irving press, and a few bits to tidy up. Let's start with the beloved Times and Transcript - with the editorial page. The editorial, not surprisingly, harps on the provincial debt. It certainly is bad. But the editors stick to simple-minded propaganda in trying to explain it, and how to deal with it. The reality is that the debt was created by big business in this province - just in the way the world's biggest ever debt has been run up in the U.S. It has been created by people who are greedy beyond measure, ... more »

Prosperity preacher Victoria Osteen, Catholics destroying churches for Muslim meditation, and gays at the St. Patrick's Day parade...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*we're all in big trouble.* Victoria Osteen, wife and co-pastor at the mega-church that supports her and her husband, Joel, in palatial surroundings said: "I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God—I mean, that's one way to look at it—we're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we're happy," she said in the 36-second clip posted on YouTube, with her husband smiling at her side in approval. "That's the thing that gives Him the greatest joy…" "So, I want you to know this morning: Just do good for your own self. D... more »

“The American Delusion: Distracted, Diverted and Insulated from the Grim Reality of the Police State”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*“The American Delusion: Distracted, Diverted and * *Insulated from the Grim Reality of the Police State”* By John W. Whitehead “In the age of advanced technology, spiritual devastation is more likely to come from an enemy with a smiling face than from one whose countenance exudes suspicion and hate. In the Huxleyan prophecy, Big Brother does not watch us, by his choice. We watch him, by ours. There is no need for wardens or gates or Ministries of Truth. When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serio... more »

Geoengineering (Chemtrails) It is time for people to Wake Up and Demand the poisoning/Murdering of Earth and Humans to STOP! Ads with chemtrails everywhere now.

Sherrie at Sherrie Questioning All - 1 day ago
The chemtrails have been murdering the Earth, animals and Humans for 2 decades now. People are waking up but we need more to become aware of what is happening. People need to start looking up in the sky and ask "What are they Spraying?" Sure there are dis-info sites that have been created to debunk deny chemtrails. They have been created by the governments and UN who spray our skies with

Afghanistan War News Updates -- September 3, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
NATO troops arrive at the site of a suicide car bomb attack in Kabul August 10, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Omar Sobhani *Afghans Face Fighting Taliban Without Western Help -- Newsweek* Will Afghanistan, like Iraq, be deserted by the West to fend off extremist groups on its own? The most recent political crisis in the country, which once hosted the perpetrators of the attacks of September 11, the most deadly terrorist assault on American soil, raises new doubts about future presence of United States and NATO forces there. President Barack Obama has said that unless a new security agreeme... more »

Here We Go Again: The Foley Hoax Beheading Was Bad Enough, But Now They Are Trying The Same BS With Steven Sotloff

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
I am truly amazed these days about the absolutely ridiculous bull crap that our Jew spew media and the liars in our own government continue to promote and push on their unsuspecting and gullible citizens....We are constantly bombarded over the "idiot box" (TalmudVision) with reports about the newest and greatest "terrorist" group known by the laughably ridiculous moniker "ISIS". It does seem that these ultra-criminals continue to push their agenda and laugh in our faces at the same time.... It was bad enough last week when these criminals tried to push the absolutely ridiculous ... more »

BotWatch - Me and My Case Officer

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 day ago
*The Agent assigned to keep tabs on me has recently changed tactics.* Previously, and most recently, she called herself *"Amanda Wild*" (not *Amanda Huggenkiss*, but pretty close), and she used to look like this: She now looks like this. Forgive me for thinking I am being profiled, here. If you haven't already read my critique of legendary researcher (and my personal hero), *John Judge*, who became duped into becoming champion of the fraudulent "*9/11 VicSims Families*", I highly recommend it as back-grounding for this kind of psychological warfare operation, and how one can be so... more »

A very NATO/US sounding ISIS threatens Putin- God Willing- Updated

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
I will highlight the interesting bits of this news item from Australian media Updated below [image: Islamic State: "We will liberate Chechnya and the entire Caucasus, God willing."]Islamic State: "We will liberate Chechnya and the entire Caucasus, God willing." *Islamic State says Vladimir Putin's throne is 'under threat and will fall when we come to you'* *Moscow: Islamic State militants have issued a threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin, vowing to oust him and "liberate" the volatile North Caucasus over his support of the Syrian regime.* The General Prosecutor's Office ... more »

Afghanistan's Rival Presidential Contenders Are In A Last-Ditch Attempt To Save Their Power-Sharing Agreement

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Afghanistan's presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah (L) addresses a news conference with rival Ashraf Ghani (R) at this side as they announced a deal for the auditing of all Afghan election votes at the United Nations Compound in Kabul, late July 12, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Jim Bourg *Afghan Election Contenders In Last-Ditch Bid To Rescue Power-Sharing Deal -- Reuters* (Reuters) - Afghanistan's rival presidential campaigns were holding last-ditch talks on Wednesday to rescue a deal on a national government after a disputed election raised fears of exacerbating ethnic divisions. P... more »

Obama Settles On ISIS Strategy: Incoherence...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*according to Keith Koffler.* And he's right. Obama Settles On ISIS Strategy: Incoherence Someone, please, make it stop. It’s as if my neighbor became president somehow, and I saw him getting the newspaper – not that anyone gets the newspaper anymore – and I said, *Hey, I heard you got a new job, what are doing now?* and he said, *OMG, I’m the effin President of the United States. It’s so cool!* Barack Obama is the Commander in Chief. He is currently sending men and women into war against ISIS. And he has no idea what he wants to do. He has no idea that he’s even in a war. Let’s... more »

The Islamic State Has Gained Thousands Of New Recruits Since Their Capture Of The Sunni Regions In Iraq

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*ISIS By The Numbers: How Big, Strong And Rich The Militant Organization May Be -- CBC* Trying to take an inventory of ISIS is a daunting task, even for those senior analysts in the intelligence community — few rely on the annual statistical reports that the media-savvy group actually releases. But experts have been able to provide some estimates on how big, how strong and how rich the militant organization may be. "When you hear the intelligence community say they don't even know, that's somewhat worrisome," said Colin Clarke, an associate political scientist at the Rand Corpor... more »

Racism-- Still A Pillar Of The Republican party

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Ted Cruz's father might not be as much as a racist neanderthal as he comes off. I mean, some people think he just acts that way to make his son seem relatively less racist and neanderthal. Or, if that doesn't work… well, people look at the old man and say, "poor, Ted; no wonder he turned out that way. When right-wings-- father *or* son start talking about "the average black," you know you're in for some stomach churning. The hate-filled preacher Rafael spoke at Western Wilco-- the Western Williamson County Republican Club in Cedar Park, an almost all white, almost all-Republican s... more »

(No Irony Here)  What Happens When No One Goes To Jail Who Caused the Financial Cataclysm of 2008

Nope. Not ironical at all (h/t Robin Williams). However, I'm with Stiglitz. Angelo Mozilo cannot believe it. Six years after he lost control of the largest mortgage lender in the U.S., and days after news that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles plans to sue him, the Countrywide Financial Corp. founder is baffled by a new effort to punish him, proud of past triumphs and incensed

Islamic State Militants Now Posses German Missiles (Video)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Arms Identification – German Missiles In The Hands Of The Islamic State -- Bellingcat* After the captured of Tabqa airbase in Syria by the Islamic State last week a number of photographs were posted online showing the weapons captured at the airbase. These included many weapons seen elsewhere in the conflict, from ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannons to Konkurs ATGMs. Today, a new video released by the Islamic State shows more of the airbase, and the equipment captured. Again, much of what is shown are weapons seen elsewhere in the conflict, but 6 minutes into the video something not ye... more »

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry: 'Face Of Islam Is A Peaceful Religion'

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Secretary of State John Kerry is headed to the Mideast, seeking coalition partners to fight the rise of the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq and Syria. Rob Griffith/REUTERS *Kerry: ‘The Real Face Of Islam Is A Peaceful Religion’ -- Daily Caller* Secretary of State John Kerry took pains to separate the brutal Islamic terror organization ISIS from its broader religious affiliation on Wednesday, taking time out from a statement on beheaded journalist Steven Sotloff to claim that “Islam is a peaceful religion.” Kerry spoke to a largely-Islamic audience at the State Department Wed... more »

In One Speech President Obama Vows To 'Destroy' ISIS, In Another Speech He Wants ISIS To Be A 'Manageable Problem'

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Obama Just Contradicted Himself About His Strategy Against ISIS -- Business Insider/Reuters* The United States plans to "degrade and destroy" ISIS until it is no longer a force in the Middle East, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday. But later in the same news conference, the president said the aim of a potential international coalition to combat ISIS was to reach "the point where it is a manageable problem." The apparent contradiction comes days after the president said, in a remark that earned him a heap of criticism, "We don't have a strategy yet" about confronting the ... more »

China will build a 52-kilometer collider by 2028

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 1 day ago
Joseph S. has reminded me of this fascinating plan: China pursues 52 km collider project (Physics World) The world's #2 economy's biggest collider right now (one in Beijing) has 240 meters in circumference (about a quarter of a micron per capita) so they plan to improve their national record by a factor of 200+. ;-) The proposed collider should be a "Higgs factory" colliding electrons and positrons at the energy of \(250\GeV\). While the Chinese say that this would put them at the forefront of particle physics, the representatives of the ILC which should be hosted by Japan say th... more »

President Obama Pushes For A Regional Strategy To Confront The Islamic State

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Obama Urges Regional Strategy To Counter Islamic State -- Voice of America* President Barack Obama said U.S. airstrikes have blunted the momentum of Islamic State militants in Iraq, and that now a regional strategy is needed to "degrade and destroy" the group. Obama told reporters Wednesday in Estonia that the U.S. will continue leading a broader effort against what he called the "barbaric and ultimately empty vision" that the Islamic State group represents. "We know that if we are joined by the international community, we can continue to shrink ISIL’s sphere of influence, its ef... more »

Supplemental: Ruth Marcus seemed to be sifting the truth!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014But then again, so was Joan Walsh:* Incomparably, The Daily Howler keeps churning out those results! We refer to this recent breakthrough statement by Salon’s Joan Walsh: “Cornel West is now slipping deep into Maureen Dowd territory: a formerly incisive, moderately influential social critic (a genuinely important one, in West’s case) driven to cruelty and irrelevance by Obama hatred.” Judge that assessment of West as you will. We were struck by Walsh's assessment of Dowd. We’ve often said that, for professional reasons, you can’t get Walsh to criticiz... more »

Kevin Carey, Logically Adrift

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
Kevin Carey and the billionaire patrons of CorpEd who pay him to record his thought disorders in the New York Times are moving on from K-12 to more fertile education grounds to make money and to impose their idiocy. Watch out, higher ed. With more and more young adults graduating from college with fewer good jobs available to them and the next generation of workers, the new normal for college grads is characterized by unemployment, underemployment, and huge college debt has become the norm in 2014. So far, the response by the oligarchs and CorpEd has been to send more jobs abroa... more »

World News Briefs -- September 3, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Ukraine Walks Back Cease-Fire Announcement After Moscow Says No Deal Was Reached -- Christian Science Monitor* A phone call between Ukrainian and Russian heads of state yields no breakthrough. NATO talks in Wales are expected to focus on the eastern Ukraine conflict and alleged Russian intervention there. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday announced a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But he almost immediately had to walk back his upbeat message, casting doubt over its significance. Fighting between the go... more »

Some thoughts on prejudice

Capt. Fogg at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
By Capt. Fogg Well, if you told me you were drowning I would not lend a hand I've seen your face before my friend But I don't know if you know who I am Well, I was there and I saw what you did I saw it with my own two eyes So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you've been It's all been a pack of lies * -Phil Collins-* What is an observation without a frame of reference? We like to think we can observe facts and make rational deductions, but we can't. Anyone with training in psychology as it pertains to law enforcement is likely to tell you that eye witness accounts of the s... more »

Cell Phones Pushes on 5 Year Olds, Despite Known Risks

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 1 day ago
*Young children at great risk for brain tumors, behavioral disorders from cell phones, WiFi* Dees Illustration Aaron Dykes Media outlets across the nation are covering back to school activities, including fresh marketing directed at children as young as five – when most start Kindergarten. Whereas some 80% of teens aged 11 and up have cell phones, many of which have smart phones, it is becoming common for ever younger children to carry phones too. CBS in Detroit reported: Some carriers, like Sprint with its “WeGo” device, are marketing cell phones to kids as young as five: “It... more »

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- September 3, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
U.S. President Barack Obama talks during a press conference at the Bank of Estonia in Tallinn, Estonia, September 3, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Larry Downing *Obama Says NATO Must Help Strengthen Ukraine's Military -- Reuters* (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama urged NATO on Wednesday to help strengthen Ukraine's military and said the alliance must leave the door open to new members to counter what he called Russian aggression. Obama was speaking in Estonia, one of three ex-Soviet Baltic states bordering Russia that fear separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine could herald problem... more »

THE HOUSES OF JOURNALIST COUNTY: Just for the record!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014Part 2—The salaries and the homes:* If we might enjoy a brief amusement, a funny thing happened to Meredith Vieira as she tried to show us the people who she really is. On the cover of Parade, she was quoted saying this: “I want people to see the real me.” Inside the magazine, in the profile itself, she explained that the set of her new TV show will feature “the authenticity of” her own furniture from her own house in New York, or at least of a facsimile. “The cats and the dog ruined [the furniture],” Vieira is quoted saying, “and I just want people t... more »

Europe tends to believe the endless lies coming out of Washington. If Germany should accept the lie that Russia is planning war against them, they would suffer the most if NATO were to instigate such a war. Here a cross-section of former U.S. intelegence specialists warn Chancellor Merkel to distrust what Washington says unless and until they verify the alleged threat themselves.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 1 day ago
------------------------------ *OpEdNews Op Eds 8/31/2014 at 08:27:06* Memorandum For: Angela Merkel: Beware of Fixed Intelligence on Ukraine-- Think WMDs *By Coleen Rowley (about the author)* Permalink opednews.comHeadlined to H1 8/31/14 Angela Merkel (image by Glyn Lowe Photoworks.)MEMORANDUM FOR: Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) SUBJECT: Ukraine and NATO We the undersigned are long-time veterans of U.S. intelligence. We take the unusual step of writing this open letter to you to ensure that you have an opportu... more »

Artificial Intelligence Could Co-Pilot Future Combat Jets: Navy Official

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 1 day ago
Boeing's F/A-XX concept Nicholas West The Navy continues to make a series of announcements which show that their future combat jets will include artificial intelligence, as well as the incorporation of drones and hi-tech weapons into future missions. According to an unnamed Navy official in the latest post from U.S. Naval Institute News, "A.I is going to be huge" by 2030. Not many additional specifics were given, but the role of A.I. is currently foreseen "as a decision aid to the pilot in a way similar in concept to how advanced sensor fusion onboard jets like the F-22 and Lock... more »

Mexico: UFOs Reportedly Seen over Yucatán Airports

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 1 day ago
*Source: MILENIO Novedades and Planeta UFODate: 09.02.2014* *Mexico: UFOs Reportedly Seen over Yucatán Airports* *By Jorge Moreno - SIPSE* According to witnesses, sightings have been reported at the Kaua and Merida terminals. MERIDA, Yucatan – Mexican airports, and airports around the world, are some of the locations in which many UFO sightings have occurred. However, air traffic controllers, pilots and other staff working at these sites are under orders not to report them to avoid panic among the population. However, there are cases that have been filtered, or rather, those in wh... more »

One-Stop Shoppe For Crisis in the Ukraine

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 1 day ago
This article by Robert Parry, "Who's Telling the 'Big Lie' on Ukraine," is an excellent summary of the crisis so far and the laughable bullshit and shameless lying, and hubris, and horrifyingness of the Washington elite's imperialist fantasies. I cannot believe the grip of the corporate media in America. I cannot believe how willingly infected we have become here in Canada. What am I saying? The head of B'nai Brith is so depraved that he saw fit to nominate racist torture advocate, stephen harper, for a Nobel Peace Prize. (To be fair, Frank Dimant was thinking about harper's whole-... more »

How Many Friends Does He Have Left?

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 1 day ago
http://postalhistorycorner.blogspot.ca Jason Fekete reports in this morning's *Ottawa Citizen* that the Harper government is stepping up its war on the Parliamentary Press Gallery: The federal Conservative party continues to fire off fundraising emails to its donors attacking the “Ottawa media elite,” as it looks to snare donations from its members. The latest missive came Tuesday in an email from Jaime Girard, the director of fundraising and membership for the Conservative Party of Canada, which asked members for $25 donations to he... more »

Bacon And Cheese Waffles

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 1 day ago
When I think waffles, I usually think of sweet syrup, powdered sugar and maybe strawberries. That is, until I had my first savory waffle. Usually made with ingredients such as cheese and onions, savory waffles make the waffle the experience instead of the toppings. This savory waffle is my absolute favorite version because it incorporates two of my favorite things. Cheese and bacon. These waffles are a little bit of work, but worth it in the end. I think I need waffles now. You will need: Dry Ingredients - 2 cups flour - 1/4 cup brown sugar - 1 teaspoon baking soda - ... more »

Russian President Putin Outlines His Terms For A Ceasefire To Take Place In Eastern Ukraine

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Reuters/B.Rentsendorj) *Ukraine Ceasefire: Putin Lays Out 7-Step Plan To Stop Hostilities In E. Ukraine -- RT* Kiev must withdraw troops from southeastern regions of Ukraine and rebels must stop offensive to stop bloodshed, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says. He and Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko discussed "a ceasefire regime." President Putin has outlined a seven-point plan to stabilize the situation in the crisis-torn east of Ukraine. “On my way here from [the city of] Blagoveschensk to Ulan-Bator [Mongolia], I outlined some ideas and pl... more »

Ukraine Rebels 'Unimpressed' With Reports Of A Ceasefire

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*WNU Editor*: For a ceasefire to take hold .... the rebels will need to be a party to any agreement. They were not in this case .... and they are reacting as expected .... *Ukraine president says he and Putin agree on steps to a cease-fire … but rebels unimpressed* (National Post/AP) My prediction .... we are still a long way from an effective ceasefire taking place .... but we are going in the right direction (I hope). *Update*: DPR Deputy PM: Poroshenko Did Not Agree Ceasefire With Donetsk -- RIA Novosti

President Obama Is Skeptical That An Agreement Has Been Reached On A Ukraine Ceasefire

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
President Obama arriving at the Kadriorg Palace in Tallinn, Estonia, on Wednesday. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times *Obama Says It’s ‘Too Early to Tell’ What the Ukraine Ceasefire Means -- Time* News of the truce broke shortly after the president's arrival in Estonia President Barack Obama has adopted a cautious approach to the ceasefire announced Wednesday between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It’s too early to tell what this cease-fire means,” said Obama, explaining that he had not seen full details but “only wire reports.” *Re... more »

Untitled

jonjayray at EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL - 1 day ago
*Pupils at 'Trojan Horse' school were shown jihadist video* Pupils from a Birmingham school at the centre of the so-called “Trojan Horse” investigation were shown a jihadist promotional video in the classroom, it has been revealed. Ian Kershaw, who conducted an inquiry on behalf of Birmingham City Council, said the film portrayed images of “violent extremism” had been played to children despite concerns it was “completely unacceptable”. Giving evidence to MPs on Tuesday, he insisted senior staff at the school – which was not named – failed to discipline the teacher involved after ... more »

Can The Democrats Keep A Senate Majority?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
It will probably take more than prayers The person with the most at stake, Harry Reid, is screwing up Democratic chances to hold onto the Senate in November. He's decided to roll the dice on two unlikely conservative Democrats in deep red states, Georgia and Kentucky. Predictably, both his candidates, Michelle Nunn and Alison Lundergan Grimes, are losing. But to really gamble big on these two states, he's completely cut off two progressives in states with records of being far more friendly to Democrats, Shenna Bellows in Maine and Rick Weiland in South Dakota. Bellows and Weiland are... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago
*Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro strives for defense to dominate like offense has ~Ramon Antonio Vargas, New Orleans Advocate * *Astronaut tweets view of New Orleans from ISS* *~**Reid WisemanVerified account* ‏*@astro_reid* #*NOLA* with the new 800mm. I’m having too much fun with this lens. *Halliburton oil spill settlement creates 2 new classes of claimants ~David Hammer, WWLTV * *NPR And WWNO Present: Water±*

Labour MP Graham Morris asks PM: Will British IDF soldiers be treated like IS fighters?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
'the unpleasant underbelly of Labour' as 'Grahame Morris, the MP for Easington, asked: “Given the strong evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza—we have heard about 500 children being killed under a terrible bombardment—will British citizens fighting in the Israel defence forces be treated in the same way as those returning from Syria and Iraq?”' More here http://www.jewishnews.co.uk/labour-mp-will-british-idf-soldiers-treated-like-fighters/ but not on the BBC who presumably agree with Graham Morris and don't see the difference between fighting for a group of Islamist Terrorists d... more »

Armored Vehicle to Be Returned to U.S. Government by San Jose Police

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 1 day ago
In a positive sign that the backlash against the militarizing of the nation's police forces may be working, a California police department is returning a 15 ton armored vehicle. The piece of heavy, war zone ready equipment was just received from the federal government this year. The heavy-handed response to civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri has finally triggered a long overdue debate as to the proper role of the police in our society. While there is not much hope that the dysfunctional gaggle in Washington will be able to get the problem under control it is always encouraging wh... more »

California Cop on Leave After Attacking Woman With Baseball Bat

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 1 day ago
The northern California city of Walnut Creek is the location of a bizarre incident that has landed a local police officer on administrative leave. Gregory Thompson, who is described as a 53 year old police veteran was arrested in August for allegedly attacking a woman in the early morning hours as she walked in a residential area. Not that police brutality is anything to be surprised about in 2014 America, especially with the federal government encouraging more aggressive attitudes by giving away surplus military equipment. What makes the Walnut Creek case an oddity is that office... more »

Dog Owner Watches as Arkansas Cop Shoots Her Beloved Pet in the Head

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 1 day ago
A police officer in the sleepy burg of Alexander, Arkansas is responsible for the latest incident of “puppycide” after busting a cap into the head of a beloved family pet in front of it’s shocked owner.The dog, a large Mastiff-Shar Pei was mortally wounded by the jumpy cop and later had to be “put down” in an act of mercy as it was obvious that the dog would not recover. The new phenomenon that is the shooting of dogs by police is evidence of a very troubling state of law-enforcement in America. I mean for God’s sake, why do these guys continue to insist on summarily executing poo... more »

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